"Zion! You bastard!" Valindra shouted as she walked up to him.
"What? Don’t tell me you actually expected me to help you in that situation?"
"Yes! Then, after you helped me, we could have had a fair duel to see who would take home that orb!"
"Wishful thinking." He laughed.
"Ughh, you’re so annoying, and I barely even know you. AND STOP KISSING ME IN FRONT OF EVERYONE!"
"You see that, Lars, that’s how you know a girl’s into you."
"I see, thank you for the advice." He turned to Eliza.
"Ew, don’t even think about it." She gagged, walking away from the group.
"Damn. It could be worse. She could have thrown up all over you instead." He patted Lars’s back to reassure him.
Lars sniffled, looking down at the ground. "I don’t even like her, man. I got a fiancé."
Zion huddled up with his team and laid out their plan for the final round. "Okay, everyone, this is it, the final round. The round that will determine which race will win. Are you guys ready?!"
"I’m so nervous, I think I’m going to puke." Eliza pulled out a brown paper bag and started breathing into it.
’Where the fuck did she even get that from?’ Zion thought to himself.
"Anyway, here’s what’s going to happen. Eliza will go first so we can get the weakest out of the way."
"Next will be Lars, not because he’s weak, but because his anticipation will be too much for him to handle."
"I really want to fight a dragon." He said excitedly.
"After that will be Kaitlin, then Luna will be after her."
"Why am I before Luna?" Kaitlin pouted
Zion looked at Luna with a confused expression, wondering if Kaitlin really asked that question. "Because you’re weaker than her, duh."
Luna put her hand on Kaitlin’s shoulder. "It’s okay, Kaitlin, he’s telling the truth."
"Anyway, I’ll be fighting last to bring everything home." Zion finished briefing his team and stood up and walked toward Lidia, who was waiting for him.
"Wait, why did you explain everything as if the four of us are going to lose?" Kaitlin asked.
Zion didn’t say anything. He simply turned around, smiled, then turned back around and kept walking toward Lidia.
"Your mother went and told everyone to look forward to your fight," Lidia informed him
"Guess I really have to show out then, huh?"
"Yup. I believe in you, baby, go and show them who’s boss!"
"Damn straight! Today, history will be made!"
Before the event began, Zion chatted with his family before eventually making his way to the stage for the final round. He told everyone, even the leaders and important officials, to pay attention to his match because he was going to surprise them.
Sure, his mother already told them, but hearing it from him would make them more interested. Well, he assumed they would be.
The king, like he did before, gave a speech and announced the next event, the one-on-one duel, getting everyone so excited that the sound of cheering echoed through the whole capital.
"And with that, ladies and gentlemen, let the final round begi-"
"Wait! Wait! Wait! Before we begin, I have something to say!" Zion shouted as he flew up to the podium where the king was.
"Ahem. I’m sure you all are excited for this final event, and I’m sure the humans are also glad that we managed to secure second place. But I’m here to tell you that today, history will be made!"
The crowd started to get even more excited hearing Zion’s words.
"For 1,000 years, the dragons have won this tournament and rubbed it in our faces for far too long. I say it’s time we give them a taste of their own medicine!"
"YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"
"Those stupid flying lizards won’t know what hit them once they come across me! Dragon pride? Trash! Dragon honor? Stupid! Dragon strength? Weak in comparison to me! I’ll put those stupid ass dragons in their place today and show them that WE STAND ON BUSINESS!"
"Yeahhhhh!!! Show those stupid dragons their place!"
"I LOVE YOU ZION ZAGAN!"
"That’s right, son! Beat up those ugly dragons!" Zaleena yelled
"Zion Zagan!" The crowd shouted
"Who’s gonna win this tournament?!"
"THOSE STUPID ASS DRAGONS!"
"LETS GOOOOOOOO!!!!"’’
LETS GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!"
Zion smiled, seeing how hype up he got the audience going. He turned to his mother, sisters, and aunt to see them giving him a thumbs up.
His lovers were laughing in their seats, and his people back at home were rooting for him.
Valindra shook her head, and Syrune truly wondered if Zion could pull off what he said, especially after hearing what Valindra told her.
"Oho! You’re gonna let him talk about your race like that, Lord Drakoth?" Belwyn laughed
"Hmph, he’s only saying those things to get the crowd excited. Everyone knows the gap in strength between a dragon and a human."
"I want the kid to win," Bromir admitted.
"I hope he loses," Melina said, still seething from Zion’s actions. But she truly did want to see what he was truly capable of.
Drakoth turned to Zaleena. "Zaleena, child, do you truly think your son can beat my children?"
"Honestly, give him enough time, and he’ll be able to beat even you, Lord Drakoth."
Everyone gasped at her comment.
"And I promise I’m not saying this as his mother. Based on what he has done and what he will continue to do, becoming stronger than a dragon won’t be out of the realm of possibilities."
"Hmm, then we’ll see how strong your son truly is."
The final round began, and the dragons were furious. They were going to play around with their food, but after everything Zion said, they wanted to bash his skull in front of everyone.
Eliza went up first, and while she did try her best, she wasn’t enough to take them on, losing pretty fast.
Since the final round was based on a knockout system, Lars fought against the same opponent Eliza did, Vespok.
He did a lot better than her, dodging and attacking at critical moments. He even managed to scratch Vespok’s face, but that was all he managed to do before being eliminated.
Next up was Kaitlin, and she did about as well as Lars.
Finally, Luna was up. The gap between her and Kaitlin wasn’t huge, but it was noticeable. She had by far the best performance against Vespok and even managed to make him try a bit harder. But even she wasn’t enough to knock the drake out of the ring.
However, all hope wasn’t lost as it was finally Zion’s turn, and he wasn’t going to let the people down.