~Chapter 3- The Preliminaries Begin~

The following morning, the children headed to the northern portion of Challenger's Isle. They were to report to the Preliminary stages at noon. Emer and Cmar lead the children there.

Cmar was giving Nout fighting tips as they walked. He wanted to help, but it only seemed to make him more anxious about what was to come.

The Preliminary stages were in a lowered area accessible by stone staircases. The area was surrounded by a short fence where people could stand to watch the bouts. Razan and Lucar took places around the fence, keen on watching their children compete. There were four circular stone stages, with drums set next to each of them. Announcements would take place on a large platform with a sizable horn affixed to it.

There were already hundreds of competitors waiting around the preliminary stages. Aero and Jirro were giddy at the sight. Ruben and Corri were simply happy to partake in the event. Nout only became more nervous.

Jirro looked around; there didn't seem to be anyone else as young as them among the competitors. There were no rules concerning age, but it was discouraged for kids to enter the tournament. Fortunately, Jirro and the rest of them were no ordinary children.

An older man with a white beard wearing formal robes stepped out onto the announcement platform holding a cup of tea. He stood next to the large horn affixed there and spoke into it, the horn serving to amplify his voice.

"Hello everyone! Welcome to Age 987's Fighting Tournament! I am the Tournament Organizer. You can call me Cho."

Heads turned, and all attention was on Cho. "This year's tournament has a fairly strong showing, with 252 of you competing. I'd like to go over the rules - you must follow these rules exactly or you'll be disqualified," Cho took out a sheet of paper and began, "Our tournament is score-based. You can gain a point by landing a clean and powerful strike on your opponent or knocking them out of the ring. A strike will only be scored if it very clearly makes contact with your opponent and appears to hurt them in some way. You must be precise and powerful. If a competitor is unable to continue or surrenders, then they will lose the match immediately. Whenever a point appears to be scored, one of our tournament staff will beat a drum, and both fighters will be asked to return to their starting positions. When the drum is struck again, the fighters will resume."

Cho caught his breath, took a sip of his tea, and continued as the information sunk in with all of the competitors.

"For the preliminary bouts, you will fight until a single point is scored, and for the bouts in the finals, three points will be required to win. For the two extraordinary fighters who finish off the tournament, you will fight for five points. Only the sixteen finalists will be awarded prize money. Round One finalists will receive 1,000 Ivases. 5,000 if you make it to the quarterfinals. Semi-finalists will receive a substantial 20,000 Ivases. Second place will be given 50,000 Ivases. First place will be awarded 100,000 Ivases and will be granted the title of the Greatest Fighter of Age 987."

The crowd of fighters murmured to each other. Jirro and Aero had no idea there was prize money for the tournament - they just wanted to join in for fun. If they did win, they had no idea what they'd do with the money.

"Weapons, biting, and intentional strikes to the groin or eyes are illegal. For those who have sharp appendages such as claws or tusks, we ask that you blunt them before your matches. We don't want anyone getting seriously hurt here, or worse."

Nout gulped loudly when he heard that. Jirro placed a hand on his shoulder and gave him a look as if to say, 'It'll be okay'. Nout gave a nervous smile and nodded.

Cho skimmed over the paper to make sure he hadn't missed any essential details. "We'll begin preliminary matches soon. When your name is called, report to the appropriate stage. Some advice - I've noticed that competitors who wait and counter in the preliminary bouts tend to last longer. Sheer aggression isn't always the way. But feel free to use whatever techniques suit you best."

With Cho's announcements out of the way, the tournament began in earnest. More spectators came around to the fences surrounding the area to watch. Aero, Jirro, and Corri all did quick stretches to prepare themselves for the ensuing matches. Nout tried to imitate them but couldn't do it as fluidly as them. Bouts began on each of the four stages.

"Corri and Hugo to stage 3!" One of the tournament organizers called out. Corri whipped her head around and headed towards her stage.

A large and hairy man shared it with her. Hugo looked apprehensively at the little red-haired girl who was to be his opponent. He had to be at least three times her weight. Hugo looked incredibly uncomfortable; it probably didn't feel right for him to fight a little girl.

"Who would let a little girl like that fight?" Someone said among the spectators.

They took their starting positions on the stage as indicated by marks on the ground. Corri took a stance similar to her father's, but much lighter on her feet. The judge presiding over the match beat a drum to begin the bout.

Corri bounded into the air at the man, and before Hugo could react, her knee struck his nose. Hugo gripped his nose in pain, and the judge beat the drum again. "Point to Corri! Match over!"

Corri smiled.

Jirro was the next of the group to fight. He battled a young man, perhaps an eighteen-year-old, who had a lot of energy in him. Jirro toyed with him, dodging each of his blows with ease. He ducked under one of the boy's swings, and pushed him out of the ring, earning him the win.

As Jirro finished off his bout, he saw Nout, who looked absolutely terrified. Chief Cmar had begun his own match and couldn't provide his son with any words of encouragement, so Jirro figured he would try to help.

"Hey Nout, let's try something," Jirro said. He put his hands up and had Nout do the same. They did a quick mock battle where Jirro advised Nout to use his trunk to grab his hand, which provided Nout with an opening.

Aero stepped onto the stage and noticed his opponent taking a peculiar boxing stance. Aero imitated their style before landing the first strike and scoring. Emer and Cmar were both seasoned combatants and made it through their bouts easily.

Ruben went up for its bout. His opponent was aggressive and landed the first strike. But the boulder child didn't budge, even as the man hit him a few more times. Ruben lazily threw his own punch, scoring as its rocky fist made impact with him.

"Daru and Nout to Stage 1!" A voice called out.

Nout's tensed up, but Jirro placed a hand on his shoulder and said, "Remember what we practiced."

Nout wrapped his trunk around his face like a scarf and stepped on stage with a light-footed kickboxer. He readied himself. The drum was struck, and the kickboxer charged in. Nout managed to block the blows but was being forced back.

"Hold your ground!" Jirro shouted. Nout planted his feet just as he was told.

The kickboxer threw a round kick, but it was stopped, not by Nout's hands but his unfurled trunk. He swung them by their leg off the stage.

"Ring out! Point to Nout! Match over!" The judge shouted.

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~Chapter 4- Finalists~

The preliminary bouts continued, and the group fared well.

Jirro expertly searched for his opponent's weaknesses and capitalized on them. Aero continued to imitate his opponents before defeating them, but after a close call, he decided to fight more seriously. Corri struck with ferocity each time, usually defeating her opponents before they had a chance to react.

Ruben wanted to see if anyone could actually hurt him and openly invited his opponents to strike him. When they failed to hurt him, he'd counter. Nout won two matches, and was brimming with newfound confidence. Emer and Cmar continued to win their matches with ease.

All the while, Razan and Lucar watched among the other competitors, keen to see how far their children would go.

"Nout and Cuartz to Stage 1!" A voice called out. Nout rushed to the stage, genuinely excited to get back into the ring. Following after him was a peculiar Densius, one with four rocky arms protruding from him rather than the usual two. The Densius people could form their bodies however they wanted, but most tended towards a humanoid form with two arms, two legs, and a head. But bolder Densius formed their bodies in new and creative ways, such as adding two additional arms.

The stones that formed Cuartz's body were all char black and sturdy, and its irises a bright orange. The Densius was likely from Weld Mountain to the southeast.

Cuartz paced around the ring, beating his many fists against each other. Jirro watched the match closely, cheering Nout on. The two took their starting positions, and the drum beat began the match.

Cuartz immediately swung his numerous limbs at Nout, who had no choice but to back away until he was at the edge of the ring. He couldn't possibly block every punch. One struck him in the trunk, and he winced from the pain.

The beat of the drum signified the end of the match. "Point to Cuartz! Match over!" The judge shouted.

Cmar and Jirro both complimented Nout on his performance, assuring him he fought well, though he wished he could've continued further. As the preliminaries continued, Jirro made a point to watch Cuartz's matches.

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"Point to Emil! Match over!" A judge shouted from across the way. Corri, Aero, and Jirro all turned and saw a brown-haired young man in dirty white robes standing over an unconscious competitor. It was Emil.

"He's here!?" Corri spat angrily. The three remembered Emil. He and Modi had kidnapped them months ago; it was only thanks to their dads that they got away.

The three children glared at Emil from afar. Aero said, "I hope I get a chance to fight him again."

"Kika and Corri to Stage 3!" A voice shouted, and Corri hurried to meet her next opponent. She was pleased to find a young woman, perhaps nineteen years old, standing in the ring to face her. She wore white robes that were fairly similar to the ones Emil wore, but clean.

Kika smiled at Corri, bowing respectfully before the match began. Corri returned the gesture. They took their positions, and a drumming signaled the beginning of the match.

Corri charged in knee first, but Kika parried the attack. Corri was shocked; she was the first person to react in time to avoid her first move.

The red-haired girl continued to press her attack, but Kika parried each blow with grace. She was being reckless and wild. Corri felt a kick to her side, just hard enough to make her stagger. The drumbeat signified the end of the match.

"Point to Kika! Match over!" The judge shouted.

Corri wanted to be angry, but Kika's smile and extended hand calmed her. They left the stage together.

"You did well! It's always nice to see more women in the ring, especially young ones like you. I'm sure if you were trained up a bit, you'd be an excellent fighter," Kika said.

"Thanks. You're really good too," Corri was angry at losing, but admitted that Kika was a pretty good fighter.

"If you ever get the chance, check out Dama's Fighting Academy to the east. We'd love to have you," Kika imparted. Her eyes drifted to another of the fighting stages, "If you want to see another of the Academy's students, you should check this out."

Kika drew Corri along towards another stage. A muscular man with chiseled features wore the same white robes that Kika had. He had a serious expression and an incredibly solid stance.

"That's Tyro - one of the best students of the academy," Kika said.

Tyro's opponent was Ruben. The boulder child stood in an entirely open stance, inviting its opponent to attack.

"Tyro might have some trouble. That's a friend of mine. So far, no one's managed to hurt them," Corri said. Kika shrugged.

The drum was drummed, Tyro's eyes narrowed, and he carefully approached. Ruben smiled, leaving itself entirely open.

Tyro delivered a measured punch... and Ruben staggered back. The single strike felt like it had power behind it. He actually managed to hurt the young Densius.

"Point to Tyro! Match over!" The judge announced. Without a word, Tyro left the stage.

Despite his loss, Ruben smiled. The young Densius joined Corri and Nout among the spectators.

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The preliminaries continued, and the number of fighters remaining dwindled fast as evening drew near. Aero, Jirro, Cmar, and Emer all moved through the rounds well, only having minor trouble near the end. But eventually, they made it into the final sixteen.

Cho stepped on stage to announce the finalists, and a crowd of people surrounded the Preliminary stages to hear. One by one, they were called to the stage. Aero and Jirro heard a murmur when their names were announced; people were surprised that children had made it into the finals. They couldn't help but grin.

Cmar, Emer, Kika, Tyro, Cuartz were among the finalists. Emil was called on stage as well, and the boys glared at him. Soon the sixteen fighters stood together, a mix of Ralosians, Densius, Phantine, and Mecarne combatants.

With the preliminaries concluded, they took to enjoying the festivities for the rest of the day. Aero and Jirro turned in early, keen on getting a good night's rest before the finals.