(Outdated) The King of Elements

Prelude to the Main Event

After three more matches passed, night began to fall. Two full moons rose on both sides of the horizon as the third battle drew to a close. Highlights of the last battle began playing as the crowd grew anxious of the main event. "Wow. This is like something from a sci-fi movie," Kim said, looking at both moons in wonder.

"We're part of an alien race, on an alien planet, and watching battles being fought on a virtual battleground. We are living in a sci-fi movie," Megumi said as she stuffed her mouth with Dre's popcorn without asking.

"Speaking of alien, you guys never gave me money to pay for your food. And you three owe me so much money," Dre said as he scratched the top of Blitz's head.

Both Kimmy and Megumi looked at Dre simultaneously. "How does that relates to us being in a sci-fi movie?" Lucius asked.

"Because it reminded me of it."

Megumi opened her mouth to speak and closed it. Instead, she just shook her head, exhaling through her nose.

The crowd went nuts as the announcer took the stage again. He gave a toothy grin before saying, "Finally, it's the moment you've all been waiting for! It's the main event of the evening!" The audience thunderously stomped their feet all throughout the stadium. "Allow me to introduce the replacements for Team Gladestone! Taking the spot of our fallen Bruce Michaels-" a picture of a dark skin man with rows of braids in zigzag patterns displayed on the screen, "the first lady of Reiax Academy, Tiffany Gladestone!"

Megumi choked on a piece of popcorn as Tiffany's picture appeared beside Bruce's. Unsurprisingly, her stony face did not seem much kinder in the slightest. She wore a crimson warrior's kimono with a short sword and circular shield attached to her back. Two red streaks of paint fell across her left eye. "Mom didn't tell me she was in this!"

Dre shushed her as the announcer went on. "Replacing Tanya Bates," the image shifted to a darker woman with short, tightly coiled micro braids with a gentle smile, "is Sophitia Haywood!" Just like Tiffany, Sophitia's picture appeared beside Tanya. Her silvery blonde, shoulder length hair, draped under a worn out baseball cap with words covering the front end that was too small for Dre to read.

"Aunt Sophie too!?" Megumi coughed even harder as she tried to wash down the popcorn with Kimmy's milk, also without asking.

Dre shushed her again; this time Megumi stuck her tongue out at her as she pulled her lower eyelid down. "What does that even-" Dre began to ask before the announcer began again.

"And finally, replacing the King of Elements himself, Hiro Yamasaki" the crowd went silent out of respect as the Crimson haired samurai appeared onscreen. An "X" was cut across his cheek and a studded, metal band covered his right shoulder. Dre's heart pounded in his chest as he heard a voice in the back of his head tell him to look down. He obeyed, seeing a line of eight people, each looking up at Hiro's display with hands behind their backs, standing in front of the screen. Each had a different color aura glowing around them. A green light appeared beside the female apparition in knight's armor on the farthest right before it took shape of a man. Hiro.

All nine heroes turned at the same time, looking directly at Dre. He blinked rapidly, trying to make sure what he was looking at was real. He felt to his right for Kimmy's shoulder, but before he could find it, each hero faced forward and evaporated.

"What's wrong, Ke'Undre?" Kimmy whispered. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

He couldn't think, he could hardly breathe. Did that really happen? They came and left so quickly, Dre believed that he had imagined it. He had to have been, right? "I did. Nine of them," he was finally able to say.

"Replacing our former King of Elements, Hiro Yamasaki," the announcer repeated, "is none other than his mentor himself, Samuel Wolf!" The image had split in two again, this time displaying an older man bearing a striking resemblance to Dre's father, Raheem. His hair was short and gray, the same as his goatee, but his expression, the look of fierce determination, was the same throughout the Wolf family.

Then, it finally clicked. "Grandpa Samuel?!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"It's almost time," Raheem said to the thirteen combatants. "Have you seen dad, Marcus?"

"Nope. I didn't even know that he was going to be in this. The old man's gotta be ancient by now," Marcus said as he bounced on the balls of his feet.

"Not ancient enough to put you across my knee, boy," an aged and ragged voice called from the entrance of the Transferring Zone. Every eye had been turned towards Samuel standing slightly hunched over with a white cane in his hand. He wore a black zoot suit and a fedora with a white feather. His black dress shoes had been polished enough to use as mirrors. He looked as if he were ready for a night on the town rather than a grueling virtual battle to the death.

"Aren't you a little overly-dressed for this, Mr. Wolf?" Toney asked, tugging on his jacket.

"I suppose, but at my age I gotta look sharp for the ladies every waking moment," he said as he shrugged off his jacket, revealing a gray mesh shirt underneath.

"Come on, pops," Marcus said shielding his eyes, "nobody wants to see your wrinkly self shirtless."

"Shut up, boy," Samuel said. "Did you bring the jacket?"

"Got it right here," Marcus said as he slipped a bag off of his shoulder, unzipped it, and handed him a silver, sleeveless jacket with a silhouette of a raven holding a cyan orb stitched on the back.

Samuel smirked as he grabbed the jacket, his wrinkles showing prominently across his darkened face. "Thanks. It's almost time to go it, ain't it?"

Toney checked his watch. "Half a minute left. Let's go ahead and get in the transfer pods. We don't want to keep the crowd waiting."

The fourteen combatants walked into the cylindrical transfer pods circling the brightly lit room. "See you guys on the battlefield," Raheem said with a smirk as the doors slid closed.

A light flashed over him, surrounding him in a cramped tube of brightness. He closed his eyes as the announcer spoke over the intercom. "Replacing Tanya Bates is Sophitia Haywood!"

Raheem sighed, wishing that he could move his hands over his face. He tuned the world out, breathing deeply to psyche himself up to fighting once more. "This is just a game, Raheem. This is nothing serious. This is family. Just family and friends." He opened his eyes, seeing his reflection in the mirror-like doors. "You can do it, Raheem. Get through this as calm as possible."

The countdown began.

"5! 4! 3! 2! 1! Transfer!" A light flashed before Raheem fell into a comatose-like trance.