Mankind

Two days on the water, two days of endless sailing and sleepless nights. Rylee leans against the boat’s railing, watching the water pass them by, taking in the warm windy air. In different circumstances, this could be relaxing, but the main goal now is getting to Midpoint Island, and after that, who knows?
Kya joins next to her, wrapped in a lightweight blanket, her hair, once made up nicely by the lady’s maid, is now quickly thrown into a very haphazard braid. There’s dark circles under her eyes, like she hasn’t slept at all.
“We’re almost there.” She says, her voice hoarse.
“Have you been to Misyoto City before?”
“Once, maybe twice. It’s amazing. It’s like nothing you’ve ever seen before.” She looks over at Rylee and places her hand on her shoulder, “I’m sorry you had to leave your dad behind, after just meeting him.”
“It’s okay. I’ve come far and waited a long time…I think I can wait just a little longer. Oh, I had a question.”
“Shoot.” Kya says, watching the water below.
“My dad, and your mom, they aren’t hydrokinetics, where did you and Quency learn to fight?”
A smile forms on Kya’s face, like a memory long forgotten floods her mind. “That was from our Grandmother. She was in war when she was younger and she wanted us to know how to fight in case we needed to.”
“She taught you well. I just hope I can pick up on it quickly.” Rylee sighs.
“You will. My mother saw to that.”
“It felt like a weight being lifted off my shoulders when she did it…almost like I became a whole different person.”
Kya takes a deep breath then sighs. “I’m going to try to get some sleep. It shouldn’t be much longer.”
Rylee nods. “Okay, see you later.”
“Get some rest, yeah?”
“I’ll try my best.”

Rylee awakens to the blare of the ship horn. She leaps out of a chair and looks around frantically. She fell asleep on the deck and now her neck hurts like crazy. It’s night. When Kya left her, it was nearing 7PM and the sun was just getting ready to set. She moves to the side of the boat, back to the railing and in the distance is Misyoto in all it’s shining glory. Her father was right, the city is grand. It’s all lit up with glowing orange lights, and buildings that touch the clouds. New York City but larger, yes, with a Japanese flair, also yes.
“We’re here.” Sho’s voice echoes behind her, sending shivers down her spine and she leaps into the air in fright.
“SHO!” She yelps. “You scared me!”
“Sorry, sorry.” He laughs. “Isn’t it incredible?”
“It really is.” The city sits in a valley between two snowcapped mountains. Kya was right, Misyoto is something she’s never seen before.
“You two ready?” Kya asks from above them. She makes her way down to the deck with Quency.
They head off the point and onto Midpoint Island. It’s not a huge place, just big enough for a small village and an estate, much smaller than the castle in Highclere for sure but just as comfortable and cozy.
It doesn’t take long to get settled in. Rylee’s room is almost identical to the one back at the castle but somehow the bed is much more comfortable. She plops down, her head hits the soft pillow. The older woman that showed them to their rooms said “Everything will be okay. Get sleep.” But will everything really be okay? Their instructions were pretty clear to hide here until this thing with Marrad blows over, if it does. Rylee doesn’t even want to think about that right now, a full blown war, a war fought with kinetic abilities rather than weapons. It terrifies her.
In the room next to her, Sho tosses and turns. He can’t get comfortable under the silk blankets. No, it isn’t comfort he’s needing, the bed is plenty comfortable. He’s restless, too many things surfing his mind. He shoots up, his barefeet hit the cold floor and suddenly he’s across the room, pushing open the windows to look out at the city’s dazzling lights.
He leans his elbows against the windowsill and cups his chin with his hands. The breeze catches his skin ever so softly and goosebumps travel his arms. Sho sighs, he doesn’t know if he’d rather be here on this strange planet or back on Earth, either way, the conflict is almost the same. He leaves the window open, then heads to bed.

“Focus!” Kya yelps. She shoots a bolt of water at Rylee but she blocks it, putting both arms up infront of her face. Rylee sends a few back, her technique is almost reminiscent of mixed martial arts. She throws punches at the air then kicks, each sending a powerful blast of water. “Good!” Kya calls out with a smile. “Keep it up!”
Rylee dives into a roll, quickly dodging Kya’s attack before throwing one of her own. She leaps into a spin, redirecting water and hitting Kya, knocking her to the ground.
“You’re getting really good.”
“Thanks,” Rylee says with a sly smile and crossed arms. She reaches out and pulls Kya up off the ground.
Two weeks have passed since their arrival to the island and they haven’t even left to explore the city yet, and still no word from Eric or Athena. Not too far from them are Quency and Sho, practising their moves, but instead of offense, they’re more defense. Quency is teaching him how to block incoming attacks, and redirect water based attacks.
“Hey!” Kya calls out. “Everyone come over here.” The others join next to her and she takes a deep breath. “Okay. So I overheard this morning that the pro-match is happening tonight at the arena in the city.”
“And?” Quency sighs.
“And, we’re going.”
“I like that idea.” Rylee claps her hands together but Quency and Sho simply say, “NO!” at the same time.
“Isn’t it dangerous?” Sho asks.
Kya cocks her head to the side and rolls her eyes. “It’s dangerous here, boredome is about to kill me.”
“We need to get off the island. C’mon.” Rylee bats her eyes. “Pretty please?”
Quency throws up his hands. “Fine, I’ll go. As long as Sho is coming too.”
Sho gives in easily. “Fine. We can go.”
Night comes and the four sneak to the shoreline, undetected. Seems security around here isn’t all that amazing.
“How do we get there? We can’t exactly take the boat.” Sho asks.
“Sho, we’re hydros. We ride a wave over to it.” Kya points. “See that building over there?” The building is lit up bright, it’s snugged tight against the edge of the city. “That’s where we need to go. It isn’t very far. Quency, can you give us some cover?”
“Easy enough.” Quency smirks. He swirls his arms in the air, gathering mist until it becomes an inconspicuous cloud good enough for hiding. “Ready to go.”
“Alright, I think you two are more than capable of riding a wave, right? You’ve got enough training?”
Rylee and Sho nod. They count down from three then jump into the cold water. One by one they emerge on a small wave. With their hands thrust behind them, they take off, bound for the arena.
With a burst of water, they shoot up and onto the balcony that wraps around the building. They’ve successfully infiltrated the pro arena. Rylee’s body vibrates with excitement and the roar of the crowds shake the floor beneath them.
They slip into the stands and are surprised with good seats. Below them is two groups of four on both sides of the ring. A person on the team closest to them takes a hit of fire to the chest and tumbles into the water surrounding them. A buzzer dings, now it’s three on four.
“Who do we cheer for?!” Rylee asks with the widest smile across her face.
“The ones who are winning I guess!” Sho leaps up and cheers as they knock another person into the water.
“I thought you were against this?”
He looks over at Rylee and rolls his eyes. “Yeah, yeah.”
Rylee can’t take her eyes off of it. She doesn’t know what makes it so mesmerizing though. Is it the fighting? The announcer’s voice, the buzzer every time someone gets out? Or maybe it’s the realization that this is somewhat normalcy.
BUZZ. The whole team out and the winner is the Daisy-Lizards. The crowds cheer and stomp their feet. Sho throws his arms in the air, roaring like he’s never done before.
“We gotta get in on this.” Quency says as the stadium begins to empty out.
“But we’re all the same element. Isn’t there rules about that?” Rylee asks.
“Actually!” A voice calls out from behind them. They turn to see a boy, well, maybe the same age as them. His hair is parted down the middle with curtain bangs, and glasses on the tip of his nose. “There is not rule having four of the same element on one team, but it has to be all the same element. You can’t do pyro and three hydro.”
“Seems fair enough. Know where we sign up?”
“I just happen,” He pulls out a paper. “To have that information handy. If you didn’t know, pro-hylo is my favorite sport.” He laughs a bit. “If you do sign up, I’ll be cheering you on from the seats.”
Once back from their night out, they find the older woman waiting for them on the beach. Her arms are crossed and she has a scowl on her face.
“I don’t like the look of this,” Quency says quietly.
“Did you four not think I wouldn’t notice a strange singular cloud leaving the island?” She taps her foot against the wooden boardwalk.
“I’m sorry, Welsh. I convinced them to go out. It’s my fault.” Kya looks at her, eyes fluttering, her lip quivering.
“Oh don’t give me that puppy dog face, Kya. I never said you couldn’t leave the island, just tell me where you’re going!”
They all let out a collective “WHAT?!”
“I thought we were stuck here!” Rylee lets out a sigh.
“Who told you that?”
The group look around at each other, shrugging and shaking their heads. “No one, I guess we just thought we were stuck here.” Kya pulls the pro-hylo flyer out of her pocket and hands it to Welsh. “We’re thinking about signing up.”
“Hm.” Welsh examines the paper, she takes a long pause until a smile flashes across her face. “I think that’s a good idea.”
“And with that, we’ve got Welsh’s approval.” Quency smirks as she shakes her head with slight annoyance.
“C’mon everyone, let’s get back to the house…”
The next day comes quick and the training is almost nonstop for the group. They only have a few days until their qualifying match and they’re going prepared to win. But there’s also something on all of their minds; Athena and Eric. Where are they? Welsh got word just two days ago that they’re fine but they would not reveal their location. Marrad must still be after them if they’re still in hiding.
Night falls, morning comes, night falls again, then morning, the day of pro-hylo qualifier. Rylee watches through the glass as the matches begin. They’re stuck in the locker room until their turn. Quency and Sho pace the room, eyeing each other as they pass by. Kya taps her foot rapidly as she chews her nails. Their uniforms are much like the padded outfits they use for training but much more sleek and better designed, these ones come with a helmet sporting a face shield. No one wants a blast of fire to the face. The buzzer sounds and a team is out, now on to the next.
An hour passes until they finally hear their name called. An usher hurries them into the elevator that leads down to the ring. Around them, the crowd screams.
“Coming in now!” The announcer’s voice booms throughout the stadium. “Are the Water Serpents! They’re playing with four hydros. Now, in the other corner are the Flaming Foxes, they are using four different elements. I can’t wait to see how this turns out!”
The members of the Flaming Foxes are tall, slender, look like they’ve been doing this for a while. They all have sly smirks and are ready to battle. The Water Serpents step forward. Each team starts at the middle until they’re knocked into the water below.
“Alright. I don’t want to see any fowl play, no continuous streams of elements. If I see an illegal move, I will call it out.” The ref climbs up onto his chair then waves his flag, the match has begun.
Sho is instantly knocked back to the second line, blasted with a few rocks. The buzzer sounds, signaling Sho’s movement back. Quency blocks a ball of fire as Rylee dives into a roll. She leaps up, kicking a jet of water. She knocks one of the Flaming Foxes back two lines.
“Keep it up!” Kya yells out, but she’s hit with a powerful water whip that sends her back to the very last line. She can’t really do anything from back here. Kya huffs, she can’t believe she let that happen.
Sho grabs a stream of water launched at him then redirects it to the Flaming Fox that’s closest to the edge. It hits him in the chest with enough force to knock him out of the ring, sending him plummeting into the water below.
“Nice, Sho!” Quency barely dodges a burst of air. It would’ve taken him to the last line for sure.
Rylee knocks two back one line then Quency comes in with a blast of water that sweeps one off their feet and tosses another over the side. Two down, two to go. Kya is finally hit hard enough to be tossed out of the ring. Then Rylee is forced back two spaces. Sho jumps into the air and with all his might, he punches a beam of water, taking out the third Flaming Fox.
“Hell yeah!” Quency cheers but he’s hit, knocked back one line. The last person puts up a strong fight, throwing fire all throughout the ring but it’s three on one and he’s easily overpowered.
“The Water Serpents move on!” The announcer calls out. The stadium cheers and shakes with the stomps of thousands of people.
In the locker room, they celebrate their win. The first of many to come, at least they hope so.