Another year, another contribution to the Secret Santa event hosted by  kikatsu . This year I was set to write for  Animous and his blueberry superhero Berrygirl. I thought to have fun with a little fight scene of his fox duking it out against another inflation enthusiast. Hope you enjoy!

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Berrygirl v.s. the Puffmaster
Secret Santa 2024 gift for  Animous

“Give it up Berrygirl!” A portly hippo's shout echoed above a metal railing. “You're no match against me!”

The fox had never expected a thief to be as persistent as this. She heard word of the Puffmaster just the other day, a petty thief who spent all his stolen earnings on countless inflatable gadgets. To some, the pachyderm seemed like a weirdo with an interest in blowing things up (and not in the explosive way), but to the trained eye of an expansion master like Berrygirl one could see the true intent: Become the one to control all expansive outlets of the world!

She finally managed to catch a glimpse of him in person, stealing from an inflatable emporium, though a little late to the party as he shot a dart from his finger and lifted into the sky. The expanding floats overwhelmed the sight of both law enforcement and Berrygirl, all of whom could only watch as the villainous hippo laughed atop his collection of blimps he rode. At any other time of the year, perhaps the fox heroine could have spent some time preparing, but with the winter holiday parade tomorrow there was no time to waste.

Berrygirl thought long and hard, but soon found a solution. She knew the one place a man like him would hide a bunch of parade floats and headed for the city's shipyard. As she perused various warehouses, the feminine fox spotted a distinct trail of pushed-aside dirt, one that indicated dragging ‘loons and led her right to the entrance of one of the warehouses. This villain had to up his game, it was too easy for Berrygirl, popping a piece of blueberry gum into her mouth and chewing. Within just a minute, her face flushed blue and her belly began to swell, giving her a beach ball shape and sloshy density. With precise momentum, she used the gallons of juice flooding inside her as just the heft needed to burst through the locked warehouse door.

“Stop right there Puffma-” she was cut off as a needle struck her belly, and with a rumble in her gut the juices she worked for suddenly came rushing out of her mouth like a fountain, gum included as it was flung away.

“Hah! I knew you'd come and chase me down Berrygirl!” On a high railing he stood, finger gun in her direction. “You think my bloatdarts were just for getaways?”

As the juice stopped pouring out, the confused vixen shook her head, hands on her knees and coughing as she looked up to the top of the warehouse. “What was tha-ooAAARRRP!” The gurgling in her belly grew, the slow yet distinct sound of inflation.

“THAT my dear was the power of my greatest creation: the Bloatdart.” The Puffmaster held his hand up next to his face, showing off a tube and trigger resting on his palm. “With this, anything that can inflate, will.” Berrygirl pulled the thin dart from her midsection, leaving only an air-filled potbelly as she got more upright. “And by the looks of things, the inclusion of people has finally joined that list. So then,” he pointed his finger gun back down at her, “why don't we test its limits out now?”

Berrygirl quickly dove to the side as another needle was shot, striking a wooden crate which popped from sudden inflating pressure. The heroine rolled behind a steel girder as another needle pinged off metal.

“Give it up Berrygirl!” The portly hippo's shout echoed above the metal railing. “You're no match against me!”

Perhaps the Puffmaster had a point, Berrygirl couldn't recall a villain who could counter her signature options. She leaned to the side to get a better look, only to quickly move back into safety as another needle flew by, striking a stolen parade float. She felt pinned in place, unsure how to approach this. If she got struck by another needle, her berry gum would be useless. But then, as she saw that parade float blimping rapidly, an idea crossed her mind. She made one more successful dodge and hid behind the inflatable, annoying the angry pachyderm.

“Grr! I expected a fight, not cowardice!” The hippo slammed his fist on the railing. “Come out and fight me!”

A few seconds passed with no sign of Berrygirl, before she reappeared; blue, bloated, and running. Her belly was swollen massively with juice, enough for her to tuck and roll like a violet boulder. The Puffmaster quickly pointed down and shot once again, striking Berrygirl right as she slammed into the wall. The whole of the railing shook, the upper platform rattling, but it quickly calmed down. “Hah! You missed!”

“Did I?” Berrygirl spoke smuggly, before juice began to flow back out. With a jump and her head pointed down, the pressure of the juices forced Berrygirl upwards. The hippo went wide-eyed as she quickly shuttled towards the underside of the Puffmaster's platform, striking it with a clattering slam. The two of them quickly rose to the top of the warehouse, roles reversed (and gravity too) as our heroine pinned her foe firmly in place with her pumped-up posterior.

The hippo groaned from the impact, struggling to move under the unyielding pressure of inflated vixen rump. “So, how's this for a test, huh?”

“Grr, curse you Berrygirl. When I get out of here I- MMPH!” The perturbed pachyderm was cut off as the fox rolled her hips back, smothering him in place. “Save your breath Puffmaster, the only place you'll be going is right where you belong!”

As backup arrived, they were both relieved to find the stolen goods but equally confused over Berrygirl's gravity-defying positioning. After some reassurance and readjustments, the fox managed to deflate and drop her defeated foe into the long arms of the law. With only the need to drop off the stolen belongings left, Berrygirl dusted herself off and smiled.

All in a day's work for the blueberry hero.