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We've got battle sign! Aaahhhhhhh! Rene versus Meghan! Yipes! Things get a little fiery and a little bloody, so consider yourselves warned.
Category Story / Pokemon
Species Unspecified / Any
Size 50 x 50px
File Size 57.5 kB
Last of the Crossroaders: René Meets Charla
&&&
Once Meg and René were done eating, they made their way to the arena, Meghan heading to the red corner while René remained in the blue.
“Alright, René.” Meghan said. “I want you to give me everything you got. Don't hold back just because I'm a friend, alright?” At his nod she said, “Ready....GO!”
René crouched down low and started sprinting towards Meghan, using Fire Spin as he went.
Meghan thought to herself. “So that's how you want to play it? Fine, then.” Still standing where she was, she spewed out her own Fire Spin, attempting to either nullify or overpower René's.
René took a step back and stopped Fire Spin, then used Quick Attack to get around behind her to use Tail Whip. Meghan got tripped up by the Tail Whip and knocked over on her butt, but then she looked up to René, her eyes glowing bright blue as she attempted to mess René up with a Confuse Ray.
He stumbled slighty under Confusion and shook his head, trying to rid himself of it. René used Flame Thrower, though his aim was erratic. Meghan meanwhile took the chance to get herself back on her feet and try again with Fire Spin, this time hoping to catch the fox in the great fiery cyclone and trap him.
“Goooo René! Goooo big sis!” Maggie cheered.
“Wait, who you rootin' fer, Maggie mon?” Floritt asked.
“Um, both of them?” Maggie answered.
René was still a little woozy and confused as he fell back; trying to put as much distance between him and Meghan as he could and regroup. He sporadically used Flamethrower to keep Meghan off balance.
She braced herself with her crossed arms as she got hit by the Flamethrower, pushing her further away from her opponent. “Even while he's confused...not too bad.” Meghan mused. She cleared her throat and started to spew out a Smokescreen, trying to conceal herself and make her an even harder target to hit. René choked and coughed as he tried to clear away the smoke with his arms. Meghan took the chance to set her whole left arm aflame and aim a Fire Punch right at him.
René spied the flame out of the corner of his eye and turned away at the last possible moment. Meghan grunted as she ended up whiffing the jab, the Fire Punch crossing right behind him. As he stumbled around in the smoke René paused to catch his breath and prepare Will O Wisp.
Meghan quickly turned and recovered her balance, slapping away the Will-O-Whisps with her still-inflamed arm. “Think, René.” She called out. “We're both Fire-types, we can't get burned. The best we can do is see who can snuff out the other's inner flame the fastest!” Her burning arm raised itself up once more as she lunged in with another Fire Punch.
“Hey, what does Big Sis mean by an inner fire? Like the fire that lives in our tummy?” Maggie asked the others, rubbing her belly.
“Someting like dat.” Floritt guessed, rubbing Maggie’s head.
“I believe she means the "inner fire" that's supposed to live within all Pokemorphs, regardless of type. That inner strength to keep on fighting until the very end. Since they can't really burn each other with their fire moves, they have to learn to figure out how to use them as part of a strategy to actually knock out the other.” Nigel answered.
“Nigel, you actually remembered what we learned in class?” Charla sounded surprised.
“I had to. Joshua was in my class at that time and that was part of the test. Last thing I wanted was to have him humiliate me by getting a better grade than me.” Nigel rejoined.
“So what'd you guys get?” Floritt asked.
“Got a B.” Nigel said.
“And Joshua?” Asked Charla.
“...a B. Plus.” The gardevoir gritted his teeth and went back to watching the fight in silence.
René tried to duck and weave. “If we can't get burned then why try to Fire—” His quert ended when he got hit with Fire Punch in the chest and was knocked on his rear.
“The "fire" won't hurt you much, but the "punch" will.” Meghan answered as the fire in her arm fizzlesd out...and she massaged her sore knuckles. “You wanna keep going?”
“What do you think?” René asked as he used Tackle.
“--OOF!” Meghan whuffed as she was nicely Tackled to the ground. “Better!”
That was when René decided to fight dirty. “Sorry Meg...” He said apologetically as he reached under her arms and across her stomach and started tickling her.
“What are y--Ahahahahaha! Haha-Rehe-hahaha-René! René, leggo!” She pleaded.
The rest of the group giggled away as their leader gets countered with a tickle attack. Meghan, however, doesn't take well to this kind of humiliation while in battle, as seen by all her struggling.
“Sorry Meghan but I'm all out of ideas here. So...give up?” Her answer was to quickly elbow René and grab his arm and twist it behind his back. Her voice was now strangely devoid of any humor.
“No. And you'll want to work on your creativity the next time you're in battle, because the second you're out of options, its game over! Understood?!” She growled at him.
“Oh, mon, dis ain't good.” Floritt said as she watched.
“Maybe sarcasm wasn't the best way to point out Meg never goes easy on anyone while fighting after all...” Charla winced.
“Nooo, Big Sis!” Maggie cried out.
Nigel said nothing, he just looked on in silence.
Wincing in pain and chagrin, René felt tears forming in the corners of his eye. “So-Sorry.” He ground out. “Please...please, let go.” Meghan loosened her grip some, but doesn't let go.
“We do this right. Say you give up, and I'll let go.”
“He's lucky to still have a functioning limb after this...” Nigel sighed.
“Nooo...” Maggie whined in sorrow.
Feeling hurt and angry, René was barely aware of his next moved. He bent his head forward and then snaps it back, cracking Meghan in the face.
“--Whuh!” She gruned as she got nicely headbutted in the face, caught off-guard and forced to let go of him. “Why you...!”
The rest of the group looked up in total surprise --even Nigel, which also surprised them. “I already said I have trouble predicting other people's futures. And honestly, you thought I'd see THAT coming?” Nigel asked.
René was angry, hot tears leaked from his eyes. “You want me to fight? Fine! You got it!” He snapped as he rushes at Meghan with his fist clenched.
Meghan held up an arm up to block the first punch, eyes flashing as she Leered at him, trying to scare him enough to lower his guard. The Leer comes fairly naturally, considering how she felt right now. “Yes, darn it, I want you to fight! Your opponents will not be holding back when it's your turn to take the exam battle, why should you?!”
Charla gave an answer from the stands, low enough so only the group heard.
“Because not everyone in the PCA's lives depend on having to be able fighters, Meg. You should know that by now!”
“No good. She's in THAT mindset now, the one that will keep pushing her until someone wins.” Nigel sighed.
“Den we gotta stop da match!” Floritt urged.
“No!” Maggie insisted. “René can beat her, I'm sure of it! Just give 'im a chance! Gooooo René!” She yelled encouragement.
“Because I don't WANT to be a raging fighting machine!” René shouted his answer to Meghan’s question. His eyes were too fulll of tears to even notice the Leer. René continued to lash out, his foot kicking Meghan in the shin and a fist clipping the side of her head.
Meghan slammed her leg down and took the shin kick and the fist to the face, making her spew out...not blood. It was lava. She spat out more of the lava straight at him in the form of a Lava Plume attack. “Then you have no business even thinking of stepping into an arena!” She shot back.
“Ok, this is going too far. Someone needs to go in there!” Charla determined. Floritt started to get up, but a hand reached out to block her - Nigel's.
“I'll do it. You girls watch over Meg's sister.” He told her.
“No no no! Let them fight! Meg will be mad if you stop them now!” Maggie exclaimed.
“She's gonna hert 'im bad, dis ain't good!” Floritt said nervously.
“No she won't! René is strong, I know it! I believe in 'im an' I believe he'll win!” Maggie urged.
“...Nige.” Charla turned to him.
“Fine! One more minute, but if it gets too hostile I'm Teleporting them back here!” He crossed his arms.
In the arena, René ducked low, but some of the Lava Plume scraped the side of his head, including his ear. He barely bite back a scream. “So I have to surrender all control of myself in order to win? Become a psychopath? Sorry, I don't do full-on crazy. Especially when I don't—” He punched Meghan hard in her unprotected stomach. “Enjoy—” He punched her again with his other fist. “--THIS!” He finished with an uppercut directly to Meghan’s jaw.
Every hit was solid, every hit was dead-on. The Magmar lost consciousness by the second blow and the third one readied her to fall for the count...but before she collapsed to the ground, a familiar light blinked right behind her, the figure within crouched down to catch her upper body. “That's enough, René!” Nigel said as he reached over and grabs René by the wrist, Teleporting all three of them back to the bleachers with the others.
When Nigel reappeared with René and Meghan the first thing René did was to crouch down. “Meg...?” He asked, but she was unconscious. Then he noticed his knuckles, all raw and bloody. He dashed over to a nearby garbage can and promptly threw up.
The others worked on having Meghan propped up on the bleachers and tended to, arguments tossed about as to what to do with her. Charla reached into the backpack for a Super Potion to use on her, but that would only help so much. Nigel looked to suggest an idea that makes every girl there tell him how bad an idea it is. Floritt looked to ready herself for another makeshift icepack but thought better of it. And Maggie...was running over to where René is, gripping on his pants leg and tugging.
“René...you ok?” She asked, concerned. René hawked and spat to get the last taste out of his mouth.
“Yeah I guess...” He groaned. “Maggie why are you here?” He sat down to look at her at eye level. “Why aren't you with your sister? I'm the one who's still conscious...” René shook his head in distress. “I never had a fight like that...I would've given up when she had me in the arm lock in any other situation but she--she just made me so MAD...” He looked away before turning back to the magby. “Maggie, I'm so SO very sorry about what I did. God, she must HATE me know...or will when she wakes up--I hope I didn't really hurt her...”
Maggie reached over and cupped René's face with her tiny clawed hands. Her own face had tiny tears pouring out of them. “Cuz I was the one that made ya fight, 'member? An' I should have told ya she gets really really fired up when she fights and stuff 'cuz she wants to be a strong Gym leader like mommy was and that's why she fights so hard! I'm sorry!”
An' she'll be okay, I know it. I'm just like...” She wiped at her eyes with a sleeve. “I made you all sad and pukey out there when all I wanted was for you to learn to be tough like her! René...why'd she make you mad?”
“Aww kiddo” René sighed as he gently hugged her. “You've got nothing to apologize for...you're the sweetest person I've ever known. I knew about Meghan and your mom before I got in there. I should've known...we're just two different people is all.
“I don't plan to run a gym or join a professional league when I grow up. I don't really care all that much about how well I fight, except to the point where I feel bad about myself. I forgot that not everyone's like me...I guess Meghan did too.”
He smiled a bit at the description 'sad and pukey.' “I think I did learn a little out there...I could've given up a lot earlier on, but I felt like I just HAD to prove Meghan's assumptions about me were wrong. I guess it did make me a little tougher...but I still don't like hurting people. This fight just got too intense.”
As to why she got me so mad…Meg, she probably didn't even mean it, but she just made me feel inadequate. Like 'If I can't be the best fighter I shouldn't even try.' It just really stung. That's why I got mad...I don't like the idea that I have to conform to somebody's elses standards in order to suceed. If I did that, well...I wouldn't be who I am, you know?”
“But I have to know...why were you rooting for me?”
Maggie was still wiping her tears away with a sleeve. “Cuz I know Meg's strong an' I know you're strong, but never seen you in a fight. So when I finally got to see you fighting, I wanted you to win. 'Sides, it's no fun seeing Big Sis win all the time.” She paused. “An' I think I understand. Big Sis has been trying to be strong for mom's sake for a long time, but she doesn't know how to be anything else, so she gets weird when she meets people like you who don't care to get better at fighting. Even Gramps told her once to not be so into it...but that's mostly 'cuz he doesn't like fighting much either. He says that's how mommy died, but I don't believe him. I—”
Suddenly, the two heard Flo calling out to them. “You guys, she's comin' to!”
“--Big Sis!” Maggie cried as she tugged on René's sleeve to get him to come with her to see. Meghan had been laid atop of the bleachers, the backpack propping her head up. Slowly she began to come to, groaning loudly as she massaged her sore face with her hand.
“Wuh...What happened?” She asked.
“René beat ya, mon. Gave ya quite the wallop at dat.” Floritt answered.
“Quite right.” Nigel agreed.
“Here he comes now.” Charla added.
René followed Maggie back to Meghan and gulped nervously as he crouches down next to her. “Meg? You okay? I'm so sorry!”
“Eh? ...yeah, I'm okay. Really, my pride's hurt more than anything else...mmm, no, I take it back, everything else hurts too.” She looked at him. “And what are you apologizing for? You won. I admit I'm impressed... didn't think you had it in you. For that, I should be the one apologizing.”
René sighed. “No, you were right. I don't have it in me to do this...to just beat the cra—” He winced, remembering Maggie wasthere. “Er, crud out of someone--classmates and friends--and then feel PROUD that I did it! I totally lost control out there and...I think I'm gonna leave the PCA.”
Everyone else exclaimed in unison, “SAY WHAT?!”
“René, nooo!” Maggie cried.
“Oh come on, mon, dun be talkin' like dat!” Floritt urged.
“This is a big mistake and you know it.” Nigel warned.
“Whoa whoa, you're gonna quit because you beat Meg in a match? An unofficial one at that?! What kind of nonsense is that?” Charla demanded.
Meghan said nothing for a second. “...René. Come here a second?” She asked in an odd tone of voice.
“Ye-es?” René asked he did so. Meghan proceeded to oh-so-gently grab René's shirt collar and pull him down until his snout and her bill almost touched. Both the flames on her head and the one on the tip of her tail roared furiously, forcing all but Maggie to clear away lest they get burned. Of course, Meg doesn't plan on burning the Vulpix with FIRE...
“NO. YOU. WON'T.” She ordered furiously. “Don't you dare use our sparring match as an excuse to run aware from your fears! You dishonor me, you dishonor your team and worst of all you dishonor yourself, the one who wants to eventually graduate from here and prove to his old 'mon he's made of tougher stuff than what he believes!” She loosened her grip some as she settled down a notch. “Look, you're not going to fight forever, you don't HAVE to fight forever. But you stick around here so you can learn to be a survivor, someone who doesn't let their feelings and their self-doubt push them away from being the person they WANT to be. And THAT is something few schools out there can teach you and you know it. You get through PCA, you can get through anything.”
Renél licked his lips in thought before sighing and looking down. “All right...you're right. I'm sorry. I just get...depressed sometimes.” He tried smiling weakly. “You know you're pretty smart for someone who just took a couple of blows to the head.”
Meghan snorted. “Phfft, I've had worst hits, trust me. One time I had to be hospitalized for almost a week. It was hell--err, heck trying to catch up on my homework!”
“Mon, you scared me der fer a sec!” Floritt sighed to René.
“Sorry.” René said as he hugged her. Floritt hugged him back.
“Once again, I dub thee a kit.” Charla commented.
“Oh go play with a ball of yarn.” René razzed her good naturedly.
Charla razzed him right back. “Shouldn't you be out stealing cheese from Murkrows?”
“Beg pardon?”
“Philistine. "The Vulpix and the Murkrow". The Vulpix that tricks the Murkrow into giving up its cheese by making it sing?” She mock-harumphed.
“You realize not all of us are ace students in Literature, right?” Nigel reminded her. “If it’s any consolation René, I've had days like that myself, wanting to run away from school and all that. But in the end, I just realized I'd be proving my family right about me always chickening out from my responsibilities.” Nigel said.
“Thanks.” René returned. “Oh and I almost forgot—” René picked up Maggie and put her on his shoulders. “Thanks for everything sweety. Anything you want from me, name it and it’s yours!”
“Yeah!” She gave him a noogie. “Dun ever go sayin' stuff like that again!” She frowned at him from her perch.
“Sorry Maggie-pie.” René apologized as he gave her legs a squeeze in lieu of a hug. “Will you forgive me if I take you out for ice-cream? No more frowny face?”
“Yaaay ice cream!” Maggie cheered.
“What flavor do you like kiddo? In fact...ice cream all around! On me! To celebrate my not-getting-my-tails-kicked!”
“Yaay ice cream!” Floritt cheered.
“Yaay for you kicking my butt.” Meghan said sarcastically, then chuckled. “Don't get too comfortable, though -- I DO want a rematch someday!”
“Someday.” René agreed. “For now though, I intend to rest on my laurels thank you very much!”
“That’s probably wise.” Nigel said wryly. As they were talking Charla proceeded to prod at Nigel, a small 'zap' from when her claw touches his shield “So t--do you mind?”
“No. I don't mind at all.” Charla answered innocently as she continued to poke him.
“...and admittedly I'd miss this if I were to leave.” Nigel sighed.
“Is it a requirement for girly boys to be so weird?” Charla asked.
“Hey! Don’t you have anything better to do?”
“No. Besides, this is more fun than anything else I could be doing.” Charla kept poking Nigel.
“Don't I have a say in this?” He demanded.
“No.”
“See, this is what I have to put up with every bloody day. She's incorrigible!” Nigel groaned.
“I think the word you want is "irresistible".” She grinned.
Nigel stammered. “You-you...” Charla started rapidly poking him, accented with electrical sparks. “--OW OW, bloody 'ell, warn me when you're gonna do that! I can only have one kind of shield up at a time and if you switch tactics on me you'll—” Charla grinned wickedly.
“OhOOO, so we DO have a weak spot.”
“Oh, cripes...let's just go grab the ice cream? It might help cool down Miss Rey here.” Nigel groaned.
“Yeah right. But I do like ice cream, so let's go!” Charla relented.
René plucked Maggie off his shoulders and rubbed her nose with his own. “You can have whatever you want kiddo. You're my number one fan! Ice cream for everyone! Everyone who DOESN'T call me names!” He mock-glared at Charla.
“Uhh...can we get lava flavored? I can't eat cold things.” Maggie said. René nodded.
“Oooh, ooh! Tutti-Fruity, mon!” Floritt called out excitedly.
“I'll have lava, same as my sis.” Meghan said.
“Pistachio.” Nigel grunted.
“...Oh come on, it's a term of endearment! Besides, I can always get someone else to get it for me.” Charla said as she turned from René to Nigel.
“No.” The gardevoir said flatly.
“Please?”
“NO! Not until you quit poking me!” He snapped.
“Think fast.” She said as she gave Nigel a small electrical shock.
“YEOWCH!” He yelped. His body flickered with an odd light as it quickly switched from Reflect (for protection against physical moves) to Light Screen (same, for special attacks). Which is exactly what Charla was hoping for; in one fell swoop, she took advantage of the change of shields to do something she had been hoping to do for a while: grab Nigel from behind in a tight hug.
Nigel turned beet red. “CHARLA!”
“Please?” Charla asked in a low, sultry growl.
“Aghaghagh...Okay fine!” Nigel yielded. “Chocolate?”
“You know it.” Charla pecked him on the cheek and let him go. “Come on, guys.” Nigel just stood there, stunned.
“I was kidding, of course I'm buying for you kitten.” René snorted. “And don't torture Nigel too much. You'll break him.”
&&&
&&&
Once Meg and René were done eating, they made their way to the arena, Meghan heading to the red corner while René remained in the blue.
“Alright, René.” Meghan said. “I want you to give me everything you got. Don't hold back just because I'm a friend, alright?” At his nod she said, “Ready....GO!”
René crouched down low and started sprinting towards Meghan, using Fire Spin as he went.
Meghan thought to herself. “So that's how you want to play it? Fine, then.” Still standing where she was, she spewed out her own Fire Spin, attempting to either nullify or overpower René's.
René took a step back and stopped Fire Spin, then used Quick Attack to get around behind her to use Tail Whip. Meghan got tripped up by the Tail Whip and knocked over on her butt, but then she looked up to René, her eyes glowing bright blue as she attempted to mess René up with a Confuse Ray.
He stumbled slighty under Confusion and shook his head, trying to rid himself of it. René used Flame Thrower, though his aim was erratic. Meghan meanwhile took the chance to get herself back on her feet and try again with Fire Spin, this time hoping to catch the fox in the great fiery cyclone and trap him.
“Goooo René! Goooo big sis!” Maggie cheered.
“Wait, who you rootin' fer, Maggie mon?” Floritt asked.
“Um, both of them?” Maggie answered.
René was still a little woozy and confused as he fell back; trying to put as much distance between him and Meghan as he could and regroup. He sporadically used Flamethrower to keep Meghan off balance.
She braced herself with her crossed arms as she got hit by the Flamethrower, pushing her further away from her opponent. “Even while he's confused...not too bad.” Meghan mused. She cleared her throat and started to spew out a Smokescreen, trying to conceal herself and make her an even harder target to hit. René choked and coughed as he tried to clear away the smoke with his arms. Meghan took the chance to set her whole left arm aflame and aim a Fire Punch right at him.
René spied the flame out of the corner of his eye and turned away at the last possible moment. Meghan grunted as she ended up whiffing the jab, the Fire Punch crossing right behind him. As he stumbled around in the smoke René paused to catch his breath and prepare Will O Wisp.
Meghan quickly turned and recovered her balance, slapping away the Will-O-Whisps with her still-inflamed arm. “Think, René.” She called out. “We're both Fire-types, we can't get burned. The best we can do is see who can snuff out the other's inner flame the fastest!” Her burning arm raised itself up once more as she lunged in with another Fire Punch.
“Hey, what does Big Sis mean by an inner fire? Like the fire that lives in our tummy?” Maggie asked the others, rubbing her belly.
“Someting like dat.” Floritt guessed, rubbing Maggie’s head.
“I believe she means the "inner fire" that's supposed to live within all Pokemorphs, regardless of type. That inner strength to keep on fighting until the very end. Since they can't really burn each other with their fire moves, they have to learn to figure out how to use them as part of a strategy to actually knock out the other.” Nigel answered.
“Nigel, you actually remembered what we learned in class?” Charla sounded surprised.
“I had to. Joshua was in my class at that time and that was part of the test. Last thing I wanted was to have him humiliate me by getting a better grade than me.” Nigel rejoined.
“So what'd you guys get?” Floritt asked.
“Got a B.” Nigel said.
“And Joshua?” Asked Charla.
“...a B. Plus.” The gardevoir gritted his teeth and went back to watching the fight in silence.
René tried to duck and weave. “If we can't get burned then why try to Fire—” His quert ended when he got hit with Fire Punch in the chest and was knocked on his rear.
“The "fire" won't hurt you much, but the "punch" will.” Meghan answered as the fire in her arm fizzlesd out...and she massaged her sore knuckles. “You wanna keep going?”
“What do you think?” René asked as he used Tackle.
“--OOF!” Meghan whuffed as she was nicely Tackled to the ground. “Better!”
That was when René decided to fight dirty. “Sorry Meg...” He said apologetically as he reached under her arms and across her stomach and started tickling her.
“What are y--Ahahahahaha! Haha-Rehe-hahaha-René! René, leggo!” She pleaded.
The rest of the group giggled away as their leader gets countered with a tickle attack. Meghan, however, doesn't take well to this kind of humiliation while in battle, as seen by all her struggling.
“Sorry Meghan but I'm all out of ideas here. So...give up?” Her answer was to quickly elbow René and grab his arm and twist it behind his back. Her voice was now strangely devoid of any humor.
“No. And you'll want to work on your creativity the next time you're in battle, because the second you're out of options, its game over! Understood?!” She growled at him.
“Oh, mon, dis ain't good.” Floritt said as she watched.
“Maybe sarcasm wasn't the best way to point out Meg never goes easy on anyone while fighting after all...” Charla winced.
“Nooo, Big Sis!” Maggie cried out.
Nigel said nothing, he just looked on in silence.
Wincing in pain and chagrin, René felt tears forming in the corners of his eye. “So-Sorry.” He ground out. “Please...please, let go.” Meghan loosened her grip some, but doesn't let go.
“We do this right. Say you give up, and I'll let go.”
“He's lucky to still have a functioning limb after this...” Nigel sighed.
“Nooo...” Maggie whined in sorrow.
Feeling hurt and angry, René was barely aware of his next moved. He bent his head forward and then snaps it back, cracking Meghan in the face.
“--Whuh!” She gruned as she got nicely headbutted in the face, caught off-guard and forced to let go of him. “Why you...!”
The rest of the group looked up in total surprise --even Nigel, which also surprised them. “I already said I have trouble predicting other people's futures. And honestly, you thought I'd see THAT coming?” Nigel asked.
René was angry, hot tears leaked from his eyes. “You want me to fight? Fine! You got it!” He snapped as he rushes at Meghan with his fist clenched.
Meghan held up an arm up to block the first punch, eyes flashing as she Leered at him, trying to scare him enough to lower his guard. The Leer comes fairly naturally, considering how she felt right now. “Yes, darn it, I want you to fight! Your opponents will not be holding back when it's your turn to take the exam battle, why should you?!”
Charla gave an answer from the stands, low enough so only the group heard.
“Because not everyone in the PCA's lives depend on having to be able fighters, Meg. You should know that by now!”
“No good. She's in THAT mindset now, the one that will keep pushing her until someone wins.” Nigel sighed.
“Den we gotta stop da match!” Floritt urged.
“No!” Maggie insisted. “René can beat her, I'm sure of it! Just give 'im a chance! Gooooo René!” She yelled encouragement.
“Because I don't WANT to be a raging fighting machine!” René shouted his answer to Meghan’s question. His eyes were too fulll of tears to even notice the Leer. René continued to lash out, his foot kicking Meghan in the shin and a fist clipping the side of her head.
Meghan slammed her leg down and took the shin kick and the fist to the face, making her spew out...not blood. It was lava. She spat out more of the lava straight at him in the form of a Lava Plume attack. “Then you have no business even thinking of stepping into an arena!” She shot back.
“Ok, this is going too far. Someone needs to go in there!” Charla determined. Floritt started to get up, but a hand reached out to block her - Nigel's.
“I'll do it. You girls watch over Meg's sister.” He told her.
“No no no! Let them fight! Meg will be mad if you stop them now!” Maggie exclaimed.
“She's gonna hert 'im bad, dis ain't good!” Floritt said nervously.
“No she won't! René is strong, I know it! I believe in 'im an' I believe he'll win!” Maggie urged.
“...Nige.” Charla turned to him.
“Fine! One more minute, but if it gets too hostile I'm Teleporting them back here!” He crossed his arms.
In the arena, René ducked low, but some of the Lava Plume scraped the side of his head, including his ear. He barely bite back a scream. “So I have to surrender all control of myself in order to win? Become a psychopath? Sorry, I don't do full-on crazy. Especially when I don't—” He punched Meghan hard in her unprotected stomach. “Enjoy—” He punched her again with his other fist. “--THIS!” He finished with an uppercut directly to Meghan’s jaw.
Every hit was solid, every hit was dead-on. The Magmar lost consciousness by the second blow and the third one readied her to fall for the count...but before she collapsed to the ground, a familiar light blinked right behind her, the figure within crouched down to catch her upper body. “That's enough, René!” Nigel said as he reached over and grabs René by the wrist, Teleporting all three of them back to the bleachers with the others.
When Nigel reappeared with René and Meghan the first thing René did was to crouch down. “Meg...?” He asked, but she was unconscious. Then he noticed his knuckles, all raw and bloody. He dashed over to a nearby garbage can and promptly threw up.
The others worked on having Meghan propped up on the bleachers and tended to, arguments tossed about as to what to do with her. Charla reached into the backpack for a Super Potion to use on her, but that would only help so much. Nigel looked to suggest an idea that makes every girl there tell him how bad an idea it is. Floritt looked to ready herself for another makeshift icepack but thought better of it. And Maggie...was running over to where René is, gripping on his pants leg and tugging.
“René...you ok?” She asked, concerned. René hawked and spat to get the last taste out of his mouth.
“Yeah I guess...” He groaned. “Maggie why are you here?” He sat down to look at her at eye level. “Why aren't you with your sister? I'm the one who's still conscious...” René shook his head in distress. “I never had a fight like that...I would've given up when she had me in the arm lock in any other situation but she--she just made me so MAD...” He looked away before turning back to the magby. “Maggie, I'm so SO very sorry about what I did. God, she must HATE me know...or will when she wakes up--I hope I didn't really hurt her...”
Maggie reached over and cupped René's face with her tiny clawed hands. Her own face had tiny tears pouring out of them. “Cuz I was the one that made ya fight, 'member? An' I should have told ya she gets really really fired up when she fights and stuff 'cuz she wants to be a strong Gym leader like mommy was and that's why she fights so hard! I'm sorry!”
An' she'll be okay, I know it. I'm just like...” She wiped at her eyes with a sleeve. “I made you all sad and pukey out there when all I wanted was for you to learn to be tough like her! René...why'd she make you mad?”
“Aww kiddo” René sighed as he gently hugged her. “You've got nothing to apologize for...you're the sweetest person I've ever known. I knew about Meghan and your mom before I got in there. I should've known...we're just two different people is all.
“I don't plan to run a gym or join a professional league when I grow up. I don't really care all that much about how well I fight, except to the point where I feel bad about myself. I forgot that not everyone's like me...I guess Meghan did too.”
He smiled a bit at the description 'sad and pukey.' “I think I did learn a little out there...I could've given up a lot earlier on, but I felt like I just HAD to prove Meghan's assumptions about me were wrong. I guess it did make me a little tougher...but I still don't like hurting people. This fight just got too intense.”
As to why she got me so mad…Meg, she probably didn't even mean it, but she just made me feel inadequate. Like 'If I can't be the best fighter I shouldn't even try.' It just really stung. That's why I got mad...I don't like the idea that I have to conform to somebody's elses standards in order to suceed. If I did that, well...I wouldn't be who I am, you know?”
“But I have to know...why were you rooting for me?”
Maggie was still wiping her tears away with a sleeve. “Cuz I know Meg's strong an' I know you're strong, but never seen you in a fight. So when I finally got to see you fighting, I wanted you to win. 'Sides, it's no fun seeing Big Sis win all the time.” She paused. “An' I think I understand. Big Sis has been trying to be strong for mom's sake for a long time, but she doesn't know how to be anything else, so she gets weird when she meets people like you who don't care to get better at fighting. Even Gramps told her once to not be so into it...but that's mostly 'cuz he doesn't like fighting much either. He says that's how mommy died, but I don't believe him. I—”
Suddenly, the two heard Flo calling out to them. “You guys, she's comin' to!”
“--Big Sis!” Maggie cried as she tugged on René's sleeve to get him to come with her to see. Meghan had been laid atop of the bleachers, the backpack propping her head up. Slowly she began to come to, groaning loudly as she massaged her sore face with her hand.
“Wuh...What happened?” She asked.
“René beat ya, mon. Gave ya quite the wallop at dat.” Floritt answered.
“Quite right.” Nigel agreed.
“Here he comes now.” Charla added.
René followed Maggie back to Meghan and gulped nervously as he crouches down next to her. “Meg? You okay? I'm so sorry!”
“Eh? ...yeah, I'm okay. Really, my pride's hurt more than anything else...mmm, no, I take it back, everything else hurts too.” She looked at him. “And what are you apologizing for? You won. I admit I'm impressed... didn't think you had it in you. For that, I should be the one apologizing.”
René sighed. “No, you were right. I don't have it in me to do this...to just beat the cra—” He winced, remembering Maggie wasthere. “Er, crud out of someone--classmates and friends--and then feel PROUD that I did it! I totally lost control out there and...I think I'm gonna leave the PCA.”
Everyone else exclaimed in unison, “SAY WHAT?!”
“René, nooo!” Maggie cried.
“Oh come on, mon, dun be talkin' like dat!” Floritt urged.
“This is a big mistake and you know it.” Nigel warned.
“Whoa whoa, you're gonna quit because you beat Meg in a match? An unofficial one at that?! What kind of nonsense is that?” Charla demanded.
Meghan said nothing for a second. “...René. Come here a second?” She asked in an odd tone of voice.
“Ye-es?” René asked he did so. Meghan proceeded to oh-so-gently grab René's shirt collar and pull him down until his snout and her bill almost touched. Both the flames on her head and the one on the tip of her tail roared furiously, forcing all but Maggie to clear away lest they get burned. Of course, Meg doesn't plan on burning the Vulpix with FIRE...
“NO. YOU. WON'T.” She ordered furiously. “Don't you dare use our sparring match as an excuse to run aware from your fears! You dishonor me, you dishonor your team and worst of all you dishonor yourself, the one who wants to eventually graduate from here and prove to his old 'mon he's made of tougher stuff than what he believes!” She loosened her grip some as she settled down a notch. “Look, you're not going to fight forever, you don't HAVE to fight forever. But you stick around here so you can learn to be a survivor, someone who doesn't let their feelings and their self-doubt push them away from being the person they WANT to be. And THAT is something few schools out there can teach you and you know it. You get through PCA, you can get through anything.”
Renél licked his lips in thought before sighing and looking down. “All right...you're right. I'm sorry. I just get...depressed sometimes.” He tried smiling weakly. “You know you're pretty smart for someone who just took a couple of blows to the head.”
Meghan snorted. “Phfft, I've had worst hits, trust me. One time I had to be hospitalized for almost a week. It was hell--err, heck trying to catch up on my homework!”
“Mon, you scared me der fer a sec!” Floritt sighed to René.
“Sorry.” René said as he hugged her. Floritt hugged him back.
“Once again, I dub thee a kit.” Charla commented.
“Oh go play with a ball of yarn.” René razzed her good naturedly.
Charla razzed him right back. “Shouldn't you be out stealing cheese from Murkrows?”
“Beg pardon?”
“Philistine. "The Vulpix and the Murkrow". The Vulpix that tricks the Murkrow into giving up its cheese by making it sing?” She mock-harumphed.
“You realize not all of us are ace students in Literature, right?” Nigel reminded her. “If it’s any consolation René, I've had days like that myself, wanting to run away from school and all that. But in the end, I just realized I'd be proving my family right about me always chickening out from my responsibilities.” Nigel said.
“Thanks.” René returned. “Oh and I almost forgot—” René picked up Maggie and put her on his shoulders. “Thanks for everything sweety. Anything you want from me, name it and it’s yours!”
“Yeah!” She gave him a noogie. “Dun ever go sayin' stuff like that again!” She frowned at him from her perch.
“Sorry Maggie-pie.” René apologized as he gave her legs a squeeze in lieu of a hug. “Will you forgive me if I take you out for ice-cream? No more frowny face?”
“Yaaay ice cream!” Maggie cheered.
“What flavor do you like kiddo? In fact...ice cream all around! On me! To celebrate my not-getting-my-tails-kicked!”
“Yaay ice cream!” Floritt cheered.
“Yaay for you kicking my butt.” Meghan said sarcastically, then chuckled. “Don't get too comfortable, though -- I DO want a rematch someday!”
“Someday.” René agreed. “For now though, I intend to rest on my laurels thank you very much!”
“That’s probably wise.” Nigel said wryly. As they were talking Charla proceeded to prod at Nigel, a small 'zap' from when her claw touches his shield “So t--do you mind?”
“No. I don't mind at all.” Charla answered innocently as she continued to poke him.
“...and admittedly I'd miss this if I were to leave.” Nigel sighed.
“Is it a requirement for girly boys to be so weird?” Charla asked.
“Hey! Don’t you have anything better to do?”
“No. Besides, this is more fun than anything else I could be doing.” Charla kept poking Nigel.
“Don't I have a say in this?” He demanded.
“No.”
“See, this is what I have to put up with every bloody day. She's incorrigible!” Nigel groaned.
“I think the word you want is "irresistible".” She grinned.
Nigel stammered. “You-you...” Charla started rapidly poking him, accented with electrical sparks. “--OW OW, bloody 'ell, warn me when you're gonna do that! I can only have one kind of shield up at a time and if you switch tactics on me you'll—” Charla grinned wickedly.
“OhOOO, so we DO have a weak spot.”
“Oh, cripes...let's just go grab the ice cream? It might help cool down Miss Rey here.” Nigel groaned.
“Yeah right. But I do like ice cream, so let's go!” Charla relented.
René plucked Maggie off his shoulders and rubbed her nose with his own. “You can have whatever you want kiddo. You're my number one fan! Ice cream for everyone! Everyone who DOESN'T call me names!” He mock-glared at Charla.
“Uhh...can we get lava flavored? I can't eat cold things.” Maggie said. René nodded.
“Oooh, ooh! Tutti-Fruity, mon!” Floritt called out excitedly.
“I'll have lava, same as my sis.” Meghan said.
“Pistachio.” Nigel grunted.
“...Oh come on, it's a term of endearment! Besides, I can always get someone else to get it for me.” Charla said as she turned from René to Nigel.
“No.” The gardevoir said flatly.
“Please?”
“NO! Not until you quit poking me!” He snapped.
“Think fast.” She said as she gave Nigel a small electrical shock.
“YEOWCH!” He yelped. His body flickered with an odd light as it quickly switched from Reflect (for protection against physical moves) to Light Screen (same, for special attacks). Which is exactly what Charla was hoping for; in one fell swoop, she took advantage of the change of shields to do something she had been hoping to do for a while: grab Nigel from behind in a tight hug.
Nigel turned beet red. “CHARLA!”
“Please?” Charla asked in a low, sultry growl.
“Aghaghagh...Okay fine!” Nigel yielded. “Chocolate?”
“You know it.” Charla pecked him on the cheek and let him go. “Come on, guys.” Nigel just stood there, stunned.
“I was kidding, of course I'm buying for you kitten.” René snorted. “And don't torture Nigel too much. You'll break him.”
&&&
And all's well that ends well, in a poke-sort of way. Where bloody, mortal combat is how you let someone know you care
(Just now getting around to reading these, I can't read long things on a computer screen, hurts my eyes really bad and I just now got a replacement for my broken printer.)
(Just now getting around to reading these, I can't read long things on a computer screen, hurts my eyes really bad and I just now got a replacement for my broken printer.)
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