Accessory Wars

Chapter 25-Felisa

            The floor vibrated as the first strikes landed and a lot of eyes shifted upwards to the ceiling before turning back to the televisions or their stretches. The first pair of matches each lasted a little over three minutes before the next groups were told to enter. Our match was thirteenth so we had more time to wait. With each new team exiting our queue, my body became tenser. I didn't know how Kami kept so calm. I wished I had her composure.

The door to the stadium opened and a staff member called out our names. My spine stiffened as Kami ushered me outside. Our opponent, Stan and Brently, exited the room to our left. I equipped Kami and hopped on the small lift. I kept my eyes on Stan as we rose upwards. He was a water attunement but there was very little footage of him online so I didn't know much about his abilities. His armor was a nice blue color with white and sandy accents, reminding me of the beach. At his side sat a whip made of twisted white cord and a small, coral colored ring sat on Stan's lip.

"Time to use that big brain of yours. Find us an opening," Kami said.

The hatch above me opened and I ducked as fire roared above my head. I slipped out beneath the flames, skirting away to avoid getting burned. My body managed to heal from my last encounter with intense heat and I'd prefer it stay that way. I barely had time to get into place when the buzzer sounded for our fight to begin.

"Jaded Reef!" Stan shouted. He cracked his whip and green colored coral erupted in a line towards me. I rolled to the side and the coral followed. Coral. I knew nothing about coral. I summoned a mystery box and pulled out a box of matches. No more fire. I tossed the matches away.

My eyes snapped upwards and my headgear told me the ceiling was five stories above my head. That meant using it as a grapple point wouldn't be an option unless I wanted to leave myself open. I grappled to the wall and snapped open my parasol, crouching down to hide behind it. Stan cracked his whip and I felt water dripping over my legs. I glanced at my feet, seeing water running down the wall. So long as I kept my feet planted, I wouldn't lose my footing. That meant I couldn't move from my current position.

My reticle locked onto Stan's side and I fired. The shot glanced off and he looked down at his side in surprise. I fired again with the same results. Why my head gear kept telling me that was his weak point was beyond me. The shots were not going through. Stan whirled his whip above his head and created a disc of water. It flew at me with a crack of the cord, slamming into my umbrella. It shoved me backwards and my footing slipped. I shifted my umbrella so I coasted downwards, which left me wide open.

Kami had me flick the parasol shut and I dropped, a meteor flying over my head. I snapped open the parasol at the last second to ease my fall. Then I tucked into a roll as I hit the ground and sprang to my feet.

"Command Reversal," I called out, spinning my umbrella. Stan went to raise his whip arm and instead raised his empty one.

"What?!" he cried. I darted in an arc, snapping the parasol closed once more. I locked onto his side and fired as Stan tried to figure out how to move. This time the armor shattered. In his panicked state, I shot forward and whacked him over the head with my umbrella. He crumpled, the buzzer sounding overhead.

"Ha!" Kami barked. Staff came and dragged Stan off the floor. "Felisa. Hey, we need to go.' It took a moment for me to realize my match was done. I glanced at the screens, seeing my name advance on the bracket. A timer in the corner of my head gear showed less than a minute. By far, it was the easiest fight I'd been in.

I jogged over to one of the lifts and the hatch opened, allowing me to hop on. It descended back down to the under area where a staff member gave me a quick look over. I looked over to where a staff member propped Stan on his shoulder. I'm sure he'd have a lump on his head. When Brently appeared, he winced as the medics lifted up his shirt. Cracked ribs, by the look of it. I felt awful that I was the one that caused the injury. The price to pay for being a fighter. I'm sure I'd have a few bruises before I left too.