Ponies: Genetic Gladiators!

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