Yuu wished she could be physically strong, regretting her strong dislike of exercise growing up. She could have used a bit more muscle in this fight. Yuu, instead, placed a hand on Jack's arm, gaining his attention.
"If I can't overthrow the world, I'll turn it to sand!" Leona lamented, howling into his own sandstorm as Yuu whispered something into Jack's big ears. He looked at her incredulously for a moment before noting the resolve burning in her eyes and nodding.
Ruggie, who overheard, was a bit more vocal about his opinion. "Are you fucking stupid?!" He hissed.
Yuu sighed. "Probably. Either that or I'm completely insane. But I have to do this. So keep him distracted, will you?" She whisper-yelled.
Ruggie groaned loudly before nodding. "Fine. Fine! Geez, the things I do!"
"Thanks, Ruggie." Yuu said, limp-running to the stadium's exit.
"It's pointless—all of it!" Leona wailed in the background, raising more dust as parts of the stadium crumbled, bleachers turning to dust as the inky tendrils connected with Leona's despairing form.
"Have you always felt this way? All this time...?" Ruggie muttered, his eyes not leaving Leona as Jack kept his eyes on Yuu who'd begun inching her way closer to Leona.
"Ruggie, let's hit Leona hard and knock some sense into him, fast!" Jack stated, his voice dripping with urgency as he pulled out his magic pen. For a moment, Yuu could feel the wolf beastman's golden eyes trailing behind her as she picked up what stones she hoped wouldn't corrode.
Yuu watched the two boys take a collaborative position, pens drawn as they appeared to be taking aim.
"Good..." Yuu murmured as she put Grim on the floor gently. "Cover me. I have to get close. I have to cut those tendrils."
The little monster stared up at her, sapphire blue eyes filled with concern and fear. Yuu took this fear and smiled reassuringly.
"I'll be fine. Now, go... Carefully." She sent the cat monster off as she did her best, stalking toward the threat.
"If you're really with me, Anthony, I want you to shield the baby. I'll be fine if this baby of ours survives." Yuu thought to her deceased beloved. With that thought, she felt a cooling sensation in her stomach, hopefully surrounding her womb to protect the baby.
Yuu looked up suddenly as she heard another distorted snarl and bit back a yelp as a flurry of sand hit the wall beside her with an audible crunch.
Yuu kept moving, watching an exhausted Jack and Ruggie gasping for breath.
"Rgh... So strong! How can someone so powerful give up on everything?" Jack snarled, throwing another spell at Leona.
"You're getting on my nerves. I'm gonna turn each 'n every last one of you to sand!" He howled, seemingly not noticing the woman who'd gotten significantly closer, pulling her hand back, recalling the inky monster's glass head as a weakness.
She decided to give her position away, meeting Jack's and Ruggie's gaze as she launched the stone. With an audible CLANG! The stone bounced off of the creature's head, gaining Leona's attention. The lion turned with a glare and prepared to launch an attack at Yuu, only for a pillar of blue fire to blind him.
"Thank you Grim!"
"Guys! Aim for the monster! Not Leona! The head is the weakest part!" She cried as the two beastmen's eyes seemed to widen. Jack gave a loud howl and nodded as Ruggie called back.
"I'm gonna use my signature spell! That'll buy you some time!" Yuu nodded and began to run.
Be safe, Yuu.
The pregnant woman scooped a handful of sand as she made her way into the eye of the storm where Leona stood frozen. She recognized this as Ruggie's spell and watched as it slowly began to melt away. Yuu squinted through the storm, noticing her familiar furball joining the two beastmen, she held her breath as she tapped Leona's shoulder to get his attention as she burrowed herself between the monstrous lion's paws.
Leona turned, eyes wide as he reached out to touch her. Yuu, out of vengeful motivation threw the sand in her hand into his face, effectively blinding him.
"Ack!" Leona yelped, pawing at his eyes before finally opening them, noticing the giant, bright ball of elements launch upward toward the glass head on the inky beast.
"No... No!" Leona howled. He could only stare, completely unable to block as the elemental cannon ball collided with the monster's head. Yuu heard the shattering of glass, running to drag Leona away from the sea of ink as it began to rain down. "I just wanted to be King..." Leona fell to his knees mournfully.
"Leona!" Yuu called. "Leona, move!" She quickly moved to him, somehow mustering the strength to pull the lion away from the shattered glass.
"Ooookay... I need to stop doing stupid shit..." She murmured, eyes trained on the ink.
Yuu held onto the slightly older beastman as the familiar wet and cold feeling of the ink crashed down on top of them. She held her breath, clinging to Leona for fear that she'd be washed away, although she'd be damned if she'd ever admit it to Leona.
.
.
.
"From the moment I was born, there's been a boulder on top of me that's too heavy to move..."
There was a strange, dry feeling in the air as Yuu opened her eyes, looking around in confusion in search of Leona. The pregnant woman stood, brushing herself off as she wandered the strangely beautiful place. She took note of the outside world, a beautiful savannah outside the pillars of the structure. In the distance, a familiar rock towered majestically over the wild appearance of the area she was in.
Yuu kept walking.
"Crown prince Falena is such a bright and cheerful young man. I don't understand why his younger brother has to be so moody all the time." Yuu's ears perked at the sound of this and she scrambled behind a wall. Three women stood, cleaning and gossiping, making Yuu roll her eyes. She despised gossip.
"And he possesses such a terrifying power! Imagine being able to turn anything to sand!" One of the women shuddered.
The third one huffed, paranoid with the other's loud gossip. "Both of you, cease this conversation right now! What if someone overhears you?!"
Yuu narrowed her eyes, beginning to stalk toward the women, determined to defend this mystery prince before Leona's voice was heard again.
"I bet that if I were the crown prince, this is what they would have said: 'Crown prince Leona is a judicious young man— look how he controls such powerful magic! I don't understand how Falena can be so carefree.'"
Yuu turned to look in the direction of the Lion beastman's voice, noticing him standing on the other side of the room. He looked bitterly upon the women.
Yuu carefully walked to him and he stared in surprise. "You... what are you doin' in my memories?" He demanded.
"I got dragged in here with you... Those women... why are they acting as if you're some sort of outcast?"
Leona grumbled under his breath. "This is all because I was born second. They'd find fault in me no matter what- just so they could use it as a pretext to praise my brother. No matter what I do, I can never be the best." Yuu examined Leona's emerald eyes as they looked on, there was a deep sorrow in his eyes, making them look as fragile as glass. Yuu bit her lip. I can't believe I'm doing this...
She grabbed Leona's hand in a very awkward attempt to comfort him. Leona looked at her, curious and deadpan at the same time as he tugged her along, this time, leading Yuu to a room.
"Leona! Why weren't you at today's ceremony?" A distinctly older male voice was heard.
"Ceremony? Ah, you mean the self-indulgent party where you show off your son to the people?" Yuu peeked through the door, seeing a younger Leona staring up at a different Lion beastman. Yuu couldn't quite make out the features of his face, however, his hair was long and a brilliant shade of vermillion.
The younger Leona scoffed. "Yeah, sorry I missed that. I fell asleep."
"Who's that?" Yuu whispered to Leona, who simply sighed.
"That's my older brother. Farena." He didn't look down at her, rather kept his eyes trained on the scene. Yuu followed suit, watching carefully.
"Showing the people the face of their future king is an important affair." Farena explained, trying to keep the younger Leona's attention. He seemed upset and worried at the same time.
"Yeah, it's a happy day for sure—also known as the day the despised second son loses what little claim he had to the throne forever." Yuu's eyes widened. She felt as if she'd heard that story before. The younger Leona looked slightly dejected as he referred to himself as "the despised second son."
"Do not frame it in such terms!" Farena snarled in warning, not exactly aggressive, but not completely passive to allow an insult like that to pass in his presence.
"Must be nice to be the firstborn, huh?" Young Leona snapped back, refusing to show his back to his older brother. "You can spend every day singing and napping and still become king." He taunted bitterly.
"Leona... You may never become king, but you are still wise..." Farena said. "There is much you could do for this country." He explained.
"And maybe if this country selected its kings on the basis of intelligence, I'd be motivated to do something with that wisdom." You Leona muttered, grumbling as he shoved past his older brother.
"Come on, Leona..." His brother began before turning. "Leona, wait!" He tried to reach out to his younger brother. "Leona!"
Yuu looked at Leona, whose lips were pressed into a thin, bitter line at the memory.
"Why do I have to spend my life feeling this way, just 'cause I was born a few years too late?" He asked aloud. "No matter how hard I study, no matter how powerful the magic I command..."
He turned to look at Yuu. "From the day I was born till the day that I die, no one will ever acknowledge that I'm better than my brother. I will never be king."
Yuu didn't speak, instead listened.
"Why did I have to be born second? Why will I never, ever get to be the best? Why?" Leona asked, he sounded sad.
"Life is truly unfair..."
Yuu reached out and placed her hand on his shoulder. "You're right. Life isn't fair." She said before grabbing him by the ear and pulling him down.
"Ack! What's that for?!" He yelped, rubbing his ear.
"Look, what I just saw, I won't tell a soul if you make a deal with me." Yuu's eyes caught a glimpse of the glowing door at the end of the palace corridor. "All you have to do is actually try. And don't give me any of that 'it's pointless' bullshit. I've seen you actually try, granted, you almost killed us all, but you get my point."
Leona narrowed his eyes. "That was the most aggressive, cliche crap anyone's ever spouted my way..." His tail flicked, looking into Yuu's eyes before he sighed. "Fine."
Yuu nodded. "Good, now let's get out of here before people think we're dead."
Leona scoffed before ruffling her hair, making Yuu whine a bit at how roughly his hand scraped at her scalp. "Alright, let's get out of here, herbivore." Leona wrenched his ear out of her clutch before walking lazily to the door, turning to Yuu as if waiting for her making Yuu smirk.
"Right behind you."
.
.
.
"...ke up! Hey! Wake up!" A familiar foul-smelling snout was stuck in her face, making Yuu's hand shot up to swat away the offending scent.
The world was too bright as Yuu and Leona both opened their eyes. Yuu hissed at the stinging in her arm from where Leona had grabbed her and she sat up, dizzy. She had to dismiss the several boys that immediately went to check on her.
"Huh?" Leona asked, still laying on the floor.
"What happened?" She muttered.
Grim didn't answer, rather he curled up in her lap, purring against her lower stomach.
"I did it! They're awake!" He cheered, nuzzling affectionately against Yuu's stomach, surprising her just a bit.
"I was startin' to think you weren't ever gonna regain consciousness!"
Yuu smiled softly at her companion, rubbing behind his ears. "Sorry to worry you, Grim."
Grim nodded and turned to Leona. "You tried to hurt my henchman and my mini henchman! How dare you! Now, hurry up and confess."
"Wh... What?" Leona rasped, visibly confused.
"Mr. Kingscholar." A familiar voice, much firmer than usual, spoke up, making Yuu's eyes follow the voice.
"Your negative energies accelerated your blot accumulation, inducing an overblot episode. Do you not remember?" Crowley walked up, he seemed upset as he walked over to Yuu. Crowley knelt in front of Yuu, fretting over her in a more discreet fashion than normal as Leona's eyes widened in surprise.
"Wait, ME...? I overblotted? No way..." He muttered in disbelief.
"And more importantly, the Spelldrive tournament is about to begin." Grim butt in, hopping out of Yuu's lap as he balanced on his hind legs, putting his front paws on his hips. "I'm gonna need you to confess that you're the culprit, so I'm allowed to enter!"
Yuu willed herself not to smile as she saw the look of disbelief in Leona's face morph into one of annoyance.
"If this is a joke, I ain't laughin'."
"The headmage got Grim's group to investigate the accidents in exchange for letting them compete in the tournament." Jack informed Leona, his ears twitching curiously as he watched his mighty housewarden gather his bearings.
"Whaaat? THAT'S what this has all been about?" Ruggie yelped in shock, his bewildered gaze focused on the cat monster.
Grim huffed, puffing his little furry chest out as he upturned his nose at the hyena. "You bet it has! And EXCUSE you?! You were the one pushin' people down stairs for the chance at a little fame and glory!" He reasoned, making Ruggie flinch.
"Ack!" Ruggie gasped before stuttering out an agreement. "W-well... Fair point, I suppose."
The Headmage paused his fretting for a moment, looking over at Leona with a stern gaze. "Is he correct?" He questioned, voice dangerously serious. "Were you responsible for the series of injuries sustained by competing players?"
Leona seemed to shrink a bit before nodding. "...Yeah. That was me."
"Very well." Crowley cawed. "Then to begin with, Savanaclaw House will be disqualified from this year's tournament." Yuu watched Crowley with a mixture of exhaustion and surprise as he exhaled, seeming more annoyed than angry as he looked at Leona.
"The rest of your punishment will be decided after I discuss it with the victims. Are we clear?"
Leona's ears pinned to the sides of his head as he looked down in shame, nodding as he grunted his response. "...Understood."
Beside him, Ruggie and Jack remained silent. Jack, the innocent one was being punished for the wrongdoings of his dorm members, something that Yuu had never liked. She opened her mouth to speak to at least defend Jack when Riddle sighed, exasperated.
"Headmage, wait."