Season 1, Episode 5 - The Boxtops XXV - "Audrey vs Lynn, Part 1"

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Audrey moved nimbly through the forest, as nimble as a squirrel. Or maybe a monkey, since she was swinging on vines. Did monkeys swing on vines?

No, Audrey, focus! Good focus is key!

She couldn’t tell you why, but throughout this whole fight so far, Audrey felt in her element. When the simulation began, she found a good bush to hunker down in and lie in wait, shielded by a row of trees in front of it that blocked Mackenzie’s blast. Poor Coleridge got smacked into a tree, but thanks to her vines, Audrey fished him away to safety. And she even helped Reed protect the flag!

Isaac helped me in the sewers. Reed helped me in the Bay Mart. Esther helped me with the microwave. And now, maybe I can help them!

And we’re getting cake and ice cream after!

Audrey followed Coleridge’s heartbeat toward a clearing. She also detected Lynn’s heartbeat nearby; it remained steady, yet motionless. When she arrived in the clearing where Coleridge and Lynn fought, Audrey saw the teepee earth mound that stuck Lynn in place.

“Hiya, Audrey!” Lynn called out, her voice muffled behind her prison, yet still cheerful.

“Hi, Lynn!” Audrey answered with a smile. But then she reminded herself to get serious and looked around for Coleridge.

He found the poor kid sitting upright against a tree trunk, his eyes closed, knocked out from what must’ve been a Besieger beam directly to the face. And then Audrey’s heart skipped a beat because Clayton was kneeling next to him, checking his pulse and all that before hauling him away to Ms. Mogami’s medical tent.

“Clayton!” Audrey greeted.

Clayton looked back and gave her his usual dreamy smile. “Sherilyn, hope you’re doing well.” He fired a finger gun at her, then blew the imaginary smoke off his finger tip.

“...it’s Audrey, but that’s alright!”

Audrey knelt down next to him and looked over Coleridge. “Is he gonna make it, doc?”

Clayton rubbed his head. “I’m no medical expert, but I think he has a case of getting a Besieger beam directly to the face.”

Audrey’s eyes lit up. “I gave him the same diagnosis!”

Clayton hoisted Coleridge over his shoulder then stood up. “Well, I’m off to deliver him to Mogami. Word of advice, Sherilyn - when you’re fighting, being with a medic isn’t a safe spot to just stop and chat.”

With that, a gust of wind blew out of Clayton's palms. He dashed off, hauling Coleridge away as he disappeared into the treetops.

Audrey watched him go.

“...it’s Audrey…wait, I need to focus!”

And not a moment too soon, because Audrey looked directly above her and saw Demetrius waiting there, hugging the underside of a thick tree branch, a huge grin on his face.

He concealed himself in the Rddhi!

“Ptolemaic Thunder!” Demetrius roared as he plunged toward Audrey. He shot a Besieger beam directly down at her - Audrey had just enough time to step away, but the force of the blast knocked her back. She skidded away yet remained on her feet, but as soon as Demetrius landed, he fired off more beams at her.

Audrey slid away, arriving behind a tree, which was soon sliced in two by a Besieger beam. She glanced over smoking remnants of the trunk and saw Demetrius approach her menacingly, posing with each step.

“Hey, um, Demetrius,” Lynn called out. “I appreciate the self-love and all that, it’s really neat, but if you could free me soon I would really appreciate it.”

“Soon!” he called out. Audrey readied several seeds in her palms, but Demetrius came to a halt.

“Your friend didn’t care to hear my backstory,” Demetrius called out, the trees around him rustling in the breeze, carrying the distant, sorrowful notes from the Hellenistic world. “But the backstory is what makes us who we are! Tell me, Audrey, why do you fight?”

Audrey heard Lynn letting out a sigh as she remained in her prison.

But anyway…why do I fight?

Taking a deep breath, Audrey rose fearlessly from behind the trunk, facing down Demetrius, who looked quite pleased with her decision. “I want to be with my family again,” she said. “I became a Rddhi user to reunite with my sister. And I’m gonna keep getting stronger until I find my parents.”

Demetrius’s face softened. “Your parents are missing?”

“They’re long gone. It’s been ten years.” Audrey looked away for a moment. “There were times I was close to giving up. But the people around me were so supportive. And thanks to them, I’ll keep going until I reach them, wherever they are.”

Demetrius’s voice boomed across the clearing. “Very well! That’s an excellent reason to fight! Prove your skills by fighting me. If you give it your all, then no matter the result, I’ll join you on this quest to find the missing Adzinoki parents.”

“Me too!” Lynn called out.

Audrey beamed. “Aww, you guys…what about you, Demetrius? I hope your backstory isn’t too sad.”

Demetrius let out a small chuckle that sounded rather empty. The flutes picked up in intensity, and even the gunshots let out as he flexed were filled with sorrow. “It all began-”

A huge stream of fire exploded in Demetrius’s direction. The big man had just enough time to jump out of the way. He frowned as he looked into the forest - Alfie Coonan stood behind a tree, shooting his flamethrower finger gun. The finger gun blasts roared with each strike, forcing Demetrius away from Lynn.

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“Get him, Demetrius!” Lynn cheered as Demetrius rolled this way and that way, avoiding Alfie’s fire, which were soon joined by Audrey’s vines.

Demetrius pointed a Besieger beam at the ground and propelled himself in the air, followed by a stream of fire and several vines reaching up towards him.

Audrey gritted her teeth as she willed her vines onward. If we can just catch him-

Demetrius fired another beam outwards, propelling him directly toward Alfie. When Alfie shot up a flamethrower blast, Demetrius used a beam to slice right through it. Demetrius’ landing kicked up a huge cloud of dirt, dust, and fire in several directions, blocking Audrey’s vision. When she could finally see again, Demetrius and Alfie were gone. She could hear sounds of their battle moving farther away, deeper into the forest.

“Hmm…that works!” Audrey declared. Knowing that she needed to catch up to Alfie to help him soon, she decided to make quick work of the trapped Lynn.

“Sorry, Lynn,” Audrey said as she stood in front of the teepee. “I have to make you surrender now.”

“Can you really do it?” Lynn asked, the hint of an edge in her voice. “Could you really just squash a friend like that?”

After thinking about it, Audrey nodded. “Yes I can!”

Vines snaked out from the seeds in both of her palms, ready to force Lynn into submission-

The front of the teepee blew open, and before Audrey knew it, she received a finger jab to her windpipe. Lynn stood in front of her, a cloud of dust appearing back near the teepee, where she first accelerated to a dangerous level of super speed.

“Demetrius and I planned that in advance," Lynn explained. "He weakened the earth at the front of the teepee with a chant and some punching, then I pretended to still be trapped."

Audrey clutched at her own throat, choking and sputtering.

Lynn looked apologetic. "Sorry, Audrey, but I have my own backstory."

As Audrey tried to stabilize her breathing, Lynn disappeared again, then Audrey felt a hard punch to the small of her back. She stumbled around, but Lynn appeared in front of her, throwing an uppercut to her lower jaw.

Audrey saw stars, but more importantly, she could only catch glimpses of Lynn - she was here, she was there, circling around like a shark that could occasionally make itself invisible. Audrey felt pounding jabs and punches in her ribs, her back, her stomach. A sudden kick from Lynn swept her off feet, her face smacking the ground.

This isn’t good! Isaac, Reed, Alfie…

Audrey felt a sharp kick across the face and spots of darkness appeared across her field of vision.

Wait! I get it now. I’m relying on them in a pinch - but they’re relying on me in a pinch! Life is a two way street! The best way to help them is to help myself!

Proud of everything she learned these past few months, Audrey readied her counteroffensive. Red Rddhi sparked in her hands as she grew dozens of seed capsules from touch-me-not flowers. She tossed them up into the air around her, providing her with a shield. As soon as Lynn stepped in for another blow, the seed capsules exploded (get it? Touch-me-not? Because if you touch it, it explodes!).

Each seed capsule set off the capsule next to it until a small explosion of plant material appeared around Audrey. Lynn, looking rather winded and now stunned by her new knowledge that there were plants that could sort of explode, temporarily retreated, giving Audrey an avenue of escape. She struggled back to her feet and stumbled to the other side of the clearing, in the direction of Team’s Red flag, regaining her bearings.

Lynn herself leaned against a tree trunk, taking deep breaths.

Oh, that makes sense! Audrey realized. Running makes people tired! So super running must make Lynn super tired!

As Lynn caught her breath, Audrey prepared herself for the next round. She grew a vine out of her hand and sent it into the ground, snaking it to and from underground, sending it in circles all around her, with her in the center.

Nice! Now, if this works…

Lynn let out a final exhale, then disappeared again.

Ahaha, it worked! Whenever Lynn steps on the ground when I have a vine below it, I can sense it!

Knowing exactly where Lynn would approach her, Audrey grew a rose bush with pointy thorns and brought it up right as Lynn went to punch her ribs. Streaks of blood appeared as Lynn recoiled, grimacing as she rubbed her knuckles. She disappeared before Audrey could hit her again, but Audrey simply spun and brought up more thorns when Lynn tried to attack her other side. When Lynn tried to strike her back, Audrey simply prepared a behind-the-back no-look hesi-pull-up…rose bush thorn thing to block her.

Lynn retreated outside the circle and rubbed her new scrapes and bruises. “Sorry, Audrey,” she called out. “I can’t just run past you this time, I have to beat you now since Demetrius isn’t with me to take the flag. I don’t think I can beat Reed, but I think I got a shot with you.”

“That’s alright!” Audrey said. “It’s good to set realistic expectations!”

She got into a boxer’s pose, Rddhi running through her arms. “Too bad I’m just slightly better than you!”

Lynn smiled. “We’ll see.”

Audrey grinned. Thanks to my vines, I’ll be able to sense wherever she goes. There’s no way she can reach me without me knowing. I’m a genius!

Lynn raced up the branches of a nearby tree, then jumped around the treetops, disappearing and reappearing, until disappearing for good.

Audrey stopped grinning.

Oh no!

Hey, wait, I’ll still be able to tell where she is since my vines will detect wherever she lands! I’m still a genius-

Lynn reappeared directly over Audrey. She landed by sitting right on her shoulders, wrapping her legs around her head.

Oh no!

As Lynn bashed her elbows into Audrey’s skull, Audrey raised her vines out of the ground, wrapping themselves around Lynn. Lynn squeezed Audrey’s head in, but Audrey squeezed her vines around Lynn until finally, Lynn’s grip loosened. Audrey used the vine to toss Lynn away, but due to her own exertion, Audrey involuntarily released the vine from her grip and sank to one knee.

Outside the vine circle, Lynn did the same. That’s how the two opponents entered a brief respite, the sounds of the forest around them mixed with muffled explosions and battle sounds from elsewhere in the arena.

“So…” Lynn said in between deep breaths. “You’re fighting because you want to find your parents?”

Audrey nodded. “Now that I found Esther, they’re the next step.”

“To think, I’ve been here for three months now and never knew you had a sister until recently.”

Audrey scratched the back of her neck. “Well, it wasn’t exactly your fault. And it’s not just my parents. I want to help everybody in my class…actually, everybody I meet, I want to help them out. The more I study and train and improve, the more I can help everybody!”

Lynn’s breathing grew more steady. “That’s a good goal. I meant what I said earlier. I’ll help you find them and I’ll help you get stronger. And maybe you can help me, too.”

Audrey’s smile reappeared. “Of course! What’s your goal, Lynn? I hope it’s not too sad.”

Lynn sighed as she rose to her feet. “There are plenty sadder. And, well…the most important thing about it is that I want to be like Mackenzie.”

“Mackenzie?”

“We grew up in Pennacook together. Ever since I met her, she’s been a great person to follow. She’s so smart and confident.”

Audrey frowned, because Lynn didn’t look all that happy as she spoke. “I’m not good at figuring things out on my own. I need someone else to be my guide. Whenever I face questions I don’t know about, I look for someone who can answer them. And Mackenzie’s my best friend. I’ve been following in her footsteps all this time, and on the flip side, I need to do my part to make sure she can keep walking.”

Lynn pointed at Audrey. “That’s why I need to beat you, here and now. It’s for Mackenzie and therefore myself.”

Audrey scratched her head. “Um…can you make that a little easier to understand?”

Lynn took a deep breath.

“Perhaps some backstory will help you out.”