The announcer cleared his throat and began. “Welcome to the first of two semi-finals matches for the second ever Hazelton tournament. We are down to only four competitors remaining, one of them the returning champion from last year. Later today you will have the pleasure of watching Gardner and Percival duke it out, but firstly we need to welcome our more immediate challengers. Give it up for Hunter and Aurin!”
Hunter and Aurin walked out from their tunnels and took their spots. They gave each other small nods, wishing each other a well-fought battle.
“Let the semi-finals begin!” called the announcer.
Aurin raised his hand and summoned Leonite, while Hunter summoned his Treebot. Leonite charged towards the leaf-covered, walking tank at full speed and leapt into the air as he drew close. Treebot shot a flurry of sharp leaves from his back at Leonite who cut them to pieces with his razor-like claws.
Leonite landed on the ground and was forced backwards as Treebot stomped its feet and entangling vines erupted from the ground. The cobalt blue lion cut the vines with his claws, escaping being held captive. Treebot’s glowing blue eye followed Leonite as the lion paced back and forth, waiting for him to attack.
Aurin was watching Hunter, who appeared very calm. Aurin himself was trying to do the same, but the sweat was building up on his brow even though his face remained stoic. Aurin glanced at Treebot, and noticed its eye was starting to glow a faint green.
“Leonite, move!” he called, as Treebot’s eye shot a large nature elemental beam at the lion.
Leonite ducked out of the way just in time, then dashed across the grass to Treebot. The lion leapt and sank his nails into Treebot’s the bark-like metallic armour. He clawed and swiped, breaking through the armour, and exposing Treebot’s side, but the robot slammed its side down, crushing Leonite beneath its weight.
“Aurin’s first Minakai is done!” called the announcer as Treebot righted itself, revealing an unconscious Leonite on the ground. “A valiant effort by Aurin, but Hunter’s Treebot was just too tough.”
“You’re up, Shamtile,” said Aurin, replacing Leonite with his favourite Minakai.
Shamtile spawned on the field and began yelling and waving his arms. “Hold off on your rock armour, you’ll need the speed,” advised Aurin.
Shamtile scurried forwards on all fours as Treebot stomped his feet, summoning mighty roots that slammed into the ground. The masked lizard darted from side to side as he approached his opponent, avoiding the powerful attacks.
When Shamtile grew close, Treebot jumped in the air, aiming to slam its entire weight down on the little lizard. It landed with a hard thud, and Shamtile was nowhere to be seen.
“Another one already?” gasped Luna.
“Wait for it,” said Kyle.
“It’s not looking good for Aurin,” said the announcer. “How can such a small Minakai take the weight of that iron titan?”
Treebot arose and stepped backwards, but Shamtile was nowhere to be seen. All that was left was a small hole in the ground. Hunter was taken aback, he thought his Minakai had been fast enough to crush Shamtile.
“He’s going to come from underneath, be careful!” he warned his Treebot.
Stalagmites began to burst through the soil, but Shamtile did not show himself. Treebot thundered across the battlefield, to avoid the attacks. It was difficult for the heavy Minakai and he was tiring fast. A hole opened in the ground at the far side of the battlefield, and all eyes turned to look at it.
While everyone was distracted by the hole, Shamtile dropped from his hiding place underneath Treebot and rushed in front of him. Before anybody knew what was happening, Shamtile slammed his fists on the ground and rocky spikes shot from the ground and pierced Treebot’s screen.
“No!” yelled Hunter, losing his composure for a moment.
“Unbelievable!” exclaimed the announcer. “It would seem Aurin’s magic Minakai truly is a master of distraction. He was hiding under his opponent the entire time. You don’t see that often, folks.”
Luna turned to Kyle. “How did you know?”
“I helped him perfect that one,” Kyle said with a proud smile. “He had the idea a few weeks ago and couldn’t wait to see if it would work.”
Hunter summoned his second Minakai, his Steambot. The blue robot clenched hard, and a large puff of steam blew from the pipes on its back. The eye that sat within its porthole was focused on Shamtile.
“Armour up,” ordered Aurin.
Shamtile held his hands high, and his body became encased in stone. Where Treebot was a powerful tank, Steambot was faster and had the elemental advantage against Shamtile. This was far from the ideal match-up, but Aurin wanted to save his final Minakai for what he knew would be Hunter’s final Minakai.
Steambot threw his hands upwards in an arc, and a tidal wave appeared. It raged across the battlefield, and Shamtile conjured more rocks around his feet to weather the attack. The wave crashed into him, but he remained firm. As soon as the wave disappeared, he was hit by a pressure cannon from Steambot; Hunter had used a distraction of his own.
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The lizard climbed to his feet shakily as Steambot charged in. The water elemental grabbed Shamtile in its hands and threw the lizard into the air. Steambot shot another pressure cannon, but Shamtile summoned a rock wall to take the worst of the hit for him. He landed on the ground and backed off.
“Catapult!” called Aurin.
The ground beneath Shamtile’s feet flipped upwards, sending the small Minakai through the air. He summoned his stone fists and aimed straight the screen at the centre of Steambot.
“Did you think I would fall for that again?” muttered Hunter.
Steambot swung a powerful punch, sending Shamtile straight downwards before he could hit his target. Steambot set off a pressure cannon, right as Shamtile shattered his rocky fists and armour, sending a barrage of sharp rocks at his opponent, but it was not enough to stop the robot. Shamtile was forced halfway across the stadium by the onslaught of water.
“Aurin’s Shamtile is out of there!” called the announcer. “It was a valiant effort, particularly for an unevolved Minakai, but it was not meant to be. Aurin is down to his last Minakai.”
It was an uphill battle from here, but there was only one of his Minakai that stood a chance. Aurin raised his hand and unleashed a blue light that pulled his own Steambot straight from the ranch. It stood, staring at Hunter’s Steambot who had a large number of dents from Shamtile’s final gambit.
“Steambot versus Steambot!” said the announcer. “Both are rare Minakai; both are powerful Minakai. If this wasn’t my job, I would absolutely be with you all in the crowd. What a show!”
The two Steambot dropped low and shot a powerful pressure cannon. The opposing jets of water collided in the air, as both Minakai tried to gain ground; neither able to break focus for a second, or risk being hit.
Hunter’s Steambot began to falter, and his stream slowed to a halt. Aurin’s Steambot’s cannon collided with Hunter’s Minakai and it somersaulted through the air and crashed in a heap.
“Now’s your chance!” called Aurin, and his Steambot darted towards his opponent who was climbing to his feet.
Aurin’s Steambot delivered powerful blows to Hunter’s disoriented machine. It tried to block, but Aurin’s Minakai was relentless in his aggression and the dents Shamtile had left only grew deeper. It was over with one final blow, as Hunter’s Minakai’s screen cracked, and it collapsed.
“Got him,” said Aurin. “I know who you’ll be summoning next, Hunter.”
Hunter raised his hand and replaced his defeated Steambot with his final Minakai, his favourite of all; Flambot. The two robotic titans faced each other, their opposing elements giving neither the advantage on that front, but Flambot was fresh to the battle and Steambot had exerted a lot of energy.
“It all comes down to this, folks,” said the announcer.
Steambot puffed out an exhalation of steam while Flambot’s fires blazed brightly. The two Minakai charged at each other and engaged in hand to hand combat, throwing in their elemental powers for good measure.
Flambot delivered a heavy punch to Steambot’s gut, then tried to superheat the metal. Steambot kicked Flambot in the leg, causing him to buckle and then shot a jet of water to try and douse the flames. The battlefield was a visual symphony of fire, water and steam. The steam grew so thick that it became hard for the audience to even see what was going happening.
Suddenly, Steambot was thrown from the mist towards Aurin. The robot forced himself up, almost spent, while Flambot kept his distance and focused intently, and his flames grew ever wilder.
“He’s going for a finisher, Steambot,” said Aurin.
Steambot placed one hand on the ground and leaned forwards, building up as much pressure as he could muster. The two Minakai both looked about ready to explode, yet they still held on and bided their time.
“Now!” ordered Hunter.
Flambot ripped open the grill on his chest and a raging pillar of fire was unleashed, turning the grass to ash instantly. Steambot in turn finally blew his top and a blast of water—forceful enough to blow straight through the stadium walls—erupted from him.
The two attacks collided at the centre of the battlefield, but the flames engulfed the water and pushed on through. Steambot was hit with the attack and despite its power being dampened by his water, he was thrown backwards. The robot lay on the ground, his chest plate glowing red hot momentarily before cooling down. It was a valiant effort, but he was too exhausted to keep going.
“And it’s the end of the line for Aurin!” called the announcer. “Hunter was pulled off yet another win, continuing his undefeated streak in Hazelton, but he still has one more match to go. Let’s give a hand for Aurin, who will still move onto the national championships. What a competitor folks, he’s really impressed this year, hasn’t he?”
Aurin let out a heavy sigh, then clapped along with the cheering crowd. He knew it would be a challenge to defeat Hunter and coming this close was something he was proud of. If he was going to get knocked out of the tournament, he was glad it was a friend who had beaten him. A friend who had helped push him and get him to where he was today.
The two walked across the field and met in the centre. “You were an excellent opponent, Aurin,” said Hunter. “I have many more years of experience than you, yet I came close to losing. Your performance today is something to be proud of, and I’m sure there will be plenty of people who take notice.”
“Thanks Hunter,” said Aurin. “I wouldn’t have gotten this far if you hadn’t inspired me…and given me a Microbot last year.”
Hunter laughed and the two gave the crowd a wave as they walked away, each proud of the other. Aurin was assured that one day he would be able to defeat Hunter and, perhaps, that day would be sooner rather than later. They would both be competing in Ludonia in a month.
Aurin walked through the corridors of the stadium, heading for the lobby. Along the way, he found three familiar faces waiting for him. Kyle was nodding approvingly, and Luna and Innogon were dancing on the spot, unable to hold back their excitement.
“You were amazing!” she squealed.
“The pair of you have been knocked out of the tournament by the same person now, eh?” joked Kyle. “In all seriousness, she’s right. You did well. Most others would have been crushed before even having the chance to fight Flambot.”
“Thanks,” said Aurin, sincerely. “Thanks to both of you. I wouldn’t have been able to get this far without either of your help.”
“Don’t mention it,” said Kyle, slapping Aurin on the back rather hard. “To be honest, I’m surprised it was as close as it was.”
“Me too,” admitted Aurin.
Kyle chuckled. “Let’s get up to our seats so we can cheer on your friend, Gardner.”
Kyle walked on down the corridor and Aurin moved to follow, but Luna took his hands. “You really were great,” she said and kissed Aurin on the cheek. She turned red as a beetroot, then hurried off after Kyle without saying another word, leaving Aurin standing with Innogon.
“Do you need a lift?” Aurin asked him with a big smile on his face.
Innogon yapped merrily and jumped up onto the young man’s back. Aurin followed his friends, unsure what to say to Luna when they were next face to face, but he was happy.