Worth It or Worthy

...Did you hear that!?

That's exactly what I told him just that morning! What was going on?
Was there an echo in there?

Well, I think it's safe to say what happened.
He must've grown as stubborn as it's possible to be, then reached full circle.
Why else would he listen to my advice? Now, of all times?

But you know what? It didn't matter why! Something I said stuck with him. He thought it through! Being a serious sauerkraut all the time didn't work out for him, and decided to change his course at least once in his life!

The Champion stared as if what she heard was nothing short of surreal. She took her sweet time trying to piece his words together in her mind. I could practically hear the cogs in her head turning.
She snapped out of it soon enough though, her cocky smirk returning. Even sharper this time, "Heh. So, what's the matter, Goldie? Not into our little talk about what a joke your entire life has been? Well, what about us? Who do you think has to hear you going on and on about your tired old delusions? And all of a sudden, you want to play a different tune?"
The Goldfish couched his Lance without a word.

"Huh!? So, what's the matter, Goldie? Running out of lies and self-conceit? Heh! But hey! Welcome to reality with the rest of us mortals!"
No response came from him, other than advancing once again.
And you'll never guess what the Champion did!
Yup! She stepped back!

That's not to say it was exactly the same as before from then on. Once he had accepted that she wouldn't engage him on his terms, he became ready to treat the match as what it was.
A game.
Just like he said.

The game of cat and mouse, to be more precise. Not like he had gained his reputation as a Holy Knight and warrior of justice by playing cat and mouse. So, losing like that really didn't seem like that big of a deal!
And as long as he was there, why not try his darndest to catch that little mouse? After all, the reward for that was proceeding to the Finals.

She looped circles around him as he charged towards her. I gotta say, that looked like a shit-ton of fun!
For me, anyway. And everyone watching of course.
The Goldfish didn't seem to enjoy himself much.

Here's the thing: He wasn't very good at this game.
In fact, he kind of sucked.
Sure, he managed to think it through a little. Slowly but surely, he grasped the fundamentals of the game. He tried out what tactics work and what don't.
But the Champ had made her life about fighting opponents that could beat her.
She could outmaneuver a newbie like Goldfish in her sleep.

Still, keeping her distance turned out to be far from smooth sailing all the way.
That became clear as day very early on.
Even he realized she had to dodge not just his weapon, but the entire perimeter the range of his weapon made up. Whenever she stepped so much as a foot inside his range, she had just a few seconds to escape.
The sheer girth of that Holy Lance didn't leave a huge space for her footwork. She had to shuffle about constantly, even when the Goldfish wasn't on her case.
You can probably imagine the strain that puts on her. Both her body and her mind. By the half-hour mark, her panting could be heard from the next city over.
So, did that mean she'd slow down? Maybe slip up long enough for the Goldfish to slay her good?
You'd think so. But nope!

That flighty dance kept on even through her pain.
The Goldfish, on the other hand, remained as energetic as ever. He kept up the cussing and stomping the ground.

At some point by the forty minute mark, he pulled his Lance aaaaaaalll the way back behind him while presenting his shield to his front.
Did that open him up? Sure! But in exchange he became much harder to circle around! The very moment she stepped into his reach, he'd be able to catch him with a swing.
She was fast, sure. But he didn't need to do a lot to sweep that pole both far and wide.

When he approached, she retreated to the edge of the Arena.
Huh... Until then she'd avoided the edge like fire. You know, cause that's one place to be cornered like a mouse? Lo and behold, she backed up, finding herself pushed against the wall. He reached back to swing at his prey with the full **** of his conviction.
She charged in, trying to once again get a swing at the Goldfish Knight. But too little too late.

Or was it?
The spear clanged loudly as it struck against the stone foundation. It scraped the wall in his attempt to pry it away.
She closed in on him fast, tapping his pauldron with another light tap, then bounced away before he wrenched his spear free and thwack her out of existence.
All while sticking out her tongue.

That was one slippery mouse! His good ideas were starting to run dry. And so was his patience.
If only he could throw the Lance like a javelin, like he first wanted. And like he probably still wanted to.
Imagine that! One good shot, and she'd be dead as a doornail.
It would be over just like that.

And hey, at least he wasn't the only one who felt that way.
"Just get on with it already!" Someone from the audience yelled at the Goldfish.
"This is painful to watch!"
"You do realize it's been forty-five minutes without anything happening! Forty... Five... Minutes! Gods! Just... Give us something already! Come on!"
"Just throw it already! What do you have to lose?"
"Yeah! Then at least it'll be over! One way or another!"

The crowd booed at him, keeping the pressure up to try out what he kind of already felt like doing.
It had already become about stubbornness though. He had made up his mind, and goddamnit, it was by melee he was gonna take her out.
Now, you'd think that knowing about someone's manipulation would make it easier to resist it. But here's the thing, no one was on his side. He faced the entire world alone.
That's one hell of an isolation. I'll be damned if she didn't plan on using the crowd from the start.
The thing is that psychology can be just as much of a mad science as chemistry or biology. And yes, it can absolutely be a weapon of devastating proportions.

Still, he kept it up. He was tired and frustrated as all hell, but he'd be damned if he was gonna lose. There had to be some way to reach her! Without disposing of his treasured Lance. Some ingenious trick that, once pulled off, would make you slap your forehead and wonder why he didn't think of it sooner.
Alas, finding such an obvious trick proved to be easier said than done.

Still, I decided to go against the crowd, and yelled:
"HEY! Why not try using that spear to pole vault over to that bitch!?"
"That... Sounds like a terrible idea." Bat Girl chimed in.
"Oh, for sure!" I spoke into the phone, "But the question is, why is it a terrible idea? Unless he tries it out we'll never know for sure!"
"Yeah... Not sure he's in the mood for that though."

Indeed. It seemed like the Goldfish didn't hear me. Either that, or he didn't care.
I guess I gotta save my little scheme for when I'm up against her.
Not that he had anything better to come up with himself. After only five minutes remained, the painting was on the wall. The crowd grew from restless to furious, having endured one hour of two so-called legendary fighters avoiding one another like plague.
Estelle prepared her bat.

One way or another, things were looking to turn really interesting.

"Hey, Goldie!" The Champion yelled, "You seeing this? Our adoring fans are just about ready to break out in a riot! You don't feel like, I dunno, do anything about it? Like, maybe try and actually hit me?"
"...You are the one who insists on fighting this way!"
"True, true... But the thing is; I really fucking love watching a jackass like you fail at the one thing he imagines he's good at. So? How about putting an end to this? Maybe for those who's about to be trampled to ****?"

He sighed, "People, stop this madness! The will of the Goddess will persevere in the end! I know it looks bleak, but stave your anger! I shall not abandon you. Or the fight!"
...If anything the crowd got more riled up from that. They tossed snack boxes at the barrier. And rolled up paper tissues.
And the Champion could only smirk.

Day 4 of The 129th Rasheul Great **** Tournament
12:58 AM

The Golden Knight didn't even try to move anymore. The past minute or so, he merely stood fixed in place as the panting mess he was.
Or was it sobbing?

The moment of destiny was upon him. If he wanted a shot at his spear throw, then it was now or never. Not like he had anything better in stock. He looked down at the Lance, maybe for the first time as if it was a liability

The audience screamed for him to throw it. He looked up at the Champ with more contempt than I've ever seen anyone look at anything.

He let the Lance tilt down. No. After coming that far, he'd rather lose than abandon it.
Which of course was gonna happen in a matter of seconds.

"Wow... Ha-ah" The Champ took a single step forward, leaning her knuckles against her hips, "What a-- ha-ah-- shock.... Couldn't so much as touch me-- ha-aah- Th-this entire match... Could you? Now you're gonna lose. Just like-- ha-ah-- Everything else you've ever tried. I can't believe you just wasted an hour of your time. Scratch that, I can-- ha-ah-- totally believe that. What I can't believe is you wasting an hour of everybody's time!"

Waves of enraged boos and indignant cheers swept through the Stadium.
"And for... What, exactly?" She spat, "All you managed to prove is that I would've won like seven times over by now."
"...Y-you only managed to get in a few light hits! And--- only because you refused to face me on even footing!"
"...You want a match on even footing? Ha-ah-- You? You want that? Well, how about you THROW AWAY ALL THAT FUCKING SCRAP METAL!? Huh? Go ahead! If you really wanna prove what just what you're made of, then don't rely on cheap junk! You want a shot? I'm right here! Like I've fucking been all this time! So whadda ya say? Huh?"

He grunted, tightening his grip.
The Champ smirked, "Heh. Thought as much. Well, not that it matters. See, while you've been busy playing catch, I've worked on my real plan all along. And now– Ha-aah– I’ve got you exactly where I want." She pointed her axe dramatically behind her, "It's been a fine match, Goldie... But now it's game over."

In a fit of panic he looked over his shoulder.
There was nothing there. Obviously!

By the time he realized his mistake, the Champ barrelled towards him like a runaway train, kicking up a tornado of dust behind her.
Honestly, what’d you expect? It’s been an hour! An hour in which the Champ thoroughly picked apart his confidence as well as his grasp of self. Really, if he was lucid enough to even be able to fall for the oldest trick in the book, I’d consider him lucky.

Now, don't be confused. Right then she was nothing like the Champ who now and then danced close enough to Goldfish to brush him with her axes to prove she could.
This was someone hungry for carnage.

Her face contorted into the snarl of some mad dog. Both axes wound over her shoulders, she stampeded towards him with killing intent.
Trailing a golden arc behind it, the Holy Lance swept towards the feral Champ.

CLANG!
The Champ’s axe connected to the Lance, pushing it away. Not before the spear pivoted around the yielding axe, grazing her shoulder with its holy light.
Unfazed by the crimson trail growing along her arm, she stepped in with her other axe while the Goldfish retreated.

CLUNG!
The axe crashed against the gold shield, sliding off it at an angle.

CLONG!
The next axe hooked over the rim of the shield, wrenching it aside with the axe’s beard. She choked the haft of her next axe to its head, winding it back over her shoulder as the Goldfish shifted away. But she wouldn’t let him. She was glued to him like a shadow.

KA-POW!
Using the axe as a knuckle-duster, the head rammed into his visor. No doubt his head bounced in the helmet like a ping-pong ball. He stumbled awkwardly back trying to regain his bearings.
A guttural roar escaped the Champ. She pelted him tenaciously with blow after savage blow.

POW!
POW!
POW!
POW!

If she was still tired, there was no way to know just by looking. She kept up the axe-fisting, effectively stunlocking him in place.
That should've been the end of him, really. But he kept flailing the spear around haphazardly. Of course, that wasn't enough to take down the Champ. Not the first time, or the second. But hectic flailing having become his default, hitting her by shear dumb luck turned out to be a matter of time.
And so it was. The spear brushed against her ankle ever so lightly, but the flesh reacted with the sacred light by blowing up a large chunk of her leg.
That did manage to stall her, but only long enough for her to string together a creative chain of swearwords and insults.
But it was enough. She threw another punch, which clashed with his shield.

A hollow ringing echoed through the Arena, signalling the Goldfish glorious return. He shifted himself backwards, sweeping his Lance to ward her off.
Yet she wouldn't leave him an inch. She met his swing with a heavy descending blow on the spear close to his hand.
The Lance fell to the ground on impact, leaving his hand free. Free to grip her by the wrist that is. His shielded hand looped over and under her arm, grabbing hold of his other wrist.

Slipping out of his grip, she dropped her weapon and elbowed him in the face.
Wait, how did she do that? She couldn't use brute **** to break out of that move, and she definitely didn't use leverage. Did she phase through him like a ghost?
Whatever the case, she hooked her axe around his neck, pulling him away like with a leash. That left her with a golden opportunity.

Get it?

Everything else apparently vanished out of existence. Only the Lance mattered to her. She dove towards with greedy fingers at the ready.
"Do not dare!!" The Goldfish barked. Never saw him run as fast as when he chased down the Champ. Never imagined he could.

With the Holy Lance finally within arm's reach, the Champ leaned in to pick it up.
Alas, before her fingers could touch the grip, he swept her away in a forceful tackle. Just in time to keep her from being the second non-Goldfish wielder of the Holy Lance that day.
They crashed to the ground entwined in each others' arms, rolling around the sand. Her last axe dropped while wrestling him for control.

When the dust settled, the Goldfish lay underneath the Champ. Pinned between her legs.
Her chest swelled and contracted in rhythm with her **** gasps. The veins on her neck and arms bulged as if they had developed some aversion towards being under her skin.
Her eyes trailed the Goldfish Knight. She scrunched her face into a vile snarl, winding her fist all the way behind her. A loud roar escaped from deep within her guts as she socked him right in the visor. Her punch hit with the weight of a falling safe.
She smacked him again with her other hand, just as hard. And with her first hand again. And again.
Over and over. Each time his helmet rang like a bell.
White foam rained down on him from the corner of her mouth. Her unblinking eyes dilated, assuming some beastly quality.
She kept roaring throughout.

You'd think in the battle between fist and metal, the fist would come up a bit short. And you'd be right!
Her bruised and bleeding knuckles smeared his golden plates with streaks of blood.
That didn't slow her down one bit though.
Writhing under her like a stung caterpillar didn't help one bit. He pushed and pulled her, and raised his arms between them. But any meager defense he could muster would buckle under fists the size of bowling balls.

"Ha-aah--!! You... You just won't break, will you? Ha--aah--! Why... Are you so fucking hard to break? HUH!? No way you're gold all the way through! You puke-coloured trash-can!!! Why-- Ha--aah-- Why won't you just-- drop-- Dead!? HUAAAAH!"
She wrapped his hands around his neck, shoving his head against the ground violently over and over.

Under her savage pounding, all he could do was reach out towards his trusty old Lance. It was just over there. Not quite within reach. But oh-so close. His fingers clutched air in an effort to grip it. No matter how hard he tried, he missed that familiar touch.
The Champ's hammering never relented.

Finally he got it!
And by it, I mean the Champ's axe.

"UAAAAAH!" He sent it swinging.
With a resounding thwack, her roar came to an abrupt end.
The axe landed between her eyes, lodged all the way to the haft. Even as it slipped his grip, the axe stuck in her skull. I bet he couldn't withdraw it if he tried.

That moment of fate lasted forever. A profound silence settled across the Stadium, as if it had qa single throat which was being strangled. The crowd held their collective breath, waiting in vain for when he next would kiss her knuckles. They could hardly believe anything as animated as the Champ's ferocious **** just came to a stop. Yet there she was, frozen in place like a statue.

Blood pooled by her legs, dwindling down her muscled body from the crack in her skull and dripping down her raw fists.
She looked almost peaceful.

Only the Goldfish's panting, mixed with the occasional whimper, could be heard.
The crowd stared with eyes of mixed confusion and alarm. Every single one of them grappled with the unexpected turnaround. The Champ spent the entire match dancing around her opponent, trying to brush her him with her axe. Suddenly she sprang towards him with an unquenchable bloodlust that was nothing short of inhuman, only to be end up slain?

Well, it really wasn't that sudden.
Even when he wouldn't give up his spear, the Champ still had a chance to win. Regardless of how slight. But only if she engaged him. The only way to guarantee failure was to let the clock run out.
That was the Champion, after all.
Victory coursed through her veins.

If you thought the Goldfish Knight was responsible to progress the fight; congratulations! You were lured in by the Champ's scheme.

She swayed back and forth, toppling over with a resounding crack. I could practically hear the lumberjack yelling 'timber.' The Goldfish couldn't be happier scrambling back to his feet.
He stared in disbelief down at the Champ, as if unable to grasp that he ever had a shot at beating someone with training and equipment far inferior to his. He looked up, finding a tidal wave of people above him. None of who uttered so much as a sound.

He looked behind him, at the clock towering over the Arena.
It had stopped when she fell. Two seconds before time was up.

"Sir D'Artagan, what's the matter?" Ben finally broke the silence, "Most men would die for the chance to lay between the legs of a hot red-head! Am I right?"
Murmurs of snickers and chuckles swept the audience, which escalated into bursts of uproarious laughter.

"Haha, no but seriously! In an astonishing turn of events, Minerva the Champion has been slain! Ladies and gentlemen, the Golden Knight: Silvester Spartano d'Artagan has won! He will proceed to the finals!"

The laughter mixed with the odd clap, and soon the laughing subsided for roaring applause.
Removing the strap under his chin, he cupped his golden helmet with both hands. A viscous white fluid poured out of his helmet when he lifted it off his head.
That fluid, of course, was vomit.
He stared at the audience with forlorne gaze. For the first time in the Tournament, we got a good look at his golden face.

And let me tell you, he was a looker!
His long blonde hair glided behind his shoulder with a jerk of his head akin to spun gold. His face had strong yet soft features enveloped by soft light skin. Except under his eyes, which had a deep blush...
"Has... Has he been crying?" I covered my mouth.
"Wow..." Estelle shook her head, "For a knight he sure has a lot of galls showing weakness in public."

...That fight must've been the hardest trial in his life. He ended up being tested on all fronts. But he stuck to his guts. And because of that, he managed to finally win.
You know what? That's impressive!
I don't care that I'm not supposed to be on his side! Fuck that! I hate being told what side I'm supposed to be on! I'm on the side of people becoming the best version of themselves they can be!

The various fluids from the Champ slithered towards the center of the Arena, gathering in her body to render her once again whole and alive. The axe slipped out of the hole in her head, which closed up as blood seeped in. She blinked confused, looking around herself. She backflipped to her feet as a wave of smoke filled the Arena.
It couldn't have taken long for her to figure out what had transpired, cause an angry scowl grew on her face.
"Oh, fuck this!" She barked at the Goldfish Knight, "Fuck you! Fuck... All of you! You can all just go and suck my enormous..."
PLOP!

With that the both of them vanished from the Arena...