Dante's Abyss: Main Arena

[Raditzu]

Though no one was speaking above a pronounced whisper, the entire room was filled with an almost deafening hum. People were conversing about everything from what they expected the weather to be like, to how worried they were about a pet they had left at home. It was the sort of irrelivant conversations that people only made to take their minds off of something to come. To distract themselves from some bigger, larger force. The large room they were in was almost identical to the "Information Deck" that everyone had gathered in on the Loading Platform, complete with uncomfortable folding chairs. Scattered throughout the crowd were warriors who were saying nothing. They wore smug grins, or concieted smirks, and simply observed those around them. They energy in the air built upon itself exponentially as a woman climbed onto a make-shift stage and called for their attention. She wore the same uniform that all of the Synex employees seemed to be wearing. She slipped a microphone onto her shirt and checked it with a small cough. The warriors present grew quiet and waited for whatever it was she was about to say.

"Alright." She began pacing across the stage. "We are about to land at the arena for this tournament. I'd like to start by making one thing clear: this is a publicity stunt first, and a tournament second." Several people turned to whoever was next to them to express their confusion. "The Synex corporation is hosting this because of the almost incomprehensible profit that can be made. They don't really care about who is the strongest, or why you people want to fight. With that said, I think we should move on to the basic rules of the tournament." Though people were still talking about being part of a publicity stunt, they quieted up as a large screen rose from the back of the stage.



"This is the basic layout of the tournament arena." She pointed out areas on the map with a laser pointer as she spoke. "The area labeled 'start' is where the participants will be set down from the ship. Also here is the 'main event' arena and holding cels for those who give up during the course of the tournament. The pentagons marked 'one' are the safe houses, or bunkers, for you to stay in. While in these bunkers, your collars will be deactivated and you can stock up on any supplies that you have run out of. Also in the bunkers are cots, food reserves, and medical kits. The squares marked 'two' are the bases of operation for the Synex troops that will also be participating in this tournament. Their job is, basically, to get in your way. There will be no reward given for killing a Synex employee, but they recieve bonuses for killing you. The yellow bars indicae barricades set up to further impede your mobility. I'm not at liberty to discuss the specifics of the barricades, but I strongly suggest that no one attempt to go through them." The woman paused for a moment, took a deep breath, then continued on.

"As you can see, each area is designated A, B, C, or D. Throughout the tournament arena are cameras designed to follow the events of the tournaments. In the main event arena there hundreds of screens showing various camera outputs to those who are watching this event from the arena. Along those lines, the people watching here will be the ones to judge this tournament. At any given time, they may vote for a participant in this tournament to recieve points. The number of points is completely up to the audience, but a majority vote much be reached for the participant to recieve them."

"What will they be giving us points for?" A warrior waved his hand as he asked his question.

"Whatever they want. Your job is to put on a show for them. Do something flashy, or say the right thing. Whatever. It's completely up to them. To that extent, there will be two warriors, picked at random, fighting in the main event arena. This is a chance for the audience to see what you can do first hand. The warriors will be teleported, via their collars, into the arena when they are chosen. There will be no warning, nor will the match-ups neccisarily be fair." The woman hesitated for a second, then reached into a pocket and pulled out a small note card. Her eyes scanned over it for a second, then it disappeared. With a small cough, she continued, "a few more details to cover, and then we're done. To quit, at anytime, simply say 'I surrender' and you will be immediatly transported to a holding cell for the duration of the tournament. For killing another participant, you will earn five thousand zeni, and for forcing another participant to surrender, you will recieve half of that. Winners of the tournament will be based on the number of points you have recieved during the course of the event. Giving up, or dying, results in all of your points being taken away." The woman glanced over at a side door, where another Synex employee nodded to back. "And finally we'll go over your equipment. For any of you without armor of your own, Synex will supply a suit of Saiya-jin Armor. Each of you will recieve a standard scouter with the Ki Monitor and Q-Wave upgrades. Each scouter also has a copy of the map stored within it. Everyone will also be allowed to carry one senzu bean and one Stasis Field Grenade with them. You may restock on any of the equipement at one of the bunkers. Now, go pick up your equipment through that door," she pointed towards the door she had checked a second ago, "and head down to begin the tournament."

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After picking up their equipment, the warriors found themselves being led through several corridors. A low rumble could be heard echoing through the hallways as they filed through. The rumbling grew louder and louder until they exited through a large archeway. All around them, people burst into a thunderous roar. Cheering and clapping deafened the warriors who were still making their way into the arena floor. Across the arena, another archeway opened. Through the opened doors, the warriors could see forests and desolate plains. The participants shot looks around the arena, at the audience, towards their opponents. Dante's Abyss had begun.