While there were hundreds of visitors coming to Bryce's island to watch the tournament, others came to participate in it. A few had made their appearances already and the many citizens of Eden that were here went crazy for them, especially the ones they saw from previous tournaments. However, when a certain android descended upon the island, no one cheered. In fact, most scurried away or back pedalled out of the cloaked figure's path. They remembered his pitch black cloak from last year, but more than that they remembered his glowing red eyes that they now saw from within the shadow covering his face.
And so Hakuto walked through the lane the people created for him, getting looks from everyone on the streets and in the various shops and restaurants he passed. Such a warm welcome...
Of course, the android would have it no other way. He was never one for love. But, he was all about power and all about fighting. And he was all about testing his power in fights and what better place was there to do such a thing than a tournament with all of Eden's strongest warriors? Besides, he had heard where the actual fights were taking place this year. He loved the idea of fighting on other planets, full of hazardous natural elements. He would make use of all of them.
And so the android continued into the city, waiting for this tournament to begin.
Another event that caught his eye, other than the Roosies and the Niku champion of hot dogs, were the waves of people parting, clearing a straight path for a familiar face, whom had also been in the other tournaments. This one was a little higher on the threat meter than the two jokers he had previous witnessed. In the path of Hakuto, he moved away quickly with the others. Beneath the hoodie his face grimaced some when Hakuto passed by him, which sent chills running up and down his spine. Cloud continued on after Hakuto had passed though, still needing to scout out the talent of this show.
Water dropletts sprayed down the sides of Midnight's black armor. The surface was cold with sea spray, as cold as the blood in veins of the assassin who rapidly approached Bryce's island. Midnight had heard about the tournament, as had the rest of the known world. Normally Midnight avoided areas of high traffic in such powerful warriors. Midnight had no fear of the others, but he preferred to keep a low profile, off the radar so to speak.
This time though, he had a mission. He had collected two dragon orbs, and it had been a while since he'd collected any kind of serious bounty. He knew that his current financial resources, invested wisely would fund him for the remainder of his mercenary life, but he could never be sure how much it would cost to collect the remaining orbs. What Midnight needed was information, information on the remaining orbs, information on any bounty's available at such an event, and most importantly, information on his homeland, the reclusive Juin Nation. Plus, if his information was correct, there would be a hefty prize here at this event, a capture he'd been waiting a long time to make.
The drizzle of the sea made way to clear skies as Midnight approached the coasts of Psi. This was an area Midnight was not terribly familiar with, as the limited outside contact of the residents limited Midnight's potential employment.
He touched town beyond the outskirts, moving his way into the town quietly, moving in the shadows and avoiding crowds where he would draw attention. Fortunately, there were so many people around for the tournament that Midnight didn't need to worry. His scanners were constantly active, picking up individuals in his roster, and scanning for potential threats or captures.
His scanners blinked a solid color and two dossiers appeared in his eyesight. Carniku, Saiyan, Rooes, demon/inhuman, Threat: Low Priority Capture: Negligent. Prices on the two scrolled past, but none even worth Midnight's consideration. He scanned left and right, and another alert popped into his monitor.
Hakuto: Android, Threat: moderate, affiliation unknown. Priority Capture: negligent. The mercenary was surprised, this bore watching. He knew the android was completely self interested, and would certainly be on the lookout for potential partners in this new format of the tournament matches. He knew that fighting through the world's most powerful fighters alone would be a difficult task, even for someone as trained as himself. Perhaps an opportunity had presented itself for Midnight to gain a powerful ally in this matchup.
A black silhouette appeared blocking the sun. Rio's eyes were fixed on the island which the tournament would take place. He wasn't really the kind of person to enter in such competitions, he found it boring and a waste of his precious time. However, he felt like this tournament could gain him respect and perhaps something to be known for. He crossed his arms as a smirk appeared on his face.
Without a word, he dipped down for the ocean when he suddenly sprouted back up vertically and headed into the actual island itself. Not a fast pace, but it got him there eventually. The drizzle of salt water drizzled down his face and unluckily some in his mouth which tasted terrible. He set foot on the island and looked around and the participants and the spectators. Several familiar characters were around, he had no time to chat.
Immediately he wandered the crowds. Scouting out possible people, which may have caused trouble in this tournament. He didn't feel experienced enough for a thing such as this. But you don't know until you try. Immediately, his eyes were drawn to Carniku and Roos. He remembered both of them from the fight against the two androids. A tough competition this year. But who couldn't notice them under that big sign? The thought of it made him chuckle. He continued to scan the area, for a potential threat
As Hakuto travelled onwards through the path made for him in the crowds he entered, there was one man dressed in a way that screamed "I am an authority figure in this tournament." Hakuto continues to walk as the short, stubby and rather annoying man ran up to Hakuto and jogged along with him, since his short stubby legs could not simpyl walk at Hakuto's pace.
Official: "Hello, Mr. Inuneo, and welcome back to Eden's world martial arts tournament. I'm assuming you are entering this year?"
Hakuto did not answer the question and after a while the official seemed to get the message.
Official: "Right, I shouldn't have even asked. But, there is a question I think is less than obvious that the tournament would like to know. Are you going to be teaming up with anyone?"
At the mentioning of teams, Hakuto's cloaked head suddenly snapped at the official, who jumped a few feet back before re-collecting himself and coming back to Hakuto's side.
Teams, you say?
Official: "Yes. This years tournament will not follow the traditional singles match style. This year, you are allowed to team up and teams will fight one another. If you stay by yourself you might end up fighting up to 4 people."
Hakuto though about this for a few moments. He was powerful, but he knew the odds of one man beating four were slim when the four men he faces were not so much weaker than he was. Hakuto knew he would have to find someone and create an alliance.
Thank you for the information. You may leave now.
With that, the official scurried off to join the rest of the people who stayed away from Hakuto. Immediately, Hakuto began scanning the area for potential alliances. One man passed by through the crowds quickly and Hakuto paid no attention to him. There were two he recognized, Carniku and Roos. They would not suffice as adequate teammates. They were too childish. No, Hakuto needed someone of great power and skill. He needed someone with the knowledge to kill, even though it was not allowed in the tournament. He needed someone with kill instincts and experience in battle.
And then he sensed that person coming from near the water. It was not a powerful energy signature. In fact, his power level was no more than the average person. But Hakuto's advanced senses saw past that. They saw something was restricting or hiding the true power of this person. Besides, he entered alone and from the water. No normal man could do that. Hakuto quickly turned on the spot and, just like that, he vanished. The crowd of people around him let out a giant sigh as the image of Hakuto faded away seconds later and they all filled the gap they had left for him.
The android appeared in an alley just a few feet ahead of Midnight's position. He slowly walked out into the street and stepped out of the darkness, still completely cloaked in black. The timing was perfect, being an android and all, and Midnight would be a single step away from bumping into the android. If this man couldn't handle an ambush as simple as this, he would surely fall easily in a handicapped battle. Hakuto needed to know he could count on his ally to do what was needed to win. The process of finding out started now.