A rabbits hole

PART ONE

We were brought along with the other four first-year teams to a giant facility. We were told more about the rules.

“Any sort of assault will not be tolerated. Doing this will result in immediate disqualification. However, the rabbit can fight with the other rabbits to steal their ears. Any nonlethal strikes are acceptable.” The committee said.

That means only the rabbits can go at each other for their ears.

“If a team gets retired, we will shout it out on the arena's speakers. This is so that the rabbit knows he can be attacked and be wiped out of the competition.”— “We will give the rabbits a hint to know where to look for the golden carrot when the tournament is underway.” The committee said.

After that, we were shown the arena. It was very green with all the things a jungle would have. It was fascinating from the outside. It is a big building, but once you are inside, you see a real jungle.

We were shown on a digital board where each team would start.

Saint Arts Academy - North West

Avion Seven Academy - North East

Amazon Square School - South West

True Blomish Academy - South East

Skye Forest High - South.

“We start at the top right of the map. It’s great that our ally is right next to us,” our captain Sakai-san said.

This morning Sakai-san explained the strategy that she thought out for us. And she also told our team about the pact she made with Keno Yunai, the captain.

PART TWO

The contest was underway and started swiftly. Our highest power score was 96 and belonged to Kojima-san. Together with Obara-kun, she had gone on the attack and made her way to the south, where True Blomish Academy was.

Whereas Matsuda-kun and Sashi-san stayed behind with Sakai-san. To defend the flag.

Yoshi-kun and I were looking for the golden carrot.

After nearly an hour, I heard the speakers. “Amazon Square School is out of the competition. Only their rabbit remains!” A fierce commentator said.

That means that their flag has been stolen and delivered.

A couple of seconds later, the same commentator started speaking again. “Amazon Square School’s rabbit has been eliminated. Their competition is over!”

That was relatively quick. They put real pressure on that team.

After that, the hint was told. “The part under the human nose is golden.”

Me and Yoshi-kun looked at each other and started thinking.

After some thinking, we couldn’t figure it out.

“Think fast, Gazo. You should know what this means.” Yoshi-kun said.

He pressured me into thinking again. If you think about it, under the nose lies the mouth. But if you think more about it, it's the upper part of the mouth more precisely.

And if you put the face as the map's layout, that means that the nose is in the middle of the map. And the mouth is where Skye Forest High is stationed. So a little up north from that point is where the Golden Carrot should be hidden.

“I got it; it’s south of where the stage is,” I explained.

He looked at me with these sparkling eyes, full of disbelief. He couldn’t believe that I figured that out by myself.

As we made our way down to the middle of the map. I heard the commentator speaking again. “Avion Seven Academy is out of the competition. Only their rabbit remains!”

Our team lost.

Yoshi had to abandon me, and I was left alone.

Only I could bring victory to us.

PART THREE

I, Sakai Rumi, the Captain. I was stationed back at our post, where Sashi-san and I defended our flag together with Matsuda-kun.

My Power Score was 88, a pretty high score, so I stayed behind to defend. My other two defenders had a lower score than mine.

Before the competition started, I made a pact with Keno Yunai to form an alliance till the other three teams were defeated. To make it 1v1. He agreed to this. And told me that I should let my highest power score member go on the attack. I did this with utmost trust. And let go of Kojima-san and Obara-kun to go on the attack.

To my surprise, I found my ally before me, together with Gohn Rubio.

“What are you doing here, Keno-kun?— Shouldn’t you be attacking someone now?” I asked.

“Indeed I am; that’s why I’m here.”

He lied to me. He is here to steal my flag.

Gohn-kun defeated Matsuda-kun and Sashi-san. With a showdown. I ordered them to get a new number fast at one of the stations.

Then he was infront of me, and he showed me his power score of 75. I beat his score with my higher number.

I thought that was the end of it.

Keno-kun challenged me to a showdown, and I lost to his score of 92.

He took our flag and ran towards the middle of the map to eliminate our team from the competition, leaving me behind in the dust.

PART FOUR

I, Nage Gazo, ran towards the south to try and find the golden carrot. My team had already lost, so I was our only hope.

Only three teams remained, and I, as the rabbit, was the only one from my team standing.

I found it.

I have found the Golden Carrot. It was so shiny that the name suited it very well.

Now I only have to run toward the stage and deliver the golden carrot to the podium. That is not far from here.

The timing could’ve not been better as I reckon that the other two teams are fighting each other right now.

I saw the podium behind all the threes. I started running as fast as I could. Then out of nowhere, from above, a guy with blond hair jumped on top of me. It was Keno Yunai, the other team’s rabbit.

I threw him off me and took a fighting stance after I saw him do the same.

“Nage Gazo, that name makes me gag after thinking about it,” Keno-kun said.

How does he know my name?

“Aren’t we allies?” I said.

“Allies? Hummpff…— It was me who eliminated your team. Your captain is a dumb bitch and I teach her a life lesson to not trust opponents. Y’all should thank me really.” He replied.

I tried to run but he closed my exits. 

“You see, I need that carrot, and I don’t think you will simply hand it over to me. So I will take it by force.”

He ran towards me and faked a right hook. His initial plan was to strike me with a left kick into my abdomen. He did this perfectly, as I didn’t anticipate it.

I took two steps back to do some breathing. He didn’t let me and came running again; this time, he gripped my neck as I failed to dodge him because of my elbow injury That happened last week.

He left me almost unconscious on the ground. As I started to faint, I saw him walking toward the stage and, at the same time, holding the Golden Carrot with one hand and holding my rabbit’s ears with the other.

Game Over.