~Chapter 3- Preliminary bouts~

The next day Aero, Jirro, Corri, Nout, Ruben, Temp, and Seraphi headed to the preliminary stages located in an indented pit where several small circular stages made of rock waited. Around the perimeter of the area was a short fence where people could watch the matches as they proceeded. Razan and Lucar observed from there.

In the last tournament, there were four preliminary rings, but they had expanded to nine in total, arranged in three by three. Each had a large drum placed next to it, used to indicate when the fighters would begin and cease fighting.

The preliminary grounds were already populated by hundreds of combatants, far more than the last tournament. The children noticed many members of Dama's Fighting Academy among them, as well as students of other fighting schools across the land. There were many that appeared to be attending on their own as well.

Adjacent to the fighting stages was a platform used for announcements. As noon arrived, an older man with a white beard and formal robes stepped onto the platform with a hot cup of tea in one hand. He spoke into a horn which amplified his voice.

"Hello everyone! Welcome to Age 990's Fighting Tournament! I am the Tournament organizer. You can call me Cho!" The man recited, and all attention turned on him, "This is a special tournament indeed. Not only is this the largest showing of fighters in decades, running in at 510 fighters, this tournament also coincides with Ralosia's Comet, as I'm sure all of you can see."

Cho gestured to the comet in the sky above, "I am aware that many of you are returning challengers. I've peeked at the tournament roster and noticed that several champions of past tournaments are attending today. But for those of you that are new, I'd like to go over the rules. You must follow these rules exactly, or you'll be disqualified."

Cho fashioned a paper from his robes and began to recite the rules aloud, "Our tournament is score-based. You can gain a point in several different ways. Landing a clean and powerful strike on your opponent will grant you a point, assuming it is both precise and powerful. It must clearly hiy your opponent's body and hurt them in some way to score. You'll also gain a point if you manage to knock your opponent out of the ring. If a competitor is unable to continue or surrenders, they will lose the match immediately. For the preliminary bouts, competitors will be playing to one point. For the 16 individuals who make it into the finals, you will be fighting to three points. The final bout with be to five points. Weapons, biting, and intentional strikes to the groin or eyes are illegal. For those who have sharp appendages such as claws or tusks, we ask that you blunt them before your match."

Cho took a sip of his tea before continuing, "All of the 16 finalists will receive prize money. Round 1 Finalists will receive 1,000 Ivases. Quarterfinalists will receive 5,000 Ivases. Semi-Finalists will receive 20,000. Second place will be awarded 100,00 Ivases. And the winner of this tournament will be given 500,000 Ivases and be commemorated as the greatest fighter of Age 990."

Jirro shifted in place as he heard the quantities of money to be awarded.

"We'll begin the preliminary matches soon. Listen for your name, and report to the designated fighting stage when the time comes. A word of advice for all contenders - Don't be disheartened if you fall early in the preliminaries. There is some truly great competition here this year, some of which are very skilled veterans. An old friend of mine, Oshu, the Champion of Age 960, is among the contenders. Do your best and fight hard!"

Both Aero and Jirro were giddy to enter the ring. They had seen more than a fair share of fights and were prepared for what might come. The tournament staff began calling people on stage, and combatants squared off.

"Aero and Tantor to stage 4!" A tournament staff member called out, and Aero giddily strode towards the ring. Aero met a red-tinted Phantine warrior, one he recognized from his time training in Titus Forest.

"Good seeing you again," Aero said as he took his position on the stage across from Tantor.

"Ah, I remember you. You're that goofy Ralosian that trained under Theo," Tantor replied, rigidly curling his trunk.

"That's right," Aero smiled, taking a solid stance. Tantor took his own wide stance, with his tusks and trunk out in front of him and his arms to the side. The tournament staff checked to make sure the two fighters were ready before beating the drum to signal the beginning of the match.

Aero became a blur, rushing forward with incredible speed, ducking under Tantor's swinging trunk and landing a swift blow to his stomach. Tantor gasped and reeled back.

"Point to Aero! Match over!"

The preliminaries continued in earnest. One by one, each of them battled. Jirro ended his match as quickly as it began; his opponent didn't seem to see him coming.

When Corri fought, she toyed with her opponents, taunting them to try and strike her, but she was always out of reach. She fought a member of Dama's Fighting Academy known as Sunno, a rotund man who tried to ring her out. Corri's uppercut knocked him out and won her the match.

Nout took sturdy stances against his opponent, maintaining a strong defense and waiting to strike at opportune moments. In the last tournament, he was noticeably nervous at the sight of other challengers, but now he was cool and collected. His tactics were very similar to Jirro's.

Temp used cleverness and sleight of hand to throw his opponents off, only using sheer strength when necessary. Ruben fought more actively; in the last tournament, it lost because the Densius was too passive. Ruben wouldn't allow that to happen again.

Seraphi took the stage, nearly occupying the entire space of the ring. The blue-eyed Densius didn't react when struck. Seraphi picked up its opponents and set them outside the ring. Ruben warned it not to be too rough.

As Aero waited for his next match, he watched the ongoing ones and began seeing familiar faces. Tyro of the Fighting Academy, a muscular and brooding man, took a solid stance and broke through his opponent's guard in one strike.

Aero was happy to see Kika among the combatants. The woman tested herself by winning her matches without using her arms.

The young prodigy Hita stood against a four-armed Densius, one that didn't care that they were fighting a little girl. The Densius swung wildly while the 12-year-old girl effortlessly dodged, her short brown hair shifting as she moved across the stage. Aero noticed she dodged in such a way that the Densius was putting itself off balance. When its stance was especially bad, Hita landed a light blow, knocking them over and ending the match. Aero and Jirro looked forward to the opportunity to fight Hita again.

"Khab and Temp to Stage 1!"

Aero rushed to stage 1 to offer advice to Temp, "Don't let him get close enough to grapple with you. That's how he beat you before."

"I remember," Temp narrowed his eyes, "I got him this time."

Temp stood across from Khab. The short man took a low wrestling stance. Temp, peculiarly enough, mimicked this stance.

With the drum's beat the two began. Khab wasted no time in closing in while Temp circled around him. With his long reach, Temp slid across the ring, grabbed Khab's leg, and lifted it into the air. Khab shifted his weight to get away while throwing a few quick punches at Temp, who barely managed to block them.

Temp stepped back and punched the air. A burst of green light was emitted from his hands and struck Khab, knocking him out of the ring.

"Point to Temp! Match over!"

Aero smiled as Temp left the ring, "When did you learn how to use Focus?"

"Nout taught me how. He told me it should only be used sparingly, but it seemed like the perfect time," Temp responded.

"Mauri and Ruben to Stage 4!"

Ruben stepped on stage with a peculiar opponent, one with curled horns, blue fur, a snout, and hooved knuckles and feet. The death glare they gave each other indicated that they had met before.

The two clashed! Their knuckles beat against each other, creating miniature shockwaves with each collision. Mauri had a look of surprise on his face.

Ruben tucked its limbs around its boulder-like body and rolled on the ground, circling behind the blue-furred individual. Mauri pivoted to meet him, only for Ruben to strike him directly in the snout, forcing him to stagger back.

"Point to Ruben! Match over!"

"Emil and Tinn to Stage 7."

Aero turned and saw the 21-year-old Emil square off against a grey-tinted Mecarne, lanky and tall. Emil had brown hair and wore robes similar to the Fighting Academy's signature white robes.

Tinn came out swinging, trying to use his long reach to his advantage. But Emil danced around the ring away from his opponent. Aero saw an obvious opening and Emil must've too. His stance solidified and he attacked. His fist appeared like a blur. He improved since last time.

"Point to Emil! Match over!"

Aero circled stage 7, waiting to greet Emil. Emil smiled, "I was hoping I'd see you here."

A hand was placed on Aero's shoulder. He saw a short and unassuming old woman standing beside him, Modi. Though she looked frail, she was incredibly strong and served as Emil's teacher.

Aero tensed up at the sight of the old woman, "What're you doing here?"

"I'm competing as well, young one." Modi smiled, "I hope you're not holding a grudge from our last meeting?"

"Nah. Of course not."

Emil reached into his robes, pulled out an envelope, and handed it to Aero, "This is for you."

Aero took the envelope, peered inside, and found money, "What's this?"

"Paying back a debt," Emil said, "That money you gave me at the last tournament helped me turn my life around. Modi and I started a business in Dialtown, and we were able to turn over a new leaf. I wanted to pay you back, with some interest thrown in."

Aero looked at Emil and the money, "That's really nice of you... but I honestly don't remember doing that."

Emil gave him a perplexed look, but began to laugh, "You goofy kid! Of course, you of all people would forget that. Keep it anyways! It'll make me feel better."

Aero stuffed the envelope into his pocket, "So, both of you are competing this time?"

Modi said, "Yes. I figured this year; I'd be given some worthy competition. I'm interested to see how you've progressed, young un'."

"I didn't stand a chance against you before, but a lot has changed since then," Aero remarked.

"Point to Efilon by knockout! Match over!" A tournament organizer shouted.

Aero turned to see the match that had just finished, and he saw him. The Masked Boy standing over the unconscious body of his opponent. He left the stage unceremoniously, paying little mind to his opponent.

Efilon? Is that what the Masked One called himself?