The Duel Must Go On!

[stringmods]

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.]

Comments

[gforceinmyfaaaace]

Pit might be blessed with the gift of gab, but he's a fighter. A soldier. Perhaps it's for the best that people think he's 50, 'cause who'd want to see a thirteen year old so ready for battle?

He takes his ten steps as if he's ready to fight at a second's notice. The announcer reaches the final number and he turns, the gun that had caused so much consternation among his human colleagues feeling too little, too light in his hand. He was familiar with weapons of this type--they used them a lot in video games--but he was surprised by its weight. He could see how a gun this big could bring harm to humans, but Underworld monsters? Even Viridi's Forces of Nature? And there was no point bringing up the Aurum. This thing didn't stand a chance against them.

Nor is he much bothered by the idea of aiming and shooting it at his head. He's an angel. If there's an actual bullet in there by some mishap, he'd spring right back, as if he'd never taken a bullet to the head. Besides, if the idea is to confront one's fear of death, well... He's more familiar with death than he likes. So really, it's not a big deal.

He casually flips and holds the gun to his temple, pulling the trigger without hesitation. From him arises the apparition of a man wearing robes much like Pit's, holding a blade in one hand and the head of a serpent-haired woman in the other.

"I am Perseus, slayer of Medusa. Young one who shares my fate, I lend my power to you."

But rather than charge at Sasha, the persona instead bathes himself and Pit in a red light that vanishes as soon as it emerges.

(It's risky, buffing up his power like this. He doesn't know what Sasha will throw at him, but he's willing to take the scrape as long as he can get in a forceful hit next.)

[travelingtheworlds]

Sasha, conversely, took her steps simply, as if she were just walking. Clearly, the gravity of the situation hadn't quite sunk in for her. In fact, there might as well have been no gravity at all. Well, Tensakutans liked to spar with magic for fun, so perhaps this was just another game for her. A fancier game with more people, but a game nonetheless. However, she spun around quickly and pointed the Evoker to her head with no hesitation whatsoever. They'd proven that this thing was safe, so why get all worried about it?

As soon as she pulled the trigger, a chariot driver, his chariot, and several horses galloping through the air appeared. "Phaeton, use Agi!" she commanded unnecessarily. It was a bit of a habit; Tensakutans enjoyed the "calling out your attacks" trope, though they did it strictly for fun and didn't need to do so. With that, Phaeton launched a fireball at Pit, the horses becoming more riled up as their master attacked and then vanished.

[gforceinmyfaaaace]

Pit cries out as the attack connects, the intensity of the attack more than he had anticipated for just fire. He'd caught fire how many times? Yet this was a fire that had hit his persona. His soul. It reminded him of...

Arg. No! He focuses on the here and now, feeling his ire rising to a boil as he hears the announcer's call that Sasha had found his weakness and could attack again, while all Pit could do was defend.

So that was a mistake, raising his attack. No matter. It'd still be in effect after she got her second hit in. And when he got a chance to hit, he'd make sure he'd hit back hard. He's been in unfair fights before. He's been up against enemies who were bigger and more powerful than him, enemies who knocked down his every defense and left him almost nearly unable to attack. But he was still here, wasn't he? And all because he persevered.

He didn't let fire stop him once. He wasn't going to let it stop him again.

[travelingtheworlds]

For a moment, Sasha just stared. For some reason, she didn't quite expect him to react like that (but really, Sasha, what were you expecting from hitting someone with their weakness?!). However, when the announcer said she could attack again, she smiled. She loved having the upper hand, even if it seemed a bit unfair (which, to her, this did... she'd have to apologize to him after the match). Now she could test out another attack! She pointed the Evoker to her head once more, and this time her Persona dove towards Pit's in an Assault Dive.

[gforceinmyfaaaace]

Oh.

That's it?

He was preparing for another fire attack, but seeing her persona rush towards Perseus with nary a flame in sight is a surprise. A pleasant surprise. He takes the hit without defending, ignoring the announcer's obvious statement and the crowd's jeers.

"This is gonna sting," he says to Sasha with a smile, then aims the Evoker at his head and fires.

"Perseus! Bring the pain."

And Perseus obeys, raising his blade and unleashing an Aeon Rain.

An attack boosted Aeon Rain.

Now Sasha will know why Pit had just stood there and bathed himself in light.

[travelingtheworlds]

The Aeon Rain hit her and her Persona hard. Sasha went down to the floor with a yelp, muttering to herself, "Bad Pit, bad! Bad!" Well, now she certainly wasn't going to apologize to him for hitting his weak point! Maybe. She struggled to get to her feet, but she was far from unconscious. Damn, this was an awful lot of pain... this is why you're generally not supposed to put mages in melee combat. However, she didn't really need to get to her feet. With a crooked, twitchy half-smile, she put the Evoker to her head and pulled the trigger once more. Okay, no more playing around and getting a feel for different attacks. It was just time for a straight-up onslaught (well, something in the back of her mind wanted to test Sukukaja, but that could come next time Pit chose to buff himself, maybe). The chariot driver unleashed another fireball in Pit's direction.

[gforceinmyfaaaace]

Brad Pitt?

Unfortunately, she won't get the chance to buff when Pit does. He casts tarukaja the moment he sees the fireball coming, and steels himself for the attack. He holds out a hand to stop himself as his knees buckle, then pushes himself to his feet.

"I'm not done yet!" he growls. "Perseus! Aeon Rain!"

And the slayer of Medusa obliges, raising his sword once more.

[travelingtheworlds]

Once again, Sasha takes a hard hit (or series of hits, rather). "Wah, stopstopSTOP!" she shouts, though it is in vain. Quickly, she puts the Evoker to her head and summons Phaeton once more. She decides that she's best off spamming fireballs for now, and Phaeton musters up another Agi blast.

[gforceinmyfaaaace]

And that causes Pit to collapse.

One, two, three, four--

No. He's back on his feet. Weakly. Perseus is on his last sliver of health, he knows that. But she's not doing too hot, either.

Looking her dead in the eye, he fires his Evoker into his temple.

"Perseus. Once more."

And the hero obliges with another Aeon Rain.

Should we flip a coin to determine who wins?

[travelingtheworlds]

The final series of hits sent Sasha tumbling to the ground, a squeal of pain escaping her. The pain was getting to be a little overwhelming, and Sasha's vision began to go dark. The countdown began: one, two, three, four...

It was a very slow movement, but Sasha put the Evoker to the side of her head and pulled the trigger, her eyes half shut from her dazed state. She threw one more Agi at him, hoping this would do it. If she didn't win now, she was toast. It was times like these that she cursed being a squishy wizard with no stamina...