Lucario exhaled and turned away from the image of the person who had, in a manner of speaking, moved his way to the top of the food chain around there. Lucario was still new around here, and wasn't taken kindly due to the fact that he wasn't human. This didn't stop him however, as he had already beaten a skinny Korean-American man who was well liked around the building. After that fight, it seemed, Lucario had been treated for the worse by some of the men who had fought here.
He put his furry back against the wall and slid down to sit on the floor, looking straight ahead, but not knowing exactly what he was doing. He was in a backstage, blue carpeted hallway with wooden walls and many red doors that led off into the areas where the combatants would engage in hand to hand combat, training rooms, closets, living quarters, and restrooms. Some of them held signs, telling the wandering someone where to go, and several of them were next to windows, showing what was within. The door that Lucario was looking at had a poster plastered on it of the previous champion that preceded Colin, a tough-as-nails brawler named Jeremy Feldman. Why it had not been taken down was anyone's guess, because Lucario had learned quickly that once a new champion was made public around there, the old champion was tossed aside like trash. The jackal had also heard that Jeremy had been apprehended soon after his defeat for holding Colin at gunpoint, and threatening to kill his family. He's probably beating up his cellmate in jail, thought Lucario, looking around and taking note that the corridor was deserted. He exhaled greatly and was wondering when he'd stand up when a surprise guest intruded upon him. A near-middle aged staff member who ran the fight club seemed as if it were Lucario she had been looking for, as the woman looked relieved as she spotted him sitting there. The lady was a bit lean, and her hair was auburn, frizzy, and had obviously been messed with recently. By looking into her puffy eyes, Lucario could tell that she was rather tired. She took her eyeglasses off as she approached the jackal.
"Lucardeo, there you are." she said as if it had been very stressful finding him.
Lucario didn't even bother to correct her on mistaking his name, as it was rather silly and took him by surprise. "Yes?" he replied sternly, but not trying to sound too rude.
"Sorry for not introducing myself. Francine Sprague, a manager of this place. My brother, Mark Toney he told me about you, but I'm much different than he is. Personally, I love seeing all you fighters tearing each other apart..." she stopped there with the faintest trace of a smile, possibly having a mental image of Lucario fighting someone, for she stared into his eyes. "...But I just want you to know that if Mark is unavailable, I will be. I'm also happy to pass on any of my advice to you. I understand you're still rather new here, and your first fight was fantastic, if not a little fast-paced for some of the guys around here." She looked around, taking her hand and extending it out to pull Lucario up. Lucario took the hand and stood up next to her.
"Now," Francine Sprague said. "Do you do much training before you fight?"
Lucario nodded. He had not found the real training room yet, and hadn't asked, wanting to find out on his own, seeing only areas where they could duke it out, and one single room that looked as if it were a bedroom, with a bed, locker, and punching bag, which he had taken up to using personally.
"Great, and how about the reactions when people are beaten by... Well, you?" she went on, putting her glasses back over her eyes and staring at Lucario eagerly, hair dangling.
Lucario twitched his ears, not knowing what to say. "I-uh," he started, but he could not get any more out as Francine had impatiently asked him her next question.
"How're you feeling about Colin Bledsoe, eh? He was crowned champion last night, was he not, Luckero?"
The jackal rolled his eyes at having his name mistaken again, and felt a bit of a rush that only came from the anticipation of fighting. He stared at the poster of Colin for a good moment, taking in every detail. "He doesn't look that bad." Lucario lied, because somewhere in the pit of his stomach, he knew that those words were far from true. He had gone hand-to-hand with many humans before in his life, but something about Colin was different.
A door slammed a little bit down the hall, startling the two of them. They shook it off as Francine began talking again.
"That's what they all say, hon." she said in a tone of false sweetness, but changed her attitude quicker than blinking to a more excited one. "Good to hear! I'll be rooting for you." Francine said the last five words pretty blandly, as if she were just lying to Lucario's face to get his hopes up. After she had bid him farewell, she stalked off down the hall. Shaking his head softly after her, Lucario felt a bit glad to be alone again, as the woman was getting rather tiresome, and padded down the carpeted hallway, hearing another door open and close somewhere behind him as Francine had obviously went elsewhere. The jackal thought to himself that Mark Toney had never told him how incredibly annoying Francine, his sister and co-manager, was. In the meantime, Lucario was slowly approaching a door adjacent a fire extinguisher, which he knew was the right way to his little private room, that is, until something made him stop in front of the door.
"Hello." A voice issued from within. Lucario growled at the unknown speaker.
As the door was thrown open, Lucario found out that the speaker was none other than Colin Bledsoe, looking exactly like his mugshot, minus the fact that he was wearing different clothes, and his hair was even more untidy. Maybe it was only his imagination, but Lucario honestly thought that the real thing was about ten times worse. He was nearing 6'7", indeed, much taller than Lucario was. It wasn't helping the fact that he looked as if he had intentions to try and grab the jackal. Lucario had a mental image of himself squirming in Colin's arms, trying to break free from him. He waited on the man to strike him, to even tempt him a little bit.
Colin cleared his throat and extended a hand. "You're THE Lucario? The one who beat up Patrick?" he said with a booming voice, smiling, ugly teeth in plain sight, shaking Lucario's paw. Lucario didn't know anyone personally named 'Patrick', but it could only be the Korean-American man he had triumphed over in his first brawl here. The jackal was taken aback by Colin's friendly greeting, so he nodded in response, and Colin let go of Lucario's paw.
"Patrick wasn't pleased by his defeat, I'll tell you that much." Colin said slyly. "I'd like you to heed what I'm about to tell you... And please, take my word for it." He leaned in close until his lips were almost touching Lucario's fuzzy ears. "You're going to want a friend in a place like this - luckily for you, I'm available. " he laughed softly, but drew himself up to full height again quickly, as an onlooker peered through a window, and looked at them both. Colin waved to the witness, got a small wave from them, and as the person stopped looking out, it was just when Lucario was remembering that they were talking when the large human clapped a hand on Lucario's shoulder, leading him down the corridor beyond his will, as Lucario was barely putting any effort into moving himself.
"I'm sure you'll have a great time staying here." he said nonchalantly, pushing Lucario on his way, standing by his side. They were fast approaching double-doors at the end of the hall which Lucario knew for a fact led into the building's bar, where the fighters could relax before or after a match. A thin woman with a kind, child-like face, who was the resident barmaid, approached the two as they entered.
"M-m-mr. Bledsoe," she said in a quivering voice, apparently intimidated by Colin. She eyed Lucario, not knowing what the jackal's name was, or perhaps, even what he was. "Eli isn't in a good mood right now." she explained, not taking her eyes off of Lucario.
"Thank you, Becky." Colin spoke softly, and the barmaid seemed relieved by his tone as she looked up. "But I can't have a drink right now. I'm busy escorting my..." Colin seemed to struggle to find a word to suit Lucario. "...Friend, around the building. Going to give him some good old advice." Lucario was used to this kind of thing, as if he couldn't understand them.
Becky didn't seem interested in this, but nodded, and stalked away. Colin kept leading Lucario, hand on his back this time, and they had went in between the tables before there was a shriek from Becky directly behind them, and a loud, rude voice bellowed, "COLIN! I DON'T CARE IF YOU'RE THE CHAMPION, YOU'RE GOING TO PAY YOUR TAB, YOU SON OF A-"
At that moment, an ashtray was chucked across the bar and right over the two's head. Lucario revolved on the spot, teeth barred, but Colin held him back. A dumpy, bald, stubble-faced, middle aged male with a clean, crisp, black suit stood in plain view behind the bar, and was nothing short of complete rage. His eyes seemed to be popping, and Lucario could see that his shiny head was slick with sweat, and he seemed to be tinted pink.
"Elijah!" cried Colin, cocking his head and putting an arm up in greeting. "How's the business going?"
"THAT'S 'ELI' TO YOU! EITHER PAY YOUR FEES OR GET THE HELL OUTTA HERE, YOU DEADBEAT LOSER..." The furious bartender roared nonstop, equipping another ashtray to throw at him.
A few of the bar's patrons were looking on. One of them had their cellular phone out, pointing it at Eli, recording him. Colin exhaled, and Eli continued on with his ranting.
"...YOU'D ORDER A MARTINI EVERY SINGLE DAY, AND NOT ONE OF THEM WAS PAID FOR SINCE JULY THE FIRST..."
Lucario kept his eyes on the bartender reproachfully, and the deep red neon sign behind Eli was shining against the barkeep's slick head, which Lucario couldn't tell whether it really was the light reflecting, as the owner of the bar was certainly in a fiery temper, and seemed to be pouring more sweat and turning a dark shade of crimson as he still raved angrily.
"...WELL GUESS WHAT? THAT'S 403 DOLLARS YOU OWE ME, BUDDY! A MONTH'S WORTH OF YOU DRINKING MY ALCOHOL!"
Colin suddenly rolled his eyes and led Lucario out hurriedly, hearing Eli's vengeful yell and another crash as the ashtray hit the wall, completely missing the duo. Colin took a hand and swiped the bangs from his eyes, showing his horrible teeth and he raised his upper lip. "You have some expensive cocktails, Eli!" he called with a trace of a smile as if it were all just a joke, and shut the door behind him, continuing to walk Lucario. The two could hear Eli's muffled yelling from behind the door they just had closed. Lucario, by this moment, was extremely confused by where he was being taken. As they kept moving along, Colin kept running his mouth to every person they saw.
Hello, Geoff. He said to a man wearing a leather jacket; Geoff was looking at Lucario as if he couldn t believe he was hanging out with Colin.
They continued on.
Rhonda Colin said with obvious flirtation. Lucario was surprised that Colin could even muster the courage to talk to a female that way with teeth like his, that is, until he remembered that Colin was the champion.
After a few more greetings to the passerby, the man and jackal had come upon a green, steel door with a push-bar handle. There wasn t a window, but Lucario could tell that there must be something important beyond it, as Colin himself looked a bit excited.
The man inhaled and opened the door, offering Lucario to go in first. What Lucario saw was pretty impressive, as he had not expected a training room to look as welcoming.
It was a high-ceilinged, red, white, and blue themed room, with a mirror wall to the far right. This area smelled quite new, but with the slight odor of sweat. There were punching bags, along with kickboxing dummies beyond all the exercise equipment, which included a massive area to the immediate left for the weightlifters. Of course, there were plenty of combatants already stationed here, some sparring in the north area, standing on a padded red mat, or using one of the many machines. All Apologies by Nirvana was playing from the sound system.
Lucario s mouth hung open as he soaked it all in, and was practically shocked when Colin appeared at his side a couple of seconds later, putting a hand on him.
So, how do you like this place, huh?
Colin stared around himself, obviously taking note of the ones who were here. Lucario wagged his tail, and replied, Incredible! and the human patted him.
I ll be around if you want to spar with me. I ll let you get used to this room. said Colin, backing away.
Thanks. Lucario muttered after approximately 10 seconds, still impressed by everything. Turning around, Lucario saw that Colin had wandered away. Shrugging, he decided to go and try out some of this equipment.
The weights were being used by a group of people who Lucario couldn t help but label immediately as meatheads . He went to pick up a dumbbell, only to have a boot stomp on the very edge of his paw. Teeth gritting, Lucario looked into the eyes of one of them, an orange-haired muscle bound fellow wearing a black t-shirt.
Those are mine. The man who stomped Lucario s hand said in a gruff voice.
Lucario let it be and stood back, approaching the barbell.
And that s mine. A blonde, hairy, shirtless male said, stepping in front of it.
Am I allowed to use any of this stuff? Lucario said angrily.
Yeah, when we re done with it, one of them said. The lot of them, 6 in all, stopped working out to leer at Lucario.
The jackal looked at all of them, silently fuming. He turned his back to them and heard their laughter.
Did you see that, Floyd?
Damn newbie. So pathetic.
Hey, Patrick, didn t he beat you up?
Lucario s eyes widened, and he stopped. Patrick. He didn t even notice the skinny man, standing behind his gang.
Hey, keep walkin ! he heard one of them shout.
But Lucario didn t quite feel like abiding. The jackal revolved around, staring at all of them. The orange-haired man, shirtless blonde, and Patrick were distinguishable. The other three included a skinhead with a tattoo running across his head; a white haired, yet young male, wearing red shorts; and, to Lucario s surprise, a female. She was a brunette who looked as if she was only in the gang as a girlfriend to one of the men. Lucario was also a bit taken aback that he didn t notice her at first. Possibly, it was because she fitted in so well with that crowd.
Didn t I tell you to keep walking? the man with white hair called, stepping forward.
Lucario narrowed his eyes in dislike. He didn t budge.
Hmm the fellow said with slight amusement, popping his knuckles. I don t like your attitude. he said slowly.
The other men ooohed at these words, but Lucario didn t care. He showed his teeth.
Show him not to mess with me again! Patrick spoke loudly, his small frame staring at Lucario, obviously wanting revenge. The white haired man turned around, made a cut throat gesture, and that alone seemed to shut Patrick up. Lucario grinned, but stopped as the snow-white haired man began talking.
Floyd Tanner is my name. Only right that I properly introduce myself before I break your face, eh?
Tanner slowly ambled on his bare feet, soles tapping the padded floor, approaching Lucario with malice. He stopped some 6 or 7 feet away from him, and got in a stance that Lucario knew only too well: Muay Thai. Tanner didn t blink at all; his hair glistened in the fluorescent light. Everybody in that particular section of the training room peered on. Patrick seemed a bit happy, at least, as he put his arm around one of his friends.
Tanner only continued to give Lucario one of the hardest stares he had ever received before, still in his stance. Lucario could have sworn that Tanner was concentrating so hard that he appeared not to be breathing.
Instantly, as though he had been waiting for this moment the whole time, Tanner lashed out with a powerful roundhouse kick to Lucario s muzzle, catching him off guard and sending him to the padded floor, right on his back. Lucario could hear the men laughing as a whole, which only made the jackal furious. He slowly rose to his feet where he took one look ahead and saw that Tanner wasn t joining in the laughter with his gang, rather, he was still leering at Lucario seriously. He glanced behind his opponent and noticed that all of the Muay Thai fighter s friends collectively held a silly smile on their face. Patrick leaned over to the red-haired man and said something quietly, both of them keeping their smirks. The latter event made Lucario burn with anger, holding his paws out towards Tanner, ready to show Patrick that he wasn t a weakling.
Lucario dashed out of the way of a brutal knee and tossed a combination of straight punches, feeling them collide with Tanner s body, hearing the disapproving jeers from the man s gang, and also going for a kick when Tanner himself took hold of Lucario s footpaw and flipped him backward, sending him tumbling to the floor, onto his rump. At least nobody was laughing now, he thought. Lucario rose quickly, hopped to the side of a kick that could have rendered him unconscious, and, crouching low for a moment, the jackal rose upward with his own sidekick. He felt his footpaw connect with the man s stomach, sending him leaning forward, right before Lucario took his two paws, bringing them upward, and down on the back of Tanner s head in a double axe handle.
Tanner merely went on all fours, keen on not going down in front of his crew. Indeed, the big skinhead had already started approaching the two of them, with obvious intent to hurt Lucario in favor of the Muay Thai fighter, but Tanner glared up quickly, said, Get back, Pablo! and Pablo the skinhead followed this command and started retracing his steps to where he originally stood.
A shouting, male s voice carried through the room. Hey! Hey! Save it for the ring!
Mark Toney, Francine Sprague s brother and co-manager of the entire corporation, was hurriedly approaching them.
I understand that you guys like some backstage brawls every now and then, but this is uncalled for!
Mark was one of those men who seemed as if he should be an orphanage caretaker, or a schoolteacher. Constantly looking after everybody, it seemed like he only became a part of this business for monetary profit.
Tanner stood up completely, licked his lips, and glared at Lucario. Me and my boys were working out, until this little spaz showed up.
Mark Toney s eyes widened, glancing at Lucario, looking a bit uncertain. Lucario, this way.
Tanner and his crew were smiling as Lucario walked past them in order to follow Mark. The white haired martial artist popped his knuckles and pounded his fist in his palm a few times, making sure Lucario understood that he was going to continue this bout some other time.
Mark led Lucario out of the room, standing him in a hallway that held trophy displays.
Well? Mark said, crossing his arms.
I was minding my own business, Mark. Lucario muttered, absentmindedly looking at some of the trophies.
I won t deny that they re a bunch of thugs, Mark said, rolling his eyes. But try and keep your head, okay? Don t let them worry you In fact
He held his clipboard up to his face, studying it. Yes. You appear to have another match coming up soon.
Lucario was appalled.
What do you mean? I don t have a match today!
Mark put his clipboard down and looked at Lucario blankly.
Dave Schofield called in sick. His match was moved to Wednesday. I vouched your name. Some of these boys might not like you, but you re a fan-favorite right now. I ll advise you to keep it that way, Lucario. The money s rolling in quickly Mark finished greedily.
A continual beeping sound emitted from Mark s watch.
Gotta go! Remember what I told you, Lucario!
Mark rushed off, leaving Lucario standing there alone.