Stress Test (Chomei)

Taking a break from his work, the sun nearly having set now... Chomei paced carefully onto the streets of North City. He hoped no one would recognize him, hoping to avoid any confrontation for his previously disheveled state. It was a silly thought, given how drastically different he looked now. But there are only so many guys with pink hair, he thought wryly. It seemed years, despite only really being three or four months, since that time when all he could do was drink and waste his days away. Flexing his hands as he stepped through the crowd, he hardly remembered why he'd let himself go so far. But he did remember; However much he wanted to forget. The memory of broken promises lasted far longer than any wound.

Dusk began to spread through the colorful walkways, and he slipped through the thinning crowds as he approached the city's outer limit. Sparse groups dotted the area as he walked out along the main highway, heading out north. He'd wanted to visit his master's grave, and maybe practice in his old training grounds one more time before he finally went and finished building the Dragon School. This was to be the next big moment in his life, he decided. The turning point! 

He'd had to go through a sufferingly large amount of paperwork with the city (A result of all the fighter regulations passed by the president). Grimacing, he decided he'd give Derry a piece of his mind if they ever met. Maybe Jackie knows him? He wondered, whistling an old tune called "The Memory of Lumpy Pumpkins". But having finally gotten approval, He'd laid the foundations and worked tirelessly to quickly open up shop. All he had left now was the roofing... but after that?

He grinned, imagining a room filled with the finest of the Dragon School. That image quickly descended into chaos, as the sheer destruction of multiple people using the Dragon Style obliterated the building within seconds. He paused, cringing at the thought. I'd better reinforce everything, with like... steel, He decided, noticing a flicker of light distantly, far away from the dirt road he'd found himself on.

He found himself drawn to it, and still whistling, he walked the long distance there until the visage of a campsite made itself known to him. He approached quietly now, hands nestled comfortably in his pockets, and soon, he saw a woman with long white hair doing a handstand. She seemed to be concentrating, a martial artist maybe? Regardless... For some reason, he just watched her as she did a handstand. It didn't occur to him that this was a very weird and creepy thing to be doing in the middle of the night, until a minute or two had passed in silence. Then, abruptly clearing his throat, he said...

"Uh... Hi"

He watched silently as she gracefully reoriented, matching her stare. She approached him slowly... and he raised a brow as she appraised him. Weird girl, the wondered.

Then she spoke.

Chomei crossed his arms at that—Thought real hard about it. Huh... He wondered quietly. Am I real?

Well, he felt the chilly wind on his skin, and smelt the charred, woody smoke of the firepit. He could see near perfectly in the night, even without the aid of the flame or moon. He heard the woman's words well enough, and breath still puffed out of his lungs. "I think so?" He replied after a brief introspection. "Never thought about it, really," He yawned, scratching the back of his head. "...Depends on what you think living is," Mumbling, he glanced over the campsite, before his gaze fell on Morrigan once again.

Definitely a Martial Arts type, He decided. Those were the only ones who asked random philosophical questions. After a brief silence, she clarified herself. Chomei let out an audible "Hah!" before going on. "Of course I do! I'm Choh Om. Chomei I call myself now," He briskly walked past her and towards the fire. He'd noted that it was beginning to dim as their long silences went on. He stuck a finger into the flame—This was something he'd only recently discovered.

There was no pain—No burning—As the weak flames washed over the hand. He channeled... something? In that moment. He felt something akin to an invisible grip on his finger, squeezing, and soon the flames brightened. First into royal crimson, growing in strength, before returning to the it's original golden orange hue. "Perfect," he muttered quietly, sitting on a nearby stump.

"What about you? Are you a person?" He asked quickly.

"Morrigan huh?..." He mumbled, placing his hands on his knees as he watched the crimson flame die down a bit, losing some of the strength he'd given it. That was really the best way to put it... he gave it strength. It felt kinda like when you purposefully stiffen up your hand, to the point that it starts vibrating lightly. Except, without doing that. More and more these days, Chomei was finding new and innovative used for Dragon Force. It was getting to the point that he would venture to call it 'Magic'... Despite his distaste of that word and everything to do with it.

This felt different in his mind, a kind of magic that came from strength—Something tangible to Chomei... Rather than from thin air. Turning his attention back to Morrigan, He noticed the fierce look in her eye. She'd been watching him intently while he worked, and soon spoke up. Her question piqued his interest, mainly because he wasnt very prone to this 'Energy Sensing' business everyone seemed to be doing. He preferred seeing and hearing them with his super senses. But for whatever reason... It seemed that nobody could tell when he was using it.

A very strange thing... maybe he'd look into it. The next part of the conversation, however, took an expected turn. He'd felt the tension begin to climb slightly as she spoke. "Im not hiding anything, as strange as that might sound," He explained, standing up slowly. "But, as for strength? I'd say decently so," He said with a grin, crossing his arms. "Stronger than you, anyways... Oh, uh... Sorry if that sounded really arrogant," He said quickly.

The intense staring continued, intensified maybe. Though at this point, Chomei was beginning to think that, that was just Morrigan's default state. He breathed a sigh of relief as she spoke. He really couldn't get a read on this woman. Had not a clue what was going on in that head of hers. She began to walk away from him, only a few feet though. Chomei didnt know if it was his Dragon Sense or what—He was becoming increasingly wise about these things—But he could feel a fight brewing. Probably his fault... Why'd he have to go and say something as provocative as "I'm stronger than you" to a martial artist of all people.

Indeed, he felt his brow furrow as his suspicions were confirmed. And he was definitely sure now, her gaze nearly piercing through him. "You are forgiven," He replied, a little sarcastically. Chuckling to himself, he stood up and met the martial artist's gaze, casting a speculative glance over her form first. She was capable, of that he was certain. She suddenly asked him his style... Which was natural he supposed. "You made your own form? That's cool actually. Mine is Dragon Style. I'm sure there are a million forms out there with the same name... But mine's pretty ancient. Dunno how ancient... But that's what I've been told. And at the very least... It deserves its name,"

"Also... I wouldn't be opposed to fighting for a bit... But unfortunately, my style's a little destructive. I can't really do much without disrupting our surroundings. We might wanna go into the woods or something," He explained. Flexing his hands, feeling his knuckles pop, he waited for Morrigan's response.

"Yup... Not for lack of trying though... But that's just the way it is. It's blunted by any attempt to hold back," He explained casually, noting the woman's tone as she muttered 'destructive'. She very suddenly turned, grabbed her jacket, and began to wander deeper into the woods, commanding him to follow. A midnight duel was in the works, it seemed. He simply shrugged and followed, resting his hands in his pockets as he trailed a few feet behind her.

It seemed she'd gotten a little bored of just walking though, because with a little clearing of the throat, she began to ask about his style. He didnt take her for the type that really cared all too much about that stuff, probably just an attempt to make small-talk, he decided. Still, he did his best to satiate her boredom. "Huh? Oh, well... I think it deserves its name. Even moreso now because of recent developments. It's just always been reliable, strong, powerful. You know... the usual stuff. But uh... I truly have no clue what the fire thing is all about. I can only guess that it comes from the style itself because I'm able to gain some insight into it through fighting. It's not Ki, I know that much. Tried my luck at all that Ki stuff years ago, not my thing I think.

"But um, I'm pretty sure that fire stuff is related to my style, an evolution of it maybe? Still gotta figure it all out. It's a recent thing," He explained casually, glancing around his surroundings. They'd entered a decently open space, with trees all around. "This seems like a good place, wanna stop here?"

Though Morrigan had said it rather quietly, Chomei had heard it clear as day. He'd always had pretty good ears and senses. He doubted she meant anything by it—She seemed pretty aloof to him, the type to speak whatever came to mind. "Well... It's not that. It's more like... My style evolved? Yeah... I said that I think. It had stagnated for a while, and suddenly—I'm able to do all of this! It's a little overwhelming. Scary even," He replied, glancing around at the surroundings.

"But yeah, I'll definitely try some stuff out here," He replied, settling on their fighting grounds. Morrigan seemed to like it also. "No prob," He replied simply. "And don't worry, I'll try not to hurt ya'"

He noted the change in her eyes as she started to warm up. Yup, definitly a martial artist, he smiled. She seemed ok to go whenever, bouncing around. Chomei crouched down into his signature stance. He gave her a quick nod, acknowledging those words, and then rushed at the white-haired fighter with a burst of speed. The Dragon Style was all about strength and initiative... So if this martial artist was gonna give him that? Who was he to say no.

He'd start off light, curling his arm back, and launching a flurry of palm strikes at the woman.

They exchanged a series of blows, gauging one another's strength. Chomei went hard at first. That was how he fought after all—Powerful attacks equate to a powerful defense. He thought he was getting the better of her, managing to find a crack in Morrigan's defenses. His strike burst right through, and she recoiled from the force of it. She dropped quickly after, and for a moment he thought maybe he'd gone too far. Then he found himself flipped upside-down. He felt a poignant pain in his side as he slammed back into the ground, rolling in the air and skipping across the cold dirt. Bursting through a line of trees, his hand shot suddenly into the rocky ground.

He scraped against it, his speed slowing tremendously. His other hand jutting into the ground as well, he eventually came to a complete stop. He was smiling he realized, huffing a little. Gritting his teeth with effort now, Chomei tore a massive chunk of ground from between the roots. He lept into the air, reaching out with his danger sense to try and pinpoint Morrigan's position. Holding the 'boulder' of rocks above him, his eagle-like eyes spotted that familiar white hair through the canopy. Heaving with all his strength, and tapping into the Dragon Force, an aura of flame-like energy encircled the boulder. He lobbed it down. A flaming meteor was soon rocketing down towards the Martial Artist.