Doodle Champion Island Journeys!

21.

Passing the Komainus' trial didn't mean you were on the same league as the Champions. That just meant that you're quite enough to survive from being humiliatingly crushed in their challenges. That meant that you were able to put up a little fight even if it was desperate. There was a huge difference between those who dreamed of miracles and who made it happen with their own paws before those godly skills and power. The line between the two kinds only started to show when you stood in front of both. Vanille Konneta learned it the hard way as she and her friend Morgan kept losing to Yoichi no matter how hard they tried, even after the quick training at the dojo. There just seemed to be something preventing them to win despite all the tricks they used. And there didn't seem to be anything wrong with their aiming and shooting either.

The rabbit also noticed in the number of athletes around. There hadn't anyone but the three of them - including Lucky the Cat - came here since early in the morning. Not that there were a lot in the first place, but this was even less than expected. It wasn't that hard to guess why actually. Vanille could see that they'd be swarming at the dance contest since it seemed easy, just to realize it wasn't their disco. Gracefulness, swiftness, a mind calm as waves and a heartbeat sync with the rhythm. Many showed that a strong body had lost its natural flexibility, while others failed to sync. If it's not Artistic Dancing that persuaded competitors of an impossible goal, Marathon, Rugby and Table Tennis would do the rest. Racing with the number one sly creature on their home turf, outrunning gigantic yokai's, beating a light and small ball against the wind. Yeah, most of the competitors probably had seen their limit and gave up already to enjoy the festives in Tanooki City instead, happy that they where enough to be qualified. Morgan and Vanille were different. They heard of this lost island when they were small and dreamt of conquering it since. They wanted to do so, but at the same time knew it was as hard as growing wings. They were the ones waiting for miracles. It's not a bad thing to have hopes, yet their situation looked really silly.

Then Lucky came. Vanille had no idea where that kid had been to while they still hadn't done with their practices but she looked about to catch a cold or something. Nobody could imagine the cat had got herself soaked for saving a village from winds and rain and forgot that she was wet to play in a super hard Table Tennis match just to sweat a bunch more. Although Ume dried her up and all, the coldness that water had left on her skin underneath that tri-color fur remained, making her shiver whenever a gust pass by. Lucky shrugged it off as if nothing and asked for her rematch, which ended up another loss. However, every time was a close call. Lucky almost won a couple times already if not for Yoichi aiming at a bomb before her and set a bunch of targets knocking down, earning some last-minute points and won. That cat had something up her sleeves. Morgan was exhausted with his own matches playing nothing but like a copy of the last. He had tried taking different approaches, changing, yet somehow against Yoichi he was just forced back into his old track. The samurai knew the optimal angles, optimal moves, and his skill was off the roof. However, the cat seemed to power up too, losses after losses. Then when she said she'd settle it with a last rematch, he felt like she was saying it seriously, not just a self-assurance.

Lucky fixed her scarf and wiped the sweat off her eyes as she received the bow and quiver from Vanille. The badger and the rabbit backed to a distance to watch.

The feline twitched her ears and tail before she let her whole body relax, closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she reopened them, her orbs seemed to shine, like storing a thousand golden stars inside.

And she already had a strategy.

It's not exactly the kind of strategy used to deal with your opponent, it's more like a strategy to juice the best from how the game played.

The familiar sound of a whistle twittered, starting the match. Yoichi rode his horse to the left side of the beach, so Lucky ran the opposite and took the right. If she could not face the samurai head-on, then she would have to find some space to handle her own.