ToT: Dishonorable Honor

“So, another challenger arrives” said Xavier. “How exciting these last few weeks have been, that I might duel such a varied bunch.”

“Is that some attempt to sound dramatic?” the Riolu facing him- David- asked dryly. His accent suggested a northerner. He wore combat leathers and had a knife strapped to his chest- nothing that looked particularly valuable so far.

Accompanying him was a Sneasel, who was currently leaning against a tree near the arena. She wore a dark blue scarf- well-made, but not terribly expensive.

Still, he hadn’t necessarily seen all of their possessions just yet.

“Are we going to start or not?” pressed David.

“All in good time, David” said Xavier. “A question, first. Might I be introduced to the young lady?”

David looked at Xavier suspiciously. “Is it important?”

“A simple matter of civility” replied Xavier. Which was absolutely true. Xavier always made sure to learn and memorize the names of every one of his opponents, whether or not he actually ended up taking their possessions. He may have technically been a thief, but that was absolutely no reason to be rude to people. If David was the sort of person not to trust good manners from a known criminal, that… well, that was quite understandable, and bespoke a good deal of common sense on his part, but was ultimately not Xavier’s problem.

“Samara” said the Sneasel.

The Braixen removed his hat and made a flourishing bow. “A pleasure, my good woman.”

“Ooh, a gentleman” said Samara, grinning mischievously. She spoke with the same accent as David. Glory’s Peak, then.

“Right” said Xavier, returning his attention to David. He waved his hands and conjured up the Magic Room that would stack the odds in his favor. He took a bit more time casting it than usual, because the effectiveness of the technique depended on the caster both knowing the item was there and thinking of a way to disable it without making any real physical alterations. This would be a bit tricky here. The energy that powered healing symbols and the like could be temporarily nullified, magical artifacts could be made to malfunction in various ways, but how did one disable something as simple a knife without actually modifying it?

Xavier considered for a moment, and then settled on placing a magical barrier just along the edge of the blade. The effect would be similar to blunting the blade, but the effect would dissipate as soon as the Magic Room did. That would suffice. Xavier didn’t really expect David to use the thing, anyway. He was aware that the contract the Tabiran trackers guild had on him specifically stated that he be left alive.

David and Samara seemed to have expected the Magic Room. They merely looked at it with vague interest, rather than asking about it.

“Let us begin” said Xavier. With practiced speed, he whipped out the flaming branch that served as his main weapon and waved it through the air, sending a stream of fire at David.

The boy had some pretty good reflexes, Xavier had to give him that. Most people were at least slightly burned by that one. Not David; he neatly backed out of the fire’s path. The flames continued to burn where they hit the ground, creating a wall of fire between the two combatants.

Xavier grinned inwardly. It was a tactic he’d used countless times against opponents more suited for close quarters combat. The flames prevented David from reaching Xavier, while Xavier could pick him off with ranged attacks.

David seemed to be looking carefully at the fire. Xavier wondered for a second if the Riolu planned on letting Xavier come to him. If so, he would be disappointed. The last time someone had tried that against him… it had worked extremely well, actually. Lin-Lin the Pancham may have caught him off guard, but he was damned if he was going to fall for the same trick twice.

Then, David did something that did not in any way qualify as ‘waiting for the enemy to come to him’.

He appeared to lean down and punch the wall of flames. Xavier spent a split second wondering what the hell David thought burning his fist would accomplish. He had no more time to wonder after that, because he was too busy being dumbstruck. The section of the flaming wall immediately between them flickered out. It lit back up after a second or two, but by then it was too late. David leapt through the gap in the flames, sprang at Xavier, and punched him right in the jaw.

Xavier staggered back several feet. The blow had been quite painful, and… surprisingly cold.

Cold…

He looked at David. White mist was rising from his hand.

An Ice Punch. He’d put out the fire by freezing the burning ground.

As if that wasn’t disconcerting enough, David then drew his knife. Perhaps he didn’t know what Magic Room did (unlikely). Or maybe knew exactly how it worked and thought Xavier couldn't think up a way to disable a knife (Xavier felt mildly insulted by that idea). Then, Xavier got his first good look at the weapon.

Suddenly, the knife had his full and undivided attention.

Which meant he saw it heading straight for his abdomen.

His mind said: don’t worry, it’s disabled, it can’t hurt you. His body responded: are you willing to stake your life on that? Ultimately, his body got the casting vote.

He leaned out of the way, watched the knife miss him by mere millimeters…

And suddenly staggered sideways from David's left hook, his right cheek numbed- from the pain or the cold, Xavier wasn’t sure. He regained his balance in time to see the knife swinging towards his throat.

Mind was again outvoted by reflex, and Xavier leaned backwards, then doubled over because David kicked him in the stomach. Xavier didn’t have time to regain his balance again. David swiftly followed up the kick with several more punches, then finished with a kick to the chin. Xavier fell on his back.

It was then that David appeared to notice that the knife was no longer in his hand. He stared uncomprehendingly at his empty hand for a second, and then glared at Xavier.

Xavier shook himself off, then got to his feet. He smiled.

“Looking for this?” he asked, producing the knife. David looked about ready to lunge at him. Then, he looked at the ground between them, and sprang backward instead. A half-second later, an electric charge crackled where David had just been standing. His reflexes really were impressive.

“Pure mountain silver” said Xavier, examining the knife closely. “Not quite worth a fortune in this small of an amount, especially after it’s already been worked. Most valuable when it’s raw, this stuff.”

David tensed himself to attack again.

“Ah-ah-ah!” said Xavier, sending another shockwave across the ground between the two. Xavier generally found the move quite useful for holding off opponents who’d woken up to the fact that he’d taken things he had no intention of returning.

“Still, very diligently maintained” said Xavier, tucking the blade into his bushy tail and letting the magic room die down. “Perfectly sharpened, leather grip clean… well done.” He shrugged. “Should be worth a night on the town, at least.”

“That’s fascinating” growled David. “Can I have it back now?”

“Sorry, David” said Xavier, cheerfully. “But you didn’t say the magic words.”

David looked at him blankly. “I also wasn’t talking to you.”

“What are you…?” Xavier looked behind him, and was treated to the sight of Samara holding the knife. He turned back around just in time to see David’s fist headed straight for his face. Then, he was on his back, looking at the sky, with a throbbing cheek.

Again.

He attempted to stand up, and succeeded after the third attempt. He flashed Samara his most charming smile. Well, tried to. He wasn’t quite sure if he succeeded; the adrenaline had worn off and his face was really starting to hurt.

“Pretty impressive” he said. His voice still worked normally, at least. “That knife wasn’t out of my sight for more than a few seconds. I don’t suppose you would be interested in a partnership of sorts?”

Samara smiled sweetly. “No. But thank you for asking.”

Xavier shrugged. “The offer remains open, should you reconsider. Incidentally, I believe you two are headed for Tabira?”

David laughed mirthlessly. “Why? You want a rematch?”

“Oh, no, nothing of the sort” Xavier assured them. “It is all too clear that I am hopelessly outmatched against you, David. No, I merely ask a small favor. While in Tabira, you may run into a Houndour-and-Pancham duo- Penelope and Lin-Lin, respectively. Would you please give Penelope my regards?”

“Why, what did you steal from them?” asked David.

“Steal?” Xavier did his best to look aghast. Fortunately, the throbbing was starting to die down. “From two nice young ladies? Do I really seem so base to you?”

“A petty thief like you? No, not at all” said David, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

“You may think I have no morals, but trust me to at least have standards” protested Xavier.

“Translation: they had nothing you considered worth stealing.”

“Yes, we’ll tell them” Samara cut in. “No promises about the reply, though.”

“Not to worry” said Xavier. “Just tell them I said hello.”

As they began to walk off, Xavier decided to retire for the day. He wasn’t at all sure he had the strength for another bout, not with the battering he’d just taken. He thought he’d learned his lesson about underestimating smaller fighters when Lin-Lin had thrown him flat on his face a few days back. Apparently not.

Down the road, Samara looked at David. “So, that enough stress relief for you?”

“It’ll do” said David. “And tomorrow, it’s your turn.”

“Huh?” said Samara, confused. “I’m not particularly stressed.”

“Neither was I. I was bored and impatient, not stressed” said David. “Just get up early tomorrow. This is apparently a mandatory thing.” He faced back towards the road. "Still can't believe the ice punch thing actually worked..."