School Of Hard Knocks (Set 3, Job D)
Apr 14, 2019 21:49:15 GMT
Post by Tadayoshi Teppei and Silence on Apr 14, 2019 21:49:15 GMT
"Alright, listen up!" A wide open space in the park seemed like the perfect place to host some digimon-on-digimon combat, and Silence boasted both great numbers and relevant experience for providing a little practice for several residents at once. In fact, this job wasn't just for the residents, either: it served as good training for the crew for whenever they had to operate alone or in small groups, even if the average digimon they fought was no veteran. The arrangement was too good for the army not to take: money for training.
This was why every member of Silence was standing in a neat line, save for Rashi; he had to float in a nearby pond instead. In front of them all, Commandramon paced like a drill sergeant and addressed a class of bright-eyed and bushy-tailed rookies like one, too. "We have rules here. Those rules are for your safety and will be strictly and harshly enforced with penalties up to immediate ejection. Am I clear?"
"Yes, sir!" rang a chorus of young voices.
"Correct answer. Rule number one: BLOOD. Back off, LOOk around, Desist. BLOOD. BLOOD is your one and only safeword. If your opponent shouts BLOOD, you will back off, you will look out for any immediate danger to yourself, and desist from all further action! If you want your opponent to stop, you will shout, 'BLOOD!'" The irony of that rule was that it actually came from Tadayoshi's theater teacher. Apparently, that was the convention in practicing stage combat.
"Rule number two: You are to keep collateral damage to a minimum! Obviously fire will catch and water will soak, but wanton destruction will not be tolerated, nor will any attacks that risk hitting someone besides your opponent. Create space accordingly!
Rule number three: should there be any midcombat digivolution, you and your opponent will both Back off, LOOk around, and Desist. There will be no mismatches!" as an after thought he added, "Though, I suppose congratulations will be in order.
Finally: there will be absolutely no excessive force. If your abilities or lack of control over them make you a danger to others' long-term, you should leave now. That said, we do not accept responsibility for any lasting injury or worse! The risks in this endeavor are implicit.
Now, choose your opponents! If there are any twins among you, you must choose the Missimon, MetalKoromon, or Rocketmon... and I urge you not to underestimate the disadvantage of being outnumbered. Now, pair off and begin when ready!"
Lucky for Tadayoshi, this was one job he had minimal part of. That meant he got to lean against a tree, read a good book, eat a tasty candy bar, and only occasionally glance upward if a certain spike in noise, heat, or wind deserved his curious attention. The only other one who wasn't fighting was Commandramon, who as the strongest and core of the army acted as referee, teacher, and executor of punitive action. He spent his time circling the park and observing fights from reasonably safe differences, keeping his rules followed and giving advice where possible to both parties involved.
At some point he wandered close to Tadayoshi and paused. Yoshi, after chewing and swallowing his most recent bite, politely extended his Choconut Bar out toward the soldier. "Want some?"
"No, thank you." Commandramon politely pushed Tadayoshi's hand back to him.
"Right, I forgot. You don't like nuts, do you?"
"No, I don't." Commandramon wasn't looking at Tadayoshi as he answered. He was looking up, at a fight. He was frowning while doing it, too. "Speaking of which..." Commandramon wandered off in the direction he was staring to do his duty. Why? He had to deal with a nut. "BLOOD!" He shouted that at one pair of fighters, and when Tadayoshi followed the dragon's gaze he immediately understood why: Angel the BlackTerriermon had a Labramon down and out but wasn't backing down. "I said BLOOD, soldier!" Angel disregarded him and straddled her opponent so she could begin a sequence of completely unnecessary punches. Unfortunately, she got three good swings in before Commandramon could subdue her by throwing a Bangsmoke grenade at her.
The smoke obscured Yoshi's view from there. When he was next able to see both his digimon, Commandramon was physically dragging Angel across the ground by her ears while flailing and cursing. No doubt her eyes were burning, ears were ringing, and head was pounding, but she still had enough strength in her to struggle and protest against Commandramon's interference. "This is bullshit! You're the one who said we got to fight, so why are you cutting me off? When are you finally gonna let me loose, you little shits, huh? I might just wanna get at one o' you softies just to-" That was as far as she got before Tadayoshi forcibly confined her in the Loader.
"Thank you."
"I should be the one thanking you," the soldier muttered bitterly while rolling his eyes and rubbing one of his ears.
"I think I was wrong to let her be part of this. I know how she is."
"So do, I and I agreed. Without her, there wouldn't have been enough opponents for the rookies."
Tadayoshi raised an eyebrow and smiled, amused. "You call them 'the rookies' like you aren't one."
"I call them 'the rookies' because I've experienced higher-level combat."
"Well if that's your reasoning, we've still got a few rookies in our own ranks."
"Not for long, I suspect. What's the time?" Tadayoshi glanced at his analog watch, then showed it to Commandramon. "I suppose we'd better finish up, then." Commandramon proceeded to walk into the general center of all the fights, shout, "BLOOD, BLOOD, BLOOD!" and fire off a few rounds directly upwards just to make sure he had everybody's attention. It worked. "That's enough fighting for now. It seems there haven't been any digivolutions today, but hopefully you all learned something and gained some valuable experience. Tomorrow-" Commandramon was interrupted by the sight of that Labramon evolving to Garurumon. "Well, well! I stand corrected."
"You're welcome, dipshits!"
Tadayoshi tucked the swearing Loader in his back pocket to muffle the sound and clapped.
Word Count: 1,029
