[ luckily for Rise, he hasn't voiced that wager, because he would have won. She might have denied it, out of pride-- and while she certainly isn't afraid to try things out that others might find ridiculous or weird or childish or embarrassing, she does have a marked degree of pride in who she is and what she does. Maybe because of just how hard she had to work to reach that point where she could be proud of it. But the simple fact remains that Rise's still poring over that split second, turning the memory over and over again with the kind of intense focus Naoto would have recommended she apply to her schoolwork.
It's not so much that he won the point. It's how he won the point and, as irrational as the thought is, it's the feeling that she wants to beat him-- at the very least, show him that she'd rather not be underestimated, though she doubts that's why he used the... Laser. He could have wanted something from her, something she's not sure she gave him. He can also probably make an educated guess that she wasn't too pleased to be led into a trap like that-- but then again, who would be?
She trots over to retrieve the ball, pensive until she returns to her spot. Then, with a tiny quirk of something not quite a smile, but is perhaps surprisingly sincere-- ]
I guess I'm honored, then.
[ He's given her something else to try to understand, and oddly enough, she's grateful for that. Anger notwithstanding - and that's almost foreign to her, feeling this kind of fierce competitiveness when it's not towards another idol, or someone badmouthing her - she's focused again. If it's not a match without his Laser, it's not a match on her end if she doesn't throw herself into it. Being mad may lend her an extra oomph when she sends her next serve his way, but work ethic and experience means not losing the ability to keep yourself centered in what you're doing.
And if the serve's a little faster, a little harder, she'll chalk that up to adapting. ]
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It's not so much that he won the point. It's how he won the point and, as irrational as the thought is, it's the feeling that she wants to beat him-- at the very least, show him that she'd rather not be underestimated, though she doubts that's why he used the... Laser. He could have wanted something from her, something she's not sure she gave him. He can also probably make an educated guess that she wasn't too pleased to be led into a trap like that-- but then again, who would be?
She trots over to retrieve the ball, pensive until she returns to her spot. Then, with a tiny quirk of something not quite a smile, but is perhaps surprisingly sincere-- ]
I guess I'm honored, then.
[ He's given her something else to try to understand, and oddly enough, she's grateful for that. Anger notwithstanding - and that's almost foreign to her, feeling this kind of fierce competitiveness when it's not towards another idol, or someone badmouthing her - she's focused again. If it's not a match without his Laser, it's not a match on her end if she doesn't throw herself into it. Being mad may lend her an extra oomph when she sends her next serve his way, but work ethic and experience means not losing the ability to keep yourself centered in what you're doing.
And if the serve's a little faster, a little harder, she'll chalk that up to adapting. ]