Heroes Uprising: Alternate Universe (Thread 3)

It was a long hike but finally the thief made it back to what seemed to be his destination, a old rundown and abandoned warehouse in the middle of nowhere. This place surely had uses many years ago, but Genosha was like any other place. Newer and more advanced places would get built over the years, maybe the company that used this place no longer operated, it was no strange occurrence anywhere in the world to see a old abandoned building around.

Inside the thief walked up to another man who seemed to be a samurai himself considering his clothing and the weapon he already processed. The man turned around to meet the thief. "Do you have it?" The thief opened his coat and passed over the blade to the samurai. The samurai unsheathed the sword, examining it. "Beautiful, absolutely stunning." The thief looked on perplexed. "Wait, you sent me in there to steal that piece of shit?" The samurai looked up steering daggers into the thief. "Such disrespect. I'd watch your mouth boy. You have no idea the importance of this weapon, or it's deadliness in the wrong hands. Mr. Velaraah was a fine man, a warrior of the highest class. But his so called daughter, she does not come from a warrior bloodline. She is an outsider, and outsiders should never hold a weapon as important as this."

The thief still didn't realize what was so important about a faded, chipped crappy ass sword. But oh well who cares, wasn't his concern anyway. "Well you've got what you wanted, now give me what I want." There was another pause as the two steered each other down. "Fine. A deal is a deal, and despite your disrespect, you did do the job I sent you to do. So, I will honor my end of the deal as well." The samurai would proceed to retrieve and and somewhat reluctantly hand over a wad of cash to the thief. "Now, be gone with you." The thief smiled and responded with "gladly" before turning to walk away.

Tanesha smiled " I did, didnt I? Ouch! "she winced, it was becoming harder to stay standing, causing her to sag against Sandra. Thankfully the medic team appeared with a stretcher that Tanesha happily layed on,holding Sandra's hand as she and Edgar were taken to the medic tent.

Mr. Rep appeared in the middle of the stage and bowed " And with that, round one is complete! We will now have a thirty minute intermission, feel free to take this time to get snacks, drinks, a change of underwear for thos who may have soiled their's with whatever function while watching these pulse pounding battles, see you peeps in thirty min! " and he vanished.

Riku promply opened a portal and dragged Kano through it. Emmet watched them go, amused. He floated cross legged in the air, opting to spend the time meditating and contemplating. Noah wandered off to go get ready for the next round, knowing who his opponent was most likely going to be.

Katy went to head back to the medical room, it didn't take long for her to find Tanesha and Sandra, Katy walked up to the two and addressed Tani mostly. "Tanesha that was a amazing fight, you've more then exceeded expectations and you still got so much room to grow. I'm very proud of you. Oh also, I don't know if you two heard, but there will be a 30 minute intermission."

Sandra gave a bit of a relieved sigh, the more time between fights the better. This response did prompt Katy to turn her attention to Sandra however. "Hmm, Sandra how are you feeling? Think you'll be 100% by round 2?" Sandra thought about it for a moment. "I doubt it, I still really can't control the Phoenix all that well, it takes a lot out of me for a short time of use. If I can at all avoid using it in round 2, then I would prefer not to. I've never used that much power twice in one day, I don't know how long I'd be able to hold it if I was backed into a corner and had to use it again."

Katy frowned slightly. "I won't lie to you Sandra, that news is a bit concerning. The Phoenix is your thump card, without it you are easily the most underprepaided person in this entire tournament. You was very unlucky in round 1 to go up against a fighter as skilled as Juliet, as she exposed you pretty well. Whoever you face in round 2 will be looking to take full advantage of your flaws."

Sandra gave a nod. "Yea I figured as much. Round 2 will be a challenge, that's for sure. But hey, I'll keeping pushing forward as far as I can."

-----

Nina kinda just hung around keeping to herself, she didn't have anywhere to be. Tesla went off to find a bottle of water.

As that their turned to walk away, however, he would see Scott and Juliet, who had heard the whole exchange. His face was stoic, but he was mad on the inside.
"I can't even begin to tell you how angry I am that a man who dares to consider himself a samurai would sink so low as to steal, and not even have the spine to steal it himself. You dishonor your master, your family, and yourself!"
Scott turned to the thief.
"And I'm quite angry with you, as well, for stealing a sword that I consecrated just for Juliet."

Scott cracked his knuckles and turned his head back to the samurai.
"As much as I'd love to kick your ass for what you've done, that right belongs to Juliet."
He turned back to the thief.
"I would advise you to surrender and come quietly. I have your energy signature, so you can no longer run or hide from me."
Scott stared him down, hoping he would take the easy way and not make it worse for himself.

The thief would try to turn and run only for the samurai to draw a long black blade and stop the thief in his tracks, in one fell sweep the thief found the cold dark metal pressed against the skin of his throat, one move could see him killed. "Give it up kid, you'll never escape." Thief realizing there was no way out would surrender. The samurai turned to Scott, he could not fault the man for anything he had said as he spoke the truth.

"All words of I'm afraid. My name is Tenshi Homarru, I had traveled the world for many years looking for Daruma Velaraah, intent on challenging him for ownership of the legendary weapon he possessed. While I felt I got close a number of times, I could not find his exact location prior to his passing. I had hoped not to have had to result to injuring the girl, especially given she has no bloodline relation to Velaraah, she did not hail from a warrior family and did not deserve her life to be cut short. So, I resorted to other means."

Juliet seemed even more pissed then before. "Are you trying to say you did this to protect me?"

"In a sense, yes. I can feel your energy, you have a good heart. You are not the type of person I wish to slay without reason, and your masters problems should not be of your concern. However now that you are here, it would be a fruitless endeavor to ask that you leave, wouldn't it?"

Juliet stepped forward, sword drawn and took her combat stance. "Very well, I shall give you the warriors death you so strongly desire." Tenshi stepped forward getting ready for combat as well. It seemed all time for talk had passed and that the time for battle was upon us. For Juliet there was not just family pride on the line, but personal pride as well. This man did not look at her as a true warrior, which likely meant he viewed her as not deserving of laying claim to the Mutant Slayer as her own.

Juliet would have to be careful though, with just a regular for this fight it was considerably weaker then what she was used to fighting with. Precision and skill would take on a far greater deal of importance in this match then it mattered in her sparing match with Scott.

Scott stepped far back along with the thief so that they would not be caught between two expert swordsmen. He knew from personal experience how skilled Juliet was, but he knew nothing about how skilled Tenshi was. He was older than Juliet, and that translated to more experience and perhaps higher skill. On the other hand, Juliet often fought with mutants and other beings more powerful than the regular human he seemed to be. It was hard to really tell who had the advantage here, although Scott was pulling for Juliet, of course. Even though this was a real fight, Scott did hope that Juliet would avoid killing Tenshi if at all possible.

Scott crossed his arms.
"I have to say, thief, that you are incredibly skilled. Normal investigative means would have never caught you, and under most circumstances it would have taken me longer to find you. You simply had the bad luck to nab a sword that had recently been coated in my energy, and that was going to linger for about five hours as it gradually faded. Thus, I was able to track my own energy and find you. If not for that, you probably would have gotten clean away before I could track you down."
He smiled a bit.
"My name is Scott, a private investigator with special skills."

"Jason" the thief replied, in his mind it didn't matter now seeing he had nowhere to go, and there wasn't much sense dragging things out though any PI interrogation. Jason did not like being caught, but since was he'd may as well make the process as painless as possible.

-----

Tension was high as Juliet and Tenshi scouted each other. Tenshi would make the first move closing the distance on Juliet with amazing speed. Juliet would barely raise her sword in time to block however she'd find herself quickly being overpowered. Juliet had to take evasive action before got knocked off balance. Managing to redirect Tenshi's sword Juliet cleared a little distance with a barrow roll and got back into stance again.

This man was strong and trying to straight up block his attacks would be playing a dangerous game. Whatever his black sword was, it was not normal either. With the Mutant Slayer Juliet wouldn't be to worried, but with this regular sword she was using it was unlikely it would stand up. Parrying and redirecting Tenshi's attacks seemed to be the way to go.

Juliet and Tenshi would clash again and engage in a frantic fury of attacks, clashing and parrying each other with incredible speed and precision. As the fight dragged on Scott was able to pick up on something, Juliet wasn't tiring. Matter of fact the longer the fighting went the the stronger and faster she seemed to be getting. Scott remembered this happening with Sandra as well. Does that mean Tenshi was a mutant.

Scott watched intently as the battle raged on, neither combatant seemed to be giving an inch. Both seemed to have flawless defensive tactics. No matter what direction Juliet or Tenshi attacked from, neither seemed to be able to get past the other. Eventually coming to another clash Juliet broke away quickly, clearing some distance as she knew her sword couldn't stand up strength wise to Tenshi's.

This had been the first break in the battle for quite some time, and neither combatant seemed worse for the ware. If Juliet was feeding off Tenshi's strength, then clearly Tenshi had a lot to spare as he hasn't showing any signs of slowing down soon. Breaking the calm Scott and Juliet noticed Tenshi's sword started to glow, Tenshi started making a slashing motion and Scott instantly tried to warn Juliet to move. Juliet was already ahead of Scott and already reacting as a slashing energy wave from Tenshi's blade soured though the air. However even with her boosted stats there was not enough distance for Juliet to evade the energy attack, and it caught her in the right shoulder cutting into her collar bone.

The attack left Juliet in considerable pain and bleeding out pretty rapidly. Her right arm was not rendered completely useless, but it was hampered and weakened quite a lot. Despite a pretty server injury Juliet told Scott to stay back as she readied to clash with Tenshi once more. But with the two seemingly being even before, how does Juliet hope to stand any chance now that she fighting injured.

Tanesha squeezed Sandra's hand " It'll be ok, like you said, we didnt enter this to win it, lets just do the best we can, all things considered and with who all are in the next round " she honestly didnt wanna go up against the likes of Mary, Nina, or Riku if she could help it, not that she thought she could take Emmet.

Dr.Spayde entered the tent and headed over to Tanesha, he looked her over for a moment before touching her forehead. For the next few minutes he healed her broken bones and healed her stamina. He removed his head and stepped back " Alright, you should be good for the next battle, be carful out there, both of you " he nodded to Sandra and left.

Donovan and Garfield went to get snacks while Victoria, Dave, Tyrone, and Adrian sat back. Everyone was talking about the matches and what was coming next, naturally everyone was making bets. The favorites to win it all appeared to be Riku, Tie, Nina, and Mary, the bets getting higher and higher. Dave was a little unsure of who to root for, his first impulse was Emmet, but Sandra.....his head was still upside down over it all, Sandra needed the support more right?

Adrian had been quiet during the whole first round, part of the reason was his hunger was starting to awaken, much to his annoyance, he had that part of his ability pinned down most of the time, but seeing so many interesting abilities always set it off. The likes of Riku, Tie, and Angelica were of no interest, as magic was beyond his power to fully analyze. Mary and Nina were the same, their capabilies were'nt mutant powers, so he couldnt take them. Tesla, Katy, Vishgar, Sarah were all mutants.

But he'd decided to avoid killing any true notes, for the time being, despite his desire for diamond skin. He'd see what he could do after the tournament was over, watching Emmets fight had been particularly interesting, the power of phoenix was the most tempting of all.

Emmet was still deep in meditation as he pondered his next move, with the phoenix his chances of victory were higher, but relying on the strange power so completely didnt sit well with him, he on his own was no weakling, but he certainly couldnt deny the powers of all the others. What could he do to bridge the gap?

You already know, unleash it

Emmets body went rigid as he heard that familiar voice, the same one from the preliminary match, when he'd fought that mysterious man who looked so familiar, what did it mean?

30 minutes later

Mr.Rep appeared back in the ring " I hope everyone is recharged and ready for the continuation of the action packed tournament!!! Will all challengers please enter the ring for round 2 "

Emmet floated into the ring as Riku walked through a portal, walking a little strangely, and Kano sat with the others on the lawn, looking very satisfied. Tanesha and Sandra soon joined the others in the ring.

Mr.Rep cleared his throat " Ok so, we have an odd number of people, dunno how we missed that, but it happened. This means were going to have a special three person match in the mix, exciting right? "

Nina and Tesla made it out to the ring to join the others in time for Mr.Rep announcement, Katy meanwhile sat on the lawn alongside the other eliminated parties. Nina started considering the possibility of being one of the unlucky ones to be involved in a three person fight, normally Nina would be excited about this type of contest as it could be manipulated, and the person who was smarter and played their cards right would likely get the win.

However, circumstances here wasn't normal. A lot of True Notes had progressed to round two, and it was certainly not out of the whelm of possibility that two of them could get into that match. Nina realized if she was selected as that unlucky third, and where to be standing across the ring from Emmet and Riku for example. That would be a truly nightmare situation.

That said, on possibly a plus side the high concentration of True Notes could mean the entire match could get filled with members of their team. If that where to happen, with there only being one winner at the end, that would guarantee that two True Notes would get eliminated in one fight, that was pretty much a dream situation.

There was so many ways this three person fight could go depending on who gets selected. It certainly did add a interesting winkle into this otherwise straight forward contest.

-----

On the flip side Sandra wasn't going through a mental breakdown of how a three person match would possibly play out, instead she seemed a bit more intrigued and curious about it. "A three person match? That could lead to some craziness.

-----

Katy seemed almost a bit more on the concerned side of things. "Three people in one match? In round one the ring barely held up to two people fighting it. Depending who gets selected, that fight could be utter destruction."

The crowd was buzzing with excitement over the prospect of a threeway battle, there were a lot of possibilities, leading to a whole new round of betting. Emmet considered this, the variables were all over the place, he couldnt help but think Riku, Mary, and Tie all in the same match held a high possibility of blowing up the arena. Tabitha was having the same thoughts and was working on even more defensive spells.

" Alrighty then, lets not waste time and let the names roll!! " Mr.Rep yelled the monitor bgan flashing names, faster then it had in the first round till it stopped.

Nina VS Sandra VS Tanesha

Tanesha gasped, she knew there was a chance she would face Sandra in this, but was hoping not too, not to mention the vampire chick was involved in it now too.

Emmet frowned, probably the least destructive outcome, but still not a good one to him, Nina was a strong and skilled combatant who'd overcome katy, Sandra and Tanesha were in for a tough fight. Everyone but the three fighters left the stage and watched from the lawn.

Sandra and Tanesha being beside each other the whole time now found themselves standing face to face.   It became pretty apparent that neither really wanted to take a swing at the other.    Nina stood a bit off to the side of the other two, this wasn't the best case situation however it was one she should be able to make work.    Nina spotted Sandra making a nod towards her, following that gesture both girls would turn in her direction.  

Interesting, so the love birds want to knock me out first do they?  Nina got into a fighting stance, feeling the grip of the ring under her it felt so nice not to be fighting on pure ice.   Nina lead the attack kicking off and charged the lovers duo with incredible speed, her movements almost seemed like a blur and before Sandra could even really register the attack, she  coughed up some blood and buckled over finding Nina's fist planted firmly in her gut.

Just as caught off guard as Sandra Tanesha tried to respond with a counterattack, Nina would kick Tani in the gut sending her skidding back across the ring.    It was obvious now why Katy never even attempted to fight Nina straight up.   Katy taking the gamble and expending so much energy to ice up the ring and try to neutralize Nina's speed, and to avoid her strikes at all cost.    Nina didn't have much if anything at all in regards to ranged attacks, but up close she was a beast.     Katy looked on with concern and uttered "somehow she's gotten even stronger".

Sandra was still down on one knee, she don't think she'd ever fought anyone before that packed so much power into one strike, across the ring Tani had picked herself up just in time to see Nia speed past her, on instinct Tani threw a back elbow which Nina caught.    Not wasting time with words Nina gave Tani and powerful headbutt to the back of her skull, not to powerful as Nina couldn't risk splitting the girls skull open and killing her, but it was more then enough to knock Tani loopy.

Nina proceeded to then heist Tanesha over her head, and force her down upon her knee in a spine shatter backbreaker.     Normally Nina would of used her claws to stab her opponent though the back, but again that pesky no killing rule.    Tanesha screamed in agony upon impact and after being rolled of Nina's knee and onto the ring floor it seemed like Tani's body could do little more then make slight twitching motions as it appeared her back was broken.

Seeing this Sandra's anger started to rise, her body was still riving in pain as she was sure she had to have had something broken herself, which says something to how much force Nina was packing considering Sandra was only ever hit once in this fight.     Sandra dragged herself though the pain almost stumbling in the process but managing to catch herself.     The glow of the Phoenix consumed her eyes and almost right away Sandra threatened to pass out, however she pushed though it.    She had to, Tani needed her.

Nina wasted no time attacking Sandra who reacted barely in time managing to grab Nina in her telekinetic grip, Nina's outstretched fist but mere inches away from connecting with Sandra's face.   Sandra slammed Nina into the ring with force to create a creator, and in a rear occurrence for her managed to bring for a Phoenix Flames attack without Emmet's help.

Assuming Nina was down Sandra floated weakly into the air and hovered over to Tanesha.   She could stand seeing her girlfriend in such a broken state but wasn't exactly sure what to do.    She rolled Tani onto her back, sat her up and embraced her in a hug.   Maybe purely buy instinct and desire along, Sandra had managed to do something as Tanesha felt a warning sensation wash throughout her body, soothing her and easing her pain.    Tani could slowly feel movement coming back into her fingers, then her hands, she seemed to be recovering though not instantaneously.

Sandra was overjoyed when she felt some slight movements from Tanesha, however the celebration was short lived when Nina reappeared planting a knee right into the back of Sandra's skull.    It looked like Nina had taken's Sandra's best shot and was still going.     Sandra clutched the back of her head with both hands, the Phoenix had already more then taken it's toll and now this.     Nina grabbed Sandra by the shirt and dragged her to her feet, the vampire then gave a series of repeated elbows strikes to the side of Sandra's head, having a clearly marked target in mind at this point.

Sandra wouldn't be able to take much more of this and signs of the end was showing.   Sandra's body had grown weak,the glow in her eyes had faded as Sandra seemed to have a far away and dazed look to it.   She was out of it which only got confirmed when Sandra passed out.     To all the True Notes this was a pretty shocking turn of events, as this marked the first time Sandra had used the Phoenix, yet still failed.    Troy, Mafia, Karen, Fear Factor, they all failed when the Phoenix got involved.   However Nina... had won.

Tanesha wanted to help early but her recovery was only now nearing completion.    Starting to climb back to her feet Tanesha looked up to see a horrifying sight.    Nina had turned Sandra passed out corpse to face Tani, holding the girl up by a handful of her hair Nina's fangs started to extend.   "Your next".    With that warning Nina bit into the side of Sandra's neck just like she'd done to Katy earlier, feeding on the girls blood and growing even stronger.

Scott nodded as the thief said his name was Jason. He didn't have any real questions that needed to be asked, he now understood the motive for the theft and had the recorded video evidence of how he did it. He was not sure yet what he would do with Tenshi and Jason, but he would worry about that after the fight between the two swordsmen was settled. As the fight began, Scott was not surprised that Tenshi was physically stronger than Juliet, although his speed was a bit surprising for a man his size. The two clashed swords again and again, amazingly with no indications of slowing down or tiring. At this speed and for this long, Tenshi should have shown at least some fatigue if he was truly just a regular human, yet he seemed no more tired than if he was taking a leisurely stroll through the park.

Hmm, something's not right here. Even if he was at peak physical condition for his size, moving that large body at such speeds for an extended period of time would tire out any normal person. Valor, can you scan them and see what's going on here?
I'm on it.
Valor scanned their energy signatures and was surprised by what he found.
It appears that Tenshi is a mutant rather than the normal human we first thought him to be.

Scott was a bit surprised, but it made sense.
Juliet's powers make it so that she can sap the energy of mutants to buff her own strength, so that explains why she isn't tiring.
Yes, but Tenshi has similar powers. Each time they clash swords, he's absorbing some of her life energy, as well. This is a very even match-up, and that explains why neither one of them is tiring.
Scott smiled a bit, not able to keep from being fascinated by the abilities of Juliet, Jason, and Tenshi.

Unfortunately, even though their powers and skill might have been equal, their swords were not. Tenshi was using a very special katana, much stronger than the normal katana that Juliet was using. This forced Juliet to be more on the defensive, and that was not a good place to be against a very offensive fighter like Tenshi. They stopped fighting for a moment, but rather than a reprieve, it was the calm before the storm. Tenshi's sword started to glow and he began to make a slashing motion.
"Juliet, look out!"

His warning came too late, however, and a vacuum wave of energy sliced into her shoulder before she could evade. The damage was severe, since Juliet looked to be in considerable pain and was bleeding profusely. A quick scan of her body by Valor showed that she could barely move her right arm, a highly debilitating injury in this kind of fight. Although it didn't look good for Juliet, Scott never lost faith that she would win. He had been in many intense fights, and sometimes he had been badly injured against foes that seemed unstoppable. However, his own desire to save everyone on his planet and his faith in Valor and himself allowed him to keep getting up and fight until he won.

Scott knew that Juliet had that same kind of grit in her. She was fighting for her prized possession, a precious memento from her father that meant more to her than anything. Losing that now would be like losing a part of her soul, a part of her very being. No matter what it took, Scott had absolute faith that she would reach deep inside of herself and find the power to win back the sword that belonged to her. Mental strength and force of will mattered just as much as physical strength and skill in a fight, and the time had now come to see whose will and determination was stronger.
"Kick his ass, Juliet!" Scott shouted encouragingly, hoping to further strengthen her resolve with his support.

Juliet knew this situation, her right arm was not going to aid her a whole lot anymore, she was basically fighting one armed with her defensive capabilities cut nearly in half. Juliet grit her teeth and moved into a fight stance, every movement of her right shoulder was excruciating, but she would either win this fight or die trying. Juliet knew one thing for absolute certain, the word surrender was not under any circumstances was going to be uttered from her mouth. She was fighting for prize that meant far to much for her.

Juliet went on the offensive going after Tenshi with everything she had left in her, attacking furiously and relentlessly. Every clash the two made threatened to shatter the sword Juliet was using, but she kept pushing forward. Regardless of her absolute best efforts however, Tenshi was matching her at every turn. There was no way Juliet was going to win this in a straight up sword fight, Tenshi was to strong, to fast, and both his offense and defense was perfect. And what's worse is the longer this battle went the more aggravated and painful her shoulder injury got. Juliet had to get creative.

Juliet actually allowed Tenshi to turn the tide on her, she wanted to go back on defense but she did it in a way that misguided Tenshi into thinking he was winning. Juliet waiting, parry attacks and trying not to get her head cut off, which was easier said then done considering her defense was much, much weaker then before. Barely managing to survive Juliet found that perfect moment she was waiting for. After deflecting one of Tenshi's sword strikes, instead of backing away Juliet instead shot forward. Using the handle of the sword as a weapon Juliet quickly clocked Tenshi square in the face knocking him off his feet. Tenshi was able to quickly shake off the impact however Juliet was already on him, the tip of her sword ever so lightly poking at Tenshi's throat. Tenshi was fast, but not so fast he could dodge a blade that was already touching his skin.

"Do you admit defeat?" Juliet asked in a stern voice. Tenshi closed his eyes, relaxed and with a smile admitted to surrender. Tenshi slacked his grip slack and his katana to slip from his hand. Juliet as a result stepped back letting Tenshi up. He'd been bested, a outcome he had not at all expected and now there was only one thing left to do. Now with a entirely new sense of respect for this young lady, Tenshi picked himself up and retrieved the Mutant Slayer. He proceeded to, with a bow, present the sword to Juliet. "Do realize that this was never personal. In my wildest dreams I never imagine you would have the skills you do, I did not think you where worthy to be in possession of such a important weapon. Had I found your master prior to his passing, I'm all but certain I would of defeated him. Not only are you every bit as good as I heard he was, but you have exceeded him. I apologize for not challenging you properly. You are entirely worthy of wielding this weapon."

This was quite a humbling experience, but Tenshi was not upset. This lady was so young, and already one of the best swords fighters he's ever met. Who knows where Juliet's skills could be by the time she reaches adulthood. Jason seemed more pissed off then Tenshi. "Really after all this effort and he just gives it back? Some fucking bullshit man."

Juliet accepted her weapon, it felt so good to hold the Slayer once again. Soon though especially as adrenaline started to wear off Juliet would get hit with the full effect of the pain caused by her injury, and now that she paid attention to it, the bleeding out with how long it had been occurring was getting to the point of being worrisome, very worrisome in fact. With this whole ordeal behind them Juliet made her way over to Scott. When she spoke now, you could most certainly hear the pain in her voice. "Scott I'm going to need medical help before I pass out or die of blood loss." Juliet ripped off one of her sleeves and tied it tightly around her injury yo make a makeshift bandage. "This will help slow things down, but a bandage won't cut it for this wound, this isn't something that's just going to scab over and heal itself. I need professional help."

Tanesha watched in horror as Nina drained Sandra, they'd inially planned to take Nina on together and deal with the outcome, but the vampire was stronger and faster then they'd anticipated. Tanesha been beaten down pretty badly, but Sandra had protected her and how she'd ended up in this state. She clenched her fist as her anger mounted, her heart pounding in her chest.

" Get your fucking mouth off my girlfriend! " she snapped as he launched herself forward, corrosive poison seeping all over her body. Nina detached her mouth from Sandra and threw her at Tanesha. However she vanished in mid toss, appearing in Mr.Reps arms

" Challenger Sandra has been eliminated and thus can no longer have fun in the ring anymore " he handed her over to the medic staff who took her away. Emmet glared at Nina, the temperature around him rising, Sandra in a battered state was a picture he'd seen before and did not do anything to cool his anger. Dave was angry as well, Donovan and Garfield placing restraining hands on him. Noah ground his teeth, barely keeping hold of his self control, watching a vampire feed always set him off.

Tanesha had paused for a moment, but she was quickly moving again as Nina rushed towards her. She was angry, but she couldnt let it cloud her vision, not with this chick. Nina still held a big advantage over her in physical power and she was sure to be stronger after feeding. She yelled as Nina's speed increased she was on her, her fist connecting with Taneshas stomache again, but she'd prepared herself for that and reached out, holding onto her wrist.

Nina hissed as Taneshas hold melted her outfit and flesh. She yanked her hand back, tossing Tanesha behind her. The girl rolled across the stage, but Nina was instantly in her path, grabbing Tanesha by her shirt and hurling her back to the other side of the stage. Nina was toying with her now, Sandra's blood humming in her veins, fueling her with more power. Taneshas acidic touch was vexing, but not cause for alarm. She could take her time, make her bleed all over the ground and lap it up.

Tanesha coughed, feeling battered and bruised, she weakly looked up, seeing nina stroll towards her. She thinks she's already got this won, Tanesha rose to her feet, breathing hard. She would not go down like this, not to the bitch that had drank from Sandra and Katy, she wouldnt. But all of this wouldnt amount to anything, if she couldnt even touch Nina. As the vampire dropped into a crouch, fangs and claws extending out, she sprang forward. But something was wrong, it suddeny felt like she was wading through a thick mud.

Tanesha an intense power pulsatint through her, her eyes growing a bright green. Nina was moving so slowly now and it felt like it had something to do with her. Tanesha gasped as she realized she was causing it, was this her second power? She didnt have time to feel joy about it, question what it really was or anything. Her body just started moving, propelling her forward at an intense run straight towards Nina.

It was the most satisfying feeling when her fist connected with Ninas face and sent her to the ground. Nina was quickly back on her feet starring at Tanesha bewildered, what was the girl doing? It appeared to have stopped, with a quick burst of speed she appeared behind Tanesha, claws poisoned to sink her back, but again that same feeling came back, she screamed at her body to move faster, but it could not. Tanesha whipped around kicked Nina in the stomache, pushing her back.

Not letting up, Tanesha hammered Nina with punch after punch, the corrosive effect adding to her attack as Nina's undead flesh cracked and tore away. Tanesha's hands started feeling heavier and heavier, her vision growing dim. No!! She wasnt going down, With all of her might she slammed her fist into Nina's mouth, breaking her teeth and cracking her jaw as she was knocked back clear across the stage.

Everyone in the audience were waitng, breaths held, to see what would happen next. Nina staggered to her feet, most of the flesh on her face gone, revealing her skull. This wasnt possible, this weak little girl had reduced her to this, she growled, not done yet and rushed Tanesha, not caring about her power. But Mr.Ref appeared out of nowhere and stopped her with a single finger against her forehead, she jumped back immediately, sensing a tremendous amout of power from that single finger.

" Well Skully, you did a good job, if I do say so, lots of pain and agony, but I believe we are finished here, see? "

Nina wasnt sure what he meant, Tanesha was still standing, the fight could continue, but on closer inspection, it was apparent that Tanesha had lost consciousness while still on her feet, her will power keeping her standing.

" And with that, we have our winner, Skullerina, I mean Nina!!! "

The crowd exploded with cheers and suprising number of boos, people chanting Tanesha name. The medic team appeared just as her strength gave out and she collapsed onto the stretcher.

It didn't take to long after the fight ended for Nina's flesh to start healing a regrowing. Luckily Tanesha seemed not to understand how to go about fighting a vampire, as just aimlessly plumbing Nina wasn't going to get a opponent to far at the end of the day. That new power Tanesha had revealed though, Nina wasn't expecting that. She realized quickly that if that girl had more experience she could of posed a pretty big threat. Everybody was so preoccupied with Sandra that many where failing to see the other True Notes growing as well. Tanesha was not one Nina would take lightly again the next time they meet.

Still, this fight had now brought her 3-0 against the True Notes, and Nina was proud that she managed to show everybody that the big scary Phoenix was indeed beatable. All it took was to find Sandra's weakness. With Karen's disappointing display in round one and all the other Fear Factor doing nothing but skulking around in the shadows all day, Nina was starting to feel like she was the only one in that group carrying her own weight, and started to even wonder if she really needed them all that much.

Eventually when everybody was about to leave the ring, a scared medic did make his way over to check on Nina, it was their job after all though this guy was probably regretting signing on at the moment. As he was about to utter out some word, Nina turned and walked away. The medic took a deep sigh of relief not having to deal with the vampire chick.

Edgar watched the fight from his cube, as he thought, that girl Tanesha had used molecular deccelaration in their fight. It had only been slightly, though it had been enough to win his respect, her will power was something, as she'd just demonstrated against the vampire Nina. She was still raw, but with time she could grow to something great. Sandra Fuller needed more practice as well, but she had immense power in her as well. Cordelia reported that her training was going well.

" Are you going to tell me why you took part in this? "

Edgar looked up to see a woman in her mid 30's, blonde hair in a bun and wearing a simple sweater dress, approaching him " You didnt even fight one of the phoenix's "

He chuckled " It was a whim, Helena. Im sure you know that if i'd wanted too, I could have made it so I faced Sandra or even Emmet, though that would have been boring. I let fate decide my next move and I was not dissapointed with the outcome. Things seem to be going fine, Emmet is still in his cage and Sandra is progressing in her use of the phoenix force. All is well "

Helena starred at him for a moment before she shrugged " Good to hear, should we head back now? "

" No rush, lets see this tournament through to it's completion, besides isnt oneof your mages fighting in it? Dont you want to cheer him on? "

Helena laughed as she took a seat on the offered cube " Sure, i'd love too "

-----------------------------------------------------

Riku sneezed " Huh, I see my fan club is talking about me, fake bitches. Tani was pretty badass, sucks she didnt win "

Emmet shrugged " I believe she did win in a way, Tanesha has always felt innadequite because of her power, but she went far in this tournament and even awakened another power, these are victories she can grow on "

" Well said Emmet, your wisdom runs deep " said kano " Lady Tanesha showed amazing resolve, I daresay she'd make an excellent Valkyrie! "

As the stage was cleaned up, the monitor started flashing names again.

Noah VS Riku

Riku hopped up from his spot on Kano and stretched out " About fucking time " he smiled darkly as he started walking to the stage, whistling the theme song for Lavender town, Noah followed behind him.

Kano's expression became serious " Fair Emmet, can you feel it as well, the intense bloodlust? "

" Yes dawling " Emmet said as he rubbed the back of his neck, the hairs were standing on end " The atmosphere is macabre, the air reeks of blood and murder, I daresay those two just may kill each other during the course of this fight "

" Do you think it will come to that? Not to say there is dishonor is killing a worthy oppoent, but it violates the rules of this tournament " Kano was starring intently at the stage, the two had some bad blood between them that usually manifested in death glares and petty comments, they had never seriously come to blows, but the desire had been there.

" Hmm, no, I dont think it will, the tools for it are present, but its not the rules that will sway their hands nor a secret friendship ready to blossom, I can forsee them pushing each other to the brink of tear, tearing a painting the battlefield with blood and delight, but what the ultimate outcome will be is there desire to lord victory over the other "

Kano seemed a little confused, but he got the gist " I see, tiss a great trophy, victory recounted in tale and song to a ruined adversary "

Emmet shivered slightly " Indeed "

Katy was pretty shocked when Nina recovered from Sandra's attack and then basically proceeded to beat her into unconsciousness. Sandra did have worries about using the Phoenix again, and while yes she sold signs of struggle, she was still managing. Everybody had to assume Nina was done for, but she wasn't. At first Katy worried for Tanesha having to go one on one with Nina, and initially those fears was realized as despite Tani's best efforts, Nina was just to strong. However Tanesha showed so much willpower and with the emergence of a second power, she actually started to put Nina at a disadvantage, Tani even did some notable damage to the vampire.

Tanesha had a habit of selling herself short, but she didn't to. She was the MVP of that fight, she did better then Sandra did. With all the mystique and aura that surrounded the Phoenix Force, Katy could understand why Tanesha felt inadequate in comparison. But she didn't need to be, she was so much more capable then she'd ever thought possible. Katy hoped tonight gave Tani a confidence boost and a desire to grow from this.

However the mood took a drastic shift when Riku and Noah was called to do battle next. If we could get through this next fight without one of their friends dying, Katy would call that a win.

Scott watched as the sword fight continued, though Juliet was still clearly on the losing side. Eventually, she used the blunt end of her sword to deal damage before finally forcing Tenshi to surrender. It had been an incredible fight, and Scott was thankful that both combatants were still standing. Juliet approached him and said that she would need professional medical help to treat her wound. Under such pressing circumstances, there was no time to really think about punishing Tenshi or Jason for their actions. After thinking it over quickly, he turned to them.

"Since Juliet got the Mutant Slayer back and the only thing really damaged in this whole affair was the safe, I guess I'll let you guys off for now. Let's just make this the last time you guys steal from Xavier, okay?"
Picking up Juliet bridal-style, he hustled her over to the infirmary in the main building. Once they were there, he let the medics take over the treatment of her wounds, which thankfully would not be life-threatening if treated quickly. Scott sat down in the waiting room area and waited patiently for Juliet to be treated. He was proud of Juliet for winning the fight and proving herself to be the true heir of the Mutant Slayer.

Scott's wait would not be to long as within the half hour Juliet would get treated by a young female doctor, a mutant. After exchanging a few last minutes words Juliet would get released and she walked over to Scott. "Thank god for superpowers. I'll admit, I'd be drove mad if we didn't have healers and injury laid me up for months. I honestly don't know how I'd coupe." Being that Juliet injury was fairly serious, she got pushed to the top of the waiting list. This was why doctors had gotten to her quick, and she was now already ready to go.

Juliet took her sword, but before she and Scott headed out she stopped him. "Scott, before we head out I just want to say thank you. I would of never found that thief on my own. For what you did for me today, I can't possibly express how greatly in debt I am to you. If you ever need a favor, no matter how big it is. You can always call on me for help. I own you that." Juliet would not forget what Scott did for her today, and she'd be waiting patiently for the day she would get to return the favor.

Riku and Noah faced each other in the ring, Mr.Ref looked between the two combatants " Hmm, I smell rivalry, I think this fight will be most interesting! "

Riku snorted " Yeah no, what your probably smelling is alter boy sweat, had a bit of fun during the break to eh? "

Noah ignored the comment " I would like to propose a bet "

" I didnt think gambling and holy men mixed, well barring one I know, but he's awesome " Riku raised an eyebrow " Whats the bet? '

" Whoever defeats the other wins and the loser must do one request from the victor " Noah explained.

Riku cocked his head to the side " Pretty straight forward and boring, like you. In the impossible event that you win, whats your request? I'm not giving up my evil and slutty ways to join a convent "

" The seventh holy scripture.....it was stolen from the church and if I win....I want you to find it and bring it back to me, i'm sure thats within your abilities "

Riku's eyes twinkled mischieviously " thats all? tch sure, but if I win, weeeeeeeeeelllll " his smirked became perverted " I'm going to use you in every sense of the word, know what bestiality is? You go learn "

Noah held out his hand " Do we have an agreement? "

After a moment, Riku shook his hand, without trying to break it " Bet "

Mr.Ref nodded " Oooh a bet? I love gambling, well if everyone is in agreement YOU CANT ESCAPE FROM CROSSING FATE!! " and he vanished.

Noah and Riku immediately jumped away from each other, Noah activated his light armor while Riku cast a spell.

" Heavenly Body Magic: Meteor! "

A pink aura covered his speed, dramatically increasing his speed. The two launched at each other at the same time, shooting across the ring and crashing into each other. They appeared to bounce off one another and go back in. Racing around the ring continuing to clash, it appeared to most that they were just knocking into each other, but to those like Kano with a certain occular clarity, they could see that the two were in fact engaging in hand to hand combat with each clash.

Both balls of light vanished, appearing on adjacent sides of the ring. The atmosphere started darkening, a black mist settling in. Riku slammed his palm onto the ground, large tendrils of darkness raced out towards Noah, attempting to ensnare him,but he side stepped around them, shooting light blast to destroy them. But as his feet touched a certain spot of the ring, an explosion went off, engulfing Noah.

" How do you like my delayed spell? " Riku asked as he summoned more darkness, seeping through every crack of the stage.

Noah walked out of the smoke, ruffled, but relatively unharmed " A Type of explosion magic, most likely from a circle you made during our first exchange. I'm not impressed, i've killed many mages who pulled the same trick "

Riku's eyes narrowed " Have you? "

A massive blast of darkness pushed Noah into the air, taking the form a hand and seizing him in a crushing hold. Riku didnt stop there and surrounded the hand with magic circles, each firing off a magic missile at it. But blast of lightshot out of the hand from every direction till Noah broke free. Riku was about to attack again, but Noah vanished and pain exploded from his stomache, along with Noahs fist.

" *Cough* I see you know Shundo jutsu " Riku commented like he didnt have a hand going through his gut " I'm a fan of it myself and Shakuchi "

Noah shifted his head to the right, narrowly missing a jagged line of darkness that had attempted to spear him. Riku lashed out with a kick that pushed Noah all the way out of the ring and onto the lawn, but he quickly returned to the ring.

Riku staggered about in an exaggerated manner " I like fisting, but this may be a bit to much for poor old me!...jkjk " his wound healed over instantly " I've been fisted by giants, no way your baby hands were gonna do anything.

Kano watched, proud how well his friend was doing in the fight " This bout could very well go either way, but are greatly skilled, I would hear your thoughts on it, wise Emmet "

" Noah has the edge in terms of speed but Riku surpasses him in strength, while Noahs defense is immense, the same could be said for Riku's recovery " Emmet said as he floated cross legged in the air " Were still in the beginning stage and I dont believe either has really started to take it seriously "

Noah pulled some beads out of his pocket and wrapped them around his hands, Riku frowned slightly, he could feel the holy power from where he was standing. Raising a hand, he sent a large surge of darkness at Noah that took the form of a three headed dog with razor like teeth " Sup dog "

Noah's light intensified as he raced forward, his arms a blur as he rained out shot gun blast of light, with a step leaped into the air as the cerberus like construct changed it's direction and followed him into the air, but Noah was ready for it, charging up a larger blast, instead of firing it, he charged it through his fist and fell. As soon as he made contact with the beast, an intense burst of light engulfed it and obliterated it, Noah touched the ground outran another explosion before it could catch him.

Riku growled as his darkness was being pushed back, Noah was calling on the spiritual power that some executioners were able to use, Riku had never seen a human use it to this degree, but it didnt matter " Mana burst! " magic energy burst out from his legs, augmented his already great demonic strength, elongating his nails into claws he met Noah in the middle of the stage and two rushed past each other. blood spurted from Noahs back via Riku's attack, but the demon mage suddenly fell to one knee.

A gash could be seen on the side of his face, but this time it wasnt healing.

" Those beads bear strong holy power! " Kano exclaimed

" Yes, that demons regeneration will be compromised now from any wound that man inflicts on him now " the competitors and exs turned as Angelica walked over to them " This atmosphere reaks of demon filth, I pray that man slay him quickly "

" I wouldnt say this fight is over just yet, Noahs struck a good blow, but Riku did as well, I believe it was simply a matter of exerting himself " Emmet commented, his eyes locking with Angelica and making the girl flinch.

What piercing eyes and this presence he exudes, why is it reminding me of Michael

Angelica shook her head turned back to the match, this human vessel was messing with her senses, that was surely it.

Riku poked at the wound,wincing slightly, it was healing, but at a much slower rate then he liked " So your bringing out your toys, neat, i'll respond in kind "

Noah appeared in front of him " I wont give you that chance! " fighting in a stance of shaolin kung fu, he blitzed Riku in a brutal assault, his fist working as swords beating down the demon.

Corrupted magia: Breath of Boreas!

Noah suddenly found himself blown back by an intense black wind that sliced across his body like a thousand knives. He vanished, appearing on the other side of the stage, his body littered with cuts that bled slowly.

Corrupted Magia: Gentle breeze of Jupiter

A pleasant breeze blew across the ring, healing Riku's wounds. He dusted himself off, smirking all the while " Suprised? "

Noah glared at him " Yes, thats a rare ability, using a corrupted version of anothers magecraft, even if its something you shouldnt be able to use.

Tabitha smiled broadly " I was wondering if he was going to use it for this, you all know what this means "

" We get to rub it in Ku-Sama's face that he technically used our help for this " Shizuka said preening " Never letting him live this down "

" Nope" Gat added in " That priest is dead meat "

Noah noted that Riku's wounds werent healed completey, as a demon he was unable to use magic spells like healing, but with corrupted magia he could use a darker version more tailored to him, though it wasnt as effective as a natural user. Preparing himself for this next stage in the fight, he ran forward, reappearing behind Riku but at the last second, moving back in front and aiming his strike for the demon mages chest.

Corrupted magia: Ex-quip, Lancelot the mad!

pain exploded in Noahs hand as it connected with a riddiculosly solid surface. Riku was now wearing suit of dark and evil looking armor. He grabbed Noahs wrist and with his other hand, punched him in the face with such force that it sent out a shockwave and knocked Noah clear across the stage and into a wall. He fell out of the wall and landed on his kneels, blood flowing from his broken nose, his left hand was broken and bleeding as well, but he still got to his feet.

Riku, armor started to crack and break away, raised a hand " Corrupted magia: Mami's tea party! " Dark ribbons formed rifle in his hand, as Noah staggered into a run, Riku fired a black pellet, packed with an immense amount of power that whizzed towards Noah. The executioner exerted a massive pulse and punched it. Flying out of the explosion he raced back into the ring faster then anyone could see and punched Riku square in the mouth.

Riku's head knocked back, but he quickly recovered and punched Noah in the stomache, the fight had turned into an all out brawl, spells and techniques forgotted in favor of just attacking each other. Many people in the audience were beginning to feel uncomfortale and queezy from the brutal display, blood splattering the stage.

Both compants pushed each other back, breathing hard and heavily wounded, Noahs holy powers having nearly suppressed Rikus healing and Riku having gotten through Noahs defense. They locked eyes and nodded, they'd instantly agreed to finish this with the next strike.

Noah pulled out a jewel cross and began reciting a prayer while Riku chanted a spell. The air became charged as the two oppoents energy built up, Noahs cross glowed brightly, forming a cross like construct of holy light about Noahs size. Riku's spell began to form, The sky darkened, blotting out the sun, a mass of black energy began to amassed and formed a large spear.

Noah: Holy rites, Blessing of the king!

Riku: Dark baptism!

As the two attacks of light darkness collided, it triggered a massive explosion and blinding flashes of light. As the dust settled people could see the two laying on the ground, heavily injured. Riku groaned in pain " Someone get the number of the truck that hit me, I want seconds " he tried to stand but found he couldnt move at all " Oh hayl naw, im not tying with this bitch! "

Suddenly, Noah shakily climbled to his feet, his clothes in tatters and bloody, wobbly on his feet, but he still stood.

Riku started panicking, something he'd only ever done three times in his life, and started screaming at his body to move! Move!! MOVE DAMMIT!!!! But his body wouldnt do as he wanted. Noah limped over and stood over him.

" Your defeated " his hand right hand flickered briefly with light " You acknowledge this? "

Riku glared up at him with eyes full all the rage of hell and bowed his head in defeat.

Noah smirked and raised his hand " I forfeit the match "

Riku's head snapped up, his eyes wide in shock then a fresh wave of anger washed over him as he realized what Noah was doing. He'd defeated Riku, the bastard had worded the bet just the right way, and saw no reason to go further in the tournament, he'd gotten what he wanted.

Mr.Ref appeared beside then in the ruins of the stage " Whats that you say? full out afrofully forfeight?! Damn, the size of that L is unreal! Anywhoo looks like the winner of the match, and dis L, is Riku!!! "

Riku clenched his fist as movement gradually returned to his body. Every fiber of his being wanted to tear Noah apart, reanimate him, then tear him apart again.

" Can I assume your going to abide by our wager? "

" Go fuck yourself, of course I am you pedobear sun of a bitch, have to get back to little Tommy right?! "

Noah chuckled and allowed himself to be taken away by the med team, they started towards Riku but were paralyzed by fear by the amount of bloodlust Riku was giving off.

" Leave him be dawlings " said Emmet as he walked past them with Kano " He'll be fine, what he's ailing more from is injured pride "

Riku flinched, he'd suffered such an asslancing defeat and in front of Emmet of all people, a sense of shame started set in as Kano picked him up.

" You lost, but there is no shame in that Riku, that was a most exciting battle but can you trully say you gave it your all? You lost to someone I know you would never want too and whats more he handed you further humiliation by claiming the true victory and giving you the one that let you continue on. Most cruel of Noah but, can you fault him? "

Riku was silent as they walked back over to the others but finally said " .....No, this L is mine to take "

" Do not wallow, use it, better yourself and move forward, not only in the tournament but in your other endeavors, if your half the person I think you are, this wont stop you "

Kano sat down and started fondling Riku, the sexual energy helping Riku purge the holy effects from his body "......You think so much of me, you always have......" he grabbed Kanos crotch, his wounds rapidly healing till he was fine " Thank you, I wont let you or myself down "

Emmet smiled, though felt a slight confusion at Riku's words as well as astrange surge of pride that didnt quite feel like it belonged to him " Excellent, I look forward to seeing you in the semi-finals, I wish to fight you "

Riku nodded " Neat, I want that too " well I wanna fight the real you, yes youve handed me my ass over a thousand times.....but I always enjoyed it and it taught me so much, your right, I wasnt taking it seriously, cant say im changing my ways, but i'll look at them a different way, im a bad bitch, not a sad bitch.

"Between Riku, Kano and Sandra's respective defeats, Noah's forfeit, Tanesha discovering new powers, what went down with Roberta, and the vampire chick over there out of everybody being the one that's currently up 3-0 on our little group. I'd say this tournament has had quite a lot of twists and turns so far" Tesla commented. This tournament had certainly not been playing out how Tesla would of expected it to. "It's certainly keeping things interesting, that's for sure."

Four minutes later and the ring and lawn were perfect and prestine with the sun shining brightly, after Riku grudgingly put away the darkness and now the monitor was flashing names again

Mary VS Tesla

Kano glared at the woman who defeated him " Lady Tesla, take caution in this bout, that woman is dangerous, be on your guard " Kano felt concern towards Tesla, not sure how she woud be able to defeat Mary when she defeated an Asgardian warrior such as him. Emmet too felt some concern as well, Mary was certainly a dangerous opponent

" Good luck dawling "

Riku gave her a thums up but otherwise remained silent, still smarting over his fight with Noah, he felt like he could tell how the fight would go.

"Right, I'll give it my best out there." Tesla walked out towards the ring, the situation was not lost on her, defeating Mary was a tall task to ask for. Tesla's greatest attributes was her defense and strength, strength as Kano showed wasn't enough. However Kano had brought the fight to Mary, if she expended much of strength getting past Kano then maybe Tesla had a chance. Regardless it was not going to be a easy battle. Victory was far from secured, but if there was a way then she was determined to find it. Tesla stepped up into the ring and awaiting her opponent.

Scott smiled as Juliet came out of the operating room healthy and in good spirits. Her mutant physiology had allowed her to recover fairly quickly from her serious injury, especially with help from a doctor specializing in mutants. Scott was also blessed with a unique recovery system, in that as long as his limb was still attached to his body, he could heal it by covering it with Valor Armor. Once covered in Valor Armor, his aura would mix with Valor's to close the sound and heal it almost instantly. When his right arm was destroyed during his attempt to summon the Destroyer Fist during his battle with Dulzak four years ago, this energy repaired it to perfection. Serious wounds still left scars on his body, though, but each scar was a badge of honor; each represented a battle, which was a step to becoming the guardian of all that lived.

As they turned to leave, he stopped when Juliet thanked him for all of his help and said that he could count on her help any time. He turned his head forward and smiled.
"You are a friend, the first real friend I've made in this world. Friends help each other."
Scott began heading back toward the dojo and stepped inside, heading for the damaged safe.
"I am relieved that our thief was a pro and did little damage to this safe and dojo."

Scott closed his eyes and turned in a circle, absorbing the atmosphere within.
"I feel at home here. I came of age with the idea that I had to fight for what I believe in, and that the strength of one's belief in themselves is the greatest strength of all. There is no purer expression of this belief than the martial arts. The core principle of any martial art is that the weak become strong physically, mentally, and spiritually. Everything I achieved was because of the martial arts, even if it was the theory and not the technique."

Opening his eyes, he turned to Juliet.
"Do you have any tea? I had a bout of nostalgia and now I'm craving some."
The way Scott was standing, looking totally relaxed, was like he had always been in this dojo. He felt like he was in Chiang's temple in complete peace and serenity. Juliet would never know how much it meant for him to have this sense of home in an unfamiliar world.

"Tea? Yea I believe I should have some." The dojo was pretty basic with the dojo area itself taking up most of the space. Juliet's room was in the back and was about the size of a office space with some conversations made. The lockers was in a room across the hall and there was no dedicated kitchen. However a hotplate and kettle was seen on the desk, and Juliet opened a shelve to get a few paper cups, sugar, powered milk and teabags. She set the supplies out on her desk. "Sorry the gear is pretty basic, but I don't exactly have a kitchen in here." Juliet used one of the drinking fountains and a cup to fill the kettle before setting it to boil.

"You know you look pretty happy here. Have you considered asking for a job at being a martial arts instructor?" Juliet's skills was noticed quickly when she arrived on Genosha and it landed her a job as a instructor in the dojo, that said she was however still a student herself and had other classes she needed to attend to. Having Scott on board would be a blessing and help and keep the dojo open longer.

-----

Jason and Tenshi had finished collecting their gear by this point. "So what now?" Jason asked. Tenshi stood silent for a moment. "Now we follow our own paths, your services are no longer needed." Tenshi walked away leaving Jason on his own.