Fur Fighters ch2

*Riiing* As the school bell signaled the end of the day for the coming weekend, all of its occupants ran out of their classrooms, out the school doors, and into the oncoming sunlight. Reiji, a young golden furred fox of seventeen autumns, frantically fiddled with the padlock on his locker. Being extremely excited for what was about to take place, his paws couldn’t quite enter the correct combination, causing him further frustration. The event which was about to take place caused other beasts who have already left their text books to storm out the front doors; speaking about how “it” was about to start.

“C’mon you darn thing open,” Reiji slammed a paw to his locker.

“What’re you so excited about, it’s just the end of the day.”

Beside the fox, an albino ferret wearing a blue denim jacket, opened his locker with ease. His eyes were halfway shut, as if he were about to sleep. The expression he wore was that of a beast who showed little interest of the world around him. Though he looked like a boring ferret, his mind was what Reiji liked, delighted in infact. Ironically, for him, there was never a dull moment when paling around with this dull ferret.

Finally, Reiji managed to open his locker. “Yasushi, haven’t you heard? Kota and Shishimo are having their big fight today, the whole school knows about it. Have you been living under a rock?”

“So two rats are going to duke it out, big deal,” Yasushi said with his eyes closed, “Doesn’t mean the whole school has to get involved.”

“Its not a regular fight, that’d be against school regulations. It’s a fur fight. And not just any fur fight, but a fight with two of the best fighters in the whole school. How can you not be psyched about this?”

“Fur fights happen everywhere these days. Having one after school every Friday and seeing beasts still getting excited over it is getting real tiresome. Why can’t they do something better with their time, like play Gamestation?”

Reiji stood dumbfounded, “And to think you’ve been my best friend all these years.”

Yasushi smiled. “You know you can’t get rid of me.”

“Come on guys,” shouted a hefty badger down the hall, “the fights about to start soon!”

Lockers quickly shut as a stampede of footpaws rushed toward the door. Reiji wanted to join them, but instead hopped in place with anxiety, his tail swaying about. Yasushi stifled a giggle at the look of his fox friends face. “What’s the matter?”

The fox put his paws together in a praying gesture. “Please tell me you’re coming?”

“Hahahahahaha, why on earth would I do that?”

“Because…er…because you’re my best friend and it wouldn’t be as cool if I saw it alone.”

Yasushi scratched the back of his head, “Hmm, I don’t know. You know I don‘t care about fur fights.”

“I’ll play Gamestation with you as much as you want.”

“Deal,” the ferret and fox shook paws, and without warning, Reiji pulled his friend along as he dashed out of the hall.

The large courtyard of the school was filled with hundreds of beasts, gathered around fur fights scattered throughout the campus. Some who were less interested in the after school festivities walked out through the front gates; with their parents ready to pick them up in front or across the street, or to venture into the large district of houses a few blocks away. It was times like this Reiji was grateful that his and Yasushi’s parents allowed them to stay after school to hang out, even if it was to the ferrets dismay. The fur fights before the fox looked interesting, but the real action was at the jogging track. Pushing his way past slower proved a difficult task since Yasushi served as a dead weight getting stuck against beasts walking side to side. The closer they got to the entrance, the louder it became, with two sides of the track split up, its occupants either shouting for Kota, or Shishimo.

“Couldn’t we get snacks,” asked Yasushi, pointing to a couple of students selling food, “I’m hungry.”

It did look appetizing, but Reiji’s mind was set. “Not yet, this just means we get better seats.”

Climbing to the top of the bleachers, Reiji found a spot beside a pair of female stoat twins, which glanced their direction for quite a while; making Reiji’s bright gold fur around his cheeks turn a bright red. Yasushi didn’t take notice as his arms rested on his lap, and chin in his paws, assuming an uninterested--bored position.

“So before this thing gets underway, you mind saving my spot while I get something to eat?”

Snapped out of his embarrassed state, Reiji turned to his friend. “Oh, sure uh, go ahead. Oh, and here, get me a soda.”

Handing the ferret his money, Yasushi lazily walked down the bleachers, paws in his pockets. Sure he might not of been interested in the whole thing, but it warmed the fox’s heart for his best friend to be here with him to experience the fight of the year. The football field was massive, with freshly trimmed grass. Oh how he and Yasushi hated playing sports here, being more of the laid back types, and rejoiced the day they turned juniors. What was a place for pain and punishment during gym class would now serve as a battle ground for two of the best warriors in the school. In the fox’s mind, this was probably the only time the field would ever seem so epic.

“Excuse me,” said a sweet voice.

Blushing once again, the fox looked into the large amber eyes of the stoat girl closest to him. “Y-yes?”

The stoat smiled, “Me and my sister heard this was a big deal and came to check it out, but we don’t know anything about fur fighting. Would you be a dear and explain it to us?”

Were it someone else, Reiji probably would’ve exploded in a mad rage for their ignorance. But the cute pair found a soft spot in his heart, and slowly, he proceeded closer to them. “Well, sure I could…umm, lets see. Fur fighting is a game where two or more combatants fight each other with weapon packs. Weapon packs are little cards which you put into your defurilizer…uuuhh…let me talk about the defurilizer first. It’s like a watch or bracelet that can strip every inch of fur off a beast only if they lose in a fur fight…you know, so to prevent it for being used for more deviant reasons. A fur fight is fought with weapon packs, as I told you before. A weapon pack contains two weapons, which could be anything, from a sword, to a gun…I think I’ve seen a tank before.”

“Wait,” piped up the second stoat, who had a similar voice to the first, “how could these weapons be legal?”

Reiji giggled, “oh no, they’re not real weapons, they’re virtual, they can’t hurt any beast.”

“Oh, okay, so where do you get the stuff?”

“You get them at the FFA, or fur fighting armory. It’s basically a huge mall filled with fur fighter related items like weapon packs, defurilizers, portable fur fighting arenas, armor packs to customize your look during battle, just for show of course, and abilities to help you in a fight. Oh, which reminds me, whenever you buy a weapon pack, you’re allowed to chose one of three abilities that come with it. The FFA has a wide variety of weapon packs that suit different fighting styles; that way not one weapon pack could constantly be overused because there’d be another one to counter it.”

“So how do you win a fur fight?”

“Well it’s simple really. You see, at the beginning of a fight, a combatants defurilizer scans the wearers body and makes a sort of invisible layer over them to register any hits they take. Depending on what part of the body is attacked, the damage threshold is reduced and when it reaches zero, the fight is over. The loser must admit defeat and be defurilized. If they try and run away, their own device freezes them in a state of stasis. It’s like a double punishment, because he’d have to stand there while he’s furless for about a minute, before his fur comes back.”

“What if someone finds a way to make the defurilizing effect permanent?”

“Oh I don’t think that’ll happen anytime soon. Kaiser, the inventor of defurilizers and creator of fur fighting says it’s impossible. Not even he’s found a way to make the de-fur process permanent, and he’s one of if not the, smartest wolf in the world.”

“Wow, sounds a little complicated. Weapon packs, defurilizers, FFA?”

“I’ll give you the simple version,” said Yasushi, returning with a small tray of hotdogs, two cups of soda, and a content look on his face. “Beasts fight with fake weapons, loser stays furless for a minute. Big whoop.”

Typical Yasushi, thought Reiji. “Yasushi here thinks the whole thing’s stupid. I’m Reiji by the way.”

“I’m Mika,” said the first stoat.

“I’m Nika,” said the second, “hi Yasushi.”

“Hey,” said the ferret, not making eye contact and keeping his attention on the field, while chewing a hotdog.

“You look familiar,” said Mika, furrowing her brow. “Are you a junior?”

“Yeah I am.”

“Did you take Biology with Mrs. Conwell?”

The ferret shrugged, “I think so?”

“Ha, I do know you. We were in a group in her class, and you were the only one too lazy to finish your part of the work so we all got an F! I was grounded for a month without my phone, all because you couldn‘t write a page describing the digestive system!”

Yasushi ceased chewing his hotdog for a moment with a look of both embarrassment and horror. Swallowing what was left in his mouth, he quickly pointed to the field. “Hey look they’re coming!”

Saved by the rats, thought Reiji as the roaring crowd blocked out anything Mika was currently saying. Thankfully, the fox was close enough to hear Nika say something along the lines of, “let it go.” Any drama between the stoat and the ferret could wait until after this match. Still, Yasushi seemed a little more distant now, and kept his mouth filled with the chewy meat and bun combination.

The rats everyone came to see walked toward each other from both ends of the field, while a pine marten wearing a suit (possibly fresh out of debate class) stood in the center with a microphone. Kota was a black hooded rat of lean build, who participated in after school sports like football and soccer. While Shishimo was a burly brown hooded rat who participated in weightlifting. It was a speed style vs. a strength style, something Reiji was always interested to see. It was like his Saturday cartoon shows (which he regrettably enjoyed at his current age) where the hero would take on a villain of superior power and win thanks to a well devised stratagem. Rooting for Kota in this situation, Reiji held his paws together with a restless leg tapping the bleachers in anxiety; hoping for Kota to come out on top.

“Are you all ready for a fur fight,” the marten shouted, the whole crowd (with the exclusion of Yasushi) breaking out in a thunderous cheer. “That’s what I’m talking about! Settling their dispute for best rat fur fighter in the senior class, we have Kota vs. Shishimo!”

The best rat fur fighters in the whole school, Reiji thought, how lucky they were to have such titles. The envy that ensued throughout the fox’s body was beyond his own comprehension. It was indeed a silly thing to get excited over, since there were much better fur fighters out there. But the feeling of these two being so close to him pumped him up.

“Now, here’s the rules we agreed on,” continued the marten, “Melee weapons only, full damage threshold, no time limit. Take five paces away from each other and wait for my go ahead.”

Both rats nodded and did as they were told. Turning to face each other, each had a fixated look in their eyes. The intensity of the moment caused the crowd to go silent. Reiji focused on Kato, who’s eyes were intense with meticulous attention. Curiosity filled his mind as to what the rat’s strategy would be to beat this burlier foe, who preferred to use melee weapons above all others and given the nickname “Shishimo the slaughterer“. A gross exaggeration some say, but if he were to fight him, Reiji wouldn’t deny it.

“Defurilizers on!”

Pushing a button on their devices, a wave of air brushed around their bodies, creating the invisible layer which would register hits. Spreading their paws out, both rats waited for the go ahead, ready to wield their weapons. It was much like a western showdown: crowd silent, suspense filling the air, and two beasts ready to take each other out. It was a let down for the fox not to witness any projectile weapons in this battle, since they were his favorite part of fur fighting. But a melee battle would have to do. Something that did excite him was Shishimo’s ultimate weapon of choice, which he was eager to see in this fight.

“And, Begin!”

The crowd roared. Both rat’s defurilizers shined with sparks shooting out of their paws, quickly materializing their weapons. Kato had a pair of green blades replacing his paws, and Shishimo held two red tomahawks. Being an aggressor, Shishimo charged at his rival, unafraid of the grim twin blades the black hooded rat slashed across the air. Shishimo first attacked overhead, and then from the sides. Both were blocked, and met with a cut to his right arm. Furious at talking damage, the brown hooded rat continued his barrage. Skillfully, Kota timed each block perfectly; stepping back and waiting for his opponent to make a fatal mistake. It was a dance of death, which might’ve even made the schools dancing instructor proud.

“Look at him,” spoke Yasushi, “he’s just madly hacking away, hopping to get a hit, and he’s supposed to be the second best rat in the school!”

Reiji was of a different mindset. “Don’t be fooled, he has something up his sleeve. Sure he’s a bit barbaric with his attacks, but he usually fights with melee weapons that do killer damage to someone’s threshold. Plus, Shishimo relies on his size and brutality to intimidate his opponents, psyching them out and causing them to make big mistakes. Thankfully that doesn’t look like it’s happening to Kota; but I wonder why Shishimo decided to use some puny tomahawks over his other weapons?”

Suddenly, Reiji’s question was answered. Shishimo had managed to back Kato up against a bench with his relentless attack. Oblivious to it he continued backing up until the back of his legs felt the cold metal. Before he could react in time, Shishimo kicked him over to the other side, landing him on his back. Lifting his defurilizer in the air, red sparks flew around Shishimo’s head, with a torrent of red lighting engulfing his tomahawk. Lifting it high, the once small weapon grew in great size very rapidly, transforming into a large battle ax.

Reiji sat at the edge of his seat. It was the one weapon Shishimo was best known for. The giant battle axe, one of the most powerful melee weapons to Reiji’s knowledge; able to deal tremendous damage, at the expense of speed. It suited Shishimo’s brutish style, and seemed like the end for Kota. Just as Shishimo brought down his axe to the abdomen of Kota, a flash of green erupted from Kota‘s defurilizer. A heavy clash of steel upon steel rang through the ears of the audience, and suddenly, a deafening cheer filled the track, as a large green shield blocked Shishimo’s axe from landing on Kota’s chest.

“Wow,” said Reiji, “Kota must’ve known Shishimo would bring his axe, so he brought his shield to counter it.”

“Well no duh,” said Yasushi, “Shishimo’s so predictable. Why wouldn’t be bring his best weapon to a fight with Kota? The only reason he’s the second best rat at this school is because beasts freak out when fighting him and make real stupid mistakes.”

“Ha, well I bet you wouldn’t last ten seconds with him.”

“Oh please. Any schmuck can beat Shishimo. It just takes the right ability and timing, which sadly isn’t something too many fur fighters in this school have. It’s all about what weapon packs look cool, not which ones work.”

Reiji cocked his head as he looked at his friend. It was weird to hear Yasushi speak about fur fighting in such a way that didn’t include it being stupid. In fact, it almost sounded like he knew first hand what he was talking about, which the serious look on his face supported. But the lack of a defurilizer around his wrist said otherwise.

“You must’ve really watched a lot of fur fights to know about this huh?”

The ferret leaned back on the empty seats behind him. “Yup, so much it’s kinda annoying. Look, poor Shishimo keeps missing.”

Turning his attention back to the field, the fox couldn’t help stifling a giggle. Shishimo swung his heavy axe to and fro with little thought. Kota ducked and dodged each strike with ease, tiring his opponent out. Noticing each lack of effort he put in to the next swing, he decided to make his move. As the axe swung at an ark, Kota dodged right and thrust his virtual blade right into Shishimo’s face. The invisible layer of the defurilizer shattered like glass, and caused both opponents weapons to dematerialize. The face layer’s sudden impact caused Shishimo to trip up and fall rump landing on the floor, and with the winner left standing, the audience cheered and clapped.

“Well, now that we have a winner,” spoke the marten, “it’s time for the losers reward.”

The marten nodded, giving the go ahead for Kota to proceed. Pointing his defurilizer at his downed opponent, the device glowed with green sparks flying in all directions. Then, without warning, a green flash of light blinded the area. Once the audience’s sight returned, there was an uproar of laughter, as a furless Shishimo plodded away in humiliation. Waving to the crowd in triumph, Kota walked away with his team of supporters.

“Ladies and gentlebeasts,” spoke the marten, “It is my pleasure to announce to you, the official top rat fur fighter of the senior class, Kota!”

“Yes,” shouted Reiji, “I knew he’d win, Kota’s so awesome. Isn’t he awesome?”

Yasushi gave his friend a sarcastic glance. “He’s nothing special. Just someone who defeated a predictable opponent.”

Reiji returned his friend’s no nonsense look, “Nothing ever interests huh? Only game station.“

The ferret shrugged, “Some things do, just not fur fighting.“

“Well, unlike you I can’t wait to get my own defurilizer and weapon pack someday. Then I’d be the best fox fur fighter in my senior year.”

“Why would you want to waste your money on a stupid fad, there’ll just be a new one next year. Besides, you don’t even have a job, and defurilizers and weapon packs aren’t cheap. By the time you got one everyone will be a class ahead of you. You’ll be left in the dust of every fur fight you get in.”

Reiji held his head downcast. “Oh come one Yasushi, why do you have to step on my dreams like that?”

The ferret took a sip of his soda. “Sorry Reiji, I’m just being practical. The only way you could get one in time is if you either have a job or your parents spoil you that much. I mean, Frank and Hatsuo are nice, but not that nice I think.”

“But I do have a job,” Reiji stood up excited, “Mr. Akito over at the museum needs a helping paw this weekend and I’m his fox. Then when I get paid I’ll be that much closer to becoming a fur fighter. Then I’ll rule this school with an iron paw muhahaha.”

An awkward silence passed between the two until the ferret got up from his seat. “Well Mr. Tyrant, I’m going home now, we gunna play at my house or yours?”

Reiji shrugged, “Meh, lets do it at yours, you have a bigger T.V. anyways, you and your parents being so wealthy and all.

As the two walked down the bleachers and out the track entrance with a bunch of other beasts, something sparked Reiji’s interest. “Yasushi, you know what I just thought of?”

“You becoming the best fur fighter?”

“No, not that.”

“Then what?”

“You’d actually make a great fur fighter, I think. I mean, other then the fact that you’re not too athletic, with all the money you have, you could buy yourself some pretty awesome weapon packs and abilities. It’s a shame you don’t like fur fighting though, I think we could make a real good team.”

“You don’t have to be physically fit to be a good fur fighter.”

“What, of course you do, don’t be silly.”

“Trust me, I’ve seen some pretty hefty fighters hold their own against a light weight. It’s mostly about a fighters skill than his weapons or speed.”

“How would you know?”

“It’s like I said before, fur fights happen everywhere these days. Trust me, I’ve seen a few surprising ones.”

And with that the two friends walked out the school gates and down to the district of houses. Along the way Reiji fantasized about his reputation as a fur fighter. Would he be the best in his senior class? Would he be bad like Shishimo or good like Kota? Or would he end up not caring like Yasushi and save his money for other things…heck no! At the moment, all he could do is fantasize. The road to getting a defurilizer was long, and bound to take a while. But as soon as he got one, he hoped it’ll be all worth it. In fact, he was certain. The name of Reiji fox will someday ring throughout the halls of his school, as the best fox fur fighter of the senior class.