To My World and Back Again Chapter 11
Sparring Match
By Ghost
"In the past, and I use that term loosely, I designed and built the Sight Scope to monitor energy readings from the machines I built so my focus could stay on my inventions and not some measuring instrument. However, later on, I discovered that the Sight Scope could be modified to read the energy levels of biological beings as well. With this in mind, I wanted to redesign it so it could be used in battle without hindering sight or depth perception. It wasn't until I met up with that mad scientist, Patrick, that I was able to do just that.
Technical notes written by Lucca Kepler
May 23, 2006
8:52 AM
Simmon's Home
After two weeks of living with his guest's, Patrick sat in a loose pair of black shorts and a white T-shirt doing a complete Chinese split on the floor of his bedroom. It was time to finally put his experience on paper.
It has been two weeks since Crono, Marle, and Lucca have come to this world, sent through a gate of my creation. I haven't been to SROC since then, constantly studying notes and theories to decide what exactly happened. I often think about that night. The mysteries of that night leave me bemused. I was neither conscious when the gate opened nor when the trio came through the gate. These two weeks have passed by so rapidly, I often wonder if this is a dream. If it is a dream, then, if I may paraphrase one of the Enlightened of Zeal, I will find the truth I seek.
With two weeks, I have found several things out about the people I thought were once just bits of data in a game. For example, Crono is truly the leader he was portrayed to be. He is willing to help anyone he meets, according to Michelle, and inspires them as well. I've gotten to see his sword techniques, and he's an expert. I may have my skill, but his far surpasses mine only with his magic which, according to Crono, enhances more than just strength but also speed, agility, and other physical and mental attributes. So, I guess I may actually stand up to him. Crono also loves adventure books. This really isn't surprising in itself considering the type he was portrayed as in the game. He's actually been reading my copy of Moby Dick. There's no surprise here since I'm sure Crono would rather chase a white whale than a giant porcupine called "Lavos".
Then there's Marle, or Mint as I call her, the best cook I could ever know. She's real kind and compassionate, thinking of others more often than herself. Her favorite candy is anything with Mint, which is why I gave her that nickname. I think is suits her, and she doesn't mind the name a bit as long as I don't call her "Nadia." In the beginning, I mistook her ignorance for the dumb blonde act, but she put me in my place yesterday and didn't realize it. There had been a report on the morning news about a company dumping its waste in a stream I never heard of located in Alabama. I really didn't pay too much attention to it, seeing as it wasn't anywhere near my state. Marle noticed this and began to remind me how it was my business as it was anyone else's. She even gave examples of how the water pollution affected the land for miles. Of course, I knew all of this, but she spoke with such passion and knowledge…I clearly underestimated her mind power.
Lucca…how I never thought that name would raise my defenses, or my temper. She might be cute, except seems to get enjoyment from picking and arguing, and she never lets me have a moment's rest. I don't know what her problem is. She's just got me in this battle of wits that neither of us can win, and she's more stubborn than I could ever be. Makes me wonder…could the trip to this world do something to her brain that will leave her silent in a matter of time? I don't think I could ever be that lucky. There's something else that I don't know. Making reference back to the environmental news, after Marle had said what she said, Lucca immediately started from where Marle had left off, and Lucca blamed me for not doing a thing about the situation. This must not have been normal behavior for Lucca because Marle was surprised with her words. That woman may be smart, but she can make me so furious for reasons I do not understand at all.
Well, I want to change the subject now. It would be rude to fail to mention how much help Michelle has been these past couple weeks. She has been more than willing to get the trio out of the house, leaving me with time to study. She's done shopping and taken some of my bulkier mail to the post office for me. There's just so much she's done, but I don't know why. All I do is bring three people to this world, bringing me problems with the three, and Michelle jumps up and says, "Here I am." I guess she's a bit more excited about this than-
There was a knock at the door.
I am.
"Come in," Patrick yelled.
Crono slowly opened the door to Simmon's room, and upon seeing him in a Chinese split, Crono shook as if a cold shiver had gone down his spine. Patrick saw this and gave a small laugh. "Crono, if I didn't know any better, I would say that this sight makes you hurt. Can't you do a split?"
Crono nodded, "Of course, I can, but seeing someone else does it still gives me chills.
Patrick got up and did a couple of side kicks to loosen up his muscles. "I understand. So what's up?"
Crono leaned up against the edge of the wooden door, "Simple, I'm looking for a sparring partner. You up for some sword play? I mean, you wouldn't be scared of a guy that helped beat Lavos or anything would you?"
Patrick gave him a smirk. "Crono, I was just about to ask you the same thing. I mean, how many times do I get to spar with the red head that saved a world? Besides, I beat Lavos more times than you did."
Crono thought about this and nodded, "But, that was a video game. Let me guess, you want me to go easy on you, right?"
"Yes please," he laughed. "I guess we'd better get ready."
From the front of the house, Marle informed the two with her loudest voice, "Crono! Patrick! Breakfast!"
"But first we eat," the two warriors said simultaneously.
A short time later
Crono leaned back in his chair, patting his full stomach. "Marle, my love, you have the skills that'd make put the royal chef to shame."
Patrick burped and laughed, "Agreed. I give it four stars."
Marle made a sad look on her face. "Only four stars?" she asked raising four fingers for emphasis.
"Sorry, Mint. The pancakes were wonderful, but I think the texture could be improved a bit." Patrick patted his tummy, causing him to burp again. Lucca, sitting across from Patrick, made a disgusted face toward him.
"Don't you have any manners?" she yelled to Patrick, who just smiled, picking his teeth with a toothpick. "No wonder you don't have a girlfriend! You're just a pig," and for some reason she added, "just not fat."
Patrick met her gaze and smiled. "So you're saying that I look good?" Lucca turned red with either anger or embarrassment. "One more thing; didn't you eat like a fat pig when you were first introduced to poi?"
Lucca stood from her chair, her breathing had quickened, and she was counting to ten, trying to control her temper. She smiled, remembering the words she had told Crono. "Liar, I was a perfect lady."
"But why does your tummy hurt!" Crono and Patrick yelled in laughter.
Lucca was about to give Patrick a knuckle sandwich except her friend, Marle, stopped her, reminding Lucca that Patrick was about to spar with Crono. Lucca put her fist down and smiled. She turned to go to her room, but said over her shoulder, "I'd give you something to grow on, but it seems Crono's going to take care of that for me. Good luck, Patrick Simmons." The way she said his whole name sent a chill down his spine. She then walked to her room, thinking You're going to need it.
"I heard that!" Patrick shouted. Lucca just entered her room and slammed the door shut.
Crono and Marle were leaning against the kitchen sink, looking at the previous scene.
"I think that could have been worse," Crono sighed. Marle nodded in agreement.
At this point, Lucca opened her bedroom door, shouting, "One more thing! For a computer scientist, you're slower than a blank screen!"
"I don't think that made a bit of sense," Marle declared scratching her head.
"Don't you mean a byte of sense?" chuckled Crono? Marle giggled in agreement.
Meanwhile, Patrick had gotten out of his chair and headed to his room, grumbling under his breath.
"You know what?" Marle asked?
"What?"
"I think things just got worse."
10:02 AM
The Beach
The sun shown brightly and the smell of the ocean filled the lungs of all who breathed. Crono and Patrick stood on the beach, doing some light stretching before their little spar. Their wooden katanas were laying on the ground near their feet. Considering their experience, and the refrain of magic or special skills, each of them believed there would be a good bit of equality skill-wise.
"These are the rules, and they're pretty simple for you guys that didn't take Calculus." Marle chimed. "This will be a point-based sparring match. The winner will be the first to score three out of five points, or hits. No hits below the belt, gentlemen."
"You two guys ready?" Marle asked as she sat on white a beach towel on the sand acting as referee. At the same time, Lucca walked out of the back door onto the wooden deck and down some wooden stairs to the beach front property. She had a green baggy T-shirt on with a comfortable pair of jean shorts. Her helmet was off, but over her right ear was a small device that fit comfortably and appeared to be a hearing aid.
"Ready," Crono called picking up his wooden sword.
"Let's do this." Patrick said excitedly doing the same.
Lucca sat down on the towel next to Marle. Marle noticed the device on Lucca's ear and asked her about it. "Oh this thing?" Lucca started innocently. "This is the Sight Scope."
"Whoa," Marle said, "wasn't the Sight Scope bigger. I remember the thing being more like an addition to your glasses."
"This is true, but I decided to use this world's technology to decrease size and increase precision. If you remember, the Sight Scope couldn't accurately home in the power level of extremely powerful enemies like Zombor or Lavos due to their overwhelming power output, but with this baby, we could have been able to tell how strong an enemy was and find a weakness, given there was one."
"Wow," Marle's mouth was a big O, "is that all?"
Lucca was hoping she'd ask that. "Not at all. Not only is this thing able to read power levels better, but it keeps the person's sight from being hindered, unlike the old model. Watch I'll show you."
At this, she pressed a button and a red transparent holographic field spread across her glasses. "Let's see how this works. Marle, get Crono and Patrick to work so I can test this thing."
Marle nodded and turned to the two fighters. "All right, boys. Get ready…"
"Yo, Crono," Lucca shouted, "beat his mega ugly butt!"
Patrick turned to Lucca, periodically forgetting the sparring match. "So you're saying that you've been looking at my butt? Didn't your mother teach you..."
"Goooooooo!"
Patrick realized at that moment why Lucca had chosen to say exactly what she said. For before he knew it, Crono had run up to him and swung his wooden katana down. Patrick flinched and closed his eyes, expecting a good deal of pain, before he realized that Crono didn't make contact. Patrick opened his eyes to see that Crono had stopped his attack slightly inches from the forehead, and Crono had a large grin on his face. As soon as he took the time to see this, Crono lightly tapped Patrick's forehead.
"Point!" Marle called as Patrick rubbed his head. "The score is one-to-zero. Crono."
The two got back into their original positions. Crono and Patrick were both smiling.
"That was a lucky shot, Crono, but this time, I'm ready for you."
"Fine," Crono simply stated.
Then it began. The two ran toward each other, swords in the air. Patrick attacked first, slashing from right to left in a downward angle. Crono block the attack, bringing his katana up and flat at a slight upward angle then countered with a right to left slash using his left hand to carry the sword's momentum. Patrick had jumped back with his left leg to barely miss the attack. With Crono exposed for the moment, Patrick jumped forward with his right leg and brought the katana forward in a thrusting manner. He had minimized the force the best he could, but Crono was struck in the chest, and with that wooden katana, it still hurt. Patrick just smiled. Now, it's getting good.
"Point! The score is tied one-to-one." Marle called though not as exited, upset her boyfriend did not get the point."
"Come on Crono, you can do better!" Lucca hollered. "You're many times stronger than that puny wimp so give it to him!"
"She's right about something," Crono explained as he looked to his opponent, "you're not as strong as I am, but you do have skills."
Patrick's grin was the response everyone had expected. "That's why we're limiting ourselves, Crono. No magic or special skills. It's just wooden sword against wooden sword."
Crono nodded his head, warrior's code and honor understanding the statement. That's what they were; they were two warriors preparing for war in a time of peace, and they were two children having the time of their life.
"Then, Patrick, show me what you've got!" Crono shouted in a loud, commanding voice. Crono just stood there, on the defensive, not moving. Patrick was not sure what to make of it. Was Crono preparing to counter if threatened or was he planning some combination move? There was only one way to find out.
Here goes nothing.
Patrick took an offensive stance and charged to Crono, who was still standing like a statue. Just as he neared Crono, Patrick had put all his weight on his right foot, jumping to the left and landed on the left foot. Using the momentum he still had, Patrick spun around to his right and brought his sword out to slash at Crono at the side.
Crono used a simple move of holding his sword with his right hand alone. He brought the sword to his right and faced the sword hilt up, blocking the slash. Crono then stepped to his left, took his sword with both hands, stepped back with his right foot and slashed down in a controlled manner onto Patrick's left shoulder blade. Patrick fell onto one knee, holding his shoulder.
"Point," Marle called, "two-to-one, Crono! Way to go, babe!" She then laughed while Lucca just grinned from the sidelines.
Crono laughed with his girlfriend and put his hand behind his head as he had done before. The combo Patrick used was a simple move, and he had expected Patrick to pull such a stunt. The scientist should have known better though.
Patrick cleared his throat, gaining the attention of Crono and company. He had gotten back up and shook off the throbbing he felt in his left shoulder. "I heard that, Crono Kisaragi, and I'll let you know that it's not nice to speak or think to someone in the third person."
Patrick raised his sword into its fighting position and smiled as he said, "Ready?"
"Always," Crono replied. He followed Patrick's suit and got ready.
"Fight!" Marle shouted.
The two went at it again, this time with more speed and intensity. Only a trained eye could keep up with the two swords or just one with a Sight Scope.
"Damn that scientist," Lucca cursed aloud, standing as she kept an eye on the spar. "We know Crono could have easily taken that guy, but noooooo. Crono just had to keep his power down and not use any of his magic's abilities. If I were him, I would have already scored five."
Marle motioned to Lucca to sit back down. "Come on Lucca, give it a rest. You know you couldn't match Crono's speed with that katana. Besides, this is his fight, not yours, and you know you couldn't score with a katana if you tried. You're shooter, not a blade expert."
Lucca let out a chuckle followed by a quick snort. "I know I'm a shooter, but I could probably score given the chance." Lucca then forgot about the fight, breaking into full blown out laughter.
"Lucca, you're in desperate need of help. What do you do in your spare time anyway?"
Lucca sat down and looked to the sky. "Dream. That's what any genius does. I dream of…maybe another invention or upgrading a previous invention or just that guy I might find one day that could look past the goofy glasses." Lucca's mouth had formed a smile, the blue sky in her sight, a light ocean breeze blowing through her hair, parting loose bangs on the front.
Marle's mouth formed a smile, then a mischievous grin as she switched to match-maker mode. "You sound like a certain guy I recently met. You might have a lot in common with him."
"Reeeealy, Lucca drawled, a hint of excitement in her voice. What's he look like?" Lucca shifted her body so she was facing Marle. She put her elbows on her thighs and let her hands support her face, stars suddenly in her eyes.
Marle locked her hands behind her head, much like her boyfriend had done, paying careful attention to Patrick Simmons as he sparred and said, "Well, he's kinda around your height. He has a nice, firm body. He works out sometimes, but he's really smart." At this point, Lucca was almost drooling, and Marle had to hold back her laughter as she finished, "He seems to dream a lot and has a nice mop of blue hair."
Lucca's smile became a frown and her hands became fists. She yelled, "If you think I will have anything…ANYTHING to do with a certain scientist by the name of Patrick Simmons, you are definitely, DREAMING!"
Marle kept her eyes on the spar and said, "I thought you were the dreamer." At this point, Patrick jumped back away from Crono's downward slash and jumped forward with a slash of his own, returning the blow Crono had given earlier.
"Point! The game is tied, two to two. Game point!" She them mumbled under her breath, "I was sure Crono would get him again."
As the two were about to start their final round, a glossy, red convertible pulled into the driveway in front of Patrick's house. Driving the vehicle was Michelle in a pair of sunglasses that gave her a glamorous, but mysterious look. She also wore a pair of red shorts that went well above her knees and a white sleeveless shirt that went down to her waist. She exited the convertible and walked to the back to see the two fighters relaxing their muscles before the final round. She took off her shades, looking at the two fighters and noticed Marle and Lucca sitting on a white beach towel close to the house. She cleared her throat, catching everyone's attention.
"And what are we up to this morning," she said with a smile looking cheerful as ever.
"Morning, Michelle," Patrick greeted. The others greeted her the same.
"So what are we doing this morning? Almost looks like some male bonding thing."
Patrick looked to Crono and nodded his head. Crono returned the nod as Patrick spoke. "Well, Crono and me were doing a bit of sparring to see who would take Marle out tonight?"
Marle's eyes went wide, "You what!"
Crono continued, "Oh yeah. It was going to be a nice date. Dinner, a movie, and a goodnight kiss."
Patrick was barely able to contain his laughter, "That's right. I was really hoping for a goodnight kiss."
Michelle had looked them over and then turned to Marle. "Don't worry. They're just teasing us."
"I see," Marle mumbled and her mouth became a smile, "Well, Crono, if you don't win, you'll never get a 'goodnight kiss' at all in your life"
"Uh oh, Crono. I think you're in trouble now," Patrick teased.
Crono nodded his head. "Well I better not lose."
"Get ready!" Marle shouted.
The two did just that and Michelle decide to add her own comment. "All right Crono! Get Patrick good!"
Crono, Lucca, and Marle gave confused looks to Michelle while Patrick just smiled knowingly. "Umm, Michelle," Marle started, "not that I'm complaining or anything, but, aren't you supposed to root for Patrick?"
"Well," she replied loud enough to be heard by all, "it is a well known fact that I always root for the underdog."
Patrick and Marle both laughed at their comments and the other two just shook their heads in disbelief. "Sure. Whatever you say, Michelle," Marle said. Marle then turned back to the sword wielders. "All right, boys. Fight!"
And they went back at it again. This time Patrick added more power to his sword, hoping to catch Crono off guard. He was sure he could just get Crono to lose control for a nanosecond, and that was all he needed if he wanted to win. Although he was weaker than the red-headed boy, didn't mean he could use the rules to his advantage.
Lucca in the meantime had been monitoring the fight with the use of her Sight Scope. "I don't see why he tries so hard. There's no way he can win even without the lack of magic."
"Oh," Michelle asked with a curious glance, "and why is that? I'm sure he's got as much speed and strengths as he needs to score the last point."
Lucca shook her head, "Not as easy. Crono may not be using his magic, but he still has a lot of energy he can store. I mean, do you see him breathing hard at all? Is he showing any signs of fatigue?"
Michelle looked to Patrick as he made another strike with his katana, which Crono avoided with an overhead block. Crono did not even bother to make an offensive move this time. He was just blocking and avoiding while Patrick appeared to slow down slightly.
Marle added her thoughts. "Truth be told. Crono could have ended this from the beginning. I guess he just wanted to see exactly how far along Patrick had come.
"And how far is that," Michelle queried.
Lucca had finished her testing and turned the hologram of her Sight Scope off. "Honestly, he hasn't come anywhere near Crono's level. His energy level just doesn't match."
"Energy level?"
Lucca nodded, "Yeah, it's the amount of energy you have in your body. Patrick also called it 'spirit energy.' You see, if you were to put a number to accurately measure that energy, I would say that Crono's energy level at the time we faced Lavos was around 25,000."
Michelle nodded her head. "So you were there when he fought Lavos?"
"I was. It was Crono, myself, and Magus. If I didn't know any better, I would say that Crono would probably been able to match and defeat Lavos on his own. So I would guess that this Lavoid had an energy level of around 23,000."
"Lavoid? And what about Patrick's umm 'level?'"
"Well, I guess you can call Lavos part of the Lavoid species. I mean, it makes sense considering the first name we knew him by was 'Lavos.'" Lucca waited for some approval. After a nod from Michelle, she continued, "For us, nine years have passed since we've faced Lavos. Crono of course keeps working out so his energy has risen to approximately 27,000. Unfortunately for Patrick," she gave a smirk, "he's at a measly 500. He's no match at all."
Crono had continued to block and dodge as Patrick lost his stamina. Crono took this chance and stepped back then lunged, sending his katana straight at Patrick's abdomen and connected. Patrick's mouth opened as he suddenly lost precious air. He dropped to his knees and hands attempting to catch his breathe. After the display he had witnessed, try as he might, there was no way he could have scored a point. Crono's breathing wasn't even deep. He barely tried and succeeded. Crono had deliberately allowed Patrick to score just for the fun of it.
"Are you going to be all right?" Crono asked. He offered a helping hand which Patrick took after a moment of deep breathes.
"I'll live," Patrick replied then added, "You could have done that from the beginning couldn't you. You could have just tired me out and left it at that." Crono nodded to which Patrick gave a smile despite the soreness in his stomach. "Well I guess I'll just have to try harder then. But next time, I don't expect you to hold back like that."
The two warriors shook hands and congratulated each other on the spar. Meanwhile, Marle, Lucca, and Michelle had moved from their place near the house and congratulated the two on their performance. Lucca, of course, kept her congratulations to Crono. Michelle then remembered something.
"You know. I almost forgot the reason I came over here. Before I left work yesterday, Director Marks asked me to ask you to come in and bring an update. He wanted to know how your experiment went those two weeks ago since you never came back in." She pondered as if there was something else she needed to say. "Oh, while I was on the phone with Miss Ellerbee the other day, she asked me to remind you of your promises to Britt.
Patrick suddenly felt ill in the pit of his stomach, "That's right. I totally forgot that I told Britt I would tell him how the experiment went. I guess I'll have to go see him after I check in at SROC."
"Who's Britt?" Marle asked.
Michelle answered this one, "He's a kid over at the orphanage that we grew up in. Patrick is kind of like an unofficial guardian or something. Actually, it was Britt that gave Patrick the rocket he used in that experiment."
"Is that so," Lucca said in her deep thinking voice, "well I'd like to meet this guy. I'd also want to take a look at your project, Mr. Simmons. If that's okay with you that is?"
"We're coming," Marle said indicating herself and Crono.
"You're asking me permission?"
"Hey, it's your project."
Patrick gave a sigh. "Fine. I'll take you. You have more experience than me in matters of time travel anyway. Of course, Marle, you and Crono can come along."
"How nice of you to notice," she said sarcastically. "It's about time someone did."
"I think I need a shower before we go though. Just don't make me regret this, Lucca," Patrick warned and made his way inside for a nice cool shower and a couple of aspirin.
Note: Okay, guys, listen up. I didn't create the term, "Lavoid." You can
think Nanaki with that. Just for reference, remember that if and when I use
that term later in the story. If by any chance I plan to use the aforementioned
term in another fanfic after this one, I will give the disclaimer before
the prologue.
Peace
Ghost