The Knight of Mahora Academy

by Master Attlon

He was saved by those people. The group that was greater than legend, heroes and gods among the people. And he grew up by their example. Of strength. Of courage. Of determination. And now, he will show this new team their message.

37. Day 1 - The Stage Is Set

The Knight of Mahora Academy

Period 37: Day 1 - The Stage Is Set

[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]

"Whoa!" Kotarou gasped as they approached the large gathering of people just outside of the spot for their tournament, "This is way more than I was expectin'!"

"Maybe other people saw the notices and came to see it for themselves?" Negi theorized, "There weren't this many people applying for the tournament we were originally a part of."

"Something must be going on?" Naruto added, a hand gently supporting the little green-haired doll sitting on his shoulder, "Hey, is this a normal thing that happens during the festival?"

"No clue." Chachazero answered, "That would entail me knowing enough about this damn festival to see it for myself. And even if I was interested in watching some blood sport, Master is such a shut-in she barely even leaves her cottage anymore to participate."

"Sucks having a guardian so flaky and bails on having a fun time to just do whatever they want, isn't it?"

"You got one too? I should've known from how fucked up you are."

"Ditto."

"Don't insult me like that!" They looked back and saw Evangeline scowl in their direction, "Dumbass, Chachazero, I would advise being very careful about what you say about my guidance. If you don't hold your tongue…I can promise a lifetime of suffering and pain."

The Dark Evangel's threat was heavy and filled with the promise of agony she had subjected countless others to in her many years of life…

The effect was only slightly lessened by the fact Eva was being piggybacked by Setsuna after her legs had nearly given out while they ran to the new venue.

Naruto and Chachazero stifled their chuckles as even Kotarou couldn't help but snicker. Only Negi and Setsuna seemed to take her warning seriously as Chamo pointed to the venue, "C'mon! We can't just keep standing out here! Let's go in!"

"Set me down, Setsuna Sakurazaki." Eva demanded as the young swordswoman knelt so she could get off easily, "I didn't expect the trek here to be so treacherous. If I had known the location was going to change, I would have just shown up here and cut out all the wasted effort!"

"Not like you put much effort in at all." Naruto cheekily stated, grabbing Chachazero off his shoulder and tossing her to Eva, "Are you sure you're up for fighting in this tournament because it looks like just walking gets you kinda winded."

A vein started pulsing over Eva's eye as she ground her teeth, "Yeah, keep talking asshole, make this all the sweeter when I shove my foot up your-"

"E-Excuse me?!" Negi cried out, calling for someone's attention before things could ramp up between Naruto and Eva's ribbing. One of the many gathered people looked down as Negi got his attention, "Um, why are so many people here? Is there a reason the venue for the tournament changed?"

"Oh, it's because some big sponsor went around and bought up all the separate martial arts tournaments going on and melded them together into one giant event. All the martial artists and fighters from around Mahora have gathered here to join the most thrilling fight ever!" The fighter brimmed with excitement, "This is the first time an event of this magnitude has been held since the legendary tournament two decades ago!"

"Legendary tournament?"

"Well, it's a big deal of honor and pride for every martial artist that finds their way to Mahora. And the ¥10,000,000 grand prize doesn't hurt either."

"¥10,000,000 GRAND PRIZE?!"

"Yeah, that was most people's reaction."

[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]

"Whoa, lots of people getting together." Asuna noted while she and Konoka walked around, "What do you think's going on?"

"Well, looks like a bunch of fighters." The young fortuneteller noted when she saw all the people in Gi and traditional fighting garb, "They must be preparing for a tournament. Hey, do you think it's the one Negi-kun and the others joined?"

"I don't know. I think they said something about it being a smaller tournament, and one they had to age themselves up to join. This…seems like a lot of people, right?" Asuna and Konoka both looked confused before they noticed a flyer by their feet. The twin-tailed girl picked up the leaf of paper and started reading, "Return of the legendary tournament? All participants accepted? Grand prize of ¥10 - ¥10,000,000?! OH MY GOD?!"

"Wow, that's a lot." Konoka peeked in by Asuna's shoulder and saw the flyer herself, "No wonder so many people look like they're joining in. I hope Negi-kun and Naruto-kun have fun! Kota-kun seems like he'd love a chance like this but I'm worried if Eva-chan - Asuna?"

"¥10,000,000? W-What could I do with ¥10,000,000? Pay off my tuition in whole? Buy some nice clothes for my date? O-Or maybe I could take over the world? No - no, that's too big a goal. I'll need a lot more than that to take over the world. But this will be a good start!"

"Asuna, greed is a sin."

"I-I know that!" The bell-wearing girl forced out a cute giggle before she looked down at the flyer again, "But I've been training with Setsuna-San a lot. And I heard from Negi that he and the boys won't be using any of their abilities when they fight. And non-blade weapons are allowed?! Oh man, I could clean house with my fan!"

With a sigh, Konoka touched her cheek and shook her head, "Oh dear, we've lost her."

[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]

"It's getting dark," Eishun noted while he walked over with a pair of coffees in hand, "Should we stop by the river show to watch the closing act?" As he approached Tsuruko, he noticed her attention focused on a flyer in her hand, "What is that?"

"A flyer for a martial arts tournament."

"Oh yeah? I imagine that will be quite a lot of fun for the people here. So shall we-"

"It has been some time since I knocked the rust off my blade." Tsuruko sagely stated, a stern and focused gaze in her eyes, "I may no longer be a leader in the Shinmei-Ryū style, but it would bring shame to myself and my family if I allowed my skills to dull." She tossed the flyer aside and strode forward confidently, "I shall join the tournament and reforge my skills!"

Eishun was surprised by his family member's sudden interest and intensity…until he noticed the cash prize listed on the flyer.

"Ah, makes sense."

[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]

"Wow, there are so many people!" Fuuka spotted atop Kaede's shoulders while they walked along, "Kaede-nee, are you going to be fighting all these people?!"

"Haha, I doubt it, de-gozaru." Kaede said with a hearty laugh, Fumika walking by her side as she was quickly intimidated by the size and caliber of all the fighters around them, "Is something wrong, Fumika-dono?"

"Kaede-nee, are you going to be okay?" The younger twin sister asked, "These guys all look super strong."

"Indeed, many of them are quite above average in terms of fighting ability, de-gozaru." She looked around at the crowd before giving a cheeky smile, "But I don't believe I will lose to any of them in a fight, de-gozaru. I have trained quite diligently and…" Kaede stopped, an intrigued smile on her face as she looked back, "Well, it seems there are quite some challengers still making their arrival, de-gozaru."

"Sorry, we late-aru! Got lost!" Kū greeted her fellow 3-A classmates with a smile, "I pick up Mana on way-aru!"

"Hello Kaede," The young woman in the trench coat greeted the ninja and her twin tagalongs, "I guess we'll be participating in the tournament together."

"I suppose we will."

"Tatsumiya-San, I didn't know you were a fighter too." Fumika said, "Do you want to join for the glory of battle-"

"They posted a new grand prize and I'm looking to get paid."

"Ah, makes sense."

[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]

Takamichi stared down at the flyer and couldn't ignore the unease in his gut. A tournament being held during the Mahora Festival was no big deal. There were plenty of them every year, varying in size, intensity, and even legality. Throw a rock in any direction and it would hit some new tournament being prepared to test the mettle of martial artists and fighters from all around.

No, what was unsettling to the capable fighter was that someone had bought out all the tournaments, closed the underground ones, and plastered up signs and ads for people to come to see it. More people were gathering and more attention was being given to this one venue.

And it left Takamichi with a bad feeling in his gut.

[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]

"Keitaro! Keitaro!"

"What is it, Suu-chan?"

"Look!" The beautiful foreigner excitable held up the flyer she picked up while she and Shinobu were traveling around the festival, "There's a tournament! A big fighting tournament!"

The bespectacled archeologist stood beside his wife as the two younger girls came up to them. He pulled away from his ice cream, "Um, that's great, Suu-chan, but what does that have to do with us?"

"You should join! You and Motoko!" Suu beamed with excitement, "It would be so fun to see you fight with a bunch of other people in MORTAL KOMBAT!" She announced with an epic echo and reverb to her voice - one she did naturally and drew lots of confused looks for after she finished, "Come on!"

"I refuse to participate." Motoko said with firmness and pride, "As a practitioner of Shimei-Ryū at my level, it would be cruel to the others participating and bring shame to the honor of my school."

She'd realize how ironic this statement was when she found out her sister was participating.

"Me too," Keitaro chuckled while rubbing the back of his head, "I mean I practiced with a little Jeet Kune Do, but I'm hardly proficient enough to join a tournament."

Mitsune scoffed with Tama on her head before whispering to Naru, "He says that so sincerely you almost wouldn't think the guy is basically immortal."

"You make him sound like a freak of nature like that," Naru chided her best friend, "Although…I guess that isn't too far off."

Shinobi sighed and pulled on Suu's arm, "Come on, Suu-chan, I told you Senpai wouldn't be interested in joining a tournament. We should just go around the festival and-"

"But what about the ¥10,000,000 prize!"

…

Naru quickly snagged the flyer out of the foreign girl's hand and examined it herself. When her eyes settled on the cash prize, they widened and bounced around in shock before she quickly composed herself. And once she did she snagged Keitaro's arm and pulled him aside, "So, Keitaro~…"

"Naru, no."

"But you haven't even heard what I had to say!"

"I can't fight in this tournament! I'm barely a fighter!"

"Barely a fight - you fought Seta-sensei!"

"And I lost!"

"And you fought Motoko-chan several times! And even won a few of them!"

"I-I still claim that I was just having an off day those times!" Motoko indignantly yelled from the sidelines.

"What she said!"

"Keitaro," Naru frowned, "I think having this money for a nest egg would do us some good. Plus, it'll help with," She patted her belly and looked at him knowingly, "The future."

…

Keitaro handed his ice cream cone to Tama and then pumped his arms, "Okay! It's time to show them what I'm made of!"

"Well, that didn't take much convincing at all."

[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]

Negi grumbled as he kept trying to push his way forward through the dense crowd but couldn't get past the wall of muscles that blocked them, "Oh, this is so many people. Were all of them going to compete in the other tournaments? And how are we going to sort out a tournament system with so many participants?"

"Battle Royale?" Kotarou suggested, hands behind his head as he walked along with his friends, "Sounds the most fun if ya ask me."

Naruto, Eva, and Chachazero nodded as they followed behind, "Makes sense."

"It'd thin out the fat."

"I'm always up for a crowd of people beating each other up!"

"Negi! Over here!" They looked over as they saw Asuna and Konoka push through the crowd to reach them. Once they had gotten through the two girls panted for breath, "Man, it is not easy wading through a sea of burly fighters!"

"Asuna-San?"

"Ojou-sama? What are you doing here?"

"Asuna found a flyer for the tournament and got interested, so I'm here to see her off."

"You wanna fight too, Asuna-neechan?"

"Yep!" Asuna pumped her fists, "I've been training real hard so I thought I should test out my abilities! I should test myself if I wanna be ready for whatever crazy thing might happen next, right?"

"…"

"She saw the grand prize and wants the money."

"Ah."

"Makes sense."

"About what I expected."

"Konoka!" Asuna blushed, "T-That's not my only reason for being in this fight! I-I swear it's not! I'm not that shallow!"

"I think it's perfectly fine to participate for the monetary reward, Asuna-kun. The reason they put it up there is motivation after all."

"See!" Asuna smiled with relief, "Thanks for saying that Takahata-sen- TAKAHATA-SENSEI!"

"Takamichi!"

"Hey Michi, when'd you get here?"

"Oh great, and now you're here." Eva huffed, "And what will your participation entail exactly?"

The dandy teacher smiled softly, "Not much. I just heard there was a big tournament and I remember you guys telling me you were taking part. I thought it would be good to join up and see for myself how far you've all come."

"Y-You're joining too, Takahata-sensei?! Then I'm taking part!" Asuna said with a twinkle in her eyes.

"Secchan, you should join too! I bet you'd have fun fighting with everyone else!"

"O-Oh, Ojou-sama, I'm not sure I should."

The boys watched their friends join in and couldn't help the beads of sweat running down their temples. Negi, Naruto, and Kotarou quickly huddled up and whispered to each other, "S-So, it seems like things are starting to ramp up here, huh?"

"Having Eva participate seemed like it was gonna be bad enough, but now Michi, Asuna, and Setsuna? Boys, we might be in trouble?"

"Who cares?" Kotarou shrugged, "Most of these guys seem like wimps, and I'm sure we can handl' 'em just find. Don't think the others'll be that much harder."

"Oh no, Kotarou-kun, don't underestimate them!"

"Kota, you look down on these guys, you'll lose your footing before you can even get started."

The lights suddenly dimmed and everyone went quiet. A giant spotlight appeared on the center stage and drew everyone's attention as a young woman appeared in the middle of it. And those familiar with Class 3-A sweated as they instantly recognized the scantily dressed announcer.

("Welcome, Ladies and Gentlemen, to the Legendary Mahora Tournament!") Kazumi announced to the cheering crowd while wearing a sporty one-piece dress for easy mobility. The cheeky reporter winked to the crowd, ("Sorry for keeping you all waiting, but we're about ready to start! But first, let's have a word from our magnificent benefactor! The one that bought up all the tournaments! The one that put out that hefty prize for the championship! And of course, the best restaurant owner you know with the best food you could ask for!")

Naruto palmed his face, "Goddammit."

("Give it up for Chao Lingshen!")

With some grand fanfare and a show of lights, everyone started to clap as Chao walked out onto the stage with a big smile on her face. She waved to everyone, "Greetings! Thank you for coming out! Hey, don't forget to visit Chao-Bao-Zi! The best place for all the best tastes!" With another rampant cheer, she shyly waved and spoke up for the crowd, "So, I bought all these tournaments for the same reason; there is a glut of tournament quantity and not enough quality. Not too long ago, this tournament was for the apex of martial artists and fighters to come and test themselves. However, with the growth of social media and personal devices, many of the people who used to visit this place left and started only appearing in underground fights so their secrets couldn't be seen. I want to assure you that we have taken measures to make sure that no personal devices, video, or streaming systems are usable during these fights. And as such there are only three rules! No blades! No projectile weapons! And no long incantations!"

The crowd cheered with enthusiasm at the lack of restrictions to their fights. Negi paled as the others around him were surprised, "I-Is she allowed to say that?"

"That girl is a troublemaker, I swear."

"Heh, you can see why we always had to keep an eye on her."

"But she is quite the entertainer, de-gozaru." They looked over as Kaede, Kū, and Mana spotted them and joined their group, "The idea of fighting people at their best is quite exhilarating, de-gozaru."

"I wanna fight-aru!"

"And I can already taste that grand prize." Mana muttered, "Not to mention there's a chance I could…settle things once and for all."

"I can feel your glare on me." Naruto grumbled, "Just say you wanna kill me and get it over with."

Negi started to worry as he realized the caliber of this tournament had suddenly skyrocketed. It was one thing to participate with the other boys as a fun test of skill, but now there were so many people and many of his strong associates joining as well. He wasn't sure he could stomach a tournament of this level. He might have to-

"If anything, I'd like a repeat of the Legendary Mahora Tournament from 25 years ago." Chao announced a cheeky wink in the direction of a certain young Mage, "A young boy from the land of Wales traveled all the way here to participate and ended up winning the whole thing. If we're lucky, we might find a champion worthy of that boy, Nagi Springfield, here among this crowd."

Their eyes turned to Negi as he stared out ahead in shock and awe. In a hurry, he turned to the others, "I-Is that true? Did Father participate in this tournament years ago?"

Naruto scratched his head, "Well, he always talked about how strong he was. I can't remember if he mentioned a tournament in the normal world."

"You think I'd know?" Eva said petulantly, "This tournament hasn't been back in 25 years. That's a decade longer than I've been here."

"I think he mentioned a tournament to me when I was younger." Takamichi pondered, "If he'd come to Mahora before then that would explain how he knew to bind Evangeline-San here."

"You just had to bring that up."

"Father fought here." Negi's eyes seemed alight with purpose and excitement as he gripped his fists, "O-Okay! Everyone, let's make it through this tournament!"

"Yeah!"

"Yo, Negi," Kotarou grinned and pumped his arm, "If we're gettin' a chance t' fight a buncha strong people now, why don't we use our abilities too? No more holdin' back for sportsmanship or nothin'!"

"Y-Yeah, that sounds good!"

"Alright!" Naruto punched his palm, "Looks like we're going all out!"

"Oh good, so you forfeit the bet, right off the bat? Guess I win."

Blinking in surprise, Naruto turned to look down at Eva as she quietly looked up at him with her arms crossed, "What?"

"We made a bet that we'd participate in the tournament, right? That you wouldn't utilize either magic or Ki until we met in battle or one of us was expelled from the tournament?" She cockily tilted her head, "Did you forget about that?"

"I-I - no, I didn't forget. But we also thought the tournament was gonna just be a tiny little venue with some local fighters and no abilities. Now it's a huge fight with hundreds of competitors and people like Asuna, Setsuna, Michi, Kaede, Kū, and Captain Trigger Happy taking part! It's not the same level of fight!"

"And yet I'm still not able to use any of my abilities, forced to participate in this frail, weak body with none of my magical expertise." Eva droned on, "Just because you can use your powers while I can't, does that mean I should have to face all these powerful foes alone with a handicap?"

"I-I," Naruto looked flustered and tried to find some kind of argument to make against the vampire's point. But realization quickly struck him as he glared, "Hey, wait a sec! You're just manipulating me with a guilt trip, aren't you?"

"Pretty much."

"Oh screw you!"

Asuna frowned at the little vampire, "Eva-chan, don't mess with Whisker's head like that. It can barely handle his thoughts alone."

"Exact- shut up!"

"Fine," Eva shrugged, "Forget about it. You can fight with magic and Ki. You can forget about the bet in its entirety too. Do whatever you want. But I want you to remember just one thing."

Naruto narrowed his eyes, "And what would that be?"

"You do that…and you're a bitch. And I'll make sure everyone I ever meet knows how much of a pussy you are for welching on our bet." She shrugged, "Just thought I'd let you know that."

…

They all looked at Naruto. His smile looked very strained, "So what? You think I care about what you think of me?"

All eyes turned to Eva, "I'm pretty sure you do. So…what will you do?"

"Ahhhhhh - ahahaha - hahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa…"

Naruto's jaw clicked as his eyes twitched-

[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]

("Let the preliminary matches begin!")

"HAAAAAAAAAAA!" Naruto roared as he charged into the other 19 people in his block and tackled them.

Takamichi watched his young friend fight from a separate block before looking down at Eva, "I can't believe you twisted him into doing that."

"Feh, it's his fault for being so easy to trick." Eva said without a shred of guilt or shame as she heard his animalistic roar from over there, "Now we can fight on an equal and level field. Both debilitated by this handicap to the point we can barely even fight."

"HAAAA-"

A fighter rushed in from the side and prepared to grab Eva so he could throw her off-stage, but the moment he got close to her he ended up spinning over his head. He slammed into the ground with a nasty thud and groaned while Eva flippantly tossed her hair back. Takamichi sighed, "You don't think it was worth mentioning you have several centuries of fighting experience and styles over him before you played him into fighting on the 'same plane' as you?"

"Pfft, it was his fault for not considering that when he made the bet."

"I can see why you were called the Dark Evangel now."

"What's with the past tense?"

[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]

"Um, is Takahata-sensei okay over there?" Asuna fretted while trying to get a good look at the teacher for her affection while in her block, "Is he up for fighting in a place like this?"

"I'm sure Sensei is stronger than we expect." Setsuna tried to ease her friend's concern, "So we should probably focus on-"

Both girls turned and struck the oncoming fighters rushing their way. The ponytailed and twin-tailed duo quickly cleared a path through the people directly in front of them before landing on the other side of the block.

The remaining fighters looked at their floored competitors and then over at the two girls, "But seriously, Takahata-sensei is stuck in a block with Eva-chan! That can't be anything but trouble!"

"Asuna-San, if we don't focus we'll probably be surrounded by our opponents."

Two men having watched the brutal beat downs whispered to each other, "I-I don't wanna mess with those girls."

"Me neither. S-Should we just lay down and avoid the beating?"

[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]

"HA! HA! HA! HA! HA!" Kū moved Ike lightning, felling fighter after fighter with swift and powerful strikes to their center mass that toppled them over instantly. The martial arts prodigy quickly reduced all opponents to heaps on the ground and stood victorious in the center of the block.

Mana, the only other person still standing in the block, clapped her hands, "Now that was an impressive display."

[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]

"HYAH!" Kotarou jumped and kicked another giant opponent away before landing on his feet and smirking, "C'mon, I thought ya guys were gonna be tough! This is easy! Ain't one of ya got some power in yer moves?"

"Perhaps I could be the entertainment you were looking for, Kotarou-dono?"

"AH!" The wolf Hanyō jumped in fright and quickly turned to see Kaede standing behind him with her trademark smile. He wiped away some sweat, "Naru-nii told me about ya. Yer that ninja girl from Negi's class, right?"

"Indeed I am," Kaede said, stepping aside and quickly dispatching an approaching enemy while still facing Kotarou, "Kotarou-dono, would you like to test yourself with a match of skill?"

His ears twitched eagerly, "Whatcha thinkin'?"

Two clones of Kaede formed into existence beside her, "Shall we see which one of us can clear the block faster with our clones?"

"Pfft! That's all!" Kotarou furrowed his brow and made a hand sign as several clones came into existence around him, "If it's cloning, I can make more than that!"

"Me too, de-gozaru," Kaede smiled as her clones flashed around, "But I'm sticking to small numbers for efficiency. You might want to consider that too."

"H-Hold on! Don't start without me!"

The ninja and wolf boy quickly cleared out their block with the help of their clones.

[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]

"HA!" One of the competitors in the 'H' block swung his wooden sword and cleared away a group of people in front of him with a swing. He smirked while tightly gripping his booken, "Hehe, there might be a rule against using swords, but wooden swords are fair game!"

"Ugh, bastard!"

"And with my mastery of the blade, I'll secure this vic-"

A gentle gust of wind rolled past.

"-tory eas- where's my sword?"

"Ah, this will do nicely." All the competitors looked over and saw a beautiful dark-haired woman holding the man's booken in hand. She tested the weight of the wooden sword and nodded, "Perfect length and balance as well. Very nice."

"Hey! Lady that's my-"

With a single swift swing of the sword, Tsuruko sent out another gentle gust across the block.

Everyone except her and a large, burly man in sunglasses and leather dropped to the ground. With them being the only two remaining, they shared a look from across the block.

"I like your outfit." She said with a smile, "But should you be wearing sunglasses this late in the day?"

"Indeed." The giant man answered, "My creator said I must wear them to completely blend in with the meat bags."

"Creator?"

"I mean my mommy. My mommy told me to blend in with the meat bags."

"Aww, that's sweet."

[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]

"WRAH!" Naruto leaped up and struck the closest opponent with a flying knee. As they toppled over, the whiskered boy quickly took up a stance and looked around in a frantic rush. Trying to make sure no one got the drop on him or snuck up from behind to attack while he wasn't ready.

If he still had either his magic or Ki this would be a walk in the park. He could probably clear the entire block with a wave of his hand and still have time to spare. But now because he had let Eva goad him, he was restricted to just his natural strength and skill. Which was still fairly well-developed, but could be matched or even outdone by some of the fighters who were in this block. They were devoted to fighting and some were starting to tap into their from the looks of it. Why on earth did he agree to-

"C'mon, Dumbass!" A vein bulged in Naruto's temple as he heard the bratty vampire call out from the neighboring block, "And I thought Ala Rubra's fanboy could do better than this!"

"GYYYAAAHHH!"

With renewed flames burning in his breast, Naruto launched into battle once more. He rushed towards the closest-

"OOF!"

Someone came flying through the air and Naruto had to brace himself to catch the airborne body. Naruto toppled over with the other man splayed out over him, "What the-"

"Ow." The bespectacled, gangly man rubbed his head and he sat up. He fixed his glasses before looking back and seeing Naruto, "O-Oh, Uzumaki-kun! You're in this tournament too?"

"Um…"

"It's me!" The stranger pointed to himself, "Keitaro Urashima! I'm Mei-chan's brother-in-law. We met a few hours ago."

"R-Right!" Naruto nodded in agreement, even though he was completely oblivious to what the older man was talking about. Perhaps something a future iteration of his would be involved with? He focused back on the other people in the block, "But what are you doing here, Urashima-San?"

"Well, my better half convinced me to join the tournament for the prize money." Naruto and Keitaro picked themselves up, "I figured she was probably right and I joined in, but man, these guys are good fighters!"

"Do you know how to fight?"

"A little bit," Keitaro humbly said, "I mean I've trained for a few years but I'm not the best fighter. But I have won a few matches against this woman who lives in our dormitory. She's a swordswoman and she used to fight to exorcise spirits. I know that sounds silly-"

"You won fights against a Shinmei-Ryū swordswoman?!" Naruto blanked while staring at the unimpressive-looking man. After a moment a toothy smirk swept his face as he took a stance beside Keitaro, "Hey, Urashima-San, you wanna help me clear some of these guys out? Two is all they need for the qualifier."

"O-Okay!" Keitaro nodded and took a stance next to the whiskered hothead, "Let's go then!"

[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]

Past the sudden rush of exhilaration and expectation Negi had hearing that his father participated in this tournament years ago, he was now starting to feel tense at the idea of fighting these people. They had years of training and fighting experience, not to mention age, muscle, and sheer size. Some of the people in his block were five times his size! He was expecting this to be a truly grueling and fierce battle to get through.

Until he threw the first punch and sent the giant man approaching him flying into several other people and knocking them all out. It was only after the match began that Negi started to put the pieces together. Training with Kū so fiercely while sparring with Evangeline, Chachamaru, and Naruto may have been a one-way ticket to constant beatings and losses…

But against other people…he was incredibly strong.

Utilizing the martial arts training Kū had instilled in him while boosting his power with his magic, Negi made quick work of everyone. The people watching marveled at the little redhead blasting away men several times bigger than him with a single punch or kick.

Negi slid to a stop, looking around at all the people he defeated in the span of a few minutes. The short Welsh boy looked down at his hands and gulped, "O-Oh, I might need to be careful of how I throw a punch in the future."

"HYAA-"

Negi turned, prepared to block the attack of the person sneaking up behind him. But the moment he turned it was in time to watch his would-be opponent fall over limp after being knocked unconscious. And standing behind him was a tall man in a long white cloak that hid his face. Negi stared up at him in surprise as the older man smiled, "That was quite impressive, but you should always stay mindful of your surroundings, Negi Springfield-kun."

"Who-"

("And that's the end!") Negi flinched and looked over to see Kazumi announce, ("With that, only two contestants are standing in each block! We have our final 16 for our tournament bracket, ladies and gentlemen!")

Negi turned around in time to see the cloaked man walking off the block and blending into the crowd.

Who was that man?

[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]

("Drumroll please!") The entire audience started to drum their hands together to raise the excitement as the pink-haired reporter smiled, ("Well everyone, it's time to see our brackets! Tomorrow morning, at 8 AM sharp, we'll see the brilliant fighters duke it out for victory!")

The curtain covering the board dropped and revealed the matchups.

Mei Sakura vs Kotarou Murakami

Tsuruko Aoyama vs Ku:Nel

Tanaka vs Naruto Uzumaki

Mana Tatsumiya vs Kū Fei

Takane D. Goodman vs Kaede Nagase

Negi Springfield vs Takamichi Takahata

Asuna Kagurazaka vs Setsuna Sakurazaki

Keitaro Urashima vs Evangeline A.K. McDowell

("And with that, we'll see you all tomorrow, contestants!")

…

Naruto patted a stunned Negi's back, "Sorry buddy."

"T-T-T-Takamichi?"

Asuna gulped and looked at her friend, "I guess we're fighting tomorrow, huh? Huh? Setsuna-San?"

The ponytailed girl looked pale as she shuddered, "M-M-Master is in this tournament?"

"Oh dear," Keitaro fretted as he looked over at the petulant young blonde girl, "I don't think I can fight a child so young like that."

"Who the hell is Ku:Nel? Is that a joke?"

[[[[[[[[Omake: *Fighting Game music of choice here*]]]]]]]]

Here comes a New Challenger

Naruto stretched out his limbs, staying limber as he looked around at the empty block he was standing in. He put his hands on his hips and smirked, "Well hey, if no one shows up then I've pretty much got this win in the bag. Lucky - huh?" He saw something floating down out of the air and snagged it, "What the-"

It was an envelope…with the SMASH label on the back.

When Naruto looked up it was in time to see Mario, Fox, Kirby, Pikachu, DK, Solid Snake, Link, Captain Falcon, MewTwo, Wii Fit Trainer, Cloud, Kazuya, Meta Knight, Ganondorf, Richter Belmont, Marth, Pit, Bowser, Sora, and Joker all standing across from him. And just as Lifelight started to play.

"Oh fuc-"

Naruto Uzumaki takes the stage!

C-C-C-Combo Breaker!

Negi took a deep breath after finding himself against such a fierce final opponent. Ku:Nel approached from the side, "You seem to be struggling, Negi Springfield-kun. Might you need some help?"

"I don't know if I can win against that!"

They both looked over as a beautiful blonde woman landed and struck a pose, looking over her shoulder while showing off her voluptuous butt. Cammy White looked back at the men, "You need to do a lot better than that."

"She's strong. Her kicks might be even more powerful than Kū-roshi and she's almost supernaturally flexible. I'm sure if I can keep up with this speed-"

"And I can't keep up with that ass."

"What?"

"I forfeit." Ku:Nel raised his hand before walking away, "Causing any damage to an ass that fine would be a crime. Nothing's worth it. Walking now."

Cammy and Negi watched the cloaked man walk away off the block. Once he was gone the two Brits shared a look before Cammy held out her fist, "UK represents?"

"Yes!" Negi fist-bumped with all the nationalist pride of a 10-year-old Welshman, "Let's show these bastards who they're messin' with, love!"

S-So Manly *A single man tear rolls down your face*

"Hey, old man," Kotarou pointed to the last man standing beside him and Kede, "Dontcha' think yer far from the retirement home!"

The man didn't answer. He slowly turned and faced Kotarou, startling the young Hanyō with his intensity. The man in the grey suit shook his head, "I'm not retiring. Not yet. Not until I'm sure I can trust the next generation to carry on the fight ahead."

"W-What are you-"

"That's why I'm here. If nothing else than to be the wall you must surmount." Somehow, inexplicably, he pulled on his jacket and ripped it and his shirt off in a single go. He tossed it aside and revealed the magnificent dragon tattoo plastered over his back, "What do you say?"

"O-Oh man, this is awesome!" Kotarou also ripped his jacket and shirt off in a single go to face down the older man, "This is the fight I was waiting for!"

Kaede nodded, "I'm not sure what's happening but I love it, de-gozaru."

"C'mon, Ojii-San!" Kotarou raised his fist, "Show me what you've got!"

"Alright…" He lowered his fists and flexed his chest, "Come!"

"WRAHHH!"

"RAAAHHH!"

The older man and Kotarou charged at each other, leaping through the air to attack before freezing just before impact.

The Reckless Young Fighter: Kotarou Inugami

Ex-Tojo Clan Fourth Chairman: Kazuma Kiryu

Their manly battle was the manliest thing to ever happen in HIStory…and it would be wasted trying to put it into words.

I'm wanted - WANTED - Dead or Alive

"W-Why are we dressed like this?!" Asuna and Setsuna blushed as they stepped out onto their block, dressed in scanty uniforms and swimsuits among a bevy of beautiful, bouncy women, "This isn't fair!"

"W-We came here to fight. To do so in outfits like this is degrading and-"

"FIGHT!"

Without warning, all the giggling and cutesy girls turned and started beating the hell out of each other. Swift and staggering combos were thrown out in the span of a few seconds. Asuna and Setsuna watched the marvelous fighting ramp up over several seconds.

"Wow, you know beyond the fan service this kick ass."

"A shame I doubt anyone will ever see it for how great it is."

He Oozes Disrespect

The people cowered as Yujiro Hanma walked through the block. They could see just how much stronger he was than the rest of them and they cowered. The man with the Demon Back. He walked through glass and casually strolled while being struck by lightning and ate an elephant and tore a martial artist master's face off with his fingers. He was so great and powerful that he could force himself on any one of the men here and still be-

Yujiro's head disappeared off its shoulders and he toppled over dead.

"Good call, Takamichi," Eva nodded, "If I had to stand around in the same breathing space as this 'Redo the Healer' inspiring fuck-wad, I was going to throw up."

"Yeah," Takamichi nodded, "Usually I don't like killing…but I think this was for the best."

TOASTY

Tsuruko wasn't expecting to see a fight like this when she came to the school…but she wasn't complaining.

"GET OVER HERE!"

The yellow ninja sent a roped kunai into Tanaka's chest and pulled him across the stage. But the robotic man immediately acted, ripping out the kunai as he came upon his opponent and struck him across the head. In that daze, Tanaka followed with a devastating knee to the chest before headbutting him hard enough to sound like a gong. With that done, the yellow ninja was left barely standing on his feet.

FINISH HIM!

Tanaka walked off stage…and immediately returned to riding on a motorcycle. He hit the brake and drifted, slamming the side of the vehicle into the yellow ninja and sending him flying into the air. Tanaka immediately stood off the motorcycle and drew out a shotgun before firing at the ninja and blowing a hole through his entire chest.

FATALITY!

As the meaty chunks of the yellow ninja rained down on the stage, Tanaka lowered his gun and turned to Tsuruko. He fixed his glasses, "Hasta la vista, baby."

"Ah, I was waiting for you to do that."

HE IS LEGEND!

"Ha! Kū landed another fierce palm strike into the gut of her enemy as Mana stood behind her and nodded, "Who else wants to fight-aru!"

"There's just one person left over there." Mana pointed across the stage where a large man in a dark cloak stood by himself. She shrugged, "Looks like he won't be much of a fight."

"I'll take it-aru!" Ku rushed across the stage with a punch, only to have her arm grabbed and then judo tossed fiercely into the ground. And as the young prodigy groaned on the ground, the man tore his cloak away to reveal himself.

Mana - truly everyone in existence - nearly stumbled over when she saw the man in the judo gi with large hair standing across from her. She trembled in fear at the sight of the legend, "Segata….Sanshiro!"

"HOOYAH!"

He grabbed Mana and tossed her too, sending her across the stage before she landed and exploded in a fiery ball of carnage. Once he was done he retrieved a Sega Saturn, tossed it on Kū's unconscious form, and strolled into the setting sun.

SEGETA SANSHIRO!

Chao watched the scene with a defeated expression, "Of all my plans…I never considered the arrival of Segata Sanshiro!"

Hakase gulped, "I-Is Mana-San dead?"

########Knight########

Done

I couldn't help myself. There were just so many references to make and I wasn't about to miss one! From the crazy roster of SMASH to the fact the Terminator was in Mortal Kombat! It all felt so good to put to page!

And it was kinda funny to kill Yujiro Hanma. I watched and read Baki over the last few years and…my god. That series is ludicrous. Especially Yujiro. Just…someone needs to stop this freak.

Anyway, the tournament is set up and I've gotta start making plans for what'll happen on Day 2 of the Festival!

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