gratitude

[the_very_best]

Bella flies away. She visits her parents, hits up the guild for matches and wins enough to pay her guild dues, and tools around random wilderness beating up on the wildlife.

She doesn't really expect to hear from Sherlock and Tony again.

Comments

[the_very_best]

"Cool." Bella sits back to wait for the boys to both be ready to fly.

[bitofafiction]

Eventually, Sherlock finishes his breakfast.

[the_very_best]

"Shall we?" Bella asks. And she describes the course she and Tony picked out to Sherlock.

[bitofafiction]

"Perfectly practical," says Sherlock. "Let's."

And out they go, and he produces Irene.

[the_very_best]

Bella tosses Rachis, who trills and lets Bella onto her.

"Grounded start?" inquires Bella. "Or should we go have them all clinging to the roof of the tower?"

[bitofafiction]

"Grounded start," says Sherlock, climbing onto the Dragonite's back.

[toblameforit]

Tony releases Candle.

"Gonna have a race, buddy," he says, patting the Charizard on the neck. Candle nods enthusiastically. Tony climbs on.

[the_very_best]

Bella counted down both times yesterday; she picks up the task again.

"Five, four, three, two, one!"

Rachis beats her wings on cue.

[bitofafiction]

The other two 'mon also launch on time.

If this were a straight there-and-back flight with no obstacles, it would be no contest. Irene is a Dragonite. But although she accelerates handily and reaches the trees faster than anyone, she has to brake hard to avoid hitting any, and she flies conservatively between the spindly trunks.

[toblameforit]

Candle has the median wingspan of the group, but he's spent more time flying than Irene and has a better sense of exactly how close to an obstacle he is capable of getting. Tony starts pulling ahead as soon as they hit forest.

[the_very_best]

Rachis is not really on a level playing field with these two; she can go fast, and has been flying all her life, but she needs acceleration time to get anywhere, and Bella's fairly holding her down to the space among the trees so she doesn't have the chance. She does her best, anyway, but they were never going to win.

[toblameforit]

Candle is the first to reach the designated turnaround point. He does a fairly wide swing around the tree, but still clears it before Irene passes him going the other way.

[the_very_best]

Rachis could corner better if she were cheating by braking with an Air Slash, but that would, of course, be cheating. She and Bella swoop third around the tree and head back for the tower.

[toblameforit]

Candle touches down and flaps his wings in a celebratory fashion while Tony clings to his back and giggles.

[bitofafiction]

Irene lands beside him and shifts from foot to foot grumpily before she permits Sherlock to disembark.

[the_very_best]

Rachis lands and trills "Pidgepidgeot." Bella slides carefully off her back.

"That was fun, even if I didn't have a prayer," laughs Bella, returning her 'mon.

[toblameforit]

"Candle is the best," Tony says smugly, hopping to the ground and giving the Charizard a hug.

[the_very_best]

"I bet Irene will be able to give him a run for his money when she's been a flying creature for longer," says Bella diplomatically.

[bitofafiction]

"Dragon," says Irene, nodding. Sherlock laughs and hugs her.