Just Fight.

So if you ever find yourself in an all-out battle tournament where the victor takes the loser as their ****, here's a hot tip for you:
Don't make friends with the other contestants.

All right?
Take it from someone who's had to learn that the hard way
You're there to fight them. They're meant to be your enemies.
Don't take me wrong. You don't have to be glad when they become enslaved. But you don't have to get your heart broken either!
Sure, call me selfish all you want. But then what if you're the one who ends up conquered and claimed by some scantily clad snake-lady? Huh? Then wouldn't your friends rather have been spared the pain of watching you become the mindless groveling thrall of her depraved desires?

It's not worth it.
You don't wanna end up like me, numbly staring at the D-bracket duking it out between themselves, all alone in a sea of people.
First out was a **** Knight, a seven foot tall monstrosity with a sword or an ax in each of its four arms. Her opponent was Poor Girl Sally, a barefoot girl with stringy brown hair under her wide-brimmed hat. The tattered dress hugging her petite figure was of the same pale greenish hue of brown that has to be specially designed to look as much as vomit as possible.
Now, fighting that **** Knight... It was more like fighting a tornado than a person. He was a walking talking natural disaster. And the poor poor girl, Sally, was caught right in its epicenter.
Which isn't to say that she fought poorly. No. She deftly dodged away from each of the humongous weapons coming crashing down at her almost simultaneously. Some of the time Sally even stopped the incoming blows with her bare hands.

You might even have thought Sally was going to win that match.
And you know what?
So she did.
The stone she picked up was flicked into the **** Knight's armor. Loud hollow clunking and clanking followed as it bounced around inside. At first I thought that only made sense if the armor was empty, or maybe worn by a g-g-g-g-ghost. But no. Blood seeped through from between the plates, and she crashed to the ground.
That stone bounced around the armor and burrowed through her tissue like nothing.

Yeah... That Poor Girl Sally was a behemoth of a fighter. What's weird about her though was at that point she'd won no less than 1 200 Gold from the Tournament! She's not a poor girl no more!
They really should change her title to Moderate Means Sally. At least she'd be able to afford a better dress. Or maybe some shoes.
But no.
Sure, the Tournament takes time. As does tailoring. And cobblering. But there's gotta be some substitute for those rags, right?

I heard a rumor that her last opponent, Ojou Sama's Servant, which apparently was her title and name, tried bribing Sally with a settlement of no less than 1 000 Coins.
Obviously that's some grade-A bull though. That'd mean she'd have offered more for the victory than she'd stand to gain from winning the match. Sure, she'd end up more than making up for it if she passed to the finals... But she'd hardly be able to do that! Not if she had to rely on bribing her opponents!
What kinda sense does that make?

Mayhaps all that was worth investigating. At least that'd be something to keep my mind off of...
Next up was a fan favourite. Speed Sylphid they called her. She was up agains Deep Frozen, who by the looks of it was a real ice-queen. I'm talking a complete deadpan expression. Her face was like carved in stone. A stone that's never orgasmed once in her life.
The complete opposite of her opponent.

Now, I gotta tell you: That Sylphid chick was a treat to behold.
In the sun her white mane lit up as brightly as her smirk.
She came in a small package, like all good things. But boy, her presence spanned the Arena.
Not a single step of her confident stride betrayed hesitation. She likely had no idea who she was facing. She didn't care either.
Just basked in the attention of the roaring audience.

Now, if you thought her freeform flair wouldn't stay when the match began, then you're sorely mistaken. Her stance wasn't some rigid form imposed on her body, from where her chosen style could be performed. It was a dynamic one. Always moving. Always alive.
Slightly crouched, her feet trailed the ground in complex Knight's move steps. They flowed seamlessly around the approximate spot on which she stood, or towards where she was going. Her arms were kept low. Which arm was lower than the other, though, kept changing while they shifted themselves forward and backwards. Up and down. Every part of her body flowed with caustic grace! No moment was still!
What a delightful sight to behold!
I could hear the beat of the inaudible music she danced to!

Tougher trainers than that are terrifically rare! Trying to track one down will totally tire you out!
Tantalizingly she trailed triangles about the entire stage, going toe to toe together with tame taciturn witch. Not the slightest sight of terror was from her countenance seen. Any tremor on form, from top to toe, was terminated utterly to tell the truth! By the time of a timer's tick, Sylph traversed tirelessly to her target like a train on tracks!
Swift feet from ferocious speedster attacked target with tremendously trained tackle!
Struck true. Struck like a truck. That was about what impact that attack tracked!

Or... It totally would have. Except a towering wall of ice rose between her and Frozen. It broke into pieces on impact with Sylph's kick, who immediately found herself facing an icey wind enveloping her in a frozen cage.
....

Yeah, that didn't last long. The icicle shattered around the martial artist! Shards of ice soared down like snow. Sylph flew at frozen with a devastating kick charged!
Only she was once again met with a freezing wind, trapped in a cage of ice.
That too shattered. By then the cryomancer had already retreated to the other side of the arena. Sylphid skipped after her in her caustic dance. She found herself slipping on the frozen lake her opponent had summoned between them.
That didn't stop Sylph any. She merely rolled on her shoulder, gliding on her knee along the ice. Another blast of icy air shot towards Sylph, who merely kicked herself to the air, soaring towards her victim like an eagle.
Said prey was not late in encasing Sylph in ice while falling through the air. This time she grew large spikes on the ground along the eagle's trajectory.
If she broke out, she'd be skewered in short order.
If she didn't break out, the icicle would break to pieces, and her with it.

But dammit if Sylph was gonna end her part in the Tournament trapped and ****.
And while we're at it, dammit if she was gonna get herself impaled!
She grabbed one of the sharpened stakes and swung on it like a trapeze! She leapt between the spikes, flipping through the air like an acrobat.

The Arena at that point had turned into a jungle-labyrinth combo. Freezing winds blasted between the streets in an effort to trap Sylph. But she raced up against the walls, jumping between them. She slid down one of the angled walls to gain momentum, before kicking herself off!

With pinpoint perfection the pro pivoted over polar puffs! Off the palace precipice with steep steps she went, pushing herself on top the top spot! Not stopping when on top, she stepped outta way of less than tepid torrent princess prepared in place! Perhaps princess possessed power, yet poor precision presented problems. Sylph's not stopping when on top! The pace of the Ace was kept in place!
Powerful pazazz prevailed, progressing the performance of pintsized hot-pepper. A performance for which princess impossibly could prepare!
Princess's ice grew parapets partitioning pro from hoe. Preferring privacy from a punch pushing supper past her paunch; she supposed plotting to put a stop to Sylph when on top. Past the presented prevention even panda could impossibly pass. But Sylph peered past trap; pelted parapet with paroxysmal punches! The pelting persisted past the predictable, and yet...

You know what?
Watching that dynamic dynamo really put me in a good mood!
What was I doing? Was I really going to plant my butt there on the bleechers, feeling sorry for myself?
If I was moping around, I was doing it for Uni. Not because of her. But what would Uni have said if I spoiled all the chances I were given?
Sure, she's lost on me... But Katey? She was still there! Her match was not until tomorrow! I still had a chance with her.
What time was it even?

11:13 AM

"S'cuse me! Pardon! Coming through! Toot! Move your butt away! Hey!" I made my way past the seated crowd, much to their dismay.
Didn't matter though. I had to get out. Hopefully Sylph managed that battle in the end.
Of course, that's far from certain.
Sure, normally a match against someone of Frozen's caliber would be a shoe in for Sylph. But in this case, no match could possibly be worse for her! Sylph relied heavily on speed and mobility. And clearly Frozen was all too aware of that. The main purpose of her ice was to stall and defend. To be in the way. If Frozen couldn't wear down Sylph's stamina in time, it'd probably end in a draw.
That'd be my prognosis... For anyone but Sylph.

Since it's her we're talking about though... Who knows? That kinda Wild Card could pull off anything outta her butt, and turn all expectactions on their heads!
I know that type all too well!
And you know what? After being your narrator for all this time, so should you!

I barrelled through the corridor, passing door after door. After finding Katey's, I rapped on the door with the knuckle of my ring and middle fingers.
I kept rapping. I didn't stop. I wouldn't stop unless she opened the door.
She did so. Eventually.
"Ugh... What... What the frigg is it?" She rubbed her eye, "You got any idea what happened to the last mother-flipper who fudged up my nap...?"
"Uni lost!" I cried.
"...Ehhh?"
"Uni lost! She's Hebi-san's **** now!"
Katey sighed, shocked out of any slumber left in her, "...All right. That sucks. But if you think there's even a fudge of a chance that will change my mind, then you can go and..."
"Sure, let's deal with that later!" I grabbed her by the wrist, "Right now we gotta get out!"
"What the fudge!?" She winced, "Out where?"
"Just out! Somewhere! Anywhere that's not here! Tonight calls for a girls' night out! And we're gonna paint the town pink! Come on! Let's get us ready!"
I pulled her kicking and screaming into, slamming the door behind me.

So I couldn't talk Uni out of her fate. Clearly I couldn't talk Katey out of that fate either. I can accept that.
But then I'd also have to accept that may well be my last chance of freedom together with Katey!
And I would be damned if I didn't do my darndest to make that night legendary!