48.i Wondrous and True

~ Bodhi ~

Before we head on over with Ritsu and Bodhi to the Lunch Hero, we need to take a step back to the night before. Don’t you want to know why Bodhi was up so late? They really were going hard on some research. Yes, they could have taken the opportunity to sneak out into the far reaches of the Dog Province and perhaps scraped together a drink or two. But after getting a taste of how this competition was going to go, Bodhi had become completely absorbed in getting Ritsu to the next phase. You could even say that this was their new obsession.

Bodhi the monk sat criss-cross applesauce on one of the hotel’s lounge chairs. Atop the low coffee table before them was a shiny spread of magazines and crate of peach soda pop *smooth*. This was the caffeinated variety of peach soda that carried an extra kick. Bodhi had become quite fond of it in spite of the fact that it greatly reduced their capacity for sleep.

“Are these all the ones you can find?” the monk asked when Seven dropped off another short stack of magazines.

The gold-toothed sun clone pouted. “These are from my own personal collection! The rest is what I could find inside the waiting room at the dentist.”

Bodhi glanced over the covers of the popular monthly magazine Upward Dog. It was known to feature credible Suns in the competitive scene. Some of the eight finalists had been featured several times among the ones Seven had brought. The features included Sun Zhaoling, Sun Tie Quan, Sun Terra, and Sun Yong Kid.

Seven asked if Bodhi needed anything else. The monk said they would be all right for now. Once Seven had left and they were finally alone, Bodhi opened their first can of peach soda pop *smooth* and got down to reading.

First on the list was Sun Yong Kid, who happened to be featured the least in the collection of magazines. The youngest contestant in the Sevenfold Peach Championship was fresh out of the Rat Province. There he was considered a local celebrity, much in the same way the citizens of the Rabbit Province regarded Sailor Sun.

In fact, in the Rat Province, Yong Kid wasn’t called the Rookie. Rather, he was known as the Little Genius. He had earned this nickname by winning every ranked tournament held in his own province. Bodhi didn’t find this surprising. Based on what their old cell mate, Billie, had told them, the Rat Province was bursting with young, up and coming talent. The more Bodhi read up on Yong Kid, the more it appeared that the sun clone’s genius stopped right there at the border. Despite having competed in several events in other provinces, Sun Yong Kid hadn’t made it to the finals of a single one.

“So the little brat has a chip on his shoulder,” Bodhi mumbled to themself as they skimmed through Yong Kid’s interview in Upward Dog.

Next on the list was Sun Terra. Her rise to popularity was pretty straightforward. She had been around for a while now and was considered a veteran in the competitive scene. Sun Terra’s style was very direct and rooted in ancient martial arts. She was one step beyond what many would consider a traditional fighter, but at the same time, her style was capable of stealing the show. With those hard, punchy moves combined with the ability to make the earth bend to her will – not to mention how much experience she had performing under the pressure of an arena battle – Terra was an absolute force to be reckoned with.

Then there was the matter of Terra’s staff. It was on the thicker side and capped on both ends with craggy, unpolished quartz. As far as weapons go, hers looked pretty dense too. Probably so that it could channel all of her earth-infused spiritual energy if Bodhi had to guess.

Still… Bodhi was aware that this sort steadfastness and solid strength had its drawbacks. Sun Terra approached every challenge head on. Based on what the monk had read about Terra’s past wins and losses, she was not one for subtlety or underhand plays. The fact that Sun Terra took everything so damn literally could be the difference between her coming in first place or completely tanking in a tournament. Still, the people loved her.

Having the crowd’s love on your side was a strength all on its own. Bodhi didn’t care how objective the judging panel claimed to be, when the crowd elevated the hype in the stadium just from the simplest gestures of the contender, that had an impact. A champion’s popularity could absolutely influence a judge’s decision in the long run.

It’s all about momentum.

If Sun Terra did well in this trial, then her momentum would only build and build.

Bodhi sighed and brushed those magazines aside. They needed to move on to Blue Force. Thankfully, Like Terra, he was fairly predictable. Sun Tie Quan didn’t necessarily have a reputation for being a dirty fighter, but he was aggressive. Bodhi guessed that he hailed from Shonen Playground and they were right. In fact, Blue Force, Sparkplug, and the Barefoot Sun all graduated at the same time from Sheer Will Academy with Tie Quan and Zhaoling graduating at the top of their class.

Over the seasons, Blue Force made a name for himself and his terrifying satellite quarterstaff. He was not a stranger to intimidation tactics – taunts, goading, and other petty forms of harassment, but he did so all within the rules. In fact, the oaf was a sucker for the rules and fairness. More specifically, ensuring that his actions were justified and his contenders getting away with nothing. When it came to events that had referees, they were either real chummy with Tie Quan, or they could barely tolerate him. In a few tournaments where he couldn’t get the refs on his side, he made sure to discredit the event in later interviews.

Bodhi was less concerned with how much of a diva Sun Tie Quan could be and more interested in the details of his staff. After reading four articles, the monk noticed two things. One: There was very little on how Blue Force’s staff worked and where it came from. And two: Bodhi never saw Blue Force holding it.

Slurp!

Bodhi took a loud drink from the can of soda pop, forgetting for a moment that it wasn’t wine. They were so excited that they didn’t care.

“Sifu! Still here? You’ve been at this thing for hours.”

Bodhi looked up just as Seven flopped down on the cushion beside them. The gold-toothed sun clone offered a pre-wrapped submarine sandwich from the hotel snack depot. Bodhi peeled off the plastic wrap and tore into the sub before going into their theory about Sun Tie Quan. Seven listened to them closely, flipping through the old articles with renewed interest.

“Anyway, how much do you want to bet that Tie Quan can’t even hold his staff?”

Seven was grinning, but he still looked like he needed more convincing. “You really think so?”

Bodhi nodded. “I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Tie Quan is never holding his staff or even touching it. It’s always floating around him or halfway out of frame. It gives me the impression that his control over it is limited.”

“In that case, he and our Ritsu have something in common,” Seven mused.

“Yeah, right. The only thing.”

Seven then asked how they could possibly use this information to their advantage. Bodhi admitted that they weren’t sure.

“Sun Tie Quan has probably accounted for this and structures his play style accordingly. He’s not going to let himself get caught unawares.”

Sun Seven stuck around for a little while longer to chat with Bodhi. The spirits passed observations and theories back and forth on the subject of Sun Tie Quan until Bodhi was done with their sandwich.

The lamps were filling the hotel lounge with warm light, which meant that it was probably late. But Bodhi couldn’t retire to bed yet. They still had work to do.