Entanglement
1
This is the story of how Maria, Yuki, and Styx win the Trinity Tournament...
Maybe.
I have to say maybe because the truth is even with the limitless power of being the narrator I don't know. The problem lies in what the champions of Sarun had unwittingly done not only to themselves but to their universe and those of all their competitors. Without even fully comprehending the idea of multiple worlds a single universe developed the technology to travel between world lines freely. A privilege usually only granted to highly tested individuals for the purpose of fixing broken timelines. Instead the technology had fallen into the hands of those that didn't understand it's implications.
The champion shade used this ability to visit a world line and recruit Maria to gather a team and join her tournament. That is one universe's versions of Maria, Yuki, and Styx were first introduced to the kingdom a Sarun. The reason they have returned is due to the unfortunate side effects the kingdom had unknowingly brought upon themselves.
They have created a knot in the world lines. A complicated tangle of 11 dimensional space and time. This causes two problems. First, it is this knot that keeps me from clearly seeing how the events of the tournament will play out. The second and much more important is that tangled world lines tend to try and untangle themselves by destroying whatever is causing the knot. Three years ago the world lines were unable to untangle when the Mist Claws revived an ancient dragon but were stopped by a group of free-spirited time travelers. With the world lines even more entangled than before I'm afraid that this time around things might go much worse.
2
After the opening ceremonies finished tournament staff gathered all of the team captains including Yuki to give more details about the first round and what each team's responsibilities the night before the tournament officially began. His team happily left him to the boring work and headed back to the hotel room. Maria took a shower to pass the time and Styx tried to come up with some strategies for the next day's fight. After about an hour Yuki came back and newly reunited the three made their way into the town and wandered around for a bit searching for a place to get some food. Eventually, they came across a tavern that they vaguely remembered. A large hand carved sign hung from a metal pole extending out from the building.
"The Lazy Fox. I remember this place. Although it looks different."
Maria thought back to three years ago and the many drinks she never managed to have there. She decided she wanted to stop in before the fighting started and she was trapped in another endless cycle of overnight hospital stays. Yuki interrupted her train of thought.
"Most of this place did have to be rebuilt. Either way, it smells good in there and I'm hungry so I'm going in."
Yuki made his way in through the entrance and Styx followed unquestioningly behind him. Maria briefly wondered how she had lost the initiative and decided to take it back. She ran in after her team and squeezed through them to take her rightful spot at the front. A bright and cheery woman was attending to customers at one of the tables. When she was done she turned and her previous demeanour faded away. She moved one hand to massage her lower back and rested the other on her protruding stomach.
"Come this way, there is a table near the back that you can have."
She seemed to have escaped into herself. Yuki figured she was probably shy and struggling to deal with the tournament bringing so many new faces. Maria didn't notice anything and trotted along to the table and took her seat. Her team followed shortly after. The woman pulled out a small notepad and a pen and leaned in over the table.
"What can I get you all to drink?"
Maria answered for the table.
"Three beers. Whatever kind you stock just make sure it's not the cheap stuff."
Yuki jumped into the conversation.
"Maria I don't drink!"
"I know that. I want two. Anyway ma'am, junior here would like a milk on the rocks."
Yuki sat quietly and put on a sour face. The barmaid closed her notepad and began to walk away. Maria leaned out from her chair and yelled to the woman as she left.
"Make it 2%. He's getting a little schlubby."
Yuki was a bit upset that Maria was mocking him but he did like milk so he decided not to say anything. The barmaid returned quickly with their drinks. One ale for Styx, two for Maria, and for Yuki a whiskey glass filled with an opaque white and three ice cubes.
"I didn't expect them to actually put it on the rocks."
Maria had already started into her first drink when the barmaid took their orders. The three teammates somehow managed to share a normal moment together as they talked and ate a meal together. Because Yuki had been late to the opening ceremony Styx filled him in on all the important details while Maria filled him in on all the unimportant ones.
"So what's next captain?"
Yuki looked up in thought for a moment and then answered Maria's question.
“We have a few hours free but then we have to meet with our first round opponents and try to agree on a match-type."
"Any particular plan for that?"
"One on one would be best. Styx is strong but I'd rather not get caught in her friendly fire again."
Styx turned slightly toward Yuki and with the barest amount of effort squeaked out a response.
"I apologized for that."
"We're still not allowed back in New Hampshire."
"There's not much to see there anyway."
Maria leaned back her glass and finished off the last of her drink. While Yuki and Styx were reminiscing about good times she figured she track down another drink. She jumped up from her chair and put her hands in her pockets.
"I'll be back, I'm getting another drink."
And so Maria left to go do stupid shit by herself with nothing bad happening as a result.
3
I will now explain the bad things that happened as a result. As she was making her way to the bar an older man approached her and placed his hand on her shoulder. A patch of black scales briefly protruded from the man's sleeve before drawing back in where they belonged. Maria turned to face him. He stared at her with piercing green eyes. The man had curly brown hair and a thick beard about an inch long that just barely concealed black scales.
"Excuse me but aren't you one of the competitors in this year's tournament."
Maria narrowed her eyes and looked over the man. She felt something was strange about him but decided to humour his question anyway.
"Yes. What of it?"
"Ah, you see my name is Alabast Farsemaster. I work for the local press and tournament time is big businesses."
He waggled his finger in front of her face for emphasis.
"I'm trying to run stories on as many of the teams as I can talk to. Will you answer a few questions?"
"I don't see a problem with that."
Alabast Farsemaster pulled over a seat from a nearby table and sat down. He pulled out a pad and a pen. His black scales once again flashed briefly. Maria made no attempt to sit and stood exactly where she was with her hands in her pockets.
"Yes, now who are the members of your team?"
"My name is Maria. My teammates are Yuki and Styx. We are on team Black Cats and we're going to win this tournament."
Alabast Farsemaster nodded and wrote something on his notepad.
"Make sure you write down the part about winning. It's important."
"Yes, I got that. Now, about the fellows you were matched against in round one. Do they worry you at all?"
"No."
"But..."
"No."
The man's eyes narrowed a bit and then he once again wrote something on his notepad.
"With all that confidence you must be a very powerful team. What kind of fighting style do you use?"
Maria continued to stand as still as stone. After a long pause she answered his question.
"Styx mostly just hits things really hard. There's no finesse to her. Try not to get hit too hard by her."
"Well not me, but I understand your point. Go on."
"Yuki's revision is called soul eater. Actually I guess I should explain what a revision is. You see depending on the source of a person's powers...”
Alabast Farsemaster shook his head up and down as Maria rambled on about the differences between a superhuman ability considered a revision and a superhuman ability that isn't. He didn't see the importance of such a minute distinction and didn't write any of it down.
“Anyway If he can make contact with an enemy he can drain all of their energy and make them unable to continue fighting. It's best if you try and keep your distance."
The man resumed his note taking as maria continued.
"I named my revision ghost in the shell. I can wear souls like armour and gain their aspects. In essence, I can use other people's revisions as if they were my own powers. Avoid me too. Basically don't even show up for our fight."
"Yes, yes. Maria tells the other teams not to bother showing up. That will make a great headline."
Alabast Farsemaster wrote everything down with haste and then stood up quickly. He put out his hand to shake but Maria never took her hands out of her pockets. He pulled back his extended hand and brushed it against his clothes.
"Well, I must get going. These stories won't print themselves you understand."
The man turned and walked quickly away. Maria pulled her hand from her pocket and pointed to the man's turned back. Her eyes narrowed and focused.
"Your next line is, 'actually I was the enemy team captain all along!'"
The man turned to show an expression of disbelief on his face.
"No. Why would I come out and say that!?"
Maria's expression relaxed a little and she dropped her hand back to her side. She looked around the room and shrugged in a gesture that said, 'come on man play along.'
"Ok, so I don't know why you would just say it! But it's true, right."
"..."
Alabast Farsemaster ran.
4
The location that the two teams had agreed to meet up to discuss their round was a hotel room. More specifically Vex, Sivlis, and Gorbac's hotel room on the second floor of the special contestant hotel. It was a very large room much bigger than the one the Black Cats were staying in. To the left of the front door was a kitchenette and to the right was a bathroom. Along the far wall were three beds and two large windows. Directly in the middle of the room was a round table with three matching wooden chairs and three mismatched folding chairs set up around it.
"Son of a bitch. They get three beds."
"Shut up Yuki."
Styx' cold glare hit him sharply and he dropped the matter. The three wooden chairs were already occupied. Vex took one, Gorbac took two, and Sivlis stood on top of the table. Yuki and Styx took the seats across from them and Maria stood behind them menacingly. Vex was positioned as the center of his team. His golden hair flowed down around his dark patches of scales and his sharp green eyes peered over his crossed hands directly at Yuki. Gorbac sat to his right and took two chairs to support his massive frame. Being an Orc was already enough to create significant intimidation but his scar covered body made him look like an even more formidable opponent. Sivlis stood on the left covered in a purple robe that did little to hide her reptilian build. The team put out an impressive tension in the air that Vex was the first to break.
"So glad you could come. I suppose we should get right down to businesses then?"
Yuki nodded in affirmation. He would let them get their ideas out first and then try to manipulate them to be closer to what he wanted.
"Good, good. Well, this is trinity tournament after all so I suppose we should give the crowd what they want. A simple three on three."
"Tha' be about right I reckon. Gotta give 'em wha' they want!"
Sivlis chittered in support. Vex continued his proposal. Styx, Yuki, and especially Maria all held straight faces.
"Why don't we just go with the default match type. We just get in there and fight until one team beats the other."
Yuki shifted a bit in his chair and put his hand to his chin in thought. His team wasn't so much a team as a collection of three horribly synchronized people of loose affiliation. The last thing he wanted was to have to coordinate as a team. One on One battles would be much better. And if he managed to win his fight, perhaps against the little dinosaur thing, then they could completely keep Styx abilities in the dark and use her as a sweeper in the next round.
"That's good. One team vs another. How about a best of three."
Sivlis jumped up and down a bit chirping. Vex smiled and chuckled lightly. He rested his hands on the table one over the other.
"Don't worry Sivlis, I'm not going to agree to that."
Styx leaned back and a smirk ran across her face.
"Yuki, you've upset their velociraptor. Apologize."
Sivlis became even more irritated and let out more agitated clicks. If they had been able to understand what she was saying it would have been something along the lines of, 'I'm descended from dragons you clods!' Vex filled in for her lack of clear communication.
"She's a Kobold. They are a draconic race."
Gorbac added his opinion to the fold.
"Yeah. Tha's not nice lass. Ya gotta be as purrty on the inside as on tha outside. And you are quite purrty on tha outside."
Yuki felt the situation slipping away from him and tried to regain some control.
"So I take it a series of one on one fights is something you're against."
"Aye. We entered as a team and we expect to fight as a team."
Shit was the only word that ran through Yuki's head at that moment. He spent a few more minutes trying to convince the enemies to fight one on one but he already knew he had no hope of changing their minds. In the end, he agreed and the two captains shook hands. He and Styx stood up and they turned to leave. Vex gave his parting words followed closely by Gorbac.
"Pleasure doing businesses with you."
"Yeah, come again. 'sepcially the tall lass with the nice chest. We could have los' of fun."
Styx rolled her eyes so hard it was nearly audible. She and Yuki continued walking until they were outside of the room. Maria, however, had stopped dead just before the door frame. She pulled her finger from her pocket and pointed it accusingly at Vex.
"Your next line is, 'They fell right into my plan!'"
"..."
Vex looked at her with a puzzled expression that could only be matched by his two teammates similar expressions.
"No. Why would I say that. Especially not with you still in the room."
Maria pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration for a moment before bringing her eyes back up to meet his.
"Fine, whatever. But the litle bit of information you've gathered won't help you tomorrow."
Vex's expression turned to one of worry as he watched her teammates turn around, one with and expression of confusion and the other with and expression of anger. He darted across the room and putting his full weight in began to push Maria. Her feet didn't budge but she slid slowly out of the door which was promptly shut on them and locked with an audible click. Vex leaned with his back against the door putting all his weight on it. From the other side they heard a muffled voice.
"Sorry to put you out but we need to get our rest. There's big day of fighting ahead of us tomorrow you understand."
Two searing hot glares hit Maria hard. She slowly moved her gaze to the gaudy paisley carpeting on the hotel floor. Styx stood in silent fury and Yuki sighed.
"What did you do?"
5
The sun was painting the sky a bright red as it's final act before sinking away behind the curvature of the planet forever, or at least until morning. Maria was wandering aimlessly throughout Sarun. She didn't know what she was looking for but knew she had to find it and soon. Anything that could inspire her.
After the meeting had gone terribly wrong Maria had been left to explain to her team what happened. She didn't catch every single detail because the sound of Vex loudly pretending to snore behind the locked door was distracting but she knew the important parts. First was that Styx was pissed; a common but unfortunate situation. The second and much more upsetting effect was that Yuki was disappointed. She wished that he would just be angry too.
While she maintained strongly that they could still easily win she couldn't take the disappointment and promised to make everything up to them. She promised that she would come up with the ultimate plan to win in the first round. Unfortunately, Maria had no idea how to make a plan. Maria was more the type to make everything up as she went along.
In any given fight Maria's strategy included doing something cool. If that didn't work she would do the same thing over and over again hoping for a different result. While completely insane this method did bring her surprisingly good results. Determination, in general, is much less effective than talent or strategy but because Maria has access to an infinite amount of determination the math usually worked out on her side.
While Maria already knew her determination would win her the fight tomorrow in the tournament's first round she figured it wouldn't help her come up with a plan tonight. She spent hours trying to get something to come to mind but nothing ever did and for the first time in her life she gave up. She started to walk back to the hotel after deciding she would just have to brute force the first round and keep apologizing to her team until they got tired of being mad at her.
She made her way back but paused in front of the door to the room. She didn't want to go in without a plan but she had no idea what to do. Yuki had wanted to win the first round giving out as little information as possible. He didn't want anyone to know Styx' fighting style. Maria shook her head and built up the courage to go inside. She was finally ready for the awkward silence and sleeping in the bathtub she had ahead of her. She reached into her back pocket for the room key.
"What?"
Maria couldn't find the key. First, she thought that it was one more screw up for Yuki to get mad about when he had to pay a replacement fee but then she remembered she didn't have one to begin with. The hotel room with two beds for the trinity tournament had also come with a matching two keys for the three people staying in the room. Yuki had taken one when he left early to have breakfast in town and Styx had carried the other with her when they both left for the arena. Maria hadn't seen her teammate in hours and was really hoping that they hadn't decided to go out for dinner without her. If they weren't in the room she would be completely locked out of the room with nothing to do but sit curled up in the hall like an abandoned puppy.
"locked out..."
Maria began to beat excitedly on the door. After a moment she stopped and stood alone in the hallway. She began to chuckle to herself and then she spoke to herself in a whisper.
"locked out"
In front of her the door opened. Yuki stood on the other side. Maria stood shaking gently in the hall with a stupid looking smile on her face. She looked like someone remembering a funny joke.
"Good your back. We're going out for food. Want to..."
Without warning she jumped forward and knocked Yuki over.
"I figured it out. I know how we're gonna win!"
