Patron reward - thedutchruff

[Story]

A visitor one day. Jeanne invited White Fang to training.

Jeanne is the guildmaster of a rescue team believed to be from the PMD world. She apparently wandered into this world while exploring a few days ago. Various anomalous phenomena appear and disappear in that forest, and recently, it seems there have been many drifters from a similar dimension. Only Anna, the pharmacist, has found a way to intentionally travel between the two worlds, but they needed to investigate whether there was any connection.

On the other hand, Jeanne remained calm throughout, perhaps due to her various adventures and battles. If there were several cases of former humans wandering into the other world, the reverse must also be true. As soon as she learned a way back existed, she freely explored OTW until then.

In martial arts, warriors or those wielding blades can sense each other's mastery. White Fang is usually a calm and quiet Pokémon, seemingly unrelated to combat, but Jeanne seemed to have noticed something inside her. White Fang brushed it off, claiming it was a misunderstanding, and said that other Pokemon would be better suited to sparring. But Jeanne refused, and persisted. She was worried that she couldn't find a sparring partner worthy of her abilities and therefore might miss out on opportunities for personal growth. In order to grow, she sought new stimulation.

Still, White Fang hesitated. Jeanne realized then that her reluctance to show her true strength wasn't born of modesty. As Guild Master, she had seen many warriors, and she recognized White Fang's eyes. They were the eyes of someone who had suffered deep emotional wounds on the battlefield. They shunned combat and did not consider their battle record to be heroic deeds. White Fang's words, that she had no desire to wield her blade in a contest of strength or as a spectacle, might carry much more weight than she had imagined.

Jeanne calmed herself for a moment, then proposed to White Fang again.

"One minute..."

Jeanne looked her straight in the eyes.

"Give me just one minute of your time."

White Fang thought for a moment, then spoke.

"……OK. If it's just one minute..."

The forest surrounding OTW is mostly coniferous due to the cold climate, and the short undergrowth makes it easy to walk through. They moved to a wide open area a short distance from OTW and faced each other.

Jeanne used her esper powers to create a spherical glass orb.

"I've set it to shatter exactly one minute from now. That will be the signal for the time limit."

"The condition is that neither of us intentionally inflicts lethal or severe injury. Will you promise that again?"

"Of course."

A tense atmosphere hung in the air, the silence broken only by the rustling of plants.

"Ready?"

As Jeanne launched the sphere into the air, she charged forward, swinging the blades on her arms. White Fang evaded the slash with minimal movement, narrowly avoiding it. She dodged Jeanne's subsequent flurry of attacks in the same manner.

Fast. Much faster than expected. While Jeanne's combat prowess was characterized by exceptional speed, White Fang accurately anticipated every single one of her attacks. Moreover, her movements—evading by the slimmest margin and with the slightest shift—made it easy to transition into counterattacks. This agility convinced Jeanne beyond doubt that she possessed outstanding combat experience. But...

"Why aren't you counterattacking? Do you intend to waste this crucial minute just stalling?"

"...Understood. Then."

In that instant, White Fang disappeared from before her eyes. As soon as Jeanne noticed, she quickly raised her blade. White Fang's 峰打(https://discord.com/channels/1112962750554058814/1112967483633172512/1345053610295431221) swung down from above Jeanne's head, and Jeanne's blade collided violently with hers, creating a shrill sound. They shook off each other's blades, and the exchange of blades continued without a moment's pause. They swung their blades, dodging and blocking each other's. Countless attacks and defenses unfolded in the course of just a few seconds, due to the high speed of the battle.

Jeanne knocked the lighter White Fang away, sending her landing in shallow water. Jeanne immediately charged forward, heedless of the cold water, to pursue. The sight of their blades, their movements, and the churned-up water blending together resembled a fantastical dance, even amidst the battle. After another all-out strike, they both stepped back, ready for more. In that instant, amid a momentary silence, a sound like shattering glass echoed across the plain.

They slowly relaxed their stances, as if their bodies were gradually adjusting from the pressure of deep water to land.

In real life, it was only a minute. But to them, it felt an incredibly long and intense minute.

"...That was a fun time."

Jeanne was the first to speak.

"Just as I thought, fighting you was definitely a good stimulus. Thank you for listening to my selfish request."

"...It's nothing."

White Fang replied softly.

Jeanne stared at her hand, which had now unlatched the Psychoblade, and recalled the feeling from earlier.

She had noticed a slight discomfort when White Fang's blade made contact. After a few exchanges, her doubts had turned to certainty.

While there may be slight differences, when swinging a sword, you normally apply force at the moment the blades make contact in order to accurately transmit the power. However, White Fang did the opposite, slightly relaxing her pressure at the moment of contact. Such a habit is unlikely to develop in someone who fights normally.

Jeanne remembered White Fang before the sparring session. The fact that she had avoided wielding her blade to that extent. Those eyes, deeply scarred by battle. An answer finally occurred to Jeanne.

Only someone who knew the consequences of not doing so could achieve such precise control. Instantly gauging the strength of both herself and her opponent, she not only weakened the enemy's fighting power but also meticulously adjusted her force to ensure she never killed. And to be capable of that required the experience of repeatedly using a blade to kill others.

...Jeanne stopped thinking any further. Whatever White Fang's past might have been, it was clear that she was different now. Her blade was the best proof of that. It is precisely because she knows the power of a deadly blade that she has worked so hard to obtain a blade that does not kill.

"Shall we go home?" Jeanne said to White Fang with a gentle expression.

"Your family must be waiting for you."

White Fang smiled faintly at those words and agreed with her.

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

This time, I received a request for a patron reward: "Jeanne sparring with White Fang (thedutchruff's OC)." Since I had the chance, I decided to make it a short story delving deeper into White Fang. This time, I focused on an analysis of White Fang as seen by others, a scene of two masters sparring, and her 峰打(Mineuchi / False Swipe) move.