Jack slowed down his pace as soon as he was far enough away from his home, slowing down to enjoy the surroundings. "Man…sure has been awhile since I've been around here," he said to himself, feeling a sense of nostalgia for the land that he'd been kept from. It wasn't their fault though…they thought I was the bad guy, because I went with the non-humans and Ridley… his train of thought paused momentarily. "I wonder if she remembers…" he asked himself, advancing down the road towards Lupus Gate.
Passing a guard on his way into the city, he laughed nervously and waved before mentally slapping himself. You don't need to worry about that anymore. They aren't your enemy now. Grinning at Theater Vancoor, he heard the familiar sound of people training on the landing above, keeping his eyes up to watch for falling weapons. As he felt the nostalgia of being in the city again, he stared up at Radiata Castle, pausing much like his first time seeing it. "I wonder…will I make it into the knights this time?" he asked himself, smiling weakly. Wonder how long I'll stick around this time…Maybe I should kill Cross at the first possible chance, he thought, an almost malicious smile passing over his lips.
"You will. You did say this time, didn't you?" a voice asked, causing Jack to jump and turn around. Already pieces were starting to fall together.
"Genius?" Jack asked, jaw dropping. "So you remember…that's good. That could be very good," he said with a smile, holding out his hand.
Genius looked at him and nodded. "I do. And it seems you do too. Though I have no idea what's going on, I thought I'd come here to begin with. You seem to have an idea. What happened, Jack?" Genius asked, his eyes showing a thirst for knowledge.
"I don't have time now Genius…just know that this is a chance for us to change the future. I'll see you within a few weeks. Apply for the mission, just as you did before. History can't change too much," Jack said, looking at a nearby clock and dashing up to the castle gate before Genius could complain.
Within the next hour, Jack found himself sitting in the familiar waiting room. He'd already looked at the matches, and found that he was still paired with Ridley in the first round. However, she wasn't in the room yet. He frowned, but realized that he was earlier than he'd been the last time, so he waited, biding his time. After a few minutes, he saw her walk in as he'd first met her; a high sense of nobility with a dash of snotty attitude. After glancing at the board herself, she seated herself on a free bench, eyes closed while she waited.
It looks like she doesn't remember…that may be better though, he thought, smiling weakly in her direction. As the guard came out and announced the first match, Jack thought of betting on the result before pushing the idea out of his head. The bell rang, the man named Paul entered, and another man named Sebastian dragged in the other opponent, Star. The guard called out both Jack and Ridley's names, and they proceeded forward into the coliseum.
Looking across the way at Ridley, then up at Lord Larks, he smiled weakly. "Are you ready, Ridley?" Jack asked her, drawing his sword as Junzaburo, the referee, announced the terms of the contest. Ridley looked at Jack with a stare of disgust, drawing her axe as well.
"Selection trials round two! Ridley Silverlake vs. Jack Russell!....Begin!"
It looked as if Jack's feet were barely touching the ground as he rushed towards Ridley. Though she was stunned at first, she managed to bring up her axe to block an attack towards her front, though the impact sent her back a few feet. Grinning, Jack lifted one foot and tapped the toes against the ground. "Come on, missy. You can have one free blow." This won't be a repeat of the first time. You won't be able to blow off my hits.
Scowling at the boy in front of her, Ridley picked her axe up and began to spin rapidly before shouting out "Wild Pitch!" and hurling her weapon at Jack. Wincing, Jack brought his blade up just in time to block the blunt of the blow, though he was sent sprawling onto his back. Standing up shakily, he spit out some blood to the side. I need to train. This body won't cut it, he thought weakly before getting back into his stance, focusing for a moment before charging towards Ridley. "Limit Break!"
While Junzaburo watched with wide eyes, Larks sat calmly, assessing the two combatants in front of him. He'd already made his decision before the fight to allow both to join the knights, but now he was impressed with them both. "For being so young, they certainly show potential, don't they Sir Ganz?"
Ganz, however, had his jaw dropped like Junzaburo. "Simply amazing!" he finally replied, watching as the fight commenced.
As Jack dashed inward, he pushed his body to its extreme, making every cut he could against the now weaponless Ridley. Though his sword was dulled for the match, Jack knew she'd wake up with more pain that she might've experienced by now. Turning his blade in his hand, he made the final blow, pausing in his movement only to look back a second later. "Just fall, Ridley. You'll still be in the knights," he said quietly, watching as she fell onto her back, unconscious. After a moment of silence, Junzaburo snapped back into his frame of mind. "Winner…Jack Russell!" he shouted. Jack walked over to his opponent and picked her up gently, carrying her back into the waiting room where a medic would hopefully be standing by.
Within an hour, all matches had concluded; Jack had finished in first. Lord Larks, Ganz, and Junzaburo stood in front of the lineup of competitors. After Lord Larks had a quick word with Junzaburo, which Jack speculated involved Ridley's acceptance as well, Junzaburo cleared his throat.
"Introducing Lord Larks, Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Radiata knights," he started, gesturing towards the man referenced, "And Captain Ganz Rothschild of the Rose Cochon Brigade. New recruits will be placed under his command. And now for the tournament results…Both Ridley Silverlake and Jack Russell show sufficient skill to be entered into the knights." The group of contestants murmured slightly, but all were silent after a moment.
Jack watched as his old friend approached him, hoping that he might be one to remember. "Master Jack Russell? I am Ganz Rothschild, leader of the Rose Cochon Brigade. It shall be a pleasure to have both you and Lady Ridley within the brigade. Er…where is Lady Ridley?" he questioned Jack.
"She hasn't woken up yet…suppose that's my fault, captain," Jack said, laughing and rubbing the back of his head.
"Well not to worry Master Jack, she will soon. In the meantime, go to your assigned room and switch into your official knight's attire. Then we shall begin the inauguration ceremony," the captain concluded, beaming.
The captain's as happy as ever…he doesn't remember. That's good, though, Jack thought, returning the smile. "Yes sir. I'll move as fast as I can."