Just Another Angel Story
Hey there guys! What's shaking? I'm here with Chapter 5 of "Just Another Angel Story", and man am I glad to be back!
Well…actually, I'm cutting my deadline pretty thin, so I'm kind of nervous. I've got half of the chapters that I need to get done, done. But, I've still got a lot of work to do! I must want to kill myself…
Anyway, here's the next chapter! I hope you like it!
Chapter 5 - The Battle is Decided: Keiichi and Akari Cross Swords
"You ready to go?" Akari asked Keiichi, who had just stood up and was staring her down.
"You bet," Keiichi nodded, grabbing his carrying case that held Danichi. Akari also grabbed her carrying bag and the two walked out of the team room.
"It's time for the final match…" Hitomi murmured. "Keiichi and Akari! Don't worry Kimiko!" Hitomi smiled, watching Keiichi going out of the team room, his blonde head held high. "Keiichi would never lose!"
"AND HERE THEY ARE FOLKS!"
Cheers rose through the crowd, along with shouts and applause, not to mention shrieks for Keiichi from girls in the crowd. The two deuses faced off against one another, then shook hands defiantly, not leaving each other's gaze.
"OUR FIRST DEUS, KEIICHI TENDO, HOLDS THE RECORD FOR MOST PIFFLE PRINCESS TOURNAMENTS WON THIS YEAR! TENDO WAS A QUARTER FINALIST AT THE LAST KANTO REGIONALS, AND RUMOR HAS IT THAT HE'S ENTERING ONCE AGAIN THIS YEAR!"
Girls screamed as Keiichi walked over to his egg and sat down, putting his visor over his eyes. Akari smirked at him, her eyes narrowed.
"THE CHALLENGER IS AKARI MORONE! THIS COMPETITOR, YOU WILL ALL BE EXCITED TO KNOW, HOLDS THE PIFFLE PRINCESS TOURNAMENT WIN RECORD FOR THE LAST YEAR! THIS YEAR, SHE'S WON OVER THREE TOURNAMENTS AND SAYS THAT SHE PLANS TO ENTER THE KANTO REGIONALS AS WELL! THIS IS BATTLE BETWEEN TITLE HOLDERS, FOLKS!"
The crowd once again burst into applause and cheers as Akari walked over to her own egg and sat down, putting her visor on. The two deuses rose into the air, level with each other, now looking at the layer instead of each other's eyes.
"THE FIRST ANGEL TO BE RELEASED IS DANICHI!"
Keiichi took Danichi and threw him into the layer. Danichi entered the field of the layer and did an impressive backflip. He turned to face where his opponent would come.
"ANGEL DANICHI IS A HEAVY WEIGHT BUILT FOR DEFENSE!" the announcer exclaimed.
"I've never heard of a Defense Angel," Hitomi told them. "It was one of the options in the booklet, though."
"Yep," Kimiko nodded to Hitomi. "Defense Angels focus on blocking out attacks. They sacrifice power for durability. But, there are some really great deuses that have found ways to use their defense as an offense."
"Such as…?" Hitomi asked.
"Ohjiro Mihara," Kimiko smiled.
"He's a Defense Model?" Tamayo asked as the three of her group stood at the top of the stands, looking downwards. "Like Wizard?"
"Yes," Koutaro nodded. "But Danichi is different in the fact that he's a Heavy Weight. He's obviously much heavier."
"It seems, that instead of using speed and defense," Misaki observed, "Danichi works as sort of…a…" she paused, embarrassed. "I forgot."
Tamayo and Koutaro fell over, but Tamayo got up quickly to suggest a word. "Like a tank?"
"Yes, thank you Tamayo-chan!" Misaki smiled. "He focuses on power and defense instead of speed."
"As for his opponent…" Koutaro began.
"AND THE NEXT ANGEL!"
Akari threw her angel into the layer, and it landed gracefully, doing a somersault and a jump motion.
Hitomi stared at the screen for a better look at the angel. "ANGEL RONSA IS A HEAVY WEIGHT BUILT FOR POWER!" The announcer shouted.
Ronsa had a tan complexion with white strikes on her face and arms. Her hair was an orange red and she wore a crop top colored orange with red claw designs. The sleeves were short and billowed out on her upper arm. Her pants were puffy, and were also orange with the same red claw designs.
Ronsa followed her team's theme with the fact that she had what seemed to be cat ears, colored red orange stick out of her head. Her hands were cat paws, as were her feet. Poking out from her pants was a long cat tail that acted as her angel cord.
"DEUSES, ARE YOU READY?"
Keiichi and Akari both readied themselves, staring at the layer. Their angels took fighting stances and stared off against one another. "BEGIN!"
Ronsa jumped off, using her cat like legs, and tried to pounced on Danichi. Danichi grabbed her arm and swung her around, trying to perform a slam, but Ronsa grabbed his torso and flipped him over with her. Danichi kicked her off before they hit the ground, and the two landed on their feet, no damage taken to either of them.
"Woah!" Hitomi gasped. "How impressive! That exchange was amazing, but neither of them took any damage!"
Ronsa tapped her foot on the ground and then leapt forward again, throwing a punch at Danichi's face. He stepped back, but Ronsa was ready with a side kick that hit Danichi straight across the stomach!
"Oh my gosh!"
"Don't worry Hitomi," Kimiko assured her. "Look."
Danichi looked hardly phased as a few of his health points dropped. He grabbed Ronsa's leg, and then her waist and slammed her to the ground, performing a move that might be used in wrestling matches.
"ANGEL DANICHI PERFORMS A DEVASTATING ATTACK!"
"Danichi is heavier then Ronsa," Kimiko smiled. "Even if Ronsa is built for power, she's still a female model and therefore has less mass then Danichi."
"Don't count Akari out yet," Fuko snapped. "Just watch."
Ronsa leapt up, slinking out from the slam. Keiichi gasped as Ronsa caught Danichi's neck between her feet and jumped over, slamming him into the ground! Ronsa landed perfectly on her feet, and Akari smiled triumphantly.
"A COMEBACK ATTACK FROM ANGEL RONSA! THIS IS GETTING UGLY FOLKS!"
"See?" Fuko smirked. "You're right. Danichi has more power, but Ronsa has more balance. It's natural for the female models. Haven't you ever watched Olympic Gymnastics? The men do exercises that emphasize their upper body strength, while the women do exercises that emphasize balance and grace."
"So Ronsa's faster and more graceful then Danichi…" Hitomi murmured. "So Akari can pull off moves like that!"
"Precisely," Fuko said. "This match is far from over."
"ANGEL RONSA PERFORMS ANOTHER IMPRESSIVE ATTACK!" Ronsa hadn't even waited for Danichi to rise to his feet before she somersaulted into the air and landed on his stomach, knocking more damage.
Danichi, however, grabbed Ronsa's legs, surprising her, stood up with Ronsa still in his grasp, and slammed her to the ground once again.
"This is getting heavy!" Hitomi gasped. "In most of the matches I've seen, the angels all use graceful punches and kicks! Danichi's making it look like a pro wrestling match!"
"That's Keiichi's style," Kimiko observed. "He knows that Ronsa is a tough opponent, so he's not going to go with the graceful attacks that most female angels use. He's going at it tough."
"It's an odd style…" Misaki observed as Danichi and Ronsa began to fight again, grabbing at each other and trying to throw each other. Danichi connected with a punch, but not before Ronsa gave him a sharp knee in the stomach. "Much more violent then usual."
"These two angels are known for their grit fighting," Koutaro said. "Hatoko was telling me about it one time. "Angel Ronsa and Angel Danichi are known as two of the most hardcore fighters in Angelic Layer right now. They don't 'mess around with nice looking moves'."
"They go straight for the kill!" Tamayo gasped. "It's like Yakuza alleyway brawls!"
"Now that you mention it…" Koutaro nodded. "It…does sort of seem like they're more of gang members then martial artists."
"What do you mean Koutaro-kun?" Misaki asked.
"In Martial Arts, there's always a certain amount of routine and balance to it," he told her. "This is just bar room brawling. Street fighting, one might say."
"I know that game! It's in the Arcades!"
"Not 'Street Fighter', Tamayo," Koutaro sighed, shaking his head.
"Anyway," Misaki said, looking back down to the layer where the two were still throwing and dodging punches and kicks. "It doesn't matter how they fight. I feel that these two have a certain connection when it comes to the layer."
Ronsa threw an impressive kick over Danichi's head, only to have him crouch to avoid it and then rise into the air, punching her jaw and sending her flying.
"AN IMPRESSIVE PUNCH FROM ANGEL DANICHI! BOTH ANGELS ARE DOWN TO HALF HEALTH AFTER THIS IMPRESSIVE BRAWL! IT LOOKS PRETTY EVEN FOLKS!"
Ronsa immediately rose to her feet and stared off against Danichi. Danichi ran forward, but Ronsa was ready. She grabbed Danichi's arm, bared her fangs, and bit straight into his shoulder!
"M-MY GOD! THIS IS UNPRECEDENTED! ANGEL RONSA HAS BITTEN ANGEL DANICHI!"
Danichi winced with pain, and his eyes were wide. Ronsa finally let go, and Danichi had to fight himself not to grasp his shoulder. He threw a punch, but Ronsa dodged and punched his bitten shoulder. Danichi fell back again, grasping his shoulder.
"That's not fair!" Hitomi cried. "Ronsa injured him and now she's aiming deliberately at his wound!"
"All's fair in love and war," Fuko reminded them haughtily. "Although the biting thing is a bit freaky."
Danichi rose to his feet, panting. Ronsa was stationary, but he kept a close eye on her. There was no saying when she would attack again.
"You're a lot like me!"
Keiichi looked up to see Akari smiling at him, a grin on her face. "I said, you're a lot like me."
"How so?" Keiichi asked, narrowing his eyes.
"You don't fool around with formations or fancy moves," she said. "Neither do I. I know the cardinal rule of battle. The one that doesn't get up at the end is the loser.
"It doesn't matter how you win. Fight clean, or play dirty. I think right now, we're both fighting dirty, wouldn't you say?"
Keiichi paused. "I didn't think you were fighting dirty."
Akari's eyes widened and she looked surprised. "H-heh. Even after I attacked your wounded shoulder? You know, I'm going to keep going for that shoulder."
"That's not playing dirty," Keiichi shrugged. "It's playing smart. You go for your opponent's weakness. I expected it."
Akari was a little taken aback, then, she chuckled. "You are a lot like me, Tendo. But I'm less forgiving I suppose. Anyway, let's finish this, so I can clean the floor with you and your angel."
"Right," Keiichi nodded. "But I'm afraid that you're the one who's going to be the mop today."
Ronsa rushed in and did a jump behind Danichi. Danichi spun around just in time to see Ronsa's fist coming right towards his bitten shoulder.
"Oh no! Watch out!" Hitomi cried.
"Keiichi, dodge it!" Kimiko cried, but it was too late.
Danichi hadn't dodged, but he had moved just in time for Ronsa to punch his face instead of his shoulder. He skidded away, and Ronsa looked down triumphantly.
"ANGEL DANICHI HAS TAKEN A BLOW TO THE FACE! LET'S SEE IF HE CAN GET UP!"
"Keiichi…" Megumi murmured from the sidelines, clutching her broken camera and looking at her brother up in the egg.
"Don't worry Megumi," Sanosuke assured her. "Keiichi will win. He's really good, right?"
"Y-yes…big brother's always been really good at Angelic Layer," she told him. "But I'm worried. Akari is going for his wound, and he can't dodge in time."
"Funny…why didn't he just dodge to the other side?" Sanosuke asked himself. Megumi looked at Sanosuke with a strange expression. "It's…almost like he meant for her to punch him in the face. But what good would that do?"
Megumi and Sanosuke turned back to the layer, more confused then ever at Keiichi's actions.
Danichi rose up, blood slowly dribbling down from his nose to his chin. He rose his hand up and took off his goggles, which were now broken in half. He slid the halves into his pocket and faced off against Ronsa again, a defiant look on his face.
"I've got it!" Misaki announced, and Tamayo and Koutaro turned to her.
"Got what, Misakichi?" Tamayo asked.
"I know why Danichi didn't dodge to the other side!" Misaki said. "He purposely let Ronsa hit him in the face!"
"Wh-what for?" Tamayo asked.
Misaki frowned. "You'll see. I believe…Keiichi Tendo has an ace up his sleeve."
"ANGEL DANICHI IS UP, BATTERED AND BRUISED BUT READY FOR BATTLE! WILL ANGEL RONSA DELIVER THE FINAL BLOW? OR WILL ANGEL DANICHI FIND A WAY TO COME BACK?" The announcer was shouting into the microphone over the crowd's loud cheers for both angels.
Danichi face off against Ronsa, and the two angels stared one another down. Ronsa smirked, and once again leapt off towards Danichi. She was running fast, and she threw fist at Danichi's wounded shoulder.
Danichi grabbed her fist and spun her around to face him. The crowd gasped as Ronsa's face exploded into an expression of pain. Her pupils were small, and her mouth was wide open. No one had seen what happened, but when they all looked at the playback, they gasped.
In the same moment when Danichi had flipped Ronsa around, he had taken out a half of his goggles and stabbed the sharp plastic edge straight into Ronsa's shoulder. He was now digging it in, and Ronsa looked completely immobilized by pain.
"Ronsa!" Akari shouted, standing up. "I don't believe it! You had me punch you on purpose to break your goggles so you could use them as a knife!"
"An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth," Keiichi said simply. "This match…is over!"
Danichi thrust the piece out of Ronsa's shoulder, grabbed her waist, and threw her as far as he could. She sailed peacefully out of the layer and hit the ground.
"LAYER OUT! DEUS KEIICHI TENDO AND ANGEL DANICHI ARE THE WINNERS!"
"Yes!" Hitomi shouted, hugging Kimiko. "We win! We win the match!"
Fuko frowned and looked over at the screen. "Man! How could Akari have screwed up like that?"
"I hope those angels will be all right!" Misaki said worriedly. "They both took such heavy wounds!"
"They'll be all right," Koutaro assured her. "They'll get fixed up, I'm sure."
"Yeah, but what a cutting edge match!" Tamayo cheered. "Koutaro-kun, come with me!" she grabbed her friend's arm. "Let's go buy some slushies to celebrate!"
"We didn't win anything!" Koutaro exclaimed, but it was no use. Tamayo dragged Koutaro off through the door of the tournament room, shouting back to Misaki that they'd be there in five minutes.
"ICCHAN GO BOOM!"
"EEEKS!" Misaki jumped about three feet as none other then Mr. Icchan dropped from the ceiling, landing right next to her on his head. "Oh! Mr. Icchan! Hello there!"
"Hey Misaki!" Icchan smiled. "I see you saw the match as well!"
"Yes," Misaki nodded. "We were just walking by and deciding to drop in! What about you Mr. Icchan?"
Icchan make a "shhhh" sound. "Uhhh…really good matches, huh?"
"Yeah! They were great!" Misaki smiled, and Icchan gave a sigh of relief. "But I got worried about this last one."
"As was I," Icchan nodded, looking at the Layer. "Those two play rough with their Angels. But…" Icchan smiled. "It shows they have enough confidence in them to let them play that rough."
"I suppose," Misaki smiled. "But I'd never let Hikaru do anything that dangerous!"
"Misaki! We're back with the slushies!" Tamayo announced, dragging Koutaro behind her, three slushies in her arms.
"Oh! Hey there Tamayo-chan. I was just talking to Mr. Icchan here…" Misaki turned and gasped to see that Icchan was gone! No where to be seen! "Mr. Icchan? Where'd he go?"
Back at the layer, Akari had gathered up Ronsa, and the two Deuses were now on the ground level. She shot a look at Keiichi and walked over to him. "That…was brilliant. Using your goggles I mean."
"I just used all of my surroundings," Keiichi told her. "Ronsa's not too hurt, is she?"
"She'll be fine after a bit of repair," Akari assured him. "Same thing with Danichi, right?"
"Right," Keiichi nodded. "You played an awesome game, Akari."
"You're tough, Tendo," Akari smiled. "You played rough out there."
"I only played that way because I knew you could handle it," he told her, grabbing hold of her hand and shaking it. She blushed a little at his words. "I don't go that rough on everyone. You really are an awesome opponent, Akari."
Akari smiled and shook Keiichi's hand. "The same goes for you, Keiichi. Nice job."
"AND WHAT A MATCH FOLKS! I WANT TO THANK YOU ALL FOR COMING TO THIS ROUSING GAME OF ANGELIC LAYER! AND THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR DEUSES!"
Akari and Keiichi smiled at one another and then walked back towards the team room, side by side.
"You did itKeiichi!" Hitomi cheered as the two arrived. "You won! We won the match!"
"That's right!" Kimiko smiled. "We win! And we have a deal!"
"I wouldn't go back on a promise," Akari said simply, putting Ronsa back in her bag. "I'll make good on my word. We'll stop by the electronics store on the way home."
"Akari, why the hell are you just accepting defeat like that?" Fuko asked defiantly.
"Cause I lost."
"I'm leaving," Fuko growled, throwing her bag over her arm and stepping towards the door. She threw it open and then slammed it behind her, leaving the five of them to their own devices. Just after Fuko had left, Sanosuke and Megumi entered, Megumi smiling at her brother.
"You did it!" Megumi smiled. "Thank you so much."
"Not bad," Sanosuke admitted, smirking a little. "Except for Masamichi, who won by a fluke."
"ARRRGH! I'll show you a fluke!"
"H-Hey! Let go!"
"C'mon," Akari smiled. "Let's go. I apologize for being so rude before. You guys…are pretty cool."
"Thanks!" Hitomi smiled. "You are too!"
"See you in the Kanto Regionals," Akari said to Keiichi, a defiant look on her face. Keiichi nodded.
"C'mon," Akari said, smiling at the group. "We've got a camera to buy, don't we?"
Yay! The end of the chapter! I'm so happy that I finished another one! I'm seriously jumping for joy here! Yaaaay!
Next Time: A Startling Realization: Angel Kaoru Enters the Scene!
Until then,
Ciao for now!