Round One: Rain on your Parade
Vexen, the Chilly Academic, versus Axel, the Flurry of Dancing Flames! announced the announcer grandiloquently before the PA system clicked off.
"What is that Neophyte doing here?" Vexen snarled upon the termination of the announcement of the battles for the first round. He finished adjusting the instrument that sat before him, an apparatus designed for distilling various chemicals. He had wanted to start making a new concoction, but it would have to wait. Vexen didn't dare to leave this new mixture alone, untended for long periods of time. Not that this fight would consume a large portion of his day, but if Axel were to find his way here, and set fire to the place, there could be an adverse effect on the concoction, along with damage to other priceless experiments that Vexen had brought with himself. He would have to wait until after the fight to make the concoction.
Searching through the various potions, elixirs, and concoctions he had brought with, Vexen grabbed one a vial of a blue liquid and shoved it into his pocket before departing the store. He didn't to check on the laptop to find this particular opponent's weak spot. Vexen already knew.
Vexen didn't set out to locate Axel. Axel would find him, when the time was right, Vexen knew that, and planned on it. He was looking for an appropriate place, one that would allow him to put his plan into action.
The first stratagem was avoid the central hub of the mall. That was easier said than done, as to get from one 'spoke' of the mall to another, one had to pass through a portion of that hub. Vexen hurried through, catching sight of several other fights. He didn't pause to observe, but moved forward. With no time to waste, the observation of other opponents had to wait.
It took him another five minutes to reach where he wanted to be. The area was smaller, limiting mobility, but for him the area served another purpose. One that Axel hopefully wouldn't discern until it was too late. Summoning his shield, Vexen centered himself before the only possible approach, waiting for the fly to trigger the trap.
And come the fly did. Axel approached, not even taking in the surroundings. His chakrams were already out, Axel twirling them every so often. A cocky grin was on Axel's face as he eyed the higher number.
"Number VIII," Vexen stated impassively, his shield held out in front of him.
"Vexen," Axel acknowledged, before throwing his chakrams right at Vexen.
Vexen deflected the pair with his shield. "You're going to have to try harder than that…" he commented, concentrating and sending a row of ice spikes towards Axel.
Who smirked, dodging out of the way. "Same to you!" Axel replied, the chakrams returning to his hands. "I have better things to do than to fight you… so let's get this over with!" Axel held his arms out perpendicular to his body, concentrating. He looked at Vexen, a leer on his face. A flash, and then fire encircled the duo, raging, nipping at the ceiling with its many tongues. "What're you going to do now?"
Vexen made no reply. The sprinklers did it all for him.
The firefighting system in El Centro Del Mundo was one of the most advanced in the world. If a fire started anywhere in the mall, the system would immediately analyze the blaze and determine the best way to deal with the emergency.
In this particular incident, the system decided that the sprinklers would suffice. Within seconds, the sprinklers sputtered into life, dousing the entire area with over 250 gallons per minute, at around 100 pounds per square inch.
Vexen was prepared for such an event. In fact, he had planned on it. His shield was already held above his head, deflecting the high pressure water off him.
Axel, on the other hand, wasn't so lucky. He had no way to protect himself, as already the water was starting to extinguish the flames. His chakrams were used in a futile attempt to protect himself from the force of the water, but his weapons left too much of his body exposed. The water pummeled into Axel with punishing force.
Minutes later, the sprinkler system turned off. Vexen slowly lowered his shield, glancing at Axel. Not only was the other man completely soaked, his exposed skin was a bright red from where the water had pounded at him. With a smirk, Vexen waved his hand in Axel's direction. The air temperature plummeted, Axel's soaked clothes rapidly freezing together, along with his lips, arms, legs, and torso freezing in place. Axel couldn't move an inch.
"I do believe I've won," Vexen drawled. "You should pick your arenas more carefully…" He smirked. "And so your pyrotechnics won't work…" He pulled out the vial of blue liquid that he had brought with him. He walked towards Axel and dumped the entire bottle over the neophyte's head. "Do you know what this is?" He glanced at Axel. "Of course you don't. This is Novec 1230. A fire suppression chemical. It's liquid at room temperature, but works as a gaseous fire suppressor. It will stop any flames you try to create, so you won't be able to use them for a while..."
Vexen started to walk away, dismissing his shield. "Have a nice day Number Eight." He didn't allow himself to laugh until he got back to his base.
Disclaimer: If I owned any of these characters… let's just say Vexen would still be alive, and starring in his own game.
Author's Note: Hello everybody, welcome to Chapter Two, and the first action sequence. Yay!! The author who will write the corresponding fight scene is Hi Welcome to Hell. Go check out his version of the fight. If it's not up already, it will be up soon.
As a little explanation, all information about the sprinklers/fire suppression chemical is genuine, except for maybe the color of Novec 1230. I wasn't able to find out what color it was, so I made it blue. I hope nobody minds.
Well, good luck to all! Thank you for reading, and all reviews are gladly accepted. Thanks again!
