Tournament Results

We mainly focused on what we knew about QueenofSnow to prepare strategies for the tournament. Although Flora’s healing spells were an issue, Queen was the biggest threat. I wasn’t much help in this regard though. Similar to real life, I only used to focus on myself in the game. We were able to come up with a few good ideas, but failed to consider checking the list of items we were allowed to use. In one match, that affected us more than expected.

I was able to reach level 76 all thanks to Hargrave’s training. Steve gained a few levels, bringing him to 114, while Seiji was at the max level at the time, 155.

When the bracket was released on Friday, each team had to accept the released date and time as soon as possible so the tournament could proceed. Our first battle was Saturday and we had to win two battles in order to reach QueenofSnow.

The rules were simple; player vs player, no familiars, no potions, though some healing items are allowed, as well as all types of weapons and of course, there will be no leveling up nor any item drops. This was all for fun anyway.

Out of the two matches that lead to our goal, the first proved more difficult. It was 4 against 3 with two spellcasters on the opposing side. Although we prevailed, it was embarrassing that RedShinobi was taken out towards the end. To think I couldn’t survive the first battle. It made me worry for our future, but Hargrave reassured me, “This was the first time we fought as a team. We’ll help cover you next time.” I guess that’s how a hero would respond.

Since I had to work that evening, I wasn’t able to watch the girls fight. So instead, Steve sent me minute-to-minute updates through texts. I definitely did not need that, but apparently, it was exciting.

Then Tuesday arrived, as did our battle against Queen. It was easily the most talked about match-up, ‘legendary player vs legendary player’. There were intense debates regarding who had the highest chance to win.

September 25th 2018

With all 6 fighters already at the center of the Colosseum, a 2-minute timer appears on the screen, indicating when the battle will begin. Although the seats are full of NPCs, players from all across the globe are able to watch right now as they prepare.

“Welcome, boys. I’m glad you could make it.” Queen greets.

“No need for formalities. You knew we wouldn’t miss this.” Seiji says.

“Sun! I miss you!!” Steve shouts.

“I saw you this morning! And don’t shout that here, do you know how many people are listening to this?!” Sun says, flustered.

“But we didn’t get to talk much today.” Steve mumbles as he pouts.

“I hope you don’t let that embarrassment distract you in battle, Sun.” Ryuuji teases.

“That won’t happen. I know what I need to focus on.” Sun says.

“Our determination to win is strong.” Hanabi adds.

Queen can’t help squealing at how passionate, and equally adorable, her team is. Similar to the boys, they had discussions nearly every night leading up to this. There wasn’t much need for training, but they did a few tests to decide their ultimate game plan.

The two legendary players wish each other good luck. Then a bell tolls, signaling the start of the match, and everyone on the field scatters.

Using his quick speed, Ryuuji is able to deal some damage to Hanabi and then Sun. He continues to rush around, with few able to follow him, including Queen. She hits him with a few blasts, ultimately defeating him. Aside from Sun, he remained the lowest level, with everyone else in the hundreds. This also further proved his insignificance.

Sun stuns the boys when she uses her powerful defensive spell, ‘Frost Barrier’. This is cast on her own team while Queen uses the spell ‘Forged Meteor’, causing various shards of light to fall from the sky. Although they look similar to shooting stars, stars no longer exist in this world, so they are simply masses of magic energy. This covers the entire field and normally affects the caster, if not for Sun’s barrier. Hanabi takes the chance to heal her team.

This action leaves the two remaining boys with little time to react, causing them major damage.

“When did you learn to use that?!” Steve asks Sun, having never seen it.

“Hmmm 3 months ago maybe? I never had a chance to use it until now.” Sun says.

Deciding that spell to be a hassle to deal with, Seiji targets Sun next. She’s able to defend herself with her small blade, but is defeated shortly after by his spell ‘Falcon Stryke’. Steve is the next to be defeated by Queen, but not before he uses his most powerful attack ‘Dual Stryke’ on Hanabi. This leaves her with little health.

With Hanabi and Queen gathered next to each other, Seiji charges forward and uses a spell on his blade called ‘Mirror Precision’. This allows him to slice through the opponent in front of him, in this case, Queen, and hit Hanabi who was right behind her.

“What was that attack just now?” Hanabi asks.

“I learned it this past week. Thought it might come in handy.” Seiji says.

That attack defeats Hanabi. Hargrave and QueenofSnow are now the only players left and have an equal amount of health.

“Well done, Hargrave. As expected, this battle has come down to just you and me.”

They begin exchanging blows with their weapons and both successfully defend themselves. Since Hargrave is a heavy hitter, he does lower her health bit by bit.

Even though they despise each other and no one can see either of their faces, it’s obvious how much fun they’re having. None of the legendary players have much experience fighting other players due to the latter’s fear of being outmatched. This tournament helped them overcome that, thanks to it mainly consisting of team battles.

Fighting another person rather than a pre-programed monster brings with it a different sense of unpredictability. Especially against someone who stands on the same stage as yourself.

Queen then jumps back and surrounds herself with her most powerful barrier ‘Snow Fort’. Hargrave attempts to break it down, until he notices Queen about to activate the same ‘Forged Meteor’ spell.

“Is that all you can do?!” Seiji complains.

“It’s all part of the most perfect plan.” Queen proclaims.

Hargrave holds his sword above his head and activates his own defensive skill. It does little good, though, as the meteor shower slowly chips away at his health. Queen winds up using that spell 3 times in a row, showing off her vast amount of magic energy. This breaks down her barrier in the process and begins to affect her own health. Regardless, she only laughs as the meteors continue to fall.

Once the last shower finishes, Hargrave is barely hanging on and charges towards Queen. He uses the skill ‘Blood Seal’ on his sword, focusing all of his remaining energy believing it will be the final blow.

However, Hanabi rises in the background, having used an ultra rare revival item she received from Queen. When the character is defeated, they remain on the field, so this helped as Hanabi laid low to charge her magical energy. Hanabi heals Queen enough to survive Hargrave’s attack. Queen then defeats him with one swing of her staff.

“The end.” Queen says as cheers fill the Colosseum.

QueenofSnow’s team are declared the victors. A 2-minute warning then pops up, stating they will be removed from the area once it reaches 0.

“We…won?” Hanabi asks, still in shock by the results.

“You were so cool at the end! The victory is all thanks to you!” Sun says.

“It was thanks to both of you. If even one wasn’t present, this would have ended differently.” Queen reassures them.

However, the opposing team is conflicted.

“Dammit, that item was the ‘Seed of Yggdrasil’ wasn’t it?” Seiji complains.

“You mean the ultra rare item that only like 100 were given out in the entire game?!” Ryuuji asks.

“I was surprised too.” Queen says. “I brought it up in one day and noticed it wasn’t on the ban list.”

“Either that was the result of a bad joke or someone screwed up.” Ryuuji says.

Queen tells them to pay it no mind. Using that item was their last resort that hinged on the order of their defeat. Though she wouldn’t label it as luck. Everyone put their all into this to bring about victory.

“I really have to thank Flora. She’s an amazing strategist.” Queen says.

“Yeah, sometimes I think she’s better at this game than I am.” Seiji admits.

“I can’t believe we lost. Why do you always have to ruin everything?” Steve whines.

“Are you seriously telling me you didn’t have any fun at all?” Queen asks her brother.

“...I guess it was a little fun.”

“I was taken out early, but still found it fun to watch.” Ryuuji says.

“To think that I was able to last longer than you.” Sun teases.

“By only maybe 1 minute!”

And now Queen claims full rights to brag about defeating Hargrave. Seiji can only hope it doesn’t last long. After letting out a big laugh, QueenofSnow says something unexpected.

“And on that note, I am announcing our team’s retirement from the tournament.”

“What? Why?” Steve asks.

“Yes, why are you doing this?” Hanabi asks, devastated.

“Sorry Flora, but I did mention that my only goal was to defeat Hargrave.” Queen points out. After a short pause, she then speaks to all other players currently listening, “I know there were a lot of people looking forward to fighting Hargrave or myself. So as an apology, for a limited time, I will accept Colosseum requests, within reason of course. How about you, Hargrave?”

“I’ll pass. I’m a hero, not an entertainer.”

“Well said, brat.” Queen scowls.

And with that, the 2 minutes are up and they’re removed from the Colosseum. QueenofSnow logs out immediately after, making it seem as if she purposely left that announcement for the end so she didn’t have to deal with any complaints.

Hanabi logs out as well, leaving the 3 boys and Sun. Since her party is gone, Sun requests communication with them. They too are surprised that she left already.

“I’m worried about Hana. She’s real upset about us dropping out.” Sun says.

“I don’t blame her. That was a cruel thing to do.” Ryuuji says.

“That’s the norm for her, always acting without warning.” Steve complains.

“What shall you do, Sir Hargrave?” Ryuuji asks, however, he doesn’t receive an answer.

Seiji is logged in, but remains silent, making them believe he’s already reaching out to Hanabi. All they can do is wait.

********************

At home, Hanabi is sitting in front of her desk, staring at the login screen with her eyes glazed over. After all the effort she put into the tournament, she was thrilled, thinking that they might just make it to the top. Then her hope was shattered in an instant.

She thinks about it over and over until her cell phone ringing breaks the silence, causing her to jump. The name that appears is Seiji. Reluctant at first, Hanabi answers the phone, but he speaks before she is able to say hello.

“Hana are you alright? You suddenly logged out.” Seiji says in a rush.

“It’s silly isn’t it? This is just a game…”

“No, it’s not silly at all!” Seiji shouts, “Hana, I know how much you love this game. How devoted you are to learning everything that you can. How much effort you put into the simplest dungeons. I’ve always known you were an amazing player and watching you today, as an opponent instead of an ally, you proved it to me even more.”

Astonished by his words, the tears Hanabi was holding back start overflowing. Unable to say anything, she listens as Seiji continues.

“And about that hint from last week, I think I figured it out.”

Although he sounded confident, he becomes silent, causing Hanabi to utter his name, “Seiji?”

“All this time I’ve been saying great things about you, but only to other people. Not the one who deserves it the most. Am I right?”

Hearing nothing, Seiji then tells her everything that comes to mind when he thinks of her.

“You always help me with school work, including using all your free time to write notes when I was suspended. You always make sure I eat well. You are the best support in my favorite game. You always show me your beautiful smile which brightens my day. You are the best girlfriend anyone could ask for. I love you, Hana!”

Overcome with emotion, Hanabi starts sobbing uncontrollably. She tries to hold the phone by her ear as she wipes away the tears, but it’s near impossible. Only hearing rustling with a few whimpers, Seiji gets worried.

“Hana…?”

“I’m sorry…when you say it all at once…I can’t stop.” Hanabi says in between her gasps from crying.

Listening to her cry, but unable to do anything, it doesn’t feel right. Seiji lets out a grunt, “That’s it, I’m coming over. And don’t tell me not to because we have school or whatever. None of that matters! Just give me a few minutes and I’ll be right there.”

Seiji hangs up the phone and rushes out the door. If he settled on saying a few pretty words, he wouldn’t be able to sleep knowing how upset his girlfriend is.

Hanabi lowers her cell to see his name and the 3:57 minutes that they spoke. Even though the stream of tears has yet to stop, she manages to beam a smile. Overjoyed by Seiji’s words.

********************

Back in the game, everyone has been waiting for 10 minutes and Seiji has yet to return. Since there’s no sign that he’ll be back, Sun and Steve choose to log out. Ryuuji on the other hand opts to stay in case he comes back.

“And what if he doesn’t?” Steve asks.

“Then he’ll be automatically logged out after 40 more minutes and I’ll be able to sleep soundly knowing the great hero Hargrave is safe.” Ryuuji declares.

Steve and Sun let out a chuckle before leaving. He’s aware there’s no point in waiting, but after all that happened, he wants to anyway. Ryuuji sits back in his chair and scrolls through his phone, with the computer screen in the corner of his eyes.

Once the remaining time passes, Hargrave’s avatar disappears and the words ‘Hargrave has been automatically logged out’ scroll across the top. Ryuuji shrugs his shoulders and turns off his computer, expecting to hear about what happened tomorrow.

September 26th 2018

The trio, Steve, Sun, and Ryuuji, are already waiting at the gate. Despite Sun reaching out to Hanabi again this morning, she has yet to get a response. Her worry then vanishes when the young couple is in full view. They’re holding hands the whole way with Hanabi practically radiating as she showcases a grand smile.

“Are you feeling better?” Sun is the first to ask.

“You’re really bright today, what the hell happened?” Ryuuji says as he attempts to shield his eyes from her glowing aura.

Hanabi simply hums with joy.

“I’m surprised you walked to school like that.” Ryuuji says, pointing to their adjoined hands.

Seiji lifts his left hand that is currently holding Hanabi’s to try and understand what he means, “Oh, I didn’t notice. It’s fine.” He says before letting out a big yawn.

Seiji later told me he raced to Hanabi’s house after speaking with her over the phone. He couldn’t stand to leave her with how much she was crying. Afterward, when he was about to leave, Hanabi’s mother refused to let him, saying it was too dangerous that late at night. So he slept on the couch instead. At least he attempted to until he was awoken by her little brother a few hours later.

When he was allowed to leave in the morning, Seiji went home to get ready for school and still walked back to Hanabi’s to walk her to school as promised. That kid has crazy endurance. Though I also heard he slept through most of his classes. Not that it affected his grades with her help.

He made sure to mention that Hanabi finally spilled everything involving her going to his apartment when they were in junior high; making him food, buying medicine, and scaring away his caretaker. He was caught off guard and didn’t know what to say.

“Hana also mentioned that she told you first over the summer.” Seiji says with a glare before letting out a sigh, “I can’t believe she kept that to herself all this time. Did she really think I would be mad? I’m a fool for assuming our relationship was as good as I thought.”

Ryuuji made a mental note of that conversation, knowing it would be brought up again. He just didn’t think it would be so soon. Just like he told her, Seiji wasn’t upset. If anything, her hiding it caused a problem. Still, Ryuuji tries to think of the best advice he can.

“You may be right, but so long as you repair this, and neither of you keeps any more secrets, you’ll be able to move past it. Then your relationship will be stronger and whatever.”

What I said did come to pass. Ever since that day, Seiji and Hanabi have been so close I almost get sick of watching. Either way, good for them. This tournament ended up doing more for them than anyone expected.