Battle Kreaturez

This one just poured right out of me. It was a combination of locking in; relief from having finished the previous chapter; having an actual detailed outline; and having some fun characters to write.

I also went back and overhauled the previous chapters. Added some extra polish, more description, worldbuilding, character development and dialogue. There are even some entire new scenes. If you need to refresh your memory, or if this is your first time reading Comeback, then now’s as good a time as any to binge-read the previous chapters.

As of now, Comeback is basically complete. I might sell an illustrated “Deluxe Edition” as an eBook someday down the line, but the basic version will always be free to read on my site. As for what’s next? Well, I’m slowly but surely crossposting the contents of the Kreature archive over to my wiki, and I want to give my site a proper overhaul and replace Comicpress with Toocheke. I’m also in the process of outlining the first post-Comeback webcomic chapter, so you can look foreword to that too! Anyway. Enjoy Chapter 08!

Everybody knew about K-Fest. It was Zaitopia’s top convention and trade show for Kreature Tamers and had been running annually for close to 60 years straight. If you were part of the Kreature taming community it was like being in paradise. Professionals, hobbyists and fans alike from all over the nation gathered to attend.

It was a grand opportunity for promotion, dealing, trade, networking and talent scouting. Teams attended to meet their fans and hype their upcoming matches. Companies showcased their latest Kreature designs and sold samples of their latest Kreature taming gear. There were all sorts of press conferences, educational talks, presentations and cultural events to attend.

There were dozens of exhibition matches lined up for the convention, which was to take place for three days over the long weekend. The battles would be held one after another at Zaito Hall, which would temporarily be closed to the public, and streamed live exclusively to the convention. Their match against the Phantom Echo team was scheduled for the early evening so the Wyldcards still had plenty of time to kill until then.

Kristy, Amy and Ida stayed behind at the Wyldcard team’s booth to greet fans and supervise Wally and the other small Kreatures they had on display. Wade went off on his own to mingle and network with the other team captains. Dennis took Ben and Riidya to explore the convention floor.

Ben had never been to a K-Fest before, though he’d always dreamt of visiting one day. Tickets were in high demand and sold out quickly. Scalpers would snatch up as many as they could and sold them for obscene aftermarket prices. Zaito City usually hosted the convention, but a few K-Fests had been held at Vara City, Luxor City and Vexar City over the years.

K-Fest DAC5216 was to be held at the Zaito City Convention Hall. Exhibits featuring larger Kreatures were set up outdoors beneath large tents in the parking lot and surrounding streets, which were being temporarily blocked off for the convention. Security patrolled the event to prevent theft and also recapture any Kreatures that might accidentally escape.

The attendees were highly diverse. Not just humans, but also Domonids like Riidya, as well as Silarcs and Dolneans. They brought Kreatures of all sorts with them. Battle Kreatures, Domestic Kreatures, Utility Kreatures. Ben had never seen so many different kinds all in one place!

The Kreature Taming community was not a monolith. It had its own cliques and subcultures, who all had their own motivations and goals, with differing philosophies and techniques.

The Chic Tamers, more often referred to simply as “Chics”, stood at the top of the hierarchy. They were the movers and shakers of the community and tended to be stylish, glamorous and of high social status. Many of them were influencers or models and nearly all of them were Tamer Academy alumni. Ben saw a group of them proudly stride across their path on their way to a panel like the world was their personal runway.

“Bunch of elitist snobs,” Dennis grumbled. “Damn Chics think they own the place…”

Despite their domineering presence the Chiqs didn’t completely outshine the other Tamers at K-Fest. On the fringes were the Alts, a more loosely-defined counterculture. They were a rough and rowdy lot who practised unorthodox combat techniques and ideologically opposed the classism and gatekeeping of the Chiqs. Riidya hoped to see a fight break out between them; it’d surely be entertaining to watch.

There were Splicers: the mad scientists of the community, who treated Kreature Combat as a testing ground for developing new mutagenic formulas and proprietary Kreature strains. Dennis, Ben and Riidya encountered a group of them showcasing their latest creations. Riidya seemed interested but Ben had never been good at science. The moment they began rambling on about pharmacogenetics and recessive allales and compound heterozygosity his mind just glazed over. No doubt Kristy would’ve been impressed.

There were also Warriors. Through mindlinking, it was possible for a Kreature’s natural aptitude for brawling to rub off on its Tamer, and the Warriors took this to its logical conclusion. They were practitioners of martial arts who used Kreature Combat to supplement their training. A group of them were using a booth as a makeshift sparring ring to demonstrate their skills to the convention goers. Ben marvelled at their fighting spirit and athleticism.

In contrast to the Warriors’ brawn were the brains of the community, the Scholars. These Tamers were obsessed with stats and minutia. They had an encyclopedic knowledge of Kreature biology and battle tactics, which they applied to their training. This made them especially well suited in support roles as tacticians. In the past, Wade had remarked that Kristy would fit in great with them, but she dismissed them as a bunch of greasy nerds she’d rather have nothing to do with.

Keepers were the clique Dennis related to most closely, though he didn’t necessarily identify as one. They were experts in Kreature Husbandry who believed in forging powerful bonds with their Kreatures through meticulous care. Keepers had a penchant for DIY and had pioneered the very same habitat pods that were now standard issue in the community, which the manufacturer originally designed to be bomb shelters. Dennis was tempted to splurge on some of their custom built Kreature enrichment items, but he was strapped for cash so he had to decline.

There were Spiritualists, looking for converts. They had a quasi-religious reverence for mindlinking and sought enlightenment through Kreature Taming and taking frequent pilgrimages. There were many spiritualist sub-factions and not all of them got along. The Wyldcards overheard a pair getting into a heated argument over the finer points of Spiritualist doctrine.

Then there were the Nostalgics. They embraced the retro styles of Kreature Taming and had an interest in vintage gear and fashion. Before amulets had K-Storage functionality Tamers kept their Kreatures in small, flat, handheld devices called K-Squares, which Nostalgics collected and traded with rabid fervour. They had booths set up that were filled with obsolete technology which they were selling for wildly exorbitant prices.

Also in attendance were the Tracker Corps. They were free-agent Tamers who specialized not in combat, but venturing out into the wilderness and capturing Wild Kreatures to secure rare genetic material. Dennis made a mental note to tell Kristy about this later. She’d be very interested in having a look at the nucleus samples they had on offer.

Eventually Dennis and Riidya decided to return to the Wyldcard team’s booth, but Ben stayed behind. The cast of Beach Fighters were going to be doing an autograph signing at K-Fest this year to promote the upcoming tie-in movie and Ben wanted to meet Connor Cranston, the actor who played his favourite character on the show. Ben had a crush on him since he was in Grade 6 and had brought along a copy of the Beach Fighters spinoff comic for him to sign. He needed to show up early because Cranston was widely regarded as the hottest member of the cast by the show’s fandom and there was definitely going to be a huge line.

A familiar voice called out: “Yo! Hey Ben! Ben Weiss! Over here!”

To his disappointment it was none other than Skyler Martin. He was hanging out with a pack of Chics. They probably all belonged to the same team. Ben sheepishly approached. Skyler put on a friendly mask but Ben could see right through his fake smile. He’d learned to recognize that look; it was the exact same expression his tormentors at school wore while trying to manipulate him into saying or doing something embarrassing. It put Ben instantly on guard.

“Hey buddy, relax! I’m not gonna kick your ass. At least not outside the arena…” Skyler’s teammates snickered. He slung his arm over Ben’s shoulder and introduced him to his pals. “This is Ben Weiss! He was my opponent in my debut match.”

“Oh yeah, I recognize him now,” one of the Chics said. “He’s from the Tamer Fail video!”

“That meme died months ago,” another Chic scoffed.

“It’s been a while! What’s your Grade?” Skyler asked. It was customary for Tamers to share their grade while introducing themselves, but Ben had grown to dread being asked for his.

“Novice-Grade,” Ben sighed.

“Still? Aw man! I hear most Tamers get to Rookie-Grade within their first six months. Well, hang in there, buddy!” Skyler said, his voice dripping with condescension. “So what have you been up to?”

“Well, I joined a team…” Ben said.

“Oh, wow! Really? Good for you, champ!” he said, slapping Ben on the back. “Which team?”

“T-the Wyldcard team…” Ben felt an icy dagger pierce his heart when the Chics started snickering.

“They’re still around?” a third Chic sneered in disbelief. “I’d have thought they’d called it quits by now. Last I heard they’d dropped to the bottom-tier.”

“They have an exhibition match lined up for the convention,” the first one said. “Against the Phantom Echo team.”

“Y-yeah,” Ben said. “That’s my match. It’s scheduled for this evening…”

“Oh man, I don’t pity you!” Skyler said. “I’ve heard all sorts of things about them and none of them are good. They aren’t just tough, they’re brutal. They beat some of their opponents so hard they left the circuit out of pure shame. Yup, they’ve built up quite a reputation; and this is a K-Fest exhibition match! So many people are gonna be watching!”

“You’re laying it on pretty thick, Skyler,” one of the Chics said. “The Novice looks like he’s gonna shit his pants.”

“Yeah, I guess I should lighten the mood… whatcha got there?” Skyler asked, finally noticing the book in Ben’s hand.

“Oh, uh, it’s nothing…” he mumbled.

“Hey! Beach Fighters! My little cousin loves that show,” Skyler said. “I guess you must be going to the autograph signing.” Now his tone was patronizing, like he was talking to a child; he and Ben were almost the exact same age. “So who’s your favourite Beach Fighter?”

“J-jeff,” Ben quietly stuttered. “Conner Cranston’s character.”

“I can’t stand that show,” one of the Chics said. “It makes a mockery out of Kreature Combat and brought a bunch of posers into the community.”

“No kidding,” another interjected. “K-Fest is crawling with them this year because of the new movie. I’m sick of seeing the ads for it all over T-Net and VidT00b.”

”Well, I won’t keep you, Ben. You’d better hurry along to your autograph signing,” Skyler said. “Oh, and good luck with your exhibition match.”

Ben scurried away, relieved to be freed from the humiliation ritual. He was looking foreword to graduating from high school soon, but it seemed like the Kreature Taming community could be just as cliquey, just as judgmental. When he got to the signing he was disappointed to find out the line was even longer than he was expecting it to be. There was no way he’d get Cranston’s autograph in time for his exhibition match. Dejected, Ben lowered his head in defeat and returned to the Wyldcard team’s booth.

******

Ben didn’t have to dwell on his disappointment for too long. Before he knew it, darkness spread across the sky as the sun began to sink below the horizon. Ben and Riidya were backstage at Zaito Hall, waiting for their match. They wore their Wyldcard team membership badges, as Wade and Amy had specifically instructed them to. Had to get that branding out there.

“I was thinking,” Riidya said. “You only have one Kreature. I have three. If we win the match, I’m going to give you my prize voucher.”

“Wow, really?” Ben said. “That’s pretty generous of you…”

“You need it more than I do, and I feel like I got off too easy for all the grief I gave you the past few months,” Riidya said. “Anyway, that’s just if we win, and I’m not feeling great about our chances.”

“You’re nervous too?”

“Who wouldn’t be?” Riidya replied. “We’re up against the Tassin Twins. They’ve broken the record for the quickest advancement into Rookie-Grade in the entire history of the Kreature Combat Federation. They’ve got 33 victories with zero ties or losses, they’re literally prodigies. Best case scenario, we manage to inflict enough damage to impress the crowd before we get pinned or rung out.”

“Oho, what a flattering description~”

“Somebody’s done their homework.”

Ben and Riidya’s heads snapped up. Two identical figures emerged from the shadows. They were Twin brothers who were remarkably handsome in an ethereal, uncanny way. Though similar in age to Ben, they were shorter and more graceful, with soft, elegant facial features. They had dark, messy hair, ghostly pale skin, and wore glasses and matching black pants and hoodies with neon trim; one red, the other blue. They had narrow, piercing eyes, playful smirks, and delicate, expressive hands with nails painted in glossy black.

This was all from Ben’s perspective, of course. To Riidya they just looked like a couple of skinny goth kids.

The Twins seemed mostly disinterested in Riidya; their gaze was laser focused on Ben. They approached uncomfortably close, circling him like hungry Rebbendras. He wondered if they had sneaked in while they were talking or if they’d been lurking around backstage the whole time. He was starting to suspect it’d been the latter.

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Benny boy”, the Twins said in eerie unison. The one in red said. “I’m Sean Tassin…”

“…And I’m Julien Tassin,” the one in blue added.

“Um… nice to meet you too?” Ben stammered. His heart was enraptured by their tempting beauty, which surpassed even Dennis’, but his gut told him not to let his guard down around them.

“You’re even cuter in person than you are on your KCF profile~” Sean purred, biting his lower lip and batting his eyelashes.

“Th-thanks…”

”Aw, look at him, he’s shy!” Julien said as Ben blushed and tried to avert his gaze. “That just makes him even more adorable.”

Sean glanced at Riidya, who was eyeing them suspiciously. “Anyway, being prodigies isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. All this level grinding has been a tedious bore.”

“I hear you, bro. I’m tired of sweeping up trash in the bottom tier,” Julien said. “The thought of finally facing some serious competition is making me all tingly!”

“Though speaking of trash… your ‘best case scenario’ is still too optimistic.”

“The only reason we’re looking foreword to this match is so we can toy with our favourite underdog,” Julien said.

It finally dawned on Ben.

“…So it was you guys who sent me those flowers a while back!”

“Correctamundo~” the Twins chuckled simultaneously. They flashed an impish grin. “The match is starting soon. Promise to show us a good time, would you?”

‘Oh no!’ Ben thought. ‘They’re cute!’

*****

A room at the convention hall had been set aside specifically for viewing the exclusive exhibition matches. The audience would gather around a hologram projector and watch the battles unfold as if they were attending them at Zaito Hall in person. Once K-Fest was over, the battles would be uploaded to official venues for the general public to see. Among the attendees gathered to watch the match were Dennis, Kristy, Wade and Amy; Ida had stayed behind to watch the booth.

“Our next match of the evening is between Sean and Julien Tassin of the Phantom Echo team, and Ben Weiss and Sattsae Riidya of the Wyldcard team,” the host announced. “The Tassin Twins have 95% odds in their favour in this matchup. The Kreature Taming community has been abuzz over these talented youths and their unprecedented rise through the leaderboards. Their opponents are newly minted members of their team and this is their first time participating in an official match together. Their bravery in facing such formidable foes is commendable. Perhaps they have some secret strategy to even the odds?”

The contestants beamed their Kreatures into the arena. Ben and Riidya chose their Jagaldie and Kraaster. Kristy wondered if maybe Riidya should have gone with her Mardax instead, but she didn’t blame them for sticking with their most reliable Kreatures. Choosing something different without practising first might disrupt their synergy.

The Tassin Twins beamed their Kreatures into the arena. They both used Gymnodiqs: serpentine Kreatures resembling a cross between a gummy worm and a vibrator. They had beady little eyes, snapping jaws filled with rows of recurved slashing teeth, and slimy purple skin embedded with rows of smooth, evenly spaced, pearl-like osteoderms for protection. The Tassins came from a wealthy family and owned many Kreatures, but these were their favourites, for whatever reason.

“Now that the contestants have mindlinked with their Kreatures, the match will begin!”

The Twins went on the attack the instant the ref signalled the start to the match. One Gymnodiq (the Wyldcards couldn’t well if it was Sean’s or Julien’s) immediately grabbed the other Gymnodiq by its tail and cracked its long, stretchy body like a whip at Ben’s Kreature. It snapped its jaws shut on Slash’s paw; its partner reeled them both back in and slammed the Jagaldie into a nearby rock formation.

“Sorry sweetie, we want to savour this fight,” Sean said. “You just wait over here for now!”

Kristy clenched her jaw with worry. ‘The Twins have superb teamwork and the skill to back it up,’ she thought. ‘They could’ve easily scored a ring-out with that tether grab. What do they have planned for him?’

Dennis was anxious as well. ‘Hang in there, Ben! As long as they’re not taking you seriously, you still have the chance to catch ’em off guard!’

Sean and Julien’s Kreatures were on Riidya’s like a flash. The dust hadn’t even settled and already they were double-teaming her, one Gymnodiq wrapped around her Kraaster while the other tugged at its limbs. There was a loud popping noise and a spray of haemolymph as it tore one of Zok’s legs out of its socket.

“Ben! Get these two off of me, quick!”

“Hold on, Riidya!”

Slash dove in, clamped his jaws around the tail of the Gymnodiq curled around his teammate, and peeled it off. He slammed it into the arena floor. However, its soft body and bony armour dispersed the impact and it wasn’t stunned for long. It tied its upper body into a knot and the second time Slash whacked it against the ground it bounced straight back at Slash’s head. The blow was concentrated through a single osteoderm, cracking the Jagaldie’s skull. Ben felt it through the mindlink, staggering around, fading in and out of consciousness. While Slash was dazed, the Gymnodiq immediately twisted back and wound around Ben’s Jadaldie.

“I told you to stay put!” Sean growled. “Julien, finish her off quickly and come join me, won’t you?”

“I’ll be right there, brother~” Julien casually replied, while his Gymnodiq tangled up Riidya’s Kraaster and bit off one of its chilcerae.

Sean was caught off-guard when Slash suddenly rolled on top of his opponent’s head and swiped his tail inward. If he weren’t still rattled from his earlier blow to the head he might have chopped Sean’s Gymnodiq clean in half, but instead it chipped against an osteoderm, bouncing off its smooth, hard surface with a loud clack.

“That was MUCH too close,” Sean said. His Gymnodiq yanked its head out from under Slash’s back, reached around, then seized the based of the Jagaldie’s tail in its jaws. Bones cracked as it wrenched the tail blade out. “I’ll be taking this from you.”

“Damn!” Kristy said, slapping her knee. “Ben almost had the little twerp! If he’d just had better aim and leverage…”

“Maybe there’s still a chance they can turn this around,” Dennis said, trying to look on the bright side.

“Hmm, that’s good enough, I think,” Julien said, his Gymnodiq having sufficiently savaged Riidya’s Kreature to its Tamer’s satisfaction. Zok lay there on the arena floor, exoskeleton cracked and leaking from the crushing pressure of its opponent’s coils, one arm and most of its limbs broken off. She was certainly in no shape to follow him. “You can lay there and watch as brother and I bully the Ben~”

Riidya turned to her partner. Slash had finally gotten his bearings and Ben was steady on his feet once more. “Ben! Zok still has an arm left. If you can somehow toss one of those Gymnodiqs my way, maybe I can smack it over the side.”

“Got it!”

Slash rolled again, freeing a hindleg from the coils of Sean’s Kreature while Julien’s closed in for the attack. Dennis ground his teeth. Kristy dug her nails into her nylons. Amy buried her face in Wade’s shoulders, too afraid to look…

Slash kicked with all his strength, but Julien’s reflexes were too quick. His Gymnodiq easily dodged it and coiled around Slash’s leg.

“Hah!” Julien chortled. “Sorry cutie, but that move was so telegraphed an illiterate could’ve read it!”

‘I may be down,’ Riidya thought, ‘but I’m not out!’

Using Zok’s remaining pincer, she stuck it into the ground, and with her remaining strength, vaulted her Kreature into the air. The audience gawked as it sailed towards the entangled Kreatures…

However, Riidya’s desperate final gambit was all for naught. The Twins noticed her Kreature’s shadow and Julien pulled them out of the way the instant before Zok’s pincer would have skewered Sean’s Gymnodiq like a worm on a beak. For a moment, the Twins were actually impressed.

”Whew! She almost got me!” Sean said. “I think it’s time we finished them off.”

“I agree,” Julien said. His Gymnodiq released Slash’s leg and slithered over to Zok, now prone and helpless on her back. Slipping underneath her and coiling into a spring. “We’re done with this trash. Let’s toss it away!” he quipped as he launched her into the air and out of bounds. Riidya sighed in resignation and beamed Zok out of the arena, pools of haemolymph and severed limbs reattaching themselves to their host in the process.

Meanwhile, Slash had managed to wriggle and thrash around enough to finally escape from the grasp of Sean’s Kreature. He darted away, creating distance between himself and his opponents. On open ground, Slash was much faster. Maybe; just maybe; he could grab one and toss it over the side before being set upon by the other.

It was not to be. Julien’s Gymnodiq wound up again, but this time, Sean’s rolled up into a tight ball and nested itself in its coils. He angled his spring attack and launched his brother’s Kreature like a high-speed armoured projectile. The Tassins’ aim was perfect. It would’ve been hard to avoid even if Slash wasn’t exhausted. He and Ben were knocked out on impact. Everything went black.

*****

Ben awoke about 45 minutes later in the Zaito Hall infirmary. It was the same bed he’d woken up from after he’d been KOed through his mindlink during his debut match. This time, there were many more people waiting for him to regain consciousness. The Wyldcard team had locked up their booth for the night. Dennis, Kristy, Riidya, Wade, Amy, Ida and even Wally were all gathered around his bed.

“Oh, thank goodness, he’s conscious again,” Kristy sighed.

“Welcome back,” Riidya said.

“How do you feel?” Dennis asked.

“Uuugghhh… my head is pounding…” Ben complained. “What a match that was…”

“What a match indeed!” Amy said. “Everybody’s talking about it.”

“Great, more memes,” Ben muttered.

“No, you and Riidya did way better than anybody expected,” Wade said. “Nobody expected you to win, but they all thought the match would be over in less than a minute.”

“You and Riidya managed to hang in there for almost three,” Dennis said. “That’s actually really impressive considering the odds.”

“Congratulations,” Ida quietly mumbled.

“People online… actually saying nice things about me?…” murmured in utter disbelief.

“As crazy as that sounds, it’s the truth. Here, look,” Riidya said, handing him her phone, its browser open to T-Net. Ben scrolled through the comments, still not believing what he was seeing.

“Skyler Martin streamed his reaction to the match expecting it to be a wash,” Amy said. “Everybody’s memeing on the face he made when you almost cut through Sean’s Gymnodiq.”

“This is a dream,” Ben stammered. “I’m still unconscious. This is all just a hallucination.”

Wally reached over and poked him with the tip of his tail blade. Ben yelped in pain.

“Believe it now, mammal?”

“Okay, okay, I get it, I get it!” he handed Riidya her phone back and sat up.

“Are you feeling well enough to walk around?” Kristy asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” he said, climbing out of bed.

“I’ll drive you home tonight, just to be safe,” Kristy said. “Your parents have been blowing up our phones asking if you’re okay.”

“Thanks. I should call them myself.”

“Sure thing. I’ll be waiting for you in the parking lot,” Kristy said.

“Alright, let’s give Ben some privacy,” Wade said, corralling the team out of the infirmary. “I’ll let the nurses know you’re up so they can give you clearance to leave.”

*****

After he got off the phone with his parents, Ben walked out of the infirmary, ascending the stairs and cutting through the lobby towards the exit. To his surprise, Sean and Julien were waiting for him.

“Oh. It’s you two,” Ben said. “I guess you’re here to rub your victory in my face?”

“Oh, definitely,” Sean sneered. “You deserved to lose, you totally sucked out there.”

“If we’d locked in from the start we’d have stomped you in seconds flat,” Julien boasted. “No offense, but you really stood no chance at all.”

“Are you done gloating? ‘Cause I gotta go home…”

“Oh, lighten up, Benny boy!” Sean said. “We’re just kidding. Actually, we didn’t wait up for you just to gloat.”

“In fact, we thought we’d give you a gift.”

“A gift?…”

“Just something that’ll lend you a little helping hand in the future,” Sean said, passing Ben some slips of paper.

“All we ask in exchange is that you thank us on Blabbr after you cash them in.”

Ben looked at the slips of paper. Two of them were AlphaLabz vouchers, each good for one free Kreature. The third was a note that said “No hard feelings, Benny Boy,” along with two screen names.

Ben looked up. The Twins were suddenly gone…

Ben scratched his head in confusion, shrugged and walked out the door. His time in the infirmary hadn’t been restful at all. He couldn’t wait to plop down into his own bed and sleep his headache away.

*****

A week after K-Fest, the Wyldcard team were still in high spirits after Ben and Riidya’s unexpectedly good performance at the exhibition match. Dennis was assembling some new habitat pods to house Ben’s new Kreatures once they were ready to leave quarantine. Wade and Amy were issuing battle challenges now that people were talking about the Wyldcard team again, optimistic that they might actually hear back from someone.

Ben had headed back to Zaito Hall for a little one-on-one battle now that normal activity had resumed there. He and Slash were locked in combat against an opposing Tamer’s Urggru. The froglike Kreature, adorned with a collar of webbed, fleshy frills around its neck, was posing quite a challenge. However, compared to the Tassin Twins, Dennis and even Riidya? This Tamer was no big deal.

The Urggru sprang around Slash’s tail swipes, but Ben’s Kreature was keeping up the pressure, not giving it an opening to counterattack. They were inching closer and closer towards the edge of the arena…

“Keep it up, Slash!” Ben urged. “We almost got him…”

Slash swept his tail blade low. The Urggru leapt up over it. This was it! A perfect opening! Slash tackled it in mid-leap, sending it tumbling over the edge.

“The battle is over,” the ref announced. “The winner is Ben Weiss!”

Ben pumped his fist in joy. They’d done it! At long last, he and Slash had scored their first victory! Ben was elated.

The Wyldcard Compound was still in shambles. Their savings were still running low. They were still in the bottom-tier. Ben was still Novice-Grade after more than eight months of competition. They might still lose their next team battle, or worse, be unable to find one and continue to languish until the team collapsed. But their achievements still mattered, even the small ones. Every little victory counted. With each passing day, the Wyldcard team’s comeback seemed more and more within reach. For what felt like the first time in a long time, they had hope.

*****

THE END