Chapter Three: The First Rounds of the Dark Tournament
"Well, look who decided to show up." Kuwabara announced as the masked fighter walked out on to the grass covered arena floor very much later than the rest of his team.
"A true team player," Hiei nodded. "He knows when to stay out of the way."
"Easy on the new guy," Yusuke ordered. "It's his first time. Can't blame him for getting cold feet."
Kurama kept his thoughts to himself.
The masked fighter ignored the taunts and leaned against the wall with one foot resting on the other in a rather stork-like manner. The masked fighter's nap in Itsuki's meeting room had taken longer than expected (as did getting past the humiliated guards again) for he had missed the first two rounds. Not that it mattered. Team Urameshi had easy victories.
This next match would be the final one of the day and the crowd was lusting for an exciting throw down. The masked fighter turned his hidden eyes to the scores.
"Please update the scoreboard!" The referee called out over her microphone. There had been several applicants for the honorable position as referee and announcer, but a young lady youkai with white rabbit features managed to obtain it. Blonde hair and bright red eyes were apparently very "in" because she was a big hit with the rowdy crowd.
"Those first punks were way too easy." Kuwabara cracked his knuckles in impatience. All four of them were itching for a real fight after their "warm up".
"The way the matches are set up isn't random." Kurama told him. "The tournament heads want to put on a good show so they're saving their aces for later."
Hiei narrowed his eyes with a frown. "I didn't come here to be some clown in a circus"
"If what I suspect is true," Kurama paused a moment. "Then our next match should be a little more interesting."
"And my guess is the new guy knows it too." Yusuke glanced at where the masked fighter had been standing only to see their teammate stretched out on the long grass clearly snoozing away. Yusuke made a face. "I take it back. This is going to suck."
"Sorry for the wait, ladies and gentlemen!" The announcer called. "We'll go ahead with the last match of the day! Our returning champions against Team Gyakufuu!"
The crowd burst into frenzy. Cat calls and hiss filled the air. Some sang their praises to the Urameshi team, but the majority was hoping to see a new and purely youkai underdog team take the win. But in the end, all the odds were still in the favor of the legendary heroes and their dozing companion.
"At least he's still more useful than Koenma would have been" Yusuke said optimistically as he walked up to the center of the ring. There waiting for him was the opposing team's captain. Gyakufuu's captain was a rather unpleasant looking youkai with a monkey-like head, a tanuki's body, tiger's legs, and a long whip like tail that was scaled like a snake. He looked down at Yusuke with a toothy grin.
"How do you want to play this?" he asked Yusuke in a deep voice. It was up to the team captains to decide the terms of the match. Something also borrowed from the original dark tournament.
"Any way you want." Yusuke crossed his arms unthreatened by the imposing creature. Most teams preferred one on one showmen ship, but there was a select few that liked to spice things up with quirky rules like rolling dice or two on two match ups. Irregular matches were rare though.
"One on one then," The youkai declared. "I am Nue, and I will be more than happy to defeat you."
"Looks like we have an agreement," The referee announced to the crowd. "One on one with the winner taking the best of five. As with all matches out of bounds is considered a loss, so keep on your toes teams!" She gave a special rabbit wink. "First contenders please step forward!"
"Hope you guys don't mind," Kuwabara said as he stepped forward. "But I feel the need for a little workout." He cracked his neck and stretched out his shoulders. "With all that fancy food we're getting, I don't wanna lose my manly body." He flexed his arms as he took a place in the ring, but to himself he whispered secretly, "Just keep watching Yukina, my love. This victory is for you."
"I, Sarugami, shall have the pleasure of defeating the human." A gorilla looking youkai took the ring for team Gyakufuu. He was dressed in karate clothes and was clearly a hand to hand combat kind of fighter meaning Kuwabara, who used a reiki sword, would have the advantage obvious advantage.
"Kuwabara versus Sarugami! Fighters ready," narrated the referee. "And begin!"
Sitting alone in his private box seat the mysterious Itsuki was watching the match with an expression of disinterest when an unexpected visitor walked in.
"Our star entertainers are putting on quite a show," remarked a woman as she entered the VIP box uninvited. She was dressed in midnight blue gown and a dark cloak to hide her face. The woman gracefully took an empty chair, but leaned in a rather unladylike fashion on the armrest.
"I'm surprised to see you here." Itsuki said evenly. He was a tad nervous by the great lady's presence. The kind of nervousness one would feel upon meeting a very rich and very eccentric distant relative and one was trying their very best to end up as the soul benefactor of the will.
"Perhaps you'd like to make a wager?" The lady asked with her eyes twinkling under her hood.
"Not wise to wager against the spirit folk." Itsuki declined. "I know the kind of fights you like to bet on."
"Bah!" scoffed the woman. "Don't mistake me for the likes of Koenma and those so called high-and-mighties." She gave a grand gesture to indicate the field before putting a hand on her hip. "We are the only ones with power here."
"Not yet." Itsuki corrected as the lady scuffled and adjusted herself to lean on the other armrest.
"Perhaps, but we will," The woman said in a smooth and dangerous tone. "Now then about that wager."
"He'll lose this match." Itsuki said in a bored tone knowing what the woman would say.
"Oh darling, however did you guess?" She giggled. "A ring out. What an embarrassing way to go."
Just as Itsuki and the woman had predicted, Kuwabara was sent flying out of the ring and landed with a 'thud' in the grass.
"Ring out!" declared the referee. "First match goes to team Gyakufuu!"
"Whaaat!" Kuwabara leapt to his feet. "I can still fight! I'm going to bounce this guy around the ring like a basketball!"
His opponent, Sarugami, shook his head. "He might be up to another go, but I'm not." The youkai had to gasp to get his breath back. Sarugami himself looked dejected by his own cowardly tactics of throwing an opponent out of the ring just for a point.
"I'm sorry, Kuwabara, but rules are rules." The referee reminded him timidly. "Based on the terms of the match you are not allowed a second turn."
"Be a good boy and admit you lost." Sarugami was making monkey faces at him.
"You took the coward's way out!" Kuwabara shouted back. "Fight like a man you oversized banana eater!"
"Your human friend is rather pathetic" Nue said to Yusuke as he waltzed into the ring. He sent a challenging glance down at Team Urameshi's captain. "I don't know why you, practically a youkai lord, would associate with such lowly beings." Yusuke and the rest of his team glared at the boasting youkai. "Raizen should be ashamed of you." Nue said tauntingly brining up Yusuke's youkai ancestor.
"Oh you are so going down!" Yusuke growled and was about to leap into the ring when he felt an unexpected weight on his shoulders. A shadow flew over his head as the masked fighter landed gracefully in the ring before Nue.
Across the arena the referee called out, "This is incredible! Team Uramesh's masked fighter has just jumped in the ring using his team captain as a spring board! The message here is clear folks! The masked fighter is up to the fight and he's not taking 'no' for an answer."
"WHAT? You've gotta be kidding me!" Yusuke shook his fist. "Hey! Don't go stealing my fights, new kid! Team captain's orders!"
"Let him be, Yusuke." Kurama advised holding his friend back.
"It's no real loss for us if he loses," Hiei scrutinized the robed figure as their fifth man stood still in a grounded fighting stance. "I want to see what the little guy can do."