Agni Blackheart

Anwalt and Lucent Vermillion

Location: Grand Wave Hotel - Entrance

 

Anwalt: Uh... more like the other way around, Lilith. Between us both, I lose more money than him. But if I am to guess, he imagined I would bring a bigger number of people, so...

 

The elevator came down and Lucent got out of it. He walked towards the others.

 

Anwalt: Thanks for finding us a place but, uh... 10 rooms? Seriously?

Lucent: I don't want to hear that from someone who got tricked by a prostitute and lost two wallets.

Anwalt: Wha- can't you just let go of that already?!

Lucent: No. You brought this upon yourself, I'm not going to sugarcoat it because we're siblings.

Anwalt: ... You're evil, you know that?

Lucent: Grow up and deal with it. I'm like this for our good.

 

Lucent walked forward and talked with the rest, while standing near to the clerk.

 

Lucent: Anyway, I'm glad to see you all. We're on the 7th floor of the East Wing. I have our keycards here so we can just go to our rooms.

Lucent: Miss clerk, do the check-in of the five names I gave you earlier and of the two new guests, please. 

Anwalt and Lucent Vermillion

Location: Grand Wave Hotel

 

After all the prizes have been collected, the group left the Arena and the Bottom, heading to the hotel Anwalt mentioned. He led them through until they were finally close.

 

Anwalt: OK, we're close. I'm sure the hotel isn't that... big...

 

His mouth shut itself off once the hotel was in his sight. Melina wasn't lying, the place is completely enormous. It almost felt like a sort of private property of celebrities.

 

Anwalt: Whoa, I never thought it'd be this big!

 

Meanwhile, as Lucent looked down the window from his room, he saw the group down there. The even numbered rooms faced the entrance so that is why.

 

Lucent: As I expected, he brought more people than the accounted. It's the woman from the Arena and...

Lucent: ... The Hero. I had a feeling Anwalt would befriend him but not to the point of bringing him along. Seems like I have to endure it a bit more than what I accounted for...

Anwalt Vermillion

Location: The Arena - Reception Lobby

 

Anwalt: Nah, each of us get a particular room. He got 10 rooms in case more people would come.

Anwalt: Also, I'm fine about your plan, Lilith. Might as well go along and help you. We don't know each other that much, but I suppose any aid is welcome, right?

Anwalt Vermillion

Location: The Arena - Reception Lobby

 

When Anwalt looked, Hyde had reunited with LightFlare, Lilith and Melina. Raina was also there. He whistled to signal Penelope and went to the group.

 

Anwalt: Heheh, that was an intense fight, ladies. Can't wait to try my hand at each of you. Especially you, LightFlare. I'm gonna drag you to the ground at least once in a match.

Anwalt: In any case, Lucent found us a place to stay so I came here to pick you guys. You two are invited to come, Melina and Light, though I don't know if you guys have other plans.

Anwalt  Vermillion

Location: The Arena - Training Room

 

Anwalt's terminal began to ring. He saw it was Lucent and picked up the call.

 

Anwalt: Speak it up, lil' bro.

Lucent: Why are you taking so long to come? Did you stop at the lounge because some girl decided to hook you up and take your money or what?

Anwalt: What?! No, I was just watching Lilith's fight! And what the hell was that about a girl?!

Lucent: It doesn't matter, not like explaining again would do a difference. Did it finish?

Anwalt: Yep. We're heading over there soon enough.

Lucent: Good. I'm on the room #714, on the hotel's East Wing. I already gave the names, so if you bring more people, make sure to give their names as well.

Anwalt: Sure thing. We'll be there in some minutes.

Lucent: Alright. Tell the others to watch over you before your wallet gets tipped off.

Anwalt: Wha- you little... shut up!!

Lucent: Hehe. See you all soon.

 

He turned off the call. Anwalt looked at Penelope and Raina.

 

Anwalt: Lucent found a hotel for us to stay the night. He's already over there and got us rooms.

Anwalt: C'mon, let's go warn Lilith and Hyde.

Anwalt Vermillion

Location: The Arena - Training Room

 

The match ended with Melina being victorious over Lilith. Anwalt, once seeing the result, was surprised at how she kept up with the maid, as Lilith had a power similar to LightFlare.

 

Anwalt: Whoa, she won! I seriously thought Lilith had this on the pack!

Anwalt: Heh, this trip's getting more interesting as each second passes. It's only the first day and I'm having a blast!

Anwalt Vermillion

Location: The Arena - Training Room

 

Hearing Penelope talking about her mother made Anwalt calm down a little. Knowing about your friends' backstory was a good thing.

 

Anwalt: I see. Different views for different people. I also think that way, if that wasn't obvious enough.

Anwalt: Pretty sure your mom's definitely going to be proud of you once you get back home and tell her the story. Seeing your kid's growing stronger and independent somewhat warms a parent's heart.

 

It's almost as if he was a parent. He's not, but he says those stuff. Anwalt had no fear of being seen as a weirdo. Then, Raina spoke, understanding Lucent's point of view.

 

Anwalt: Yeah, he does. I'm sure someday a miracle will fall upon us and he'll quit being like that, otherwise I'm not letting him step into that arena.

 

While speaking with them, he saw that LightFlare left. Upon looking at the monitor in the lobby, he saw Lilith and Melina fighting.

 

Anwalt: So Lilith's opponent ended up being her, eh? Why it doesn't surprise me, I'm pretty sure why.

Anwalt Vermillion

Location: The Arena - Training Room

 

Anwalt: That's... far from being it. Lucent can't see fighting as some sort of fun. If anything, he wants to avoid any conflict. That's why he left.

Anwalt: We might be here only for the thrills, but for him it's a life or death situation. It's not like "defeat for victory" and more like "kill to survive". I don't blame him, we were in war back at home. I'd wish he could take the weight off for a second and stop being so edgy about this.

Anwalt Vermillion

Location: The Arena - Reception Lobby

 

This wasn't the expected response. Mix that with the fact that Raina also believed in it, Anwalt couldn't hold in the laughter but he felt bad for having her believing in his tease, so he decided to stop it there... for now.

 

Anwalt: Hahahaha! Don't sweat it, I'm just teasing you! I thought you'd be mad at me, so this is something I couldn't expect.

 

Seeing at how she fell for it reminded him of Lucent when they met each other. He'd fall for every tease as well and got angry whenever he discovered it was just a joke.

 

Anwalt: Your expression does remind me of my brother. He used to fall every time I teased him. Nowadays, he's so used to it that he distinguishes very well wehn I'm joking and when I'm not.

Anwalt: *sigh* I just wish he stood here a little more, instead of leaving...

Anwalt Vermillion

Location: The Arena - Reception Desk

 

Penelope seemed really tensed up about LightFlare. That was reasonable, considering his display of power. The consequences were a little unknown, but Anwalt decided to tease her a little bit.

 

Anwalt: Wow, not only powerful, but seemingly like a ladies' killer. Did the Hero catch your heart already and that's why you're so tense?

 

Lucent Vermillion

Location: Grand Wave Hotel - Room #714

 

After leaving the shower, Lucent looked outside and saw part of the city's scenery through the window. He wondered if the others had finished their business at the Arena.

 

Lucent: (I wonder if the fights are over... they do take a while, but I kind of expect that it's close to end the day.)

Lucent: (Also, I have the feeling Anwalt might bring more people here than what I have planned. His tendency to be somewhat friendly with those fighters do worry me a bit... not to mention the fact I know he didn't leave the yakuza business as he told me back then.)

Anwalt Vermillion

Location: The Arena - Reception Lobby

 

She seemed in a mixture of excitement with worry. That's to be true, Penelope had no powers to begin it. However, Anwalt didn't like hearing her speaking of herself as an "underdog" of the party.

 

Anwalt: No one here's an underdog, so don't put yourself like that. Strength isn't tied to having some whismical power to aid you. Your strength's going to rise in the right moment so don't beat yourself over it.

Anwalt: Now keep that smile on and improve yourself everyday. It ain't good to see a happy girl like you bummed over something like this. When the time comes, you'll take the spotlight from all of us.

 

As he finished talking with her, LightFlare had approached him.

 

Anwalt: Oho, the Hero approaches! Thought I wouldn't be able to have a small chat with you before leaving! *responds fist bump*

Anwalt: And thanks for the compliment. I may have lost but whatever. On another hand, you're freaking powerful, dude! You've left me impressed at that fight!

Anwalt Vermillion

Location: The Arena - Reception Lobby

 

Trying to see where Lilith went, Anwalt left the training room for a while. Upon reaching the lobby, he saw her talking with LightFlare. On top of that, Penelope was also there, seemingly lost. He went towards her.

 

Anwalt: Hey, if it ain't lil' Penelo! How's the spectating going for you?

 

Lucent Vermillion

Locaiton: Grand Wave Hotel - Room #714

 

BGM: Swimmer in the Book of Darkness

 

Lucent used the laptop to search about Kalos in order to see if there was any relation between it and the fact the others were teleported there. He soon stumbled upon the story of Kalos, something he hasn't checked before coming.

 

Lucent: OK, let's see... "The city of Kalos wasn't originally a Link World by default. It was originally a pacate world of the galaxy many know as MUGENVerse, being one of the most forgotten worlds in the whole aspect. However, an incident transpired at its space and gave it a recognition in the moments of crisis."

Lucent: "The destroyed NESTS, organization from another universe, resurfaced and began their plans of dominating the MUGENVerse. Because of their sudden outbreak and how defenseless Kalos was at the time, there were no ways of preventing its actions from the beginning. The city became a desolate wasteland with the few people who survived the attacks of NESTS mounting a resistance that eventually failed." That's... not nice to know. So this world was destroyed as well.

Lucent: "The incident began at the supposed year of 20XX. Under the control of Igniz, NESTS had managed to expand their actions to other worlds of the MUGENVerse. It was only after three years that a warrior named LightFlare appeared at Kalos and saw the state of things. At that time, he had no intentions of fighting NESTS back and was caught in the fight. Surprisingly, as some have spoken, he has shown great potential and eventually went after the responsible for the destruction." Huh... the title seems to be not only for some show or whatnot.

Lucent: "He had help of other allies, including the traitor Zero. The names of the other allies were all unknown to any of the survivors at the time. After a gruesome battle, LightFlare and his allies managed to destroy NESTS and defeat Igniz, releasing the MUGENVerse of its control. Zero, the traitor, had set the main facility to detonate, but some equipment were left functioning after the explosion somehow. The survivors of the Resistance at the time decided to use the system left behind by NESTS and began the recreation of Kalos." He wasn't alone then... still, he's a very powerful warrior.

Lucent: "It took arduous five years to finally reconstruct Kalos. Other worlds began to help. Once the reconstruction finished, the council of the MUGENVerse decided to nominate it as the official Link World, connecting it to the Multiverse and leaving it as a gateway to the MUGENVerse, at last. Currently, the city functions at a system called R.E.S.T.O.R.E located at the Central Command, where the NESTS main facility used to be. As for LightFlare, nominated Hero, the council desired to nominate him as a Link World Guardian, but he refused, saying he wasn't ready for such task and it wasn't his aim in the first place. Without a physical presence of a Guardian, the world has only the R.E.S.T.O.R.E system."

 

Lucent continued to read the rest of the story but the rest of the facts weren't that helpful for what he was actually searching. The background of Kalos did interest him, even though it doesn't show connection to the incident with Lilith, Penelope, Hyde and Raina.

 

Lucent: That was a good story. Still, it doesn't exactly tie to why they appeared here out of a sudden. Allows for a little of dwelling and theories, though.

Lucent: Now I wonder what allies were those. The other Heroes, exactly speaking. According to this, only LightFlare stood in Kalos and Zero has vanished. There's no information about the rest.

 

He began to scribble in a piece of paper, trying to connect the dots in order to reach an understatement. But it didn't reach anywhere. He had no proof of what exactly led for this to happen. He put the pencil down.

 

Lucent: Ugh, this baseless conjecture isn't taking me anywhere. I need to relax a bit. Maybe a bath will help.

Anwalt Vermillion

Location: The Arena  - Training Room

 

Anwalt: Really? Oh damn... well, guess there's no point in hiding the loads then. We're not those snobs, though.

Anwalt: I'm gonna tell the others once all matches are over. You're free to come with us. One more in the boat is never a problem to me.

 

The match ended with LightFlare being victorious over Hyde. However, he could see that the Hero was a respectable guy, seeing that he got the people to cheer up for his opponent before leaving the battle grounds.

 

Anwalt: And the Hero won, eh? Gotta say, that was exciting to watch. Wonder if he's open to some chat.

 

Lucent Vermillion

Location: Grand Wave Hotel - East Wing, 7th Floor

 

Lucent got off the elevator and went to the corridor leading towards their rooms. He went towards the room 714, taking it as his room.

 

Lucent: (All I need is to swipe the room's keycard at this electronic lock, right? Well then.)

 

He picked one of the keycards and swiped it. Before he could enter, a small monitor appeared and scanned him.

 

Hotel AI: Guest identified as Lucent Vermillion. Keycard #714 is now exclusive to this guest. We of the Grand Wave Hotel welcome you to your room and hope you enjoy the stay.

 

The door's lock clicked and Lucent opened the door. As he went inside, he saw how the rooms were.

 

Lucent: OK, this almost looks like some sort of office room than a single hotel room. This place isn't just for show, huh?

Lucent: There's a notebook over there, huh? Maybe this will help me gather some information of the town. Whatever I find of valuable might be of some aid to the others.

Lucent: Funny... we try to go on a family trip and we're soon on another adventure to discover why people were sent here out of nowhere...

 

After a bloody war back at his world, leading it to ruin, Lucent and the rest of his friends decided to rebuild everything. The citizens asked for them to take a rest, after all the fighting they went through and as a sign of appreciation. While he insisted on not taking it, Anwalt took the opportunity to take them on a trip. Their sole reason is to recover from stress, but he was fine with embarking on another adventure.

 

Lucent: Well, no one said that "rest" meant doing absolutely nothing. We might have fun on our way. Now, what should I search...

Lucent Vermillion

Location: Grand Wave Hotel - Reception Desk

 

Lucent: Wow, people weren't lying on those reviews I saw. Thank you very much and I'm sure me and my friends will enjoy the stay.

Lucent: Oh, talking about them, I better pass their names.

 

Lucent gave the names of Lilith, Penelope, Hyde and Anwalt to the receptionist. Those were the people he confirmed that would be coming later. With him, there were 5 people in total, which made 5 spaces remaining.

 

Lucent: Alongside me, five spaces are still open then. I'm unsure if more people will come or not, but I'll give them the extra cards.

Lucent: Well, I'll be heading into the rooms then. Thank you once again and have a good night.

 

He waved at the clerk and left towards the elevator. He looked at the key cards and their location.

 

Lucent: (East Wing, 7th floor, rooms 711-720... I better head out and check them. On the meantime...)

 

The elevator arrived and Lucent boarded it with other guests. He picked his terminal and sent his current location to Anwalt, alongside the room locations.

 

Anwalt Vermillion

Location: The Arena - Training Room

 

Anwalt's terminal rumbled. He picked up and saw Lucent's message.

 

Anwalt: Well, seems like Lucent found where we're resting today. Grand Wave Hotel, huh... wonder how it is...

Lucent Vermillion

Location: Grand Wave Hotel - Reception Desk

 

Lucent: I want to do a reservation of rooms for 10 people. We'll stay allocated here for a month. If we need more time, I'll make sure to pay the cost when it's necessary.

Anwalt Vermillion

Location: The Arena - Training Room

 

Anwalt: Hahaha! That's seriously NOT the way I'd expect you to talk!

Anwalt: Melina Braveheart, huh... well, nice to meet ya. Here's hoping for some good battles from now on.

 

Lucent Vermillion

Location: Kalos City - Grand Wave Hotel

 

As he opened the map on his terminal and checked it, Lucent took the opportunity to check some hotels around. Apparently, there was one at the top of the most recommended: Grand Wave Hotel.

 

Lucent: Let's see... best accomodations, a good attending service, delicious food... seems like this is a good pick and I'm actually close to it.

Lucent: The photos show some part of the area and it seems rather big. Although, I do think that it might not be-

 

BGM: Daisy Circuit

 

-

When Lucent looked at his front, there was the hotel. And it was big. Really big. It seemed like only the rich and the fancy would stay.

 

Lucent: OK, I take it back. This is huge and expensive-looking.

Lucent: (I really don't like this. It kind of feels as if I'm a show-off just because I have money or whatnot. Then again, I don't want to put all of them to sleep on the streets or some old abandoned house. Not to mention, expensive or not, this is the closest hotel to the Bottom.)

 

He and Anwalt were sort of used to this, being nobles back in their world. Still, to the eyes of others it might look over the top. Also, it had the fact that the rest isn't on a trip. However, he decided to stay with this one, even though he might hear some complaints here and there when they arrive.

 

Lucent: Guess I'm staying with this one then. It's going to weird them out, but I'd prefer them sleeping in the comfortable than in the rocks. Besides, even if we're on a trip and they aren't doesn't mean we can't relax and have some other fun.

 

He went inside and looked at the reception. There were people from every side of the corner. He breathed a little and went to the desk.

 

Lucent: Excuse me, miss. How much does it cost to spend the night here?

Location: The Arena - Training Room

 

Anwalt: When we step inside that arena, our opponent's giving their damnest with everything they got. As a fighter, I did the same thing when I stepped in. I lost because I was cocky, thought. That guy is giving Hyde a challenge not because he wants to solely prove his point, but because he knows he'll try everything he got in order to win. That's how we fight.

Lucent: ...

Anwalt: You don't have to worry. Hyde's going to be fine, winning or losing. This isn't like back then.

Lucent: Since I'm inexperienced on this unlike you, I'll won't speak anything else. Doesn't mean I'll respect the whole idea, neither him for doing such thing.

 

Lucent handed over the map to Anwalt and opened his portable terminal, in order to download one. Once the download finished, he opened the map and began to leave, while carrying his and Anwalt's bag with his magic, as they began to float in the air.

 

Anwalt: Hey, where are you going?

Lucent: It's getting late. I'm heading out to search for a hotel where we all can stay.

Anwalt: Lucent, can't you just wait a little longer until this fight finishes?

Lucent: Anwalt...

Anwalt: *sigh* Fine, go on ahead.

Lucent: I'll send you a text and the map point for you to follow once I find it. See you all later. Oh, and it was nice to meet you, miss.

 

Lucent went towards the elevator while Anwalt stood behind with Lilith and the mysterious woman.

 

Anwalt: By the way, you haven't told us you name yet. Unless you want me to call you miss all the time, which I'm sure is a treatment too formal and you don't seem to like it.

 

Meanwhile, the elevator arrived and Lucent boarded it. Once it reached the dance floor again, he flew over the crowd instead of walking inside of it. Outside, he looked at the map once more.

 

Lucent: According to the map, there's a hotel not too far from it. Since it's a little late, I guess we'll have to do with this.

Lucent: (... "Hero", huh? As much as we don't know each other's stories, he's someone I certainly don't want to know for a long time. Not after what I saw, at least...)

Location: The Arena - Training Room

 

Anwalt: I see. So he might be in control of himself!

Lucent: The need to resort to such power?

 

Lucent was bothered. Why would he need to call upon some sort of dark power just to prove himself as strong? He's already winning anyway.

 

Lucent: He's already winning, is more powerful than Hyde and suddenly decides to call into a power that could drive him mad and kill someone? In a friendly fight?

Anwalt: Well, who knows. Maybe he just thought it would be a faster way to end the fight.

Lucent: Don't justify it for him. And to be honest, I'm not finding it backed up by someone reasonable decision.

Lucent: He's just overpowering someone to prove his point, nothing else. He doesn't give a single thought if his opponent is weaker or not. Just like the people we fought back in our world...

Anwalt: Lucent...

Lucent: I'll just keep watching... praying that Hyde (@Sinjik) makes out of it alive. Maybe I'll learn about a friendly fight in another match, Lilith.

Location: The Arena - Training Room

 

Anwalt: Well, thanks for the compliment. There's a lot of things I got to fix before I'm satisfied with my technique, but direct fight is my style.

Anwalt: And you're right on the other point too. This here is my little genius and pacifist brother, Lucent.

Lucent: Can you please stop calling me a genius when that's not true?

Anwalt: He doesn't like to fight that much, but he's the cunning mind between us.

Lucent: ... Well, someone needs to balance your strength. In any case...

 

When Lucent turned back to the TV, LightFlare had already turned into an evil form of himself, surprising the ones watching him.

 

Lucent: What... is that?

Anwalt: That's a nasty dark aura. The attack feels more violent than before. I'm not liking the sound of that one bit...

Lucent: (This doesn't feel right... Hyde, you have to evade and admit defeat.)

Location: The Arena - Training Room

 

Lucent felt the tap on the shoulder and saw the woman talking right next to the.; She had turned to speak with Lilith, but he decided to answer since she would hear it anyway.

 

Lucent: Well, not yet... I mean, I'm still not getting the feeling of why I should be interested about it but I think I got the concept, at the very least.

Anwalt: You and your concept thing.

Lucent: Oh, Anwalt.

 

After standing around in the reception for a while, Anwalt joined them. Having heard about Lucent trying to get interested on the fight, he decided to help him.

 

Anwalt: There's no concept of "getting interest in battling" or something like that. This isn't that sort of thing that is put on some sorta cientific theory or whatnot.

Lucent: So you're saying that I shouldn't think rationally about this?

Anwalt: Not that. Just stop trying to fit it in some sort of complex logic. For now, watch and see how those two fight.

Lucent: But what exactly am I supposed to-

Anwalt: Lucent, just watch it.

 

Not having an answer, Lucent returned to watch the fight and so did Anwalt.

Location: The Arena - Training Room

 

Lucent: You're right, I do. I come from a world where violence ran amok for a long period of time, so my mind generated a hatred towards it. Nowadays, we live at peace but the thought of fighting for fun never seemed right for me.

Lucent: Still, I'll give your suggestion a try. Maybe I end up understanding why people enjoy this.

 

He returned to look at the screen, trying to watch the battle in the way Lilith suggested. Lucent was insecure about it, but he wanted to see the other side of things instead of applying a black-and-white judgment over all situations.

Location: The Arena - Training Room

 

Lucent: That's exactly what I said to him. You'll understand me once you get a brother like mine...

 

He gave another look around and saw the good amount of fighters. Most of them were human, though the crowd had other races of creatures.

 

Lucent: I have to admit, there's a good amount of fighters here. I wonder what's so exciting about battling that much. 

Location: The Arena - Training Room

 

Lucent: Yes, I am. My power allows me to conceal my identity, somehow. It's not that useful, though, and I'm the worst liar I know, so I don't rely much on it.

Lucent: As for the idea of doing this, it's best left unspoken. I assure you, I was against it but I ended up conceding.

Location: The Arena - Training Room

 

While looking at the TV, Lucent looked at Lilith, seeing how she paid attention with far more interest and experience than he would have.

 

Lucent: (I suppose a little chat wouldn't be a problem. She might not visually recognize me, but my voice and aura will give me away.)

 

He went towards her. Lilith never seemed the friendly type, but he thought a different opinion on the fight might pique an interest in the shenanigans of this fight.

 

Lucent: I don't want to assume anything, but you also think that Hyde's going to lose, right?

 

@Darkflare

Location: The Arena - Training Center

 

Lucent: (Wow, Hyde actually managed to a get a knockdown. That's surprising.)

Lucent: (Though I have a good feeling this small knockdown will actually be his last...)

 

Location: The Arena - Lobby

 

Anwalt: OK, Hyde got one. If he gets everything on place, he might be able to win in the end!