Finally, the day of the tournament had arrived. All the students were gathered in the coliseum on the morning of for an important announcement.

  Skyla walked out onto the large arena accompanied by several of the other instructors.

  “Good morning, future Jhori Agents!” She yelled out over the intercom. “Last term’s tournament ended in grand fashion!”

  She waited for the applause to die down. “Unfortunately, the only fighters left uninjured enough to fight in the last round were Kaizo and Prince Dravon! Which is why this year we will be doing things a bit differently!”

  Uncertainty hushed the crowd of students as everyone listened intently.

  “Rather than have you fight match after match, you will be graded on only one match. This way each person will be rated upon their best performance, rather than just those who can avoid harm until the end.” Skyla explained. “This also increases the odds of every fight being viewed by a larger audience since there will now be far fewer fights to see. Other than that, the rules are the same.”

     Instructor Haizo chimed in right on cue. “Any attack that kills or renders an opponent permanently disabled will result in automatic loss for your team and an expulsion from the academy. Your opponent is defeated when unable to fully stand after a seven count, or when knocked outside of the arena. Aerosi that can fly will cost their team points for flying outside the arena.” Then he paused for dramatic flair. “So, give it your best out there! Let’s show the Jhori Quadrant what the best and brightest Elementi are capable of!”

   The students all cheered.

   Everyone’s attention was then brought to the large monitors that both surrounded the coliseum and hovered high above the arena itself. The matchups flashed one at a time. With each flash a group of students cheered and looked around to get a good look at their opponents.

           

 

   “Did you see what I just saw?” Hiali asked her team. Her bright green hair was slicked back. She wore a blue windbreaker jacket and kept the sleeves rolled up. Her eyeliner was thick and dark black, giving her a villainous appearance.

   “Everyone saw it, Hiali.” Answered Jessa. “Our one match is against the reigning champs.” All her puffy pink hair was tied into two messy buns that sat atop both sides of her head. She wore a silver skin-tight shirt that wrapped around her upper torso. Her pants were also skin-tight and black.

   Jraken found the whole thing to be very distracting. He hoped his own sleeveless shirt would help show off his muscles, but Jessa seemed far too preoccupied to notice. He decided to put his long black hair into a bun since Jessa did the same with hers. He did not want her to think he didn’t take this just as seriously as her.

   “At least Kaizo isn’t allowed to compete in this tournament.” Kolzer said trying to keep spirits up.

   “That would be good news except for the fact that they recruited Dravon to replace him.” Hiali commented as she pointed to where their adversaries were sitting.

   Rather than sitting by the royal team, Dravon was seated next to Bonette Howl, Tyke Wave, and Kortro Boldur.

   “You up for this?” Jessa asked Jraken. The few practices they were able to get in leading up to the tournament had not been any more promising than the first. Jraken still showed no truly remarkable skills other than the ability to avoid getting hit. Jessa was beginning to wonder if he actually had any mastery over fire at all.

   “Yeah. No sweat.” Jraken said with a smile.

 

   Each team was given a personal room from which they could watch the matches. Nerves were settling into Jessa’s team as they watched their fellow classmates battle it out in the arena. This tournament had 32 teams. Which meant there would be 16 matches throughout the day.

   Since they were set to fight the reigning champs, they were scheduled to go last. At first Jessa thought this was good. It would give them time to watch other matches and prepare for their own fight. After spectating a couple of matches in silence, she soon realized she was going to have to do something to bring up her team’s morale.

   “Who’s ready to kick some ass?!” She yelled trying to snap them out of their pre-match jitters.

   Kolzer gave a shout, but Hiali seemed too deep in their thoughts to muster a display of excitement. Jraken sat silently in the back of the  room listening to music. He would twiddle his thumbs every now and then, but mostly just bobbed his head to the beat.

   Everyone was well aware that first impressions were very important when it came to being noticed by a Jhori Agency. Which made a team comprised of students making their tournament debut all the more anxious.

   Hiali had been tapping her feet consistently all though the morning matches. Never taking her eyes off the combatants in the arena. At times it appeared as if she had been mumbling to herself, but no one heard her if she did.

   “HEY!” Jessa yelled with ferocity.

   Hiali and Jraken both flinched and Jraken pulled his headphones off.

   “This is it! This afternoon will be the culmination of every single moment of your life!” Jessa said taking turns making eye contact with every member of her team. “Visualize nothing but victory! We ARE going to win! When we do, we will be hailed as the champions. This is our moment. OUR MOMENT!”

   Jraken nodded his head aggressively, still staring at the ground. Jessa knew she was getting through to him. She just had to show him how important this was. For everyone.

   “Absorb this. All of this. This day is going to change the course of our lives forever.” She continued, still speaking with intensity. “From this day on, no one will question our abilities. No one will be challenging us around every corner.” She said directly to Jraken. “And no one will ever ask you your name again.” She said to Kolzer and Hiali.

   “This is our day.”

 

 

   “I mean how lucky can you get?” Asked Bonette Howl. “Three first-years and a second-year that have never competed before!” She said with a cocky laugh. Her dull dark auburn hair was split into two braids making her look much younger than she was. Her short stature and lack of womanly features would also suggest she was a much younger girl. She had very pale skin and was completely lacking in an upper lip.

   “I’m just excited to finally see Prince Jraken in action.” Said Kortro Boldur. His straight purple hair was all combed to the right and came down to the middle of his neck. He kept it pulled behind his ears which were adorned with thick gold hoop earrings.

   “I was there when he knocked Kaizo’s attack into the sky, but I’ve heard rumors that he is lackluster in spars.” He added.

   Kortro was an elite Onyxian. Both of his parents did well for themselves in Jhori Agencies and were now rumored to live more luxuriously than the royal families. His mother carried the name Diamond before she married a Boldur. Since Kortro did not carry the Diamond name he was not allowed to partake in the special sand bathing rituals that his cousins did. This only pushed him to better himself in other ways. Where most Onyxians were used for defensive purposes, Kortro was an exception and specialized in attack. 

   “All I know is that that Jessa is a babe!” Said Tyke Wave. He was well known for having most things that came out of his mouth pertain to the opposite sex, and whether or not he deemed them attractive. He sat on a sofa and never bothered to watch any of the other matches that had transpired. Instead, his eyes were glued to a girly magazine he had brought.

   “Hiali still has some developing to do. Let’s hope she doesn’t turn out like Bonette.” He said with a snicker.

   Bonette vengefully threw some wind at him and knocked all the food and drinks off the table in doing so.

   “Another perfectly good sandwich ruined by one Bonette Howl.” Kortro said studying the ballistics. “What did food ever do to you? Why are you like this?”

   Dravon sat in the corner with his headphones on. He was not actually listening to any music. He just wore them so no one would bother him. As he listened to his new teammates bicker and fight, he was beginning to wonder if leaving the royal team really had been the best course of action.

   When he had discovered that the royal team had asked Jraken to replace him he refused to even speak to them. Let alone fight alongside them. The only reason he joined the current team he was on was because he assumed that they would be going up against his old teammates.

   Supposedly the selections were completely random. Though, he did find it quite odd that he would be matched up against his brother’s team. As far as betting goes, no one would put their credits on his brother’s team. Before now, you had to obtain several victories before you could face the champs.  Jraken’s team would be facing veteran tournament contestants. All four members of Dravon’s team had been in numerable tournaments over the years.

   “Hey, Dravon!” Kortro yelled over. “What’s the deal with your brother?”

   Dravon removed his headphones and stood up. Everyone stopped what they were doing to hear him speak. It would be the first thing he said anything since they entered their private room.

   “I’ll take care of Jraken. I trust you lot can handle the rest of the children.” He said very condescendingly.

   “I don’t care for that tone, Dravon!” Bonette said as she manipulated the wind to allow her to levitate herself above the ground.

   “I would have defeated Kaizo in the courtyard had he not pulled that cowardly stunt! I would have defeated him in the last tournament had I not pulled all the weight for those snobby little brats and expended myself by the time we got to the championship round!” Dravon yelled with increasing anger. “I have respect for Kortro, but you and Tyke are about as useless as satin sails on a starship.”

   Bonette crossed her arms and got red in the face with anger, but she did not dare challenge Dravon. Tyke just shrugged and went back to his girly magazine. Dravon nodded at Kortro and sat back down.

   “Well, I’ve got dibs on the Diamond kid.” Announced Kortro. “He’s a distant cousin of mine, and I love pummeling me some cousins!”

   “Jessa’s probably going to cover her amazing figure with a bunch of stupid rock armor. I hate it when those bodacious Onyxian babes do that!” Tyke interjected. “I’ll make sure that she shows some skin before I knock her out of the arena.”

   Bonette shook her head in disgust. “I guess that leaves little Hiali Gust to me then. I’ve never heard of a Gust getting accepted to the Jhori Academy. They’re certainly not from any warrior lineage I’ve ever heard of. I doubt I could have asked for an easier opponent!”

   Dravon closed his eyes and went back to focusing on the fight to come. His mind was very conflicted. On the one hand he had personally witnessed Jraken deflect large scale attacks that any average Elementi would perish under. On the other hand, he was just a 13-year-old boy. He could not possibly be as skilled at combat as his much more seasoned 19-year-old brother.

   His mind went back to their fight in the woods. Dravon was sure that he was getting close to going all out. Yet every time that he increased his speed and power, Jraken seemed to be right there to match him almost perfectly. Then he remembered the hit that Jraken had gotten in. That one kick had left him bruised for days.

   Dravon had held back in their earlier fight. That was not going to be the case this time. Not with this many people watching. Not with their father watching.

 

 

 

   Jessa was happy to see that Jraken was the first to rise when their long-anticipated match had finally arrived. Not much was said after her little pep talk, but she knew that it had helped. Both Hiali and Jraken seemed more focused than earlier that morning.

   As much as she tried to put on a brave face, she too was plagued with the pre-match jitters. They walked toward the arena and her muscles started to feel numb. She was also battling pre-match nausea. She had to force herself to eat lunch in order to keep up her strength. Little did she know, keeping her lunch down would be the real difficulty. Her palms were covered in sweat and she continuously rubbed them together in an attempt to keep them dry.

   As her team came into view of the audience, they were met with more cheers than she had anticipated. The group waved awkwardly as they made their way up onto the arena floor.

   “Everyone does love an upset.” Kortro said as he continued waving at the crowd.

   “I’m sure the rumors surrounding Prince Jraken have nothing to do with it.” Hiali said sarcastically.

   The four of them walked over to the adjacent side of the arena and waited for their opponents to arrive.

   Jraken and Dravon locked eyes as soon as Dravon’s team came into view. Jraken could see the anger and intensity that was resonating in his brother immediately.

   Today was it. The day that they would discover which Pyran Prince was the greater warrior.