YM778.TV Chapter 53: Confusion and Frustration
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[Axel Saint Rel Laurence]
[Group E]
[Matches Completed: 2]
[Match number:6]
[Opponent: Jazmine Mockerick - [Arena B] ]
[Time: 1:30 PM]
*Arrive 15 Minutes Before The Battle For Inspection*
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With a glance at my watch, I couldn\'t help but think that my opponent was a girl.
It brought me flashbacks to words of what my mother had told me as a kid...
- "Remember Axel... A true gentleman never raises a hand against a woman." –
A core memory had triggered within my head as a ripple of discomfort passed through me. It made me think If I could hurt a girl or not.
But I realised that It wouldn\'t matter since this Live Quest was way more important than harming a girl so It\'s best if I just don\'t take it personally.
Shaking off those thoughts, I pushed the intrusive thoughts aside. Now wasn\'t the time for philosophical dilemmas. I quickly made my way towards the central stadium entrance.
Beside the grand doorway, bathed in the glow of an intricate stone carving, was the main IDS station. A bored-looking woman manned the terminal.
"Excuse me," I said, stepping up to the counter. "I need to get to Arena B."
She barely glanced up. "Name and Arena Please."
"Rel Laurence," I mumbled, showing her my student ID.
"Destination confirmed. Arena B IDS station. Step onto the stone and enjoy your trip."
I took a breath and walked towards the shimmering circle etched into the floor. With a slight hesitation, I stepped onto the Instant Destination Stone. A ripple of energy washed over me, followed by a disorienting lurch as the area around me disappeared...
***
[Valencia POV]
[Pinnacle Academy Stadium 2 - Arena B Stage]
"There she is again! The Miracle Guild heiress delivers! Valencia with another swift victory – that swordsmanship is something else!" The announcer\'s voice thundered as the roar of the crowd slowly faded.
Suddenly, her father stepped into view at the edge of the Arena B hallway, his imposing figure cutting through the chatter.
Valencia\'s breath quickened. He rarely watched her matches, growing up he was busy subjugating the important dungeons that had threatened areas of countries.
Her eyes scanned the crowd, but he met her gaze directly, a warmth sparking in his usually stern expression.
Whispers passed through the crowd, sharp and eager,
"Gerrard Freya! Did he come to watch Valencia?"
"She\'s already at the top, what more does she need?"
"Wouldn\'t want to disappoint a Dad like that…"
Face burning, Valencia hurried towards him, the glow of victory dimmed by a prickling uncertainty.
"Father!" She kept her voice steady, trying to match his confident stance. "What are you...is everything alright?"
His features softened. "Everything is good, Valencia. That last maneuver...exquisite. Could Your old man perhaps accompany you for your next match?"
Warm relief washed over her before dissolving into confusion. "Uh... of course! But it\'s only to the lounge, there\'s time before-"
"Nonsense. Every step holds value." His voice carried authority, tinged with a gentleness that was almost unsettling. A flicker of guilt stung her.
Maybe she had been slacking in the other parts of training… the mental discipline, the image her family represented…
"Of course, Father." An odd sense of formality crept into her reply. His approval, always sought after, suddenly felt heavier than any opponent she\'d faced in any tournament.
As the Arena B hallway echoed with the sounds of exiting students, a mix of adrenaline-fueled chatter and murmurs of defeat.
Emerging from the grand doors, Valencia strolled confidently beside her powerful father, basking in the afterglow of a swift victory.
The nearby students parted to let them through, casting whispers and awe-struck glances their way.
"It\'s Gerrard Freya! Leader of the number one guild!" a hushed voice said.
"He\'s even scarier in person," someone else whispered.
"I can\'t believe that\'s Valencia\'s father..." another voice joined in.
Valencia kept her head high, ignoring the stares, and the buzzing comments. The usual coolness seemed to slip a bit at that moment, a warmth kindled by victory mixing uneasily with the sudden attention.
"Your last takedown? Simply brilliant, my dear. The finesse, the power...you outclassed your opponent completely!"
A half-formed smile twitched at her lips. "Of course, Dad. Thank you... but really, you don\'t–"
"And that counter from the previous match! Pure instinct. Some of it\'s academy training, the rest... pure talent." His pride filled the air. "A gift, like your mother. That same spark, unstoppable…" He trailed off, wistfulness edging his voice.
A bittersweet longing echoed his words within her.
As the two travelled along the hallways towards the IDS Station, Valencia\'s eyes darted to a figure from afar, It was someone she couldn\'t understand why she hated someone like him.
It was Rel. Emerging from the dissolving portal shimmer, walking directly towards them.
Their eyes met briefly, a jolt of self-consciousness shooting through her. Did he hear her father\'s praise?
Did Rel See the bubbly, over-complimented girl so unlike the one that\'s usually in class? Shame prickled beneath her pride.
"Dad, please," she mumbled, feeling her cheeks burn hotter.
Gerrard continued, "Remember that disarming technique," Gerrard\'s voice rumbled beside her, "the one I showed you? Textbook You should try that in your next match..."
Her cheeks flamed hotter. Valencia thought to herself, Rel probably thinks her entire skillset came from Daddy.
"Dad, please… He might have heard...""
"That last throw - "
Rel walked by. Their gazes briefly touched once more, and then he continued towards the lobby.
Just then, her father\'s protective instincts flared. "Valencia, my dear, is there something wrong? That boy, is he bothering you?"
The question echoed in the hallway, startling her. Instinctively, she glanced over her shoulder to see if Rel had turned around at her father\'s booming voice. But he hadn\'t. He continued on his path towards the student lobby, oblivious to the fever he\'d created within her.
"What? No! I..." Her voice trailed off.
"Do you know him?" Gerrard Freya pressed, his voice laced with protective concern.
"He\'s...no one." Valencia brushed past her father, pushing through the doors to the IDS station. She needed to put some distance between her and this whole...mess.
Those few seconds of eye contact with Rel had shattered her composure, making the world inside her head suddenly far too complex for comfort.
***
{Rel\'s POV}
[Pinnacle Academy Stadium 3 - Arena C Waiting Lobby]
Arriving at the student lounge there was a celebratory buzz of a figure that had passed through the area and needless to say it was Gerrard Freya that was being talked about.
As I navigated through the lounge, I was unable to fully shake the image of Gerrard Freya seeing that he was much older than expected and his boasting…of Valencia, of all people, she was practically begging him to stop.
hahaha, that loser. I found myself laughing at the broken composure of Valencia, fueled by the sheer absurdity of it.
She was probably thinking: Oh! The guild leader\'s daughter, normally so cool and composed, flustered as her father heaped on likely undeserved compliments.
I\'d probably feel embarrassed too if my parents did that to me to be honest.
"...heard she took out Lars in under a second!" A high-pitched voice drifted over the crowd, followed by a ripple of impressed gasps. "Completely flattened him."
"Not surprising. It\'s Valencia Freya – everyone says she\'s just as strong as her mom was…" More whispering, the name \'Freya\' tossed around with a mix of awe and barely suppressed envy.
Well I guess Valencia will only continue to grow more popular as time passes especially since she\'s a first year there was no doubt that.
But comparisons to her mother huh? I know for sure Ariel Freya was one of the strongest characters I\'ve written, She was the previous sword saint of her generation having similar abilities to Valencia she was as strong as Prime Dawn Frisk.
As my eyes scanned the lounge, settling on an empty table in the corner – just far enough from the Freya fan club. I wanted to relax before my next match...
...
...
[9 hours later...]
...
...
[Pinnacle Academy Male Dorm Rooms]
[Monday, 10:30 PM]
haah...
Tiredness finally outweighed the aftermath of the first day of the tournament. I\'d flopped onto the bed, the soft comfort of pyjamas replacing the academy\'s competition gear.
In the half-light, my watch\'s faint glow fell across the crossbow propped in the corner.
The Jazmine girl did put up a decent fight, She was spamming a lot of ineffective magic spells at me. but I just ended up winning from one of her spells bouncing right back into her face...
She ended up getting clipped by her elemental attribute which was probably the most funniest thing I\'ve ever seen.
It was a technical win, a victory as empty as the dorm room silence. I let out a breath, more snort than a sigh, rolling onto my side.
The extras I faced afterwards... barely worth recalling. Stepping into the Arena, were all just another overly eager cocky version of male students, I\'ve been facing ever since the first round and I just kept using Vulnerability Reader to make the rounds much quicker.
One round each, then on to the next. At least it was efficient. I ended up topping my bracket because there wasn\'t any important character. Lucky me.
FWANG!
[Congrats on topping your bracket Mr Axel!]
[Here\'s your current rewards for the live event: 750 BP, 10 Base Stat Allocation Points]
Looking at my potential rewards I knew that I couldn\'t afford to be losing in the earlier rounds so I\'d have to go all out, "I can\'t claim them right?" I asked the system, As my body began to relax on my bed.
[Correct! All rewards will be claimed after the tournament.]
"Okay..."
Well, that was probably a good thing so I could spend the BP on abilities I needed and because of how quickly the rounds went The Round of 50 starts tomorrow.
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Authors Notes:
- Valencia is a very prideful person! After showing Rel such a sight from her is almost as embarrassing as the time she had said thank you to him.
- I was listening to the song: [In My Dreams by Siopaolo] while writing the Rel and Valencia scene harharhar. hope you guys enjoyed that interaction lolool