I open my eyes, seeing the familiar ceiling of my room. The air is damp and the sun’s rays pierce through my window, illuminating everything. I slowly shake my head and sit up, comforted by the sight of my books which still fill the room like gumballs in a gumball machine. It occurs to me that I will have to leave my humble abode in order to fight in the tournament today. The thought makes me grimace, making me want to lay back down. Do I really have to go? Can I not?

“Reagan I really don’t want to get my ass beat today” I say to my stuffed dragon sitting on my desk.

The dragon doesn’t respond, its little beady eyes looking out the window like it’s taking in the view of Colonus. Begrudgingly I get up. I wish I was like Will, too beat up to do anything. He gets to chill in a hospital bed while getting to watch me fight. I guess it’s only fair since I did the same thing to him yesterday but I still don’t want to do it. I check the clock on my desk and see it’s 9:00am, an hour before the second day of the Grand Skirmish starts. Yesterday after our 2nd meeting Armstrong told me to meet up with him at 9:30 to give me some last minute preparation for my fight. After that meeting we watched the rest of the fights and fortunately they weren’t nearly as intense as the ones Dragon’s Descent were a part of. No, it looked more like a standard gladiator fight but with magic sprinkled in. It was underwhelming yet refreshing to see people fight without a very large amount of collateral damage. Will my fight be the same way? I highly doubt it. I wish I will fight someone weak so I can one shot them and get on with my day but this is me we’re talking about, and nothing outside of reading ever goes smoothly.

I get out of my bed and leave the castle, the guards wishing me luck along the way. It’s like they already know I’m fighting despite it not being announced. I suppose people have expectations. First hero fought day one, surely the second hero must fight day two. I hope the other guilds don’t have the same expectations but they probably do. I travel through the streets of Colonus, which are beginning to become packed once more in anticipation for the tournament to begin anew. I bypass the colorful street performers and vendors to enter a portal, finding myself outside of Dragon’s Descent. Outside the entrance stands Armstrong, grin on his face as he stands with his arms crossed, legs spread apart.

“Quincy my boy! You ready to get a win for Dragon’s Descent?”

“No.”

“Perfect.”

“So why am I here? What last minute preparations did you want to go over?”

“Walk with me, I’ll tell you on the way.”

Armstrong begins to head off, and I trail behind, noticing that we’re getting to the tournament the hard way, i.e.: the long way that involves walking and not portals. I quickly begin to break into a sweat.

“Did you just want to give me a workout before I fight?” I angrily question.

“Nothing wrong with getting the blood pumping. Makes summoning your aura easier but that’s not why we’re doing this. Do you remember our deal?”

“You mean black mail?”

“Guess you could look at it like that.”

“Yeah, how can I forget that I could lose all my books if I don’t do well in the tournament. Speaking of which, how is that even supposed to work now? There aren’t any semi-finals. It’s a point based elimination tournament.”

“Correct. That’s why we need to change it up a little. I want you to get at least three victories. You do that, and I’ll say that you’ve fulfilled your end of the bargain. Three fights is what it would’ve taken to get to the semi-finals in a normal year. I truly didn’t expect the Emperor to switch it up. He doesn’t do that often. Guess knowing that you and William are participating he wanted something special.”

Three fights. He makes it sound so easy.

“Gee is that all? I don’t have to wipe out an entire guild?”

“Can you?”

“Hell no.”

“Shame. Would’ve been great if you could.”

“Nah, what would’ve been great is if I didn’t have to do this at all.”

“Hmmm, motivating you is quite a challenge isn’t it? Having seen William fight yesterday, are you happy where you are?”

I stop. Others pass by me as I stare at Armstrong who stops as well.

“What are you talking about?” I ask, the crowd moving around us like we were huge rocks placed in a small river.

“You’ve seen William go all out yesterday. It was quite something wasn’t it?” Armstrong begins. “He truly pushed his limits. And even when all of his strength was sapped, he kept going. I was proud, I really was. Can you do the same?”

“Armstrong I’m gonna try alright? My books depend on it.”

He shakes his head and says “That’s not enough. Threatening you can only go so far. I want you to put your all into this tournament. Not just for Dragon’s Descent but for yourself as well. You're not invested in yourself. There is so much potential in you. Your growth is impressive, but imagine what it could be if you put your all into it.”

“Uh huh. Look I’m not into ‘pushing past my limits’ and all that” I respond with air quotes. “I’m going to do my best and that’s that. I’m fighting for my books, that’s plenty of motivation.”

Arsmtrong walks up to me, and puts his hand on my shoulder. He looks down at me with tired eyes.

“I get it but I’m trying to say, don’t become complacent. Next thing you know, the gap between you and others will be too big to close.”

“Yeah yeah.” I dismiss with a wave of the hand.

Dang it Will, why did you have to overdo it yesterday? Now everyone has higher expectations of me as a result. Now if I don’t put on a similar performance or something people will think I suck. Armstrong pulls his arm back when we hear a voice calling out to him.

“Arrmmmmmmstrooooooong! Yoo hoo!” the voice says.

Armstrong’s eyes widened, showing an emotion I did not think was possible: fear.

“Oh no not him.” Armstrong mutters. “Quincy, don’t move. He reacts to movement and can smell fear.”

I cock my head to the side in confusion when this putrid smell fills my nostrils. It’s the smell of way too much cologne.

“Armstrong baby, it's been forever. Don’t you look as masculine as ever” the voice compliments.

It’s male but very flamboyant, coming from behind me. Armstrong looks up, and makes a big sigh.

“Francisco,” he growls.

“Honey I told you you can call me Fran. No need to be so formal.”

I feel an arm wrap around my shoulders. I look to my right seeing a tanned face wearing pink tinted glasses in the shape of hearts. The frames are silver, filled with purple gems and he has flowing auburn hair with pink highlights. Armstrong pulls me away from him.

“Hands off Francisco” Armstrong tells him.

Getting a full view of the guy I see that he’s wearing a bright pink and poofy fur coat with purple trousers and a pink shirt. This guy looks like a walking highlighter.

“Ooooo Armstrong I like it when you get all forceful with me” he remarks, putting his hands on his hips, shooting them out to accentuate his figure.

“Armstong, what am I looking at?” I inquire, completely baffled.

“This…is Francisco De La Hoya. The guild leader of Unicorn’s Wonderland.” he answers in a deadpan tone, like he is regretting that this interaction is happening right now.

“The one and only!” Francisco affirms. “Armstrong baby I’m so glad I got to see you this morning. I was about to go over to Dragon’s Descent to find you but by Vienna I ran into you here. Ahhh how fortuitous.”

“I guess it was asking too much, hoping I wouldn’t see you at all.”

“Oh that would’ve been a huge tragedy, one I never would’ve let happen. I know it’s just you playing hard to get.”

The statements make Armstrong shudder.

“But before I begin, is that the second hero right there?”

“Unfortunately” I confirm.

“Wonderful! That makes this even better. Armstrong, you know what’s happening today, correct?”

“Is that a rhetorical question?” Armstrong queries.

“Why yes it is, I know you’re a smart cookie. Our guilds are fighting first. And let me guess, you’re going with the second hero aren’t you?”

I look up at Armstrong, trying to gauge whether he’s going to tell the truth or not. His face reminds me of a kid who’s been caught stealing a cookie from the cookie jar.

“Is it that obvious?” he sighs.

“Hmmm yeah. Sorry baby but hiding things is not your thing. You’re as predictable as your outfit. It’s always going to be brown, so bland. I swear if you let me doll you up you’d be the talk of the town but alas that’s not why I’m here. I wanted to confirm so I can tell you something. You’re losing today.”

“That so?” Armstrong asks, raising an eyebrow.

“Oh yes darling. He’s your protege isn’t he? It’s perfect because I’m choosing mine. I wanted them to meet. There’s a lot riding on this fight. Not only is this between Dragon’s Descent and Unicorn’s Wonderland, but we’ll see who’s been the better teacher.”

Francisco claps his hands rapidly, yelling “Momo baby! Come over here, I want you to meet someone.”

From the crowd emerges a woman on a white horse. Seeing her I immediately remember where I saw her before. She was that weird girl that reminded me of a protagonist from a magical girl show. She’s got that sailor moon hairstyle with long pink hair. On her hip is a pink wand with a golden star attached at the end. The outfit is a poofy pink and white dress that stops around her knees so she can remain mobile. Gold buttons are aligned on the center of her body, holding the whole thing together.

“I’m here Fran! How can I help you?” she gleefully questions.

“Momo darling, remember I told you you’re fighting the second hero today? This is him. What do you think?”

She looks down at me from her high horse. Her expression changes to that of disgust.

“Filthy” she spits.

I squint my eyes at her, trying my best to keep my anger in check.

“Momo, be nice baby! You’re too feisty. I love that about you but it’s too much sometimes. Now tell me, can you beat him?”

She looks me over, finally replying “Yeah, no question. Now can I leave Fran? I gotta get ready.”

“Yes yes, be on your way.”

“Captain Sprinkle Bottoms, away!” she commands as the horse begins to trot away from us.

Captain Sprinkle Bottoms? I highly doubt that horse holds military rank. I don’t even know how to react to any of this. All I know is that I hate these people.

“Quincy we’re getting out of here” Armstrong tells me, walking away.

I quickly follow as I hear “Bye Bye Armstrong baby! I’ll see you later! I’ll comfort you after your loss!”

I get alongside Armstrong when he states “Now you see why I want you to try harder than usual. We have to win this fight.”

“Yeah you said it. I only interacted with them for a few minutes and I already hate them with a burning passion. What’s wrong with them?”

“No idea. Their whole guild is…..bizarre. It’s why we can’t get along. We’re not miscible, like oil and water.”

“Armstrong, don't worry. I'm angry now. I’m kicking that girl’s ass.”

“Hah. Spoken like a true member of our guild. I would’ve wanted you to win because you want to improve yourself but I suppose anger works for now.”

We make our way to the stadium and it’s quickly getting packed as people are vying to get good seats. Fortunately Dragon’s Descent was able to claim the same area we had yesterday. Everyone’s here, all sitting down. Warren’s looking at a flier which has the day’s schedule on it. Nerva’s sitting to his right, with a few bruises but appears to look much better, even having her hair back in twintails. Akane is sitting with Sophie on his left, slowly taking off her earmuffs so that the little girl can try to get used to the sounds. Then to her left sits Adam, who is currently sitting with his legs bent with arms wrapped around them, mumbling to himself about how he’s going to die today. Jack sits behind him, oblivious to his son’s concerns. Finally Will’s party sits to the far right, being in their own group and seem to be in good spirits.

“Quincy you’re fighting today?” Warren asks, keeping his eyes on the schedule.

“Yeah how’d you know?” I return, taking my seat next to Adam.

“An educated guess.”

“You know Warren you could be more in the know if you were still part of Dragon’s Descent” Armstrong puts out there, sitting a row behind us with Jack.

“I’m done, Armstrong. Not coming back.” Warren deadpans.

“And that’s a shame. I highly suggest you reconsider.”

“I’m good.”

“You should rejoin Warren,” Akane adds. “It’d be cool if you did. A true inspiration for the child.”

“Uh huh.”

“You’ll be back.” Jack assures us. “They always come back. Once an adventurer, always an adventurer. Right son?”

Adam doesn’t hear, continuing his scared mumbling.

“Wow, my son is completely in the zone right now.”

“So Warren, are you making any progress on finding her dad?” I inquire, pointing at Sophie.

He shakes his head, says “Not yet. I’m heading to a few banks later, hoping to find him at one.”

“And I disagree with that plan.” Akane cuts in. “My plan is to keep the child.”

“And do what?” I ask.

“Nothing. We keep the child. That is all.”

“Not happening,” Warren rejects.

Behind me I hear Jack begin to laugh as Armstrong fills him in on what happened with Unicorn’s Wonderland.

“Oh that’s great. I love when you two interact.” Jack remarks.

“You enjoy my misery too much.” Armstrong replies.

“I disagree. I say I enjoy your misery sufficiently enough. Oh look, there they are!” Jack says, pointing down a few rows ahead of us.

The walking crayon box known as Unicorn’s Wonderland is sitting there, which is not where they sat yesterday, I would’ve noticed. Francisco turns around, waving to Armstrong and blowing him a kiss. Armstrong shudders once again while Jack bursts out laughing.

“He exists to torment me.” Armstrong mutters.

My party and Will’s look up at him, not sure how to respond.

“They’re something alright” Remi states.

“Weirdos.” Warren mumbles.

The rest of Dragon’s Descent starts to complain about sitting so close to their rivals but Unicorn’s Wonderland brushes it all off, blowing kisses our way.

The place is mostly filled now as it’s about time for the second day of the tournament to start. Emperor Marcus and Luther are in their seats as are the nobles in their extravagant chairs. I’m able to see Ice Cube again, who gives me a kind wave. The sun beams down on us, the sky bright and devoid of any clouds. Trumpets blare, letting us know it’s about to begin.

“Good morning everyone! Are you all ready for day two of the Westphalian Grand Skirmish!” the emperor eagerly asks, the excitement within him clearly reaching a boiling point.

The audience replicates his energy, cheering wildly.

“Most excellent. Then let’s not keep you waiting any longer. You already know the schedule so let’s get right to it. Dragon’s Descent! Send out your representative!”

Amidst all the cheering Armstrong stands up, announcing “We choose the lover of all things history! The book hermit! The Second Hero! The One of Blackness!”

Everyone erupts in excitement while I begrudgingly stand, annoyed that I still have that last title. Whose idea was to announce that? I sure didn’t give them permission.

“Yes!” Luther yells, standing up and striking a fabulous pose. “That is my friend! A true gentleman! I have waited for this moment!”

Ok my anger has subsided, Luther is happy, that’s all I need. I make my way past everyone to get to the stairs.

“Kick their ass Quincy! You a bad bitch!” Nerva hollers.

“Thanks Nerva.”

“Do not forget. Use the power of our friendship. Believe in me that believes in you.” Akane recommends.

“Yeah I’m not doing that” I reply as I scoot by her, giving a small wave to Sophie who gives a little wave back.

I look at Warren, who gives me a nod which I give in return. Words don’t need to be said between us, I already know he’s wishing me good luck.

“Quincy be safe!” Adam yells, surprising me.

I whirl around to see that he’s looking at me but goes back to his pseudo-fetal position. Behind him Jack gives me a thumbs up. I make it to the stairs, hearing Will’s party wish me good luck and start to descend. I walk by Unicorn’s Wonderland who eye me with coy smiles, like they know my fate and will revel in it. I take a step when I feel myself losing my footing. I quickly react, regaining my stability when I hear them start to snicker. I glance at the ground and notice a foot pull back into the audience. I curse beneath my breath, heading to the railing of the arena and jump down, landing on the ground with aura enhanced legs, causing dirt to shoot up as I crouch to absorb the impact. I’ve decided, I’m gonna beat them so badly that they won't want to be part of the tournament anymore.

“Quincy my friend! I wish you luck!” Luther calls down to me.

I look up, seeing him waving down to me, I wave back. Luther, I must win for you. I have all the motivation I need: books, anger, and Luther.

“I expect great things from you, Second Hero.” Marcus says, giving me a wide smile. “Now, Unicorn’s Wonderland, send out your representative!”

I look up to them, expecting to see that magical girl stand up or something but it’s just Francisco.

“Ladies and gentleman, I am proud to announce that we're going with the most wonderful doll. My chosen protege, the embodiment of all that is sweet and wonderful, Momo! Come out baby!” he proclaims, clapping his hands in quick succession.

A shadow blocks out the sun which immediately concerns me given there aren’t any clouds out today. I look up, seeing that a pegasus is flying above, leaving a trail of rainbows behind it.

“What the fuck?” I utter.

The flying horse twists and turns in the air, putting on a show as its rider shoots off colored lights in multiple directions from her wand. The show puts people in awe as sprinkles and glitter float down. The pegasus eventually lands across from me as its rider jumps off, landing on her right toe. She spins around like a ballet dancer, stopping her turn as soon as she faces me. Her pegasus neighs, its wings flapping before it went back into the air, flying to who knows where. I’m speechless. Not because I’m impressed, but because that was the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen in my life. Was that the same horse form before? I don’t recall it having wings.

“Goodbye General Springle Bottoms!” she exclaims with a wave as the horse continues to neigh until it’s out of sight.

Did she promote her own horse or is that a different horse? None of this makes sense so I’m not going to worry about it.

“This fair maiden is quite the flashy one.” Luther comments.

“Could you expect any less from Unicorn’s Wonderland?” Marcus replies. “This is going to be a good one, I can already tell.”

The magical girl looks at me with this smug look.

“I’m about to show you real magic.” she claims.

“I’m about to show you a real punch to the face,” I retort.

She giggles at the threat.

Emperor Marcus picks up his hammer and declares “Begin!” slamming it into the gong.

My aura immediately materializes as I dash forward. I want to end this quickly. No theatrics, no shouting your opponent’s name at the top of your lungs. Only punch her into oblivion but to my surprise her reflexes are as quick as mine. I only closed half the distance between us as I saw multiple beams of light heading in my direction. It’s like a rainbow coming right for me. I quickly stepped to the side but it wasn’t enough as more colors envelope me. I get shot across the stadium, crashing into the wall. I landed on my knees, a hot burning sensation felt all over my skin. I grit my teeth to bear the pain. What did I get hit with?

“Oh my! What a start” Marcus proclaims. “That fair lass is packing quite the amount of magic isn’t she?”

“Indeed! But I believe in my friend. He is a true gentleman through and through” Luther reacts.

I get up, my aura flowing.

“You got hit by my rainbow blast!” my opponent explains. “You won’t be laying your filthy hands on me.”

“Shut up Madoka! Just let me punch you!” I yell back.

“My name is Momo!”

“Yeah whatever Sailor Uranus”

I begin running, zig zagging to remain unpredictable. I know my specialization. I’m an in-fighter. I have to do what I do best, get close. More rainbow blasts are shot from her wand but now that I understand what’s happening, I’m able to dodge each blast. They hit the ground, leaving behind scorch marks. Whatever that rainbow is, it’s not normal. It’s more like plasma or something.

“The second hero closes in, what will the fair maiden do?” Marcus asks the audience.

I could answer, I could tell them that she’s about to get her skull caved in. When I get about a dozen feet away, I leap ahead, over another rainbow blast. I wind up a punch, seeing that my fist is on target. It’s about to make contact when she smiles, tilting her head to dodge my fist. In a quick motion she aims her wand at my stomach.

“Rainbow blast!” she exclaims.

The lights shoot out from the wand, launching me upward as my body is overcome with heat. At such close range it felt like my stomach got hit with a hammer. I’m sent up about three dozen feet into the air. I hear the audience gasp as I fly up. Everything slows for a brief moment before I’m sent plummeting back to Earth. Below me I see the magical girl nonchalantly step to the side as I crash. I moan as I get onto my back, looking up at the sky. She leans over me with a grin, saying “Hope you had a nice fall. I-”

I throw a quick jab from my position, hitting her square in the nose. Her head jolts back as I spring up, hoping to land another blow. Unfortunately she dodges, and cartwheels back as I try to press the attack.

“How dare you! Filthy!” she curses, dodging each punch.

I don’t feel bad in the slightest. She shouldn’t have underestimated me. I throw a right hook but she crouches under and yells “Bubbles!”

Bubbles? The floor beneath me becomes slippery, making me lose my footing. I curse and grumble, trying to figure out what’s happening. I glance down, seeing that it looks like someone has spilled a bubble bath onto the ground. The magical girl gets beyond reach, aiming her wand at me.

“This is going to hurt,” Marcus remarks, as if I didn’t already know.

I’m hit with another rainbow blast, as the audience lets out a collective “oooh”. The burning sensation is back, like I got thrown into a volcano as I’m sent careening across the dirt. What is this girl’s power? Summoning bubbles onto the floor? What type of magician is she? I thought the rainbow BS was bad enough. It’s clear I don’t know her power.

“Quincy!” I hear Jack yell.

“Yeah, attention to detail!” I shout. “I already know!”

I grumble and get up. I hear my party cheering me on yet clearly worrying about me. It’s too early to be worried. It’s time to use my tried and true tactic that doesn’t really work but it’s the best I got. I sprint to the side, keeping my focus on the magical girl. She shoots more rainbow blasts but I’m able to roll past them. During a roll I pick up a rock. Time to unleash my own special move.

“Rock fuck you attack!” I yell, chucking it at her.

The rock is aura infused so when it collides with the rainbow blast, it heads through it, hitting the girl in the forehead.

“Ow!” she moans.

Perfect! I get up and begin to close the distance once more. My torso is leaning forward, my feet taking long aura infused strides. This is going to be satisfying. I pull my right arm back, ready to launch an uppercut. I throw it but feel something yank my arm back.

“Thank you Mr. Butterbean!” the girl declares.

I whirl around, seeing a giant red…chameleon with yellow stripes? Its long tongue is wrapped around my arm, restraining me. It’s large, about the size of a small car. What in the-

“Well look at this!” Marcus says, like it’s a pleasant surprise. “Looks like the lass here summoned that mega-chameleon.”

“Mega chameleon?” I ask in confusion.

“Oho I had a pet mega chameleon when I was a little Luther. Those were the times. Before I even had my first girlfriend.” Luther adds.

“That’s bullshit!” Nerva yells from her spot.

“Nope! It’s part of her ability, I’m allowing it” Marcus declares.

The creature began to recoil its tongue, pulling me towards it. Is this thing trying to eat me? I’m dragged on my stomach as I’m sent towards it but before it gets to swallow me I stomp my foot into the ground which sends me into the air. I fly in an arc, landing behind the creature. Before it could turn around I gave it a left hook to the stomach, sending the creature to the side, its tongue letting go of me.

“Mr. Butterbean!” the magical girl exclaims in worry.

She shoots me a mean glare. The end of her wand begins to glow and she fires off two bright white beams at the ground. After adjusting my eyes from the brightness I see a giant bug like monster with wings and scythes for arms. It looks like that death mantis thing Will told me about way back. It has bright green chitin and big disgusting eyes. To its left is a giant purple jellyfish? It’s about the size of the magical girl, floating in the air letting out a weird noise that reminds me of a deflating balloon. Its limbs float in the air, like it’s trying to touch something out of reach.

“Mr. Cuttlesprinkles, Mrs. Buggy, get him!” the magical girl commands.

The mantis thing charges at me, using its blade-appendages to cut me in two. I dodge each swipe, keeping on my toes. I hate bugs so I’m trying my best not to freak out right now.

“What a show!” Luther commentates “Both a death mantis and a floater have joined the fray. But these creatures are clearly not spirits so she’s not a tamer. What could her ability be?”

“Hmm I have an idea. But what fun would it be in telling it?” Marcus brings up with a smirk.

“Second hero!” the magical girl calls out. “Just quit.”

I continue to hold off the death mantis, dodging some swings and blocking others with my arms.

“I’ve been trained by Fran for as long as I can remember. I’m at the peak of magical prowess. You? You came here one day, and all of a sudden think you can reach the top. You put down a peasant rebellion, and suddenly think you can compete with the strongest adventurers in the country. It’s disgusting. You’re nothing but an outsider.”

The mantis swings at me when I grab its arm. Using all my strength I throw it. It hits the wall, plopping onto the ground. I run at the magical girl when a bolt of electricity comes out of one of the jellyfish’s long limbs, shocking me, making me fall to the side. The magical girl shoots at the ground with her wand, making a path of ice towards me. I scramble to get back up as she slides across the ice.

“I’m putting you back in your place!” she declares, aiming her wand at my stomach.

My instincts take over. I punch the wand away from me, making the rainbow blast zip past me, blowing up a part of the arena’s perimeter. I throw a counter, slugging her across the face. We begin a melee. I keep throwing punches but she’s able to block them, trying her best to aim her want towards me. I get a punch or two in but it’s no use, this girl knows martial arts and it’s negating my close quarters advantage. Usually a magician is supposed to be weak up close, and it’s where a monk is strongest. Like Nerva, she practiced to get rid of the weakness inherent to her war class. Her wand glows but it’s a bright white light, not a rainbow. I don’t really know what she's going on about but it’s clear she’s angry at me, like my existence pisses her off.

“Christopher Bartholomew!” she announces.

A small fist comes out of the wand, hitting me in the face as I hear an animalistic screech. The attack is followed up by another rainbow blast to the stomach, sending me back.

“Ack!” I moan, spitting out some blood.

I reorient myself, seeing a weird lemur-like creature on the ground. It has white fur with black stripes with glowing orange eyes. The most surprising detail is that it has six arms, three on each side of its small body.

“Oh look at that, a spider lemur” Marcus comments like it’s a common sight which I guess for this world, is.

The lemur thing lets out a loud screech, climbing onto the magical girl's shoulder.

“I have many pets.” the magical girl states. “I’m good with animals in case you couldn’t tell.”

What is her ability? Rainbows, bubbles, weird ass creatures. What a weird trio. I’m getting overwhelmed. She’s hit me way more than I hit her. My aura is protecting me from most attacks but I’m getting tired. She can also hold her own in close quarters so it’s clear that getting close by itself is not working. I do not have the advantage here. I need to switch things around. I remember Jack’s dumb lesson. Attention to detail. Put it all together, figure out how her ability works, then counter it. My eyes wander towards the wand, that’s the key.

“Wait a minute.” I begin. “You said babies right? I thought your ability was conjuration, but that’s not the case. You’re not creating them out of thin air, you’re transporting them.”

“Hmph. What are you on about?”

“Yeah I’m starting to figure this out now. I thought those elements coming out of your wand were due to magic creating them, but it’s not.”

“Hah! I’m a magician aren’t I? I’m creating everything. You’re getting delusional”

“No, this is making perfect sense. I was wondering how that wand worked. It’s the only way you make a random assortment of shit come out. I’ve read about conjuration magic, a magician can only create objects that are made of a similar material. Animate and inanimate objects can’t be created by the same magicians so it’s clear that’s not the case. It has to be transportation instead. That’s how bubbles, rainbows, and animals connect. That wand summons the nearest thing that you wish to appear. That wand is a transporter! Those rainbows ain’t rainbows, it’s liquid from some factory or something isn’t it!” I declare with a finger, feeling like I had an epiphany.

I see Jack in the audience, who gives a thumbs up. Ok, time to win this fight. I’m breaking that wand. I take a step forward when that jellyfish thing shoots another bolt of electricity at me but this time I step to the side. The magical girl fires off more rainbow blasts while that weird lemur thing comes towards me. It leaps at me and throws a punch. I block it but a few of its fists come around my arm hitting me. Frustrated, I grab the thing's waist, throwing it at the floating jellyfish. It collides with it, giving it a painful shock.

“My baby!” the magical girl hollers as I begin my way towards her.

She quickly fires off more rainbows but I dodge each one. I punch the ground, causing dust to rise in the air. Her view is obscured so she begins shooting all types of elements in every direction. Streams of fire, ice, earth, and water are shot all over. I dodge all of it, closing the distance. I appear behind her. She whirls around, preparing to dodge a punch to the face but instead I throw a jab near her hand, grabbing the tip of the wand. I squeeze on it as hard as I can, causing the star at the tip of the wand to crack and glow, emitting a bright white light. It explodes, causing the two of us to fly back in opposite directions. The dust settles as I hear the crowd cheer. I reluctantly got up.

“Hmm looks like I was right on the money” Marcus reacts.

“Fascinating. Good job my friend. I am proud!” Luther relays.

Across from me, about two dozen feet away is the magical girl. She gets up as well, a very very angry expression prevalent on her face. Someone’s angry I broke her toy. I take a few steps toward her when suddenly I’m slugged across the face by something that feels wet and slippery.

“What the-” I begin but stop myself upon seeing what it was.

It’s that chameleon thing again, getting alongside the girl. The other creatures join her as well.

“Second hero, you're going to pay for that! That wand was a gift from Fran!” she yells.

I don’t care that I’m outnumbered. She can’t use that dumb wand anymore to transport stuff here anymore. If she had the advantage before, I say we’re about even now. Her animals charge at me while I begin my assault. I dodge the tongue of the chameleon, grabbing it with both hands, and using my strength launch the thing over me, hitting the ground with a loud crash. I try to turn around when I’m picked up off my feet, the mantis having got ahold of me. I’m lifted about 40 feet into the air. I twist around, and slug it across the face, forcing it to let me go. I land on the ground with my legs, and without missing a beat, head forward. The spider lemur gets in my way, jumping left and right, throwing punches. I start turtling, using my arms to block the attacks. The magical girl joins the fray, launching a simple fireball at me. It hits me, causing me to stumble a bit, allowing the spider lemur to get a few punches in. Fighting through the pain, I grab the thing’s tail, and chuck it, sending it colliding with the barrier protecting the audience. The magical girl comes up to me, drop kicking me in the chest but I grab onto her legs, preventing me from going too far back. I start to swing the magical girl and launch her at the jellyfish, giving her a nice jolt of electricity. As she falls to the ground I run forward, reinforcing my arms with aura to prepare myself for my next move. I grab one of the jellyfish’s tentacles and, fighting through the electricity, pull the thing towards me. It comes in close where it meets my fist. Hitting it was a weird sensation, like I had just punched a large piece of jello. It deflates, landing on the ground.

The magical girl is back up, shooting weak elemental spells at me. It’s nothing compared to the onslaught before. Without her wand, she’s a weak magician. I charge towards her, swatting away each spell. She’s still acrobatic however, stepping back further and further until her back foot slips on those bubbles she summoned earlier. Idiot would have avoided it if she had paid attention to detail. Jack’s right, paying attention to things makes or breaks you. She slips, falling onto her rear. She looks up at me, gulping in fear.

As I crack my knuckles I say “You seem to have the wrong impression about me. I don’t care about trying to be the best or think I have any right to come up here and make fun of all the hard work y’all put in. No I’m just here cause I have to be. But it’s not all bad. I get to do some things that are very very satisfying. Like right now, I’m going to beat your ass with a smile.”

“Wait! I give-”

“ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA”

I give her a much deserved beatdown. My arms unleash a torrent of punches as I pummel her into the dirt, her body becoming more and more deformed. I stop when I see she looks like a raisin. I look down at her, putting my right arm in the air, making a fist, letting everyone know I’ve won. The crowd goes wild as I stand over my opponent.

“Ladies and gentleman, the victor of the first match is the Second Hero! The One of Blackness!” Marcus announces.

“Good job my friend! Now you can begin to make that woman your girlfriend” Luther proposes.

I give him a confused look. That’s not how romance works. Is it? I ignore the statement, content with my victory. I may not have the best motivations when it comes to fighting. I may not want to get stronger for the sake of getting stronger nor do it for some higher ideal but I don’t fight halfheartedly. If I’m forced to fight, I’m giving it my all until I get back home.