After the second time around and feeling worst then before, the two found themselves in front of Lulu again.
“I really hope you’re finished now.” Lulu asked barely able to stop from grinning at the dreadful looking girls.
“I-It’s not funny.” Yuffie groaned as she leaned over holding herself up with her hands on her knees.
“I know, but you two are the most entertaining thing I’ve seen all afternoon, so I‘ll give you a break.” Lulu grinned lazily as she reached into her dress and unhook a yellow materia ball.
“There, now we can start training.” Lulu studied the ball as both Yuffie and Selphie knew what it was.
“You had that equipped the whole time!?” Selphie yelled in surprise as she dropped to her knees staring at the sphere in Lulu‘s hand.
“Lesson’s have to be learned the hard way sometimes and equipping this monster-lure materia I figured was a good start after your little breakfast race.” Lulu continued her reinforcement as she tossed the materia sphere into air. Yuffie hands began to tremble as she looked the dark haired women’s eyes with vengeance.
“You sneaky, underhanded, BITCH!” Yuffie screamed as she sprung recklessly at Lulu with her weapon drawn. Sighing quietly Lulu simply closed her eyes, sneered and clicked her fingers.
“What the…?” Yuffie watched in mid-air as the belts on Lulu’s dress unlatched from themselves and came straight for her. The thick black belts wrapped around Yuffie’s legs, wrists, and mouth quick enough to keep the ninja girl suspended in the air as her weapon landed next Selphie.
“I’m not training you for my health Yuffie I’m choosing to, you and Selphie need this training like fish need water, but if you’re going to complain or argue with me or attack me of all things you better mean every second because I will not hesitate to kill you.” Lulu explained darkly as she tightened her belts on Yuffie. Yuffie kicked feebly, screaming under her strapped mouth for freedom.
“So if you’re done acting like a child I suggest we start training.” Lulu finished her speech stiffly as she dropped Yuffie to ground hard and gasping for air.
“Same goes for you.” The dark women glared meanly to Selphie then turned her back on the two and walked off. Selphie moved slowly to Yuffie side as she looked down at Yuffie with genuine concern.
“Are you ok?” The brown haired girl asked as she put a hand on her teammates shoulder.
“Don’t touch me!” Yuffie snapped as she pulled away from the girl’s friendly touch and got to her feet in a hurry.
“I was jus’ trying to help.” Selphie countered as Yuffie brushed herself off.
“You could have helped me more if you’d done something when Lulu strung me up like a goddamn puppet!” Yuffie barked back as she watched Lulu heading for the nearby tree line. Selphie kept the hurt from her face as she looked the other way.
“Come on!” Yuffie raced after Lulu as Selphie followed in her wake. The group made it in to the woods silently as Yuffie and Selphie kept to themselves for one and not to provoke Lulu on for another. Lulu stopped short of an open area of ringed flowerbeds.
“Here, Selphie you first, see the tallest purple tulip? Set only the petals on fire.” Lulu pointed as Selphie came forward and focused.
“Fire.” Selphie said softly as little flames started to dance off her fingers to the flowers. Yuffie and Lulu watched as the flames kissed the top of the flower without burning it in the slightest. Selphie tensed her body as she tried to engulf the top of flower with a weakening flare until she give in.
“I can’t.” Selphie moaned somberly as she looked to Lulu.
“Yuffie, the same thing.” Lulu seconded as she dismissed Selphie completely.
“Ok, I can do this!”
“Fire!” Yelled Yuffie as the flames erupted from her hand and set the whole ring of flowers on fire. Lulu and Selphie shielded there eyes from the solar like flare before them, but despite the power Yuffie put into her spell the purple tulip stood mockingly above its burnt and crisping comrades. Lulu shook her head slowly as she pointed a finger and whispered.
“Fire.” The tulip petal burst into flames instantly as Yuffie and Selphie watched in amazement. The petals fell black and dead to the ground as Lulu turned to them.
“You both are missing the key things to casting a successful spell, Selphie, your focus is excellent but you lack in strength and Yuffie your strength is outstanding and your focus is… well you have no focus, Try it again.” Lulu explained and ordered as she pointed the girls to two different sets of flowerbeds.
After hours of trying and the sun dusking in the west, Selphie dropped to her knees as Yuffie finished setting fire to another whole flowerbed.
“Ahhhh! Why can’t I set one stupid flower on fire?” Yuffie’s frustration boiled outward as she kicked a burned out flowerbed to ash.
“At lease you can set them on fire, I can’t even get them to burn at all.” Selphie mumbled to the ground as her eyes started to swell up. Lulu sighed shortly as she looked up from the cooking food to the discouraged girls and called out.
“Ok that’s enough, come eat.” Lulu smiled as the two girls hurried to Lulu and their dinner. A cool breeze pasted over them as their faces contorted.
“Ewww, what the hell are you cooking?” Yuffie pinched her nose as Selphie tried clearing the air in front of her face. Lulu stood up slowly as both girls flinched back.
“It’s not the food, something’s coming.” Lulu announced lowly as the ground started to rumble.
“What is it?” Yuffie asked concerningly as she picked up her pinwheel and tossed Selphie her nun-chucks.
“Get ready.” Lulu ordered swiftly as tree branches exploded forward in front of them. A huge rotted Marlboro revealed its massive mouth in a mighty roared as its decayed tentacles continued smashing their way through the woodlands.
“What’s wrong with it?” Selphie asked as the zombified Marlboro crushed the burnt flowerbeds, looking for food.
“It’s undead, someone or something brough it back to life.” Lulu explained as Yuffie and Selphie froze up from Lulu‘s words.
“We could run...” Selphie suggested surely as she glared to Lulu standing tall.
“And let it run around turning everything it touch’s or eat’s into a zombie? No, we have to stop it now.” Lulu’s voice was determined as the Malboro turned in their direction.
“Now!” Lulu’s battle cry snapped Yuffie and Selphie out of shock and terror as they launched themselves at the decaying creature with their weapons at the ready. Lulu’s palms opened with lightning growing out of them as the Marlboro screamed hungrily at its dinner to come.
“Lefty, righty.” Yuffie yelled to Selphie as they crossed paths and attacked. Both girls were smiling as their attacks slashed the monster from left to right in perfect unison, they might not be good at casting spells but there was nothing wrong with their melee attack. The Marlboro roared in pain and anger as it tried to counter the swift girls with no success.
“Lightning!” Lulu bellowed as she unleased her deadly spell on the walking corpse. The bolts flowed brightly over the Marlboro, burning streaks in its dead skin as it lashed out and caught Yuffie in mid-air, sending her flying back. Selphie finished her attack in time to see Yuffie spiraling to the ground. Her feet touched dirt for an instant then launched her back in to the air. Selphie caught Yuffie’s freefalling body as they leered silently at each other for the in-bound flight to the ground.
“Thanks.” Yuffie nodded as they hit the ground.
“Jus’ trying to help.” Selphie smiled curtly as she set Yuffie to her feet.
“Move!” Lulu’s hollered to the two girls as a tentacle smashed between them. Selphie sprung back up into a tree as Yuffie backflipped out of the way and threw a pinwheel thank you. Lulu hands raised up again as ice began to form in them.
“This is’in working.” Yuffie gritted her teeth as she crossed Selphie’s path again for other attack.
“It’s dead; it can’t feel the physical hits you’ll have to your magic!” Lulu yelled as the Marlboro howled in agony from the strong ice spell.
“But… Lulu!” Yuffie screamed as the Marlboro‘s tentacles hit Lulu in a combined assault with a gaseous black cloud. Groaning dolefully Lulu fell to the ground unconscious and bleeding from the side of her head as The Marlboro lifted her lifeless body up and towards its awaiting mouth.
“No you don’t!” Yuffie pinwheel sliced off the Marlboro’s limbs that held Lulu’ body as Selphie caught the spell caster and darted off followed closely by Yuffie. Selphie set Lulu down behind a tree as Selphie looked sorrowfully at Lulu then Yuffie.
“We need to get out of here Yuffie, neither of us can cast worth a damn and Lulu’s hurt bad.” Yuffie could sense the panic creeping into Selphie’s word as she looked back at the thrashing monster.
To be continued...