| "Let's see…"
The young boy with the tousled thatch of light
brown hair prowled around the cages at the Create-A-Pet Centre. Each one held
a different Neopet, along with a bronze plate fixed to the wall behind the cage
that stated the creature's name and a little something about them to help new
owners in their choice. The boy was looking for a pet that was strong and powerful,
something that could dominate others with ease. He stopped in front of one cage
after another, unable to decide until a particular pet caught his eye. He stooped
and looked into the bright interior.
Inside, on a bed of warm, dry straw, was a sleek
Neopet, a tough, strong-looking male with two round, compact ears, bright tawny
eyes that gleamed like a pair of topazes from a red-furred face adorned with
bold black stripes. The same stripes on the same bright scarlet backdrop continued
down his body, except on the underbelly and chest, which were a pale fawn, as
were his muzzle and the tip of his long, twitching striped tail.
The boy gazed in admiration at the creature's
glowing eyes and hard muscles under his lustrous fur, and interestedly read
the name of his species off the plate on the wall by the cage. 'KOUGRA', it
said in bold black print. The Kougra in the cage yawned lazily, showing rows
of glittering knife-sharp teeth. In that movement the boy made up his mind.
He ran over to the desk. "May I help you?" bleeped
a computer cheerfully as he approached.
"I'd like to create a Kougra," he said decisively.
"Name and details to be filled out on the screen,"
the computer replied as a picture of a Kougra and some blanks to be filled in.
The boy thought for a while.
"He'll be blue," he decided, tapping at the
screen, "because it's my favourite colour, and his name will be Marko." He pressed
the key that would create his pet.
"Sorry," came the electronic voice of the computer,
but there is already a pet in our database named Marko. You must choose another."
"Fine," muttered the boy impatiently. He tapped
some random numbers from the computer's keyboard behind the name.
"Species: Kougra. Colour: Blue. Name: Marko3055612.
You may collect your Neo Egg," the computer announced, after the stats had been
rolled and the Kougra was made a strong all-rounder.
Greedily the boy picked up the dark-striped,
blue-and-fawn egg that rolled out of a clear tube nearby.
"Pretty soon," he exulted, gazing at it with
satisfaction, "I'll have my very own battler pet."
The boy arrived at his NeoHome and set the egg
on the table. He didn't have long to wait. Cracks began to appear on the shell,
which grew wider and longer until a pale muzzle thrust itself out of the broken
hole. Very soon a perfect little Kougra cub lay whole on the table, blinking
up at the strange new world that he had entered.
"Welcome to the world, Marko," grinned his owner.
"Hello," said the tiny creature.
"Come on," said his owner, opening a cupboard.
Inside were some brownish-green stones with strange symbols on them. His owner
packed them all into a haversack and slung it over his shoulder. "Time to begin
your training, Marko. We're off to Mystery Island."
The tiny Kougra wondered what his owner was
talking about, but he was swept up and carried out the door before he could
open his mouth to reply.
***
The red Aisha stood poised on her hind legs on the sea cliff, letting the
early evening sun turn her white training uniform to pale orange-pink, except
the black belt with gold tips around her waist. She drank in the wind blowing
around her ears and held it in, trying to strengthen her life-force, and bring
her energy to its full power.
Satisfied, she exhaled. She was relaxed enough.
Of course, any martial-arts pet, Neo-Kidoka or otherwise, couldn't help being
at least a bit nervous before their test, most of all the test that would or
would not confirm them as a master. But as a Neo-Kidoka, she could not be tense.
She had forced most of the pre-test anxiety out of her system. She hoped it
would be enough.
Turning, she faced her own Master, who was sitting
straight and upright, waiting for her. She bowed to him, and he acknowledged
her likewise. The old blue Kougra nodded at his student.
"If you're ready."
Aihami nodded in return, firming her stance.
Of course she was ready for this, if Naro-Master thought she was ready to become
a Master, then she had to be.
He sprang at her, not bothering to sheathe his
claws. She wasn't an inexperienced white-belt anymore. Effortlessly, Aihami
dodged his attack and pinned him to the floor, rendering him helpless. She let
him up and he came at her again, and again. Each time the Aisha evaded and immobilized,
making sure she never used the same technique twice, getting more and more relaxed
with each throw and movement. She was fire; he was water. He tried to extinguish
her. If she fought back it could be either that won. She couldn't let him have
even a chance of winning. The only way was to blend, meld the power together,
throw it all back at him, and stop his attack but not intending to injure or
kill. Her movements were a dance made innate from long practice. Each step was
fluid and light, but with power behind its deceptive grace.
Finally it was over, the sun now a mere ember
on the horizon's line.
Naro stood up and smiled at his student. "A
job well done, Aihami. You are now a first-degree Master."
The young Kougra's muscles rippled beneath his
blue fur with its fine rows of blue-black stripes as he paced, sleek and wiry,
across the floor of the training hall. Suddenly he sprang into action. With
loud shouts, he charged nimbly around on the straw mats, leaping and twirling,
slashing with claws and teeth, breaking bricks and wood planks with effortless
swipes of his huge paws, using such force that fragments and splinters flew
in all directions amid crashes and cracks.
Ryshu the Nimmo, Master of Neo Fu, stood silently
by the side, watching his student and shaking his head sadly. It was such a
waste, really. Marko was strong and powerful, and he performed his techniques
with such wonderful skill…but more and more malice appeared in him as he grew
older. Perhaps the Kougra couldn't see this, but to the Master's trained eye
it was clear. He was doing this for the wrong reasons, not for the feel of the
art, not for love of it, but so that he could be the best fighter in the Battledome.
It was that owner of his, thought Ryshu, a sudden
anger rising in him. He pushed it down quickly, but the thought remained, that
the owner-what was his name? Brandon-that was the trouble. Always goading on
the young Kougra, telling him the strongest were the best; that they were the
ones who ruled. That mercy and emotion were signs of spinelessness. That if
he could not beat a pet in the Battledome, he was weak and worthless, and would
be stepped on all his life and laughed at by others stronger than him.
Ryshu sighed, trying to fight the frustration
he felt at the thought of the Kougra's owner. He had heard about it from his
other students and friends; how Marko was always bullying them, and even attacking
the younger and less experienced pets, who were terrified of him. The older
students had managed to quash this problem by protecting the others from his
assault, but the violent spirit remained in Marko. Some of his other students
had told him before how they had fought Marko in friendly matches in the Battledome,
and how after he had won, for Marko had never lost a match, he had always gone
up to them as they lay prone, and hurled insults at and gloated over them. And
how his owner would laugh and egg him on. Brandon had quite effectively squeezed
every ounce of caring from Marko's soul.
Ryshu knew he had to do something. He decided
to do it right then and there.
The Kougra had finished with his workout and
turned to his Master, whom he saw was coming towards him over the mat. He smiled,
and again Ryshu could see there was no warmth in that smile, only a smugness
and pride accompanied by a cold glint from the topaz eyes.
"How'd you like that, eh, Ryshu-Master? I reckon
I could thrash a whole busload of Sloth's mutant Grundos! Don't you?"
He didn't even bow as a sign of respect to me,
the Nimmo thought.
"So, wasn't I good?" the Kougra was asking.
His tone betrayed that he expected praise.
"Marko," Ryshu began gently. "I think you carry
out your techniques with tremendous vigour and enthusiasm, which I like to see
in my students. But I also think that you are getting too violent."
At the Kougra's startled expression, Ryshu continued.
"There is too much anger in you, Marko, too much frustration and too many hard
feelings. You don't think of Neo Fu as an art, as you should, you just see it
as a way to fight, to hurt things, and defeat them. What happened to Neo Fu
for Neo Fu's sake? Is all you want truly to destroy your enemies? Try going
through your training with a bit more love and compassion, and I'm sure you'll-"
It was truly lucky for Ryshu that he was a Master
in Neo Fu, as he barely managed to avoid the quick but dangerous blue paw that
came at him, claws extended. As he leaped away, he heard Marko's roar and knew
the Kougra was coming at him again. Swiftly he made it up onto a tall cabinet
of a height he knew the Kougra was still too inexperienced to reach.
"Marko," he said, his voice still gentle, "please
listen."
"You're wrong," the Kougra snarled defiantly.
"Love and compassion are for the weak. My owner says so. And I'm getting around
quite fine on my own. Why should I care about anyone else?"
With a contemptuous snort, he left the Training
School. Ryshu sighed once again, feeling overcome. How could he make it clear
to this Kougra that strength wasn't all that mattered? If only he could make
Marko see that the only thing he truly had to defeat was himself.
To be continued...
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