“Asena, use Attack!”

On command, the Lyote charged at Kay’s ailing Fenkit, hitting it hard, rolling him several times across the short grass. Rather than being down for the count, however, the Fenkit scrambled to its feet just in time to avoid being snapped up in Asena’s jaws.

“That’s right, Sunshine!” Kay encouraged. “Now, use Speed!”

The Fenkit circled Asena faster and faster until he was almost a brown blur. Asena started growing dizzy as she tried to keep track of the Fenkit running in circles around her, but Jackson was ready.

“Pull back, girl!” he shouted. “Get out of there!”

Three weeks previous, Asena would have ignored him. This time, she obeyed at once, running back toward Jackson and out of Sunshine’s dizzying circle. The Fenkit gave chase, but Asena was ready. When Sunshine charged at her with a ram attack, she turned at the last moment with a counter. The two Djinn collided in the air on their hind paws and Sunshine went down in a lump.

“Okay, that’s it!”

Jackson could hear the concern in Kay’s voice as she ran to inspect Sunshine. Jackson whistled and Asena returned to his side, but only reluctantly. The two Djinn had become friends over the past couple weeks skirmishing together, and Asena let out a worried whine before obeying Jackson’s command.

“He’ll be okay, girl,” Jackson said, ruffling the orange fur on the top of Asena’s head. “You did a good job!”

Asena’s tail wagged and she let out a happy bark. Kay looked up from tending to Sunshine, who was now on his feet, although still a little unsteady.

“All right, that’s it — I’m not going to let Sunshine fight Asena anymore,” she said.

“What?” Jackson couldn’t believe it. “Why?”

Kay pointed to Asena. “She’s getting too strong — even though she’s still a lower level, Sunshine isn’t a fighting Djinn. I don’t want him to get hurt. I hate to admit it, but you’ve done a good job raising her so far.”

Jackson started to protest that they couldn’t call off the practices but stopped at Kay’s expression. He opened up the mini display holo on his watch to take a look at Asena’s stats.

GENERAL STATS AND INFO

Djinn: Lyote

Level: 3

Name: Asena

Element: Fire/Earth

Species Rarity: Rare

Tamer: Jackson Hunt

HP (Hit Points): 15/86

EP (Elemental Power): 42/42

XP (Experience): 23 to Next Level

DJP (Djinn Points): 0 Unallocated

Attack: 18

Defense: 12

Speed: 15

Accessories: None

Items: None

Status: Neutral

Bond: 15%

Move Set: Swipe Left to See More >>>

Between the fight with the Felinx and the practice with Sunshine, his Djinn had grown a couple of levels. More importantly, several of her key stats, including Bond, had increased. He felt a small swell of pride and knew it was time for the next step of the plan.

“Okay…” he told Kay “No more practice fights with Sunshine.”

A quick Djinn-Aid pack applied to Sunshine’s back quickly dissolved and left him with full health. Seeing her friend recovered, Asena bounded to him and licked the Fenkit on the nose. Sunshine responded with a gentle nip and the two were on good terms again now that the battle had ended.

“So what’s your big plan now?” Kay asked. “It’s offseason right now for league play and I doubt Asena would qualify, anyway. There are only a few minor tournaments until midsummer and none of them are around here…how’re you gonna earn the money with no one to fight?”

“Well…” Jackson began. Now the tricky part came into play, beginning with explaining things to Kay in a way that didn’t freak her out. “There are actually a few battles going on right now, I think. I’m just not sure how to get access.”

“What are you talking about?” Kay asked, pulling open a net search on her holo-watch. “There aren’t any open invitation tournaments or duels going on in the next three months anywhere close to here! And I hate to be an even bigger downer, but you’re not even licensed!”

“I’m not what now?”

Kay rolled her eyes. “Licensed? Are you serious?” She let out an exhausted sigh and pulled up a doc on her holo-watch and flicked it over to him.

Jackson read through the doc. She was right. Djinn Tamers were required by law to be registered with the region they lived in — not a big deal, except that anyone under the age of eighteen had to have a parent or guardian sign off before they could obtain a license. Had he actually planned to take place in official fights before he turned eighteen, it might have bothered him.

“She’s not registered?”

“Do you remember going in and having her registered?” Kay said.

Kay was right. He didn’t take the time to get the Djinn registered. But for his plans, it didn’t matter. “Okay, well there aren’t any official fights going on,” Jackson admitted. “But what I’m thinking of wouldn’t require any tournaments…or a license for that matter.”

Kay looked at him, eyes wide in surprise. “You’ve got to be kidding — the underground fights? That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard!”

“Why is that so stupid?” Jackson asked, irritated. “Like you said — there are no upcoming tournaments or anything and I can’t get a license until Grandma signs off on it anyway, even if they were happening! Unless you think me forging that is a better idea.”

“Well, for starters, they’re illegal. Plus, I’ve heard awful things about some of the underground fighting rings!”

“Not just any underground. I’m talking about the Underground.’”

“You literally just said the same thing.”

“The underground death matches are totally different from the Underground Leagues. At least that’s what I’ve heard.”

“Are they illegal?”

“Well, yes —”

“Then how are they different?”

“Kay, you know I’d never do anything that could permanently injure or kill Asena! You’ve just gotta trust me on this.”

Kay looked less than convinced. “You’ve never been to an Underground fight, how do you know there’s even any around here or how to get in?”

Jackson smirked. “Let’s just say I know a guy.”

* * *

“I can’t believe you still talk to Tak Rito,” Kay said. “He is such a douche.”

Jackson felt his face redden. “I don’t talk to him — I just hit him up about this one thing!”

Admittedly, Tak wasn’t Jackson’s first choice to find out more about the Underground. Remembering their conversation with Fiona, Jackson messaged her and tried to get any info she might have in the most roundabout and nonchalant way possible. But other than at the ranch, they didn’t talk very often, and Fiona hadn’t been any help. Every response she gave was vague and Jackson had been afraid to push further for fear she might suspect something was up from all his questions.

That left Jackson with one last possible lead: Tak Rito. Back in their underschool days, they’d been friends for a brief period. A regular bad boy, Tak was abrasive and hard to handle for long periods. After about six months, Jackson hadn’t been able to stand hanging out with the dude anymore. His personality alone, even aside from the random acts of teenage rebellion he committed on a daily basis, was enough to exhaust even the most outgoing of people.

Since dropping out of school the previous year, Tak lived on the southern outskirts of town, the complete opposite side as Jackson, Kay and most of the neighborhoods. In fact, it was so far that it may have technically been a part of Lam, Tyle’s sister city. The run-down trailer he rented — or stole, hard to say with Tak — sat in a too-big lot devoid of trees, grass and anything else, really, unless you counted rocks and dirt.

When Jackson messaged him to ask about the Underground, Tak hadn’t given him a quick, easy answer. Instead, he’d asked Jackson over without any promise of helping him out. Back before Tak dropped out and he and Jackson were still friendly, he’d bragged about fighting in the Underground. At the time, Jackson dismissed it as total B.S. but now he hoped Tak might be his ticket to the fights.

The trailer had mottled yellow and green paint that highlighted the fading silver body. A couple of the windows were boarded up and a loud cacophony of electro-metal music blared out of the rundown unit, even though they were still dozens of yards away. Kay took one look at the trailer and accompanying lot and wrinkled her nose. At her ankles, Sunshine made a similar unhappy expression, especially at the banging synthetic music.

“It’s bad enough you’re here. Why’d you have to drag me into this?” she asked. “If he pulls something, I will leave you to die, so I’m not great for backup.”

“Well… back in the day, Tak sort of had a thing for you,” Jackson said, hoping Kay wouldn’t turn and bolt right away. It was actually sort of the basis for Jackson and Tak’s short-lived friendship. Tak had approached Jackson asking about her. Awed by the older classmate who already had his own Djinn, he answered all of Tak’s questions about Kay. Jackson didn’t think he’d mention that, though. He also didn’t mention Tak’s last message: if you come over, bring dat red-head chick with you.

“What?!” Kay stopped in her tracks and stared at Jackson. “And you never told me? This is so not okay!”

Jackson took a step away before Kay could throw a punch at his already-bruised shoulder. “I’m not even sure it’s that big of a thing — it’s not like he ever acted on it. I’m not asking you to seduce him or something, just stand there and try not to insult him, okay?”

“So I’m just some object for him to look at?”

“Can we just go back to the time where you were my crappy backup who’d leave me to die? Let’s live in that world instead and forget about the whole creepy Tak thing.”

“You. Owe. Me. Big.” Sunshine growled, letting Jackson know his thoughts on the matter, too.

“I do,” Jackson agreed. “Let’s go — the sooner we get there and talk with him the sooner this can all be over.”

Jackson opened the rusted gate hanging from a leaning fence post and he and Kay walked up the cracked, overgrown sidewalk to Tak’s trailer door. Jackson knocked on it but doubted Tak could hear anything with the music blaring so loud. He knocked again, louder. Still nothing.

Ready to be out of there, Jackson banged on the door so hard the side of his fist hurt. This time, loud swearing rose over the sound of the electro-metal and Tak Rito opened the door.

He looked like an unassuming guy by most standards: dark purple hair just above his shoulders and a bored expression on his face. Jackson realized he’d shaved his trademark goatee but otherwise his black t-shirt and tan pants rounded out the standard look for Tak. If he was surprised to see Jackson, or even Kay for that matter, he didn’t show it. Leaning against the door frame, he tapped the watch on his wrist and the music stopped, filling the surrounding space with a heavy, awkward silence.

“What’s up, man?” Jackson offered.

Tak stared back, the same unreadable expression on his face. After a painfully long moment, he jerked his head. “Hey, bro, what’s up?”

“This is Kay,” Jackson said, stepping aside and forcing Kay into full view of her old admirer.

Tak’s hooded eyes shifted to Kay and he gave her the same emotionless head nod. “That’s a good-looking Fenkit,” he said, pointing to Sunshine.

Kay gave a nervous laugh and muttered some kind of thanks. Sunshine, on the other hand, let out a small growl and stood over its tamer’s feet, no doubt ready to jump at Tak’s face if he tried to mess with either of them.

“So how’s it going?” Jackson said. “I haven’t seen you in a while.”

“I’ve been here,” Tak said. “Just living the dream, you know?”

Jackson forced a hollow laugh. “You know it. I was thinking the other day about that time you hacked the school intercom system. Man, that was hilarious!”

Kay made a small, annoyed cough, giving her thoughts on the incident. To Jackson, though, it really had been one of Tak’s finest moments. After hacking the system, he’d installed a voice modifier over so that every time a teacher or admin spoke, it came out as a high-pitched, squeaking voice or a deep bass.

Tak let out a deep laugh, surprising his two visitors. When it finally died down, he grinned at Jackson. “Ha! That was one of my better moments for sure. You’re all right, J — it’s good to see you again.”

“You too,” Jackson said. This time his smile wasn’t as forced. “Sorry I couldn’t keep up with you back in the day.”

“It’s all good man. So what —”

Before Tak could finish his watch let out a loud ring. He glanced down at the caller ID screen that popped up then back at Jackson and Kay. “Hold up, I gotta take this.”

The trailer door shut, leaving Jackson and Kay alone in the desolate front yard. Sunshine sniffed around at Kay’s feet but whatever he smelled didn’t encourage him to wander any farther away. Inside, Jackson could hear Tak speaking to what sounded like a woman over the vid-call, but couldn’t make out what they were saying.

“He was the one who hacked the intercom?” Kay said in a loud whisper. “That was disgusting — all those, those noises were so gross!”

“Hey, that was a long time ago,” Jackson hissed back. “And you’ve gotta admit, the part where it sounded like Principal Hendricks and Mrs. LaMonte were getting it on was pretty funny.”

Kay scowled. “I can’t believe I let you drag me here like a piece of meat!”

“He hasn’t even made a pass at you,” Jackson whispered back, as if that alone were some sort of accomplishment. Although he could still hear Tak on the holo inside, he didn’t want him to think they were just here to get something — even though they were. “Just give him a chance, will you?”

“You’ve got five more minutes and then I’m outta here!” Kay said. “And if he does try a pass at me, Sunshine will tear off his —”

“I just need to find out about the Underground and —”

“So you wanna know about the Underground, huh, J?”

Both Jackson and Kay jumped in surprise. Tak had resumed his spot leaning against the doorway without either of them noticing. Kay turned a deep shade of red, until her face almost matched the color of her hair.

“Uh…yeah, man,” Jackson said. “That is if you know anything about it or anything…you know?”

“You got a Djinn now, J?” Tak asked then nodded at Sunshine. “Or is that Fenkit gonna be the one doing the fighting?”

Before Kay could sic Sunshine on Tak, Jackson forced a laugh and shook his head. “Oh no, I uh…I’m working on getting something, if you know what I mean?”

A small part of him felt bad for lying to Tak. They’d been friends for only a short time, and although Tak was more trouble than he was worth to hang around, he’d never been mean to Jackson or treated him badly. On the other hand, Tak Rito always looked for a way to throw chaos into a situation, and knowing Jackson had a Djinn that wasn’t registered to him (at least not legally, as far as he knew) wouldn’t be a good thing.

Tak seemed to catch on but didn’t press the matter. “Yeah, I know where a few fights are going on,” he said. “It’s not as shady as you think — we don’t got any death matches around here. Just some people who want to have a good time with their Djinn, you know?”

As he finished he looked at Kay, suggesting the end of his sentence had been for her. Mortified, she dropped her head and stared at the ground, unable to say anything.

“That’s cool,” Jackson said, cutting back in. “So how does it work? Like do you just show up or…?”

“The fights move around the region all the time — keeps the cops from giving us any trouble,” Tak said. “A few of us get calls to tip off where the next Underground is gonna be. There’s usually bets placed on the fights, but the big pots obviously go to the bigger matches.”

Jackson knew Tak was deliberately not extending an invitation to him until he asked outright.

“So…how do you get in? I mean, I might be interested in giving it a go — uh, once I get a Djinn, that is.”

Tak gave a crooked smile, the one he always made when he was up to no good. “You only had to ask, J! I’ll hook a brother up. But there’s a little something I need you to do for me, if that’s cool.”

A pit formed in Jackson’s stomach. Tak’s favors usually involved theft, vandalism or a myriad of other misdemeanors. But if this was what it took…

“Sure, man,” Jackson said, ignoring Kay’s noises of passive-aggressive protest next to him. “What do you need?”