A Game of Cat and Mouse

[stringmods]

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

[theultimateshadow]

"Hmph. Then I won't hold back! Chaos Spear!"

The bit about not holding back, of course, is for show. But the bolts of energy Shadow sends Dedede's way are very real.

[emperor_penguin]

[DeDeDe brings up his hammer in front of him to try to block some of the attack. It only halfway works, though, as the energy that he doesn't manage to disperse makes it the rest of the way through, causing him to stumble back with a grunt.]

Heh... well, if that's how ya wanna play it, I ain't gonna hold back either.

[He'll try the hammer in a minute. If the demons want theatrics, he's got something they'll probably like even more.]

Persona!

[The Devil Arcana card floats down in front of DeDeDe, and with an impressive wind-up and a one handed swing, he shatters it apart with his hammer. As the light from the card coalesces into a semisolid form, it reveals a seven-headed mouse clad in robes, carrying a sword, and wearing seven crowns for its seven heads.]

Let's show 'em what royalty can do.

[The Mouse King holds its sword aloft, pointing it directly at Shadow. A light washes over him, aiming to cripple some of that inhuman speed of his. (Sabotage: Halves Attack, Defense, and Agility for 2 turns.)]

[theultimateshadow]

"Is that all you've got?" He's confident and cocky as usual, but he can feel the decline in power. Just what did that thing do? Was that his persona? What else could it do, and could he attack it? That would be his strategy if they weren't rooting for him to take out his opponent. So why not try to take out the one risk that was tangible? Why not go for that hammer?

Shadow jumps up, curling into a ball, and aiming straight for Dedede. A homing attack.

[emperor_penguin]

[Even at half speed, Shadow is far faster than DeDeDe could ever hope to be in his lifetime. He's unable to react in time to block the attack, so instead he plants his feet and does his best to hold his ground. Thankfully, the Persona he's using resists Physical attacks, so while he does take some more damage from the blow - numerous cuts appearing as Shadow slices into him - it's mercifully less than it could have been. He's more concerned about the hammer itself - apparently those spines Shadow's got aren't just for show, and managed to cut a small gash into the metal handle of the weapon before the attack had ended.]

Playin' dirty, huh? How 'bout this, then?

[The Mouse King lunges for Shadow, seven sets of wicked fangs bared as it attempts to clamp down on the hedgehog for a Bacteria Bite attack. Meanwhile, DeDeDe falls back to charge up an attack with his hammer, the jets built into the head deploying and whirring loudly as they begin to power up. This is the only attack he's got that would be even remotely fast enough to hit Shadow, and he's aiming to pull the blow a bit by avoiding a head-on strike.]

[theultimateshadow]

The attack connects, though Shadow is not infected with the ailment. Still, he growls as he's hit, his mind wondering just what he had to do to use his persona. Dedede had a clear advantage over him with two means of attack, with a weapon Shadow couldn't attack himself. If he had the time, he'd try to figure out how to summon his own persona. But he didn't have the time. And Dedede was surely angling to attack with his other weapon.

"Chaos Spear!" he shouts, this time aiming his bolts of energy towards Dedede's hands.

[emperor_penguin]

[Damn. Back to the ranged attacks. DeDeDe had been hoping that Shadow would try that spin attack again so that he could intercept it and knock him away. Instead, though, he's forced to waste his attack in a deflection attempt. The hammer's jet roars as the penguin king lets out a mighty roar, swinging it at breakneck speed toward Shadow's energy bolts. With any luck, he'll send them flying right back at the hedgehog.]

[theultimateshadow]

A few of them do hit Shadow. He already knows, thanks to a certain blue hedgehog, that his own attacks can be very effective against him, no matter how much he tries to evade them. But it's not enough knock Shadow out. Being the ultimate life form has its perks, durability being one of them. He did survive a fall from space, after all.

His talents with Chaos Powers is another, and he's thinking, as much as he can, of effective ways to use one of them. It couldn't hurt to start building up a weak Chaos Blast, although with a move that flashy, the demons would surely be expecting a K.O. He wouldn't use it now, but if it came down to it...

Instead, he opts for another homing attack. Repeating attacks in a pattern wasn't the smartest thing, but then it might lull Dedede into a sense of security Shadow could take advantage of.

[emperor_penguin]

[Thankfully, DeDeDe is no slouch himself in terms of endurance - he may not have survived a fall from space, but he did fight Kirby and live to tell the tale. That alone should speak volumes about his fortitude and combat skill, even if he has let himself go since the fall of Dream Land.

Unfortunately, blocking with his hammer isn't going to do the trick for much longer, since Shadow's slowly buzz-sawing his way through it. There's no way he's going to sacrifice his weapon, so instead he just braces himself and takes the blow, bringing his hands forward to throw the hedgehog back after absorbing most of the hit.]

Tough little shit, ain't ya? Try this on for size, then!

[This next move is a bit of a gamble, but it might buy him some time. The Mouse King steps up again, seven pairs of eyes glowing red as they stare directly at Shadow. If it works, he should be cowed by a Fear effect long enough for the penguin to set up a counterattack.]

(ooc: Evil Smile, 30% chance of Fear)

[theultimateshadow]

[ ooc: jsyk i'm rolling numbers in random.org to determine whether shadow gets hit with the ailments.if the number is lower than the % listed in the skill then he gets infected; if it's higher, he doesn't. so far it's always been higher. i think random.org has a shadow bias. :\ ]

Shadow stands still for a brief moment after the Mouse King attacks. "Is that it?" he asks impatiently, before launching into another homing attack. This time, instead of falling back as usual, he uncurls and hovers in the air briefly to fire a few weak Chaos Spears at close range.

[emperor_penguin]

[ooc: Yeah, that's how I handle it too. No worries, I trust you!]

Tch... damn thing.

[That would have been too convenient, wouldn't it? At this point, all DeDeDe can do is brace himself to absorb another impact. He's wearing down slowly, but not enough to knock him flat just yet. As he stumbles back, he dismisses the Mouse King, calling out his Soul Persona Nero instead.]

Let's switch gears here.

[And he holds out his hand, sending a blast of fire toward Shadow.]

[theultimateshadow]

The attack knocks Shadow back. It's not an element he's weak to, but the attack still stings. He's knocked back, left glaring in Dedede's general direction. Two personas? He wasn't one to cry about fairness, but this was getting absurd. How could he summon his own?

It was no use wondering. He stands up, whipping out an arm as he calls out, "Persona! I summon you!"

This goes about as well as you think. Nothing happens.

[emperor_penguin]

Is that it?

[Sarcastically echoing Shadow's line from before, DeDeDe chuckles as he slings his hammer up and over his shoulder.]

Need a minute?

[theultimateshadow]

"What are you doing?" Shadow hisses, his eyes darting briefly towards the audience. "Keep fighting!"

[emperor_penguin]

You got it, spiky.

[And it seems to be working well enough, so D sends another Agilao whizzing Shadow's way.]