Aurin and Luna stepped off the train, having arrived in the coastal town of Newfort. Accompanying them were Sunny and Cryopillar, who were eager to get out and about. Sunny was pirouetting through the air as she floated along while Cryopillar had a bounce to her crawl.

  “The reason you’re both here is so that we can be inconspicuous,” said Aurin, putting on a cap. “Don’t get too rambunctious, do you hear me? I’m talking mostly to you, Sunny.”

  “It’ll be fine,” said Luna, throwing on her sunhat and sunglasses. “We’ll keep a low profile and see the sights without worrying about battling today. Do you think you can do that?”

  “Yes,” said Aurin, sounding much more certain than he was. If there was a battle going on in the street, how could he possibly resist?

  The two walked from the train station and onto the street with their Minakai in tow. Running alongside the railway line was the beach, something Luna wished Hazelton had, so she insisted that a walk along the golden sands with the briny smell of the ocean filling their noses was exactly what she and Aurin needed.

  Summer was in its latter half, but that didn’t deter the sun from shining upon Bretonia. It was a beautiful day outside and the residents of Newfort knew it was well as the two tourists did and had taken to throwing their towels and blankets upon the sand to enjoy the beautiful day. Many had even brought Minakai of their own to share the occasion with. A young boy was chasing his Heatpup around, a man was swimming out into the sea on his surfboard with his Splashard alongside him. There was even a woman using her Gorungol for shade; the sun didn’t phase the large golem.

  “Ah, I love the beach,” said Luna, clutching her hands together as the panting Cryopillar struggled to crawl along the sand. “Isn’t it the most beautiful place in the world?”

  Aurin picked up the icy caterpillar and set him atop her tamer’s hat. “I wonder if I could make Steambot conjure a wave so large it flooded the beach?” he pondered aloud.

  “Why would you want to do that?”

  “I don’t want to, I just think it would be an interesting test of his strength,” shrugged Aurin. “Naturally, I would want the beach free of people.”

  Luna raised an eyebrow.

  “Yes, sometimes I have bizarre thoughts about performing spectacular feats of power. It’s what guys do!”

  “And when we go shopping later, are you going to be imaging taking the entire building down with Shamtile or Zeera?”

  “Nah, that’s too basic. They could bring it down with ease. I’ll be imagining Gorunze reinforcing the shop into an iron fortress that’ll serve as my base.”

  Luna shook her head and adjusted her hat, almost topping Cryopillar. With a sigh and a laugh, she walked on ahead. As Aurin followed, he threw Sunny into the air and watched her drift back down with a big smile on her face.

  The duo found a couple of empty public deckchairs and sat for a moment while Sunny played and Cryopillar hid underneath to stay in the shade. The waves were small, not ideal for surfing, but the man with the Splashard had his Minakai lead the way and bring a wave up behind him until he surfed to the shore or fell off—which he did numerous times.

  “If being a professional tamer doesn’t work out, I could be a surfer,” said Aurin. “I’ve got good balance.”

  Luna sat up and pushed his legs, which slipped from the chair.

  “But poor reactions apparently,” she said with a grin.

  “I wasn’t ready!”

  As they sat, a man holding a pile of flyers walked past and handed one to Aurin. He looked at it and saw that it had a picture of a large Minakai egg alongside a number of unevolved Minakai from Petalcub to Quetz, and his curiosity was piqued.

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  “The Collector’s Egg Randomiser Tournament, hosted by Sir Arthur Ashmore,” Aurin read out to Luna.

  She slid her sunglasses down and gave Aurin a stern look. “We’ve just finished two tournaments in a row and you want to enter another one? When even is it?”

  “It says it begins tomorrow, so we’re probably too late to sign up.”

  “Well, at least you’re not going to be interrupting my shopping spree today. Now, you know I love battling as much as you—”

  “No you don’t.”

  “Fine, I love it half as much as you do, but sometimes it’s nice to have a day off.”

  “This is our day off if the tournament is tomorrow.”

  “If you can find a way to enter, I’ll come along, but I’m not going to compete. I don’t even know what an egg randomiser tournament is. Do you?”

  “No, but it sounds cool.”

  After stopping for an ice cream, Luna led the way towards the high street. As soon as Aurin broached the idea of going to a Minakai supply shop, Luna shut him down and said that it’s her first time in Newfort so she wanted to see what else is in the town.

  “Alright,” sighed Aurin, following her along as she walked into a department store in search of a couple of new outfits for the rest of the trip.

  Aurin sat on a chair to the side with Sunny and Cryopillar, both of whom were in good spirits. Sunny was spinning around until she was too dizzy to continue. Once she had recovered, she did it all over again. Cryopillar meanwhile was conjuring a tiny snowfall above his head to keep himself cool.

  “I’m bored,” said Aurin, picking up Sunny. “I’ve got enough clothes to last me until my birthday.”

  Sunny looked at him and squealed happily, not really caring about his complaint.

  “That’s nice for you, Sunny, you don’t even wear clothes!”

  A couple of men, a few years older than Aurin walked past and they were engaged in an excited discussion. “I can’t believe it’s tomorrow, Dave,” one of them said. “I thought it was next week.”

  “Jim, I’ve been going on about this for weeks. The tournament was always intended to be two weeks after the National Championships.”

  “Tournament?” muttered Aurin, his excitement growing already. This had to be the same tournament the flyer spoke of and he wanted in. “Excuse me!”

  “Yes?” asked Jim.

  “Did you say something about a tournament tomorrow? Is this the Egg Randomiser Tournament?”

  “That’s right, why?” asked Dave.

  “Is it too late to enrol?”

  “It shouldn’t be. You show up on the day, pay the entry fee and you’ll be placed in a bracket. It’s a one-day event that Sir Ashmore hosts twice a year to compete people on their toes.”

  “Sir Ashmore?”

  Jim laughed. “Are you new in town or something?”

  “I am,” said Aurin. “Who’s Sir Ashmore?”

  Dave folded his arms and nodded. “He’s only the premier Minakai collector in the country. It’s how he got the nickname, The Collector. If you can think of a Minakai, he’s got it. He runs a lot of events and has made a fortune from it. Everyone in Newfort knows him.”

  Aurin’s thoughts flashed to his Zeera and Breminia. “Name a Minakai and he has it, you say?”

  “Just about,” shrugged Jim. “He claims he’s got over five hundred different Minakai in his collection, including ones from five different countries. I’ve never seen his collection myself, but I know a few people who have.”

  “Amazing…” muttered Aurin.

  Dave spoke up. “Do you really think you’ve got what it takes to enter?”

  “Absolutely,” said Aurin, pumping his fist. “Sunny here isn’t my only Minakai.”

  Dave and Jim looked at each other and laughed.

  “What?” asked Aurin.

  “The clue should be in the name of the tournament,” said Jim. “The Egg Randomiser Tournament means that you don’t get to pick your own Minakai. You’re assigned a random egg that you’ll hatch on the spot. That’s the Minakai you’ll be using in the tournament, not your own.”

  “Where and when do I show up?”

  “Tomorrow morning at eight at Granville Hall. Bring two hundred and fifty silver for your sign-up fee.”

  Aurin nearly choked on his own saliva. “Two hundred and fifty?” he asked in shock.

  “That covers your entrance fee and the cost of the egg you’ll be receiving. Do you think it’s cheap to run an event like this?”

  “Alright, alright,” said Aurin, rubbing his forehead. “I’ll see the pair of you tomorrow. Thanks for the information.”

  The two men bid Aurin farewell and he turned to Sunny and Cryopillar with a grin on his face. He scooped them both up under his arms and rushed through the shop floor looking for Luna only to find her looking at swimsuits.

  “Guess what?” he asked, but she turned to him and held up a blue one-piece and a pink bikini.

  “Which would I look better in?” she asked. “Before we leave Newfort in a couple of days, it would be nice to spend a few hours enjoying the beach.”

  “Blue,” he said, forgetting all about the tournament for a second.

  “What did you want to tell me?” she asked.

  “Um…” said Aurin, looking at her holding the swimsuits. “I don’t…”

  Luna took them in one hand and hid them behind her back before pointing into her eyes. “Focus on my face, Aurin. What did you want to tell me?”

  “Oh yes,” he said, snapping out of his fantasy. “I’m entering the Egg Randomiser Tournament tomorrow. Isn’t that great?”

  “As long as it isn’t today, that’s fantastic!”

  “For today, you will have my full and undivided attention while we shop. In fact, my wallet is yours until closing time.”

  “And that’s even better than fantastic,” said Luna, linking arms with him and steering him towards shoe section.

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