September 19, 4021 10:00 [Matriarch 04- Sun Rock]

Kaluza gnashed his teeth as he walked onto the field. Under normal circumstances, the energy of the stadium would have fueled his ego greatly as he savored the praise aimed his way. Now, however, he ignored it completely, consumed by fury. His eyes were bloodshot. Indra swallowed a black pill, watching calmly through the elevator window as Kaluza failed miserably to keep his anger in check.

Though others may have seen Indra’s actions as cruel, Indra viewed them as a mercy. He was sure that it wasn’t just the match that had Kaluza in such a state; the words he had uttered seemed to have cut deep. The interpretation of his statements seemed to trouble Garou as well. Perhaps he wondered why Indra would say something so callous.

As Indra returned to the announcer’s booth, he frowned. Why had Garou stared at him like that? Kaluza he could understand—they had never seen eye to eye, but Garou? The worry that spread across his face bothered Indra. Why couldn’t they understand? He was warning them for their own good. Even Kaluza deserved to know. The preparations that needed to be undertaken, and the convictions they needed to hold dear—these were essential pieces of information if they were to come out of the forest alive. Indra remembered what the Crow had told him, about the creatures that haunted the final recorded moments of the missing fracking crew: “Grotesque beings; their anatomy was all wrong.”

If the hulking figure himself, held in the same regard as the Hyenas, was worried, then Indra was the last person that needed to take things lightly. He would account for every possible measure to ensure their collective success, if not his own.

He ignored Emil’s inquiring gaze, filling a spot next to Prasanna. She peered over the balcony, observing the next match with mild interest. She didn’t say a word, instead placing a hand over his when he grabbed the railing.

Indra felt a jolt, tightening his grip for a moment. Her touch was comforting, but he couldn’t relax just yet. He still didn’t know if the nature of her actions and sweet words were genuine or just a ploy to weaken his mental guard. His face betrayed no emotion, remaining listless and stoic. Indra had to remain vigilant until the tournament was over.

Grisha raised her voice, introducing Kaluza and Garou. The crowd hadn’t let up since the minute the tournament had started, cheering with all their might before they would take a break between rounds.

“Our final match in the first round is about to begin!! On one side is a wild beast in the form of a man—Garou!! And standing opposite to him is another formidable individual, whose tenacity and unconventional tactics will keep you on the edge of your seat!! Will he fall prey to the wolf, or will he become the hunter? Please welcome, Kaluza!!”

Indra was curious to see how Garou would deal with Kaluza’s Trait, expecting him to be eager at the prospect of tearing through his opponent. The wolf remained docile, however, running his fingers through his fluffy hair, absent-mindedly. Pay attention! Indra thought, growing restless at the sight of his teammate tugging on his DIVE Suit with disinterest.

“Candidates! Get ready!!!” Grisha shouted excitedly into the microphone. The crowd’s enthusiasm was infectious, even affecting the announcer. “Give it everything you got!! Aaaaaand begiiiiiiiin!!”

Kaluza glared at the announcer’s booth, the nasty look clearly meant for Indra.

“You’re next on his list, it seems,” Usha chuckled.

He’s getting ahead of himself. He still has to get through Garou.

“Perhaps you should have held your tongue until after his match then. A clouded mind can be quite an obstacle to overcome.”

If he loses focus that easily… then it’s better he fails at this stage rather than in the forest.

“It looks like the hunt has begun. Who the hunter is remains to be seen.”

Garou shifted into focus, providing Indra with some relief. He morphed into an enormous grey wolf. His ears pressed close to his skull as he scrunched his muzzle and curled his lips back into a snarl to reveal his canines. A low growl escaped the wolf’s jaws. It paced around the perimeter, circling Kaluza menacingly.

Kaluza shuffled slowly and deliberately, keeping the front of his body facing the beast at all times, his muscles tense. He seemed calm in the face of certain death and refrained from making any haphazard or hasty decisions, choosing to observe his opponent carefully instead.

The wolf poised himself high, ready to pounce. Garou’s fangs flashed silver as he barrelled down the field. He snapped his jaws at Kaluza, hoping to tear into his vital organs. Kaluza stepped back, narrowly avoiding his gaping maw as he was chased. Voraciously, the beast attempted to devour his opponent, keeping close to Kaluza in order to prevent him from building up momentum.

“Looks like Garou is on the offensive! It doesn’t look good folks! Kaluza is on the ropes at the moment! Has he assumed the role of prey, or does he have a plan up his sleeve?” Grisha yelled over the speakers.

Indra tapped his foot impatiently as the match unfolded. He hadn’t been remotely this nervous about Prasanna and Kuvira’s fights, but something felt amiss. A nagging sensation that hadn’t gone away since the moment Kaluza stepped foot in the announcer’s booth: he was brimming with energy.

Kaluza huffed in frustration, rolling, jumping, and ducking under the beast’s muzzle. He searched for an opening. Slipping past the wolf’s jaw when it snapped at him, Kaluza wrapped his arms around its neck, squeezing tightly. Garou slowed down, giving Kaluza the impression that he was successfully cutting off his flow of oxygen.

The wolf returned to the form of a man, grabbing his surprised attacker by the collar and flipping him onto his back. A resounding thud echoed through the stadium as Kaluza was slammed into the ground. He narrowly avoided a giant claw, rolling to the side as the earth was gouged where he lay.

“Beast Claw!” Garou growled, still in humanoid form, though his hand was that of a wolf’s paw.

“Partial transformation, impressive,” Usha remarked.

Kaluza evaded several more swipes from Garou, still on the defense as he tried to gather his bearings. They moved at incredible speeds; Garou’s attacks were unleashed with purpose and precision, though Kaluza was a hair faster. While the previous two fights had been grossly mismatched, it was clear that these two were on even footing. It was anyone’s guess as to who would win, although Garou had taken control of the match so far. The audience waited impatiently for Kaluza to deliver a counterattack, a smattering of boos aimed at him.

He ignored them, a smile creeping up the side of his mouth. He had gotten familiar with Garou’s fighting style as he switched between man and beast, sometimes morphing into a combination of both. Even with this knowledge, it was still impossible to evade all of Garou’s attacks. The man was relentless, a feverish bloodlust overtaking him as he attempted with all his might to cut Kaluza down. Scratches peppered Kaluza’s face as he silently thanked his tailor for making his DIVE Suit so durable.

Ducking underneath another claw swipe, Kaluza ran as fast as he could to the edge of the stadium. He circled the field, picking up speed until he broke left, accelerating towards Garou. The Homunculus let loose a fist bolstered by momentum at a breakneck pace, the rabid cheers of the crowd all but confirming his victory with a single blow. Garou remained unfazed, morphing into a wolf a fraction of a second before the instance of impact, sinking his teeth deep into his opponent’s thigh. Bone, tendons, ligaments, and sinew crunched under the beast’s jaws. The DIVE suit wasn’t durable enough.

Kaluza screamed, writhing in agony as Garou clamped down. The ensnared fighter drove his knee into the wolf’s throat, causing it to loosen its grip momentarily. He used this opportunity to escape. The unsightly puncture wound flowed generously, likely from a broken femoral artery. The damage would be fatal if Kaluza failed to seek immediate medical attention. He panted heavily, keeping his eyes fixated on Garou as his vision blurred rapidly.

“Garou has found his mark! Kaluza has managed to shake him off for the time being, but will that be enough? It looks like he’s reached his limit! This might be the end of the first round!”

Garou wiped the blood from his mouth, back in human form once again. He grinned; the thrill of the hunt had possessed him. Kaluza kept a hand on his leg, shaking as he struggled to put weight on it. Garou took his sweet time, edging closer as he admired his handiwork. He seemed satisfied with the amount of damage his opponent had sustained.

“You were a lot more defensive than I anticipated,” he remarked. “Don’t worry, I’ll end this quickly so you can save face. I know you’re not the type to accept defeat willingly. Although, sucking up your pride will save you a lot of pain in the future.”

Kaluza broke into a fit of laughter, wincing as he spoke. “I'd be careful if I were you. You'll be eating your words soon.”

“Really? Then I'd better take care of you before I do.”

“Ah, unfortunately, it's too late for that. The match was over from the beginning. I was hoping to reach the next round without revealing anything just yet, but you've forced my hand. I have to commend you for that. I underestimated just how far everyone’s come—you especially. I always pinned you for an oaf. This has been a humbling experience if nothing else,” Kaluza sighed.

“Don’t get cocky. You can comfort yourself with excuses all you want—it won’t change the outcome. I’ll be taking the top spot once I'm through with you!”

Garou broke into a sprint, returning to all fours as his fur began to shine a blinding silver. Kaluza waited patiently for his opponent to come to him. The wolf lifted his paws. The muscles in his hind legs rippled as he aimed for Kaluza’s neck.

“Impact: Kinetic Release—left foot.”

Garou suddenly disappeared, sent high into the troposphere. Kaluza winced, shifting his weight back to his left leg. He waited patiently as the wolf fell to the earth.

“The thing about this tournament that I find most interesting, is the multitude of ways one can prepare themselves outside their matches in order to give them an advantage. You want to know why our team was late? I was busy building up momentum and storing it. Not a single Joule of kinetic energy was wasted; I conserved it as potential energy until I had a need for it. To release it is a simple matter of energy conversion back to its kinetic form. So you see” —he pulled his arm back— “I've already won. Impact: Kinetic Release—right hand.”

Kaluza drove his fist into Garou’s underbelly, sending him across the field and through the stadium walls previously damaged by Indra. As a hushed silence fell over the audience, Crows retrieved Garou from the debris. One came out to signal what Indra had feared: Garou was incapacitated. The crowd erupted in cheers as Grisha clamored over the microphone about the upset.

“What a way to end the first round! Kaluza is our winner!! That’s all for today, folks! We’ll see you tomorrow for the second round, so stay alert for any notifications! The details will be sent to you later this evening!”

Collapsing onto a stretcher the Crows had brought out, Kaluza pointed at Indra, calling out to him. “The weak will be culled if left to their devices! Isn’t that what you said?! You’re wrong! It’s the duty of the strong to protect them! I’ll show you! I’ll defeat you and prove it! You can count on it!”

“He’s grown a lot,” Tengri commented, breaking the silence. It was only now that Indra realized how quiet everyone in the room had been.

“So has he,” Jin said, pointing to Indra.

The Hyenas had been watching with intense focus, particularly interested in the most recent fights.

Indra frowned. A fresh feeling of unease grew in the pit of his stomach. You tampered with the fight.

“Ah, so you did notice.”

And Garou still lost?

“It would seem so.”

Indra clicked his tongue. He’s going to be a thorn in my side for sure.