Finale of the beginning

The crowd is bigger today. They’re expecting a good fight for the finale. From my talk with Megan yesterday, it looked like she wanted to put on a good show.

Now, because of her, I want too as well.

What she stated yesterday, however, proves to be true; most of the audience seems to be cheering her on as she goes to the stage and poses around, bowing to each side of the arena to the audience. This actually might be a disadvantage for me; winning against her is completely different than winning the crowd. I overheard a fight that occurred in the cafeteria: A girl from the ninth was being shouted at, but she acted cool and played to the audience while the attacker fled the scene from embarrassment. I don’t plan on running form this, but anything can happen in the finals. Anything.

“So? Out for revenge?” Izzy asks beside me. Somehow, even in this state she manages to pull off her calm and friendly persona, even with her anger from Samis final match. “I normally would remind you to be careful, but I’m sure you’ve already thought of that a thousand times~.”

“I’m sure it’s been well over a thousand by now.” I sigh and rub my shoulders as the announcer keeps going over the numerous “traits” of my opponent, which include overall training, total kills and all the ways she can make someone wish they were never born. “Whoever is doing the introduction is just rubbing it in. Or she’s a fan, maybe both.”

The cheers erupt ten-fold as Megan is properly introduced and makes her way into the arena. She seems really pompous about it; waving her hands and arms at the audience like this is some sort of fashion show instead of a fight to the death (maybe). It almost reminds me of the idols back in Japan, dancing in the fame shes set up for herself.

It’s my turn next, and I’m not that excited to see what miss announcer thinks of me.

And now, for her fierce competitor!” The sound echoes through the room and silences the crowd.

“Fierce? Cunning would have worked better.”

“Oh well, you can’t ask for everything~ right?” Izzy comments next to me. “Besides, this is what other people are thinking of you, not what you want yourself to be known as. You can take this chance to change that~.”

“Yea, yea, remark that all you want. At least you don’t treat me like- MPH.” Not again…

“Aw, you mean like Sami~? But she’s just sooooo much cuter than you!” She squeezes me harder for emphasis. “Honestly, if you cut out all that ‘dark and edgy’ stuff you’d be a great girl! Like I’ve said, the power doesn’t make the girl.”

“I get it. Thanks for letting me know. Let me go, it’s time for me to die.”

“Come on, don’t say that~!” She does at least let me go from her grip, but holds me by the shoulders. “I have total confidence that you can avenge Sami!”

“…And it looks like she has fancy for elder girls!”

GOD DAMN IT SHE CAN SEE ME?

“You… better go on.” Izzy replies with a slight blush, turning her head away as I head up.

Never again… I’m not doing this ever again, no matter the prize.

“And here she is! Give it up for the double liberator and savior of the Santa Destroys’ museum of death and dismemberment, Gina Falette!”

It’s the same few steps I’ve done many times in a row for the past few days; now with an extra flare coming from practice. My outfit would give off a “trench coat and rain” feel if it wasn’t as flashy as it is with its black and light blue coloring with a few grays. A thick scarf around my neck flows behind me, growing large enough to become some kind of a cape. Grey and light blue spirals adorn the large corset and jacket combination that ends with long leather pants and knee-high boots.

I wonder if Eightball is trying to make me edgy. Maybe he already succeeded.

“Hey, you shouldn’t look so glum for a fight!” Megan calls out from across the arena, whip already in hand.

“I don’t intend to call this a fight.” She gives off an amused laugh at this.

“So then, what shall this be called?”

“Three, two, one…”

“A grand show.”

“FIGHT!”

It something isn’t broken, don’t try to fix it.

Well, that’s her idea at least, still starting off with the grand circle-whip around to show off her weapon. It would be pretty menacing if I hadn’t seen her do the exact same thing yesterday.

First things first; a shield around myself and having the mace in my hand. Now, if she wants a showoff-fest first, then sure. With a grin on my face I begin to slowly walk towards her end of the arena.

“Tch, don’t underestimate me!” She whips up and attempts an attack from an angle at the right. The mace collides with it nicely; sending the chain to the other side which gives me room.

Megan goes for it again from the left, fails, and then on the third manages to wrap the chain around the gap in the mace. I heave it away and break into a sprint, resummoning it into my hand and jumping to do a downward strike.

It wasn’t the best idea as Megan whips upward to catch me from under. Fortunately the shield is still up and it bursts from the attack, causing enough force to slide her back and give me an edge to throw my weapon at her which connects nicely with her cheek and jaw. She staggers a bit before rebalancing herself as I land, with a few cheers coming from the audience.

“Damn, good play.” Spitting a bit of blood onto the floor, she looks at me with the ferocity I saw back in her last match. “Let’s keep goin!”

Megan flicks the whip straight, making a bee-line right to my face. I jump back in time to see the entire chain stiffen and begin to rotate. Pops and crackles of electricity sound out from the straight chain as it turns faster and faster.

She… just turned it into an electrical chainsaw sword that’s longer then her body.

My feet barely react in time to move out of the way of the redesigned weapon when she thrusts it forward at me. Another mace forms in my hand as I swat it away, but it holds itself together unlike its whip form where it would flail around. She then swerves it under, aiming for my feet with a sweeping strike. Jumping over it is easy but it leads into her next swipe at me at the mid section. I block it by using the gap in the mace and-

I’ve made another mistake.

Almost instantly the sword bends back into its original whip form and curls itself around the mace and my hand. The sharp pain and static shock makes my hand drop the mace and pulls me to Megan who’s both advancing on me and pulling the whip to her.

There’s a way out, but it’s going to hurt like hell. A small barrier temporarily forms around my wrist as I wrench my arm free of it. It pops but the damage dealt to the arm still FUCKING HURTS. I immediately force a bolt straight at her, which hits her right arm which she-

Oh. Fucking clever.

I’m quickly bound in her trap, using extra force from her arm to swing the whip directly at me. Her arm is still sore; I can tell she wants to end this quickly.

“Good job, fucker.” She spits out, holding her right wrist with her left hand. “But the fun ends here.”

Ah… ehehehehe.

She Doesn’t -Know-, Does She?

“Ladies!“

Lets Make Sure She Doesn’t Forget.

…Fuck you, kinda.

“The shre-a?”

I got a brief flashback of when Gina lost against this exact move. There was a lot of blood and gore, but most MG’s are used to it. It was the sound itself; of flesh being ripped from bones and meaty bits being eviscerated that stuck in my mid. I had silently hoped then that I wouldn’t hear that sound again.

OH WELL. It was made even WORSE with the grinding metal unable to fight back the “limit breaker” that’s fixated in my power. The whip flies off of my body as I become illuminated in the familiar light blue glow. Refreshed, strong, willing, motivated.

Now, let’s see how you handle me.

“Fucking hell!” Even with the exasperated response, she still looks willing to fight. Damn, she is EXACTLY what the rabbits want. The whip straightens back to its solid form, ready to charge at me again. “How about you die already?!”

Oh, Not This Time!

The gap in the mace collides with the tip of the whip-blade underneath, sending a shockwave that breaks its normal form and causes a ripple upward, traveling through the chain until it whips back at the handle which makes Megan curse and drop it from pain.

Heh, physics.

Time can’t be wasted now; this form only lasts so long. One bolt of pain keeps her distracted while I close the distance, but she manages to avoid the first swing at her by rolling to the side and grabbing her whip again. I can tell she’s injured, but by her personality she isn’t going to give easily.

You Must Kill Her To End It.

Sure… Fine.

The mace tangles with the whip when I throw it at her, causing her to fumble with it and not notice my right fist closing in on her face. With the last of my extra power from my form, the punch rams her cheek and sends her flying back to what used to be my side of the arena. My aura dissipates around me as the whip goes flying with her and- OW, hits my backside.

That really huts. I’m really running out of time.

It swirls over my hand, engulfing it in power. My blood, my sign of pain, becomes my power as I raise my hand over my head, sending it upward to form the barrier I’ve done many times before. Just right now, I don’t care about winning the tourney or showing I’m the best; I just want to NOT FUCKING DIE.

That’s all that matters.

With the mace back in my hand I charge ahead while she charges her whip again, but her usage of power the entire time is leaving her drained and the whip is spinning noticeably slower than normal.

Jump attack into spinning overhead strike from me. She dodges to the left.

Megan whips around and tries to get me as I land. I jump over it via back flip.

I finally manage to get close enough for a good strike until I feel the whip trying to crawl up on me again, sliding over my barrier. With a stomp of my foot the barrier goes off, causing her to fall back and pull the whip-

Not this again…

 I loose my footing as I’m dragged with Megan down to the floor. My left arm and legs pin her down but the whip encircles my entire body that prevents me from moving. It still twirls over my skin, however weak it is, and begins, grinding, painfully, and-

Oh, I can win this.

The grey and blue matter swims up my body, accumulating at my right hand, still wrapped in the painful chains. It burns, churning the last power I have into one last bolt.

“OH.” Megan finally realizes, looking at my hand. “Fuck. You.”

“…My pleasure.”

One last bolt. Her eyes roll backwards in pain before closing. The grinding on my skin ceases. My body falls limp on top of hers. “We have a winner!” Is the last thing I hear before my hearing deafens and I slip… away…

But somehow, I knew… this wasn't death.

Oh, I know this place. Just not from this angle.

“Good job not dying.” Says the small, silver-haired figure sitting on the chair next to me. “Though, if it was out of revenge, I’m taking it back.”

“Ahaha… I’m not Izzy… I, fainted?”

“The loser is in the other room. Just in case she still wants to kill you.” Sami looks to the right door, and her face immediately changes. “You… have an extra visitor.”

“Oh boy…”

“Congratulations Gina!” Izzy yells charging through the doors and heading straight for my bed. “You’re the best of the newbies! Aren’t you proud of her, Sami~?”

“Sureeee…” Her motivation is lost within the arms of the nicely-proportioned young woman squeezing her. “Get off.”

“Aw, that’s the way you’re always going treat me? Can’t you have some better respect for your elders?”

I’ll… see what my extra prize is from Eightball, before this gets out of hand. Again.

Despite the warnings that I should rest more, nobody stopped me from grabbing a nearby pole and using it as a walking stick to get to the elevator. As it slowly rose up to his floor, Megan somehow came to mind. While she was a bitch to deal with, she was fighting for a good fight, it seemed, even if she wanted to win in the end.

Maybe I can reconcile with her later. Maybe.

---

“What the he- Gina!” My welcome from the Incubator of the eighth isn’t what I expected. “You’re supposed to be on yo’ ass resting right now! The fuck you came up here for?”

“I get a prize right?” Resting in a chair feels perfect right now, lounging right next to the thing that made me a magical girl.

“Hah! Fuckin’ greedy to waste yo rest time to come here for some dough.” Eightball jumps off of his chair onto the desk and stretches out. “But I know you. You wana hear bout the details of the secret prize, huh?”

“…I can’t hide anything from you, huh Eighty?”

“I -fuckin’- knew it! Aw, Gina girl, you gonna be a bitchin’ Callidus with this kinda motivation!” He looks to me and goes to my end of the table.

“Get yo ass in gear and come back to the arena tomorrow. Yo extra be waitin for ya there.”