Vin's eyes fixed on the incoming elbow, then, at the last wink, he ducked below, grabbed the student's sneaker, and yanked it. Their foot uplifted from the board when it was pulled, and they fumbled while awkwardly flailing their arms and falling rearward.

Size 12, men's NIKE sneakers. They were weighty enough that when Vin tossed them at the hind wheels of another skateboard, that student, too, stumbled off their ride.

"All you dragons do is play dirty!" Insulted Mickey. A meaningless statement. He was taught that a win was a win, no matter the means used.

Fray aimed her hand at Vin, but he pointed up at Miyo, who hovered directly above them. "You'll blow us all up?"

She clicked her teeth, then grudgingly released her power. Immediately after, Vin tore the red necktie off his neck and tossed the looped end beneath her back wheel like a lasso. It hooked, then he tugged her skateboard from underneath her. Fray quickly went airborne before crashing onto her shoulder and rolling to a halt.

Vin didn't need to combat the last racer because they became so frenzied that they forgot to observe the road.

Litter and pieces of rubble were nested on the route, so Vin pretended not to notice until the final seconds. Mickey's back was turned, but Vin promptly dipped and snapped his longboard up. He vaulted over successfully, but his opponent clipped parts of the rubble and was hurled off their instrument. Sounds of them heatedly pounding the ground faded out as Vin rode past and toward the finish line. It was there, less than a minute away; he'd win, so he relaxed his heavy eyes and posture.

It was only for a moment, but the immense relief at the end of the race almost ferried him into another coma. He was tired and just wanted to sleep.

Miyo silently joined his winning stretch, unwatchful of their owner. The creature was seemingly dispirited. Vin understood why; he had a feeling, a third sense, if you would. So, he apologized to his companion for subjecting them to the role of support.

Before, he and Miyo always rode closely. But then, it became a simple matter of ascertaining himself, glorifying, and utilizing the raw ability his father taught him.

Vin wanted to explain to Miyo, but Crow unexpectedly laughed and shouted, "we got a wild skateboard on the loose!"

Vin unhurriedly rotated to dissect the man's silly statement, only to glimpse Mickey's skateboard soaring in the sky.

Predicting its course toward him, Vin slumped. "A good throw. It would've knocked me out if Crow hadn't said anything."

Even though he saw it. Vin didn't budge. He could have easily skated slightly to the right, but he regarded Miyo and pretended he was too sore to evade.

The summon, whose whole function was to protect its owner, nodded gravely and relocated behind Vin to shield him. If they could speak, they'd yell, "I'll protect you!"

So, Vin continued, confident the phoenix would sacrifice itself as usual or blast the board with fire. However, neither occurred.

Miyo's essence sparkled, hailing a new method of approach. Several yards behind them, the ground dyed an abyssal, fiery void black like an alternate gate to hell.

The incoming projectile flew over the sudden abyss. Then, in an instant, a humongous demonic hand outstretched from the outlet and pinched the board between its fingers.

The object shattered into crumbs, and then a fire engulfed form outstepped. An arm, then a black, flaming head, topped with massive horns, fangs, and swirling jet skin.

This demonic, humanoid nightmare climbed from the ground and stood as tall as a ten-story building. Its body was utterly suited in black armor decorated with skulls and bones.

Vin was completely cocooned by the giant's casted shadow and wobbled from its mere heavy breathing.

It was aggravating...

"Hey," he started. The colossal figure shook the ground when it turned and peered down disgracefully at Vin, who remarked, "You're too fucking big."

"WHAT!?" It roared, its tremendous boom parting the dreary clouds in the sky. "You dare speak down to me, The feared Demon King Onyx!"

"I am DESTRUCTION; I have slaughtered millions, defeated the hero of these lands, and enslaved many humans before you. I am-." A baseball-sized rock flew up and hit the demon in the head before Vin finished its sentence. "Loud. What you are, is loud."

"I'm already about to pass out, so shut up," lectured Vin. The giant fanned open its arms, and its mouth exploded open as it prepared to unleash a furious roar.

Vin growled, then uttered a single word that ceased the very atmosphere around the demon king. Something so heinous and deadly that the giant deliberated if it's tantrum was worth the smoke.

Vin raised his tone a notch, then loudly and clearly spoke, "Miyo."

"..."

Both of the demon's arms slumped to their side, and their massive head looked down at the tiny phoenix whose white eyes intently stared them down.

"I'm done with you; get back in the hole," ordered Vin. He pointed toward the fiery mesh on the ground, where he saw the giraffe summon sticking its head out curiously and looking around.

Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

"You too..." Vin said lamely. The long-necked summon jolted upon being detected, then sunk back into the portal.

Hushed, the horned goliath returned to the ground. With the matter settled, Vin finished the race while regretting his decision to rely on Miyo and recalling how he ended up in his pickle.

[[

It was shortly after he was blasted away by Fray. He'd survived by rashly summoning Miyo, which marked them as the strongest link.

By the time he shook his daze and continued the course, Miyo restored and joined him on a furious spurt. Along the way, he spotted the wrecked, spikey summon.

Not entirely dead; its extensive neck was cracked abnormally, and it lay with occasionally twitching limbs. This summon emitted sounds, more so, anguished huffs.

Vin delayed and cruised for a moment past the unfortunate being. For whatever reason, it didn't perish. It refused to.

Without warning, Miyo broke from their formation and aviated toward the downed creature. The flaming bird landed on the entity's noggin, peered frankly at it, then constricted its wide eyes.

"Yea, it's pretty sad," murmured Vin, temporarily disembarking his board. He hadn't forgotten his predicament, but his wistful, oddly colored eyes were nailed to the dying creature. "Sometimes, I forget that not all summons can regenerate like you."

Miyo raised its tiny, glum head, then roped Vin into an expressive gaze. As it eyed its owner, the phoenix silently communicated something only he could apprehend.

Physically unmoving, Vin continued to stare back, then he reacted. "We're partners, do whatever you want."

Invariably straightforward, genuine, and devoted. It was those traits that wrote Miyo's loyalty to Vin in cold blood.

Inspired, the bird's head feathers jolted upward, and the flames on its body fostered and gleefully fanned. More and more, spreading and encompassing the broken creature beneath it.

The encroaching, unassailable blaze acted as a furnace and deteriorated the wounded beast. Burning it, as Vin believed, to a peaceful death.

For reasons unexplained, Vin knew it wasn't a simple mercy killing. And after the creature burned to ash, Miyo lost its foot stand and returned to its anticipatory owner.

Once they reunited, a ripple of- what he could only describe as imbued wisdom- agitated his mind's calm waters.

Most would testify that SFX summons were nothing more than intelligent machinery. However, Vin believed he felt Miyo's core, no, a spirit?

Nay, it was their soul.

And once Miyo returned to him, Vin felt a second pulse alongside them. Something remorseful, embarrassed of its own very existence.

The sensation loosely transmitted outward, constantly conveying, "I'm pathetic." Not with words but with a familiar pulsation.

"You lost, so what," muttered Vin. He climbed onto his skateboard, sought the unknown existence, and grimaced. "If you're blinded by the past, you won't see the new journey ahead of you."

"No one knows better than me; life is full of second chances." Refocused, Vin pushed the wheels on his longboard forward.

Determined to catch up, he resumed, but a raging, black flame erupted behind him. Despite the temptation to turn his head, he persisted on his path. As he dashed onward with Miyo, he felt the purposeful stride of a four-legged entity behind him. Just as silent as Miyo but bearing a blaring weight on its back.

<>

Eventually, Vin approached the bleak castle, but the entrance was sealed.

It was his unspoken will for admission into the structure, so the trailing creature escaped his rear, scrambled for, then smashed its thorny head into the wooden gate.

Cracks veined from the point of impact outward in ruin, but it needed more convincing before opening. As the creature prepared for another tackle, a grueling boom burst from the drab castle's roof. "HUMAN!"

The enormous form of the so-called demon king dropped and clashed with the floor ajar to the castle entrance. A wind tempest blasted the giraffe back and repelled Vin, who was closing in. "Weak human, you are unworthy of entering my domain!"

After batting the dust from his eyes, Vin clicked his teeth, grunted, then patted his shirt to ensure the wooden sword necklace he wore wasn't blasted away.

He angrily arched his neck up toward the giant, then quibbled aloud. "Why are there. Soo many. Distractions. Get outta the way."

His appeal was returned with a bestial howl, so Vin inhaled and growled back.

"Fuck," he said. "I must be really behind. If there's a disqualifier here."

| Disqualifier: A condition in pro races that disqualifies competitors that fall behind and are deemed unable to catch up.

Usually indicated by a chime or announcement, but monsters worked too.

Outraged that he was being withheld while the leading pack grew further away, Vin cracked his head toward Miyo, pointed to the giant, and snarled. "It's in the way."

The flaming phoenix delivered an astute salute to its owner that loosely translated to, "aight, bet."

There were no more annoyances after that.

Unbeknown to Vin, Miyo found reason to stay behind while he continued onward alone. It was minutes later that he felt the emersion of a third presence.

If the giraffe's soul was a whisper that sounded, "I'm pathetic," the demon king's was a scream that constantly said, "FUCK, FUCK FUCK."

Still, sometimes Vin could sense when it quelled, and the pesky spirit shifted into a sad murmur of someone's name.

]]

Vin blamed the creature for his exhaustive drive to catch up, but really he wouldn't have won if the Lions didn't stop to bully Crow. Knowing that he made a mental note to amp up his training.

After crossing the finish, there was a rupture in the sky, and the aqua atmosphere was gradually restored. Vin uncovered that the course concluded on the opposite side of the stadium.

As it so happened, the race route led in an oval shape. All of the disorder hurled at them was just a method of redirecting the race in a complete loop.

Spent, Vin crumbled onto a local bench located in between two rows of bushes. He leaned back, sealed his eyes, and pitched his head upward toward the lovely sun.

"Others should be here soon. For now, I'll just..."

Alleviated from the strain of the race, he faded, dissolving and merging with the seat beneath him.