Feral 9

A/N I added Tesra and Menoly to the team last chapter, if you read it before I edited it. Just too few people. Okay, so, here goes something.

The tournament hall was abuzz as students from both schools chattered excitedly about the event that would begin in only minutes.

Pantera's scowled deepened at the sheer noise of it all, and he winced as a girl nearby let out a particularly enthusiastic squeal.

He shifted closer to Ulquiorra's side, finding it easier to follow in his wake than elbow through the crowd. It took almost half an hour to reach their seats in a WIP box that'd been set aside for the team and their friends.

A voice echoed over the intercom, and the roar of the crowd dwindled to an excited murmuring.

"Good morning all! Today, we'll begin the preliminaries of the Karakura Tournament, a furious battle of skill and strength pitched between the students of Hueco Mundo Highschool and Seireitei Fighting Academy! But first, a word from our sponsors!" As the commercials rolled through, Pantera took the opportunity to look over the team.

Ulquiorra was a little tenser than usual. Grimmjow's grin, though, was absolutely bloodthirsty. Tesra's chin rested on his interlocked hands as his one gray eye scanned the crowd, and Tensa shifted nervously. Syazel preened in an mirror, utterly relaxed, and Menoly was on the edge of her seat with impatience. Renji, he noticed, was just staring at the screen that would announce the brackets in a few days.

"From Hueco Mundo, we have! Grimmjow Jaegerjaques, the Sexta!"

Hueco Mundo roared.

"The Weeping Devil, Ulquiorra Schiffer!"

Pink dusted the teen's cheeks at the moniker.

"The Baboon King, Renji Abarai!"

"Menoly Mallia, part II of the Scorpion and the Bee!"

"Tesra 'the Boar' Lindocruz! He's sweet, ladies, but much stronger than he looks!"

"Syazel Apporo Granz, the Mad Researcher!"

"And Tensa Zangetsu, the Dark Moon!"

The crowd screamed their approval, though the man wasn't done yet.

"Hueco Mundo's reserve this year is the Cat, Pantera Kurosaki!"

Even though he was a reserve, the cheering was just as fierce.

"And from Seireitei Academy, we have!"

"Byakuya Kuchiki, Captain of the Sixth Division!"

"Soi Fon Suzumebatchi, Captain of the Second Divison!"

"Shuhei Hisagi, lieutenant and acting captain of Division Number Nine!"

"Kenpachi Zaraki, Captain of Squad Eleven!"

"Marechiyo Omaeda, lieutenant of Squad Two!"

"Sajin Komamura, Captain of Squad Seven!"

"Yumichika Ayesagawa, Fifth seat of Squad Eleven!"

"And, last, and just maybe least," Ethe announcer added meanly, "Reserve Hanataro Yamada, Seventh Seat of Squad Four!"

The little squeak of terror was not a promising sign for the lower-ranked member.

Pantera wondered aloud. "How's this thing set up, anyway?"

"Well, in the beginning," murmured Nelliel, "-everyone fights. Down to the last unranked newby. They get a crack at even the chosen champions, and the brackets are random. These teams aren't the only ones fighting- they're just the only ones allowed to participate in the last rounds."

"I don't get it," Pantera stated bluntly. "Why pick a team, especially randomly, when everyone's going to be fighting?"

"It's like..." She pouted, trying to come up with the right words. "All of the team members have the... Golden Ticket, I guess, that can get them into the Semi-Finals. You can't enter if you're not one of those members. It's a bit of a strategy game here, since all of our members and their members are going to be duking it out. The idea is to try to take out all of the opponents ticket-holders, so that they have fewer or no people in the Semi-Finals. If you take out more there, and more in the Finals, they can't win because they have no members left. See?"

"It's more like a game than a tournament," Pantera observed. "As a reserve, where do I fit in?"

"No one can challenge you," Nelliel laughed. "Not until the Finals, at least. It's like a guarantee that there'll be someone left to fight, instead of all of us just destroying each other."

"Backup, then," Pantera agreed. "I think that makes sense. Sort of."

Nelliel laughed. "It is pretty weird isn't it?"

"Kinda," he admitted. "But it sounds like fun."

"It is," Nell chuckled. "Especially the sabotage."

Pantera's eyes lit up with the unholy fires of hell. "Sabotage?"

Nel's expression was equally evil.

The poor, unsuspecting students made sure to give the malevolent auras a wide berth.