“And Aurin has just won his second match!” called the announcer as Quetz knocked out the much larger Doripper with powerful tornado.

Aurin relished the victory, knowing that each step forward he took brought him closer to the top. Two hundred and fifty-six had been whittles down to one hundred and twenty-eight, but now Aurin had secured himself a spot in the top sixty-four. A few hours later, Gardner’s Desparee had claimed him his spot too.

Two days later, it was Kyle’s turn for his second match. His Wingbloom made a great showing and tore through his entire opponent’s team, winning him the match and the impressed cheers of the audience. Two matches later and Luna was fighting again with Innogon and Stopod cinching her another victory.

As quickly as the second round finished, the third was even quicker. Aurin, Gardner, Kyle and Luna each won their matches and had made it into the top thirty-two. Much to their relief, the tournament was on a day’s break and Aurin decided to let his team take the day off to recuperate after their strong showings and intense training regime.

“Where are you off to?” Kyle asked as Aurin walked down the ranch path.

“The tower,” said Aurin over his shoulder.

“Oh? You’re going on a run today?”

“Nah, I’m just going to look at it.”

“You going to be long?”

“I don’t know, why?”

“Just because the Minakai are taking the day off doesn’t mean you get to. I need you to dredge the river for animal carcasses that the aquatics and water elementals won’t touch. A few of the others will appreciate some bones to gnaw on.”

Aurin hurried down the path, pretending he didn’t hear Kyle, irritating the rancher. Aurin laughed to himself, knowing that he would come back to help, but making Kyle seethe was one of life’s pleasures so he couldn’t not take that opportunity to drive him just a little bit crazy.

The young tamer strolled through the forest until he reached the familiar fork, then took a left towards the Harmony Tower. He walked into the clearing where it stood majestically watching over the entirety of Hazelton. The doors were firmly closed, but Aurin knew there were tamers inside. Some would be combatants preparing for their next match, some would be tourists who had come to visit the town and watch the tournament.

“A thing of beauty, isn’t it?” came a voice from behind Aurin.

“It certainly is,” he agreed.

A blonde man, only a few years older than Aurin, walked up and stood beside him. He was vaguely familiar to Aurin, but he couldn’t put his finger on where he recognised him from.

“Do I know you?” Aurin asked.

“You do,” replied the man, holding out his hand and shaking it. “Name’s Evan. We battled almost two years ago in this very forest.”

It finally clicked with Aurin who the man was. “You had a Volcarrow, right?”

“Yes,” chuckled Evan. “And your Spikruption thoroughly pulverised him.”

“Sorry about that.”

“Don’t be. Taught me a lesson about hubris, didn’t it? In saying that, it was reassuring upon coming back to Hazelton that I found out what you’ve accomplished since we last met, Aurin.”

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

“I had a lot of help.”

“Nah, you’re talented. I saw you in the national championships last year. Watched it in the bar back home with half the town. I kept telling everyone that I fought you, but nobody believed me. I thought I would take a chance and see if you were battling in the qualifier here this year.”

“Are you competing?”

“Nah, I’m not a competitive battler. I’m a rancher back home and my sister’s minding the place while I’m away. It’s nice to get away for a bit, you know?”

Aurin nodded and looked back towards the tower. Even after everything that had happened here between the Zodiac Squad and Zeera, he felt a sense of calmness when he gazed upon it. Most of what was important to him in his life, he owed to the tower. Outside of Shamtile and Snippet, all of his eggs originated here. It was outside of the tower that he met Luna; granted he was unconscious at the time. If he hadn’t been trying to climb the tower, she never would have taken to meet Kyle.

“Do you feel like a battle?” Aurin asked Evan.

“I wouldn’t mind a short one, if you’re up for it,” said Evan. “I hatched a new Minakai recently. Picked it’s egg up in a tower in Eiranth if you wouldn’t mind using one of your less experienced monsters.”

“Works for me,” said Aurin, taking a few steps back while Evan did the same. “Quetz, you’re up.”

“Saskid, time to prove yourself.”

The two monsters appeared—Quetz in a flash of yellow and Saskid in an icy blue—and rested upon the grass, staring at each other. Aurin had never seen a Saskid before. It was small, round and covered in tufty white fur so thick that the only skin that could be seen was that of its feet. Its face was completely obscured, so much so that that the narrow gap in the fur looked like a black void with two red eyes glowing from within.

“Ready?” Aurin asked.

“Ready,” said Evan. “Saskid, go wild!”

Saskid let out a loud wail and threw its fists in the air as it ran towards Quetz. The yellow serpent slithered along the grass and out of the way of the charging ice elemental. Saskid lunged as Quetz made her way past, but she was slick enough to avoid its grasp.

With another yell, Saskid conjured up a snowball in its hand and launched it as Quetz who screeched and beat it away with her tail. She flapped her cream feathery wings and flew up a dozen feet where the hovered, waiting for Saskid to dare attack her again. However, Evan’s foreign Minakai was not so easily baited.

It beckoned Quetz forward and then punched its fuzzy fists together. Quetz spun around and whipped up a gust that forced Saskid to brace itself. Aurin expected the little fluffball to roll away, but it was sturdier than it looked. It dug its feet into the grassy soil and then burst forward, leaping into the air and coating its fist with ice. It swung for Quetz, who screeched as she dove out of the way.

Saskid landed and looked around, but Quetz was too quick. The winged serpent coiled her tail around Saskid’s arm and spun around, flinging him towards Harmony Tower. He collided with the wall and came crashing back down in a heap, unable stand.

“Well,” sighed Evan, “that’s that.”

“For a recent hatch, it’s quite strong,” said Aurin.

“Yeah, he’s alright. Need to work on his speed a little, but I’m sure with some training and a couple of evolutions, he’ll be ready to really bring the pain. Thanks for the battle, Aurin.”

“Likewise. It’s nice to have a fight where nothing’s on the line if you lose.”

“Just some pride, eh?” said Evan with a laugh.

“Well, there is that,” agreed Aurin, grinning. “You sticking around Hazelton for long?”

“Just until the end of the tournament and them I’m heading back to Maplewood. I would love to go see the national championships, but…duty calls.”

Aurin bid Evan farewell as the rancher made his way inside the tower. Quetz slithered along the grass and curled around her tamer’s leg as he continued to stare at the giant stone structure before him. The young tamer’s eyes were drawn to the top of the tower where the ethereal barrier faded in and out over and over again, keeping the planar magic strong and the monsters locked away.

“Would you like to see the top one day, Quetz?” Aurin asked the serpent who was flicking the red feathers atop her head.

Upon hearing him, she slithered along the grass and then took to the skies, shooting straight for the top, but Aurin leapt up and caught her by the tail to pull her back. She screeched as Aurin spun her around and looked her in the eyes.

“That’s not that I meant!” he scolded her. “What I’m talking about is the journey from the bottom to the top. I know you’ve only seen the inside of the tower twice, but I would like every one of my Minakai to see the top floor one day. It’s just a matter of wanting it enough and working hard.”

Quetz stopped struggling and hovered beside Aurin. She let out a low hissing sound and then fell silent.

“We’ll get there,” said Aurin. “We’ve seen it once before and, soon, I think we’ll see the top again and the golden egg will be ours. Let’s get back to the others.”

Aurin and Quetz left the clearing behind and walked back towards the ranch along the shadow of the tower that the sun cast upon the forest. He was filled with a sense of optimism and knew that no matter how the tournament turned out, he was never going to stop pushing forward.