destinystrings | The Duel Must Go On!

The Duel Must Go On!

Who: Tournament Fighters and those who wish to watch them.
Where: Aries Arena & Televised
Summary: 10/10. A day of shooting and Persona battles.
Warnings: D-D-DUELS!

Cloudy days didn't deteriorate citizens of Hinoto-Ri to flock to the Arena that night. After all, there was a special treat promised to them, tickets at ten dollars off the usual price for a sight yet unseen!

The entire place was filled with cheering spectators and for those who missed out, the usual pay-per-view channels were going to post the entire thing live. Or you could go to your local pub. They had all come to see one thing: and it was to see how these newcomers from otherworlds fared in their favorite sport. In a way it was showing the natural pride to them, and watching how they did at it.

Gambling wasn't allowed publicly. So naturally it flourished underground. Odds today were 1:1, those looking to make a lot of money were simply out of luck. Today was a day for watching. And learning.

For those who had answered the call, prizes had been lined up. At best, it was a demonstration. As long as there was entertainment, the public really didn't care who lost or who won.

From the side ring "Jay Queen" and "Bob Sternhammer", the two ringside announcer, excitedly begin the pre-game talk.

"What a crowd today Jay! You can feel and hear the energy coming right off of 'em!"

"A stadium of Ten Thousand filled to the brim! And this ain't even the Grand Prix!"

"Can't blame 'em. Hell, if I wasn't announcing this, I'd be ringside looking at the newcomers. For those at home watching on Pay-Per-View, we're gonna remind you of the few ground rules."

"Tonight's matches are demonstration only. No returning champions, in fact, if you look to the left there, you'll see Seaside Dragoon waving at the ground. He's last year's reigning champ."

"Man they just love the guy."

"Names are drawn based on known skill. Randomization is under the supervision of the Hinoto-Ri Lotto Society."

"Contestants pick their own Evoker ten minutes before the duel, and are asked to fire a blank shot in the air to insure security before it is scanned. Contestants then are brought into their isolation zones and are kept there until they are ready to be brought up to the ring."

"Turns are taken, each allowed only one command from their Personas."

"As usual, Instant Death Spells are forbidden of usage. You may not kill your opponent. If your opponent is knocked unconscious, they have five seconds to get up. You are only allowed to attack your opponents Persona."

"Oh! Looks like the national anthem's gonna start."

There was some singing, as everyone stood up. After, the shouts became louder and louder, as a single man dressed in a tuxedo walked in, grabbing a futuristic microphone and speaking in it.

"LET'S GET IT ON!"

The crowed cheered, as a series of fireworks tore off into the sky.

"This is Bob live from the Outerworld Demo Tournament! Only on Pay-Per-View!"

[OOC- Minako vs Eikichi & Oersted vs Link will be posted as soon as both parties have submitted their titles and theme music.]

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"I heard that both of the next contestants have experience with Persona before."

"I was wondering if Philemon had called a few of those. Weirdly enough, neither said they knew him before. One's got experience with an Evoker too. Now we can see how they fight!"

"Only on Pay-Per-View, Folks!"

As they talked, a few things flashed on the screen.

"First up, Miki Sanada! She's 16, Capricorn and her Arcana is the Star."

"Let's hope that Arcana will be her status in the ring after this match!"

"FROM OUT OF THIS WORLD, A DEADLY BEAUTY! THE LUMINOUS LIGHTNING DEFENDER!"

As she rose, music filled the coliseum, echoing into the night sky. An image of her was being displayed behind, as well as her nickname, overlapped in special effects.

"A sensible name. Strange how she mentions defending."

"The contestant is apparently a Jujutsu practitioner although she isn't going to be able to use it tonight..Persona only!"

When she was done being raised from the bottom, the music changed as the machines turned again, and the crowd went into a screaming frenzy.

"AND HIS OPPONENT, FROM OUT OF THIS WORLD, THE MAN OF MANY TALENTS! HE IS THE FOG FIGHTING FOOL!"

"...well I hope that's his arcana or a hell of an ironic nickname."

"Pisces and Fool Arcana. You have a good guess. His name is Yu Narukami and he's 18. We'll see how he does against his younger female contestant. As we learned over the years, age and sex holds no meaning in the ring!"

Once Yu was raised into the air along with the other, the ring around them began to close, forming a metal cage between both, like a long corridor. A team of three healers stood by in the wings.

"If you've just come into this Pay-Per-View special, this is an intergalactic Demonstration matches. Currently we're at the start of the match of the Fog Fighting Fool and The Luminous Lightning Defender. Both are previous persona users with field experience before arriving to the city."

"Those new to the sport watching we'd like to remind you that Contestants start close to each other, back faced. After that, they take ten steps, Evokers in the air."

"Just like old American Wild West Duels. Crowd loves to count them too."

"After that, it's the first who shoots who goes first."

"CONTESTANTS ARE READY!"

"After these matches, the crowd is still excited! We may have won over a few folks with these matches!"

"TEN! NINE! EIGHT! SEVEN! SIX! FIVE! FOUR! THREE! TWO! ONE!"

"Here we go!"

[OOC - Miki won the coin toss, she goes first.]

Edited 2012-10-12 19:44 (UTC)

At first Miki didn't know how to feel about this entire affair. She had signed up thinking it would be semi-private battles between themselves with maybe at best a crowd of a hundred, not in front of ten thousand spectators. As she was raised into the air, it really hit her once the night's chill winds and the screams made her hair stand up on end.

Stage fright? There was some of that, yes, but the electrifying atmosphere was also contagious. The butterflies in her stomach were much easier to calm down once the metal cage began to cover them. The cheering made her own excitement grow and while she definitely wasn't sure about this whole idea of glorifying Evokers, she had to admit that once in the center of the ring...there was an urge to win and do your best.

When Yu rose up, she studied her opponent quietly. Fog Fighting Fool? He had to be of the Fool Arcana. It was the fog that gave her difficulty. Did it mean he used water, like steam? Maybe it was an allusion to clouds? Air? Hrrgh. Whatever it was, Miki had entered her combat zone. As their backs were pressed closed to each other, she managed to speak to him;

"Hey! Dunno if you can hear this over the noise, but name's Miki Sanada. Just wanted to say good luck out there. Pretty big crowd, huh?"

With Nanako appearing in the city and picking out what jobs he wanted to work, Yu had completely forgotten about the tournament tonight. When the reminder he had set on his COMP went off, he ended up giving his little cousin a quick explanation about what he was doing and why, only to run out of the apartment with her on his shoulders a little while later. It would be good for her to see this; at least this way she would be prepared if she ever ended up in a situation where she would need to use her Persona.

...and then he was told to pick out a gun, because he would need to point it at his head and pull the trigger. He was going to hate himself for this later.

It felt like forever he was standing in isolation, staring down at the gun in his hand. Yu... really didn't like guns, not after having come so close to getting a bullet in his forehead thanks to Adachi. The Evoker felt really heavy in his hands, like he wasn't going to be able to lift it when he needed to. Yet when the platform shuddered and started to lift him up, he let out a breath, forcing his anxiety to go out with it. He would be okay... and he'd apologize to Nanako for bringing her to see him do this later.

As his head started to lift above the floor, he reached into his pocket for his Midnight Channel glasses, slipping them on as the announcer shouted out his chosen title. He had put a lot of thought into that, and it definitely sounded cool blared out over the speakers. Unfortunately, the speakers were about the only thing he could hear over the cheering from the crowd.

...wow, that was a lot of people.

He glanced back at his opponent, just barely able to hear her over the screams from the crowd. Wow she was... short.

"It is," he agreed, having to raise his voice quite a bit to be heard. "Yu Narukami; good luck to you as well."

Never say that to her face, Yu. She was used to being close to the same height as her female peers. She towered all of your own Investigation Team members anyway.

"Well Yu Narukami...may the best out of the two win." She was a girl used to competitions, and despite the crowd, she was ready to give it her all. Testing the Evoker's weight again, she began her walk, the crowd counting along as she did. Her motion at the end was completely natural and with the Evoker aimed at her left temple, she fired. Her Persona appeared above her, to the cheer of the crowd.

"Persona!"

"I am Helen, she unparallelled beauty that drove men to war...My duty is to protect you with all of my strength, my other self."

Miki didn't waste any time and moved her free hand forward, unleashing a Mazionga.

"This might hurt!" Her persona rushed in, lightening cracking from her hands as she fired a large electrical ball at the other.

Yu nodded in acknowledgement before he started his own walk, the gun feeling like it weighed a hundred pounds as he lifted it up. As the countdown progressed, he could feel his heart pounding louder in his chest, his hands sweating, his mouth going dry. His nerves had him delayed far behind Miki; that and the fact that he couldn't quite make himself press the gun to his head as well.

It felt entirely different from using an Arcana card, nor did it feel anything like summoning in the city. It felt like his very soul was exploding out of him, and he felt more than saw Izanagi appearing behind him. It was intense, comparable to when he first summoned his Persona, that he had to unhook a few buttons on his shirt just to breathe better.

"I am Izanagi," his Persona intoned, settling protectively before Yu. The god paused, glancing back at him, and Yu got the distinct impression that he didn't approve of this tournament. "I will give myself to thee, for the sake of this experience."

...nothing like being berated by yourself. Yu gave a nod, but didn't get a chance to say anything more as sparkling pain came his way. He let out a grunt of pain, throwing his arms up over his head protectively. Izanagi responded in kind, flinging the same spell back at her.

As the lightning hit her, it transformed into a bluish energy and was absorbed by the ~~Pokemon~~ Persona.

"AND THE THE LUMINOUS LIGHTNING DEFENDER ABSORBS THE ATTACK!"

Having the fight being told live before an audience was so strange too. She was used to the eerier privacy quality of Tartarus when she fought with the rest of the team. Miki stood there blinking for a few seconds before realizing it was her turn again. So he was a lightening user too? Her attack had hardly dented him, and she had absorbed his. This could turn into a long battle, but as she knew from all her training that she should not just judge from a single attack. No, this could depending a multitude of factors and she knew nothing about the rest of his attacks.

Miki wasn't taking that risk. Time for a little distraction, if she could manage it.

"Helen! Sexy Dance!"

It charged forward, twirling and sending out a pinkish energy towards the other.

"HER PERSONA IS WILD WITH PASSIONATE LOVE! SHALL HER FOE FALL INTO HER TRAP?!"

If Miki could have thrown something at the announcer, she would have.

Why did they have to say it like that both her brothers were watching MY GODS.

Yu had never even heard of an attack like that before, and had no way to defend against it. As soon as it hit, he felt dizzy, like he was confused but... different. He couldn't think straight, and his head felt like it was going in seven directions at once. He reached a hand out to Izanagi, trying to get the god to attack while he sorted himself out... only to suddenly find himself flying backward as his own Persona attacked him.

What the hell...?!

YES. Score another victim to Helen's charms. Miki could only grin as she watched it unfold. This is what it meant to face off against a Sanada, Yu (although best not to think if her brother had a Persona that did sexy dance too, now that she thought about it).

Regardless, it was her turn again! If the lightning didn't work but the physical did, she'd attack him with Mind Slice again. Hey, if she got lucky, he might end up being confused.

"Go! Helen!"

The Persona charged at Izanagi, slamming into him with a loud crack.

Even though it was Izanagi that had been hit, Yu was knocked back like a rag doll, his glasses falling off, before he landed on the ground amidst a collective gasp from the crowd. His persona went tumbling as well, landing face down close by before disappearing. He was dimly aware of the first aid staff yelling, getting into position, and...

"OH, THE FOG FIGHTING FOOL IS DOWN, FOLKS. LOOKS LIKE SOMEONE SOLID WAS TOO MUCH FOR HIM!"

The countdown started up, and muted cheers for Miki were going through the stadium as it started getting perilously close to the end...

At seven, the hand in which Yu had his Evoker clutched in a death grip twitched. By nine, he was shoving himself back up to his feet, cheers coming up from the crowd, before falling silent as he stepped forward, legs wobbling unsteadily. His stride became a little more stable as he advanced, pausing only once to collect his glasses. He slid them on... before finally looking up, a determined glare on his face Yu usually reserved for a monster that was pissing him off.

This time when he raised his gun, there was no hesitation in pulling the trigger.

"IZANAGI!"

The persona materialized as if it had always been right there, shooting forward from the burst of power brought on by summoning to deliver Heaven's Blade to Helen's face.

Was this it? Had she achieved victory that fast? Her teachers always told her to stand on ready but Miki would later admit that the crowd had swayed her a little too quickly and accepted the victory as good as hers.

At least until Yu stood up again, and fired another shot. Tch. She'd been careless. This time the attack was much more brutal, and she feels her face burning.

"Oh shi--"

Helen's physical resist at least helped her stop the blunt of the damage, but it still hurt. While Miki moves back from the force to the point of falling, her hands grasp the ground, and gets right back up again.

"I'm not done!" she manages to yell through the crowd. It was time for her to switch up her strategy and show him what she could really do. Firing her gun again, she...makes her go on guard?

The Persona isn't attacking, and seems to be waiting for Izanagi to go again.

Yu did not have Izanagi strike immediately, taking a moment to think. Luminous Lightning Defender... this was why he settled with a nickname that reflected his world more than what he was capable of. She absorbed lightning, and she hadn't been that badly affected by his attack, so judging from her name, she probably could weather physical attacks like he could do for lightning. This was putting him at a disadvantage; she could hit with anything and damage him, in addition to that nasty charm attack of hers, and he could literally only scratch her.

She was on the defensive, and he wasn't sure why, considering she had the advantage, but he was going to make use of it, of course. First, a boost to his defense, and if she still didn't move, to his Persona's attack. Hopefully he would be able to better withstand her attacks and dish out better damage with this.

The fight was only beginning.

Indeed it was. Perhaps later Miki could think of a different name that hadn't reflected on her abilities, but for now, she watches him boost his defenses, and decides that perhaps it would be best to at least use a lightning break on him in the middle of both...before she returns to the guard position again.

Come on, he was the only target here...just charge at her already! This strategy was more dangerous to use in Tartarus but Yu didn't have a choice and attack her! She-- no she needed to calm down and just wait for the opportune moment. She'd already misjudged him once, she wasn't going to do it again.

Yu narrowed his eyes, not sure what she was going for... She had even more of an advantage; why wasn't she taking it? Still, he couldn't just refuse to fight -- he could already hear the crowd getting restless, and he swore he saw some people trying to throw things at him.

He steeled himself, looking up at Izanagi. The god glanced back at him, nodding once, and Yu returned the gesture.

"Izanagi!"

The persona charged forward, prepared to use Heaven's Blade again.

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The Duel Must Go On!

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