The lightning struck xem, the thunder rolled, and Quickteeth burst into flames. Xe tipped sideways and plummeted in a streak of blue light, skidding several feet when xe hit the ground before coming to a stop, still flaming.
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Words: 676
Warning for plenty of violence and injury, and some mentions of blood
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Quickteeth fell to earth like a shooting star.
Every champion had been struck by lightning at least once. Since the administration had learned how much the audience loved a dramatic battle between electrified tridents, it’d become an occupational hazard.
The burst of pain from the initial impact, the split second of dread for what was to come, and the white-hot agony like shattering from the inside out. Sometimes, you’d lose consciousness and wake up in your quarters with a new defeat on your board. But most of the time, you wouldn’t be so lucky and they’d expect you to keep fighting to the bitter, bitter end. Blinded by spots swimming across your vision, deaf to all but the ringing in your ears, clothes blasted apart and smoking.
As unpleasant as it was, it was all routine.
But this? No one had ever seen this before.
The lightning struck xem, the thunder rolled, and Quickteeth burst into flames. Bright blue flames. The trident fell from xir hands. Xe tipped sideways and plummeted in a streak of blue light, skidding several feet when xe hit the ground before coming to a stop, still flaming.
A low “Oohhh…” rose from the stands.
Aero landed softly on the bricks of the arena floor, lowering his trident. “Quickteeth?”
The champions normally hid any concern for the others when fighting to avoid any scoldings from the administration, but it was impossible to this time. Xe was on fire, and it was blue, and it wasn’t going out.
Quickteeth was blind to all of this. In fact, for Quickteeth, the world had simply stopped after that lightning strike. Xe was the only thing left.
None of it was real. It’d always been a shell xe’d been forced into. The walls had been opaque to keep xem away, but they were glass now. Transparent. Breakable.
The pain in xir back was so familiar, wasn’t it?
Xe placed both hands on the glass and two scaly paws reached to meet them.
It was red-hot in xir skin. No, xe was red-hot in it. Melting through it. Breaking free.
The storm clouds flashed overhead.
On the wet arena floor, Quickteeth exploded.
The shockwave knocked Aero flat and left his ears ringing. When he scrambled upright, a smoking crater was in xir place.
The audience, administration, and Aero alike were speechless with shock and horror.
And through the smoke, like flashlights in the fog, appeared a pair of glowing orange eyes. The familiar sound of Quickteeth’s crazed laughter filled the Brawliseum. Aero couldn’t help the stunned smile spreading across his face.
In a blur, xe leapt out of the crater, out of the smoke, and bowled Aero over. It was like being attacked by a wild animal. Xir claws dug into his shoulder, xir fangs bared and glistening like the slavering jaws of a hungry bear.
Quickteeth pinned him to the ground, roared pure triumph, and spread xir wings. They were still wet and bloody from bursting free of xir flesh, but they were undeniably beautiful. Indigo scales, the same as xir arm and tail, covered the muscular limbs and fingers, and between them stretched a leathery membrane in vibrant sunset colors.
It all happened in a heartbeat. For a moment, the only sound was that of heavy, ragged breathing and the rain pouring down incessantly. Aero’s expression was one of pure, disbelieving shock as he stared up at Quickteeth’s feral, dragon grin against the bloody, orange backdrop of those great wings.
The audience screamed. It was a great outburst of human emotion, containing pieces of surprise, awe, excitement, and terror, but combined into a single whole it was just another scream.
Quickteeth sprang off Aero, tail lashing with overflowing energy. Xir clothes were torn and fried in several places and hung off xem in charred tatters. The back of xir sweatshirt and overalls had been completely blown apart and soaked through with blood by the dragon wings bursting free. The cage was broken, and xe was out.
brawlcore: chipped bricks, churned mud, a bloody nose, flickering neon, run-down theme parks, red lightbulbs, wiping blood from a torn lip with the back of your hand, boots being caked with dirt, rusting metal, the intimacy of physical fighting, your feet sliding in the mud, the primal and thoughtless joy of movement and impact and fighting with all the stops out
