Of course, if Jackson chose to fight with Scrappy and Appleby went with his stronger Moldune, he would be at a double-disadvantage. Not only would the Moldune have the Elemental advantage against Scrappy, but he’d be a slightly higher level. Then again, in terms of the Elemental advantage his mind then went back to the Glauco-Lyote match-up potential. And he circled the pros and cons around and around in his head until he started to get dizzy.
This entire thing was one big gamble.
“What do you think?” Jackson asked Briggs and Kay. He hated after all their study and preparation that it all came down to a last-minute decision to figure out what Djinn he was going to fight with.
“Well, his Moldune is a higher level than Asena, but not by much, so you’ll still mop the floor with it,” Briggs said. “Asena got a little banged up in the first two matches, though. Her energy is fine, but you’ve still got to face Akamu and that’s going to be a real fight. I say go with the Magglecaw for that reason alone.”
Akamu. Somehow it seemed fitting, or at least ironic, that he’d be facing the younger Kaleo last. The final and biggest test. Just like when he’d faced Fiona for the championship in the McAllister Invitational.
Jackson forced himself to put Akamu out of his head. Appleby first.
Kay nodded in agreement. “Asena’s physically healthy enough, but if you overuse her, you may find yourself having to rely on Scrappy.”
Jackson took a deep breath and let it out slowly to relieve some of the tension building in his neck and chest. “All right,” he said in a low voice so the other tamers wouldn’t hear. “Scrappy it is.”
“One last thing,” Briggs said. “The top two tamers in this pool are going to be the Kaleo twerp and one other tamer. Don’t pull any punches with your friend Appleby. There’s no room for both of you. Sucks, but that’s the way it is.”
Jackson started to protest but knew Briggs was right. Out in the ring, Appleby had to be just another tamer.
It wasn’t long before the speakers called Jackson and Appleby to be on deck for the next match up. The two friends met at the edge of the locker room in the entrance of the tunnel leading out to the stadium. Appleby looked tense and drawn, his normally jovial, round face grim. Jackson doubted he looked any better.
For some reason, the fact that one of them had to lose made it all the more difficult. Jackson recalled during the Vance McAllister tournament, when Appleby had told them about how he was hoping to win the prize money to help his younger brothers and sisters. Jackson knew Appleby’s father had died at some point and his mother relied on him to be as much of a breadwinner as herself. Jackson forced the thought from his mind — as much as he liked Appleby, going easy on him because he felt a guilty conscience wasn’t the right thing to do.
“Who would’ve thought back when we fought in the Underground that we’d both be trying out for the Bronze League, huh?” Appleby said with a nervous laugh. Sweat trickled from his short, wavy, dark hair.
“Yeah,” Jackson said, mouth dry. A horn sounded again and one of the stadium staff called to Jackson and Appleby down the tunnel.
“Good luck, man,” Appleby said and offered a hand.
Jackson shook it. He didn’t know which one theirs was more cold and clammy. “You too — don’t go easy on me, okay?”
Appleby flashed a nervous smile and they walked out of the tunnel together onto the field. The applause sounded all at once and the noise of the crowd seemed to send Jackson’s heart beating even faster. Entering the arena and hearing the rules from the ref all went by in a blur. Before Jackson knew it, the giant digital letters projected in the center of the ring flashed down. Jackson curled his fingers in the hand that held Scrappy’s ring and waited.
The final horn sounded. Jackson and Appleby’s fists punched the air at the same time, their shouts overlapping one another as they summoned their Djinn from stasis. Scrappy’s gray light flashed just in front of a tan beam. Jackson’s stomach clenched in a brief moment of panic. Appleby had chosen Wacky — the Elemental superior of the two.
GENERAL OPPONENT STATS
Djinn: Moldune
Level: 19
Element: Earth
Species Rarity: Common
HP (Hit Points): 262/262
EP (Elemental Power): 102/102
Attack: 95
Defense: 98
Speed: 80
Status: Neutral
GENERAL STATS AND INFO
Djinn: Magglecaw
Level: 17
Name: Scrappy
Element: Wind
Species Rarity: Common
HP (Hit Points): 236/236
EP (Elemental Power): 88/88
Attack: 75
Defense: 86
Speed: 149
Accessories: None
Items: None
Status: Neutral
Move Set: Swipe Left to See More >>>
Appleby grinned and sent his Moldune underground with a wave of his hand. For a brief moment, Jackson regretted helping him out with mental commands but then pushed the thought away. There was a battle to win.
Jackson sent Scrappy hovering above the ground, waiting. Although the Moldune had an Elemental advantage, Jackson was going to make sure Appleby had to use ranged attacks exclusively on his Magglecaw. Circular burrow lines appeared inside the ring. With no other option until the Moldune surfaced, Jackson commanded Scrappy to kick things off.
Mocking Wind!
The blast hit the tip of the furrow, hypothetically the spot where Appleby’s Moldune would be digging. When the wind hit the ground, however, it kicked up a large wave of dirt. Jackson shielded his eyes as a virtual sandstorm started within the perimeter of the ring. He couldn’t see anything, and a brief inquiry to Scrappy revealed the same from the Magglecaw’s position.
It’s just what he wanted, Jackson thought to himself. Whatever happened, he wasn’t going to play into Appleby’s hands. He had no idea where he was going, but hopefully keeping Appleby and his Moldune on edge would be enough
Hit them with another Mocking Wind, pal!
Scrappy squawked in protest but pumped his wings and released another gust toward the ground. The wind kicked up even more. If the ring had been open it would have died down after a few moment, but because they were within the safety forcefield, a mini tornado kicked up. Jackson’s clothing whipped against him and he struggle to see anything going on. Above, Scrappy was buffeted by the dirt swirling around and could barely keep himself in the air.
No counterattack had come from Appleby. What was he thinking?
Dive Bomb!
Scrappy rose as high as possible inside the battle forcefield and then dove straight for the ground, beak first. He struck. The attack wasn’t strong — after all, it was a Wind-Elemental move against an Earth-Elemental at home in the ground — but until they could get the Modlune to show itself, there wasn’t much more to go on.
Now, get out, get out!
Scrappy yanked its beak free from the ground and fought to rise back in the air. The spinning, shifting winds made it almost impossible to take flight. Scrappy made it a couple feet off the ground when the Moldune burst upward and struck him hard. Jackson shouted as Scrappy crashed back into the ground and only flapped out of the way in time to miss a series of swipes from the Moldune’s powerful digging claws. It was almost like fighting the Badgerage all over again, except Appleby and his Djinn had been together much longer and had the Bond and experience to go with it.
Above ground, the Moldune wasn’t fast. Now that Scrappy had an opponent to fight, he rose in the air again. The winds died down enough for him to control his flight and he dipped at the Moldune, striking with his beak or talons, narrowly missing the clawed swipes of his opponent each time. The exchange didn’t last long and Appleby sent his Moldune back into the ground.
Jackson gritted his teeth. Fighting against Appleby was so annoying. This time, he decided against another Mocking Wind. He didn’t want to waste too much o
f Scrappy’s Elemental Power, and the wind hadn’t helped him any more than it had hurt Appleby. He had to rethink his strategy if he wanted to make it through his bout.
Fly low across the ground, but be ready to get out of the way.
Scrappy started circling the arena just a few inches above the ground. Jackson hoped the action would bait Appleby into striking. But after several seconds, the Djinn didn’t surface.
Jackson glanced at the stats on the screen.
Scrappy still had over half his health and Moldune was only down about a quarter. The Djinn might’ve been slow, but his Defense and Appleby’s tactics made up for it.
The ground shuddered just in front of Scrappy, but Jackson had no time to shout out a warning. The Moldune burst forth in a spray of dirt and sand. Scrappy’s instincts and natural speed saved him from a knockout. The Magglecaw swooped up at the last moment and only took a glancing blow. In any other instance, Jackson would have felt annoyed that Scrappy made a move without his command; he supposed, in this instance, it was a good thing. But there was little time to celebrate his narrow avoidance of the knockout. The hit still threw Scrappy off a bit, and Appleby wasn’t planning on letting him go. The Moldune opened its pointed snout and released a spray of gravel into the air, hitting Scrappy like a blast of shotgun pellets. Scrappy managed to avoid most of the pellets, but it still reduced Scrappy’s HP down to one-fifth. Was this going to be how it ended?
Stay high! Stay high!
Scrappy rose to the top of the forcefield, struggling on his two injured wings.
Good. Now, look like you’re more hurt than you are.
Scrappy squawked in annoyance but started veering on one wing and circling lower. Another blast of gravel shot up from the Moldune. At the last second Jackson commanded Scrappy to release a Mocking Wind. The air hit the tiny pebbles and debris and blasted it back at the Moldune.
The counterattack did a bit more damage than anticipated, as it was the equivalent of the Earth-Elemental being hit with its own attack, and not a disadvantaged Wind-Elemental attack. While the Moldune struggled to shake off the gravel, Scrappy hit him hard in the back with a diving beak attack, right in the soft spot between the Moldune’s shoulders.
The Moldune tried its best to recover by swiping back, but Scrappy's’ Speed kept him from the much slower Djinn. Jackson glanced at Appleby, who wore a panicked expression, and an instant later the Moldune disappeared below the ground. Rather than letting him retreat, however, Jackson commanded Scrappy to send a blast of Mocking Wind down the hole.
Now!
Scrappy rose just a couple inches off the ground and directed his wind blast straight down the tunnel. Several yards away, the Moldune burst above ground in a spray of dirt, stunned.
Finish it, Scrappy!
Scrappy shot across the ring, beak first and struck Appleby’s Djinn hard in the side… and was deflected back like he’d just hit a brick wall. Jackson gritted his teeth and Scrappy flapped on the ground in a daze, its HP dropping to dangerous territory — Appleby had gotten off a Stone Hide move. The result had been half-damage dealt between both Djinn. Scrappy had a tiny sliver left and the Moldune a few points more.
This time, the Magglecaw wasn’t faking its injury. He hopped across the ground, one wing hanging low as the Moldune dragged itself forward. Without a wing, Jackson wouldn’t be able to have Scrappy use a Mocking Wind. That left only one choice
Cackle Call!
Scrappy let loose a raucous sound, and the Moldune wilted away at the annoying cries.
Now, use your Feather Needle!
Scrappy pulled his good wing across his body and flung it outward. Several feathers shot forth from his wing and pierced the Moldune. They hardly did any damage but the draining attack whittled away at the Moldune and slowed his Speed even more. The opposing Djinn crawled toward Scrappy, who could barely keep himself upright with nothing left in the tank.
Its health ticked down to 4 HP. Scrappy hopped backward and then fell in a pile of feathers. There were 3 HP left on the Moldune. Jackson then realized with a smile that his last attack had created a Status effect on the Moldune that was bleeding away its last hit points.
The Moldune opened its mouth for a final gravel spray. Only 2 HP left. Scrappy held up his good wing to protect itself. Jackson knew it wouldn’t be enough.
The Moldune coughed up a few tiny rocks and then collapsed. Zero.
Jackson let out a huge exhale he didn’t know he’d been holding in. He didn’t feel thrilled like after his first victory, instead it was more…relief. And a little regret that he’d had to face Appleby in the tournament. He recalled what Briggs said, and hoped that Akamu might make some type of mistake that would allow Jackson and Appleby to both make the cut.
“Good match, Jack,” Appleby said. Jackson could tell he was forcing a positive tone but he still smiled and pulled his friend into a hug.
“You too, man,” Jackson said before they released. “Give the rest of them hell, alright?”
As they waved to the crowd and walked off together Jackson realized the tournament was almost over. And he’d managed to save the worst for last.
While Scrappy healed in the recovery tank, Briggs volunteered to go grab them some food. Jackson thought it probably had something to do with the full service bar, too, but wouldn’t complain as long as his coach came back with the promised meal.
Jackson had the next round off, which left him and his Djinn some time to recuperate. It also left Jackson and Kay alone for the first time in a month. All of a sudden, sitting next to her on the bench, Jackson felt unsure what to say.
“I…have some news,” Kay said, breaking the silence.
“What’s that?”
“I was going to wait until after the tournament but I guess you might as well know now — I made it into Timber Falls Djinn vet program. I start next fall.”
Jackson jumped out of his seat and yanked Kay up in a tight squeeze. “Kay, that’s awesome news! I knew you could do it! Oh, man, are you excited?”
He finally let her go and looked at her face. Kay smoothed down her hair and gave her trademark shy smile. “Yeah, it still hardly feels real, though. I mean, I’ve wanted this ever since I can remember, and now it’s actually happening, you know?”
“Yeah…” The thought sprang to Jackson’s mind that he would suddenly be without his best friend for a large part of every year for the next five years. He’d always known Kay would be accepted to be a Djinn vet, but hadn’t ever stopped to consider what it meant. She’d be leaving home and he’d be flying solo for the first time since he could remember. Kay had always been there — growing up, in school, starting to work at Sato, and then when he began his taming career. And now…
Kay must have read the look on his face. “ It’s not for several months. And I’ll still be around in the summers and vacations! Remember my internship with Sato? And we’ll talk all the time, just like when you were in camp this past month. I’m sorry — I shouldn’t have said anything until after the tournament. I didn’t mean to be a distraction.”
Jackson plastered a smile on his face and rolled his eyes. “Oh come on, you know I wanted to know first thing! It’ll be great — I really am pumped for you! Promise.”
They exchanged a hug just as Briggs returned with two boxes of food. He raised his eyebrows at Jackson while Kay was still facing the other way then gave a loud cough. Kay pulled back, her face flushed.
“Kay just told me she made it into the Djinn vet program.”
“Huh, good work. That’s a good fit for you.” Coming from Briggs, that was the equivalent of a bear hug and shouts of exclamation.
Kay muttered her thanks and the focus switched to the food. Jackson ate about half of his meal and then let out Asena and Scrappy (who had finished healing) one at a time for water and a light snack. He worried that the bye round would cool them down and made a mental note to start warming up an extra fifteen minutes early before his next match.
The sc
reen throughout the locker room continued displaying the tournament matches and standings. While his Djinn ate, Jackson went over the standings with Briggs, who was an old hand at deciphering the tournament records and figuring out standings. Charles and Appleby were up next in their group:
Akamu: 2 wins, 0 losses
Jackson: 2 wins, 1 loss
Rando: 0 wins, 2 losses
Appleby: 1 win, 1 loss
Charles: 1 win, 1 loss
“We’re not in a bad spot, kid,” Briggs said, running a hand over the three-day-old stubble on his face. “Like I told you before, I think Kaleo’s kid has this thing in the bag. Given Rando’s record, I assume he’ll get the living daylights beat out of him by Akamu, so let’s pretend the record looks like this.”
Briggs tapped away at his tablet and a holo-projection popped up.
Akamu: 3 wins, 0 losses
Jackson: 2 wins, 1 loss
Rando: 0 wins, 3 losses
Appleby: 1 win, 1 loss
Charles: 1 win, 1 loss
“Assuming this is how things turn out, you’ll be sitting in second, but we’re not going to know much until your friend Appletree —”
“It’s actually Appleby. C’mon, Briggs, you’ve known him almost as long as —”
“Like I said, until Snappleby and Charles finish, we don’t really know how things are gonna play out. If Charles wins, things get a little trickier, but definitely not impossible. If Crapplesneeze wins, well, then we’re sitting pretty.”
Jackson shot Kay a sideways glance. Neither of them attempted to correct Briggs again. Jackson wasn’t completely sure Briggs wasn’t doing it on purpose, either.
“Okay…” Jackson played through the scenarios in Briggs’s head, and a sinking feeling came over him. He had the tie-breaker over Appleby, because he beat him. But if Charles won, Jackson would be tied with him. Charles would have the tiebreaker in his favor because he’d beaten Jackson. So if Charles won his last match against Rando, no matter if Jackson won to Akamu…he wouldn’t make it.
Djinn Tamer - The Complete Bronze League Trilogy Page 50