The Experiment Tournament
Chapter 3: The Entry Test
That night, 4-0-5 laid on his bed as he slept through a restless night of sleep. The entire bedroom was devoid of anything but white paint on all the walls. He slept on a small bed located next to a nightstand. His small bed wasn't a very expensive one nor a very large one. It was just a single mattress bed, about the size of a child's bed, and covered by a white sheet and a wool blanket which were used to keep 4-0-5 warm. 4-0-5 tossed and turned throughout the night, his dreams haunted by the events that happened yesterday and the day before. The taunts and the laughs he had endured plagued his sleep. He woke up at least three times during the night and each time he had difficulties falling back to sleep. By 7:30 AM, 4-0-5 was too tired to get up so he ended up sleeping in till 10:00 AM. He probably would have slept in later than that if it weren't for the unexpected arrival that came to his front door.
4-0-5 was awoken from his sleep when he heard someone pounding on his front door.
"4-0-5, it's me, open up," said 5-6-4's voice through the front door of the apartment. 4-0-5 reluctantly climbed out of bed and then dragged himself to the front door like a mummy. 4-0-5 began rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he pulled open the door. There, he saw 5-6-4 who looked ecstatic for some reason. In her left hand, she held a brown paper bag while in her right, she held a yellow colored envelope. 4-0-5 looked up at 5-6-4 in surprise, unwittingly revealing to her what he had been doing all morning
"Sorry for waking you but you wont believe what I just found taped to your door," said 5-6-4 in excitement after reading 4-0-5's mind. "I know you didn't leave your apartment for breakfast so I went out and got you some doughnuts for breakfast." 5-6-4 held up the bag to show him that it contained the doughnuts. "When I came to your door, I found this taped to it." 5-6-4 held up the yellow envelope which had evidence on it that showed it had already been opened. If 4-0-5 didn't feel so groggy then, he would have been irritated that she opened it before him but instead, he calmly took the envelope and looked at the letter that was sealed inside. The letter was made out of the same yellow colored paper as the envelope and on the paper it read:
Congratulations
You've been selected to participate in the entry test to this year's Experiment Tournament. You are now eligible to take a test to find out if you're physically capable to participate in the tournament. You will need to show up to the test on the date given below.
4-0-5 didn't bother to read the rest of the letter because he was too excited.
"I don't believe it, I'm finally going to take that entry test and get into the tournament," said 4-0-5 as he leaped into the air with joy.
"Hold on, 4-0-5, if you're going to get into the Experiment Tournament, you need to pass the test and in order to pass the test, you need to train," said 5-6-4. "Starting now, I'm taking you through a rigorous training program," 4-0-5 stopped jumping and stared at 5-6-4 in shock.
"Training?" asked 4-0-5.
"Yes, the experiments from the six-hundred and the five-hundred series will no doubt earn the most points on the test and if you want a chance to pass that test with a score high enough to get into the tournament, you need to start your training," said 5-6-4.
"Can't we do it later?" whined 4-0-5.
"No, according to the date on that letter, you have to take the entry test five days from now," said 5-6-4. "You have to train now while you still can." 4-0-5 only groaned miserably in response.
After breakfast, 5-6-4 dragged 4-0-5 onto the nearest bus and they road down town to Alyzaum's fitness center. The fitness center is a place specially designed to train experiments to improve their physical abilities by providing experiments with martial arts classes, swimming classes, body building exorcises, scenario simulators, and a lot of other things experiments need to improve their strength and their powers. The double-decker bus the two experiments were riding stopped at a bus stop located right in front of the fitness center. 4-0-5 and 5-6-4 stepped off of the bus as well as about a dozen other experiments, clearly wanting to train for the entry test as well. As soon as the two friends were off the bus, they found themselves standing on a wide concrete pavement which led to the large glass double-doors to the fitness center.
Alyzaum's fitness center is one of the largest buildings in Alyzaum. The building was four stories tall and it was cylindrical in shape, covering as much space as a mall. The outer walls of the building was smooth and light gray in color with rows upon rows of windows which revealed experiments inside the building. 5-6-4 grabbed 4-0-5's hand and then dragged him to the door. As he was dragged along, 4-0-5 asked, "Are you sure we can train here? The fitness center can be frequently crowded, you know."
"Relax, the fitness center has been closed to everyone except experiments who are registered to the entry test and those who are selected to be in the tournament," answered 5-6-4. "We could have the whole place to ourselves."
"I don't think so," said 4-0-5 as he watched the surrounding experiments heading towards the building, also with the intent of getting into the tournament.
"Don't worry, we'll find a private place," said 5-6-4 confidently.
True to her word, 5-6-4 managed to find an empty simulator room where 4-0-5 could train. The simulator room was a perfect square by about 10 feet and the walls were white in color with large green vertical and horizontal lines along it which gave it the appearance of graphing paper. The only change in this pattern was the door located along one wall and a large viewing window located on the same wall to allow the operator working the controls to see inside. 5-6-4 and 4-0-5 stood inside the simulator.
"Now, before I put you through the simulations, lets test your powers," said 5-6-4. "First, lets see you use your primary function, the distempered magnetism."
"Oh come on, 5-6-4, my primary function is useless in any situation," said 4-0-5. "Not even Jumba could find any use for it."
"Well, give it a try anyway," insisted 5-6-4. "Try creating a field of distempered magnetism right now." Reluctantly, 4-0-5 complied. 4-0-5 closed his eyes and concentrated on creating a field of distempered magnetism. As he concentrated, a dome of energy began to expand around 4-0-5. The field expanded into the shape of a large dome of energy which looked like a large green bubble. The bubble had a diameter of six feet and it surrounded 4-0-5 in a defensive position.
4-0-5 opened his eyes and said, "My field was originally intended to stretch for about one-fourth of a mile but because of my design flaw, it only stretches this far, not that it affects anyone anyway." To demonstrate, 4-0-5 walked towards 5-6-4 and the field followed him as he approached. He approached her until 5-6-4 was within the field. To 5-6-4's surprise, the field had no affect on her.
"Do you feel anything?" asked 4-0-5.
"No," answered 5-6-4.
"No one does," said 4-0-5. "By now, your fur is suppose to stand on end and you should feel other symptoms like headaches, pain in the chest, or a heaviness in your body but since my distempered field is so weak, it can't affect anyone." 4-0-5 collapsed the field and it vanished without a trace.
"Well, I heard you can concentrate the energy into a ball," said 5-6-4. "Lets see that." 4-0-5 stepped backwards by a few paces so he could demonstrate. Concentrating all his power, 4-0-5 began to create a large glowing green sphere which expanded to the size of a base ball. 4-0-5 threw the ball and it struck 5-6-4 in the chest but when the energy made contact, 5-6-4 could barely feel it. The energy from the ball surrounded her body like water being doused all over her but she couldn't feel the energy at all, even after it vanished from sight.
"You see, right now there is a temporary field of distempered energy around your body yet you can't even feel it," said 4-0-5.
"How long does it last?" asked 5-6-4.
"It's suppose to last for one hour but because of the flaw in my powers, it only lasts ten minutes, not that it can do any good, anyway," said 4-0-5. "That's all I can do with my distempered magnetism and all of it doesn't work."
"Perhaps your distempered magnetism wont be needed anyway," agreed 5-6-4. "How about we focus on your other abilities. Extend for me all of your appendages." Doing as he was told, 4-0-5 extended his extra arms, quills, and antennas, making his appearance even more threatening than before.
"Good, now let me see your fighting stance," said 5-6-4. 4-0-5 put one foot back and then raised all of his four arms in a fighting position. To add emphasis, he also sneered as if daring his invisible opponent to charge.
"That looks good but lets see how well you can fight," said 5-6-4. "Since you can't use your distempered magnetism, all you can use is your claws, your dexterity, and your shear will to fight. You ready?"
"I'm ready, just bring it on," said 4-0-5 with determination.
"Well, good luck in the simulation," said 5-6-4. "Remember, trust your instincts, don't get cocky, and use your head." With that said, 5-6-4 turned around and walked towards the exit to the simulator, leaving 4-0-5 by himself.
5-6-4 walked into the control room of the simulator, shutting the door to the simulator room tightly. The control room almost looked like a small radio station with walls that were covered in computers and complicated devices which 5-6-4 had no idea how they worked. Fortunately, the room came with a robot (resembling the bus drivers) to operate the system. The robot sat in front of a control panel that was covered in knobs and switches designed to operate the complex system. 5-6-4 sat down on a chair next to the robot so she could look down upon 4-0-5 through the window in front of her. 5-6-4 grabbed a microphone from the council and said into it, "Okay, 4-0-5, we're going to start the simulation and all you will need to do will in the simulation is destroy your opponent." 5-6-4's voice could be heard over the speaker in the simulator.
"How will I know what my opponent is?" asked 4-0-5. A microphone within the control room projected 4-0-5's voice to allow 5-6-4 to hear the question. 5-6-4 pulled the speaker to her mouth and said into it, "Oh, you'll figure it out." With that said, 5-6-4 leaned back into her chair and said to the robot, "Okay, begin the simulation." Obeying her command, the robot punched some buttons on the control panel and the simulator activated.
All of sudden, the entire room 4-0-5 was standing in disappeared. All around him, there was a bright white light which almost seemed to separate himself from the world around him. The light was beginning to irritate 4-0-5's eyes but the light vanished within seconds and 4-0-5 soon found himself inside a simulated forest. The realism of the simulator surprised 4-0-5 since it has been a long time since he's been in an actual simulation. Every detail of the forest was amazingly realistic. It resembled the swamp where Luke met Yoda in "The Empire Strikes Back" except it wasn't as wet or as swamp-like. The temperature generated by the simulator was very hot and humid and the air itself had a strange taste to it. 4-0-5 stood there, listening intently for any signs of danger. At first, all his ears could pick up was the sound of birds and wild animals scurrying about but nothing else. It wasn't long before he suddenly heard the sound of something very large coming his way.
The ground shook as huge footsteps came to the ground, indicating the approach of something as big as a tank or more. 4-0-5 extended his long metal claws from all four hands, the metal gleaming in the simulated sunlight. As he waited intently, 4-0-5 saw trees and bushes being pushed aside as something began walking through the forest. 4-0-5 got himself into a fighting stance and he prepared for whatever creature that maybe coming his way. Eventually, the trees in front of 4-0-5 toppled over and out appeared a huge monster.
The creature was like nothing 4-0-5 had seen before. It was as large as a tank and it stood on four short but thick legs. It was orange in color and it resembled a rhino but it had longer ears which rested on both sides of its head. It had two curved horns along the side of its head as well as one on its large nose. The creature growled and snorted like a bull getting ready to charge. 4-0-5 got himself into a fighting stance, ready to take on whatever this monster could dish out. The huge animal lowered its horn and began charging at full speed. Since it was only a few meters away, 4-0-5 only had a few seconds to react. Instinctively, 4-0-5 leaped into the air with his powerful legs. His amazing jumping abilities allowed him to sour high over the head of the creature and land onto its back. The rhino-like creature bucked around in an attempt to toss 4-0-5 off its back. 4-0-5 held onto the horns of the creature like a rodeo rider. He was tossed about several times until he lost his grip and sailed through the air.
4-0-5 flew through the air before expertly grabbing onto the trunk of a nearby tree and clinging to it like a fly. Before 4-0-5 could recover, the rhino monster slammed its horn into the trunk of the tree and the tree easily broke in half, causing it to come crashing down. Reacting quickly, 4-0-5 leaped off the tree and landed onto the branch of another tree. The creature quickly turned itself around and began charging towards the tree where 4-0-5 was hanging on. Before the rhino made contact, 4-0-5 leaped from the tree and landed onto the creature's back. The monster crashed right into the tree and the tree fell over, nearly hitting 4-0-5 who stood on the rhino's back. Seizing the opportunity, 4-0-5 extended his claws and with them, he cleanly cut off the monster's right horn as well as its ear in one clean swipe. Both the ear and the horn fell to the ground. The creature reared onto its hind legs as it cried out in pain. 4-0-5 lost his balance in the process and he fell off of the creature's back. With cat-like grace, 4-0-5 landed on his feet on the soft forest floor, splattering mud all over himself. The rhino monster came crashing to the ground, shaking the forest floor and planting all four of its legs into the ground in the process. Orange colored blood oozed out from the wound, flinging drops of blood everywhere with every turn of the monster's huge head.
Completely enraged, the monster turned towards 4-0-5 for another charge. 4-0-5 quickly hid into a nearby hole located at the base of a tree trunk. The rhino monster came crashing into the trunk, knocking half of the trunk to the ground but leaving the base of the tree undamaged. 4-0-5 sat within the tree, watching nervously as the creature began pushing its huge snout into the hole in an attempt to reach 4-0-5 who sat inside.
4-0-5 clung to the back of the hole, frantically racking his brain for a plan of escape. He was running low on time because the creature was using the horn on its nose to widen the hole and it was quickly coming closer to 4-0-5 as it chipped off more of the hole. Left with very few options, 4-0-5 drove his long claws into its nose. The monster cried out in pain as it once again reared onto its hind legs. The monster's orange colored blood oozed from 4-0-5's claws he ran underneath the monster as its huge feet came crashing to the ground.
4-0-5 ran as fast as he could towards the creature's severed horn which still laid on the forest floor right next to the bloody ear. 4-0-5 could hear the monster turning around and charging towards him but 4-0-5 paid no attention. He ran at full speed towards the horn without stopping until he scooped the horn into his hand. Knowing the creature was right behind him, 4-0-5 leaped into the air and landed right onto the back of the rhino monster. The monster stopped, not sure where 4-0-5 had disappeared to. With this distraction to buy him time, 4-0-5 raised the horn he was holding and with all the muscle he could master, he drove the horn right into the creature's neck. The rhino-like monster reared onto its back legs in pain, crying out in a cry that was gargled thanks to the long horn that ran down its throat. 4-0-5 leaped off of the creature's back and landed onto the forest floor. Next to fall was the huge rhino monster as it came crashing down like a ton of bricks. Dust was kicked up into the air, clouding the world around 4-0-5 until it disappeared under a bright light.
Once again, 4-0-5 felt almost weightless as the simulation deactivated. All he could see was a bright white light that was all around him. Once the light vanished, 4-0-5 found himself inside the simulation room. Amazingly, all the blood and dirt that covered his body due to the heat of battle had vanished with the simulation. However, 4-0-5 was still covered in sweat and was breathing heavily from all the excitement.
"Hey 4-0-5, you did a great job in that simulation," said 5-6-4's voice over the intercom.
"Yeah, that simulation was really tough but I told you that I was ready for the tournament," said 4-0-5, gloating as he spoke.
"What are you talking about?" asked 5-6-4. "That was only the first part of your training, you still have over twenty more scenarios to go through." 4-0-5's jaw dropped in shock.
"I have to go through all those?" demanded 4-0-5.
"Yes and don't complain," said 5-6-4. "Remember, the entry test to the experiment tournament is not easy so no slacking off." 4-0-5 groaned to himself as he saw the simulation activate again to put him through the next challenge.
For five days 4-0-5 was put through a number of scenarios and training sessions in his pursuit to prepare himself for the tournament. Everyday, he would go to the fitness center to train with 5-6-4 who put him through every training scenario she could find. She also made him do exercises before and after the training simulators, making him run laps and lift weights. 5-6-4 knew she was pushing 4-0-5 a little too hard but she knew that this was the best way for 4-0-5 to prepare for the entry test and although she didn't say so to 4-0-5, he none-the-less did as he was told without complaint. Everyday, his thoughts were on nothing else except getting into that tournament and wiping that smirk off 5-2-5's face.
After five days of training, the day of the testing finally arrived. The test was going to take place at the fitness center and, over a period of three days, all the experiments who signed up for the test will take the test one by one at an prearranged schedule. 4-0-5's test was to take place today at noon and 4-0-5 was so nervous he could barely eat his breakfast. After eating about half a meal, he spent the rest of the day standing outside the fitness center, waiting for his turn to take the entry test. On the wide and long concrete path in front of the fitness center, a crowd of experiments from all over Alyzaum stood waiting for their chance to take the entry test. Small plastic tables were set up everywhere and upon them was snacks and refreshments where the experiment gathered to socialize with one another or to stuff their faces. 4-0-5 stood next to one of these tables, watching all the experiments venturing in and out of the fitness center as Jumba called them to come inside to take the test. 4-0-5 anxiously stood next to the table, waiting for his chance to go and take the entry test.
After waiting for several hours, 4-0-5 had less than half an hour to go and he was growing impatient. Although experiments have already come and gone, there was still a large crowd of them waiting for their chance to take the entry test. The heat from 5-0-6 (the sun experiment) was causing 4-0-5 to perspire so he went over to a nearby cooler on the table to get himself a glass of lemonade. He grabbed himself a Styrofoam cup from the table and then poured himself some lemonade from the large brown colored cooler next to the cups. The lemonade was made from lemons from Beta-Quan which look and taste like Earth lemons but they are blue in color. 4-0-5 drank the blue colored lemonade in one gulp. Although the lemonade quenched his thirst, it didn't help the nervous feeling he got in the pit of his stomach.
After gulping down the lemonade, a large bus pulled over to the side of the road next to a bus stop. 4-0-5 watched as a large crowd of experiments began stepping out of the bus, most likely going to take the entry test. Amongst the crowd of experiments who were stepping off the bus, 4-0-5 saw 5-6-4 step out of the bus and when she saw him, she sent him a telepathic message.
"Hey 4-0-5, have you been here this whole time?" asked 5-6-4's telepathic voice from within 4-0-5's head. 4-0-5 didn't know if 5-6-4 could read his mind from at his current distance from her but he none-the-less responded by thinking to himself, "Yes, I didn't know what else to do all day." 5-6-4 gave no response except for a wide smile as she approached 4-0-5.
"Have you taken the test yet?" asked 5-6-4.
"No but I'm next in line," said 4-0-5.
"Really?" asked 5-6-4. "Who's taking the test right now?"
"Well…" hesitated 4-0-5. Before he could answer, he heard a loud cheer coming from the entrance to the fitness center as someone stepped out into the open.
A crowd of experiments cheered as Experiment 5-2-5 stepped out of the fitness center along side Jumba. From there, experiments were cheering the same way everyone does whenever they see 5-2-5 come into their presence and, as usual, 5-2-5 was milking the moment.
"Ah, thank you, thank you," said 5-2-5 as he flirted with confidence. "You are all too kind. Yes, I have taken the test and I'm sure I got the highest score, like last time. So you can all expect to see me in the tournament winning the crown once again." The audience cheered in excitement. 4-0-5 gritted his teeth in anger.
"Why that liar," said 4-0-5 angrily. "The test scores are confidential. How could he know if he had the highest score?"
"Just ignore it," suggested 5-6-4.
As 5-2-5 was being admired by his fans, he soon noticed 4-0-5 and 5-6-4 standing next to the beverage stand. Wanting to show off in front of the crowd, 5-2-5 immediately disassembled his limbs, head, and torso and then the pieces flew into the air. The pieces soared clear over the heads of the experiments and then reassembled himself right next to 4-0-5.
"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" said 5-2-5 casually. "4-0-5, I didn't expect to find you here. Are you here to congratulate me on passing the test."
"No, I'm here to pass that entry test and get into the Experiment Tournament," said 4-0-5 angrily. The experiments laughed at 4-0-5 as if he was making a joke. This display only made 4-0-5 even more angry.
"I don't see why you would want to," said 5-2-5 with a laugh. "Even if by some miracle you do pass the test, you wont make it through the first round of the tournament." Anger bowling within him, 4-0-5 was about to answer but before he had a chance to do so, he was interrupted by Jumba who called out from the entrance to the fitness center, "4-0-5, what's taking so long? We have a schedule to keep." Deciding not to push the subject, 4-0-5 said nothing as he made his way towards the fitness center with 5-6-4 following close behind.
Jumba led 4-0-5 and 5-6-4 into the fitness center whose halls and rooms were surprisingly quite and deserted compared to how active the place is before the tournament. Jumba led the two experiments to a simulation room where another one of the robots sat at the control panel. Jumba turned his massive frame around to face the two experiments and said, "Now 4-0-5, be paying close attention to what I say. You will be taking the test within this simulator. Here, you will be placed into different scenarios that will test all the abilities you will need to fight in the tournament. The test should last about forty sixty-second cycles. Are you ready?" 4-0-5 nodded his head to indicate "yes." Jumba turned his four eyes towards 5-6-4 and said, "However, I'm afraid I will have to ask your friend to leave. There are no visitors allowed to see the test in progress." 5-6-4 was disappointed but she knew better than to argue.
"I guess you better go," said 4-0-5 to his best friend. "Don't worry, I can handle this myself." 5-6-4's only response was a look of concern on her face but 4-0-5 knew she understood. Then, to the surprise of 4-0-5, 5-6-4 leaned over and kissed 4-0-5 on the cheek.
"Good luck, 4-0-5," she said. "I know you will do well." With nothing more said, 5-6-4 turned around and left the room, leaving 4-0-5 standing dumbfounded in the control room. He was not just surprised that he received a kiss from his best friend but he was also surprised because that was his first kiss from a girl.
"Well, are you going into simulator or are you just going to stand there like a cast-iron replica of a person?" asked Jumba. Snapping out of his trance, 4-0-5 calmly walked into the simulator, ready to take the test.
As 5-6-4 had told him over and over again during his training, the test was very hard, harder than 4-0-5 had anticipated. Simulation after simulation, 4-0-5 used all his skills and abilities to last through all the dangers of this extreme test. The test lasted only thirty minutes but afterwards he felt exhausted so he went back to his apartment to rest. With the test out of the way, 4-0-5 had to wait for five days. After five days, the experiments selected for the tournament will be announced and 4-0-5 will learn whether or not all his hard efforts will be rewarded. 4-0-5 spent much of his time waiting in his apartment in anticipation, growing evermore anxious with each passing hour. Even 5-6-4 was nervous, even though she tried not to show it.
4-0-5 woke up one morning with only one thing on his mind: "Today's the day." After what felt like forever, the day had finally arrived. The scores have been counted and the combatants have been chosen. 4-0-5 was so nervous, he almost didn't want to get out of bed and find out. However, his curiosity was stronger than his fear and doubts so he crawled out of bed and then ran outside. He impatiently waited by a bus stop for a bus to arrive. When the bus finally came, he quickly got on board and road it to the city park. Upon reaching the park, he ran as fast as he could to the same spot where the sign-up sheet on the computer was originally located. When he got there, he found a crowd of experiments, just like last time, but they weren't crowding around a computer. They were all gathered around a large wooden sign with a list on it. This list displayed all the numbers of the experiments selected to be in the tournament. With a sigh of nervousness, 4-0-5 approached the crowd.
As 4-0-5 got closer to the crowd, he could make out the facial expressions of the experiments. Some were cheering with excitement but there were far more experiments with disappointed looks on their face. One experiment was even on her knees, sobbing loudly with another experiment beside her trying to calmer her down. 4-0-5 weaved his way through the crowd as he approached the small board with the message on it. Standing next to the sign was 5-6-4 who stared at the sign in tears. Fearing the worst, 4-0-5 approached 5-6-4 and said to her, "It's okay, we tried our best. Maybe I'll get on the list next time." 5-6-4 turned her head to face 4-0-5, revealing a big smile on her face. "I'm not crying because I'm sad you didn't get on the list," said 5-6-4. " I'm crying because I'm happy you're on the list." 4-0-5's jaw fell open. Without hesitation, he turned towards the list and sure enough, his number was right there.
4-0-5 was speechless. He was finally in the tournament and after all those years of waiting and rejection, he was finally going to compete in the Experiment Tournament. With the feeling of relief, joy, and satisfaction in his heart, 4-0-5 joyfully hugged 5-6-4.
"Oh thank you, I couldn't have done it without you," said 4-0-5. 5-6-4 returned the hug. She never felt happier for her best friend.
However, the moment of joy was interrupted by one unwanted guest. 5-2-5 had been watching them celebrate just as he had reached the outside of the crowd. He snuck up on them quickly by dissembling his body and having those parts fly over the heads of the crowd and reassemble right next to 4-0-5 and 5-6-4 as they were hugging.
"So, you've managed to get onto the list after all," said 5-2-5 slyly after reassembling his separated pieces.
"What is it you want?" demanded 4-0-5 as he let go of 5-6-4.
"I've just come to see my number on the list and look, there it is now," said 5-2-5, pointing at the list. 4-0-5 faced the list again and sure enough, he saw 5-2-5's number on the list. "I guess I should be grateful because now I will have the chance to kick your butt again in the tournament and this time, I wont be as merciful as I was back at the restaurant." With that said, 5-2-5 disassembled himself and flew over the heads of the crowd which would have been cheering if it weren't for the fact that everyone was still upset about not getting into the tournament. Normally, 4-0-5 would have been mad at 5-2-5 but this time, not even he could spoil this moment. 4-0-5 was finally going to be in the Experiment Tournament and he was as happy as he could ever be.