Speedmage Tournament

97TH GEAR - NATIONAL SPEEDMAGE TOURNAMENT OPENING

97TH GEAR – NATIONAL SPEEDMAGE TOURNAMENT OPENING

Honk! Honk! Hoooooonk!

The trumpets roared and echoed in the vast blue skies, signaling the most anticipated event of the whole empire in the year. The magical fireworks blasted, and the loud cheers of the audience dominated the whole Grand Arena.

The National Speedmage Tournament is here, and all the best of the best Speedmages of the country has gathered at the biggest stadium the world can offer. There are a lot of VIPs, such as the Emperor and the Prime Minister, as well as the cabinet members. There are also celebrities and royalties from other parts of the world.

"It's here! It's here! It's here! I'm so exciteeeeeed!" Flu giggled out loud.

Just as she said, she was so excited that she is already in her Speedmage Suit right after we entered the Grand Arena. There is a tent allocated for each Speedmage in this tournament, so we feel like something of a VIP ourselves.

Prez and Cruzo accompanied us as support members of the Merry Knights Guild. Prez is handling the paperwork, while Cruzo is handling the equipment, supplies, and snacks. Cruzo is even gobbling down the chips we're supposed to be eating during the other Speed Battles that do not involve Flu and me.

"Good luck, Flu! This is it! This is our dream come true! The glory of the Merry Knights rests on your hands!" Ericka cheered.

"You can do it, Flu! You have the power of determination, guts, and more importantly, love, by your side! Go for it, Champ! Uwooooooogh!" Cruzo roared like a gorilla as he repeatedly punched his chest.

"Thank you, Prez! Thank you, Sir Cruzo! Uwoooooooogh!" Flu screamed like a Super Saiyan.

"Stop screaming like a monkey with rabies. Let's go check the brackets already." I said to my star player.

"Ah! Okay, Coach!" Flu pumped her fists with a smile.

"I'll go with you. Cruzo, you stay here." Ericka said.

"Yes, Prez!" Cruzo said with a salute.

As we three exited the tent, we immediately crossed paths with the Cool Escape Speedmage Captains. Captain Liri Fontaine, Captain Tezza Flaschk, and Captain Haruka Firangel greeted us.

"Oh, the Merry Knights! Are you going to check the matchups too?" Captain Tezza asked with a smile.

"Yes! You are too?" Flu answered and then questioned eagerly. "Let's go together!"

And so, the hotshots of Merry Knights and Cool Escape marched like action film badasses. We only need a slow-mo and some explosions on our back, and we would look like somebody who came out from movie posters.

We looked at the matchups at the large magical jumbotron that enumerates the names of the participants. Just the same as the Regional Speedmage Tournament, the National Speedmage Tournament also has one Speed Battle per player a day. There are only four rounds for this event, the last round being the National Championship.

"Ah! I found my name!" Flu cheered. "Look! Look!"

I saw the name Fluonessia Asahime at the topmost part of the brackets.

"Arwyn Gweiss?" I asked.

"Arwyn Gweiss is the Speedmage Champion in the Eastern Region," Prez said as she read the records from her magical tablet. "She hailed from the Eastern Islands, same as you, Flu. She transferred her residency to the Eastern Region of the mainland to continue her studies at the Saint Ranger Academy."

"I am not familiar with her, but having a Speed Battle against somebody who came from the Eastern Islands makes me so excited! It's gonna be awesome!" Flu's eyes glittered as she then again pumped her fists.