Unmei Force: Inherited Wills
Chapter 1: Lilac on Blue, Green on Green
With Antonio the Hedgehog...
Antonio continued down a short corridor, as there was a door in front of him, except it seemed to be locked, evident from the red light emanating from it. Seeing this, he sighed, looking around for something to help him unlock the door itself. When he did find something, he was left with a unamused expression.
"Seriously...? You want me to ditch Excalibur...!?" Antonio exclaimed, seeing the perfectly-shaped hole on the side of the door, which seemed to be the verification unit for the door itself.
"Sorry, but you're fighting this one bare-handed." DW's voice rang through the corridors. "It wouldn't be fair, since your opponent doesn't have a weapon of her own. Hope you know how to fight-"
"Yeah, yeah, I get it." Antonio grumbled, before he then jammed Excalibur in, with a resounding click, and then cracking his knuckles, and leaning side-to-side to stretch himself. "Hate to disappoint, but I didn't place all my eggs in a single basket, so to speak. I assure you, I inherited a lot of my father's talents, and that includes fighting bare-handed."
"Well then, better hope that it'll help you through your fight." DW cheerfully remarked, before the door slid open.
Antonio passed through it, as he found himself in another room, except it looked like the core room of some sort of space fortress, with the colossal core looming over-head, as well as having a alien theme to the walls and floor, with glowing glass-like pods all over the walls, exotics metals meshed together into the structure.
He looked around, expecting an ambush from his opponent, although he did seemed to be at east at the fact that his opponent has yet to come. This did, however, test his patience, as he tapped his foot on the ground a few moments in a gesture of irritation.
He didn't wait long after that, as something crashed through one of the walls, leaving torn metal and sparks flying from where the being crashed from. This alerted Antonio, who turned around, preparing to fight his opponent. When he got a closer look at them, when they stopped moving, he raised an eyebrow in intrigue, at the one facing him right now.
It was a female purple-coloured, anthropomorphic water dragon, just about the same height as he was, with purple-coloured twin ponytails. She wore s a blue outfit with a dark blue waist belt, blue gloves with yellow trim, and blue boots with bolts of lightning at the heels, as well as shining blue earmuffs on the sides of her head, below her jutting sharp ears. His own eyes met with her pink ones, as he was made more curious.
"Huh. Never thought that I would be able to find someone like a Mobian." Antonio mused. "I'd say that you're a dragon species, by the looks of it, although you look more like a Chinese dragon, than the western kind."
The opponent did not respond back, as she glared at Antonio intensely, which the hedgehog picked up.
"Hm." Antonio murmured. "Either way, I know a friend that's a dragon like you. And she's fully Chinese as well. Still, you look like someone stepped on your tail. I'd say that you're in quite the hurry, and that's coming from an impatient person like me."
"Where. Is. Lord. Brevon?" The newcomer spat out venomously, her eyes filled with burning fury.
"...Oh. I see where this is going. This 'Lord Brevon' is something to you, like my father is to Doctor Eggman." Antonio responded back, before shaking his head, shrugging. "Sorry, but whoever that guy is, I ain't working for him. In fact, you're the one who rushed up to me, how do you expect me to know!?"
"Then get out of my way." The female dragon snapped back. "I won't ask twice."
"No can do." Antonio answered back. "Bad news, I'm stuck in this place, until one of us is beaten. And I sure as hell ain't going to be a disappointment to my father's legacy, by losing at all. You look like that you're capable, but you're going against the only son of the Blue Blur, so you're in for a real fight, lady."
"I don't care who gets in my way, machine or person... I will take you all out the SAME!" The dragoness furiously declared, raising her fists up for battle. "If you won't get out my way, I'll beat you down! I'll get my hands on Lord Brevon, for what he did to my Milia! I am Sash Lilac, and I am unleashed in fury!"
"Geez, sorry to be a jerk or ass here, but talk is cheap here. To return your introductions, name's Antonio the Hedgehog. Not like that you're going to be sing it much, after this fight." Antonio retorted back, before he then lowered himself into a fighting stance. "I wonder what you can do-"
Before Antonio could finish his sentence, Lilac sprinted forth, at a speed that rivalled that of Antonio's, as the hedgehog was caught off guard, finding himself being pummelled with a palm-strike under his chin, before he was then slammed up by Lilac's extending ponytails, which were hard and durable enough to be used like powerful whips. He didn't even have the time to recover from his daze, before Lilac dashed right into the air after him, before she then pummelled him with a series of strikes across his body, before then headbutting him right into the ground.
Antonio skidded across the ground, as he tried to recover himself, succeeding in doing so, while he glared at Lilac, who landed gracefully on both feet. He then scoffed a little, wiping the edge of his mouth, and being glad that these attacks only winded him, possibly bruised him slightly inside.
"Well. I guess that I was cocky there. You're pretty damn fast for a dragon, to be able to catch up to my speed like that." Antonio responded back, with a tone of admiration, before he then bent down to sprint. "But... You're not going to be done that easily...!"
Antonio then dashed at Lilac, who tried to do a frontal guard to block his attacks. However, at the last moment, he fainted to the side, before he then kicked Lilac on the side, stumbling her and breaking her guard. He then zipped back in front of her, before assaulting her with a series of body blows, before sending her back with a round-house kick, following up with a Homing Attack, as his spinning figure ground against her torso, before he then kicked her down with a downward kick to the ground.
Antonio then landed back on the ground, as he bolted off after Lilac, who barely recovered to block the attack, as she weathered the young hedgehog's blows. She then countered with a gut-punch, which Antonio quickly retaliated with a kick to the chin. This caused the two of them to back away from each other.
As if challenging each other, their eyes narrowed towards each other, before they then clashed against each other at fast speeds, as they were spinning around and around the battlefield, as they tried to get around each others defences. The force of their clashed, amplified by the ludicrous speed they were fighting at, caused shock-waves that made the entire area tremble.
They then separated once again, before Lilac prepared to charge once again, with energy wrapping around her. At the same time, Antonio jumped up and rolled himself into a position to use his Homing Attack, as he was spinning much faster than his usual attack. The two of them clashed with each other, neither attack being broken, as they then bashed against each other over and over with their pursuing attacks, become two blurs mid-air, one blue, and one purple, dancing across high in the air.
Their deadlock ceased, when they found themselves exhausted, as both of them managed to stick their landings, and they observed each other, hoping to see how they fare compared to their opponent now.
"Hah... Hah... Damn, you really know how to fight." Antonio remarked. "Fighting you is just like sparring with Father or Uncle Shadow again, except the fight's fair against me, with how you're looking.
"Look who's talking..." Lilac huffed, raising a tired finger. "You don't look so hot either."
"Maybe not, but with how you are, this is now at the point of sudden death." Antonio smirked back. "You're going down, dragon girl, because when it comes to fighting at the edge of desperation, the lineage of the Blue Blur is one of the best ones for the situation."
"I like to see you TRY!" Lilac growled back.
The two of them rushed at each other, as they clashed against each other, this time on the ground, as they scraped past each other, each time they bent around to face and charge their opponent, trading blows that blocked each other. Eventually, they began to slow down, as they became more visible to the observer's eyes, and their attacks were less focused and powerful than with how they started the battle with.
They then backed away, before they then faced each other once more. This time, they looked determined to finish this, as they readied themselves for a final push to charge and run over their opponent, before they then smashed against each other, with auras of speed rushing over them. Both of them struggled to keep each other at bay, as they were sweating, and their bodies were beginning to grow sore.
"...Sorry, but you've lost this one..." Antonio grinned weakly, before he then gambled more of his strength into the attack, risking any hope of winning, should the attack fail. It managed to get through, with Antonio's speed aura crushing Lilac's own, allowing him to approach her, as the dragon girl was too exposed from the charge to properly block, before she then found herself being slammed with a devastating kick to the abdomen, that sent her flying right into a wall, cratering it slightly.
Antonio stood there for a moment, as he was completely our of energy to even move, leaving him vulnerable, if Lilac were to mount a counter-attack at that moment. However, Lilac was bordering the edge of unconsciousness, as she slammed belly-first onto the ground, done in by the brutal attack, as she groaned weakly, twitching her arms and legs to try and move herself.
"You may be good with those martial arts of yours... And you might be a powerful dragon..." Antonio huffed. "But my father took far more unfavourable battles when he was around my age and level of health... So I'm going to push past my own limits, and beat you fair and square, to prove that the son takes after the father."
Lilac's only response was pained moans, before Antonio sighed, slowly trudging over the poor dragon girl, and then sitting cross-legged down in front of her.
"I'm not sorry that I beat you in a fair fight." He bluntly stated, before his expression softened. "But I feel a bit bad, in all honesty, for having to fight you for some stupid reason like that. You got a real fight ahead of you, and now you've been laid out by me. Get some rest, the world can wait for a while, for you to get back in the game. You wouldn't want to take down that 'Lord Brevon' guy with these bruises, eh?"
"...Why...?" Lilac asked, weakly raising her head to face the hedgehog. "...So... you are really..."
"Don't get me wrong. I'm not one to beat around girls, especially ones as cute in personality and appearance. Hell, I like that burning fire in your heart, flowing to your eyes, in the entire battle." Antonio complimented the purple dragon girl, before he then pulled out something, a small glass tube filled with bright red liquid. "Here. Usually, I carry something like this, on behest of my friend, so that I could get in the fight right away after taking a beating, but I think that you're going to need that more than I do. Go on, it's yours, for managing to get through all that."
"...Really? Thanks." Lilac thanked Antonio back, as she slowly grasped the tube of healing solution. "I'll take it when I feel like I can move again."
"Well then, I think that I've done enough fighting here." Antonio responded back, before he then saw that the door he came from, lit up again. "Hope we'll meet again in better circumstances, Sash Lilac. I would rather be flattering a girl like you, not bashing one."
Antonio then walked through the door, as Sash Lilac looked at the glass tube gifted to her, before she grasped it firmly.
"I hope for the same... Antonio." Lilac spoke with a hopeful tone.
With Link...
Link continued through the corridors, as he had his sword and shield at the ready, slowly inching forward, before he then reached the door. Without another word, he pressed a hand on the door, as it slid open, allowing him to enter his trial grounds.
When he reached his destination, he found himself being located on a large arena in the midst of a vast fores that spread out as far as his eye can see, and there were hanging torches on the sides of the arena, as the only two directions, that were not being sealed by a dense ring of stone pillars, was the one he came from, and one that was right in front of him.
He then turned to look behind him, noticing that the door had disappeared. Recalling that he himself was in a trial, he did not let his spirit falter, as he only steeled his resolve to face down his imminent opponent.
His opponent did come quite quickly, as metallic boots clattered onto stone, and he saw a woman dressed in green layered armour, with styled shoulder-guards, and golden linings, as well as a leather sash with a golden buckle in front of it, with a white rectangular skirt, long green and gold long metal combat boots. She had her dark hair tied in the back as a short bun by a fabric wrap, with green ribbons hanging off it, as the rest of her short hair parted evenly to the sides of her head. He could read her stoic expression, and see her calm spirit through her brown eyes. She wielded a sword and shield much like the greenly-dressed hero, although her shield was rectangular.
"...So you are my opponent?" Link asked the mysterious woman, as he drew his blade for battle. "At least, before we fight, I would like to know your name, as a gesture of mutual respect and honour."
"...Xingcai." The woman answered back, with a even tone.
"Very well, Xingcai. My name is Link. Link Hylia, to be exact." Link responded back. "I will not dissuade from this fight, nor will I actively seek your death in this battle. All I ask is that you come at me with everything you got, as I will do the same."
"...You are quite odd, but I don't plan on showing mercy." Xingcai answered back, twirling her blade up into battle. "I'm afraid your destiny has run its course, Link Hylia. You face me in battle."
"I don't plan on losing here, Xinghai, sorry to say." Link answered back. "Come on then, let's see who'll emerge victorious from this fight."
The two of them sprinted at each other, as they simultaneously attacked each other. And also at the same time, they blocked each other's attack with their shields. This surprised both of them, causing them to back away, shocked by the fact that they managed to block each other. However, that thought didn't last long, as the two of them clashed back against each other again.
Xingcai tried to bat Link away with a series of wide sword waves, which was blocked by the Hylian hero. However, it did leave him unable to expect a straight shield-bash from Xingcai, which thrust him back greatly. She then dashed after him, before releasing another series of slashes, before she then threw her shield up, before then crushing Link's guard with a wide sweeping blow using her full strength, as the blow sent him flying back. Xingcai then caught her shield, before adjusting it slightly.
Link recovered quickly, as he didn't give Xingcai any chance to continue her offensive, as he counter-attacked her, swinging his blade with power, before he then returned the favour from earlier, with a shield-bash of his own, although he kept charging, pushing Xingcai across the ground. However, when he shifted her guard up, he then launched her into the air with a rising slash, before he then sliced down on the airborne female warrior, before then smashing her to the ground with his blade.
Xingcai slowly moved to the side, just in time to avoid being impaled by Link's falling blade, as she kicked Link away hard enough to give her space to recover. The two of them faced each other again.
"You are quite good with those weapons in your hands." Link admitted in respect. "I thought that Richard was the only one who could fight well with shield and sword, before he then diverted himself to his twin-bladed swordsmanship style. You are worthy of much respect, especially with someone as young as you, Xingcai."
"Your compliments are noted, but we are in battle with each others. It's best that you keep all banter to yourself, until the victor is decided." Xingcai answered back, before she then raised her blade up, as a aura of energy surrounded her. "Prepare yourself, for I will push myself further, in order to defeat you here and now!"
Link was then attacked by Xingcai, whose attacks were much more furious and powerful than before, as he was forced to resort to solely blocking the blows, with how powerful they were, even managing to bat away his shield with each hit that landed upon it. However, being forced to the defensive, only drove Link into a corner, as Xingcai then shot into the air, before she then quickly slid her shield under her feet, landing and skidding across the ground towards Link, who tried to predict where she would attack from, as the female warrior skid side-to-side to throw off his guard. She then slashed at Link, when she was in range, as her diversions managed to partially work, as some of the attack did hit Link, yet most of it was blocked by the shield. This forced Link to kneel, as he was pained from the massive blow, despite how little of it struck him.
"Will you yield now?" Xingcai asked back, raising her blade in a threatening manner. "This match has been already decided, on the moment that the balance between each other was broken in my favour with my own empowerment."
"Indeed... But you aren't the only one who can push themselves beyond what they can take!" Link chuckled lightly, before he then pushed himself back onto his feet. He then charged up his power, before he then let out a determined war-cry, as he was enveloped in a golden aura with magical strings of runes circling around his figure. "COME ON!"
Link then rushed back at Xingcai, as the odds were turned on the table once again, as Xingcai was surprised that Link's attacks were much more faster, and even a little bit more powerful than before, as she defended against most of the attacks, before she was then sent flying back with a powerful blow from Link, as the green hero cocked back his sword, and then launched a spinning sword wave projectile, that batted Xingcai's shield away, staggering her, as she was then smashed back with a powerful thrust from Link.
"Damn... It seems that the tables have turned against me. I shall give my very best. I am ready to end this!" Xingcai growled, before her power increased yet again, as red lightning sparked from her. "Prepare yourself!"
"I will not be deterred!" Link roared back, before he then charged his energy to his blade, as it began to glow, before the light coalesced to extend the blade further, as Link twisted back, prepared to unleash a powerful attack.
The two of them unleashed their ultimate attacks at the same time, as Xingcai began to slash in alternating directions furiously while charging forth, as her blade left streaks of chaotic green energy. Link began to use his signature spin attack, as he swung towards Xingcai. Both of their assaults repelled each other, as sparks flew and shockwaves were created each time the powerful attacks met each other. After a while, the two of them broke away from each other, preparing to deal the final strike against each other.
Almost at the same time, they unleashed a thrust against each other, with all of their power, as both of them landed on each other. There was a moment of silence, neither of them willing to fall. However, after a while Link fell onto his knees, clutching his chest wound, where Xingcai's blade struck him, as the tunic was being stained by blood. However, Xingcai fell afterwards, collapsing completely on the ground, as her wound was on her abdomen, and she was bleeding much worse than Link himself.
"It seems that... I emerged victorious... at a terrible cost for both sides." Link grimly remarked, before he then inched towards Xingcai. "You fought well... I only hope that you won't die from this fight."
He then turned around, as he saw the door reappear. He looked back at Xingcai with worry in his eyes, but keeping in mind that he could do nothing to help the downed female warrior as she was right now, as he simply returned back through the door, a little guilty about severely harming his opponent and drawing a near-fatal wound onto her.
When he left the corridor, the door disappeared, and surprisingly, shortly after that, Xingcai's own body disappeared in a flash of light, as did the blood she split on the ground.
"That's two for two... Hm, interesting indeed." DW remarked to himself, after having witnessed the current fights from an unknown location within the facility.