The ground rumbled.
Not a small tremor. A full earthquake.
Juli's eyes widened. "Oh, you gotta be—"
The sand EXPLODED upward.
A Graveltooth burst through like a breaching whale. Massive. Forty feet of armored segments and rotating teeth. Its circular mouth opened wide, screeching metal on metal.
The staredown was over.
"SCATTER!" Stone shouted.
All four fighters dove in different directions.
The Graveltooth crashed back down, sending shockwaves through the arena. Sand and debris flew everywhere.
The cameras adjusted frantically, capturing the chaos.
"UNBELIEVABLE!" Larry's voice boomed across broadcasts. "A GRAVELTOOTH! A GENUINE GRAVELTOOTH HAS EMERGED IN THE MIDDLE OF OUR SHOWDOWN!"
Jango chuckled. "Well now, that's one way to shake things up."
The Fight
Juli rolled to his feet, eyes locked on the creature. "Javar! You good?!"
"Yeah mon!" Javar was already airborne, wings spread. "Let's cook dis ting!"
The Graveltooth's head swiveled toward them. Those rows of teeth spinning.
It lunged.
Juli dove left. The mouth slammed into where he'd been standing. He bounced on his feet, analyzing. "Fast! Way faster than the one on Ganfall!"
"Den we move FASTER!" Javar's wings shimmered. Feathers detached, shooting downward like missiles.
They struck the Graveltooth's armored segments. Sparks flew. The creature screeched but didn't slow.
On the opposite side, Stone's cybernetic eye was calculating weak points. "Polo! Target the joints between segments!"
Polo didn't respond verbally. Just drew both pistols and fired. Energy rounds screamed across the distance, striking precisely where the armor plates connected. The Graveltooth thrashed, partially turning toward them.
"Good!" Stone's arm was already transforming. "Keep it distracted!"
The creature was massive. Dangerous. And now very, very angry.
It spun, trying to track all four targets at once. Impossible task.
Juli dashed in close. His leg came up in a devastating roundhouse aimed at the creature's side. Connected. The impact rang out. But the armor held.
"Tough bastard!" Juli grinned.
The tail whipped around, trying to catch him. He backflipped away, the appendage missing by inches.
Javar dove from above, talons extended. He raked across the creature's head, targeting the eyes. "Blind di beast! Make it easy!"
The Graveltooth shrieked, bucking wildly.
Polo moved like a ghost. Silent. Efficient. His shots never missed. Each one hitting joints, creating weak points. His black eyes tracked every movement with cold precision.
Stone circled around, his cannon charging. Blue energy building. "Need a clear shot!"
The Graveltooth dove underground suddenly. Sand collapsed inward.
Everyone froze.
"Where'd it—" Juli started.
The ground erupted again. This time under Javar.
"BLOODCLAAT!" Javar barely dodged, wings pumping hard to gain altitude.
The creature's mouth snapped closed where he'd been. Those teeth would've shredded him.
"It learns!" Stone's natural eye narrowed. "Adapting to our patterns!"
Juli and Polo were on opposite sides of the battlefield. As far from each other as possible. But both attacking the same target.
Juli's kicks came in combinations now. Testing different angles. Finding rhythm. His red aura flickered around his legs as he struck again and again.
Polo's gunfire was surgical. Never wasting shots. Creating opportunities for the others without saying a word.
Javar controlled the air, harassing from above. His feather projectiles forcing the creature to keep moving, preventing it from diving underground again.
Stone waited. Patient. Cannon fully charged.
The Graveltooth reared up, exposing its underbelly for just a moment.
"NOW!" Jango's voice came through the broadcast. "That's the shot!"
Stone didn't need the commentary. He was already firing.
The plasma cannon unleashed a beam of pure blue energy. It screamed across the arena, striking the Graveltooth's exposed underbelly dead center.
The impact was DEVASTATING.
The creature's screech hit a pitch that hurt to hear. Its armored body convulsed. Segments cracked. The beam burned through, creating a massive wound.
The Graveltooth crashed to the sand. Twitched once. Twice.
Then went still.
The arena fell silent for a heartbeat.
Then the galaxy ERUPTED.
"WHAT A SHOT!" Larry was on his feet. "STONE JACKSON WITH THE FINISHING BLOW! THAT'S HOW YOU TAKE DOWN A GRAVELTOOTH!"
Jango nodded approvingly. "Clean execution. They worked together without even plannin' it. That's what separates good fighters from great ones."
Eastern Sector
Kade and C'luppo clashed head-on.
C'luppo's tentacles were everywhere. Grabbing. Striking. Creating openings that weren't there. His fighting style was slippery, unpredictable. Hard to pin down.
"Come ON, kitty! Is that ALL you got?!" C'luppo's skin flashed taunting colors.
Kade's response was explosive. His yellow aura flared. He moved with pure aggression, claws tearing through tentacles that got too close. "Your slimy tactics are BENEATH me!"
"Slimy?! I'M TACTICAL!"
"You're ANNOYING!"
A tentacle wrapped around Kade's ankle. Yanked. He went down hard.
C'luppo grinned. "GOTCHA!"
Kade's tail lashed out, catching C'luppo across the face. The squid stumbled back.
They both scrambled to their feet, circling.
Meanwhile, fifty meters away, McGee and Tessa had their own duel.
McGee's shots were precise. Controlled. He fired from cover, forcing Tessa to stay defensive. Each shot came close. Too close.
Tessa's hands trembled slightly. "He's too good..."
Another shot. Grazed her shoulder armor. She yelped, ducking behind a rock.
"Can't hide forever!" McGee called out. His tone was almost bored.
Tessa took a breath. Steadied herself. Then switched her rifle's setting.
Her next shot wasn't a straight bolt. It curved. The plasma arced through the air, bending around McGee's cover.
He barely dodged. "What the—"
Another shot. This one split mid-flight into three smaller bolts. Spread pattern. McGee had to move.
"Scatter shot?!" He looked genuinely surprised.
Tessa smiled despite her fear. Different ammunition types. Different firing patterns. Jango had drilled this into her.
Confuse the enemy. Change tactics. Never be predictable.
Her next shot was a delayed explosive. It landed near McGee's position, forcing him to abandon cover entirely.
"Okay," McGee admitted. "That's actually clever."
The sniper duel intensified. Both adapting. Both learning.
The Timer
A loud HORN blasted across the entire arena.
Every cadet stopped mid-action.
DAY ONE COMPLETE. ALL CADETS PROCEED TO DESIGNATED SAFE ZONES. COMBAT IS PROHIBITED DURING REST PERIOD. VIOLATORS WILL BE ELIMINATED.
The message repeated in multiple languages.
Across the galaxy, the collective groan was audible.
"NOOOOO!"
"WE WERE SO CLOSE!"
"I WANTED TO SEE THEM FIGHT!"
Larry slumped in his chair dramatically. "LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, DAY ONE HAS CONCLUDED! And while we got INCREDIBLE action, we did NOT get the dream match we were all hoping for!"
Jango shrugged. "Sometimes that's how it goes. But tomorrow? Tomorrow they ain't got no Graveltooth to interrupt 'em."
The Arena
Juli and Polo stood on opposite sides of the former battlefield. The dead Graveltooth between them.
Their eyes met.
Pure hatred.
No words. Just that look. That promise of violence delayed but not forgotten.
Then they turned away, heading to their respective safe zones.
Javar landed beside Juli, grinning. "Ey blonde yout'! Dat was WICKED! We make a good team, zeen?"
Juli's anger faded slightly. He couldn't help but smile. "Yeah, bird boy. Not bad."
"Not bad?! Me was MAGNIFICENT!"
"You almost got eaten."
"ALMOST don't count! Me dodged it perfect-like!"
They walked together toward the safe zone, bickering good-naturedly.
"You know you read that magazine wrong, right?" Juli said. "The models were upside down."
"EY! Me was appreciatin' di artistic composition from different angles!"
"Sure you were."
"Yuh doubtin' mi cultural sophistication?!"
"You had drool on the pages."
"LIES! Slander! Me keep di magazines PRISTINE!"
Their voices faded as they entered the safe zone structure.
Behind them, the sun was setting on Ashmar. The twin suns painting the desert in shades of orange and red.
Day one was over.
But tomorrow?
Tomorrow the real fights would begin.