The crowd is buzzing with excitement as they watch the preliminary matches[1] of the upcoming Lagaard Champion Tournament. Fighters with all kinds of different reasons for becoming one of Astel's six champions are laying it all out here.
Competing brawlers who excel in hand-to-hand.
Some elemental users, with some having the advantage up close. Others, from a distance. And a rare case, both close and afar.
In the observational stand, along with the cheering crowd, sit both Rue and Varis.
Varis leans back with his arms crossed, eyes sharp.
In contrast, Rue leans forward, intently watching the fighters. He tries to absorb everything he is seeing.
"What do you think, Rue?" Varis says, glancing at Rue.
"Uhh, well, the ones who only have hands, well, they have the best physical attributes. The thing with that, they don't have any defenses against the ones who control those elements. They'd have to put out a lot of pressure early on." Rue says, looking at one of the brawler contestants doing exactly what he said.
"But… I don't think I can beat them." Rue says to himself.
Varis's eyes raise slightly, not expecting Rue Battle's intellect.
"Good eye. The brawler-type fighters are at an overall disadvantage, but their physical traits far exceed all the other contestants. A good hit could potentially end the match."
Varis glances at Rue one more time before returning to the matches.
"You've got a bad habit, Rue."
"Yeah? And what's that?" Rue says while eyes are still locked on the matches.
"You see everyone as better than you."
A pause, Rue still looking at the matches. Then Rue looks at Varis for a second.
"Only until I find their tells."
As matches continue, end, the first preliminary matches are almost finished, and the semi-finals of this group are set.
Barius Ead, A tall, brolic high-pressure fighter, with immense aspirations to become Champion for his home region.
V.
Lanard Dodd, a rare case of power, not an elemental user, or immense physical prowess, but a power of light manipulation.
Blue, a wind user, uses his power to enhance his agility and attack from unpredictable angles.
V.
Theo Barnell, an uncommon mix of amazing physical traits and power that controls Stone.
They stand confidently, while Lanard stands cockily after winning their matches. The crowd erupts after each match result, with Lanard the favorite to win this qualifier tournament and advance to the Champion Tournament.
"He overuses the left feint. His footwork lags when he pivots counterclockwise." Rue commenting after Lanard's fight.
"Good. But can you guess what he's thinking in battle?"
"...I think he wants to be seen. He's performing for the crowd, not respecting his opponents at all."
"He's cocky, and it's being encouraged by the crowd." Rue sighs.
"Can you blame him? His power is something this region hasn't seen since the previous Champion of Lagaard."
"Yeah, well, he should respect people's dreams, not disrespect them in the pursuit. I don't care what power he has."
Varis looks at Rue.
"You have a strong dislike for him. Why?"
Rue looks at Varis.
"He's participating in a tournament to become a champion of Astel. If he were to win, he'd become a representative of Lagaard. He doesn't embody what Lagaard is, what a champion of Astel is. He'd tarnish it."
"What do you think a champion means?"
"A champion is the ones who live for something other than their own being. When you become a champion, you don't live for yourself no more. Lanard's whole ideology is himself."
Varis says nothing and nods.
As the four semifinalists begin to go to the waiting room to prepare for their next fight, Lanard glances at the crowd one more time to soak in the attention. He finds Rue amongst the crowd, and smugly smiles.
Rue looks at him, too, calmly.
"I'll be the one to break him, to beat him. I'll do it without laying a hand." Rue pauses
"...Until I have to."
In the break between matches, Rue leaves Varis to just walk around. Some of the fighters that already lost were giving him skeptical glances.
Rue glances back at them, and his eyebrows are slightly raised. But he keeps walking, not having a destination or goal in mind.
He sees a young fighter, who's upset that he lost.
Rue approaches the boy
"Hey, you seem a bit young to be here. Are you... a contestant?"
The boy wipes his tears and looks up at Rue.
"...Yeah." The boy whispers just enough for Rue to hear.
"Oh. I see. I'm guessing you're crying because you lost?"
"...Yeah, I was too weak."
Rue crouches to the boy's level.
"What's your name?"
"Isaac."
"Well, Isaac, I think it's fine that you lost. You're how old?"
"12… I'm 12."
"You're young, fighting people who fought longer than you've been alive. But you know what? Some people dream of things, and never act on it. They always say, tomorrow, i'll do this tomorrow. Or maybe they are too scared. Cowards, they are. I'm sure they're many people, grown men, who'd want to be Champion. They're not here. Probably watching enviously from the crowd, watching you. You, who is 12, pursuing a dream that grown men are scared of doing.. You may not be Champion, and I'm sorry for that. But keep training, get stronger, protect the people of Lagaard. That's something a true Champion would do."
Isaac stares at Rue with astonishment.
"I.. Yes, that's why I wanted to become a champion anyway, to protect. I'll get stronger and protect Lagaar. Thank you, mister?"
Rue smiles, looking like a hero to Isaac.
"Rue, Rue Alabasta."
Lanard and his clique can be heard from afar
"Rue, you watching me, now?"
Rue gestures for Isaac to leave and go home. He stands up, turns around, and faces the group.
"Just finding your weaknesses." Rue straightens up.
One of Lanard's group laughs at Rue and faces Lanard
"He's all theory. He'll fold when he gets hit for real."
Rue smiles.
"That's if I can get hit."
Lanard smirks at Rue's response.
"Oh? Is that so? You have some ability that I don't know about? Whatever. You're the kind of guy who dies before you cut him. A weak, hollow fighter."
"We'll see on that Arena, you'll make it to the finals, right? And I mean the main tournament. Not the qualifiers like now."
"You talk like you're a top prospect. Don't worry about me. not now. You got your own preliminary tournament in two days. Worry about that before me."
"I'm gonna be fine, I doubt I'll get touched once."
"Cocky aren't you? Always carry this air of unbothered, like no one is above you. Why?"
"You'll see why in our fight, if you make it there."
The arena bell is ringing loudly for everyone in the distance to hear, signaling the semifinal fights are about to commence.
Rue looks up, looking for the bell, before looking back at Lanard and his group.
"You've got a match coming up, good luck."
Rue walks back to the stands and finds his seat next to Varis.
"Where'd you go?" Varis says while making space for Rue.
"I was just taking a scroll, my ass hurts." Rue sits down.
"We can leave, then, I'm sure you got what you needed?"
"Yeah, I got what I needed to know."
Both Rue and Varis leave the arena. Rue already planned his adjustments for fights.
Rue and Varis, after eating dinner, go to the rooftop, watching over the village. Rue leans on the railings, the wind catching his clothing, swaying it gracefully. Varis stands straight, arms crossed, Wind seemingly acting differently around Varis, His clothing not exactly being influenced by the wind.
Rue breaks the silence.
"I think I'm ready."
A long pause.
"You're not."
Rue clearly startled.
"What?"
"Because if you were, you wouldn't be looking for my approval anymore."
A beat of silence occurs between them.
Rue looks back to the village.
"...Then I'll keep training."
"Until you believe in yourself."
[1] Basically the qualifiers tournament which takes place over two days.
16 contestants and the first day of the qualifiers, it goes up until the final four. The the second day, is the semi finals, and the finals. If you win the qualifiers tournament, you get a spot in the Official Champion for Lagaard tournament.