SNF 2009.09 - Wheel of Pain! Zach/Mizuki/Frei, CA: Igniz

Description: Pat Bayjak brings you the Wheel of Fate! Three fighters on stage for a free-for-all brawl, with the God of NESTS, Igniz, doling out the pain to whichever fighter the wheel indicates. Flashy attacks! Betrayals! And for one lucky miko, a BRAND NEW CAR! (Winner: Mizuki)



A warm, breezy day greets the autumn sunset as it passes the torch for the next day to come and this day to fade. On the corner of Smith and Grant a small electronics store somewhere in the heart of America has its tv sets on and set to channel 4, the only channel it can pick up. Usually it plays gameshows, sometimes its Cspan, today, as it fizzles and spouts, some new fangled show is starting.

And the SNF box office couldn't be happier.

"Wwwwwwwwwelcome to The Wheel of Fate! I'm your host, Pat Bayjak, and today, we're trying something new. The offices of SNF that's Saturday Night Fight has a new show for our younger crowd." Pat announces as he turns towards the dimly lit stage behind him.

"Now then without further ado, lets meet the contestants at today's episode of The Wheel. Of. Fate!" Pay Bayshak steps off towards the side and backwards as he motions towards the stage itself, mic in hand. Lights flair to life and cones of blaring white fall upon the three podiums occupied by Zach, Frei, and Mizuki respectively! In the backwards, an incredible wheel sleeps dormant, waiting to be awakened. A clocked figure sits beneath the wheel, an ever assured grin on his face as he does.

But first, its time to learn a little about our contestants!

Zach is a fighter who moonlights as a janitor at one of SoutTown's more prominent youth centers, enjoys endurance sports and urban fantasy mystery novels. He also was a semi-finalist in the Jinchuu Tournament hosted on that boat the one time, and is known for an explosive and showy fighting style!

Zach glances nervously about him. He is not sure he likes the way that this is going to play out, but he signed on the dotted line, so he is in for the long haul.

... why is she doing this? At least she doesn't wear the miko robes to fight in--anymore, at least--so she doesn't stick out -quite- as much as she might normally. SNF. Always weird and wacky, isn't that it? The setting is.. a gameshow. Well, the Japanese people LOOOOVE their gameshows, too, though Mizuki rarely partook of the things, herself.

Standing at her podium is Mizuki, decked out in the now-usual outfit for her, white t-shirt, blue jeans, white socks and white and black sneakers, standing at the podium that has her name printed in some overly generic font on it. When the spotlight hits her, she does her best to smile brightly.

Fortunately, she doesn't have to introduce herself--a deep, accentless Midwestern TV announcer voice chimes in. "Mizuki Kamigawa, a student at Justice High School in Southtown and also a member of the Young Fighters' Community Center. Her skills lie in the area of chi manipulation, particularly healing, and she'd like to say hi to her parents, her uncles, her aunts... and everyone else! Wave to the audience, Mizuki!"

Gritting her teeth a bit, she does just that, until the spotlight swings off of her...

There's some irony here, for Frei. Lately he's been using a sword, using the family style, and trying to get inside the psychology that comes with it. It's the type of psychology that would really, really hate things like game shows, especially 'debasing' a dignified style for something so... well, egregious as a game show. But said philosophy would also say that skills are nothing solely in the theoretical. They have to be put in practice.

So here he is.

This is going to be an unusual fight, but Frei usually takes the strange in stride and this is no different. He waves to the audience from his 'podium', one hand on the hilt of the sword at his side and the other acknowledging the audience. He nods at Zach as he appears, and then turns to Mizuki as she's introduced. The sight of his teammate brings back memories of their recent battle, and the many events that went down during that duel... Mizuki's resolve to change things in her life, and Frei's hearing of a mysterious voice that has since been silent.

For a moment, he fixes green eyes on Mizuki and gives her an embarrassed smile if she looks his way. He's oblivious to Pat's introduction, which he only tunes into when he finally hears his name toward the end of the spiel. "...new techniques will he show us in this recently-adopted style? Frei Tsukitomi-Renard, ladies and gentlemen!" Snapping up his head like waking up from a daydream, he blinks at Pat, then smiles sheepishly at the audience and rubs the back of his head before leaning forward and saying into his mic, "I'm very happy to be here. Hi mom!"

The mental image of his mother cringing at that is worth it, he thinks.

Pat Bayjak walks once more to the center of the stage after letting each contestant talk to once more address the audience. It's a tried and true American Gameshow way to do it, after all.

"Now that we have met our contestants lets go over the rules of the game. It's easy, its relatively simple." Pat states as he walks across the red stages with flairs of reds and blues and yellows and greens dancing all over, almost sprayed across the set at random to speed up the creation of this certain set.

"Our contestants have to fight, but not just only fight, they have to do it with flair! The more lights, the more impossible the moves and the more daunting it is the better it will earn from our judge! Now, since we're really cheap we've only hired one instead of three like American Idol. The tricky part is, he also can join the fight whenever that segmented wheel lands on one of the four spaces. Each of your podiums have a number except four, which if it lands on, our judge jury and executioner can carry out the punishment while delivering the final verdict!"

Igniz stands there, a smile on his face, the battlesuit appearing as his long locks obviously gives him a rather proper and announced visage.

"And today lets see what we are playing for..." Pat turns, a wall opening up to show... an brand new car!

"Well would you look at that! Some one is going to drive away in a bran new car. Now, lets get this show started and me behind the protective plexy glass wall here." Pat states as he walks behind the wall, "Its from our sponsors and I'm sure it will work or else I'll be in a house of pain. Now, lets get our contestants started and the wheel spinning. Let the most entertaining fight win!"

Whiirrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

COMBATSYS: Igniz has started a fight here in the center.

                 [ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
                 Igniz            0|-------|------=


Zach hops down off of his pedestal, and bounces lightly on the balls of his feet. His arms are relaxed and by his sides as he looks back and forth between Mizuki and Frei. He ignores Igniz for the time being as he steadies his breathing.

Both of his opponents have more experience, more training. They are also incredibly proficient in the use of chi, which makes both of them especially dangerous against Zach. He's willing to let one of the others make the first move tonight...

COMBATSYS: Zach has joined the fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Zach             0/-------/-------|
                 [ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
                 Igniz            0|-------|------=


"A car? Well, I guess I can donate it or something... enh, the prize isn't why I'm here, anyways," she says--mostly to herself, but a mic'll probably pick some of it up. She is a little preoccupied... until she sees who the 'judge, jury and executioner' is... and she pales. But... she saw him during the war. She... damn. There's no way she could... even if Frei and Zach were to help, the odds...

Mizuki is frozen for a moment, blinking rapidly, thinking very quickly. In the end, she supposes, she'll simply have to pray that he doesn't do anything too overboard, or... too evil. She's constrained, as it were, by the contract she signed, and that is at war for a moment, with her sense of justice. In the end, she can't -prove- that Igniz is a very bad man, even if he is... and so she walks down into the fighting arena, trying to relax herself, to center and focus. Igniz looms large in her mind, though, as she remembers him brutalizing her. "Gotta get that out of my head," she mutters, to herself, as she nods to Zach, waiting for Frei to come down into the pit.

Igniz... for some reason, he just seems to show up in the oddest places, Frei observes to himself as he steps off the podium and into the fighting area. With impunity, that's the interesting part. For a moment, despite himself, Frei's fingers close even tighter around the hilt of his blunted practice sword, the knuckles going white with a burst of... well, something like anger. Mizuki's suffered at the blond's hands, and so has Frei. Yet they have to sit here and be smiley and fight all pretty and shiny and entertain everyone.

When he gets to the floor, though, he breathes out slowly, closing his eyes. His fight against Alma and Igniz in Strolheim proved many things, not the least of which is that dwelling on that anger and pain is pointless.

He comes to a stop in position and nods at everyone, then gets into stance; one leg goes back, torso hunched slightly forward, one hand hovering over the hilt of the sword. A classic sword-drawing stance. "Good luck, you two," he says evenly... time to get this on the road.

COMBATSYS: Frei has joined the fight here on the right meter side.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Zach             0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0             Frei
                 [ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
                 Igniz            0|-------|------=


COMBATSYS: Mizuki has joined the fight here on the top side.

                 [ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
                 Mizuki           0|-------|-------
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Zach             0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0             Frei
                 [ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
                 Igniz            0|-------|------=


Igniz becomes center stage of this little hoe down with Mizuki, Frei and Zach. He sits there as those who chose to notice him, notice him. He does not shy away from the attention, returning their glances with an equally as powerful smile as those before it.

The wheel continues to spin, slowly down as the round is not yet over. In fact, the wheel only stops every other round! The horror!

"Continue on. There is no reason to suddenly stop at my appearance. This is a game show. Give the crowd what they wish to see." Igniz says, "And do make it flashy. I will be looking into it all... closely."

"And the show begins as our contestants head into the pit!" Pat exclaims, "I'm not sure who's going to win here, but I know its going to be something entirely different! In fact, we haven't even hosted a fight before! How is this legal?! No doubt our ratings will be great!"

Zach frowns when he hears the voice. Oddly enough, he is thinking along the same lines as Mizuki; they cannot take him down, not even if they all worked together. Looks like the only way out of this mess... is through. Zach shrugs slightly as he starts to consider.

Frei is tough, and skilled. The sword is a new think to Zach. He thinks back to what he has learned when dealing with people who use weapons, and the tricks he has picked up over the last couple of years to balance things out.

Mizuki, however, has the potential to make this a long, drawn out fight with her recovery abilities. Zach, despite his love for long distance running, knows that a long fight will only work against him.

With that, Zach whirls on the miko. "Sorry about this," he says quickly, but sincerely, as he brings up a purple-glowing palm. It shakes for a moment before firing off a quick burst of psychic energy at the girl!

COMBATSYS: Zach successfully hits Mizuki with Warning Shot.

                 [      |||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
                 Mizuki           0|-------|---====
[  \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Zach             0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0             Frei
                 [ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
                 Igniz            0|-------|------=


*BAM* The burst of psychic energy slams into Mizuki, hard--sending her flying away from Zach. There's a brief, audible gasp of pain as she is hit, but she manages, after a few moments, to turn what could be a painful landing into a reasonably good one--managing to 'flip out' and land in a three-point stance. "Forgot how hard you hit," she says, as she stands back up, rubbing her chest.

"Guess that means I can't just let you go for that," she says, smiling faintly, judging the distance between her and Zach--the impact was a pretty good one... but she should be able to make up the distance. Suddenly she lunges forward, crossing the distance with all possible speed, her hands flaring with power as she charges in, a blue flare of power accompanying a twin palm strike aimed for Zach's chest.

Getting into the spirit of the fight, she shouts an enthusiastic "HYA!!" as she attacks the janitor-cum-psychic warrior. Hopefully that'll be enough to put a dent in him.

Hmm. Looks like things are already getting started. Frei hasn't fought Zach in some time now, but it looks like the psychic janitor is still using his trademark purple bursts of barely controlled psychic power. Frei knows firsthand the strength of those attacks, and having just fought Mizuki recently he knows she packs a significant punch herself. This fight is going to take everything he has so far. And then there's the promise of Igniz getting involved... flashy, this will be. Whether everyone likes it or not.

Deciding to hang back, Frei nevertheless tries to make even apparently doing nothing look flashy; he takes a few steps forward toward the other two fighters and draws his sword, doing a series of quick slashes... but only at the air, not at them, and finally the blunted blade goes back into its saya with a slow, deliberate motion. "Kinda wish I had an apple to toss up and cut," he says with a faint smile. "If I were even capable of DOING that."

COMBATSYS: Frei focuses on his next action.

                 [      |||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
                 Mizuki           0|-------|-----==
[  \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Zach             0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0             Frei
                 [ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
                 Igniz            0|-------|------=


From center ring to offsides, Igniz is forgotten about. The cost of relaxation is a terrible price they pay as Igniz will watch continuously. That, and he also will go as the wheel begins to slow down. The ominous clicks breaks its pattern. Dragging itself across each peg, the multicolored numbers on the backdrop of the spinner swap colors violently, running through what is perceived to be the entire rainbow before finally landing on a number, a solid orange color declaring it over its segmented body.

Three. Zach.

Igniz immediately turns towards Zach after the number appears on his monitor. Whatever could he do? There was so much he could possibly do to make sure that Zach would be, quite possibly, hurting. Igniz instead overhears Frei's request and reaches down underneath the podium to produce a red delicious apple and toss it incredibly quickly towards the youth.

"Here is your apple." Igniz says. He implies applesauce, however.

COMBATSYS: Zach blocks Igniz's Thrown Object.

                 [      |||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
                 Mizuki           0|-------|-----==
[    \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Zach             0/-------/----===|-------\-------\0             Frei
                 [ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
                 Igniz            0|-------|-----==


COMBATSYS: Zach endures Mizuki's Kouryuu no Kiba EX.

                 [      |||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
                 Mizuki           0|-------|---====
[         \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Zach             0/-------/=======|-------\-------\0             Frei
                 [ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
                 Igniz            0|-------|-----==


Actually, it's psychic warrior-cum-janitor. Zach whirls, catching the apple. He winces; the apple is pretty darn heavy, or at that's what the stinging in his palms is telling him. He pivots again, bracing up. Mizuki's strike slams into Zach center mass. However, the whoosh of air exiting the lungs is... not as pronounced as one might expect. Zach was ready for it. Waiting, one might suppose.

Zach twists away, allowing Mizuki to keep a lot of her momentum. Hopefully it will help her charge right into the sphere of contained psycho power Zach raises to meet her torso!

COMBATSYS: Zach successfully hits Mizuki with Impulse Flare EX.

                 [              |||||||||||||||| ]
                 Mizuki           1|------=|=======
[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Zach             1/------=/=======|-------\-------\0             Frei
                 [ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
                 Igniz            0|-------|-----==


And Zach seems to have her number--she twists to try and avoid the blast of psionic energy but to no avail. The impact is, well, about as much as she would have expected--she new Zach hurt like crazy. The blow does, however, make her disengage, skittering back from the janitor. "You know," she says, "If we just bash each other's heads in, Frei's going to win by default..." She glances at the redheaded, swordwielding monk, and grins just a touch.

"I mean, he's not 'in here to win', I don't think, not in that sense, but still, it doesn't seem fair to let him win like that, does it? Besides, it's not too much fun for him like this, isn't it?" However, she isn't moving--instead she's concentrating. Suddenly, blue-green energy just flares up around her, a different method of expressing her healing abilities from her normal--there's a sound like a great geyser of water went off, right underneath her.

It looks like a massive attack just went off underneath her, obscuring her form for a long moment, drawing a big gasp from the audience, but that's as far from the truth as could be, as the energy flares brighter, prepatory to fading out...

In his own way, Frei had expected that making a show of readying himself would draw fire in his direction... the surprise that it did not is evident on his face as Mizuki and Zach clash a second time, each appearing to be the worse off for it in the end. Mizuki's commentary makes him grimace a little bit, and he does start to bite out "It's... not exactly like that..." but in the end, decides not to say anything at all. His green eyes dart to Igniz for a moment, before looking back to the pair in front of him and taking in the situation. Zach's the one on the offensive so far, and thus it's the purple-haired American that gets his attention.

"Hup!" Frei says, in a quick and sharp voice, before setting off toward Zach at a low, dashing run. One hand drops down to the blue lacquer saya at his belt and with surprising dexterity undoes the silver cord keeping it there. Swinging the still-sheathed weapon around, Frei attempts to loop it through Zach's legs and then pull. If it works, the psychic will start heading toward the ground, while the sheathed blade leaps back into Frei's hands, giving him an opportunity to make one downward slash toward his opponent as he falls. The blade is blunted -- it'd be hard-pressed to cut even paper -- but the impact is still a weighty steel weapon... it'll hurt.

Igniz watches as Zach pushes away the apple. Terribly effective but still there was no hopes of applesauce in the coming moment of Igniz's own eyes. The pit becomes a wonderful orgy of destruction and ... healing? Well, Igniz had certainly seen that before from Mizuki. A non stop well of health in fact.

Igniz's eyes wander from Zach to Frei to Mizuki as they continue their dance with each other. A rather deadly one in fact. Soon enough there will be a great deal of trouble for an unfortunate fighters as the segmented spinner slowly ticks away, slowing down to pick Igniz's next target.

Either way, Igniz is a winner in this fight. Unless it lands on four. Oh woe is him!

COMBATSYS: Zach fails to interrupt Saya Gari from Frei with Third Stance EX.

                 [               ||||||||||||||| ]
                 Mizuki           0|-------|------=
[              \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////// ]
Zach             0/-------/---====|=------\-------\0             Frei
                 [ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
                 Igniz            0|-------|-----==


Zach sees Frei coming, and is expecting one of those really cool draw-slashes. However, Frei comes in low, sweeping Zach off of his feet and not in a good way. Zach crashes to the floor, staring up into the lights when he sees the sword coming down.

Zach decides that this is as good a time as any to show Frei something new, and materializes an indistinct sword forms in his fist. Zach attempts to catch Frei's blunted blade on his improvised weapon, and from there parry it into a strike of his own. However, Zach misjudges the force. The psychic blade fuzzes out as Frei forces his way through, slamming the blunted katana into Glen's chest!

COMBATSYS: Mizuki successfully hits Mizuki with Iki no Nagare.

                 [       ||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
                 Mizuki           0|-------|------=
[              \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////// ]
Zach             0/-------/---====|=------\-------\0             Frei
                 [ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
                 Igniz            0|-------|-----==


Frei, inadvertently, provides a distraction for Mizuki to complete her healing process, accelerated as it is; the energy twinkles out, and the erstwhile miko looks much-refreshed, moving easily, without pain. Surely that isn't what Frei intended, but it works well enough for her purposes.

As much as she'd like to just beat Zach down, this -is- a free-for-all fight, and so she calls out, "Sorry, Frei--and thanks!" Thanks for the distraction, sorry for the attack she's about to make--dashing across the floor and attempting to lock his non-sword-arm from behind--to hold him in place for a palm strike to the spine, and then, from there, a hiptoss to the ground.

It's a pretty simple combination, all told, nothing very flashy about it--which goes against the terms of the fight, strictly speaking, but should still be just fine... if it hits.

COMBATSYS: Frei interrupts Combo Grapple from Mizuki with Tsubame Gaeshi.

                 [             ||||||||||||||||| ]
                 Mizuki           0|-------|--=====
[              \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////////     ]
Zach             0/-------/---====|====---\-------\0             Frei
                 [ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
                 Igniz            0|-------|-----==


If the crowd wanted flashy, well... they're about to get it.

Frei steps back from Zach carefully, bringing his cord-wrapped saya back toward his hand with a flick of the wrist that makes the heavy blue scabbard twirl in the air somewhat before landing in his palm with a faint *slp!* noise. He holds it horizontally, slowly sliding the blunted blade into it... just as Mizuki apologizes, and starts heading his way. He doesn't have any funny quips for her or for Zach... either because he can't think of any, or because the popular image of the swordsman is cool and collected. The actual truth is neither of those things. Instead, he's having another... very strange moment, much like when he fought Mizuki, where time seems to slow down, and he has a conversation in his head that seems minutes long yet happens in the span of a few moments.

'Are you angry?' the voice asks in his mind, a breathy voice like a hot summer breeze. 'When he who has done you so wrong is right before you? Or are you joyous, testing your strength against those whose power you respect?'

Mizuki, working her way toward Frei, may see it again: the momentary widening of the eyes in something like surprise. Again, for him, it feels like hours... but to the attacking miko, it takes place perhaps in a fraction of a second.

'I don't know,' Frei says to himself -- or the voice -- honestly, one hand gripping the hilt of the sword tight, the sheathed blade still held in his other hand, completely vulnerable to Mizuki's intended grab. 'Maybe both. I just... don't want to reflect forever. I need to do something. I need to *move*.'

The voice, oddly enough, laughs at that, somewhat raspily. 'Then I will lend you the power to do so.'

Mizuki's hand clamps down on Frei's arm, locking him in place, and her hand slams painfully into the small of his back, making his teeth grind in the sudden pain. However, when she goes to finish the combination, Frei suddenly breaks free in a burst of motion, pulling away from her and spinning in a circle. When he comes around, it's from below, and the sudden sword strike that follows into the opening created by Frei's escape blazes with an aura of scarlet and orange flame. "Burn..." Frei murmurs, before twisting out of the upward strike to swing a second time horizontally, looking to knock Mizuki away. "Suzaku no Tsubasa!"

The flames, at the end of the strike, momentarily take the shape of a phoenix in flight, before dissipating entirely.

It seems there are very little into the whole flash and awe that the show was hoping for. Both Frei and Mizuki tend to be more reluctant to perform for the cameras. New maneuvers are attempted by Zach, and Mizuki herself makes sure to use tried and true methods of bringing pain towards others.

Frei, on the other hand, immediately grabbed very little attention to begin with. The truth of the matter is that the most entertaining does not always start first. Cleaving his way through both his friends, Igniz watches intently for one reason or another. He might just be interested in the peculiarity of the situation.

The points above him agrees entirely, landing on the two which represents the fighter Frei.

With either combatants hurting terribly, Igniz feels it his duty to attempt to make things a smidgen more difficult for Frei in hopes of evening up the field of battle. The god of NESTS himself does not move.

Instead, the ropes themselves snake out towards Frei's legs in an effort to trip him up and deliver a most undermining strike. The sudden fall and squash may very well drive the breath out of him.

"I may have to ask for this job in the future." Igniz quips.

Zach slowly pulls himself to his feet, shaking the cobwebs loose. Seems Mizuki and Frei are busy mixing it up. Monk dude got himself some new moves, it'd seem. The psychic fighter considers for a moment or two before deciding he'd need some juice for the next round.

Zach starts up the light show, bringing his psychic energies to the fore with practiced ease, bathing the arena in Zach's faint purple light...

COMBATSYS: Zach gathers his will.

                 [             ||||||||||||||||| ]
                 Mizuki           0|-------|--=====
[             \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////////     ]
Zach             1/-------/=======|====---\-------\0             Frei
                 [ ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
                 Igniz            0|-------|------=


"NNHAH!" The pain is pretty immense--Mizuki has time to reflect on the fact that both of her opponents are powerhouses. She feels vaguely inadequate, somewhere underneath the flare of pain from Frei's attack. The explosion of fiery chi sends her flying, until she's skidding along the flooring and fetching up against her podium--which, after impact, looks to be leaning a little unsteadily. "Remind me why I do these fights, again?" she grumbles, to herself, as she gets to her feet.

Nothing broken, but she's not really in much of a mood to fight either of her opponents--and she knows that her current mindset is only one that'll make her take rash decisions. So she slows it down, some, for her--centering herself, and calling upon her power as well, mirroring Zach's thought processes, her power flaring up around her in a blue-silver column from around her feet.

It gives her a touch of time to think, too--to let her think about her next move, about what might happen--trying to see the branching paths of the future, to determine which one is next--will Zach come for her? Will Frei? Or will she be the next target of Igniz's power?

COMBATSYS: Mizuki gathers her will.

                 [            |||||||||||||||||| ]
                 Mizuki           1|------=|=======
[             \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////////     ]
Zach             1/-------/=======|====---\-------\0             Frei
                 [ ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
                 Igniz            0|-------|------=


COMBATSYS: Frei blocks Igniz's Red Noah.

                 [            |||||||||||||||||| ]
                 Mizuki           1|------=|=======
[             \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////        ]
Zach             1/-------/=======|=======\-------\0             Frei
                 [ ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
                 Igniz            0|-------|-----==


Well, fate has spoken, and Frei is next in line to feel Igniz's wrath. Fortunately for him, everyone has chosen to stay back and not attack this time around, apparently, which gives the sword-sage ample time to defend against Igniz's sudden tripping assault. It comes far too quickly for Frei to be able to avoid it. The tendrils send the white-haired fighter up into the air, but they don't send him back down to the ground in an ungainly sprawl; instead, he rights himself in midair and lands in a crouch, hand pressed into the floor. That hurt... but it could have been significantly worse than it was.

Standing up, Frei observes his opponents, but his mind is elsewhere. That's the second voice he's heard, and the second time his chi has returned to him, if only for an instant. Once is an isolated incident, twice is something else entirely. Maybe... maybe what he's doing will pay off.

Part of him wants to stay where he is, but his words to the... voice... echo in his own ears. 'I need to move.' Deciding to trust to that instinct, he leaps immediately to the attack, switching targets back to Zach. Driving in with all the speed he can muster, Frei pivots on one foot and twists, looking to turn roughly 180 degrees and then slam the blunted sword into Zach's knees in a downward slash at a complex angle... perhaps that'll make defending against it slightly more difficult.

COMBATSYS: Zach blocks Frei's Random Strike.

                 [            |||||||||||||||||| ]
                 Mizuki           1|------=|=======
[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////        ]
Zach             1/-----==/=======|=======\-------\0             Frei
                 [ ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
                 Igniz            0|-------|-----==


Zach simply blasts more energy out, creating something of a cushion to slow the blade down as he lowers his center a bit. Instead of catching the strike on the knees, he simply gets charlie horsed like nobody's business. He lets out a grunt of pain as he looks at Frei with a frown. This is definitely a change in fighting style from what Zach remembers, sword notwithstanding.

Zach shifts his feet quickly, adopting a bastardization of the classic horse stance as he uses the shift in weight to drive his fist towards Frei's chest. A moment before the punch hits the striking point, that all but trademark purple guantlet flickers into existance before disappearing just as quickly. It lasts long enough to impact if the move hits, however...

There's an essential question that must be asked--is it better to try and take Frei down a little, to even things out, or is it better to try and take Zach out completely, to lower the risk of the psionic coming after her? Mizuki's left to her own devices long enough to draw out the power she'd called upon, and with that done, she thinks for just a moment, before making her choice.

As Zach performs his lunging attack at Frei, the miko runs forward--choosing to attack Frei again. She does feel guilty about double-teaming him, but he has to know that it's the 'logical' choice. When she comes in, she throws herself into a spinning kick sequence--planting her right leg, scything her left out in a low sweep kick--and then springing upwards and bringing her right around in a right roundhouse, leaping off the ground briefly.

Again there's little flash to the sequence, in terms of power usage, but the skill is pretty impressive nonetheless...

COMBATSYS: Mizuki successfully hits Frei with Fierce Kick.
- Power hit! -

                 [            |||||||||||||||||| ]
                 Mizuki           1|------=|=======
[                \\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////              ]
Zach             0/-------/------=|=======\===----\1             Frei
                 [ ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
                 Igniz            0|-------|-----==


COMBATSYS: Frei counters Burst Strike from Zach with Shijin no Ten'i EX.

                 [            |||||||||||||||||| ]
                 Mizuki           1|------=|=======
[                    \\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////              ]
Zach             0/-------/---====|===----\-------\0             Frei
                 [ ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
                 Igniz            0|-------|-----==


The highs, and the lows. That's what we're experiencing here today.

Apparently after building up their respective lightshows, both of Frei's opponents decide to doubleteam him. In Mizuki's case, it works spectacularly well. The sword-wielding sage is still feeling a little woozy from Igniz's assault, and he turns toward the spinning kicks far too late to make an effective defense. Left with few options, he tries to step out of the way and instead simply steps into the path of one of the spinning kicks, the series of strikes slamming into him with crushing force. In fact, his unfortunate attempt at evasion positions him such that one such kick hits him square in the back of the head.

He's seeing stars when he recovers from it, and ends up staring down Zach's glowing purple fist as it comes his way. It's just as bad as in Mizuki's case; he's so close, there's so few defensive options. But perhaps it is this heightened sense of danger that works in Frei's favor. Drawing on his mother's training, he doesn't try to run away; instead he hurls himself *into* Zach's attack in what appears to be a suicidal lunge... but which is not. At the last second he pivots, and in one swift motion brings the hilt of his blade up and into the bottom of Zach's wrist at a nerve cluster that, for a moment, sends a jolt of sharp, debilitating pain through the psychic's entire body.

Frei, in a surprisingly simple motion, takes the opportunity to slam Zach to the ground in an aikido-style throw, before stepping back and getting into stance. Apparently he can do flashy after all.

The fight seems to be really heating up as Igniz finds, as both fighters begin to come down upon Frei in a timely manner. Igniz's smile curls even more delectably as he sits back to watch. All parties find themselves at a crossroads with a chance for victory.

The hand of truth once more comes to a complete stop, aiming down upon Frei's number once more. He was hired to keep things interesting, and keep things interesting he shall.

"I am unsure of who will win. The beginning was entirely boring. I would not be surprised if we lost half our audience then," Igniz says, "but those who stay may yet have an interesting stay." The god of NEST continues as he once more turns towards Frei. Today, the pointer does not seem to like him. That is fine.

Igniz grasps onto his podium infront of him and without much effort, pulls it out of the set before hurling it towards Frei.

Zach is slammed to the ground with thunderous impact after getting his move completely stuffed. He groans as he tries to get his feet back under him. He wobbles to his feet and shuffles back. He needs to get out of Frei's range. Hell, he needs to learn what Frei's range even /is/ now.

Staggering back, Zach still has one move to fall back on. He whips his arms up, forming the psycho-powered sheets to provide a falling wall between himself and the would-be sword sage.

Okay, -now- that's a bit much. With Igniz's wheel landing on Frei again, and Zach choosing to focus on the sword-wielding monk, the miko is free to let her friendships determine her next move--and that move is towards Zach--pushing off, she flings herself through a low leap to her left, trying to flank the janitor. Instead of attempting ot close with him, though, she whips her right arm around in a slashing motion, leaving a trail of silver behind.

That trail suddenly extends, forming a glass-like shard of icy chi, a long, triangular projection that is aimed to take Zach right through the chest. It won't do any physical damage, but the icy touch of chi might be enough to take him down. After that... Frei--if she hits. Nothing's guaranteed in battle, especially with a wildcard like Igniz watching over them, ready to execute--perhaps literally.

COMBATSYS: Frei dodges Zach's Pile Smash.

                 [              |||||||||||||||| ]
                 Mizuki           1|------=|=======
[                     \\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////                 ]
Zach             0/-------/---====|===----\-------\0             Frei
                 [ ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
                 Igniz            0|-------|-----==


COMBATSYS: Igniz successfully hits Frei with Large Thrown Object.

                 [              |||||||||||||||| ]
                 Mizuki           1|------=|=======
[                     \\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////                       ]
Zach             0/-------/---====|=======\=------\1             Frei
                 [ ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
                 Igniz            0|-------|----===


For someone who appears to have lost his chi, Frei makes -- for the second time this evening -- a surprising light show. Two attacks coming his way... and while he was untouched at first, he's twice been the target of Igniz's randomized wrath. The fatigue of dealing with being doubleteamed, then doubleteamed again is catching up with him, and it shows. He really, really does not want to take both of these attacks on the chin at the moment. Drawing deep on reserves he wasn't aware he had, Frei taps into that same feeling of... motion, or fiery energy, or whatever that overtook him before. Flames lick inside the pupils of his green eyes as Zach's not-quite Kasane Ate slices through the air near him. Frei dives to the side, dropping to the ground in a sideways roll that causes the psychic attack to pass harmlessly into the air.

Sadly, a giant object like a podium is a little harder to handle, and as Frei stands up he can almost tell that he won't be saved by such a trick twice. Grimacing, he tries to hurl himself to the side again and instead gets slammed right in the chest by the projectile, flying across the arena floor and landing in a heap of debris. From mostly untouched to practically unconscious... it would appear the now relatively unharmed Mizuki's prediction has been proven decidedly false.

Grimacing, Frei gets himself to his feet and takes a few deep breaths. He doesn't have it in him to attack right now; instead he focuses on getting some feeling back into his limbs and vigor back into his step. This fight isn't over yet, and he's determined to take advantage of... whatever it is he's tapped into, before it leaves him.

COMBATSYS: Frei gains composure.

                 [              |||||||||||||||| ]
                 Mizuki           1|------=|=======
[                     \\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////                    ]
Zach             0/-------/---====|=======\-------\1             Frei
                 [ ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
                 Igniz            0|-------|----===


COMBATSYS: Zach dodges Mizuki's Hyouryuu no Kiba.

                 [              |||||||||||||||| ]
                 Mizuki           1|------=|=======
[                     \\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////                    ]
Zach             0/-------/---====|=======\-------\1             Frei
                 [ ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
                 Igniz            0|-------|----===


Zach weaves past Mizuki's ice blast, frowning as he considers his next move. Frei seems to have taken more than a bit of a beating, and there is still something very... /off/ about Frei's whole style. No time for that, he thinks as he surges towards the sword sage once more.

Zach drives an elbow at Frei's midsection before using his shoulder to attempt to topple the taller man. Half a second later, a vertical column erupts from the floor around the two fighters, lasting only a second, but long enough to be felt.

Indeed, nothing to be done about it now... Zach proves faster than her shard of ice, but she's already on the move--charging in even as Zach plows in for Frei--her feet pounding the ground, and then she leaps, tucking into a ball, twirling crazily towards Zach's position.

She won't arrive before he arrives as Frei, but perhaps not too much past that--as she reaches out, attempting to snag Zach by the shoulders, and transfer -her- momentum into him.

If she manages, she'll turn him into a pretty, spinning wheel of Zach for a moment, before she releases him into the wall opposite her, neatly stilling her own momentum to drop down in frotn of Frei. If she misses, well, then she'll be twirling past like a crazy, blue and white and red beachball, until she can land and turn to face her opponents.

COMBATSYS: Zach successfully hits Frei with Charged Combo.

                 [             ||||||||||||||||| ]
                 Mizuki           1|------=|=======
[                      \\\\\\\\  < >  ////                          ]
Zach             0/-------/--=====|=======\====---\1             Frei
                 [ ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
                 Igniz            0|-------|----===


Apparently whatever it was he did took quite a lot out of Frei, because Zach has an easy time connecting with his series of Psycho Power-imbued attacks, sending the sword-wielding sage back toward the edge of the arena, his teeth gritted against pain and fatigue. There's simply no other explanation but that he tried and failed to get out of the way. By all rights, he SHOULD be on the ground, totally unconscious... but that inner fire that's burning within -- perhaps even literally, if you look at his eyes -- still rages on. It's not going to let him go down without a fight until he is totally and absolutely spent.

Red flickers around Frei's body as he slowly stands up, moving in a slightly jerky way as if not totally in control of his limbs, and the voice resounds in his head... not the warm breeze, but a raging blaze, the crackle of a bonfire. 'Yes... rise again. Do not give up. You have held onto your hope so far, and with this power, pursue it until the end.'

He stumbles forward, tries to collect himself, and then steadies. He's not done yet. He's going to see this through to the end. Of course, he becomes less focused and more inarticulate, living on pure adrenaline as he is; Zach decided to get in close, and it's right for Zach's chest that Frei swings in one quick, brutal strike. There's still Mizuki to worry about, but... for now, he'll have to deal with what's in front of him.

Intently, Igniz watches the blaze roll by. Over and over again, there are so many things that are continously happening. Surely this fight is something that could not be forgotten so easily. Frei continues to fight, but the gameshow continues to beat him down.

Not unlike the seven times before where it had landed upon Frei, it now once more lands upon him. Igniz, not wanting to face sanctions, goes ahead and makes sure to follow said rules to a tee.

His own rules.

"No, no Pat that will not do. He is wounded and weak. I could never hurt a man who fights for so much, yet cannot protect himself in his follies. It is against my own personal morals that I hold so dear. I will not let this gameshow dominate me." Igniz exclaims, turning towards Mizuki instead in a tantalizing grin.

A strike almost unseen to the eye is leveled at her neck, attempting to knock the very wind out of her.

COMBATSYS: Zach dodges Mizuki's Medium Throw.

                 [             ||||||||||||||||| ]
                 Mizuki           1|------=|=======
[                      \\\\\\\\  < >  /////                         ]
Zach             0/-------/--=====|======-\-------\0             Frei
                 [ ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
                 Igniz            0|-------|-----==


COMBATSYS: Frei successfully hits Zach with Medium Strike.

                 [             ||||||||||||||||| ]
                 Mizuki           1|------=|=======
[                          \\\\  < >  /////                         ]
Zach             0/-------/=======|======-\-------\0             Frei
                 [ ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
                 Igniz            0|-------|-----==


Zach worms out of Mizuki's grip, but cannot react quick enough to avoid the sword strike. Zach yels out in pain as he staggers back from the fight for a moment. He frowns before staggering forward once more.

He gets a slight hop, pivoting in the air and thrusting a psychic-mailed boot right at Frei's chest before landing and gasping for air. It's apparent that he's running on fumes at this point...

COMBATSYS: Igniz successfully hits Mizuki with Medium Punch.

                 [                   ||||||||||| ]
                 Mizuki           1|--=====|=======
[                          \\\\  < >  /////                         ]
Zach             0/-------/=======|======-\-------\0             Frei
                 [ ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
                 Igniz            0|-------|----===


Igniz's strike is true, and Mizuki barely feels the pain before her breath is taken away by the strike. She feels her knees buckle, as the pain comes around, her vision blacking out momentarily. Staggering, she shakes her head, trying to focus her eyes again, her right hand going to her neck. "... the vagaries of war," she tells herself, just barely audibly. She's still up, of course, Igniz's attack not enough to take her out. Shaky on her feet, still she tries to focus her energies--having lost some patience, or knowing she's on the edge of being knocked out, she barrels for Zach again, power flaring around her hands as she attempts to slam her palms into his chest, her blue-silver chi blazing. But it isn't a single strike--it'a a series of them, culminating in a double palm strike to the jaw, accompanied by an even larger-lookign flare of her energy--after which, hit or miss, she'll drop to her knees, gasping, still fending off the effects of Igniz's strike.

COMBATSYS: Frei parries Zach's Medium Kick!

                 [                  |||||||||||| ]
                 Mizuki           0|-------|------=
[                          \\\\  < >  /////                         ]
Zach             0/-------/=======|=======\-------\0             Frei
                 [ ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
                 Igniz            0|-------|----===


If asked afterwards, Frei will admit that what followed was not on his list of favorite tactics, but rather his following the exigencies of the situation. Zach is coming at the still fiery-eyed sage with a kick that, let's face it, is likely more than enough to take him out for the rest of the fight. He doesn't even notice that his number came up and Igniz ignored it; he's focused too intently on trying to keep himself on his feet. Thus when the purple-haired psychic comes at him with that kick, Frei again follows the dictates of the Musou Tenkei style, and moves *into* the attack, heading toward his opponent...

...and right over. In a low-angle hop just enough to clear Zach's head, Frei literally does a somersaulting front jump over the kick and over the psychic entirely, landing in a crouch on the ground. When he stands up, he turns to see Mizuki making her move on the man who just tried to hit him. Striking her now seems... unsporting, but there's not much opening to hit Zach while she's in the way, and backing off while he's got such a terrific opportunity seems equally silly. Thus, Frei turns his rise from the crouch into a sudden, horizontal slash to Mizuki's side... though he does, at least, think to announce his presence with a sharp, loud "EI!" kiai.

COMBATSYS: Mizuki successfully hits Zach with Kouryuu no Ranbu.
- Power hit! -

                 [                  |||||||||||| ]
                 Mizuki           0|-------|------=
[                                < >  //////                        ]
Zach             2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|=======\-------\0             Frei
                 [ ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
                 Igniz            0|-------|----===


Zach is rapidly pummelled by Mizuki's chi laden strikes, battering and bloodying the psychic with furious intensity. Zach wobbles, and then moves to strike Frei... then maybe Mizuki...

However, the pain and sudden loss of blood (and there /is/ a surprising amount of it) is too much for Zach. He simply falls flat on his face and passes out.

COMBATSYS: Zach takes no action.

                 [                  |||||||||||| ]
                 Mizuki           0|-------|------=
                                  >  //////                        ]
                                  |=======\-------\0             Frei
                 [ ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
                 Igniz            0|-------|----===


COMBATSYS: Zach can no longer fight.

                 [                  |||||||||||| ]
                 Mizuki           0|-------|------=
                                  >  //////                        ]
                                  |=======\-------\0             Frei
                 [ ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
                 Igniz            0|-------|----===


COMBATSYS: Frei successfully hits Mizuki with Satsujin EX.
Grazing Hit

                 [                    |||||||||| ]
                 Mizuki           0|-------|-----==
                                  >  //////                        ]
                                  |=======\-------\1             Frei
                 [ ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
                 Igniz            0|-------|----===


She hears Frei just in time to avoid the full brunt of the quick slash, fading away from it, hissing as the tip catches her in the ribs. It isn't much of a strike, but its effect is magnified by the damage she's already taken. So, it's down to Frei and her, again--haven't they been here before? Probably not the first or the last time these two will face off in a match like this. The familiarity of it brings a smile to Mizuki's face--for a moent, she can even forget about the impending judgement of Igniz.

"Guess it's you and me again," she says, turning to face her friend, fingertips rippling as she regards him, her eyes intent not only on him, but especially his sword. She remembers well his ability to counterattack using the sword, but, she supposes, there's little to be done about it, other than to try and fake him out, maybe get him to react to an attack that isn't there.

Closing in on the monk, the redhead goes for a high, head-level roundhouse, quick and short--too short. That kick, a deliberate miss, lets her build momentum for a torso-level spinning roundhouse kick, one with more range that's intended to hit.

COMBATSYS: Frei blocks Mizuki's Medium Kick.

                 [                    |||||||||| ]
                 Mizuki           0|-------|----===
                                  >  ////                          ]
                                  |=======\=------\1             Frei
                 [ ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
                 Igniz            0|-------|----===


He's practically swaying on his feet, now. Frei may have risen like the phoenix spirit he's apparently communed with, but unlike the mystical firebird he isn't full-blown from the ashes... he's merely refusing to die in a very stubborn sort of way. What he really needs to do is evade Mizuki's attack and strike back to bring things to a decisive end, but the miko is hazy in his vision. Zach falling registers, barely, to the extent that there's a threat missing from the battlefield but at this point, Frei is working mostly on instict and intuition. Thus when Mizuki launches her feint and followup, Frei falls back on his usual method of defense: throwing up an arm to block both hits. The final one still hits quite hard through his defense, sending the white-haired fighter stumbling backwards and then to his knees.

Where he refuses to stay.

"Looks... like..." Frei says, forcing himself to his feet and getting an unsteady grip on his weapon. Yeah... another duel, just like before. And this time he has a... well, a burning inside, physically and emotionally. A need to see this through. "Mizuki..." he begins, then shakes his head. No. He'll say what he needs to with his blade. The scabbard is gripped with one hand, and Frei sets one leg back, giving Mizuki an intent expression. "Musou Tenkei ougi..."

And then he's charging. When he gets near his opponent, Frei makes a critical change to most battou strikes; he leads with the left foot and makes a sudden, swift horizontal draw. "Suigetsu!" If the first strike hits, however, Frei doesn't stop; he plants his right foot, turns, and using the incredible force of the first blow, spins to deliver a second at the same angle of attack for a crushing combination of blows. But will it be enough to fell Mizuki?

Igniz once more feverishly awaits the victory of defeat of either Mizuki and Frei. He awaits the end of the universe of the birth of his nation. Most of all, he must await for either combatant to find themselves victorious.

And now, it is his chance to meddle in the afairs of mortals as the arrow once more points to ... 2.

Igniz prepares to move, but then simply floats there, amused.

"No, no, I have no hand in this. This is up to both of you."

COMBATSYS: Mizuki dodges Frei's Suigetsu.

                 [                    |||||||||| ]
                 Mizuki           0|-------|----===
                                  >  /////                         ]
                                  |=------\-------\0             Frei
                 [ ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
                 Igniz            0|-------|----===


The two friends are engaging in a level of dialogue deeper than words can reach. And yet, she isn't sure what he was going to say, her white-haired monk friend--still, Mizuki acknowledges the unsaid words with a nod. This fight... it may be an SNF, but it's also a way to express oneself, friend to friend. Frei's inward rush, the horizontal slash of the weapon, it all comes so fast. But to Mizuki's heightened senses, it isn't as fast, though she feels somewhat mired in it as well, with just enough time, just enough foresight, to recognize the attack for what it is.
The tingling sensations she feels herald the fading of the fatgiue induced by Igniz's attack, giving her a boost of confidence.

She holds Frei's gaze for a moment, then switches fighting tactics, pressing her hands together--almost clasping them, really--as she comes in on approach, twisting left and right to attempt to pummel Frei into submission with a flurry of strikes from her elbows, culminating in a swift, elbow uppercut that's targetting the man's chin, one of the most vulnerable spots, if it can be hit properly.

COMBATSYS: Frei parries Mizuki's Aggressive Strike!

                 [                   ||||||||||| ]
                 Mizuki           0|-------|----===
                                  >  /////                         ]
                                  |=------\-------\0             Frei
                 [ ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
                 Igniz            0|-------|----===


Is Igniz being magnanimous? Or does his inaction have a different agenda? Greater philosophical questions of the godling's actions may weigh on Frei's mind later; right now, there exists only the physical interchange of the fight between himself and Mizuki. Whether his number coming up means his doom or not is in a realm of conscious thought; he is acting purely on the sense of the fight. In a way, his mother would be proud of him; Frei has entered that plateau of awareness that is central to the family style, and her own way of thinking.

Mizuki's elbow strike comes in swiftly, but what it meets is Frei's saya, held horizontal and all but *slammed* into the oncoming attack. Mizuki's strike rings so hard the normally dense wooden material makes a *clng!* sound as the blade within rattles against the sides. But not only is Mizuki's assault blunted, she's left within perfect striking range; rather than using the cord and saya as he had before, Frei simply attempts to twist his leg through Mizuki's, dropping her to the floor in a tripping maneuver before following it up with a downward slash from the drawn sword. An intense clash of warriors indeed!

COMBATSYS: Frei successfully hits Mizuki with Saya Gari EX.

                 [                       ||||||| ]
                 Mizuki           0|-------|--=====
                                  >  /////                         ]
                                  |===----\-------\0             Frei
                 [ ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
                 Igniz            0|-------|----===


Frei's defense is masterful, slipping Mizuki's combination of attacks and pushing her neatly out of position. Mizuki's defense is anything but--a fraction of a second too late on moving and she's dumped onto her butt, unceremoniously, then smacked with Frei's blunted sword, an impact that takes her breath away. But he hasn't beaten the fight out of her, not yet; this she proves through the simple expediency of rolling away from her opponent, forcing her body up onto her feet, hunched over, panting. She wants to take a moment to gather her senses, to catch her breath, and she knows she doesn't have that chance.

There truly is nothing to say that her fists can't express with much more honesty and accuracy; to that end she attempts to go after Frei with the intent to simply grab him by the arm and hiptoss him up and over and guide him to a powerful landing and the admiration of her parents. She is struggling, though, clearly on the last ragged edge of her ability to fight.

She'll never say that Frei was too easy-going to push her to her limits--in this fight and their last, he pushed her with every step, and it's a pressure she still hasn't forgotten...

COMBATSYS: Mizuki successfully hits Frei with Quick Throw.

                 [                      |||||||| ]
                 Mizuki           0|-------|--=====
                                  >  ///                           ]
                                  |====---\-------\0             Frei
                 [ ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
                 Igniz            0|-------|----===


Despite all his fatigue and injuries, Frei really feels like he can do anything, right now... run, jump, fly. It's an experience fighting -- the sense of being so in tune with everything around him that it's like having a sixth sense -- that he's never had before... not with his somewhat whimsical and strange view of fighting itself. It took stepping into another person's mental shoes to open this up to him, and in so doing he's discovered something wonderful that he hadn't though possible before. That alone is worth all the pain and all of the suffering.

But epiphany aside, the fight has taken its toll, and awareness of something doesn't make it avoidable. Mizuki might be fighting off unconsciousness herself, but Frei should technically already BE unconscious; when she comes in to grab him he grits his teeth and tries to roll with the throw, but it doesn't work out very well; he mitigates a bit of the damage by catching himself on the landing, but the fight has clearly left him. For a moment, he kneels on the floor, gripping the hilt of his sword, which he holds upright against the floor as a support.

When he looks up to Mizuki's face, he's smiling... and the fire has left his gaze. "I... heard one again," he says, cryptically. "You must be... my good luck charm." He gives a ragged laugh, then hauls himself to his feet. "I can't go without... one parting shot. But... well fought, Mizuki."

For a moment, he salutes Mizuki with the blade... and then charges her for one last, final attack: a basic, predictable, but reliable slash across the torso. Whether it hits or misses, however, Frei then drops to one knee, and then to the ground, thoroughly out.

COMBATSYS: Frei can no longer fight.

                 [                      |||||||| ]
                 Mizuki           0|-------|--=====
                 [ ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
                 Igniz            0|-------|----===


COMBATSYS: Mizuki dodges Frei's Power Strike.

                 [                      |||||||| ]
                 Mizuki           0|-------|--=====
                 [ ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
                 Igniz            0|-------|----===


She avoids the last slash by dint of simply falling to her butt, her legs refusing to keep her up. It isn't graceful and it certainly isn't well-planned; she just thumps onto her butt. She does, at least, reach out and grab Frei's clothing, making sure he doesn't thump into the flooring, as well.

"You too, my friend. Very well fought indeed..." With a heavy sigh, she leans back on her palms, calming her breathing, beginning the centering process, to accelerate the speed of her own healing; the sooner she can do that, the sooner she can tend to Frei and Zach's wounds, or so she's thinking.

That will likely be taken from her as the SNF medical team rushes onto the battlefield, providing their excellent medical care. The cameras, however, are still running....

Igniz awaits, and finally, triumphantly, Mizuki is found to be the victor in this battle of wills. Igniz stands clapping in open ovation for the warrior.

Pat comes back, microphone in hand as SNF medics rush out to the scene to aid the others in a quick an effective way. Stretchers and gauze are a plenty in this mad orgy of healing. Its a family station channel and show after all! They cannot keep it over than from the moment they go on.

"Congratulations, Mizuki," Pat begins, "You've won a brand new car! We're all proud of you! You're the first ever winner on this first and only show! The ratings were great but it looks like the network is moving away from violent shows like this! It has to be about reality! Well, whatever, good luck and take care!"

Igniz continues to wear his smile even as he gets the final verdict. "I watched them all the entire way through. At parts, it was grueling. I wish I could have left but Ihave come to a final conclusion. Frei, while losing, was the most dramatic of the three. Then again... there wasn't very much to judge until later." Igniz exclaims as he himself begins to leave. "I have a great deal of other information however. I congratulate both winners tonight."

PAN OUT INTO THE STORE. The tv... goes blank!

COMBATSYS: Igniz has left the fight here.

                 [                      |||||||| ]
                 Mizuki           0|-------|--=====

Log created on 18:56:11 09/17/2009 by Frei, and last modified on 12:51:41 09/22/2009.