Preliminary Rounds

'I was beginning to wonder if you were going to make it,' Fire conveyed the thought through [The Other's Voice] as soon as she covertly placed it around her ear. 

'I was having some quality time with Honey. I am sorry I am late.' Bee situated herself next to her teammate. 

The pair had breezed through the preliminary round-robin and secured their spot in the elimination rounds. So today, the pair had come to watch those who were still vying for a spot in the next stage. Bee and Fire hoped to gather some intelligence about potential opponents. 

Within the tournament arenas, there was a seating area for non-competing contestants who wanted to be immersed in the action. 

It was one thing to watch the matches on a screen. It was quite another to be in the action, making real-time observations, and hearing the comments of fellow duelists. 

'Are you sure you want to be seen here?' Fire pursed her lips. Already those around them were beginning to whisper about her presence. 

'Absolutely. I don't mind making them a little unsettled. I don't even have to use my ability to influence their confidence.' Bee smiled beneath the Fraudulent Facade. 

If people were disturbed simply by her presence, then any future battle against them was already half-won. 

'Fair enough.' As long as Queen Bee was not bothered by the stares, Fireshing would do her best to ignore them as well. Eventually, those around them settled and turned back to the ongoing battle in the arena. 

This year the Dreamscape Tournament was hosted by the House of Night. Since the elusive clan rose to the challenge, the tournament was even more of a spectacle than usual. 

And all water-themed. 

This dream had a deserted island in the middle. Sand covered the floor with palm trees dotting the landscape. Around the perimeter, massive hot air balloons held groups of spectators, giving them a bird's eye view of the water below and the island paradise. 

Fire and Bee were seated in the oversized basket of a red and blue balloon.

It was one of the few times Bee could sit in the stands without her flaw activating. That was an extra special treat! Relaxing against the bench, the Queen looked down and took in the scene below.

Just now the two groups were each down to their final duelist. The battle was nearly over. Bee tilted her head, very confused by what she saw. 

One of the fighters was clearly hiding from the other. A curly-headed young man with dark glasses ducked out of sight.

Although Bee could no longer see him, she felt the fear radiating from him. 

'What in the world?' Queen Bee let her thoughts leak through the Memory to her friend. 

'Decoy is excellent at evasion. That is why he has lasted longer than any of his teammates.' Fire filled in the details. 

The second duelist in the arena was just as curious as the first. He had transformed into a creature that looked just like the long-extinct hippo from before the dark ages. 

'Awww so cute!' Bee wanted to pet the large round creature. 

That is until she remembered that the hippopotamus was historically one of the most dangerous animals on earth.

With a grunt, the massive hippo rammed one of the palm trees. The wood splintered like it was made of toothpicks, revealing Decoy behind. 

The other duelist reared back on two legs before stomping the handsome young man. His visage shattered like glass onto the sand. 

'Oh...that's got to hurt...' Fire winced. 

Bee tucked her hair behind her ear and listened closely. Something wasn't right. 

'They didn't announce a winner.' 

The Hippo realized it about the same time and released a guttural growl. Sniffing at the air, he caught the scent of his target and went barreling through the underbrush. 

A few moments later, Decoy came running from the bushes, but not fast enough. 

This time, he became a pancake for real. 

"Decoy has been eliminated." The voice of the Dreamscape announced triumphantly. "The Invisi-Bulls have been defeated. The Social Hippos have won!"

The entire stadium erupted in applause. 

'That was quite a match-up,' Fire leaned back in her seat and tilted her head toward the sky. 'Do you think we will be seeing either of them in the future?' 

'Time will tell,' Bee responded noncommittally. 'But if we do, I have a plan or two that I want to try.' 

They were unable to discuss the issue right further as the next groups were already entering the ring.

As the Island self-healed, the challengers faced off anxiously. 

One group was made up of a mish-mash of seven Awakened of varying abilities. From the looks of them and their poor formation, they probably had joined as part of the pot-luck system.

Duelists who were immediately eliminated from the individual round could put their name in a lottery to try their luck in the group competition. 

Seven were chosen to compete together by random drawing. Bee was pretty sure this was that group. 

The second group was the opposite of the first. All seven individuals were similarly dressed all the way to their strange hats with furry ears. 

In fact, each fighter looked identical except for one different key feature.

For example, one had a mustache and another a beard. One even had bushy eyebrows covering the bulk of his forehead. But fundamentally, they looked indistinguishable from one another.

And was Noble seeing things, or did they all have the same name?

'Are they related or are they clones? Wait, can one person copying themself be considered a group?' Fireshing seemed amused by the sight. 'They look like a cat army.'

Bee nodded. 'Let's see if they fight like one.' 

"The Misfits have challenged the Rexnars." 

The battle for the island began. 

Without any clear leader, the misfits spread out to try to stand their ground. Each one of them was a decent fighter on their own, but the lack of coordination showed almost immediately. 

"Rexnars, attack!" One of the Rexnars called. He seemed to be the one without any added features. 

At his command, all six others surged forward, looking like a hundred figures instead of a half dozen. The Misfits did not know what hit them. Attacks came from all sides and angles. 

"Beautiful Dreamer has been eliminated." 

Unable to stand the onslaught, one of the misfits broke off from the others. That was a mistake. 

"Phantom Menace has been eliminated." 

At that point, any semblance of teamwork broke apart. The Rexnars were just too strong. The only shot that the Misfits landed was on the Rexnar Prime.

Their leader saluted and wished them well before disappearing from the field. His absence only made the others more resolute. The group seemed to share the same brain. 

"Rexnars, unite!" 

The battle continued until…

"WhatHaveIDoneWithMyLife has been eliminated. The Misfits are defeated. The Rexnars have won!" The Dreamscape seemed slightly stunned. 

The spectators were too. But soon the chant "Rexnars, unite" was being sung by the crowd.

'That was a catastrophe for the Misfits,' Fire noted with an inward chuckle. 

'They did seem a little hiss-terical,' Bee added with amusement. 

'It's un-fur-tunate, for sure.' The fiery awakened nodded seriously. 'Do you think they will be able to get their claws in us?' 

'It's paws-ible," Bee touched the side of her nose, 'but I'm feline good about it...' 

As the ladies continued their feral humor, the tournament moved on.