Soon, the crack of dawn hits, and the darkness of the night is banished by the gentle light of the upcoming day. A pleasant breeze blew out from the sea, northbound across the island. Soft sounds of footsteps mingled with the ocean waves as a very early riser steps from the soft grass and into the caressing beach sand. Just as she promised, Isabelle was on her way to the beach, south of the Central Plaza. Everyone else was still asleep at this point so she was the only one out and about. ...Well, her and one more person.
Isabelle steps onto the beach, only to find that someone else was kneeling beside the shore, facing the ocean. It was Aurora, relaxing in deep meditation with her long hair brushing against the breeze. Unlike yesterday, she was wearing a completely different outfit: a vibrant blue uniform called a dougi, consisting of a sleek jacket and long pants, both made from silky smooth fabric. It was all bound together with a black belt, a symbol in martial arts that often represented one's rank and experience. Along with that, a pair of black sandals was sitting a few feet from the right of her, leaving her smooth bare feet exposed. She was the spitting image of a martial artist now.
The pup was surprised to see Aurora already at the rendezvous point but, before she can utter a single word, Aurora rises out of meditation, sinking her feet into the soft sand. She turns around, shining a bright smile that lit up brighter than the rising sun.
"You made it!" The human girl says out of great relief and joy. "For a moment, I thought you weren't going to show up."
Isabelle returns the favor with a sweet beam of her own. "Of course! I'd never want to disappoint you, Aurora."
Aurora steps a bit closer to Isabelle and, upon closer inspection, notices something about the dog that really makes her expression light up.
"Whoa, hold on… Are you wearing what I think you're wearing?!" she interrogates.
Isabelle casually looks down at her clothes for a moment. She wasn't dressed in her usual Nook Inc. uniform this time. To Aurora's surprise, Isabelle was wearing a dougi that was almost identical to Aurora's, only it was the traditional white. Furthermore, Isabelle also had a black belt on, giving the gentle girl the image of a master fighter. What made this so special was the fact martial artist dougis weren't always available to the island at the beginning. Aurora was the one who actually designed two versions of her own, one in white and one in blue, and made them available for everyone to buy at the local boutique: Able Sisters. Her love for martial arts was so strong, she just couldn't stand not having her favorite uniforms available so she made her own and, soon, she ended up designing a small line of clothes just for the heck of it and islanders have been buying them. Despite knowing this, it warmed the human to the core that Isabelle brought such an outfit at the perfect time.
"Oh, this?" Isabelle proudly looks back at Aurora. "Yes! I'm wearing one of your dougis! I knew this would be appropriate for our spar so I bought it yesterday."
Aurora's expression softened with such a touched smile. "Gosh… Isabelle, that really means a lot. I know I made those for everyone to wear but I was always too scared to tell everyone what those were for…"
Aurora turns away from Isabelle for a moment, taking a few steps back towards the ocean. Isabelle started to look a little concerned as the human merely pauses, staring at the horizon.
"...You know, people always fear the idea of fighting, but for me, not all fighting is bad, especially when it comes to martial arts. I mean, there's going to be some really mean people in the world...but for honorable folk like us, martial arts can be a lot of fun." Aurora's head lowers towards the sand, her eyes closed yet her smile lingering. "The fight, itself can lead to understanding. It's a form of expression and communication that can speak louder than words. The happiness you get when you get to spar with a new friend, the different kinds of moves you share with one another, the excitement of a challenge that pushes you forward, and the sense of respect and happiness when you end the fight on a good note… All of those things feel great to me. You can learn a lot about a person by trading blows with them."
Finally, Aurora turns back around, allowing her turquoise eyes to shine at her friend once more.
"That's why I really wanted to spar with you after hearing all that stuff, yesterday. I want to share that experience with you if you're still willing."
Isabelle gave Aurora a bold, unyielding nod. "Of course. I do admit that I was very nervous at first but I trust you, Aurora. I can tell this means a lot to you."
With her mind made up, the dog slides her bare feet out of her brown, slip-on shoes and calmly walks over to the beach until she was a few feet west of Aurora's position. From there, she turns in place and faces her future opponent. With one big smile on her face, she says…
"So let's have fun together!"
"Yeah!" Aurora quickly concurs, her eyes sparkling in excitement. She regains her composure, however, when that look of exhilaration shifted to a playful, competitive glare. "So no holding back, then?"
Surprisingly enough, Isabelle's expression also grew a bit fierce, though still mellowed down by a friendly smile. "No holding back."
The resolve of both girls had been made more than clear for each other. As they traded a moment of silence to stare each other down, the lingering ocean wind and gentle waves set the ambiance for them. The whole beach grew tense yet mellowed down with a hint of pleasant energy that got the two increasingly excited about what was about to come. Eventually, the sparring buddies close their eyes and slightly lean their upper bodies forward, honoring each other with a respectful bow called a 'Rei.' Right afterward, their eyes simultaneously flash open.
"Aiiiii-yah!" Aurora breaks the silence with a cheerful kiai, hopping right into a fighting stance! Her feet landed at a perpendicular angle, with the rear right foot positioned sidewards with most of her body weight shifted onto that leg. Her right fist was raised near her face while the other was kept low, at waist height. "Let's go!"
Isabelle skips the playful displays of excitement and merely steps forward with the left foot, keeping her arms raised at chest height and the palms open. Her stance was simple but the determination in her eager eyes didn't fade. "I'm ready!"
At this point, words were no longer needed. The girls were ready to have some fun! Without a second to lose, Aurora immediately pushes off of her bare feet and sprints forward, leaving a small cloud of dust behind her. The fight was on!
Aurora charges in with the intensity of a shark, her eyes expressing her thirst for action. Isabelle boldly stands her ground and maintains a laser focus on her opponent. Soon, the distance between them closes and Aurora rears her right arm back. With a fierce shout, she launches a fierce right cross right at the dog's face. Isabelle thinks quickly and swings an open palm to smack the side of Aurora's fist, parrying the punch clear away from her face.
"Yah!" With a cute little kiai of her own, Isabelle thrusts another palm forward. This time, to strike her sparring buddy in the chest.
Aurora smirks and uses her own free hand to deflect Isabelle's palm strike, quickly whipping the arm back the other way for a back fist strike to the cheek. Caught by surprise, the Shih Tzu instinctively hops back to barely put herself out of range of Aurora's fist. However, the human was hot on her heels. Aurora leaps after Isabelle, lifting up her right leg for a fast jumping front kick. Isabelle steps back a little bit more and leans back to evade her friend's foot but two more kicks were coming. The canine manages to sidestep out of the way of a roundhouse kick but when Aurora pivots on her left foot and follows up with a side kick, Isabelle is forced to cross her arms to block the hit.
"Mmph!" Upon impact, the pup gets knocked back, skidding against the sand on her fluffy feet. She feels a bit of soreness in her arms but she quickly toughs it out and brings her palms back up in a defensive stance.
Isabelle was about to wait for Aurora's next attack, only to meet a pleasant little surprise. Aurora stays put and, with her competitive gaze softening into a friendly glance, she motions her leading hand towards herself, inviting her friend to make the next move. As much as Aurora enjoyed her offense as a competitor, she was more than willing to show a nice gesture as a friend and let her sparring partner have a chance to shine.
A bit touched by the kind act, Isabelle couldn't help but smile. "If you insist!"
Isabelle makes an eager advance towards Aurora, all the while the human bounces a bit in her stance. Once she was close, Isabelle swings her right leg in a circular arc.
"Hyah!" She kiais, attacking with a swift roundhouse kick.
"Ki-yah!" Aurora acts on impulse and, in a cute twist of coincidence, simultaneously intercepts with a roundhouse kick of her own.
The friend's kicks clash against one another, canceling out their attacks. Aurora sets her foot down and backs off a bit, letting Isabelle close in with a swift chop with her left hand. Aurora quickly moves an arm to block the chop, then another to parry a follow-up palm strike aimed at the solar plexus before coming back at Isabelle with a right hook. Isabelle ducks to evade then leans away from her opponent, turning her body sideways to throw a surprisingly fierce high side kick to the face with another kiai.
"Whoa-ho!" Aurora yelps, caught by surprise by Isabelle's powerful technique. She barely leaps away, with the kick merely grazing her face.
As Isabelle retracts her leg, Aurora lands back onto the sand a few feet away. The human manages to regain her composure and smirk, rubbing the spot on her cheek where Isabelle's foot brushed against her. Isabelle giggles at Aurora's playful demeanor then finally sets her foot down and shifts back to her stance. The two take a moment to circle each other, the ocean breeze massaging across their hair and ears, in Isabelle's case.
"I don't get why you were so nervous before. You fight just fine!" Aurora praises.
Even in the heat of combat, Isabelle's sweet smile wasn't shy about making a reappearance. "Thank you! I made sure to practice a lot yesterday."
"Haha, I can tell!" The human girl laughs.
The heat of the battle was lit yet the sweet demeanor of both friendly opponents added a slight sense of relaxation to the spar. They were all the more motivated to give each other a challenge yet at ease that they were comfortable engaging one another like this. Even the gentle Isabelle who normally didn't like conflict didn't mind clashing some tough strikes with her friend. It may have been her time in Smash tournaments desensitizing any discomfort but one wouldn't know for sure.
After giving each other some time to catch their breath, Aurora takes the next move and twirls into a spinning side kick, which Isabelle parries. Whipping the arm the other way, Isabelle kiais and thrusts her wrist towards Aurora's face but it was evaded with a quick lean. The fight remains even while the two continue to defend each other's attacks. They were both doing an incredible job of keeping up with each other. Their minds were completely focused, not intending to let up on the other. As they fought on, the atmosphere of the beach was gradually being charged with excitement from the amount of fun they were having.
"Hah! Hyah!" Isabelle's kiais slowly begin to sound more exhilarated as she deflects another punch and attempts to counter with another palm to the face.
Isabelle's attack was zooming in close to Aurora. She finally looked wide open to face the pup's full might when, suddenly, she grabs Isabelle's wrist and spins right by, pulling her forward. Whoosh! Everything seemed to go in slow motion as her friend's hand flies right past her!
'Gotcha!' Aurora thinks, smirking. After a long standoff, she finally had Isabelle where she wanted her! She maneuvers behind her opponent through the spin then stops and steps toward her, thrusting a forceful elbow strike into her back! "Hyah!"
"Ugh!" Isabelle's caught off guard! It was a direct hit! The force of the blow knocks Isabelle off her feet and sends her flying onto her stomach. After a long standoff, she was the one to finally take the first hit...yet, she didn't yield. She quickly pushes herself up and snaps back to her stance.
Aurora rushes up to Isabelle and attempts to follow up with a side thrust kick but the pup wakes up, dashes over to the left then pushes back with a spinning chop to the head. Aurora keeps a sharp eye on her opponent and actually throws her leg further clockwise and pivots, using a hook kick to kick away Isabelle's arm with the sole of her bare foot. Using the impact to bounce her foot back, Aurora executes a forceful roundhouse, kicking Isabelle in the face instead. The Shih Tzu gets sent into a spinning stagger but Aurora makes a one-eighty degree spin as well, only hers was the vanguard of a follow-up attack!
"Tidaaaallll WAVE!" She eagerly calls out as she backflips towards Isabelle, chaining her earlier kick into two more downwards kicks to the head through the momentum of the flip!
Both feet crash onto the pup like a raging surf, rocking her head down before she staggers back once more. She was caught in a daze, leaving her wide open! After landing from her graceful flip, Aurora saw her moment.
"Hiiiiii-yah!" She lifts her left leg and thrusts her foot back, hard. A back kick!
"Ahh!" Isabelle gets a foot slammed right in her face that blasts her back once again, crashing onto her back.
Aurora turns back around and snaps back to her stance, waiting for Isabelle to get back up but the canine was down on the ground. All those blows to the head left her dizzy as the pain was rushing through her body. After a while, Aurora relaxes out of her stance with a concerned look on her face.
"...Did I overdo it?" Aurora asks, worried. "Are you okay?"
She need not worry long, however. Isabelle soon lifts her upper body off the ground, shaking her head and shrugging off all the sluggishness. To Aurora's relief, the tough pup stands back up, smiling even.
"I'm okay. I guess I'm still a little rusty…" Isabelle shyly admits. Her attitude takes a bold shift and a fierce, brave smile is planted onto her face as she shifts back to her defensive stance. "I won't give up though!"
Aurora smiles, super proud of her friend for showing such guts. This really made the human want to give Isabelle a good challenge now! In recognition of Isabelle's courage, Aurora firmly slides her feet back into her stance, mirroring that same competitive glare.
"That's the spirit, buddy! Come on!"
They circle each other once more and the fight resumes. Aurora, opening with a series of fast punches, continues to push Isabelle on the defensive. Isabelle finds a small chance to weave away from a front kick then lunge in for a palm to the face but Aurora thinks quickly. She squats down for a quick sweep kick to Isabelle's leading leg, rending her off balance, before whipping the same foot back to nail a crouching roundhouse to the torso then planting her hand against the ground and throwing herself into a horizontal spin for an extra kick with the other foot. Isabelle gets smacked in the face once more and staggers back but she shifts back to her stance, refusing to yield. Aurora pushes herself back up and presses on with a series of kicks. Isabelle keeps doing her best to defend herself while throwing her fair share of palm jabs and kicks. Aurora was proving to be too quick for Isabelle to handle as she does away with Isabelle's counter attempts and even lands an uppercut to her chin. Yet, the canine maintains her admirable tenacity.
Isabelle takes another roundhouse to the left side of her torso and while she gets pushed back, Aurora had already chambered her leg at her side for a follow up.
"Hyah, yah, yah!" The human kiais, unleashing a storm of side kicks.
"Mmph…" Isabelle crosses her arms and does her best to tank the barefoot barrage. However, with every hit she braves though, the pup gets pushed back more and more towards the shore. Parrying and evading did her plenty of favors before but her strength in blocking and pushing against attacks wasn't the best. She knew she couldn't keep up this approach forever. Isabelle eventually drops her guard as Aurora attempts a spinning hook kick, leaning back instead. She notices Aurora about to chain into a roundhouse and, at that moment, something clicks within her mind. 'There!'
Isabelle had a plan now! The Shih Tzu waits for the last possible moment to let Aurora attack then suddenly thrusts up a left palm against her foot, parrying the kick upwards, then to the right through its own momentum. Aurora's eyes widened, getting pushed off balance but Isabelle wasn't about to wait for her this time. Isabelle had already spun in close, lashing out an outwards crescent kick with her right foot!
"Mmph!" Aurora grunts, getting struck in the face! The impact left her staggering into a full rotation!
Isabelle still wasn't done. Instead of letting her fluffy foot drop to the ground, she firmly pivots on her left foot, snaps her body sideways, and unleashes a powerful roundhouse kick to the face, her foot having now swayed to and fro like the forceful movement of a bell! "Hyah!"
"Guh!" Another clean shot! Aurora gets blown off her feet and falls to the ground, but manages to curl up and fall into a recovery roll to null some of the impact and retreat into a crouch. She was clearly hurt but she couldn't help but smirk at her opponent before getting up. Aurora was honestly proud of her friend for landing such a beautiful attack. She dives back in, wanting to see more!
The encouraging look she got from Aurora that short moment made Isabelle smirk back in pride, feeling great that she finally got a hit off! She firmly snaps back to her stance, her confidence growing. Aurora rushes in close with a jab and a right hook, spinning into a torso chop but Isabelle's defense kicks in fast. She skillfully deflects all the blows then slams a low kick to Aurora's left leg. The human's balance was disrupted for just a moment, long enough for Isabelle to capitalize with two palm strikes, one directly to the face and the other to slap across the cheek. Aurora regains her focus just in time to block a follow-up backhand chop but when she tries to punch back, Isabelle quickly swoops in low a pushes a palm into her friend's abdomen. As the tide of battle finally turns, Isabelle's counters seem to have picked up in speed and intensity. Aurora had the air pushed out of her so hard that she couldn't react to Isabelle's next attack, a rising elbow strike to the chin.
"Hyah!" Isabelle spins around and thrusts herself close to slam her right shoulder into Aurora's body. A Tetsuzanko!
Aurora lets out a loud grunt, getting slammed back with such force that she almost fell over. As the human stumbled, Isabelle goes on the aggressive. Aurora finally snaps out of her daze and looked up, only to see Isabelle had already jumped into the air with her right leg ready to swing over. Before she could react, Isabelle spins into a relentless storm of kicks with alternating feet, practically defying gravity and pelting Aurora in the face, repetitively. One, two, three, four! With a big kiai, number five came in the form of a big helicopter kick!
"Ooahh!" Aurora was spent spinning into the air before tumbling onto right into the shallow end of the ocean with a mild splash. She lands with her back against the water, breathing heavily.
Isabelle lands on the ground, starting to break a sweat herself. She remains in her stance, panting to catch her breath. That last attack took a lot out of both fighters. It looked like Isabelle had won...until Aurora starts to push herself back onto her feet. She was looking a little tired which made Isabelle concerned. However, after regaining her composure, the human was beaming wide. Dripping wet but, being Aurora, she didn't mind at all. Good thing she designed her dougis to be waterproof.
"Whoa-ho! What a combo, Isabelle! That was awesome!" Aurora praises, grinning wide and shooting a thumbs-up.
Isabelle was surprised by her friend's approving reaction but the cheerful encouragement and pleasant sportsmanship of such an honorable sparring partner warmed her heart. The pup responded with a big smile of her own.
"Th-thank you, Aurora!" Isabelle cheerfully responds. "I can't explain it but I felt more and more motivated to do my best while sparring with you."
Aurora laughs, resting her hands on her hips. "That's what I've been talking about! The excitement of a fun fight with a friend really brings the best out of you. It makes you want to try harder because you're enjoying the challenge that much!"
"I see! I really do enjoy sparring with you, Aurora!" Isabelle concurs, her expression sweeter than the aroma of cherry blossoms.
"Likewise, Isabelle! I can totally see why you got invited to that tournament before!" Aurora returns, her wide smile lingering as well.
Both girls giggle with glee, their respect for each other's skills grown tremendously. They were both a bit battered and tired but the excitement of the fight only brought them closer together. Soon, Aurora notices the whole beach start to become a bit brighter and looks to her right to see the sun rising further from the horizon. Isabelle, curious, follows Aurora's gaze and what was about to be was now clear to both of them. A new day was about to start.
"Oh! It'll be morning soon," Isabelle forecasts.
Aurora merely smiles as she watches the rising sun for a moment, remaining silent, before turning back to Isabelle. "Looks like everyone will be up soon. So…"
The battle-hungry look in Aurora's eyes quickly makes a reappearance.
"How about one more round before the day starts, for real?" She suggests.
Isabelle was a bit surprised by the request but smirks, the aura of competition proving contagious, as her gaze intensifies also. "Okay!"
Aurora smirks as well. "Then let's finish this!"
Aurora makes a quick leap out of the shallow water, putting herself face to face with Isabelle once more. They lock eyes for a moment, the excitement within them starting to surge again. This wasn't about evaluating each other skills anymore. Now they just wanted to have some more fun while they still had some free time!
"HYAH!" Both warriors let out a cheerful kiai, snapping into their respective fighting stances at the same time! They couldn't wait to put an enjoyable end to this match!
They both charged at each other without hesitation. Aurora reared back her fist for a fierce straight and Isabelle simultaneously pulled back an arm for an equally-intense palm before both girls struck at the same time! Their hands hit each other with a loud smack that lightly echoed through the quiet beach. Of course, with the matchup of attacks, Isabelle managed to catch Aurora's punch and tries to counter with a front snap kick. The human leans back and retrieves her fist, just in time to spin out of the way of a side kick. Laughing in an abundance of excitement, Aurora goes low for a swift sweep kick but a peppy Isabelle sees it coming and jumps up high, spinning into an aerial axe kick counter. Aurora leaps back, both girls catching a challenging glance towards one another as Isabelle's bare foot slices across the air. The human dashes back in and the two proceed to trade blows with each other. Their pulses were racing and positive energy was swelling within their able bodies. They were having so much fun.
After meeting each other, punch per kick, Aurora finally swoops in with a right hook to the gut. Isabelle doubles over and is left susceptible to an uppercut to the face, rocking her head the other way. Aurora kiais, wanting to add an outwards, spinning crescent kick but Isabelle snaps back into the fight and uses her left arm to deflect her opponent's foot upward then twirls back into to slam an elbow into the stomach. A bit of playful payback. Aurora just barely plants her parried foot behind her to keep from falling but Isabelle's kiai signals the follow up of a double palm strike to the chest, which knocks her down anyway. Aurora skids against the sand but quickly jumps back up, dashing back in. They share another eager standoff of blows but then Isabelle's inward crescent kick parries Aurora's roundhouse, earning a fast side kick to the human's face. Isabelle kiais, jumping into another helicopter kick with the left foot. Aurora recovers fast and ducks under Isabelle's kick then takes it a step further, letting out a kiai as well as a right-foot high side kick. Her foot clips Isabelle in the face, midair, knocking her back but she curls up and just barely retreats into a backflip and gets away with just a hard landing on the sand. Aurora lets out a battle cry and leaps back at Isabelle again, triggering another fierce clash of blows.
The two continue to share their fun battle, their kiais lightly roaring throughout the vicinity of the beach. At that moment, two animals were wandering through the plaza, southbound, through opposite sides. Coming from the east was a yellow bull, dressed in a blue relay tank. A local jock by the name of Coach. From the west was a black pig with a pink, striped halter dress, named Agnes, a loud and proud sisterly sow. These were both close friends of Aurora, who traveled with her when Zen Oasis first started, both of who easily got along with her and her active, jolly lifestyle. Not to mention they got along well with each other. In fact, all three of them usually get together for a morning jog, at this hour. They were just getting started with their day, nearing earshot of where the spar on the beach was happening.
"Ahh…" Agnes yawns and snuffles, shrugging off the morning lag in her system. Eventually, her groggy eyes shift over to where Coach was approaching. " Oh. Morning, Coach."
Coach, already wide awake and set to be active, turns over to Agnes with a perky look. "Yo, Agnes! You about ready for our mornin' run?"
Agnes yawns once more, stretching her arms. "Yeah… Just let me wake myself up, first."
However, as they move further south, their train of thought gets interrupted by the faint shouting coming from the beach. The abundance of occasional kiais catches them both by surprise and even jolts Agnes fully awake.
"Whoa! Looks like there's already some action over there!" Coach alerts, getting increasingly interested that someone else seemed to be active before he was.
Agnes takes a moment to pay close attention to one of the kiais and then gasps, recognizing the voice. "Hey! That kinda sounds like Aurora!"
"Whoa! No kidding?!" Coach exclaims. "I was wondering why she wasn't out here, yet!"
"Let's go check out the beach. She could be in trouble!" Agnes suggests, the protective sister side of her kicking in rather quick.
"Right! Let's go!" The bull nods with a serious look.
The two took off as fast as their hooved feet would carry them through the plaza, heading to the beach to check for any sign of their friend. They had no idea what Aurora and Isabelle were doing there so they quickly assumed the worst, out of concern. Meanwhile, at the beach, the girls were having the time of their life.
"Haaaaaa…!" Having been put a good few feet away from her opponent, Isabelle starts a battle cry as she makes a fierce dash at Aurora.
"Yaaaaah…!" Aurora eagerly does the same, charging straight at her opponent.
When the distance between the two had nearly closed up completely, they spring off their feet and leap into the air. They rear back a leg as they fly towards each other, until…
"HYAH!"
They both launch powerful flying side kicks at each other, their kiais converging into a loud, cheerful battle cry. Their attacks quickly collide. Smack! Their feet slam into each other with great force, clashing equally with each other and canceling out their kicks. The girls then push away from each other, gracefully flipping back to the ground, skidding against the sand. They instinctively snap back to their stances, sweat dripping from their faces. Both warriors had to stop to catch their breath, their hearts pounding. They panted and panted but, soon, Isabelle just couldn't take it anymore. The pup eventually fell onto her hands and knees, breathing heavily. She was completely worn out from all the fighting. However, Aurora couldn't count the match in her favor because she soon collapsed too! The human dropped onto one knee, supporting herself with her right hand, panting as sweat continued to fall. They were both exhausted! Thankfully, it only took a couple of seconds to regain their composure enough for them to look up at each other.
"Ha… Ha… It looks like it's a tie," Isabelle says, tired but still smiling.
Aurora panted a bit more but she, too, reciprocated with a big beam. "Huff… Yeah...but, good gosh, that was a ton of fun!"
"Mmhmm!" Isabelle nods, giggling.
Aurora soon pushes herself onto her feet and walks over to Isabelle, lending her an arm to provide a hand up. Isabelle took a moment to catch her breath before happily accepting the kind gesture, grabbing Aurora's hand and lifting herself back up. With her friend now on her feet again, Aurora quickly wraps a loving arm around the pup's shoulders.
"Great spar, Isabelle! It's been so long since I had this much fun!" Aurora happily says, hugging onto the tough canine. "Seriously, thank you so much!"
"You're very welcome, Aurora!" Isabelle chimes back, showing a big, cheery smile. "I had a lot of fun too! I never thought I'd say this, but I'd be happy to do it again sometime."
This makes Aurora grin excitedly. "Totally! We could be training buddies!"
While the two were enjoying their bonding moment, the sound of hurried footsteps could be heard from where they were standing. Coach had just managed to catch up to the two, with Agnes not too far behind. Of course, being the fitness junkie, Coach had no problem reaching the beach first. Agness was no slouch, herself, but wasn't quite as in shape as her bull friend. Aurora and Isabelle quickly avert their gaze from each other and towards their other two friends.
"Yo, Water Girl!" Coach greets, calling Aurora out through a personalized nickname. "Everything okay over here? We heard a bunch of noise."
"Haha, yeah! Everything's fine, Coach!" Aurora chuckles bashfully.
Agnes jogged up beside Coach, resting her hands onto her knees and catching her breath before standing straight. "We got a little worried when we heard some shouting nearby. What's going on?"
Aurora, a little shy about admitting she and Isabelle were sparring, blushed and looked down. She wanted to tell them how much fun they both had but, as she told Isabelle yesterday, wasn't sure if she should. "Um… Well…"
"Oh, nothing," Isabelle happily spoke up for her. "Just enjoying a workout."
"Aw, what? Without me?" Coach jokes.
The four quickly burst into laughter, making an already happy moment even sweeter.