[hr][h1][i]Megan's Group.[/i][/h1][hr] [U][I]Havenfield Market, Roseview.[/I][/u] "Looks like we're all settled in!" Megan loudly announced. "Yeah, into a pair of shitty motel rooms." Ray answered with a roll of his eyes. He was sitting on the bed in this motel that Megan simply [i]demanded[/i] that they stay in. Yet, he knew that there were [i]worse[/i] motels, in [i]worse[/i] places within Baybridge. He merely crossed his arms. "Just for now... you know how much of a pain in the ass it was to find a motel with a [i]reliable[/i] owner?" Megan asked. "They don't come cheap... And I would know! Had to pay him." "Just so he doesn't rat us out?" Ray asked. "Not to DOVE, not to RAVEN, not to the Hands, not to the Pure...." Megan answered with a smile as she walked over to the bed, and sat down on it. "Not anyone." From the other side of the room, sitting down on a chair with his laptop on his lap. "Should provide sufficient cover. However. Suggestion. Do not lull in this area for too long. No. No matter how reliable owner is. They will find other ways." "... Which is why I found us a [i]lot[/i] of cheap motels!" Megan answered. "So..." Missy asked from the other side of the room, sitting on the bed. "What's our plan?" "Simple, simple, simple..." Megan answered. "... I've been tracking the Hands of Science's executive Nathaniel Thorne. He's operating in this city [i]somewhere[/i]." Everyone looked at Megan. "I have a feeling that he's out to recreate the Hands, or he's working for someone bigger - which is why we're going to gather intel before wiping the floor with him!" Megan first said, before she began to tap her chin. "Which is why Rush is devising a little virus that'll get us into his network, and allow us to spy on him, and decide what the best course of action is from there." Missy shrugged. "Whatever works." "Quick question." Rush asked as he was typing away at his computer. "Why so adversed to the festival? Excellent way to gather data-" "Just no." Megan cut Rush off, and spoke in a tone that was very stressed. "Just trust me, the [i]last[/i] place we want to be is there." Rush looked at her for a moment. "Will take your word." "Good." Megan answered. "We'll get started tomorrow!" [hr][i][h1][color=red]Meifeng Zhao[/color], [color=Springgreen]Cindy Keagan[/color]. [color=dc143c]Maxine Diaz[/color], [color=fff200]Alice Barrett[/color], [color=gray]Quentin Taylor[/color], [color=darkslateblue]Reed Taylor[/color], & [color=cornflowerblue]Shizuka Takashiro[/color].[/h1][sub]Written in collaboration with [@Zombiedude101], [@Tsukune], [@FernStone] & [@Nosuchthing][/sub][/i][hr] [U][I]RAVEN/DOVE West Coast Joint Headquarters, White Coast.[/I][/u] "Okay..." Cindy said into her phone as the collective RAVENS and DOVES sat in the meeting room. A large room with fancy wooden paneling, and a large round table in the center of the room. Best of all, it had a massive window which gave everyone a great view of Baybridge (Being on the top floor of the Headquarters), which Quentin himself took a moment to appreciate before he sat down. Cindy herself was leaning up against the table while she talked into the phone, and going off her tone, she was less than pleased. She had a hand on the table, which was scraping the wooden cover with her nails. "Alright, I'll get back to ya' later." Cindy said before she hung up the phone. "[i]UGH![/i]" She loudly exclaimed. "Okay, [i]that[/i] was a complete disaster...." Cindy groaned. "This is going to be [i]all over the news[/i]." "Not to mention all over town," Reed quickly added, leaning forward in his seat with a grunt. "I wouldn't call it the best impression to leave on people at a time like this." Particularly when it came to RAVEN, much to the expected consternation of his brother. True to that, Quentin soon spoke up as well. "It's a hole in our security. Granted, it's small, but that's beside the point." "I'm [i]still[/i] trying to wrap my head around how she got away from us [i]that[/i] easily..." Meifeng said, while sitting in her chair, playing with her thumbs. "Eh, I guess it doesn't matter - long as we find her of course." "Meifeng," Cindy started off, adjusting her oval shaped glasses. "You don't get it, it doesn't [i]just[/i] make RAVEN look bad, it also makes DOVE look bad - along with Metahumans as a whole." She rolled her eyes up into her head. "First, machoman pretty much sexually harasses a girl, and incites a fight with her. Second, the girl is unregistered, and assaults a government official in a place [i]she shouldn't even be in[/i]." Cindy sighed again. "In a party full of Saviors, you know exactly what those racist bastards are thinking," Cindy started off, adjusting her glasses. "Oh, DOVE isn't doing their job! They're supposed to be [i]preventing[/i] things like this in the first place! Look at this out of control Metahuman!" Cindy said in a mock-tone, before rolling her eyes yet again. "She's not wrong." Reed said in agreement. "And that's without adding fuel to the meta-superiority crowd. If things keep heating up like this, it'll be like '92 all over again." "Worst of all, when we brought her into station... she just vanished into thin air. Poof. Without a trace... which gives me an idea that she can clone herself, or has help...." Meifeng had to sigh in response. "Okay, do we have any clues as to who our mystery brawler is?" She asked. "Lots of 'em," Cindy said. "First I did was check in with the entrance guard, she signed in at the entrance - I don't know if it was stupidity, or something else - her name is Reyna Baker. I managed to dig a little bit more information about her and she's from Maine, and she's quite the trouble starter. A few trespassings, and she's suspected a few other crimes in her home state, but whatever." Cindy shrugged. "Seems like this whole shitstorm is the biggest offence." Cindy nodded her head. "The [i]other[/i] big thing that we managed to recover was her motorcycle. She just left it there in the parking lot. It's currently in our garage." "So? Is there a warrant for her arrest or something?" Meifeng asked. "Course there is. I put one out the second I realized she wasn't in Headquarters." Cindy replied. "But, let me continue... [i]many[/i] valuables went missing in that little VIP are... I feel like there's a [i]lot[/i] more to Miss Baker than we thought." Cindy gave everyone a look. "I get the feeling that she either was in there to make off with some goods, but that doesn't make sense because... She would have to ." "Yeah, but..." Meifeng scratched her head as she thought about it. "...why the hell would she give her [i]real[/i] name, and leave her bike in a place we can find it... if she's in a thief ring?" That question stumbled Cindy for a moment. She simply just stared at Meifeng. "Know what?" Cindy said. "Let's just find this girl, bring her right here, and question the ever loving hell out of her - because I don't know how else we're going to get any answers." "You want my opinion?" Reed asked, before deciding he'd give it anyway. "Cindy, you were right about her being a distraction - but I don't quite think she was directly involved. From the sounds of things, it was a case of the right time, right place. [i]Opportunist[/i] is our key word here." Cindy sighed. "And as for Eddy Styles... after Jade's done fixing him up - he's suspended for a month without pay..." Cindy grabbed her glasses. "... Orders came straight from Maximilian himself. He wants to make an example outta him." "God dammit, Eddy..." Quentin face palmed at hearing the name, whilst Meifeng rolled her eyes. Both of them had served with Eddy during the crusade against the Hands of Science. "The guy was a jackass anyway. I'm [i]almost[/i] tempted to let little Reyna off with a warning." It didn't surprise Meifeng that he was the one who started this, but at least he was getting what he deserved. This earned her a look from Cindy. Max had remained silent while Cindy and Meifeng talked, mostly trying to avoid eye contact with all of the other agents around. She wasn't in the mood to be in a meeting like this. Still she couldn't help but say something. "How do expect us to find her if we couldn't even keep her in a cell?" "Well..." "[i]Cindy.[/i]" Meifeng chimed in, as a way of telling her to shut up. Sighing, Cindy turned her head to Max. "The same way as always - we keep our eyes peeled, and our ears to the ground... If she hasn't split town by now." She shook her head. "Even then... she still has a [i]lot[/i] of states to cross." Meifeng said as she leaned back, and put her arms behind her head. "So, just put out an alert for her, and we'll find her in no time." "I guess so." Cindy answered. Alice leaned back in her chair, a plate half full of donuts in front of her. It had been intended for the table of agents, but apparently the sight of Alice attacking a one as if it had personally offended her had been enough to put most of them off. She brushed crumbs from the front of her blouse. "Doesn't fit, minor misdemeanors then she starts a fight with a RAVEN agent? Clearly she's an idiot." "That is correct..." Cindy agreed with Alice. It didn't quite make sense to her either, but that's why they're going to get the answers out of her. "I don't know what the hell is even going on anymore - let's just bag Reyna, and get this over with. We have more important things to do." Cindy looked among her group. "I doubt a [i]mastermind[/i] like her would be hard to find." Shizuka had reclined back into his seat throughout the meeting, not paying much attention to the chatters among the agents (all he wanted was to get out of this room ASAP). As far as he was concerned, it was just a petty incident that didn't require wasting everyone's time here to hear the big shots squabbling at the front. He sighed and combed a hand through his hair. He didn't know if he should feel amused or pissed that they were all here for a major meeting... about some dumb thieving [i]ants[/i]. Personally he could care less about some insignificant swindlers compared to the actual big bads like the Pure and the Allegiance; but if he, an officer working for a law enforcement agency, did not do his part to uphold the basic rules, then it's less likely the common folks would do the same. Whatever. More importantly... [i]There goes my vacation leave.[/i] "Gir--- [i]Ladies[/i]," he finally spoke up, sounding more annoyed than he intended. He paused to recollect his composure, then he continued, "Before this meeting drags on to nowhere, let's just wrap it up here and now: we'll all go out and bring this Baker girl in for questioning first, [i]then[/i] we can continue to argue about what to do with her and her companions... after we get the info we need out of her mouth." [i]Instead of wasting their time here chatting idly or fighting among themselves over stupid things[/i], he thought, forcing down the urge to roll his eyes. "I guess you're right." Cindy said, in a less than bitter way. She's finally starting to realize that she's just going in a circle on this matter. "We're better off checking out any cheap motels in Springtown, and et cetera - I don't think [i]any[/i] Metahuman would hang around Brookarces, so we can cross that off the list." Shizuka bobbed his head in agreement to Cindy's words, very much relieved that the [i]long[/i] meeting was finally coming to an end. "Let's just get a move on and get to the bottom of this... unless anyone else has somethin' to say; meeting adjourned." [hr][h1][i][color=gray]Quentin Taylor[/color] & [color=red]Meifeng Zhao[/color][/i][/h1][hr] [U][I]RAVEN/DOVE West Coast Joint Headquarters, White Coast.[/I][/u] Moments after the group had all but filed out, Quentin gestured for Meifeng to hold on for a moment before they left. Meifeng was quick to stop for a moment, and look at Quentin, "Yeah, Quent?" "It's been a while," he folded his arms, a smile softening his normally cool demeanour, "How's things been? Haven't seen you since... yeah." Quentin thought it better not to bring up Prague just yet, memories of the city's burning still fresh in their minds. "It's... been fine, I guess. I've been trying to take my mind off things." Meifeng shrugged. "I kinda feel bad that I went off the grid for awhile - pissed off a [i]lot[/i] of my friends." She said with a awkward laugh. "You had your reasons. [i]Good[/i] reasons, actually." Quentin interjected, "Your friends'll learn to stick by you and understand them too, or not. Fuck 'em if they don't I guess. No offence." "Yeah... I tried to make up for lost time with Lihua and Lijuan," Meifeng scratched the back of her neck. "But, that whole shitstorm put me right back on official duty." "Tell me about it." Quentin rubbed a palm along his jawline, sighing. "It'll be good to have you back, though. RAVEN's not the same without our 'Rogue Wave', y'know," he added with a chuckle. "Good that you're wanting to spend time with them, though. Family's important, and I know your Mom's always cared more than she lets on. How's she doing, anyway?" "She's doing very good, actually... Well, there was that whole shitstorm with Lijuan that I... missed." Meifeng said, regretfully. Quentin's brow arched at that, "I think Reed mentioned something about it, but he wouldn't go into detail. But, if you ever need some backing on that front, you can always rely on me to twist an arm or two." "Nah, I've got [i]that[/i] front covered." Meifeng crossed her arms. She, like her mother, didn't really enjoy help on such personal matters. "But, thanks anyway." "Anytime." Quentin shrugged. "Say, do me a favor - give my regards next time you see her." "Will do." Meifeng said. "And one more thing," Quentin added, "It's good to have you back." Meifeng smiled. "... Same. Same Quentin." After that, the two went their separate ways. [hr][h1][i]The Next Day.... 4:28 PM.[/i][/h1][hr] After the ceremony, everyone went home, and the night proceeded as usual. The following day was bright, and sun. The perfect weather for the summer, and for people to go out to enjoy it. However, on this particular day, it was not going to be peaceful. [hr][i][h1][color=dodgerblue]Lihua Zhao[/color].[/h1][/i][hr][hider=Massive Attack - Flat of the Blade][youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAIOQMJAzxE[/youtube][/hider][hr] [U][I]Greencrest Heights, White Coast.[/I][/u] A scream escaped Lihua's lips as she suddenly awoke - putting her hands over her mouth on reflex so she doesn't wake up Lijuan. She grabbed her forehead, and started taking slow and deep breaths of air. Trying her damn best to calm herself down. Her head gently turned towards the right of this dark room, her alarm clock told her that it was three AM. Far from when she's supposed to awaken. Her bed was utterly soaked with a cold sweat. Tears began running down her face. She looked down, and watched the tear run down her cheek and hit the bed. It was one of those nights. She was stronger than this. For everything she's been through, she can't let one bad dream cause her to stop. Yet, she was getting overloaded with thoughts, worries. Everything just pouring into her all at once. Her breathing rate increased. God damn it... She almost curled up into a ball. She needs to get a hold on herself. Just... go have a walk around the house. Grab some water. It was just paranoia dictating this action, but she reached underneath her pillow, and pulled out her gun... A Smith & Wesson 686. A powerful firearm. She got up out of the bed, and started strolling towards the door. She was going to grab her bathrobe, but she decided against so. She simply opened the door, and started walking with her revolver in hand. Nothing felt right - her heart was racing, and she could barely pay attention to her own damn footsteps. Lihua just went for the bathroom, and gently opened the door. Closing it behind her with a foot, she flipped on the lights. She kept walking all the way over to the sight, and pried open the medicine cabinet. Lihua grabbed a pill bottle... Sertraline. A PTSD drug that those damn doctors told her to start taking. This was going against the god damn instructions, but Lihua opened the cap, and took a few of the pills, putting them in her mouth. Her hand went under the faucet, and she turned it on. Lihua cupped her hand full of water, and then swallowed the pills. In hopes that they would do something- Who was she kidding? This isn't an instant cure for all of her problems. In fact, these pills didn't do [i]shit[/i]. No matter what pill she fills herself up with, what therapy she takes where she talks about her "feelings," or whatever other nonsense she's told to do - [i]Nothing. Ever. [b]Works.[/b][/i] For crying out loud! She was just the same as she was seven years ago. Just this time, she changed the way she sees the world - but that didn't help with all these god damn nightmares, flashbacks, or whatever the hell you want to call them. A pit of sorrow overcame Lihua as she slump down against the wall, and put both hands on her head, as she tried to figure out what the hell she was going to do. She loudly groaned as she kept breathing in and out. In, and then out. Yet, she knew that she couldn't give up this easily. Lihua got up from the floor, and started walking towards the exit, and then she took a left. A few steps allowed her to quickly make her way over to Lijuan's room. She grabbed onto the doorknob, and slowly opened the door, which gave her a good look at her young daughter. Sleeping like nothing was ever wrong. Oh, she looked so beautiful as she rested. Lihua couldn't help but stand in the doorway, leaning up against the door frame, as the presence of what motivated her calmed her down. She couldn't give up with Lijuan's life at stake here. Lihua couldn't cave in until Lijuan saw [i]everything[/i] life has to offer. Letting out one final sigh, Lihua took a step back and closed the door just as she began to awaken her daughter. She could have went back to bed, but she just needed something to drink. First thing she did was tuck her revolver into her underwear (After making sure the safety was on), she then decided to go downstairs, and stepped into the kitchen. With one flick of her wrist, she managed to turn the lights on, and then walked over to the refrigerator. Opening the door, Lihua leaned in, and then grabbed a pitcher of water out. Stepping over to the cabinet, she pulled out a cup. She lazily filled the cup with water as exhaustion was beginning to finally creep up on her. Once it was full, she put the pitcher of water back in, and enjoyed her ice, cold, water... The cup slipped out of her hand as her eyes drifted over towards the window. A face - if she could even call it that - white as paper. Staring at her. There wasn't even a lot of time to look at it before she whipped out her pistol and aimed at it... then the figure disappeared. Vanished into thin air like it was nothing. Lihua didn't know if she was seeing things, or... But, every cell in that brain of hers was telling her to go investigate. She quickly ran out to the door, grabbing a flashlight that she keeps by the door, with her pistol in hand, and aimed both in front of her as she walked around her house to investigate. When she arrived, there was nothing. There was no one there. Lihua grabbed her head, and started shaking it. She wasn't sure if she was losing it, or there was actually a problem... One thing's for sure; She was going to arrive at work a little later today. [hr][U][I]Academy 61, Roseview.[/I][/u] It took a few hours for the woman to compose herself, and get ready for her job. While she has various... problems, she couldn't let them hinder her that much. Lihua just needed some time to gather herself. She pulled up to the front gates of the Academy in her SUV, and then she grabbed her cup of coffee as the gates opened and then Lihua managed to roll the vehicle inside. Fortunately, the staff had their own special parking spaces, so searching for a place to park was no trouble. Bringing the vehicle to a stop was the first step, then Lihua put her long legs outside the vehicle, and closed it behind her. With a bag of files and whatnot slung over her shoulder. There was a slight exhaustion in her eyes for staying up way later than she should have. But, she had to stay alert just in [i]case[/i] it wasn't just a hallucination. Either way, everything looked good, and Lihua managed to catch some Z's afterwards. The woman took slow and deliberate steps as she moved through the Academy. The students who passed her greeted her with simple, "Hello Miss. Zhao," and, "How are you doing?" Lihua herself tried to answer with, "Hello to you, too," and "Fine, how about yourself?" Yet she found it weighing down on her a bit. Though, while she was walking, she encountered a student of hers. A short, African-America girl, that had a rather pronounced nose. What was her name again...? She didn't really raise too much of a problem (Compared to some of her other students), but Lihua did help her from time to time since she's an elemental type. [i]Phoebe.[/i] Yes. Her name is [i]Phoebe Sarin.[/i] "Miss. Zhao, how are you?" Phoebe said as she walked up to Lihua, prompting her to stop. "F... Fine." Lihua said, backpedaling on her words a bit. She grabbed onto the side of her head. "Just had a bad morning, did someone else fill in for me in my absence?" "Yeah, Miss Autumn did." Lihua reminded herself to never call in sick, because she hated Miss Autumn. "That's... good?" "Oh! But have you heard?" Phoebe asked, which made Lihua raise an eyebrow in anticipation. "Wendy is sparring one of Jimmy Roe's students... I think her name was Gianna or something? You know, that wrestler chick with the strength?" "Oh, I am very aware of Gianna." Lihua said. "I'll have to head over to the area, and watch." Wendy was a very eccentric girl that Lihua found... irritating at times. Her heart's in the right place, however. Just that her methods (And social skills) aren't ideal. Lihua is confident that Wendy can change, and learn to use her abilities. Wendy was one of the students that rarely participated in arena fights. The ones that she does get in, Lihua generally misses. Good thing she was here at the right time. Lihua and Phoebe parted ways as the former made her way to the arena. She moved as quickly as she could, but managed to arrive at the observation deck. Which was a large window frame, with a bench or two behind it. Which gave everyone a clear look at the large, oval-shaped, arena made out of a smooth, sleek metal. Wendy was on one side, wearing a special suit. While her opponent was on the other. Lihua took a sip of her coffee, quickly muttering under her breath. "Time for you to put that training to good use..." [hr][i][h1][color=skyblue]Wendy Emily Lucker[/color][/h1][/i][hr][hider=Hybrid - Dogstar][youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xB-6ATu4EUw[/youtube][/hider] [U][I]Academy 61, Roseview.[/I][/u] [i]Okay, Wendy, just gotta focus.[/i] An exhale escaped her lips as she prepared for this. Arena fighting was something that Wendy did from time to time. A simple sparring match to prepare Wendy in case anything popped off. Though, it might as well be a [i]real[/i] fight the way some of these people take these fights too seriously. Wendy wasn't aiming to kill anyone, but she wasn't going to lose that easily. She has to put that training to good use - she can't have miss Zhao looking bad, can she? In front of Wendy was a double door, and she was standing in a dark room. Wearing her arena outfit. An uncomfortably skintight wet suit, with kelvar and armor on top of it. The standard arena armor - but she's upgraded hers a bit. The suit incorporates paper into it's design (She's created several pockets that are thick enough to hold several sheets of paper). It's not a lot, but they put paper throughout the arena for Wendy to use... and other things for her opponent. If she recalled correctly, she was facing off against... Gianna Hart? One of the Academy's bricks, having super strength and durability does that to you. She was known for her wrestling ability, and once she has someone grappled, they aren't getting back up until the bell rings. Because of both traits, she was one of the top arena fighters. Only because she never faced an opponent she couldn't fight. Today was the day that Gianna's win streak comes to an end, and Wendy's win streak begins! The doors of the arena opened, and that's when she knew it was almost time to begin. The two fighters stepped into the arena. Wendy briefly looked up at the observation window - but couldn't identify anyone from this distance. So, she focused on her opponent. Because of that sharp eye, and attention to detail, Wendy has developed due to photography. Gianna was certainly a intimidating girl. She was solidly built, but didn't have any obvious muscles - No one would even get the idea that she had super strength until she starts flipping cars. Gianna had a head of brown hair styled into two long pigtails, and she was wearing a similar arena suit; except hers was a tan color. One thing was for sure; Gianna was [i]stacked[/i]. It made Wendy jealous that other girls were so much more endowed than her! Like really- "... Hey." Gianna said with a odd look on her face. "Are you ready? You look spaced out." That was enough to get Wendy back into the game. "Oh... oh, yeah." Wendy replied. "I'm ready." The two walked up to each other, and bumped fist. "Let's have a nice match W... [i]Wendelin[/i]." Gianna said, scrambling to think of what Wendy's name is. Which really made Wendy shake her head. Right before the match even starts, and then she gets bombarded with this bullshit. She shook her head. "... [i]Wendy.[/i]" "Oh, that's it!" Before their back and fourth could even start, a siren started blaring, and then the announcer's voice blared into the arena, "Are you ready?" Both Wendy and Gianna put some distance in between each other. "[i]Three[/i]..." Wendy looked up at Gianna. "[i]Two[/i]..." Gianna dropped down into her wrestling stance. Feet were shoulder width apart as per the usual. Right leg was in front, leading, as Gianna was bent forward. "[i]One[/i]..." Wendy quickly pulled the paper slips out of her suit. "... [i]Go![/i]" Immediately, Gianna started charging forward, her hands were positioned to grab Wendy's lower body and pin her down. Which is what Wendy was hoping for. She merely grabbed the paper stacks from all over the arena - which was easily just recycling that the staff gathered just for her - with her telekinetic ability. She didn't make it float around her, but she quickly brought it near her. Okay, this was going to require precise timing. Gianna quickly did exactly as Wendy had planned, and grabbed her by the lower body, and pulling a leg from underneath her, and slamming her to the ground. But, Wendy had a plan. While Gianna was approaching, she was subtly turning the flesh underneath her skin into paper up until she was functionally a sack of skin full of paper. Once Gianna grabbed her, and tried to take her down, Wendy fully turned into paper. Paper that slipped out of her hands, and surprised the girl as she threw herself off balance. In her paper form, Wendy flew high up above Gianna and reformed. Turning herself weightless, lazily drifting downwards, as she summoned all the paper in the area, and condensed them into blocks. By the time Gianna had recovered, Wendy sent these paper blocks flying right at her. First one caught Gianna off guard, and hit her in the back of the head. "Hey!" She exclaimed before the second one hit her directly in the back. Which sent her stumbling forward a bit. However, she was quick to catch the last one by punching it so hard that it was sent flying backwards. Wendy regained her weight, and landed on the ground. "That was cool." Gianna said. "But now I know my grapples won't work on you." She cracked her knuckles, and gave Wendy a cocky grin. "Looks like I'm gonna' have to beat ya' the good ol' fashion way." Gianna pushed off her back leg, and quickly broke off into a sprint towards Wendy - whom was surprised by her speed. She cocked her fist back a bit, and Wendy into paper on reflex, and the impact was even distributed throughout her body. Only causing a few slips of paper to explode outwards. Wendy sighed in relief because that was going to be a [i]lot[/i] worse if she didn't. Wendy would have to quickly make some distance, but she was already running a tad low on breath from all the transforming. She quickly slipped outside of Gianna's grip, before reforming, and turning weightless to use that momentum to gain some more distance, but Gianna was chasing right behind her. Thinking fast, Wendy telekinetically pulled the paper around herself, threw the slips of paper in Gianna's face. The bruiser winced her head in response, before she grabbed some of the paper and then ripped it in half... But Wendy was gone, no where to be seen. That was behind Wendy slipped behind a square metal structure. She had her back slammed up against it, breathing heavily. Jesus. Turning into paper was going to give her breathing problems down the line, but she has to focus. Gianna has no idea where she is... so Wendy should capitalize on that while there is still time. Nodding her head, Wendy hopped up into the air, and turned weightless to use the momentum to get the most out of her jump. She barely made it to the top of the metal structure, and grabbed onto the edges of it, and pulled herself up. Gianna was already searching behind the cover. Time to give her a surprise. Wendy subtly gathered paper around herself until it was floating. She shaped the mass of paper until it had mimicked her own paper form. In terms of appearance, and movement. Smiling, Wendy sent the wave of paper around the corner in which Gianna was searching, in an attempt to distract her. Gianna saw it, and grinned - chasing after it just as Wendy had planned. Wendy took this time to gather as much paper as she could, and then started running. She did one triumphant leap, throwing the paper forward, before she turned into paper. The paper that Gianna was chasing stopped fluttering, almost like Wendy had went dead. She stopped, before she raised an eyebrow. Which gave Wendy the perfect opportunity to beat Gianna at her own game. She was flying towards Gianna at high speeds in her paper form, fast as she could. Once again, Wendy reformed so quickly that she was able to simply become weightless and flow like paper. At the last second, before she was about to hit Gianna, Wendy regained her weight, and then she used her momentum to utterly swipe Gianna's leg from under her.... Though, it was an awkward motion. That hurt the [i]hell[/i] out of her arm and shoulder. But, Gianna's yells as she fell backwards told Wendy that she did it. The girl was confused as all hell, and barely had any time to react - yet process this. Before Gianna got up, Wendy raised her hand up into the air, and gathered all the paper around her. It started floating above Gianna. Gianna looked up, and gulped. Wendy raised both hands in the air, and slammed them downwards towards each other in a V. The paper funneled and flew towards Gianna, and landed on top of her. Creating an utter pile of paper on top of the girl. Trapping her. For a moment, Wendy wondered if there'd be [i]more[/i], but the shrill alarm buzzed, and then the announcer shouted, "That's a wrap!" He said. "Wendy Lucker wins!" Wendy smiled... she looked up at the observation deck, and saw some people clapping in the window. This was such a great fight... She looked forward to some more. She turned towards Gianna, who had already liberated herself from the pile of paper. Grumbling about her loss for a moment, before she sat down, and looked at Wendy. "Good match." Gianna said. "Yeah, it was great, you were badass with those grapples!" Wendy enthusiastically answered. "... But I'm never fighting an elemental-type again, that's for sure." Gianna grumbled as she stood up and started walking off. Inside Wendy's head, she could hear the victory music. She started laughing a little bit at her own accomplishment, but she knew that fight was too easy. Gianna was too reliant on her strength, and Wendy was able to easily capitalize on that because she was something Gianna couldn't beat with strength alone. She shouldn't get cocky... ... Because Wendy's [i]real[/i] opponents will be clever as she is.