Alois Fawkner's Story

Evan saw the pretty girl get all excited over the book, and the young guy, who Evan could only guess was probably her boyfriend or husband with all his luck, summon a bouquet of flowers with the book. Evan looked closer now, and noticed the book. He walked up to the group and with a somewhat worried tone said, "Hey! guy with the book!" He tried to stop the guy and get the book away from him, if it really was what he thought it was. He got only a few feet away and looked closely. It was the book he thought it was, and he had to get it out of the guys hands quick. He acted quick and without thinking, as he often does. "Sorry about this, " he said with his last step as he grabbed the book and threw it up in the air. He was a good enough aim that he barely had to focus when he shot a fireball from his hand. The book came back down in ashes, as Evan just stood there waiting for the beating as always. He just realized how buff this guy was, and that the pretty girl and the other pretty small one with mechanical parts where both probably wielders. Scratch that, he felt it.

Alois

Alois strode beside Miss Bruma, and tried hard to not attract the eyes of civilians. He spoke clearly to Madam Bruma, "I must depart for a time, but should you need to see me, or the time of the tournament arrives, please meet me at that tent," Alois pointed to the tent surrounding the arena for the tournament. He briefly walked away, his blue militant coat swaying in the wind.

Alois stood out on a balcony, which stood on two large wooden planks seeded into the north side of the bleachers surrounding the arena area. "Welcome all, to this years Fawkner Fair!" The crowd cheered very loudly until Alois raised his hands for silence, then boomed in his voice again, "We have a great line up of contestants tonight, many are last minute additions, from far away, and very close to home, I hope you all wish them you best, but I must announce that this year we will be performing something a little... special." Alois grinned widely as he announced the next part, "We will be matching up opponents randomly and by complete surpise, they will not be aware of who they fight, until they are called, and if they fail to enter the ring within 20 minutes of being called, they forfeit." The crowd cheered loudly for the new news, and in anticipation of these surprising match-ups that meant not knowing when the tournament ended.

Neku walked back to Piper and Scarlett with his face still somewhat goofy. "Umm, I'm sorry you two but Zhu entered you both into the contest by accident, he's not good with prioritizing and organizing people for long periods of time, but look at it this way... it's gonna be fun!" Neku let his eyes fall with the last statement, and passed out. He fell into a state of unconscious drunken stupor. Zhu landed on top of Nekus head, which now lay asleep on the ground.

Evan had heard the news, and was excited. No way of knowing you're next opponent or even when the fighting stops; it was a true test of bravado and will. Evan looked over to his left and saw the old master Zen. "Quite a show huh my boy?" he said humbly and joyously.

"Yeah, it's gonna be great, but you mastered that brown headed drunk guy right? How does he intend to fight when he's so out of it?" Evan said with a lot of confusion. This master looked wise, and possibly full of years of magikal experience.

"Oh he is much stronger than he looks, and he probably won't try to win here, maybe just test others," The master looked on at the stone arena floor with the same expression. "He hasn't used his full potential in a long time, and besides, after I had trained him to control his control over the power of lightning, he still won't use it for fear of hurting someone badly."

Evan was surprised by this statement, and was a little more cautious to hear the man now passed out on the floor could greatly injure someone, while holding himself back. Evan wondered just how strong Neku actually was now, and how he would even fight. Something deep down inside of Evan wanted to fight Neku, but something else, something still less powerful, advised against it.

Neku mumbled in his stupor, "More blood than alcohol...4 liters of blood...3 liters of sake." Neku must have been remembering something in his head, and somewhat vaguely aware of his surrounding. He started to snore somewhat loudly letting out small mumbles occasionally. He rolled over now, and was blushing very furiously as he somewhat loudly mumbled, "Evany," and made a little more off a stir, then subsided.

As the first match ended, Alois rose again and announced loudly, "Now, this was just demonstration of the fighting you will see tonight ladies and gentlemen, these men could not make it in time for the actual tournament, but you can see all of the real contestants as they now move to sit at the side of the arena," Alois pointed to the edge of the arena, which was a large cobblestone area all around the 3 foot high arena circle, that stretched about 35 feet around. "I must ask all non fighters to sit only in the bleachers, thank you." Alois sat once more, allowing a brief intermission before he announced the first real fighters.

Evan started moving along to the waiting area, and noticed Zen going to. If Zen was really going to fight, then he might be as strong as Neku. Evan wondered where Zaku had run off to, as he looked around. ll he could see that stood out was a man in a long coat with cut out sleeves, and a black woolen hat and long spiky hair poking out from the bottom, as well as the fact that he was extremely ripped around his arms. Evan also saw some woman in a pea coat and what appeared to be a black business attire shirt underneath, and an elegant skirt with expensive looking stockings and stiletto's which seemed to Evan a bit crazy to wear in a fight. Evan couldn't help but notice her bust as well, as he blushed and hoped no one saw him being such a pervert. Lastly Evan barely saw a hooded figure that appeared and the evaporated in the small crowd. Something about the figure struck Evan as dangerous.

"Ugh, Neku! When I said more blood than alcohol, I didn't mean it literally!" Then again Scarlett realized that she had to be more specific about her wish. A simple 'No drinking' would be better... and difficult for Neku. Then she thought that if he was about to literally break his promise to her, he'll break his promise to Piper as well. Therefore, the promise to Kaine won't be done either. Scarlett really hoped that Neku realized that. She heard him mumble more. "If you want to know where's Evan, he's nearby." Scarlett then realized that she was talking to a drunk guy and it would be silly if she expected a reasonable response.

Alois was about to announce the first fighters. She quickly stood up and started waiting. Every second was a minute for her. Her face started burning. Every single sweat drop on her forehead changed her view of time - she felt like life was in slow motion. Who would be the first on the arena? Was she among them?

Maoliu was getting quite pumped. Though she had been at grander tournaments before, they weren't exactly recent. With so many foreign people, she somewhat doubted she would win, but she knew she would make it far. Though, considering most of the contestants were magik users, she decided it was best if she stuck to her own magik. Magik often required more power than physical enhancers, but if one was hurt, it'd be a different story. She simply put her hands on her hips and examined the crowd for anybody that stuck out.

Maoliu yelped slightly when he heard Kaine's voice right behind her, as she was caught off guard. "Is this your first tournament too, Mei-Ling?" She turned, instantly regaining her composure, and placed her hand on her chest. "Are you crazy? I've been to tons of tournaments of any kind before," she boasted, "I mean, back where I'm from, we don't strictly use magik. Of course, it's all really difficult, but I still win many matches of many kinds. Did I tell you I'm a champion at mahjong?" The latter, however, was a lie. "Though, I suppose most of the fighting is more like a beauty contest."

"Y'see, back where I'm from, we kinda have rules. See, we believe that among us humans, other more powerful spirits and demons may hide among us. So, the fifth Emporer made these rules that basically bring everyone, no matter how powerful, to the same level. Y'see, usin' magik, every magik user could craft their own spells and techniques. They were weak and easy to cast, but they were also hard to avoid, but the rule was that every spell had to be avoidable, and the first one to get hit loses. Then, magik users started turnin' spells into works of art, and instead of everybody going for the most powerful spells, they went for spells that suited their tastes. And that's how conflict was settled."

"Of course, we don't do that now, but now we have tournaments that use similar rules. Trust me, they are the prettiest to watch, thus the reason we have 'em." Maoliu grinned, but realized she was droning on. "Of course, however, I still just fight people with my fists as well," she finished and turned her attention to the announcer, 'Fawkner'.

Kaine listened to Mei-Ling's response in earnest, taking in everything she said like a smiling child, as if it were all the greatest things he'd ever heard. He was already impressed with her as soon as she told him she'd been to many tournaments before this one, and wanted to know more about her adventures and the like, and was even more intrigued when he heard her boast about being the champion of Mahjong. Whatever that was, Kaine had no idea, but he figured it was some advanced marital arts technique or something -- only ever being taught to people from her homeland. She continued on about the ways she and her people would challenged each other with special rules, which provided them with more of a challenge in and of itself. After she had turned back to face the crowd, Kaine spoke in reply.

"Woooww..." said Kaine in awe of the girl. "You're pretty impressive! I don't know what Mahjong is, but you MUST be strong if you mastered the art!" Kaine placed his hands on his hips and smiled at her. "As for me, this is my first tournament. Ha, I didn't even know what one was until Piper explained it to me earlier today." said Kaine with a laugh, taking in all the fighters that were now lining up along the sides of the stage as he spoke. "Yeah, I just want to fight strong opponents. I love a good fight, and I always learn something new each time, whether I win or lose, so I'm always happy once the fight has ended. But, I probably wouldn't be too interested in that form of fighting you mentioned... With all the rules and stuff? I've never been one to really care for magik, after all..." Kaine smiled again after dropping his previous one for a few seconds, and added, "So I'd probably fit right in with your people by the sound of things, haha." Kaine looked around again. "And by the way things are looking, only a few of these contestants are going to pose a true challenge... Save for you, Neku, and maybe Evan. I don't know about Piper or Scarlett just yet, though... They might surprise me!"

Kaine and Mei-Ling were then told to move along the sides of the stage with the rest of the contestants, and so they did, and were now standing alongside Evan and Zen. "Oh, hey guys!" said Kaine with a smile and a wave. "Wow, I didn't know YOU were going to be fighting, old man! You must be really strong, huh?" Kaine couldn't feel any pressure from the old man, and figured that he HAD to be a master. How else would he be able to hide his energy so perfectly? Kaine then looked around after saying hello, and what with the room now being cleared up, easily spotted Piper and Scarlett, who were on the opposite side of the ring, and waved to them with a grin, wondering where Neku was...

Alois drew a slip of paper from his coat pocket, and read over the name, "Evan Doragon!" he announced as the crowd cheered. Evan's face lit up with excitement, as he jumped up onto the arena platform. "Who's my opponent, bring 'em on!" he cheered with anticipation. Alois reached down again and drew the next name. "Neku Yamaku!" he said with another tsunami of cheers. The crowd went crazy for the contenders. Neku however remained unconscious on the floor beside the arena, with Zhu on his back, mumbling about things he was vaguely aware of.

Evan went pale and froze up when he heard Neku's name came on. 'So soon, already?' Evan thought, 'I wanted to fight him but I don't even get to warm up?!' Evan couldn't believe his incredible bad luck. He clenched his fist tighter and hardened himself, telling himself it was okay. He breathed slowly as he still waited for the newly met brown haired man to come up. Then he thought, he'd only heard that guys first name. Maybe, hopefully, it wasn't the same person, but if it was or not then where was Evan's opponent?

Scarlett waved back at Kaine, who was at the opposite side of the ring.
Her heart skipped a beat when she heard Neku's name. She looked at him, as he just lost a fight to alcohol. "Neku! Hey, Neku! Get up!" she shook his shoulder. "You just had to be intoxicated!" Scarlett said angrily while everyone else were cheering. Maybe once he reached the arena, he would suddenly bring back his consciousness and fight with the blonde guy everyone met earlier. The best thing she could do is to ask Zen how to help Neku. Instead, she put Neku's arm around her shoulder and brought him next to Evan with her super speed. Her strength was far from enough to carry 190 lbs, but her speed and her air bending helped a lot. She placed him carefully next to Evan and splashed his face with water (made by her powers) in hopes that it would be helpful. As far as she knew him, she thought that even if he was wasted, he would not only fight, he would win. "If only I had more from the sobering herbs!" Scarlett thought.

Scarlett went back next to Piper. In worries she took Piper's mechanical hand and started squeezing it. "Was it right what I just did? Piper, was it a good idea to drop him half dead on the arena?" She whispered. "Neku... please be alright..."

"Wow! I get to see what Neku's made of right off the bat, huh?" said Kaine, his attention stolen away from all but what Alois had just announced to the audience. He was excited, but at the same time, a tad bit disappointed, as he was hoping to have witnessed Neku's capabilities firsthand against his own, but was still eager to see a good match either way.

Kaine looked up at Scarlett's blinding speed as she dropped an unconscious Neku in front of Evan on the stage, and zipped back to Piper's side just as fast. "Who do you think'll win, Mei-Ling?" Kaine asked her, not looking away from the two competitors. "My money's on Neku... But that's just based off of what I've felt from him thus far." Mixing a laugh into his words, Kaine added, "I don't know anything about this Evan kid, so who knows! Should be a great fight either way." he finished with a smile, holding his hands on his hips in a carefree manner, as he normally did.

Truth was, Kaine didn't know who would win this match. As it was only a match. But he could easily tell who the better fighter was just by feeling the air that surrounded them. Of course, that didn't mean Neku was going to win for sure... He knew that Evan was obviously an up-and-comer, but shouldn't be overlooked, even if Neku seemed to outclass him by a decent margin. However, it's been said that Neku likely won't try to win the tournament, only ever going as far as to see how everyone fairs out. That being said, it likely meant that Neku wasn't going to throw the match this early on, so Evan didn't seem to have a chance. Although, that's not always a bad thing... In Kaine's own personal experiences, he's learned that, under certain circumstances, winning isn't necessarily the best outcome... Sometimes, in order to become stronger, you have to taste defeat. This was why Kaine's mindset when fighting was always about the challenge itself, and not the victory. He, of course, like anyone else, enjoys winning after truly testing his strength, however, he isn't limited to only that thought. Whether he wins or loses tonight, doesn't matter to him, as he'll be happy to have fought whoever was strong enough to defeat him either way. And that's all that mattered to him; the challenge.

"You can do it, Evan! Give it all you got!" yelled Kaine in cheer. Despite knowing Evan's likely outcome, Kaine still wanted him to do his best. Otherwise, what was the point? Always give it everything you have when faced with a challenge. That was Kaine's motto. Even if you know the chances are slim, or downright impossible; as long as you gave it your all, you'll still come out stronger for it. And that was TRUE strength, in Kaine's eyes.

Piper blinked at Scarlett. "Nicely done and so subtle I'm sure no one even noticed..." Piper was joking to lighten the mood. She was also trying to hide her worry. Neku did not seem to be wanting to wake up from his nap. "Hmp... I'm sure he's fine... Just a little... Drowsy?" Piper watched the arena her eyes trying to mask her concern. Why of all days did Neku chose today to get so drunk he would just lay about about during the first battle? Then again she could always help him out by maybe sending an earth spike to forcefully eject the alcohol from his system but she was sure that would be both painful and an official offense...

Sighing Piper tried to un-glue her eyes from the scene and instead look for the person hosting this madness. Lifting her hand to her metal eye Piper zoomed in on the crowd. They fell on many rich folk casting bets on who they think would win she spotted normal people of all ages other competitors but no one who looked like the host of this... Then again even if she would see them she could never identify them... She wondered though if with Neku's state they might call off this first battle?

Neku opened one eye finally, and noticed that he felt wet. He pushed himself up off of the ground and realized that he was in the ring. "Oh I guess it's my turn, well let me warm up and I'll be right to it." Neku drunkenly stumbled into various stretches. Alois looked at his pocket watch and saw he had made it with 30 seconds to spare. "He has woken in time." The crowd cheered with the announcement, and cheered even more from the built up suspense.

Evan broke a little when Neku finally stood. He had hoped he might not have to fight Neku, drunk or not. He hardened again and took a fighting stance. Neku stopped stretching and stood drunkenly. He stuck his hand out and waved for Evan to come on. "Whenever you're ready, I didn't really get to know you outside, but lets see how you handle yourself here." Evan was surprised Neku actually noticed him outside when he was so drunken, well less sober if anything. Something about it gave Evan some more vigor as he started thinking of his first move.

Scarlett felt both extremely excited and relieved when Neku got on his feet. She was breathing slowly and chuckling at the same time, as her hand was on the left side of her chest. "He has woken in time." Alois announced and everyone, including Scarlett, burst in cheers. She was screaming out her wits. She was in such hysterical joy, if she was at a concert, she would be noticed from all the fans. "HE WOKE UP! HE WOKE UP! I HELPED HIM! I DID SOMETHING USEFUL!" Scarlett squeezed Piper in a bone breaking and lung suffocating embrace. She was one of the last people who stopped cheering.

Scarlett was ready to cheer for the battle. However, many wise people would advice her to spare her energy for her turn on the arena. Would she listen? Probably not. If there was something very difficult for Scarlett, is controlling her emotions.
Now everyone were waiting for the first move...

Kaine was watching the still arena stage with nothing bu enthusiasm, despite it being, well, still. Many people were already getting bored, but those people didn't know Neku even a little bit. From Kaine and his new friends' recent experiences, they learned that Neku being drunk hardly meant that he was completely out of the game. And so, Kaine simply awaited the moment when Neku would wake up...

"Well it looks as if the battle had just finished, considering one of them is on the ground already.", said Mei-Ling. "Heh, you think so? Well I'm betting on the other g--" said Kaine, being interrupted by the sight of Mei-Ling having drifted off to sleep-- WHILE STILL STANDING. Even though he was surprised, he couldn't help but smile at such a talent, and thought it best to leave her be for at least a little while longer.

After it seemed as though Neku would lay there forever, his eyes suddenly shot open, and his body jolted to life, so to speak, and stood up to face Evan. "Oh, I guess it's my turn, well let me warm up and I'll get right to it.", said Neku, as he drunkenly stumbled into various stretches. Kaine then, without turning away from the ring, spoke to Mei-Ling and placed a hand on her shoulder, the two of them side-by-side, "Hey, wake up! The fights about to start, Mei-Ling!" he said, giving her a slight shake, before snapping his head to her when he felt the pulse of her energy once more, which made him remove his hand, his heart skipping a beat at remembering how strong this girl seemed.

"He has awoken in time.", announced Alois. The crowd cheered, no one louder than a certain spirited young woman... But Kaine was also very excited. The only difference between the two of them, was that Kaine was capable of controlling his excitement a little better. Everywhere -- strong competitors. There were two in front of him on the stage, and one standing right next to him, ALL of them made his skin tingle in anticipation, however, he felt deep down that there was something in particular about Neku and Mei-Ling, which made him take more interest in the two of them than anyone else in the room, save for a group of people in black clothing that were bundled up together on one of the ring's sidelines... But they gave off a more...'sinister' feel, than anyone else did. This made Kaine scowl a bit out of suspicion, before looking back up to the ring with his usual demeanor, making note of those mysterious people in black, and placing it in the back of his mind for later...

The rest of the battle seemed so amazing and not predictable for Scarlett, she could see Neku's and Evan's will to prove themselves as worthy fighters. Finally Alois announced Neku as the winner. Scarlett took out the biggest and happiest burst in cheer ever since she was at the fair. In the wave of everyone's cheer, she was yelling "HE WON! AAAAAAAAHH!! HE WON! I'M FRIENDS WITH THIS GUY, EVERYBODY!" she was jumping while screaming.

Neku came to Piper and Scarlett with Evan on his shoulder. "Piper, Scarlett, we need some kind of refresher, the kid burnt a lot of energy out there, and after that he deserves some kind of help." Not only was he a great fighter, Neku was also very caring. Trying to help his beaten opponent was so touching for Scarlett, she just shut up. She was only smiling and not saying anything for a few seconds. "My dad gave me these eye drops. They speed up the resting process and he'll be fine in no time after a little rest." Scarlett helped Evan lie down and put the drops in his eyes by pulling up his eyelids. "If there's a medical center around here, carry him there, so he can have a proper rest." Scarlett was silent for a few more seconds before she squealed and hugged Neku. "Congratulations! You won!" The hug lasted for a while until she let him go. "Now let's help him go to the medical center!" Scarlett couldn't stop smiling, her face was glowing. She realized that it didn't matter if Neku was drunk or not. He could be strong, reasonable and kind at the same time no matter how much alcohol he had in his veins.

Kaine was surprised to hear about Neku's martial arts style being on-the-fly, and while at first, one would think that would be a little disappointing to the average martial artist, Kaine smiled deeper, almost wickedly, truly admiring what Neku was. He got as far as he did with nothing more than the want to get there, even if that meant making it up as he went, and Kaine respected his capabilities for it. "So... No one trained him martial arts..." said Kaine quietly to himself. He thought about what Zen had just told him as the fight continued. He thought about about how Neku wasn't trying to win, about how he was only testing Evan, finding the boy's limits... Which meant that Neku would likely be doing that for every opponent he faces tonight, just as Zen had told them earlier. This thought made Kaine's smile fade, if only slightly, realizing that more than likely, if Neku went up against either himself, or the woman next to him; Mei-Ling... He'd likely throw the match after finding that they were closer to him on several levels. THIS thought made Kaine's smile fade entirely, a little worried that Neku wouldn't be giving Kaine his all, if they fought in a match together. This was very disappointing for Kaine, if it was true, as he doesn't fight to defeat others, he fights to defeat HIMSELF. And if the person he's fighting isn't going for the win, or giving it everything they have, Kaine won't be able to test himself any further... He'll learn nothing, and won't surpass his earlier level.

However, his smile soon returned when he finished thinking it all over. He was still a little worried that Neku wouldn't take their match seriously, but it didn't seem like that was out of arrogance, or because he didn't want a true match. Neku had his own reasons, and if he was half the fighter Kaine thought he was, throwing a match likely isn't in Neku's favor... Maybe he has to... His motives are shrouded in mystery to Kaine, but he at least knew that there was a greater reason for it, which made him understand, so to speak.

Kaine's thoughts, however cleared they now were, became interrupted with the sound of a loud snapping sound that emitted the air around the ring. The sound of Neku's bones breaking as Evan's large stone hit him in the back, and knocked him to the ground, unmoving. Kaine's eyes narrowed as he watched Neku. Evan fell to the ground and started laughing, like it was over. It WAS over, but not for Neku. Evan gave it all he had, which Kaine supported in silence. Evan was no longer able to fight. He hit his wall for the night, and Neku's wasn't even breathed on. Kaine continued smiling as Neku's foot slammed into the back of Evan's head, and decided the match in his favor. Kaine crossed his arms as the rest of the crowd remained silent, obviously still trying to figure out what had happened, as Neku picked Evan up, and shouldered his unconscious body, and announced his victory to the crowd.

"Neku Yamaku appears to have won!" called out Alois, causing the crowd to cheer loudly, none cutting above Scarlett's own cheers. You'd think SHE was the winner just now, with all that enthusiasm she was showing. This made Kaine chuckle a bit, enjoying her spirit once again. After seeing Neku walk over to Piper and Scarlett, asking them for some assistance, Kaine's respect for Neku increased tenfold, and his crossed arms come undone, falling to his sides once more, due to surprise. Even if Neku was shown to be a good person before the fight, it was a rare sight for Kaine; seeing someone capable of showing THAT much respect for their opponent. He was beginning to think that he was the only one who did...until Neku... 'The world truly is a big place just FULL of all kinds of people...' he thought.

His attention was pulled away by Zen, which Kaine was happy to give fully, now that the match was over. "I think that the greatest lesson I ever taught him though, was to always respect one's opponent." said Zen, now looking over at Kaine and Mei-Ling with a smile. Kaine concurred that it was indeed one of the greatest lessons one could ever be taught. And if it weren't for the couple that saved him 10 years ago, he likely never would have been taught such a lesson himself... "Have either of you received any training from any source besides experience?" asked Zen, still smiling at the two of them.

Scarlett wanted to go and see how things were going at the medical center, but at least she should be at the arena. Probably Piper was next and might not hear Alois saying her name while helping out Evan. Scarlett was needed to react fast in case something like that happened.

She saw Zen, Kaine and Hong in the distance and wondered why were they so far. Probably the crowd was huge and this separated everyone, but Scarlett hoped she would watch the fights along with everyone she met on her journey. Changing her spot without telling Piper was something Scarlett didn't want to do. She also didn't want to make everyone else she met change their spot out of sudden. Scarlett was just waiting and hoping that Evan would be alright.

Scarlett coughed again. She could feel dizziness in her head again, but it went away quickly. "I can't wait to hear who's next... and now I'm bored." Scarlett thought. She took out a lizard shaped necklace, which looked very realistic, and took the string away. Then she carefully put the lizard part on the head of a girl who was in front of her. Then she shook her shoulder. "Oh my goodness, miss! What's that on your head?!" Scarlett yelled and started waiting for the reaction.

Many people's attention was taken away by massive and hysterical screaming, followed by a thud. "Oh, no! No, no, no, no, no, NO! NO!" Scarlett freaked out after the girl she pranked ended up unconscious on the ground. She didn't seem to like lizards, but Scarlett didn't expect for the results to go this far. The girl could be one of the competitors. Many thoughts rushed into Scarlett's head. "What if no one knows her name? What if Alois calls her right away? What if she loses her chance to fight because of my prank? What if she... what if she di..." Scarlett couldn't finish her thoughts, because she sighed in relief after the other girl regained her consciousness. "Everything is okay!" Scarlett told everyone who were looking at her.

Neku tossed a bag of coins at the paramedics, who finally began doing their jobs. Neku didn't look happy about it at all. Meanwhile Alois stood with an air of significance. He began, "It is time for the next two opponents," He pulled the strips from his pocket and read them aloud, " Scarlett Nightforest, and Councilman Yun Shemune!" The crowd cheered excitedly as a man in a deep blue navy coat the same as Alois' stepped in to the arena. He was very tall and looked very stout with a resolute face and a large square that made him look like an iron jawed machine. He had short jet black hair that was tightly combed back to his head, but one or two strands escaped and formed a very shallow bang on his forehead, and he had a very well managed looking traditional moustache.

Alois' voice calling Scarlett's name pierced her ears, she could barely breathe. "OH! OH! THAT'S ME! AAAHH!!!" Shocked, she pulled her hair backwards. Her eyes couldn't stop moving from side to side. In order to calm down, she took a deep breath and let out a quick exhale. "Here goes nothing..." she whispered to herself while slowly stepping to the arena. Her heart was pounding, her vision got blurred for a second while her head got dizzy again. She quickly put herself together and walked to the arena. She remembered that her opponent Shemune saw her quickly dragging Neku to the arena when it was his turn, since everyone did. Councilman was most likely aware of her speed, but it wasn't such a big deal. At least Scarlett hoped so. Her eyes started searching for the opponent. She saw him - he was huge. He could probably eat her for breakfast. "No! Enough of these thoughts! Size doesn't always matter!" Scarlett thought. She was from the people, who would always tell you to believe in yourself, but now she needed to be told that. She raised her hand to Councilman Yun Shemune for a handshake before battle.

Scarlett fell on her knees, then fainted. She was on the floor long enough for everyone to think that she has already lost. Alois wouldn't be blamed if he thought the same either. Just before her time ended, Scarlett suddenly disappeared. Wind could blow the hair of much more people than before.

Both of Scarlett's fists collided with Yun's lower ribs. The young girl disappeared again and reappeared with her elbow in his gut. After her next disappearance and appearance her right fist met the trachea. Then the duration of her disappearances and appearances were in the span of 1 second. Scarlett attacked Yun from everywhere. Sometimes she punched, sometimes she kicked, sometimes she did both at the same time. She aimed for his forehead, his eyes, his teeth, his knees, his back, wherever she thought it would hurt. The disappearing and reappearing time span became shorter, but she managed to speed up enough for acceptable strength that would end Yun's boredom since he was dominating the bigger part of the battle.

Scarlett continued. She didn't stop. For a moment all her weakness has disappeared. Or maybe she got used to it and didn't feel it because of her will to prove herself as a fighter, even though she didn't have any experience except for that battle and the relatively mild training with her father. In many points of the battle Scarlett felt like she was on the edge, but then she felt like there was no such thing as an "edge". David could beat Goliath, so why wouldn't Scarlett be able to win?

The whole audience was tensed up, when Scarlett laid there, unmoving, save for most of the spectating competitors. Alois had already begun his count, until she disappeared from view once more. All that could be heard, was the sound of her grunts echoing as Yun's body took hit after hit, in quick succession. The wind that was flowing around the arena stage was enough to make quite a few people blink several times each. As his hair was blowing around like crazy from the pressure that Scarlett was giving off from her straining attempt at besting her opponent, Kaine was beginning to get worried over her current state. She did appear to have the upper hand, but Yun's smile didn't falter as he was being slammed into, every which way. And Scarlett's assaults were beginning to slow down with every strike. "Aw, no...!" said Kaine aloud through clenched teeth, gripping the metal railing that separated the spectators from the ring with his hands. It was beginning to dent without him realizing how much power he was putting into his grip, all of his attention having been on Scarlett and Yun's match, and not even glancing to see how Mei-Ling or Zen was perceiving the current match. This fight was likely going to end soon, and 2 things were certain to Kaine; 1, Yun's endurance was like none he'd ever seen before. And 2... Scarlett was getting tired.

Not being able to keep quiet any longer, Kaine shouted up at the stage, "Scarlett! You're messing up! He's waiting for you to tire yourself out! Don't fall for his trap!!" He knew that he shouldn't be helping her, in case of wounding her pride, but he was sure she couldn't see it. The bigger picture. Not even Kaine was certain, but it's what Yun appeared to be planning, and it's what Kaine himself would be doing if HE had that ultimate defense ability. The moment Scarlett's quick assaults ceased, and she could no longer use her speed as an ace, Yun would likely use that opportunity to retaliate. And in that moment... "She's gonna lose, if this keeps up..." whispered Kaine, to himself. The metal bar before him had already dented in quite a bit. He was gritting his teeth as well, not sure why he was getting so worked up over this match that involved someone he only just met a few hours ago. Maybe it had something to do with Neku's words of "caution" over how dangerous these matches can truly become. He said there were never any deaths, but 'maiming' was a regular occurrence from time to time. And Scarlett was no fighter. This much was clear. She was too wet behind the ears, and the only reason why she wanted to even ENTER this tournament, was in order to have fun. And it didn't seem like she was having too much of that at the moment...