The Butterfly Girl: A Star is Born

Dogfight

[Sophia]

After the arrangement, we spent the next month training harder and longer. Always taking the weekends off to rest and restore our stamina. Sometimes I often did research to see if I could find some new games or lesson we could do to improve our skills. Surprisingly, most of them ended up being Improv Games.

Back when I went to school, the Drama class that I took always did warm-up exercises at the start of every day. Sometimes just warming up our voices, trying to get us energized so we could all put that energy into really making the characters we played a lot more believable and realistic. But other times, my teacher would always have some sort of improv game we played with everyone and then they would ask us what the purpose of the exercise was. I always thought it was interesting. But doing the exercises, not so much. It's not that I didn't enjoy them, it was mainly because I wasn't always comfortable with it. I mean that as a group. All the games we did always had us interacting with everybody, they always do. I think they're always supposed to include that, because it's important. And I understand that, but at the time I was just never comfortable with it. It was at that point of my life where I was figuring things out and constantly interacting with other people I didn't even know just made me feel really awkward. Additionally, I never really liked having to exert all my energy into playing a character or even just doing basic actions and gestures.

Now that I think about it, I think I was just lazy and tired. But the exercises were still fun and interesting.

Having and expecting to put so much energy five to six hours a day, five days a week is just so much. Way too much. Being forced to do that, is just wrong and almost cruel, dare I say it.

But this time. This time was different.

When I woke up to get ready for school, I remembered how much I dreaded it. I remember how I always had to pull myself everywhere, despite knowing how much I really didn't want to do whatever they told me to do. But I knew I couldn't avoid it, even if I did absolutely nothing, the consequences were too much for me to bear. Yet I had to continuously pull myself through anyway. But when I wake up now, not for school, knowing that I've got work to do. I accepted it. Because this was important. And sometimes I'd tell myself to get ready and be prepared for whatever today was going to be.

Sure, Physical Exhaustion is... well exhausting. A whole days worth of training can really drain you. The bumps, the bruises and scratches all over your arms and legs, not to mention the sore muscles that can make it difficult to do even basic things when you've finished. Sometimes, you might even be afraid you'll pull a muscle or damage something important. And you still manage to go through your days as well as you can.

However, Mental Exhaustion... it's unhealthy. And most of the time, especially these days, is practically unavoidable.

However, like I said before. This time was different.

When I showed everyone these imrpov games, I put all the energy I could into getting everyone involved. Sometimes it was hard for me to explain how the games worked and getting everyone to understand the rules sometimes took longer than actually playing the games. But as long as everyone was having fun and understanding the purpose of the exercises, then I knew it would all be worth it.

And look, I'll admit there were even some days where even I would make up excuses not to play because I was tired from the previous days and my arms and legs were too sore for me to move.

Yeah, most of the time it was me. And sometimes each of us would have some sort of excuse for not wanting to do any training. Not at the same time, of course. But just occasional days where either one of us, or some of us would sit out and watch the rest of us go along. And yes, more than once, we all sort of gave in and decided to just do nothing all day instead of train. Not like, in a lazy way. Just because we were kind of exhausted and we knew we probably couldn't pull through another day of training, so we just went into our own little corners and did whatever we pleased. Either if it was just lounging around and conversing with one another, or just doing something by ourselves and watching everyone else doing something. But more to the point, we trained as much as we could, as hard as we could, until we thought we were satisfied enough to call it a day.

I'll admit, during those days, never once did I wake up and dread what was to come. I woke up almost each day, knowing that it'd be... good, to put it bluntly. Sometimes I knew it would be tiring. But most of the time, I knew that I'd be able to get through it.

I never waited, and drudged through the day until I finally came home and unwound and tried to relax and do nothing for as long as I could before I had to do it all again.

I went through as much as I could and tried to enjoy it, even if I was tired. And when I came home, not only was I relieved that I could finally relax and rest, but I was satisfied because I knew I spent the whole day doing something that was good and actually worth the time and effort.

It was good.

And yeah.

It was fun.

And then the day came. We woke up, physically and mentally. And when we did, we knew what day it was, and we knew what was going to happen and we began to get ourselves prepared and ready.

Gathering all the strength, stamina, and courage we could summon. After breakfast, we all gathered at the tree house. We all arrived on time. We were all kinda excited. We were all kinda nervous. Before we left, I asked everyone if we wanted to do any warm ups before we headed out. Teri and the Twins suggested we do some more improv games we played before, but Apollo thought it'd be best if we just do some basic stretches, just to loosen up and get rid of stiff muscles. When we finished, we headed out to the waterfall.

There was more space for us to run around and less distractions. A nice, even surface with only the rushing water and a warm breeze moving slowly. There were no clouds, and the weather was still warm. Not hot, like it was before. Just evenly warm.

Apollo and I set our things down near the trees. Apollo only brought a few things in his backpack. Some water bottles, a little case of bandages just in case, and some snacks for later. I just had my usual things with me. I bring that bag everywhere with me because it's that important. Also, I have my own water bottle.

"Okay, so how does this work?" Teri asked.

"Okay, well, it's pretty simple. We'll just go over there and pair up until we each get a turn fighting each other." I tried to explain.

"Okay, but what are the rules?" Fleetfoot questioned.

"Are there any rules?" Flyboy added.

"Well, yeah. It's just going to be basic hand-to-hand combat. No weapons." Apollo explained.

"Oh... okay." the Twins understood.

"Basically, you win if you can take down your opponent. Or if they give up."

"And there's no shame if you give up. It's just practice, so don't feel bad if you don't win." I added.

"So, we're not actually trying to kill each other? We're just trying to knock down our opponents until one of us wins, right?" Teri asked.

"Yep, that's it. Just pretend like it's training, but this time we are going to try to hurt each other. Okay?" I emphasized.

"Wait, so we're going to hurt each other?" the Twins wondered.

"Yeah, that's the point. We're going to fight each other as hard as we can. And if you can't fight anymore, that's okay." Apollo said.

"Yeah, no holding back. We have to go all out. Think you can do that?" I asked everyone.

They were all silent for a moment, contemplating this.

"Yeah, okay. We can do this. We'll do it fairly." the Twins said in unison. Then they looked at Teri, who didn't look so confident. She took a deep breath.

"Okay, if we're going to prove our skills... then I will fight as hard as I can." Teri said. I could tell she was tying to be strong. I know she's the kind of person that wouldn't intend on hurting anyone. And this was probably a big step for her. But I had faith in her.

"Okay, then who's going first?" the Twins asked as they looked at us all.

We all stood there in silence, looking at each other awkwardly. Waiting for someone to make a move or say anything. But all we heard was the wind and the waterfall. At that moment, we were all a little bit disappointed in ourselves. But at the same time, we knew it was because we were all nervous to be the first.

"How about you two go first?" Teri pointed to Apollo and me. "You both have more experience than us, so we can watch you and see how it's done."

Apollo and I looked at each other for a solid moment. The both of us knowing what a terrible idea that is. Even if it was just hand-to-hand combat, we'd both know how that would end.

We'd both die, that's what would happen if you're so curious to know.

Apollo is tough and strong. Seriously, with that athletic body of his, he could take down anyone in one move. Especially with his height. Even his defense is something that can't be beat. His pain tolerance isn't too high, but if you can get two or three good moves on him, he'll be down sooner than you think. But don't underestimate his strength.

Don't ask me how I know this. I'm just really good at observations.

If I asked him to fight me, before I even make a move, before I even flinch he could grab my tiny body and pin me down to the floor with one arm and render me immobile.

I never underestimate his strength, and neither should you. Believe me.

And when it comes to me, please don't underestimate my strength either. My strength isn't anywhere near Apollo's, but when it comes to stamina and endurance. That's where I'll get you. I have a high pain tolerance and high endurance level, meaning no matter how many times you hit me, even in my weak spots, I can still get back up and keep going. I have my limits of course, but I won't give up. Not only that, but I'm pretty light on my feet. So if you try to hit me, I can either avoid it with ease, block it without breaking a sweat, or I can completely dodge it and jab you from behind before you even realize I disappeared. I may be short and small, but I am fierce.

Of course, I have my own weaknesses.

I may be light and quick on my feet, but it comes at a cost. I can wear myself out pretty easily. Especially when it comes to speed. I'm still not sure where my limits stand, but I know that the longer that I keep fighting, the more exhausted I become. In the end, if you haven't given in yet, I might just wear myself out until I can fight no longer.

If Apollo asked me to fight, I'd be all around him targeting all his weak spots I know or avoiding and blocking every move possible until he can stand no longer. And sure, even if he gets a few good hits on me, I'll still be standing until he's down for the count.

I don't know a lot about myself, but this is one thing I do know. And I wouldn't be giving you any of this information if it wasn't important to this story. If anyone else asked me about my strengths and weaknesses, I'll always keep my mouth shut because I don't want them using that information against me.

I didn't mention that I was smart either, huh? Well, now you do.

So in a nutshell, if Apollo and I had to fight each other. We'd probably both kill each other. I might be exaggerating a bit. But, the look we gave to each other was a silent agreement that facing off together would be a pretty bad idea.

Knowing this, we decided against that and decided to let someone else volunteer. Of course, we all went silent again as we were all nervous to go up first. Until finally Apollo broke the awkward silence.

"Okay well, how bout you two go first." Apollo pointed to Flyboy and me. We both looked at each other and I sighed.

"Uh... okay." I obliged and took off my jacket. Flyboy looked at me nervously.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yeah, might as well. Let's just get this over with. It'll be fine."

"Well, if you say so."

We both stepped out closer to the falls and everyone else took a seat. We faced each other in silence. Staring at each other with the sound of the rushing water beside us.

"You guys know what to do right?" Apollo called out to us.

"Yeah, I think I got it." Flyboy responded.

I nodded and faced him again. I wondered if I should go a little easy on him or if I really should go all out and see what he can do. Because I do have more experience than him and I was a little concerned that I might do more damage to him than I wanted to. In the end, I decided to let my opponent move first and go with that.

Neither of us were entirely comfortable and the longer we waited, the more awkward we felt. And then Apollo just decided to give us a countdown to diffuse the tension, whether we were ready or not.

As soon as Apollo went down to one, Flyboy suddenly ran up to me and tried to punch me. I quickly evaded the attack and landed a punch of my own. He looked surprised for a minute and just before I thought I was able to take him down, he came around me and knocked me off my feet with a strong punch. I quickly got back up before he was able to strike me down. I opened my wings and rose up into the air, hoping to get behind him and catch him off guard. But somehow he was able to jump up and grab me by the leg and try to pull me back down instead, and at first I tried to get away from him. But then I suddenly had an idea.

He yanked on my ankle one last time and I went down with him, making sure to stay on top of him and as soon as we both hit the ground, I had him pinned beneath my feet. He struggled to get me off of him and continue. But there was nothing he could do.

I won.

Apollo called it and I let Flyboy go. He looked at me for a moment before I gave him a hand and pulled him up to his feet.

"You okay?" I asked.

"Y-yeah, I'm okay. You're a lot stronger than I thought. I should practice more."

"I think you actually did pretty good. That was a smart move."

"Really? Thanks."

We walked back over to where everyone else was sitting and Fleetfoot came up to his brother and asked if he was alright. Teri complimented me on my moves. I admit, maybe I was going easy on him but not deliberately. His reflexes are getting better.

"Yeah, that was really good. Hey, Fleetfoot. How about we go next?" Apollo asked.

"Yeah, okay."

Apollo and Fleetfoot both went up and Flyboy and I took their place and watched. I won't go too much into detail, because this chapter is getting long enough already, so to save you some time. I'll give you a quick rundown.

Fleetfoot was no match for Apollo. I could tell he was trying to go easy on him and give him a chance to bring her down, but Apollo was too strong in the end and he had him pinned faster than I had done with Flyboy. It was pretty impressive.

The next round we had Teri and Flyboy go at each other. Two novice opponents. I thought this would be a pretty interesting match. And I was surprised to see Flyboy win. Teri called it after she had enough. She wasn't very happy about losing, but Flyboy was kind and pulled her back to her feet. He said she did good and he was impressed. But when she came back over to us, she suggested that she and I go next. I was a little surprised that she wanted me to go up with her, but I did anyway.

We went up and stood aside each other, eye to eye. I could tell she wasn't about to lose this match. And like last time, I decided to let her move first to see what she would do and go from there. Her punches and strikes were strong and I took them, but they weren't enough to put me down just yet. I went around her and was about to go all out, thinking I had the upper hand, until from out of nowhere...

We all heard it, but I couldn't react to it in time to avoid it. A Shadovian leaped out from within the trees and tackled me to the ground. It made me hit my head and it took a moment to process what was happening. Until I opened my eyes. It's aggressive, shadowy body, teeth barred and opening it's jaw wide and I screamed in fear at the horrible sound it made. And in that moment, I suddenly felt the weight lifted off my chest. The Twins flew up and kicked it together off of me and to the ground. It slid a ways from me and the Twins stumbled and crash landed onto each other. Teri and Apollo ran to me and pulled me back up, until another one leaped out from behind Apollo and I yelled for both of them to get down and pulled Apollo's head down just before it scratched him and it skidded away and turned around, roaring at us. We all looked around. Apollo looked at the Twins who were gathering themselves just as the other Shadovian was about to strike. He stepped back and felt something underneath his heel. He slowly knelt down and picked up my bag. The Shadovian in front of us must have seen her and began to charge at us.

"Sophie!" Apollo yelled. I spun around as she threw my bag into the air. I unfolded my wings and beat them as hard as they could, rising into the air just as the Shadovian leaped and Apollo pushed Teri out of the way. I managed to catch it and rose higher into the air to get out of it's range whilst shoving my hand in my bag and pulling out the blue crystal. I held it tightly and it began to glow brightly in my palm. The blade shot out and I dived through the air, just missing the Twins and striking down the Shadovian that was about to attack them. I struck it down with one blow and struggled to get my sword free. The Twins came to my side and helped me pull it out just as the fresh corpse began to melt like sticky ink as it died. We looked over to Apollo and Teri. The creature was deciding who to go for next. Apollo scrambled to get up and Teri was still trying to process what happened. I noticed the creature turning towards Apollo. He happened to corner himself between the trees. He was too far up against them to fly up into the air. Apollo stared with anxiousness and it began to curiously make its way towards her. He caught a glimpse of its eyes.

He recognized them.

Teri suddenly rushed forward without thinking, but it heard her coming and spun around just in time and struck her. She was knocked a few feet away, almost to close to the rushing falls. Apollo took that moment and extended his arm as a rush of ice began to envelope the creature. Shards of ice went flying in all directions and left the Shadovian immobile for a short time. The Twins quickly rushed over to Teri as I sprinted over beside Apollo and we both leaped into the air. Apollo conjuring a thick shard of ice from his hand, my sword raised above my head and we both stabbed it fiercely and it dropped to the ground. It's eyes went dark and it's flesh lost it's form as it melted like wet paint.

After it was all over, we gathered.

"Are you guys okay?" Apollo asked.

"Yeah, we're fine. What about you?"

"I'm okay, I'm okay. Is everyone alright?" Teri coughed.

"Yeah, I'm good." I said. We all looked at each other. A little busted. But we lived. We suddenly began to laugh as we picked ourselves up.

"Did we really do that?" Teri asked.

"Yeah, I think we did." Apollo laughed.

We took those things down all together."

"That was pretty cool." I breathed.

Yeah, we took those things down all together. Who knew they'd pick today of all days? Well, at least we lived.

After that whole ordeal, we left. We didn't get to fight everyone, and there was no clear winner but in the end, we didn't really care. With that surprise attack, I think that was enough training for us. We all went back to the tree house to rest and heal, complementing each other on our skills and reflexes and what we could've been done better. We weren't sure how the Shadovians knew we were out there. Maybe they heard us fighting and just happened to catch us off guard. But we thought nothing of it. We were just glad that we all made it back in one piece.