Vic vs...

Vic is standing in the ring when Hisoki finally comes to terms with whose other name was called. “Hisoki. She said your name.” Lyco has to tell him.

“Right…” He steps into the ring and Vic puts out his cigarette.

With a bit of emotion Nozomi had never shown before in this ring, she asks, “Are you both ready?”

Vic looks directly at Hisoki and tilts his hat. “Yeah…”

Hisoki looks at Vic, looking down at the floor. “Yes…”

“Then begin.”

There’s a pause, Vic is waiting for something. Hisoki stands there, ready but not quite able. “Come on, clown.” He waves his hands toward him. “Hit me with your best spell. I know you’ve got one in you. Send me out of the ring. I’ll get the next one.”

“Same to you — you could’ve shot me three times by now, at least.”

“I could… You know something though? My weapon is still a little messed up from that last fight I had.”

Hisoki tilts his head. “What?” He knows this has to be a lie. Vic scrapes the tile with his foot. Hisoki reaches into his bag and pulls out three balls, two black and one purple. He starts juggling them. “I get it, Vic. If you won’t use your weapon, I won’t use my magic.”

Vic looks up at him. “Are you joking? You need to take this seriously!” He takes a knee, pressing his gloved fingers under the edge of the tile and lifts. Showing his more than impressive finger strength, peeling the tile up from the ring with a lot of effort. “I’m physically stronger than you. If I get my hands on you, I might hurt you. I’m not going to surrender though.” He sets the tile back down and stands.

“I don’t expect you to, Vic. I want you to do your best. And I’m going to do mine without magic or magic items.”

“But those—” he points to the balls that Hisoki is juggling, and Hisoki throws them at his feet! They explode into massive plumes of black and purple smoke. “Shit!” Vic pulls out his knife and holds it at the ready. Seeing a glint of silver, he blocks and barely gets his guard up on Hisoki’s blade. Hisoki’s choice of attire perfectly breaks up his figure in the smoke. When Vic reaches to grab him he dips back into it. Vic’s breath is calm, though he’s sweating. He’s tempted to pull out his Peacemaker .

Vision cut in half, speed and reach on the opponent’s side. Vic made this weapon to fight spellcasters and people like this. He still doesn’t draw it when another swipe comes in and he has to block twice from a surprise second swing, before he grabs Hisoki. The jester wraps himself around Vic’s knife-wielding arm and slams him into the ring with a leg-lock armbar. Hisoki wrenches hard, making Vic drop his knife. He gives a tap on his leg, shoving and pulling.

“You have to say it, Vic!” Hisoki wrenches harder when Vic begins picking him up with one arm! Even the jester is panicked at this. He attempts to get him in a headlock when Hisoki slips out of his grip, barely holding onto his sword. The smoke is clear now and both are separated as Vic rolls his shoulder.

“Shit… That hurt.”

“I promise I’ll heal whatever happens after the match.”

“Yeah well…” Vic reveals Hisoki’s bag of holding. “I can’t have you using those smoke balls again.” He puts it over his shoulder.

Hisoki didn’t feel it because that bag can be used by anyone — it’s the items inside that can’t — so his normal detection didn’t trigger. He picks up his sword and points it at Vic confidently. “I guess it’s just blades at this point.”

Vic picks up his knife. “You’re right.”

They take their stances again and the clash is fierce, constant — the twang of blades, the chips in each other’s metal with each strike, the sound of air when one dodges. These two are practically equal. Soon enough, Vic finds a pattern to Hisoki’s swings and capitalizes on it by taking the hit to his armored forearm, sliding up the saber’s length and shoulder-charging him out of the ring.

In a last-ditch effort, Hisoki stabs his sword into the floor and performs a handstand on the handle with one hand, giving a sigh of relief. Vic crosses his arms and shakes his head. “Well, I’ll be. That doesn’t count, right?” He asks Nozomi.

“He hasn’t touched the floor with his feet yet. If he can get back in the ring, you may continue.”

“Hear that? Come on. Get back in the ring if you can!”

“Working on it!” Hisoki lowers himself, standing on the handle of his sword. “I can get back into the ring, though I won’t have a weapon,” he says to himself.

“I’m waiting!” Vic taps his armor-covered arm with his knife.

Hisoki takes a massive leap over Vic’s head and into the center of the ring, stumbling a bit from the effort. Turning around he sees Vic charge him again before he’s hit and knocked to the edge of the ring. His vision blurs as he stands up and Vic is right there. “I’m not giving up…”

“I know…” He throws his knife outside the ring, grabbing and slinging Hisoki by his clothing toward the center. Putting up his fists.

Hisoki does the same. When Vic swings, Hisoki catches or dodges and swings back. Connections are made on both ends — Hisoki knocks off Vic’s hat, and Vic scrapes away Hisoki’s face paint with each hit. This continues for a minute when Hisoki musters a kick that Vic can’t block or dodge, making him stumble. Hisoki tries to capitalize on it, but Vic grabs the jester’s gloved fist. Hisoki responds with another from his free hand. Grabbed. They are both locked. Vic pushes so Hisoki’s feet slide toward the edge.

Vic is much stronger physically than Hisoki. Before he can even plan a counterattack he’s kneed in the stomach hard, making Hisoki release his grip from between Vic’s fingers. Vic, now free, hits him with both hands clasped together into one fist, flattening him. Vic is panting, seeing the jester lying there. “Hey, mind counting?”

Nozomi shakes her head and points to him. Vic sees him trying to stand up. “You need to stay down! You’ve got two more matches!”

“Sorry, I’m too focused on this one…” Hisoki says before Vic has to hit him again.

“I don’t get it… What do you want out of this?” This wasn’t Vic questioning Hisoki about the match — this was him questioning why he’s even in this gauntlet.

“The same thing you do. Something better. Something stable.” He looks up at Vic. “I can’t think straight right now, probably due to the avalanche I just got caught in.”

“This isn’t funny, clown.”

“No, it’s not… Don’t you think it should be though?” Hisoki tries once again to stand up. Vic pushes down on him with his foot to make him lay flat against the ring.

“Don’t. Move. Lady! Start counting.”

Nozomi does. “One, two, three…”

“Vic, don’t you find it a little funny that we were matched together?”

“What the hell are you saying?”

“Nozomi wanted me to fight you. She knew I’d hesitate more than you would. I might not be as prepared as I thought…”

“Prepared for what?” Vic asks.

“Eight, nine, ten. Winner, Vic.” Nozomi says.

Vic takes his foot off of Hisoki’s back and helps him up. “Thanks…” Hisoki tells him.

“Sorry,” he hands him his bag. Vic retrieves his hat from the floor of the ring, they both step out of the ring and gather their weapons from outside. “When we get done with this challenge, you’re going to tell me what all this is for.”

Hisoki ignores this and takes out two of his reserved healing potions and drinks one, handing the other to Vic. “You need this too. I know I hurt you at least once.”

“What makes you say that?”

“You’re limping, right?”

“Shit… Yeah. You made me twist my knee defending myself.” Vic takes it and drinks it. His knee takes a moment but it feels better. “Listen… What happened in the ring just now.”

“It’s fine! Nothing to apologize for. You needed to win. I understand.” Hisoki gives a heartfelt thumbs up to Vic.

“…You’d better not lose your next match. Don’t hold back if you can help it.”

That’s when Nozomi calls for the next match.