While Fenrick was in the midst of his conversation with Principal Eppers, the bell to begin the second class of the day had rung. All the students who weren’t in trouble had settled into their next period classrooms. Caleo and Arcanus sat next to each other in the computer lab for their technology education class. Next to Caleo sat Zeratron, the fourth member of the fourth-year Team Arena Squad of Hardires High.

Zeratron was one of the biggest and imposing students at Hardires High. He had a brawny, muscular build that gave him a downright menacing appearance. His brute force in the arena was a vital part of what made their team so successful. Oftentimes, he could intimidate opponents just by looking at them with his dark crimson eyes that could pierce right through their mental defenses.

Something else that unnerved combatants and spectators alike were the deep, jagged scars that ran across the sides of his shaved head. How he came to get those scars was a mystery yet to be solved. He already had them when he first arrived at Hardires High and never told anyone of their origins.

His origin as a whole was also a mystery to everybody in Hardires High. He enrolled in the school the beginning of sophomore year and attended the gladiator try-outs before the semester started. Many people wondered who he was when they saw him step out onto the training field for the first time. He went on to greatly impress everyone that witnessed his fighting skills, Caleo most of all. Afterwards, the captain personally offered Zeratron a spot on the squad.

Zeratron was not only an enigma in the arena, but also within the school. He was certainly treated like the star fighter he was, but at the same time was oddly distant from any interactions or friendships outside of his teammates. Even then, neither Caleo, Arcanus, or Fenrick knew too much about his personal life, even after two years of comradeship.

When Caleo entered the computer lab, he plopped his books down next to his computer and slumped down in the seat between his two teammates.

“Bad news, Z-Tron, Fen’s stupid ass got sent to the principal’s office all because Archie just had to answer the questions he got wrong.” He informed Zeratron of the incident that transpired the previous class period.

“He really couldn’t keep himself from getting in trouble just two days before our match?” Zeratron said dispiritedly.

“Well get this, he actually didn’t flip out on the first question… Unbelievable as that may sound. But he of course got something else wrong and sure enough, Archie just had to suck up to Mrs. Hydraslaughter and drop a bunch of names no one cares to know about but him. That was when Fen started losing his shit and showing his ass to the class and whatnot,” Caleo explained further.

Zeratron shook his head slowly as he looked past Caleo and over at Arcanus. “You know very well how he acts when things like that happen, but you do it anyway. You really should try to put the team before yourself,” Zeratron told his teammate.

“Well…I mean…You know.” Arcanus tried to think of something to tell them.

“Well, I mean, I know you are kind of a fucking nerd,” Caleo said, “and because of that, we now have to worry about finding a replacement on such short notice yet again.”

“Okay, okay… I’m sorry,” Arcanus said while awkwardly adjusting his glasses. “I don’t mean to sound like a dick, but it’s not my fault Fen performs so unsatisfactory in class. Everyone knows that the only reason he’s still on the team is because teachers constantly let him slide on most of the school work—not to mention the familial connection with Eppers. If he wasn’t such a valuable asset in the arena and cousin to the principal then he almost certainly would have been expelled by now.”

“Well, whatever the case, we have to think of something or else we’ll probably be kissing our two-point-five-year-long winning streak goodbye,” Caleo said. “Gungannon is the only other undefeated team in our division, so they’re not going to be pushovers like in the previous years.”

“The duos team just took a bad loss last week; I’m not sure if either of them would be up for substituting so soon,” Zeratron told them.

“Damn, and Dex was the one who filled in for us last year. We could have really used him this time around,” Caleo pondered over the potential options. Being the team captain of the arena squad was a privilege he was certainly proud of, but it could also at times become a huge burden. Whenever something went wrong within the squad (such as unstable teammates), it fell upon him, not the other three, to fix the situation.

Though at times it could be stressful, he always managed to pull through and lead his team to victory. His success as the captain of a 2-time-championship winning TAS had garnered him heaps of praise. Some even went so far as to call the team he was in charge of “The New Heroes of Hardires” and Caleo himself “The Second Coming of Beardly” because he supposedly had a similar fighting style to the legendary warrior. Caleo didn’t put too much thought in those comparisons though, but at the same time didn’t really mind people speaking so highly of him.

“This is quite the unfortunate predicament indeed. I am sorry for having caused such an inconvenience,” Arcanus said solemnly.

“Don’t worry about it; I’ll discuss the situation with some people after school. I’ll work it out,” Caleo assured him.

“That’s enough talking, you three, class has started,” The technology education teacher, Mr. Saxo, ended their conversation when he walked by their stations.

The three turned on their computers and logged in. Arcanus went right to his school documents and got to work, while Caleo managed to sneak in a game of the popular online computer game God Wars Card Battle! before getting to his schoolwork. Meanwhile Zeratron scrolled through the Hardires news site. His eyes widened as a look of immense shock flashed across his face when he read through one of the headlines. A bead of sweat ran down the side of his head, but he managed to regain his composure before anyone noticed. For the rest of the class, Zeratron barely spoke a word, which Caleo and Arcanus found peculiar, but refrained from asking about it.

Midway through the class, Fenrick strolled into the computer lab. All was completely silent and calm, with only the tapping of keyboards or the clicks of computer mice audible.

“Hey guys, good news!” Fenrick shouted as soon as he spotted his three teammates. “Angela let me slide, so I’m good to go for the match on Donday!” He spoke loud enough that everyone in the lab heard. Most of the students quietly exhaled a sigh of relief knowing that their school’s undefeated streak was no longer at risk.

“Excuse me, Fenrick, you don’t belong in this class. Please leave and get to where you’re supposed to be!” Mr. Saxo hissed from his desk.

“Ugh, why you always gotta bust my balls, Saxo?” Fenrick groaned, but then hushed up as Caleo gave him a death stare that made his spine tingle and butt-cheeks clench. He silently made his way out of the lab. Before he exited though, he took a piece of printer paper from a table near the door, crumpled it up, and threw it at Arcanus right before running out the door. The paper ball bonked Arcanus right on the side of the head, which got a quick involuntary laugh out of Caleo.

Once the lunch bell rang and the TAS made their way towards their lockers, Arcanus (under much persuasion from Caleo) made a reluctant apology to Fenrick for constantly showboating his intellect at his expense. Fenrick accepted the apology in his own odd way, saying that one day Arcanus will be the one to get a question wrong. Once he does, Fenrick will be there to correct him and it will finally be his turn to gloat and be praised by Mrs. Hydraslaughter. Arcanus not only accepted the challenge, but encouraged it (for in his mind Arcanus knew that Fenrick would never get the chance to correct him, for he would never get a question wrong).

With their beef squashed, Fenrick, Arcanus, Caleo, and Zeratron made their way to the cafeteria to get some lunch.

And just like that, all was well between the four members of the Team Arena Squad. BUT they are not in the clear yet, as they still need to get through the remainder of the school week without further incident. Also, what exactly did Zeratron read on the news that caused him such distress? What revelations will unfold in the short days leading up to their anticipated bout with Gungannon Primary? Find out next time on Clubs and Stubs!