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James yawned before opening his eyes, the familiar bland, white ceiling greeting him as he started his day. He had been in Et Serpentium for two months now, and quite frankly, it was nice at first—like a miniature vacation—but now he was bored. Anyone would be bored when they were trapped in a room without human interaction even if they were given whatever they wanted to eat and entertain themselves.
“James.”
“Yeah?” James asked, wiping the crud from the corner of his eyes. “What’s up, sundak? You have guests?”
“No,” Tamara’s voice said, echoing throughout the room from the walls. “Sam arrived in Et Serpentium.”
“About damn time,” James said and yawned again. “Wasn’t he supposed to arrive two months ago?”
“Plans change,” Tamara said. “We’re not going to pick him up at the flea market either. You’ve been assigned to fight him in a challenge round.”
“What?” James asked, a wry smiling appearing on his lips as he sat up. “Are you serious?”
“Absolutely,” Tamara said. “Think you’re up for it?”
James laughed as he climbed out of bed. “Have I ever lost?” he asked. “Sam’s only been awakened for two months; he stands no chance.”
“Good,” Tamara said. “He’s already fought in two matches and won both of them. Would you like to see the footage?”
“Does it highlight his talent?” James asked as he walked to his wardrobe and got changed. “If not, I don’t care.”
“No,” Tamara said. “His talent remains a secret.”
James pulled on a sweater and raised an eyebrow. “He won twice without using a talent?” he asked. “That’s not bad.”
“You sure you don’t want to see the footage?”
“Yeah,” James said and took a seat by the counter with boxes of food tucked away into a cubby attached to the wall. He poured himself a bowl of cereal and tapped on the wall, causing it to turn into a video display. Cartoons popped up, and James leaned back as he munched away at his food.
“Suit yourself,” Tamara said, “but if we lose, you’re covering the costs. We’re asking for Sam if we win, so in return, they’re asking for a lot.”
“Uh-huh,” James said, staring at his show. “Don’t lose, got it.” He scooped up a spoonful of cereal and milk and stuffed it into his mouth. “And after we get Sam, we’ll do that thing we’ve been planning on doing before leaving this place?”
“Yes,” Tamara said. “You have thirty minutes to get ready.”
“Sure thing, boss,” James said, his eyes still glued to the video.
Forty minutes later, James walked off of Tamara’s levistone and walked up to a building before taking a seat on the ground. When Tamara finished parking the levistone, the reptilian headed towards James before pressing her fingers onto the wall. A door opened up, and the duo went through.
James let Tamara do the paperwork as he proceeded to the waiting area; he was quite familiar with the way since he had competed seven times already. As he rounded the corner, someone in the room turned their head to look at him. A pair of dull eyes greeted him, and James froze, his shoulders tensing. He blinked and frowned as he walked up to the person who looked suspiciously like a beefier Sam. James nodded and waved. “Hey.”
A frown appeared on James’ face. The other person didn’t respond; instead, he stared at James with unblinking eyes.
“So, it’s going to be like that, huh?” James asked as he took a seat across from Sam. A reptilian within the room walked over and patted James down, making sure he wasn’t carrying anything he shouldn’t have. James shrugged when he received no response from Sam other than a blank stare. James crossed his legs and closed his eyes. It didn’t matter what had happened to Sam in the past two months; after all, Sam was a part of the plan to steal the GMC. They were working together, and if he knew what was best for himself, he’d lose on purpose. A smirk appeared on James’ face. Well, it wasn’t like Sam could win against him anyway.
While he waited for the competition to begin, James meditated, focusing on his solar plexus chakra, letting it send vibrations into his arms and legs, flooding them with strength. A hissing sound drew James’ attention, and he opened his eyes. The reptilian from before pointed at a different doorway than the one he had entered from. James stood up at the same time as Sam, and the two men silently walked through the corridor. They arrived at a circular arena with dozens of reptilians spectating from the seats built above the arena walls.
“May the best man win,” James said as he distanced himself from Sam as per the rules. Two platforms rose out of the ground, opposite each other and an equal distance away from the center. On the platform closest to James, there stood Tamara. On the platform beside Sam, there was a small, yellow reptilian. James cracked a smile upon seeing Ellie. “Is that your coach?”
“Sam, ready position!” Ellie said and glared at James.
James’ smile faded as Sam took a step forward and raised his arms up, positioning his open hands in front of his face.
“James, beat the crap out of him,” Tamara said from her position on the platform.
“Yes, sundak,” James said and walked towards Sam without putting up a guard. James nodded at Sam. “Don’t hate me for this.”
“Sam, strike!”
As soon as James was within striking distance, Sam’s fist flew towards James’ face in a jabbing motion. James didn’t even flinch as the fist struck his nose. Instead, Sam retreated and glanced at his fist; it was raw and droplets of blood were beading on his skin.
James grinned at Sam’s expression, and without giving Sam time to recollect himself, James stepped forward and threw a punch of his own. Sam tilted his head to the side, letting James’ knuckle scrape the skin on his cheek as he dodged with minimal movements. At the same time, Sam grabbed James’ outstretched arm and twisted his body before throwing the shirtless man onto the ground.
James landed on his back, not even making a sound before standing up. On the other hand, Sam frowned and retreated a few more steps, looking at his hands which were red and raw. “Figured it out yet?” James asked as he rolled his shoulders and walked towards Sam without a hurry in the world.
“He’s a sandpaper turtle, Sam!” Ellie said from the platform.
James frowned. Although it was true his talent made his skin as sturdy as diamond and rough like shark skin, he didn’t appreciate Ellie’s term of address for him. Of course, as a pet, he couldn’t criticize a reptilian, so he shrugged before crossing his arms over his chest and looking at Sam.
“Sam!” Ellie said while glaring at James’ posture. “Throw dirt at his eyes and keep your distance.”
James blinked before raising his arm to shield his face. Less than a second later, grainy dirt struck his face and forearm. He lowered his arm, and dirt splashed into his eyes.
“Good job, Sam!” Ellie shouted and jumped up and down. “Keep it up! Make him run after you and burn up all his stamina!”
James wiped at his face before glaring at his opponent. Sam was bent over, scooping up the gritty ground with both hands. With a flick of Sam’s wrist, a handful of dirt was flung towards James’ head, and he swatted most of it away, the rest bouncing off his cheeks and ears. “You’re really going to do this?” James asked and spat on the ground.
In response, Sam flung another handful of dirt at his face.
James’ expression darkened. If he chased, he’d be doing exactly what the tiny reptilian wanted, and the thought of that irked him, but he didn’t want to stand there and have dirt flung on him either. In that case, he’d have to quickly put Sam out of his misery. James narrowed his eyes and rushed forward to tackle Sam. As long as James got his arms around his opponent, he’d be able to grate Sam like a piece of cheese and force him to surrender.
“Sam! Sick Attack!”
James’ furrowed his brow. What exactly was a sick attack? Sam’s fist flew towards James’ face, but instead of avoiding it, James slapped at it with his palm. With his talent, he wasn’t afraid of any physical attacks; only advanced machinery could break his skin. James’ palm made contact with Sam’s knuckles, and he grinned as he grabbed Sam’s hand, his fingers wrapping around Sam’s fist. Five long lines of skin was the price to pay to escape from his grasp. Sam hesitated, and James used that chance to tackle his opponent to the ground.
“Checkmate,” James said as he grabbed Sam’s throat, pinning him to the ground. James blinked, and before he could figure out what it was, he realized something was very wrong. His mouth opened, and he retched as his mind and organs swirled. It was as if he had been tossed onto the back of an insect struggling to fly through a tornado.
James gasped and glared at his opponent pinned to the ground. Somehow, Sam’s vibe was causing James to feel airsick. “Whatever you’re doing, stop it,” James said and shifted his hand around, blood seeping through his fingers from Sam’s neck.
Ellie punched her fist into the air and shouted, “Triple Power, Sam!”
James’ eyes widened as his vision was consumed by a black light like a droplet of ink falling into a puddle. His organs held a battle royale within his body, and his brain seemed to be the first one taken out. The dizzying vibrations coming out of Sam’s body robbed James of his sensations, and before he knew it, his opponent had slipped out from under his grasp, Sam’s blood acting as a lubricant.
“Stomp his head, Sam!” Ellie shouted and stamped her feet as if to demonstrate what she wanted Sam to do. “Right on the back like I showed you!”
A strong force struck the back of James’ head, sending his forehead crashing into the ground. Although his skin was tough, saving him from bleeding, the impact still rattled his brain, and it didn’t end there. Stomp after stomp rained down, and when James grabbed at Sam’s legs, the latter jumped and evaded as if he had practiced the motion thousands of times.
“James! Stop fooling around!” Tamara shouted.
James gritted his teeth. It’d be nice if his reptilian coach could be more specific instead of shouting at him to do something. James grabbed the back of his head, covering it with both his hands, before curling up into a ball.
“He really is a turtle!” Ellie shouted. “Kick him until his organs turn to mush!”
James grunted as he was kicked in the ribs. Although it didn’t hurt, it made him woozy like a landlubber on a speeding boat. He wasn’t sure if his organs would actually turn into mush, but he really didn’t want to take that chance. Unfortunately, when he tried to stand, he wobbled and fell over onto his side.
“Hey, old lady!” Ellie shouted across the field to Tamara. “If you don’t want to lose your pet, you better surrender!”
Tamara frowned. It wasn’t unexpected for James to lose to an S-ranked awakener despite them barely having two months of experience because talents were inherently random and unbalanced. Sam’s talent could’ve easily been at play, and they wouldn’t have known if it wasn’t obvious. The reptilian squinted at Sam kicking James’ unmoving body. Blood flowed freely from Sam’s leg with every kick thanks to James’ talent, but Sam acted as if he didn’t feel the pain, using his full strength with every attack. “Fine,” Tamara said. It’d reflect poorly on her record if she lost an A-ranked awakener of Monarch because she wasn’t careful. “We surrender.”
Rays of light shone from the platform Ellie and Tamara were standing on. The yellowish-white rays enveloped Sam and James, freezing them midmotion. The ground they were standing on shifted to position themselves in front of their respective owners’ platforms. “Good job, Sam!” Ellie said and pressed on her clicker before tossing a treat down to Sam. The light faded, and Sam’s body unfroze, giving him barely enough time to catch the popcorn chicken before it hit the ground. “You did a really good job! That was amazing!”
James stood up, still feeling woozy, and glared at Sam. Was the man unaware of the stakes? If Sam lost, he’d be taken by Tamara. Wasn’t that ideal for the plan involving stealing the GMC? It was a shame James wasn’t a mind reader; he couldn’t tell what Sam was thinking as the man mechanically chewed while standing up straight, blood flowing freely down his body from the abrasions he had suffered during the fight.
“Bow to the audience, Sam!” Ellie said, taking out a piece of popcorn chicken.
James turned his head away from the spectacle, but he could tell Sam had obeyed the order thanks to the sound of the clicker and the hissing laughter of the crowd.
“Also, don’t worry,” Ellie said while grinning at Tamara. “Your pet isn’t seriously hurt or anything; Sam can’t actually turn organs into mush; at least, not yet.”
“Well played,” Tamara said and nodded at the small reptilian. “Now I’m even more interested in your pet. Are you sure you don’t want to sell him to me?”
“No,” Ellie said and placed her hands on her hips. “Stop asking.” She looked around at the dozen or so viewers in the spectating area. “That goes for all of you too.”
“That’s a shame,” Tamara said before shaking her head. She looked at Sam, but the awakener didn’t look back up at her. “I’ll win next time.”
Ellie glanced down at James. “Not with that pet, you won’t,” she said and beamed at Tamara. “It’s strong, but not stronger than my Sam.” The small reptilian jumped off the platform, ignoring the built-in ladder leading down to the ground. “Let’s go, Sam.” The reptilian placed her hand on the base of the platform, and a doorway appeared, allowing Ellie and Sam to exit the arena.
James watched the duo leave as Tamara climbed down the ladder with an unhurried pace. The reptilian placed an arm on James’ shoulder once it reached the ground. “Well, you tried,” Tamara said, causing James’ expression to crumple. “That’s all that matters, right?”
James kept his mouth shut and turned around, facing the platform. Tamara placed her hand on the wall, and a passageway opened. James spat on the ground before walking through and wiped at his mouth with the back of his forearm. The door shut behind him and Tamara as they walked down the corridor.
“Shall we discuss why you lost?” Tamara asked.
“I’d rather we didn’t,” James said, staring straight ahead.
“You were arrogant,” Tamara said.
“Yes, sundak,” James said, ignoring the urge to roll his eyes. He was playing the roll of a pet, so he had to act like one.
“Your fundamentals are flawed because you rely too much on your talent,” Tamara said, not caring about how James felt. “Look at Sam. He actually had proper form while he was kicking you.”
“His talent was better than mine,” James said. “That’s why I lost. There’s nothing else to it. I make people bleed; he makes people dizzy.”
“That wasn’t a talent,” Tamara said. “Masters of the root chakra can emulate the vibrations of others. Catching and riding a surdock is a right of passage for reptilians, and those who are more in-tune with themselves can mimic the nausea-inducing vibe of the surdock.”
“I know,” James said, “but….” His voice trailed off. He knew Sam was a talentless two months ago, but he wasn’t supposed to know that in Et Serpentium as a pet. “He looked younger than me. How did he master any chakra so soon?”
“It could be a result of his talent,” Tamara said, knowing what James was thinking. It took years to gain mastery over a chakra, and Sam had achieved it in less than a season. If Sam didn’t perish on this mission, he’d definitely become a household name. “You’re lucky he didn’t master his solar plexus chakra, or your organs really could’ve disintegrated.”
James exhaled. “Yes,” he said. “Lucky.”
“You could also stand to lose some weight,” Tamara said. “You’ve been eating a lot of junk food.”
“You’re the one feeding me,” James said.
“Yes, but you won’t eat the healthy meals I got for you,” Tamara said. “I’ve given you whatever you asked for, and as long as you get results, I’m fine with doing that, but now, you’ve lost, and the main reason is Sam had a trainer. She might’ve been a child, but her mother is a famous show coach, and she knows how to raise a competitive human.”
“Fine,” James said. “I’ll go along with whatever training program you design for me.”
“That’s more like it,” Tamara said.
James exhaled as he walked out of the corridor and past an open doorway with a jiggler inside the room.
“You’re not going to heal yourself?” Tamara asked.
“I didn’t get hurt,” James said and shook his head. “I was just disoriented. You shouldn’t have surrendered; I would’ve won if we kept going.”
“I played it safe,” Tamara said, staring at James. “Would you like me to risk your life next time?”
“There won’t be a next time,” James said and narrowed his eyes. “I’ll win, easy.” He turned to look at Tamara. “But if it does happen again, bail me out, thanks, sundak.”
Tamara nodded. “As I thought,” she said. “You’re welcome.” The reptilian looked back at the corridor they had come from. “I wonder what kind of training Sam’s undergoing. Maybe I’ll ask his trainer for their routine.”