Lisa had taken a liking to a local pub at the edge of D.C. It wasn’t anything like the bars up in the space stations; it had actually become sort of a fighters’ bar that Fistborn faculty frequented. She understood that Benson wanted to be away from his life at the academy, but he could’ve chosen better than Genesis X.

  She ordered a stress-reducing Mai Tai and sat at the counter. She didn’t often indulge, wanting to avoid the lure of alcohol, but decided to spoil herself this time. Finals week was approaching at the end of the month, and she, along with the rest of the staff, would have to evaluate all the students’ grades and progress to decide the 150 that would be representing the United States in the preliminaries.

  Behind her, through the reflection in the decorative glasses overhead, she could see some patrons gawking at her in admiration in excitement. She didn’t turn, pretending to be completely indifferent. She wondered how Socializers managed to pay attention to so many fans, signing digigraphs and even doing Q&A sessions.

  Fighters were more standoffish in that sense. They basked in the attention during the competition, especially in the arena, but they didn’t interact with regular fans that much. Mostly, they would humor certified journalists, especially Versus journalists, so they could give the fans the information for them.

  Maybe that was why Benson thought about including more Socializers that supported the Versus in the PR process itself. Knowing him, he’d want fighters to be more open and connected to their fans. Lisa always focused on the fight, blocking out anything that could be a distraction, including her supporters. It would be a bit of an improvement; they were a little stuck-up. They could use some more interaction.

  A strange language caught her ear from the patron beside her, who ordered a foreign drink. It looked like a large glass of thick, black tar. The woman had a hood over her head, covering her face, but her hands were exposed, showing smooth, dark blue skin.

  She could rule out Voraxians; they were much taller, unless this woman was half. It wasn’t very common, but it wasn’t rare, either. The language didn’t sound like anything Lisa had heard, though. She’d heard plenty over at the academy, with the mix of races and species they had.

  Ilamiko was also out of the question; they were smaller, and they couldn’t procreate with other species at all. They had a very different form of reproduction.

  The woman seemed to look Lisa’s way, and she quickly pretended to stare at her drink. Her curiosity must’ve come off as rude. She quickly tried to finish her Mai Tai.

  “Wondering what planet I’m from?” the woman said, sporting an American accent.

  “Sorry, I-I didn’t mean to…”

  “No worries. I get it a lot. Our language is pretty distinct, isn’t it?” The woman took a gulp of her black tar. “After all, there aren’t a lot of my kind on Earth.”

  “I didn’t mean to stare. It was rude.”

  “There’s no need to apologize for some morbid curiosity, Miss White.”

  Lisa didn’t feel startled. She was, after all, a famous fighter and Dean of the Fistborn Versus Fighting School. But the following statements did surprise her:

  “That Medley girl is on your mind, isn’t she? Wondering if she’s the next you? And of course, doubting whether she’ll ever make it, if Mr. Kalley made a mistake…”

  Lisa narrowed her amber-colored eyes. “What makes you say that?”

  “You closer to guessing what I am?” the woman chuckled.

  Lisa’s mind clicked. This was unexpected— they were so rare on Earth. Their home planet was light years away. Why would she be here?

  “I know what you’re thinking. We tend to travel far when we’re banished.” The woman finally revealed her face by turning completely towards Lisa. She had large, black eyes similar to an Ilamikoan’s and markings on her cheeks and chin. The big giveaway was the lump in her forehead between her eyebrows; her third eye, which was closed.

  Ruhirians were the only species that had true Second Sight, as the humans called it. They received visions of the future through deep meditation, which was a rare occasion for them. Most of the time, they’d see unclear snippets of whoever or whatever they were thinking about. It was extremely rare that a Ruhirian would see a full-blown, clear-as-day vision. It would take tremendous strength and connection with the ‘Beyond’— which was how they referred to God in their language.

  If this woman was here, she must have been misusing her gift. Many Ruhirians would illegally sell their visions on the black market, even making them up to scam people out of money. If they were found out, they were banished by their planet’s government. They could still See if they tried, but it would be more difficult on another planet, and they could still get in trouble for fraud.

  “How long?” Lisa asked. “If you don’t mind my asking.”

  “Oh, I grew up here. It was my father that got our family banished. I can’t really speak, though. I sort of fell into it… I guess it’s the ‘family business’ now.” She finished her black tar.

  “So… you’ve had a vision about me? Or… my students?”

  “I’ve been having visions about this year’s Games for a few months now. Any Ruhirian worth their salt knows that frequent visions are a sign that something very significant is to happen. It could be in a year’s time… or ten years’ time. But it’ll happen.”

  “Is that why you’re here? To sell me those visions?” Lisa inquired suspiciously.

  “Oh, no. No, I’m not working right now. I’m actually on a very tight schedule. If I’m here for too long, I could get caught. I’m supposed to be across the country.”

  Lisa glanced around, hoping no one noticed her interaction with this woman. She scooted closer, pretending she was familiar with the woman so she wouldn’t be too conspicuous. “You didn’t put a lot of work into your disguise, did you?”

  “I couldn’t get your attention, otherwise… or your trust.”

  “You have my attention. Not my trust. I don’t even know your name.”

  “My name isn’t important. But I’ve risked a lot to bring you this message.”

  “What message is that?”

  The woman’s face grew serious. “I don’t have a clear answer. I’ve only seen very vague… images. But when you go to the Games this year, you need to be careful. Keep an eye on each of your charges. Especially the human girl.”

  “There are hundreds of human girls in Fistborn.”

  “You know which one I mean.”

  Lisa shook her head. “Does she make the team?”

  “Just keep an eye on her, even now,” the woman said. “I don’t have a clear view on when all this will happen, but it’ll be soon. I’ve gotten too many of these visions.”

  “Why keep an eye on her, specifically? What have you seen?”

  “I’ve seen her fighting… and not just in sports. Fighting for her life. Her family is involved, too… I don’t know how. Her and the Smith boy. They will be confronting something dangerous.”

  Lisa’s heart quickened. “What are they confronting?”

  “I don’t know yet. They will confront something during the competition, something that can threaten them… and you. All of you. All your students. I have a feeling…” She stopped.

  Lisa nodded insistently. “Yes? Go on?”

  The woman shook her head. “No. I can’t give you my speculations. I may be banished, but I’m not stupid.”

  “What? What are you-”

  “I can only tell you what I’ve seen. Not what I think. In short: something dangerous will happen in this year’s Games, and it involves your students, especially the boy and the girl. I don’t know how long the repercussions will last, but it’s a game-changer.”

  “Is there… is there a way to prevent it?”

  “There’s a way to prepare for it. Just keep an eye on your students. Be alert and vigilant. Remember why the Games exist in the first place.” Without another word, the Ruhirian slipped off her barstool and went out the door, leaving Lisa in a confused frenzy.

  What did she even mean? How could they prepare for something so vague? Were the other planets doing something illegal? Would someone be hurt? Could she even trust this woman? She was a banished Ruhirian. She couldn’t be sure she was telling the truth.

  She gulped down her Mai-Tai, hoping the alcohol would make her forget about the interaction, at least temporarily. She had to hope this wasn’t serious.

  ===

  Calista stood in front of a screen in the gym, which replayed an old fight from the 2314 Versus Games on a loop. Harrison had showed her the clip in Guild Training the previous night, and it had filled her head since. Two female fighters battled in a classic arena; 1-on-1 battles didn’t take place in atmospheric simulations until a decade later.

  One of the fighters was Cruella Chrisman, Fistborn’s current President. Of course, she was a lot younger, though her frown and her wrinkly, large forehead were pretty much the same. Her opponent was who Harrison called “one of the dark horses of the era”: Irenna ‘Lalaasa’ Kalley, Benson Kalley’s older sister. Her call sign was named after the Kwantanese fighting discipline she used.

  Calista’s eyes stayed on the green-skinned woman bearing Kwantan’s white, orange, and beige colors. Pirouettes, jumps, and steps were incorporated into her offense, seemingly confusing her opponent, who was trying to block and predict her moves, but failed to do so.

  She couldn’t believe it the first time she saw it. The woman was dancing. It was a deadly routine, graceful and beautiful, all the while hitting Cruella in the face, stomach, and chest.

  “Kwantan created it so they could have their own original culture, you know, since the planet didn’t have a native species,” Harrison had explained. “But when the Versus started, it wound up being a fighting style instead of an art style.”

  “Do people use it a lot?” Calista had asked.

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  “Not in recent years, no. But you could.”

  “You think?”

  “Fighting isn’t just punching and kicking super hard and acting all ‘ooh, I’m big and tough and scary’. You make your own signature. Every fighter’s different, and different styles exist to suit different people. You can’t fight like everyone else. You need to fight like you.”

  Calista watched Irenna dance around Josephine Chrisman gracefully while also hitting her hard, forcing her back into the wall. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Maybe that was why President Chrisman didn’t like Mr. Kalley that much. They didn’t make a lot of appearances on campus, but when they did, it was clear how much she didn’t like being around Benson.

  To make matters worse for her, Irenna Kalley won the 2314 Versus, right after Chrisman had won in 2310. It was a harsh blow to her reputation, since Paeseoans were pretty much like humans, with no special abilities in particular.

  “Always remember. There are thousands of ways to fight,” Harrison’s voice reminded Calista. “Thousands of offense moves, defense moves, escapes. So don’t ever say you can’t move, because there’s always a way you can.”

  Calista shut off the recording and pulled up a different one of the previous Games, in 2346. This one was of two male fighters in a strange map made of discs flying all over. One was a Dnilian, his coal-black skin matching his brown and beige armor. His green veins pulsed with energy. On the other side was a fighter dressed in the blue and green of Earth.

  Calista watched in awe as 14-year old Harrison maneuvered around the Dnilian’s powerful kicks. He was like a ribbon, weaving in and out of every attack. When he went on offense, he jumped high in the air and kicked repeatedly at his opponent’s face.

  She could see why Harrison was so arrogant at times. He had started his career a year earlier than the standard, and he’d won a Junior Versus when he was only 10 years old. Such a talented fighter… yet no one appreciated him. Everyone thought he was a cheat. It was clear he was a fighting prodigy from the start. Were the ‘higher species’ really that prideful?

  Calista stopped the recording and powered on the CDSim nearest to her. She loaded the basic moves of the Lalaasa discipline and got into position, as the holographic person indicated.

  The CDSim beeped red when she tried her first pirouette kick. She was only 5% off the accuracy. The complicated spin would disorient her, making it hard to aim properly, and her leg wouldn’t stretch out in time. She prepared herself for the long string of annoying beeps as she repeated the kick over and over again.

  “Hey, human, cut it out! You’re distracting us!”

  She turned, seeing a familiar Paeseoan girl across the room. What was this girl’s problem with her? Rosalina taunted Calista for fun, but Hillary seemed to be genuinely irritated by her.

  “Don’t let anyone intimidate you,” Harrison would tell her. “That’s a key point in fighting. We try to make ourselves ‘bigger’ than our opponents. If they growl at you, growl louder. If you get all shy, you’re letting them know you’re weak and easy prey.”

  With her Student Coach’s advice in mind, the Earthian girl ignored Hillary, returning to her repetitive training.

  “I’m talking to you, Earthian!”

  Her guard rose when she heard footsteps approaching. She continued her exercises, as if the other girl didn’t exist.

  “Hey. I told you to cut it out.” Hillary now stood next to her.

  “Why? I’m training. That’s what the gym is for,” Calista retorted, keeping her eyes forward.

  “You’re distracting everyone around you.”

  “They’re doing the same thing.” She jerked her head towards some other students using the CDSims, which were also beeping red repeatedly. She grunted as she kicked again.

  “Don’t try to be a smart-code with me.”

  “You came up to me. I’m training, okay?”

  After a few beats, Hillary walked over to the computer and turned off the program. Calista sighed, vexed, and pushed down any rising fear in her stomach. She turned the program on again.

  She gasped as her foot suddenly flew off the floor, landing on her back. The impact caught the attention of other students around them. Calista sighed again, carrying a bit of resignation. It seemed that this would end in a fight, after all. She stood and faced the Paeseoan, who was just about her height.

  “Hill, are you done?” Bark Davies approached them.

  “I shut her up now. We can train properly.” Hillary smiled smugly, tossing her blue ponytail.

  “About time.” Bark glared briefly at the human girl.

  “Or you guys can train somewhere else where there’s no noise.” Calista got into position to resume her training.

  “So you didn’t get my message.” Hillary turned off the CDSim once again and got in Calista’s face. “We are training. You are wasting time. Go to your room and live your fantasy without annoying the rest of us. Maybe make another broadcast for your followers and tell them how happy you are here.”

  The close proximity of the woman roused Calista’s anger. She flattened her hand on Hillary’s face and shoved her harshly. Bark quickly reacted, shoving Calista to the floor.

  “What? She was in my face,” Calista retorted, standing up. She hid her hands behind her so she could twiddle her fingers. Her heart pounded with adrenaline and her legs were tempted to carry her out of the gym to safety.

  “Okay. You want to train, human?” Hillary pulled Bark aside. “AIDA, initiate a personal combat ring. Hillary Kaye and Bark Davies versus… Cheater’s student. Whatever her name is.”

  “Acknowledged. Initiating sanctioned personal combat sequence: Bark ‘Savage’ Davies and Hillary ‘Gravity’ Kaye versus Calista Medley.” A square highlighted around them and students hurriedly rushed to the sidelines to watch, their AIDA bands and Pets at the ready.

  “Wait, what?” Calista looked around, panicked. She tried backing out of the square, but was pushed back in by the barrier.

  “Hillary, we don’t have time for this,” Bark groaned unenthusiastically.

  “She should know the consequences, shouldn’t she?” Hillary cracked her knuckles. “If she’s such a tough fighter, she should have no problem sparring with us.”

  “Kelha, I don’t feel like feeding into your personal-”

  “It’s too late now. How will it look if you turn down a fight against a pathetic Makakian like her?”

  “You did not just call me a Makakian,” Calista snapped. Makakians were a well-known, cowardly species. They had voluntarily elected to stay slaves to Hajja after the War of Ten, too afraid to be free. “And how is this fair? Two versus one?” Calista followed.

  “Are you scared?”

  Calista’s fists clenched and her teeth gritted. She was trapped now. All she could do was her best. Bark didn’t seem that excited, but he rolled his eyes and got into a fighting position, along with his girlfriend, and they circled around the Earthian girl.

  Calista noticed Bark was crouched down low, like a predator ready to pounce. Hillary had her arms protecting her chest, her legs spread out widely. Calista wasn’t familiar with either of these styles. She took a basic karate position, recalling Harrison’s words: Evaluate your opponent’s style so you know which style to use yourself.

  Bark struck first with a calculated punch. Calista evaded, but then had to weave to the side to avoid Hillary’s foot. She lost her balance momentarily, allowing Bark to trip her. Thankfully, she rolled to her feet instantly, having ingrained that in her muscle memory.

  Hillary struck next, aiming a knifehand at her throat. Her sharp nail just barely grazed Calista’s neck, leaving a small cut behind. She followed up with a high kick, hitting Calista’s chin. Her head snapped back and she fell on her rear. She cradled her jaw in her hand, dizzy from the impact. She heard a collective chuckle from the formed audience.

  “Tired already, human?” Hillary taunted.

  “In your dreams.” She stood, raising her fists again.

  As the fight escalated, the gymnasium filled with more students, including Student Coaches and other Favorites. Calista stayed on defense, trying to find an opening, but focusing on both was hard. Being a couple, they naturally worked well together. After a few minutes, she was running out of ideas.

  Hillary flew into a strange kick that completely caught the human girl off-guard. She grunted as her head snapped to the side, her neck aching, and she landed harshly on the floor. Bark approached and grabbed her arms, twisting them behind her to hold her down. Hillary smiled eagerly and moved to kick her face.

  “Hill!”

  “What?”

  “Don’t do that.” Bark hardly struggled, his strength incomparably greater than Calista’s.

  “Why not?”

  “Hill, I’m not taking chances. Just fight clean for me, please.”

  Calista couldn’t help the curious perk of her ears. She grunted, her face flattened on the mat, and scanned the crowd for a helpful face.

  You have to move. Be conscious of every inch of your body. Know what weapons you have available. Your body is your weapon.

  She couldn’t move her arms, her head, or her-

  Her legs were free.

  With a grunt, she kicked her heel into Bark’s rear full force. He gasped, his grip weakening. Calista pulled out with all her strength and got to her feet, albeit clumsily.

  “You’re babying the girl!” Hillary snapped. “What, do you like her or something?”

  “What?! Hillary, I-” He groaned when Calista threw a kick to his stomach, but wound up striking lower than intended. The Earthian’s hands went to her mouth as Bark fell to his knees.

  “Oh-my-God, I’m so- aah!” She dodged a swipe from the Paeseoan girl. She tried pulling her opponent by the wrist, but this only propelled her forward, allowing her to headbutt her. With a cry, Hillary threw Calista back on the mat and kicked her a couple of times.

  The human panted, coughing lightly. The crowd was now rowdy, many shouting for Hillary to ‘finish her’, as ominous as it sounded. To Calista’s surprise, there were students rooting for her. It was as if the spectators had divided throughout the fight.

  Bark stood, recovering from the earlier kick. His face was now dangerously dark and his blood-red skin sizzled with rage. “Nowhere left to run, human.”

  Calista looked up at her two enemies. She stood, backing against the wall. The wall… a hard, firm surface. That would help. If only she had another weapon…

  “You know, I could help you out if you just let me,” Lindsay piped up.

  She paused. Duh. This wasn’t like the Favorites’ lounge. She could access her Pet. “Play something for me,” she whispered.

  “What?”

  “A song. You pick.”

  A cover of an electro-pop song played in her ears. She glared at Hillary, trying to hide a smile. “Come on, glitch.”

  The woman growled and charged forward. Calista stepped out of the way, giving her a shove into the wall. She didn’t wait this time, immediately kneeing her in the stomach.

  Bark’s strong arms came around her from behind, locking her in a full nelson. A kernel of excitement twitched in her stomach; she’d finally learned how to get out of this during Guild Training. She breathed in deeply and leaned forward, then stepped behind Bark and pushed him off. The break worked, but Bark maintained a grip on her, causing them both to fall back. Calista heard Bark gasp when her weight pressed on his stomach, the air squeezed out of him.

  Bark’s forearm pressed against Calista’s throat. While she could breathe, it was a tight squeeze, enough for her survival instincts to kick in. She grabbed his arm and pulled down, but couldn’t stop him. He flipped her face-down and squeezed hard.

  What’s your move?

  She poked her long, uneven fingernails into his eyes as the beat dropped in her ears. He exclaimed, reflex tears spilling, and loosened his grip. Calista pushed off the mat and flipped over so Bark could land on his back. She elbowed him in the face and rolled off, gasping for breath.

  For the first time, she was thankful she’d skipped a mani-pedi.

  Hillary chose to intervene and engaged in hand-to-hand moves, punching and striking wherever she could. Calista followed the fast-paced rhythm of the song until it suddenly changed to a slower-paced pop rock track.

  Her rhythm broke and a bruise formed on her cheek, then her lip. She leaned backwards, dizzy, and the barrier pushed her back to her feet, forcing her to continue. “What did you do?!” she told Lindsay.

  “You can’t have the same rhythm, remember? I’m helping you!”

  “Help me out by doing something!” The distraction allowed Bark to punch her in the face. She growled in frustration and struck his throat, then scratched at his cheek. “Stop touching my face!” she shouted.

  “Oh, trust me, your pretty face is the least of your worries.” Hillary blew her blue hair out of her eyes.

  “You have to tell me to attack, otherwise, I’ll stay sitting here.” Lindsay huffed as she detached from Calista’s belt, her wings turning into helicopter rotors. She spun around Hillary at high speed, distracting her. “Hit her!” she yelled as her rotors smacked Hillary’s face.

  With the slightest hesitation, Calista punched her. Lindsay’s rotors turned back into wings, which elongated and strengthened to wrap around Bark’s arm and pull him to the floor. He grunted, annoyed, and summoned his own Pet, which slammed into Lindsay with explosive force. The music in Calista’s ears stopped.

  “Pathetic,” Hillary scoffed, rearing back to punch Calista. With an unexpected rage, Calista dodged her blow and rammed her fist into her nose with all her strength. She felt her knuckles crack and pain shot up her arm. Hillary landed harshly, her yell of pain muffled by her hands. Calista held her fist, refusing to show any pain herself.

  She just broke Hillary Kaye’s nose. Paeseoan bones were much tougher than humans’, so that last punch surprised even her. She didn’t know what she was trying to do, but she was too angry to think it through. Her hand throbbed horribly and she tried not to let reflex tears leak out.

  “Alright, that’s enough.” The crowd parted, letting a coach through. “The AIDA bell is about to ring, so clear out. This fight is over.”

  “It’th not ober,” Hillary protested. She stood, holding her bleeding nose, which was covered in green. Calista’s stomach turned at the sight. “It bath barely fibe minuteth!”

  “You’ve been fighting for 15 minutes,” the coach corrected her. “I was supervising. When I say it’s done, it’s done.”

  The AIDA bell then dinged. “Break period has ended. All students, proceed to your Period 4 classes.”

  The crowd grumbled in disappointment as they cleared the gym. Bark summoned his Pet back to his belt, glaring at Calista. He arrogantly scoffed at the girl and went to help his girlfriend, who continued ranting, which sounded pretty funny with her nose as bloodied up as it was.

  Lindsay was slightly broken as she retreated into Calista’s belt. “Well, you just made Savage and Gravity your enemies,” she said. “You gave them a good run. They underestimated you.”

  “I don’t want to fight them again,” Calista breathed.

  “Just keep doing what you’re doing and practice. You have to get used to sudden cha-anges.” Her voice glitched out. “O-okay, I’m going into sleep mo-ode. You can access m-me in about an ho-our.”

  Calista closed her injured fist. She hurried out towards the Infirmary to get her knuckles healed up. She couldn’t go to her Weapon Use class with what felt like shattered bone brittle in her fingers.