Before it started, Sakaki had wondered what kind of Tamer Ryoga was. Now she knew.
"Oh Sakaki..." Yomi whispered, her brow wrinkled in concern. Tomo and Kagura stood off to the side, watching as she cradled the boy's unconscious form in her arms; his head held in her lap. They had never seen her like this. She was always so strong, so in control; nothing like the silently weeping girl before them.
"Please... please wake up." she pleaded. Her expression was guilt ridden, moreso than Kagura who felt she was partly to blame. She was the one who had gotten them riled up in the first place. But she'd been trying to help, she never meant for anything like this to happen. Even Tomo was speechless, for once, which was rare.
Ryoga wasn't the only one ailing, however. Several feet from them, an Eva lay crumpled on her side. The other, a Mongoosed, had already been recalled to her pokeball, all the worse for wear. Sakaki had seen to that. But none of that mattered. Her only concern was for the boy who tried to save her.
___________________________________________________________________
-flashback-
Sakaki had just invited Yomi and the others inside, which hadn't sat well with the other Tamers. Two in particular looked especially peeved. The first was a somewhat stocky boy with sandy blonde hair, dressed in a sleeveless hoodie and cargo pants. The other was tall with a lighter frame and mussed white hair. His style of dress was chic, done entirely in black, and consisted of a sharp looking longsleeved shirt, slacks, and wing tipped shoes. The only exception were his spats.
It was the latter of the two who had addressed Ryoga when they first arrived. The other joined in after Kagura had gotten involved. As the girls filed in, The two of them exchanged a brief glance, the stocky one making a light head motion toward the house. The taller one seemed to agree and, together, they advanced on Ryoga.
From where she was, Sakaki had seen the whole thing and knew what was coming, and tried to hurry them all inside. But Ryoga, being a martial artist as well as a Tamer, sensed their approached and their hostile intent along with it. He paused in the doorway just as one of them tapped him on the shoulder. "Hey buddy." was all he heard before being seized from behind and thrown back several feet.
Ryoga didn't resist the fall, letting himself go limp instead. As he neared the ground, he tucked and rolled ending in a crouch. "Bra-VO." the taller one chuckled admirably with mild applause. Then, looking at the other boy he admonished, "Seichiro, where's your manners? That no way to act." not that any of them were fooled.
Seichiro didn't seem amused either. "Say what cha want, Hayami. I say we settle things here and now. Like men." Neither his tone or his stare left any doubt who his remark was intended for. Hayami shook his head and casually strolled up to Seichiro, resting one hand on his shoulder, the other tucked in his pocket.
"No, no, no, Seichiro. There's no need for that. We're all Tamers here." Then, to Ryoga, with a condescending grin, "Right?"
The fanged boy favored him a deadpan expression in return. "Meaning?"
"What I'm saying" Hayami drolled as he circled him, clearly enjoying his little game, "is this." Here, he produced a pokeball with a flourish, appearing to pluck it from thin air. "Nothing fancy"
Too late for that. Ryoga and Sakaki droned, though neither was aware of the other's thought.
"...just a simple Pokegirl match to see which of us walks away the girl." Hayami explained. "That okay with you pretty kitty?"
Sakaki, who'd been watching silently all this time, finally spoke up. "No. I can make my own decisions. Now if you'll excuse us..."
"Listen to you talk." Seichro interjected. "You make it sound like you got a choice. Have you forgotten? You exist for only one purpose: to serve us. The sooner you get used to that, the better. So keep quiet and we'll decide what's what." he said sternly, folding his arms for effect.
"My friend's got a point." Hayami agreed. "Sorry kitty. Overuled."
Ryoga couldn't believe what he was hearing. He'd there were Tamers like them, ones who thought Pokegirls were tools or property, like they had no feelings. But he never thought he'd meet one. Ryoga didn't know what was worse, that they actually believed that load of bull, or that they had the gall to think Sakaki would choose either of them. It was to much.
"You heard her." he said.
"Heard what?" Hayami asked him. "Seichiro, you hear anything?"
"Not a thing unless loser boy wants to stand aside."
Ryoga could feel his patience slipping away. "She's not a piece of meat."
"Like hell she ain't." Seichiro snorted.
Here, Hayami held up a hand and smiled. "My friend, I believe we've talked long enough. If you wish to say anything further, then do it in battle." Without further ado, Hayami lightly tossed his pokeball, summoning an Eva. Seichiro followed suit, reaching into his pocket and producing his own pokeball. Soon after, a Mongoosed appeared. "Well?" Hayami inquired.
Ryoga reached back, then paused as he suddenly remembered he didn't have a Pokegirl! Damn it! Now what am I gonna do?! It took a moment for them to realize Ryoga's predicament, resulting in incredulous stares from Seichiro and Hayami, followed by a fit of laughter.
"Oh my God!" Seichiro roared. "The guy doesn't even have a Pokegirl and he calls himself a Tamer!"
Hayami snickered for awhile and wiped away a tear, causing Ryoga to turn beet red with embarrassment. Their laughter quickly subsided however, when a stone faced Sakaki stepped forward, taking her place beside Ryoga. "He has a one." she told them. "He has me." Both smiles faded, becoming grim faced expressions as all pretense was dropped. Hayami spoke up for both of them.
"Very well. Let's begin."
See other episodes by NyteFlite
(Posted Fri, 12 Oct 2007 08:11)
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