Chapter 4: CQC

A week later - Ba'kii Kum village

Apollo smirked across Lea from the PvP field. "Spheromancer, are you ready to test your mettle against me!" He said as the HUD popped up with his and Lea's hit points. The scorecard of the PVP stood at zero all as the bout began. Apollo's fists grabbed his chakram and he stood ready, "let this match decide who's the better Spheromancer of us!"

If he'd been expecting Lea to be riled up by that? He'd be sorely disappointed.

Standing at her end of the field, Lea calmly looked back at him with an attentive frown and crouched into a stance, which kept shifting as Apollo walked around her in a circle.

Apollo frowned, "Spheromancer, aren't you going to bring out your weapons? You are not a pentafist." Lea didn't respond, just calmly looking at him as with her hands before her in a semi-closed guard. Apollo growled, "fine then, I'll end this disgraceful conduct before the Spheromancer name is sullied! Haaah!" And he rushed towards her, brandishing his chakram in a wild swing at her face-

Catch! Twist!

Lea swayed to the side, caught his hand, and twisted it. Going behind Apollo and holding it to his back.

Apollo blinked, his head whipping around to find where she'd disappeared to, "h-huh?!"

A chakram appeared before his face from behind. And it was not his chakram.

Slash!

"Aah!" He stumbled forward as he got slashed, his avatar becoming invulnerable for a second after the attack so he could recover. And right as his recovery time ended and he twisted around, a hand caught his arm and flipped him to the ground-

Bang!

Slash!

Followed by a chakram to the chest right as he fell, cutting off more hit points. Unable to make heads or tails, Apollo wildly jumped to his feet in the moment of immunity and dashed away-

Dash!

He caught a hair of blue dashing right alongside him, and the moment he stopped spinning, he got grabbed, dragged forward, and his knees kicked under, making him stumble down, and he took a-

Slash!

Chakram to the face!

He sputtered, whipping his head wildly to find Lea but only ever able to see a pair of hands flipping him to the ground, "w-what is happening! W-Where are you?!" He tried to crawl away on his knees and yelped as he was dragged back by his feet and mercilessly slashed at, "w-what malarkey is this?! Y-You're a Spheromancer, not an Assassin!"

Meanwhile, Emilie and C'Tron stared at the one-sided beat-down with wide eyes.

Emilie blinked, feeling sorry for Apollo as he ran about the PvP area like a wild chicken, slashing everywhere in a panic and missing Lea every time as she redirected his hands and twisted him to the ground. "W-Whoa, Lea became the Terminator," Emilie grinned, "magnifique!"

C'Tron gulped as he saw Apollo squawk as he was suplexed into the ground and slashed at by a calm and methodical Lea, "w-was she always this strong? She didn't show this in the dungeons."

Emilie grinned at him, "I know! I think this is why she's been grumpy and tired every time we meet her." Emilie smirked at Lea, "our chérie's been holding out on us." She then beamed at C'Tron with an eager smile, "I'd like to see anyone mess with her now."

C'Tron let out a shaky smile, "r-right. Who'd want to mess with Super Lea?"

Ding! Ding! Ding!

And Emilie and C'Tron turned together to see that the PvP match had ended with Apollo groaning on the ground, with Lea sitting atop his back and twisting his hand.

Apollo stared at the scorecard and smacked his head to the ground, muttering, "I-I lost five to zero… o-oh the disgrace." He creaked his head back and gave Lea a considering nod, "as promised, I take it back that you pay-to-win, for I clearly see the effort put into your martial-arts. You do our class proud!" Lea rolled her eyes. Apollo gave her a strong smile and winced as he tried to point at her with his free hand, "I-I concede Spheromancer Assassin! But you will not be so lucky next time-"

"Lea!" She snapped at him with a put-off face.

Say my name!

And she poked her horn!

[ Remember the Name ]

"This is ten percent luck!

Twenty percent skill!

Fifteen percent concentrated power of will!

Five percent pleasure!

Fifty percent pain!

And a hundred percent reason to remember the name!"

Apollo blinked and then grinned, "I could not forget your name even if I tried, Spheromancer Assassin Lea!"

Lea smacked her face and sighed, shaking her head as she got off him. He's just making her seem like a total weirdo.

I'd rather be a box.

She blinked as she thought that. Huh, where did that come from?

Shaking her head she idly listened to Apollo swearing upon their eternal rivalry again before he bounded off with his friend. Lea looked around the street trying to spot a certain box who'd tortured her with endless exercises, back-flips, and combat techniques, and her face fell as she saw no box in sight.

I thought he'd come to see my progress-

"You're a hundred years too green to detect me in a crowd, rookie."

Lea's eyes widened at that nonchalant and mocking voice behind her and her leg immediately kicked out!

Hop!

She whipped her head behind to see Box - seeing him hop to the air to avoid her downward sweep - and her face exploded with a grin, before it was taken over by a vindictive smile as brought out her chakram and slashed at him furiously!

Box's sword flashed out!

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

He blocked every strike with his blade and then spun upwards with his sword-

Clang!

Clatter!

"H-How!" Lea yelped as her chakram were knocked out of her hands and she fell back on her butt, the force of Box's strike sending her tripping down. She glared at Box, whose smug smile she could just feel through the cardboard. "How! Why! What! When! Where!" She said grumbling as he hopped over.

"Hah, I am a box, you are a human. We are not the same." Box said with a chuckle as his tape snapped to her fallen chakram and retrieved them, before letting them fall on her lap. "So I figured, if you're truly going to be my student… you should have a box."

Lea gasped! She couldn't believe it!

B-Box sees me worthy of a box!

Meanwhile, C'Tron scratched his head at the bizarre sight of an avatar and a box talking. While Emilie shushed him and continued to listen in, gushing at how adorable they were.

And then Box took Lea over to the box propped against the building behind them, a reddish-brown hue, a size little smaller than Box himself. Lea stared at it in wonder before wordlessly looking at Box and pointing at herself,

I-Is that for m-me?

Box continued with his explanation, not looking at her, "keep practising the basic CQC moves I showed you. You'll find them quite adaptable for combination techniques with a cardboard box. And-" Box chuckled, "with you being an avatar, it gives you a game-breaking advantage." Lea blinked at him, frowning in question. Box smirked, "don't worry, finding out is half the fun. So? How do you like it-"

Glomp!

Box stilled as arms wrapped around him, a body pressing to its side.

"…is this a new CQC hold you're practising, or something else…" he muttered.

Lea raised a brow at him, bending before the slit to show him her unimpressed face.

What do you think it is, wise guy?

"I… see. Quite effective. Could immobilise someone if they're not careful." Lea gave him a cheeky grin. Aww, is someone all jittery from a little hug? "…shut up." Box grumbled before shaking her off him and hopping away. Lea snickered. But she hadn't even said anything!

Box then muttered, his voice a whisper only for her ears, "my codec frequency is 141.80. Use the uPod to dial-in with long-range mode. It will work anywhere within CrossWorlds. Call me if you need my advice. Or any help with Cardboard Combat, engagement strategies, and infiltration." He looked back at her, "…you are desperate, you're not in the game to have fun are you?" Lea tried to maintain her gaze but found herself looking away with a wince, her hand grabbing her shoulder in discomfort. Box nodded to himself and looked away, "anyone here for fun would have given up on my bootcamp on day one. Anyway… good luck with whatever you're searching for." He gave her a parting glance, "see you around, Lea."

Lea smiled weakly and waved back, thankful that he didn't pry further.

She stood there until she saw Box disappear amid a crowd of people gawking at a moving box.

"So!"

"H-Hi?!"

Lea jumped in surprise as Emilie suddenly popped up before her and slammed her hands on her shoulders, a mischief filled grin on her face. "Mon dieu, Lea! You didn't tell me your boyfriend was in CrossWorlds!"

Lea glared at Emilie and whipped her head away.

He's not a boyfriend! He's… He's just my boxfriend!

Lea blinked. Wait… w-wasn't that kinda the same thing?

"Aww, she's blushing!" Emilie threw an arm around Lea's shoulder and began leading them to the local park. Emilie smiled ear-to-ear, "you have to tell me all about it, chérie!"

And then Lea used her secret technique which only she could use. Which was smiling innocently at Emilie and saying, "Hi? Lea. Hi! Lea!" And she smirked on the inside.

Gosh, isn't it unfortunate that my vocal module is busted?

Emilie laughed and thumped her back, "oh no you don't, my dear Lea. Don't have words? Use your songs!" Emilie smirked back at her, "you're not getting out of this one."

Lea pouted at the floor and kicked it as she was taken away by her friend for interrogation. Her eyes gleamed, as she began devising ways to get back at the culprit of it all.

This is all your fault, Box!

She chuckled. Oh how sweet it'd be to see Box on the receiving end of her CQC one of these days.

And in midst of this impending girl-talk, C'Tron wondered if he should really be there or call it a day. The last thing he wanted was to talk about boys…

Or boxes.