“You did it dude!” Marcus, Zeklor and Wilson all greeted him as soon as he exited the gladiator platform. They all wrapped around him and formed a group hug while their ears were bathed with the cheers of the crowd.

  They all started to make their way up the tunnel. Amprage was practically dancing around them with excitement and they all struggled to walk up the ramp due to his sporadic movements. They laughed and joked, but Pepper was still processing the moment. I really did that… hell yeah! I just did that!

  By the time they arrived at the top of the ramp he was greeted by a large group of gladiators. They all congratulated him and gave fist bumps and pats on the back as he passed by. His entourage led the way back to his bay and when he arrived, he was happy to see some familiar faces. Efrem, Salvator, BJ, Stephen, and Rob were all standing in a small cluster.

  They each gave him a firm handshake, except for Stephen… he gave Pepper an overly aggressive bear hug that quickly shifted to Stephen picking him up a few inches off the ground. His friend began shaking him for a minute while yelling out “Duck Squad! Duck Freaking Squad!”

  They all celebrated for a few minutes together, and Marcus insisted they all take photos together for Golem Chat. The group obliged and then eventually had to concede that they still had other golem matches to attend to. Salvator, BJ, and Rob left first. Stephen then waited and lingered in the bay.

  Pepper was curious as to what his real intention was. “Okay… spill it.”

  Stephen shrugged defensively. “What? Can’t a guy just hang out?”

  He chuckled and wagged a finger. “Oh you can hang out… but I know there is something behind this.”

  Just then a small buzz that arrived on Stephen’s holodex. He glanced down at it and smiled. “Well… I just wanted to be sure I was here when the news arrived.”

  “News? What news?” Pepper noticed the notification arrive on his bay control panel. He watched Stephen motion with his head towards the screen and Pepper walked over and clicked it open. His eyes widened in surprise when he saw his match score staring back at him.

  Stephen chuckled. “Congrats on a perfect score.”

  The 100-score rating took him by surprise, and he was left speechless. He turned and looked back at the group. “Are they serious?”

  Stephen’s chuckle formed into a laugh. “Yeah man. Of course, their serious.”

  “That means…”

  Stephen walked over and placed a hand on Pepper’s shoulder. “That means… you’re the top person in the green cohort. Welcome to the SEC big guy,”

  ***

  The rest of the week was filled with nothing but anxiety and restlessness. Pepper had gone and watched Zeklor’s match, cheering his new friend on as he secured a victory. Marcus and Wilson, both being out of consideration, had not attended the rest of the week. Both Pepper and Zeklor finally received a notification for the top three gladiators from each colored cohort to arrive at the arena tomorrow at 1 PM.

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  “Dude… this is it!” Zeklor said with excitement.

  They arrived earlier and were led to a small lounge area and explained how they would be led into the arena for a final applause by the crowd. The announcer would then inform them and the crowd of those selected as the invitational champions and offered the invitational to official join the SEC region.

  Pepper kept taking deep breaths as they waited in a single file line within the arena’s tunnel entrance. He looked down and watched the few familiars who were also bonded to their gladiators there alongside him. Their playful demeanor made the situation far more optimistic than before their existence. He looked down at Amprage who, to his surprise, was calming sitting at his feet and was rather calm and collective compared to his usual nature.

  “Hey bud.”

  Amprage lifted his head and looked up at him. His yellow eyes glowed with life. “Yes dad?”

  Pepper looked up at the tunnel entrance. “You ready for this?”

  Amprage titled his head to one side. “Ready for what exactly?”

  “For the big times… the large crowds and everything that could be awaiting us once this is all said and done?”

  Amprage let out an audible huff. “Ready? Dad… I was born ready!” His familiar let out a low growl and Pepper reached down and tapped his metal head.

  “Okay, go ahead and walk out!” The SEC staff member began to motion at the mouth of the tunnel entrance. Pepper followed in line as the ten gladiators in front of him led the way. He then heard the booming voice of the announcer come over the speakers.

  “Alright Golem League and SEC Region fans! I want to see you all on your feet and let’s give these gladiators a final Atlanta congratulatory cheer!” The crowd erupted and was a mixture of screams, whistles and applause. The announcer waited for the crowd to slowly die down before he continued. “We are happy to welcome our top three competitors out of each color cohort. These gladiators have put on an amazing performance for us this season and we cannot thank you for accepting our invitation to compete in this tournament.”

  As the announcer spoke, Pepper could feel his heart pump in his chest. His hands were starting to turn clammy with sweat and he did his best to remind himself to take long and deep breaths. He felt Amprage’s nose tap his hand. He quickly looked down and saw the affection within his familiar’s gaze.

  “Out of the eighteen gladiators standing before you today. Five have been selected to move forward and officially be invited to join the Golem Leagues SEC Regional League. From the red cohort, with a final score of 348 Miss Jordan Harrisburg.”

  The crowd cheered and Pepper looked down at the far end of the line to see the young gladiator squeal with excitement. She waved to the crowd with one hand while the other covered her mouth. He couldn’t help but notice her eyes fill with tears in regard to the announcement.

  “Next… out of the purple cohort…” Pepper’s eyes widened. He had remembered that the number one spot was actually a tie between two gladiators. Which one are they going to go with? “With a final score of 360… the SEC would like to welcome… both, Miss Carolina De La Rosa and Mr. Kyle Ricketts!”

  The crowd roared and Pepper snapped his head down to the right. He saw the two gladiators had wrapped their arms around one another in an embrace. They then turned and waved to the crowd and gave a small bow of appreciation.

  “Next… out of the orange cohort, with a final score of 348…” Pepper turned to his left and saw Zeklor staring back down the line towards him. Their eyes locked onto one another, and he could see the excitement plastered on his friends face. “…Mr. Derek Atwater!”

  Zeklor had lifted his hands up and grabbed hold of his hair. His face was still displaying a shocked expression, and he brought his hands down and cupped them over his face. The realization sinking in as gladiators to his left and right patted him on the back.

  Pepper then looked down at the ground. He was now more nervous than ever. The purple cohort getting two spots meant that the final spot could easily go to any of the three remaining ones.

  “And finally… out of the green cohort, with a final score of 361… Mr. Pepper Walker!”

  Pepper’s eyes widened with every word the announcer said. By the time his name was called he had slowly lifted his gaze upwards to the crowd. His vision started to blur, and he mentally told himself to breathe as he was about to take the next step towards fulfilling his dream.