Ding. Ding. Ding.
Whir.
“Good morning, Miss Calista Medley. It is now 11:15 in the morning of September 15th, 2349 in the city of Indianapolis, Indiana. You have a pending message from… Fistborn Academy… which arrived at 1:00 AM on September 15th, 2349. What would you like for breakfast?”
Calista got out of her capsule and her slippers appeared around her feet. Her hair smoothed into its perfect cascade. “Low-fat strawberry pancakes with butter-flavored maple syrup.”
“I’m preparing your meal right now. Would you like some coffee?”
“Yeah, make it a vanilla-berry latte with weight-therapy cream.”
“Very well.”
For some reason, she felt like something was… off.
There was something about her daily routine that wasn’t normal. She frowned at the strange feeling of confusion in her stomach as she teleported downstairs. She now wore her at-home one-piece white suit and foundation with light eyeshadow, nothing else.
As she ate her pancakes, she sighed, conflicted. Something was strange. Something was… wrong.
Did AIDA say there was a message?
“Um, AIDA?”
“Yes, Calista?”
“What was that you said? About a message from who?”
“You received a message from Fistborn Academy today at 2:00 AM.”
She froze, her fork clattering onto her plate before falling into her lap. The AIDA teleported it two seconds too late, leaving her white pants stained.
“Wh- ho- ahem. Um… what is the message about?” She swallowed.
The stain slowly disappeared from Calista’s fabric as AIDA spoke. “Your application to Fistborn Academy has been processed and submitted into the second stage of the Versus Fighting Career application. Your written exam date has been set for September 18th, 2349 at 9:00 AM and your practical exam date has been set for September 20th, 2349 at 11:00 AM. The interview and verbal exam have been omitted due to the unusual circumstance of this late application-”
“Whoa, whoa, slow down.” She held up her hand. Her confusion was now giving way to utter bafflement. “What are you talking about?”
“Your application to Fistborn Academy.”
“App- what? Application?” She stood, her eyes to the ceiling. “No… AIDA, I applied for a scholarship. For NYWS? That’s the application.”
“According to my database in your scheduled events, you also applied for the extra spot in Fistborn Academy, which opened up on September 10th.”
“What?! When?!”
“September 10th, 2349, 2:55 PM. Location: Medley Residence, House #356 South, Residential District. Code RESDIS-3445.”
“Yeah, I applied for the scholarship, not the fighting school. That’s… you probably have an error or something.”
“That could be possible. Please wait a moment for me to self-evaluate.”
Calista slowly sank back into her chair, picking up her fork as she tried to eat again. It was probably a bug. Nothing to it. Nothing to worry about.
“Self-evaluation complete. Errors have been repaired. You have applied to Fistborn Academy, Calista.”
She stood, once again abandoning her breakfast. “But that doesn’t make any sense, AIDA! That…” She raked a hand through her black locks with heavy anxiety. “I applied for a scholarship. It was for the Socializer school!”
“My databases tell me you applied for the fighting school immediately after the Socializer scholarship application.”
How was it possible? It had to be a hacker. Someone could’ve recorded her voice. Their AIDA software was a little old, and updates were getting expensive.
But… who would do this?! Why would anyone falsely sign her up? Was this some kind of joke? A sick prank from one of her haters?
What if it was those people at the bar? Did they do it for revenge? It had to be them. She had to contact Fistborn and tell them she was hacked. She couldn’t send in a fake application.
Although… that would mean a very long, legal process. She’d have to prove herself innocent. There were too many cases of false applications in the Versus.
Maybe she could call her parents… but they were at work. They’d freak out if they knew they were hacked again. She didn’t know what to do. She wanted to report the case, tell Fistborn it was a mistake, but the lengthy process didn’t seem worth it. Just another way for the Versus to torture her.
Her fingers unconsciously combed her hair. “God, help me, what the heck is happening…?” She took a deep breath. She glanced at her partially eaten breakfast, her appetite gone.
Maybe Catalina knew something? They were after her first.
She teleported upstairs and ran to Catalina’s wall. “Cat, may I come in?”
“What is it?” she asked through the speaker.
“It’s important.”
A pause. “But what is it?”
Calista bristled. “May I come in, please?” she said through gritted teeth.
Catalina sighed. “Fine.” The wall dissolved for her.
Inside, Catalina was sitting in the middle of the room, surrounded by a transparent, blue globe, probably designing something.
“What happened?” she asked from inside.
“I got a message. From Fistborn Academy.”
Catalina’s globe instantly closed, revealing her shocked face. Her hands were suspended in midair. “Um… from Fistborn?” She put her hands down, fiddling with the fabric of her suit. “What was it about?”
Calista explained the hack. Catalina’s face changed from shock to deep confusion. “A hack?” she inquired. She ran a hand through her blond waves. “I don’t know why anyone would do that.”
“Right?”
Her sister leaned back leisurely. “I don’t know what to tell you, sis.”
Calista tried to ignore it, resisting the urge to scold her for the way she sat. “But who would do this? And why? Could it be those people from the bar?”
“I don’t think so. They didn’t know who you were.”
“They knew you. And they know I’m your sister! They could’ve gotten my info!”
“Cali, I really don’t think so.”
“But why would they do this out of all things?! This doesn’t make any sense!”
“Okay, calm down.”
“Calm down?! I have to take two tests that I never even studied for! Two tests I didn’t even want! I wanted a full-ride to NYWS! I need to tell them I was hacked.”
Catalina suddenly stood. “No!”
“No?!”
“I…” She paled, her mouth flapping. “Do you know the process for that? Those academies, they thrive on false applications. They get a lot of digits from every case. They’ll try and accuse you to suck the code out of you.”
Her stress levels rose and she started combing her hair with her fingers, unconsciously fashioning a braid. “Well, what am I supposed to do?!”
Catalina shrugged. “Take the tests.”
“I can’t take those-”
She tensed, bursting with stress. “You have to! Once someone applies and they get into the second stage, they need to take them or they get fined! We can’t pay that fine.”
“But I don’t want to get into the second stage!”
“Then fail them.”
Both turned to the wall. Catalina let it dissolve, revealing Carter, who held a device to hear their conversation.
“What the-” Catalina bolted towards him. “Where did you get that?”
Carter ducked out of her reach, holding the device away. “It’s the most obvious thing in the galaxy. You score below 60 tacks, you’re out. Simple.” He shrugged.
Calista paused, contemplating his words. “Fail them?”
“Yeah. Do your worst and they’ll throw out your application. Besides, it’s one spot and thousands of applications. The odds are low that they’ll choose you.”
She nodded, ignoring his last remark. “Fail the tests.” She then chuckled at herself, lightly slapping her forehead. “Duh. I’m uber-dumb. Why would I think…?”
Really, why didn’t she think of that? The minute she thought about those tests, she envisioned herself desperately trying to score high above the 60 tacks.
Catalina looked between them. “But… no, Cali… you can’t just fail on purpose.”
“Why not?”
“I mean… you’re getting a free pass into Fistborn. I’d take advantage.”
“Are you crazy? I don’t want to go to any fighting school, and you know that.”
“No, just…” Catalina fidgeted. “I’d do my best. It’s pretty humiliating to fail like that.”
“She doesn’t even need to fail on purpose, Cat,” said Carter. “She can’t fight worth a bug. She would fail anyway, wouldn’t she?” He smiled widely.
As snide as the remark was, he had a point, so Calista refrained from hitting him. Catalina, however, smacked him with an intense frown. She seemed tense and hinted at disapproval.
Calista nodded. “Yeah, yeah…” She paced, taking deep breaths. Her fingers crafted a braid in her hair as her stomach clenched.
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Why didn’t she feel relieved? Why wasn’t this a weight off her shoulders? Carter was right. Once she failed the tests, she wouldn’t have to worry about being involved with the Versus at all.
She groaned, realizing what she was thinking.
“What?”
“Nothing.” She rubbed her churning stomach. “I, uh… I’m gonna go to my pod, get some beauty sleep. Got all stressed, you know?” She passed through the wall.
This was a free chance. A one-in-a-million chance. What did she have to lose?
A lot. She had a lot to lose.
But it wouldn’t hurt, right? The girls didn’t need to know. They would never find out.
She just had to do her best. If she didn’t pass, she didn’t pass. What mattered was that she took the chance.
===
“Good morning, Miss Calista Medley. It is now 9:15 in the morning of September 20th, 2349 in the city of Indianapolis, Indiana. Your practical exam for Fistborn Academy is scheduled at 11:00 AM today at the AU Projector in the Industrial District. What would you like for breakfast?”
===
Calista didn’t know what grade she got on the written exam, but she was sure it was nothing short of mediocre. It felt like a passing grade, at least.
She studied to the point that she missed her beauty sleeps and Thinning appointments. She managed to convince the girls she’d simply burned out and needed a break. When she came to them with bags beginning to form under her eyes, they crashed. They’d even treated her to a full Thinning Spa treatment so she could look ‘beautiful enough’ again.
Her parents were surprised when they heard about the application, but a lot more thrilled than when they heard about the Socializer scholarship. It was clear they preferred Fistborn, even her mother, who used to speak against this competition. Maybe the Socializer career really had declined that much.
Now it was time for her practical exam, and she had to hope no one would recognize her. For the first time in years, she wished she had no fans. She was tempted to use one of Catalina’s Masks, but since they were illegal, she would just have to keep her head low.
The family arrived at their destination through the travel tubes. The AU Projector building was a simple, one-floor facility with no interior. There were about 10 oval doors on each side, where each user would enter and use the installed Projector to virtually arrive at their real destination for whatever appointment they needed.
Calista’s stomach dropped to her feet. Two sides of the building were reserved for the Fistborn applicants, and holy glitch, it was packed.
People waited in hovering shelves with comfy seats on them, connecting their AIDA band to the system around them so they could remain entertained during the wait. The Medleys proceeded to one of the shelves with available seats.
Just as Calista sat down, the seats moved, an applicant having finished. She looked up and saw a Martian teleporting outside the boundary with his Air-Car.
“Calling Amidan Stok,” the AIDA announced.
Calista squinted, her eyes scanning the crowd. There were all sorts of people; different colors, different sizes, different features. But a minority could still be seen among the waves.
There were hardly any humans. In fact, there were almost none.
She sighed. This was one of the reasons she’d given up all those years ago. What was the point? How could she compete with all of the stronger species? She’d held her own against that group at Cosmos, but that was probably divine intervention. Maybe they were already drunk.
Calista connected her AIDA band and played an episode of Astrana on her mini-screen, the bubble blocking off the sound around her. She’d studied and practiced as hard as she could, so she preferred de-stressing before the exam.
The past few days were absolutely grinding, mostly on her limbs and abdomen. Under the guide of the free pre-training module Fistborn offered, she’d done push-ups, sit-ups, jogs, and basic fighting exercises to prepare her body for the test.
She definitely wasn’t used to so much physical exertion anymore, having collapsed after only 10 push-ups the first time. If it hadn’t been for Catalina pushing her so hard, she never would’ve made it to 25. And the sweat… ugh! It was revolting.
Her mini-screen suddenly disappeared, startling her. She blinked and found herself in front of the second door on the left.
“Calling Calista Medley,” the AIDA said.
Her family’s chairs veered off to the right to wait for her. All of them shot her encouraging smiles and gestures as they hovered away to a different shelf. She stood, her chair disappearing, and took a deep breath before entering.
At first, it was pitch-black. Calista stopped, apprehension keeping her from walking into darkness.
“Please stand in the middle of the AU circle.” A light shone in the center.
She obeyed and placed her feet on the glowing footprint indicators. Instantly, the darkness vanished, gradually lighting up until she was surrounded by sea green.
“Projecting to: Hall of Affairs, Versus Wing, Fistborn Academy, #1 North, Versus Grounds. Code VERSUSEARTHUSA-1001.” The light softly gave way to the Fistborn examination room.
Calista’s green eyes wandered around curiously, wide with wonder and amazement. She arched her neck and turned slowly to take in the details of the room.
It was simple, but beautiful. The sleek, symmetrical design was pleasing to the eye, the pale sky-blue walls rising up in geometrical shapes like a kaleidoscope, all the way up to a large skylight. Large windows were built to let in plenty of natural sunlight. In the middle, where Calista stood, was a mat that covered nearly the entirety of the space.
At the far end was a table with five people, the Fistborn Academy crest hovering behind them. It was a red-white-and-blue circle with letters reading ‘FBA’ diagonally.
Among the judges, Calista recognized one face.
Lisa White.
Anyone would recognize those amber eyes and dirty blond hair. Of course, she looked a bit older, but not that different. Calista couldn’t believe she was staring her childhood idol straight in the face.
Below her was a glowing sign identifying her:
Ms. Lisa “Dark Horse” White
Earthian American
Versus Champion 2334
Dean of the Fistborn Versus Fighting School
In the middle of the panel was an Emitonian woman that looked around 60 in Earth years, with purple skin and gray hair tied into a bun. Her harsh demeanor and large, cold, calculating eyes gave Calista shivers, not to mention her large forehead sporting numerous wrinkles. Her eyes were colored a shimmering gold, as warm as the sun, but her scrutiny made them icy.
Mrs. Josephine “Cruella” Chrisman
Earth-raised Emitonian Pensan— England
Versus Champion 2310
President of Fistborn Academy
Cruella. How appropriate.
On Chrisman’s right, a kinder-looking Paeseoan man carefully observed her with a smile. He had green skin with intricate markings lining his muscular arms like veins, and red eyes that twinkled with curiosity. A tuft of blue hair sat on his head, parts of it glowing with the sun rays.
Mr. Benson “Kind Killer” Kalley
Kwantan-raised Paeseoan Silikan— Alik
Versus Silver-winner 2334
Vice President of Fistborn Academy
Benson Kalley. Calista remembered him from the last Versus she watched. He was notoriously kind to everyone— hence his call sign. Paeseoans in general were usually very kind, both from their birth planet and Kwantan.
Kwantan was an interspecies planet; it housed many diverse species, but didn’t have an original species in and of itself. It was discovered by Paeseo, so they were the most predominant there.
While Earth had the stereotype of being lazy and mediocre, Paeseo and Kwantan had a reputation for being very generous, even naïve at times. However, they demonstrated otherwise in the competition.
On the vice president’s left was a man that looked as cruel as Mrs. Chrisman. He had icy blue, crystalline skin that sparkled with the sunlight, and coal-black eyes.
A Klausian on the panel didn’t give her any positive thoughts. They were very prejudiced against humans.
Mr. Islen Estalen
Klausian Bastan
Combat Technique Professor
Versus Fighting School Evaluator
And finally, on Lisa’s left, occupying the last seat on the panel, was a Mearthian woman who resembled Lisa quite a bit. She sported a kind smile that curved her glassy black eyes. She had pale, washed-out skin and long blonde locks that spilled over her shoulders.
Ms. Gina “Gaslight” White
Mearthian Yostan-American
Versus Silver-winner 2346
Dean of the Fistborn Fighting School
Calista remembered her. She was Lisa’s cousin. She wasn’t as famous as Lisa, but she was recognized widely. Born on Mars, she won second place last Versus for Jostif Combat School. Because of her, the second stage of this year’s Versus would be hosted by Mars.
The girl stood in the middle of the mat, her hands twisting as they watched her.
“Calista Medley, 17-year old Earthian American, number 385,” Professor Estalen rambled off in a bored drawl as he read his screen. A thick accent bled through.
“That’s right,” she said with a nod.
His coal-black eyes glanced up at her, seemingly bothered. She folded her lips and rocked back and forth on her feet, staying quiet.
“Did you apply for the Versus before this extra spot was opened?”
“No.”
“Why?”
Comp-bugs. “Um… I meant to. But… I had other plans to… follow a different career. When the spot opened, I changed my mind and decided to keep going for the Versus.” Her heart picked up speed. Professor Estalen gave her a steady, narrow glare before moving on.
“How long have you been interested in fighting?” President Chrisman asked, sporting a heavy British accent.
“Um… since I was a little girl,” she answered. “I’ve always wanted to be a Versus fighter. I actually applied for the Junior Versus when I was younger. I think… I’d do pretty good.”
“But you weren’t accepted for the Junior Versus, were you?”
Her confidence instantly dimmed. “No… I wasn’t.”
Chrisman glanced at Vice President Kalley, who shrugged. She then sighed and raised her brows, wrinkling her large forehead further. “Alright, then. Let’s get on with it. Turn on the CDSim.”
“The CD-what?”
Before her question was answered, the mat she stood on glowed brightly. She stepped back as a holographic, man-shaped simulation appeared before her.
“Start with defense. Use all the blocking maneuvers you have practiced up to now. Do not attack back,” President Chrisman commanded.
The holo-man circled around the girl, getting into a combat position. Her nerves frayed, she quickly did the same.
“Begin.”
The simulation started the fight by lashing out with its fist, aiming for Calista’s jaw. The girl’s instincts clicked and she blocked it by swiping her arm to the side. It tried a kick to the stomach, which she also deflected.
Okay, maybe this isn’t so bad, she thought.
The hologram suddenly sped up, the cadence of the fight increasing as it unleashed a relentless barrage of attacks. Calista’s defenses were quickly broken and she grunted as its fists and feet landed in her face, chest, stomach, and sides.
I stand corrected!
She was tempted to hit back. Instead, she held her arms up in a boxing block, shielding her face, but she failed to protect the rest of her body.
Her stomach dropped as she was lifted into the air and slammed harshly onto the mat. She groaned in pain and inhaled deeply, her stomach aching as her muscles contracted.
“Stop.”
The simulation ceased its attacks at the president’s command, letting the girl recover. It took her a few moments to get over the harsh blow, but she eventually rose to her feet. Pain was not something she handled well.
The entire panel, even the kind-looking ones, stared at her emotionlessly, their eyes unreadable. She could feel her face turning red.
“Next stage is offense,” President Chrisman said, ignoring her humiliation. “Find openings, land as many hits as you can, and knock your opponent off-balance in the shortest amount of time possible.”
The hologram shifted into a more defensive position this time. Maybe she’d have more of a chance if she went on offense.
“Begin.”
Calista lashed out with her fist and aimed for the holo-man’s throat. It blocked her attack with her forearm and stepped back. The girl winced at the impact, but kept throwing punches at its face and stomach. It continued avoiding them easily, smoothly dodging every blow.
She had to land a hit somewhere.
They paused, circling as she evaluated its movements. Glancing at its feet, an idea sparked.
She shot her fist towards the projection’s face. As it leaned backwards, she suddenly dropped down and swept its legs out from underneath, making it collapse.
Unfortunately, she collapsed as well. The hologram was upright in no time at all. She quickly scrambled to her feet.
Well, she landed a hit, at least.
The exchange continued, Calista’s movements growing faster and more reckless as her frustration grew. She couldn’t land a good hit anywhere. She punched it in the face and stomach a few times, but she couldn’t seem to defeat it.
At one point, her feet clumsily stumbled as she went for another attack. It stepped aside as she fell forward.
She knocked herself over. Awesome.
“Stop.”
She tried not to show any shame, but she was just about ready to burst into tears. The embarrassment was unbearable.
“The last stage is a combination of both offense and defense. Basically a regular fight. Use what you’ve done in the last two stages.”
Calista just wanted to die. With luck, the hologram would kill her.
“Begin.”
The holo-man began the fight, swooping down instantly and kicking Calista’s legs out from under her. She let out a small cry as she landed on her back. She quickly rolled over and got to her feet.
She dodged and blocked its fists, keeping her feet firmly planted to not lose her balance. Her heart clenched with desperation as she tried her best to hold herself up.
The simulation’s fist connected with her chin and she staggered back. Before she could recover, it grabbed her arm and pulled her forward, twisting her arm behind her back. She winced and let out a strained cry of pain.
Adrenaline injected itself into her veins as her face firmed. She gritted her teeth and threw her elbow back into the hologram’s face, following it up with a kick to the shin. Her elbow weakened with pain. Ow, ow, ow, ow…
She pulled her arm out of its grip and brought her other fist around to punch it. Her speed grew and her balance improved slightly as she launched all her strength against the simulation.
With finality, she kicked the holo-man’s knee, forcing it to the floor, and drove her own knee up to its chin. Its head jerked back and it fell.
“Stop.”
She panted heavily and lightly rubbed her knee, looking up at the panel. None of their expressions hinted at what they thought. She only hoped they couldn’t see the tears pricking at her eyes.
“Your practical evaluation is over. Thank you for participating. We will contact you within the week if you are selected for the pressure exam,” President Chrisman said coldly.
Her limbs shook, the adrenaline fading. Just as the pain from her injuries settled in, a laser shone over her, healing every bruise and blow she took.
That was a relief. She was worrying about the unflattering black-and-blue spreading all over her.
Nervously, she thanked the judges before stepping out of the AU boundary. The room disappeared into blue light, which gradually faded.
In a flash, she was suddenly teleported outside the building, followed by her family. They looked around, disoriented, before gathering their bearings and noticing her.
Their faces filled with hope at first, but their smiles fell and their eyes darkened when they saw Calista’s pale complexion, downturned eyes, and slanted lips.
“How’d it go?” Catalina asked tentatively.
She only looked at them, sighed, and went to the travel tubes. She’d predicted it. She knew this would happen.
It wasn’t worth it.