Chapter 3: One To Fight - One To Win

Darkness... 

Then light. A golden light, filling the void of darkness. The source of the light appears; a sphere of orange crystal with four red stars trapped within its confines. Then there are seven spheres, and many red, glittering stars. 

The balls explode in a brilliant flash of light, and lightning streaks upward in the shadow filled emptiness. The yellow electricity crackles, pops violently, and begins to condense, taking solid shape and form. First a head appears, with sharp teeth bared, horns raised proudly, and menacing pupil-less eyes. Another flash and the bolt grows limbs adorned with four great claws, and armored scales glistening around a coiled, snake-like body. The yellow electricity fades, and the Dragon is shown in all its glory. Its very presence makes the air vibrate with raw power; its form is horrific to behold, but its gaze is eerily calming. It opens its great mouth, words filled with ancient wisdom about to pour forth...

"Get up!"

Suzushii's head jerked up from his pillow. The boy's heart thudded loudly in his chest, and his ears were ringing. He glanced hurriedly around the room, trying to find the source of the loud noise that had shattered his deep slumber.

The blue-haired visage of Aisukurimu was what he found. Aisu was just a few inches away from his brother's ear and he was apparently very agitated. "You've got to get up!" he said loudly, "You're going to be late for Suru sensei's decision!" 

Suzushii shook his head, trying to clear the fog from his brain. The vivid image of the dream was still strong in his mind, and he had to struggle to remember anything besides the magnificence of the Dragon. Then, all at once, the memory of the scavenger hunt and Suru sensei's upcoming decision rushed like water from a breaking dam into the boy's mind.

"What?!" Suzushii grabbed his clock and almost screamed when he saw the time. The clock showed an hour past the time Suzushii had set it to go off. "Why didn't you wake me up, Aisu?" In a swish of air he threw off his covers, dashed down the hall and flew into the bathroom.

"Mom wouldn't let me! She said you needed to sleep in after staying out so late." Aisu walked over to the bathroom door where Suzushii was quickly stripping off his bedclothes. "Shut the door next time, will ya?" The door slammed and Suzushii yelped at the loud noise.

"Aisu, next time tell Mom she's wrong, and come up here and wake me up anyway," Suzushii growled through the door.

"Maybe I would if I didn't have to scream at you to wake you up!" Aisu shouted with his piercing voice, which made Suzushii's ears began to ring again.

"Both of you shut up!" This time a new shouter entered the fray. It was Kori, the daughter of the Fuyu family household. She was sixteen years old, thin, and vain. She dearly loved her long, blue hair, which she had inherited from her mother, and she was constantly making sure she looked perfect. She despised her two brothers, and constantly put them down for being brutes. "Some of us are trying to concentrate here!"

In sync the two boys raised their voices and said, "Oh, you stay out of this!" The unintentional pairing of words made both of the boys break out in laughter. Kori stuck her head out the door frame of her room and glared at Aisu. He stuck his tongue out at her, and she growled in disgust, withdrawing her head lest she witness even more atrocities.

Suzushii turned on the shower, so Aisu decided to leave his brother alone and go downstairs to eat some breakfast. As the boy passed his sister's door she mumbled, "Barbarians," which sent Aisu into a fit of laughter. She immediately threw more insults at her younger brother, trying to dent the boy's boundless pride.

After a few more minutes of give-and-take between the siblings, Aisu made his way downstairs. He entered the small kitchen where Tsurara was cooking scrambled eggs. "Did you get your brother up, Aisu?"

Aisu plopped into a chair and started pouring himself some orange juice. "Yeah, but he's real mad now because he's late," he said as he started chugging the orange juice down noisily.

"He's not late yet. Anyway, a run will do him good. That's what little boys get when they don't call their moms when they stay out until midnight." Tsurara gave Aisu a look that warned him not to do the same. She really wanted to give her elder son a tongue-lashing, but smiled with pride when she thought about how much Suzushii persevered even though he had lost a day and a half of the scavenger hunt. He had found the last item at eleven thirty the night before, cutting it close, but succeeding nonetheless.

"Mom, do you think Suzushii is going to get to go to the Tenka'ichi Budokai?" Aisu's eyes beamed with excitement.

His mother smiled at him, "I know you want Suzushii to make it to the tournament almost as much as he does, but don't get your hopes up. Suzushii is one of Suru's most talented students, but he's gotten in trouble a lot of times. That's why he may not get to go. Honey, quit drinking so much orange juice, you'll ruin your breakfast."

Aisu set down his glass of juice and he wiped away a fruity golden mustache. "Yeah, but he's gotta make it! I mean, he's gotta! Atsui doesn't deserve it, that's for sure." Aisu made a face at the mention of the boy's name.

"Now, Aisu, don't put down Atsui. We don't know him, so we can't judge him. What you hear from your brother is probably quite a bit worse than reality. I have a feeling Atsui really isn't such a bad boy."

"Yeah, well, I don't think so," grumbled the nine-year-old.

A few seconds later Suzushii came barreling down the stairs. His un-dried hair was dripping water all over the kitchen floor, and a bit of toothpaste foam clung unnoticed to his cheek. The boy wore a pair of loose fitting jeans and a navy blue T-shirt, but despite cleaning up and getting extra sleep Suzushii looked positively worn out.

"Mom, I can't eat breakfast, I've gotta go!" Suzushii wasn't going to stop for anything, but there have always been forces stronger than the desires of fourteen-year-old boys. His mother stepped right out in front of him and was instantly as effective as a brick wall.

"Hold it right there, young man!" Her voice was firm and authoritative. "You give me a hug and a kiss, or you're not leaving this house!"

"Oh, sorry, Mom." Suzushii tried to smile sincerely, but the agitation of the delay shone through his mask.

His mother forced the hug down upon him and the kiss as well, and by some miracle, he was then able to get past Tsurara. Suzushii thought he finally had a free run to Suru sensei's dojo, when his mother's voice attacked once again. "Oh, and Suzushii..."

The boy stopped dead in his tracks and clenched his teeth in terror of the next words. "...catch."

Suzushii turned and deftly caught a flying object. He looked down at his hands to see a scrumptious looking tuna sandwich packaged in cling wrap. "Eat that on the way." His mother winked at him, knowing exactly how her son must have felt at that moment.

A sight of relief escaped Suzushii, and he called out, "Thanks, Mom!" He turned on his heels and began running as he struggled to unwrap the sandwich.

Tsurara watched her son sprint down the street, his strength and determination swelling her heart. Memories of his childhood flowed warmly through her mind, and she realized she did not regret a single second of the last fourteen years. The serene moment was shattered as a piercing voice asked, "Mom, can I go with Suzushii?"

"No, Aisu, now eat your breakfast."

"Ah, Mom..."

Suru sensei stood in the large clearing of the wooded area where, just a week ago, his training dojo had sat. The space was completely empty now. The teacher's students were all well behind him, huddled together and waiting for what was about to come. "Take a breath, children," Suru called over his shoulder, "this one is going to be smoky." The old man reached into his pocked and pulled out a white capsule about the size of a Chap Stick tube. He punched a button on top of the small contraption, threw it into the center of the clearing, and then cleared out himself. A moment later a great thud echoed through the forest, and a cloud of smoke like a bomb had exploded rose into the air.

A bout of coughing and hacking rose up from the children, and Suru pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and covered his mouth and nose. "My grandfather told me these things didn't make half this much smoke back when that old company Capsule Corp was around. Pity it went out of business..." The group just nodded, having heard only vague references to the company in history class. They didn't really notice what he said anyway as their attention had wandered from their master to the large dojo that had filled almost half the clearing.

At that very moment Suzushii busted through the undergrowth surrounding the clearing and went sprawling in the dirt, covered in leaves and gasping for air. He slowly raised his head and smiled weakly when he saw that he had made it just in time. Shiryoku broke ranks and helped Suzushii to his feet as Suru smiled and winked at the young fighter, "Just by a hair, eh?" The old Master gave a cackle and motioned for his students to follow him as he moved into the training dojo.

The training dojo was an almost empty room with a wooden floor and padded mats scattered in different places. As they did every weekday morning, the children lined up shoulder to shoulder facing the back of the building, while Suru shuffled over to stand before them. This morning was different only because a few of the children were carrying sacks filled with miscellaneous objects from all over town. As always the old man turned, faced his students, and began to speak.

"My pupils, today we will skip my normal lecture." He stopped right there, and instantly the children let out a sigh of relief. Suru sensei laughed out loud and continued, "You all know what we're here for, so I ask you this: everyone who has gotten all of the objects in the scavenger hunt please step forward."

A majority of the class groaned and stood where they were. However, four of the students were beaming with pride as they stuck out their leg and took a step. To the far left was Suzushii, holding his brown sack filled with the remainder of his items. He was shaking slightly with fatigue from his run and anticipation from the coming decision. To his right was Shiryoku, who looked quite regal, not from her plain white gi, but from the self-esteem reflecting like the sun from her eyes. A few paces to the right was Keru, who was definitely nervous, but was secure in knowing that she had gotten everything on her list two days before the deadline. One step over from her was Atsui. He held himself proudly, but he was not nearly as composed as Shiryoku or Keru. Suzushii hadn't noticed his rival until just that moment when they stepped forward. They both glared at each other out of the corners of their eyes. Each one had truly desired the other one to fail in the scavenger hunt, and it was a great disappointment to them both when they saw the other step forward. Suzushii grinned when he saw the dark circles under his rival's eyes; at least Atsui had to stay up all night searching for the items also.

Suru sensei cleared his throat and the two boys came back to reality. "Present your items." All four took a step forward, knelt, and removed the contents from their sack and backpacks. The students who hadn't seen Shiryoku's crystal sphere were dazed by its wonder, and Suru sensei had to call order to the assembly before he could continue. After he inspected everyone's items he stood back before them all and said, "All four of them have collected all the items." There was an insanely quiet pause.

"My choice..." an intake of breath by the students, "...is not special." They all breathed again, knowing the answer was going to be held off for at least a few minutes. "The person who goes to the tournament is not necessarily the best fighter."

'I've got to be picked,' thought Suzushii.

"The person is not necessarily faster, stronger, or more agile than the other students."

'It's the only way to make myself more than a poor worthless boy.' A trickle of sweat ran down Suzushii's neck.

"The one who goes to the tournament will only partially represent my dojo. The truth is; he really represents himself."

Atsui closed his eyes. 'I have to be chosen.'

"In the end, the lucky fighter I pick today will battle for himself and whatever values he brings with him. It is these values that truly make my decision, not the greatness of the fighter."

Atsui opened his eyes and he could hear his heart pounding in his ears. 'It is the single way I can prove that I'm more than just a rich brat.' 

"My choice for this year's champion of the Tenka'ichi Budokai is...Atsui!"

The six students who hadn't finished the scavenger hunt cheered, rushed over to Atsui, and were soon slapping him on the back and giving him words of congratulations. Shiryoku and Keru soon recovered from the disappointment and joined in. The boy beamed. His freckles stood out furiously from his white face, and pretty soon his cheeks shone red from smiling too much. For the first time in a long while, Atsui was truly proud of himself.

Suzushii stood back from the others. Even Shiryoku had abandoned him to congratulate that brat. Suzushii's fists clenched tight, and he vibrated with the conflicting urges of fleeing in shame or walking up to Atsui and smashing his face in. Finally he got himself under a semblance of control, and he stiffly walked from the dojo, eyes pasted to the ground in front of his feet.

Suzushii took long, deep breaths in a futile effort to calm himself down. He felt tears welling up in his eyes, but he was able to force them down. Why Atsui and not him? Hadn't he deserved the chance to fight? Hadn't he tried hard enough, or been courageous enough? What was it that Suru sensei saw in Atsui that Suzushii lacked?

"Nothing." The unexpected voice shook the boy from his reverie and he whirled his head around to see who it was.

"Wh...what, sensei?" Suzushii's voice shook as he spoke to his teacher.

"You were wondering what you didn't do that Atsui did, correct? The answer is nothing." Suru had moved to stand side by side with Suzushii. They both stared out towards the forest. 

"I...I don't understand."

"It's quite simple. Atsui lives in a world that neither you nor I can comprehend. I grew up in a loving family, much as you are, among decent people, and a world of encouragement. We have both grown strong from it, held it dear to our hearts. Atsui has not had that luxury."

Suzushii shook his head in disgust, "Luxury? He bathes in it! His family has a fortune, what could Atsui possibly lack?"

"You don't understand. Atsui's world is hostile. His family does not truly love him. They are not decent, and they put him down for being what he is. He has grown hard from it, and held it as a grudge in his heart. He is a good boy and he does not want to be bad. In fact, you have been the only outlet for his anger and frustration for the last few years. He's actually quite nice around everyone else." Suru grinned his wrinkled face at Suzushii and the boy could hardly help but feel a little sorry for his long-time rival.

"What he needs is an opportunity to show his parents and those around him that he is able to get somewhere by himself. Everyone has told him that he uses his family's great money to buy everything and that without that money, he would be nothing. He needs this opportunity to prove that he can do something that is not aided by money or power. He needs to show everyone that he can work hard and earn something for himself. I just gave him that opportunity. Now he can go to the tournament and prove that he's more than what he seems."

Suzushii was shocked by Suru's words. The emotions and drives behind all of Atsui's anger seemed to mirror his own in frightening ways. After what Suru just said, it sounded like they were closer to brothers than rivals.

"Suru sensei...did Atsui only get picked because he needed your help?" The words held an angry edge to them. Suzushii had worked long and hard for the chance to go to the tournament and it galled him to think it had all been in vain because Atsui had some family trouble.

"No. He pushed through difficult training and exerted all his will upon the goal of going to the Tenka'ichi Budokai. That is the main reason why he's going. You did no less, but he needed this chance. You..." Suru paused to collect his thought, "...you need to prove yourself as well. I know that you feel like you can never amount to anything, but the truth is, you have more potential than any student I have ever trained. That's why I decided that the first time you go to the tournament, you're not just going to fight, you're going to win."

"What...what do you mean? I'm not going to the Budokai...am I?" Suzushii turned to gaze to his teacher's face. He felt that the next words would change his life forever.

"Suzushii, Atsui earned a chance to fight in the Tenka'ichi Budokai. You earned an even greater honor. I'm going to send you to train with the world's greatest martial arts master. You, my good boy, are going to be the student of Kame-sen'in Muten Roshi!"

Lannon the Wizard - ghasti35@cybertrails.com