章 5: Resolve

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Chapter 5: Resolve

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A light fist rapped against my door, breaking me out of my sleep in an instant. I slowly rolled over with a low groan, more annoyed at the effort needed to do it than at the person who woke me up. A brief moment of focus revealed the calm and serene ki of Abbot. Put simply, everyone's ki had a flavour. Abbot's was like clarity on a fresh and crisp spring morning. On the other side of the spectrum was Escar's harsh, wild, cloying ki. There wasn't a way for me to put it except trauma-inducing.

"...What is it?" I shuddered a little, pushing the memory of Escar's ki to the deepest recesses of my mind.

"Rise, young Korn. It's time." Abbot's voice came through the door, crisp and clear. Almost as if he were standing right beside me.

Perks of being a Saiyan, I guess. I bolted out of bed in an instant, the suddenness of the movement cooling me down. I tore through my room in a whirlwind of limbs, grunting and muttering. I made my bed, tidied last night's game of snap, hit the bathroom, and pulled out my monastery gi from my wardrobe. To say that I was excited would be an understatement. My mind was running a mile a minute and I had to retie my brown obi three different times before I eventually got it right.

Abbot nodded appreciatively when I opened my door, looking me over as we walked through the strangely empty halls. "Looking as sharp as always."

I grinned. "I try to be. Now come on before we're late."

"Very well…"

I dodged, sensing the hit before I saw it. Abbot's open palm missed me by a hair's breadth, tracking it as it passed me by.

"Heh. Knew it."

He hummed. "Indeed?"

He jerked his arm back, an elbow slamming against my stomach as fast as lightning. And just as fast, he returned to his previous position, arms clasped behind him as if he hadn't just hit me.

"U-Urgh!"

He stopped and waited for me to recover. "Let that be a lesson to you. Do not grow complacent in your strength."

"I-In other words: I'm annoyed y-you dodged?"

He didn't reply and started walking again. Oddly enough, he also refused to meet my eye. I rubbed my stomach. "I see where Escar gets his brutality from. Honestly. Violence doesn't look good on you, old ma—"

"We're here," he cut in, pointing to the rows of monks assembled in the courtyard. "Go ahead and join them. I'd like to make a brief announcement before we leave."

Bage raised a hand from the end of the first row. Now, I could've ignored it, but then it would have been awkward for the both of us.

"Thanks," I mumbled as Abbot began to pace back and forth.

"Don't mention it."

Abbot cleared his throat noisily. "If I may have your attention. We must once again descend from our mountain and enter the Sadalan tournament. We will test ourselves in combat and push ourselves to new heights."

His voice had a certain timbre to it – a kind of exciting trill that rippled through the small crowd gathered around him. I could see Bage grinning out of the corner of my eye and made a conscious urge to keep my tail wrapped around me. It wasn't just us either. All the gathered monks were vibrating with excitement.

"And of course this year's newest addition: the junior division." the mumbles stopped, as if swept away by the morning wind drifting around. "The monetary reward for winning first place is identical to its senior counterpart but brings with it a wholly unique opportunity for our four boys to show their skills. Of course, this is more implicit and may not be a reward outright but it provides a—"

"—yeah, yeah. Rewards, learning, self-discovery, yada yada." Escar's voice drew the disgruntled gazes of just about everyone here. He continued, unperturbed, "Hurry up and tell them, old man."

Abbot's cheeks were dusted pink, leading Avaco to snap at him. "Silence, Escar! Even if you lack a single respectful bone in your body, at least have some etiquette!"

"Etiquette? Can I eat it?"

Bage failed to hold back a snort and accidentally elbowed me. "Pfft—! A-Ah, my bad, Korn."

"Don't sweat it." I shook my head and glared in Escar's direction. "Why does he always have to be like this?"

"Like what?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Do you have to ask?"

"...Fair enough," he scratched his cheek. "But be honest. It's pretty funny, right?"

"When it's not in moments like these? Yeah."

Abbot coughed once more, letting a bit of his power leak through. "Excuse me. Thank you. As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, the cash prize for the junior division is the same as the senior one. King Sadala, in his esteemed wisdom, has decided to cultivate the planet's youth."

"Oooh boy," Bage's excitement had his voice trembling. "T-This… this is gonna be awesome!"

"And as uncouth as he is, Escar is right. I shall beat around the proverbial bush no longer," Abbot stopped his pacing, coming to a halt in front of Bage and me, his eyes moving to someone behind us. "I- no, we shall be relying on you boys to win it."

The question came to my lips unbidden. "Why?"

Silence reigned supreme, its hold sensed by all of us and eventually drawing a long sigh from the old man.

"The monastery has been… living beyond its means for a while now, my boy. Coupled with Escar's hedonistic lifestyle, I have had to take out several debts which, if I am unable to pay back, will result in the seizing of the monastery."

All the air seemingly vacated my body at once, leaving me floundering to reply and my shock to explode. "T-That's. But… why! How!"

"D-Damn you… ESCAR!" a furious wind exploded from the group behind me, the absolutely livid energy source felt by all of us.

The air itself was thick with power. Avaco's power. Completely unrestrained as his bright orange aura shot off in all directions around him. He stomped down hard, cracking the ground. His anger radiated through his ki, hammering against us in waves. The weaker monks had long since been thrown across the courtyard by the initial explosion of power, the rest of us struggling to not join them.

"W-Woah!" Bage spun around, raising his arms against the constant gusts of wind. "K-Kinda intense, a-ain't it!"

I clenched my jaw as the shaven monk squared up to Escar, towering over him by enough to look threatening. I didn't blame him in the slightest for wanting to beat the hell out of him. I could hear my pulse pounding in my head with how pissed I was right now. Still… he wouldn't win.

"Now, now," Escar raised his hands with upturned lips. "It ain't all my fault. If I knew we were going into hard times, I woulda drank a little less."

"Escar… at least try to sound like you feel remorse." Abbot sighed.

He laughed. "No can do, old man. It was the best night of my life and I won't ever regret it."

"Y-You!" his words only enraged Avaco even further. The man's aura surged, doubling in size. From where I was, I could spot at least another three veins popping up all over his head.

Between the sudden gales brought forth by Avaco's ki and the increasing likelihood that one of them would throw a punch, I found myself sandwiched between Tato and Bage with Callio sitting atop Tato's shoulders. Just about everyone who hadn't been blown away earlier was behind us, holding onto one another as we all used Abbot for cover.

"I've excused your behaviour before out of respect for our master, Escar," Avaco growled, spittle shooting out of his mouth. "But this? This is the final straw! No more!"

"Ah, goddamnit," Escar wiped droplets of spit off the side of his face. The barest hints of grey began to light up his hair and robe. My own stood up on end and goosebumps ran up my arms just from his ki alone. "This is starting to get annoying, baldy…"

I latched onto Abbot's shoulder, shaking it a little harder than intended, but desperate times called for desperate measures and this had to be the most desperate of them all. "Old man!"

He didn't respond, his jaw set.

"Come on." I shook him harder. "Master Abbot! They're going to destroy the monastery! What the hell are we supposed to fight for if the place is gone, huh!"

Abbot shifted, angling his head to face me. His face somehow managed to look even older. "You are right, young Korn. This folly, however, weighs down on me heavily. Perhaps… perhaps it is all my fault. Perhaps I have been too lenient with Escar. I have known him since he was a babe. Watched him grow into manhood. In some ways, he is like a son to me…"

I held back on growling and pointed to the two men ahead of us. "Listen, you can reflect on all of this later. Right now? Please, if you want somewhere to return to, stop them!"

He snapped to attention immediately. Almost as if he'd woken up from a fever dream, he shrugged off my fear-fuelled grip as if it were nothing. Lavender light rolled off his body in soothing waves towards us. "Do not worry, young ones. All will be well. We cannot be late to this year's tournament – not after last time."

He slowly walked away.

"Wait." I frowned at the group behind me. "What happened last time?"

A middle-aged guy ran a hand through his balding hair. "...Escar. He was late to last year's tourney, hungover, and somehow managed to turn up in nothing but his underwear."

I heard Callio snort derisively. "The moron had the gall to stand proud after being knocked out before the quarter-finals."

"Know what, Callio?" I stared at the scruffy-bearded bastard ahead of us. "You're right. He's a battle-addicted moron."

Bage snickered and nudged me with his elbow. "And what does that make you, eh?"

And to that, I had no answer.

"Bage, Tato… Korn." Callio cleared his throat. "Nothing's changed, has it?"

Tato grunted in… affirmation. I think.

I stared at Callio, shaking my head with a smile. "Nah. I was gonna try and win regardless. This is just extra motivation."

"Heh. Battle addict." Bage folded his arms. "But you're right. We clear the battle royale and then it's every man for himself."

I patted his shoulder. "I wouldn't have it any other way. Don't worry, I'll get you all something nice when I win."

(Break)

The journey to the tournament venue was a tense one. The adults parked up at the front of our group, talking in hushed tones as we wandered around the Royal sector to register for the tournament. The landing strip I'd visited had been completely transformed into a registration booth – multiple at that – and a long queue of prospective fighters slowly marched along towards them.

"Next." A diminutive alien sat behind a foldable table and beckoned our group over.

Abbot turned around. "Bring the children to the front."

Without much fuss, the four of us were pushed to the front of our group. I shared a glance with the other three and decided to go first. "What do I do?"

"Sign here, here, and here." he scrolled down a futuristic-looking tablet. "Junior division, I presume?"

I scribbled my name down with a finger. "Gee, what gave you that idea?"

"Only the stars know," he drawled. "Good, that will be all. Next."

I stood off to the side as the rest of the monastery finished registering. Surprisingly, not everyone who came with us wanted to enter. Namely Abbot and around half of our delegation.

"Wait. Abbot?"

"Hm. Yes?"

"Where are you guys going to sit?" I asked. "I can hear the noise from here. There's no way there are any open seats left."

He stroked his beard, staring up at the enormous structure blotting out the sun. Chants of varying lengths echoed from the intimidating structure, the rhythmic thump of some kind of drum booming over and over again. Completely blown away, I stared up at the Anvil, my heart pumping in anticipation.

"How indeed… but not to worry. Since we are competing as one school, we can use the VIP seats. Whilst not as luxurious as the royalty box, it's a row that spans the Anvil's circumference strictly reserved for the friends and family of the contestants."

"Thank you for your patience," another voice sounded from nearby, stopping all ongoing conversation. It was pleasant and soothing, almost enough to make me forget where I was for a moment. My nose twitched, inhaling a faint but sweet scent and I shook my head violently. That couldn't be natural. I spun around and stared at the source.

She was a pink-skinned woman, clad in a long, flowing pink robe. White petals were spread across the silky smooth fabric. Her lips were full and red, ruby eyes glistening as she smiled at us. There wasn't a single blemish on her face and her raven hair was held up by a single pencil, a few bangs falling to frame her angular face. "Good morning contestants. My name is Shen Yue and I will guide you to the arena. If you would please follow me."

"I definitely wouldn't mind following you…" Escar mumbled, following the growing crowd after her. Callio and Tato exchanged a nod and followed after him, dragging away Bage with them.

Abbot placed a hand on my shoulder and pushed me forwards. "Go on. And remember: a calm mind will always prevail."

I nodded and darted back towards the retreating crowd. They'd begun to move again, trailing after Shen Yue and entering one of the many tunnels into the colosseum. We wound through the wide and damp tunnels before breaking through into the arena. All sorts of faces glanced down at us. Some were curious, others dismissive or just didn't seem to care.

"Good luck, children," an elderly Namekian leaned over and looked down at a group of Namekian children travelling beside us.

"Thank you, Elder," one of them smiled. "We'll do our best."

Directly in front of us, high above the seating area, was an enormous screen. It rolled through different perspectives of the place. The seats, the V.I.P. box, and lastly, the arena. In the centre stood a grey, rotund man holding a card in his hand, a headset wrapped around his bald head. He adjusted the microphone slightly and tapped it a couple of times.

Satisfied, he raised a fist and cried, "Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the 21st annual Sadalan Tournament!"

The crowd roared. The excitement in the air was electrifying. It came from all around us, all the voices mixing to create a dizzying storm of all-consuming hype. I shuddered and felt my tail unwrap itself from around me.

"I hope you're all ready for an amazing time. But before we start off the junior division, our esteemed ruler would like to make an announcement."

Silence fell with an almost deafening quality.

The screen faded to black before it flickered to life, filling the arena with a low hum. It was a camera in the V.I.P box, that was for sure, but it was given to one man and one man only. King Sadala was, in a single word, intimidating. His muscles were clear to see, even through the loose and ornate robe he wore. A black anchor was emblazoned on the left side of his chest. He sported an impressive beard and a widow's peak to rival Vegeta's that extended into a flowing mane. Streaks of grey zig-zagged through it from top to bottom and a golden circlet adorned his forehead. In its centre sat a glistening garnet gem.

"My subjects," his voice was deeper than deep but seemed to put everyone at ease. "It is that time of the year again. A festivity to trump all festivity. A time for all Sadalans, no matter their philosophy, to come together in combat. I am especially looking forward to the junior division. Our youth are the leaders of tomorrow, after all. However, even as we display our strength and forge ourselves in the fires of battle, we must not let it corrupt us. Remember that a warrior rules his power… and a monster allows his power to rule him."

The screen slowly faded to black before cycling through the arena's cameras, leaving a deafening silence behind. That, I think, said more about the man than anything he had conveyed in his message.

"Damn," Bage whispered. "He's so cool."

I nodded.

"Wise words from our grace." the commentator's voice was solemn, though only for a moment. "Now… let's get this show on the road!"

His words sparked new life in everyone. Crowd and contestants alike. I stretched out and placed my shaking hands on Callio and Bage's shoulders and shared a nod with Tato who was beside me. Neither looked back but they didn't have to. There was nothing I could say to them that they didn't already know.

"We kick off with a fifteen-minute battle royale. The rules are simple: no flight, no killing your opponent, and no substances. Violation of any of the above will result in immediate disqualification. After the fifteen minutes are up, anyone left standing in the arena advances! Contestants, please make your way onto the stage."

Slowly, the crowd moved. I made sure to stick close to three boys, but the closer we got to the stage, the harder it was to do so. Somehow, we managed to persist. I had no idea which bit of the stage we were on. There were just too many people to tell. But if there was one thing I knew, it was that this would be chaos. Complete and utter chaos.

"Ready…" the round man was flying around the arena, waving at the crowd. "3… 2… 1… GO!"

Then all hell broke loose, my senses picking up on several strong people in the jumbled mess of bodies.

"You guys ready?!" I yelled over the cacophony.

Bage pumped his fist. "Yup!"

Callio and Tato nodded.

"Alright," ki flooded my body, running through every vein as swiftly as the blood within me. I was sure my grin was nothing but feral as I took up a stance. "Let's clean this place up a bit."