[center][h2]World Martial Arts Tournament, Planet Earth[/h2][h3]Saturday, July 16th, 2500
30 Minutes Before The First Match[/h3][/center]
The stadium surrounding the arena was almost full. Even with assigned, pre-purchased seats, everyone wanted to be early. And even though the stadium was outside in the open air, the excitement of the crowd seemed to echo, as they spoke to one another in anticipation. The ring itself was empty. 

Inside the main building, where the preliminary rounds were held, the remaining sixteen combatants stood on one of the four miniature arenas. Per tradition, a tournament employee turned large lottery wheel, with white plastic balls inside. When a number would fall out, he would then write the number on a large chalkboard behind him. Once all the numbers were on the chalkboard, he revealed the name of the person attached to each number. 

By the time this quiet ceremony was finished, it was ten minutes till the first round...