Nate woke up in his bed and got ready as usual. Instead of his normal conditioning regimen, he did some good stretching, got ready, and then jogged to the arena. Today was the big day, the solos finals tournament.

  On big days like these, Nate would have normally felt nervous. In high school Nate took a choir class as an elective because it was the easiest A you could get, if you could stomach singing that is. While he could sing okay, it was mostly study hall and hangout time until the choir director worked with his section on whatever song they were working on. That was until it was concert day.

  Two times a year, the choir and band would put on a concert where friends and family would all go to partake in the mediocre singing and instrument playing of their children. Concert day gave Nate anxiety but it was dulled by the fact that his friends and other classmates all had to endure the same ordeal.

  One time Nate had forgotten to hydrate and locked his knees on stage, causing him to pass out for the briefest of moments. He didn’t fall down completely, but he did fall forward into the row of students in front of him before catching himself and climbing down off the risers behind him.

  Today, Nate did not feel nervous or anxious. He was confident and determined to show the world what he was made of. Fighting in the arena during the school year had awakened something in Nate, an animal he never knew was there. Attuning and getting powers started him down the path, but it wasn’t until his first fight against Team Stomp where it locked into place what these powers were going to be used for.

  Even though he didn’t actually kill, if it were real, his first victim would have been that Tauren from Team Stomp a year ago. Then there was his fight with Harper Glen, his first solo. He had beat her to the ground literally, but allowed her to surrender before going further. He hadn’t given that to some of his other opponents.

  Fifty fights later, Nate was a virtual killer. He had never ended a life during his time at school, but the connection machines he loaded into for every fight made it seem exactly like reality every time. Over time, he had come to figure that the school encouraged them to participate in the arena to prepare them for the cold hard truth of the real world, where they would need to kill real things, maybe even people, when on a mission.

  Nate arrived at the arena after a short run and jumping through a few portals. He hadn’t even broken a sweat. He got to the locker room and put on his fancy tracksuit that had the same coloring and pattern as The Arcane Operators.

  Silently, he thought to himself if he would have a legacy like them. Would Lindy, Dee, and Jax stay with him after the draft? Would they do these things together, or would he be on his own? Nate wanted to stay with his friends and was more than willing to take a lesser deal to make that happen. Especially if it meant staying close to Lindy. Nate’s feelings for her were blossoming, and it made him ill to think that this whole year of friendship and the last week of them exploring their feelings for each other would be for nothing if they were to split up now.

  Nate shrugged off those thoughts; it was time to focus. Nate had done his research on all sixteen combatants coming into the solos tournament and he had a strategy for every single one of them, including Biff. Jax always worked with him on strategy too, but Nate had new powers now and his limits were much greater than before.

  As if on cue, his team arrived walking into the locker room without knocking.

  “I could have been changing, you know?”

  “I wish.” Lindy said playfully with a mischievous smile.

  “Gross.” Dee quickly rebutted.

  “How’d you sleep, Nate? Ready to get at it?” Jax asked.

  “Slept like a baby after I trained a little bit with Jarris last night.”

  “Oh yeah? What’d you guys do?” Jax probed further.

  “He wanted to see my new limits; we ran a few tests.” Nate answered.

  “Tests? Like what?” Lindy asked.

  “Well, I knocked the head off of a dummy with my shield and almost put it through a 2-inch thick metallic wall.”

  “That’s pretty cool… what else?” Jax asked.

  Nate smiled wryly. “I tried out my new ability a little bit.”

  “A little bit?” Dee chimed in.

  “I tested its limits, see what it is and what it can do.”

  “Can you show us here?” Lindy asked eagerly.

  “No.” The ref quickly interrupted, having listened in the whole time. “No abilities in the locker room.” He added.

  “Jarris called it an aura ability, I can…”

  “No way!” Jax erupted. “Aura abilities are insane. Usually only solo fighters have them because they can really screw things up in a team dynamic. What does it do?”

  “Well, I can increase the gravity around me, by a lot, and up to twenty feet away, give or take. I'm going to keep it close to the chest until I need it. I might use it a little but not at full strength.”

  “I bet it’s awesome, can’t wait to see it.” Jax said.

  “Are you ready?” Dee asked.

  Nate nodded. “I was born ready.”

  Dee rolled her eyes.

  “Should we go over the fight?” Jax asked.

  “Yeah, let’s take a look.” Nate said.

  The team sat down as Jax stepped up to the link that allowed them to pull up film and write on it like a whiteboard. Lindy sat close to Nate, leaning back against the locker doors like him, placing her hand on his lower thigh. Nate was quickly losing focus but was pulled back in as Jax started talking.

  “He kind of has abilities like you and Dee together. He can throw rocks and has gear assisting with that like Dee, but he has a shield of rock that can move around, unlike Dee’s rock hand and more like your shield. Honestly this is going to be a really easy fight for you. His rocks won't get past your shield and his shield won't cover enough of his body to protect him from slamming into the wall after you hit him.” Jax folded his arms at the end of his explanation.

  “Got it, thanks Jax, as always. I know you guys want to watch my fights, but can you do me a favor? Can two of you scout out the other fights on my side of the bracket and one of you study Biff? I just want to make sure my bases are covered.” Nate asked.

  “Great idea. There’s a good chance someone else here has resonated like you and is probably going to hold back what they can.” Jax said.

  A knock at the door broke the conversation up, causing Jax to pivot and open the door. As the day before, the team’s friends and family filed in to check on their favorite contender of the day.

  Yoli walked in, but at an awkward angle between the crowd. Yoli stepped to the side and the crowd parted to reveal Nate’s Mom and Dad.

  “Hi, Pickle!” his Mom roared, rushing towards him. Nate leapt up to greet her and caught her in a tight hug, the shock still clear on his face. Nate’s Dad piled on and yanked Yoli in from the side.

  It had been just over a year since the last time the four of them were together. Nate was overjoyed by the surprise. He looked to Yoli as they broke the embrace.

  “How?” he said, lightly tearing up.

  Yoli looked to Kalazan, who was pretending there was something more interesting to look at in the ceiling.

  “It was nothing. I’m happy to be of service.” He said as they made eye contact.

  “So you're like a gladiator in ancient Rome, huh? Didn’t think you’d end up here I bet?” Nate’s Dad said, holding on to his Son’s arm with his hand.

  “Yea but this isn’t like what I'm going to do forever.” Nate answered.

  “Better not be. Your sister told me how horrible this is going to be.” Nate’s Mom added.

  “It’ll be alright Mom, winners don’t get hurt.”

  Hal whooped at that. “That’s what I'm talking about!”

  “Nathan Foster, you have three minutes until opening ceremonies begin.” the ref spoke up.

  “That’s our cue, I think. Crush it, kid.” Jarris winked at him, Nate immediately understanding the underlying reference to his new ability.

  As everyone got their chance to wish him good luck and his team began to file out with their respective assignments, Lindy stayed behind.

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  “Don’t get hurt, okay?” She said, rubbing his arm.

  “I literally can’t; it’s all a weird virtual magic thing.”

  Lindy frowned. “I won’t be able to heal you, you’ll still feel pain.”

  “I know. It’ll be okay, I’d still feel it even if you were there.”

  Lindy nodded. After staring at each other for a few seconds, she pulled him in for an intimate kiss. As they separated, she smiled.

  “Hope that helps!” She said as she winked and walked out of the locker room.

  Nate was stunned and blushing, rubbing his fingers gently across his lips unable to respond as he watched Lindy leave.

  Nate’s friends and family filed into their private booth, Lindy came in shortly after.

  “Just as yesterday, all of his fights should be in the main arena today.” Jarris said.

  “Thank you, Jarris, for actually calling that woman for once in your life.” Dalma let out with an almost motherly tone.

  “I had to make… concessions.” Jarris grumbled.

  “Yes, well, thank you for the sacrifice of going out on a date with a beautiful woman. Food and drink are all part of the ticket; please indulge yourselves. Mr. and Mrs. Foster, your seats are up front with myself and Dalma. Everyone else, you may sit where you wish.” Kalazan interjected.

  Lindy could overhear Nate’s Mother lean into his sister Yoli, whispering, “Which one is his girlfriend?” She couldn’t see, but she was sure that Yoli was covering up her pointing in her direction.

  Before Lindy got the courage to walk up and introduce herself, she heard the door opening behind her and moved out of the way before colliding with it.

  “Hey guys, over here with me.” Jarris said to the two Cattans that entered the room. They walked over to Jarris and took seats next to him, and that’s when she noticed the one male Cattan had fur implants on his neck of just a dark blue square with a yellow line right of center. She thought that was odd as that was The Arcane Operators insignia, but decided not to investigate.

  “So Kalazan said he has some employees looking after all the other fights and that we can just hang out and watch.” Jax said to Lindy and Dee.

  “Oh, that’s great, now I can have anxiety in real time.” Lindy muttered.

  “Hey Lindy, this is my Mother, Caroline. This is our Dad, Dave.” Yoli spoke up, walking them over to greet Lindy, Dee and Jax.

  “Oh hi! Nate has told me so much about you guys, I’m so happy to meet you! Lindy said excitedly, desperately trying to mask her anxiety of meeting her boyfriend’s mother.

  “Are you the girl my Nathan has a thing for?” Caroline said.

  Lindy’s mouth was agape, trying to utter some kind of response. “I, uh, I think-”

  “Yes, she most certainly is.” Dee said, laying an arm on her shoulders.

  “Hi, I’m Dee. I’d like to help my friend through this awkward moment for her. I’m actually more interested in any embarrassing pictures you have of Nathan.”

  “I can help with that, Dee! I think I remember, but you are a… woman?” Caroline said inquisitively. “No no, you’re, uhm…”

  “Oh, a Firan. We evolved from a combo of fish and lizards.”

  “Right, Firan, sorry, I’m just getting used to all of this.”

  “Oh right, it’s your first day! Well we more or less have all the same parts, including the grand baby-making ones if you know what I mean.” Dee said as she pointed at Lindy with her thumb.

  Lindy buried her face in her hands, never having been more embarrassed in her entire life.

  “Well, God sure did give her a body and good looks, that’s for sure.” Caroline muttered loudly so Lindy could hear.

  “Thank you.” Lindy squeaked out.

  “Mom, Nate is going to kill you if you don’t handle this right.” Yoli pleaded with her Mother.

  “What? I can’t interrogate my only son’s girlfriend?”

  “You never did this to any guy I brought home!”

  “That’s your Father’s job. Man to man is different from woman to woman.”

  “That’s pretty old school, but I’m not going to argue with it." Dee chimed in. “Now how about those pictures and embarrassing stories?”

  Caroline got out her phone and started scrolling through her picture gallery when Kalazan called out that opening ceremonies were starting.

  Lindy walked with the small group of women to view the short speech from Mistress Helena and watched as Nate waved to the booth full of everyone who came to support him.

  Caroline then held her phone up to Lindy and Dee to show a picture of Nate as a baby covered in olive oil that he had found and managed to open, spilling it all over the kitchen floor. “We had to coax him into a trash bag to pick him up and get him into the bath.” Caroline chuckled, fondly remembering the ordeal.

  Lindy and Dee laughed hard at the image of a baby too slippery to pick up.

  The opening ceremonies ended, which meant that Nate would soon be on the field for his first fight. Caroline took Lindy and Yoli by the hand on either side of her and looked at both of them with a worried expression only a Mother could produce.

  “He’s going to be okay, right? Someone said it isn’t real, like virtual reality or something?”

  “It’s not virtual in the way you know it, Mom. It’s not like he has those bulky goggles and a video game controller. He is actually there in the arena, consciously, and he will feel pain.”

  Caroline squeezed their hands tightly as she watched Nate appear again in the arena as the announcer gave an introduction to him and then his opponent. The countdown hit zero, and the horn blew, signaling the start of the fight.

  Lindy felt Caroline squeeze her hand tightly as she squeezed it back. She then looked down at Dave, Nate’s Dad, as he stood in front of his seat, arms folded, watching intently. Lindy looked to the field to see Nate standing still. His opponent, a human named Kopka, was throwing fist-sized rocks at him at high speeds just like Dee. Nate stood there just dodging them, waiting for… something.

  He started walking forward, swiping away the rocks with his hand empowered by his shield. Koepka was sweating and breathing kind of heavily, clearly not used to opponents lasting this long, nor being able to block his attacks with such ease. Nate walked right up to Koepka, well within punching distance. Koepka tried to bash him with a rock but was unsuccessful as his rocks broke apart and the shield pushed his hand away violently causing him to spin and fall to the ground.

  Koepka got up and looked at him, unsure of what to do. He summoned bigger rocks and tried to throw them at him despite the very short distance between the two of them, but it had no effect.

  They stood staring at each other. The jumbotron showed that their mouths were moving, but they couldn’t hear what was being said. The crowd was silent as if trying to comprehend what was happening and listen at the same time.

  Koepka shook his head and could see he mouthed “No.”

  Nate then got into a fighting stance and gave him a single punch to the gut, causing Koepka’s body to rag-doll and splatter against the wall of the fighting ring. The crowd roared with approval as Koepka’s body disappeared, and Lindy felt a wave of relief wash over her.

  Nate’s Dad Dave was cheering, arms in the air, going wild for his son. Caroline was sobbing, crying both happy tears because he won unharmed, and sad ones for the horrible thing it appeared Nate just did. She hugged Yoli and then Lindy and Dee as she gained her composure.

  “What do we do now?” Caroline said, looking up at Lindy.

  “Oh, well, he’s going to have a break now for about 30 minutes before his next fight. We can go see him if you’d like?” Lindy responded with a warm smile, desperate to get Caroline to like her.

  “Yes, please take me to my boy. Dave!” She shouted as her husband got up and followed her and Lindy out the door. Jarris and Jax followed close behind.

  “So you trained our boy, you taught him how to do these things?” Caroline said to Jarris.

  “It’s… more complicated than that, but I did teach him how to fight and defend himself. Not that he needs it with powers like his.” Jarris said, letting out a single laugh.

  “Are you some kind of physical trainer or some kind of kung fu master or something?” Dave asked.

  Jarris laughed loudly. “Yeah, you could say that.”

  “Jarris and his friends are very famous for their work as contractors and some of the tournaments they’ve won in the arena. Jarris is actually attuned to Void like Nathan is.” Lindy added.

  “So you can do the same things Nathan can?” Dave asked.

  “No, although we do have some similarities. I can push things like he can, but from afar. Nate has to be up close, at least for now.” Jarris answered.

  The small group arrived at the locker room door and knocked.

  “Come in!” Nate said from the other side.

  “My boy!" Nate’s Dad said as he rushed in to wrap Nate in a big hug. “That was so freaking cool! I’ve seen the moves that guy used in other fights I’ve watched on the link you gave me, but he didn’t even touch you!”

  “No, not even a scratch, huh Nate?” Jarris added.

  “Hey, I toned it down a little. Just enough to block his stuff, and I didn’t even turn on the full body shield!” Nate said, getting the hint that Jarris was displeased.

  “I saw that, but your opponents know you are stronger now.” Jarris argued.

  “Yeah, I know.” Nate said, hanging his head.

  “But it was awesome, I’ll give you that.” Jaris added.

  Nate looked up with bright eyes and a wide smile. “I gave him the chance to give up, but he refused, he said wouldn’t go out without trying.”

  “Admirable. That’s what I would have done.” Jarris said.

  “You did amazing, pickle." Nate’s Mom said. “I want to support you, I do, but this is probably the worst thing I’ve ever watched in my whole life… I don’t normally watch this stuff back home, but I’m here.”

  “Thanks for toughing it out, Mom. You’re doing great.”

  Everyone laughed.

  “Hey Nate, I haven’t gotten the scout report from Kalazan’s spy yet so we have a few minutes to kill. Should we get a snack?” Jax asked.

  “Nathan Foster, you are back in the connection chamber in 27 minutes.” The referee spoke up as if he heard a question directed at him.

  “Yeah, snacks sound good!” Nate said as he reached out his hand towards Lindy. Caroline looked with a smile on as Lindy grabbed his hand and they walked out of the locker room to the dining hall.

  The small group walked into the VIP dining area where they found the entire buffet empty, but a row of tables on the other side of the room were filled with bowls of prepackaged snacks and produce. Nate walked up to grab a favorite bag of alien snack chips he had come to love over the past year, but Jarris quickly smacked them out of his hands and Jax handed him a bottle of blue juice and a silvery rectangle with a plastic spout that had a nutrient-dense paste inside.

  Nate sighed and hung his head as he opened his trainer-approved snacks and sat down next to Lindy at a table nearby.

  “So how was it in the booth?” Nate asked her.

  “Your Mother is lovely, Nate!” Lindy replied.

  “Yeah, she’s awesome. I thought she was going to shoot laser beams out of her eyes and rip out Lindy’s uterus at one point though.” Dee said, walking in just in time.

  Nate giggled.

  “Uhm, yeah, she came on strong at the start.” Lindy looked down at her snack, feeling a little deflated.

  “Look after her for me, will you? This is a lot to take in, and seeing me in the arena is going to add a lot of stress for her.” Nate asked.

  Lindy nodded and wrapped her arm around his as they dug into their snacks.

  “Hey, the report is in." Jax said. “We should head back and take a look.”

  Nate walked to his parents and Yoli, telling them he was going to watch film, and that Lindy would help them with whatever they needed.

  Back in the locker room, Jax’s Father Gax was waiting for Jax, Jarris, Dave, and Nate as they walked in.

  “You don’t mind if I watch Jax, do you Nate?”

  “Not at all, Mr. Stock.”

  “Oh please, call me Gax.”

  Nate took a seat in front of his locker and gestured for his Dad to sit down next to him while Jax loaded the video of Nate’s next opponent’s first fight of the day.