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Chapter 7
Keep It Official

The leaves in the trees surrounding the crowded area blew intensely, most breaking off their branches. The clouds above them quickened their pace, afraid of the rising power beneath. Even the spectators feared the power rising among them as debris began floating to the scared sky. The ring also being torn apart a bit, Zakourma laughed at their naïve fear and shifted his body to throw his arms out, accompanied by a dramatic increase in power. Zatch did not stall any further, he charged from his position and gave his opponent a massive uppercut. The impact caused a gust of wind to be blown through the crowd.

“Did you see that?!” said one spectator. Suddenly, Zakourma’s head jerked back upright and slammed against Zatch’s head. The fight was on finally.

Zatch slid back from the hit, but only a little. His counterpart rushed at him, but Zatch countered with a punch. Zakourma flipped at a constant speed, knocking the fist down with his feet and grabbing his opponent’s face with a forceful grip. He dragged the demon through the floor of the ring, shattering its already frail structure. Zatch quickly hooked over Zakourma’s abdomen with his leg and pulled him to the ground enforced by gravity through his Space power. Zakourma flashed his eyes, blasting Zatch with a large fireball from his mouth. Zatch flew to the air, stopping quickly and wiping the smoke from his face. His opponent reappeared with another punch in Zatch’s abdomen, forcing the blood from Zatch’s mouth. He followed up with a power Metal-enforced knee to Zatch’s face, but wrapped a vine around Zatch’s neck once the demon began to sore away. Twirling his opponent around like a lasso, Zakourma launched him towards the ring, Zatch quickly countered.

Catching his balance on the ground and emitting another powerful gust of energy, he spun in a circle quickly and let go of Zakourma straight up. But soon after, he jumped to grab the vine in the air. He hesitated a bit to catch the growing expressions of anticipation in the audience. Then with a quick smile, he pulled the vine down and slammed Zakourma neck first into the ring, creating a large earthquake that shook the audience. He turned quickly to see his opponent bleeding from the neck the same black blood. He cracked his neck back in place with a sound like merged bone and gears, and tore his coat in half over his front. The shreds floating in his view, Zakourma placed his hands together, wrist to wrist.

“You piece of shit, take this!” Zakourma said, flexing his muscles with inflated blood vessels.

A large Light blast shot from the center of his hands’ shape. Zatch was about to dodge, but then noticed the large crowd behind him. Instead, he raised a huge Psychic orb barrier that shielded him and the entire back crowd. On contact, Zatch braced his body for the attack successfully, sweating with victory. However, Zakourma grew furious; his two hands down to the middle of his forearm shined with a robotic glow and began merging into a cannon shape. Suddenly, the blast amplified and shined brighter than previously. Zatch slid back, feeling his heel on the edge. Then he noticed that the shield began to crack.

Thinking quickly, he shifted his hands and morphed the shield so that it would converge the blast on him. Feeling the shield come at the last of its strength, Zatch charged forward as fast as he could towards Zakourma. The collected energy, as a result of its amplification, exploded in a huge flaring smoke. The two demons floated in the air above their crowds. The spectators cheered loudly for the intense fight. But Zatch’s friends were not as amused.

“Look at him, it’s amazing he can take this much damage, especially at such close ranges.” Kumori said. “But now that Zakourma’s brought out his cyborg weapons…” As he said this, Zakourma’s weapon reconfigured into a single gatling gun on his right hand, pointed at Zatch and charging a dusty white blast. “who knows what’s gonna happen to him.” Zatch bled mostly from the corners of his mouth, but had a slightly large abrasion on his left cheek and a bleeding cut on the right of head. He breathed heavily by the sights of his condition; the right sleeve had half torn of his coat, his muscle shirt was scorched, and his pants were burnt at the bottom.

Zakourma formed a smile back on his undamaged face, however, he received a heavy stroke of damage from his left shoulder to his left pectoral. But he would not be stopped.

“Let’s just hope he pulls through.” Kona said, shielding her eyes from the narrow sunbeams. Midori’s eyes shook at the sight of a struggling Zatch.

“<…Zatch-kun…>” she said alone in her head.

“Fucking die!!” Zakourma said with a craze in his eye. He shot off his weapon several times; Zatch lifted a hand. In a single flash, the blasts scorched the area surrounding the tournament area. After supposed amazement, Zatch’s unnamed sword appeared from darkness in whole. “Bitch…” Zakourma laughed crazily.

Zatch disappeared and reappeared a number of times, preparing a strike. Zakourma lowered his gun and transformed his left hand into his sword, then spun around swing his sword. With the blast of lightning meeting the ground, he and Zatch met each other’s swords. Sparks fogged the vision between the two as they retreated backwards.

Zatch lifted his unarmed hand and blasted Lightning at the evil demon. But Zakourma lifted his blade once more, absorbing the blast and preparing to fire once more at Zatch. Once he did though, Zatch was gone. Then the good demon was behind Zakourma, facing the opposite direction. He turned around, but Zatch shot his elbow out at Zakourma’s face. Once the enemy flew to the ground, Zatch hurled the blade at him. Zakourma quickly regained consciousness and spun to dodge it. The blade impaled the ring on an angle, allowing Zakourma to land gracefully; Zatch stomped through Zakourma into the ground creating another bloom of dusty smoke—the ring’s floating blood. Zatch hopped from the dome of smoke, lifting his arm to the air and catching his flung sword in his hand.

There was a silence, but once none saw a figure rise from the crater, the place was flooded by cheers. Midori held her hand over her heart as the other two jumped for joy. The hood bounced excitedly as he knew it was his turn. Zatch sighed as he fell to his knees and let his sword disappear from its fall out of his hand.

“Unbelievable!! Zatch is the winner of this incredibly intense match ladies and gentleman! Holy crap, I sure would’ve hated to miss that one-time match-up.” Sann said. Zatch fell backwards, breathing harshly through his lungs.

“I need…a vacation…” he said hoarsely. The blinding sun was eclipsed by the hooded figure.

“You’re wounded this badly after something that short?” said the figure, extending a gloved hand.

“Heh heh, you’d be surprised at how tough that really was.” Zatch said, grabbing the inviting hand of the figure. Zatch’s back creaked a little after he arose. “Anyway, now that that’s outta the way, it should be your match right?”

“That’s right. It’s me against the green cat girl. What’s her name? Midori.” said the figure with a bit of a chuckle.

“Well, could you take it easy? Midori is my friend.” Zatch said with a smile.

“Girl…friend…?” the figure said hesitantly.

“Yeah…Wait! No, I didn’t mean it like that! Well, actually, I…Never mind, just please don’t tear her to shreds.” Zatch said walking away.

“Sure…” the figure said, signifying that he was looking down.

Passing her, Zatch made his comment to Midori.

“Good luck out there, can’t wait to fight you in the finals.” Zatch smiled.

“Heh, keep me entertained when I fight you. But not quite like him.” she laughed.

Sann walked up to the ring center, confused as to why the ring had not recovered.

“It’s so old, it’s broken down. Anyway, on with fight two in this semifinal match! Midori versus…This guy.” Sann said, laughing.

The figure pulled out a sword as large as Zatch’s blade with an “X” formed at the hilt, and with an unconfirmed shape on the tip of the handle. Midori flashed her small sword, Takami. Midori waited for the figure to make a move, but then he shook his head.

“I won’t interfere…” he said, thrusting his blade into the ring and crossing his arms. Midori smiled, taking an immediate rush as soon as the figure began to impale the blade. But then Midori stopped short of an attack, surrounded by a purple aura. “However, I don’t plan to lose.” Midori ran past the figure and outside the ring. The audience turned their heads in shock.

“” Zatch thought sweating a single drop. Midori fell to her knees, scratching her head and wondering what just happened. Zatch walked over to her and helped her up with his arm extended. “Don’t worry about it, it’s no big deal, we can duel some other time.” he said, expressing a friendly smile. Midori nodded and accepted his hand, walking back over to his friends.

“Too bad, Midori. At least, Zatch made it to the finals though. We still have a chance at winning the prize…whatever it was.” Kona laughed. Everyone else joined her, but Zatch cut his pleasure short.

He marched back up to the ring. His clothes still torn, his wounds healed at a fairly quick rate so that he had only smears on his face and body. He felt perfect for the fight.

“For the final match, we have the two newcomers! Over here is Zatch…” The crowd cheered loudly for him for the last time in that event. “And his opponent…Uh…” Sann stopped. Zatch raised his left hand.

“Go on, let the guy introduce himself.” Zatch smiled. The figure laughed.

“Fine, your opponent is none other than I!” The figure tossed off the purple cloak and let it fly away on the wind. “The name’s Kairi, I’m Zatch’s sister!”

Immediately, the two disappeared from sight, creating shockwaves from their punches that seemed to melt together like a formula. The attacks were so smoothly executed and synchronized, that the battle seemed planned out. Finally, they were halted on a pressuring of forearms, so that the crowd, especially Zatch’s friends, could see his so-called sister.

Her clothes were simple, but stood out amongst the styles in the audience; she bore a light grey tank-top similar to Zatch’s muscle shirt, a pair of coal black jeans that mimicked Zatch’s loose pants, and a set of black boots that also mirrored Zatch’s boots. But unlike her brother, she also donned an armband of still black shade, a black collar with a cross fastened on a chain beneath it. In addition, she had dark purple eyes, light, almost lavender hair, and a grey fox ear-and-tail set—though the tail was white-tipped and the ears were black-tipped.

But the one thing they certainly had in common now was their unbearably excited smiles and the burning urge in their eyes to challenge the sibling.

“Long time, no see, bro.” Kairi said. She continuously released her fingers and tightened them to express her seriousness.

“Be sure to keep me thrilled in this. You being my sister, I don’t expect disappointment.” Zatch said, flexing his bicep.

Kairi launched a punch at Zatch’s face, sending him to her right. Zatch kept his momentum going by bringing her to the ground with his right foot. Kairi fell smoothly, landing on her back and spinning to aim her hands at him. She blasted a heavy fire blast over his body and through the sky, incinerating a cloud. During the attack, he sent his hand over her face, but she bit it with her sharp teeth. His blood pumping, he slammed her head into the ring, halting the blast and charging a Light orb in his hand surrounded by Lightning and Flame. Kairi kicked her legs back to her chest passed Zatch, and then launched him into the air with a heavy double-kick that trailed blood behind him.

Halting himself in the air and circling her position, he saw Kairi jumped up and began to fly at him again with her Psychic power. Kairi swept an arm around, blasting a Psychic wave at Zatch. He countered by blasting a Dark spread through the wave and at her. She deflected the blast with a twirl of her blade; he blocked the blast by shielding his arm over at the last second, but still saw the oncoming of her sword. He flashed his own blade quickly in his opposite arm over his back.

Without pause, Zatch punched Kairi hard in the gut and elbowed her down to the ground. On the floor of the ring, he sustained himself on the opposite side, breathing heavy. Her smile disappeared as she now coughed for a bit, adding a gurgle to her last one. Zatch was having a lot of fun with the match. They both charged at each other again.

“I’m not done with you, you mother fucker!!!” A huge pillar a black energy rose from the hole in the center of the ring, interrupting the fight as Zakourma’s cybernetic body rose from its supposed grave.