Only one more chapter after this. If you are reading please go ahead and
review if only to pop your head in and get a dedication in the next
chapter. *yes you've guessed it. if you review, you get a dedication.
This chapter goes to my only new reviewer Serap 89. The rest of yall who read Tanks as well.
Pink Thunder of PS 118 by zukone
Chapter 4: Thunderous Storm
Morning came.
Arnold's watch read 5:45. He was climbing rocky terrain. He hadn't gotten a chance to check back at home since the training. His grandma made him practice that special move all night. He could still hear her now. "You're not decisive enough. Seize your opponent." And on and on and on. By the end of the night he could execute it perfectly without twitching violently afterwards. Arnold shuddered just thinking about it.
He climbed the final rock and reached a clearing. It was spacious there on top of the mountain and the grassy clearing sunk in almost protectively. There he could see Helga already waiting in the arm of a cherry blossom tree. Her hair was loose and he could tell that it had been subjected to the weather. She looked docile despite that fact, content even. Throughout the week he had doubted the reality of the spar, but not as much as he did in this moment. As he took a closer look, however, he noticed that she was there in her kendo attire. Her boken was not out of her reach. He wasn't really sure what to expect. Just in case, he was prepared. He dropped his bag and climbed down into the nook and to a space off to the side.
Helga finally looked his way. Whether she had been ignoring him or didn't know he was there previously, he didn't know. He decided on not talking though. It would ruin the peace. He looked around again. Yeah it was peaceful. and beautiful. Pink pedals were everywhere. even in the wind. Why would Helga choose this place to battle? It didn't make sense. Maybe there wouldn't be a fight. After all she didn't even say anything to him when he came. A smile almost crept on his face. He took his watch off and rested on the ground. He got up after a while and walked toward Helga who was still in the tree.
Helga glanced down and when she saw him approaching, jumped out of the tree and onto the ground suddenly throwing Arnold off guard. She tied her hair back with a pink rubber band.
"So you want to go through with this?" Arnold said as he stopped short in front of her.
She smelled a rose which Arnold had just noticed she had.
"Whither the wind blowest So doth my fair Arnoldo goest"
There was a short pause. Arnold took that as his cue that she wasn't going to fight and relaxed a little. He began to reach out to her, but she tossed the flower off to the side, drew her sword, and sliced it midair.
Arnold stopped short and used a defense stance. They both waited and tried to read the other's moves.
Helga's brow crept down. Her whole body dedicated to the concentration the art required. Slowly, she sheathed the sword into the string of her pants. Her hands remained on the handle. She was prepared for battle.
The watch read 6:00 AM exactly.
Helga was the first to strike out. She ran forward and swung her boken slicing towards him. Arnold dodged it with ease. Almost as a liquid she changed her first swing and struck again missing him by only a half an inch.
"That first move was a decoy?" Arnold asked.
Helga hmphed. "You barely caught that. I'm impressed. It's called a double slice return.* Ready for more?" With that Helga brought on an entourage of attacks which Arnold parried with some sweat.
Arnold didn't want to fight, but he had to calm himself enough to be fluid. As long as she didn't know he wasn't planning on returning any real attacks he would be OK. She would also be concentrating on making sure she wasn't open enough to receive an attack to worry about attacking too hard.
"You don't plan on attacking do you?" Helga asked shattering his primary strategy.
"I don't want to hurt you." Arnold replied as they continued at it. "I told you that I wasn't going to fight you and I meant it."
"That's very noble of you. but if you don't start attacking, you'll pay for it."
Again she started attacking. He blocked and dodged and ducked and weaved. Helga had been a little less careful of her attack style. One of her attacks swung over his head and left her open. Without thinking, he attacked. He sliced her outer shirt in the midriff section.
"I'm sorry." Arnold said. "I didn't mean to."
"Don't be," She said as she loosened her top shirt from inside her pants and examined it. She took her outer shirt off in disgust and threw it to the side. "I was careless because I knew you weren't going to attack."
"Oh"
"This means" she before cracking her knuckles, "I can start getting serious." She eased into an attack position just as comfortable with her white tank top as with her other garb.
"HA!" She yelled, and ran towards him at incredible speed. She pulled her sword over her head and snapped it down fiercely over Arnold. Arnold caught it between his hands and held onto it. His heart was beating. He couldn't believe that she just did that. This was more serious than he thought as he held onto the sword. It was like she was .. she was trying to kill him. "If I hold it she won't be able to use it on me." He thought desperately. He looked at her eyes. He couldn't read them at all.
She continued to press down on the wooden sword hard.
*authors note: There is NO SUCH THING as a double slice return that I know of. I just made up some corny name for a martial arts move. You know kinda like flying crane style or snake style or what have you.
This chapter goes to my only new reviewer Serap 89. The rest of yall who read Tanks as well.
Pink Thunder of PS 118 by zukone
Chapter 4: Thunderous Storm
Morning came.
Arnold's watch read 5:45. He was climbing rocky terrain. He hadn't gotten a chance to check back at home since the training. His grandma made him practice that special move all night. He could still hear her now. "You're not decisive enough. Seize your opponent." And on and on and on. By the end of the night he could execute it perfectly without twitching violently afterwards. Arnold shuddered just thinking about it.
He climbed the final rock and reached a clearing. It was spacious there on top of the mountain and the grassy clearing sunk in almost protectively. There he could see Helga already waiting in the arm of a cherry blossom tree. Her hair was loose and he could tell that it had been subjected to the weather. She looked docile despite that fact, content even. Throughout the week he had doubted the reality of the spar, but not as much as he did in this moment. As he took a closer look, however, he noticed that she was there in her kendo attire. Her boken was not out of her reach. He wasn't really sure what to expect. Just in case, he was prepared. He dropped his bag and climbed down into the nook and to a space off to the side.
Helga finally looked his way. Whether she had been ignoring him or didn't know he was there previously, he didn't know. He decided on not talking though. It would ruin the peace. He looked around again. Yeah it was peaceful. and beautiful. Pink pedals were everywhere. even in the wind. Why would Helga choose this place to battle? It didn't make sense. Maybe there wouldn't be a fight. After all she didn't even say anything to him when he came. A smile almost crept on his face. He took his watch off and rested on the ground. He got up after a while and walked toward Helga who was still in the tree.
Helga glanced down and when she saw him approaching, jumped out of the tree and onto the ground suddenly throwing Arnold off guard. She tied her hair back with a pink rubber band.
"So you want to go through with this?" Arnold said as he stopped short in front of her.
She smelled a rose which Arnold had just noticed she had.
"Whither the wind blowest So doth my fair Arnoldo goest"
There was a short pause. Arnold took that as his cue that she wasn't going to fight and relaxed a little. He began to reach out to her, but she tossed the flower off to the side, drew her sword, and sliced it midair.
Arnold stopped short and used a defense stance. They both waited and tried to read the other's moves.
Helga's brow crept down. Her whole body dedicated to the concentration the art required. Slowly, she sheathed the sword into the string of her pants. Her hands remained on the handle. She was prepared for battle.
The watch read 6:00 AM exactly.
Helga was the first to strike out. She ran forward and swung her boken slicing towards him. Arnold dodged it with ease. Almost as a liquid she changed her first swing and struck again missing him by only a half an inch.
"That first move was a decoy?" Arnold asked.
Helga hmphed. "You barely caught that. I'm impressed. It's called a double slice return.* Ready for more?" With that Helga brought on an entourage of attacks which Arnold parried with some sweat.
Arnold didn't want to fight, but he had to calm himself enough to be fluid. As long as she didn't know he wasn't planning on returning any real attacks he would be OK. She would also be concentrating on making sure she wasn't open enough to receive an attack to worry about attacking too hard.
"You don't plan on attacking do you?" Helga asked shattering his primary strategy.
"I don't want to hurt you." Arnold replied as they continued at it. "I told you that I wasn't going to fight you and I meant it."
"That's very noble of you. but if you don't start attacking, you'll pay for it."
Again she started attacking. He blocked and dodged and ducked and weaved. Helga had been a little less careful of her attack style. One of her attacks swung over his head and left her open. Without thinking, he attacked. He sliced her outer shirt in the midriff section.
"I'm sorry." Arnold said. "I didn't mean to."
"Don't be," She said as she loosened her top shirt from inside her pants and examined it. She took her outer shirt off in disgust and threw it to the side. "I was careless because I knew you weren't going to attack."
"Oh"
"This means" she before cracking her knuckles, "I can start getting serious." She eased into an attack position just as comfortable with her white tank top as with her other garb.
"HA!" She yelled, and ran towards him at incredible speed. She pulled her sword over her head and snapped it down fiercely over Arnold. Arnold caught it between his hands and held onto it. His heart was beating. He couldn't believe that she just did that. This was more serious than he thought as he held onto the sword. It was like she was .. she was trying to kill him. "If I hold it she won't be able to use it on me." He thought desperately. He looked at her eyes. He couldn't read them at all.
She continued to press down on the wooden sword hard.
*authors note: There is NO SUCH THING as a double slice return that I know of. I just made up some corny name for a martial arts move. You know kinda like flying crane style or snake style or what have you.