The Boy Without Words

Scene: A New Room, A Familiar Rivalry

At 9 PM, after a hearty dinner of roasted vegetables, spicy fish stew, and some local energy grain bread, Jimmy quietly padded to his private guest room on the second floor of the minka. The paper lanterns outside cast a soft amber glow through the rice-paper walls.

They had given him his own space — a simple but clean tatami room with futons rolled to one side, a low writing desk, and a tiny balcony that overlooked the Bingons garden.

Jimmy took a deep breath and then whistled softly.

Two blinks of light shimmered into the room.

Luna padded in first, graceful as always, her smooth fur glinting faintly with residual ice energy. Her paws barely made a sound on the tatami floor.

Peeko crashed in next, literally. He flapped too hard, stumbled mid-air, landed on the desk, and let out an excited:

"Dum-ta-dumm!"

Jimmy chuckled and pulled out their food: a chilled aqua jelly for Luna, and a double-spiced fire dumpling with queont meat for Peeko.

The moment food hit the tatami, Peeko started bouncing in place, wings flaring like sparklers.

"Ta-ta-tatatataaa!" he chanted in joy.

Luna, with a regal blink, calmly lowered her head to eat — but not before giving Peeko a sideways glare.

Peeko noticed. He froze mid-bounce.

Rival mode: activated.

Jimmy paused mid-chew, observing them both from the side of his eyes.

"They're faking it... acting civil... but the silent war is boiling again."

He sighed through his nose.

"Alright, you two. Want to play games? I'll play with you."

After dinner, both Whisps slowly crept toward opposite corners of the room. Eyes locked. Posture stiff. Spark vs Ice.

Peeko flared a single feather with faint ember sparks.

Luna spun a single water droplet above her paw.

Another war was about to begin.

Jimmy moved like lightning, standing between them.

"Not now!" he signed sternly, his voice unspoken but firm.

They both pouted. Heads lowered, but eyes still locked on each other like an anime duel freeze-frame.

Jimmy smirked.

"Don't think I don't see you two measuring each other's ego every five minutes."

Scene: The Challenger Appears

A soft knock at the sliding door.

Then the energetic voice of the little boy from earlier:

"Hey mister! You up? Dad says you should come out!"

Jimmy slid the door open. The boy grinned wide and pointed behind him.

His father — a broad-shouldered man in rolled-up sleeves and Nexus pants — stood with arms crossed, smirking.

"You got pets," the man said casually. "But I see the rivalry too. Wanna let them blow off some steam?"

Jimmy narrowed his eyes slightly.

The man added, "Don't worry — I'm not here to test you for someone else. This is Vatican City, kid. The City of Battlefield. The strong rise fast, and the weak get washed out like old chalk."

Jimmy raised a brow and typed out:

"Where?"

The man grinned.

"Come on. Follow me. There's a backyard behind this house. We call it the Sand Bowl."

Jimmy looked back at Luna and Peeko, both already standing — ears and feathers perked like they knew what was coming.

He nodded.

...........

They stepped through a back gate and into a wide, circular battle ring carved into the dirt. Torch-lit stones marked the perimeter. The faint scent of old fire and scorched earth still lingered in the sand.

The man cracked his knuckles and pulled out a golden whistle from around his neck and give it to his child.

"Name's Gavel. I'm a D-Rank licensed whisp master and combatant. My son's learning from me. But for tonight—" he smirked, tossing a whistle to Jimmy.

................

The torches around the ring flared as the combatants approached.

Jimmy stepped forward, coat fluttering lightly behind him.

Peeko, still buzzing with post-dinner energy, fluttered beside him, wings flapping impatiently.

"Tatatataaaa! Let me fight!" Peeko chirped, puffing out his flame-feathered chest.

Jimmy crouched slightly, rubbed Peeko's head once, and tapped his Codex screen.

Then he typed:

"Your training isn't done yet. You can't handle Intermediate yet. Go over there and practice condensing your flame on targets."

Peeko froze.

His eyes widened.

His tiny crest drooped.

"Dummm...ta...ta..." he muttered sadly, waddling away to the training edge of the yard, tail dragging like a mop.

Jimmy gave a faint sigh. He'll bounce back.

Now the battlefield stood clear.

Across from him, Gavel raised his hand. A deep-blue summoning array shimmered open beneath his feet — thin lines of power weaving like tectonic runes.

With a crack and rising rumble, a massive form pulled itself from the light.

Tremorlyn had arrived.

It was tall — a head larger than a typical Geotremor — but far leaner and more defined. Like a tectonic beast still growing sharper with every quake.

Its body was layered with angular rock plates, jagged but symmetrical, giving it a sleek predator's shape. Deep amber and violet veins pulsed faintly across its sides — the hint of a glowing mineral heart forming inside.

Three hooked claws dug into the dirt with a click-click-crunch, anchoring Tremorlyn like a shifting fault line.

Its forehead crest glimmered dimly, with broken runes flickering across it like ancient data syncing mid-battle.

Jimmy raised his hand silently.

A swirl of blue mist pooled around him as his own summoning array bloomed.

With elegance and poise, Luna stepped into the light.

Her sleek frame radiated calm intensity — electric-blue irises narrowing as she saw her opponent.

The ground beneath her paws shimmered, cold mist clinging to her fur. Tiny crackles of ice and electricity zipped through the air around her.

A current of frost danced behind her like a trailing comet.

She simply locked eyes with Tremorlyn.

..........

The young boy stepped into the circle, a whistle in his mouth and wide eyes that could barely contain his excitement.

"I'll be the referee!"

He looked to both sides, then raised his hand with exaggerated flair.

"This will be one versus one! If a Whisp is thrown out of the ring or yields, the other wins!"

His arm sliced the air.

"Ready…"

Luna crouched slightly, ice fog forming at her paws.

Tremorlyn let out a low grind — like two mountains shifting.

"Match… START!"