Chapter 25: The Challenge of the Fist
Characters (in order of first appearance):
Hayate Gekkō / Imprevisto Caduta
Yoroi Akadō / Corazza Sporcizia
When Gelato woke up, he was very confused. Typhonragazzo wasn't around, Squad 10 and Face from the Foglia family were there, and Rosa's hair was suddenly a few inches shorter. She was slightly reluctant to explain, but because Tony, who was already awake, insisted, Rosa told him all about her fight with Squad Seta, running into Team Face, the encounter with Squad 10 defending them, and Tony's violent rampage.
"But when we fought against the Demon Brothers, you were so terrified that you couldn't even move, and all you did on Riva was hide and protect the old man, so how am I supposed to believe that you actually protected us and held your own against a three-man Squad?!" Gelato said in confused anger.
"If you want proof, Gelato, then ask everyone else!" Rosa snapped as Maiale evened her hair out with a pocketknife.
The members of Squad 10 nodded in agreement to Rosa's statement, as they saw the whole thing when they were hiding in the shadows, before they blocked Squad Seta from heading up the pipe.
"All right, fine, but I still don't get why this Typhonragazzo guy was so interested in Tony that he gave him great power in the form of a Curse (Curse Seal)."
"None of us know the answer to that one," Rosa said. "All he told me was that this 'Vampire's Curse' would increase Tony's strength and nature energy, but as I later found out, it also makes his mind unstable."
"Some great power," Tony chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Then maybe you should avoid using it, if you can."
Tony said nothing, and helped Gelato up as all three Squads decided to set out towards the destination Sugo instructed them to head for, now that they all had both scrolls. The journey was surprisingly long, despite not running into any other groups, and it took them nearly two days to get to a large pipe where the water flowed out into the open night air. Luckily, the water was low enough to where they could safely walk to the edge, and found themselves staring at a garbage barge that happened to be right in front of them, with a man with short brown hair and baggy eyes, wearing a black suit and the Foglia tie. He gestured them to jump on, and they did without question.
"Well done, Squads 7, 10, and Face! You've passed the Challenge of the Heart, now open the scrolls," he said, and then suddenly vanished.
The three Squads did as he said, and open both at the same time. To their surprise, the scrolls suddenly began to glow and then they were surrounded by light. They couldn't move as the scenery changed from a garbage barge to an abandoned airplane hanger by an overgrown landing area. There, all the other Squads that had survived the Dead Man's Sewers were gathered, including Squad Seta, Casco's group, and the Rena Siblings. Then the guy from the garbage barge suddenly appeared in front of the hanger, and addressed them.
"Now that you're all here, let me properly introduce myself," he said, and then broke out into a fit of coughs before speaking again. "My name is Imprevisto Caduta, and I will be the warden for the third and final challenge, despite my lack of great health. Now this next challenge, the Challenge of the Fist, will be the most difficult yet, because it will require you to face off against each other in a series of death matches using everything you've learned in the previous challenges."
A series of murmurs started, as all the groups looked around in fear with the threat of death hanging over them. But it was interrupted when Imprevisto started chuckling, followed by a few more coughs.
"I know what you're all thinking, but it's not as bad as you think it is," he said in a throaty voice. "You don't actually kill your opponents, but that used to be the case in the old days. But with too many casualties during the last Mafia war, we're trying to keep bloodshed to a minimum, so here are the rules: each match will be one-on-one, and whom you fight will be determined at random. You may use whatever skills or weapons you have, but no guns, and we will intervene if you attempt to kill. If one or both of you are severely injured or can't fight, the match is over. Anyone who doesn't follow these rules will be disqualified from the games. Are we clear?"
Everyone nodded, except Casco, who walked away from his group saying, "I'm out!"
"You can't be serious, Casco!" one of the two men in black suits and shades said.
"You'll disqualify all of us if you leave!" the other said.
"Relax, guys, if he wants to, he may go," Imprevisto said, coming between the two men and Casco. "Of course, he will be disqualified if he quits now, but you two may continue without any problems."
"Oh, I see," the first guy said.
"Well I'm not changing my mind regardless," Casco said, and walked off into the shadows that still lingered before the sun rose.
"But Casco, you can't quit!" Gelato said, making Casco stop. "If you were able to make it this far, you must be really strong!"
"Thanks for the flattery, Gelato," Casco said, looking back. "But I don't think I would survive in a one-on-one match, so I'm just saving myself and my teammates the trouble."
Then as he disappeared into the shadows, the hanger doors opened, revealing the Godfather and his bodyguards standing next to an old slot machine on the balcony above the actual hanger, which consisted of a wide, circular space marked with paint and small station in the back consisted of medical personnel who were hired by the Godfather himself to heal the injured. But instead of numbers and pictures, the slot machine had the names of those participating printed on the slots. He greeted them all with a brief nod, and pulled the lever. The machine clicked and whirled, until he pulled the lever again, making the names stop.
"The first match of the third challenge will be Tony Fuori of Foglia's Squad 7 versus Corazza Sporcizia of Foglia's Squad Casco," the Godfather said into a microphone next to the slot machine.
"Tony, ask the Godfather if you could forfeit the match," Rosa whispered to Tony, who flinched in surprise.
"Give me one good reason I should forfeit, after all we've been through," Tony said folding his arms.
"But what about your Vampire's Curse? If it activates again…you could kill someone, and I won't be able to help you."
"Don't worry, Rosa, I've got it completely under control, watch!" Tony then activated his Specchio Occhi eyes, but felt a sudden pain on his neck as the mark glowed and the flame-marks began to spread once again.
He knelt on the ground, and breathed heavily as Rosa tried to comfort him, and everybody was watching, including the Godfather. Spauracchio, who had been up on the balcony, now jumped down next to Tony and saw the mark for himself. He then forced Tony to look at his Specchio Occhi eye, whose swirls turned in a wheel-like motion, and made Tony relax, as the flame-marks retreated back into the downward pentagram.
"Is there something wrong, Spauracchio?" the Godfather asked.
As Spauracchio put his eye-patch back on, he looked up at the Godfather and said, "It's nothing! Tony's just a little fatigued from his journey through the Dead Man's Sewers. But I would like to request a private discussion with you, if you permit it."
"I permit it." Then after Spauracchio leaped back onto the balcony, the two of them went off into a dark corner and whispered among each other. The other groups watched in anticipation, while glancing from time to time at Tony, who was starting to come out from the hypnosis Spauracchio put him under, and was breathing easier. As Rosa helped him up, Spauracchio and the Godfather finished their talk, and Spauracchio indicated Tony to come up to them. Gelato watched in curiosity and worry as Tony slowly climbed up the stairs that led to the balcony.
When he got up there, Spauracchio took Tony aside from the Godfather and whispered, "The Godfather has been informed of Typhonragazzo's appearance and your encounter through Sugo, who pursued him while you and Squad 7 were still in the sewers, and learned what happened from him. Unfortunately, she couldn't capture him, so he may be lurking around here as we speak. But due to the danger that Curse of yours possesses, the Godfather has decreed that you never activate it for any reason, or you will be disqualified."
"But that puts me at a huge disadvantage against my opponent! You saw what just happened! The Curse activated along with my Specchio Occhi eyes, so I can't use Alchemy-based attacks during the match, or any other match for that matter."
"Sadly, I don't have the power to remove the Curse, but I can suppress it through a special Exorcism (Evil Sealing Method). However, the Exorcism takes a long time to prepare, and you have a match to fulfill. So for this match only, don't use Alchemy."
"Alright," Tony reluctantly said, and walked back down to the hangar, where he was instructed to stand in the white circle, along with Corazza, the taller of the two men in black suits, with his arms folded and a sly grin on his face.
"This is going to be interesting, fighting against the last of the Fuori clan," Corazza said in a loud, booming voice.
End of Chapter 25