Firewater (Dion)

    The shift in momentum from him to her caught Dion off-guard- he supposed that's what he deserved for trying a move founded on an area of combat where he had little to no knowledge of in the first place. Grappling had always been a very foreign area to a more striking-based fighter such as he, but considering the same could be said for most martial artists he came across in his journeys, Dion knew that it was an area he couldn't afford to pass up. The thought of being able to control one's movements and direction through sheer physical manipulation alone sounded invaluable, and seeing as he doubted most martial artists would know how to defend a double-leg, Dion noted the need for a decent ground game for later.

    Right now, however, the wrestler-in-training worked to advance position from where he stood, Dion ready to pounce back into the fray until Jackie interrupted his initial charge. As the cunning Kami teleported behind him, the Saiyan was barely able to counter the kick that came shortly after Jackie's reappearance, being forced backwards a little ways away as his feet dug deep into the dirt to keep him stable and on his feet.

    Wincing, Dion rubbed his forearms gingerly- they would definitely be bruised in the morning. Jackie kicked like a horse, but considering the legs on the woman he should've known better in the first place. With the only two combat-based brain cells running overtime in the bartender's head, Dion's mind was moving at a million miles per minute- eyeing down Jackie's every twitch, every slight spasm in an attempt to try and find something to latch on to. 

    ... Unfortunately, he found nothing. While he was sure a more skilled fighter would have noted some form of tick or tell by now, Dion wasn't nearly at that point yet. Still, Jacie did compound on their shared sentiment just moments before- no battle was ever set in stone. There was no determinate approach that would get him through unfazed, so, the Saiyan decided to embrace such a free-form way of thinking once more.

    "How's that one saying go? 'Be water,' right? Crash and flow-!"

    A small, yet pleased smile slipping onto Dion's face at his own cleverness in making connections, the Saiyan sped forwards once more- only to seemingly disappear as his path continued straight ahead. 

    Forcing himself above what he believed to be his established limit, Dion flashed in and out of permeability, with what appeared to be dozens upon dozens of afterimages being left in his wake as a means of distracting Jackie from his true intent. A torrential whirlwind of blue and gray began to surround the woman, fierce enough to rip away the gravel beneath their very feet. After gathering enough momentum, Dion burst forth from the depths of the afterimage crowd, attempt to rip Jackie right across the chin with a vicious, Ki-clad left hook. 

    Upon impact, a deafening thud would fill the immediate area's atmosphere, Dion twisting his fist to ensure maximum contact before aiming to drop down nearly to his stomach, right below Jackie's waist. Pouring the pressure on, the ferocious fighter began to rain hell on the muscular martial artist's midsection, slamming hooks and uppercuts into the (unsurprisingly) toned abdominals. 

    Being able to do their dance so beautifully was one thing- keeping enough of a gas tank to do so for a lengthy amount of time was another.

    Dion, through his sustained body assault, aimed to see just how well Jackie fared as he dragged her into deeper waters.

    An area he remained all too familiar with. 
    
PL: 40,000 - WC: 610 - TWC: 6713

    It was hard for Dion not to snort a bit in amusement at the symbolism of the situation that the two were in- their shared yet simultaneously distinct temperaments and philosophies like water and fire crashing together in a beautiful, yet contrastingly differing display as the duo continued to trade blow after blow with each other. 

    A small frown bloomed onto the young man's face as Jackie saw right through his afterimage assault. The smoke and mirror-like display clearly not fazing the far-more experienced fighter as she countered his punch with her very own- the Saiyan left seething at the singe of fiery orange-red Ki left blazing upon his now thoroughly bruised knuckles.

    Happy to find more success with his sustained body attack, a clear grin on his face in light of the impression his shots left on her ample abdominals, Dion recoiled at the impact Jackie's knee made with his open face, a small bit of blood beginning to leak from his nose as he stumbled backwards in slight disarray. Still, his smile persisted, Dion taking a moment to wipe the red that now coursed from his nose as he said in response, "Fortune favors the bold, right? Besides, this is nothin' but an exhibtion anyways, why not try some unorthodox things? Better now than trying it against some rando' superpowered stranger trying to tear my poor little head off."

    Right before he could reply to Jackie's encouragement of him making the first move, Dion's eyes widened as a long, pinpoint accurate pillar of red, fire-like Ki blazed a path straight toward the stunned Saiyan. Taking Jackie's unspoken advice, Dion's decently quick wits moved his body before he even knew what it was doing- his left hand moving in front of him and whipping it's way back diagonally down his body as a loud snapping noise echoed from its fingertips.

    An invisible, yet still very much present current of Ki collided directly into the center of the blaze before him. Exploding all around him, Dion saved his skin from the brunt of the impact, and using the momentary pause in action, the Saiyan decided to keep on doing what seemed to be working.

    If she wanted a more range-based exchange, Jackie was sure to get it.

    Immediately, Dion began to light up the area around them with snaps- clicking his thumb and middle finger on both hands and summoning with every sound-off a powerful, yet invisible current of superpowered Ki directly at the Earthling across from him. 

    It was like a symphony of destruction- and Dion was the proud conductor, his arms winging around him with every snap and crackle. The skies above becoming littered in holes from every current that went uncontested.
    
    Wild, uncontrolled, and certainly messy- but was it effective? Only time would tell.

    One thing was for sure though, Dion was finally starting to feel the pressure a bit, and the exhaustion started to wear on his brow much more than he wanted to let on.

    Still, this fight was far from over. And he'd be damned if he didn't end it standing on his own two feet.

PL: 40,000 - WC: 529 - TWC: 7242


    It was like watching art in motion, how Jackie was able to expertly maneuver herself through the near intangible attack of Dion's near constant snap, crackle, and popping of Ki all around and at her person. While beautiful, however, it didn't do much to inspire the Saiyan's confidence. A furrowed brow of irritation forming onto his features as it quickly shifted to one of surprise, the flash of light once more encompassing his whole vision before Jackie came to reappear right behind Dion once more. This time, however, Dion was expecting it- and before she could fully get to her axe kick, the Saiyan was able to parry her leg back upwards with a sharp elbow to her shin.

    Funnily enough, though, he wasn't expecting the move that came right afterward, eyes widening and smile lengthening as he realized she went and did exactly what he had done just a few exchanges ago, a short yet audible grunt coming from deep within Dion's throat as his ankle got caught right in the middle of Jackie's sweep, sending him nearly to the ground in a heap.

    If it wasn't for the fact that he could fly, of course. Flipping about a bit midair, Dion sat floating where he stood- feet now where his head had been as he stared nearly level with the other martial artist, grinning widely as he said in a bit of a cheeky tone, "If you want us seeing eye to eye, you're gonna have to try harder than that."

    Suddenly, Dion's eyes would widen fully- the young man attempting to fire off one more Kiai straight at the woman in hopes of blasting her back with the impact so he could properly reset. Returning to a proper standing posture, Dion's attitude suddenly took a much more serious turn, his eyes narrowing in focus as his whole body became much more rigid in nature.

    "And when I say harder, I mean it."

    With those words, Dion's aura began to flare wildly once more, starting from a small, curling outline to a bonfire-like explosion all around his body as he willed the last of his power out to the surface. Muscles bulging, threatening to tear the remainder of his clothes into rags from the sudden increase in mass and solidarity, hair flaring upwards as electricity coursed in arcs all around his person. 

    The feeling out session was over. Dion would get nowhere playing patty-cake and stalling with the Kami for however long the two would be able to hold out. No, if he was going to get anywhere in his path toward greater power, he needed to feel firsthand just how far the gap was to bridge between he and the upper echelon of the cosmos' greatest fighters.

    Shouting loudly once more, the Saiyan forced every bit of strength he had left in reserve outward, readying himself for their final exchange. Gritting his teeth as he glared directly at Jackie, awaiting her response.

    "I'm not gonna get anywhere beating around the bush, Jackie! I know you've got even greater strength than that- fight me with EVERYTHING you've got!"

    "ALL of it! Because THAT'S what I'm giving YOU!"

PL: 55,000 - WC: 536 - TWC: 7778


    Dion nodded wordlessly- already having made his mind up well before the two had even agreed to spar in the first place. Truth be told, the bartender never really was looking for an even measure of skill on skill, and while it was helpful that the majority of their sparring session had gone according to Jackie's apparent plan to see exactly what she had to work with, Dion hadn't yet proven what he wanted to yet. Skill, technique, and everything else in between could be cultivated over any given amount of time. But what really mattered- the grit, the heart, the drive to move onwards through inescapable odds was something much harder to grasp, and if Dion couldn't handle fighting against the full strength of a friendly face, how could he ever learn to handle himself in a real life or death situation against a fiercer opponent? 

    This was what Dion was looking for. Not some brushing up of skill or technical know-how, but the opportunity to see just how large the mountain was to scale and to find the thing that still eluded him after all this time spent returning- and that was the assurance that he could climb to the peak of power that hung overhead in the first place.
    
    Happy, and touched that the caramel-colored Kami would allow him the chance to do so, Dion reeled his left hand back, clenching it into a fist as he dug his soles into the dirt below. Aura overflowing now in cascades of blue and white Ki that highlighted the area around them for miles on end, the emboldened bartender willed the remainder of his Ki straight into his left fist- eyes glimmering curiously as he focused all that he had into this last, cumulative strike. 

    The ground shook from the sheer accretion of Ki Dion now held within his grasp, with his entire arm now becoming encased in surging, electric blue energy as he stared onward at Jackie with a determined glare. There was no way he'd be able to keep up with her heightened speed and strength for any amount of time, so he was dead set on calling this dance here and now.
    
    "Thank you, Jackie."

    Setting his entire body to be angled toward Jackie for what he intended to be the very last strike to be thrown, Dion offered some sincere sentiment before the final curtain call.
    
    "Thank you for sharing this dance with me."

    "Now, do me a favor- and help tie a bow on this bountiful ballad!"

    With his piece having been said, Dion blasted forward for the final time in this fight, left fist driven straight ahead of him like a spearhead as his entire being was encased in a crystalline flow of brilliantly blue Ki. A mighty shout followed in tandem with the Saiyan's supercharged assault as his sheer strength made the wastes around him quake in utter terror. 
    
    Closing the distance, Dion would hope to cap their combat with one final left straight, aimed directly at Jackie's face- only to fake and go down one more time to the body once more. A good body shot would shut down any fighter's body system, and he hoped such a point would be proven true as his fist made contact with Jackie's shredded abdominal region- the radiant Ki injecting itself straight into the awaiting woman and exploding on contact. 
    
    To his surprise, Dion would be flung backward from the force of the blow, and now having completely depleted his remaining reserves, he'd float helplessly through the air, completely gassed and worn out from the overexertion of his still-healing body alongside any counterattack Jackie would attempt to mount in response. 

    Dion did what he could.

    Now it was time to see what it really amounted to.

PL: 55,000 - WC: 639 - TWC: 8417