"I refuse," Vikram stated, crossing his arms.
"Vikram, the match has already started!" I yelled.
"Look at them, Aryan. They are... viscous. If I punch them, my glove will get sticky. Do you know how hard it is to clean synthetic polymer?"
We were standing in the center of Arena B. Standing opposite us were the Muk Brothers.
Three short, round guys who looked identical. They wore green rubber jumpsuits and were currently secreting a thick, translucent green goo from their pores.
The floor around them was already a swamp.
"HEHEHE!" The middle brother giggled. "Pretty boy scared of a little slime? Come on! Give us a hug!"
He wound up his arm and threw a glob of green sludge.
It flew through the air like a cannonball.
"Ew," Vikram said, side-stepping gracefully.
The slime hit the concrete barrier behind us. HISSSS. It started smoking.
"Acidic slime?" Riya noted, analyzing the smoke. "pH level 3. Not enough to kill, but enough to melt your clothes off. Don't let it touch you."
"Melt my clothes?" I panicked. "I'm on national television!"
"Plan A," Vikram commanded. "Aryan, burn them."
"Finally!" I grinned.
I slapped the dial.
< AVATAR: AGNI >
WHOOSH.
The crowd cheered as I ignited. I channeled a fireball into my palm.
"Eat heat, Jelly-Boys!"
I threw the fireball. Direct hit on the middle brother.
SPLAT.
The fireball hit his chest... and sizzled out. The slime layer was so thick and wet that it extinguished the flame instantly. The brother just jiggled a little.
"Ooh, warm!" the brother laughed. "Thanks for the spa treatment!"
"Fire resistance?" I gaped. "You have to be kidding me."
"They are 90% water and mucus," Riya shouted, dodging another slime glob. "You'd need to incinerate the whole arena to evaporate them. We can't use high-explosive moves here!"
The brothers synchronized their movements.
"SLIME TSUNAMI!"
They joined hands. A massive wave of green gunk erupted from their bodies, rolling toward us like a slow-moving wall of snot.
"Oh god," Vikram looked horrified. "It's covering the floor. We're losing footing."
I tried to step back, but my foot stuck to the ground.
"I'm stuck! Vikram, do something!"
"I am not touching that," Vikram insisted, hovering slightly with his tech-boots.
"You guys are useless!" Riya yelled. She pulled a vial from her belt and threw it at the wave. It exploded into freezing nitrogen.
It froze a small section of the slime, creating a path.
"Aryan! Switch forms! We don't need heat. We need dryness."
"Dryness?"
"Slime relies on moisture to stay elastic!" Riya explained, jumping onto the frozen patch. "If you remove the water, they become brittle. Use Vayu! Maximum airflow!"
"I'm going to be a hair dryer?" I groaned.
"Just do it!"
I canceled Agni. The fire vanished.
I took a deep breath. Focus. Detachment. Be the wind.
< AVATAR: VAYU >
Green mist surrounded me. My feet lifted off the sticky floor.
I flew up, hovering twenty feet above the Slime Tsunami.
"Hey! Boogers!" I yelled down.
The Muk Brothers looked up. "Come down here and play!"
"No thanks," I said. "I think you guys need to cool off."
I extended both hands. I didn't fire a blast. I created a Cyclone.
I spun the air around the arena, creating a massive, low-pressure vortex. The wind speed hit 150 km/h.
"WIND TUNNEL: DEHYDRATION MODE!"
The wind roared. The crowd held onto their hats.
The effect was instant. The moisture in the air evaporated. The surface of the slime wave began to ripple and turn white. It was crusting over.
"Hey! My skin!" one brother cried. "I'm chapping! I'm moisturizing but it's not working!"
"Keep it up, Aryan!" Riya shouted. "Vikram! They're brittle! Shatter them!"
Vikram smiled. "Now that I can do."
He activated the kinetic boosters in his boots. He dashed forward.
The slime wave was now a hard, chalky statue. Vikram didn't get stuck. He ran right up the side of the wave.
He reached the Muk Brothers, who were now covered in a layer of dry, white crust, unable to move.
"You have ruined my boots," Vikram whispered, his voice cold.
He pulled back his fist. The orange hexagonal patterns on his suit glowed bright.
"IMPACT DRIVER."
CRACK.
He punched the center brother.
The impact didn't squish—it shattered. The dried slime armor cracked like porcelain.
The force of the punch sent all three brothers flying backward. They smashed into the arena wall, their slime armor crumbling into dust.
They slid down the wall, unconscious (and very dry).
"AND THE WINNER IS... TEAM ASTRA!" the announcer screamed.
I floated down, canceling Vayu. I landed next to Vikram.
"Nice punch," I panted. "But I think I have slime in my hair."
Vikram looked at his glove. There was a tiny speck of green dust on it.
He frowned. "Disgusting."
Riya walked over, wiping her glasses.
"One win down. But don't celebrate yet."
She pointed to the VIP box high above the stands.
Standing there, watching us with her arms crossed, was Isha from St. Lionheart. She didn't look impressed. She looked bored.
"The Slime Brothers were a joke," Riya said grimly. "She is the punchline. We need to get serious."