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StM: Swimming Competition

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[6:07:41 PM] Steph: The courtyard of the beautiful St Mortiel was crowded with students, both from St Mortiel and Armonia. The two schools were competing for which school was better, in terms of athletics, and what better way to test by competing in every sport the schools had to offer?

The sound of the loud speaker went off, "Attention students," a teacher began, "All those participating in the swimming race, please report to the pool and get ready. Thank you," the teacher concluded.

The friendly doormat of an Ampharos, Malcolm was sitting in his room grabbing everything he would need. Towels, his goggles, a change of close, ect. He had signed up for the race as soon as he saw the completion scheduled and was pumped. Upon hearing the announcement, be raced down the stairs to the arena. 'Oooh, this is going to be so much fun!' he thought.

Finally he got to the pool, it was still early so it wasn't crowded yet, but just seeing the crystal clear water caused him to break out into a bright smile. As he headed towards the changing room it occurred to him that he forgot to tell his friends he would be participating. "I hope they show up..." he mumbled.

[6:26:19 PM] Josh: Duncan had been hearing and seeing sports announcements around the school for quite some time now, but he paid no mind to them. Perhaps it would be good for school spirit, seeing as most of his fellow classmates seemed enthusiastic about it and the usual talk of daily homework and shared classes ceased when each day there was a new, exciting event to be held. Perhaps it was good competition, too. The new flood of students from the rival school proved interesting.

But Duncan couldn't see the appeal beyond that, or at least apply those same feelings of excitement to himself. He still had homework to complete, and he still had classes to excel in, so what time was there for sports and silly games? And why would these carefree Armonian students be worth his time, anyway? They were all having fun without taking note of him, with their inside jokes followed by bursts of laughter, light and airy and--

Strangely intriguing. What sort of fun were they and his own classmates having that he was not?

He slinked around the corners of the school until he began to approach the courtyard. Even if the sports weren't particularly interesting, sometimes the students could be. Why pass up a good opportunity to do some...people watching?

[6:31:19 PM] Raven: Josephine, reluctantly, got up and head to the courtyard at the announcement. Truthfully, Josie had no interest in this whole ordeal, especially sense she has been focusing on her school work more than the school's guests. Still, it made for some entertainment, and she did promise Malcolm she'll watch at least one of his swim races.

Josie kept an eye on any and all she passed, Armonian and Mortiel. She saw some familiar faces, but none that really caught her attention. Still, the air was buzzing with excitement and talk for the race. The amount of pokemon in the courtyard certainly made the place feel more full and alive. The more she looked, the more it felt that the school has been overun by their rivals.

Finally, she started walking in the Courtyard, keep her eyes pealed for any people of note around her. She pondered the race for a bit, why was this getting so much attention? Was it because of the closing days of the competition? Or did swimming really generate all that buzz? She sighed and walked slowly toward the pool, just in case something crazy happens... as it usually does.

[6:54:12 PM] Victoria: Ever since the students of Armonia had came to St. Mortiel, Amity's life became very busy. So many new faces to see, so many new guests in the Host Club, not to mention some of her ever so darling family went to her rival school. Yes, her first cousin, a shiny Pancham, and her second cousin, a shiny Furret, both of them attended the other school. With them coming to hers instead, the Mienshao made sure she showed them both around, gave them a grand tour... made sure they had a good time, yes, that's what she called it.

Today was different however, she finally had a chance to breathe as her family members were off finally doing their own things, leaving her with a day to herself. Oh, what to do what to do, Amity was not the type to just sit in a room staring at four walls and a screen all day. As she finished getting dressed, putting on a rather elegant ensemble, she heard the announcement about the swimming race. Right, that was today. Wasn't that boy from her festival group in swimming... Malcolm... right, he was...

...Well, that was a good enough excuse to show up, right? The Mienshao girl nodded to herself, going to this event could be quite interesting, she could see some new faces, figure out some more people... she had made up her mind, this was what she was doing today. Grabbing a small purse and throwing it over her shoulder, she left her room, hastily making her way to the school's pools.

[7:22:19 PM] Steph: Malcolm stepped out of the locker rooms, and boy had the the stands filled up quickly. Had there always been this many people on the grounds? Surely not everyone was here, right? The boy whipped his brow, pressure suddenly weighing on his shoulders.

But he did his best to shake it off. 'I can't let me school and team mates down,' he encouraged, hurrying over to where his team was gathering to hear a pep talk from the swim coach.

The time of the race was a mere 30 minutes away and Malcolm could feel himself becoming antsy. He tried to keep him mind all the people watching him by trying to spot a familiar face in the crowds. Up on one side he saw two girls, one pink Lopunny and the other a Masquerain. Hey...hadn't he seen them someplace before?  Shrugging it off, he looked towards the other side, and saw two more girls he knew, Josie and Amity, abit, on coming in opposite entrances. Hmm, he sure knew a lot of girls....

[7:33:39 PM] Josh: How interesting. He had expected to see that the school buildings were barren for the most part, as well as the perimeter around the school. And he had also expected that the closer he got to the playing fields, the more Pokemon he would see. What he did not expect to see, however, was a large group of disgruntled Pokemon loitering around the gates that lead to the pool. Intrigued, he slithered up besides the group and entered a query:

"Is there any particular reason as to why all of you are hanging about outside the gates when there seems to be an event happening inside them?"

The group of Pokemon eyed him, distinct annoyance creeping around the creases of their eyes. Finally, one of them answered, "There's a group of girls blocking the entrance. All around some guy, too."

Duncan raised his brows curiously. "Is that so? Perhaps if you allowed me, I might be able to encourage them to continue their get-together elsewhere."

"Be my guest," The one said, and the rest of the group agreed, moving to the side to allow Duncan through.

As Duncan finally laid his eyes on the group in front of him, vague confusion crossed over his features before he finally placed a name to a certain individual. Golden curls draped over slim shoulders...that description wouldn't just belong to anyone. He stretched his head over the group of girls and saw Malcolm nearby, obviously oblivious to the gaggle of girls that were fawning over him.

Duncan rolled his eyes and then addressed these girls: "My apologies, but perhaps it'd be better to continue that elsewhere."

But they were too busy talking amongst themselves, and apparently had all decided to go find a place in the stands to watch the action from. How annoying. He could understand why the group in front of him seemed to be so exasperated.

With the entrance cleared, everyone filed in. But unlike the group of girls and the group lingering outside the gate, Duncan was left alone. And among the enormous crowd, he wondered if it was a good idea to arrive here at all.

[7:56:44 PM] Raven: Josie, finally, manage to get through an entrance. The pool was bigger than she imagine, and the whole place reeked of chlorine. In the distance she saw what she assumed was Malcolm's hair and, even father, a familiar seviper. Carefully and swiftly, she dodged through the crowds to meet up with them both. Unfortunately, she seemed to miss Malcolm, but she would be able to converse with Duncan, at least.

She did an all to familiar throat clear and asked, abit snobbishly, "So, hows mister up-chuck? Only managed to catch you a few times in speech and debate after that whole mess." She had a very sly smile sneak upon her face, keeping an eye on the area around her in addition to her budding conversation with her Seviper acquaintance.

[8:03:03 PM] Josh: "Ah," Duncan looked uncomfortable at the nickname, but gave a polite laugh to try and indicate the opposite. "Fancy seeing you here. I'd be up for a chat in a moment, though; do you mind watching my stuff? I, uh, need the restroom."

Before Josie could reply he shoved his jacket, which contained his phone and some other miscellaneous objects, in her arms before rushing off. Truth be told, he didn't need the restroom--he just needed a moment to hide his burning cheeks that flared the moment Josie reminded him of that horrible Drop Tower incident.

[8:37:46 PM] Victoria: As she waled in, Amity caught a glimpse of the pool, she had seen it once or twice before, but with the event going on it seemed to exaggerate the size to her. There were crowds of Pokemon, she was expecting as much and she was very much so pleased. She easily glided, danced rather, through the crowds, trying to get up closer to the pool. There were so many different types of Pokemon here, some from her classes, some not, some from Armonia... wouldn't this be a great opportunity to get to know some of these knew faces?

This was quickly going against what Amity had planned, because as she moved she spotted a few faces in particular. Malcolm's of course, he was the one participating in this event, but she was also quite surprised to see the faces of Josie and Duncan as well--wait, Duncan seemed to be leaving to go somewhere...well, at least the lizard was still here.

"Josephine darling~" Amity called out as she approached the Helioptile. "It's been a little while since I have last saw you, I hope you have been well after the festival~?" There was a tiny mischievous glint in her eyes... oh Amity.

[8:48:51 PM] Steph: Malcolm, oblivious to the groups of younger girls around his continued to scan the stands for familiar faces. He found a few kids he met in class, some he met in the Host Club, but the swarm of people caused him to lose sight of those he was really looking for.

"Ah! There they are!" Malcolm cheered, as he slipped away from his teammates for a bit and started jogging towards the two girls. Thankfully there was still about 20 minutes before the event, so he wouldn't get in trouble for vanishing. The crowds seemed even worse now that the Ampharos was fighting his way though them, but it was worth it upon reaching his friends.

"Hey! I'm so glad to see you two made it!" he exclaimed, grabbing each of them and pulling them into a bear hug. Malcolm, cool it, that might make them uncomfortable. You're just standing there in swim shorts and goggles around your neck.

"You are excited? I can't sit still, oooh, I hope we do well!" He continued, his thoughts literally bouncing of the walls.

[8:57:35 PM] Raven: Josephine blinked after Duncan's hi-bye and gave a confused look to his jacket, supposedly holding more, she sighed and shrugged and turned to see Amity is back. "Oh, Hello Amity." She said rather subdued, "It has, and I've been good. What about you?" She inquired, before getting a familiar voice ringing in her ear.

"Oh, and hello to you too, Malcolm." She managed to crack a smile, obviously happy to see them all again. Well, Malcolm again, she wants to be catious around Amity. The hug rather surprised, she honestly thought it was a bit weird, but the race was 20 minuets away and she wasn't prepared to ruin his mood.

She let out a chuckle at Malcolm's obvious excitedness. "Relax, Malcolm. You'll do fine, as will the rest of the swim team, I'm sure." She cheered, hoping it gives Malcolm the mindset to focus on the race. She gave Amity a glance of concern before focusing on Malcolm.

[9:07:57 PM] Victoria: "Oh, I have been so terribly busy!" Amity gracefully put the back of her hand on her forehead. "Two of my family members attend Armonia you see, and I have been trying to show them a nice time in Hearthome~ I finally got a free day to myself, so I decided to come watch the swimming race; our school will obviously win, don't you think?" she let out a charming little giggle at the end, but who knows how innocent that small noise really was.

Her ears twitched as she heard someone coming towards the two of them, and it was none other then Malcolm himself. "Oh, why hello dear-" she was stoppe abruptly with the hug. Oh, Amity didn't mind at all, she thrived for physical contact, and when they were released she gave him a few quick pats on his shoulder.

Amity nodded at what Josie had said and looked up to the Ampharos boy. "Josie is right, there is no need to be so anxious~" her words were as smooth as butter. "I have great confidence that your team will come out victorious, you all are excellent swimmers after all, yourself especially~" Maybe she saw him almost drown that Lopunny girl, the one with her Masquerain friend.

[9:15:59 PM] Steph: Malcolm let out a deep breath, "You're both right, I should remain calm," and this worked for all of about five seconds before he added "But it's just so hard! There are more teams then usual, and a whole lot more people. You would think there are giving stuff away with this crowd. Normally not even half this amount of spectators show up."

He glanced around more, looking for another friend who seemed to vanish, before spotting what he assumed to be said friend's jacket in Josie's arms. "Hey, where is Duncan? Is he here?" Malcolm asked. They were all friends and could get along fine, but the Rag Tag Team just didn't feel complete unless they were all there.

Down at the pool the judges were setting up the timer and the score board, making final calls to everyone in the pool room to find their seats as the race would begin in 10 minutes.

[9:23:08 PM] Raven: "Malcolm." Josie began sternly. "It's fine, your fine. No offense to your Armonian cousins, Amity, but we're the best there is." She continued, confident and encouraging. "It's a cross-school event, it would've been big either way. Just don't sell yourself short" She finished, smiling.

At the question of Duncan, she shrugged and sighed. "He was here, but disappear off to the bathroom. At least I goat his jacket." She commented, lifting it up. "Hopefully he won't be too much longer..." She mumbled, trailing off. She eyes caught the judges preparing and took that as a queue.

She eyes caught the judges preparing and took that as a queue that the conversation needed to wrap up. Reluctantly, she gestured for Malcolm to head and prepare to actually swim and tried to lead Amity to the bleachers.

[9:41:50 PM] Victoria: Amity simply waved off Josie's comment. "No offense taken~ My poor dear cousin Keona wanted to attend here but for some reason her parents sent here there instead... and poor darling Calista just didn't have the money~" The Mienshao girl would use any opportunity she could to mention something about herself, but she stopped and looked to Malcolm. "Josie is right though dear, you have had it since you stepped out here. The big crowd is here to watch your team succeed," she pressed her hands together as she finished, eyes glittering. What was glittering in those eyes was the real question though.

She turned her gaze to Josie curiously when Duncan's name was mentioned. "Oh, Duncan is here too? I haven't seen him since the Drop Tower, it'll be nice to speak to him again~" You need to stop you stupid weasel bitch. "How long ago did he disappear to the bathroom? Could be unhealthy if he stays in there too long." She was probably thinking he was puking again in there or something, he would forever be the vomiting snake to her.

[9:49:15 PM] Steph: Malcolm smiled, "Thank you!" his friends were so nice! They encouraged him that he would be great in the race, and it just made him so happy. He must be the luckiest guy in school to have such wonderful friends!

"Malcolm! Come on! Coach wants to tell us one more thing then we need to line up!" another member of the swim team informed as he ran up to the Ampharos and his girlfriends.

"Okay!" The Ampharos replied, glancing up quickly at the clock for a time check before giving each of the girls a hug once more for luck and following the teammate. He then stopped short and turned around "Hey! We should do something after the race!" he suggested before dashing off again.

[9:57:07 PM] Raven: Josephine smiled as a synonym for 'no problem' and was able to hold the same cheery face for Malcolm, before quickly turning her attention to Amity. "Oh? What a shame, I would like to meet them one day." She offered. "And yes, Duncan was here but I believe it was at the thirty minuet warning." She tried to explain the Duncan situation.

"Oh, Good Luck!" She called as a goodbye. "Something?" She questioned. "What would we do?" She asked Amity, as Malcolm ran off. She shrugged again and started toward the bleachers, slightly concerned about Duncan. She didn't think much of it intionally, but what if he got sick again? That'll make everything sour.

[10:10:35 PM] Victoria: "Good luck darling, I'm sure you'll do great," Amity called out with a wave as Malcolm ran back to the pool. She turned back to Josie about the same time the lizard girl put her attention back on her. "Perhaps you can, one day~" the shiny weasel mused. "Oh? I have a feeling he'll be out soon then..." You creepy weasel how would you even know that. In reality she didn't, she just wanted to offer something up to drop the subject, she didn't really feel like conversing about all of the possible reasons why Duncan could be taking so long in the bathroom.

Her eyes flickered at the phrase 'doing something after the race.' "Ah, I think we should do something! Perhaps we could go out to eat afterwards? Victory meal~" Or do you just want to make the poor snake boy throw up again. Probably not, she was probably going to be nice today. Probably. Unlike Josie, she had currently shown no concern about said snake.

[11:17:56 PM] Josh: Duncan darted past the crowds that poured into the roaring stands, hardly caring if he somehow injured someone he was trying to shove out of his way. To be honest, he didn't know why he was reacting this way. Usually when anyone made some sort of snide comment about him, he was able to brush it off no problem. Why shouldn't he, after all? Sticks and stones could break his bones, but words would never hurt him.

This was the first time any of those words had come so close to the truth, though. Where he could hear it, too.

He was rather unprepared for the hot blush that spread across his cheeks.

When he reached the bathrooms and slammed the door behind him, a wash of relief washed over him once he realized that no one was lingering behind. He would have hated for someone, even if it was someone he didn't personally know, to see him looking wild eyed and flustered. He was sweating, too, and panting considerably after the short jog.

Maybe he should have been more careful about that. Wouldn't have wanted that to trigger any sort of gag reflex, would he.

Ugh. The reminder of the Drop Tower incident hit him again, even when he had run so far to avoid confronting it. On one hand, he thought that Josie was just poking fun at him--after all, who wouldn't after seeing that spectacular show? He understood that much, at least.

But what if there was some truth to those words? What if he really had done some irreconcilable damage?

Well, that shouldn't have mattered to him, right? It's not like it ever had before. But...he just thought....

Duncan swallowed hard, feeling some foreign feeling creep up his throat and threaten to jump out. There was nothing physical there, thank Arceus, but the feeling was strong enough that it might have been. It washed hotly over him, not unlike sickness but instead of making him feel drowsy like he might when ill, it only served to make him hyper aware of his surroundings and previous actions.

Angrily, he turned the cold water tap in the bathroom on and proceeded to wipe cool water on his face. He promised himself he wouldn't make a fool of himself.

But it seemed to him as if he had done exactly that.

[11:44:48 PM] Raven: "Heh, perhaps." Josie said, climbing the bleachers for an open seat. Everywhere was packed, but she barely saw enough room for at least Amity and herself. When they finally got to the spot, they both sat. It was an arceus blessing, they can see Malcolm's lane perfectly from the forced seats.

Josie pondered her suggestion for a victory meal. "Hmm, possibly." Josie admitted, showing interest, if caution. "Just a question of where we eat. And if you're planning something again." Josie finished, with a very trying glare at the shiny meinshao.

Though, she soon zoned out in concern for Duncan. Why did Amity have to bring it up? What if he was really sick again, and her off-handed comment set him off? She honestly liked Duncan and hoped they can see each other as friends, sooner rather than later, but what if she screwed it all up with one comment? She stared at his jacket in distaste. Actually, why did he hand her his jacket? Why didn't he just carry it? Against her better judgement, she reached in the pockets and eventually found his phone.

"Check it out," Josie managed between chuckles. "Looks like our snake pal left his phone in our faithful hands."

[12:11:23 AM] Victoria: The shiny Mienshao girl delicately made her way through the bleachers after the Helioptile girl, and she wondered if they would be able to even sit together. When they did find a spot, she smirked a bit and say down. Smirked. Not smiled, smirked. This weasel was all sorts of charming trouble.

"Oh darling I'm sure we can find something, Hearthome is rather large after all~" Amity replied smoothly, placing a hand on her cheek. "Me? Planning something again? Oh no dear, you have nothing to worry about~" What she really meant was you had everything to worry about.

Amity watched as Josie was swallowed in her thoughts, had what she said triggered something within the girl's mind? It was interesting, but she didn't press, she just pretended to focus her attention on the pool... that is until Josie had found something that really interested her.

"Oh! Would you look at that, so he has~" she giggled rather impishly. "Is it pass code locked? I think since he left it with us we should have a little peek~"

[12:21:51 AM] Steph: Malcolm made it down to the pool with enough time to spare, and it seemed all the spectators had either found a spot to sit in or at least a place to stand and watch.

'Deep breaths, deep breaths," he reassured himself. 'You've swam thousands of times before, this is nothing. So, a few extra people are here, just think of them as all your friends, then it's nothing you haven't done before!' he thought.

The judges started talking, something about rules and what the race detailed. A four sectioned race, with one team member swimming a different style. Since his teammates only specialized in one style, Malcolm was swimming third, in the butterfly section.

"On you're mark, get set, GO!" the judges yelled, making a loud sound to indicate the race had begun, and Malcolm's teammate jumped into the water, swimming as fast as possible.

[12:39:04 AM] Josh: Somewhere in the distance, Duncan hear a distinctive uproar that he know was only drawn out of the crowd the minute a race began to start. Ah, so life would go on without him, then. He saw how it was.

Turning off the tap, he shook his hands of the excess water and then pinched the bridge of his nose. His face felt less like it'd caught fire than it did before, at least, which was good. He still felt reluctant to return to the crowd, however.

Despite his strong urge to run back to his room, he knew that it'd probably arouse suspicion from those he left behind, especially Josie, whom he'd left his jacket with. So, with a deep breath for good measure as he gathered his courage, he reached for the door handle and tugged at it valiantly.

W-Wait...was it stuck?

Panic surged through his entire being as he jiggled the door with all his might, and it still clung stubbornly to the doorjamb as if it felt more secure in its place somehow. His eyes widened as he realized what this meant:

He wouldn't be able to see Malcolm race.

[12:57:37 AM] Raven: "That's true, there are a lot of places for us to go." She agreeded reluncantly, continuing with "Forgive me for not believing you, Amity." Her voice had a dull tone, trying to signal to Amity that her devious plans may not sit well today.

The Race started and Josie got a gut feeling somethung was wrong. Everyone was racing fine, and Malcolm seemed as ready as he would ever be, but there were still no signs of duncan. Amity's curiosity of the phone took her mind of it for a moment. "If it isnt passcode locked I'll eat my shoe." She muttered. "We are bound to find something to do with it..."

She trailed off, seeing mind going back to Duncan. Sense when did she care about the seviper boy with 6 peircings so much? She sighed and tossed Amity the phone. "Knock yourself out, I'm going to see if I can catch Duncan." She muttered, annoyed with concern. She took a dash to the mens room hoping to evade curious eyes, and reluncantly knocked on the door, hoping the Snake was still in there and can hear her. "Yo, Duncan, you still in there?" She exhausted herself trying to get to the restrooms, so it came off very annoyed.

[1:22:43 AM] Victoria: "It's okay darling, no harm done~" Amity replied in that normal girlish yet proper voice of hers, taking her hand off of her cheek. The Mienshao caught onto Josie's signs to her immediately, however seemed to make no visible effort so show the girl she recognized them. What a little she witch.

As the race started, Amity had little to no interest in it once they were in possession of Duncan's phone. "I bet there's some interesting stuff in there, don't you think~?" she asked the girl, wondering what Duncan kept hidden away in there. Seemed as if Josie was having her own concerns though.

Amity looked up at Josie when she got up and missed dropping the phone by only a hair. "Good luck then dear," she called after her, meanwhile she had no care for that situation at all. Duncan's phone was in her hands, time to have some fun... she turned it on and flipped the screen, activating the camera app on it. She snapped a few hundred pictures of herself, different poses and faces, all trying to look glamorous. She even tried to snap a few pictures of the shirtless swimmers, especially Malcolm, maybe Duncan would appreciate that. Once she had her fill of a truckload of pictures, she tried unlocking his phone...to no avail however, she just wound up locking the phone completely.

At least she got to have a little fun with it though, right?

[1:51:17 AM] Steph: The first swimmer swam swiftly through the slippery surface of the water. His teammates and classmates cheering him on the whole way. As quickly as he started, he touched the other side of the pool and began swimming back to the next teammate. The second person prepared themselves to jump as soon as the first guy touched the wall.

Standing behind them, Malcolm watched with nervousness and pride. His team was doing so well, they were tired for first! If the just had a bit of an edge, they could win for sure. Malcolm thought about his own personal skill. He was a very good swimmer, fast for sure, he might have want it takes to take the lead and secure his team for first place.

The second swimmer jumped off, and Malcolm stepped up to the platform, upon the second swimmer hitting the opposite wall, Malcolm secured his goggles on his face and got into a stance ready to jump.

[2:08:40 AM] Josh: "Yo, Duncan, you still in there?" A voice shouted, followed by some rapping on the men's restroom door. Thankful for his salvation, Duncan didn't hesitate to reach out for the line that Josie had thrown to him.

"J-Josie? Is that you?" Duncan called, stuttering against his will. Upon hearing how confused and little boy-like he sounded, he breathed in deeply and composed himself. When he spoke again, it sounded oddly formal and robotic in comparison to his earlier sentences. "I apologize. I mean, yes, of course it's me, Josephine. Listen, I believe the door may be stuck because of the day's humidity...I'm not a stranger to that, but, er, this has never happened to me before. If you pull on the doorknob as hard as you can to loosen it up, I believe that might do the trick. So, whenever you're ready...."

There was some tugging on the other side, as Duncan saw by the way the knob twisted on his end. He surely hoped that Josie had jumped out of the way, because he was just about to burst through....

A loud SLAM erupted around them as Duncan knocked the door aside using his entire body. Just as Josie began to ask him questions, Duncan answered hurriedly, "I'll explain later. We've just got to get back."

[2:22:52 AM] Raven: "Yeah its me, Duncan!" She called, rather unconvinced. Sense when did Duncan stutter? Regardless, it sounded like he had a plan, so Josie followed his instructions, abit confused.

"Duncan, I'm all for getting you out but I don't see how this helps." The Helioptile questioned, concerned. "If you're going to ask me to knock down this door, we're going to have a problem. I fight with my words, not my--" before the lizard knew it the door went flying, barely just missing a direct shot in Josephine. "...claws..." she trailed off, agasp. Duncan never ceases to amaze her.

She had a puzzled look but understood they have a race to watch, so she shock the questions out of her mind and started sprinting to where they can actually see the race. They will witness Malcolm's victory if it kills them, she thought.

[2:32:26 AM] Victoria: Amity sat on the bleachers alone for a bit, though she wasn't bothered by this at all. Once she had completely locked Duncan's phone, she had simply gone off to analyzing the crowd around her, not really paying so much attention to the swimmers but rather the spectators, especially those from Armonia. She waned to know what they were like, and their physical appearance certainly helped with that. Some were rather... uncouth, some were rather distasteful, and some had the oddest coloration; like that Lopunny girl sitting with the Masquerain, why was her fur white and pink? That's not possible?

The shiny Mienshao's people watching was interrupted when she noticed it was coming closer and closer for Malcolm to actually get in the water. She focused her vision hard on him, she was confident in her school for being able to win, though she still didn't want the electric doormat to accidentally mess up or anything. As she started drowning in her own thoughts, she thought of the lizard and the snake... what was taking them so long? What were they doing in that bathroom? Maybe this was going to change Amity's private feelings about the Helioptile a bit.

[2:47:07 AM] Steph: The second swimmer was on his way back. Closer and closer he came to the platform. Malcolm could feel everything around him stop, there was nothing in the world except him, his teammates, and the water....

The second swimmer hit the wall, and Malcolm dove in, getting further then those in the lanes next to him. Nothing else passed though his mind as he swam, swam like his life depended on it.

The Amphaors bounced off the wall and was on his way back, well ahead of the competition at this point. His team was sure to win with the lead he provided.

Malcolm collided with the wall under the platform, and by collided, I mean after touching it and the next guy jumping he couldn't stop himself fast enough and banged his head pretty hard with the wall. Ouch.

As the final swimmer finished up his leg of the race, Malcolm got out, having his towel thrown on his head by a teammate. The last guy came back and won their team first place.

The crowed cheered and went wild. The home school St Moritel had one first place, and by the end of Malcolm's turn it wasn't even a close race anymore!

[3:03:21 AM] Josh: With a flash Duncan and Josie had set off for the bleachers surrounding the pool. Although neither of them were athletes, both had enough adrenaline pumping through their veins that they sprinted off as if they were bottle rockets, suddenly bursting forth with renewed energy. They had to make it back, they had to. This was for Malcolm, and the fact that Duncan let his self-consciousness surrounding his health get to him made him feel as if he owed this to Malcolm more than anything.

The distance proved adequate, and towards the last stretch Duncan could feel himself slowing down, breathing wild but determined. Without much thought, Duncan grabbed onto Josie's wrist and together they made their way back to the stands, where it almost felt as if the crowd was cheering for their spectacular feat rather than the swimmers in the relay.

Duncan craned his neck to look for his friend, and indeed, Malcolm had just slipped into the water when they had returned. He was glad that he was able to grace the beauty of Malcolm's form with his own eyes, and immediately smiled a genuine smile.

"Hey! There's Malcolm! Kill it, Malcolm, you've got this!" Duncan shouted over the crowds.

[3:12:44 AM] Raven: Josephine was on pace with Duncan as they sprinted to see Malcolm's race. Her mind was racing right with him, she thought. They had to see him, they just had too. When Josie started to feel herself slow down Duncan grabbed her wrist and kept her with his pace, which was great.

But then why did it bug her so much? Still, it was probably thanks to that they made it in time and saw Malcolm's beautiful... everything. Josie was in awe, not realizing Duncan still gripped her wrist. She cheered and cheered until finally, Malcolm won. She almost jumped and hugged Duncan, but was able to catch herself before she even attempted it.

"What a race..." she muttered between breaths, still exhausted by sprinting. She could use a nap right about now... no time for that! They had to congratulate Malcolm! She managed to slip her hand away from Duncan and headed to a spot where she congratulate her Ampharos friend right to his face, before remembering something and calling back:

"By the way, Amity has your phone! You better make sure she didn't break it!"

[3:33:10 AM] Victoria: It was if the moment the racing starting getting more intense, the moment Malcolm's body had touched the water, Amity has crossed her legs, folded her arms, and leaned back in the bleachers. Her judging his skills was critical at this point, let's see if all of her empty words she fed to him to boost his confidence actually held true in his performance.

Amity's eyes didn't leave the water as she stared hard at Malcolm's swimming. She watched him glide across the water with ease, and she thought to himself that he was actually quite good, and was rather impressed with his results, the St. Mortiel team seemed to be wiping the floor with the Armonians.

When the race was concluded and the victory declared, Amity hastily stood up from her seat and clapped loudly as if she had been engaged from the very start. So Malcolm was all that she said he was, maybe he was more then a doormat when it came to skills. She clapped, blending in with the crowd, and was about to head down to praise him herself before her ears twitched and she heard a certain lizard girl call something out...

"Oh darling, don't give me any ideas~" she called into the crowd mischievously, waving the phone over the water.

[3:38:26 AM] Josh: "By the way, Amity has your phone! You better make sure she didn't break it!" Josie had called to Duncan, and immediately Duncan's head snapped to Amity who dangled his precious phone precariously over the pool.

He hardened his gaze at Amity, and gave her one look that said it all: "Not today."

[3:41:51 AM] Steph: As the race was now over the contestants started to disperse, to celebrate their win, or mourn their loss.  After receiving a few congratulations from the other teams, and giving out a few 'Good game's of his own, Malcolm set off to find his friends.

Sliding his way though the crowd of young girls that had once again gathered, and ... did they grow in size? Either way, Malcolm paid them no mind, for he didn't realize they were crowding around him.

Finally, Malcolm spotted Josie and Duncan, with Amity not that far away. By the time he reached them Amity had joined as well, and the Rag Tag Team was complete.

Malcolm wore a huge smile on his face, and was half a second away from bear hugging his friends in excitement when Malcolm took notice to the fact that he was still just in his bathing suit, with only a towel now around his neck and if he hugged anyone he would get them soaking wet too, so he held back the hugs. But expect them later guys.
And by Duncan using the bathroom, we mean Josh ditching us to watch Masterchef and Hotel Hell. 

Oh my gosh, that took forever! We started at like 6 pm, and ended at 3:40 am! So, we're tried and going to sleep so. 
Oh wait, I said ended at 3:40, that's a lie. This is only part 1! We're doing part 2 this afternoon! Hahahahah

Word Count: 6608

Participants: AngeltheDeranged, berryron, Saved-Sneasel, and RangerSteph21

Update The title was "Kill Tori For Her Sins", but no one *cough*ToriJoshBry*cough* really reacted so I changed it. Sorry.
© 2014 - 2024 RangerSteph21
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Greyninjear's avatar
This was beautiful your beautiful everyone's beautiful
Im so tired but I can't wait for the sequel hollarrrr
 
Long live the rag tags