After eating breakfast, Akash, Yr'Arl and I all walked down to the main plaza of the Guard base. 

Much like any other day I had walked through the area the sky was clear and aliens were bustling through the space, on their way to complete whatever their tasks were. However, unlike previous times, a group had gathered together near the entrance of the coliseum. 

There were 14 aliens gathered there, ranging from a couple of Lara's species to what seemed to be a multicoloured floating cloud of gasses. I could only assume that this group were those who had managed to make it through the Battle Royale and had been patiently waiting for the next stage of the entry tournament. 

A buzz of excitement ran through me. So far I'd been involved in a fair few fights, but the majority of those battles had actually been against Akash and Yr'Arl or a Null Space invader of some kind. I was pumped to see what all of these different aliens could do in battle. 

"Attention! Can I have your attention please!" A high pitched voice called out from the front of the crowd. 

I had to bite my cheek to stop myself from laughing at the sight of the small alien hopping up and down on a tiny platform to try and get noticed. The creature couldn't have been more than four inches tall and was clearly using some sort of manna trick to project his voice to the whole group. 

"Yes, attention, please!" The little alien yelled as the last few heads turned toward them. "My name is Penti, and I have been asked to give you the rundown on how things are going to turn out today!" 

<They literally couldn't have chosen anyone less suited to this role,> BB cackled in the back of my mind, which made it even harder to keep my laughter in check. 

"There are currently 16 entrants in this tournament, meaning there will be four rounds of single elimination. You have all been seeded randomly, meaning it is pure chance who will be going up against who. You will not know your opponent until you step into the ring, to stop any foreplanning. 

"In the next few moments, you will pass through the tunnel and into the stadium proper, where Squadron Leader Belana will be taking the time to introduce you each to the public. We will then be holding a few moments of silence to pay respects to the passing of Lara, may her essence rest in peace, before moving into the tournament itself. Any questions?" 

There was silence among the assorted species that had quietened down to listen to the creature. 

"In that case, please walk through into the main coliseum. Good luck to each and every one of you!" They said, before vanishing in a tiny flash of white light. 

I couldn't believe that they were holding a moment of silence for Lara. Of course, the general public still didn't know about the situation, and it seemed as if Belana had no interest in telling the public the truth either. All that meant was everyone in the stands and everyone watching at home was going to get an incredibly rude awakening when the girl launched the attack that we were expecting her to. 

As we passed through the tunnel into the main area of the coliseum, the crowds erupted into cheers. I was glad to see that they were still so excited for the event, despite the loss of the one they still thought was nothing more than a fun and friendly host. I imagined they all needed something to take their minds off of everything that had happened so far. 

"And here they are, the competitors for today's event!" The voice of Belana rang out through the stadium. He sounded awkward as if he really wasn't used to talking to such large crowds. 

A shimmering holographic line had been drawn into the dirt of the arena floor, which the others in the group had made a beeline for. I followed, clearly we were expected to stand behind it before we were each individually announced to the viewers. 

"We've got a seriously strong bunch of Initiates here today, ranging from all four corners of the galaxy! Make sure you give a big round of applause to each of the Initiates as they step forward! 

"First up, we have Borock from the planet Zelta!" 

The alien that stepped forward was the biggest of the group. Instead of legs, the creature had a single slug-like foot that moved it along, but while its bottom half looked as if it were completely harmless, the top half was all muscle. It had two muscly arms that ended in five-fingered claws, a mouth that looked like a dragon's snout and bat-like ears. When it turned back toward the group to get back in line, I could also see that Borock had four purple slit eyes, two on each side of its face. The creature honestly looked terrifying, and it was only the first of a group of sixteen. 

<Yeah, there are a lot of incredibly strong aliens in this lineup, honestly, you might not even make it through to the finals. Wouldn't that be embarrassing. Lara shows up with her army and you're just sitting around in the stands waiting for everything to be over,> BB teased. 

While I was pretty sure that I'd be able to make it through to the finals, I was more concerned about my companions. Yr'Arl in particular. Would two of us be able to make it through to the end? Or would I end up facing someone completely different. 

I couldn't help the grin that spread itself across my face. 

I was going to get to meet so many different aliens, and then I was going to get to fight them. By the end of the tournament, I could have levelled up an untold number of times. 

It might be just what I needed to get the edge against Lara!