Long Story #2: A Numbers Game

Long Story #2: Numbers Game He couldn't turn back now, but he'd come to accept that, for better or worse. In such a high-stakes game, one had to be prepared to risk it all; without such risks, there was no hope that one could see such a high return on their investment. If he didn't have the courage of his convictions, enough to lay it all on the line, then he didn't deserve to want for the reward that tantalized him so. A weak smile curled up on Calvin's face. When this had all started, he had really thought that it'd be a simple task; that arrogance came from an ignorance, and no amount of 'what he thought he knew' could have really prepared him for what had been awaiting. The arena was booming with the collective spirit of an audience that saw him as nothing more than another gladiator to entertain them. He'd already captured their attention in his prior matches, and he'd become something of an inspiring underdog. This was his first tournament and his performance had been something of an upset along the betting track. The competition was an underground event, where people with amazing abilities came to do battle with eachother. While on the seedy side, there were still a few rules: no killing, no weapons, and no harm done to the audience. Other than that, all moves were legal and no abilities were barred. Calvin's own abilities were on the simple side, but that didn't make them any less effective. Other than being a trained fighter, he also had a dual mastery over earth and water. Elemental powers were typically the least complex, but that simplicity came with a broad array of functional use. They had already proven too much for his previous opponents, whose powers had been too niche to stand up to what was a potent offense and defense. But now he was to be facing off against an opponent that had remained an enigma to him. It was just a kid, which should have been an insult for him to have to deal with, but... Every fight this kid had won had been by the foe surrendering before a real fight could begin. Calvin couldn't help but wonder if the kid was somehow paying off his opponents to take a dive, but to what end? The prize for winning the tournament was a massive payout, so it seemed unlikely that anyone would accept a bribe that was paltry...And if the bribe truly was big enough, then what would become the point of victory? What made this theory more troubling was that the brat had made no attempt to bribe him before the match had been slated to start. So was it something else? Some kind of coercion or blackmail? If that was the case, then perhaps he just didn't have anything on Calvin to use. But if he didn't, then why would he so confidently step into the ring with him? Surely this kid had seen just how brutally Calvin had dealt with all his matches up to this point; if he had no strategy to win, then he'd just be locking himself into the lion's cage. "On this side, a master of elements, we have a first-time competitor that's risen to the top in record time: Calvin!" Calvin steadied his stance as the announcer gave him an introduction; the match was about to shortly begin. "...And on the other side, the youngest competitor in the history of this tournament, and who hasn't had to lift a single finger yet: Hex!" *'What a stupid name'* Calvin thought to himself, watching the small boy just smile and stuff his hands in the pockets of his dorky cargo shorts. The little runt hadn't even dressed for the occasion, looking like he was heading to grade school, rather than a fight. "Let the match begin!" Calvin didn't waste any time. With impressive speed, he forced his palm to the ground and caused a crack to ripple across the floor of the arena, heading directly toward Hex. In just a couple of seconds, the earth had erupted underneath the boy, a spire rocketing him off his feet and causing him to fly into the air. Unceremoniously, the youth crashed to the ground and tumbled across it, wincing in pain the whole time. Calvin couldn't help but scoff at the whole thing; just what was this kid's angle? "You're not very fast on your feet. Not very graceful either. I find it kind of hard to believe that you made it this far...Nobody else I fought would have gotten knocked down so easily." The little boy started to slowly get up, and at first, Calvin thought he was sobbing. There were no tears though, because he was in actuality laughing. "I've gotten kinda bored with winning without having to try...So I decided that I'd stretch things out a bit; I wanna have some fun playing with you." Calvin scowled, an irritation bubbling up from within at the lackadaisical statement. How could this pipsqueak be so nonchalant? So...Self-assured. "...*Play* with me? This isn't a game, kid. These fights are supposed to be the real deal. We're not playing pretend on the playground, we're here to battle until one of us can't go on. If you surrender now, then I won't have to cause any real damage." Hex had gotten back on his feet and was dusting off his clothes. He seemed completely unaffected by Calvin's words, and the smile on his face had only grown in size. "Hmm...Nah. Since you're so nice though, I'll give you the same option! Tell the referee that you give up, and I won't hafta do anything to ya! I'm not gonna win the same way as my other fights, so you should *really* go ahead and take the out." The sheer arrogance! Did this snot-nosed little kid really think he could win? Calvin was twice his size and easily twice his age! The boy hadn't even shown any combat abilities! Though that did beg the question again...How had he gotten this far in the tournament? "Not going to happen, runt. I can't be bribed or blackmailed, or whatever else you must have done to get those other losers to throw their match. I'm the real deal." "I didn't do anything like that, mister. I won my fights just like you: by using my powers." Calvin narrowed his eyes. Did this kid have some kind of mind control abilities? That seemed like the only way he could get his opponents to surrender without any actual blows being exchanged. Hex continued: "I can tell that you really wanna know, huh? So maybe...I should show you? Yeah, maybe if I just go ahead and...Let's see, change this three to a one, and this eight to a four..." Numbers? What the hell was he doing? "Sorry to say this isn't Kindergarten, kid. We're not learning about numbers, we're supposed to be fighting." Hex grinned, "You really wanna fight me with wet pants?" Calvin could hear a laughter beginning to erupt from the crowd around them, and then he felt something warm...The man glanced down and widened his eyes; the front of his gi was soaked! He had seriously just pissed himself in front of thousands of spectators, and he hadn't even known he was doing it! "You said it's not Kindergarten, but you sure make it seem that way! Peeing your pants and all...I guess it makes sense though, since half your power is liquids!" "W-what the hell...How did you do that? Is that seriously *your* power? Controlling someone's bladder?" Calvin was getting incensed. He wanted to end this quickly and violently; he wanted to punish this ankle-biter for daring to humiliate him in such a juvenile way. The man started to reel back his arm, ready to launch a barrage of elemental attacks that would leave even the most powerful of fighters broken. "Not exactly. The name I picked to enter the tournament under, that's the hint to my power. Oh, hmm...Let's see, change the six.." Hex started to explain, before again muttering something about numbers. "Hex? Like curses? I won't give you an opportunity to 'curse' me any further; I'm only going to leave enough of you to not get disqualified. You should have never come here!" Calvin shouted, jutting out his arm to unleash tendrils of water that would slice Hex up with their focused pressure. Nothing happened. Well, that wasn't completely true, instead of sending off a beautifully brutal attack, Calvin could feel more warmth emanating from his crotch as his pants became more soaked. "What the...?" "Huh, I guess your 'water' power is just going tinkle in your pants, huh? You're wrong by the way, that's not the kinda 'hex' that I'm talkin' about. Sure you don't wanna go ahead and give up? You can get off with just being known as a puddle-maker; it could be a lot worse!" Hex took a step forward, looking like a cat that had cornered a mouse. "I mean, I guess you could try to hit me with your ground attacks again, or you could even try just fighting me without your powers. You *are* a lot bigger than me." Calvin was confused and he was pissed in more ways than one. If he gave up now, to a child, after wetting himself, then he'd never be taken seriously in this circuit again. It was bad enough to lose out on the prize money, but this could permanently damage his reputation beyond repair! No, he had to finish this fight and redeem himself in the finals! Calvin got into stance once more, readying himself to dash at the boy and take him out with a well-placed flurry of fists. "I *don't* need my powers to spank a brat like you. I'll finish this the old fashioned way!" With a growl, he jetted forward on his feet, still amazingly fast even in soggy drawers. "Oh? Three, three, nine..." Hex wasn't making any attempt to move out of the way; Calvin would make him pay for such a haughty mistake! The man closed the distance in just a few seconds and began to lay punch after punch on the boy, whirling his fists at speeds that the audience could barely keep up with. But...It wasn't doing anything. It was as if his fists were encased in pillows for all the damage he seemed to be doing; as if he was only being a minor annoyance, rather than a typhoon of pain. "Wow, your punches are pretty weak...It feels like mosquito bites, or like a baby tryin' to punch me!" Hex giggled, unflinching and unmoving as Calvin put as much power as he could into each strike. These had broken *rocks* during his training, but he might as well have been gently patting his opponent instead of trying to destroy him. First his water techniques, and now his fists? How was Hex defusing his combat? He'd had enough of this mockery! If Hex wanted to embarrass him on the stage, then he'd return the favor in an equally juvenile manner. Calvin didn't let up on his flurry of fists, but amidst the action, he stomped his foot against the ground. In an instant, a pointed pillar of compacted dirt broke through the arena's floor and snagged Hex by spearing through the waistband of his cargo shorts. As it rose, the boy let out a meek howl from the wedgie that it was giving him. The man smirked at the tyke's pained expression and didn't waste any time in chaining a follow-up; Calvin kicked up a small piece of the concrete that had broken off on the ground and he launched it right at Hex. The crowd had been laughing at the sight, but as the shard struck Hex in the mouth, there were gasps followed by cheers. As much as the spectacle of humiliation was enjoyable, first and foremost, these people had come here to see blood. They now had it too, as the boy cried out and had a small dribble of crimson streaking down his chin. He was torn between the pain of the wedgie and the pain from what he was certain was a baby tooth getting knocked out. "Looks like some stuff still seems to work just fine on you. I don't know what you did to my hydrokinetic abilities, or how you can resist my punches...But your own clothes seem to still effect you, and you can't tank a rock either." Hex's waistband suddenly ripped, depositing him on the ground in a truly undignified manner. He slowly started to get back up, one hand nursing his aching mouth and the other adjusting his underwear. He had spent most of this match either looking bored or amused, but now he was clearly crying and looking at Calvin with a look that could kill. The mask had slipped, but it also betrayed that he was fundamentally as weak as any normal child. "T-that's it! Y-you've really done it now!" The boy sniffled, his speech muffled by his hand. "I was gonna...I was gonna be nice about how I won, but if you're gonna try to make me look stupid..." Calvin shook his head at the threat and idly kicked at another piece of concrete that had come loose on the floor. "I've got you beat. Maybe my punches don't work on you, but I can just keep tossing these pieces at you until you give up. If you have any sense at all, then *you* should be the one giving up...Unless you're looking to make a mint off the Tooth Fairy!" Hex wiped the tears from his eyes and the blood from his chin with his sleeve. "I'm not gonna give you a chance for that. I might not be able to do anything to a piece of the floor, but I can stop you from bein' able to do anything with it. Eight to one, fifteen to eleven.." Calvin felt a strange shift in his perspective; it was as if the world was shooting up like a weed, becoming larger and making his line of sight shorter. There was another gasping from the crowd, following by the rapacious thundering of amazed cheers. *'What the hell is with all the numbers? What's he doing now..'* Calvin frowned, looking around at the audience, wondering what they saw that he could not. "...There, that's a little more even. Well, I mean, I still have the advantage of course, but..." Hex was beginning to look smug again, as if he hadn't just gotten humbled a moment ago. The man wasn't about to let him feel that kind of self-satisfaction; he lodged the piece of concrete up with his foot and went to kick it, to send it at Hex like a meteor, but something was terribly wrong: his leg had gotten a *lot* shorter! The kick was still a success and it launched the rock at Hex, but it bounced off of his stomach without much speed or impact. "W-what did you..." Calvin stopped talking. Was that really him? It sounded like a little kid! His voice was supposed to be deep and commanding, but here he was sounding like he was only halfway to puberty! He covered his mouth and began to look down, his eyes becoming pinpoints once he saw himself. He was as little as Hex was! No...He was even *smaller* than that! "Now I'm the big kid in the ring, so I'm not that afraid of you tossin' rocks at me. Well, I guess I was *already* the big kid, since you went and whizzed yourself. Are you startin' to get it now? Why you can't win? Why you shoulda' given up at the start?" Calvin didn't respond, in far too much of a state of shock. His clothes had even regressed along with him; his prized gi, worn by the blood of battle, had shrunken and 'cutie-fied' to fit his now dainty frame. "Fifteen to twelve. I'm not gonna let you give up now either, not until I'm done giving these people a good show. You wanted to look down on me, just 'cuz I'm a kid...But now I get to look down on you. Have you even been able to figure out my power yet? You must be pretty thick to not know by now. One to two, seven to three. Maybe, just maybe, if you start begging for mercy on your hands and knees, then I'll *think* about fixing things after I've let you surrender to me. If you're a good little boy, that is.." Calvin was stunned. He couldn't be sure what kind of ability would confer such a broad and specific set of powers, but he still had enough pride to not outright give up. For some reason, he couldn't even consider surrendering as an option, no matter how badly things got. He looked back down at the ground and got an idea. He had to keep evolving his strategies to keep up with whatever Hex was doing, and that meant continuing to be resourceful... The shrunken fighter squatted down and grabbed another chunk of rubble from the floor, a piece in each hand. Hex was watching him, but didn't seem to be making any moves to stop what he was doing. If anything, the brat looked curious. Calvin kept one piece intact, and used his powers of earth to render the other piece into a palm full of sand. He dashed again at Hex and first faked him out with a swing from the hand with a rock in it; when the boy was distracted with dodging, Calvin then tossed the sand right into Hex's face. Hex let out a surprised yelp and recoiled from the stinging in his eyes; this was just the opening that Calvin had anticipated. "Oww! Owwie! You dirty little cheater!" The youth bitterly whined, while rubbing at his eyes with balled fists. Calvin didn't defend his actions, but instead he followed up his dishonorable tactics with more of the same. He latched his fingers around the sides of Hex's shorts and tugged them down to his ankles, revealing the childish pair of cartoon briefs that the brat had on underneath. "Nice undies, you little baby!" Calvin taunted, pushing Hex off balance and making him topple over backwards to the raving laughter of the crowd. While Hex was still dazed, Calvin began to manipulate the gravel in his hand into wrapping around his fist like some bizarre earthen pair of brass knuckles. "Y-you're the baby! Throwin' sand and peeing yourself! An'--an--I'm gonna show everyone! THIRTEEN TO NINE! FOUR TO ELEVEN!" Just as Calvin was about to jump on top of Hex and finish things off for good, he could suddenly feel something strange around his midsection; his gi pants were getting tighter, as if his underwear was puffing out and getting thicker. On the one hand, he suddenly felt more dry, but on the other hand... Was his underwear *crinkling*? Hex took advantage of Calvin's confusion and started to get back up, quickly pulling his shorts back up in an attempt to save some face in front of the crowd. "You're about to really wish that you had my undies, I'll tell you that much! Maybe we should give the crowd a peek, its only fair, right?" Calvin took a step back, hearing another suspicious rustle and feeling that there was now a cushioned material around his rump and crotch. It wasn't something he was familiar with, but it didn't take a genius to realize what he was wearing now. Hex had turned his undies into a big, stupid diaper. "S-stay back, Hex. I've still got a buncha tricks up my sleeve...A hit from this and you'll be out like a light!" The younger fighter began to casually walk toward his competitor, seemingly unafraid of the stone that was wrapped around Calvin's knuckles. "You're a slow learner, baby-butt. That makes your punches stronger, right? Well, you know what they say about anything multiplied by zero, right? Or is that too advanced for a *diaper baby*? You woulda' been better off just keepin' that off your fist and tryin' to bash my head open with it." How could he be so confident? Calvin had knocked out a tooth with a piece like this, and now Hex was trying to say that it'd have no effect? And because it was welded to his fist? It had to be a bluff. Calvin reeled back his arm and snapped it forward just as Hex got into his perimeter, making a nice contact point with the brat's chest. "...Yup, nothing. Just like I told you. Now, as I was sayin', I think the audience should get to see *your* 'baby undies'. In fact, I don't think pants are really even a part of your outfit...Its not part of your 'kit'. Six to twelve." Calvin could suddenly feel a cool breeze on his bare thighs and he could hardly hear himself think over the roar of the crowd. This match might not have been as violent as usual, but it'd definitely been interesting, especially now that the 'star underdog' was standing there as a kid without pants and with a giant diaper taped around his waist. Worse, the diaper had a blatant yellow stain across the front, which was evidence of the earlier incident. "Nice Huggies, baby-butt. Seems fitting for someone who pees their pants in a battle. Five to fifteen, three to nine, sixteen to eleven. Some master of the elements that *you* turned out to be..." Hex took another step closer and leaned over to give the back of the diaper a firm pat. "Your water powers were a bust, and I guess you got m