Dragons Games Chap 10-4

5160 words. You'll know why this one is bigger, I had to end it where I did.

Half the stands shouted out in joy, while the other booed and sulked, directing their insults towards Jim, who flinched when something hard smacked into his back, Jim looking down to see a water bottle laying on the grass.

Spartan supporters vaulted over the barriers, rushing onto the field, hands thrown up in victory as they crowded the winning team, the players gathering into a big group as they brought their voices together in their warcry.

The Mythics were shuffled out of the spotlight, standing round with their heads hung, some of them patting each other on the back to try and keep their spirits up, though it was a hard ask.

“Fucking hell Jim, what happened?” Isaac asked again, but he pushed Isaac aside as the crowds descended, the field becoming a bustling mess of people in moments. “Jim wait! Where are you-”

His voice died out over the distance, Jim ignoring the jeers of a few hostile spectators as he slipped away, which wasn’t very hard to do. All the attention was on the winners.

He punched the changing room door open, the doorknob banging against the wall with the force as he stormed towards his locker, grabbing his bag. He was a little too rough, however, his phone and wallet spilling out and landing against the tiles with a smack.

He slammed a fist into the locker as frustration got the better of him, Jim kneeling down and ramming his possession back into the bag. “Fuck! Fuck this…”

His voice travelled through the empty room, as did his footsteps as he circled round the lockers towards the exit, his bag by his side. The ovals were as crowded as a carnival grounds, the Pokémon standing taller than the heads and shoulders of their human counterparts, converging on the victorious Spartans while his team was pushed aside. He gave them a sour look, then circled the oval until he reached the steps, jumping up them two at a time until he was back in the campus proper.

When he reached the top, he looked down over the expanses of grass, hearing on the wind as someone down there started speaking over a microphone. He couldn’t quite make out the words, but it was probably a sponsor praising the Spartans for a game well fought.

He stormed away with a tired sigh, the wind on his back as he navigated up the paths. It had been so loud during the game, that the growing silence felt kind of amplified, his footsteps the one thing he could hear over his beating heart.

Only now that he was alone did it dawn on him that he’d screwed up, not just at the game, but for a shot at a sponsorship, a feeling of nausea overcoming him as he leaned on a railing nearby to mule over what he’d done. “God… God damn it! Fuck!”

His stupid position put him right in the spotlight, and he’d fucked it up. His friends, his coach, his father… he’d let them all down. All he had to do was keep his shit together for two seconds, and he would have been home-free.

He punched the railing with his fist, his hand throbbing with pain a moment after, the metal ringing out like a gong. He’d been so close, and he’d screwed everything up.

But… maybe not everything. There was still the play, he still had a chance to make at least one thing right. The spikes on his boots rolled over the pavement as he resumed walking, digging up his practiced lines. He’d have to supress this bitterness inside him for the drama cclub’s sake, but it was a tall order, especially since he was directing it towards one of its members, one could guess who that was.

I will, that was what she’d said when he asked if she’d be there, her voice echoing through his thoughts over and over. He promised himself he wouldn’t drop the ball like that after last time, what was wrong with him? Or more importantly, what was wrong with Cassidy? He’d been going so well, keeping the game in their favour, and now it was all for nothing.

He didn’t like his chances of being allowed to stay in the Mythics after tonight, maybe he should sabotage the play, get one back at her? No, he couldn’t do that to Kendra and the others, they didn’t deserve that.

And what of his father? Talk about letting the family down, he’d been right there to witness his failure, which could be more than said for Cassidy. He’d imagine he’d have a lot of explaining to do when they next met, even just picturing his father’s face made Jim’s heart sink.

He realised he was walking in circles during his mental depravity, and he turned around, making his way up the familiar paths in a run. Soon the silhouette of the hall entered his vision, orange light spilling through the windows from the inside.

He stepped up to the entrance, huffing for breath as he looked through the panes of glass. There were at least a hundred people inside, crammed into the chairs and looking up at the stage, though Jim couldn’t see the performance at this angle because of the wall. He decided against coming through this way, he didn’t want to interrupt, instead ringing around the building until he was back at the fire exit.

He slipped inside, the cold air replaced with a pleasant warmth. He could hear someone speaking through the walls, annunciating their words like they were performing, which was exactly what they were doing not ten meters to his right. Had he arrived in time?

He made for the changeroom, throwing the door open and hearing a shrill squeak from inside. There was a rack of various costumes lining the far wall, a wardrobe of colourful and crazy outfits for both humans and Pokémon. To the side were a handful of changing booths, and next to one of them was Jasmine, the Sylveon’s ribbons flicking about in alarm. She was wearing a black dress with one of the straps undone, one of her silky white shoulders exposed. She was in the middle of undressing, Jim realised, the man coughing into his hand awkwardly.

“Jim!” she said, stroking her ribbons as though trying to calm them down. “At least knock before you barge in, you scared me.”

“Sorry,” he said, pointing a thumb behind him. “How am I doing for time?”

“You haven’t got long, Kendra didn’t think you’d show so she sent me to get changed. I was going to try and take your place.”

“No need, I’m here now.” He moved over to the wardrobe.

“How was your game?”

The muscles in the corner of his eye twitched, and he was careful not to look in Jasmine’s direction. “No time for talk, help me get changed.”

“O-Oh, alright,” she said, walking over. She picked out his costume, since he hadn’t been around when they’d been delivered and had no idea what he was supposed to wear. It was a thing ripped right out of a fantasy set, with a leather vest and padded blue sleeves, not exactly plate armour of a medieval knight, but something they might wear underneath. Gambeson, was it called?

“Booths are over there,” Jasmine said, using her head to point in the direction of the stalls. When she looked back, Jim had already stripped off his shirt and shoes, the Sylveon’s face going red as she stuttered out something that might have been words. He tossed his bag in a nearby pile, shredding until he was wearing just his boxers.

“No time for booths either,” he said, wiping a bit of dirt from his leg. “Help me get in this thing, oh and don’t forget your, uh…”

He motioned to her unfastened dress, Jasmine getting more and more flustered as she redid the clasp. A minute later and his legs were clad in leather, the long pants padded on the inside so it wasn’t uncomfortable. Jasmine did up the front buttons while he adjusted his sleeves, and soon he felt like a squire gearing up for a tournament, all he needed now was a sword.

“I think that’s it,” Jasmine said, stepping back to appraise him. He asked her how he looked. “Good, Mrs. Felix judged your height perfectly. Kendra’s on stage left, you should probably let her know you’re here.”

Jim made his way down the hallway, the grated steps banging as he stomped his way up towards the backstage area. He could make out Amelia’s voice coming from the set, talking with Caius, it sounded like, their voices becoming less muffled as he moved around the back wall.

The set was draped with exotic curtains and fluffy carpets of fake turf, giving the illusion the scene was taking place outside of a castle or something. Kendra was stood a few paces away from the drawn curtain, a hand on her chin as she watched the performance from the safety of the shadows, so the crowd wouldn’t see her.

Jim walked up beside her, fiddling with his collar as he greeted her. She looked at him, then back to the play, then quickly glancing back as she comprehended his presence.

“Jesus Mary wept, you’re here! Jim I’m so glad to see you, I- Hm. Never thought I’d ever say those words.”

“How many times have I told you I’d be here, and I have?” he asked.

“You’re right, you’re right, I shouldn’t be surprised by now. We tried to delay your appearance as much as we could, crowd got a little antsy, but you’re here now.”

“Good turnout,” he noted, peeking round the curtain. He’d only ever seen the hall completely barren, yet now the people were basically squeezing into whatever recesses they could find, it was a nice sight.

“Better than I’d hoped,” Kendra said, her red eyes following his gaze. “I’m honestly surprised they didn’t all just go down to the oval. Oh right, how did you go down there?”

He told her, and although Jim might have been wrong, the Typhlosion almost looked disappointed when he recalled his knock-on that cost them the game. “Jim, I’m… I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Not as sorry as I am,” he muttered, watching Amelia as she professed to the crowd. “Is Cassidy here?”

“Of course, she’s on the other side of the stage. She did an amazing song not long ago, even got a standing ovation.”

“Is she okay? Anything happen?”

“She’s not being tackled and roughed up like you have clearly been, why do you ask?”

“No reason.” He dropped the subject, and Kendra did too after seeing his reaction.

“I really thought you would have won the season, you were so confident,” Kendra continued. “Take it your coach wasn’t exactly happy.”

“No, and I wasn’t either,” he said. “I don’t want to think about it right now, if I do it’ll ruin my lines.”

She looked at him in a weird way, like she was sizing him up, joining him as they watched the play carry on. After a few minutes she went on. “I misjudged you, Jim, if you’d wandered into the club sooner we might have been able to do so much more with this opportunity.”

“Finally changed your tune, huh?” he asked, glancing at her. “I never got why you hated me so much back in the day.”

“I don’t hate you just… all of you,” she said, a confused look on Jim’s face when she didn’t go on.

“All of… my body?”

“No, as in, you as a… a group.”

“Like, all the Mythics?”

“No,” she sighed. “I mean, males, in particular,” she added, pausing for a long moment, like she was thinking whether to go on or not. “There’s a reason there’s very few boys in this club. My dad, he… he left when I was little.”

“… That’s why you hate men?”

“There’s more! After mom finally managed to send me to school, there was this boy, used to pick on me for being fat, this human little shit just wouldn’t leave me alone until I finally socked him one in grade three.”

“You punched an eight-year-old?”

“I was eight too!” she replied. “And it was my mom’s idea anyway. You think I’m bitter, you should see what she’s like. So as you can tell, I haven’t exactly had a good history with males in the past. Imagine my reaction when you turned up in my club one day waving your dick around. I thought you’d back off like that bully did, but you just wouldn’t give up. I hated that about you back then, but now it’s something I’ve come to… admire.”

One of his eyebrows raised over the other as she went silent, trying to look tough even though she was obviously flustered. “Well, there you go,” she sighed, spreading her hands. “that’s why I hated you, emphasis on the hated part, because I think I see now that you’re not all that bad. Just look at what you’ve done.”

“Me?”

“Yeah! This gathering wouldn’t have been possible if you hadn’t talked to the principal. We wouldn’t have had the chance to improve if you hadn’t come and critiqued us. And we would’ve been royally fucked if you hadn’t taken over Bernard’s spot. This is all thanks to you, Jim.”

“Well… you’re welcome, I guess” he said, smirking at the praise.

She took him by the collar suddenly, turning his head so that they were face to face, her flaming mane illuminating his features as she leaned towards him. Her snout bumped into his lips, her pillowy lips moulding around his own as she started to kiss him. He pulled his head back in alarm, his eyes going wide as he felt her tongue caress his mouth, but she held his tunic firm, keeping him place as she turned her head one way to deepen their contact.

There was nothing sensual about the display, Kendra was rough and needy, her mane glowing red with heat, reflecting her mood as she breathed her warm breath in his mouth. Jim didn’t move throughout the whole show, their lips separating with a loud smack when she pulled away after a few seconds.

She wiped a bit of saliva from the corner of her mouth, Jim looking blankly into the distance as he fumbled with his costume, anything to occupy his hands. The two didn’t look at each other until the scene concluded, the crowd applauding as the curtains were drawn, sealing away the spectators.

“Your, um, scene is up next,” Kendra said, Jim nodding as he watched the club change the set over, Mrs. Felix helping the students carry some of the props across the stage. “I better go and make sure all’s well in the makeup department.”

“Mm,” he said. Kendra patted at her flame as she turned away, Jim watching her go, remembering how he once ribbed her about her body shape, but the Typhlosion’s wide hips were covered in a soft layer of paunch that widened into a distinct pear shape he couldn’t quite keep his eyes off.

A part of him scolded himself for being a perv, for betraying Cassidy for checking Kendra out. He looked around for the Garchomp, but either she was backstage or was making herself scarce. He needed to talk to her, but he was moments away from his set, it would have to come later.

The curtains reopened, and a few minutes after the introduction one of the human girls said the name of Jim’s character, and that was his cue, the young man striding onto the stage with his hands behind his back, trying his best to put on an air of confidence. The crowd was packed into the hall like fish in a can, easily a few hundred faces watching him take his position. Not as many as there had been on the oval, but there was a kind of unassuming charm to a more controlled, more polite crowd of onlookers one wouldn’t find in a sports stadium.

“Finally,” Jim began. “someone who can a appreciate a good deal comes my way.”

The applause was short but sharp, Jim finishing his sentence before they quieted down. It was like something out of a sitcom, where a famous actor is introduced purely for the benefit of the audience to say: hey I know that guy! Someone even whooped, maybe he was recognised?

“Hello, Drystan,” Amelia said, the heroine’s introducing herself as Eleanor. The Lapras had come far from her meek little Shakespeare recitals, stealing the stage even though this was Jim’s introduction scene. She led him through the set, which he was happy with since she’d been on the stage all night.

His first couple of lines were rocky to say the least, Jim putting the hurt on his brain to try and recall what cues he had and what he was supposed to say. Kendra had noted that he went off the script too much, and judging by the way the other actors reacted – a twitch in the eye here, a concerned smile there – he was probably doing it more than he realised.

His role, Dystan, was to start off as the heroine’s financial aid, before turning to evil near the final act. It didn’t take long for the plot to decide that his character needed to start changing sides, and a few scenes later Tira, one of the heroine’s sidekicks, soon shared the stage with Jim, the two alone in the spotlight as they swapped lines.

“There’s been an incident with the payment,” the Pichu continued. “Eleanor sent me to tell you it will all be sorted in two days time.”

Jim slammed his fist on the deck he was sat behind, trying to convey his frustration, which he was, in more ways than just in the play. He’d spotted Cassidy out of the corner of his eye, watching from the side of the stage. He’d been doing his best to put the game behind him, but seeing her face was bringing back the moment he’d dropped the ball.

The edge of the desk snapped clean off, the piece of wood tumbling to a stop by the Pichu’s foot. They should have known getting Isaac’s uncle to supply props would have consequences, or maybe Jim had hit the thing too hard, perhaps a mix of both was the reason.

Tira flinched when the bit of table broke off, but the reaction enthralled the audience, some of them recoiling in their seats as if Jim was someone to be feared.

“Keep going!” Kendra whispered from stage right, waving for them to continue.

“And where is the honour in that?” Jim continued, collecting himself. “You were to send me the finds before our arrangement, not after, as per our agreement?” He had ingrained that line into his head for Kendra’s sake.

“L-Let’s not raise our voices,” Tira replied, playing into the startlement and turning it to apprehension. “Can I offer you a drink for your nerves?”

As Jim opened his mouth to speak, he lifted his eyes up and to the left. Was he supposed to accept the drink, or refuse it? There wasa bottle of juice that was supposed to be wine on the cabinet behind Tira, but wait, wasn’t he meant to do the offering at some point?

The seconds of silence were starting to drag, he needed to act quickly, no pun intended, Jim eventually making a decision.

“No, thank you,” he replied. “I’ve lost my appetite.”

Tira watched him, a question in her eyes, and when Jim didn’t say anything, she did. “And what of the deal? You will still deliver, will you not?”

“Oh right, shit,” he whispered so the crowd didn’t hear him. At least she knew the script off by heart. “The only thing I’ll be delivering is your head if you do not leave my sight at once! You’ve insulted me, I don’t think I’ll be making any deals with you or your mistress.”

Not exactly following the script, but his improvised threat carried weight with the audience, who murmured when Tira flashed him a worried look. She hurried out of the scene through stage right, the curtains staying open for just a few seconds longer, so the audience could see Jim contemplate, think over his actions. He even received a small round of applause, which he couldn’t help but smile at.

They only had a few minutes to set the next scene up, as Kendra didn’t want them going over their time limit, since they’d delayed enough for Jim’s arrival. As he watched the club drag the props around the stage, he saw Cassidy again, the dragoness dressed in the same outfit he last saw her, her prized ukelele in her hand. He wanted to go to her, but the performance and its outcome held him back. For Kendra’s sake, he’d hold his tongue until everything was said and done. It wasn’t like she’d be going anywhere.

She met his gaze from across the stage for a small moment, and she looked worried, pained even, as if something on her mind was worrying her, and that confused him. What did she know about being hurt? He was the one with problems, he was the one who should be worried.

The curtains lifted, and she looked away, beginning a small melody to introduce the theme of this set. Her voice was harmonious with her instrument, the notes dancing along with her voice and contemplating her shifting tones. It was almost enough to make Jim forget how terrible the night had been so far.

The show progressed into its inherit climax, Sasha and Amelia’s conflict reaching a boiling point through several heated interactions spaced throughout the performance. The Salazzle and Jim got a few scenes together, and she was professional for the first time since Jim had met her, never going off-course to voice some snarky comment, committing herself to the role as the antagonist and leaving Jim to his lines.

Her character manipulated Jim’s in a classic trope to turn him from the light to the dark, the she-devil Sasha was playing promising great wealth and personal gratitude in exchange, if one could read between the lines. He was supposed to turn in this scene, but Jim wanted to pad it out, making up his own excuses and adding them in for Sasha to deal with. She worked along with him, surprisingly dextrous as she wormed her way around his improvised excuses, leaving the audience to wonder of he’d become convinced or not in the end. Even though Drystan wasn’t perfect, nobody liked it when a character turned evil.

He gained confidence with each line he delivered, the finals game taking a backseat as he committed to the role, the lines rolling off his tongue in a manner that surprised even himself. Acting was much less exhausting than running the field, and a bit more exciting too – something about pretending to be who he wasn’t felt liberating, especially after the game.

When the change in allegiences came, Jim was to announce his support for Sasha in front of Amelia and a few others, right in the middle of an exchange that would make an escape for the protagonist much more difficult. “I can no longer tolerate Eleanor and her lackey’s offences,” Jim declared. “From this moment on, I pledge my life to the Guild.”

That was Sasha’s group of evil-doers, Amelia and the goodieslooking on in horror at the announcement, while the Salazzle grinned in the way all Salazzles grinned, sly and cunning. Jim decided to add a bit of flair to the plot twist at the last second, taking Sasha by her scaly shoulders and leaning into her.

A look of surprise passed over her features, but she quickly replaced it with a smirk, tilting her head and tapping her forehead to his, her snout meeting his face as they began to kiss. The audience gasped dramatically, Jim and Sasha putting on a show and pouring their wanton passion into the kiss. He glanced over to the side of the stage to make sure Cassidy was watching, a look of supressed resignation on the dragoness’ face. It should have made him glad to see her like that, but instead all he felt was guilt.

Sasha cupped his hair to deepen their contact, Jim having no choice but to reciprocate, he’d initiated it after all. It wasn’t as slow and methodical as Cassidy’s kisses, nor was it rough and forced like Kendra’s, but a delightful middle ground between, the Salazzle keeping him on the edge of wanting more, but never quite providing it, thrusting her long tongue into his throat and pulling back when his muscles tensed. Her pheromone-laden breath sunk into his senses like an aphrodisiac, and he almost found himself disappointed when Sasha pulled away, as if his desires were being strung along by her sultry aroma.

With the heroes on the backfoot the play reached its critical point, the time when the darkest hour is upon the heroes. Jim watched his friends deliver line after line with flawless deliveries, remembering how meek and shy they’d been when he’d first seen them. Now they were performing in front of hundreds without missing a beat, and watching them inspired in his heart a feeling he had no words to describe.

The final confrontation came next, and there came a point Jim had to stab Caius with a ceremonial dagger. But when he reached for his hip, his hands touched nothing, and he looked down in horror as he realised he’d forgotten to grab his personal props. Most of the club were present on the scene, the stage crowded with Pokémon, and the conflict was to begin with Jim’s initial stab, and the actors, as well as the audience, waited for him to do something.

Thinking fast, he dove under the Lucario’s arms and pulled him into a neck-hold, giving off the illusion he was applying pressure to his throat, a move straight out of a spy movie. Caius played along, one of his big ears flapping wildly as he pretended to lose air, slumping to the ground in a mock-death. The audience was in shock, but whether at the poor acting or the death it was hard to tell.

Remembering their choreography, the club erupted into a fight as the main characters reached their final confrontation. As with any performance, the resolution ended with the good guys coming out on top, with Jim’s character being locked up and Sasha being outwitted by Amelia, the Salazzle falling off a cliff after being surrounded. They pulled off her death by tying Sasha to a wire and swinging her off the stage like a bungee jumper. Mrs. Felix had forbidden the stunt, but Kendra had made it happen anyway, and Sasha was athletic enough to catch herself before she got injured.

Her fall concluded with a literal bang as she tumbled out of sight, crashing into a pile of used props off-screen. The crowd erupted, a standing ovation overcoming the audience as they clapped and stamped their feet in celebration. Every member of the club came out onto the centre stage, taking each other by the hand as they bowed in a group. Jim found himself pulled right into the middle of the line, Kendra’s hand in his left, Sasha’s in his right as they basked in the glory. The lights slowly faded to full, illuminating the hundreds of faces cheering the club on.

Jim smiled back until the curtains hid them from view, the air thick with the club’s giddiness. The girls squealed, the boys cried, and the largest of the Pokémon lifted their smaller, human counterparts into the air as they hugged and celebrated.

“We did it!” Kendra cried, her eyes wet with tears as she fell onto her butt in exhaustion. “Jesus Mary, they loved you all! Oh I’m going to cry…”

“You’re already crying,” Sasha remarked, the two sharing a look. The beef they had in the past took a backseat for the moment, the Salazzle laughing as she lifted the Typhlosion up by the arm. “They loved you too, Kendra, you organised all of this.”

Kendra glanced at Jim, but he just waved at her as if to say she’s right, the Pokémon shooting him her warmest smile yet. Their attentions soon turned to the young man, and Jim found himself fawned over by several of the girls, his cheeks warming as they hugged him.

He was surrounded by praise and good vibes, he could almost forget the outcome of the game, for just a little while, all his worries drowning out as he congratulated the drama club on a night well done.

Principal Clarke made his way onto stage soon after, asking for Kendra and pulling her aside to talk. Jim couldn’t listen in on the conversation since they were whispering, but judging by how Kendra’s smile only grew bigger and stronger, it was probably good news.

A claw tapping on his shoulder. He turned, his sight greeted with Cassidy’s face as she regarded him with her large eyes, and his smile faltered as they were both silent for a time.

“Cass, I…”

“Listen, Jim,” she said, cutting him off. She could meet his gaze for only a second, staring down at their feet as she chewed on her lip. “There’s something I have to tell you.”

“What’s wrong?” he asked, cursing the way how… how concernedhe sounded. He should be angry with her, but he just wasn’t, a knot tightening in his stomach as she looked up at him, those reptilian eyes glassy with moisture.

“I wanted to tell you a long time ago, so badly, but I just…” she trailed off, and he watched as a drop rolled down her left cheek. “I tried, just know that I tried to, okay? And now that everything’s done the only thing left is to… is to just say it.”

And she did. For about thirty seconds she spoke, and Jim stood still throughout the whole thing, his expression shifting from concern to horror with each word she said, until she closed her chops with a sigh.

Thirty seconds. That was all it took to change it, for everything to make a kind of disturbed sense, his mind filling in the blanks that had been left open all this time. Thirty seconds.

He turned around, and when he started to walk she tried to stop him, but he shoved her back, the sound of the club’s cheers dying out, replaced with a sort of white noise as he made his way backstage, and through the fire exit into the dark.

Today was the day, it all changed.