"Urameshi's finally woken up!"
"Yeah! To his worst nightmare!"
"Kill 'im, Chu!"
"Tear 'im limb by limb!"
"Kill! Kill! Kill!..."
Yusuke and Chu stared each other down, ignoring the raging crowd's chants. Yusuke smirked with a determined gleam in his eyes. His hair was still down and hanging in his eyes a bit without his usual gel to keep it in place. Chu hiccupped as he watched the boy, amused with his confidence.
"Their bloodlust is truly awake now!" Kuwabara grimaced as the crowd's volume continued to rise with every chant. "And Chu's aura just feels creepier and creepier…"
"It's all bark and no bite. Yusuke doesn't even notice." Hiei watched Yusuke, bored with the spectators. Yusuke just continued to smirk at Chu.
"Yer right. He looks ready." Kuwabara grinned and rubbed his chin. "We're kickin' butt now, it's almost a joke."
Hiei glared at Kuwabara angrily while Kurama seemed to be analyzing the new fighter. Sayomi mimicked the red-head, weary of the stumbling fighter. He's the alternate? He seems like the kind of person that enjoys that role about as much as I do. The way he killed his teammates just so he could fight said that much about him. And despite his drunk state, he was able to execute clean kills so fluidly. It's actually quite disturbing now that I think about it…
She glanced at Yusuke. He looks ready, but how much did he learn in two months? Has he learned some new tricks? Or is he still on the basics? Zeru was so strong that Hiei had to cripple his arm. That makes me worry about his own chances. But then again, he does seem to do his best in a real fight.
"You call this light exercise…" Chu blurred away and he was suddenly standing next to Koto. He held her microphone casually with a hand on his hip and cleared his throat. "Lemme borrow this. Testin', testin'…"
"Mrrow…? How'd he do that…?" Koto gasped in shock at the drunk's swift movements.
Chu pointed to Yusuke and said, "Before the fight… I wanna make… one thing perfectly clear!" He glared and his veins could be seen under his skin. "I lost at Rock-Paper-Scissors! So don' go thinkin' I'm sum kinda lightweight!"
The crowd went silent at the man's words. Koto whipped out a spare mic and took charge. "Ahem! I'll explain that! The Jolly Devil Six decided their fight order and their alternate by Rock-Paper-Scissors…" She extended her arm to acknowledge Chu. "…So Chu's saying he's an alternate by procedure, not by degree of prowess! In fact, he's the deadliest of the Jolly Devil Six!"
"Darn tootin'!" Chu agreed.
"Except he's drunk, as usual." Rinku grimaced.
"Moron." Kuwabara muttered under his breath and Kurama sighed to himself, tapping his temple.
Sayomi's eye twitched a couple times. Did he seriously give himself away like that…?
"Yah yah! Okay, I get the picture. Let's do it!" Yusuke grinned excitedly as he swung his jacket off and tossed it aside. He looked like a child who wanted to play with his friends.
"Whoa, bud! Yer not buyin' it!" Chu held up his arm to stop Yusuke's assumption then he jerked his thumb to point at himself. "I ain't trashin' no one whose guard is down! So here's a straight warnin'—I use the Drunken Fist!" He lifted his chin to stare down his nose at Yusuke. "The drunker I am, the stronger I gits! My unsteady moves make my enemiesh think I ain't all there! So don' be taken in, get me?!"
"Guys, maybe Yusuke can handle this guy after all. He's basically telling Yusuke everything." Sayomi suggested optimistically.
"I wouldn't be so certain, Sayomi." Kurama cautioned the girl.
"Right… but hey…" Yusuke grinned as his chuckles died down. Then his expression became serious as he locked eyes with Chu. "…The Drunken Fist ain't no big shakes. You've got something special up your sleeve." When Chu's expression shifted, Yusuke smirked. "Otherwise this fight would hardly be worth the trouble, eh?"
"Yer cool… I like that." Chu smirked lazily at his opponent while he began to sway. "Don' get opponents like you ev'ry day. This could be fun." His swaying motion helped him weave his way around Yusuke.
Sayomi struggled to keep up, but he would leave blurring afterimages that would hurt her eyes. How does he move like that? I could use that with my shadow aura.
Chu slid to a stop in front of the boy, keeping his calm. Yusuke kept his eyes on the drunk warrior, ignoring the chanting from the crowd.
"Kill!"
"Kill!"
"Kill! Begin!" Koto swept her arm out, starting the match.
Chu immediately started to stumble around Yusuke, leaving blurred images behind him. Yusuke watched him, waiting for the fighter to make a move.
"He doesn't move… he glides!" Kurama observed. "He appears self-taught, but that's no disrespect to his skill! He'll be hard to follow!"
"No kidding, but what about Yusuke? As far as I know, he grew up fighting in the streets, right?" Sayomi thought back to her talk with Yusuke that seemed so long ago now.
Kuwabara nodded. "Yeah, he was already pretty well known before I took my first swing at him. So far, no one hits as hard as him."
Sayomi smirked up at Kuwabara then turned her attention back to the ring. Chu had closed in on Yusuke, coming in with a right chop. Yusuke blocked with his arm, but then Chu came in with a sneak attack. Sayomi gasped when she counted five quick blows to Yusuke's stomach. Yusuke was sent flying across the field, clutching his stomach in pain. Then, Chu glided behind Yusuke and landed a strong chop to his guarded stomach, forcing him down to the stadium floor. Chu was then about to follow through with a downward punch.
"He had no chance to strike back!" Kuwabara yelled. He couldn't believe the gap between Chu and Yusuke.
"Looks like Chu had a good reason for warning Yusuke before the start, huh?" Sayomi clenched her fists, fighting the urge to protect her charge.
"Hmm…?" Chu raised his eyebrows as Yusuke jumped to his feet. The teen instantly threw punch after punch at the stumbling fighter, missing him every time. Chu smirked before disappearing from Yusuke's field of view. He then appeared on Yusuke's blindside, sending him crashing into the stadium wall with a powerful roundhouse kick.
Sayomi and Kuwabara gasped in shock as Yusuke was covered under the rubble and dust.
"Wow! Amazing!" Koto was in awe while Chu stood on one foot with his arms crossed, his kicking foot still dangling in the air leisurely. "A brilliantly executed combo! Even I'm at a loss for words to describe it! Urameshi was caught by surprise and skittered out of bounds!"
Chu's eyes stared ahead at the hole in the wall. "What gives, Urameshi? You wanna check out my ace, don'cha? Ain't gonna happen if you fold on me this quick!"
"Kill!"
"Kill 'im dead!"
"Chu's pivot foot drilled a hole in the stone floor!" Kuwabara noticed uneasily. "That kick hadda be 10,000 times fiercer than Rinku's!"
"Oh, right!" Koto frantically remembered her task. "Urameshi's out of bounds! Counting down now! Eh…?"
Everyone's heads turned when they heard a loud crash in the rubble. Yusuke had jumped out from the debris and landed back in the ring. He was balanced on the ball of one foot and rotating his shoulder with a smug grin on his face. "Whew! That kick would've shattered me if I hadn't blocked it!"
"Sweet!" Sayomi grinned. "This match is gonna be a good one!"
"This, I gotta say, is like a shock to the spine!" Yusuke smirked and licked his upper lip. "Bet you feel it, too!"
"Sure do," Chu answered. "Combat junkie, that's me."
"My count only reached 0.5! This match is still on, folks!" Koto announced into her mic.
"Man, oh man! He blocked that kick with one arm!" Kuwabara clenched his fist and gritted his teeth. "Yeah! He can handle this guy!"
Yusuke finished stretching his arm then aimed his trigger finger. It began to glow as he charged up for a shot. Chu watched curiously until Yusuke redirected his aim and shot at the stadium ceiling above the crowd, completely missing his opponent.
"This is my specialty— the Reigun." Yusuke pulled his hand back and opened his palm. His energy glowed on the tips of his last three fingers. "My limit seems to be four shots a day, so I have just three left, though each will have more aura force than the last."
"Urameshi's shown his ace upfront! This is sportsmanship to a fault!" Koto gawked at the two combatants in complete shock. "We've never seen the likes in the entire history of this tournament!"
"You idiot!" Kuwabara yelled angrily. "D'that long nap addle your brain?!"
"Well, I guess you can't blame him since Chu told him first." Sayomi watched on curiously. It was rare to find such a modest opponent. Although, they're both still hiding something. Sure, Yusuke can shoot more bullets now, but he could've learned at least one or two new tricks in the last couple months, right?
"Ha ha ha ha! Prob'ly did! I like you, man!" Chu laughed out loud until he began to wobble a bit. "Uh-oh… Urp…" Then his gaze focused and his tone dropped a couple octaves. "Boozed pretty hard while I was sidelined… Now I'm startin' t' feel it… Yeah… Got me a specialty, too." Chu reached for one of the little vials on his belt and popped it open. "This is Ogresbane, hooch from th' Demon World. Packs a helluva punch." Then he chugged down the drink in one gulp.
"Clear the decks! He's gonna do it!" Rinku yelled out in warning.
No later had the kid finished speaking, when Chu began to visibly tremble. He grunted and his muscles began to strain. Everyone watched, weary about what was going to happen. He calmly took a deep breath, then threw up over the side of the ring.
Sayomi brought her hand up to cover her face, shaking her head in disgust. At least he did it on their side of the ring.
"I warned ya! Gross, huh?" Rinku was sitting on the grass with a childish grin. "Chu always has to clear the sluices…" He snapped his fingers and left his hand in a gun shape as he happily explained. "…So the full effects of inebriation can set in! Now we'll see somethin'! Y'see, the Drunken Fist ritually summons Chu's true self to the Human World!"
"Oh crap… That doesn't sound very good from this perspective." Sayomi muttered to herself.
"That sour alcohol smell is fading!" Kurama observed Chu's reaction to the drink. "The alcohol's blending with that strange demonic aura!"
"Phew… That's better…" Chu got back to his feet with a satisfied smirk. His skin was a couple shades darker and he began to manipulate his aura with fluid arm motions. "Got me a rep as the Soused Aura Alchemist! Yer ready, so you get the best I got."
"Bizarre! He's spinning his aura like cotton candy!" Koto spoke with curious fascination with his skill. "He's forming it into—I'm not sure, but it can't be good for Urameshi!"
"So, an aura alchemist." Hiei commented with a hint of appraisal in his tone. "Shoulda figured it, the way he was alloying his pliable demonic aura with alcohol!"
Chu continued to weave his aura until he held a large ball of energy, no bigger than a grapefruit.
"That energy ball looks just like a Reigun effect!" Kuwabara compared nervously.
"Very much like one!" Kurama agreed. "And packs as much power! He worked out the analysis in no time!"
Yusuke and Chu ran across the ring at equal speeds. Chu held his power ball in one hand while Yusuke held his trigger finger at the ready.
"Power to power, guy! Ready?!" Chu challenged.
"And able!" Yusuke answered, bringing his gun up to shoot.
"Hrum!" Chu planted his foot into the stadium floor and hurled his energy at Yusuke at full speed.
"Ha-yah!" Yusuke fired a bullet with equal force. The two blasts clashed at the center and tried to push against each other.
"Their shots! Goin' head to head!" Kuwabara watched in admiration.
"Which one will win?!" Sayomi wondered out loud.
The two blasts continued to press for dominance until they both canceled out.
"Tie!" Hiei glared at the outcome.
Once the blasts cleared, Yusuke and Chu were already at the center, ready to attack.
"They charged in behind their shots!" Kuwabara growled.
Then the two fighters began to throw punch after punch after punch directly at the other's openings. Blood and sweat spilled onto the ring as each hit connected with its target.
"No blockin', just punchin'… An all-out brawl!" Kuwabara cringed as he watched the match.
"Each one looking for an opening to fire at the other. At such close range, their shots will be fatal." Hiei watched the match with a barely interested expression.
"No pressure or anything, right?" Sayomi couldn't tear her eyes from the fight. She tried to imagine how she would handle such a conflict. The very thought made a shiver run down her spine. And they're not even using their aura…
"Raah!" Chu landed a powerful right hook, sending Yusuke skidding across the ring. He landed off balance, leaning too much to the right on his hand, knee and foot.
"Uh-oh!" Kurama noticed Yusuke's mistake.
"Raah!" Chu had noticed it too. He gathered his aura into a ball over three times larger than his first one.
"He's forming… the Blockbuster!" Rinku shouted in surprise.
"That's a huge amount of explosive aura." Hiei gauged the power in the attack. "He'll pay for that, if the fight drags on."
"Yeah, because Yusuke is not gonna take it without a fight." Sayomi agreed.
"Eat this!" Chu kicked the large ball of aura towards Yusuke, who just stopped skidding on the floor. The blast was closing in on him, forcing Yusuke to meet the blast head-on.
Damn! That's a big one! He can't dodge and his shots are nowhere near that size! Sayomi clenched her fists and braced herself for a large explosion.
"Cripes! He's gonna get it!" Kuwabara panicked.
Yusuke managed to get to his feet and raise his hand to fire his gun. He fired one shot and immediately followed with another.
"Rapid fire?!" Chu shouted in surprise.
Yusuke's shots pierced through Chu's large blast.
"Oh gosh—they're both gonna get it!" Kuwabara clenched his teeth as he watched both blasts continue their trajectory. "His shots went through Chu's!"
"Simultaneous hits!" Koto shouted excitedly. Both blasts went off on impact and once the dust settled, there was nothing left. "Wow! They've both vanished! Did they both dodge or get knocked out of bounds?!"
Sayomi gasped when she spotted the fighters. They were both breathing heavily and covered in cuts and bruises. They were both missing their shirts and their pants had a couple holes and rips. Chu's skin tone was even back to normal.
"Meow?!" Koto noticed them behind her. "Whoa! They're behind me! And standing! They're both scruffed up, though!"
Chu smirked and said, "That's your four shots, guy. And your aura's spent. Nuthin' left but normal human strength… Am I right?"
Yusuke smirked and said, "Pretty much."
Chu braced his hands on his lap to hold himself up. "Same for me, actually. Heh…"
"Heh… Heh heh heh heh…" Yusuke laughed, despite his worn state. Then, they both began to laugh openly at their situation. Sayomi found herself grinning along with them.
"Stalemated and laughing about it!" Koto couldn't believe it. "I'll never figure out what makes true combat junkies tick!"
"Still… We gotta settle this." Chu smirked, still breathing heavily.
"No doubt." Yusuke agreed, panting from exhaustion.
"Okay, how 'bout this?" Chu held up two combat knives in his hand by the blades. "Knife-Edge Sudden Death!"
Chu flipped the knives so he was holding them at the hilts. He made his way towards Yusuke and stabbed one knife into the ring. He then turned to do the same thing a couple feet away.
"He drove two knives into the stone. What's he up to?" Kuwabara wondered suspiciously.
"I don't know, but whatever it is, it can't be good for Yusuke." Sayomi watched the drunk carefully, trying to figure him out.
"Take off your shoes and place your right heel against the knife's edge." Chu instructed then demonstrated for Yusuke to follow. "We're now set at th' borders of life and death. Th' only rule is stay within those bound'ries. Th' one who falls outside will pay with his life! Awright, announcer, at yer signal!"
"Uh… Sure." Koto agreed uncertainly.
The two fighters stared each other down, smirking eagerly for a good fight. Chu clenched his fists and said, "We'll use only our sheer physical strength! He who beats th' crap out of th' other—wins!"
Sayomi bit her lip nervously. I know Yusuke is hard-headed, but this is just suicidal. Although, he does seem to be having fun. I just hope he doesn't get himself killed. I'd hate to be the one to break the news to Keiko…
"Begin!" Koto called out, signaling the start of the Knife-Edge Sudden Death.
Without wasting a breath, Chu threw a solid left cross to Yusuke's face. At the same time, Yusuke delivered a right uppercut to Chu's stomach, followed by a left hook to Chu's face. Chu retaliated with an uppercut of his own to Yusuke's gut, stealing the boy's breath and forcing his foot against to blade.
"Raah!" Chu threw a left hook, but Yusuke managed to dodge it just barely.
"Raah Raah!" Yusuke pummeled Chu's abdomen with punch after punch in rapid succession. Chu was stunned but he was quick to recover, punching Yusuke in the face just as Yusuke punched Chu in the jaw.
"Oh… man…" Kuwabara watched the match with wide eyes, unable to look away as blood splattered on the ring floor. "They just keep pounding! They're flippin' nuts!"
Man, this is intense. This could take a while before either of them give in. They must be crazy to agree to such a thing… Sayomi couldn't look away either. While she knew Yusuke's life was at risk, she couldn't bring herself to even want to get him to safety. He looked like he was really enjoying himself.
No… Just waiting for an opening. The end will be quick! Hiei answered her unspoken thoughts telepathically.
So long as Yusuke is the one left standing… Sayomi gasped when she noticed Chu move.
"Narrrr!" Chu delivered a strong right hook to Yusuke's temple, causing him to wobble on his feet and the knife to cut into his foot.
"No!" Kuwabara and Sayomi yelled.
"Now!" Chu turned his head upwards, then propelled himself, head first, at Yusuke. "Take this!"
"Yay!" Rinku cheered with a fist pump. "Chu's patented head-butt! This'll do it!"
Yusuke managed to halt his fall. Then he mimicked Chu, throwing his own head-butt to meet Chu half way. There was a loud crack that echoed throughout the silent stadium, followed by a spray of blood from the impact. The force was enough to push the knives into both of their feet.
Everyone watched, holding their breaths for one of the fighters to fall. Before long, Chu's eyes rolled to the back of his head and he teetered over to the side. He landed with a loud thud and his head hit the floor hard enough to leave cracks.
"Did Yusuke… live through that?" Kuwabara asked nervously.
"I believe so…" Sayomi whispered.
"Heh… You forgot, dude…" Yusuke grinned, ignoring his battered body. "…We humans invented the head-butt."
"3! 4! 5!" Koto wasted no time in starting her count. "6! 7! 8!"
Chu clenched his fist on the floor.
"9! 10!" Koto swung her arm to point at Yusuke. "Urameshi wins! The winners, with a score of 3-1—Team Urameshi!"
"Right on! Thought we'd fold at th' start? Hah!" Kuwabara yelled, pumped from the adrenaline the match ignited.
"Chu!" Rinku ran up to the fallen warrior in worry. "Phew! Out like a light. I don't get it! Chu's head's hard as a rock. How could a mortal's skull knock him out?"
"Hey, kid."
"Ulp! Yeah?!" Rinku looked up at Yusuke nervously.
Yusuke simply smirked and gave him a thumbs-up. "When he wakes up, tell him we should do this again sometime."
"Er… Sure thing, guy." Rinku laughed nervously then spoke under his breath. "'Combat junkie,' nuthin'! He defies description!"
"You bums were all talk!"
"You had us rootin' for you!"
"Kill!"
The crowd took the loss pretty hard by Sayomi's observations. Cowards. Why don't you step into the ring if you want to kill so badly?
"Sissies! Losers! Die already!"
"Kill!"
"I want a refund!"
"We'll finish them off!"
"We'll fight 'em till they die!"
"Kill!"
"'Jolly Devil Six' my heinie!"
"Good for nuthin' wusses!"
"Kill!"
"No survivors!"
"Die!"
"Fickle scum…" Kuwabara grumbled, glaring at the rowdy crowd. "…fair-weather demon hordes!"
"We can agree on that much, Kuwabara." Sayomi glared at them, ashamed for once to be part of their race.
"Aww, let 'em vent." Rinku glared at them as well, yet he seemed used to such harsh words. "They ain't got the nuts to fight!"
"Shut up, you butt-wipes!" Yusuke yelled at the top of his lungs, startling the whole stadium to silence. He glared and pointed down to the stadium ring with his jacket slung over his shoulder. Sayomi and the rest of the team joined him on the ring to glare up at the spectators. "You want a piece of anybody down here? C'mon, then! I'll knock all your heads in, one by one! Who's first, huh?"
"We'll knock, he means." Kuwabara corrected with a serious expression.
"Grr…" The crowd watched in silence, not wanting to die by the detective's hands.
"Urameshi…" Rinku muttered, admiring the boy's character.
The crowd waited for them to make their way out of the arena before they began to taunt again.
"Don't get cocky, human!"
"Save yer ferocity for the next round!"
Sayomi helped Yusuke across the stadium floor and into the locker room. She took deep breaths and ignored the angry crowd in favor of helping her charge. Once they made it to the locker room, Sayomi set herself to healing what she could of Yusuke's wounds.
"Man, that fight was so intense I was starting to feel pain." Sayomi focused on the boy's face first and black energy spread from her palms in small waves.
"You're telling me! Man, what I would give to have been in your shoes!" Kuwabara grinned at the memory.
"Chu was a very formidable opponent. You are very fortunate he was a fair fighter. Such a thing is rare in the Demon World." Kurama noted with a smile.
"Same for you, Kuwabara. It looks like Rinku got his fairness from being around Chu. He could've killed you if he really wanted to." Sayomi finished healing Yusuke's face and made her way down to his chest and abdomen.
"She has a point unfortunately." Hiei agreed. "He had plenty of chances to end it, but it seems your stupidity is surpassed only by your luck."
"Hey! I would've clobbered 'im if it was a street fight! I'll beat 'im next time." Kuwabara punched his fist into his open palm and grumbled to himself.
"There won't be a next time. You need to focus on the next match instead of past failures." Sayomi moved on to Yusuke's back.
"Yeah, Sayomi's right." Yusuke agreed with a serious expression. "While I do look forward to a rematch with Chu one day, we need to rest and get ready for the next round."
Sayomi smirked and focused on healing his arms. Kurama nodded and said, "They will have a couple of more fights today and tomorrow will be the second half of the first round. By then, we should have a good idea of who to look out for."
"Speak for yourself Kurama. I have more useful ways to spend my time." Hiei glared at the red-head before directing his attention out the window.
Sayomi slid a glance to the fire demon's arm and her eyes narrowed slightly in worry. I may not be able to heal it completely, but I could at least try to speed up the process if I can.
"Thanks for the first aid, Sayomi." Yusuke brought the shadow demon's attention back to him. "I still feel a little sore, but it's a lot better than how I would've felt in the morning. If your healing improved this much, I'm curious about how you would be in a fight."
The compliment took her off guard and she blinked at him. "Well, as much as I would love to fight in the tournament, we don't need any of you dying to make it happen."
"True, but maybe we could spar a bit on the sidelines?" Yusuke brought her down into a headlock and proceeded to rub his knuckle into her head with a grin on his face.
"Ow!" Sayomi shut her eyes in pain and tried to push the delinquent away. "Don't push it, Yusuke!"
"Yusuke." Kurama placed a hand on the teen's shoulder, stopping his playful assault. "While I'm sure Sayomi would enjoy such a thing, she needs to rest herself. She's been healing not only your wounds, but everyone else's as well. Energy can be taxing no matter how it's used."
Yusuke released Sayomi from his hold and she sighed in relief. She smiled up at the red-head gratefully. "Thanks, Kurama."
He returned her smile then slid his gaze to Hiei. Sayomi followed his lead and glanced at the fire demon. His arm was in his pocket as he stood leaning against the wall and stared out the window. She frowned at what burns she could see on his forearm.
That must be very painful. How can he handle it without expressing it outwardly? Sayomi wondered to herself and resolved to take a closer look at it the next day. She knew he wouldn't let her look at it if there were witnesses. Maybe it's just him being stubborn as usual.
As if he could feel her gaze, Hiei turned to meet her eyes. I don't need your help. You can stop with the pitiful staring.
Sayomi's eyes widened at the unexpected comment, but she quickly composed them into a glare. You say that but even you need to admit that wound is only gonna be an obvious weakness. The least I could do is help you with the pain.
Tch. This is only a minor inconvenience.
Say that all you want, but I'm gonna take a look at it. For someone who looks down on the weak, it's pretty hypocritical considering your current state. Sayomi crossed her arms and refused to back down from Hiei as they privately argued.
Yusuke pointed at them and turned to Kurama and Kuwabara. "Is it just me, or do you feel like you're being left out of something?"
Kuwabara watched the two demons wearily. "Maybe they're planning to duke it out themselves."
Kurama smiled knowingly and said, "I don't think we have to worry about that happening, Kuwabara. Let's go back to the hotel for now. It would be best for everyone to eat a good meal and get plenty of rest while we can."
"Yeah, food sounds awesome right now. Hey, Sai! Hiei! We're gonna go get some food. Snap out of your lovey dovey secret gossip and let's go back to the room." Yusuke grinned mischievously at the two demons and made his way out the door.
Sayomi snapped out of her telepathic argument with Hiei and turned to see the others leaving. "Ah! Wait up, Yusuke! That's not what was happening and you know it!"
She took advantage of the distraction to get away from Hiei and his stern gaze. Stubborn jerk, I'm just trying to help…