OHolyBologna

⟡ my lore ⟡

Random Fun Fact: I'm left-handed

Music Taste: Polyjamorous, but Alt-Rock and EDM are my faves

Favorite Movie(s): The Polar Express Moana The Goonies, etc.

Favorite Show(s): TADC Bridgerton InuYasha Frieren Dragon Prince Violet Evergarden Carol and the End of the World, etc.

Favorite Videogame(s): TLOU Minecraft Dead Island (franchise) Dying Light (franchise) REPO Fields of Mistria Resident Evil (franchise) Hitman LOZ: Breath of the Wild LOZ: Twilight Princess Jak and Daxter (franchise) Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, etc.

Favorite Youtuber(s): Markiplier Jacksepticeye GameGrumps penguinz0/Moist Critical FunkyFrogBait/FunkyFrogPlays SMOSH Jacksfilms POCHI SCIENCE Black Gryph0n, etc.

Favorite Food: Baked Ziti

Favorite Drink: Arizona Green Tea or matcha coffee latte

Favorite Animal: Cats

Favorite Season: Spring

Favorite Type of Weather: Summer thunderstorm or a blizzard

Favorite Color: Purple

Favorite Number: 2

⟡ interests & hobbies ⟡

Things I Want to Learn: Embroidery Woodburning

Skills/Hobbies: Cooking Drawing Writing Poetry Photography Video editing Logo Design Copywriting Video Gaming, etc.

Other Interests: Tarot Astrology Psychology

What I Believe In: Women's Rights Pro-Choice Anti-Trump LGBTQIA+ Rights Anti-Artificial Intelligence Mental Health Awareness Travel and Cultural Appreciation Empathy > Ego.

Projects: I've Got Catitude (insta quote project) Poetry book

⟡ hyperfixations ⟡

Music: OHB MUSIC STUFF

Fandoms, Characters & Ships: OHB HYPERFIXATIONS

⟡ interactive fun ⟡

Send me a song → I'll rate it

Ask me about my cats

Give me recommendations (fanfics, shows, movies, etc)

Need advice? Feel free to ask

Ask me about my interests or projects! I'll yap for ages

Ask for a tarot reading

⟡ the only rules ⟡

#1 Don't be a jackass

#2 Don't Spam My Inbox

CHAPTER 18: PLAYING TO WIN

“Pomni, to your left!”

Ragatha’s warning nearly came too late. 

Pomni barely has time to react before Jax lunges at her. 

She ducks just in time, Jax’s hand closing around nothing but air where her flag had been just a second earlier. 

He sails over a ruined wall, laughing. 

“Almost had you,” he says, brushing the dust off his overalls as he stands back up. 

There’s a glint in his eyes and he’s grinning down at Pomni. 

Pomni grins back.

“Shouldn’t you be with your other teammates?” Ragatha asks, “Where are Zooble and Gangle anyway?”

“If I didn’t know any better, Rags, I’d say you were trying to get me to spill our strategy.”

Ragatha rolls her eyes and cranes her neck to peer around Jax in search of the pair.

“Whoa, dollface!” he exclaims, moving to block her view, “My eyes are up here.”

Ragatha was starting to realize that Jax’s true role might be to distract them from Zooble and Gangle heading toward their grand flag. The grand flag, worth three points, was nestled deep within Crimson Chaos’ territory. If Zooble and Gangle managed to steal it and carry it safely back to Sapphire’s spawn, the game would be over. 

Right now, the only one protecting Crimson’s grand flag is…

“$@&%, Kinger,” Ragatha murmurs.

The redhead leans down to whisper to Pomni, a slight trill to her voice. 

“Pomni, you gotta go help him.”

“Wh…I mean, okay. But what about you?”

Ragatha straightens, waving a hand at Pomni nonchalantly. 

“No worries, I can handle it!” she says with a cheerful smile. 

“...okay,” Pomni drawls, beginning her sprint away from Ragatha and the now-approaching Jax. 

“And you call me cocky,” Jax scoffs, “You just made your one chance at mercy from me leave.”

Ragatha blinks, pondering what he’d just said.

“Uh…what?” 

Jax, seeming to realize what he’d said sounded like, clears his throat awkwardly. 

“I was going to let one of you go,” he clarifies, “But now I’ll just have to eliminate you.”

Ragatha thought she had his team's plan fully figured out, but she was wrong. 

Jax was merely phase one of Sapphire’s plan. 

Ragatha yelps, twisting away from Jax’s attempt to swipe her flag. 

“Oh, no you don’t!”

She darts around the ruined wall, feet kicking up loose dirt as she ducks beneath a crumbling stone archway. 

Jax wastes no time chasing after her, effortlessly jumping over a pile of fallen masonry rather than bothering to run around it. 

“Y-You’re faster than you look,” Ragatha calls over her shoulder, growing increasingly nervous. 

“You’re as slow as you look,” he taunts back, his smile devious as he narrows his eyes at her. 

She cuts sharply to the left, trying not to let him close their distance. 

Jax anticipates it. 

He plants a foot against the stone wall, pushing off it to both change direction and launch himself forward in one fluid motion. 

Ragatha’s eyes widen. 

“You’ve got to be kidding me-”

She pivots again, narrowly slipping out of his reach as his fingers graze the fabric of her sleeve instead of  the red flag clipped to her side. 

“Tch,” Jax huffs. 

Ragatha spots another narrow opening between two collapsed pillars and makes a break for it. 

If she could just stall him for a few more seconds, Pomni would have enough time to reach Kinger. 

She squeezes through the gap. 

Jax doesn’t. 

Instead, he springs onto one of the broken columns, using the higher ground to leap clean over the obstacle. 

He lands directly in front of her. 

“@&$%! Jax-” 

“Any last words, Rags?” 

“Are you seriously-”

Jax yanks the flag from her side in the middle of her speaking. 

“Whoops,” he says, not looking all that apologetic. 

“JAX!” 

A horn blares and Ragatha is transported into a secluded stone courtyard out of the game. A massive fountain stands in the center, the steady rush of water filling the otherwise quiet air. 

“Damn it,” she sighs, kicking a rock, “Sorry, Pomni…”

“AND WE HAVE OUR FIRST ELIMINATION!” Caine’s voice booms overhead, “Ragatha of The Crimson Chaos has lost her personal flag! Only Pomni and Kinger remain in play!”

Pomni’s heart sinks.

She skids to a halt atop a grassy rise overlooking the ruins just as Caine’s announcement echoes across the battlefield. 

“Ragatha…”

Well, that was fast. 

A moment ago, Ragatha confidently waved her off, insisting she could handle Jax on her own. Now, she was already out of the game. 

Pomni shakes her head. 

This was no time to feel bad for Ragatha. 

Ragatha had entrusted Pomni with getting to Kinger. 

She wasn’t about to let her friend have lost in vain.

The ancient ruins gradually gave way to an overgrown courtyard where ivy crawled over dilapidated stone walls. Beyond them, the crimson grand flag waved proudly above a raised platform. 

Their grand flag. 

“Kinger?” Pomni calls, slowing to a jog, “Kinger, where are you?”

Silence. 

“...Kinger?”

A rustling bush off to her left answers instead.

Pomni whirls around just in time to see the man in question crawl out from underneath it, a handful of colorful bugs cradled gently in his hand. 

“Oh! There you are,” he exclaims cheerfully, “Look at these cool bugs I found, Pomni.”

In his hand, he presents a worm, a ladybug and a beetle. 

“Aren’t they beautiful?”

Pomni smiles softly up at him, “I’m glad you haven’t been eliminated. Apparently Zooble and Gangle were supposed to make their way here.”

“Hm? Make their way here for what?”

Pomni gestures to the fluttering crimson colored flag behind her. 

“Oh, a flag!” he exclaims, like he’s seeing it for the first time. 

She nods, “Yeah…the grand flag.”

Kinger’s eyes focus ever so slightly, like his mind is trying to recall why he was here in the first place. 

“We’re supposed to be protecting that, aren’t we?”

Before Pomni can answer, movement catches the corner of her eye. 

She spots Zooble and Gangle approaching,  quietly maneuvering between the ruined nearby buildings. 

“They’re here,” Pomni says under her breath, crouching down beside Kinger - who was still kneeling on the ground. 

Pomni bites at the tip of her thumb, looking at their surroundings. 

She couldn’t just run and couldn’t keep hiding either. She was going to have to eliminate one or both of them.

“Kinger, I need your help,” Pomni whispers, looking into his blue eyes with renewed determination. 

Pomni whispers her plan to Kinger. 

He nods once and gives her a thumbs up with his free hand that’s not full of bugs. 

“Um, you might want to put those down first,” she says, pointing at the bugs.

“Oh. Right,” Kinger says, gently putting them down. 

Kinger then stands, surprising both Zooble and Gangle who hadn’t realized he was hiding there. 

“@$&#, Kinger you scared the @%&! out of me,” Zooble says. 

“Oh, sorry Zooble. I was just looking for bugs!” Kinger explains, “Say, have you seen any butterflies around? They’re my favorite.”

“Uh…well, I think I saw some by the pond over there?” Gangle replies, thoughtfully. 

“...shouldn’t you be, I don’t know…guarding your flag?” Zooble asks. 

“Guarding the what?” Kinger asks, genuinely confused. 

“Right…” Zooble deadpans, remembering it was Kinger they were dealing with. 

While this conversation was happening, Pomni was quietly positioning herself behind Zooble and Gangle, using foliage as cover and being mindful to avoid stepping on anything that would make noise. 

While Pomni felt it would be more advantageous for her to take Zooble out first, Gangle was the closest to her when she finally made it in position. 

“Sorry, Gangle,” Pomni whispers to herself. 

Part of her hoped that once she snatched the flag from Gangle, Zooble would still be too preoccupied with Kinger and the grand flag to notice. Meaning Pomni could potentially eliminate Zooble right after. 

Nope. 

The moment Gangle was eliminated, that stupid horn blared. 

“LOOKS LIKE GANGLE HAS BEEN ELIMINATED!” Caine’s voice called out, “That leaves each team short one member!”

Zooble’s head immediately snaps around, eyes landing on Pomni who is still crouched sneakily.

Pomni gives her an awkward grin.

“Heh, um…hi?”

Kinger, still positioned in front of Zooble, notices a butterfly land on her side.

Directly clinging to the blue flag clipped to their side. 

“Oh…”

Zooble’s attention snaps back to Kinger, mistaking him reaching for the butterfly as him reaching for the flag. 

Realizing they were outnumbered, Zooble glances at the grand flag for a moment. They contemplate snatching it and making a break for it, but it’s too risky. Especially now with Gangle eliminated, leaving only themself and…ugh. 

Jax. 

Except Jax wasn’t here yet. 

Zooble figured their best bet for now was to make a tactical retreat. 

Pomni stands back up, watching Zooble run away back toward where Jax was likely coming up from. 

“Well,” she dusted off her pants, “That worked.”

Kinger beams at Pomni, the earlier butterfly perched gently on his outstretched finger. 

“Thanks Kinger.”

“You’re welcome!” he says, “...what did I do?”

“You kept them distracted,” Pomni answers, tilting her head a little with a fond smile. 

“Oh!” Kinger looks genuinely surprised, “I thought we were just talking.”

“Well…”

A laugh echoes across the field then. 

Low. 

Amused. 

Pomni’s smile immediately fades.

“Oh no…”

Jax strolls into the clearing from between the crumbling ruins, Ragatha’s red flag dangling lazily from one finger. 

His eyes find Pomni.

“There you are.”

Pomni gestures behind him, “You just missed your teammate.”

“I know.”

“...shouldn’t you go help them?”

“Nah,” he drawls, “They’ll figure it out.”

A brief silence passes between them, with Pomni glancing at Jax before looking over at the grand flag and then back again. 

“I’ve still got one more flag to collect, Pompom.”

Pomni gives him a look, raising a brow at him. 

“Uh, don’t you mean two?” she corrects, pointing a thumb in his direction. 

Jax chuckles, waving a hand dismissively. 

“Oh come on, Kinger? He’s not even a challenge. Besides,” he gives her a wide smirk, “Zoobie will be back.”

Pomni steps back, hand covering the flag clipped to her side. 

She can’t help the little amused smirk that slides into place. 

“Kinger is not as easy to take down as you think,” Pomni counters, “And neither am I.”

“I was hoping you’d say that.”

Without another word, Pomni turns on her heel and bolts. 

Jax laughs.

He takes off after her without a second thought. 

Kinger watches the pair disappear over a grassy hill before looking back at the untouched grand flag.

“...oh, a flag!” 

He wanders back over to it, absentmindedly patting the pole.

“Good flag.” 

Pomni darts beneath the low-hanging branches of an old oak tree, ducking under a thick limb just as Jax vaults clean over it instead. 

“You know,” he calls after her, sounding far too relaxed for someone running at full speed, “Running away’s starting to become a habit of yours.”

“Actually, that’s more your thing than mine!” Pomni responds breathlessly. 

“The jester can actually make jokes, who knew?” he teases. 

Pomni huffs out a laugh despite herself. 

“Nervous that I might be coming for your role as the funny one?”

She cuts sharply down a grassy slope, shoes sliding against the loose dirt before she catches herself at the bottom. 

Jax, of course, doesn’t lose an ounce of momentum.

He leaps from the top of the hill, landing only a few feet behind her. 

Pomni’s eyes widen. 

“Seriously?”

“What?” he feigns innocence.

“How are you so fast?”

Jax chuckles, “Pomni, one of my steps is like eight of yours. I should be asking you that question.”

She snorts. 

Without thinking, Pomni glances over her shoulder.

Big mistake. 

She nearly runs face-first into a crumbling stone pillar. 

“Pomni, watch it!” Jax calls, noticing the approaching pillar. 

Pomni’s attention snaps back forward and she manages to dodge just in time. 

Jax almost sighs in relief before realizing what he did. 

Wait, we’re not even on the same team. What am I doing?

Jax clicked his tongue. 

Pomni glances over her shoulder again, this time with a little knowing smile. 

“Did you just help me?”

“What? I…” he stutters out, “No.”

“You literally yelled my name and told me to watch it.”

“I was protecting the pillar from you.”

Pomni laughs. 

Really laughs. 

Her pace falters slightly, closing the distance between them a little more. 

“The pillar, huh?” she asks.

“You leave Pillard out of this,” he responds. 

“Pillard?” Pomni parrots, “You’re so ridiculous.”

“Can it, jester. Trip over your own feet and let me catch you already.”

“Now where’s the fun in that?” Pomni teases.

 “The part where I win.”

“Sounds boring. I think I’ll pass.”

Pomni accidentally turns into a part of the ruins that leads to a dead end. 

“@#%&,” she curses. 

The towering stone wall at the end of the corridor leaves her with nowhere else to go. She spins on her heel just as Jax turns the corner. 

Now she was trapped from all sides. 

He slows to a casual stride, hands shoved into his pockets as a smug grin spreads across his face. 

“Boring?” Jax puts a hand dramatically over his chest, “Pompom, you wound me.”

Pomni walks backwards, subtly glancing behind her as the dead end gets closer. She sees a portion of the wall on the left side has broken, leaving a very climbable escape for her if she’s able to reach it before Jax can eliminate her. 

Wait a second.

Why does it feel like he’s not really trying to take my flag?

“This is your fault for distracting me,” Pomni accuses, pointing a finger at him. 

She wanted him to believe she had no means of escape. 

“I did no such thing,” he replies, still slowly approaching. 

Jax finally stops a couple of feet away, his gaze dropping to the red flag clipped at her side before meeting her eyes again. 

“Nowhere to go, huh?”

Pomni doesn’t answer, simply backing up until her back presses against the wall behind her. What she thought was previously a reachable escape route was not actually as reachable as she first anticipated from a distance. 

The wall was still too high, even partly crumbled as it was. 

#@%& what do I do now?

“So…” he lifts an expectant brow, “...you gonna surrender?”

“Not a chance,” comes her immediate, defiant response. 

Jax takes a rather large step forward, further closing the distance between them. 

A beat passes. 

Neither of them moves any further.

Neither of them reach for the other’s flag. 

They simply stand there, catching their breath. 

“Uh, aren’t you going to try taking my flag?” she asks. 

Jax blinks, gaze dropping back to the flag clipped to her side and then back to her. 

He scratches the back of his neck, “I just wanted to see what you’d do first.”

“That’s a terrible strategy,” she deadpans. 

“Says you,” he shoots back. 

She opens her mouth to answer but is interrupted. 

“JAX!”

Zooble’s voice echoes through the ruins. 

“Ah, the cavalry has arrived,” Jax says sarcastically. 

“No, really? I thought it was Gangle,” the jester says mockingly.

“You’re so hilarious.”

“I know,” she smiles deviously, reminiscent of Jax’s own devious little smiles. 

Another beat passes before Jax finally raises his voice.

“What is it, Zoobie?”

“Where the $@%& are you?” Zooble shouts back. 

Jax glances toward the opening of the ruined corridor. 

“...busy.”

“Busy?” Zooble scoffs, “Doing what?”

Pomni bites the inside of her cheek, feeling a laugh bubbling up. 

Jax notices. 

Jax gestures a finger to his mouth, half lidded gaze remaining on the jester before him even as his conversation with Zooble continues. 

“Nunya,” came his simple infuriating reply. 

Pomni presses her lips together, trying not to smile - and failing spectacularly. 

From somewhere beyond the stone walls came another shout from Zooble. 

“Do you want to win or do you want to continue weirdly flirting with Pomni?” 

Now, Jax looks genuinely annoyed. 

“Shut up,” Jax snaps, “You’re just upset your girlfriend was eliminated.”

Zooble makes a frustrated sound, “Whatever. @$&% this, I’m sticking to the original plan.”

“Tch,” Jax says as Zooble’s footsteps sound further away, “Flirting…”

Jax’s expression is relatively devoid of emotion as he glances back down at Pomni. 

She immediately looks away, suddenly finding the cracked stone beneath her feet incredibly interesting. 

Jax clears his throat.

“Anyway,” he says, “Where were we?”

Pomni’s attention snaps back to Jax at that. 

A grin slowly returns to his face. 

“Oh, right.”

Without another word, he lunges. 

Pomni squeaks, instinctively ducking beneath his outstretched arm before slipping past him by mere inches. 

She reaches for his flag, seeing an opening. 

Her fingers catch blue fabric at the same time his catch red. 

Rip. 

The two of them froze.

Jax slowly looked down at the blue flag clutched in Pomni’s hand.

Pomni stared at the red flag in his. 

“...”

They looked up at the same time.

“No way,” Pomni breathed. 

That familiar obnoxious horn blared once again. 

“DOUBLE ELIMINATION!” Caine’s voice called out cheerfully, “Jax and Pomni have eliminated each other simultaneously!”

A slow grin spread across his face.

“Huh, well played.”

Pomni laughed, nudging his leg as the familiar teleportation effect began to envelop them both. 

“You too.”