BCT Fight One: Cold Storage

BCT Fight One: Cold Storage

‘Where are those ships going?’ thought Jonathan as he ran in their direction through Battle City. The fleet of spaceships was larger than he first thought but there were only two different kinds: some looked like giant gumballs with gumdrops attached (at least to Jonathan), and the others looked like big, flying seeds.

‘I know this is going to be weird, but I still don’t think I’m braced for the shock. Oh, well…’

His chase led him to a city square where all the ships had landed. There were also a large television screen, a table with a group of bracelets and a rather plain banner that read “Battle City Tournament: Contestants Here.” When Jonathan arrived, all the other contestants were huddled around the giant television monitor. Surveying the crowd, he was surprised by the wide range of beings gathered.

“Humans, ghosts, little green aliens, robots that look like monkeys, I don’t know what that red thing is… are those supposed to be a rabbit… and a hedgehog…?” He stood there for a second or two, stunned by the array. “When they said other realms, they really meant it.”

Just then, the giant television turned on and showed a list of names with pictures, pairing for the tournament, along with a message to pick up a bracelet from the table.

“Hmm… so we have to find who were fighting on here…” Jonathan browsed the screen for his name and found it matched up with someone named Cody. The picture next to it showed a brown-haired human boy in a black hoodie with a gold-colored necklace; knowing that, Jonathan breathed a sigh of relief.

“Good, I didn’t want to fight one of those aliens or something else weird right off the bat.”

At the bottom of the screen, it stated that all combatants had 15 minutes to prepare for the first round and that the bracelets were tracking devices that would activate when the round started, so Jonathan grabbed a bracelet, put it on, and left, quickly trying to find a good space to prepare for his first battle.

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Even though time was of the essence, Jonathan was able to scope out his surroundings as he wandered his way towards the Battle City docks. The area seemed like a normal, yet rundown waterfront, minus the people, with warehouses, shipping equipment, piers, and the almost ubiquitous waterside fog.

“Well, might as well go with something familiar, and get all the advantage I can.”

Jonathan walked into an open warehouse and examined the area. All the usual warehouse contents were there: creaky wooden floors, various pulleys and ropes, large metal stair towers with observation platforms and crates from end to end. He spotted an observation platform near a set of windows and decided to wait for his opponent to arrive. Jonathan climbed the rusty metal stairs with trepidation, afraid that with any step the whole structure would collapse, but made it to the top.

“Whew… I’d better win this freakin’ battle quick. I don’t think I can take going back down those steps.”

He opened up a pocket on his quiver, pulled out his camp axe and busted a couple of windows.

“When that Cody guy comes here…” Jonathan grabbed his bow and knocked an arrow. “…I’ll have the drop on him.”

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After a few minutes, Jonathan’s bracelet began to beep slowly.

“What’s the beeping for? The tracking sensor?” Just then he noticed a button on the side of it. “Wait… what’s this button?” He pushed it and a part of the bracelet grew to reveal a small monitor. The screen showed the picture of Cody from the parings with a ‘distance’ number, slowly getting lower, and a green ‘life’ bar underneath.

“It’s a stat screen… what have I gotten myself into, some sort of real life video game?”

Jonathan switched his views between the ever decreasing distance number on his bracelet and his view out the smashed warehouse window for what felt like an eternity, but when the bracelet started to beep faster, Jonathan saw a figure appear out of the dense fog. It was a very tall human boy, Jonathan guessed close to seven feet, with his face obscured by the hood of his black hoodie.

“That must be Cody. I hope he’s ready for a little surprise,” he said as he pulled back on his bow string and took aim. Just as he was about to shoot, the platform wobbled slightly, catching him off guard.

“Oh, crap!” Jonathan shouted as his arrow errantly shot out the window, landing near Cody’s feet, stuck in the now-splintered boardwalk.

‘Hmm…” Cody thought as he pulled the arrow out of the wood. He then pressed the button on his bracelet to view a stat screen on Jonathan.  ‘My opponent must be close.’

“Show yourself!” Cody shouted as he looked around for his opponent. “I want to see what you’re made of, archer boy!”

“Yeah, that’s him,” Jonathan said after he recovered from the shock of his lookout point shifting. ‘I’ll never get a good advantage if I have to worry about this thing falling apart at any move. I’ll play his little game for now.’

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“Come on, get out here!” Cody continued to yell, his back now turned from the warehouse. “You’re my first step towards winning this tournament!”

“Don’t be so sure, Mr. Cocky. Turn around.”

When Cody turned around, there stood Jonathan, bow drawn, arrow aimed right at his head. “Don’t be writing checks your butt can’t cash, buddy. Especially in the first round.”

“So you’re Jonathan? A twerp like you?” Cody chuckled smugly. “This will be a snap.”

Just then, both their bracelets beeped again and the screen shifted to a side-by-side picture of Cody and Jonathan, with their ‘life’ bars underneath. A countdown read ‘3… 2… 1… FIGHT!’

“Bring it!” Jonathan shot his arrow, barely missing his head and ripping Cody’s hood, exposing his face. Cody just stood there and scowled.

“Nobody wrecks my stuff, you little punk. You… will… pay.” He raised his arms to the sky and a green aura emanated from his necklace, covering his whole body. Cody’s basic street clothes transformed into red jacket with a pointed collar with matching pants, black gloves and boots. His hair became snow white, his skin a sickly green and his eyes and deep crimson.

“Y… you’re a half-ghost, too? I thought Danny Phantom was the only one!” said Jonathan, shocked.

“Well, you thought wrong. My name is Silent Stalker, the most powerful half-ghost in this or any other world!” He bellowed as he shot a light-blue beam from his hand. Jonathan quickly dodged and the beam hit a crate in front of the warehouse. The crate was covered in ice in a flash.

‘Ice?!’ Jonathan thought. ‘Oh, man, I hate the cold so much. Okay, suck it up. The faster I defeat him, the warmer I can still be.’

“I bet you’re useful at parties around the punchbowl, dude, but let’s see if you can actually back up those fighting words.” Jonathan knocked another arrow, but as he fired, the Stalker leaped into the air and dive-bombed him, raining ice beams all around to make a cage of icicles.

“I have only one idea, and I’d better do it quick before the cold gets to be too much.” Jonathan closed his eyes and raised his arms, attempting to summon some of his telekinesis. Energy rushed from his mind to his hands and enveloped them in a dark aura. When he felt the power channeled into his hands he opened his eyes and the icicles fired off in all directions.  The Stalker simply turned intangible and the icicles went right past him.

“I should have expected that; it said on your profile that you had telekinetic powers...”

“Profile? What are you talking about?”

The Stalker let out a frustrated sigh. “On your wrist screen, you idiot! I have your entire profile on here. It also says you dislike the cold… all the more perfect. FREEZE!”

Jonathan swiftly rolled away from the ice beam, then got up and ran as fast as he could.

“Get back here, you coward!” The Stalker shouted as he gave chase.

‘Oh, man… how do I beat a ghost who knows all my weaknesses? I’d better hide and think.’ Jonathan turned a corner and huddled behind some crates just before the Stalker flew by in chase.

“Okay, if he has a profile of me on his wrist screen, maybe I have his on mine.” He pressed the button which showed the head-to-head ‘life’ bars: The Stalker’s bar was still full, while Jonathan’s had decreased a small chunk.

“That’s not good.”

He pressed it again to show the Stalker’s profile.

“I just needed to press it again? Way to use the brain, genius.” He skimmed the beginning of the profile and cut right to the weaknesses section.

“’Overconfident, a braggart, conceited…’” Jonathan sighed. “Tell me something I don’t know. ‘…deathly fear of frogs…’ Come on, that’s crazy! ‘…all powers come from amulet which is always visible.’ That’s it!”

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“I knew you were nothing but a coward, archer boy! If you’re just going to hide in fear, give up now!”

“I’m no coward, Stalker,” Jonathan said confidently. “Cowards run away, I buy time and plan.” He slowly set his bow, knocked an arrow and pulled back. “I’ll let you have the first move, Mr. Cocky.”

As he spoke, Jonathan let his telekinetic energy flow from his mind, to his hands to the arrow. The energy enveloped the arrowhead in a ball of black fire. The Stalker roared in rage as he shot another ice beam, but a fraction of a second after, Jonathan fired his arrow through the beam, landing a direct hit on his amulet, shattering it.

“No… NO!” The Stalker bellowed as he changed back into Cody, permanently, and fell to his knees. His ‘life’ bar on the wrist screens depleted and a message popped up declaring Jonathan the winner of the fight. “How… How could you have defeated me?”

“I used your biggest weakness against you: your own ego. I knew that I was weaker than you, and in a head-on fight, you’d wipe the floor with me, so I had to assure you of that before I made my move. To be honest I was worried I was going to hit you instead of your amulet.”

“Fine, you bested me this time, but if we ever cross paths again, you’re mine!”

“Don’t be so sure, dude. I might just start keeping a frog, just in case.”

“F-f-f-f...frog?”

“Yeah, it had that on your profile, too. I know all about it,” Jonathan said with a grin.

“Curse you, archer boy!!”

To Be Continued…? It’s up to the judges!