Darkstalkers: End-Game

[DASH="#00FFFF"][BG="#23238E"]

Aquaeous

Aqueous was a little overwhelmed by the change in scenery so she obeyed Rose in somewhat of a awe-inspired daze.

"Nope. But he looked familiar. Made all sorts of memories pop up in my head." Aquaeous had explained when Rose questioned about Ferocious. After that, however, the blue haired girl remained quiet, looking around with wide, curious eyes.

"Why are we looking for him?" she mumbled incoherantly as Rose insisted on going inside. Aqueous blinked away her stupor from the stadium and looked at Rose, annoyed.

"Why? I like it out here. You're so bossy. Why do I have to stick with you anyway?"

[/BG][/DASH]
 
The lobby was filled with guests and spectators. Some of them were there for entertainment, others for money, and some just to fight. Either way everyone had a reason for being here and Ains’ was for information. To do this job alone would mean dire consequences, but to his advantage, the others had arrived and seemed to be coming inside where Ains had been waiting. “Welcome everyone.” Ains said greeting them. ”It seems the tournament preliminaries are getting underway. From what I hear this is round two and anyone that wins this will already have an opponent in the finals.” Ains eyed both of the girls making sure they had the intention of staying around. If he was the only one to participate, he would have a minimal chance of getting out alive. All he wanted to know was where she was and if this tournament had a clue to that, then it would be worth risking his skin.
 
Rose gave a quick glance at Aqueous, along with a short answer.
"Because I don't want to see you get hurt, okay?"

Finally, the two made it inside the lobby, and with it, a familiar smell. It was the winged man. Rose had half a mind to knock him into next week for making them wait, but managed to be a bit more subtle, keeping her voice down to a whisper.

"The next time you leave a note on a little girl's back, at least show up where you're supposed to be! And what do you mean by answers? For that matter, who are you? What do you stand to gain from all of this? And...why is that little girl getting dragged into all this?"

Rose narrowed her gaze on Ains, obviously determined to get at least one answer before this tournament began.

"I don't trust any of this...This tournament...These people... And right now, I don't trust you. But if you haven't attacked us yet... Then I suppose you can't be all that bad. So I'll follow around, I guess."

Rose's eyes were ablaze with determination. She was getting closer. But what if she had to fight one of these people? Were they ready to kill?... ANd what was this bloodlust she kept feeling?
 
Ains had his seemingly friendly logic shot down and for logical reason. Never did he once think that he was dragging a little girl into this. Perhaps it was because of his mind’s eye constantly looking into the past wars. Or perhaps it was because he was used to all Dark-Stalkers having to fight for their life. Either way he neglected to take into mind the position that he was putting the two in. They might have even had a good life up until this point, perhaps even peaceful. From the looks of things Ains was playing the bad guy and that was an image he did not want them to see. About to say something to cover his ass, Ains was interrupted by the cat girl. "I don't trust any of this...This tournament...These people... And right now, I don't trust you. But if you haven't attacked us yet... Then I suppose you can't be all that bad. So I'll follow around, I guess." It was relieving to hear that she would at least tag along to let Ains be heard out. He did not want to answer her question about answers, but he was more than willing to tell her what she was to gain.
”We should take a walk.” Ains suggested right before the registration desk closed. People were getting into their seats as the fighters approached the locker. Slowly and more casually Ains headed there speaking to Rose. ”The worst choice right now is to set off a trap well laid. Right now they are trying to make us weak from battle and will try to have the rounds as quick as possible. They will be entirely focused on the fights and what information they can get from them. So I suggest that we keep our cool…” Ains looked around for a moment to see if anyone else was listening. The last people left were at concession stands buying their food. ”…and while we play into their trap, we will gain as much information on them as possible.” Ains said thinking the winner of this battle will be the one who knows most about their enemies. He continued to walk on toward a room designated for himself. Before he shut the door he looked back to Rose. ”We each have our own room…watch out for cockroaches.” Ains winked. ”Oh, I did not catch your name. I am Ains Val-“ He stopped himself from saying his last name, as his name was prominent in both the Makai and the Human World. ”Ains Valor, I am Ains Valor.”
 
At the sound of voices coming from where he stood, Delano leaned off the wall. Slid his hands into the pocket of his jeans and walked off. The tournament was going to start soon and he was tired of waiting. He wanted to get it done and over with. He didn't have to make a line to sign up for his name was already on the list. He was the first to sign in.

Delano walked around the conjested room, it was better than being alone in his own. He figured that now that he was here, he might as well take the opportunity to observe the fighers he would soon be up against. It was better to know what to expect, then to be surprised. This way he'd know what he was up against.
 
Rose took a glance at Ains as he entered his room with a quick wink, then turned her attention to her own room after muttering,

"I think roaches are the least of our worries here..."

She put a kind smile on her face and told Aqueous:

"Are you sure you want to go through with this, Aqueous? You don't have to, you know..."

Turning her back to the entrance, Rose walked briskly to her own lodgings, sliding the card, electronically opening the door. Before the door closed, Rose took another glance back into the lobby, unable to shake off the feeling that they were all being watched. Now's not the time, Rose.

Shaking her head, she entered the room, the door locking securely behind her. She reflected on what Ains had just said moments ago.

”…and while we play into their trap, we will gain as much information on them as possible.”

Information? What good would information be? And for that matter, what was going to happen if she had to fight Aqueous? No, wait... Our opponents are already selected... Okay. That rules out that possibility...- Rose's thoughts were cut off yet again as a voice blared from several intercom systems.


"Good evening, and welcome to the first annual Colosseum Tournament!!! We are honored to have so many spectators with us, as well as our contestants! And remember, a portion of our ticket sales is funding research into our Darkstalkers research, to help find a cure for the affliction!"

"Affliction?! Why can't anyone see that they're lying?!" Rose continued to listen to the broadcast, arms crossed.

"The first set of matches have been randomly selected, and will be one-on-one fights, until a combatant is unable to fight any longer! And while you're watching, why not pick up some of our delicious pretzels?"

It's almost ready to start... Rose hadn't felt this way before, but she was starting to get nervous. The other combatants won't be holding anything back...They're probably ready to kill. She gulped, and noticed a large flat screen television screen near a tiny kennel and a litterbox, something that nearly set her off. Rose's voice shook with every syllable, attempting not to yell...and failing.

"I...am...not...a...CAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!"


"Okay, combatants, get ready! The first match iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis.......
Ains vs Demitri!!! Ains and Demitri, please report to the arena! All other contestants should find a monitor to view the fight in their respective rooms!"


The TV suddenly flicked on, giving Rose a view of the battle area. The massive crowd roared, obviously excited to see some fighting. The area itself was made of what appeared to be granite, but Rose couldn't be sure. Some sort of barrier appeared to seperate the crowd from the fighting. The floor was the oddest thing to Rose, as it was just a grid. Rose swallowed her pride, and sat down on top of the kennel to watch the fight. It appeared as though the first guy was already there, though Rose couldn't seem to get a good look at him. She saw a rather regal looking man, but he didn't feel right....
He must be a Darkstalker, too....All the combatants must be...
 
[DASH="#00FFFF"][BG="#23238E"]

Aquaeous

Aqueous watched Rose walk towards her designated room, dazed. The cat woman's motherly worry made her feel strange inside. No one had ever cared about her for a long time & this sudden rush of feelings wasn't something Aqueous wanted to welcome at the moment. She shook her head defiantly, pushing through the the other hallway, and sliding her ID Card into the door that had her name on it. Just before she went in, Aqueous glanced curiously at the door next to her's.

Strife She read the name, blinking twice. Before she could think about its familiarity, her door started to close. She jumped into the room as it shut behind her. She bit her lip and looked around. It looked remotely comfortable. She didn't see any cockroaches.

Shaking her head with a sigh, Aqueous moved over the television that had turned on when she walked in, watching intently. She was interested in the tournament despite what Ains had said to Rose. Distracted by seeing him on the screen, she totally forgot her brother's name on the door next to her's.
[/BG][/DASH]


[BG="#990000"]


Ferocious Strife

Ferocious had played a clever card, changing his appearance into one of a defiant Darkstalker, he slipped into the tournament undetected by suspicion. Sliding his ID Card, Fero entered the room that was labelled his. Apprehensively he grabbed a bottle of water and left. He wanted to see the fighting up close, not off a screen. As he passed the other doors in the hallway, he glanced at the one next to his, smirking at the electronic name registered to it. A lovely coincedence He thought snidely, unsure of how to respond to such a situation.

Pushing these thoughts away, he rushed outside in eagerness to see the match. He wasn't planning on participating, but he had to get in to watch. He claimed DNS purposes.
[/BG]
 
The tension in the crowd mounted as the first fighter emerged from the tunnel leading to the west ready room. The man was tall, muscular, and seem to hold quite a bit of fans. The screams nearly drowned out the sound of the announcer as he welcomed Demitri to the field. The noise started to die down as he reached the center allowing the announcer to be heard once again. “Ladies and gentleman the great Demitri, and one of the favorites of this preliminary battle. His stat record is one amazing win after another outside the tournament so hopefully he can share that talent with us today.” Demitri lifted his arms into the air and begged for more applause. The crowd was more than willing to give him what he wanted. The announcer was still waiting for confirmation on the other contestant and let Demitri have his rave fest. It was not long before Demitri demanded a microphone.
”Seems my power scared away my opponent.” The crowd started to boo at the mention of the forfeit. ”But I can assure you there will be a blood bath today. If he does not make his way to the ring, I’ll hunt him down and gut the bastard!” Rising voices and the excitement of his words blinded everyone to the competitor emerging from the other tunnel.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rztYz734mY&feature=related"]YouTube- Chaos[/ame]

”No need to call the match yet!” Demitri looked over and smiled, his victim had arrived. He threw the microphone towards the wall making it crash into the concrete side. His power made a hole the size of Ains’ head. ”Let’s begin boy.” Demitri began the fight first rocketing over the field toward Ains. The sun had gone down giving Ains some advantage to the attack. His body maneuvered below the sudden punch as it passed just over his shoulder. He tried to swipe a kick across his opponent’s stomach but he missed as well. He seemed to have a supreme control over his body’s momentum making him no easy target. Getting up Ains only had a brief second to maneuver around his next punch. He came in with intense speed and power. This time there was not enough foresight in the attack. Ains took at least seventy percent of the blow on his right shoulder. He could feel the pop in his back as his body went rocketing across the field. He hit the ground but continued to slide until his back smashed into the wall. ”Ah, hahahaha!” Demitri rose his arms up as he assumed victory. The crowd was chanting his name as if he were some kind of icon of success.
”Hate…for you…to lose so many…fans.” Ains got himself out of the rubble, his face showed several cuts caused by sharp rocks. In a moment they sealed up revealing to Demitri exactly what he was dealing with.

”So you’re a vampire too huh? Then no holding back for the crowd.” Ains took a moment to think about it, was he really just playing around just now? And if he was, how much stronger could he get? Instead of taking his chances, Ains would have to end it quickly. The only weapon in his arsenal that could take down another vampire was a batch of ultra violet treated holy silver. Unfortunately he had no time to melt it down, he was stuck with finding some way to force it into Demitri’s blood without him taking notice of it. A cut on a vampire would not last that long either. Before he could think more about his strategy Demitri came at Ains with the same move he pulled earlier. This time he was ready and side stepped rather than ducked. He took Demitri’s arm and forced his body over his shoulder using his opponent’s momentum. It was a basic karate move that he picked up. Demitri was slammed into the concrete wall, he hung upside down for a moment before his head hit the ground and his body followed. Using this time Ains put the single silver pellet he had on him in an easily accessible pocket. The immortal vampire got up looking more irritated.
”This will not go unpunished.” Quickly Ains was turned on the defensive again. A mad flurry of punches and kicks came at him. There was no way to block them all and the ones he did block made his arms sore. Then it hit him, the force used in his attack could very well let a pellet penetrate the skin. He grabbed one of his katars and started to try and block with them. The thin blade was going to stand very little chance against the punch but it was worth it. Demitri just went in for more attacks as his fists were cut up by the blades. He reached for the silver pellet, seeing his chance. Ains shoved his hand forward trying to palm block the fist. In his horror, the pellet started to slide to the side of his palm. The fist did not land perfectly and the pellet dropped to the floor. In his surprise he let down his guard leaving him wide open to the mass amount of hits coming up. He finally was let go of the onslaught as he stood there nearly beaten to death. Demitri licked the blood off his knuckles and spit it out on the ground.
”Your blood is disgusting, hardly worth fighting.” Demitri then grabbed Ains by the head and lifted him as if he was nothing. ”Now prepare to be vastly humiliated you sorry excuse for a vampire.”
”Wh-where’s…Morrigan?” The question seemed to catch Demitri off guard.
”You dare mention that wench’s name in my presence, especially at the edge of your death!? That fool’s daughter can rot in hell for all I care.”
”Do not call her that.” He formed a fist and gave Demitri a powerful blow to his stomach. He let go of Ains’ head dropping him to the ground. He took this chance to deliver a massive kick to the man’s head sending him straight to the ground. It was not long before he got up and a shock came over everyone, even the crowd fell into a hush.
”Heh, barely a scratch.” He mentioned as a small bit of blood trickled from a small bullet size hole on his fore head. A light reflected off of what was stuck in it, the silver pellet that had fallen to the ground. It started to glow and Demitri gripped his head in pain letting out a painful roar. He retreated from the battlefield making Ains the winner. ”What dumb luck.”
 
"And the winner is Ains!!! The crowd's going wild over this stunning come from behind win!!!"

And indeed, the roar of the crowd was quite audible, shutting out any other sounds but the mixed cheering and yelling.

Rose sat on top of "her" kennel, her eyes focused on the television, on Ain's match.
"Morrigan? Demitri?", she muttered quietly. Why do those sound familiar? Ugghh....

Rose began to feel somewhat dizzy, but she shook it off, exiting her room and walking next door to visit Aqueous. Knocking lightly on the door, she added in,

"It's Rose. May I please come in?"


May the winner please clear the stage to make way for the next match? And if you were wondering.... It's Pavor vs... Lord Raptor!" These fights are starting to heat up, members of the audience!"
 
[DASH="#00FFFF"][BG="#23238E"]

Aquaeous

Aqueous watched the screen in terrified awe. She hadn't really imagined what the battle would look like, so she was mildly scared of joining now. Rose's knock at the door nearly frightened her. She raised her head, "Y-Yeah, you can come in," she called, jumping off the bed to open the door. She looked at Rose, almost relieved to see a friendly, caring face. For some reason, the woman's motherlyness was strange to her, and she minded at first, but it was something Aqueous could easily imagine getting used to. Images of her past flashed through her mind as she reached for the doorknob. She pressed a finger against her temple, applied pressure to her head and heaved a sigh as her conscious cleared. She couldn't think about her family now. This wasn't a good time to go crazy.

"Hey Rose. Did you watch the battle?" she asked, trying to be as upbeat and annoying as always without letting through that the scenes had scared her. There weren't alot of things that scared Aqueous. She'd been through hell in life, but the girl was still young. And fresh, pure murderous intent always cut through her well preserved nerves. Those two had truly been fighting to the death, and Aqueous had felt it until her insides squirmed.

[/BG][/DASH]
 
"Y-Yeah, you can come in..."
As the door slid open, Rose heard the hesitation in Aqueous' voice.
She must not be used to situations like that...and it's a good thing. She's too young to be in this thing, but... She got shoved into it.


"Hey Rose. Did you watch the battle?"

Oh, um... Yes, I did. I don't really know what just happened, but I think we can trust Ains, okay? he might be a little...strange, but I think he means well..."
Thoughts were racing through Rose's head: Who was Morrigan? Why did she feel some sort of familiarity when she heard it? Something weird was going on behind all of this...


"Well, folks, it looks as though only one combatant has shown up, and the time limit has been exceeded, which means.... Lord Raptor wins this round by default!"

A light blue skeleton of a man pulled an otherworldly guitar from out of nowhere, and shouted into the crowd,

"Yye-e-e-e-e-ea-eahhhhhh!!!! I guess he just got scared and wimped out! He didn't have the guts to fight me!"

"So, it looks like the other fighter didn't show up, then..."

Rose was hoping that wouldn't happen, but it looks as though fate was against her this time. Just as she was about to speak again, the intercom blared again, announcing the next match.


"Without any further ado, let's get the next two combatants out here!
The next match is: Aqueous versus Victor!!!! Please make your way to the arena!!!"


"Already? Look, Aqueous...You can still back out-it's not too late, you know. You can...you can get as far away from this place as you can, find somewhere to hide... You don't have to fight. We'll be all right- This whole thing is just one big misunderstanding; we'll make it all better, you'll see!"

Rose hadn't felt this sort of feeling since....ever. She wanted to protect this girl, even if it meant never seeing her again. She was just a girl-she had no place in a tournament... She was just a child lost in an invisible war- it wasn't right!

Rose did her best to put on a smile as she made her offer to Aqueous-it just seemed natural. After all, a smile was the best way to decieve somebody.
 
”Running away is not an option.” Ains stated from the open door. He looked a bit worse for wear but was still standing using the doorframe as support. ”I caught a glimpse of the exits during the fight, stationed with two DNS guards at each door. I’m afraid we’ve signed ourselves into an unbreakable contract.” At that moment his broken shoulder surged with pain. He gripped it with his supporting hand and had no choice but to kneel down to the ground. ”Just remember…this isn’t our grave.” Ains said through his clenched teeth.
 
"Great...So much for freedom of choice, huh? Okay, Aqueous, look....Just, umm.... If things get too dangerous, just give up. Don't put yourself in any danger you don't have to! Promise me!"

As Ains fell to the ground, Rose rushed over to him, grabbing his body.
"Ains, you...you idiot! You look like you're ready to pass out...Let's go..."

Rose helped Ains to his feet, wrapping his shoulder around her neck to support him, slowly helping him out of the doorway.

"So, umm....Who's...Who's Morrigan, anyway?" she asked shyly, blushing a bit. It wasn't like she cared extensively- she just wanted to know why she felt like she already knew her. That was it. Bingo. End of story.
 
Morrigan, a name that had no face to go with it, not as of the past several years. Ains had little memory of her facial features but ever so often in a dream he would see her. The embedded memories came forth revealing her beauty once again, only to return to the darkness of his suppressed subconscious. ”You heard that huh? I think I should be completely honest with you.” Ains took a moment to get his facts straight mentally. ”I am Ains Valismos, I was once a traveler until I came upon Aensland and the new Queen Morrigan. Time to time we sparred and that is when we got to know each other. I was truly happy then in all of my life. Then the portal between the two worlds opened, I fought for her only to be lost in this world when it closed. Evasion was key but the DNS was still not in full swing so I escaped rather easily. Once the portal was open the second time and I made it back through, the news of their queen captured surprised me. I am a traitor, abandoning my Queen’s aid in her time of need. The only thing to set this right, is for me to find her and bring her back safely.”
 
[DASH="#00FFFF"][BG="#23238E"]

Aquaeous

"Without any further ado, let's get the next two combatants out here!
The next match is: Aqueous versus Victor!!!! Please make your way to the arena!!!"

"Already? Look, Aqueous...You can still back out-it's not too late, you know. You can...you can get as far away from this place as you can, find somewhere to hide... You don't have to fight. We'll be all right- This whole thing is just one big misunderstanding; we'll make it all better, you'll see!"


Aqua could hear what Rose was saying somewhere in the back of her mind. The cat woman's words were starting to fade. She turned slowly towards the doorway where Rose was helping Ains. She couldn't hear what they were talking about anymore. Aquaeous bounced off the bed, strolling over to the television, where her opponent, Victor had already taken the scene. He was an enormous, burly looking creature with blond hair and a large green jacket.

Run away...huh? Aquaeous was thinking. She closed her eyes, pressing her forehead against the television screen. Instantly, it iced over. Some strange feeling was racing through her. Some stronger, more intense strength. It wasn't her usual adrenaline, it was something more. Something strange, something foreign, but familiar to her. What is this...feeling? Images were flashing through her brain. People...being killed. People who were...important to her. Mother...? My fa...family..? It was such a long time ago that Aquaeous had hazy memories of the day they had been killed. Whenever she was alone, or afraid, sometimes the memories came back. Right now was one of those times. Her fear was triggering the memories which would trigger that insane feeling of rage that would burst through her.

Her hand trembled as it lay upon the television. She was starting to give it to that feeling, but she wanted to resist it. She didn't want to go crazy. She might...end up hurting Rose or Ains and lose the battle anyway. She couldn't...

[/BG][/DASH]

[BG="#990000"]


Ferocious Strife

Walking past Ains & Rose, Ferocious strode calmly into Aquaeous' room. He placed his hand on the television set, surprised that she hadn't sensed his presence. The ice sheet that she'd created slowly fizzled away as he leaned over, "Hey, kid. If you're late, you'll have to forfeit." He smirked. The intense heat of his power melted away her ice as well as the numbness that was causing her to get lost in her thoughts. He saw her look up at him, the strange look in her eyes clicked in his own memory.

This girl... He could see the rage that he'd often seen in his own eyes before, but not only that. Her eyes, there was something familiar about them. Something familiar about that pure hatred that glinted through them.

"Hey kid. You gonna forfeit? That's too bad. And I was looking forward to getting back at you, too." Ferocious knew how dangerous that rage was. He had nearly killed innocent people and destroyed his own body using it to fight off the DNS when he was younger. He had learned to control it, but still, he knew better than to give in to it.

[/BG]


[DASH="#00FFFF"][BG="#23238E"]
Aquaeous

Her sheet of ice sizzled into water and Aquaeous reeled back at the sudden heat that scorched her forehead. She jerked her head up to see Ferocious, standing tall above her. For a moment, her mind was doing strange things, linking the blurry images of her once-older brother with this irritating man who worked for the DNS. Aquaeous wanted to refuse these ridiculous notions, but as he watched her, she couldn't help, but wonder if they were true. Was this guy really her brother? Had her brother survived the murder? What about the rest of her family then? Were her parents alive? Could she possibly... be able to find them?

This sense of hope knocked the anger out of her veins and she blinked, her vision clearing. She could see Rose and Ains better now. She could see the smirk on Ferocious' face. Had he just said something to make her look stupid? Had he?

"Hey kid. You gonna forfeit? That's too bad. And I was looking forward to getting back at you, too."

Aquaeous' eyes widened and she shoved him aside, sticking her tongue out, "As if! I'm going to kick that boulder's butt and then come flying at you, so you better be prepared mister! I owe you a butt-kicking for driving Rose into a corner!" She retorted, stomping over to Ains & Rose. She looked up at Rose, smirking as she flicked her long blue hair over her shoulder and tightened her ponytails.

"Don't worry about me, Rose! I can't lose here....I still have something I have to make sure!" she looked back at Ferocious, who rolled his eyes, "Forfeit~" he was mouthing. Aquaeous gasped, dashing into the hallway and to the stadium, making it just in time for her match.

THE MATCH BETWEEN VICTOR AND AQUAEOUS WILL NOW COMMENCE

Aquaeous stepped onto the platform and looked at her opponent. He looked a little scarier up close. "Time to mince some meat!" She grinned, running towards him quickly, her arm rushing forward with a punch, "Ahhhhh~" It was amazing how fast she was going. For a little girl, she was quite agile.

Victor raised his left arm and it enlarged itself nearly three times its size. Then he swooped down towards Aqua, who cursed under her breath. It was too big to jump over and if she collided with it, he'd send her flying. She tried to skid to a stop and then as a last minute maneuver, used her other hand to splash water in front of herself and form a sheet of ice. As his massive hand swooped where she had once been, smashing the lower portion of the sheet to pieces, Aquaeous was able to backflip into the air after running up the wall of ice just in time.

"Take this!" She held out both hands, a rush of water sprayed through the air. Aqua spun in a circle before landing. The water formed pointed ice pieces that struck Victor. But he seemed unaffected by the little needles, breaking them with a simple swipe of both arms.

Aqua blinked, sweatdropping, "No way! You big loser, play fair!" She stuck her tongue out. And then, suddenly, the ground began to shake as an enlarged Victor came running towards her. Aqua braced for an idea. Sucks that he can make himself bigger. If I can trap him in ice and land a couple of accelerated hits, maybe that will work.

But as Victor raised his arms and launched beams of electricity at her, Aqua was completely unprepared. Instinctively, she raised another wall of ice to block the thunder and then watched in horror as he ran right through it.

"Shoot. That monster!" She started to run to the side to evade him. Victor was slow, Aqua could see, but he was powerful. His lightening spell had barely been blocked by her ice, and that had been a pretty advanced ice wall as it was. She decided to use water this time, spreading out her arms as a tsunami rushed behind her and allowed her to race past him too fast for him to catch her. He was forced to turn around, but by the time he did so, it was too late. Aquaeous pushed off his arm and flipped high into the air, spreading her fingers out to form the rush of water into ice, trapping him. She landed a little far away, satisfied. Even a massive creature like him couldn't break this much ice, right?

Wrong. Victor easily cracked the ice and pushed it aside, letting the stunned Aqua fall between crumbling pieces. Victor shot electricity at her. Struggling to get up, the ice pieces making it very difficult, Aqua was unable to dodge. The current rushed through her body, causing tears to form at her eyes. I can't...I can't give up!" she pushed herself up, using a rush of water like a geyser to propell herself into the air. She managed to throw water on Victor too.

"I'm Here! Try and catch me!" she exclaimed, running sideways and then towards him. He raised his arms to throw electricity at her again, but this time, Aqua lept through the air, leaving a stream of water at her feet behind her. The current ripped through the water as she flipped over Victor's shoulder. Instead of electrifying her, his electricity ended up following the stream and then connecting to the water that was on him, electricuting Victor.

Breathing slowly to catch her breath, a tried Aquaeous pumped her fist into the air, "Yes! How'd you like that fatty!"

It looked like she'd hit a nerve, because Victor let out an angry roar and charged. Aquaeous decided physical combat might tire him out a little so she waited until he got close for his punch and then flipped out of the way, pushing off his extended hand and landing behind him. She evaded most of his slow-paced moves with ease, but it was tiring both of them out. As he raised his arms for an electric attack, Aqua considered moving away, but it was a fluke. Instead, he swooped his arm down and smacked her aside. Aquaeous went flying, about to crash into the icy remains of her trap-attack. Thinking quickly, she made the ice into water and was saved from a harsh impact. Soaking wet, she stood up and looked towards Victor.

She was breathing hard and so was he. She knew this was her last chance to end this. It had to be big and powerful. She rose her arms above her head. A quiet rumble began and slowly, an enormous tsunami, not the small, only around a foot of a radius ones she usually used, but one that covered the entire stadium rushed with her, drowning both of them in the water. Aqua, of course, was able to stand above it, a stream of steady water holding her up. Victor was quick to retaliate, he swam over slowly and attempted to punch her, but she dodged, landed on another stream of water. Over and over again, until he was frustrated. He released a bolt of electricity into the stream that was holding her up. It was probably his strongest attack, Aqua could see the yellow light flash through her blue water. She jumped into the air, her stream moving back into the massive ocean, taking his electricity with it.

She had jumped pretty high, so as she fell, Aquaeous watched Victor suffer the electric current of his own attack and fall down. Just as she hit the water, the announcer declared her victoru.

" And the winner is.... AQUAEOUS"

She tried to smile, but the rush of electric current made her scream. As they drained out the water from the platform for the next battle, Aquaeous struggled to get up, electricity sparking on her clothes. Victor was unconscious, but she wasn't surprised. She hadn't jumped high enough to avoid hitting the electrocuted water when she landed. Her clothes were fizzling.

"Ah...This is all your fault...You big boulder." She glared at the unmoving form of Victor as she pushed herself to get up, struggling.

[/BG][/DASH]


[BG="#990000"]


Ferocious Strife


Ferocious had been watching on the television screen in Aquaeous' room, leisurely sitting on her bed. He didn't seem to consider that Ains and Rose were there as well. As soon as the image of Aqua raising her arms for the massive tsunami, came upon the screen, he got up and left for the stadium. Sure enough, as he'd predicted in his mind, she was the winner. But he hadn't expected to see her sparking electricity and writhing on the ground in a struggle to get up.

"A little frizzed there, kid?" He asked, lifting her up and throwing her over his shoulder. He carried her back to her room, surprised that instead of retorting, she just mumbled something incoherently and splashed a bit of water in his face. He smirked.

[/BG]
 
That fight was... BORING!
Pavor yelled, into the open dome of the arena, no one really hearing him, since the dome was a few 50 meters above the seating area. All except for a small child, repeatedly and, much to the parent's behest, tugging and pulling on his mothers shirt sleeve, pointing up "at the funny black man."
Of course, Pavor noticed this, and began to make funny noises and faces, twisting his face to look like an old man with constipation, which made the child roar with laughter. Then, he made an angry face,a truly angry one, and the child whimpered in fear, and looked away ignoring him soon after.

They... SKIPPED ME!? THOSE BASTARDS!
he screamed, looking at the current fights so far. And there, as bold as brass, was his name crossed out on a TV, next to someone called Lord Raptor. He stood up, looking upside down as he usually does, and found a pale skeleton, being lavishly treated to food and many fans.
Pavor felt genuine rage over this...

How did they even KNOW I was coming!?
How dare THEY not wait for ME!
I'll show them... I'll show them all!

His mind toiled and boiled, getting angrier by the second, his eyes locked firmly on Lord Raptor thoroughly enjoying himself. Whilst he getting angry, a small voice in the back of his head pleaded...

No... Please no fighting...

Of course, Pavor didn't realize it, or even care. All he wanted was his revenge on the "skeletal punk-ass". He pulled out one of his swords and slashed at the dome, cutting deeply inside it, screaming and cackling, shouting obscenities, yelling about what he'd do to him. He then reared his tentacle back, and hurled his huge sword at Lord Raptor, not caring who sees, and hoping it splits his head open like a hammer to a watermelon.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdZBtRUfK0w"]YouTube- Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep - Vim and Vigor[/ame]

The sword flew through the air, losing no momentum as it sailed towards Lord Raptor's skeleton head. It soundly lodged itself into where Lord Raptor's head was, just a second before his head-and only his head- dodged to the left, his spine out and rigid, looking at Pavor with dead set eyes. His fans had left, screaming at not only the sword hurled at them, but at Lord Raptor's impossible action.

Pavor had climbed his way down to the arena, pushing and scaring people as he cartwheeled comically down the audience stands, laughing maniacally. He suddenly stopped as he jumped down into the arena floor.
Then he began to tango and tap-dance, a rose appearing in his teeth, as he stopped, and pointed to Lord Raptor, leering at him.

¡Ole! Come on! I'm itching to rip your bony little head off, Raptor!


 
¡Ole! Come on! I'm itching to rip your bony little head off, Raptor!
As Rose heard this bold statement from the strange violent man who had just impaled the skeleton man's...body? Rose watched the skeletal head dart to the side, something she hadn't expected to see. Apparently, the audience thought the same thing, as a large amount of spectators began rushing out of the arena into the halls where Rose was supporting Ains, not shy about running over anybody unlucky enough to be in the way. Rose hoisted Ains up again, madly dashing away, diving to the side at the last second, something soft breaking her fall.

"Ains?! Ains, are you okay?! ....Ains...?"

Rose felt something wriggling under her, and took a look at the ground, where Ains lay, his face touching her chest. Almost instantly, Rose's face turned cherry red, her mind taking a moment to register what just happened.
My...umm...what...Wait... Ahh! I'm so embarassed!!>_<
"Umm... Hey, get off me, you pervert!!!"
Rose got up, holding her chin up, apparently angry, though her face was still noticably red, and she was now holding her chest, as though blocking it from view.

As the DNS guards began to rush to the scene of the fighting, Rose picked up on a familiar scent, and noticed Aqueous being escorted by the soldier from before. Rose immediately lost any sense of self and darted to him, running on all fours, planning on unleashing a well-aimed uppercut to his chin, as she yelled out:

"Let go of her, you!!"
 
Ains had no idea what had happened until he was back on his feet and Rose was going after the red haired boy. He took this chance to escape unnoticed and hopefully find some information.

He moved down the hall the best he could, the fall earlier did not help much for his recovery. Sure being a vampire was great and all for quick recoveries but the down times hurt like hell. He winced as his arm rubbed the corner of a wall the wrong way. As he opened his eyes he saw a restricted access door with a key pad lock on the handle. He ducked out of view as three guards exited the area. They were muttering something about a fight down on the ring they had to observe. Before the door closed Ains got his foot in it, unfortunately for him it was the same foot he used to smash Demitri’s head into the ground and the door was nothing short of heavy. ”Curse them I’ll have their heads for this.” He muttered to himself as he creaked open the door. There were several offices in this room along with monitors viewing the ring and other parts of the arena. The sound of voices could be heard coming from a stairwell just beyond the next door. He jumped off to the side and hid behind a desk as a few men in white coats walked out the door he had come in. ”Interesting.” He whispered as he continued his investigation. The answers he wanted were downstairs.

A quick descent and Ains found himself in an odd room. The walls were lined in what appeared to be bunker metal. Surely the steel there was at least six inches thick. The room was nearly as large as the arena itself and around it were tubes filled with a liquid, almost like it was prepped for suspended animation. Near the center of the room was a set up of various monitors each linked to a different subject. One was analyzing temperature and viscosity as well as chemical balance. The others managed the various other categories, yet, one was hooked directly into the database and luckily had not signed out yet. He looked through the files searching for his lost queen. Success was not that far off as he scrolled across a folder FJ982.


Project Revivification Unit: FJ982
Classification: Darkstalker
Common Identification: Queen Morrigan
Vital Levels: Stable
Locaton: Facility 7 Room B92
Power Generation Level: Class S
Assigned Staff: Swanson
Comments: Undefined

”She’s alive, and at Facility 7, whatever that is. I’m sure I could get some information out of-“
”Hey, your not supposed to be here. How did you-“ Before he could fully ask his question Ains ran off. His escape route was caught off with returning DNS soldiers. He turned back and took off a different hallway that could have lead deeper into the bunker as the alarm sounded.
 
[BG="#990000"]

Ferocious Strife

Ferocious was mildly amused at Rose's reaction. Something about her charging at him made him want to throw Aqua in front of him and cackle loudly. Obviously she still thought he was the enemy, picking up Aqueous from the battlefield and all. He sighed, long and hard and stared at her, his eyes narrowed. "If I wanted to kill her, I would've already." He glanced at the sleeping girl he was holding, "And mind you, she IS heavy. Where's her room?" He looked around. He didn't have a good memory about things he didn't bother to remember.

Something about Rose bothered him. He didn't know what it was. He could put up with the eerily familiar vibes he got from Aqua because he was sure he knew from somewhere before. From before he became a DNS member. He had his suspicions, but Rose, Rose wasn't the same.

Ferocious smirked as he checked the names of the doors as he passed Rose along the hallway, finding Aqua's. He kicked open the door, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Hey Rose, chill out. I'm not going to hurt my own daughter." He winked. No harm in having some fun while Aqua was out cold, right ?

[/BG]
 
Rose skidded to a stop as Ferocious explained himself a bit. Maybe he was telling the truth for once? After all, she hadn't watched the fight. She opened her mouth to thank him, but thought better of it, and followed him to Aqueous' room, staring Ferocious down.
Who was this man? Was he a friend or an enemy? So many questions swam through her mind, but there was no time to answer them, as the familiar banter of the announcer echoed throughout the arena.

"Okay, folks, please remain calm! The troops are directing this little scuffle into a safer area, so just remain indoors, and watch our next match on any of the televisions located in the main hall! Speaking of the next match....It's Rose versus Bishaoumon! Will the two competitors please report to the designated arena area?
Rose once again prepared to thank Ferocious, but after hearing his "father-daughter" comment, she bounded over to him, and delivered a quick, yet painful slap to his face, leaving just as quickly.
"A man like you? Never."

Rose made her way to the arena, Raptor and the odd man still caught in a heated stare-off as she continued walking towards the DNS troops, her opponent apparently not there yet. A few small metallic devices encircled a large space of the arena, more than spacious to host a fight. Stepping inside the circle, a tiny, indigo-colored flame flickered brightly, dividing itself into 6 flames as a figure materialized out of nowhere. Rose gasped, caught off guard as the devices emitted an audible click, and surrounded the area with a strange wall of light, basking the two competitors in a golden color. Rose sheepishly poked the light, purely out of curiousity, and found herself recieving a rather nasty shock, causing her to withdraw her finger. She got aa good look at her opponent, the likes of which she had never seen before. He wore an ancient suit of samurai's armor, colored blood red for the most part. A golden moon rested upon the headpiece upon his gray face. What confused her the most was his stomach. The armor divided in the middle, where a large mouth was moving around like an animal going in for the kill, complete with razor-sharp teeth. He firmly grasped his katana, two red eyes peering straight through Rose, unsettling in its own right. The flames floated behind the man as the announcer's voice once again came over the intercom.


"Now, let the match..."
"Fight me....Satisfy my hunger!"
Rose gulped as she responded:
"It's not like I have much of a choice..."

"...Begin!!!