Brawlhalla: Brawling Spirit

The Grand Tournament Begins

The crowd of Valhalla was roaring. Everyone was ready to see the biggest competition in the realm take shape. Sixteen fighters gathered from locations all across the universe were about to duke it out for ultimate glory amongst their peers and Valhalla alike. A single elimination bracket was all set for an epic battle.

The sixth running of the Grand Tournament had begun.

Up until the start of the tournament, only three members of the "Original 8" had won it all. The Original 8 was a group comprised of the first eight fighters to make a name for themselves. They sparred each other often and had many tournament wins between them.

For Bödvar Bearson, one of Valhalla's most decorated stars and the founder of the 8, success isn't easy. Although he had won many other prestigious tournaments in the past, he had yet to win the Grand Tournament in five previous tries. His best performance was in his sophomore appearance, in which he made it to the grand finals, ultimately losing.  From then on out, he wouldn't have the best track record against his rivals. This time, he wanted to overcome his past mistakes and take it all.

It was two hours before his first match of the tournament. In his locker room, Bödvar was perfecting his skill with his grapple hammer, the weapon he preferred over his sword. All of the tournament's entrants could use two weapons apiece, from swords to guns and even a pair of specialized combat boots. After about thirty minutes training his hammer, he examined the bracket to see who his first opponent was. Unfortunately, his first opponent was one of his demons. He sighed, unsure of the outlook of his run in the tournament.

A fellow grapple hammer expert then came knocking on the door.

"Hello?" he asked.

A western-accented voice replied, "You need some help, don't you?"

It was Marshall Cassidy Miller.

One of his friends and a member of the 8, Cassidy had also been competing in the Grand Tournament since the beginning. She was considered to be one to the best in competitors in doubles tournaments, having won multiple events alongside a variety of partners. If a large tournament with doubles was happening, she would be willing to take the trip, pair up, and dominate.

He replied, "I guess so," and let her in.

"I'm assuming you've been training your butt off for this match," she said.

"You know I have."

"That's great! I know you can get this done!"

"Yeah, but not without competition."

Bödvar retrieved the laminated bracket and pointed to the name "Barraza."

"Guess who I have to fight."

Having a heart of steel supplied by real diesel fuel, Barraza was dubbed "The Lord of the Waste". His aggressive approach to fighting was popular among the fans, but polarizing to his competitors.

The problem was that he had a slightly better track record between himself and Bödvar. They ran into each other in tournament eight times beforehand with a record of 4-3 in favor of the man they also called "Diesel Heart."

"Damn. That has the be the most unlucky thing I've seen happen to you," Cassidy replied.

"No kidding."

"Let me tell you this. If you want to beat him, you need to unlock your inner bear."

"You mean constantly use all my sigs?"

Cassidy quietly chuckled.

"Why would I even say that? Just be smart with how to fight him. If he does something dumb try to take advantage of it."

"Got it. Will do."

Two hours later, he was ready.

Under the stage, Bödvar and his sidekick, a mammoth wearing a trucker hat with an embossed logo on it, were making final preparations for their clash with "Diesel Heart." A fighter's sidekick is what helps them back onto the stage after being knocked off it. He knew he was in for a little trash talk, however. The two had exchanged words before their matches in the past, although they did have respect towards each other. The names they called each other were something to say the least.

"Hey Barrobot."

"What's up, Botvar?"

Some of Barraza's friends suggested those names.

"Sorry to let you know this, but one of us is going down this early," said Bödvar.

"I know. That's one hell of a challenge, isn't it?"

"Indeed."

Bödvar had been used to shaking his opponent's hand and saying "'til KO do us part" before a match.

"I'm gonna tie this record. Mark my words."

"Yeah, right. We'll see about that."

They reached out for each other's hands.

"'til KO do us part."

Grabbing on to their sidekicks, the two were lifted into the "blast zone," the border of the arena which nobody wanted to be near. The crowd was ready for the match. On their feet, they gave the legendary pre-game chant:

"3, 2, 1, BRAWL!"

The pair jumped off their sidekicks and darted for the first weapon pickup. Barraza got to it first, pulling out his axe. He immediately jumped and swung it at Bödvar, but he dodged it. He and the fans knew how aggressive Barraza was. After another swing of the axe in the air, he got the punish be hitting him unarmed.

As the next pickup landed, he pulled out his sword. Swinging it twice in the air knocked his opponent off stage. Beginners would go off stage to get more damage, albeit risking their points, but Bödvar stayed on the edge of the platform. He used his downward signature and dunked Barraza to the bottom of the blast zone, taking one of his points away. Despite getting the point, he threw his sword away and got his hammer. It was time for him to "unlock his inner bear," like Cassidy suggested earlier.

Having took a lot of damage, Bödvar was knocked to the right side of the blast zone just after landing a hit of his own, unarming and taking one point away from him. The match was even, one point apiece. By the time he recovered, Barraza had picked up his guns. It was a good thing they didn't shoot actual bullets. Some people called these guns "the same moves used over and over again," but the wielders of them thought otherwise.

He fired a flurry of shots, most of them hitting and doing significant damage, eventually taking the point by shooting him with two shots, then finishing with a powerful hit, sending Bödvar to the top of the blast zone. Barraza was on match point, one point away from sending him packing. Bödvar was determined and wouldn't give up. He had a tendency to recover from hard situations, and that he did, landing a aerial swing of his hammer before finishing with a pound. Both fighters needed one more point to take the victory and go further into the bracket.

With their weapons at hand, the two traded hit after hit. After swinging his axe at Bödvar and hitting him at a high damage percent, Barraza down signatured and pounded his axe onto the stage, sending him close to the edge of the blast zone. He survived. As a last ditch effort, he turned around in the air and swung just as Barraza went off the stage to try and close out the match. The swing connected, and in the blink of an eye, Barraza was sent flying towards the right blast zone.

"GAME!"

Their set record was now 4-4. Bödvar advanced, knocking Barraza out of the tournament in the first round. After saluting the crowd, they descended to under the stage and hugged it out.

"Dude, that was ridiculous!"

"I know. Sometimes you gotta do what a man gotta do to win."

"I guess that's fair. Good luck for the rest of the way."

"Thanks."

"DAMMIT," Barraza shouted in a respectful tone as they went their separate ways.