58TH GEAR – THE GRAND FINALS

We did not finish the tournament’s ceremony yesterday. As soon as Flu’s Speed Battle was concluded, the whole Merry Knights accompanied Flu until we reached her house in the Eastern Islands. Flu was murmuring “I’m sorry” the whole time with an apologetic smile on her face, so we decided it was best for her to be alone for now.

I know I am not the one to talk because I was not the one who lost the Speed Battle, but as her navigator and coach, I was disappointed in the outcome of the match. Lilith Nightshade is too dirty of an opponent and takes away the fun of Speed Battles. I know I am not the only one feeling this hate in my heart, as I have seen from the audience that time that they did not enjoy what happened.

If players always exploit the rules to win and play dirty, Speed Battle will cease as an entertainment sport. For example, the dying industry of boxing nowadays is just about scoring and not having a good fight compared to the plays of the past. Speed Battles are well known for their awesome display of magic in a race or a tag fight, and those contrail streaks coming from the Speedmages are the cherry on top that makes it amazing.

During the last match, Lilith hardly even used her Shadow Accel and made the match one-sided. Aside from that, she has always inflicted terror on her opponents- the fear of being helpless. Lilith has completely controlled her opponents only ending the scores at 0:1 like she was only playing her opponents even though she can still get more points.

I’m actually scared that Speedmages will soon resort to this tactic if they found Lilith’s strategy is the most effective. If that happens, all Speed Battles will be one-sided, and the first person who reaches the Checkpoint Tower wins. I would hate that kind of sport.

However, there is nothing we can do. That is how the game is played, and we can only hope and cross our fingers that Lilith’s tactics crumble for the final round.

But there’s a huge part of me that blames myself. My lack of experience, my inability to use magic, and my deficiency as a good coach certainly troubled my mind. What if I had more experience? What if I am a Speedmage who can cast magic? What if I was a good coach? Could we win against Lilith? Was there any other way that the match could have turned out?

If only Flu has a proper coach other than me, would she win that Speed Battle?

<>

It was a brand new morning and the last day of the Regional Speedmage Tournament. While waiting for someone at the Eastern beachside, I was reading the score sheet that indicates yesterday’s match.

As expected, Vincent the Teleporter won the Semifinals against the Cool Escape Captain Liri Fontaine with a score of 78:12. As usual, he overwhelmed his opponents with his teleportation magic. He’s the kind of guy who would show off how many points he can do, which is completely different from Lilith’s tactic.

Now that the Finals have come, Vincent will be facing Lilith for the Regional Championship’s 1st Place. I am certainly hoping for Vincent to win even though he beat Ericka. At least Vincent won with awesome showmanship unlike that bitch Lilith who only knows how to play with her meal and eat her opponents who have succumbed to despair.

The Speedmage who gets a Bronze Medal has been decided. And sadly, Flu did not make it. The criteria for making it to the 3rd Place is the player in the Semifinals with the higher average score. By any means, Flu has made a decent score during her matches. The only thing that dragged her score down was her match against Lilith, in which she got zero points. That is one more reason to hate that witch.

“Good morning, Jon!” It was a cheerful yet soft voice.

I put down the score sheet and looked at the woman in front of me. It was Flu, in her white summer dress attire. Her blue eyes are twinkling, and she got this usual bright smile on her lips. It was the usual Fluonessia that I know, which is completely different from her gloomy atmosphere yesterday.

“G-Good morning, Flu,” I said as I folded the score sheet and put it in my pocket. “You seem to be in high spirits as usual.”

“Tahahaha!” Flu scratched her head with an apologetic smile. “I’m still in a state of shock due to the match yesterday, but I have to keep up my smile as a true Merry Knight! Besides, I have already caused you trouble yesterday for being a crybaby.”

That was an honest statement of her feelings, and I kind of expected it from Flu. That is how thoughtful she is: she does not want us to worry about her.

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“No, it’s alright. You have the right to be upset about yesterday. That bitchy witch is using dirty tactics to win.” I said as I started to walk. Flu followed me as we chat on the way.

The pink-haired girl shook her head. “No. Lilith is amazing. She won the match, so as the loser, I should take that loss and move on. I’m pretty sure the Speedmages I beat were pretty upset in me too. At least now I know how they feel.”

Wow, this is a completely different Flu I’m talking with. Her words make sense, and she seemed mature.

I just noticed one more thing different from her. She is no longer wearing that winged plastic hairpin that she used to always have.

“You’re not wearing it, huh?” I muttered.

“Eh? W-What are you talking about?” Flu tilted her head.

“Your hairpin.”

“O-Oh, right.” Flu looked at the ground. “I just felt that I shouldn’t wear it.”

“Why? I thought it was precious to you?”

“I have been relying on that hairpin so much. The strength I am showing to everyone was borrowed from that hairpin. Those wings are not even my own to begin with. They are from an old friend who saved me when I was a kid. I am just a weak fragile girl who knows nothing but to be noisy and a crybaby.” Flu said.

I felt that if we continued this conversation, Flu would just drag herself down to the dumpsters. She might even cry again, so I shut my mouth for good.

We boarded the train, and it was a 45-minute ride until we reach the Speedmage Tournament Arena. Unlike the past days, this place is too crowded with people who wanted to witness the Regional Championship Match. There was even a long line for audiences.

Good thing we easily spotted Cruzo early in the line. Our big panda senior bulldozed through the waves of people while shouting “Guuuuuuts!”. People avoided us for either being afraid of getting pushed around by a big fat guy, or they are just weirded out by a person who kept on shouting like a maniac.

We followed him until we managed to buy some snacks, buy our tickets, and then sat on the first-class seat. Having a big fat friend has its perks.

Ericka was already sitting comfortably when we arrived. She is drinking fragrant lemon water from her fancy glass like a real hotshot.

“You guys are late!” Ericka scolded.

“I’m sorry! There’s a lot of snacks on sale today that I couldn’t resist!” Cruzo said as she sat down with a thud. His bucketful of popcorn, fries, and nachos went flying all around because of his sudden sit.

Ericka turned to Flu who immediately replied with a dumb smile.

“How are you feeling, Flu?” Ericka asked.

“I’m fine now, Prez!” Flu pumped her fists. “I’m more excited for the championship today! This will be awesooooome!”

“Still hyper as ever, huh?” Ericka smirked.

“Yes! I feel like I would doze off if I don’t maintain my energy, so I have to keep on being noisy for six hours!” Flu squealed.

Ericka looked at me with a serious gaze. I felt like she was telling me something, but alas, I do not know telepathy. I just shrugged my shoulders and sat beside Flu. Then I opened the box of chili fries on my lap and started munching, having no care in the world.

After a few minutes, we heard the trumpets that signal the beginning of the end.

Honk! Honk! Honk!

“Good morning, ladies and gentlemen! This is the Final Round of the Regional Speedmage Tournament! Who will reign as the champion for this battle? Is it the current Speedmage Champion Vincent the Teleporter or is it the challenger Lilith the Maleficent Witch!? I can’t wait to find out!” The commentator said.

The crowd cheered wildly, but nothing was wilder than the pink-haired idiot beside me.

“I can’t wait! I can’t wait! I can’t wait! This is so awesooooome!” Flu shouted from the top of her lungs.

I envy Flu’s ability to change her emotions. She is still having the time of her life even though she is no longer a participant. I guess losing a tournament is not enough to kill her love for Speed Battles.

The finalists of this tournament have entered the Triangle. Vincent Shadowseek and Lilith Nightshade have already taken their positions on the 1st Checkpoint Tower. Vincent’s navigator is his little brother Justine, and Lilith’s navigator is the legendary Gaylord.

The two competing Speedmages had this small chat, but I could not make any of it. All I saw is that Vincent gave his teasing smile, and Lilith returned with her version with a menacing mix.

“Hey, Jon.” Ericka peeked at me. “Who do you think will win?”

“Me? My money is on Vincent, of course. How about you?” I said.

“Ditto. He might have beaten me, but I will always condemn those people who do not give a fair fight. That witch is the primary example of the people I hate.” Ericka said with a serious gaze.

“How about you, Cruzo?” I asked.

“Vincent, of course! He is the ace of Saint Crusade Academy! He embodies all the determination and guts of all the fallen Speedmage of our beloved school!” Cruzo pumped his arm.

I know we may be biased, but the real thing is, Vincent has the upper hand, and Lilith is the underdog. If you look at the numbers, Vincent has all the advantages in this fight.

However, there is something we cannot understand especially from Flu’s perspective.

“Miss Lilith will win,” Flu said with a smile on her face.

“H-Huh?” Ericka crossed her arms and stared at Flu with doubt. “How can you say so? Vincent has the advantage of skills, speed, and experience.”

“Don’t get me wrong, Prez! Vincent is definitely awesome! But Lilith is more awesome! I just cannot put it into words! Hnnnnngh!” Flu vibrated her head and tried to overclock her brain to search her thin vocabulary. But nothing came up.

“So it’s just intuition?” I asked.

“Ah! Right!” Flu pumped her fists. “It’s just intuition, so I cannot put it in words! Tahahaha!”

There is a huge part of me that believes in Flu’s words. Flu has already taken up Vincent and Lilith in a Speed Battle, so she might have already realized something that we cannot sense.

The referee finally approached the 1st Checkpoint Tower. He readied his whistle and raised his hand. Both Speedmages went to their ready positions and revved the mana on their Speedmage Shoes.

“Speedmages Ready! On your marks… Get set… Go!”

Fweeeeeeet!