"Rando! You monster!" Urameshi charged the monk at full speed. He pulled back his fist and yelled, "There was no reason to do that to Kuwabara!"
Botan watched in shock as she kneeled next to the unconscious boy.
Sayomi's eyes widened when she heard Urameshi's rage. He still has energy?!
Urameshi struck Shaolin with a powerful punch to the face. The force of his attack sent the monk skidding back several feet away. He held up his clenched fist, trembling with rage and fatigue. "You're goin' down, Rando. For that and for the 99 people you've killed!"
"Unh… Mumph…!" Shaolin struggled to speak as his arm rubbed across his swelling cheek. As he tried to stand, his legs quivered under his weight. "Huh?!"
"Graah!" Urameshi closed in with an uppercut to the stomach. Shaolin tumbled back across the wet field.
"Get up!" Urameshi walked towards his opponent angrily.
"Bluck… Whoo." Shaolin sat up and wiped the blood from his mouth. "He punched up a score of 155, but in combat I'd say he easily tops 200…"
"And that's just for starters!" Urameshi glared as he pulled back his first.
"Haah!" Shaolin kneeled into a crouch and crossed his arms like an X in front of his chest. His aura changed and started spiraling around him. "Slicing Gale Aegis!"
He jumped into the air and swept his arms open. A whistling wind picked up and blew towards Urameshi. "I've whipped up supersonic vortices all around! They're buzz saws of air, coming at you from all sides!"
"He'll be hamburger if he charges straight into them!" Botan shouted next to Genkai.
Sayomi watched the boy and forced herself to stay hidden. He'll be dead if he doesn't do something!
"Raah!" Urameshi shouted and hurled his body high into the air.
"What?!" Shaolin flinched back in disbelief. "He's leaping over them?!"
Sayomi watched as Urameshi crossed his arms to guard his face. His arms are taking most of the cuts!
"By diving head first, he's avoiding the worst effects of the vortices!" Genkai explained to Botan.
On his way down, Urameshi used his arms to cross over Shaolin's throat with his full bodyweight. He collapsed and rolled to his back next to the unconscious monk. "Heh heh… Gotcha, punk."
Urameshi pulled himself back to his feet and smirked. "Repent your crimes in Hell."
Sayomi watched Urameshi walk back to the group. He's wasting his energy.
"I'm done, man… shot, finished, kaput." Urameshi grimaced in pain as he limped to Botan.
"Don't worry!" Botan cheered with her arms spread wide above her head. "You nailed him with one smashing blow! You've avenged Kuwabara's demise in style!"
"Whoo...Whoa..." Urameshi swayed as he struggled to keep his balance.
Botan gasped worriedly. "Good gosh, you are kaput!"
"Hold on, kid. It's not over. Not by a long shot."
"Huh?" Urameshi winced as he looked at Genkai.
"If Shaolin is Rando, then he's just getting warmed up," she explained.
"Heh... Ha ha ha!" Urameshi froze as he heard a deep laugh behind him.
The earth started to rumble as the monk's body changed. "Let's see… How many decades has it been since I last fought a human in the clear, as Rando?" Bones cracked into place as he shed from his human disguise. "I didn't expect to be unmasked by anyone less than Genkai, that's for sure. I like it. It's exciting. I must carefully consider how this one is to suffer and die."
Urameshi felt a nervous sweat on the back of his neck as he turned to see the demon behind him.
"After all, I'd like to have some fun with this." Rando stood proudly and seemed to be at full health despite Urameshi's assault. His crimson hair flowed in gentle waves to his lower back. His bare torso and arms were lined with deep blue markings that resembled a spider's web or veins. Similar markings covered his face like a mask.
Sayomi watched the demon carefully from the tree's shadow. So this is his true form? I can feel his aura from way back here!
"Wow! So that's Rando..!" Botan watched in awe next to a passive Genkai.
"Unh..." Yusuke staggered as he tried to stay on his feet.
Rando walked up to the boy and smiled. "Anything wrong? You're looking a little pale."
"You shut yer yap!" Urameshi charged Rando with a barrage of punches to the chest. "Take this, and this, and this!"
"You done?" Rando smiled and said, "That wasn't anything like your last attack. I barely felt those punches. They had no power."
"Uugh…" Urameshi glared as the demon spoke the truth.
Rando took in a deep breath and blew strings of shimmering thread from his mouth. They grew in length and spread around Urameshi.
"Threads… made of aura?!" The new technique took Urameshi by surprise.
"An entire aura web, actually. I'm probably the only demon who can spin one." The threads hung from Rando's mouth as he smirked.
"Urk?!" The threads weaved together around Urameshi's body. He tried to fight them off, but they only became thicker and tighter until his whole body was bound. "Rrg... I… I can't move!"
Botan and Genkai gasped while Sayomi glared angrily. As if he wasn't already at a huge disadvantage!
"It's tough stuff. No matter how hard you try, you can't break it." Rando gripped the webbing in both hands and pulled it tight. Then he grinned and pulled as hard as could over his shoulder. "Here, I'll show you!"
"Waaah!" Urameshi yelled until he was slammed down into the earth. "Gah!"
"Again!" Rando pulled Urameshi into the air and swung him around. "See? What did I tell you? I could swing and swing and swing all day…" He slammed Urameshi into the ground again. "…but it would never snap!"
"Good gosh…" Botan watched in horror. "He can't escape! He's helpless…!"
Sayomi clenched her fists as she waited for the right moment. All he needs to do is give up. As soon as the match is over, I'll jump in. He doesn't have to suffer like Kuwabara.
Rando dragged Urameshi across the muddy field. Urameshi clenched his teeth and tried to bear the pain along the way. "Guck!"
Rando smiled down at the boy. "Say, I've got an idea."
Rando secured the web to a dead tree branch. Urameshi swayed in the air over a dirty pond. "There! How's that feel, eh?"
"Unh! What sadistic trick is this?!" Urameshi snarled. "You've got me, so why don't you kill me?!"
"First, I'd like you to meet my friends." Rando reached out towards the pond and started chanting.
Urameshi's attention snapped down to the water when he heard bubbles. Then, several large fish with over a dozen eyes emerged and bared mouthfuls of sharp teeth. "Gack! What are those things?!"
"Fish summoned from the demon plane. Cute, huh?" Rando had also summoned a small imp. He tossed it into the pond and said, "They also have big appetites."
"Skreek!" As soon as the imp splashed into the water, the fish devoured everything until only the bones floated to the surface.
Urameshi shivered in fear.
Rando aimed his finger at him like a gun. "Human flesh is a special treat for them."
"Th-that pose!" Botan exclaimed in recognition.
Isn't that Urameshi's move?! Sayomi's muscles tensed. That can't be good.
Rando focused his demonic aura into the tip of his finger and fired off a blast.
The bullet grazed Urameshi's cheek and destroyed a tree behind him. Blood trailed up his face while he helplessly hung over the carnivorous fish like a worm on a hook.
Rando smirked sadistically. "Mm… love that expression."
"He's seen the Rei Gun just once, yet he's figured out how -," Botan couldn't believe her eyes.
"Yes…" Genkai agreed. "That one's a quick study, all right. He has the potential to surpass me, but as an evil master."
And I'll be damned if she thinks I'm just gonna let that happen. Sayomi agreed to Master Genkai's suggestion under the assumption that the competitors would all be human. If a demon like him gets Master Genkai's power, even more humans will suffer and die. I can't just sit back and let that happen.
"Love the screams humans make when they get eaten alive, too." Rando aimed and shot the branch Urameshi hung from.
"Yaah!" Urameshi yelled when he felt the web go slack.
Rando smiled. "Make it good, kid."
"Yusuke!" Botan shouted next to Genkai.
He's dead! Sayomi ground her teeth angrily.
"Waaah!" Urameshi screamed as he fell.
When the boy splashed into the dirty water, Rando said, "Now let's have a beautiful fountain of blood and a hearty set of blood-curdling screams!"
The fish dived down after the fresh meat. Sayomi felt tense as she waited for the final announcement. Why isn't she calling the match? There's no way he's getting out of this alive!
After a minute of silence, Rando sighed in disappointment. "Hmph… nothing. Oh, well, once his bones float to the surface, Master Genkai's secrets are mine."
"Yusuke!" Botan called out desperately. She looked down at the old hermit and said, "Master! Yusuke's going to die…!"
"Hmm…" Genkai kept her attention on the bubbles.
Sayomi waited anxiously as the fish swarmed around Urameshi. There's no way he can get out of there alive. His arms and legs are bound and he barely has any aura left. He was already beat up from his earlier fights and he's just a human! How does Master Genkai expect him to get out of this?!
Then, a sudden movement caught her eye. Kuwabara's body glowed with a soft white light that rose out of his chest. She blinked curiously at the sight. Is that his soul?
She watched it leave his body and fly into the water. What was that about?
The seconds seemed to drag on as Sayomi waited for something to happen. His bones haven't floated to the surface yet. What's taking so long? I figured he would've at least run out of air by now.
As more time passed, her aura started twitching nervously. I can't take this anymore! If he hasn't surfaced by now, then he never will. I gotta strike now!
"Shut your face!"
Water gushed out of the pond and rained over the immediate area. Demonic fish guts and bones littered the pond and the surrounding grass.
Was that really Urameshi? Sayomi wondered in disbelief.
"Heh..." Kuwabara chuckled weakly. "Heh… see, dummy… you can do it…"
"Huh?" Botan looked down at the boy curiously.
"What was that…? Could've sworn I saw a huge discharge of aura. It couldn't be…" Rando looked down at the flopping corpses by his feet. "…But something blew these demon fish out of the water."
He made his way to the water's edge. "Did he break out of my web? If he did summon this explosive burst of power, maybe he has managed to free himself. But the moment he floats to the surface will be his last."
He aimed his finger at the still water and charged his aura for another shot. "Come on… Come on…"
"Yusuke…" Botan called out worriedly. "Did he succumb to his own last effort…?"
As an air bubble floated to the surface, Rando yelled, "Hah! Gotcha!"
"Hah! Gotcha back!" Urameshi grinned behind the demon.
Rando turned in disbelief. "Impossible! How did you get behind me?!"
Urameshi ground his teeth and pulled back his fist. "Turns out that pond has a channel at the bottom! It connects to the bog I fell in while fighting Kaze-Maru!"
This is his chance! Sayomi watched anxiously. I don't think he can afford to waste any more energy!
Urameshi punched Rando in the face hard enough to send him splashing into the murky bog.
The exhausted teen braced himself on his knees as he struggled to catch his breath. "Hurf… That's it, everything I had… Can't even… raise my arms…"
Sayomi watched the water for any sign of Rando. Did he get him?
Urameshi watched the rippling water warily. Before too long, air bubbles rose from the surface, followed by a clawed hand. Rando's sinister glare locked onto the boy as he pulled himself out.
Urameshi grimaced. "Nuts…!"
Rando smiled, but it didn't reach his murderous eyes. "That one… did sting a bit." He retaliated with his own punch to the boy's face.
Urameshi landed hard on his back and groaned. "Fine… I'm through… Get it over with…"
Rando smirked, satisfied with his victim's immobility. "Looks like you're truly used up now. I'll give the shrinking curse another whirl. Practice makes perfect, and all that."
He's finished now. Sayomi watched as Urameshi laid still. It's gonna be like Kuwabara all over again. Why won't Master Genkai just call the match already? It's obvious he's lost.
"I'll recite the incantation, and then… the final bit of fun! Heh heh." Rando positioned his hands and started chanting.
"Heh heh… It's done." Rando stood over the boy and yelled, "Shrink away, kid! Now, how to finish you? Perhaps I'll crush every bone in your body, and then squash you like a bug!"
When he heard a faint rustle, he looked down and gasped. "Ah! What?!"
He noticed Urameshi looked bigger than before. "N-no… How's it possible?!" He looked down at himself in disbelief. "The curse shrank me!"
Urameshi lifted his head in confusion.
"What in the world…?!" Botan wondered aloud.
How?! Sayomi silently wondered.
"You've become too reliant on your spells, Rando," Genkai lectured. "Curses are not docile servants. Make the slightest error in their conjuring, and they'll turn on you. You summoned this one too often, without adequate focus."
Rando gaped down at his hand. "I… failed?! Impossible! I performed the incantation perfectly!"
"But the victim must hear it," Genkai explained. "The curse enters the victim's body through the auditory nerve, which means it can only work on the unwary or the defenseless. Countering it amounts to no more than covering one's ears. It's a serious drawback."
"What?" Rando stared at her, dumbfounded. "But… but he didn't know that!"
Urameshi sat up and slapped the side of his head to clear his ears. "I can't hear a thing!" He dug into his ears and pulled out some green slime. "Yuck! Algae clogging my ears! No wonder everything was muffled."
The turn of events left Rando speechless.
Genkai finished her explanation, "A demon like you who acquires secrets by stealing instead of studying is eventually brought up short by his ignorance. You lose!"
"I have not lost!" Rando rushed to get into the proper stance. "All I have to do is reverse the curse and… Uh…" He looked up and froze in terror.
Urameshi towered over him on shaky legs and smirked. "Heh heh… You figure I'll just hang loose... until you finish your spell? True, I barely have the strength to stand…" He tilted his body forward and let gravity take over. "…But falling will be a cinch!"
"Aaaah!" Rando screamed as he watched his oncoming demise.
"Elbow Drop!" Urameshi dropped his elbow onto Rando's face, knocking him unconscious on the muddy grass.
The demon bled from his eyes, nose, and mouth as he laid sprawled out on his back. Urameshi rolled over next to the shrunken criminal, ready to pass out himself. "And collapsing… even simpler… Man… Can barely… raise my eyelids…
He gazed up at Genkai and managed a weak smirk. "Well, old woman? May not be much left of me, but I won."
"Mm!" Genkai gazed down at him with a bored stare. "Urameshi Yusuke is the successor!"
"Yay!" Botan cheered triumphantly.
A slow clap alerted everyone to a hooded figure standing on the edge of the field beside a dead tree.
Urameshi struggled to lift his head from the ground. "What the...?"
Botan glanced down at her wrist when it started beeping urgently. "It's another demon!"
"Ngh…" Urameshi groaned. "Damn it all…"
"No need to worry about that one," Genkai said. "She's harmless and isn't even powerful enough to scare a fly."
"That's harsh, Master. I'm not that weak, am I?" The voice was slightly muffled under the deep hood, but it was definitely feminine.
Botan tried to peer under it, but could only make out dark shadows. "A-and uh… who might… you be…?"
"Enough with the theatrics, Sayomi. If this sorry excuse is who you're looking for, you might as well introduce yourself properly," Genkai snapped.
"Oh, alright." Two slender pale arms lowered the hood and revealed a young girl. Her black hair was cropped short with long sideburns that framed her heart-shaped face. Her gray eyes expressed both a wild playfulness and a curious innocence. Under her black cloak, she wore a purple tank top and black cargo pants. Her feet were bare and muddy from walking in the wet fields.
She bowed respectfully and introduced herself. "Hello, my name is Sayomi. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Sayomi is a shadow demon," Genkai explained. "She was sent to find a certain human with a natural talent for fighting. Based on the outcome of these trials, I believe it's safe to say this dimwit is who she was looking for."
Sayomi nodded and crossed her arms. She smirked down at the worn-out teenager. If he was able to defeat a demon like Rando, then he has to be the one. I got lucky, but now what?
As she made her way towards the boy, he managed to get a decent look at her. "Hey… I'm the great… Yusuke Urameshi… Demon Hunter extraordinaire… Sorry if he was a buddy of yours…"
Sayomi smiled and kneeled beside the boy. "Nah! I'm glad you beat him. Now I won't have to deal with him."
She extended her arms over his body and a dark light started to flow from her palms. It spread over him like a cool wave on a Summer night as it mended the bruises and cuts in his skin. The swelling in his face died down until he was able to open his eyes again. By the time she finished, he was almost as good as new again.
He sat up and tested his reflexes. Then he smiled at the demoness and said, "So you're a healer, huh? That's neat. You could be a useful partner in this whole Underworld Detective business."
Sayomi tensed. Terrifying screams echoed in the dark corner of her mind. She whispered, "What do you mean?"
He smiled and jerked his thumb at himself. "I'm an Underworld Detective. Long story short, I died unexpectedly in a car accident and came back to life under the condition that I fight a bunch of monsters. I'll be honest, at the rate I'm going now, I probably won't last much longer."
Sayomi bit her lip as she thought about her options. If this is the one I'm looking for, then I'm supposed to take him to the Demon Plane. I'm also supposed to watch him until he's strong enough to even go there. Do I really need to get involved with the Underworld? They don't exactly like demons to begin with, but I can't just abandon the mission either.
"…Mi. Earth to Sayomi!"
The demoness snapped back into attention as a hand waved inches away from her face. "I'm sorry, what?"
Urameshi smiled and said, "I asked if you would like to help me. I figured, since you're a demon, you could help me understand more about what I'm up against."
Sayomi looked between him and the blue-haired girl. Botan smiled and waved nervously, as if uncomfortable with her presence. When she turned back to Urameshi, his eyes lacked the judgement that was obvious in most other people. "Okay, I'll help you."
He jumped to his feet and cheered. "Awesome!"
Botan held up the forgotten criminal and said, "I'll pop Rando into a safe or something and take him to jail."
Urameshi crossed his arms and laughed. "Ha! Tied up in his own web, I see!"
"Kuwabara will be okay," Botan informed him cheerfully. "The Master's mended his broken bones."
"That's what my techniques are really for – healing, not harm," Genkai explained.
"Awright, mission accomplished!" Yusuke cheered. "Now I'm off to the Championships at Tokyo Dome!"
"Still haven't had your fill of combat yet?" Botan leered at the boy.
Sayomi arched her brow curiously and asked, "What's a Tokyo Dome?"
"Whoa, Sonny," Genkai cut in. "What are you babbling about?"
"Huh?" Urameshi looked down at the old woman in confusion.
She glared up at the boy with stern authority and said, "This was about finding my successor. That's you, Yusuke! You're going to learn the basics of Reiki. So you'll be staying here to train!"
"Y'mean…" He grimaced as the reality of the matter set in. "…I actually have to study?!"
Sayomi spared the boy a pitiful glance. He didn't even realize what he had signed up for. Regardless, if he can defeat a demon like Rando in such a worn-out state, then he must be related to the old man! He's certainly stubborn enough...