Showdown

Julia pouted. "It's not fair.  I get all ready to go out..." The tomboyish girl gestured to herself, dressed in a tank top, jacket, sandals, skirt and bike shorts. "...and they tell me that I can't because of some 'alleged incident.'"

"'Alleged incident?'" Charlotte asked.

"Something about another lab on campus exploding," she said dismissively.

"Weren't you working in that lab at the time?"

"No, I arrived just as it happened, but because I've got a 'reputation'-" She paused to make air quotes with her fingers. "-the Dean thought I was responsible and put me on Quadruple Not Even Making It A Secret Probation."

The redhead looked out the window of Julia's room. "That explains the tank."

"I didn't even know gravel could burn like that." She sighed. "So I'm not going to be able to go upstate with you."

"You've snuck out before, haven't you?  Why not now?"

"Guard dogs."

"The campus has- ...of course it does.  It has a tank, why -wouldn't- it have guard dogs?" She rolled her eyes, thinking over their predicament.  A moment later she glanced at the door, biting her lower lip, before looking back at Julia. "I can get you out of here, but you have to trust me."

"If you're going to call in a helicopter from your family, don't bother.  I think they have a jet as well."

"No, it's not a helicopter.  Just... turn around, and trust me."

Julia shrugged, turning her back to Charlotte. "If you can teleport or something, that's fine.  I promise I won't try to weaponize you."

Charlotte rubbed her hands together, flexed her fingers and, in one smooth motion, slid both her hands under Julia's shirt, gently pressing the index finger of one hand into her navel while pinching one of her nipples with the other, causing a hissing sound to emanate from somewhere inside Julia.

Julia let out a yelp of surprise, squirming in her friend's grasp.  As she flailed her arms in an effort to get free she felt herself growing weaker, the small amount of movement becoming strangely tiring.  Stranger still, even with Charlotte's hands up her shirt, it was beginning to feel loose; not just that, but her skirt and sandals as well. "What... are you..."

"Shh, don't worry.  Just trust me."

The strength left her limbs, and she fell forward only to find herself held up in Charlotte's arms.  She watched as she grew flatter and thinner, her head hanging lower as she drooped more and more, until eventually the hissing faded away.  Her task done, Charlotte laid the flattened, deflated Julia out on her bed.  If anyone else were around to see her, they might have mistaken her for a very realistic inflatable doll, an observation not too far from the truth.

"Okay," Charlotte said, "I think I can smuggle you out of here now."  Taking her feet, she gently rolled up her legs, then her arms, then her body and head.  Picking up the log-shaped mass of her friend, she placed Julia in her bag and, with one last look out the window, exited the room and headed for the front door.

*****

Several hours later, Charlotte entered her family's manor, breezing through the halls before exiting through one of the back doors onto the rear lawn.  Opening her bag she gently lifted Julia out, placing her on the grass before unrolling her and smoothing her out.  Charlotte lifted Julia's limbs, turning them over to ensure that she hadn't been punctured during the trip, before walking away and retrieving the large tire pump from the side of the building.  Returning, Charlotte plugged the nozzle into Julia's navel and, after a reassurring nod towards Julia, began to pump.

Julia's stomach rose up before flattening out, the air flowing into her limbs and head.  The overwhelming weariness began to fade as her arms and legs grew thicker, twitching as she attempted to move them.  She slowly raised her head as it began to round out, looking down at herself with a combination of awe and confusion as she returned to normal.

Charlotte gave the hose a tug, pulling it out of Julia's navel before setting the pump aside.  Reaching down, she pulled her friend up to her feet. "Sorry if that scared you," she said.

"That's an intriguing trick you have," Julia said. "Some prior warning would have helped, but I don't think I would have believed you even if you told me."

"You're okay, right?"

"I'm fine," Julia said, adjusting her clothing, "but my skirt is a bit snug."

"There might be a little more in you than there should be."

"You..." She paused, prodding her midsection as she searched for the right words. "You overfilled me?"

"It'll work its way out."

"People can -be- overfilled?"

Charlotte hesitated. "Julia, if you're upset-"

"No, I'm not upset, I'm just..." Gears began to turn in her head, and she glanced at the pump before looking around, trying to seem inconspicuous. "Is it alright if I stay out here for a bit to clear my head?  After all, I was deflated, rolled up for two hours and returned to normal with a bike pump.  It's a... it's a bit much to take in at once."

Charlotte nodded. "Just holler when you come back in," she said, walking for the back door.

Julia returned her nod, watching as the door closed behind Charlotte and she disappeared into the interior of the manor.  She waited patiently for a few seconds, watching through the windows for Charlotte to come back into view, before her gaze shot directly to the pump.  She snatched it up with both hands and strode several yards to the side, out of view of the largest windows.  Setting it down on the grass, she plugged the nozzle into her navel and, without a moment's hesitation, pushed down on the handle.

Before, the sensation of air entering her was like her strength returning, tired limbs gaining the ability to move after hard labor.  Now that she was back to normal it felt different, like a faint, gentle push from inside her that spread across her entire body, filling her with power.  A greedy smile spread across her lips; she didn't know how or why, but she knew she had to have more.

The discovery sent her into a frenzy of pumping, causing her body to quickly grow.  Her stomach puffed out into a small pot belly, rapidly developing into a muffin top before spreading up and down to encompass the rest of her torso; stretched beyond their limits her skirt and jacket tore apart, falling to the ground.  Her hands and feet grew plump, keeping in scale with her thickening limbs as she continued to piston the pump's handle up and down in front of her.  Her breasts, while still relatively small, rapidly outgrew the confines of her bra, causing it to strain before breaking open; taking one hand off the pump, Julia reached down the front of her tank top to fish it out before tossing it to the side.  Even her head was not untouched as her cheeks grew fuller and her nose rounder.

With a soft "piff" the hose popped out of Julia's navel, and it took a few seconds before she realized what had happened.  She stepped off the pump, picking it up and idly noting how much smaller and lighter it felt.  Realization setting in, she turned towards the manor to inspect her reflection in the windows, only to discover that she wasn't merely rounder, she was -taller- as well: Normally five and a half feet, she had grown to nearly eight in a short span of time.  The reason the hose had fallen out was because it simply couldn't reach.

Julia plugged it back in, picking up the pump and holding it in both hands as she admired her barrel-shaped body and plump limbs, all round curves that defied gravity.  By some miracle her bike shorts and tank top remained intact, though the latter was more of a bikini top than a shirt at this point.  She resumed pumping, watching herself grow larger and more powerful, unconcerned with whether or not her clothing would hold.  After all, she reasoned, who would be in a position to tell her what to wear now?

*****

Elsewhere inside the manor, Charlotte was beginning to wonder what was keeping Julia.  It hadn't been that long - only a few minutes - and Julia wasn't normally one to get worked up over strange occurrences, though that may have been because she was normally at the center of them.  Still, it was worth checking up on her.

She opened the door to one of the manor's side rooms, reasoning that she could get a good view of Julia from the third floor.  As Julia's eyes met hers, Charlotte realized that she was right, though not in the way she expected.

Charlotte charged for one of the windows, threw it open and gaped down at her friend.  If she was inflatable doll before, now she was a parade float, a rotund caricature of a woman two and a half stories tall.  Despite her sheer enormity her shorts and top still held on, and despite her scale she still continued to work the tire pump connected to her navel, holding either end with her thumb and forefinger.  The sight would have been comical had it not involved her friend transforming herself into a giantess in her own backyard. "Julia, what...?"

Julia smiled. "I decided to try out a new look."

"You're... you're huge!"

"Yes!  I'm enormous!  I'm all-powerful!" She let go of the pump, letting it dangle from her navel as she cupped her chest, fat sacks of air big enough for Charlotte to sleep on. "I have boobs!"

"You have a case of megalomania!"

She scowled, leaning in as far as she could manage with her swollen body. "Megalomania?  Is that any way to speak to your new -goddess-?" She took a breath and blew out a gust of air, sending Charlotte tumbling to the floor before smirking at her display of power and turning away.

"Julia!" Charlotte shouted, climbing back to her feet. "You need to stop!  Julia!"  Her shouts fell on deaf ears, however, as Julia waddled off, returning to her pumping. "Terrific," she muttered, "she's drunk on power -again-."

Charlotte folded her arms across her chest, tapping her foot on the floor as she thought.  A moment later her eyes lit up and she sprinted out of the room and down the hallway, heading towards the garage.  Entering, she slapped the button on the wall, raising the garage door and letting light spill in.  She scanned the room before finding the object of her search tucked between two shelves: A heavy air compressor.

She took hold of the handles and, grunting, dragged it outside, pausing briefly to catch her breath.  Uncoiling the long hose, she looked at it nervously before inserting it into her navel, reaching over, and turning the switch to "High."

*****

Julia struggled to work the pump with her fattened fingers, cursing under her breath as it slipped out of her navel and from her hands.  She stooped, groping blindly along the ground beneath her belly in an attempt to locate it again.  While she had continued to grow since Charlotte had so rudely interrupted her, she wasn't big enough to inspire sufficient awe for her tastes. She was, however, bloated enough to make picking the pump back up a near-impossibility.

"Lose something?"

"Yes, the blasted pump fell out and-" Julia stopped, whirling to face the voice as fast as she could manage.

Standing near the manor was Charlotte, three stories tall and inflated head to toe, her limbs as round and thick and her body as full and globular as Julia's.  She was also completely nude, a fact she was keenly aware of judging from the deep blush across her freckled, puffed-up cheeks.  Pausing to adjust the hose wrapped around her wrist, Charlotte put her hands on where her hips would normally have been, trying to look intimidating despite herself.  She had to admit to herself that it did feel good: As ridiculous as it was to inflate herself into a thirty-foot-tall walking blimp, there was an amazing sense of power in being able to look down on everything around you, and her strength matched her size despite her body being full of air.  She also felt clumsier; her body wobbled with every step, throwing off her sense of balance ever so slightly she moved.

"Julia," Charlotte said sternly. "You're getting out of hand."

"You can't order me around!" Julia shouted, pointing to herself with her thumb. "I'm too big to be stopped!"

"That's what your mom said when they tried to ban her from the buffet."

She scoffed. "How juvenile.  Soon, I'll have the awe and respect I deserve."

"How?  By painting 'Goodyear' across your ass?"

Julia balled her fists, glaring daggers at Charlotte. "...fine.  We'll do this your way."

The turgid titanesses stared at each other across the field, eyes locked, before letting out a battle cry and charging the other, fists raised and ready to strike.  The two met, colliding belly-first with enough force to make the manor's windows shake, bouncing away from each other as their punches met empty air.  Julia managed to keep her balance after the impact, landing safely while Charlotte teetered on one foot, waving her arms frantically before regaining her footing.

They met again, locking hands as they leaned into the other.  Teeth grit, their breasts and bellies compressed together as each attempted to overpower her foe.  They dug furrows into the ground with their feet as they pushed with all the strength they had, unwilling to give an inch.

Suddenly Julia's foot slipped, and she faltered briefly.  It was only a split-second, but it was opportunity that Charlotte had to take advantage of.  With a scream she shoved Julia away before belly-bumping her for good measure, knocking her onto her back.  Undoing the hose around her wrist, she jumped into the air, bouncing as she landed spread-legged atop the curve of Julia's body, just below her navel.

Julia reached towards Charlotte, trying to grab her but unable to find purchase on her gut.  Despite now having to overcome both her bulk and Charlotte's to get up, Julia couldn't help but be amused. "What are you trying to do?  -Press- all the air out of me?"

Charlotte didn't reply, instead plunging one end of the hose into Julia's navel, raising the other end to her lips, and blowing as hard as she could.

Julia stared at Charlotte through the canyon between her breasts, completely bewildered, before laughing uproariously. "Oh, Charlotte.  If you wanted to help me, all you had to do was say so!"  She let her arms drop, still chuckling as she grew taller, spreading up and down across the grass.  She hadn't been blowing that long, but the difference in size was slowly making itself apparent. "Oh, this is so much faster!  Who needs that tiny pump when I have you around?"  Julia put her arms behind her head. "How big do you think I am now?  Thirty-five feet?  Forty?  You know, I might need an eager minion such as yourself to get me up to size if I ever need to shrink down again.  Of course, they could just make a throne in my size, but-"

She stopped.  Something was wrong.  The gentle push from before was becoming a stronger, more insistent pressure.  Her breasts and body were growing larger, but she didn't feel herself growing taller.  Still mounted atop the curve of her stomach and still blowing, Charlotte gave Julia a knowing look.

"No!" Julia reached out towards Charlotte, attempting to knock her away.  She watched as her arms took on a conical shape, each swing coming up short by a larger and larger distance, until she was struggling to merely raise them a scant few degrees.  Soon they grew still, and she grasped feebly with her hands until they, too, inflated into immobility.  Her legs met a similar fate as she kicked them, thickening outward into stiff cones and robbing her of any chance of standing or escaping.  Even her head was not immune: Her neck and face swelled out, ballooning her cheeks and forcing her to squint as she alternately pleaded and cursed at Charlotte, until finally the air pursed her fattened lips into an "o."

Completely helpless, Julia could do nothing but watch as the steadily shrinking Charlotte blew more air into her.  Her body and breasts grew larger and rounder, dominating her field of view as the sensation of stretching skin grew smaller before fading away, leaving her with nothing but pressure.  With no more room to grow it began to mount, pushing up against Charlotte and out in all directions.  Through her massive lips she forced out, "...s... top... pl... ease..." but Charlotte was too distant to hear.

Julia's body creaked as it struggled to contain the titanic volume of air blown into her.  There was a groan from deep inside of her gut, then another, and another.  Her skin began to tremble as the groaning began again and didn't stop, steadily rising in volume.  Her body throbbed before surging outward, finding brief respite from the pressure before exploding in a deafening bang.

The force of Julia popping threw Charlotte into the air amidst a whirlwind of rubbery, flesh-toned material.  She flapped her arms, attempting to maneuver as she fell back down, landing belly-first on the ground and bouncing a few times before coming to rest.  At twelve feet tall she still had some air in her, but the massively overstretched tank top and bicycle shorts spread across the back lawn were a testament to how much her friend dwarfed her in size.

Charlotte blew out the rest of the air, rapidly shrinking down to normal before looking to and fro at the scraps floating down around her.  She looked up just in time to have a particularly large big fall on her face, and she pulled it off to discover that it was a sheepish-looking Julia, flat as she was before and naked as Charlotte was currently.

She frowned. "A 'goddess,' huh?" Shaking her head, Charlotte slung her deflated friend over her shoulder and began her walk back to the manor. "I think I know why they bought that tank."