Hello all, it is I, once again! If you follow my other current fic, you'll know that I have been without internet since Wednesday. However, I am back now, and with loads of new content for you to enjoy!
Alright, here's what I'm thinking: The characters mentioned in the last chapter will be the ones that this fic focuses on, and any other pairs will be featured as opponents in the tournament (spoilers!). Any suggestions will appear in this way, as well as anyone I can think of.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the anime or characters referenced here except for Seth Makarov, Maria and Charles.
It's been three weeks since the invitations have been sent out to the many participants of this year's ABC, and Seth Makarov, founder and chief of the League of Badasses, organizer of the Annual Badass Convention is lying down in a rather comfortable looking, obscenely large bed. He watches the second hand of a large and ridiculously complex clock on the wall slowly tick towards 7 A.M., Common Universal Time.
It was then that he would extend his power out to each invitee and whomever they're touching and transport them almost instantly to his own dimension, where the convention would be held.
"Sir," Maria says, quietly walking into the room. She's the only one allowed to enter this bedroom without knocking because it's actually hers. He just likes to spend his downtime here while she's out and about.
"Yes?" Seth replies, his blonde bangs hanging down over his eyes as he sits up. He's still undressed, wearing only a pair of shorts while Maria is fully clothed in a simple black dress over her pale skin with see-through lace shoulders and upper chest and back. Her white hair is pulled up into a pony tail, leaving only her short bangs to cover her forehead.
"It's almost time. I was coming to wake you up, then I noticed that you were already awake," Maria says with a slight monotone.
"Then why come in here? Oh, I get it," Seth says, a smile creeping up on his face. "You just wanted to show off your dress to me, huh?"
"N-no," Maria says, a slight blush appearing on her cheeks. "I just wanted to make sure you were getting up."
"I'm so glad I made you with such pale skin," Seth says. "It makes every blush of yours clearly visible. It's so cute."
"Jerk," Maria says under her breath as she turns around and does the closest thing to storming off that a person would dare to do in front of their creator. Not only did Seth create her, but he also created everything in this dimension of his.
Seth chuckles slightly as he watches her go. "I probably shouldn't piss her off so much," he says to himself.
"Agreed, sir," a male voice comes from seemingly nowhere.
"Ah, Charles," Seth says in recognition. "I suppose it's a good thing you've activated. I'm sure people will have questions, what with all of the new arrivals."
"I will handle any questions they have, sir, as usual," Charles says.
"Good. Well, I suppose I should get dressed now," Seth says.
"Should I check on Miss Maria?" Charles asks.
"No, leave her be. She'll cool off on her own. After all, she loves this event almost more than I do," Seth answers. "Just make sure that everything's up to snuff. Check up on the chef, see if he needs anything. If he does, arrange for it."
"Yes, sir."
Seth, without any angry assistants or disembodied voices hanging around him, gets up and takes a shower. He doesn't really have to, as he doesn't really sweat or get dirty, but it does add a sense of normality to his abnormal life and he likes the feeling of the hot water on his skin. Once he's done, he walks over to the giant wardrobe in the corner of the room and opens it up, picking out an outfit of dark blue jeans and a green T shirt with a black trench coat. He puts it on and leaves the coat open, then walks over to a pair of traditional Japanese wooden sandals and slips his feet into them.
The large man starts walking through the giant halls of the luxurious fortress that is his home. Everything around him is modeled after his favorite architecture and designs of other dimensions; even the manners he's taught his people are from other worlds. Of course, that isn't to say that everything is copied, as he takes special care when crafting each person in his world to make them unique in every way.
After a long flight of stairs, Seth reaches the main entrance hall. It can easily fit thousands of people, and it'll need to for the event. He checks the expensive looking watch on his wrist and sees that the minute hand is only five ticks away from seven o'clock. He sighs and holds his arms out in front of him, using his abilities to teleport Maria into his arms.
The girl gives a small sound of surprise, blushing slightly at the outburst. "I'm sorry," she says, apologizing for her earlier comment.
"It's alright, Maria. I deserved it. If I didn't want you to insult me when I need it, I wouldn't have given you the ability to, would I?" Seth asks, still holding his assisstant. "I should apologize for the sudden teleport. It's getting close to time and I didn't feel like looking for you."
"It's no trouble, sir. Will you set me down, now?" Maria says, feeling a little awkward as they've stayed in this position for quite a while. Seth gently sets Maria on her feet. She walks over to her position at his side, slightly behind him. She then grabs the sleeve of his trench coat and points to his hair, reminding him that it was still a sloppy mess. Seth runs a hand through one half of it and it obeys his command, leaving his right bangs neatly down in front his forehead and the left side slicked back. Maria eyes him jealously, remembering how long it had taken her to get her bangs perfect.
When Seth checks his watch again, the seventh hour has been struck. He puts his hands out in a grand gesture and closes his eyes, letting his energy tap into every person that he'd been watching in the past few months. He pulls them and their companions through the gaps between dimensions, filling the huge space in under a second. The thickness of the air is suddenly so high that a normal human would have severe trouble breathing due to the energy that the new arrivals are giving off.
"Hello!" Seth calls, his voice taking up the entire hall. "Welcome, all of you, to the 8,592nd Annual Badass Convention! To the existing members, hello again, and to the new participants, I'm pleased to meet you! This convention will last for three whole weeks, and in that time you all will be able to meet others, make new friends and fight powerful new people.
"There will be a contest of strength and skill, a tournament otherwise impossible to determine the most powerful loli-carrying badass of them all! Last year's winner, Gildarts, will not be attending this year, as he is currently working and without a loli to bring.
"This year we have plenty of new and powerful participants. I have faith that the fight for first place will be a vicious and brutal one as usual. There are three prizes for first place. The first is a place in the League of Badasses Hall of Fame, where only the best fighters of the most badass people have a place for themselves.
"The second prize is any one wish that is in my power to grant. Keep in mind that I cannot bend the will of those not created by me to any extent, nor can I create any device that will directly impact any dimension but this one.
"Last but certainly not least, the victor of the Annual Badass Convention's Contest of Badassery will have earned the right to challenge myself, creator of this dimension to an all out, no-holds barred, one on one battle that will last until one person either gives up or can no longer fight!"
At the end of the speech, many cheers and battle cries erupt from the crowd, filling the entrance hall. Of course, not everyone joins in the yelling, but those who do more than make up for their silence.
After a short time Seth waves his hands to quiet the all down and, with a wave of his hand, a hallway to the East opens and a banner with the word "Registration" is printed on it is hung over the entrance.
"I ask that those of you who have already participated in years past and have brought their previous lolis go through Registration first, so as to get them out of the way quickly and easily. Then, the new member or anyone with a new loli will be registered and their loli will be inspected," Seth explains.
At least 80% of the group departs for the new hallway. The air is filled with small conversations of old friends catching up on their latest adventures. This includes Kenpachi Zaraki and Natsu Dragneel, who immediately find each other.
"Hey, if it isn't Kenpachi Zaraki!" Natsu calls over the croud. Of all the people he'd fought at the 6 ABC's he's been in, Kenpachi was the one who took the most beating before falling. That said, he had never actually beaten him, as their fights usually ended in draws.
"Natsu," Kenpachi says, his smile widening. "How about we ditch the Registration and fight right now?" he suggests.
"Sounds like a plan," Natsu says with the same battle eager tone.
"But Natsu, remember what happened last time you tried to skip out on Registration?" Happy says, making the dragon slayer freeze. A breif memory akin to one of Erza's rampages flashes through his mind before he runs off towards the Eastern hallway.
"Sorry Kenpachi, after Registration we'll have the first match for sure!" he calls out behind him.
"Tch, whatever," Kenpachi says, walking after the pink haired man. "Guess I'd better go too."
This leaves Ichigo and Gajeel staring after the pair. They then look over at each other and size the other up, both of them coming to the conclusion that the other looks kinda funny.
"What're you lookin' at, carrot top?" Gajeel says rudely as a way of greeting.
"Gajeel!" Levy says in a shocked tone. "Don't be so rude!"
"Who're you calling carrot top!? At least I have eyebrows!" Ichigo responds. 'What is it with wierd guys and eyebrows?'
"Ichigo, quit being obnoxious," Rukia says authoritatively.
"Why you little-" Gajeel starts, pulling his fist back. It starts turning into a steel pillar, ready to strike at Ichigo who already has his zanpakuto drawn. Just as they're about to clash, however, they both feel a sense of heaviness weighing down on them, and fear creeps its way into their bodies.
"Now, now, there'll be plenty of time for that later," Seth's voice says in a dangerously polite tone. "Put the weapons away, boys, or somebody could get seriously hurt."
The two slowly lower their offensives, Ichigo rewrapping his blade and putting it on his back while Gajeel lets his hand return to normal. They don't dare move quickly for fear of causing the seemingly giant man behind them to strike out.
"Good. Now, after Registration, you'll be shown to the fighting grounds where you can duke it out to your hearts' content," Seth's normal tone returns, and the uneasiness fades away. He seems to shrink down a bit, though he's still taller than them. "You don't have to worry about causing any real damage or about any unstableness in your powers, as nothing in this dimension will have a permanent affect on anybody here," he says, loud enough for everyone to hear.
Ichigo is relieved to hear that. It means that his inner hollow won't be able to take control of him while he's here, so he can cut loose and go all out.
"Also, to make sure that everyone has a fair chance, all forms of power are the same here. Spirit energy, magic power, whatever you want to call it, it's all the same. That means that beings like Soul Reapers who can only be cut by a zanpakuto will be vulnerable to any other weapon as though it were one," Seth explains.
"Now then, I believe it's time for the rest of you to be registrated," Seth calls out to the remaining group. "As you can see, it won't take that long at all unless you make things difficult."
Everyone shuffles over to the Eastern wing and into another large room where many people are seated behind desks with papers on them, ready for the next batch of participants. Ichigo and Rukia go to the one closest to them while Gajeel and Levy enter the line beside them, and both pairs only have one pair before their turns.
In front of Ichigo and Rukia is Izayoi and Shiroyasha, who quickly answer the questions asked by the woman behind the desk. "Name? First only, please."
"Izayoi."
"Loli name?"
"Shiroyasha."
"Species?"
"Human."
"Loli species?"
Izayoi lets Shiroyasha answer that. "Demon Lord."
"Greatest accomplishment?"
"Saving an entire district from the myths of the Pied Piper and defeating the incarnation of the Black Death."
"Type of ability?"
"Unknown."
"Possible ability to counter other abilities," Shiroyasha adds.
"Relationship with loli?"
Izayoi looks over at Shiroyasha questioningly. 'Friends?' his eyes commincate.
Shiroyasha shakes her head slightly and answers. "Mutual appreciators of true art," she says. Izayoi shrugs his approval.
"Type of loli?"
"Unaging loli, perverted yet mature personality," Izayoi says, remembering the classifications he had read. Shiroyasha eyes him with a certain level of praise for his thoroughness.
"Alright, that should be it," the receptionist says. "Your loli will be inspected in the next room for any abilities or hidden forms. These won't disqualify you, but we do need to see them."
"Sounds good to me," Izayoi says. He and Shiroyasha walk away and to the door to the next room beside Anna and Mikoto, who were in front of Gajeel and Levy.
The Loli Inspection room is even larger than the grand hall, and many lolis are in the middle of showcasing their abilities. Anna and Mikoto walk to an empty area that's marked out by yellow lines where a man with a clipboard is standing, waiting for them.
When they arrive, they see that the man already has the paper from the receptionist on his clipboard and is penning in some notes. "Alright, does Miss Anna have any special abilities or transformations?"
Anna speaks up. "No transformations, but I can locate things with my marbles," she says, holding out the four red spheres. "I need a map."
The man pulls a map of the mansion out from his pocket, spreading it on the ground. Anna, after looking at the man through one of the marbles, sets them on the map and concentrates. They start circling around in at eventually close in on one place, the four of them clacking together and stopping abruptly. "Your wallet is there," Anna says, picking up her marbles.
The man realizes that she read his mind through her marble and picks up a portable radio from his belt. He says something into it and gets a response a shrt while after, confirming that the wallet was indeed where Anna said it was. "Is that all?" he asks.
"Yes," Anna replies, grabbing onto Mikoto's pant leg.
"Ok, you're now fully registered. Proceed to the next room where you'll be given the keys to your room."
Behind yet another door, the large crowd of people from earlier are still waiting for everyone to finish registration. A few faces were missing from the original group, as they hadn't passed certain qualifications, most typically during the loli inspection.
Once all of the remaining participants were in the final area, Seth waves their chatter down once again. "Congratulations, all of you, for passing the Registration," he says. "You'll now be presented the keys to you room and a map of the premises. If you have any questions, feel free to ask Charles."
"Hello," Charles says politely. "All you have to do is call for me, and I'll respond."
"Thank you Charles. Is the food ready?" Seth asks.
"Momentarily, sir. The chef had a slight tomato shortage," Charles reports.
"Of course he did," Seth says, a few older members in the crowd chuckling, remembering the cook's notorious obsession for red sauces. Seth snaps his fingers. "There, that should do it."
A loud yell can be heard and a few unintelligible curses through the thick walls. "He says 'Thank you,' sir," Charles says.
"Of course he does," Seth says. A few more people laugh a bit at the exchange. Then, Seth turns back to the crowd. "Now, some of you new members may be wondering, 'If we had to bring a loli, where's this guy's loli?' Well, she's right here. Say hello, Maria," Seth introduces her, stepping to the side to reveal her fully.
"Hello, thank you for coming," Maria says, trying to remain expressionless despite her obvious nervousness. She doesn't speak very loudly, so Seth amplifies her voice so that everyone can hear her, making her blush slightly.
"Isn't she adorable?" Seth says, to which many of the females in the crowd let out a long "Awwww," causing her to blush even harder and return to Seth's back. No matter how many times they have this event, she's always had stage fright. "My lovely assistant be in charge of any activity the lolis will be offered to participate in. This will include scavenger hunts, foot races and arts and crafts sessions.
"Prizes will be awarded to those who win these activities as well. Badasses are allowed to participate in these too, but they can only help their loli. The same is true for the tounament. A loli cannot compete by themselves, but they can assist their companion if they wish," Seth clarifies.
"What is the activity for today?" Seth asks Maria.
Maria manages to calm herself down and speak professionally. "Today will be a crafts race," she announces. Seth smiles and claps his hands together, and dozens of long tables appear with a bunch of different materials.
"Each person or team will have two hours to create a miniature house," Maria continues. "The build that is judged as the best will be used as a model for the tournament arena. Please use the fully extent of your imagination, and create whatever you desire."
"Alright, you heard the lady!" Seth says, taking over. "The time starts now!"