Oh, boy! Owan’s gonna’ love Galaxy 4! Is it because of pretty girls? Is it because Gigi changes her mind? Maybe the name will say it all. This is the rough and tough Black Eye Galaxy with the planet Doteki being situated in the appropriately named Tourney System. If I have to explain it any clearer, than you have learned nothing about Owan in the previous books. Then again, the other super fighters all feel the same way about this place. All that being explained, we can get to the star of this galaxy, the power-punching, crazy-kicking Ruly Duly.
“An Amy Scott double!” Kammy gleefully points out. “Can I have your autograph? Or better yet, can I beat your face, given the galaxy we’re in and the customs I imagine you guys must have?”
After she and her buddy laugh together, Duly answers, “To the autograph, sure! To beating my face, definitely not. The fact you have to ask me tells me you don’t have the confidence, baby.” This last part was said with obvious taunting in mind.
Catching on, Kammy boldly walks over and asks again, “Are you sure you want to keep believing that? Mr. Doug, can we fight a little? I promise not to break the lesson before she gets started.”
Using nano-chat, Doug starts a mind-to-mid conversation with Jo concerning her granddaughter’s request. “Jo, these girls have an iu-rating of 500. If Kammy were 505, she could beat both of them at the same time. The lowest score in our group is Owan with 893, which would butcher these poor ladies, and that’s ignoring the fact Kammy has the highest score in the class with a lovely 902. I wouldn’t be surprised if your granddaughter is THE strongest iu-rated individual in the entire universe. That means only the Infinites can take her out, of which there are a lot, so it’s not like she’s anywhere near even the middle of the food chain. Sure, our other kids are close enough that they’re her only competition, but our six children dominate the universe in iu. Soooooo, do we risk her hopes dashing as she mops the floor with her heroes or make her happy when she realizes how far she’s come?”
“That’s silly, Rug, my boy,” Jo says. “In a few short years, she’ll be an Infinite anyway, so her rating now will seem pathetic to her. I say let the kids know how strong they are. What? Are you afraid these little tykes will try to take over our universe? Ha ha! I could crush them all with a toenail clipping, seriously. Weak.”
So, having heard Jo’s odd explanation, Doug decides, “Fine, you can play with Duly, but only after she and Julie have told their stories, and only if they still want to play.”
As Kammy cheers, the other two girls ask who gets to fight with the other one. This results in rock-paper-scissors giving the potential fight to Faye. Now, we shall see what happens after the lesson.
So, what is the lesson about? Well, we already talked about the galaxy and Duly. We should probably talk about this other girl, Julie Spiderfly.
“I hope you forgive Duly and I for being out of costume,” Julie says. “Ru Du was taking a break today until you challenged her whereas I am getting ready for a costume party. I’m going as the Orb Spider.”
“Orb Spider?” Paul asks. “Is that why your hair is black, too?”
“NO,” Julie says both amused and annoyed, “the simple fact I like to cut my naturally black hair has nothing to do with my suit. It’s not like I’m goth or anything. I just happen to be wearing this with my hair the way it is. Please don’t assume.”
“Sorry,” Paul apologizes, and Julie says she could never be angry at someone as sweet as him. Unlike Gigi, Kammy doesn’t mind a compliment like this being aimed at her boyfriend as long as it’s tactful and in moderation.
“So,” Ruly says in an eager, playful voice, “what exactly are we saying about ourselves that won’t be painfully obvious when I send Kammy back to the school nurse? We’re a fighting tournament galaxy. What’s there to talk about?”
“We could talk about YOUR costume,” Julie suggests.
Inner Man Theatre 