Ponies: Genetic Gladiators!

Chapters

Chapter One: The Mean Gene Games gets a new Competitor!
Chapter Two: The Initiation Games!
Chapter Three: Breaking the Mutogenic Code! Fighting with Legends!

Chapter One: The Mean Gene Games gets a new Competitor!

Ah, the Mean Gene Games, an event that started out small, but soon quickly grew popular. It has become a world wide sport, gifted Psy-Captains, ponies that are capable of commanding awesome creatures with their mind, come from all over the world, taking a shot at fame and fortune. But this is the story of an interesting pony, one who comes from the previous champion of The Mean Gene Games, Thomas "Gene" Harrison. He was the world champ for five years before heading into retirement. He settled down and with his winnings, bought a huge mansion. He ended up adopting a very talented kid, Nova, and taught him all that he knew about The Mean Gene Games. Nova was already skilled at commanding mutants, and on his eighteenth birthday, gave him two extremely rare mutants, his old mutant facility, and registered him into TMGG. Armed with his mutants, and his fathers blessing, Nova starts his epic journey to follow in the footsteps of his father and become the next World Champion!

Nova, with his father at his side, entered the meeting room, eagerly awaiting to talk to his sponsors. Thomas saw his son's excitement and said "I know this is a huge thing for you, for I was just like you starting up, but you must keep a clear and focused mind. These ponies know who will be worth their valuable time." Nova knew his father was right, but couldn't help himself, for he has been waiting for this moment for his entire life. Thomas just smiled and opened the doors revealing four ponies, two of which looked excited to see them both, while the other two, not so much. The other two, a mare and a stallion, followed by three docu-cam bots, walked up to them.

He was muttering to him-self, constantly fixing his mane, while the mare was constantly complimenting him, saying he was perfect, though it seemed he didn't think so. Finally, he stopped, counted down from three, and red-lights light up on the bots, and he began to wear a huge smile.

"Mares and Gentlecolts! Boys and Girls of all ages! Today, is a very special day, for the previous world champ of TMGG has graced us with his son, taught and raised in the arts of this very sport! A round of applause for Nova!" He took a break, probably allowing the viewers some time to applaud. Bots on both of them, The stallion asked a question "Now, Nova, what do you hope to accomplish in this year's games?" Nova's excitement left him, as he did as his father had instructed. "I plan on following in the footsteps of my father and be the next Mean Gene Game's Champion!"

The docu-cam bots turned to the stallion. "Well, thats a big goal! How about it everypony, should we show what he's in for?" Yet another pause. "Well, let see then! Begin!" And with that, all three bots turn to a huge TV screen, which flashes on revealing a clip of this year's events. It displayed many arena's, all over the world, as well as who holds dominance over each said area. It then played a few battle shots of ponies winning and loosing their matches, highlights as the stallion had put it. The screen went dark after all that needed to be played, was played.

"Haha! That never gets old! Looks like you have quite the challenge ahead of you, think you still can be crowned the champ?" The stallion asked Nova. He smiles "Wouldn't be any fun if it was easy, now would it?" The stallion laughed "I like this kid, quite a determined one!" The stallion looked down at his watch, and then back to the cams. "Oh, well it looks like we've run out of time. Tune in next time folks, as we see the Initiation battles! Until then, stay pretty. Goodnight!" And with that, the red lights switched off.

The stallion sighed. "Well, it was nice meeting you kid. I, for one, am personally looking forward to seeing you in the Initiation battles." He bid them both fare well, and good luck, and the two left, docu-cams following close behind. Once the doors closed, the other two walked up to them. Yet another pair of stallion and mare. The mare spoke first. "Ah, so this is the psy-captain I am supposed to meet. Allow me to introduce my self, for I am Eva...." She said as the stallion approached. "And i'm Darwin. Nice to meet you Nova." They shook hoofs, and began to discuss the upcoming events.

The hours had past, and it was time to give Nova his gifts. They walked over to the dark building, and with the flick of a switch, many lights turned on. The real surprise was the equipment, and the various gene embryos. Nova was wide eyed. "Is that a.......and that over there......this is unbelievable!" He could hardly stop himself from bouncing all around the facility, but his father put a hoof on his shoulder, and led him to the table with the gene embryos. "I took the liberty of finally taking these two...." He pointed at two containers, each with a DNA strand of mutants with unbelievable strength. Nova quickly identified the two. "That first one is a Dire Despot, gold strain! And that one is a Goliath! Wow, how did you get those?"

Thomas grinned "Well, lets just say I was lucky enough to be bestowed with these as gifts. I had what I needed to win, so I just saved these for a special occasion, and this so happens to be one. Now, as for these ones over here, I created those during my campaign, but never used them. I hope you put them to good use." Nova was inspecting each one. He finally identified the other five embryos. "Thats a silver strain Reptoid, and that is a bronze strain Beetle Bot! Oh, and those over there are a Robot, Shell Shock, and Nordic Nightmare!"

Thomas nodded. "Correct. I did give you quite the range of mutants, and because most are to strong for a fair fight in the beginners league, you are signed up for the advanced Initiation battles. Don't worry though, with my assistants, and these mutants, you will be fine."

The next hour was used to familiarize Nova with each mutant he had, as well as wait for the mutants to finish their incubation. Upon finishing, all his mutants were ready and they went over to them. Another few hours were exhausted, and day slowly shifted into night. They bid each other farewell for the night, and slept.

The days passed, and soon the Initiation battles were under way. They were being held at the MGG capital of the world, Manehattan, in the famous Mean Gene Stadium. The tournament tree was set up, and Nova was pitted against his first opponent, a stallion named Briar. Sense this was only the Initiation, they only had one on one mutant combat, to familiarize the new psy-captains on how everything works.

Nova was deciding which mutant to use in his first battle. Everyone had their top three choices listed on the tree, and his opponent had some interesting mutants himself. A bronze Warrior, a Stealth bot, and a bronze Robot. He had his silver Reptoid, gold Dire Despot, and Goliath nominated. With the match soon starting, he was pressed for time, and chose his silver Reptoid. They began to walk to the arena and Nova linked his mind to his mutants. Upon doing so, he had a response "I thank you for allowing me to your first fight, and will try my best." Its voice was screeching, but with a robotic tone added to the sound. Nova was shocked to hear it speak to him.

"How......" His mutant interrupted him. "Well, you are far more talented than you think, only powerful psy-captains can hear their mutants. Your father is one of them." Nova's mouth was hanging open, but he quickly shut it and shook his head. "Wow, thats.........strange." He forced a smile. His mutant chuckled "Don't worry, you'll find that this will be incredibly helpful. Now, onward, our opponent awaits!"

As his mutant finished, they stepped out into the large arena, and the roar of the crowd was defining. Nova walked over to the platform, and was raised a safe distance off the ground. The platform hovered motionlessly in the air. He then watched his opponent, and mutant, step out. He had with him his bronze Warrior. The large, muscular, and armored pony took a few steps forward, its silver ax glinting in the sunlight. Nova's Reptoid, as well as Nova himself, were happy to see what gene type they were up against.

"Good, its a Saber gene. Your a Zoomorph/Cyber gene, so we have a good advantage." His mutant grunted in response. Even with a disadvantage, Briar showed no sign of resent or misfortune as he was lifted into the air on his platform. The announcer spoke. "Mares and Gentlecolts! We have a wondrous matchup, Nova vs. Briar, Reptoid vs. Warrior! Alright lets get this fight started!" Nova nodded over to Briar, who nodded back. A common curtesy meaning 'Good luck'. "Get Ready!" The Warrior tensed up. Nova's Reptoid whipped its scaly tail back and forth, waiting for the start. Its robotic mid-body was gleaming in the sun, his lizard extending, and clawing the ground, and his lizard head twitching ever so slightly.

He had come to watch for only one reason, to see who should be worthy of fighting him. So far, none of the psy-captains had any Zoomorph gene mutants, but he had a feeling he would be seeing one soon, as when the next two captains possible mutant choices showed up on the huge flat screens, one had a Zoomorph gene mutant. "Hmm, finally a possible competitor...." He was interrupted, as a mare and stallion, accompanied by three Docu-cam bots approached him.

A smile appeared on his face when the two arrived. "Ah, Charles! Daisy! Its been a while sense I last saw you! What brings you here?" Charles had a real smile on his face, happy to see one of the most well known psy-captains, not to mention being the first of the many leaders of the Alpha Division. "Ah, Iron Will, or as the fans call you, Iron 'Beast'! How's it been?" The master of the Beast gene, the shorter name of the Zoomorph gene, laughed heartily.

"Ah, I've been having fun crushing overconfident psy-captains! I just came along to see if anyone of interest will show. Looks like the first of the day to!" They turned to see Nova, walking alongside his Reptoid. Daisy hopped excitedly. "Isn't that the son of Thomas.... uh.... Nova, that was his name!" Charles nodded. "Well, yes in deed it is, and looks like he's using a mutant gene you are very well familiar with, Iron Will! Looks like your gonna be in for a treat, kid said he was going to fallow in his fathers footsteps! Hah! Just wait till he faces you in the ring, that is if he even makes it."

"Well, he better! Now, lets see what he's got!" Iron Will was eager to see a Beast mutant, a silver one at that, engage in combat. He then took a good look at Nova. He seemed very confidant. Maybe too confidant. "Lets see if he can deal with the pain that comes with this sport!"

It became dead quiet, suspense building up in the crowd. And then it happened. "FIGHT!" Nova's Reptoid was already springing into action, lunging at is prey. It seemed as the Warrior anticipated this, and swung its mighty ax, anding a clean his on the mutants metal underbelly. There was a loud screech of metal on metal, and the crowd roaring with excitement. Nova's mutant hit a wall, and shook its head, trying to clear its head. "Hmm, nice try, but lets try a more defensive approach." his Reptoid nodded, and saw the Warrior charging at him.

With blinding speed, the Reptoid crawled around the blindly rushing mutant. It skidded to a stop, trying to make a wide turn-around swing, but was to slow, as the Reptoid lunged once more unto the Warrior's back, and sank its teeth into the exposed neck. There was a loud grunt of pain from the Warrior, stumbling and the pain. It was far from letting up quickly, and smashed it's back into the wall, making the Reptoid screech in pain. The crowd was in a frenzy, shouting and wooting at the two mutants.

Dazed, Nova was unable to tell his mutant to move, and watched as the Warrior landed another direct hit on his mutant. Pain shot through his mutant, and so it did to Nova, the link between them shared more then just communicational purposes. Nova intervened, and took control of his mutant, and had him dodge the oncoming swing, and took a big bite into the other mutant's leg. Jerking his head back quickly caused him to take a piece of its leg within his mouth. The Warrior howled in agony, blood pouring out of the wound. Nova saw Briar wince and knelt, but quickly stood back up, anger on his face.

It spun around quickly, and swung with rage. It would have hit Nova's mutant right in the head, but he saw this move coming, and grabbed onto the ax, and skidded the swing to a stop. The strain was huge as he tried to push the mutant away, but failed and jumped backwards, to avoid the swing. The Warrior snorted, steam coming out of its flaring nostrils. It charged Nova's mutant, and again he had to place his hands against the ax. He was pushed a few feet before the Warrior flicked its head up, causing the Reptoid to loose balance. The Warrior took hold of this advantage, and spun around, and bucked the Reptoid right in the face.

Nova gritted his teeth as he felt the impact partially break his mutants face. He was thrown far off, crashing into the wall and making a hole. They both had enough of this. He charged at the Warrior, and managed to catch it by surprise. They went into a frenzy of biting and clawing, forcing back the mutant, as well as rip chunks from it. But it was far from incapacitated, and smashed the ax over the Reptoid's head, nocking him to the ground. Nova's head began to ring, and almost blacked out. He could hear his mutant speaking to him. "Nova! You have to......use the........thermal detonators!" In that instant, he remembered that his mutant was far more capable the only clawing and biting.

The Warrior batted Reptoid to the side. It was about to finish him off, but with the momentum, he spun around, and put a claw to his shoulder, and grabbed the bomb that just popped out of the socket, and threw it. The Warrior was almost upon the Reptoid, but was unaware of what was about to happen. Time seemed to slow down, the bomb slowly sailing through the air, mere inches from both mutants. Upon impact, it exploded, sending both mutants flying in opposite directions. A billowing cloud of dust was upon the arena. Both psy-captains fell, jolts of pain shooting through out their bodies.

The dust finally settled, and the mutants were both on the ground. Nova's Reptoid, a huge black scorch mark, including bits of shrapnel, were apparent on its underside. Its face and tail were badly cut, and leaked blood. But, as bad as his mutant looked, his opponents was far more destroyed. Parts of its armor were shattered, holes and shrapnel were all over its body, and where its neck was supposed to be, was only a huge flesh wound, charred, and pitch black. And as all mutants do when defeated, the Warrior turned into a pile of goop, waiting to be restored.

The crowd when crazy, and the announcer exclaimed "WOW! With the tactful use of a thermal detonator at ridiculously close quarters, Nova and his Reptoid managed to destroy Briar's Warrior! Now THATS what I call a MATCH!" Nova heard faintly the voice of his mutant. "Heh, looks like we did it......." His Reptoid then blacked out, and Nova severed the connection to prevent succumbing to blacking out as well. He began to smile, knowing that he just won his first match.

The platform he was standing on lowered to the ground, and his father, as well as Eva, Darwin, and a medical squad, both for him and his mutant, rushed to him. He could barley hear what was said, and soon blacked out himself, pain and agony finally getting to him. But before so, he caught a glimpse of the first arena leader of the Alpha Division. He was talking to the same two Nova had talked to days before the event. He was looking at him, a smile of approval on his face. He was minotaur, master of the Zoomorph Gene, but his name escaped him, for his mind was finally shutting down, and he fell, no longer able to deal with the pain.

Nova slowly awoke, to see that he was in a hospital room, and saw his father, Eva and Darwin, and.... "What brings you around, Iron?" Thomas was surprised to see such a famous psy-captain so soon in his son's campaign. Before he could reply, Nova slowly eased himself up, sore all over. "Ah, so he wakes! Kid, i've got to say, its been a while since i've seen someone, who isn't me, handle a Beast mutant like that before! Most ether use them as a buffer, or don't even touch the gene. You, on the other hand, were brave, and reckless! Ah, you remind me of my starting days, going full force on my opponents!"

Everyone else began to smile. "Yes, that was quite the show you put on. Even made the number one highlight of the first rounds! Got to say, for a starter, you now how to handle your mutants!" Darwin agreed with Eva, and Thomas put his hoof on Nova's shoulder. "You've made me one happy father. You showed some recklessness, but in the end, that was what saved you. You have one interesting way of fighting." A Doctor entered the room, looked at Nova, and smiled. "Looks like you've made a full recovery! Your lucky, almost everyone's first good thrashing gives them some mental damage, but you checked out with a perfect bill of health! After your father signs some paperwork, you can leave."

Nova thanked him, and watched him leave. Darwin and Eva congratulated him once more on his victory, and exited as well. Next was Iron Will, who left on a note. "I better see you soon! Beating you will definitely give me a good boost in fame!" Last was his father, heading out to sign the release forums, but before he could go, Nova asked him a question. "Can you talk to your mutants?" Thomas nodded. "Yes, and I'm guessing you can too. You have more skill than I do, but I have more experience, but if you keep at it, you'll become far more stronger than I ever was, or will be. Just remember, your mutant is not a tool of destruction, used for only gaining fame, but a friend, one of which if you bond with closely, will make you and unstoppable team." And with that, he left.

Nova thought deeply about what his father told him. He made a promise to never abuse the power he has, and to never to see his mutants as mere tools. His father came back a few minuets later, and they both headed back to the tournament, ready for whatever the various opponents had to throw at him. On the way there, he made a mental note to look up some additional info on Iron 'Beast', and the other leaders of the various divisions. Being pressed for time, he only managed to get some info on the second tournament, the arena after Iron Will's. It was in Las Pegasus, and the leader there was the master of the Mythic Gene. Her name: the Great and 'Mythical' Trixie. She was known for her mysterious, yet all powerful mutants, all of which were both stunning, and monstrous. The only major note he could find was that she seemed to favor a special mutant, one that is incredibly hard to come by, A Pit Lord, and what made it more dangerous, was that it was a boss strain. Boss strain's were gifts from The Mean Gene Game creators, bestowed only to the leaders, and to the Champion. Each boss strain mutant was selected for the leaders, whatever suited them perfectly.

The Champ, however, got one of their choosing. He asked his dad what he chose. "You'll see soon enough." Was his only reply. Nova was bummed, but couldn't get the image of that boss Pit Lord. It was by far the most scary mutant he had ever seen, and their was many others that were on that list. But with renewed strength, and his first win under his belt, he was ready to take on his next opponent, and lucky for him, the day was far from over.......

End of Chapter One

Chapter Two: The Initiation Games!

He couldn't be anymore anxious, the wait almost killing him. His first battle left him wanting more, the thrill of seeing two incredible beings go at each other, the roar of the crowd as each blow made contact...... "No! I'm doing it again! Just need to relax. Relax........" Nova took several deep breaths, trying to clear his mind. The hours went by, and soon enough, it was his turn to enter the arena once more. This time, he was going up against a mare named Karin. She had a more formidable team, a Baron Lundi, Gold Dead Bot, and Silver Valkyrie.

Nova entered his Goliath, Shell Shock, and Gold Dire Despot. He mulched it over, deciding to go with his Goliath. Once more he found himself alongside his mutant, making their way to the battle ground. He connected his mind with his Goliath's, and was expecting a response from it, but not a sound came from it, besides it's huge, metal legs slamming into the ground with each step it took. Nova's Goliath was menacing, for it had a enormous Tri-Cannon on one side of its back, and a larger drum on the very center of its back. He knew all to well what was concealed inside. Thousands of rockets and missiles, each armed and ready to reek havoc on what ever was foolish to stand in its way.

They emerged, and were once again greeted by a roaring crowd, only this time, Nova could see Iron Will watching from the VIP section. A smile was on his face, and Nova knew he was just as eager to see this go down. Goliaths were incredibly rare, but when ever one stepped into the arena, it usually was the only thing that came back out, of course with its psy-captain and other mutants close behind. The large blue Mechpony was far larger than Nova himself, towering above him. He almost felt bad for his opponent. Almost.

Slowly, Karin crept out of the other arena entrance, followed by her Silver Valkyrie. "Once again, we have the advantage. You ready?" Nova's mutant just stood there. He began think that it ether didn't talk, or didn't like talking, but he soon learned why it was so quiet. "TARGET ANALYZED! GENE TYPE: SABER/MYTHIC HYBRID! THREAT LEVEL: MINIMAL! BEST METHOD OF COMBAT: BALANCED!" Nova's head was ringing, but he enjoyed the voice of his mutant, deep, metallic, and best of all, commanding. "If only they could hear you.....Ha!" He knew better to be over confidant, for a Silver Valkyrie was no laughing matter.

The other mutant resembled a iron clad angel, eight streaks of silver light took the place of wings, a helm covered her entire face, and its weapon of righteousness, a holy spear, only instead of a metal tip, it had holy energy forming a curvy spear head. The spear floated by its side, pointed directly at Nova's Goliath. Karin had a smug look on her face, and for someone who was at a slight disadvantage, usually wasn't a good sign. "Stay alert, she may have a trick or three." Again, no response, but none was needed. The speakers bused to life. "Good afternoon everypony! Looks like we're on for a treat, as Nova has pulled out a Goliath! But rest assured, Karin's Valkyrie looks determined, and that can make all the difference here! LETS GET THIS PARTY STARTED! GET READY!"

The crowd once again died down to nothing more than a quiet buzz. Nova and Karin were staring each other down, both holding excellent poker-faces. One robot, and one masked warrior angel. "FIGHT!" Both mutants made no movement what so ever. The crowd had become silent, waiting for the first move. It was just a stare down between the two psy-captains. In the end, it was Karin's Valkyrie that made the first strike, and sadly, Nova was not prepared, but his mutant was far more than ready. While Nova stood in shock at the speed of her mutant, he was even more surprised on how quickly his mutant acted.

Karin's Valkyrie charged Nova's Goliath at blinding speeds, but was still not enough, for the Goliath burst ahead faster, and rammed the Valkyrie, forcing her to slide backwards. Nova understood what his mutant was doing, and grinned as it stomped its two front legs into the ground, and raised its huge cannon, aiming at the dazed mutant. A thundering explosion shook the arena as the first shot was fired, and yet another as the high-explosive round impacted where the Valkyrie had been standing. A large crater was all that was left where the mutant had been standing, for she had leaped into the air, and was diving strait for his mutant. "Bad move." Nova thought, at the same time as the barrel rotated, locking the next chamber into place. Another round was fired, and unable to change directions due to the high velocity, the cannon round exploded right in its face. Karin's mutant went sailing backwards through the sky, and landed with a crash into the ground.

A big cloud of dust hid the other side of the arena from view. This, however didn't affect Nova's Goliath. "ACTIVATING THERMAL SCANNERS!" Nova strengthened his neural link to see what his mutant could see, which was a charging Valkyrie that didn't seem to happy. It plunged its spear into the mutant, and rammed it with all the might it could muster. Karin's mutant succeed in pushing the Goliath, but only so. It slid a few feet at most, but pain wise, felt like getting pinched. "You have quite the tolerance, my friend. Shall we?" The response was quick. "ENGAGING TARGET!" With that being said, the dim orange lines on its chest and head began to glow. The Valkyrie quickly withdrew, knowing exactly what this meant. "THIS IS WHY YOU DON'T MESS WITH A GOLIATH!" His yell caused a worried psy-captain to flinch, and a hyped crowd to go nuts.

His Goliath reloaded its two empty barrels, and began to raise its drum up. Two loud clicks and a mechanical whirring later, and all combat systems were online. The Tri-Cannon began to spin up, preparing for automatic fire and loading. The drum finally revealed its innards, and multiple rockets stuck their tips out, all of which were locking onto the opposing mutant.

"ENGAGE!" The only noise that could be heard, the hiss of five rockets flying off to their target, more being loaded to do the same, and more thundering booms from the Tri-Cannon. After that, a bang so loud, Nova was sure it could be heard all over Manehattan. His Goliath didn't let up. Boom. Flash. Boom. Flash. Boom. Flash. It was the same thing over and over again. This continued for a few more seconds. The only noise heard was the whirring from the rotating Tri-Cannon.

It had grown silent once more, the crowd in awe at the destructive force that just went all out against its opponent. The explosions caused pieces of cement and metal to rain from the sky. Soon, all eyes went from the Goliath, to the smoldering pile of red ooze, sitting in a hole in the ground. The psy-captian, pale as the whitest white. The announcer turned on the speakers, but took several seconds to say anything. "UNBELIEVABLE! In all my life, i've never seen a Goliath in combat, and only heard stories of its power, but having it demonstrated before MY OWN TWO EYES!" This caused the crowd to erupt in applause. Nova was breathing hard, for the continuous fire had gave him a powerful adrenaline rush, and he was still under its effects. The platform lowered the ground, and Nova took weary steps toward his mutant. He was speechless, but not his mutant.

"TARGET ELIMINATED! CALCULATED DAMAGE: CATASTROPHIC! HULL INTEGRITY: 97%!" It stomped its legs, causing mini earthquakes to go off to anyone who was standing nearby.

He cared little for anything but Zoomorphs, fame, and himself, but even that display of power made Iron Will's jaw hit the ground. He was well aware that Zoomorph and Cyber don't play well against each other, for Cyber had a huge advantage against Zoomorphs. "Hmm, it seems that I may need to do some training...." He looked over the Goliath closely, trying to find any weak points. The outside looked indestructible, and the fact that the Valkyrie's spear even penetrated its armor, yet looked like it did nothing but cause it to go full force on it. "Wait......." He remembered seeing the inside of that drum, filled with explosives. "HAHA! If I were to get a clean shot.....Oh yea! Looks like I do have some training needing to get done after all!"

He began to walk away, laughing to himself the entire time.

Yet another victory in the bag for Nova. After his mutant was taken to the Recovery Bay, he walked back to his team's quarters. Upon arrival, Darwin and Eva spoke to him. "Yet another amazing fight, even if it was a lopsided one. I feel kinda sorry for Karin." Eva nodded in agreement. "She put some effort at the beginning, but after seeing your Goliath ready to unleash its barrage.......whew, what a sight." Nova laughed nervously. "Yea, well, I might have gotten a little too carried away back there." They both laughed, and so did Nova. His father was next to speak to him. "You'll soon realize that it isn't pleasant to be on the other side of the barrel, so to speak." He put a hoof on his shoulder, and smiled. "You have many things you need to learn before you can take on the Alpha Division, but don't worry, we'll be here to help you every step of the way." Darwin and Eva both smiled. "You can count on it." Everyone began to laugh, and Nova was happy to have such a great father, and loyal team.

Day soon turned to night, and the stadium lit up like a firework. As tradition, the final two competitors would have a fight under the stars. It was still a few minuets till the match, and Nova was being prepped for his final fight. The las battle is always a mystery, for both captains had no idea what the nominated mutants would be. Nova chose to take his Gold Dire Despot into combat.

He was nervous, but he knew that so must his opponent. Nova linked his mind to his mutants, and feeling his nervousness, tried to calm him down. Coming from a big, dark skeletal horse that was ruthless in combat, welding a golden sword, empowered by evil spirits, and had a deep demonic voice, didn't really help. "We will do fine, for no matter what, I will strike relentlessly until the very end!"

They stepped out into the brightly lit arena. The crowd was silent for once, tension emanating from the stands. They looked at Nova and his mutant, eyes wide. Nova was lifted once more by the platform, and as he hit the top, his opponent appeared. It was a nimble looking male zebra, Haze, and what followed close behind was a Gold Lichlock. "Hmm, a rare mutant, and a mutant with the Mystic gene as well. We must watch ourselves, for you may be strong, but he is fast." They both watched as the Lichlock took its place in the arena, and his psy-captain getting lifted up into the air by the platform.

The speakers came on, but the speaker was different. It sounded much like the one Nova was interviewed by. " Mares and Gentlecolts! It is me, Charles! I am here with the current champion of the Mean Gene Games, BARON URBAN!" There is a drastic voice change, as Urban takes the mic. "Ah, it warms my heart to see newcomers here, so eager to stat their careers. The road ahead of you is long and difficult, but with determination and skill, you can prevail! I am here to personally start the last fight in the Initiation battles. Now, with out further delay, and might I add, may the best captain win. GET READY!" Haze's Lichlock took its orange orb off of its back, and kept it close to his hands, its black and orange robe fluttering in the wind. Nova's Dire Despot brought its sword to its side, hovering it right next to his leg.

"BEGIN!" Before anything else even happened, the Lichlock demonstrated its incredible speed by lifting its orb in front of his hand, and let loose a purple bolt of Mythic energy, that hit Nova's mutant square in the chest. They both winced in unison, the bolt sending a wave of pain through their bodies. It shot off three more bursts, but this time, Nova's Dire Despot was on the move. It became a shadowy mass, sank into the ground, and reappeared in front of the Lichlock, and with the rising momentum, swung his sword. The Lichlock may have been fast, but not fast enough, as the blade sliced its orb, and hand, in two. A terrible screech came from the Lichlock, as its orb shattered, and its hand falling off, turning into a pile of green muck. The Dire Despot attempted once more at a swing, but Haze's mutant dodged, and began to rain green fireballs down on Nova's mutant.

Each hit was like a buck in the ribs, each more painful then the last. "Quick, launch your blade at him!" With a grunt of effort, his mutant angled his sword at the Lichlock's chest, and fired it. The Lichlock reacted to late, and the sword impaled his right shoulder. The Dire Despot pried it from its shoulder, and more muck began to pour out if its wound. It turned its back to the Despot, and the huge book on its back began to open, quickly flipping through pages. It stopped suddenly on a page, and a blast of Mythic energy was released from the book. Having no time to move, it exploded on top of his mutant. Nova clenched his teeth, as another great wave of agony spread throughout his body. His Despot was in bad condition. Parts of his cloak had burned away, a portion of his front left leg was missing, and part of his face was scorched.

His mutant was furious. Channeling the demonic energy in the blade, he plunged it into the ground, and glowing hole opened up, both under the sword, and Lichlock. Only when it exited, it was colossal, for it split the Lichlock in half, and upon lifting it out of the ground, it fell to the ground, upper body by the Despot, and lower a few feet away from Nova. The two parts were spewing green ooze, and soon dissolved into said ooze. Nova had come to a realization. The crowd was silent the whole match. "Well, it looks like we have ourselves our next contestant in the Mean Gene Games, NOVA!" It seemed that Urban's voice contained some power, for the dead silent onlookers exploded into cheers and applause.

He was lowered to the ground, and his Dire Despot limped over to him. They did not say a word, for both had nothing to say. They both felt it, a slight draining feeling. Things began to blur for Nova, as time seemed to slow down. He did one full rotation, lights and faces blending into one color, all but Urban's face. It was the last thing he remembered seeing, before collapsing to the ground. His mutant followed, sword clanking to the ground, and body collapsing into a pile of darkness and bones. All he could see was black, but that wasn't what scared him. What scared him was the laughter, but not just ordinary laughter, maniacal laughter, and it was Baron Urban's laugh.

End of Chapter Two

Chapter Three: Breaking the Mutogenic Code! Fighting with Legends!

Nova began to stir, and quickly noticed he was in a hospital bed. "Ugh, I feel like crap. What happened?" Everyone rushed to the bed. Thomas was first to speak. "Well, you walked off the platform after your victory, and then just fell. Can your remember anything?" Nova shook his head. "No, nothing at all. Wait, how long have I been out?" He asked. This time, it was a doctor.

"You've been out for a few days. You were rushed here once you fell, and didn't respond to anything. We did some tests, and found that your mental activity was at some very low levels." He looked at a clip board, then walked over to Thomas. whispered something, and then turned to leave. Thomas looked back at Nova. "Well, he said you are well enough to leave, but do try and delay from participating in the Alpha Division to prevent any serious damage."

Nova sighed. "Alright, but when I can go back in, i'm gonna have to really kick it into high gear!" He was beaming with energy, but remembered he was quite sore, and slumped back down. "Oooooh, that wasn't the best idea." Nova was helped onto a wheel chair, and was brought back to the facility. Darwin had left early to check on some things, but upon arrival, he was madly running about, carrying parts to some crazy looking machine.

"Wha..........?" Darwin skidded to a stop, looked at the group, and ran of again, but this time he had a TV with him. "Did you not see the news yet?" He was running around again once the news came up. It viewed a battle going on by someone in the Beta Division. The strange part was, both psy-captain's mutants looked odd. Nova turned up the volume.

"It is said that multiple Mutologists around the world have made a brake through with genetic coding on mutants. They have broken down a barrier, which now allows them to modify mutants in one very special way. It is now possible to reform some mutants into what appears to be............ human like creatures! We all know something about humans, those mythical creatures of the unknown. With this break through, mutants that are reformed, wether during incubation or those put through a certain machine, have shown a great increase in combat effectivity......"

The camera cut off to the fight. A Blade Banshee was having a duel with a Bushi, both blocking each others attacks, but they were holding their swords with hands. It was strange to see them being held in that way, but they were attacking much more quickly, both taking steps on two legs. But that was off to the side, for a Enforcer just threw a Zombie at the nearby wall. They looked much more fierce in their new human forms, and the reporter didn't lie, for the Zombie just shook off the impact, and lunged at the Enforcer, biting and clawing at exposed wires and flesh. But out of that display, the weirdest part was when the Zombie opened its mouth, and stuck out its tongue, which was now a incredibly long tentacle, wrapped it around its arm, and ripped it right off. Sparks and blood went every where, and the crowds pleasure was far more then apparent. The Enforcer recoiled, hovering backwards a bit, but this seemed to only enrage him. He charged forward, far to fast for the Zombie to dodge, and impaled him with its arm blades. He twisted his arm, then began to pull it upwards. The Zombie struggled, but to no avail. With a quick and forceful upward thrust, the Enforcer got to the Zombies head, and ripped it off. The headless body fell to the ground, and turned into a pile of goop, but the head was still on the Enforcer's arm blades. The crowd went ballistic, applauding and cheering.

The reporter came back into view. "And with that amazing display of strength and fury, my earlier statement has been proven. All you psy-captains out there, its time for an update." It cut back to the battle, but Thomas turned off the TV. He cleared his throat, stopped Darwin as he was rushing by, and said "I take it your building a converter?" Darwin just nodded, and began to go back to work. Eva sighed. "Looks like your time off just bought us some time to improve your mutants, Nova. Darwin, how long....." He cut her off. "Few hours, one day tops." He went back to fiddling with some parts, but sighed as he had to run off again to get another part. This time, it was Nova who stopped him. "Let my mutants help. Things will go a lot faster." Darwin nodded, and returned to working. Nova went off to get some mutants to help with the movment of equipment.

He returned with his Dire Despot, Reptoid, Beetle Bot, and Nordic Nightmare. Nova said to help Darwin with what ever he needed, and off they went, ether lifting large pieces of equipment, or quickly bringing various tools to Darwin. Nova jst watched them work, having nothing better to do, but soon dozed off.

Darwin was working furiously at his converter, and with the help of Nova's mutants, things were coming along quickly, but he still needed to break the Mutogenic code himself. He wasn't worried though, for he was excellent at what he did, and was sure with some digging he would be able to complete his task. Only problem was: gene splicing. He would have to trial and error his way through many gene combinations. But he pushed the thought aside, and took a step back at what he created. "Whew, finally. Thanks you guys." He ran off, going to get a book on Mutogenic genes, for he remembered something else he found interesting while studying. "If I remember correctly......" He muttered to him self once he opened the book, flipping through the pages. Then he came across it. "Haha! Yes, here it is! Lets see: When Mutogenic experimentation began, genes were closely observed as they mixed with other genes. A very curious Mutogenisist, Dr. Michel, noticed something strange with the Mythic gene. Upon close examination, it appeared to relate all of the other genes. But something even more intriguing was the structure of the gene its self, for it was almost identical to a ponies gene. Yes, I remember now, and the first normal mutant that looked like a human was.......the Demon! And since all other mutations originate from the Demon mutant, any strand of the Mythic gene would work!"

He read further. "Some test were conducted, and through careful splicing, they manage to merge the two genes, giving the product of the very first mutant, the Demon. Ah yes, now I just need a Mythic gene strain."

Nova found himself being shaken by Darwin, who had a huge smile on his face. "Uh, what? What, are you done?" Nova said, still groggy. Three hours had passed since he fell asleep. Darwin nodded. "Yes, yes I have finished, but I still need one more component." Nova stared at him. "Yes, and that would be?" He looked happy that Nova asked. "I need a Mythic gene strain." Nova raised a brow. "Ok, well I don't have a Mythic mutant, but maybe my dad does, ether a strain or a mutant." And with that, they were off to find Thomas, though it was really Darwin dragging along Nova, who was still trying to full wake up.

They found Thomas in the study, reading through some old books. Once they entered, he set the book he was currently reading. Darwin put Nova in front of him. Nova turned to him. "Yea, Darwin needs a Mythic gene strain for his converter. Since I don't have any......." Nova fell asleep mid sentence. Thomas walked to Darwin. "Yes, I'm aware that in order to complete the conversion process, you need both a ponies gene strain, and a Mythic strain. I'm sure you have this book." He went back and brought it to Darwin, who nodded. "Yes I do. You happen to have a Mythic strain anywhere?"

Thomas nodded, then turned toward one of the bookshelves, and motioned Darwin to follow. "I'm sure you recall Nova asking me what reward mutant I asked for when I became champion, yes?" Darwin nodded. "Well......" Thomas pulled on one of the books, and the bookshelf split in half, revealing a mutant larva. "Is that a....." Thomas picked up the larva container, and handed it to Darwin. "Yes, this is a Boss strain Dracus Nobilis. This is what I asked for. I knew it was going to have some importance in the future, so I kept it in is larva form. Use this to get your Mythic gene strain." Before Darwin could drag Nova, who was still asleep, Thomas asked him a question. "Who are you going to use for the pony gene?" Darwin smiled. "Why, Nova of course! It will bring him even closer to his mutants, so it would only be fitting to use a gene strain from him." And he was off yet again, rushing off to get things under way.

This time when Nova awoke, he was hooked up to what he assumed to be Darwin's machine. "Uh, would you like to tell me what it is i'm doing connected to this thing?" Darwin walked over to Nova. "Yes, your dad did have a Mythic gene strain, but to complete the gene needed to convert most of your mutants, I need to splice a pony gene with the Mythic gene. So, I chose you, since these are your mutants. Now, you may feel a slight pinch...." Before Nova could question him further, he felt a sharp pain in the base of his neck. "ACK! What WAS that!" He felt blood being drawn. "Can't talk, busy, sorry." Darwin had to make sure everything was correctly spliced together, otherwise.......

He pushed the thought aside, and focused at the task ahead. He had no problem breaking down the Mythic gene, but he was slowly and carefully doing the same with Nova's gene that he extracted. "Easy does it now......." He was finally beginning to breakdown the strain of pony gene. It felt like forever, but soon enough he had successfully broke it down, and began the splicing process. "This goes there, and that over there......" Sweat was dripping off his face as he carefully rearranged the two gene's genetic structure. After an hour of continuous work, Darwin had done it. "There, finished. Now to embed the gene into the system, and we can start the conversion process. Now, just hold still....."

Nova was going to say something, but the feeling of the needle being removed caused him to clench his teeth. It slowly slid out of his neck. Once free, Nova got up and stretched. "Next time, warn me when your gonna do experiments that involve me. Ugh, feels like I tried to sleep on a bed made of spikes." He turned to look at the Converter. "Well, I didn't just sit in one place, and have my gene spliced with one of a Mythic gene to stand around and do nothing. Let's go bring in my mutants!" They raced off to the mutant compounds, and gathered what mutants that could be converted to a human/humanoid. They ended up returning with Nova's Dire Despot, Goliath, Robot, and Nordic Nightmare.

Darwin instructed Nova where to place the mutants, and to watch the magic happen. First one in was the Dire Despot. He stood at one end of the Converter, waiting for the process to begin. Small ring-like segments closed him off from the outside, and the Converter started up. Darwin was muttering to himself. "Just put this here, and then put that over that, and........ BINGO!" Nova walked over to the other side, chuckling at Darwin's over enthusiasm, but he was as well. What stepped out made his jaw almost hit the ground. He thought his Dire Despot looked scary before, but now......

"Wow......" Even the Dire Despot was stunned, looking at his hands, then at his new stature. He was tall, menacing, and above all, dark. "Darwin, I think you should be getting some awards for this. This is just......... mind blowing." Darwin was a mind blown as everyone else, for both Thomas and Eva had stepped into the room, and saw the humanized Dire Despot. "Darwin, did you....." Eva couldn't finish her sentence. Thomas shook it off. "Yes, I knew that you would be able to get this to work."

Hours went by completing all the conversions, but each transformation was well worth the wait. With Nova still not in the best of health, he was still not allowed to enter the Alpha Division. It was days later before he was mentally fit enough to start. With the new humanized mutant transformations, things would get a LOT more interesting in the up coming fights. "I can't wait to show them what I'm made of!" Everyone agreed, but for the moment, it was time to rest. "Wow, this sport has come quite a long way. Now were using creatures of myth and legend! I wonder whats next........" With that ending note from Thomas, they all went to sleep, for the next few days were going to be filled with new combat styles, new mutants, and new psy-captains.