Chapter 4: Polar Opposites
The Overwatch HQ's training hall. One of the finest establishments in the world, used only by Overwatch's elite. Ever since the mercenaries had become registered Overwatch operatives two weeks ago, the training hall has been busier than ever. Mercenaries and Overwatch operatives trained in their respective groups of two, usually making the training hall a bustling place. However, there has been one pair that has been considerably less friendly to each other than the others. Despite Genji's best efforts to make peace with Scout, their training sessions almost always ended with them shouting at each other. No matter what Genji said, Scout would always reply either with silence or a snarky comeback of sorts, aggravating Genji further and further until the situation got out of hand.
Today's training session was no different. Scout was running on a treadmill playing his Tom Jones album on his boombox while Genji sat nearby, meditating. They were trying their best to ignore each other, knowing well what would happen if either of them said a thing. The loud music Scout was playing made it hard for Genji to focus.
"Scout. Turn your music down. I am trying to meditate." Genji requested. Scout looked over at Genji dully and turned up the volume on his boombox. Genji growled in anger. "I said...turn it DOWN!" He shouted.
"Here's an idea, smartypants. How's about you go somewhere else ta sit on your ass and do nothin'!" Scout shot back.
"You know that we are required to stay together during training sessions by the rules."
Scout reached for the volume knob on his speakers and turned the sound up even higher, drowning out Genji. Out of anger, Genji took out three shurikens and flung each of them at Scout's boombox, breaking it. Scout's eyes widened with rage.
"Hey! What was that for!?" He exclaimed.
"I have had enough of your incessant insults. I've put up with you for two weeks, and you have been nothing but a nuisance." Genji growled.
"Yeah? You wanna say that again, you robo-freak?" Scout approached Genji, who turned away. "Hey I'm talkin' to you ya dime a dozen scrap tin!" Genji had had enough. He quickly drew his shorter katana sword and lunged at Scout's arm. He dashed right past him and stopped a few feet away. He turned around, only to see that Scout hanging off a light fixture, a smug grin on his face. "Heh heh. You're not the only one with tricks 'round here, bolt bucket." Genji was at his boiling point. No way was he gonna get shown up by this man-child.
"Enough! If you truly are the man you speak of, then I hereby challenge you to a traditional kettō!" He shouted angrily.
"Kettle? What kettle?" Scout asked. Genji seethed with annoyance.
"Do not even think about disrespecting my culture like that! A kettō is a Japanese duel. No firearms allowed. It is about retaining honor and proving worthiness." Genji explained. "Also, do not take me as just an omnic. I was once human like you." Scout chuckled mischievously at Genji's .
"Yeah? An' didja get your parts at a junkyard?" He sneered. Scout could see Genji trembling with rage. He sighed and turned around, putting his hands behind his head cockily. "Fine, I'll play along. Just be ready for me ta kick your ass! Just gimme a time and a place, and I'll show up."
"Tomorrow at dawn. Melee weapons only. I will be waiting on the rooftops." With those spiteful words, Genji dashed away in a streak of green light.
"No problem, buddy! Just be sure ta bring your A-game! I wanna make dis as humiliatin' as possible!"
"Winston!" Soldier 76 yelled out, bursting into Winston's office.
"Ah, Jack. What seems to be the problem?" He asked calmly.
"Oh nothing, other than the fact that Scout and Genji have just challenged each other to a duel!" Winston perked up at the sound of the news. "We're only two weeks into our partnership with the mercenaries and we've already got infighting about to happen!" Winston held up a hand to silence Soldier 76.
"Jack, are you telling me that you didn't expect something like this to happen? I'm just surprised that an incident didn't occur sooner." He replied. Soldier 76 scowled in frustration.
"Well, are you just gonna let this play out? Should we stop the fight?" Winston shook his head.
"I would intervene if they were five year olds, but the two of them are grown men. Sometimes, you just have to let events take their course naturally. I'm sure that this duel is the first step to strengthening their bond as partners." He reasoned. Soldier 76 paused for a moment, then raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"Winston, back when we had just finished re-initializing Overwatch, you would have none of this…what did you call it? 'Nonsensical conflict'. Hell, you didn't even let Mccree challenge Ana to a friendly shooting contest because it was 'against protocol'. What's with the 'laissez-faire' attitude now?" Winston suddenly looked a little uncomfortable.
"Well...you cannot expect me to use the same old protocols now that the ranks of Overwatch's elite has suddenly grown by nine members, can you? We just need to make sure that Scout and Genji don't kill each other, and all will be fine." He explained. Soldier 76 sighed.
"Sir, you've been acting really strange ever since these mercenaries showed up. Yesterday, no one could find you for a solid three hours, and when you came back, Athena suddenly went offline. You said you were-"
"...doing some deep closet cleaning, and I stand by that explanation. Athena will be down for the next week or so. I've found a major security glitch, which I was in the process of fixing when you barged in." Winston finished. He dismissively started typing on his computer again. "Alright, Jack. You have your orders. Let Scout and Genji's duel happen. Just make sure they don't do anything too serious to each other." Soldier 76 tried to complain, but just sighed instead.
"Rather out of character of you, Winston. Fine. I'll stop the fight the moment something looks off." He replied. Winston smiled.
"Good."
The Overwatch HQ had quieted down a lot by nightfall. Usually by this time, the training hall would be completely empty. Tonight however, Genji was staying overtime. He had spent the day honing his skills in preparation for the coming dawn.
"Hrrah!" He grunted, lunging at the training dummy with his shorter katana. He stopped before the dummy and unleashed a barrage of quick cuts, his arms moving at blindingly fast speeds. He then leapt back, the shuriken stores in his forearms opening up and dispensing three shurikens into each of his hands. He threw all six at once, all of them finding their mark on the dummy's body. Finally, Genji drew his longer katana and bent down. "Ryu jin no ke o kurae!" He shouted. A glowing, green dragon emerged from the katana's handle and wrapped itself around the blade. Genji leapt at the dummy, gripping his katana with both hands. He dashed past the dummy, slashing it clean in half as he passed.
"You are good with sword, robot." A deep, rumbling voice caught Genji's ear. He turned and saw Heavy standing at the training hall's entrance. "Do not mind me. I left my workout bag behind." He said. He started to slowly walk over to a large punching bag on the other side of the hall. Genji looked at him.
"Tell me, russian. Is Scout always such an annoyance?" He asked. Heavy chuckled in response.
"Is he causing trouble for you?" Genji nodded.
"In all my years of service, I have not met a single man more arrogant and irritating as him. How do you all manage to fight with this insolent brat?" He questioned. Heavy had reached the punching bag and retrieved his bag that was sitting beside it.
"You seem like a serious man, yes?" Genji was taken back a bit at Heavy's question.
"Yes. There is no room for tomfoolery in my line of work. Only honor and loyalty. Why do you ask?" He replied. Heavy smirked.
"There is your answer. Mercenaries do not fight for honor or loyalty. We fight to put bread on table. Scout is one of the most immature out of all of us, so it is only natural that you and him would not get along." He explained as he walked back to the training hall's doors. Genji paused as he broke down what Heavy just said. "I also heard about duel between you and Scout. Just be sure not to kill him. It may not seem like it, but Scout is someone you can trust with your life on the battlefield. Learn to accept his flaws, like the rest of my team has… well, maybe not Spy, but you know what I said." With those words, Heavy left, closing the doors behind him.
Genji was left dazed. He hadn't been this enlightened since his days with his old mentor, Zenyatta. He looked down at his katana, seeing his reflection on its blade. For a split second, he thought he could see his old human face; the facade he wore before he was left scarred and rebuilt as a cyborg by Mercy. If people like her could accept him for who he really was, then why can't he accept Scout for who he is? Why did he let his temper get the better of him and brazenly challenge Scout to a duel? Had he learned nothing from the people around him? Genji gritted his teeth in frustration. It didn't matter anymore. He had placed his honor on the line by invoking this duel, so he must see it through no matter what.
"No turning back…" He mumbled quietly. Genji refocused. His honor was more important than anything else. With that thought in mind, he quickly sheathed his larger katana and drew his shorter one. "Again…"
"Hey, room service? Can ya send up anotha' deep dish pizza, anotha' bucket a' fried chicken, a diet coke, some rum from th' bar, and..." Scout put his hand over the receiver of the phone. "Hey Sniper, what didja say you wanted again?" Scout, Sniper, and Demoman were all sitting in the operative's lounge, with "Francis the Talking France: The Francining 8" playing on the lounge's big screen TV.
"Erm, a burger with the works'll do." Sniper responded.
"Yeah, and a burger with da works. That's it for now." Scout repeated into the phone. He hung up and stretched lazily.
"I'd say Francis aged pretty bloody well for being on the telly for over two centuries." Demoman exclaimed. "Just look at the detail for his skin!"
"They've kept the stories as fresh as ever as well! I gotta say, I'm real impressed." Sniper remarked. He turned to Scout. "Thanks again for paying for the food, mate." Scout scoffed.
"C'mon, I'm paying 'cause I drew the short straw." He complained. "I mean, the money I got from my first mission a few days ago helps, but I'm still pissed!" Demoman chuckled.
"Quit yer yammerin', Scout. The important thing is that we've gotten our first day off since we landed in the future. Let's just sit back, and enjoy th' special effects in Francis's fight with Ronald th' Rumblin' Russia." Demoman said. The trio went quiet for a bit, watching Francis unload his baguette blaster into Ronald's bolstering, vodka soaked abs. After a few moments, Sniper piped up again.
"Scout, don't you have a fight to prepare for tomorrow or something?" He asked. Scout rolled his eyes.
"That robo-freak's got nothin' on me. Tomorrow mornin', I'm gonna kick his hard drive into next Tuesday." He replied. Sniper was a bit taken back at Scout's hostility.
"You… don't seem to like this bloke, do you?" Scout shook his head vigorously.
"If anyone can find a single humor processor in that tin can's bolt-filled head, it'll be the day pigs fly." Scout shot back. Demoman turned around.
"Scout. Y'know that's not the truth." He said. Scout suddenly tensed up, his cheeks turning red. "Don't think the rest of th' team hasn't noticed. Ever since we fought our first battle with Gray Mann's robots, you've changed, boyo." Scout continued to not make eye contact with neither Demoman or Sniper.
"I heard Medic complainin' about you shoutin' in your sleep. You've been havin' nightmares about the robots, aren't you?" Sniper asked. Scout's cheeks were growing redder by the second.
"Why do either of you guys care if I'm afraid of robots or not?" Scout muttered, trying to keep his embarrassment contained. "We're all trained killers here. We don't give a crap about anyone." Sniper looked a bit uneasy at Scout's remarks.
"Well, y'really can't expect the two of us to coddle you like a mother grizzly until you recover, so maybe you should go and get it checked out by a professional. For the sake of the team." Sniper suggested, patting Scout's shoulder.
"Hold on, if you're scared o' robots, why are you challengin' one to a duel?" Demoman asked. Scout kept looking to the floor, still embarrassed.
"I...I gotta prove to myself that I ain't scared of nothin'." He answered. "Besides…" His eyes lit up again. "...I know I ain't gonna be able ta work with this guy comfortably until I get over this fear. He suggested dueling, and I accepted."
"Well, if that's the case, why are you up here with me and Demo?" Sniper asked. Scout smirked, a glint in his eye.
"C'mon, gimme some credit. I wouldn't be sittin' up here all pampered if I couldn't take this fool." He replied confidently. "He's got some fancy tricks up his sleeve, but as long as he don't hit nothin', I'm golden." Scout leaned back onto the plush sofa. "Now, let's just all stop worryin' about this and watch some quality cinema, alright?"
The next morning…
Genji stood on the edge of the Overwatch HQ rooftops, his arms crossed. He watched the golden sunrise over the bleak horizon. A mild breeze was making his cloth plume flutter in the wind, as the sun's first beams reflected off his chrome body. He gritted his teeth in annoyance. What was taking Scout so long? Genji had barely been able to sleep, due to spending most of the night training. Suddenly, he heard the door to the rooftops open and close. He sighed angrily. "You are late." He said. Scout approached Genji with an opened can of soda in one hand and his aim-assist bat in the other, chewing on a piece of gum.
"Damn! You're lookin' pretty frickin' edgy standin' like that on the edge of the roof. You tryna scare me?" He taunted, taking another sip of his soda. Genji glared at Scout menacingly. "Sorry about bein' late, by the way. Had to pick up a drink on the way here. I get real parched in the morning. Especially on Fridays for some reaso-"
"Enough." Genji growled. He turned around and pointed to the ground. "This entire rooftop will act as our dueling grounds. I trust that you at least have enough honor to not bring any firearms?" Scout nodded.
"I got nothin' with me but this bat and the clothes on my back." He said. "Alright, we done with th' formalities?" Scout said, spitting out his bubblegum. He held his bat up, causing Genji to draw his shorter katana.
"Yes. Let us begin." Genji walked cautiously towards Scout. "Hajime!" With that, the duel had started. Genji made the first move, dashing up to Scout and unleashing a flurry of quick swipes with his katana. To his surprise, Scout began to dodge each and every one of Genji's blows. He moved in a red blur, making it almost impossible for Genji to track his movements. Genji leapt away, astounded to what just happened. Scout stopped, a smug grin on his face.
"Man, I make it look easy!" He taunted. He shouldered his bat and tossed his empty soda can in the air. "Batter up!" He knocked the can into the air with his bat, sending it flying right at Genji's head. He raised his shorter katana and sliced the can in two. With a flick of his hand, Genji took out three shurikens and flung them at Scout, who managed to dodge every one of them. "Man, that's one hell of a pitchin' arm you got there!" Scout jeered. Genji growled and flung another trio of shurikens. This time, Scout raised his bat and swung at the shurikens as if they were baseballs, sending them flying back at Genji with deadly accuracy. With barely any time to spare, Genji deflected the shuriken into the floor, rendering them useless.
Genji pounced at Scout again. This time, instead of dodging, Scout raised his bat and swung, nailing him in the chin. Genji went flying backwards towards the edge of the roof. He managed to dig his shorter katana into the roof tiles at the last second, stopping him from falling over the edge. He rubbed his chin, feeling a large dent in it. Enraged, Genji leapt back to his feet, his hand on his larger katana.
"Time to end this." He thought to himself, drawing the blade. "Ryu jin no ke o kurae!" He roared. A green dragon emerged from the sword's hilt, running up and down the blade. Scout looked over at the spectacle in surprise. Genji stared back at him menacingly.
"Breakin' out th' big guns, huh?" Scout said, looking a little nervous. He had seen what Genji's Dragonblade could do during his first mission with him a week ago. Scout started backing up. "Luckily, I think I know how ta deal with that." With that, Scout turned around and bolted away, with Genji giving chase. Scout looked behind him. On foot, he is much faster than Genji is. With that thought in mind, Scout relaxed a bit. He turned around and started running backwards, still outpacing Genji. "What's th' matter, huh? Can't keep up?"
Genji's felt like his legs were burning. He had been pushing his cybernetic abilities too far, combined with not getting nearly enough sleep the night before, was really starting to catch up to him now. Yet still, he would not give up. Scout looked at Genji's legs with slight concern. Thin trails of white and green smoke started to billow out of his joints. Genji just now noticed the smoke. It didn't take long for the smoke to thicken into dense clouds. Finally, when Genji's joints started to glow red-hot, he saw that he had no other choice.
"I...I forfeit." He muttered. Scout head this and looked backwards, seeing Genji's defeated form. He smirked and strutted back to him.
"Yeah! Eat that you tin head! Ya bolt-eatin' bucket of-"
"Why do you hate me?" Genji asked. Scout paused. He remembered his talk he had with his fellow mercenaries last night. He looked down at Genji, who was waiting for a response.
"I...uh...you…"
"Is it because I am a cyborg? Is it because I am different? Just give me an answer. Please." Genji interrupted. Scout looked away uncomfortably, the feeling of pride within him rapidly fading away. He took a deep breath.
"Uh...It's...kinda complicated…" He stammered. "Anyways, y'put up a good fight, pally. You've… earned my respect. Y'know what? Let's just put this all behind us, and start over." Genji stared at Scout's welcoming expression blankly for a moment.
"You lie. You were hurling insults at me all throughout the fight. Whatever you claimed to have given me, it was not your respect." Genji spat back. Scout squirmed about, trying to put his thoughts into words. After a few uneasy moments, Scout sighed.
"Look man, you don't think I want to work with a frinkin' real life ninja? It's not you. It's just that… well…I'm…kinda scared of robots." He admitted shyly. Genji was taken by surprise by this. He thought it would be something much more complicated than a simple phobia.
"I...never would have guessed." Genji said. Scout looked away in embarrassment.
"Yeah, I ain't your average everyday phobia freak." He said. "Maybe it's a side-effect of spendin' so much time around trained killers, but when I'm scared a' somethin', I gotta show everyone else dat I ain't." Genji smiled behind his mask and weakly stood up, his joints still smoking a bit. He put a hand onto Scout's shoulder, making him shudder a bit.
"As it turned out, you are an honorable man. Even though your fears kept you shackled, you still fought me for the sake of proving to yourself that you can." Genji commended. Scout looked back at Genji and smiled.
"Thanks, Genji." He said. Genji gave Scout a congratulatory pat on the back before making their way towards the roof's maintenance shaft.
"By the way, I must know what sort of training did you undergo to allow you to move so quickly? You dodged my sword swings like they were not ever there!" Genji asked.
"Oh, that wasn't me. It was the soda I drank. Bonk Atomic Punch, do dey still have dat in the future?" Genji shook his head.
"I have never heard of it. What is in this agility enhancing concoction?"
"Oh, just some water, sugar, nuclear waste, a bit a' zinc for flavor, a sprinkle of molten salt for texture, and some ammonium chloride for a bit a' zing, all inside a lead-lined can." Genji looked as Scout in shock.
"What!? How does that work?" He asked. "More importantly, how are you not dead?"
"Simple! I had Medic pump my blood full a' lead and give me a quick zap with his Medigun before I passed out." Scout said lightheartedly while Genji listened in disbelief. "Now I ain't afraid a' radiation or lead poisoning! All it cost me was my ability ta read beyond a first grader's level." Genji chuckled.
"You are a most peculiar kind of person, Scout." He remarked. "Most peculiar indeed…"