Narrated by Alex
Imagine having a 90 inch plasma T.V., and all you watch, is news.
That was pretty much our state in the hotel room. The only channels that were available in the T.V., were news channels, and all of the news was just about the tournament. The anchors looked very hyped about the tournament, and it felt like they'd jump out of the screen any second, fill you up with tournament hype.
There was a show about the tournament's history, which was too boring to watch. Then, a list of all the tournament winners was shown. And at end of the list, the third last lone read: 47th League. Winner: Oliver Benji, Stronghold City.
"Hey Benji!" I said,"You're there in the list!"
Benji walked over, grabbed a chair, sat down, and said,"Of course I'd be there. I was the winner, after all."
Gordon chuckled,"Want some brain cells, Alex?"
"No thanks." I grumbled.
The main door opened, and John and Anne walked in. John looked pretty shaken up, as if he'd just seen a ghost (he never believed in ghosts, and always mocked the horror movies, and claimed they don't scare him). Anne was behind him, and she also had a serious face.
"Hey John, something happen?" I asked.
John looked down, and said,"I met him."
"Met who?"
"Him."
"Him who?"
He sighed,"The other student."
"Chris' second student?" Benji asked, getting up from his chair.
John nodded.
"So, how'd it go? What happened?" I asked.
"Nothing much. Just a small chat."
"And what did you talk about?"
"He just told that he's the best, and no one can defeat him, and stuff like that."
"And those petty talks scared you?"
He shook his head,"Not at all. But what scared me, was his power."
"So you were scared, after all."
"Not really scared, but, panic, I guess. The guy has an enormous amount of power, I can bet on that. He's probably been training for years."
"Years? How's that possible? Didn't we all join at the same time."
"No," Benji said,"He probably joined a few years before you, and so he has the advantage."
"Huh? Is joining at a young age allowed?"
"You can learn the technique at any age, but it's not recommended to learn early, as the chances of your body not being able to handle the amount of energy inside you are high, and that can be very dangerous."
"Why would it be dangerous?"
He turned serious,"Because, if your body cannot handle it, the energy will put a heavy strain on you, and it leaves a negative impact on your body. Your body parts would be damaged severely, and that's why it's dangerous."
"But this guy managed to?"
Benji nodded,"Few can do what he did. He must be gifted, or must have put in a lot of work."
"Geat. He's got better abilities, and more experience than us. Also, what's his name?"
"Collin." John replied.
"Collin?" I asked.
"Yeah. I feel like I know him from somewhere, or someone related to him."
"John," I said,"Mr. Easton's son's name, is Collin...."
His eyes widened,"What? You mean to say, that-"
"This Collin might be Mr. Easton's son. Yeah."
"But I never saw him around in the cafe."
"Didn't Mr. Easton say he was training in Mira?"
"Oh, yeah."
"Well, there goes our cafe discounts."
John laughed weakly, and said,"Never expected things as they are now."
"Always expect the unexpected." Benji said,"And, you overthinking. This Collin may be stronger than you, but it's not always strength that wins. Brains play an equally important role in a fight."
"But I don't think he's as mindless as Ethan. There's a reason he's the best in Class A."
"Wait, he's the best?" I asked.
"That's what he said."
"And you're gonna fall for it?"
"More or less. It would be worse news if he wasn't."
"But the question is," Benji said,"do you believe in yourself? Do you believe that you could defeat him?"
He shook his head,"I don't know. This guy is just on another level....."
Benji smiled,"You must believe in yourself, John. If you have already acceptedept your loss, then there is no use in entering the tournament. Tell me John, why did you want to enter the tournament?"
"I... wanted to learn."
"Then learn. Learn from your fights. Learn from your weak points. Improvise. Adapt. Overcome. And don't panic. As long as you believe in yourself, you'll do great."
"Yes. I will." John said, with a new glint in his eyes. Determination.
"Now then, let's have dinner, and then we cod watch some television, and go to sleep! It's a big day tomorrow!"
We had dinner, watched some more news, and finally, went to sleep. I dreamt of defeating Benji in a fight, and woke up refreshed. It was 5 a.m., and the toirn started at 10.
I walked out to the balcony, where John stood, looking at the stadium.
"How do you always beat me at waking up early?"
He shrugged,"I dunno. Guess I'm not much of a sleeper."
"Yep, you ain't a sleeper at all. So, you still panicking?"
"No. I'm still slightly worried about Collin, but not panicking anymore."
"Well, I'm worried about what would happen if you defeated him."
"Why, what would happen?"
"Our cafe discounts would go down the drain if you defeat Easton's son."
He laughed,"So you want me to lose?"
"Of course not, but still" I shrugged.
He smiled,"I gotta qualify first. Only 32 would qualify, out of 512. And that's a lot. Do you have any idea of how will they do the qualifiers?"
I shook my head,"Nope. Another fight, I guess?"
"Well, I guess." He looked forward,"The breeze feels cool and calm. And I like the view."
"So do I. Wish I could live here forever."
"You've got five more days. Enjoy it as you want."
He went inside, and I admired the view.
9:30 a.m.
It was time to move. We went to the stadium where there was a packed crowd.