CHAPTER 2- RAYGAARD VS WEDAM: FRIENDSHIP'S BEGINNING
It looked as though the people in the city were gathering to watch something amazing. There was excitement in the city and Raygaard wondered why.
"I'll check it out later. I hear Ryanne's now working at the local hospital. She has just been promoted. I'm going to congratulate her!" Raygaard said as he ran around town searching for the hospital.
He asked around. Many people feared to talk to him and it made him sad. He was only able to find out the hospital's location by asking really young kids who had no knowledge of Gilgamesh's malice. Raygaard decided that it would be prudent for him to buy a gift for Ryanne so he went to the biggest shop he could find. He walked gallantly to the shopkeeper. The shopkeeper was a pretty girl about five years older than Raygaard.
"Hello, I would like to buy a gift for a friend of mine. I don't know what to buy though so I'd be grateful if you could offer some advice" Raygaard said politely.
The shopkeeper eyed him suspiciously.
"Why are you wearing a hood? I don't sell to suspicious people" she said.
Raygaard smiled.
"I guess it can't be helped then" he said as he pulled the hood back and revealed his face.
The shopkeeper nearly collapsed when she saw his face.
"Prince Raygaard! I'm so sorry, I didn't know it was you" she offered profuse apologies.
"Sssshhh! Calm down. I'm not going to do anything to you and I'm certainly not going to tell my sadistic father! Please don't scream my name. I don't want to be caught. Could you just tell me…what gift a girl would like?" Raygaard pleaded.
"Are you interested in a certain someone?" the shopkeeper asked.
Raygaard laughed.
"Nah! It's nothing like that. The girl in question is like an elder sister to me. She's just been promoted and she's so kind. She's a nurse you know. I want to give her something special to congratulate her but…I don't know a thing about girls" Raygaard said with a weird expression on his face.
The shopkeeper couldn't help laughing.
"What about a necklace? That would be great. Most girls like flashy things so the more expensive it is, the more she will value it" the shopkeeper said.
Raygaard smiled.
"OKAY! So where's the most expensive necklace you have?!" Raygaard exclaimed excitedly.
"Here it is. It costs eight thousand Galans" the shopkeeper said as she handed the necklace to Raygaard.
"Here, I have ten thousand Galans. You can have 'em all. This necklace is more precious than the amount I'm giving you so don't refuse it" Raygaard winked and ran out of the shop.
The shopkeeper smiled.
"You don't know just how precious that necklace is…young Raygaard" she said as she transformed into an old man.
Raygaard stared at the necklace. It was a golden necklace with a sapphire gem.
"It's great! Ryanne's gonna love this!" he exclaimed as he ran towards the hospital.
Soon, he was inside the hospital searching for Ryanne. He walked to the receptionist.
"Hello" he greeted.
"Are you here for a check-up?" the receptionist asked.
"Nah! Just came to see a friend of mine. Her name is Ryanne" Raygaard said.
"You'll have to wait a bit. Nurse Ryanne's a bit busy. I'll tell her that you've come to see her but who should I say is searching for her?" the receptionist asked.
"I can't tell you" Raygaard laughed and folded his arms.
"Why not?" she asked.
"It'll make you scream" Raygaard said.
"Really? And why is that?" the receptionist asked.
"Because I'm so handsome that girls die just from seeing my face" Raygaard bragged.
"No way" the receptionist seemed frightened.
"Well, have you finally guessed who I am?" Raygaard asked.
"AAAAAHHHH! Please don't stare me in the eyes! What is the Jingin-Reaper doing in a hospital?!" the nurse screamed.
Raygaard laughed so hard he thought he would collapse from lack of air.
"C'mon, you can do better than that. The Jingin-Reaper isn't this short. Besides, seeing my face will make you scream from excitement, not fear" Raygaard said.
The receptionist seemed irritated.
"Just tell me who you are before I call security!" she yelled.
"By security, do you mean Galagans?" Raygaard didn't seem perturbed.
"Of course!" the receptionist yelled.
"Puh-lease! If they see you with me, you will be executed on the spot" Raygaard said confidently.
"Is that a threat?!" the receptionist seemed even angrier than before.
"No, it's friendly advice" Raygaard said.
"Just who do you think you are?!" she roared.
Raygaard smiled.
"I am Prince Raygaard, the son of Gilgamesh and grandson of Abaddon, the maniacal Galagan. That's my entire family tree" Raygaard said as he pulled back his hood.
The receptionist seemed even more frightened than before.
"AAAHHH! P-Please forgive me" she pleaded.
"Now have you ever seen a face more handsome than mine?" Raygaard said with a wink.
"For a kid he's really cocky" the receptionist muttered.
"Hmm?! Did I just hear you utter blasphemy?!" Raygaard teased the receptionist some more.
"N-no, I was just singing your praises Prince Raygaard" the receptionist pleaded.
Ryanne was attending to some patients. She could hear the commotion from where she was.
"What's happening?" one of the young doctors asked worriedly.
Ryanne sighed, "there is only one person I know of who is capable of causing such a commotion…Raygaard" she said as she left the room and descended the stairs.
"Hey! Did you just blaspheme again?!" Raygaard continued to tease the poor receptionist.
Ryanne couldn't help laughing. Raygaard noticed her.
"Heh! My evil plan worked. Nothing draws out a nurse like a good commotion" Raygaard said with an evil sparkle in his eye.
"Ryanne, this boy is pestering me" the receptionist reported.
"Hey! Stop blaspheming already! You are now committing sacrilege!" Raygaard accused.
"I will take it from here May" Ryanne said as she walked to Raygaard and held his ear tightly.
"Ow Ow Ow OWW!!! Hey! What's the big idea Ryanne?! Don't you know you are committing sacri-blasphemy?!" Raygaard yelled angrily.
"That's not even a word Raygaard! Don't you know a hospital is a sacred place where the injured find sanctuary" Ryanne said with passion.
"Ayi-yi-yi! Here we go again. Once she starts going on about how sacred a hospital is, she never stops" Raygaard rolled his eyes in absolute boredom.
"Ryanne! My ears hurt!" He said through gritted teeth.
"You deserve it! You were the one committing sacri-blasphemy!" Ryanne glared at him.
"Then I plead to your humble deity. Since he is so merciful, please tell your humble servant Ryanne to leave my lovely ears alone" Raygaard teased.
Ryanne left his ears. "Jeez, you're hopeless" she said as she patted him on the head.
"Ouch!" Raygaard winced in pain.
"Ryanne withdrew her hand quickly.
"Raygaard, what's the matter? Are you hurt?" Ryanne asked.
"N-no…I was just kidding" Raygaard laughed but the pain was showing on his face.
"What happened Raygaard?" Ryanne demanded an answer sternly.
"Well, you should be proud of me. I swung over the castle wall with a bedsheet and leapt down the mountain. You can't possibly be more reckless than that" Raygaard boasted.
"You idiot! I taught you to be a little daring but you are taking this too seriously! I never asked you to seek shortcuts to the afterlife!"Ryanne scolded Raygaard.
He winced. He never liked it when Ryanne got angry with him.
"Come here, let me take care of your wounds,"Ryanne beckoned to Raygaard. He approached her slowly.
"Benevolent winds of Heaven, Radiant grace of mother Earth, Call forth your mercy and renew what has been lost" Ryanne prayed. In a flash of bright light, her Amooma, Flora appeared.
"Flora, please heal Raygaard's wound although I don't believe he's telling me the truth!" Ryanne said as she glared at Raygaard.
Flora began to sing and as she did so, all of Raygaard's wounds disappeared.
"Thank you Ryanne and Flora," Raygaard said with a grateful smile.
"So why are you here Raygaard?"Ryanne asked curiously. Raygaard smiled and pulled out the pendant from within his vest.
"Congratulations Ryanne!"he said as he stretched out to Ryanne with the pendant.
"How did you know? I didn't tell anyone!"Ryanne exclaimed in surprise
That's just how important you are to me big sis," Raygaard smiled.
Ryanne hugged him. Raygaard seemed surprised at first. This was actually the first time she had hugged him like this. She had never dared to do so in Gilgamesh's presence.
"It means a lot to me that you think about me this much," Ryanne said as she left him and took the necklace. "It's beautiful! I'll always treasure it" she said as she wore it around her neck.
"Ryanne, there seems to be some commotion in town. Do you have any idea what it's about?" Raygaard asked.
"It's probably that rascal Wedam. He keeps challenging all the strong men in this city to a fight. I hear no one has ever defeated him before. People say he wants to become a Diibagura," Ryanne explained.
"You mean he wants to become one of Endegren's greatest warriors wielding both an Amooma and an offensive Sekan?" Raygaard asked.
"Yep!" Ryanne nodded.
"Well then, I'll just defeat him then. That will make me stronger than all the men he has defeated!" Raygaard exclaimed excitedly as he leapt out of Ryanne's window.
"Sheesh, he's just so reckless. I guess it can't be helped, with him having a cruel father like Gilgamesh.
Raygaard run towards the city's main square. As he approached, he noticed a boy his age with fiery red hair fighting a gigantic muscular man. The man held a great battle axe but the boy's only weapon was a bo-staff.
"Hmm, I guess that boy is Wedam! Let's see how he fares in this fight," Raygaard murmured as he drew closer to the stage.
"Stay still you damn brat!" the giant yelled.
"That's ridiculous! Like I said, I'm going to become the strongest Diibagura in the world and I'll start by defeating all of Endregen's strongest Diibaguras!" Wedam declared.
"We'll see about that!" the giant roared as he swung his axe vertically in an attempt to dissect Wedam.
Wedam leapt out of range. Then he somersaulted and delivered a back-heel kick to the giant's occiput. Wedam quickly performed another somersault over the giant to his back. Then he gave a swift reverse foot-sweep coupled with a 180 degree spinning lateral strike to the giant's ribs with his bo-staff. Before the giant could recover from the shock of the blow, Wedam leapt unto his neck and delivered three heavy blows to the giant's head with his elbow. The giant fell down and couldn't move anymore.
"WHOO-HOO! I RULE BABY! WHO CAN BEAT ME?!" Wedam boasted.
"And the winner for today's match is the undisputed genius kid-fighter…WEDAM!" the commentator declared.
"Is there any challenger who can stand up to my strength?! It doesn't matter whether you're a Galagan, a man or even Gilgamesh himself! I'll take you down!" Wedam boasted.
"You know, for a kid, you're really smart-mouthed. You better watch your words or you could get yourself killed one day" Raygaard said.
His hood was on so no one could recognize him.
"Who said that?! Say it to my face you lousy coward!" Wedam roared.
"Lousy coward? At first I thought I'd give you a slight knockout but now it's personal! I'll make you choke on those words!" Raygaard said as he leapt onto the stage.
"And we have a challenger! Tell me boy, who are you?" the commentator asked.
Raygaard dropped his hood.
"TCH! I've said that two times already and it's beginning to sound like a bore, but I guess it can't be helped. Wedam…if you want to fight my father so bad…then you're going to have to beat me first!" Raygaard said as he threw away his cloak.
Beneath his cloak was his silver gigaflex. It was the name of the armour worn only by the members of the Royal Family of Endregen.
"Ladies and Gentlemen! We have a delightful turn of events. As it turns out, the challenger is actually Prince Raygaard, heir to the Endreginian throne!" the commentator announced.
There were loud cheers from the crowd.
"Stealing my spotlight eh?! You'll pay for that!" Wedam declared.
"I think the one that's going to pay is you. Normally, I'd ignore a fight like this one…however…challenging my father is challenging the throne of Endregen. I accept your challenge! Prepare to lose big time!" Raygaard declared.
"Ready!" the commentator called out.
Both boys glared angrily at each other. Their aura began to radiate. Dark clouds began to gather in the sky. Tensions were rising.
"Fight!" the commentator called as lightning illuminated the sky.
"HAAAAAHHH!!!" Wedam roared as he charged to attack Raygaard with his Bo-staff.
Raygaard charged towards Wedam.
"You can't dodge this attack! Take this! MORTICON VORTEX!" Wedam roared as he began to spin like a violent whirlwind. His bo-staff spun violently in all directions and at all heights.
Raygaard smiled. "Hmmph! Why dodge when you can parry?!" he declared as his tail grew out of his behind and countered all of Wedam's attacks.
The tail of an ultra-ascended Endreginian was like a sharp flexible scythe. It almost possessed a consciousness of its own thus it could parry attacks that even its wielder could not see but Raygaard had mastered full control of his tail thanks to constant rigorous training exercises with Gilgamesh, the Galagans and Ryanne.
"You're an ultra-ascended…Endreginian?" Wedam seemed shocked by this.
"Oh don't tell me you're quitting just because of that, I'm actually having fun" Raygaard teased.
"Stop patronizing me!" Wedam roared as he somersaulted out of the vortex and delivered a vertical strike with his staff.
Raygaard blocked by crossing his arms above his head. Wedam's staff snapped in two.
"My staff!" he exclaimed in horror.
"I bet you can't foresee what's about to happen next" Raygaard said.
"What?!" Wedam roared.
"ULTRA RAIKEN!" Raygaard roared and Wedam collapsed to the ground.
"Amazing! The Prince defeated the champ by screaming! It's a decisive victory! Raygaard wins by…!"
"Hold on! I'm not out yet!" Wedam roared.
"And the champ is back in the game!" the commentator declared as Wedam struggled to stand.
"That punch didn't knock you out? I'm impressed. You can barely stand though. You do realize that don't you?" Raygaard teased.
"I said…STOP PATRONIZING ME!" Wedam roared as a huge force of blue light escaped his body.
In a flash, he had transformed into a giant gorilla-like creature. Except for the fact that, the creature looked more human and was quite slimmer than the usual bulky form of a gorilla.
"Whoa! Looks like you're an ultra-ascended Endreginian as well. I didn't think you could perform an awakening! Guess I got more than I bargained for. Awakening is a secret ability possessed only by the most elite of ultra-ascended Diibaguras. I admit…I don't know how to perform this trick where you forcefully awaken the soul resting within you and assume its true form. What is your name boy?" Raygaard asked.
"I am Wedam Morticon, Son of Raeioun Morticon, a Diibagura exiled by your father to the Human Realm!" Wedam roared with a mighty voice.
"I have heard of your father. He was a virtuous warrior. Perhaps we can be friends" Raygaard smiled.
"HA! Say that after you defeat me!" Wedam roared.
"Fine then…don't hate me Wedam. INVERSE LOCK!" Raygaard roared as he stretched his fist towards Wedam and turned it sharply.
There was a sudden explosion and Wedam returned to normal.
"Now…let's try this again. ULTRA RAIKEN! FIST TO FACE STYLE!" Raygaard roared and Wedam collapsed to the ground.
He was bleeding from his nose and mouth and his face was swollen.
"Once again, the champ has been defeated. Prince Raygaard wins by a decisive K.O!" the commentator declared.
"Ayi-yi-yi! I guess I overdid it. I'll take him to Ryanne" Raygaard said as he lifted Wedam unto his back and took him to the hospital.