The house of Phoenix was gigantic, and had everything a fighter could possibly need- from workout facilities, to sparring areas. The only thing was that fighters entering the tournament could only spar with one of Phoenix’s men, so as not to learn the other fighters’ secrets.

Every fighter’s room was a lot more luxurious than most of them were used to, and they took full advantage of all the comforts. They had great king size beds, along with a big-screen TV, a kitchen, and a bathroom, to list a few, all covering about one thousand square feet.

The participants were allowed to run as much as they wanted to, train when able to, and food was served to them when they asked for it. The three story house had about 500 rooms altogether, but no one but Phoenix’s henchmen, friends, and family, was allowed on the third floor, which belonged only to Phoenix.

A young man of about twenty years of age dressed in black leather went up to the third floor, and the guards let him pass, knowing he was Phoenix’s brother. Dragon, he was called, was twenty-two years of age, and could only be defeated by his brother. He possessed enormous talent as a fighter and would be the best fighter around, if it were not for the host of the tournament. He knocked on the door of his brother’s office, and he heard a voice tell him to enter. He opened the door, and closed it behind him.

“How are you, champ?” asked Dragon.

“You have no idea how excited I am but Reaper poses a problem. Even though no one is allowed to kill anyone in my tournament, or even break someone bones on purpose for that matter, Reaper killed our dad outside this competition. He might be planning to do something like that again to one of us, or to someone close to us. That is why I have called you. From now on, you will have two bodyguards with you at all times. When you go back to your room, they will already be there guarding it. The only way someone can get in is if they have mine or your permission. The guards have earpieces and will communicate with me at all times. If anything is to happen to you, I will be the first one there.”

Phoenix stood up, and Dragon saw that he was wearing one of his usual outfits when not fighting- blue pants with a blue vest, with cut sleeves, and no buttons. He threw an earpiece to Dragon, and Dragon put it on. Phoenix revealed his own earpiece, and said,

“Alex, Dimitri, are you there?”

“Yes, sir!” heard Dragon in his earpiece.

“Just running a little check. Remain at your post, Dragon will be there shortly.”

“Yes, sir!”

After hearing this, Dragon said,

“Where did you find two tough Russians to guard me?”

“They have been with me for five years and are two very tough guys. They are brothers, and each one of them is about six foot eight. They will do a fine job.”

“Thanks a lot. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“See ya.”

Dragon went back to his room, and met Alex and Dimitri. They seemed even tougher than Phoenix had described them, and he was thankful they were his bodyguards, and not someone else’s.

He went inside and made himself comfortable on his bed, when ten minutes later, he heard Dimitri’s voice in his earpiece,

“Sir Dragon, Master Phoenix has sent someone here who wants to ask you about the tournament’s rules. Phoenix is busy at the moment, so this fighter has been sent to you and is right outside.”

“If he got clearance from Phoenix, then you may let him in.”

There were voices heard outside, and within a moment, a very young fighter entered the room. He seemed very shy and even a little scared to be a fighter, especially one who has made to the King of Warriors. He seemed about twenty years of age, and had dark hair and eyes. He looked like he was somewhere from Europe.

“How are you doing Mr. Dragon?”

“As you can see, I am doing fairly well, Who do I have the honor of speaking to?”

“My name is Vladimir, I am the wrestling champion of Bulgaria, Europe. I have also been trained in Judo and Karate. It is a great honor for me to be in Phoenix’s tournament.”

“Ah, you are from Bulgaria. That is very interesting, This tournament will be more exciting than I thought. Anyways, Vladimir, haven’t you thought of a fighting name yet, like most people in this tournament?”

“Well, sir, I have been considering the name Apollo, but since my English is not very good, I haven’t read the rules, and don’t know if I’ll be able to use that name.”

“I think your English is fine, but I believe you really have not read the rules, It will be fine for you to register under that name. Registration begins tomorrow. Make sure you go and enter yourself in the preliminaries. If you want, I will go with you. Now, tell me what you need to know about this tournament. I know all its rules as well as my brother.”

“Well, first things first, I need to know how the matches are won, and how you advance to the finals.”

“Well, you advance by winning your fights, of course. As my brother said last night, there will be eleven groups of ten fighters each. The groups are formed randomly. The two remaining fighters from each group will fight for a spot in the tournament.

You will be fighting in a concrete ring with no ropes around it. You win you match either by knocking your opponent outside of the ring, by making them submit, or by making them pass out. You are not allowed to eye-gauge, step on people’s toes, spit in their eyes, and do locks on their fingers. Everything else is allowed, but you are not to break anyone’s bones, unless it is an accident. If Phoenix thinks you broke someone’s arm on purpose you will be gone from the tournament. That pretty much covers it.”

“Wow. Your brother really planned this out. I can’t wait until the day after tomorrow. Thank you very much, sir.”

“No problem, Apollo. Just make sure you do well, and I would advise against fighting Phoenix in the finals, since he was state wrestling champion his first year as a wrestler, and has two NCAA titles.”

“There’s nothing that man can’t do, is there?”

“That pretty much describes him. Enjoy your stay here, and I’ll come by your room tomorrow around ten o’clock so we can go register you.”

“Thank you. I am in room 205. Good night, Mr. Dragon.”

“Good night.”

After this, Apollo walked out, and Dragon stood there for a while thinking who that little boy really was.

The following morning, Dragon, woke up at around nine o’clock, and walked up to Phoenix’s office, followed by his bodyguards, who waited outside with Phoenix’s bodyguards while he entered.

Phoenix was on his desk filling out some papers. As his brother entered, he looked up and said,

“Good morning. Have you registered yet?”

Dragon smiled and said,

“A good morning to you too. No, I am just getting ready to go. What are all these papers?”

“Next year’s tournament money. We already have over five thousand people who have bet at least one hundred dollars each. Half the money is betted on me, which means we’ll never see that money, but the rest of the money is betted on the rest of the fighters, which means we’ve got about 2.5 million dollars to use for next year’s tournament since it costs five hundred to bet. And since it costs $1000 to enter the tournament, that adds up to our profit. 1.5 million of that is for us only, and there will be more people who bet as the finals draw near. That doesn’t include the entrants’ money. We’re looking at a profit of about five million dollars, which we will split. Now, what do you need?”

“That one Bulgarian boy you sent to me last night, he seems like an interesting fighter, doesn’t he?”

“Oh, yeah, he’s a rare one, all right. Kid is a very powerful fighter, and yet he doesn’t even seem like he can defend himself from a dog. But, of course, that’s all part of his strategy. As soon as he walked in here last night, I felt his spirit, and it has a very unusual pattern, which means it could possibly adjust to almost any other pattern. But, what that also means is that he can’t fully control it yet, since it’s so irregular. If he can make it to the semis, I’ll train him personally, just like I trained you. The three of us will no doubt be the strongest fighters this planet has ever seen. Of course, he could turn out to be more powerful than both of us combined, but he lacks a lot of experience, and he still will, even after I’m done with his training. Now, since I’m sure that’s what you came to hear, you can go ahead and register, since it’s nine thirty. Please, join me tomorrow at the preliminaries in the skybox.”

“I wouldn’t miss it. That’s the best view in the whole world. Well, until tomorrow.”

After saying goodbye, Dragon walked out, and followed by Alex and Dimitri, he went to room 205, which was located on the second floor. He knocked on the door, and Vladimir soon opened it and greeted him.

“Ah, hello Mr. Dragon. Good morning. You are a little early. I am ready to go register.”

“Good. Registration starts in about thirty minutes which gives us lots of time. Would you care to join me for a quick breakfast downstairs?”

“Thank you very much. I couldn’t refuse such an offer.”

“It wouldn’t be wise to.”

Vladimir walked out, and they went downstairs into a parlor-like area, and seated themselves on a large table with almost all the other participants. Food was brought to them instantly, and they both enjoyed a large dish of bacon, eggs, a salad, some orange juice, and some ice cream for dessert. Dragon asked Vladimir a little about Bulgaria and how it was over there, even though he didn’t have to.

At ten o’clock, everyone heard Phoenix’s voice over an intercom in the ceiling, saying,

“Fighters, it is now ten o’clock, You may proceed to the registration stand located in the backyard of the house. Registration ends at twelve o’clock. Thank you.”

All of the fighters got up from their seats, and proceeded to the backyard of the house, and easily found the registration stand, which had six people waiting in it, and soon, six lines were formed. Everyone let Apollo and Dragon to the beginning of the first line, and the old man behind the counter asked,

“Name, birthplace, age, and weight please, Mr. Dragon?”

“You know the name and place. I am now twenty two years old, and weigh one hundred and ninety pounds.”

“Thank you, sir. And who would this young man here be?”

“ I am Vladimir Sokolov, born in Veliko Turnovo, Bulgaria, I am twenty one years old, and weigh one hundred and seventy pounds.”

“Interesting. Thank you, sir.”

As soon as the registration was finished, most of the fighters went and trained a while to prepare for the upcoming preliminaries. All of them trained an awful lot, and most of them went back to their rooms at about five in the afternoon, and made sure to eat a nutritional dinner followed by a nice night’s sleep. The prelims began at 12 noon on the following day.

It was Monday, June 1, 2004. A lot of the fighters went to bed early, and had been up since about six in the morning, running, or training a little more before the upcoming event. Apollo was one of those fighters. Actually, he’s one of the fighters who trained about an hour or two more than all the rest. Phoenix kept good track of him, and was really amazed at how determined the kid was.

Dragon was in his room, training with eighty pound weights. He knew he would have to train harder than ever before if he wanted to be champ, even once. But he suspected that Phoenix knew that, and the champ has also been training harder. Phoenix and hard training equals disaster, as Dragon had previously seen so many times before. It was nine o’clock. He still had three more hours.

Phoenix was in his office filling out some papers regarding the financial part of the tournament. They had about ten million dollars from people who had placed bets. Over twenty thousand people had placed bets, and twelve thousand bet on him winning the tournament. Looking at this, he went to train, knowing he couldn’t disappoint them, even thought he would still make a lot of money. As he hit his punching bag, he remembered an estimated fifteen million dollars, if the same amount of people voted each month. He had to avenge his father.

It was eleven. Phoenix and Dragon were already sitting on top of Phoenix’s house over a large fighting ring which was square and each side was at least twenty feet. They were close enough to see everything, but not far enough as to miss a single drop of blood. Phoenix was wearing black pants covered with fire, and the same type of jacket with no sleeves and unbuttoned in the front that matched the pants.

At eleven thirty, the fighters were let in, as well as lots of audience that filled up the stands which were put there overnight, with a blue phoenix on each side, which served as the current tournament’s logo.

The stands filled up quickly, and Phoenix looked at his watch counting down to twelve. When that time approached, he stood up and was given a microphone by one of his henchmen. Everyone became quiet, and Phoenix began,

“Ladies and Gentlemen, fighters from around the world. Welcome to the preliminaries for the Eighth King of Warriors Tournament. The prelims begin today with group A, which will fight every other day for the next eight days. The three remaining fighters will face off with each other until one of them loses. The winner will earn themselves a spot in the tournament. We have over one hundred and ten fighters with us here today. This tournament will last ninety nine days during which these fighters will experience the ultimate test in their lives. Many of them will fail, and maybe one will become champion and win one million dollars, and become the King of Warriors. We begin today with two gifted fighters. First, weighing in at 168 pounds, from Athens, Greece, he is thirty years old, Zeus!”

After saying this, a fairly large fighter came out of Phoenix’s house as the fans cheered him and entered the ring.

“And his opponent, from right here in New York City, weighing 250 pounds at the age of twenty five, welcome Jack!”

The fans cheered, and soon realized Zeus wasn’t that big of a man compared to Jack. A large black man entered the ring, and towered over Zeus by at least eight inches.

“Now, fighters, face each other. Bow. Face me. Bow. Ladies and Gentlemen, the tournament begins. Fighters ready, fight!!!”

The fighters began to circle each other as the fans began to cheer wildly. The warriors circled each other for about ten seconds, when Zeus dashed at Jack ready to attack. Jack just stood there, and received a heavy blow to the stomach. Everyone heard the impact, but after a second, Jack looked down on Zeus, a wide smile across his face. He wasn’t hurt one bit! Zeus instantly backed up, and this time Jack charged at his opponent. Just as he approached, Zeus jumped out of the way being the more agile fighter. But, unfortunately, that didn’t stop Jack. As Zeus avoided him, he spun around, and hit the Greek straight in the back. Zeus screamed, and fell to the ground, motionless, as the fans cheered wildly. Jack was about to get on top of him to make him submit, as Zeus begged for forgiveness. Phoenix stood up.

“Jack, that’s enough. I don’t ever want to see your face in one of my tournaments every again. Hitting a man in the back, especially where you hit him, is an act of cowardice, but you went further. His spine now has cracks in it that will heal very slowly.”

Phoenix picked up the microphone and said,

“Ladies and Gentlemen, your winner by a disqualification, Zeus!”

After hearing this Jack went crazy,

“Oh, that’s how it is you racist mother******! How come ain’t no one told me that hitting someone in the back ain’t legal, huh? You got no f****** right to disqualify me, b****! I ought to shoot your white a** right now!”

Saying this, Jack pulled out a very small gun from under one of his wrist braces. Just as he was pulling the gun out, Phoenix jumped off of his house and landed in the ring. He had jumped from more than fifty feet in the air! By them time he landed in front on Jack, the gun was fully ready to shoot, but Phoenix knocked it out as soon as his feet hit the ground. As the gun went flying, Phoenix waved his hand close to Jack’s neck, and as soon as he had done that, Jack was on the ground, laying motionless..

“Guards,” said Phoenix, “ take him away and make sure he is returned to his proper home. And, also, I want a metal detector at the entrance of my house, so that none of the fighters get injured. Bring Zeus to my office, and I will fix him up.”

Four guards came out from the house. Two picked up Jack, and two picked up Zeus. The one with Jack walked out of the front yard, and those carrying Zeus walked back inside. Phoenix looked up at Dragon, who threw him the microphone and said,

“Ladies and Gentlemen, I hope all of you enjoyed the fairly short fight, and make sure to return Wednesday for the second fight of Group A. Have a nice day.”

All the disappointed fans walked off of the bleachers, and into 3 buses which took them home. Phoenix walked in, as the house returned to the way it had been on the first day, except for the bleachers. Phoenix quickly made it to the third floor, and entered his office which consisted of five rooms. He found Zeus on his bed, surrounded by the guards and breathing very hard. Phoenix dismissed the guards, and sat down next to the fighter in a chair.

“How are you feeling?”

“Uhhhhh. Not so good. I can’t move and I can hardly breathe. Can you help me?”

“Of course. I am a very good healer, and you have no idea how many types of herbs I keep around to heal anything from a headache to cancer, mixed in with some magic given to me by my spiritual guide.”

“You really are an extraordinary man, Mr. Phoenix. I don’t know what to say.”

Phoenix smiled down on him, and waved his hand close to his neck, just as he had done to Jack. Zeus’s breathing slowed down. He was unconscious. Phoenix went over to a little cabinet in the next room, and pulled out some phials containing some liquid and leaves. He went back to the bed, and flipped Zeus over on his stomach. The sleeping fighter groaned, but soon became quiet once more.

Phoenix pulled out some needles he had taken, and placed them on a nearby table with the phials. He closed his eyes, and moved his hand over Zeus’s back. Soon he opened his eyes.

“Three cracks in the lower back here, here, and here. They could take years heal, but not as long as I’m around. He’ll be ready for his next fight.”

He took one leaf out, and grinded so well, that it looked smaller than sand. He put it in an empty phial, and put a special cap on the phial, that had a needle on it, about as big as spider web. He closed his eyes, and took a needle bigger than the one on the cap. Without looking, he stuck the needle in Zeus’s back, placing it exactly over one of the cracks. He repeated this two times, and Zeus didn’t stir at all. He was a heavy sleeper.

The three needle were fairly close to each other, and Phoenix took the two remaining phials, and mixed some of the liquid inside in yet a fourth phial. He put the same kind of cap with a very tiny needle on it, and began the healing process.

“This will sting like hell, but that’s what the leaves are for.”

He took the phial with the mixed liquid, and carefully placed the needle on it inside one of the needles on Zeus’s back. Zeus groaned loudly, but not for long. Phoenix poured some liquid inside the other two needles, and waited a few minutes. He knew the substance would become like goo once inside the cracks. After three minutes, he took the grinded leaves and poured them into the needles. Now the liquid will merge with the leaves, increasing the effects of the chemicals, and soothing the pain. The cracks would be gone, and Zeus would be able to fight, but the blood vessels would need about four days to fully heal. Zeus would be ready in five days. The cracks will be gone by them time for the second fight of the group, and everything will be back to the way it was just in time, after some schedule arrangements.

Phoenix spent the night on a bed next to Zeus, just in case something unexpected happened. Luckily, everything seemed to be fine, and the magical herbs seemed to have done the job.

About nine in the morning the next day, Dragon knocked on the door, and one of the guards came in to announce him. Phoenix was handling some financial paperwork, and said Dragon had permission to enter. Dragon came in dressed in a black uniform that followed the same style as Phoenix’s, except that it was black, and had a design of a dragon on the back of it. Dragon was also wearing a red belt.

“How is he?”

“Why don’t you go ask him? He’s having breakfast.”

“How do you do that? It’s almost as if you’re magical or something. Cracks in the spine take years to heal. You will probably heal him in a week.”

“I might just be magical, thank to some very heavy meditation. He’ll be ready by the time of his next fight.”

“You really are unbelievable. I’ll go talk to him.”

“I’m sure he’ll appreciate that.”

Dragon walked into Zeus’s room, and saw him laying in bed, eating a breakfast on a tray made for that purpose.

“How are you doing?”

“Oh, Mr. Dragon! I am so surprised to see you here. It is such an honor to have you visit me. Thank you. I am doing very well. I barely feel anything, and Mr. Phoenix says I’ll be ready in about five days. It is not easy to heal when you are my age. I owe my fighting career to Phoenix. I am amazed at how much he values every warrior.”

“The honor of this visit is mine. I don’t know how many people would have survived that hit. You are a powerful fighter. I am fairly sure you will heal in much less than five days. As for my brother, you have no idea how much he loves every single fighter he meets. Even the man who killed out father; my brother just wants to send him off to jail for good so he won’t hurt the King of Warriors tradition.”

“How was your father killed, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“He was murdered. I’ll tell you all about it.

My father was the original host of this tournament. He started it back in 1990, on June 21, which happens to be Phoenix’s birthday. Phoenix was eleven years old, and had undergone one year of training with dad. He was getting ready to wrestle when he was twelve in the seventh grade, but, unfortunately, our dad never got to see him win every competition he entered, all the way through college.

Dad was murdered on May 20,1994 at the age of 34, right after the Fourth King of Warriors tournament. He had regained his title from Reaper, the man who would later murder him.

My dad was just sitting in a coffee shop with my mom, when a black limo rode past the store with machine guns. My dad pushed my mom away, but at least ten bullets went through him. His last words were, ‘Forgive me, my sons.’ I guess he meant that he wouldn’t be able to spend time with us anymore, and wouldn’t train us properly. Well, he was buried six days later, and Phoenix goes to his grave once before every tournament, and once after it, hoping dad will guide him. To tell you the truth, I have started doing that myself. That’s pretty much it. This tournament is all about revenge for me and Phoenix.”

“I am so sorry. I don’t blame you. But I am sure your dad still enjoys watching you, even though you guys can’t see him now.”

“I’m sure too, but Reaper will not escape us. Our dad would have lived to be at least 90, and that Jamaican took all that away from him. He will pay.”

“I hope you and Phoenix succeed. You have a very good cause. As long as no one gets killed, I believe everything will be settled.”

“Killing Reaper would be too easy. Phoenix will make sure he rots in a maximum security prison for the rest of his life.”

“Thank you for sharing that.”

“No problem. Do you think you will be able to come watch the fight with us tomorrow?”

“Of course he will,” said Phoenix who had just walked in the room.

“Well,” said Zeus, “how could I refuse such a humble invitation. I will definitely be there.”

The following day, on Wednesday, June 3, it was time for the second fight of group A. A man from China and a man from Japan would clash, as two opposing countries of greatly developed martial arts would. It was sure to be an exciting fight, and there seemed to be more people there as Zeus walked to the roof of the house with Dragon. Zeus noticed there were four chairs instead of three, and as he sat down, he asked Phoenix,

“Mr. Phoenix, who else is to join us?”

“My fiancé, Rose. She was in California visiting her parents, and she is returning a little later, since some earthquakes delayed some flights. She’ll be here in about ten minutes.”

“I can’t wait to meet her.”

Phoenix smiled, and Zeus got comfortable, as the fight was about to begin in less than five minutes. When it was time, a microphone was handed to Phoenix, as he began to announce,

“Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the second fight of group A in the Eighth King of Warriors Tournament preliminaries. Today, everyone is expecting a great fight that should last about ten minutes, which will no doubt probably be the greatest ten minutes in this tournament, was I not here. Now, let me introduce the fighters. First, from Okinawa, Japan, weighing 150 pounds, he is 20 years old and has been trained in Aikido, Judo, and Karate, please welcome, Ryu!”

The fans cheered as a small man came running out of Phoenix’s house, got into the ring, and ran around it once. It was clear to see that he had been here before, and had a great deal of respect from the fans.

After Ryu entered the ring, Zeus noticed a woman climbing up the steps behind where they were seated, and ascend through the hole in the roof. She was wearing black, and had a uniform just like Phoenix’s, except buttoned up in the front, of course, and had a red rose on her back. She was one of the most beautiful women he had seen in his whole life. She had a well-rounded face, with a small mouth, sharp nose, and very bright oval-shaped blue eyes, with blonde hair in a ponytail, with two strands hanging over her face. As she saw Zeus she smiled, walked past him over to Phoenix, kissed him, and sat down next to him.

“And now,” continued Phoenix, “from Beijing, China, weighing at 165 pounds, he is trained in Kung-fu, Arimoto!”

The fans didn’t cheer as much this time, since this was a new fighter, and this was his first time in the competition. Both fighters walked to the middle of the ring, and looked at each other.

“Fighters, face each other. Bow. Face me. Bow. Now, fighters ready, fight!!!”

The fighters circled the ring for a little while, but it didn’t take them as long to get into some action. Arimoto was the first one to throw a punch, which was easily dodged by Ryu. It was easy to tell the fighters were still studying each other. It was Ryu’s turn to throw a punch, and he landed it straight on Arimoto’s mouth. Arimoto staggered backwards a little bit, but soon recovered his stance as he punched Ryu in the stomach. As Ryu absorbed that blow and slightly bent over, he was kicked in the face and thrown on his back. He got up quickly and both fighters began to battle quickly, blocking a punch, then throwing one. It was hard for the audience to tell what was going on, but Phoenix and Dragon as well as Rose had no trouble following the fighters as they bounced around the ring. This went on for about five minutes as each fighter tried to outdo the other and to land more blows than the other, but finally, the fight was close to being finished. The two fighters backed away from each other and Arimoto, the more impatient one, charged one final time, trying to finish Ryu with one blow. Obviously, his blindness cost him, since he charged faster as he got closer, and Ryu ducked right before the deadly punch, and gently tripped up Arimoto, who went flying outside of the ring and landed square on his back.

Everyone that had betted on Arimoto groaned, as Phoenix stood up and announced,

“Ladies and gentlemen, your winner as a result of a ring-out, Ryu!!!”

The remaining fans cheered, as Phoenix continued,

“Please join us in two days, as Zeus goes on to face off the remaining fighter in group A, Pegasus.”

The audience got on the buses once again, and were soon on their ways home. Phoenix and everyone else got back down the stairs, and sat down in the second floor dining room for dinner. Zeus was also invited and kindly accepted.

As they reached the large table, Phoenix and Rose sat on one side, while Zeus and Dragon sat on the other. Zeus was actually fairly amazed when he was handed a menu, but it seemed that everyone else was used to it. Within five minutes, the “waiter” came back and asked everyone what they had chosen. Everyone said what they had picked, and the waiter went away.

Zeus was the one who began the conversation,

“So, Mr. Phoenix, please tell me how this whole tournament got started and what the purpose behind it is. I would really love to know.”

Phoenix smiled and began the long tale,

“Well, as you might know, this tournament got started back in 1990. I was eleven years old back then and had just begun training with my dad, since he was planning to hand over the tournament to me once he retired. As we all know, that happened a little early. The purpose behind this tournament was to give all the greatest fighters in the world an opportunity to compete in a fair and safe competitive environment. There weren’t that many fighters in the first four tournaments, but once I took over, hundreds of fighters began to come, since I had the proper tools for advertising since technology is a great thing. As you saw four days ago, I see to it that the rules of this tournament are strictly followed, since I do not wish to be responsible for a fighter’s injuries or funeral. So far, I believe I have done quite well, but there is always room for improvement.”

“I also think you have done very well, and I am glad you are so concerned with the fighters’ well-being. It really is an honor to be part of such a great tradition.”

“I am thankful you think so. We are all fighters, not killers, like some other people in this tournament who will pay dearly.”

“I am rooting for you all they way, Mr. Phoenix. You have a good cause.”

“I hope so.”

After dinner, Rose, Phoenix, and Dragon walked up to the third floor, while Zeus stayed on the first one where his room was. As the trio reached the last floor, Dragon went into his own room as Phoenix and Rose continued on to where Phoenix usually stayed. They walked inside, and Phoenix lay down on the bed as Rose went to take a shower. Phoenix turned on the 100 inch flat screen at the end of the room, next to the shower door. The news was on, and he decided to watch them before it was his turn to take a shower. They were showing a person being carried out of a courtroom. The reporter said,

“Judge John Mathis has been arrested today for questionable practices inside the courtroom. The police have found out that Mathis has wrongfully sentenced people for more or less than they should have been sentenced. Mathis has been a judge for fifteen years, and many are glad to be rid of him.”

Phoenix listened carefully, and after he heard this, he went over to the next room which was his work-out room, next to his office. He trembled as he walked over there. There were some bricks lined against the wall. He carefully stacked fifty of them. He closed his eyes for a second, concentrating. His eyes opened, and it sounded as though a demolition ball had struck the bricks. They shattered to the ground, as Rose screamed from the shower. She soon came out with her bathrobe on and asked Phoenix what had happened. He had went back to the bed and answered,

“You remember that Judge Mathis who sentenced Reaper, right?”

“Yeah. What about him?”

“He was just arrested today for sentencing people wrongfully because they were paying him. I knew Reaper had this planned from the start!!! Killers don’t just get eight years for murder. But that has its advantages. It means I had to wait less to get my hands on him. But one thing he underestimated was how far ahead I have planned.”

Two days later the fighters were up early as usual. They were preparing for one of the last fights in group A, and it was sure to be exciting. Pegasus was a friend of Zeus’s from Greece, but it was one of those bitter rivalries that this tournament was known for. Of course, Phoenix knew about it, and since both the fighters were very well trained, he decided to invite them both for a little emotion in the tournament. So far, he had been a success, since the fight between Zeus and Jack had caused 10% more people to come to the next fight. And as exciting as the fight was between Ryu and Arimoto, more could certainly be expected.

Zeus had been up since seven warming up for the fight. People were eager to see what had become of him, since most of them had seen him get badly hurt. Zeus did every possible exercise he could think of until it was ten o’clock, and he felt ready to go. He went inside to have breakfast with the rest of the fighters, but Phoenix nor his family were there. Either Phoenix was planning something or something had happened. Either way, Zeus sat down with the rest of the participants, and wondered what could be going on.

On the third floor, Phoenix had gathered his brother and Rose to tell them about Mathis and what he planned to do with him. They discussed the matter for about ten minutes when Dragon finally came up wit a good idea,

“You know what? We could pay the judge who is going to sentence Mathis to sentence him for life and set bail at a price not too many people in this city will be able to pay.”

“That doesn’t sound too bad,” said Phoenix, “we’ll go after the fight today and see who we can pay to sentence Mathis. I’ll make sure it’s a long time. OK then. Rose, what do you have to say about that?”

“I know you can take care of yourself, but, please, be careful anyway. I wouldn’t be able to stand it if I lost either one of you.”

“If we can’t protect ourselves, who can?”, said Phoenix as him and Dragon laughed.

Phoenix, Rose, and Dragon were comfortably settled on the “skybox” ready to watch the fight. It was eleven o’clock and they were quietly conversing about Zeus’s fight. They all betted on him, but they really had not seen Pegasus fight. Phoenix filled them in on a little info.

“Funny fact for you guys. One thing I’ll bet you didn’t know about Zeus and Pegasus is that they used to train together with the same master, but Pegasus eventually turned on his master and formal friend as he deserted them to go train with another master who didn’t really teach his students the way they should have been taught. That is how this rivalry got started. I can’t wait to see how it turns out.”

“That was a great background. I’m just as excited about this as you are. What about you Dragon?”, said Rose.

“I’m just as excited as both of you combined. This rivalry is close to the caliber of the one between Phoenix and Reaper. It’s just so exciting!”

“All right then,” said Phoenix, “time to get started.”

He picked up a microphone and announced,

“Ladies and Gentlemen, I am very glad to see you all back and am fairly sure today’s fight might be as good as our last one, if not even better. There have been over a million dollars placed in bets on this fight, since it seems everyone read the fighters’ history on our web site. And now, let’s get started. Introducing first, from Athens, Greece, weighing 168 pounds at the age of thirty, making his return from a serious injury, please welcome, ZEUS!!!”

Much of the fans cheered loudly, which was a sign that they had seen the Greek’s first fight. He came running through the door of Phoenix’s house wearing no shirt along with white pants that were covered in lightning on both sides. He ran to the ring and jumped inside it as he impatiently waited for his opponent.

“Now, his opponent. Also from Athens, Greece, weighing in at 190 pounds, at the age of 32, please welcome, Pegasus!!!”

A man wearing a red robe the type boxers usually wear when entering the ring came out. His face was hooded by the robe, and there was a horse with wings on the back of the robe. This man was not as well known to the fans, but some still cheered him on. He entered the ring and took of his robe. The two fighters were locked in a stare down for what seemed to them as eternities.

“OK, then. Let’s get this fight underway. Fighters, face each other. Bow. Face me. Bow. On your mark, ready, FIGHT!!!”

The fighters did not spend so much time staring each other down. Both of them seemed to charge at each other at almost the same time. They both seemed to be wrestling, since they were grabbing each other and trying to throw the other on the ground. This was obvious to Dragon, and especially to Phoenix. Finally, Pegasus grabbed Zeus’s leg and hurled him high into the air. As the fighters landed with a thud, Pegasus applied a lock to that leg, focusing on the knee of Zeus. With his left leg immovable, Zeus could not do much. Pegasus locked his arms under his opponents chin and pulled back as hard as he could. Zeus screamed, but was glad he was fully healed. He quickly elbowed his rival in the ribs until Pegasus let go. Once returned to a standing base, Pegasus said,

“How in the world did you heal so quickly?”

“You have no idea what I can do.”

Having said that Zeus charged and by the time Pegasus knew it, he was in a headlock on the ground with Zeus on top of him. Zeus was driving his knee into the back of his opponent, but then he heard Phoenix’s voice,

“Enough.”

Zeus drew his knee back and continued pressuring his opponent’s neck. For this he suffered a quick and hard head butt, making him let go instantly. Both fighters stood up, but the nose of Zeus was bleeding. Pegasus laughed as he charged this time. He charged, but was met by Zeus’s right hand. Having not expected this, he stumbled and his rival took advantage. Zeus punched and kicked away at his opponent’s body as Pegasus continued to stumble backwards towards the edge of the ring. He tried to duck out of the way at the last moment, but Zeus tripped him, as older Greek fell, his neck right on the edge of the ring. Zeus quickly wrapped his feet past his shoulders, and around his neck, in what we could call a reverse head scissors. Zeus’s strong feet put all the pressure on his opponent, and Pegasus began to choke, since his neck was on the edge of the ring. He quickly tapped as the fans cheered wildly for their new favorite to win the tournament. The two opponents actually shook hands and hugged, showing that their rivalry was a complete loss of time, and that they finally realized it had all been settled once and for all.

Phoenix picked up the microphone and announced,

“Ladies and Gentlemen, your winner via a submission, Zeus!!!”

The fans cheered as Zeus raised his hands in triumph.

“Please join us again in two days, as Zeus will go on to face the remaining fighter from group A, Ryu. Don’t miss it. It is sure to be a showstopper. Have a wonderful day!”

As usual, the audience went home on the buses, and the rest of the fighters along with Phoenix’s family went inside. They waited for Zeus and congratulated him on his victory.

“I was very glad to get it over with. I’m also very happy to see that we have been feuding over something fairly ridiculous and we have finally worked everything out. Now, I can’t wait to get back to Greece.”

“You deserved that victory. You did a very good job fighting, and I personally am really glad you won, since now we can show what it is to be a part of the best,” said Phoenix.

“Thank you Mr. Phoenix. I truly am glad to be a part of the best, and I am very eager to see how you especially fight.”

“You will only get to see me fight once, so make sure you take notes.”

Everyone laughed, and Zeus proceeded to his room, as the others ascended to the third floor in which they had made their plans for a little bit of revenge.

“OK,” said Phoenix, “me and bro are getting ready to go talk with some judges. Ali, you stay here and we’ll be back in about five hours, give or take a few. Bye.”

“OK. Just be careful, like I said. I’ll be waiting for you to come back.”

Phoenix and Dragon went and changed into some suits, Phoenix had grabbed a suitcase with the money consisting of two million dollars and both of them went down to the garage which contained a Hummer, a 2004 Corvette, and a Lamborghini Diablo, a Ford Crown Victoria, a Porsche 911 turbo, and a 2004 Dodge Viper, as well as a big limo with the tournament logo on the roof.. The Hummer was black with big 26 inch tires with some very nice rims that shined as though they were lit on fire. The Corvette was yellow, and didn’t seem to be customized at all, except for the rims. The Lamborghini looked as though it had never been touched, and the everything was the same as it would have been in a picture. Nothing on that car had been changed. The Crown Victoria was black, and it seemed as though it served as a family car, simply because of its size. The Porsche 911 had customized rims and it was a coupe, unlike the Corvette which was a convertible. The Porsche was begging to be taken out. But the Viper was the true sight in the garage. It was blue with some beautiful rims and covered in white flames. It was a coupe also, but nothing but the paintjob and the rims had been customized. Anyone could tell that it belonged to Phoenix, since it bore the tournament colors, and because of the simple fact that it was blue. The limo had nothing special about it, since that was strictly for business.

“So,” sad Dragon, “which one should we take?”

“Since I’ll be driving and we’re men going on business…”

“The Viper,” said both of them as they laughed and entered the car.

They got inside and buckled up. The interior consisted of black leather with the tournament logo on each of the two seats of the car. It still had that new car smell, and it was only on 500 miles. It was obvious Phoenix usually used the limo for transportation, but made good use of all the other cars as well.

He started the engine and the whole house roared as the mighty beast came to life. The only other part that seemed to be changed was a muffler. Phoenix revved it a few times, and took off. As soon as the person watching the gate to the house heard the car, he opened the gate, as the Viper flew out onto the road.

Rose watched them drive away, and she smiled as she once again said a prayer thanking God for making her the happiest woman on Earth- she was beautiful, smart, and the wife of a billionaire. What more could she ask for?

As they were driving, Phoenix pulled out a laptop from between the seats and handed it over to Dragon.

“Find out when Mathis is getting his trial. You know how to work the FBI and police directories.”

“Sure do,” said Dragon as he began to type away.

It didn’t take long, and he said,

“It’s in two weeks on June 19. Ha, seems you might get a nice birthday present after all. The judge is Elmer Wilkins. He’s on 573 North Azalea Ave. Let’s go pay him a visit.”

“Gladly.”

In about ten minutes the duo had made in front of the courthouse which was where Wilkins should be located. The Viper roared as it parked in front of the building, and the two brothers got out as Phoenix grabbed the suitcase and turned on the alarm. Many of the people were gazing at the wonderful car, although none of them seemed to know who Phoenix was. They entered the white building and found themselves in a nice little waiting-type room with about three sofas and six chairs. There was a counter at the far end with a little red-haired woman in her forties filling out some papers. They walked over to her and she welcomed them,

“Good afternoon, gentlemen. How may I assist you?”

“We would like to speak with Judge Wilkins. Would now be a good time?” said Phoenix.

“Certainly. He’s preparing for his upcoming trial for the sentence of Mathis. That’s the first time I’ve seen two judges in the same courtroom, only on different sides of the law. Let me just make sure he’s not busy.”

She picked up a phone nearby and asked the judge that he had some visitors who would like to see him, and if he was available. She hung up and walked over to the fighters.

“Right this way, please.”

She led them down a hallway and into a room close to the end of it. She knocked on the door, and the judge answered “Enter.” She opened the door as Phoenix and Dragon walked in.

“How are you today, gentlemen?” asked the judge who seemed to be in his later forties, but very well built for a man his age.

Phoenix made sure the footsteps of the secretary had resided when he called out,

“Bryan, what in the world are you doing here?”

“Phoenix, is that you?” replied the judge as he stared in amazement at the individual in front of him.

“Hell yeah it’s me. Now, tell me what this is all about.”

Dragon couldn’t take it anymore so he asked,

“How do you guys know each other?”

Phoenix replied to his question, “This guy was my ju-jitsu teacher. He used to live on the same street as us before dad began the tournament. He started training me when I was about eight years old. You probably don’t remember him, but he’s a good friend.”

“By god, I never would have thought I would see you again. Let’s get little Ivan here caught up.”

“He goes by Dragon. He’s followed in dad’s footsteps as well.”

“Well, go on ahead and have a seat. We have a lot of catching up to do.” said the judge as Phoenix and Dragon sat down.

“Go on ahead and tell him the story, Bryan. I’m sure he’ll enjoy it.”

“I certainly will tell him.”

“As we all know, you guys used to live in Charleston, South Carolina before Rama began this tournament and moved here to increase his fortune. But you Dragon, may not remember me so well, since you were only about five years old when I first began to teach your brother here. Anyway, I used to live two houses down from yours on 219 Birmingham. You guys used to play at my basketball goal all the time. Those were the good old days before we all got caught up in this mess. I remember it as though it was just yesterday-my wife would tell me how you always asked her to move the car so you could play horse or something. I knew you guys were playing Around the World, since I was the one who first brought that idea upon you. I hope you guys are still the good little kids I remember.

This was all around 1987. I had taught many things to Phoenix in those few years leading up to 90. How are you doing in ju-jitsu?”

“I’m a seventh dan.”

“Oh my god. You’re doing wonderful. Anyway, in that dreadful summer of 88, I had seen one of my neighbors carry some bags out of the trunk of his car at about two A.M. in the morning while I was outside since I was having some trouble sleeping. They were plastic bags filled with powder. I called the police and they came that afternoon to raid the house for drugs and found twenty five pounds of cocaine. The man was arrested and sentenced to ten years, but some of his friends kept on hunting me down trying to kill me, since I guess they were the ones that would have gotten all the drugs. I finally decided to move away, but I never did get to say goodbye to Rama and his sons. I spent the next ten years I spend in Australia wondering what I should do after I came back to the U.S. I decided to study a bit of law. I enjoyed it a lot, and that’s why I am here right now. I came back to the U.S. and instantly sentenced the criminals to 8 years each and stayed here in New York in the hopes of finding you. Thankfully, fate has landed you right on my doorstep. Now, what do you need?”

“Well, do you know what happened to my dad?”

“No. Please, don’t tell me…”

“We tried to keep it as quiet as possible, but he was murdered in 94 by one of the participants in the tournament.”

“No. He was such a great man. How old was he?”

“Forty two.”

“Damn. Such a young age. I’m forty one myself right now.”

“Well, listen to this. The murdered had paid off the judge who sentenced him, and only got sentenced for eight years. As you know, his name is Jacob Mathis and you are taking care of him. I know the man if forty five and would like you to sentence him for thirty years with bail at five million dollars. Does that seem reasonable without people getting suspicious?” asked Phoenix.

“Heck no,” replied Wilkins, “I would do it for more, but, yeah, that would be about right for crimes of his caliber. And we can’t get in trouble since you didn’t pay me off like you were planning. Friend to friend, this favor is done.”

“Thanks Bryan. Now, how come you changed your name?”

“So those goons can’t keep track of me. They’re still out there.”

“Hmm…That’s fairly interesting. Well, it was a pleasure seeing you, and in case you need to reach me, here’s my card.”

“Thank you Phoenix. I’ll see you at the trial.”

“I wouldn’t miss it.”

When they had walked back to the car and were about to get in, Phoenix asked,

“You want to go and grab something to eat. I kind of skipped breakfast this morning and I’m getting pretty hungry.”

“Sure. I’m pretty hungry too. How about Chinese?”

“Let’s go.”

Phoenix started up the Viper and they drove away. As the were driving, Dragon looked around him and thought about how glad he was to be here and live this wonderful life his dad and brother had given him.

After about fifteen minutes they had reached a great pagoda which was obviously the restaurant. They walked inside, and a waiter came by to escort them to their tables. The restaurant was huge and covered in all sorts of Chinese paintings and some statues of Buddha, and a couple of dragons here and there. It consisted of four floors, and they were escorted to the third one. They were seated at a small, rectangular table that would have seated four, but was given to them. Soon, they were brought menus and they were quick to order they favorite Chinese foods. After about ten minutes the food was ready and it was brought to them. It took them about half and hour to eat all of about the twelve dishes brought to them, but a sigh of relief came out when they were through. Phoenix had brought the suitcase and wondered whether he should reach in and pull out fifty dollars. He decided not to. They called for the bill, and it soon came. Fifty seven dollars and eleven cents. Phoenix pulled out a wallet and wrote a check. He gave it to the waitress, and they got up ready to leave. Phoenix picked up the suitcase and said,

“Shit.”

As soon as that word had come out of his mouth, four people with guns and ski masks walked in and pointed their Uzi’s at him. He told Dragon to sit down as the robbers circled in around him. Everyone else screamed but did not move.

“Give me that suitcase pretty boy before I blow your brains out.” said one of the robbers.

“Come and get it,” said Phoenix.

“How about you kick it over here. That makes it easier for both of-”

As he was talking, Phoenix ran over to him and had knocked him in the mouth. He fell to the ground as Dragon sprang into action and took care of the two closest to him. Phoenix took the last one that was left standing. The man seemed to be able to fight, since he was able to block two of Phoenix’s punches. Phoenix got him in a half-nelson and asked what his names was.

“Cerberus.”

“Who sent you?”

“Apollo.”

Phoenix squeezed him until he passed out.

Everyone in the restaurant cheered, as Phoenix called the police to let them know what had happened.

“Well, now let’s get home.” he said as they walked out to the Viper and drove away.

They were quickly on their way home when Dragon asked Phoenix who those guys were.

“They were sent by Apollo. One thing I don’t know is what he has to do with all this. I thought Reaper was the only one I should be worried about. Maybe they formed a little alliance and want to make sure I defend the title against at least one of them so they can get rid of me and take over the tournament. If one of them beats me and becomes champion, they get the tournament, since I didn’t get to choose who the next host is. If I didn’t decide that, it automatically goes to the champ, or if I was champ, then it would go to you. Damn! We’re finally in the deep shit.”

“We’ll take care of it. Don’t worry. We’ve got all the power in this city and no one can take that away from us. We’ll just have to spice up security a bit and hope for the best.”

“I’ll do that, but I won’t get rid of neither Apollo nor Reaper. It’s personal now, and we’ll settle it in the ring. Whichever one makes it to me is gone. You can have the other one. You’re in group D, right?”

“That’s right.”

“All right then. My only concern is that they have me surrounded. Apollo, the guy back there named Cerberus. They are both enrolled in the tournament and it wouldn‘t be fun to kick them out. I‘ll make sure we take good care of them.”

“You can count on me.”

“I hope so. Besides, I’m thinking about holding the final fight at Valhalla. That would spice things up a bit, don’t you think?”

“Oh, yeah.”