**Awards Light Sneasel with a cookie** Very good, I'm glad there are folk
around here who know the classics. ^_^ And as for Kunihi, I'm
surprised...do you really think Karuta would ever wear yellow? Anyway,
keep guessing for those Bishies.
~~~~~~~~~~
Karuta stood silently amongst the fragrant ocean of wildflowers, the colorful blossoms swaying with the breeze. The warm sun shone down brightly upon his upturned face, his eyes closed against the bright rays. Everything was peaceful, bright, and cheery. One could almost feel a Disney-like song cue preparing to start up....
-I think I'm going to be sick....-
Karuta looked around at his surroundings, grimacing at the scenic field. What a complete waste of time....if he was going to dream, it could at least be something less cutesy.
As if in response to his internal complaint, the world around him faded away into darkness. Karuta gave a sigh of relief, but this was quickly drowned out by the blare of a car horn. Karuta squinted against the glare of swiftly moving headlights, confused by the sudden rush of wind coming from the direction of the light.
Survival instinct kicked in and Karuta flung himself to the side of the road, rolling away from the vehicle as it zoomed past him without slowing down. Karuta watched with curiosity as the car vanished down the highway, disappearing into the night.
Karuta slowly got to his feet, brushing himself off and flaring his crumpled coat. What kind of weird sort of dream was this? Oddly enough, the scene seemed vaguely familiar.
Karuta's line of thinking was broken as another car horn rang out. He watched silently as the same car rushed past, the lights momentarily blinding him as it continued away into the darkness. He waited, and the same thing happened a third and fourth time. The same car horn blared, then the same vehicle zipped past down the road.
What a complete waste of time.
And then....something changed. A minuet detail, but obvious nonetheless. A Sentret, a rather scrawny looking one at that, scampered across the road and set itself down in the middle of the lane. It busily scratched it's ear with a furry little paw, chittering and clicking like there was no tomorrow.
Karuta sighed a little, crossing his arms over his chest. The car would be coming by any second now...oh well, it wasn't his place to change destiny. If this little pokemon was to die here, then who was he to argue with the Fates?
The Sentret's ears twitched suddenly as the car horn blared again. The foolish little pokemon went up on it's tail, balancing expertly so it could see it's doom raging down at it on four wheels. With a terrible screech, the car swerved and avoided the Sentret, spinning out as two of the wheels slumped into the uneven shoulder of the highway. The car flipped onto it's side and dragged across the ground, a brilliant shower of sparks tracing it's path over the worn asphalt and rocks. Slowly, it skidded to a halt and flopped over onto it's top, the weak shell of the roof crumpling and the windows shatterings under the tonnage of the car.
And all was quiet....
Karuta looked at the wreck, then back to the Sentret. The little pokemon was sprawled on the asphalt, twitching jerkily and giving weak squeaks. The car had avoided it completely, but the shock of the event had been too much for the jittery little squirrel. It lay spasming on it's side as it's heart gave the last futile attempts to reset it's proper rythm. It gave one final trill before it's head slumped to the ground, it's tail laying out limp as the rest of it's body. Solid black eyes stared out at Karuta, cold and empty as the night around him.
Karuta stared at the body of the Sentret, sighing a little. It was meant to be.....after all, it wasn't like he could've done anything to stop it.....
The world faded away to black, the images of the dream blurring like an oil painting as Karuta's dreams fell apart into a simple oblivion. He slept, and the dreams worried him no more.
*****
Nozomi awoke with a start, gasping in the stale, choked air in her sleeping bag. It was stuffy like nothing else inside the bag and she had a hard time even getting enough air to fill her lungs. She scrunched her eyes in the darkness of the bag, trying to see what had awoken her from her oxygen- deprived slumber.
Kyuuden was no longer curled against her side, but was instead in a full glomp on her stomach, his furry face buried in her chest as he snored away happily.
The urge to strangle the little rodent was stronger than ever, but Nozomi somehow managed to contain herself for the time being.
Intent on getting some breathable air, Nozomi unzipped her bag enough to pop her head out, greeting herself to the new day with a deep gulp of crisp, cold, pre-morning air. The sut had yet to fully rise and all was still dark and calm in the forest. The fire had long since died, even the final embers dead and gone to the cold. Nozomi shivered briefly and snuggled back into the bag, ready to slink back to sleep until it was warmer.
Wait a second.
Nozomi pulled her arm from the inside of her sleeping bag, squinting her eyes in the dark. The digital face of her wrist watch glowed in the dimness, the illuminated numbers bringing a smile to Nozomi's face. The numbers shone out 4:45 a.m. An ungodly hour, but it was a wonderful sight to brighten Nozomi's morning. She looked up around the branches surrounding the campsite, noting them to be devoid of ill-tempered Fearow. As if it were too much to ask, Nozomi glanced over at where Karuta's bag still hung heavy with his weight.
Barely containing a laugh of victory, Nozomi scurried out of her bag and tucked Kyuuden back inside, lest he be awakened by the cold. Zipping the bag up after her exit, she snatched up a clean pair of clothes from her pack and dressed as quietly as she could. Once changed, she balled up her night clothes and stuffed them into the sleeping bag. The lumps of her clothes along with Kyuuden made a decent enough decoy...she hoped.
And with that hope in mind, Nozomi darted off into the woods. Today was starting off better than she could've hoped.
*****
It was almost half an hour later when Karuta woke up. Nozomi watched him silently from her hiding place in the woods as he dropped from his sleeping bag to the ground, hardly stirring up any dust in his landing. She knew he had to weigh at bare minimum more than a hundred pounds, but how he landed so softly was beyond here. He stood up straight and stretched a few times, the cracks and pops of his spinal column echoing through the quiet morning fully to where Nozomi was hidden.
Nozomi held her breath as Karuta's gaze fell upon her sleeping bag, the bundles beneath it still moving rythmically from Kyuuden's deep snores. Her breath came out in a silent sigh of relief as Karuta turned his back to the bag and released Tsu-chan from her ball. Karuta briefly spoke to the bird while she took nest in the low branches of the forest clearing, then started off on his own into the woods.
With a grin of anxious curiosity, Nozomi took off after the swift Karuta as well as she could....
And promptly lost track of him within ten seconds.
Nozomi felt like screaming in frustration. Karuta had always moved just quickly enough to make her try and keep up with him normally, but the way he traveled alone was unbearable. As soon as he had stepped out of the campsite, he had gone into a sprint that left Nozomi in the dust. The way he moved was bizarre...as if he was shifting just around the trees and underbrush instead of dodging past them. His coat was nothing but a flapping blur as he moved silently through the woods, leaving Nozomi to lag behind despite her flat-out run. Her best efforts to keep up with him was completely in vain as he had vanished away into the forest while she gasped for breath from the sudden run.
Grumbling to herself, Nozomi treked on regardless of Karuta's lead. He had been traveling in a straight line and she was sure he wouldn't go that far from camp. Ten minuets of power-walking proved her wrong as she continued on, trying to ignore the knot she felt building in her left thigh. She would have to try and pummel Karuta for this after she caught up to him....
~*CRACK!!*~
The sudden noise caught Nozomi's attention easily. It was still very quiet in the forest and the sound erupted like an explosion tearing through glass. The echo slowly faded away, only to be continued with a second identical crack. Nozomi quickly gave chase to the sorce of the sound, stopping short as she almost ran full into another clearing.
Karuta was standing in the clearing, his frame set in an odd stance. Nozomi knew he was a martial artist simply from how easily he fought, but she couldn't recognize anything in his stance. It almost looked like an animal form of Kung-fu, perhaps Snake or Monkey....
Karuta was poised on the balls of his feet, his knees bent sharply in a position that looked less than comfortable. Facing sideways, his hands were cupped like a cat's paw and held at chest and eye level, bobbing slightly as he swayed to an unheard beat. His glasses were gone and his hair drawn up tightly in a poorly done braid. He had a look of exhurstion and effort on his face that Nozomi had never seen him wear before, like he was actually having trouble with what he was doing. A light sheen of sweat covered his forehead, a few drops running down his face to drip from his chin.
And he was still wearing that stupid trench coat.
Nozomi looked across the clearing at two more figures with Karuta. Her eyes widened as she tried to make sense of what was happening here....
Both of Karuta's opponents glared hatefully at him, their stances set for battle. Was he crazy to do something so foolish!? What kind of idiot took on a Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan at once!?
The Hitmonlee was more odd looking than any she had ever seen, and that was saying a lot. Her old Sensei had used Hitmonlee to aid with training in Kenpo. Their kicks were perfect, even without training, thus making them fantastic examples to study by. However, this one looked nothing like the Hitmonlee she was used to.
The Kicking Fiend itself looked average, though it was a bit bulkier than the norm. It's upper body was thinned around the waist and built heavily on the upper portion, mainly around it's shoulders and upper arms. On it's wrists and ankles were heavy looking clasps, glimmering dully with the look of lead. Despite these obvious deadweights, the Hitmonlee looked as lithe and agile as any other, seeming like it could flitter away at the slightest chance.
It's partener, the Hitmonchan, also looked far different than what Nozomi was used to. Instead of the usual white tunic common with Hitmonchan, it wore a solid black gi, complete with belt and dojo slippers. It was hopping up and down on the balls of it's feet, looking anxious as it batted it's hands together. The trademark boxing gloves all Hitmonchan had were absent, replaced by a pair of black leather gloves lined with sturdy looking chrome studs across the knuckles. The fingers of the gloves were cut out completely, leaving the Hitmonchan's mitten-shaped hands to flex freely without any sort of resistance. The Hitmonchan also wore an identical pair of weights as it's antithesist.
Nozomi blinked a few times, trying to get what was going on. Her internal question was answered as the Hitmonlee gave a sudden cry and dashed forward, it's long legs quickly closing the distance between itself and Karuta. The Hitmonchan was in hot persuit, following after it's partener towards the human fighter.
The Hitmonlee was instantly airborne, spinning around into a roundhouse kick aimed for Karuta's stomach. Karuta's hands darted out, snagging the pokemon's foot and giving it a sharp twist. The Hitmonlee simply twirled with the counter, swinging it's other foot out and landing a square hit across Karuta's jaw. Nozomi held back a gasp as Karuta lost his grip and staggered, stunned silly by the headshot.
With the opening available, the Hitmonchan fell mercilessly on Karuta, a barrage of sharp blows striking his chest and stomach repeatedly. The sound of the metal studs striking soundly on flesh was terrible, enhanced by Karuta's grunts of pain. Nozomi could only watch in awe and terror as Karuta was beaten by the Hitmonchan, shaking her head unconciously.
And suddenly, the sound of metal on flesh stopped.
The Hitmonchan was still swinging, but the punches were no longer connecting. Nozomi hadn't seen how, but Karuta had somehow slipped under a punch and was now out of range, his odd stance coming back. If he was still hurting from the attacks, he wasn't showing it as he stood just as strong as before.
A smirk played over his face; the calculating grin he wore every time Nozomi had seen him wear when he knew he was about to win a fight. He really must have been insane.....
The Hitmonchan attacked once more, a flurry of punches leading the way towards Karuta. Regardless of the weights on it's wrists, it was punching as quickly as possible, it's fists a blur of motion as the punches flew at Karuta. Karuta simply ducked to the left and began weaving around the attacks, his head darting left and right as the punches streaked past him by mere centimeters.
Karuta suddenly let out a counter-attack, a cupped hand lancing out and striking the Hitmonchan squarly in the center of the face. The Hitmonchan faltered for a breif moment, but it was all the time Karuta needed. He set upon the pokemon as feircely as it had him, raining down on it with a round of headshots that left the pokemon staggering to stay standing. The Hitmonchan ducked back past a kick to the head, Karuta's heavy boot zipping past his face close enough to graze the skin.
Nozomi gasped once more as she saw the Hitmonchan do the impossible: a feat she had never even dreamed a Hitmonchan ever being able to perform.
It kicked Karuta.
As simple as that, the Hitmonchan's left leg looped out and landed a solid blow on Karuta's shoulder as smoothly and naturally as it had been throwing punches. Karuta remained standing under the attack, but staggered nonetheless. He wrapped his struck arm around the Hitmonchan's foot, throwing it off balance as he leaned backwards and let go. The Hitmonchan bumbled forward directly into Karuta's fist, the sound of bare knuckles meeting a jaw bone ringing through the clearing. The Hitmonchan slumped onto Karuta, his unconcious weight sinking to the ground to lay in a heap in the grass.
Karuta took a moment to wipe his brow before dropping to his knees, the Hitmonlee's foot cutting the air where his head had just been. Karuta swung out with his leg, aiming to trip up the pokemon as it recovered from it's failed attack. The Hitmonlee hopped over the sweep and flipped over, an axe-kick arcing down at it's opponent. Karuta barely managed to dive away from the attack, rolling to his feet as the kick shattered the earth below it.
Karuta didn't have a moment's rest as the Hitmonlee leapt after him once more, landing before the crouching man and swinging it's right foot out at him. Karuta was suddenly standing and moving, his right leg also swinging across in a mirror motion to the Hitmonlee's. The two fighter's kicks connected with one another, blocking simultainiously from landing on each other's bodies. The two pushed away from each other and lashed out again, their actions identical once more.
Karuta dropped into his stance yet again, then darted forward at the fighting pokemon. His fist flew, aiming directly between the Hitmonlee's eyes. Nozomi was amazed once more as the Hitmonlee blocked the punch with a three-fingered hand, knocking it away and swinging up with a kick. The kick was ducked past and countered with a round of punches, each one blocked or diverted by the Hitmonlee's unusually quick hands.
The Hitmonlee took the chance to strike back, forcing Karuta onto a defensive as it lashed out with a furious assault of rapid kicks. It's attack seemed completely random, no obvious pattern whatsoever appearing as it did it's best to kick Karuta into a pulp. Karuta was made to either dodge or physically stop each kick, using the flats of his arms to brace against the attacks.
The Hitmonlee pulled back for a split-second, switching to a cross-kick with it's right. Karuta's arm darted up to block the upcoming attack, the Hitmonlee's weight shift having been obvious enough for even Nozomi to read. However, the pokemon suddenly juked the kick and attacked with it's left instead, the sneak attack flying at Karuta's unguarded side.
With a cry of victory, the Hitmonlee connected with the kick, Karuta's form bending completely around the pokemon's foot and wrapping around it like cloth.
Oops.
The Hitmonlee's eyes suddenly widened, then crossed in pain. It gave a low groan as it's hands went to it's crotch, grabbing itself in utter agony. It fell to the ground next to Karuta, writhing around with tears in it's eyes as it's human enemy stood and panted slowly.
Nozomi was in complete disbelief of what she had just seen. She didn't know how, but Karuta had somehow managed to slip out of his coat and drop to the ground. With Hitmonlee distracted by the trenchcoat, Karuta had dropped flat on his back and attacked with both feet at once, slamming his heels up into the pokemon's groin and ending up with the currently balled- up pokemon.
Karuta slowly got to his feet, looking at both the fallen pokemon. The Hitmonchan had already awoken and was busy nursing it's bruised jaw and looking sour. The Hitmonlee was recovering very, very slowly from the attack, now sitting and still holding itself gingerly. Karuta smiled and rubbed his arm gently, shaking his head to relieve the pounding in his temples.
Nozomi was almost too amazed by what she had just seen to notice that Karuta was actually not wearing his coat for once. 'Almost' being the key word here. She mentally noted that Karuta seemed to be against showing flesh of any sort, as he was wearing a long-sleeved shirt beneath his coat. The silk shirt clung to his body in a few places from the sweat of the fight, showing a lightly muscled build beneath it. Karuta was nothing like the big-'n'-buff fighters stereotypically known, but was instead lean and slender with a hidden strength in his taunt muscles.
Karuta reached a hand down to the Hitmonchan, looking expectant. The Hitmonchan looked at the offered hand, then smiled brightly and took it. Karuta pulled the Punching Pokemon to it's feet and patted it firmly on the shoulder, saying a few words that Nozomi couldn't make out. She slowly made her way closer, being sure to keep herself well-hidden among the trees as she gained a better position for spying.
"--still have that glass jaw though. We'll have to work on that sooner or later y'know. What kind of fighter drops with a tap to the chin, eh Tsuriau?" Karuta advised to the Hitmonchan, pointing at the bruise on it's chin.
"Leeeee....." the Hitmonlee moaned.
"Aw, quit the complainin' already. I know you're tougher than that Yumigata. How do you expect to get any better if you start up with the Totodile tears every time you take a solid hit?"
Nozomi scoffed at that comment. He had kicked his own pokemon square in the crotch and now he was scolding it on toughening up? Geez, Karuta was either crazy or stupid....neither of which he really seemed, she realized. But still, training fighting pokemon by fighting with them--it was a crazy idea, given how powerful fighting pokemon were naturaly. Still, Karuta had somehow managed to one-up the pokemon, despite being outnumbered. Maybe Karuta was actually a really smart kind of pokemon just pretending to be a trainer or something. A silly idea, but fun to entertain for a moment.
"Chssssssss....."
Nozomi felt a chill run down her spine at the sound of a low, gutteral, hiss. Her teeth chattered lightly as she heard the nearby underbrush giving way under a superior weight gliding over it. Might be an Ekans....snakes weren't common around this area, so she didn't have to worry about anything too big.
"Chaa....ba-bok....."
Nozomi's eyes widened with fear. A cold sweat broke out on the back of her neck, followed by goosebumps showing up over her skin. Only one pokemon had a hiss like that.....
Slowly turn....no sudden movements..... Nozomi chanted in her thoughts.
Eyes closed, Nozomi turned at a painstakingly slow pace until she was fully turned around. Her eyes still clenched shut, she could almost feel the pokemon near her....Arboks always gave off a feeling of dread nearby them, as if the Fates themselves were trying to warn possible victims of a horrible fate.
Slowly, ever so slowly, she opened her eyes. Barely cracking open, she found herself looking directly at a pair of yellow, lidless eyes. Her own eyes widened involuntarilly in terror, her gaze locked into that of the unnaturally massive Arbok that lay before her, it's body coiled around the trees like a rope. It's forked tongue darted out as it loomed over Nozomi, tasting the air and sense of pure fear around the girl. Were it possible, the serpent would have smiled an evil smile.
Dokuga would now get a special meal......
~~~~~~~~~~
Karuta stood silently amongst the fragrant ocean of wildflowers, the colorful blossoms swaying with the breeze. The warm sun shone down brightly upon his upturned face, his eyes closed against the bright rays. Everything was peaceful, bright, and cheery. One could almost feel a Disney-like song cue preparing to start up....
-I think I'm going to be sick....-
Karuta looked around at his surroundings, grimacing at the scenic field. What a complete waste of time....if he was going to dream, it could at least be something less cutesy.
As if in response to his internal complaint, the world around him faded away into darkness. Karuta gave a sigh of relief, but this was quickly drowned out by the blare of a car horn. Karuta squinted against the glare of swiftly moving headlights, confused by the sudden rush of wind coming from the direction of the light.
Survival instinct kicked in and Karuta flung himself to the side of the road, rolling away from the vehicle as it zoomed past him without slowing down. Karuta watched with curiosity as the car vanished down the highway, disappearing into the night.
Karuta slowly got to his feet, brushing himself off and flaring his crumpled coat. What kind of weird sort of dream was this? Oddly enough, the scene seemed vaguely familiar.
Karuta's line of thinking was broken as another car horn rang out. He watched silently as the same car rushed past, the lights momentarily blinding him as it continued away into the darkness. He waited, and the same thing happened a third and fourth time. The same car horn blared, then the same vehicle zipped past down the road.
What a complete waste of time.
And then....something changed. A minuet detail, but obvious nonetheless. A Sentret, a rather scrawny looking one at that, scampered across the road and set itself down in the middle of the lane. It busily scratched it's ear with a furry little paw, chittering and clicking like there was no tomorrow.
Karuta sighed a little, crossing his arms over his chest. The car would be coming by any second now...oh well, it wasn't his place to change destiny. If this little pokemon was to die here, then who was he to argue with the Fates?
The Sentret's ears twitched suddenly as the car horn blared again. The foolish little pokemon went up on it's tail, balancing expertly so it could see it's doom raging down at it on four wheels. With a terrible screech, the car swerved and avoided the Sentret, spinning out as two of the wheels slumped into the uneven shoulder of the highway. The car flipped onto it's side and dragged across the ground, a brilliant shower of sparks tracing it's path over the worn asphalt and rocks. Slowly, it skidded to a halt and flopped over onto it's top, the weak shell of the roof crumpling and the windows shatterings under the tonnage of the car.
And all was quiet....
Karuta looked at the wreck, then back to the Sentret. The little pokemon was sprawled on the asphalt, twitching jerkily and giving weak squeaks. The car had avoided it completely, but the shock of the event had been too much for the jittery little squirrel. It lay spasming on it's side as it's heart gave the last futile attempts to reset it's proper rythm. It gave one final trill before it's head slumped to the ground, it's tail laying out limp as the rest of it's body. Solid black eyes stared out at Karuta, cold and empty as the night around him.
Karuta stared at the body of the Sentret, sighing a little. It was meant to be.....after all, it wasn't like he could've done anything to stop it.....
The world faded away to black, the images of the dream blurring like an oil painting as Karuta's dreams fell apart into a simple oblivion. He slept, and the dreams worried him no more.
*****
Nozomi awoke with a start, gasping in the stale, choked air in her sleeping bag. It was stuffy like nothing else inside the bag and she had a hard time even getting enough air to fill her lungs. She scrunched her eyes in the darkness of the bag, trying to see what had awoken her from her oxygen- deprived slumber.
Kyuuden was no longer curled against her side, but was instead in a full glomp on her stomach, his furry face buried in her chest as he snored away happily.
The urge to strangle the little rodent was stronger than ever, but Nozomi somehow managed to contain herself for the time being.
Intent on getting some breathable air, Nozomi unzipped her bag enough to pop her head out, greeting herself to the new day with a deep gulp of crisp, cold, pre-morning air. The sut had yet to fully rise and all was still dark and calm in the forest. The fire had long since died, even the final embers dead and gone to the cold. Nozomi shivered briefly and snuggled back into the bag, ready to slink back to sleep until it was warmer.
Wait a second.
Nozomi pulled her arm from the inside of her sleeping bag, squinting her eyes in the dark. The digital face of her wrist watch glowed in the dimness, the illuminated numbers bringing a smile to Nozomi's face. The numbers shone out 4:45 a.m. An ungodly hour, but it was a wonderful sight to brighten Nozomi's morning. She looked up around the branches surrounding the campsite, noting them to be devoid of ill-tempered Fearow. As if it were too much to ask, Nozomi glanced over at where Karuta's bag still hung heavy with his weight.
Barely containing a laugh of victory, Nozomi scurried out of her bag and tucked Kyuuden back inside, lest he be awakened by the cold. Zipping the bag up after her exit, she snatched up a clean pair of clothes from her pack and dressed as quietly as she could. Once changed, she balled up her night clothes and stuffed them into the sleeping bag. The lumps of her clothes along with Kyuuden made a decent enough decoy...she hoped.
And with that hope in mind, Nozomi darted off into the woods. Today was starting off better than she could've hoped.
*****
It was almost half an hour later when Karuta woke up. Nozomi watched him silently from her hiding place in the woods as he dropped from his sleeping bag to the ground, hardly stirring up any dust in his landing. She knew he had to weigh at bare minimum more than a hundred pounds, but how he landed so softly was beyond here. He stood up straight and stretched a few times, the cracks and pops of his spinal column echoing through the quiet morning fully to where Nozomi was hidden.
Nozomi held her breath as Karuta's gaze fell upon her sleeping bag, the bundles beneath it still moving rythmically from Kyuuden's deep snores. Her breath came out in a silent sigh of relief as Karuta turned his back to the bag and released Tsu-chan from her ball. Karuta briefly spoke to the bird while she took nest in the low branches of the forest clearing, then started off on his own into the woods.
With a grin of anxious curiosity, Nozomi took off after the swift Karuta as well as she could....
And promptly lost track of him within ten seconds.
Nozomi felt like screaming in frustration. Karuta had always moved just quickly enough to make her try and keep up with him normally, but the way he traveled alone was unbearable. As soon as he had stepped out of the campsite, he had gone into a sprint that left Nozomi in the dust. The way he moved was bizarre...as if he was shifting just around the trees and underbrush instead of dodging past them. His coat was nothing but a flapping blur as he moved silently through the woods, leaving Nozomi to lag behind despite her flat-out run. Her best efforts to keep up with him was completely in vain as he had vanished away into the forest while she gasped for breath from the sudden run.
Grumbling to herself, Nozomi treked on regardless of Karuta's lead. He had been traveling in a straight line and she was sure he wouldn't go that far from camp. Ten minuets of power-walking proved her wrong as she continued on, trying to ignore the knot she felt building in her left thigh. She would have to try and pummel Karuta for this after she caught up to him....
~*CRACK!!*~
The sudden noise caught Nozomi's attention easily. It was still very quiet in the forest and the sound erupted like an explosion tearing through glass. The echo slowly faded away, only to be continued with a second identical crack. Nozomi quickly gave chase to the sorce of the sound, stopping short as she almost ran full into another clearing.
Karuta was standing in the clearing, his frame set in an odd stance. Nozomi knew he was a martial artist simply from how easily he fought, but she couldn't recognize anything in his stance. It almost looked like an animal form of Kung-fu, perhaps Snake or Monkey....
Karuta was poised on the balls of his feet, his knees bent sharply in a position that looked less than comfortable. Facing sideways, his hands were cupped like a cat's paw and held at chest and eye level, bobbing slightly as he swayed to an unheard beat. His glasses were gone and his hair drawn up tightly in a poorly done braid. He had a look of exhurstion and effort on his face that Nozomi had never seen him wear before, like he was actually having trouble with what he was doing. A light sheen of sweat covered his forehead, a few drops running down his face to drip from his chin.
And he was still wearing that stupid trench coat.
Nozomi looked across the clearing at two more figures with Karuta. Her eyes widened as she tried to make sense of what was happening here....
Both of Karuta's opponents glared hatefully at him, their stances set for battle. Was he crazy to do something so foolish!? What kind of idiot took on a Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan at once!?
The Hitmonlee was more odd looking than any she had ever seen, and that was saying a lot. Her old Sensei had used Hitmonlee to aid with training in Kenpo. Their kicks were perfect, even without training, thus making them fantastic examples to study by. However, this one looked nothing like the Hitmonlee she was used to.
The Kicking Fiend itself looked average, though it was a bit bulkier than the norm. It's upper body was thinned around the waist and built heavily on the upper portion, mainly around it's shoulders and upper arms. On it's wrists and ankles were heavy looking clasps, glimmering dully with the look of lead. Despite these obvious deadweights, the Hitmonlee looked as lithe and agile as any other, seeming like it could flitter away at the slightest chance.
It's partener, the Hitmonchan, also looked far different than what Nozomi was used to. Instead of the usual white tunic common with Hitmonchan, it wore a solid black gi, complete with belt and dojo slippers. It was hopping up and down on the balls of it's feet, looking anxious as it batted it's hands together. The trademark boxing gloves all Hitmonchan had were absent, replaced by a pair of black leather gloves lined with sturdy looking chrome studs across the knuckles. The fingers of the gloves were cut out completely, leaving the Hitmonchan's mitten-shaped hands to flex freely without any sort of resistance. The Hitmonchan also wore an identical pair of weights as it's antithesist.
Nozomi blinked a few times, trying to get what was going on. Her internal question was answered as the Hitmonlee gave a sudden cry and dashed forward, it's long legs quickly closing the distance between itself and Karuta. The Hitmonchan was in hot persuit, following after it's partener towards the human fighter.
The Hitmonlee was instantly airborne, spinning around into a roundhouse kick aimed for Karuta's stomach. Karuta's hands darted out, snagging the pokemon's foot and giving it a sharp twist. The Hitmonlee simply twirled with the counter, swinging it's other foot out and landing a square hit across Karuta's jaw. Nozomi held back a gasp as Karuta lost his grip and staggered, stunned silly by the headshot.
With the opening available, the Hitmonchan fell mercilessly on Karuta, a barrage of sharp blows striking his chest and stomach repeatedly. The sound of the metal studs striking soundly on flesh was terrible, enhanced by Karuta's grunts of pain. Nozomi could only watch in awe and terror as Karuta was beaten by the Hitmonchan, shaking her head unconciously.
And suddenly, the sound of metal on flesh stopped.
The Hitmonchan was still swinging, but the punches were no longer connecting. Nozomi hadn't seen how, but Karuta had somehow slipped under a punch and was now out of range, his odd stance coming back. If he was still hurting from the attacks, he wasn't showing it as he stood just as strong as before.
A smirk played over his face; the calculating grin he wore every time Nozomi had seen him wear when he knew he was about to win a fight. He really must have been insane.....
The Hitmonchan attacked once more, a flurry of punches leading the way towards Karuta. Regardless of the weights on it's wrists, it was punching as quickly as possible, it's fists a blur of motion as the punches flew at Karuta. Karuta simply ducked to the left and began weaving around the attacks, his head darting left and right as the punches streaked past him by mere centimeters.
Karuta suddenly let out a counter-attack, a cupped hand lancing out and striking the Hitmonchan squarly in the center of the face. The Hitmonchan faltered for a breif moment, but it was all the time Karuta needed. He set upon the pokemon as feircely as it had him, raining down on it with a round of headshots that left the pokemon staggering to stay standing. The Hitmonchan ducked back past a kick to the head, Karuta's heavy boot zipping past his face close enough to graze the skin.
Nozomi gasped once more as she saw the Hitmonchan do the impossible: a feat she had never even dreamed a Hitmonchan ever being able to perform.
It kicked Karuta.
As simple as that, the Hitmonchan's left leg looped out and landed a solid blow on Karuta's shoulder as smoothly and naturally as it had been throwing punches. Karuta remained standing under the attack, but staggered nonetheless. He wrapped his struck arm around the Hitmonchan's foot, throwing it off balance as he leaned backwards and let go. The Hitmonchan bumbled forward directly into Karuta's fist, the sound of bare knuckles meeting a jaw bone ringing through the clearing. The Hitmonchan slumped onto Karuta, his unconcious weight sinking to the ground to lay in a heap in the grass.
Karuta took a moment to wipe his brow before dropping to his knees, the Hitmonlee's foot cutting the air where his head had just been. Karuta swung out with his leg, aiming to trip up the pokemon as it recovered from it's failed attack. The Hitmonlee hopped over the sweep and flipped over, an axe-kick arcing down at it's opponent. Karuta barely managed to dive away from the attack, rolling to his feet as the kick shattered the earth below it.
Karuta didn't have a moment's rest as the Hitmonlee leapt after him once more, landing before the crouching man and swinging it's right foot out at him. Karuta was suddenly standing and moving, his right leg also swinging across in a mirror motion to the Hitmonlee's. The two fighter's kicks connected with one another, blocking simultainiously from landing on each other's bodies. The two pushed away from each other and lashed out again, their actions identical once more.
Karuta dropped into his stance yet again, then darted forward at the fighting pokemon. His fist flew, aiming directly between the Hitmonlee's eyes. Nozomi was amazed once more as the Hitmonlee blocked the punch with a three-fingered hand, knocking it away and swinging up with a kick. The kick was ducked past and countered with a round of punches, each one blocked or diverted by the Hitmonlee's unusually quick hands.
The Hitmonlee took the chance to strike back, forcing Karuta onto a defensive as it lashed out with a furious assault of rapid kicks. It's attack seemed completely random, no obvious pattern whatsoever appearing as it did it's best to kick Karuta into a pulp. Karuta was made to either dodge or physically stop each kick, using the flats of his arms to brace against the attacks.
The Hitmonlee pulled back for a split-second, switching to a cross-kick with it's right. Karuta's arm darted up to block the upcoming attack, the Hitmonlee's weight shift having been obvious enough for even Nozomi to read. However, the pokemon suddenly juked the kick and attacked with it's left instead, the sneak attack flying at Karuta's unguarded side.
With a cry of victory, the Hitmonlee connected with the kick, Karuta's form bending completely around the pokemon's foot and wrapping around it like cloth.
Oops.
The Hitmonlee's eyes suddenly widened, then crossed in pain. It gave a low groan as it's hands went to it's crotch, grabbing itself in utter agony. It fell to the ground next to Karuta, writhing around with tears in it's eyes as it's human enemy stood and panted slowly.
Nozomi was in complete disbelief of what she had just seen. She didn't know how, but Karuta had somehow managed to slip out of his coat and drop to the ground. With Hitmonlee distracted by the trenchcoat, Karuta had dropped flat on his back and attacked with both feet at once, slamming his heels up into the pokemon's groin and ending up with the currently balled- up pokemon.
Karuta slowly got to his feet, looking at both the fallen pokemon. The Hitmonchan had already awoken and was busy nursing it's bruised jaw and looking sour. The Hitmonlee was recovering very, very slowly from the attack, now sitting and still holding itself gingerly. Karuta smiled and rubbed his arm gently, shaking his head to relieve the pounding in his temples.
Nozomi was almost too amazed by what she had just seen to notice that Karuta was actually not wearing his coat for once. 'Almost' being the key word here. She mentally noted that Karuta seemed to be against showing flesh of any sort, as he was wearing a long-sleeved shirt beneath his coat. The silk shirt clung to his body in a few places from the sweat of the fight, showing a lightly muscled build beneath it. Karuta was nothing like the big-'n'-buff fighters stereotypically known, but was instead lean and slender with a hidden strength in his taunt muscles.
Karuta reached a hand down to the Hitmonchan, looking expectant. The Hitmonchan looked at the offered hand, then smiled brightly and took it. Karuta pulled the Punching Pokemon to it's feet and patted it firmly on the shoulder, saying a few words that Nozomi couldn't make out. She slowly made her way closer, being sure to keep herself well-hidden among the trees as she gained a better position for spying.
"--still have that glass jaw though. We'll have to work on that sooner or later y'know. What kind of fighter drops with a tap to the chin, eh Tsuriau?" Karuta advised to the Hitmonchan, pointing at the bruise on it's chin.
"Leeeee....." the Hitmonlee moaned.
"Aw, quit the complainin' already. I know you're tougher than that Yumigata. How do you expect to get any better if you start up with the Totodile tears every time you take a solid hit?"
Nozomi scoffed at that comment. He had kicked his own pokemon square in the crotch and now he was scolding it on toughening up? Geez, Karuta was either crazy or stupid....neither of which he really seemed, she realized. But still, training fighting pokemon by fighting with them--it was a crazy idea, given how powerful fighting pokemon were naturaly. Still, Karuta had somehow managed to one-up the pokemon, despite being outnumbered. Maybe Karuta was actually a really smart kind of pokemon just pretending to be a trainer or something. A silly idea, but fun to entertain for a moment.
"Chssssssss....."
Nozomi felt a chill run down her spine at the sound of a low, gutteral, hiss. Her teeth chattered lightly as she heard the nearby underbrush giving way under a superior weight gliding over it. Might be an Ekans....snakes weren't common around this area, so she didn't have to worry about anything too big.
"Chaa....ba-bok....."
Nozomi's eyes widened with fear. A cold sweat broke out on the back of her neck, followed by goosebumps showing up over her skin. Only one pokemon had a hiss like that.....
Slowly turn....no sudden movements..... Nozomi chanted in her thoughts.
Eyes closed, Nozomi turned at a painstakingly slow pace until she was fully turned around. Her eyes still clenched shut, she could almost feel the pokemon near her....Arboks always gave off a feeling of dread nearby them, as if the Fates themselves were trying to warn possible victims of a horrible fate.
Slowly, ever so slowly, she opened her eyes. Barely cracking open, she found herself looking directly at a pair of yellow, lidless eyes. Her own eyes widened involuntarilly in terror, her gaze locked into that of the unnaturally massive Arbok that lay before her, it's body coiled around the trees like a rope. It's forked tongue darted out as it loomed over Nozomi, tasting the air and sense of pure fear around the girl. Were it possible, the serpent would have smiled an evil smile.
Dokuga would now get a special meal......