Doodle Champion Island Journeys!

23.

"We meet again, Lucky."

"..." Lucky only nodded in acknowledgment.

"I owe you for stopping the rain, saving the continuation of the Extreme Challenge, as well as giving hope to the Bamboo Village. However," he pointed his fan at her, "A game is a game. Don't expect feelings to interfere."

"Facing you, facing all the Champions here is what I wished for in my dreams," Lucky spoke, "I won't let mine slip, either. I'll give everything I've got." Focus. Don't depend on your qi, believe in your skills and take in the moment with content. You can do it!!

Lucky closed her eyes, her arms dropped to the sides. Her ears lowered as she slowly inhaled. Only her tail was left twitching. It was the undeceivable sign of a cat ready to fight. She clenched her fists and finally let go of the breath she was holding thought for so long, her body relaxed and her tail stiffened to a halt in a skyward position. In her point of view, everything seemed to be growing bigger, or it was more like her tiny form facing up against giants. Lucky wouldn't deny that she was nervous, but at the same time, pumped. The two feelings debating inside caused a jumpy urge.

She cleared her thought, thinking of nothing but the match before her. It did the trick, as she closed her fingers on the bat that was laid silently on the table as if waiting for her. Lucky took a stance:

"I'm ready."

The scoreboard appeared hovering above the table, right at the net, showing Lucky's and the Tengu's faces and their starter points of zeroes. The scarlet linings on the black table seemed to deepen to a more luminous shade, though unclear brighter or darker. Winds circled around the stadium, ruffling the leaves and sending some flying. Lucky's scarf fluttered wildly like the fire in her eyes.

"It's gonna be a one-hundred game. Same rules."

"Got it." Lucky answered.

A low beep was heard, a countdown.

A second beep, the game would begin in one...

A third beep, followed suit by a shrill whistle. The game had started!

The Tengu served the ball. Lucky quickly returned it. He hit it back, she countered with a swirling pressure that should send the ball flying out of reach as soon as it hit by the edge of the table, but her opponent was no rookie to such tricks. Using the soft tip of his leafy 'bat', he flicked the ball, the power of the fan which raised the winds in the hand of a legend created a miniature whirlwind, rocketing it over the cat's side with such force, a tail of orange flames was visible. Taking no hesitation, she smacked it back, the impact accelerating the ball's speed even further that it burned purple before striking the other ground like a crashing meteor, leaving a smoking crack hole on the stone tiles.

Lucky : 1/100 | Tengu : 0/100

The Tengu pulled out two balls this time, and Lucky knew the actual challenge hadn't come yet. The thing about Tengu was that he could perform a sort of aerokinesis with his fan, so wherever the balls went or their number shouldn't be his problem. As long as they were still air-covered, he would strike them back like hurricanes. Lucky decided, her best shot was to tear through the air itself, piercing so hard that no winds could stop her hit.

She readied herself to counter: her eyes locked on the incoming targets, her mind let loose so there would be no second thoughts in her way.

'Pong'

'Pong'

Lucky successfully returned both balls, but then so did the Tengu. She made an upper shot on one, then a swirl to the edge, sending both ablaze and flying in two different tricky directions. However, as predicted, the Champion managed to not only block them, but also turn her force against her. Lucky had to muster up her muscles just to hit one ball without breaking the bat, emphasizing the flare engulfing the object even more to a bright purple that cut through the winds and landed a point. As for the other ball... Lucky felt like it was too late, but her body still reached out. Good thing she did, because the bat it hit with merely an inch to bare, send it wobbling back, hitting the table and fell out with a small 'ping' on the ground.