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A piece I've had for a long while, but that I've just forgotten to post. Riou gets fed up with senior classman Nicole Blackpaw and decides to give her a piece of his mind. The results of said confrontation are not what he expected.
Note: this takes place earlier in the school year, towards the beginning, as Team Silhouette and Crossroads never met before this moment, hence the lack of familiarity.
Note: this takes place earlier in the school year, towards the beginning, as Team Silhouette and Crossroads never met before this moment, hence the lack of familiarity.
Category Story / Pokemon
Species Unspecified / Any
Size 50 x 50px
File Size 52 kB
“Just who do you think you’re talking to, you little brat?” Nicole spat at him, poking him right in the chest. Riou didn’t so much as budge his face still calm. “Do you even have any idea who I am?!”
“Oh, I know quite well, Nicole-san. You, are a bitch, who cannot see past her own ego long enough to consider the words she speaks. You are a woman who little regard for any of the feelings of others, probably including your own teammates. You do not even think twice about manipulating everyone around you, if it serves your own needs. You are heartless, insensitive, and cruel. I have nothing but hatred and disgust for a personage such as you.” He could believe he was saying this right to her face. But she was pushing his buttons.
Hell, he didn’t even remember the last time someone had made him so mad. But staring at her right now, he couldn’t begin to describe how tempting it was to rearrange her face, with the help of his fists. She was standing there, mouth agape as he finished his sentence. He was deeply satisfied with her reaction, and he couldn’t help but grin. “So, is that what you wanted to hear?” He said, mockingly. “Or were you expecting me to grovel at your feet, in awe of your obvious greatness?”
“Why you little-”
“Ah, you may wish to stay your hand, Nicole-san. As I recall, the last time you engaged in an on-school scuffle, you were interrupted by the Headmaster himself, and then dragged away in disgrace.” Riou said, wagging a single finger at her. “And I don’t think you’d wish for a repeat of that little incident, would you?”
“Outside then, right now, school’s out. And I’m going to put you in your place.” She said, her voice dripping with venom. Riou smirked, and crossed his arms over his chest, and then gestured towards the door. He was absently aware of the crowd that was starting to gather.
“Ladies first.” He said, bowing a bit. She gave him a glare, probably hoping she could strike him down with just the look. Still, he was polite. He itched to strike at her back, to deck her and send her flying across the hall. In fact, his hand twitched, and he clenched it. He followed her outside, along with the crowd. When they were sufficiently clear, she turned to face him. “So, a simple 1-on-1, then?” He said, his hands moving to his pockets.
“Fine. Until one of us is unable to fight. I do hope you’re prepared to eat dirt, you spoiled brat.” She snarled, and Riou rolled his shoulders, chuckling, and his tail flicking.
“We shall see.” He said, slowly removing his hands from his pockets, he settled himself into his stance, spreading his legs. He focused his eyes, and for those watching, his pupils would fade away. And slowly, Nicole’s Aura came into view. That was where Riou’s first thoughts of doubt came into play. Her Aura was immense, and at the moment, quite violent. His left foot slid back a bit. This could get quite nasty.
“Well, where’s that eloquent and slick tongue of yours now?!” She taunted him. He was about to respond, when she made the first move. His one thought, as she tore towards him, was that she was fast, really fast. He barely had time to drop low move to the side, dodging by a hair’s breath. He could actually see her foot out of his peripheral vision. He didn’t pause even a split second to think. He dropped low, and spun, sweeping his leg out to trip her.
He caught her foot, but she didn’t fall! She stumbled, and immediately whirled, lashing out with another handful of claws. He leapt back, backflipping, leaning his head back as fast as he could. He felt the slightly sting as she grazed his chin, and he landed on his feet, crouched down. She was standing there, her arm up. That was close. If he’d reacted even a second later, she’d have slashed his jaw up. He saw the grin on her face. “What’s wrong?! Lost all your spunk now?!” She called out. The crowd was still watching.
“Not even close, Nicole-san.” He said, slowly standing, and brushing himself off. “Apparently I have underestimated you. I believed you to be all talk and no action. I was wrong…please, allow me to show you the proper respect.” He said, and shifted his stance, slowly, his hands coming out to his sides. He could hear people talking, but his didn’t bothering figuring what they were saying. He had to focus, now.
Her Aura was still churning, violent and wicked. It was hard to believe someone like her would possibly be this powerful. He remembered his meditations, and focused his strength. “I would advise that the crowd stand back.” He said, aloud. At that, they all scooted back several feet. He slowly brought his hands together, and opened his eyes. Coming into existence on either side of him, two images of himself appeared.
“Wow, a Double Team!”
“Man, this is unreal, last time Nikki duked it out, it was a catfight, but this is serious!”
“Four images?! Man, managing two is tough for me!”
“And that’s not all!!” Riou said, making a second motion with his hands, still clamped together. The images duplicated the motion.
“As if I’m going to stand here while you pull your tricks!” Nicole spat, and charged him. But Riou was one step ahead of her this time.
“Double Team!” They all called out, and the number of images doubled, from 4 to 8. Nicole closed the distance between them much faster than he was expecting, and they all scattered. He knew that beating her hand-to hand was doomed to fail. He would have to bide his time, and wait for the right moment. “Try and guess which is real me!” He taunted back, and the images called in succession.
She didn’t look fazed though. In fact, she seemed to be grinning. What was going on? “Oh come ON!” She cackled, and turned, looking right over her shoulder, and right at him. “You really think this would fool me?” And suddenly, as if she had ignored the intervening distance between them, she was in his face, her feet lashing out at him. Riou jumped back, the images flicking and vanishing as she struck them down.
She saw right through it?! How was that possible?! She wasn’t psychic, so she couldn’t detect which one was actually him, and he’d been sure to hide himself within his own images. So how had she seen where he actually was? He growled and leapt back, parrying her arms. He expected her to kick wildly, but she was calculating. Every time he went to block, she found a way around him.
He was forced to spend all of his energy blocking and parrying. He was all he could do merely to keep her from striking him. That’s when he saw an opening. A small one, but it was an opening nonetheless. He slapped her arm aside, and used his other arm to block her counter slash. And there it was. Her middle was wide open. He brought his fist back, and thrust. She must’ve seen what he was doing, because she caught his wrist, inches from her body. And a grin came over her face. “Gotcha!”
“That’s what you think, Nicole-san.” He said, smiling, and opened his hand, and the air pulsed. Nicole’s grin was replaced by shock as she was struck right in her stomach, pushed back. Riou felt only slightly satisfied. She was good, really good. Even as she was pushed back, she kept from being thrown, or knocked off her feet. When she came to a halt, she coughed, and then grinned, looking up at him. This wasn’t good at all. Such a blow on a Normal-type, and she barely looked phased!
“That was your one free shot, brat.” She said, licking her lips, “Here I come.” She said, brandishing her claws and once again bearing down on him. But he had the time he’d been hoping for. He raised his hand, in front of his face, two fingers up, and closed his eyes. He’d attuned his Aura to her own, and she was readable. A flash, in his mind, something to his right, coming from under to top…
He moved, fluidly, twirling around to avoid her, moving inside of her motions. He wondered what the crowd was seeing, as they fought. He continued to move, letting that thought hang in the back of his mind. In his mind, his music played, and he flowed with the music, seeing her attacks now, as if in slow motion. He smiled as he saw the confusion on her face. It was like she was trying to strike at the wind.
There it was; the opening again. She was calculating, of that, there was no doubt in his mind. But she was leaving her middle open. Well, he didn’t need Vosa to realize why. She figured he was just another upstart lower classman who needed to be reminded of how the hierarchy worked. And since his Vacuum Wave did little more than leave her breathless, there was no reason to fear a second strike, right?
He decided it was time she regretted that. As he was twirling and dodging, he came down, and swept, using his tail to cause her to stumble again. This time, his hands came back, both of them. He gathered Aura in them, and a glowing blue sphere formed, almost instantly. He saw Nicole’s face, a look of shock. He thrust his hands forward, planting the energy ball right into her stomach again. This time, it had some more of the effect he desired. She couldn’t counter or parry something like that, especially not at this range.
The blast impacted, and this time, Riou registered actual pain in her face, and in her Aura, which faltered, even if only a bit. She was thrown back this time, but recovered, her legs and arms bracing themselves, leaving gouges in the grass and dusty ground. He remained there, his arms out before him. This time, he could hear the voices of the crowd more clearly.
“Aura Sphere?!”
“Wow, he can use that?”
“Of course he can, he IS a Lucario after all, remember?”
“Man, she’s gunna be pissed.”
And indeed, she was. As she stood up, he could see the look in her face. She was furious, enraged beyond anything Riou had ever seen before. She glared at him, a look which, inside, made him quake. And then, suddenly, his vision faded back to normal, and all his aches and pains returned. He gave a groan, and fell to one knee. Damn! He forgot, using his vision to read Aura for that long was strenuous. How long had they been fighting anyway? His muscles ached from trying to stay away from her. Damn, he could barely move now.
Seeing this, she grinned and crossed her arms over her head. “What’s the matter? Tired already? You lower-classman are all the same, you last all of a few minutes. Well, it doesn’t matter.” She said, raising her hand up, and brandishing her claws once again. “I’m going to end this right here and now.”
Riou was about to taunt her, when suddenly, she wasn’t standing there anymore. His eyes widened. Where did she go? Where could she have gon-? He suddenly registered that she was somehow passing him. But how, he couldn’t sense her, didn’t even see her- And suddenly, he felt lancing pain all over his body, and there was blood, HIS blood! He couldn’t even count the number of cuts at the moment. His head went back, his mouth opened, but he couldn’t even cry out. He did however, hear her speak from behind him. “You even fall slow.”
He barely registered his own body falling to the ground. He heard Karon’s voice, heard someone screaming. He could hear the shouts of students, and vaguely, he imagined Nicole was laughing…
***
Karon let out a yell, pushing through the crowd. She saw Nikki move, saw Riou toss his head back, and then blood. That was the last straw for her. There was a difference between a fight, and what just happened now. She could only think of taking her Bone Breaker and folding Nicole’s face in half with it. She shoved and thrashed, shoving through the people, until she came out into the empty circle.
Riou was laying there, on his stomach, and he was cut in…good lord, a dozen or so places. He looked to be in shock, his eyes were wide, his mouth open. She could make out Vosa and Tidot shoving their way through the crowd. But right now, she had tunnel vision, and the only thing she could think about…A hand suddenly gripped her wrist, and yanked her. She came to, her vision snapping open, as she turned to glare at her assailant.
It was a Magmar, female. Karon didn’t recognize her, didn’t really care. “Let go of me, unless you want me to make you into paste as well!” She snapped, tugging against the strong hands that held her steady. Tidot and Vosa had managed to make their way through the crowd. Vosa was standing before Riou’s fallen form, facing down Nicole, and Tidot was kneeling next to him.
“Serves him right for talking trash like that!” Nicole said, laughing as she placed her hands on his hips. “I just paid him back for that second blow, who knew he’d just crumple like wet paper though!” Karon could not stand that laugh of hers, and tensed. The hands on her wrists held her in place.
“Don’t be an idiot.” The Magmar said, sternly. “You think if your Captain did only that well, that you’ll do any better. Don’t lose your head. You’d be better off helping out your friend.” She said, and Karon paused to look at her. The Magmar just stared back. Karon’s ears could still make out the grating laugh of Nicole’s, and she growled.
“Fine then, I’ll do it your way. Only cause Riou would probably say the same thing.” She said, and the hands released her. Tidot however, was having the reaction she was having just moments ago. He was standing, his hands clenching into fists, and he turned to regard Nicole.
“That wasn’t necessary you know! You didn’t have to cut him up that badly!” He said, and one hand came unclenched, his fingers curling to form claws. His hand started to cover with blue flames, and he moved to strike, his hand coming back…and someone from the crowd, someone Karon didn’t see zipped in, and a foot swung low, catching Tidot’s own foot. He gave a cry, as he stumbled. A hand came up, and grabbed his own, meshing fingers, dispelling his attack.
That was a shock for Karon. A perfect parry?! Who could’ve…and another surprise, it wasn’t a guy, but rather, a girl, a…Smeargle! She had moved in with surprising speed, and had actually intercepted Tidot’s attack right on the mark! She just stood there, staring him down, her face as serious as the Magmar who had stopped her. They just stared at each other, and then, Tidot backed down. Karon could’ve sworn the two said a few words, but she couldn’t make it out, students were still milling about, the crowd hadn’t waned, even in the least.
Vosa turned to her, and nodded. “Meghan, Captain of Team Crossroads, I presume?” He said, and she nodded back to him. “Well, I’m glad my information is accurate. I assume that, were I to try and strike Nicole down…that…” And he looked to the side. A Gardevoir was standing at the front of the crowd, and Vosa’s lips curled upward in a tight, cold smile. “I see, and you must be Nigel. Well, I won’t make that mistake, no worries.” He turned, and knelt down next to Riou, gingerly resting a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry Captain, we’ll get you to the nurse’s office.”
“And what makes you think he’s going anywhere?” Nicole gloated. Somewhere from the crowd, Tenumbra, and that other Misdreavus girl materialized from the crowd, at Nicole’s sides. Vosa turned to coolly face her, and placed his hands in his pockets.
“You may want to reconsider that statement, Miss Nicole. While I’m sure you and your two partners-in-crime are more than capable of taking the three of us, you then have to consider that any further action on your part may incur the wrath of our circumstantial allies, the Crossroads, as well, as any number of the student body. And while you might be able to take us, I don’t think you could take ALL…of us.” He said, and gestured to the circle of students, some of whom were glaring at Nicole, others whispering. Their numbers had diminished, but not by much.
“Indeed.” Nigel said, stepping from the crowd, stepping up next to Vosa. “And besides, you made your example of their Captain. Wasn’t that your intention all along?” He said, and Vosa spared him a glance. He then looked over at Tidot, who was kneeling once again at Riou’s side. A female Luxray had joined the Smeargle, and then were making a cursory examination of Riou’s wounds.
“Feh, fine. The rest of you get off this time. And when your dear Captain recovers, let him know that the next time he decides to open his mouth in front of me, it had better be for an apology!” She said, and with that, she turned on her heel, and walked off.
Vosa let out a sigh, and his entire body seemed to shrink a bit, and he shook his head. “That was too close. I was concerned there might actually be a second fight, and given the tension in the crowd, we could’ve easily had a school wide brawl on our hands.” He said, and turned to Nigel. “Good thinking there, I was going to say something to that effect, but you did it for me.” He nodded.
Nigel nodded as well. “Well, as you said, it could’ve turned into a larger fight. And even though we’re not on school grounds, it could’ve still been ugly. Hey, Charla, Floritt, is he alright?”
The Luxray looked up, and nodded. “He’ll be alright. It’s mostly shock, the cuts aren’t too deep, but there are a lot of them. This was more like a double Fury Swipes than a single. Fuck, she really did a number on him. He’s lucky he’s a Steel type too, or this would’ve been helluva lot worse.” She said, and started to up an arm. “Geeze, he doesn’t weigh a lot does he?” She said, a bit of a chuckle. Floritt, the Smeargle, slowly hefted the other arm. “Alright, you there, pretty boy!” She called, and Tidot, who was spacing out, snapped to. “Help us get him to nurse’s office.”
As the three of them did that, Karon, Vosa, Nigel, and Meghan, stood together. Slowly, the circle of students started to disperse. “Damn…damn damn damn DAMN!” Karon shouted, and smashed her club into the dirt, creating a small crater. None of the Crossroaders even flinched. “I can’t believe it. What was he thinking?!” She fumed, starting to pace.
“I assume you’re referring to your Captain?” Nigel inquired, and Karon shot him a glare.
“Right on, smart-ass! I’m talking about our Captain, and he has a name you know, it’s Riou! So call him by it!” She said, taking a step in his direction. Vosa’s hand shot between them, and their eyes met. They stared for a few moments, her hardened gaze meeting Vosa’s own cold eyes, and slowly, she relented. His hand came down in time to her withdrawal. “I’m sorry dude, I’m just…FUCK!” She said again, stamping her foot.
“I understand.” Nigel said. “Actually, I was close by when they started arguing. Some freshman was trying to talk to Nicole, trying to be friendly, and when she went to berate them, your Captain- I mean, Riou, stepped in.” He said, and crossed his arms over his chest. “At first, I thought he was just going to verbally lash her, and in that respect, he did an excellent job. However, his big mistake was when he challenged her.”
“Indeed.” Vosa said, pushing his glasses up his face. “I saw them exit together, and I knew that something was about to go down. I only wish I had the presence of mind to catch up to him and stop him. He stood no chance from the get go.”
“Don’t discredit your own Captain so quickly.” Meghan said, raising a cautionary hand. “I was surprised he did as good as he did. The last fight between Nicole and a lower classman, as most of you remember, was a disaster.” She gave a sigh. “Still, Nicole was ruthless. I saw it in her face. He knew he was in over his head. But there’s no give in Nicole. Even if he’d tried to yield, I seriously doubt she would’ve accepted it.”
“That’s just what bugs me! He knew she was a senior! Hell, we talked about her at lunch! Four-eyes here,” She waved a hand dismissively at Vosa, who rolled his eyes. “Was saying how she was obviously superior in skill. If he weren’t in such bad shape, I’d shake him silly and get an explanation from him!”
“It might get worse than that.” Vosa said. “Karon…I may have not told you…but if you and Riou are going to be talking about his personal life, you need to keep your voice down.” He said, and Karon started with surprise. “His room isn’t exactly soundproof.”
Both Meghan and Nigel raised their brows at the implication of that statement, but Karon could care less. She advanced on Vosa, and gripped his arms, looking right into face. “How much do you know?! When were you gonna say something?!”
“Hopefully, never. It wasn’t my business, but you forget, my hearing is quite good.” He said, and for a second, he looked a little sad. “I saw him, Karon. He was standing there when Nicole and Riou fought.”
Karon stopped, her mouth falling open a bit. “You’re kidding! He was here?” She looked around, though the rest of the students have moved on. “Are you sure it was him?!”
“Karon, he’s tall enough that it’s easy to tell. It was him. He saw the entire thing.” Vosa said, as his arms bent, gripping her own, to steady her. “I didn’t get a good enough to see what his facial expression was, but he did see it. Do you think Riou knows?”
“Excuse me, but what who are you talking about? Who, exactly, saw the fight?” Nigel asked, placing a hand on Vosa’s shoulder to get his attention. “Is this a person we should be worried about?”
“No, Nigel.” Vosa said, releasing Karon, who released him in turn. “It’s not someone you would, or should, worry yourself with. The only damage this information will cause, will be to Riou’s pride and emotions. But we have yet to know whether he’ll need any further medical care.”
“If that’s the case, then we should go to the nurse’s office as well.” Meghan said. “The others have a 20 minute head start, no doubt they got there already.” She looked over, down, at the blood-stained grass. “I hate it when this happens.”
“You are not the only one.” Vosa added. “I have no doubt the staff may hear of this too. It did occur outside of school grounds, but they’ll get wind of it eventually. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if someone was watching.” He looked around a few times. “Well, we should remove ourselves from here. I don’t believe in superstitions, but this location gives me a bad feeling now.”
Karon nodded, and pulled her club from the earth. “Still, one way or another, that bitch and her friends will pay.” She said, gritting her teeth. “I don’t care what it takes.” She said, as she gripped the club harder. “One way or another, I’ll see her face rubbed into the dirt.”
“Oh, I know quite well, Nicole-san. You, are a bitch, who cannot see past her own ego long enough to consider the words she speaks. You are a woman who little regard for any of the feelings of others, probably including your own teammates. You do not even think twice about manipulating everyone around you, if it serves your own needs. You are heartless, insensitive, and cruel. I have nothing but hatred and disgust for a personage such as you.” He could believe he was saying this right to her face. But she was pushing his buttons.
Hell, he didn’t even remember the last time someone had made him so mad. But staring at her right now, he couldn’t begin to describe how tempting it was to rearrange her face, with the help of his fists. She was standing there, mouth agape as he finished his sentence. He was deeply satisfied with her reaction, and he couldn’t help but grin. “So, is that what you wanted to hear?” He said, mockingly. “Or were you expecting me to grovel at your feet, in awe of your obvious greatness?”
“Why you little-”
“Ah, you may wish to stay your hand, Nicole-san. As I recall, the last time you engaged in an on-school scuffle, you were interrupted by the Headmaster himself, and then dragged away in disgrace.” Riou said, wagging a single finger at her. “And I don’t think you’d wish for a repeat of that little incident, would you?”
“Outside then, right now, school’s out. And I’m going to put you in your place.” She said, her voice dripping with venom. Riou smirked, and crossed his arms over his chest, and then gestured towards the door. He was absently aware of the crowd that was starting to gather.
“Ladies first.” He said, bowing a bit. She gave him a glare, probably hoping she could strike him down with just the look. Still, he was polite. He itched to strike at her back, to deck her and send her flying across the hall. In fact, his hand twitched, and he clenched it. He followed her outside, along with the crowd. When they were sufficiently clear, she turned to face him. “So, a simple 1-on-1, then?” He said, his hands moving to his pockets.
“Fine. Until one of us is unable to fight. I do hope you’re prepared to eat dirt, you spoiled brat.” She snarled, and Riou rolled his shoulders, chuckling, and his tail flicking.
“We shall see.” He said, slowly removing his hands from his pockets, he settled himself into his stance, spreading his legs. He focused his eyes, and for those watching, his pupils would fade away. And slowly, Nicole’s Aura came into view. That was where Riou’s first thoughts of doubt came into play. Her Aura was immense, and at the moment, quite violent. His left foot slid back a bit. This could get quite nasty.
“Well, where’s that eloquent and slick tongue of yours now?!” She taunted him. He was about to respond, when she made the first move. His one thought, as she tore towards him, was that she was fast, really fast. He barely had time to drop low move to the side, dodging by a hair’s breath. He could actually see her foot out of his peripheral vision. He didn’t pause even a split second to think. He dropped low, and spun, sweeping his leg out to trip her.
He caught her foot, but she didn’t fall! She stumbled, and immediately whirled, lashing out with another handful of claws. He leapt back, backflipping, leaning his head back as fast as he could. He felt the slightly sting as she grazed his chin, and he landed on his feet, crouched down. She was standing there, her arm up. That was close. If he’d reacted even a second later, she’d have slashed his jaw up. He saw the grin on her face. “What’s wrong?! Lost all your spunk now?!” She called out. The crowd was still watching.
“Not even close, Nicole-san.” He said, slowly standing, and brushing himself off. “Apparently I have underestimated you. I believed you to be all talk and no action. I was wrong…please, allow me to show you the proper respect.” He said, and shifted his stance, slowly, his hands coming out to his sides. He could hear people talking, but his didn’t bothering figuring what they were saying. He had to focus, now.
Her Aura was still churning, violent and wicked. It was hard to believe someone like her would possibly be this powerful. He remembered his meditations, and focused his strength. “I would advise that the crowd stand back.” He said, aloud. At that, they all scooted back several feet. He slowly brought his hands together, and opened his eyes. Coming into existence on either side of him, two images of himself appeared.
“Wow, a Double Team!”
“Man, this is unreal, last time Nikki duked it out, it was a catfight, but this is serious!”
“Four images?! Man, managing two is tough for me!”
“And that’s not all!!” Riou said, making a second motion with his hands, still clamped together. The images duplicated the motion.
“As if I’m going to stand here while you pull your tricks!” Nicole spat, and charged him. But Riou was one step ahead of her this time.
“Double Team!” They all called out, and the number of images doubled, from 4 to 8. Nicole closed the distance between them much faster than he was expecting, and they all scattered. He knew that beating her hand-to hand was doomed to fail. He would have to bide his time, and wait for the right moment. “Try and guess which is real me!” He taunted back, and the images called in succession.
She didn’t look fazed though. In fact, she seemed to be grinning. What was going on? “Oh come ON!” She cackled, and turned, looking right over her shoulder, and right at him. “You really think this would fool me?” And suddenly, as if she had ignored the intervening distance between them, she was in his face, her feet lashing out at him. Riou jumped back, the images flicking and vanishing as she struck them down.
She saw right through it?! How was that possible?! She wasn’t psychic, so she couldn’t detect which one was actually him, and he’d been sure to hide himself within his own images. So how had she seen where he actually was? He growled and leapt back, parrying her arms. He expected her to kick wildly, but she was calculating. Every time he went to block, she found a way around him.
He was forced to spend all of his energy blocking and parrying. He was all he could do merely to keep her from striking him. That’s when he saw an opening. A small one, but it was an opening nonetheless. He slapped her arm aside, and used his other arm to block her counter slash. And there it was. Her middle was wide open. He brought his fist back, and thrust. She must’ve seen what he was doing, because she caught his wrist, inches from her body. And a grin came over her face. “Gotcha!”
“That’s what you think, Nicole-san.” He said, smiling, and opened his hand, and the air pulsed. Nicole’s grin was replaced by shock as she was struck right in her stomach, pushed back. Riou felt only slightly satisfied. She was good, really good. Even as she was pushed back, she kept from being thrown, or knocked off her feet. When she came to a halt, she coughed, and then grinned, looking up at him. This wasn’t good at all. Such a blow on a Normal-type, and she barely looked phased!
“That was your one free shot, brat.” She said, licking her lips, “Here I come.” She said, brandishing her claws and once again bearing down on him. But he had the time he’d been hoping for. He raised his hand, in front of his face, two fingers up, and closed his eyes. He’d attuned his Aura to her own, and she was readable. A flash, in his mind, something to his right, coming from under to top…
He moved, fluidly, twirling around to avoid her, moving inside of her motions. He wondered what the crowd was seeing, as they fought. He continued to move, letting that thought hang in the back of his mind. In his mind, his music played, and he flowed with the music, seeing her attacks now, as if in slow motion. He smiled as he saw the confusion on her face. It was like she was trying to strike at the wind.
There it was; the opening again. She was calculating, of that, there was no doubt in his mind. But she was leaving her middle open. Well, he didn’t need Vosa to realize why. She figured he was just another upstart lower classman who needed to be reminded of how the hierarchy worked. And since his Vacuum Wave did little more than leave her breathless, there was no reason to fear a second strike, right?
He decided it was time she regretted that. As he was twirling and dodging, he came down, and swept, using his tail to cause her to stumble again. This time, his hands came back, both of them. He gathered Aura in them, and a glowing blue sphere formed, almost instantly. He saw Nicole’s face, a look of shock. He thrust his hands forward, planting the energy ball right into her stomach again. This time, it had some more of the effect he desired. She couldn’t counter or parry something like that, especially not at this range.
The blast impacted, and this time, Riou registered actual pain in her face, and in her Aura, which faltered, even if only a bit. She was thrown back this time, but recovered, her legs and arms bracing themselves, leaving gouges in the grass and dusty ground. He remained there, his arms out before him. This time, he could hear the voices of the crowd more clearly.
“Aura Sphere?!”
“Wow, he can use that?”
“Of course he can, he IS a Lucario after all, remember?”
“Man, she’s gunna be pissed.”
And indeed, she was. As she stood up, he could see the look in her face. She was furious, enraged beyond anything Riou had ever seen before. She glared at him, a look which, inside, made him quake. And then, suddenly, his vision faded back to normal, and all his aches and pains returned. He gave a groan, and fell to one knee. Damn! He forgot, using his vision to read Aura for that long was strenuous. How long had they been fighting anyway? His muscles ached from trying to stay away from her. Damn, he could barely move now.
Seeing this, she grinned and crossed her arms over her head. “What’s the matter? Tired already? You lower-classman are all the same, you last all of a few minutes. Well, it doesn’t matter.” She said, raising her hand up, and brandishing her claws once again. “I’m going to end this right here and now.”
Riou was about to taunt her, when suddenly, she wasn’t standing there anymore. His eyes widened. Where did she go? Where could she have gon-? He suddenly registered that she was somehow passing him. But how, he couldn’t sense her, didn’t even see her- And suddenly, he felt lancing pain all over his body, and there was blood, HIS blood! He couldn’t even count the number of cuts at the moment. His head went back, his mouth opened, but he couldn’t even cry out. He did however, hear her speak from behind him. “You even fall slow.”
He barely registered his own body falling to the ground. He heard Karon’s voice, heard someone screaming. He could hear the shouts of students, and vaguely, he imagined Nicole was laughing…
***
Karon let out a yell, pushing through the crowd. She saw Nikki move, saw Riou toss his head back, and then blood. That was the last straw for her. There was a difference between a fight, and what just happened now. She could only think of taking her Bone Breaker and folding Nicole’s face in half with it. She shoved and thrashed, shoving through the people, until she came out into the empty circle.
Riou was laying there, on his stomach, and he was cut in…good lord, a dozen or so places. He looked to be in shock, his eyes were wide, his mouth open. She could make out Vosa and Tidot shoving their way through the crowd. But right now, she had tunnel vision, and the only thing she could think about…A hand suddenly gripped her wrist, and yanked her. She came to, her vision snapping open, as she turned to glare at her assailant.
It was a Magmar, female. Karon didn’t recognize her, didn’t really care. “Let go of me, unless you want me to make you into paste as well!” She snapped, tugging against the strong hands that held her steady. Tidot and Vosa had managed to make their way through the crowd. Vosa was standing before Riou’s fallen form, facing down Nicole, and Tidot was kneeling next to him.
“Serves him right for talking trash like that!” Nicole said, laughing as she placed her hands on his hips. “I just paid him back for that second blow, who knew he’d just crumple like wet paper though!” Karon could not stand that laugh of hers, and tensed. The hands on her wrists held her in place.
“Don’t be an idiot.” The Magmar said, sternly. “You think if your Captain did only that well, that you’ll do any better. Don’t lose your head. You’d be better off helping out your friend.” She said, and Karon paused to look at her. The Magmar just stared back. Karon’s ears could still make out the grating laugh of Nicole’s, and she growled.
“Fine then, I’ll do it your way. Only cause Riou would probably say the same thing.” She said, and the hands released her. Tidot however, was having the reaction she was having just moments ago. He was standing, his hands clenching into fists, and he turned to regard Nicole.
“That wasn’t necessary you know! You didn’t have to cut him up that badly!” He said, and one hand came unclenched, his fingers curling to form claws. His hand started to cover with blue flames, and he moved to strike, his hand coming back…and someone from the crowd, someone Karon didn’t see zipped in, and a foot swung low, catching Tidot’s own foot. He gave a cry, as he stumbled. A hand came up, and grabbed his own, meshing fingers, dispelling his attack.
That was a shock for Karon. A perfect parry?! Who could’ve…and another surprise, it wasn’t a guy, but rather, a girl, a…Smeargle! She had moved in with surprising speed, and had actually intercepted Tidot’s attack right on the mark! She just stood there, staring him down, her face as serious as the Magmar who had stopped her. They just stared at each other, and then, Tidot backed down. Karon could’ve sworn the two said a few words, but she couldn’t make it out, students were still milling about, the crowd hadn’t waned, even in the least.
Vosa turned to her, and nodded. “Meghan, Captain of Team Crossroads, I presume?” He said, and she nodded back to him. “Well, I’m glad my information is accurate. I assume that, were I to try and strike Nicole down…that…” And he looked to the side. A Gardevoir was standing at the front of the crowd, and Vosa’s lips curled upward in a tight, cold smile. “I see, and you must be Nigel. Well, I won’t make that mistake, no worries.” He turned, and knelt down next to Riou, gingerly resting a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry Captain, we’ll get you to the nurse’s office.”
“And what makes you think he’s going anywhere?” Nicole gloated. Somewhere from the crowd, Tenumbra, and that other Misdreavus girl materialized from the crowd, at Nicole’s sides. Vosa turned to coolly face her, and placed his hands in his pockets.
“You may want to reconsider that statement, Miss Nicole. While I’m sure you and your two partners-in-crime are more than capable of taking the three of us, you then have to consider that any further action on your part may incur the wrath of our circumstantial allies, the Crossroads, as well, as any number of the student body. And while you might be able to take us, I don’t think you could take ALL…of us.” He said, and gestured to the circle of students, some of whom were glaring at Nicole, others whispering. Their numbers had diminished, but not by much.
“Indeed.” Nigel said, stepping from the crowd, stepping up next to Vosa. “And besides, you made your example of their Captain. Wasn’t that your intention all along?” He said, and Vosa spared him a glance. He then looked over at Tidot, who was kneeling once again at Riou’s side. A female Luxray had joined the Smeargle, and then were making a cursory examination of Riou’s wounds.
“Feh, fine. The rest of you get off this time. And when your dear Captain recovers, let him know that the next time he decides to open his mouth in front of me, it had better be for an apology!” She said, and with that, she turned on her heel, and walked off.
Vosa let out a sigh, and his entire body seemed to shrink a bit, and he shook his head. “That was too close. I was concerned there might actually be a second fight, and given the tension in the crowd, we could’ve easily had a school wide brawl on our hands.” He said, and turned to Nigel. “Good thinking there, I was going to say something to that effect, but you did it for me.” He nodded.
Nigel nodded as well. “Well, as you said, it could’ve turned into a larger fight. And even though we’re not on school grounds, it could’ve still been ugly. Hey, Charla, Floritt, is he alright?”
The Luxray looked up, and nodded. “He’ll be alright. It’s mostly shock, the cuts aren’t too deep, but there are a lot of them. This was more like a double Fury Swipes than a single. Fuck, she really did a number on him. He’s lucky he’s a Steel type too, or this would’ve been helluva lot worse.” She said, and started to up an arm. “Geeze, he doesn’t weigh a lot does he?” She said, a bit of a chuckle. Floritt, the Smeargle, slowly hefted the other arm. “Alright, you there, pretty boy!” She called, and Tidot, who was spacing out, snapped to. “Help us get him to nurse’s office.”
As the three of them did that, Karon, Vosa, Nigel, and Meghan, stood together. Slowly, the circle of students started to disperse. “Damn…damn damn damn DAMN!” Karon shouted, and smashed her club into the dirt, creating a small crater. None of the Crossroaders even flinched. “I can’t believe it. What was he thinking?!” She fumed, starting to pace.
“I assume you’re referring to your Captain?” Nigel inquired, and Karon shot him a glare.
“Right on, smart-ass! I’m talking about our Captain, and he has a name you know, it’s Riou! So call him by it!” She said, taking a step in his direction. Vosa’s hand shot between them, and their eyes met. They stared for a few moments, her hardened gaze meeting Vosa’s own cold eyes, and slowly, she relented. His hand came down in time to her withdrawal. “I’m sorry dude, I’m just…FUCK!” She said again, stamping her foot.
“I understand.” Nigel said. “Actually, I was close by when they started arguing. Some freshman was trying to talk to Nicole, trying to be friendly, and when she went to berate them, your Captain- I mean, Riou, stepped in.” He said, and crossed his arms over his chest. “At first, I thought he was just going to verbally lash her, and in that respect, he did an excellent job. However, his big mistake was when he challenged her.”
“Indeed.” Vosa said, pushing his glasses up his face. “I saw them exit together, and I knew that something was about to go down. I only wish I had the presence of mind to catch up to him and stop him. He stood no chance from the get go.”
“Don’t discredit your own Captain so quickly.” Meghan said, raising a cautionary hand. “I was surprised he did as good as he did. The last fight between Nicole and a lower classman, as most of you remember, was a disaster.” She gave a sigh. “Still, Nicole was ruthless. I saw it in her face. He knew he was in over his head. But there’s no give in Nicole. Even if he’d tried to yield, I seriously doubt she would’ve accepted it.”
“That’s just what bugs me! He knew she was a senior! Hell, we talked about her at lunch! Four-eyes here,” She waved a hand dismissively at Vosa, who rolled his eyes. “Was saying how she was obviously superior in skill. If he weren’t in such bad shape, I’d shake him silly and get an explanation from him!”
“It might get worse than that.” Vosa said. “Karon…I may have not told you…but if you and Riou are going to be talking about his personal life, you need to keep your voice down.” He said, and Karon started with surprise. “His room isn’t exactly soundproof.”
Both Meghan and Nigel raised their brows at the implication of that statement, but Karon could care less. She advanced on Vosa, and gripped his arms, looking right into face. “How much do you know?! When were you gonna say something?!”
“Hopefully, never. It wasn’t my business, but you forget, my hearing is quite good.” He said, and for a second, he looked a little sad. “I saw him, Karon. He was standing there when Nicole and Riou fought.”
Karon stopped, her mouth falling open a bit. “You’re kidding! He was here?” She looked around, though the rest of the students have moved on. “Are you sure it was him?!”
“Karon, he’s tall enough that it’s easy to tell. It was him. He saw the entire thing.” Vosa said, as his arms bent, gripping her own, to steady her. “I didn’t get a good enough to see what his facial expression was, but he did see it. Do you think Riou knows?”
“Excuse me, but what who are you talking about? Who, exactly, saw the fight?” Nigel asked, placing a hand on Vosa’s shoulder to get his attention. “Is this a person we should be worried about?”
“No, Nigel.” Vosa said, releasing Karon, who released him in turn. “It’s not someone you would, or should, worry yourself with. The only damage this information will cause, will be to Riou’s pride and emotions. But we have yet to know whether he’ll need any further medical care.”
“If that’s the case, then we should go to the nurse’s office as well.” Meghan said. “The others have a 20 minute head start, no doubt they got there already.” She looked over, down, at the blood-stained grass. “I hate it when this happens.”
“You are not the only one.” Vosa added. “I have no doubt the staff may hear of this too. It did occur outside of school grounds, but they’ll get wind of it eventually. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if someone was watching.” He looked around a few times. “Well, we should remove ourselves from here. I don’t believe in superstitions, but this location gives me a bad feeling now.”
Karon nodded, and pulled her club from the earth. “Still, one way or another, that bitch and her friends will pay.” She said, gritting her teeth. “I don’t care what it takes.” She said, as she gripped the club harder. “One way or another, I’ll see her face rubbed into the dirt.”
Thomas: *relizes something* Oh, I'm sorry I haven't introduced myself. I am Thomas Darkken of Team Neon and this is... *nudges Ella to get her atention*
Ella: *snaps out of it* Huh? Oh, Hi! I'm Luella Rukiko, captain of Team Neon. You can call me Ella... uhm, what was your name again?
Ella: *snaps out of it* Huh? Oh, Hi! I'm Luella Rukiko, captain of Team Neon. You can call me Ella... uhm, what was your name again?
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