The Dark Phoenix

Chapter Sixteen - The Krono Tournament

Blinking quickly, Gareth stared into the mirror as the water from the faucet was running loudly. Quickly filling up his palm with a small amount of water, he splashed his face and exhaled sharply. "Today is the day. The Krono Tournament starts today. And nothing is going to stop me from winning today. Absolutely nothing." Reaching down to one of the bottom drawers, he pulled out a medkit filled with bandage wraps which he quickly grabbed and cut off a couple pieces with his teeth. Bandaging the cuts near his shoulder, he wrapped them up tightly and finished it off with a piece of tape nearby. "This should hold for now. Good thing this training gear is tight. If these come loose. I'll start bleeding for sure." Walking to his room, he tossed some of his clothes in the duffel bag on his bed and slipped into a pair of shoes. Strolling down the hallway, he caught a glimpse of Carlos's room, "I wonder what he's doing now." Instantly after questioning himself, he shook his head and proceeded to walk downstairs. With an independent smile, he walked towards the door and grabbed the handle of his sword before taking a step outside. "No time for worrying. Today is the day I'm going to win!" Smiling brightly, he sheathed his sword and stood at the top of the cliff with the sun shining behind him. The glare in his brown couldn't be matched as he jumped off and made his way to town.

Finally arriving in town, Gareth walked calmly through the crowds of people who were silently whispering about the Krono Tournament. Keeping his head down, Gareth let out a small grin, "If there's anyway to earn some recognition. This is the perfect way. I'm going to become one of the top three. No one will stand in my way." Clenching his fist before him, Gareth's eyes only screamed with determination, but as his confidence was rising, he failed to realize the four people surrounding him as he entered the center of town. Quickly grabbing the handle of his sword, Gareth glared at one of them, "Is there a problem?" Slowly exhaling, he watched them all reach into their pockets and take out small pocket knives. "Haven't you heard? You're not welcome here anymore. Nick made that clear yesterday. Anyone who wasn't born on this planet doesn't deserve to just become royalty all of a sudden." All four of them took a step forward and raised their knives high. Screams and sudden gasps were heard as the people around them looked frightened. Glancing around, Gareth locked eyes with a scared little girl and grew slightly angry, "Look. If you don't see me as royalty. Don't treat me as royalty. I don't care, but put your knives down. It's scaring everyone." Glaring at the man in front of him, Gareth placed his arms at his sides and watched the four take a step closer. "Don't worry. This'll be over in a moment." Thinking to himself, Gareth looked at their feet closely, "Just one more step." Clenching his fists, he took a deep breath in and heard the four take another step. Opening his palms, Gareth exhaled sharply. Electricity surrounded his body and struck all four of the guys in seconds. Electrocuting then strongly until they fell to their knees. Speechless as they were, the people around him only smiled as they watched Gareth grab the four blades from each of their hands and toss them into the trash. "You were right. I only needed one moment. Sorry everyone." Winking at the little girl, Gareth's small smirk almost compelled her to give her own happy smile. A couple guards came running after hearing the commotion and grabbed the four criminals. Placing them in odd looking cuffs and dragging them towards a large metallic building near the center of town. Walking away from the center of town, he stepped onto the grass of the training field. Having his eyes fixated on the large crowd of contestants, his small smirk turned into a bright smile as his black hair slowly waved to the wind.

Joining up with the rest of the contestants, Tommy came out with a different outfit on. Instead of training gear, he had a metal vest along with silver glasses hanging from his white shirt. Raising his arms high, Tommy raised the earth below him and created a pillar that towered over everyone. "Attention contestants! Today is the day you prove your worth! All of you are Stage Three Wizards and some rank even higher, but don't let that interfere with your mindset. If you're not ready to win. Just pack up and go home. Only those who are determined can become true warriors and show us their true colors. So... let me hear it. Who's ready for a Krono Duel?!" Scanning his audience, Tommy watched as the contestants started to watch the crowd roar loudly and the booming sound was music to his ears. Gesturing everyone to be quiet, placed his hands on the floor, "That being said. It's time to see where you'll be dueling. There are sixty four contestants. Which means, there is going to be six rounds until a champion is crowned. Every round, the number of contestants will be halved. Starting from sixty four, to thirty two, sixteen, eight, four, and then finally two." Smiling as the contestants watched the arenas come from the ground, Tommy lifted his hands from the floor and stood up straight. "Now. Here's how the Krono Duels are going to be scored. There's three ways the match could end. The first way is by a forfeit. Your opponent could surrender the match and allow you to reach the next round. Next is the most common way to win. Immobilizing your opponent or knocking your opponent off the arena. Keep your ground and don't give in. Lastly, is by pushing your opponent to the point where they can't move on. That's when I or one of the other teachers will call the match and declare the winner. Anything can be done in the arena. The only thing that is not allowed is having anyone on the outside helping you during the match. Those who cheat will be automatically disqualified. Adding on to how the matches will be held. There's many of you, so you'll be placed in Group A or Group B. This is how we'll split you up so wait for your names to be called because we've already randomized the bracket. The only thing left is for you to battle with all that your heart desires. Let's get this tournament started!" Forcing his pillar to descend slowly, Tommy walked off and watched as Xander's assistants started to mark all the contestants with either an X or a large O to split them up.