Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The kingdom's arena had never seen as much use as it had in recent years. It was originally established by former rulers to brutally punish dissidents and victims of their tyranny by having them fight for their redemption, but that practice has long since fallen out of favor. The arena came to be one of many relics found around the castle, and the Kingdom of Draco never really gave it much thought.

But now, with the Quazers being raised under the King's protection, the arena became a common place for the Masters to test their skills against each other. Currently, the King was hosting a friendly tournament between his Masters to see which one would come on top. He had stressed the importance of this tournament being "friendly", but with the arena being open for the regular people of Draco to see, tensions were bound to flare.

After many battles, the tournament had been narrowed down to its final round between the two remaining Masters, each of whom demolished their side of the tournament. Naturally, the air was brimming with excitement as people filled up the arena, eager to see who would be the winner.

Some of the Masters also came to watch the battles as guests when it wasn't their turn. They were generally well-liked among the people, given that they were training to defeat the Darkin, the shadowy order that sought to destroy Draco and carve it into its own image. Piercer, nonetheless, tried to shun the crowd, bringing no weapons so he wouldn't draw attention to himself. He sat at a corner of the arena, waiting for the battle to begin.

"Yo! Piercer!" cried the voice of a fellow Master, as he struggled through the crowd to get to him. "How's it goin', man?" Baller greeted, pulling his way up, his grin fading a bit under Piercer's glare.

"I'd rather if you didn't draw attention to us," Piercer said, pointing his head to the dodgeball hanging loosely off of Baller's hand.

 "Hey, c'mon dude. It's a ball," Baller said, shaking the dodgeball in front of Piercer for emphasis. "I can get away with bringing my weapons wherever I go." A sudden thought struck him. "Hey, you think I can go on spy missions?" he asked Piercer, looking at his dodgeball in contemplation. "I mean, I can just pretend that this thing's a toy, and then if I need to defend myself..." he mimed bashing an imaginary enemy's skull in with a throw of the ball.

"You'd have to come up with a better name than 'Baller' on your missions, then," Piercer pointed out, smiling as he imagined Baller trying to be subtle on an espionage mission.

Baller nodded and hummed thoughtfully, sitting down as he ruminated on a proper name to conduct his missions under. He fell into a blissful silence that Piercer enjoyed while he could.

Unfortunately, the silence was again broken by yet another cry. "Hey, Piercer!" Slicer hollered, he and Crusher pushing through the crowd as smoothly as they could. They made their way up, finding seats next to Piercer and Baller. "Man, this place is packed tonight!" Slicer realized aloud, motioning a hand to the almost-filled stadium. "I'm glad we could follow you guys!"

"Mm-hmm," Crusher added, although with not as much enthusiasm as he narrowed his eyes at Baller.

Baller, snapping out of his dreams of escaping from the Darkin with their precious artifacts, returned the glare. "Hey, what're you giving me that look for?" he asked.

"For racing through the castle with an ancient spirit. You gave a lot of people grief that day," Crusher reminded, shaking his head.

Baller held his hands up. "I said sorry to Troweler, dude. I helped him fix up that tower, too. We're cool!" Baller defended himself, ignoring Piercer's snort at the idea of Baller sitting down and doing construction work.

Crusher nodded in acknowledgment, but his expression didn't change. "Still doesn't mean I can't call your stunts foolish, Baller," he pointed out.

Slicer slid in between the two Quazers, holding his own hands out. "C'mon, this isn't the time. We're gonna watch the end of the tournament!" he said. He turned to face Baller and Piercer. "So, I heard you guys know Zhao and Kai as friends. Who do you think's gonna win?" he asked.

Piercer hummed. "Those two are in a class by themselves," he replied. "But from what I've seen, Zhao'll likely be the victor-"

"Hah! In your dreams," Baller interrupted. "I know that the guy's good, but you don't know Kai. That guy's the best mana user in the whole of Draco!" he stretched out his arms, imagining the entirety of the kingdom between them. "He thought me everything that the King didn't teach me."

"Maybe so, but he's unbelievably arrogant," Piercer pointed out, his face twisting in disdain as he thought about the cyan-shirted Quazer. "He seems to care more about showing off his powers than actually using them for good."

Baller recoiled as if the insult was directed at him. "Chill, man! Maybe you just don't understand the way he thinks," he said. "Just because he doesn't need to train doesn't mean he's not serious about fighting the Darkin or anything." Baller's eyes then narrowed as he grew a smug smile. "...or maybe you're just mad that he beat you in the semifinals?"

Piercer averted his gaze. "That doesn't have anything to do with it," he muttered, his cheeks growing red from embarrassment. "Nobody could've dodged that final barrage of his."

"Who says you have to dodge it?" Crusher butted in. "Troweler just built a solid enough barrier and he blocked it fine!" he said, with a hearty laugh as he remembered that particular fight.

"Blocking isn't the same as dodging!" Piercer tried to refute. "At any rate, I doubt that even Baller would've dodged what Kai did to Troweler afterward." He winced, a memory of Troweler himself being tossed into the air and slammed into his own wall unfortunately resurfacing.

"Hey, I thought you didn't care about the tournament, Piercer!" Baller crowed, laughing as he slapped his companion on the back.

Piercer's blood drained, as he realized his mistake. "Shut up," he feebly muttered, knocking Baller's arm off of him.

Just then, the crowd fell into silence as the roar of several trumpets blared from the king's viewing stand. Standing there was none other than Caster, holding her wand over the crowd like a conductor's baton. With a downward wave of the baton, the sounds of the trumpets ceased.

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!" she announced, cupping her fingers over her mouth. "Those of you who've been with us since the start, you all know what this match is all about! The best of the best, the cream of the crop, duking it out to prove who's supreme!" she crowed, the crowd cheering louder in response. "And now, right in front of your very eyes, you'll get to see who's the best Quazer in all of Draco-!"

"Yes, that will do, Caster, thank you," King quickly interrupted. He scanned the crowd, a smile growing on his face from seeing his people so delighted. "I thank you all for coming. But before we start this next match, I have something to tell you all." The crowd became almost entirely silent, all attention directed toward the King. "I know what the Darkin have wrought. Day after day, we have seen villages ransacked, innocents slain... all in the name of a group that aims to bring chaos back to these lands," the King began, his voice somber. "Many of us here have felt the mark they've left on Draco. And none more than the warriors that fight before you today. Soon, through their strength, we will take back our lands and bring peace back to the Kingdom. So before this final match starts..." the King waved a hand across the entire crowd, "...please, everyone, give a big hand to my children, the Masters!"

Ever louder applause came from the crowd, this time having a moral obligation to be hyped up. Baller immediately got up and took a great, sweeping bow. The members of the audience closer to the four Masters started applauding for them, specifically. Slicer quickly pushed Baller down while Crusher meaningfully jabbed his elbow into Baller's rib. Piercer just shrank further into the corner, glaring at Baller all the same. Thankfully, he found a distraction as the two most powerful Masters emerged into the arena.

Kai walked in with his hands in his pockets, an intimidating gesture that he'd practiced while the other Masters were training. He swaggered onto the battlefield, acting as if he were just buying food from a supermarket. He waved to the audience, shooting sparks of energy from his hand. 

Zhao, meanwhile, emerged from the shadows of the opposite entrance. He put back his hood just a little, inadvertently revealing his cross-shaped scar. He nodded with a smile that seemed wise beyond his years. He'd summoned his bo staff, twirling it as he marched onto the field. However, after taking one look at Kai, Zhao looked back at his staff and decided to dispel it.

Seeing this, Piercer sat up, a confused look on his face. He knew that Zhao had four weapons at his disposal, but he'd almost always preferred to settle his conflicts with his bo staff. And now he was going in with no weapons at all? Just what was he thinking? Piercer thought to himself.

"Alright... I trust that you both know the rules by now," King announced. "The first one to successfully corner the other will be the winner. You two will begin on the count of three. Ready?"

Both Kai and Zhao nodded, readying themselves in fighting positions. Kai closed his fists, mana glowing through his palms. Zhao, for his part, assumed a more defensive stance, a much cooler form of mana enveloping himself.

"BEGIN!"

Chapter Text

Usually, a battle began with one fighter launching themselves at the other to begin their attack. However, neither Zhao nor Kai took the initiative, instead slowly circling around the center of the arena, waiting for the other to make their first move.

Slicer shivered. "...I'm not even fighting and I feel like I'm right in the center of battle," he said in an aside to Crusher, who nodded in agreement. He wasn't the only one; the tension of the battle seemed to get to everyone, filling the stadium with a silence it hadn't seen since it was previously abandoned.

After what felt like an eternity, Zhao made his first move: he put his left hand behind his back, sticking his right hand out as he got in a fighting stance.

Kai was taken aback by the gesture. "Hey, dude," he said slowly. "I don't know much about fighting styles and all that, but I don't think fighting with just one hand has ever been a good strategy."

Zhao chuckled. "Would you like to test your theory, then?" he asked, curving his fingers as if he was beckoning Kai to him.

Baller got up and jabbed Piercer urgently with his shoulder. "Dude! He's freakin' playing with Kai!" he whispered to the archer. "And you said Kai was the cocky one! This guy's completely nuts! What's he thinking!?"

Piercer shrugged, just as confused as Baller was. "I'm not sure... he's not the kind of person to just taunt an opponent without reason." Although everybody was aware of Zhao's power and knew that facing him would be an instant loss, Zhao always managed to make the fight seem balanced, managing to stoop himself to the other Master's level before gradually increasing the difficulty until they fell. For many, fighting him was more of a lesson rather than an actual brawl. Which begged the question: what sort of lesson was Zhao attempting to teach Kai?

Kai growled, forming a ball of mana on each of his hands. "Your loss, idiot!" he hollered, letting the balls of energy fly across the stadium.

Zhao made no attempt to move, staying still as a statue. When the masses of energy came just within Zhao's reach, he made two quick jabs, one for each ball. But no explosion came from the impact - the energy balls just popped out of existence with a plop.

A murmur of astonishment rose from the crowd. "Holy- WHAT!?" Baller cried, articulating the crowd's thoughts rather well. "How'd the hell did he do that!?"

Piercer shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine," he muttered, looking at his friend in admiration. It was nice to see people acknowledge his friend's power instead of just praising Kai all the time.

But nobody was as shocked as Kai, whose mana deserted his palms. "Wha - you nullified my attack!?" he cried.

Zhao nodded. "When you're tossing your mana as shallow projectiles like that, you're only making bubbles. I just had to pop them in the right place," he explained, holding his palm out. "You need to put more effort into your attacks, Kai."

"With pleasure!" Kai responded, letting loose a larger volley of projectiles. He put a bit of spin on some of the balls, causing them to curve around the stadium in unpredictable paths, whooshing through the air.

Zhao, again, remained where he was, raising his fist in preparation. Just like before, he nullified every single attack, turning what would've been massive explosions into little bursts of energy. He shook his hand to dissipate the sting before looking back at Kai, unimpressed. "You'll need to change up your strategy."

Kai snarled as he suddenly leaped into the air. By directing mana into the ground with his feet, he launched himself into the air, causing the floor beneath him to crack slightly. As he rose into the air, he formed little spherical bubbles that launched him on a set path, giving him the impression of flying. It wasn't nearly as graceful as Volucer's flights, but it was enough to send him circling around the arena. He rained energy orbs at his opponent from every direction, enveloping the room with the constant booming of thunder. Even Zhao couldn't keep up with blocking all the attacks and opted to dodge some of them, his eyes furrowed as he worked to anticipate Kai's next attack.

Contrary to what you'd expect, Kai only seemed to hit harder and faster as the battle carried on. But even he had to realize that this wasn't working. With a scream of frustration, he slammed his fists together, forming small orbs around his fists. With his newfound caesti, Kai launched himself toward Zhao. "HOW'S THIS FOR STRATEGY!?" he roared, pulling back his fist as he launched it towards Zhao, aiming for his chest.

However, he felt a great jolt run through his body as his fist was blocked by something. After a moment, Kai realized with a start that Zhao was blocking his attack with only his bo staff! And the guy wasn't even using both of his hands - he still kept one hand behind his back, wielding the staff with his right hand! As the dust settled, Zhao looked up at Kai, a somewhat impressed smile on his face. "Better," he commended.

At this point, Kai's rage snapped. Any other thoughts of strategy deserted his mind as he concentrated a great amount of mana into his fists. This caused the orbs around his fists to protrude with spikes. With something akin to a warcry, he threw himself towards Zhao, raining down punches on him from every which way.

However, Zhao had no problem keeping up with Kai, meeting Kai's attacks from every direction with the expert twist of his staff. He constantly poured mana into his weapon to keep it from breaking under Kai's onslaught.

Suddenly, Kai leaped back, torpedoing himself into the air as he launched more explosive orbs from his palms. When he reached the opposite side of the arena, he concentrated all of his mana into his palms, ready to form a devastating blast. "You sure like to talk big, don't you!?" he yelled.

Zhao used his staff to pull himself up. "No, Kai. I don't enjoy boasting about my abilities too often. But in your case, it is the only way to make you understand.."

Kai was just about done with this guy. "You want to teach me a lesson?" he said with incredulity. "Just what the hell do you want to impart upon me, O wise one?" he spat, his voice laden with vicious sarcasm.

"That you have not reached the apex of your abilities," Zhao explained. "As your comrades learned to master their abilities and use their mana the best they could, you chose to remain stagnant, thinking your weapons as superior enough to not need enhancements. But you must understand... you cannot improve by simply comparing yourselves to others. You have to better your own limits!" he declared. "And if it takes fighting someone your own size to accomplish this, then I'll do it to show you that you have a long way to go."

For a moment, Kai's rage left him. He had to admit that he understood the wisdom in what Zhao was saying. But still... he thought as his hands shook, I won't stand for being humiliated like this! With his attack completed, he held his hands so that his fingers were containing the blast, putting them to the side like a samurai about to draw his sword. "Then I hope this attack isn't too novel for you!" he cried. "Take-...THIS!" he roared, launching a devastating beam of pure energy at Zhao.

At the last moment, Zhao responded by blocking the attack, putting both of his hands on the staff as he quickly twirled it around. The staff became a great, circular shield as it warded off the blast. Then, he launched the remainder of Kai's beam up and threw his staff up with it, before slamming it down like a tennis player launching an overhead serve. The reflected beam was too fast for Kai to dodge, and he was struck by the full force of the blast, causing him to fall to the ground.

The crowd was hushed, and the stadium was silent for the ten seconds needed to declare a fighter down for the count. Then, finally, King's voice rang out, clear and confident as ever. "And the winner of our little tournament is ZHAO!" he declared.

The King's confidence brought the rest of the spectators out of their shock as the crowd erupted in applause, not just for Zhao but for both of the Masters. Then, Caster raised her wand once more, sending out blaring music that made the mood jovial once more. 

Crusher, who was gripping the railing during the battle, let go of it, letting out a deep sigh. "That was surely somethin', wasn't it?" he murmured in reverence.

"You said it, Crusher," Slicer replied. His initial shock at what just happened faded into explosive awe as he laughed in excitement. "We really are the best!" he crowed, feeling a new surge of confidence. "Those Darkin won't stand a chance!"

Baller remained uncharacteristically silent, standing shock-still as he tried to process the fight. "Woah... that was amazing!" he cheered. "I gotta admit, your friend's a godly fighter!" he said to Piercer. "But still, even he was pushed to his limit at the end-"

"He was still holding back, Baller," Piercer said.

Baller looked at Piercer in surprise. "What?" he scoffed. "No way," he said weakly, as he came across the fact that Zhao could possibly be even more powerful than he was just now.

Piercer nodded grimly. "I can tell when he's holding back. I'd bet that he'd have blocked Kai's final blast with just one hand," he explained.

"But why would he do that!?" Baller cried out. "Didn't Zhao just give this big talk about not being arrogant?"

Piercer looked at Baller strangely, with a maturity beyond his years. "I believe it was out of respect."

Baller's confusion at that statement was mirrored in Kai's, as he slowly pulled himself up into a sitting position. Now that the battle was over, Kai had to admit that Zhao was right. Kai had been slacking on doing actual training because he'd thought that he didn't need it like the others. Now, he realized that he was dead wrong. If he was aiming on getting anywhere with his powers, he'd had to put in the effort. As he sat up and watched the crowd, he felt a sense of pride that he hadn't felt in a while. If it was for protecting the people he cared about, Kai would go all the way.

"That was a fine match, Kai. Well fought," Zhao said, holding out a hand to help him up.

"Thanks," Kai coughed as he allowed the help. "Say... since you're so tough, could you give me any pointers?" he asked, meeting Zhao's gaze for a second before looking away in embarrassment.

Zhao hummed. "I find helping the other Masters to be very fulfilling. You'd be surprised. When they're developing their powers, they can use their mana in ways that I'd never have dreamed of." He smiled comradely as he held out a hand. "You can help me to do so if you like."

After a moment's silence, Kai took a handshake. "That works for me," he affirmed. He looked up and saw Caster gesticulating widely with her arms at them before waving them to the King, who held up a hand in acknowledgment. "Seems like the King wants to talk to you," Kai pointed out.

Zhao nodded, an admiring smile on his face. In a world of chaos and uncertainty, the King's guidance and support meant the world to all of the Masters, who had their lives irrevocably ruined by the Darkin's plots. "I'd imagine he wants to talk to the both of us. Meet you there?" he asked.

Kai grinned as he felt his entire worldview shift. Now that he had a reason to improve himself, he felt like he could tackle anything instead of fading into stagnation. He always knew that he would give it his all to protect his fellow Masters and the whole of Draco against the Darkin, and now he knew how to reach his full potential.

"Meet you there!" Kai agreed, vanishing into one of the stadium's entrances, the cheers of the crowd fading as he resumed his own path.