Six Warriors

Open for Subscriptions - (Sam)

It was a beautiful Sunday morning, a beautiful sunny morning, while Miguel remained holed up in his room, in his books.

"If I don't do it, no one will" He spoke without looking up from the book he was reading, "who's going to read this, Sam? Who's going to discover these secrets? Those hollowheads Arthur and Jack? The vain Ethan? The lazy Fenrir? You, who can barely interpret a text?"

"Okay man, don't be so rude!" Sam defended himself, "by the way, I can interpret a text, yeah, ok? I just... I need a little more time than the rest."

"Okay, look, why don't you go enjoy the sunny Sunday having fun on those flying boards or whatever with that girlfriend of yours?"

"First of all, you nerd should know they're Tenser's Glider or aerialboards and other she's...she's not my girlfriend" Sam blushed and kept touching both index fingers, "I mean it's not mine girlfriend... yet."

"Whatever, Sam, it just gets out right?" Miguel scolded.

"Okay, okay, what stress, and then they say reading is good." Sam shrugged and walked away.

Sam went flying on his aerialboard, but oddly enough, few Boarders were where they used to be. He went air skating across the school grounds when he found that boy, Billy. He was in the same room as Fenrir, Jack and Ethan in the dorm, and he had already helped the boys in some situations.

"How about this, none of you look at your Student Bracelets?" He asked Sam.

"What you mean?"

"I mean I've been texting you guys and none of you seemed to look. Don't you remember? Today is tournament registration day."

"No... it can't be."

"Yes it is."

"Have you tried talking to the others?"

"I've been really trying, but..."

"Alright meet me in half an hour by the lake, I hope to find the guys out there."

Sam found Jack just wandering around, reading a random manga like he had nothing to worry about. He communicated what Billy had said and only then looked at his bracelet.

"So man, I think this bracelet of mine is out of order" justified Jack, "I mean, I don't get the slight vibration of his notifications, but I really thought it was weird all the fuss at the gym today, just on a Sunday."

Sam found Jack just wandering around, reading a random manga like he had nothing to worry about. He communicated what Billy had said and only then looked at his bracelet.

"So man, I think this bracelet of mine is out of order" justified Jack, "I mean, I don't get the slight vibration of his notifications, but I really thought it was weird all the fuss at the gym today, just on a Sunday."

"And you're so dumb you didn't just check or ask what it was about."

"Did you go by any chance?" Jack scolded, "You cap, don't think I'm dumber than you."

"Oh sure you are, you know what? I think you're the dumbest of the six, you're top one dumb!"

"I bet you don't, I bet others agree that YOU are the dumbest of them all, I bet you that!"

"What a joke, you're Jack, the biggest addle-head among us!"

"You literally can barely write a sentence without making thousands of grammatical errors, and that's why I'm not even talking about your text interpretation!"

"Alright, I'm not smart, maybe that's true, but you know what? You still beat me, you're top one."

"No, you are the top one!"

"You idiots better shut up!" A voice suddenly interrupted them, "whatever you're fighting over, I'm NUMBER ONE!" Sam and Jack turned to see Arthur simply brag about something he didn't even know what it was. He was sweaty, looking at the horizon with his arms crossed, trying to look like the boss. Sam and Jack just laughed at that stupidity.

"Hey, what are you laughing about?"

"Nothing, Arthur" Jack said still chuckling, "yeah, we've forgotten about you, in that regard, you're SURELY number one!"

"You bet I am!" Arthur replied smugly.

So he was sweaty because he was running around with Marcus, in a kind of training between the two.

"I can hardly believe it, so it's finally today?" Arthur punched his own hand, "Tournament registration, huh? We're getting close!"

"That's it, the communiqué talked about having to bring the ten members together, registering them by Student Bracelets, choosing our team's identity, name, symbol and colors."

"What are we waiting for?" Arthur chuckled, "let's register the Phantom Lord!"

"Hey man, keep it down," whispered Jack, "yeah, alright, but we gotta find the others first, alright?"

Fenrir was…well, Fenrir was still sleeping, so it was pretty easy to know where he was. The boy was still lying on the bed in his dorm, sleeping soundly, dreaming of whatever that crazy boy dreamed of, while a little drool ran down his chin.

"This is a very important decision, you know," Jack said, "like…how are we going to wake him up?" Jack chuckled, "Cold water? Face slapping? Huh? Loud noise in the ear?"

"You know, don't you?" Arthur asked, "the Fenrir he... is quite angry when he is awakened in these ways, in fact he is quite angry if he is awakened anyway."

"What is it, Arthur? Afraid?" Jack chuckled.

"What a joke!" Marcus complained, "just wake him up at once and ask him to get ready quickly, after all, he is the founder of Phantom Lord."

"Okay, I think I've made up my mind," Jack smirked, making a small flame appear on the tip of his finger, "a little bit of fire in the soles of his feet."

"You guys know…I'm hearing everything, right?" Fenrir asked, still lying down and eyes still closed, "Jack I wouldn't do that if I were you, in fact I wouldn't even THINK about it if I were you."

"H-hey, were you awake the whole time?"

"Not all the time, but man…you guys just talk too loud!" Fenrir opened his eyes and his gaze was not good.

Jack doused the fire on his finger by waving his hand frantically.

"Right" he chuckled lamely, "you know I was just kidding, right?"

"Right" Fenrir was frowning.

"Let's wait for you to get ready, sleeper" Sam said, "we'll be waiting by the square in ten minutes. Don't be late, okay?"

Sam knew it was almost useless to say that to Fenrir, he was ALWAYS late.

...

And there they were, Sam, Jack, Arthur and Marcus, Fenrir didn't take long to arrive, they were in the square, sitting on the benches, when the Black Wolf got there, late, as always.

"We have to sign up with our bracelets, under the supervision of a leader" Sam spoke, "you are the founder of Phantom Lord, Fenrir, so you will be the leader of our team, right?"

"Not me," Fenrir said with a bored look and everyone gaped, "I don't want to be a leader."

"You're kidding, right?" Sam asked, standing up, "you slob, this is a joke, right?"

"Well, I see it's no joke" Jack said getting up, "then the position is free. I'll be the leader!" He put his hands on his hips and looked at the horizon in a kind of heroic pose.

"Now that's a bad joke!" Arthur also stood up, "The Fat-Jack, leader?" He chuckled, "It's more than obvious that I have to be the leader! I'm the fittest! You said yourself before, I'm number one!"

"i***t number one, that's true" Jack chuckled.

"What did you say?" Arthur growled, "Okay Fat-Jack, I've wanted to fight you for a long time. Let's make it a fair fight, a fight for rank, how about that? That way I'm the leader without a challenge and I still beat you in a fight, like I've wanted it for a long time."

"Very well then" Jack smiled confidently, "do the challenge, and let's just get this over with once and for all."

"You stupid ones!" Marcus protested, "You already have a leader by nature and don't make this ridiculous dispute, we are wasting time. Ethan Celestian, the bearer of the crystal of light, he is the true leader."

Everyone agreed that Marcus was right.

"After all, Marcus, are you going to join the tournament with us?" Sam wanted to know.

"Obviously I'll be on your team" Marcus smiled, "I don't know if I'll have any special permissions to participate in this, but I'm not missing this tournament for anything!"

...

Sam and the others saw Victoria and Stanis on the way. They were reading a book under the shade of a tree, Stanis wasn't much to read before, but apparently Victoria had made him into that habit.

"If Marcus and Seraph are going to participate in this tournament, I'll be there too," Stanis said, not showing much reaction.

"I don't know if we could," Victoria said, not taking her eyes off her book, "let alone me, besides being a Guardian, I'm going to start the more intense training and testing to be a Valkyrie. I don't know if I'll be allowed."

"Come on, Victoria? It will be for a good cause!" Jack excitedly urged, "One of the scrolls, right? The fun of the battles will just be a bonus!"

"I don't know…maybe if they let me think a little longer." Victoria sighed, "Find Ethan, right? At the lake. So let's go and I'll think along the way."

Billy was there, along with Ethan and Indira, who floated nonchalantly close to the lake.

"How did you know they could find me here?" Ethan asked.

"I just figured you'd come here hoping to see the girls in bikinis, right?" Sam smiled.

"Elza" Ethan sighed, "I don't know why, she's been avoiding me after discovering a few things..."

"That you're a fan of hentai?" Fenrir wanted to know, "That's silly man, wow, don't be like that, she didn't deserve you."

"No! That wasn't it!" Ethan protested, "when he discovered part of our relationship with King Sigmund and Prince Dominick as well. Don't ask me why."

"It doesn't matter" Fenrir shrugged, "you will be our leader in this tournament, yeah, that's it, let's link our bracelets." Fenrir reached out, showing his bracelet.

In his own bracelet, Ethan chose the option to form a team and then everyone was putting their own bracelets next to Ethan's, to link them and thus form a team. On the equipment's display, Ethan was seeing the confirmation of association. First it was Fenrir, then the excited Jack joined in and not to be left behind Arthur followed. Sam, Marcus, Billy and Stanis were next. Everyone looked at Victoria, waiting for her decision, whereupon she just sighed and put her arm around Ethan's arm side.

Sam led Ethan to the room where Miguel was studying.

"The tournament!" Miguel put his hands on his head, "Man, I was so deep in the books that I completely forgot! But yeah, of course, I'm going to give you the honor of being part of your team."

...

The final application process was to take the leader's bracelet, the one that would register everyone under their team, to the registration table, there they would say the team name and then see if they would pass, as a certain grade was needed in the tests.

The line was pretty long.

"Wants to know?" Fenrir shrugged, "this thing about demanding grades... you know it makes me calmer, it's not possible for Gartham or that Garm guy to get those grades, right?"

"You thought wrong, Black Wolf," said someone over there, all of a sudden. Sam didn't know the guy, but his appearance matched his friends' description of that Garm, the White Wolf. And worst of all, Gartham was with him. "There are many ways to get these grades, I'm not the one to be left out of this tournament, understand?"

"That's it, little Fenrir" Gartham, the Iron Lord, agreed, "hey, we may understand each other, but I never forget a loss. I'll have my rematch with you guys at the tournament, oh I will. Hope I will the pleasure of fighting you there."

"Garm, Gartham and Laci?" Arthur growled, glancing at the guys standing next to Gartham, especially the three in front. "Hey, what do you mean? What are you doing together?"

“I just had the greatest idea ever, Stone Cow,” Garm spoke confidently, “I decided to make an alliance with the most powerful delinquent clubs in this bankrupt school. That's right, it was very difficult to convince these guys, but we agreed to face each other after being champions. With this alliance, we are unbeatable!"

"Laci, did you really agree to team up with this guy?" Arthur growled.

"As much as I hate him, I have to admit, he is quite powerful. After we win the tournament, let's face each other, our three clubs and then see who is really the most powerful. You don't think I am either looking forward to facing Garm? I'm itching for this!"

"There's nothing to argue about, Phantom Lord!" Garm chuckled, "Neither you nor Hoviding nor anyone else will be able to disrupt the alliance between the Big Three Unofficials. Hell's Dogs, Crazed Coyotes and Iron Fist, the three of us form the HELL'S ALLIANCE! Be prepared! Especially you, Black Wolf!" He pointed at Fenrir with a disdainful smile, but Fenrir did not react, he didn't look impressed, or at least pretended not to be.

After that, they left, several students clearing the way for the menacing delinquents to pass.

"That's not good." Arthur warned.

"It makes my heart soar with excitement, man!" A young man standing nearby laughed, "The most powerful delinquents in the academy, together in an alliance, who knew? Laci and Garm, together in the same team. This year's tournament will be, without a doubt, the best!" He was tall, strong (though not as strong as Gartham), brown skinned and oiled hair slicked back.

"Behave yourself, Bastion" asked another young man, this one was smaller, more delicate, wore a turban on his head and had blue hair.

"That's right, newbies, I'm Bastion and this is Thales, we are from Hovding, I'm pretty excited!" Bastion looked at Fenrir, then at Arthur, then at Ethan. "Let me see...you must be...hmm, Black Wolf, Stone Bull and Bright Lion, right? Phantom Lord, right? I'm excited to see what you guys are capable of too."

"Do not forget me!" Jack protested, "I'm the...er...Dragon...Mighty? Yes, Mighty Dragon."

"I don't know, but I see you are very strong indeed!" Bastion replied, always looking confident, always with his arms crossed.

"Really, he is," Thales agreed, "I've already faced him, he and Sam were responsible for defeating Jaden, the Iron Lord's right hand man."

"This is really amazing! Be careful Phantom Lord, we current champions will study you too, we will be watching you, we consider you dangerous opponents. See you at the tournament!" Bastian withdrew and Sam figured he and Thales were joining up with the other Hovding, the Student Council team and current champions.

Sam and some of his friends stood in line, waiting their turn to sign up, there was a kind of Bracelet reader there, the team leader would put the bracelet on the reader and then record the team name. Earnest the owl was there, monitoring everything.

"Answer me if you can," he would say to Sam and his friends, "why isn't a tournament of intellectual skills as successful as this tournament of brutality and needless fighting?"

"Why answering questions isn't as exciting as fighting!" Arthur responded by punching the air.

"Also, it seems to me to be more exciting to watch teenagers exchanging punches, magic techniques and pyrotechnics than a mere intellectual debate" Fenrir shrugged.

"I see, it's a good answer." Earnest replied, "Watching a fight is entirely pleasing to the physical body, is eye-catching and pleasing to the senses, whereas a philosophical and intellectual debate would demand much more from those present, as it pleases only the refined souls."

"That's why I'm simple to please, I'm not at all refined, I'm like a rough stone!" Arthur would say, "Good food, good fight, wild music, hey, there are things I like!"

"Very well" Ethan placed the bracelet under the reader, the display showed the records of all ten Phantom Lord team members.

"And what will the team name be?" Earnest asked.

"Er... Phantom..."

"Valiant Warriors" Fenrir interrupted.

"Valiant Warriors...?" Ethan asked confused.

"Yes, register. Valiant Warriors."

"Registered name!" The reader's magical voice spoke, "Team VALIANT WARRIORS; leader Ethan Celestian. Members: Fenrir Silvster, Jack Zaek, Arthur Coast, Samiel Ollibeu, Billy Coldwinter, Stanis Louis, Marcus Valdevez, Victoria Regina, Miguel Moschee."

"Good luck boys," Earnest said after registration.

"VALIANT WARRIORS?" Arthur asked, "What the hell name is that? We're Phan..."

"The Valiant Warriors will rock!" Fenrir interrupted Arthur and Sam and his friends wondered if he was crazy.

...

About an hour later, the ten members of the Valiant Warriors were gathered at the Phantom Lord clubhouse.

"Now it's good to start thinking about the symbol and colors of our team." said Fenrir.

"Why the hell did you pick that name?" Jack asked Fenrir.

"Oh, it's just a name, if you had a better one you should have said it."

"And we're not the Phantom Lord? Where is our identity?"

"There is already a team called the Phantom Lord" Fenrir smiled slightly, eyes closed and crossing his arms.

"What are you talking about? WE are the Phantom..."

"Not." Said Odaiv, suddenly approaching, "WE are." Beside him were now the tournament's Phantom Lord team, Odaiv's inseparable friends, Paul and Pablo, and other guys who were such minor characters…or rather, third parties, that Sam barely knew anything about them beyond their name. In terms of information (which can very well be ignored, but for the curious...) the team was also composed of Mike, the guy with some secret knowledge about the academy. Roxy, another one of the guys, was a guy with a curly mohawk and weird teeth. René Ting, a close friend of Roxy's, enjoyed practicing martial arts and was often Marcus' training partner. Gaius, a guy who came from their world and liked manga and anime as well, he resembled Tommy from Power Rangers a little in appearance and seemed pretty self-assured. Alice Kenny, a sloppy girl with a very dirty mouth, Sam hadn't talked to her very often. Inanna Pardus, a girl perhaps twice his size and who could possibly be strong. Finally, Christopher Heinrich, often called Chris, a guy who used to play football with Arthur and had a weird face.

These were the guys who would represent the Phantom Lord at the tournament, Sam didn't doubt their strength, but comparing them to those powerful guys he'd seen earlier was… even unfair.

"Odaiv? Mike?" He asked. He turned to Fenrir, "Fenrir, but why?"

"It's my plan and Miguel's. The name Phantom Lord is going to attract a lot of attention, didn't you realize? While Valiant Warriors are still a bunch of strangers. Besides, I have a strong suspicion that some people might want to sabotage us in this one , so we have to be careful about revealing ourselves as the representatives of the Phantom Lord."

"We are aware that we will basically be bait" said Odaiv, but still confident, "however, we can guarantee, we will do our best, besides, if we fall in the same bracket and need to face each other, don't think that we will simply take it easy. "

"I understand." Jack looked at Odaiv "at least make an effort to defend the fame of this club, which I've fought so hard to achieve" he chuckled. His friends started to protest, but he didn't care. Jack sat down and took a deep breath and Sam sat in a chair next to him.

"I wanted to thank Victoria" Ethan announced, "she's taking a lot of chances with her being a Valkyrie and having to participate in this tournament, without her we wouldn't complete our team."

“A Valkyrie on our team,” Marcus said confidently, “this is beyond what we mere Guardians are. Of course, getting special permission to participate in this tournament is much easier for the Guardians than it is for the Valkyries and Victoria is the both things."

"Hip, hip, Victoria!" Sam yelled, and repeated, "Hip, hip, Victoria!" Then, soon after, everyone was repeating "Hip, hip, Victoria!" She couldn't say anything, but she was amused.