Double

Gundam Build Fighters Origin [Open]

"Ah, so I get to pummel that trash talker first?" asked Sousuke with a smile that made it hard to tell if he was serious or not, "Suits me just fine. Oh, by the way, if we face Chaser next then it sounds like you'll get to head to head with Sakuya. Asaka's almost certain to target me and Natsu-kun here said he would take on Tsukasa. So that'll leave Sakuya as your dance partner." Sousuke tipped his hat, then retrieved the Crossbone Joker from its case. Sure enough, Shouji had come through and the Joker was it's usual shiny-new self.

"Not a bad shine, there, Shouji." Sousuke mused, then put the gunpla back in its carrier. It looked like the only thing left to do was to wait for the shindig to get started.

---

"So, we're facing the Nobuya team first?" asked Keiichiro, having just been handed the line up, "You better not lose, Kikkawa. Not before you and I settle things." he muttered under his breath. Despite the constant accusations of holding a petty grudge, that wasn't really on Keiichiro's mind at all. There was something else he wanted from Kikkawa, something more valuable than settling a petty score. But before Keiichiro could focus on that, it looked like Team Chaser would have to go through Nobuya Academy first.

"Team Chaser," said Keiichiro, looking dead serious. His partners both approached and awaited his next words, "it's finally time. Move out!" they both turned abruptly and flanked their captain as the team made its way to the area where they would soon be facing their first opponent.

---

Up in the stands, among those who came to watch the battles, a single figure stood out a bit more than most. He was a student, but not from any of the participating schools. No, he was there as a scout, primarily. This practice tournament would make a good opportunity to observe the upcoming competition. It was true he had traveled a fair distance to attend, but the intel he would inevitably gather was well worth it. He dressed nicely, wearing what could be described as his school's uniform - though it was quite a bit more formal, almost like a business suit more than a school uniform. He had snow white hair, and small oval glasses. Suddenly the student heard a low whistle coming from behind him.

"So this is that practice tourney, eh? Man, you sure go the distance to learn about your opponents." it was another student who had entered not long ago and then sat next to the first. Unlike the first, this one was dressed completely casually. He wore tight-fitting jeans, a forest camo hoodie with a black t-shirt underneath it. Unlike the first student, who's hair was shorter and cleanly kept. This second student had blaring red hair, almost certainly dyed that way. It was also kept more wildly, some kind of lion's mane.

"I'm surprised you even showed up, after all this particular assignment isn't required of you." the first student spoke in a much more business-like etiquette than the second, who spoke casually to a fault.

"Meh..." the second student shrugged, "...I had nothing better to do. Besides, call it... morbid curiosity." the second student smiled in a way that could only be described as sinister.

"Just don't go causing any trouble, Kusaka. We're here on behalf of our sponsor, and make no mistake there will be consequences if your antics cost Team Shuffle its sponsorship." the first student said, quickly and in a subtly threatening tone.

"Tch, whatever. Just watch and nothing more, I get it." replied the second student - Kusaka, in a miffed tone.

Gundam Build Fighters Origin [Open]

@Dezuel@Renny@Crimson Lion

Okay, so the first round has been set, but how do we handle Chaser vs Nobuya seeing as how they're both NPC teams?

Gundam Build Fighters Origin [Open]

@Crimson Lion Also a valid point. But consider that I only ever use the term "strategist" to describe Tsukasa. I've always written characters with the assumption that Strategists and Tacticians were two completely different things. Essentially, Tsukasa is a Strategist, but Keiichiro is a Tactician.

Strategist: Tends to look at the big picture and makes long term plans based on said big picture. They plan, they calculate, and they usually set things in motion from behind the scenes.

Tactician: Rather than focus on the big picture, they'll zoom in on one specific goal or objective and then find whatever ways they can think of to achieve that objective. They may not always plan or even calculate, but they do think on the fly and can make judgement calls in the heat of battle.

It also comes back to the difference between being smart and being clever... or Intelligence vs Wisdom to put it in D&D terms. Tsukasa is smart (high Intelligence) but Keiichiro is clever (high Wisdom).

At any rate, there really isn't meant to be an objectively "strongest" member in Team Chaser. They're more like equals, skilled and useful in their own ways and in their own areas of expertise. Well anyway, it's not important in the grand scheme of things.

Gundam Build Fighters Origin [Open]

@Renny So Natsu assumes that Tsukasa is the strongest member? I mean, she's the smartest, sure, but that doesn't automatically make her the most powerful battler either. There's also the fact that Keiichiro is the team leader for a reason, if she was the actual strongest then what's stopping her from taking over as Captain?

Gundam Build Fighters Origin [Open]

"I think I remember some of Chaser's M.O.'s," offered Sousuke in a hushed tone. After his little conversation with Keiichiro and failed attempt to flirt with Tsukasa, he kept quiet while everyone entered the gymnasium. But now he was talkative again. He decided to explain as much as he could remember about Team Chaser's tactics, "If I know Asaka, he'll focus fire on me so you two should be able to ignore him and target his partners. Sakuya likes to fancy himself a pacifist, he'll spend most of the battle defending and only attacks if he's forced to. That also means he usually burns through his energy the slowest, so he'll almost certainly outlast us in a drawn out fight. You may want to do what you can to get him to attack and use up his energy faster. As for Tsukasa, I have to admit it's pretty much impossible to nail her style down. She's perfectly willing to change and alter her style to suit whatever opponent she's trying to take down. She's also very observant. The more time you give her to assess your skills, the harder it will be on you in the long run. But you can't just go rushing at her either, she pretty much always has some kind trap or plan in place for that sort of attack. And like I said, you can just leave Asaka to me." that was about all Sousuke could offer on them. But he did add one more thing, "I don't know if any of the information I just gave you still applies. Something may have changed with the team that I don't know about, so keep that in the back in your mind while you fight them."

Meanwhile, Team Chaser was waiting in their designated area, "So? What do you make of them?" Keiichiro asked Tsukasa. He knew she would have been making silent observations of everyone before they entered the building, and whatever she learned would likely be of use to them. Tsukasa closed her eyes in thoughtfulness, "Difficult to say. The boys from Karasato seem a bit mismatched, but nowhere near as much as Sousuke's new team. The home team from Nobuya are reserve battlers, not the regular team. So I'm afraid I can't offer much about them. But if they aren't the regular team, then that probably means that Karasato and Ichikawa are our biggest threats here."

"If Sousuke-san's new team is the most mismatched, doesn't that make them the most unpredictable?" asked Sakuya with a thoughtful nod.

"Tch, figures. Kikkawa always was a wild card, so I guess an eclectic wild card team is perfect for him, isn't it?" Keiichiro quipped. He gave a quick sidelong glance in Sousuke's direction.

"We may also want to assume he's told his team about our usual tactics." Tuskasa added with a blunt, matter-of-factly tone, "Which means we'll have to be doubly cautious. I won't be able to tell us much more until I've actually seen some of these people battle, though."

Gundam Build Fighters Origin [Open]

Sousuke pushed his hat up slightly, acknowledging the team from Karasato but only barely. One of the members tried trash talking. So that was how it was going to be? Sousuke decided to beat the guy at his own game, "You know, that's funny." he said with the smile of a sly fox, "I was just about to say the same thing to you guys." he offered, it was clear he planned to keep his cool no matter what today. No one, not even Nanashi, would get under his skin today, he'd make sure of it.

Of course, that was about when the fun got spoiled. First by Karasato's leader and then by Nanashi. Sousuke only offered a shrug, deciding not make a scene or pick any fights outside of the battle arena. And right about then was then the doors to the Hokuten Van burst open. Team Chaser exited their vehicles, silently shutting the doors and approaching Nobuya with an almost professional march. They all wore their school's uniform, with an added armband that marked them not only as Team Chaser but as their school's prefects. They stopped before the group, though. Keiichiro eyed everyone with almost comical scrutiny, "Ahem!" he coughed, then loudly announced, "Trash talking, Sousuke? And here I hoped your time with us improved that attitude problem of yours."

"Who's got an attitude problem?" Sousuke asked, stepping right up to Team Chaser's captain and showing him no fear whatsoever, "Was that your battle plan, Asaka? Lecture us into submission?" he asked with a wink. This got a chuckle from Sakuya, who had to fight the urge to burst out laughing. Even Tsukasa cracked a smile, if only slightly. Keiichiro looked like he was boiling, a vein even comically popping out of his forehead. Then all of a sudden, he instantly cooled off.

"You're taunting won't work on me, Kikkawa." he said, trying almost too hard to be as cool-headed as Sousuke, "But even if this isn't an actual Tournament, it's still a sanctioned event. I strongly suggest everyone conduct themselves accordingly." with that he decided to ignore Sousuke and instead address the other battlers, "Good morning! I'm Keiichiro Asaka, Captain of Team Chaser! My team and I look forward to battling you all." he said with a courteous bow. Keiichiro could be quite polite and courteous when addressing strangers, really it was only Sousuke who got under his skin.

"Ah, me too." Sakuya added with a friendly bow, "I'm Sakuya, by the way. Can't wait to see how my designs stack up against all of yours. And uh... long time no see, Sousuke-san!"

"Tsukasa." she said coldly, and nothing else. Tsukasa was a bit of an ice queen, usually caring more about perfecting her strategies than making small talk.

"Yeah, yeah..." Sousuke said casually to Sakuya, then approached Tsukasa and tipped his hat to her, "...been a while, Tsukasa. Don't suppose that icy heart of yours has melted any in the last year?" unfortunately all Sousuke got was an incredulous raised eyebrow from her. Apparently this wasn't the first time he tried flirting with her, and it was also apparent that the attempts all ended roughly like this.

Gundam Build Fighters Origin [Open]

Team paradox?

@Crimson Lion

We're only allowed to use that name if we agree to start writing our dialogue in rhyme. <_<

Gundam Build Fighters Origin [Open]

@Renny@Crimson Lion

I like the meaning behind it, but it doesn't exactly roll off the tongue very well when spoken out loud, does it? xD I can't think of anything better so why not?

Gundam Build Fighters Origin [Open]

So, this is basically Keiichiro right now:

Gundam Build Fighters Origin [Open]

Sousuke probably seemed the least nervous of the three. To be fair, he essentially had more tournament experience than either Nanashi or Natsu. Didn't stop the feeling of staring up at what would become a battleground, especially if it were one's first visit to said location. Sousuke breathed deep, then quickly adjusted his hat, "These are real battles, 2nd Year, that means I'll be billing you for the rounds we compete in." he said, adding a sly smile that made it impossible to tell if he was just joking or being completely serious.

Almost immediately a van pulled up bearing the symbol of Karasato Academy. Another school that Sousuke had never been to nor interacted with, so both of these teams would be entirely new encounters for him. But sometimes, it was devil you knew that could be more intimidating than a perfect stranger. Speaking of which, another van came rolling to a stop. This one bore the all-too familiar symbol of Hokuten Academy. At this Sousuke tipped his hat downward a bit, "And here we go..." he muttered.

Two Days Earlier

"All right, Team Chaser! That should do for our regimen today!" said Keiichiro, almost shouting. He took command rather easily, and the fact that he had a voice that seemed perfectly suited for barking orders made it even easier for him to assume the role of Captain. The team had been training with their usual regimen that day. Simulations depicting reenactments of famous of battles during the One Year War. Sometimes Chaser would be on the Zeon side fighting the White Base, other times they would be on the Federation side fighting against various mobile suits flown by Char himself. It made for great discipline building and tactical training, giving the team an almost professional aura.

"We'll be using tomorrow to rest and mentally prepare ourselves, so use your time wisely so we can-"

"Um, Sempai?" asked Sakuya, who was rereading the invitation letter, "Seems there was a last minute change to the turnout."

"Don't interrupt me when I'm giving a speech Sakuya!" Keiichiro barked dismissively.

"It's just that, this new school... Ichikawa. Isn't that where Sousuke-san transferred to?"

That got Keiichiro to stop dead in his tracks, "Huh?" he said, almost comically loud before snatching the paper, "Let me see this! Ichikawa Batlte Club... no name... members... Kanzen, Nanashi... Saisei, Natsu... AAHHHHHH!!!" he suddenly yelled with an almost comical fire in his eyes, "Kikkawa SOUSUKE!!!"

"Ahem." Tsukasa coughed quietly, "I thought you were past that now?" she asked coldly.

"What? Of course I am! Keiichiro Asaka doesn't hold grudges. Do I look I'm holding a grudge?" he asked, making a pitiful attempt at hiding his feelings, "New plan Team Chaser, we're having an emergency practice tomorrow!" and then Keeichiro stormed off.

The very next day, Keiichiro put Team Chaser through different training simulations. This time they were all against the Crossbone Vanguard. Clearly he wanted them to be prepared to counter anything Sousuke throw at them.