Chapter 3 - To the Sports Arena

Sora runs into someone and ends up at the Sports Arena

I spent the rest of my time at SIMU trying to separate dream from reality. It was hard to believe that just happened. I am such a loser. I never choke up like that. She was just so captivating. Her presence itself was immense. I just have to forget about it. I probably won't see her ever again anyways. But the way our magic just connected, I never felt this way before. It was all so natural, its so addicting. What was that she muttered at the end again? Hitsuzen? Wonder what that is. I typed it into my RTW and searched for it. Hitsuzen is the idea that events are preordained and no matter what it will happen. Sounds like destiny to me. Is she right? Maybe it is destiny. Then it hit me, why didn't I get her phone number? Darn it!

In the midst of my thoughts, I accidentally bumped into someone and we fell to the ground. I got up and held my hand to help the person up, "Sorry, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going." She took my hand and got up. "Nah, its okay. Don't worry about it," she replied. She was wearing regular clothes so I guess she wasn't a student here. She looked lost and confused. "Are you looking for someone or something?" I asked. She looked embarrassed, she replied, " Yes, I am looking for the sports arena and field." I pulled up my map and we went there together. I turned to the girl and said, " I'm Sora by the way. Again sorry for running you over." She replied quietly, " Its okay. I'm Angelica. Nice to meet you. Sorry for causing you trouble by having to take me to the sports area." " It's alright, I was checking out the campus anyways," I assured her. We arrived at the sports are in about 5 minutes. 

I have to admit, I knew SIMU was an amazing place but this sports area was gargantuan! Anglica and I said good bye to each other when we arrived. She thanked me and said she had something to do. But it was amazing this place had it all! All of the sports from before magic like basketball, tennis, etc and there was magic based sports. You could tell these athletes were serious. At least half of them had to be here on a sports scholarship. I would have no chance with them. There were outdoor courts and indoor courts for various sports. There were 5 track fields that could be used to play soccer, football, or field sports. Then there was the VR-Arena. The virtual reality arena was a specially designed for magic games. As large as two stadiums, this was the spot where professionals came to be. When I walked inside, there were at least one hundred rows of chairs all around the stadium. Deep in the ground was the VR-Field, where any field could be created through technology and magic. This field was the place where Saboteur, Precise Shot, and other magic games were played. 

I have always wanted to try playing Saboteur. Saboteur is a magic version of capture the flag. There are two teams and you protect your base while trying to infiltrate the other team's. The objective is to infiltrate the base and hack into the computer and destroy their defenses. Players wear special equipment that protects them from any blood loss or permanent cuts. Anything goes except any fatal or deadly spells. Weapons and any other spells are completely legal. 

Precise Shot is a less magic based competition. It has two components, the first is a target practice. The objective is to shoot the targets that fly through the sky. The person who hits the most wins the first round. The second round is composed of the top 16 from the first round. The competitors are pitted against each other while they try to shoot the targets hovering above parts of the body. When all of the targets are destroyed, you are out. As with Saboteur, any non-lethal spells are allowed, but the targets must be destroyed with the competitor's weapon. The players also can't shoot their opponent's bodies. 

I signed up for a game of Saboteur and waited my turn to play. This would be my first time actually playing, but I have seen games and came up with strategies. My name was called and I got geared up for the match. I could feel the blood pumping through my body. Then I remembered Yuki and I felt slightly embarrassed. I had to focus though. I called upon my persona, Pistis. "Pistis! Prepare for combat." Pistis transformed into my blade. A thin, long, light weight blade with the ability to strike fast and precise blows. Pistis was a ocean blue blade with a forest green sharp edge. I sheathed Pistis and walked towards the entrance. 

When I got into the arena, instructions were given and I met my team mates. This would be a 3 on 3 match. My first team mate was a bulky guy and was one year older than me. He had blonde hair and blue eyes. His name was Gus and he specialized in defensive magic. He would be the tank. The other team member was an average sized guy like me. He had white hair and brown eyes. He said his name was Ibuki and he was a contractor, meaning he could use spirits he made a contract with. Ibuki will be our mage, staying back to protect and survey the base. I would be the main attacker, with my light weight and speed, I am much faster than others normally. 

The two teams went to their designated areas and the virtual reality began. It was an abandoned city. Tall buildings were broken and have fallen over. The streets were cracked and the sky was dark and cloudy. It had an eerie feel to it, as though some huge catastrophe had just happened here. There were no signs of life whatsoever. We put in our head pieces and began the game. Ibuki sent out a survey earth sprite to detect where our opponents were. Ibuki directed us towards the a fallen white apartment building. Upon arrival, Gus had drawn his huge broadsword. He turned to me and told me, " This is my persona, Ares, the persona of strength." "Nice to meet you Ares," I said as I unsheathed Pistis preparing for combat. 

"Stand 10 feet away from the building," Ibuki said calmly. The next thing I knew, the building was shaking and it collapsed. As the building collapsed, the first enemy appeared before us. He was a tall and lanky fellow with black hair that spiked up. He geared up for combat as he drew his two short daggers. They were identical daggers except the gem at the end of the hilt was a different color. He had equipped his personas, now the fight begins.