Chapter 194 Betting Match (3)
Chapter 194 Betting Match (3)
Lee Seng rocketed backwards, crashing into the ground. The dense aura energy had crackled and exploded. Lee Seng groaned as he clutched the left side of his stomach. He could feel the burns slowly healing itself.
"It looks like Tristan's explosive aura has come out!" The announcer exclaimed. "Tristan is known for three things! One, his aura can disrupt your own aura, making you feel nauseous and lose most, if not all, of your senses. Two, he can manipulate his aura to extend out of him and use this to continue the aura disruption or go on the attack! And three, he can create explosive hits!"
'That's why it was dense.' Lee Seng wiped the blood off the bottom of his lips. He stood up and took a look at the huge board. Tristan had about 19% left while he had gone down to 14%. The wisps hissed and crackled. He removed his arm and grabbed the katana at his side.
"It looks like Lee Seng is finally making use of his weapon!" The announcer shouted. Lee Seng pulled the katana out and twirled it in his hand as he moved forward. Tristan flew at him with the aura-formed staff in his hands and swung at him. Lee Seng blocked the attack and shoved Tristan away with ease. Tristan watched as moved towards him. In mid-strike, white aura flooded the sword.
'You're not the only one who can do that!' Tristan raised his staff to block. The blue staff grew denser. The katana connected with the staff, gravity erupting out of the blade. The blade sliced straight through the staff, sending Tristan backwards. Tristan slammed against the arena wall. The wall pulsed with dark energy as it absorbed the aftershocks. Lee Seng dashed forward, disappearing from the cameras on him, reappearing in front of Tristan.
Lee Seng slashed across Tristan's chest, watching as the blue aura flashed, blocking some of his attack. Tristan grunted as part of his body started to bleed. Tristan rotated his palms at his side to point at Lee Seng. Lee Seng held the katana up and sighed. He was about to swing when he felt everything around him disappear.
He looked around and only saw darkness. In mere seconds, he felt hard punches move across his body and shoulders. The katana in his hand released as Tristan barraged him with punches, finishing up with an uppercut. Lee Seng flew backwards, landing on the ground as Tristan quickly kicked the katana off to the side.
"He probably doesn't even know what's happening." Tristan huffed. He moved over to the senseless Lee Seng and shook his head. He knelt down and raised his hand. He kept his hand straight, allowing a dense blue aura to cover his hand. Lee Seng quickly looked side to side. He could barely hear what was going on. His senses had been taken away from him. He slowly scrambled, not knowing where he was going.
'Tristan's going to do the final blow soon… I would. I need to extend my aura out just enough to catch it.' Lee Seng closed his eyes and took a breath. He pushed the white and gold aura outwards. Tristan watched as the aura extended about six inches off of Lee Seng.
"Tch, he can't even extend his aura that well." He shook his head and readied himself. Tristan sent his final strike out towards Lee Seng. Tristan's hand reached the aura threshold and Lee Seng's eyes opened. He quickly jerked himself forward, closing the distance for Tristan and slammed his hands into Tristan's hand. Lee Seng's aura flew and wrapped up Tristan's arm and sank to his body. In an instant, Tristan's body grew heavy. He fell forward, knocking into Lee Seng as Lee Seng continued to hold onto Tristan's hand.
Lee Seng's tail extended, snaking past the uncomfortable position and slamming itself into Tristan's face. Tristan went flying in one hit, his hand forcefully pulled away from Lee Seng's grasp. Lee Seng's long tail hovered as he looked side to side.
'Did I win?' Lee Seng asked himself. Tristan slammed into the wall with a forceful shove from Lee Seng's tail. The crowd erupted in a cacophony of mixed reactions. The distortion effect on Lee Seng faded. He could hear the crowd shouting as the announcer was stuttering.
"W-w-w-w… What happened!?!" The announcer shouted. "It looks like Tristan has become unconscious and been reduced to zero! The winner of the first betting match is Lee Seng Chang, the Gravity fox!" The crowd's reaction moved to a mix of cheers and boos. Lee Seng shook his head as he tried to stand up. His tail pulled back to its normal length as he stumbled onto his knees.
"Gravity fox…?" Lee Seng muttered as he pushed himself onto his feet, stumbling left and right. "That's the nickname you decided to go with…?" Lee Seng watched as medics flooded the arena. He watched as they grabbed Tristan first and hauled him off towards the door he came from. The announcer appeared next to him, making him jump backwards as multiple cameras flew around them. The announcer moved his mic to his side and looked at Lee Seng.
"Time for the interview, kid." The announcer told him.
"I-i-interview?"
"Alright, everybody! It's interview time!" The announcer moved the mic back to his mouth and the crowd continued to cheer and boo. "Today's match came with shocking discoveries and twists. I'm here with Lee Seng Chang, the Creator's son aka the Gravity fox, to ask some questions!" The announcer turned towards Lee Seng and his eyes gave him a strange indication he didn't have a choice.
"How do you feel after your battle with aura manipulator, Tristan Pierce?" The announcer asked. The mic moved towards Lee Seng's mouth and he awkwardly looked around before clearing his throat.
"I, uh…" Lee Seng's mind couldn't figure out what to say. He was still reeling from the aftereffects of Tristan's powerful disruption. "Pretty dizzy."
"Dizzy?"
"I think I'm still dealing with the aftereffects of Tristan's aura…" Lee Seng stumbled as the announcer quickly caught him.
"Could we get some medics over here quick!" The announcer shouted. "And some chairs! Oh, and someone grab his shirt!" Medics and chairs moved onto the scene. Lee Seng sat down with some help as the announcer settled in his seat. The medics quickly handled Lee Seng's nausea and injuries and slipped on his shirt before rushing off.
"Alright, doing okay now?" The announcer asked. Lee Seng turned and nodded. He gulped as he forced himself to look at the announcer. Everyone was staring at him and he didn't like all this attention at once. "As I was asking before, how do you feel after your battle with Tristan Pierce?"
"Well," Lee Seng cleared his throat as he was handed a mic. He raised it and looked around. "I'm still on a high after the fight if I got to be honest… This is my first actual betting match fight at the Academy, so I'm still trying to process everything that happened… But I think the match was tougher than I thought it would be. I'm a transfer student coming into a top school in the country. On top of it all, I'm fighting against millions of people's perspective of me."
"Since we're on the topic of your image, what message do you want others to hear today?" The announcer asked. Lee Seng took another gulp and cleared his throat. Silence fell into the arena. Mumbles and whispers moved around the arena as Lee Seng continued to think.
'What do I want them to know?' Lee Seng thought. He raised the mic to his mouth and looked straight into the camera in front of him and the announcer. Only one thing popped up in his mind. He rose from his seat and looked at the crowd above him.
"Whether you perceive me as the Creator's failed son, a nuisance to society, a troublemaker… Whatever it is, clear that from your mind. The articles and internet spin things in a negative light and I will continue to be myself and work towards my dream…"
"What is your dream?" The announcer asked. Lee Seng's eyes moved to the camera and a smile came out.
"I wanna explore and take back the old world." Lee Seng confidently spoke. The crowd began to grow louder.
"Is that the reason why you came to the Numbers Academy?" The announcer asked. Lee Seng turned and sat back in his seat.
"That's the reason why I came here." Lee Seng nodded. "Whatever wall is in front of me, I must continue forward. I will go on an old world expedition and learn first-hand what it was like back then."
"Many people dream the same dream, but fail to make it. What sets you apart from the rest?"
"I don't think there's anything that sets me apart from others." Lee Seng answered. He kept his eyes on the camera. "I'm in a particularly interesting position because I'm the Creator's son and the late Nurse Chee Chang's son. Everyone expects big things from the Creator's son. From the woman who dedicated her life to this city…" A smile escaped his lips. He glanced down at his right hand for a while and then looked back at the announcer.
"My status sets me apart because everyone has expectations for me. I may be smart, dedicated, etc. but none of that matters when it comes to being on an expedition to uncover the old world within the grasp of the New World… Nothing sets me apart from the dreams of millions and millions of other students and kids. I will continue to work hard to get to that finish line. Even if I fail a million times, I will get there one day."
"Perfectly said." The announcer clapped. The crowd began to clap along and Lee Seng looked around. "The Betting Match After-interview is ending on a great note. Status means nothing when you're trying to get to explore the old world… Lee Seng Chang has successfully won his first betting match, giving him immunity against anyone wanting to fight him because of the rumors circulating around him and the invasion. As planned, Tristan Pierce will be a reminder of this match and remember… Hard work and dedication do pay off. This is David Troi, your favorite announcer, signing off. Goodbye everyone!"