The two Magic Trains entered the bridge. I could hear the reverberating sound of rails, but it felt somehow distant. The ground approached in slow motion. For a moment, I thought I wanted to see my opponent’s third form. That moment was enough to give the Demon Lord an opportunity to try to readjust himself. As I realized I would fall first, my arm unconsciously swept his thigh.
Smash! The two of us fell at about the same time. Who won? Who had fallen first?
“Dogfall!” announced the referee.
“Oh, come on! Her dress touched the ground first,” said the Demon Lord, now back to his regular form, which allowed him to speak without pause.
“No, your thorn did,” I retorted.
“Say what?!”
The two of us glared at each other in the ring. We both hated losing.
The trains had left the bridge and crossed the border with Aryaka.
“It’s a draw, but we win,” I said.
“Gnnnh...”
The coupled Magic Trains began to slow down on their approach to the final destination—the border station. It turned out a station had been built as well.
“Rematch!”
“We’re out of time, referee! Damn it!”
The Demon Lord stamped his feet in frustration. I had never seen anyone do this literally. Oh, wait—I think Jaromíra did that too.
“So it’s a draw?” I asked.
“Yeah, with a score of two to two. I can’t believe this shit...” complained the Demon Lord.
The whole basis of this team competition had been their intent to take us prisoner if we lost before we made it to Aryaka. Kidnapping us out of Aryaka would’ve changed things a bit.
“We’ll settle this at the next tournament.”
“What next tournament?”
“You’re gonna take your troops to the Town of Yggdrasil, aren’t you? That’s where we’re gonna do it. Five on five. Bring five Aryakan wrestlers next time.”
“So a final set of bouts at the place where it all began. You’re going to show me that third form of yours next time, demonic yokozuna.”
“Next time, I’m going to settle this properly, as befits a yokozuna.”
“Right back at you.”
So, I would be able to fight him again.
“The winner gets the Elven Forest Republic for himself!” announced the Demon Lord.
“Should you really be betting a country you don’t own?” I asked.
“See if I care what Chancellor Mickaël has to say about it! Sumo is more important than politics!”
“You’re really obsessed with sumo, aren’t you?”
“Look who’s talking, yokozuna Floortje,” the Demon Lord replied with a smile.
“I’m looking forward to it.”
“Me too. Oh, and Fairy King!” He had turned to Barkus.
Fairy King?
“How long you gonna keep up the dog act? Don’t tell me you’re still cursed. Take this!” Forming a pitch-black orb of power in his hand, he launched it at the pup. “Guess my curses are so strong that the best you could do was take that beast-man form.”
Barkus was covered in black smoke. Once it had cleared, a beautiful stark-naked man was standing there.
“Oh, come on, Demon Lord—why would you lift the curse here of all places?!”
Barkus... My Barkus...
“Barkus was a flirt!!!” screamed Adela and I together.
“It was a most pleasant journey, ladies. I won’t forget it as long as I live, ha ha!”
“Nooo, go back to being a pup, go back!!!”
“Oh, stop! I can’t return to that form anymore!”
He was a flirt! A beautiful elf too, sure, but a flirt nonetheless! My adorable little Barkus was no more!
“Ahh, stop, cut it out! No harite!”
The Demon Lord looked on, guffawing.
“This guy fell for a honeypot I set up for him, and that’s how he got himself cursed. Never thought he’d escaped from the palace and was traveling with you, though.”
Give me Barkus back!!!—went through my head as Adela and I beat up the flirt before our eyes.
“It hurts, it hurts! Help, Your Highness!”
A smile on his face, Prince Richie firmly grabbed him by the shoulders.
“Fairy King. You entered the hot spring with Floortje, didn’t you?”
“Th-That’s a misunderstanding!”
“You slept in the same bed with her...”
“L-Let me explain myself, Your Highness, I’m sure we can work this out!”
Though he had a smile on his face, on the inside the prince was really angry. Shows you right, you shallow flirt.
“Don’t keep me waiting at the Town of Yggdrasil. Have the fairy king come with an army and we’ll settle things once and for all at a joint tournament!”
The Magic Trains had reached the station and come to a complete stop. We made our way to the Trailblazer, escorted by the goblin professor.
“Let us meet again, Aryakans. Gob.”
“We’re gonna pay a visit to your lands later. Let’s trade some more knowledge when the time comes, Professor.”
“I can hardly gob-wait, Chief Jörd.”
It seemed the Dwarven Great Caves and the demonic realm would be exchanging technology. Perhaps they would even extend the railway to connect their lands. That would let even us easily visit the demonic realm.
As the professor decoupled the Magic Trains, the Thunder began to leave.
“Let’s fight again, Arima!”
“Agreed...” Arima gave Phalaris a light wave.
“I wanna go against yokozuna Floortje next. Bye until then!”
“I want to fight you too, Uta. Look forward to it.”
Scattering her rainbow-colored pollen, Uta waved to me.
“U-Um... Tell Coach that...”
“I’ll bring him to the next tournament. If you have something to say to him, use sumo, not words.”
“I will!” replied Kukuri after a pause, with a deep nod.
As I made a mental note to add Clifton to my team, I waved at the retreating Thunder. This escape had brought numerous tough challenges with it, but I had come to know many sumo wrestlers as well. The fact that Dark Sumo was so developed was an important discovery. I wanted to visit them on tours and have them visit Aryagard in turn. But for now...
I made eye contact with Adela. We had to beat up this flirt.
“Gahhh! You’ve got it all wrong!!!”