After what felt like hours, it seemed Axel's screams and cries were heard by Dan, who slowed the boat, allowing Axel to catch up. Dan couldn't help but laugh at the boy when Axel threw himself to the ship. "Damn, you kids really are something else. You kept up with the boat for two hours and didn't even stop for a breath? Do you even know how fast this thing is?" Dan questioned.
Axel simply shook his head. Removing his shirt and wringing it out, trying to dry it off as best as he could. "And you're not even out of breath! Well, this baby clocks in at about 417 miles per hour, and you kept up like it was nothing."
Axel shrugged at Dan's praise. It wasn't unnatural; at least, he didn't think so. He had been training since he was just a kid, after all. "Eh, I just don't like being wet. I could've been to the island in about 5 minutes if I wanted to. But we have to be taken by an administrator such as yourself. It's a formality."
Dan was blown away by the kid's ego and bragging. Or was it not bragging? What if he was serious? They were still about two hours out from the island. He was essentially saying he was over forty-eight times faster than the boat. Which is ridiculous. The kid had to be bluffing. "So, kid, you seem pretty full of yourself. As I said, we got two hours to go, so tell me a bit about yourself. What makes you think you'll win this?"
Axel, excited to talk about himself, brightened up. Even more so now that he was nearly dry. "Well, it's simple. I carry the mark of Nergal. So when I concentrate and call upon his name, I'm donned in armor that strengthens me a hundredfold. Faster, stronger, more agile. It also has kickass skulls that predict addicts and warn me of them. Then there's a barrier that prevents attacks from getting too close once recognized. I'm basically the unstoppable force, and they immovable object all in one."
Dan couldn't help but laugh at the boy for such a claim. The unstoppable force and the immovable object? What a joke. "Okay, kid, just how much do you know about the journey to tournament island?"
Axel was confused by such a sudden question and was annoyed at constantly being called a kid. "Why does that matter? Just take me there already so I can win"
Dan just smiled at the boy and pulled a lever. This caused the boat to start flattening out and expanding until it was the size of a standard small arena. "Sounds like you don't know enough. My job as an admin is not just transporting you there and keeping an eye on the fights. But to make sure all contestants are ready. Unfortunately, your Dad requested me specifically. I'm known for having the harshest test." The wind began to pick up around them, blowing Axel's hair into his eyes and causing Dan's Tie to break loose from his suit and flutter.
"So what, Old man? Are you gonna fight me or something? I have a thing against beating up the elderly, but if you insist."
Axel rushed towards Dan with no further words and seemingly disappeared with blinding speed, appearing behind Dad. Ready to throw a punch, but before his fist could make contact, Axel felt his feet leave the ground. The next thing he knew, he had fallen into the water.
When he submerged, he was greeted by Dan laughing at him. "Oh, come on, boy, I thought you would beat everyone in the tournament, but you can't even beat one old man."
Axel, quick to anger as he always had been, was fuming. The ocean beginning to bubble around both him and Dan. "Oh, was I supposed to be trying"
He submerged himself in the water, diving deep before resurfacing in an instant, a wave of water rising and obscuring Dan's vision. Before reacting, he felt a presence appear behind him, grab him by the back of the neck and slam him through the boat and into the water. When Dan looked back up to see Axel, he smiled. Seeing the kid's armor was now on.
He slowly swam back up to meet with Axel and laughed. "You know, I said this would be hard, but maybe I'm just getting old. You pass"
Axel was confused, and his armor slowly faded away. Did Dan just say he passed? Just by landing one blow? But Dan didn't even have a scratch on him. Axel was confused and intrigued by how strong Dan might actually be, but with nothing to push his luck and accept his victory, he quickly moved on with a smile, "So we can finally get to tournament island, right?" Axel questioned, wanting to just get this whole journey over with
Dan stared at Axel for a moment before bursting out laughing. "Yeah… about that, there's a hole in the boat."
Axel's smile, plastered on his face, slowly faded as he realized what he had done. "ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS?!"