The Start of Turnir Chempionov

BlackOut had been plagued by a minor dizzy feeling ever since he had stepped through the teleporter. He rubbed his temples with one hand as he wandered about the marvelous new stadium. He supposed that the temporary sick feeling he had incurred was well worth the convenience of being able to travel from one end of the earth to the other in an instant. He was not one to wonder about the mechanics of such a device; honestly he could not care less. He was more or less preoccupied with this tournament.

Black was not capable of turning down an opportunity to take part in this tournament. He was a performer and he loved to be the center of attention. Being a part of a worldwide event such as this was just too much temptation for him. He really had not real expectation of winning the thing. Honestly as long as he did not get knocked out right away he would be satisfied. If he did win great, but if not he may as well go out there and put on a good show. That was exactly what he intended to do here today.

The dizziness seemed to have subsided for the time being giving him some welcome relief. With his head composed he made a go at navigating the stadium. He was in full costume, he figured he'd rather not take the risk of having his identity found out. He adjusted his mask meticulously and occasionally tossing out a wave and a concealed smile whenever he passed by a group of fans. Black was loving this honestly he did not even need to fight, all the attention was by a wide margin enough for him. Black stopped to sign an autograph or two as he went, he may or may not have posed for a handful of pictures as well. Soon it became apparent to him that he was going to be late for the opening ceremonies. Well, technically it was more the event staff that it became apparent to. The were quite quick to put an end to his eternal hamming and almost forcibly directed him to the room where all the other fighters seemed to be waiting.

It was an impressive group of supers that had been assembled to take part in the revelries, well, for the most part. However Black found himself was disappointed that he did not recognize anyone. It seemed that there would be no reunion of old friends today. With a shrugged he entered the room. "Gentlemen." He nodded taking a step closer to the assemblage of meta-beings. "And of course ladies." He said this time accompanied by a deep ostentatious bow. Floating up above the others he found a vacant spot on the platform and set himself down. "Well I suppose there's nothing left to say, but break a leg." He chuckled at his choice of words and soon after he felt the stage begin to ascend upwards. If nothing else he was going to be a good time, that fact he was sure of.

. o O (Copying Ryo's tl;dr rule; Skip to the break. I read all of your posts though! Sooo.. ;3)

It was the night before the tournament. Skyler had forcibly taken Lilia's place to fight for Dominus' public sake. To prove that Metahumans were heroes. And what better than the beautiful, angelic looking creature that is Etoile. Being the over protective, hard headed and stubborn woman she is, Skyler made another deal with Salt that would get her in Lilia's place. Without Skyler around, though, Reaper would be there to keep Lilia company. They were best friends, after all. Or something along those lines. Either way, Skyler trusted Shayla more than her own Caster family. Well, maybe not Uncle Corn, but Shayla was ranked pretty highly on the trusting totem pole.

The windows in the Snowden household were open to let in a warm spring breeze, the sun setting over the mountains just out of view. The two women were perched in the kitchen. Skyler was finishing up evening tea, and waiting for the microwaveable Chinese food to be done. While they were waiting for the food to finish, Skyler had been humming Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake, and Lilia was swaying slightly. Then, out of nowhere, Lilia stopped and just stared up at Skyler with big, sorrow filled eyes. A pain washed over Skyler like none other. The pain of her child. She swallowed slightly and tried to smile down at her. When Lilia let her thick lips part to speak, Skyler listened and sat down the box of chai tea she had just taken from the cabinet.

"Mama.. why do you have to do this?" Lilia asked, those large blue eyes just staring directly into Skyler's soul.

"Lilia, baby.. It's either me or you, and I'd rather me." Skyler started, but was cut off by Lilia persisting.

"But.. but Mama.." and then the waterworks started.

Skyler sighed softly and curled her daughter, Lilia Ivanov, into a warm hug and kissed the top of her head. "Look, I'll be fine. As long as I know I've got you to fight for, to win for, I will always be all right." When she started to talk, she placed her hands onto Lilia's shoulders and leaned back to look at the girl's face. The tea kettle screamed, announcing it was done. Skyler blindly reached and moved the kettle to an eye on the stove that wasn't red hot. She then leaned over and turned the burner off and looked back to Lilia. "You would be the winner, I think. But.. I don't want you to get hurt. You deserve a fun weekend with Shayla. She'll be here tomorrow. We're going to get her at the Airport tomorrow, then I'll be leaving. There's plenty of food in the fridge, and frozen dinners. And the phone is there. Oh, and this..' she rambled on while she made two mugs of spicy chai tea to go along with their Chinese.

When Skyler sat down across from Lilia and started to dish out the Chinese food, she lost track of her gift to Lilia. She then grabbed for her chopsticks, and let Lilia choose to be proper, or choose a fork. Either was up to her. Skyler then tapped herself on the forehead and shook her head. "I almost forgot," she said, and then stood up and dashed down into the basement. That's where she had the portal that took her to the Tournament. Salt had arrived with it a few days ago, and that encounter was most disgusting. Ignoring those thoughts, Skyler rummaged around and found two bracelets she had made into GPS tracking devices that are also small links to AIVA. She slid her's onto her wrist and then took the stairs, two at a time, and walked to Lilia. She held the item behind of her back until Lilia was curiously peeking around of Skyler. She then presented the jewelry and slid it onto Lilia's wrist, smiling.

"So.. beautiful!" Lilia gasped, and Skyler just smiled and dug into dinner, eating her Chinese. "I'm glad you like it. You can see Aiva finally. I finish her design," she said, grinning before sliding on her Aiva Glove and holding out her palm. Aiva walked into Skyler's palm and twirled before waving toward Lilia. "Her name is Aiva, of course. She looks like you, but has my hair.. I hope you don't mind sharing your good looks with her." she said, chuckling. "Miss Snowden, Miss Ivanov. It is a pleasure to work with you both. I am honored. But, you are both in need of sustenance, and a good nights rest. Sleep well." Aiva said before her holographic image vanished and Skyler took off the glove to finish dinner. Tomorrow would be a long day.

---

And it was. After picking up Shayla, Skyler made sure Lilia was all set up, and then locked herself in the Basement after saying her farewells. Skyler was suited up in her spandex and kevlar hybrid bodysuit. A simple Dominus grade bodyarmor. She also had on her thigh plates, arm guards, and new Esper gloves. She wasn't sure if they would work. Well, she was sure. But she wasn't going to use them until she needed to. The Aiva glove was beneath her Esper gloves, and she left her Aiva bracelet at home just before entering the portal. Once she stepped into view, she stood among her podium and nodded to everyone in the room. The monitor with her information flashed, registering that Skyler Snowden, aka Doctor Karma had joined the party. Her hair was braided and coiled into a bun on the back of her head. Her skirt and corset was on over her spandex skin suit, and she also wore her typical boots. Her gun was on her hip, knife too. She had everything she needed. She was ready. Without saying a word, Skyler waited until they were all lifted to the surface of the Colosseum.

Today would be a long day.

Oh happy day! I did not believe these 'modern' Humans would have it in them but sure as my skin is pink and my skull is white, they've done it! A tournament, a stupendous tournament like the coliseums of old! HA! Like that of old? This would eclipse anything any Cesar could imagine with his puny Human mind! A tournament of meta humans, and I, me, The Great and Everlasting Womb has found himself a place to prove himself to be a formidable adversary! To the world no less! What luck, what grandeur!

The Womb's fantastical musings buzzed about his head like the humming of a lone hornet, their level of erraticism also being of a similar ilk. This would continue for the duration of The Womb's journey toward the local coliseum located in Babylon L.A. As he approached he noticed two booths, one seemed engaged by the public, the other not being used at all. Without hesitation The Womb quickly strode to the unused booth and gleefully stepped towards it's entrance.

"Oi, you fucking zombie, I've seen you mincing around ere before causing trouble. Don't think cause you're a fuckin deluded maniac that I'm going to let you through the contenders gate unaddressed. There's no entry here unless you have a combatant pass. And don't think I won't shoot lad, I've heard about you but I'm not afra- -" The mans tone was very sudden and aggressive, his accent was also peculiar, and reminded The Womb of a people located on a small island a ways east from here. This conversation however, was irrelevant to The Womb and so cut the man off mid sentence.

"DO NOT WORRY MY GOOD MAN! I am a combatant indeed - -"

"Oh yeah well where's your fuckin pa- -"

"Tis here, tis all here!" Replied The Womb, still jovial in tone. Despite this mans disgruntlement The Womb's elation was too peaked to be brought down by such a trivial circumstance. As he spoke The Womb produced the combatant ticket from the zipped pocket of his biking jacket. Stunned, and somewhat relieved the guard let The Womb pass through with a gesture, words escaping him now.

The Womb full of merriment near skipped into the portal, unaware of the process of transportation. In what seemed like a flash, or what some humans may refer to as a blink, The Womb was stood in a large room with a large group of people. The shift in realities being so fast disorientated The Womb, disrupting his entrance a great deal. He took a few steps toward the group and tried the few steps that would place him on the podium with the rest of them. However as he reached the very top step his foot caught in its lip and tripped The Womb to the ground. He fell heavily and the room span. As he lay upon his back he could see through a great hole, and above could make out the cheers of a great multitude of people.

Get up you fool, they will believe you to be a half wit! Have at you! Quickly The Womb sobered himself and sprang to his feet. "Excuse me my fellow warriors, it seems this 'teleportation' mode of transport does not wash well with me. I am not inebriated, nor am I a half wit. I wish you all well in your match-ups, let the blood spray and the heads roll! HAHAHAHA" The Womb's laugh was booming and slightly manic. Despite The Womb's affinity for good, it seemed his appetite for bloodsports was quite healthy. A strange combination of philosophies indeed.