5 First Round

Two young boys glared daggers at each other as they sized each other up.

"Begin." said the Elder. They two slowly closed the distance between each other, with arms raised in a guarded manner. Then in an instant, they locked arms and started struggling to gain the upper hand. The villagers spectating broke into even louder cheers as the contest had truly kicked off. The goal in the Warrior Intiation wrestling tournament was simple. If you were wrestled to the ground or out of the circle you lose. Last man standing qualifies.

Shortly after interlocking with each other one of the boys managed to grab the other's thigh and hoisted them up. He then used the other's loss of balance from being on one leg to trip them into the dirt.

"Tony Wins." Elder Charles announced coldly.

The crowd was in a frenzy as the other youth got up with a discontented look. Tony gave the youth no attention and accepted the cheers from the crowd instead with his fists in the air.

"Tony has improved his skills, Peter had no chance and was finished too quickly." the burly youth analysed the situation. Philip couldn't help but nod. Tony was predicted to only be a middling performer in this contest, but it would seem he hid his strength a little too well. The contest difficulty had just raised a notch and it had only just began.

"Number Twos step forward!" Elder Charles called out. Two more youths slowly walked into the circle with an air of violence. "Begin" came the call.

One of the boys was taller than the other and immediately made use of the height advantage to grab hold of the opponent and push them toward the edge of the arena. It seemed to be another quick match already, but at the last moment the short youth grabbed hold of the tall boy's hands and rolled on the ground. In the same motion he set his foot on the opponent's chest and and flung flung him over his head."Steve wins." came a cold announcement. In one stylish move the tall youth found himself lying on his back outside the circle. Even the cheering had paused for a second before breaking out again in a frenzy.

"Wilson doesn't even know what happened." snickered the burly youth. Indeed it could be seen he was still in a daze from having the tables turned too swiftly. Even before he could compose himself, the Elder called out again. "Number Threes step forward!"

It was finally Phillip's turn. As he stepped into the arena, so did big youth at least a head and shoulders taller than him.

"My luck is pretty bad this time." thought Phillip in his mind. His opponent cracked his knuckles in anticipation as the crowd quieted down. Phillip was after all the smallest youngster in the competition and did not have the warrior's physique like the other children. In fact, the only reason he was participating was to give face to the Chief his father. "Begin." came the call. The big youth immediately charged at Phillip like a raging bull. Phillip was unusually calm and did not retreat from the onslaught. This surprised the spectators. They thought that the poor boy had gotten cold feet and frozen in place. When the big youth grabbed towards Phillip, was when he jumped into action briskly ducking under his reach and swiftly behind the boy. He wrapped his hands on the boy's waist from behind in an instant and hoisted in up. In a swift motion he tossed the big boy to the side, and face first into the dirt. "Phillip wins." came the announcement.

"Eh." the crowd was shocked. An approving nod came from the high seat. Just like that Phillip returned to his place outside the circle, and as if recalling, the crowd broke into cheers. The burly youth and Tony gave deep glances at Phillip as he returned. It had to be said that his opponent was not simple. He was extremely strong for his age and could toss the other competitors around like rags. But Phillip turned it around and tossed him! And right at the start too with no struggle. The skill he displayed was high and took advantage of his agility to evade the opponent's strength.

"Ai, so troublesome" the burly youth shook his head. If even the pushovers weren't really pushovers, wouldn't that mean he'd have to actually give his all? The first three matches had ended in an instant.

"Number Fours step forward"

"Number Fives"

Just like that the first eight matches were held and eight unlucky youths were dropped to the losers bracket. One more loss and they would be eliminated. The pressure was high as the announcement came. "First round complete. Take a one hour break to recover your strength. Second round matches. Tony versus Steve. Philip Versus Brian..." the upcoming winners matches were up next. Each winner faced the next winner for four matches. The burly youth who's name was Timothy had also easily won his match and was in the forth winners match. All the youngsters immediately sat down to rest or drink some water. It was important to be in top shape. The losers had more time to recover,since their matches would be after the winners. It could be said Elder Charles was being considerate with this arrangement. Time flew rapidly and one hour had already passed. Elder Charles returned to the center of the arena and called for order. Second round begins. "Number Ones step forward" he called out. All the youths got up and steeled themselves. Chants and cheers came from the villagers. They were one step closer to being champions.