XV - Sharks Love Bacon

James' peaceful slumber was rudely interrupted by a bucket of ice-cold water to the face.

In all honesty, he really should've seen this one coming.

James spluttered awake, sneering at the person who had woken him up right when his dream was getting to the juicy bits.

"Oh my, I'm sorry. Did I perhaps interrupt a good time in the land of the sleeping?"

His trainer descended into a fit of giggles as she dropped the bucket she held in her hand onto the floor with a loud clang that shook away the last few remnants of slumber that still held a grasp on him.

James had already gotten used to his trainer's method of waking him for the past few days, but since she hadn't drenched him the day before during his rest day, he thought that she wouldn't be doing it anymore. He was truly too naive.

Ignoring the giggling mess beside him, James stood up and yawned, doing a couple of stretches to wake his body up. He was already awake, might as well make the most of it. After a couple of minutes, she quieted down, and James turned around just as he finished working on his hamstrings.

"Why are you still here, and what are you doing on my bed?"

Lo and behold, his hellish trainer was splayed out on his bed, uncaring about the fact that the sheets were wet and cold. Some of the cold water had touched her clothing too, forming nearly indiscernible dark spots on her black pajamas.

'Why can't her normal attire be as plain-looking as her sleepwear?'

His trainer just shrugged in response as she kicked out her feet and wiggled her toes. A manicured finger pointed towards the doorway, where the imposing figures of Bill and Ted stood, waiting.

"Best not to keep them waiting for too long. Don't worry, I'll keep your bed nice and cold for you."

She blew him a kiss, although it was hard for James to tell with her mask on, as he just sighed and trudged towards the two sharks. Some of his muscles were still sore from a couple of unexpected scuffles that he had gotten into yesterday, but other than that he was in perfect shape for the tournament.

Bill and Ted greeted him with a nod and a flash of the chompers respectively before the trio headed down the hall towards the cafeteria. The rhythmic sounds of their footsteps lulled James' mind back to a state of partial sleep as he went over the information he had collected the day before in his mind.

There would be a total of 50 people participating in the tournament, and James had managed to collect a sizeable amount of intel on nearly half of them. This year's batch of participants was... very interesting to say the least. And while each of them had their own things to be feared for, there were a few individuals that had really caught his attention.

The Lady in Red. According to the few sources that actually knew anything about her, she was a master assassin that went into retirement just a few months ago. Her biggest claim to fame being the fact that she single-handedly assassinated the ruler of Monthong City, a warlord that just so happened to be one of the previous winners of the X Tournament.

If that didn't set off alarm bells in someone's head, then that someone would have to be really crazy, really stupid, or crazy stupid. James was pretty sure he was the latter.

The next name was someone he was very familiar with; Captain Boris Hoffman of the 35th Magus Brigade Squadron.

It was quite a surprise for James to see the man's name on the list of participants. In the short time that James had known the man, he had gotten the idea that he wasn't so keen on sports.

'Guess I don't really know him as well as I think I do.'

James had witnessed Boris' power firsthand, and while he had certainly earned his way to his position as one of the strongest individuals in the Magus Brigade, James also knew all of his weaknesses.

The last name that piqued his interest was that of the first competitor he had seen on his excursion; Josh Bougainvillea.

Unlike a lot of the other participants, there was practically zero information about the boy. Something that shouldn't have been possible, especially since he was a noble.

'For someone of that much importance to not have a single speck of data leaked out...'

The boy gave James a gnawing feeling in the pit of his gut, and his gut was never wrong.

Except for the time his gut told him it was a good idea to eat some extremely spicy tacos and he ended up spending all night in the bathroom. A momentary lapse in judgment, never again.

The delectable scent of bacon wafted through the air and assaulted James' nostrils, knocking his thoughts off course as his stomach growled loudly.

The cafeteria was unusually devoid of people, the only ones around being his two shark escorts, the Don himself, and a delicious plate of bacon sitting enticingly on the nearest table. The Don himself was dressed up rather spiffily, donning a sleek black suit with a matching overcoat. His blond toupee had been swapped for a shiny black one that looked like it had been drowned in hair gel. All he needed was a cane and a cigar and he would have the perfect mafia boss costume.

The Don leaned forward in his seat as he motioned for James to sit down, the two sharks that were previously flanking him taking position behind their boss instead. James thought he saw Bill sniff the air and send the plate of delicious meat a longing look, but the Don started speaking before he could really pay attention.

"Alright, goombah. Today's the day you blow this joint, so we're having a small but swell little wingding today."

He gave James a crooked smile as he pushed the plate of bacon forward, and this time James was 99% sure that Bill was fixated on it. Never one to turn down a free meal, especially one as delicious as bacon, James heartily dug in as the Don continued.

"Remember, you need to win me that moolah. That is if you ever want the gal to see the light of day again. With that in mind... you can have back your bean shooter."

James gasped in delight at the sight of his precious revolver laid out on the table. It had been confiscated ever since he got locked up, and the Don refused to return it even during his training sessions. If his hands weren't covered in bacon grease he would be all over it by now.

He was at least glad to see that the gun was still in pristine condition, with no visible scratches or markings anywhere on its perfect frame.

James bit the inside of his cheek as he stared at the stout man sitting in front of him, unsure of how to respond. After a few seconds of indecision, he ended up going with a slight bow of his head and an indiscernible mouthing of 'thank you'.

While he hadn't entered the tournament under the best of reasons, and he wasn't even aiming to win for his own gain, James still yearned for the taste of victory. Perhaps if things lined up well, the drastic detour his plans had taken would end up being the perfect route.

But for that to happen, he would have to use 'that', and James wanted to keep 'that' as his trump card until he absolutely had to use it.

After a few more parting words that James hardly paid any attention to, the Don rose out of his seat and walked out of the cafeteria with Ted by his side.

Bill had stayed behind to escort James to the X Arena's waiting room, but James knew what Bill really wanted. The undeniably cute look on Bill's snout as he gleefully chomped on the last strip of bacon that James tossed him put a large smile on his face.

And if his gut was right this time, his smile wouldn't last for long.