@chiarucha (for when you get back😉) @the-real-pink-ninja and @caseyboltshadow (since we’ve chatted a bit about this)
You didn’t really think Coldsweat was the only second gen ship I had, did you? 😈 I’ve got Highspeedinternet shipping too
“Man. This place is huge!”
I gawk up at the towering buildings and spires sprawled around us, feeling utterly small. The whole city looks like something straight out of Nitefall. I kinda want to explore and see if I can find any cache boxes.
“Didn’t seem that big on the invitation,” Aura remarks, gazing at the city in awe.
“Trust me. It’s way bigger than you think.” Uncle Lloyd sidesteps a couple citizens (temple keepers? Monks? I don’t really know) and continues walking. “Don’t stray too far. Wouldn’t want anyone to get lost.”
Plenty of stares are thrown our way, probably because of the size of our group. With sixteen people in total, we’re kinda hard to miss. Almost like we’re celebrities. It’s both cool and a little scary at the same time.
“Any sign of the ‘Master of Ceremonies’?” Dad 2 asks, his brown eyes searching the sky for some reason.
Dad 1 shakes his head and flicks out his tongue. “Nope. And no sign of Wyldfyre either.”
Uncle Kai laughs. “I’m surprised she hasn’t pounced on me yet. She’s usually got some sort of sixth sense for when I’m-”
As if on cue, a blur suddenly leaps out of the bushes with a roar and tackles him to the ground. Aiden simply steps to the side to avoid the two, shaking his head with a tiny smile.
“KAI! YOU’RE HERE!”
“GET OFF MY KIDNEYS!”
Everyone laughs as the eldest two red ninja scramble off the ground, Aunt Wyld’s face split into her signature sharp grin. Uncle Kai mutters something under his breath about getting too old for ambushes and accepts Aiden’s help hoisting himself back to his feet with a grunt.
Aunt Wyld moves to stand between my dads and slings her arms over their shoulders. “Good to see you guys! Thought you weren’t gonna make it.”
“Sorry we’re late.” Uncle Lloyd runs his fingers through his hair with a sheepish smile. “Took awhile to get everyone together.”
“Nah, you’re right on time! Roby’s gonna announce the first round any minute.” She looks around with a small frown. “Where’s Sora?”
“Mom stayed home with Alex,” I explain. “Figured it wasn’t a good idea to bring a ten month old to a big event like this.”
“Yeah…probably not.” She starts dragging my dads along with an excited grin. “C’mon! We better head to the games plaza!”
We follow her into an open arena, grandstands already flowing with various elemental masters and other spectators and a huge Jumbotron displaying different symbols representing the seven Source Dragons. The air buzzes with animated conversation, and a shiver travels down my spine. It feels like entering a Ninja Slam Esports Grand Tournament.
“Welp, I’m gonna go mingle,” Aunt Wyld announces, finally releasing my dads’ necks. “See you peeps later.”
She points a finger at Aiden, flashing him a quick grin and wink. “I look forward to our battle, bro.”
“If you make it that far,” Aiden quips back, arms crossed confidently over his chest.
Aunt Wyld shoots him a devilish smirk before disappearing into the stands.
Seconds later, band music blares over the speakers and fireworks blast into the sky. A hoverboard type thing whizzes overhead toward a balcony overlooking the plaza, narrowly avoiding the big screens. A man steps off and faces the crowd with a giant smile as he hoists a trophy high into the air. The crowd roars.
“I see Roby hasn’t changed much,” Uncle Cole chuckles.
“You should see him at family dinners,” Uncle Kai grumbles with a fond smile. “Always has to glamorize everything.”
“Welcome, Elemental Masters, to the grand Tournament of the Sources!” Roby announces. “I’m your host and Master of Ceremonies, Roby Fang! And this” -he lifts the trophy up again- “is the Elemental Cup, your ticket to being crowned the next Champion of the Sources!”
The crowd erupts in cheers, and an excited tingle shimmies down my back. I had no idea this was going to be so awesome.
He casually tosses the Elemental Cup in the general direction of a nearby security bot, who barely catches it, and continues with his speech. “Many elements enter. Only one can be victorious! Are you ready?”
Screams fill the arena.
“Then let the games begin! As per tradition, the first fight is between the current master of whatever element holds the title of Champion and the master of an element not present for the last tournament. So…first up is Riyu, Master of Technology…”
My mind blanks for a brief second until it’s processed exactly what he’d said. I glance back at the others, brow quirked. “How does he know my real name?”
I only get shrugs or blank stares in response.
“…versus Julia, Master of Speed!”
I maybe catch a small glimpse of my opponent on the opposite side of the plaza, but my brain is still focused on one specific thing. “Seriously though? How does he know my real name?? I didn’t even know my real name until I was nine!”
Ignoring my question, Aiden slides up beside me. “You sure you’re up for this? You only started your physical training a couple months ago. You don’t even know Spinjitzu.”
“I’ll be fine.” I pat his shoulder. “This is an elemental tournament. I’ve got plenty of practice using my powers.”
An arm suddenly wraps around my neck in a hug while a fist roughly noogies my hair. “Go get ‘em, tiger,” Dad 2 chirps with a grin.
Dad 1 gently knocks his knuckles against my cheek, his fangs poking out in a big smile. “You got this, buddy!”
With my dads’ proud grins and my teammates’ encouragement at my back, I hop up to the edge of the ring. My stomach squirms a little as the crowd cheers and claps, and I try not to think about my shaking legs. Wow, the lights are really bright up here.
I finally notice the other person on the other side of the ring. Shining, blazing red hair swept into a thick ponytail and pink visor shielding her face from the glaring spotlights, she bounces on her toes and shakes out her hands. She practically vibrates with energy, whether it’s nervous or natural is hard to tell. But then she glances up and smiles at me, and my brain stops working.
I know her. She’s from my school. I- I didn’t know she was an Elemental Master!
She’s so much different than the quiet, subdued girl I’ve occasionally seen haunting the halls between classes. She seems more alive and free, like the girl at school is nothing more than a husk of who she really is. I never would’ve guessed she was an Elemental Master, much less the Master of Speed.
Her smile broadens as she gives me a respective bow, and I jolt a little before automatically returning the gesture. When did I step into the ring? I don’t remember doing that.
“Fighters ready?” A pause. A bell rings. “Begin!”
I blink, and she’s gone.
“Hope you got a lotta horsepower, Riyu!” her voice calls from somewhere, I don’t even know where. “‘Cause I can go all day!”
Before I can even begin to process the way my stomach flips when she says my name, a gust of wind blows past me, and I could’ve sworn I caught a bright grin as she whizzes past.
“Does Technology apply to only coding? Or does it cover all aspects of machinery? ‘Cause if it’s just coding, you may need to actually hit me to have a chance. Just sayin’.”
I can’t keep track of her, but her words cause realization to click in my head. I have powers, duh. Use them!
At first, I don’t think there’s even anything I can use my powers on. Then I catch a few loose pieces of a nearby platform and, after making sure it’s safe to use, turn them into twin condensed-light swords, just like from Nitefall.
Ok. At least I have weapons now.
“Hey! That’s pretty cool! So can you make pretty much anything out of metal and gears? Or does it have to have some sort of electronic component with it? Wish I could just whip up my own phone like that! Although…you’d have to have some way of syncing it to a preexisting system. Think that’d be kinda hard.”
One would think it’d be easy to keep track of her when she’s talking so much, but she’s moving so fast, it sounds like she’s everywhere at once. A flash of red hair here. A blur of her white tracksuit there. ‘Round and ‘round she zips until I’m too dizzy to think straight.
A fist suddenly flies out of nowhere and connects with my face, sending me sprawling out of the ring. My vision swims as I lay there, not really sure what happened. All I know is there’s a stinging in the side of my face, and it hurts.
“-oa! Y- -kay -ere, -dy?”
“-an, -at look- -ike it -urt.”
My brain gradually separates my dads into two separate beings again, and I slowly move to sit up. A long groan falls out of my mouth, but I don’t even know if I’m trying to actually say something or if I’m just groaning in agony. One eye is harder to see out of than the other, the corresponding side of my face throbbing. I think my eye is swollen? Hard to tell when my head is still spinning.
“You okay, Rye?”
Was that Dad 1? Or Dad 2?
“Think so…” someone mumbles. It takes a second for me to realize that it was me who spoke. Boy, my brain got rattled good.
“Oh my gosh! I’m so sorry! I wasn’t trying to aim for your face! I was trying to nick your shoulder, but I think that wouldn’t’ve been much better.”
I manage to gaze into her wide, pretty eyes. The color reminds me of the store bought guacamole my grandma always brings to Thanksgiving. I don’t really like the store bought stuff, but I eat it anyway. ‘Cause I love my grandma and all.
…what was I doing?
“D’n’t worry ‘bout it.” Why does my mouth feel weird? “Gotta hard face.”
It could be the concussion talking, but I’m pretty sure I hear a giggle come from her, and my heart jumps at the sweet sound. It’s even more beautiful than the boot up jingle for my Gamebox. And I really like that cute little melody it plays whenever it turns on.
“Let’s get you checked out, buddy. I think you’ve got a nasty concussion.”
I lean on…someone…and nod, stopping when my brain feels like it’s sloshing around in my skull. “…’kay….”
A weird tickle leaves my body, and suddenly my brain feels a little lighter than before. It still holds a herd of stampeding Minos though. I squint against the awful pounding in my head, finally starting to understand what had happened.
I lost. The quiet girl from school beat me in a single punch. And all I have to say?
Wow.