Subject: a little competition never hurt [p] 820 views

[lupo]

today was the day she was going to kick grimm's butt.

logging onto the game early was a must, checking out renamon's status and seeing where in digimon online would be suited for a player versus player match. after fighting shamamon within the desert, testing their skills on each other seemed fitting, see where one another was at, give out pointers if needed, stuff like that.

"no messing around. we will win. but i don't want you slacking renamon." ruki all but hissed as she narrowed her eyes upon the vulpine as if it was always her fault that they lost. which, was rather silly as they hadn't lost yet, come close to such defeat a few times but pulling through in the end.

she sent an email once entering central park, letting him know she had arrived. central park was as good as any place, and this way there wasn't much traveling to do. now all she had to do was wait.

little did she know this would turn, not in a one versus one but two versus two.

tag; ronin47, grimm, steven

[ronin47]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true] And I will hold on to hope. It didn't make a good impression to log on in the game right after eating breakfast. The morning had gone well until there was an awkward pause on Kouji Minamoto's part when his mother decided that the family (That word. That word...) should take a morning walk together. It was a bit late to go jogging, but not too late for a quick one. "It's been a while," she said and it was true but he wasn't ready for it yet. Maybe he panicked. "I'll have to pass." And what was he going to do instead? He didn't want to lie. Kouji didn't lie. He was definitely not in the mood for homework so early. So he said he was going to play instead. Kouji had a life other than eat, sleep, shower. He studies, he does homework, he exercises. His better excuse could have been something else. He didn't even have to be specific but Kouji was planning to log in for a bit before doing something else. The minor detail had become controversial because of the situation. He didn't even bother to correct himself. The damage had been done. Now as Ronin, he tried not to think of it. Strabimon greeted him as per usual and he must have caught something out of Ronin's face. He didn't know how or what. He didn't know if he were moping, brooding or looking irritated. But it might have been his uncharacteristic smile that gave him away but he didn't regret it when Strabimon asked about it. "Just remembered a joke," he said evasively. So much for never lying. Strabimon seemed to have accepted this without suspicion but Ronin was glancing at him, vacillating between telling him the truth even if it weren't the entire one or letting it slide. "Hmm?" Strabimon raised his eyebrows at Ronin, who promptly looked away. "Nothing," he grumbled. Second lie. With family issues at the back of his mind, he might be a little distracted today. But no, it wasn't like that. Ronin wanted to be distracted from the distraction and...that was what video games were about, right? He didn't have to try too hard finding an agenda today. He didn't want to end up roaming the digital world all day staring at the clouds and sighing melodramatically. But among the couple of players online and about in Central Park was someone Ronin recognized. Her name flashed out in a different color from the rest, the design for players in the Buddy List. "Renamon, Lupo?" Ronin walked up to the pair. "Don't tell me you're here to bully players for breakfast." He doubted it was the case but seeing the game moderator and her loyal fox in the beginner area came as often as Lupo giggling like a girl (which she was). Renamon was among the few Digimon beside Strabimon that Ronin treated with respect a level above human strangers. AI or not - and despite how Ronin sometimes treated Strabimon - he'd give his rightfully earned respect to them. Renamon was a noble warrior. She wouldn't descend to fighting weaker Digimon...unless Lupo ordered it. Ronin didn't know them that well but he was more certain about Renamon's credibility. Being a program, he knew Renamon was less unpredictable than her human partner. Maybe Lupo needed a meat bag?

notes: The two of us first, right? /waggles eyebrows

made by amb tanz

[lupo]

"we will win," ruki repeated as her eyes glanced over towards the horizon. renamon was surely tired of hearing it, as well as others that knew the tamer, but none complained. none dared to when dagger glances could almost kill. everyone had a mantra, a phrase they spoke often, or perhaps a little reminder of what their goals were. for ruki to not speak those words would mean something was rather wrong.

"we will." renamon nodded, taking a moment to stare from her tamer into the skies above while she walked along, grass being crushed underneath snowy white paws. ruki nodded in approval. when she first started up the game and went through the beginning, there was fear. fear of getting a weak digimon. all ruki wanted was one strong digimon. recieving her digital monster had been a quaint little surprise.

renamon was perfect for her.

other tamers and digimon spoke to each other, asking questions if one got too quiet. neither ruki nor renamon needed to speak, their understanding went much deeper, rendering words moot. most times silence was their companion as they walked along, glances and body language telling a story.

"why did you pick me?" ruki asked; they were alone for the moment and it was a question ruki had been pondering over and over. renamon arched an ice blue eye. "you could have picked anyone. but you chose me." renamon seemed to shake her head, pausing to stand still whilst her tail flickered. "you chose me as much as i chose you. we were, destined. in a way. i knew you were my tamer as soon as you signed up."

well, she had no answer for that. so once again, silence fell over the pair as they waited for the arrival of their friends. funny word, friends. not a normal taste upon her tongue but she was slowly getting used to the idea. very slowly it appeared.

from out of nowhere it seemed, another player came forth, the name registering easily. ronin47 had been on her buddy list for what felt like forever. not a bad thing, and she actually did like his company. "ronin, strabimon." ruki replied as renamon gave the other pair a respectful dip of her head. "as fun as that would be, i'd rather not." not only were newbie players weak, but they were here to learn how to play. descending upon them, ordering renamon to attack, she wanted them to keep playing, not drive them away.

for the more newbie players that got better, sure it was a contest for her title, but it was also more she could defeat for said title. and any future agreed to pvp battles. speaking of. "i'm waiting for grimm. i'm going to beat him in a pvp match." ruki smirked. "what brings you around these parts?" she asked, truly curious. she hadn't seen ronin in a while. it was. well, it was nice.

[ronin47]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true] And I will hold on to hope. He nodded slightly in thought, responding to her answer with a neutral hum. He didn't know who Grimm was but Lupo was pretty specific. Not a some guy or a this person but there was a name. A friend of hers? Well, Ronin shouldn't really be surprised. Every person would have at least a friend, even a person like Lupo...wait, what about him? "Not as relevant as yours," he answered her with a shrug. "Just the usual. Being available for help, right in my job description." He wasn't like Lupo who sought and scheduled matches. Though he entertained one whenever asked, or whenever he felt like it, he didn't feel like it most of the time but the rare times he did happened to be idling in his head right now. Ronin surveyed their surroundings a little. "Are you fighting here?" he asked though he answered it as soon as he did. "I guess if you wanted a fast match, anywhere nearest the city works. But there isn't that much terrain to make the match more exciting." "A plain field would make it fair," Strabimon pointed out. "It would be a true battle of skills." "True," Ronin said. "But I wouldn't say the field can make it perfectly fair for either competitors. Skills are one thing, but biological features are another. Height advantage for example. Although being smaller has its perks, it doesn't change the fact you're just trying to compensate. That's how it is in kendo. You have to make up a for it a lot when you're small." "It must be hard for you," Strabimon commented, earning himself a raised eyebrow. "...Strabimon, this isn't what I look like in real life," Ronin said in a lower tone as if he didn't want anyone else to hear although it had been audible enough for both Lupo and Renamon. Strabimon's hand flew to his mouth. "Oh, right, sorry. I forget. But ah, yeah, I see your point." He nodded several times. "I think I kind of intimidate most child Digimon too. Renamon and I are almost at the same height, right?" Strabimon walked toward Renamon, coming to her directly face-to-face without regard for personal space to compare their heights.

notes: strabimon x renamon otp

made by amb tanz

[lupo]

there were times when the tamer wasn't sure how to respond to something. this was one of those times. instead of speaking, a simple nod of her head to show she had heard, while renamon was the one to speak up. "at least it's a reason." ice blue eyes blinked a couple of times before glancing back at her tamer.

"not only is it easy for us to get to, but other players can watch, maybe they'll learn something." shrugging her shoulders, ruki peered from ronin to strabimon: both had valid points on the match terrain, and as ronin kept talking, the more sense seemed to spill from that mouth. ruki was, again, impressed, and that didn't happen a lot. no doubt ronin would go far in the game: battle experience was one thing. thinking ahead, thinking of pros and cons and all that stuff, was another. and sometimes, thinking won against battle experience.

"trying to keep it fair, even though renamon is taller, and more versed in techs. although i'm not sure if grimm has purchased any other techs for his digimon. but i agree with both of you-" ruki paused, arching her own icy eye. ruki looked the same in game as she did in real life, wanting everyone to know who she was. it was a shock to hear that ronin didn't look like that in real life, but, as ruki pondered, she shouldn't be surprised. not everyone wanted their real life appearance to be in game as well. "sometimes smaller digimon can prevail against bigger digimon. speed versus strength. how you handle that scenario can determine a win or loss."

obviously ruki wasn't going to comment on the whole 'ronin didn't look like this in real life.' for one, it wasn't her place, and while they were allies, perhaps even friends, if ronin had a good reason for such things, ruki wasn't going to ruin it by demanding to know the reason.

eyes widened, the tamer watched as strabimon walked straight towards renamon, the vulpine flicked her tail lazily. "almost." renamon gave strabimon a coy smirk, which ruki simply remained stunned. renamon often intimidated other child digimon, like strabimon did, but the fox wasn't intimidated by the other digital monster. and it seemed strabimon wasn't intimidated by her either.

ruki was at a loss for words.

notes: lolz, as i was typing this ruki was all o.O but agreed with strabimon and renamon. even renamon agrees (;

[ronin47]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true] And I will hold on to hope. "Strabimon's pretty agile," Ronin said, not at all bothered by his Digimon's behavior or of Renamon's reaction. Either he didn't care, hadn't paid attention enough to notice or found it completely normal. "And Renamon's faster," he admitted as a matter-of-fact. "But I know where you're getting at." He didn't really know how much algebra and logarithm were involved to calculate their Digimon's power. With how realistic the game was, it was an easy mistake to assume facts based from observations, no technicalities considered. He had observed Strabimon to be agile but maybe it was just from his perspective or by pure chance. Was it in his program to be just as fast? Did it make a difference with other Strabimon? What factors were involved? Ronin had one thing to say for the endless question: Do not care. This was just a video game. "What's the matter?" he asked, noticing Lupo's reaction. "It's your ears," Strabimon argued. matching their sizes with a flat position of his hand over their heads. "Mine points at a smaller angle." Ronin crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. "I should have kept my mouth shut," he grumbled, unable to believe how childish an AI was sounding to be. "Is this Grimm person going to be here soon?" Ronin asked the moderator. He would probably stay and watch the fight but the idea at the back of his head was nudging. He could help the two for a quick warm-up. He'd like one too. Need one.

notes: Don't think that warm-up is going to happen so I guess this might be our last round together before Grimm and Steven shows up. Maybe they'll interrupt us or something. Our private time together.

made by amb tanz

[lupo]

"i wonder who would win. renamon or strabimon." ruki pondered, though she knew thought she would win. had to win. but, as she thought about it, losing to ronin wouldn't be as bad as losing to anyone else. there was enough respect from her side that she wouldn't be a total bitch about it.

"i've never seen renamon play coy before." ruki admitted, rather unnerved by her digimon's display. something new and out of the blue so no wonder she was surprised. afterward she dug her foot into the grass, tip of her shoe crushing the fragile green grass blades. "do you two need time alone?" an arched eye was accompanied with that question as it appeared the two digimon were in their own little world.

renamon continued to have the coy smirk upon her yellow furred features, one clawed hand reached up to touch her ears. when the movement was done, renamon's arm went back to her side and her ears pinned themselves back against her skull. this caused the fox to lose that little extra height gained from her ears. "better?"

"i hope so." was ruki's reply to ronin, tearing her eyes away from the duo digimon. "want to help us warm up before he gets here?"

notes they can still warm up :3 i think grimm is posting before steven? gives us a bit more time. ^^

[ronin47]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true] And I will hold on to hope. He smirked. She read his mind. "You sure about that?" Of course he knew she was. Lupo didn't make jokes and this wasn't the first he'd been asked to be her sparring partner. She was competitive and Ronin had somehow always managed to overlook how obsessive she was over the game. It was fun playing against her and they enjoyed it on no one's expense. He might have given her the benefit of doubt since she wasn't half as immature as most people were particularly on cases of defeat (against him, anyway, on the several occasions that he won). And besides, he had yet to see Lupo and Renamon lose so badly. He wouldn't know how far her reaction would be then - and what circumstances could have led to that. Lupo has a pristine record, as far as Ronin knows. "Might as well keep our lovebirds busy," he said in amusement. He had been conscious of the two's "intimacy" after all but he hadn't minded it much. "Lovebirds?" Strabimon asked, turning away from Renamon to Ronin. He had been counting the millimeters Renamon bettered him with. "Do you mean the Agapornis species? If you are, then that is a very strange name to call me and Renamon." "Stop being a nerd for a second, Strabimon," Ronin said, advancing forward as if he were stepping into the arena. "We're going to spar with them." "Spar?" He looked back at Renamon, scrutinizing her and her tamer with sweeping innocence. "Is this really a smart thing to do? I guess if I hold back, it would be all right."

notes: Lol the wall of text they have to read!

made by amb tanz

[lupo]

when ronin spoke, ruki simply stared at him. she hardly joked around, wasn't known for her sunny and joking attitude, and she was slightly miffed he'd even ask her that. "of course i'm sure." eyes narrowed somewhat but they returned to their normal positioning. it would be interesting to see how they matched up this time. each match was different, sometimes ruki won, sometimes ronin won. their matches were, in her eyes, rather fun. at least she had an opponent that could keep up with her, even if she preferred winning to losing.

losing was part of the game. ruki may have hated it but it was the way things worked. and she took it all in stride. no point in getting upset and acting like a child. it only meant she had to work harder to win the next match.

hearing ronin, renamon glanced over at him before returning her attention back to strabimon. what was spoken next made her smirk, again, and she settled upon her paws, rolling her shoulders and golden tail flicking. when strabimon spoke of holding back, renamon seemed to stiffen. "no holding back." one claw reached out, inches from strabimon's frame. "besides, i've gotten much stronger than the last time we sparred. i think you'll find it'll be me that needs to hold back." she battered her eyes, the smirk still evident upon her features.

some days she never got to just relax like this and tease and play and, heaven forbid, have fun. ruki was the tamer she chose and while she didn't regret it, and loved being her partner, these times of 'fun' were refreshing. ruki obviously felt the same as there was a twinkle in her eye. she showed emotions differently, so when she was having fun, most didn't know that was what she was feeling.

"let's see what you've learned since we last sparred." it was ruki's turn to smirk as she stepped back. renamon, knowing the cue, lowered herself to the ground, eyes never leaving strabimon. as quick as lightning, she darted backwards to give them some space to think of her next move without being in direct line of an attack. leaping into the air, she jumped towards strabimon, aiming a kick towards him.

no techs would be used yet. ruki didn't know if she was going to allow renamon to use a tech.

[ronin47]

Strabimon appeared more curious than threatened. Could Renamon evolve to a stronger form? Or was she speaking of strength in that it pertained to her skills? Or was it both?

"I see." Completely calm, cool and collected, Strabimon reconsidered Renamon's words thoughtfully. He still thought he should be holding back. It was a spar, not a competition. Shouldn't they be exercising control more than anything?

Sensing his Digimon's doubts, Ronin gave the command and spelled it out for him. "Not the time for chivalry, Strabimon. They don't want us to hold back so we're not going to." He mirrored Lupo's smirk, following her movement. "A little competition never hurts."

The discussion was done and the battle began.

Strabimon had seen that maneuver from Renamon many times. Her kicks were most devastating. He was poised to dodge immediately as the scarlet tint in his eyes lost all color of gentleness.

He ducked and rolled forward. Need more time before retaliating. Strabimon unbundled and stood up, turning around to face Renamon with his claws ready at his sides. His enemies tend to first look at the ones at his hands but they should be as wary with the pair he had in his feet. Renamon wasn't the only one who enjoyed giving a good kick.

[lupo]

a spar was different from a competition as there was nothing at stake. no titles, no trophies, nothing like that. yet, ruki wouldn't go easy, and she didn't expect her opponent to go easy either. spars were meant to help further one's training, and going easy wouldn't help in the least bit. that was what was in her mind at leas. "lets show them what we got renamon!" ruki called. ronin was sure to have some new tricks and things up his sleeves. it was always interesting when they sparred.

ice blue eyes of the renamon narrowed, full of focus and battle. strabimon was a friend but here, in a match, they were opponents. she sailed over his form as he ducked, rolling away from her kick so her feet hit nothing but air, landing gracefully before spinning around so her back was no longer facing strabimon. golden yellow and white furred tail flicked. for a moment it appeared as if renamon wasn't going to attack. a split second and she darted towards strabimon, this time she remained firm upon the ground.

nearing the other digimon, renamon would normally be using a power paw tech. but she knew ruki would be annoyed, so, instead of fire engulfing her hands and feet, they remained solid golden yellow and white, and instead, she aimed a few punches, following up with another kick. this obviously left her vulnerable as she didn't spin or dart away, her side and back were open, in prime position for something to be aimed her way as the way she delivered the blows put her in that position.that was okay. sometimes, in a battle, or spar, you had to do some attacks that may leave oneself open.

small price to pay.

[ronin47]

Strabimon dodged in alarm on Renamon's first strike and was surprised that it wasn't a tech, as he had instinctively thought. The surprise allowed the next strike to hit his face. Strabimon picked up the pace and blocked the remaining punches thrown at him in a flurry of yellow and white, raising his forearms to mirror each of Renamon's attack. Their clash was like two swords exchanging blows.

Strabimon foresaw the kick and tried to grab the leg before impact. He felt his timing to be a little less perfect but still survivable. When he had the leg clutched by his hands, he would slam Renamon on the ground.

notes: Strabimon is being a bit defensive at the moment xD so short posts!

[lupo]

so strabimon had expected a tech: that meant one of her blows caught him, feeling fur brush against her claws. her next punches ended up hitting his arms as he shielded his features from her blows. this close to him she smirked, a tinge of warmth lighting up her eyes, the bliss of battle clear, before it was gone, vanishing a second after it had appeared.

the kick she had aimed once her punches were done ended up missing its target, feeling nothing upon her paw. strabimon was quick, she gave him that. as she tried to land on both feet did she feel claws around her leg, balancing upon her other leg to make sure she didn't fall. even if she allowed herself to fall, he still had her leg, which meant he'd still have the upper hand. claws curled into fists, knowing she could get out of this easy by a diamond storm. or so she hoped.

at least this kept them close, for she could unleash another flurry of attacks after whatever strabimon had planned. right now, moving meant risking tearing a muscle or twisting in an awkward position.

notes: its all good :3

[ronin47]

Strabimon wasn't going to let her do anything. Agile as ever, Renamon managed to keep her ground with but a single foot. She wouldn't have to be in this awkward position for long. Deciding not to let Renamon come up with anything sneaky, he pulled Renamon off the ground and started to spin in place. Given his strength and Renamon's weight being as heavy as him, he didn't continue this for too long. He released Renamon to throw her crashing on the ground, having been careful no to let her go in the air. From experience, he'd rather have Renamon on the ground with him than let her dominate him by giving her aerial advantage. Even though she had no actual wings to fly, Renamon was very acrobatic.

Flashing his claws with his ragged scarf trailing behind him, Strabimon lunged at Renamon while she was potentially incapacitated by the throw. He slashed his claw in an upward, diagonal motion, using the momentum to make a 360 degrees spin and dig his heel at her stomach.

notes: Why do you have 105 exp

[lupo]

the smirk remained fixed, waiting, waiting. sure enough, strabimon ended up throwing her towards the ground, body sailing gracefully, the grass coming closer and closer. arms crossed themselves in front of her, not to use a tech but to shield herself, head dipping before her arms, keeping vital organs(made of data) safe and making sure she didn't get winded. she would take the attack, already calculating how she'd land and how she would retaliate. claws hit her armguards, feeling like that anyway, before the heel that belonged to strabimon hit her directly in her stomach.

renamon arched herself, using the backward momentum to land upon the grass, kneeling down and unfolding her arms. normally clean and silky fur was slightly dirty from the fray, pushing herself up and backflipping to get some distance. her stomach gave a small ache from the heel but she would push through. taking a deep breath, the digimon darted forwards, but instead of attacking strabimon, she darted to the left and then leaped diagonal, zipping up and over, spinning in mid air and aiming a kick towards strabimon, following up with several punches once she landed.

notes; -shiftyeyes- xD