(((I'm going to do a time-skip, so we can get on with the story))))
A few weeks later, Alyssa and Chance were out of the hospital. Chance continued to train for the tournament, and the others seemed to relax and enjoy life. Finally, the day of the tournament arrived........
"Hey, guys!!" Alyssa's cheery voice broke the silent atmosphere. Several of the tournament participants turned to look at her, but she didn't notice. She ran to her friends, clustered close to a tree. Everyone was there, but something seemed odd. Devin would try and talk to Alexis, and she would ignore him. "So, Alexis, are you entering?" asked Alyssa. Alexis shook her head no. "But, I'll be watching to support you guys...." said Alexis. Devin, John, Chance, and Alyssa had all entered. "I wonder if Zach's here, too...." said Alyssa. A voice broke the silence, announcing itself on the intercom. "All tournament participants, please report to the Center Building for the Preliminaries." said the voice. "Guess we should go..." said John. "Good luck, guys!" said Alexis. They all got up, and walked to the Center Buolding. Inside, were 64 tournament rings. A white haired guy stood in the center of one, garbed in a suit and tie. "Welcome, tournament participants. My name is Shiyo. I am commisioner of this tournament, after it was passed down by my grandfather to me. Since then, I've become a buisnessman, and made lots of money. Anyway, onto the tournament. The winner of the tournament will receive a little compensation....10,000 dollars!!" said Shiyo. "10,000!?!?!?" the whole room seemed to yell. "That's not all. The winner will have bragging rights of being the greatest fighter in the world.....and, the winner also will have a chance to fight me!!" said Shiyo. "Maybe....we're in over our heads. This is no amateaur tournament...." thought Alyssa. "As you might've seen, there are more than 64 participants here, so we've taken the liberty of organizing the preliminaries. You will obly have one fight, as there are 128 people here. Also, I'm supposed to ask if anyone wants to forfeit....of course, you can choose to forfeit when you see your opponent. Everyone, please go over to the information desks. Each desk has a group of letters, which is how you're coded. Go to the desk with the letter of your last name, the information person will tell you which ring to report to......all fights will be simaltaneous, and will wittle the tournament down to the real fighters......now, on with the tournament....." said Shiyo.
Chance, John, Alyssa, and devin all walked over to their respective desks, and received a number. "I'm on Ring 56. Alyssa's on 12, Devin's on 45, and John's on 24. Well, good luck you guys!!" said Chance. He wlaked to row 50, and climbed up on Ring 56. His opponent was a humongous guy, with strong arms. He wasn't wearing a shirt, only a loincloth. "Shee....scary!!" commented Chance. Alyssa, Devin, and John were all on their rings, too. "When everyone is ready....begin!!!" shouted Shiyo. "Heh heh heh.....Taro gonna smash you like bug!!" said Chance's opponent. "Wait, before you start.....you win either if your opponent surrenders, is knocked unconcious, or is knocked out of the ring. Now, RESUME!!!" shouted Shiyo. Taro charged towards Nin. Taro was an inch away from Chanc'es face, before he sidestepped. "Wuh!!!" came the cry from Taro, as he tripped, and fell out of the ring. Alyssa was fighting a girl her own age, and one. John and Devin also won their matches easily. Chance and the others were watching the other matches finish. One match particularly caught Chance's eye. "That guy....he won without even moving a muscle!!" said Chance. The guy he was pointing to had an odd shaped gourd on his back, and sand was littered all across the ring. His opponent had surrendered, and severla tournament officials were now rushing towards the ring. Sand was wrapped around his opponent, squeezing him to death. "Let him go!! He surrendered already!!" one of the officials started to say. The boy closed his eyes, and released his opponent. "He just stood there.....with his arms crossed. Who is that guy?" Nin asked, shocked. "Hmm....the records just say 'Gaara'. What an odd name...." said Shiyo. Gabe walked over, and sat by them. "Gabe!! I didn't know you were here!!" said Alyssa. "Yeah, I entered. I won my match easy!!" said Gabe. "Alright, all the matches are finished. Let us head outside to the big ring...." said Shiyo. Everyone got up, and headed out. Chance caught Garra's face out of the corner of this guy. "Who is he....?" he asked.