Match of the Millennium

Description: Raiza receives her first official ninja mission from Hisashi-senpai! But how can a newbie ninja expect to steal the tail right out from under Lucky Chloe? Find out in the fourth episode of Call Me Raiza!

[LUCKY CHLOE]
At last! The Paws For Thought tour has finally made it to Lucky Chloe's hometown. After months on the road, travelling across North and South America, Europe and Australasia, the teen pussycat inspired popstar is happy to be back in Asia. Southtown has gone all out for the show, that will mark the end of the extensive tour. The Howard Arena has sold out and is looking rather different to usual. The normally stark and rocky looking stage has been transformed into a pretty paradise. The floor is pink and glittery with huge white paw prints printed on it. Above the stage are three huge screens, set up to ensure that even those fans who are unfortunate enough to have tickets at the back of the arena, will still get a clear view of their idol. Out in the corridors, the vendors are selling a whole array of Lucky Chloe merchandise, alongside their usual wares. Even the fast food on sale displays images of the popstar on the cups and cartons.

Backstage, the star of the show is preparing for her performance. She's already done the sound check and is now relaxing in her large dressing room. Looking into the lighted mirror, she spins around on her cushioned pink chair. She's dressed in a soft white robe, with the word 'LUCKY' spelled out in silver diamante lettering on the back. Her costume for tonight is laid out ready, but for now, she's still just Chloe, free of the cat ears, paws and tail that mark her transformation into her pussycat persona. The expression on her face is a far cry from the usual bubbly and bright demeanor she portrays to her fans. There's a weariness about her, despite her tender age and even the suggestion that she may have been crying, if her red rimmed eyes are anything to go by.

"Get it together, Chloe" she commands, staring fiercely at her reflection. "One more show and you can finally get some rest."

Leaping agilely from her chair, in a burst of defiance, she marches into the adjoining bathroom to take a shower. Perhaps that will help her snap out of her slump.

[RAIZA]
==*== EARLIER THAT DAY ==*==

*SLAM*

The front door to the Suzuki house in the Southtown village slammed shut as their guest exchange student thundered into the residence, causing the three Suzuki family members - a man, a woman, and a preadolescent girl - in the living room to look up from the television. The slamming door is immediately followed by the sound of someone whistling the tune of 'Pretty Kitty' by Lucky Chloe.

"Raiza? Is that you?" Mrs. Suzuki calls out.

"It's me! Konichi wa!" the voice came from the other room. "Can't stop! Got to do my my homework!"

"Very well! See you at dinner!"

* * * * *

Later, at dinner, Raiza slurped down her beef udon hastily, feeding the noodles into her mouth as quickly as she could as the Suzukis gave her sidelong glances.

"Are you enjoying your udon, Raiza?" Mr. Suzuki asked, looking somewhere between bemused and amused.

"Mmmhmm!" Raiza nodded vigorously, picking up a napkin to hastily wipe her mouth. "Sorry if I'm in a hurry - I just want to make sure I'm not late for the concert!"

"What concert, Raiza-chan?" the Suzukis' daughter, Hina, piped up to ask.

"Oh - it's Lucky Chloe! I got two tickets!" Raiza replied, beaming brightly at Hina.

"Ahhh! Does that mean that you're going to take me, Raiza-chan??" Hina asked, clasping her fingers together as her brown eyes went wide and sparkled.

"Oh! I... I was going to give my other ticket to my cousin, Hisashi..."

Hina's face sank as her eyes started to well up.

"He's a really big fan of Lucky Chloe..." Raiza tried to explain, her expression apologetic.

Hina's eyes dropped down to the Lucky Chloe t-shirt she was wearing.

"O-oh..." Raiza's own face fell for a few seconds - before lighting up.

"You can come with me, Hina-chan!"

"Yatta!" Hina exclaimed, raising her arms in joy.

"Very nice of you, Raiza! I'll drive you over," Mr. Suzuki said, "after the dishes are done!"

Raiza turned her eyes toward the sink, then blinked in surprise.

How could udon for dinner mean so many dishes...?

* * * * *

"Call me when you're ready to be picked up, and I'll tell you where I've parked," Mr. Suzuki said to Raiza as she and Hina stood on the sidewalk next to the car.

"Arigato, Suzuki-san!" Raiza said with a bright salute before taking Hina's hand. "Come on, Hina-chan! We can have a browse around the shops before the concert starts!"

* * * * *

A little while later, Raiza was on her own, checking out one of the everyday store displays of the Howard Arena - her eyes fixing on a display of authentic Mai Shiranui thongs.

"I wonder if they have one in my size?" Raiza wondered aloud as she gazed enviously at the souvenir undies.

"I don't know if they make them that big," a voice said behind her.

Her face reddening, Raiza turned around to face the source of the comment - only to see who it was. Her face flushed further.

"Hisashi-nee-san! How long have you been standing there?!"

"I just got here, Raiza-chan," Hisashi said, arms folding across his chest.

"I can't believe you're creeping on me while I'm looking at that! We're cousins!" Raiza shouted, reeling.

"Pfff. Barely," Hisashi said dismissively, scowling. "If anyone should be horrified, it's me. My kid cousin, thinking about dressing like /her?/"

"Y-yeah, well, nevermind!" Raiza stammered, stepping away from the display. "Anyway, I texted you about the ticket..."

"Tch. Well, that's not why I'm here," Hisashi said vehemently.

"W-why are you here, then? To apologize for this?" Raiza demanded, holding her left hand up - the palm crossed by wrapped bandages.

"Sorry," Hisashi said coolly, "but no - I'm here on Master Masayoshi's orders. He has a mission for you." He slipped a rolled scroll into Raiza's palm discreetly.

Raiza unfurled the scroll, eyes running over it - and slowly widening. "What? You can't be serious!" she sputtered. "I'll miss the concert! And I didn't even bring my outfit!"

Hisashi responded by unslinging a small duffel from his shoulder and dropping it silently at Raiza's feet.

"Okay, fine..." Raiza said, rolling her eyes and grimacing in pain.

"Hiii, Raiza-chan! Is this your cousin? He's so handsome!" Hina said as she emerged from the women's bathroom adjacent.

"...but you're babysitting," Raiza said as she handed the tickets over to Hisashi, before stooping to pick up the bag and stepping into the bathroom.

==*== PRESENTLY ==*==

There's only a faint sound of shuffling in the panels above Lucky Chloe's changing room as Raiza, now dressed in her sleeveless ninja turtleneck, slit-hipped hakama and tabi, shimmies on her stomach through the space above. Coming to a halt, she starts carefully lifting the panel beneath her to peek through into the dressing room below.

Spying that it appears to be empty, she slides the panel off to one side, then reaches down - unhooking the chained kusarigama around her waist, then using one of the kama as an anchor. She slides down the chain and into the room, landing softly on her tabi, and starts to look around, her turtleneck pulled up over the lower half of her face as a mask.

"What does Master Masayoshi want with Lucky Chloe's tail, anyway...?" she wonders half under her breath.

[LUCKY CHLOE]
As the hot water pounds down on her bare back, Chloe feels herself relaxing a little. She squirts a generous amount of Lucky's Luxurious Lather Body Wash onto a pink shower scrunchie and starts washing herself. As the pleasant scent of wild rhubarb and roses hits her neat little nose, she feels her spirits lift and starts to sing a song. Not one of her own, she's been doing that every night for months, but a favourite from her childhood.

"Mister Taxi Taxi Taxi, I'm going quickly quickly quickly. At this speed, noone can catch me." Her voice sounds suprisingly good. Apparently it's not just the cute cat costume the fans stick around for.

Her thoughts start to drift to tonight's show. Her parents will be there of course and her parent's friends, with some of their kids. Not so many friends of her own though. For someone so successful and famous, she's distinctly lacking in people to socialise with, if you don't count the ones who are on her payroll. Thinking about this, gets her feeling anxious again, but she quickly pushes it away.

"Who cares about all those losers who couldn't stick around and meet my standards?" she fumes. "It's not my fault, if I'm more talented than any of them."

Any sign of shuffling that's happening, is drowned out by the sound of the water. As Raiza peeks downwards, she will see, in addition to the cushioned chair and lighted mirror, a long and curved Venetian glass dressing table, currently covered in a vast variety of beauty products and cosmetics. Her stage costume, complete with the desired tail is resting on a pink veleveteen couch.

[RAIZA]
A look of focus comes into Raiza's brown eyes as they fall upon the costume - tail included - that's resting on the couch.

"Gotcha!"

Her lips quirk invisibly behind her mask as she creeps over to the couch, one hand behind her back.

"Note to self, stop thinking out loud while you're on a stealth mission, Raiza..."

Her hand slips down and wraps around the black tail.

"Even if it is your first time and you're super nervous..."

She inhales deeply, then pulls.

The tail lifts up - along with part of the bottom half of Lucky Chloe's costume.

"Oh... I can't take the whole thing!" she continues to think aloud, frowning as she examines the outfit to see if she can easily remove the tail.

"Darn..."

Suddenly, her keen ninja senses pick up the sound of singing from the bathroom, and her heart starts to pound faster as she realises that the room is not as empty as she'd previously thought - and the gravity of what she's doing and where she is and who she's stealing from hits her.

"Ohhh nooo!" she whimpers under her breath, and, starting to panic, grabs the kama at the bottom end of her kusarigama to start trying to sever the tail from the rest of the outfit, sawing away - only to remember that her kama are totally blunted save for the hooked tips, for safety reasons, since she's only a trainee ninja.

"Oh, come on..." she protests, before finally deciding to just abscond with the whole thing - tucking it under one arm while using the other hand to pull herself up the chain.

She might have gotten away with it, too, if it weren't for the fact that her attempts at using the bottom end of the kusarigama to remove the tail hadn't loosened the other end from its hooked position...

*CRASH*

Down comes the kusarigama, ninja and all, crashing onto the cushioned chair!

Hopefully she can find a place to hide before anyone comes to investigate...

[LUCKY CHLOE]
Turning the shower off, Chloe grabs a fluffy white bath sheet from the hook and starts patting herself dry. The sound of her singing drowns out any minor noises, as she continues her previous rendition of the Girls Generation hit.

"I'm shining, but noone can touch me. Truly supersonic and hypertonic."

As she gets into it, she thinks back to being seven years old and making up dance moves to go along with the song. The memory brings a smile to her face and she remembers the reason she got into this job to begin with. Slipping back into her white robe, she belts it tightly around her waist and then towels off her long blonde hair. She makes no effort to hang the used towels back up, or to put them in the provided laundry hamper. That's what the staff are paid for.

As she reaches out to turn the door handle, that leads back to her dressing room, she hears the loud *CRASH*. She freezes on the spot, fearful that a crazed fan has broken into her private quarters. She needs to call security, but her cell phone is in the other room. Damnnit! She's gonna have to deal with this herself, at least until she can get someone else to come rescue her.

Grabbing the nearest weapon she can find, which happens to be a toilet brush, she throws the door back and calls out. "Whoever you are, you should leave right away! I have a weapon and I'm not afraid to use it!"

[RAIZA]
When Lucky Chloe steps back out into the room, the linked chain that was draping from the ceiling is gone - though one of the panels is still out of place, it might not immediately catch the eye unless the idol happens to look up. The chair is lying on its back, mysteriously - as if it might have been what produced the crashing sound, though the reason for its fall isn't immediately apparent.

Raiza, in the meanwhile, is positioned up in the back corner of the room - using her feet and one hand to keep her elevated by pressing them into the walls, holding herself out of the immediate line of vision as her arms and legs tremble. The other hand still has Lucky Chloe's outfit tucked under an arm.

"Come on, Raiza... you can get out of this. Just keep it cool, don't draw attention to yourself, and when she goes to look at the chair, you can swing into the bathroom and get out through the ventilation."

It might actually have been a decent plan, if she hadn't said it all out loud - probably loud enough for the cat-themed idol to hear...

[LUCKY CHLOE]
Bravely bursting into the room, Chloe brandishes her (thankfully) brand new toilet brush and goes to investigate the matter of the fallen chair. Seeing no apparent reason for it toppling over, she frowns and puts her free hand on her hip. It's then that she hears the teenage ninja conversing with herself and spins around to challenge her.

"You!" she shouts accusingly, but finds nobody initially visible.

"I'll track you down!" she warns, starting to stalk the room. It's then that she sees her, desperately hanging on to the wall.

"Alright, get down from there and bring my very expensive costume with you. I understand, you're probably a big fan and want to be able to dress in my famous kitty clothing, but this is really not acceptable behaviour. I have a show to do and you'd be forcing me to let down thousands of fans. Do you really want that?" she guilt trips the girl.

[RAIZA]
"I-it's not what it looks like!" Raiza stammers out rapidly, the quivering of her legs and arm increasing as cold sweat starts to form on her body when she realizes that she's been spotted, looking vaguely akin to a spider on the wall caught in a spotlight. "It's not for me! It's for a - it's for a friend! I'm really sorry, but I can't let them down! You've got a backup, right?"

With that, Raiza suddenly bends her back leg up to the ceiling, using the toes of her tabi to dislodge the panel above her and slide it out of the way.

"I promise I'll make it up to you! Just please don't tell everyone or I'll get in such big trouble!"

Then, with a surprisingly deft move, the ninja lunges up into the ceiling - again resembling a spider in uncanny fashion. It seems that she's getting away - there's a faint rumbling sound along the ceiling panels indicating the direction in which the teen ninja is making her egress - until, abruptly -

*CRACK*

- one of the panels in the middle of the room snaps, causing the ninja to drop straight back into the room below in a rain of plaster -

*WHUMP*

- and land sprawled on the couch with an alarmed look in her eyes as the outfit lands on the floor next to her.

"Oh, crud!"

[LUCKY CHLOE]
"Oh sure, it's always for a friend. Just like the teenage boys who want my autograph are always wanting it for a little sister, or the older guys are always wanting it for their daughter. At least have the courage to admit what you're up to!" Lucky lambasts.

"As for a backup costume, sure, I've got plenty of copies of the thing, but why should that mean you get to steal one? They aren't cheap you know. I work hard for everything I have. So so hard!" she shrieks, sounding close to hysteria.

As the ninja tried to make her escape, Chloe gives chase, reaching out to try and grab at the girl's foot, as she vanishes into the ceiling above. She misses the mark, but it seems fortune doesn't favour the thief, as the black clad babe lands in an undignified heap at the popstar's perfectly pedicured feet.

A cruel grin appears on Chloe's face, as she reaches out to take back her now creased costume.

"I'll be taking that, thank you!"

[RAIZA]
As Lucky Chloe leans down to pick up the outfit, Raiza whips her foot out, kicking the outfit defiantly across the floor!

"I can't just give up that easily!" the ninja says with an apologetic tone in her voice as she kips back up to her feet, swiftly positioning herself between Lucky Chloe and the garment - as well as the door to the dressing room. After all, if Chloe were to unlock it and let security in, things could get a lot worse for Raiza. The ninja reaches one hand back around to the back of her outfit, pulling out a yellow mask, which she pulls onto her face with one deft motion - reducing the odds of her identity being revealed should the situation turn violent.

At this rate, it seems likely.

"I'm sorry, but a kunoichi can't allow herself to be captured quietly!" the ninja says, her face now concealed by a bright yellow Pikachu mask, the mouse's beady eyes, red cheeks and adorable smile fixing blankly on Lucky Chloe.

"So either you have to let me go, or I'm going to have to show you the power of my ninjitsu!" the PIkachu ninja chirps as blue lightning starts to crackle through her, casting an electric glow through the room!

COMBATSYS: Raiza has started a fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Raiza            0/-------/-------|

COMBATSYS: Raiza crackles with electricity!

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Raiza            0/-------/------=|

COMBATSYS: Lucky Chloe has joined the fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Lucky Chloe      0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0            Raiza

[LUCKY CHLOE]
Lucky Chloe makes a grab for her phone, but in her haste knocks it to the ground, shattering the screen.

"Now look what you've done" she hisses, glaring angrily at Raiza. "Why don't you just leave it? There's plenty of replica costumes available on the internet. Some of them are even decent looking."

She blinks several times as the defiant ninja dons her mask and can't resist calling out "Pikachu! Well that's a low blow, how can I hit someone wearing a Pikachu mask?" She takes a step towards Raiza. "But if I really have to, I totally will!"

She's about to lunge at her kunoichi, when she sees the electric glow, causing her aquamarine eyes to widen in surprise.

"Well well well, not just a common thief after all."

The pussycat impersonator seems to perk up at the prospect of an interesting battle.

"Looks like I may be late for my show!"

She takes another step closer to Raiza, with the intention of snap kicking her in the stomach with her left leg. Should this work out for her, she'd follow it up by bringing her bare right hand down hard, to give her a chop to the head.

COMBATSYS: Raiza blocks Lucky Chloe's Punking Twirl.

[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////    ]
Lucky Chloe      0/-------/------<|=======\-------\0            Raiza

[RAIZA]
When Lucky Chloe demands to know why Raiza won't just leave the outfit, or find another alternative, the kunoichi's expression goes abashed for a moment... "It's my..."

...before her eyes narrow with renewed determination as blue sparks dance through her dark irises.

"...mission!"

The ninja turns her side to the de-catified idol and brings her arms up in an asymmetrical cross posture as Lucky Chloe aims to kick her in the stomach.

"Hmmph!"

Raiza stands her ground against the blow as the intensity of the energy sparking around her increases, potential power welling up in the schoolgirl's lower body as she tenses the muscles between her waist and knees.

"SANDOBADO!..."

Suddenly, Raiza flashes forward in reprisal, her body lightning up blindingly as she blitzes hip-first toward Lucky Chloe!

"...BURRRINKU!"

Should she fail to avoid the attack, the blonde teen sensation would find herself zapped repeatedly by the electrical power before being subjected to a final burst perhaps powerful enough to launch her across the room!

It seems that the ninja girl's stealthy nature does not extend to her fighting style itself.

COMBATSYS: Raiza successfully hits Lucky Chloe with Empowered Thunderbird Blink EX.

[       \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////////     ]
Lucky Chloe      0/-------/--<<<<<|=======\-------\0            Raiza

[LUCKY CHLOE]
"Your mission?" Chloe questions, letting out a frustrated sigh, as her assault fails to hit.

"You're not supposed to defend that" she huffs haughtily. "Maybe it's because I'm not wearing my cat costume." She looks longingly towards the Lucky outfit, weighing up whether it's worth making a grab for it. Deciding against the plan, she rolls up the sleeves of her robe, intending to go at Raiza again, when she's struck by the swift schoolgirl.

The singer's slender frame is shocked by the repeated zaps of electricity. Her long locks become static and stand out from her head, in a style that would normally take a great deal of hairspray to achieve. Flying across the dressing room, the feline fan favourite finds herself unceremoniously brought down to earth with a loud thud.

Taking several deep breaths to calm herself, she clambers to her feet, fastening her loosened robe. Once she feels steady on her feet, she rocks back on them, claps her hands together and then launches herself forward, gracefully twirling towards the other teen and aiming to knock her airborne, with a double axe handle smash.

COMBATSYS: Lucky Chloe successfully hits Raiza with Aerial Arc.

[        \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////            ]
Lucky Chloe      0/-------/-<<<<<<|=======\=====--\1            Raiza

[RAIZA]
Having impacted against Lucky Chloe with her bared hip, Raiza drops softly to the floor, the electricity around her crackling a couple more times before sparking out for the time being. The Pikachu mask turns toward Lucky Chloe once more.

"Look, I'm really sorry about this! I'm a really big fan - but not the weird kind! I swear!"

Raizachu attempts to move quickly out of the way when Lucky Chloe twirls toward her again, leaping toward the wall in an attempt to evade the attack, but Chloe manages to connect anyway, driving Raiza up and into the ceiling, smashing another one of the overhead panels to pieces before Raiza plummets back down to the floor. She lets out a gasp and grunt as the pain of the blow sets in - "Owww!" - though her expression as she turns her face toward Chloe is fully hidden by the beady smile of the yellow mouse Pokemon.

"You don't have to do this, you know! I don't even need your whole costume! ...Just the tail!"

As she pushes up to her feet, Raiza's left hand moves down to her lower back, as if pressing against a pained spine - but when she brings it back around, she's got a fan of kunai between her fingers.

"Kunai No Shuchu Gou!"

The line is delivered rapidfire as she flings the throwing daggers at Chloe - one swift motion delivering them in multiple directions, aimed at the catgirl idol's clothing rather than her person, intent not to inflict damage directly but to pin the pummeling pussycat's robes to the wall.

A second after impact, though, an electric buzz while fill the air, before tendrils of electric chi surge out from Raiza to the kunai, then between them, intended to give Chloe another zap!

COMBATSYS: Lucky Chloe blocks Raiza's Cloudburst Kunai.

[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////             ]
Lucky Chloe      0/-------/=======|=======\=====--\1            Raiza

[LUCKY CHLOE]
"I'm sure you are, Pikachu" the singer sighs, with a world weariness, far beyond her tender years.

"We're kinda beyond the whole signing autographs and taking selfies stage at this point though. You broke into my dressing room and tried to steal my things. It's simply not acceptable. Oh and also, I've been stressed out all day, so it's great to let off some steam. Maybe I should even thank you!"

A bright smile appears on the blonde pop babe's face, which broadens as Lucky hits her target.

"You know, you're actually kinda fun to play with. Maybe we could hang out some time. Get some sushi, do some..."

The sight of the fan distracts the dance diva from speculating about future plans and as the daggers fly towards her, she realises she has no time to duck and instead throws up her hands in protest, with the aim of smacking the weapons away. She prevents them from pinning her to the wall, but gets a zap for her trouble.

"Shocking behaviour" Chloe quips, before starting to dance on the spot, staring her masked opponent in her veiled visage.

"One two!" she counts, then spins around, propelling her body towards Raiza, with the intent of jabbing her with her left hand and then quickly following up with a straight punch from the right.

"Swing time!" she sing songs before trying to launch a knife hand chop into the other girl's chest with each hand in turn.

COMBATSYS: Lucky Chloe successfully hits Raiza with C Uprock.
?!? Weird Hit! ?!?

[         \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////                  ]
Lucky Chloe      1/------=/=======|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2            Raiza

[RAIZA]
It's a good thing that Raiza's equipped her Pikachu mask for this mission; the fluster and panic that the situation is causing to rise in Raiza would be all too evident if Lucky Chloe could see the shade of crimson creeping into the kunoichi's cheeks. Still, she's at least coolheaded enough to remember her ninja training - what little of it she's managed to complete so far, in any case. She's already backflipping away as the kunai fly, landing in a three-point stance atop the dressing table.

"I love sushi! What's your favourite kind?"

It's not clear whether the ninja is expressing a legitimate and untimely interest in the pop star's preferences or attempting to stall out her aggression - though, in any case, it's not enough to delay the upcoming combination from the idol.

'One two!'

Raiza tries to raise her arms in an attempt to protect herself, but the jab disrupts her defensive effort, and the straight punch breaks through to hammer her in the face - leading her wide open for the double chop from Chloe to her chest.

"Ahaaa!" she whines painfully as she collapses hard on the dressing table backside-first, causing it to crack down the middle and resulting in Raiza dropping to the floor. She log-rolls away past Lucky Chloe's legs to end up underneath the couch - apparently adapting the evasive tactics of an actual mouse.

"Haaa..."

There's a loud buzz from underneath the furniture and the lights in the room start to flicker as the crackling sounds of gathering power can be heard emerging ominously from underneath the sofa!

COMBATSYS: Raiza crackles with electricity!

[         \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////                ]
Lucky Chloe      1/------=/=======|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2            Raiza

[LUCKY CHLOE]
"Salmon Temaki Cones" the rhythmic fighter responds. "How about you?"

She watches as Raiza lands on the dressing table, her face showing nerves for the first time.

"That's Venetian glass you know, it's probably pretty fragile!"

Chloe actually knows this from experience, after having had a similar dressing table crack, during one of her tantrums. On that particular occasion her outrage was caused by her favourite melon soda not being chilled enough.

Her expression turns to glee, as her combo connects and then quickly to dismay as her fears are actualised.

"I told you so" she cries shrilly, sounding like a patronising parent. "There's no point hiding under that couch, I can see you"

The cat stalks over to the mouse, seeking out her prey. "What the hell are you doing to my dressing room now?"

Showing surpising strength for a girl of her size, she tips up the pink couch, so she can get to the nimble ninja and then starts to dance on the spot, pysching herself up to resume battle.

COMBATSYS: Lucky Chloe gathers her will.

[         \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////                ]
Lucky Chloe      1/--=====/=======|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2            Raiza

[RAIZA]
Raiza doesn't have a chance to answer Lucky Chloe's question as chaos ensues - she's busy doing her best gokiburi impression, after all. When the couch is tipped over, she's to be found lying on her back, her arms outstretched with one palm pressed up against an empty wall socket. The mask turns to regard Chloe as she starts to dance.

"Nice moves!"

Raiza kips up to her feet with one quick motion, arcs of electricity rolling down her arms and legs.

"That's Pretty Kitty, right?"

As Chloe dances, Raiza starts to mimic the movements - mirroring them with surprising accuracy.

It seems that she wasn't lying about being a Lucky Chloe fan - though whether or not she's the 'weird kind' is still up for debate.

"Hina-chan and I watch all of your music videos! We practice them a lot!"

As she twirls into parallel position with Chloe, she incorporates an extra element to the motion - sending her kusarigama toward Lucky Chloe in an attempt to hook her and reel her closer, almost as if it were part of the dance act. If she manages to catch her and pull her close, she'll try and catch her in what seems to essentially be a side hug - while holding up a metal umbrella as it unfolds. Apparently it was hiding somewhere in her outfit.

"By the way, my favourite sushi..." she says, her mask pushed to one side so that one big brown eye can gleam at Chloe, "...is Spicy Crab Temaki cones~"

Suddenly, electricty would crackle through the building's wires, the overhead lights sparking before a bolt of blue power would fire down from one like a thunderbolt from above, striking the kunoichi's umbrella like a lighttning rod - and sending the intense power coursing through Raiza and, if she's not able to avoid it, Chloe herself!

"R=R=Romansu No Hibana!" Raiza would call out as the surge of electricity would blast her away - though she seems only superficially harmed by it, at worst.

COMBATSYS: Raiza successfully hits Lucky Chloe with Empowered Spark of Romance.

[                 \\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////                 ]
Lucky Chloe      2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|>------\-------\0            Raiza

[LUCKY CHLOE]
"Thanks! I came up with them myself" the pussycat performer says proudly, as she continues to execute the fancy footwork perfectly. "Yours aren't too bad either. You don't want a job as a backing dancer do you? I'm gonna have to fire yet another one after tonight's show."

Perhaps she's too busy being distracted by Raiza's dancing, or perhaps the ninja is just fast on her feet. Either way, Chloe is hooked in, finding herself up close and personal with the American girl.

"Spicy crab is my second fave, Chloe gasps, as she tries to break free to no avail.

As the room comes alive with electricity, the blond girl starts to tremble and tremor against the brunette, her aquamarine eyes widening with the shock. She gazes up at the umbrella and then falls to the ground, as Raiza makes her electrifying exit.

Getting to her feet with less than her usual feline grace, she stretches out her limbs and moves closer to Raiza, calling out her familiar phrase of "Here We Go!"

Dropping down onto her hands, she starts to rapidly breakdance, aiming to kick the schoolgirl repeatedly with her outstretched legs. Should she manage to, she would then launch her into the air using both feet. On her way back down to earth, Raiza would find herself smashed by Lucky's right hand, as the teen idol leaps into the air with a victorious call of "Oh Yeah!" and a triumphant celebratory air punch. She'd then strike a pose with her hand up to her ear. The cuteness factor turned down considerably by the fact she's not wearing her usual cat paws.

COMBATSYS: Raiza dodges Lucky Chloe's Here We Go!.

[                 \\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////                 ]
Lucky Chloe      1/-----<</<<<<<<<|>------\-------\0            Raiza

[RAIZA]
The room is now cast in a dimmer, flickering light, the overhead lights having been destroyed by the electrical surge from Raiza's ultimate jutsu. The glow from the dressing mirror and the open bathroom door are the only constant light sources; the dark corners of the room are otherwise lit only by the sparking electricity from Raiza and the overloaded overhead.

Raiza, for her part, lands in one of those dark corners, flipping to a sliding crouch and catching herself with a palm against the wall as she arrests her movement.

"I-I'd feel kind of g-guilty taking someone else's job!" she says with an air of forlorn hope, stuttering as the chaotic electrical chi running through her causes her muscles to spasm erratically. "I mean, do they at least get a n-nice severance package?"

The kunoichi lets out a yelp as Lucky Chloe shouts 'Here We Go!,' though it seems as excitable as it is fearful - the female ninja is familiar with the phrase and well-aware that Chloe's opponents rarely fare well in the face of her fearsome finisher. She flips upside down to get some height over the opening kick, planting her hands into a handstand as Chloe starts to breakdance. She shifts rapidly from hand to hand, allowing the kitty idol's kicks to pass by her arms unhindered. Raiza's face reddens mightily behind her mask as Lucky Chloe's decision to breakdance in a bathrobe combines with the ninja's own defensive decisionmaking to result in... well, Raiza's face reddening mightily.

As the double kick comes, Raiza backflips away from the attack entirely and into one of the darkened corners of the dressing chamber - from which imminently arrives a flying kusarigama kama, aimed at capturing Chloe and pulling her in before swinging her around into the wall behind Raiza!

"ASU-SEN!"

COMBATSYS: Lucky Chloe endures Raiza's Grounding Wire.

[                   \\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////                 ]
Lucky Chloe      1/---<<<</<<<<<<<|==-----\-------\0            Raiza

[LUCKY CHLOE]
The lack of light in the room, preserves some of Lucky's dignity, as she bravely breakdances in nothing but a bath robe. The rest of her dignity soon slides away though, as Raiza successfully evades her most deadly dance move. Whilst the ninja's face reddens, the popstar's grows paler.

"You're good" she says quitely. "You can dance, you can fight, you''re an American now living in Japan and you love sushi. We have a lot in common. Maybe we could even be friends, but first, I have to kick your ass!"

No sooner have the bold words left her lips, than the kitty finds herself first captured and then whirled into the wall. Like the animal that inspires her image, she lands on her feet, but it's obvious she is shaken and in a fair amount of pain.

Seeking to make eye contact with Raiza, she then swiftly spins into a flying wheel dropkick, aiming for the girls upper body. Landing on her feet again, this time facing the opposite way to her opponent, she backhand springs towards her, seeking to land a double footed kick to the head. She'd then backflip away, before throwing in another kick with her right leg for good measure.

COMBATSYS: Lucky Chloe successfully hits Raiza with C Backflip Combo.

[                   \\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /                             ]
Lucky Chloe      0/-------/----===|=======\====---\1            Raiza

[RAIZA]
This is by far the most surreal situation that Raiza has ever found herself in.

Not only has she snuck into Lucky Chloe's dressing room in the biggest arena in Southtown with the intent of stealing her tail, but she's ended up doing battle with the bath-robed blonde - and now she's being offered friendship and an ass-kicking by the celebrity in the same breath! Is this the ninja lifestyle?!

This is awesome, Raiza thinks, moments before she's dropkicked in the chest.

"Ow!"

This sucks, Raiza thinks, as she's further kicked in the head - twice.

The ninja flies back to slam into the wall, leaving a spiderweb of cracks in the plaster.

Stumbling away from the impact imprint, she holds up one kama, narrowing her glossy eyes slightly as she focuses on the two Lucky Chloes in front of her. Her mask has been kicked halfway off of her face, partially revealing the expression of determination as well as her blackening eye, though her turtleneck hides her mouth and nose.

"Yeah, well... I gotta... do my best...!"

Part of her tells her that this is the point where she should concede - Chloe has already promised friendship to her after kicking her ass - but more important to her is her loyalty to her clan. Hisashi-senpai has given her a mission, and that means she needs to give it her all.

"JU OKU-BURRITO NO BATTERI!" she fumbles her desperate cry in her daze, swiping her kama to the right as she attempts to lodge it in the collar of Chloe's robe. She staggers rapidly past, attempting to spin around Chloe while smacking her elbow into her ribs and simultaneously encircling her with the chain of her weapon, then carries on in kind - circling past with increasing acceleration while barraging the blonde with a battering series of blows with her kusarigama, knees, fists, and elbows. One can't help but imagine that it would be a much more impressive assault if the girl weren't practically out on her feet; as it is, she looks more like a zombie ninja than a live one.

If she does manage to fulfil her mindless ambition, Lucky Chloe would wind up wound in chain - before Raiza would channel a high-voltage unleashing of electricity through the kusarigama, shocking the idol, and giving a hard tug that would cause her to rapidly unwind - before Raiza's own dizzied state would result in her falling unconscious face-first onto the floor.

This is by far the most surreal situation that Raiza has ever found herself in.

Not only has she snuck into Lucky Chloe's dressing room in the biggest arena in Southtown with the intent of stealing her tail, but she's ended up doing battle with the bath-robed blonde - and now she's being offered friendship and an ass-kicking by the celebrity in the same breath! Is this the ninja lifestyle?!

This is awesome, Raiza thinks, moments before she's dropkicked in the chest.

"Ow!"

This sucks, Raiza thinks, as she's further kicked in the head - twice.

The ninja flies back to slam into the wall, leaving a spiderweb of cracks in the plaster.

Stumbling away from the impact imprint, she holds up one kama, narrowing her glossy eyes slightly as she focuses on the two Lucky Chloes in front of her. Her mask has been kicked halfway off of her face, partially revealing the expression of determination as well as her blackening eye, though her turtleneck hides her mouth and nose.

"Yeah, well... I gotta... do my best...!"

Part of her tells her that this is the point where she should concede - Chloe has already promised friendship to her after kicking her ass - but more important to her is her loyalty to her clan. Hisashi-senpai has given her a mission, and that means she needs to give it her all.

"SUPA SERU!"

Humming with electricity as she holds her kama out to either side, Raiza flies forward in a cyclone motion, hurtling herself toward Lucky Chloe. The business ends of the kama electrify as she whirls, aiming to smash them into the idol repeatedly with a rising motion.

Whether or not the last-ditch effort is successful, she'll then drop back down to the ground in a dizzied daze before falling face-first to the floor as the mounting damage of the encounter catches up with her...!

COMBATSYS: Raiza can no longer fight.

[                   \\\\\\\\\\\  <
Lucky Chloe      0/-------/----===|

COMBATSYS: Lucky Chloe dodges Raiza's Supercell.

[                   \\\\\\\\\\\  <
Lucky Chloe      0/-------/----===|

[LUCKY CHLOE]
Raiza's episode of The Real Lives of the Teen Ninjas of Southtown continues at a rapid pace. As the sparky teen continues to wreck the room, a knock can be heard at the door.

"Thirty minutes till curtain up, Chloe. Is everything alright in there? I thought I heard some noises."

"Just letting some tension out before the show, Karen" Chloe calls back.

"Well, okay if you're sure" the woman replies uncertainly

"Perfectly!" the popstar pipes up, before returning her focus to Raiza.

She can see the girl is struggling now, but she is courageously carrying on.

"We've all got to do our best" Lucky agrees. "I accept nothing less from myself or others."As the Taiyo student makes a last ditch attempt to knock the kitty off her feet, Lucky leaps out of the way, landing in a crouching position. She looks down to check her modesty is in tact, tying her belt a little tighter and then creeps over to check on the dark haired daredevil.

Lifting her fallen frenemie's face from the floor, she slaps her on both cheeks, trying to rouse her.

"Wake up, or you'll miss the show and I'm planning to make it my best one yet."

COMBATSYS: Lucky Chloe takes no action.

[                   \\\\\\\\\\\  <
Lucky Chloe      0/-------/----===|

COMBATSYS: Lucky Chloe has ended the fight here.


[RAIZA]
Raiza blinks a couple of times as Lucky Chloe smacks her cheeks, her Pikachu mask hanging loosely from her neck by now.

"R-really? You're not going to call security? Or have me kicked out?"

The teen ninja pushes herself up on her elbows, her battered form shuddering as she rouses from her knocked-out state. She eventually manages to pull herself up onto her backside, her expression still slightly wary - then embarrassed.

"I-I actually don't have a ticket anymore... I gave my cousin Hisashi my ticket so he could sit with Hina-chan while I came here. I didn't think that I'd have a chance to see the show anyway..."

She pulls her turtleneck down from her face so that she can rub it, abandoning the pretense of concealing her identity at this point. She hangs her head shyly.

"It's really nice of you to let me go, but I understand if you want to kick me out after all."

[LUCKY CHLOE]
"This is your lucky day!" Chloe informs Raiza. "Not only do you get to meet your idol, you get to watch her concert from backstage. Oh and you can take the costume. I have a bunch of them and I figure you've earned it."

She mirrors the younger girl's posture, sitting on the floor and continuing to chatter to her, like two friends at a sleepover, rather than two strangers who've just had a fight.

"We are going to go for sushi some time too. I am very fussy about who I spend my precious time with, but I like you and you've gained my respect. I'm also going to have some down time, now my tour is over. Write down your number for me, because my phone is kinda messed up and I'll call you. You can let me know about that job offer too. Oh and bee tee double ewe, don't protest when someone has offered you something you want. It looks weak. You should take it, like it's your right."

She gets to her feet and opens the door for Raiza, suggesting that their encounter may be coming to an end for now.

"Now if you excuse me, I need to get ready for the show and I will need someone to fetch me one of my spare costumes. Maybe I will wear the blue one for a change" she muses.

[RAIZA]
Raiza's jaw practically hits the floor as Lucky Chloe starts delivering her demands. She discreetly pinches her own arm, flinching; seems that she isn't still unconscious and dreaming. She otherwise remains in a silent stupor, wordlessly writing her phone number out, before staggering out of the room.

Once the door closes behind her, she suddenly lights up with a thousand-watt smile, throwing her arms up into the air in joy, the Lucky Chloe costume in one hand.

"Yatta!"

Log created on 21:03:19 07/14/2021 by Raiza, and last modified on 13:38:35 07/23/2021.