Skullgirls: Beginning of a Relationship
School for today has ended. The students from Skull High exit the school compound, pair of them having light conversations with each other whether it was about their homeworks, schedule, and so on. To an ordinary person, having a companion (i.e. friend) is a way to kill the time and start a relationship with each other. But to one person, she thought that it was a bane. "Where's the bus ?" Carol sits down on the bench at the bus stop, checking her watch. It was 1.35 p.m. ,5 minutes after school ended for the day.
She is just an ordinary girl, living in Maplecrest with her mother figure, Valentine. Though "ordinary" could just be an understatement. To make the story simple, her true look behind that innocent veil made everyone tease and in often times, bully her to an extreme extent. She had friends, but still, she still felt emptiness in her heart, as if a fragment of it is missing, waiting to be searched and found by herself. "Strange, why's the bus late today ?" Carol said to herself. She looks around. It was strange for days like these. There were always people at the bus stop, waiting to board the bus, Carol included.
"Well, look who we have here". Carol turns towards that voice, gruff and boisterous. "Oh. You" she said, flat. A group of three, the first one a shark-Dagonian with fangs visible on his set of teeth, the second a guy, about 15 years old who had an Indian Mohawk for a haircut, and finally the last one, a hammerhead shark-Dagonian with his buffed up muscles visibly seen with his uniform's sleeves rolled up. "Sorry toots, but this place's ours. So scram !" the first one said. "Still the same Mitch. Threatening people to show your so called power over them" she said, not looking towards Mitch as she looks to the ground instead.
"Hey…" Nigel (the second guy) walks towards her and slaps her in the cheek, leaving a red slap mark. "He owns this turf, so whatever he says or orders is yours to follow, 'cause if you don't…." "I'm not somebody's slave to follow people's orders around. Go find someone else to bother with" she bravely said, looking at her watch. Nigel nods to the third guy, smirking. "Okay, if that's what you want. Leech !" Leech (the third guy) walks behind her and grabs her by the shoulder to her surprise. "Hey, let me go !" she said, struggling to break free from Leech's hold. Nigel grabs her bag and starts to rummage through the contents of it, throwing other stuffs away on the pavement. "Hey Mitch, look what I found".
He gives Mitch a pink-colored wallet with Hello Kitty stickers on it. "Hey, what are you doing !?" she shouted. "Somebody, help !" Her cries for help were in vain as there were nobody else in the area besides them. "Consider this a compensation money for ruinin' my respect !" Mitch said, pulling out a nice thick note of money from her wallet. If she had her mask, things would have ended quicker, but she left it at home. Besides, she doesn't want to end it violently. "Whaddya' think Mitch. Should we let her go ?" Leech said. "Hell no. We're gonna teach this bitch a lesson !" he said gleefully, cracking his fists. Leech gets close to her ear, away from their view as they discuss on ways to beat her up. "I'm sorry. I had to do this for my own sake…" he whispered, despair in his tone. Carol closes her eyes in acknowledgement.
"Okay, this is just a warm-up, but…." He punches her in the stomach, blowing the air out of her. "Yeah, this is just a warm-up" Mitch said, followed by a small chuckle. Carol gasps for air after the blow, breathing in and out in a panicked manner. "You…you would hit a girl ?!" she said, teeth clenched as she looks at them with rage in her eyes. "You ain't no girl" Nigel said. "You're a freak. Ya' hear that ? . !" He kicks her in the face, scratching her face as it leaves a dirt mark." My turn now !" Mitch said, walking towards her with his fists clenched and a psychotic smile on his face. He grabs hold of her neck and pulls her away. His hands were big, bigger than her head, enough to crush small things to bits that easily.
He tightly squeezes her neck, choking her as she coughs and gasps for air. She kicks him in the stomach. "Do you think that's gonna hurt me bitch, do ya ' ?!" Mitch yelled, punching her stomach in return. She screams in pain as he squeezes harder, Mitch himself putting on a smug expression. "So, you changed your mind ?" he said. "No…" she said, followed by a spit to his face. "You mother****ing bitch !" He clenches his fist, preparing to swing it. Suddenly, he feels something grabbing his fist. "Who the hell ?!" he said, surprised. He turns around to see a guy, blonde and still neatly dressed in his school uniform.
"I can't believe it" he said, gripping his fist tighter. "You would hit a girl. That's too far Mitch". Mitch smirks right before he pushes him away with his shoulders. "Well, another freak !" Mitch said. "This oughta be fun !". He cracks his fist, Nigel smirking behind him with his arms crossed and eyes looking at the guy. "Leduc, a freak with fake arms and stupid ideas. You remember what we did to your so called 'precious' project,ain't it ?" Nigel said, laughing. "Oh yeah, we had fun breaking that little freakin' volcano to pieces, and we're gonna do the same to you !" Mitch said. "Okay, bring it".
Leduc clenches his fist, rolling his sleeves up to his shoulder, revealing his entirely mechanical arms. "You're paste, asshole !" Nigel shouted, charging towards him screaming as he swings his fist to his face. But Leduc swiftly dodges it, dodging the next few strikes from him. "Stop moving so I can hit you goddamnit !" he yelled, throwing another punch. But Leduc catches it with his hands, resisting it as he slowly pushes it, seemingly overpowering Nigel. "Impossible !" he shouted in disbelief, trying to push back to no effect. Leduc headbutts him in the forehead, knocking him back as he dashes in to strike.
He delivers a chain of strikes, each strike connecting with each other as he culminates in an uppercut right up his chin, jumping up before he delivers a drop kick to his chest, crashing back to the ground as it makes the pavement crack. "Damn you !" Mitch cursed as he grabs Carol and putting her in a chokehold. He sees Leech with a worried look on his face. "What are ya' waitin' for ? He's just one man !" he shouted, getting furious with Nigel's defeat. "Go kick his ass already !" Leech runs towards Leduc, ready to throw a punch at him, but instead he was greeted with a punch to his guts, courtesy of Leduc.
Leduc kicks his knee, making him kneel while giving Leduc the window to knee him in the face, sending him lying on his back grunting in pain. "All of you are f***kin useless ! I have to do everything myself !" he said. As Leduc faces him, Mitch pulls out a knife and puts it near Carol's face. "One move and this broad's goin' to the hospital for an extreme makeover !" he yelled, putting the sharp tip to his cheek and grazing it, blood bleeding from the wound. "Darn !" Leduc muttered.
But as Mitch is busy focusing on Leduc, Carol takes the chance to bite his hand, making him back away in pain as he clutches his bitten hand, grunting in pain." You f***king broad !" he shouted, furious as he clutches his wounded hand. Leduc moves in to deliver a punch straight at his face, delivering a flurry of punches as it leaves wounds, scratches, and bruises on him. Blood was bleeding from his mouth as he stars to get dizzy. "Come on, I can take on all of you ! " he yelled, probably dizzy enough to see hallucinations. "Alright…" Leduc clenches his fist as electricity courses through both of his arms.
"10,000 watt…." He thrusts both of his fists into his chest, leaving a knockback effect as his stomach goes all the way back. "Bazooka !" he yelled. Mitch gets blown away by the force of the attack, sending him crashing through the bus stop's support, making the roof collapse before he crash lands at a brick wall, completely defeated as he twitches from electricity fizzling through his body. Carol was sitting on the ground slumped to the bus stop's bench, looking tired. "You okay ?" Leduc reaches his hands out in front of her, looking at her with a smile of reassurance. "It's fine now. They won't be a problem for now" he said. "My wallet…" she said. He sees something on the ground near him, a pink wallet.
"Is this wallet yours ?" he said, handing her the wallet. She checks its contents. Her money is still safe inside it. "Oh thank you " she said, smiling. They hear someone grunting behind them. Leech is standing up, holding his head in pain, then he looked surprised at seeing his unconscious friends, with only Leduc and Carol still standing. He had the look of fear in his face, fearing Leduc as he backs away. "Don't worry, I'll let you go. But remember this…" Leech starts to hear his message." Tell your friends never to mess with people again. Understand ?" he said. Leech nods before he runs away.
"Don't worry, he's a good guy" Carol said. "Maybe. He looked innocent." Carol checks her watch again. 2.00 p.m. "It's late already, and the bus isn't here yet !" she said. "Do you…" He starts to get shy. "Uh…want me to walk with you back home ?" "Sure ! Why not ?" Leduc starts to blush. No girl before this accepted his request to walk together back home. Carol is the first. She picks up the books from the pavement and puts them in her bag, zipping it shut as she slings it over her shoulder. "Come on, let's go" she said, walking ahead as Leduc catches up with her by her side. "Your Leduc, right ?"
"Yeah. I didn't even asked your name yet" he said. "What's your name ?" "Carol, but people call me Painwheel" she said, smiling. "Nah, Carol's a lot better" he said. "Really ? Uh… th-thanks" she said, blushing with red shy marks appearing on her cheeks as she tries to cover it from him. So they continue to have a wonderful conversation 'til they arrive at Carol's house in Maplecrest. "Thanks Leduc. Where do you live anyway ?" she said. "Rouge Lane. Why ask ?" he said with a puzzled look over his face. She knows that lane. "You live here as well ?" "Yeah" "Great, we can go to school together each morning !"
Leduc blushes. "I-I gotta go now. Got a lot of homeworks right now" he said. "See ya' around !" And so blossoms the start of a romantic relationship, as they eventually get closer to each other, knowing each other as well. Sometimes, love can come in many different ways. This one's just one of them, and it worked perfectly for the both of them. The power of love tops everything, isn't that true ?