WolfGear Presents: Negima? The mage and the Gunslinger
Pairings: Negi X ku-Fei Kaede X OC
Chapter twenty: Festival part 11-bukokai tournament: Semi finals
I don't own Negima!
Jack, Kaede and the twins made it back just as the engineers finished setting the new arena in place. Leaning on the rails they wait patiently for the match to start. Jack pulls out a cigarette and was about to light it, but a stern glare from Kaede and he sadly places it back in the packages. Ah, the things we do for our love ones. He thought sternly, but absently.
In the waiting area Negi does his best to tune out Takane's rant about her making him into to a man or some other none sense. Really he had no idea what they girls problem with him was nor did he care. Fixing his coat he begins to walk out to the arena, when Ku-Fei pulls him off to the side and gives him a passionate kiss on the lips.
"For luck," Ku said after she pulls away. "Not that you need it."
"Thanks, Ku." Negi then ku on the lips as well, "And that was just because." The young mage said walking off smiling at the small blush that adorned his girlfriend's cheeks.
Outside Kasumi announce the lineup for the match. "Thank you everybody for your patience, I know it was a long wait but I'm proud to announce the eleventh match Takane D. Goodman vs. Negi Springfield on our refurnished arena! Come out here you two!" Both contestants walk out into the square, both confident in their own skill.
"I'll will not discipline you, but show you true professional behavior!" Takane declared once they had taken their positions. Negi just looks strangely at the girl thinking she was wrong in the head. "I know about your little endeavor and once I win I'll report you the…"
Takane didn't get to finish her sentence as Negi's fist connected with her cheek and sent the girl flying into the stands with a broken jaw. To the onlookers it seemed like a bit overkill but to Negi who had read the girls thoughts it was appropriate. He would have to erase some of the girl's memories later, so she wouldn't even think about trying to black mail him or Ku ever again. On another note he would have to be more careful on where and when he kissed his lover.
"Um ok, Negi is the winner, with an amazing knockout punch right off the bat! Next we have Setsuna vs. Colonel Sanders…I'm going to go make sure contestant Takane is alright please stand by." Kasumi leaps across the pond over to where the medics were attending to the blonde.
On the sidelines Jack and the others stare in shock at what Negi had done. It was extremely out of character for the young wizard to use such force right off the bat and against someone so weak too.
"What made Negi-sensei act like that, I wonder. Jack do you know anything about it?" Konoka asked the cowboy. Jack paused, his back turned away from everybody as he tried to light up a smoke, but it was not meant to be, once again he replaces the tobacco back into his pocket.
Dejectedly he turns around to face the group, "I don't know why, Negi did what he did and I don't really care. But if I had to guess, that girl probably said or did something that probably threaten you gals or Ku, and that's why he did what he did. Now Setsuna I think it's your turn to fight." Jack said slumping against the wooden rails. When he started smoking he never thought it would so hard to quit. But even if he was immune to the effects, the others weren't so he's been trying to quit, today mark the twelve day since his last smoke and he was starting to feel the withdraw.
Hearing her name being called, Setsuna heads towards the arena leaving Kaede and the twins to deal with the stressed cowboy, when suddenly she feels a tug at her wrist, looking behind her, she is met with the sparkling brown eyes of her dear friend Konoka.
"Do your best Setsuna; I'll be cheering for you!" She said cheerfully giving the swordswoman a quick kiss in the mouth and a butt pat then skipped back to the group. Leaving Setsuna with a huge blush on her cheeks, she would have stood there all night if it weren't for Kasumi calling her name over the speakers and making out, but a gently stripped nap with her would be nice, too. "Setsuna get down here! Your match is starting!" Startled, Setsuna woke up from LAHLAH land and rush toward the arena where Colonel Sander waited patiently for his opponent.
"Ah you're here. I almost thought you dropped out for second, but it turns out my fears were misplaced." Colonel Sanders commented as Setsuna breathlessly enters the arena just in time.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, I'll be sure to give you my best, Colonel-san." Setsuna said. Readying her wooden sword it made a much better weapon then the broomstick she used earlier. She felt more confident now that she at least a semi-proper weapon. Taking her stance she waits for the call to begin, well the colonel remains in the position.
"Begin," Kasumi shouts, throwing her arm up, signaling the start of the match.
Setsuna rushed the mysterious man not a second after Kasumi began the match, with her wooden sword in hand she strikes at the Colonel's midsection. To her surprise through her blade passes right through him!
"What the…" Setsuna started but was unable to finish, sensing danger she jumped to the side avoiding some kind of invisible attack that formed a large crater in the ground. Again she felt a her instincts go haywire as dodged another attack and then another, pretty soon she had ran across the whole area leaving a trail of craters, well Sander remained in his original position. "How is he doing that?" she wondered as she prepared for the stranger next attack.
"Hmm she seems pretty good. Perhaps it's time I take this to the next level." Thought the colonel, if his opponent could dodge his small gravity spells; he would just have to make them bigger wouldn't he?Raising his right, he gathers a fair amount of power, and gestures down with his index finger.
Feeling her body getting heavier by the second, Setsuna attempts to avoid the attack but is instead caught in midair and then painfully crushed into the ground, forming a crater the size of a car. Still recovering from the force of the blow, the swordswoman struggles to crawl out of the hole, all the while glaring at the smug figure just a few feet in front of her.
"I see you still insist on fighting. Very impressive, but surely you must see the difference between our powers, no?" Colonel Sanders said watching the swordswoman slowly crawl across the ground. He felt a little bad about harming such a cute and determined girl, but he couldn't go back on his promise to his friend. And from the look in her eyes she wasn't going to give up without a fight; leaving with no other alternate except the use of extreme force. "Sorry, but this is where you take your leave from the stage."
When he said this Setsuna had just made it to her knees and was making her way to her feet when a second large gravity spell slams into her already weaken body, leaving her on the blink of consciousness.
"I wish…I could have… put up… more of fight…but you're…just too…strong." The swordswoman croaked out as she drifted off into blissful unconsciousness.
Colonel Sanders strolls calmly away from the injured girl, muttering his observations as he went. "Don't worry young one," he said "You'll grow much stronger in time." And with that he disappears from sight and reappears beside Thomas, who was leaning against the wall in the waiting area for the fighters.
"Been awhile, Colonel Sanders, or should I Albireo Imma." Grunted the cowboy as he lit up a smoke, to say he was surprised about seeing someone from the war twenty years was an understatement. Though he had his suspicions, when he first laid eyes on the robed man, and confirmed them after witnessing the fight just now; after all who else could use gravity magic like that?
"Please, just Sanders. I am in hiding you know."
"Whatever," Thomas said roughly. He didn't really want to hang round with the annoying wizard any more than he had too. Luckily for him though he didn't have to, because it was time for his match with Jack.
"Will contestants Jack and Thomas McCoy please report to the arena," Kasumi announced over the intercom. Flicking away his cigarette Thomas stalked off towards the arena, just barely managing to hold back his excitement about fighting Jack and getting away from Albireo. "See ya later, Jackass!"
Jack was in the infirmary with the others, when they announced his match. They had come to see if Setsuna was alright. They found out that she had taken some heavy damage from being crushed into the ground, but it was nothing that Konoka's spells couldn't take care off. Now he had more pressing matters to attend too. Containing his anticipation for the coming match Jack walks out of the room with Kaede and the twins in tow, Negi was a little torn between his student or his friend, hesitated to follow but a reassuring nod from Konoka, made him race after the cowboy with Ku-Fei following behind.
In the arena the two McCoy's stood across from each other, observing the other curiously. It's been years since either had seen the other. Both recalled their last meeting about six or seven years ago, when Thomas dropped by to teach Jack how to snipe. Though Rubi was an excellent gun fighter and sword user, her ability with a rifle was to say average, compared to Thomas.
Smiling at the memory, Thomas remembered when Jack first tried to shoot his 30-30 Winchester; it was funny to see the little kid fall down on his ass from the recoil. Most kids would have cried and given up, but Jack just picks up the gun and tried again and again, till he got it right. Maybe later they could go hunting in the magic world together.
Pushing those thoughts away Thomas focus on the task at hand, there would be plenty of time later for bonding, right now he wanted to see how far his little nephew had come in all these years.
Jack was having a similar thought, he respected Rubi as a warrior but there was something about a man to man fight that really gets the blood pumping. The fact that it was against his Uncle who was considered one of the strongest fighters in the war twenty years seem to only add to the excitement.
"Once again, we have a family feud match on our hands; let's hope it's as exciting as the last one!" Kasumi shouts, "Begin!"
"One thing before we begin." Jack said. "Is Kataro really related to us? I know you were joking but he does kind of looks like you, ya know."
The question seems to have started the other cowboy as he places his hand on his chin and begins to think. "Well…I would say they're a sixty percent chance that he could be my son...but we would have to run some blood test to be sure. Does that answer your question?"
"Yes, yes it does."
With that out of the way both McCoy's drop into their stances, Rolling on the balls of their feet both lunged at each other with lighting fast punches, starting things off with simple boxing moves.
Jack dodge Thomas's right hook, than the left, making sure to use fire magic on the bottom of his feet melting the ice beneath his feet. "You're going to have to do better than that." He taunted. As he rendered Thomas's favorite tick ineffective. Jack would have tried to gull the older man longer, but had no time as he blocks another punch with his own, creating a small shockwave. Pulling his fist back, Jack feel a chill run up his arm and noticed that his hand had been frozen in a block of ice!
Looking closer at the other man's knuckles, you could see what looks like brass knuckles made of ice on the older man's fingers. "The Gelu knuckles huh? Well I have something like that as well." Jack said flexing his hand; rings of fire form around his knuckles, radiating so much heat that the ice surrounding Jack's hand melted in seconds. "Aestuo knuckles." He grins ready for another round.
In a dazzling display of power and skill the two warriors vigorously punched at the other, a small explosion from every time their fists connect. Fire and ice explode all around making it rain in shards of ice and sparks of flame. Many of them landed in the stand, so you were either really cold or hot, some were frozen to their seats, well other had to stop drop and roll.
Feeling that it was time to take the fight to the next level, Jack transforms his arms and legs, dramatically increasing his speed and strength, but even with the power boast, Thomas continues to causally to block Jack's attacks with his own.
"What's happening Aru? Jack transformed but Thomas didn't." Ku -Fei questioned. Normally she had pretty good instincts on fighting, but this baffled her, if Jack powered up, shouldn't Thomas do the same. Even after her own fight with the older man, she was still completely lost on the man's technique.
"It's strange." Negi comments as the two continue to exchange blows, "Jack increased his power but Thomas's power stays the same, yet he's matching Jack perfectly. In fact there has been no change in Thomas's aura, but that would mean…no way he couldn't be could he?"
"Couldn't be what, Negi-kun?" Ku-Fei asked.
"I think the reason there's no change in Thomas's power is because he already at full power." Negi said.
"I don't get it Aru?"
"It means Ku that when you fought Thomas earlier, he was already at full power, and he was just controlling how much he released at once." Negi explains worriedly.
"So, what does that mean?" the twins asked together. They didn't understand what Negi was saying but it didn't sound good to them.
"It means that well Jack has to waste time and energy to transform. Thomas can just call up his power without wasting any of it. It's a very advance technique that only a few can use." Kaede explained.
Well the others were talking the fight, heated up even more as Jack fully transformed into his fire-eater form. Large twisters of flame and ice swirl around the arena each time the two fighters connect. Jack attacks from above with a powerful drop kick, but Thomas easily blocks using his forearm and throwing the younger man away, well throwing several ice daggers. Countering with his fire daggers, Jack regains his footing and launches Rabidus abyssus incendia, sending a trail of green flames at the ice user.
"Glacies pondero,"
A slick sheet of ice appeared beside the ice-user, blocking the flames and banishes them away. "Glacies telum," Ten spears of ice form from the ice shield and fly towards Jack, who struggles to dodge. He manages to avoid the first six, but the remaining four stab him in the stomach, pinning him to the ground. As he tries to the remove the icily weapons, Thomas flying overhead unleashes a powerful dropkick that shakes the whole arena, and clovers the area in a snowy fog.
Bleeding and busied, Jack struggles to stand, while using a fire spell to melt the spears in his gut. "Dammit, looks like I'll have to go even further if I'm going to win." He mutters to himself. So far things have not been going well for jack. He knew his uncle was strong but he never would have thought he was this strong! It may not be explosive like his fight with Rubi but he was being pushed harder than ever before, and he had the elemental advantage too! He quickly shook those thoughts away. That kind of thinking never helps and he should have known that just because his opponent was an ice user didn't mean his fire would have any advantage over him. Gathering his strength jack, prepares to invoke his contract. He didn't know what effect invoking in his demonic form would have but he didn't have time to waste to change back.
"Partner Kaede gaint me your power activating Contract!" A blinding light envelops Jack. The audience looks in awe as the light shifts about, taking on a brand new shape.
Finally when the light faded, Jack stood completely reborn. He wore the black shinobi clothes similar to Kaede's but with pieces of red armor that covers the side of his legs down to his knees, with arm and shin guards, and two katana hilts with no blades. His hair had now turns a reddish orange color and bound in a spikey high pony tail that trailed past his waist, his eyes were now a deeper crimson with slits, and to top it all of a powerfully build body that was both muscular and slim at the same time with razor sharp claws and teeth.
If Thomas was impressed by the transformation, he didn't show it, keeping his cool he assets the new being before him. He could feel that Jack's new form put him dangerously close to his own level, but wasn't too concerned about it. If things really got messy he could use his own trump card if needed. Thomas didn't have any more time to ponder as Jack few towards him with speed never before seen by the cowboy.
Blocking the punch aimed to his right, Thomas released his hold on his power, dramatically increasing his strength, effortlessly he throws Jack to the ground, but he disappears in a pouf of smoke, "Shadow clone!" The ice user thought in alarm as dozens of Jacks appear behind bearing down with a range about of fire weapons, such as spears, swords, knives, even arrows. All together the clones throw or charge with their weapons, ready to skewer the ice cowboy.
Putting up his guard Thomas waits till they were all within range, before unleashing a dazzling display of power. Using ice magic enchanted on his fists, he sends long ranged sub-zero attack at the horde of clones encasing them in ice and then shattering them into dust.
"Now where is that brat? He couldn't have gone far…Holy crap!" Thomas Jumps to the side avoiding the hand that broke through the arena floor. "How the hell did he get down there?" He snaps, dodging the flaming kunai that Jack had thrown.
Digging himself out of the ground Jack grasps the Katana hilts at his side, he didn't know what they did but it was probably obvious. Using the stance he learned from Musashi, he unconsciously sent energy in the hilts, summoning two orange color Katana blades.
"Tenkens, huh, very rare and very impressive, do you know how to use them though?" Thomas taunted summoning a board sword made of ice and a hand full of daggers. "En guard as they say in France."
The two crossed blades, slashing, thrusting and hacking away at each other, despite Thomas's reputation for being a long range fighter, he is very adapted with a sword as Jack came to know. Blocking his strikes at the last possible second then using the momentum to throw him of balance and come in with a dagger at his unguarded side. If it wasn't for the training with Musashi, he was sure he would have been dead as within minutes. Using his second sword the defects the icily blade and smashes his elbow into the ice user's nose; the first real hit since the start of the match.
"Baw…I think you broke my nose, you asshole!" Thomas snaps, well roughly grapping his nose and with a sickening "Crack" realigns it, back into place. "Time for pay back, boy." Faster than any could see Thomas punched Jack in the face, but fails to brake his nose like he wanted.
Everybody watched dumbfounded as the two senselessly hit each other, gone where the fancy techniques and spells, right now it was nothing more than a drunken fist fight with happiness and childish as the drink. In reality it was male bonding at its best, nothing showed that you were a man to another then a good punch in the face!
Eventually the two stop to catch their breath, they had been hitting each other for well over five minutes straight and were kind of worn out. Though their punches may not have look like they were doing much, each punch had the five time the force behind them then the flick to the head Ku-Fei took in her match.
"You know…you're just about as strong…as your old man…when he was…your age." Thomas praised through harsh breaths. He was really starting to feel his age or maybe it was the ten years of not fighting or he's just gotten soft. He mused. But that didn't mean he was over the hill yet.
"Thanks…old man…I'll buy you a drink after I win." Jack said smugly. He was breathing a little hard, but not as bad as Thomas.
"Really, you think you're going to win huh? I guess I have no choice but to teach you a lesson about underestimating your elders." Thomas grins, pulling out two cards from his inner coat pocket. Everyone who knew what a Pactio was, looked on in awe. Thomas not one but two cards! "Adeat!"
One card shined a light blue, transforming into a transparent light blue shawl that wrapped itself around Thomas's neck, acting like a cloak. The second card shined a dark blue and transforms into a Jade crystal the size of eyeball with a gold decoration that looked like eye lids and places itself in the middle of his forehead.
"Impossible it can't be!" Negi shouts in awe from the sidelines, making the others stare at him curiously, wondering what got the young mage so excited.
"What is it, Negi-Kun?" Ku-Fei asked.
"Those artifacts, it's not possible for him to have them at least not both of them!" He said a little panicky. The girls not as well versed on magic artifacts are puzzled by his excitement.
"What do you mean, Negi-Bozou? Is it not allowed for one to have two artifacts?" Kaede asks.
"It's not that," Negi says, "It's the fact that he as two god artifacts that's impossible. Normally one is barely lucky enough to just see one, let alone get to use one."
"God artifacts?" The twins questioned. "What are those?"
"There artifacts that are said to have been used by the gods of old, the two that Thomas has is Shiva's shawl and the Eye of Odin. Both have unimaginable powers that we could never comprehend." Negi explains. "I'm afraid that Jack doesn't stand a chance, now." He said seriously. Not even Jack could hold a candle to the power of those artifacts.
Thomas smiles as Negi finished explaining the nature of his artifacts. "You hear that boy? Even your little friend thinks you can't win, so what are you going to do now?" He asks the fire-user, he was surprised by Jack's response.
"Who gives a fuck? You think I afraid of some forgotten god's relics?" Jack yelled defiantly, he knew there was little chance of winning, but he was taught to never give up even in the face of the impossible.
A trumpet smirk appeared on Thomas face, good he thought, he wouldn't have expected anything less from his brother's son. But now it was time to finish this fight once and for all.
Jack grips the hilts of his swords as Thomas moves in for the attack, shimming in and out of sight till he was right in front of him. There was an intense pain that fill his body as he floats in midair and crashes hard on the ground eyes rolled back into their sockets. Everybody waited in a tense silence waiting for the cowboy to stand back up as he did before, but it didn't happen as numerous gashes poured blood from Jack's still body, covering him in red. On the other side of the arena Thomas with his artifacts replaced walks away as Jack's friends rush to his aid.
Kasumi frozen at the site of so much blood has to look away, "The winner is Thomas," She said in a whisper. While Kaede's screams fill the air as Negi and the others hold her back so the medics can tend to Jack.