4.15

The teams made their way to the stadium. Crowds cheered and fighters looked about them.

There were twenty-four teams in total. To Hunter, they all looked like professional fighters, and he was starting to regret his decision a little.

In the centre of the stage was the announcer. He wore a dapper purple suit with a black shirt and a shaved head. A frenetic aura emanated from him.

“Welcome all to the fifteenth annual Elder Tree tournament. These are today’s teams. It’s a best of three, if your team loses, you’re out. Fighters can compete more than once in a match if a team chooses. Killing is strictly forbidden. If you kill your opponent, you forfeit your team. We have some of the best healers in the world here, but you never know.”

“You guys ready?” Hunter asked.

“Yeah,” replied the other three in unison.

“The grand prize for winning is a secret and will be revealed in the final match. But trust me when I say it’s amazing!” The crowd cheered again. “The team leaders will draw out a number each round and after drawing, they have five minutes to be standing in the arena. What they do between matches is entirely up to them.”

“Is anyone else regretting this decision?” Silas asked. He was sizing up the other opponents and he felt a little uneasy.

“No,” said Jimena, full of confidence.

“No,” said Freja, with a little less confidence.

“No,” said Hunter, his confidence almost non-existent.

“Are the teams ready?” the announcer asked. Voices of affirmation rose throughout the teams, Hunter stumbled over his own answer.

“Its no different to when we fight in Athena City,” said Jimena. “We’ve had some pretty tough encounters there, with our lives in danger. Soak in the energy of this place, it’ll help.”

“Can the team leaders please step forward and pull out the names of their opponents?” One by one, as if silent agreeance, the various leaders stepped forward and pulled out small pieces of paper.

Hunter was the final leader to approach the box in the centre of the stage. One of the teams, consisting of the twelve-foot-tall mountain, jeered at Hunter. Hunter hoped with all his might that they weren’t the first team he had to fight.

With a small flutter in his gut, Hunter pulled out the number for his team. Justice Punch were numbered eight. Hunter joined his team and revealed the number.

“I will now call out the numbers and the team can stand in the pairs assigned by their numbers.”

The announcer proceeded to call out the numbers and the groups shuffled around the stage, making their way to their opponents.

When seven and eight were called out, Justice Punch weaved their way through the gathered teams and approached their opponents.

The team had a tiger who wore a ripped leather jacket and jeans with holes at the knees. An elderly man with a goatee and Gi that was wrapped with a black belt. A young woman who wore a black shirt and pants, with a tabard on top that was emblazoned with a red sun. Their fourth member was a clunky looking robot that looked like it was built close to fifty years ago.

“Hi, we’re Justice Punch,” said Hunter. He tried his best to sound confident.

“We’re Loose Change,” replied the tiger with a snarl. “You’re just a bunch of kids, you sure you’re meant to be here?”

“Of course, why not?” asked Jimena.

“This will be an easy fight,” laughed the tiger. The tiger turned and started to walk off.

“Don’t underestimate them, Tobias. I sense a great fighting spirit from each of them. You’d do well to take them seriously,” said the elderly man. He approached Hunter and his teammates and looked each one of them over, weaving through and around each member.

“I apologise for his arrogance. Don’t let it bother you. I assure you; I will treat each of you with the respect you deserve.” With that, the elderly man turned and walked away, followed by his other two team members.

As the teams lined up and dispersed, Hunter was certain he saw a large cauldron floating around.

“Within just a few moments, the first match will begin. Fighters are of course encouraged to watch the fights, but its really up to you what you want to do.”

“We should probably watch them. It’s the best way to study our opponents, don’t ya think?” said Silas.

“Of course,” agreed Freja. They made their way to the fighters’ observation mezzanine and looked at the stage below. Only a handful of the other teams were up here, it seemed most weren’t interested in seeing what their potential opponents were capable of.

Up on the mezzanine, Hunter caught sight of the team that had the giant. The other three members looked down at the stage, but the hulking member of their team stood back and was busy eating a hotdog that he held in each hand. Each rip into his food spattered the contents all over the floor.

“Eating already, Guul?” the kid looked at his team member in awe.

“Let the first match between begin!” shouted the announcer. The crowd roared in excitement. The energy in the room was overwhelming and Hunter felt a surge of strength through his body.

The two teams approached the centre stage from opposite ends. A large clearing separated the slate fighting ring and the crowds.

“Can the teams please decide on their first fighter?”

Hunter watched as the two teams discussed who they were going to send first. One of the teams was the elephant people that Hunter had seen before. The other team consisted of various fighters from all walks of life.

The crowd went wild as the competitors walked onstage. The elephant person wore sparse metal plates adorned on their body, a large, heavy looking beaded necklace, and a few loose robes. They towered over their opponent.

Their opponent was a rotund man. He wore a sleeveless shirt, shorts, and boots.

“Ready?” The fighters moved into readied stances.