“What d’ya say we continue where we left off on our last date?” Mannie asks.
Both Raven and Mannie lean toward each other and kiss zealously, angering Psikes even further. As they kiss, Mannie hears a rustling sound coming from the bushes.
“What’s wrong?” Raven asks and she flips a lock of hair from her face.
“Probably just a wild animal,” Mannie replies as he gets up and walks to the bush, “I’ll check.”
Mannie peered into the bushes to see who or what is behind them. Suddenly, his right forearm is grabbed by a very familiar pincer claw. Coming out of the bushes are Cru and Bludd as they chuckle maliciously whilst Raven gasp.
“What are you two doing here?!!” he said as he struggles to get loose from Cru’s grasp.
“Helping our boss of course,” Cru replies with sneer.
“What boss?!”
Then, he hears a third party laugh. Mannie turns and see Psikes holding Raven by the wrists as she scuffles to get away.
“Rex Psikes! Let Raven go!” he angrily demanded.
“I don’t think so,” Rex refuses, “You two are needed to make sure your snake friend loses in the fight tomorrow night.”
“Over my dead body!” Mannie yells.
“That can be arranged since you’re the one who stole Raven away from me,” he jeers, “Take note, Raven. This is what happens when you defy and betray me.”
The bad guys take the young couple away into the hover limo and drive straight to their hideout.
***
The next day, Jody is in her bathroom, doing her hair after a shower. She is getting ready for the final match so Don wouldn’t be late. Then, she puts on her clothes: a blue tank top and a long denim skirt and jacket. Don knocks on her apartment door just as she is coming out.
“Jody, you’re dad and I are gonna use the gym at the arena to prepare,” Don informs her through the door.
“Okay, Don,” Jody replies, “I’ll meet you two at the arena.”
“Also, have you seen Mannie? I can’t find him anywhere.”
“I wouldn’t worry. He must be having a wild time with Raven.”
“Yeah,” Don chuckles, “He must be if he was out all night. I’ll meet you at the arena tonight.”
“Bye, Don.”
Don leaves for the arena. Jody is putting on some face powder when she hears another knock at the door. She puts her compact down and gets out of the bathroom to answer the door as whoever is outside keeps knocking.
“Mannie? Raven? Don? Daddy?” Jody calls for them to see if any of them is knocking.
Jody is about to open the door when a familiar claw punches through the door, breaking it in half. Jody sees who knocked down her door: Bludd.
“Bludd?! What do you want?!” she shouts.
“My boss wants to meet you,” Bludd chuckles.
“What boss?”
Psikes appears from behind Bludd, causing Jody to gasp in fear.
“Rex Psikes!” she says.
“I see my reputation still precedes me,” Psikes remarks, “And you’re Jody, Kaynon’s most precious trophy.”
“What do you want from me?” Jody demands.
“We just want you to come with us for a little ride,” Bludd replies.
“NO WAY!!! I know what that means coming from gangsters!!!”
Jody grabs a flower vase full of water and throws it on Psikes eyes as he wipes the water from his eyes. Then, she quickly smashes it on Bludd’s head, putting him in a daze while she runs to her room and locks the door. Jody rushes to the window and runs down the fire escape until she reaches the alley below. Jody is about to run across the street when Webtro and Cru block her as they laugh. She is about to run to the other side of the alley when Psikes grabs her and forces a tissue with chloroform over her mouth, causing Jody to fall asleep fast.
“She has a bit of fight in her for such a shy human,” Psikes stated about Jody, “Let’s take her to the arena.”
They all walk to Psikes hoversine as Psikes cradles Jody in his arms. After they all got in, the hoversine drives to the arena. Myotis was on top of the roof when he saw the whole thing. He calls Lock Claws on his comwatch.
“Lock Claws, Psikes has taken Jody, and it looks like he’s heading to the Madison Square Gardens,” Myotis reports.
“Follow them and see where Psikes is taking Jody,” Lock Claws commanded, “He may take her to where he’s holding the others.”
“Gotcha!”
Myotis turns off his comwatch and follows the car.
***
At the arena, Don is looking for Jody and the others from backstage. John is standing next to him, and they are both concern for Jody not showing.
“I can’t find Jody anywhere,” Don says as he keeps looking for her.
“Something is wrong,” John says, “Jody is never late for anything. You get ready for you match, Don. I’m gonna go look for her.”
John walks away to look for his daughter.
***
John pushes a button on the elevator to go down. Then, after a few seconds of waiting, the “up” signal lights up, and the elevator opens, revealing Webtro and Cru.
“What are you two doing here?” John inquires.
“Mr. Terrance, something bad has happened to your daughter!” Webtro says, worrying John.
“Where’s my daughter?!” He says as he grabs Webtro by the shoulders.
Cru suddenly forces John’s head down and throws the same rag Psikes used on Jody to put John to sleep. Then, the two thugs carry his sleeping body up the elevator. Minos saw the whole thing and watches to see which floor they are heading to. The buttons light up one by one until stopping at the fifth floor. Minos contacts Lock Claws.
“Lock Claws, Minos here,” he says on his comwatch, “Webtro and Cru captured John and are taking him to the fifth floor.”
“It could be where they’re keeping the others,” Lock Claws assumes.
“I think I know where Lock Claws,” Buzz states, “Psikes recently reserved another private box for “special guests”. It could be where they are keeping them prisoner.”
“Minos, have the others meet us on the fifth floor,” Lock Claws says while turning off his comwatch, “Buzz, you better lead us to that private box.”
“Follow me,” Buzz says.
***
In the locker room, Don is getting his handwraps on, sensing that something is wrong with Jody not showing. Suddenly, someone appears from behind as a huge shadow casts over Don. He turns around and sees Psikes and his three thugs.
“Rex Psikes!” he screamed.
“In the flesh,” he said, “You’ve already met three of my enforcers. I entered them in the fight to increase Kaynon’s chances of winning.”
“What do you want, Dino-breath?” he angrily glares at him.
“I came to make a deal. I’m here to ask you to lose my champion.”
“In your dreams! I’m gonna beat Kaynon, and then I’m getting him the help he needs from your drug!”
“You don’t understand, Mr. Kobra,” Psikes pleaded while faking, “I have money riding on Kaynon, and my buyers need convincing on why my Waspite is a best seller. Beisdes, it would mean a lot to your friends, the bug, my ex-moll, your coach, the cop, and especially your human girlfriend, if you agree to the deal.”
“Mannie, Raven, John, Athena, and Jodie?! What have you done with them?!!” Don yells as he grabs him by his jacket.
Psikes shows him a vid on his IPad, revealing his five friends all tied up and gagged. Cru and Webtro grab him by the arms before he could hurt their boss.
“Listen up, snake boy. Here’s the plan. During the first fifteen minutes, you can beat up that junkie of a mutt all you want, but after that you will take a beating and lose like a good loser. Otherwise, your friends will be taking a permanent nap in Central Park, staring with the girl both of you love,” Psikes threatens him.
Don growls at Psikes angrily but is disheartened knowing that his fr
iends’ lives are in his hands. He nods yes and agrees to the deal.
“That’s a good boy,” Psikes snickers.
Psikes leaves with his thugs, leaving Don to wallow in his misery about the whole thing. Locks Claws and Buzz are in the locker room at the time when he hears of the deal they made.
“I better talk to Don before I meet the others,” he says to himself.
“I’ll wait here and keep guard,” Buzz whispers.
Don is hanging his head, thinking of what to do to save his friends when he is approached by Lock Claws.
“Lock Claws,” Don responded to his presence, “I suppose you heard of that deal we made. I have to throw this fight for my friends’ safety.”
“I understand, but you won’t have to worry. We caught onto Psikes’s plan courtesy of Buzz, and now the Minos, Myotis, Tegro, and myself are here to help,” he says smiling.
Don is bewildered by what Lock Claws had just said.
“I-is there anything I can do to help?” Don asks if he could be a part of the plan.
“I need you to fight Kaynon like Psikes told you to. You need to keep that crime tyrant busy until we get your friends away from danger. Once we do, Psikes won’t have any control over you during this fight.”
“I’ll try. I just hope his heart doesn’t give out. No telling what kind of batch has been given to him.”
***
Kaynon, meanwhile, is backstage preparing for his match with Don. He is putting a vial of Psikes’s latest batch of Waspite into his water bottle as Buzz watches him from behind the locker room door.
“If I can get that water bottle, I can have evidence to prove that Kaynon has been taking Waspite all this time,” he mutters to himself.
Kaynon drinks the Waspite from his bottle and suddenly, his muscles grow bigger, he grows a few inches taller, and his eyes start to glow red as he shows his teeth like a rabid pit bull.
“Now I’m ready to maul that snake!” he says with rage, scaring Buzz.
Kaynon drops his water bottle as he heads to the ring. Buzz picks it up and tucks it into his jacket.
“Got what I need. Now to help Locks Claws,” he says.
***
In the center of the ring, the MC is ready to announce the Final Match between Don and Kaynon.
“This is it, everyone! The Final Match of the Intergalactic Fight Tournament!” he hollers.
The crowd cheers with him.
“This match will determine the champion who will reign supreme for another year! Who will it be?! Will it be our reigning three-year champion Kaynon Nite!?! Or a recent favorite who is known for his honor and dedication: DON KOBRA!?!!”
Don Kobra is about to leave the backstage for the ring when he sees Kaynon and gasps as he saw how big and monstrous he’s grown.
“Ready to be sent to the morgue, Rep?” he sneers.
“Kaynon, what happened to you?!” he shockingly asks.
“Psikes’s latest batch of Waspite is what. It contains ten times the muscle power as the original batch I first used, making me bigger, stronger, and aggressive enough to take you down.”
“And probably making your heart weaker too. This fight could kill you.”
“You’re just saying it to get me to back out. I won’t, but you will after you see the surprise Psike made for the ring.”
At the ring, the MC is given a card that has a last minute announcement on it.
“Hold on, Folks! I received news from the board!” he tells the crowd on the microphone, “In a unanimous decision, the final match will be determined in a…CAGE MATCH!?!”
The announcement has shocked the crowd as the gasp and chatter to each other. A cage match has never been fought in the tournament because it means that no one, not even the referee, can get in and interfere. A cage match means less rules and more injuries for the fighters involved. Don gasps and looks at a smirk Kaynon as a large crane lowers a dangling fight cage over the ring.
“Apres-vous, Donnie!” he smugly says as he gestures “after you”.
Don knows how dangerous it is, but he is willing to do anything to save his friends, especially Jody.
Chapter 20
In a private box Psikes reserved, Jody and the others are tied up against chairs as a vid to the fight comes on. Psikes is talking with Webtro and Bludd while Cru stands next to him.
“Bludd, you and Webtro guard the prisoners while Cru and I get a front row seat of the fight,” he instructed as he gives them, “Once it’s over, take them to Central Park and get rid of them.”
“What about Jody and Raven, Psikes?!” Mannie pleaded, “At least let them go! You told Kaynon he could have Jody, and Raven was your moll.”
“There’s no point of a wedding if he is dead,” Psikes brags, “That batch I gave him will quicken his heart rate during the fight. He’ll die a champion if you get my drift. As for Raven, she is merely a lackey who betrayed her master, and I’m going to make an example of what happens they say no or double-cross me.”
Mannie just growls at him for what he said about Raven, then he scuffles to get free of his ropes to batter Psikes personally.
“Once the fight is over, I’m gonna kill you personally, Bug, and enjoy it,” Psikes growls as he grabs Mannie by the shoulder.
Psikes and Cru leave for their seats while Bludd and Webtro watch the fight on the huge vidscreen with their prisoners behind them.
“Nice try at getting Psikes to let Jody and me go,” Raven said to Mannie.
“Don’t despair yet, Raven,” John assures her, “We’ll get out of this somehow.”
Outside the private box, the other fighters, except for Myotis, are there to rescue them. Lock Claws peers inside and sees the prisoners.
“They’re okay, but they are being guarded by Bludd and Webtro,” he tells them, “and I don’t see Psikes.”
“He probably went to get a ringside seat for the match,” Buzz claims.
Myotis suddenly contacts Lock Claws via comwatch.
“Locks Claws, this is Myotis, I got bad news,” Myotis says as he watches the fight from the ceiling.
“What is it, Myotis?” Lock Claws asks.
“Psikes bribed the board members again. The final match will be a steel cage match, one of the most dangerous kind of fight, and that’s not all. The equalizer machine is busted. Someone got up here and sabotaged it,” he says as he looks at the Equalizer, not looks cuts, with fluid leaking, and wires sticking out.
“Cru!” Tegro mentions, he must flew up and wrecked it.”
“Now we really have to get them out,” Minos says, “Don’s life is in greater danger than we think.”
“Then we don’t have much time,” Lock Claws says.
***
At the ring, Don nervously wave to the crowd with Kaynon behind him. The crowd is staring at Kaynon, wondering how he got bigger so quickly. He suddenly sees Psikes and Cru in the front row making sure he goes along with their deal.
“Good luck in your fight, Don,” he fakes his cheer, “You’ll need it.”
“I better reason with Kaynon and make him see what Psikes is up to during the fight,” he mumbles to himself.
Kaynon and Don climb up the stairs and enter the steel cage. The MC closes and locks the cage from the outside.
“Get ready to eat the canvas, Rep,” Kaynon says to Don.
Kaynon suddenly feels another fluttering sensation in his chest, and it feels stronger than ever. Don knows what is happening to him.
“Kaynon, the Waspite you took is already putting your heart in the red,” he says as he sticks his hand out to help, “Let me help you.”
Kaynon smacks his hand away.
“I don’t need your pity!” he snarls, “I’m gonna show Jody that I’m as much of a fighter as you!”
Both fighters walk to the center of the ring and shake hands with each other. Kaynon holds onto Don’s hand very tight.
“I’m gonna enjoy ripping you to shreds!” he tells Don harshly showing his teeth.
>
The bell suddenly rings for the fight to start. Kaynon pulls Don by the hand he was holding and puts Don through a bear hug and squeezes him tight enough to suffocate him, but Don fights back by putting him in a bear hug and lifting him off the ground despite how heavy he is. Then, he throws him to the ground back first and pins him down.
“Kaynon, you have to listen to me,” Don tries to reason with him, “Psikes is not intending to let you have your dream wedding with Jody! He’s just using you to get other crime lords to buy the Waspite!”
“Psikes is the reason I’ve been winning the Intergalactic Fight Tournament,” he says as he kicks him off, “I wouldn’t be strong if it hadn’t been for him.”
Kaynon and Don circle each other, waiting for the right time to strike each other. Kaynon throws the first punch at Don, but he dodges it. Don delivers a blow to the head to Kaynon, making him angrier. Both fighters punch each other, making it into a bare-knuckle match. Psikes is looking at his watch waiting for Don’s fifteen minutes to be up.
“Our snake friend has only ten minutes to go, Cru,” he says as they both laugh.
***
Jody, her dad, and their friends are watching in horror as Don and Kaynon fight each other on the Vidscreen. Bludd and Webtro are giving a toast to each other using mugs of nectar.
“A toast to Kaynon’s final victory and Don Cobra last stand,” Webtro gives a toast.
“And to our big payoff,” Bludd says as they tap each other’s mugs.
Mannie is still trying to undo his ropes as he struggles to get loose.
“I gotta break free from this rope!” he says as he continues.
“Save your strength, Mannie,” John said.
“I can’t! My best friend is stuck in a cage with a mega Kaynon!”
“Even if we could get out, we still have Webtro and Bludd to deal with,” Raven reminds him, “They’ll shoot us if they have to.”
“That’s gonna happen once the fight’s over,” Jody said.
“Don’t despair, guys,” Athena reassures them, “Buzz managed to escape. Hopefully, he went for help.”
“Hopefully,” Raven sighs, knowing Buzz has a habit to saving his own skin.
Intergalactic Fight Club: Don the Champion Page 11
