Author's Note: Well, here it is, the last Chapter. To those who read and reviewed, thanks.
Disclaimer: Refer to the first chapter
Story Title: Gerald Learns to Fence
Chapter Title: The Bout
Rex thrust his sword at Gerald, who parried it easily. Rex raised an eyebrow, Gerald had clearly learned something about fencing. He lunged again, but Gerald blocked it and initiated a lunge of his own. Gerald's epee struck Rex's torso. A light from the signal box indicated that Gerald had scored.
"Alright, Gerald!" Arnold said.
"You scored first," Rex said. "Commendable."
"Told you I could take you on." Gerald replied as he thrust his epee at Rex.
"Hah!" Rex said, parrying the blow. "You were just lucky."
But just as he finished speaking, Gerald scored another hit. Rex glowered at him, incredulous. Gerald's friends cheered.
Gerald smirked. "Just lucky, huh?"
'Drat, I underestimated this one.' Rex thought. 'This fellow has learned incredibly fast, at the tutelage of a peer, no less.' Rex then smiled crookedly at Gerald.
"It seems I underestimated you." Rex observed. "But, as you Americans say, 'no more Mr. Nice Guy.'"
Rex then launched a series of aggressive lunges. The smirked disappeared from Gerald's face as he struggled to defend against Rex's lunges. Gerald then felt a tap at the side of his helmet, Rex had scored.
"Come on, Gerald," Arnold said. "You can do it!"
"Yeah, Hairboy! Show this rich snob what you're made of." Helga added.
Gerald shot a glance at his friends, Arnold and Helga were cheering him on. His eyes fell on Phoebe, she was staying silent but the look on her face showed Gerald that she was rooting for him too.
"Pay attention to the bout!" Rex said as he hit Gerald in the chest. The score was tied.
Gerald grimaced as he counter attacked, Rex sneered as he deftly parried or dodged Gerald's thrusts. Gerald lunged aggressively at Rex, but the Smythe-Higgins boy just side stepped and struck Gerald at the hip.
"Three to one, old boy." Rex mocked.
"It ain't over yet!" Gerald panted. He swung the sword toward Rex's head. Rex epee came up and blocked it. Rex pushed Gerald's sword away and drew back slightly. Gerald also drew back a little.
Both were on guard, waiting for the other's move. They waited, staring each other down.
"I'll give you a chance." Rex taunted. "You can strike first."
"What do you think I am?" Gerald said. "An idiot?"
"Well, yes." Rex said. Apparently, the answer got to Gerald since the boy suddenly lunged at Rex. Rex parried it and thrust his sword at Gerald. Rex sneered, his sword had hit Gerald's abdomen.
"I score." Rex said, sneer on his face.
Gerald smiled. "Me too."
"What?!" exclaimed Rex, he looked down. He cursed, Gerald's epee had struck his kneecap.
Rex suddenly pulled back his sword and swished again. "I'm still in the lead!"
"I can still catch up." Gerald retorted.
"Come on, Gerald." Arnold urged.
"Hey, Geraldo!" Helga shouted. "You gonna let this rich wimp beat you?"
Phoebe said nothing, but she was cheering Gerald on silently. 'Come on, Gerald, I know you can be victorious.' Phoebe repeated again and again in her mind. She watched as Gerald and Rex alternately attacked and blocked. It was clear that Gerald was having a hard time. But it was also clear that it wasn't going easy for Rex either.
"I must say," Rex said as he parried. "I didn't expect you to give me this much trouble."
"Thanks," Gerald said. "You're not bad yourself."
Rex laughed. "Of course, I've been doing this for quite a while. My victory is certain."
Gerald smiled. "You know what they say. It ain't over 'til it's over."
As Gerald said so he landed a good hit on Rex's right arm. The score was now tied at four-to-four. The next one to score a good hit would win.
"Way to go, Gerald!" Arnold cheered.
"Yeah, Geraldo!" Helga exclaimed.
Phoebe was glad that Gerald scored a hit but, the way things were, it could still go either way. Especially since the one who could score next would win.
Then, they heard a slight tap as Rex's epee struck Gerald's thigh. Arnold and Helga froze as Phoebe gasped. 'Oh, no!' thought Phoebe. 'It can't be!'
Gerald also froze as he felt the sword hit the side of his thigh. He had lost, it was over. He looked at Phoebe and felt ashamed. He had lost, he had let her down…
Rex smiled wickedly, he was the victor. He had shown this upstart what it meant to challenge the Smythe-Higgins clan…
"No point." Charles Cardwell, Rex's instructor, said calmly.
"WHAT?!" Rex exploded. Gerald and his friends looked at the instructor in shock.
"You struck Gerald's thigh with the side of your blade, Rex." Charles said. "Not with the point."
Rex cursed as Gerald, Phoebe, Arnold, and Helga let out a collective sigh of relief. 'Thank God, it's not yet over.' Gerald thought.
'Thank Goodness,' Phoebe thought. 'But it's still not over.'
"You can do it, Gerald." Phoebe said, cheering verbally for the first time. "I know you can."
"Yeah, you can do it!" Arnold agreed.
"Kick his butt, Hairboy!" Helga added
"Bah!" Rex roared. "Again you were lucky, but I shall still be the victor!"
Rex lunged forward, hard. Gerald smiled, he side stepped and allowed Rex's momentum to carry him forward. As Rex passed by him he brought his blade up. Gerald brought the sword point up to Rex's helmet and calmly tapped it. Rex continued forward and hit the floor.
"The bout is over." Charles announced. "Mr. Johanssen wins."
"Yeah!" Arnold exclaimed.
"Alright, Geraldo!" Helga added.
Phoebe ran to Gerald and gave him a hug. Gerald hugged her back and whispered: "Wanna go out and get something to eat?"
"Oh?" Phoebe said. "I thought I wasn't your girlfriend yet."
Gerald smiled. "Well, we could discuss that over a burger or something."
Phoebe just smiled and kept on hugging Gerald.
"I can't believe it." They heard Rex mutter. "You won."
"Like you said, I'm just lucky." Gerald said.
"Yes, yes you are." Rex said. "But you also have some skill."
Rex turned to Phoebe. "You must've been quite an instructor."
Phoebe raised an eyebrow. "I thought I was just a two-bit fencing instructor."
Rex smiled. "Well, I was wrong." He shook the hands of both Gerald and Phoebe. "I'd love to challenge either of you another time."
Gerald smiled cockily. He looked at Phoebe and both said: "Sure, why not?"
Author's Note: Well, that was it. Thanks for reading, please review. If any of you are interested I have a KND fic, Operation: NERDS R MAD. If you like, you could read and review that one too. Thank you and good bye.