As the blue Shoyru flew high in the skies above Neopia, MoonWingCallista, looked down on Neopia Central. Her blue coloring made her nearly invisible to the naked eye when she was flying in the clear, cloudless sky that was common to Neopia. She tilted her wings and went into a steep dive, aiming directly for the Rainbow Pool that had been in the center of Neopia Central for as long as the oldest Elephante could remember. She pulled up out of her dive at the last second and flipped in the air, sending her feet first toward the bright green grass.
Seeing no one she knew, she pulled her backpack off her shoulders and sat down on a bench. She dug around inside her bag, looking for that list that her owner palaminofilly, better known as Misty, had given her. She found it, crumpled up in the bottom of the silver colored backpack. She picked out the white paper and unfolded it and flattened it on her leg. She looked it over, it was a shopping list. It read:
Calli,
Please don’t forget to go shopping~ here’s what we need.
~Neopia Central Food Shop~
KauKau Farms Milk (this brand is the best value)
Eggs
Bottled water
Orange Blend
Petpet Food
~Grundo’s~
Sugarbunny Surprise
Green Tea Tablets
~Icy Fun Snow Shop~
Ice cream, some chocolaty thing for you and
some Neopolitan for me please.
A six-pack of Brucicles
Calli, as was her shorter name, stood and, gripping the list in her paw she slung the backpack over her shoulder and walked across the grass to the Food Shop at the top right of the dirt roundabout in the road. She walked up to the doors and they slid open for her automatically. She walked to the back of the store to where the coolers were and grabbed a basket on the way by. She grabbed a gallon jug of Milk from the shelves, and Eggs out of the door next to the Milk. She walked down that isle and found the Orange Blend. She picked out the flavor she wanted and set it in her basket.
A few isles up, she found the petpet food and grabbed the Babaa treats. She picked up the 24 pack of bottled water and gently took it over to the cashier. She unloaded her basket and put it near the doors where the others were. The cashier rang up her order and she paid the Wocky the said amount of neopoints. Picking up the bag of groceries and the bottled water, she walked out the doors, leaning toward the paw that had the 24 pack of water in it.
The Wocky gentleman at the register watched her struggle out of the doors with the groceries with a chuckle in his warm brown eyes. He knew that even though he could offer to help her, she would just say ‘No thanks’ and keep going. That was the natural Shoyru stubborn streak showing through.
She gripped both in her paws and sprang into the air, her wings beating furiously to get her, and the groceries off the ground. She had never had to carry groceries and fly at the same time, but after a few tries, she succeeded in getting off the ground.
Her wings had to beat twice as fast to keep her in the air as she flew home to her and Misty’s home in the countryside of Neopia Central.
She landed at the gate, not bothering to fly over. She unlatched the gate and walked through, kicking it closed behind her. She opened the front door and walked in, taking the groceries to the kitchen. She set them on the counter and was heading back out, when her owner approached her.
“Where are you going next Calli?” she asked, taking the groceries out of the bag and putting them away.
Calli thought for a second, plotting the best way to get the rest of the stuff on the list.
“Well… I figure it would be best to catch the shuttle up to the space station, get the two things you wanted from there then head out to Terror Mountain.” She answered, scratching an itch on her wing.
Misty nodded and took Calli’s hat and scarf out of the tub of outdoor clothes next to the stairs.
“Put these in your backpack. You don’t want to get sick with Neomonia like your friend Rufus did when he went to Happy Valley without wearing his hat. Do you?” she said, unzipping Calli’s backpack and dropping the hat and folded scarf into it, while taking out empty candy wrappers and other junk. She threw the wrappers away and Calli laughed.
“Wow! My backpack is a whole lot lighter now!” she joked.
Misty laughed and hugged her.
“You be careful going to the Space Station.” She warned. “You never know who’s going to be there.”
Callista nodded.
“I will be, Misty.”
Calli walked out through the front hall and out the front door, taking off into the clear blue sky from the front porch. She flew east, towards the shuttle launch to go out to the space station. Her super fast flight allowed her to get there, halfway across the planet to the launch in 5 minutes. She landed at the outskirts of the crowd that always gathered around the launch pad to watch the shuttles go up.
The shuttle on the pad was boarding so Calli ran over to the ticket booth and bought a two-way ticket, there and back for 30np. She rushed out across the cement to the line of boarding pets and owners and stood in line, waiting for her turn to go on.
The line was slowly moving forward, and before she realized it, she was on board, walking to her seat towards the back of the shuttle. She sat down next to the view port and strapped herself in.
The last of the people boarded and the doors closed, the air seal locking in place. The engines roared and the gravity pressed everyone back into their seats. They made open space in about 55 seconds, there being only 2 minutes left to get out to the space station. She stretched her paws out in front of her and yawned, any amount of stillness bored her.
She felt the ship slow down and turn, getting ready to dock. She looked out the view port and saw the metal skin of the station, just inches away. She shuttle docked and the doors slid open once again. Calli entered the stream of Neopets and owners exiting the shuttle and went into the station and down into the central pit that was the shop called Grundo’s. She walked up to the counter and talked to Grundo, the kind hearted mutant Grundo behind the counter.
She grabbed the Sugarbunny Surprise and the Green Tea Tablets and paid for them, saying goodbye to Grundo.
She took her bag and walked up the stairs back to the main floor of the Space Station. She edged her way back through the crowd to the docking port, looking up at the arrivals and departures ticker. Her flight wasn’t bound home until about a ½ hour later, so she headed over to the Space Battledome. She picked up the fight schedule for the day and sat down on one of the silver clothed benches against the wall.
Thumbing through the pages she found one of her friend’s names. Damien Longspike, one of the best battlers Callista had ever seen. She looked up to the battle announcer on the wall and saw that Damien was about to fight. He was in dome number 4. Calli walked over to the security official outside the dome door and showed him her battle pass. He stepped aside and let her through. She glanced at her watch, still about 25 minutes left until her flight leaves.
She trotted up the stairs of the bleachers and sat on the lowest level. Damien’s owner Scott looked up from his notes.
“Hi Calli!” he glanced around behind her. “Is Misty here?” he asked, his British accent coloring his speech.
“Hi Scott. No she isn’t, but I’m sure she says hi.” Calli said, leaning forward on the wall in front of her. Damien was nowhere to be seen.
“Where’s Damien?” she asked, looking around the battlefield for his lithe fire painted self.
“Hmm? Oh, he’s in the ready room.” Scott said, flicking a thumb over his shoulder.
Calli nodded and turned, heading for the ready room. She knocked on the door and Damien’s deep voice answered.
“Who is it?”
“It’s me, Calli!”
The door opened a crack so Calli walked in. Damien’s back was turned to her, his tail flicking back and forth agitatedly. The clips on his breastplate weren’t done up so Calli walked over and clipped them up, making sure that they were tight. He turned.
“Thanks.” He said, a warm smile lighting his face.
“Sure, no prob.” She replied. “So who are you battling today?” she asked.
“Umm,” he looked down at the opponent slip in his paw. “a Nimmo, named Sensei Rova.”
Calli’s blue eyes grew wide.
“Sensei Rova!?” she exclaimed. “He’s one of the Nimmo Masters own sons!”
Damien shrugged.
“Hey, it’s not about reputation. I guess I’m gonna find out today what he’s really like.”
Calli tilted her head in respect for her friend.
“You’re a brave Shoyru Damien Longspike…”
He laughed and nodded back to her.
“Most of the time!” he replied jokingly.
Damien walked out of the ready room, Calli following behind him, his sword and shield in her paws. Scott stood up and gave Damien the notes that he had been making. It was the strategy.
“The strategy is simple.” He explained. “Rova is gonna try to throw you off your guard by using his special moves. They look harmless, but be sure that you don’t get watching him too much. Just keep him in the corner of your eye and duck and weave like I taught you.”
“If that doesn’t work,” he continued. “then he’s gonna give ya everything he’s got, so watch out. If you can survive the first 5 minutes you’ve got this battle finished.”
Damien nodded, listening carefully to everything that Scott said.
“Ok, I got it.”
Calli handed him his shield, which he strapped onto his arm, and gave him the sword.
He vaulted over the wall, not bothering with the gate and trotted energetically out to the center of the battlefield. Calli sat down next to Scott and glanced at her watch again. Twenty-three minutes.
Everything grew quiet and the door opposite Damien slid quietly open. A small, plain green Nimmo stepped gracefully through and walked calmly out to the center, facing Damien.
Damien looked back at Scott and Scott shrugged. This was not the Sensei Rova they had seen in the books. Scott leaned over to Calli.
“I’m not good at that announcer thing. Would you do it please?” he whispered to her.
Calli nodded and stood up, leaping over the wall gracefully. She walked over to the two opponents and stood outside their circle, facing the two of them.
“This battle, between the fire Shoyru Damien Longspike and the green Nimmo Sensei Rova is about to start!” she said, making sure that the small crowd watching the battle could hear her. “Do you both agree to the common rules of battle, here on the Space Station?” she asked them, as it was common for battle announcers to do.
Both Neopets nodded.
“Good. Then I say that this battle starts…” she watched the clock above the arena flick to 00:00. “…now!” she said, flying up into the air out of the way. She flew back to Scott’s side as the two opponents circled warily.
Rova lashed out with a spin-kick, but Damien blocked it with his shield, sending the Nimmo crashing back down on its side. Rova unsheathed his sword and the battle commenced.
Damien parried and blocked each thrust and sideswipe expertly and the crowd cheered for him. He was slowly driving Rova backwards. Rova lashed out and tried to cut Damien’s paw, but he parried, locking swords. Damien flipped over backwards, sailing over Rova’s head, sword sliding off and up, landing point down in the soft dirt. He plucked the sword from the ground and landed lightly on his feet, his wings lightening his step. Rova spun, sword clashing against sword. Damien flicked his wrist, sending the Nimmo’s sword flying. Rova scuttled to get his sword, grabbing it up off the ground.
~~~~~
When the clock read 06:43, the Nimmo lay on his back on the ground, unarmed with Damien standing over him, sword point at Rova’s throat. The Nimmo swallowed nervously.
Calli took to the air, flying out to them. She looked down at Sensei Rova.
“Do you surrender, Sensei Rova?” she asked.
“I do.” He said, being careful not to nod, lest the Shoyru’s sword nick his neck accidentally.
Damien stood back, sheathing his sword, allowing the Nimmo to stand. Calli took hold of Damien’s paw and held it aloft.
“Then I now declare Damien Longspike as the winner of this battle!” she cried, the crowd cheering deafeningly.
Sensei Rova bowed to Damien.
“Congratulations on a great win, Sir Longspike.” He said, his proper Nimmo speech very prevalent.
Damien nodded back to him.
“Thank you Sensei.”
The Nimmo limped away, heading, no doubt, back to his home on Mystery Island.
Calli and Damien walked back to Scott. Scott hugged them both.
“Good show, you two!” he said, his British accent quite strong.
Calli and Damien walked out, Calli holding his sword and shield while he shrugged out of the breastplate. He carried it under his arm and sheathed his sword in the scabbard. The doors of the battledome slid open and they started to walk out, when all of a sudden, they were nearly run over by a stampede of Neopets and humans, running screaming for the shuttles.
Calli and Damien both looked back to where the people were coming from and ran that way, Scott following after them. They ran against the flow of people, following the curve of the circular space station. They rounded the corner and nearly ran smack-dab into someone.
They skid to a halt and looked up, way up to the forms face. Calli gasped when it looked down at them.
“Sloth…” she said softly.
Damien turned and herded Calli and Scott out of there, towards the shuttles. They skidded through the doors of the shuttle just as they were sliding shut. They ran back to their seats and strapped in, barely getting buckled up before the pilot departed. The ride back to Neopia seemed to not take so long as the ride up to the station, but that’s probably just because they all wanted to get back on the dirt of home again.
The shuttle landed and the doors slid open, and the people swarmed out.
Misty was waiting by the fence and Calli flew into her arms. They embraced and Scott and Damien stood off to the side. Misty set Callista down and looked at her.
“You’re not hurt are you?” she asked worriedly.
“No, I’m fine.”
Damien walked up to her and looked up at Misty, his warm orange flame eyes looking up at her scaredly. She looked down at him and glanced at Scott, who nodded. Misty knelt and Damien rushed into her arms, comforted by her hug. He was tough, but he was still emotional.
Misty sat down cross-legged, her back against the fence and Damien curled up in her lap. Scott sat down next to her, Calli on his lap.
The four sat together, happy that they were all safe and sound.
A Babaa and a Doglefox ran out of the crowd that was watching the shuttle. The Babaa ran and snuggled its nose into Calli’s arms and the Doglefox ran to his master, Damien. It barked and wagged its tail and Damien opened his arms for it to run to him. The Doglefox clambered up onto Misty’s legs and went to Damien.
Misty laid her head on Scott’s shoulder and he held her hand.
The two Shoyru’s told them what happened in their days and about the battle with the Nimmo Sensei Rova. They told of Dr. Sloth on the station and about the ride on the shuttle back home.
Misty and Scott looked at each other, in their eyes the hidden love that they felt for each other showing. Misty smiled and hugged him and he hugged her.
The End
Tell me what ya think!
