There was only one thing left to do.
Mocking Wind, Mocking Wind!
Jackson knew that pulling off a move like that would be tough with the Avialcon digging deep into Scrappy’s wing, but it would hopefully shake the enemy Djinn off. Between Scrappy’s flap and the resulting gust of wind that launched both Scrappy and the Avialcon back, the Scoundrook finally managed to free itself — though the purple-tinged wind did almost as much damage to Scrappy as Rita’s Avialcon.
Both Djinn careened out of the air like a pair of ripped kites and landed hard on the ground. Scrappy hit first, serving to injure himself further and pad the blow for the Avialcon. When the two Djinn disentangled themselves, Scrappy only had a handful of its HP left and was holding one wing against his side. Rita probably hadn’t known it, but her Avialcon had hit Jackson’s Scoundrook in the same wing he’d repeatedly injured since first fighting Akamu’s Tandile in the wild as a Magglecaw.
It was the last thing he wanted to do when he was so close to the championship, but Jackson raised his hand and pointed it at Scrappy. The Scoundrook withdrew with an indignant squawk. Jackson knew he would have fought to zero, but it wasn’t worth the potential permanent damage. Even using the Djinn Tonic wouldn’t mend the kind of damage the wing had taken.
Everything comes down to you, girl! Go Asena!
Asena exploded from her ring, snarling.
PARTY STATS
Djinn: Lobolf
Level: 24
HP (Hit Points): 385/385
EP (Elemental Power): 180/180
Attack: 160
Defense: 145
Speed: 155
Accessories: None
Status: Neutral
MOVE SET:
Fire-Elemental: Fire Growl (5 EP), Fire Bark (15 EP), Fire Howl (25 EP)
Earth-Elemental: Earth Hunt (10 EP)
Plain-Elemental: Attack, Headbutt, Wild Bite, Fierce Cry, Wild Sprint, Pack Leader (X)
Fire/Earth Combo: Volcanic Fury (30 EP)
At the same moment Asena emerged from her ring, she unleashed a blast of fire — the newly-acquired Fire Howl — on the Avialcon. The fact that they could execute a move in the first instant she came out of stasis was a testament to the connection between Jackson and Asena. As the torrent of flames struck Rita’s Djinn, Jackson took the perfectly-timed move as a sign that he and Asena, in her new form, were finally getting into sync.
The charred, smoking Avialcon crumpled to the Earth. While the Wind-Elemental wasn’t weak to Fire, the Fire-Elemental surroundings coupled with the surprising nature of the attack made the hit a critical. But the Avialcon wasn’t done yet. In the corner of his eye, Jackson saw the enemy’s HP bar flashing. He knew his best option would be to utilize the advantage inherent in Asena’s other Element, and commanded her to finish off the grounded Djinn with Earth Hunt. Sandstone Lobolfs leaped from the hills and struck the Avialcon, knocking it around back and forth between the heads. The Avialcon did its best to try and shake free, but in its struggles, only fell deeper into the sand trap, finally hitting the ground and coming to a rest.
“Wow, looks like your Lyote evolved,” Rita said. She sounded impressed, though not intimidated at all. “This should be a good fight! Let’s see what you can do against my Eskiflurr — go, Snowball!”
A pale blue light brought Rita’s final Djinn to the battle. The Djinn’s bi-pedal vulpine form was tipped with ice crystals against its tan fur. Thanks to the Fire-Elemental area in which they fought, the ice crystals were already dripping, and the water hissed as it struck the hot sandstone ground.
Jackson was grateful for the advantage the terrain gave Asena. He’d take as much as he could get. The Eskiflurr was about twice the size of Kay’s Fenkit, Sunshine, and two-thirds the size of Asena. It had long ears, big, black eyes, and stubby little arms that made it look more adorable than threatening, but Jackson wasn’t about to be fooled by its appearance. These things were known to be deadly in a fight.
OPPONENT STATS
Djinn: Eskiflurr
Level: 25
Element: Water/Wind
HP (Hit Points): 362/362
EP (Elemental Power): 285/285
Attack: 135
Defense: 140
Speed: 195
The Eskiflurr zipped around Asena, jumping and leaping over and around her, shooting little blasts of ice whenever it saw an opening. Jackson went back to his first Djinn battle against Kay and Sunshine. The smaller Djinn had taken advantage of them then, but both Jackson and Asena were a completely different team now.
Asena, Fierce Cry!
Rather than trying to catch the darting Eskiflurr, Asena dodged aside enough to take only a glancing blow and then threw back her head and howled. The move caused the Eskiflurr to freeze in place, just long enough for Asena to hit it with an Earth Hunt before Rita coaxed her Djinn out of the intimidation effect. As a Wind/Water-Elemental combo, the Eskiflurr had a weakness to the Earth-Elemental attacks.
Like the Avialcon before it, the Eskiflurr was tossed around as its HP crept downward. But unlike the Avialcon, the second the attack ended, it was already zipping around again, immediately striking Asena twice in the face. While Jackson’s Lobolf recovered from the weak, yet stunning attack, the Eskiflurr completed a backward somersault. Landing, it raised up on its hind legs and the crystals on its head shot a dazzling blast of cold light right into Asena’s chest.
Asena flipped over backward and landed in a heap on the ground. The health bar projected in Jackson’s vision flashed like mad — CRITICAL HIT.
Fierce Cry! he commanded as the Lobolf recovered from the hit.
Asena howled again, freezing the Eskiflurr in place. Jackson took the opportunity to use another Earth Hunt attack. Though even with those distractions, the Eskiflurr still managed to dodge it just in time, only suffering a glancing blow.
Jackson knew if he wanted to make quick work of the Eskiflurr, he needed to actually indulge in Fire-Elemental attacks. Sure, they weren’t as effective, but they were a heck of a lot quicker than moves like Earth Hunt, and with the area advantage, they were worth a shot. He was tempted to go all-out with Asena’s new Volcanic Fury attack, but given her relative inexperience, he worried about its timing and accuracy.
Instead, he had Asena unleash a series of Fire Growls. He’d used this strategy before. Surround the opponent with attacks and then hit them head-on with the stronger one. As soon as Asena let loose a Fire Howl, the Eskiflurr had nowhere else to dodge, and was hit head-on with the powerful Fire-Elemental attack.
It worked! The only downside was that the attack only took down a fraction of the Eskiflurr’s health. It was shaping up to be a battle of stamina.
He hunkered down and continued this exhausting strategy, commanding a mix of Earth Hunt and Fire Growl attacks to corner the Eskiflurr before unleashing a series of Fire Barks and Fire Howls. It may have not been a particularly sexy strategy (a few years ago, he’d be yelling at the holo-screen if he saw a professional tamer using such a boring tactic), but it was working. The minutes passed, and in spite of the partial Elemental disadvantage, Asena managed to whittle down the Eskiflurr’s health to one-third of its total.
Though in spite of the strategy, the Eskiflurr’s Speed had been no joke, and had allowed it to make consistent strikes against Asena throughout, leaving her with even less HP. But Jackson had a plan. Now was about as good a time as any to use that Djinn Tonic.
Jackson flipped through the tabs on his battle display and triggered the item’s use. It revitalized Asena’s HP to about half.
Things were looking good. Jackson wouldn’t be certain, but he was pretty confident that Rita had no more Tonics to use on her Djinn. The Eskiflurr had stopped its barrage of ice attacks, implying that it was either low on EP or out completely. And as far as its HP went…he could only hope she had none left to save it at the last minute.
Just a couple more passes using his tried and true strategy would do. A part of him hoped Rita had
been too preoccupied keeping the Eskiflurr dodging to come up with a strategy to combat them.
Okay, girl, do another batch of Fire Growls!
Jackson’s holo-watch buzzed and an alert popped up on his display.
INSUFFICIENT EP
Jackson’s gut wrenched for a split-second before he remembered the items he’d saved up for this exact moment. He poured the last two Elemental Elixirs into Asena, completely filling her EP. Saving them had definitely been the right move. Otherwise it would have been game over for him and Asena.
Okay girl, time to take it home!
Jackson continued on with his strategy, and while it continued to whittle down the Eskiflurr’s health, it was facing some serious diminishing returns. As the Eskiflurr learned how the Lobolf moved, it was becoming more and more effective at dodging its attacks. It had taken some time and practice, but Rita was finally catching on.
It wouldn’t have been any fun if it were that easy, Jackson thought. Asena, change things up with your Headbutt attack!
The Lobolf sped toward her opponent faster and faster and then lowered her head at the last moment to strike… just as Rita’s Eskiflurr unleashed one last blast of piercing ice crystals at Asena.
The attack hit Asena, ice shards burying deep in her skin and slicing away at her last remaining hit points. The attack didn’t have much power behind it, but not much was needed. In the next moment, Asena struck the Eskiflurr full-on and the pair collapsed in a mighty heap.
Jackson sucked in a breath.
Neither Asena or the Eskiflurr moved. Both of their health bar displays were grayed out.
Jackson didn’t dare send a telepathic or physical shout — he was afraid it would confirm the worst, that he’d come all this way only to lose the match that would have put him in the championship. He didn’t know how ties were solved. Would the Bronze League officials be able to slow down the replay to see which Djinn had hit zero first? Jackson thought it had probably been Asena. Momentum was the only thing that had carried her Headbutt attack into the Eskiflurr. But he’d seen matches like this in the past. In cases where both Djinn hit zero, it all came down to which Djinn got up first.
Closing his eyes, Jackson reached out, prepared to face the painful truth.
Come on girl, he willed. I know you’re in there. I know you can do this. Please — you’re so strong. I know it’s not over.
Rita started walking forward to her Eskiflurr, her face as drawn and tense as Jackson’s felt his must be.
Neither tamer spoke.
And then, when Jackson was just a few steps away, Asena’s ear flickered.
The Lobolf raised her head and whined softly.
Nearby, Rita’s Eskiflurr didn’t move.
Jackson shouted in pure joy and rushed forward, wrapping his arms around his oldest Djinn. Asena whined again but licked Jackson’s ear and gave a half-hearted wag of her tail. And just then, a notification popped up on Jackson’s holo-watch.
CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE DEFEATED RITA ANTONIUS.
“We did it, girl. we did it!”
No matter how hard Jackson tried, it just wouldn’t sink in. They were going to the Bronze League Championship match.
“Nice work,” Rita said. She stood over Jackson after recalling her Eskiflurr and offered a hand. Jackson stood and took it.
“Thanks — that was a close one,” Jackson said. “Seriously. I never want a match to be that close again.”
Rita shrugged, clearly disheartened. “Good luck in the final match.”
With that, the surprise finalist was lifted into the air on her hovercraft. Jackson’s face split into a grin and then realized something. The other match! Who had won? He pulled up his chart, but before he could get to the tamer list, a lone figure walked over the sandstone bluffs toward him.
It was Fiona.
Fireworks split the sky above the arena. All around, the broadcast drones started flashing and buzzing to get every angle.
When Fiona made it within a couple of feet from Jackson, she stopped and put a hand on her hip.
“Looks like it’s just us.”
Jackson smirked.
The final match was set.
Chapter Forty
Moments later, Jackson and Fiona were airlifted by hovercraft out of the Fire Quadrant. Instead of heading somewhere off the battle island, however, the hovercraft took them to the peak of the mountain in the center of the arena.
As they rose into the sky, a cascade of cheers hit Jackson. The safety perimeter around the arena had been removed, allowing the thunderous applause and shouts of the audience to reach them.
Jackson’s heart pounded and he grinned, waving at a pair of broadcast drones that flew up near them. The feeling was unlike anything he’d ever imagined. But he shoved his victorious feelings to the side.
No, he told himself. This isn’t what you came here for. The end is in sight but you haven’t made it yet.
Beating Fiona was the final step, the last leg of a whirlwind journey that began with the discovery of a Lyote ring inside his mother’s office.
Win or lose, there would be much, much more to come after. But for right now, only one thing mattered: beating Fiona Sato and becoming the Bronze League Champion.
The hovercraft touched down on a flat space on top of the mountain. Jackson noticed it was just big enough to be a standard Djinn battling circle, with a little room on the edges for officials and the teams of both competitors. But right now, the only person in the entire ring was Walton Belmont.
He beamed as the hovercraft lowered them to the ground and motioned for Jackson and Fiona to come closer. The lights and soft whirring sounds of a dozen or more broadcast drones surrounded them. When Belmont spoke, his voice boomed across the mountaintop through a speaker.
“Jackson Hunt and Fiona Sato,” he said. “The Tyle Two!”
Jackson fought back a wince. This guy really loved his nicknames.
“You’ve both fought through constant challenges to reach this point and now, in just over an hour, one of you will be crowned the Bronze League Champion!”
Belmont paused to let the roar of the crowd wash over them once more.
“What do you tamers have to say for yourselves?” Belmont said before putting the microphone between them.
Fiona and Jackson glanced at each other, and Jackson nodded for Fiona to take the lead. He didn’t know what she was thinking, but imagined her emotions and thoughts were going as wild as his own in the moment.
“I’m extremely grateful to my family for inspiring and helping me reach the championship. For my stupid brothers for beating me up when I was little,” Fiona laughed. “I don’t think I’d hate losing so much without them. And to my coach, Vance McAllister. Let’s do this!”
The crowd roared again and Jackson imagined they could tell the audience the sky was blue and it would illicit the same enthusiastic response.
“That’s right,” Belmont said. “The two of you are being trained by the great Vance McAllister and Cassius Briggs — I’m sure there’s an interesting story for each of you there! What about you Jackson, do you have anything to say?”
“I just want to thank my grandma, Jane, and best friend and rehabber, Kendal Watts for their encouragement and support. I want to thank my late mom, Jessica Hunt, who gave me my first Djinn, which is why I’m here in the first place,” Jackson said, steadying his voice. “And, of course, my trainer and coach, Cassius Briggs. This is only something I ever dreamed of and to be here now is just…unreal.”
And, as if on cue, the crowd cheered again. Belmont waited for things to settle a moment, then continued.
“I’m sure your friends and family, and all of Tyle for that matter, are extremely proud of both of you. Now, while our excellent staff makes the final touches to set up the ring for the championship match, let me explain the rules to both of you.”
Jackson glanced behind Belmont and saw a handful of battle officials landing in hovercraft and several arena techs
running diagnostics on the field setup as the commissioner spoke.
“This match will be a two-on-two alternating match, meaning you will be using your Djinn one at a time. Just as in the Battle Royale, if you withdraw a Djinn for any reason, it will be considered knocked out and ineligible to return to the match, so choose carefully! Both of you will be allowed to select two Djinn for your team. No items will be allowed, but both of your teams will be completely healed before the match starts. You’ll also have an hour to have a meal, and strategize with your coaches, and make it out to the field before the battle begins. Are there any questions?”
Both Jackson and Fiona shook their heads.
“Excellent!” Belmont said, and slapped them both of the shoulders. “Congratulations once more! These two attendants will direct you to your private locker rooms where you can make all necessary preparations. I’ll see you again after the match — good job and best of luck to you!”
The broadcast drones pulled away and Belmont started talking to a nearby attendant in a hushed tone. Jackson took it as a sign the mics were off as well. The attendant tried to direct Jackson toward another hovercraft, but Jackson resisted and walked up to the Bronze League Commissioner. He didn’t know if he’d get another opportunity to speak to Walton Belmont in a setting like this and wanted to make the most of it. Out of the side of his vision, Jackson saw Fiona stop and turn to watch him. Jackson motioned her over.
“Man, the ratings are through the roof on this!” Belmont was saying. “We’ve nearly surpassed —”
He stopped and looked and Jackson in surprise. “Yes, Hunt? Is there something I can do for you?”
“Yes sir,” Jackson said. Now that he was actually in front of the commissioner, he wasn’t so sure on how he should actually proceed. “I just wanted to tell you about something, off-air. Something that happened to Fiona and me in the arena.”
Jackson hadn’t had the chance to talk to Fiona and confirm she had also been targeted, but there seemed to be no reason Ron would make up that part if the rest was true. Commissioner Belmont dismissed the attendant he’d been talking to and looked and Jackson with none of his previous enthusiasm.
Djinn Tamer - The Complete Bronze League Trilogy Page 84