Jabari backs up after his surprise attack fails. He stands not too far away, looking at Creed, planning the next move. Jabari stands tall, six feet four inches tall, has dark brown skin, black hair sculptured into a spiky clean-cut box fade, and brown eyes. He wears a black leather jacket with black cargo pants and very nice athletic shoes.
Creed- ‘Let me test this out real quick.’
Creed makes the first move by making the ground trap Jabari's full body, up to his neck. Creed ready’s his hand to crush his opponent inside the full-body entrapment. Before he can, a flash appears. Promptly, there is a purple energy and a magical aura covering every part of Jabari. The concrete that was holding his body in place disintegrates away. His eye color through the aura shines bright neon purple, and the rest of his face looks resolved. On the opposite end, Creed's pretty happy, with a big grin forming on his face.
Creed- 'He's especially dangerous. If I don't plan on killing him, it'll only hurt my chances of survival in the long run. If I had done my scouting report correctly, he has two Paradise Fruits that can be masked as one, Regia and Luxia. That light purple aura radiating from him, Regia, is that telekinetic power that can give the user control whatever it touches upon. He can either shoot or touch me and he'll have temporary physical control over me. His second Paradise ability is light itself Luxia, which also happens to be that neon purple energy circulating around his body. It can disintegrate and burn objects or people alike, hence the light beam that almost killed me in the sky. It's tricky because he can shoot both of his powers and both are of the same color. So it’s difficult to know what he’s tactically aiming for. Each power comes with different features and therefore he has mixing strategies which I have accounted for. But it's not too tricky to deal with, just don't get hit. However, if I don't dodge and decide to defend, hopefully he uses his telekinetic ability. There isn't much to stop disintegrating light. I'll also make sure to keep my distance. If he physically touches me, it’s over. Okay then, what should… Wait, if I die or get injured, Sir Hassen will definitely get mad at me and I'll jeopardize the mission even further than I already have. The best move right now is to surrender.'
Jabari walks towards Creed, readying a finishing move but hesitates when he sees Creed sit on his knees with his hands up. Creed's smile is no more as he surrenders while speaking in Durman. Jabari's purple aura goes away and a pissed-off face with a twitching left eye appears.
Jabari- 'Dis dude...'
Creed- 'In the Unions, they would have killed me already. Amerigans…'
As soon as Creed feels the arrest is going to be made, Jabari closely puts his right hand in a gun sign at Creed's forehead. Creed looks up and sees a serious look on Jabari's face.
Creed- 'What now?'
Jabari- "Bring the buildings down! Slowly."
Creed- 'The ‘buildings’ he says, oh he means the arts in the sky.'
Creed nods, and he slowly brings the buildings down without physically doing anything. The buildings go right back into their places like pieces in a puzzle across the northern Flats. Though they are roughed up, and one of them even had a laser beam go through it, it saves a lot of damage when they are put back into place. Luke comes behind Creed and forcefully puts a mask over him. The mask emits anesthesia, knocking him unconscious in seconds. With that, the day has been saved from further death and catastrophic damage
Jabari- "Thank you, I was going to shoot his head off if you didn't come."
Jabari looks at the cyborg who had found his arms and makeshiftingly put them back on.
Luke- "No probs. Are we the only ones in Midcity?"
Jabari- "I heard Maximus and his partner are coming tomorrow. But we're it for tonight."
Captain Jacks walks up to the two Heroes.
Captain Jacks- "Captain Jacks here and attended. Thank you to the both of ya."
Jabari- "Yeah no problem, can we get this guy on a truck and off to John Doe please."
Captain Jacks- "Oi, it's clear men, get him in a plastic box and get forensics!"
Jabari- "You in for Thai tonight?"
Luke- "What…"
Soon a battalion of police and fire trucks, more than a couple hundred workers and officers from each department, blitzkrieg their way into the Flats to help. At the end of the night, a total of three hundred thirty-seven people died, and a hundred injured.
[09:00, 05/02/2040, Two Days Later]
[Round 1st]
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
Channel 1- "Repairs to the damages that happened two nights ago at the Flats have reached fifty percent. Meanwhile, communities that were affected by the destruction have decided the tenth as the day for the memorial ceremony. Over three hundred confirmed dead-"
Channel 2- "The Code-2 Lockdown has officially been challenged early this morning by that of John Halls and several others to increase it to Code-3. The Code-2 Lockdown, enacted shortly after Code-1LD, so far has been subjected to worldwide reactions. Viral videos of tanks sitting in the middle of rush hour traffic and soldiers with advanced military gear getting coffee-"
Channel 3- "Despite the Code Lockdown in the place, gang-related activities have been on the rise this past week. Last night a massive gang related shootout happened in the Holladay district. Claiming twenty-three lives. Three of them were civilians and-"
Channel 4- "Negotiations between the Kingdom and Freedom Company are to take place in Jibraltar. World officials and leaders of both the West and East are alarmed. Britannia, who is hosting the meeting, assures that it will be conclusive. Though there are doubts-"
Channel 5- "The Tournament For Paradise begins today. Despite security concerns, Midcity has attracted a large population to it once again. Indra Law himself-"
Ace finished his cereal and got up and away from the bar table. Knowing Mr. Miyagu was going to change the channel again, he didn't bother investing himself fully in any of the channels. After washing his bowl in the kitchen, he leaves the Hostel and into the public streets wearing only slippers, white pajama pants, and a black long sleeve long shirt. He heads towards not the Netherly Arenas but the building above it, Coliseum tower.
Brooklyn stays inside the room, finishing miscellaneous tasks. She's been busy with work for the past couple of days, isolated from pretty much everything and everyone around her. Her plan is to get a few weeks ahead in life. Everything to do with the Hostel and all of her side projects in life, such as web design, finishing wedding/graduation photos, running a school book club, and other stuff that she barely was able to keep afloat in an excellent state the month before. In the month of May, she hopes to use half of the month dedicated to her side work. For the second half, she plans to dedicate it solely to school finals work. Finals won't happen until the beginning of June, but she looks to finish them over the course of two weeks before the week actually happens. This month, she is practically trapping herself to work and school without time for any adventures.
Ace himself is also occupied in life. The entire month being that of the Tournament For Paradise. Every three days starting from the second of May, Ace would have to fight to succeed to the next round, there being eight rounds in total. The start date of the tournament came about faster than he expected. The time leading up to his fight went like a breeze for him. He primarily meditated or slept around for most of his days. Neither did he physically practice nor exercise as one would assume a martial artist. Despite this, his body is still at the peak of human fitness. The most athletic individual in the fighting sport.
[10:02]
He checks in at the front desk and has to follow a robot guide. Following the guide, he goes through the 'back', through the men's locker room, and up an elevator to the first arena. In the arena, it looks like a throne room with over four hundred people inside. Two hundred and fifty-six Gladiators are separated into four groups, sixty-four in each group, and they stand in a column/row pattern. It looks like an army organized, preparing to go to war.
The robot guide puts Ace in with the rest of the two hundred and fifty-five, finally making the expected total. As Ace went in between the rows of fighters to get to his specific spot, onlookers began taking notice of his choice of outfit. His outfit is an outlier compared to everyone else who's wearing suits, dresses, outfits considerable of formal attire. Whereas Ace is wearing 'sleepover' clothes. Not only does his outfit represent laziness, but so does his demeanor and body language.
He has a disinterested look on his face and his hands sit comfortably in his big comfy pajama pockets. For most people, this is their first time and a time of importance that needs dignified posture and attire. For Ace, he clearly does not care to read the room. Few around him quietly gossip between each other or make obvious looks at him. Generally, thinking he's a man of arrogance, a man too relaxed for what the situation has called for.
No one in the audience could even notice Ace. The audience sits in the nice-looking bleachers on the sides of the arena. In front of the competitors, there's a stage where a number of people that can be counted by hand look ready to deliver a speech.
Roberto House- ""Hello, gentlemen and ladies. Gladiators, Master Chiefs, Citizens, leaders of our world, and healthy gamblers, my name is Roberto House. And I would like to present to you here and all those watching from home to the sixth year of the Tournament For Paradise."
The man who spoke suddenly has his face on digital screens that float from the ground and into the air. Another of the screens that rise into the air comes straight from the ground in front of Ace. He put his hand out to touch the screen in fascination, but his fingers go right through feeling nothing. The holographic screens stay in the air, acting as stadium-like screens, giving zoom-in on the speaker and the five people behind him.
House- "Now I know that many of you watchers and participants are eager to get this started. However, introductions would only be proper. I would like to thank the five people who have helped organize all of this. Since 2022 and for every three years we have done this, we have gotten better hosting this event every time. Who knows, maybe this year could be the best. So thank you to Dusty Jewel, Nicole Heart, Tito Vorleono, Indra Law, Colver Dam, Zaadin Madeen, and Veno Vego for their efforts. And then myself, Roberto House, which I take my humbly pride in leading this tournament board. For those of you that are new or just simply a reminder, the Tournament For Paradise is foremost a fighting tournament. Where two hundred and fifty-six Gladiators from around the globe get together to represent themselves or their nations. There are two hundred and fifty-six fighters, eight rounds, and one winner. So please, with everything that needs to be said, enjoy the 2040 Tournament For Paradise, as each fighter will attempt to climb their way towards Paradise itself."
Afterward, there is a round of applause across the whole stadium. Ace alone does not clap as he feels he doesn't wasn’t or need to.
[11:04]
The first fights begin while in the waiting room. Two hundred and forty-eight Gladiatorsstand or sit near each other in a lounge area just big enough to give everyone five feet of space. All of them wait for their turn to fight their opponents who're in the other waiting room B (WRB). One individual stands in the room, known to the tournament as the Auron Goose. Outside the tournament, she is known as Woman Devil, Malala Hawk.