A6Y Fighting Spirit S2-Ch7

NOTE: This story is completely unrelated to Sonic and has no relevance to the Sonic series whatsoever.
Neither does it represent, what I want Sonic to be about.


Chapter 7: Confronting the Past - Battu-Tai!


Amy and Cream slept peacefully, until midday. Rouge however didn't sleep. She is active at night after all.
Plus, after the realization from yesterday, she had a lot to think about.
She trained the whole night. And training also prove to be the best way to think for her.
And eventually she made up her mind.

She continued to train until dawn. Then she sparred a little against some of Suizuko's ninja-students, until Amy and Cream finally woke up.
Of course she remained close to their apartment, so that she wouldn't miss breakfast with them.
After that, they met up with Jade and Nami again. To spend some more time with them, before they would depart.
...

They met up with them in front of the pagoda once again.
'Good day. Did you have a nice sleep?' Jade greeted them.

Cream: 'Sure. Your beds are so great to sleep on.'
Amy: 'Agreed.'
Jade: 'I am glad to hear that. You see those beds have been made here.'

That was a surprise.
Amy and Cream: 'Really?'
Jade: 'Yeah. We have some bed makers here. And they are masters of their trade.'
Cream: 'They sure are, if they can make beds that good.'
Rouge: 'Hey. We aren't here to talk about beds all-day, are we?'
Jade: 'Right.'
Nami: 'Speaking of which, how did you sleep, Rouge?'

Rouge was the only one who didn't say, after all.
Rouge: 'I didn't sleep.'

Jade looked surprised.
Jade: 'Really? Had a bad night?'
Rouge: 'It's not like that. I just normally don't sleep at night.'
Nami: 'You too, huh? I should've known.'
Jade: 'What do you mean?'
Cream: 'You see, Rouge is a bat-mobian. And they are rather nocturnal.'
Jade: 'I see. So I guess Nami is like that too.'
Nami: 'Right. We always sleep from midday to late evening.'
Rouge: 'Well, for me it's from morning until afternoon. I have friends, after all.'
Amy: 'So you organized your bedtimes accordingly, huh?'
Rouge: 'Obviously...'

Jade: 'Well, shall we go?'
Everyone agreed with her. So they stopped with the chit-chat and Jade went into the pagoda to talk with Iza.
However, Iza was not there. Apparently she was still at home.
So Jade had to go there to see Iza. But no problem for them.
They went to Iza's house then.
...


On their way, Nami talked with Rouge.
Nami: 'So when will you depart?'
Rouge: 'Late afternoon, as far as I know.'
Nami: 'I see. So you won't be able to sleep today, huh?'
Rouge: 'Well, it's no problem for me to sleep at night here and then, if I can't do it at the usual time.'
Nami: 'Okay. But I simply won't sleep today.'
Rouge: 'So you can do this...'
Nami: 'Yeah. I can manage without any sleep for up to 3 days.'
Rouge: 'Not bad for someone so young. I can do it for up to one week, actually.'
That was a surprise for Nami.

Nami: 'Really? For that long?'
Rouge: 'Yeah. It's really no problem at all for me or my body. Looks like I trained him too well.'
Nami: 'But then you could do it like me. If you can manage without sleep for one week at most, then one day shouldn't be a problem.'
Rouge: 'That's right. But seriously, I try to always sleep every day. I only skip if I really don't feel like it or have something important to do.'
Nami: 'I see.'
Rouge: 'Besides, even with a perfectly trained body and clear mind, you need to give it some rest. If you sleep every day, then you're safe side.'
Nami: 'Right. But it's only one day, so...'
Rouge: 'Yeah, I know. If it's only that one day, then it shouldn't cause any problems. But I'd rather sleep as often as I can.'
Nami: 'I understand.'
Rouge: 'Well, I drop this subject here, if you don't mind.'
Nami: 'No prob. I was running out of statements anyways.'

And a few moments after they finished this little conversation, they arrived at Iza's house.
...


Her house was rather small. But Jade was positive that this was more than enough for her.
Jade called for her. And Iza came out a few moments after.
After the usual greetings, Cream asked something.

Cream: 'So what are you gonna do now?'
Rouge: 'And while we're at it, why getting her in the first place?'
Iza: 'Straight to the point, huh?'
Jade: 'It's because we have a great challenge for you.'
Amy, Cream and Rouge: 'A challenge?'
Amy and Cream looked eager. While Rouge was more calm, but still looked like she wanted to know what they were up to.

Nami: 'How about a 3 vs 3 fight? Us three against you three?'
Iza: 'Yup. Unfortunately I didn't have any time for you yesterday. But I'll make up for that now. And you really want me to show my strength as well, no?'
She could already tell, since she never fought when Amy, Cream or Rouge were around.
But now they would finally see it.

Rouge: 'Sounds good to me.'
Amy: 'This should be interesting.'
Cream: 'Let's do this then.'

And thus they instantly made their way to a more open place, where they could fight on.
After that, they instantly started to fight.
...


It sure was a fun fight for everyone.
Amy made use oh her usual punches and kicks and here and then she threw her special punch attack into the mix.
Cream also used punches and kicks, but also her headbutt often. She also tackled here and then and used her specials.
Rouge punched more often. She seemed to focus less on kicks.
But she still used her Drill Kick and Rouge Kick specials when the time was right.

As for the other team:
Jade used her usual moves and her speed.
Nami may was the weakest of the three, but still pretty strong.
Her moves were different from the other two, since she used a different style. But they packed quite a punch.
Iza may used moves similar to Jade's. But she also had her own little set of unique moves.
Which caught them off-guard here and then.

Overall though, it was an equally matched fight... unsurprisingly.
The pattern was nothing different from the previous fights really.
Only difference that it was a 3v3 team fight now, where everyone faced three opponents with two allies basicly.
Nobody focused on just one opponent. Making the fight more interesting and intense.
...


The fight was suddenly interrupted, when some of the students arrived on the scene and called for Iza.
They totally forgot about the time. And it was almost time for Iza to commence the next training-session with the students.
That meant that she had to leave quickly now, which was unfortunate.
She apologized for that. But training students was one of her duties after all, as ninja master and teacher.
The girls were alright with that. But also a little disappointed, since the fight stopped to suddenly and they couldn't continue now.

But Cream already knew what else she could do... She walked over to Rouge.

Cream: 'Rouge. Can I ask you something?'
Rouge: 'Go ahead.'
Cream: 'What's with that strange behavior you had in the fight? Got some flashbacks again?'

Cream was referring to when Rouge suddenly let her guard down or stopped moving for a second.
She may got hit, because of that. But she could deal with it easily and keep fighting.
Still, it was a strange behavior for Rouge to have. Unless she had something in her mind.
And that happened more than just once.

Important thing to note is that she only did that when she focused on Nami.
So Cream knew that it must have to do something with Rouge's past life, that seemed to bother her all the time now.
Perhaps it was an unsettling feeling for her?

In any case, Rouge wasn't surprised. They aren't stupid!
And she was certain that Amy, Jade and Nami were aware of this as well.
So she replied to Cream...

Rouge: 'Exactly. The more I see her fighting with the Battu-Tai style, the more I remember about the past training sessions there.'
Cream: 'I see. Does it trouble you?'
Rouge: 'To an extent. I am still a little uneasy about it. But...'
That sudden stop concerned Cream.

Cream: 'But what?'
Rouge: 'Well... Let's just say that it doesn't feel that bad anymore.'
Cream: 'Is that it?'
Rouge: 'Yes, of course.'
Cream: 'Alright then. Good to know that you don't worry about it that much anymore.'
Rouge: 'Yeah... sure...'

Cream then decided to go back to Jade and discuss what to do next.
Cream: 'I am going back to the others. I wanna know what we could do now. You coming?'
Rouge: 'Give me a minute. I'll come in a moment.'
Cream: 'Alright then.'

Obviously, those thoughts and flashbacks kept Rouge busy.
It did unsettle her, but on the other hand she developed an interest in it.
She didn't know how exactly she could deal with it.

'Hey, Rouge.' Cream said, who stopped and looked back at Rouge.
She noticed Cream and wondered what else Cream would want.
'You did find out that you used to be someone else. But don't let it get to you. Because after all, you will always be the same Rouge that I always knew. Regardless of what happened in the past.'
Rouge thought of it as cute and giggled a little, as she looked away from Cream.
But even though she heard it from Amy a little earlier, it still warmed her.
At the same time though, she felt stupid for letting it get to her again, because Amy told her the same thing before.
However, she decided that this had to stop now.

And thus, after thinking about it for a little longer, she finally made her decision.
...


In the meantime, the others already had a plan of what to do next.
Amy and Cream merely wanted to watch the student's training before that though.
'Hey, Rouge. We're going to the pagoda now!' Nami let her know.

Rouge however ran after them.
'Wait!' she shouted out. Which surprised them, but they did it anyways.

Amy: 'What?'
Rouge didn't reply and looked at the feet before her. Telling herself '(I gotta do this)'.

Cream: 'What's wrong?'
Then she finally replied.

Rouge: 'I am alright. But there is something.'
Cream: 'And what?'
Amy: 'Come on, tell us.'
Rouge: 'Amy, Cream. First I want to say that you were right. I will always be the same Rouge. And I won't let my past trouble me any longer.'

Amy and Cream were happy to hear that.
Rouge: 'And one more thing...'
And everyone was eager to hear what she had to say.

Rouge: 'Nami. You're from Battu-Tai, if I recall correctly.'
Nami: 'Uh, yes...'
She was a little surprised though. She could tell that Rouge wanted something from her.

Rouge: 'Please tell me... Tell me where Battu-Tai is!'
Now everyone was surprised.

Cream: 'Why?'
Amy: 'I thought you don't want it to bother you.'
Rouge however smiled at them.
Rouge: 'It's not like this at all. You see, after seeing all the fighting in the past, I've become interested. And now I want to see it. See the fighters in action before me.'
Amy: 'Ah, so that's it. That's all good.'
Cream: 'Of course you had to grow interested. As a fighter, you always look for challenges, no?'
Rouge: 'Yup. Always the same deal.'
She then turned back to Nami.

Rouge: 'Well, can you tell me?'
Nami gave her a nod. 'I can.'
Rouge: 'Perfect. Then go ahead.'
Nami: 'Wait a second. You don't to go right now, do you?'
Rouge: 'Nah. But as soon as possible.'
Jade: 'That won't do.'
Now Rouge was surprised, as well as Amy and Cream.

Rouge: 'Why not?'
Nami: 'Unlike Suizuko, Battu-Tai is only open for our bat-clan. They won't tolerate any common strangers.'
Amy, Cream and Rouge: 'What?!?'
Jade: 'Yeah. Unless you'd have a friend of them go with you, they wouldn't let you enter.'
Rouge: 'Nuts...'
She looked disappointed. Amy and Cream also didn't look like they were fond of this.
But that's how the Battu-Tai ninja's live. Nothing can be done about this.

Rouge: 'Then. I need you to come with me, Nami.'
Nami: 'I'd like to. But I can't right now.'
Jade: 'Me and her have to help Iza with training the students. Since in the week, people will also come from outside Suizuko. It's impossible for Iza to handle so many people alone.'
Cream: 'Wait a second. Then what about those students here?'
Jade: 'Those are ninja's from here. Iza does a special service for those who live here.'
Nami: 'Uh-huh. But we have our free time at weekend and whenever we don't have many students of course.'
Amy: 'So it's a more busy time for you now, huh?'
Jade: 'Yeah. And we can't just butt in unannounced either.'

They continued to chat about this matter. But the solution was simple in the end.
Jade and Nami were free from any duties at weekend for sure.

Nami: 'So let's see... If you really want to go there, then let's do it next Saturday.'
Rouge: 'Alright then.'
Nami: 'It is way up north. So it'll take some time until we get there.'
Cream: 'No problem. My boyfriend is a great technician and he has an airship.'
Amy: 'I thought he was still repairing it.'
Cream: 'Oh, right. But I hope he will be done with it by then.'
Jade: 'That won't do, I am afraid. Battu-Tai is also surrounded by mountains, like our town here.'
Nami: 'I'd say it's even worse there.'
Cream: 'Dang. Well, perhaps he can land in a nearby town or something.'
Jade: 'Hmm... As far as I remember, there is a large valley about 10 kilometres away.'
Amy: 'So there we have the place he can land. still we'll have the walk the rest, huh?'
Jade: 'Right.'
Amy: 'And it's still not clear if Tails will be done repaired the thing by then.'

Nami: 'Well, I have a backup plan, just in case.'
Rouge: 'And what do you have in mind?'
Nami: 'Trains. They are our best bet. So if the airship isn't ready in 7 days, let's meet at Station Square's railway station then.'
Rouge: 'Is that alright with you? Station Square is a little far away from here.'
Jade: 'Nah. It's fine. Someone will take us and we're there within an hour.'
Rouge: 'Alright then.'
Nami: 'So how about 4:00 PM?'
Rouge: 'No problem to me. But Cream is still going to school.'
Cream: 'Ah, that's okay. We're sure to get not any homeworks next friday, since there is a school event then.'
Rouge: 'Is that so? Okay then...'
Amy: 'I am always available for this, as you should know.'
Jade: 'I'll be coming too. It's been a while since I've been there. I'd like to fight them again.'

Nami: 'Okay then. Next friday, 4:00 PM in front of Station Square railway station.'
Cream: 'Yeah. Unless my boyfriend manages to get the job done in time. Let's meet up at my place then.'

So it was settled. Next friday at 4:00 PM, they would meet up and make their way to Battu-Tai from there.
But since Battu-Tai was so far away, it would take about 3 hours for the fastest train.
For Tails's airship on the other hand, it'd only take about a single hour.
But either way, it didn't bother them. They just looked forward to whatever awaited them.
...


One week passed quickly.
Amy, Cream and Rouge trained a little in the mean time. Since the ninja's at Battu-Tai were bound to be tough.
Rouge was looking forward to see them in action. At the same time, she could also feel the excitement of confronting her past.
After all, it was the town she was born and raised in, until she somehow ended up in Station Square where she was trained by a kickboxer.
She still couldn't remember how it happened. But she didn't trouble herself over this anymore.

Fortunately, Tails managed to fix the airship. After Cream told him about their plans, he sped up his work.
At Wednesday, two days before the big day, the airship was fully repaired.
Cream called Jade right away, when she saw that.

And at Friday, Cream's school lessons ended around 10:30 AM.
After that, she went to the school event, which would end two hours later.
But it ended up being so dull. Cream was disappointed. So she and her friends left about 10 minutes later.
Of course Cream told them about the trip today.
They envied her really. Unfortunately they couldn't come along.
Each of them had something else to do. But they all wished her a good trip and good fighting.
As soon as Cream said that she would go to another ninja town, they could already tell that she was going to fight.

Since she came home so early, she called Amy, Rouge and Jade. So they could meet up sooner.
In the end, everyone arrived before 12.00 PM. Tails arrived with his airship shortly after.
After saying good bye to Cream's mom and Cream giving a hug to her, they got into Tails's ship and departed.
The airship sped up towards Battu-Tai at high speed, a few moments later.
...


About 1 hour later, they arrived at the valley near Battu-Tai.
Jade said that nobody ever goes there, since the only town nearby was Battu-Tai itself.
There were a lot more trees there, than Jade could remember. But they still found a place to land.
It was large enough, but also surrounded by high trees. So the airship was perfectly hidden.
Then they disembarked.

It sure was colder here, than in Suizuko. The forests were also thicker and larger, with larger trees.
Making the place darker overall.

In any case, Nami led the way. Tails came along too.
As soon as the entered the thick forests, it was almost was as if it was night.
Barely any sunlight did shine through. The perfect environment for bat-mobians, who prefer darkness.

Rouge felt so excited, that her heart started to pound rapidly.
It was the first time she ever felt like this. It was understandable though.
After all, strong fighters as well as her past were only a stone's throw away now.
Amy and Cream looked forward to this as well, of course.

Eventually, they also had to go through a cave. But there were torches at the entrance.
Nami took one and lit it. With it, they easily went through the cave, which only had one way.
It wasn't that long fortunately. But the real surprise was when they found the exit.

When they were outside again, they couldn't believe what they saw.
They were inside a forest again. It wasn't that thick anymore.
But there were some giant trees, whose treetops roughly had the size of four soccer stadiums.
Those trees didn't let through any sunlight.

In other words, they were now at a place, where it's always night.
But Rouge instantly felt comfortable here. She was a bat-mobian after all.
Still, it was stunning for her, as well as Amy and Cream.
Jade wasn't surprised, since she was here before. But it still was a sight to behold for her.

Now they knew that Tails wouldn't be able to land here. He wouldn't even have found the town in the first place.
In any case, Nami said they were close. So she continued to lead the way.
...


Suddenly they could see some shadows jumping back and forth between the trees.
Amy, Cream and Rouge got ready to fight.
Soon they found themselves surrounded by mobians in ninja-dresses.
Those got to be the Battu-Tai ninjas.

'What are you doing here, intruders?' one of them asked in a threatening way.
However, they soon realized that Jade and Nami were with them.
'Oh, stop kidding around.' Nami teased them.
All of them lowered their fists and took off their ninja-masks.
Nami recognized one of them.

Nami: 'Naboru. I should have known.'
Naboru: 'Good to see you again. But what are you doing here? Weren't you supposed to stay at Suizuko for two more years?'
Nami: 'Well, we just came to pay you a visit.'
Naboru: 'Speaking of which, who are they?'
Nami: 'Friends of mine.'
Naboru: 'Ah, I already know about you Jade. Good to see a fellow ninja-pal again.'
Jade: 'Same here.'
After a short chit-chat, Naboru took a good look at Amy, Cream and Rouge.

Naboru: 'Well, they do look handsome. Like great fighters. Did you come to fight?'
Amy and Cream: 'Yes!'
Naboru: 'I guess I like you already. Okay then, once we returned to town, I am sure some would be interested to fight you.'
But then she noticed that Rouge was a bat.

Naboru: 'Oh, you are a bat too, huh? There aren't too many of them out there. How do you like it here?'
Rouge: 'It sure feels great, to say the least.'
Naboru: 'Heh heh, as expected. And you will fight too, no?'
Rouge: 'Right.'
Naboru: 'Very well then. Let's go back to town.'
And thus, Naboru led them to town.
...


They sure noticed already that all of the ninja's were female.
What surprised them even more, is the other type of bat-mobians, which they saw when they were near town.
They appeared to be workers and their wings were much much larger, than the female ones.
Thus they were able to fly. And those kind of bat-mobians were all male.

Cream then asked Nami about this.
Cream: 'Hey, Nami. Those male bats have so much larger wings than you.'
Nami: 'Yup. All males have larger wings and the ability to fly.'
Cream: 'Yeah. With your small wings you can glide at least with some wind. But why does all female bats have such small wings, when male have large ones?'
Nami: 'Males are naturally born with larger wings than females. But us females on the other hand are born with a special fighting potential.'
Cream: 'Really?'
Nami: 'Uh-huh. Female bats are born with a pretty sporty body already. On top of that, they need less training than other mobians to strengthen their muscles and lost weight.'
Cream: 'Oh, wow. I didn't know this.'

This chat caught Amy's and Rouge's interest as well.

Nami: 'Yep. That's how it is. The roles within our clan are preordained, depending on our gender.'
Cream: 'Really?'
Nami: 'Yeah. Male bats are the workers within our clan. Their ability to fly is well-suited for that purpose. The female bats however benefit from their sportyness and are raised to be fighters.'
Cream: 'So in other words, all the female bats here are fighters.'
Nami: 'Exactly. We may not be able to fly, but us females are still the dominant gender of our clan.'
Cream: 'Interesting.'

Naboru: 'Funny. It's always said that the male gender is supposed to be dominant. And yet here, it is the exact opposite. Ironic, isn't it?'
Cream: 'I don't believe in those cliche's anyways. Both genders are born with the same potential.'
Naboru: 'I don't deny that. But here, males would need to work much harder to become a fighter. It just takes too long, in the end.'

Amy then talked to Rouge.
Amy: 'You overheard this conversation, didn't you?'
Rouge: 'Yup.'
Amy: 'Can you confirm this?'
Rouge: 'I can. Back then when my surrogate father trained be, he always said that I was a fast learner.'
Amy: 'I see.'
Rouge: 'And I too realized that I needed much less training to become stronger, than all the other students of him needed.'
Amy: 'Well, now you know why. You're born with that special potential of the Battu-Tai clan.'
Rouge: 'Indeed. Yet other proof that I am part of this clan.'
Amy: 'The only thing that sucks though, is that you can't fly.'
Rouge: 'Pffft, I don't need that ability. Or rather, I don't want to able to fly in the first place.'
Amy: Huh? Why not?
Rouge: 'In all honesty, treasure hunting or fighting wouldn't be nearly as fun, if I could just fly away.'
Amy: 'Ah, so you like more dangerous situations.'
Rouge: 'Yeah. It's funny. But when I am exploring a tomb or something with tons of traps, despite knowing how dangerous this is, I still enjoy it.'
Amy: 'I know what you mean. But it ain't funny if they get you.'
Rouge: 'No. I know they won't get me in a million years. Probably wouldn't be able to enjoy it, if I wouldn't be sure of that.'
Amy: 'I see. Good that you're doing fine then.'
Rouge: 'Yeah...'

Eventually, they finally arrived at the town in the darkness.
...


Naboru led them to the main gate. They stopped right in front of it.
But they didn't know what they were waiting for.

Amy: 'Are we waiting for someone?'
Nami: 'Sorry, but I forgot to tell you something.'

Now they were confused. Except for Jade, who knew something.
Naboru: 'Jade was here before. And she prove to be a strong fighter. And Nami is of our clan. Both may enter. However...'
Cream: 'What?'
Naboru: 'I cannot let you pass just yet.'
Amy: 'And why is that?'
Naboru: 'It's a rule of our clan that unworthy outsiders may not enter. If you want to become worthy...'
Rouge: '...we'll have to prove our strength.'
Naboru: 'Exactly.'
Amy: 'I see. So we will fight you, in order to prove that we're worthy.'
Naboru: 'I won't fight myself. But don't worry, I will get you some of our girls to fight against.'

Of course, Amy and Cream couldn't wait to get see how they fight.
But Rouge too was determined to prove that she was worthy. After all, she had to see someone who was living there.

Jade, Nami and Tails distanced themselves from the three girls. So that they wouldn't get in the way, when they fight.

Naboru then let our a loud shriek. only a few moments after, three small girls quickly came out.
They were kids. Even younger than Cream.

Kids: 'You called, mistress?'
Naboru: 'Excellent response time. You're getting better. In any case, do you see those three girls over there?'
The kids then stared at them for a brief moment.

Naboru: 'Those are fighters from outside, that Nami brought here.'
Kid: 'Huh? Nami is back?!?'
Nami: 'Right here.'
Kid: 'Welcome back.'
Naboru: 'Hey, cut the chit-chat, will ya?'
Kid: 'I am sorry...'
The one kid then looked back at Amy, Cream and Rouge.

Naboru: 'Like I said, those are fighters from outside. Fight them and see if they are worthy of entering our city.'
Kids: 'Understood, mistress!'

Even though their opponents were kids, they didn't make the mistake to judge them by their appearance.
They could tell that they were stronger than they look.

Naboru: 'Okay then. This will be 3 versus 3 fight. Fight as hard as you can and we'll see if you're worthy. Now get ready!'
Amy, Cream and Rouge then got into their fighting stances. Their opponents did the same.
Rouge decided not to make use of the Battu-Tai style just yet. So she used her kickboxing-style instead.
Now all of them stood their in ther fighting stances and they were waiting for the word from Naboru.

And they didn't have to wait long. A little while later, Naboru declared 'Fight!'
...


The ninja-kids didn't waste any time and instantly jumped towards the three girls at high speed.
They could block the incoming attacks in time, even though they were surprised by their speed.
It was impressive, they were as fast as Jade.

The Battu-Tai ninja style surely prove to be challenging and unique.
As the Suizuko-ninja's, they also had incredible speed. But on top of that, the kids were capable of elemental kicks.
Means that they were able to charge their kicks with one element and attack with it.
One of them used Fire-kicks, the second one used Water-kicks and the last one used Wind-kicks.
While they only could use it for one attack, it still was a very effective technique.

Amy, Cream and Rouge used their usual techniques against them. Even though they were surprised by their opponents, they could hold their own.
They could block and avoid many attacks. If they were hit, they recovered quickly. If they were on the ground, they used a kick-up and continued.
The same deal as always.

Despite their great speed and powerful attacks, the ninja-kids couldn't beat them.
As Amy, Cream and Rouge slowly started to overpower them.
It's not only because the three girls fought more seriously over time.
The elemental-kicks specials may prove to be devastating, but they also drained a great deal of their stamina.
Everyone realized this weakness, when they started to use their elemental-kicks more often, as they were cornered.
While they were great opponents, Amy, Cream and Rouge still beat them. They won!
...


The three ninja-kids were beaten. But they still got up after that beating.
Though they still were exhausted.

Rouge: 'So this is the Battu-Tai style, huh? Looks good.'
Amy: 'Yeah. An interesting fighting style. Those elemental kicks were awesome.'
Rouge: 'Indeed. For such little kids, they already have some amazing fighting skills. Impressive.'
They then went to those kids to talk a little.

Cream: 'You were great. I really like how you fight.'
Kid 1: 'Well, thanks. But you're skilled too.'
Kid 2: 'You have hard head, huh? Never imagined that someone as cute and innocent-looking at you would resort to such manoeuvers.'
Cream felt embarrassed a little.

Cream: 'Yeah, sorry. But it's an attack I learned to like. So...'
Kid 2: 'Well, no problems here. Using your head does have its benefits after all.'
Rouge: 'But you're really strong. And on top of that, you can already use such amazing moves.'
Amy: 'I bet that you're one of Battu-Tai's strongest fighters, huh?'
The kids then looked nervous for second, and then embarrassed.

Kid 3: 'Well, you see...'
Kid 2: 'Uhm...'
Kid 1: 'Well...'
The girls looked confused.
Cream: 'What's wrong?'
Amy: 'Why that strange look?'

The kids then put up an embarrassed smile.
Kids: 'Actually, we're just novices!'

Amy, Cream, Rouge and Tails too then looked dumbfounded.
Tails: 'N-Novices, they say?'
He remained dumbfounded, but as they the girls, it soon turned into impression.
Amy: 'Wow, that's cool.'
Cream: 'Which means that the other ninja's in there must be even stronger.'
Kid 1: 'well, yes...'
Cream: 'Boy, I am pumped.'
Rouge: 'Good to hear. Looks like we're going to have more fun.'
...


Eventually, Naboru interfered and walked over to them.
Naboru: 'Well done, everyone. It sure was a fight fun to watch.'
Then they realized that some of the other bats were watching as well. And they did enjoy it.
Naboru turned to the ninja-kids first.

Naboru: 'You have improved, I see. And you can even learned to use elemental attacks. That's great.'
Kid 1: 'That may be so, but...'
Kid 2: '... our stamina decreases greatly, whenever we use them.'
Kid 3: 'We still have a lot to do.'
Then all three at once talked once again.

Kids: 'Now we will work on eliminating that weakness.'
Naboru: 'Good good. Get back into town then and continue your training. But you may want to get some rest after such a battle.'
Kid 1: 'No. I can still train, no problem.'
Kid 2: 'As can I.'
Kid 3: 'Me too.'
Naboru: 'Okay then. Continue your training then.'
Kids: 'Yes, ma'am!'

They turned back at Amy, Cream and Rouge and gave them a thumbs up. Then they performed a series of jumps, back into town.

Naboru then turned to Amy and the others.
Naburu: 'Well, congratulations. Looks like my impression in you has been vindicated.'
Rouge: 'Good to hear. So, how about you let us into town now?'
Naboru: 'My, you seem impatient. Do you have some business with us?'
Rouge: 'Sort off. But I will tell you later.'
Naboru then looked a little confused.
She thought '(Strange. What would she want from us? I never saw her before.)'

Rouge: 'Well, how about it?'
Amy: 'Don't forget about us. We want to have some fun as well.'
Cream gave them a nod.

Naboru: 'Well you already prove that you're strong fighters, worthy to enter our town. There's no reason anymore to forbid the entry for you.'
She then clapped her hands twice with a special hand gesture. This signaled the town guards to open the main gate.
And so it slowly opened.

Naboru: 'Well then, let's get inside.'
Tails: 'Wait, what about me?'
Everyone then remembered him. Cream felt embarrassed.

Cream: 'Oh, sorry. I was so excited about the fights, I totally forgot about you.'
Naboru: 'Well, our rules are strict and say that unworthy ones may not enter. And anyone who is not a strong fighter cannot enter.'
Cream: 'What? Can't you make an exception here?'
Naboru: 'Afraid not. Sorry about that.'

Cream looked a little sad and looked at Tails. But Tails smiled and gave her a pat.
Tails: 'It's too bad I cannot see you fight. But I hope you will have a great time in there.'
Cream: 'But what about you?'
Tails: 'I'll be fine. I'll wait here until you return, okay?'
Cream smiled and gave him a hug. He hugged back.

Naburo saw this and wondered...
Naboru: 'Sorry to butt in, but... is he special to you?'
Cream: 'Of course, he is my boyfriend.'
She looked surprised for a second.

Naboru: 'I see. If that's the case... Okay then, I'll let you in.'
Cream and Tails: 'Really?'
Naboru: 'Yeah. I guess nobody here has anything against it, if you bring your lover with you.'
Tails: 'Thank you.'
Naboru: 'No problem. But let's not waste anymore time. Get in.'
Everyone then finally entered the town.
...


The town looked sure looked like a ninja-town, surrounded by huge walls with one main gate.
It kinda felt like being in an ancient caste town though.
In there you could see many of female bats fighting each other or training.
They sure were fighters and fought and trained whenever they could.
The male bats were indeed only working in there. Either by cooking, cleaning or whatever other work that must be done
However, they also could see some couples in there. Looks like they weren't beyond love.
But it's good that way.

Naboru first led them to the inn. Where they had tons of bedrooms ready.
She thought it was best for them get some rest. Not only because of the fight, but also because of how far they must have travelled.
It wasn't that far for them, but they still accepted the offer.
Nami however had her own house in this town, as well as a second bed for guests. So she and Jade did stay at her place.


Amy, Cream and Rouge did chat about the fight and the impression they had about the town so far.
Cream and Tails also spend some time together.

Because of the permanent night, they couldn't tell how late it was.
But they also didn't have any problems to fall asleep.


Rouge remained awake for a little longer though. Thinking about what she should do.
('Okay then. Tomorrow will be the day where I will meet HER! But how should I do it? I reckon they won't just let me get to her.')
The person she thought about was a person that was special to her apparently, before she lost her memory.
('Perhaps I will need to prove my strength again, by beating the stronger ones, before I can meet her. Or perhaps... I need to reveal... my true nature.')
She continued to think of some kind of schedule of how to make it that she can meet that special someone.
Eventually she decided to it might be best to sleep over it.
So she did get changed into her bed clothes and then went into bed. And she too didn't have any problem and feel asleep quickly.

In her dreams, she could already see herself fighting... against that special someone.
She was looking forward to it...


TO BE CONTINUED...