The Olden World

by Czar_Yoshi

Are You Ready?

Valey swallowed, folding her ears and looking up at the gigantic griffon smiling down at her. "Oh bananas. It's you."

"Indeed, it's me!" Wallace saluted, holding a talon to his chest. "We've much to discuss, young Valey. But come, let us not bore our audience. We are on stage, after all!" He waved to the crowd, taking several bows, before turning back to Valey. "Shall we talk as we duel?"

"Uhhh-"

"Perfect! En garde!" Accepting a nod from Howe, Wallace launched himself forward, flying at an incredible rate. Valey flipped out of the way of a clenched-talon punch, having to throw herself far further than usual due to Wallace's immense size. He straightened up and beamed. "You haven't gotten slower, I see!"

Valey skidded to a stop, landing upright. "I'm fighting you already?"

"Ha! The odds were in our favor, young Valey!" Wallace stomped forward, dragging his wings like a barrier over the arena to restrict Valey's movement options and force her skyward. "The second round isn't just for eliminating Regent-bearers! It sorts the pool winners from the first round from strong to weak, matching you against progressively stronger opponents as you fight to survive! Eventually, it's up to a small pool of elites to narrow the numbers down to what are required!"

"That's cool!" Valey panted, wanting to save her breath for dodges. It wasn't hard to get past Wallace's wing; he was expecting her to go up, so she slid along the ground, faked a jump and skidded beneath as the feathery barrier rose to block her. She lashed out as she went, taking a few feathers in her teeth with her. "Pteh! But there's elites, and then... aren't you like the champion!?"

"I have been!" Wallace brought the flat of his wing down in a smash, forcing her to roll to the side, then swung in both wings from the sides in a heavy clap. "But that was only once, young Valey, and I've entered the tournament every year for the last five years! I have weaknesses just like any other! Show me you can find them!"

"Bananaaas!" Valey vaulted out of the clap as it came together, running up the ridge of Wallace's wing and delivering a furious bite to the wing joint at his side. Punching and kicking didn't work; she knew that much from her practice battle with him over a month ago.

Wallace instantly retracted his wings and rolled, trying to crush her against the floor and forcing her to shadow sneak in his own shadow to survive. "Don't lose focus, young Valey. Brainpower will help you more than desperation today. Remember, it takes two outs to be felled from the tournament in this round, and so far, your record is flawless! A loss against me here will be worth it if you can discover a tactic to use when we inevitably meet again!"

Valey wasn't in much of a thinking mood, her cutie mark interrupting her thought process with warnings from every side. As Wallace stood, he flicked a ream of sharpened feathers point-first at her face, stomping to shake the stage as she tried to dodge. Unsteadied, she held up a wing to protect her face, two of the sharp points connecting and gashing her membrane. "Aaagh!"

"Steady yourself and don't lose rhythm! Hold at the front of your mind the cause you're fighting for and come at me!" Wallace paused in his onslaught, beckoning with a talon and looking fresh and uninjured.

"Nnngh..." Valey licked her wing, flexed it, and determined it wouldn't get in the way.

Wallace beckoned again... then launched himself into another charge, moving slowly so as not to skid outside the bounds of the arena. Frowning, Valey countered by flying straight up, her wing stinging from the air rushing against the wound, but she couldn't see what to do! Drop down and dive-bomb him? He'd barely feel it. Try to cut him instead of bludgeoning? The best tool she had for that was her teeth, and her muzzle wasn't shaped for it at all. Besides, with his size, he'd probably feel it like an insect bite...

"Think more quickly, young Valey!" Wallace reared up, swiping for her tail with his talons and forcing her to flip out of the way again. "How can you use this terrain to your advantage? The arena is smaller, making my reach more significant and giving you nowhere to run, but it prevents me from using my speed! You must find a way to take advantage of that!"

Valey buzzed him, hoping a flyby could distract him and buy more time. What about all those ponies who brought weapons? Why couldn't she do that? In fairness, she hadn't asked...

Around her, the crowd was more fired-up than ever before, and she was sure it was for her opponent. Just bad luck that she ran into him, then. Even against Herman, she'd had the advantage of the terrain, giant weaponry and a pre-existing wound to attack... but someone too big to care about her attacks and with too much stamina to get worn down, she couldn't do anything against at all.

Her cutie mark snapped her out of her reverie as Wallace started to jump, bounding and flopping around the ring with enough height each time to reach her. "What are you seeing, young Valey?" he boomed, chasing her higher into the sky. "You're holding back! Restraint doesn't suit you, but it's worth it to study an opponent you cannot otherwise beat! Show me what you can learn!"

"Uhhhhh..." Valey dropped back down to the ring, watching as Wallace plummeted from above her. He wouldn't be able to change his momentum on that quick of notice; she could easily hit him from below... but he wouldn't feel it! What was the point of wasting attacks she knew wouldn't help!?

Wham! Wallace landed in front of her, spreading his wings wide. "Hurry up and strike me! Last time we met, you learned through trial and error, did you not? Let your purpose empower your blows! Show me your resolve to win doesn't fold the moment you meet an opponent for whom you have no answers!"

Valey's eye twitched. He was giving her a free shot? "Raaaaugh!" She corkscrewed forward, aiming straight for Wallace's grinning face. This wasn't fair! Why was she fighting him now!?

The griffon made no attempt to dodge, and with a final pump of her wings, she smashed all four hooves straight into his head. Shock reverberated through her, and the force of the blow sent his neck flying back... until her cutie mark blazed, and like a supersonic training dummy, his head snapped back upright, plowing into her fast enough that even with her future-sensing reflexes, she couldn't make it out of the way.

With a spine-rending crack, Valey hit the ground, bouncing once and landing upside-down. Her belly had a deep gash from Wallace's beak, and she wheezed, eyes glistening as she pressed a hoof to the wound and made an effort to sit up, back and wing joints complaining. She hissed in pain, glaring as Wallace stared down at her, his signature smile finally missing. "Ow... Bananas, nnngh... That hurts..." She sucked in a breath.

"Defeat suits you even less," Wallace remarked, frowning. "Get up, young Valey! Where is your conviction in what you're fighting for? You've ran and dodged, yet that was the first time you struck me all match!"

"The first time?" Valey spat, forcing herself to her hooves and standing three-legged, feeling blood start to coat the hoof against her belly. "I bit you right at the start!"

Wallace blinked. "You did?"

"Aaaaargh!" Forgetting about her wounds, Valey charged again, cutie mark burning as she evaded two consecutive wing slams to duck beneath Wallace's huge form. With a furious roll, she slipped between his legs, baring her teeth and grabbing and yanking at his fur. She braced herself against the taste and kicked with all four legs, tearing away a patch in her jaws and wounding the skin beneath.

"Ungh! That's more like it! But you'll have to move even faster!" Wallace dropped, letting his legs out from beneath him and falling to crush Valey before she could try to attack the newly-created weak spot. "No holding back!"

Hissing in pain, Valey flung herself to the side, grappling Wallace's wing and launching herself onto his back. She bit down again, trying for another tear, but he immediately rolled, swinging her groundward again to run her over. Valey flipped away, skidding to a halt at the opposite corner of the ring.

"Hmm." Wallace regarded her, his smile returning. "Catching a second wind, are you?"

"I'm not done yet," Valey spat. "Bring it."

Comments

[Quinch]

Hmm This is a fight, but it's also a competition with rules. I'm thinking if he's too tough to injure physically, she might beat him on a technicality by luring him outside the bounds of the ring. But he also seems to have enough situational awareness to avoid using his full speed, so feints and distractions might be required. Eyes are also a weak spot, but going for those might be too risky with a beak in play, and that sort of permanent crippling isn't Valey's style.

[sploopy slooder]

now it just feels like hes being condescending.