Bookworms and Martial Artists

Rime had truly been enjoying these festivities, as odd as he sometimes found them. They were so happy and cheery on this planet, so unusually emotional. It was in stark contrast to home, which was mostly an ice ball filled with arrogant, overly powerful nobles. There was a nice change of pace in seeing the common folk gathering and enjoying a tournament, rubbing shoulders with those of different social strata. Such a thing would be borderline impossible on Arcose, and the different way the two worlds did things fascinated him, in some odd way. He'd almost forgotten part of his more business-like intentions for being here.

His attention was caught as he moved into a crowd, seeing a man standing in a raised circle, daring someone to challenge him. Well, he didn't seem like that much of a fighter. Rime listened a little more, and realised that the man was clarifying it was a fighter he was managing, not himself. Rime wasn't sure which of the various people he was talking about, since he couldn't really get a good look. He could sense someone about as powerful as he was within the crowd, however. To him, it seemed as though that was in the individual he was talking about.

"I will challenge your fighter!" Rime spoke aloud, and some of the crowd finally moved aside for him to step into the circle. He stood calmly at the other end of the circle from the portly man, his hands behind his back as he looked towards him. The manager seemed a little unsure, but he could understand that. His alien appearance did set some people off, especially if they hadn't met an off-worlder as of yet. Still, he had received his fair share of unkind comments about being some kind of "lizard", though he didn't think he particularly resembled any on Earth, at least.

Getting a good look now, and without so many people in his way, Rime realised that the young earthling male in gloves was who the man meant, and he started some kind of speech about his accomplishments. Rime ignored him and glanced around the crowd, trying to get a glimpse of whoever it was he had been feeling. Odd - was this manager's fighter hiding his power level, perhaps? It was likely something to that effect. Yet, the power signature he felt seemed unique. Alien to him in some way.

Well, whatever. He turned and focused on the young man who was to be his opponent, who was just finishing up stretching. Better he focus on him now, right? He'd been hoping to see some of these Earth martial arts for himself, one way or another.

WC: 450

---

Power Level: 5,000

Rime raised an eyebrow curiously as the manager began pulling back his fighter, now wanting to discuss some kind of strategy. He crossed his arms over, a small smirk growing on his face ashe understood what was going on. He'd been in enough situations like this to know the setup for a hand-off, and sure enough, with his keen eyes watching, he saw it happen. A needle, with what looked like a toxin on the end of it, paralytic most likely. After all, one rarely wanted their opponent to actually drop dead. If it were him, he would go for a body blow to inject the toxin, then follow up with a real strike to the chin. Whether or not it hurt, when the body froze up, they could blame it on the chin being shattered, the shock to the jaw causing the legs and body to freeze up, not allowing a still-conscious fighter to get up. He'd seen that plenty of times before, even been the one doling it out or taking it.

As the young man readied himself to fight, getting into position with his fists raised and with the needle prepared, Rime suddenly put up a flat palm, confusing his opponent and on-looking as he spoke. "Before we fight, I do have one declaration." There was a dark look in his eyes, more meant as a simple intimidation tactic than anything else. He wanted to accomplish on two fronts; to see if his opponent had the mettle to face him down, and to force the mental recovery to be as long as the physical if he did have it. "By the time that you lose this match, I won't have thrown a single punch."

The fighter recoiled in confusion and frustration for a moment as members of the crowd let out small cheers or just quickly muttered amongst themselves, wondering how exactly he could do that. Rime, however, just smiled condescendingly at his opponent, who grit his teeth and yelled as he rushed forward. Sure enough, here came the body blow attempt. He remained still, letting it get closer. Closer. Come now, just a couple seconds now.

He waited until he saw the glint of it, and then suddenly grabbed. His opponent yowled in pain as Rime had gripped his arm by the wrist, holding it painfully in place as he twisted the arm upwards and back, forcing the glove upwards and making it obvious to every spectator that there was a needle sticking out of it, with an odd substance dripping from the tip of it. The fighter struggled, wincing in pain as his arm was held and stared up defiantly at Rime, who feigned shock at the needle.

"Well, I never. Just what were you planning to do with this thing? You could have seriously hurt me, you know. Still, I'm willing to be magnanimous. If you forfeit this match and admit your loss, then I'd be happy to forgive you." The young figher simply stared up, his coach shocked and silent. Rime let a few moments go past. "Are you sure? I'd much rather you simply forfeitted, which would mean that I don't have to put you in medical recovery for a while. Wouldn't that be preferable?"

There was a tense silence that was only broken by the coach's begging and insistence that his fighter gave up, but Rime could barely hear it. He was focused entirely on his opponent, who despite the pain, still stared up, never losing the fire in his eyes. Ah, very well. I do admire your courage." Suddenly, there was a swift motion as the earthling's arm was suddenly broken with a simple movement of Rime's hand. He simply let it go, the martial artist writhing in pain as he stepped over him, heading out and past some members of the crowd to reach and outer courtyard. Well, that was quite exciting. Still, perhaps he should avoid getting into fights so often. It was bad for his reputation.

WC: 669
TWC: 1119

Rime's attention was caught as someone suddenly shouted behind him, trying to get him to turn around. The Arcosian obliged, stopping where he was in the courtyard and looking back, his hands clasped behind his back in a relaxed posture. An amused and surprised smirk came across his face as he saw who it was, and he fully turned his body to face this new individual. A majin. Well, how serendipitous. He had been discussing their kind not long ago, and was loathe to find that his intelligence was quite limited on the species in general. They desired all sorts of things for all kinds of reasons, without enough consistency to really make out a theme between them. What about this individual? Did he desire just to fight someone he thought was strong, or was there something else to it?

"Ah, only because of my experience doing those kind of tricks myself, you see. It's usually quite an effective method, he just happened to come up against a rather inconvenient opponent." He could feel that the Majin's resting power level was almost identical to his own, and as he focused more on sensing his ki and understanding the flow of his energy, how it differed, it seemed that they were even closer than he thought. Their energy levels were entirely equal. That was very interesting; of course, this was only as they were casually talking. He was sure a being such as a majin had a much greater power well to pull from.

"Well, I have been trying to get involved in the tournament festivities, though most strong opponents have already entered and are thus, unavailable to a spectator such as me. Fortunately, you seem quite powerful yourself. I do like the idea, but if we're going to do this, I recommend we take it somewhere a little less populated. We wouldn't people running in and interrupting us for property damage, after all."

He seemed to rub his chin, as though trying to think of some nearby areas that they could choose, before his eyes lit up with an idea. "Follow me." The crimson energy of his aura burst around Rime as he suddenly took off into the air, flying across the sky and further out, away from where people may be. Soon enough, after flying over water for a while, he eventually came down and landed on a relatively small island, which had other islands dotting around it nearby.

"I think this will do. I'm ready to start when you are." There was a confident smirk on his face, even as he tried not to overdo it. Something in him was always trying to put psychological pressure on an opponent, however minor. Even during a friendly spar like this, or so it seemed to be.

WC: 466
TWC: 1585

---

Actions

N/A

Power Level: 5,000
KP: 6/6
MP: 0/6
Damage: 0/250%

Ah, so he was the strong, silent type. Very well, then. There wasn't anything wrong with that. Rime stood in his spot, staring back towards the Majin, the confident smile still on his face. He wondered what impression he gave? Did this being know of the rather common attitude of arrogance that his people had, and would naturally assume to include that in his strategy? Did he know nothing of the Arcosians, and that was why he wanted to fight in the first place? Whatever the case was, Rime knew that he had to be cautious. There was no way that what he felt right now was anything more than the lowest form of this creature's power. Majin were dangerous beings, and had always been known as such, whether friendly and cordial, or aggressive and bestial.

No underestimating, then. Rime brought his arms to his sides, sliding his legs just slightly apart as he let his Ki build, the stance he took helping him do that as he clenched his fists, his biceps tensing first as he lifted his wrists, then the muscles across his body beginning to show the same effort. For a moment, his musculature seemed to change, or at least, it desired to, appearing to ripple with power that begged to be released. He did not bulge or change shape, but his body started becoming more defined, his body seeming to almost come out of a resting state as it filled with ki, flowing rapidly throughout.

Rime's crimson-red aura burst around him as he focused just a bit more, his teeth now gritting as he forced the rest of his power into his body. This was difficult for him, and he imagined it was something akin to why his more naturally powerful brethren used suppressed forms. The power was difficult to contain, to keep within his own body as a vessel and prevent it spilling out, or worse - trying to break apart the vessel that it was contained in.

Soon enough, he stopped gritting his teeth and tensing so hard, though his muscles still appeared like they were flexing even as he relaxed. His aura continued pulsing around him as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, seeming to revel in the feeling of his own power. He hadn't had the chance to do this in such a long time - no matter how this fight went, he would be grateful to this mysterious majin for that. Names and formalities mattered little, it seemed, so he would skip that, simply bringing his hands up, one fist closer to his face and the other lower down at chest level, an open hand ready to catch. The confident smile disappeared a moment later as he steeled himself.

"Feel free to take the first shot, if you think you're able to land it."

WC: 497
TWC: 2082

---

Actions

Transformed to Full Power - New PL is 30,000.

Power Level: 30,000
KP: 6/6
MP: 0/6
Damage: 0/250%

Rime watched eagerly as he saw the Majin's vaporous smoke rise from his body, his body seeming to change little, but his energy flowing with a speed and strength that he hadn't felt as he did before. This Majin certainly had more power than he had originally seemed to, just as Rime suspected. Though they had a rather low form of cunning, it would be unwise to underestimate one. They were creative creatures, and their odd physiology only made that much more difficult to deal with at times. He watched and waited, his eyes suddenly opening wider as he seemed to steel himself for the sudden little slug of energy that had been flicked his way.

Having to think in order to perfectly time it, Rime's hand came up and slapped the slug of energy away, sending it into the foliage nearby and no doubt punching through a number of trees until it would eventually fade. There was a small part of his palm that still smoked after just touching it. Still, as he wagged his hand to disperse the heat, he spoke aloud again. "I assume you can hit harder than-" He stopped, looking down as he saw the Majin's arms suddenly extending up from the ground and grabbing at his legs. Well, bugger.

The Arcosian was forced to bring his hands up in an X around his abdomen as Shaza kicked out towards him, striking him enough force that he was sent sliding back further across the ground, his boots leaving marks across the ground for several feet before he eventually stopped. He took a moment to slowly lower the guard, standing up straight and taking his stance again. "Well now, I've never seen anyone use ki like that." His tone was not confident, but still had the odd, polite airs it previously carried. How did this creature manage to condense it to such a small degree that he could fire it with ease like that?

He didn't move yet, trying to predict his opponent's next move, and seemingly playing cautious. He was waiting, preparing himself for whatever was to come.

WC: 353
TWC: 2435

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Actions

Defensive Light || Countermeasures
Rime focuses on dodging and parrying his opponent's attacks, whether swaying around them with his rather swift movements or catching attacks through careful ki control and baring through it as best he can.

Power: 40% = 12,000. Negates Hard Ball entirely.
KP Cost: 2

Power Level: 30,000
KP: 4/6 (-2)
MP: 2/6 (+2)
Damage: 0/250%

Rime stood and waited, trying to study his opponent's stance and movements. Despite how chaotic and odd Majins were when they tended to fight, they did know how odd their body was in comparison was to others. He was positive that this one would make use of it to try and confuse him, to mix him up with moves and open him up for a further attack. After all, it was what he himself would do, were he in that same position. The Arcosian's eyes studied Shaza closely, trying to determine something about him. He almost looked as though he was staring through his opponent as he closely watched his movements, ducking his head to the side to avoid the stretched out punch.

For a second, his eyes widened when he realised that the pink arm was wrapping around him, but in that instant, he got it. He could understand how to fight it, at least in theory, even as he was pulled by his neck. They were no different than an Arcosian's tail, and it seemed he used them in much the same way. Rime was brought close, and moments before the Majin stomped him into the ground, he suddenly sped up, seeming to disappear and leaving only an afterimage behind.

The Arcosian reappeared behind Shaza in the air, already in the midst of swinging a kick towards his head. Whether or not the Majin was hit or dodged the hit was irrelevant, though - it was not his true attack. Instead, he tried to get tight grip on the hair-like protrusion from his opponent's head with both hands. His ki flaring, Rime would attempt to drag Shaza up into the sky with him and then rapidly spin before letting go, attempting to throw him up even higher to send him rocketing through the air.

Whether or not he got that grip, Rime pulled up to the air, intending on taking the fight up there for better or worse. A greater range suited him.

WC: 334
TWC: 2769

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Actions

Power Level: 30,000
KP: 6/6 (+2)
MP: 3/6 (+1)
Damage: 0/250%

When Rime let go, sending the Majin flying down into the earth and kicking up a dust cloud from the sheer force of the impact, he almost felt a bit shocked. He had been surprised that it worked, and he crossed his arms over as he watched down below, floating in the air with an authoritative air about him. He could barely handle how good it felt to have his full power flowing through him, the sheer thrill that it created. He understood why so many Arcosians enjoyed their power, even to the point of arrogance. Still, how could they skip on this? Once one improved, getting better, the feeling was only more potent, the sheer high it brought him to being immeasurable.

He couldn't help but have a satisfied smile on his face, until the smoke suddenly cleared below him. Rime stared down at the Majin, who looked back up at him in the same way. What was the creature thinking, he wondered? Simplistic, primal thoughts of survival and aggression? Did he consider something more meaningful, perhaps? He was curious what it could possibly be. The Majin's body stretched and he manually tilted his head, like an animal seeing something he had not recognised. Still, there was a crude intelligence in his eyes, like something had occured to him. Rime idly wondered if this one might be different.

At first, with the Majin's finger rising, Rime wondered if he was simply pointing. Instead, a smirk shot onto his face when he felt the ki condensing in the Majin's hand. "Very well. Let's go, then." He unfolded his arms, bringing a hand up in front of him as he floated side-on, his palm opened up to face right down towards his opponent.

Rime waited, showing patience until the moment he felt energy leave the Majin's body. At the same time, he fired off a barrage of Ki blasts back at him, subtly charging more ki within himself before seeing a ball of pink flesh shoot out of the created smoke, flying towards him like a powerful mace. It was too close now to dodge. In any other case, he would've been caught. He raised his hand up in the direction of the ball of flesh. "You are rather cunning, aren't you?"

Suddenly, he fired off a powerful, single ki blast, aiming it to try and tear through the Majin's arm and keep travelling like a homing rocket, following his telepathic commands to rush left, cleaving through a good amount of the ki blasts, including the slug shot headed towards him. The ki ball continued, now sent to tear through the smoke like a starving beast, with the aim of reaching the centre of Shaza before exploding.

WC: 459
TWC: 3228

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Actions

Offense Medium || Seeker Ball
Rime prepares a simple ki orb made of red energy, which continually pulses with power. With simple getures using his hands, fingers or even just his eyes, the ball follows and rushes after an opponent, attempting to slam into them and detonate.

Power: 50% (15,000) - Wins against Hard Ball's 4,000 with 11,000 Potential Damage Bleedthrough.

Variant: Homing

Power Level: 30,000
KP: 2/6 (-4)
MP: 5/6 (+2)
Damage: 0/250%