just tossing dimes in wishing wells

[a_gentle_boy]

[action 1, park]
[It's time for the Battle Memory to be put to good use. Morosely examining it didn't do much to improve his fighting technique; Lucas can be found in the park with the book open, projecting a psychic imprint of the Pig King's Statue. He's going by the theory that he'll improve faster facing off against the toughest enemy he's ever fought - apart from the Ultimate Chimera, anyway.

The last time he had attempted to practice fighting, he'd decimated both his training dummy and scrambled the minds of half the people who had wandered by.  Hopefully, an isolated corner of the park wouldn't draw as much attention.  And the trees would block the view if he let loose a PK Flash.  Lucas picks a stick up off the ground and hefts it a few times.]

Let's see... Mr. Statue, I don't have any New Year's Bombs with me.  Please take it easy, OK?

[The statue does not give a reply apart from swinging forth with its rocky scepter.  Lucas jumps out of the way... then flips in midair to jump again, releasing a PSI shockwave through his outstretched feet.  The fight was on. 

Join in?]

[action 2, school]
[It's hard to do well in school when you never went to one before Mayfield.  Over the course of two years, Lucas has successfully managed to grasp the basics of history, English, and some general biology.  Mathematics, though...  During his lunch hour, he generally retreats to the school library with a pile of books and a worried expression on his face.  Gosh, he must be studying hard.

Further examination will reveal Lucas holed up, hiding behind some shelves, staring intently at Advanced Concepts in Algebraic Formulations.  ...More focused examination will reveal The Hardy Boys or something rather similar not-so-cleverly hidden behind the spine of the much larger textbook.  Not so coincidentally, he happens to be sitting with his back to the entire series.  ...At one point, he yells out loud.]

Oh, no!   Don't leave him behind!

[...Oops.]

[voice]
Spring is almost here, isn't it?  ...The world always seems a lot more bearable when there's sunshine and singing birds everywhere.  It reminds me... well.  It reminds me of home, a little bit.  Things were always so much more... vibrant.  ...Imaginative.  Even in its last few years.  I've been thinking about it, and I don't really know much about anyone else's worlds; not even my closest friends'.  Things like... dinosaurs and Mr. Saturns and walking bushes were pretty normal in the Islands, but when I bring them up, everyone always seems surprised.  It would be nice to hear about interesting things from other people.  Things you might not find here.

[His tone, soft and capricious before, takes on a heavier note.]

Anyway...  I guess it reminds me of something else, too.  ...Miss Taiwan's gone, isn't she?  I couldn't find her camera the other day, and when I saw her next, she was droned. 

...I wish she had had a chance to start her restaurant.

Comments

[action; park]

[pkrincess]

[Observing. Why is she just observing, this is not IC.]

Ya really think you can handle that thing all by yourself?

[a_gentle_boy]

Not at all.

I was hoping you'd come, actually.

[If it could actually do any damage, Lucas's rolling HP bar would rapidly be approaching zero. He takes another swipe from the scepter and bounces away.]

[pkrincess]

I've been wantin' to get some practice in, anyways! [Kumatora joins the fight.]

PK Thunder!

[She goes for Omega right away because that is how she rolls. Suddenly thunderbolts!]

[a_gentle_boy]

It'll be a lot easier now, with this. ...I tried to make a training... doll. Thing. Once. It didn't work out very well...

[Breaking out the Omega already? Lucas can get behind that.

...Attack Up Omega!

Alright, so it wasn't the same at all, but Kumatora should feel a familiar surge of strength.]

[pkrincess]

Thanks!

[With her attack boosted, she leaps forward to go pound on the statue. Her timing is a little off, though, so she only gets in two or three good hits before being flung back.]

Y'know, ya could've asked me to train. Look, see, now I'm all rusty.

[a_gentle_boy]

It's only been... oh. I guess it has been a few months already. You probably don't like having time off, huh?

[Lucas bides his time, simply watching the statue lurch about.]

[pkrincess]

[She shrugs.]

It's not fair for me to say that, anyways. I coulda asked ya myself or gone lookin' for someone who wanted to train with me. It was actually kinda nice havin' some time off in between all the bad stuff that was happenin'.

[Kumatora rushes the statue, hits it a few times, then gets knocked back again.]

[a_gentle_boy]

I've just been keeping it on my desk. You can use it whenever you want. It's all of ours, after all.

[Although the Battle Memory didn't really hurt them, he gives her a Lifeup anyway. It seems wrong not to.]

[pkrincess]

Good point. I never thought about it much, but it's a pretty convenient thing to have layin' around.

[She takes a step back and goes for another PK Thunder. The bolts flash down on and around the statue with mostly sloppy accuracy.]

Damn.

[a_gentle_boy]

[Lucas finally gets off his lazy butt and joins in.]

Thunder might not be the best thing against a statue... Maybe you can try Freeze? Work it in through the cracks.

Here, let's get it from both sides.

[pkrincess]

That's the only PSI I've gotten back from this dumb place so far.

[She will take his advice, though, and start moving in from the left.]

[a_gentle_boy]

Hm... I guess, just don't zap me with it, then.

OK, let's go for a combo if we can!

[Feel the beat of the battle, Kumatora? Lucas swings his weapon in perfect time. Smaaaash!]

[pkrincess]

C'mon, have I ever done that?

[On her third attempt, Kumatora starts to show her old chops. She's getting a good feel for the beat, and she launches into rhythmic swing of her fists, pounding and pounding the statue.]

[a_gentle_boy]

...I've been hit by lightning so many times I can't remember who it was, anymore. I guess I've got the Franklin Badge now, anyway, though.

[Lucas isn't in prime fighting condition himself. He manages a fiver before getting knocked out of the ballpark by a stone fist.]

[pkrincess]

Oof! [Kumatora gets up to seven before getting whacked hard herself.]

Why'd you have to pick this one, anyways? It woulda been fun to actually win in the end.

[a_gentle_boy]

It's just for practice...

[Lucas rubs at his head a little.]

Do you want to fight the Mole Crickets instead?

[pkrincess]

No way. I don't need to win that bad. Y'know that fight would last two seconds.

[a_gentle_boy]

...My mom beat the Mole Cricket the first time we met.

[Whoops here comes the statue swinging again. Lucas ducks and rolls.]