New Peaks Academy: Paradigm Shift (IC)

[Dawscombine]

Cyst was, at the moment, wrapping her hands in boxers tape. She had gotten into the habit after she tore up her knuckles during training. Plus, it was absolutely incredible as a way to unwind before a fight. Nothing to think about or focus on but getting it just right. She thought about doing the same for her feet, elbows, and knees, but she couldn't afford that much tape. Maybe if she took one of those movie deals people kept hounding her about.... Nah. Not worth the hassle. Besides, she was a street rat. Didn't know any other way to live.

Her bed had never once been used, but there was a blanket on the ground for sleeping under. The dirtiest, rattiest one she could find in a dumpster, just like the old days. She refused to give up being what she was. Even if she turned out successful and became a big star or something, she was still gonna sleep on the floor with open windows and a ratty blanket. That much, at least, would never change. Hopefully Vince wouldn't mind that, if they ever moved in together. Maybe she'd get to try sleeping on some fancy carpet or marble flooring or something. She didn't know how they lived where he was from, but she knew he was rich as a ублюдка (motherfucker). She wasn't exactly pining for a taste of that kinda thing, but no good street rat hasn't looked at a rich man and put themselves in those shoes...

She finished wrapping the last of the tape before standing up, starting her stretching. Legs were first. Especially important since her power used them exclusively. Her opponent was Mai.... someone. She hadn't heard the name before that she could remember. Then again, her memory was pretty damn bad... oh, well. She didn't have anything to prove this year. Now it was all ruthless ambition driving her to break this girl. She had gotten the resilience of a hobo through to the masses. Now it was time to prove just how tenacious a hobo could be, too....

[Organis]

Mai was, without a doubt, the underdog of the sophomore tournament, even among the other new faces. A C3 student climbing to the quarterfinals was, as far as statistics went, nearly unheard of. A further unexpected development of this was a seemingly growing fanbase, something she was definitely new to. The idea of her going toe-to-toe with a member of the now-well-known One Percent group that plagued remaining rounds empowered the normal second-years of similar rank to Mai's. Quite frankly, though, the Korean-Irishwoman cared little for whether or not she would fulfill their hopes; she was just excited to fight such powerful opponents.

...And yet she didn't look like it. She had never been in this position before, but Mai reckoned she'd be obnoxiously greeting the other contenders to interrupt their thoughts and change the atmosphere, but instead she was the same as them: silent and contemplative. She asked herself if she was simply being extra cautious...no. It was just the opposite. She was unfocused. She interacted with Thabisa rarely since Princeton's vigil, a sign that his sudden passing might be digging deep into the Initiative member. Mai was one of the few humans who had attended, and while pretty, it didn't differ greatly from human-organized vigils. Then again, why would they? Regardless, Mai wanted to learn how to support her friend, as she hadn't appeared to enjoy herself since the normally tender girl flipped a switch at the fight of Miranda vs Amaltheia, screaming for the senior to get her ass beat.

Mai eyed the monitor as the bracket was finally displayed. Who was she fight--...oh. Now, she knew a handful of factoids about the girl known as Cyst. Firstly, she was a member of the One Percent. Secondly, she has a reputation for her powerful legs. Thirdly, she was (probably) the girlfriend of that Vincent guy. Mai found this funny, as she had already wiped out Daniel's-- another finalist-- girlfriend the previous round. Francesca was difficult to approach, was stronger, and had caused her feints to be rendered ineffective as her footing had become sloppy from spatial confusion due to her odd sound ability. In addition, her stamina was depleting quickly, but Mai wasn't going to give. In the end, a brutal stomp to the knee from Francesca simply resulted in Mai's front foot skidding behind her, and she grabbed the attacking leg with her forward-falling body, bringing Francesca down with her before sealing the match with a death-gripped leg lock. Perhaps the following tap-out was an anticlimactic ending for some, and this saddened Mai, as she always strived to entertain her audience. However, she had to do what she could, and maybe this actually conserved any pride the british brawler may have lost, as her opponent had taken the cheap way out.

With her new opponent determined, Mai needed to develop a game plan. Quickly. First, ignore any ways in which Cyst may prepare for her. As far as Mai was aware, the russian girl knew nothing of her. T'was an advantage of being an up-and-comer. Second...Or, maybe she could just talk to her opponent directly. Spotting Cyst wrapping her hands a ways away, Mai really wanted to get a feel for this girl. She stood and walked over to her opponent and places her hands on her hips.

"Hey there! You're Cyst, right?" The question-- which loudly reverberated throughout the quiet women's locker room (most of the other competitors were either gone or leaving, after all)-- was rhetorical. "It seems I'm your opponent this time around!" Now, typically, one would say "You're my opponent" instead of the reverse, as it referred to the self and regarded the foe as another obstacle to overcome, which isn't wrong. However, Mai's delivery of the phrase was actually an expression of respect to the russian. As a C3, she was in no place to be boasting. She gleamed to herself. Perhaps she had gotten better with people than in the past...at least she thought.

[Salroka]

Vincento grumbled as he looked over the brackets. Really? Junkiro again? It figured, really. First Daniel was eliminated and tore one of his quads in the process... then Vincento was paired against someone he was not very fond of could he win the fight? Yeah. That was the easy part. He'd watched a ton of Junkiro's fights and almost completely memorized his fighting style. The problem was that Vince was simply tired of the other boy. But what could he do? Before any decisions were made, his phone rang. It was Daniel, calling from the hospital. "Yeah, man? Yeah, I saw. That Kuàng guy is kinda bullshit. Yeah, right? C-1, my ass. Uh huh. Well, I... ok. Shit, that bad? How are you even tal... oh. Yeah, they're good for that. Yeah, I understand. Fuck, though. No, it's cool. Go heal up. We'll see you when you get back."

It seemed that Daniel had not only torn his quad, but also damaged his ACL and MCL in the opposite knee when trying to compensate for the injured muscle. The staff at New Peaks hospital could fix it quickly, but at a very high cost. Instead, his family was flying him home to heal up at a much less expensive facility. It was understandable. Basic first aid and simple treatments were included in the tuition costs and scholarships, but extensive procedures were not. Many students who suffered severe injuries often went home for treatment unless they were wealthy or had connections that helped them pay for the much more expensive (but also much faster) treatments at the New Peaks hospital. Still, the loss of Daniel frustrated Vincento greatly. It was hard to keep a stable with only two people.

He sat there for a moment and thought. What could be done here? He could easily stamp out Junkiro's hopes of a repeat... but was it worth the hassle? Hell, he didn't need the prize money. Granted, the $300 per win in the final brackets would be nice. And the prizes for the podium placements ($1,000 for third, $1,500 for second, and $2,000 for first) were nice as well. But Vince didn't need money. He had that in spades. The exposure was nice, but perhaps he could get MORE exposure without having to win. Yes, the more he thought about it the more it appealed to him. Tapping on his phone some more, he hammered out a text message.

"The One Percent's chances of victory are probably going to hinge on you, babe. I know Daniel is gone for the forseeable future... and I have something planned to get my name out there but it could hinder my chances of winning. You've got this. I believe in you. So kick some ass, ok?" another quick tap to send it, and Cyst would soon get an alert on her phone. What plan was it that he had? The smirk on his face hinted toward something unsavory, but one could never truly tell with Vincento these days.

[Iwazuma]

Round One...FIGHT! (Sorta): A BetaDoomy production

After sending his text to Cyst, Vincento grumbled to himself. After a minute or so, he decided on his course of action and began to take off his combat attire and get back into his street clothes. "Damn fight coordinators. Why did they assign me to HIM. Literally anyone else in the tournament would be great. Thanks, pricks." As he reached into the locker for his duffle bag, Vincento paused for a moment. Was this really worth it? Yes. It was. If nothing else, it would send a message. Sometimes the message was more important than the messenger, and that was how he would rationalize it.

What was taking the pregame ceremony so long? Junkiro was getting antsy. He'd been on pins and needles ever since the brackets were announced, and now every minute felt like an eternity as he continually stared up at the screen, watching the announcer drone on about how much hard work the students had put into their training. It was the same shtick as last year. He wanted to get to the important part already: knocking some sense into his best friend. He seriously didn't get what sort of stupid pride had gotten into the Italian, but it was going to end here. Yes, he had had a bad stage dive. Who didn't in their careers? He could name a match or two where Vince simply got his ass handed to him, and he had been there to support him. What an idiot. This wasn't the Vincento he knew.

He noticed him over at his locker. Was he late in his preparations? Admittedly, Junkiro had been ready for nearly half an hour. He sat down on the bench near him, glancing over to him as reservedly as he could manage. "It's about time I finally got to talk to you. This stupid pretention ends here. Can we just be friends again after this? Please?" There was no begging about it. Junkiro knew where asking would get. The tone of his voice indicated he was sick and tired of whatever arrogance Vincento had picked up out of nowhere...especially for someone who still hadn't won a tournament.

Of course... of course Junkiro would have to strike up conversation. Vince gritted his teeth momentarily before replying. [color=#FF8C00]"You know what, Jun? When you're right, you're right. And you? You're right. It does end here. I'm sorry for jerking you around like this. So let's settle it out there and let whatever happens happen. Sound good to you?"[COLOR] To further show his sincerity, Vincento moved to shake Junkiro's hand. If nothing else, he was most certainly being honest.

That went FAR too smoothly. After months of ignoring or outright insulting him, he turns on a dime like that? Something was fishy. He WANTED to believe that it could all end and they could be friends again. But the smooth transition set off a few alarm bells. Regardless, Junkiro would not show the worry on his face. Perhaps, if he was lucky, things would smooth out after this. Though his heart wasn't buying it anymore. He shook Vincento's hand, a bright smile on his face. "You better believe I'm asking you to RKO's after the tournament then, win or lose. There's a lot I want to talk with you about. First of all that stable of yours. It's missing a champion." A smirk from the Japanese boy, before turning away, walking to the television screens again. Looked like things were finally wrapping up. Junkiro was torn; half of him wanted to just take the statement as fact. The other half knew that those words just weren't the Vincento he knew. He supposed the fight would reveal all.

"Missing a champion, huh? Well, maybe that will change this year and maybe not. I guess we'll just see what the fates have in store, right? Anyway, I'm sure things are wrapping up out there so go get to the stage. I'll be there as soon as I finish getting ready." and with that, Vince grabbed his bag and moved to put his combat attire back on. This was better, now that he thought about it. It really was going to be great.

Well, now he was just feeling antsy again. He could see the announcer preparing to introduce them both. Naturally, Junkiro came first. He heard his entrance music play, and he heaved a breath before walking out. Normally he'd be showboating a little bit, working the crowd up, but today he just couldn't muster the energy. He would have to leave everything on the field. He walked up the steps to the stage; apparently introductions in the first round would be here before they got down to business. His face was stoic as he looked out to everyone, a far cry from the near-goofy, fun-loving freshman just a few months ago in the summer tournament. Speculation began to arise if perhaps Junkiro had taken his injury personally as he quietly skimmed the crowd, paying attention to nobody in particular.

A minute or two after Junkiro's music cut off, Vincento's entrance music flared to life over the loudspeakers. About thirty seconds passed with the music playing before Vincento made his way onto the stage... dressed in his street clothes and clutching a microphone. "Cut the music. Cut it. Shut it off. Ok. Look, Junkiro. I said it before and I'll say it again. I'm through wasting my damn time on you. I thought you were a serious martial artist, and it turns out you're just a pro-wrestler wannabe. So hey, I figure this kind of crap will get your attention. I wasn't lying when I said you were right i wasn't lying when I said it ends here. You made a mockery of the martial arts, and continue to do so... and I refuse to take part in . You're taking a bye this round, because I refuse to fight someone like that." ... and with that, Vincento dropped the microphone and walked back toward the locker room. As soon as he was out of sight, he would pick up the pace in case his former friend got any bright ideas about chasing him down.

The moment he saw Vincento in his street clothes, he knew something bad was coming. A pit in his stomach formed as he quickly realized what was happening; Vincento was throwing the match. His one out to not have to deal with him personally, in the ring. And what was worse... every word Vincento spat at Junkiro made him clench his fists tighter. He dared to mock him...all because of a single mistake. STILL. He dared to call him a mockery of a martial artist?! Did he need to remind him he LOST to the very techniques not a year ago? Where was he getting all this undeserved bigheadedness? As Vincento walked away, rage overtook the Japanese boy. "GET. BACK. HERE." Junkiro tore off the stage as fast as he could manage, slamming open the door to the locker rooms and disappearing, leaving the announcer-and the crowd-in a state of utter confusion.

He was right-Vincento hadn't thought it all the way through. He was at his locker, attempting to grab his duffle bag and make a rushed exit before he could make it in. Turns out he was too slow. Junkiro leered at Vincento, a snarl at his lips. "You idiot...you lost to this 'mockery'...and you still have the gall to call me a disgrace?!" He was slightly surprised he was as incensed about the call to his skill as he was. And yet, hearing Vincento openly mock him, with barely any basis at all, the boy who was, still IS, his friend... "What is it going to fucking take. Do I have to beat you right now?" The idea sounded excellent in the rage-fueled teen's head right then. After a moment, Junkiro shrugged. "Fuck it...I'll MAKE you apologize." He was close enough to bumrush Vincento with little room for escape.

In the moment before Jun's 'Fuck it' line, Vincento responded to his initial statements. Of course, that was likely what set Jun off. "Oh please. Anyone with eyes who watches that fight knows I won. You LITERALLY only came out on top through sheer... dumb... luck." ... with such emphasis put on the words 'dumb luck', it was only natural for someone as angry as Junkiro was to take the confrontation to the next level. Some folks might even have accused Vince of EXPECTING a violent response. But really, he was just being an asshole and not considering the consequences.

It all seemed to happen in slow motion. Merely a second or two after he vowed vengeance, Junkiro clocked Vincento with one of the hardest right hooks he had ever thrown. He seemed to have his guard down; the briefest thought that he truly hadn't expected Junkiro to go this far flitted in the back of his head, but it was very quickly buried by blind rage and the catharsis of making someone who deserved it hurt. What unfolded from there was pure chaos.

The first punch definitely threw the italian for a loop. Junkiro might have been a mockery, but he still hit damn hard. Stumbling back, Vincento opened a locker door into Junkiro's face and tried to kick at him while continuing to retreat. He would defend himself once Jun caught up, as catchting a staggered opponent isn't all that tough... but security staff would soon be upon the two boys and begin trying to break them up.

It took two guards to finally pull Junkiro away from Vincento, who was quickly ushered out of the locker room while Junkiro struggled against them for a moment before giving up, hanging his head and heaving a huge sigh of adrenaline and pain from having a metal door slammed into his head. This wasn't exactly going to look good for either of them. He could practically smell detention for the next few weeks. For both of them, probably-he might have been in a violent rage, but Vincento had instigated it-in front of thousands. As security set him down, trying to talk him out of his anger, Junkiro glanced up at them. "I'm fine, alright?" He snapped at them, obviously not fine, emotionally or physically. "Just get me a nurse for this." He pointed to his forehead, already bruising. A couple teachers had entered the locker room now, including Mr. Overmeyer, who was simply staring down the wrestler, shaking his head in disappointment.

Once security was certain he had finally calmed down, they exited the locker room, likely to go find Vincento and get his account of the situation. He was assured punishment for his actions would come shortly. Until then, he was to act like nothing had happened. A tall act for Junkiro, but one he figured he could pull off. A nurse briefly came in to make sure Junkiro had not suffered a concussion; he passed protocol quickly, and he was left on his own. He spent his time staring in the mirror, a controlled look of anger on his face. Vincento was wrong-this was not over. Far from it.

Vincento was taken aside and questioned by Mr. Cameron Ballard. The Italian told the teacher that Junkiro had ambushed him while he was getting his things and trying to go back to his dorm after the public forfeiture, and that he had tried to defend himself and get away. Given Junkiro's reaction to the little dramatic event, an anger-fueled attack was definitely not out of the question. A nurse stepped in to check Vince's injuries. His lip was split wide open and one of his teeth was cracked nearly in half, as well as his tongue bleedong heavily where the punch caused him to bite it. He also had a couple bruises here and there from the scuffle that security had broken up.

From the nurse's determination, Junkiro was definitely the aggressor. While Vincento had indeed fought back, his story of self-defense checked out well enough. Security made a few calls while the boys waited in separate rooms. After a minute or so, they came in to deliver the boys their penalties. Junkiro was disqualified from the tournament for his flagrant disregard for school rules and would either spend two weeks in the Detention Hall or pay a four-thousand dollar fine. Vincento, while the victim overall, was not guiltless. He would pay a fifteen-hundred dollar fine and similarly be removed from the stadium grounds.

[Organis]

(A Dawganis post. Note: placed kinda awkwardly here after Vince's and Jun's fight, but this would have occured before that.)

Cyst hadn't seen Mai come in, so she was more than a little shocked. She didn't recognize the girl at first, so there was some confusion then she dropped the Soviet hobos name, at least until she said she was Cyst's opponent. That made sense, at least on the surface. She sat back down on the bench and started rubbing her thumb over her knuckles, looking at Mai with the neutral, but slightly confused expression the most commonly wore.

"Hey.... Um... Mai, right?" She thought for a few seconds before nodding. "Yeah, Mai... I'm Cyst." She stood and offered her hand before realising that a handshake might fuck up the boxers tape, awkwardly lowering it again. Cyst never was good at conversation with anyone other than Vince, and even then she was marginal at best.

Mai extended her own hand to shake Cysts when the russian lowered hers back down in turn "Eh? Is something on my hand? Mai raised her palm to her face to analyze it before breaking into a cheeky grin. "I didn't wipe my ass or anything. I'm clean, I swear!" Oddly, her expression then shifted to one a bit more serious, though still smiling. "Nothing up my sleeve!"

Still, she crossed her arms. "Can't believe I'm fighting last year's freshman third place finisher! What's it like being near the top?" Mai questioned, her head thrusting towards Cyst's and invading any boundaries she may have respected a moment ago. Her amber eyes glittered with genuine excitement...perhaps a bit too much, akin to some sort of fangirl.

Cyst took a half step back when Mai moved up, half ready to crack a lightning kick into the girl's knee as a little motivation to back up a little, but she restrained herself. She looked at her feet for a few seconds and frowned, shaking her head. "I win third place. Someone else lost it." She sat back down and started rubbing her knuckles again, frowning. "I didn't win. Couldn't have won. I was in the hospital."

She shook her head and looked back up at Mai. "Do you like caramel? I have a whole bunch, but I don't like it." It was quite the strange thing to say to a supposed enemy. However, she was being truthful. She had lots of caramel lying around and didnt have any way to get rid of it. Vince might like it, but even her would get sick of it, after a while.

The sudden, odd new topic didn't seem to faze Mai in the slightest, who replied almost immediately. "Sure do! Perhaps after the match, though. Sticky foods..." She coughed. "...affect my performance in the ring." She wasn't going to explain how. She was testing her opponent's knowledge of her, and baiting it out, if possible.

Mai's eyes then drifted away wistfully. "I may be impressed, but you're not satisfied, are you? Huh...I'm sure you've made all preparations to win this one." She cracked her neck before facing Cyst again, filled with passion.

She was a little confused as to what that meant, but she wasn't about to dwell on it. Far as she was concerned, this was a test of adaptability. If she couldn't go in blind on this one and make it out alive, there was work that needed to be done. She didnt know how exactly she would do that work, but she would have to try.

She shook her head when Mai mentioned preparations. "Not really. I'm in the dark on most everyone in the tournament that's not Vince." She didn't even know what Daniel did, and they were in a Stable together. Part of her tendandcy to train alone was that she didnt know many others in the school, if they weren't famous.

"Oh. I see!" Mai stated, her fist against her chin overdramatically. Despite being corrected, Cyst's comments were making Mai feel giddy. She considered herself the opposite to her in regards to knowing others: keeping track of fighting styles, win/loss ratios, abilities, etc. However, it was clear that she knew less about the russian than she thought. She contemplated what else could be discussed, still like a statue, before finally taking a seat herself, blowing hanging hair away from her face.

Cyst let the silence hang for a bit, taking a granola bar from the pocket inside her shirt and taking a bite. She didn't really care for talk before a fight, but at least she could get a little bit on an opponent she previously had nothing on. It was a very little bit, but it was better than nothing. Eventually she broke the silence with a question she was curious about, but not entirely sure Mai would answer. "So. How much DO you have on me?"

Mai smirked slightly at Cyst's question, more that happy to comply. "Well, you're a skilled Krav Maga practitioner..." She dipped her head a bit and pointed at Cyst's legs with a lazy wrist. "...And you use those puppies to take full advantage of that." She continued, unlike an enthusiastic geek and more similar to a smug professor. "You currently hold the rank of C1, placing you well within the top ten for sophomores. In addition, you occasionally pull off feats with your legs I doubt any normal person can, though given it happens so rarely I assume there's a limit to how often you can do this."

She itched her nose. "As for personal information? You Vincent's girlfriend or something? And one or both of you likes caramel? I dunno, that's about all I got. This may be to your relief, but I'm only a stalker when you're fighting." That last bit might have not been relieving at all, but oh well.

She had had stalkers before and she would have known if Mai knew anything beyond what Cyst showed in the ring. She smiled and nodded, as if confirming something to herself. "Good... Thats good." She stood up and stretched her back a little, bowing to Mai. "I hope that you can learn a little more in our fight. This is a school, after all." She giggled a little before coughing hard, stopping herself for a second and shaking off the burning in her chest with a sigh. "Ill see you in the ring, yeah?" And with that, she went off to go find Vince or someone else that she knew.

"Yah!" The little korish girl replied generally to Cyst's statements upon her depature. Before long the russian was already gone, but Mai continued anyway, to herself. "And I hope you learn just as much about me," she finished in stride with an ominous undertone. She was a bit disappointed yet understanding of Cyst's leave, as she did her best not to disrupt the natural flow of conversation. It was a fine place to end it, she figured with what little she knew of the matter.

Her ascent to a standing position was not a long one given her height and, realizing too late that her messy ruby hair was beginning to impede her eyesight, she took out a hairtie and assembled a high ponytail far away from her face. She then stretched her flexible body, bringing her face to her knees, impatiently awaiting any sort of announcement.

"The fun begins..."

[Opharum]

(KirOpharum Copost here we go. Also posted awkawardly after the Jun-Vince fight, so assume this also happened before that)

There was no doubt that people’s throats were probably sore at this point. This tournament had been going on for quite some time, but now it was finally nearing its end. Everything was so close to the finale, so close to deciding just who was the strongest amongst the second years of New Peaks Academy. All of a sudden, a microphone crackled to life, and the cheering and shouting of the audience began to die down as an announcement was soon to come.

“Well then to all the fine folks in our audience today, this tournament is soon coming to a close, but don’t expect these fights to be cooling down! This time around, things are sure to be interesting! First up, we’ve got the girl who throws your feet out from under you, literally! No one quite knew what to expect seeing her in this ring, but she’s proven time and time again that she’s got the fire to burn you down – It’s Evelyn Mayes!”

Previously that announcement had brought forward nothing more than Evelyn herself emerging from the backstage area, no music or other fanfare to accompany her as she made her way to the ring, but this time, and especially with how far she’d gotten, she’d decided to amp things up a bit. She’d gained a lot of confidence progressing through this thing, so, realistically, why not have some more fun? She had prepared this little routine after all. It’d be a shame to waste it.

All of a sudden, all the lights in the stadium dimmed. Fog began to pour out from the sides of the pathway to the ring, and then an illuminating green ring popped onto the jumbotron for all to see. It was then that the soft playing of a guitar, and the entrance of a man’s voice, began. The green ring began to bob to the playing of the music, bouncing along with its rhythm. Finally, with the first bang of a snare, a spotlight shone on Evelyn, standing straight and proud at the entrance to the backstage area. With that cue, she jogged lightly forward, picking up speed until finally, she tilted her body, falling into an easy cartwheel, then bouncing into a back-handspring before launching up into the air with a backflip and landing easily right in front of the ring. Facing back the way she came, she fell into an overly exaggerated and polite curtsy; the irony of her own song choice not lost on her as she performed that action, and then turned on her heel, climbing into the ring to wait for her opponent.

Jack had seen the fights seen the battles all leading up to this the one thing he hasn't seen is his opponent in battle. That was just one thing he failed to watch just because he was hungry during the fight. Although he also didn't think they'd pair him up with the only other parahuman in the ENTIRE group of people he could fight. Jack was focused on this fight. He was focused on winning. He would do what he could even if it meant knocking himself out just to win this. Jack was determined as ever for this fight. "Second year battles are coming to a close. Just 3 more fights to the top and I will win this." He spoke to himself in the locker room trying to ready himself.

He heard the microphone crackle he heard the audience all welcoming the female Evelyn Mayes. They shouted her name even just to start. Was everyone going to pull for him or were they going to pull for the snake? Jack peaked out from the corridor he was behind watching the stage He could see fog pouring down the path and consuming the area to the ring. Jack then heard the rumbling of the music start up. He then watched the female perform her circus act like trick. "A cart wheel?"Jack paused and watched her flip backwards blinking agreeing the flip was a great add on. He simply chuckled at this and smiled. He had an idea in his mind on what he would do to start. He made his movement to around the ring as quick as he could climbing the steel above the ring and sitting down on the steel waiting for his name to be called. Of course it was dangerous but he'd been higher then this on a much smaller rope of sorts. This was nothing to him.

"Next up in our ring! We have yet another Parahuman. He's the creepiest of the crawliest. He has yet the same power as your favorite super hero! He'll wrap you up and suck you dry like any other bug! A grand B3 straight from the Grand country America. We have the Arachnid Jack Henry!"

Jack heard his que and looked to the entrance where he should be coming from as the screen showed the image of a sickening black widow which took a motion towards the screen biting at it. Of course it was all visual but it was mainly for show as a distraction. After the image of the black widow struck the screen a loud boom could be heard as the spotlight struck Jack in the air above the ring. He gripped the steel he was sitting on letting his webbing out from his finger tips as he leaped off of the steel letting his figure free fall for a few feet before the web caught him. He then slowly let the webs extend lowering him to the ground at a semi quick pace lowering him dead center of the ring. Jack released his webs and ran over towards the corner of the ring and jumped up on the post at the edge of the ring and waved to everyone before leaning back and placing a palm directly onto the top of the post doing a one handed hand stand waving with his other hand. He then proceeded to push off the edge and land on his feet smiling and waving. Wasn't to flashy but it would do. He adjusted his figure and moved to the opposite side of the ring looking to Evelyn and bowed to her. "Hello my lady."

Evelyn stood watching as her opponent made his entrance, muttering to herself, "Bloke's...really playing up this whole spider thing a lot, ain't he?" She sighed heavily, but lapsed into an easy grin as the oncoming fight popped back into her head. She watched as his feet hit the ring, seeing him go over and wave to the crowds, showing off a little as he did so. He was far smaller than most of the people she'd fought so far ("Still taller than me, dammit," she grumbled quietly to herself), but, especially after seeing his little display, he was far more agile and limber than her earlier opponents.

Finally, he stopped his appealing to the crowds and took his place at the opposite side of the ring. Evelyn couldn't help but scoff at his bow towards her. She certainly was no lady, and she couldn't help the thought that if he thought she was, then obviously he hadn't watching her. And if he hadn't been watching...well, this had a better chance to work on him then. She folded her body forwards, throwing her head up in as creepy a fashion there could be, now bouncing on her feet from side to side. There was a wild glint to her stare, and the smile on her face was practically malicious as she leveled her gaze with his. "Save your breath pretty boy, 'cause I'm about to crush you like the bug you are!"

Jack smiled at her scoff. Had he touched a sensitive area or was she just trying to be bold? It mattered not to him this would be a fun fight anyways. He knew she was a snake and she knew that he was a spider. That was all there was to it. Even in the animal kingdom snakes were modest creatures and probably felt dominant towards spiders or bugs over all. He readied himself seeing her bounce left and right seeing her ready himself. Then her last sentence nearly caused him to burst out laughing. He rolled his shoulders and snickered. "Pretty boy maybe, I mean look at me I'm dashing right?" He said this with a grin and waited to see if she would make the first move or not. "Crush me like the bug I am tho? That's hilarious. I love it!" He exclaimed and took a few steps towards her trying to be as careful as he could.

After a moment of waiting he could see she wasn't going to make the first move so he took a few more steps and then rushed towards her. "Well if you don't want to fight then I guess I'll start things off maybe get you into the mood for the battle!" With the finish of his sentence he quickly spun to the right extending his left leg out in an attempt to strike her in the left arm. All while he was moving he kept many different things in mind on positions he could take just in case this attack failed terribly.

Her plan to intimidate...did not go as well as she would have liked. Jack seemed to take it all in stride as he walked forward, clearly boasting confidence of his own and stepping towards her. But on the bright side he was at least playing into her battle format. She'd play defense, study him until she was satisfied, then unleash with some strikes of her own. She saw him gearing up for his first strike, and as he launched it out, she pushed on the ground with her leading left foot, moving back and safely out of the reach of the kick before immediately hopping back into her ginga, shifting her feet back and forth and keeping her hands loose in front of her.

"Mate. You'll have to try a little harder if it's a fight you want," she taunted as she moved. It was just a quick jab out, aiming for a reaction. It was likely enough that he was testing to see exactly what kind of route she'd take; whether she was more or less offensive. Evelyn figured that this guy was probably a pretty smart fighter, after all. But she knew that testing people was something she'd always been better at than most, and she'd be proving it here. "Well, come on then! Bring it on!"

Jack watched her dodge his attack and continued the spin maneuver rotating his body completely and back to a standing position. She knew he had webs did he want to test his webbing on her now or did he want to wait? There were many possibilities and yet she only dodged and reeled back further. He then continued his charge attempting to test out her defensive, of course he would need need to test her offensive as well but he was sure that the time would come as long as he continued attacking her. He figured she'd wait for an opening then hammer his opening but that was something he would test in the next move. "A little harder? Nah I'm just warming up right now. We'll get more serious shortly." He grinned and continued making his way towards her rushing but keeping his defense up.

He was actually enjoying this fight so far. Another parahuman just like him. One would stand on top and maybe one would land the tournaments 1st place. But that was to be decided shortly. Once Jack was close enough, he made his next move. Hopefully this would cause some reaction.Jack then pulled his left arm in and with a quick hard step forwards using his right foot he thrusted his palm out towards her aiming directly for her left shoulder blade. His right arm held firm while his left arm stayed in close clenched slightly so he had free ability to use his webs on any counter attack to his right side.

Evelyn couldn't help but grin a little at his statement. She hadn't even been lucky enough to face off against any other parahumans in her bracket for the tournament, so facing one now was a good change of pace, and with his attitude and movements, this was quickly turning into a fight she could enjoy. She had landed into a fighting stance with her left foot forward as he'd thrown the next strike, going for her arm again. She smirked, deciding to test her opponent's reaction time. Raising her hand, she spun her right foot, spinning her entire body around, her hand going to push his strike out of the way.

As she continued around, her right foot swung in front of her, sweeping out at Jack's leading foot in an effort to kick the foot out from under him. She didn't stop to observe whether or not her strategy had worked, instead performing an au, and cartwheeling back, keeping herself out of her opponent's range once more. If it had succeeded, then of course it would have been better for her to follow up, but for now, she still wanted to see more of what he could do, and wouldn't be focusing on trying to take him out.

To his amazement she did strike back. Although it wasn't what he was expecting his hand was knocked out of the way while a foot followed up. Jack met the foot with his right forearm using his left hand to support the arm giving the arm guard a more stable block and watched as she flipped back. She was loving the flips a little to much in his opinion but at the same time that could be used as an advantage if he used it right. He could see she was out of his range yet again and now they had pretty much swapped ring sides. Jack rolled his shoulders and rubbed his wrist smiling. "This is quite an enjoyable fight. I'm glad I'm fighting you." Jack adjusted his stance back to a fighting stance and smiled to the woman. Hoping this fight would come to a close soon enough but at the same time this was his first fight against a parahuman so in a way he didn't want to end the fight.

Jack continued watching the female observing her closely, this time he rushed her rather quickly in an attempt to give her little reaction time keeping his hands up. This motion was set as he attempted to grapple her if the grapple had worked, Jack would go for a knee to the stomach while pushing her figure downward in an attempt to cause more damage with a knee. Hoping this would work he made sure to let some of his webbing out onto her shoulders to ensure her jumping away would do no good as he could simply use the bunch of webbing to hopefully pull her back.

Evelyn gave her opponent a dry glance when she finally looked back at him. So she hadn't been able to sweep him off his feet with that. That was unfortunate, since it meant that he had a decent amount of stability on his feet. It would definitely make things harder. At his statement, she merely hummed in response, keeping her eyes on each action he made, no matter how small. It was then that he charged at her once more, and immediately, she went to back away once more, keeping herself on the edge of his range, but this time it seemed like he was putting a little more effort into what he was doing, as he managed to catch her and practically stick her to her spot with a grapple.

She saw his leg come up in the start of a knee, and with the little time she had, threw her hands in front of her face, and the thick end of her tail in front of her stomach in an attempt to guard as much as possible. It turned out that his knee had been aimed for her stomach. That was fine, what wasn't fine was also being shoved into it at the same time. Luckily, the impact slammed mostly into her tail, though part of his knee did make contact, and it didn't exactly feel the best to have her extra appendage jammed into her stomach. She gave a light cough, before attempting to retaliate by slamming her right foot down onto his closest foot, as well as attempting to spin and throw her heavy tail into her opponent.

Jack was thrown off by the tail block and the stiffer muscle did take most of the impact but also did a bit of damage to her hearing the cough. He took the sound with pride causing him to smile ever so slightly. He had landed the first direct hit which was always good. He took pride in the first strike when he could. This fight would be no different but he also was able to get a bit of webbing to the female's body which meant he had a chance to divert a quick counter if she punched towards him. This fight was in the bag for him as long as he kept his guard up.

Although Jack was full on ready, the next move caught him off guard just barely moving his foot from the strike but failing to block off the tail swipe. From that he felt the wind get knocked from his lungs as he attempted to dodge only to take the strike full force into his abdomen. Jack quickly moved back wincing with the pain in his side but keeping an eye on Evelyn while adjusting his figure back into a fighting stance. It was a great hit to his side and would probably hurt for the rest of the match. "Those muscles in that tail of yours are quite strong." He said with a grin and attempted to shrug off the pain this time taking the defensive stance waiting for her to strike.

As he backed away, Evelyn made to remove the webbing that he'd stuck to her, and once she'd done so, shot a look at him that had fire burning in her eyes. "Yeah, I guess so. Hope that doesn't scare ya too much mate," she taunted at him. She picked up her pace once more, with little more than a dull throb where she'd been hit, and resumed her ginga. She moved slowly towards Jack, looking for a break in his defense, anything at all that she could use against him. She realized as she approached that their positions had switched, and that she had become the aggressor. If that was how it was going to be, then maybe she should try and finish this fight.

She slid in with her left foot, wrapping her tail around her stomach, lashing out with her right foot in a round-kick towards his head, attempting to follow through by spinning it behind her, and launching off the ground, her right foot coming around once more in a crescent motion allowing her once woven tail to come undone as she did so, swinging it in unison with her foot. If she couldn't find a hole in her opponent's defense, then she'd have to just break through it altogether. She was placing a lot into this, and could only hope that it would have some effect.

Jack smiled and shook his head at her response, she looked like she was ready to explode on him. He simply smiled at the remark she had made and shook his head. "Scare me? Please, I'm a spider, we jump off of walls and other things just for the fun of it and dangle from a web. You think a snake like you? I mean really, a snake would scare me. I've seen many things much scarier then you have, I'm american." He said this with confidence, he knew just cause he was american it didn't mean much but hey from everywhere else he's heard American's live the hardest life. And Jack had seen some pretty crazy things in his circus life. But to more of the matter he had to focus on the fight rather then just the stupid things he's seen in life. Jack readied himself watching her move towards her keeping her guard up. He scanned the female back checking for anything and everything he could to use as an opening.

With the time he had to prepare as she got across to him he had come up with something and knew it'd be a long shot but it might work. Jack watched the left foot come in towards him and watched for the spin. This was a tactic she had used twice already. He ducked the foot and looked quickly to the tail this time he blocked it only to get knocked to the ground. He quickly used this to recover turning attack into a roll. It wasn't the most effective roll but as he did he released webbing to the ground in a small pattern in spurts in hopes he could use this to stick her feet to the ground. When Jack finished his roll away he stood back up with a quick pace and instantly felt the sharp pain in his arm where he had used it to block. Cringing his eyes tightly he shook his head looking back up to her. This fight was coming to an end quickly and he knew it. At this point in time his defense was low and his arm was in pain. But he had a few more things he could try. Jack quickly looked to the sides of the ring and used his hands to shoot webs to the ropes of the ring forming a triangle blocking off a corner. He adjusted his figure and pulled on the webs feeling the pain in his arm seep with pain. He pulled as tight as he could before stepping back and used the webs to rush towards her at a quicker pace.

Evelyn smirked as she saw Jack roll away, only to get up and cringe in pain. She'd managed to inflict some fairly heavy damage, even if she hadn't hit him in the head. She bounced between her feet before resuming the steady approach she'd had before, creeping towards him, only to be left with a bewildered expression at his use of the ring. It was almost like he was using it as a...No, that was exactly what he was doing, using the ring to practically throw himself into her. Evelyn had no idea if this was an act of desperation, or if there was some kind of a plan, something, anything at all really, that her opponent had to follow up with. All she knew was that she had to react as fast as could.

Deciding to do the simplest-and therefore fastest-thing possible, she stepped out to the side, throwing her left foot out in front where she'd been prior, whilst also ducking down to the ground. If Jack tried to throw a punch at her, then hopefully she'd be low enough to duck under it. If she was lucky, the foot that she'd placed where her body had once been would clip him and throw him to the ground. The only way that was happening would be if he'd picked up too much momentum though, and if she was being honest with herself, Evelyn was fairly certain someone so close to the finals would probably not make such a careless mistake, but still, it would be worth a shot.

Jack saw her dodge, of course she would dodge the attack nobody would out right take a man charging at them full force and do nothing, the thing he also noticed was she had stuck her foot out in an attempt to trip him he assumed, Jack took this to mind nearly laughed at the attempt. Was she getting desperate as well? Or was Evelyn just bad at taking a quick paced full on attack. One or the other it was something he could use. Jack quickly jumped and rolled over her foot (Kinda like a front somersault and roll). And regained his footing quickly bringing his leg back quickly in an attempt to strike her back hoping he would leave her with little reaction time.

If she dodged his kick Jack had plans to use the webbing to pull her back or attempt to. If that wouldn't have worked, Jack would continue the spin and follow up with a direct right jab straight towards the female's upper body. One of the two had to work it just depended on her reaction and how fast she was. But she was a snake and he knew they were very agile so he could only assume the punch would be the way to go.

Evelyn wasn't surprised to see him jump over her foot, after all, she had kind of figured that such a mediocre counter wouldn't work in the first place. She saw him jump over before witnessing him roll and then prepare himself for a kick. She began to move forward, out of the range of the kick, only to have Jack continue it and spin around, throwing a jab towards her upper body. She knew she wouldn't be able to dodge this in time, and so she simply positioned herself to take as little damage as she could, raising her arms, allowing them to be struck. Pain shot through the left arm that had taken the brunt of the attack, though she quickly tried to push the thought aside.

Rather than focus on her losses, Evelyn immediately made to counter, sweeping out her left leg in front of her in an effort to trip Jack up once more, though she didn't stop with that, instead following through with a crescent from her back leg aimed towards his head, and then finishing with a punch straight towards Jack's midsection, with each move that she performed steadily dragging her closer to her opponent.

Jack watched as Evelyn had full on taken the kick to her arm. That had to sting and he knew it. To match it up they both had injuries on their left arms now. And the fight had heated up to a full on battle. This was going to end in the next few minutes he just had to make sure he was the one standing on top of the fight in the end. Jack focused on her next move as she tried the sweep and kick maneuver once more. He focused on the sweep and shifted quickly to the side to avoid it only to have a crescent kick come straight for him once more. He moved to the side even more to dodge this attack.

In the motion of things he thrusted his palms out and quickly released 10 strands of web from each finger tip directly towards the leg she balanced on in an attempt to grab and pull her leg off balance to hopefully knock her to the ground. Hoping this would work Jack had a full plan from that moment. If it did work he only had the tail to worry about in the next attack but he could make due. If the webbing didn't work he'd simply release the strands from his hand and move back from her.

Unfortunately, her attacks had been avoided, and the battle had failed to advance in either person's favor. They were pretty much even at the moment. That was when Jack shot out strands of webbing towards her leg, tugging it forward. It was likely an attempt to knock her off balance, and if he thought it would help him, she'd let him think that. She allowed herself to fall back, placing her hands back behind her to give herself stability. While it was true that most martial arts would hold this as a disadvantageous position to be in, hers meant that this was exactly one of the positions that she would be able to fight from.

In that position on the ground, she crawled back slightly, waiting to see what Jack may try to do, and being prepared to react to whatever kind of attack he may attempt on her in her prone position. Maybe this time she'd be able to catch him off guard if she were to retaliate from her grounded state, after all, not many would expect someone who's on the ground to properly strike back.

To Jack's surprise it had worked, she had actually fallen but she wasn't completely on the ground as he hoped. None the less he would take this chance to rush in and stopped just before her standing straight and stretching his right leg high performing an axe kick with his right leg bringing it straight towards her stomach area, he did this while bringing his arms in close in attempt to use them to keep balance and counter an attack if she had launched one in his direction.

Jack focused on the attack being made and thought quickly on different courses he could take in the event this attack had gone wrong. If she rolled out the way he would plant the kick and wait for her move, if she sweeped him his attempt would be to take the sweep and attempt to remove himself from danger as soon as he could but that would have to wait until he figured out her moves.

Just as she had hoped, Jack approached her while she was on the ground and had begun a different move. She saw him bring his right leg up, ready to slam it down onto her, and as he began to do so, rolled back, out of the way of the kick, allowing it to hit the now empty air in front of her. She did not complete her roll back however, leaning her weight back on her arms before suddenly pushing both her legs and arms outwards, launching herself towards jack with a dual kick aimed towards his chest.

She hoped that the suddenness of it would catch him off guard, but if it didn't, then she would move to roll back once more, this time back onto her feet. Essentially this attack was meant to either hit very hard, or if it missed, give her the time to effectively recover back onto her feet so she would no longer be fighting from her prone position.

Jack's eyes widened to the sudden kick she had aimed for. He wasn't expecting the sudden move so fast and was nearly taken aback by the attack. Jack quickly brought his hands up together and spread them apart each finger attaching a total of 10 pieces of webbing together. Jack had pulled it tight in his hands and used it to take the blunt of the blow but it still tore straight through his webs. Jack had taken the hard kick to the chest. He could feel the wind leave his lungs as he was sent back about 3ft all while landing on his back. Wincing from the surge of pain going up his back from striking the ring Jack could feel this was almost over.

Closing his eyes tightly he took a moment to recover before standing up as quick as possible looking straight to the female cringing from the pain. That was a hard strike and he was still working on catching his breathe. This fight was a loss, but he had at least made it to the quarter finals. But his dream of reaching the top was so far away and he wasn't going to see it until the next tournament hopefully. Jack's mind raced with thoughts on losing the fight while he awaited the next move. If he rushed in he would surely lose now but if he waited he could still have a chance of defending and placing a good counter. He had only hoped he could still pull something out even tho in the back of his mind he had accepted the loss.

Evelyn rolled back onto her feet after the kick and looked at her recovering opponent. Obviously the kick had done it's job. She rolled her injured arm in its socket before moving to rush Jack once more. There was no sense in letting him recover, and with that in mind Evelyn was already going to be on top of him again before he even had the chance to. She had to give it to him though, from the shots she'd taken, he was a strong fighter, and someone capable of putting together a strategy. As she finished her approach, she spoke to him again, "Well, mate, ready to give up?"

She wouldn't be waiting for a reply though, and her intentions should've been evident enough, She threw out a shove-kick towards his leading knee, aiming to blow it out and finish the fight then and there, though she intended to follow it up with a jab to the chest followed by a cross to his head. After so many times, she'd figured that perhaps her sweeping techniques weren't going to work. Assuming he managed to escape all of those techniques, she'd au back and recollect herself before continuing on in her assault against him, hoping to be prepared for any other techniques that he may throw.

Jack watched the girl rush up prepping himself for the attack. Now she was on the offensive, he would lose if he didn't figure something out and quick. This battle needed to end and it needed to end now, if she planted her next move he would be done for and she would be on top. But he knew he could muster at least one more great move before the fight was over. Then here she was nearly in his face taunting him about giving up. He paid the female no mind and gave no response. He couldn't give his dream up.

Jack expected the sweeping kick but instead of getting a sweep he felt his leg give from beneath him. She had surprised him with the direct kick to his leg rather then the normal sweep. This time he nearly fell back from the kick only to be met with a jab to the chest knocking him completely off balance. Jack was then met by the cross to the skull causing his vision to blur and making him to lose focus. Jack instantly hit the floor of the ring and stared up trying to get the daze to fade away. That was it, the match was done for.

Once Jack hit the floor and didn't get up, that was it. A referee ran onto the field to officially separate them, though Evelyn had already backed away from her fallen opponent. The referee officially called out that Evelyn was the victor, and so she finally relaxed her stance. She'd done it. She was moving on to the next round. Only a few more fights to go and she'd be on top of it all. This was looking up for her, but she knew that now, especially now, she couldn't afford overconfidence, lest it be her undoing. With that thought in mind, Evelyn began to make her way back to the staging area, the cheers of the crowd falling on her ears and making her smile, if only slightly.

"Well folks! That's it for this round! The snake has trumped the spider, and so our competitor moving on to the next round is the one and only Evelyn Mayes! I hope that match got you all fired up for what's to come, 'cause we're nowhere near done yet!"

[Salroka]

Cyst vs. Mai, a copost between Dawscombine and Organis

The music was not her style at all. As Cyst walked into the arena, all she could think about behind her manic grin of excitement was that the music was terrible and she'd have to talk to Vince about that later, after breaking his knees for that stupid stunt. They could have had all of them in the top three. But he had to start shit and walk away. Calling Junkiro a pro-wrestler wannabe was the most hypocrital thing he could have done, given the nature of that stunt. Still, in for a penny and all that.

Once she entered the ring, she knelt down and said a quick prayer for victory before hopping up and starting to stretch her legs. It was important, after all.

"Aannnd Cyst's opponent, the girl who NOBODY expected to make it this far even among the other new finalists...Mai Erskine!"

As Mai's entrance music began to play, there were no visual effects on the screen, only a dimming of the lights...and then darkness. The only lit area of the stadium was the first few meters of the walkway, and as the initial slow vocals erupted into an orchestra of metal grunge guitars, the girl leaped out of the void and into the light with great speed. Her legs were outstretched far ahead of her curled body, as if she were performing an olympic long jump. She continued airborn a few feet past the darkness before bending her knees and landing, skidding several feet further with her body lagging behind before finally coming to a complete stop, a distance which seemed unlikely even at such a velocity. As Mai rose, the lights returned to normal, and during her first couple steps forward she let out a raspy growl as she exhaled. Too much intensity for such an unlikely quarterfinalist? Perhaps, but that was the entire purpose. She was demonstrating that she belonged there, even if it was the first time in her life she ever had her name announced or to have a theme or to be watched by so many spectators at once.

The Korish girl was small, yet strided slowly down the path as if she were massive, seemingly taking in all the popularity she had accumulated over such a short period. However, in actuality she was simply staring down at her feet as she walked, testing how they shuffled against the ground. Mai had trained her ability to the point of making a noticeable difference in her movements, but unless she learns to control a certain technique, she will hit a roadblock. Her efforts while training have shown it to be possible, but to pull it off in the heat of battle was a whole 'nother obstacle. Even if she did, winning seemed like a distant prospect. In the sea of firsts, the most important was that Cyst was Mai's first "One Percent" opponent. The group had definitely made a name for themselves leading up to the event, but Mai believed such prestige will be their downfall, as shown in the shocking departure of Vince and the freshman champ, though there were certainly other factors to that incident. Just goes to show that titles can change like a raging tide, and that proclaiming oneself as a set-in-stone top percentage was, well, arrogant. She had no idea how much Cyst bought into the group as a whole, but defeating her would make a statement nonetheless.

Mai slid under the bottom rope before plopping up to face her opponent, smiling from ear to ear and feeling as if she had risen a hundred feet utop the ring. All things considered, though... Mai thought in contemplation of all the conspiracies, drama, and stakes regarding this tournament... All that matters is the fights themselves right? As much as she relished in her newfound fame (well, comparatively to before, anyway), her strongest motive for winning was simply...she didn't want the fun to end.

"Everyone's olagonin' 'bout this thing and that thing, but it's all six o’ one, half a dozen of the other. Why don't they just go for a craic battering on each other, yeah?" She began with a playful tone, not expecting Cyst to understand all the words. She was simply trying to set a good mood as they waited for the fight to begin.

Cyst paid no attention to Mai's words. Words were worthless in a fight fought with fists. So she simply set to lose herself in the chatter of the crowd like she always did, taking several deep breaths and waiting for Mai to stop talking. She put up her hands and slid her feet apart, ready to fight almost the instant her lips stopped moving. The judge, who was someone Cyst didn't quite recognize, quickly gave the signal to start and Cyst was off like a rocket.

She sprinted forward and made to toss a haymaker at Mai before dropping and going for a hooking kick to the back of the knee, looking take her to the ground. She had been working of her grappling with Vince and wanted to see if she could put it into effect here. If not, that was fine.

Cyst simply brought herself into her fighting stance as Mai chattered on, not reacting in the slightest. Some may take this as rude or insulting, but upon finishing Mai respected the russian a great deal for it, and felt respected herself. Many students at her rank would try to intimidate Mai and break her down before the fight even began, so a bit of dialog in the beginning felt normal to her. The truth was, Cyst was ignoring her words, but not her. She was staring right at her, her stance simply initiating a different kind of conversation, and Mai replied in turn. Placing one foot forward, bending her knees, and leaning forward, she brought her arms in a close defensive position, her fists in front of her face and her elbows inward. She took a breath and concentrated, friction force rising steadily throughout her body.

As soon as the judge signaled the start of the match, Mai shot off with her rigid back foot at quite a steep angle, one which might cause others to lose balance and slip. As she zoomed forwards, however, her foe had chosen to do the same. The distance between the two fighters had closed in the blink of an eye, and Mai's face was practically asking to be struck, but she didn't worry. Her plan remained the same. She simply had to execute it sooner. Just as Mai was merely two meters away from Cyst, she applied force into her right foot to perform a sharp sidestep to her left, of course putting her ability to use. At the same time, Cyst threw a powerful haymaker towards where Mai had just been, but due to the punch's angle, Mai had unintentionally stepped into the punch's path somewhat.

Thankfully, she was still far away enough to avoid it, though only just, having no clue whether she would have been capable of actively dodging it. Although she had sidestepped, Mai's forward momentum carried her to Cyst's right side, where she stopped herself with her left foot, facing the russian. With her right arm still outstretched from the power punch and left on her other side, Cyst didn't appear to be able to block with them. Taking the good opportunity, Mai stepped in for a quick but firm right jab at Cyst's cheek, more so testing her defenses than going all in to hopefully end the match quickly. However, just then, Cyst's head lowered. Mai threw her jab anyway, but ended up hitting only air to her disappointment, out of reach. Cyst's movement had also served as an alarm, however, as it caused Mai too glance down at Cyst's leg being brought around for a low hook.

Leaning way back, Mai applied great force to her leading foot in order to hop backwards, lifting it up high for good measure to evade the kick. Either she read my mind, Mai thought as she stumbled back a few steps before regaining her balance. ...Or she planned that move from the start like I was. The latter certainly seemed like the case. Their exchange-- or lack thereof-- occurred within the span of a mere second, and Cyst had begun to move her head even before Mai's jab. It was possible they had simply gotten in each other's way. Mai returned to her stance as soon as she could, fully expecting her opponent to charge towards her again.

And charge she did. But this time, Cyst decided to amp it up and use her developing ability. It was not very refined, but it would have to do the trick. With an inhuman burst of speed, she rushed around to take Mai's back and press the advantage by attempting to clasp her opponent in a rear naked choke hold. It was not pretty. It was not refined. But it was effective. Hopefully the sudden shift would be enough to keep Mai off guard for just that brief second she would need. If not, then Cyst would simply go for a heavy kick to the side of Mai's knee. Either way worked for the scrappy Russian girl, but she secretly wanted to win via submission... if for no other reason than to show Vincento that she had put his advice to good use.

Mai had witnessed this unnatural speed a few times before, but being on the receiving end was a new experience entirely. As a vague blur, Cyst had zipped right in front of the korean...and then disappeared. Mai had only realized her foe was behind her due to the powerful gust felt on her back, but she could not prevent what would happen next. All she had time to do was take her arms, which were already up to her face, and pull them in closer to prepare for some sort of explosive kick to the head, but she could do nothing to protect the rest of her body. Fortunately, the head was what Cyst was going for, or, specifically, a choke hold. Instead of wrapping her arms around Mai's neck, however, they hugged her forearms instead, protecting it. Making with this chance, Mai struggled with all her might to break free from the hold, but to no avail, not helped by her friction coefficient currently high. She had trained for agility and endurance, but outpowering her higher-ranked opponent with her small stature was out of the question. She did have another option, however. Leaning her head forward, Mai then thrusted it violently backwards, intending to bash Cyst's face in with her skull.

Regardless of whether or not it landed, Mai was already lowering her friction. Simultaneously bending downward again and then bending her knees upward, Mai saught to use both muscle strength and body weight to escape underneath Cyst's hold, the attempt hopefully enhanced by the factors of Mai's head bash, her increased slipperiness, and the incompletion of the hold itself. If successful, however, Mai wasn't out of the water yet. She still had to raise her friction back up as her feet touched the ground so she would not trip under them. The potency of the low-friction end of her ability was not great enough to garuntee this, but Mai, aware of her clumsiness, would not roll that dice.

Soon would she discover, however, that this was would no longer be an issue, for she had reached a milestone. Even as her friction was lowered as far as currently possible-- about 0.35 normal, the bottoms of her feet were resting comfortably at 2.8. The benefits of this new distribution control were numerous, and Mai was more that willing to demonstrate it. If free from the hold, Mai was able to land soundly without altering the rest of her body's friction. She was sick of running. It wasn't working. Spinning around clockwise, Mai would let out a battle cry and launch a back kick for Cyst's stomach, utilizing one of only two areas of her foot-- the sole and heel-- which retained high friction, to add some oomf to the blow. One could describe the texture as similar to solid rubber.

Clever girl, putting her arms up at the last second. It was annoying, but not entirely unexpected. Grabbing hold anyway, Cyst would try to restrict Mai's ability to breathe using sheer brute force rather than cutting off her airway. Then came the headbutt. Rather than move her head backward to avoid it, the Russian snapped her own head forward to meet the skull of her opponent. This was for two reasons. One, to reduce the force of Mai's attack by cutting it off halfway... and two, to return some of the damage back at her.

All that ended up happening was that they would BOTH be a bit dazed. It seemed that was all the opening Mai needed, though. She slipped out of the hold as if she were coated in grease, then slammed her foot right into Cyst's gut while she was still shaking off the cobwebs. Staggering back from the kick, Cyst growled in frustration. She'd been so focused on ending the fight with a flashy use of her own ability that she had forgotten her opponent's ability... a novice mistake which annoyed her.

Thumbing her nose at Mai, Cyst rushed in once more. Unlike last time, she stopped just short and lowered her stance for a brief moment. Almost immediately, she unleashed a heavy uppercut aimed right at that tender spot under her foe's sternum. It wasn't that she was angry at Mai or anything. She'd do the same to any other opponent. Krav Maga wasn't about being nice, after all. It was about taking someone out as quickly as possible... often in painful and crippling ways. Nothing personal. It was just business.

Cyst not falling to Mai's kick was disappointing but expected, a reminder of her lack in power. Still, she would label it as a success, as it allowed her the opportunity to regain the initiative by preparing to launch at the russian as she stumbled...an initiative which would be just at quickly lost as Mai stopped herself and shook her head as it began to sting. The aftermath of her head bash was taking effect, and she wondered if she had taken as much damage as her opponent in the clash. That flinch was all that was needed for Cyst, in her aggression, to recover and rush forward for a third time. Despite this predictable action, Mai had no idea what to do; the first charge was for a straight punch, the second for a choke hold from behind. The variety in such tenacity...it was...quite admirable, and though Mai could track Cyst's movements more easily by this point, she doubted she'd be able to dodge whatever was thrown at her. The strikes of the Krav Maga fighter were simply too hard and fast.

Still, perhaps it was for the best Mai remained on the defensive, as she could make the best use out of her new skill. The best she could do offensively here was to lunge forward for a surefire jab (jabs were really the only punches she was efficient at) to the face before Cyst executes whichever attack, the damage of the punch potentially enhanced by Cyst's own momentum. But three issues were so prominent that Mai needn't even bring them to her consciousness to dismiss the idea. First, her new friction distribution only applied to her feet, not her hands or fists. Thus, she would have to raise it in order for her jab to have a shot of landing directly, which would make her extremely vulnerable. Second, her reach was likely shorter, making an interception nearly impossible without impeccable acceleration and timing. Third, such a weak move probably wouldn't even stop Cyst even if it did land.

Also, considering the fact that Cyst's speed made running away futile, Mai's only option was to defend the best she could. She tensed in her boxer's stance as Cyst approached, only for the russian to halt abruptly in front as she lowered momentarily before bringing her fist upward for a devastating uppercut. Her head targeted twice already, Mai instinctively crossed her forearms below it to cushion a possibly match-ending blow to the chin, also leaning back as much as she had time to in a desperate attempt to evade it. Sadly, she guessed wrong, and was punished by a wind-crushing force within her solar plexus. Mai knew better than most that this area under the ribs was bundled with sensitive nerves, and even moderate attacks landed in the region could end fights by itself, and it would have ended Mai if it weren't for particular factors that actually caused Cyst's fist to slip upwards slightly before it could dig deeper and deal its maximum damage: Mai's ability of course, her leaning backwards, and the angle of the attack itself. If, perhaps, the punch was more straightforward or perpendicular to Mai's torso, then the other two factors would not have mattered, but it seemed that it was thrown a bit too steep, which allowed the 0.35 friction coefficient to do the work of reducing the grip of the knuckles against the skin and eventually slide past at a point. All that said, however, her stomach boiled. She could not inhale...or exhale, but she could move, and that's what mattered.

Mai's game plan throughout the match was to simply survive, well aware that her opponent would be the aggressor. Having studied Cyst, she figured she could tire her out and bait her to waste her ability. And yet, after hardly a minute in she was in quite the pickle from a single attack she could not stop no matter what she did. She would not be able to tank another one of those. She had to switch gears. She had to be the one to end the fight. Raising her rigidness hurriedly, Mai thrusted her arms outward to constrict the arm which had uppercutted her, leaped backwards, and fell willingly in hopes of bringing Cyst's arm as well as her entire body with her. If so, she would then perform an arm lock submission, throwing each leg on either side of the arm, one bent around it and the other pressed against Cyst's head. Mai would hang on with a death grip and pull as long as she could.

Whether she succeeds in this or fails, she would still fall, and upon landing would begin to hack and wheeze in effort to return air to her lungs.

While Cyst's punch hit home, Mai's ability reduced the overall damage and kept her in the fight. Worse yet, she was able to trap Cyst's arm and lock her in a rather unpleasant armbar. While Mai was unable to drag Cyst to the ground completely, the armbar was still locked in tight and already taking its toll. She needed to do something, and fast. Her legs were already sore from using her ability so early in the match, and a damaged arm would only give Mai even more of an advantage.

Gritting her teeth through the pain of having her arm torqued in the wrong direction, Cyst rose from her knees and used her free arm to grasp Mai's shirt. Lifting with all the strength she could muster... and further stressing the muscles in the arm Mai had hold of... Cyst lifted her opponent into the air. Letting out a roar, she raised Mai to about chest-level before slamming her back to the mat.

Being dropped on her back would have been bad enough, but less than a minute after taking a heavy shot to the solar plexus? Mai had little choice but to release Cyst's arm. Seizing the moment to regain her composure, Cyst practically jumped to the other side of the ring to catch her breath. Her arm muscles burned intensely from the hold she had just escaped and her legs tingled from using her ability moments ago. Still, that was surprising. Normally her legs felt almost like jelly after using it. Maybe... just maybe... but not yet. While Cyst was licking her wounds, Mai was no doubt taking time to recover as well. Unfortunate for Cyst. Three charges had not worked, so it was time to come up with a new strategy. Too bad she wasn't so good at thinking while fighting.

Mai soon wouldn't be able to think too well either. Upon being slammed, the back of Mai's head bounced against the floor, causing the already present headache to worsen. In addition, she experienced another wave of pain which followed the first from Cyst's punch, her shock from the force causing her to free the arm. As Cyst leaped away, Mai tried to remain fixed on her, but it was a tad awkward from her position. Rolling over onto her stomach, Mai thrusted her feet below her and shot up as quickly as she could, albeit wheezing loudly as she did so. Still not accustomed to standing again, Mai shuffled back until she was caught by the ropes, and then hastily positioned herself in the corner, figuring that if Cyst were to charge again, the post would provide the greatest risk. Breathing heavily, She held her gut with one hand while she knocked the side of her skull with the edge of her other palm, as if it would somehow cancel out the ringing. Arched forward, Mai lifted her head and delivered a wide-eyed, sincere smile to Cyst. "You have a valid point!" She proclaimed even though her opponent had not said anything.

Suddenly, Mai dashed forward with uncharacteristic recklessness, forgoing her boxing stance and pumping her arms from side to side for extra acceleration, relying on the speed as well as her glassy body to handle defending against decisive blows. Once in front of Cyst with no sign of slowing down, Mai twisted her body, raised her right knee as far back as she could, dug her rigid left sole against the floor for one final push, and released a heel kick with all her might to the russian's leading thigh, willing to tenderize her hamstring at any cost. Considering that this was the first time in the match Mai had genuinely taken the offensive, she hoped the surprising shift would help her pull it off.

What did Mai mean by "You have a valid point"? Cyst only had a split second to think about it before being charged at. Worse, it seemed like her opponent was moving faster than ever. What felt like a hundred things ran through Cyst's head at the same time, but she decided on a rash plan of action. It sounded good in her head at the time, but fate had other ideas. When Mai made her attack on Cyst's leg, the scrappy Russian would suddenly vanish for the briefest of moments... before careening into the ring ropes and collapsing onto the mat. Her teeth were gritted and tears were welling up in her eyes, but she did not cry out. However, neither was she able to immediately rise to her feet.

Using her newfound ability of accelerated movement earlier in the match, Cyst's legs were still recovering. In her overconfidence in her endurance (or some might say out of desperation to win) she had used it again before her body was ready. As a result, she had done extensive damage to her legs. Still, she covered this as best as she could. Hoisting herself up with all her might, Cyst bore the entirety of her weight on one arm, leaning against the top rope and motioning for Mai to come at her.

The judge at ringside had nearly stopped the fight, but seeing Cyst get to her feet made him reluctant to do so as she appeared not to be quite so injured as he first thought. It seemed Cyst's ruse had temporarily worked on the judge, at the very least... but would it work on Mai?

Before Mai could even register what had happened, her foot had hit only the floor instead of where Cyst should be, but she continued to fall forward. She rotated around to be able to place her other leg behind to catch her, but she landed on her arse during the attempt. Mai couldn't help but cackle at the idea of how stupid she must have looked, shutting her eyes involuntarily. After a few seconds they cracked open again, and what they saw ceased the laughter. "Eh?" Cyst was suddenly far away, sprawled out against the ropes. Did she just...?

Mai sprung up again, only to begin breathing intensely and feeling her stomach to evaluate the damage. It turned out she was still quite winded; that solar plexus shot must have shortened her breath indefinitely, and that sprint had taken most of the rest out of her. She couldn't attack or defend at full strength like this, but on the other hand, neither could Cyst from the looks of it. Would she take advantage as Cyst delivered a "Come at me!" motion? No. Besides being tired as hell, cornering someone on the ropes screamed danger. Cyst may have more remaining in her than it appeared, and the worst decision Mai could make is to play the opponent's game when they appeared the most vulnerable. Instead, she decided to stand back and take in oxygen to fuel her body and brain. If Cyst was only toying, then eventually she would come at Mai and prove her suspicions correct. If not, then she had time to figure out what to do next. It was one of the rare cases in combat in which doing nothing might be advantageous. Mai's lungs would recover, but if Cyst's legs were badly hurt, they wouldn't.

"That's the first time I've seen you use it twice in one match!" Mai said in awe, eyes sparkling with excitement. "Either I haven't been doing my research, or you've also evolved." She then walked towards Cyst cautiously, fists up, readying her mind for being jumped at any moment. At one point Mai then turned and headed for a spot on the ropes about three meters away from the Russian. "If so, then I'm flattered for having pushed you this far," Mai continued before reaching out to grab the top rope Cyst held onto. She placed on foot in front of the other to increase her balance, just in case Cyst was going to try something. Would being thrown out of the ring lose the fight? Mai should have looked over the rules more thoroughly, but she wouldn't chance it. Mai then jerked the rope up and down in the effort to throw Cyst's hung arm off of it. If it didn't work, she would inch closer and try again. The point of this was to test if Cyst could stand on her own without support. If not, then the match would most likely be over. If so, then not yet.

The entire time Mai was talking, Cyst simply glared. Even when she came close, Cyst made no movements toward or away from her opponent. It was only when Mai shook the ropes that the extent of Cyst's injuries started to come to light. The shaking caused her to put weight on her injured legs, and she collapsed in a heap once more. This time, she could not help but cry out. The pain from multiple torn muscles and tendons would be hard for anyone to bear, let alone a teenage girl. Falling to her back and grasping the bottom rope tightly, Cyst could do little at this point beyond write in pain.

As Cyst fell, Mai let go of the ropes and turned to the judge, who, after shifting a glance between her and the crippled Cyst, called the end of the match. The crowd started up, not in cheers nor rage but in conversation, as if slowly developing a unified decision on whether to be disappointed or content with the end result. "Seems like the parahumans got us beat in winning the crowd, eh?" She mumbled to herself as a couple medical personnel entered the ring. Only a few seconds after pressing on Cyst's legs here and there, one of them motioned for a stretcher. Mai relayed a solemn "Good talk..." as the russian was carried out. The extent of her injuries would later be determined: With both quadriceps, one hamstring, a couple knee ligaments in the leg opposite, and one Achilles tendon all torn, her legs were severely damaged, and it is estimated she will spend the remainder of the school year bound to wheels.

"-And with an anticlimactic yet oh-so shocking conclusion, the one advancing is...Mai Erskine! The underdog proved herself to be anything but in this bout, but there's still one more to go this round, and it's almost sure to be electrifying to say the least!"

Mai spaced out into the crowd as she pondered her victory. It didn't seem to make sense. The Russian had her beat in practically all aspects, but she supposed she had found a sort of explanation. It's quite probable that Cyst had inflicted more damage to herself than Mai had, and the uses of her power were spent with low rewards-- the first simply meant to get around for a grapple attempt, and the second to avoid an attack which would have likely done less damage than the speed boost itself. She didn't even remember Cyst throwing a single kick the entire fight save for that one in the beginning. If Mai could deduce her victory in sum, it was that her opponent had done most of the work for her. This made the Korish girl uneasy, for, if that were true, her ability to compete on the same level as her next challenge had yet to be discerned.

"Hm?" Among the many faces her eyes washed over, one in particular caught her attention. "He-heeeyyy! Thabisa!" Thabisa, a member in the crowd, blushed embarrassingly as her friend flailed her arms in a childlike manner and drew attention to her. Still, she waved kindly back at Mai, followed by a thumbs up in congratulations of the victory. Having been eliminated two rounds prior, the part-goat parahuman was pleasantly surprised to know Mai had made it to the quarterfinals at all, let alone even further. A wave of guilt passed over Thabisa at this thought, however, ashamed of having placed so little faith in the girl. Thankfully, this emotion soon passed over and was replaced with a more positive one. Well, she sure knew better now than to doubt Mai, and her progress demonstrated how their training together was paying off!

Mai was laughing in glee when she put out a very different, off-putting sound. She grasped her gut again as an uncomfortable sensation began to swell up from within. "Ah, stinks," was all else she could let out before rushing to the nearest garbage can with her cheeks puffed out and releasing her lunch. "I...I think I'm having second thoughts about that caramel right nooOH-" She garbled after one load before unleashing another.

[Dawscombine]

A Copost Between Dawscombine & Beta

Cyst awoke in her absolute least favorite place. The Hospital. She didn't even have to look to know she was hooked up to all sorts of machines and had her legs suspended from those hanging things they tended to put injured legs on. Why... why had she pulled that stupid stunt? It was so risky and impossibly dangerous. She had no idea what it would do if she passed her limit and now she was in the hospital, likely without legs for at least the rest of the year. There was only one conceivable way this entire situation could get ANY worse right now...

Vincento, on the other hand, was heading back to his dorm when he got a text message from Francesca. "One Percent is done for, mate. Cyst hurt herself something fierce in her fight, so she's out." ... of course. Well, he knew that was a possibility when he dropped out. It was annoying, but it happened. [color=#FF8C00]"Figures. Well, I guess I should go check on her. She never does ANYTHING half-assed... even hurting herself." he was frustrated, of course. But his concern overrode his frustration and he headed toward the hospital. Hopefully it wasn't as bad as he expected. On his way, he texted Cyst "Dare I ask how badly you're hurt?"

Cyst's phone lit up just as the thought crossed her mind. The only way this could get worse was if Vince was here to yell at her about it... She picked it up and sent back a reply as quickly as she could, though she was only using one hand. "My legs hurt and they brought up a wheelchair. I'm going to guess bad." She put the phone down and sighed, closing her eyes. They had already pulled her from the summer tournament. This was a disaster of the truest and most applicable senses... and the dull ache that the painkillers couldn't hold down only served as a reminder. She hoped that fast healing was somehow part of this new power. She also kind of hoped Vince never got there so that she didn't have to face him. She knew both were improbable, but hope was good for the soul.

A wheelchair? Yeah, that WAS bad. Vincento's attitude went from frustration to concern. "A wheelchair? Are you serious? What happened?" he picked up his pace, now heading to the hospital in a brisk jog. If she was going to be wheelchair-bound, it had to be one hell of a severe injury. If it wasn't, the healers and doctors would not have brought her a wheelchair. Shit. This was his fault. He'd pressured her to win before his little stunt, and the fact he forfeited just made the pressure all the more intense. When that popped into his head, Vincento broke into a dead sprint. He'd be there momentarily, at this pace.

Cyst didn't want to answer. Partly because she really just didn't want him to know and mostly because she couldn't remember for the life of her half the things she destroyed. It didn't help that she was, at the time, high on painkillers. It was the horrible double threat of being stupid and on drugs. Damn her and her stupidity... She sighed and shook her head, trying to clear it of a bit of the fog it was under before responding. "Most of the muscles in my legs. It hurts when the AC turns on, if I'm not on painkillers..."

A couple minutes would pass without a response. Cyst's peace and quiet was ended when Vincento walked into the hospital room. He had asked the doctors what happened, and was rather saddened when he heard the prognosis. "So they say you're probably out for the next six months... that's the rest of the year, basically. I was going to ask what you were thinking, but frankly I'm just glad you're not hurt even worse." He took a seat next to the hospital bed and took a pair of protein bars out of his pocket. "I'm pretty sure you hate hospital food, so I picked these up from the vending machine in the lobby. I'll bring more tomorrow."

Cyst took a deep breath as Vince sat down, deciding between smiling like a dumbass and bursting into tears the second he started talking to her. The painkillers decided on the smile before she could reach a conclusion and she giggled a little, taking the protein bars and putting them aside. "Thank you... You're too damn nice to me, you know that?" She tried to sit up a little, wincing at her legs moving the slightest bit and settling on staying down. "Did anything like this ever happen to you? Like... temporary blindness or something trying to improve your power?" She had been thinking about it for a while and this was the only power among those she knew that was so... self-destructive.

"Oh, bullshit. You're just too hard on yourself. As for the backlash? Well... I don't really get any big boosts or anything. Hell, my "power" is literally just good memory. Not even a power, if you ask me. Yeah, I can remember people's moves and how they fight if i watch them for a bit... but beyond that, I have nothing. No speed boost, no super strength, no lightning hands, no weird animal powers... nothing. Just me." The thought of that made him sigh. He really was boring, wasn't he? At a school for talented fighters with freaky powers, he was just the cocky smart kid with an attitude problem. Great.

Well, if he was just a kid with an attitude problem, she was even less than that. Because he was at least a rich kid with an attitude problem. She was just street trash. Unfortunately, she didn't have the mental fortitude to say that out loud, instead settling for simply giggling at "weird animal powers" "I think the Parahuman Initiative would like to dispute the "weird" part, sir..." She reached out to grab his hand, smiling at him with that same scarred and broken smile that seemed right at home in a hospital bed.

Vincento leaned in and gave Cyst a firm hug before responding to her words. "The Parahuman Initiative can cram their dispute up their collective asses. I'm just glad you're going to be ok. I'm sorry for putting all the pressure on you. It's partially my fault this happened." He couldn't really say much more, instead continuing to hug Cyst despite her injuries. Granted, leg injuries weren't likely affected by a simple hug... but Vincento wasn't really thinking seriously.

Cyst returned the hug as tight as she could, sighing as she muttered softly. "Ты такой тупик, Винс ... (You're such a dumbass, Vince...)" Before giggling some more, eventually falling asleep. It wasn't that surprising. That many torn tendons and ligaments really did a number on a girl, and Cyst had trouble with her stamina at the best of times. With this and her burns, she was starting to collect an impressive list of scars and injuries...

[RisingPhoenix]

He could not understand why he was feeling the way he felt as he watched the names pop up on the screen. This was it, it was time for the fighting to begin once again. New Peaks in their reputation to produce some of the world’s best fighters put many of the students in situations they didn’t want to be in, but when you were a student in a school dedicated to fighting, you have to learn how to, and fast. It really was a prerequisite for survival. Kyami stood looking at the names. If he succeeded in this fight, if he managed to defeat his opponent, he would be forced to face Vincento, or Junkiro. How would he face him after leaving him? He hadn’t spoken to Junkiro since he left to figure things out. He hadn’t even spoken to him on his return or over the phone, and he didn’t have an excuse as to why he’d stayed away, why he’d given up on their relationship. They had been the power couple of New Peaks, but now Junkiro was dating someone else, and he seemed happy. Kyami was happy, he was happy to be in the place he was thanks to self reflection and meditation.

His name was announced as he neared the ring. It had been a while since he stepped in the ring. He knew what had to be done, but he wondered internally if he could do it. He didn’t know his opponent, which put him at a slight disadvantage. All the training he’d done would show in this match and others. He had prepared his body, his mind, and spirit. He would not be defeated. If he maintained control of his emotions, if he felt his enemy with his heart and not see him with his eyes, he could overcome any situation. He entered the ring, a look of determination on his face. He was ready. He bowed to show respect to his opponent. There would be no showboating from him, there would be no distractions. He took one look in Junkiro’s direction and returned his gaze back on his challenger.

Having transferred to New Peaks mid-semester, Kuàng Jié had been a total unknown by and large throughout the New Peaks system, even amongst the teachers. Yet in recent weeks, rumblings amongst the sophomores said that the newcomer was the kid to beat in the upcoming tournament. He moved so effortlessly, his reaction time far greater than any person with his age and experience ought to have. In his eight wins since he had joined the fighting school, he had been hit by an attack only twice. He was ranked in at C1, though several students believed that was a preliminary judgment that wouldn’t last long. He could go toe to toe with even the juniors...so they said. He stepped out into the arena in silence, a stoic, determined expression on his face that betrayed absolutely no stress at all as his music played, a very traditional Chinese song that seemed far less about showing his strength than proving his heritage. He did not need a fight song to show he was powerful. He would do that himself.

He stepped into the ring to face Kyami. His research indicated that Kyami was an easy favorite to win the tournament. His electric powers had very few counters and would be quite difficult to face. At the same time, his sudden departure earlier in the year and his tournament record showed inconsistencies with his fighting style. He would be exploitable, and that was what the Chinese student was banking on. He bowed in return to Kyami’s gesture. “Hello.” He gave a slight smile to his opponent. “I do not hope you planned on going far.” Kuàng was a man of few words, but the few he used he used with maximum efficiency. He intended to win this tournament and show the world the strength of the Chinese people. Everyone was watching him now...and as China’s best still left fighting, it would be on his back to prove that his people could overcome any challenge. Three fights stood in his way now...winning the first was step one.

Kyami gave a simple nod in response to Kuàng. He was of Chinese descent, and that made Kyami happy. Knowing that even if he lost there would be representation for Asian students. Kyami’s father, a Tai Chi master, took pride in his country, and took pride in teaching Kyami, knowing that through him his country would live. While Kyami embraced his heritage, he could see that Kuàng was serious about it as well. The man looked Chinese, and that was something they shared, still it did not mean that Kyami would lose focus on the task at hand. When the match began, Kyami took the initiative to gauge his opponent and see what he was capable of. Kyami had a way of fighting not similar to others. He took his time to figure out what his opponent was capable of, and how to best counter. With a swift movement, he sidestepped and thrust a single fist towards Kuàng’s center. There was no time like the present to get the fight underway and figure out if Kyami would advance or be defeated by the newcomer known as Kuàng.

Kuàng’s power was extremely subtle; it had actually taken going over tape of one of his earlier fights and recalling how he felt in those moments of extreme reflex to discover his gift consciously. Even now, in the heat of battle, he did not often realize he was using his ability; it came as naturally as breathing. Thus, when Kyami opened up the bout with a simple punch, he was not thinking about his power at all. Nor did it seem like he was THINKING at all-he had gotten out of the way of the attack almost immediately after Kyami began the forward thrust of his fist, leaving him plenty of time for a counterattack. That was what Kuàng focused on, rather than his ability-how best to make use of the opportunities it created. Kyami gave a straight fist, so Kuàng would give one right back-aimed straight at the unguarded face of his opponent, still in the motion of throwing his first punch.

Where his punch should have hit was nothing. There was no power behind his fist, only a simple move to gauge and figure out exactly what he was dealing with. Now that he saw the movement he made note of it. His eyes picked up on Kuàng’s movement, he saw that where he was punching his target no longer was. He saw that now Kuàng was on the offense all while he was still thrusting his fist in the direction Kuàng had been. This was intriguing. This was very interesting indeed and Kyami would have smirked had the synapses in his brain began firing rapidly to deal with the threat. Kuàng’s fist collided, but not with Kyami’s face, instead it collided with Kyami’s waiting hand. He had managed to block the oncoming fist. “I see,” was all Kyami said as he twirled like a ballerina doing a beautiful pirouette. To battle this individual, he would have to be faster than he was. He would have to speed up his movement even if his opponents genetic deformities allowed for him to move faster than Kyami. This was only a minor setback. He enjoyed adapting to any issue set before him, even now his brain was working to figure out just how to fight someone who was able to move so swiftly. He spoke to himself, telling his inner spirit that this was what he had trained so hard for. He would wait to see what his opponent would do next, he wouldn’t reveal anything until he had no other choice.

Kuàng was a bit surprised that Kyami had managed to spot and block his attack in time, but was not going to just let the spark plug get away with backing out of the situation. As Kyami pirouetted backwards, the Chinese lad closed the distance, continuing his assault on his foe, refusing to let up. It was clear he had initially caught Kyami off guard, and he intended to make sure he did not get back on it. Every single one of his attacks was very simple-straight fists, straight kicks, nothing flashy, nothing extravagant. Kuàng was incredibly disciplined; the heat of the action did not show on his face at all. For anyone watching, it would look like he was merely practicing with an extremely flighty sandbag. The attacks were simple for one major reason...he would not allow himself to be put in a position where he could not dodge. His instinct was everything, but his instinct was useless if he was put in a position where he couldn’t get out of the way.

Kyami was not surprised that this newcomer didn’t want to give him the chance to garner distance between them, it would mean allowing Kyami to breath and focus. Block after block Kyami wondered what his opponent was up to. Obviously he couldn’t keep blocking, he had to get on the offense or risk losing this match, but was losing such a bad thing? He blocked again looking at Kuàng. He was well practiced, not even breaking a sweat, but Kyami was calm, far calmer than he had been when he first stepped into the ring at New Peaks. To those watching it would seem as if an entirely new person was fighting before them. Kyami held up his hand just as Kuàng’s fist came at him and he felt the strength behind it as it collided with his hand. His fingers wrapped around the fist and for a brief moment the electrical charge he held sparked from his fingertips as if giving a warning before dissipating. Thrusting forward with his body, he meant to put space between them. Kuàng was an excellent fighter, but he would have to do better if he had any chance at defeating Kyami.

As blocks were exchanged, Kuàng seemed to grow more confident with his strikes. As the patterns familiarized themselves with him, he could sense his power taking over. The slight shock barely seemed to faze the Chinese boy at all; he had been taught that there would always be a little pain in battle. If Kyami was going to hold back, then Kuàng would take direct advantage of the situation. Refusing to back down, he kept up the offensive. Strikes here and there, facing blocks, until one strike feigned at a usual spot before driving inward, aimed through Kyami’s block for a strong blow at the stomach. While his power was a largely defensive ability, its offensive use was clear as well. He had a sense for where opponents would respond to his attacks, and could adjust them without so much as giving a thought to it. His strikes flowed like water, through blocks and around defenses. He would always find a way to make you hurt.

The punch aimed at his stomach hit its mark and Kyami grunted but he did not back away from it. He looked at Kuàng and knew he was ready to begin truly. Every step Kuàng made, Kyami matched. Kuàng moved like water, while Kyami moved like air, free and flowing without restraint. Kuàng’s strikes were met with his own and through it all they seemed to be evenly matched as Kyami showed Kuàng exactly why he’d made it far in the previous tournaments. Kyami had to admit he was thoroughly enjoying pushing himself and showing his skill in Tai Chi. Even with being tossed into a match with an opponent he didn’t know, he was going to make the most of it. Win or lose, he was happy to be back at New Peaks, and this match would be one of many he was sure of it. With a swift dodge of one of Kuàng’s attacks, Kyami unleashed his inner bioelectricity and his hands sparked to life with extreme voltage. He continued his wind like movements, taking the offensive, sending strikes at Kuàng matching his speed and understanding Kuàng’s special ability more as he attacked calmly and with clear thought.

Though Kyami had sped up, he was playing directly into Kuàng’s hands now. This is exactly what he wanted. Attack after attack thrown at him in an attempt to catch him off guard. The penalty, this time, was far more severe than usual; he could hear the crackling of electricity as Kyami’s strikes blew by him. There was no doubt Kyami had practiced endlessly to try and perfect his fighting style-it even amazed Kuàng that he was able to keep pace. But keep pace the Chinese lad did. It practically looked like a scene out of the Matrix-Kuàng’s dodges were cutting closer and closer as he searched for that opportunity to end this fight before things got any more dangerous.

And yet that opportunity was found. As Kyami prepped another attack, Kuàng, without thinking, set himself up to take advantage of the situation. It was a strike at his midsection, which he knew would leave Kyami’s head open. Rather than duck out of the way like he had, his instincts drove him inward, spinning the opposite way around the strike. With the table set, he fluidly moved directly into his coup d’etat: A high kick aimed straight at the chin, its design to drive Kyami up and back to the floor, hopefully with much, much less will to soldier on.


He made a mistake, and in doing so he realized that he knew that there was nothing he could do but pay the consequences. The kick hit its mark, his chin feeling the sole of his opponents shoe. He felt his body slam against the mat and he knew that something was broken. He gasped but pulled himself into a sitting position looking up at his opponent with determined eyes. He understood that he had made a mistake and he accepted the punishment for it. The way he landed was not good on his shoulder, and he had to fight through the pain if he wanted to advance to the next round. He had to overcome the obstacle in his path. His breathing returned to normal in the split second it took him to get back to his feet, but something was wrong.

As Kyami stood back up, Kuàng winced as he saw the full effect of his attack. Kyami was bleeding from his mouth and his arm looked far worse than he originally thought. Not to mention the searing pain coming from his jaw. He had a broken jaw and a broken arm, and there was a gash on the side of his jaw that was spilling blood. Without a word, the Chinese boy signaled over to the judge, who was already examining Kyami relatively closely. After a moment, he shook his head and stepped between the two fighters. “I cannot allow Kyami to continue fighting and risk further injury. I declare Kuàng Jié the winner.” A stunned silence had come over much of the crowd; Kyami was quietly the last remaining favorite to win, after Junkiro and Vincento had eliminated themselves. And this new boy had taken him down without receiving a single hit. He was already walking away from the ring and his opponent, having nothing more to say to the foe he had vanquished. Having discovered his semifinal opponents were both knocked out, he smiled to himself. A free ticket to the finals...and woe betide the poor soul who had to take him down.

Kyami bowed to show his respect to the judge's decision. This battle meant nothing to his career was a fighter. Though he lost, he still received cheers when he exited the ring. It was as if he had won, but he was not disappointed in the least. Stepping out of the ring, he smile but winced at the action. Now he could rest, now he could focus on his schooling until the next tournament, though he wondered if he would take part in the next one.

"You okay?" Adrian asked examining Kyami while the medical staff went to work. Kyami managed to nod and a soft smile formed on Adrian's face. "If it makes you feel any better you're the true MVP, everyone else sucks."

Kyami tried not to laugh but a small giggle sent waves of pain through his body and he sighed.

"Get some rest Kyami, I'll visit every day, I promise," Adrian added as he walked away leaving Kyami alone with the medical staff. This was indeed an odd way to start off his return back to New Peaks. A loss, though there weren't many under his belt, a loss was a loss and Kyami accepted it. He had made a mistake that had cost him the match, but next time he would surely overcome ANY obstacle.

[Salroka]

And so it was that the quarterfinals of the Holiday Tournament came to a close. As usual, things had been eventful. A walkout that ended in a double disqualification, a heated battle between parahumans, and two bouts decided by injury. The crowd was entertained, at the very least. Better yet, those who had advanced were clearly skilled. Not one of them had been in the final eight or even the final sixteen of the previous year's tournament, showing their talents had improved significantly over the past few months. Everyone seemed excited by this, as most tournaments tended to feature the same groups of students throughout the terms those students attended. After all, one tends to remain fairly dominant once one asserts themselves at the top. But not this time! Soon the speakers would fire up again and the announcer would address those in attendance.

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls. Enthusiasts, investors, talent scouts, and media. Thank you so much for your patience. The semifinals will soon begin. However, due to the double disqualification of participants Sarconni and Iwazuma, one of our lucky semifinalists gets a free pass to the finals! Please direct your attention to the main screen."

On cue, the screen flared up and displayed side-by-side images of the three semifinalists, accompanied by music and on-screen special effects.

"Will it be Evelyn Mayes, the talented parahuman who has surpassed all of her peers to make it this far?" the image of Evelyn zoomed in, then faded to show full-screen highlights from the fights that got her to the semifinals. The crowd roared to life, cheering for the parahuman. This genuinely surprised Alexia, who begrudgingly had to admit that even she did not expect a parahuman to make it this far in the Sophomore tournament. Though her reason was that she expected sabotage. The screen returned to showing all three semifinalists momentarily, then shifted to zoom in on Kuàng Jié. "What about Kuàng Jié? The surprise dark horse who recently transferred from a shaolin school in China? His school may have burned down, but that didn't stop him from showing the world his skills!" again, highlights played of the student's recent fights and the crowd voiced their enthusiasm. Soon the screen followed suit with the last student in the bracket, Mai Erskine. "And we can't forget Mai Erskine! She's energetic, she's scrappy, and her skills are the real deal!" the final highlight reel of the intermission got an equally cheerful reaction.

It seemed the stage was set, and soon a slot machine style graphic appeared on the screens around the arena. In each of the three reels was the name of one of the semifinalists. "Now let's find out which of these spectacular fighters will be pushed through to the finale of this tournament!" At that point, the reels began to spin. To mess with the crowd, the reels stopped several times with no matches. However, after a minute or so the results were shown. The reels on the slot machine settled on Kuàng Jié.

"And there we have it, folks! The bye goes to Kuàng Jié! Is his luck turning around after the tragedy that befell his old school? I guess we will find out! With that, let's have Mai Erskine and Evelyn Mayes head to the ring! The semifinal bout of this year's Sophomore tournament is about to begin!"