Arun opened his eyes some time after fainting in the arena, and realized he was no longer in it at all. The young man straightened up suddenly, looking around him. They had lost ?
He had been lying in a bed, or at least something like that, made of a plank of wood and two blocks of stone that held it a little above the ground. After all, if it was still the lodges in which he had arrived with Shuu, it was quite normal that they had no bed available.
Beside him, a second makeshift bed had been erected, and above it was his sleeping partner. Arun moved his arms carefully, but all the pain seemed to be gone magically again, just like when they were taken to the arena. Medical care was really more advanced in the world of pets than in his...
However, he no longer felt the sensation he had after the announcement of Mili, when his body had become light as the wind, and his sight as sharp as that of a meerkat. He could not hear Mili either, the little cat probably could not talk to him when he was in the world of pets.
It was at this moment that the meerkat opened its eyes, probably awakened by the creaking of Arun's bedboard when he tried to get up.
"I'm sorry, I didn't want to wake you up !" The young man apologized with an embarrassed smile. He was dying to know the outcome of their match since he had not had the chance to see the end, having fainted before. But he did not want to rush his friend either so he held back in silence.
"Arun..." the boy started with an enigmatic expression. They probably did not win... Against such monsters, it would have been a miracle.
"We did it ! We won against Rusheb and Toma !" Shuu said with a big smile. Little by little, Arun began to smile too before taking his friend in his arms.
"It's not possible, you've done it alone against Rusheb ? But how did you do it ? You're a monster too, aren't you ?"
"No, actually I just used the weight of the egg against him... We were lucky to have fallen on this rule !" Th meerkat justified with a modest air.
"Oh, I should have thought about it... We weren't lucky, it's thanks to our abilities that we won !" Arun pulled away and gave Shuu a big smile. He had trusted him, and it had worked.
"Yo the winners !" Kast entered in the room greeting the two teammates with his hand, followed by Miraj who seemed as happy to have seen them win.
"It was pretty amazing to see. We thought you had been crushed and it would be over, but you got up and you went to explode these two morons. What kind of force has awakened in you ? It was totally different from the first fight." Said Miraj crossing her arms, staring at the human and the meerkat.
"Especially for you, Shuu ! You had a two-meter monster in front of you that even I didn't manage to flinch, and you crushed it without problems ! It was a great idea to use the egg to your advantage!" The red squirrel congratulated. Shuu smiled, a little embarrassed. He did not deserve so many compliments.
"It's thanks to Arun that I got there... Without him, I would have given up more than once, so he's the one to congratulate."
"You're a great team, and I can't wait to face you in the final !" Kast started enthusiastically. Once again, he was firing up, and Miraj calmed him by pinching his ear.
"That's only if we also win against our opponents. I remind you that we're dealing with a guy even bigger than Rusheb and a strange woman who must surely hide things too. I don't think it's going to be as simple as we think, so we'd better find a plan because the game will be starting soon. " The woman recalled with a sigh. She was worried because she did not know anything about their opponents.
"The man is a great white shark, I have no doubts about it. And given his size, he may have considerable strength, maybe even he alone can beat you two if you try to attack him head-on" Arun did not know much about Jigô or Ornella's abilities, but he could at least use his vet knowledge to give some advice to the two squirrels.
"And for the woman, she's a wolf, but she doesn't look very fierce... She has to have other assets, so you better stay alert."
"Did you understand Kast ? You're not going crazy, otherwise we're going to be fooled." Miraj glared at the squirrel, who contented himself with acquiescing obediently, feeling that at the slightest word he was likely to take a well-placed blow.
"We'll encourage you from the public ! If Arun and I were able to win against Rusheb and Toma, then you who are much stronger will also get there !" Shuu encouraged them with a smile. If the final was between their two teams, it would be a tough fight, but a fun one.
"And if we're against you in the final, we won't hold back ! You're warned !" Kast replied, who was impatient to fight. He had already been waiting for his turn for half an hour, as the first match had been prolonged.
"The next match will start in five minutes ! Please take back your seats." Announced the presenter in all the speakers.
"Come on, it's time to eat sushi." Kast left the room first, followed by Miraj, who had a jaded look on her face.
"Haa, I don't know how I do to support him that long. Believe me, you don't want to have him on your team." She mocked gently before following her partner with a friendly nod to Arun and Shuu. They had to leave to take place in the public, where reserved places awaited them.
"We have to use this game to keep a close eye on them. It will help us to know what they are capable of in the final, regardless of the winning team." Said Arun to the boy. Both had returned to a more than serious state. They had managed the impossible, so they would put all the chances on their side to win the Meerkat Show.