TRIGGERFINGER SEASONS 2 - 3 (THE PROSPECT TRIALS/CHAOS CARNIVAL)

S02E07 The Road to El DoLardo! Immovable Object vs. Irresistible Force!

Stamos and Ash were sitting outside Ash's dream version of Marianne's saloon, both cross-legged, Ash with a single hand out in front of him. He had his eyes closed, trying to soak in the warmth of the simulated sun above. Stamos watched Ash's hand intently, expecting to see a ball of fire emit from his palm any minute now. Ash's muscles tensed, desperately trying to form the ball of fire. His eyes opened, and he slumped his back against the ground, sprawling out.

"This is hopeless," Ash complained. "I did it when I battled Rian, why can't I do it now?"

"You need to focus, Ash," Stamos advised. "You say you were able to do it when you took on the Hellhound? Well then, what was it that you felt in that moment?"

Ash took a moment to think. He was angry about Marianne's death yet oddly calm at the same time. He wanted to bring Rian back to his senses but knew that it was impossible. He remembered the feeling of the sun against his skin, how warm it was, how soothing it felt. Sitting back up, he tried again, closing his eyes once more. He replayed the battle against Rian again and again inside his head, attempting to bring back those same emotions.

Then, he felt a sense of heat in the palm of his hand, and tried to imagine it spinning around, forming into a ball of fire. The warmth felt nice in his hand, and almost felt how it did that day he battled Rian in The Frontier. He concentrated all his energy into forming the ball of fire but after some time, once again started to feel like it was hopeless. He opened his eyes, about to give up, when he saw Stamos grinning at him. He frowned, and looked down. There in the palm of his hand was a ball of fire around the size of a tennis ball, sitting perfectly still. His eyes widened, as a grin painted itself across his face.

"Look, Stamos!" Ash exclaimed. "I did it!"

"You sure did, kid," Stamos replied, getting up off the ground. "Now, I want you to throw it at me. Let's see how powerful this thing is."

Ash nodded, and got up off the ground, the fireball still in his hand. He took a step back, and flung his arm forward, the fireball leaving his palm and soaring through the air. It struck Stamos in the chest, who didn't react whatsoever. This made Ash assume the fireball was too weak, and looked at the ground in disappointment.

"It's strong," Stamos said. "Not enough to make this tough old geezer flinch but I wouldn't envy anyone who got struck by it."

Ash looked up and smiled. "So, you think it would be enough to take down bad guys?"

"Depends on the bad guy. Someone at Prospect level such as yourself, sure. I don't imagine it's as powerful as the one you pulled off in your battle against the Hellhound but hey, it's a step in the right direction."

"Can I try again?"

Stamos smiled. "Of course, kid. That's what we're here for."

Having gotten the hang of it now, Ash formed another fireball in his hand, and threw it.

***

Shade paced backwards and forwards in the ring, staring daggers at El DoLardo, who stood opposite him with a grimace on his face. Kore gave Meadow and Bolt an invigoration gummy each and they were revitalized, once again their normal selves. More or less anyway, their physical injuries from Lardo still playing a factor, both arching their backs and stretching, trying to get some feeling back into their spines. Kore held the bag upside down and caught two more invigoration gummies in his right hand.

"We're down to our last two," Kore called out. "Make this fight count, Shade."

Shade nodded, and Red rang the bell, indicating the start of the bout. Shade immediately rushed in with the shadow bokken, and struck Lardo in the stomach. Lardo didn't react however, his flabs absorbing the attack. The rolls on his stomach rippled, and the force of the attack bounced back, sending Shade reeling. As Shade rose back to his feet, Lardo laughed.