Having matched Gaia’s bet, Joe stepped into the challenge arena with a grin, his energy fueled by the cheers of his friends behind him.
TJ’s voice cut above it all with a cheeky, “For the hoard, you scaleless wonders!” which earned a good laugh from the group.
Classic TJ.
It was the last thing Joe heard before the arena morphed around him into a scene straight out of his worst nightmare.
The ground shifted, but Gaia didn’t miss a beat.
She strolled to the center like she was walking down a catwalk, totally unfazed by the chaos beneath her feet. Even in her casual green hoodie and cargo pants, she moved with the flair of an immortal cultivator, her eyes practically glowing with tribulation fire.
Joe almost expected her to call him "Junior" and threaten to wipe out his entire bloodline to the 8th generation, gesturing grandly to the volcanic hellscape around them like she was showing off Mount Tai.
Gaia planted herself firmly in the center, arms raised to the sky as if she was calling down the wrath of the gods. Thick ash clouds swirled overhead, and a crack of lightning split the sky, adding to her dramatic entrance.
Joe narrowed his eyes, spotting the glowing energy walls that marked the arena’s boundary. He casually rested a hand on his decagon holder, feeling the reassuring weight on his belt.
A patchwork of jagged rocks and bubbling lava pools that burped and gurgled like they’d had one too many chili dogs covered the grounds. To increase his odds of becoming a human barbeque, fiery geysers erupted, shooting flames skyward like something straight out of a heavy metal concert. To sum it up, the challenge arena looked like Mount Doom had a baby with the squash court.
Gaia looked way too pleased with herself as she declared, “This place is perfect for the beatdown I’m about to deliver,” She spun around, arms raised, like she was waiting for applause from an imaginary audience. “Are you not entertained?”
Joe couldn’t help but smirk, rolling his eyes. She was laying it on thick, and he was already over it. Apparently, his face showed it because she suddenly narrowed her eyes, her stance shifting like a cat ready to pounce.
The blue flame made his presence known with an irritating chuckle. “This will be interesting. Good luck, Chump! You’ll need it.”
Before Joe could reply a Challenge notification appeared.
[All bets are in. Battle begins in five seconds.]
[Battlebox Challenge. One Round Objective: First to knock out your opponent’s MadOrbz wins. Time Remaining: 3’ Prize Pool: 74 Years. Begin!]
Joe activated Quick Wit, his mind racing as he watched Gaia’s every move, her clothes shifting color from green to orange like a traffic light.
First things first—he had seven orbs, and he figured she had more. Using a zoom focus he narrowed in on her decagon window where several orbs banged against the glass, eager to break free. From what he could tell, her container was full.
The objective wasn’t points-based or spread out over three rounds like the tutorial. With only one round to play, Joe knew he had to make every second count to eliminate her orbs.
Relief washed over him as she summoned the first five—they looked exactly like the ones Rose had mentioned seeing in the replay of Gaia's tutorial battle.
Joe’s plan was to summon his five orbs a split-second after hers. It was a gamble—if she launched hers first, they’d gain momentum in the arena before his could even get moving. That would be like the physics of a moving object crashing into a stationary one, and he didn’t want his orbs to get smacked down.
But now that he knew hers were fire affinity, he hoped to turn the elemental cycle to his advantage, using it to counter her momentum and swing the battle in his favor.
Using Quick Wit, Joe raced through his options. First, he needed to decide which attack orb to use: Aqua Shot or Frostbite Chill? Both dealt 10 damage, but Aqua Shot had the advantage with +5 against fire affinity orbs, making it the smarter choice for this matchup.
With his attack orb selected, Joe then focused on his disruption and defense options. Drooler, being a defense orb, was a no-brainer—it provided a solid five point-damage buff to protect his other orbs in play.
Next, he considered which disruption orb to play. Should he stick with Slimer, his reliable starter disruption orb, or try one of his newer prime-tier options? After a moment of thought, he decided to keep Slimer in play; Old Faithful had never let him down. Hydromancer, his go-to healing orb, was another essential choice, leaving him with one more slot to fill from his remaining orbs.
He’d already eliminated Frostbite Chill from his options, so now it was down to choosing between Grumble Guts and Riptide Randy.
Joe opted for Riptide Randy—since he didn’t have any earth affinity orbs to combo with Grumble Guts, it made more sense to stick with Randy for its water affinity. Grumble Guts would have to wait for another match when he could fully utilize its elemental combo potential.
[MadOrbz are set.]
[Activate a MadOrbz on deck.]
Gaia’s orbs spun around her like planets orbiting some celestial diva. Her smile twisted into something wicked as she flicked her wrist, sending her first fiery orb hurtling toward the center of the arena.
Joe hesitated for a split second longer, holding back on launching his own. That’s when the system threw up a warning:
[Warning! Ascender 39. Five seconds remain until you surpass the penalty for withholding.]
Joe swiped it away. “Yeah, yeah, I know,”
Then the arena’s vibe shifted.
The haunting melody of harp strings filled the air, the sound weaving through the battlefield like an eerie lullaby. Joe barely had time to process it before a disembodied raspy voice, dripping with ancient authority, whispered through the heat haze:
“Aodh’s Flaming Wrath is the first to enter the arena. Let the battle begin!”
The orb floated in the air like a miniature sun, circling the arena and picking up speed. As it completed its first lap, a voice boomed through the arena—deep, resonant, and dripping with divine authority. It was the kind of voice that belonged to a god who’d seen the birth and death of worlds.
"Bow to the cleansing fire of the sacred flames!"
The heat from Aodh’s Flaming Wrath was no joke—it blazed so fiercely that the ground beneath it started to warp, creating a distorted mirage. The orb continued to circle, practically daring Joe to make his move.
“Aqua Shot, I choose you!” Joe called out, grinning as he hurled his orb into play with a flick of his wrist.
The orb’s catchphrase grew distant as it launched past the geysers. “H2-Whoa…bet they’d wish they brought a towel!”
Joe’s breath hitched with excitement as his sleek, blue water orb streaked toward Aodh’s Flaming Wrath, glinting like a missile made of pure liquid energy. Confidence bubbled up inside him—water against fire, this was going to be a walk in the park.
But just as Aqua Shot closed in, Aodh flared up like a freaking supernova, blasting out a blinding flash of light. With a 15 point drop in HP, Aqua Shot wobbled mid-air, looking like it just got sucker-punched, then veered off course, heading straight for the boundary.
“Not on my watch,” Joe said, his eyes flicking between Drooler and Hydromancer. He bit his lip, not wanting to use his healer orb so soon, but if he didn’t act fast, his only attack orb would be toast.
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With a resigned sigh, he flung Hydromancer into play with the finesse of someone throwing a frisbee in the dark.
“Come on, come on…” Joe urged under his breath, his focus locked on Hydromancer as it zoomed toward Aqua Shot.
Agonizing seconds ticked by as it closed the gap, aiming to reach Aqua Shot before it crashed into the wall. As Aqua Shot was about to slam into the boundary, Hydromancer’s healing wave pulsed outward, enveloping the orb in a cool, soothing energy. The blindness lifted, and Aqua Shot steadied itself, regaining control at the last possible second.
“Phew, that was close.” Joe exhaled, a smirk creeping back onto his face as Aqua Shot glowed with renewed energy. Hydromancer’s magic didn’t only heal the blindness—it patched up the massive HP drain Aodh’s heat had inflicted too.
“Alright, buddy, let’s give it another go!”
A slow, steady rhythm pounded in the background—like a heartbeat—followed by the unmistakable chords of some intense, “Eye of the Tiger”-like music. Gaia smirked as her Phoenix orb hovered into view, its wings spread wide, casting a shadow over the battlefield. The music built, and then, like a whisper from nowhere, the Phoenix’s silken anime style voice echoed: “From the ashes, I rise.”
Joe tensed, knowing that Phoenix was a wild card he’d have to deal with sooner or later. But right now, it didn’t move. It lurked there, like a silent threat, biding its time.
“Focus,” Joe said, shaking off the distraction. Hydromancer flickered out of existence; the orb’s fifteen second time in play gone.
[Hydromancer MadOrbz no longer summonable for the BattleBox Challenge.]
Aqua Shot flew forward, zeroing in on Aodh’s Flaming Wrath. With a powerful burst of water, it caught Aodh off guard, sending it into the boundary line. The fire orb sputtered, its fiery glow flickering out as it vanished from the battlefield.
But before Joe could even think about celebrating, Gaia’s Phoenix orb suddenly flared up, its wings glowing with an intense fire before it combusted into ash.
Joe’s stomach dropped as Aodh materialized right back on the battlefield, fully restored, while Phoenix returned to the deck with a thirty second cooldown timer.
“Of course, it’s back,” Joe said, rolling his eyes as Aodh wasted no time blinding Aqua Shot again. His own orb’s five second countdown play timer ticked away.
This time, Aqua Shot started wobbling, heading straight for the boundary wall. With Hydromancer tapped out for the battle, Joe’s hands were tied. He could only watch as Aqua Shot hit the wall and got knocked out of play. His decagon vibrated as Aqua Shot banged against the glass. If only the orb’s play timer had ended before Aodh had gotten to it, he’d have still been able to summon it for the battle.
[Aqua Shot MadOrbz no longer summonable for the BattleBox Challenge.]
“Time to put the brakes on,” Joe said, swiping to deploy Slimer.
The gooey orb slithered onto the battlefield, leaving a sticky trail behind it. “Snot my problem…unless you want to boogie.”
Aodh’s once-impressive speed turned into a sluggish crawl as Slimer’s goop clung to the flaming sun. Joe watched with satisfaction as Slimer guided Aodh closer to the boundary line.
“Just a little more…” Joe urged, his fingers twitching out front in an attempt to guide his orbs movement.
The cackling voice sprung to life overhead. “Eww, that had to suck slime balls for Aodh’s Flaming Wrath. Disrupted with a five second debuff.”
Aodh fought against the slime, but it was too late. As the debuff timer ran out, Aodh, still slowed down, slammed into the boundary wall and fizzled out of play.
Joe straightened his posture with the small win. “Even with your orb’s play time restored, you couldn’t outsmart me.”
Gaia raised a brow, but remained calm and collected as she glanced at the deck.
Her Phoenix orb, still in cool down mode, couldn’t swoop in for a rescue. But Gaia wasn’t out of tricks. She unleashed Kitsune and the arena filled with flickering flame clones.
Slimer zoomed through the maze of Kitsune’s illusions, picking up speed like a kid chasing an ice cream truck. It locked onto one illusion, its bright orange, bushy tail swishing back and forth luring him closer.
“Not that one!” Joe yelled, but Slimer was already in snot-flinging range, too caught up in the thrill of the chase. With a triumphant squelch, Slimer launched its snotty green goo at what it thought was the real Kitsune.
The goo splattered straight through the illusion, which popped out of existence like a soap bubble. Slimer’s cartoonish eyes nearly popped out of its gooey head as it realized the mistake, but by then, it was way too late. All that speed carried it forward, and with a comical skid, Slimer crashed into the boundary line, knocked right out of the game.
[Slimer MadOrbz no longer summonable for the BattleBox Challenge.]
Joe shook his head. With no attack orb and a set deck, he only had his defense and combo orb remaining.
Joe gritted his teeth. “Drooler, let’s go!” As he hurled the orb into play, he felt a wet, slobbery sensation in his palm, like a dog giving him an enthusiastic lick. He couldn’t help but grin—good thing he liked dogs. Drooler zoomed forward, dripping water all over the volcanic rocks, each drop turning into a sizzling puddle as it eagerly charged ahead.
"Don’t mind the puddle…it’s just my way of saying hello." Drooler drawled as it barreled through the illusions, but every time the orb made contact, the illusions vanished, leaving Drooler spinning in circles.
“C’mon, Joe, think!” he said to himself, activating Quick Wit. He scanned the field, and that’s when he spotted it—a tiny lag in one of the Kitsune’s swishy tail movements. It was barely noticeable, but there it was. The real Kitsune.
“You may be a rogue,” Gaia said with a smirk, “but you can’t out-trick a trickster.”
Joe knew Gaia wasn’t about to let up. As soon as Phoenix cooldown ended, she brought the orb back into play. “From the ashes, I rise.” The winged orb hovered in waiting.
Joe knew the risk of having two orbs out in play—a greater chance that one could get knocked out and he’d lose the battlebox challenge. He glanced at his defense orb, saliva splashing through each kitsune illusion as it drove towards the real orb. With ten seconds left for Drooler’s play time, Joe knew this was his final shot to summon his ace. “Riptide Randy, showtime!”
Riptide Randy surged onto the battlefield, water swirling with undeniable force. The background music kicked in, echoing the intense beat of Numb—until it was hijacked by a chirpy chorus. “Caught in the riptide, doo doo doo doo doo!”
Joe cringed, half-laughing. “Way to ruin a Linkin Park classic, Randy!”
Oblivious, Riptide Randy followed up with his catchphrase. “Let’s juggle, juggle and have a rippin’ good time, doo doo doo doo doo!”
The melody flowed just like that Baby Shark song his sister loved, and Joe knew it was going to be stuck in his head all day.
With the drain on Joe’s mana, the orb’s automatic targeting set forth as he’d commanded. Randy Riptide faked a charge at Kitsune before switching targets at the last second. Phoenix tumbled backward with a powerful wave, knocking the orb into Gaia’s decagon and forcing her to randomly sub in another orb she hadn’t set in her original deck.
Gaia frowned as a weaker fire orb bobbed into orbit around her shoulders.
The Kitsune whipped its tail into Drooler, but Joe’s defense orb slopped the fox’s tail back with its own wet tongue.
[Drooler +5 damage buff against Kitsune.]
Drooler’s HP dropped only by two. Kitsune must have held a weak attack because of the required mana used to fuel its illusionary ability. As Joe shifted Randy Riptide’s trajectory, Kitsune blinked out of existence and reappeared in Gaia’s deck for cool down.
Joe tensed. Even with Kitsune in cooldown, Gaia still had the upper hand. Sure, he’d managed to knock Phoenix out of play, but he was down two orbs, and he could really use Frostbite Chill right about now to take out her second orb..
Disappointed with his impulsive decision, he slammed his hand onto Hydromancer’s decagon window. Maybe I should have waited to pull it out.
The blue flame chuckled. “That’s what she said.”
Joe groaned, ignoring the everpresent flame.
Drooler, with its five second countdown play timer, hovered by a jagged formation while Riptide Randy swirled around the arena waiting for Joe’s command.
Gaia smirked. “One-on-one.” A small orb launched from Gaia’s deck, slowly growing in size. A writhing mass of fiery snakes twisted atop the orb like it was having a bad hair day, with no face, just an ominous Greek icon glowing at its center.
Medusa drifted onto the battlefield, with snake hisses and eerie Greek lyre notes setting the mood, backed by slow, creepy drumbeats that made Joe’s skin crawl.
“Now!” Joe flicked two fingers forward, and Riptide Randy surged toward Medusa, water swirling with unstoppable force. Medusa twisted and dodged, her writhing mass of fiery snakes writhing in response to Randy’s every move.
Joe grinned, catching the moment of panic in Gaia’s eyes.
From behind a rocky outcrop, Drooler shot out of hiding like a rogue, saliva splashing against volcanic rock and evaporating with a sharp sizzle as it cut off Medusa’s escape. Medusa spun around, her Greek icon peeling open like a cyclops eye, locking onto Drooler.
Drooler flickered, his form shimmering as his countdown timer hit zero. In a blink, he vanished from the arena leaving Medusa’s deadly Petra Stare to hit nothing but empty space. Joe wiped the sweat from his brow as Drooler reappeared in his decagon with a slobbery grin—if that timing had been off by a fraction, Drooler would have been toast.
Medusa, left in confusion, began to back away, her lethal gaze wasted.
“No!” Gaia stomped her foot as her Medusa burst into dust with the collision into the boundary line.
[Battlebox Challenge is a tie.]
Riptide Randy and Gaia’s remaining orbiting MadOrbz returned to their respective decagons.
[Battlebox reset to Sudden Death: Capture the flag.]
A drop of sweat trickled down Joe’s back as Gaia twisted her hair into a bun. He took a sip from his water flask. The blue flame heated in his chest, but for once remained silent.
Oh shit, something’s up.
Joe patted his decagon, like it was an old buddy. “Nice job, everyone. Catch your breath—let’s see what’s coming next.” His gaze shifted to the arena while awaiting further information.