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((What did you say? More Salieri? Well, okay, whatever you guys want))

[In the past (Salieri)]

“I told you I would uphold what you had seen all the way through during you entire life,” Koichi said as he kneeled in front of a large portrait of the previous master in the otherwise empty dojo room.

“…Father…we’ve lost our once proud family title. It’s all my fault. I-I should have trained her more. I didn’t give the preparation she needed. I didn’t show her all of my techniques in time.” His voice was shakey, and he was on the verge of tears. “And now I don’t know how I can give them anything, when I’ve lost it all!”

Koichi’s head bowed down before the portrait. “Father, what do I do now? How do I support my children while living the life you taught me to lead? I am so ashamed.”

No, Dad. You gave me everything you could. It was me who failed you.

That was what she wanted to tell her dad as she listened from the hall. But she couldn’t bring herself to do it. She was ashamed as well. The past week had felt like a year, where all she would do was eat and go to bed. She would barely sleep, only just lying there thinking about how the world outside of these walls was not something she could handle.

Now she could hear him openly sobbing, cursing himself for not being a better father. It was all she could take. Salieri got up and walked down the halls. Once filled with life and energy, she knew that the dojo would never be the same again.

She got to Moze’s room and knocked on the door. It swung open, catching her brother in the middle of climbing out the window. And then fury overcame Salieri.

“What do you think you’re doing? You’re choosing now of all times to run out into the night!?”

He paused mid action, now aware of his sister’s presence. “…times like these are the ones I run away from the most.”
“What happened to never being scared of anything?” she spat at him. Moze turned around to face his sister, with a sad and pathetic look to his face. He wasn’t even able to make eye contact with her anymore.
“…you wouldn’t understand.”
“Wouldn’t understand? Wouldn’t understand? Bullshit, we’ve been in the same boat since we got dropped on this ******** doorstep. I’m the only one the in world who will understand you, so why don’t you explain it to me right now?”

Moze hopped down from the window, walking up to her with an intense look in his eyes that she had never seen before. “Okay, fine. Maybe all this pressure is getting to me, alright? I don’t want to be the new master, I never wanted that. But my fate had been decided for me, I never had a chance! The moment we landed on this doorstep was the moment that I got trapped.”

His voice was shrill, with a taste of bitterness she had never heard in it before. Her brother wasn’t supposed to sound like this. Her brother was supposed to be an ace.

“But what would you know, you’ve got out of all of that. Look at you, feeling sorry for yourself when all you do is get into fights.”

Rage washed over Salieri. She had never gotten into an argument with Moze, but now everything was bubbling up to the surface.

“Me feeling sorry for myself? Look at you, acing like your life is so tough. Who knows where we could have ended up, we could have been anywhere! But we got lucky. We ended up on the doorstep of a loving father, who’s hurting the most right now. And he’s given you everything he’s ever worked for-“

“I told you I never wanted that-“

“BUT I DID!”

Her breath was quick and fierce. She didn’t care what she said now, it had to be heard. “It was all I EVER wanted, Moze! I’m the one who never had a chance! It’s not like you care about any of that. You’re Mr. Perfect, always on top of everything! Or are you, with the way you always bail on us without warning?”

“….what are you trying to say to me, Salieri?”

“I might get into fights, sure, but at least I’m not a ******** drug addict-“

Her head hit the ground. Hard. Salieri’s vision was blurry as she clutched the side of her face where Moze had just backhanded her. She looked up at her brother, who for a second looked imposing. But in his eyes, he had the terrified look of a small, frail creature. He looked at his outstretched hand in horror, trying to find words but stumbling over his own tongue.

She was too scared to get up. She didn’t want to be near him anymore. For every little motion he made, she slid back on the floor. “D-did you just-“

And then Moze spun around. Salieri flinched, fearing another blow, but her brother vaulted right out the window and landed with a thud onto the courtyard. Salieri got up to see Moze running full speed out into the city, away from the house. Away from her.

The girl was all alone now. Quietly, she shuffled back to her room. Her mind was a blank. Her body moved on it's own. That experience was unprecedented. She couldn’t even form coherent thoughts anymore as she lay in bed.

And then she finally went to sleep, too exhausted from trying to make sense of it all.

Eunmi stepped back, using her free leg to stomp down on the sweep. Her foot would wedge his leg to the ground, and because of his forward momentum from the sweep, he would probably not be able to withdraw the leg from that angle. She caught his elbow by striking out a swing, punching at the joint, effectively avoiding his strike and trying to cause damage as well. This could potentially break the joint or hit a nerve cluster. Either way, she'd combo up after with a punch to the nose from the same hand.

((2-3 parts after this one, and then I'll probably stop beating you guys over the head with text walls))

[In the past (Salieri)]

Salieri wished she could have slept forever. That the events of the last night could have been a dream. But she found herself reluctantly awaking to the sun the next day.

The girl was a zombie in her own home, shuffling through it without a care in the world. She ended up on the porch, and standing at the steps was Moze.

The two looked at each other for a long time. They saw something different in the other one, something that they’d never seen before. They both knew that now, it would never be the same between them. That had been a pivotal moment in their relationship. What came next could change everything.

Before either of them could speak, Moze dropped to his hands and knees. And he cried. The teenager bawled openly in front of the younger sister he had sworn to protect. She could barely make out his words through the sobs, but she could hear him cursing himself for messing up his own life and for what he had put her through. She heard the promises that he kept making about how that would never happen again.

About how he would never go off to try and fill up a void with an artificial feeling.

About how since he started, real life has been so cold and the only thing warm was his family.

About how if he kept going, he’d lose all that warmth and be freezing for the rest of his life.

And most of all, he said he was sorry. So many times, he sobbed that he was sorry.

He didn’t give her a reason for why he was using those terrible drugs. He couldn’t bring himself to do it. And even after he felt his sister giving him a hug, he couldn’t stop crying in her embrace. He only cried harder at her silent forgiveness.

The two of them stayed on the porch for the rest of the morning. It felt like forever.

~~~~

Although the dojo was still technically open, business had been slowed down tremendously. Without funds from the pokemon association, Koichi could not afford to give lessons at low prices anymore. Most students up and quit, and when trainers saw the official gym next door they ignored the dojo. The building was practically empty, save for the Del Forrests.

While very little had happened lately that had been any good, there was one new light in Koichi’s life that made it all worthwhile. The date he had been on had been a success, and he had gone on a few more. Now, Salieri and Moze were going to finally meet this mystery woman.

“What do you think she looks like?” Sal asked Moze as they sat on the couch. Moze shrugged.
“She’s probably seven feet tall. And all muscley.”
“Ewwww. What if she has a moustache?”
“Gross, Dad wouldn’t date someone with a-“

They heard the door open, and they both shut up instantly while Koichi stepped in the door. He moved to the side and gestured to the empty space. “Kids, I want you to meet Sophie.”

In stepped a slender woman with long, willowy blond hair that cascaded down to her waist. Each of her steps was graceful and precise, like she was a creature not of this earth. And on her eyes was a faded grey blindfold, tied up in a knot at the back.

“It’s nice to meet the two of you,” she said in a gentle and sweet voice, her walking cane held in both hands. The jaws dropped on the Del Forrest siblings as they did a double take, not realizing that they were staring. Well, it wasn’t like she could see them. But Koichi could.

Moze got up first, holding out a hand for Sophie to take before realizing that was probably stupid. Surprisingly, she reached out and grabbed it as anyone else would, and Moze found himself smiling. “I’m Moze, nice to meetcha.”

Then Salieri followed suit. “And I’m Salieri.”

Sophie smiled at them both, then turned to Koichi. “Honey, you never told me your kids were so polite.”
“Please,” he grunted, “Wait until you start hearing the bald jokes.”

The four of them sat in the living room and began to talk. While Salieri was initially uncomfortable with this new person who was so important to their father, she found that despite being so mellow she fit right into the family dynamic. Even with all of the crazy energy the Del Forrests produced, Sophie never missed a beat. It was like she had been there forever.

“Alright kids, now this is important, so I want you to listen closely.” Koichi turned to Sophie. “Sophie, I’ll let you explain.”

She nodded and then leaned forward. “My home country is over the ocean, a land called Unova. I was planning on returning there sooner, but…ah, you see, I did not want to leave your father behind. So then we thought-“
“Then we thought maybe we should go too!” Koichi finished excitedly, more energetic looking then he had been for months. “It’s time for the Del Forrests to turn over a new leaf. What do you guys think?”

The siblings were slightly overwhelmed. “A new country?” Salieri looked down at her lap, furrowing her brow. “Dad, I think-“
“Let’s go!” Moze exclaimed, bolting up into a standing position. “I’m ready to pack my bags when you guys are!”
Koichi was almost glowing. “Moze, are you serious? You want to go as well?”
“Of course! It’s about time we tried something new. Maybe when we get there I can check out Unova music scene, and see what kind of tunes I’ll be able to hear.” He grinned at his sister. “See-Sal, what do you say? Let’s get out of this city once and for all.”

It felt like so long ago that she had wanted to do that. It was a dream she never thought could have been realized. And now it was finally coming true. So why did it feel just too good to be true? Because it was.

“What about getting our gym back?”

The other three sat in silence. They weren’t sure how to respond. “Don’t get me wrong, Unova could be great. But I left my honor behind on that battlefield. All I’ve ever wanted was a dojo of my own. I know…”

She sighed. “I know I would never get this one, but it still felt like there was a piece of me in this place. If I could win back official gym status, then-“
“You’d be stuck here forever,” Moze finished for her. “Sal, there’s a whole world out there for you to explore. We don’t have to resign to one fate.” He beamed. “We can choose our own destiny now.”

It was clear that they were all waiting with bated breaths at what Salieri’s answer would be. She looked away at the halls of the home she had loved for so long. Soon, it would no longer be hers. Her room would be turned into something else. New students would arrive. The dojo was moving on without her.

Still, she could move on without the dojo. She could do better.

She smiled sheepishly at her family and Sophie. “Let’s go to Unova.”

Cheers rang throughout the house.

-Hits the 'Like' Button-

((Quoting this in case you missed it, TK. Just waiting on you, dude))

[In the past (Salieri)]

The next day, mid afternoon, Moze and Koichi returned from the doctor’s office.

“They said that they couldn’t find anything wrong with him!” Koichi proclaimed, giving his son a pat on the back. “See? I told you it was just food poisoning.”
Moze lurched forward with his father’s shove, and then rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “Yep, you did, Dad.”

Salieri looked up at them from the couch. “So you’re fine, then?”

Moze gave her a thumbs up. “I’m better than that, I feel great! I talked with Dad about it, and in a week I’m going to begin my trip as a pokemon trainer!”

This was a bombshell of news, dropped even more casually than the moving announcement. “What?”

“Dad and Sophie each have a pokemon they want to start me off with. Add that to the two I caught before we left for Unova, and I already have four. Isn’t that a great headstart?” he grinned.

Salieri was baffled. “But you…you can’t…”

“C’mon, See-Sal,” he told her as he walked by his sister to the stairwell, ruffling her hair in passing. “You didn’t expect me to stay here forever, did you?”

Of course she didn’t. Salieri had no say in the matter. She wanted her brother to be happy. At the same time, she didn’t want him to leave. Not when everything was beginning to look up.

So she decided right then and there that she’d find pokemon of her own. And when she was strong enough, she’d leave to become a trainer. She would gain enough of a reputation to start her own dojo. The family’s title would be restored, here in Unova. It was the land where she could start over again. What she had lost could be reclaimed, she knew it.

And on the road, she could run into her brother again.

~~~~

The day had come for Moze’s departure. The sun had just rose, but Salieri had already awoken. She rushed downstairs, eager to see her brother off and make sure that he had everything he needed. Like food. She knew that Moze didn’t like her cooking, but she still wanted to pack him a sandwich anyway. So she darted into the kitchen of the quiet house to make him his meal.

She got out the ingredients and brought them to the counter, but before she could start karate chopping the vegetables, she saw a note. Salieri took out her glasses and began to read it.

Hey guys,

I hope you’re not too upset with me, but I decided to leave early this morning. You know I’m not very good at saying goodbye. But I’ll be back to visit before you know it! My calling is out there in the world. So I have to go while I can still hear it.

Please don’t worry about me. I want you all to take care of each other. You’re the greatest family I could have ever wanted.

Lots of love,
Moze

Salieri took of her glasses, and just as she did she heard the front door close. Was that Moze? Had he only just left now? Excitement brimmed in her once again. She could actually see him off, just ike she had wanted!

She took a step forward, and stopped. Her bare foot had stpped into something warm and sticky. Sal lifted up her foot, and saw that there was a red liquid smeared on her foot. Her eyes scanned the ground. She could see a trail of red dots leading out to the door.

No.

Salieri ran to the door, following the trail of-

No, don’t even think that.

The door closed quietly behind her, and the trail continued. She took a few steps off the porch to see Moze, his back turned to her. One hand holding his walking stick. The other holding his mouth.

He must have heard her footsteps, because he stopped walking instantly. And so did she. The two of them stood there, before Moze began to turn around. A part of her didn’t want to see his face, because she had a terrible feeling in her gut about it. The other part of her agreed.

And then Moze’s turned fully to face Salieri, his hand fully covering his mouth. Blood trickled through his fingers onto the ground. It dripped and dripped, but it wasn’t just blood anymore. It had been diluted by a steady stream of tears coming from his eyes, dropping to the ground as well. Rivers of blood and tears were coming from her brother’s face.

Now she knew why he had wanted to get out of the house so quickly. He hadn’t wanted anybody to know, not even her. He knew this was going to happen again. Because this was something those drugs had done to him. He had done this to himself. Her heart sank a little more for every second she spent watching him, putting the pieces of the puzzle together.

But she wasn’t going to cry. She wasn’t going to show him how much seeing him like his was killing her. How every drop of blood, every tear shed tore at her heart a little bit more. When he felt weak, she has to be strong. Because they looked out for each other. They were family.

And then he spoke, quietly. It was the only noise to be heard, and she could barely hear it. But she heard it clearly nevertheless.

“Salieri,” he whispered, “please don’t tell.”

At those words, her efforts to hold back her tears had failed. As she fell to her knees and began openly bawling, she was no longer a Battle Girl. Just a scared, lonely girl who didn’t know whether or not her brother would survive what was to come.

But despite the tears that would not stop, she tried her best to nod.

Moze nodded as well, and then removed his hand from his mouth, The napkin he was holding was soaked in blood, all cleaned right off of his face. He dropped it in the garbage can as he walked over to her, looking down at the wreck that was her sister while wiping away the tears from his eyes. And then, he grinned weakly at her.

“See-Sal…can you give me a smile? Pretty please?”

The tears came out even harder now, and Salieri found herself slowly shaking her head. Her glistening eyes looked up at brother’s sad ones.

“I-I’m sorry, Moze. I…gah…I can’t…I can’t smile for you anymore…”

He sighed heavily. She still cried. He patted the top of her head, and whispered into her ear, “I promise you that I’m coming back. No crying until the end, sister.”

She still cried. Moze stood up and turned around, starting to walk again by bracing himself against his walking stick as he hobbled away. Even as he walked away, he could hear her sobs.

Until her parents woke up and realized that their son was gone, she would remain in the street, crying her heart out.

~~~~

"See-Sal? You okay?"

The music they were playing was over. Salieri fell out from her zone. She was no longer looking back upon her memories. She was looking at her brother, in the present day at the Pinwheel Forest. It was then she realized that her vision was a little blurry from watery eyes.

"Nah, just got some dust in my eyes. I haven't cleaned this flute in a while," she muttered while wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. Moze grinned and put his violin away.

"You gotta take better care of your instruments, See-Sal. They'll break if you keep that up." He hoisted Aphrodite's case back onto his shoulder and stood up straight. "Well? The next round of that tournament will probably be starting soon. You don't want to be late, do you?"

She shook her head. "Of course not. Are you going to watch?"
He nodded. "Of course I am."

They began to walk back into town, brother and sister reunited for the time being. What a silly question Moze had asked her. Obviously she was alright. What, did he think she was crying? Not a chance. Salieri didn't cry anymore.

After all, she was told there was no crying until the end. Whatever that was supposed to mean.

"Faster than I expected." Eunmi thought. It was odd that Takamaru was able to free his leg so easily considering the position he had been in, but no matter. She didn't waste time bothering herself with things in the past. In the time he took to tear his leg free, Eunmi's fist had already snapped back from her punches, and as he attempted a palm thrust, she would twist and move to Takamaru's side ((You didn't specify, but I'm guessing a palm thrust involves both hands, so it doesn't really matter which side. Unless you did only use one hand, and then it'll be to the side of whichever arm is extended.)), raising and smashing down her elbow into his collarbone. His knee/foot stomp wouldn't work, considering her position was parallel to his now, at the side, rather than a front word facing attack.

"I don't like beating people up," Eunmi said. "But I have to win."