"Welcome to Devil City! You are the seven chosen warriors!"
The big double doors groaned open and a bright light shone through the dark cave. Yusuke and the others cautiously walked into the room and looked around. The room had a sci-fi theme to it, making it look like a giant computer with a large flat monitor on the wall.
"You finally have seven, I see. Good. Let's get rollin'... in the Battle of Games!" Sitting in a throne, just to the bottom-right of the screen, was a young boy in an over-sized demon cloak with horns. The same G was printed on the hood of his cloak.
Yusuke turned and asked, "How is this game played, Kurama?"
"Why? Don't you know?" Kurama asked.
Yusuke blinked and said, "I only play fighting games. This one seemed boring so I never picked it up."
"All right. See that slot machine?" Kurama pointed to a slot machine stationed next to the kid. A common ogre stood next to the machine, ready to pull the lever. "That decides the game and the level of difficulty. Levels are one to ten. We play one game each, for a best of seven."
"So, are you ready?" The kid raised an impatient finger and said, "I mean, what's with all the jabber, huh? Aren't you in a hurry? Get goin', or I won't play at all."
"Snotty brat!" Yusuke ground his teeth and glared at the boy.
"He's assumed the Gamer King character," Kaito observed.
"We need a strategy," Kurama muttered. He turned to the group and asked, "Who's played this game before?"
"I have," Kaito answered.
"Me too," Mitarai agreed.
"And me."
Yusuke looked down at Genkai in surprise. "You've played this game?!"
"Yep." Genkai held up two fingers for victory. "Pretty good at it, too."
"With me, that's four..." Kurama said. "But who's actually won the game?"
"I once got through all levels," Genkai answered.
"I've won seven times out of 10," Kaito said. "Against the game's Gamer King, that is."
"Yeah..." Kurama slid a sly glance at the child in costume. "A real-life Gamer King could be a trickier proposition. In fact, we should assume we all have a whole new challenge ahead of us. We want three wins in a row straight off."
"Huh?" Yusuke asked.
Mitarai answered for the red-head. "The Gamer King lets his minions fight until his opponents manage three wins." He pointed at himself. "I could never manage that myself... though I always aced the sports category."
"Brrrt! Time's up!" The Game Master interrupted. "Let the games begin!"
"Very well." Kurama turned to the group and said, "Master Genkai... Mitarai... Yanagisawa..."
"Me?!" Yanagisawa pointed at himself, dumbfounded.
"… You three go for the first wins. Kaito, Hiei, Yusuke and I will do the rest."
"Spin the slots!" The Gamer King ordered.
The ogre pulled down the lever and the three wheels began to spin. They clicked until they stopped with the chime of a bell. The three slots read as "Sports. Tennis. Level 7."
"The first game is Tennis," Amanuma said ominously.
"Right!" Mitarai stepped forward. "This one's for me!"
A fuzzy hologram of an ogre materialized into the room. He grinned and flexed his biceps, showing off his large S tattoo. Amanuma pointed at it and said, "By the way, my minions have the same skill settings as in the video game. That sound fair enough to you?"
Mitarai walked up to the control podium as two tennis rackets appeared on the screen. The words "Battle Tennis" appeared above them and the Start option blinked in the center. He stared at the screen confidently while the sports demon laughed merrily at the neighboring podium.
"Been a while, Mitarai."
Mitarai's confidence wavered as he looked at Amanuma. The child stared him in the eyes and said, "Sensui told me you'd switched sides. Or are you only pretending to, and just stringing them along? If that's so, you're a heck of an actor. Keep in mind it's not too late to rejoin us."
The sports demon turned to Mitarai with a pleasant grin. "The first to take three sets wins the match. Please select your player."
Mitarai turned to the screen and said, "Rendra."
"Still think we can trust him?" Hiei asked.
Yusuke glanced down at the swordsman, then looked up at Mitarai. "Yes."
"Begin! Backer opens service!" A disembodied voice announced throughout the room.
Mitarai and the ogre immediately began to play. Their characters ran back and forth across the screen. They swung their rackets as the digital tennis ball bounced between their hits. The round continued at a steady pace until the ball bounced out of bounds.
"40-Love: Rendra."
"Good...!" Mitarai let out a shaky breath of relief. He had built a nervous sweat while he focused on the game.
Amanuma stared down his nose at Mitarai and said, "Remember how we were outcasts at school? Sensui said we each had a different reason why."
"Hey!" Yusuke yelled. "They're playing, so shut up!"
"The Gamer King is allowed to heckle," Kaito explained.
Ignoring the rest of the crowd, Amanuma continued. "Mitarai, he said, was shunned for being a loser, and I because I was feared. It's true. I was too challenging for the general run of idiots." Mitarai tried to tune him out and focus on the game. "He was weak, I was strong... we were polar opposites."
Hiei...?
Hiei kept his expression composed, careful not to give anything away. What?
Umm... I think we have a problem...
Hiei clenched his teeth. What kind of problem?
Well... You see... I uh...
Out with it.
I can't hear anything. Or at least, I can't hear anything except you.
What do you mean? I thought you were able to listen in while merged with shadows.
That's the thing! Normally I can do that and travel between them, but now I can't!
Hiei glanced at the child in his large chair. He was still trying to get into the beta's head.
You shouldn't call him a beta, Hiei. It's not nice.
Hiei glared down at his feet. His shadow appeared just a little darker than everyone else's. How did you know what I was thinking?
Uh... I thought you were talking to me on purpose. Oh~! So that's how that feels!
Quiet. Hiei watched the large screen with disinterest as he addressed Sayomi. It's most likely the brat's territory.
Well this sucks. I can't use my powers at all? What happens if we lose? I'll be stuck like this forever?
If you're lucky.
Huh? Oh... Right. The whole soul-sucking thing. Damn it, this is annoying. I knew something was gonna happen if I tried to sneak in.
Then why did you?
Sayomi could hear the smirk in his tone. You know why. I didn't want to be left alone with Botan.
So you left her alone?
I... Yeah... I guess I did... Who would've guessed you could make me feel bad about something like that?
Why did you attach yourself to me anyways? I imagine you would've gone with Yusuke.
Well... you're the only one who can hear me... and it was your idea.
"3 sets to 1! Mitarai wins!"
Hiei snapped out of his mental conversation with Sayomi when the loud voice blared around them.
"Guk... Graaw..." The sports demon fuzzed out until a small explosion happened in his place.
"Our first win!" Yusuke cheered as Mitarai walked back to the group.
"Hmph!" The Gamer King huffed.
"You're right, Amanuma..." Mitarai turned to look at the boy over his shoulder. "I'm weak, and I couldn't face it, so I put the blame on everyone else. That's why I gave in to the dark side and joined Sensui. But it's not too late for me."
"Yeah, sure!" Amanuma waved off Mitarai's words carelessly. "Next mini-game!"
The ogre pulled the slot machine's lever. The wheels clicked and spun until they stopped with a ding. "Shooting. Battle Chopper. Level 6."
Another hologram of a large ogre materialized onto the field and made his way to the controls.
"A vertical scrolling shooter. Level 6... I can tackle that." Genkai stepped up to the other podium.
The ogre glared down at her and snarled. "We each get three lives! The first to get three kills wins!"
Hiei?!
Hiei's eye twitched at the volume of her thoughts. I'm here. What is it?
You were silent for a while... I thought something happened...
Hiei let out a quiet sigh. We won the first game.
What does that mean?
We need to win a certain number of rounds before we can move on. Don't ask for specifics. I didn't care to pay too much attention.
Well, at least we're off to a good start, right?
For now.
Why are you so negative all the time?
Hiei scowled as he watched Genkai take one of the ogre's three lives. I'm being realistic. We might have the upper hand starting off, but the brat hasn't stepped up to play yet.
He hasn't? Then who's playing? How does this work?
You're asking too many questions. Calm down. After a moment of silence, he continued. The child has minions that play first. After three wins, he'll step up.
That's annoying. What's so fun about this game?
Who cares? It's a pointless waste of time.
Have you ever played any before?
No.
I have, a couple times. It was at Master Genkai's temple. I wasn't very good at them. When Hiei didn't respond, Sayomi tried to listen for any other sound that could give her some clue to what was going on. She was only met with silence and darkness. Hiei...
Hn.
Why did you come back? She asked the first thing that came to mind. For a moment, she didn't think he would answer.
I was worried about the trees.
Trees? So you were trying to save nature and you ended up saving us instead?
Hiei watched the screen with disinterest. He mulled over his own questions to keep himself distracted. Why didn't you fight against me earlier?
I would've needed my aura just to keep up with you guys... And I was hoping you weren't really going to kill him... I'm glad you didn't.
As Genkai took the ogre's second life, Hiei glanced briefly at Yusuke. He was watching the old woman with a smug grin as she continued to avoid getting shot. I know better than to underestimate him. It's happened before and I paid the price. It won't happen again.
You mean when he beat you on his first case?
Hiei's eyes narrowed. That was luck.
Sayomi laughed in his head. Call it what you want, but a win is a win.
When will we fight?
Huh? Sayomi didn't expect the question. I guess we can train when this is over. Why?
We need to see how much your skills have depleted since our last spar. I can't trust you to have my back if you can't defend your own.
Sayomi hoped he could feel the intensity of her glare despite not having physical eyes. If you must know, I can handle myself just fine.
We'll see.
Do you want to fight here in the Human World or the Demon Plane?
What do you think?
Sayomi sighed. Fine. Then I guess it'll have to wait until my debt is over. I don't suppose you'll want to stick around that long, huh?
Not really.
When Genkai took the ogre's third life, the hologram went out the same way as the first. Amanuma smiled and said, "Boy, she knows her stuff! But now she's done. You'll regret expending her so early!"
His ogre minion pulled the lever on the slot machine. The options spun until they landed on "Puzzles. Battle Block. Level 10."
"You're up, Yanagisawa." Kurama smiled at the teen.
"Hang on!" The psychic pointed at himself and he looked at the red-head nervously. "I've never even played a video game! And this is at level 10! I'm a dead duck!"
"You forgetting your Copy ability?" Kurama asked.
Kaito pointed at himself and said, "I'm a puzzle whiz."
"Oh..." Yanagisawa blinked. "Oh yeah!" He copied Kaito's persona and stepped up to the podium where a pink octopus waited for him.
Hiei settled in for another round of boredom.
Am I really that boring to you?
Hiei scoffed under his breath. I was referring to these tedious games. It's a round of puzzles.
Is Kurama playing?
No. I believe his name is Yanagisawa. He copied the four-eyed human to play.
You mean Kaito? Don't be mad that he took your soul. It's your own fault, Three-Eyes.
Hiei growled low in his throat. Enough.
Fine. Who won the last round?
The old crone.
Don't let her hear you call her that out loud. She won't go easy on you either. And that doesn't surprise me. She's always playing them. Before the silence could drag too long, she asked another question that had been bothering her. What will you do when you have the Black Chapter?
I'll watch it.
You have a VCR?
No.
Then how will you watch it?
I'll steal one.
Right. I forget you're a thief sometimes.
Since when?
When what?
When did you stop seeing me as a thief?
Oh... I guess it was when we started sparring each other. It was fun and I've seen how you are with Yukina so I know you're not all bad. I'm sure you have your reasons for wanting to be feared, but you don't really scare me anymore. I actually trust you to watch my back, but I can understand why you wouldn't trust me.
Are you still afraid?
I just said I wasn't.
Of your power.
Oh... Well, yeah. I think I'm always gonna be afraid of fading. But if I keep living in fear, I'll never improve. I may not be the best, but that's not why I do it.
Then why?
I love it. I love hitting my target and dodging attacks. I love that moment when it's just you and your opponent. Nothing else matters except that moment. Is he gonna punch or kick? Which side is he favoring? When I think of fighting, I can't help but get excited and eager to see how I do against others.
So you do it for fun.
Basically, yeah. But I also know I'm gonna need it when I'm on my own. No one's gonna be there to protect me so I need to defend myself.
So if someone else was there, you wouldn't fight?
Of course I would still fight! I don't want anyone to fight for me if I can help it. I know I let my fear hold me back in the tournament, but you can't blame me when I didn't get to fight in any other matches. Just jumping into the finals would scare anyone.
That didn't stop you from coming back to ring-side.
Well... After you passed out, I got worried. Not to mention how beat up Kurama was. Even the girls didn't give me a choice in the matter. I wanted to stay with Yukina to keep my promise, but I couldn't just sit there and do nothing.
Hiei returned his attention to the front when he heard the explosion from the podium. Yanagisawa released his territory, returning to his original self, and walked back to the group.
"Yanagisawa wins! That's three!" Yusuke cheered with a fist pump. "One more win and we nail this thing!"
"Sigh... Oh well." Amanuma stood up from his seat and threw off his cloak with a confident smirk. "I guess it's up to me."
"Mmm..." Kaito watched the boy warily. "That's gamespeak."
"Uh-huh..." Kurama confirmed. "So now things get serious. Yusuke, listen... I've gotta be honest..." When Yusuke looked at him, he said, "If Amanuma matches the real game's Gamer King, Kaito or I will probably manage a win. But I don't really think that's gonna be the case. This guy's probably way tougher than the game version! As such, neither you nor Hiei could beat him. Odds and experience are against you. What that means is... if Kaito and I lose, we'll have no alternative but to beat a very hasty retreat."
What's going on, Hiei? You went quiet again.
We won the third round. Now the brat is stepping up to play. Kurama seems uncertain we'll be able to beat him.
Kurama's not sure?
If he or four-eyes loses, then we'd be better off retreating.
Now I'm really worried...
Amanuma walked up to the slot machine and pulled the lever himself. He leaned against it and watched the wheels spin with a childish smile. "Now then... Let's see what I get to play!"
The options stopped on "Trivia. General. Level G."
"Trivia?!" Amanuma reeled. "Ouch! Not my first choice, boy!"
"I'll play this," Kaito volunteered. "Trivia's a specialty of mine."
"One more and we win!" Yusuke cheered with a raised finger. "Trivia that guy into next Tuesday, Kaito!"
Amanuma made his way to his station. He was humming to himself as he warmed up his wrists to play. Kurama watched the kid carefully. "He seems quite confident. What can you tell us about his ability, Mitarai?"
"Well, I've never really seen it in action..." Mitarai confessed. "But he can impose game environments on reality as reality, and that's exactly the kind of reality we're in right now. As for what happens next, who knows?"
As Kaito walked to his station, Amanuma explained the rules of the game. "Multiple choice, buzz in to answer, 10 right answers to win. No points off for being wrong but get three wrong and you're out of contention."
"Right," Kaito said.
A small man appeared on the screen with the words "Battle Trivia" above his head. The disembodied voice made its announcement. "Gamer King (Amanuma) vs. Kaito. Begin!"
While Kaito prepared to start playing, Amanuma stood back from his podium with his arms crossed.
Hey, Hiei. What's happening now? Sayomi had gotten used to the occasional moments of silence.
The brat isn't at his post.
Why not?
"Well?" Kaito asked.
"I'll skip the first five questions," Amanuma said as he stared up at the screen. "You go ahead and answer, though. Call it a handicap."
"A handicap?" Kaito hand rested near the buzzer. "I doubt I'll need one."
"All right! First question!" The small character cheered. "In the Ama—"
Buzzz!
"What?!" Yusuke reeled.
Without finishin the question, four options appeared on the screen listed as Piroroca, Paroroca, Pororoca, and Peroroca. A small arrow appeared, pointing to the third option. A bell chimed and the small character cheered. "Correct!"
"He knew the answer less than three words into the question?!" Yusuke watched the screen with wide eyes and clenched teeth.
"Simple process of elimination," Kaito explained. "There are 17,000 questions in Battle Trivial General, only three of which begin with 'In the Amazon.' The answers are Pororoca, piranha, and the Trans-Amazon Highway."
Yanagisawa began to sweat nervously as he listened. "H-He's memorized them?! All 17,000 questions and answers?! What a geek!"
A moment later, the full question appeared on the screen: In the Amazon, water in the Rio Araguari at times rushes upstream. What is this phenomenon called? Answer: Proroca.
Kaito looked down at his opponent and asked, "Would you like to rethink your handicap strategy?"
Amanuma continued to focus on the screen and said, "Second question's coming up."
As Kaito prepared himself for the next question, Hiei returned his attention to his temporary mental inconvenience. The child claims he's giving us a handicap. He's not answering anything yet.
Isn't that a bit risky? How's Kaito holding up?
He answers just seconds into the question. The child is up to something.
What kind of handicap is he giving?
He's giving us the first five questions.
Out of how many?
10.
Really? Half of them?
Looks like this round will be a quick one. Hiei shifted his focus after Kaito answered the fifth question correctly.
"Attaboy Kaito! You're 5-0!" Yusuke cheered.
"I'd've been eliminated after the first three questions!" Yanagisawa confessed.
"Ah ha!" Amanuma exclaimed. "That's it!"
Kaito glanced sideways at the boy.
Amanuma waved his arm to loosen up. "Time for a comeback!"
"Glad you could join me," Kaito said. "Were you seeing how I'd do first?"
Amanuma stuck out his tongue and said, "Naw, no surprises there. You're okay. I was trying to figure out something else." As Kaito gave him a curious look, he turned back to the screen with a confident smirk. "You'll see."
"Sixth question!" The character started.
Buzzz
Amanuma had slapped his buzzer before the question could start. On the screen was just the question number with options A, B, C, and D.
Kurama explained the situation for those who were unaware. "If you buzz in before the question starts, even the multiple-choice answers aren't displayed."
"Is he gonna take a blind guess?" Yusuke asked.
Amanuma smirked and said, "Question six is 'What is the name of the asteroid that people feared might crash into the Earth in the year 2000?' And the answer is B: Toutatis."
Everyone stared at the kid in disbelief until the small arrow appeared beside B. The small character appeared on the screen and cheered, "Correct!"
"Huh?!" Yusuke cringed at the child's skill.
"How on Earth...?" Yanagisawa couldn't believe his eyes either.
Then the question and answers appeared on the dark screen.
"There it is! Just what he said!" Yusuke yelled. "Freaky! He quoted the whole thing, chapter and verse! Precognition?! No, it's a trick... or he cheated!"
"Perhaps he memorized the order of all questions and their answers," Kurama proposed.
"That can't be it," Kaito objected. "There's a randomizing algorithm..."
Amanuma wagged his finger and smiled. "Ah, but every algorithm has a discernable pattern. This one takes five questions to figure out. I probably didn't allow enough of a handicap."
Hn. So it seems the child had his own tricks.
Hiei! You know I can't tell what's going on!
He's answering before the questions are even asked. And he's getting them right.
What the hell? Doesn't this kid have anything better to do with his time?
By the looks of it, it doesn't seem like we'll win this one.
So what happens if we lose?
We might find out in this round. He's almost caught up with us.
Geez. This kid needs to get out more. Doesn't he have friends his age?
By the sounds of it, no. Why else would he join this group of filth?
Why do you have to look down on others so much? Is it because you can't actually look down at people?
No. It's because they are inferior to me. If they cannot prove their worth, then what good are they to me?
So how would I be any worth to you?
You show potential. Whether you achieve it or not depends on you.
Are you trying to say you believe I can be better?
Everyone has potential.
Why can't I ever get a straight answer out of you?
Hiei smirked to himself. You expect answers to be given to you?
Don't answer my questions with questions, please. I'm really curious. What happened to you to make you so cynical?
Hn.
Hiei... You know about my past to an extent. I'm not asking for your whole story, just a peek. You know about my brother and I know about your sister. Maybe we can start there. Why doesn't she know you? The silence started to drag on longer than usual. She was about to change the subject when his thoughts reached her.
We've never met before. You can say we were separated at birth.
I see. Sayomi tried to imagine never knowing about her brother. He had always been there and there was never any doubt about who he was. She tried to imagine how Yukina must feel, looking for a brother she just found out about. Do you ever plan to tell her the truth?
No.
Why not?
She's better off not knowing. If you were repulsed by my reputation at our first meeting, how do I know she won't be?
Because she's not me, Hiei. She's so much better than you seem to give her credit for.
Hiei refused to respond until the first error was made. He looked at the screen to see Kaito had made a wrong answer.
Kaito did what?
He's trying to imitate the child's strategy. He doesn't seem to be as skilled.
How far ahead is the kid?
He's got us 8-5. But now we have one strike.
Better than just giving up, I guess.
Hiei watched as Kaito made another blind attempt. If he doesn't manage a win, it'll be down to Kurama. If he fails...
Then we're pretty much screwed, huh?
The plan is to escape. If we can't escape, then we can count ourselves amongst the body count.
No pressure or anything...
Buzzz!
The character appeared on the screen and announced, "That's the third wrong answer in a row for Kaito! Game over!"
Kaito looked down at the boy and said, "You got me. I couldn't see a pattern."
"Hey, don't sweat it. You're a smart guy." Amanuma grinned up at Kaito and said, "Better luck next time, eh?"
"Crap!" Yusuke cursed. "Kaito lost! That kid's incredible! Now it's up to Kurama! Um..." Yusuke hesitated as a thought occurred to him. "I just realized I never thought to ask... What happens if we lose to Amanuma?"
"He hasn't told us either," Mitarai said. "You okay, Kaito?"
"Sure, I guess." Kaito scratched the back of his head. "He seems to enjoy the sport of it. Maybe he isn't interested in exacting penalties."
"You don't feel odd in any way?" Kurama asked.
"No..." Kaito shook his head. "No shocks, no soul sucking, nothing. I'm just annoyed I lost."
"Well then, this could mean..." Kurama mused aloud.
"What?" Yusuke turned to his friend curiously. "You've figured this thing out?"
"I'm afraid maybe I have," Kurama said gravely. "The danger isn't in losing... but in giving up. If this follows the video game..."
"Aw cripes! Not that again!" Yusuke whined.
'Fraid so." Kurama raised a hand and explained. "Losing in the video game brings up the words 'game over.' Then you can choose to either continue or give up. If you continue, you skip the opening sequence and start the game over. But if you give up, the screen displays the graves of the players."
Yusuke listened and let Kurama's words sink in. He became pale as he put the pieces together. "You mean... we're stuck here... playing against this kid until we beat him?! No frickin' way! We don't have the time!"
"Amanuma's not here to fight us to the death," Kurama elaborated. "He's buying time until the barrier tunnel is open."
Amanuma walked to the slot machine and pulled the lever. He turned to them and smirked. "And when it is, I'll release my territory. So relax and enjoy. Believe me, the time will pass quickly! We'll just play games until the portal to the Demon Plane is open. Then you can be on your merry way."
"So he's only out to waste our time!" Yusuke glared at the boy. "And get his kicks while he's at it."
"It's been almost three hours!" Yanagisawa stressed. "Can't we get around this snarl somehow?!"
"It's play the games or die," Hiei said from the back.
"Hiei?" Yusuke looked at his friend curiously.
Hiei raised his right hand and saiid, "I've been trying to summon flames, but no go. And Sayomi has been trying to manifest from my shadow, but she can neither hear you nor phase between shadows freely. As in Kaito's territory, powers that could interfere don't function." He walked to a wall and took a seat on the floor. "That being the case, I'm useless. Wake me when it's over."
Hiei? Don't go to sleep! What's happening?!
We only die if we quit. Kurama's up and I'm useless in these territories. Let me rest.
Yusuke blinked. "Sai's here too?"
"She probably snuck in with her ability, but now she's trapped by it," Genkai said.
Yusuke turned to the Kurama and asked, "What're our chances, y'think? I can't beat him."
"Good question," Kurama said. "The thing is, if I'm right... this isn't going to end well."
"Whatta you mean by that?" Yusuke asked.
Kurama looked at him and said, "Amanuma's not really aware of the extent of his ability. Sensui's just using him as a delaying tactic. But he's doing so in the cruelest way possible!"
The wheels on the slot machine stopped on the game for the round. "Puzzle. Three Sevens. Level G."
Yanagisawa raised his hand and leaned towards Kaito. "So what's this game about?"
"It's like Tetris and Puyo Pop, with falling blocks that number from one to seven and drop in various combinations. You eliminate them by making vertical or horizontal rows that add up to seven. But as the name implies, you can only eliminate the sevens by lining them up three in a row."
Yanagisawa cringed. "My head hurts just thinking about it."
"Experience and concentration are the keys, and once you're in the zone you can go on for hours."
"Hours?"
Kaito pushed up his glasses and said, "It took me two hours to beat the video game's Gamer King. Minamino won't let it go that long. I figure he'll distract Amanuma somehow."
Kurama walked up to his podium and turned to the boy. "Amanuma... Let me ask you something."
"Sure," the boy smiled.
"Did Sensui suggest using the Game Battler for this?"
Yeah," Amanuma answered easily. "'It would be most fitting,' he said. I just said 'Heck yeah!'"
Kurama's fists clenched on his podium in anger. "Do you know what Sensui's trying to do?"
"Sure I do." Amanuma slipped his hands into his pockets and said, "Demons are gonna swarm out from the Demon Plane and create mass chaos. Sounds cool. And the best part is, no more school!" He smiled and jerked his thumb at himself. "I'll be safe inside in my territory, with my games. No demon will ever be a serious challenge to me."
Kurama glared down at the controls in front of him. "If you lose this game... you will die." He let the child absorb his words for a moment. "Were you aware of this?"
Amanuma crossed his arms and scoffed. "You're just trying to unnerve me! Forget it! It won't work!"
"You, better than anyone, must be aware of how the video game ends," Kurama said quietly. "If the Gamer King loses, the game displays that he dies. It's an unusual situation. Your ability will make sure it actually happens. Let me guess... this is your first time using Game Battler, right?"
Amanuma blinked nervously at Kurama. "Yeah, it is." He turned to the red-head and raised his voice. "But it's so there'd be seven opponents. Other games have always worked fine."
"Other games..." Kurama said, "That don't kill off the main character if he loses. But now you're committed to one that will. Sensui was probably aware of that."
Hiei?! Come on! Wake up! Tell me what's going on!
"Wait a second, Kurama," Yusuke said worriedly. "Wasn't it you who said the kid wasn't it you who said the kid wasn't out to exact any penalties, let alone play for keeps? If he knew how it could end, why would he have even started all this in the first place?"
"As you said..." Kurama countered. "Amanuma is a kid. And kids are easily swayed by adults who play to their childish impulses, as Sensui clearly did."
Amanuma stared up at Kurama in disbelief. Then the disembodied voice blared around them, scaring him out of his thoughts. "The game begins! The one whose screen fills to the top first loses!"
Amanuma quickly turned to face his screen as the blocks began to fall.
Yusuke watched the two players nervously. "So it's okay for us to just lose and lose, but Amanuma loses once and he's toast? And that jerkwater Sensui knew that?"
"He played on Amanuma's youthful enthusiasm," Genkai explained. "He expected us to figure this out and just keep playing and losing, again and again so Amanuma wouldn't die. But Kurama means to win. He told Amanuma the truth to make him lose focus. That will save time. It's a cold, dirty, under-handed tactic. And humanity's only hope."
Hiei! Sayomi pleaded as loud as she could in his mind.
You don't have to scream.
Sayomi felt relief wash through her at the sound of his voice. You weren't answering, though.
I was trying to sleep.
But what's happening out there?
Kurama plans to win the game and put this all to an end.
Oh good. Sayomi sighed. Then we can move on.
The child will perish for it.
What?! And Kurama's still gonna go through with it?
It's either waste time playing or we end it now and move on. Kurama understands the stakes and intends to act sooner rather than later. If the brat was smart, he wouldn't have let it get to this point.
But he's a child, Hiei...
This wouldn't be the first child Kurama has killed in his days as the Fox Demon.
Maybe so... but when was the last time he killed a child since he became human? Hiei had either dozed off or chose to ignore her question. Either way, Sayomi didn't like the way things were turning out for them. He might be bossy, but he's still a kid...
Meanwhile, in Amanuma's territory, the kid was starting to visibly tremble. He perspired nervously as Kurama's words made him question his choices. He stared up at the screen with empty eyes, unaware of his growing disadvantage.
"The kid's blocks are piling up," Yanagisawa noted.
"He's really rattled," Kaito observed.
"Look... Um..." Amanuma smiled nervously at Kurama. " Isn't there a way out of this?"
"It's your ability... You tell me." Kurama wiped out another row of blocks without missing a beat.
"Once I'm a character in a game..." Amanuma quickly returned his attention to the screen and back. "...I can't withdraw, or forfeit! Please..."
Kurama kept his gaze focused on his screen. "Sorry, kid... That's how it is. Sensui swayed you with his words, but you let yourself be swayed by them."
Amanuma listened as Kurama's words struck a chord in him. He bit his lip and sniffled as tears began to blur his vision. He smiled pleadingly at Kurama as tears slipped down his cheeks. "I know, I was stupid, but I just... I just... Please, I don't wanna die..."
The blocks on Amanuma's screen continued to pile up. Amanuma tried to keep from crying as they came closer to the top. Once the last block filled the screen, there was a loud buzz.
"Game Over! Loser: The Gamer King!"
Everyone watched as the young boy collapsed to the floor. Hiei woke up at the sound of the announcement. The room around them faded away until they were back in the dark cave. Next to Amanuma's body was a regular game console with two controllers.
Sayomi manifested from Hiei's shadow and looked around the cave. She shifted back to infrared vision and gasped when she saw the young boy quickly losing body heat. Oh no... She looked up at Kurama who stood still with clenched fists.
Yusuke slowly approached the red-head. "Kurama..." He shuddered when he saw his friend's expression.
Kurama glared ahead into the dark tunnel, his eyes promising no mercy on the one who forced his hand. "Let's go get Sensui."