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Description
Round 2: Novex vs. Nixtep

Novex waited coyly in the arena, the crowd cheering loudly in hopes of his second win in the tournament. Smiling awkwardly, he gave a cheerful wave to the audience, happy to finally start making a name for himself amongst the thousands of powerful people around him.

"Oy, kid." Shed grunted to his owner, Novex looking up to him with surprise. "Don't get distracted. You and me both know that last match was a fluke. Don't forget what your precious brother told you."

Novex's eyes widened, memories of his encounter with Ewey refilling his mind. However, shaking his head free of the thoughts, he focused. That encounter was the prelude, and this was the climax. He wasn't going to get distracted.

No sooner had he quelled his internal battle, his supposed opponent entered the stage, a pretty woman with tan skin, black hair, and a curiously oblivious expression. Waving happily at the audience as she stood across from Novex, she shouted various things at them: "Hello there, person! I hope you enjoy the match! I like your haircut! Might I have some of your popcorn?"

Novex faltered, his previous seriousness thrown asunder at this too-cute-to-be-true opponent. Blushing at the incredulousness of it all, he covered his face, frowning. "H-hey!" He shouted to the woman, who was seemingly preoccupied with an engaging conversation about buttons with one of the spectators. At his call, she turned in surprise, obviously not having realized he was there.

"Oh!" She exclaimed happily, approaching him. "Nice to meet you, small boy. Are you lost? I believe there is to be a contest here soon. You should return to the stands before you injure yourself!"

Novex blushed again, partly from the cute behavior, and partly from the embarrassment of being called "small boy". Shaking it off, he replied, "Y-you! I'm your opponent in this match! Shouldn't you be more focused? I…I did win my last match y-y'know. I'm…fairly strong!"

The woman cocked her head in confusion, before taking Novex's hand and walking to the edge of the arena. "EXCUSE ME! THERE APPEARS TO BE A CHILD HERE. MAY I PLAY WITH HIM?" She yelled to Xalna and Xeth's, who were calmly awaiting the match's start. Novex's face turned a dark shade of scarlet as the crowd erupted into fits of laughter, the superiors of their organization facepalming in turn.

"Nixtep." Xalna responded calmly from her seat. "We have been over this. This is your opponent in the next round. You must defeat him in order to win."

Nixtep nodded slowly, apparently processing the information she had just been fed. Then, suddenly turning to Novex, she continued, "You! Small boy, are you familiar with the rules of tic-tac-toe?"

"NO…more…tic-tac-toe." Xalna quickly interjected, sighing deeply at Nixtep's innocence.

Novex frowned, Shed laughing hysterically along with the crowd at the ridiculous excuse for a match. "I-I'm sorry, ma'am, but I'm going to have to beat you now!" He stammered, aiming to push her towards the edge of the arena, only to slip and nearly fall out himself. Luckily, Nixtep caught his collar, pulling him back to safety with ease. "W-w-why did you do that?!" He said flustered, stomping a foot. "D-don't you want to win?"

"You almost fell." She responded joyously, smiling at Novex. "If you had fallen you might have scraped or injured yourself. I prevented this."

Novex sighed, pulling Shed over his face. "Uuugggh," he groaned, sitting on the ground, "you're giving me a headache!!" He couldn't understand it. Just hours ago, he had received a lecture about the seriousness of combat, and now…this?! What did she think this was, a game?

Wait. That was it!

"Um, ma'am?" Novex called shyly, rising from the ground.

"Yes, small boy?" Nixtep responded patiently. "And you may call me Nixtep, if you wish."

Fighting off another wave of embarrassment, Novex pressed on, "Ah, yes. Miss Nixtep! Would you like to play a game? Instead of fighting, that is?" Smiling innocently, he looked up to her with hopeful eyes.

"Why yes!" She responded immediately, a wide smile spreading across her face. "I'd love to play with you, small boy! What would you like to play?"

"It's a new game! Called….um…'Novex Says.'" He improvised, taking Nixtep's hand and guiding her to the edge of the ring. He then took a stand in the center of the ring, opposite her."To play, all you have to do is follow my instructions! However, only follow the instructions that begin with, 'Novex Says'. If I don't say that, then ignore me!"

Nixtep nodded with understanding, a look of determination upon her face. "Right! Let us begin!"

"Okay! Novex Says…summon your weapon!" He summoned his pistols as example, holding them up for all to see. Nixtep obeyed in turn, summoning and raising her sickles with glee. "Good! Now…Novex Says throw them to the ground behind you." He threw his pistols carefully behind him, the guns pattering to a gradual halt behind him on the ring. Nixtep did the same, her sickles falling outside of the ring behind her.

"I am very good at this game!" She said, the excitement in her voice clear from her tone. "When do I win?"

"Oh, you'll win very soon!" Novex lied, smiling with embarrassment as the crowd continued to laugh at this mockery. "Now. Novex Says…hop on one foot!" He began to hop on one foot, slowly beginning to enjoy this relaxation from real battle. Nixtep obeyed, hopping off-balance on one foot. "Now…stop!" He tested her, laughing playfully as she continued to hop.

"Aha! I will not lose so easily, Novex!" She remarked, smiling widely as she hopped.

"Right, right!" He replied, still hopping. "Now, for the win…Novex Says, hop backwards five times!" He hopped backwards five leaps, jumping in the ring as Nixtep obeyed, hopping back, back…and out of the ring, which she had been already standing on the edge of.

Xalna and Xeth's looked as if someone had just smacked them in the face. Crayton, even less happy with the embarrassing display before him, grudgingly declared Novex the winner by ring out; the audience replying with sparse, awkward applause.

Novex, finally done with the charade, padded over to the edge of the ring, lending a hand to the now toppled Nixtep. "I…I'm sorry I had to trick you, Miss Nixtep. But I really needed to win!"

"Hm?" Nixtep responded, cocking her head in confusion once more. "What are you talking about, Novex? You said that last challenge was 'for the win', did you not? I was the victor of 'Novex Says'!"

Laughing at her childlike innocence, Novex looked to the sky. Maybe battle didn't always have to be so serious after all.

Description
Round 2: Novex vs. Nixtep

Novex waited coyly in the arena, the crowd cheering loudly in hopes of his second win in the tournament. Smiling awkwardly, he gave a cheerful wave to the audience, happy to finally start making a name for himself amongst the thousands of powerful people around him.

"Oy, kid." Shed grunted to his owner, Novex looking up to him with surprise. "Don't get distracted. You and me both know that last match was a fluke. Don't forget what your precious brother told you."

Novex's eyes widened, memories of his encounter with Ewey refilling his mind. However, shaking his head free of the thoughts, he focused. That encounter was the prelude, and this was the climax. He wasn't going to get distracted.

No sooner had he quelled his internal battle, his supposed opponent entered the stage, a pretty woman with tan skin, black hair, and a curiously oblivious expression. Waving happily at the audience as she stood across from Novex, she shouted various things at them: "Hello there, person! I hope you enjoy the match! I like your haircut! Might I have some of your popcorn?"

Novex faltered, his previous seriousness thrown asunder at this too-cute-to-be-true opponent. Blushing at the incredulousness of it all, he covered his face, frowning. "H-hey!" He shouted to the woman, who was seemingly preoccupied with an engaging conversation about buttons with one of the spectators. At his call, she turned in surprise, obviously not having realized he was there.

"Oh!" She exclaimed happily, approaching him. "Nice to meet you, small boy. Are you lost? I believe there is to be a contest here soon. You should return to the stands before you injure yourself!"

Novex blushed again, partly from the cute behavior, and partly from the embarrassment of being called "small boy". Shaking it off, he replied, "Y-you! I'm your opponent in this match! Shouldn't you be more focused? I…I did win my last match y-y'know. I'm…fairly strong!"

The woman cocked her head in confusion, before taking Novex's hand and walking to the edge of the arena. "EXCUSE ME! THERE APPEARS TO BE A CHILD HERE. MAY I PLAY WITH HIM?" She yelled to Xalna and Xeth's, who were calmly awaiting the match's start. Novex's face turned a dark shade of scarlet as the crowd erupted into fits of laughter, the superiors of their organization facepalming in turn.

"Nixtep." Xalna responded calmly from her seat. "We have been over this. This is your opponent in the next round. You must defeat him in order to win."

Nixtep nodded slowly, apparently processing the information she had just been fed. Then, suddenly turning to Novex, she continued, "You! Small boy, are you familiar with the rules of tic-tac-toe?"

"NO…more…tic-tac-toe." Xalna quickly interjected, sighing deeply at Nixtep's innocence.

Novex frowned, Shed laughing hysterically along with the crowd at the ridiculous excuse for a match. "I-I'm sorry, ma'am, but I'm going to have to beat you now!" He stammered, aiming to push her towards the edge of the arena, only to slip and nearly fall out himself. Luckily, Nixtep caught his collar, pulling him back to safety with ease. "W-w-why did you do that?!" He said flustered, stomping a foot. "D-don't you want to win?"

"You almost fell." She responded joyously, smiling at Novex. "If you had fallen you might have scraped or injured yourself. I prevented this."

Novex sighed, pulling Shed over his face. "Uuugggh," he groaned, sitting on the ground, "you're giving me a headache!!" He couldn't understand it. Just hours ago, he had received a lecture about the seriousness of combat, and now…this?! What did she think this was, a game?

Wait. That was it!

"Um, ma'am?" Novex called shyly, rising from the ground.

"Yes, small boy?" Nixtep responded patiently. "And you may call me Nixtep, if you wish."

Fighting off another wave of embarrassment, Novex pressed on, "Ah, yes. Miss Nixtep! Would you like to play a game? Instead of fighting, that is?" Smiling innocently, he looked up to her with hopeful eyes.

"Why yes!" She responded immediately, a wide smile spreading across her face. "I'd love to play with you, small boy! What would you like to play?"

"It's a new game! Called….um…'Novex Says.'" He improvised, taking Nixtep's hand and guiding her to the edge of the ring. He then took a stand in the center of the ring, opposite her."To play, all you have to do is follow my instructions! However, only follow the instructions that begin with, 'Novex Says'. If I don't say that, then ignore me!"

Nixtep nodded with understanding, a look of determination upon her face. "Right! Let us begin!"

"Okay! Novex Says…summon your weapon!" He summoned his pistols as example, holding them up for all to see. Nixtep obeyed in turn, summoning and raising her sickles with glee. "Good! Now…Novex Says throw them to the ground behind you." He threw his pistols carefully behind him, the guns pattering to a gradual halt behind him on the ring. Nixtep did the same, her sickles falling outside of the ring behind her.

"I am very good at this game!" She said, the excitement in her voice clear from her tone. "When do I win?"

"Oh, you'll win very soon!" Novex lied, smiling with embarrassment as the crowd continued to laugh at this mockery. "Now. Novex Says…hop on one foot!" He began to hop on one foot, slowly beginning to enjoy this relaxation from real battle. Nixtep obeyed, hopping off-balance on one foot. "Now…stop!" He tested her, laughing playfully as she continued to hop.

"Aha! I will not lose so easily, Novex!" She remarked, smiling widely as she hopped.

"Right, right!" He replied, still hopping. "Now, for the win…Novex Says, hop backwards five times!" He hopped backwards five leaps, jumping in the ring as Nixtep obeyed, hopping back, back…and out of the ring, which she had been already standing on the edge of.

Xalna and Xeth's looked as if someone had just smacked them in the face. Crayton, even less happy with the embarrassing display before him, grudgingly declared Novex the winner by ring out; the audience replying with sparse, awkward applause.

Novex, finally done with the charade, padded over to the edge of the ring, lending a hand to the now toppled Nixtep. "I…I'm sorry I had to trick you, Miss Nixtep. But I really needed to win!"

"Hm?" Nixtep responded, cocking her head in confusion once more. "What are you talking about, Novex? You said that last challenge was 'for the win', did you not? I was the victor of 'Novex Says'!"

Laughing at her childlike innocence, Novex looked to the sky. Maybe battle didn't always have to be so serious after all.