Ch.107: The Gelid Peak Tournament Commences! Engage for Battle!

The following day arrived with renewed vigor for all competing teams. With the finalists for the tournament decided, the first day of the tournament had the audience hyped. Competing teams would gather in the arena and await the tournament announcements for today, possibly to assign the bracket.

Wes yawned into his paw, then shook himself awake. "Phew. They want to get this started soon."

Flint rolled his eyes. "It's only ten o'clock. You're the one who slept in."

"What can I say? I was relieved we made it in," Wes responded cheerily. Flint smirked and shook his head at him.

Gwyn bounced on her toes with a huge grin. "I wonder who we're fighting first! I'm so excited!"

Griffin narrowed his eyes on the Shadow Bringers, clenching his fist up tightly. "Nothing would make me happier to erase them from the face of the earth."

Tony leaned forward with a bored expression. "Still pissed about them?"

"I don't know how, but they infused the magic of my village's council into one of their minions. Maybe more. They defiled the graves of my people to satisfy their needs." He glared at Tony. "Do not act so casual about this as if I'm angry over nothing."

Tony narrowed his eyes. "Chill, Hothead, it's not like that. I get the picture." He glared. "I'd probably be pissed, too." He raised his finger and sent a spark through it. "So, try and keep your head up. Either someone else beats the snot out of them or we do."

Griffin huffed and crossed his arms. "I suppose you make an adequate point." An intercom buzzing drew his attention up, instantly silencing the crowd.

Wes glared. "It's starting."

"Hello, hello, hello, ladies and gentlemen! It's your host for the tournament, the one and only DJ Chance, coming to you live! Our eight teams managed to brave the perilous Puzzle Tower and are now ready to beat the snot out of each other!" There was a pause. "…What do you mean I need to act professional? Get off my back! Everyone else is thinking it!"

The eight teams deadpanned at the announcer's box, except for Gwyn who was giggling to herself. "He's funny."

"Anyway, that aside, all teams have been randomly compiled into separate brackets. Two teams will be facing off against each other to move up the bracket. Once we've declared a winner in the finals, the winning team will get the chance to face off against our champion for control of the championship title! It's going to be totally metal, my dudes! YEAH!

"The crystal ball hovering above your heads will display the bracket for today's matches." As he said that, everyone directed their attention to one of the huge crystal balls used to broadcast the tournament yesterday. "Let's see those teams, my dudes!"

Colors swirled within the orb, forming into a tournament bracket. The teams narrowed their eyes as their team names appeared in the eight slots.

"The first match will be between the Shadow Bringers and The Waves. Second match, Team Gray Skull and Team Shatter Star. Third match, Team Ravenfield and the Crisis Riders. Final match, Wild Fangs and Team H20. Get a good look at your opponents and be ready for your matches!"

Krystal grimaced at the placements. "That means if we win, we might end up…" She glanced cautiously at the Shadow Bringers, who were focused on the bracket rather than them. Oh boy.

"The first match will commence in a half hour. Shadow Bringers and The Waves, bring your A-game to the stadium and give the audience an unforgettable show! YEEEEAH!" The audience cheered on in response.

That was the eight teams' cue to leave the arena and find their places in the stadium. Wes glared back at the Shadow Bringers as they headed for the stands. That was their one and only obstacle for this tournament. The other teams may put up a challenge, but they weren't as much as a concern given what they've done to push everyone back in the Puzzle Tower.

"Nervous, Wes?"

"Hmm?" He turned to his brother, who gave him a concerned face. Wes reassured him with a smile. "Just…worried about fighting the Shadow Bringers, that's all."

Flint smirked. "That confident we'll make it through?"

"We have to, don't we?"

"Well, assuming Team Shatter Star doesn't take them down first."

Ebony smirked. "Don't worry about us. Sure, they pulled off one fancy escape in the Puzzle Tower, but we've got this battle locked down. Right, Krystal?" She looked for the Delibird's response, but saw her spacing out ahead. Ebony deadpanned, then jabbed her side. "I said, right, Krystal?!"

"YOW!" She shook her head, blinked, then laughed awkwardly. "Of…course, comrade. Yes, we have this fight in the bag."

Cybil narrowed her eyes. "You're not worried, are you?"

"Me? Pfft! I'm never worried before a big battle!" Krystal crossed her wings. "Besides, who's to say they'll even make it through the first match? They had to resort to trickery to get in. I bet they aren't that tough."

"That's the spirit!" Tony cheered. "I'll grab us some snacks for the show!"

"Should you really be filling up on popcorn before our match?" Griffin asked.

"We're the last match. Besides, I haven't eaten yet!" With that, he zipped off with Light Speed.

Griffin rolled his eyes. "…I was going to ask if you could get me some yache juice."

"So, you're the last match of the day, eh?" Ella asked as she leaned back in her seat beside Gwyn and Wes.

Gwyn nodded. "Yep! That means we'll have enough energy to analyze all our opponents before the semifinals!"

Krystal nodded approving. "You learn well, comrade! Exploits the enemy's weakness through observation!" She pumped her wing. "I'm totally stoked for our match next!"

"I ask you not push yourself too hard, my child," Hugo advised with a stern glare.

Krystal waved it off. "You have no faith in me, Hugo."

Griffin was glaring hard at the arena as the minutes before the match ticked away. "I'm not concerned about our match. I want to see how much power this Simisage has if he actually has Revulsion Anima."

Mack glared. "So, they do have our magic in them?"

"So far, only one of them, which is concerning."

Holly glared around the stadium. "It shouldn't be hard to find any other familiar signatures. I would remember our council's auras. Nothing but the Simisage's. Are you positive they took magic from all five?"

"Why would they stop at only one?" Griffin pointed out. "You don't take one superweapon without taking another."

Ebony shrugged. "It's true. The basic nature of greed."

Ava cupped her hands together. "We should eliminate the Shadow Bringers right now before they start something."

"I wouldn't worry about it," Morgan advised. "The second they try anything shady during the tournament, I'll have them restrained instantly. Besides, the tournament's tense enough after the incident in Ironworks. It'll inevitably be leaked that these guys are with the shadows should we interfere unprovoked."

"So, all we can do is wait?"

"I won't let them out of my sight, don't you worry." Morgan narrowed his eyes. "However, I can't help but wonder if there are more here. They wouldn't send a team in this manner without a supervisor. I definitely can't detect Aeternus or Voss. Callista doesn't have magic, but I would be able to sense the darkness in her. It might be one of their elite minions."

"Hmm…"

"Yo! I'm back!" They turned their eyes to Tony as he walked through the stands with a platter of snack foods. "Popcorn bags for the team, one candy bar for the half pint, and an extra-large soda for me."

"Woo! Thanks, Tony!" Gwyn thanked as she passed the bags out to the team. She dove into hers and munched happily on the popcorn.

Tony plopped himself down besides Cheri and handed her the candy bar. "So, what'd I miss?"

"You're just in time," Ella said. "Looks like they're getting started."

The horns played, signaling the start of the match. The crowds went silent as the two opposing gates on both ends of the arena opened up. The two teams made their way out onto the field.

"In the red corner, this tricky team of miscreants who left quite the impression during the Puzzle Tower run! They are a fairly new team, so give them a warm welcome! The Shadow Bringers!"

Edwin raised his hand and waved to the crowd, joined by his four lackies: Kadabra, Throh, Lickitung, and Slowking. Griffin growled under his breath at the revolting green aura surrounding the Simisage, digging his fingers into his seat.

"And in the blue corner, the crusaders of the Aqua Zone, known as the top surfers of their hometown of Misty Village, as well as their numerous bounties against all manner of seafaring criminals! Give it up for, The Waves!"

The Waves raised their limps and soaked in the cheering and praise thrown their way. They were a Meganium, Loudred, Turtonator, Muk, and Lampent. They focused back on their opponents and took their stances as they waited for the signal to start the match.

"Rules are simple! Fight until all your opponents are declared unable to continue! If we see any unregistered weapons or summons during the match, you will be instantly disqualified! That'd be totally uncool!"

Griffin crossed his arms. "Now we'll see how good this guy is with Revulsion Anima."

"You said that was the defensive type, right?" Ella asked.

Griffin nodded. "The only one you haven't seen yet is Jubilation, the speed type."

Tony smirked. "Bet I could give it a run for its money."

"Don't test your luck, Sparks."

"Are both teams ready?"

Meganium looked at her team, who nodded in approval. "Yes, we're ready!"

Edwin shoved his hands in his pockets and smirked. "Just get the match started."

"Then, without further delay, let the first match to the Gelid Peak Tournament…BEGIN!"

At the command, the Lampent rocketed right for the Shadow Bringers, catching all but Edwin off guard. "Heed my call! Come forth, my Guardian!" A purple, armored humanoid appeared from behind him and delivered a speeding punch into Edwin.

The Simisage lifted his hand and stopped the punch dead in its tracks, with a strong gust pushing past him. His sunglasses tipped down his face, revealing his green glowing eyes as he smirked. "Trying to take me out at the start, eh?"

Lampent glared. "I witnessed your power the other day and won't let it be my team's downfall! Endless Volley Storm!" He and his Guardian took off into the sky. The Guardian channeled magic into his palms, then swung down a volley of explosive bolts onto the Shadow Bringers.

The explosive waves reached the crowd, stopped by an invisible barrier used to protect them from harm. Even so, the audience cried out as the shockwaves vibrated off the barrier. They couldn't make out the Shadow Bringers anymore in the flashes.

Wes, covering his eyes, shouted, "They aren't fooling around here! They must want him out as quickly as possible!"

"That won't stop them," Mack said with a growing smirk. "If you think taking on Revulsion Anima with brute force will save you, then you have other problems coming your way."

Lampent's endless firing didn't let, channeling as much of his magic as he could into destroying the opposition. He hasn't activated that expanding barrier thing yet! That must mean I got a direct hit, right?

"Great Sword Demise."

Lampent's eyes widened as a dark presence appeared above him. He barely had time to turn around as the opposing Slowking drove an energy blade made up of his own magic into his back. Instantly, the Lampent plummeted into the ground with a loud bang, ending his volley attack.

The Waves, protected behind a barrier made by the Meganium, glared at their opponents. "The hell?" the Meganium questioned. "There's no way a standard barrier held up against that."

The smoke cleared, revealing the opposite. Edwin, with his hand raised over his head, projected a green, shimmering barrier around his whole team. What stood out about this one among normal energy barriers was the way it was shaped. Edwin's barrier had an escape tunnel that stretched out beyond the range of the volley attack, which allowed Slowking to get his surprise hit in.

Edwin snapped his fingers and sent the barrier away. "…Destroy them." His team charged into battle.

Meganium growled. "Defensive measure, go!"

Loudred took the front of the pack and pressed his hands against the ground. "Deformation Wave!" An orange pulse passed through the ground, causing it to instantly soften to the consistency of mud. The Shadow Bringers took one step into the softened ground and sunk in.

Turtonator conjured a magic circle and summoned a weapon from it. A massive great axe appeared over his head, which he grabbed and swung with only one hand. "HA! Now embrace my power!" He took a massive leap into the air, then raised the axe over his head. "Scorch Strike!" He swung the axe and sent down a blast wave of heat into the softened ground.

The ground bubbled from the sudden heat, then instantly hardened back to the consistency of solid ground. The Shadow Bringers looked at the ground in disbelief.

Muk reached into his mouth and pulled out a collapsible broadsword. It sparked with purple electricity as he swung it around. "Let's end this in one shot!" He fired a shot of electricity into the sky, transmuting it into a thundercloud.

Gwyn's eyes widened. "Tony, that looks like-!"

"He's setting up for Thunder God's Wrath," Tony finished. "Guess this guy's versed in Storm Magic, too." He glared. "He could end them all in one strike."

Muk swung the sword in circles, churning the storms clouds to building up more electrical charge. He pointed at the lone member of the Shadow Bringers, Edwin, and yelled, "Once these yahoos are out of the picture, we'll be sure to use all our power to defeat you!" Gripping his sword with both hands, he swung down strongly. "Now come forth, Thunder God's Wrath!"

The clouds burst open and a beam of purple lightning shot down on the trapped team, obliterating the ground. Meganium, after retrieving Lampent with her vines, pulled up a barrier to protect her team from the blast. The flash lit up the entire stadium, effectively blinding everyone.

Gwyn shielded her eyes while shouting, "Holy moly, that looked like it hurt!"

Flint glared through his foreleg. "That's bound to knock them all out!"

Holly, however, wasn't as confident. "The Simisage is keeping his distance for a reason, however."

The Thunder God's Wrath ended with the blinding flash dispelling with it. Meganium casted away her shield and pointed at the charred earth. "Conroy, make sure they're out of commission."

The Turtonator, Conroy, nodded and stepped forward, gripping his great axe securely. He waved his hand through the smoke as he stepped closer, reaching the edge of the scorched earth where a crater lay. He peered down carefully, trying to look for the unconscious bodies of their opponents. However, as far as he could see, there were none.

"I don't see anyone down here." He stood up and asked, "Did that blast bury them underground or-?"

Just then, a pair of hands shot from the earth and grabbed his ankles. He gasped before being pulled down to the neck, sinking through like the earth was made of soggy cardboard.

"Conroy!" his teammates exclaimed.

The Turtonator shook his head in a panic. "W-What is this?!"

The earth burst open, where the opposing Throh stepped out into the open. "A cute tactic, but nothing we couldn't handle."

The Waves' eyes widened at him. A green aura cascaded over his body like a thin shell. A tether of energy flowed from the back of his neck and traveled over to where Edwin was standing. From there, they saw him holding a green energy orb in his hand, with four separate tethers extended from it. The other three were connected to his other teammates, also casted in the same aura.

Meganium stumbled back. "What the…?"

Edwin smirked. "Fastidium Connection."

The allied teams in the stands looked on in confusion. "Wait…is that another Revulsion spell?" Saffiro asked.

Holly nodded. "Fastidium Connection is a group protection spell that's channeled through the user's own aura. The magic orb is a concentrated dose of the Simisage's magic used to fuel the armor. As long as the orb remains, that armor is almost completely impenetrable."

"The funny thing about Revulsion Anima is that it's, surprisingly, the costliest of the five Emotion Anima," Mack added. "Those who are born with it often have to train to avoid exhausting their magic too quickly. Funny, given how much magic Griffin expels to kill someone."

"Hmph," Griffin huffed. "I can only hope he didn't learn how to use the Ultimate Spell for Revulsion Magic. I doubt he syphoned off enough energy from others to reach that point." He glared. "Though, that has me concerned with how much his limiter is holding back."

The Waves took a step back as the four armored goons approached them with Edwin off in the back and smirking like he was getting ready to watch a really good play. The Kadabra cracked his knuckles, then raced right at the Waves.

Loudred quickly slammed his hands down. "Deformation Wave: Devastation Tidal!" He softened the ground once more and sent it out in the form of a tidal wave, rising up above the Shadow Bringers and reaching its breaking point as it peaked.

Kadabra narrowed his eyes, then made quick hand gestures, then whipped a compact mirror out from his sleeve. He angled it so that the entire ground wave was captured into it. "Speculo Entry."

The mirror flashed, then shot a beam of light into the wave. Suddenly, it crackled like glass broke into reflective pieces at the point of contact, disintegrating the entire wave all the way from the top to the bottom, with not a trace left behind.

Loudred gasped and stumbled back. "Wait, how did you-?!"

"Speculo Entry: Partial Access."

A beam shot both of the Loudred's arms. He gasped as his arms crackled into reflective material and shattered into nothing. "M-M-My arms!"

Meganium scowled furiously at the Kadabra. "What the heck are you doing?! Dismembering my teammate?!"

"He will find that he is not in any danger," the Kadabra said tiredly as he dashed at them. "I simply transported his arms into a special mirror world, along with that wave."

Teams Ravenfield and Shatter Star looked on with shock. "Wait, you mean that mirror isn't some magic weapon?!" Krystal shouted.

"Mirror magic," Morgan groaned. "It requires a reflective surface to be utilized. I assume the officials didn't count that as his approved weapon since it's just a mirror."

Krystal bit her beak nervously. Shit.

Tony glared suspiciously. "Am I the only one curious as to why they don't have any actual weapons on them? So far, only that Simisage had an item and he tried to kill us with it."

Griffin glared. "Sparks makes a point, actually. What are they scheming?"

Kadabra struck Loudred across the face, then kicked him in the side. He aimed the mirror at the Meganium, figuring she was their defensive link. Before he could use the spell, Muk threw his sword right over the psychic's head.

"I call upon the power of lightning!" Muk clenched his fist and swung it down. "Come forth, Stratospheric Doom!"

Electrical charges built up into a vortex above their heads, then fired down into a condenses beam locked on Kadabra. He quickly aimed his mirror and fired into it, sending it into the mirror to harmlessly detonate inside. However, with this, Loudred pushed himself up and tackled the Kadabra in the midsection, taking him to the ground.

"Get him, now!" Loudred shouted.

Lampent finally came to and summoned his Guardian. It brought its hands together and channeled a ball of light between them. "Brilliant Piercing Scatter Boom!" The Guardian thrusted the attack and sent out a vicious needled shower into Kadabra.

Kadabra aimed his mirror, but couldn't get the spell off in time as the needles bombarded into him. Edwin's spell kept him from taking damage, but the needles had surprising knockback behind them, making his hand unsteady and unable to aim properly. "Grr…" He jumped back and tried to get out of the needle shower.

The Lickitung looked at Edwin, who gave a nod of approval. Edwin disabled his spell on him as the large tongued monster raced for the needles and purposely placed himself between them and the Kadabra. He tensed his body and endured the needles as they jabbed into his skin.

Meganium glared. "The hell is he doing?"

Conroy finally got his arms back onto the surface and proceeded to push himself out of the ground. "He's either crazy or has a trick up his sleeve. Scott, blow him down!"

The Muk raised his sword and channeled his electrified magic through the metal. "Good idea! Chain Lightning Fury!" He swung his sword down and called down a row of lightning bolts from the sky into the Lickitung's path.

The Lickitung intercepted the lightning bolts and took the hit, tensing up as the electricity ran through his body. He glared sinisterly at the Waves, then flexed his arms out. "Damage Levo!" All of a sudden, his body expanded, rippling with newfound muscles that forced the needles from his skin and casted away the lightning slamming down on him.

The Waves jumped back from the flying needles while Lampent took off into the air. "He was taking those hits to power himself up?!" He glared, then called upon his Guardian for the next attack. "Pierce Arrow Rain!" The Guardian snapped its fingers, summoned energy constructs of arrows, then fired them at the Lickitung.

The big-tongued monster swung his tongue and bashed it into the arrows, easily deflecting them without a scratched left behind. He kicked off the ground and shot up to Lampent's level, grabbing him by the face and slamming him into his knee.

The Slowking followed after and took Lampent from Lickitung before locking him into his arms. "Great Meteor Demise." He took both himself and Lampent to the ground and impacted with a loud boom, drilling the poor lamp's head into the ground and possibly breaking something.

"GAAAH!" Lampent screamed as his last cry for help before his magic aura shattered and he went limp.

"NO!" Meganium shouted.

Conroy pulled his axe back. "Heat Seeking Embrace!" He swung his axe fired a blade shaped blast of heat at Edwin.

Edwin raised his hand to the attack. "Obice Cancel." The shimmering barrier from before wrapped around him and his team, taking the attack with no trouble and completely dispelling it entirely, without a hint of power pushing into the barrier.

Conroy's eyes widened. "The barrier…cancelled my attack?!"

"That's what it did last time?!" Meganium exclaimed in shock. "I've heard of spells that cancel attacks, but a barrier that cancels attacks?!"

Edwin smirked, then snapped his fingers. "Eliminate the big guys."

Kadabra and Throh raced into battle, aiming for Scott and Throh. The Muk raised his sword and called down another Chain Lightning Fury. Kadabra pulled out his mirror and, this time, aimed it at himself and Throh. "Speculo Entry." He and Throh shattered into reflective material and avoided the blast entirely.

Loudred looked around cautiously. "Where did they go?"

"If they went into the mirror world like your arms…" Meganium glared at the mirror rolling across the ground. "Scott!"

"HA!" He swung his sword and bashed the mirror into pieces, sending the glass scattering through the air. "There! They shouldn't be a problem anymore!"

His eyes widened at the creepy chuckling coming from around him. He looked to the flying pieces of mirror, then gasped to see the Kadabra's eye staring back at him. "A mirror doesn't stop working if you break it, fool. As long as anything reflective exists, you can't get rid of me."

Scott pulled his sword back and sent his magic through it. "I'll burn your mirror to pieces then!"

"Now you're thinking too limited." Kadabra snapped his fingers.

"It seems The Waves might be pulling a comeback-HOLY SHIT!" Scott whipped his head around to DJ Chance's shrieks, but had no time to process the stone pillar bashing into his face and shoving him through the ground.

The crowd gasped in disbelief. The stone pillar didn't come through the ground as they would expect, but from the window of the announcer's booth. Anyone who closely looked at it could see the reflections of the tournament taking place, with Throh hanging on the other side of the realm.

Throh passed through the window and stepped out onto the pillar. "Heh. Too easy."

The remaining Waves gawked in horror at Scott, who was crushed under the stone with parts of his body oozing out from under. No doubt he was done for, too. Conroy sneered, then raised his axe. "I've had enough of this shit!"

"Conroy, you can't attack! You'll hit the announcer!" Meganium warned.

"Good judgment, girl." She gasped as the Slowking showed up from out of nowhere and bashed his fist into Conroy's stomach. Conroy spat out blood, then took an uppercut to the chin, flinging him onto his back. Conroy stamped his foot down on Conroy's neck, smirking triumphantly as Conroy passed out from the pain.

Loudred staggered back. "H-He took him out so quickly…" He felt someone tap him on the shoulder. "Huh?"

Meganium was so caught up in Conroy's defeat that she nearly missed Loudred getting clobbered across the face. She jumped as he fell face first to the ground, then growled as Edwin stood on top of his back with an evil smirk. She looked all around her and suddenly found herself surrounded by the Shadow Bringers, each looking ready to take her down.

Ella gritted her teeth. "They took out her whole team so quickly…"

Meganium bared her teeth into a worried grimace as the Shadow Bringers approached her. Her eyes landed on Edwin and his smug grin, making her blood boil. "Who do you think you are?!"

Edwin cupped his chin and chuckled darkly. "What's gotten into you? I'm just here to win. You and your teammates are in my way." He narrowed his eyes. "And like any obstacle in the road, one must shove them out of the way. Pieces of useless trash that dare interfere with my journey."

Meganium bared her teeth. "Bastard…I'm not going down so easily!" She charged right at him, erupting with a light green aura. "Galaxy Burst Rush!"

Edwin folded his arms behind his back. "Damage Transfero."

Meganium rammed into his front with all her might, gritting her teeth as she tried to push him back. To her utter misfortune, however, she wasn't doing anything against him as a green energy cascaded over his body. On top of that, that energy flowed through the ground under them and cracked it under his feet. The force dug them into a shallow crater.

Meganium's eyes widened. "What in the-?"

"I transferred all that power into the ground." She yelped as he grabbed her by the throat. He leaned forward, then whispered into her ear, "You never had a chance in hell against me."

That was the last thing she heard before getting struck across the face and taken to the ground, rendered unconscious. Edwin raised his hand to the crowd as an uproar of cheering sounded in their victory.

"And with that, ladies and gentlemen, the first match of the Gelid Peak Tournament goes to the Shadow Bringers! Give them a hand!"

The audience clapped, treating it like any other tournament match. For Teams Ravenfield and Shatter Star, it was a grim scene, even as the medical staff came out and escorted them off the arena to treat their injuries. Loudred's arms were finally returned once the mirror spell was no longer in use. They all looked downhearted by their loss.

Ella sighed. "Well…that bites, but it's expected."

Oswald scoffed. "Please, that victory wasn't earned. A real fight is with one's fists, not barriers and trickery!"

"Trust me, we've noticed," Ebony interjected with a wry smirk. She then frowned. "Geez, that's our competition if we get through our match."

Krystal bared her teeth. "Yeah…" Cybil looked at her wearily.

Wes narrowed his eyes, then glanced at Griffin. "Team Shatter Star's match won't be for a while. Think you, Holly, and Mack could-?"

"If you're asking me to do recon on those shadow assholes, consider it done." Griffin immediately rose from his seat. "Holly, Mack, we're leaving. Now." They nodded and followed him out of the stands.

Krystal leaned back into her seat and rubbed her face. "Guess this means we should head down to get ready for our fight." She took a deep breath, then stood up. "Team Shatter Star! Let's give our all! One hundred and ten percent!"

"Aye, ma'am!" her team exclaimed before following her out.

Ella crossed her forelegs for a moment, then stood up. "Well, we've got time to kill. I'm going to scope out the place for a bit."

Flint nodded. "Alright. Have fun."

"I'll try." She gave a short wave before leaving.

Wes narrowed his eyes, then looked down at the floor. He drummed his digits against his seat, taking short glances between the floor and Ella. He whined under his breath, ears going limps over his face.

"Excellent work," Edwin praised his team as they exited the arena. "I never had any doubts in our victory."

Kadabra groaned as he rubbed his neck. "If you ask me, the match was pretty stale. Those guys weren't worth shit."

Lickitung groaned. "This better not be for the whole tournament. I at least want some excitement before we get to those idiot treasure hunters."

Edwin waved his concerns off. "Patience, my friend. We have all the time in the world. The semifinals are where the fun truly shines. I promise, you will have your epic fight before we go up against them." He chuckled under his breath. "And, even if they don't make it, we still have the champion to get through."

Throh crossed his arms. "Will we even beat him? He most likely has the sixth key on his person."

"With the surprise we have tucked away for later, it shouldn't be an issue." Edwin stopped and looked up at the sky, smirking. "Still, I wouldn't worry about Team Ravenfield. We'll have them bumped off before the finals." He chuckled under his breath. "I personally want the Umbreon to myself." He cracked his knuckles. "I want to test out the limits of my new magic."

Slowking looked over his shoulder, then glared. "Best to keep your voices down."

"Hmm? Why's that?" Edwin narrowed his eyes, sensing the energy in the air and immediately picking up on three obvious presences nearby. They weren't intentionally cloaking their auras, which spoke to Edwin as an intentional choice. He smirked to himself. "Oh…this is too good." He looked over his shoulder and shouted, "Alright, we know you're there! You can come out now!"

After a moment, the light refracted off the air, dispelling the illusion cloaked around the bounty hunters. Griffin was the first to step out into the open, glaring while holding back the fury burning in his eyes. It wasn't hard to see the same sort of anger in Mack and Holly's faces.

Edwin turned himself completely around and smirked. "You know, if this was your attempt to spy on us, you could've done better." He pushed his shades up. "Though, I suppose that's not really your style, Blood Moon Rogue."

Griffin curled his fingers tightly. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't incinerate you on the spot."

"Hmm, tough call." Edwin tapped his chin. "How about 'on what grounds?' See, if you were to kill me right here and now, in broad daylight no less, you'd run a ton of risks for your team." Edwin bowed mockingly. "I mean, as far as I know or care, only you and your friends know who we work for. Sure, you could rat us out, but what good will that do? Start a panic through the city that the shadows are returning?"

He smirked. "On the other hand, I wouldn't mind that so much. Still, the other option to kill me with no evidence, not even a bounty on my head, might get your team removed from the tournament." He shrugged. "Well, that and we may have to go with plan B of razing this stupid city to the ground for the key. Lord Aeternus only went with this route because he's the theatrics type. Doing two invasions in a row is so done."

Holly sneered. "Don't try and act you're free of harm. We have ways of making you talk."

Mack crossed his arms. "And you can start singing an explanation for that magic of yours. You disgraced the lands of our people and dug through our councils' graves."

Griffin reached into his personal arsenal and pulled out Absolute Zero. The frost traveled up his sleeve. "I want a clear and concise answer right now. Where are the rest of the false Emotion Anima users?"

Edwin smirked. "I'm the only one."

Griffin grabbed him by the collar and lifted him off his feet, alerting the Simisage's team on the defensive. "Don't act smug with me! I know for a fact you have four more somewhere! Where's the rest of them?!"

Edwin remained calm and crossed his arms. "I'm telling you, I'm the only one here."

"Only one here, eh?" Mack questioned. "So, there are more?"

Edwin chuckled. "I can neither confirm nor deny that."

Griffin growled. "Smug prick…"

"Why are you getting worked up over me? You should be more concerned about the tournament…and your own personal safety," he added darkly.

Griffin gripped his jacket tighter and pulled him close to his face. "You won't have a chance in hell to 'bump us off.' The pirates, your shadows; none of them scare us. And we know your boss and the other heralds aren't here. What do you have that could threaten me?"

Edwin closed his eyes and chuckled. "Oh, we wouldn't dream of going after you. I must admit, when I heard you were the only person to forcibly eradicate a shadow that was possessing you, I was intrigued. Pure anger with the power to extinguish pure evil. I never dreamed of such nonsense, but you're living proof."

Griffin glowered at the grass monkey for a moment, then dropped him back onto his feet. Edwin laughed under his breath and dusted his jacket off.

"There? Now why can't you be that civilized all the time-?" He froze as a hand landed on his shoulder. His eyes widened to the red aura coming off Griffin. Thick and red as blood, with a radiation that gave off the feeling of murderous, yet tranquil rage. He looked up at the Grovyle's eyes, which were hidden in shadow.

"If you touch, or even try and kill my teammates, I'll slaughter you."

A chill ran down Edwin's spine once the hand left his shoulder. Griffin gave him one final death glare before turning and leaving with Mack and Holly, who also shot back one last warning glare. Edwin stumbled back and grabbed his heart, panting to the rapid thumping against his ribcage.

Kadabra narrowed his eyes worriedly. "He's…not serious, right?"

Edwin didn't answer immediately, too caught up in his moment of fear to form a response. He watched the bounty hunters leave sight of them, then glared angrily. "…Make sure Zaros is extra thorough with his side of the mission."

Ella purchased a bottled water from the front counter and continued her walk through the arena. She unscrewed the cap and sipped the clear liquid in her psychic grasp. She kept her eyes out for the Shadow Bringers in case she ran into them. She doubted they would attempt a public attack without precaution, but she never knew with them skulking around.

She stopped halfway through the main area when she felt someone approach her. She looked over her shoulder, then sighed. "Wes, honestly, you know sneaking up on me is a bad idea."

The Umbreon grinned awkwardly. "I actually just found you."

"Well, either way, your face would've met the floor."

"Heh, true that…"

A pause came between them, awkwardly averting their gazes. Ella sipped on her water to take her mind off it while Wes played with the rim of his fedora. His digits drummed against the floor tiles while Ella decided to count the number of people in the main hall. She got up to twenty before losing count.

Wes exhaled through the side of his mouth and asked, "So…how are you?"

Ella pulled her water away, then sighed. "Alright, what's wrong?"

"Eh?"

"We both know something's going on between us and, frankly, it's making me uncomfortable. So, what's wrong?" she repeated.

Wes frowned, then looked down at his paws. "…Just thinking over things recently." He rubbed the back of his head. "I've been trying to do better at this whole leadership thing and I think I'm getting better at it. There's just…unresolved issues left to be addressed."

Ella narrowed her eyes. "You mean our break-up, don't you?" Wes' silent whimper gave it away, making her sigh. "Wes, I thought we talked about this."

"Well, frankly, we never really talked much about it outside of the hospital." He pulled on his hat. "Between things going on with your folks and your life back then, I…never gave you the time of day. I just…feel like we haven't had much chance to hang out outside of training and stuff."

Ella frowned, then turned away with a sad gaze. "I…guess we don't hang out as often as we used to."

"I don't want to make anything awkward between us brining it up, but I would like to just, you know, spend some time with you." He scratched under his hat. "Who knows? Maybe…something good will come out of it."

Ella thought it over to herself for a second. "So…maybe just talk about it and move on from there? Maybe over dinner?"

Wes bit his lip. "S-Something like that. We might as well…have fun while we're here, right?"

Ella narrowed her eyes. "I guess…"

Wes frowned worriedly. He clenched his eyes shut, nervously blushing in the face, then reached out to her. "Ella, listen, I still-"

"I-I should head back to the stands." She quickly turned away from him, her own face heating up, too. "We can do dinner tomorrow. Your pick, I don't care." She marched away briskly, leaving the Umbreon be.

"Oh…" Wes' ears went limp. He frowned, now feeling glum, and looked down at the floor. "Alright…I'll…let you know later." He watched her run off, then smacked himself in the face. Why can't I just say it? Flint can freakin' do it! Ella, I still have feelings for you! I…

His paw limped to the floor, reminding himself of what got him into this mess in the first place. Everything Ella was going through may have played a part, but his own screw up made that hard decision easier. He never told her the words she wanted to hear from him.

Ella…I love you.