Summary: During Part 4. Ursula demonstrates her unparalleled muscle to her teammates, but Ragger challenges her claim. This will not end well for anyone.
"Go! Go! Go! Go!"
With Jason and Jet gone on their respective missions, the Foresters could relax a bit from the day-to-day routines of its crippling downward spiral into inhospitable recreation and activity. With funds and resources being rationed until they find a permanent solution, the Foresters had to acclimate to new ways to entertain themselves.
Ursula provided a worthwhile distraction.
Foresters gathered around the mess hall's outdoor area, cheering on Ursula and Hedwig as they locked themselves into a tense standoff. Elbows on the table and hands clasped together, they flexed their unbridled strength into an archaic ritual testing the fortitude and resilience between challengers utilizing simple physics to overpower the other until one appendage touches down upon the battleground.
In short, arm-wrestling.
Ursula smirked as she pushed back against Hedwig, who was panting heavily to keep up with the Toxicroak. She dug her claws into the table to keep herself upright, pushing as hard as she could against her dominating adversary. Ursula had barely broken a sweat after several rounds against other challengers. Many placed their bets on the wolf, hoping for her savage nature to take over and break the toxic toad's winning streak.
Sadly, it would not come to pass. With the last of her endurance waning, Hedwig's arm collapsed back under the force of Ursula, slamming down on the table and claiming another victory under her belt.
"Ha! Ten in a row!" Ursula exclaimed.
Cheers erupted from behind Ursula while groans came from the losing party. Hedwig pulled herself up and massaged her arm. "Smarts. Smarts bad." She flashed a toothy grin at Ursula. "I'll get stronger and devour your winning streak, Ursula. Mark my words."
She laughed. "I always encourage physical growth. I look forward to our rematch, Hedwig."
"Ursula! Ursula! Ursula!" her fans cheered.
She set her elbow back on the table and grinned. "Alright, who wants to go next? I'll take anyone one!"
"Come on, Fabrice! You can do it!" Enora cheered. "Go, go, go!"
The audience cheered as Ursula took on the Marshtomp as her next opponent. Though, the festivities lasted about three seconds before Fabrice's arm collapsed across the table.
"Another win for me!" Ursula cheered.
Fabrice smiled blissfully. "I'm just happy to be involved. Thank you very much—"
"FABRICE!" Enora tackled her boyfriend and hugged him tightly. "YOU'LL GET HER NEXT TIME! HAVE HEART!" she cried.
"Aww, thanks, Enora." He hugged her back.
"Less sappy nonsense, more violence!" Brooklyn cheered.
Gold and Jewel stepped up to the challenge next, insisting they both take on Ursula together. She gladly accepted and allowed them to work together. Though, it became clear the twins had no interest in playing the game fairly.
"Come on, Sister! Pull!" Gold yelled as he and Purrloin stood upon the table and tried to use their combined weight to pull Ursula's arm down.
"I'm giving it all I can, Brother!" Jewel shifted her position and attempted pushing Ursula's arm while Gold pulled.
The audience stared at the twins in bewilderment. "This isn't even remotely close to how arm wrestling is played," Margot commented.
"Have they even moved her arm a centimeter yet?" Emile asked, taking note that the display looked like two children swinging on the arm of a statue.
Ursula rested her cheek in her free hand and watched the twins struggle. She blinked her eyes slowly, starting to get bored. "Uh, Gold? Jewel? You want to me go easy on you or—"
"N-NO!" they yelled, doubling their efforts to collapse the Weald Ranger's steely endurance. They dragged their claws into the table and heaved with all their might.
She shrugged. "Okay then." She flicked her wrist, sending the twins flying off the table and into the crowd. "Maybe you two should stick to stealing."
The twins lay sprawled out over each other in a daze. "Pretty coins spinning…"
"Mwuahahahahahaha!" Pandora took her seat across from Ursula and rested her foreleg on the table. She wore a metallic gauntlet over her foreleg with a lever on one-side and a piston pressed into the table. "Your strength is impressive, Ursula, but it is no match for my science!"
Ursula smirked and grasped the Growlithe's paw. "This ought to be fun."
Once the whistle was blown, Pandora started cranking the lever to her gauntlet. The piston started to extend out from the gauntlet, and Ursula could feel some noticeable heft being pressed into her hand. With barely any effort through her arm, the gauntlet was starting to push back against her.
Pandora threw her head back and laughed. "You see that, Ursula?! This is the culmination of evil science! By utilizing simple physics, I can overcome any trying obstacle! These are the inventions that changed the course of Pokémon history, dividing beast from modern creature! Gone are the ways of our savagery! With science, we can overcome anything!"
Ursula chuckled and tightened her fingers around Pandora's paw. "Well, it's certainly strong. Guess I'll have to start playing now."
The evil scientist's eyes widened. "Wait, wha—"
Ursula pushed back against the gauntlet, causing its internal mechanisms to crack and break before snapping the Growlithe's foreleg down onto the table. The audience threw their hands and paws up and cheered.
Ursula massaged her hand and laughed. "Sorry, Pan! Back to the drawing board for you."
Tears welled up in Pandora's eyes. "My science…betrayed me."
She smiled softly. "Hey, don't cry, Pan. I'm sure your next invention will beat me. Have faith."
"N-No, n-not that. A piece of metal just jabbed me in the leg…"
"…"
"…"
"…"
"…Can someone get me a bandage, pwease?! My evil blood is pouring out!"
After a quick trip to the medical hut, the game was back on. Next up against Ursula was the leader of the Nature Spirit Scouts himself, Eadwulf. He and Ursula locked hands, rested their elbows on the table, and went at it as soon as the whistle blew. They glared each other down, tightening their grips and flexing their muscles as they tried to overpower each other.
"Ursula! Ursula! Ursula!" Emile and Margot cheered.
"Come on, Eadwulf! You can do this!" Sid exclaimed with Rusty balanced atop her head.
"Kick his ass, Ursula!" Enora yelled.
"EADWULF! WOOOOO!" Pandora cheered, waving a sign with the Nuzleaf's name splattered in red paint.
Ursula tightened her grip as she felt Eadwulf pushing back against her. Amber-colored sweat dripped down Eadwulf's face as he strained a smirk at her. "Getting winded yet, Ursula?"
She smirked back. "Not…yet!"
It was the closest match of the day, the two going back and forth at each other. Ursula's arm waned to one side, but then Eadwulf's would wane the other way. They drowned out the cheers of their audience, focusing purely on pinning the other's arm down.
Feeling invigorated by the challenge, Ursula flexed her muscles to their peak and slowly pushed back against Eadwulf's arm. The Nuzleaf gripped onto the table to keep himself steady. He pushed back as hard as he could, but Ursula was on an entirely different level than him. All his explosive strength couldn't compare to Ursula's raw muscle.
Eventually, the back of his hand was pinned to the table, declaring Ursula the winner.
"WOO! Yeah! Way to go, Ursula!" Margot cheered, flashing a pair of fans and twirling petals around the Toxicroak.
"I CALL FOUL!" Pandora yelled.
Fabrice patted her head. "Simmer down, Pan."
Ursula pulled her arm back and massaged her bicep. "Phew. You've got some muscle yourself, Eadwulf. Well played."
He laughed while cradling his aching arm. "Working on a farm does that to you, though I guess you've had crazier training."
She patted her biceps proudly. "Pure muscle inherited from my father."
He reached over the table. "Good game, Ursula."
"You as well." She reached over and shook his hand, sharing in a hearty laugh.
"Baaaaah…show off!"
Leon, who was trying to eat his bowl of fruit slop in peace, looked up to his apparent lunch mate, Ragger. The Hakamo-o clutched a bottle of his homemade ale, having down the entire thing as he watched the arm-wrestling competition from the mess hall's outdoor area. He swayed about with an annoyed expression, holding himself against the table for stability.
"Dat's nothin'! She's not the only…uh, tough one arounds here. I could totally beat her."
Leon narrowed his eyes. "I…don't care. At all."
"I hear ya, pal. It's like she's mocking me into a challenge. She thinks she's so tough just because she beat a few dozen of us? Oho! I'll show her just how strong the Recke family is!" He stood up and flexed his muscles. "I earned these from hard work and survival! These are the muscles that'll break down the New Chariot Empire and clobber that bastard emperor! I can totally beat her at arm wrest—hic! Arm-wrestling!"
"…" Leon reached over, bit the scaly dragon's hood, and pulled back into his seat. "They're just trying to let off some steam with all the tension going on lately. Don't take it so seriously."
"You're right, Leonard! I've got to show her up!"
"Don't do it."
"You're right! I should march up there right now and make her challenge me!"
"How much of this is just you being a drunken idiot?"
"Thanks for the support, pal! Wish me luck!" Ragger smashed his bottle across the table and marched over to the crowd.
"…" The Aron, looking at his glass-covered slop, took a deep breath and groaned. "Why do I hang out with this idiot?"
"I have several concerns about taking part in this," Klaus mumbled as he weakly rested his elbow on the table.
"Klaus! Klaus! Klaus!" the Foresters cheered him from behind.
Ursula grinned. "Oh, come on, Klaus. It's just some friendly competition."
He grimaced. "I'll snap like a twig if you so much as shake my hand." Reluctantly, he raised his arm and mentally prepared himself to spend another afternoon in the medical hut.
"OBJECTION!" Ursula, Klaus, and the Foresters paused as Ragger stumbled over to the table, collapsing against it while pointing firmly at the Toxicroak. "I want next maaaaatch. I refuse to let this—hic—melarko last another half a second."
Ursula blinked twice at the Hakamo-o before asking, "Ragger, are you drunk—"
"Stop asking stupid questions with obvious answers. You! Me! We wrestling!"
She glared. "Ragger, you need to wait your turn like everyone else. Klaus is next—"
"Uhhhhhh…" She glanced at the Morgrem as he suddenly stood up. "Wow, all of a sudden, my allergies are acting up. Achoo. Cough. Other sick noises. Welp, better go before I throw up from a weak stomach, I mean achoo!" He dashed off, shouting, "THANK YOU, MY DRUNKEN SAIVOR!"
Ursula groaned. "And here I thought I was finally going to trick him into working out." She shrugged and gestured to the empty seat. "Alright Ragger, you're on."
He smirked and sat himself down across from her. "You may have your raw muscle, but I got my strength from stubbornness and pure grit. Whatever you throw at me, I'll endure and fight back until I have the last laugh!"
Ursula smirked back. "You sure? You're looking a bit tipsy."
"What's the matter, Ms. Brawny Arms? Afraid a drunkard's going to outmuscle you?"
Her smirk tightened. "Ooohhhh, you asked for it now, buster." They locked hands and slammed their elbows down on the table. "Don't pass out too soon. I want to savor crushing you through the table."
"HA! I've fought tougher women in bar fights! You got nothing!"
"I'm sorry, can you cut a train in half with your bare fists?"
"I can totally crush a train with just my body! Pandora, get me a train right now and ram it into me—"
"WILL YOU JUST ARM-WRESTLE ALREADY?!" Margot shouted.
Steered back on track, the two competitors glared each other down as Emile cupped their hands inside his. "Alright, you both know the rules. Elbows must stay on the table at all times. No kicking each other under the table. No headbutting, biting, or anything of the sort. First one to pin the back of the other's hand down wins!"
Ragger smirked. "Time to get crushed, Haumann!"
Ursula smirked back. "Prepare for sweet, sweet defeat, Recke!"
Emile nodded. "Alright! On the count of three, duke it out! One—"
Ursula tightened her grip and her tense glare.
"Two—"
Ragger belched, wiping alcohol off his maw, and grinned in anticipation.
"…THREE!"
As soon as the Druddigon removed his hands, the two competitors went at it. Their muscles bulked up as they tried to overpower the other's arm. The crowd cheered around them, chanting their names and stamping their feet in excitement. Their linked hands trembled in the other's grip, locked in a stalemate for the first minute of the match.
Ursula grinned, squeezing down on Ragger's hand and trying to push his arm down. The Hakamo-o scoffed, stomping his feet down and rearing his arm back to their original position. He pushed against Ursula's arm, but she maintained composure and forced them back up.
The table trembled from their immense strength, and even those close to the competitors felt the floor shaking from the sheer pressure they exuded. Their muscles expanded wider. They gritted their teeth, putting the whole of their strength through their arms.
As the seconds turned to minutes, sweat formed over their brows. Their arms trembled and shook from pure, raw determination to win. Back and forth they went trying to pin the other's hand down, yet they kept going back to where they started, never getting further than a forty-five-degree angle on each other.
Ragger grinned. "You're not slowing down on me, are you?"
Ursula grinned back. "You can quit anytime you like."
"Why? Afraid I'm going to smash your record? Or are you afraid there's someone stronger than you?"
She laughed. "Now why would I be afraid of that? That sounds like a good time."
It became clear to their audience that the match wasn't ending any time soon. The cheers died down as the stalemate drew out to fifteen minutes with neither competitor showing any sign of giving up. The longest match was with Eadwulf, and that only lasted three minutes.
"Geez, was Ragger always this strong?" Margot asked.
"Either that, or it's that stubbornness he was warning her about," Emile said.
"Come on!" Enora shouted. "Someone take the other out! This is getting to the point of absurd!"
Ragger laughed. "Oh, I'll stop just as soon as she slips up!"
She smirked. "You're that determined to beat me, Recke?"
"Like you said, stronger opponents sound like a great time! But, you know…" He grabbed the table with his free hand. "I did say I've gotten into bar fights."
He sprung off the floor with the table in hand and flipped over Ursula. Their arms bent backwards while the legs of the table pointed to the sky.
"What the—" Ursula gasped. She grabbed the table with her free hand to keep her elbow pressed in.
"Rule was to keep elbows on the table! Nothing about table legs on the floor!" Ragger twisted the table to try and hit the back of Ursula's hand.
Ursula lurched her body forward, staggering the scaly dragon, and spun him and table back around. The legs slammed down hard and splintered under their weight. Their elbows still remained pressed into the table, and their hands remained locked together.
Rather than get mad from the blatant cheating, Ursula's smirk grew. "Oh, you want to do this the hard way? Fine! Hang on tight!" She threw herself back and kicked the table's underside.
"WHOA!" Ragger kept a hold on as he was knocked into the air.
"Having fun?!"
He grinned. "Not yet!" He forced himself into a landing, gripped the table tightly, and spun it and Ursula around. "Around and around! Time for a ride! YEE-HAW!" Still holding on, he sent the table flying in one direction and went flying along with it.
Their audience stared in complete bewilderment as they watched the two throw themselves around, rolling and flying across the fort, crashing into anything in their way.
"…What the actual hell?" Enora mumbled.
"I cannot believe they were able to keep arm-wrestling while doing that," Fabrice said.
"I'm more shocked they haven't technically broken the rules," Emile said. "I didn't think I needed to add make sure the table stays put!"
Margot waved it off. "Less gawking, more watching! After that runaway table!" The Foresters chased after the arm-wrestling duo.
The occupants of Fort Lucus gasped as Ursula and Ragger came flying by, gripping for dear life to a table and pushing it back and forth between each other. They spun each other around, kicking off from passing huts and buildings, and leapt across gaps all in a bid to pin the other's hand down.
Ursula lurched her body forward, spinning the table upside-down and trying to slam Ragger into the platform over. Holding strong, the scaly dragon slammed the soles of his feet down and hardened his stance. He raised the table above his head with just one hand. Ursula lay on the edge with her arm stretched out and her elbow barely staying planted.
Ragger smirked. "Game!" He tried to twist Ursula's wrist into the table.
She countered by kicking the table's underside and spinning it around, striking Ragger across the head. With his dazed, she pulled herself and the table back down before ramming the edge into his stomach. She charged across the platform and pinned him against a tree. He wheezed out in pain.
"Got you!" Widening her stance, she attempted to push his arm down.
Ragger briefly let go of the table and sent electricity coursing down his arm. "Thunder Storm Claw!" He manifested the energized Dragon Claws and used his extended reach to strike the tree and push himself forward, knocking Ursula off balance.
"Whoa!" She gripped the table and kept her arm firmly planted down as Ragger tried to use his momentum to push it down. "Oh, so we're using techniques now?!"
Ragger smirked. "So long as I don't hit you, right?! Not much you can do with just chops, though!"
She smirked. "I beg to differ!" She channeled her strength through her legs and launched forward. Keeping a tight grip of the table, she tucked herself and it into a spin. "Xtinction Catapult: Arm-Wrestling Maneuver!"
"WHOOOOOOA!" Ragger shouted as he held on tight to the table, feeling the world whirl around him.
The two competitors flew high above the fort as their audience continued to give chase after them.
Okay. I can do this.
Vanessa opened the door to the hut she was occupying, staring out warily at the seemingly quiet afternoon. Outside of her checkups with Shade and Percival, she rarely stepped outside. However, she didn't want to be cooped up in her room all day. She had to face her fears no matter what. The first step to recovery was not to let the past hold her back.
She took a deep breath and took one step out of the door. "I…I will seize the day. I will not let my fears hold me down—"
"WWWWWAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"
Her eyes widened as Ursula and Ragger came barreling past her hut, gripping for dear life to a table while locked hand-in-hand, fiercely trying to pin the other's hand down. She watched them roll and bounce off the platform fences before bounding over the side and catapulting over to the next platform over.
"…"
Vanessa slowly stepped back into her room, shut the door, and shuffled back to her hammock with the most befuddled expression she held in her life.
"Maybe I'll try again tomorrow."
Taking a break from his duties, Blitz decided to have another training session with his recent pupil, Lillia. They gathered high up in the trees for seclusion. Blitz stood by, listening out as Lillia concentrated on building up energy at the tip of her hand. Sparks and psychic energy manifested into a condensed sphere.
Blitz, sensing the shape of the heat it was giving off, nodded. "You've done well to improve your technique, Lillia. If we can push your mastery over it, you may be able to fire multiple of that technique in a row."
She nodded. "It certainly takes a lot out of me learning it the first time." She steadied her hand and aimed for the pinned-up target in the distance. "My Sacred Light Beam has a lot of power, but I think I can put a new spin on it. Something to give it that little extra oomph."
Blitz grinned. "Inspired with creativity? Well, let's see what you've come up with."
She narrowed her eyes. Psychic energy swirled around the electric orb, wrapping around it like rings. The air stirred around her. The energy made her hand tremble, forcing her to grab her wrist and keep still. She took a deep breath, studied her target, and readied to fire.
"Now, Sp—"
"YAAAAAH!"
Blitz and Lillia gasped as Ursula and Ragger came whirling up into the trees, and for some reason gripping onto a table. They leapt out of the way as the two fighters kicked and swung off the trees while trying to beat each other with the furniture they were helplessly dragging along.
Ursula gripped into a branch and swung Ragger into the tree trunks, then attempted to flip the table into the back of his hand. He kicked the table back to avoid being pinned and flipped himself over the Toxicroak, forcibly bending her stationary arm back. He maneuvered the table to strike her off balance and knock her from the trees.
"Ha, got—WHOA!" Ursula had swung her legs forward to the underside of the branch and kicked off, dragging Ragger down with her.
Blitz and Lillia slowly joined back up with each other, staring in bewilderment as the duo disappeared below the leaves. "Uh, Lillia?" Blitz mumbled.
"Yes?"
"Was that Ursula and Ragger?"
"Yep."
"…What were they doing?"
"I…believe they were fighting over a table."
"…" Blitz pinched between his eyes and sighed. "So, this is how everyone's combating their boredom."
"HI-YA!"
The duo's fighting led them to hurtling themselves across the fort, catching the attention of many Foresters minding their business. They rotated through the air, twisting and turning with the table to take the other down before careening into the mess hall. Miraculously, they didn't cause too much damage in their landing. They bounced off near the entrance and flew through the doors, startling the few people eating lunch.
The crash alerted Lambert as he tried to prepare tomorrow's meals. He spun around and saw Ursula and Ragger piled atop a withered table with their arms locked together and tensed up. "What in the—"
A crowd soon followed into the mess hall and gathered around the duo, cheering on their names as they continued in their heated struggle. Sweat dripped down their foreheads. Their bodies and uniforms were riddled with scratches and tears, even picking up some twigs along the way.
"I'm not gonna break!" Ursula growled.
"Neither…am I!" Ragger growled, digging his claws in deep.
"Go! Go! Go! Go!" their audience cheered on.
Lambert stepped out from behind the kitchen, wiping his hands with a towel. He grimaced and asked, "What the hell is going on?"
"They're having an arm-wresting competition." He looked over to a nearby table and saw Klaus eating fruit slop. He looked at the competition and grimaced himself. "Yeesh, and that could've been me if I stuck around."
"So, that's why you came running in here a few minutes ago." Lambert tossed the towel onto his shoulder and shouted, "Oi! Take your competition somewhere else! Don't go making a mess of my—"
"Surprise!" Ragger suddenly grabbed the table, catching his second wind, and tried to hurtle Ursula across the mess hall.
She threw her weight down and touched the floor, using her momentum to fling Ragger along instead. "Got you!"
The duo spun themselves across the mess hall, heading on a collision course for the kitchen and Lambert. The Grumpig, sensing his precious kitchen in mortal danger, snorted in outrage.
"Oh, that tears it!" He balled up his towel and tossed it into the air.
With a clap of his hands, he swapped places with the towel, now hovering above the flailing competitors. He pulled out a leppa berry from his apron, munched it up, and inhaled deeply.
"Elemental Release: Force!" He let out a mighty belch that summoned forth a fist of red vapor.
The fist-shaped vapor struck down on top of Ursula and Ragger, burying them into the floorboards one meter away from crashing into the kitchen service station. The table crumbled to bits under the weight of his attack, flattening into splinters.
"Ooowww…" the toad and dragon groaned, twitching within the floor. Lambert landed, then swiftly struck down on their heads with the back of his pegleg. They shot up from the ground, clutching their heads in pain. "OW!"
"What the actual hell were you doing?!" Lambert yelled. "Have you two dimwits contracted madness?! The kitchen ain't a place for bickering and fighting!"
Ursula and Ragger, rubbing the welts on their heads, blinked at him in surprise. "We weren't fighting," they said innocently.
"I don't give a damn what the circumstances were! I don't give a shit what you do outside the mess hall, but keep it outside!" He stamped his pegleg down and pointed to the crater he made. "Now, fix up my floor!"
"But you were the one who—" Ragger tried to argue, only to get smacked with another pegleg to the skull.
Ursula snickered. "Should've kept your mouth shu—"
BAM!
"AGH!" Ursula collapsed next to Ragger and covered her head. "Aaaaagh…"
Lambert huffed before marching back into the kitchen. "Good grief, as if I didn't have enough work on my plate…" He kicked the door shut behind him.
The duo's stunned audience stood by the entrance with blank, utterly befuddled expressions. Brooklyn raised her wing and asked, "Sssooo, who won?"
Pandora shrugged. "Uh, I guess…Lambert won?"
Emile scratched his head. "Well, he did technically pin them both down onto the table before it was smashed to pieces, so…"
"…" They threw their appendages up and cheered. "WOO! LAMBERT!"
As the daylight hours sunk below the horizon, Ursula and Ragger finished hammering down nails and repairing the mess hall floorboards…well, after they got their heads treated at the hut. They were lucky Shade wasn't heading back to House Freia until tomorrow.
Ursula wiped her brow and groaned. "Man, that took forever."
Ragger groaned. "I hate being sober…"
She smiled and extended her hand to him. "I have to say, Ragger, you put up one hell of a fight. You have my respect."
He grinned and clutched her hand in his. "You're one tough lady, Ursula. Most jackasses I'm wrestled with would snap like a twig. They got nothing on you!"
"And you just never know when to give up. Thought I had you a couple times there." She grinned. "Want to have another round tomorrow?"
"Damn straight—"
They jolted from the furious, unmistakable sound of a pegleg striking the floor from within the kitchen.
"…On second thought," Ursula corrected, "how about a workout session tomorrow?"
Ragger smirked. "I'll bring the alcohol."
"I'm normally opposed to drinking during training, but…" She scratched her chin and smirked back. "Well, you've proven me wrong earlier."
The duo helped each other up, picked up their tools, and marched out of the mess hall with their arms wrapped merrily between their shoulders, booming with proud and uproarious laughter.
It was truly the start of a beautiful (and to some, frightening) friendship between two physically imposing monsters.