Remy sits in one of the changing rooms, holding onto his staff which was adorned by a flag on one side. The symbol of the Virtus Imperium hung, Remy looking at it with a smile on his face. A knock came to the door, Remy jumping back before seeing the door open. Veronica stepped inside, looking at Remy diligently before giving him a warming smile.
Veronica: You seem quite nervous.
Remy: Yeah, I guess I am. I'm up against someone from the Arachna. And I heard this guy is pretty strong, too.
Veronica: Indeed. From what I've read, Nupan is a truly dangerous individual. And his main weapon of choice is a jian sword.
Remy shivered, placing his staff at his side before grabbing onto the sides of his arms.
Remy: Man… I'm really going to get cut up badly… Moll would have shown me more mercy…
Veronica: Are you saying you'd rather have a definite loss than this chance at victory?
Remy: What do you mean?
Veronica: Despite being very dangerous, Nupan still has six losses to his name. He isn't invincible. So you have a shot at this.
Remy bit his lip before turning his head, looking at the staff that sat at his side. He reached out, grabbing it before spinning it in his hands then pointing it forward. Veronica looked on with a smile, bowing.
Veronica: It seems you've finally grown some confidence. It was a good thing the ring needed some time to have minor repairs.
Remy: Yeah, Cero and Ryan are strong… But I don't need to fight them today, so I think I'll be okay.
Veronica: Do you need your comfort sax again?
Remy: H-Hey! I may look worried, but I swear I'm okay.
Remy hopped off the bench, pointing a finger at Veronica with a visible blush on his face.
Remy: I'll s-show you! I'll win this for sure!
Remy ran out of the room, Veronica giggling to herself before pulling out a walkie-talkie from her pocket.
Veronica: I've motivated him as per your request, Mr. Muertojos.
Gonzalez: Thank you, Veronica. You have my thanks.
Gonzalez turned off the walkie-talkie, Abraham turning his head, the slits of his helmet facing Gonzalez.
Abraham: So you've sent the maid to motivate him.
Gonzalez: With how long the match had until it was about to start, I know Remy would've started doubting himself. So I did what I needed to to make him stand on his own.
Abraham: You are quite caring to your juniors.
Gonzalez: I wouldn't say I'm that caring. I just did what I needed to to make sure he's able to fight at a competent level.
Abraham: You know you're allowed to accept compliments, right?
Gonzalez's thoughts: That feels like a real break of character from him…
Gonzalez stared at the ring, noticing that a large tarp was placed over the crater that had been left in the wall. As for the damage in the ground, it was quickly filled with sand, with the workers compacting it as tight as possible. The one portion of the bleachers had been closed off, the audience originally sitting there having been moved to new seats.
Gonzalez's thoughts: Looks like some of these areas are going to get more compact.
Carrie: Guess who's here! I knew you two saved a seat for me.
Gonzalez: Hey Abraham, feel like laying down? We have this extra seat for it.
Abraham: What a kind offer, Gonzalez! But I must stay prepared for my match.
Carrie: Love ya too, Gonz.
Zachary walked towards the center of the ring, raising the mic to his mouth as the lights focused on him once more.
Zachary: Sorry for the delay folks! After that last match, the ring was in a bit of a tough spot, but thanks to the work of our amazing staff, we've put the ring back to a good enough state! So without further ado… LET'S MOVE ONTO THE FINAL MATCH OF BLOCK C!!!
The audience erupted in a cheer, the remaining fighters watching from wherever they were in the stadium. Mason leaned up from his bed, rubbing his head as he looked at the monitor.
Mason's thoughts: Cero left quite an impact. I wonder how these next fighters will be able to hold up.
Zachary: THE FIRST MAN TO REACH THE RING IS NO SLOUCH! HE'S BEEN A POPULAR NAME AMONG MEMBERS OF THIS ASSOCIATION FOR QUITE A WHILE, WITH EACH OF HIS MATCHES BRINGING IN PLENTY OF EYES! HIS SKILL WITH THE STAFF IS UNMATCHED AND HIS FACE IS MEMORABLE! STANDING AT 179 CENTIMETERS AND WEIGHING 86 KILOGRAMS, COMING IN WITH 28 WINS AND 3 LOSSES. PLEASE WELCOME "THE GEAR OF CHANGE" REMY JONESSSSSSS!!!!
Remy walked out into the ring, the audience cheering as they watched the flag wave in the air at the end of his staff. His worried look turned into a smile, walking up to Zachary while placing the opposite end of his staff on the ground.
Remy's thoughts: Don't get nervous, Remy. It's only a couple thousand to hundreds of thousands of people here… I hope I don't die.
Zachary: AND HIS OPPONENT IS THIS MAN! HE'S CONSIDERED ONE OF THE STRONGEST AMONG HIS RANKS! EACH OF HIS VICTORIES WERE OVERWHELMING AND THE NOTORIETY OF HIS SKILL IS NOTHING TO SCOFF AT! STANDING AT 186 CENTIMETERS AND WEIGHING IN AT 90 KILOGRAMS, COMING IN WITH 42 WINS AND 6 LOSSES. PLEASE WELCOME THE "RAGING EXECUTER" SHEN NUPAN!!!!
Remy looked towards the opposing entrance, Nupan walking forward with his head low. Nupan's gaze felt hollow as he walked into the ring. He dragged his sword along the floor, a clear look of disinterest visible on his face. The Arachna in Bodin's infirmary looked at the monitor in front of them.
Yussuf: Hey, is it me or is Nupan acting differently than usual?
Shun: I would love to answer, but my eyes are kind of messed up right now.
Yussuf: Oh, my bad.
Arthur's thoughts: This is just about the reaction I expected. A real shame too, since he was the most excited for this match.
Shun: C'mon, Arthur. That guy was your partner, right? What's your input on it?
Arthur: I don't know. He must be in a bad mood or something.
Yussuf: That sounds rare for Nupan.
Remy picks up his staff from the ground, awkwardly putting his hand out towards Nupan.
Remy: H-hey, man. Let's have a good match.
Nupan's gaze slightly picked up, looking at Remy before looking down at his hand.
Nupan: This isn't going to be fun in the slightest…
Remy's thoughts: Does he think I'm that small of a challenge? That his victory is as good as assured?
Zachary walked away from the fighters, walking back to the announcer table. He wore a puzzled look on his face, Zenzo quickly picking up on it.
Zenzo: Why the long face, Zach?
Zachary: First of all, I don't think we're close enough for that. Two, Nupan looks weird. He's usually pretty excited for fights. He even had a match like a week or so before the tournament and he looked the most thrilled he ever has. But now he's nothing but a downer.
Zenzo: Maybe he heard some bad news?
Standing at the back of Nupan's entrance, Dianshi pushed up his glasses, his gaze focused entirely on Nupan.
Dianshi: I'm sorry, little brother. But this is something of greater importance.