Ponies: Genetic Gladiators!

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