Rivals

by Derek Alan Siddoway

  “You working as a janitor?” she asked him as she walked up. Jackson grinned at Tak, who just gave an oiled smile in response.

  “Long time no see, Sato.”

  “Wait,” Avril cut in. “Do you all know each other?”

  Fiona, Jackson, and Tak looked at one another. “You could say that,” Fiona said. “Didn’t you all realize the barracks are sorted primarily by where your city is located in the region?”

  “C’mon guys, even I knew that!”

  Yet another familiar voice joined in and Jackson spotted Antony Barranco walking in, an over-sized bag under each arm. Although the afternoon was mild outside and the common area climate-controlled, a sheen of sweat covered his forehead. Jackson couldn’t recall if he’d ever seen his friend not sweating.

  “What’s up, Appleby?” Jackson rose from his seat and went over to fist bump his friend. They’d met in his time in the Underground several months back and Appleby had gone on to fight in the Vance McAllister tournament as well — though he was clobbered by Fiona in the semifinals. Being clobbered by Fiona was apparently something both Jackson and Appleby had in common.

  Another girl had walked in the same time as Appleby and Jackson gave her a wave. She waved back but didn’t seem overly excited to meet anyone. Unlike most of the other newcomers, who had a look of awe or at least excitement when they first saw their new home, this girl looked almost bored.

  Jackson introduced himself anyway, not wanting to appear rude after he’d stood up to greet Appleby. When the girl gave him her name, Jackson and a couple others made a short, gasping sound.

  “Wait, you said Moto Rine, right?” Miguel asked. “Are your parents Sho and Tomo Rine?”

  “That’s right.”

  “No way!” Jackson could barely contain his excitement. “That’s so cool! I love watching some of their old matches — especially eight years ago when your mom set the DBL Gold League record for most knockouts in one tournament! I can’t —”

  “Easy there, dog boy. I don’t think the girl’s interested in your slobbering all over her like that.”

  Akamu Kaleo swaggered across the room and dropped an expensive duffel bag onto the couch.

  “Whatever,” Moto shrugged. “No harm done, Akamu. And I’m sure my parents would appreciate the recognition.”

  But Akamu wasn’t listening. He scanned the group of tamers but didn’t bother to introduce himself or even so much as say hello to anyone. Next, his eyes roved around the common area and his nose curled up in apparent disgust.

  “Man, this place is a dump.”

  “It wasn’t so bad until you walked in,” Tak said. “This is actually the nicest place I’ve ever stayed.”

  Jackson couldn’t argue with Tak there, and he couldn’t help but respect the guy for coming out and admitting it to someone like Akamu, who was clearly born with a silver spoon in his mouth.

  Akamu scoffed. “That goes to show just how hard-up for contestants the Bronze League is these days.”

  “Are we supposed to know who you are or something?” Tak said. “You act like you think you’re some big shot, but I can’t help but think maybe you’re overcompensating. You know what I mean, Jackson?” Tak gave Jackson nudge, but Jackson didn’t respond.

  “Huh.” Akamu only spared Tak the briefest glance. “Looks like we’ve got a funny guy.”

  Tak and Akamu stared one another down. Given how much Jackson disliked both contestants, he wouldn’t have minded if the two of them went at it right there and both ended up getting kicked out. Unfortunately, the tension was broken by an unlikely candidate.

  “Don’t be an ass, Akamu,” Moto Rine said, stepping between the two glaring guys. “This is Akamu Kaleo, everyone. His dad is also a Gold League tamer. Don’t take anything he says personally.”

  “Not being an ass,” Akamu said. “Just being honest.”

  Unlike when Moto had introduced herself, nobody seemed overly eager or impressed about Akamu’s heritage. Jackson grimaced when Avril crossed the room and extended a hand to Akamu, who didn’t bother to shake it.

  “What’s someone like you doing here?” Akamu asked. “Did they take the wrong turn on the way to the nursing home?”

  Avril’s smile faded and the older woman stepped back. Jackson and the others frowned. He might have found Avril’s bubbly, chatty personality annoying, but she’d been nothing but friendly.

  “How about you just go find your room?” Fiona asked Akamu.

  Akamu looked at both Moto and Fiona in surprise. “You two ought to know better — everyone knows that the non-legacy tamers who come to camp are just meat shields for the real pros. I think it’s a little insulting that the camp wants me to fight some lady who gave up knitting to supposedly be a tamer.”

  Avril looked like she might cry but Tak beat Jackson to the punch when he tried to intervene. “If you think I’m just another meat shield how about we warm up our Djinn outside?”

  Akamu sneered. “I’m not going to get kicked out of camp for beating up whatever trash Djinn you managed to catch.”

  Tak’s hands curled into fists. “Well then how about —”

  “Welcome everyone!”

  A new voice stopped the possibility of a fight. Everyone turned to see a stern-looking woman walking down the length of the commons. She wore official DBL attire and had a tablet tucked under one arm. For some reason, Jackson didn’t think she’d come just to wish them best of luck at camp.

  “My name is Natalia Vanova. I will be the camp coach assigned to Barrack 4 for the duration of this camp. You may call me Coach Vanova or Coach V. It is my job to make sure that all tamers in this group perform to the best of their abilities. In the end, only the most skilled and dedicated tamers will make the cut to the Bronze League. Your first test begins this evening. You have one hour to prepare yourselves before we meet back here. Any questions?”

  All of the tamers looked at one another. The way Coach Vanova said it, Jackson thought questions were probably highly discouraged.

  “Excuse me, uh… Coach V?” Lucia, a girl Jackson had pegged as a bit of an airhead, surprised everyone by speaking up. “So like, the welcome info said we didn’t have anything going on until tomorrow morning…?”

  Vanova looked down at her tablet and flicked her fingers across a couple of screens. “Scofield is it? Well, Ms. Scofield, consider this sort of a pop quiz. You have one hour. Any other questions?”

  This time, Jackson was sure the coach wasn’t taking any more questions. In the face of Coach Vanova’s intensity, the small group of tamers dispersed to their rooms. Hoping to avoid more socializing in the elevator, Jackson went for the stairs. Unfortunately, so did Akamu.

  “My dad told me about this,” the younger Kaleo said. “This is when they start weeding out the tamers. If you don’t do well in the initial evaluation, they send you packing.”

  Jackson didn’t say anything. He really had no desire to talk to Akamu and wanted to keep his focus on whatever lay ahead. He passed the second floor and much to Jackson’s disappointment, Akamu continued climbing as well.

  “You nervous?” Akamu said. “It would sure be depressing to get invite to camp only to go home before you even unpack your bags. But then again, you’re probably used to that on some level, aren’t you?”

  “What’s your problem with me?” Jackson asked.

  “You personally? Nothing,” Akamu said. “I just don’t like this stupid ‘anyone can do anything’ mentality being peddled by the DBL these days. There are some people who are meant for taming and some who aren’t.”

  Jackson felt his blood start to boil and wanted nothing more than to turn around and kick Akamu down the cement stairs. Instead, he pressed on and tried to block his newfound nemesis’s words out. Akamu stopped on the third floor but managed to get in one more parting shot.

  “One last thing. And don’t take this the wrong way,” Akamu said. “I already know which of the two you are. But don’t feel bad. Most of the clowns downstair
s are the same way.”

  Before Jackson could say anything, Akamu disappeared inside the hallway door. How in the hell was he not supposed to take that the wrong way? Alone in the stairwell, Jackson gripped the handrail as hard as he could, wishing he could crush it in his hands. When they finally went numb, he took a deep breath and headed for his room.

  Slamming the door helped, but then he paced back and forth — a complete basket case. In desperation, he tried to call Briggs, but the holo-line went straight to his visual mail. Jackson tried Kay instead. She picked up right away and they chatted right up until Jackson had to head back downstairs to meet with the other tamers and Coach Vanova. Though they were pretty much exactly what he expected from Kay, her words calmed him down and, just as important, made him feel like he wasn’t a pretender.

  “You’re going to do great,” Kay said. “Don’t let Akamu get to you — save it for the battlefield. You got this.”

  “Thanks, Kay,” Jackson said and sighed. “I’ll shoot you a message later and let you know how it goes — I sure hope they’re not actually cutting people tonight.”

  On his way out the door, Jackson stopped in front of the mirror and looked himself over. The same scrawny boy from Tyle looked back at him, but one thing was different: his hands each bore a tamer ring on their index fingers. Less than two years ago, Jackson would have thought he was dreaming.

  “You can do this,” he told the kid in the mirror.

  Back in the commons, everyone was tense. Coach Vanova didn’t offer any further explanation. Once everyone made it down from their quarters, she beckoned them to follow. They filed in behind her and made their way out back behind the buildings to a large mowed field painted with Djinn battling lines. The field was ringed in stadium lights that were already on despite it still being a few hours before sunset.

  Jackson’s stomach rumbled the instant they set foot outside — he realized that, aside from some soggy complimentary oatmeal on the train, he hadn’t had a meal all day. Luckily, both Asena and Scrappy had been well-fed the night before and burned no calories while in stasis. He wished he could have let them out prior to the battle but hadn’t wanted to start a fight in his apartment before whatever Coach Vanova had in store.

  Coach Vanova turned to face them when they reached the line marking the edge of the battlefield. “All right, rookies. This is your first test at camp. We’ll be assessing your current fighting style and overall strength to see where everyone stands. Just because you got an invitation doesn’t mean you’ll be sticking around.”

  Jackson gulped involuntarily. Apparently, Akamu hadn’t been completely full of crap. Although Coach Vanova didn’t articulate further, it sounded that some of them might not even make it one night. But before he could dwell on the possibility of failing before he’d even begun, Vanova pointed to Fiona and Avril.

  “You two, into the ring. You’ll be our first match. Let’s see what you’ve got — this will be a two-on-two match.”

  Fiona’s face lacked her usual confidence as she strode out into the tamer circle, but she didn’t look anything near as nervous as Avril, who clutched at the rings on her right hand and stared out onto the field with wide eyes. Jackson couldn’t help but feel bad for the older woman, though a small part of him was glad he didn’t have to go first.

  The two tamers faced off against one another and release their Djinn in a flash of multi-colored lights. Jackson saw the familiar form of Fiona’s Megala, Rebel, and eagerly awaited her second Djinn. It turned out to be a Donkick, one he recognized from the Sato Ranch. Jackson hadn’t spent a ton of time working with that kind of Djinn, but knew they had a reputation for nasty dispositions.

  Fiona’s new Djinn brayed and swiveled its long ears as Avril’s own Djinn materialized across the center ring. Jackson was impressed — he’d been expecting Avril to own a couple of common Djinn. Instead, she had a Kasstor and Moltiger — a Wind and Fire-Elemental pair with a similar team build to what he hoped Scrappy and Asena would amount to someday. The Kasstor gave a hiss as soon as it saw its opponents on the other side of the ring, and the Moltiger’s growl echoed its sentiment. Jackson let out an involuntary expression of awe. Sure, the Moltiger was an impressive beast — no surprise there — but he hadn’t realized that the serpentine Kasstor had a coat of fur on its body, which was at odds with its reptilian features. He supposed fine details like that didn’t really show up on holo-vision too well.

  “We will go until both Djinn on one team are knocked out,” Coach Vanova shouted around the whistle in her lips. Then she blew it. “Begin!”

  It was clear to Jackson from the get-go just how much stronger Fiona had become as a tamer since the last time he’d seen her and Rebel in the ring. Fiona’s Donkick charged both the Kasstor and the Moltiger, and Rebel took flight. Faced with an attack from both ground and air, Avril hesitated for a split second. That was all Fiona needed.

  The Donkick bucked its way into the middle of the confused Kasstor and Moltiger and pivoted around to deliver a strong kick with both hind legs into the ribs of the Moltiger. At the same time, Rebel swooped low and plucked the Kasstor right off the ground. The Kasstor writhed in Rebel’s talons, but before it could gain any hold, Rebel let go and it plummeted back to the earth.

  Whether by sheer luck or brilliant planning, the Kasstor struck its own teammate just as the Moltiger leaped at the Donkick. The pair went down in a hissing, tangled mess and the Donkick charged, trampling the pair into the ground. When it jumped away, Rebel hit the ailing pair with a spray of feather needles that Jackson knew all too well.

  The Moltiger rose, wobbled for a few moments and then toppled over. The Kasstor never moved after the feather needles hit it. Both Rebel and Fiona’s new Donkick waited for the command but Coach Vanova’s whistle blew before Fiona could finish off Avril’s Djinn.

  “I think we’ve seen enough here,” Coach Vanova said, glancing down at her tablet. “Tak Rito and Lucia Scofield, you’re up!”

  Lucia managed a narrow victory over Tak, his Lutrotter, and Gruffoat, which Jackson couldn’t help but enjoy watching. Next came Miguel and Hayden, which Miguel handily won. Finally, Moto went up against Appleby. Jackson was happy to see that Appleby and his Moldune looked better than ever, but his friend still didn’t stand a chance against Moto, her Scorbble, and her Zanga.

  Despite his trepidation, Jackson thought he might have a good chance if all the tamers in camp were around the same skill level as Barrack 4. Instead of thinking about his own match, Jackson forced himself to make mental notes on each of the other tamers, the Djinn they used, and their particular strategies. At least, that’s what he tried to do initially. However, his attention span to the other matches started to sway when he realized that no one else had yet been paired up with Akamu. It made Jackson mad, but he knew he was intimidated by the young Kaleo even though they’d never actually faced off.

  “Akamu Kaleo, Jackson Hunt! You’re up next.”

  “Just let it happen,” Akamu said. “I’ll be doing you a favor by sending you home early.” He was standing a few paces away and Jackson could feel his smirk although he forced himself to ignore Akamu.

  Jackson heard a few calls of encouragement from Appleby and the others who’d already taken a disliking to Akamu. As soon as they entered the ring, both tamers faced each other and released their Djinn, waiting for the signal to attack. Jackson was so focused on Akamu’s Djinn that he hardly paid attention to Asena and Scrappy as their bodies formed in the blast of light.

  The first Djinn to appear across the field was a Flogadra, a flying Djinn with flaming feathers. Instinctively, Jackson opened up his Djinncyclopedia app.

  Djinn: Flogadra

  Element: Wind/Fire

  Flogadras are an Intermediate-Form, Fire and Wind-Elemental combo Djinn. They are an exceptionally-rare Djinn that aren’t generally found in the wild. The evolved form of Pyras (an already-endangered Djinn), Flogadras can only be evolved when in the hands of a tamer. As such, when evolv
ed, Flogadras tend to be incredibly loyal and protective.

  It would be a tough fight — as both a Wind and Fire Djinn, the Flogadra canceled out any Elemental advantage Jackson would have had with Scrappy or Asena. Which meant Akamu’s second Djinn would have a real leg up if…

  A long, powerful body with scales and ridges appeared on the battlefield grass. Jackson recognized it immediately as a Tandile, but, as if on by instinct, knew it wasn’t just any Tandile. His eyes were instantly drawn to a long scar on its snout — the very place his own Scrappy had attacked a certain Tandile not long ago. Akamu hadn’t just caught a powerful Djinn, he’d caught the Djinn Jackson passed up on.

  “Don’t worry,” Akamu said, noting Jackson’s reaction. “He’s in the hand of a capable trainer.”

  Before Jackson could really process or register what he was seeing, Coach Vanova’s voice cut through his shock.

  “Begin!”

  CHAPTER 16

  Everyone else but Jackson, Akamu, and the four Djinn in the ring faded away. Jackson’s mind went into overdrive as Akamu went on the offensive with his Flogadra and Tandile, and Jackson was forced to react.

  He’d learned in the past few weeks that commanding two Djinn telepathically was a whole lot different than just one. In fact, it was even harder than when he’d first struggled to establish his connection with Asena. Scrappy and his loyal Lyote worked fine with him on their own, but their general dislike for once another played chaos with Jackson’s mental strategy.

  Jackson commanded Scrappy to engage with Akamu’s Flogadra. He knew it was potentially-unwise to sic the Fire-Elemental Asena against the Water-Elemental Tandile, but given Scrappy’s history with the Tandile, he didn’t think it smart to re-open any fresh wounds.