Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Magi Masuku ❯ First Round ( Chapter 5 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

First Round:

Room 13 Struggles!

Author's Notes: Okay, I'm working on three fan fics at once. Gonna be a little difficult. If anything's going to have to go on hiatus, it'll have to be this `un, no matter how much I don't want to. Well, please read and review; I'll try to make this a little more exciting. Note: it'll also be a bit longer, too.

“Please step up and pick lots.” The man said to the group of people gathered around him. He held in front of him a small box with a hole on top of it. “I'll call you up in random order. First up, uh… Macabre Box.”

Macabre Box wore a black, buckled leather suit and a cardboard box on his head with eye-holes. He was sitting completely still, not even moving. “Okay…” the man said.

“Uh… fine, then—.” “I'll go first.” Soushiki interrupted with a sigh. He got up, walked to the box, and pulled out a piece of paper. He read it and shrugged. “5.”

“Me next.” Chancy 7 said as he stood up. 7 wore a cowboy hat, a fairly cowboy-looking shirt, and cowboy boots. He had the number 777 tattooed on his forehead and… his Familiar was a moose. He reached into the box, and smiled. “My lucky number; 7…” he thought. “Yeah, I'm definitely going to be entrant number 7; no doubt!”

He pulled out a piece of paper… and all his dreams were crushed. “13…” he said, not willing to believe it. “This… is the worst…”

“My turn!” Escarabjo said as he ran up to the box, reached in, and pulled out a piece of paper. “Hmm… I'm number 7.” He said. Chancy 7 was almost crying.

“IT'S MY TURN!” Taras yelled, just to get on everyone's nerves. He reached into the box and pulled out a piece of paper. He grinned, forgetting all about yelling to anger people. “Number 6…” he said with thoughts of revenge against Soushiki.

“Okay, me next.” Ohmio said as he pulled his piece of paper out. “Oh, great… I'm 16… dead last…” he moped. “How can this get any worse?”

Eve walked up and pulled out 15. “Oh, crap…” Ohmio said quietly.

“Uh… Mr. Box?” The man asked. Macabre Box still didn't move. “I guess it's my turn.” Tanabata, the man Masuku met during the test, said as he walked up to the box and pulled out a piece of paper. He smiled when he got it, causing his teeth to shine. “I guess I'm 8!”

“Me next, me next!” Bai Lao-Hu yelled excitedly. He had a shaved head with very little black hair showing and wore a pair of blue overalls… and nothing else. No shirt, no shoes. He reached into the box and pulled out a 10. Suddenly, he started crying. “I wanted to be number 1!” He cried.

“Move it, twerp.” Ivan said as he shoved Lao-Hu out of the way. Ivan wore a black hood and had bandages wrapped around his head. He reached into the box and seemed to smile at something. He then pulled out the number 12.

“Mr. Box, you really should pick your lot.” The man said to the still-not moving Macabre Box.

“Forget him.” Chokitsune said as he reached into the box. “We'll just give him the last one.” He grinned at what he got. “Yeah, number 1! Just like m—.” “I wanted that number!” Lao-Hu whined as he began kicking Chokitsune's leg. “You cheated! No fair!”

“I'm up next.” The Mystery Entrant said. He wore a blue cloak with the hood pulled up and a pointed hat on his head. He reached into the box and pulled out a 3. “Inconceivable…” he muttered. “I keep getting this number, year after year.”

“I guess I'm next.” Bille Ludus-Dublin said as he walked up to the box. Like his father, Bille had white hair and wore sunglasses. He also wore a blue tank-top, khaki shorts, and his squid-Familiar, Boudicca, was on his head. “Huh; I got 4.” He said.

“Me next, then.” Kabuto said as he pulled out a 9. “Oh, great.” He muttered. “This means I have to fight the kid…”

Symphon pulled out an 11 and looked at his opponent, Ivan. “Oh, man… he looks tough…” Symphon said to himself.

“Okay, my turn!” Masuku yelled excitedly as he tackled the man holding the box. He then took the box, reached in, and pulled out a 2. “Uh… why are we doing this?” He asked Symphon.

“Well, this means that Mr. … Box will be 14.” The man said as he got up, slightly bruised. “Okay, the fights in the first round of the Magi Games will appear on the screen!” A screen suddenly appeared on the wall behind him, with the following on it…

Janken Chokitsune vs. Eikomugen Masuku

Mystery Entrant vs. Bille Ludus-Dublin

Soushiki vs. Taras

Escarabjo Deporte vs. Sutashishi Tanabata

Tawamure Kabuto vs. Bai Lao-Hu

Symphon Beetzart vs. Ivan

Chancy 7 vs. Uh… Macabre Box

And Eve Hunter vs. Ohmio Galvani

“The first match will begin in several minutes.” The man explained. “Those whose fights are coming up should prepare themselves.

“Ah, Lord Inari!” Kyoto said as the older man approached him. The older man had more wrinkles than you or your grandmother could count. He wore a white robe and his feet didn't seem to touch the ground.

“A pleasure, Kyoto.” The old man said with a nod as he sat in a seat next to Kyoto. Soon after, a young man came stumbling in. He dressed like Lord Inari, but he looked roughly fifteen. He had short, brown hair and blue eyes.

“I'm sorry, L-Lord Inari!” The young man stuttered. “I just saw some aburage and—.” “I can forgive you if you brought me a slice, Genkuro.” Inari said calmly. “Well, L-Lord Inari, I bought you a slice…” The young man explained. “But I dropped it on the way here, and, thinking that his lordship wouldn't want a piece of aburage that had been dropped, I ate it so you wouldn't have to.”

“What a thoughtful young man!” Kyoto said happily. “Young man?” Inari scoffed. “He's older than you! But, anyways, I don't care if you dropped it; I would still eat it! You just ate it on the way here, didn't you?!”

“Well, I, uh... so, I heard Eve made it into the Magi Games!” Genkuro said, swiftly changing the subject.

“Eve Hunter made it in?” Kyoto asked, surprised. “How wonderful! Her father will be proud, I'm sure!”

Inari sighed sadly. “Ah, yes, Noon.” He recalled. “I've arranged for the Magi Games to be broadcasted to Makai P—.”

“Attention!” A man yelled. The man wore a yellow jumpsuit and had a tiny hippo Familiar on his head. “My name is Roderick; I'll be the announcer and referee the Magi Games!” “BOO!” “Yes, thank you, mother. Anyways, let's get the Magi Games started with this first match; Janken Chokitsune vs. Eikomugen Musouka!”

The two combatants entered the arena, which was circular. The floor was entirely covered in white tiles and it had a strange rune written in the symbol. “Hey… isn't this the guy my brothers want me to take care of?” Chokitsune asked his Familiar. “I believe so, sir.” The snake said as it wrapped itself around his arm.

“Good.” Chokitsune muttered. “I can finally make them stop bugging me about it…”

“That guy's got funny hair.” Masuku said to Herupanen as he pointed at Chokitsune. “It is funny, isn't it?” Herupanen agreed.

“You may BEGIN KICKING EACH OTHER'S BUTTS!” “BOO!” “Yes, mother, I heard you the first time.”

“Okay, let's get this over with.” Chokitsune said as his Familiar transformed into its Weapon Form. When the smoke cleared, Chokitsune was holding a giant pair of black scissors. The blades had red eyes painted on them, so they looked like a strange insect.

“Okay, my tur—.” Masuku started to say, but was distracted by a lock of his hair suddenly falling from his head. “He's… fast!” Herupanen said to himself as he looked at Chokitsune, who had closed the scissors and swung them like a giant sword.

“Okay, let's try this again!” Masuku yelled. “Herupanen, Weapon Form!” Herupanen jumped up to Masuku and changed into his sword form.

“Cute, kid.” Chokitsune said with a sneer. “You and your kitty cat can turn into a blunt sword.”

“BRO!” A voice yelled from the audience. Chokitsune turned to see his brothers, Patora and Gumushi, in the front row. “DON'T UNDERESTIMATE HIM!” Gumushi yelled. “YEAH, THAT'S THE SAME MISTAKE GUMUSHI MADE!” Patora agreed, much to his brother's sadness.

“Look, it's not like I'm in over my head.” Chokitsune said. “What can this kid do against me?”

“Elemental Magic!” Masuku yelled from right next to Chokitsune. Chokitsune spun around, shocked. “Dang it! I was distracted!”

Masuku pulled back his fist to prepare a punch. “8G Roundhouse!” Masuku delivered a devastating punch to Chokitsune's gut, sending him flying a couple feet.

“Yeah!” Masuku declared. “We won!” “Impressive, kid…” Chokitsune said as he got up. “But… it'll take a lot more than one punch to win…

“Object Magic: Emo Blades!” Chokitsune yelled as two closed scissors appeared in front of him. They went flying towards Masuku and cut his wrists.

“Ha!” Chokitsune yelled happily. “Now you're an emo, just like Patora!” “I'm not an emo.” Patora said, confused. “Shut up. Now.” Chokitsune responded.

Chokitsune returned his attention to Masuku, who seemed to be shaking as he stared at his wrists, which were bleeding. He had dropped his Familiar Weapon and his eyes were wide with fear. “Huh?” Chokitsune asked, confused. “What's wrong with the kid?”

“Oh, no.” Doresu said in the audience. She was sitting next to a man in his twenties, with spiky, red hair, a red goatee, sunglasses, a blue t-shirt with the word `COSTUME' on it, and jeans.

The man looked worried. “I knew it wasn't a good idea for our idiot of a little brother to enter this tournament…” he muttered. “Kuromegane, he needs bandages or something!” Doresu said. “And quickly, before Chokitsune realizes he has…”

Chokitsune's eyes suddenly widened in realization as he stared at Masuku. “The punk's afraid of blood…” he said slowly. “He's got, uh… homophobia…”

“It's hemophobia!” Patora yelled from the audience. “Fear of blood is hemophobia! You're thinking of something completely different!”

“Whatever, the point is he's afraid of blood!” Chokitsune yelled. “I can beat him so easy with my scissor powers!”

Masuku stared at his bleeding wrists in fear, his mind returning to a day thirteen years ago when he was at a picnic…

“Masuku has hemophobia?” Symphon said, shocked. The waiting combatants were all watching the fight on a TV screen from the lobby. “This is terrible; there's no way he can win a fight if anyone starts bleeding!”

Soushiki watched the screen with cold indifference. Secretly, however, the sight of blood always reminded him of his foster-brother. Of course, this in turn led him to think of his foster-sister, whom he silently hoped would be watching his fights from the Makai.

“Well, kid, I would've thought you'd be tougher, seeing as you beat both of my brothers.” Chokitsune said with a smile. “I heard all of these stories about the legendary Eikomugen family.” A signal went off in Masuku's head.

“I keep hearing how your dad became one of the Four Great Magi, but went missing thirteen years ago.” Chokitsune continued. “Your uncle betrayed the Magi Guard, too! And, to top it all off, I heard she was murdered around the time your pops went missing! Poor kid; lost both of your parents in the…”

He saw Masuku suddenly pick up his weapon and charge at him. “Same…” he said as Masuku stopped in front of him and prepared to swing his sword. “… Year?”

“50G CRUSH SLICE!” Masuku yelled as he swung the sword with bone-shattering force. It connected with Chokitsune's side and sent him flying into a wall. “Elemental Magic: LUNAR POUNDING!” Masuku yelled as he raised his hand into the air and slammed it into the ground. Chokitsune fell from the wall and hit ground. He felt the gravity and pressure increase.

“But… I'm the best he is…” Chokitsune thought. Then, before he passed out, his thought was, “… If he beat me… he's better than the best…”

“I can't see anything.” Asp said coldly as the four boys watched the fight from the top of the arena. The arena where the fight was had a large, dome-like roof made of stone.

Asp had his brown hair covering his right eye and wore a black t-shirt with a khaki long-sleeved shirt under it. He had long, blue jeans and had Naga, his black snake Familiar, wrapped around his arm.

“I'm sorry, Asp, but this is the best view my satellite can get.” Shittori said to his comrade. Shittori wore a red, hooded shirt and had the hood pulled up. His rust-colored hair fell down and covered both of his eyes. His Familiar, an owl named Bubo, was perched on his shoulder. Floating a few inches away from him was a small, high-tech looking sphere that was giving off a holographic view of the fight.

“Hey, I want to fight.” Raichan said as he walked over to the hologram and stuck his hand in it. “Uh… the fight's broken.” He said in his dazed, calm tone of voice. Raichan had a pair of goggles on his head and wore a blue jacket. His black hair was messy, and his monkey Familiar, Wukong, was sitting on his head.

“Raichan, `tis a hologram.” Bishop said. Bishop had neat black hair and wore a white military shirt with purple lining, the same coloring as his pants. His Familiar, a jackal named Ramesses, was sitting next to him.

“Just move the satellite, Shittori.” Asp ordered coldly. “I don't see how we're supposed to do surveillance over this event when we can't see anything. You've heard the threats of the Rogue Janus; word has it that he's coming here to kill as many Magi as he can.”

“Fear also the news I have heard, friends.” Bishop said. “Hath thou heard of the Great Blasphemy and its doer?”

“Uh… yes?” Raichan said, confused. “Yes, he… saved a kitten from a tree, right? And, uh…”

“Okay, perhaps thou hath not.” Bishop said sadly. “Anyways, this guy—I mean, as I said previously, he who conducted the Great Blasphemy is a betrayer of vampires throughout the Makai, and is wanted for his deeds most heinous.”

Raichan stared at Bishop blankly. “So he… saved a kitten from a tree?” “No!” Bishop yelled, losing his regal manner. “This guy's, like, a complete homicidal maniac! What's worse, I heard he has a connection with Soushiki.”

“Hey…” Raichan said in realization. “You're not British!” “No, he's Egyptian.” Shittori explained slowly. “The jackal for a Familiar, skin color, and fact that he was born in Egypt kind of make it a dead give-away, Raichan.”

“… Where do babies come from?” Raichan asked suddenly and randomly. “Uh… look!” Shittori said as he pointed at the hologram, quickly changing the subject. “The next match is about to start!”

In the waiting area, Masuku inspected the place where his cuts had been. They were now completely gone, and the blood had been washed off. “Wow, Kabuto!” Masuku said to his healer. “So if I catch my wounds on fire, they'll just burn off?”

“No, dude, it was a spell.” Kabuto said calmly. “If you catch your wounds on normal fire you'll just have flaming cuts and bruises.” “That guy still hasn't moved…” Masuku said quietly as he stared at Macabre Box, who hadn't moved from the couch.

“More importantly, Masuku, what was up with you and your cuts?” Ohmio asked as the coffee machine poured coffee into his Styrofoam cup. “It looked like you were hemophobic, but then you just beat the crap out of Chokitsune.”

“Uh… homophobic?” Masuku asked, confused. “No, hemophobic.” Ohmio corrected. “When you saw that blood you just froze up. But then you beat up Chokitsune. What's with that?”

“Well…” Masuku said, thinking. “I don't… HEY, THE NEXT MATCH IS STARTING!” “The attention span of a candy cane…” Ohmio thought to himself.

“Ladies and gentlemen, match two: Mystery Entrant vs. Bille Ludus-Dublin!” The referee yelled. The two combatants entered the arena. Bille already had his Familiar Weapon ready; a claymore with a soft, pink handle and a red blade. The Mystery Entrant's Familiar Weapon seemed to be hidden among his robes.

“BEGIN!” The referee yelled. “Elemental Magic!” Bille yelled as he charged at the Mystery Entrant. “Oceana—!”

In one swift movement, the Mystery Entrant's arm came out of his robe and hit Bille across the face, sending him flying into the wall. The wall cracked from the force of impact and Bille fell down from it, knocked out.

“Uh… M-Mystery Entrant wins…” the referee said, shocked. “Inconceivable…” The entrant said as he turned and began to exit. “I'll have to fight Masuku next…”

Symphon walked into the locker room, confused. His Familiar, Sonent, and he looked around. “Are you sure you heard something, Sir Symphon?” Sonent asked.

“Just call me Symphon, Sonent.” Symphon reminded his Familiar. “And, anyways, I know I heard someone in here… probably trying to steal something, maybe…”

“Are you sure your Ear detected anything, Sir Symphon?” Sonent asked again. “You had it set to Burglary, correct?” “Yes, Sonent… and it's just Symphon.” Symphon insisted. “Tuner Ear is super accurate and can be adjusted so it picks up on whatever it's set to. I had it set to Burglary because the Magi Games is a crime magnet.”

Symphon tapped a small, black stone embedded in his left earlobe. The stone instantly changed color, from black to red. “Okay…” Symphon said as he stood still, listening. “Now it's set to Room… I'll hear everything that goes on in the room and—.”

Symphon stopped when he heard footsteps coming towards him from behind. He spun around. Too late; the person grabbed him and pinned him to the wall.

“Round 1, Match 3!” The referee yelled as he held up his hands. “Our combatants, Soushiki and Taras Kissmabutt! … hey, wait a minute!”

Soushiki entered the battle with Ninjou perched on his shoulder. Taras walked in chuckling to himself as Ursa followed closely behind. “BEGIN!” The referee yelled.

Ninjou quickly flew onto Soushiki's hand and changed into the hand-blaster. “Ursa, Scope-Goggles!” Taras commanded. The bear nodded and, in a puff of smoke, changed into a pair of goggles that floated onto Taras' head.

“Didn't I beat you before?” Soushiki asked indifferently. “I hope for your sake that you've improved since then.”

“I never got a chance to cast a spell or bring out my Familiar Weapon!” Taras rebutted. “But now I can—Technomancy: .hack//Soushiki!”

“What?” Soushiki asked, caught off guard by Taras' sudden change. A computer poofed into existence in front of Taras, who began typing with his right hand. “Technomancy: Spirit Glitch!”

Soushiki felt himself shake involuntarily. He felt the Spirit around him seem to… change somehow. “He's using some sort of hacking magic!” He realized. “I don't understand what he's doing, though… damn it!”

“Necromancy!” Soushiki said as he pointed at the ground beneath Taras' feet. “Instant Graveyard!” The space in front of Soushiki's finger exploded, knocking him down.

“I've bugged up your spirit.” Taras said calmly. “You left your backdoor wide open; practically invited me in, you know! You ought to be ashamed of yourself!”

Soushiki got up, only for Taras to begin typing again. “Technomancy!” He said. “Annoybot Curse—Leet Speak!”

“\/\/#4+?” Soushiki asked, confused. Suddenly, he realized something was wrong with his voice. “\/\/#4+ +#3 #3|_|_?!”

“I've given you what we Hack-Technomancers call an Annoybot Curse.” Taras said with a grin. “I've cursed you into only speaking Leet Speak! It's mainly done just to annoy people, though. However, you can't cast any Necromancy spells; I made sure to glitch those up good!” Taras laughed.

“|)4|\/||\| `/0(_)!” Soushiki swore. Then, an idea hit him. If he couldn't cast Necromancy spells…

The hand-blaster on Soushiki's hand poofed back into Ninjou, who flew off. “$(_)|\/||\/|0|\|1|\|gee!” Soushiki said as he pressed his hand onto the ground and gave the proper offering of Spirit. “BONAPARTE!”

The ground began moving as a mass of bones came out. It looked like someone had gone digging in a graveyard and put bones together to make a bone-freak. It had two heads, one of which was on the back. It had three right arms and five left arms, all in a windmill formation. Finally, it had four legs, the extra two coming out of the back.

“What?” The bone-monster asked in a gruff voice. “Where am I? Who's summoned me?” It suddenly noticed Soushiki with its back-head. “Who are you? I don't remember you summoning me before.”

“$0(_)$#1|<1.” Soushiki said. “Uh… wh-what?” The creature asked. “Uh… how about I just call you $, okay?” He noticed Taras with his front head. “So, you want me to take this guy down?” Soushiki nodded.

“Okay!” The creature said. “It's been a while since I've been summoned… I think I need a work-out.”

“I didn't know he could use summoning spells!” Taras said, shocked. “And what did he call this thing when he summoned it? Bonaparte? Like the Roman emperor or something?”

“Now, let's see…” Bonaparte said as it suddenly came apart. Every bone that made up its freak skeleton flew towards Taras. Two of the ribs pierced the computer. The rest of the bones hit Taras with amazing force, severely bruising him.

“Hmph…” Soushiki said to himself as a femur came out of the ground. He grabbed it and held it like a bat. He began approaching Taras. “You wanted revenge for me beating you all those days ago. I hate people who waste their lives seeking revenge.”

Taras' eyes widened in fear as Bonaparte's bones vanished and Soushiki prepared the femur. “You had this coming.” He said coldly as he hit Taras on the side of the head with the full force of the femur, which broke in half.

“The winner is Soushiki!” The referee yelled out. There was a whole lot of cheering from the audience. Taras was lying on the ground, unconscious, with a little blood leaking from the side of his head.

Symphon was confused, to say the least. When he had been grabbed and pinned against the wall, he expected something more along the lines of being robbed. However, what his attacker was doing instead was completely different… and slightly more awkward.

His attacker was a girl around his age with long, white hair. She wore a grey belly-shirt and blue pants. She had a long, white tail, white cat ears, and white fur on her arms and legs, which gave the illusion that she was wearing long gloves and boots.

As for what the girl was going, she had apparently pinned Symphon to the wall in order to make out with him. This confused Symphon, because he was fairly certain that he had never seen this girl before.

Was it possible he had a stalker? It wasn't too hard to believe; his family was quite rich, and for some reason everyone thought that rich people all looked good. Symphon, himself, didn't think he was especially good looking, and the closest thing he had to a relationship was the crush he had on one of his mother's clients. Then, he got bored and decided to write a limerick in his mind about the awkwardness of this situation. He was able to do all of this with a girl making out with him; this showed he could remain focused, no matter what.

Finally, the girl stopped making out with Symphon and gave him a pleasant smile. “Hi.” She said. Symphon merely stared at her. “Okay, uh… two questions.” Symphon said, excellently hiding his confusion. “One… who are you. And, two, uh… is there any particular reason you just decided to make out with me?”

The girl chuckled as she stepped away from Symphon. “Don't get me wrong, Beetzart…” she said with a smile. “You're cute, but you're clueless.”

“Funny.” Symphon said sarcastically. “I'm pretty sure I've never met you before. Now tell me who you are.”

The girl chuckled. “Come on, Beetzart, you're supposed to be smarter than this.” She said playfully. “Look at me; notice anything?”

“If you're talking about the tail and ears and stuff, they're kind of hard to miss.” Symphon said. “So you're a nekomimi from the Makai; I still don't know who you are.”

The nekomimi sighed and shrugged. “If you're giving up, there's a penalty, you know.” She said with a smile. “600 Sigmas.”

“I don't have that much money on me!” Symphon yelled. “It's not like rich people carry that many Sigmas on them at any given time! At most, I only carry 100 Sigmas!”

“Fine.” The nekomimi said with a shrug. “I guess I'll take that and you can pay me the other 500 later.”

“Get real!” Symphon said. “You think I'm going to give you 100 Sigmas just like that?!” The nekomimi smiled as she held up Symphon's wallet. “The thing is, Beetzart, I'll take the money anyways. But I'll still charge you the other 550 Sigmas.”

“You're already charging interest?!” Symphon asked as the nekomimi tossed the wallet back at him. He opened it and saw that his 100 Sigmas were gone.

“Well, I'll see you later.” The nekomimi said cheerfully as she suddenly vanished. “Make sure you have the 625 Sigmas you owe me!”

“Okay, it's time for our next match!” The referee yelled. “Escarabjo Deporte vs. Sutashishi Tanabata!” The two entrants raced in. Tanabata's Familiar, a black cat named Mozou, was just outside of his shadows. Escarabjo's Familiar, Meta, was rolling after him.

“BEGIN!” The referee yelled. “Elemental Magic…” Escarabjo said as he pulled his leg up and prepared to kick. “Fútbol de Gaia!” A ball of earth appeared in front of him. With amazing force, he kicked it Tanabata.

Tanabata barely managed to jump out of the way. “Nice job!” He yelled. “That was great! You almost hit me!”

“I heard you were some sort of awesome Magi.” Escarabjo snorted. “I guess the rumors aren't true. Familiar Weapon!” In a puff of smoke, Meta transformed into grey leg armor, which covered both of Escarabjo's legs.

“I don't like people to lose unhappy.” Tanabata explained. “I want you to feel like you're doing a good job.” He smiled, which caused his teeth to shine.

Escarabjo stared at Tanabata's teeth, dumbstruck. “How did… how did he do that?” He wondered. “Whatever!” He said as, with amazing speed, he ran towards Tanabata and kicked him in the side of his leg.

“Ow!” Tanabata said happily. “Wow, that was terrific! You're doing a great job! That really hurt! Wow!”

“Whatever.” Escarabjo said. “Time to finish this.” His eyes suddenly widened. “What the… why… why can't I move?” He looked down at Tanabata, who had pressed his hand down on Escarabjo's shadow.

“Elemental Magic: Shadow Pin!” Tanabata said as he lifted his hand from Escarabjo's shadow. “What… what did you do?!” Escarabjo asked angrily.

“I've pinned your shadow.” Tanabata said matter-of-factly. “If your shadow can't move, neither can you. QED.”

“Damn…” Escarabjo muttered. “Shadow Magic…” “But wait, there's more!” Tanabata said seriously. He pressed his hand onto Escarabjo's shadow again. “Elemental Magic!” He said. “Shadow Panic!”

“Kawai!” The girl in the black cloak said as she bought the ice-pop. The black cloak covered her entire body and hid her face from sight. On the cowl of the cloak was the familiar symbol of a flaming P.

“Brother, you have to try one of these!” The girl said happily. She took a bite out of the ice-pop happily. “Brother? … Hello?”

The girl's squirrel Familiar scurried up to her shoulder. She looked around for her brother, confused. “Brother?” She asked again.

“The winner is Tanabata!” The referee declared as the infirmary dragged Escarabjo off on a stretcher. “Now it's time for our next match: Tawamure Kabuto vs. Bai Lao-Hu!”

Kabuto walked into the arena with a strange, red helmet on his head. It looked like a cross between a samurai and a baseball helmet. He carried his baseball bat on his shoulder and had a nervous smile on his face.

“YAY!” A voice yelled as Lao-Hu and his white tiger cub Familiar, Piao, came running in. “It's our turn to play now!”

“BEG—.” The referee began, but Lao-Hu beat him to it. “Beast Magic: White Tiger Form!”

“What?!” Kabuto asked, confused. White fur with black striped began covering Lao-Hu; his teeth sharpened and his eyes narrowed like a cat's. Claws grew out of his fingers and toes and his ears changed to mimic those of a cat. Finally, he grew a tale, which ripped its way out of his overalls.

“Beast Magic!” Lao-Hu yelled as he got down on all forms and began running towards Kabuto. “Tiger Hunting!”

Kabuto gulped nervously and pointed his baseball bat at Lao-Hu. “Elemental Magic: Red-Hots!”

Lao-Hu stopped and began crying. “It's too hot!” He whined. “Well… yeah.” Kabuto said. “That spell increased the temperature around any given area. That's kind of the point of—.”

Lao-Hu suddenly jumped at Kabuto and began scratching his face with his sharp claws. “Make it colder!” He yelled angrily. “I'm thirsty! Make it colder! It's too hot! You're mean! You made it too hot!”

“Get… off!” Kabuto yelled as he hit Lao-Hu with his baseball bat, sending him flying. “Elemental Magic: Fever Pitch!”

A fireball appeared in Kabuto's hand. He tossed it up and hit it with his baseball bat, sending it flying towards Lao-Hu… who had vanished.

“Huh?” Kabuto asked, confused. He looked around for the surprisingly-young Magi. “Where'd that kid go?” He suddenly felt a stabbing pain in his butt. “Is he…?!” Kabuto wondered. “He is… WHY THE HELL ARE YOU BITING MY BUTT?!”

Kabuto angrily hit Lao-Hu with his bat, knocking the child off of his butt. “You hit me!” Lao-Hu cried as he began reverting to normal form. “I don't like you! Special Arts: W—.”

“The winner of this match is Lao-Hu!” The referee interrupted. “What?!” Kabuto asked. “But we can both still fight!” “You don't understand.” The referee said as he shook his head. “That child is one of the four greatest Magi alive; that spell is one of the most powerful out there, and it would have killed you if I hadn't intervened!”

“What?” Kabuto asked. “So if he uses that spell he automatically wins?” “You're only an Apprentice!” The referee argued. “If it was a Mage or Wizard in the fight, I wouldn't have interrupted!”

The referee looked at Lao-Hu, who was happily walking away. “The kid has no idea how powerful he really is…” the referee said quietly. “He probably doesn't realize that he could have killed you…”

“Was that it?” Masuku asked unhappily as he watched the fight end on the TV in the waiting room. “Boo!” He tossed his bag of popcorn at the TV.

“Symphon's fight is up next.” Ohmio reminded Masuku. “I hope he beats this Ivan guy. Remember the way he treated that little kid earlier? Anyone who's mean to little kids deserves to die in unimaginably horrible ways…”

“The next match!” The referee yelled. “Symphon Beetzart vs. Ivan!” Symphon walked in with Sonent riding on his shoulders. “It'll be alright.” Symphon chanted to himself.

Ivan walked in cheerfully, already carrying his Familiar weapon, an onyx-black axe. “BEGIN!” The referee yelled.

Ivan smiled and stood completely still. Suddenly, a laser hit Symphon's left shoulder. Symphon fell to the ground in pain. “OH MAN!” He yelled in pain. “What'd you do?!”

Ivan chuckled. “I really think you should give up.” He said as another laser hit Symphon's back. “I can't be held responsible if you die.”

Symphon swore under his breath. “The lasers have to be coming from somewhere…” Symphon thought. “But I don't think he's casting a spell… spells require a verbal command in order to work… he didn't say anything…

“Could it be possible he's using one of those 12 powers I read about?” Symphon wondered as he got up on his feet. “No, I don't think so; the 12 powers make a symbol appear somewhere on the user's body…”

“Are you going to give up?” Ivan asked playfully. “It would be in your best interests if you did.”

“Elemental Magic.” Symphon said quietly. “Song of Vertigo!”

A strange, haunting melody began to fill the air. It rebounded off the walls, causing an echo. Green musical notes seemed to be floating around Symphon, who stood his ground.

“Sound Magic, eh?” Ivan asked with a chuckle. “A lot of good that'll do you.” “His little song's not going to do much against me.” Ivan thought. “My powers rely on sight, not sound!”

“You've made your choice!” Ivan said as he charged at Symphon with his axe. “TIME TO DIE!” He swung the axe down on Symphon, killing him.

“You missed.” Symphon said. Ivan realized that he had been wrong; he had completely missed Symphon and his axe had hit the spot next to him.

“W-what?” Ivan asked, confused. “How could I miss?” Angrily, he pointed his finger at Symphon and shot a laser through his head, frying his brain.

“You missed again.” Symphon said. Ivan shook his head and realized that the laser had passed mere inches from Symphon's nose.

“That was point-blank range!” Ivan thought, shocked. “His song… it must be affecting my brain somehow…” he tried clapping his hands, but they both missed each other. “Yeah… it's messed with my senses… distance, depth, width… they've all gone screwy!”

Suddenly, something slashed at Ivan's shirt, cutting it open. Symphon stood holding his Familiar Weapon, a golden rapier with a green handle.

“Drop your weapon and give up.” Symphon requested calmly as he pointed his rapier at Ivan. “I have more Songs at my disposal.”

Ivan chuckled. “Now you're threatening me?” He asked mockingly. “That's mighty cute, kid. But what makes you think I'm going to give up? Because you asked nicely?”

“Give up, Ivan.” Symphon said. “I don't want to hurt you.” He pressed the rapier against Ivan's throat and began backing him towards a wall.

“Sorry, kid.” Ivan said as he held up his axe. “My aim may be off, but if I aim for your torso, I'm bound to hit something!” He prepared to swing his axe at Symphon's side.

“Elemental Magic.” Symphon said calmly as he jumped away from Ivan. “Wall of Song!” Green musical notes began to gather in front of Symphon as they gave off music. The musical notes formed into a large wall.

Ivan's eyes suddenly widened in realization. Not only was he backed into a wall, preventing him from dodging the attack, but the echo was bound to do something, too; earlier, when he had cast his Song of Vertigo, it had produced an echo…

The wall of sound slammed into him. Music began painfully ringing in his head. He put his hands over his ears, but that didn't do anything. The sound was too much; too high, too low, too many changes in frequency. Ivan blacked out and fell to the ground.

“Okay, time for the next match!” The referee yelled. “Chancy 7 vs. … Macabre Box? What is this?”

7 walked into the arena, carrying his Familiar Weapon, a rifle, on his shoulder. Etched into the rifle was the number 777.

The referee waited several minutes for Macabre Box to enter the arena… and he didn't. “Uh… where is… Mr. Box?”

Macabre Box still hadn't moved an inch. The man sighed. “Mr. Box, it's time for your fight.” He said. Macabre Box didn't move. The man groaned. “Sir, if you don't go to your fight, you'll be disqualified!”

Macabre Box suddenly fell forward, crumpled on the floor. He stood up, alert. “Where am I?” He asked in deep voice as he looked around. “What happened?”

“Were… were you asleep?!” The man asked, shocked. “I had a nice nap.” Macabre Box said simply.

“Well, it's time for your fight with Chancy 7.” The man said. “Come o—.” “CHANCY 7?!” Macabre Box asked, shocked. “He's one of the 4 Points! There's no way I'm fighting him, and no force in the universe can change my mind!”

The man shrugged. “Okay.” He said. “Alright, I'll fight him!” Macabre Box said cheerfully. He walked off towards the arena, but not before pulling a satchel out of the box on his head.

“Okay, for reals this time!” The referee said as Macabre Box entered the arena. “BEGIN FIGHTING!”

Macabre Box suddenly ran up to the referee and punched him in the jaw. “NOW ME!” The referee yelled as he shoved Macabre Box away. He then pointed at Chancy 7. “Fight the cowboy!”

Macabre Box stepped away from the referee, suddenly realizing his mistake. “Oops.” He said. “My bad.”

“See ya!” 7 said as he pointed his rifle at Macabre Box's head and fired a bullet. The bullet went through the cardboard and hit Macabre Box. He fell down, dead.

The referee stared at Macabre Box's dead body. “Well… Chancy 7 wins… but I'm going to have to disqualify you for using unnecessary for—.”

“Wow!” Macabre Box said as he stood back up. “I really felt that! It hit my brain!”

7 wiped his forehead. “Wow, that was close; I was almost disqualified.” He said to himself. “Maybe I shouldn't have shot him in the head…”

Macabre Box quickly reached into the satchel he had slung over his shoulder and pulled out two swords. He ran towards 7 with amazing speed and began swiping at him with the swords.

“SWORDS!” Macabre Box yelled each time he swung a sword. “SWORDS! SWORDS! SWORDS! SWORDS! SWORDS!”

7 punched Macabre Box in the gut, knocking him down. “Ow…” Macabre Box said as he put the swords back in the bag. “I'll have to try something else…” he reached into his satchel, pulled out a smoke bomb, and threw it on the ground. When the smoke cleared, he was in the exact same spot and hadn't done anything.

“What's up with this guy?” 7 asked. “He's a real freak… his mother probably dropped him on the head when he was a ki… oh, crap! I thought I was thinking this! Why do I keep saying what I want to think? Crap, I'm doing it agai—.”

“BAZOOKA!” Macabre Box yelled as he pulled a bazooka out of his satchel… and then threw it at 7, hitting him on the head. He then ran up to 7. “PUNCH IN THE JAW!” He yelled as he punched 7 in the jaw.

“Neither combatant has used a single spell!” The referee yelled. “What's holding them back?”

Macabre Box laughed insanely as pulled a rubber band out of the bag. “ATOM BOMB!” He yelled as he shot the rubber band at 7's forehead. “That wasn't an atom bomb, you idiot!” 7 yelled.

“LIAR!” Macabre Box yelled as he pulled an extravagantly broken computer out of the satchel and slammed it over 7's head. “TANDY 400!” He yelled.

“It's time to end this!” 7 yelled angrily. “Elem—.” “I SURRENDER!” Macabre Box suddenly yelled, holding up a hand. “W-what?!” 7 asked, shocked. “Who the hell are you?!”

Macabre Box chuckled insanely. “Don't worry, you can trust me.” He said with a shrug. “You can trust me to the end of the earth…” He then began laughing insanely. “Uh… Chancy 7 wins.” The referee said as he stared at the cackling Macabre Box.

Macabre Box walked towards a food stand, where a skinny man was chowing down on all of the food. The man wore a red bandanna that covered his entire upper face, hiding his hair, eyes, and nose. He wore a red, sleeveless jacket with the hood pulled up and a white shirt underneath that.

“Hey, Ketsubou.” He said to his skinny friend. “Enjoying the free food?” “This food isn't free!” The vendor yelled. The vendor's squirrel Familiar stood on his shoulder, glaring angrily at the skinny man.

Ketsubou continued eating, paying no attention to what the vendor was saying. “Hey, where are Hyper-Idiot and Fearless Leader?” Macabre Box asked, looking around. Ketsubou stopped eating for a moment. “You mean Ikusa and Seibatsu?” He asked. “They're looking for anyone with the 12 powers.”

“Damn…” Macabre Box muttered. “10 years and the only power we have is Seibatsu's… you'd think we have more—SUDDEN ENDING!”

“Weirdo.” Ketsubou said before continuing to eat. “Stop eating!” The vendor yelled. “Yeah, you're eating us out of our money!” His Familiar agreed. “Pay for the food you've eaten and—.”

Ketsubou grabbed the vendor's Familiar without a word, put it in his mouth, and began chewing. “Crunchy.” He said calmly. He swallowed it down and burped. “More food, vendor; I'm starving.”

“You… you ate my Familiar…” the vendor said, shocked. “You're a monster…” “Ketsubou!” Macabre Box yelled angrily. “Now look what you've done!”

“Don't worry.” Ketsubou said simply. “I can fix this.” He opened his mouth wide, revealing rows and rows of teeth. His tongue was huge, and extended like a frog's. It wrapped tightly around the vendor and pulled him into Ketsubou's mouth. He then began chewing. He swallowed the vendor and wiped his mouth on his sleeve. “Magi always taste like their Familiars…” he muttered. “And since I've eaten him, there's nobody to make me food… I'll have to eat the stall, probably.”

“You can eat all you want later, Ketsubou.” A voice said as someone wearing a tuxedo stepped out of the shadows, followed by a giant of a man wearing an open vest and shorts. Both of them wore motorcycle helmets.

“Oh, hey, Seibatsu.” Macabre Box said. He looked at the giant and nodded at him. “Hi, Ikusa.” “Uh… who?” The giant asked.

“Hey, look!” Ketsubou said as he pointed at a nearby child. The child had seen Ketsubou eat the vendor and was absolutely terrified. “Can I eat him, boss?”

“Now, now, there's no need to eat anyone.” Seibatsu said as he approached the child. “You're not going to tell anyone about this, are you?” He asked as he put his hand on the child's head and affectionately ruffled his hair.

“That man's a monster.” The child said quietly, fearful. “He ate that man and his Familiar…” Seibatsu chuckled. “Kids and their imaginations.” He said cheerfully. “That's impossible; only very Dark Arts can let someone do that. You must've imagined the whole thing.”

Three red runes appeared on the child's forehead. A distant, spacey look appeared in the child's eyes. “You imagined seeing him eat the vendor.” Seibatsu repeated, remaining cheerful and charismatic. “Now go run off and play, and remember that everyone is great; everyone is perfect. Everyone is the same.”

The runes vanished from the child's head and the child happily ran off. “Good bye, sir!” He yelled as he ran off.

Seibatsu chuckled. “Aren't kids so cute?” He asked. Ketsubou growled angrily. “I still think I should have eaten him… your silver tongue can only get you so far, you know.”

Seibatsu laughed. “Cute, Ketsubou.” He said. He turned to Ikusa, the giant. “So, Ikusa, see anyone with special powers nearby?”

Ikusa stared at him for several seconds. “Uh… am I a doggy?” He asked. Seibatsu sighed. “No, Ikusa, we've already been over this; you're not a doggy. You're a Rider.”

“Duh… what do I write?” Ikusa asked. “Not a writer; a rider.” Seibatsu corrected. “Yeah, you know, a rider!” Macabre Box added. “You're one of Santa's penguin-riders!”

“Uh… yes?” Ikusa agreed. “Hey, Seibatsu, when I get my smarts back from whoever took them?” “Soon, big guy.” Seibatsu reassured. “Once we have all twelve powers, you'll get your smarts back.”

“Power!” Ikusa yelled suddenly as he pointed at a nearby silver-haired man. The man was sitting, watching them calmly. He had a diamond in the center of his forehead and his hair went down to his elbows. He wore a white robe like a Buddhist monk's.

“Well, this has gotten pretty far from the plot, hasn't it?” The silver-haired man asked someone that the four couldn't see. “You read this chapter expecting to see nothing but fights, and 42 Zombies does all of this.”

“What?” The four asked, confused.

“The next fight is about to begin!” The referee yelled. “Eve Hunter vs. Ohmio Galvani!” The two fighters entered the arena, Eve already carrying her hammer Familiar Weapon. Geber trotted by Ohmio loyally.

“BEGIN!” The referee yelled. “Okay, pervert, you going to give up?” Eve asked coldly. Ohmio shrugged. “I might as well, right?” He asked. “I mean, how am I going to be able to fight a girl? I'll look like a jerk when I beat you.”

“He didn't…” Genkuro said, afraid for Ohmio. “If Eve gets angry, he's as good as dead!” “Yes.” Lord Inari agreed with a nod. “This should be interesting.”

“What?!” Eve yelled, shocked. “You think I won't be able to fight because I'm a girl?!” “Nope.” Ohmio said with a cocky grin. “I know you won't be able to fight because you're a girl.” “WHAT?!” “I mean, girls like you don't tend to have a lot in the upper story, know what I mean?”

“I'LL KILL YOU!” Eve yelled. Ohmio didn't seem to notice her anger. “Of course, you'll probably get married.” Ohmio said with a shrug. “Maybe; not likely, thought. Only a total idiot would like you.” “WHAT?!” Eve yelled.

“WHAT?!” Genkuro yelled. Lord Inari gave him a curious look.

“Then again, you do have looks on your side.” Ohmio went on. By this point, Eve was red with anger. “But, it's pretty boring to peep at you back at Fort Magi.” Ohmio said with a wicked smile. “WHAT?!” “Oh, yeah; I peep at you all the time!” Ohmio said. “In the shower, in the locker room, in your room—.”

“YOU'RE WORSE THAN DEAD!” Eve yelled as she pointed her hand at Ohmio. “Elemental Magic: Wood Drivers!”

Sharpened tree trunks came out of the ground under Ohmio. With amazing speed, Ohmio ran forwards and stopped just in front of Eve. “Familiar Weapon!” He yelled as, in a puff of smoke, Geber turned into a small mace, which flew into Ohmio's hand.

“Elemental Magic!” Eve yelled as she jumped away from Ohmio. “Sudden Tree!” A tree suddenly began growing under Ohmio. The branches wrapped around him, holding him in place.

“Damn…” Ohmio thought angrily as he struggled to get free. “These branches are thick… I can't even move!”

“Get ready for your face to be smashed in, pervert!” Eve yelled as she charged at Ohmio with her hammer.

“Spirit Shield.”

Suddenly, a large, bubble-like dome surrounded the area around the tree Ohmio was trapped in. Eve ran right into the bubble and was knocked down. She sat up and stared at the bubble angrily. “Damn it… he caught me off-guard…”

Masuku stared at the bubbled, confused. “Hey, Symphon…” he started. “What kind of spell did Ohmio just use? It doesn't look like a spell. What is it?”

“It's a Spirit Shield, Masuku.” Symphon explained, giving Masuku a strange look. “It's the most basic spell out there; you use your Spirit, one of the 3 Basic Energies in the body, to create a shield, just as you'd use it to cast a spell.”

“… Spirit?” Masuku asked, confused. Symphon sighed. “Spirit is the energy that allows you to cast spells.” He explained. “By giving it an oral command, your Spirit can do almost anything, as long as you know how to cast the spell.”

Masuku stared at Symphon. “Uh… yeah, of course!” Masuku said with a nod. “I understand that.”

“A Spirit Shield?” Eve asked mockingly as she stood up. “Is that the best you can do? A couple good hits and the shield will break.” “It'll buy me enough time to break out of this.” Ohmio said with a shrug.

Eve held up her hammer and prepared to hit the shield. “HAMMER KILL!” Spikes suddenly came out of the hammer as she hit the Spirit Shield, which smashed into pieces.

“Great; she can make spikes come out of her hammer.” Ohmio thought. “I only have one option now… I really didn't want to do this…”

“PERV!” Ohmio yelled. Eve stopped and stared at him, confused. “What?” She asked. “What did you sa—?”

“PERV!” Ohmio continued. “PERV! PERV! PERV! PERV! PERV! PERV! PERV!” Static electricity was visible, dancing around his body. “PERVPERVPERVPERVPERVPERVPERVPERVPERVPERV!”

Suddenly, the tree exploded, bursting into flames as the electricity traveled from Ohmio's body to the tree. “W-what?!” Eve asked, confused. “But… wood doesn't conduct electricity!”

Ohmio stepped out of the smoldering remains of the tree. His shirt was completely blown off. Strange symbols went up his arms, and a sort of seal was on his chest. “There comes a point… when an insulator… becomes overloaded…” Ohmio explained, tired. “When that happens, the electricity… well…” he pointed to the burnt tree-parts. “That.”

Eve suddenly noticed the symbols on Ohmio's body. “What are those symbols?” She asked. Ohmio laughed as he looked at the symbols on his left arm. “Alchemic experiments.” He explained with a shrug. “I'm an alchemist, you know.”

“Uh… Symphon?” Masuku asked from the waiting area. “What's an alchemist?” Symphon sighed, getting tired of explaining things to Masuku. “Alchemy is a sort of magic-science.” He explained. “Alchemy is basically trying to turn something into something better; a base metal into gold, that sort of thing.

“However, alchemy also works on finding an Elixir of Life.” Symphon continued. “Studies into such things are what created the Immortality Pentagrams, one of the 5 most forbidden magics in existence.”

Masuku nodded, seemingly agreeing with Symphon. “I don't understand what he's saying.” He thought. “But I'll act like I do.”

“Spirit Shield!” Ohmio said as a small Spirit Shield appeared in his hand. It was perfectly round, like a ball. “Now… Elemental Magic: Donner-Verbindung!”

A small, black ball of energy appeared inside of the Spirit Shield. Instantly, bolts of electricity began flying out of the ball of energy and hitting the inside of the Spirit Shield.

“I'm not like a lot of Magi out there.” Ohmio started, tossing the strange weapon around in his hands. “Most Magi are born with their abilities; I had to study to get mine. I'm the first Galvani to ever become a Magi; I only created my Familiar two years ago, and most Magi create their's when they're eight…

“I found I had a talent for Spirit Shields.” Ohmio continued. “So I wondered, how could I use them as a weapon? You're about to find out.” He smiled and held up the strange weapon. “Special Magic: Ohmio Sturmkugel!”

Ohmio tossed the Ohmio Sturmkugel at Eve. She jumped out of the way just as it approached, making it miss the target. “Was that it?” Eve asked. “Please, that was—.”

The Ohmio Sturmkugel hit the ground where Eve had once stood and the Spirit Shield broke. The Thunder spell that had been placed inside of the shield was released, sending electricity flying in all directions. The lightning zapped all over the arena, and the audience was only safe thanks to the extra-protective enchantments placed on the arena. Ohmio himself had created a Spirit Shield to protect himself, which made the only real target Eve.

“Sorry, Eve.” Ohmio said with a shrug once the lightning stopped. “Funny, I said all of that stuff to get you angry; I hoped it would cloud your judgment and junk. I guess that it didn't w—.”

“I… can't… lose…” Eve struggled to say as she got up. The lightning hadn't done too much damage on her, but she was still pretty beaten up. “My dad's… watching this fight… from Tartarus…”

Ohmio's eyes widened in surprise. “Tartarus?” He repeated, shocked. “That's a prison for people who use magic for illegal purposes!” Eve nodded coldly.

“Three years ago, my dad got in trouble when he used a spell to kill a guy…” she explained. “He got hauled away to Tartarus…” she looked like she was about to cry. “My mom died giving birth to me… so dad was all I had until he got taken away… I hardly get to see him anymore… you have no idea what it's like…”

“Shut up.” Ohmio said coldly. Eve looked at him, shocked. He looked like he was about to cry, too. “SHUT THE HELL UP!” He yelled as he charged at Eve with amazing speed and hit the side of her head with the mace. Eve fell down, unconscious.

“Ohmio Galvani wins!” The referee yelled. The audience cheered like crazy. Ohmio dropped his mace and walked away, obviously upset about something.

Those who had won their matches were gathered in the waiting area: Masuku, the Mystery Entrant, Soushiki, Tanabata, Bai Lao-Hu, Symphon, Chancy 7, and Ohmio. The man stood in front of them.

“Congratulations on making it to Round 2.” He congratulated. “I realize you all must be tired; the second round well be held the day after tomorrow. That will give you time to prepare.”

The man looked at the denizens of Room 13. “I must say, I'm amazed that four new recruits for the Magi Guard made it this far.” He said. “But the other four entrants in the 2nd round are the 4 Points.”

Masuku looked at Tanabata, confused. “So you're one of the 4 Points… things?” He asked, shocked. Tanabata smiled, causing his teeth to shine. “Yup!” He said cheerfully.

“Okay!” The man said. “Your names will now all be sent through our Combatant Shuffler.” Each of the second round's entrant's names appeared on the screen behind him. The names then began changing, and when they stopped, they looked like this…

Bai Lao-Hu vs. Soushiki

Symphon vs. Chancy 7

Ohmio Galvani vs. Sutashishi Tanabata

Eikomugen Masuku vs. Mystery Entrant

Soushiki looked at the screen. “Damn… I'm fighting the kid…” He looked over at Tanabata, who was reading his name and his opponent. “He's the one I wanted to fight…”

“You should all rest up for the fight!” The man said. “Use tomorrow to prepare yourselves! Good luck!”

Next Time: Janus, the Rogue Shoki