“Sure,” Don said as he steps into the ring.
John presses a few buttons and turns on a holographic simulation. The Ring suddenly turns into an icy region with snow and ice bridges everywhere. Don looks frantically for his first opponent when he suddenly feels the ground shake. He turns around and sees a yeti-like alien with white fur, red-eyes, sharp teeth, and long bluish claws. The monster roars at Don as he punches the creature; however he has too much muscle, hurting Don’s hand. The monster grabs him and throws him against the ice wall. That knock on the head gave Don the idea on how to defeat the monster. It’s a native of the Ice Planet Frigia, so it has one weakness.
He looks up and sees a bright light shining through the ice bridges. He jumps onto the creatures and covers its eyes tightly, blinding it. The creature roars as it waves its arms and breaks the ice bridges one by one, showing the sun. Don jumps off of the creature to let it see. It becomes blinded by the light as it roars in fear and rose its hands to block the light. Don high-kicks the monster off the bridge, making it fall and ending the simulation.
“That was intense!” Don said.
“It’s not always enough to physically fight against an opponent who is bigger than you,” John explains, “You must use your surroundings and his biggest weaknesses to your advantage.”
“That’s something I will remember during the fights, John.”
“Now we will start Mannie’s training.”
Mannie steps into the simulator for his turn. While he trains, Jody approaches Don with a towel for him.
“Good job on your first day of training,” she congratulates him.
“Thanks, Jody,” Don said while shyly rubbing the back of his head.
Mannie steps into the simulator while John turns the machine on. The simulator puts Mannie in an environment that resembles the Sahara Desert, all covered with sand and yellow skies. The wind is mildly blowing. Mannie could hear soft chortling that is very close. Suddenly, something pops out of the sand: an ant humanoid that is sandy yellow and has large pincers.
“An Antion!” Mannie screamed.
Antions are considered enemies to the Mantoids. This is the perfect practice fight for Mannie. The Antion tries to grab Mannie with his pincers, but he keeps dodging them. Then, Mannie delivers a few punches to the Antion, but the armor made him too strong. Mannie took enough blows to the head to make him fall to the ground when he suddenly sees his low thorax and remembers that Antions are vulnerable there. He dives under the Antion feet first and kicks him in his low thorax, ending the simulation.
“Made it in record time, Mannie,” John complimented.
“Thanks, John,” Mannie thanks him.
“Now you just need to get some rest. The opening ceremonies are tomorrow night.”
Mannie and Don walk up to their rooms to sleep for their big day.
Chapter 5
The night of the Opening Ceremonies has come. Jody is in her room, putting her make-up on while wearing her formal red dress. She is putting her pink lipstick on when she hears a knock on the door.
“Come in!” she calls.
Don opens her door wearing a skintight blue armor with matching boots and a sky blue cape.
“What do you think of my outfit, Jody?” he asks for her opinion.
“You look really great, Don,” Jody compliments him, “You’re gonna make a great first impression at the ceremony tonight.”
“Thanks, Jody. Before we go, I wanted to give you something.”
Don reaches into his pocket and gives Jody a pass.
“What’s this?” Jody asks.
“It’s a ticket to the Opening Ceremonies. You can’t get in without one,” he explains.
“Thanks, Don!” she excitedly thanks him.
Jody suddenly gained a nervous look in her eyes.
“What’s wrong?” Don asks her with concern.
“Every fighter will be there…including Kaynon,” Jody says, “What if he tries to go near me?”
“Let’s not worry about him right now.”
***
At Madison Square Gardens, the place becomes packed with cars and people. Everyone, both human and alien, arrive in their best formal wear. John and the others arrive by car as they drop Jody off in the front entrance.
“I’ll meet you inside, Pumpkin,” John said, “I just have to drop Don and Mannie at the Fighter’s Entrance.”
“Okay, Daddy,” Jody said as she closes the car door and walks inside.
***
The auditorium is set up with tables and chairs all over, each with a number of plate settings. All but Jody are sitting down having dinner while she finds her table. She was about to sit herself at an empty one when Kaynon jumps in front of her with a rose.
“Hi, Sweetheart,” he said, “I got you a little token of affection.”
“Keep it!” Jody says as she pushes the rose away from her face.
“Don’t be that way, Jody. After the ceremony, how about if you and I can go to the luxury suite and have a “private party” of our own?”
“Not a chance, Kaynon! After the ceremonies, I’m going home with my dad and friends!”
Jody shoves him out of the way to find a table while Kaynon growls furiously. Buzz saw the whole incident and couldn’t help but laugh at the humiliating rejection.
“Oh Kaynon! I saw how you swept the girl off her feet!” he chuckles.
“Knock it off, Buzz!” he snarls, “What are you doing here anyway?”
“I need to present that Terrance guy my résumé. Raven will do the same after the Opening Ceremony. You get in back. The intros starts in five and Psikes is very punctual.”
“Fine! I have a few words to say to one particular fighter anyway.”
***
Kaynon walks into the Men’s locker room where the other fighters are waiting to be introduced. He sees Don talking to Mannie and stomps over to him, angrily pushing Mannie aside to talk to Don.
“I want to talk to you, Rep!” he said using the most derogatory slur for Don’s people, “Jody is my girl and future mate! If I so much as catch you holding her hand, I will rip your skin off and wear it as my new boots!”
“Save it, Kaynon!” Don back-talks him, “Jody can see whoever she wants! Besides, there’s nothing going on between us!”
Kaynon just growls at him. He was about to grab him when the referee blows the whistle on the two.
“That’s enough!” he reprimanded, “Save it for the fights. Line up for the upcoming Intros, Fellas!”
All of the fighters gather and lined up. As Kaynon gets to his place in line, he looks back at Don and growls again. Don just glares back at him.
“You better be careful with Kaynon, Don,” Mannie tells him, “He’s very possessive of Jody.”
***
A few minutes later, everyone has gathered at their chosen tables, waiting for the ceremony to begin. Jody and John are enjoying their dinner when the lights suddenly dim down except for a spotlight on the ring. The MC, who is an elf alien in a tux, is under the spotlight with his microphone.
“Welcome, Ladies and Gentlemen!” he shouts through the Microphone, “We welcome you to the Opening Ceremony of the Intergalactic Fighting Championship!”
Everyone claps and cheers.
“Many fighters and warriors have fought hard in the tournaments of their home planets to be in this year’s championship. Now let me introduce all of you to the competing fighters who’ve made it here today!”
The crowd cheers.
“Very well! First up, from the planet Reptilian of the Nigel 9 Quadrant and first of his tribe to compete in the fights: Don Kobra!
Don walks under the stage and through the ring and waves to the crowd as they cheered. Jody is smiling and clapping with her father. Don moves from the ring after his introduction and joins Jody and John. The MC continues the introductions.
“From the Elfenheim Homeworld of Andreas: Rorek the Swift!”
An elf alien in hunting c
lothes comes on stage and waves to the roaring crowd and leaves the ring.
“From Taurus 39: Minos Taro!”
A minotaur-like alien came into the ring and flexes his muscles for the cheering crowd. Then he walks out of the ring.
“Defected from the Planet Anthropoid 11 and homebound on Earth: Manton “Mannie” Insectiva.
Mannie comes up on stage and waves to the cheering crowd and to Jody and her father. He soon catches sight of Raven, the only one who hasn’t cheered for anyone. Manny instantly becomes enchanted by her. After his introduction, Manny joins Jody and John at their table. He looks at Raven, who is now looking at him, and winks at her. Raven just coldly walks away, making Mannie scratch his head while feeling confused by her reaction. The MC continues the introductions for the Opening Ceremonies.
“From the Ice Planet Fridgia: Bludd the Bear!”
A creature similar to the one Don fought in the simulation comes out and roars for the cheering crowd. After he roars, he steps down and goes sit.
“From the Anthropod 12 Moon: Cru the Pincer!”
An Antion shows up with his lance and raises it high for the crowd. Mannie is not very impressed with him. It steps down afterwards.
“From the Planet Amazonia and the first woman to make it to the Intergalactic Fights: Athena the Great!
A woman with a golden headband and silver armor comes out and raises her hands to the crowd, wowing the men and all fighters except Don, Mannie, and Kaynon, who impatiently awaits his introduction.
“Being last in line always has its down-sizes,” he mumbles to himself.
The MC continued, and so far, he has already introduced fifteen fighters who are participating this year. It is finally Kaynon’s turn to be introduced. He puts on his orange-hooded cape and stood ready in the locker room.
“And last but not least, from the K9 World of Nebula 8 and homebound on Earth, the Three-Year Reigning Champion of the Intergalactic Fights…KAYNON!”
Pyrotechnics were activated in the ring and Kaynon runs to the ring. He flips his cape off and raises his fists for his adoring public. He blows a kiss to Jody, but Jody is clearly not impressed with him and cold-shoulders him.
“These fighters are here to prove they are the best of the best, but only one of them will come out a champion!” The MC finishes, “Preliminaries starts the day after tomorrow!”
Chapter 6
After the ceremonies, everyone continues their dinner. Jody goes over to the buffet table to have some of the snacks that are going fast when she is approached by Cru, Bludd, and Minos.
“Uh…Hello,” Jody says timidly.
“Look what we have here, Boys,” Cru says with glee, “A human mouse!”
The three men laugh, making Jody feel very uncomfortable.
“A little girl like you shouldn’t be by yourself,” Minos teases, “How about having three men like us to protect you.”
Athena steps in to defend Jody.
“Back off, Boys!” she demands while pointing her lance, “Lay off on the girl!”
“Oh we were just teasing the girl, Athena,” Bludd excuses himself and his friends.
“Well she doesn’t find your joke funny, and neither do I.”
“Besides, Gents, this girl happens to be my girl Jody,” Kaynon says as he walks to the group and wraps Jody in his arms.
“I’m not your girl, Kaynon!” she grunts.
“Don’t be upset, Jody. Let me take you to that luxury box I promised you earlier.”
“Not a chance!”
Jody leaves with her snacks and heads out with her dad, Don, and Mannie. The four fighters laugh at Kaynon until he growls at them, causing them to stop in fear.
***
The four finally arrive home. Jody went inside her home first to relax and forget about Kaynon’s flirting. She dives on the couch and puts both hands over her face. Don sits with her.
“Jody, I saw you with Kaynon,” Don states with concern.
“Don’t worry,” Jody assures him, “Nothing rekindled our relationship.”
“That’s what I want to ask you. How did you ever get mixed up with an aggressive bully like Kaynon?”
“He didn’t always use to be that way.”
***
Jody begins telling the story about how she dated Kaynon back in high school and what he was like back then.
“During high school, I was the shy, quiet wallflower nobody ever notices. A lot of the kids knew me as the daughter of the first human to become an Intergalactic Fight Champion but never believed it. Kaynon at the time was the top jock of the school. He was Captain of our school wrestling team at the time. He recently won a victory when he saw me in the hallway. Kaynon noticed me and asked me out on a date. He and I hit it off and begin spending a lot of time together. After a few months, he asked me to be his girl and gave me his varsity jacket. At first, it felt like we were both really in love. Then, he started to change. He begin acting angry and possessive all the time. I didn’t know if it was pressure from an upcoming fight or not. It was like his aggression tripled along with his obsession for me. I tried to tough it out because I thought the fighter I fell in love was still underneath. Then one day, during wrestling practice after school, he and Mannie were wrestling each other while sparring. Mannie won the sparring match, but Kaynon became infuriated. He pinned Mannie down and twisted his arm until it Mannie screamed in pain. We took Mannie to the Nurse’s Office. She said that Kaynon almost broke his arm. I was so mad at him for what he did to my friend. I gave his Varsity jacket back to him and told him we are over. The next day, Kaynon was expelled from school, and I haven’t seen him since except when the Intergalactic Fights come up,” she finishes telling the story.
“You did a brave thing getting yourself out of that relationship, Jody,” Don tells her, “He doesn’t deserve you after the way he hurt Mannie.”
“Thanks, Don. I’m gonna go to bed now and you two better get some rest. You have a long day of training.”
“Good night, Jody,” Don says as Jody goes to bed.
“Good night, Don,” Jody replies as she yawns and leaves.
After Jody leaves, Don begins to wonder about Kaynon and why he suddenly acts aggressive.
“Mannie, can I ask you something?” Don asks as he turns to his friend.
“Sure, Don,” Mannie replies.
“When Kaynon attacked you, did he seem sweaty or exhausted while doing so?”
“Well he did look it.”
“Did he also seemed depressed afterwards?”
“Yeah, especially after Jody broke up with him. Why do you ask?”
“I just have a bad feeling about why Kaynon went bad.”
***
While Mannie and Don rest up for another day of training, Kaynon is back at the casino in Psike’s office. They are going over the plan on how to guarantee Kaynon’s win in the preliminaries.
“Buzz will sabotage the Equalizer during your first match. Then, you will deliver the final blow,” Psikes explains the plan.
“I will, Psikes,” Kaynon replies, “You can count on it.”
“Also, did everything go alright with that girlfriend of yours?”
“No. Jody is still hanging onto what I did to that her bug friend in high school ,” Kaynon sighs.
“If you win the finals, I will make sure that the girl will be yours after the fight.”
“You would?”
“A wedding for my champion would make great publicity for you and bring more money for me as well.”
“I would want that for me and Jody, for us to be wed right after my victory.”
“You will need your usual guarantee to victory during the fights,” Psikes reminds him as he hands of a large bottle of orange-yellow liquid.
“Okay, but you know what this Waspite keeps doing to me.”
“Remember! You owe me for the first batch you took! Just keep taking that with water and we’ll both get what we want.”
“Yes, Psikes.”
Kaynon packs the Waspite in his gym bag.
Chapter 7
The next day, Mannie and Don are lifting weights as part of their training. Jody is just coming in with her purse to check on the two.
“You guys doing okay on the weight training?” Jody asks to make sure.
“Just fine, Jody,” Don says, “Only ten more to go. Going somewhere?”
“I’m just gonna head over to the mall and get a few things. You guys want me to get you anything?”
“No, Jody,” Mannie says, “Just focus on treating yourself to something good.”
“Besides, after training…I’m gonna stop and get something myself,” Don says and he continues to lift weights.
“I’ll be back in a few. Bye,” Jody says as she leaves.
“Bye,” both Mannie and Don say.
***
John is in his office interviewing Buzz and Raven for two job openings separately, starting with Buzz.
“What makes you think you qualify for the stock boy job openings I have?” John inquires.
“I very good at stocking shelves,” Buzz replies, “I can even fly up to shelves no one else can reach.”
Then, he interviews Raven for the part-time receptionist job opening.
“And I am can type three-hundred words per minute on my home world, and I am very vigilant,” Raven also replies.
A few minutes later, John comes out with good news for Raven and Buzz.
“Well you and your friend Buzz are perfect for the two jobs I have and the last interviews I had didn’t make the cut. You and Buzz are hired.”
“Thank you, Mr. Terrance,” Buzz shakes his hand, “You won’t regret it...much.”
Buzz and Raven are about to leave the gym when Mannie sees Raven while drinking a soy shake with Don.
“It’s her!” he says shockingly.
“Her who?” Don asks.
“That girl I told you about at the Opening Ceremonies.”
“That goth-looking Elfin?”
“Yeah. Watch as I try to charm the little lady.”
Intergalactic Fight Club: Don the Champion Page 2