25 Tournament - Part 2

James headed home for the night and slept. The next round of the tournament wouldn't be until the next night. Only one round would be held per day to allow contestants to recover. It would take four more days to go through the entire tournament.

The next day James headed for his master's castle. Another round of training took place. James slowly fattened up as he ate. Then a large bowl of brown mud-like substance was placed in front of him once more. He glanced at his master with pleading eyes.

Skeleton shook his head. "Eat it. Unless you want to become my maid that is."

James frowned and looked back at the bowl. He hardened his expression and ate it all. It would allow him to grow stronger after all. He couldn't hold back just because he was disgusted. James went through the cauldron of fire and ice once more. He was burned into a skeleton. Little Green healed him once more and James stumbled out of the castle. He headed for the tournament venue to meet up with Adam.

…

James and Adam entered the stage. Standing across from them were twin girls. Each had their hair tied in black pigtails. Their dark eyes glared at James and Adam.

Adam whispered towards James. "We should have a pretty easy match today. I did some research. Both twins have only reached the 1st grade as a magus and knight. I'm a 2nd grade magus and you're a 2nd grade knight. It should be an easy win."

"Mm." James nodded. Then he closed his eyes and rubbed his chin. 'Hmm… Now what should I do to embarrass master? Should I kneel and beg for mercy to the opponent? No! Wait… I promised to be a good disciple from now on. Is my resolve that weak? I'd be betraying myself if I lost… Hmm. Should I just beat them both up with a cucumber? Winning would make me a good disciple and I could still lose my master face! Yes, that's the plan! Wait. Shit. I don't have a cucumber… That's okay! I'll find a way to win and humiliate master at the same time! It's killing two birds with one stone. I know the path I must walk now! Bwhahahaha!'

Adam frowned. "You're snickering to yourself again Yale."

"Ah, sorry." James smiled. "Adam, you said our opponents should be pretty weak this time, right?"

"Right." Adam nodded.

*Dong!* A loud sound rang out as the brass gong was drummed to start the match. One twin covered herself in a fire-colored aura and created a fireball in front of her. She wielded a short sword in each hand. The other twin covered herself in a water-colored aura and created a water shield in front of her. She held a long spear in her hands.

James yawned and began doing a morning stretch routine. He bent down and stretched his fingers towards his toes. Then he stood up and spun his arms in large circles. Then he began twisting his torso back and forth...

"What are you doing…?" Adam questioned. He had created a marble shield in one hand and a ball of high-pressure water in the other.

"Uoooon" James yawned while stretching his arms. "I was stretching. Hey, Adam. Since you said this was an easy opponent I'm going to sit this match out and watch." James laid down on the floor with his arms underneath his head. He crossed one leg over the other and closed his eyes while humming a tune to himself.

"Yale!?" Adam yelled. "What are you doing? This is a team fight!"

James kept his eyes closed and smiled. "No point in both of us fighting weaklings. You take care of it. I'll jump in if needed."

"Yale!!!" Adam screamed. Then he had to dodge out of the way as a ball of fire shot past him. Adam quickly shot a stream of high-pressure water towards the fire twin, but the water twin easily blocked it with her water shield. The shield was a perfect defense against Adam's 2nd grade water spell since they were both of the same element. The water twin slammed her spear into Adam's shield and pushed him back.

"Damnit!" Adam gritted his teeth. "Yale! I can't beat them on my own! I haven't trained as a knight yet!"

"You can do it!" James yelled without even looking. "I believe in you!"

"Ugh!" Adam blocked another fireball that shot at him and rolled out of the way of a spear attack. "Yale! I need your help!!!" He screamed.

James lifted an arm in the air and gave Adam a thumbs up. "If you don't believe in yourself that's fine, but I believe in you! Just believe in the me that believes in you Adam!"

"This isn't a joke Yale!" Adam was struggling against the twins. The fire twin had moved closer by now and was attacking with her two aura-covered swords. Adam gave up on recruiting Yale and focused completely on defense.

James smiled as he thought of his master. 'With this, we'll win. Adam will gain a good reputation, and I'll lose master face. Since I've won, I'll still be a good disciple! Ah, I've really improved in the intelligence department these days. I bet I climbed out of the bottom 20 percent and reached the bottom 25 percent.'

"Huff! Huff!" Adam breathed heavily. He had been blocking the twin's attacks for several minutes by now. He had improved rapidly in his defensive techniques, but he was on his last legs. He had several minor burns and cuts on his body. Every time he attacked, the water twin used her shield to block it easily.

The fire twin smiled, "Looks like you lose. My sister and I were originally worried about this match. It looks like you really chose your partner poorly." The twin started to create an extra-large fireball while the water twin occupied Adam's attention. *Boom!* The fireball exploded against Adam's shield and knocked him out of the arena.

"Ugh!" Adam sat up from the ground. He wasn't injured badly, but his pride took a hit. He glared at James and yelled, "I've already been eliminated! Are you still just going to lay there?!"

"Eh?" James opened his eyes and saw Adam and the twins glaring at him. He stood up and looked around in confusion. "Adam. How'd you lose? I thought you said these girls were easy opponents?"

"Hmph!" The water twin snorted. "That's what you get for underestimating us! Now you'll lose the whole tournament!"

"What?!" James yelled. "I can't do that! I promised my master I'd be a filial disciple! How can I call myself a man if I don't keep my word?!"

"Too late for that now." The fire twin frowned. "Your arrogance is your downfall." She shot a fireball towards James as the water twin moved into close range.

"Oh well..." James sighed. "I'll just have to win solo." He dodged the fireball and ran towards the water twin. He yelled, "Taste my 2nd grade magus spell! Corrosive palm!" A black aura lit up on James gauntlet and headed for the water shield.

The fire twin frowned. "Dodge it!" She screamed. "Your shield can't handle a 2nd grade corrosive spell!"

"Right!" The water twin yelled and dodged out of the way. She left the water shield behind to buy herself time. James palm slammed into the shield and nothing happened…

"Eh?" The water twin turned back in confusion.

"That's not a 2nd grade magus spell!" The fire twin screamed in shock. "He just covered his hand in his knight aura and pretended!"

"What?!" The water twin yelled.

"Bwhahaha! Idiots!" James laughed as he ran past the shield and headed for the water twin. She hurriedly lifted her spear into the air to strike at James. James easily got into close range while running one of his katar blades down the length of the spear. Then he released a large punch with his left hand into her stomach. Three holes were left behind as she was sent flying backwards. She collapsed on the ground and a medic flashed onto the stage to grab her.

"You! You!" The fire twin stuttered. "How can you be so shameless?!"

"Oy!" James yelled. "How can you call me shameless?! You fought two against one earlier. You didn't even give Adam a chance to convince me to join the fight. You just took advantage of the situation! Yet you call me shameless?!"

You!" Her face grimaced. "You're just twisting words!"

"Ohhhhh!" James yelled sarcastically. "So, when I do it I'm shameless, but when you do it I'm twisting words. I'm always the one at fault?" James rubbed his forehead dramatically. "It's okay young beauty. I shall forgive you. I know that women think in emotion instead of logic. It is the natural order of the universe. Only with a mix of chaos and stability can the beauty of life take form!"

"You bastard!" She screamed. Her face turned red from anger. "Are you saying I'm just a chaotic mess of emotions?!"

"No, never!" James rose his hands and shook his head heavily. "I would never say something so awful! I merely implied it."

"Grahhh!" She ran forward and swung her swords at James. In her anger she even forgot to use mana to create fireballs. James easily dodged backwards and shot shadow threads at her feet. She tripped and fell to the stage. James rushed up and kicked her in the stomach like a football. She went flying off the stage.

"The winners are Adam and Yale!" The referee announced. James walked off stage to meet with a frowning Adam.

"Did you have to beat them that harshly?" Adam questioned. "They were just a couple of girls?"

"Adam!" James shook his head and put a hand on Adams shoulder. "How could I possibly hold back? It was two against one. They insulted my honor! Besides, I'm a feminist. I believe wholeheartedly in kicking everyone's ass equally!"

"You wouldn't have had to fight two against once if you were serious from the beginning!" Adam yelled in anger.

James made a serious face. He put both hands on Adam's shoulders and gazed into his eyes. "I did this for your own good Adam! This was the perfect training opportunity for you. If we're ever on the battlefield someday do you think the enemies will fight you in fair numbers? No! They won't! I know it may seem harsh, but I did this for you. I don't want my friends dying in front of me someday."

"Hmph!" Adam snorted. "As if we'll be sent to the battlefield. The war with the BlueWoods Kingdom has been going on for over a decade. There would have been a draft by now if it was ever going to escalate."

"You never know!" James smiled and let go of Adam's shoulders. "You improved your defense rapidly just now, right? We still won too. Isn't it a good result?"

Adam froze for a second before nodding. "True… Fine. I guess I'll forgive you this once. Don't do it again, idiot!" Adam huffed and turned around to leave. The next match wouldn't begin until tomorrow.

James stared at him as he left. 'I knew he was a tsundere!' He sighed to himself, 'Ah, I was serious about this training you though… The war is coming.' James looked at the sky with a sad face as he left the arena. The two moons were already rising in the sky and shining beautiful red and blueish-green light. 'How many friends will I lose in the war I wonder? Will I even survive? Master told me I'd be executed for treason if I revealed it…'

"Damn!" James gritted his teeth and started to run towards the dorm. He saw Adam pass through the mana barrier. James followed behind him and waited for him to enter the castle. 'I need a disguise that can't be linked back to me…' James opened the system display. He scrolled through the list of options in the disguise feature he unlocked when he became a 1st grade magus. 'This should work…' James chose his middle-aged gym coach from Earth. His appearance shifted to look like a fat man with brown hair and tan skin. He wore baggy shorts and a tight shirt that showed his fatty curves way more than anyone would want to see. 'Why are gym coaches always fat?' James thought to himself. 'No wonder we had an obesity epidemic in the US.'

James entered his castle and saw Adam sitting at the dining room table eating some snacks. By now Adam had started creating high-quality furniture for the castle. He used his high-pressure 2nd grade water spell to cut wood into the shapes he desired.

Adam turned around and saw the strange fat man before him. "Who are you?!" He stood up in panic and created a marble shield in his hand.

"Relax!" James spoke in a deep voice, "I'm just here to talk. I won't cause any trouble."

Adam frowned. "The only people who can get in here are students or professors with keys. Not even a 9th grade magus could break in so easily. Why should I trust you?"

"Fine, fine!" James laughed. "Don't trust me then. I'm going to say what I want and then I'll leave. The war is going to escalate soon. All magi and knights in the academies are going to get drafted. You should start preparing yourself as best as you can."

"That's ridiculous!" Adam frowned. "We've been at war for a long time. It makes no sense to escalate it now. The battlefield has basically become a training field for the young soldiers of each kingdom."

"I know." James nodded. "But I speak the truth. The draft should start in a few months at the earliest and a few years at the latest. I recommend you keep your eyes and ears open. You can even ask your master about it. However, if you reveal the draft to anyone then you might get executed. I suggest you think very carefully before asking your master or informing anyone else about it."

Adam stood silently in thought for a moment. "Why are you telling me this?" He questioned. "And what's with those ridiculous clothes?"

"I can't reveal that." James shook his head. "I've said what I needed. I'll be leaving now." James walked out of the castle and exited the mana barrier. Adam watched quietly the entire time.

James returned to the appearance of Yale Dusk. He waited for roughly an hour before reentering the dorm. Adam was sitting quietly at the table while deep in thought.

"What's up?" James smiled. "Why the serious face? Still mad at me about the tournament?"

"The tournament?!" Adam's eyes widened in surprise. He shook his head, "No. I was thinking about something else…" He looked at James with hesitation in his eyes. "I was thinking about something important. I need to talk with my master… I'll let you know about it once I've done so."

"Okay?" James feigned confusion. Then he headed to bed. Another round of training and the tournament awaited him tomorrow.