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“This is the day you all have been waiting for. If you have not worked for it then we will see it. Only those who strive to advance will reach their goals. You will be fighting each other as you reach for the top. You very well may face your friends. Let me give you a word of advice for when you face that situation: go all out. You could give no worse an offense then to loose on purpose to a friend. Don’t try to be noble.” Beast stood with the masters as he gave the speech. He was chosen by the Dark Lord to be the head judge for the event. “As a reminder. The fight will end when one of the soldiers is unable to move. There shall be no killing! We also do not permit any permanent damage. You will be disqualified. Our Lord doesn’t want to loose any soldiers during training. That would be pathetic.” There was a low laugh in the crowd. “Now, let’s get to work.”

Umbro met Tornado between their ranks. “You should move up.”

“It’s not too soon?” Tornado asked.

“No, you are obviously stronger then most of the kids in there.”

“Alright, what about you?”

“My injuries are mostly healed so I’m going to try and get up there. I probably won’t come out on top though. People will probably use my wounds to their advantage. The masters may let me move on if they see them as a handicap.”

Tornado nodded. “So you, Pye, and Ember may have to face each other.”
“Since they know we’re friends it’s very likely.”

The young kids in Destu got weeded out fairly quickly. By the second round only a few remained. From Durza’s cheering Tornado could assume they were relatives from her family.

“You don’t seem nervous,” Charizo pointed out.

“I’m feeling pretty confident,” Tornado told him, “I practiced.”

Charizo nodded. “I don’t have the ambition to practice enough.”

“Do you practice alone?”

“It’s not like my family will help me.”

“Why don’t you practice with friends?”

“I would only hold them back.” He slouched over the fence railing. “They all moved up years ago. I’m way too far behind for them.”

“Tornado, Charizo you’re up,” Beast called.

“Congratulations Tornado,” Charizo told him as he hopped the fence.

“Hey, we haven’t even fought yet.”

“Whenever you’re ready.” Beast instructed as they faced each other in the center of the ring.

“Don’t hold back on me,” Tornado told him, “fight me like you’re proving to your friends that you’ll catch up to them.”

“Too late for that.”

“Have more confidence,” Tornado told him sternly, “If you show me confidence I’ll train you so that you can move up.”

“What?” he asked surprised, “You’d really?”

“Yes, now come at me with all you’ve got.”

Charizo unsheathed his sword running at Tornado. Tornado launched himself into the air using wind to carry him behind Charizo. He struck out with his kamas and Charizo blocked.

“So you use wind?” He asked excitedly.

“Maybe.” Tornado smiled flying high into the air.

Charizo waited poised in defense. Tornado shot currents of air pounding Charizo forcing his to slide back in the dirt. He summoned up a wall of rock to block the wind. Tornado descended perching on top of the slap of earth.

He leaned over. “So you control earth?”

“Maybe.” The rock formed around Tornado’s kamas pulling them in.

Tornado forced them out as he launched himself off the slab landing on the ground where he could see Charizo. “That was tricky, well done.”

“I have a few like that.” Charizo smiled pointing his sword at Tornado’s feet.

Tornado looked down as the earth heaved throwing him into the air. Looking overhead he saw another wall rise into the air. He turned positioning himself to land. He crouched as his feet hit the wall before pushing himself back into open air.
“I liked that one as well.” Tornado called from above.

“Why don’t you come down?” Charizo called back, “I have a few more you may like.”

“Feel’s good to stretch my wings.”

Charizo laughed. “Alright.” He summoned pillars of all different heights to fill the ring.

“Just what I was hoping for.” Tornado laughed.

The wind whipped around him causing the pillars to bend and sway. Charizo dug his sword in to stay on top. Tornado flew into the current allowing it to propel him into Charizo slamming him into the next pillar. The wind stopped letting them fall to the ground. Tornado let his wings take most of the landing. He stood checking the damage.

“You alright Charizo?” Tornado asked.

“Dizzy.” He answered falling as he tried to stand.

“You pass,” Tornado told him. He picked him up facing Beast and the other masters. He held one of his kamas to Charizo’s throat.

“Tornado wins.” Beast called.

Tornado made the pillars descend back into the ground as he helped Charizo walk back out of the ring.

“Did you just do that?” Charizo asked regaining his sight as he stumbled beside Tornado.

“Yeah,” he answered.

“You control air and earth?”

He nodded with a smile. “I control all four.”

“Now we will hold a few battles in the Kiva rank. First up Ember and Pye.”
They looked at each other startled before entering the ring and facing each other in the center. “Whenever you’re ready.”

“Don’t go easy on me Pye,” Ember told him smiling.

“A draw then?” he asked quietly.

“No, I just want a fair fight,” Ember told him unsheathing her sword.

“Very well,” he unsheathed his sword as well, “I’ll just have to beat you and loose the next one.”

“Why would you do that?”

“It wouldn’t be fun moving up without you,” he smiled.

“Don’t think I’ll let you break my concentration by saying things like that!” she shouted pointing her sword at him, “I’m not going to let you beat me that easily.”

“Alright then.” Pye pulled water from underground making the whole ring wet with mud. Ember slipped as she stepped back. She flapped her reddish bat-like wings hovering in the air. “Don’t tire yourself out, Ember.”

She glared flying at him and crossing swords. He threw her back and she rebounded sending a wave of fire at him. Water rose to extinguish it filling the space between them with a blanket of stream as the fire kept coming. Pye slid out of range on the water commanding a thick wall of ice to block the fire. While the steam impaired their vision Pye let the water around to attack her from the side. He flew sending water to freeze her. She got trapped and fell into the mud. Using fire she freed herself standing in time to block his sword. They were locked in a sword fight. He disarmed her but she spun kicking him in the stomach. As he stumbled back his sword caught the end of her braid. She grabbed her sword standing back up in defense. She felt her hair come loose of the long braid.

“Oh great,” Ember sighed.

“Good thing it was just the tie,” Pye told her.

“Yeah but now I won’t be able to see as well.”

“Then I will end it quickly,” Pye told her smiling as he swung out again.

Ember felt herself getting pushed back as Pye advanced. He still had so much strength even after all that he had used with the water. Suddenly she felt the sword fly out of her hand again. She watched as the water formed around it trapping it in a case of ice. She stumbled back slipping in the mud. Pye fell with her holding her down as he held his sword above her.

“Pye wins,” Beast’s voice called.

“Sorry, Ember,” Pye smiled helping her up, “Looks like we’ll be Kiva again for a year.”

“You’re too strong for Kiva,” Ember complained, “You and Umbro should both be moving up.”

“Look at the bright side. Now we can train with Tornado, too.”

They climbed back over the fence.

“Great fight,” Tornado congratulated them, “It was very fun to watch.”

“He broke my hair tie,” Ember told them angrily, “I hate it when it’s down. It gets so annoying.”

“I think it’s pretty when it’s down,” Pye told her.

“Ah, w-well for today it’s fine,” Ember crossed her arms stubbornly, “just don’t get used to it.”

After many difficult battles the masters entered the ring standing before the ranks.
“The testing is now over. I thank you all for working hard and showing us your potential. I believe we will have some impressive matches next year. We all look forward to working with our new pupils. Training will start again in three days so take the time to rest and prepare. That is all.”

Beast waited by the path as the soldiers were dismissed. “Tornado.”

“What is it?” he asked.

“Take this to the Dark Lord for me. It’s the list of the new rankings.”

“Isn’t that your job?” Tornado asked unwillingly.

“He wants to see you anyway so don’t give me that look. Since you’re headed there save me the trip. That way only one of us has to suffer.”

Tornado took the packet from Beast’s teeth. “Any idea why he wants me?”

“To congratulate you for becoming Kiva,” Beast answered, “Now get going.”

Tornado looked up at the large doors that loomed over him. He really hated them, or rather, he hated . . .

“Congratulations, Tornado!” The Dark Lord clapped from his throne. “I’m so proud of you. Imagine, my son working so hard to improve himself. It is a wonderful day.”

“Your list.” Tornado held it out for him trying to ignore the sickening glee that emanated from his father.

“I’ll look at it later,” he told him tossing it onto his throne, “What matters now is what I am to give you as a gift for graduating from Destu.”

“I don’t want a gift from you,” Torando answered angrily.

“Oh? Nothing at all?” the Dark lord questioned with a smirk, “Not even to visit that girl I saw you with in the Faery Realm?”

Tornado turned to him eyes wide. “What did you say?”

“You know, the girl you were with, the little light ethereal. I saw you with her the night I imprisoned Beast in you to serve the term of his punishment,” the Dark Lord paced around him, “I could send you there to visit with her for a night. Of coarse I couldn’t let you be seen and you have to get time to rest for training. Since you have three days off I was thinking I’d let you go tomorrow night, but if you are so determined to reject any gifts from your dear father.”

“I’ll go.”

“What?” Dark Lord asked smugly.

“I’ll accept your gift,” Tornado told him looking away, “I’ll go visit her.”