Zalan leaned forward intently as the next two contenders made their way to the outsides of the arena.

“You watched my fight closely, Zalan? Was there anything you would recommend I improve or focus on?” Rep asked.

“I dunno,” Zalan said, his eyes focused on the ring.

“Anything you think may be of note?”

“Not really.”

Rep gave up on trying to get notes from Zalan. He realized that Zalan was totally zoned in on the next battle. Slauson’s fight.

“The Force of Fight… Epanor!” Umdarr presented the fighter.

Epanor stood on stage and beat his chest once, waving to the crowd to cheer louder. They complied.

“And…” Umdarr hesitated as he read the next name. He sighed reluctantly. “The Slaw… Slauson!”

Slauson walked on stage with mild disinterest, like he could hardly be bothered to show up to the fight. It annoyed Zalan, his inner turmoil toward the man increasing. Why would Slauson sign up for the tournament when it looked like he couldn’t care less about participating? The fact that Zalan was growing to enjoy the tournament made him resent Slauson for not feeling the same.

“Epanor is also from Journey House. He is an excellent fighter. This should be a good match,” Rep said.

“Let’s hope he can take down Slauson,” Zalan said.

Epanor placed a fist in an open hand, nodding to Slauson. To the crowd’s dismay, Slauson once again threw his hand in the air and did an extravagant bow. His palm was wide open and presenting the stage to Epanor. Like bowing after a standing ovation at a play. Epanor scoffed, undisturbed by the display and the crowd grumbled in disappointment. Again, Zalan didn’t understand why Slauson couldn’t follow the simple expectations of the tournament. Everything Slauson did seemed to be done deliberately to infuriate Zalan.

Umdarr decided against trying to tell Slauson off already before, and he regretted not establishing precedent during his first fight. He would allow the bows to continue. He shook his head to himself and leapt off the arena.

“Begin!”

Epanor held himself at a battle stance and Slauson wasted no time in approaching. His steps were gradual, but consistent. Epanor looked as though he was struggling, his body straining as he looked upon Slauson. He took a hesitant step forward, then stayed in place. Veins on his head and arms were starting to show more prominently.

“Why doesn’t he move?” Zalan asked, almost going crazy at the display.

“Indeed,” Nold said, interested. “Can this be a repeat of Slauson’s previous bout?”

“You mean a single punch knockout? No way,” Zalan said, refusing to believe it.

“He is getting close,” Rep pointed out. “I do not understand what Epanor is doing.”

Epanor threw out a slow punch toward Slauson. A child could have moved out of the way in time. Slauson sidestepped it and stretched his fingers, a tiny wisp of flame licking his fingers. Epanor’s eyes looked as though he wanted to react, but he remained in place. Slauson breathed in and brutally delivered a punch into Epanor’s stomach. He turned around and began walking back to the steps he took to enter the ring. He didn’t even look at his opponent. To him, the fight was over.

“No way,” Zalan whispered.

The crowd went wild, crazily demanding that Epanor stand himself up. He was shaking, his limbs twitching, but otherwise unable to move in any significant manner. As Slauson reached the top of the stairs, Umdarr reluctantly jumped back to the arena.

“Slauson wins,” Umdarr droned, without added amplification from his Element. Slauson snatched the prize money from his hands and made his way back to the stands.

The crowd was going insane, applauding Slauson for the mystical fights they had witnessed. The first fight could have been a fluke, but the second fight was a pattern. He was doing something to the contestants that no one had ever seen before. And the onlookers loved it.

Rep, however, looked sick.

“How am I supposed to fight someone like that?” he asked Nold, biting the inside of his lip.

Nold pursed his lips in thought. He shrugged.

“I do not have the slightest idea,” Nold replied. “His Fire Element should have nothing close to the power he displays. I do not know what is happening when others are on the stage.”

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“Then what do I do?” Rep asked, panicked.

“Do not stand in place like the others. Whatever intimidation tactic he uses, do not freeze. Run around the arena. Try and discover what is happening,” Nold suggested.

“That can’t be an intimidation thing!” Zalan said, running a hand through his hair. “What is he doing that’s so scary? I don’t understand it.”

“I can run away,” Rep nodded to Nold, a little too certain in his promise.

“Don’t just run away! Beat him! Destroy him!” Zalan insisted.

“I do not know that I can…”

“Come on Rep! You’ll never be able to do it if you don’t think you can! You can take him! Easily! I just saw you totally trash Liv with her own Element!”

Rep considered this, a wonder in his eyes.

“Perhaps I can overcome his intimidation,” Rep allowed.

“That’s right!” Zalan said, smashing a fist into his palm. “Take him down!”

They watched as Epanor was carried off the stage, his body shaking. Zalan ran his hand through his hair, keeping a close eye on the defeated fighter.

“You wanna go back to Doctor Quill?” Zakan asked Rep. “The next fight is on the other side of the brackets, we won’t have to take any of these next eight fighters on unless they make it to the finals.”

“If we make it to the finals,” Rep noted, not confident. “But I would like to see how Epanor fares after his bout.”

“You want to miss additional fights?” Nold asked judgmentally. “Do not. Even if you do not face them, you can study any battle in order to become a better fighter. It could improve your power to watch others wield theirs.”

“But we could go to Quill to ask her what happened to the other patients and maybe understand what’s going on around here,” Zalan said. “She said there was something similar happening between Slauson’s last match and the ambushed people, maybe she figured it out!”

“That will not be as fruitful as watching the next bouts!” Nold impressed upon him.

“What if Verum is lucid and can tell us what Slauson is doing? It could help Rep take him down!” Zalan said.

Rep seemed enthused by this idea.

“Do what you wish,” Nold dismissed. “I trust that you know what to do. But I believe the best place for you is here.”

Zalan stood, happy to have his instructor’s trust. It made him feel really comfortable in Nold’s placement as his mentor. He was trying to weigh where he placed Nold in his mind. Rep was trying to keep him wary of their mentor, but Zalan couldn’t see the harm in helping him out on the seas if he needed it. He could even use the Homeseeker to go back to Oriton if the task was too annoying or daunting.

Rep followed Zalan, making their way down the stairs as the next competitors were called to the stage.

“Zandar!” a man in the stands stopped Zalan.

“Zalan,” Zalan immediately corrected.

“What is your Elemental Power? We have been trying to determine how the next battle will play out,” they said.

“What? I’m not gonna tell you my power. How would that even help me?” Zalan replied.

“Perhaps we can give you tips on how to best your opponent, Rexler,” they suggested.

“Do you know Rexler’s Elemental Power?” Zalan asked.

The audience member went quiet.

“Okay, so much for that,” Zalan said.

“We would not want to offend Instructor Nold by taking advice from others,” Rep said diplomatically.

“Instructor Nold? Oh, I see, of course,” the man immediately backed off.

Zalan was surprised as he made a few more steps down the stands.

“That was easier than I thought,” Zalan said.

“Nold’s name carries weight in this tournament. His mentees often make it far,” Rep explained.

“I guess we should throw his name around more often,” Zalan said.

“Ziyard!” a young woman stopped him.

“It’s Zandar,” Zalan corrected, then shook his head in frustration. “I mean Zalan!”

The woman looked confused by his reply, but continued regardless.

“I saw you distributing funds on the other side of the stands when you received your prize money. Would you mind sending some this way next time?” she asked politely. Her clothes looked worn and faded.

“Oh, uhhh. Sure, I guess,” Zalan shrugged, embarrassed.

“I can offer you some now,” Rep gave her a handful of bronze coins from his winnings.

“You are both most generous,” she nodded and moved out of the way.

Progress down the stands was slow. Many people were trying to gain their attention either to give unhelpful tips or ask for a favor. Rep shied away from anyone trying to give him praise and was cordial with those asking for money. Zalan would have pushed past all of them in frustration, but with Rep so close to him, he had to dismiss them all with gentle words and a forced smile.

What surprised Zalan the most about these interactions was that there was a battle ongoing. They were more interested in speaking with him than they were to watch the current match. People were immensely curious to know what his power was and whether it was actually Fire. He seemed to be a small celebrity of sorts. Zalan only added this to mounting frustrations within him. He wasn’t flattered by those that wanted to speak with him, he wanted to get past them as fast as possible.

Finally, Zalan and Rep made it to the exit of the stadium.

“We have a winner!” Umdarr exploded. “Dimak!”

Rep and Zalan looked at one another, then to the stage in surprise. The fight was really short. And they hadn’t paid attention to any of it. Not enough to get battle strategies or any ideas of how slowly or quickly Dimak started combat. It would have been good to see how an Earth Elemental Power user fought.

“Maybe we should have stayed and watched that one,” Rep suggested.

“We can just ask Nold when we get back. Let’s figure out what’s going on with Slauson and the other fighters in this tournament,” Zalan said, leaving the arena impatiently.

He wanted to see Slauson lose. The blank expression torn from his face. And to see him lose to Rep was something he was willing to miss a few matches to figure out.