The crowd felt like a bomb had gone off in their heads. Who were Tigers? They were Predators at the very top of the food chain. Due to the disappearance of Nightmares from the world for so many years everyone regarded Tigers as the peak that could only be admired from afar. Every Tiger of every city was well respected and received great treatment. They were like kings that could get anything they wanted as long as they whistled or clapped for it. These powerful beings rarely made public appearances, but one had revealed himself today.
"How is that possible?" Peter was very surprised. In fact, the word was like an understatement this time around. How could Vital Orange be a Tiger?
"I know it is hard to believe, but that is the truth. Those kind of movements; the confidence to attempt something like that and achieve it with absolute certainty. That is the mark of a Tiger. Vital Orange is no longer a Tiger Cub. He's a fully grown Tiger now." Maggie stated plainly.
The crowd's disbelief was normal and expected. That was because they had seen Vital Orange fight in last year's Grand Tourney, where he and his team were knocked out after being heavily defeated by the team that ended up becoming Champions – the Indigo Team. He wasn't a Tiger then, but a Tiger Cub. But now Maggie was saying he was a Tiger.
"Now things are starting to make sense. That was why Black Saga said that his team won only because they were lucky. He knew!" Peter stated, suddenly realizing that the biggest evidence was there all along. His words opened the eyes of the crowd, who finally made sense of what happened during the group stage match between the Blue Team and the Black Team.
During that match, The Black Team won the first match, but lost the second. And by the 5th Round, both teams were tied at 2-2, and many thought that they would see the captains of both teams fight the ultimate battle. However they were disappointed by the outcome, as Vital Orange immediately threw in the towel and handed the Black Team the win. When asked about the match in an interview that followed days after, Black Saga stated that their team was lucky, and that if both captains had fought, they may have sustained grave injuries and limited their progress in the knockout phase. Many assumed that he was being humble and didn't want to dismiss the Orange Team. Why did they make such an assumption?
Black Saga was a Predator from Asher City, as such the citizens knew who he was. He wasn't any ordinary Predator; he was a powerful Tiger with a resounding reputation. As such the citizens were excited when they learnt that he would be leading a team in the Grand Tourney. To them, it was the right response from Asher City which had lost its crown to the reigning Champions, the Indigo Team. So when such a man stated that a Tiger Cub like Vital Orange had the capability to injure him, it was seen as humility, and it made the people love him even more. But now they realized that they were wrong. Black Saga wasn't being humble, he was being downright sincere! Vital Orange truly had the strength to go against a powerhouse like Black Saga!
"No wonder he gave up then. He didn't want to reveal his real strength!" Peter exclaimed. Until now Vital Orange had dispatched the other Predators with relative ease, and without revealing his power as a Tiger. But he couldn't do the same against Blue King. Although Blue King was injured, he was still a dangerous entity. And whilst it was true that Blue King was a Tiger Cub, he had proven that he was just below a Tiger in terms of battle strength, and this forced Vital Orange to reveal a small portion of his power. He hoped that no one would be able to see through it, but he was wrong. Even if Maggie didn't point it out, other teams would have watched the recording of his fight and realised that he was a Tiger.
"In the end I couldn't hide anymore. You truly are a monster." Vital Orange sighed bitterly as he held the huge axe to Blue King's neck. The axe had cut into Blue King's neck slightly, and a bit of blood dripped onto the blade. Vital Orange was impressed by Blue King's ability and talent. The man was younger than him, and would undoubtedly become a Tiger in the next few years. Added to the fact that he was a Strength and Agility Dual New Type, he was bound to be stronger than Vital Orange when he finally became a Tiger. His fighting skills were apparent in this match, as he had forced Vital Orange to reveal a card he wanted to keep hidden until he and his teammates were pushed to a wall.
"I'm the monster? Funny that you should call me that." Blue King had a serene expression on his face. He seemed to have come to terms with his loss, and Vital Orange admired how cool he was about it.
"When did you break through?" Blue King asked, totally disregarding his shallowly injured neck and the blood Vital Orange's huge axe had drawn from it. It was a strange sight really. The man with an axe to his neck was asking questions whilst his blood dripped slowly onto the very axe that caused his wound.
"Right after last year's loss. I guess I have to give credit to the Indigo Team for pushing me to my limits." Vital Orange replied with a resentful gaze. But he quickly recovered his calm and asked Blue King,
"Do you concede?"
"Yes, I concede," Blue King responded calmly. Vital Orange nodded at his words and took the axe away from Blue King's neck.
"Sorry about the cut – and the injured hand," Vital Orange scratched his cheek and apologized sincerely. When he broke Blue King's skill he had unconsciously used a bit more strength and had ended up injuring the Predator. And for that he was sorry.
"Not a problem. I have been eliminated, so there would be enough time to heal. At least now I know why your strike was strong enough to break my wrist." Blue King was calm about the injury and accepted Vital Orange's apologies without any resentment. This was a fight, and injuries were unavoidable. Vital Orange didn't even need to apologize, yet he did, and Blue King appreciated him for that. Besides, he had been wondering how Vital Orange was able to break his wrist when his skill was broken. After all, from what he knew their strengths were almost the same. But he had his answer now and he was okay with it.
"Want me to call the healers?" It was unknown when she arrived, but Steel Fist was already next to the two men. She looked at Blue King's injury with concern and questioned whether he needed any medical attention.
"No need. I would go to them." Blue King stated and began walking towards the Healers-Reserved Area of the stadium.
"Suit yourself," Steel Fist shrugged as she watched Blue King walk away.
"I think you should announce the results now," Vital Orange smiled and returned his axe to its usual position at his back. He didn't even clean the blood that stained its sharp edge.
Steel Fist nodded and lifted her hand. Immediately, everyone's attention was drawn to her.
"The winner of the 4th Round is Vital Orange from the Orange Team. This sends the score to 3-2 in the Orange Team's favor. The Orange Team wins! They have qualified for the next stage of the competition!"