[SL] Faux Pas

Event: Point of no Return

PROMPT 2 :: A Fight to Remember

Colt slipped into the auditorium just as the lights dimmed, brushing past a few others to find a better spot. The crowd was buzzing with anticipation. As he shuffled forward, the first spotlight flickered to life, swinging toward the podium where Professor Bonsai stood.

The professor’s voice cut through the growing noise, calm and deliberate as he spoke. Colt leaned forward slightly, listening closely. The shadow virus theory didn’t surprise him. Nature was full of checks and balances. But something about the way Bonsai phrased it made Colt uneasy. The crowd around him seemed to share the same sentiment. A ripple of murmurs spread like wildfire, growing louder by the second.

It didn’t take long for the tension to spike. People were shifting in their seats, muttering to each other under their breath. Colt felt it settle in his chest, something was about to break. The professor kept speaking, blind or indifferent to the pressure building around him.

A high-pitched voice suddenly broke through the sea of unease; the woman was clearly distraught with the revelation. The hall went still as she questioned Bonsai, the crowd holding a single, collective breath.

Then, all hell broke loose.

Shouts reverberated off the walls, and like a wave crashing on the shore, the crowd snapped into full-blown hysteria. Wine glasses were shattered, and a barrage of appetizers filled the air, lobbing toward the stage where Professor Bonsai had stood only moments before. The room was alive with the sound of sadness, anger and chaos.

Colt instinctively backed toward the exit, his heart pounding in his chest, but as he made his way through the crowd, someone shoulder-checked him hard. He stumbled forward, bumping into a woman who screamed. She tripped, and Colt reached out instinctively to catch her.

"Sorry, ma’am," he muttered apologetically, barely managing to steady her before she fell.

But the woman wasn’t the only one upset. Her husband, a man with sandy hair and a grey suit, pushed through the crowd to her side. His face was flushed with anger. Without a word, he took a swing, his fist connecting with Colt’s jaw with brutal force. Pain flared white-hot as his ears rang and his balance faltered.

Hands grabbed at him. Colt barely registered the movement before his hat was torn from his head and his hair tie ripped free, his long hair falling loose around his shoulders.

"This is what you get for touching my wife!"

The pain burned, sharp and sudden, but Colt didn’t flinch. Now that a fight had been started, he wasn’t one to back down. His hand instinctively reached for his belt, fingers were already closing around the Pokéballs tucked just under his vest.

"Come on out, you two," he muttered under his breath.

Light flashed. A small, pale Pidgey burst into the air with a sharp whoosh, wings beating fiercely as she darted above the chaos. Beside Colt, a dark navy Blitzle materialized, sparks snapping from his mane as electricity crackled around his hooves.

Colt shrugged out of his jacket and tossed it upward. “Hold that for me, would ya, Nilla?” he said through gritted teeth.

The Pidgey snatched the jacket mid-flight, talons clutching it securely as she veered out of reach. Whiskey stamped the ground, eager energy rippling off him like a live wire, a jolt of electricity arcing across his mane.

With his Pokémon at his back, Colt squared up to the man who’d hit him.

The sandy-haired man sneered down at him. "What’s the matter, kid? You got a problem?"

Colt’s jaw tightened.
He didn’t have time for this.

The crowd was becoming a full-on riot, and he needed to get out before things got even worse.

Without warning, Colt lunged, his fist connecting with the man’s jaw in a quick, powerful punch. Colt didn’t give him time to recover; he drove into him, tackling him hard to the ground, knocking the air out of his lungs.

Whiskey’s sparks intensified, lighting up the space around them as if to warn off anyone else who might try to intervene. Vanilla swooped out of the way, her talons holding tightly to the precious package her trainer had entrusted her with.

“Don’t move,” Colt growled, pinning the man beneath him. His fists trembled with barely restrained force. “Give them back or this gets worse.” The man froze, stunned into silence. One look into Colt’s wild eyes told him the threat was very real.

The man swallowed hard, then slowly reached his hands up. With trembling fingers, he raised one hand, then the other, holding out Colt’s hat and the leather hair tie at arm's length.

“Alright, alright,” he said hoarsely. “Take it. Just take it.”

Colt’s eyes flicked to the items, his jaw still set as he snatched them back. The man flinched, clearly afraid Colt might hit him again.

Colt shoved himself to his feet, pulling away before the man could think to retaliate. The exit was still clogged with panicked bodies, the entire venue now on the brink of tearing itself apart. Lingering now would only make things worse.

Around them, the room remained a riot; shouts, crashes, bodies surging in every direction. With his Pokémon close and adrenaline sharp in his veins, Colt stayed focused.

He jammed his hat back into place, fingers tightening around the hair tie before shoving it into his pants pocket and reclaiming his jacket from Vanilla. His eyes swept the crowd, searching for any opening that might get him out.

The longer he stayed, the more dangerous it became.

Colt’s Pokémon stayed tight at his side as he pushed through the madness, every sense on edge.
The hall had turned into a storm; tables smashed and overturned, chandeliers swinging wildly, wine running in rivers across the floor, broken glass glinting in the flickering lights. Every second made the chaos more unpredictable; a misstep could mean a sprained ankle or worse. Panicked guests and their loose Pokémon barreled past, unpredictable and wild.

Finally slipping out the front door Colt let out a short, bitter laugh.

What a way to end a party.

Total word count: 1014

Trainer: Colt  Intentory: Colt's Satchel

Levels:
Vanilla the Pidgey
Whiskey the Blitzle
Shaded FB +2
Shaded FB Trainer +2
Detailed Background +3
Written Levels: +5 (1000 Words, +2 Levels to Vanilla, +3 Levels to Whiskey)

Total Levels:
Vanilla: +9 levels
Whiskey: + 10 levels
+1 Friendship each

Moves Learnt

• Whiskey has learned Shock Wave! (Level 11)

PD Earned:
400 PD (Simple BG)
400 PD(Literature Bonus)

Total: 800 PD