A Game of Cat and Mouse

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It was surely a long and boring day and a half spent in the cages, but finally you're getting to stretch your legs... in the arena, of course.

Without much of a warning, you suddenly find yourself ushered in to a new room, the roaring sounds of cheering demons practically bursting your eardrums with the sheer volume. Looking up, you can see their looming forms seated all around you with no end in sight, as if you were on the field in a large stadium surrounded by seating. However, you seem to be stuck in your own little space, the walls just high enough to prevent any climbing or flying to escape them. Wait... your own space doesn't seem to quite be the right word, as there is someone else stuck in here looking just as confused and overwhelmed as you are.

Ah yes, this was an illegal fighting tournament, wasn't it?

Not a beat later you're dragged into a mental commlink with Q, one of the members of the Seven. Q is gathering all the resources he has available and help is on the way; it just might take a little while yet. Your role is a small but important one: do not succumb to the will of the demons, and do please try to stay alive until your fellow Visitors arrive! He or one of the others in the group will keep you updated as they progress.

So, there it is. You need to stall, to buy time. It might not seem like it sometimes, but demons are pretty simple creatures when you get down to it. As long as they're entertained... well, you could probably stall a fight for as long as needed. Remember, your life and the lives of those stuck in the situation with you depends on it. You don't want this 'fight to the death' to come to its logical conclusion, do you? Q has an entire search team on its way, so hold tight until then.

As the demons continue whoop and cheer, you can hear the sounds of a microphone being adjusted, as if someone is about to speak. The voices begin to quiet down to an excited murmur, and as far as those involved in the tournament are concerned, you could cut the building tension with a knife. After this announcement...it would be time to begin.

(ooc: Welcome to the Arena! Your job is a simple one; keep the crowd interested, and try not to hurt each other too horribly until the cavalry arrives. During your fights, you may find a tag here and there from a demon from the crowd either cheering you on or booing your poor tactics-- sometimes they might even give you some help if you catch their favor. Or maybe they'll throw things at you for being boring, who knows. Be on the look out, and have fun!)

Comments

[hinoto_ri]

The combatants in the room may have received a message of reassurance from Q, but some of the kidnapped had no such luxuries. ...Well. One of the kidnapped, anyway. A perhaps familiar red-headed man can be glimpsed standing miserably in a box directly overlooking the stadium, flanked by demons twice his height and hemmed in by a motley collection of what he had been assured were his greatest fans. There passes now, not for the first time, the uncomfortable feeling that his fans are weighing their appreciation for his work against his caloric content as estimated by his weight and height.

Such feelings are not particularly assuaged as a nearby Kuchisake-onna removes her mask, licks her gaping wounds, and blows him a kiss.

When the demons have finished propping him back up from his brief dizzy spell (anemia! lifelong suffering, he murmurs as he grasps for a handhold only to recoil as he finds himself thrusting his hand into a Kaso's fur), he is hissed at by a Catoblepas, which he takes as a prompt to begin or else to be a lawn ornament for the rest of his days.

Tomokazu Tokudome leans forward towards the microphone.

"G-Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen!" A claw prods him in the back. "And, ah, those of... indeterminate gender and... manner of existence, whose viewership we surely value and appreciate with equal regard. This is your host, the dazzling-even-when-distressed -- very distressed -- Tomokazu Tokudome, with the Hinoto-Ri Daily News! Presenting now, in his freelance line of work unassociated with the Daily News in any way all views and opinions extended tonight are the sole intellectual property of the reporter in question and are not to be taken as representative of the collective thoughts of the producers of the Daily News; litigation will not be dignified nor claims of libel or slander be honored the spectacle of the year! Behold!"

He thrusts out an arm towards the combatants hemmed into their cage matches.

"Folks, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity! And for many of us tonight myself included, this may be the last moments of your lifetime! Yes, that's right! This is the Illicit, the Rumored, the Highest-of-Stakes Greatest-of-Shows, the long-hidden Underground Demon Fighting Ring! Who knew it had been operating still in secrecy all these years? The Daily News sure as hell didn't. They've been at it for decades, honing the technique of battle into a true art to behold! I'm shaking with anticipation just thinking about it. We present, now, for what I assume to be the first time ever...

"Battle Royale! And not demon to demon, but... human to human! ...Oid. These Visitors from the outside, these beings from every manner of world in the vast multiverse... who knows what dazzling tricks they'll have up their sleeves? And of course, we can't forget - the almighty power of Persona!"

He takes a moment or two for breath at this point, and though his words continue to be spoken with his characteristic panache, his face is quite pale.

"This is it. In seconds, it will be time. Are you all prepared...?"

And in the next moment, the crystal clear chime of a gong sounds out across the stadium and the cheers ring forth with deafening fervor.

"Then let the games begin! ...And good luck, all of you."

Nikolai Volkov vs Faris

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[doesasordered]

[Has this been an actual battle, Nikolai would be fine. But now that it's more of a performance, he's feeling less sure of himself. He keeps his usual serious expression, though, and look at his opponent. He didn't recognize her, but they both should know what to do.]

Are you ready?

Jun Ushiro vs Miki Sanada

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[helenchanter]

Alright if she needed to stall and give a show, Miki would be able to deliver. This would require her to put a lot of her own training out in the open, but her martial art was about disabling a foe. If she could twist it enough to make it look like she was getting hit too, it could probably keep up their interest.

What a load of shit this all was, mind you...

"Hey...you ready?" she asked her opponent in a hushed whisper.

Gentarou Kisaragi vs Phantom Girl

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[phantom_envoy]

"Um..."

Phantom Girl arches an eyebrow as the voice trickles into her head - unlike some of the others here, she had never had the benefit of receiving Q's mental prodding before, but heck if she was going to ignore any offer of guidance at this point. When the message has concluded, she frowns with a slight shake of her head.

"They want us to fight to the death? Seriously? This would so totally not fly in the 31st Century. I mean, even forgetting how cliche that kind of thing is." Still, she glances across towards the person she assumes to be her opponent with a shrug. "OK, so... they'll kill us if we don't pretend we're killing each other. That's how this usually goes, right?"

Casting the ridiculous crown aside and adjusting her toga slightly, she slowly rises into the air with her arms crossed over her chest.

"I always thought I would be a good actress. I definitely have the looks for it, right?"

Johnny Rayflo vs Taro Watanabe

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[not_heavens_adam]

[Well, wasn't this a fun predicament? Entertain the masses in a very Romanesk manner or face death. He'd like to see them try. Besides, he really just had to wait for their valiant rescue that was supposedly coming. Doable.

Johnny turned his attention from the man speaking to who his 'opponent' was.]

So, I guess this is the part where we start dancing until the party gets broken up.

Ludwig Beilschmidt vs Junpei Iori

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[hasleveledup]

"Illegal fighting tournament? Aww geez...who am I up against?" Maybe it would be Daichi! They're buds, and he's sure they could whip something up for a pleasing display. Or maybe he'd get one of the girls as an opponent, and he could fake some threatening moves on her to just scare her.

He takes a few steps and stretches his arms, cracking his knuckles and grinning at the crowd. "Ladies and gentle-demons, never fear, your champion is right here!"

Akane Awakusu vs Zael

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[blessed_by_the_world]

[Even though that Q guy said they would just be pretending to buy time, Akane is still pretty scared. What if she's not that interesting and the demons get mad? What if her opponent is someone scary who just attacks her for real? And will the people rescuing them get there in time?

She steps into the arena timidly, trying not to look quite as terrified as she feels. She's... not succeeding.]

Shura vs Shui (NPC)

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[demifemme]

Damn. Damn damn damn. Shura was neither in the mood to give her captors what they wanted or any good at pretend fighting, but it looked like she was gonna have to learn, and fast. For now, at least, she could glare at her opponent: it would allow her to size them up while looking like she was trying to intimidate them.

Blues vs Zelgius

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[prototype_blues]

The voice... Was not what Blues expected, in fact it's only the slight arching of an eyebrow that shows the robot is even slightly bothered by that. But hey, putting on a show!

He can probably do that, hopefully. As long as the person he's fighting with keeps that in mind too, it just means he won't use his arm cannon. Then again he's fighting a human so using it is probably not the best idea, so he shoots a glance at his 'opponent' waiting to see what they'll do.

Daichi Shijima vs Sam Erstwhile

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[primordial]

[Ha...so they'll be rescued. Looks like that girl from before, with the arrow, was able to find a way out. But looks like they weren't leaving soon. "Please try to stay alive", well, if there's one thing Sam is good at, it's that.]

[He swallows, looking nervous as his gaze flits over the cheering and roaring crowd. He didn't like fighting like this. But he had to, or it was all over. he looks over at his opponent, biting his lip:]

Okay...um. So you're the one I have to fight, huh?

Owain vs Senri

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[bear_necessities]

[When he is herded into the arena Senri is somewhere between irritated and confused. He's honestly got no idea what they want from him, but he's sure he won't like it.]

Shadow the Hedgehog vs King DeDeDe

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[theultimateshadow]

Shadow keeps his arms folded and his eyes closed all throughout the opening announcement. He wasn't happy to be in a position where he needed saving, but if he couldn't escape the cage, he highly doubted he could escape here.

"A fight to the death..." he mutters to himself. He opens his eyes, first staring at the floor, then at his opponent. How soon until they were rescued? He wasn't worried about facing off against his opponent, despite that he was much larger than Shadow; he was merely concerned with how long they'd have to put up a charade for a hungry crowd.

"So what will you do?" he asks calmly.

Mesousa vs Yukko Aioi

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Re: Mesousa vs Yukko Aioi

[imbodytemp]

[Mesousa is terrified when he is finally let loos on the field, so he does what he knows best, slowly turns to Yukko and kneels on the ground bowing.]

"I'm sorry I've caused so much trouble. I'm just a poor little rabbit, if they want us to fight to the death it's better if you kill me. I probably couldn't beat you anyway."

Hizumi Mizushiro vs Spica (NPC)

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Re: Hizumi Mizushiro vs Spica (NPC)

[bondsofsuffering]

[Hizumi recovers his wits remarkably quickly, and once he gets that mental message -- well, if he's expected to put on a show, might as well go all the way, right?

He grins easily at the crowd, one hand lax on the sword sheathed at his hip as his other arm goes to the air, waving cheerily at his audience. As if this weren't a death match at all, and as if he's truly excited to be here. He keeps this up for the duration of Tokudome's speech that poor unlucky bastard and only stops when it sounds about ready to end. Noting his opponent, he chooses to draw his revolver first, giving it a few twirls before snapping it into a firm grip. However, his gaze has quite changed by the time he actually turns to his opponent...]

Let's have fun with this, shall we?

Rika Furude vs Yuri Nakamura

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ahh, going to apologize in advance at how late this is u///u

[leadthebeats]

[ Yuri had a plan for this. Of course, she's not going to hurt anyone unless they give her explicit permission, and besides, being the leader of the SSS, she knew how to stall. It was going to be difficult, but not impossible. She'll tighten the grip she has on her knife, readying herself for anything.

... Just as long as she doesn't get them both killed, she should be fine. She hopes. ]

Are you ready?

Yuzuru Otonashi vs Elaine

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if this isn't okay, tell me and I'll edit \o

[trainwrecking]

[Otonashi still looks rather affronted from his handling, and is less than cooperative when dumped in the ring. He looks down at his handgun and shakes his head. No, the pocket knife would be better, he thinks. Less deadly, less risky.]

Human life isn't your plaything! You all picked the wron—

[Wait. The opponent, the girl giving out those lessons in, what was it? Slander swordfighting? Where nobody loses their life if they can drag it on?

Okay. Maybe he can do this. He can shed some blood on his end, heal up with his Persona, maybe throw some dodges and fancy maneuvers in to buy time and they can insult each other. Can either of them do impressive, cheesy stunt moves? That would be perfect. Everyone's happy and nobody dies. So, time for acting?]

M-Miss! If we have to lose our lives tonight, let's, uh, let's make it something to remember! [Yeah that sounds good.] I'd like to challenge you to a swordfight of, ah, mind and body! Do you have a spare blade?

[Because a pocketknife would kinda work, but long blades would be better, yes?]

CITY COMMLINK - Occurs during the opening announcements before the fights have started

[all_wound_up]

[During the opening ceremonies, the tournament participants will hear another voice besides that of the announcer ringing through their heads: that of one Nano Shinonome. She's currently with one of the rescue teams, and using her Persona to telepathically contact everyone in an attempt to guide her group there faster.]

Hello? Can anyone hear me? This is Nano Shinonome.

[demifemme]

"... Nano?" Shura asked, hands on her ears and looking around. Where was she?

TEAM 1 - RURI - THE TOURNAMENT

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Their battle won against the Love Brothers (and rightly so), the group presses onwards from the twin's Love Den to a single mirror. Coming closer, they can see that it's been placed in a private ledge that oversees the combat and man, it looks like the other Visitors have been playing their role pretty well.

They are interrupted by the voice of Q.

"Well finally! I thought that would never end. Now, if you take out the small kit I gave your group, you'll discover a series of powerful remote mines, enough to cause enough distraction to keep the monsters occupied, and five cloaking devices that will make you look like demons for a full minute. There is no recharge either, so once you're in, you'll have a short time to figure out where you wish to put the mines, and then detonate with your watches. Precision is key! Put them closer to the central cage to harm less demons but cause less distraction or vice-versa. The choice, I leave up to you.

After-which, go to the center of the arena and establish the link from our lab and everyone can jump in. That should be simple enough! Don't worry about the other group, they'll be able to come back on their own as well with what I gave them.

Or at least probably. Just...think about yourselves first and do come back in one piece, with your friends intact."

As they step in, they realize no one has noticed them. Time to get to work.

> Reply with your characters cloaking themselves and putting their remote mine in the Colosseum. Their choices are the following, title your post accordingly:

> CLOSE TO THE CAGE means that less demons will be harmed, but they will be less distracted.
> ON THE PILLAR means that the pillow will collapse, causing that area of the Colosseum to fall down, possibly harming demons, but meaning there will be less of them trying to attack you.
> USE IT UNDER THE POWERFUL DEMON LEDGES means you will eliminate many of the powerful demons in the city.

> Each character can place their remote mine wherever they want, but they only have one minute (1 tag) to do it before the device wears off and they are revealed to be humanoids!
> Each choice will effect the overall result and how the demons, the city and the population perceive you in the future.

On the pillar

[flyonadog]

Rock opts for the pillar - a good middle-ground, really. Demons seem to be rather powerful and agile, with plenty of tricks up their sleeves, so maybe not too many will be hurt by the collapse. He does worry a bit, though - the cloaking device would only work for him, and they didn't have enough for Rush.

Granted, Rush has always been good at showing up in the nick of time, but they've never dealt with demons before!

Once the mine is placed, Rock starts moving as far as he can from it while counting down the time left on his disguise. Once it's gone, it's explosion time...