Final Fantasy VII: Lifestream - Book 2: Aftermath

FORTY-EIGHT

After drinking a strong potion and resting for a few minutes in the waiting area while the other semifinal fights went on, I headed back to the gate when I heard my name over the speaker again. This time, I got a much warmer greeting from the gatekeeper. As soon as I walked over, he tipped his hat to me and smiled.

"Ma'am, I gotta admit, you totally proved me wrong out there!" he said. "You really are Firebrand, aren't you?"

I grinned. "Sure am! Made ya a believer, didn't I?"

He nodded. "Totally! You're pretty good, you know? For a moment there it seemed like those guys had you, but you came back and totally turned things around! That's how a winner fights!"

"Thanks!" I laughed.

"Sure," he said. "Anyway, it's the final match! Well, there's one more special bonus round if you can beat this one, so it's not really final, but you know what I mean. You good to go?"

I pumped my fist. "Absolutely! Let's do this!"

He hit the switch. "Great! I've got a lotta money riding on you. Get out there and win it for me, Firebrand!"

"You won't be disappointed!" I promised.

Then, with a little wave, I headed inside the tunnel and went down to the other gate at the far end. It opened almost as soon as I got there, and while I waited for Kotch and Scotch to announce me, I took a deep breath and relaxed, flexing my fingers to stay loose while the guy from the coliseum staff looked at me in awe.

"Um, good luck, miss," he said. "You're really something!"

"Thanks," I smiled.

Then I heard Kotch's voice as he got underway. "Tonight's thrilling and dramatic Trio's Tournament continues!"

"It's been a night filled with action, excitement, and drama," Scotch continued. "One that's seen many brutal fights and skilled challengers,!all competing for the gil and the glory!"

"But now, only two remain!" Kotch added.

Scotch turned in a slow circle facing the crowd. "Powerful fighters who've crushed and demolished everyone and everything in their path! Whoever emerges victorious will be our champion!"

"And not only the winner of a hefty cash prize," Kotch said, taking over, "but also of the right to challenge Don Corneo's ultimate weapon in a spectacular, no-holds-barred bonus match!"

So that was what the gatekeeper had meant about a bonus round. I didn't know what this weapon was, but I didn't doubt I could beat it. I'd gotten this far, and I'd beaten some tough enemies already—Rosso and Abzeth, not to mention Scarlet's mechanized terror, the Crimson Mare. I hadn't forgotten about her other project, either, that superweapon I'd found out about when I'd left Shinra.

The backdoor I'd secretly added was still in place—I'd made sure to check on that during my preparations for stealing the FEX-01. Still had to build the trigger device to set it off, but I wasn't worried about that. I knew what to do and what I needed. And I wasn't gonna let this thing, this mechanical monstrosity, hurt innocent people. Scarlet had called it Proud Clad back when I'd first discovered it, but I'd found out that she had renamed it over the years to Pride and Joy. Still not quite ready, but it was getting closer, as far as I could tell.

Scotch motioned toward the gate where I was waiting. "Let's get so damn loud they'll here us up on the plate! You know who we're talking about! Once more, we have our feisty and gorgeous challenger, the girl with a boundless love for bloodshed!"

"She's won victory after victory!" Kotch boomed. "And she's stolen more than a few hearts along the way!"

"So give it up for the Peeress of Power!" Scotch shouted.