Breath of Fire III: Of Gods and Dragons
Chapter Nine: The Contest of Champions
Written by Estrelita Farr
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"PukyuKYUUUUUUU!"
The trio snapped out of their sorrow at once, wondering what it was. As they glanced around, suddenly something large came bounding out of the lava pit, completely untouched by the lava, and landed right next to Ryu, startling him so much that he fell backwards into a sitting position.
It was the giant onion that they had brought down here to dispose, and it had apparently fallen into the lava together with the mutant. This time, however, some of its features had changed; now it had two thick red leaves-like feet, a red thin bud on its head, and a face on its brown body that was partially wrapped with green leaves.
And it was alive. Shaking its onion head.
"Hey!" Momo exclaimed. "It's the cute little…"
"…onion," the princess finished for her.
"Pukiiiiiiiii!" it cried. It seemed to be angry at being thrown into the lava, for it had started throwing a tantrum like a bad-tempered child, jumping up and down and stamping its little feet, its face screwed into a scowl.
Ryu stared at this bizarre thing… which fuelled its tantrum. It pounced onto him aggressively, trying to bash into him, and he retreated with a yell, drawing out his weapon for battle.
However, his red-haired companion ran forward and stepped between him and the onion, shaking her head. "W-wait, Ryu! I'm sure the mutant entrusted this…" She took a moment to search for the right word, then finally settled on one. "…this… baby to us!"
Now he stared at her, his weapon still held in his hand. "Huh?"
"I think I understand now…" She turned towards the onion and knelt, its head hardly reaching her knees. "He left you as a reminder never to make a monster like him, hasn't he?"
It seemed to have understood her, for it lowered its gaze to the ground with a sad expression. "Pukyu, kyu…"
"He can't talk, can he, Momo?" Nina observed, bending beside the onion as well.
"It looks like it," the boy agreed, sheathing his sword.
"Why don't we take him with us?" Momo suggested. "I'm sure the mutant would want that."
The princess nodded. "That's a good idea!"
Ryu blinked at the proposal, and shrugged. "Um, okay, I guess…"
Momo beamed. "Then that's settled!"
"Hm… he needs a name, doesn't he?" Nina thought hard, and then did a little jump when she had an idea. "I know! Let's call him Peco! I mean, he does look like an onion, right?"
"Wow, good name, Nina! Let's call him that!"
"Do you like it, Peco?"
The newly-dubbed Peco did a little dance. "Pukiiiii!"
Ryu stared at the three of them, thinking what a strange little company he had – a child princess, an absent-minded scientist and an overgrown bouncing onion…
Who would have thought that this would happen when he had first left his home in search of Rei and Teepo?
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-o-o-o-o-o-
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Just as they left the cave that was the disposal area for the plant, Peco stopped unexpectedly, staring blankly as though he had realised something, and then raced away from the road towards a direction to the east where there were a lot of trees.
"H-hey!" Ryu cried out. "Where are you going?"
"Let's follow him!" Nina stated, and the other two nodded.
It barely took a few minutes before they came across a small grove, surrounded by a short cliff on all sides with an opening for the entrance. Thin streams of light shone down between the leaves onto the large clearing in the middle, giving the forest a magical feeling. In the clearing, there stood a magnificent tree much bigger than any other in the grove, its trunk wide and strong with age, its abundant leaves spread in all directions. Ryu could not help but to feel that, even after his long absence, this place still looked the same…
He paused, blinking.
What? I haven't been here before…
"Hey, there's Peco!" the princess cried, pointing at the base of the huge tree.
Sure enough, the onion was there, seemingly puny next to the wide trunk. He seemed to be gazing at it, with a strange fixed stare.
"What's wrong, Peco?" Momo inquired as they stood behind him. "This tree?"
"Pui…" was Peco said, as it continued to stare at the trunk.
The boy stared upward as well, a strange feeling of familiarity washing over him… joy filled his heart, as though he had met a long lost mentor, as though he had finally came in contact with an old friend. All of a sudden, a calm yet wheezy voice spoke in his mind.
"Ah, you have returned, Ryu…" the voice stated and coughed a little, sounding like a very old man. "Has it been that long already…?"
"Y… Yggdrasil…" Ryu muttered unconsciously, not even realising how he had known the great tree's name. But I don't remember…
"I see… so your memory has been wiped out as always… and mine has not been any better, as well…"
The leaves of the forest rustled as a soft gust of wind blew, sounding as though they were sighing.
"I am afraid age is catching up to me, so I am not how I used to be…" The voice coughed again. "I am unable to think straight for too long now…"
The boy shook his head, not knowing what to say to that statement, but then he suddenly remembered the strange golden orange he had found near his burnt home in Cedar Woods before he headed to Wyndia, forgotten until now. He searched his pockets, pulling out the fruit, and marvelled at the fact that it still looked as fresh as it had a few days ago, still glowing merrily like the sun.
"You have a Wisdom Fruit…?" the voice continued, sounding surprised. "Will you… part with it to help an old man…?"
He nodded ever so slightly and held out the fruit towards the tree. To his surprise, it faded away into green sparkles that circled once around the thick trunk of the tree before being absorbed by it.
"Ah, I feel rejuvenated. Thank you, Ryu."
Ryu continued to gaze at the tree, thoughts flashing through his mind rapidly. "If it's okay… can you tell me how you know me…?" He shook his head slowly. "I don't… remember…"
"Ah, yes… the question that will be asked at every cycle." There was a slight pause. "You will most certainly learn it as time passed, though now you are… too young to know of it yet."
Once again the leaves rustled in the wind, as though their owners were chorusing their agreement.
"You need not worry about it at such a young age. This is the time to dedicate yourself to friends and laughter, not to worry about questions and burdens that you should worry only when you are older."
"But… I…"
"Do you understand, Ryu…?"
Ryu sniffed, feeling exceedingly disappointed, but he nodded. "O…okay…"
"Spend not your energy remembering, it will come in time. For now, live your life to the fullest, enjoy your childhood." There was another pause. "I could sense that you are a little tired… perhaps you should rest for today."
"Yeah, I will… thank you…"
"Farewell, Ryu, we will meet again."
Even as he turned to leave the grove, he still could not help but to feel disappointed, so much to the point that tears were once again threatening to fall. There were so many questions, yet no answers at all… it was rather too much for his young mind to bear, especially when that answer was further denied to him.
For the lonely Dragon, his search for his brethren would continue.
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-o-o-o-o-o-
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Ryu remained silent throughout the whole trek back to the plant, and he stayed that way even when they had arrived at the plant. Even though the princess knew he was the quiet type, but she still felt worried about him, thinking that perhaps the poisonous gas he had inhaled earlier was taking its toll on him. She tried to cheer him up in whatever way she could, though her attempts were futile.
When Momo spoke to the director, Palet had offered them rooms for the night, as a thank you gesture, and told them that he had a plan to get them to Wyndia. Nina felt grateful because at least her male companion could rest, and at least they could finally return to the City of Winds.
Once again like before, they took the conveyer belts around the plant area, towards the entrance where a large metal building stood, and this was where the plant workers and scientists slept as well as guests who came personally to buy crops from them. Both Ryu and Peco were given a small room of their own (though the woman there stared at the bouncing giant onion for a long time), and the girls had theirs.
The room that Nina had was nothing special – it was a small room, with two clean beds crammed into the opposite corners, with a table and a lamp between the two. The metal wall and carpeted floor gave her a strange cold feeling, as though she knew she would not enjoy her night here. That, and the fact that she felt safer when Ryu was around.
"Well, I certainly didn't expect to hear that Palet has a plan for us to get to Wyndia!" Momo stated as she went to a bed and sat on it.
The princess nodded, sitting on the other bed. "Yes, and I'm glad to finally return to my home, it feels like it's been a long time since I escaped with Ryu from the bad men." She shook her head slowly, looking downcast. "But I'm worried about him…"
"Yeah, me too… and he said strange things at Yggdrasil's forest earlier, didn't he? Like he was talking to the tree…"
"Yeah…"
"If it's okay… can you tell me why you know me…?" Ryu had asked then, in a voice filled with confusion, hesitation and loneliness. "I don't… remember…"
And he looked so sad after that… does this mean Yggdrasil didn't tell him anything? Nina wondered.
"Of course, I was surprised when he turned into a Dragon back at the dump!" Momo abruptly said, her eyes glinting with excitement. "And they said that Dragons are amazing, but extinct!"
Nina smiled a little. "Thank you, Momo. I'm thankful that you're not scared of him, and that you won't tell people about him being a Dragon." She sighed a little, sitting on the bed. "They always teach me in history class that Dragons are bad… but looking at Ryu, I feel they're not all like that."
She nodded. "I agree. My father has always thought of them being similar to people… some good ones and some evil ones." She sat on her bed, a faraway look on her face. "He always told me not to trust everything that's said, but to find out the truth by myself…"
"Do you… miss your father?"
"Very much." She smiled. "But there's no point dwelling on the past, right? He's the greatest father I've ever known, and I'll definitely walk in his footsteps!"
The princess smiled. "You're strong, Momo." I wonder if I can be as strong one day…?
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-o-o-o-o-o-
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Ryu was oblivious to the fact that for a short moment, he had been the subject of conversation to the girls then, for he had gone straight to sleep despite the fact that it was only afternoon. He had felt rather exhausted mentally, having tried to force himself to remember anything related to his life before meeting Rei and Teepo, but after resting for nearly a full day, by the next morning he was back to his more cheerful self, and Nina's worries eased.
Breakfast consisted of stew made from beef and some vegetables grown at the plant, while Peco settled with fertiliser. However, two children glanced uneasily at their onion companion, poking their food to see if they would move, and exchanged looks when they saw Momo eating without a second thought. Did she often eat food made of these plants grown here? They shuddered at the possible answer.
Once they were done, they thanked the cook and left the building, only to find Palet together with a hooded man and a horse-drawn cart completely filled with crates and crates of plants and hay. Ryu looked suspiciously at the hooded person, for now he would not trust people who concealed themselves completely.
"Ah, there you are!" the director cried when he saw them, making the hooded man turn. "I hope that you've had a good night's sleep?"
Nina nodded. "Yes, thank you very much, Mr. Palet."
"Say, what's this cart for?" the older girl asked, glancing curiously at the cart.
"Oh, this?" Palet spread his hands towards it, as though he was presenting an extraordinary invention. "This, Momo, is our cart. It takes our vegetables and fruits to be sold in Wyndia!"
"This cart's going to Wyndia?" Ryu echoed, shaking his head. "Won't the guys at the bridge stop it?"
He waved a hand nonchalantly. "No, they'll never think of doing it, once they see it's all plants! If you hide inside, you should be able to get by unnoticed!"
The boy still was not convinced, especially when he still felt that he could not trust him. "Won't they check the goods on the cart?"
"But I think it'll work…" Nina voiced out, smiling. "Don't worry, Ryu, it'll work!"
Momo nodded, beaming as well. "I'm sure they won't check the goods! You do want to get to Wyndia, don't you?"
"Well, of course I do, but–" Ryu started, but she interrupted him.
"All right then, it's settled!" She grinned, glancing at Nina then back at him. "Let's go!"
"Pukyukyu!" Peco cried, bouncing up and down.
He sighed – they had been lucky in eluding the half-unicorns so far, but they would not be so fortunate all the time…
Once they had hidden themselves among the hay, the hooded man sat at the front of the cart and whipped the horse. As the cart started moving towards its destination, they discovered that they had forgotten Honey, who was running after the cart on the road. The little miniature doll made a quick sprint before making a leap onto the cart, squirming herself through the hay to get to her owner, then indignantly sat herself on her knee.
However, as soon as they were out of sight, Palet grinned to himself, a slow, evil grin filled with satisfaction.
"Heh heh… whew, I was lucky that the ones Balio and Sunder are after turn out to be Momo and her friends!" He stroked his white beard. "Those two will take care of them for me… then no one will ever need to learn about the mutant plant!"
And he laughed.
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-o-o-o-o-o-
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It took about half a day before the slow-moving cart finally neared the bridge next to Eygnock Road, which split and led to both Wyndia and Genmel. Ryu felt rather stiff sitting still among the crated fruits and vegetables and actually felt like turning into the Force Dragon and fly in the air, but of course, that would certainly not be a good idea.
"Man, this is taking a long time…" Momo complained.
"Whose bright idea was it anyway?" the boy replied softly, shaking his head. "I don't really know if it'd work…"
Nina tried to smile, but she looked a little nervous. "I'm sure it would. I mean, Mr. Palet went through the trouble of getting us a cart…"
Not to mention there's something about him that I don't like, Ryu thought.
Suddenly, the cart suddenly slowed to a stop, and the hooded man suddenly hissed at them in a low voice.
"They're coming, hide!"
Ryu stayed absolutely still, almost not daring to breathe, as he heard the approaching sound of hooves clip-clopping near the cart. There was silence for a while as nothing moved or made a sound, except that he thought he had heard faint mutterings from outside.
Soon, Sunder's loud voice spoke, "Hooooold it! No one gets by here now!"
"Um… this… is a shipment from the plant to Wyndia…" the hooded person explained, in a hesitant voice filled with fear.
"Shipment, huh? Well, you can go home now, I'll take it from here…" He neighed in laughter. "Now scram!"
Hurried footsteps that led away from the cart indicated that the cart-driver ran for his life, leaving them alone. Ryu shivered – had the plan failed?
"Don't worry!" the half-unicorn yelled after the fleeing man. "I'll take good care of it! Hahahaha!"
Suddenly he gave a huge kick to the side of the cart, so powerful that it overturned the whole thing completely, and it even forced the horse down to its side. Crates fell and fruits and vegetables rolled all over the ground, scattered among the four who had been hiding in there. Ignoring the pitiful neighs of the horse, Sunder motioned to his men to surround them as he approached his targets, smirking.
"You're in for it now, you little squirt!" he cried triumphantly. "You won't be getting away this time!"
Ryu gritted his teeth, but it was no use; they were completely surrounded, and his companions might get hurt if he transformed into a Dragon…
"Oh no… Ryu…" Nina said fearfully.
Momo shook her head. "Guess it didn't work…"
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-o-o-o-o-o-
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Just like before, the prisoners were brought to the arena town, though this time they travelled by foot and it took them two and a half days to get there. They would have gotten there sooner, but as the three of them were bound with strong ropes, they were only able to move slower than they normally could.
As soon as they had arrived in Genmel, they were marched straight to the only stone building at the opposite end of the vicinity. It was a huge place built completely of stone, with the size of a palace, but not as heavily decorated as a real palace would be – there were a few rugs here and there as well as posters of past champions, but that was all.
They did not get to see much of the Arena as Sunder marched them immediately down a path branching from the main hall, leading towards a lone door at its end. Inside was a desk, a chair and three bookshelves, which indicated that it was some sort of an office, and the blue-haired brother was sitting behind the desk.
"I got them, bro!" Sunder cried triumphantly.
"Good work, I knew you could handle it." Balio looked over his prisoners, a satisfied smirk on his face. "So, kids… I hope this has shown you how the world works."
The boy remained silent, but inside him, hatred boiling inside him like a storm. Ever since they had appeared in his life, they had stopped at nothing to take away all of his friends… to make him miserable.
People like this… deserve to be punished.
"The strong get what they want, and the weak can't do anything about it…" Balio continued, glancing at them one by one. "Just like in the Contest of Champions."
"You're right, bro!" his brother piped up from behind them.
At that very moment, a look of determination washed over Nina's face, just like the time when she had suggested jumping down the side of Mt. Boumore. Sunder, having already seen that look on her before, gazed cautiously at her.
"So, if we enter the Contest and win…" She shook her head. "Then we'll be strong and get what we want too; to be set free!"
"What?" Ryu and Momo said together, but their voices were completely drowned by Sunder's loud exclamation.
"WHAT? You want to enter the Contest?" He snarled, taking a step towards her. "Look here, we've been nice to you so far 'cause you're worth a lot of money to us, but there's a limit to how far we can be pushed!"
He took another step towards her, but Ryu, whose wrists were still tied together, put himself before the princess, his expression serious – despite everything, he still wanted to protect her.
"Just give up and stop struggling!" Sunder declared, pointing a finger at him. "I'm tired of you, brat, and I'll get rid of you and everyone else!" With a sneer at Nina, he added, "But don't worry, Princess, I won't touch you…"
"No way! I won't let you hurt anyone!" she stated boldly, standing beside her male companion. "Let us enter the Contest!"
He snarled again. "SHUT UP! That's it, I'll just get rid of you now!"
"Hold it, Sunder…" Balio shook his head, gazing intently at his four prisoners. "It might just not be a bad idea after all…"
Somehow he had a calming touch on his brother, for Sunder turned around and spoke as though the outburst earlier did not happen. "It's a waste of time, bro, if they enter, there ain't no one who'll think they can… wait a sec…"
He nodded. "Exactly, bro. No one will bet on them, which means that if they do win, we'll make that much more money…" He suddenly gave his neighing laugh, and smirked again. "All right, Princess, we'll let you enter the Contest, and I'll even be nice enough to let you loose until it starts tomorrow morning."
Ryu stared at him – he had not expected that at all.
"You can train, buy stuff, do whatever you want," Balio continued, then lowered his voice to a dangerous tone. "But don't even think about running away… we've got the road guarded tight, and we'll keep one of you here as a hostage."
"Boy, you sure are clever, bro, I never would've thought of that…" his brother laughed, then grabbed Peco by the bud on his head and threw him into the square cage that stood nearby.
"Puuuuui!" the onion squealed.
"Peco!" Nina cried and started moving towards him, but Momo put a hand to her shoulder, shaking her head.
"Heh, it'll be a lot worse than that if you lose!" Sunder scoffed.
"Well, we're counting on you to put up a good fight for us," Balio stated as he locked the cage properly. "After all, you gave us enough trouble." He twirled the cage key on one finger. "If you lose, however…" He threw the key lightly into the air and grabbed it tightly. "… it's the end for you. Got it?"
Anger burned within Ryu, but he said nothing.
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-o-o-o-o-o-
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To get a better idea of what would be coming at them during the competition, the trio explored the interior of the Arena and even visited all three of the battlefield that they would fight on – the Hall of Fire, the Null Magic Hall, and the Hall of Kings.
The Hall of Fire consisted of a platform just three feet away above the surface of the lava pit, while the Hall of Kings was nothing but a long bronze platform leading across a huge hole. On the other hand, the Null Magic Hall was a hall with strange coloured patterns engraved onto its stone floor and walls with high spectator platforms, and somehow Ryu felt a little drained just being in there… perhaps this hall was really "null magic" as its name suggested. Even though all three battle halls looked different, all of them were surrounded by high stone platforms, where the spectators would stand and watch the battle when the Contest starts.
Ryu felt disgusted when he saw so many people already gathered in the main hall of the Arena, all waiting in line to get the best positions to watch the battles, and even more so when he saw how eager they looked. He disliked the sinister looks they all had, as though they were criminals or those who would gamble their money away, but more than that, he hated the fact that they enjoyed seeing others getting hurt. More than his hatred for the half-unicorns.
A world so corrupted…
"Ryu?" Nina suddenly called, looking concerned. "You're so quiet…"
"Huh? Oh…" He was surprised, but he recomposed himself and shook his head, smiling slightly. "Don't worry about me, I'm just thinking about tomorrow."
"I see…" She gazed at him, not looking quite determined now. "Can we really win? Can we really be free? Poor Peco's locked in there all alone, and I don't even know if we could get our freedom…"
"I'm sure we will!" Momo spoke for the first time in a while, smiling cheerfully. "I mean, we have a Dragon on our team!"
Ryu's expression fell, and he averted their eyes. "No, we won't be…" Sighing softly, he explained, "I don't want to scare everyone right out by turning into a Dragon, so…"
A look of realisation came onto her face. "Oh yeah…"
The princess smiled. "It's okay, I understand. But don't worry, you're strong enough even without turning into a Dragon."
He returned the smile. "Thanks." He glanced at both of them, one at a time. "Well, why don't we get some practice for tomorrow? Not that we'd get that much better in just one day, but you never know, right?"
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-o-o-o-o-o-
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It was the morning of the Contest. After breakfast at the inn and a quick visit to Peco (Momo allowed herself to be the temporary hostage while the others took their onion companion outside for his own breakfast), Ryu, Nina and Momo entered the Arena, wondering where to go.
Ryu saw more of those scruffy-looking people who had the air of someone heavily in debt, and among them were the competitors, each one looking confident and strong. The azure-haired boy felt nervous as he placed a hand lightly on the hilt of his short sword, wondering if he could even stand a chance against them.
"Hm… we're in the eighth battle in the Hall of Fire," Momo stated as she observed the huge tablet in the main hall, which showed the names of the contestants with several lines leading to the top where the picture of a trophy situated.
Nina looked at the tablet as well, curious. "Are there many people taking part?"
"One hundred and twenty-eight teams, if I'm not wrong, though some teams consist of only one person…"
"Wow, that's still a lot of people! Are we going to fight them all?"
The older girl shook her head. "Oh, no, we won't be…" She gestured to the numerous lines leading upwards from the contestant names. "You see those lines that connect two teams each? That means these two teams will fight and the winning one advances the line."
"Ah, I see…"
"Hey…" Ryu, who had been staring at the tablet while listening, suddenly spoke, sounding bewildered. "How come it says here 'Team Ryu'? I'm not the leader…"
The princess beamed. "Of course you are! You're the strongest among us!"
"B-but I had help from you guys…"
"You're still the strongest, Ryu!"
Momo grinned. "Just accept the position, won't you? You're the best candidate for it anyway!"
The boy was about to protest, but then he gave in and gave a soft sigh of exasperation. "Um, okay… thanks…"
"Let's go then, Mr. Leader!" Nina piped up, grinning now.
He turned red, not quite knowing what to answer.
It took them only a few minutes to navigate around and find the waiting rooms for the Hall of Fire, where the first round of contestants was waiting. Once again Ryu felt nervous, wondering how strong they were compared to him, but he tried not to show it to his companions. After all, they had trusted him enough to make him their leader… and he would not let them down.
It was estimated that the battles before their turn would take a long time, so the trio left the waiting room for the spectator area of the Hall of Fire to watch the battles. The first round of the Contest was team battles, three versus three, and to Ryu's surprise, some of the contestants were absolutely horrible, as though they were newly accepted students of masters, and they were easily trashed by the opposing team within seconds. Because of this, the first seven fights took much less time than the trio had thought.
Soon, Nina turned to the other two and stated, "Shouldn't we go to the waiting room now?"
"I thought we're only going when it's the seventh fight?" Momo asked.
The boy blinked. "Um… it IS the seventh fight now."
"What? It is?" She looked blanked for a moment, then she smiled and spoke cheerily as though she hadn't forgotten at all. "Well then, what are we waiting for? C'mon!"
The two children exchanged looks before going after her. Just as they turned around a corner in the hall and were about to enter the waiting room, however, Ryu suddenly caught sight of a familiar large figure – Garr, heading towards the Hall of Kings… was he a contestant as well? The boy shivered, hoping that he would not have to fight him…
"Ryu?" Nina called from the waiting room. "What's wrong?"
"Oh, um… it's nothing." He shook his head and joined the others.
The attendant was a man dressed in full armour, and he went on a long time about the rules and regulations of the battles. Ryu nodded as he listened, making up his mind not to violate any at all, but the roars of the crowd were distracting and made him extremely nervous. Somehow it felt worse being in here than at the spectator area.
Once a few minutes had passed, the heightened cheer from outside indicated that the battle was over and above it came the announcer's booming voice, announcing – or rather, yelling – the winning team. After the audience had settled down a moment later, he then proceeded to call the next team.
"Now, let us welcome the teams for Battle Eight of Round One! On the south side, Team Ryu!"
There was another chorus of cheers as the trio slowly stepped out nervously, though Ryu tried to look calm and confident to his companions. However, his nervousness and dislike for attention and excitement together made him fail utterly.
"On the north side, Team Bor!"
The boy stared at the open gates before him, wondering how his opponents would look like and if they were strong, but when they came out, he thought his eyes were playing tricks on him; all three of the opposite team were as alike as peas. They were all short and skinny, wore brown and beige adventuring clothes, and had mousey brown hair that framed their rough faces. They grinned evilly, giving Ryu the impression that they were thieves.
"Ready, teams!" the announcer yelled. "Aaaaaand… FIGHT!"
"Heh, y'all are just a bunch o' kids!" the middle man sneered, pointing a finger at the children as he glanced at his brothers at his sides. "Go get them, yer two!"
"Hey, Bor!" the one on his left called. "Who died 'n made ye boss, huh?"
"Yeah!" the third one piped up. "Ye ain't the boss!"
"Whaddya mean I ain't the boss?" Bor flared, turning around to face them. "The team's called Team Bor, ain't it? Y'all are just the lackey, so shaddap and get to work!"
"Let's get 'im!"
And to everyone's surprise, the three of them started a brawl, punching and kicking each other with Ryu's team forgotten.
"Wait, what's up with Team Bor?" the commentator yelled as the crowd booed loudly. "They're fighting with each other!"
"Oh, bother…" Ryu shook his head in exasperation. "Can't we just get started?"
"I don't think they'll listen…" Nina remarked.
Momo beamed, as though she had a great idea, and she aimed her chrysm cannon at their squabbling opponents, speaking cheerfully, "Well, good contestants never waste their audience's time!"
Everyone – excluding the Team Bor members – gasped when she fired her weapon, and the spot just inches from her targets' feet suddenly exploded as though they had stepped on a land mine. All that was heard from the midst of the thick smoke was a chorus of cries, followed by silence, and once the smoke dispersed, they had collapsed on the floor in a heap, unconscious. Momo's cannon often missed, but definitely packed a punch if it hit!
"Well I'll be!" the commentator's booming voice came again. "Team Ryu WON!"
As with the other winners, the crowd cheered loudly, though there were many who booed for they had lost money in the bet. Ryu, uncomfortable with all this attention, quickly made his way back into the waiting room, followed by Nina and an enthusiastic Momo.
"Congratulations!" the attendant said when they entered. "You made it to Round Two!"
"Oh, well, it was nothing, the opponents were arguing," the princess replied honestly.
"All the same, you won, and who'd think that some kids would be able to do that?" He gestured towards a direction. "Anyway, you're in the fourth battle tomorrow, in the Null Magic Hall! Good luck!"
"Thanks," Momo stated, nodding.
With that, they left the waiting room, deciding to go and train since it was still morning. However, as Ryu passed by a particular hall, he saw a small purple-haired girl, younger than himself, clinging on a woman's dress. Both of them wore clean clothes, but so old and worn that there were patches all over the cloth.
"Mommy, Daddy's gonna win, won't he? Won't he?" the girl kept asking, coughing terribly as she did.
"Don't worry, Lyla," the woman spoke, stroking her daughter's head with a sad smile. "Daddy's gonna win for you."
Someone's here fighting for his daughter…?
He did not have much time to think about it, for his companions were already quite far ahead. They headed past the town gates and into the huge barren field there, to fight on monsters as part of their training in preparation for tomorrow. They just might not be so lucky in the coming battles…
Ryu trained as hard as he could, determined to be strong enough to emerge victorious in every round in order to gain freedom for his companions. Each time he swung his blade, he would think of how important it was to protect Nina and to free Momo and Peco from this mess that did not concern them. Each time he struck a monster, his determination rose.
They trained hard, but as evening approached, Nina and Momo went to get their onion companion to give him fertiliser again – with the princess as the hostage this time – while Ryu hung around the entrance of the hall that led to Balio's office so that he could rush to Nina's rescue if anything happened to her.
People came and went, though more entered than those who left, and Ryu hardly took any notice of them, keeping his ears open for Nina's cries. It was then when a man approached him, slowly and hesitantly. He had messy purple hair and such worn red and green clothes that had several patches, but however, he did not look as dirty as some poor people could get. What caught Ryu's attention most was, unlike most of the people in the Arena, the kind but sad look on his face.
"Excuse me… you're Ryu, aren't you?" he asked softly.
The boy looked up, surprised. "How did… you know my name?"
He looked sheepish. "Well, I've seen you and the other two fight in the Hall of Fire early this morning, so…" He smiled. "I'm Emitai, and it seems that we're fighting each other tomorrow in the Null Magic Hall. But you look like a capable boy, and I'm sure you're stronger than you look."
He turned red at this unexpected comment. "Um, thanks… and you look pretty strong yourself."
"Well, I don't receive many compliments everyday… but thanks." His smile then faded away as he began to look worried. "I… hate to tell you this, but…" He shook his head. "You see, my daughter's really sick, and if I don't win this contest and get the prize money, she won't be able to have the operation she needs…"
As Emitai spoke, Ryu remembered the girl and her mother that he had seen in a passing hall earlier, and that the girl was coughing badly. He pitied this man; he knew that it was terrible knowing that a loved one was sick, yet being unable to help… he himself had felt just as helpless when he, Rei and Teepo were attacked back at Cedar Woods.
"I'm… sorry to hear that…" Then he stopped, looking up. "Wait… do you mean that you want us to… lose to you on purpose?"
Emitai lowered his head. "I know it's a hard thing to ask you…" He sighed, looking as though he was holding back tears. Quite suddenly, he raised both his hands, which glowed, and two small boys, a little shorter than Ryu himself and wrapped completely in patched sets of clothing, appeared in a slight burst of light.
"I have faith in my magic," he stated softly. "That's why I joined this Contest, but I was unlucky enough to be thrown into the Null Magic Hall, where I'm just like everyone else… I'll only be able to depend on my golem boys here…"
"Give Emitai win! Please, please!" the 'golems' spoke in high voices similar to a bird's.
He gazed sadly at the floor. "I just don't want my daughter to die…"
"I'm... sorry, Emitai, but…" The boy stopped, not quite knowing how to continue. Then, slowly, he continued, "…you see, a friend of mine's held hostage, and we're forced to fight here… and… I have someone to protect…"
A dejected expression washed over Emitai's face. "Oh… I didn't know that… sorry for your trouble…" He went away slowly with his golem boys trotting after him, seemingly in a daze as he muttered to himself, "I'm sorry, Lyla… please forgive your poor father…"
Ryu turned away, facing the wall. Tears threatened to fall, but he kept them in.
This world was a cruel place, and he knew that… especially after the Nue and the mutant plant's deaths.
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End of Chapter Nine.
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Author's Note:
About the first battle, I decided not to put Patrio and gang because… well, I'd rather not go through three different battles. I'm lazy like that. xP
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Review Replies for Chapter Eight:
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To Rogue Kaiser:
That's great, I was hoping I didn't make her too out of character… though I must admit there wasn't much personalisation in the chapter. One of those chapters without much diversion from the original game script. o_o
Thanks for the review!
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To Airess Byrd:
Thanks! I like her too! :D
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To Lord Kain:
Yeah, there was that scene; both Ryu and Nina were certainly making faces (or something) at each other until Nina sort of teases Ryu, while Momo was talking to Palet. I agree that it's a nice reminder that they're children.
However, I decided to skip that part for a reason… With the personality I've given Nina up to this point (she adores Ryu immensely and doesn't do anything to burden him), I feel that the way she teases Ryu until he cries is just out of character. Not only that, with the personality I've given Ryu (trying to be strong for Nina), with him crying just from some teasing from Nina was also out of character. Heck, he may even just let her win.
Maybe it'll make sense if they were to play catch or something, but they're sensible children and wouldn't cause that much trouble for other customers. Other than that, I was also having a bit of trouble juggling Momo and Palet's conversation and the children's game… which was a bit difficult considering I couldn't think of another proper game to replace what they did in-game.
So I decided to skip it. Sorry though, and thanks for mentioning it. o_o
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To Nina Windia:
Haha, yeah, she's rather silly when she goes all deaf and keeps yelling "WHAAAAT?" Glad that you like it. :D
I always feel the mutant plant scene really sad… like the part with the Nue. Life is cruel in-game. T_T