Some time later...
Walking back towards the colosseum, Leopold prepared for the battle ahead of him. He could feel his heart pounding, the thought of fighting in the semifinal match pressuring him. The boy had not ever expected that he would make it this far, considering that he was one of the members of Class 1-D.
He let out a nervous laugh."I guess that I seem like some sort of Cinderella in this tournament." It was something that Leopold was unaccustomed to. "Still, it won't change the outcome of this next fight. My fate has been decided." He sighed, shaking his head.
From beside the boy, Ceil let a frown cross her face. "Something wrong, Leo? You seem a bit off your game." She looked I've his changed expression and attitude.
Leopold shook his head, scratching his cheek. "Not really. I was just... thinking of our upcoming class schedule." The students had been exempt from classes thanks to the tournament which meant that things like homework and exams had been put on hold. "What do you think school will be like after this?"
Ceil tilted her head. "Classes after this?" She looked up a the ceiling and thought to her self for a couple of moments. "I'm not sure... I sort of remember Cinder saying something about different lessons depending on class rank and stats." She crossed her arms and sighed. "Unfortunately, that's all I have."
Accepting her statements, Leopold nodded his head. Guess that even someone such as Princess Ceil wouldn't have all of the different details figured out just yet. It was only week two of school after all. He could worry about those things later.
"Guess I have more important matters anyway."
"Lemia is sure going to be a tough opponent, huh." Leopold breathed, stopping in his tracks. He narrowed his eyes. "This match is probably the end for me, isn't it..."
Stopping with the boy, Ceil looked back at him. She smiled, laughing at his dreary face. "You worry too much, Leo. While the girl is quite strong, I've seen you fight a couple of times now." She started to walk again.
The boy quickly followed her. "Yeah, but this is the school council president. She won't go down so easily." Plus, she might have a bit of a grudge now thanks to Leopold's actions be for this.
"You can win."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive."
It seemed as though Ceil never seemed to run out of energy. Leopold watched the girl walk ahead of him, beaming from ear to ear. He was honestly glad though that she seemed to cheery. After what he saw from her in their fight, the boy couldn't help but want to see her having at least a little bit of fun.
Suddenly, Ceil walked over and grabbed Leopold's arm. The boy blushed, confused as to what she was doing. "H-Hey! W-What are you doing?!" He turned away from her, embarrassed.
Giggling, Ceil pointed to the colosseum just up ahead. "If we don't hurry, we'll be late for your match! You need to pick up the pace." She started to drag him through the hallways, Leopold unable to stop her.
"Why so fast?" Leopold protested. "The battle probably isn't even over yet!"
The girl thought about his question, seeming not to lose her boundless energy. "Well, you can never be so sure with Cinder. It may take all day or be finished in only a few measly seconds! It really depends on how high her emotions are running during the match..." She nodded her head. "That sounds about right."
Tilting his head, Leopold about her words. "I suppose that makes some sense. It's just so annoying that we have to fight so many battles in one day!" He sighed and clicked his tongue in frustration. "This tournament was set up poorly..."
Ceil laughed, enjoying his statements. "You know, for someone so strong, you're quite the lazy fighter..." He took a deep breath, approaching the entrance to the colosseum.
Shrugging his shoulders, Leopold walked with her. He covered his face as the bright light started to shine upon his face. He looked out at the battlefield with a wide smile, preparing to see just what was happening out on the grounds. Leopold had finally made it back to the place where this whole ordeal had started.
He could hear has the loud cheers of everyone watching the fighters below ringing loudly in his ears. It seemed as though that enthusiasm they had developed over the course of this event had hit some sort of peak.
Still, something wasn't quite right.
Looking out at the battlefield, Leopold and Ceil could see that Cinder was standing there. She had both her hands on her hips as well as a pissed expression spreading across her face. She seemed annoyed by something that was happening out there on the arena, something no one had taken any account for.
The girl beside Leopold tugged on his sleeve. She looked just as confused as everyone else. "Leopold, where is my sister's opponent!" It seemed that the fighter Cinder was scheduled to duel with had apparently yet to show up to the event.
"Not sure..." the boy answered, narrowing his eyes. "I would imagine that something is going to happen. However, for now, I'm not sure what's happening here."
She nodded her head in acceptance. "That would make sense." She looked back at her sister and smiled. "Hey, CiCi! Me and Leopold finally made it to watch your fight!" She waved to the girl with another grin on her face.
Hearing the loud cries of her younger adopted sister, Cinder looked over at the two. A small smile spreads across her face as well before she walked over to the two of them. "Oh... Hey, Ceil!" She patted the girl on the head. "Looks like you finally got your butts over here, huh? Bout time."
Cinder's sister laughed. "I suppose that we did." Ceil started to narrowed her eyes, looking back at the battlefield behind Cinder. "Still... it looks as though we may need to be filled in as to what's going on here."
"Where did your opponent end up at? Is he coming?" Leopold asked.
The eldest of the Kushida sister's clicked her tongue. "Dunno where that bastard is." She rubbed the back of her head and sighed. "The battle has been delayed about fifteen minutes so that he can have more time to get here. It's still inconsiderate to be late to this damn thing though!" She crossed her arms.
Leopold couldn't help but agree with the girl. The vast majority of the battles for the tournament were to occur on the final day. That meant, even without delays, the event was fairy lengthy.
Stratus shrugged, looking up at the sky above his head."But what can you do... Hopefully he shows up soon." Leopold did NOT want to be waiting out in this weather for the whole day while some idiot took his precious time getting here.
While talking about the situation at hand, the group and audience around them all heard the loud sounds of the ground starting to shake. They all grabbed onto the objects around them, trying their best not to fall over due to the violent shaking that had started to occur out of knowhere.
Both Ceil and Cinder grabbed onto both of Leopold's arms. The younger princess closed her eyes, trying not to fall over. "L-Leo! What's going on?" She looked up at both him as well as her older sister.
Narrowing his eyes, Leopold tried his best to stay upright. "I'm... not sure." He looked at the ground as it shook the arena, thinking to himself. Just what was pint on here?!
"What's causing this? It feels like... supernatural pressures." he observed. Leopold looked over at the entryway where Cinder's opponent was supposed to enter from, biting his lip. "Is the fighter Cinder's up against finally here? Is he doing this?" But how would that even be possible?! From what Leopold had been told, this male was supposed to be that of a Beastman. Could he really cause something like this?
Beside him, Cinder let out a ferocious brown. "This is really annoying... I've heard the ground seems to shake when he enters a room."
"Excuse me?"
Starting to smile again, she looked up. "Still, I think that this should be easier than I originally anticipated." The girl started to raise her right foot up a bit before she stomped it on the ground. A shockwave resonated throughout the ground when she did, stopping to force almost as soon as it had arrived.
Leopold raised an eyebrow. "Oh? I have the say that I did not see that one coming." He watched as Cinder then let go of his arm, wiping her forehead with a prideful look on her face.
"Piece of cake." the girl said.
And then, once that had been concluded, everyone's gases turned to where the initial wave of power had resonated from. They watched in surprised as, at last, the man everyone had been waiting for walked into the room.
A glint of pleasure could be seen in his eyes as he walked. The male stated to laugh, seeming to have enjoyed the little display of power that Cinder had put on for him. He brushed his long hair behind his ears as he continued to walk, looking out at the many people that were surrounding him.
The wolf eared male smiled as he looked at Cinder. "What's up!" He continued to laugh, walking towards her. "Sorry that I'm so late, Miss Cinder. I got held up with the delicious food at this school!" He scratched the back of his head, not seeming to worried that he had almost missed this whole event.
Kushida's eldest princess frowned. She seemed quite happy with his lackadaisical attitude. "For someone who is ranked as the second strongest in this school, you sure are pretty idiotic." She laughed too, although it seemed more disappointing than anything else.
Damion grinned, nodding his head. "Yes... I remember Lilia telling me the same thing plenty of times before." He stretched his arms, looking up to the sky above him.
Cinder sighed, tossing her hair back. "Well, it doesn't matter now..." She pointed at him and growled. "Just get ready and let's get this good for nothing battle over with! I don't want to waste all of my time here."
The boy nodded his head, cracking his knuckles as he spoke back. "I would have to agree with you. My incompetence has wasted enough of everyone's time today." He bent his knees, grinning from ear to ear.
Kushida's princess looked back at the other two who were standing there and frowned. "You two should probably head up to the seats so we can get rolling." She shooed them off, walking over to where she would be standing at the start of the upcoming battle. "I hope to see you all as the victor!"
Leopold grinned as well. "Sure." He patted Ceil on the head and then lead the two of them up to the seats. "Let's find somewhere that had a good view, kay?"
"Sure."