Round of 128

Three days later. Underneath the Weirs-Sigrund Bridge.
14:39:53

“Dammit, Cypher! If you don’t pick up my call right now! IMA KILL YOU!!” Fox screamed into her button-like device. “YOU HEAR THAT! IMA KILL YOU!!”

[The person you’re trying to call seems to be temporarily unavailable. Please try again later.]

“ARGH! SON OF A BI–” Vix interrupted Fox right as she was in the middle of a very unladylike curse. “Alright, that’s enough. No point cursing at the automated response message.”

Grabbing a hold of her hands, he gently patted her head to calm her down. While doing so, he turned to face Midas and asked, “Any luck on your front?”

“Nah, man. The last reply he sent me was four days ago. None of the messages that I sent after have received any replies.” Midas shook his head.

Hearing his reply, Vix’s expression darkened while Fox’s shoulders shook seemingly on the verge of a breakdown. Approaching her closer, Vix pulled her into an embrace and rubbed her back. “It’s going to be fine. We are not going to get eliminated.”

“B-but–” Fox sobbed.

“Do you trust me?” asked Vix, his voice sounding gentle and serious.

“Mhm.” Fox nodded her head.

“Then have faith in me when I say that everything’s going to be fine. Trust me when I say that we are not going to get eliminated.” Placating the pink-haired girl within his embrace, he turned to look at Midas and asked, “Aether?”

“Dude told me that he’s going to be here any second–” Just as Midas was in the midst of his sentence, a voice announced. “I’m here!”

A shadow dropped in front of them as Aether vaulted over the 10-or-so feet tall bridge and landed heavily on the ground. Dusting his hands, the young man dressed in a suave black jacket and black pants, and wearing a simple-looking jet-black air filtration mask arrived before them.

Looking at the scene before his eyes, Aether asked worriedly, “What’s wrong?”

“Cypher’s not shown up,” Vix replied curtly.

“He knows that today’s the match, right?” questioned Aether, frowning. Truth be told, he did not have a good impression of this ‘Cypher’ guy. Not only had he not shown up for their team planning and practice sessions, but he had also seemed to have gone ‘MIA’ during these past three days.

Fearing the worst, Aether softly asked, “Could he have… bailed?”

Fox’s body noticeably trembled while the expressions of Vix and Midas stiffened. The navy blue-haired youth seemed hesitant while Midas quickly replied, “No way! Cypher would never do that! No way, man!”

Being the newcomer to the group, Aether wisely kept quiet. Without having a good understanding of the other party, it would do no good for him to speak up and cast doubt about the other party’s character.

Besides, Aether had come to quite like Midas. The bony youth looked unfriendly with his cybernetic arm and body-encompassing tattoos but possessed a heart of gold underneath all of it. He was a very kind boy.

If Midas was willing to firmly stand up for the ‘MIA’ Cypher, Aether figured that there should be some special reason for his absence.

Vix, who was more of the team’s captain than the actual captain, kept his calm mind and calmly asked Midas. “Is it possible that he’s being held up by his work?”

Aether caught the strange way in which Vix mentioned ‘work’.

Giving it some thought, Midas replied, “Very possible. Cypher is not the type to flake off on his promises. It should be that he’s being held up by his work!”

“I’m sorry, but where exactly does he work?” asked Aether, unable to hold back his curiosity. He noticed the hesitance on Vix and Midas’ faces, and quickly apologised, “I’m sorry if that was out of line. You don’t have to answer my question.”

“It’s fine,” Fox suddenly spoke up. Detaching herself from Vix’s embrace, she wiped her tears and repeated, “It’s fine. You are our teammate. There are no secrets to be hidden amongst teammates. We are one family.”

Firming up her voice, she answered, “Cypher works in a cabaret club. An all-male cabaret club. His job is rather…” she paused, unable to find the right words, “...personal.”

“Oh? That’s interesting,” Aether honestly replied. Never had he thought that the answer would be something like this.

Hearing Aether’s answer, however, the three youths acted strangely. They stared at him dazedly, prompting him to ask. “Is there something on my face?” He touched his forehead.

“Aren’t you… disappointed?” asked Fox, unable to restrain her curiosity. She knew from firsthand experience that most people upon hearing this introduction would respond with disappointment and disgust. While most people were sensible enough to not be vocal about it, they were seldom able to hide the disgust on their faces.

Vix and Midas shared Fox’s thoughts.

Aether’s reaction, on the other hand, was so casual. There was no strangeness in his reaction, and his tone betrayed his genuine interest in the subject.

Wise in worldly experience as he was, Aether understood the three teenagers' thoughts with just a glimpse. Once again, a heartwarming feeling filled his heart as a genuine smile occupied his face. The good-naturedness that these three teenagers possessed was something rare in these times.

“Why should I be? There’s nothing wrong with working in a cabaret club.”

“You don’t think people who work in such establishments are lowly?” Fox continued with her questioning.

“Captain,” Aether explained his mind with a smile. “There is nothing lowly or disgusting about people who use their bodies to earn money. Quite the contrary, I find such people to be admirable and courageous.”

Aether’s answer caused an explosion within the minds of the three youths.

“Admirable and courageous?” echoed Vix.

“Yes. Admirable and courageous. Not lowly or cheap or disgusting,” Aether firmly replied. Taking a pause, he then continued, “I mean, ask yourself. How many people can put their pride and body on their line should the situation demand it? Hmm? Can you?”

The three youths subconsciously shook their heads. While they also shared Aether’s opinion on not looking down on people who worked such jobs, their line of thought was quite different. Towards this topic, their opinions were skewed towards ‘pity’ while Aether’s own leaned towards ‘respect’. Not towards the profession, but the people.

“I can honestly admit that I cannot do it. I don’t have the courage,” Aether answered with a laugh. “If I did have the courage, I wouldn’t be the wage slave that I am today.” It was a well-paying profession, especially in the upper-tiers after all.

“So don’t worry about me being biassed towards Cypher or refusing to play with him. Just like you had said, captain, ‘we are one family’. You don’t think that I’m the kind of guy to discriminate against his family, do you?” Aether’s teasing mode kicked in and he immediately put on a ‘hurt’ expression.

“No. No!” Fox instinctively shook her head. The worry within her heart significantly lessened and her eyes looking at Aether were even brighter than before. With a chuckle, she exclaimed, “As expected of God Aether! Not only are you a great player, but you are also a great person.”

Aether’s face instantly soured as he said, “Keep calling me that and see if I don’t run away!”

“God Aether!”

“I’m going!” Aether huffed angrily and turned around. Midas had a foolish smile on his face as he ran forward and put an arm around Aether. “Man, you are the best!”

He felt very happy that his new best friend accepted his other best friend and did not discriminate against him.

Fox also ran forward to tease Aether, leaving Vix alone to look at this scene with a tender expression in his eyes. Obviously, he had been worried about this issue for quite some time and felt his heart become significantly lighter upon hearing Aether’s answer.

Having said that…

“Guys, aren’t you forgetting something? Our main issue still isn’t solved!”

“It’s fine, Vice-Captain. You’ll figure out something like usual, man!”

“Right, right! Vix, as Captain of ‘Fox and Friends’ I order you to find a solution to this problem!”

“Both of you,” Vix clutched onto his forehead and sighed tiredly. “Both of you are going to be the death of me, one day.”

“Is it possible for us to participate in the competition while lacking a member?” asked Aether, hoping to help Vix find a solution to their problem.

“Well, technically, no,” Vix replied with a shake of his head. “However,” he dawdled. A cunning glint flashed across his handsome eyes as he continued, “Rules are dead whilst people are alive.”

---

“Mr Vix, I’m afraid—” A middle-aged man wore an expression of hesitance as he shook his head. However, he was interrupted before he could finish his statement.

“Surely, we could work something out, Mr Torque,” said Vix, his face and tone as calm as ever.

“But tournament rules wit–”

“The rules state that, ‘A team must comprise five members in order to ensure fairness and promote positive conflict amongst the two teams. This will also guarantee greater variety amongst matches and generate higher view counts This is what the rule states, am I right?” asked Vix.

“Right. But–”

“Mr Torque, this is the first round of the Ascenders Cup, am I correct?” he continued.

“Correct. But–”

“The first round, namely the ‘Round of 128’, is meant to serve as a preliminary qualifier and eliminate the lesser teams. For this reason, the ‘Round of 128’ isn’t broadcasted to a live audience. Am I correct, Mr Torque?”

“Yes,” the man helplessly answered.

“Well then, your rules aren’t very rigid now are they, Mr Torque?” Vix asked with a smile. “Surely, you can be a little flexible.”

“Mr Vix, it isn’t only a matter of rules. There is also the aspect of honour and team spirit to be considered!” The man yelled, having grown tired of Vix’s snaky tongue. “Letting your team participate whilst having one member short violates not only the team spirit of the game but also my own morality–”

“I agree, Mr Torque. It is indeed our team’s fault for not complying with the regulations,” Vix unexpectedly apologised! He even bowed his head toward the middle-aged man.

Just as the middle-aged man was about to release a sigh of relief, his pupils suddenly shrunk and his heartbeat accelerated. The reason for this sudden change was Vix’s following words.

“And that is why, I would like to pay this tournament this amount as compensation for our irregularity,” Vix showed a holographic screen in his hand. The number on the screen made the middle-aged organiser gulp with greed.

Putting on an innocent expression, Vix continued, “It is only that, I’m not sure who to pay this compensation to so that it may reach the right people in charge. Having discussed with you now, I can rest assured that you, Mr Torque, are an earnest, forthcoming citizen. That is why I would like to trust you with this compensation amount. Is that alright, Mr Torque?” Vix innocently blinked his eyes.

“Al-alright. It is very alright, Mr Vix!” The middle-aged man exclaimed.

“Now then, regarding the matter of our participation…” dawdled Vix.

“No problems! There are no problems at all, Mr Vix. I was only worried that you and your team would find yourself in a disadvantageous position, having one member less. However, seeing as you are okay with it, I have no problems at all!”

“Excellent. Then I shall entrust the responsibility of his compensation with you, Mr Torque.” Saying so, Vix immediately transferred the money into the middle-aged man’s account.

The two then brown-nosed each other a few more times before separating. Equipping his mask once more, Vix exited the building inside which he had engaged the middle-aged man in the negotiation. Exhaling a deep breath, he made his way toward his team’s camp.

“How’d it go?” Fox asked nervously, seeing Vix return.

“Well,” Vix put on a difficult expression on his face. “I’m afraid, we have to…”

Just as Fox’s expression seemed to be on the verge of crying, he exclaimed, “kick their asses!!”

“WE’RE IN!?!” screamed Fox in disbelief.

“WE ARE IN!!!” screamed Vix back in excitement.

The overexcited, vivacious girl immediately jumped forward and hugged the navy blue-haired youth. Her slender arms wrapped around his neck while her head buried itself into his chest.

“Vix! You! Are! The! Best!!” She yelled, knocking her head into his chest.

Receiving this reaction from her, Vix felt both extremely happy and sad. Happy that this girl trusted in him enough to act so intimate with him. Sad that he still couldn’t bring himself to take the next step forward.

Each one of his teammates participated in this tournament with a specific dream in their mind. Vix was no different.

He wanted to stand beside this girl and help her win this tournament, helping her achieve her dream.

Money? A chance to enter Eden? Such things meant little to Vix when compared to this pink-haired girl’s happiness. He did his best just to see this silly, over-energetic girl smile.

“Let’s go share this news with the others! We have a game to win!!” Fox unearthed herself from Vix’s embrace and valiantly declared. She then turned around and ran to inform the others to prepare.

Wearing a helpless smile on his face, Vix followed.

---

“Alright! Remember yesterday’s briefing, guys! If you come across their PeaceKeeper, do not engage and leave him for last. If you come across a disadvantageous pairing, stall while drawing them towards the nearest teammate. If you come across an advantageous pairing, engage and do your best to eliminate them.”

Standing inside her pod, Fox summarised.

“Our opponents today aren’t anybody to worry about. Only their Modder is worthy of our note. The rest are only so-so. Do not fear and crush them! Got it!?”

“Aye-aye, captain!!” The rest echoed in unison.

“To Fox and Friends!”

“TO FOX AND FRIENDS!!”

Fox, Midas, and Aether entered the pod. The pod doors closed and the game shortly began.

[Player Th3Re4lF0x (Gunner), Player OneFistMan (Brawler), and Player ImATat00Art15t (Modder) join the game.]

[Stage: Dante’s Peak]

---

The instant the match began and he entered the game, Aether felt a foreign presence in his proximity. Whipping his head towards the presence, Aether identified the foreign entity.

0ne5hield0neTruth! The enemy PeaceKeeper.

Playing as a Brawler and having no equipment attached to his character was a very unfavourable start for Aether. Just as he was hoping to sneak away unnoticed by his opponent, Aether felt the opponent’s gaze settle upon him.

“This is bad!” Aether cursed and immediately took off. In a raw showdown, his Brawler was outmatched by the enemy’s PeaceKeeper. It was not a matter of player skill or character ability, but stats.

Against the Peacekeeper's defence, the Brawler’s raw fist is akin to mosquito bites. It wasn’t even worth consideration.

Vaulting over a nearby rock, Aether put his agility stat to work and ran away. His opponent, realising his advantageous matchup, did not let go and chased after Aether.

The chase continued for a minute or so when Aether suddenly noticed something in the corner of his eyes. A playful smile occupied his face as he immediately gave up on his initial plan and banked hard left.

“The heavens are on my side…”

-

Seeing the enemy Brawler suddenly turn left, the PeaceKeeper turned cautious. As a veteran player, although he wasn’t amongst the best in the game, he still possessed a respectable amount of experience. As such, at the enemy’s sudden change of route, the PeaceKeeper first thought he was being led into a trap.

His mind whirred into action as he recalled the specific features and unique geography of this map. After a few seconds of pondering, the PeaceKeeper suddenly realised something.

The direction that the enemy Brawler was heading towards… it was a dead end!

“This fool! Hahaha!!” Laughing at the obvious blunder of the enemy, the PeaceKeeper no longer limited his speed and gave chase.

With a dead-end blocking his escape and his PeaceKeeper blocking the entrance, this was a guaranteed victory.

“Kid, you’re a hundred years too early to be playing against me!”

-

Aether, who had entered the uncanny valley, obviously knew and understood that he was heading into a dead-end. However, he still did so!

Why? Because his eyes spotted the shining Purple equipment lying over there! What's more, that purple equipment was a pair of brass knuckles!

“Aa~aand equipped!” sang Aether as he wore the purple equipment in his hands. Instantly, he felt a wave of energy enter his body and nourish him. Aether immediately knew that his strength stat had risen, in turn raising his attack.

The previously harmless mosquito bite had now turned into a hundred-pound attack!

Loosening his joints, Aether raised his guard. Just in time to see the enemy PeaceKeeper enter.

“Kid! Give up and go back home to your mother! This round belongs to us, the–” His sentence went unfinished as Aether’s first attack arrived. A flying punch.

The punch hit on the top edge of the enemy’s tower shield. In that instant, the enemy PeaceKeeper felt as though a freighter had come and crashed against him. His pupils narrowed and in his shock, he discovered the brass knuckles on Aether’s hand.

“Wait!-” It was already too late.

The instant the first attack fell so did the second. And the third. And the fourth. And the fifth.

An uninterrupted fifty-two hit combo which made flawless use of the surrounding environment, his enemy’s reactions, and Aether’s very own out-of-this-world skill, he felled the enemy PeaceKeeper with little trouble.

The moment his enemy fell, Aether felt the world before him flash and a message appear.

[Victory, Team Fox Friends]

---

The pod doors opened and Aether sat up in a daze. Looking at his teammates in front of him, he absentmindedly asked, “We won? Already?”

“I only shot at the Virtual,” replied the dazed Gunner.

“I only trapped and blew up the Cursemaster,” replied the dazed Modder.

“1 minute and 31 seconds, that’s how long the match lasted,” a calm voice seething with excitement informed the team. “You guys, you… are simply bullies.”

1 minute and 31 seconds. A match that was over barely after it had begun.

“It didn’t feel real,” said Aether, still in a daze.

“Right, right,” agreed Midas.

“Let’s do that again, okay?” ordered Fox.

The pod doors closed and the three of them entered once again.

---

Ten minutes later.

Vix wore an aggrieved expression on his face while Fox gently comforted him.

“Don’t worry too much about it, Vix. It was our bad luck. We can only chalk it up to chance.”

“But! This is so unfair!! I trained so hard, and yet!” Vix yelled, unable to forget the grief within his heart.

“There’s always a next time, right?”

“Right, right!” Midas nodded his head. “Don’t get too hung up on this match Vix. We can try again. This time, I will support you.”

“Right, right! See, even Midas is telling you that he’ll support you. Don’t be too depressed,” placated Fox.

Looking at his three teammates engaging in this conversation, Aether felt a little bad. “You guys do know what this sounds like, right?”

“Hmm? How what sounds like?” asked Fox, as curious as ever.

“Your conversation.”

“What’s wrong with our conversation?”

“Your words… you make it sound like we lost the first round.”

“The hell are you talking about? How could we ever lose to those idiots?”

“Now, you’re just being harsh.”

“But they are idiots! Why would they keep rushing up to us and engaging us in a 1v1, even after losing repeatedly!?”

“...It’s still harsh calling them idiots.”

“What should I do then? Go and apologise to them?”

“You are really thorough, aren’t you? Captain?”

“What do you mean?”

“Not only did you crush their confidence and worldview in this round, but you also want to crush their hearts outside of the game. Such a vicious style. I’m in awe!”

Round of 128, First Round of the Ascenders Cup.

3-0. Flawless Victory.

Team Fox and Friends.