Ninjas of Love

Billy Becomes Some Kind Of Master Of Fighting And Blake Does Stuff

"Ok, let's talk about ProSmall's Hunt Race All Stars 4!" Emily suggested semi-jokingly, in between bites of pizza that seemed almost like she wanted to take them. "So, how about that bulimic Faunavision sex then?" Charlie rebutted, half-serious. As he finished his facetious, yet in no way rhetorical, question, a smattering of giggles danced around his ears. "You're such a dickhead." Emily said, rolling her eyes at her brother- while smiling, as if to reassure him that she was joking and didn't actually hate him.

"Actually, I did want to talk about something." Billy spoke up, pizza long since devoured. His team leader nodded his head just once to signify to Billy, non-verbally, that he could continue talking about whatever mysterious (though likely highly technobabble-y) subject he wanted to talk about. "Our fight. Yes, we beat those filthy, dirty, disgusting, bottom-feeding, trash-bag hoes in Team LOLI, but there are some things that need addressing." Billy informed his teammates, voice devoid of feeling. "Oh watch out! Professor Dalton is here." Kerian joked, earning him a disapproving tut from Emily. "I'm as much of a professor as you are a real fox, Kieran." The blond's shutdown was a simple one, as old as time itself- but it certainly did its job of as good as superglueing the sort-of-Faunus-but-not's mouth shut while Billy critically analysed the few moves his team had had to make in order to dispatch of the substandard team of Liam, Oli, Liam, and Ivo. Yes, there were two Liams, cast your mind back a wee little while.

"Right, Charlie. You're first up for scrutiny." Billy told him, like he was the host of some sort of really low-quality reality television programme. Let's say RuPaul's Drag Race to appease a certain Mr. Copson (both in Ninjas Of Love form and real life form). "Fuck." Charlie muttered under his breath, loud enough for literally everyone else to hear in the otherwise silent, intently listening circle of eight. "So, I have both positive and negative feedback for you, Charlie. Which would you- actually no, I'm going to give you the positive first. Well done with the quick thinking of using Emily as a human- sorry, a meat- shield-cum-offensive weapon, that definitely gave our team the upper hand. Keep up those lightning reflexes and reckless abandon- especially when it comes to others' bodies."
"Cheers, Billy. I'll let you move on to whoever's next now." Charlie offered, trying to get out of being lectured on a, no doubt, tiny indiscretion he made during his, and his team's, squash match. "No, you won't. I haven't criticised you yet." Billy said, a no-nonsense look etched across his stubbly face. "My only problem with your performance out there is that you did let off a little bit after your initial attack. Next time, don't let up, got it?" Charlie nodded, humbled.

"Right, Em. Your turn." Emily wordlessly looked over at Billy, who sighed and began his next teacher-like piece of feedback. "I absolutely loved the beatdown on Munn. I didn't know you had that sort of aggression in your locker, and it's what we want to see in the next round. You in a very berserker-like role, with Charlie as a precise, ranged maestro. It could do absolute bits. Just take care of defence as well, if any one of their team had blindsided you, you'd have been fucked. Right?"
"Right." Emily said meekly, before Billy turned his gaze toward the transfaunus who was absentmindedly biting at his fingernails.

"Kerian. Where to begin?" Billy asked his rhetorical question as the cogs whirred inside his brain, trying to recall just what role, if any, the superficially-a-fox had actually played in the Godzilla-like demolition of LOLI. "Ok, I guess I have to pick up a positive from the right, as I gave the other two a positive point. Shit. Well, I guess I have to say that you didn't allow your semblance to backfire on your team- so well done on the restraint and tactical nous you used there."
"Thank you." Kerian said, smiling cheekily as Billy gave him the faintest possible hint of praise. "Anyway, onto the cons to that pro. You were, in the nicest possible way, absolutely invisible and expendable in that match. That's actually worse than being obnoxiously bad. That way, you at least add an element of surprise to your team's arsenal. Unfortunately, rather than contributing to our stock of weapons, you seemed to be our biggest weapon. Next time we spar, I will need to see more pro-active thinking from you; use the specialist skill-set you possess to your advantage. Make yourself useful and you, Charlie, Em, and- most importantly- I will all reap the benefits. Got it?"
"Got it."
"Oh, and Kerian," Emily piped up out of nowhere, like she was an RKO, "remember Isabella Levina Lueen. Don't let the moment that you lose control be the one that decides where you fall. Even if you cuck us all by having your semblance backfire, like a nobhead, it isn't the end. Keep fighting. Fire and brimstone- that's what we need to see from you." Emily somehow managed to make a rejected Faunavision candidate (Atlas, 2017- the year they chose to send the Slaytina robot with her song "Tainted Love") sound deeply philosophical, and apply it to Kerian's weaknesses as a fighter.

"Guys, can I make a suggestion?" Blake interjected, her voice barely above a whisper as she finished her own anchovy-topped pizza. "You certainly can." Charlie told her, looking at her with a grandparent-esque kindness behind his gorgeously blue eyes. "Your next fight won't be for a couple of days, at least. You're best off resting and just going into the next round at full fitness than spending your break constantly training and running on fumes by the fight itself. That's where some very successful hunters have come undone. Team CHRI should have won the Vytal Festival back in 1995, but in the semi-final Rebecca Rouge picked up an injury- specifically a nasty case of spinal stenosis. She insisted in not only finishing the match, but training for the two days before the final non-stop and then fighting the final. Needless to say, she lost within minutes to Amarillo Hernandez of Team AQUA. And- and this is particularly pertinent to you, Em- she never recovered from her spinal stenosis. It's 2018, she should be winding down her fighting career as an all-time great. In reality, she hasn't fought since 1998, and now actually does have a lot of issues with chronic pain and mobility. This tournament is prestigious, but it's not everything. Just rest up for a couple of days. We're already proud of you for getting to the quarter finals, right team?" Ruby and Yang excitedly gave an answer of yes, as Weiss looked pensively into the strangely green vegan pepperoni on her pizza.