Intergalactic Fight Club: Don the Champion

by Colleen Hickey

  Kaynon growls as he walks out of the Nursing Station.

  “Jody, you stay with Minos until we get our stuff out of our lockers,” Don instructs her, “We’ll be quick. Like you said, something is wrong with him.”

  “Okay but be careful,” she says before they left.

  ***

  In the empty men’s locker room, Athena is trying to figure the combination code for Kaynon’s locker. She is trying to break in to find something.

  “I have to get into Kaynon’s locker,” she says to herself, “If he’s taking what I think he’s taking, it may link him to Psikes.”

  Suddenly, she hears voices coming toward the locker room.

  “Shoot! I’ll have to try again later!”

  She jumps toward the air vent and escapes. Coming into the locker room are Mannie and Don. Their lockers are next to each other. They each press buttons for their combination code and open them so they can quickly gather their stuff before Kaynon comes in.

  “Let’s hurry before the beast gets here,” Mannie tells Don, “Besides, we’re supposed to meet John and Jody at Emerald Isle Restaurant.”

  Don is just getting all the stuff he needs out of his locker when Kaynon slams his locker door, almost crushing his fingers. He is very angry of the way he hugged Jody earlier.

  “I don’t like it when other men hug my Jody girl,” he snarls viciously.

  “Jody is not your girl, Kaynon!” Don yells, “Why do you have a hard time accepting the break-up?!

  “Jody just needs time to forgive, and you’re not gonna seduce her away from me!”

  “Kaynon, you’re crazy! There’s nothing between Jody and me! We’re just friends!”

  Kaynon grabs Don by the forearms and throws him to the floor. Then, he puts his right foot on his abdomen and stomps on Don.

  “Listen, Rep! If I catch you touching Jody in any way again, you will be a corpse in Central Park before the Finals start!” Kaynon threatens him.

  Mannie punches him in the face to force Kaynon off of his friend, and then he helps a coughing Don up as he holds his stomach.

  “You better save it for the Fights, Kaynon, or I’ll let the Ref about this and see you are disqualified,” Mannie says.

  Kaynon just walks by him and bumps him as he leaves.

  “You’re next on my list, Bug,” he mumbles.

  Kaynon leaves the locker room. Mannie turns his attention to Don.

  “Don, are you okay?” Mannie asks his hurt friend.

  “Had the wind knocked out of me, but I’m okay! Let’s go and meet John and Jody,” Don says reassuringly.

  What they don’t know is that Athena has been watching the “harsh” conversation the whole time. She gets out a wrist communicator and reports to someone.

  “No doubt about it,” she states, “Kaynon is taking Waspite, and he’s getting worse.”

  Chapter 10

  At the Emerald Isle Restaurant, people are selecting the meals they want by touch-screen computer. They are using a touchscreen with pictures of foods they want. It works by choosing the picture of the meal one wants while the robot cooks make them as fast as they can. The waiters are humans and aliens. John is just pushing some buttons while ordering for the group. Jody, Don, and Mannie are sitting at their table. They are all celebrating their first victory in the Intergalactic Fights.

  “Our orders will be here in a couple of minutes,” John informs them as he sits himself down.

  “Don, I’m so sorry about what Kaynon did to you,” Jody apologizes.

  “You don’t have to apologize, Jody,” Don says to her, “It’s not your fault. I’m curious though. How did Kaynon get expelled?”

  “I don’t know. I thought it had to do with how violent he was toward Mannie. All I remember about the day he left is the principal escorting him out.”

  “I have a feeling there’s more to how Kaynon is acting than meets the eye.”

  “Let’s forget about Kaynon and chow down,” Mannie says as he tucks a napkin into his shirt, ready to eat.

  After a few minutes, a waiter comes over with their orders. Jody is having some crab cake; Mannie is having the Nebula worm special; Don is having some rice to help him prepare more; and John is having a Salisbury steak. Then, Jody notices a Caesar salad and Necturian flower nectar soup.

  “Dad, who are the two extra orders for?” Jody inquires.

  “They are for two new employees I hired,” John replied, “They will be here shortly.”

  A minute later, Buzz and Raven arrive in formal wear. Mannie sees Raven as she sits next to him and makes a pucker face at her, disgusting Raven.

  “Jody, these two are Buzz Busby and Raven Wells, our two new part-time employees,” John introduces them, “My daughter Jody, and you already know Don Kobra and Mannie.”

  “Mannie and I have already met,” Raven states.

  “Raven will be working as our part-time receptionist and desk clerk while Buzz is going to be our stock boy,” John says, “Jody, I will be taking Mannie and Don out for their training at Long Island. I want you to show Raven and Buzz around our gym and explain how things are done.”

  “You got it, Daddy,” Jody gives a thumbs up.

  Raven and Buzz look at each other with glee because they will get to see the secrets to John Terrance’s training for their boss.

  ***

  The next day, Raven and Buzz show up for their first day of work. John is out training Don and Mannie, leaving Jody in charge of operations.

  “First, let me give you a tour of the gym, and then I’ll explain what you have to do on your jobs,” Jody explains what they will be doing.

  Jody takes them into the weight training room to show them the simulator that Don and Mannie have used for their training.

  “This simulator is what we have been using for the guys’ training,” Jody explains, “All that my dad has to do is program an opponent and location, and the fighters have to figure out their opponent’s weakness and how to use the location to their advantage.”

  “Is that how Don and Mannie are able to defeat their opponent?” Buzz inquires.

  “Yes. The simulator has information of every known species of alien, their strengths, and their weaknesses. Now follow me to the bike area.”

  ***

  While Jody is giving Raven and Buzz the tour, Mannie and Don are sparring at the beach. Mannie tries to punch, but Don grabs his fist and flips him. He then holds both of Mannie’s arms on the ground, pinning him. John claps to their success.

  “Good job, Don,” he compliments, “Mannie, you need a little work on your form and offense.”

  “Right,” Mannie said while rubbing the back of his head.

  “Now let’s head back home, Boys. We can train more in the morning.”

  The guys walk back to the car when Mannie approaches Don.

  “Don, can I ask you something?” Mannie asks him.

  “Sure, Mannie. What’s on your mind?” Don inquires.

  “Do you think I made a good impression on Raven?”

  “Not really. You were moving pretty fast toward her. Besides, you just met her. Girls don’t like a guy who moves fast on a relationship. Just look at Kaynon and Jody.”

  “I’ll try to go easy on her. Speaking of Jody, I noticed you took an interest in her. Are you sure you’re not developing a crush on her?”

  “I just met your friend last week, Mannie. I don’t know that much about her.”

  “It would mean a lot to me if she met someone new. Ever since Kaynon, she never wants any contact with men except me and her dad.”

  “Too afraid to date again?”

  “Yeah.”

  “How come you two aren’t dating?”

  “She and I have more of a brother/sister relationship. We like each other, just not that way.”

  “Another thing I’d like to know is why you don’t want to date anyone of your own species. I notice you flirt with girls of different races, but you avoid the ones from your home planet.�
��

  “Because it’s a hazard to mate with the female mantis. The women of my kind have a tendency to bite our heads off.”

  “A lot of relationships go through rough patches like that.”

  “No! I mean really bite our heads off.”

  Don is so shocked by it his mouth hangs and his eyes are wide open.

  They both get into the car and head back to the gym.

  ***

  Back at the gym, Jody is explaining to Raven and Buzz what they have to do on their jobs.

  “Raven, you will be in charge of signing guests in and having them fill out forms in case of medical problems,” she tells her, “You will also answer and transfer calls to my dad.”

  “I know how to do that,” she replies, “I’ll get right on it now.”

  Raven walks away to do her job.

  “As for you, Buzz, your job will be to make sure the shelves are stocked with our merchandise. Each item must be aligned straight and in columns of six.”

  “I’ll get on it right know,” Buzz says as he starts taking the stuff out of the boxes.

  Raven begins setting up the paperwork for the next day, while Buzz begins stacking the powder mixes, jump ropes, and pedometers.

  “I’m gonna order us pizza for dinner while you guys work,” she informs them, “Be right back.”

  While Jody leaves to order pizza, Raven and Buzz stop what they are doing and get to their real job: downloading the information of alien species into Psike’s computer. Raven takes out her tablet and hacks into the mainframe of the simulator while Buzz looks out the door and keeps watch for Jody or anyone else. Raven presses a few buttons and gets into the information storage unit.

  “I found the info we need for our “training program” with Kaynon,” Raven informs Buzz.

  “Put it into email, and send it to the boss,” Buzz tells her.

  Raven did as she is told and sends the data to Psikes’s computer. Buzz suddenly sees a shadow coming.

  “Jody is coming back, Raven,” Buzz whispers, “Get back to your post.”

  Raven turns her tablet off and gets back to her desk, and Buzz gets back to stocking the shelves just as Jody comes in.

  “Pizza will be here in thirty minutes, guys,” she informs Raven and Buzz.

  “Thanks, Jody,” Raven says.

  “No problem. My dad also called. He and the guys are stopping at a place with health food.”

  “He’s really working them hard on their training, huh?”

  “My dad just wants to help them make it through the fights. He doesn’t care about the winning, just on staying strong and standing ground during matches. Also, Raven, I want to apologize for Mannie’s behavior toward you.”

  “I get that a lot from men. Speaking of, are you and Don Kobra going out together?”

  “I don’t know him that well. Besides, I’m not interested in dating, not since Kaynon.”

  “Too afraid after your abusive relationship? I can relate.”

  As the girls talk, Buzz grows suspicious of their budding friendship.

  “Raven is already friends with that human girl,” Buzz says, “girls.”

  ***

  That night, Psikes is in his office working on his computer when he receive email from Raven and Buzz. He clicks on the icon and sees the data from the simulator, finding it interesting.

  “This will help our plans perfectly,” Psikes said while viewing the screen, “Not only will Kaynon be unbeatable, but I will be able to know Don Kobra’s moves.”

  Psikes sends an email to Raven to stay in the gym and keep him posted on any developments that come up. His dark plans are just beginning.

  Chapter 11

  A week has passed and it is time for the Quarter Finals. Don is in the Rec Room doing a little, last-minute weight training by repeatedly lifting a five-pound dumbbell. Jody is comes in to check on him.

  “Getting some last-minute weight training before you go against that Crabite?” Jody inquires.

  “Just building up a little more muscle before my match, Jody,” Don tells her.

  Jody is just walking toward him when she trips on the rug. Don gets up quickly and catches her before she fell. As he helps her up, they both gaze into each other’s eyes. Jody flinches a little and blushes.

  “I…uh…better let my father know we’re coming,” Jody says as she shyly leaves.

  Don just smiles at her, growing a little fonder of her each time he sees her.

  ***

  At Madison Square Garden, the four have arrived at the Front Entrance as John drops them off. Jody, Mannie, and Don go inside.

  ***

  Jody is just waiting back stage where she is supposed to be while the boys are in the locker room getting ready. Don’s match is up first. She sees him by himself looking worried. Jody goes over to him to see what is wrong.

  “Feeling nervous about your next match, Don?” Jody asks with concern.

  “Yeah. I know who my opponent is, Jody,” he explains with a heavy heart, “His name is Lock Claws. He is the toughest and most dangerous fighter in his quadrant. The only one who could beat him is Kaynon. I don’t want to let you or your father down if I lose.”

  “You’ll never let me and my dad down,” Jody encourages him, “There’s a difference between being the best and doing your best. All that my dad asks of you is to give it your all and to remember that there is more to fighting an opponent than the physical part. Also, remember what you are fighting for.”

  Don walks up to her and puts he hands on her shoulders.

  “I’ll do my best for you and your dad, Jody,” he promises.

  Kaynon notices what’s going on and is very enraged by it.

  “If he keeps getting close to her, I will lose Jody,” he complains to himself, “I’ll have to talk to Psikes about this and see what he can do.”

  ***

  A few minutes later, Don walks into the ring and sees Lock Claws, the toughest, meanest, and most muscle-bound Crabite of his quadrant. Crabites are lobster humanoids known for attacking with their claws. Lock Claws is almost unbeatable, as Don has stated before. They both lock eyes on each other. Lock Claws has a smug look on his face thinking he will easily beat Don. The MC comes out to introduce the first fight as the spotlight shines on him.

  “Welcome to the Quarter Finals, Ladies and Gentlemen!” he greets, “We are here to determine which of the four fighters will make it to the Semi-Finals and be one step closer to the title of Champion of the Intergalactic Fights! For the first round, we pitted the Reptilian Warrior of Honor, Don Kobra against the Scourge of the Piscine Galaxy, the Clawed Terror himself, who came close to winning last year’s Main Event: Lock Claws!”

  Lock Claws comes into the ring, waving his pinchers to every fan cheering for him. On his right forearm is a claw-marked scar from his last fight with Kaynon.

  Both fighters walk to the center to face each other. When they are about to shake hands, Lock Claws grabs his hand and pulls him in close.

  “We need to talk about Kaynon after our match,” he whispers, “It’s important you should know what I know. For now, let’s make our match look good for the crowd.”

  Don is very confused by this. He cannot tell if Lock Claws is trying to play mind games with him or not, but he looks at the mark Kaynon left on him and wants to know for Jody’s sake. After they shake hands, they both face each other and wait for the bell to ring. After a few seconds, it finally buzzes. Don and Lock Claws circle each other slowly, waiting for a moment to strike. Lock Claws delivers the first blow, but he misses Don, and he high kicks him, knocking Lock Claws to the ground. Don then puts him in a half-nelson and whispers something to his ear.

  “You tell me everything you know about Kaynon,” he whispers, “I have a friend who may be in danger.”

  “I will after the match, but we can’t let anyone know,” Lock Claws responds, “Some of his goons may be watching us?”

  “Whose goons?”

  “I’ll tell yo
u after we’re done. Right now, let’s worry about giving the fans a show.”

  Lock Claws flips Don off his back and tries to swipe him with his pinchers until he finally grabs him. He squeezes Don real tight on his forearms, but Don flexes his arms and forces the pinchers off of him. Then he grabs both of his pincers and clamps them tight. Both fighters are grappling with each other when Don realizes that Lock Claw’s kind don’t have enough shell armor in the abdomen. Don kicks Lock Claws in his abdomen, causing him to flinch and hold onto his stomach. Then, Don pins him, instantly winning the fight as the crowd cheers him on. Even Jody got excited as she hugs Mannie, who just showed up.

  “Looks like you won fair and square, Don,” Lock Claws said, “Meet me in the locker room in ten minutes.”

  “Right,” Don replies.

  ***

  Ten minutes later, while Athena is battling her flying opponent, Don meets Lock Claws to talk about Kaynon and his strange behavior.

  “Okay, Lock Claws,” he said as he looks around to make sure they are alone, “Now what can you tell me about Kaynon?”

  “I think I know what is making him more aggressive,” Lock Claws explains, “Have you ever heard of Waspite?”

  “Yeah. It’s a steroid honey from the Wasp Beasts of Andhra 9. It can enhance muscles and speed, but it makes the user aggressively psychotic and eventually becomes toxic to the body. A Waspite addiction! I should have known!”

  “Yes. Before my match last year, I was at my locker when I saw Kaynar getting something out of his locker: a vile containing some kind of honey-like substance. All he did was drink it and his muscles got a little bigger. Then, he went wild at our bout and gave me the claw mark you see. The last thing I knew, I found myself in the hospital.”

  “Why didn’t anyone ban him after your injuries?” Don ponders.

  “Waspite dissolves into the muscle, making it hard to detect even in drug tests. That’s not the worst part. I was going to complain to the board when I saw a few taking bribes from Rex Psikes.”

  “The infamous crime lord?!!”

  “And biggest supplier of the Waspite. There have been rumors going around he’s been using the fights not only as part of his gambling ring, but as demonstrations to the extent his Waspite can do.”