Rose stepped out into the arena, watching the final rounds kick off. The hooded figure gave off a strange vibe, something Rose couldn't quite put her finger on. However, she was too distracted by the trumpets blaring to put too much thought into it. She took a quick glance at Ains, and he too, seemed to notice the hooded person.
"So now that you know who you are fighting get prepared. The first match will be Rose vs. Gemini. The match will start in five minutes as the devices are fitted to you properly and linked to the viewer. To commemorate this moment here comes our flame of victory."
Rose walked back to her room, sighing heavily as she took a quick moment to relax. Gemini? Okay... She gripped the small mechanical device she had been given, and quickly pinned it to her chest, experiencing a fleeting moment of pain.
"...It's time to go, then."
She exited her room and walked towards the arena quickly, two guards stopping her before she entered.
"Okay, you're good. Good luck, Ms. Rose."
Rose stepped into the brightly lit arena, covered in what appeared to be sand. At the same time, she saw her opponent entering from the north entrance, though she wasn't completely visible yet.
"Alright! We're going to heat these fights up! Bring in the terrain!
Rose took a few steps back as the center of the arena dropped down on some sort of elevator, being replace with more sand and rather large stones. Terrain? ...So this was the other surprise...
"It looks like a duel in the desert, folks! Alright, will the combatants please approach the center of the arena?"
Rose did just that, just like her opponent. It was a girl... She finally got a chance to see her opponent, and her mind struggled to comprehend what was happening.
Her opponent, Gemini, looked...just like her! The only way to tell the two apart was the black fur her opponent had, and the small gun holster strung around her hip, a small old-style handgun resting in it. Wha...What the hell? She's... What is this? This smell...I know her?! She's...Is she related? What kind of trick is this...But...there's no mistaking that smell...She's...related to me. But I still...I have to beat her- I'll ask questions later!
The monitors placed all around the arena clicked on. Divided evenly among them were respective images of Rose and Gemini's vital signs.
GEMINI: All green
ROSE: Lower torso-yellow-orange
All else green
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"Let the fight...begin!
Instantly, Gemini lunged at Rose with a right hook, catching her completely off guard. Rose staggered back a little, staring at Gemini, focusing on her opponent. Apparently, her opponent was doing the same thing. Rose decided to make an advance this time, dropping on all fours on the ground before bounding at Gemini, who stood her ground stubbornly. As she got within striking range, Rose began to rise from the ground, aiming a punch at her gut. Gemini leapt back, and launched a powerful kick at Rose in retaliation, once again hitting its mark. The cameras zoomed in at Rose, bringing into view her bandages, her injury just beginning to bleed through. Damnit... Rose had the wind knocked out of her, trying to catch a few deep breaths before her opponent came rushing at her again, intent on finishing her assault. Rose threw a defensive punch, which Gemini quickly grabbed a hold of, a rather wicked grin on her face. Rose twisted her body around in an odd form of a dropkick, causing her opponent to jump back, only to leap at her again. Rose readied her guard, fully prepared for the incoming strike, but at the last moment, her opponent transformed, shrinking into a cat and sinking its claws into Rose's fist before it retracted them, leaping at Rose's head as she tried grabbing her opponent unsucessfully. As Gemini's claws made contact with a few strings of hair, Gemini reverted to her normal form, grabbing her entire head, and with a grunt of effort, flipped Rose over her body completely, sending her slamming into the ground, the sand splashing around the impact zone. Rose was unable to retaliate, almost as if everything was in super-fast motion.
She even...has the same abilities as I do?...No...she's better at using them...
Gemini took a few steps back, as if to tell Rose to get up for some more. Rose crawled to her knees, on all fours, her head facing the sand. One hand clutched at her bandages, which were were being stained red from her wound. The other hand covered her mouth as she felt something coming up, and found blood on her hand, as well.
GEMINI: All green
ROSE: Head- green-yellow
Upper torso- light yellow
Lower torso, bright orange
Extremities-dark green
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Rose brought herself to her feet, taking a few heavy breaths before thinking about how she was going to fight. She knows all my moves....All of them...She knows everything I can do...And she'll take it...And make it better...Damnit, I'm not done yet!
She shook her head, beads of sweat flying off her face.
"Who are you?!", Rose yelled as she ran towards Gemini again, desperate for an answer, any form of acknowledgement from this doppleganger of hers. Rose launched a heavy punch directly for her face, and found her move telegraphed. Gemini ducked under the attack, and grabbed her arm, twisting it quickly, as Rose let out a yell, her arm ready to crack under the pressure. Just as quickly, Gemini slammed her knee into Rose's gut several times. It was pretty obvious she knew exactly where her weak spot was now. She shoved her knee one more time, before whispering into Rose's ear,
"Does it hurt? I'm the real one, not...you!"
Gemini delivered one more devastating kick to Rose's injury with enough force to slam her into one of the stones in the arena, dust covering the scene momentarily. Rose had fallen down, slumped against the stone with her head hanging down again, blood dribbling down her face and stomach, leaving a trail from all the places she had traveled in the arena.
Her hair was matted to her face, and tears began to run down her face slowly.
Gemini took a few steps towards Rose, and reached for her waist, pulling out the small handgun, rubbing it along her cheeks confidently.
"You look just like me...Not anymore."
Mom...What is this? Why didn't I know about her before?...Why does she hate me...Is she looking for you, too? ...No, she can't be. She just wants blood... I have to do something...Now. Rose, in a sudden rush, grabbed onto Gemini's arm, and got in a kick to her gut, knocking the gun out her hands as it clattered to her ground. Both of the girls grabbed for it, and Rose managed to secure it first. She pressed one hand against the rock for support, and kept the gun level with Gemini's head.
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"Please forfeit the match...I don't want to...pull the trigger..."
Gemini remained silent, glaring at Rose stubbornly, forced to stand still, at Rose's mercy.
Rose's vision began to blur, and her head started spinning round and round, getting harder and harder to keep a lock on Gemini.
"...Please..."
The blood loss finally got the better of Rose as she fell to the earth, nothing more than a thud symbolizing it. Gemini realized what had happened, and pried the gun from Rose's hand, despite her helpless state. Her eyes twitched ever so slightly, and she pulled the trigger three times, piercing Rose like lightning, but she was unable to even yell. All she could do was drift into the dark.
"....Mom...This is it?..."
GEMINI: Lower torso-dark green
ROSE: Lower torso-red
Head-red
Upper torso-red
Left arm-orange-red
Right arm-yellow
Legs- yellow
Gemini kneeled down, noticing the flower in Rose's hair. To add insult to injury, she ripped it straight out her hair, throwing it on the floor before turning her back and leaving the arena, leaving Rose laying in her blood. A team of paramedics rushed out and lifted her onto a stretcher, running into the building to the ER sections immediately. Shocked, the crowd murmered, before the announcer finally recovered.
"Rest assured, she's going to get the finest care we can give her! But nonetheless, we have to continue, so Gemini is our winner!"
The flower remained in the puddle, its pure white petals now stained with crimson, a miniscule monument to Rose's failure.