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"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the 250th Budokai World Tournament! The results from yesterday's preliminary matches are in and today will be the day you've all been waiting for! Hundreds of years of tradition have all led to the culmination of this monumental tournament, where the first time in history the prize is all seven legendary Dragon Balls!"

The small, blonde-haired man adjusted his sunglasses, before spinning around with the microphone still up to his mouth. Standing in the middle of the concrete stage, he had the attention of the entire crowd. At his display of minimal dance acrobatic skills, the crowd burst into an uproar of cheering and whooping.

"The strongest fighters in the world are only thirty minutes away from duking it out right before your very eyes! And I, your host Jake Starr, will provide tongue-in-cheek commentary on the entire tournament! And noooooow! It is time to introduce the contenders for the champion title!"

A large, hovering robot with helicopter blades floated up above the stage. Four large screens formed from it's sides, three facing the crowd sections and one facing the fighter's building. Inside the fighter's resting area were several windows that allowed them to watch the fights, but now it would serve to allow them to watch the tournament's opening ceremony.

"Our first fighter is a recurring contender known for making it to the finals in the last two years! Give it up foooor Teemo!" On the screen appeared an orange, humanoid creature with an upturned nose that appeared almost as if it was squished in. "And his opponent in the first round is the first of many newcomers! Please welcoooome... David!" A picture of a young man with spiky black hair wearing a cyan scarf. With the announcement of the first match-up, the crowd began cheering again.

"The second fight of the day features an eclectic fighter for justice! Ultra-Dimension will be taking the stage!" An image of the sentai warrior appeared on the screens, in a pose typical of his antics. "His opponent is the oldest fighter of the tournament! It took ten minutes to wake him up for his picture so don't miss it! Master Shin Zen!" An image of an old man with long grey hair and an equally long beard appeared on the screen. He had an expression of tired surprise.

"The third fight of the first round brings us a cat fight! Give it up fooor Chikori!" The image of the young saiyan girl appeared on the screens. "Aaaand her opponent... Coco!" Another young girl appeared on the screen, also sporting a tail and black hair. Though not shown side-by-side, the two appeared similar in stature. A comparison the previous two match-ups lacked.

"The fourth fight will be including the man you've all been waiting for! The last returning veteran and the World Champion four years in a row! Jack Ryaaaaaan!" The ever-so recognizable face of the World Champion appeared on the screens. At the sight of his green hair and red headband, the crowd burst into an uproar louder than any before. Only after a moment could the crowd simmer down enough for the host to continue. "And his opponent will be the first of two Namekians to make it past the preliminaries! Good luck to our new neighbor... Fenro!" The image of a large Namekian dressed in black took the screens.

"The fifth match will be featuring the stuff of nightmares! Our very own clown fighter, who also does birthday parties... Slapstick!" A skinny man dressed in colorful orange and yellow garb with bright red hair and a painted face took the screen. The cheering was noticeably less intense than all the other fighters so far. "And his opponent is the second Namekian to enter the tournament. Introducing... Guls!" The Namekian with red face-paint appeared on the screen, earning as much cheers as the other fighters. Inside the fighters' resting area, a clown couldn't help but feel a bit miffed.

"The sixth battle today will be between the one and only Majin of the tournament... Light!" The face of the white Majin female appeared on the screens, featuring her blue antennae. "And she will be battling an ironically named man that seems relatively unaware of the joke. Give it up for Tiny!" Compared to the much smaller person on the screen before, the hulking man named Tiny appeared on the screen. Though the focus was supposed to be on his face, it seemed almost as if he was more muscle than man.

"The seventh fight of the day features another visitor to Earth! He's as pink as he is clever! Give a warm welcome to our local Plantian... Shady!" The pink alien appeared on the screens now. Despite the entire crowd having never heard of Plantians before, they still gave a loud cheer upon his introduction. "His opponent had to defeat his own brother in the preliminaries! What a tragic tale! So here is James Nock!" A relatively young human male with short brown hair and a red gi appeared on the screens, notably being the only fighter so far to pose with a cocky grin rather than a regular smile or a straight face.

"And the final bout of the first round! The closing match of the first round will feature a fighter that I'm placing my bets on! Purely for his name! Our second-to-last contender... Meat!" The image of a short but incredibly muscular man appeared on the screens. He has so far been the only picture so far where the entire fighter was shown rather than the bust or upper-body, emphasizing his shortness. "And the last contender! Give it up for Vetro!" Almost like an opposite of the previous picture, a tall and lanky human was shown on the screens.

Now each of the screens divided into sixteen smaller parts, so every single contestant could be seen at once. "These are the fighters that will be participating in the ultimate tournament! The most legendary Budokai championship is underway! Who will have their wish granted!? Will Jack Ryan take a fifth victory!? Will Teemo finally step out of Jack's shadow!? Or will any of the plethora of new faces take the title!? We will find out today, folks! Get your drinks and grab your popcorn! The first match will begin in twenty-five minutes!" The crowd erupted into a roar of cheers and hollering as the host walked off the concrete stage with his usual flair.

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The fighters' rest area could hear the crowd quite well, though it was somewhat muffled by the walls. The room was fairly large with a long dining table with various foods on one end and an open section by the windows to make spectating easier. All sixteen fighters were in this room now, doing their various activities before the tournament. The world champion, Jack Ryan, was standing by the windows watching the whole ceremony. With its conclusion, he turned to look at the other fighters here.

[I]This year is different. A whole new crowd has gathered for this tournament. These guys are strong, so I'll have to stay at the top of my game,[/I] he thought to himself, before spying the large Namekian he was scheduled to fight. With a friendly smile on his face, he approached the big green man. At a distance the size difference was less significant, but standing next to Fenro proved that the Namekian was quite taller than he was. An important detail to remember for their future fight. "Ahem," he cleared his throat, an effort to get Fenro's attention.

"So we will be fighting in the first round. This seems to be your first time fighting in the Budokai World Tournament, so I understand if you might be a bit nervous fighting in front of such a crowd. But don't let that get to your head. If you've made it this far, you're one of the best, so you have to prove that to the rest of the world," Jack spoke to him, taking the veteran-to-rookie approach with the Namekian. But in return, Fenro only spared him a single glance, before letting his gaze go back out the window. With a sigh, Jack leaned against the wall. "Stoic type. I get it. Good luck out there. I won't be going easy on you so you should stay at the top of your game." The Namekian looked back down at Jack. In a deep, rough voice, not surprising given his appearance, Fenro responded. "Likewise." Something about his tone made Jack nervous, and considering the guy didn't seem to like talking he figured it would be better to meet the rest of the warriors.