Chimera Ryder

Chapter 20 - Rematch

"What happened?!"

Jessa pulls her arm free from the long sleeve and straps her helmet on.

"He fell while testing the course," says Ladis. "The fog is heavy up there. He didn't see the turn."

Ladis walks his bull to the last block, leaving the seventeenth spot open for Jessa. Jessa is still worried about Groy, but Ladis seems not too shaken up, so the injury probably isn't that bad.

Upon stopping behind the seventeenth block, Jessa suddenly realizes this is going to be a blind run for her and Ryder. She turns to Ladis, wanting to trade places with him; Ladis at least knows the course from his test run. But before she has the chance to ask him, a familiar growl has her attention...

Angro and his older brother walk their rabid cerberuses out of the tunnel. They stop at position thirteen and fourteen, securing their cerberuses at their assigned blocks. Angro peeks back and notices "The Saddle-less Lass." His older brother seems to recognize her, too. He grabs Angro by the neck and starts whispering viciously into his ear. Angro nods. He knows he has unfinished business with Jessa and her chimera.

Jessa pulls Ryder close to her. The nightmare from their tryout is all coming back... She reminds herself that she has a teammate now. There is at least someone here looking out for her. She turns to Ladis again, wanting to tell him about the Cerberus Brothers.

Out of the tunnel come the rest of the riders. Among them, Ladis sees a familiar face. "Jorge?!" exclaims Ladis.

"Ladis?" the man replies.

He is Ladis's old teammate, his old mentor. Jorge is the hydra rider Mrs. Folly traded for the chance to draft Jessa.

"So Barbera is finally letting you guys compete in α matches now, huh?" says Jorge. He sees Jessa standing next to Ladis. He smiles at her. It doesn't look like he's holding any grudges over the trade.

The crowd suddenly bursts into applause! The last rider steps out of the tunnel with the spotlight on him and his drake.

"Turns out being traded was the best thing that could've happened to me!" Jorge yells. "I'm finally on a winning team now!"

Jorge walks over to join Demyan under the spotlight. Demyan looks a bit bored by all this. They walk their beasts to the first and second starting position. Demyan is not aware of Jessa looking at him from the back on the line.

"Why is he here...?" asks Ladis. "Why are they here? They are in the finals already... They've been in the number spot since the beginning of this season! They don't need any more points!"

Jessa knows exactly why Demyan is here. He's not here for the points. He races for the thrill of it, for the rush of the competition, and the α matches are the closest thing to the Prime League he can get.

She knows this is her opportunity! She is finally able to race Demayn! She knows she has to beat him here! She cannot think about how intimidating the cerberus brothers look right now. She cannot think about how ill prepared she and Ryder are with this course. She has to focus! Beating Demyan is the first step towards saving her home plane. But she can't even think about this being the first step. If she doesn't win here, there is no second step!

Tension is high. Jessa can feel it in her grip. She exhales and releases her fist. She stares at the flag, and then the flag drops!

"Let's go, Ryder!"

Ryder's paw slams on the dried bamboo leaves! Her claws sink deep into the dirt! She glues herself low to the tracks, allowing the low air pressure through. Her snake tail rotates out, stabilizing their turn around the first checkpoint. Jessa and Ryder whisk through the forest in a blink of an eye, abandoning Ladis and the colchis bull far behind.