Party Tournament

The day of Princess Drascels Sonia's birthday has arrived. But it's not only her celebration; it's also a celebration of the peace between the Dragon Region and the Snake Islands. Heroes Akira and Gamble are just getting ready to leave, but...

"I didn't notice this before" says Akira sadly. 

Irritated Gamble speaks after a moment of silence, 

"Put on your clothes we'll go to the shoemaker." Akira's pants have a tear from the back all the way down the leg. Akira and Gamble went to the shoemaker by themselves. 

Or rather, to the shop that Gamble visited before the mission with Kaido and Kazoto. 

"Hey Zan!" Akira calls as he barely opens the door. 

"Haha, it's my favorite troublemaker. You've grown" Zan says from behind the counter setting down a box. 

"And you haven't forgotten about me?" says Gamble. Zan shrugs and after a moment asks, 

"What, are you two on a date?" Gamble immediately responds, 

"No. Never. Not even for unlimited power. Not even for the limited-edition poker cards they only released one pack of. NO. I don't want to be sentenced to death." Zan laughs for a moment and replies, 

"Sorry. Haven't they lifted the ban on same-gender relationships yet?" Akira shakes his head no and Zan shrugs again and then asks, 

"What do you need?" Gamble places Akira's pants on the counter and says 

"Can you fix these?" Zan examines the pants and says 

"Give me three minutes" and then takes the pants to the back. After three minutes, Zan comes out with the pants looking like new. 

"Two coppers," Zan says finishing up the cleaning in the box. Akira and Gamble thank him, pay and leave. 

"Last one to the castle is gay," says Akira. 

"Stop. We're not kids anymore to play such games-" 

"START!" And with that, their walk turns into a race. On the stairs to the castle Kazoto, Kaen, Kaido, and the rest are already waiting. As Kazoto is fixing his hair, he hears Akira and Gamble's shouts from behind. When they arrive Gamble stops without any problem, but Akira trips and almost falls on Kaen who jumps aside and Akira falls on Aki. Quickly getting up he apologizes and offers a hand to help. Amidst the laughter, everyone enters the castle's main hall. 

"It's so big," says Kaen, just as Kazoto trips over a shoe. 

"Seriously...?" He mutters under his breath and then stands up, dusting himself off. Akira picks up the shoe and says, 

"A damaged shoe here?" After a moment, the lights go out and King Octan Drascels XV steps out at the end of the hall. After capturing the attention of everyone present, he begins his speech. 

"Welcome, residents of Drascels and the kingdom of Yilanmura. Today we celebrate my daughter Sonia's 20th birthday, and the millennium of peace between our kingdoms. There are also smaller events such as the battle tournament and the christening of my second daughter Sara. I hope everyone will have fun today." As he leaves behind the curtain the lights come on and calm music starts playing. 

"What's the point of this..." says Gamble sitting at the table. After a moment, he notices fried buns on the table and quickly grabs one, saying 

"Maybe there is a point." 

"So what do we do?" asks Kaen. Kazoto immediately replies, 

"What do you think? We wait for the tournament," he says, hitting Kaen's palm with his fist. Kaen does the same, and Kazoto stops his fist with an open hand. The boys get caught up in their 

"game" while Aki, Elarina, and Kaido go to get drinks. 

"Well, who do we have here..." says a male voice behind Aki. She turns around in fear and says, 

"What do you want from me?" 

The man replies, 

"Kaal and Sol said you are not welcome here. Otherwise, father will be angry." Aki grabs the drinks from the table, and they leave without a word. Kaido says to Aki, 

"I could have hit him." Aki chuckles under her breath and says, 

"Then we'd be the bad ones." After 30 minutes, Akira swinging in his chair, says 

"Do you think this tournament will be any fun?". Gamble drinking his drink, replies 

"Maybe. There are definitely warriors here from the Snake Country." To which Akira sitting normally asks, 

"Why is it called the Snake Country?" Gamble finishing his drink answers, 

"Because in the middle of the country are the Snake Islands. Wherever you step, you'll tread on a snake." Akira shudders then lays his head on the table watching people dance and talk. Akira notices the Axe and Bow Heroines, Seraphina and Elara approaching them. 

"Who invited you here?" asks Seraphina. Gamble, signaling the waiter for another drink replies, 

"The same person who invited Akira." Akira after a moment says, 

"And Elara finally did her hair, huh?" Elara starts to blush and replies, 

"You have to look good at a party." Out of the corner of his eye Akira notices Princess Sara walking towards them. Slightly scared he kicks Gamble in the shin upon seeing who is coming spits out his entire drink. 

"I need to go check on Kaido. Please excuse me" he says, standing up and quickly heading towards Kaido and the rest of the kids. 

"Are you adopting a family or what?" Akira replies coldly, 

"Our students. Got a problem?" Sara gets irritated and Akira goes back to swinging in his chair. 

"Alright girls. Let's not waste time with these runts. Let's go have fun," says Sara. The girls walk away, and Sara looks back over her shoulder at Akira who stares at her with a terrifyingly cold gaze. After a moment the music stops playing and the king steps onto the stage again and speaks, 

"Dear guests, I would like to introduce my daughter Sonia." A young woman dressed in an elegant gown with a tiara on her head steps out from behind the curtain.

When Soni spots Akira and Gamble, she jumps off the stage and runs towards them. Akira is scared, and Gamble is surprised. 

"I guess we can go back to partying. Anyone who wants to give their wishes feel free," says the equally surprised king. The music returns, and Sonia says to Akira and Gamble, 

"You really came!" Akira immediately shouts, 

"HOW CAN YOU RUN IN HEELS!?" to which Soni replies, 

"I learned." Akira terrified hides behind Hana who asks, 

"Do you know my brother and Gamble?" to which Sonia answers, 

"Yes, we used to play a lot in the park." Gamble thinks for a moment, and Akira says, 

"I don't admit to that." After a while, Kazoto and Kaen approach. Kaen notices the princess and bows, offering his wishes. Kazoto greets her normally, also offering his wishes. 

"I remember. You're the one who had the fourth-highest score in school." Akira thinks for a moment and says, 

"You might be right." Aki butting in says, 

"I remember you too," to which Soni responds happily, 

"You came too?! I'm glad the letters got through." Elarina interrupts, saying, 

"But there was a letter inviting Akira and Gamble. So what letters ?" Sonia confused asks, 

"But I sent invitations to the Sunfire house." Aki replies sadly, 

"If it was sent to me, it's probably burned." Soni apologizes and then walks away saying, 

"Alright I'm going to my family so it doesn't look bad. See you at the tournament." After a moment, Kazoto says, 

"Strange girl. She doesn't act like her status" to which Kaen nods in agreement, and Gamble sighs. After a moment, a girl bumps into Akira, spilling drinks on him. 

"Oh, sorry, I wasn't looking straight," says the girl, placing the glasses on the table. Akira wipes himself off and, when he sees the girl's face, says, 

"Don't we know each other?" The girl, confused, says, 

"No... I don't think so..." to which Gamble blushes and says, 

"Yeah, maybe..." Elarina notices Gamble blushing and asks, 

"Can we know your name?" to which the girl replies, 

"I'm Aria." Gamble blushes even more and Kaido asks, 

"Is everything alright?" to which Gamble replies, 

"Y-yeah. It's fine." Akira, after drying himself with magic, looks at the girl and says, 

"Who would have thought that Aria, the Master of the Eighteenth Fist, would be here." Aria still doesn't recognize the boys and Kaen asks, "Eighteenth Fist?" Kazoto answers 

"A master of hand-to-hand combat who defeated eighteen warriors at once. It's a local tournament here." Aria suddenly remembers and says, 

"Now I remember. Akira the Pancake Slayer and Gamble the Golden Card." Gamble, embarrassed, says, 

"Did you have to say that so loudly?" Suddenly, the king steps onto the stage, announcing the start of the tournament and inviting those who wish to participate to the changing rooms where the waiters will lead them, and those who want to watch are invited to join him. 

"Alright I'm going. Good luck in the tournament," says Aria then runs after the staff to the changing rooms. 

"Who wants to participate?" asks Gamble. Kazoto, Kaen, and Elarina raise their hands. 

"What about you Kaido?" asks Gamble, to which Kaido replies, 

"I'll pass today. I ate too much." Gamble smiles and shrugs. Aki takes Elarina, Kaido, and Hana to the stands while the rest go to the changing rooms. A waiter in front of the changing room says to the participants, 

"Each of you will draw a number from 1 to 100. These numbers correspond to lockers where you will find battle outfits to avoid damaging your own clothes. The number drawn will also be your registration number on your shirt. Good luck." Everyone begins to draw their numbers and enters the changing rooms. Akira draws number 23. Entering the changing room, he looks for locker 23. When he finds it, he looks around for a changing room and finds a note on it that says, 

"For Women Only," to which Akira mutters under his breath, 

"Sexism." Gamble draws number 77. Kazoto draws number 91, Kaen has number 27, and Elarina 68. When all the participants have changed, they head to the giant arena under the castle. When they line up, a board appears on the wall in front of them. The king, upon reaching his place, says, 

"Ladies and gentlemen, the decennial tournament of the two kingdoms is about to begin. There are 100 volunteers vying for the title of champion, but only one will win. The tournament is divided into a battle royal and a knockout tournament. To advance to the second stage, 16 must remain from the 100, plus one with the 'wolf ticket' which must be drawn. So, 15 must remain after the battle royal. To win, you must knock out your opponent. Using lethal magic and concealed weapons is prohibited. I wish you luck... START!" With these words, everyone begins attacking each other. Akira and Gamble leap away from the commotion. 

"I like this" says Akira.

Then he ignites his fists. Gamble, adjusting his hair to the left side, says, 

"Maybe now we'll have a chance to test this properly" as he activates the seraume in his left eye. The fights continue, and no one has been knocked out yet. Kazoto and Kaen are fighting side by side while Elarina stays on the sidelines. 

"If I only attack those who attack me I'll save a lot of energy," Elarina thinks then notices a man casting a spell, 

"Thunder Shuriken," and firing three shurikens at her. Elarina skillfully dodges the threat and kicks the man in the neck, knocking him out. Akira sees Elarina's fight and says, 

"When did she learn to control her strength like that?" 

"When you were sleeping," replies Gamble, pushing away an enemy. In the stands, Aki watches the fights and notices her brothers, who are not fighting but laughing in her direction. 

"I could have fought after all," says Kaido, noticing them. 

"Who are they?" asks Hana, to which Aki responds, 

"No one important."

Back in the arena, Kazoto and Kaen have been separated. Kazoto disqualifies two men, then narrowly avoids a fire beam shot by Kaen. Suddenly, the sound of a gong is heard, and the king says, 

"Congratulations. sixteen fighters will now remain on the arena while the rest are taken away and healed. You have a 20-minute break. You may go to the stands to speak with your loved ones." After this announcement, Kazoto Kaen and Elarina smile at each other while Akira, disappointed asks, 

"Already? That's a bummer," to which Gamble nudges him in the arm saying, 

"Looking at the remaining sixteen, it could be fun," noticing Aria and Soni wiping sweat from their faces as well as a few hulks and most importantly, the Axe and Bow Heroines. Akira and Gamble smile at each other and run off to rest. 

"So, the ones we were told to eliminate remain?" says a mysterious man to a bird. From the bird's open beak comes a slightly distorted male voice saying, 

"Yes. Watch them closely." After these words the bird flies away, and the man says to himself 

"I'll keep an eye on them. Especially those brats, Kazoto and... and..." thinking for a moment, he shrugs and adds, 

"the fox."

In the changing room, the atmosphere is tense. 

"Who do you think poses the greatest threat to us?" asks Elarina to Kaen who immediately replies, 

"Definitely the heroes. And those three," pointing to three men standing at the end of the room.

"That one didn't participate in the battle royal," Kazoto notes. 

"He must have drawn the wolf card" Kaen responds. 

"The break is over, so I would like to announce a change in the rules. To win, you must throw your opponent out of the ring," says the king. After these words, the center of the arena rises by two heads. 

"And the second change is that all spells are allowed. The winner will get the privilege of taking one of my daughters on a date or 3 million gold coins." Cheers erupt from the crowd. 

"So, the first match is... Kazoto Arashi versus Mio Shinoo. Fighters, please proceed to the arena in five minutes," the announcer declares. Akira sighs and says, 

"I thought I would fight first." Gamble laughs, and they head to the fighters stands.

After five minutes, Kazoto and the unfamiliar Mio enter the ring. 

"So, the Unification Festival tournament opens with a match between young Kazoto and the slightly older Mio" the referee announces as he enters the ring. Kazoto bows then removes the bandage from his scar and ties it around his forehead, lifting his hair a bit. 

"You have 20 minutes... Begin!" shouts the referee, jumping to the edge of the ring. Mio assumes a fighting stance, and Kazoto activates his Raigan. Kazoto charges at Mio and attacks with a direct kick. Mio blocks the attack and immediately counters, which is barely blocked. Kazoto jumps back and casts a spell, 

"Let Zeus lend me his blades. Thunder Shuriken" forming three shurikens in each hand and throwing them at Mio. She blocks with an earth wall and then sends the wall towards Kazoto. He stands up and jumps over the wall, landing only to receive a kick from Mio, almost falling out of the ring but stopping himself with lightning blades.

"Alright enough playing around" he says, suddenly opening his eye, releasing a powerful electric charge that strikes Mio and pushes her out of the ring. 

"The match ends with a victory for Kazoto Arashi!" shouts the referee. Shortly after, a scoreboard with the fighters names appears on one of the arena walls. 

"Why is everything written in Dragon Language?" Kaen says angrily. Akira surprised asks, 

"You don't know it?" Kaen blushes, and Akira laughs saying, 

"You should have told me, I could have taught you." He continues laughing but is interrupted by Seraphina. 

"Did you steal someone's children or are you playing nanny?" Akira responds coldly, 

"Go to your place. You're just a nuisance here." Meanwhile, the referee announces the next round, Akio versus Sonia. The fight barely begins and Sonia uses wind magic to push Akio out of the ring. Akira, surprised by the speed of the round, starts ignoring the heroines. Seraphina, annoyed by the ignorance, walks away and Akira takes out a notepad and pen. 

"Where did you get that?" Gamble asks. 

"I took it from the locker room" Akira laughs and goes back to watching the fights while teaching Kaen the Dragon Language.

"And now we begin the second block of matches! The fighters are Kaen Hokooya and Aria Sonson." Gamble blushes slightly, and Akira says to Kaen, placing his hand on his shoulder, 

"At least try... You were a good soldier," then salutes as Kaen walks away. When Kaen enters the ring, he sees Aria with a deadly serious expression. Kaen glances at the stands where Kaido, Hana and Aki are sitting, then slaps himself twice to get fired up for the fight. 

"The match between young Kaen and almost-champion of the last tournament Aria, begins... NOW!" the referee jumps back as Kaen creates flames around himself. Aria runs towards Kaen, who draws a sword from the surrounding flames and says, 

"First technique of the new flames: Flammable Meadow." The stands erupt in boos because Kaen has a weapon. The king silences everyone saying, 

"There was no rule against summoning weapons." Meanwhile, flowers appear in the ring, and Kaen immediately launches an attack. Aria defends herself perfectly, and when she has a chance to counterattack, Kaen sends her up with a column of flames from under her feet. When the flames disappear, so do the flowers. 

"Cold flames," Aria thinks, then slows her descent with wind magic. Kaen tries to strike Aria, but she blocks and immediately pushes Kaen back with wind, destroying the flowers on the ground. She then uses earth magic to break the sword, which is the source of the technique, and the flowers vanish. But instead of disappearing, the sword explodes into flames that reach Aria, and Kaen uses this moment to push Aria with wind, but she does it first, and Kaen lands outside the ring. 

"The winner is Aria Sonson!" shouts the referee as Aria steps down to Kaen, who is brushing himself off.

"You fought well for someone so young," Aria says helping him up. Kaen smiles and responds, 

"That's because I have a good master," bowing before heading to the locker room. While changing, he notices a note that reads, 

"A letter for Akira Izumi. Please deliver it." After he sits down next to Kaido and Hana, he says, 

"A letter for Akira."

"You probably won't get it to him quickly," Kaido comments just as the referee announces the next match. 

"And now, Akira Izumi versus Maro Sunfire! Fighters, please proceed to the ring." Aki looks slightly frightened as the fighters enter the ring. Akira recognizes Maro as the boy who had previously told Aki to stay away from the party when they were moving. Akira's expression immediately changes to one of cold, frightening intensity as Maro begins to laugh and taunt him, 

"I thought Aki would be here so I could give her a beating—"

The referee starts the match, and Akira instantly punches Maro with all his strength in the face, sending him crashing into the arena wall and the scoreboard, which disappears upon impact. Maro faints, embedded in the wall.