“You know how I keep telling Kaynon that I’m not in love with Jody?” Don inquires.
“Yeah.”
“I was wrong,” he sighs, “I have fallen in love with Jody.”
“You have?!”
Outside on the fire escape, Kaynon is listening in on their conversation, and he is not happy about what he is hearing as he growls in jealousy and frustration.
“Whenever I’m with Jody, I’m not afraid to show my gentle side to anyone, unlike the rest of my people. We’re always cold toward other races, especially humans because they’re weak and frail. Jody has shown me how strong humans can be even when things can get bad for them in life.”
“Yeah. She’s pretty strong when it comes to facing the bad times, but I wouldn’t mention the “in love” part to Kaynon. He’ll maul you to pieces for it.”
“I am saving that in the ring,” Kaynon mumbles under breathe.
Kaynon climbs up the fire escape to where Jody’s bedroom is.
***
Back in Jody’s apartment, Jody has already gotten her pink-silk nightgown on when she hears Raven coming in.
“Hey, Raven,” Jody says as she comes out of her bedroom.
“Hey, Jody,” Raven responds.
“Did you have a good date with Mannie while we were gone?”
“Oh yes. It was a nice dinner and movie, along with a moment between us.”
“NO WAY!! You two made out, didn’t you?!”
“Mannie has earned it. He treated me in a special way that not even Psikes ever did.”
“I take it you’ve finally fallen for his charm.”
“I’ve fallen for more than just his charm, Jody.”
Raven suddenly hugs Jody for putting all her trust in her.
“Thanks for trusting me despite the truth about me,” she says softly.
“What are friends for? Good night, Raven,” Jody says as she goes to her room.
“Good night. I’ll just sleep on the couch tonight. You can tell me about your date tomorrow.”
***
That night, Jody is fast asleep in her bed with her back at the window. Kaynon is outside her window amorously looking at her.
“Jody, if only you can see how much I love you,” he whispers to himself, “That will change once Psikes gets everything ready for my final fight.”
He pry the window open and quietly sneaks into the room. Then, he stands beside Jody as he watches her sleep and admires her.
“So beautiful and pure, even when you sleep,” Kaynon continues as he pets her hair.
Kaynon moves his head closer to hers and licks her like a pet dog, causing Jody to slowly open her eyes and get up screaming when she sees Kaynon leaning on her. Her screams wake Raven up, making her run to Jody’s room.
“Jody, what is…?” Raven gasps when she sees Kaynon in her room, “KAYNON!!!”
Kaynon slams the door on door on Raven and locks it. Raven runs downstairs to get Mannie and Don.
“What are you doing in my room, Kaynon?!!” Jody confronts him.
“I just wanted to see you while you sleep, dearest,” Kaynon replies as he takes her hand and caresses it, “I wanted to see what it will be like once we are wed. Psikes has set everything up everything. After my match with Don, we have our wedding on the ring for the entire audience to see.”
“It’s a set-up by Psikes alright, but not the kind you think. Kaynon, he’s just motivating you to win so he can be clear on his gambling winnings and sell the Waspite that is making you sick at the same time. He’s just using you, and he doesn’t care if you’re at risk!”
“Don’t give me that, Jody girl! You’re just making up excuses because you’ve fallen in love with Don! I followed you two and saw you in Central Park together!”
Jody is shocked to hear Kaynon, but she developed enough courage to stand up to him thanks to Don’s encouragement.
“What if I am seeing him?!” she says while standing up to him, “I’m not gonna let any fear of you control my life or my relationships anymore!”
Kaynon growls, “We’ll see about that once you come with me!”
Kaynon grabs Jody by the wrist and tries to take her out the window with him. Before he could take her, there is a hard knock at the door.
“Open the door, Kaynon! We know you’re in there!” Don shouts out furiously.
“Go away, Rep! Jody is mine!” Kaynon yells out, “We’re going away together!”
“You’re nuts!” Mannie shouts.
Don suddenly breaks the door down and takes Jody away from Kaynon.
“You blasted rat-eater!” Kaynon screams as he tackles Don to the floor and tries to hit him.
Don grabs Kaynon’ss fist with both hands and throws him off. Both he and Kaynon get up and grapple with each other. Kaynon tries to pin Don, but he suddenly feels the flutter sensations in his chest. Kaynon starts to sweat and breath heavy, causing Don to become concern as Kaynon gets off of him and kneels to the ground.
“Kaynon, your heart is suffering from the Waspite,” Don states as he holds his hand out, “Let us help you.”
“NO! You just want me to forfeit so you can take my title and my girl! I don’t need anyone’s help, but I will see you in the final match! We’ve got a couple surprises for you!”
Kaynon weakly walks out through the window and limps as he goes. Don runs up to Jody to make sure she’s okay.
“Jody, did Kaynon hurt you?” Don asks with concern.
“No, but he did try to take me away with him,” Jody said, “I finally stood up to him.”
“I’m proud of you, but right now, we have to tell your dad what happened.”
***
One hour later, the police came by after Don and Jody tell her dad about Kaynon. John is giving a statement to the cops while Don has his arm wrapped around Jody. John goes up to Don, Jody, Mannie, and Raven and tells them what the cops have said they will do.
“They said that they would loan us one of their secure-bots to make sure there are no more break-ins. As for Kaynon, his manager has him lawyered up, so the police can’t go near him until after the fight,” John explains.
“So Kaynon’s getting away with trying to kidnap Jody?!” Don says heatedly.
“That’s why Jody is gonna join us on your training.”
“Huh?” Jody wonders.
“Jody, you’re gonna learn some self-defense while Don prepares for the Final Match. I want you to be safe from Kaynon since he is becoming unstable. This way, I’ll feel relief knowing you’ll protect yourself when I can’t be there.”
“Okay Daddy.”
***
During the next two weeks, Don and Jody train together as hard as they could in the gym. Don and Mannie spar with each other every chance they get, and Don always win the matches because he knows when a hit is coming. Other days, he would fight Kaynon in the simulator in different locations and different muscle levels on Kaynon based on the Waspite consumption.
Jody, meanwhile, is learning some self-defense moves from Raven. Raven pretends to be Kaynon grabbing Jody from behind, but Jody flips her, elbows her, and knees her in different ways until she memorizes what to do in each situation.
***
At the beach, Don is practicing his punches and kicks on his own while Jody watches him. Don swing kicks in the air, impressing Jody. While he poses his kick, Jody decides to help by lifting his leg and lowering his arms to keep him straight, making Don feel relaxed and happy knowing Jody is always at his corner.
***
Back at Rex Psikes’s private gym, Kaynon is sparring with Bludd to prepare for his upcoming match. Bludd is covered in protective gear because Kaynon has been on a rampage ever since finding out Jody has fallen for Don. He jumps and high kicks Bludd, and then he bites into his protective gear and mauls it like a rabid dog when Psikes comes in with another batch of Waspite.
“Something wrong, Kaynon?” he asks smugly.
“Jody refused to come with me when I ask
ed her, and that snake interfered just when I was about to take her. What’s worse is he’s actually falling for my girl!” Kaynon explains his problems fiercely, “I’m losing Jody to that Rep, and I have to stop it somehow!”
“That is why I wanted to give you this,” Psikes says as he gives him a jar of Waspite, “This latest batch of Waspite contains a steroid chemical which will double your muscle power in the ring. As for Don, I will “arrange” for him to lose graciously so you may keep your title and your girl.”
“Is everything all set for my wedding after the tournament?”
“All the preparations are taken care of.”
“Good. I’m ready to take Don Kobra out of the picture and out of Jody’s life.”
“Then get some rest. You will need all the energy for your ultimate match-up.”
Kaynon leaves to rest while Bludd is slowly getting up.
“I didn’t know you were planning his wedding to that mousy human, boss,” Bludd states.
“I didn’t, Bludd,” Psikes informs him of his real plans, “I merely said I would marry that girl off to Kaynon to give him a little motivation.”
“But what if he wins that match and sees no girl and no wedding?”
“It won’t matter. I’ve already sold my Waspite to my buyers, and Kaynon is no longer of any use to me. The batch of Waspite I gave him will increase his recent heart problem until he has a heart attack. By the time that mutt realizes I double-crossed him, he’ll be dead from the strain of the fight.”
“What if the Waspite is discovered in his system?”
“Waspite is hard to detect in the bloodstream when the subject is dead. They will think it’s injuries from all his other bouts that killed him. Even if they do find the Waspite, I’ll will be on another planet by the time the make an arrest.”
“What are you gonna do with the girl Jody and your former employees?”
“Well, Bludd, a ton of crime activity often goes on in New York, especially at night when there is a lot of gang activity, and you know how dangerous those laser rifles are when the gangs start shooting each other. Innocent people like them always get killed while on their way to important events.”
“It’s risky, but if it’ll prevent us from rotting on the Incarceration Stations…”
“By the time they realize what will happen to them, it’ll be too late to save themselves.”
As the two chuckle together, they are being spied on by Athena and Buzz, who are using a cloaking device to get something on Psikes for hard evidence. Buzz came along become he’s the only one who knows the security codes to get into Psikes’s home. What they found out was disturbing.
“You hear that, Athena!” Buzz says fearfully, “They’re gonna kill our friends as soon as the fight’s over!”
“We gotta get to them and warn them!” Athena whispers to him, “You’ve lead me in here, Buzz; now lead me out!”
“Follow me.”
Athena and Buzz are about to sneak out when Buzz accidently steps on an infra-red alarm, causing a loud buzzing sound for Psikes and Bludd to hear.
“We have intruders!” Psikes screams, “Grab your laser rifle!”
“My bad! It was recently installed,” he says embarrassingly as Athena glares at him.
Psikes and Bludd open the door and see Athena and Buzz. Psikes and Bludd begin shooting at them.
“RUUUNNNN!!” Athena screamed as they run for it.
When they got to the door and opened it, Cru and Webtro block them. Webtro spits out his webbing at Athena and wraps her in a silky cocoon while gagging her. Buzz flies and zooms out before anyone can catch him.
“Should we go after Buzz, boss?” Cru asks.
“We’ll squash him later,” Psikes says, “Right now, we have plans to make.”
Bludd suddenly sees Athena’s wallet in her pocket.
“Let’s get some fast cash out of her first.”
He picks up her wallet and opens it. Bludd suddenly gasps when he sees her NYPD badge.
“Boss, Athena is really a cop!” he panics.
“WHAT?!” Psikes shouts as he takes the wallet and sees the badge.
“What do we do?!” Webtro asks in panic.
“We keep her alive for the time being. We could still use her.”
***
Buzz zooms into an alley ten blocks away from Psikes’s home. He sits down and tries to do some fast thinking on how to save his friends and Athena.
“Think! Think! Think! Think! Think!!!!” he says.
Buzz suddenly realizes he can get the other fighters, Lock Claws, Minos, Tegro, and Myotis, to help. Knowing what hotel they are staying in, he quickly buzzes over fast.
***
At the Hilton Hotel, the fighters who lost are either taking a dip in the pool or lifting weights in the recreation center since they are the only ones there. Minos is lifting fifteen-pound dumbbells with Tegro and Myotis while Lock Claws is relaxing underwater in the pool. Buzz suddenly flies in, making Minos and the others drop their weights and Lock Claws jump out of the pool.
“Lock Claws! Minos!” he shouted while catching his breath, “I have to tell you what’s happened!”
“What is it?” Lock Claws asks.
Buzz starts telling about Psikes’s partnership with Kaynon and what Psikes plans on doing.
***
One hour later, the fighters and Buzz meet in Lock Claws hotel room to discuss a plan to prevent Jody, Don, and their friends’ deaths from happening. Tegro went out to scout John’s Galactic Gym to see about them.
“We need to come up with a plan to rescue Jody and Don from Psikes,” Minos stated.
“Not to mention Athena,” Buzz adds.
“We’ll see what we can do once we hear back from Tegro,” Lock Claws says.
Tegro arrives to report what he found.
“It’s no good Lock Claws,” Tegro reports, “Psikes has his men posted at the building. I can’t get in to warn them without them seeing me.”
“And neither can we,” Myotis states, “What are we going to do? We can’t get close to them until the final match.”
“I’ll talk to Don at the Final Match,” Lock Claws explains his plan, “If Psikes is going to make sure everything goes according to his plan, he will be there. Don can fight Kaynon as long as he can while we try to free his friends and get them away to safety.”
“Then, we can go to the police. Athena can then present her evidence to the cops,” Minos added.
“Buzz, where will Psikes be during the match?” Locks Claws asks Buzz.
“You’re asking him for help?” a shocked Myotis asks, “He works for Psikes.”
“Which is why we need his help,” Lock Claws reminds him.
“Okay. Here’s the layout…” Buzz begins explaining.
Chapter 19
On the evening before the Final Match, Don is in the rec room, lifting a twenty-five pound dumbbell repeatedly when Jody comes down to see him.
“Getting some last minute exercise in before your match with Kaynon tomorrow night?” Jody inquires jokingly.
“Yeah. I guess you’re very proud of yourself for standing up to him the other night,” Don complimented her.
“I am thanks to you.”
“I just encouraged you to stand up to him, Jody. You made that choice on your own.”
“Yeah. Kaynon is something I wanted to talk to you about. Think you’ll be okay during and after the fight?”
“I’m not too sure, Jody, but I’m gonna try to win that prize money for you and your dad. You two have done so much for me. I would never have gotten this far in the fights if it weren’t for your father’s training program and your encouragement.”
“Well don’t focus on winning the prize; just focus on being careful and getting through without being killed.”
“I will because I have a greater prize that will always wait for me.”
Jody did not understand what Don meant at first, but she realizes he was referring to her.
>
“Jody, there’s also something I want to tell you after the match,” Don continued, “Will you wait for me?”
“I will, Don,” Jody said while putting her hands and her head against his chest.
Don wraps his arms around her and embrace her.
“I…uh…better get back to bed,” Jody said timidly as she walks back to her apartment, “By the way, I can’t find Mannie or Raven anywhere. Have you seen them?”
“Raven said she wanted to take Mannie to a secret spot in Central Park,” Don said as he put back the dumbbell.
***
In Central Park, Mannie and Raven walk to a part next to the waterfalls that has a lot of trees and where nobody ever goes except in the daytime. Raven is wearing the same clothes she wore on their first date.
“Where are we going Raven?” Mannie asks as Raven pulls him by the arm.
“I know this lovely spot where we can be alone,” Raven said.
Mannie and Raven walk into the grove of trees, not knowing that Psikes, Webtro, and Bludd are following them. Psikes is infuriated for being dumped for Mannie.
“I’m gonna enjoy squashing that pest for taking what’s mine,” he growls.
The three follow the couple into the grove to capture them.
***
Inside the grove, Raven takes Mannie to a clearing that is covered by moonlight. Raven and Mannie sit down on the moonlit spot for another romantic date.
“What do you want to talk…?” Mannie asks before being interrupted by a long kiss from Raven.
“That was for all the things you’ve done for me, Mannie,” Raven said after the kiss to a dazed Mannie.
“Wow, Raven,” a dazed Mannie said.
“Mannie, I brought you here to tell you something.”
“What is it, Raven? You can tell me.”
“Mannie, during the past few weeks, I have fallen for you,” she says as she cuddles him, “You’re the first man to ever care for me. I never even felt this way about Psikes.”
Psikes is carefully watching them from a nearby tree, and he is growing more jealous and rageful.
“Oh, Raven,” Mannie says softly and sighs, “I love you too. I was too afraid to tell you after my first impression on you was a disaster.”
Raven and Mannie embrace each other passionately, making Psikes even angrier seeing his girl in the arms of another alien.
Intergalactic Fight Club: Don the Champion Page 10
