"…Ugh, it feels nauseating." I opened my eyes but my head hurt as if I got a hangover. Actually, its much more painful than that, lol.
My body felt comfortable as I laid on a white mattress with the beeping of the patient monitor beside me. I had a thin pipe going through my wrist supplying me with supplements or something like that. There was nothing else needed to wonder, I was in the medics room.
I tried to push my body above, to at least sit by the corner of the bed but my arms gave up first.
"Well, I can drag myself, no problem." I thought and wriggled my body like an earthworm and somehow managed to get to a comfortable position.
"The fuck are you doing?"
Oh, I wasn't alone was the first thought I had as I turned my head towards the voice my face all red from embarrassment.
"Oh what, its just you, red-mohawk…" I was a bit disappointed. He was also in the same position as me, though in a much better health.
Well, makes sense. Someone jumped their asses to raw electricity not once, not twice, a fucking maniac. Its a miracle that I am even alive right now.
"…" Taiga didn't say anything but just stared at me, "What was that, at the match? You look pathetic compared to that."
Why does he need to say everything rudely? I am not really compatible with him, that's for sure.
"Like I know. It just happened, I got vague memories of it, but nah, no idea."
"You mean, it just happened?!! Don't fuck around. You mean, I lost to someone like you." He looked annoyed but it is what it is.
"Huh? Lost? I didn't even hit you once. Still remember your ass face while you ran away from me. Don't try to act all big after all of this." I just stated the facts.
"Ugh…I didn't run away, it's just…you won't get it even if I told you. And I am not making any excuses either."
"Yeahhhh, sure." I wasn't much interested to the conversation as much as I was to the fight going in front of me. Surprisingly, they have a television here, that too, broadcasting the ongoing fights.
—That was a great fight young man—
Ouhh, the old man was really strong after all.
—WINNER OF THE SECOND BATTLE IS !!!AISAKA REN!!!—
"Someone else got lucky, huh" Taiga said while giving me a side-eye.
Why is he acting like a victim, when he's the one who ran away like a coward. I sometimes, can't understand human minds or he is just that dumb.
Regardless, I never expected the fight to get this serious. They really don't care if you die or live, huh? This place is much more twisted than I expected. Though, I still won't understand, why they chose a normal guy like me, together with these eccentrics.
"It won't be the same, next time. Just remember."
"You still on about th-" Ouhhhh?
"See, you can look human if needed." I said as I looked at him with all his hair, as he made a bun of it.
"Shut up, it's just too wet to stand properly, for now. I will fix it later." He said as he continued messing with his hair. He must really like them.
—Let's move forward—
"Ohh, it has begun, the third battle." Taiga said as we both looked at the television with curious eyes.
*
"Huh?? Jin-chan?" In the main hall, Rize was devastated as she looked at Jin's blood-ridden body in the broadcast.
"You lost? How come?" She wasn't sounding the usual. Well, of course, must be off her high horses now.
"It's a fight, it happens from time to time, don't panic, Rize." Amamiya said as he put his hand over her shoulder.
"Don't touch me!!!!" With a screeching sound and terrible vigor, Rize screamed and pushed his hand off.
Pin drop silence in the hall, no one said anything.
Amamiya shrugged as if he did what he should have and moved backward.
"Bingo! A super-rare gatcha!" In the silent hall, his voice echoed.
It was the pale boy, too immersed in his console to care about anything else, but he could feel the stares directed at him, all of a sudden.
It was Rize, her bloodlust was oozing out of her eyes.
"Ouhh, scary~~" He said as he matched her stare without any difficulty. It was as if, he couldn't care less about all of this stuff.
[THE SECOND BATTLE IS OVER AND THE PARTICIPANTS WILL BE TAKEN CARE OF BY THE MEDICS]
[UPDATING POINTS]
AISAKA REN - 110 EGO FRAGMENTS
JIN SHIGURE - 90 EGO FRAGMENTS
[THIRD BATTLE WILL COMMENCE NOW]
RIZE KUROGAMI | KAEDE ARASHIYA
YOU BOTH HAVE BEEN ASSIGNED THE ARENA "POND OF ENLIGHTMENT"
TRANSPORTATION BEGINS IN 3…2…1…
"A limited time event, sweet." Kaede said, still staring at his console.
"…" Rize didn't seem to say a word, her face looked intense.
[RULES FOR THIS FIGHT]
—THE POND OF ENLIGHTMENT - A VAST FROZEN POND UNDER THE PALE, COLD MOON. THE SURFACE IS FRAGILE, TOO MUCH FORCE OR IMBALANCE WILL BREAK IT. FALLING IN THE WATER BELOW MEANS CERTAIN DOOM. BALANCE IS THE KEY HERE
—LAST ONE STANDING WINS THE MATCH.
—THE LOSER WILL BE SENT BACK TO THE WAITING LIST AND THE WINNER WILL MOVE TO THE NEXT ROUND.
—THE LOSER WILL BE GIVING UP SOME PORTION OF THEIR EGO FRAGMENT ABSORBED BY THE WINNER.
-ANY WEAPONS ARE PROHIBITED. ANY SUCH ACTION ATTEMPTED WILL RESULT IN SEVERE PUNISHMENT.
[BEGIN]
The icy pond seemed never-ending under the pale moon, its surface glimmering and fragile. This was the Pond of Enlightenment, where balance was key. One wrong move could lead to disaster, as the darkness below was not just water but a deadly trap for those who couldn't keep their footing.
Rize knocked the thin sheet of ice lightly with her foot to get the grasp of its thickness.
Her sharp eyes scanned the surroundings before locking onto Kaede, who stood lazily at the edge of the pond, hands stuffed in his jacket pockets. He yawned, barely acknowledging her presence.
"Well, let's get this over with. I need to get my console back too, what a pain." He said.
"This isn't some RPG where you can just reload after you lose. Stop acting so nonchalant." Rize said in a serious tone.
"Reloading's boring. Besides," he said, his voice low, "you'll lose long before I'd even need to try."
Rize's lips twisted into a smirk, but her eyes was filled with malice. She assumed her stance, arms flowing into the smooth, circular movements. Her every motion seemed effortless, but the ice beneath her creaked dangerously, a reminder to her.
"Alright, let's get this over with," Kaede muttered.
"Tai Chi…" Amamiya said as he looked at her stance, from the broadcast, "So she wasn't all talk, after all. Interesting."
Rize wasted no time, launching herself at Kaede in a blur of motion. Tai Chi wasn't about brute force; it was about control. She aimed to destabilize him, to make him fall before the fight even started.
Kaede barely avoided her first attack, his movements slow but precise. Her open palm swept inches past his face, and he let out a low sigh. "Close one," he said.
Rize's smirk widened. "Let's see how long that lasts."
Her next strike came faster, her palm arcing towards his chest. Kaede barely deflected it again with a swipe of his hand, his body swaying just enough to avoid the force of her attack. The ice beneath them cracked faintly, but neither of them flinched.
"You're predictable," Kaede said, his voice calm but with a hint of dismay. "All this flowy hand stuff? It's just math. Angles and vectors. You're not as special as you think."
She spun, her leg sweeping low in a wide arc. The force of her movement sent cracks across the ice, Kaede jumped but the impact grazed his leg a bit.
"What about the angles and vectors, again?" Rize changed the lane, "get off your horses" she said.
Kaede looked at the slight scratch on his leg, and there was a sight change to his expression, a disdain on the face, "You are gonna have to do better than that." he said, as he finally looked her in the eyes.