The stadium stood towards the west of the grand city. It was enormously round and could fill up the entire city of hundreds of thousands. It was an arena that had been restored from the olden days of the Earth's civilizations.
Though most had already gathered inside for the opening ceremony, everyone else was rushing through the gates as they handed their tickets to the employees at the ticket booths. The trumpets were already beginning to play inside, causing an even speedier rush from the latecomers.
Inside of the stadium, there wasn't an empty seat in the entire structure. If one would look at it from high above, it would seem as if some colorful mass engulfed the arena's seats. Everyone was so excited and anticipated the commencement of the tournament. For these people who have lived through so much pain, suffering, and eternal fear, this event was important. For one day they could let go of those fears and enjoy themselves with their families and their loved ones who are no longer with them. The tournament was held for entertainment, yes, but was an event that demonstrated valor and hope.
Floating in the center, high above of the stadium, was a large glowing blue sphere. The light that it emitted created an enormous and wide screen, like that of a television. Like a video camera, it showed all of the crowd in the arena cheering and shouting. The picture soon faded to an image of a balcony.
There was a majestic Roman-Catholic styled balcony that lied in the center of the right side of the arena. There, the four Maesters, along with Anthony and his two Guardians, watched the opening ceremonies.
Down below in the battle arena that was covered in dirt, the competitors stood together in a crowd, awaiting the words of the Maesters. Two of those competitors were familiar; Jesse and Rico.
Jesse looked up to see Julie standing at the edge of the balcony. She smiled to him in encouragement. Next to her, the sick Andre showed a thumbs-up to his best friend.
Jesse returned the gesture.
Finally, Anthony smiled warmly and waved to Jesse.
With that, Jesse felt a different kind of confidence he had never felt prior to this. He could feel the encouragement from his friends in every heartbeat. He was determined to do his best.
The four Maesters, whom sat in four lined thrones, stood up and walked to the end of the balcony.
The crowd cheered and roared as their religious leaders prepared to speak one by one.
A microphone, something that had been able to be recovered, stood in front of each Maester.
Maester Chekhov spoke first, "Citizens of Bazaar, and citizens of the Earth! We have all gathered here today to encourage and support the warriors that stand before us all in this stadium!" His voice echoed throughout the entire arena to each and every soul present.
"Yes! They will be battling today for the honor of being known as the best warrior in the entire world!" Maester L'ariel added, "But they are not only fighting for honor, and for our good graces!"
Maester Janga was next, "These brave individuals are fighting so that you all can take one simple day to breathe! They fight so that you all can take one day to spend with the loved ones who are here with us today and to honor those that have long passed! Enjoy your time here on their behalf!"
Jesse listened very closely to each and every word that Janga had spoken. He smiled to himself, agreeing with what she was saying. He was fighting not only for himself, but for his friends and for the honor of his family who were no longer with him.
He then looked to the right at the corner of his eye to see a young man in a dark cloak. He looked very much like the assassin who attempted to kill Dogurasu the day before. He wasn't too sure, however.
Suddenly, the dark cloaked man's attention turned to the balcony as Dogurasu stepped up to speak.
"So now, courageous warriors who stand before us with their swords sheathed…" he said, looking down towards the competitors, "Unsheathe your blades and prepare to fight! Show us your honor and your pride as warriors of this planet! Let the tournament begin!!!"
The crowd leaped to their feet, hollering and cheering for the speeches and the commencement of the Tournament of Arms.
The day went on and so did the battles. The warriors dueled off one another throughout the day, as the tournament draw began to shorten. Every battle that completed was but one step closer to the final.
Jesse was up next in his first round. He stepped forward, grinding his boot into the dirt. He reached back to pull out his sword and pointed it forward.
"Next, we have another first round match-up!" the male commentator yelled throughout the speakers in the arena, "There was supposed to be someone else fighting this match, but the warrior has fallen ill and gotten his friend to take his place! He is Sir Jesse, swordsman and Guardian to Summoner Anthony! Let's wish him luck today!"
The crowd applauded for him.
In front of him, a few yards away, was his first opponent. He was dressed in traditional medieval armor. It shined radiantly of silver like the moonlight. He carried a black and pointed mace.
"And his opponent today folks is the Silver Knight! Last year he made it to the semi-finals and now he's looking to win the whole thing!" the announcer added.
The Silver Knight twirled his mighty mace in his fingers, awaiting the initiation of this first round match.
"Ready battlers…!" the announcer began to shout, "GO!!!"
The crowd hollered and rooted on for whichever fighter they had chosen to support.
"You can do it Jesse…" Andre whispered in a weak tone. His illness was still taking its toll.
"Bring it here, novice!" the Silver Knight shouted in a British accent.
Jesse pulled his sword back and grinded his feet into the dirt. He then sprinted off towards his opponent, shouting a battle cry, "Yahh!!!!" The minute he reached a few feet in front of the Silver Knight, he leaped into the air and slashed down with his blade.
The Silver Knight put up his mace and blocked the attack. He pushed the blade and Jesse back, spun around once and kicked Jesse in the stomach. "You really are an amateur," the Silver Knight spoke arrogantly, "I'll show you my true skills then for I am the one called…the Silver Knight!" He stood in a gallant pose.
"Yeah, so I've heard," Jesse replied sarcastically.
"Hagh!!!" the Silver Knight yelled at the top of his lungs. He lifted his heavy mace into the air and struck down with it.
Jesse leaped backwards as the mace crashed into the ground where he had stood. "Whoa!" he shouted in astonishment. When the smoke cleared, there was an immense crater where the mace was. "This guy isn't kidding…" he said to himself.
The Silver Knight lifted up his mace once more and began to twirl in his fingers once more, "And that's just a taste of what's to come."
Anthony watched high above in the balcony. He bit his lip in a worried manner. "Come on Jesse…" he said softly.
Dogurasu, who stood next to Anthony at the edge of the balcony, looked over at him from the corner of his eye. "Hmm," he pondered to himself, "How intriguing…"
"Huh?" Anthony wondered, turning to him.
"Oh no, I mean the battle. I wonder how your Guardian will fare," Dogurasu restated.
Anthony returned to watching the battle.
"Jesse, go for it!!" Julie shouted, leaping up and down profusely.
Andre was surprised to see her come out of her shell like that, "J-Julie…?"
Julie stopped for a moment and scratched her head embarrassedly, "Hey, I have my moments too…"
"Come on now Jesse…" Jesse spoke words of encouragement to himself, "You've got to pull through. You're a Guardian."
"What are you mumbling about?" the Silver Knight asked him, "You're becoming quite a pest. I think I shall finish the battle sooner than later." He stepped back and then began to charge at Jesse with his mace in hand.
Jesse stood his ground and prepared his sword.
The Silver Knight swung his mace at Jesse, as the Guardian ducked down from the attempt. The Silver Knight followed it up by swiping downwards. Jesse leaped, only slightly, into the air and on top of the knight's mace.
"What?!" the Silver Knight gasped.
Jesse somersaulted backwards, with his right leg extended in order to kick the Silver Knight in the face. This pushed the knight back. Jesse landed and wasted no time in his next course of action. He lunged towards the Silver Knight with his sword. He struck forward, then to the right, and followed by a left strike.
The Silver Knight did his best to fend off the onslaught from Jesse's sword attacks. Nevertheless, Jesse changed the pace by faking a sword slice and then rapidly elbowing the knight in the face. This knocked off the Silver Knight's helmet, revealing his true face.
He was a middle-aged, brunette man with battle scars all over his face.
"How dare you!" he shouted, "No one ever sees my face!"
"Well, that rule just changed!" Jesse yelled back in a witty tone. As he walked over to the unmasked Silver Knight. Just when the knight was about to attack him with his mace, Jesse struck it out of the knight's hand with his sword. He continued on by punching the Silver Knight across the face, kicking him in the chest, and then finally tripping him with his blade.
"Jesse!!!" Julie shouted happily, "Yeah!!!"
Janga, along with the other Maesters, stood from their thrones to see the conclusion to the battle a little more closely.
"Your Guardian is quite skilled Lord Anthony," Chekhov grinned.
Anthony smiled in return, "Yes…he is."
Jesse leaped into the air, pulling his sword back at his side. "Gusting Wave!!!" he yelled. He spun around once, swinging his blade, and releasing a wave of intense wind and pressure at the Silver Knight.
"Aggh!!!!" the Silver Knight shouted as he was pushed into the dirt and blown across the arena floor. He left a deep trench for the pressure of the wind attack was so strong.
"The winner is the Guardian Swordsman, Sir Jesse of Orlami!!!" the announcer wailed.
"He did it!!!" Anthony shouted happily. He leaped into the air with excitement and rejoiced.
"All right Jesse!!!" Julie added.
Andre smiled as best he could, "I knew you could do it man…"
"Sir Jesse was so clever," L'ariel smiled.
"I feel a promising tournament for him," Janga added.
"Yes, we will see…won't we?" Dogurasu said in a displeased tone. For whatever reason, there seemed to be a hint of jealousy in his voice.
Everyone in the stadium watched on as Jesse could be seen from the big blue screen of Jesse enjoying his victory.
Just as that battle was won, Jesse continued to win battles throughout the day. Using his skills, from which he had no clue of where he had learned them from, and his Gusting Wave attack he finished off every opponent that stood in his way.
A young Asian man, dressed in a samurai costume, fell to the ground, hurt. Jesse stood over him as once again he was announced the winner of the match.
"This is great!" Julie exclaimed, "Jesse is into the semifinals!"
"Two more matches to go," Andre smiled proudly, "He's been doing great."
"He might win the tournament. Don't you think so?" Anthony asked.
Julie nodded, "Yeah, definitely."
"Remember milord, your Guardian will now be facing the best of the best. He has gotten through with much luck on his side. We shall see how he manages with the next opponent," Dogurasu spoke up.
"Yes, you are right," Anthony agreed, a bit discouraged.
"Hey!" Andre yelled. He tried his best to stand up straight even with the pain he felt in his stomach. "Jesse can do it!" he said determinedly, "He knows we're rooting for him! That will give him strength!"
Anthony smiled and nodded, "Yes!"
"Hmph," Dogurasu replied.
Jesse waved to the crowd as he descended down a small flight of stairs and into the dugout in which the remaining competitors awaited their next match. There were a few others still waiting for their quarterfinal match or waiting for their semifinal opponent to finish; the match Jesse had just completed. Of those few, two were recognizable. Rico was one of them and the other was the cloaked man who looked very much like the assassin.
Rico stood up from the bench to congratulate Jesse. He shook his hand, "You're doing better than I thought you would!"
"Thanks," Jesse smiled modestly.
"If all goes well, maybe I'll see you in the finals!" Rico laughed.
"Hey, that would be something!" Jesse added.
That was when another familiar character walked straight through them, pushing them to the side.
"What the…?" Rico began to ask. He was very insulted.
"Wait a minute…You're…!" Jesse shouted.
In front of them was the man called Boss, who had tried to hurt the young Anomaly the day before.
"I remember you," Boss growled, "Too bad you're not in my half of the draw. It looks like your friend here is my next opponent when I win this one."
"Yeah, you mean if you win," Rico replied arrogantly, "Besides, I wouldn't mind. It'd be a whole lot easier."
"Why you…!" Boss yelled angrily, "Forget it! I've got a match to win!" He ascended the stairs and walked out onto the arena floor as the announcer called out his name.
"Look who it is," Julie pointed out.
"Ah yes. That horrible fellow from yesterday," Janga recalled.
"He was the one who tried to hurt little Nakome," Anthony stated, "I hope his next opponent puts him in his place."
"I would hope so," Janga agreed.
"I wish you luck Rico!" Jesse said, shaking his hand.
"Nah, I won't need it!" Rico replied, giving a boastful wink.
"You will," the cloaked young man spoke from his bench. He stood up and walked past the two of them. He slowly began to go up the stairs.
"Excuse me?!" Rico asked him angrily.
"You'll need all of the luck you can get when you face me," the cloaked man said to him. His voice had very little emotion and only spoke honestly and bluntly.
The cloaked man entered the arena.
"Who was that guy?" Rico asked.
"Is it him?" Jesse thought to himself.
"And now for Boss's next opponent!" the announcer shouted, "You all have seen him blow straight through the rest of the field! He has given us the quickest matches in the history of this tournament!"
"This is the guy Jesse needs to worry about," Andre told them.
The cloaked man walked onto the arena and stood a few feet before Boss.
"That young man…" Dogurasu thought, grinning to himself, "Hahaha…how interesting. I won't reveal him for this is too much fun."
"He is the warrior with no name…The Masked Fencer!!!" the announcer introduced him.
The crowd really was in awe with this fighter and applauded loudly.
The cloaked man looked up to Dogurasu and grew with anger and hatred. "This one's for you…" he said softly.
"Ready battlers…GO!!!" the announcer yelled.
Boss pulled out to tomahawks and prepared for battle, "Show me what you've got!"
The cloaked fencer smirked, "Hmph." In a split second, he leaped forward and struck straight through Boss with his fencing saber.
In just a few seconds, Boss fell to the ground, unconscious.
"There we have it again folks!" the announcer spoke up.
"Amazing!" Anthony shouted in astonishment.
"Such speed and accuracy," Julie added.
"The Masked Fencer wins again!" the announcer shouted to the crowd as they gave him a standing ovation.
The fencer was no phased by any of it. He simply sheathed his sword and walked back towards the dugout. When he returned, Jesse and Rico stood at the bottom.
"That was…wow!" Jesse complimented him.
The fencer smirked to Rico, "Still praying for good luck?"
Rico tried to not let the remark get to him, but anyone could see the worry in his face.
"Now that we have reached the semifinal round, we will have a short intermission," the announcer told the crowd.
"I…I want to go see Jesse," Anthony spoke up.
"What?" Julie asked.
"I…want to go encourage him," he added.
Andre smiled, "I was going to do it myself, but…you should go."
"Thank you," Anthony smiled. He headed towards the doorway in the back of the balcony.
"Be careful!" Julie told him. Julie walked over to Andre. "Feeling any better?" she asked.
"A little…" he replied, "I'm just so nervous."
"Yeah…" Julie agreed.
Just as Anthony left the balcony and the security of the guards and Guardians, the four kabuki-masked men peered from the shadows.
"He couldn't have made this any easier," the leader spoke.
Anthony made his way to the doorway leading into the dugout. He peered inside to see Rico, Jesse, the fencer, and another warrior.
"Jesse?" he said.
"Anthony!" he smiled as he rushed over to him, "What are you doing here?"
"I just came…to wish you good luck," Anthony told him.
"Oh…well, thanks." Jesse replied.
"Not only that, but…" Anthony struggled to say, "Everyone's rooting for you. We all believe that you can win."
Jesse smiled. His heart was filled with so much warmth knowing that his friends were behind him all the way.
"Not only that…I believe you can win," Anthony finally said.
"A-Anthony…" Jesse gasped a bit.
The two of them stared into one another's eyes, just for a moment. Anthony's eyes were gleaming as Jesse seemed to lost himself in them.
Soon enough, however, Rico interrupted them. "You're not wishing me good luck?" he asked.
Anthony laughed, "Well of course!"
"Ha! That's what I thought!" Rico grinned confidently.
"Good luck…both of you," Anthony smiled, "I will be cheering on for your victory."
"Thank you milord," Rico replied.
Jesse smiled, "Thanks."
Anthony turned around and headed out of the dugout.
"Now for the first semifinal match between Sir Rico and the Masked Fencer!" the announcer's voice could be heard from the dugout.
"Looks like I'm up," Rico stated, not so confidently.
Anthony was just about to head towards the steps leading to the balcony, when the four cloaked men appeared out of nowhere and grabbed him from behind.
"W-What?!" Anthony shouted.
One of them grabbed his arms and held them behind his back, while another took a white handkerchief and placed it over Anthony's mouth.
Just as he was trying to struggle and cry for help, he slowly began to fall unconscious.
"All right, we've got him," the female spoke.
"Let's get him to the dirigible," the short man said.
The four of them dragged Anthony off. However, Anthony's headband had fallen off of his head during the struggle and lied at the very end of the stairway.
