Luis vs Mikey, Part 1

"Oh…" I whimper. I was really hoping to hear Grover's name.

"Would you like to go watch the end of finals now?" Nick asks, causing me to nod.

"Yeah, let's go."

Nick and I make our way to two in order to catch a small glimpse of the final round, the fight between August and Winter, which is what everyone expected, I'm sure.

Off in the distance, I can see the destroyed arena one, obliterated by Mikey's flames. The arena where The Slaughter of 1999 took place, and the arena where Violet was executed.

I turn my attention back towards the fight. Nick appears as if he is watching the fight intently, but both of our minds are elsewhere.

I watch as a Red Demon August turtles with Winter, who isn't in her half demon mode. Strange. Maybe Winter isn't a half demon, afterall? No…I'm sure she is.

August charges Winter, using his creepy Transfiguration ability to spawn extra arms on either side of his body. Once in front of Winter, August launches a flurry of Cursed Power reinforces punches towards Winter, who counters by freezing some of August's arms, and as for two more, Winter slices through them with a blade of ice, causing the arms to liquidy, as some of August's flesh metals off of his body. But August still has two more arms, and lands a dual punch across Winter's face. August's two other arms then break free from Winter's ice and pumbel her as well, sending Winter stumbling backwards.

As she's sent flying backwards, Winter recovers mid air then crouches down low, placing a hand to the ground, which has an icy wind swirling around in. As Winter touches the ground, ice begins to fly out of her hands all across the floor, encasing the entire arena in ice. I begin to shiver. August takes another step towards Winter, but he loses his balance, and crashes to the ground. Winter, on the other hand, begins to skate towards August with perfect accuracy, and dances around the demon, slashing him with her ice blades.

Finally, August manages to recover. He rears his two front legs high into the air before smashing them to the ground, shattering the ice around him. Winter holds her hands out as they dance through the air, constructing crystal turrets out of shattered ice all around August, which begin to send ice needles flying towards him. August creates a clone army to block the attack, before sending them towards Winter, who freezes them in their tracks. But August's Red Demon power overpowered Winter's ice as his clones swarm Winter, beating her to a bloody pulp. When August calls his clones off of Winter, Winter is left as a bloody, mangled body on the ground.

The referee declares August the winner of the NYIC, and the crowd goes wild.

"Now, to determine who places third, will the two in the losers bracket of the second round step into the arena? Slayer Fūjin and Slayer Midori?" The ref asks as Winter's ice all across the arena begins to melt.

I don't move.

"That's your cue," Nick says as he elbows me in the ribs.

"I'm…not really in the mood to fight right now," I gloomy reply.

"You'll upset Grover."

"I'm not really in a place where I can afford to worry about others right now," I sigh as I step into the arena.

Grover also looks pretty gloomy as he walks up to the center of the arena, probably upset that the two of us are facing one another in the losers bracket, rather than the finals. But when Grover sees me, he perks up a little.

"No hard feelings no matter who wins, right?" Grover smirks, faking his excitement. When I don't reply, Grover flashes me a confused frown.

"Let the match to determine third place…begin!" The ref booms.

Grover starts the fight off by hopping backwards, and drawing a few of his kunai knives. As for me, I start off the fight by raising my hand into the air.

"I surrender," I say, causing Grover's eyes to widen, as disappointed murmurs escape the crowd. I don't care. I really don't.

"What, why?! What's the matter, Luis?!" Grover stammers.

"I'm sorry, I just can't tell you, not right now," I whimper as I stare down at my feet, refusing to look Grover in the eyes. Grover stares at my back, shocked and disappointed as I walk away from him. The crowd boos me as I exit the arena, my friends in the audience, Ella, Jamie, Austin, and Renzu's squad, they all watch me, appalled.

I meet up with Nick as the Chairman enters the arena, ushering August, Winter, and Grover into the center, forcing them to stand on a podium and hanging them trophies. August stands on the tallest podium with a gold trophy and a beaming smile. Winter stands on the second tallest podium with a silver trophy and an apathetic scowl. Grover stands on the third podium with a bronze trophy and a pissed-scowl. So Mr. Future-Chairman got third? Good for him. Even if it is by default.

And so, that's how the New York Interborough Competition came to a close. 

At least, the main part of the competition.

***

The day after the end of the New York Interborough Competition.

"Mikey Hakan please report to arena one. I repeat. Mikey Hakan please report to arena four," a voice booms over the loudspeakers in the Slayer Organization Headquarters.

"What's that about…?" Mikey grumbles to himself, clearly annoyed, as he makes his way towards his designated arena.

***

It's the next day after the end of the New York Interborough Competition.

After the NYIC ended, today, the Slayer Organization is holding some fun events and games in the arenas that our bloody battles had just taken place on. Ella, Grover, and Jamie are there now. Austin said that he had some business to take care of. I wasn't in the mood to play, or anything, and I'm still not, so I didn't go. I'm sure I don't need to explain why.

That is, until I heard about the event being held in the first arena.

If you sign up and choose a designated time slot, you can challenge any Junior Slayer in the tournament to a match, tournament style rules.

"If you wanted to face Mikey again, now's your best chance," August had said to me. I haven't seen him since, nor do I want to.

And so, I took up August's words.

Currently, I'm standing on the far back end of arena one, leaning against the wall with my arms crossed, watching as Mikey approaches me from the other end.

As Mikey draws near, I pick myself off from against the wall, and walk to the center of the arena.

"So you're the one who challenged me?" Mikey calls to me. "Can't say I'm surprised."

"You're the first one to mention wanting us to face each other in the semi-finals," I call back. "This is just my way of honoring your challenge."

Mikey and I stop once we're face to face, standing a few feet away from one another and staring each other down. I notice that Mikey's hands are already twitching, fighting the urge to reach to hsi dual pistols. Not that I blame him, I'm the one who's got my elbow resting on my katana's sheath, ready to draw at any second.

Mikey and I say nothing else. It's not the time to speak.

"I'M GONNA KICK YOUR ASS, PYROMANIAC!"

"ASSUMING YOU CAN, DAMN DEMON!"

Swiftly, I draw my katana and hold its blade up to Mikey's neck, as he draws his dual pistols and aims the barrel of one deadset on the center of my forehead.

I need to vent out some emotions in combat desperately.

Our second battle has begun.

***

"It's a shame that Luis and Austin couldn't make it," Ella says as she makes her way around the third arena of the Slayer Organization Headquarters alongside Grover and Jamie.

"I don't care…" Grover grumbles, his pride still wounded after Luis fortified the match against him.

"Well Austin did mention that he's busy," Jamie chuckles. "For some reason I think he's with Lycan?"

"I'm going to go look for Luis and Austin, I heard they're here," Ella says. "Anyone wanna come?"

"No," Grover snaps. "We don't need Luis to have fun."

Ella peers away awkwardly.

"I'll…keep Grover company…" Jamie says to Ella as she pats Grover's shoulder with an awkward smile.

"Right…" Ella replies with an uncomfortable laugh before hustling away.

***

"WIND CONTROL!"

"EXPLODING FLAME BULLETS!"

As a powerful tornado begins spiraling around me, a rush of flames bursts from Mikey's body, knocking my katana away from his throat, and Mikey's pistol away from my forehead.

"Wind Control: Wind Blade!" I shout as I raise my katana into the air, reinforcing its blade with my dark blue Cursed Power and wrapping a tornado around it, before swinging it down towards Mikey.