genessia | Fight for your right to parti pris (Backdated to 7/4)

Ted, in a comic manifestation, appeared with Sans on his back (#1). There were three reasons for this.

For one, Sans was the right size for piggybacking. For another, Chekov's Gun. You simply don't say such things without fatefully binding yourself to fulfill them.

The last was the most somber. Ted was never one to concern himself with bucket lists; his own life was already lived with such eager opportunism that it'd be superfluous. The revelation of Sans' mortality, however, changed that. Ergo, Ted wanted to be absolutely sure he did everything there was to do with Sans before some far off, eternal parting. Even the silly ones. Especially the silly ones.

Thus he appeared: The motley-dressed Fool with Death on his back, a symbolic silliness that meant more than he yet knew. For now, he was was smiling like always, with a galvanizing, anxious excitement that put a spring in his step. The long-awaited moment had finally come. He could've sustained himself on the mere loveliness of the event: a warrior's trial from which he'd emerge ready to fight old foes with renewed strength, both body and soul. If it was in a book, he'd be enthused. To actually live such a thing was almost unendurably thrilling. It was the best of Genessia; to be in a fairy tail, and step into the shoes of the hero. To top it all off, his friends were there to share his joy. Who could deserve it?

He let Sans off his shoulders. "Thank you for indulging me, Death." He waved energetically towards Star and Moon. "Hello! I'm prepared as anything; you'll find my you-know-what suitably worn and torn. Let's burn it to cinders, then resurrect it like a phoenix!"

Edited 2016-07-27 04:51 (UTC)

[Sans never thought he'd do such odd things. After getting off of Ted's back, he simply turns and walks out the exit... and taking a seat front row center for Ted's "graduation."

He will politely keep quiet, but he made no promises to not drink from a bottle of ketchup, which he is doing.]

Well.. Someone here is excited, aren't they? Satsuki opens one eye upon hearing the steps of Ted, which is quickly joined by the other once she notices that.

He.. He actually did it. It doesn't take much to resist the urge of dragging her hand down her face, but sure enough it is there- She opts to let a sigh pass her lips instead as she gets to her feet, then rests one hand over the other atop the handle of her sword that is planted upon the ground.

"Good morning, Satchel." she murmurs, followed by a nod toward the skeleton with a different kind of breakfast snack. Her brows furrow for a moment, but then her focus returns to the excited human before her. "I had to make slight adjustments to your request for the sake of challenge, but I believe the spirit remains the same. Your final test will be split into two rounds, with different opponents for each."

"There is only one condition for victory in the battles to come: you win when your opponent is no longer able to fight. You lose if you are unable to place your opponent in that state or are defeated yourself. You will not be granted a time out, and there is a thirty minute time limit."

Satsuki snaps her fingers and the ground shakes as a boxing ring sized chunk of land raises up from under Ted's feet, elevating him about several feet upward.

"If there are no questions, then turn around and prepare for the first round."

Ted returns her murmur with a shout. "It is, indeed, a very good morning, if the Star and the Moon still shine in it! It's enough to make one glad I haven't found the Sun, else I'd go blind, haha!" Yep, Ted's going on all cylinders. He lets out a surprised gasp as the floor raised beneath him. Satsuki wastes no time and spares no dramatics, both things he appreciates extremely.

"Just one: any off-limit equipment? I've been given so many gifts; I'd hate to have to disregard any one. On second thought, another: What about beasts, that is, Pokémon? I'm well aware this is a test for just my person, but if going all out's the order of the day, I'd hate to disappoint." Otherwise, he's perfectly eager to face his first challenger, turning around with a beaming smile and fighting stance, (allowed) armaments at the ready.

Edited 2016-07-28 05:30 (UTC)

"The matches are balanced around Hand to Hand combat," Satsuki replies. Still, her curiosity piqued- Could Ted be going for the jack of all trades, master of none route? How would the life fibers support that kind of technique? Would it even be possible? It should be interesting to see. "On the other hand, it is good to make use of all the tools you possess, so I will allow it."

With that said, at the opposite end of the ring a trapdoor drops then releases a massive cloud of fog. Within that cloud a hulking figure can be seen, about six feet in height and an rather bulky build. Only once it steps forward is it clear that the combatant is an expressionless, heavily armored robot of mostly dark blue color.

"The match starts now!" she declares.

Ted's opponent tromps toward his opponent without giving much hint toward his fighting style of choice- though Satsuki has already given that.

Edited 2016-07-31 20:16 (UTC)

Ted's life fibers supported athleticism in general, allowing him to make potent use of all the eccletic disciplines he's picked up on his strange journey. Swords, firearms, martial arts, and whatever else found its way into his ever-expanding utility belt. For now, he confined himself to fisticuffs. He remembered why he suggested all this in the first place: in tribute to Vyers, the one who'd first taught him how to fight. In honor of his departed demon, he'd endeavor to give honor in kind, and show just how far he's come.

He donned the boots and gauntlets Koishi had given him, both adding force to his blows and protecting his extremities from hitting something so solid. He recollected the first teaching he'd gotten from Vyers...

"Never, except as a last resort or coup de grace, attack the eyes. Let the opponent see my terrible might in all its demonic splendor!"

"Don't you mean my terrible might?"

"I mean what I say; allons-y!"

...well, that narrows it down. For now, he'd see just how much of a dent he could make as he leaped to deliver a punch straight to its torso.

The impact of gauntlet slamming against robot is about as one would expect, and leaves an impressive dent against the machine as a result that it didn't even bother to try to react to other than hold his arms out as if preparing for the blow.

The damage is about the only thing Ted can draw from it since the opponent doesn't really give off any sort of expression. The landed blow also doesn't throw him off balance, but he does counter attack with a quick jab with the intent to stun Ted, then step forward and follow up with a slower, but considerably stronger hook punch toward the chin, which would not be unlike getting struck by a ball and chain.

Ted took the jab to the chest, sparing a split-second thought to be grateful his torso is so wonderfully protected by the threads. His head, however, is not. Reflex made him parry the blow with his free hand, though the sheer force of it still knocked him to the side. Clearly, this brute had power. But it had allowed him the first blow; Ted figured he had speed. He forced himself to focus; not his best skill. By the look of it, those legs suggested he'd have a nigh-impossible time knocking him down.

Ted knows the old cliche: the bigger they are, the harder they fall. But could he fell it? He'd need to tap into his inner giant killer. For now, he needs to feel it out. Just like what he'd read, per Koishi's suggestion, in Sun Tzu: know yourself, know your enemy. So he'll go in, keeping himself on the outer edge of arms' length. Bobbing, weaving, and peppering him with whatever blows make themselves available. Ted's fast on his feet, and it doesn't take him long to get a feel for the rhythm of his opponents. If he can read their martial sheet music, he'll know when to usurp the melody for his own.

Edited 2016-08-01 04:48 (UTC)

Ted isn't wrong, at least when it comes to moving on his feet. His opponent's fists aren't very slow at all, but so long as Ted keeps his strategy, a pattern is eventually visible.

Left Jab, Right hook.

Left hook, right hook.

Jab, Uppercut.

Eventually Ted's opponent sustains quite a bit of damage from counter-attacking alone, leaving it with a busted front light and dents impounded about the chest. Of course the pattern doesn't last forever and 'Phase 2' starts. After steam shoots from Hard Man's shoulders, there's an abrupt blast of wind that propels him back to the opposite side of the ring.

Both fists are pointed at Ted, which are fired off like rockets in his direction, with another set taking their places upon its forearms. However should Ted manage to dodge out of the way, the pair of fired fists u-turn in opposite directions and redirect themselves in the position he was last standing and continue to chase until they impact against something or fifteen seconds pass.

Darn. Just as he was learning the pattern, a whole new one appears. Expect the unexpected, he supposed. And how! Ted's eyes widened as he saw the boxer turn into a rocket launcher. Instinctively he avoided the attack by ducking, only to be hit on the return trip as the fists crashed into his backside. Boy he must look pretty stupid right now to anyone with a full view. Can he help it if he doesn't have eyes in the back of his head?

No time to think about aesthetics now; seems another pair of fists were about to be fired with no end in sight. These he watched carefully, keeping his distance, adapting to their speed and turning, and dodging accordingly. After fifteen seconds, they dutifully exploded, and Ted had his plan hatched.

His opponent told most by what he didn't do: kick. In other words, Ted had two advantages: speed, and more functional limbs. It seemed his opponent wasn't up to kicking, which gave him the idea. He got much closer to the robot, trying to achieve the perfect distance by which he could clear the third volley and take the offensive immediately after. Once it fired, Ted leaped over the rocket-fists, landing right in front of the brute.

He'd try and grab both arms with each hand, swing perpendicular to its torso, then rain down his feet of fury, using its arms as bars for support. The key to this line of attack lie in whether the robot's strength in its limbs would outdo the grip of his gauntlets. While he rained down kick after kick on its dented torso, he kept his senses open for any sign that the rockets would return. It'd require bold timing, but if he got it right, he'd finish his assault by flip-kicking off the robot, flying back and over the projectile, then getting front row seats as it flew back into its owner.

A risky plan, but a stylish one, just like Vyers would have wanted.

Satsuki continues to observe with a neutral expression though there is an edge of intensity to it as if she were committed to burn every moment to memory.

Ted's plan appears to go off without much difficulty- The bulky robot again doesn't shift its pattern until Ted does something about it and, again, the counter-attack pays off. It doesn't appear to have an immediate answer for the assault of kicks so sure enough it takes even more damage with foot-shaped indents to go along with the fists, then the explosion from the rocket-fists send it staggering back several steps.

The occasional spark and puff of smoke is released from its body as it repeats the rocket pattern but shifts into a third pattern mid-way. After firing the rocket fists, it waits to see if Ted evades or attempts to grab its arms again with two possible results.

Hard Man will launch itself into the the air to intercept Ted mid-jump and land head-down, or simply drop down toward him. Either way the impact against the ground would be violent enough landing for the ring to shake with no sign of halting. On the other hand, it's stuck for about five seconds until it can get upright again.

One thing Vyers didn't have to teach him was the value of novelty, for Ted loved it already. It kept your opponent guessing, and it was better style. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" was a motto they couldn't quite take to heart.

So Ted's thinking of another approach as he cartwheeled out of the way, choosing a gymnastic evade for the projectile this time. Going by the ringing in his limbs, this thing's pretty darn tough. Any weak points or vulnerabilities or...

When did that get so high up? It reminded him of Slogra and how Dracula's bird monster tried to pogo stick on him. No time to reminisce as he back-flipped out of the impact. The vibrations in the ground made him very glad he did; seems he wasn't the only one thinking of novelty. He couldn't spend any more time thinking; stuck in the ground like a carrot, he had to seize the moment. Or would, if the shaking round wasn't messing up his footing. Hard to get too much power this way, unless...

That's it! He takes off in the sky himself, taking him out of the rockets' way and setting up for a guillotine kick straight down the center of Hard Man. With a steeled heel coming down with the force of a meteor, he was gonna add about six more feet to the length of its tunnel.

With seemingly no way to escape, Ted lands his kick with such force that sends his opponent sinking deeper into the ring but also creates a fault line across it. Combined with the ground already shaking, the ring indents and creates a sizable 'v', and eventually the shaking comes to a stop.

This works out in Hard Man's favor since it may not have been able to have escaped the sink otherwise so is able to fire itself out to get to his feet in a slouched stance. The damage is already done and there is a considerably greater amount of crackling sparks and puffs of smoke flying from its body. It might be safe to say that it's on it's last legs.

It tromps toward Ted once more to get into melee range for the final stand. This time, rather than go for a combination of punches, fires off its fists at point blank range. Whether it hits or misses, Hard Man then launches itself upward again, then plots to crash down once more dependent on Ted's position.

Oops! He's hoping Satsuki won't be too upset with him for wanton property damage. Then again, it was her robot that thought embedding itself a worthwhile risk.

So absorbed in the thought of how much emergent robo/life-fiber arenas cost, he doesn't notice Hard Man closing the distance. Yipe! He sees the rockets load in for another volley, and in sheer reflex, uses the mystical ability of his gauntlets for the first time. Two ethereal hands pop out from them, with the same size and force, albeit disconnected and trickier to move. He'd try and preempt the shot, daring to crush those hands before they ever left his arm, ideally jamming the 'gun' and blowing up in its face.

A plan hatched and enacted before he could properly think it out. Then it makes its ascent, and Ted felt the intimations of the end. This needed to be climactic. This needed to be spectacular! As much fun as it is to kick a roboman when he's down, Ted knew the chivalrous thing to do was to meet it head-on, like a joust. So he jumped in the air after it. As his enemy meant hell, aiming downwards into the earth's depths, Ted would mean heaven, putting his feet towards the sky. Yes; a motion as circular and celestial as the sun! Eyes closed in battle-born rapture, Ted's legs swung up and over him, rising to meet its plunging head. 'Twas time to see whether his ascent was stronger than his enemy's fall. If nothing else, it'd make for fine poetry.

As far as Satsuki is concerned, it isn't a real fight until something breaks, explodes, or both. What are of particular note to her is the additional accessories he has access to, and it seems he has quite a lot to show.

Ted's opponent clearly did not expect his counter-attack, nor does it have an idea for a counter for said attack. The first part of the plan, figuratively and literally, blows up in its face leaving the question of if Ted can finish the job, or end up getting sandwiched between Robot Master and ground. Feet and metal collide, and as if it were timed all along, the sun rises high enough for light to shine upon the duo! However Hard Man can't keep itself together following the strike and it's trajectory is not only redirected, but the moment it slams to the ground (and just outside of the ring), several explosions follow suit.

An ear piercing buzz rings through the yard before Satsuki declares the match finished.

"It appears you barely broke a sweat, Satchel. How are you holding up?" Satsuki asks, for some reason appearing slightly amused.

Edited 2016-08-04 00:20 (UTC)

Ted felt the impact, knew his hellfire walkers had won the clash, then enjoyed his own descent so much he nearly forgot to land properly, righting himself 180 degrees as he touched ground. He humbly resisted the urge to bow like a matador as imaginary roses and cheers assailed him.

But he was smiling and panting. He had time to catch his breath now; time for the adrenaline to relent and present normalcy to his senses. In a way, he wish he could play spectator to his own fight. The marvel of the life-fibers made him do impressive feats, surely, but he could not help but take them for granted. Was there a way to retain one's humility even while leaping like a grasshopper and kicking like a mule? Would every fight, by necessity of its immediate practicality, be numbed to its own art? He had to imbibe Vyers' spirit, and never let combat become prosaic.

Caught up in philosophical reveries, he was a while in responding. "Oh, ah, relieved, I supposed. That was...almost too novel for comment" By his breathing, it took more out of him than it let on. A moment of rest revealed his exhaustion. "Well, I'm shaken, but not stirred. I owe my victory to all of you, and many more who aren't here, but ought to be." This was shouted to his audience of three.

He took stock of his body; a rare inventory. His limbs stung a bit for going up against 'Hard' Man, and his back was sore from taking a pair of exploding fists. Otherwise, his airy feet and monkey agility had done the trick of keeping him out of harm's way. It'd be but a minute before he was ready for his next and final opponent. "All right, Star, do your worst. The day is still young!"

Edited 2016-08-04 20:52 (UTC)

Novel? That's something she can certainly empathize with. "It is only going to be moreso from this point." she eventually replies- she almost feels sorry for him when he requests for her to 'do her worst'. Or maybe he's just up for the challenge. With another snap of her finger, the heavily damaged ring rises even higher, about six feet or so to reveal the steel plated walls that hold it upward, and on each side are equally large monitors.

Then a trap door collapses from beneath Ted and, ideally, sends him dropping fifteen feet or so into a dimly lit area then eventually to a hard floor.

Once the doors close, lights from the sides activate to reveal a very feudal designed hallway with sliding doors only in the front of him. Satsuki then explains that rather than the opponent come to him, this time he is to locate the opponent himself.

Whenever he decides to draw the doors open, Ted finds it to lead to yet another hallway with another set of sliding doors further down. To the left and right are 3 sets of what appears to be samurai armor- Or at least samurai inspired, but the helmets appear to have been pushed down through the neck. Upon their backs are quivers filled with an assortment of long pole weapons.

As for the group above; they get to see what's going on thanks to the monitors activating to see the room from a bird's eye perspective.

"You mean it?" he asked happily. Few things delighted him quite like novelty, though you might not know it from the way he hollered as he fell through the trap door. Star certainly knows how to keep things interesting. If the whole pedagogue thing doesn't work out, she'd have a bright career as an extreme game show host.

"Oof!" He sucked in air and struggled to his feet. He hopes flight or, at a minimum, levitation is included in his prize. Gravity appears to be his arch-nemesis. He winced at the snap of light, revealing charmingly oriental aesthetic. He's watched enough samurai films to see where this is going. Maybe he'd even get to use his wonderful icebrand; oh happy day!

He wastes no time bursting through the doors, hoping that Sans and Koishi won't grow bored seeing him wander through the strange dungeon. Luckily, Satsuki had thought of everything. Ted almost skipped through the halls as anticipation tingled in every nerve. He wasn't much for detail, taking into account but otherwise ignoring the three armored suits. He imagined they might spring to life and attack him then and there, but nothing ruins a surprise quite like expecting it, and so he opts to merely continue his forward motion.

Ted predicts correctly, of course, but the armor doesn't come to life because they're possessed by spirits or anything. The near-silent whirr and clicks of gears allow the robots to raise to their feet, then the chestplates open to reveal their 'eyes'.

Truth be told it does make the Ben K units appear... Sillier, but the three spears that they launch from their quivers and toward Ted's direction are anything but.

Afterward they move quickly in an attempt to surround him in a triangle formation as they re-arm themselves with another longpole weapon.

Thankfully, Ted's sense for cliche prepares him for the same, ducking into limbo as the spears sailed overhead. Now that was a weapo he hadn't practiced much with. Vyers had taught him the basics with a variety, but he always drifted back to swordsmanship.

By reflex he grabbed the last one that sailed above, then turned to hurl it at one of the robots like a bolt from Zeus. All possible only by the reflex-enhancing power of life fibers, thank you very much.

He was surrounded by whichever remained, and though of another fun use for the spears. Anticipating a second volley, Ted would try to dodge one, and parry another, then retrieve it and use it as a pole vault to close the gap between his adversary and strike from on high.

That bit of extra oomph is enough to send the spear right into the robot and not only does the tip lodge out from the other side, the force also enough to knock it flat on its back. However it isn't enough to put it out of commission just yet, it manages to get to its feet though with a massive crack diagonally down its body.

The other two have gotten closer and, as such, keep their weapons on hand as they continue to circle in- but Ted is still able to get his acrobatics off since the other, still a distance away, *does* launch another spear which is parried, retrieved, then used to intercept the second, sending it flying back to smash quite ungracefully against the wall!

This leaves the closest, which twirls its spear before stopping its circling to thrust its weapon toward Ted, while the two further apart sling their own weapons at the point he stands.

These robots are made of stern stuff! What did Vyers say about what to do when faced with many adversaries?

Remember, mon ami, sometimes two enemies are better than one!

That's it! Ted barely side stepped out of the fiddle stick, clambered up and over the robot using its elongated spear as a makeshift monkey bar, then used it as a human--er, robot shield to take the brunt of the other two incoming spears.

If it made an adequate pin cushion, Ted would try and see just how much strength the life fibers would grant, attempting to hoist his pinioned foe, then throw the robot right into its fellows.

Ted displays agility that it doesn't appear the robots can keep up with. The movement is quite smooth and his friendly-fire plan goes seemingly without a hitch.

Ted finds it very simple to hoist the closest robot into the air, so once it's slung toward the other two all three are sent flying toward the closest wall, followed by an explosion so massive that it leaves an equally massive tear through the wallpaper to reveal an extremely dark scar along the metal behind it. Sadly none of the leftover weapons survived and all that is left on the floor are chunks of metal.

At the end of the hall opposite of where Ted entered there's a *click* as if the sliding doors were unlocked.

The doors lead to the final, and unnecessarily large and almost completely unoccupied room with a slightly elevated floor roughly fourty yards from the entrance. With the lights dimmed at the furthest distance, Ted may only be able to make out a silhouette of another set of armor seated upon something with a spear-tipped polearm in its right hand. The visible difference from what he had faced before is a sizable V-shaped crest from the helmet.

To his left and right are painted walls, though there are several sliding doors along the way with not a suit of armor to be seen.

Ted raised an arm to shield himself from the blast. Spectacular! He also gains newfound gratitude for the whole show. How much did all this cost, anyway? Satsuki, as ever, is an extremely generous spirit. He almost regretted that he'd have to break one more thing of hers before the day was through. He knew as surely as the sun will rise that there's another foe to be found, as singular and climactic as the first. Shouldn't keep it waiting.

Thrilling destiny lit all his steps as he made his way into the grand hall, presentation pitch perfect. He had to savor every moment of the coming duel's buildup. Instinctively, he knew this would be a test of steel, and drew his frostbrand in recognition. What did the Japanese do at times like this?

He approached, then bowed ceremoniously at whatever lay ahead, then readied his blade, saying what Vyers would've said. "En garde!"

However, Satsuki hadn't quite fulfilled her guarantee yet. A little, perhaps.

As Ted takes the long walk toward his opponent something may not seem quite right. It's quiet. Far too quiet. Alas. He does reach the shadowed being, and by the time he does the room feels cooler. It doesn't move to stand from its seated position. It raises its weapon only to slam it down upon the floor beneath him and instantly all the doors within the room slide open which releases clouds of chilled air.

An small army of Ben K units flood into the room; ten of them in front of Ted, and fifteen from behind. Groups of five from either side charge forward with their spears in hand, and quickly attempt to shift into the circling pattern from before they strike, giving him time to launch an offensive if he choses.

There. Now things have gotten crazy.

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Contrary to popular belief, I am alive.

Re: Contrary to popular belief, I am alive.

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