Two Purple Orcas were stopped in their path by a man spiky redhead man wearing a mask over his mouth.
"What a hassle, and right after, I finally get back for my expedition, too," one of them grumbled. He has long silver-grey hair, and his posturing indicates that he is a noble. "You're on the verge of obstructing official business; as a Magic Knight, I will be forced to punish you for that."
"Do you have any idea who this is?" the second Purple Oraca asked. "You're in the presence of Xerx Lugner, the Vice-Captain of the Purple Orcas'. If it weren't for this man's strength and virtue, the Purple Orcas could never have accomplished as much. He is the Saint of Pure Ice!"
"What would I know about that, fancy pants?" said the master man. "Saint of Pure Ice? I don't see any ice around here; if you ask me, he should be the Saint of Carcasses Rotting in the Mud!"
"How dare you!"
"And you, why are you singing his praises? Are you some pathetic little lapdog?" he continued. "What's the matter? Is your master too stupid to introduce himself without your help?"
The Purple Orca looked outraged.
"Official business, you said?" the master man scoffed. "You bigwigs sure have it made, don't ya? Using pretty words to control anybody who is unlucky enough to rub you the wrong way. Go ahead, be my guest. Use that magic you are so proud of and teach me a lesson for justice. We know that you're pitching for a power trip, Mister Vice-Captain of the Goon Squad."
"I've heard quite enough!" the Purple Orca roared, but Xerx stopped him.
"Words of contempt for the Magic Knights, I won't have it," said Xerx as he opened his grimoire. "Now take by magic and repent! Ice Magic: Ice Slicer!"
Spears advised then erupted from the ground and began to surround the master man, but then a Magic Circle appeared around his body. Seconds later, Xerx had been sent flying, crashed into a nearby building and was rendered unconscious.
"That was the Saint of Pure Ice?" the mass man scoffed. "Sad. Poor guy must be crushed; I bet it stings to lose to someone like me."
The Purple Orca immediately ran away, and the mass man approached the unconscious Xerx and removed his robe.
"This Magic Knight robe is waiting on a worse like you," he said.
The old woman who had been hiding behind him just stared in shock as he walked away.
"Now then, I wonder if anyone else needs an ego check," he said as he made his way to the Coliseum.
In the Coliseum, all the Magic Knights who had signed up for the Royal Knights Entrance Exam. There had to be at least 50 people taking part, in all of them were completely psyched.
A very muscular Purple Orca appeared to be more excited than anyone. "The Royal Knights Exam! I don't know what to expect, but whatever it is, I'll be ready! Finally, a chance to show the kingdom what I can really do!"
"Oh dear," said Maple. "I know that you're excited, sir, but even that small amount of power can be a problem for the people around you. Do you think you can be a little less enthusiastic, please?"
The Purple Orca immediately calm down. "I'm sorry."
"That's Maple Vermillion, she's always been good at recovering and support spells, but I hear she is picked up a few offensive techniques too."
"She's really talented; that's royalty, I guess."
Klaus then approached her. "Maple, please try not to stir up trouble before the exam starts. That night was older than you, and you have the audacity to tell him that? You can be blunt to the point of rude sometimes."
"And your respectable worry wart, so you don't have much room to criticise."
"Come on, now!"
"And there's Klaus Lunettes; he's gotten a lot more powerful these past few months. That guy's Steel Magic is practically unstoppable, not to mention all the strength training he's been up to."
"Look over there. It's this year's top newcomer, the Wind Spirit Master Leyla!"
"You seem to be getting quite a bit of attention, Ley," said Summer.
"We are the top squad; it's not that surprising," said Leyla.
"Well, it can also be the fact that you're the newbie that acquired so many stars, and you have a Wind Spirit as your partner," said Summer.
Leyla shrugged. "That might also have something to do with it."
Hamon laughed. "This is quite a lively scene, don't you think, Asger?"
"I suppose," he said as he narrowed his eyes at Leyla.
Langris was also present but remained silent in the background.
"All man, this place is full of heavy hitters."
"Yeah, I bet you several members of the Golden Dawn are going to make the final cut."
"The tension in the air is so thick you can almost cut through it with a knife," said Maple. "It would be best if everyone relaxed and went with the flow."
"I don't know; I think you might be too relaxed," said Klaus.
"Hey, it's Klaus and Maple," said Dak as he showed up. "Long time no see, you guys."
"Oh, hello there, Dak," said Maple, suddenly turning bright pink. "What a surprise."
"I should warn you, Dak, I've been training," said Klaus. "I'm stronger now, so it won't be easy to beat me."
"That's awesome; that just pumps me up even more," said Dak.
"Let's try our hardest today. May the best Knight win," said Maple, still blushing.
"Yeah!" said Dak and frowned at her. "Hey, your face is all red; you feeling okay?"
"Oh yes, I'm totally fine. Thank you so much for asking, though," she assured him. 'I haven't been this nervous in a really long time.'
"You're as loud as ever today," said Leyla.
"What's up, Ley?" Dak smiled. "That hot spring trip sure was a lot of fun, wasn't it?"
"That's one way to put it," she said.
"Did you say hot spring?" Maple blinked and looked at Leyla. "I don't remember you mentioning anything like that?"
"I might have lost the race to the top of the volcano, but I'm not losing anything today, got that?" said Dak.
"Just be too upset when I win; I don't want you to cry," said Leyla.
"I won't!"
"Wait, you still haven't told me about the hot spring, Leyla," said Maple.
"It seems you're pretty excited about this whole thing," Dak noted.
"You to Dak," said Leyla.
"Will somebody please explain?" Maple asked.
Leo laughed as he approached them. "Dak! Leyla! You can't forget about me!"
"Leo!" Dak smiled.
"Watch me; I'm going to ace this Royal Knights Exam."
"No, I am!" said Dak.
"You wish," said Leyla.
"You want a fight about it?" Leo challenged.
"I'm going to pass!" said Dak.
"I'm going to do better than you!"
"We are one of you. Tell me about this hot spring?!" Maple yelled.
Finral approached Magnus and Luck with her new hairdo, and he died the ends of his hair green. "Oh boy, I'm so nervous right now, but hey, I suppose the best we can do is give it our best shot, right?"
"Listen up, poser, did I give you permission to wear that Black Dragon's robe," Magnus glared. "Who do you think you are anyway?"
"Probably a fan of ours," said Luck. "You want to spa with me?"
"Stop it. I'm Finral!" Finral yelled, not sure whether they would seriously or not. "You see, I wanted a confidence boost before the exam, so I changed my hairstyle."
A few days before the exam, Finral asked Vanessa to cut his hair, though she found the request rather strange.
"A new look, huh?" she said. "There must be something dramatic going on with you then. What about you get your heart broken into teeny little pieces?"
"Of course not," said Finral.
"Yeah, right, that silly. If you change every time a woman rejected you, there wouldn't be any hair left on your head for me to cut now, would there?"
"That's uncalled for. Actually, I was trying to psych myself up a little."
"Say no more; trust me, I have just the thing, so you can sit back and let me work my magic," she said as she held out the magic razor.
Finral panicked upon seeing it. "Wait a second, I wasn't expecting heavy artillery!"
"Anyway, I've got a new do and new attitude to match it, so you better watch yourselves!" said Finral.
"That good for nothing Finral would never come out to a competition like this," said Magnus.
"How dare you say something so mean about me when you know I have seniority already over you!"
"Cut it out," said Dak as he approached them. "Anyone can see that this is Finral. There's no reason for you to pick on him like that."
Finral actually cried upon hearing this. "Aww, thank you, Dak."
"But your hair does look pretty tacky, though."
"Yeah, tacky is a good word for it," Magnus agreed. "I mean not only the hair itself, but the idea of getting a haircut to feel better might be the tackiest ever."
"Yeah, totally tacky," Luck nodded. "And even if it did work, I can't think of anything that screams 'Hey, look at me; I'm insecure.'"
"You guys are just jealous because I have a unique hairstyle that shows off my personality!" Finral yelled.
Adelaide was looking at them from the shadows, shaking her head. "I wish those dorks which shut up; they're going to make the whole squad look bad."
It was then that she noticed Scoldlout had appeared.
"Oh, Scold, it's you," she said.
"Look at that," he sneered. "So you've come to disgrace yourself again. I wish you wouldn't because when you fail this exam, you'll bring shame to House Jorgenson. Just leave while there is still time; it would be better for both of us."
There was a time when Adelaide was too afraid to stand up to her brother, but a time of the Black Dragons as well as Victoria's encouragement, had strengthened her resolve.
"Sorry, I'm not leaving," she said strongly.
Scoldlout looked taken aback by this show of defiance.
"Now, if you excuse me," she said as she entered the arena. 'That's right, I won't be afraid any more. It's time for me to show my siblings how much I've improved since the last time we met.'
"What a little failure," Scoldlout scoffed.
Julius then appeared with Fishlegs by his side, looking down at all the Magic Knights that had chosen to take part in the exam.
"I'm glad that you were all able to attend," he said.
Upon seeing him, the Magic Knights immediately saluted.
"Without further ado, I would like to commence with the Royal Knights Selection Test."
King Clover then appeared. "Allow me to explain the test in detail. After all, the Royal Knights will be my warriors, will they not?" He then gave a small chuckle as he fumbled with his moustache. 'This is my chance to brandish my authority and gain the affection of my people.'
He then cleaned his throat as he looked down upon the Magic Knights. "This event is a competition of teams! And it shall be called the Magical Crystal Destruction Battled Tournament!"
Fishlegs then produced a holographic display, no doubt to give everyone a visual explanation of the rules.
"They're putting us on teams?" Adelaide blinked.
"There's a crystal?" said Luck confused.
"Yeah, but what are the rules?" Magnus frowned.
"I thought it would be for every man for himself; I hope this doesn't turn out to be complicated," said Dak.
"The rules are very simple," said King Clover. "Whichever team is successful in destroying the opposing team's crystal while simultaneously protecting their own crystal from being crushed will be considered victorious."
"Hey, that does sound pretty easy," said Dak. "I should be just fine."
"If both the crystals remain intact at the end of the 30-minute time limit, the team whose crystal has taken the least amount of damage will be the winner," King Clover continued. "Uh, the reason we chose this method was because it—hm—well, that is… I know it was something good."
Julius then cleaned his throat and jumped in to save him. "When facing the Eye the Midnight Sun, it is imperative that other members of the different Knight squads are able to cooperate."
'He worded that so so much better than I could,' King Clover moaned.
"We feel that the team contest is the best way to judge your ability to work with others as well your strategic efficiency. There is much more to be a Royal Knight than brute strength."
"Just as I would have said," said King Clover.
'Besides, I'll get to observe all kinds of magic, not just defensive spells,' said Julius excitedly.
"Well, if that isn't clever," said Hamon.
"I see; if we want to be successful, we have to be able to get along from people from other squads," said Asger.
"Now, then, let's reveal the team roster," said Julius.
Fishlegs then created a hologram of a list of the teams. There were 16 teams with three members each. Everyone immediately looked at the list, trying to find their partners in the exam.
"Let's see who I'm with," said Dak as he looked for his name. "Oh sweet, I got Maple!"
"Oh gosh, I seriously going to be on the same team as Dak!" said Maple looking rather flustered. "I mean in, at any other time, I would love to spend time with him one-on-one, but this is an exam! I'm not sure I can concentrate and wonder what that hot spring was all about!"
Dak then looked at the third member of his team. "Okay, who else? It says Xerx Lugner. Who's that?"
"So sorry I'm late for the party, everybody," said a voice above them.
Everyone looked up and saw a masked man standing atop the Coliseum. He then jumped down and landed beside Julius, and placed his arm around his shoulders.
"…but the Wizard King is a reasonable guy, so I'm sure he can forgive a little tardiness just this once?" he said.
"Who the heck is that?" said Dak.
"How me? I'm Xerx Lugner, pleasures mine," he said.
Julius looked at him, shocked, as he knew full well that this was not Xerx Lugner but an impostor.
"You see, I found this elderly woman that was in a sticky situation, and naturally, as a Magic Knight, I had to step in and offer my assistance," he said, patting Julius on the shoulder. "Cut me some slack?"
"Oh dear, is that poor old woman all right now?" Julius asked.
"Of course, fit as a fiddle."
The Magic Knights were a little confused.
"Something's not right."
Fishlegs immediately held his hand against Xerx. "Stand aside, you insolent cue!"
He then fired a beam from his hand, and Xerx quickly somersaulted to avoid it and landed inside the Coliseum.
"That's not a very warm welcome," he said. "What's gotten into you all of a sudden?"
"I like to ask you the same question," said Fishlegs. "Xerx Lugner you say? But he's—" Julius then stopped him, and he looked at him confused. "… Your Majesty?
Xerx merely smiled.
"Hey! Who do you think you are?"
"How dare you show up late and with a rotten attitude!"
"The Wizard King is one of the few men Astrid approves of so, so you better back off!" Terra threatened.
"Yeah, why are you acting like such a bully?" Dak demanded.
"Settle down, folks," said Julius calmly. "There's no need to worry."
"Oh, all right, sounds like you all pretty fond of this chump, aren't you," said Xerx as he held out the robe he stole. "Sorry, but I really don't see why he's so great."
Everyone stared, stunned; for the Magic Knights, that was blasphemy.
"You guys might be a mindless mob, but not me," he said as he put the robe on.
Fishlegs frowned. 'That robe… It's definitely Xerx's.'
"I'll tell you one thing, 'Xerx', you completely changed your whole look on that long expedition," said Julius and laughed.
"Please don't laugh, sir," said Fishlegs.
Xerx then walked up to Dak and extended his hand. "It's nice to meet you, kid. Apparently were both on the same team. Let's keep things friendly."
Dak looked at him suspiciously but accepted his hand. "Okay…"
Then when he pulled his hand away, he saw that Xerx had dropped a bug in his palm. It then produced some sort of rainbow-coloured gas which smelled like the worst batch of rotten eggs imaginable.
"That stinks!" Dak yelled.
Xerx laughed. "That's the smelliest insect in the Clover Kingdom; they call it a rainbow stink bug."
"They do? Is it because it puts on a rainbow of nasty smells?" said Dak, barely able to breathe and then glared at him. "'Nice and friendly', huh? This isn't the best way of showing it!"
"Obviously, I was lying," said Xerx removing the bug from his palm. "I can't be friends with annoying hyperactive little pipsqueak."
He then stuck the bug right up Dak's left nostril. "I mean, I can tell from that vapid look on your face…" He then stuck up a second bug in Dak's other nostril. "… you're a complete moron!"
He then shoved into the ground, and Dak was more or less consumed by the smell of the stink bugs.
"That really does stink, doesn't it?" said Luck laughing.
Dak quickly removed the bugs from his nostrils and glared at him once more. "Hey! Who do you think you are with that mask? Are you even going to try to win this thing?"
"It looks like trying is the only thing you know how to do."
"Why did you come here for a chance to get into the Royal Knights?"
Xerx laughed, finding the response amusing. "Oh, hell no, the only reason I showed up was to make fun of all of you."
The Purple Orcas present were rather discouraged by Xerx's attitude as it was completely opposite to what they had heard.
"I may not know Vice-Captain Xerx, but I didn't think he was like that."
"All the rumours we heard must have been wrong. Everyone calls him the Saint of Pure Ice, but because he's usually posted at the border, not many have actually laid eyes on him."
Naturally, Julius and Fishlegs knew that the Xerx before them was an impostor.
"Are you sure, sir?" Fishlegs asked uncertainly.
"Yes, it might prove to be fun," said Julius.
Fishlegs sighed with aspiration.
"I'm sorry, your Majesty, but I really don't think I can be on a team with a jerk like this guy," Dak argued.
Xerx merely chuckled.
"Now, now, you two, you may be different, but your Magic Knights," Julius reminded them. "You just have to get along."
"Julius, shouldn't I get to say something wise too?" King Clover asked.
"All right, everybody, I assume that you have all identified your teammates," said Julius.
Magnus found himself with Terra and a Coral Peacocks with reddish-brown hair tied in a long ponytail.
"You're kidding," Terra grumbled, looking at Magnus. "So I have to work with this little punk?"
"I'm not little; you're just a giant," Magnus pointed out.
"That's it! I'm going to snap those ugly glasses in two!" she threatened.
"I wish you would freak, you better watch your mouth, or I'll bury you where you're standing!"
"Hate to break it to you, but I'm an Earth Magic user. If you want to bury me, go ahead and try it. I swear, men are incredibly stupid."
Adelaide found herself with Leyla and a sickly-looking Green Mantis.
'Guess I'll be working with the fussing mage who is always following Dak around,' said Leyla.
"Hmm, I hope everyone here can keep up with Leyla," said Summer.
'What are the odds that I'd end up in the same team with Dak's twin sister,' said Adelaide.
Luck found himself on a team with Klaus and a chubby Blue Rose Knight.
'I don't believe this, am I really supposed to be teammates with Luck the Cheery Berserker?' Klaus groaned.
"This should be fun," said Luck and extended his hand. "Let's work together and try our best to win, okay?"
"What? Together you say?" said Klaus taken aback and took his hand. "I suppose—"
Luck then gave a small electric shock and laughed. "I can already tell you, and I are going to make a really great team."
Finral found himself with Leo and Hamon, who were both laughing for some unknown reason.
'Okay, he's laughing?' Finral blinked at Leo and then looked at Hamon. 'And so is he for some reason. Yeah, I don't know how I feel about this team.'
Both Scoldlout and Asger found themselves on a team with a Coral Peacocks with a red Afro.
"Well, I'm hardly a fan of yours, but at least you're reasonably capable," said Scoldlout looking at Asger.
"Do try to refrain from acting on your own," said Asger.
"Now that we have our groups, let us advance to the testing grounds," said Julius. "Please, Cob, do the honours."
Cob was a rather cheerful-looking man who immediately saluted. "Yes, of course! Yes, of coursey, of course."
He then conjured the door completely out of thin air, and when it opened, a portal appeared.
"Whoa, he does Spatial Magic," said Dak.
"Here we go," said Cob as everyone entered the portal. "Everybody step into the portal!"
Soon everyone found themselves on a platform that overlooked the battlefield, which had a number of different terrains. There were rocky hills, dense forests, a large lake, sandy deserts, open meadows and even a few ruins.
"So the Magical Crystal Destruction Battle Tournament is supposed to happen here?" said Dak. "It's huge!"
"This vast and varied environment will be your battle stage," said Julius. "You will be able to use all your skills to your heart's content. The match-ups for the initial round have been chosen by lottery and organised into the bracket chart you see here."
Fishlegs then created a bracket chart above them showing who would be facing who.
"Though winning and losing does not necessarily correlate for being chosen into the Royal Knights, but more victories would increase your favourability. This is an ideal chance for you all to put your talent on display."
Adelaide's eyes widened when she realised that she would be facing Scoldlout's team first.
"Of course, I'd have to face, Scold first," she said.
"It will be such a delight to liberate you myself, sister," Scoldlout smiled.
Finral saw that if his team won their first match, then he would be facing against his brother's team in the quarter-finals.
'If I win this one, I'll fight Langris next,' he said.
Dak noticed that he and Leyla were on the opposite side of the bracket, meaning they would only face one another in the finals.
'As the last one I'm up against will be Ley,' he said. 'I know I can make it that far, no problem. Better yet, I'm going to win this whole thing.'
"Magic Knights, it is time to start the exam!" said Julius.
Dak suddenly remembered that his team were at first.
"Yikes, we're in the first battle and everything," said Dak.
"Attacking opponents directly is allowed, although this should go without saying, there is to be absolutely no killing," said Julius.
"Can I have the spotlight, please?" King Clover asked pleadingly.
"We have majored wielding Recovery Magic standing by for the injured, so don't hold anything back," said Julius gesturing to Owen, who was standing there with a group of recovery mages.
"Hey, they brought Owen, the Clover Kingdom's number one Recovery Mage," Dak noted.
Owen smiled and gave me a small wave.
Dak and his team made their way to their crystal, as did their opposing team. Both Julius and King Clover sat down on their thrones to observe the battle.
"Hey, the beautiful babes of the Black Dragons are here to cheer for our friends," said Vanessa as she and the other Black Dragons arrived. "You've got this!"
"You've got full support!" said Gordon.
"Hey, thank you so much," said Finral as he made his way over to them. "But she ended at least a couple of you be holding down the fort right now?"
"Captain Hiccup ordered us to come and support you," Vanessa explained.
"Ah, he's so supportive, but that our Captain Hiccup for you," said Finral. "Well, it looks like we're about to get things started."
"Aw, I see that Dak is fighting in the first match," Vanessa noted. "That really does suit his personality, don't you think? Dak, you better show these weak losers who they're messing with!"
Charmy was having difficulty seeing the match and was attempting to see over everyone's shoulders by jumping.
"Oh man, down in front!" she yelled. "Dumb tall people, how am I supposed to feast my eyes on my squad mates if I can't see anything."
She then got an idea and, within seconds, was sitting on Julius' lap.
"With the explanations done, I hope our first two teams are ready," he said.
"Oh yeah," said Charmy as she ate a cupcake on his lap.
"I was born ready, your Majesty!" Dak yelled.
Julius smiled as the first match was about to begin.