Theme song:(Subject to change.) Wondering - Good Charlotte. http://youtube.com/watch?v=fjdo6UBuh4gEpisode 7: Party Monster!*Fade In*Lance slept soundly. He had trained a lot the day before with Krystal, and he was seriously in need of some rest. He didn't realize it, but he had trained all the way up to four in the morning. Since it was seven in the morning, he probably wasn't going anywhere for a long time, but it was a weekend, and there was no school that day. Unfortunately for him, he forgot something extremely important, but he had a group of friends that would absolutely refuse to let him sleep in. Lucky him.
"Wakey, Wakey!" Riven said with a sly grin as he splashed poor Lance with a bucket of water. Brandon actually wanted to be the one to splash him, but Riven got the bucket first. Poor Brandon.
"COLD! Wh-what's happening? What's going on?!" Lance yelled as he shot out of bed with a look of pure fear across his face. He looked around the room to see Sky, Riven, Brandon, and Timmy laughing their heads off, and then he saw the empty bucket in Riven's hand. "Why would you do that?" He asked, shivering from the cold.
"Ha ha, today's Codatorta's test man. You should get ready!" Riven chuckled.
"Test?" Lance asked, still shivering. He was rubbing his arms to try and stay warm.
"Yeah." Brandon said. "To see who gets to participate in the competitions to celebrate the reconstruction of the school and stadium."
"That's today?" Lance asked, shocked that he had forgotten something so important. He could have sworn that someone told him about that just the other day.
"Yeah, you should have been here last year. The three witches took over Cloud Tower and destroyed Redfountain! All three schools made one last stand against them at Alfea, and we pulled through!" Sky said, excited at the memory.
"Well, more like Bloom pulled through." Timmy said, readjusting his glasses.
"Bloom?" Lance asked.
"Yeah," Sky said. "Bloom used her dragon fire and kicked Icy's butt!"
"Wow. I had no idea she had that kind of power...actually, to tell you the truth. None of those girls look very strong or battle ready." Lance said. "But I guess when magic's involved you don't need big muscles."
"Exactly." Riven said. "However, since we can't use magic, we make up for it with pure skill. I could take Bloom on with one arm tied behind my back."
"Right." Sky said sarcastically as he rolled his eyes. "Anyway, lets get over to the gym. Codatorta wanted us there at eight."
"Okay." Lance yawned. "Just give me a few minutes to get ready."
Lance walked over to his dresser, pulled out a Redfountain uniform, and headed towards the bathroom. He opened the door, walked in, and shut the door behind him. A few seconds later the door opened once more. "Oh yeah, next time you guys wake me up. Please nudge my shoulder or something. I hate the cold!"
*Fade out*
*Fade in*"Okay class!" Codatorta began. "It seems that everyone wants to participate in the events tomorrow! Though I don't like saying this, we don't have enough time to watch every Redfountain boy compete. Saladine wants to hold a party, and if we are to have this party the stadium events may only last for a set amount of time. With these time restraints in mind, I've been asked to narrow down the roster a bit and kick a few students out of the competition!"
Shortly after the instructor's declaration the students of Redfountain that had gathered started to complain. Codatorta knew that this would happen, and sighed before speaking again. He was just as disappointed as the students were.
"So, in light of this news, I am going to have you boys run an obstacle course! The best times will make it into the Competition, agreed?" Codatorta asked. It really wasn't a real question at all. He would continue on with what he planned regardless of what his answer was. Luckily for him though the students agreed. "Good, now, please step right up. This isn't the same obstacle course as last time! I've upgraded it and added a few more traps, so be careful!"
"Sir!" One boy asked, raising his hand.
"Yes, what is it?" Codatorta answered.
"Will the lasers still be in the obstacle course?"
"Yes."
"Thank you, sir!" The boy said as he lowerd his hand. Codatorta looked at the boy for a bit. He was confused as to why the boy was happy that the lasers were still in the obstacle course.
"Hey," One boy whispered to another. "I wonder how bad Laser Lance is going to get thrashed this time. There's no way he's competing."
"Yeah," another boy whispered back. "He's deffinitely the weakest one at the school. I wonder why they even let him in."
"Yeah, I know!"
Unfortunately, Lance and the others were standing directly behind those two. Lance just scowled as he crossed his arms over his chest and stood as tall as he could. What the boys said obviously got to him, but only because Lance thought the same thing. The boys continued to talk about Lance, but he did not do anything about it. He just stood there and listened. His face showed his obvious anger.
"Hey," Sky said as he placed his hand on Lance's shoulder. "Don't listen to them. You've improved a lot since the last obstacle course that Codatorta ran us through. You've been training every day."
"Yeah man." Brandon added. "You don't even look the same anymore. You may not have the bulk that most of the guys here have, but you have the muscle. I can see the difference."
"Yes." Timmy said. "You've grown much stronger in such a short amount of time. It's mind boggling really."
"Heh, I bet ya that you'll beat those punks' times without breaking a sweat!" Riven added.
"Wow, thanks guys." Lance said. "But, I really don't know. I don't think I'll get the chance to compete."
"So you're just giving up?" Riven asked. He seemed angry.
"What? No way! I'm still going to give it my all!" Lance said, dramatically. Afterwards he let out a long yawn. "If I can just wake up that is..."
"OKAY!" Codatorta yelled. "Adam is first!"
"Piece o' cake!" Adam said as he made a confident stride towards the new obstacle course.
Lance watched as his classmate ran through the obstacle course. The beginning was much like the last one, and Lance was starting to feel confident that he might be able to pass it, but out of seemingly nowhere a giant log swooped down to strike the poor Redfountain student. Adam saw the log and was able to duck just in time to keep from getting hurt. Unfortunately for Adam, there was a net gun waiting for him right after he cleared the log trap and he was caught before he even got to the half-way mark of the obstacle course.
"Okay, sorry Adam, but you'll have to watch the competition from the bleachers. Next up is Andrew!"
Lance watched everyone run the course. Brandon was eventually call, and he passed with flying colors. He noticed that Brandon, Sky, and the others were deffinitely at the top of their class. It was almost as if they were born strong, but Lance knew theat they worked hard for their strength. It would seem that Codatorta wanted to make things more challenging for the students though. The traps were random, and it was nearly impossible to figure out their pattern. It was his time though, and Codatorta finally called his name.
"Lance, before you go..." Codatorta said.
"Hmm? What is it?" Lance asked.
Codatorta took a blade hilt out from a large pouch on his belt and handed it to Lance. "You're sword finally came in. You may want it for the obstacle course!"
Lance took out the sword that Codatorta had given him earlier and happily exchanged it for the new blade. He was much more comfortable with a katana in his hands. "Thanks! I really appreciate it!"
"You better. I heard that it was hard to make. Now get going and show me what you've got!"
Lance gulped but nodded anyway as he ran to the beginning of the course. He yawned a bit as he waited for for his instructor to give him the signal to begin the obstacle course, he was still tired.
"BEGIN!" Codatorta yelled, and like a bullet, Lance was off.
It started simple. Lance had to get around a random assortment of bars that had been put in his way. He was running quickly, but it wasn't an all out sprint. He didn't want to be caught off guard. It would seem that the log favored him and just like it did Adam. Fortunately, Lance was able to get out of the way in the same fashion that Adam did.
"Oh no!" Timmy yelled as he watched Lance. "If the log's there then that means the net might be too!"
Timmy was right. Just like when Adam ran head strong into the net, Lance was making the exact same mistake. The net was fired. Lance's friends watched with dread as if the entire scene were happening in slow motion. Then net inched its way towards the young boy at incredible speeds. There was no way that Lance would be able to react fast enough to dodge. *CHINK* was the sound that rung through out the area as Lance did the only thing he could think of. Students' eyes were as big as dinner saucers and their jaws nearly touched the ground as the watched Lance grab his sword, activate it, and cut the net vertically straight down the center, causing the two pieces to pass him by. Not only did that take a great deal of speed, it also took quite a bit of strength and determination on Lance's part.
"W...wow..." Brandon said in disbelief.
"Did he just...?" Sky asked.
"Yeah...he did." Riven answered.
"Go, Lance, go!" Timmy yelled to cheer his friend on. Lance couldn't hear him of course. He was too caught up in his own world.
"Okay. From here on out I have no idea what could happen..." Lance thought to himself. "But...I'm not giving up!"
Lance ran, adrenaline filled his body as he made a mad dash towards the exit. He wasn't to the half-way point yet, but he was close, and he was determined to finish. At this point he didn't care about competing. He just wanted to finish the obstacle course. It would prove that his training was working and that he was catching up to Sky and the others.
Lance ducked, dodged, and weaved in and out of the little traps that came his way. A wall hindered his path and he climbed a rope that had been present at break neck speeds. He dodged the ball that made an attempt to knock him back down to the ground by mere inches and safely jumped to the other side. He was breathing heavily, but he didn't care, he was past the half way mark. The exit was almost in view.
As he ran towards the exit laser turrets and guns made themselves known as Lance was bombarded with a full frontal laser assault. He ran straight forward towards the exit. He weaved in and out of the laser fire. The lasers were moving too quickly for most people to keep up with, but Lance was just moving on pure instinct now. He was nearly hit as he heard a laser whizz by him just to the side, and he literally backflipped out of the way of another oncoming laser that would have certainly put him out of commission. He didn't land on his feet though. He purposely landed on all fours in the same ready position a track runner takes before the start of a race. He used his arms and the position of his legs to get a strong burst of speed and made an attempt to make a mad dash to the end of the course.
He finally made it past the lasers and...began to fall. Codatorta had installed a pit! Lance's trusty sword aided him once more as Lance activated it and rammed it into the side of the pit as he fell, keeping him from falling and failing the obstacle course. He climbed up a bit slowly, but as quickly as his body would allow, and detatched his sword from the side of the pit. Lance was quite certain that Saladine would not approve of the next trap. A giant wrecking ball came at him as soon he exited the pit, and all that was infront of him, other than the giant ball, was a narrow corridor. Codatorta set it up so that any student that fell through the pit would have to fall if he wanted to make it out of the course in one piece! Lance though, was not good at giving up, and he quickly surveyed his surroundings. The ball was too large for him to just jump on, and he couldn't run forward. Behind him was the pit, and to both his sides a wall.
"Not good!" Lance yelled to himself as he realized just how bad a predicament he had just found himself in. Lance jumped as high as he could and rammed his sword into the wall. Codatorta, luckily, made the wall out of wood, and the crystal blade had very little trouble cutting through such material. Afterwards, as the ball swung closer to him, he flipped up onto his blade, and then he jumped as high as he could one last time. The large wrecking ball swung underneath him, and he grabbed on to the rope so that he would swing with the wrecking ball instead of landing on the other side of it. He knew that it would just come back behind him if he did.
Lance nearly yelled when he reached the height of the balls ascent, and he felt a bit queazy during those three seconds of weightlessness that he felt just before the ball swung back down once again. He held it in though, and when he descended he grabbed his sword which was still stuck in the wall, yanked it out, and gripped it tight. He could see infront of him, Codatorta was insane. There were still traps that he had to get through before reaching the exit!
"No way, forget that!" Lance said as he used his sword to cut the wire that held the wrecking ball up, and since it was no longer attatched to its wire half way past the mid way point of the ball's descent it did not arc up. Instead, it was hurled forward, and luckily for Lance, it did not spin. It plowed through the traps and made a giant hole in the wall, forming a 'new' exit. It touched the ground, skid a bit, and just before it began to roll Lance jumped off the ball, straight into the air. The bottom of his feet stung as he touched the ground after jumping so high, and he opted to land in more of a kneeling position. The pain subsided and he stood up a bit slowly, wiping the sweat from his brow as he panted for air. He completed the obstacle course. Maybe not in the way that Codatorta had intended, but he finished. It wasn't long before he heard someone applaud him.
"Everyone, give a hand to Lance!" Codatorta said, clapping. "He just demonstrated for you today, a level of ingenuity that all heroes and specialists should strive to achieve! In mere seconds he evaluated a situation and instead of giving up, chose a path that may not be fool proof, but if pulled off correctly could lead to victory! Not only that, just weeks ago he could not pass the most basic of obstacle courses! Good work, Lance! You've earned your spot in the competion!"
Some applauded, some were awe struck and remained silent. Some were angry that 'laser' Lance could pass the obstacle course and they couldn't. Some were just angry that Lance succeeded. However, a small group ran up to Lance and practically tackled him to the ground. Riven and Bandon were playfully digging their fists into his head, much like an older brother would do to a younger brother. Timmy stood close by smiling with his arms crossed, and Sky was infront of Riven and Brandon cheering him on.
"Hey, looks like we got another hero on the way!" Brandon cheered.
"Who would have guessed that it would be Lance though!" Riven joked.
"That was amazing! I thought you were a goner!" Sky said.
"Three cheers for Lance!" Timmy said, raising his fist into the air in triumph.
"So, what's up Lance? What'cha gonna do now?" Sky asked.
"Heh, heh..." Lance chuckled as he detatched himself from Brandon and Riven. "I'm going to bed. I'm dead tired..."
The boys laughed at Lance's response. It was so anti-climatic that it was funny.
*Fade out*
*Fade in*It was the next day, and Lance was psyched about the competition. He was nervous, but excited. To be quite honest, he was trembling. He didn't know if it was because he was afraid, or if he just couldn't wait to compete, but it would seem that nothing he did could calm his shaking. He sat in the stands next to Helia. Helia was drawing a picture of some doves that had landed in front of them.
"You really need to calm down Lance. Your shaking will scare the doves away." Helia said. He didn't say it in a mean way, it was more of a joke than anything else.
"I know, I've been trying for the last half hour." Lance said.
"Really? Have you tried meditating?" Helia asked as he continued to draw.
"I can't concentrate." Lance said as he looked over Helia's shoulder.
"Well, good luck in the competition. I seriously hope you don't get hurt, Lance."
"Uh...thanks." Lance said. He didn't know if Helia was implying that he was a bad fighter, or if he was just genuinely worried about his friend.
It was at that moment he heaerd a familiar voice say, "From my calculations, this is the best angle to watch the event!" He looked up and noticed that the girls had arrived. He would have greeted them at the entrance, but he was so wrapped up in his excitement that he forgot what time they were supposed to arrive.
"Hey! Over here!" Lance shouted as he waved to get their attention. The doves flew away at the sudden outburst. Lance noticed that Helia was glaring at him a bit and said, "Sorry man." Helia just sighed and shook his head.
"Hey, who's your friend?" Flora asked Lance as the group walked over to Lance's location.
"Oh," Lance said as he stood up. "Allow me to introduce, Helia. Helia, these are my friends. This is Flora..." Lance said, obviously picking Flora to introduce first. "And that's Tecna." He said, going down the line. However, before he could get to Stella, she interrupted.
"And I'm princess Stella of Solaria!" She said. "And I'm a great supporter of art!" Lance noticed that Flora seemed upset when Stella interrupted him. However, he got the feeling that it wasn't because he was interrupted. Luckily for him though, the arrival of his friends took his mind off the competition, and he was finally able to stop shaking.
Helia stood up and bowed as he said, "I'm honored to meet you."
"With all due respect, Helia. Why are you painting with antiques?" Tecna asked, pointing at his pencil and paper.
"You can simulate any kind of art with a digit-sketch! From goblin cave paintings to contemporary realism!" Digit said as she flew in closer to Helia. "My cousin sells them! He can get you a deal!"
"Some times simulations just don't stack up to the real thing." Lance said with a smile. He was a bit of an artist himself, and he preferred a good ol' pencil and paper over a computer any day.
"Let me see your work!" Stella said as she took Helia's sketch pad. "Wow! You're perfect to do my royal portrait! I'll have my people call your people!"
Flora managed to get ahold of the sketch pad before Stella finished her last sentence, and was able to take a good look at Helia's work herself. "Your brush strokes capture the doves' movements so beautifully! It's like its wings hug the clouds, and the sky and the dove become one!" She said as she handed his sketch pad back to him.
"That's what I had in mind, I love that you got that!" Helia said, impressed with Flora's analyses. Flora laughed shyly at his response.
"Wow, you should be a poet!" Lance said. That was a beautiful description of Helia's sketch.
"Yeah, that's Flora for ya!" Brandon said.
"I knew she would meet someone!" Chatta said. Luckily, Lance and the others could not hear her. "I just knew it!"
Amore heard her though, and normally should would be gushing with happiness at the situation. However, her heart was torn. She sensed seeds of love being planted in the hearts of Flora and Helia, but from Lance she sensed a seed that had been planted quite some time ago. He already seemed to have strong feelings for the fairy girl that he was trying desperately to supress. She looked inbetween Helia and Lance with a worried expression on her face.
"It's really nice to meet you Helia. Are you competing today?" Flora asked.
"No, I don't believe in fighting, and I prefer to avoid it at all cost." Helia said.
"Oh? Then why are you at Redfountain? I thought that you might be a transfer student or something." Layla asked.
"Uncle Saladine wants me to attend his school. I want to go to art school though."
"Saladine's your uncle?" Stella asked. "Wow!"
"Hey, girls, girls. Helia might not be fighting in the competition, but I know one specialist that cleared the entrance exam with flying colors!" Sky said.
"Who?" Flora asked, genuinely curious.
"Probably Brandon." Stella said with confidence. "He's just naturally good at that sort of thing."
"Uh, thanks Stella. but Sky's referring to Lance." Brandon said.
"What? Lance?" Layla said in disbelief. "He doesn't look like much..."
"Wow..." Lance said, pretty much speachless after Layla's blatant insult.
"Seriously though." Riven said. "Lance practically destroyed the obstacle course. It was awesome."
"What did he do?" Flora asked.
"Yeah! I'm curious as to how laser Lance can cause that kind of damage!" Stella said.
"They know that nick-name at Alfea too?!" Lance asked in disbelief.
"Yeah, all the guys at the dance were talking about it." Stella said. "It really is a catchy nick-name though! It's better than Frizztella!"
"Stella, stop it. He doesn't like it." Flora said.
"No, no, it's okay. I've gotten used to it." Lance said, his shoulders drooping low.
*Fade out*
*Fade in*Some time had passed, Saladine introduced the new stadium to the public, and everyone was waiting for the competition to begin. The boys were getting ready, and the girls were outside sitting in the grass, talking to eachother.
"I hope Helia's going to be at the post party." Flora said.
"We should find him and make sure he's planning on going!" Bloom responded. "Judging by the way he was crushing on you earlier, I'm sure he'll be at the party if we tell him you're going!"
"Don't mean to interrupt." Brandon said as he walked up to the girls with Timmy. "But Lance is up next, and right after his match Riven and Sky are going."
"I'm up after Brandon!" Timmy said.
"So you're competing too?" Bloom asked.
"Timmy's in the squad ship parade!" Brandon answered.
"I can't wait to see that!" Chatta responded, energetically.
"I'll meet you over there!" Tecna said, playing a game with Digit. "Okay Digit, five thousand thirty four!"
Poor Brandon walked away with the others feeling ignored. He wanted to hear what Tecna had to say about him being in the parade.
*Fade out*
*Fade in*Lance walked into the stadium. It turns out that the match pretty much starts as soon as the the two competitors are in the ring. He kept his sword on his belt, but he did not take it out. He felt more comfortable using his hands, but he wanted to keep it at the ready just in case he really did need it. His opponent was much bigger than he was, and he was fighting a senior. He felt butterflies in his stomach, and the roar of the crowd was not doing anything to ease his nerves.
"I can't believe that Lance isn't using his sword!" Stella said in shock.
"I guess he's just trying to act cool and win without a weapon." Layla said is disdain.
"Hey Layla, Lance doesn't seem like the type that would do that." Bloom said.
"He isn't. Lance is...unique." Flora said. "Maybe he doesn't like using weapons."
"Kind of like that Helia guy that doesn't like fighting?" Layla asked.
"No, I think this is a bit different." Musa said. "Lance doesn't seem to have any problems with fighting."
"Oh..."
The boy launched himself towards Lance. Of course, I say boy, but Lance thought that this guy looked like a full grown man to him. Even his muscles had muscles. Lance ducked just in time to dodge a horizontal sword strike to his upper torso. Missing the way that he had the boy was thrown off balance and Lance took that opportunity to send a kick to the boy's side. The boy stumbled a bit and flinched, but he regained his balance and charged again.
Lance could no longer hear the roar of the crowd. If anything, it sounded like he was under water and the crowd was above surface. Their cheers and roars were drowned out by the excitement that he was feeling at that moment. All he could hear was the footsteps of his opponent, and the strikes and blows that they interchanged.
The boy made another swing towards Lance that he just ducked under once again, but this time the boy was expecting it and brought up his knee to strike lance square in the middle of his face. The strike was so strong that Lance was forced to jump upward to eleviate some of the pain from the ferocious blow. Lance's opponent smiled after scoring such a solid strike. He rushed in again and punched Lance in the stomach, and made another attempted to slash at Lance, but Lance regained his composure and jumped backward to avoid the strike.
"Come on Laser Lance. You're out matched. I don't know how you passed the obstacle course, but you can't get passed me."
"I'm not good at giving up." Lance said. "Sorry 'bout that."
Lance got into a fighting position. He was much more confident in himself once a fight got started. He was almost like a new person all together. He was by all means losing, but he wasn't about to throw the match. The boy made another strike, and just as he predicted, Lance ducked. Just as the boy went in to knee Lance once more, Lance swung his back leg around and towards the left, and with that motion's momentum, he hurled his enitre body in that direction, winding up right to the side of the boy. Lance delivered a strong punch to the boys ribs, causing the larger boy to flinch in pain. The boy attempted to swing his sword, but Lance stopped it by closing the gap between his opponent and himself and blocking the swing by stopping the boy at his elbow.
The boy's eyes widened as he realized that Lance was too close for him to use his sword effectively, and he could do nothing as Lance delivered a fierce blow to his side once more, and he followed it up by delivering another blow with his left. After that he turned his back to his opponent's front so that his right side was matched up with his opponent's right side. He placed his right leg behind his opponent, and his right arm infront of his opponent's chest. With one fluent motion Lance pushed on arm against his opponent's chest and his leg against his opponent's legs, tripping him backwards onto the ground. The boy could do nothing as he flew backwards and landed on his back. he cringed as he heard the sickening sound of 'thud', as his body connected with the ground, signifying that he was defeated, and that Lance was the victor.
"Congratulations Lance!" Flora yelled to cheer on her friend. Lance would have been happy, if he could actually hear her over the roar of the crowd.
"Hey, Sky's up next!" Bloom said.
"Yeah, and so is Riven!" Musa commented.
Lance breathed in deep. That match was intense, and he was seriously close to losing. He saw Sky and Riven enter the ring, so it was about time he left.
"Hey, good fight man." Lance said as he extended a hand to his fallen opponent.
The boy hesitated for a moment but accepted Lance's help. "Yeah...good fight."
"Congrats on your match." Sky said, walking up to the two boys.
"Yeah, thanks. Hey, good luck you two." Lance said as he walked away. He really didn't know who to cheer for.
"Heh, thanks, but I don't need luck." Riven said.
"Riiiiight." Sky said, sarcastically. "We'll see about that!"
And with that, the two were off.
Lance walked back into the waiting area and cringed a bit as he sat down.
"Wow man. How is it that you look more beat up than your opponent when you're the one that won the match?" Brandon said as he walked up to lance with a first aid kit.
"That guy was tough! Oh, I don't need that. I'm not bleeding or anything." Lance said. Almost on que, his nose began to bleed.
"That guy hit ya square in the face man. With his knee too!" Brandon said as he opened the first aid kit and took out a cloth to give to Lance. He handed Lance the cloth and so that he could stop the nose bleed.
"That's weird. At first I thought that I had a nose bleed, but I didn't. It was just my nose going numb from the hit."
"Well, now you do have a nose bleed. Be more careful out there. Congratulations though. No offense, but I thought that guy was out of your league." Brandon said, admitting that he thought that Lance was going to lose.
"I thought so too. I guess I was just faster."
"Yeah, faster, and you're stronger than when you first came here too." Brandon said, keeping an eye on Sky and Riven's fight. "Oh, looks like Sky won. I'm up next! Wish me luck, I'm fighting a senior!"
"Good luck man." Lance said, giving him a thumbs up. Brandon smiled, nodded, and then walked out into the arean. A few moments later, sky entered the ready area.
"Congrats, Sky!" Lance said, he was still holding the cloth to his nose.
"Thanks man, but Riven sure seemed angry about it."
"Well yeah! It's Riven. He's always angry!" Lance said.
"Yeah, I guess your right." Sky smiled. "Nose bleed, huh?"
"Yeah, it must have happened when I got hit in the face. I'm pretty sure that I've got a big red mark on my stomach too!"
"Yeah, that guy's a hard hitter. I'm impressed!"
"Really?" Lance asked enthusiastically.
"Ha ha!" Sky laughed. He actually couldn't stop himself from laughing.
"What?"
"Dude, you sound so weird with that thing over your nose. Don't squeeze so tight."
"I didn't notice. My nose is so numb I can't feel anything." Lance said, removing the cloth from his nose. There was quite a bit of blood in the cloth, so he rubbed his nose a bit. It would seem that the blood had stopped.
"Yeah, that doesn't look too bad. He must have hit you just right or something."
"Yeah, I guess. Heh, I wonder what Krystal's gonna say when she sees me. She's close by. I think Codatorta wants her in the parade or something."
"Oh? Yeah, Codatorta is into dragons, and Krystal's as big as they get."
((I can't seem to access the episode, so I'm going off of the rest of this chapter by memory. I had written this chapter before and it ran along side the episode, but that was deleted T_T ...So the ending t o this chapter may be shorter than it was originally meant to be. But that's okay! Once this chapter is done the story will continue!))
Just then screams and cries sounded from the arena stands as well as in the arena itself. Sky and Lance rushed out as quickly as their legs could carry them only to be greeted by a lion, dragon, chimera like monster. The beast's tail was a head in itself! This creature, or whatever it was, was not a pretty sight. Luckily the arena was filled with magical creatures and specialists in training. Bloom, Stella, and the other winx girls had already taken action and were locked in magical combat with the beast from hades.
"I've seen this monster before!" Flora yelled to the others. "It's called a Leodragerus!"
"But aren't those supposed to be extinct?!" Stella yelled.
"Come on!" Sky yelled to Lance as he ran towards the frey. "We need to join in!"
"Yeah, but..." he couldn't finish his sentence, Sky was already fighting. Lance withdrew his sword, but he didn't run in head strong like Sky did. It wasn't that he was frightened of the creature. Facing Krystal when they had first met had effectively erased most of the fear that he would normally feel when locked in mortal combat with such a creature. In all honesty, he just didn't know what to do. He wanted to run in like the 'cool' Sky, and he wanted to form battle strategies liky the 'wiz' Timmy, but for some unknown reason he just stayed where he stood. He didn't know how to approach this stiuation. He watched as the others fought the demon. They all knew their place and they fought in sync with eachother, he didn't want to get in their way.
In awe Lance watched. Despite his friends' best efforts, they could not defeat the Leodragerus. Flora and her friends were huddled in the air forming some kind of battle strategy as the specialists encircled and tried to trap the mighty creature. Lance followed Flora with his eyes as she broke away from the other girls. It seemed like she was going to try and get its attention while the other girls attacked it from behind. Unfortunately, that head on its tail wasn't just for show. The leodragerus turned around spit a mucus like saliva.
"Flora, get out of there!" He heard one of the girls say. He didn't pay attention to who it was.
"I...I can't see!" Flora yelled in panic.
"I read about this, they spit that stuff on you so that it's easier to eat you!" Bloom yelled.
and then the creature lunged. One could almost hear the 'snap' sound that Lance's brain made. He certainly felt it. It was like a static shock that went off inside his skull, and then his entire head went numb, and then his chest, and then his legs. Afterwards his vision started to weaken as he started to see in tunnel vision.
"KRYSTAL!!!" he yelled at the top of his lungs, a battle cry that resounded in the dragon's ears. At that moment the dragon appeared behind the young boy at that split second. "Launch me!" Lance commanded as he jumped backwards onto Krystal's tail.
"WHAT?!" Krystal asked to make sure that she had heard Lance right. If so, he was clearly not in a sane state of mind.
"Do it!" He yelled as the beast got closer to its meal. Time had deffinitely slowed down for Lance. He could barely see due to the tunnel vision, but that just meant that he had to keep his eyes on the target. Krystal did as she was told and launched lance towards the monster that had been so brave as to attack his friend. He slammed into the leodragerus' head with a powerful double kick from both feet as the monster staggered to the side. The beast had lost its balance.
"Lance!" Flora yelled as he hit the ground with a loud 'thud!' Initially she was worried that the fall had injured him, but there was another, more pressing matter at hand. The creature was not seriously hurt, but he was extremely angry at the young boy that took it upon himself to interrupt his dinner. He turned his attention on Lance, and before Flora or anyone else could react the Leodragerus lunged at the downed youth. "No!"
"Lance!" Brandon yelled. He was close by, but just out of reach! There was nothing he could do as he rain in vain to try and save the young specialist in training.
"LANCE!" Krystal yelled, trying to make it there in time as well.
However, at that moment, the beast found itself stuck and unable to move. He was tied up with a vine like laser whip. Multiple whips entangled the creature and kept it from moving.
"But who!" Riven yelled.
"Over there!" Said Flora, pointing to the top of the stadium. There stood, Helia, upright and shrowded by the setting sun he held the monster in place!
"Looks like we got another hero!" Sky cheered.
"Lance, Flora, are you two okay?" Helia asked.
Flora tried to say that she was fine but she found that her face was getting hot and her throat had become dry. She blushed shyly as she nodded. She tried not to make eye contact for she feared that Helia would notice her blush.
"They're okay!" Sky said. "Lance might need some help though!"
Helia nodded and smiled as he removed the whips that entangled the monster.
"What?!" Riven yelled.
"I don't get it!" Stella said. "He'll fight to save Flora and Lance but noone else!"
"If he doesn't believe in fighting he shouldn't fight at all!" Tecna scoffed.
Helia was about to leave, but he looked over at Lance. He used his whip to entangle Lance and pulled him up to where he was standing. Afterwards he jumped off the other side of the arena holding Lance and walked to the closest infirmary at Red Fountain.
"BE CAREFUL WITH HIM HELIA! I'LL TAKE CARE OF THE MONSTER HERE! SO HELP ME IF HE'S HURT EVEN MORE BECAUSE OF THAT STUNT!" Krystal yelled.
"That hurt." Lance whined as his head bobbed up and down in pace with Helia's footsteps.
"Sorry. I just thought it would be best to get you out of there. You shouldn't have done that you know. I was just about to help her." Helia said.
"All I remember is that Flora was in trouble." Lance said. "I kind of blacked out after that."
"You kicked the leodragerus in the face!" Helia exclaimed.
"I remember that part...It's everything after that that I don't remember."
"Hey, Lance..." Helia said.
"Hm?" Lance asked. He ached all over, and his legs felt like they were all locked up.
"Do you like Flora?"
Lance blushed as he tried to think of a way to avoid the question. He was shy and embarrassed about revealing his crush.
"I do." Helia said.
"Wha..."
"She's amazing, isn't she?" Helia asked.
"Didn't you just meet her today?" Lance asked. Even though he thought the same thing when he first met her.
"Yes, but I just felt so...so...inspired when I met her!" Helia exclaimed. "I'm going to stay in Red Fountain!"
"I'm glad to hear it man. It gives us more chances to hang out together!"
"So..."
"So, what?" Lance asked.
"You haven't answered my question. Do you like Flora? I wouldn't take you for the type that would kick a leodragerus in the face for his own amusement." Helia joked.
Lance blushed again, but since Helia was so honest he felt more comfortable about saying it. "Yeah. I was scared that she was going to get hurt...and then before I knew it I was kicking a monster in the face."
"Thought so. I guess that makes us rivals then." Helia said. "I'd like to say good luck, but..."
"I know." Lance said to cut Helia off.
"Well here we are!" Helia said as he opened the door to the infirmary.
"What happened to him?" The school nurse on standby asked when she saw that a student was carrying in a patient.
"He kicked a giant monster in the face after being flung by a dragon. And then he hit the ground." Helia added, wanting to be as thorough in his description as possible.
"Oh..."
"Will I be okay, doc?" Lance joked. He tried to laugh but winced in pain. He could feel in his ribs how he had landed.
"Let's have a look. Please place him on the bed." the nurse ordered. Helia did as he was told.
"Get well soon, Lance. I'm going to my room to sign the paper work my uncle gave me to become a student here. I'll drop by later to visit." Helia said with a smile.
"Thanks." Lance grinned sheepishly.
"So..." Lance thought to himself. "I don't think that I can go on the way I have been. I wonder if she'd go out with me if I asked her." Lance began to blush after he thought of asking Flora out on a date.
"Oh no! He's burning up!" The nurse yelled. "Check to see if there are any more doctors on hand!"
*Fade out*End of Episode 7Ending theme song: This day and age - Second place victory http://youtube.com/watch?v=YivbujnAo5g
This post has been edited by Ranma: Jun 10 2008, 9:37 AM