Anari

Anari the spider informed the director of Next Dimension, Inc. on the details of the third trial of the Sevenfold Peach Championship.

It was an endurance round of sorts. Though the theme was last man standing, the rules were that four champions would be eliminated this round. Leaving only two to move on to the final stage in the tournament.

"The contestants will still be scored to add to the points that they've racked up so far. At the end of this round, if any of the contestants are tied, they will have to face off in a tiebreaker. Right now, Blueforce, the Earthbound Sage and the Barefoot Sun are all very close in rank."

"So these are the three that have put themselves ahead of the pack," Bai said.

Anari nodded. "It doesn't seem like Sun Zhaoling and Sun Terra are going to use buffs. Doesn't surprise me, seeing as how they're both so proud."

"They want to prove themselves," Bai added, engaging the glare on his glasses. "Not just to the crowd, but to each other."

Anari turned her head, assessing Bai for some proof on how he knew this for sure.

"To each other?"

Bai caught Anari's look and quirked his lip in bemusement. "Is what I'm guessing. I have no way of knowing for sure."

Oh, you have a way, Anari thought. But that wasn't the kind of information that Bai would call on his esper abilities to learn.

The lights in the stadium were cut down by half. The rest of them shined on the field, illuminating a single patch of bright green lawn where the six remaining contestants were balancing on their upright quarterstaves. Some decided to forgo their shoes and dropped the glamour around their feet like Zhaoling in order to make better use of their prehensile muscles. Sun Chop was the only one who kept on his flashy boots and stood up straight. The rest chose a seated crouch, using their long tails to wrap around the length of the staff and anchor themselves.

"By using the paralysis juice," Anari surmised, "Zheng Zheng probably had to give up the form that the others chose."

From behind his lenses, Bai scanned the players. He noted, "Blueforce has a slightly different approach as well. As does the nameless Sun."

"You mean the Fry Cook Hero," Anari said before she could stop herself. Though she was familiar enough with her boss to correct him without offending him, she didn't currently believe it to be in her best interest to be running to Ritsu's defense. Even as lightly as this.

"Fry Cook Hero, that's right." Bai yawned. "What do you think about him making it this far? I don't know if the judges were right to let him through when no one else in the stadium could tell what his wondrous and true demonstration actually tasted like."

Anari's shrug came out nonchalantly, but in truth, it took every effort in her system to make it appear so.

"Everyone loves a dark horse."

Bai was quiet for a while before he grunted in agreement. "They do. People like to root for the impossible choice as long as it touches something in themselves that they recognize."

Anari watched Bai closely as he watched the champion slumped over in a dozing crouch atop his jade green quarterstaff.

"He works the same hourly wage job as most of the spirits attending this event. He has no discernible ego, which, were I some kind of old geezer, I might call that blameless and true. It's a good formula to spark belief among some." Bai leaned back and took a sip of his drink. "The gullible at least."

Anari made a thoughtful sound, indicating that she didn't necessarily agree or disagree with his opinion. She waited a little before changing the subject, smoothly drawing attention to Blueforce's method of sitting on the end of his quarterstaff like it was a chair.

"He looks so natural up there, but that has to be uncomfortable, don't you think?"

Bai adjusted his glasses up his nose to get a better look. "Not if he's drawing out some kind of buff from his staff."

The sun clone had a point, Anari realized, since the end of the quarterstaff was glowing a steady blue at the point of contact.

"His staff is a bit of a mystery, isn't it?" Anari pointed out.

Bai agreed. "According to the tabloids, Sun Tie Quan is very tight-lipped about it. But he can't hide everything. If we pay attention closely, something about that staff will come out into the light."

"Do you think it could be a candidate?" Anari said, thankful that there was an opportunity to further throw him off of Ritsu's trail.

But Sun Bai looked doubtful. "My gut is telling me no. I think Nebula's Parting is the more likely candidate, but we'll see."

After this, the both of them withdrew into themselves, watching the next half hour of the round in relative silence. The scene below wasn't all stagnant. The trial increased the level of difficulty at different intervals by simulating rain, wind, and spells of scorching heat.

By the second heat wave, Sun Liu had passed out. Everyone else save for the Fry Cook Hero looked visibly uncomfortable at this time, but only Sun Chop was being dramatic about it. Though, it wasn't long before he called it quits too.

That left Sun Terra, Sun Tie Quan, Sun Zhaoling, and of course, our undeserving hero, Sun Ritsu.

Anari was torn. She wanted Ritsu to lose so Bai would not have to pay attention to him anymore. But at the same time, some selfish, illogical part of her wanted to see what would happen should he survive.

Sun Ritsu

It's true, Dear Traveler. Sun Ritsu was wholly unconscious, but we're going to cover what was happening in his immediate environment anyway.

Like I said before, Our hero adopted a seated crouch, balancing on one end of his staff. His arms were folded and his head was slumped forward. His staff did not wobble in the slightest.

The Golden-Hooped Rod of Compliance was doing all the work, if you ask me. All Ritsu had to do was hope that Bodhi had hit him hard enough to last through the whole round. He could wake up at any time, and without his Radiant State, there's no way he could stand a chance balancing on his own.

Just a few yards away was Sun Zhaoling, staying aloft in a similar position, but this time with his head held high. Next to him was Sun Tie Quan, who was perched on the end of his staff like it was a stool. On his right was Sun Terra, gripping her ringed staff with unglamoured feet and one hand. She gazed out at the audience like she was catching the view from the top of a mountain peak.

At the moment, only four out of the six contestants had chosen to use buffs. Zhaoling and Terra had opted out of this, choosing to rely on their own strengths, skill, sheer will and determination.

Sun Chop had his paralysis juice. Sun Liu held on to a second staff, positioning it horizontally over her chest to help maintain her balance. Sun Ritsu had his... whatever you want to call it. And Sun Tie Quan was getting some kind of buff from the point of contact of his staff. It's not clear what effect that going blue haze was having on Blueforce at the moment.

"Listen here, Barefoot," Blueforce said loud enough for his former classmate to hear, "it's got to be me and you at the end of this. I won't accept anything else."

The only movement Zhaoling made were his eyes, which glanced sideways at Blueforce.

"Where is this coming from, Tie Quan?"

"We can't let Spark down! He was supposed to be here with us!" The muscles in Blueforce's neck squeezed and contracted as he got himself worked up.

Zhaoling noticed this and gave a lighthearted huff.

"Your sense of camaraderie flares up at the strangest times. Hold your passion for the final stretch, my friend. This game has barely begun. And don't count out our competition. Things may not play out the way you see them in your daydreams."

Blueforce took a look at the rest of the players and sniffed. Aside from Sun Terra, it was clear that he didn't see anyone else as fair competition. But the blue-haired sun clone respected Sun Zhaoling enough to go quiet.

When Blueforce had regained his focus, Zhaoling's eyes shifted over to Sun Ritsu. Close assessment played over his otherwise unreadable features. During the interim, Zhaoling had seen Ritsu huddled up with his team. It would seem that he had a shaolin monk on his side. As well as a dragon and lastly, a common sun clone of ordinary rank.

Sun Zhaoling quickly realized that it was only through the help of Nebula's Parting that he could see the dragon. Everyone else probably only saw the curse. As a pilgrim of the Frog Province, there was not much that had sparked Zhaoling's deep curiosity since he left. He was very sure that no one – not even Ritsu himself – could tell how distracted he was by the Fry Cook Hero. There were few things that could break Zhaoling's focus, but this sun clone who kept strange, powerful company was definitely one of them.

And then... there was that other thing. Zhaoling sensed it from the first time he met Sun Ritsu way back when there were over a hundred sun clones in this arena.

Something about Ritsu's staff wasn't normal. Nebula's Parting wasn't powerful enough to show him the whole truth, but it revealed enough to worry Zhaoling and make him wonder if he had trained hard enough for this.

You're on your path to become a sage and Sun Ritsu is just one of many tests. Treat him as one and you will not fail.

The Barefoot Sun slowly shut his eyes on the Fry Cook Hero and drew back into himself. Yes, he had his own daydreams. One of him becoming a Sage without the help of holy peaches or the sweet immortal wine they produced.

One of him becoming a role model – a shining beacon for all that came after him. A new breed of monkey king.

Equal to Heaven. Yes.

So he blocked Sun Ritsu out of his mind and focused on the only one on that field who had achieved the next step in Zhaoling's journey.

Sun Terra, the Earthbound Sage.

When Zhaoling opened his eyes, he found that Sun Terra was leaning slightly forward and making eye contact with him from down the line.

Oh, this was good, Dear Traveler. This was so good. Because she knew as well as Zhaoling.

If you want to get to Sagehood, then you better pay attention and learn from a real Sage.