Match of the Millennium

Description: As the second season of the NFG winds to a close, the aspiring knight and the fuzzy Gear once more clash in epic battle!

[ALBERT]
It has honestly been kind of a trip. Mediterranean to some pacific island, to Mexico! Though with all the colorfoul places to set up matches in, perhaps Albert was not expecting to be brought face-to-face with an actual, honest to god old-fashioned wrestling ring right at the very end of the road.

Nevermind that the wrestling ring in question happens to be probably one of the most noteworthy venues in the entire world. That perhaps didn't hit in until after one of the other fights had already been done and over with in the ring, and he actually got a sight of just how many people were watching from the stands. He actually got kind of nervous!

This, however, lasted for approximately 5.531 seconds.

All the nerves are gone just like that. Just in time for his turn to come charging out from the backstage. The Faux-Knight, clad still in the very much real armor crafted for him by Iris, runs all the way through the path from the backstage to the ring at the center of the arena -- and he's not slowing down! Rather than even showing an intention to climb up to the ring nad past the ropes, he abruptly jumps up into the air with a mighty leap that actually carries him all the way up to clearing the height of the ring itself, and landing on one of the corner posts.

"I'M HERE!!!!!"

His usual entrance-tied declaration comes with him, still perched atop the corner post, pulling his sword out and thrusting it up into the air, tip pointed skyward and all, before he goes on to pounce off of the post. Even then, just simply hopping down isn't enough, he has to go the extra boisterous route and actually go for a front-flip in his leap off of the post before finally landing into the floor of the ring proper.

And there, await his opponent...!

[MAX]
And await he does...!

Then he awaits a little more! And a little more after that!

The seconds tick by, the hype that Albert's acrobatic entrance had instilled into the gathered spectators slowly dwindling away in the awkward silence that answers his call to battle. Even the commentators seem perplexed by the lack of response from the knight's would-be opponent, glancing around expectantly as if she should have been ready and raring to go.

Meanwhile, just out of sight behind the heavy curtains, the deadly bio weapon against which this fearless warrior shall pit his strength in epic battle yet again...!

...is getting fussed over.

"Moooom! They're starting already!"

Pressing her lips together in an expression that brooks no argument, Dr. Maeda gives the small Gear a quick glance over the top of the small device in her hands. Max withers under that gaze, her shoulders hunching up reflexively. A laughable reaction considering the chimera could twist the frail human woman into a pretzel if she so chose but even monsters cannot withstand 'the look' apparently.

"Deal with it. I'm not letting you go out there until I've double-checked that the new adjustments have settled in properly."

The small girl sighs with exaggerated emphasis but obediently remains still while the sorcerous scientist runs a quick battery of scans. Unable to sit completely idle, she fiddles with the mask that covers the upper half of her face, tugging it around to make sure it's resting comfortably in place. Always fascinated to learn about the more esoteric parts of human culture that her neural implantations failed to cover, she had delved deep into the lore of Mexican martial arts for the past three days. While there isn't nearly as deep and rich of a cultural heritage surrounding martial techniques as one can find in places like Asia, the influence of ancient Aztec civilization on modern Mexican customs was quite fascinating.

"There," her mother says, tucking the small scanner away in her ever-present lab coat. "Everything seems to be in order."

"Yesss!" Max pumps her fists triumphantly and turns to head out to the awaiting audience but pauses at the last moment and looks up at her mother. "How do I look?"

Quirking an eyebrow at the unexpected question, the woman ponders for a moment then says, without a hint of hesitation, "Absolutely ridiculous." After a short pause, she adds, "But I think you should fit right in."

That is apparently just what Max wanted to hear. A grin breaks out on her face and she turns to dash out through the curtains with a fresh burst of enthusiasm.

The Gear's sudden emergence is quickly jumped upon by the commentators who announce her presence with an exuberant bellow into the microphone. The crowd turns their collective gaze to the new arrival and a thunderous roar of approval spreads through the arena in a deafening wave of cheers.

Albert is left in the dark as to the source of this unusual commotion until a quickly moving shadow launches itself up into the air from below the ring. Twisting in a mid-air display of dazzling agility, the figure pirouettes gracefully several times before coming to a perfect landing on the opposite corner turnbuckle.

Max dramatically poses atop her new perch, resting her hands on her hips as a long yellow cape flutters dramatically behind her like some kind of super hero. Her normal clothing has been replaced by a bright blue onesie and the brilliant neon of her feline eyes shimmer with mischievous excitement from behind the eye-slits of a half mask that covers the upper half of her head. Small holes have been cut in the sides of the mask to make space for her fuzzy purple cat ears and the long jaguar patterned tail flicks about happily behind her.

"Challenge has been issued," the Gear says, her youthful voice carrying over the roar of the crowd. She points one finger dramatically at Albert then curls her hands up in a cat-like gesture and claws at the air a couple times.

"And El Felino Maximo answers the call!"

[ALBERT]
In fairness, it's supposedly pretty standard for there to be a small grace period between the entrances of the fighters in a venue like this.

But surely not this long? Albert, filled with seemingly boundless amounts of energy, isn't exactly the most patient guy around either. It doesn't even take a minute before he's tapping his foot against the ringside floor, just barely keeping himself from writhing out of not having an outlet for all the hyperactive energy.

The wait seems to be kind of worth it though! While the german faux-knight is left looking around with confusion at first, the sudden, rocket-like leap of a... catgirl luchador?! brings Albert blinking rapidly at the sight at first, and then just staring up at El Felino Maximo upon the turnbuckle with the kind of awe comparable to a teenager witnessing his favorite pro wrestler live for the very first time. For Albert it'd be witnessing *any* kind of wrestler live for the first time -- nevermind that this is probably Max's first foray into auch a thing too, but *he* doesn't know that.

"Very well!!!" The Faux-Knight bellows out as he takes a single, ring-shaking stomp forward from his corner. With his left foot thrust out like that then, he hoists his (still very much blunt) sword up at his shoulder level, pointed horizontally towards El Felino Maximo's visage.

"Face me, if you dare!"

COMBATSYS: Albert has started a fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Albert           0/-------/-------|

[MAX]
One of the benefits of being a lab-grown monster with no real experience outside of her mother's secluded hideaway is that Max gets to experience a lot of things for the first time. She brings the sort of energy that a young child possesses with her wherever she goes, constantly distracted by seemingly normal things and all but giddy any time she gets to participate in weird or unfamiliar activities.

While fighting is certainly nothing new to the bio weapon and she has already displayed a love for donning bizarre costumes, this is the first time that she's gotten to wear one onto the battlefield in front of a massive audience. The approving roar of the crowd fills the girl with a surge of strange elation, like she's consumed far too much pure seithr. The feeling is both disorienting and pleasant at the same time, the noise engulfing her like a smothering yet comfortable blanket.

She basks in the unfamiliar sensation for a few moments, feline eyes narrowing into small slits as her senses adjust. Albert's voice shakes her out of the momentary stupor. Blinking, Max turns her gaze back down to the young knight and stares at him briefly before grinning wide.

"El Felino Maximo dares!"

Crouching down on the turnbuckle, the little Lucha adopts a cat-like posture, her head lowering and haunches lifting up as she prepares to launch herself into the fray. Her posterior wiggles a little with the building tension in her muscles and the excitement building in the air. After a few appropriately dramatic moments of pause, the Gear lunges with an incredible burst of power that sends her flying almost completely across the arena in a single bound!

Max hits the soft mat in a graceful crouch only a few short feet in front of Albert. She pauses again, flashing a toothy grin at the young warrior as she winds up for another pounce, then explodes directly into his chest like a brightly colored torpedo.

The claws of her massive paws extend, tiny hooks seeking purchase wherever they can find it in the gaps of his armor. The tackle attempts to take Albert clean off his feet, rolling him onto his back so that her momentum carries them into a wild tumble. After a couple of spins, she plants her feet in his gut and tries to hurl him over head, flinging the human across the arena like a catapult.

COMBATSYS: Max has joined the fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Albert           0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0              Max

COMBATSYS: Albert dodges Max's Cat's Cradle.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////// ]
Albert           0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0              Max

[ALBERT]
Albert's grin is, without a doubt, one of excitement over the would-be-Luchadore's response. And while that grin does recese some when his eyes steel themselves a touch in focus, it never disappears entirely.

Not even when Max's pounce lands her right in front of him. His eyes do widen a bit from the realization of what's about to happen, though!

"Whoa--!"

The Faux-Knight's feet work quickly too, though. By pure instinct, he kicks into the ringside floor and launches himself into a sideward leap that clears him, in the span of probably half a second he was given to react, just barely away from the catgirl-missile.

This split-decision evasive maneuver does, in turn, send him sailing well across the ring. Perhapsfarther out than would be ideal for mounting a counter-attack.

There are, however, ropes in the path of his aerial trajectory. Ropes that he lands into back-first and forcing them to bend and stretch outwards from the ring before they spring back inwards again -- and more importantly, launch Albert himself back! The german boy flips once through the air, and lands thighs-first on the floor, only to continue sliding feet-first towards Max's legs at breakneck speeds, in a maneuver that is definitely legally distinct from Ky Kiske's Stun Dipper.

COMBATSYS: Max dodges Albert's Gutsy Slide!.

[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////// ]
Albert           0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0              Max

[MAX]
"Nya?!"

Not expecting an opponent clad in armor to be so swift, Max lets loose a squeak of momentary panic as her wild lunge sends her flying not into Albert's midsection but empty air. Fortunately, much as they had benefited the knight, the ropes surrounding the arena provide a welcome backstop that keeps her unexpected air trip from sending her face-first into the crowd.

Twisting mid-flight, the Gear hits the bouncy barrier with her back and immediately springs back into motion only to find that her opponent had the same idea. Feline eyes narrow with momentary focus and she times her landing to give her just enough space to leap over the armored foot threatening to take her out like a stray bowling pin.

The crowd bursts into cheers as the two fighters deftly evade the first exchange of blows with quick footwork, both of them showing their martial prowess. Ironically, when everything is said and done, both of them have wound up back in their respective corners almost as if the last few seconds hadn't even happened. Rather than rush right back into the fight, Max takes the opportunity to ham it up a little.

"Hah hah hah!" Crossing her arms, the girl flicks her cape with the tip of her tail setting it fluttering out behind her dramatically. "It seems that El Felino Maximo has met a worthy opponent!"

Both of them have crossed blades - or claws - before, of course. But a lot has happened since then and the opportunities for growth have been many. Max knows better than to assume that the eager squire hasn't picked up a few new tricks of his own while honing his craft. She herself hasn't really learned anything 'new' per se but the past few months have given her a lot more practical experience to draw upon in regards to fighting at her current level of restriction. There isn't much left for her to learn so this fight will serve as a fine measuring stick to see just how far she can push her body with access to limited power.

Dropping down onto all fours, Max plants her oversized paws on the mat between her feet and crouches down in a feline squat. Her neon eyes narrow slightly as she directs all of her attention onto Albert, cutting out the distractions of the crowd and the flashing lights. A smug smirk twists one corner of her mouth up as the Gear does what she does best and observes. To those unfamiliar with her tactics it might seem as if she is merely taunting the knight, but allowing him to make the first move is the best way to see just how far he's come since they last met.

"Come and get me, human."

COMBATSYS: Max begins to stalk her prey!

[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////// ]
Albert           0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0              Max

[ALBERT]
With the catgirl left off to sail over and past Albert's slide-kicking form, the faux-knight himself slaps a hand against the ground to force his body to pivot over and around -- both so that he can bring himself facing Max still, and at the same time skid his feet against the ground in as a form of brakes to his momentum and keep him from sliding all the way past the ropes on the opposing end of the ring.

And there is a fire in his eyes when he fully springs himself upright. A light reflected equally in his grin and gazw both, all of it directed at the catgirl-luchadore before him.

And to her credit, trying to assess the farmboy's movements and play defensive for a moment might very well be a good plan. The last time they fought, his unrelenting, over-energetic constant push forward earned him a couple painful bruises simply through repeated blind charges into danger.

But now... Something seems different about Albert. He does not, in fact, straight up leap at her taunting form this time.

He doesn't stay entirely still though. But in spite of the unending hyperactive energy that practically pulses through him constantly, he actually manages to keep himself to setting into a slow strafe along the perimeter in front of her. Sword raises at shoulder-level again while he shuffles along carefully, with bright eyes carefully watching her watching him.

A sort of a standoff, perhaps. One that just happens to take place in Mexico.

"Weren't you coming to get me?"

COMBATSYS: Albert focuses on his next action.

[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////// ]
Albert           0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0              Max

[MAX]
Surprisingly, the overly energetic warrior takes a more measured approach this time. How curious. Did their last fight instill him with a healthy respect for the danger she poses or has his other fights taught him a measure of caution? Either way, her efforts to collection information about potential changes in his tactics has borne fruit.

Very well. If Albert wants to play it safe then she's more than happy to take the fight to him. After all, she has a lot of fresh experience dealing with opponents that prefer to fight defensively. And the main lesson that she learned from those encounters is that aggression is the key to victory.

The time has come to unveil one of her secret trump cards.

The Gear's grin widens until it practically spreads from ear to ear, her dagger-like teeth creating a crescent of pearly white danger. The twitching of her tail takes on a new cadence, shifting from an idle swoosh to an energetic wiggle. The neon glow of her fuchsia eyes grows a little brighter as seithr reserves flood into her system from internal glands, juicing up the already potent cocktail of magical energy circulating through her veins.

"As you wish."

Sparks of crimson energy start to burst from within the bio weapon's flesh, crawling across her purple exterior in short-lived spider webs of raw power. Her fur stands on end and even the heavier hair on her head starts to frizz up a little as if the small girl just stuck her tail in some invisible power socket. The thick cords of muscle beneath ripple with unhealthy amounts of energy, her already bulky forearms swelling up to even more ridiculous proportions.

Without offering any further warning, Max explodes from her loose crouch directly into violent motion. The knight's readied sword proves little deterrent against her reckless aggression as the freshly empowered chimera lunges without subtlety or hesitation on a direct impact course with her opponent, snarling with something like bestial hunger as she closes the gap.

One of Max's giant paws spreads wide, the deadly talons crackling with sparks of red lightning as she slams her open palm towards Albert's face. The thick fingers easily engulf the human's entire head and they close down like a vice, attempting to ensnare him within her powerful grasp. Should he fail to evade this fate, the Gear picks him up clear off his feet, using no more effort than it would require to lift a pillow, and whips Albert over her shoulder to slam him down hard against the mat.

Of course, having donned the mask of a mighty Lucha warrior, she would be remiss to resort simply to her own familiar fighting styles! So, once the human has been laid out, El Felino Maximo quickly turns to the crowd and thrusts both of her muscle-laden arms into the air before launching herself into a standing back flip. Rather than land on her feet, the Gear stretches out in mid-leap and swings one of her heavy arms around in a big circle before driving her elbow down into Albert's exposed midsection like a falling anvil.

COMBATSYS: Albert blocks Max's Medium Throw.

[   \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////// ]
Albert           0/-------/------<|=------\-------\0              Max

[ALBERT]
Oh, of course a Gear would have a super mode. Should Albert have expected as much? Maybe. At least *some* of the stuff he either read or watched involved characters that were in possession of such a thing, surely.

And yet he finds himself surprised enough by the sight that he doesn't even quite manage to gather his thoughts before there's already a giant mitten wrapped around his face.

"MMPPHHMHMH?!"

Whatever complaint Albert attempted to leverage just ends up turning into a completely incoherent, muffled noises. His feet instinctively kick themselves out to try to use the floor as leverage, but he's roughly 0.05 seconds too late, and his feet thus only find empty air, resulting in a rather comical vision of the young knight's feet flailing helplessly in the air while his free hand makes an effort of clawing at the giant arm's wrist.

At least he is freed from the darkness imposed upon his face when he is flung like a ragdoll over her shoulder. That being said, though, Albert's eyes blink down at the rapidly-approaching floor -- just that instant before he has managed to twist his body in mid-air, slightly curling his upper body and his other arm to urge himself into a roll over the floor instead of slamming there full-force.

That doesn't quite get him out of the woods yet. He's rolled up to one knee just in time to see the People's Elbow descending towards him. He probably doesn't have the time to slip himself out of the way. But still, he makes the push to spring himself up further to his feet.

"Raah--!"

Rather than even attempt to leap out of the way this time, the Faux-Knight actually thrusts his free hand out. His palm collides in a slam right against the underside of El Felino Maximo's forearm. A violent *THUD* echoes out from the collision, and the catgirl-luchadore is actually left suspended in the air for half a second before a further shove forces her back away across the air and the ring to clear some space between the two.

Long enough time for the german to get himself fully up on his feet. Long enough for him to burst further into motion from there and actually give immediate chase after her.

DORA--!!"

A rapid, near-leaping dash forward comes with a low bracing of his blunt sword, brought to be swung up forcefully from below for the catgirl, almost seeming to be purposefully aimed for just in front of her midsection, to knock into whatever guard she might attempt to put up.

Sword brought up high after the initial swing, his wrist turns to redirect his hand so that he might then, almost immediately after, bring it swinging his sword back down for her like a hammer.

And again, from the side.

Again, diagonally from lower left.

Again, again, again.

"DORARARARARA--!!!"

COMBATSYS: Max blocks Albert's Gutsy Swings! EX.

[   \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////    ]
Albert           0/-------/-----<<|==-----\-------\0              Max

[MAX]
A hush falls over the crowd as the feline Luchadore attempts to execute a stylish finish to rapid assault. But it is not the heavy impact of her bony elbow into Albert's chest that breaks the silence and fills the arena with a roaring cheer but the knight's bold response.

"Nya?! How can this beeee...?!"

Caught in mid-air, El Felino Maximo is hurled away and forced to recover. Being the cat that she is, however, this proves rather trivial and with a twist of her hips she turns a wild tumble into a graceful three point landing. The Gear beams a wide smile at the human, impressed as ever with his bold and, many would say, reckless approach to combat. But she's already fought several people who play 'by the book' and take a mostly straight-forward approach to fighting. The unpredictability of this human is what makes him interesting.

Of course, she can't go and tell him that in the middle of their match. Breaking kayfabe is a cardinal sin! For now, he'll just have to be content with the brief look of admiration she offers.

The wide smile quickly fades into Max's familiar mischievous smirk as the knight rushes her, perhaps hoping to find an opening in her defenses while she recovered. Silly human! A Gear cannot be taken off guard so easily!

"KYAA!"

The GUTSY battle cry is met with a similar, if much cuter, reply. Max lunges forward to meet the heavy under cut with her power-sheathed claws, swinging her massive arm in an overhead swipe to counter. Blade and talon meet with a sharp hissing crack, as if someone had just swung a tree branch into an electrified fence. The small explosion pushes the weapon away, diverting its intended trajectory to the side and forcing Albert to readjust his aim as he attempts to go for another strike from the other direction.

Again and again the sword is swung her way and each time the Gear deflects the worst of the blow, catching only a handful of stray strikes on the thick meat of her forearms when her swollen muscles prove too bulky to keep up with his speed.

Eventually the human's stamina begins to falter, the momentum of his assault bleeding away. Seeing her chance, El Felino Maximo takes a sudden hop backwards leaving nothing for the knight's next swing to rebound from and likely causing him to lose his balance. Without giving the boy any time to recover, the Lucha bends at the knees and then explodes forward again, once more attempting to tackle him claw-first like an over-eager house cat and pin him to the ground in preparation for further mayhem!

COMBATSYS: Max successfully hits Albert with Pounce!.

[      \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////////     ]
Albert           0/-------/--<<<<<|===----\-------\0              Max

[ALBERT]
Albert is persistent if nothing else. The swings keep on coming -- but there is, indeed, a momentary lapse in pace, even with the seemingly-immense energy that he seems to possess. It's long enough for her to bounce back -- but not long enough for him to actually have the time to readjust, and without anything in the way for his next swing to clash with, his weight is sent further forward than intended and pulls him into a momentary stumble.

A stumble that leaves him, then, with a chestful of catgirl.

"GUH!"

The combination of his disrupted balance and the impact forces Albert back and off his feet, thumping down onto the ground underneath Max with a hiss of air expelled from his lungs. But stubborn as he is, his free arm is already shoving itself against her upper body, the elbow of his sword-bearing arm pushing in counter against the ground besides him to force the two of them into a roll right afterwards. Once, twice, three times revolving across the ring before he manages to seperate with a bounce across the floor.

Albert's feet stamp against the ground thus just before reaching the ringside ropes, and his whole body skids practically on all fours for just a second. Just a second before his eyes snap up, and he all but lunges forward. No, not just lunging -- he's suddenly off his feet and making a clearance roughly two meters into the air. An advancing leap that sees his body flipping over in a front-facing somersault, too, to further guide his sword to arcing from high above and down -- right towards the feline luchadore!

"Haa--!!"

COMBATSYS: Max fails to interrupt Gutsy Leap! from Albert with Boop the Snoot.

[      \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////           ]
Albert           0/-------/<<<<<<<|=====--\-------\0              Max

[MAX]
The Gear recovers from the tumble across the mat with an energetic bounce, nimbly hopping back onto her feet without missing a beat. She takes a moment to work the crowd, having concluded that such bragging and showmanship is a necessary part of her new career as a masked warrior! The crowd seems to concur, rewarding her with another loud cheer as Albert attempts to keep from flying straight out of the ring again.

But blink and you miss it before the tenacious knight is already leaping back into the fight. That's the Albert she's used to! And had anticipated.

Rather than be caught off guard by the young swordman's sudden lunge, the tiny Lucha whirls to meet his rapidly plunging attack with a mighty punch! The speed of both their movements is swift, the margins of error so narrow that it might as well be a coin flip as to who will come out on top. But, in the end is it the human's quick recovery that proves the deciding factor.

Max's giant claw comes within a hair's breadth of smashing square into the squire's face before his downwards slash connects with her shoulder. The impact of the blow sends the uppercut wide and forces the girl into a sideways stagger that leaves Albert the clear victor of this brief exchange.

Though all but immune to pain, the bio weapon decides to lean into the over-acting nature of professional wrestling, as she has seen it on the Internet, and turns what would have been a mild smack into an exaggerated spin that sends her flopping onto the mat. She feigns a grevious wound, struggling to stand only to collapse back onto her face, one arm reaching dramatically towards the ropes as if hoping to use them to aid the rise back to her feet.

[ALBERT]
Albert, on the other hand, lands fairly gracefully -- or as gracefully as someone who was driving his sword down with all the weight gravity and muscle both would provide could, anyhow. While El Felino Maximum is sent staggering over, the would-be-knight lands back down onto the floor of the ring with a hefty stomp of both feet.

There's only half a second that he affords himself right after that. Just for a quick exhale and inhale of breath to keep oxygen flowing through him, before he's already bursting forth into motion all over again. He might not be in the most intelligent side of things, but he understands well enough still that someone like Max surely can't be kept down for very long by something like that.

So rather than simply waiting for her to get up from her display on the floor, he presses on.

"Here I come--!!" he does yell out halfway there, still. Which does roughly mean there's approximately another half a second's worth of warning given before Albert's dashing form, slightly leaned over to his right side for better low reach, is bringing his blunt sword-shaped club swiping low, the tip just barely hovered above the ground as it's swung for the grounded feline luchadore's side. All intent on knocking her over across the ring again while she's still down there!

COMBATSYS: Max blocks Albert's Quick Strike.

[     \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////             ]
Albert           0/-------/<<<<<<<|=======\-------\0              Max

[MAX]
Aha! He has fallen for her clever rus-- wait, he didn't give her a chance to recover? What happened to all that chivalry?!

Max's eyes widen as she hears the warning cry - never a good idea, she's come to find - and realizes that her opponent has attempted to capitalize upon her moment of vulnerability. With inhuman reflexes, the Gear turns her award-winning performance into an emergency defensive maneuver. The massive outstretched paw swipes down hard, batting the blunt blade away before it can smash into her ribs and she bounds back to her feet with a swiftness inspired by a desire to avoid any further low blows.

"Hmph. El Felino Maximo always heard that knights were supposed to be honorable!"

She takes a moment to adjust her mask and cape. It's surprisingly difficult to keep the loose bits of cloth from getting caught on things and she wouldn't want to disgrace herself by having her secret identity revealed in the ring! No greater shame exists for a Luchadore. She'd probably have to give up her entire wrestling career on the spot! It's not like she really has plans to pursue the life of a Lucha past this match but it's the principle of the matter.

Once her wardrobe is in order, Max once again adopts a dramatic pose with her claws raised and her fangs bared. She hisses at Albert and fakes a couple lunges at him to see if she can make him flinch. Whether or not she manages to make the human balk, her wide grin returns and she finally comes at him again for real.

Abandoning grace for raw power, the Gear lunges forward in a mighty bound and swings her chonky forearm back like a Major League batter squaring up with the home plate. None of the crackling power that she exhibited earlier seems to remain active on her fur but that is only mild comfort seeing as the tree-trunk sized fist getting ready to smite him hasn't lost any of its mass or speed.

With a wild roar, the chimera swings her arm around like a wrecking ball, attempting to clothesline Albert so hard that she puts the idiom 'knocked clean out of his boots' to the test!

COMBATSYS: Albert interrupts Hammerblow from Max with Gutsy Headbutt! EX.

[       \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////                  ]
Albert           1/------</<<<<<<<|=======\==-----\1              Max

[ALBERT]
With the blunt blade redirected by a powerful swat, Albert is duly forced to quickly redirecting his entire momentum. Feet skid and brake against the floor, and finally, one foot kicks down to forcefully send him back away wholesale in time with Max's own separating maneuver.

At the end of the ensuing backward slide, he does send a mirthful smile back over to her. "Honor doesn't mean tripping into feints," he insists with a flourish of a turn made of his sword along his hand.

He might say that much, but he does stay hia distance while she's fussing at her mask and cape. There's gotta be *some* decency!

He does also keep his distance initially while she's winding up, and tryinf to fake him out. He doesn't flinch. The knight-to-be maintains his focus and attention on her, mentally preparing himself to face what is to come.

And then she comes! Albert instinctively raises his weapon up as a shield-- but the instant the size, weight and force of the incoming bludgeon that is Max's enlarged arm sinks into his mind, he seems to think better of it.

Or, well. He thinks *something* of it, anyway.

He steps in. Right towards her.

"GUTS!!!"

As if a spell meant to empower himself, Albert shouts the word out as he swings his whole body in and slams his own forehead right into the wrecking ball of the Gear's fist. But as it turns out, his own skull, despite it's smaller comparative size, ia a veritable wrecking ball of it's own. The collision comes with in aimpact forceful enough to actually knock her arm back whole and threaten whiplash and dislocated bone.

And yet, when Albert himself rebounds back, he just has a brief wobble and stagger back. He even *smiles*, even if a little dizzyedly so.

"Aheh, that stung a little..."

[IRIS]
Even if the NFG hadn't all but asked them to, Iris Osterlund would have wanted to attend Albert's fight in the second year bracket. When they teamed up before the Zack Island debacle, it had been an unlikely partnership to be sure, but there had been something there... unexpected, but worthwhile. On the battlefield, she'd seen a bit of what was boiling under the surface for the earnest young German, too, remembering her own time in the first season of the NFG, desperate to prove something; not to the audience, but almost entirely to herself.

Never mind that as the Zack Island drama reached its apex, she had been more concerned with her off the cuff and convulated plan to give the people fighting [redacted] more of a chance to keep watch over her mentee, who may have needed a helpful hand, sympathetic ear, or possibly both at the time.

Thus she finds herself here and now, in Mexico, watching this battle between a semi-magical bioweapon and a... well, a young man who is Trying His Best.

It didn't escape her notice that he's still wearing the breastplate she made him, either.

She's not the loud cheering type -- despite her somewhat aggressive personality, Iris was still raised in a snooty British family in the peerage -- but as each exchange of blows careens back and forth between the cannonball that is Max and her knightly opponent, the seidkona leans a little farther forward in her seat, tenses her hands a little more, clenching this into fists at tense moments. "Come on, my l... guy," she mutters, stopping herself from calling someone a mere two years younger than her 'lad', "keep it moving. You can do it."

[MAX]
Well, she wanted the reckless fool who had thrown himself at her without fear back. Be careful what you wish for, she supposes.

The collision of forehead and bloated muscle creates a muted thud. Max recoils from the unexpectedly forceful blow, a jolt running down her arm that manages to rattle her teeth audibly. Her bones do not break, by virtue of being magical constructs that are nigh impervious to such catastrophic damage, but the limitations imposed on her durability by her mother's seals makes it feel like her arm is a bag of chips that just got marched across by an entire military formation.

"Nya?! Hard-headed as ever, I see!"

Despite the damage, the fledgling Lucha's spirit hardly seems to waver, as usual. Being nigh impervious to pain makes it easy to keep a chipper attitude and she's still riding high on the whole spectacle of the situation. Perhaps goofing around wasn't the most tactically sound decision but then she isn't really the sort that feels the need to prove herself. Life began only a few short years ago for the bio-weapon and she's still happy enough for the new experiences.

That being said, she isn't out of the fight yet!

Shaking off the lingering numbness with a flick of her wrist, Max takes a moment to consider her options. With Albert momentarily shell-shocked she might have an opportunity to go for a more bold strike. The crowd would probably love it and at this point she hasn't got much to lose. One more good wallop like the last couple and she's going to have to throw in the towel.

There's also the option to deploy one of her secret weapons and delve into her regenerative elixir. It might help her last another round or two but more likely she'll just be delaying the inevitable. Whatever training Albert engaged in since their last meeting has filled the squire with a lot more confidence. No doubt he'll be quick to pounce when she lowers her guard to recover.

Such are the possibilities that she weighs in her mind, ever tactical in her choices even when nothing is on the line save for pride. Neither one is likely to promise a great outcome. So, in the absence of a winning plan, she goes for the more exciting one.

Dropping to all fours, El Felino Maximo once more prepares to launch herself at the knight. The wind-up is obvious, so much so that the crowd starts to get worked up again. The air fills with the roar of voices, the battle quick but brutal, with the Gear seemingly on the ropes already. Can she turn things around? Or will Albert claim a decisive victory in this semi-final match?

As expected, Max quickly bursts into another bounding leap, her massive claws extending as she closes in on her prey. But at the last moment, instead of springing into a torpedo pounce, the bio-weapon shifts her trajectory to the side and nimbly springs around the human in a rapid flash of movement.

Hoping to catch the knight off-guard, she digs her claws into the mat and immediately pivots into a leap at his exposed back. The long talons of her giant paws seek purchase in his body but they aren't focal point of this assault. Instead, the Gear opens her jaws wide and snaps her jagged teeth down at the soft spot between Albert's neck and shoulder. She would go for the jugular normally but this is a nice compromise that probably won't see him bleed out from several horrendous puncture wounds.

Probably.

COMBATSYS: Max successfully hits Albert with Snack Time.

[            \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////                 ]
Albert           1/-======/=======|==-----\-------\0              Max

[ALBERT]
"Hmh--?!"

Albert doesn't quite manage to track the leaping trajectory of the feline girl this time around. By the point he's starting to whip himself around, she's already launched herself again from the position behind him.

And his reward for the delay is a line of sharp teeth digging down into his flesh just above where the protective lining of his breastplate starts.

"Ghhh--!"

By reflex, he does snap his hand over to press the pommel of his sword against Max's forehead -- not so much to strike, but to try to leverage her off of him instead. By the time he manages that much, though, she's already torn a good chunk into his skin, and the seperation comes with a spurt of blood that even the spectators in the surrounding stands will surely be able to make out.

In spite of the pain, Albert doesn't let himself stagger even then. The moment her teeth leave him and she's pushed off his back, he's finally completing his turn around to facing her in tandem with a distance-growing hop along the ring.

And the moment his feet land. In the very instant he is pushing his weight back forward again. Sword brought up and raised all the way to be held past his opposing shoulder to the point the blade is actually lined up horizontally behind his head. To the point he has to leverage the back of his other hand to pressing at the back of his sword arm's bicep to keep it pulled all the way back there. The hand on his sword gripping tight, so very tight that the immense bulge of muscles along his arm flexes out visibly.

The Faux-Knight's eyes briefly snap wider open before narrowing again, and--

A loud impact echoes out through the arena. Just from the kick of a foot down against the floor of the ring that actually sends the whole platform shaking and swaying for a second. A kick that launches Albert forth like a cannonball after Max, while guiding his body to spinning around once along his lengthwise axis.

With the end of the revolution comes two things.

One: Another ground-shaking stomp to anchor Albert into the space in front of Max.

Two: His sword arm releasing from his opposing shoulder and launching out, assisted further with the momentum of the spin itself to swing for the catgirl's side like a pilebunker. A swing of such force that with it comes even a sudden, sharp burst of air pressure around his sword that is felt even in the stands far back behind Max.

"ORRRRAAAAAAAHH--!!!"

COMBATSYS: Albert successfully hits Max with The Strongest GUTSY Swing!!.

[           \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////                         ]
Albert           0/-------/-----==|=======\-------\1              Max

[MAX]
Fast.

That's all that Max has time to think before the mighty swing unleashes swift retaliation for her wild assault. As always, Albert's ability to rebound quickly from damage seems to be his strongest quality. It's particularly troublesome for a hit-and-run fighter such as herself, someone whose entire method of engagement relies on the element of surprise and shock. Of course, if she were actually trying to kill him then getting her teeth around the human's throat would have pretty much been game over. Even if he managed to push through the pain and return the favor, her job as an assassin would have been fulfilled. And bio-weapons are far easier to replace than people.

Why she would be plagued with such thoughts during a friendly competition is something that bothers the Gear. A side-effect of her mental indoctrination, she supposes. The U.N. had never considered her anything other than a tool, a weapon to be wielded like any gun or blade. Her mother had disagreed with such sentiments but by the time she had a chance to act it was far too late to modify the data that had been imprinted on Max's formative subconscious. Learning to be human had become her new mission in life, a task that she was ill-prepared to tackle.

Which is why, she tells herself, it is so important that she take pleasure in situations such as these. Winning the match is mostly irrelevant. But the roar of the crowd as she partakes in a beloved human cultural intuition? That's what matters. It's a sign that she's on the right track. That maybe one day she'll be something more than a monster wearing human skin - even in her own eyes.

Fooling the average person that she's normal isn't all that hard. It's what she was designed for, after all. They don't have access to the clinically detached thoughts that run through her alien mind. They don't know that, with a simple word of command, her mother could unleash a beast that would destroy them all without hesitation or remorse. Not that she wants such a thing. But the wants and wishes of an engineered life form are irrelevant. She gets to experience this taste of mortality because her mother - her creator - allows it. How many other Gears were lucky enough to have that privilege? So, even as the blade swings like a hyper-sonic battering ram into her chest, Max's grin never fades.

"Bwah?!"

The sword impacts against the chimera's chest with a resounding crack, striking with such speed that she hardly has time to react. The blow lifts the small girl clear off her feet, blasting her like a cannon ball into the opposite side of the arena. The ropes catch her, as they were designed to, bending almost comically outwards like a slingshot being drawn back. And, like a slingshot, the elastic bands eventually release their tension and send the Gear flying right back at him like a fuzzy projectile.

Which is fortunate for Max because the restrictions on her operating capacity have kicked in hard. She probably wouldn't have had enough steam to get back up and throw herself at him again with the same amount of force as that imparted by her impromptu catapult from the ropes. But, never one to pass up an opportunity, she tries to turn the situation to her advantage as best she can.

Drawing her massive claw back, the bio-weapon swings hard at the empty air, still a good dozen feet away from her target. But what might appear to be a disoriented wild strike quickly reveals itself for the genius improvisation that it is as the girl's entire body is kicked into a rotational spin by the sudden movement. Now, instead of a lumpy cannonball, Albert finds himself facing down a flying purple buzzsaw!

"Nyaaahahaha!"

Max's final battle cry sounds more like a small child squealing with excitement as they go over the crest of an amusement park roller coaster. She tucks in tight, doing everything she can to make herself more aerodynamic, leaving only the sharp edges of her talons jutting out from the wind-milling ball that she has become.

COMBATSYS: Max can no longer fight.

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

COMBATSYS: Albert instinctively blocks Max's Wrecking Claw.

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

[ALBERT]
The whole arena rings out with a violent impact one more time with Albert's foot stomping down again in the rebound of the swing that sends Max flying off.

"Haah--!!"

The faux-knight's feet anchor to the ground right after -- apparently anticipating that Max must be about to sent right back at him from how badly the roes are getting bent around her. Even if he isn't *entirely* proficient in the understanding of the laws of physics, he at least on some instinctive level figures that much out!

And she comes flying at him in the form of a goddamned buzzsaw. Because of course.

This time he does hold his sword in front of him, with his free hand pressing it's palm against the blunt slant of the blade to further brace it there in front of him.

Sparks crackle out from the saw-like grind of rapidly-spinning claws against the weapon, and Albert's feet are sent skidding back roughly two meters' worth -- before he pivots his upper body over to the side and with a grunt of effort, shoves her on off to the side so her further momentum is spent flying past him instead of at *him*. Which is significantly more preferable to getting her claws shredding into him, obviously.

He still spins around to face the direction she is sent to after the fact. Sword still raised up and braced at his shoulder-level, just in case! And he watches-- for at least a couple seconds longer, before he lets himself relax some. If not outright raise his sword arm up towards the sky right away.

COMBATSYS: Albert has ended the fight here.


[MAX]
Alas, even her final monstrous assault on the knight fails to overcome his resolve. Max's magical talons grind into the dull steel of the blade, weapons that could normally slice through hardened titanium with ease reduced to little more than Exacto knives by the limiter spell placed upon her. Still, they're more than enough to throw up a shower of sparks and turn the final clash between man and bio-weapon into a flashy spectacle! And what more could a fledgling performer ask than to give the audience a good show?

Shunted to the side, the Gear continues to spin wildly for several seconds, ripping a furrow through the arena before the ropes on the far side contain her momentum. The dizzying spin comes to a sudden halt as the girl unfurls her body, limbs splaying in all directions. Her body leans heavily against the barrier, rotated completely upside-down, one leg draped over the top rope. She could have landed more gracefully but this is funnier and she does so enjoy making people laugh.

"Nyaaa..."

A faint disoriented moan escapes the Gear as she relaxes into the embrace of the nylon web, playing up her defeat for the sake of Albert's image. The thick swollen muscles of her arms shift and deflate with unpleasant crunching sounds as she releases the grip on her combat transformation and returns to being a relatively normal looking, if notably purple, young girl.

"El Felino Maximo... admits defeat..."

[ALBERT]
There is still a moment of uncertainty in Albert while he's watching Max's form tangled up and hung on the ropes. Some part of him is expecting her to try to wriggle into freedom and burst into action one last time, but...

WIth her form deflating, and more importantly, her declaration of conceding, he doesn't seem to have much to worry about anymore though. So with one step taken back, the Knight does fully straighten himself up to a more relaxed posture, and...

"ORAH!!"

He thus thrusts his sword hand high up into the air, knuckles pointed skywards, in a blatant gesture of triumph, while turning himself around slowly to sweep his igaze across all the spectator stands surrounding the ring and all!

Log created on 01:55:46 11/26/2024 by Max, and last modified on 05:16:35 12/04/2024.