Description: Fio poses as a high school student to infiltrate Taiyo High and runs for class chairperson. But can she defeat the one whose very essence is tied to the position?
Her disguise is flawless.
Fiolina Germi stands behind her podium, blinking owlishly at the bright lights shining down upon the auditorium stage. The student body is arrayed before them, hushed in preparation, and she takes a deep breath to steady herself. There's no need for her to be intimidated. She's survived dangerous battlefields and gotten home in time for tea. But in her heart of hearts she must confess that infiltration and subterfuge has never been her focus. That is to say, she's never thought of herself as much of an actress.
Alright, maybe this uniform is a little tight.
But here she is, with a crucial mission: to investigate Taiyo High and the relation of its students to the eerie doomsday cult that has sprung up in Southtown, the sort of nefarious non-state threat which the Ikari Warriors are called upon to face. Merely posing as a high school transfer student hasn't been enough; she hasn't been able to get much information out of her new peers. She thus came to the only rational conclusion: that she must rise to a position of authority in the student body and earn their trust.
She must become chairperson.
Thus the whole school has turned out for this confrontation. None have challenged the current chairperson in an election before. The students can hardly imagine what their world would be like without Iincyo. They might even have to learn Iincyo's real name, if it exists. But some of them are convinced it doesn't. Indeed, the hush over the crowd is born not out of respect but out of a kind of dread--
"A, ahem!"
That if Iincyo ceases to be iincyo, she might spontaneously cease to exist.
"Shall we get started?" Fio speaks into her microphone, glancing sidelong at the podium set up to her left, where Iincyo has been allowed her own microphone. "I am Fiolina Germi, a recent transfer student, and I am running for chairperson of the student body! Yaaay!" She claps for herself, then slows until silent. "So, do we begin with opening speeches now, or--"
"Debattle!" shouts one voice from the crowd.
"Excuse me?" Fio replies, blinking again.
"You debate while you fight!" another voice calls. "That's the Taiyo Way!"
"That doesn't seem appropriate to an educational institi--"
"De-bat-tle! De-bat-tle!" The chant echoes from the rafters. "De-bat-tle!"
"And that's a stupid name!!"
There's a rumor among some of the underclass about Iincyo--though it might, perhaps, be more accurate to call it a ghost story, carefully cultivated as it has been over the years by mischievous older students:
They swear that Iincyo has /always/ been there, inspiring the student body with her tireless spirit and quiet, but unshakable air of authority; how else could she have gone so long without anyone learning her name(if, indeed, she even has one anymore), or her history before Taiyo?
Occasionally, after imparting their favorite theory on how the seemingly eternal Chairperson's reign came to be and leaving their young marks to debate the story amongst themselves, the pranksters remember the bright, but oftimes reserved girl they knew in middle or elementary school--if not by name, than from the booming voice with which she'd lead the rest of her classmates in cheering for the schools' teams or singing their songs. Even more remember the fire with which she campaigned for the role, and the zeal she's brought to it ever since; imagining Iincyo as anything else is hard enough, but imagining /Taiyo/ without Iincyo is even trickier.
Iincyo herself wasn't so as worried about her position and what the loss of it might mean for her when Fio initially issued her challenge, however, as she was concerned with what might happen to her school if the /wrong/ person were to take the title from her. All along, all she's wanted is for her fellow students to have a shining example to follow amidst the chaos that has intermittently enveloped the city and a steady hand to lead them through it; Taiyo's survival is her happiness, and it's only the lack of any more qualified candidates that's driven her to take and hold the reins of leadership for so long.
Not just anyone can be Chairperson; not everybody /deserves/ it. Iincyo didn't fret for herself or the possibility of failure because her responsibility to the school demanded that she focus on more constructive things: like studying her challenger and looking for signs of her worth as a successor--and weaknesses as a rival.
Given the advantage of familiarity with Taiyo High's absurd electoral practices, the Eternal Chairperson is already in her gym uniform on D(ebattle)-Day, hands folded loosely in front of her as she quietly waits with folded arms behind her podium. The sleeves of the red jacket draped over her shoulders flutter gently thanks some combination of the air conditioning and the student body's deafening thirst for blood and rhetoric.
After allowing the chants to continue for a few rounds, she clears her throat, leans a couple inches forward, and utters an even-toned, "Excuse me," that just manages to cut through the chants--and silence them.
A moment later, she adds, "Thank you," and then slides her mic free from the podium so that she can face Fio full on. "As our fellow students have pointed out: chapter 7, section II of the school's by-laws indicate that all debates be accompanied by a show of martial prowess, so that the student body can be assured that its leaders are both wise /and/ powerful." She gives her hair a gentle flick, partially to free it from her jacket and partially to let this sink in before she continues:
"But you know that, obviously; what kind of person would run for Chairperson without being familiar with the school's rules?"
On that note, she whips her jacket off, tosses it into the crowd, then hops into a fighting posture. I'm Iincyo; I've led this school through war, rebellion, and losing sports seasons, and I've always given it everything I have! Maybe your fresh perspective means you'll be able to do a better job than I have, but you'll have to prove it!"
COMBATSYS: Iincyo has started a fight here.
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Iincyo 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Fio has joined the fight here.
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Fio 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Iincyo
Fio gapes, her glasses sliding down her nose. None of her years of inadvisably having tea on the battlefield have prepared her for this. The students are clamoring for violence and she's in the spotlight. She listens to Iincyo's resolute words with a fishlike expression. It's obvious that this girl is a superb chairperson, perhaps even the quintessential chairperson. But Fio has her mission and she cannot back down. This masquerade must continue, and Fio must triumph.
Now that she thinks about it, though, she probably has a better chance winning an election through combat than through words against such an articulate adversary. "Hah, that's just fine!" Fio pronounces, adapting quickly and her bright visage returning, turning and planting a powerful side kick into the podium before her, causing it to erupt into splinters and eliciting cheers from the crowd as a hitherto hidden cache of military weapons tumbles out. "It'd be pretty embarrassing to lose a debate to a teenager, anyway."
There follows a pause.
"I mean-- I /am/ a teenager!" she squeaks. "I am assuredly a teenage high school student. I passed the background checks with my Dad and everything."
SOME TIME AGO
Heidern glowers at a cowering Taiyo High teacher.
NOW
"There's nothing-- I mean, my perspective is-- uh--"
Fio flounders for a moment, before abruptly diving for her pile of weapons, picking up an incendiary grenade, and hurling it at Iincyo.
"Shut up!"
The grenade explodes, lighting the stage aflame.
"Whoops."
Everyone cheers.
COMBATSYS: Iincyo dodges Fio's Fire Bomb.
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Fio 0/-------/------<|-------\-------\0 Iincyo
"That's--that's /school property/!"
Iincyo's calmly determined expression becomes one of shock and outrage as the podium is destroyed--and to prove a point, no less! A point /entirely unrelated to governing the school/!
"And what's--?" Her eyes dart to the cache as it's revealed, but Fio's slip and the correction that follows cut her off from finishing the question; instead, she's left peering between the guns and the girl(/is/ she a 'girl'...?) as utter chaos threatens this civilized debattle--both in the form of Fio's squirreliness and her incendiary grenade.
"H-hey!" she shouts, running downstage as the grenade bounces towards her; eventually, she opts to just hit the deck with a desperate dive that ends with her skidding right up to the edge of the stage as the bomb goes off and sets the space between the two women aflame.
"What kind of--" she sputters as she scrambles to pick herself up. "Where did you--"
Suddenly, she is wishing she hadn't dismissed the notion of metal detectors in Taiyo's halls as 'too American'.
"Haaa--it doesn't matter...!" she resolves while briskly dusting herself off and fixing her uniform. "But now we know: a Germi-led Taiyo High is a Taiyo High /full/ of dangerous weapons!" Her eyes dart across the fire as she re-adopts her stance. "And unless those weapons are part of a school-sanctioned sport or other activity, that's something that I /just can't allow/!"
Even though there's fire separating her from Fio, Iincyo charges across the stage; it isn't so high that she can't make it over, and if her sensei could see her, he would probably appreciate her taking the opportunity to add a little flair to the fight. "Tell us why you transferred from your last school; was it for illegal arms smuggling?!" she demands before taking in a deep breath, crouching near the edge of the flames, then vaulting over them. As she sails through the air, she both unleashes an impassioned, "YAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" and throws a sweeping kick towards Fio's head.
COMBATSYS: Fio fails to interrupt Heavy Kick from Iincyo with Fio Stomp.
-* CRITICAL FAIL! *-
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Fio 0/-------/-======|=------\-------\0 Iincyo
Fio's eyes dart back and forth.
Okay, this is kind of bad. Her opponent managed to dodge the grenade, which has succeeding only in lighting the auditorium on fire, likely to become progressively more of a problem as the battle continues. Moreover, her innocence is becoming a hard sell. She really didn't think twice about busting the podium open, having done so in a burst of high spirits, but she can see upon reflection why that might have been a little excessive. Also, she has, like, all of these illegal weapons. On the other hand, the students in the crowd seem to be into it.
Time to own it.
"Ah ha ha, that's right!" Fio says, a little manic in her performance but otherwise convincing. "Elect me, and Taiyo becomes a party school where anything goes! No more staid chairperson and boring days! Crazy weapons! Spontaneous bonfires! Transfer students of indeterminate age! It's all good in Fio's Taiyo!" Most of the students look pretty dubious, seeing as Southtown basically already has Gedo for that kind of lifestyle. But many seem still into the fight, if not the pitch.
Fio snatches up her tonfa and grins at the flames before her. Her opponent is no doubt overwhelmed by this obstacle, but Fio has dealt with these kind of situations many times before. She'll rush forward and flying kick through the flames, and Iincyo will never see it coming!
"HaaaaaUUUGHHHH--"
Fio and Iincyo end up more or less simultaneously running toward the fire, but Fio leaps just a little too late, and her own flying kick entirely passes under Iincyo as she herself gets kicked directly in the face and sent hurling back with a crash into her own pile of weapons, jostling them all around. She groans and fumbles around her, reaching for another grenade. "I won't tell you anything! In Fio's Taiyo, nobody has to answer personal questions about their age or criminal pasts! Take this--"
She reaches for the grenade's pin, and finds it absent.
"--oh--"
BOOM!
When the explosion of wood chunks and dust passes, Fio remains in a pile of mostly destroyed weapons, ill-fitting school uniform torn and glasses cracked, her face blackened with soot. The audience falls silent at Fio's inscrutible expression.
Until she pumps her fist in the air. "Woooo! Crazy party!"
Everyone cheers.
Staid?
/Boring/?
Iincyo is aghast as she lands, having had her record of steady and dependable leadership twisted into a weapon by her opponent. "Taiyo needs some kind of structure," she begins to respond, "to focus--"
Her brow furrows when the wind suddenly and inexplicably seems to leave Fio's sails, but just as she begins to speculate her foe's dismay...
BOOM!
... she receives a rather loud clue as to what might lie behind it. The Eternal Chairperson throws her hands protectively over her head, and while she's far enough from the explosion to be spared the worst of it, she still has to deal with being buffeted by dust and sharp shards of wood, not to mention the shockwave itself washing over her. When it's all over, she's unhurt but shaky on her feet, and the persistent cheers are fighting with the high-pitched 'EEEEEEEEE...' in her ears for attention.
"Guh--that would--the /fire codes/--" she wobbles back and forth for a moment before catching herself, vigorously shaking her head and refocusing her eyes on Fio. "Taiyo's population can't be distracted by /grenade parties/," she stubbornly declares over the cheers that threaten to put the lie to her words. "thrown by aging transfer students with questionable backgrounds! It needs leadership and integrity--" She dashes towards Fio's position as she offers her counter point, because she means to get close enough to grab ahold of the Warrior's uniform, help her up from her pile of scrapped ordinance and fire... and then throw herself to her back and fling Fio to the relative safety of a slightly less flaming, weapons strewn portion of the stage.
"--a vote for Iincyo is a vote for a grenade-free Taiyo!"
COMBATSYS: Iincyo successfully hits Fio with Morote Seoi Nage.
- Power hit! -
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Fio 1/-------/=======|=------\-------\0 Iincyo
Kicking Fio in the face is one thing.
"Wha--"
But some attacks cross the line.
"/Aging/?"
The alleged high school student struggles to her feet, but her proximity to the blast -- as in, she was literally /holding/ the blast -- has inflicted more than just ringing ears upon her. Her balance betrays her and she stumbles as she rises, nevertheless resolutely plowing forward with her scorched tonfa drawn back, only to run right into Iincyo's grip and end up hurled across the stage again, crashing to the floor with a cacophonous thud.
"/AGING/?"
But she's still focused on what matters.
"Listen, kid," Fio intones as she drags herself to her feet, adjusting her cracked glasses, her typically cheery disposition now ominous. "I get that you're intimidated by my mature charms." She's basically just admitting it now. Well, maybe she can say she was held back some years by her overprotective father. "But that just shows that I know what these students want!"
She pumps a fist again, eyes shining.
"Forget grenade parties! Have you ever been to /any/ party? Forget leadership and integrity! Do you know how to cut loose and have fun? If you don't, how can you say you understand the students you purport to lead!?"
Fio points a finger defiantly at Iincyo, eyes wide.
"--Yeeahh, that was pretty good!"
Then she starts laughing and patting herself on the back. Fio, it's a metaphor, no one actually physically does that.
"A vote for Iincyo would be a vote--" Fio charges forward then, feinting as if to strike with her tonfa and instead turning in an attempt to shoulder-check Iincyo and topple her to the ground. "--for a /fun/-free Taiyo!" If Fio can tackle her opponent, she'll rain down furious blows before swiftly hopping away, and then suddenly appearing perplexed.
"Wait a minute-- vote for Iincyo-- but 'iincyo' is the position-- that doesn't make any sense--" Fio screws up her face, before her eyes widen and she points a finger again. "Forget my identity! Who the heck are /you/!?"
COMBATSYS: Iincyo blocks Fio's K.A.M.I.K.A.Z.E..
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Fio 1/------=/=======|===----\-------\0 Iincyo
Log created on 22:02:00 10/05/2014 by Fio, and last modified on 22:29:02 10/20/2014.