Chapter Two
"Ahh, it feels good to be out and about after being stuck up in the mountains for a whole month…and you know what the best thing about being in this tournament is?" Ean asked while stretching.
"Wait, let me guess-food."
"You know me too well Jarin."
"Hey guys, why are all these adults laughing and staring at us?" Mitch asked, his eyes scanning over the crowd.
"Well, Mitch, it's uncommon for such young kids to enter a fighting tournament and even more uncommon for them to see a girl fighter," Jarin stated.
"Hey, what do you have against girl fighters Jarin?" Renee asked, throwing a look over at him.
"Nothing but it's the way the adults look at it," Jarin smiled at her.
"So Renee that just means you have to beat them all won't you?" Ean laughed.
"I guess I will."
As they walked through the crowd of people, they spot four weirdly dressed people and Renee said, "I'm getting a weird vibe from those guys over there, do you feel the same Ean?"
"Yea I do. It's really weird, something is not right about them…like they are not human or something. We better keep watch on them."
"What are you talking about? I don't feel anything, do you Mitch?" Jarin asked.
"Nope, nada."
"That's weird, Mitch and I can't feel anything about them."
"Well, whatever. I'm just excited over this whole thing."
"We better get over to the ring, the preliminaries are about to start," Jarin said, dragging Ean away from a pretzel stand.
When Ean and his friends got to the ring where they have a mechanize punching machine, a bunch of muscled men were all laughing and pointing at them. Ean and the others just kept walking.
"Hey kids, I think I hear your moms calling you, maybe you should go home?" One of the fighters said mockingly and Ean responded with a innocent yet mocking voice, "What's a mom?"
The fighter blinked at him, "Are you an idiot or something?"
"Well, what do you expect from a bunch of orphans, you fat ass," Renee chimed in.
"Why you! I can't wait to crush you in the tournament."
"Yea, yea. Just keep on walking fatty," Ean said, eyebrows raised.
The fighter growled but moved away. Just as he did, the announcers voice rang throughout the building, "Alright everyone! We are ready to start the preliminary round. The punching machine in the ring is used to test the force of your punches which will be measure on the screen above the ring. The top eight teams with the highest score will move on, but the punches will be average together."
"Okay. So we have to get all high scores in order to make it to the next round," Mitch said. Jarin mouthed behind Mitch's back, "Thank you, Mister Obvious."
The announcers voice came back, "Alright everyone! Get in a single file line, make sure you stay with your team."
As the fighters line up, they start the test. The first guy concentrate, winds up, and slams his fist into the machine.
"100 points! A good way to start it off, next contestant!" The next person threw his punch at the machine, "90 points!"
The rest of the team went and so did others until it was Ean's turn. He took a step forward, eyes set hard upon the machine. A guy in the background muttered to his friend, "I bet he gets a fifty-if he's lucky!"
"Come on, Ean, you can do it," Renee whispered to herself. "Let's just hope he pulls off a hit like the one in the forest." She watched as Ean pulls back and then punches the machine as hard as he could. The machine groaned under his punch and everyone's mouth dropped.
"T-two hundred points!" The announcer said speechlessly.
"No ways-that's not even possible, the highest score ever was a 156, the machine must be broken," A fighter complained, staring at the announcer angrily.
"We'll tell if it's broken with the next person," The announcer said and Renee stepped over to the machine. Renee took a deep breath then slammed her fist into the machine.
"!59!"
"Okay, it must be broken now," The same fighter said. Ean, hearing this, turned furiously to him and rebuked, "Or you're just scared that a girl is stronger then you."
"Don't make me come over there and kick your ass, little man."
"Enough fighting or you'll both be disqualified." The announcer said, keeping a hand over the microphone so the others couldn't hear.
"Okay, Jarin, your next. Good luck," Ean said, giving him a pat on the back.
"Like I need it," Jarin said but he did look slightly pale. Then he stepped up to the machine and hit it.
"160 points! Next please."
Mitch steps up and takes his swing at the machine, "165 points."
After Mitch's hit, the other contestants went and most of the scores were average. But when the team of four guys came up, the first guy punched and the announcer said astounded, "250 points…"
When Ean heard this, he smirked and said to himself, "This just got a whole lot more fun."
After the prelims were over, the announcer stepped forward and announced, "We have now chosen the top eight teams. Look to the screen to see if you move on to the next round."
The teams flashed up onto the screen and the faces of Ean and the others lit up with excitement, and cheered, "We made it!"
Jarin and Mitch high-fived each other and Renee hugged Ean tightly. Suddenly she froze and pulled away quickly. Ean stared at Renee dully and she stared back at him, then turned away, blushing furiously. Ean coughed then said, "Ok lets get a bite to eat."
"Ya, lets do that. I'm starving," The two quickly turned away, faces still red. Jarin snickers and Mitch asks him while they followed the two, "What's so funny?"
Jarin looked at him, one eyebrow arched, "You mean you haven't noticed? Well, isn't obvious? Have you seen Ean and Renee when they look at each other and when they trained together in the forest? Something is going on between them."
"Are you sure?" Mitch asked, skeptical.
"Positive. Trust me, I'm a love doctor."
Mitch chuckled and Jarin frowned at him.
"What's so funny?"
"The love doctor being someone who never had a girlfriend in his life? I don't think so."
"Ha-ha, very funny. Just trust me, something is going on between them. Though maybe they haven't even realized it…"
Ean looks over his shoulder far ahead of them and yells, "Hey, you guys coming or what?"
Jarin answered with a nod and yelled, "Coming."
When the two go to the buffet, Ean and Renee were sitting at a table and Ean says, "We already ordered for you." Jarin and Mitch sat down at the table, both pulling their trays closer to them. As they both took a bite, Jarin asks, "So what are we going to do for the order of the fight."
"Well, I say fight when you have the urge to fight."
Jarin huffed, "That's not much of a plan-" The intercom chimed in, interrupting his next words. "Will all the teams please come to the arena. The tournament will about to begin in ten minutes." The four each exchanged glances and pushed their plates away, suddenly not hungry, except for Ean. They all stared at him and he looked at them, "What?"

When they arrived in the tournament, the other seven teams were already there warming up. Ean looked up at the board, eyes scanning the line up, "So were fighting team Seth first."
The man from earlier looks up and sneers, "That's right, pipsqueak. Now I can get revenge for that comment of yours."
"Surrrrre whatever," Ean said, drawing it out in a not caring way.
"Alright contestants, follow me to the arena," The announcer said and everyone follows him. Ean and his friends follow him into the arena, which was a large wide open dome, the clear open sky above them. They all look around, clearly impatient for the fighting to start. The announcer issues each team a spot then says, "Alright take your spots and choose your first fight. You have five minutes."
"Alright, so who is going to fight first?" Mitch asks.
"I'll fight first," Renee perked up and the three looked to turn to her.
"Are you sure, Renee?" Ean asks.
"Positive."
"Alright, if you say so…"
"The five minutes are up, please come forward with your first fighter," The announcer said.
When Renee and the other fighter faced each other, the other fighter gave Renee a weird look and said, "Awe, so they move the weaker one first. I expect a quick fight."
"Ya for me, now quit whining and let's start this thing," Renee replies, a small smile across her face.
"Alright fighters, take your positions. Please note that there is no killing and good luck to you all. Ready? Begin!"