Treasure Town ~ Marowak Dojo

[unrepentantAuthor]

Returning from the encounter with Darkwhite at the Guild, Brisa prowled into the dojo spoiling for a fight.

"Anyone around who fancies a scrap?" she called. "I could do with a battle!"

 

[Tanuki]

Zane fancied nothing. Yet, in a flash of light, he appeared right over Brisa. Inconsiderate law of nature that it was, gravity didn’t give the pair a chance to greet each other before plummeting him right on top of her.

“What?!” Zane shouted, shooting up to stare at his sudden surroundings. The dojo replaced the forest. How did he get here?

Slightly more pressing, he realized he’d landed on top of something. Someone. He and introductions had a bad relationship ever since a scuffle over crayon boxes in kindergarten. He spun around to see Brisa flattened. “S-sorry?! What happened? Are you all right?”

He tossed himself down beside her to try and help. The best form of help, of course, was humor, which Zane thought he excelled at. “Er, guess it’s a replay of last time I beat you, eh?” Zane’s ability to lighten the mood rivaled an oil-soaked cloth placed over a lantern.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa shook herself free of startled sparks.

"Since when can you teleport? Wait—'beat me?' The way I remember it, I gave you an absolute thrashing."

 

[Tanuki]

Teleport? How could he possibly teleport? “Did you hit your head?” He couldn’t help a cocky smirk. “Me teleporting? You “winning” the fight you forfeit?” He chortled a cruel chuckle. “Reality’s calling, kitty.”

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa didn't bother keeping her claws retracted or her growl suppressed.

"I'm gonna need ya to explain three things to me. One: if you didn't teleport, how come you came outta nowhere just now? Two: since I battled you into immobility and walked away, how is it you reckon you 'won'? And three: do you think I'm gonna let you out of an ass-kicking after calling me 'kitty'?"

 

[Tanuki]

A brief moment of self-aware fear flashed in Zane as she mentioned his ass kicking. He’d convinced himself he’d won the fight, but had no faith in a rematch.

He needed to run full defuse, but he didn’t have four-hundred poké for a kit. “What’s wrong with—I just thought it was kinda like litty, y’know the—Starr’s a litten, you two are see each other and so kitty’s the k is cat, so you’re more of one than me—zangoose part cat, did you know that? Crazy stuff and so, Kitty felt, y’know, it fits,” he eloquently explained.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Starr’s a litten, you two are seeing each other

Brisa's brain went into meltdown.

"Hold up, no, firstly, that's not a good—you think Starr and I are what?—I can't, this is just, how dare you, gods only know what even happens in that tiny skull of yours, how the fuck did you think such a thing anyway??—you are fucking in for it, feller."

Brisa's pelt blazed with electric power, ready to lay down a world of hurt.

 

[Tanuki]

Zane completely lost track of what he’d said before he’d said it, so parsing the quote took fear-crackling moments. “Cats! It just makes sense, with the, that the connection like—zangoose part cat! So, just I went with Starr because she’s closer but it could’ve been me, too, just zitty, well.”

The development of trains navigated centuries of neglect for fear any locomotive could stray this far from its rails. “We could, I mean, the cat connection, but Starr, y’know, more you and but if you wanted that us connection I’m it’s fine if you’re a cat, too!”

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Zane completely lost track of what he’d said before he’d said it, so parsing the quote took fear-crackling moments. “Cats! It just makes sense, with the, that the connection like—zangoose part cat! So, just I went with Starr because she’s closer but it could’ve been me, too, just zitty, well.”

The development of trains navigated centuries of neglect for fear any locomotive could stray this far from its rails. “We could, I mean, the cat connection, but Starr, y’know, more you and but if you wanted that us connection I’m it’s fine if you’re a cat, too!”

"You're a fucking riot," hissed Brisa. "I came here to fight, so let's settle this sparring altercation right now. I'll beat you senseless, and then you never claim to have won our first-day match again. Now get the fuck in place."

 

[Tanuki]

"You're both cats!" Zane barked. "That's all I meant! What's your deal?" It turns out, Brisa's (Zane induced) anger proved infectious. He had even less chance in this fight, yet sauntered across from her nonetheless. His brazen, baseless pride came to roost and decided he wanted to make Brisa-paste.

"How's about I show you your place?" He bared his claws as if he used them to attack and kept his legs light off the ground. He learned a move, right? Sure, Karat scammed him and didn't do anything but slam him into a tree, but Zane tried to learn a move, so it followed that he probably did. In a stunning show of complete idiocy, he extended one claw and drew it back, beckoning her to attack first.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

"I'll humble you in a flat minute! spat Brisa. She let loose a crackling bolt of electric energy directly at Zane without even considering a strategy.

 

[Tanuki]

Zane knew electricity. As much as Jolt had shocked him, he knew exactly what it looked like, felt like, and its path. Thanks to Jolt so often riding his shoulder, he even knew which muscles tensed where to launch a shock. Zane saw her attack before it launched.

When the shock came, he jumped around it and towards Brisa. He dashed a few steps to build momentum before throwing a kick at her ribcage.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa's anger had pushed out all room for caution. She lunged for the incoming leg and made to bite down on Zane's ankle without mercy, only lightning in her teeth.

 

[Tanuki]

Zane didn’t bother changing course. He shifted slightly to correct his aim and kept as much force as he could. The new direction headed straight for her mouth, which he didn’t have time to regret until he’d buried his foot in her lightning coated teeth. At least he landed a hit.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

There was no elemental force behind the kick. It was like being hit in the face by something heavy thrown at her. Was he not even using moves?

It didn't matter. She had his ankle in her jaws. Good.

She channelled dark type energy into her mouth and bit down, hard.

 

[Tanuki]

Now, Zane knew foot in mouth situations like no one else, but this was distinctly different. Particularly the pain. Lack of and refusal of self-awareness tended to lessen the blow, but that technique did little against the teeth piercing his flesh. He stomped his foot down to free it, pain worsening as it dug her teeth further into and even across his foot in the motion.

His foot burned in pain, but that wasn't all he felt. That same strange, electric pulse he felt after Karat left. A move. He knew it. He leapt back and let that energy flow through him, drew it out, an excited grin pulling across his face. The energy grew and grew until he felt it peak, ready to blast Brisa into the next continent. He flexed forward to demolish the cat, glowed for the better half of a second, and then continued to stand still as he waited for the attack to come.

It didn't. The sensation left him standing completely still on the battlefield while his blood soaked the ground. Karat scammed him after all.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa waited for Zane to manifest his move, preparing to dodge it. Wearing out the opponent seemed to be by far the best strategy in this world with these bodies. Nothing came.

She snarled with frustration and charged him, energy building up once more at her fangs.

 

[Tanuki]

Zane jumped to the right, forgetting his injury until it slammed into the floor. He pitifully tried to keep balance before crashing to the ground. His arms saved him from utter embarrassment (after worsening it by flailing in his few scarce moments on one leg) by catching him. Somehow, he adapted to this posture quickly.

He didn't have time to figure out why all fours (or three) felt fine with Brisa bearing down on him. As she dashed closer and closer, he couldn't think of anything. In desperation, he tried to pull out that same energy from before and slash at her before she could bite him.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

It was too late to dodge—or Brisa was too consumed with her attack to try—and Zane's claws raked her shoulder, moments before she sank her teeth into his with a sizzle of electricity. This time, she didn't lose her grip.

 

[Tanuki]

Zane jerked as far away as he could from his own shoulder. His arms went to rip her off, but that same energy from before tickled the back of his throat. Without thinking, he yanked her closer and bit down with darkness coating his teeth. Pain ripping through his body, the joy of actually pulling off a move evaded him.