Disclaimer: Portland is going to go ham
You ready for the fight?
Reviews:
Stuka: I also throw money on Montep- I mean what?
Severak: ;^)
The One: Tell me when you get it! While we're waiting, could I interest you in the Holy Book of Indy?
John: Portland will never lose! Right?
Portland's POV:
"So." I started as 'Lexington' closed the office door behind me. "What is this funny business?"
"Portland, was it?" Lexington sighed. "Do you know who the Sirens are?"
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"Are you a Siren?" I secretly armed a cannon behind me.
"No." Lexington shook her head. "At least, I don't think so."
"So what do Sirens have to do with this?" I commented, lowering the gun to the floor.
"The Sirens were master manufacturers." Lexington began her story. "Long ago, they were the first ones to cultivate us Warships from rare ocean metals. When Shikikan first came to the Eagle Union, he worked with the Sirens to create the first dreadnaughts. He said that as long as the Sirens gave their best to build him ships, he would supply them with everything they could need."
"Not Aircraft Carriers?" I raised my eyebrows.
"I'll get there." Lexington clicked her tongue. "Anyways, a big fight happened between Shikikan and the Sirens. He said that they were keeping the best ships for themselves."
"And that's what sparked the Great Siren War." I recalled the brief history class I took in order to line up my study halls with Indy.
"Yes." Lexington responded, slightly irate. "Shikikan had secretly created a counter weapon to the Sirens, and it was strong enough to repel and send them into exile."
"So why are we working with the Sirens?" I commented.
Lexington ignored me. "He knew that this one trick would not last forever, so he began cultivating a new anti-siren war ship. That's us Aircraft Carriers. However, the leadership in the Sirens have changed. The new-"
"So why do you look like Lexington?" I interrupted her boring speech.
"Because the Sirens are also master builders." Lexington responded, raising her tone. "So the new-"
"But what purpose does it have?" I asked her.
"I assume you don't have many friends do you." Lexington snarked back. (1)
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"Sorry." Lexington sighed. "Basically, we work together for mutual gain."
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"So ... then what are you?" I pointed.
"I am Lexington." She stared at me. "That is all I know."
"Then what are you made of?" I gave her one final question.
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"You would have to ask Enterprise." Lexington opened the door for me.
Intrepid's POV:
"Portland!" I shouted at the distant figure. "You coming?"
Portland said something inaudible. I assumed it was a yes.
"Are you ready for this?" I nudged Montpelier.
"You are still a bad person." Montpelier muttered, cracking her knuckles.
"If I didn't force you to practice, what chance would we have had?" I retorted.
Montpelier silently stretched beside me.
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"Portland, are you ready?" I asked as she walked inside the basketball court.
"For what?" She asked, distracted. Her eyes hopped around, twitching periodically.
"What's wrong with your pupils?" I asked, staring in her eyes.
"One of them is Intrepid." Montpelier snorted as I kicked her shin.
Portland rubbed her forehead. "I've got a lot of thinking to do. Work as well."
Something hard clanged against the metal fence behind us. Following a short yelp of pain, I quickly turned around to only barely see a glimpse of slimy white hair. We were being watched. (2)
Montpelier glanced at me, expectantly.
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"So are we going to fight?" I asked.
"Fight?" Portland collapsed on the bench. "Why?"
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You can't be serious.
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"No No No." Montpelier brought up her guns. "We are battling. I did not spend my weekend training for something I'll never do."
"Can I just surrender?" Portland asked. "Like, I've got to do things. The church of Indy isn't going to manage itself."
"Portland, you are going to fight with all of your energy." I ordered her up. "You promised us."
"Fine." Portland stood up, throwing some lazy hooks before collapsing unconvincingly on the floor. "Ohhh. My back…"
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"She's not even trying." Montpelier muttered to me, disappointed.
"I can get her to try." I whispered back. "But she'll probably go all out on us. There's no way we could survive without injury."
"You overestimate her." (3) Montpelier rolled up her sleeves. "I've got this. My arm's better now; just sit back and relax."
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"You sure?" I raised my eyebrows.
Montpelier nodded.
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"Hey Portland." I took several cautious steps behind Montpelier. "If you do not defeat us, I will have Enterprise dismantle Indy."
Montpelier could barely gasp before a flash of silver hair lurched in front of her. Her body suddenly reappeared against the basketball pole behind me before crumpling down on the court.
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I fear that all we have done is waken a sleeping giant and fill her with a terrible resolve.
Portland stood over the lifeless body of Montpelier. Her arms dangled in front of her as she exhaled.
"Portland?" I was genuinely terrified of what just happened. How did she knockout Montpelier in a matter of seconds?
Portland's head quickly twisted unnaturally at me. Her eyes gleamed a siren yellow as she began to swing towards me, stumbling from side to side.
I readied my bow. Portland crouched down, preparing to strike.
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Oh, dear god.
Portland jousted first, springing head-on at me. I hopped to the side and moved to face her, but Portland was already behind me. A three hundred pound barrel crushed into my side, and I flew against the wall as if I was a baseball.
Immediately after I recovered my senses, I dropped to the floor. Milliseconds later, Portland's fist dislodged several bricks above my head, its echo ringing in my ears. I instinctively sprang away as the first bits of rubble and mortar crumbled onto my shoulder.
What just is this monster?
I started launching my planes. I need to put her down before she murdered me. Portland read my mind; she spiraled right at me as the first fighters lined up on my runway. How is she literally faster than a steam catapult!?
I quickly hid my deck behind a row of metal amour. Portland started chiseling at my flimsy barricades with salvos upon salvos of ammunition.
"Launch!" I shouted mentally to my bombers.
The dauntlesses accelerated off my deck in a matter of seconds. Portland accelerated into my hull within a fraction of a second.
The oil splattered across my deck ignited into a wild flame. I threw my weapon at her and scrambled away. Portland jumped onto the volant burning runway before leaping off it, diving head-on into the sky like a crane as the deck combusted behind her. She drew her hand and feet in, manipulating her momentum in order to twist from clockwise to counterclockwise in midair. I sacrificed one of my final two launching decks to absorb her flying kick. Sheets of concrete peeled off the discarded hull as I fled once again.
I only have one more deck to disable her. In the heat of the action, however, several of my bombers slipped out into the sky. Portland turned towards me, and glared.
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I needed to get my planes in the sky to win. I had only one hull left, meaning that if I launch planes, I will be stationary and vulnerable. Portland would attack me then. However, I have some planes already in the air. If she makes a move for me, they will distract her for long enough for me to run and get more planes and maybe backup.
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We were in a standoff.
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Portland and I began to circle around. We were stuck now. I move and she wins. She moves and I win. There's no wa-
Portland hopped forwards and barreled towards me. She cracked first. I stiffened up before hopping back to maintain the distance. It is over! A series of my planes dove for Portland lining up like a firing squad on a mad dog, only to be torn like paper mache.
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I had just realized my fatal mistake.
Portland was not waiting because she could not attack. She was just reloading her anti air guns.
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Portland threw a flurry of punches at me, forcing me backwards. I had no more counter play. My heel dug against a good. I slid sideways against the surface, desperately avoiding any further hits. Portland's fists shattered the bricks beside it, pummeling the after-mirage of my hair. I continued to drift against the wall. Rubble continued to pile up on the floor in a straight line, connecting my feet to the entrance of the alley.
A sudden pressing force to my side alerted me that I had reached the corner of the alley. I held up my final landing deck. This should stall her for lo-
Portland drove her fist straight into the metal hull. I immediately dropped to the floor as her hand pierced through the iron welded fortification. In less than a minute, I was weaponless and sitting pinned against the corner.
Portland rose her hand in the shape of a fist above her head. Her vivid yellow eyes gleamed brighter than the sun. Her fist pummeled down wit-
"Is that INDY?"
At the call, Portland's head immediately spun around. Seconds later, Portland fell backwards on top of me.
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Montpelier lowered her bloodied foot.
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"Didn't I say I've got this?" she panted unconvincingly.
Footnotes:
(1): Who needs friends when you have Indy?
(2): I spy with my little eye a Suspicious Siren.
(3): Oh Montpelier, you poor fool.
F for Portland. She was so close!
But she never did have a chance of winning, did she?
I mean, if she lost here, doesn't it mean that she'll train harder, conveniently during the start of the tournament arc?
Anyways, see you next week!