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)asheandhisfriendsscanthe
nightskyforastarnamedforhimbyhisTokyocousinsinhonorofhiseleventh
birthday.Ordinarystarstendtostayinoneplace,butTysseemstobestreaking
directlytowardEarthatanalarmingrate.SoonthewholeworldistalkingaboutTY
SATO,thedoomsdayasteroid,andlifeisturnedupsidedownforTySato,theboy,
whowouldratherbeplayinghoopsinhisbestfriendsdriveway.
Meanwhile,aboardasilverspaceshipheadingforEarth,MFrozza,agirlwiththree
eyesandfivenoseholes,isonasecretmission.MFrozzaisthecaptainofplanet
MrendariasGalaxyGamesteam,andsheisdesperatetosaveherworldfroma
dishonorableperformanceinthebiggestsportingeventintheuniverse.
WhatwillhappenwhenTymeetsMFrozza?Getreadyforthemostimportantevent
inhumanhistoryitllbeoffthebackboard,aroundtherim,andoutofthisworld!
COMINGFALL2011fromTuBooks,
animprintofLee&LowBooks
Learnmoreathttp://www.leeandlow.com/p/tu.mhtml.
Greg R. Fishbone
Illustrations by Ethen Beavers
New York
6/23/11 11:36 AM
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, transmitted, or stored
in an information retrieval system in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written
permission from the publisher.
Text copyright 2011 by Greg R. Fishbone
Illustrations copyright 2011 by Ethen Beavers
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either
the product of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance
to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or
locales is entirely coincidental.
TU BOOKS, an imprint of LEE & LOW BOOKS Inc.,
95 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016
leeandlow.com
Manufactured in the United States of America
by Worzalla Publishing Company, September 2011
Book design by Neil Swaab
Book production by The Kids at Our House
The text is set in Charter BT
The illustrations are rendered in ink on paper
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
First Edition
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Fishbone, Greg R., 1970The challengers / Greg R. Fishbone. 1st ed.
p. cm. (Galaxy Games ; bk. #1)
Summary: On his eleventh birthday, Ty Sato gets a star named for him by his
Japanese cousins, and is recruited by aliens from the planet Mrendaria to help save
them from galactic humiliation in the Galaxy Games. Includes authors notes about
Japanese culture and language.
ISBN 978-1-60060-660-1 (hardcover : alk. paper)
ISBN 978-1-60060-877-3 (e-book)
[1. Extraterrestrial beingsFiction. 2. Interplanetary voyagesFiction. 3. Games-Fiction. 4. CousinsFiction. 5. Japanese AmericansFiction. 6. Science fiction.]
I. Title.
PZ7.F498843Ch 2011
[Fic]--dc23 2011014251
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8
PLATTE BLUFF, NEVADA:
Thirty-one hours before the most important event in
human history, Tyler woke up on the couch. Hed fallen
asleep watching the All-News network, and now he
could hear his mom out in the kitchen. She was talking in Japanese, probably on the phone to relatives. He
caught a few words he knew and some familiar names,
including Daiki and Riku, so it had to be Aunt Megumi
or Uncle Kazu on the other end of the phone.
The TV was still on, with the same news anchor from
the night before. Tyler wondered if hed been reporting
all night, and if hed just keep going until the end of the
world.
Striking with more energy than the asteroid or
comet that wiped out the dinosaurs, TY SATO will form
a crater thirty-six miles deep and more than a hundred
miles wide. Even on the other side of the world, the
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pilot
drummed
his
tentacles.
Aside
from
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9
TOKYO, JAPAN:
Twenty-nine hours before the most important event in
human history, Daiki turned over in bed and looked at
the digital clock. His whole family had stayed up late,
worrying about the killer asteroid with the same name
as Daikis cousin in Nevada. It turned out to all be because of the star certificate Daikis mother had ordered
for Tylers birthday. The solution had seemed obvious
to Daikijust send the certificate back to the company
and have them fix their defective star. But when Daiki
had suggested it, Riku had laughed and called him an
idiot.
The door chime rang loudly. Daiki realized that was
what had woken him up in the first place. It was still the
middle of the night, so who could it possibly be? Daiki
put a pillow over his head, but the chiming song repeated
over and over, along with the sound of his parents rushing
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song from the third innermost planet, and I cant get it out
of my head.
The technician dialed a portion of blarji from the foodsynth and joined the captain at her table. Theres something
thats been bothering me about this system.
Yes? the captain asked.
They havent responded to any of our quantum hails,
and they dont use quantum bands for local communication.
Its like they havent even discovered quantum technology,
except that you received an invitation from this system. He
fixed all three eyes on her face. You did receive an invitation
from this system, MFrozza? An invitation sent by a quantum signal?
The captain gulped down a mouthful of gruud. Yes. Of
course I did. I wouldnt make up something like that.
All right. The technician bobbed his head. Thats good
enough for me. He ate his meal quietly while MFrozza
hummed another chorus of Its the End of the World As We
Know It (and I Feel Fine).
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10
PLATTE BLUFF, NEVADA:
Tyler squirmed at an unfamiliar desk in an unfamiliar
classroom. His teacher, Mrs. Hogan, hadnt come to school
that day and there were no substitutes available. Principal Johansson combined the class with Mr. Hartmans,
and enough kids were absent that everyone fit into one
classroom with empty desks to spare.
Were going to have an open study day, said Mr.
Hartman. He didnt look up from the computer on his
desk. Read your books and try to learn as much as you
can before the end of the world...I mean, before the
end of the day.
Mr. Hartman? Wendy Ghirardelli held her arm up
like a flagpole as tears streamed down her face. Can I
use the bathroom?
Sure, said the teacher. Do whatever you want.
Wendy left, and Tyler never saw her come back.
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Youre right, Yolanda, said a woman in the talkshow audience. Mrs. Sato doesnt respect herself, and
she doesnt respect her child. Did you see that bathrobe
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11
MIDDLE SOLAR SYSTEM:
Two hundred fifty million miles from Earth, the Mrendarian captain accepted another quantum call from her
father-parent. The ambassadors impatience came through
in the tone of his voice, in the folds around his eyes, and in
the posture of his body in the holographic display. What
is taking so long, MFrozza? I was sure that by now you
would have dispatched this pointless challenge and returned home in victory.
Home? asked MFrozza. Do you really wish me to go
there?
You know what I mean, the ambassador snapped.
Certainly I dont want you on Mrendaria right now, but
I need you back here with me. I need to keep three eyes on
you at all times to know that you are safe. This is a difficult
time for our people, and we cant afford any of our enemies
taking advantage of our weakness.
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TOKYO, JAPAN:
Twenty-five hours before the most important event in human history, Daiki and Tomoko walked together through
the residential neighborhood where the Shindo family
lived. Houses and apartment buildings crowded together
on narrow streets that had no names. According to the
news, riots had broken out in major cities around the
world. Some countries had even deployed soldiers and
combat tanks to keep the peace! But the news people
werent reporting about quiet areas like Daikis, where
most people were staying home and the only sign of trouble was a black smudge in the southern skysomething
in Shinjuku was burning, but too far away for any fire
engines to be heard.
Daiki stopped at a vending machine for a can of hot
cocoa. He offered some to Tomoko, but she shook her
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head. Chocolate makes me hyper, and other kinds of caffeine too, which is a shame because I really like green tea,
and whats wrong with being a little hyper sometimes?
This quick rambling speech seemed like a question and
even came with a very short pause, but Tomoko started
talking again before Daiki could form a thought. Youd
think that being on the edge would be an advantage in
a judo match, but Obaa-chan says directed action comes
from a calm mind and my mind isnt calm even without
the caffeine.
So...thats a no? You dont want a sip of cocoa?
Tomoko shrugged. The worlds ending tomorrow
anyway, so why not. She put the hot can to her lips,
drained it, and handed back the empty container. Look!
A river!
Daiki searched around for a recycling bin before following his friend. He caught up to Tomoko in the middle
of a footbridge. She had stopped to peer over the railing
at a river of yellowish-brownish water. Thats the Kandagawa, he told her.
Its so sad!
Daiki frowned. Whos sad?
The river. You just know it used to be wild and free
before people built concrete banks to tell it where to flow,
and drains and dams to keep it from flooding. Weve taken
this beautiful thing of nature and made it controlled and
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TOKYO, JAPAN:
Daiki and Tomoko pushed through a crowded street
jammed with stalled traffic and angry pedestrians. Police
officers with bullhorns asked people to return to their
homes, but nobody seemed to be listening. Missionaries
handed out pamphlets and raised signs that read the
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somebody get him off me! The other members of Fumios chess club gang dropped their stolen goods and ran
away.
Victory! Tomoko exclaimed. Takeda-sensei, champion of the Pack-Punch Video Arcade, has saved the day!
Justice has returned to the world and our work here is
doneuntil tomorrow, when the entire planet crumbles
into a pile of dust.
Stop saying things like that! Daiki shouted.
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GregR.FishboneservesasAssistantRegionalCoordinatorforthe
threeNewEnglandchaptersoftheSocietyofChildrensBookWriters
andIllustrators.InadditiontotheGalaxyGamesseries,heisalsothe
authorofthenovelThePenguinsofDoom.GreggrewupinBoston
wherehedevelopedhisloveofsports,history,andclamchowder.After
college,heattendedlawschoolinthreecountries,includingJapan.He
consideredstayinguntilhelearnedthattheJapanesetermforforeign
attorneyworkinginJapan,couldalsomeanouthouse.Thismadefor
manyawkwardconversationsincludingtheline,Iamstudyinghard
andhopetobecomeanouthousesomeday.Practicinglawbydayand
writingbynight,Gregstillhopestobecomeanouthousesomeday.You
canfindoutmoreabouthimatgregfishbone.com.