Day 20: The Beatdown Part III

This article, , is the tenth chapter of the Investigating Grat arc, which is part of Bleach: Cataclysm. Garrett and Tiffany return as the main POV characters. Aaron Sheppard, May, Lloyd, Randy Jones and Ries Nohr serve as supporting characters.

The fights had progressed well up until now. Lloyd had managed to come through his first fight with little in the way of difficulty, though it had been a timely affair. He had been forced to wear down his energetic and over-the-top opponent before he could bypass his defences, though when he finally did so he ended it with three swift jabs and a rising kick to the chin. Tiffany had also come through her fight, which of course came as no great shock to Garrett. She had been trained in the same manner as he had been after all.

"Is there something on my face?" Tiffany asked.

"You'd have to come closer for me to check." Garrett responded.

"Now, now, Garrett. That would be too easy." She winked at him.

"You two are sickening." Randy remarked.

"I think they're adorable!" May added.

"They could pick a more romantic setting." Lloyd pointed out. "We're surrounded by sweating men and woman punching and kicking the living day-lights out of one another, yet those two can only make lovey-dovey faces at each other."

"Funny." Garrett said.

"Not to be rude, but Lloyd may have the right of it." Ries continued.

"See!? Even the new guy agrees!"

Yet Garrett couldn't keep focused on the fights as usual. He increasingly found his attention slipping away from the ongoing fights and towards Tiffany's back. Like him she had been in the same pocket dimension and like him she had undergone her fair share of change. She had matured in more ways than one: her hair was longer, obviously, and all that training Kenji put her through had done wonderful things for her figure. She had been athletic before but she was now attractively toned, whilst maintaining the curves that had smitten him previously.

"So, you've got a girl, then?"

Garrett nearly leapt out of his skin!

"Jesus, don't do that! You're like to give me a heart attack. But yeah that's Tiffany."

Aaron took to leaning against the wall beside his son. He wore a far-off look whilst Garrett wore one of awkwardness. Though neither of the two appeared to be comfortable.

"Pretty girl." Aaron stated.

"Our match is next." Garrett said, changing the subject. He did not want to discuss Tiffany with his father.

"Yes. I am not looking forward to it."

"It's strange." Garrett answered, obviously struggling to find the words. "Neither am I. I've had a lot of time to think about you and me. In fact... I wont fight. And it isn't out of fear of what you'll do to me if I did: you're my old man, at the end of the day. I don't want to fight you."

Aaron finally smiled.

"I see you've matured under Kenji's guidance. I'm glad to see that."

"He's a good teacher, I'll give him that."

"I have a confession to make. You see Garrett... I played you, though I suspect Kenji knew my intentions from the start and played along. I also suspect you came to this conclusion yourself. I knew the Kikkashō had shown interest in you, and I knew it was only a matter of time before they made their move. So I drove you towards the one man I knew could prepare you for them."

"What is the Kikkashō?" Garrett asked.

"The Kikkashō are the shadowy threads that keep the gears of crime moving." Aaron answered. "I don't know who the members are, but I do know that they're very dangerous. Watch your back son."

"Where are you going?"

Aaron had moved away from his son and towards the exit of the Beatdown.

"I've always wanted to visit the UK."

"You didn't tell me to stop fighting. That's new."

"... Before you only fought to gain my attention. Now you are doing it for the right reasons. Goodbye, my boy."

"Later, pops."

Garrett tore his focus from his father's departing form and returned it to his friends. As much as he hated to admit it his father was right. He had found another reason to fight. As he approached his friends he bumped fists with Randy, put his arm around Tiffany, and nodded his head in recognition to May, Lloyd and Ries. Yes, even the new guy.

"I've had enough of this place. Let's see if there's a good film on."