"That's smart," Lam admitted as he looked at the valiant figure of Black Saga parading around the stadium.
"But the secret is out now. He can't fool anyone with that again. A steep price to pay for victory in a mere tournament." Mane stated as he stood right next to Lam. Both young men were wielders, and had better vision than most. In fact, anyone with good vision would be able to see what they were both seeing.
During the scuffle with Red Prince, Black Saga's leather armor had been ripped apart at the sides, exposing his abs and part of his chest to the crowd, and everyone was able to see how he had tricked Red Prince. Red Prince was a Cheetah and at such a close distance it was almost impossible for Black Saga to avoid the Cheetah's sword attacks. The most logical thing that Black Saga could have done was to limit the severity of the injury by shifting his chest and abdomen away from the blades, although even that wasn't a guaranteed way to ensure survival. He had done that, yet the man had been able to pull it off. And how did he do that? It was because of his unique body physique.
Black Saga was very muscular, and he was a giant of a man, but his torso region was a bit leaner than usual. His waist and sides were very lean, and were the direct opposite of his broad shoulders. In fact, looking at his shoulders, no one would have thought that he had such lean sides. Yet he did. However, the man kept this secret by filling up his leather armor with foam. It didn't hamper his movements, and made it seem like his body proportions were just as they looked like from the outside. So when Red Prince stabbed Black Saga, the swords pierced through the foam and missed his torso completely. That was how the man had been able to trap the blades in his armpits.
"This makes your hypothesis all the more likely," Hildegarde licked her lips and said.
"That the tournament is more than it appears on the surface?" Mane asked.
"Yes," Hildegarde yawned and said.
"Well, the commentator called Maggie is a Lion – a Predator that has been missing for the past few decades. Steel Fist has the aura of an Eagle – also a rare Predator. And there seems to be some bad blood between the teams that transcends a simple competition." Mane stated with narrowed eyes.
His words would have sent an explosion through the stadium if people heard him. Steel Fist wasn't a Predator with an uncommon title, but an Eagle. Eagles were a Predators just as powerful as Lions! And they were just as rare. Yet not only was an Eagle here, but Maggie was a Lion herself. Well, a Lioness rather. Mane discovered this when he met them for the first time. The teams had to see the commentators and give them a little information about themselves before the games began, and Mane was astounded when he met Maggie.
The woman's aura of power was that of a Lioness! It stunned Mane who never expected to see a Lioness here. And when he had been able to digest this new information, he met Steel Fist too. Imagine his surprise meeting not only a Lioness, but an Eagle too. He was able to determine their auras so cleanly because he was a Scholar. The Scout ability was indeed very handy. Even Hildegarde wasn't able to tell accurately what their auras of power were. And Hildegarde was at least a Noble! All she could tell from their auras was that they were stronger than all of the Teams here.
"I wonder how many people he has tricked with this," Mane smiled and said. However, it was impossible to see this smile due to the black mask stuck on his face.
"I was thinking about the very same thing. How many times has he survived the clutches of death because no one knew about his unique body structure?" Lam assented.
"Well now everyone knows," Mane smiled and said. Lam nodded his head in reply to his friend's words whilst thinking that this competition was indeed more than ordinary. For someone to reveal a life-saving secret just to win, must mean that there is more to this tournament than they initially thought.
"Are you ready boys?" Vital Orange appeared behind them and patted their shoulders strongly. A dull sound resounded, like it was metal hitting metal, and not flesh hitting flesh.
"We are," both Mane and Lam said at the same time.
"Good. Because it's our turn." Vital Orange smirked and stated. Black Hand who was next to him nodded his head and picked up his cloak. Mane could feel the presence of several dangerous weapons hidden within that cloak.
"I wouldn't want to be the one having to face a Hidden Weapons Specialist like Black Hand," Mane thought silently to himself. Snakes were a group of people he absolutely didn't want coming after him.
Black Hand and his teammates left the field after soaking in the cheers of the home support. And once they were gone, Peter moved right on to the next part of the competition.
"Well folks, we have one more Semi-Finals to watch. There are two teams left, and one of these teams would go on to meet the Black Team in the Finals of the…"
"GRAND TOURNEY!"
"That's right. These two teams are the Orange Team, led by their Captain Vital Orange and the Indigo Team, led by their Captain Celestial Fairy. Call it fate but both teams met at this very stage of the competition during the last Grand Tourney, and the Orange Team were forced out of the competition by a dominant Indigo Team who went on to claim the trophy. Would the past be repeated, or would the champions be knocked out? What's your take on this Maggie? Who are you placing your money on?"
"No one Peter."
"Come on Maggie. Are you saying that you have no idea who would come out on top?"
"I am. Whereas you sound like you have already picked a side?"
"Well, the odds are largely against the Orange Team. They are facing the champions after all. And not only that, we have credible information suggesting that there may be more than one Predator in the Indigo Team!"
Peter's words stunned the audience yet some of them were ecstatic, with their faces reddening in excitement. These people were undoubtedly those who had placed their bets on the Indigo Team.
"Just like you Peter, I also know this."
"So why are you still unsure Maggie? Is it because of the new additions?"
"It is. We have no clue who those people are, and they refused to give any information about themselves apart from verifying their place of origin."
"I admit that the unknown is more often than not a viable wildcard, but I don't think that would be the case today. Those two give off the air of youth, so they mustn't be that old. At most they would be thirty. Thirty year old Predators are rare, much less two of them appearing at the same time."
Many people in the crowd nodded in agreement. They too believed that it was very unlikely for the Orange Team to come out as the winners.
"I don't know what to tell you Peter. Just call it intuition." Maggie shrugged and said. Peter was a bit stunned when he heard her say that her indecision was due to her intuition. He didn't know Maggie's true identity, but he knew that she was unordinary. And so far, none of her predictions based on intuition had been wrong. He couldn't help but think that this match was going to be more interesting than he thought. However, he pushed that to the side and went back to doing his job.
"The Captains have handed their match slates to our referee, Steel Fist, and the first match would be beginning shortly."
Steel Fist showed the slate to the crowd, and the Record Stone picked it up and projected the names on it for all to see. Peter announced the first names on each slate for those who couldn't read.
"The first match is between Black Hand and Swift Indigo!"
Black Hand walked towards the centre of the stadium calmly. He didn't look nerved at all. Swift Indigo was a graceful middle aged woman who had lost none of her looks to the cruel hands of time. Her beauty was almost surreal, and she possessed an aura that calmed even the most chaotic of minds. Slowly, both of them walked to the centre of the stage.
"The Indigo Team is really leaving nothing to chance! They have sent out one of their bests! And from the information that we have, Swift Indigo is the new Predator on the block!"
"Are you ready?" Steel Fist asked both warriors once they reached the centre of the field. At her words, the aura of Swift Indigo was fully unleashed, and the power of a Predator dominantly claimed the field. Her elegant gown fluttered in the wind as she unsheathed her sword, and her powerful presence was intimidating to most men.
"Ready," she replied as she adjusted herself to her peak.
Unlike Swift Indigo, Black Hand's presence was like a small leaf that could easily be blown over by a stiff breeze. Suddenly, his calm demeanor shattered, and a powerful aura just as dominating as Swift Indigo's exploded with Black Hand as the center. His aura of power fought hers for control over the field, as the crowd looked on in amazement.
"Ready," he nodded as he fixed his eyes on his surprised opponent.
"I don't believe it! Black Hand is also a Predator!" Peter exclaimed with a stunned expression. They knew about Swift Indigo because they had investigated the team of the champions thoroughly for the Black Team's sake. In regards to investigations, they had been very slack with the other teams. And so they had no idea about Black Hand's true power.
Maggie however, didn't look surprised. She looked at Black Hand calmly as a hint of killing intent flashed across her eyes.
"So it was him," she thought calmly to herself.
"This is the first match between the champions, the Indigo Team and the challengers, the Orange Team," Steel Fist's eyes flashed with rage when Black Hand exposed his strength, but she remained composed and carried on.
"This match is the first round, and it is between Swift Indigo of the Indigo Team and Black Hand of the Orange Team."
"Let the match begin!"