"The match will be delayed for a few hours since they still have to fix the arena," the Cleric notified Keane who was seated in a wooden wheelchair. "For now, please stay here and wait for your next match."
"Thank you," Keane replied.
The Cleric nodded his head and left the room, leaving the skinny swordsman alone to meditate.
Keane's injuries had healed, but the damage he received from his battle with Gilbert was not of the flesh but of the soul.
Gilbert's final attack had rendered him unable to gather internal energy, which prevented him from using his technique to the fullest.
The irony of it all was after he had purified the insidious tea that was filled with laxative that Cai had given him, Keane had used up most of what little of the Internal Energy had remained inside his body.
Although the Boar's plan to make the skinny teenager spend the entire day inside the bathroom failed, it still managed to cripple his opponent in a manner that even that chatty boar didn't expect.
'I only have enough strength for one blow,' Keane thought as he circulated what little internal energy he had left. 'It is all or nothing in my next match.'
In order to prevent the Boar from further sabotaging him before their match started, Keane asked the officials to bring him to the waiting area located on the right side of the arena. He even didn't go and watch Lux's battle because he didn't want to get distracted, and simply meditated, while waiting for his next match.
He had even requested the staff to not accept any visitors, especially the shameless, and thick-skinned boar, whose mere voice was enough to trigger a PTSD reaction from him.
For the sake of his inner peace, he had made sure that the boar wouldn't be able to come near him before their match started.
While Keane was meditating, his heightened senses heard a disgruntled voice in the hallway leading to his room.
"I'm Little Swordy's best friend! Why am I not allowed to see him?"
"Contestant Cai, you are not allowed to enter the waiting room. Your opponent is currently meditating and asked not to be disturbed."
"Impossible! I was the one who raised Little Swordy since he was a child. Hey! Don't push me! I said don't push me! Little Swordy! It's me! Hey stop pushing meeeeeeeeeeeeee!"
Disgruntled squealing sounds sounded from the hallway as the staff members, who ensured that the Lionheart Tournament wouldn't encounter any mishaps, forcibly kicked the Boar away from Keane's waiting room.
Keane had to cover his ears with his hands because Cai's screaming loud enough to wake up the dead.
Fortunately, after five minutes, the squealing stopped and peace once again settled inside the waiting room.
Two hours later, one of the officials of the tournament informed Keane that the battle was about to start.
Keane took a deep breath as the official pushed his wheelchair towards the arena, where his opponent was waiting for him.
—----
"Ladies and Gentlemen, we deeply apologize for the delay," Judge Dredd said using the artifact that magnified his voice. "Now that the stage has been fixed and new barriers are in place, we will now continue with the last match for the Semifinals! Whoever wins this round will proceed to the Final Round, which will be held tomorrow!"
The crowd cheered as they waited for Judge Dredd to announce the two contestants that had also reached the Semifinals.
"Hailing from the Nomadic Rowan Tribe, and standing four meters tall, our next contestant had miraculously reached the Semifinal rounds," Judge Dredd announced. "In truth, I never thought that it would make it this far in the tournament because no matter how I look at it, this contestant simply got lucky!
"This contestant likes to eat pork chops, baby back ribs, pork stew, steak, and pork barbecue! Ladies and gentlemen, make way for the one, and only…. Cai!"
The crowd laughed and clapped after hearing Judge Dredd's teasing voice. Some had labeled Cai as the mascot of the tournament because the Boar didn't look that strong. Just like the referee of the tournament said, they felt that Cai just got lucky in the tournament.
His strongest opponent had conceded before their match even started, allowing Cai to reach the Semifinals without problems. Although many suspected foul play, and blackmail, no evidence that the Boar's opponent had been threatened or bribed in any way, making the officials who did the investigation decide to drop the case altogether.
The Boar arrogantly entered the arena with its snout raised high, as if everyone around it were mere peasants, and undeserving of its attention.
After climbing the stage, Judge Dredd decided to interview the boar in order to liven up the atmosphere before the match.
"Cai, do you have something to say to our audience?" Judge Dredd asked before placing the artifact near the Boar's snout.
"Two tigers cannot share the same mountain," Cai said with a voice that seemed that it had come from a hermit who had seen the ways of the world. "Although it breaks my heart to fight my friend, this is something that must be done. I just hope that after this match is over, Little Swordy and I can remain friends and continue to face the challenges of the world with our heads raised high."
The audience looked at the Boar as if they were seeing its true colors for the first time. Even Judge Dredd was almost conned by Cai's eloquent words. If not for the fact that he had seen how shameless the Boar was behind closed doors, he would be just like the audience that looked at Cai with admiration and respect.
Not wanting to hear anymore of the boar's nonsense, Judge Dredd walked back to the center of the arena and announced Cai's opponent.
"We don't know much about our next contestant because he likes to keep to himself most of the time," Judge Dredd said. "All we know is that he is an excellent swordsman, and that he is deserving of his spot in the Semifinal rounds. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the mysterious swordsman, Keane!"
Another round of applause and cheering resounded in the arena as the crowd favorite appeared in front of their eyes.
Keane was seated in a wooden wheelchair, being pushed by one of the staff members that had been assigned to him.
Garric pointed his finger at Keane's direction, making the skinny swordsman disappear from the wheelchair, and reappear in the arena.
Keane stood tall, with his thumb resting at the hilt of his sword. This was the pose he had taken in every match, and everyone was already accustomed by it.
As a mysterious contestant, Keane had piqued the interest of the audience, as well as several high-ranking officials, and nobles, of the Six Kingdoms. They were doing their best in order to scout the young swordsman to serve their kingdom, but the latter evaded their approach by requesting the help of Barbatos Academy.
"Do you have anything to say to the audience, Keane?" Judge Dredd asked as he handed the artifact to the swordsman who looked pleasing to his eyes.
"Thank you for having me in the tournament," Keane replied. "I wish everyone a good day."
After saying these words Keane returned the artifact to Judge Dredd making the referee of the match chuckle.
"Well then, are both fighters ready?" Judge Dredd asked as he glanced at the two contestants.
Keane nodded his head. "I'm ready."
Judge Dredd then shifted his attention to the Boar who was looking at Keane with the "Never say Die, and Never Surrender Gaze."
"Before we start this match, I have something to say to Keane first," Cai said.
Judge Dredd nodded his head, and Keane looked at the boar who had forced him to join its organization.
"First and foremost, I applaud you for having come this far," Cai stated. "As a member of your Secret Organization, the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, you have made me proud by standing on the same stage as me."
The corner of Judge Dredd's and Keane's lips twitched after hearing Cai's words.
What secret organization?
You just announced it in front of everyone as if you are advertising it!
"Keane, I just want you to know that if I lose this match. I will accompany you all your life. I will wake you up every morning, and greet you a good day everyday. During lunch time, I will accompany you to eat pork chops. Um, steak is fine too.
"Whenever you go to the comfort room, I will follow you as well. I will ensure that you can take a dump peacefully without being bothered by anyone.
"At night, I will tell you stories, and cover you with a blanket when you fall asleep. I will repeat these things on the next day until you grow old and become decrepit. I'm sure that both of us will have a wonderful and fulfilling life ahead of us. That is all I want to say."
As soon as Cai finished its speech, several images flashed in front of Keane's eyes.
'Rise and shine Keane! Um, can you wake up? I'm already hungry. What's for breakfast?'
'What are we having for lunch? Do you want to hunt wild boars in the mountains? I want to eat some pork chops.'
'Keane, where are we going next? Let's visit the next town!'
'Um, are you going to the bathroom? Perfect, I feel like going there as well.'
'Keane, are you going to sleep? Let me tell you a story first about this old bandit named James. This old coot is so shameless that even I feel inferior to how thick his skin is…'
'Keane, I'll stay with you forever.'
'Forever…"
'Forever..'
'Forever.'
The images in Keane's head caused the remaining internal force inside his body to disperse as if they were a pile of leaves being swept away by a broom, resulting in him vomiting blood, staining the floor red.
Due to his unstable state of mind, he wasn't able to hear Judge Dredd's declaration to start the battle.
'Living everyday in torment is not worth it,' Keane thought as muddy images emerged in his head. Just thinking of spending the rest of his life with the shameless boar by his side day and night broke what little resolve he had of winning the tournament.
While Keane was still in a daze, the Boar had already charged in his direction using its Wild Charge, colliding with the skinny swordsman who seemed to have lost the will to live.
A moment later, Keane's body was sent flying towards the barrier, before falling towards the ground unmoving.
Cai didn't follow up his attack, and simply stared at its "friend" who seemed to have lost consciousness.
"I wish there was another way," Cai said as a single crocodile tear slid from the side of its face, making it look like it had been forced to hurt its friend. "I didn't want to hurt you too much, so I only used 1% of my strength. Keane, please forgive me. I am simply too strong for you."
Judge Dredd crouched down beside Keane's body to check if the latter was alright. After seeing that the skinny teenager had only lost consciousness, he stood up and announced the shameless victor of the match.
"Winner Cai!" Judge Dredd said with a helpless look on his face. He had seen how Keane had lost the will to fight after hearing Cai's words, but there was nothing he could do about it because the Boar didn't break any rules.
"Hahaha!" Cai laughed as it arrogantly raised its snout to the heavens. It was feeling so good right now as if it had just won the lottery. "Final match, here I come!"
The Boar's unrestrained laughter reverberated in the arena, while the audience cheered and called out its name.
Even though the last battle for the Semifinal match ended in a manner that no one expected, the only thing they could do was applaud the shameless, and thick-skinned Boar, who had broken his opponent's fighting spirit, before the battle even started.
