Once the City Lord's speech was over, he sat down with his family amidst the rapturous applause of the audience in the stadium. Once he was seated the Record Stone shifted to a cubicle within the stadium which sat two people – a man and a woman.
"Who are those?" Mane nudged Lam's shoulder and asked.
"Commentators," came the brief yet accurate reply of Lam. The boy's vision was fully focused on the images displayed by the Record Stone, so much so that he didn't even turn to look at Mane when he was giving the reply.
"He looks like an obsessed, addicted man. Right now he probably regards your constant questioning and overall presence a nuisance." Hildegarde stated from above Mane's shoulder.
Mane nodded in response to her words. If it wasn't because of the presence of Lily he would have spoken to Hildegarde because he was certain that even if he did, Lam wouldn't hear him. He turned his attention back to the Record Stone to listen to the words of the Commentators.
"Well you heard our City Lord. The time for talking is over! It's time for some…"
"GRAND TOURNEY ACTION," the large crowd finished the sentence. It seemed that they were used to doing this.
"That's right folks. It's time for some Grand Tourney Action. The first match as you already know is between Asher City's Blue Team and the Orange Team. Both teams got to the semi-final stage of the competition last year, but fell short of claiming the actual price. This year they have come out much stronger than before. The Blue Team racked up 2 wins and a single draw in the group stages, not falling to a single opponent yet, unlike their tally of two wins and one loss from last year, signaling an improvement in their skills. Its captain, the Predator given the moniker Blue King from last year has barely been pushed to the limits, and he is clearly hungry for a greater challenge!"
"YEAH!"
"The Orange Team is no push over either. Just like the Blue Team they have a group match record of 2 wins, one loss, only falling to the mighty power of Asher City's very own Black Team; which is better than their tally of 1 win and two draws from last year. Their captain, the Predator known as Vital Orange has also been barely involved in the matches. Although he has shown his hand in every match yet, he hasn't broken a sweat to deal with the opponents that came their way!"
"YEAH"
Mane noticed that unlike the City Lord, the commentators spoke into a strange looking stone. "It seems that the stone amplifies the sound of their voice," Mane observed. He told himself to ask Lam what the stone was after the fights were over.
"What a treat we have today Peter!"
"Indeed, Maggie. Today we get to see the teams that clashed in last year's semi-finals battle it out for a spot in this year's semi-finals!"
"OHHH!"
"So who do you think would come out on top Maggie?"
"Well, the Orange Team has been dominant in all their matches so far, but so have the Blue Team. Both teams made excellent impressions in their group stage matches, and dispatched the teams they met in the round of sixteen with relative ease. But the level teams at this stage are on is completely different from the level of those they met in the group stages."
The Commentator named Maggie didn't waste any time at all to display her impressive understanding of the teams as she stated that they were on quite equal footing.
"But there is a slight difference between the two teams. The Orange Team was in the same group as the Black Team, a team that has proven to be the most powerful adversary for the others so far. And during the match between the Black Team and the Orange Team, the Orange Team pushed the Black Team so far that the Captain of the Black Team, Black Saga, almost got involved. In the end, even Black Saga admitted that his team won by a fluke, and that if not for the fact that they were lucky, he – Black Saga – would have had to get involved. This shows that the Orange Team is no easy opponent."
"On the contrary, the Blue Team had a relatively easy group, yet they failed to win all their matches. Looking at the stats one might be deluded into thinking that since the Blue Team didn't lose any matches, they have a slight edge over the Orange Team; but they couldn't be more wrong. Yes the Orange Team didn't top their group because the Black Team had a perfect group match record. And yes the Blue Team did top their group with 7.5 points (each win constitutes 3 points and a draw is 1.5). But the Blue Team faced relatively easier opponents and didn't have anomalies like the Black Team in their group, yet they failed to gain a perfect qualification by beating all the teams. So although they topped their group, it would be safe to say that they did it pretty comfortably."
"Besides, the team that they drew against which happened to place second and qualify for the Round of 16, was eliminated by the Orange Team with very little difficulty. So unless the Blue Team has some tricks up their sleeves they haven't shown us yet, I think the Orange Team has a slight advantage over them and could come out on top in this contest."
Maggie's analysis was lengthy, but she displayed the skills of a commentator and spit out the sentences with such speed that if one wasn't quick enough, they would hear nothing. However, her last statement was said relatively slowly, and the entire stadium which was largely dominated by Asher City citizens heard it – and started booing.
"Hahaha. Maggie, it seems that you have already made some enemies by making your stance clear," Peter laughed heartily when he heard the boos of the crowd. Since the Blue Team belonged to Asher City, it was no surprise that the citizens were unhappy to hear that Maggie had picked them out as the underdogs in this fight. Maggie smirked and shrugged her shoulders concomitantly with Peter's laughter, as the two commentators finally got to business.
"Enough of the analysis. It's time for some…"
"GRAND TOURNEY ACTION!"
"Indeed it is. Let's welcome our referee for today. She is a former Grand Tourney Champion and a Predator with an uncommon title – Steel Fist!" Peter announced boisterously. At his words a figure appeared from one end of the stadium. This figure flashed and disappeared before the vision of all who were there and suddenly appeared in the middle of the stadium. The crowd was forced into a stunned silence at the sheer display of speed. Then they exploded into a torrent of applause, catcalls and cheers.
The Record Stone zoomed into the face of the newcomer, revealing a pretty middle aged woman dressed modestly with her entire figure covered in leather armor. She had no weapon on her, but was wearing a pair of black leather gloves that extended all the way to her elbow. She nodded at the City Lord, who smirked and returned her greeting, and then lifted her hands to stop the cheering. Once her hand was lifted, the crowd grew silent. Her charisma and charm were certainly not below that of the City Lord.
"Now let's invite the teams over. Making an entrance from the east wing…the team led by Vital Orange…the Orange Team!"
"BOOO!"
A team dressed entirely in orange military wear walked out from the east wing of the stadium surrounded by the unpleasant booing of the Asher City citizens. However they were unfazed by the detest the people of this city had for them. Slowly their blurry figures became more distinct as they walked gradually to the centre of the stadium.
There were four people within this team. The one leading them was a tall man with a dignified appearance. He was middle aged and had a few grey hairs sticking out of his temple. His large build was further emphasized by the huge axe strapped to his back. Behind him were his teammates. The first was a bald man with an unassuming face. He wasn't good looking enough to draw the attention of the masses, but he certainly wasn't bad looking either. He looked like any average person of the streets, and no one would have paid him much attention if he wasn't standing within the stadium today as a competitor. He was covered with an orange robe which made it impossible to see what weapon he wielded, and had a small smile on his face.
Next to the bald man was a woman. She was beautiful, with her long hair tied into a bun to prevent it from being a nuisance. She sashayed elegantly towards the centre of the field, as though she wasn't here to fight but to dance. She gait drew the attention of many of the men in the crowd with most of them catcalling and looking at her with unbridled lust. Feeling the lustful gazes on her, she didn't cower but further accentuated her curves by swaying her hips more. A small smile of provocation graced her lips as she sauntered to the centre, and many men had to hold themselves back from running onto the field and jumping on her.
"Slut," Hildegarde commented from atop Mane's shoulder, and the young Supreme smiled wryly. He could tell that although this woman was smiling and acting promiscuously, her eyes were a bit cold and didn't match up to the façade she was putting up. Which meant that she was only using her charm to confuse her opponents. She wasn't truly like that.
The last person was the most inconspicuous of all. This person was covered from head to toe with a large orange cloak, and even his face couldn't be seen. The figure beneath the cloak was slightly hunched, and his steps shaky. He was short, very short, and looked like a harmless individual. But Mane knew that someone who could get this far in a competition would never be weak.
"Now that the Orange Team has taken their place on the field, let's welcome the team that is led by the Blue King. Coming from the west wing is the pride of our city, and the powerful group called the Blue Team!"
Amidst the thunderous applause of the crowd, very much unlike the response to the Orange Team, four men clad in sky blue slowly made their way onto the pitch. Unlike the members of the Orange Team, every member of the Blue Team was a looker. They were all middle aged, but they were very good looking. The faces of many ladies in the crowd turned crimson as they gazed at the members of the Blue Team with eyes clouded with worship and adoration. Of these gazes, most of them were centered on the man leading the Blue Team – the Blue King. Clad in blue leather armor and wielding a sword that was almost his height in length, the Blue King had an imposing presence about him. Every step he took filled the crowd with awe, and his gaze shook their spirits. Slowly, they made their way to the centre of the stadium. There, the Orange Team and Steel Fist stood silently, waiting for them. Once they arrived, Steel Fist lifted her hand, and once again the crowd went quiet.
"You know the rules," she stepped in between the two teams and said. Both captains nodded their heads in assent.
"Good. Then let's have a clean match. Each team is to present their fighters for the first round. Once the round ends the winner can chose to continue or be replaced by a teammate. There would be five rounds. First team to procure three wins would progress to the next stage. No killing. And when an opponent surrenders you must let them go. No eye gauging or groin stomping. Am I clear?"
Again, the two captains responded in the affirmative.
"Then let's begin!"
"OHHHHHH"