The stadium was incredibly lively, with the stands shaking; the energy was loud and the mood was great.
The giant Coliseum-like structure stretched on for miles, almost as large as a single city
Inside, thousands of people of different ethnicities and races could be seen in harmony.
Excitement was palpable in the air.
Almost as one, a chant was being shouted by all of them, almost as loud as a cannon blast.
Roaring and shaking the entire Coliseum was the single resounding phrase:
"Battle, battle, send them out! Battle, battle, send them out!"
The energy was palpable, exciting, and highly infectious even through the TV screen where millions of families who couldn't afford the tickets were watching with excitement.
Among them was a small girl sitting in a hospital bed with a bandage over her eye.
She looked slightly scared yet sort of excited as she watched the screen, knowing her brother was participating for her sake.
She had long black hair and soft brown eyes. An IV was hooked up to her arm, slowly dripping a strange reddish-brown liquid.
On the bedside table was a letter written by her brother, and sitting asleep in the chair, because it was midnight, was a beautiful woman.
She also had black hair, although her eyes were blue.
Soft yet weary age lines creased her forehead despite her sleeping, and some parts of her hair could be seen turning grey; overall, she was still a very intoxicating woman who was clearly a knockout back in her prime.
On the TV screen showing Alaska hours away, the news station here in Louisiana was covering the story. A blonde reporter in a chic outfit beamed with confidence and excitement.
"And we're reporting here live from Alaska at the TitanaDome," she said, "where viewers are super excited to see the 75th anniversary of the Teen Tourney that is now open internationally! Everyone's wondering: how will this year's Teen Tourney turn out? The champion from 15 years ago, Brett Crowder, is now in the regular tourney—the Titans Tourney—and he has become a regular and a mega-star revered all around the world. He got his start on Teen Tourney with his teleportation and space-time relativity abilities."
She continued, "There are many other stories like that, but what we're most excited to see now is how strong this new year's kids are and how many of them from abroad can stand up to our ones from home. I think it's safe to say, domestically or internationally, this is going to be one ride you will never forget. So, tune in to your TVs every night at 7:00 to watch Teen Tourney on ABSN News. Carly, back to you."
Clicking off the TV, the young girl in the hospital bed sighed, looking scared once more. Almost murmuring to herself softly, she said, "Rick-Rick, please be safe..."
Meanwhile, back in Alaska, the crowd had still not settled down, even after nearly 45 minutes of non-stop screaming and excitement. It seemed that it could go on forever, but alas, the lights suddenly darkened and the open roof of the Superdome Coliseum closed abruptly, plunging the arena into pitch-black darkness.
Contrary to what one would expect, instead of panicking or falling silent, the crowd livened up even more.
"Battle! Battle! Send them out! Battle! Battle! Send them out! Teen Tourney!"
The shaking stands, the heckles, the laughs, and all the infectious, emotionally charged excitement exploded into a fervor never seen before.
Then, slicing through the darkness, two neon lights streaked from the corner of the entrance tunnel on the far left, which faces the east.
They flew toward the ceiling of the dome hundreds of feet in the air before exploding into fireworks.
The sparks sprinkled down like fairy dust and hovered in the air, suddenly flaring and remaining lit, making it look as though stars had descended upon the arena.
Amidst the fervor of the fans, a single figure stood on a makeshift stage at the very bottom of the arena floor. He was short, but his presence was unique, to say the least.
Standing around 4 feet 6 inches tall, he had wild hair—spiky and clearly held up with some kind of hair product—shooting over 12 feet into the air.
His stubby fingers were adorned with a multitude of rings, some gold, some platinum, and some silver, all embedded with a "silver ruby."
You may be wondering what a silver ruby is, but it is his own creation. This man is called Alchemii, and he can create constructs via earth manipulation, a form of matter manipulation, and then convert them using transmutation.
This allows him to create makeshift weapons on the battlefield in seconds, not to mention a multitude of wealth.
He participated in the 16th Teen Tourney and soon became beloved by the fans, who gave him the name Alchemii, a name that has stuck all these years later.
His tall, white hair led down to a weathered, somewhat saggy face, but his eyes were bright with a youthful spark.
He seemed to have never lost the spark that made him a child and one of the greatest contenders of the 16th Teen Tourney.
His bright golden eyes sparkled as his face was projected onto the big screens surrounding the upper platforms, allowing those who could not afford front-side seats to see and hear him.
At his appearance, the fervor reached a peak; it seemed as if the noise, vibrations, and stomping were going to bring the entire coliseum down.
Grinning broadly, he raised his hands and a fistful of dirt flung upward, transforming once more into the stars that now illuminated the whole Coliseum.
It was a trick he performed by turning pebbles, loose rocks, and other miscellaneous items into bright lights.
Although he once used them as distractions or flares during his youth in the Teen Tourney, he now used them for illumination, suspense, and effect.
The effect was exactly what he received. As children looked up in wonder, the "OGs" and older fans who recognized him recalled their glory days and the Teen Tourney's glorious past—the "good old days," as they would say.
Wearing a ridiculous, bright gold-sequined suit that caught the light, he shook his head, causing his giant head of hair to wobble precariously and drawing laughs from the children in the stands.
He tapped the microphone, grinning. Screech. The sound, like fingernails on a chalkboard, echoed through the arena, abruptly drawing the crowd to a silence.
The man in the suit grinned before simply stating, "My bad! I didn't know it would do that, but that is definitely one way to get your attention, huh?"
A ripple of chuckles echoed through the stands as he stared at the screen once more.
He gives a low chuckle and flashes a devilish-looking grin at the cameras. "Now, now, I know what you're all thinking: 'Who's this devilishly handsome old fellow standing down there who's got the hair like a rockstar and the looks to match?'"
Pausing at that, he allowed the crowd time to laugh and after the chuckles died down, he stared at the screen mysteriously with a small grin and one eyebrow raised.
"I'll tell you who I am. I am the 75th anniversary of the awesomest, most super-duper fantastic tournament in the history of mankind, the Teen Tourney, and I am the host. So ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, viewers at home, let me hear how much you like this Teen Tourney—and how much you like me, naturally. But that's besides the point! Give it up for this year's 75th Anniversary and first ever International... Teen Tourney! I'm your host, Alchemii, and this is going to be one hell of a year."
If you thought the crowd lost it before, then the way they lost it now, they're never going to find it.
Scientists far away even detected a small-scale tremor resembling an earthquake.
But with this era's technology, it's way easier to pick up on things like that. Plus, many people working in such industries have powers that can even detect them automatically, let alone cause them.
It took 45 minutes to calm the ecstatic crowd, who showed no sign of slowing down. At least, that was until Alchemy clapped his hands and a thunderous gunshot sound went off, though it really just was a bang he made with his powers. The crowd quieted down slowly but surely, eventually turning their attention back to the short man.
"Now," Alchemii said, "as I was saying, it's the 75th anniversary—although exciting, is also a time of celebration and reflection. So, let me look at the schedule..."
Flipping through an imaginary book, he licked his thumb and mimes putting on a pair of reading glasses like an elderly person before turning back and looking at the crowd, winking and giving that roguish and devilish grin once more.
"Ah, here it is: Schedule. Titans Tourney Hall of Fame, but only those who made an impact in the Teen Tourney as well. Ha! That wasn't included in the brochure, I'm sure. So, why don't we welcome in 13 of the strongest Teen Tourney candidates who also went on to become Titan Tourney legends? Give it up for Splicer, Hattrick, Mirage, Melancholy, Melodious, Springsteen, Maniacal Mustache, Bullet Mullet, Flashbang, Popsaw, Woody McTrees, and Arlania!"
As he said those obviously not correct and slightly comedic names of legends and Hall of Famers, more than ten highly recognizable figures walked onto the stage.
Well, some walked, some flew, and one even came up from underneath the ground, swimming through the earth like it was a pool of water. And seeing them, the crowd went wild once more.
A short ceremony was conducted and these 13 people were inducted into the Teen Tourney Hall of Fame, one of them more than 67 years after his debut.
After that, a small signing session was held for those who held VIP tickets, and then the audience in the Coliseum's attention turned to Alchemy once more.
"Well now, don't look at me like that; you're going to break my heart," he joked, winking at the crowd. "Don't think I don't know what you all want. And well, who am I to deny you? As a wise man once said: 'Give the people what they want.' And what you want is fight, action, and a good old time, right? With that said, let me hereby commence the 75th Teen Tourney start! But not only is it international, but it is the anniversary of one of the greatest, if not the greatest, events in the history of mankind. Ladies and gentlemen, I won't hold you for long. I hereby commence the start."
Dong!
He suddenly used earth manipulation followed by quick transmutation to turn the stage into a giant, ancient-looking gong, which he rang with a ferocity that made everybody's hair stand on end.
The reverberation of the gong caused many to jump in surprise before laughing at Alchemy's childish antics.
He was too beloved a figure to even try to hold him to a serious standard.
And besides, everyone knew what that gong meant. It meant another full year of exciting fights, tournament matches, and seeing strong figures rise up above others.
This year, international fighters would be attending, meaning a more variety of powers and tactics, and a huge boost in participants.
As advertised by the Teen Tourney Superhuman Committee (the TTSHC), over 400,000 combatants from all around the world would be contending in a brutal showdown to claim the cash prize of $400 million and the mantle of strongest teen under 18 in the entire world, not to mention being scouted by managers or teams from the Titans Tourney division.
And now, the first match was beginning, and no one knew that this year was going to be far beyond what they had ever seen.