Round one of the Tournament begins. At first, it was rather uneventful. The Star Riders were up against Team Megaton, a team known for their heavy weight mechs. The Star Riders were able to defeat them with relative ease. With one win under their belts, Team Star Riders were able to proceed to the next round. As they wait for the other matches to end, Garon turns on the telescreen in hopes of seeing the other matches. Instead, they were met with a breaking news report. The Journalist discusses the recorded footage of the Rebels of the Humpback combating mechs belonging to Ragnarök. They all notice how the mechs used by Ragnarök resemble outdated depictions of Mesozoic animals, unlike the mechs of the Trinity alliance which are one for one copies of those same animals. This tells them that, given how protective the Saurens are, knock off versions of Alliance mechs are out there. They also notice something else. One of the mechs that’s fighting Ragnarök bears a striking resemblance to Jotun.

“Say Garon. Doesn’t that Gorilla mech look similar in any way?” Asks Lucian.

“Well yeah. I based Jotun off of the Battle Kong mark 2. I did take some liberties though such as the buzzsaws on the arms. The Battle Kong didn’t have those. It just a solid piece of engineering!” Says Garon, showing how much of a fan of the Battle Kong they are.

“And it clearly worked out for you and Jotun.” Says Ava.

Before they could continue their conversation, they are interrupted by the sight of combatants on medical gurneys. The combatants were part of a team known as the Leatherbacks and their opponent was Ragnarök. It quickly dawned on them that not only did Ragnarök defeat the Leatherbacks, but nearly killed them as well. That is when Ragnar walked past them, apathetic to the state of the Leatherbacks. Enraged, Garon stormed towards Ragnar.

“What the hell is your problem?! You nearly killed your opponent!” Garon says with rage in their eyes.

“I have no time to waste on weaklings. Besides, the weak deserve to be purged like the scum they are.” Ragnar says apathetically.

“You piece of shit!” Says Garon before trying to punch Ragnar.

Ragnar sees this and goes to counter Garon’s attack with blinding speed. Just then, Lucian shoves Garon out of the way and takes the hit for them. Lucian falls to the ground after taking the brunt of the attack. Ragnar can’t help but scoff at Lucians actions.

“Protecting a weakling I see. And to believe the adaptus program chose you. If only you know the power you hold.” Says Ragnar.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Lucian says, confused by Ragnar’s words.

Before Lucian could pursuit more answers, Ragnar leaves the Star Riders to prepare for the next match. Ava helps Lucian up and checks to see how bad Ragnar hit him. Luckily, Lucian only received a minor bruise. Before the Team could ponder Ragnar’s words, they hear the stadium radio letting all combatants know that the second round is about to start. The Star Riders put the thoughts aside and prepare for the second round of the tournament.

Round two begins. The Star Riders are up against a flight-based team call the Aviators. The speed of the birds gives Jotun some trouble but are no match for Valkyrie. While the fight is going on, something is off with Fenrir. He senses something sinister, like a kind of danger none of them faced before. Jotun notices Fenrir’s odd behavior and tries to check on him.

“Fenrir. Hey. You alright buddy?” Jotun asks worriedly.

“Yeah. It’s just that something is off. Like we have to leave before thing get bad kind of off.” Says Fenrir before transforming into Ronin form.

Fenrir zips past Jotun and strikes down the last of the Aviators. As stands on top of the fallen mech, Valkyrie lands and approaches Fenrir. While the crowd cheers over the Star Riders victory, the mechs begin to discuss about Fenrir’s concerns.

“What’s going on Fenrir?” Asks Valkyrie with worry on her face.

“Fenrir thinks something bad is about to happen.” Says Jotun.

“Now that you mention it, something does feel off right now.” Says Valkyrie.

“The mechs that Ragnarök group uses. There’s something off about them. Like as if they were made with malice. A hatred I’ve never seen.” Says a trembling Fenrir.

“Then we have more incentive to beat them. Hate can only get them so far.” Says Valkyrie, trying to comfort Fenrir.

“She’s right. Once we kick their metal asses, we’ll show the audience how weak these edgelords really are.” Says Jotun.

With another match under their belt, the Star Riders prepare for the final match of the tournament. But the threat of Ragnarök still lingers in the heads of both drivers and mechs alike. Who are Ragnarök? Why are they after the adaptus program? Can the Star Riders claim victory? All these questions will be answered soon enough. For now, the Star Riders must focus of their goal of winning the tournament.