57TH GEAR - FALLEN PHOENIX
“This is not over!”
Flu cried as she stood up with great struggle. Her knees are shaking, which is an indication that her legs are getting weak. She is drenched with sweat, and she is hardly catching her breath. Her mana pool has now reduced to half as she has already used most of her speed spells just to reach that Checkpoint Tower.
But it is to no avail.
The score stays at 0:1, with Lilith having a lead. She just stood there with a teasing yet scary smile on her face. Her heterochromia eyes looked at Flu with disdain.
“Ara ara, you should save your strength and stay down. This Speed Battle will be over shortly.”
“I refuse to give up!” Flu cried out loud. Wind energy gathered on her shoes as she reactivated her speed spell! “Wind Accel!”
Lilith’s smile widened like a crescent moon. She seems to be enjoying the mental punishment she is giving to Flu.
There are only two minutes left before the Speed Battle is over. We still have some spells that could work! We will have to do everything just to reach the 2nd Checkpoint Tower! As long as we avoid a foul, we can still make it to a draw!
“Flu, approach her and aim for a Flash Step!” I said.
“Yes, Coach!” Flu said as she surged forward in a straight line, aiming for the Checkpoint Tower. We are planning that 100-meter Flash Step that Locke of the Eaglecrest used in the first round. All we have to do is wait for the opponent to block Flu right in front of her face then use Flash Step!
All of a sudden, Lilith boosted and blocked Flu right in front!
“Now!” I shouted.
“Flash Step!” Flu gathered mana on her feet then made a single kick to the ground, instantaneously closing into the 2nd Checkpoint Tower!
However…
“Shadow Step,” Lilith muttered her spell and she teleported backward, right at Flu’s face!
Shadow Step is the antithesis of Flash Step. If Flash Step gives an instantaneous dash forward, Shadow Step provides an instantaneous dash backward!
Lilith spread her hand out to launch Flu away from the Checkpoint Tower!
Bzzzzt!
“Kuuuuuuh!”
Flu cried as she once again was put to the ground. Just right before, Flu struggled to stand up, and her knees are more wiggling rather than shaking. The shock of the recoil effect must have done a significant injury to her, both physically and mentally.
One minute left!
“Flu!” I cried.
Sweat ran down from my scalp towards my chin. I feel cold, and there are goosebumps all over my body. My skin hairs are all erect, and I can’t stop the clattering of my teeth.
What can we do in this situation!? Think, Jonathan, think! Air Trampoline and Chain Trampoline do not work. Phoenix Arrow does not work. Flash Step does not work. If we use Phoenix Talon, we will certainly get a foul as striking the opponent before reaching the 2nd Checkpoint Tower is prohibited. Whirlwind will be canceled if Flu ever tries to run around.
How can we get away from this deadlock!?
“Coach.” Flu’s soft voice brought me back to reality.
“Y-Yes Flu?” I asked.
“Lilith is really amazing. She was able to prevent me from scoring for the whole Speed Battle.” Flu said with a smile.
“This is not the time for you to appreciate your opponents!” I said.
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“I know. That is why I wanted to give it my all in this Speed Battle!”
All of a sudden, Flu spread out her hands. She swiped her fingers in the air while she started to run backward. Ten, twenty, thirty- I lost count of how many times she swiped her fingers in the air. Multiple Air Trampolines materialized on the left and right!
Is she going to do the Chain Trampoline to Zigzag again just like in the first round!?
Wait, no! There is something else Flu is planning! She reached out for her feet and then enhanced them with unknown stardust energy. It was not Wind Accel! It is the experimental speed spell that she could never control!
“Fluonessia… Asahime… Taking off!”
Flu jumped towards the first Air Trampoline while her feet is enhanced with unknown magical energy. She jumped left and right, from trampoline to trampoline, to double, quadruple, and octuple speeds!
“Yaaaaaaah!” Flu cried as she went flying at almost lightspeed, towards the Checkpoint Tower!
“Blink!” Lilith has once again blocked her path with a short-range teleportation spell!
This was getting intense. Ten seconds left before the whistle is blown! Flu has to reach that Checkpoint Tower at all costs!
“Yaaaaaaaah!” Flu cried once again as she coated her right elbow with stardust energy. She twisted into a tailspin and surged forward in the air!
With Flu’s acrobatic proficiency, she avoided every inch of the magical barrier coated on Lilith’s body. She managed to get away, and now for the Checkpoint Tower!
“Not so fast! Aether Switch!” Lilith’s golden eye glowed once again and they swapped positions! Because of Flu’s momentum, she bumped into Lilith’s magical barrier and created another repelling force!
Bzzzzt!
Both Speedmages have launched away from each other! But now it is different, as the Checkpoint Tower is just between them!
Two seconds left!
“At least… one point!”
Flu cried once again as she created a magical trampoline with mysterious glittery energy. It was not a regular Air Trampoline, and I am pretty sure it is not a Fire Trampoline either. The magical energy used to create that mysterious trampoline is the same as her experimental spell that invokes stardust!
Flu acrobatically maneuvered and hopped on the mysterious trampoline! Energy gathered through it like a wormhole, and then-
The mysterious trampoline popped like a bubble!
“Ah!”
Flu cried, not because her mysterious trampoline failed, but because she noticed that her wing hairpins flew away the moment her spell failed. She tried to reach out her hand to save those hairpins she held dear for her entire life.
Flu was still launched toward the Checkpoint Tower, but the energy of her jump was not enough to reach it. She ran out of mana when she created that mysterious trampoline spell earlier, so it was bound to fail.
“Flu!” I cried out loud. I immediately threw my headset and bolted towards the Triangle.
The pink-haired Speedmage fell to the ground, a few inches away from the Checkpoint Tower. And then-
Fweeeeeeeeet!
The whistle was blown, indicating the end of the Semifinal Match.
“Match over! The winner is Lilith Nightshade!” The referee announced. “Lilith Nightshade shall proceed for the Final Round of the Speedmage Tournament!”
Even though the match has been concluded, the crowd did not cheer. They are just awestruck and sympathized with the fallen phoenix.
Maybe Lilith Nightshade is not a people’s favorite as she always abuses the rules to win her matches. Most Speedmages see her as a dirty participant. Her way of winning does not involve the thrill of a race or a tag fight but forcibly locking the opponent by the rules.
“Heh,” Lilith uttered a chuckle towards the fallen Speedmage before leaving the Triangle. There was no sympathy nor sportsmanship given by that bitch.
“Fluuuuu!” I cried out loud as I try to get her responsive as fast as possible. I ran towards the 2nd Checkpoint Tower and then readied my spray-type healing potion and a towel.
Flu finally moved. She went up on her knees and looked at me with a puppy blue-eyed stare. She was not injured, but her face was dirty because of the dust. I saw her drenched in sweat so I immediately put a towel on her head.
Ericka and Cruzo soon followed us to the Triangle. Even Professor Azure who was just an audience was concerned enough to check on the defeated Fluonessia. All of us are worried about our pink-haired idiot.
“Flu, are you okay?” Ericka nervously asked.
Flu raised her head with a dumb smile. But this dumb smile is accompanied by her eyes welling up with tears, her breathing getting shallow and rapid, and her shoulders shaking.
“Tahahahaha… I am such a failure. I even got you guys worried.” Flu said.
“Flu…” I muttered.
This is the worse smile I have ever seen on her- the smile of guilt.
“I’m so sorry.” Flu bowed briefly.
All of us looked at each other. We all know that Flu just suffered a frustrating loss, but we have to get her out of that abyss. A cheerful stupidly optimistic girl like her turning into a depressed state is the worse thing we could ever see. We should cheer her up.
“Let’s go, Flu. Take a quick shower and change.” Ericka weakly said.
“Y-Yeah. Then let’s eat bacon shawarmas and dragonfruit ice cream!” Cruzo tried to bring cheerfulness to the atmosphere, but you can feel the sadness in his shaking tone.
“Oh, good idea. Tahahaha…” Flu’s tone is getting gloomier.
I do not like it.
I lent out my hand to her. “Let’s go,” I muttered.
“R-Right…”
Flu answered, but she did not take my hand. She just kept on staring at the ground. Her shoulders trembled. I saw her hand gripping something precious to her- the winged hairpins. Those winged hairpins soon caught a drop of her tears.
“Y-Yeah… let’s go…Hic!”
Flu tried to suppress her cries but to no avail. She rubbed her eyes, over and over, but her eyes continued to well up tears.
“Hic… hic… I… hic!”
She bowed down and finally succumbed to her melancholy emotions.
“I… I’m sorry… I’m sorry… I’m sorry… I’m sorry…”