That night, Jackson expressed his concerns to Kay on their evening call. Like always, she listened intently and waited until he’d vented everything before she spoke.
“You’re just having a down day, that’s all. You’ve got a great chance to climb the rankings in the maze this weekend it sounds like — just focus on that and stop worrying so much about things you can’t control.”
“I guess you’re right,” Jackson said. Though the sad thing was that today was actually a pretty good day for him. It was just the inflated egos and insecurity that had him on edge. He hated complaining to Kay every time they talked and decided to change the subject. Rehashing the same old concerns every night was getting old for him — Kay wouldn’t ever say it, but she was probably getting sick of it too. “Anyway, how’s work?”
“It’s good!” Kay brightened at once at the change of subject. “I’ve been able to do a lot more hands-on practical work with some of the injured Djinn. You know, not just trimming claws and hooves and stuff like that. Today, I helped put a splint on a Lambaa’s leg and assisted with some of the X-rays and pregnancy scans.”
“That’s great!” Jackson didn’t have to pretend to be excited. Kay’s passion for her future career was contagious even through the holo-call. He was glad she was doing so well at Sato’s and starting to get into her career. A part of him wondered what it might be like not be in constant competition with everyone else in their chosen field. “Wait, so you’re saying the Lambaa was pregnant and had a broken leg?”
Kay’s eyes narrowed and her voice dropped. “You have no idea how much of a troublemaker she’s been. I swear she’s lost her mind.”
“And speaking of which,” Kay’s tone lightened immediately. “How are things going with Scrappy and Asena? Are they starting to get along any better?”
“Um…sort of?” Jackson rolled over onto his back. “It’s driving me crazy — I’m really not sure what else to do. Part of me wonders if I should just let them fight it out, except, with my luck, one of them would probably kill the other.”
“Have you tried blinders?” Kay asked. “I’ve seen some of the ranch hands use them when breeding season begins to keep the male Djinn from fighting. If they can’t see each other, it might help them pay more attention to you.”
“I’ve got a private training session tomorrow with Briggs in preparation for the test on Friday — we’ll give it a try!” Jackson paused. “Kay, thanks for everything.”
Kay snorted and rolled her eyes, as always. Like Jackson, she didn’t know how to take a compliment. “What? I haven’t really done anything. It was just a suggestion, I don’t even know if it will work —”
“I just mean for always being there for me, all right?” Now Jackson was started to feel awkward as well.
Kay smiled. “You’re welcome. Now get some sleep! You’ve got a big couple days ahead of you!”
Chapter Twenty
“Midnight, hit them with another Shadow Wave!”
Jackson gritted his teeth as a blast of dark water shot from Midnight’s mouth. The torrent struck both Asena and Scrappy, knocking the latter out of the air. The Magglecaw slammed into the floor and Asena staggered against the blow — as a partial Fire-Elemental Djinn, the Water-Elemental attacks from Briggs’s Hurricanther hit her especially hard.
Jackson willed them back to their feet and sent them in opposite directions around Midnight. Because the Hurricanther was a much higher level than both of Jackson’s Djinn combined, Briggs usually never used any of his more powerful moves. But today, he seemed in especially rare form. Although both Asena and Scrappy wore the blinders that Kay suggested, the only concession Briggs gave Jackson was to give verbal commands. If he’d been telepathically fighting with Midnight, it wouldn’t have been a match at all.
Midnight turned around in a slow circle so that neither Scrappy nor Asena could take him by surprise. Jackson tested out the Hurricanther’s defense with a couple of quick Dive Bombs from Scrappy, and the Magglecaw just narrowly escaped a swipe from Midnight’s paw, which was roughly the size of Jackson’s head. Asena darted in and out as well, using her Speed to nip at Midnight with a few tentative attacks.
None of them had much effect, but that wasn’t the point. Unless Midnight sat completely still and took all of the blows, Jackson doubted his Djinn at their current level would ever be able to take the Hurricanther down. Knowing that, Jackson didn’t think the bout was going too bad. Besides, the point o this particular match wasn’t to simply take down Hurricanther, but flex some of the different muscles each of his Djinn had.
Scrappy, Mocking Wind! Asena, hit him at the same time with Earth Hunt! Scrappy hovered in the air over Midnight and flapped his short wings, creating a small series of wind spears that peppered Midnight’s face. Scrappy’s didn’t do much damage, but served to momentarily blind Midnight and anger him into focusing his attack on the Magglecaw. At the same moment, Asena lowered her head and let out a series of short, piercing barks. A single line of earth furrowed between her legs and shot forward, exploding in a shower of debris beneath the Hurricanther.
The attack was a newer move Asena had picked up since camp and it excited Jackson because it meant he no longer had to rely on Plain and Fire-Elemental moves. He finally had the edge of using a Fire and Earth-Elemental combo Djinn.
Midnight flipped over and both Asena and Scrappy sensed the turning tide. Wait — no! Jackson didn’t know if it was through his shared connection or what, but both Djinn seemed to sense the other was charging in. They ignored his orders to hold and keep hitting Midnight with ranged attacks and raced to be the first to strike the Hurricanther.
“You’ve got to get a handle on them, kid!” Briggs shouted. “Hurricane Spin!”
Midnight flipped back onto his feet and let out a feline scream that made the hair on Jackson’s neck shoot up. Just as Scrappy and Asena struck, Midnight started spinning and a blast of water shot out in every direction, striking both of Jackson’s Djinn. Both were slammed to the ground in an instant.
As they hit the ground, Jackson was met with a prompt, indicating a level up for both Asena and Scrappy along with another prompt indicating a new move for Asena. He was lucky Briggs never gave Jackson’s Djinn a finishing blow, as it allowed his Djinn to retain the Experience accrued in battle. Jackson pulled up her stats.
GENERAL STATS AND INFO
Djinn: Lyote
Level: 17
Name: Asena
Element: Fire/Earth
Species Rarity: Rare
Master: Jackson Hunt
HP (Hit Points): 10/286
EP (Elemental Power): 90/130
XP (Experience): 1,250 to Next Level
DJP (Djinn Points): 2 Unallocated
Attack: 106
Defense: 68
Speed: 86
Accessories: None
Items: None
Status: Neutral
Bond: 66%
Move Set: Swipe Left to See More >>>
It looked like the drills and running had helped out, as the base boost on her Speed stat went up by 10, which was pretty uncommon. If he could expect similar results in the other core categories in the weeks to come, he’d be looking pretty solid. He added both DJP to her Defense, bringing it up to 78. He then swiped over to Asena’s move set to check out her new move.
Move Set
Fire-Elemental: Fire Growl (5 EP), Fire Bark (15 EP)
Earth-Elemental: Earth Hunt (10 EP)
Plain-Elemental: Attack, Headbutt, Wild Bite, Fierce Cry, Wild Sprint
“Wild Sprint, eh?” He said aloud. It looks like all the work they’d done had even helped to unlock a Speed-focused move. He was starting to see how all of the training added up to a Djinn tailor-made by its tamer.
He then opened up Scrappy’s stats, who had somehow now gained two levels since camp.
GENERAL STATS AND INFO
Djinn: Magglecaw
Level: 16
Name: Scrappy
&nbs
p; Element: Wind
Species Rarity: Common
Master: Jackson Hunt
HP (Hit Points): 5/228
EP (Elemental Power): 76/82
XP (Experience): 1,022 to Next Level
DJP (Djinn Points): 2 Unallocated
Attack: 64
Defense: 69
Speed: 140
Accessories: None
Items: None
Status: Neutral
Bond: 65%
Move Set: Swipe Left to See More >>>
Jackson looked at the new stats. He appreciated just how much Scrappy’s Speed continued to increase, but couldn’t shake that he should begin allocating more to his weaknesses. Briggs had told him to make sure the Djinn retained its natural advantage, and the way things stood, Jackson felt like by allocating the DJP to Attack, he’d still be retaining that advantage. He did so, raising his Attack to 68 and his Defense to 74.
He smiled. It wasn’t perfect, but it at least seemed to fill that gaping hole just a bit. What’s more is that this camp really seemed to be doing amazing work with their Bond. Despite only owning him for just over a month, their Bond was nearly at Asena levels, which could only be good thing (though his relationship with Scrappy seemed to drag his own Bond with Asena down the slightest bit, which was disheartening).
“What are you smirking at?” Briggs said. “Need I remind you that your Djinn are no closer to working together? A level up ain’t going to save you from that.”
Jackson’s smirk dissipated. “Back to your rings, guys,” he said in a flat voice. He held out his hands and the vermillion and gray lights absorbed the two Djinn. He’d have to get them over to the care center after that one — Briggs and Midnight had really pushed them to the limit.
“The blinders were a good idea but they’re not going to allow them in the maze or actual competition,” Briggs said. He walked over and Midnight fell in step beside him. The Hurricanther shot Jackson with what could only be called a haughty, proud look. When Briggs stopped, Midnight sat down on his back legs and proceeded to lick his paws as if to say the fight hadn’t done anything more than give him cause for a bath.
“But they almost made it through an entire battle,” Jackson said, trying to be optimistic.
Briggs scoffed. Optimism rolled off of him like Asena and Scrappy’s attacks rolled off of his Djinn. “I’m telling you, you better get it figured out kid. The blinders are just a temporary solution.”
“I thought you said not to worry about it? Jackson said. “That it just takes time and effort. Aren’t you supposed to help with this kind of thing? You’re my home coach and mentor, after all.”
Briggs fixed him with a long, flat stare that was anything but inspiring. “I told you right after you caught that Magglecaw that there’s some things you can’t train or fix. That Djinn is a troublemaker. And worse, it’s a troublemaker with a power ceiling.”
Jackson’s eyes narrowed. Sometimes he hated how volatile Briggs could be. One day, he’d tell Jackson there was nothing to worry about and that they’re doing all they can, and the next it was the end of the world and there was nothing anyone could do about it.
“Speaking of trouble!”
A new but unmistakable voice echoed across the private sparring room Jackson and Briggs had been training in. Jackson’s stomach did a somersault. Fiona and Vance McAllister were crossing the room toward them.
It was the first time Jackson had seen the pair together up-close. He knew Vance had been training hard with Fiona and had spotted them across camp a couple of times, but had never actually spoken to the duo. Jackson saw Fiona every morning and evening, of course, but hadn’t spoken to Vance since after his big loss at the invitational where he gave Jackson some encouraging words.
McAllister wore a smug expression on his rugged, handsome face. Thousands of fans followed the celebrity tamer for his looks alone, but there was no doubt Vance could back up his fame with actual skill on the battlefield.
“How the hell are ya, Briggsy?” Vance crossed the sparring room with an easy swagger that came off more like a predator Djinn than the cocky strut Akamu loved. He spoke with a drawl that, had it come from anyone else would’ve sounded backwoods. Somehow, McAllister made it sound dashing. “By the Djinn, it’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
Judging by the expression on Briggs’s face, it hadn’t been long enough. “I suppose so.”
Vance didn’t seem at all fazed by the cool welcome although Jackson highly doubted it had gone over his head. “To think we’d end up back together here at Bronze League Training Camp. What a life, eh?”
“Yeah, what a life.” Briggs jerked his head toward Jackson, who wasted no time joining his mentor on the way to the door. But Vance was having none of it.
“How are ya, Jackson?” he asked. “I was glad to hear you made it into camp — should be some good competition for Fiona here.”
Jackson glanced at Fiona, who didn’t seem to know what to do and, in a rare show of awkwardness, was focusing on the ground in front of her.
“I have to say, I was surprised to hear you’d gotten this old fossil out of retirement,” Vance said. “Thought I sent him packing with his tail between his legs, eh, Briggsy?”
Vance chortled and Briggs gave him the smallest frozen smile. “Something like that.”
Fiona’s coach clapped his hands together and Jackson fought down a start. Vance then rubbed his hands like he was sitting down for a meal after fasting for several hours. “Tell ya what — why don’t we give the kids here a little taste of the big leagues, eh? Show ’em how we used to rumble in the Gold League.”
Jackson waited for Briggs’s reaction. At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to see these two legends go toe-to-toe with one another. But much to his disappointment, Briggs only shook his head. “Afraid not, Vance. I don’t have the team anymore to give you a go.”
Vance raised his hands and played with the rings on his right hand. Jackson gaped. He had a ring on every finger — each ring being a different Djinn. He’d seen it on the holo before, but witnessing that much power and command in one tamer was still astonishing in person.
“Oh, I don’t know about that,” Vance said. “How about a little one-on-one? First one to knockout.”
Jackson could see Briggs was visibly torn. Vance must have noticed it as well, because his lips curled into a mischievous smile and he switched tactics.
“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you don’t lose too bad in front of young Jackson here. We can’t have him losing confidence in his washed-up coach.”
But it seemed to have the opposite effect. Briggs shook his head and his mind appeared made up. “Maybe another time, Vance. Let’s go, Jackson.”
Jackson tried to hide his disappointment and trailed after Briggs. He averted his eyes from both Vance and Fiona and felt like somehow he’d lost even though there hadn’t been a battle.
They’d almost made it to the door when a blast of sickly green energy shot past Jackson’s head and materialized into a gigantic serpentine Djinn just in front of Briggs a moment later. The Djinn hissed and reared up. Jackson shouted. He raised his hand, forgetting both Asena and Scrappy were low on health in stasis, but before he could attempt to summon either of them, Briggs hand shot up in a flash. A beam of deep blue light hit the serpent in the face, and when the energy faded, Midnight crouched in front of his tamer, ready to fight.
From behind them, Vance laughed like it was the funniest joke he’d ever heard. “I knew those reflexes would kick in, Briggsy! Valkariss, attack!”
As the two Djinn began a lightning-fast dance of attack and counterattack, Jackson raised his Djinncyclopedia, heart pounding.
Djinn: Serpoison
Element: Earth
Serpoison is an Advanced-Form, Earth-Elemental Djinn. Due to its poisonous fangs, Serpoisons are one of the more dangerous species of Djinn in the wild. Their venomous bites can prove debilitating in minutes and lethal if untreated within an hour. As such,
tamers facing a Serpoison in battle must use extreme caution and have their Djinn treated immediately if a bite occurs.
“Whoa.” Jackson whispered under his breath.
The Serpoison had red and gold scales running the length of its entire body, which was bigger around than almost two of Jackson’s torsos. Its long, pale fangs curved like twin swords and dripped venom whenever it hissed. Yellow eyes bored into Midnight, threatening to trap him in a paralyzing stare if the Hurricanther didn’t move fast enough.
The first few exchanges were purely physical, Plain-Elemental moves. The Serpoison lunged and twisted to trap Midnight while the Hurricanther screamed its defiance and swiped its massive paws at its opponent’s lunges. Whenever it seemed like Midnight had no escape, the lithe Djinn managed to dart out of the Serpoison’s entangling grasp.
All at once, the Serpoison shot straight up in the air and dove right back down like a swimmer into a pool. Its head struck the ground and it disappeared into the earth, sending ripples of shockwaves in its wake. The rolling ground shook the entire sparring room and Midnight took the attack full on. The Hurricanther rolled and bucked against the tremors and just managed to dodge out of the way as the Serpoison’s head burst from the group, a whisker’s length from where Midnight had been lying a moment before.
But Briggs was ready. Midnight screamed, the sound raising bumps on Jackson’s arms. A torrent of water burst from the Hurricanther’s mouth, accompanied by gale-force winds. The attack struck the Serpoison right in the center of its body and flung it across the chamber. Before the Djinn could disentangle itself from the knotted heap it landed in, Midnight charged forward and sank his own formidable fangs into the Serpoison, right below its head.
Djinn Tamer - The Complete Bronze League Trilogy Page 41