Europe, distant future. A meteorite impacted on the area of Russia, turning the area into a dead zone. Moreover, it emits a strange radiance which increases the impact survivors and their offsprings' endurance and strength, but also causing them to...
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The next day, the Showdown matches finally start. Since there are too many Champions, almost the whole tournament is fought like the preliminary matches in the Second league. For four days, the Champions will fight randomly (?) picked opponents until they all won't have the same number of battles finished. Just like in the preliminary rounds, they earn points based on the number of Clash and Fatal points scored, but the bonus for victory is bigger.
It also means no Champion will go home until the end of the second day where an event called "Half off" occurs, eliminating half of the Champions with the least number of points, reducing their number to 64. Then, at the end of the fourth day, only eight Champions with the highest number of points advance into the elimination phase. It's actually a great way to hold a tournament since it frees us from the "All or nothing" stigma present in the Second league where the elimination phase starts at sixty-four contestants.
I'll do whatever it takes to advance into the Inner Circle, as the fans call the eight best Champions.
Soon after Chairman Havel greets us, the first duo is matched and the fights begin. They are fought almost all day, so the spectators are offered a huge number of fights in one day. The organizers also make sure every Champion will have a sufficient pause after each fight.
My first fight comes soon after the day's start. Melancholy strikes me as I find out I'll be fighting Red Queen, one of the first Champions I fought during my professional carreer. She's just as arrogant as she used to be, something like a cheap copy of Nightingale.
I kick her ass within several minutes and only let her score five points while I score the maximum number, nine plus bonus four for victory. I couldn't wish for better start of the tournamment.
It continues like this all day. I spend some time watching other fights, cheering loudly if one of my friends is present. The Champions are so different that every fight is unique and exciting, especially when you count in the special arenas.
Sometimes I win, sometimes I lose. But that's okay. Nobody here is undefeated, not even Nightingale (especially when she can't pump braker into all her opponents for that day). We are all more or less equally powerful here and the point difference between the 1st and 128th place is smaller than expected. Everyone has a chance to qualify into the Inner Circle and fight for the desired title.
The screens containing our portraits changed into a leaderboard updated after each fight. At the end of the first day, it looks like this:
