by Jamie L. Word
"The Tournament Drawing"
The new day dawned, and all eight fighters involved in the tournament stood in a room with a few tournament officials. There was a box on a table in the middle of the room, and one of the officials had a notepad and pencil with tournament brackets outlined waiting for the names to be filled in.
"Okay, we're about to start the drawings for tournament positions," one of the officials called out, getting everyone's full attention. "When I call out your name, come up and choose a ball from the box. The ball you select will have a number on it. This will determine who you'll pair off against in the first round. Now, let's begin. Lodan?"
The Sagean roughneck made his way up to the box, stuck his hand in, and drew out a ball with the number one on it. Chuckling, he said, "Looks like the folks out there're gonna get the best show first!"
"Kien?" the official called out for the next competitor to come choose his ball as Lodan made his way back to the assembly and the official with the notepad marked Lodan's position on the tournament brackets.
The Nameccian fighter walked up, reached into the box, and selected the ball marked number five. The official marked his position on the brackets as Kien made his way back to the others.
"Yukio?" the official called out for the next fighter to come up and choose his ball, prompting the 'sandman' clad fighter to come up and choose ball number three.
"Looks like I've got an early draw," the 'sandman' commented as he looked at his ball and the official with the notepad noted his slot.
"Do you mind if we ask you what race you are, Mister Yukio?" the official in charge of calling the fighters up asked.
"Why, I'm Arcosian, of course," the mysteriously garbed fighter responded curtly before rejoining the others.
"Okay," the official replied as he prepared to call up the next fighter on the list. "Hirato?"
The Kanassian fighter walked up and reached into the box to make his selection with his eyes closed.
"It'll be ball number seven, pitting me against Xarlok," the Kanassian Hirato thought to himself as, sure enough, he pulled out ball number four.
"Tao?" the official called out for the next fighter as Hirato returned to the others and the other official marked his spot on the brackets.
The Pikkon-esque warrior walked up to the box, and he selected ball number six, prompting both him and Kien to make eye contact as the official marked his slot. Neither green-skinned warrior spoke, but they read volumes in each others' eyes.
"Varkon?" the official called out for the next fighter as Tao returned to the others, prompting the giant Arlian to make his way up to the box and select ball number two.
"Looks like I'll be having Sagean for the first course of lunch today!" the frightening-looking Arlian laughed, prompting Lodan to swallow hard in fright while the official marked Varkon's slot and the huge Arlian returned to the fold.
"Koji?" the official called out for the next fighter very nervously as everyone recovered from Varkon's repulsive suggestion.
Koji walked forward with all the grace and dignity of a Saiyan of his status and birthright, and the other fighters watched him intently, but none more so than the mysterious short fighter in the hooded cloak. Koji reached into the box and selected ball number four. He looked at Yukio, a cocky grin on his face as he showed him the ball number. Yukio was startled.
"Well, well, well," Koji commented with interest. "Your people first hired mine to conquer planets for you and your Changeling masters, now you must face the music. How ironic."
Koji returned to the midst of the other fighters as the official marked his place on the brackets. All eyes turned to the short mysterious fighter with the hooded cloak on.
"Xarlok?" the official called out, prompting the mysterious fighter to make his way up to choose his ball. "Unless I'm mistaken, I think ball number eight is the only one left, but you can go ahead with the formalities."
Xarlok reached into the box and drew out ball number eight. Hirato noted that he was again correct with his earlier prediction that Xarlok would draw number eight.
"Looks like you were right," Xarlok replied to the official as he tossed him the ball, and the other official marked Xarlok's slot and handed the brackets listing to the main official, who exchanged Xarlok's ball for it.
"Okay, fighters," the official began, "this is the way the brackets will unfold. Fighting first will be Lodan versus Varkon. Then Yukio versus Koji in the second bout. Third will be Kien versus Tao. Lastly, we will have Hirato versus Xarlok. The winner of the first match will meet the winner of the second. The winner of the third fight will meet the winner of the fourth. From there, we will move into the finals for the championship.
Now, I'd like to go over the rules with you. This should be quite simple as we have no real rules. When the announcer tells you to begin, you can use any technique in your arsenal to defeat your opponent. If you kill your opponent, unfortunately that means he loses, so, everybody, try not to get killed out there. There will be no disqualifications or draws. We will have a winner in every fight. If a winner of a fight cannot continue, he will be replaced by the fighter Koji so graciously spared yesterday in the final qualifying fight. So, if you can't keep going, Borgoso will fill in for you. After that, we will have other alternates lined up to step in if needed.
There will be no time limit or time-outs to any of the fights. You will fight until someone goes down in defeat. You can lose in several ways. One: if you give up, you will lose. Two: if you are knocked out, you lose. Three: if you are killed, you will lose. There will be no 'ring-outs' in this tournament. You will fight within the confines of the arena, or wherever the action may take you if you manage to move beyond the designated arena zone.
Oh, yeah. There is one more thing. Please, don't hurt, maim, or kill any of the spectators in attendance as they puchased their seats to see you guys go through that sort of thing and not to experience it themselves. Now, are there any questions?"
"That there big ole varmint whut looks like a bug, he ain't really gonna eat nobody if he beats 'em, is he?" Lodan inquired, a bit concerned.
"Well, Varkon is a carnivore, and it is legal to eat your opponents in this tournament," the official explained. "There are really only two ways to avoid that dire scenario. Number one: don't lose. Number two: forfeit the match before it actually starts. Do you wish to forfeit?"
"Uhhh, ... no," Lodan answered after a brief consideration of his options, avoiding eye contact with Varkon.
"Okay," the official declared with a smile. "Lodan and Varkon, you're up first. Good luck to you both. Now go out there and give that crowd a show!"