The day of the fight started out uneventful. Gurk woke up later than anticipated and spent extra time in the shower. A brief scolding from Itzel was promptly followed by a late breakfast at Grub On. Once the meal finished, Itzel led the group to the nearest Public Carrier waiting station. The ride was nearly vacant save for the few older passengers.
They gave Gurk some silent stares, to which they received a fierce look from Itzel before going back to their personal business. The trio took spots at the back of the vehicle, sitting mostly in silence for the majority of the trip.
"You remember everything we've been over?" Itzel asked once they neared their destination.
"Think so." Gurk nodded his head, his eyes looking up like he was scanning his mind for answers. Janus sat on the opposite side of the public carrier, watching the crocodile scratch his head with his claw.
"If all else fails, just do what you normally do, big guy," Itzel placed her hand on his shoulder and gave it a small shake. "In the middle of the fight, if you can't remember the session you had with BRUTE or all of the tactics you discussed with Janus, just stick with doing what you do best."
"And what would that be?" Janus asked, leaning in towards the conversation.
"Being aggressive! Even if you don't win today, Gurk, promise me that you'll at least get a few good attacks in! Seeing Siergi get hit with a face-full of Glacier Breath or take the Enhanced Variant of Tail Slash to the back of the head would have made everything we've done up to this point more than worth it."
"For you!" Gurk winked while giving Itzel a pair of thumbs ups.
"Don't do it for me. Do it for you," Itzel pointed one finger at the crocodile's chest. "But hitting Siergi extra hard benefits both of us."
"Right."
The carrier that they were travelling on slowed down. Janus could feel his body lower as the vehicle's momentum came to a stop. Out of the window was a large crowd of people surrounding a building. Once the carrier landed, the chatter of the group of people became audible. Despite individual words and conversations being incomprehensible, there was a tone of excitement that Janus could detect.
"I'm guessing we're in front of Siergi's studio?" Janus said, his head tilted behind him as he looked out the window. Itzel got up from her seat to peek outside.
"Yep. Looks like word has gotten out about who he's fighting next. How does that crowd look compared to what he usually has for a Broadcast, Gurk?"
The crocodile stepped forward. He too stared out the window. "Big."
"That's what I figured," Itzel replied. "My hunch tells me since a lot of the top talent in Labrisson had gone missing for a while, his viewers are craving a good match." It didn't take long for some of the crowd to turn their attention to the carrier that had landed a short walk away on the other side of the street. One of the viewers outside took note of the vehicle, and like a cascade, the rest of the people in front of entrance turned to face the carrier as well. They slowly made their way to the window, peering inside and staring at Gurk with awe. Their muffled cries of excitement penetrated the metal exterior of the carrier.
"They're all excited to see you Gurk!" Janus said, his eyes scanning the swarm of people that surrounded the outside of the vehicle.
"More like they're excited to see who Siergi is going to fight against," Itzel scoffed. "Any other time they'd probably be too terrified to even approach him." Some of the viewers went around to the other side, gathering around the vehicle's exit. A loud horn could be heard as the driver of the carrier slammed on the vehicle's brakes. Janus stole a peek at Itzel's face; her muscles all squinching together as she watched the mob of people further entrench the area.
Gurk walked down the narrow aisle of the vehicle. All the eyes outside followed his movement. Janus and Itzel looked at each other silently, agreeing to follow the crocodile off the carrier without saying a word. Itzel went through first, keeping her focus downwards to avoid looking at the crowd that surrounded the perimeter of the bus. Once the doors opened, the audience outside parted, leaving just enough room for her to step off the carrier but not enough to give him the room needed to advance towards the studio.
"Is that... the thing... Siergi was talking about?"
"Where in the world did they find that?"
"Maybe we shouldn't stand so close to it."
With the door now open and a clear view of Gurk was available, the crowd of Siergi fan's quieted. Quiet conversations could be heard, barely audible enough to make out what they were saying about the incoming challenger.
Janus' eyes instinctively darted towards Itzel. She hid her anger behind a veil of calmness, but he could tell that she was concealing her true emotions. Gurk got off the carrier first. As he stepped onto the ground, the crowd backed away a few steps in response. Their chatter ceased as they all stared at him. A few screens could be seen throughout the swarm of people, presumably recording a Broadcast and capturing images.
Gurk's head slowly moved from side to side as the rest of his body remained still. Itzel stepped off the carrier after him. She walked past the crocodile and to the front of the mass of people. They ignored her, instead focusing all their attention on her friend.
"Are you guys going to just block our path?" Itzel said loudly. The others ignored her and continued ogling the main attraction. Janus stepped out last, keeping his head down to avoid the attention. He proceeded to stand by Itzel's side. Janus stood on the ball of his feet to get a view of what was going on beyond the crowd.
"I'm not seeing Siergi or the others!" Janus exclaimed, his eyes still scouring as much as he could of the area in front of the studio.
"They're probably too busy to come out and greet this all-important guest of theirs," Itzel replied. She walked over towards Gurk and took his head, leading him towards the entrance of the studio. As he moved, so did the crowd. The people began to part, but not without pointing and whispering about the crocodile as he walked past them. The onlookers closed in behind the procession, forcing Janus to bump and squeeze his way through them in order to reach Itzel and Gurk.
Together, they made it to the front entrance of Siergi's studio. Being in the Business Sector, the building was of noticeably higher quality than ones in other parts of the city. Looking from the outside, it had two floors with walls of tall glass panes lining the perimeter of the second story. After getting closer, Janus recognized the area on the upper floor; the equipment and its layout matched what he had seen when Gurk had tuned into Siergi's broadcasts.
"Alright everyone! Make some room!" A familiar voice called out.
Janus, Gurk and Itzel all turned their heads and saw Arva push through the crowd. Their focus shifted from the upcoming challenger to Siergi's teammate. Those close enough asked her questions and tried to start a conversation, only to have them ignored. Maluk trailed behind, bumping those that lingered in his path for too long.
"Sorry about the crowd," Arva said to the other three. "They must not be used to seeing..."
"Someone like Gurk in this part of Labrisson?" Itzel finished the other woman's sentence. The scorn was more than evident despite the musings of the audience.
"Pretty much." Arva stepped towards the studio, waving her hand to invite the others to follow. "But let's get you three inside! There's someone that wants to meet Gurk!"
