"You lost her!? What do you mean you lost her!?"

Darkness screamed while shaking Naruto back and forth.

"I-I don't know! You saw what she did, right? Who knows how far she flew after that attack…"

Naruto shouted back, and eventually the Crusader ceased her rattling of his brain and dropped him to the floor.

"We're going out to find Kiki. Come on, guys."

Kazuma said in a serious tone. But just as he and Darkness turned to leave the waiting room, Megumin stepped into their path.

"Hang on, we'd be out there all day looking for that Kitsune. Naruto's moving onto the finals, which means he'll be facing Joe. We should be here and support our friends."

The Crimson Demon said as Aqua helped the dazed Naruto to his feet.

"I'm glad you guys are concerned about Kiki, although I'm not sure why you're so fired up Kazuma… Anyways, she'll be fine. Our Beast Bond is still intact. I wasn't planning on battling with her in my next match anyway so she could rest, so we can look for her after the tournament."

Naruto said while sparing Kazuma a strange look, causing his fellow adventurer to avert his gaze.

Suspicious…

"That's right! We can't miss Jerry's match, you guys! He's going to win because of me!"

Aqua stated while puffing her chest out with pride, and all eyes turned on her.

"Are you talking about the fish Naruto just fed him?"

"Didn't you hate Jerry until recently?"

"Tsundere…"

Were her party member's collective remarks, causing the Arch Priest's expression to crack.

"W-well, you know… I-I'm just being supportive! For Naruto's sake! Since all of you are so shamelessly rooting for Joe to win! Aren't I a great friend, Naruto? You can praise me if you want."

Aqua fired back, taking to the shinobi's side.

Naruto chuckled. Aqua has definitely come a long way with Jerry, and he was glad she didn't hate him anymore. Even Megumin seemed indifferent about his prized toad.

"Thank you, Aqua. But the others can root for Joe all they want, it doesn't matter to me. Because Jerry and I are definitely gonna win!"

"Who's gonna win?"

The group turned to the entrance of the waiting room to find Joe, who had just opened the door and walked in.

"Hey Joe, I made it to the finals just like I promised! Ready for our match?"

Naruto asked and offered his fist, to which the young Beast Tamer readily bumped.

"Sure am! But before that-"

Joe started before his eyes widened to an impossible size.

"WHERE'S YOUR KITSUNE!? I'VE ALWAYS WANTED TO MEET ONE!"

. . .

"What!? She's gone!? We gotta go find her before the finals start!"

Joe wailed and turned to run out the door but was stopped by Naruto, who placed a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Ah, no. It's okay. Actually, we were just talking about Kiki before you showed up. I'm gonna let her rest. Besides, I still have three monsters for our battle."

Naruto explained while shaking away his deja vu.

"Well… I guess that's fine."

Joe relented with a slight pout on his face. He was sure Naruto's other monsters were strong too, but he really wanted to battle a mythical monster like Kiki.

Maybe they could battle after the tournament.

"Ah, now that we're all here. There's something I'd actually like to discuss."

Kazuma spoke up, gathering the attention of the group.

"Don't tell me… Kazuma's thinking of asking Naruto to throw the match so we don't have to pay that Leech guy."

Megumin asked while staring at her party leader coldly, an expression that found its way to the rest of the group.

"N-no! Is that how you see me!? Also, we wouldn't have this debt if it weren't for you in the first place!"

Kazuma barked, prompting the Crimson Demon to avert her gaze.

"A-anyways, I was hoping we could discuss our strategy to sell our stock of Scroll Balls before we leave."

After all, it was their ultimate objective to sell the magic item he and Naruto created. Also, he was tired from all of the hardships he was forced to face during their travels.

The terrible road trip, the disappointing "vacation" in Alcanretia, facing a Demon King Army General in said city, the horrible bug-filled forest, and finally, the crushing reality of Beast Taming.

Needless to say, Kazuma would be barricading himself in his room with a week's worth of snacks when they returned home.

"Oh yeah, we were going to sell these things."

Naruto idly said while looking at his own Scroll Ball. He'd been so absorbed in the tournament, he'd nearly forgotten their original objective.

Kazuma resisted the urge to palm his face. It must be nice being so carefree.

"Okay, so I was thinking…"

Outside the Nuzloft arena, a fierce argument was in pursuit.

Well, moreso a man screaming his lungs out at another man.

"How could you lose!? How!? You had the most powerful creature we could find AND you were fighting a monster that used magic!"

Mr. Leek shrieked into Roaric's face, his own face beet red with rage.

"It couldn't be helped. It was a mythical beast. It was an honorable loss, Leek. Give it up."

Roaric responded curtly, his eyes uncaring for the sorry excuse of a man standing in front of him.

"You don't get it! This was my chance to overthrow that battle-obsessed chief with zero-sense for profit! All the money that this stupid tournament could be making… Under my authority, this village would thrive!"

Leek cursed the name of the chief and spat on the ground in disgust.

Ryozo was a gifted Beast Tamer, there was no doubting that. Some said he wielded a gift from the gods themselves that allowed him to tame any beast with a single touch.

But the man wasted all of the money the village generated from what little tourism they received on making the Nuzloft Tournament grander each year!

By Leek's calculations, the magic tent alone likely put the chief in debt for the rest of his life!

But that foolish man rejected all of his business ventures with the idiotic viewpoint that his ideas were just "not the way of the tamer", or whatever that meant.

He couldn't even steal the Scroll Ball idea. Even if he somehow found a way to recreate the damn things, any competent business man would see that such an item could only be sold to a Beast Tamer.

It's not like a monster would magically obey you upon being captured.

"Stupid! This is all just stupid!"

Leek continued lashing out and kicked one of the wooden poles that supported the magic tent, and the man flinched when he heard a loud creaking sound.

When the sound faded, a devilish smile grew on the man's face.

"Say, Roaric… It would be a shame if something from the Forbidden Cave were to find its way into the village and run amok, wouldn't it?"

The sleazy man inquired while tapping his fingers together. If the tent were to be destroyed, the foolish chief would have no way of collecting profit and would be financially ruined.

With the hero candidate here, the village wouldn't suffer too much loss, but they would never recover financially.

Not unless they followed HIS leadership, of course.

Roaric's eyes narrowed. It didn't surprise him that this man would consider destroying everything just to place himself into power.

He was relieved that he'd been spared from winning the Nuzloft Challenge with that cheat of a monster. Such a "victory" would have haunted him for the rest of his life.

"What are you looking at me like that for, Roaric? Your contract has yet to be fulfilled. Let us return to the mountain at once!"

But unfortunately, it seemed Leek wasn't done with him yet.

Far from it.

About an hour had passed since the end of the semi-finals, and so Ryozo, along with the freshly recovered Aomidori, strutted onto the arena.

The arena itself had been reshaped once more, but this time it was a simple rectangular field with markings on each end. The emblem of Nuzloft was etched in the center, which vaguely resembled the head of a dragon.

The stream that ran through the tent was still present, and was running right next to the stadium for any potential water monsters.

"How are you feeling, my love?"

Ryozo asked his wife, as her breath had begun to pick up again upon the completion of the arena's final transformation. It seemed she had yet to fully recover, which was to be expected after the crowd control she had to do during the last match. All while maintaining a contract with a high level demon at that. His wife was truly amazing.

"Yes, dear. I wouldn't expect anything less from the Nuzloft Challenge. The appearance of both a forbidden and mythical monster just caught me by surprise, is all."

Aomidori responded while giving her husband a pointed look, causing the man to chuckle nervously.

"I will be more forthcoming with the participating monsters going forward."

"That you should."

With his apology out of the way, it was time to start the finals!

Activating the magic item that projected their voices throughout the stadium, Ryozo took a deep breath.

"I hope you all had a nice break, but the time is here… For the Nuzloft Challenge Finals!"

"Will our final contenders please make your way to the arena?"

Aomidori followed after the chief, and the two gestured towards the openings that led to the waiting rooms.

At the same time, both Naruto and Joe entered the arena and made their way to the battlefield.

The crowd roared with an eagerness the village had never seen before, and it was easy to tell why.

Joe was the son of the chief, and well known throughout the village. The boy was a prodigy when it came to Beast Taming, and was an all around joy to be around due to his enthusiasm with battles.

Naruto was a famous adventurer, a hero candidate to the kingdom, and had proven himself to be a crafty tamer. Many were calling him the Golden Rookie of Nuzloft.

That being said, the audience was split as to who they wanted to root for.

But that was fine, as both tamers weren't paying attention to anything else.

Naruto and Joe now stood across from each other on the Nuzloft stadium, and soon, their battle would begin.

Even as the chief made his final announcements, the two boys remained silent.

Words were not needed.

"Let the final battle begin!" x2

Ryozo and Aomidori both declared, and swiped their hands down simultaneously.

"Go, Nido!"

"Let's go, OctiBoxy!"

Joe and Naruto instantly tossed out their first monster, and a Nido Rabbit and Octopus Boxer burst out of their respective Scroll Balls.

The fierce rabbit-like creature roared before charging towards its opponent.

'A Nido Rabbit, huh? How nostalgic…'

Naruto thought and smiled wistfully. But he could go down memory lane later, he had a battle to win.

"The enemy's coming to us, you know what to do!"

The shinobi shouted, and upon hearing its master's voice, OctiBoxy coiled up its gloved tentacles.

"Dodge it, then attack!"

Joe ordered his own beast just as the Nido Rabbit was upon their foe.

OctiBoxy released a barrage of punches, but to Naruto's surprise, the fluffy beast evaded most of the attacks.

'No… Our attacks are missing?'

Naruto thought with wide eyes when he noticed the Nido Rabbit was too sluggish to bob and weave and was mostly charging straight in!

What gives!?

"I know all about Octopus Boxers! They can pack a punch, lots of them! But their attacks have low accuracy! Nido is a Nido Rabbit, and he has high luck! Hahaha!"

Joe explained when he noticed the frustrated look on Naruto's face.

Nido crashed into OctiBoxy, and since the two monsters were relative in size, the Octopus Boxer was knocked clean off its tentacles and onto the ground.

But the Nido Rabbit failed to see the tentacle that had wrapped itself around its leg, and the beast yelped as it was yanked off its feet.

Both monsters tumbled off of the arena and into the stream. There was a massive splash of water from the impact, with both beasts disappearing under the surface.

"Uh oh…"

Joe muttered, his face growing pale when the bubbles that were rising to the surface ceased.

It was then, a mass of purple fur erupted from the water and into the air.

The young tamer's expression lifted, but only for a second when he realized what was happening.

"You shouldn't have pushed us into the water… OctiBoxy holds the advantage there."

Naruto stated with a smirk growing on his face.

The Octopus Boxer then surfaced, and all of its tentacles were curled in together as it glared daggers at the monster that was currently suspended in the air.

In one single motion, the octopus monster shot out its gloved appendages at the same time.

The attack caused a shockwave when making contact with the unfortunate Nido Rabbit, sending the furry monster hurtling into the air and through the roof of the tent.

Joe clutched at his chest, the bond between him and Nido shattering.

Naruto frowned, he was happy that he defeated the kid's first monster, but worried since he knew full well how painful that feeling was.

"You got me there, Naruto… But I needed your monster in the water. Otherwise Ser wouldn't be able to do this!"

Joe shouted before putting his hand in his mouth and making a loud whistle.

Naruto raised an eyebrow, wondering what the kid was doing. Why wasn't Joe bringing out his next Scroll Ball?

Unless…

"Oh no!"

Naruto shouted and whirled around to see a large dorsal fin swiftly approaching OctiBoxy from behind. Before he or his monster could react, a set of sharp jaws burst out of the water and latched onto the base of the octopus's tentacles.

The Octopus Boxer's appendages were chewed through like a hot knife through butter, and the river quickly turned as the Sea Serpent made short work of its meal.

Naruto flinched as his Beast Bond shattered with OctiBoxy.

'Damn it… I let my guard down.'

The shinobi thought as he gasped for breath. He was expecting Joe to have all of his monsters inside the Scroll Balls, and the younger tamer took full advantage of that.

They were both down one monster each, with two more to spare.

Naruto was facing what looked like a juvenile sea serpent, which was a snake-like monster that was usually found in the depths of the sea. There really was an abundance of monsters in this area.

"Good job, Ser! Just two more to go!"

Joe praised his monster, and the Sea Serpent lifted its head out of the bloody water and made a motion with its face that almost made it look like it was smiling.

Naruto grimaced, as the beast still had octopus chunks in between its teeth.

That wasn't going to haunt him or anything. He could only imagine Kazuma's reaction.

But it seemed this had been Joe's plan all along. OctiBoxy would have had the advantage if he had been on land. It was impressive how far ahead the kid had planned.

As expected of his Beast Tamer rival.

'Do I use Jerry…? But the only way we'd be able to attack them is if he goes into the water, and that thing would probably tear him to shreds.'

The shinobi pondered as he tried to come up with a strategy.

Much like his last match, Naruto opted for mobility and pulled out Princess's Scroll Ball. She was fast, and hopefully they'd be able to draw out the Sea Serpent so they could counter attack.

"Let's go, Princess!"

Releasing the second monster he had caught, the red Lizard Runner materialized and expanded its frills as it ran towards the water.

"I could have sworn you would go with Jerry next."

Joe noted while smiling slyly.

"I might have, if someone didn't teach me something neat about Lizard Runners."

Naruto responded with an equally cheeky grin.

Princess hopped onto the surface of the water and continued running like nothing changed.

The water was a deep red, so it was hard to tell where the Sea Serpent might appear. But while the stream was deep, it wasn't deep enough for Ser to completely submerge itself as the tip of its dorsal fin broke through the surface.

Through their shared vision, this gave Princess enough notice to jump out of the way just as Ser attacked.

Naruto gulped. The size difference was immense. One bite would be all Joe needed to take out another one of his monsters, if Ser didn't completely swallow the lizard whole.

But he was right to choose Princess for this matchup, as Ser's long body was still exposed above the surface after their failed attack.

"Hit 'em with all you've got, Princess!"

Naruto quickly shouted, prompting the Princess Runner to circle back and land a bone-crushing kick to Ser's exposed side.

There was a pained sound that could be heard from underneath the surface, but it only took a moment before Ser was back for another attack.

"That Princess Runner's kicks are strong… But don't expect to land another one of those!"

Joe declared as Princess avoided Ser once more. But this time, the Sea Serpent lifted most of its body out of the water and maintained its form.

The serpent's body then began to wiggle, which at first didn't do anything. But as Princess made her round to attempt another kick, the water was starting to become unstable.

'It's… making a whirlpool!'

Naruto thought when he realized what Joe's monster was doing under the surface. It was rotating its body to create a vortex, making it nearly impossible for his monster to continue running.

The Princess Runner hopped over a wave, but nearly lost its footing as the water changed directions. This forced the lizard to run along with the flow of the whirlpool.

Now able to predict its enemy's movements, Ser struck from the center of the twirling rapids.

With a burst of speed, Princess surged forward in order to narrowly escape the jaws of the massive predator. As it was now near land, the red lizard hopped off of the water and skidded to a stop so it could turn and hiss at its adversary.

Naruto sighed in relief. That had been a close call, but now what could they-

"Don't think you can relax just because you're out of the water!"

Joe suddenly declared, snapping the shinobi out of his thoughts.

Ser opened its mouth, and a stream of water shot out from the back of its throat.

Princess yelped and started running, the water projectile crashing into the ground she had previously been standing on.

But Ser didn't stop there as the torrent of pressurized water continued to pour out in bursts.

'What a powerful monster…'

Naruto noted as he looked at the gaping holes the Sea Serpent was leaving in the ground.

Princess was doing her best to avoid the blasts, the one managed to clip the tip of her tail. The sudden pain cost the Lizard Runner some speed, which enabled a second water cannon to hit her side. The beast crashed to the ground, tumbling a few times before coming to a stop.

Ser made that creepy movement with its face, this time looking even more sinister if that was even possible. It then inhaled in preparation for one final water attack.

Naruto held his own breath, fearing the loss of another one of his monsters.

But luckily, Ser seemed to have run out of water to shoot as it made a choking sound before closing its mouth.

Joe clicked his tongue, he had a feeling they would run out of firepower before they could finish the job. But it looked like the Lizard Runner was just within reach of Ser's jaws.

Naruto came to that realization as well, but he said nothing as the Sea Serpent lunged across the shore towards Princess. At least, not until the monster was a few feet away from gobbling up the reptile whole.

"Now!"

Naruto commanded, and Princess leapt from her resting place right into the open jaws of the Sea Serpent!

Snap!

Ser's mouth shut, and even more of Princess's tail was cut off. The Sea Serpent then proceeded to retract its upper body back into the water.

A bead of sweat trailed off of Joe's brow. Why would Naruto order his monster to jump into Ser's mouth? Did he give up?

Various explanations circulated within the boy's mind as he tried to make sense of his opponent's decision, but he was completely baffled.

"G-good job, Ser! Only one more to go!"

Joe stuttered in his praise, but the stillness of Naruto's stance was unsettling. Was he already used to the feeling of a Beast Bond severing?

Ser shifted its face in its makeshift smile, trails of blood dripping past its razor sharp teeth. But the beast suddenly collapsed, its head crashing into the ground with a loud thud.

"Ser!?"

Joe shouted and ran over to his monster to see what was wrong. But its mouth began to shuffle, prompting the Beast Tamer to halt in his steps.

"I was watching your first battle, y'know. Clever tricks."

Naruto said as he walked up to Joe's side, and the younger boy's eyes widened.

"You… Used my own trick against me!"

Joe deduced, before he winced as the bond between him and Ser completely shattered. The Sea Serpent's mouth was then pushed open, and the Princess Runner squeezed her way out.

The wounds on her side were completely healed, and her tail already showed signs of a replacement sprouting at the end of her stump.

'Her regeneration is even stronger than Zard's…'

Joe thought, and all of the pieces fell together.

Naruto must have been looking for an opening to play this tactic, but Ser had forced them out of the water with the whirlpool. Upon seeing the water cannons, the shinobi must have been buying time for them to run out of water. He then took advantage of Princess's injured state to leap inside Ser's mouth at the last second, knowing she would regenerate in time.

Even through the pain of losing yet another of his monsters, a massive grin sprawled across Joe's face.

"I'm truly blessed to have found a rival like you, Naruto."

The boy said as he turned away and made his way back to his side of the stadium. He was now down to his final monster, and he was going to go with his ace.

Sensing what Joe wanted to do, Naruto turned around and walked over to his own side of the field.

The crowd roared with cheers as the duo stood across one another for the second time in their match.

Joe held Zard's Scroll Ball and took in a deep breath through his nose, exhaling through his mouth. He then locked eyes with Naruto, crimson embers meeting a watery maelstrom.

"Let's go, Zard!"

The Scroll Ball hit the ground and burst open, unleashing Joe's ace monster. The green Lizard Runner blinked its red slitted eyes, before they locked onto the Princess Runner.

Heart thumping in its chest, a fire burned within Zard. That same fire he'd felt the moment the reptile's eyes fell upon the rare female of its kind, unraveling a primal instinct that even the power of the Beast Bond couldn't suppress.

The same could be said with Princess, as the maroon beast lowered its stance in preparation for the inevitable. The same urge welding up inside of her own chest.

They wanted to run.

"Go!" x2

The words barely left the Beast Tamer's mouths as both Lizard Runners burst into a sprint, meeting their fellow reptile at the center of the arena within seconds.

But before they crashed into one another, the monster made a beeline for the stream. They were neck and neck, all the way until they reached Ser's corpse. It was then both monster's split off in opposite directions, each making another beeline back to their respective trainers.

'So that's how it is…'

Naruto thought with a knowing smile on his lips. He then braced himself as Princess ran past him, to which the shinobi kicked off the ground and landed on his monster's back. He looked over to the other side of the arena to see that Joe was also riding Zard.

Looks like they were truly getting their rematch now.

Both contenders rode their Lizard Runners to the edge of the battlefield, meeting at the wall where the first row of the audience sat before they changed directions.

They now ran alongside the wall, neck and neck once more, traveling counterclockwise around the arena.

"I'm glad I met you too, Joe! You've shown me just how fun Beast Taming is!"

Naruto said in the midst of their race, earning a grin from his rival.

But all good things must come to an end, as they still had a battle finish as well.

Princess made the first move and snapped at Zard, but the male pulled back and moved to the other side of the female. This put Naruto and Princess against the wall.

Zard's next move was to whip its tail toward its foe in an attempt to blindside them.

Naruto's instincts kicked in, and he sensed the attack in their blindspot. This in turn was passed on to Princess, to which the female jumped over Zard and Joe to put them back next to the wall before she tried to ram into their side.

Zard met the bash head on and the two reptiles clashed, both trying their best to outmuscle the other.

But it seemed Princess had the advantage in power, which was something Joe had long since noticed since the beginning of their bout.

Just as Naruto was beginning to think he was gaining the upper hand, a clicking sound caught his attention. Looking at the source, the shinobi's eyes paled as this triggered a memory of one of the conversations he had with Joe before the tournament.

Earlier That Morning…

Naruto and Joe had met up by the lake behind the village at the crack of dawn. Darkness had gone to the inn to wake the others up so they could prepare to go to the tournament.

"-and that should do it! You have all of the basic Beast Tamer skills. You sure have a lot of skill points, Naruto!"

Joe commented while glancing at the shinobi's Adventurer's Card. Even after reading all of the books his mother forced him to go through, Naruto had a bunch of skills he'd never heard of.

He wondered what a Shadow Clone was.

"Yeah, I've been saving up after Megumin forced me to learn Explosion magic… It sure paid off! These skills are awesome! Thanks!"

Naruto replied with a hint of disdain at the not so fond memory, but quickly shook it off and thanked the boy.

Joe had taught him three Beast Tamer skills.

Beast Bond, which allowed the user to form a bond with a beast that was so powerful, the emotions of man and beast were intertwined. It also let both parties sense the other so long as they were alive, but only at a certain distance. The distance was increased the higher the skill's level was.

Then there was Beast Sight, which allowed the user to see through the eyes of the beast they shared a bond with. It went both ways, which allowed for quite an advantage during battle if the monster's vision was obscured, or vice versa.

"I still don't understand why you don't want to learn that last skill yet… It would really help you during the tournament, being as strong as you are."

Joe said and crossed his arms in frustration.

The last skill wasn't as important to Naruto, as he decided to wait to actually spend the skill points to learn it for reasons that he couldn't really explain to Joe.

Naruto rubbed his chin in thought before he let out a sheepish laugh.

"I guess I'd like to rely on my monster's strength. But maybe next time."

"?"

That didn't really answer Joe's question, but the boy decided to let it go for now.

"Oh yeah, there's one more thing you should know about the Beast Bond. Some monsters can undergo a change after gaining enough experience through battles. The bond becomes so strong, it can force them to become stronger by changing their shape completely or giving them an elemental affinity. It's pretty rare though, and doesn't happen often."

Joe explained and pat Zard on the side, earning low growl from the reptile.

"Looks like Zard took that as a challenge."

Naruto joked, and the two started laughing.

"Maybe he'll sprout wings like a Dragon!"

"Or breathe fire!"

The added jokes only fueled their laughter, prompting the Lizard Runner to hiss.

Present…

Bzzzt!

Zard's jaws now crackled with electricity, and Naruto only had time to mutter one word before the male sank its teeth into Princess's neck.

"Shit-Gah!"

The shinobi yelped as he was kicked off of his monster's back by a jolt of electricity. He rolled a few times before managing to regain control of his spasming muscles. Straightening himself, Naruto's eyes snapped open to see Zard lowering Princess's limp body to the ground.

He clutched his chest, muttering a curse as the bond between him and Princess shattered into nothingness.

"Zard… You advanced."

Joe nearly breathed out the words, his crimson eyes tearing up.

'Electricity… Just like Volt. Maybe when he… But if that's all it took to cause a monster to advance, then there would be a lot more monsters that advanced.'

Joe thought as Zard nuzzled the now fallen Princess Runner.

Of course… A Lizard Runner's instinct was to try and outrun a female in an attempt to become a King Runner. Zard had gone against that instinct and did the unthinkable for its species.

'He killed a Princess Runner. For me.'

Through that act against his very nature, and the bond Zard shared with not just Joe, but with Volt as well… Surely that's what triggered the advancement.

"Sorry, Naruto… But Zard and I are unbeatable now."

Joe said as Zard relented and left Princess behind, and the two made their way over to Naruto who was currently feeling the effects of a severed Beast Bond.

"H-heh… You think that now. But you still have to go through my ace."

Naruto said as he struggled to stand. With the back to back attack on his emotions, and getting tased by Zard, he was beginning to feel the weight of it all.

Beast Taming was difficult.

But Naruto was confident in his final monster, the one he'd started this beast taming journey with. His starting partner-

"Let's go, Jerry!"

The shinobi tossed his last Scroll Ball into the air a good distance away from him, and the magic item burst open. The sealing jutsu unraveled from within the device, bringing forth the orange Giant Toad.

Thud!

The ground trembled as Jerry landed, causing Zard wobble in its stance.

Joe's eyes grew wide upon seeing the monstrous amphibian. Was Jerry always that big?

Yesterday, the toad was nearly the size of a house. But today, Joe was confident to say that Jerry WAS the size of a house.

Just what did Naruto feed that thing?

"Woohoo! Yeah! Let's go, Jerry! Bring home the gold!"

A loud voice stood out over the roaring cheers of the audience, and Naruto looked up to see Aqua standing on her seat and waving her arms like a madwoman.

It seemed that they ended up in front of where Kazuma's group was sitting.

Naruto smiled wryly. She really wanted him to win, huh?

But that's okay, because he really wanted to win too. After all, he had that to look forward to.

Joe hopped off of Zard's back, allowing his beast full mobility. They were going to need it.

"Neat trick with Zard and that lightning. It's just like what happened with Kiki in my last match, huh?"

Naruto said as he started walking back towards the arena.

"Thanks, I think Jerry might have undergone advancement as well. He's really big."

Joe replied, and he too began to walk towards the stadium.

Both boys grinned and began to pick up their pace.

Sensing its master's intentions, Zard ran past them and towards Joe's side of the stadium.

Naruto looked back at his starting partner and ushered for the toad to follow them.

"Come on, Jerry! Let's go-"

Crack!

The ground where Jerry once stood all but caved in on itself, and a delayed gust of wind followed shortly after.

Naruto blinked, his smile freezing in place. He and Joe were then hit by the shockwave, which knocked them both clean off of their feet.

Jerry reappeared a good fifty feet in the air before landing on Naruto's side of the field, causing another tremor that shook the arena.

In a split second, a pink blur shot out of the toad's mouth, attached to the very startled Zard, and proceeded to gobble the Lizard Runner before it could even make a sound.

The reptile's legs and tail comically stuck out of the orange toad's mouth.

. . .

"EHHH!?" x2

Naruto and Joe shouted when their minds finally processed what had just happened.

The battle was over? Just like that?

"N-N-Naruto! How did you train Jerry to move like that!?"

"I-I-I don't know! He's never moved like that before!"

As the two squabbled over what had just transpired, they failed to notice Aomidori stepping onto the arena and walking up to Jerry.

Fighting back the urge to gag, the Crimson Demon placed her hand on the toad's skin. She was pleasantly surprised to find that the amphibian didn't wreak. In fact, she smelled a hint of… Honey?

But-

"This monster has been blessed with buffing spells. As it is against the rules to use magic on a monster during the Nuzloft Challenge, Naruto Uzumaki, you are hereby disqualified. Joe is the victor of this tournament!"

Aomidori announced through the magic item, her voice echoing throughout the entire stadium.

"I lost!?"

"I won!?"

Naruto and Joe both shouted before sharing a look.

This is NOT how they wanted their battle to end!

But when did Jerry become blessed with buffs!? Who blessed him!? Who-

Naruto's face scrunched up, and turned towards the audience.

Aqua, who looked equally surprised, blinked when she realized the shinobi was looking at her. In fact, her party members were also giving her accusing looks.

"H-hey! I didn't place any buffs on Jerry!"

She screamed in her defense, but she began to sweat when their staring became even more suspicious.

"I-I'm serious! I was actually paying attention when they were talking about the rules! I'm not stupid! All I did was give Jerry some shiny fish that I found at the lake for good luck! I actually WANT Naruto to win!"

Aqua further defended herself and crossed her arms under her chest with a huff.

"Shiny fish… Is she talking about Elysian Swimmers? Those are magical fish that temporarily grant a buff to all stats upon consumption. They're quite rare, though. Just one fish is worth nearly twenty-five thousand Eris."

Joe noted while tapping his chin in thought, which prompted Naruto to withdraw the pouch that Aqua had given him. He was going to keep it for sentimental purposes…

Opening the bag, he found that there was still a fish left inside. It must have gotten stuck while he was pouring the rest into Jerry's mouth.

"Yup… That's an Elysian Swimmer…"

Joe confirmed with a bitter smile on his face.

Aqua seemed to have heard the boy's validation, as her face became ghostly pale.

Naruto's eye twitched. Why was he not surprised? He didn't think Aqua had any malintentions, but this blunder was just… Stupid.

'I guess that won't be happening…'

Relenting a sigh, Naruto turned to Joe who looked apprehensive. He at least wanted Joe to feel better about the outcome, the kid deserved that much.

"Well, I guess that's that. We can have a friendly rematch next time, Joe. But for now, it's time for you to defeat your father and become the next Conqueror!"

The shinobi said and clapped his friend on the back.

Joe still looked a bit hesitant, but Naruto's grin was infectious so he eventually regained his enthusiasm and nodded.

"Umm… Could you get Jerry to let Zard go?"

"Ah, yeah. Sure… Do you have any grubs to offer him in exchange? The bigger, the better."

While Naruto and Joe made their way over to barter with Jerry for Zard's fate, Ryozo was watching the duo with an amused expression.

This outcome was probably for the best, because now he had a chance to fight both of those powerful monsters!

'I'm sorry, my son… You've come so far. But your father is going to be using his new secret rare monster for your challenge!'

The chief of Nuzloft thought, a few dark chuckles escaping his lips.

A/N: Oh Aqua… Never change.

Rest in peace Nido, OctiBoxy, Ser, and Princess… You shall be missed.

These battles have been quite hectic. I'd love to hear what you all think, so kindly leave a review if you have the time. I would greatly appreciate any sort of feedback. :)

Spirit out!