Monster Trainer Academy, page 30
I took a deep breath, steadying myself. I knew I had this. I peered down at the lighted glass.
Question 1: What is the most important element of being a Monster Trainer?
I smiled to myself, remembering the very first day of class. It really wasn’t all that long ago, but it seemed like it. Back then, I was a total noob and barely knew anything at all about the world, about training monsters, or about my monsters.
I still didn’t have anywhere near all the answers I was seeking. I mean, I still didn’t even know how or why I was here, but at least I now had a better understanding of how amazing it was to be a Monster Trainer.
I couldn’t help but feel like I had somehow been given the chance of a lifetime to experience just how amazing it was to form these strong bonds with such amazing creatures. Not everybody in this world even got that chance, and here I was, somehow transferred here from an entirely different world, working my way up as a Monster Trainer and doing a pretty decent job too. For some reason, I got the feeling that my life had been way different back wherever I was from.
I pulled myself out of my reveries, back to the present, and typed in my answer on the tablet.
The most important element of being a Monster Trainer is the bond that we share with our monsters.
I selected OK, and the screen shuffled to the next question.
Question 2: Who are the six Behemoths, and where do they live?
This one, I knew as well, but as I typed in my answer, a growing sense of sadness and urgency seeped into every part of me. I needed to do the best that I could on this exam and in my upcoming battle. The better I did, the more experience I would gain, and I needed as much as I could get if I wanted to make it to the Sono region.
The six Behemoths:
Bagluf, the giant earth Turtle who lives in Hana
Karatok, the water Kraken from Sono
Stormraider, the air Dragon from Kappa
Chalkydri, the fire Phoenix from Tomah
Ahas, the light Rainbow Crow from Gala
Din, the dark Demon from Parta
I felt satisfied as I entered the answer, but besides feeling sad about Bagluf and worried for Karatok, I realized I hadn’t learned much at all about the last two Behemoths. In fact, I had barely learned much at all about those last two elements.
In my battles, I had only ever seen the natural elements of air, earth, fire, and water, but had never met a monster with powers of dark and light, at least I couldn’t remember having seen any until images of our battle with Arkan flashed across my mind.
I thought his dragon had probably been using fire, although it didn’t seem like any kind of fire attacks I had ever seen before. I reasoned that the attacks were probably so high level that they just didn’t resemble any of the low-level fire abilities I had seen up to this point, but now I wondered if his dragon possessed the power of light.
I made a mental note to ask Rusty about it later and continued on with the exam.
Question 3: Who is in charge of all things monster-related?
I thought about the answer for a second before typing it in.
The Ministry of Monsters is the governing force behind all things monster-related. They are in charge of the Monster Minders, who act as monster law enforcement.
The exam continued on much the same with questions about all things a beginner trainer should know. When I had finally finished the exam, I powered off the tablet, feeling confident that I had gotten every single answer correct.
There was no doubt in my mind that Rusty had taught us thoroughly, and I also knew that I had put in enough studying and time that this information was secure in my brain and my being.
I wanted nothing more than to become a Monster Trainer, so these were things that I ingested, digested, and turned into knowledge to help me go as far as I possibly could.
I was one of the first to finish, so I fell into a little doze waiting for the rest of the class. I had another weird dream about Bagluf. It was a lot like the other dreams I had been having about the Behemoth. It started out nice enough.
We were in the forest. Everything was calm. I sat next to the huge turtle, simply enjoying his company and the sounds of the birdsongs echoing through the trees like our own personal soundtrack.
Suddenly, dark clouds rolled over the canopy, blotting out the sun. The next thing I knew, Bagluf was wailing and moaning and Arkan and his men were there tying him up. I did everything I could to stop them, but no matter how hard I tried to fight, Arkan knocked me back down with a simple wave of his hand.
Just as Bagluf inevitably disappeared in the dream, Rusty startled me awake as he clapped his hands together loudly and announced the end of the exam.
“Okay, trainers, that’s all the time we have for the exam. I hope you all completed the exam to the best of your abilities. Still, I have a feeling this might be one of the highest-scoring classes I’ve had.”
Rusty glanced at me and winked. I tried to smile back at him, but it took me a second to realize where I was and what was happening. I was obviously still flustered by the little nightmare I had.
Rusty turned his head, looking at me with a concerned sideways glance, but he kept addressing the rest of the class. “Now it is time for the part of the exam I’m sure you all have been anxiously awaiting: the battle!”
Several students cheered and whooped excitedly. One student raised her hand and asked a question. “Are we heading out to the forest?”
“Ah,” Rusty intoned as his eyes went wide behind his glasses. “Today, we get special use of the Academy Arena.”
More cheers and gasps of surprise echoed throughout the classroom.
“It is normally reserved for events and higher-level trainers who have completed this class, but first-time enrollees get a little taste of arena battling during their exams,” Rusty explained. “So, if you would all like to head that way, it is on the ninth floor, but first, make sure to place your tablets on the desk up here before you leave.”
Everyone, with both a bit of nervousness and a lot of excitement, hopped out of their seats and did their best not to push each other as they shuffled to the front of the room. As soon as they had piled their tablets onto the others, they rushed into the hall, eager to get to the Arena for the final part of our exam.
I hung back with my friends, partly because I was still a little out of sorts from the dream and partly to wait for Rusty so that we could head to the arena together.
It may have been a little strange that I counted Rusty as one of my friends since he was technically my professor, but I was more than happy to call such an intelligent and skilled person my friend. There was so much I had already learned from him, and so much more I hoped to learn as time went on, but with the theoretical exam over and the practical battle about to begin, the time I got to spend with Rusty was also nearing an end.
I slowly walked up to the front of the class and placed my tablet on top of the other ones. This would be the last time I set foot in this classroom. The realization fell on me like a wet blanket, making my mood that much more depressed after the dream about Bagluf.
“What’s wrong?” Rusty asked as I walked past him toward the door. “You looked like you saw something pretty spooky just a minute ago. Now you look like somebody’s died.”
“I just had another dream about Bagluf, and now I realize I’m about to leave the Academy and you behind,” I sighed as I got to the doorway and turned around. I glanced at Rusty and then around the room for the last time.
“Leaving me behind?” Rusty blew a raspberry. “You’ll never leave me behind, young trainer. Remember, I am your elder in many ways.”
Rusty always had a way of making me smile, whether from what he said or how he said it. I chuckled a little bit and shook my head at the man. “You know what I mean.”
“Actually, I don’t,” he retorted. “And about Bagluf, it’s not going to do you any good worrying. You have things you need to focus on, so take some time, get your head on straight, and go battle.”
Rusty walked over to me and pulled me into a side hug. Sarah, Dom, and Abigail came up behind him and joined in. The five of us stood in the doorway of our classroom in a random and probably hilarious-looking group hug, but it was something I had to admit I really needed.
After a long few seconds, everyone released me, and we burst into laughter.
“Okay. Now that we got that out of the way, are you guys ready to kick some tail?” Rusty asked, pumping both his fists in the air.
“Oh, I’m ready.” I smirked.
26
That little hug boost from my friends was just what I needed. I didn’t care if we looked silly or weak. I knew that to be the best, I needed good, caring, and strong people around me as well. Without a doubt, they always pushed me to be better, even when I didn’t feel like it was possible.
I had to admit that even after the nightmare and the sad feelings of leaving the Academy, I felt amazing as we walked through the halls of the Academy with my friends. We had started on this journey together, and although I wasn’t sure if it would always take us all in the same directions, at least we had each other for now.
Maybe I wouldn’t always get to see Rusty since my journey as a trainer was about to take me to another region, but I knew that he was a person who would always be there for me, no matter what. I would have to ask him how we could stay in contact, but first, we had our battle in the Arena.
I guess I wasn’t even aware that the school had an Arena, but it made sense. From what I had been learning, arena battles were a big part of what made up a Monster Trainer’s life, or at least it could be a big part if that’s what you wanted to do.
It sounded like a smart idea to partake in Arena battles, though. Most trainers gained experience and skills out in the wilderness, either battling wild monsters or other trainers, but it sounded like if you really wanted to test yourself, then signing up for arena battles was the way to go. Like Claudette had said, it was also a great way to make some extra money if you won.
Once I completed this class, I would need all the experience and money I could get my hands on. Since we were completely new trainers, we weren’t allowed to use the Arenas, but once we graduated from our class, that would be a whole new opportunity for us and one that I definitely wouldn’t take for granted. I would have to figure out where all the Arenas were on my way to Sono, though, but I guess a lot of the Trainer Centers had them, and most towns and villages, no matter how small, seemed to have Trainer Centers.
As much as I wanted to ask Rusty about the Arenas and also about the exam, I knew he would tell the whole class everything we needed to know once we got there, and I could ask him about Arenas afterward. I had another pressing question to ask him, though. It was the one that had popped into my head about Arkan during the written exam.
“Hey, you know Arkan’s monster? That big black dragon?” I asked Rusty as our little group climbed the metal stairs to the ninth floor.
“Tartarus? What about the devil?” Rusty scoffed, apparently not a fan at all.
He was cool and everything, but yeah, he had definitely been a pain in the ass to fight.
We reached the ninth floor, and I stepped out of the stairwell first, turning around to ask Rusty my question.
“What’s his element? I thought it was fire, but I’m really starting to think it’s something else.”
Rusty followed after me and gave me a knowing grin. “So if it’s not fire, then what do you think it is?”
“Light?” I guessed, although I had a pretty good idea that was the right answer now.
“That was your first time seeing a light monster, wasn’t it?” Rusty asked, still smirking at me.
I nodded. “I’ve never seen anything like that before. How many monsters can actually control light and dark?”
“Not as many as those who can control the four natural elements, but monsters that possess light and dark abilities are highly sought after, both for good and bad reasons. Actually, one of the reasons why there are so few of them now is because they are so rare. Hunters target them for their power, believing them to be stronger than other monsters, and the superstitious kill them out of fear, especially monsters who can control darkness,” Rusty explained, visibly annoyed about the whole situation.
“People are stupid,” Sarah chimed in, shaking her blonde hair from side to side.
“Have you ever heard of the Legend of the Dark Tarragon?” Dom asked as we followed Rusty through the mostly empty halls to the Arena.
I shook my head. “Never. What’s a tarragon?”
“It’s a dragon-type monster, but I’m pretty sure they’re extinct,” Abigail explained as she walked next to me with her hand in mine.
“So, what’s the legend about?” I asked Dom.
“It’s the story of this dark dragon-type monster that was rumored to torment one of the cities in Gala,” Dom answered in his soft voice. “They believed the dragon was a bad omen and came to kill the Behemoth there, since Gala is home to the Behemoth of light. Well, the people in the city kept seeing the tarragon, and after months of living in fear, they killed it. Turns out he was one of the last of his kind and was simply looking for other tarragons.”
“That’s awful,” Abigail breathed.
“Yeah, superstitions are stupid,” Grayson added.
“People are stupid,” Sarah repeated herself.
We all chuckled at her statement, but none of us disagreed.
“Speaking of stupid people,” Rusty started off slowly. He eyed me like he was about to apologize for something, but he didn’t complete his thought. Instead, he waved it off. “Well, you’ll find out soon enough.”
I was about to protest and demand that he tell me what he was going to say when we reached two giant metal doors with metalling monsters crafted out of them.
“Welcome to the Arena.” Rusty pulled the doors open and gestured for us to enter.
We filed into a fairly large, dimly lit room. As I entered, I peered down the flight of gunmetal stairs running straight down toward the arena floor. Rows and rows of terraced seating spread out around us, wrapping all the way around the arena. Our classmates were all already sitting in seats, eagerly awaiting the start of the exam.
We followed Rusty down the stairs and took our own seats, but he hopped the metal railing into the arena.
“Hello, class,” he called out, but he didn’t even need to yell very loud. His voice carried effortlessly around the auditorium because of the great acoustics. “You have all made it thus far, and now the only thing that awaits you is your final exam. The battle!”
The class cheered and hollered, including my friends and me. The excitement in the room was palpable and was made even more epic, but the awesome Arena. The fact that we were taking the exam was exciting enough, but getting to fight in an actual arena made it that much cooler.
“So, you have all been pre-selected to fight with another classmate. First, I want you all to spread out, take some time to prepare with your chosen monster, and then we will regroup, and I will begin calling names.” Rusty dismissed us with a wave of his hand.
Everyone did as he said and spread out throughout the large auditorium, calling their monsters out and making sure they had the necessary supplies handy. I called Titan out, who was as ready as he’d ever been. He knew exactly what was going on and how important this battle was for both of us.
When he materialized out of the Monster Mansion, his feathers were all sticking up on end, and his wings were open. He looked like he was about ready to take a quick flight around the room, but he shook himself out. His blue and white feathers puffed up even more before they smoothed back down. Titan snorted and pranced around the little area along a walkway that I had chosen.
“You’re ready to go, aren’t you, bud?” I smiled at the skyr.
Titan nodded his head and sent a little gust of wind my way. The air blew past me, pushing my shaggy black hair back.
“Hey, what was that for?” I chuckled as I tried to smooth my hair down.
Titan looked at me with his big blue eyes and made a sound like a snorting laugh. He trotted around me in a fast circle and then did a little jump when he was back in front of me again.
“You’re really ready, aren’t you?” I laughed as Titan placed his front paws up on my chest and licked at my face. “We’re gonna kill this. I already know it.”
The bond that I felt with Titan had never been stronger. We were both feeling really good and confident, and we were just happy to be able to battle together. I always felt so close to Titan when we battled. There were times that our monster-trainer bond literally felt like a tether holding us together.
While Titan continued to prance around like the happy little dragon that he was, I pulled the vest that Claudette had given me out of my pack. I stuffed the pockets full of berries, meats, and a couple of Healing Sprays and Cure-All Sprays. Once I was satisfied that I had all the necessary supplies, I stretched out a little bit even though Titan would be the one doing all the heavy lifting.
After about five minutes, Rusty called us all back to our seats, now with all of our monsters out and ready.
“I hope you are all sufficiently prepared because the exam will officially begin!” Rusty announced.
Everyone screamed and clapped and cheered again. The energy had kicked up a lot now that we all had our monsters by our side. I felt an overwhelming sense of camaraderie, not just with Titan and my friends sitting on either side of me, but with all my classmates.
We had all gone on this journey together, and now that journey was coming to an end, but it was just the beginning of a much larger adventure we were all about to embark on as new Monster Trainers.
