Tournament Saga
Chapter 52: Start of the Preliminaries
Lyra Heartstrings and Bon-Bon sat next to each other in the stands looking through the large observatory window into the preliminary rounds. Lyra's eyes continued to look around the many different fighters in search for her little twins as Bon-Bon flipped through a guidebook that had been given away freely at the entrance. This guidebook gave a detailed list of all the fighters participating in the Four Border Tournament.
"Lyra, look at this." Bon-Bon tried to her the unicorn's attention.
"Give me a minute, I need to find Ken and Kira first..." Lyra responded as she continued to look for said little munchkins. She spotted them soon after, both of them standing next to a wall and talking with each other and a minotaur child. "Good to know they're making friends already."
"Lyra, it's been a minute." Bon-Bon said sarcastically.
"Alright, alright, what is it?" Lyra said, turning her attention to the yellow earth pony.
"Check this out," Bon-Bon said, giving the guidebook to Lyra with a specific page open. The picture appeared of that resembling a black scaled humanoid dragon with large wings, but the picture appeared a bit too hazy for any finer detail.
Lyra looked toward the name of the fighter, "Colrath, Holder of Twelve? How come he gets to choose a title?"
"Because he's the semi-champion of the last Tournament, plus, look at a unique ability he has." Bon-Bon said, pointing a hoof toward a paragraph.
Lyra's eyes read through the information, widening as they went, "Twelve seemingly indestructible defensive barriers covering his body? Never has been seen to be destroyed past the second barrier? That's... Well... I'm sure Ken and Kira can break them all." Lyra said with faith in her children.
"Only reason it hasn't been seen past the second is because he apparently forfeited last time due to some sort of personal matter." Bon-Bon stated, "But I hear they are incredibly difficult to break without use of anti-barrier magic."
"The twins can handle it, they might not have such magic, but they sure have a lot of power." Lyra replied, giving Bon-Bon the book back.
She raised an eyebrow at Lyra's behavior, "You're awfully confident in them now," the earth pony stated.
Lyra smiled, "Isn't that a mother's role?" She looked toward the twins in the building, "It's about to begin, let's watch them succeed."
The black furred earth pony with brushy yellow mane wearing sunglasses, called out to all the fighters within the Tournament, "Hello, and welcome to the Preliminary rounds for the Four Border Tournament! Before we begin, I kindly ask you to follow these instructions. Number one, no killing! Two, no weapons, poisons, or lethal spells!" He began.
Nobody seemed to carry any of the sort, so he continued, "Three, no dirty fighting, no hits on unicorn horns, private areas, or any eyes. Now that that's out of the way. Preliminary rounds have timers, the Tournament ones do not. If you win through this grid system we have magically displayed above, you get to fight within the Tournament for all
the see!"
The earth pony pointed toward a griffin, unicorn, and crystal pony carrying boxes. "Please make three single file lines to collect your numbers so that you may participate when called." he stated.
Our twin siblings, Kira and Ken, entered the line alongside Copper to retrieve their number tickets. After a few minutes, they were given their pieces of papers that indicated their position within the grid.
"Cool," Ken said, showing off his number, twenty-seven. "What's your number Kira?"
"Fifty-two," Kira answered, before smiling, "We don't got to fight each other!" She said happily.
"Great!" Ken exclaimed, "And you, Copper?"
The minotaur grinned, "Sixty, might have to fight Kira, not to sure. Through... I wouldn't mind." he said, glancing at the female hybrid.
"I'm sure we'll be lucky and won't have too Copper," Kira said, her body barely containing its excitement for battle.
Ken's own saiyan blood began to simmer, his saiyan instincts were starting up, eager to fight, eager to win. But this proved also a bit worrying to the eight year old boy, who feared that his saiyan side would get to better of him... And then he would transform into that red state-
"Hey Ken, don't worry so much!" Kira said patting his backside, "We'll be fine!"
The twin brother nodded, his tail wiggling around beside him, "You're right, I shouldn't worry."
'That's the spirit, now go and win this tournament!' Chris said to Ken in excitement.
The voice of the earth pony announcer yelled outward, "Alright, when my assistances call your number, head on top of the designated platforms they tell you too. Good luck, and I'll see the winners in the Four Border Tournament!"
'Ken, I think I believe in the announcer being immortal now... He must have been ponified, it's the only explanation!'
'Okay...' Ken thought, 'You keep thinking that dad.'
"Twenty-seven and Thirty-one! Please go to ring two." The unicorn assistance shouted.
Ken looked up when his name was called, Kira pouted, saying, "Aw, no fair! You get to go first!"
"Hehe," Ken said, a sheepish smile on his face, "Well, here I go."
Ken walked up to the second ring, and went up the small staircase. The small-sized gray square area gave little movement room, yet plenty for a short fight. Ken looked up to see a big body-builder stereotype minotaur. Who looked down on the small child like a little pest in the way.
"Ha, I got easy prey, you aren't worth my time." The body-builder said.
'He's doomed,' Chris said in amusement.
Ken couldn't help but giggle out loud, causing the minotaur to narrow his eyes in anger, "Don't you ignore me you snitch!"
"Begin!" The assistant unicorn shouted.
"Arrrrgh!" The minotaur roared as he charged forward the eight year old with full speed, muscles bulging. He threw his left fist toward the child's face, only for it go right through. His eyes widened in shock, and he started to send a barrage of 'fast' moving punches toward the half-saiyan munchkin.
Ken raised his hand, bored of dodging the slow-moving minotaur's blows, he grasp the minotaur's hand in mid swing. "Are you done yet?" he asked innocently.
"Why... How... What?" the minotaur said in shock.
"Okay, I'll just beat you now!" Ken said happily, as he lifted the minotaur up into the air with only one hand.
"Ugh! Hey! Put me down!" He shouted.
"I will, right outside the ring," Ken said as he threw the stereotypical body-builder right out of bounds effortlessly.
'Owned,' Chris commented.
"The winner is number twenty-seven!" The assistant shouted.
The crowd was speechless as the little boy went down from the ring and toward his twin sibling. Kira gave Ken a high five as they giggled in joy.
"Nice one Ken!" Kira exclaimed, "Can't wait till I fight!" She said, raising her clenched fist.
"That speed... I barely saw it... " Copper Will said in shock.
Ken twiddled with his fingers, "Yeah... I'm just really fast..."
"Twelve and two!" The griffon assistant shouted from the other side of the room.
"Maybe we should watch them fight," Ken stated.
"Good idea, then we know how they fight!" Kira agreed.
The two twins started walking toward the center of the room where they could see everything.
"Hey, wait up!" Copper Will shouted as he followed after them.
Kira jumped on the tournament ring, it had been thirty minutes since Ken's fight, and she was getting very, very, very inpatient about when it was her turn! She wanted to show her brother how strong she was, without fighting him of course, she didn't wish to push a spar unto him if he didn't want to. He is her brother after all.
Kira giggled excitingly, running in place as her body barely contained its mass of never ending energy that made her a child. Kira looked around for her opponent, and which she appeared before the little hybrid girl. She, being that of a crystal unicorn, looked at Kira with both curiosity and caution.
The latter because she saw how Ken easily defeated the minotaur with effortless strength.
"Hiya! I'm Kira! Hope you don't mind that I win!" Kira said happily, waving her hand in hello.
"I am Light Emerald," the crystal pony replied, her stance shifting into an unfamiliar fighting position.
Kira's body shifted naturally into her own fighting stance, her saiyan instincts egging her on, ready for a fight.
The griffon announcer nodded, confirming that the two combatants were ready, "Ready... Set... "
Kira stared at her opponent, her legs bent, and arms prepared for defense. Her feet moving only slightly as she slowly moved to the left. Her Ki was calm and plentiful, she could fight all day if she need be.
"Go!"
Kira shot forward with great speed, running toward her opponent before she did a leap kick toward Light Emerald. The crystal pony stood on both back hooves, and her horn glowed with magic before her body was surrounded by a pale simmering glow. Our heroine's kick impacted against her front hoof, which Light blocked before punching forward with her right.
The little girl back flipped out of the way, and took her fighting position as the crystal pony came out her with an array of punches. Kira blocked each blow with her open palms, the pony did a kick toward her upper body, but Kira defended herself by raising her left arm and blocking the kick with her wrist.
She took the advantage and grasped the crystal pony's leg, spinning her around and tossing her across the small ring. However Light Emerald's horn glowed brightly before she teleported right behind Kira, and thrust a punch toward the hybrid's backside.
The punch went harmlessly through as Kira disappeared into an afterimage.
Kira appeared back hand-springing a couple meters away from Light Emerald before landing upright in her martial arts stance.
Ken applauded happily, his tail wagging behind him as he watched his twin sibling.
"By the gods, she's so fast!" Copper Will exclaimed.
"Huh? What you talking about, Kira hasn't even powered up yet," Ken said.
"P-powered up?" He said in shock.
Kira started to stretch, her face sporting a wide happy grin, "Wow, your not that bad!"
"You're stretching in the midst of a fight... Are you that confident in your ability to defeat me?" Light Emerald questioned in slight disbelief.
"Huh? Oh, well, I kinda forgot to stretch before we started," Kira giggled in embarrassment before slipping right back into her fighting position. "But I'm ready now! Let's go again!" She said with a determined expression.
"Don't underestimate me!" The crystal unicorn said as she galloped forward before jumping and aiming a kick to the little girl.
Kira redirected the kick by moving it aside with her right arm, she quickly spun and slammed her right elbow into the upper chest cavity of the pony. Then brought her left knee up and hit Light Emerald's abdomen. Kira leaned a bit back and summoned a weak Ki blast between her palms before firing it directly at the crystal pony.
The Crystal pony acted out of reflex and teleported to Kira's side, she begin to barrage the little girl with punches and kicks, but Kira professionally blocked each and every one of them. The little girl took an opening and slammed a fist into the cheekbone of Light Emerald before kicking her left side and sending her skidding along the tiled arena.
Kira ran forward so fast that she passed by the still skidding crystal pony, the female hybrid came to a sudden stop and rose her right knee, the skidding Light Emerald slammed right into Kira's attack causing her momentum to stop suddenly and her head crash into the ground.
"Aw, are you already finished?" Kira said in disappointment.
"No!" Light Emerald said as her horn glowed brightly and multiple bolts of magic came forth, shooting toward the eight year old who stood right above her.
"Yikes!" Kira exclaimed leaping backward, the stray bolts of arcane energy exploded lightly around her as the half saiyan child dodged them all.
The pony stood up and began firing numerous balls of magic toward Kira. However, Kira became a bit tired of always dodging them and stood in place. Powering up her Ki only slightly, Kira started to karate chop each and every bolt that came to her, deflecting them into the ground around her with ease.
Kira charged toward Light Emerald, deflecting energy bolts as she went. Soon enough, Kira reached her opponent and time seem to slow around her as she jumped into fast motion. The little girl kicked the crystal pony into the air, her body flying upward in slow motion, Kira punched her chest three times in unison before finishing her off with a basic kick to the stomach region.
Light Emerald was sent flying in real time, landing right outside the ring out cold.
Kira dusted off her hands as she began humming a little tune, walking toward the staircase of the ring.
"N-number f-fifty-two is t-the winner..." The griffon announcer said in shock, the crowd around him in a similar state.
Kira came to her brother's and Copper Will's side. "That was fun!" She said cheerfully.
"Pretty cool, wish my opponent was like that!" Ken said.
Copper Will pressed his hand against his head, "Wha... Huh?"
'That's my girl,' Chris commented.
"You completely outclassed her!" Copper Will managed to say.
Kira nodded, "I guess so, but... What does outclassed mean?"
Copper Will's response was to fall on his back comically, his mind wondering how a girl younger than him managed to completely outdo a seemingly seasoned fighter.