Pride : a feeling of deep pleasure
or satisfaction derived from one's own achievements, the
achievements of one's close associates, or from qualities
or possessions that are widely admired.
or
: being conscious of ones own dignity
"First point to Crimson Inferno!" Marie heard the announcer briefly, "the Riko vs Itzal fight is over with Crimson as the victor!"
She stopped for a moment to look up at the scoreboard, to check if she'd heard the truth.
"That was quick," she muttered to herself, almost forgetting where she was.
But just in time she managed to dodge another attack from her opponent, which would of been easier if she'd been paying attention.
Overall, Marie had a small advantage, he was slow, his attacks were long, Marie could easily avoid them, her evasion was better. However, he was larger than her and she was physically weak, she couldn't seem to knock him over, his defence was superior. It took many attempts of fast kicks to just get him to wobble. This fight wasn't going anywhere.
But she had to win.
She needed something that would make her advantage bigger, an event, something that would make him lose.
She avoided more of his attacks, trying to figure out some way to change the game.
"Have you given up? You're not attacking anymore?" He mocked, his character was cocky but also dumb. Marie wasn't the brightest button in the box but she could definitely out smart the guy in front of her,
The area they fought in was like an alleys between buildings, a fake city made purely for the fighting taking place and for the entertainment of the country.
There must be something I can use.
Frustratedly, Marie ran past him using her speed to stand behind. This confused him, he wondered where she'd gone. Slowly she knelt down so he wouldn't hear her, picking up the nearest stone and with all her force, throwing it at him.
Unexpectedly, her opponent cried out at this small attack, rather than ignore it like all the rest of her attempts. He immediately turned to face her. Marie stood shocked and confused, but then realised.
"I guess you noticed," he looked half impressed, half disappointed with himself.
"Your magic is defence..." She nodded, explaining why none of her attacks would get to him.
"My skin is like armour, but I have to activate it myself," he grins, "you caught me off guard."
"I threw a stone at you," Marie raised an eyebrow.
"A sharp stone!" He protested angrily, not liking how he was being interpreted by his opponent, "besides I won't let my guard down again!"
He went back to attacking, and the plain fight continued. He didn't lie, Marie couldn't find a point at all were he put his guard down, she couldn't seem to trick him anymore. But he was weak, if he was caught off guard a small attack was enough to take him down, he wasn't tolerant to pain, it wouldn't surprise Marie if he had never experienced it with the magic he had.
Frustration was beginning to overwhelm her as she plainly fought the man, she was just waiting for a moment where he would get confused again, or forget she was there, even though he had clearly learned from his mistakes. She was getting angrier, and eventually it got the better off her.
She screeched as she got knocked to the floor. Sent flying across the alley they fought in and slide across the hard ground. She'd have no skin left if she grazed her arms anymore, but she'd hurt worse.
She'd squinted her eyes shut in the process but finally opened them when she was sure she had stopped moving, her head lay on her arm to protect it but had tilted sideways. The other roads around her finally came into view.
She gasped as an idea popped into her head. Finally she'd found something that could help her win, and give her the full advantage she needed. In front of her lay construction works, a prop probably, a way to make the scene more real; but an advantage.
Quickly she stood back up before her rival had time to come too close. He was looking pleased with himself, for finally landing a hit, and on her face in fact. A purple bruise was starting to form beneath her rose cheek.
This time, making sure her opponent noticed her direction, she zoomed around the corner to the construction works and tried to determine how she would do this.
At first, she attempted to unlock the door, but it figured that she couldn't get inside the building, there was no way the operators would let anyone hide out in a house.
"Where have you gone?" He sighed jokingly, knowing exactly where she went, "trying to run away?"
Marie wanted to scoff, "not me," she mumbled quietly to herself before aimless trying the door one more time.
Knowing this wasn't going to work, she looked around panicked, before attempting to climb the wall, she could hear him coming, he couldn't expect this, he couldn't. On her first try she slipped, but after a second go she managed to pull herself up and throw herself over the wall and land -not so gracefully- with a thump before her opponent could get round the corner.
Bull was getting a bit sick of this fight, he wondered when she would just give up and let him win. Kokuzo had told them that she was the type to give up easily, she cried a lot, like a baby. His boss had laughed when he shared that with Bull, how the girl sobbed telling him all her problems, he had no empathy.
"Where'd you go?" He hummed, "actually ran away?"
He took a few stepped forwards, that's when he heard crashing above his head. Snapping his neck to look up he watched groups of pipes and bricks fall towards him. Someone would of had to go through a lot of effort to push all that.
Of course this has no effect on his iron skin, so he stood smugly looking up to where he presumed Marie to be.
"Sorry I was expec-"
BANG
He hit the floor. Out cold.
Behind him, out of breath, Marie stood holding a pile that had just been used to knock him out.
She'd done it.
"First point for Purpura! Marie has defeated Crimson's Bull!" The announcer screeched proudly.
Marie couldn't really hear the cheering, and undoubtedly, most of screaming was from a proud guild master; but the pink haired girl grinned like she could, she smiled like she'd just received all the praise in the world, beamed like she'd just won the competition.
"I did it..." her eyes were going to fill up with tears of joy. She'd never been prouder of herself in her entire life. She'd defeated him! She'd done it on her own as well!
"I did it!"
Meanwhile, things were not going so well on the other side of the arena. Akira had safely hidden herself behind her brother and yourself, while you two prepared yourself to fight.
"He told you what those words meant to us didn't he?" Akio scowled, referring to what the twins in front of them had told Akira at the start of the competition. In response to this, they just nodded, proudly but almost ignorantly.
"He also told us!" The male one began,
"That our magic would work best against you Akio!" Kurai finished, they were informal and spoke as if they'd known him for a long time, although with what Kokuzo had told them about him, they might as well of.
"But not so well against the girl..." Hikari sighed, scratching his chin.
"Unless we force her to use her magic!" In a fake attempt to cheer her twin up, Kurai grinned in her brother's direction. They were like some sort of comedy act, finishing each others sentences, faking their reactions, they seemed to have rehearsed this, but you weren't certain.
"What is your magic?" Akio went with the 'you can't blame a man for trying' approach to trying to get information, obviously it didn't quite work.
"You're about to find out!" The girl smiled excitedly, clenching her fists in front of her as if it was Christmas morning.
"Come!" Simultaneously they both said, "challenge us!"
Accepting the challenge, Akio charged at his opponents, seemingly forgetting they were children with the anger was radiating off him.
"Poison God's roar!" He aimed at the male twin, who seemed to cockily wait for it.
It should of hit him, but it didn't. Instead it seemed to diffuse into the air, disappear without harming the boy at all.
"Wha-"
"Akio watch out!"
It seemed the same attack he'd used was coming to attack him from behind, from the girl twin. It would of hit him if you hadn't been there to cut it with your sword.
"Thanks," you were now back to back with your comrade, both of you had an eye on one of the Crimson twins. "Akira, hide." Akio, instructed his sister, who did as she was told. The twins could still see her, but it gave her an opportunity to run away and not be caught by anyone else, not that she wasn't strong enough to take care of herself.
"I think it would be better-" you began. Before you could finish your sentence... you vanished into thin air.
"(Y/n)!" He called, turning around frantically and realising you weren't there anymore.
What was worse was even the twins looked confused, but they shrugged and focused on Akio alone. You could almost argue they were relieved by your sudden disappearance.
Akio swore to himself quietly, you couldn't back him up anymore. The fact he couldn't see Akira concerned him too, but he knew she would be close by. Now he had no choice but to fight alone.
"If we try spl-" you began but then stopped when you figured out you weren't in the same place you were when you started the sentence. "Wait, what the hell?"
Quickly you began to turn around, looking for the culprit or any reason for you to put your defences back up. You found the reason very soon, since she was just standing there behind you with an annoying smirk playing in her lips. She looked defenceless and unprepared, but you knew that wasn't true.
"I figured you'd be Purpura's five points." She shut her eyes and tilted her head, not removing her smug expression. "Let's get this over with shall we?"
"No way."