Irhaboggle Pride (2024) Pride Fourever

Four Elements

"Ahhhh! June! Best month of the year!" Rika rested her hands on her hips, grinning confidently at the beach. Her fiery orange pigtails flashed in the golden, summer sun, tips burning. "It's also Pride month in America!" she added cheerfully.

"How do you know that?!" Saori recoiled. Rika barely studied Japanese history, let alone American!

"Laura Bradley!" Rika shrugged, still beaming like the sun.

Ah. Right. How could I have forgotten? While Saori's face went deadpan, behind her, Marika and Dalia chuckled. Rika flashed back to that magical conversation, when she and Laura met up at the club.

"You guys get a whole MONTH to celebrate gayness?!" Rika's eyes lit up like the tips of her pigtails. "That's GREAT! Cuz I got three GFs back home—we're in a polyamorous polycule—and this is PERFECT!"

Laura smiled and winced. She appreciated Rika's enthusiasm, but despite its name, Pride wasn't all fun and games. It was also supposed to be a month of memory and respect, not just partying. In a nutshell, Rika was a little confused, but she had the spirit. She returned to Japan and promptly set about celebrating with the rest of her unit, and of course, one of their outings took them to the beach.

"I'm gonna get SUCH a sexy suntan!" Rika boasted as the aptly named unit—Merm4id—set up camp between the boardwalk and sea.

"You should still wear sunscreen!" Marika sing-songed, purple eyes drifting shut. Fire-wielder or not, nobody wanted skin cancer or premature wrinkles. Saori was more than happy to curl up beneath their Merm4id-branded umbrella.

"Awwww...!" Rika protested, both Dalia and Marika closing in on her, Marika wielding sunscreen. "But I have gifts! No really, I do!" She pointed to the tote they'd brought with them. Beneath the white towel at the top... were four more towels.

"Take a closer look!" Rika encouraged. "Pan for me! Bi for Marika! Demi for Dali-a! And rainbow question mark for Saori!" She handed each towel to each of her girlfriends. Saori looked mortified when Rika shouted hers, but because it was true, the purple-haired girl could do nothing but open and close her mouth like a fish out of water as she took her brand-new gay towel from Rika.

ooo

"Seeeerve... UP!" SMACK! A white ball flew over a white net, courtesy of Rika. It flew so hard and fast that a corona of fire surrounded the back of it, flickering tongues of orange and yellow dancing off the ball.

"Woah!" Saori shrieked and dissipated into a silver burst, hissing away, rematerializing half a second later on the other side of the volleyball court. Water sloshed as her body recoalesced.

"Got it! Duck, Saori!" Dalia's dark, muscled legs tensed, then she took off like a spring towards the ball while Saori ran away. "HUP!" The Earth-wielder smacked the ball as hard as she could, leaping off sand the same color as her hair.

SLAP! Dalia could hit harder than Rika, and her Earth smothered Rika's Fire.

"Woah!" Now it was Rika and Marika's turn to panic. "MARIKA!" Rika looked desperately at the purple-eyed brunette, but the model was already pushing her hands forward. Though her element was invisible, its effects certainly weren't, and the ball slowed down enough for them to hit it back.

"Come on, Saori!" Marika sing-songed. "You have to hit it back this time!" Then she and Rika locked eyes and hit the ball together.

"NO! WAIT!" Saori raised her hands again, but this time, a jet of water burst from her palms. Too late did Rika and Marika realize their mistake. Their eyes widened, then they were hit square in the face, full force, by Saori's aquatic power.