Earth's Protectors IV

by nld200xy

Scorbunny, Rillaboom and Drizzile all wanted nothing more than revenge on the world that wronged them. But after suffering defeat at the hands of three heroes, they realize that there might just be a new calling for them.

28. Chapter 28

It took much shorter for everyone to relocate to Foote Field than all the other locations, and this was fine by them. After all, Rillaboom wanted as much time as possible to prepare for her match. While her opponent certainly did not look all that threatening, she had seen what the other contestants had been capable of and knew better.

The others offered to help the gorilla prepare for her match before she stroked her chin and thought about it. But just as she was about to decline their offer, she stopped and asked Drizzile and Scorbunny to join her, both more than happy to help.

After they headed into a nearby changing room, Morgrem folded her arms and grumbled, "I could have helped her train," Rolycoly nodding and replying, "Yeah, not to mention I came pretty close to beating her."

Allie let out a sigh and said, "Come on, let's leave them be. I'm sure she has her reasons," Vaporeon adding, "Not to mention those two are her best friends. I'm sure their connection has something to do with that choice."

With that in mind, all four headed off toward the bleachers. Sure, they knew they would have to wait for forty five minutes until the match started, but unlike Hawrelak Park, there really was no reason to hang around.

All the while, Scorbunny grinned and asked, "So, what sort of exercises do you want us to help you with?" Drizzile adding, "I'm up for anything. Lord knows I can actually handle it now."

Rillaboom chuckled and replied, "Sorry, guys, but I don't actually need you to help me train for my match. I need you for something else."

Both looked at her with curiosity until she explained, "I'm sure you've all seen it so far. Many of the heroes have given audiences really amazing entrances. Scorbunny, yours was easily the best one," the rabbit grinning and replying, "Thank you."

"Anyway," Rillaboom continued, "I was hoping you guys could help me with my own entrance. My parents will be in the audience and I really wanna dazzle them and the rest of the crowd. Do you think you could pull that off?"

"Is that all?" Drizzile enquired, "Well, we'd be happy to help," Scorbunny nodding until the chameleon looked around and uttered, "But what exactly did you have in mind?"

Rillaboom had them both approach her before resting her hands on their shoulders and stated, "Well, I'm sure you all remember the move we beat Obstagoon with, right?"

Both of them stared at her briefly before a big grin formed on Scorbunny's face. Drizzile was a touch sceptical but ultimately figured this could make for a very good entrance, especially now that he could handle it a lot better than before. As such, a light smile formed and he nodded in agreement.

Forty minutes passed and sure enough, just as Rillaboom had predicted, Thwackey and Obasi were among the crowd, though they were seated in the middle. They figured if they sat closer to the front, they could wind up putting a little too much pressure on their daughter and they did not wish to do that.

But even so, they were more than prepared to cheer for her as were Rillaboom's friends. Morgrem had even made herself a banner that said 'Go, Rillaboom, go' Rolycoly having painted a background image of a forest with smiling bananas. Allie looked at this and said, "Wow, this is really good."

The golem blinked and uttered, "Really?" his cheeks pink while the girl nodded and replied, "Yeah. If you ever retire from heroism, you should become an artist."

Morgrem grinned and said, "Well, well, the girl's got taste," as Vaporeon chuckled, "I really can't argue with that. Where did you learn to paint like that?"

The golem tapped his chin, nodded and replied, "After I ran away from the abusive orphanage I was placed in, I hung out a lot in areas where artists did their work. I just kinda followed their example and started doing it myself. After I met Morgrem, I felt like I had no reason to use these skills anymore. It's nice getting a chance to do this again."

The goblin gave him sad puppy eyes until he sighed, "Don't worry, it's not your fault I stopped."

Before they could continue the conversation, Shaymin raced behind a desk and squealed, "Ladies and gentlemen, it's finally time to begin the last two matches for the day! It's been amazing so far, but let's just see how much better it can get!"

Tori nodded and stated, "In the red corner, coming to us from Kenya is a simian who is just as smart in combat as she is strong! So far the only hero of Edmonton yet to lose a single match, at least after becoming a hero, she comes to us just as fierce as ever! Everyone, give a round to applause for Rillaboom!"

The Canadian and African fans were more than prepared to cheer. However, their eyes lit up when they saw a green, blue and orange wheel roll toward the ring. And once it was close enough, Rillaboom flew out of it after Drizzile and Scorbunny tossed her upward at an angle. She then performed a handstand on the top rope and flipped off of it with a grin on her face while the cheers got louder.

Vaporeon stared and uttered, "Wow, that's the best entrance I've seen yet," Morgrem and Rolycoly exclaiming, "So cool!"

The Edmontonians were especially thrilled to see this. After all, they recognized that wheel and could not have been more excited to see it in action again, even if it was just for an entrance. Even some of the Swiss fans had to admit that this was an impressive display.

"Looking good, honey!" Thwackey shouted with a big grin on her face, "I'm so proud of you!" Obasi clapping harder than everyone else.

Rillaboom smiled sweetly at her parents and thought, 'I'll win this for you guys. You helped me master my grass powers. It would be a terrible waste to lose the first round.'

Once the crowd had calmed down, Shaymin cleared her throat and squealed, "In the blue corner, hailing from Switzerland is someone who may look adorable on the outside but is actually quite a force to be reckoned with on the inside! She has grown herself quite an impressive coat along with a very good reputation! Give it up for Wooloo!"

The Swiss fans cheered wildly while what appeared to be a giant cotton ball rolled into the area. Once it got close to the ring, it bounced up into the air and landed firmly against the mat, arms, legs, horns and a face emerging from it. The sheep waved her braids back and forth and winked at the crowd before she squealed, "It means so much that you'd all come here to see me!"

The fans cheered louder while a little girl cried, "We love you, Wooloo!" a boy adding, "Kick that ape's butt!"

Rillaboom blinked but shrugged her shoulders. After all, it only made sense that those from Switzerland would show a little bit of bias. What mattered was that she come out on top, and she knew she could do it. And as long as she had the support of her friends and family, she was fine.

As such, she prepared herself before Shaymin nodded and said, "Well, folks, the combatants are set. Let the second-last match of round one begin!" and rang the bell.

Wooloo immediately tucked her arms and feet into her wool and rolled toward Rillaboom, shouting, "COTTON BOULDER!" the gorilla more than prepared for this. Thus when the sheep closed in on her, she immediately sent a punch into her.

However, just as it seemed like she would get an early lead, her eyes widened when the fist bounced off of the wool and struck her in the face. And things only got worse for her when Wooloo rolled right into her and caused her to fly back into the ropes.

The Swiss fans cheered wildly while Shaymin stated, "And Wooloo gets an early lead by showing us just how tough her wool is! As it so happens, this move has basically won her every single match up to this point! She might just have what it takes to win the whole tournament!"

Vaporeon let out a sigh and groaned, "Oh my god, so it's just like Flapple's shell," Morgrem groaning, "Come on, that was painful enough to watch! How many more of these seemingly invincible fighters are there!?"

Rillaboom frowned and waited for Wooloo to close in on her before she leapt to the side. However, while the sheep did roll into the ropes, she managed to shift sideways just in time to avoid bouncing off. And unfortunately, the gorilla was not fast enough to outrun her and thus took in another strike.

"Come on, honey!" Thwackey cried, "You can do it!" Scorbunny turning and uttering, "Oh, right, Rillaboom said they'd be here to watch this. I hope she can turn this around."

It seemed Rillaboom thought the same thing. As such, she planted her feet firmly against the ground and prevented herself from flying into the ropes again. She then took a deep breath and had her leaves spin and turn into barrels.

'If my fists can't blast through that wool, then perhaps I can pierce through them,' she thought while she formed thorns around her barrel bracelets. She then waited for Wooloo to get close again and latched onto her, the thorns now lodged into the wool.

Her eyes widened when this ultimately had no effect. Thus Wooloo stopped rolling and smirked, saying, "Nice try, but my body is really thin compared to my wool. In other words, you'll need something much longer than mere thorns to get to my skin."

Rillaboom's eyes widened when the sheep leapt into the air and spun vertically, shouting, "COTTON METEOR!" descending with the gorilla's back aimed at the canvas.

Sure enough, Rillaboom hit the surface hard and grunted in pain before Wooloo pushed herself off of her and grinned with pride. The Swiss crowd went wild as she winked to the crowd and exclaimed, "Thank you all so much for your support! It means the world to me!"

"And sure enough, Wooloo proves herself so much better than she looks!" Shaymin stated, "Who knew wool could be so strong!?"

Morgrem pulled down on her ears and groaned, "This is painful!" Rolycoly taking a deep breath and replying, "I'm not too worried. I mean, you saw how much punishment she took from me and she still won in the end. I'm sure it'll happen."

Scorbunny nodded and said, "Yeah. If anyone can figure out the weakness to Wooloo's boulder technique, it's her."

All the while, the African fans watched with concern, Obasi turning to Thwackey and groaning, "I hate to say it, but Rillaboom might not be able to win this match. That wool is surprisingly powerful," the monkey nodding and replying, "You're right, it is. But there is a glaring weakness to it. I just hope Rillaboom can figure it out."

When Rillaboom rose to her feet, she took many deep breaths and thought, 'No, nothing is truly flawless. If Rapidight could find a way around Flapple's defences, I can find a way to hurt her easily. I just need to think about this. After all, it's just like Tori said. I've always been able to come up with good strategies when it really counts.'

Wooloo turned to face her and sighed, "I guess I should have known that wouldn't be enough to finish you off. But that's good. It means I get to have fun a little longer."

Rillaboom frowned when the sheep once again tucked her arms and legs into her wool and rolled toward her. And it was at that moment that the gorilla finally saw it, her eyes wide with shock. Just like Thwackey said, there was indeed a glaring flaw in this move, one so obvious that she could not help but feel embarrassed by how long it had taken her to spot it.

As such, she watched Wooloo closely and noticed a pattern. And once the sheep was close enough, Rillaboom formed a hammerhead around her right fist and barked, "WOOD HAMMER JAB!" sending it forward just in time for it to make contact with the sheep's face.

Wooloo's snout caved in before she squeaked in pain and bounced away from Rillaboom. She then reverted to normal and cried, "OH MY GOD, MY NOSE!" holding onto it with light tears in her eyes, "WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY POOR LITTLE NOSE!?"

Rillaboom smirked and retorted, "Easy! I figured out a way to defeat that 'flawless' move of yours!" the African crowd cheering while Thwackey folded her arms and nodded her head in approval.

Rolycoly grinned and said, "I knew it," Vaporeon uttering, "Wow, now I feel ashamed of myself for not noticing that."

Just as it seemed like Wooloo had already lost her confidence, a Swiss teenaged girl exclaimed, "Come on, Wooloo! You're not gonna let a little thing like that stop you, are you!?" the others cheering for her. As such, she grinned and squealed, "Of course not! I'd go to the ends of the Earth for all of you!"

Her eyelids then slanted downward to form a more wicked look while she thought, 'Besides, it's not like that's the only move in my arsenal. I've never had a reason to use the others until now, but you just gave me a reason, Rillaboom. I guess I should thank you for that.'

With that in mind, she raced toward the gorilla and tilted her head down, shouting, "SHEEP BATTERING RAM!" the crowd truly shocked when the tiny horns on her head grew in length and curved upward, just like those of a ram.

Rillaboom frowned and stood her ground with her hands out. Then once Wooloo was close enough, she took hold of her horns and grunted, "As if I'd let you hit me with that!" ramming her knee hard into the sheep's face.

Unfortunately, though, it seemed as if Wooloo wanted her to do this. As such, she smirked before Rillaboom could retract her knee and exclaimed, "BATTLING BRAIDS!" her braids spinning like buzz saws and striking the part that had hit her repeatedly.

While this only left a bruise at first, Rillaboom let out a cry of agony when the braids had somehow managed to slash the sides of her leg open. Thus she backed up and released her hold on Wooloo before both horns were planted into her gut.

"Rillaboom!" her friends spat with terror in their expression. Wooloo grinned and continued to charge forward until Rillaboom's back rammed into the turnbuckle and she coughed up blood for the first time in the match.

"While Rillaboom may have defeated Wooloo's strongest move, this match is far from over," Shaymin stated, "Since Wooloo can no longer rely on her Cotton Ball Boulder, she has now shown off two moves that have never been seen from her until now. It makes me wonder what else she has in store."

Wooloo surprised the audience even more when she spread out her horns and shifted the tips under Rillaboom's shoulders. She once again tucked her feet into her wool and bounced above the ring before leaning backwards and shouting, "RAM SUPLEX!"

Sure enough, the back of the gorilla's head hit the canvas hard as she coughed up more blood. And when Wooloo removed her horns, she grinned while Rillaboom collapsed and lay there, Tori starting the ten count.

"HONEY, NO!" Thwackey cried out with terror in her expression, Obasi just as frightened as she was. While they knew their daughter was tough, could she possibly recover from a beat down like that?

Drizzile bit his lower lip and whimpered, "That can't possibly be it, can it? She has to make it passed the first round," Scorbunny nodding and grunting, "Come on, Rillaboom! Get up!"

She then pumped her fist in the air and chanted, "Rillaboom! Rillaboom!" Drizzile doing the same. And sure enough, all of the others joined in.

Thwackey grinned and chanted her name as well along with Obasi. It was not long until the rest of the African fans joined in. And just as Tori was a millisecond away from nine, Rillaboom's eyes widened before she flipped back onto her feet and panted heavily.

Wooloo turned to face her with her eyes wide open. She knew Rillaboom was tough, but she figured for sure that her last move would end the match for sure.

The gorilla could see this in her expression, thus she smirked and asked, "Did you really think that would take me down? I fought a dinosaur and lived through it! If that was the best you had, this match is mine!"

Wooloo's shock left her as she lowered her eyelids and sighed, "Who are you trying to fool? You may have dealt a couple of good hits to me, but you're in far worse condition than I am. This match is as good as mine."

With that in mind, she once again extended her horns, only this time she did not curve them. As such, she charged toward the gorilla with the tips aimed at her shoulders and shouted, "RAM SKEWER!"

Rillaboom narrowed her eyelids and lifted her arms up just in time for the horns to miss her. She once again formed her hammerheads around her fists and barked, "WOOD HAMMER!" ramming them both into Wooloo's skull.

The crowd cheered wildly while Shaymin squealed, "Things have been looking bad for Rillaboom throughout this match, but it seems like she's finally gotten the upper hand for good!" Drizzile and Scorbunny both shouting, "Yeah! Way to go, Rillaboom!"

Rillaboom noticed Wooloo's horns had not retracted to their normal size. As such, she quickly returned her hands to normal and took hold of them before lifting the sheep over her head and leaping high above the ring. All the while, she thought, 'This match has gone on long enough. It's time to end it.'

Once she had jumped as high as she could, she leaned backward when suddenly, something even more unexpected happened. Thwackey's eyes went wide when the vine-like lock of hair that always hung in front of the gorilla's face extended and wrapped itself around Wooloo's neck. But as unexpected as it was, Rillaboom could tell this would only make her move more effective.

As such, she smirked and shouted, "VINE CHOKESLAM!" the back of Wooloo's head hitting the canvas hard as blood escaped from her mouth.

All went silent among the crowd until Allie uttered, "Has she always been able to do that?" Drizzile shaking his head and replying, "No. I always thought that was just hair that happened to look like a vine," Scorbunny adding, "It's like that wood power of hers. We've never seen that before."

Either way, Wooloo looked stunned after Rillaboom released her. She lay on the mat and Tori started the ten count while the Swiss fans all stared in shock. Was this really it?

Once Tori reached ten seconds, she rang the bell and exclaimed, "After a very close match, Rillaboom has come out on top, therefor she will advance to round two!"

After this all sank in, the area erupted with cheers and applause from all but the Swiss crowd. Thwackey grinned wide and clapped her hands above her head, screeching, "WAY TO GO, SWEETIE! I KNEW YOU COULD DO IT!"

The others gave her supportive smiles while Rolycoly sighed, "It was just like I said. I knew there was no way she would lose," Morgrem patting him on the back and replying, "Yep, you called it."

And with that, Rillaboom was about to exit the ring only for Wooloo to cough up one last little bit of blood with her eyes wide open with shock. She then tilted her head back to face the gorilla and uttered, "You're incredible. Not only did you find out how to defeat my Cotton Ball Boulder, but you actually won the match."

The gorilla stared in confusion as she beamed bright and said, "Good luck in round two," closing her eyes. Just her words were enough for the Swiss fans to give Rillaboom a light clap as she smiled. Though much like Drizzile, she knew she would need to have a word with her mother after the round was over. She had to know how she had grown her vine like that.

Although right now, she needed to be ready to support Vaporeon. As such, she headed toward the bleachers and grinned before receiving a high five from both Scorbunny and Drizzile.

"Good job," the rabbit said with a grin before Rillaboom sighed, "Thanks," nodding at Vaporeon who got up from her seat and patted the gorilla on the shoulder.

"I look forward to facing you in round two," the fox said with a confident smile, "Who knows? Maybe I'll be the second one to best you in combat," only for the gorilla to chuckle, "We'll see about that."

And so Vaporeon headed off to prepare herself while Melmetal got up from his own seat and headed off. He turned to face her and implied a sweet smile with his eye, though for some reason, she could not help but tense up as soon as she saw that. But why? If anything, the cyborg seemed like a good sport, so why did he intimidate her so much?