Agh! Dammit, that's where Rica cut him earlier! Angela still managed to clip him in the chest, and it was where that Slicing Wave had hit before. Not an issue physically, since his recovery was considered complete by the tournament staff, but it was something of a 'Not again!' for Niko as he rolled past and got to his feet. While he'd managed to recover his feet while ultimately tripping Angela up, she too had gotten to her feet and they were essentially in the same position as before, just a little more injured now. Niko got kind of a mental 'Oh Crap' next when he felt a little deja vu for his last fight and decided to act quickly.
No more faltering...
Attack now, and put some oomph into it! She expects no less. Angela would see him slip to one side to flank- The other side! The previous side! From behind?! It was a swift zig-zag approached at high speed to make it hard to determine where the attack would come from. This wasn't like Bakuto's after-images, but rather a case for not knowing whether it would be left, right, center, or back before he actually struck, essentially trying to use speed to get past those fists of hers before using his own in a one-two-hyaah motion, two fists and a kick when he felt he had an opening.
The young soldier had been a little too caught up in himself to do more than give Bakuto a nod. He seemed like a decent guy, at least. They hadn't talked before now. Maybe they'd talk again later with congratulations to the Champ, whoever it turned out to be. It was kind of a holy shit, really. The last three people and he was one of them. He could just about picture Athena in a bar somewhere with a grin on her face. Maybe you think of your teacher as someone who would never be in such a setting, but he knew better. Athena was career military, and the army liked to unwind just like everybody else did. Still, that wasn't the point. His match with Angela was next, and by the looks of things, she was eager to get punching.
Regardless of who wins, I'm gonna be feeling whatever she dishes out for a while.
Now, they were called to the center stage, the arena floor.
Niko VS Angela
They stood on opposite ends of the arena after the trumpets had blasted, facing each other. The announcer was delivering his pre-fight introduction to how far the two of them had come, just as he had done with Lee and Bakuto. As he did, Angela called out to him before taking a stance. He settled into one himself, saying...
"If it happens again, it means someone's interfering. Remember that."
He hadn't had the chance to talk to Angela about it. Bakuto's fight had gone too quickly for him to broach the subject. At least he had the chance to warn her here, make sure she understood that he would not back down here, not willingly. Not with a just cause and even a certain joy in showing the world what he was capable of. Hell no. He would take this to the end, as far as he could go and beyond.
GONG!!
He knew her capabilities, of course. Angela was very tough, especially with her fists. To prove this point, she was already attacking without delay, and she was quick! Niko had only a couple seconds at best to move, and his nearest instinct was that if she was planning to knock the wind out of him like that, then he needed to get lower and out of the way. He dove left and swung one of his legs at hers, hoping that the he'd knock her off of her feet so he could quickly recover here and take control of things.
Joe had screwed up. Joe realized that Joe had screwed up, and he was cussing himself out internally while trying not to show it. He knew Agent Lovell from the mission to Gongaga, the mission that went very wrong, very fast, and the home office wouldn't even unofficially confirm for him anything about it. They didn't have any evidence to back it up. Well...no shit. The reactor had blow. The system was unstable and employees were dead when he got there, and that thing... He didn't like to think about it. Joe had fought plenty of monsters, robots, people - he was a fairly seasoned fighter - but that thing? That scared him, and he didn't admit that very easily, like his other fear. Still, that was neither here nor there. He had a problem, and that was that he may have just compromised Maddie's position as a Turk to an ordinary resident of Midgar.
Well, maybe not an ordinary resident. This one's got a story behind her, that's for sure.
Between her sudden change in demeanor and the pointed stare that the Turk-in-civvie-attire was giving him, he knew that he'd definitely been audible enough...which was bad. How would he handle this? Did he just hope that the other woman would forget about it if she was left alone? No, who was he kidding? She had some beef against Shinra, and now a very Shinra thing had happened in her own neighborhood. She'd never forgive OR forget, and while nothing may come of it, that glare from Maddie said it all: 'We need to handle this.', as in that faux pas of a security leak. Fortunately, Agent Lovell seemed to have a good play in her Turk book for this. Her delivery to the other woman probably came off a bit weird, but after giving Joe what he assumed was a meaningful look, she made introductions as a Naomi Chambers. And luckily...Joe had thought of a good way to pick up what she just threw down.
"Naomi? I thought you were Elena. Kinda' hard to tell from a distance. She was in a guard unit I worked with, a real ass-kicker. You were that consultant, right?"
Actually, he didn't know Elena that well. He'd seen her training, just today. Still, if Joe could use a case of mistaken identity - a plausible one, as they were both well-trained blondes - to his advantage, then all the better for it. He now had his sword away, leaned down and picked up his dented helmet with just a brief glance to the now-dormant X-1.
"I'm Joe Hockner. And hey, no problem. It's what I do. Let's get out of here."
Neisha making her way for the entrance notwithstanding, they all had to go out the same way, anyhow.
There was still the matter of the other X-Series unit, though. X-9 stood in conflict error...while Akira asked about possibly getting out there to defeat that thing. Yes, it was weirdly intelligent, or more-so than a normal Sweeper. It seemed like something had gone wrong, that the Prototype was bad. Maybe they all were. Still, with things settling down to an uneasy calm and a potential standoff with a runaway robot, Akira put forth a plan. Well...maybe about 12% of a plan. He had an idea of using a smokebomb to sneak in to slash and stab it with his weapon, attack the robot while it appeared dormant. It wasn't a great idea, but the only alternative was to wait and see what the Sweeper did, which wasn't likely to be anything good, unless it decided to explode, right then and there. So, Jessie pulled out a smokebomb...
"I have one left over, just for emergencies. Normally, it's for sneaking out of a fight, and normally I'd say what you're asking is a bit crazy, but...what the hell, right? We can't just leave and there's nothing else to do, so we may as well get in the first licks."
The mercenaries thought this was a stupid plan and would rather see about organizing something in here, or at least giving them cover fire for when they probably have to run like hell back to the fort. Either way, they didn't want to go out there and they weren't being paid enough right now to do so. The plan was modified slightly, in that Jessie would be out there to throw the bomb, but that she'd remain in hiding at one point with bomb and her SMG while Akira did his zigging and zagging...which would get the machine's attention. The boy would notice that the machine was not reacting to his presence, though, and in fact only seemed to sit up and take notice to a situation once the smokebomb went off in its vicinity. At this, it naturally began looking around, and Akira struck it in the back...!
...
...
...uhhh...
Okay, it was still going. Apparently, he'd damaged it, but he hadn't hit any sort of exploitable vital part, and the machine opened fire around itself before Overcharge leaping to a hill now and looking around. It had also been shot at by Jessie, but he and her were already going for the fort's entrance, and would be gone even as X-9 fired on them. The robot fidgetted around some more in indecision, until finally, it turned and...leapt off. It was leaving. The lookout said that it was heading due west, flat out. A retreat? It decided to bug out? Well, the good people at Fort Condor wouldn't know, of course, but...
X-9 Status:UNKNOWN
Connecting to Junon Secure Data Line.....Done.
X-9 REPORTING. X-6, X-7 ACKNOWLEDGE.
X-6 - Acknowledged. X-7 - Acknowledged.
UNABLE TO COMPLETE FORT CONDOR DIRECTIVE. REQUESTING REINFORCEMENTS.
X-6 - Current orders - Patrol Junon Sub-Sector. X-7 - Current orders - Patrol Junon Sub-Sector.
JUNON SUB-SECTOR UNCOMPROMISED. FORT CONDOR DIRECTIVE INCOMPLETE.
PRIORITY TARGET - PREPARE TO DEPLOY.
.... .... ....
X-6 - Acknowledged. X-7 - Acknowledged.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Right, let's cut to the chase! The actual chase that was happening IN Junon, that is. Rufus actually gave Tseng a Look when he fired that missle. The Turk Leader just shrugged. He wanted to cause the biker adequate distraction from the Vice President's and Lex's own attacks. He was fairly certain those bikes would be suffering a little between the three acts. If they damaged them beyond their capacity to operate, the trio would wipe out and they'd have them, for certain. Unfortunately, there were some rather big UNcertainties to work with, like Kanade's abilities, the demolition abilities of Jessie Raspberry, and the cunning plan coupled with Biggs and Wedge's driving skills. They rode for the scaffolding, the bomb was thrown, there was a decided Plink! as it stuck to the underside of the chopper, and a BOOM!!!
The three bike-riders would not have time to confirm, because they were ducking into the parking garage for escape, and Lex would have have to follow them alone in the jeep. The Ranger himself would be able to see what they did not, though: The helicopter had taken damage, but not severely so. The explosive having been an incendiary device, its power was cut in half by the timely Manaward, meaning Rufus Shinra and Tseng were still aloft. They could not, however, directly pursue. They instead sent out communication to the utility areas the garage was probably connected to, open and exposed due to the construction work. They wanted anybody who was down there to try and stop them.
In said garage, the AVALANCHE members would see this opportunity and go for it: Utility tunnels for official work vehicles that would lead to the service entrances of the city. "That's the way to go!", said Biggs as he steered towards it.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Alko, meanwhile, most definitely had people tailing her...and they weren't subtle about it. In fact, they weren't that bright, OR that quiet. See, she could already hear them talking as they started to follow her, one of 'em going "That's the girl." and the one in the middle actually confirming "I can see why the Don's taken an interest." before the really stupid one went "Yeah, yeah...why is that again?" and the other two seemingly had to explain. There was a reason for this, of course. These men were not so much notorious as...embarrasing. They were the cream of the crop of idiots, dumbass gangers that stuck together.
Their clear lack of intelligence became progressively more apparent in the exchange that followed.
"Hey, Beck. She's looking our way."
"Well, you just look right back! Ain't you a tough guy?"
"Yeah, I just thought we was tryin' ta' be...you know... Uhh, whadyacallit?"
"Discreet?"
"Right, that!"
"Huh? Dis street? I don't get it."
"Discreet, moron! It means uhh..."
"Well, we're bein' quiet about it, so..."
"...so we're tryin' ta' be sneaky-like!"
They were failing SO BAD at this.
"Uhh, she's going faster..."
"So? You got legs!"
"She's uhh...going into that alley, boss!"
"Gah, the pair o' youse! GET A MOVE ON!"
Aiko was pulling ahead...
"Where'd she go?!"
"I see 'er!"
"Then, shut your yap and make tracks!"
...and weaving her way around the obstacles in their path.
"Damn, she's good at this!"
"I hate ta' see 'er go, but I love to watch her leave."
"The Don won't like it if we just watch, though."
"I know that! It's an expression! It means uhh... Well, uhh... It means...Daaayuuum."
It wasn't exactly taking Aiko much effort to fool these guys and break out ahead, though she DID have to worry about one thing: She knew these alleys, and she knew she might be heading for a spot where a Doomrat nest was. Could she avoid them and get out of here without a confrontation? Or maybe...try and set the rats on THEM?
As for Tace, he had given himself a clear speed advantage here, but he was sort of overestimating the creature's intelligence. It was a predatory that adapted to situations, sure, and it might even have thought to avoid situations like the one he was putting it in now, but...well...there was problem, and it went thusly: Its reflexes were too slowed - given the circumstances - to stop its assault against the man. Tace had done a little TOO well. So, while he was set to stab the thing, the measures he'd taken caused a third option to occur. Its attack was not stopped, as the claws would still rake at the man, but it was ALSO stabbed. Of course, because the Zemelezett was Slowed, it wasn't as deeply stabbed, per se, and its attack wasn't as strong against Tace. It was wounded by the exchange and came in for a landing nearby, and whatever happened to Tace himself in reaction...happened, because the monster didn't immediately attack again. It raised its wings and caused a spell to erupt from itself that seemed to cause some healing of the wound. Zemelezetts are known for having the skill called White Wind. Tace would have to hit harder, and it seemed unlikely that the bird would stand still long enough for him to use his car.
@Balthazar007@Darkmoon Angel And the limit of time will only begin once we've officially started, correct? I've no trouble letting Darkmoon go first if that's the case, since the preceding post was mine.
Niko had been properly bandaged and given a Senzu Bean before beiing told to rest for a while and just let it take the full effect. He lay there, still concerned over the fight between Angela and Ace. It'd been his intention to stick around in a moment of solidarity to cheer her on, encourage Angela to emerge victorious and allow them to fight out their respective struggles. Yes, this tournament had really grown on him. He was starting to enjoy it, though the fight with Rica had been a stark reeminder that this was no walk in the park. Still, the way it had ended kept playing over and over in his mind. What had happened there? Surely, you'd want to give it your all here, even if your goal was simply maney for the sake of it. You'd get healed up afterwards, no questions asked, regardless, so what was the deal? Niko couldn't fathom it. Unless Ace had been forced to quit somehow, he just couldn't understand why it had happened, and he hoped that it didn't happen again.
Time passed, and with the Semi-Final Rounds being announced to begin soon, Niko got up of his place of rest, pulled out a new shirt from his quarters, and came to the tournament ring area proper to witness the return of Lee and the battle of Bakuto. Lee had already shocked the world by defeating the current champion, showing that whatever standard the multiple-tournament winner had set was now broken and that it was anybody's game. More to the point, Lee worried him because Michael Miocic had a technique that involved whirlwinds, air power, and Lee managed to get through that. Knowledge of how to get through an ability like that would put Niko at a disadvantage if he got to the finals and used his own technique, learned from Athena up in the mountains. Niko would watch this fight carefully, studying either opponent's moves to determine the best strengths and weaknesses of either man.
What surprised him, though, was how quickly it had ended! Bakuto had once again shown his sheer incredible speed via the technique that allowed images of himself to hang for a second or two in the air - something to do with moving so fast that the perception of his placement fooled the eyes as they tried to catch up with the action - and...and...he completely skunked Lee in quick order! Was he really that good? Or was Lee feeling down and out, drained from beating the champ? No, that couldn't be it. Senzu Bean! They worked! They healed and invigorated! Either Lee had been thrown off by Bakuto's actions or even something unrelated...or Bakuto was greater than both the former Champion AND the man who defeated him, making him now a VERY significant hurdle!
I... I must not reveal my own technique in my fight against Angela. If I can't catch this man off guard, I dunno if I can beat him. He's good, he's focused, and he's fast like me. I'll do what I have to against Angela. She'd expect no less. But I have to at least TRY to use the Tatsumaki-Ken to full effect.
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