Pactholder (For Emerald_Pheonix)

[Xatarias]

"The tournament's tomorrow though! If I don' get some work in, you'll be fronting me the money and I'm no filch! I- I..."


Sandra's bottom lip trembles and she quickly turns away, but you still hear her sniffle. Clearly something else is going on. It takes a more than a bit of coaxing, and when she finally answers your questions, she speaks so quietly that you ask for her to repeat herself.


"I-I ran away alright? I'm not going back, neither! You don't have to let me stay here, but don't make me go back to the home."

 

[Emerald_Pheonix]

Kuzuchi felt his heart go cold at that. If a tough cookie like Sandra ran away...


"Sandra... are you being hurt at home?"


He asked quietly, but his tone promised that lies would not be tolerated.

 

[Xatarias]

"No... Well, once by the maintenance guy. But I've gotten faster since then and Madam Sink'ra fired him for stealing anyway. I-I just hate it there!"


Lower Quarter's Home for Wayward Youths is universally regarded as a necessary evil in the community. With poverty so rampant, homeless children became a real problem. The city had intended for the facility to help alleviate the problem, but it was a well-known, yet-unprovable fact that the management skimmed money off the top. The people running the home were harsh, which made for harsh kids. It's a wonder Sandra turned out as well as she has.


Attempts had been made in the past to reform the orphanage, but after each turnover of management, it quickly reverted to its dirty practices. The real problem was the city council which never seemed to commit to anything but bandaid solutions.

 

[Emerald_Pheonix]

Kuzuchi sighed, shaking his head.


"I've heard enough. You're staying with me."


He states, giving Sandra a gentle, encouraging pat on the head.


"Now, I don't have much in the way of space, but I do have a bedroll you can sleep in."


The dragon walks over to a cupboard and opens it, pulling out a neon blue bedroll.


"Now, do you want to sleep in my room or out here?"

 

[Xatarias]

"I didn't mean I wanted-"


She protests all the while you get a sleeping area prepared, but you can tell behind all the bluster, she's actually relieved. Having such a rough life for so long, Sandra is naturally suspicious of generosity, but there was a reason she sought you out in the middle of the night. She needs you, even if she won't admit it herself. She insists on sleeping out in the dojo, but places the mat near the stairs to your apartment.


"Don't... Want to be... A bother..."


Sandra must have been exhausted because with moments of getting her settled in, her eyes flutter and she drifts off to sleep.

 

[Emerald_Pheonix]

Kuzuchi smiled, leaning down and giving Sandra a fatherly peck on the forehead before he retired to his bedroom, lying in bed. He looked at the ceiling, nothing going on his his mind before he sighed, closing his eyes and turning, starting to drift off again.

 

[Xatarias]

Excitement over and aching for bed rest, you quickly fall asleep.


Dawn seems to come too soon as sunlight streams from the overhead skylight. You almost consider tossing a blanket over your head and drifting back off when a hesitant voice reaches your ear.


"K-kuzuchi?... Sensei, come on. The tournament starts at nine. Kuzuchi!"


You awaken blearily. Sandra standing in the doorway quickly comes into focus with a steaming mug of coffee in her hands. She gives you the beverage and quickly runs back downstairs. As you take the first drink, your phone buzzes with a text from Alex.


sammy's place had a fire. trnmt @ academy now. c u soon.

 

[Emerald_Pheonix]

Kuzuchi smiled, nodding and taking the coffee, sipping it before blinking. Wow, that was some good coffee! He then checked his phone and his eyes widened.


"Oh my... Well, I guess I should head over."


Kuzuchi gulped down the rest of the coffee and stood, throwing on some more formal clothes before heading downstairs.


"Alright Sandra, are you ready?"


The dragon asked, smiling.

 

[Xatarias]

The shark girl, nods shyly, no doubt still getting used to her new circumstances.


You depart in short order. The Academy is further away than the original tournament location, and there were all those blasted steps to climb. If you hurried, you might make it in time for the opening ceremony. Sandra tags after you, lightly jogging to keep up with your longer strides.


"H-How does this work? The test, I mean," Sandra asks, "Never done one before? I don' have to write nothin' do, I?"


Since Sandra barely started a few weeks ago, you hadn't considered having her attend the tournament, much less test for a higher ranking. As a result, her knowledge of the process is a little lacking.


You're confident the shark's talent will carry her up at least two levels, and there's the possibility of her competing in the Youths' melee... Of course, she'd need a crash course in legal hits. Thinking back on how she laid out Fenly, maybe letting her spar with students from other schools wasn't such a good idea.

 

[Emerald_Pheonix]

Kuzuchi felt a sweatdrop roll down the side of his face as he considered that.


"Um, I guess it would be better to just watch what happens..." Kuzuchi mumbles, continuing to climb the stairs. He had done so many times when he was here, so there was no protest from his legs about climbing so many steps.

 

[Xatarias]

You zigzag your way up the steps to the Academy's main courtyard. Old towers and walls surround you on all sides as you pass through the mammoth wooden gates. The crowd gathered within dispels the normally tranquil atmosphere of the place, but the familiar smell of incense and the well-worn feel of the flagstones beneath your feet still bring back memories.


Sandra, who likely has only seen the place at a distance, immediately halts with her jaw dropped.


"I-it's huge! You used to go to school here, Kuzuchi?"


Well "school" was a bit of a stretch, but you did spend the great majority of your young adult life within these walls. Under the strict tutelage of the monks that resided here, you, Alex, and other classmates worked, ate, and slept all in service to becoming Pactholders.


You quickly locate the registration table and are relieved to see that most of your dojo has already checked in. You missed the opening ceremony, but luckily testing hasn't started quite yet. The lower ranks always go first, so Sandra will need to get a move on if she's to participate. You could also register either your student or yourself in your respective ranking's melee. 

 

[Emerald_Pheonix]

Kuzuchi walked over to the desk and smiled, going through the process of signing Sandra in before turning to her and kneeling down.


"Now Sandra, in the melee events, you will be sparring against other students, but you cannot hurt them. They should be well behaved during the fight, but if they try to provoke you, just remember to stay calm, alright?"


He states, hoping to get the message through.

 

[Xatarias]

Sandra quirks an eyebrow as if she doesn't quite understand the purpose of fighting just for sport. In the end, she promises to behave herself and quickly runs off the to the ring where all the other lower belts have gathered. With luck, she'd keep a lid on that temper of hers. The last thing you needed was another crying child on your hands.


"You thinking about doing the Melee this year, Kuzuchi?" The lynx running the booth asks. "Haven't seen you fight since... Well, a long time."


Events like these were one of the few times you could find sparring partners near to your skill level. It also made for some pretty good free advertising taking a high place in the rankings... Of course if you ended up losing to a lowly first degree, your dojo's reputation might suffer.

 

[Emerald_Pheonix]

Kuzuchi shook his head.


"Not this time. I have a feeling I should just watch."


With that, and a quick smile to the lynx, he turned and walked off to the section for the audience, hands in his pockets.

 

[Xatarias]

You watch for several minutes as Sandra is put through her paces by a stern-looking nidoking. It's almost comical how small she is compared to the massive pokemorph, but Sandra is not one to be intimidated and does her best to keep up with the instructions. You begin to get a little worried when the instructor frowns and begins issuing more complex maneuvers, sometimes taking the time to explain what he wants since Sandra is a bit behind the curve in martial terminology.


"Get her Terric!"


Rax's bellow draws your attention back to the adult rings as his rhino boyfriend fights. Terric has the misfortune of being paired against Alex for this first round and you begin to doubt his chances of progressing as the lioness deftly avoids his grabs and scores point after point on him.

 

[Emerald_Pheonix]

Kuzuchi chuckles, folding his arms across his chest and leaning back before returning his attention to Sandra, watching the scene carefully as he leans forward a little, trying to discern what was happening.

 

[Xatarias]

Sandra is in the middle of doing a handstand, looking very much confused as to why she is being paid so much attention. Several other proctors have been called over, and they look on with expressions of amazement.


The Nidoking asks Sandra a question when she's finished and he quickly scans the crowd. Meeting your gaze, he waves you over to the edge of the ring before clapping his hands and letting the test resume.

 

[Emerald_Pheonix]

Kuzuchi sighs and shakes his head, chuckling as he stands and walks over to the designated spot.


"Oh Sandra..." He mumbles with an amused smile. He wiped the look off his face though, reaching the nidoking.

 

[Xatarias]

"Kuzuchi, I'm going to skip the question of why your student is out of uniform and cut to the chase. The girl says she's been a member of your school for a few weeks.  Her knowledge of patterns and techniques is absolutely dreadful, but she's able to do everything I ask of her once we drop the technical jargon... Now normally, studying and memorizing the test material is just par for the course, we ask everyone to do it. But if she is only three weeks into formalized training, that changes things."

 

[Emerald_Pheonix]

Kuzuchi nods.


"She was observing the higher ranks during practice while she was here, so she picked it up from there. I'm unsure of how to proceed about this myself. She never did learn the names of the techniques, this revelation only happened recently."

 

[Xatarias]

"So you decided to test her, then." He frowns, scratching the back of his head. "You've put me in a bit of a tough spot, Kuzuchi. She doesn't know the material that some of these kids spent months working hard to memorize... But I'll admit her talent is remarkable. The conservative thing to do would be to send her back with an admirable mention and instructions to come back next year with the prepared material memorized... Unless you think that would be too discouraging."


He gives you an expectant look.


"You've run plenty of these tests, yourself. What would you do in my situation?"

 

[Emerald_Pheonix]

Kuzuchi emitted a hum, thinking about it.


"It is troubling... If we send her back, she would be discouraged and would probably have problems in completing her grading... but if we let her continue, a defeat could have the same effect... It's just a chance of sending her to a different grave either way, metaphorically speaking of course."


The dragon rubbed the back of his neck, sighing.

 

[Xatarias]

He nods, a thoughtful look on his face.


"Alright, I've heard enough. I really wish you hadn't sprung this on us without some advanced notice. I'd really rather consult the association, but now there isn't time... I'll give this some thought while we complete the testing."


He turns to return to his duties, just as Sandra executes a guard break and throws out a punch... Pulling the strike just at the last second, leaving her tester blinking in surprise. He makes a note on his pad and Sandra gives you a big smile and a thumbs up.

 

[Emerald_Pheonix]

Kuzuchi grins and nods, glad that Sandra understood. He then returns to his seat, sighing and leaning back.


"Guess I'll have to let them know next time... Ah well. We'll have to see what happens, and I'll have to react accordingly. Though... I have the feeling that if she loses or is sent home, she'll start training harder."


Kuzuchi smiles at that, now calmly watching everything going on inside the arena.

 

[Xatarias]

A groan rises from the crowd just Alex easily evades Terric's attempt to grapple her. The rhino might be a master of wrestling, but Alex was the best akido practitioner in generations.


The sleek lioness steps around her opponent, and gives the briefest contact with Terric's side, using his own momentum to put him off balance and send him out of the ring. He hits the floor with a thud and the line judge raises his flag. Apparently Terric had been expelled from the ring twice previously because the match is ended with a disqualification in Alex's favor. Your friend exits amidst a mix of admiring cheers and the boos of those who had expected a "real" fight.


You are a little dismayed reviewing the tournament score board. While she visited your dojo regularly, you would never claim to call Alex your student. It seems like Rax is your last chance for the school to claim outright victory... And with the way things were going, if the polecat was going to make the finals, it would be a rematch against an Alex competing in top form. Your eyes quickly find the sleek mustelid consoling his significant other as the latest round of matches rap up. As you would expect, Rax seems more upset over his boyfriend's loss than Terric himself.


"-wasn't even a real fight, babe! If you had gotten one hold on her-"


"But I didn't, Raxy. That's kind of the point. You should be focusing on your own matches."

 

[Emerald_Pheonix]

Kuzuchi sighed and placed his head in his hands, wondering if the polecat and rhino had a healthy relationship at all. Before pondering on it any longer, he sat up straight and shook his head, clearing his thoughts.


"I probably should have entered, but I have never had any reason to doubt my intuition." He mumbles.

 

[Xatarias]

"-I didn't mean it like that, Terric! Oh come on, Terric!"


Rax trots near you with a hand outstretched as his lover exits with his head held low. The spunky polecat growls with frustration and levels a kick at a nearby trash can.


"Gods damn it! Why can't I just keep my big mouth shut? Why couldn't I just say 'good job' and be done with it!?"


The announcer calls for Rax to report for his next match, but your student is so distraught that he doesn't seem to hear. It would be a few matches before the finals, but knowing Rax, if this emotional turmoil persisted, he didn't have a great chance of lasting that long. 

 

[Emerald_Pheonix]

Kuzuchi stood and walked over, gripping Rax's shoulder firmly.


"Rax, relax. I know you love him and you might be upset right now, but you need to focus." The dragon knelt down a little to be face-to-face with the polecat, looking into his eyes.


"You've been called for your match. Now, I'll go talk to Terric, alright? Just be confident. He loves you, and he knows you tend to just spout random things, but he's okay with that. Now, go on. Don't let your emotions rule you, but don't reject them." He states, patting Rax on the back before heading through the exit Terric took, searching for the rhino.

 

[Xatarias]

You find Terric leaning against a shrine arch with an unlit cigarette rolling between his fingers.


"Oh, hey Kuzuchi," He says as you approach. "You know, I quit during high school when I started competing, but I always keep one cigarette on me. Just to prove that I don't need it..."


He glares at the little tube of tobacco before flicking it into a nearby trash can. He lets out a big sigh before putting his hands in his pockets and sliding down to a sitting position.


"I suppose you're here because of my and Rax's little scene? I know we have to represent the dojo and all, but... Well, Rax tends to make me forget stuff like that."

 

[Emerald_Pheonix]

Kuzuchi walked over, sitting down next to Terric and placing a hand on his shoulder.


"You know Rax tends to just say the first thing that comes to mind. He's always living in the moment and doing things without thinking too much about it. But you love him despite that, don't you?" The dragon asks, hoping he could try and lift his friend's mood while also giving some advice.