Batey Ascending

By Nico Pengin

“A unique science fiction novel about a sports event that is popular in a dystopian future... Strongly recommended for teenagers and adults as well.” – Amazon Reviewer

“I really enjoyed the story and am now waiting for MORE. A highly recommended read." – Vision Quest

A technology-fueled world, a thrilling gravity-defying sport, and a ragtag team of players determined to win against all odds.

Saved from an imploding earth by a race of benevolent aliens, Nico is a plucky young sports player with a dream of making it big in their futuristic gravity ball game called Batey. But it won’t be that simple. Faced with teams of cyborgs and genetically modified human opponents, can an ordinary, ragtag group of boys hope to compete in the Batey tournament and come out on top?

As an imaginative speculative fiction story with fun themes about an ancient cultural sport re-imagined in a futuristic sci-fi world, Batey Ascending is a memorable and engaging read that’s packed with high-stakes action, drama, suspense, and so much more.

As a great way to get kids and teens alike into books and imbue them with a love of reading, this riveting tale will offer them thought-provoking new perspectives in this sports-themed Quidditch meets Alita: Battle Angel adventure.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Nico Pengin
• Release date: Feb 9, 2021
• ISBN: 9781005372958

Nico Pengin

Nico Pengin es un autor de ficción especulativa al que le encanta crear historias divertidas e imaginativas que inspiran a niños y adolescentes por igual con un amor por la lectura de por vida. Inspirándose en su rica herencia como parte del pueblo taíno del Caribe, Nico Pengin siente pasión por compartir su imaginación salvaje con sus lectores. Como lector ávido desde una edad temprana, se ha inspirado en gran medida en libros como Redwall del difunto y gran Brian Jacques, así como en el manga de Eiichiro Oda, One Piece. Nico Pengin está trabajando actualmente en una serie de libros y su cómic llamado Batey. En su tiempo libre, le gusta hacer ejercicio, pasar tiempo con su familia que lo apoya y vivir su vida al máximo. Sobre el nombre Nico Pengin: Nico Pengin es una etiqueta de jugador diseñada para honrar a un amigo y mentor del autor que sirvió como un modelo positivo a seguir cuando era más joven. También combina elementos del popular juego infantil Club Penguin, y el nombre se le ha quedado grabado desde entonces.

Book preview

Batey Ascending

Nico Pengin

Self-Published

Copyright © 2020 NicoPengin

All rights reserved

The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.

ISBN-13: 9798692414014

Cover design by: NicoPengin & Gioel Agnesi

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018675309

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright

Batey Ascending

Batey Ascending

The crowd sounds alive tonight. I can hear them all the way inside the locker room. I’m nervous and can’t seem to stay still. There’s no sweat out there in the arena, no sweat in the changing rooms. Perfect isoatmospheric temperature control keeps everything clean, no wet foreheads or skin debris. That stuff will jam up the gear, and flying high in the Sphere at 70 feet, that’s more than just retirement. New Batey’s no joke.

I check my gear one last time, just to be sure. Helmet is a check. Works well enough to hide how mad-eyed I’m feeling. Arm guards are on. Minimal cover on the hands. That’s the penalty enough for using them, no touching allowed. The hands and feet aren’t tools for catching or kicking in this game. That just makes it much harder to steer the ball where it needs to go. That’s the spirit, though. That’s adversity.

Aside from that, I’m all set up. Nico Pengin is about to take the stage and start his pursuit of a National career. An AB comes in just in the nick of time to pick me up.

You good now?

I stand up and roll my arms and shoulders around. I’m feeling good, I’m loaded out good, I’ve got my Flash Flight boots on and ready to use. Arden’s gear is on another level, so it’s only right that it is now solely up to me to match it.

Yeah, I’m good. I say that with confidence. Gotta lead strong to belong. Feel good, to play good. I follow him out to the rest of the team, and we walk down the aisle. The stadium is nostalgic for a lot of people. The game is new but the seating, the jumbo screens, the walk-ins, all of that is just another part of what we left behind and what was brought back for us to appreciate.

Seeing it on TV was way different than living it out. You can tell it’s a broadcast and for a minute it drags you in. You forget you’re on a giant spaceship over a dead planet that used to be the home of your entire species, covered with fire and smog, and those who chose to stay behind and die out of fear and confusion over the saviors from the sky. It makes you feel like you’re home again, or, like we brought our home up with us in microscopic pieces.

I can hear the announcer already, simul-broadcast for the folks in the back who got more used to the U.B. language, two voices