Realistic or Modern Great Ganbatte Round 1!!!!: Evolution of the Fight

[PiePillager]

A man sat on a darkly lit balcony overlooking the beach, staring up at the stars in the sky, his vision only obscured slightly by the cloud of cigarette smoke hanging over his face. He had taken one last drag of his before sighing and smothering it, wistfully on an ashtray. He reached over and picked up his glass of bourbon and downed it all in one sip before breathing out a hefty sigh and continuing his stargazing until a woman approached him

"I didn't know you would be here in person...." she said in an even tone after a moment of silence.

"Yeah, well...." the man sighed. "Thought I'd come to this one myself. After all, there's a mess I don't trust the others to try and clean up," the man smiled.

"I don't think it's advisable for you to get involved given your position," the woman noted, not breaking her tone, even though a flash of concern crossed her bespectacled face.

"Aw, live a little, huh? Relájate. Besides...I'm there's somethin' I'm lookin' forward to this time." The man smirked, standing up from his incline chair and crouching down...before leaping off the balcony's edge. The woman showed little concern and simply sighed and turned to go back inside as the man dove unseen into the pitch-black night.

***



It was nearing midnight. The city of Manta, Ecuador, normally full of bright lights and loud nightlife was uncharacteristically quiet and dark save for the stars in the night's sky. The contestants of the 30th Great Ganbatte tournament have fought and survived the preliminaries thus far but there was something off about the most recent announcement. Historically, the tournament's preliminary rounds lasted a week and a half as there were oftentimes hundreds of competitors as was the case now. But when the number of participants had dwindled from 400 to 300, their GG cards flared up red and a broadcast was sent through them and every television and radio throughout the city that all fighting was to cease then and that the preliminaries were over and that they were to gather on the beach for a special announcement on the next stage of the tournament.

Many there didn't know what to expect. This tournament was very strange compared to its predecessors, at least to the participants left without knowledge of the criminal underworld. There was the indistinguishable sound of a gunshot heard in the streets the other day. The victim was never identified and the local authorities had been cagey with anyone who asked. Furthermore, there were people in expensive-looking suits frequenting the city, questioning people....more than enough to make one wonder if something was afoot. There was something off about this tournament....but it didn't matter. Not one person in this tournament who had made it this far would back down now.

Things were just getting started.

To those who wanted the ultimate prize. Wealth, fame, and power as they were recognized as the world's greatest fighters, their path still lay far before them but as always within sight.

To those who sought to test their mettle against the strongest combatants from all around the world, a veritable feast lay before them. Their blood was boiling for the most fearsome battles lay ahead of them.

And to those who sought something else...to achieve their goals, they would have to press forward. For within this tournament lay more than a few secrets and only by continuing to fight will they uncover the one that pertains to them.

The audience was growing restless. Mutters were heard from the 300 competitors remaining, wondering what this announcement could entail when suddenly. A flicker of light. Torches had been lit one by one on the beach, surrounding the fighters. Each fire lit pointed the way towards the edge of the shore until they illuminated the darkness revealing five massive boats lined up along the water. In front of the boat in the center was the tournament's host, former competitor Mike Maximum. He raised the mic to his face and smirked.

"COMPETITORS! CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE MADE IT PAST THE PRELIMINARIES!"

Instantly there were murmurs in the crowd. The prelims were over...already?! Usually, that wasn't the case until the numbers had died down considerably. The free-for-all nature of the preliminaries was supposed to reduce the number of contestants to 40 as stated by Mike Maximum himself.

"NOW I KNOW WHAT Y'ALL ARE THINKIN'....' WHAT MIKE, OVER ALREADY?!' THAT'S RIGHT. THE FINE FOLKS AT THE TOURNAMENT COMMITTEE DECIDED TO SHAKE THINGS UP A LITTLE SO THE FIRST ROUND IS DROPPING A LITTLE EARLLYYYYYYYYY!! NOW I HOPE YOU HAD YOUR FUN DURING THE PRELIMS AND MADE A FEW FRIENDS! YOU'RE GONNA NEED EM! 'CAUSE THE FIRST ROUND YOU'RE GONNA BE TEAMING UP WITH NINE OF YOUR BUDDIES AND TAKIN' ON FIVE OTHER TEAMS! THAT'S RIGHT! FIRST ROUND'S A TEAM TOURNAMENT! BETCHA DIDN'T SEE THAT ONE COMIN'! WE LOVE TO SHAKE THINGS UP AT THE GANBATTE! AND HERE'S HOW THINGS ARE GONNA GO DOWN!"

The uttering amongst the fighters had now become a loud chorus. This kind of format was unheard of...there could only be one winner of the tournament after all. This was unexpected. Not everyone had made friends after all. And above choosing friends they had to pick people who were reliable and capable. No one wanted to be held back after all.

"THERE WILL BE SIXTY COMPETITORS SPLIT INTO TEAMS OF TEN ON EACH OF THESE BOATS HERE! EACH TEAM IS GONNA DUKE IT OUT IN AN ELIMINATION TOURNAMENT WHERE TWO TEAMS FIGHT UNTIL EVERY MEMBER FROM ONE TEAM IS K.O'D! AND ONCE THERE'S A WINNER FROM EACH OF THE FIVE BOATS WE'RE GONNA FINISH THIS ROUND ON THE GALAPAGOS ISLANDS THEMSELVES WITH ONE LUCKY TEAM OUTTA THOSE REMAINING FIVE BEING SEEDED IN THE BRACKET! BUT...TO GO INTO ROUND 2, THERE'S ONE LAST CATCH! AW, DON'T LOOK LIKE THAT Y'ALL THIS IS THE COMMITTEE THROWING A BONE! YOU SHOW OUT, PERFORM ABOVE AND BEYOND, AND MAKE AN IMPRESSION DURING THIS ROUND AND YOU MAY EARN YOURSELF A TICKET TO THE NEXT ROUND ANYWAY! AND REMEMBER....Y'ALL MAY BE BUDDIES FOR NOW BUT IN THE END...THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE! SO....WITH THAT SAID, Y'ALL GOT EXACTLY ONE DAY TO FIGURE OUT YOUR TEAM LINEUP STARTING TOMORROW ON THIS VERY BEACH AND REGISTER YOUR TEAMS OR THE GRACIOUS STAFF WILL REGISTER THEM FOR YOU! BEST OF LUCK TO Y'ALL THIS MIIIIIIKE M-M-M-MAXIMUM SIGNIN' OFF!"

***

The 300 remaining competitors were left to dwell on just what this entailed. Why it was happening and what they had to do next. Rest was needed, meditation, and maybe even a drink. Because once the sun rose, the clock was ticking. THE FIERCEST! THE MSOT CUNNING! THE AMBITIOUS! ALL MUST BAND TOGETHER THE ULTIMATE TEAM OF FIGHTERS SO THAT THEY MAY DOMINATE THE NEXT ROUND! ALLIANCES WILL BE FORGED AND BROKEN! CAN YOU TRUST YOUR OWN ALLY OR WILL THEY INEVITABLY BETRAY YOU IN THE END?! SUCH THINGS WILL BE PUT TO THE TEST AS ROUND ONE BEGINS!

 

[Sir loin of beef]

Johnny Giovanni was Confused.

He hated being confused, he knew something was up the moment his card turned red after he had beaten some random Competitior and thrown him in a dumpster. Then all 300 of the Remaining contestants were told to report to the beach at what, 11:50 at night? He had better things to do than stand on some Beach just before midnight.

"This better not be about whatever schmuck got whacked, whatever it is, I'm Probably not gonna like it" thought the tiger

"COMPETITORS! CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE MADE IT PAST THE PRELIMINARIES!"

"Wait, The preliminaries are over all ready!?" The tiger shark was surprised at this turn of events. "There's an awful lot of people here for those to be over already"

"NOW I KNOW WHAT Y'ALL ARE THINKIN'....' WHAT MIKE, OVER ALREADY?!' THAT'S RIGHT. THE FINE FOLKS AT THE TOURNAMENT COMMITTEE DECIDED TO SHAKE THINGS UP A LITTLE SO THE FIRST ROUND IS DROPPING A LITTLE EARLLYYYYYYYYY!! NOW I HOPE YOU HAD YOUR FUN DURING THE PRELIMS AND MADE A FEW FRIENDS! YOU'RE GONNA NEED EM! 'CAUSE THE FIRST ROUND YOU'RE GONNA BE TEAMING UP WITH NINE OF YOUR BUDDIES AND TAKIN' ON FIVE OTHER TEAMS! THAT'S RIGHT! FIRST ROUND'S A TEAM TOURNAMENT! BETCHA DIDN'T SEE THAT ONE COMIN'! WE LOVE TO SHAKE THINGS UP AT THE GANBATTE! AND HERE'S HOW THINGS ARE GONNA GO DOWN!"

The uttering amongst the fighters had now become a loud chorus. This kind of format was unheard of...there could only be one winner of the tournament after all. This was unexpected. Not everyone had made friends after all. And above choosing friends they had to pick people who were reliable and capable. No one wanted to be held back after all.

"Oh shit!" Johnny swore after Mike maximum finished explaining what the tournament entailed as the realization dawned on him. He'd need to assemble a crew stat! He had zero intention of losing the Prize money and thus his chance to gain more wealth to gain more power.

 

[Nellancholy]

Nabi Bergkvist exhaled deeply, taking a moment to stretch after battering her way through the preliminaries. Her gloves remained hanging off her neck, barely worn by today's exertions. Really, the opposition so far had offered more strain just by being punched than they could by trying to hit her.

The whirring of the hovering, baseball-sized drone by Nabi's shoulder was entirely drowned out by the ensuing commotion as the sudden announcement of a change in format. Now, she didn't know how these events tended to go, though this was apparently a surprise to most present.

"Looks like the show's far from over, butterflies." Nabi glanced at the drone, smiling as she offered an aside. "Stay tuned, looks like it's time for your princess to put together an entourage."

With that, she took a few steps onto a slightly raised rock, addressing the fighters on the scene.

"You heard the man! Mr. Maximum wants to see us form up into teams! I know lots of you know just how important it is to land the first punch. Now, you can spend the day thinking, or you can throw a good jab-" Here her fist shot through the air for emphasis. "-and step into my corner! Don't you worry, I'll lead us to victory! So how about it?"

 

[druidquest]

Aaah, so that's how it was. Mergo rocked back on her heels as she chewed the announcement. Five team death matches running concurrently to determine their final seeds. As for the "one last catch"... Well, that one felt obvious enough. Fifty wasn't a good number for traditional tournament brackets, after all.

Mergo sighed. She was gonna have to find a team. What a pain in the ass. Couldn't they just go back to the free-for-all? At least that was fun. Having to work with a team...

Then again, they only lost if everyone on the team was eliminated. So long as one person stayed standing at the end, the whole team... theoretically got through. So it didn't matter who she teamed with, right? Mergo only had to rely on herself. And maybe one or two redundancies who were good enough to crawl across the finish line if she ate shit somehow. That should work, right?

She scanned the beach, trying to find that kid who had forgotten his phone at the brothel, thinking she might kill two birds with one stone, but he was lost amongst the crowd. Oh well. Mergo was getting tired of playing hide and seek with this guy; she would just drop the phone off with the pork shop and let them deal with it. There was a possibility they wouldn't just steal it. Maybe.

"You heard the man! Mr. Maximum wants to see us form up into teams! I know lots of you know just how important it is to land the first punch. Now, you can spend the day thinking, or you can throw a good jab-" Here her fist shot through the air for emphasis. "-and step into my corner! Don't you worry, I'll lead us to victory! So how about it?"

Mergo's attention was drawn to a pink influencer addressing those around her. The woman's back was to her, but she seemed somehow familiar. The voice, maybe, or her build? Mergo could swear she knew her from somewhere.

It was the comment about "stepping into her corner" that made it click - it was that featherweight broad, Navi Something. Women's boxing might not have the prestige or audience the men's leagues got, but Mergo had always enjoyed it. She left it running in the lobby every once in a while, and even caught a few matches here and there when she wasn't too busy. The girl wasn't her first pick - Mergo would always be a Rosarita Zuniga fan - but it was still a pleasant surprise to see she had jumped into the tournament.

And she was recruiting.

Mergo slipped in closer behind the boxer. She had promised not to do anything that would draw any undesirable attention to herself or Ch'aska, but what were the chances anyone in Ecuador was watching a streamer from.... Mergo squinted at the bob of pink hair. ........................Caaaaanada.........? The point was, there were probably a million people streaming the Great Ganbatte right now, so the chance a primarily Spanish speaking country was watching her were basically zero, right? And Mergo doubted the Magna Mafia gave enough of a shit to watch unless Na- ...Nagi was getting up to something they didn't want her to. So it was probably safe. Maybe.

"You've sure got my vote!" Mergo announced, hopping up on the little rock and throwing an arm around the boxer. She flashed the drone a peace sign and a winning smile. Maybe one of her girls back home was watching. "With someone this cute leading us, we'll already have the morale advantage, right everyone?"

 

[JuniperBoi]

Yasuke didn’t account for being in a team in this tournament. It didn’t help that he wasn’t acquainted with the fighters here. So he couldn’t scout for someone in particular. Most of the fighters around him were either giving him mean looks or already forming a team. He sighed as he continued to walk through the venue. A free for all was one thing but teams were something else.

Having a team doesn’t seem all too bad. It gives some room for error knowing that if one team member still stands, the rest still are qualified to go forward to the next round. But it all comes down to who he’s with.

"You heard the man! Mr. Maximum wants to see us form up into teams! I know lots of you know just how important it is to land the first punch. Now, you can spend the day thinking, or you can throw a good jab-" Here her fist shot through the air for emphasis. "-and step into my corner! Don't you worry, I'll lead us to victory! So how about it?"

Yasuke turned to see a…pink haired girl? He was a bit confused, as she doesn’t seem to be much of a fighter, but then again he shouldn’t judge a book by his cover. Seeing how she was recruiting and the fact no one seems to want him on their team, might as well seize the opportunity. The girl looked friendly enough and someone was already in her team so he might be welcome on her team.

He approached the duo on the rock. Once he got a closer look he noticed the drone. “I’m guessing Pinky here has a streaming hobby.” He cleared his throat to get the attention of the duo. “Hey uh, you looking for a third?” He said with a smile.

druidquest Nellancholy

 

[Nellancholy]

Nabi's plan was already working: she had a couple of tentative allies in her corner and the eyes not only of her own audience on her but also the eyes of all the contenders. If the Magna Mafia wanted to strongarm her into signing on with them, or whatever they did to Leila, they would be noticed. Of course, being noticed rarely stopped them when they were firmly set on a goal, but that was what her fists were for.

"Hey!" She beamed at the dark-skinned man, reaching out an arm to pull him up alongside her. "The more the merrier, tough guy. At least as long as everyone pulls their weight!" The hovering drone swept around to get Yasuke's face whether he liked it or not, definitely picking up her comment as well. Her...pugnaciousness could be said to be part of her act, but given her line of work that was very much expected.

Blondie on the other hand certainly knew how to work for the camera. Nabi wondered what her deal was. If she got down and dirty in the underground cage matches...she probably would have heard of her as well. She had that dangerous smell about her, someone more ruthless than they appeared. If blondie was some kind of Mafia spy, better for Nabi to keep her in a place where she could keep her eye (and her camera) on her. And if she was instead someone who could turn on the Mafia...then she'd be a strong pair of fists to keep on the good side of.

"So check this out!" Nabi grabbed both Mergo and Yasuke's arms, lifting them over her head like she was awarding them both a belt. "I've got thunder and lightning right here, and all I need is to flap my wings and we'll kick up a storm!" She really pushed that butterfly motif.

"But sure, we've got room for a few more!" She let their arms go, allowing them to step aside if they wanted. "It's not first come first served, no no! You've gotta float like me, sting like a bee if you wanna take on everyone else from here!"

Of course, the fact that everyone present had survived preliminaries meant they were up to a certain standard, but the whole point of the tournament ahead was to show the world just how big the difference was beyond that point.

JuniperBoi druidquest

 

[Sir loin of beef]

Nabi Bergkvist exhaled deeply, taking a moment to stretch after battering her way through the preliminaries. Her gloves remained hanging off her neck, barely worn by today's exertions. Really, the opposition so far had offered more strain just by being punched than they could by trying to hit her.

The whirring of the hovering, baseball-sized drone by Nabi's shoulder was entirely drowned out by the ensuing commotion as the sudden announcement of a change in format. Now, she didn't know how these events tended to go, though this was apparently a surprise to most present.

"Looks like the show's far from over, butterflies." Nabi glanced at the drone, smiling as she offered an aside. "Stay tuned, looks like it's time for your princess to put together an entourage."

With that, she took a few steps onto a slightly raised rock, addressing the fighters on the scene.

"You heard the man! Mr. Maximum wants to see us form up into teams! I know lots of you know just how important it is to land the first punch. Now, you can spend the day thinking, or you can throw a good jab-" Here her fist shot through the air for emphasis. "-and step into my corner! Don't you worry, I'll lead us to victory! So how about it?"

Jack Da Rippa
"Oi! What gives ya the right to think you can just boss us around!?" A Very cockney voice suddenly made itself heard, it's owner was someone with a grey hoodie and the Manchester United Flag painted on his head "I'z gonna be da boss of ma own Zoggin team! We'z gonna stomp the Ganbette flat and Krump anyteam that Foights back! We'z Team Jack da Rippa and We'z gonna win! WHO'Z WITH ME!?"

Aaah, so that's how it was. Mergo rocked back on her heels as she chewed the announcement. Five team death matches running concurrently to determine their final seeds. As for the "one last catch"... Well, that one felt obvious enough. Fifty wasn't a good number for traditional tournament brackets, after all.

Mergo sighed. She was gonna have to find a team. What a pain in the ass. Couldn't they just go back to the free-for-all? At least that was fun. Having to work with a team...

Then again, they only lost if everyone on the team was eliminated. So long as one person stayed standing at the end, the whole team... theoretically got through. So it didn't matter who she teamed with, right? Mergo only had to rely on herself. And maybe one or two redundancies who were good enough to crawl across the finish line if she ate shit somehow. That should work, right?

She scanned the beach, trying to find that kid who had forgotten his phone at the brothel, thinking she might kill two birds with one stone, but he was lost amongst the crowd. Oh well. Mergo was getting tired of playing hide and seek with this guy; she would just drop the phone off with the pork shop and let them deal with it. There was a possibility they wouldn't just steal it. Maybe.



Mergo's attention was drawn to a pink influencer addressing those around her. The woman's back was to her, but she seemed somehow familiar. The voice, maybe, or her build? Mergo could swear she knew her from somewhere.

It was the comment about "stepping into her corner" that made it click - it was that featherweight broad, Navi Something. Women's boxing might not have the prestige or audience the men's leagues got, but Mergo had always enjoyed it. She left it running in the lobby every once in a while, and even caught a few matches here and there when she wasn't too busy. The girl wasn't her first pick - Mergo would always be a Rosarita Zuniga fan - but it was still a pleasant surprise to see she had jumped into the tournament.

And she was recruiting.

Mergo slipped in closer behind the boxer. She had promised not to do anything that would draw any undesirable attention to herself or Ch'aska, but what were the chances anyone in Ecuador was watching a streamer from.... Mergo squinted at the bob of pink hair. ........................Caaaaanada.........? The point was, there were probably a million people streaming the Great Ganbatte right now, so the chance a primarily Spanish speaking country was watching her were basically zero, right? And Mergo doubted the Magna Mafia gave enough of a shit to watch unless Na- ...Nagi was getting up to something they didn't want her to. So it was probably safe. Maybe.

"You've sure got my vote!" Mergo announced, hopping up on the little rock and throwing an arm around the boxer. She flashed the drone a peace sign and a winning smile. Maybe one of her girls back home was watching. "With someone this cute leading us, we'll already have the morale advantage, right everyone?"

Shotgun Kevin's Attention was also Drawn to the influencer, Except not quite...His was drawn to the blonde who had decided to join her, She looked cute in his eyes so he decided he wanted to join the newly forming Team. Casually approaching the team he said

"Here's the deal see? I wanna join your little club. Together we can bust up anyone who challenges us see?"

 

[Tyranasaurus Rex]

BARON VON DRACHES
"Pshaw!" says Baron von Draches and he statrs talking to everyone as well. "If anyone is fit to lead a team it is I Baron von Draches! I run a multinational multimmillion dollar company with thousands of staff in locations all over the wolrd ! Join my team and I will not only lead you to victory, I will add you to the company payroll too! Hahaha!"

BILLY DONDERMANN

Nabi's plan was already working: she had a couple of tentative allies in her corner and the eyes not only of her own audience on her but also the eyes of all the contenders. If the Magna Mafia wanted to strongarm her into signing on with them, or whatever they did to Leila, they would be noticed. Of course, being noticed rarely stopped them when they were firmly set on a goal, but that was what her fists were for.

"Hey!" She beamed at the dark-skinned man, reaching out an arm to pull him up alongside her. "The more the merrier, tough guy. At least as long as everyone pulls their weight!" The hovering drone swept around to get Yasuke's face whether he liked it or not, definitely picking up her comment as well. Her...pugnaciousness could be said to be part of her act, but given her line of work that was very much expected.

Blondie on the other hand certainly knew how to work for the camera. Nabi wondered what her deal was. If she got down and dirty in the underground cage matches...she probably would have heard of her as well. She had that dangerous smell about her, someone more ruthless than they appeared. If blondie was some kind of Mafia spy, better for Nabi to keep her in a place where she could keep her eye (and her camera) on her. And if she was instead someone who could turn on the Mafia...then she'd be a strong pair of fists to keep on the good side of.

"So check this out!" Nabi grabbed both Mergo and Yasuke's arms, lifting them over her head like she was awarding them both a belt. "I've got thunder and lightning right here, and all I need is to flap my wings and we'll kick up a storm!" She really pushed that butterfly motif.

"But sure, we've got room for a few more!" She let their arms go, allowing them to step aside if they wanted. "It's not first come first served, no no! You've gotta float like me, sting like a bee if you wanna take on everyone else from here!"

Of course, the fact that everyone present had survived preliminaries meant they were up to a certain standard, but the whole point of the tournament ahead was to show the world just how big the difference was beyond that point.

JuniperBoi druidquest

Billy was tempted by the Barons offer but he decided to join up with the pink haired girl instead. He notcied her flying drone and saw an opportunity to show tha haters that he was still in the compeition. He walked towards her and starts flexing his huge muscles for the camera. "little lady, These muscles are yours if you want them."

 

[DarKnight36]

Musashi gave very little reaction to the announcement, as truthfully he cared very little. His goal was nearing, it was true, but the tournament was but a means to an end. He had remained in the tournament by sheer, overwhelming ability during the preliminaries. Although, he reminded himself, there were a few worthy among the rabble who had made him feel the urge to battle. He had not faced any of them, but he had made note. He could feel them, like the centers of a storm.

Musashi allowed himself a respite from his goal to add another desire - to remain in the tournament until these individuals either faced him in combat, or proved themselves unworthy by falling to the filth that surrounded them. A small smile crossed his face as he allowed himself this small diversion.

***

Trent rubbed his hands together eagerly, and turned to the companions that had helped him face the strangely skilled crocodile known as Bek. "Seems like we've got the beginnings of a solid team already! Or would you rather part ways? My feelings won't be hurt but I wouldn't mind waiting to face each of you in battle until later in the tournament!"

 

[Kameron Esters-]

A lone candle sits in the center of the darkness. It illuminates nothing as it sits in the abyss. However, int he eternal darkness, a voice speaks out.

"Every man has a calling. And every man who hears it believes it to be a call to greatness only to be let down by the reality of their delusion. But there is one call that does beckon one to greatness. A war between men and their age-old desire to be God where the battle is settled with one's bare hands. All for the amusement of men and the gods alike as dreams and spirits are shattered for all the world to bear witness to. And legends are made from those broken dreams. The shards themselves making the stairs to Heaven. The Challenge of the Kings. The Bloody Commandment. The Duel for the Tainted Thrones. The Great Ganbatte. You wish to participate in this glitter-covered bloodsport."

"Yes, master. I do."

"Whatever for? To test your mettle? You couldn't just travel the world...Or China to get your fix."

"I don't have the money to go. And that's why I am participating. The Saint Ensemble are the wealthiest people on the planet. They control every shadow cast under the Sun. And that kind of influence could save Jakatra from sinking to the bottom of the ocean."

"Tch, we haven't had outside aid in over a decade. Everyone here is going to die from sickness, drowning, or starvation. Why the effort? You and I can sustain ourselves just fine."

"Because I have what it takes to not only survive but win aswell! If I can do that, we would have the world's resources to prevent ALL of that! We can build homes, schools, hospitals, irrigation and sewer systems, facilities to sells and trade our crops and fish, clothes on our backs! It could be the answer to ending our suffering once and for all!"

"Hm. That's a nice thought, Mohamed. A really nice thought. But you're talking about fighting an army of some the best and worst fighters the world has to offer. And I guarantee you there will be someone stronger than you. Hundreds of varying fighting styles and doctrines you are not learned in."

"All the more reason I need to prepare for this. You know all these arts, master. You've said so yourself many years ago. Teach me how I must combat them so I can win this tournament for our people!"

"Our people our nothing more than dregs with no ambition. They could care less about you, Mohamed. Especially since you're the only one who care about them more than they care about themselves. They leech off of your hard work and once they depend on you, your failure will only make them reject you like they have when you were a youngling."

"If they see me go out there, it will give them hope. Even if I run the risk of losing at the tournament, it's better for me to be hated for losing than hated for not going out there at all. All of what you taught me...All this skill...All this spirit...What good is it for if I can't use it to impact the lives of others?"

". . . . . Okay. I will train you to prepare for any and every style you may encounter in this tournament. But you better win. You're not just representing Indonesia out there. You are representing me aswell. And I refuse to be associated with an altruistic failure..."

"Understood, master."

"Number One rule of the fight: Don't. Lose. For the winners are the ones worthy of choice. To choose their fate and the fate of the defeated. To decide what history makes of them and you. For victory leads to power. Power leads to change. Change leads to fear. Fear leads to hate. Hate leads to chaos. Chaos leads to the end. This is the paradox of mankind."
--------------------------------------
Mohamed opens his eyes, having been in meditation while reminding himself of where his journey was taking him. Mohamed was off put by there being five appointed death matches but it probably shouldn't have come as a surprise given who all was hosting the Great Ganbatte to begin with...This tactic was probably used as a means to round up the fighters in the tournament and cull the numbers in faster. In which case, he ought to go ahead and find a team to take part in. He should prioritize a team with capable fighters but also approachable ones. Those with open minds. With that, he set out to find the fighters he needs to progress in this tournament with.

 

[egglover]

"Aw man...." Min-Ji let out a sigh as she gazed around at the crowd surrounding her, "I hate group projects!"

Recalling a particularly bad experience with a group project in high school, the woman shuddered at the thought. It certainly didn't help that the most recent example of her working in an organized crime syndica--er....very legal employment ended awfully sour. Her co-workers had kicked her to the curb. Still, Min-Ji needed friends in this tournament if she were to get through to the very end, for there were far more powerful fighters in this crowd than her, so she cracked her knuckles and peered at the faces in the stream of participants now awkwardly scrambling to make teams of ten. Min-Ji already had a few people in mind; the old Japanese man, for one, plus a few of the familiar faces she had met at the bar. There was a pink haired woman flapping her arms and making bold statements nearby, but Min-Ji was sure there was no possible way for her to 'sting like a bee' so she skulked away from that particular group of people.

Right. It was the ones who were understated, undermined and underestimated that would rise to the top.

 

[obscured_light]

Rivera rubbed the back of her neck and looked over at the crowd of people already forming alliances, however tentative they would be. It was kind of funny honestly. Their group had been unusual for having a group of people band together in a tournament where they were supposed to be at each other's throats. Now the organizers had decided to force the others to do the same. Maybe Rivera was overthinking it but Connor and Donavan's absence was still somewhat too fresh for her. It was a shame. She was sure they would have been amused at this turn of events.

"If we stick together, we'll be at three already and I know you two can put up a fight," Rivera said as she crossed her arms over her chest. Her eyes scanned the crowd, settling on the growing group of people on the rock. "...And we can either find seven randoms or join that crew over there with the pink hair person. I don't mind either way as long as we get through the round."

 

[PiePillager]

Kipsang nodded, sipping on his favorite brand of rum. "Don't know where are two friends went but I hope for the best with them. Things are getting dangerous from here on out," Kipsang noted, his eyes taking on a rarely seen sagely look as he too scanned the crowd. "But more importantly..." He leaned onto Rivera and Trent's shoulder and whispered. "I hear there's going to be a party ship as well! Think of all the booze, the women, the-WhhhhOOOOA!" he slipped and fell forward with a spin, landing on his back. with a small thud. "Ehehehe....my head is spinning just thinking about it. ...Of course that may be the rum!" he chuckled as he gleefully took another sip.

Still laying on the floor, he pondered aloud. "We do need to put some effort into recruiting, I suppose..." he furrowed his brow a bit before sitting up and yelling. "HEY! Who wants to team up with the team featuring the man that nearly put an end to the notorious Bek! A man feared by all the mafias! Ehehehe!" he chuckled as he pointed at Trent. As the word mafias was uttered, some in the gathered crowd fell to hushed silence. Whether this was a part of Kipsang's plan remained to be seen. All the old man could do was give a hardy laugh as some attention was drawn to he and his teammates.

 

[DarKnight36]

"The girl from the club," Musashi said, his eyes noting Min-Ji as she passed. It took him only a moment to remember her name. He called out to her. "Min-Ji!"

He raised the flask of sake he held in one hand. "Care for a drink?"

***

Trent smirked a little. "If one of the boats has a bunch of cute girls on it, I certainly wouldn't mind being on that ship." He looked around at the faces watching the trio now, and smiled to himself at the mix of awe, fear, and even better, interest. Some he even recognized from the crowd that the battle had been in the midst of.

"But what do you mean, 'nearly put an end to'?" Trent finished, turning back to Kipsang. "Pretty sure I put the sock to the croc, so to speak. Do you think he'll remain in the tournament after that?"

 

[PiePillager]

"You may have won that fight, yes. But you didn't defeat him outright!" Kipsang pointed upward at Trent. "If that beast's fighting spirit is as tenacious as his species is known to be, he will not give up so easily..." Kipsang rolled onto his back, lifting his torso before kipping up back to his feet. "If he finds himself on an opposing team. He is sure to seek revenge, don't you think?"

As they spoke, a man approached the three. They could tell by his shaved head and garb that he was a monk of some sort. "I thought I recognized you," he greeted Trent. So you are the one who faced the crocodile and exposed the fraudulence of his owner." The monk bowed before them. "Shangren is my name. I hope it would not be too forward to ask if I could join with your team."

***

Elsewhere amongst the crowds, Fat Chu sat backwards in a chair. His arms folded as he overlooked the other fighters. Someone approached him. Not a fighter but a member of his touring group. "You got am idea of who to team up with yet? 'Cause I overheard-"

"Nah, not yet," Chu responded. "Gonna see how everything shapes up first..."

***

Bek swam in circles near the docks, away from the crowds and the lights as his owner Daoud sat cloaked so as to hide from sight. The mafia was on his tail. He didn't want to risk being seem. Maybe he was paranoid, but he couldn't be certain. He would have to ally Bek with someone powerful for protection.

Of course that would depend on Bek as well. You'd tossed the crocodile a chicken thigh and it quickly snatched the poultry out of the air and devoured it. "What do you think? Will your senses be able to seek out the strong?"

As a response, Bek splashed his tail into the water, dousing Daoud. Who couldn't help but give off a heavy sigh.

"Hnrgh, hnrgh, hnrgh," the crocodile snorted in satisfied laughter as he dover back into the waters below.

***
Looking through the fighters gathered from the rooftops, a muscular, scarred woman with binoculars cursed under her breath. "Not yet....no sign of the bastard yet..."

***

In an alleyway, three individuals in lay bloodied on the streets. A bearded man looked over them and quickly stole one of their jackets and swung it over his shoulder. Balling his hand into a fist, he grinned a wide smile. "I love this place. Everything's exciting..."

 

[obscured_light]

Rivera was staring at Trent, starting to remember why they had been distant before this. Her thoughts were broken by the man who introduced himself, taken by Trent's victory even if it hadn't been a complete one.

"As long as you can fight, you're welcome," Rivera said before Trent could say a word. "My name's Rivera, you know Trent, and the drunken one is Kipsang."

 

[Wing06]

Taku left the beach in silence. The format was changing, and it seemed their hosts wanted to liven things up. He hadn't interacted with too many fighters outside of matches, so joining a team would prove difficult. To him, it did not matter what team he joined. He just needed to get through each round and investigate between bouts.

A few minutes later, he was walking into a bar behind a young woman, whom an older man quickly greeted by name: Min-Ji. Taku thought the pair looked familiar but couldn't place where he'd seen them last. He ordered a beer and settled in, contemplating his next move. "There's always the two from that club..." He muttered, referring to Mergo and Johnny, the Tiger Shark.

 

[Darklord95]

Although the 4 kings of the syndicate refrained from joining themselves, they were happy to send 9 of their top henchmen in as their own team. One of these 9 was Yin Shengkai, a mechanics and robotics genius, equipped with her own invention, a set of large mechanical arms attached to a jar of sake that has 2 straws for her to drink from. With her was their 10th member, her latest invention Xu-Nu. A mechanical fighter designed to study its’ opponents’ fighting styles, with enough data, Xu-Nu will be the greatest fighter on earth. Great enough to destroy the 4 kings.

 

[Darklord95]

Richard kicks open the door of his local bar. “Alright. Attention all thugs, murderers, and ganbangers! I intend to kick the asses of whoever the hell is stepping onto our turf! Those guys have a little tourney goin’ on! So who of you is gonna fight like a man, and who of you is gonna hide out like a rat?!”

Sanji makes his way inside, he didn’t expect he’d need a team. There was little chance he knew anybody here. But he wasn’t gonna let some little thing like that stop him from getting his revenge. He scans the room for possible teammates, when he sees an old sparring partner, Yasuke. He was talking to a girl with pink hair, most likely the team leader or at least another teammate. He makes his way over. “Fancy meeting you here lightweight.”

 

[DarKnight36]

"Yeah sure, why not?" Trent said to Shangren. "We're definitely going to be one of the winning teams, so jump on board while you can."

***

Musashi glanced at the nearby Taku, and his eyes hardened for just a moment. A strike, a single sword blow, was aimed directly at Taku's nape. It was all in the mind, of course, but if Taku could recognize the strike simply from the intent...

 

[PiePillager]

Rivera was staring at Trent, starting to remember why they had been distant before this. Her thoughts were broken by the man who introduced himself, taken by Trent's victory even if it hadn't been a complete one.

"As long as you can fight, you're welcome," Rivera said before Trent could say a word. "My name's Rivera, you know Trent, and the drunken one is Kipsang."

"I wouldn't be here if I could not," Shangren responded.

"So you make four!" Kipsang note in a slurred speech. "That leaves us with...uh..." Kipsang began to count on his fingers, which became increasingly difficult as his vision had apparently started to blur. "Four hands. I don't remember mastering this technique..." Kipsang belched.

Sangren slowly looked down at the drunkard, and then up to Trent and Rivera, as if looking for an explanation before deciding none would be suitable enough in quick succession. "We must find six more fighters yes. But we must be certain they are formidable."

"Formida...for...." Kipsang added, before he began to doze off, his loud snores drawing looks of ire from across the crowd.

"There are ways to find out the strength we seek. The easiest would be to sense them," the monk closed his eyes and exhaled deeply before looking from Rivera to Trent. "Tell me...what do you two know of your material energy? Your chi."

 

[Wing06]

Taku felt the change in air pressure, his eyes locking on Mushashi's. Instinctively, his hand went to the back of his neck, a kunai seeming to appear from the aether. To any watching, it would have only appeared that Taku was stretching. He nodded to Mushashi and took a long draught of his beer. A new team was quickly being forged.

 

[obscured_light]

"I know nothing," Rivera said to the monk, raising an eyebrow. "Well, other than it's some sort of energy within us. I never looked too much into the details."

 

[DarKnight36]

Such brazen confidence, to deflect a strike from a swordsman like him with a simple kunai! Or was it a backhanded insult that Musashi would dare test such a warrior as he? Either way, Musashi was impressed.

***

"I know the basics," Trent said cautiously, not wanting to get into too much detail on what he may or may not know. But the monk's comments definitely made him reconsider the man's fighting level.

 

[PiePillager]

"One of the reasons I have approached you was because I sensed a powerful energy residing within both of you. If you don't know much about it, let's just call it hidden potential. To survive in this tournament, one must maximize every ounce of strength within themselves. Even if we cannot find adepts, those with high potential may serve just as well."

The monk exhaled as his eyes seemed to flash as what appeared to be a faint spiral of wind picked up around him. In the distance in the crowd, a few heads would turn in the groups direction. "That was a mild display and some eyes still caught on. As I suspected, advancing in this tournament will be no easy feat. "

His eyes flashed with a pale blue light as he glanced towards a large gathering not too far away., "There's high potentials gathered in that bar over there. To see so many lumped together. They must be aware of what they're doing." His eyes flashed once as he glanced up above. "And there's more, on the rooftops. Ten in fact," he frowned. "Hmm. Furthermore, there are many scattered across the beach. "Shall we go seek them out?"

***

A man with long, unkempt long black hair and a small mustache and beard, stumbled out from the alleys like a wayward drunkard. Sunglasses covered his face and a suit jacket rested upon his shoulders like a cape. "Hey...HEY! HEY! HEY!" he shouted repeatedly, growing louder with each repeated word until he could help but be noticed by most of the crowd gathered. "Anyone worth a damn, join my team. If you can't cut it, I'm whoopin' your ass!"