Wispon Around

"So, what'd you say this was called? A Whisper?" Xalonis asked, the cat girl staring at the deep red, firearm-like device she was wearing over her right hand somewhat apprehensively.

"Wispon," Tails corrected her, the two-tailed fox watching on from beside his friend. The pair were out on a grassy plain on the outskirts of Green Hill, Tails having set up a series of holographic training dummies for Xalonis to use for target practice. Each hologram was projected by a small hovering drone of Tails' own design, the projections programmed to change colour when subjected to excessive physical interference, such as a concentrated stream of flames from a Burst Wispon, as a totally random and not-at-all relevant example. Currently, the projections were a light shade of blue - not unlike Xalonis' own fur.

"Right," Xalonis said rather uncertainly, gazing at the holographic targets, each one projected as an image of one of Sonic and Tails' established foes - Doctor Eggman, Metal Sonic, Zavok, Chaos and Infinite. "Heh. Look at me, about to go up against the big leagues. Eat your heart out, Sonic, am I right?"

Tails smirked. "They're just projections, Xal," he reminded her. "They can't actually do anything to fight back, and this is all just practice." In truth, the fox boy had been rather surprised when Xalonis had jumped at the chance to learn how to use a Wispon. The circumstances in which he had found out about her interest in such had been kinda funny, too:

Tails had gone to Xalonis' signature salon, Pamperus Peculiarus, earlier that day to see if she wanted to hang out, given that it was his day off from operating his workshop… and the fact that he was basically Xalonis' only real customer, meaning that the anomalous cosmic entity shape-shifted into the likeness of a cat usually just sat around in her salon, playing around with her hair and beauty products as well as her own unfathomable powers. Tails had stepped into Pamperus Peculiarus to find Xalonis in the main part of the salon, standing smack-dab in the middle of the tiled floor, her right arm held out before her, index finger brandished like the barrel of a pistol. She had looked as though she were trying to recreate a cool action pose she had seen in a spy movie or something to that effect.

Tails had announced his presence by asking Xalonis what she was doing, and she had yelped in alarm, quickly lowering her arm and chuckling awkwardly. "H-Hey, there, Tails, m-my guy!" she had said, a big, awkward smile on her face, her cheeks bright red with embarrassment underneath her facial fur. "I was just, uh… doing some… stretches! Yeah, that's it! Y'know, like, um, people do. No biggie." She had run a hand through her bubblegum pink hair as she spoke, looking more awkward and embarrassed by the second.

"Stretches, huh?" Tails had asked, the yellow-furred mechanic raising an eyebrow knowingly. "Looked more like you were trying to re-enact the intro to one of the James Bond movies."

Xalonis had sighed, soon taking a seat in one of the massaging recliners over by the shampoo basins. "Okay, fine, you got me," she had admitted, visibly sagging as she'd allowed her body to sink into the chair, clicking her gloved fingers as she had done so. The recliner's massage function had started up, the seat rhythmically vibrating at a steady pace. "I was… pretending I was an action hero, like in the movies… and like you and Sonic."

"Me and Sonic?" Tails had repeated, a little surprised.

Xalonis had given a single nod, her eyes downcast. "I've watched your adventures for so long," she'd said, raising one arm and splaying her hand forward. A window in time and space had then appeared in the air before her, allowing the cosmic entity to view a scene from the past. "I've watched you guys take down giant robots, water monsters, planetary demons…" she'd continued, sliding her hand through the air to alter the window's contents, showing each situation she was referring to in turn, "And all the while, I've just been sitting either on the sidelines shape-shifted into some unassuming object, or butt-deep in this very chair, cramming my mouth full of chocolate-covered snacks while my hero and his buddies are out there actually doing something!" she had concluded in an exasperated exclamation. She had then sighed again, lowering her arm, the time-space window disappearing. "In this building, in my little 'personal space', I'm basically a god who can make just about anything happen, but out there… Well, I'm cut off from most of my power when I step outside of this place. I can change my shape, but that's about it, and even then, I can't exactly go wild." She had sighed yet again. "I just wish I could do a little more than, you know, act as a cheerleader for my hero."

"Hey, c'mon, don't be like that," Tails had told her, walking over and placing a hand on her shoulder as she sat there. "I mean, the life of a hero… Well, it's not for everyone, let's be real," he'd said with a knowing chuckle. "I should know; even I have moments where I get cold feet."

"Yeah, but you always find a way in the end," Xalonis had reminded him. "You always manage to pull off a win, either by yourself or with your buddies. Me? I've existed for… basically forever, and I think I've spent less than a hundredth of that time outside of my literal comfort zone. I mean, why would I? I'm vulnerable out there, Tails. I'm… I'm scared to wander too far from my salon." Once again, she had sighed. "Some hero I'd make."

"Xal," Tails had started slowly, "Being a hero isn't about being fearless. It's about finding the courage to face your fears. It's about believing in yourself, as I learned to do through Sonic." He had then looked thoughtful. "Maybe you just need someone to help you find your courage, as Sonic helped me to find mine."

Xalonis had looked up at him. "Someone like… you?" she had asked hopefully, pleadingly.

Tails had hesitated, "Well…" He had run a hand through the yellow fur on the back of his head, chuckling somewhat modestly. "I mean, I… I'm not really sure I ever pictured myself as a mentor… but I could maybe teach you a few things - how to use certain means of self-defence and all that…"

"Really?!" Xalonis had asked excitedly as she'd swiftly sat up, her purple eyes having lit up with a newfound sparkle. "You'd teach me how to use a hero's weapon?! To be a resistance fighter?!"

"Shhhh!" Tails had hissed. "Ix-nay on the esistance-ray ighter-fay!" he had said in a hushed voice. "Most people aren't supposed to know about that whole thing!"

"Chillax, my guy - if anybody was eavesdropping on us, I'd know about it," Xalonis had assured him dismissively, her tone confident. "You can't sneak up on a cosmic entity in their own domain, Tails."

Tails had raised an eyebrow at that, removing his hand from the cat girl's shoulder. "And yet, I caught you by surprise when you were doing your amateur Dirty Harry impression before," he had pointed out cheekily.

Xalonis' cheeks had flushed bright red again. "Th-That doesn't count!" she had spluttered, and Tails had laughed.

And thus, here they were. The fields of Green Hill were an ideal spot to train with weapons without anyone or anything getting in the way, given the vast open space and the relative remoteness of the location.

Xalonis stepped forward, putting on a determined facade. "Well…" She bit her lip. "Here goes nothing." She raised the Wispon she was equipped with, her hand a little unsteady; she was clearly nervous. Tails put a hand beneath her arm, helping his friend support the weight of the weapon.

"Just relax," he told her. "It's not a life-or-death situation. That Eggman hologram literally can't touch you." The fox then chuckled. "Think of it this way: Objects in the holograms may be less moustachioed than they appear."

Xalonis giggled at that. "Oh, that's terrible," she declared, now grinning. "That's almost as bad as one of Sonic's jokes!"

"Heh. Yeah," Tails said knowingly as he helped the cat girl take aim, moving his gaze from her to the waiting targets. "Make sure your feet are planted firmly; the Burst Wispon has a bit more of a kickback than the others… Finger on the trigger… and squeeze!"

Xalonis cried out as a powerful jet of orange flame shot forth from the gadget she held. She stumbled back, letting go of the trigger inside the Wispon and soon falling onto her rear on the grass. "Oof!" she grunted as she landed. "Well, I wasn't expecting to get a saddle sore today…" she said half-jokingly, and Tails chuckled as he glanced back at her.

"Not bad for a first-timer!" he called, gesturing to the holograms, three of which had turned from blue to green. "Three out of five when you weren't even aiming properly!"

"Gee, thanks," Xalonis muttered, rolling her eyes as she got to her feet. "You got any pointers, my guy, or d'you wanna stand there and poke fun at me some more?"

"I'm not making fun; you really do gotta aim," Tails told her.

"I was aiming!" Xalonis insisted. "Aiming to not set the whole savannah on fire!"

Tails laughed. "Chillax, my gal," he said, cheekily imitating the cat girl's catchphrase. "I brought us out here because it's a place where we can afford to go a bit wild with Wispons. Green Hill's been through worse than a couple of small fires, let me tell you. Anyway, wanna try a different Wispon? Or d'you wanna keep practicing with the Burst?"

"Nah, I think I'll leave the fire-related stuff to that purple cat lady Sonic sometimes hangs out with," Xalonis said, sliding the Burst Wispon off of her wrist and handing it to Tails. "Don't want people to think I'm a copycat, after all." She then smirked. "Heh. Get it? Copy cat?"

"Hardy-har," Tails said, rolling his eyes, but smiling all the same. He then picked up one of the other brightly coloured gadgets that rested on the grass nearby. "How 'bout this one?" he suggested, holding up a somewhat rectangular Wispon of polished yellow and gold, the device bearing a jagged, lightning bolt design. "A Lightning Wispon. It's less of a firearm and more of a medium range melee weapon."

"Lightning, huh?" Xalonis said as she accepted the Wispon from Tails. "Sounds… slightly less dangerous in my hands." She chuckled before looking surprised. "Ooh, it's light," she acknowledged. "Much lighter than that flamethrower thingy, that's for sure." She took a few practice swings with the Lightning Wispon, not squeezing the trigger just yet. "Yes, I could get used to this! Oh, yeah, this is much easier on the wrist!"

Tails smirked knowingly. "Try pulling the trigger as you swing it," he told her, "And make sure to aim for the targets, 'kay?"

"I thought you said this was a melee WEAPON?!" Xalonis yowled as she indeed squeezed the trigger as she swung, a long, crackling energy whip surging forth from the device in an instant, its bright yellow beam humming with electricity. The panicked cat girl let go of the trigger, causing the whip to instantly dissipate. "You could've told me it was gonna do that!" she complained.

"Heh, heh. Sorry," Tails said, grinning. "I just wanted to see your reaction. Sonic left me in the dark when I first tried using one of these, too. I actually managed to wrap the beam around my ankles back then; totally hog-tied myself!"

"Oh, nice," Xalonis exclaimed, putting her hands on her hips, gasping as she did so, the Wispon touching against her waist; she was fearful of activating it accidentally. "Hoping to see me follow in your footsteps, were you, 'Master'?"

"Wh-What? N-No! I wasn't trying to trip you up like that, Xal! Honest!" Tails insisted, looking mortified at the very thought. Xalonis relaxed her stance, appearing convinced, yet she said nothing more as she turned back to the holograms, soon swinging the Wispon towards the Infinite hologram with newfound determination, the beam activating and smartly lashing right through the masked jackal's likeness. Xalonis gasped excitedly as the hologram turned green.

I did it! I did it!" she positively squealed, turning to face Tails once more and jumping up and down on the spot like an excited child, beaming from ear to feline ear, looking pleased as punch. In her excitement, she activated her Wispon without thinking and cried out as the beam shot straight towards her feet…

…And rapidly tied itself around her ankles.

Xalonis cried out with a panicked yelp as she fell over, sprawling onto the grass with her legs bound by crackling energy. "TAILS!" she shouted, sounding both angry and fretful.

"Oh, jeez…" Tails muttered, but he couldn't help but begin to laugh as he started over to help his friend. "Well, that sure is one way to… wrap up the lesson," he said, allowing himself a huge grin.

Xalonis, who had spent the last few seconds struggling in vain to get her ankles free, stopped struggling abruptly, now staring up at Tails with a deadpan expression. "Oh, you did not," she said dully.

"Heh. Yep. I did," Tails confirmed, still grinning. He leant down before the cat girl, deactivated the Wispon and helped his friend to her feet.

"You really are like Sonic, you know that?" she told him.

Tails turned away, but before he moved to gather up the rest of the Wispons, he made just one more comment, one very sly comment:

"Flattery will get you nowhere… my gal."

Xalonis snorted as she stood there, but she couldn't help but smile at the fox's retreating back.

'Heh. Definitely trying to be like Sonic…' she thought to herself. 'Maybe I'll remind him later to act more like himself… with a little persuasive foot tickling.' Her smile turning playfully devious at that notion, she followed after Tails without another word as the two headed home, the sun setting behind the great loop-de-loop structure in the background.