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Fruit enjoys a lot of things about MCC. He loves his teams, he likes seeing the games evolve, but more than anything else, it’s the competition that he truly lives for. He may not be as vocal about it as some others (one friend of his in particular coming to mind) but there’s really nothing that comes close to the feeling of battling for the top spot.
The Ender Cup just happens to be the perfect setup for it. Not as many top players had signed up this time and on his way here from HBG, he’d heard the rumors. The games hadn't even started, and all anyone can talk about is whether he or Purpled will take first. Whether this is finally the time the coin record will be broken. Sure there’s the usual discussion of team placements, but it’s in the background, and Fruit finds that he doesn’t care about that as much as he usually does. His team is here to have fun and he respects that. He’d be happy to take a break and relax alongside them, but he catches Purpled’s eye as they wait in the lobby, sees his taunting grin, and well, can he really be blamed for setting his sights high?
Sky Battle as a first game is both good and bad, he thinks, as the admins announce it and he waits for the teleport. It’s undoubtedly his best game, and he’s confident he can do well even with a weaker team, but he worries that it’s a bit too early. A good start is always nice, helps with the mental, but it won’t get him as many points as it would if they’d have been able to save it for last. He’ll have to play it smart, get kill points and survival points if he wants to make the most out of it. Neither he nor Purpled truly have a bad game, but Sky Battle is his. The fans might overexaggerate, but the statistics don’t lie. There’s a reason his name is synonymous with Sky Battle records.
As the teleport kicks in and his vision fades from black into vivid color, he immediately takes stock of the surroundings. A water elevator next to him means there are supplies on top, so that’s where they’ll head first. He can’t see any teams around, so they likely have some time, but he’s wary of getting his own team caught in an ambush. The next thing he notices is the kit, particularly the trident in his hand. He’s not as familiar with a trident as a sword or an axe, but he’s practiced with Fein enough to be competent. Hopefully that will give him an advantage, but a sword would still be better. He’ll need to make one.
The countdown ends and Fruit throws himself into motion. Gearing up is second nature and he flies from chest to chest, keeping an ear out for his teammates behind him. He breathes a sigh of relief as he picks up two diamonds, mind already steps ahead, when a trident slams into the rock next to his head. His eyes widen and he ducks, just catching a hint of purple outfits. He calls it out as he makes his way back to the team, but thankfully the purple team don’t seem interested in chasing him, regrouping to focus on their own strategy.
There’s a warning alarm as the border begins to shrink, and Fruit knows they need to move forward. The next island is a ship, floating in the air, and he’s about to start placing down a bridge when he hears his teammate’s shouts. The purple team may not have chased him, but now his team is stuck in a standoff with them, throwing tridents back and forth. Barring an extremely lucky shot, they should be fine, so he relies on the distraction to quickly start his bridge.
He’s so focused on it that he nearly jumps as a trident grazes his arm, momentum carrying him back into the wall he thankfully thought to build. He snarls, ripping it from the wall and throwing it back before the enchantment can do it. He doesn’t spare the time to see if he hit anyone, quickly finishing the bridge and sprinting back to his team.
“On the bridge, let’s go!” He shouts, taking a few shots with his own trident before rushing forward again. The boat proves to be a good vantage point to purple’s bridge, and a few well timed throws are enough to knock them straight into the void, one by one. He catches Scott’s eye on the way down, and Fruit has a bit of a sinking feeling that he might get benched next event. No time to worry now though, time is running out.
They aren’t the first team to the middle, and it’s chaos despite having taken out the entire team next to them. Fruit forges ahead, claiming a small area for them, but they’re quickly pressed in on either side. Nowhere to go but forward, so Fruit rushes up only to come face to face with Purpled.
For a split second they stare at each other, but it’s Purpled who reacts first, trident raised, and Fruit bolts. It’s not worth risking that fight now, not without his team, and he darts inside a small building, shoving the door closed just in time as Philza appears out of nowhere. They lock eyes for a moment, but there’s easier prey elsewhere and Philza turns away.
There’s no sigh of relief now though. Whole teams saw him run in here, and Fruit knows he’s caught. He can hear his teammates' cries getting further away, there’s no chance he’ll be able to meet up with them. With no other choice, he digs down and out, breaking into the very center. There’s a ring of water around open air, nowhere else to go. He glances around frantically, but no one seems focused on him, so he burrows into the side and blocks himself off.
In the sudden muffled silence, he can hear his heart racing. The sounds of fighting come close, but none seem to notice him. He’s safe for a brief moment, time to get his bearings back and take stock. He swaps out his trident for the sword, everything will be close combat now and a trident will only slow him down. He takes a breath, letting his heart rate slow down, and waits for the right opportunity.
In the end he can’t be too picky. It’s far too soon that he feels the burning feeling of the ever closing border scalding his back. No choice left, he breaks out of the side and darts toward the center to start building. Muscle memory kicks in and he stops thinking. This is the part he does best, after all.
He towers into the center, fast as lightning, a spiral staircase above the void. He lashes out blindly as the remaining teams close around him, diamond sword finally useful. He can hear his team’s voices swirling around his head, spectating the final fight, urging him on. The border is close now, heat on all sides, and as more and more bodies fall into the void, a familiar face breaks into his newly made box. It’s no surprise that Shane is still here at the end, but Fruit has the advantage of walls at his back and sides, while Shane is perched precariously on the ledge. He’s still a formidable opponent though, and Fruit barely reacts in time to block the sword with his own. He grits his teeth and shoves, Shane’s manic grin fading into a split second of panic as he wobbles backwards, feet slipping on the edge. Fruit capitalizes on it, shoving them both forward.
He nearly loses his own footing in the process, but Fruit feels the weightlessness of flight kick in as Shane’s form flickers out below him. He hovers in place, silence setting in. “I won?” he asks more than says to the now empty void, incredulously. Everything was so chaotic at the end, not like his usual confident wins, but he’ll take it. A win is a win, and as he regains his bearings he shoots a grin into the air above him, where he knows everyone is watching. Sound comes back, his teammates cheering even though he can’t see them now, and though he’d like to bask in the, in his opinion, well deserved praise, there’s still two more rounds left.
A second’s reprieve is all they have before they’re all back at the start, gear and weapons removed, revived for round two. The trident cut on his arm is gone along with the other scrapes and bruises he didn’t have time to feel but is sure he acquired in the final minutes of the round. A quick glance shows his team in third, not bad at all considering the circumstances, but he can do better.
Focus. It’s the same map, same route at the start. He grabs the same items, the same diamonds, the same sword. He’s faster this time, more precise, and he’s long gone by the time the team next to them arrives. His team is already taking potshots at them, and he joins them in between trying to build out their bridge. The tridents are better than he’d expected, their infinite use and long range allowing them to keep the other teams at a distance. It also makes the perfect distraction for Fruit to sneak ahead, building back out to the same boat. The lime team tries to challenge it, but Fruit is simply faster.
They take the boat, then the ring, and then they’re faster still to the center. His teammates even manage a kill on their way, and he’s feeling confident. They’re ahead of pace with a second to breathe as they set up a base when Fruit spots the movement beneath them.
He feels a tiny bit bad about dropping a creeper straight into Jojo’s hiding spot, hopes she doesn’t remember it in later games, but it certainly doesn’t break his focus. He hears footsteps above and springs into action, chasing down a few others, but he isn’t able to get the killing blow on any, and that’s where it all starts to go wrong. He realizes his mistake when his teammate’s screams cut off abruptly, and he’s very suddenly cognizant of being alone in a sea of teams.
Back to what he knows, then. The border is closing anyways so he makes a break for it, charging the center and building up. Before anyone can react he’s blocked himself in, eyes scanning the battlefield for a weakness. He finds it quickly, and can’t help his grin when he easily sends Purpled into the void with a trident stuck in his chest. He swears he can see Purpled roll his eyes at him on the way down, and he just laughs. He’ll be taking the top spot for this round at least.
It’s not over yet though, there’s more points to be had, and Fruit refocuses. There’s a bridge in front of him and he runs, sword catching Puffy below her ribs right as she hits False off the bridge in turn. He whirls around as they both fall, ready for the next blow, but it never comes. Instead his turn goes weightless, feet floating inches above the ground as he realizes he’s won again. He laughs breathlessly, a thrill rushing through him, and it carries along as he’s teleported right back to the start.
Third and final round. Their team is in second, and Fruit can only guess at his individual placement, but he knows it’s good. He’s cautious of getting too excited, but a three round win is exactly what he needs to start this event off. Everything he’s done so far has worked, so no reason to switch it up.
Except he can’t grab the diamonds, because the cyan team is already there. He has no idea how they were faster, but he can’t risk a fight on his own this early. He’s forced to back off, but his eye catches on more diamonds closer to the center. It’s close to cyan’s bridge, it’s certainly a risk, but if he can get them without a fight, it would be worth it.
Fruit can be patient when he needs to. He waits for the moment when his team has cyan distracted, and he darts under them, breaking the blocks and back with his teammates before they can even blink. A stray trident nearly catches his leg, but he has his sword and that’s what’s important. He can’t be waiting for his trident to return in the chaos of the final moments.
They’re late to mid, but it’s surprisingly empty. Empty enough that they’re able to claim the rooftop of a house before the crowds come. It’s almost disturbingly quiet when he hears the shouts and they’re suddenly surrounded. The cyan team reappears behind them, and Fruit can’t defend them from three sides. When he’s busy deflecting tridents from the left, he’s not watching their backs, and before he can even react his team is gone, vanished into the sea of enemies.
Well, back to what he knows best, he supposes. He’s about to rush for the middle when he pauses, seeing the chaos of bridges colliding and fights above him. They know his trick by now, and he’s not early enough to get a head start. If he goes up there he’s dead. He has enough points, he could probably get a few kills and guarantee a good score, but in the back of his mind, he wants the triple win. Needs it.
So instead, he tunnels into the ground. He hears movement ahead, his teammates calling Hbomb’s name into his ears. He’s not the only one with this plan, and he turns to what should be an easy kill. Should be, but H is fast, and before he can catch him he’s up and back out into the chaos above. Tunneling turns out to have been a good call regardless as he hides, watching people fall from above straight into the waiting void. The border eventually forces him to build out, but no one bothers to look down for him. He hefts his trident onto his back, pulling out the sword he’d risked getting earlier, and waits for his opportunity. The border scorches his back but still he waits, just a little longer, when there’s only one left, and he springs forward. Michela turns just in time to see him coming, jumping over him and onto his own bridge, her sword held in front. But she’s put herself in a bad position, and Fruit pounces on instinct. He’s not sure whether it’s his sword or the border that kills her, but the momentum carries him forward long after her body has disappeared. Floating above the void he turns to the sky and laughs, adrenaline surging as he shouts triumphantly.
Their team skyrockets into first place, but that’s not the score Fruit is really waiting for. The sweetness of victory comes when he sees his name first in individual, over a hundred points above Purpled in second. He thinks he hears Scott mumble something about why he even invites him, but it’s more than drowned out by his team’s cheers as they congratulate him.
He’s still out of breath when he finally makes it back to the lobby and to the leaderboard, but he manages a laugh when he sees himself on the top podium. He isn’t sure he’ll be able to keep it, but that’s the fun part anyways. “Game’s on Fruit,” he hears from behind, and he turns to face his rival. Purpled leans against the wall casually, eyes focused on the leaderboard above them. “You win the first round, I’ll admit. But we’ve got a long way to go.”
“Oh yeah?” Fruit raises an eyebrow. “Then catch me if you can,” he taunts. Purpled’s eyes narrow, and Fruit grins. The night is young, the competition is good, and they have records to break. He wouldn’t miss it for the world.