“Good morning, Mr. Harrison Smith. It is now 6:20 in the morning of January 21st, 2350 in the city of Los Angeles, California. Breakfast will start at 6:30 AM and training will start at 7:30 AM. The first preliminary solo round is at 1:00 PM.”
Harrison’s stomach was immediately in knots. He ordered an omelet and dressed in one of Fistborn’s exercise uniforms. All the uniforms now had the American flag on the back to avoid confusion with other countries.
Despite the supplements the capsule had provided, Harrison was still weary from the previous day’s work. He’d trained himself, then trained with Calista and Lílitha, going over every game possible. Thankfully, the building had a plethora of map training facilities to accommodate everyone.
He was confident both of his students were ready, but he hated to admit he wasn’t sure they’d pass. Lílitha already had experience, so she had more chances than Calista. The human girl, on the other hand, was overthinking her every move, already predicting disaster.
Harrison hadn’t attended the ‘speed-date’ dinner, but judging from how Calista acted after the fact, it didn’t go too well. The other team members’ opinions clearly affected her confidence.
To be fair, he wasn’t 100% confident in himself, either. The new rule had thrown everyone off. There were many games he hoped wouldn’t be included in the week’s challenges.
He chose one of the many outdoor dining locations, on a balcony overlooking the beautiful skyline. Air-Cars zoomed by in the sky lanes and flags waved in the air.
With every second that passed, his anxiety grew worse. He spent extra effort during training and studied possible maps that would appear in the first game. Deans Lisa and Gina felt the urgency, as well, overworking everyone throughout the period.
Chaos Rounds were eponymous with how unpredictable they were. Anything could happen. There were various obstacles, booby traps, and top fighters all together in a mixing bowl of pandemonium. Even experienced fighters took blows to their reputation by being eliminated just because of some random trap or shift in the game.
Time soon ran out for the 4,800 fighters in the competition. After lunchtime, everyone was due at the Arena’s biggest fighting pit at 1 PM.
The stadium was absolutely filled to the brim with Earth fans, both physically and virtually present. Harrison could hear their cheers thundering in the distance when he went to the dressing chamber to get into his combat suit. Maybe the walls were built thin on purpose to intimidate the fighters.
He stepped into the chamber. It scanned his face, identifying him, and summoned his suit. His clothes were switched out with a second skin leotard first, then the metal pieces of the suit clasped around his body, arms, and legs. A helmet covered his head, resembling a football helmet, but his face was visible, protected by an invisible jaw guard and eye visor.
On the back of his helmet and suit, his name read, ‘SMITH, HARRISON; RANK #10’ below the American flag.
He stepped out and moved around, testing the suit to ensure it was on correctly. He could punch and kick with no problems, stretching his lithe limbs to their fullest.
All the fighters entered elevators that sunk down to the fighting arena. Each team had their own section to wait in. Harrison entered the USA door, meeting with all of his teammates. The room itself was lit up in red, white, and blue.
He smiled at Calista, who looked sick. Her normally rosy complexion was sickly pale. He sat next to her and nudged her. “Hey.”
She only smiled, as if afraid to speak. She probably felt nauseous.
“Did you see your family?” he asked.
“Yeah, last night.” Her voice was hoarse. She swallowed. “They’re really excited for me. They got face paints, projections… so much to support me. For one round.”
“Don’t quit already.”
“I’m… I don’t know what to feel.”
“You want a raspberry tonic?” Lílitha remarked from the side.
“I had one already.”
“Look, it’s the first round. Everyone’s nervous. But we’re going in there together. Just… think of it as a fashion show. You’re going out there to look good. Which is sorta true.” He smirked. “You can flirt with the cameras.”
She chuckled. “I know when to flirt and when not to, thank you.”
“Remember, we’re a team, and we’re going in together. It’s a solo round, but we’re allowed to work together, okay?”
“We are?”
“Yes, but don’t think you’re safe just because you see one of us,” said Lílitha. “I’m going to kick your butt if I see either of you.”
“Thanks, Li,” Harrison said sarcastically. He then told Calista, “Just remember what I told you. Lay low, don’t look for fights, and avoid any Legends. You studied them, so you should remember who they are. If anything, just assume that anyone who comes at you is a Legend and you’re good.”
“Got it.”
The elevator started descending. The tension in the room thickened, every fighter’s breath hitching. Even the Student Coaches showed a bit of anxiety. Harrison didn’t miss the glares shot at his student from some of the fighters, most of them Hillary’s followers. Hillary in particular was fuming, her venomous gaze fixed on the girl. With a steely glare, Harrison turned her eyes away.
Lisa rose from her seat, addressing the students. “I know all of you are nervous. It’s a big change to what we’re used to. But all of you are here for a reason. All of you are capable. And even if you are eliminated, don’t think you’re not a good fighter. Even Legends get eliminated in the Chaos Rounds. Do not doubt yourself or beat yourself up. Beat your opponents up.” She smiled at them. “Now, go do your country proud. For the family. For the fame.”
“For the win,” everyone finished the academy’s motto in unison.
The elevator stopped and opened into a chamber. Large metal doors blocked them from the arena. A timer above counted down from 30 seconds. As the host country this year, they were exiting first.
“Please line up according to rank. You will exit in two columns; one of male students, one of female students,” AIDA instructed. The fighters moved to organize themselves, separating. Calista stood at the end of the women’s line, finding it a bit longer than the men’s.
A screen to the left showed what was appearing on one of the Versus News channels broadcasting the event. One by one, they were showing the members’ recorded scans of them posing, with their stats next to them. Harrison inwardly cringed when he saw his; he’d flashed his smirk and crossed his arms.
It was now or never. It was his chance to prove everyone’s claims wrong. He deserved to be there. He deserved his position and rank. He deserved to be respected.
He prayed to God that Calista would make it through, too, not only because he would also be respected as a coach, but because he really wanted her to succeed. She had so much potential. So much talent and determination. She deserved a chance to show what she could do.
===
Calista was shaking in her suit, already activating the cooling mechanism. She wasn’t ready for this. All the explanation and training she received in the academy couldn’t prepare her for how intense the competition really was.
And these were only the prelims.
By the time Calista’s pose came up on the screen, showing her graceful hair flip, the doors buzzed and opened. The deafening cheers flooded in and the USA’s national anthem echoed around them.
“Oh, say, can you see,
By the dawn’s early light…”
The girl’s mouth dried up like a desert when she saw the screaming fans. She tried to look for her family, but it was impossible. How were there so many fans on Earth alone? How would she handle the real competition, if she ever got in?
They circled around a large, blue dome in the middle of the arena— the Enhanced Reality Map Materializer, or ERMM barrier. Inside, they would encounter the game environment. It was pure blue at the moment, with no sign of what kind of game it was.
They stood and put their hands over their hearts to sing the rest of the anthem. Once they finished, they presented the rest of the 31 countries, all with their own anthems.
After over an hour of standing and 15 more minutes of stretching, they finally finished the formalities.
The announcer soon spoke. “Welcome one, welcome all, to the very first round of the Versus 2350 Preliminaries on Earth!” The crowd cheered. “For those uninformed, I am Adrian Lasso, and I will be speaking today for the prelim rounds! We have many special contenders, from Legends to rising rookies, in the roster this year! And, in an unexpected turn of events, with the competition now under the leadership of Primary Chairwoman Bethanii Chefren, a new rule has been established: the fighters— and the public— will no longer know what maps or games await them in the upcoming rounds. What a challenge to overcome in the Chaos Rounds! Now we’ll finally see what the developers cooked up for our fighters in this 10-minute first round!”
The randomizer wheel appeared above the ERMM dome. Everyone’s breath hitched as it turned at lightning speed. It then slowed until stopping at the game the engineers had secretly selected the night before.
‘VOLCANO RUSH’.
The crowd roared in excitement. That already told Calista that this was going to be crazy.
“Wow! What a challenge for the first game! Let’s see how our beloved countries fare in this round! Good luck, competitors!”
Everyone got down in a starting position to run into the barrier. Now that the game was revealed, Calista could see the faint image of a barren land with fire.
This was not good for her stomach. She swallowed down her bile and forced herself to stop trembling.
“10… 9… 8…” The crowd stomped rhythmically as they counted, shaking the arena.
Her family was watching. She couldn’t disappoint them. Her former friends were watching. She couldn’t give them the satisfaction.
Harrison was here. She couldn’t let all his teaching go to waste.
“FIGHT!”
They shot forward like bullets. The minute they touched the barrier, they disappeared in blue streaks soaring over the dome, teleporting them to random places on the map. The barrier then expanded so the crowd could see inside.
Calista landed on a rocky surface, nearly falling over. She caught herself and rose, looking around her. No one seemed to be around. The crowd noise was now toned down tenfold. The sudden calmness was eerie, bringing her guard up.
Her helmet suddenly beeped urgently, a red dot blinking in her invisible visor. She turned, finding a fireball heading straight for her.
She screamed and ran, jumping before it could hit her. When she avoided it, another fireball struck the ground near her, then another. Soon, an entire firestorm rained upon her.
She ran as fast as she could, her panic increasing. She wasn’t thinking clearly or even checking if any enemies were around. The fireballs broke up the ground and sent rubble flying everywhere.
One landed behind her, launching her forward. She landed with a grunt and covered her head, her body curling up as more destruction exploded. She looked up and spotted a volcano, which spit out magma rocks of all shapes and sizes in all directions.
“Calista, get up!” Lindsay screamed in her headset. “What are you doing?!”
At her Pet’s prompt, the girl rose on shaky legs and continued running. Her helmet beeped again, but before she could react, a body slammed into her. She slid on her back and crashed into a rock. Her helmet kept her from being knocked out.
A Martian fighter from the Costa Rican team smiled, approaching Calista menacingly. She scrambled to stand, patting the ground for a rock to throw at him.
“For the love of… just fight him!” Lindsay exclaimed.
Calista luckily found a stone and hurled it at him. He easily deflected it with his arm, laughing. “Really? That’s it?” he said in Spanish, the translator letting Calista understand.
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.
A fireball landed behind the fighter. The ground beneath him suddenly crumbled and he fell with a scream. A second later, a blue streak shot through the barrier, soaring above the map.
“Oh! First elimination: Elimooo Contreras, number 125 from Team Costa Rica!” Lasso exclaimed.
The fighter landed outside the barrier in front of his country’s door. In a fit of rage, he threw down his helmet and struck his fists on the sandy ground. Being the first eliminated was extremely humiliating, especially if it was a booby trap.
What was worse: an accidental booby trap.
“Girl, you gotta do more than throw rocks. What’s going on with you?!” Lindsay chastised her owner.
“I don’t remember anything!” Calista shrieked when more fireballs started coming at her. Once again, she was running for her life, screaming at every explosion around her. Rock towers collapsed and holes opened in the ground.
She then encountered more enemies. These were fighting each other, using the environment to their advantage. A Mercurian was jumping and kicking the incoming magma rocks towards his opponents. A Hajjian was breathing fire at the rocks, increasing their explosive intensity.
This, of course, created an even more chaotic environment. Calista’s ears heard nothing but explosion after explosion, overwhelming the girl. Everywhere she turned, she was blown back by an impact or nearly hit by a projectile.
“What the glitch is this?!” she screamed at the top of her lungs.
This was the definition of a Chaos Round. It was no wonder fighters got eliminated so quickly. There was so much going on. Blue streaks continuously traversed the barrier, followed by an announcement of their defeat. Every eliminated fighter would demonstrate their rage with screaming, punching and kicking the ground, and the ‘traditional’ helmet throw of rage.
Calista didn’t know how long she spent running and taking cover from the destruction. She didn’t dare confront anyone in this mayhem. She was absolutely terrified, her heart racing faster than the speed of light, and confusion wracked her brain. She couldn’t understand exactly where she was or what was going on. She just wanted to survive.
The constant warning beep on her helmet, coupled with Lindsay screaming at her, gave her even more anxiety. She was practically on the verge of tears with how overcome she was. She found shelter underneath a fallen rock, crawling underneath and taking a moment to breathe.
“Ohhh, that is a bummer! Team Panama from the Águila Combat Camp has just been eliminated entirely from the competition, all thanks to a MASSIVE lava ravine trap! What a tough break for Panama.” As Lasso spoke, multiple streaks rose up like comets on the barrier, all heading towards the Panama section. When the fighters landed, they all left the arena, enraged and humiliated.
An entire team? All 150? How the glitch would she survive, then?
An explosion set off next to her. With another scream, she scrambled out of her hiding place. She stopped short, confronted by a group of enemies.
“I thought I heard cowardly screaming,” an Emitonian Danish fighter chuckled. He stopped one of the incoming rocks with his telekinetic powers and shot it at the human girl. All she could do was brace herself from the pain.
Unwittingly, as she made an ‘X’ block with her arms, her suit activated a shield that bounced the rock away. It deflected to the side and hit a random fighter, shooting him into a lava lake. He soared in a blue streak a second later.
“Another coincidental elimination! Jerry Trolocan from Team Canada has been kicked out of the prelims!”
“You are lucky,” the Danish fighter said.
“How did I…?” Calista looked at her arms.
“You activated your deflective shields, stupid,” Lindsay said, her tone extremely annoyed. “Just fight, please.”
Calista got to her feet, charging forward and tackling the fighter before he could shoot another rock at her. Before she could pin him down, however, he threw her off and flattened her on the ground with his powers.
“Use your boots!” Lindsay shouted.
Calista obeyed and activated the impulse in her boots and gloves to counteract the mental force, bursting back up on her feet. Her balance was thrown off, allowing the Emitonian to shoot her into a wall of rock. She coughed, struggling to rise from the horrible pain.
She sucked in a breath and looked up. The other fighters had formed a circle, blocking her from escaping. It was like a pack of wild animals closing in on their prey.
“Can’t you help me?” she wheezed, talking to her Pet.
“I can’t activate so early in the competition,” said Lindsay. “I can only tell you what to do.”
As the Emitonian raised his hands to finish her off, a blur of red, white, and green smashed into him. The fighter rolled to his feet, leaving the unconscious Emitonian, and confronted the rest of the circle.
Calista finally picked herself up. With a last glance at the unknown fighter, she ran for it. Her helmet beeped to warn her of the incoming projectiles, sending her back into panic mode.
Someone flew through the barrier. “Ooh! Brunchi Host from Team USA has been eliminated!” Another streak followed. “And another! Versus Legend Sugasaka ‘Blender’ Utsuya just fell in a trap! What a tough break for Team Japan.”
The traps. With the way Calista was running around like a frightened mouse, it was a miracle she hadn’t fallen into one.
“Calista, you came here to fight, not run. If you see an enemy, you should avoid them, but if you have no choice, at least keep some of your pride!”
“I’m sorry,” she said, taking cover at a rock. She covered her face and let some tears fall. Her breaths were heavy and wheezy. “I just… I just… I didn’t… I didn’t expect so much… it’s so much scarier than I thought.”
“I get that, but it’s not like you’re going to die. Just take a breath and restart. The volcano, the fire— that’s all fake. Chill.”
“Okay.” She nodded. “Okay. I can… I can do this.”
A magma rock hit the rock she was sitting up against. She screamed, running away. “No, I can’t! I can’t!”
“Calista!”
She tripped over a rock behind her, falling on her rear. A trap activated a few feet away, opening a hole leading to elimination. An approaching fighter didn’t stop in time, falling straight in.
“And another accidental elimination; Hilsoom Bentana from Reto Versus Academy! Costa Rica is running out of fighters!”
“There’s three minutes left,” said Lindsay. “Get your cache together and stop screaming, for the love of the Utopia!”
“This girl is a big fan of accidentally getting rid of fighters, isn’t she?” she heard Lasso add outside.
Calista could only keep running. There was no goal or objective in these rounds. It was just survive and last until the timer ran out. She didn’t want to fight anyone, so she hoped to find a hiding spot somewhere and wait it out.
Her helmet beeped again, warning her of an incoming enemy behind her.
“Oh, huuumaaan!” someone sang.
She turned, tackled by a Paesvoraxian girl in the colors of Ireland. She looked around her same age. The girl pinned her down, studying her face. “Hmm. You’re not as remarkable as they said you were.” She punched the Earthian.
Calista gritted her teeth and fought back, pushing the girl’s face up to target her throat. The girl choked, getting off her, and then smiled. “Okay, lass. I see ya. Better than you runnin’ and screamin’ like a Makakian child.”
Now that Calista saw her face, she looked familiar. “Is she a Legend?” she asked Lindsay.
“Yup. You’re dead,” said Lindsay.
As Calista went into defensive mode, blocking the girl’s rapid-fire attacks, her visor identified her opponent, displaying her name and stats. She was Fíadh ‘Rapid-Fire’ Dinan, the 25th best student in Balla Láidir Fighting Center.
That made sense.
“Focus, okay? Just stay on defense and try and dance around her. She’s going to back you into a trap. If anything, get her into the trap.”
The suit helped in keeping Calista’s energy and strength up, but this girl was merciless. She landed a few hits, too fast for the human to catch up.
“Get around her. You’re going to fall in a trap,” said Lindsay.
Using the jump boost, Calista gracefully leapt over Fíadh and landed behind her, backing up a bit. She cautiously looked around for any buttons, scanners, or other modes of trap activation, but found none.
“Do you know where the traps are?” she asked her Pet.
The hidden triggers were highlighted in her visor. Perfectly invisible to any unsuspecting fighter who was running or getting distracted. But by seeing them, they could use them to subdue their opponents.
Fíadh attacked again, sliding to trip Calista. She kicked Calista’s side and lifted her, slamming an uppercut in her chin. The Earthian flew a couple feet and landed on her back. Dizziness overcame her, coupled with excruciating pain.
“Stay awake!”
Fíadh didn’t give her a chance to recover, overwhelming her with another onslaught of punches. Calista lifted her feet and kicked her using the impulse boost on her boots, sending her flying. The Paesvoraxian coughed and clutched her stomach as she stood.
“Try not to think about the pain,” said Lindsay.
“Easy for you to say,” she grunted. She ran forward and jumped as Fíadh stood, sending a flying kick to her face. She upped the gravity on her boots to maximize the force.
Unfortunately, the move was too predictable. Fíadh grabbed ahold of the girl’s boots and spun her around with a roar of effort, throwing her to the other side. With the gravity still on, Calista shot straight into a boulder. She screamed and braced herself for the horrible impact.
The suit protected her from most of it, but it still hurt like glitches. The boulder broke apart into rubble. She landed on the ground and groaned, trying to stand up.
A fireball landed near her with a huge bang, getting a shriek out of her. She stood, turning away from the flying rubble, only for Fíadh to punch her again. She fell again and crab-walked backwards. Behind her, a ravine opened, leading down to a bubbling river of lava. She stopped, trapped.
“And another mass elimination through a ravine trap! The rest of Denmark’s fighters are out of the competition!”
“Calista, do something!”
“I-I don’t know-” She rolled out of the way as the other girl slammed her fist in the ground. She kicked Calista in the side, toppling her over. Instantly getting to her feet, Calista twirled on her toes and kicked her in the stomach.
“Get her in the ravine!”
With a shred of confidence, Calista took advantage of Fíadh’s imbalance and jumped, twirling in the air to kick her in the face. Her foot made contact, pushing her towards the ravine.
Fíadh held out her hands instinctively and pushed off the ground with her impulse, shooting back up. She reached over and grabbed Calista’s wrist.
“Turn on the grav-”
Before Lindsay could finish, Calista was pulled towards the girl, who sent her into the open ravine with a final kick.
She could feel the lava’s warmth grow on her back as she fell closer and closer. Fíadh watched her fall for a couple of seconds, then disappeared. Calista could only stare as the surface got further.
This was the end of her run. Now it would take her four more years to get another chance. All of that… for what?
She sighed, hearing the loud ‘GAME OVER’ before she hit the lava.
===
Harrison couldn’t hide his disappointment when he saw Calista outside the barrier at the end of the game. It was a crazy round for him, too, but nothing he couldn’t handle. He eliminated and booby-trapped lots of first-time fighters that targeted him. He was beat up pretty badly by a Legend from Team Korea, but it wasn’t too bad.
Most of Team USA had thankfully stayed in the game. Those that were eliminated were mainly rookies who got overconfident during the round.
They returned to the elevator, meeting the eliminated competitors, who clapped for them. Calista went to the corner of the elevator and sulked.
“Hey, Calista, how was your first round?” Hillary smiled, crossing her legs. “Pretty scary, no?”
“I’ll say. She was screaming her head off the whole round,” said a boy.
“How do you know?”
“We watched it here when we got kicked out. It helped lift our spirits, honestly. She was running around like a headless chicken. It was hilarious.”
The girl curled up in shame, looking away. Camelithia immediately went over to comfort her, shooting an offensive gesture at the other fighters.
Harrison sat down and breathed out tiredly, leaning his head on the wall. Once they were all settled in, they ascended to the lobby.
“Congratulations, everyone,” said Lisa. “We’ve managed to keep 134 of our members in the games. I’m going to remind you all— those who were eliminated, don’t think you are a failure. You all did the best you could.”
“Yeah, Medley put a lot of effort into screaming like a howler monkey,” someone remarked.
The elevator burst with giggles, but was silenced with Lisa’s intimidating glare. Everyone looked away, not wanting to test the Dean’s patience further.
“All of you did your best. This situation was more difficult than usual. Not being able to train properly for a Chaos Round provokes a stressful situation. Now, all you can do is work on improving throughout the rest of the competition. Next Versus, you’ll have a chance to redeem yourself.”
They exited the elevator. Calista kept her gaze down, hoping her helmet would conceal her identity from the other fighters. Harrison could hear many celebrating their victory while others vented their frustrations about not continuing.
He patted her back. “Don’t think too much on it,” he said. She didn’t answer.
“Cali, you want to go get a bevvy or something?” Camelithia put an arm around her shoulders.
“I’m 18, not 21,” she replied.
“Oh, right. How about a milkshake?”
“I dunno.”
“There’s spas here, you know,” Harrison told her. “You can relax. It was a harsh round.”
“I think I’m just going to my room,” she sighed.
“Wait for me!” Belinda ran over. “You guys are fast.” She patted Calista’s shoulder. “Don’t sweat it, okay? It was a crazy round.”
“I’m glad you guys made it through, at least.”
“I almost didn’t,” said Belinda. “God, it was so embarrassing.”
“What happened?”
As she told the story, they passed an entire HARP screen wall displaying every Versus channel from each country, even those that weren’t participating this year. Foreign languages faded in and out.
Xavier Hennett’s unmistakable voice could be heard. “… pretty interesting story around her. I’d say her call sign has to be ‘Lady Luck’. It’s ridiculous how many times she’s been spared.”
Harrison stopped, curiosity striking. The girls also stopped, Belinda pausing her storytelling.
“I’ll say,” said Yvonne. “This technicality could be some kind of sign, Xavier. The barrier wanted her, but God said no.”
Who were they talking about?
Xavier faced the camera. “We have just received confirmation that Calista Medley of Team USA, who was thought to be the last competitor eliminated in the first preliminary round, is actually still in the tournament. It turns out the timer finished just half a second before she hit the barrier!”
Harrison’s jaw dropped. No way…
He looked at Calista, whose emerald eyes were fixed on the HARP. A slow-motion replay of her fight with Fíadh displayed, showing her falling into the ravine trap. The timer at the top turned to 00:00 just before she turned into a blue trail in the ERMM barrier.
“According to the Versus bylaws, eliminations in timed rounds are only counted within the set time limit. Any eliminations after the timer hits 0 are null and void, no exceptions,” Yvonne explained.
“Holy glitches.” Camelithia’s face filled with elation. She smiled at Calista. “You’re still in! You have another chance!” She hugged her tightly. “I’m so happy for you!”
“They don’t look happy…” Belinda was looking behind them, where a crowd of fighters from many teams had formed to watch the screens. Their eyes were now on the girl, filled with contempt, disgust, and even rage.
“You should go,” Harrison prompted them, glaring back at the crowd, as if daring them to say a word or lay a finger on any of them. Many of them turned away, but others challenged his glare.
“Makes sense if she’s Cheater’s student,” Hillary remarked, appearing at the front of the group. “You think you’re so lucky, don’t you?”
“Calista, come on.” Belinda pushed her and Cam down the hall. Harrison stayed behind, watching the HARP.
“Something’s favoring this girl. A one-in-a-million chance of being admitted, just barely making the team, and remaining in the competition through a technicality… what is going on this year?”
The other news anchors in all the other channels voiced their own reactions to Calista’s almost-elimination. They all carried the same tone; suspicion. Everyone watching heard the report in their language, their faces changing.
“So I get glitched off, but she gets to stay?!” an Australian fighter exclaimed. “What in the blags are you Yanks doing? I’ve trained two Versus years to get on the team, and I’m out already. Meanwhile, this narcissistic glitch gets in on some glitching technicality?”
“Hey.” Harrison approached the young man menacingly. Of course, he wouldn’t do anything, but in the Versus world, intimidation was key to survival. “You’re the one who got yourself bugged out of the game. If it took you eight years to get as far as that, you should evaluate yourself. Now get your face out of here.”
The fighter glared back ferociously, but backed down. Harrison turned his glare to Hillary, who had that irritating satisfied smirk on her face. She was the nastiest Paeseoan he’d ever met.
“I don’t care whose girlfriend you are. Calista’s my Favorite. You glitch with her, you glitch with me. I have a limit, Kaye. And if Davies has a problem with me, he can say it to my face.”
“Oh, he’s not afraid of you. And neither am I.” She turned. “See you in the next round, Cheater.”
Harrison breathed out, going to the chamber to remove his suit. Calista and the other two weren’t there, probably having retreated to the dorms.
Calista had another chance, but with it came an even bigger challenge. People thought they were being unfairly ousted. They thought she was stealing their place.
So it was up to Harrison to prepare her enough to face the next round.