Sorry about the hiatus. My comp is screwed up majorly, even after Defragmenting, Virus Scanning, Ad-Aware and Spybot run throughs. So, I bring you a kinda-longer chapter. Which I didn't really have a choice on anyway. Enjoyeth.
Woah. It was the weirdest thing. After I released the second chapter, I met this girl named Selena! It was like, OMFG! They were a lot alike, too, except the real Selena isn't Hispanic and is a little younger.
Guess what? Although I have made so much of the storyline, I'm running out of juice/enthusiasm for this story. But the fact that I got a new reader makes me happy! So, to writing I go!
LightAngel2: ...Woot. I love you.
NOTE(S):
- I still don't own SSBM, Fire Emblem, etc.
- Has anyone been noticing that I've been switching between "Selena", "Serena", and "Selene"? Well, since I just met a Selena, I suppose she'll be Selena now.
- And have you guys noticed the other things I've been doing? Like, when the other Players were talking about Trent, someone said Harry Potter? And the Emerald Team's suite is number 169. Anyone? No? You are the suck.
- I gave up on Dominick talking too funny. .
- CDs = Disks.
XXX
Chapter Three: Intensive AI
XXX
The smell of sugary cereal and milk provided by the hotel awoke Ferah's senses as she stepped into the main room of the Emerald suite.
She yawned, and scratched her head. Her hair wasn't up in her usual double- buns yet, but was pulled back in a messy ponytail to contain it while she slept. However, she was dressed in one of her originals. "Morning." She mumbled.
"Good morning." Said Selena, every-so-perfect. Her hair was laid out perfectly on her thin shoulders and her mascara was completely un-clumped.
"Hey." Said Dominick. He was checking more info on the CDs. As per usual, he maintained his spot on the floor with his laptop on the TV table.
Aaron, wearing a sleeve-less shirt and over-large addidas pants waved. Ferah couldn't tell if his ensemble was sleepwear or his clothes for the day. He was brushing his teeth with an automatic toothbrush, and minty foam was beginning to form at his mouth.
Kaze sent her recognition via his eyes and returned to watching the news on TV. There was a live car chase as a pair of cop cars tore down the highway after a failing Oldsmobile.
Ferah let out a breath of relaxation when she found there were no Avatars about. She wanted to have some time with real people for a little while.
"So, what are you looking at?" Asked Ferah casually, taking a seat on the couch behind Dominick.
"Just some stuff on the CDs. We 'aven't really given 'em a good run- through..."
"Good idea." She said, and peered over his shoulder. Something about elements... "What does it mean?" She asked, completely clueless.
"Oh... This is about each Avater bein' in an element. Like... fer instance, Roy's Fire controlled..."
"Okay... well, can I use your laptop after your done?" Ferah asked, non- interested.
Dominick nodded, exiting out of the box. "Yeah, you can 'ave it right now. What do you need it fer?" He asked.
"I want to e-mail my family." Ferah replied, finding a loose string on her home-made blouse and giving it a twist and a tug. It came off cleanly.
"A'ight." He said, and delicately handed it over to her.
Ferah took the thin, black laptop and sat down on the couch, near Kaze. She let herself bounce on the cushions to bug him. It had no effect.
She signed on to her e-mail provider and opened a blank e-mail.
"Hey Dameon. Sorry I didn't mail you sooner, but I was a tad busy with the contest and whatnot. So far, I'm rather confused. My character, a prince called Roy, seems to have his own life in the virtual world, like he's living. Mr. Hirogawa had stressed the AI in the Avatars, anyway. (That's what we call them.) Anyway, I'll introduce the other members of my team. There's Dominick, whose laptop I'm using right now. He's a cool kid that loves video games (but of course, not as much as Van). His character is Mr. Game and Watch, whom we dub MG. He's some ancient video game character, and is like, two dimensional, and completely black. A stick figure. He really freaks me out. And then there's Aaron, who also kind of freaks me out, but not as much. He's the Player of an elf. Unfortunately, he's allergic to Fern, so he's been sleeping a lot. For now, I've been keeping her in Selena and my room. I don't know a lot about him, but he obviously adores Selena. Selena is the only other girl on the team. She's really pretty and friendly. And surprisingly, she's obsessed with Pokemon. Her character is Daisy, some sort of princess. And then there's Kaze. Said Kha-zay. Really weird, I know. He's a solitary guy. Likes to read out on the balcony, away from Aaron's snoring or senseless rambling and Selena and Dominick's video games. His character is Fox, who is, well, a fox. Anthropomorphic. Roy is usually pretty busy ruling his lovely little kingdom, so I don't talk to him much. From what experiences I've had with him so far, he reminds me a lot of Van... How is Van anyway? I hope he can hang on long enough for me to win this little contest. Don't tell him I've been having troubles with Roy, it would break him. Has that stupid dog Raven come back yet? And I hope you haven't forgotten about Thunder and Lightning. Tell Van I love him. I love you too, and Aunty. - FMF"
Ferah finished, checked over her spelling, and then sent it to her brother. She poured a glass of chunky milk and took a chug. It was bland. Getting up to get a teabag of Earlsgray, she passed the laptop back to Dominick. "Thanks." She said.
Fox appeared next to her in a flash. He stretched, opening his muzzle and revealing dangerous ivory canines. He sulked back into the couch cushions and put his feet up on the table. "Morning, all." He said casually.
"Oh... hi Fox." She said, lifting her feet over his legs. "You want my milk?" It was a test to find out if they could eat and drink real food. She watched him carefully.
"What? No, no thanks. Already had something." He shrugged.
Ferah sighed and went to pour it down the drain in the shared bathroom.
When she came back, Daisy, Link and MG were there.
"Why don't you bring out Roy?" Asked Selena twirling her earring stub.
Ferah frowned. "He's probably busy."
"That's kind of strange." Said Selena. "If he's in video game, shouldn't he be ready to play at all times?"
Ferah shook her head. "I suppose I could force him to come here, but I'm trying to be courteous. We didn't start on a good foot. And remember, 'Intensive AI?'"
The hour-long news ended, and Kaze stood up. "Well, time to get him ready. We should get to training."
"Oh yeah, we ah a mat todey, dun't we?" Aaron said through his gurgling and foam.
"We actually should have started training yesterday, like the rest of the teams. We're behind, so let's finish up breakfast and get to work." Said Kaze, finally taking role as captain.
Ferah bit her lip, remembering that yesterday was devoted to finding Roy. "Sorry..." She said.
"It's alright." Said Selena quickly, in case Kaze tried to voice otherwise. She placed her bowl of chunky milk onto the breakfast cart.
Aaron got up to spit out his toothpaste. "I'll guh get teh Adepter."
"I'll get their weapons." Said Dominick, following after him. Fox's ears twitched up, glad to receive his Blaster back.
"Don't forget shoes." Said Ferah, pulling on the white leather boots she had gotten last night.
---
Again, the rushing of power drove through Ferah's body. The trip was shorter this time, and she didn't descend to Pharae, but instead appeared and landed neatly on a large, multi-layered, floating platform in the middle of a perfectly blue sky. The sun was near overhead, but the heat wasn't driving. Sunshine glittered through a large, floating emerald, throwing dancing green reflections onto the gray stone of the fray.
Next to her landed Selena, then Aaron and Dominick, and finally Kaze.
"Woah..." Said Dominick, a little dizzy. MG appeared next to him and made beeping noises, mimicking Dominick's flailing from side to side as he held his head.
The stage's three surfaces were decorated with pillars, floating platforms, square holes, rotating circular disks, and rows of spikes. "Great..." Mumbled Ferah. She had suddenly wished she had exercised this summer instead of being so lazy.
Aaron peered carefully over the side of one of the holes. "Wonder what happens if we fall and don't land on the other layers." He murmured. Some of the holes were aligned with holes on the lower frays, so if you fell, you would fall through all three of them.
"Oh, let's find out, shall we?" Selena said, hovering menacingly behind him.
Fox appeared near Kaze, who was scanning the horizon beyond the fray boundaries. He sheltered his sly eyes with a hand. There were four other platforms, with a ruby, topaz, sapphire, or amethyst above them. Most of the other platforms were housing the teams as they trained and talked.
"Might as well get started." Said Kaze, as Roy and Link landed. Daisy drifted down from above with her white umbrella.
Roy dropped down in front of Ferah with a slight thud. He didn't seem so distracted this time. "Good morning, Lady Ferah." He said, smiling.
"Erm, good morning." Said Ferah. Aaron snickered from behind Roy. "Could you let up on the 'Lady' bit?" She asked quietly. He nodded courteously.
Daisy landed lightly onto the ground, closing her umbrella and hanging it on her arm via the hook.
"Are we all ready?" Asked Aaron, watching Dominick. He hadn't stopped swaying yet, but made his way over to Ferah. His face was muddled with fright and his knees kept locking and unlocking. MG followed after him, making an arpeggio of flat beeps.
"I don't think so." Said Ferah, as she grabbed Dominick's shoulder to steady him. He looked up at her with quivering eyes. "Are you okay?" She asked, bending over to his height.
"I'm afraid... of heights..." he buried his face in her cardigan so he wouldn't have to see the nothingness through the holes.
Selena gave him a reassuring pat on the back. "Maybe it'll be easier for Dominick once he's got MG in him." She looked at Daisy. She wanted to be first this time.
"Sur...survival." Daisy disappeared into the mist again, and returned to Selena. But instead of going straight back into the chip box, the mist layered and covered Selena. She let out a gasp of wonder.
"Survival." Said Aaron, looking at Link. Link gave him a nod coolly as the mist overtook him and was guided to Aaron.
"...SurVival!" Moaned Dominick, trying to get it over with so he could return to the real world.
"Survival." Fox disappeared into Kaze quickly.
Ferah sighed. "Survival." She said, looking at Roy. He was staring at her shoes pensively. "Oh... I..." She mumbled, starting to explain.
Roy slid and disappeared into the mist, surrounding Ferah like a blanket of green and gold. As it overtook her, Dominick and the sun disappeared from her sight.
Ferah took a deep breath. She was somewhere dark, but it felt warm and nice. Her footing gave way, like the platform underneath had drained into paper. Scared, she looked around for Roy, so he could hold her up. But he was no where to be found. Taking in the air to relax, she thought she could almost feel Roy, not next to her, not near her, but inside her.
She held out her arm cautiously as a finger-less gauntlet materialized over her arm. Her blouse had extended and was thin and stiff. Her shoulders were suddenly weighed down and her bangs pulled back. She touched her hair. It was now short, not as short as Roy's, but just a little beyond her ears. She adjusted the chest armor, which dug deeply into her side.
There was a yell. She snapped out of her mystification and saw Daisy trying to help up a strange brown stick figure onto the fray.
"Dominick!" Ferah yelled. She paused. Someone was yelling with her. She nodded, noting it was Roy.
She ran over and roped her arms around Selena's thin stomach, trying to root her foot behind a pointed stone pillar. Roy's strength was amazing, but Dominick was slowly slipping away from Daisy's lace-gloved hands. "He fell during the synchronization." Explained Daisy, sounding a lot like Selena.
Ferah flattened her face against Daisy's back. Neither Dominick nor MG were heavy, but their grip was failing. Ferah couldn't see Dominick, but he heard his moaning.
A green figure dove from her right and completely slid over the edge. Daisy let out a yelp of surprise. There was a thud against the stone fray, and the unraveling rattle of chains. Daisy took a breath and let go of Dominick's hands, letting his figure disappear over the edge.
"Are you insane?" Breathed Ferah as she let go of Daisy, then rushed up to the rim.
Daisy sat back on the ground. "It's okay, Link's got him." She breathed, pulling back on her glove and pushing back a strand of chestnut hair that had gotten loose in the flurry. It was Serena.
Ferah peered cautiously over to the edge. Below her was Link, one hand holding Dominick's hand, and the other holding the handle of metal grappling hook. The hook was more like an arrow, lodged into the stone side of the top fray.
Link looked up. Ferah recognized his face features, as well as his hair, as Aaron's. "Aaron!" She shouted. His bare arm strained to keep his fist strong on the handle.
Aaron began rocking his body, swaying from the chain, back and forth, back and forth. Dominick looked very queasy, although it was hard to tell when his face was so dark.
With one more swing, Link yanked the hook out of the fray and jumped onto the second layer, landing dangerously close to the edge. He dropped Dominick, and was about to fall backwards off the fray himself. Dominick was too shaken to help him, just staring in shock. It was up to Kaze, quickly dropping down the hole and grabbing Aaron's arm with a tight, furry grip. As Kaze yanked him up, Aaron almost collapsed on top of Kaze, but Fox's speed was amazing and they suddenly shot away, allowing Aaron to drop onto the stone.
Ferah jumped down one of the holes to the second fray, then landing awkwardly as she threw her hands to control her arid pleaded skirt, like the one she had been wearing in the real world. Once she was sure it wouldn't fly up, she ran over and picked up Dominick, grabbed his head in a deadly hug, much like Dameon's. But instead of cushioning his head on her chest, his head slammed against her armor. "Sorry." She murmured, giving his short hair a rub.
Daisy followed after. Aaron stood up and received a pat on the back from her. "That was great, you two."
Kaze sighed from Aaron's recklessness. He looked strange as Fox, partly because Fox's brown fur was now a dark black, tipped with white.
Aaron wiped his face. "I totally would have not been able to do that in real life." He breathed deeply, shaking his head. A cool wind blew through the layer and caught Link's pointed hat, whirling it off the edge.
---
"I thought Roy's sword was supposed to be flaming." Said Selena, sitting on the corner of a floating platform as it hovered peacefully up and down.
"I know, and the hilt is hot... but I can't get it to flame. Am I doing something wrong?" Ferah asked Roy as her blade clanged against Link's Master Sword. Aaron pulled back the sword, careful not to send Ferah's blade driving into him, and swirled around using some sort of strange move to cut Ferah's chest armor.
The strangest thing that the Emerald Team had discovered was that, for certain moves, they had to say certain commands that came to them from their Avatars.
"The fire should go on it's own. Maybe you can't because this is just training." Said Roy from somewhere near her.
"I hope that that's just it." She said. So far, she had been the only one who didn't use Commands for the special moves, because Roy hadn't told her any. Ferah took her left hand to wipe sweat from her eyes. It usually was curled in a fist, the way Roy was accustomed to fighting.
Something about the virtual world and wielding such a beautiful sword made Ferah's adrenaline rush. She forgot all about Van being in the hospital, about the dress she was composing, or about her meeting the weird kid William.
---
Ferah's eyes shot open. Sweat was rolling down her forehead, and her blouse was drenched. She lifted a ghoulish-feeling hand and yanked out her cord from her Chip Box. Her body solidified. She reached out and pulled out the other end of her cord from the Adapter Box. The others did the same. Once everyone had unhooked themselves, they began rolling up their cords, except for Dominick, who quickly dashed off to the bathroom.
Ferah found she had slid off the couch and onto the floor into an awkward pose. Aaron rolled her head her way, extremely tired, and laughed. She got up and almost collapsed. Serena waddled over stiffly and helped her up.
Their training had mostly contained of sparring. Dominick's fear had subsided long enough for him to have a good laugh at Ferah trying to slash Kaze with the Sword of Seals.
Ferah didn't realize how heavy Roy's armor was until she actually had it on. She almost got tangled in his cape a couple of times, and whenever her new red hair flashed in the corner of her eyes, she thought it was somebody. After a while, the armor he wore hurt her chest.
Regardless of the pains, Ferah absolutely loved synchronizing with Roy and fighting. She could jump higher, run faster, and was at least three times stronger than she was right now. Yet, she still maintained her girlish figure, even after hours with Roy's blade.
Kaze and Fox were an amazing team, regardless of their personalities. Kaze was very good at reaction time, and was sly at when he was going to attack and where. Fox was the fastest Avatar accessible.
Selena had a hard time controlling Daisy. Daisy had weird things hidden under her skirt, like a golf club. Selena was used to wearing pants and boots, so she was limited to what she could do in a poofy dress.
Aaron mumbled something unintelligible as he got up, rubbing his back.
"I'm gonna go take a shower." Said Selena, getting up and dragging herself to the girls' room.
"I'm next." Called Aaron.
"Then I'm after that." Muttered Ferah.
"You guys are going to have to wait. Dominick's throwing up in there." Said Kaze, checking keys in his pocket.
---
The Players were scattered amongst the risers at a small baseball field in a park down the street from their hotel. On the way there, they were swamped by photographers and cameramen. Ferah had stopped a lot to market her small clothing line. Selena had been stopped a lot because she was so photogenic. Kaze had stopped a lot of the cameramen from stopping them.
Ferah straightened the creases in her skirt as she sat down on the risers. Selena took a seat next to her and took off her sunglasses, then put them in her hair. She brushed back a strand of gold. "I prefer being a blonde than a brunette." She said simply.
"I prefer not being anchored down with shoulder and chest armor." Commented Ferah. She shook her leg in anticipation and watched the other Players talk amongst themselves. She didn't want to hold back, fighting against a partner, but instead unleash full out Roy's sword. Maybe she could get it to flame.
"I like not being a stick figure on a floatin' platform umpteen millon feet in teh sky." Said Dominick. He tried to lean back, but hit his head on Ruby Team Scott's knee.
Hirogawa appeared, accompanied by his Assistant and several executives. Most of them guarded the borders to where spectators and photographers had to watch from. As he moved front and center, the Players hushed up.
"Hello! Welcome to GreenWater Park, where the duration of our first matches will take place. I hope the past few days have been treating you well, and also hope your Avatars have been too." He said loudly, so the spectators could hear as well.
Ferah leaned into her hand. As soon as she could, she would try to scrape and tap off all the dirt on her shoes. Roy had figured out she had stayed around in the virtual world when she said she wouldn't. He would have said something if they weren't distracted by vigorous training.
"Your team will be randomly chosen to fight another team. Since there are five teams, one team will not fight today. The first team to force all members of the opposing team into submission, IE trap them, cause them to forfeit, or make them unconscious, wins the match. After your fight, the scoreboard here," He pointed at the baseball field's electronic scoreboard, which had been reconfigured, "will display points lost and gained by your fighting. The three teams with the most overall points during the Team period will continue in this contest."
Mr. Hirogawa continued. "Points can also be awarded on things like Captains defeating other Captains, or Rivals defeating their Rivals." There was a little chitchatting after this. He continued to silence them. "You're Rivals are your mirrors. For instance, Mario and Luigi are Rivals. The only one who doesn't have a Rival is Mr. Game and Watch." He scratched his head, surprised he hadn't mentioned Rivals beforehand. "Anyway... the teams fighting today are... The Ruby Team versus the Emerald Team and the Sapphire Team versus the Amethyst Team."
Aaron and Kaze moved up from the lower layers as people began rearranging.
"Let's see who's down there..." Said Selena, standing up and almost losing footing because of her large black pumps. She sheltered her eyes with her hand. "Alex... Madison... Ryan... Cassandra... and some loud guy."
"Eh? That's Nick." Said Aaron. "Alright, Dominick, do you remember what Players have what Avatars from the CD information?" Aaron asked.
"I know Cassandra is with Zelda." Said Ferah bitterly.
"Okay." Said Dominick, looking pensive. "Ryan is Mario, I know that. Nick is Kirby..."
"Alex is Falco." Said Kaze, looking behind them to the dark-haired Alex.
"And Cassandra has a Dragonair." Said Selena.
"A what?" Asked Ferah, who didn't stay in to Pokemon long enough to catch one.
"Yeah, what do you know about their Avatars?" Asked Aaron.
"Well... Kirby can copy abilities. Falco is fast, 'though not a fast as Fox. Zelda has projectiles. She's concentrated on power, but is really slow. I can't remember anythin about Dragonair, though."
Selena narrowed her eyes, searching Madison. "Dragonair." She stated quietly. "Dragon Pokemon, that evolves from Dratini. It's a mystical Pokemon that... exudes a gentle aura. Has the ability to change climate conditions." She said, reciting it like a poem. "That's all I can remember... I never bother to raised one..."
"The ability to change the weather? I don't think that's gonna happen. Know anything else?" Asked Aaron.
Mr. Hirogawa began quieting the Players. "Divide into your teams. If the Ruby and Emerald Teams would follow my assistant here... and the Sapphire and Amethyst team follow him..."
"Er... oh... I suppose she could be an Ice Pokemon too..." Selena tried to say over the noise as kids jumped and dropped from the risers instead of walking down them.
"Yeah." Said Dominick. "She was under Ice element. She was also under-" He got cut off as he fell of the metal risers, scratching himself but landing on his feet.
"I call Cassandra!" Aaron happily announced.
The Emerald Team followed the backs of Ryan and Nick as they and moved over to the waiting Assistant and their battlefield.
---
They were led over to a small arena that was enclosed by tall metal gates, holding back a large crowd of spectators. Most of the arena was made out of a very steep inclined slope, that lead almost directly into a wide river, excluding a small stretch of gravel. On the other side was a mirroring nearly-vertical hill. Above the arena was a large stoplight-like object, hanging from poles that were beyond the boundaries. At the moment, the light was red.
"What? This tiny little thing?" Whined Cassandra. Ferah looked her way. At least she wasn't the only one who was totally freaked at this. But still, she felt she might be the only one out of the ten of them who couldn't swim.
"Looks can be misleading." Said the executive, who had overheard her. Ferah frowned, looking at the water.
With instructions, the Emerald Team spread out and stood on the brow of the furthest hill. There were ten little platforms jutting out from their hillside where each member took a spot at, a blank one in-between for each Player's Avatar. The Ruby Team mirrored them on the other hill.
Ferah could see Dominick down the hill, looking uncomfortable on such a small platform. He kept fingering his Chip Box. "MG..." He summoned.
Ferah copied the motion. "Roy." She called. He appeared in the familiar smoke, then appeared on the platform next to her, his hand behind him, probably on the hilt of his sword. Everyone's Avatar appeared behind them.
Madison had called out her Dragonair like a real Pokemon Trainer would have done, doing something corny like "I choose you, Dragonair!", with her hands cupped around the Chip Box. Ferah had scoffed, but Selena had looked on in complete marvel.
Dragonair was a long, thin dragon. It had large eyes and a slim, blue surface. On it's head was a lovely, shining horn. It coiled itself on its platform, then raised it's head, watching the Emerald Team.
Ferah sighed, bracing herself as the announcer took his place on another hill so everyone could see him. He took up a microphone. "When the light turns green..." He said. The light flashed yellow, and he began to count down.
"5...4...3...2... ... ... ... 1!" As soon as he yelled the last digit, the light flashed red.
Ferah took a deep breath. "Survival!" Everyone yelled at nearly the same time.
Kaze didn't bother to be mystified again like Ferah, but instead headed down the hill on his knee. The hat-less Link dove after, and Selena jumped up and out, opened her umbrella and planning to land on the gravel near the water. Dominick, in his brown-stick figure form froze, making rattling noises and peering downward.
Ferah yelled. "Dominick, let's go!" She threw herself off the edge, wondering how deep the river was. She slid down, using Roy's booted foot to push away the rocks on the hill. As she watched the water come nearer, she could feel Roy's burning anticipation for battle.
She saw Kaze suddenly stop before hitting the river, jumping up to slow his fall. Link scrambled in the gravel as not to slide into the water. Selena was about to land in the water, but Link grabbed her ankle and pulled her towards the land.
"What?" Began Ferah. Roy spoke in her head, "Look!", moving her head to focus on the Ruby Team. Mario, Falco, Kirby, and Zelda hadn't rushed into battle like they did, but instead skidded down from the platforms late so Madison could rush ahead.
Madison looked very elegant. Her hair had turned a graceful white, and she now wore a light blue gown that sparkled as she moved. She wore diamonds and white opera gloves, and from her pale forehead emerged Dragonair's glistening horn. She had hopped down to the water daintily, and in one move threw her hands in the water. "Icicle!" She ordered, as she did so, her eyes and horn glowed.
From her hands emerged crystals, starting on the surface of the water and spreading to underwater, soon overtaking the entire green river. It was too late for Ferah, who had been concentrating on Dominick. She had dove into the river, receiving plenty of scratches from the gravel. She pushed herself off the shallow underwater bed and tried to scramble backwards out of the river.
As soon as Madison had finished the coast of the Ruby's hill, the rest of the team skid down and scrambled over the surface, separating and heading first for Captain Kaze.
Ryan was the closest to Fox. He jumped up in a bound of red fury and grabbed Fox's vest collar, throwing him upward so he could jump upward and send his fist into his stomach. But Kaze quickly recoiled and jumped onto the ice in a kneel. However, he wasn't used to the surface, and slid down the river surface to the awaiting Falco. Falco came in with a kick downward, but Kaze rolled away.
Ditching his plans to be one-on-one with Cassandra, Aaron went in to distract Mario from Kaze. Mario immediately turned his attention to Link, changing his direction with a yellow cloak, this way and that, like Link was a bull. Aaron got frustrated and decided to light a bomb, sending into the ground to catch wherever Mario might step. The bomb exploded a few seconds after impact, and the ice broke underneath Mario.
"GOD!" He yelled. "IT'za COLD!"
"You think?" Said Aaron trying to jab him with his sword as Ryan bobbed up and down, trying to get out, avoid Aaron, and not get trapped in the increasing ice at the same time.
Cassandra ran past the imprisoned Ferah for Kaze. Ferah instead grabbed her naked ankle and pulled her down onto the ice. Cassandra rolled over onto her knees and shot out her foot, her heel slamming Ferah in the face. Ferah yelped and went for Cassandra's skirt. Cassandra moved her hip away and snatching a handful of Ferah's curly red locks.
"Get... away!" Yelled Selena, opening her umbrella in Cassandra's face. Cassandra scrambled backwards and began conjuring up magic in her palms.
Kaze was blocking blows from Falco, who was flaming and burning. Cassandra looked over at their fighting through rapid punches from Selena. "No fire you idiot!" The ice underneath him was melting, but since he kept jumping up and down it didn't melt fast enough. Also, Madison's constant presence kept the ice ever re-growing.
"Hello, Ferrah." Said Madison in an annoyingly polite way, standing over Ferah from behind so her white hair veiled Ferah's sight of her members.
Ferah gathered Madison's hair in her hands and yanked it like a rope. Madison hurled forward onto Ferah's feet. Ferah turned her body and tried to attain the Sword of Seals, which she had lost when she had tried to get back onto the surface, but at her trapped position she couldn't reach.
Madison tumbled over and grabbed Ferah's face in cold, slim fingers. Electricity pumped through Ferah's body, suddenly awaking her numbing legs. She could hear Roy's pain as well. "Get the sword!" He yelled, amazed that she would have let such a sacred item out of her hands.
"I'm... trying..." She said bitterly, reaching out her shaking hands. She couldn't reach, but grabbed a couple of gravel stones and threw them at Madison. Madison hit them away, but Ferah took the refuge to break out of the ice. She dashed past Madison's legs and picked up her sword. She jumped up and swooped down, bringing it down on Madison. It caught her on her shoulder, practically bare besides a silver satin scarf. The attack was successful and made a deep gash seconds before a small ball of fire shot her way.
Madison stepped back, holding her shoulder. She looked down at strange blood of a strange white light. She saw numbers buzzing through the liquid as she shook it off her gloved hand.
Ferah looked at her other attacker. The short-haired Zelda had broken through Selena's little protective screen for a short break and gone to help Madison. Selena got up from her daze and tackled her in a princess brawl, the two of them sliding on the ice.
Madison returned her attention to Ferah, who was rubbing her neck where the fireball had hit. It had singed the front of Roy's cape, which she had patted on so it wouldn't alight. Madison growled and grabbed Ferah by the shoulders, slamming her onto the cold grassy hill and shoving her foot into her stomach. Ferah coughed the white liquid, and shoved the sword into Madison's unhealthily skinny stomach. Madison let go and backed up, frozen. She looked down at Ferah with a stiff upper lip, and then her figure began to blink. She collapsed onto the ground, her whole figure pale. The river's ice suddenly disappeared, and Falco, Fox, Daisy, Zelda, Link, and Mario disappeared in the water with a loud splash.
Ferah took a few moments to catch her breath. "Good work." Commented Roy. Their attention was suddenly drawn to Aaron as he emerged from the water, then was quickly pulled under again. Ferah got up and held out her sword, but then realized... what could she do?
"Let's go!" Pulled Roy, drawing her towards the water.
"I... can't..." Resisted Ferah, trying to hold back. Her foot slid off the gravel and into the green water. She saw her reflection, then turned away.
"He needs... your help..." Said Roy again, bringing up her sword. "You must... overcome your fears to help your teammates." He said, reading the emotions running through her mind.
"Shut up." She said, gritting her teeth. How corny. "I can't swim!"
"It doesn't matter! You can still help him!" He tried.
"No I can't! I'll drown!" The growled. Was he an idiot?
"No you won't!" He said. "Just hold your breath. You'll float."
"Liar." She barked childishly, her fear blocking her common sense.
"Me a liar? You said that you would go straight back to your chamber, but instead you loitered around past Pharae borders! I heard from Wolt that you went into the Kokiri trees and –"
There was commotion above them, at Dominick and Nick. The friendly brown and white haired boy was now a pink, bubblegum-like creature with red sneakers, torturing Dominick on the starter platforms. "Gah!" Dominick yelled, trying to escape the clutches of Nick, who now looked just like MG. However, Nick was larger, and obviously at an advantage. They struggled on the two platforms, palm against palm, like they were playing Mercy at a different cost.
Ferah tried to scramble up the hill, but it was too steep and she kept sliding back down. "Dominick! I'm... coming..." She lied. The grass she tried to get a hold of kept ripping out. From behind her, the black Fox emerged, in a ball of flame. Falco followed after quickly.
Daisy, her crown and golf club in hand and her hair pressed flat against her back, crawled up on the Emerald coast, trying to heave herself up as she coughed up water.
"Selena!" Ferah exclaimed, turning around. "We've got to help Dominick." Dominick didn't seem to have much of a chance. Ferah yanked Daisy up from the water by the back of her yellow dress. She heaved her over, placing her head on a plot of grass instead of the gravel. Daisy rested her hands on her rapidly rising and falling stomach.
"I... think I got Zelda..." She murmured between much needed breath.
"Good work." Said Ferah, pushing hair out of Selena's eyes carefully. "I got Madison." She said, looking down the coast, where Madison lay, lifeless. Her eyes were watching her, and they were angry.
Selena looked up. "Give me a minute, I'll be back up in a second..."
"No, stay here." Said Roy from inside Ferah. "We'll assist Dominick."
Ferah nodded. "If we can get up there..." She said, looking up. In the sky, Falco was sending flaming kicks and punches down at Fox, who jumped up and down to avoid them. But he was grounded, a disadvantage. He pulled out her gun and started shooting Lasers at Falco.
"You may not have to." Selena said as they watched Dominick's foot slide back, eventually running out of platform surface and sending both him and Nick tumbling off the edge. Ferah pushed off the gravel, nearly slipping, and went to where Dominick was falling. She held out her arms to comfort his fall.
Dominick crashed into her, followed closely by Nick. All three of them slammed into the coast and tumbled into the water.
---
"Ferah!" Roy shouted from inside her. His voice rattled around her body. "Ferah!" He tried again.
Where was the air? Ferah couldn't breath. Her body yearned for the surface, but Roy's armor was way too heavy. As soon as she gained control of her legs, she tried to at least touch the riverbed, but in the darkness couldn't find it.
Her eyes shot open. She squinted, trying to make out what was going on. Everything was a strange brown... She realized she was caught in Roy's cape again, and slashed madly with the Sword of Seals. She made a large gash in the thin fabric and emerged from the cloak. Roy sighed and turned her head downwards.
Ferah didn't understand. The river didn't seem like it would be so deep. It wasn't as deep as a lake, but much deeper than the average pond. She knew such a small arena had a catch...
Roy immediately knew of her thoughts. "Pay attention! Look!" He lifted her right hand and pointed. Below, Nick was swimming her way. She struggled to get away, moving her arms and kicking rapidly, trying to escape and grab some air.
Nick's hand grabbed the belt on her boot. Roy sheathed the Sword of Seals and Ferah threw off their armor and cloak at Nick. He knocked it off, letting them float peacefully towards the ground. Now in not much more than a shirt and skirt, she kicked Nick off with her free foot.
Nick swam up to Ferah with a sudden burst of speed and grabbed Ferah in his arms. Ferah struggled, but his hold was strong. "What the hell!?" She bubbled, blushing as he rested his head on her shoulder. Bubbles tickled her ear. Then, suddenly, he let her go. She turned around, feeling somewhat in-whole.
There, he was, the Sword of Seals drawn. He mirrored her, now looking like a childish young Roy. Ferah smiled back, a little astonished. She drew out her own sword to face him as her hair fluttered above her. Nick slashed forward and she dodged. Positions switched, Nick toggled the sword. It wouldn't alight.
He looked at Ferah for an answer, and she shrugged, then waved goodbye. He looked up at her, and then realized he was sinking due to Roy's armor
Ferah took the moment to dash upward, grabbing a breath of air. When she surfaced, she took a short glance around. Selena tried to help her up from the coast, but Ferah shook her head, took a deep breath, and then flipped back down to get Dominick.
Underwater, Nick had thrown off his armor like Ferah. He broke surface right after Ferah went in, to take a deep breath of air. But Selena was ready, and with her golf club ready, made one great horizontal arc, parallel to the water. It struck the side of Nick's head, and before he could sink into the water she grabbed his shoulders and laid him onto the Emerald Shore to join Madison.
Ferah kicked her legs downward and flailed her arms. Roy laughed in her head, but said nothing.
"Can it." She said anyway. She could see Dominick on the riverbed below her, caught between some weeds, bubbles rising from his clothes and nose. He was definitely out.
Suddenly, there was a burst of something that drove right into Ferah's stomach, now without armor. The energy burnt her stomach and slammed her onto the floor, skidding Ferah's back against underwater gravel. She was close to the shore, so she resurfaced and headed back down again.
Cassandra emerged from the dark waters, swimming at Ferah as fast as she could. Ferah's breath was knocked out of her in shock and impact. "Nayru's Love!" Zelda bubbled. A blue swirl flew around her with radiant magic, sending shards of glass into Ferah's body. Her armor had been discarded, and now she was vulnerable. Ferah winced, bringing up her sword. But Cassandra was too fast, and an electrifying glitter sent buzzing pain through her muscles. Ferah did her best to keep in her air, puffing out her cheeks and then swallowing the air again.
Roy rolled Ferah over, who was floating in a state of shock. She awoke, pushed off the ground and dove to where the water was deeper, but was at a lost from her lack of swimming skills. She hacked away at Cassandra madly with her sword, but failed to do any damage as Cassandra dodged every swish.
Suddenly, Zelda stopped moving, shooting a blank glance, and her eyes widening. Ferah stared at her, wondering what had happened. When Cassandra finally gave out her air and floated to the surface, she saw Kaze's face on the other side. She let herself drift up and get some air, then passed Cassandra's body over to Kaze.
"Where's Dominick?" He asked in a hurry, sweat matting the fur on his black forehead.
"Just a moment..." Said Ferah, and went back under.
Dominick still waited for her, wrapped in weeds. She reached out for him, but still couldn't grasp him. Her legs were now directly above her, trying to float her to the top.
She kept flailing her arms and kicking her legs, to no avail.
Roy sighed, taking one of her hands and placing it on the Sealed Sword. With one quick motion, he drove the tip of the sword into a pile of rocks, anchoring their body. Ferah used her other hand to grab Dominick and kicked upward, pulling out the sword with her.
---
Kaze and Link had joined together to fight Falco and Mario side by side. Aaron had been courteous and allowed Kaze to knock out both Falco and Mario, benefiting the team.
Selena had gotten the kill for Nick, and Kaze the kill for Cassandra. Ferah was just satisfied to be out of the water, as well as knocking out Madison in the meantime.
Dominick had awoken as soon as he had separated from MG. He said he could see Ferah and that she was smart to anchor herself. Ferah had told him it was Roy, whom she had separated from, but Roy had said nothing.
The Emerald Team and the Ruby Team joined the other teams on the risers to watch the outcome of their matches in points. The Sapphire Team had won over the Amethyst Team by almost every member. Mr. Hirogawa seemed very proud of the teams as he took to the field again.
"Good work everyone! Your skills are amazing and much more impressive than I had expected!" He laughed jollily. Ferah wondered if Japan celebrated Christmas. "But on to the matches. The winners of the Ruby / Emerald match is the Emerald Team." People clapped and patted the Emerald Team on their backs. Alice, from the lowest riser, smiled at Ferah. Ferah waved back. "The winners of the Sapphire / Amethyst match is the Sapphire Team."
"As for the points...!" He pointed to the board. First, it flashed RUBY VS EMERALD. Then, it reveled a T-chart. At the top of each column was a Player on the Ruby Team. Underneath them filled points they earned, green for gained and red for lost.
Madison received 40 pts for the freezing of the river, called "Elaborate Tactics". Ryan and Alex lost 5 pts each for them "Preying" on Kaze. Alex received good points for elaborate aerial attacks. Cassandra got "Underwater Acrobat" points for fighting Ferah underwater. However, she lost points for "Cowardice" when disappearing into the water for a long period of time. Worst of all, Cassandra lost a high 50 pts for feuding with Zelda. Nick didn't lose any personal points, but didn't gain any either. Their total scored was around 25 points.
Then it flashed the Emerald Team. Ferah bit her lip. If they graded for issues with Avatars, then she would surely get marked down.
The T-chart lit up, and Ferah searched for her name, which was actually Van. Kaze and Aaron received 30 pts each for fighting alongside each other, without preying on a certain opponent like Ryan and Alex. Aaron also got 15 pts for saving Selena from the ice. Selena received good marks for trying to help Ferah when she was trapped in the ice, and Ferah received points for trying to catch Dominick, as well as going for him while he was underwater. Dominick lost points for "Cowardice" as well. They all received "Underwater Acrobat", as well as 20 for handling their opponent's bodies with care. But two red marks under Ferah's name negated out a good portion of their score.
Feuding With Avatar... -50 pts
Cowardice... - 50 pts
They were left with a total of 30 points. Because all points were variables of 5, they know they were just a hair above the Ruby Team. Kaze let out a sigh as the points were totaled up. People clapped anyway.
He shot a glance at Ferah. Ferah looked away. She did not need Kaze to tell her that she messed up. But by looking away from Kaze, her attention was drawn to Roy. Roy looked on, aware that she was looking at him. He was upset about her lying and arguing, and losing points because of it didn't make her feel any better. She rubbed her forehead and sighed.
Looking down, she saw Alice. Alice tried a weak smile at Ferah. Ferah shook her head, tuning out Hirogawa's speech and the scores of the other teams.
---
Ferah looked into her water, afraid that there might be bugs in it.
"I might have said it's natural, but that doesn't mean it's dirty. It's pure, fresh, clean spring water." Sang Saria, pouring her more water from a clay jug.
The three of them; Saria, Ferah, and Alice, were in Saria's tree-stump home, sitting on her bed and relaxing as the sun set. Ferah had been sure not to take the same path as before, so she wouldn't get attacked again. She sighed.
Alice looked at her through her thick glasses. She had been patient so far, so they had not touched the topic of Ferah's arrival, but they needed to talk.
"Tell me what happened." Saria spoke for Alice.
Ferah looked at the water, dark from the clay mug surrounding it. With one quick swig, she chugged the water down and slammed the cup back down on her bare thighs.
"You know, I haven't gotten the sword to light on fire yet." Said Ferah, changing the subject.
"Ferah! Come on, I know you want to talk about it!" Said Saria demandingly, trying to cheer her up. "Well?"
Ferah looked at Alice. Alice nodded. "...Remember... yesterday night?" Ferah began.
"Yes." Alice nodded.
"Well, I didn't lie when I said I was taking a walk. But I wasn't supposed to be. I had told Roy I would head straight home. We had a little fight over some things... He says he doesn't know why he's my Avatar and that he doesn't have time for this because he has to rule his kingdom... I wanted to clear my mind..." She paused. "So I went for a little walk. He was right to think it would be dangerous, you saw I wandered onto your training ground... But he found out I lied to him and now he doesn't trust me." She looked away, at the large clay jars by the walls. "And I don't trust him." She finished bitterly.
Saria sat back down on her bed next to Ferah. "You should trust him. It will be easier to win the contest." She said simply.
"I can't. He's so uptight and formal. And he's got his own life to worry about, why would he worry about mine? ...Argh!" She rubbed her hair, which she still hadn't put up in her pigtails.. "He's just like Van!"
Alice looked at Saria's door. "Van... your brother?"
Ferah nodded.
"How did you deal with Van? You must have had to deal with him, since he is your brother."
Ferah smiled, thinking of her dear brothers. "For a while, I'd just be quiet and sit on his bed while he played his video games. After he finally got sick of my silent presence, but didn't want to kick me out, we'd talk a little. He wouldn't be very interesting to talk to... But I went with it. And when he finally got his head out of his games, and actually wanted to do something with me, I would do whatever he wanted, go get a snack... play with his dog... Until he finally cared enough to ask me what I wanted to do. Then we would hang out like friends." Ferah leaned over and held her face in the palm of her hands.
"Then maybe that's what you've got to do with Roy." Began Alice. "Maybe stop thinking of yourself and about him instead." She knew that saying Ferah was absorbed in her own problems was rude, but it was the truth.
Ferah nestled her cheek into her hands. She knew what Roy wanted. He wanted to rule his kingdom and protect his people. But how could she let him do that, when she needed him to win this contest? So far, calling him out just to train and fight had worked. It's not like she wanted to bond with him, like Daisy and Selena. But that's how it begins, a partnership. A friendship.
Suddenly, Ferah stood up. Alice was afraid she might have offended her, and opened her mouth to say something. But Ferah just smiled at the two of them as Plui circled her in light. "I'll think on it. I'll see you later, okay?" She waved, and turned her Chip Box.
XXX
Yay for boring and or confusing chapters!
Special thanx to my Editor, XaNGrR. And to Sotashi Tajiri, the genius who created Pokemon. It's like crack, man. So fucking addicting.
-SK
Woah. It was the weirdest thing. After I released the second chapter, I met this girl named Selena! It was like, OMFG! They were a lot alike, too, except the real Selena isn't Hispanic and is a little younger.
Guess what? Although I have made so much of the storyline, I'm running out of juice/enthusiasm for this story. But the fact that I got a new reader makes me happy! So, to writing I go!
LightAngel2: ...Woot. I love you.
NOTE(S):
- I still don't own SSBM, Fire Emblem, etc.
- Has anyone been noticing that I've been switching between "Selena", "Serena", and "Selene"? Well, since I just met a Selena, I suppose she'll be Selena now.
- And have you guys noticed the other things I've been doing? Like, when the other Players were talking about Trent, someone said Harry Potter? And the Emerald Team's suite is number 169. Anyone? No? You are the suck.
- I gave up on Dominick talking too funny. .
- CDs = Disks.
XXX
Chapter Three: Intensive AI
XXX
The smell of sugary cereal and milk provided by the hotel awoke Ferah's senses as she stepped into the main room of the Emerald suite.
She yawned, and scratched her head. Her hair wasn't up in her usual double- buns yet, but was pulled back in a messy ponytail to contain it while she slept. However, she was dressed in one of her originals. "Morning." She mumbled.
"Good morning." Said Selena, every-so-perfect. Her hair was laid out perfectly on her thin shoulders and her mascara was completely un-clumped.
"Hey." Said Dominick. He was checking more info on the CDs. As per usual, he maintained his spot on the floor with his laptop on the TV table.
Aaron, wearing a sleeve-less shirt and over-large addidas pants waved. Ferah couldn't tell if his ensemble was sleepwear or his clothes for the day. He was brushing his teeth with an automatic toothbrush, and minty foam was beginning to form at his mouth.
Kaze sent her recognition via his eyes and returned to watching the news on TV. There was a live car chase as a pair of cop cars tore down the highway after a failing Oldsmobile.
Ferah let out a breath of relaxation when she found there were no Avatars about. She wanted to have some time with real people for a little while.
"So, what are you looking at?" Asked Ferah casually, taking a seat on the couch behind Dominick.
"Just some stuff on the CDs. We 'aven't really given 'em a good run- through..."
"Good idea." She said, and peered over his shoulder. Something about elements... "What does it mean?" She asked, completely clueless.
"Oh... This is about each Avater bein' in an element. Like... fer instance, Roy's Fire controlled..."
"Okay... well, can I use your laptop after your done?" Ferah asked, non- interested.
Dominick nodded, exiting out of the box. "Yeah, you can 'ave it right now. What do you need it fer?" He asked.
"I want to e-mail my family." Ferah replied, finding a loose string on her home-made blouse and giving it a twist and a tug. It came off cleanly.
"A'ight." He said, and delicately handed it over to her.
Ferah took the thin, black laptop and sat down on the couch, near Kaze. She let herself bounce on the cushions to bug him. It had no effect.
She signed on to her e-mail provider and opened a blank e-mail.
"Hey Dameon. Sorry I didn't mail you sooner, but I was a tad busy with the contest and whatnot. So far, I'm rather confused. My character, a prince called Roy, seems to have his own life in the virtual world, like he's living. Mr. Hirogawa had stressed the AI in the Avatars, anyway. (That's what we call them.) Anyway, I'll introduce the other members of my team. There's Dominick, whose laptop I'm using right now. He's a cool kid that loves video games (but of course, not as much as Van). His character is Mr. Game and Watch, whom we dub MG. He's some ancient video game character, and is like, two dimensional, and completely black. A stick figure. He really freaks me out. And then there's Aaron, who also kind of freaks me out, but not as much. He's the Player of an elf. Unfortunately, he's allergic to Fern, so he's been sleeping a lot. For now, I've been keeping her in Selena and my room. I don't know a lot about him, but he obviously adores Selena. Selena is the only other girl on the team. She's really pretty and friendly. And surprisingly, she's obsessed with Pokemon. Her character is Daisy, some sort of princess. And then there's Kaze. Said Kha-zay. Really weird, I know. He's a solitary guy. Likes to read out on the balcony, away from Aaron's snoring or senseless rambling and Selena and Dominick's video games. His character is Fox, who is, well, a fox. Anthropomorphic. Roy is usually pretty busy ruling his lovely little kingdom, so I don't talk to him much. From what experiences I've had with him so far, he reminds me a lot of Van... How is Van anyway? I hope he can hang on long enough for me to win this little contest. Don't tell him I've been having troubles with Roy, it would break him. Has that stupid dog Raven come back yet? And I hope you haven't forgotten about Thunder and Lightning. Tell Van I love him. I love you too, and Aunty. - FMF"
Ferah finished, checked over her spelling, and then sent it to her brother. She poured a glass of chunky milk and took a chug. It was bland. Getting up to get a teabag of Earlsgray, she passed the laptop back to Dominick. "Thanks." She said.
Fox appeared next to her in a flash. He stretched, opening his muzzle and revealing dangerous ivory canines. He sulked back into the couch cushions and put his feet up on the table. "Morning, all." He said casually.
"Oh... hi Fox." She said, lifting her feet over his legs. "You want my milk?" It was a test to find out if they could eat and drink real food. She watched him carefully.
"What? No, no thanks. Already had something." He shrugged.
Ferah sighed and went to pour it down the drain in the shared bathroom.
When she came back, Daisy, Link and MG were there.
"Why don't you bring out Roy?" Asked Selena twirling her earring stub.
Ferah frowned. "He's probably busy."
"That's kind of strange." Said Selena. "If he's in video game, shouldn't he be ready to play at all times?"
Ferah shook her head. "I suppose I could force him to come here, but I'm trying to be courteous. We didn't start on a good foot. And remember, 'Intensive AI?'"
The hour-long news ended, and Kaze stood up. "Well, time to get him ready. We should get to training."
"Oh yeah, we ah a mat todey, dun't we?" Aaron said through his gurgling and foam.
"We actually should have started training yesterday, like the rest of the teams. We're behind, so let's finish up breakfast and get to work." Said Kaze, finally taking role as captain.
Ferah bit her lip, remembering that yesterday was devoted to finding Roy. "Sorry..." She said.
"It's alright." Said Selena quickly, in case Kaze tried to voice otherwise. She placed her bowl of chunky milk onto the breakfast cart.
Aaron got up to spit out his toothpaste. "I'll guh get teh Adepter."
"I'll get their weapons." Said Dominick, following after him. Fox's ears twitched up, glad to receive his Blaster back.
"Don't forget shoes." Said Ferah, pulling on the white leather boots she had gotten last night.
---
Again, the rushing of power drove through Ferah's body. The trip was shorter this time, and she didn't descend to Pharae, but instead appeared and landed neatly on a large, multi-layered, floating platform in the middle of a perfectly blue sky. The sun was near overhead, but the heat wasn't driving. Sunshine glittered through a large, floating emerald, throwing dancing green reflections onto the gray stone of the fray.
Next to her landed Selena, then Aaron and Dominick, and finally Kaze.
"Woah..." Said Dominick, a little dizzy. MG appeared next to him and made beeping noises, mimicking Dominick's flailing from side to side as he held his head.
The stage's three surfaces were decorated with pillars, floating platforms, square holes, rotating circular disks, and rows of spikes. "Great..." Mumbled Ferah. She had suddenly wished she had exercised this summer instead of being so lazy.
Aaron peered carefully over the side of one of the holes. "Wonder what happens if we fall and don't land on the other layers." He murmured. Some of the holes were aligned with holes on the lower frays, so if you fell, you would fall through all three of them.
"Oh, let's find out, shall we?" Selena said, hovering menacingly behind him.
Fox appeared near Kaze, who was scanning the horizon beyond the fray boundaries. He sheltered his sly eyes with a hand. There were four other platforms, with a ruby, topaz, sapphire, or amethyst above them. Most of the other platforms were housing the teams as they trained and talked.
"Might as well get started." Said Kaze, as Roy and Link landed. Daisy drifted down from above with her white umbrella.
Roy dropped down in front of Ferah with a slight thud. He didn't seem so distracted this time. "Good morning, Lady Ferah." He said, smiling.
"Erm, good morning." Said Ferah. Aaron snickered from behind Roy. "Could you let up on the 'Lady' bit?" She asked quietly. He nodded courteously.
Daisy landed lightly onto the ground, closing her umbrella and hanging it on her arm via the hook.
"Are we all ready?" Asked Aaron, watching Dominick. He hadn't stopped swaying yet, but made his way over to Ferah. His face was muddled with fright and his knees kept locking and unlocking. MG followed after him, making an arpeggio of flat beeps.
"I don't think so." Said Ferah, as she grabbed Dominick's shoulder to steady him. He looked up at her with quivering eyes. "Are you okay?" She asked, bending over to his height.
"I'm afraid... of heights..." he buried his face in her cardigan so he wouldn't have to see the nothingness through the holes.
Selena gave him a reassuring pat on the back. "Maybe it'll be easier for Dominick once he's got MG in him." She looked at Daisy. She wanted to be first this time.
"Sur...survival." Daisy disappeared into the mist again, and returned to Selena. But instead of going straight back into the chip box, the mist layered and covered Selena. She let out a gasp of wonder.
"Survival." Said Aaron, looking at Link. Link gave him a nod coolly as the mist overtook him and was guided to Aaron.
"...SurVival!" Moaned Dominick, trying to get it over with so he could return to the real world.
"Survival." Fox disappeared into Kaze quickly.
Ferah sighed. "Survival." She said, looking at Roy. He was staring at her shoes pensively. "Oh... I..." She mumbled, starting to explain.
Roy slid and disappeared into the mist, surrounding Ferah like a blanket of green and gold. As it overtook her, Dominick and the sun disappeared from her sight.
Ferah took a deep breath. She was somewhere dark, but it felt warm and nice. Her footing gave way, like the platform underneath had drained into paper. Scared, she looked around for Roy, so he could hold her up. But he was no where to be found. Taking in the air to relax, she thought she could almost feel Roy, not next to her, not near her, but inside her.
She held out her arm cautiously as a finger-less gauntlet materialized over her arm. Her blouse had extended and was thin and stiff. Her shoulders were suddenly weighed down and her bangs pulled back. She touched her hair. It was now short, not as short as Roy's, but just a little beyond her ears. She adjusted the chest armor, which dug deeply into her side.
There was a yell. She snapped out of her mystification and saw Daisy trying to help up a strange brown stick figure onto the fray.
"Dominick!" Ferah yelled. She paused. Someone was yelling with her. She nodded, noting it was Roy.
She ran over and roped her arms around Selena's thin stomach, trying to root her foot behind a pointed stone pillar. Roy's strength was amazing, but Dominick was slowly slipping away from Daisy's lace-gloved hands. "He fell during the synchronization." Explained Daisy, sounding a lot like Selena.
Ferah flattened her face against Daisy's back. Neither Dominick nor MG were heavy, but their grip was failing. Ferah couldn't see Dominick, but he heard his moaning.
A green figure dove from her right and completely slid over the edge. Daisy let out a yelp of surprise. There was a thud against the stone fray, and the unraveling rattle of chains. Daisy took a breath and let go of Dominick's hands, letting his figure disappear over the edge.
"Are you insane?" Breathed Ferah as she let go of Daisy, then rushed up to the rim.
Daisy sat back on the ground. "It's okay, Link's got him." She breathed, pulling back on her glove and pushing back a strand of chestnut hair that had gotten loose in the flurry. It was Serena.
Ferah peered cautiously over to the edge. Below her was Link, one hand holding Dominick's hand, and the other holding the handle of metal grappling hook. The hook was more like an arrow, lodged into the stone side of the top fray.
Link looked up. Ferah recognized his face features, as well as his hair, as Aaron's. "Aaron!" She shouted. His bare arm strained to keep his fist strong on the handle.
Aaron began rocking his body, swaying from the chain, back and forth, back and forth. Dominick looked very queasy, although it was hard to tell when his face was so dark.
With one more swing, Link yanked the hook out of the fray and jumped onto the second layer, landing dangerously close to the edge. He dropped Dominick, and was about to fall backwards off the fray himself. Dominick was too shaken to help him, just staring in shock. It was up to Kaze, quickly dropping down the hole and grabbing Aaron's arm with a tight, furry grip. As Kaze yanked him up, Aaron almost collapsed on top of Kaze, but Fox's speed was amazing and they suddenly shot away, allowing Aaron to drop onto the stone.
Ferah jumped down one of the holes to the second fray, then landing awkwardly as she threw her hands to control her arid pleaded skirt, like the one she had been wearing in the real world. Once she was sure it wouldn't fly up, she ran over and picked up Dominick, grabbed his head in a deadly hug, much like Dameon's. But instead of cushioning his head on her chest, his head slammed against her armor. "Sorry." She murmured, giving his short hair a rub.
Daisy followed after. Aaron stood up and received a pat on the back from her. "That was great, you two."
Kaze sighed from Aaron's recklessness. He looked strange as Fox, partly because Fox's brown fur was now a dark black, tipped with white.
Aaron wiped his face. "I totally would have not been able to do that in real life." He breathed deeply, shaking his head. A cool wind blew through the layer and caught Link's pointed hat, whirling it off the edge.
---
"I thought Roy's sword was supposed to be flaming." Said Selena, sitting on the corner of a floating platform as it hovered peacefully up and down.
"I know, and the hilt is hot... but I can't get it to flame. Am I doing something wrong?" Ferah asked Roy as her blade clanged against Link's Master Sword. Aaron pulled back the sword, careful not to send Ferah's blade driving into him, and swirled around using some sort of strange move to cut Ferah's chest armor.
The strangest thing that the Emerald Team had discovered was that, for certain moves, they had to say certain commands that came to them from their Avatars.
"The fire should go on it's own. Maybe you can't because this is just training." Said Roy from somewhere near her.
"I hope that that's just it." She said. So far, she had been the only one who didn't use Commands for the special moves, because Roy hadn't told her any. Ferah took her left hand to wipe sweat from her eyes. It usually was curled in a fist, the way Roy was accustomed to fighting.
Something about the virtual world and wielding such a beautiful sword made Ferah's adrenaline rush. She forgot all about Van being in the hospital, about the dress she was composing, or about her meeting the weird kid William.
---
Ferah's eyes shot open. Sweat was rolling down her forehead, and her blouse was drenched. She lifted a ghoulish-feeling hand and yanked out her cord from her Chip Box. Her body solidified. She reached out and pulled out the other end of her cord from the Adapter Box. The others did the same. Once everyone had unhooked themselves, they began rolling up their cords, except for Dominick, who quickly dashed off to the bathroom.
Ferah found she had slid off the couch and onto the floor into an awkward pose. Aaron rolled her head her way, extremely tired, and laughed. She got up and almost collapsed. Serena waddled over stiffly and helped her up.
Their training had mostly contained of sparring. Dominick's fear had subsided long enough for him to have a good laugh at Ferah trying to slash Kaze with the Sword of Seals.
Ferah didn't realize how heavy Roy's armor was until she actually had it on. She almost got tangled in his cape a couple of times, and whenever her new red hair flashed in the corner of her eyes, she thought it was somebody. After a while, the armor he wore hurt her chest.
Regardless of the pains, Ferah absolutely loved synchronizing with Roy and fighting. She could jump higher, run faster, and was at least three times stronger than she was right now. Yet, she still maintained her girlish figure, even after hours with Roy's blade.
Kaze and Fox were an amazing team, regardless of their personalities. Kaze was very good at reaction time, and was sly at when he was going to attack and where. Fox was the fastest Avatar accessible.
Selena had a hard time controlling Daisy. Daisy had weird things hidden under her skirt, like a golf club. Selena was used to wearing pants and boots, so she was limited to what she could do in a poofy dress.
Aaron mumbled something unintelligible as he got up, rubbing his back.
"I'm gonna go take a shower." Said Selena, getting up and dragging herself to the girls' room.
"I'm next." Called Aaron.
"Then I'm after that." Muttered Ferah.
"You guys are going to have to wait. Dominick's throwing up in there." Said Kaze, checking keys in his pocket.
---
The Players were scattered amongst the risers at a small baseball field in a park down the street from their hotel. On the way there, they were swamped by photographers and cameramen. Ferah had stopped a lot to market her small clothing line. Selena had been stopped a lot because she was so photogenic. Kaze had stopped a lot of the cameramen from stopping them.
Ferah straightened the creases in her skirt as she sat down on the risers. Selena took a seat next to her and took off her sunglasses, then put them in her hair. She brushed back a strand of gold. "I prefer being a blonde than a brunette." She said simply.
"I prefer not being anchored down with shoulder and chest armor." Commented Ferah. She shook her leg in anticipation and watched the other Players talk amongst themselves. She didn't want to hold back, fighting against a partner, but instead unleash full out Roy's sword. Maybe she could get it to flame.
"I like not being a stick figure on a floatin' platform umpteen millon feet in teh sky." Said Dominick. He tried to lean back, but hit his head on Ruby Team Scott's knee.
Hirogawa appeared, accompanied by his Assistant and several executives. Most of them guarded the borders to where spectators and photographers had to watch from. As he moved front and center, the Players hushed up.
"Hello! Welcome to GreenWater Park, where the duration of our first matches will take place. I hope the past few days have been treating you well, and also hope your Avatars have been too." He said loudly, so the spectators could hear as well.
Ferah leaned into her hand. As soon as she could, she would try to scrape and tap off all the dirt on her shoes. Roy had figured out she had stayed around in the virtual world when she said she wouldn't. He would have said something if they weren't distracted by vigorous training.
"Your team will be randomly chosen to fight another team. Since there are five teams, one team will not fight today. The first team to force all members of the opposing team into submission, IE trap them, cause them to forfeit, or make them unconscious, wins the match. After your fight, the scoreboard here," He pointed at the baseball field's electronic scoreboard, which had been reconfigured, "will display points lost and gained by your fighting. The three teams with the most overall points during the Team period will continue in this contest."
Mr. Hirogawa continued. "Points can also be awarded on things like Captains defeating other Captains, or Rivals defeating their Rivals." There was a little chitchatting after this. He continued to silence them. "You're Rivals are your mirrors. For instance, Mario and Luigi are Rivals. The only one who doesn't have a Rival is Mr. Game and Watch." He scratched his head, surprised he hadn't mentioned Rivals beforehand. "Anyway... the teams fighting today are... The Ruby Team versus the Emerald Team and the Sapphire Team versus the Amethyst Team."
Aaron and Kaze moved up from the lower layers as people began rearranging.
"Let's see who's down there..." Said Selena, standing up and almost losing footing because of her large black pumps. She sheltered her eyes with her hand. "Alex... Madison... Ryan... Cassandra... and some loud guy."
"Eh? That's Nick." Said Aaron. "Alright, Dominick, do you remember what Players have what Avatars from the CD information?" Aaron asked.
"I know Cassandra is with Zelda." Said Ferah bitterly.
"Okay." Said Dominick, looking pensive. "Ryan is Mario, I know that. Nick is Kirby..."
"Alex is Falco." Said Kaze, looking behind them to the dark-haired Alex.
"And Cassandra has a Dragonair." Said Selena.
"A what?" Asked Ferah, who didn't stay in to Pokemon long enough to catch one.
"Yeah, what do you know about their Avatars?" Asked Aaron.
"Well... Kirby can copy abilities. Falco is fast, 'though not a fast as Fox. Zelda has projectiles. She's concentrated on power, but is really slow. I can't remember anythin about Dragonair, though."
Selena narrowed her eyes, searching Madison. "Dragonair." She stated quietly. "Dragon Pokemon, that evolves from Dratini. It's a mystical Pokemon that... exudes a gentle aura. Has the ability to change climate conditions." She said, reciting it like a poem. "That's all I can remember... I never bother to raised one..."
"The ability to change the weather? I don't think that's gonna happen. Know anything else?" Asked Aaron.
Mr. Hirogawa began quieting the Players. "Divide into your teams. If the Ruby and Emerald Teams would follow my assistant here... and the Sapphire and Amethyst team follow him..."
"Er... oh... I suppose she could be an Ice Pokemon too..." Selena tried to say over the noise as kids jumped and dropped from the risers instead of walking down them.
"Yeah." Said Dominick. "She was under Ice element. She was also under-" He got cut off as he fell of the metal risers, scratching himself but landing on his feet.
"I call Cassandra!" Aaron happily announced.
The Emerald Team followed the backs of Ryan and Nick as they and moved over to the waiting Assistant and their battlefield.
---
They were led over to a small arena that was enclosed by tall metal gates, holding back a large crowd of spectators. Most of the arena was made out of a very steep inclined slope, that lead almost directly into a wide river, excluding a small stretch of gravel. On the other side was a mirroring nearly-vertical hill. Above the arena was a large stoplight-like object, hanging from poles that were beyond the boundaries. At the moment, the light was red.
"What? This tiny little thing?" Whined Cassandra. Ferah looked her way. At least she wasn't the only one who was totally freaked at this. But still, she felt she might be the only one out of the ten of them who couldn't swim.
"Looks can be misleading." Said the executive, who had overheard her. Ferah frowned, looking at the water.
With instructions, the Emerald Team spread out and stood on the brow of the furthest hill. There were ten little platforms jutting out from their hillside where each member took a spot at, a blank one in-between for each Player's Avatar. The Ruby Team mirrored them on the other hill.
Ferah could see Dominick down the hill, looking uncomfortable on such a small platform. He kept fingering his Chip Box. "MG..." He summoned.
Ferah copied the motion. "Roy." She called. He appeared in the familiar smoke, then appeared on the platform next to her, his hand behind him, probably on the hilt of his sword. Everyone's Avatar appeared behind them.
Madison had called out her Dragonair like a real Pokemon Trainer would have done, doing something corny like "I choose you, Dragonair!", with her hands cupped around the Chip Box. Ferah had scoffed, but Selena had looked on in complete marvel.
Dragonair was a long, thin dragon. It had large eyes and a slim, blue surface. On it's head was a lovely, shining horn. It coiled itself on its platform, then raised it's head, watching the Emerald Team.
Ferah sighed, bracing herself as the announcer took his place on another hill so everyone could see him. He took up a microphone. "When the light turns green..." He said. The light flashed yellow, and he began to count down.
"5...4...3...2... ... ... ... 1!" As soon as he yelled the last digit, the light flashed red.
Ferah took a deep breath. "Survival!" Everyone yelled at nearly the same time.
Kaze didn't bother to be mystified again like Ferah, but instead headed down the hill on his knee. The hat-less Link dove after, and Selena jumped up and out, opened her umbrella and planning to land on the gravel near the water. Dominick, in his brown-stick figure form froze, making rattling noises and peering downward.
Ferah yelled. "Dominick, let's go!" She threw herself off the edge, wondering how deep the river was. She slid down, using Roy's booted foot to push away the rocks on the hill. As she watched the water come nearer, she could feel Roy's burning anticipation for battle.
She saw Kaze suddenly stop before hitting the river, jumping up to slow his fall. Link scrambled in the gravel as not to slide into the water. Selena was about to land in the water, but Link grabbed her ankle and pulled her towards the land.
"What?" Began Ferah. Roy spoke in her head, "Look!", moving her head to focus on the Ruby Team. Mario, Falco, Kirby, and Zelda hadn't rushed into battle like they did, but instead skidded down from the platforms late so Madison could rush ahead.
Madison looked very elegant. Her hair had turned a graceful white, and she now wore a light blue gown that sparkled as she moved. She wore diamonds and white opera gloves, and from her pale forehead emerged Dragonair's glistening horn. She had hopped down to the water daintily, and in one move threw her hands in the water. "Icicle!" She ordered, as she did so, her eyes and horn glowed.
From her hands emerged crystals, starting on the surface of the water and spreading to underwater, soon overtaking the entire green river. It was too late for Ferah, who had been concentrating on Dominick. She had dove into the river, receiving plenty of scratches from the gravel. She pushed herself off the shallow underwater bed and tried to scramble backwards out of the river.
As soon as Madison had finished the coast of the Ruby's hill, the rest of the team skid down and scrambled over the surface, separating and heading first for Captain Kaze.
Ryan was the closest to Fox. He jumped up in a bound of red fury and grabbed Fox's vest collar, throwing him upward so he could jump upward and send his fist into his stomach. But Kaze quickly recoiled and jumped onto the ice in a kneel. However, he wasn't used to the surface, and slid down the river surface to the awaiting Falco. Falco came in with a kick downward, but Kaze rolled away.
Ditching his plans to be one-on-one with Cassandra, Aaron went in to distract Mario from Kaze. Mario immediately turned his attention to Link, changing his direction with a yellow cloak, this way and that, like Link was a bull. Aaron got frustrated and decided to light a bomb, sending into the ground to catch wherever Mario might step. The bomb exploded a few seconds after impact, and the ice broke underneath Mario.
"GOD!" He yelled. "IT'za COLD!"
"You think?" Said Aaron trying to jab him with his sword as Ryan bobbed up and down, trying to get out, avoid Aaron, and not get trapped in the increasing ice at the same time.
Cassandra ran past the imprisoned Ferah for Kaze. Ferah instead grabbed her naked ankle and pulled her down onto the ice. Cassandra rolled over onto her knees and shot out her foot, her heel slamming Ferah in the face. Ferah yelped and went for Cassandra's skirt. Cassandra moved her hip away and snatching a handful of Ferah's curly red locks.
"Get... away!" Yelled Selena, opening her umbrella in Cassandra's face. Cassandra scrambled backwards and began conjuring up magic in her palms.
Kaze was blocking blows from Falco, who was flaming and burning. Cassandra looked over at their fighting through rapid punches from Selena. "No fire you idiot!" The ice underneath him was melting, but since he kept jumping up and down it didn't melt fast enough. Also, Madison's constant presence kept the ice ever re-growing.
"Hello, Ferrah." Said Madison in an annoyingly polite way, standing over Ferah from behind so her white hair veiled Ferah's sight of her members.
Ferah gathered Madison's hair in her hands and yanked it like a rope. Madison hurled forward onto Ferah's feet. Ferah turned her body and tried to attain the Sword of Seals, which she had lost when she had tried to get back onto the surface, but at her trapped position she couldn't reach.
Madison tumbled over and grabbed Ferah's face in cold, slim fingers. Electricity pumped through Ferah's body, suddenly awaking her numbing legs. She could hear Roy's pain as well. "Get the sword!" He yelled, amazed that she would have let such a sacred item out of her hands.
"I'm... trying..." She said bitterly, reaching out her shaking hands. She couldn't reach, but grabbed a couple of gravel stones and threw them at Madison. Madison hit them away, but Ferah took the refuge to break out of the ice. She dashed past Madison's legs and picked up her sword. She jumped up and swooped down, bringing it down on Madison. It caught her on her shoulder, practically bare besides a silver satin scarf. The attack was successful and made a deep gash seconds before a small ball of fire shot her way.
Madison stepped back, holding her shoulder. She looked down at strange blood of a strange white light. She saw numbers buzzing through the liquid as she shook it off her gloved hand.
Ferah looked at her other attacker. The short-haired Zelda had broken through Selena's little protective screen for a short break and gone to help Madison. Selena got up from her daze and tackled her in a princess brawl, the two of them sliding on the ice.
Madison returned her attention to Ferah, who was rubbing her neck where the fireball had hit. It had singed the front of Roy's cape, which she had patted on so it wouldn't alight. Madison growled and grabbed Ferah by the shoulders, slamming her onto the cold grassy hill and shoving her foot into her stomach. Ferah coughed the white liquid, and shoved the sword into Madison's unhealthily skinny stomach. Madison let go and backed up, frozen. She looked down at Ferah with a stiff upper lip, and then her figure began to blink. She collapsed onto the ground, her whole figure pale. The river's ice suddenly disappeared, and Falco, Fox, Daisy, Zelda, Link, and Mario disappeared in the water with a loud splash.
Ferah took a few moments to catch her breath. "Good work." Commented Roy. Their attention was suddenly drawn to Aaron as he emerged from the water, then was quickly pulled under again. Ferah got up and held out her sword, but then realized... what could she do?
"Let's go!" Pulled Roy, drawing her towards the water.
"I... can't..." Resisted Ferah, trying to hold back. Her foot slid off the gravel and into the green water. She saw her reflection, then turned away.
"He needs... your help..." Said Roy again, bringing up her sword. "You must... overcome your fears to help your teammates." He said, reading the emotions running through her mind.
"Shut up." She said, gritting her teeth. How corny. "I can't swim!"
"It doesn't matter! You can still help him!" He tried.
"No I can't! I'll drown!" The growled. Was he an idiot?
"No you won't!" He said. "Just hold your breath. You'll float."
"Liar." She barked childishly, her fear blocking her common sense.
"Me a liar? You said that you would go straight back to your chamber, but instead you loitered around past Pharae borders! I heard from Wolt that you went into the Kokiri trees and –"
There was commotion above them, at Dominick and Nick. The friendly brown and white haired boy was now a pink, bubblegum-like creature with red sneakers, torturing Dominick on the starter platforms. "Gah!" Dominick yelled, trying to escape the clutches of Nick, who now looked just like MG. However, Nick was larger, and obviously at an advantage. They struggled on the two platforms, palm against palm, like they were playing Mercy at a different cost.
Ferah tried to scramble up the hill, but it was too steep and she kept sliding back down. "Dominick! I'm... coming..." She lied. The grass she tried to get a hold of kept ripping out. From behind her, the black Fox emerged, in a ball of flame. Falco followed after quickly.
Daisy, her crown and golf club in hand and her hair pressed flat against her back, crawled up on the Emerald coast, trying to heave herself up as she coughed up water.
"Selena!" Ferah exclaimed, turning around. "We've got to help Dominick." Dominick didn't seem to have much of a chance. Ferah yanked Daisy up from the water by the back of her yellow dress. She heaved her over, placing her head on a plot of grass instead of the gravel. Daisy rested her hands on her rapidly rising and falling stomach.
"I... think I got Zelda..." She murmured between much needed breath.
"Good work." Said Ferah, pushing hair out of Selena's eyes carefully. "I got Madison." She said, looking down the coast, where Madison lay, lifeless. Her eyes were watching her, and they were angry.
Selena looked up. "Give me a minute, I'll be back up in a second..."
"No, stay here." Said Roy from inside Ferah. "We'll assist Dominick."
Ferah nodded. "If we can get up there..." She said, looking up. In the sky, Falco was sending flaming kicks and punches down at Fox, who jumped up and down to avoid them. But he was grounded, a disadvantage. He pulled out her gun and started shooting Lasers at Falco.
"You may not have to." Selena said as they watched Dominick's foot slide back, eventually running out of platform surface and sending both him and Nick tumbling off the edge. Ferah pushed off the gravel, nearly slipping, and went to where Dominick was falling. She held out her arms to comfort his fall.
Dominick crashed into her, followed closely by Nick. All three of them slammed into the coast and tumbled into the water.
---
"Ferah!" Roy shouted from inside her. His voice rattled around her body. "Ferah!" He tried again.
Where was the air? Ferah couldn't breath. Her body yearned for the surface, but Roy's armor was way too heavy. As soon as she gained control of her legs, she tried to at least touch the riverbed, but in the darkness couldn't find it.
Her eyes shot open. She squinted, trying to make out what was going on. Everything was a strange brown... She realized she was caught in Roy's cape again, and slashed madly with the Sword of Seals. She made a large gash in the thin fabric and emerged from the cloak. Roy sighed and turned her head downwards.
Ferah didn't understand. The river didn't seem like it would be so deep. It wasn't as deep as a lake, but much deeper than the average pond. She knew such a small arena had a catch...
Roy immediately knew of her thoughts. "Pay attention! Look!" He lifted her right hand and pointed. Below, Nick was swimming her way. She struggled to get away, moving her arms and kicking rapidly, trying to escape and grab some air.
Nick's hand grabbed the belt on her boot. Roy sheathed the Sword of Seals and Ferah threw off their armor and cloak at Nick. He knocked it off, letting them float peacefully towards the ground. Now in not much more than a shirt and skirt, she kicked Nick off with her free foot.
Nick swam up to Ferah with a sudden burst of speed and grabbed Ferah in his arms. Ferah struggled, but his hold was strong. "What the hell!?" She bubbled, blushing as he rested his head on her shoulder. Bubbles tickled her ear. Then, suddenly, he let her go. She turned around, feeling somewhat in-whole.
There, he was, the Sword of Seals drawn. He mirrored her, now looking like a childish young Roy. Ferah smiled back, a little astonished. She drew out her own sword to face him as her hair fluttered above her. Nick slashed forward and she dodged. Positions switched, Nick toggled the sword. It wouldn't alight.
He looked at Ferah for an answer, and she shrugged, then waved goodbye. He looked up at her, and then realized he was sinking due to Roy's armor
Ferah took the moment to dash upward, grabbing a breath of air. When she surfaced, she took a short glance around. Selena tried to help her up from the coast, but Ferah shook her head, took a deep breath, and then flipped back down to get Dominick.
Underwater, Nick had thrown off his armor like Ferah. He broke surface right after Ferah went in, to take a deep breath of air. But Selena was ready, and with her golf club ready, made one great horizontal arc, parallel to the water. It struck the side of Nick's head, and before he could sink into the water she grabbed his shoulders and laid him onto the Emerald Shore to join Madison.
Ferah kicked her legs downward and flailed her arms. Roy laughed in her head, but said nothing.
"Can it." She said anyway. She could see Dominick on the riverbed below her, caught between some weeds, bubbles rising from his clothes and nose. He was definitely out.
Suddenly, there was a burst of something that drove right into Ferah's stomach, now without armor. The energy burnt her stomach and slammed her onto the floor, skidding Ferah's back against underwater gravel. She was close to the shore, so she resurfaced and headed back down again.
Cassandra emerged from the dark waters, swimming at Ferah as fast as she could. Ferah's breath was knocked out of her in shock and impact. "Nayru's Love!" Zelda bubbled. A blue swirl flew around her with radiant magic, sending shards of glass into Ferah's body. Her armor had been discarded, and now she was vulnerable. Ferah winced, bringing up her sword. But Cassandra was too fast, and an electrifying glitter sent buzzing pain through her muscles. Ferah did her best to keep in her air, puffing out her cheeks and then swallowing the air again.
Roy rolled Ferah over, who was floating in a state of shock. She awoke, pushed off the ground and dove to where the water was deeper, but was at a lost from her lack of swimming skills. She hacked away at Cassandra madly with her sword, but failed to do any damage as Cassandra dodged every swish.
Suddenly, Zelda stopped moving, shooting a blank glance, and her eyes widening. Ferah stared at her, wondering what had happened. When Cassandra finally gave out her air and floated to the surface, she saw Kaze's face on the other side. She let herself drift up and get some air, then passed Cassandra's body over to Kaze.
"Where's Dominick?" He asked in a hurry, sweat matting the fur on his black forehead.
"Just a moment..." Said Ferah, and went back under.
Dominick still waited for her, wrapped in weeds. She reached out for him, but still couldn't grasp him. Her legs were now directly above her, trying to float her to the top.
She kept flailing her arms and kicking her legs, to no avail.
Roy sighed, taking one of her hands and placing it on the Sealed Sword. With one quick motion, he drove the tip of the sword into a pile of rocks, anchoring their body. Ferah used her other hand to grab Dominick and kicked upward, pulling out the sword with her.
---
Kaze and Link had joined together to fight Falco and Mario side by side. Aaron had been courteous and allowed Kaze to knock out both Falco and Mario, benefiting the team.
Selena had gotten the kill for Nick, and Kaze the kill for Cassandra. Ferah was just satisfied to be out of the water, as well as knocking out Madison in the meantime.
Dominick had awoken as soon as he had separated from MG. He said he could see Ferah and that she was smart to anchor herself. Ferah had told him it was Roy, whom she had separated from, but Roy had said nothing.
The Emerald Team and the Ruby Team joined the other teams on the risers to watch the outcome of their matches in points. The Sapphire Team had won over the Amethyst Team by almost every member. Mr. Hirogawa seemed very proud of the teams as he took to the field again.
"Good work everyone! Your skills are amazing and much more impressive than I had expected!" He laughed jollily. Ferah wondered if Japan celebrated Christmas. "But on to the matches. The winners of the Ruby / Emerald match is the Emerald Team." People clapped and patted the Emerald Team on their backs. Alice, from the lowest riser, smiled at Ferah. Ferah waved back. "The winners of the Sapphire / Amethyst match is the Sapphire Team."
"As for the points...!" He pointed to the board. First, it flashed RUBY VS EMERALD. Then, it reveled a T-chart. At the top of each column was a Player on the Ruby Team. Underneath them filled points they earned, green for gained and red for lost.
Madison received 40 pts for the freezing of the river, called "Elaborate Tactics". Ryan and Alex lost 5 pts each for them "Preying" on Kaze. Alex received good points for elaborate aerial attacks. Cassandra got "Underwater Acrobat" points for fighting Ferah underwater. However, she lost points for "Cowardice" when disappearing into the water for a long period of time. Worst of all, Cassandra lost a high 50 pts for feuding with Zelda. Nick didn't lose any personal points, but didn't gain any either. Their total scored was around 25 points.
Then it flashed the Emerald Team. Ferah bit her lip. If they graded for issues with Avatars, then she would surely get marked down.
The T-chart lit up, and Ferah searched for her name, which was actually Van. Kaze and Aaron received 30 pts each for fighting alongside each other, without preying on a certain opponent like Ryan and Alex. Aaron also got 15 pts for saving Selena from the ice. Selena received good marks for trying to help Ferah when she was trapped in the ice, and Ferah received points for trying to catch Dominick, as well as going for him while he was underwater. Dominick lost points for "Cowardice" as well. They all received "Underwater Acrobat", as well as 20 for handling their opponent's bodies with care. But two red marks under Ferah's name negated out a good portion of their score.
Feuding With Avatar... -50 pts
Cowardice... - 50 pts
They were left with a total of 30 points. Because all points were variables of 5, they know they were just a hair above the Ruby Team. Kaze let out a sigh as the points were totaled up. People clapped anyway.
He shot a glance at Ferah. Ferah looked away. She did not need Kaze to tell her that she messed up. But by looking away from Kaze, her attention was drawn to Roy. Roy looked on, aware that she was looking at him. He was upset about her lying and arguing, and losing points because of it didn't make her feel any better. She rubbed her forehead and sighed.
Looking down, she saw Alice. Alice tried a weak smile at Ferah. Ferah shook her head, tuning out Hirogawa's speech and the scores of the other teams.
---
Ferah looked into her water, afraid that there might be bugs in it.
"I might have said it's natural, but that doesn't mean it's dirty. It's pure, fresh, clean spring water." Sang Saria, pouring her more water from a clay jug.
The three of them; Saria, Ferah, and Alice, were in Saria's tree-stump home, sitting on her bed and relaxing as the sun set. Ferah had been sure not to take the same path as before, so she wouldn't get attacked again. She sighed.
Alice looked at her through her thick glasses. She had been patient so far, so they had not touched the topic of Ferah's arrival, but they needed to talk.
"Tell me what happened." Saria spoke for Alice.
Ferah looked at the water, dark from the clay mug surrounding it. With one quick swig, she chugged the water down and slammed the cup back down on her bare thighs.
"You know, I haven't gotten the sword to light on fire yet." Said Ferah, changing the subject.
"Ferah! Come on, I know you want to talk about it!" Said Saria demandingly, trying to cheer her up. "Well?"
Ferah looked at Alice. Alice nodded. "...Remember... yesterday night?" Ferah began.
"Yes." Alice nodded.
"Well, I didn't lie when I said I was taking a walk. But I wasn't supposed to be. I had told Roy I would head straight home. We had a little fight over some things... He says he doesn't know why he's my Avatar and that he doesn't have time for this because he has to rule his kingdom... I wanted to clear my mind..." She paused. "So I went for a little walk. He was right to think it would be dangerous, you saw I wandered onto your training ground... But he found out I lied to him and now he doesn't trust me." She looked away, at the large clay jars by the walls. "And I don't trust him." She finished bitterly.
Saria sat back down on her bed next to Ferah. "You should trust him. It will be easier to win the contest." She said simply.
"I can't. He's so uptight and formal. And he's got his own life to worry about, why would he worry about mine? ...Argh!" She rubbed her hair, which she still hadn't put up in her pigtails.. "He's just like Van!"
Alice looked at Saria's door. "Van... your brother?"
Ferah nodded.
"How did you deal with Van? You must have had to deal with him, since he is your brother."
Ferah smiled, thinking of her dear brothers. "For a while, I'd just be quiet and sit on his bed while he played his video games. After he finally got sick of my silent presence, but didn't want to kick me out, we'd talk a little. He wouldn't be very interesting to talk to... But I went with it. And when he finally got his head out of his games, and actually wanted to do something with me, I would do whatever he wanted, go get a snack... play with his dog... Until he finally cared enough to ask me what I wanted to do. Then we would hang out like friends." Ferah leaned over and held her face in the palm of her hands.
"Then maybe that's what you've got to do with Roy." Began Alice. "Maybe stop thinking of yourself and about him instead." She knew that saying Ferah was absorbed in her own problems was rude, but it was the truth.
Ferah nestled her cheek into her hands. She knew what Roy wanted. He wanted to rule his kingdom and protect his people. But how could she let him do that, when she needed him to win this contest? So far, calling him out just to train and fight had worked. It's not like she wanted to bond with him, like Daisy and Selena. But that's how it begins, a partnership. A friendship.
Suddenly, Ferah stood up. Alice was afraid she might have offended her, and opened her mouth to say something. But Ferah just smiled at the two of them as Plui circled her in light. "I'll think on it. I'll see you later, okay?" She waved, and turned her Chip Box.
XXX
Yay for boring and or confusing chapters!
Special thanx to my Editor, XaNGrR. And to Sotashi Tajiri, the genius who created Pokemon. It's like crack, man. So fucking addicting.
-SK