I Was a Contender: A Tale from Within the Battledome League Fights

by Tdyans

Yes it's true--I, Achilles81, a simple, mild-mannered blue Gelert had my day in the sun; I was in the Battledome League Knockouts. Like many pets, I'd been slowly but surely working toward being a great Battledome fighter. I took classes at the Mystery Island Training School when I could, I did Maraqua kitchen quests often, and my owner Tdyans and I collected the best weapons we could find (and afford.) Now, I know there are a lot of people out there who think that having NeoPets fight in the Battledome is cruel, but let me assure you my owner could and would never make me do anything that I didn't want to. It's not for everyone, but for me, as with many others, I love the anticipation, the rush of adrenaline, the thrill of fighting in the Battledome.

And it doesn't just work me physically, but mentally as well, as I have to figure out the best strategy in each new challenge I take on. Plus, after the fight, Tdyans always makes sure that I'm fully healed right away. I'll let you humans in on a little secret we NeoPets have: we really don't mind getting hurt sometimes, because our owners always pamper us, those HealthShrooms are really delicious, and the Water Faerie likes to sneak us little treats whenever we visit her.

So, when Tdyans told me that Battledome Leagues were being formed, I went and signed up as fast as I could. I even got into the perfect league for me, the Gelert Gladiators League. Here I met all sorts of pets with all different levels of skill and strength. I made a lot of new friends as we fought our matches, and I learned a lot about how to be a great fighter too. But the competition was fierce. There were a lot of other pets with higher stats than me who really wanted to win, and I wasn't sure if I really had any chance to be the League champion, but I just kept fighting as much as I could and gave my best effort in every fight. I didn't win all of them, but as the first round of the league matches ended, I discovered to my surprise that after all of my hard work I had become the champion of the Gelert Gladiators League. So, with well wishes from a few of the new friends I had made, I proceed to the Knockouts.

I was really nervous about my first match in the League Knockouts. If I lost this one, I would be out of the game, and I didn't want Tdyans to be disappointed in me. My competitor's stats were just about equal to mine, which made the fight all the more unpredictable. But using all of the knowledge I'd gained from my matches so far, I went into the stadium and fought the best fight I could. The fight was close, the crowd watching us roared in excitement, and in the end I managed to come out the winner. I shook my opponent's paw and then sauntered off into the stadium's locker room feeling my confidence boosted. I decided Id like to meet my next opponent, so I went and looked at the list posted on the locker room wall: Achilles81 vs. Animerogue.

"Excuse me," I said to a spotted Kacheek standing nearby, "But do you know who Animerogue is?" The Kacheek smiled and pointed to the other end of the locker room. I followed his point to find myself staring at the biggest Eyrie I had ever seen.

"I'm Animerogue," his voice boomed. I gulped nervously and inched toward him.

"Oh, uh, well...I'm Achilles81, your next opponent."

"Oh," he replied, giving me a friendly smile, "It's nice to meet you."

Something about his smile made me smile back and lose some of the fear I'd initially had upon seeing this gigantic creature. Animerogue and I ended up talking for a couple of hours, discussing how the fights had been so far and then relaxing and forgetting for a little while about the matches and talking about other things like our new NeoHomes and our favourite PetPets.

Just as I was starting to relax, our names were called. The next round of the Knockout matches had begun and it was our turn to fight each other. I felt my fear return as we walked slowly back out into the stadium. How could I possibly beat Animerogue? I was in awe of his stats and his abilities, and I was just a simple little Gelert who'd somehow scraped his way along to make it this far. The stadium was filled with even more spectators than before, and my nervousness flew up a notch. But then I decided that I just had to do what Id been doing all along-- fight the best I could and know that was all I could do. As the fight began, I hurled snowballs, wielded my Attack Fork, fired my Green Frost Cannon, performed the famous Gelert jump, and my PetPet Petruchio the Warf yipped along at my side. I gave my all, but it was to no avail.

Within a couple of rounds, Animerogue had defeated me. As I picked myself up from the ground and dusted myself off, I turned sheepishly around expecting to see the disappointment and shame on my owner's face. But Tdyans was smiling! She patted me on the head and said, "Good job, Achi, I know you did your best." I smiled back-- yes, I had done my best and that was something to be proud of. I turned back around and walked up to Animerogue, holding out my paw.

He smiled as his giant talons engulfed my tiny paw, and together we said to each other, "Good match," and I jokingly added, "It was a pleasure getting beaten up by you."

So, I didn't win the Battledome League Knockouts, but hey, I never expected to make it as far as I did in the first place. And it was an honor just to be among some of Neopia's greatest fighters like Animerogue, who I truly admire and who I'll be cheering on through the rest of the Knockouts. In the end it wasn't the winning that really mattered, it's the experience of being there that I'll never forget--the excitement, all the things I learned, all the new pets I met. I turned back toward Tdyans and limped out of the stadium with her.

"Come on Achilles81," she said, as she patted my head again, "Let's find you a nice juicy Green Healthshroom."

I smiled again. Losing isn't so bad after all.

The End