Let the Qualifier Rounds continue!
Po vs. Toka
"Alright! It's time for me to fight!" Toka exclaimed, getting pumped before the match. The snow leopard was wearing yellow pants with a black belt, as well as an open yellow jacket.
Po, on the other hand, was just wearing a pair of pants, keeping it simple. "This is awesome! My first fight!"
"Ready? FIGHT!" Kai announced.
As Toka ran forward, it dawned on Po that he had never actually been in a fight before. The panda flinched, holding out his arms to block the incoming punch. To his surprise, he felt nothing when the hit connected with his stomach.
"What?" Toka said, delivering another hit to Po's stomach.
"Ah! That tickles!" Po laughed as the snow leopard continued to punch his stomach.
"Alright, IRON FIST!" Toka shouted, charging up his fist with Chi and slamming it into Po's midsection.
This send Po flying a good distance away, the panda gasping as he pushed himself off the floor. "Okay, I think I bruised something," Po said, holding his side.
"Come on, man, you've gotta at least try and fight!" Toka shouted.
"Sorry! It's just that I've… never really fought anyone before," Po admitted.
Toka looked surprised, then dropped his fighting stance. "Never? Then, what are you doing at this school?"
"I was invited by Oogway to join. I'm still learning about Kung Fu," Po explained.
Toka walked up to the panda, putting a hand on his shoulder and smiling. "Look dude, we've all been newbies before. There's no shame in dropping out and trying again later."
"Yeah, I get it," Po said. He smiled, placing his own hand on Toka's shoulder. "But we're gonna have an awesome fight we I get stronger."
"You bet," Toka replied.
With that, Po forfeited the match, leaving Toka to advance to the next round.
Tai Lung vs. Ox
Tai Lung stared down his opponent, "Storming" Ox, one of the jocks on the school's football team. Ox was wearing a metal kilt, along with wrist guards and a harness that crisscrossed over his chest. Tai Lung, on the other hand, was wearing purple pants with a thick brown belt.
"Ready? FIGHT!" Kai announced.
Ox started by pulling out his double axes, swinging them around before charging forward in his signature move "Storming Charge." Tai Lung braced himself, then grabbed his opponent's horns, picking up Ox and turning him over to deliver a kick straight to his chest. Ox was sent, being knocked out of the arena and into unconsciousness.
"He… He just knocked that guy out in one hit!" Po exclaimed.
"Pah, not even a challenge," Tai Lung scoffed.
'Just like last night, his arrogance will be his downfall,' Karasu thought to himself.
Lu vs. Junjie
"Let everyone bask in my raw power," Lu said, jumping into the arena. He was wearing a sleeveless black shirt along with black pants and boots.
"Strength isn't everything," Junjie said. "Knowledge is also power." The fox was wearing blue robes with various patches of other colors on it.
"Ready? FIGHT!" Kai announced.
Lu went in to attack with his katana, but Junjie side-stepped and delivered a side-strike on the tiger. The fox then jumped up, floating a bit to deliver multiple fast kicks to the tiger's face.
"Why you little…" Lu grumbled. He clapped his hands together, making his body become translucent and glow slightly. "Let's see you hit me now in my spirit form!"
Junjie backed up as the tiger advanced, using his sword to try and cut the fox down. When the blade struck the ground, Junjie jumped on top of it, raising his hands and shouting, "Golden Lotus Clap!" Clapping his hands together, the fox sent out a wave of energy, which knocked the tiger out of his spirit form.
"AGH! What the **** did you do to me!?" Lu shouted, clutching his eyes.
"The Golden Lotus Clap can blind its opponent," Junjie explain. "Which means that you're easy picking."
In response to that, Lu shouted, his dark aura flaring and creating a dozen shadow minions to protect himself. Junjie cut through the minions with his attacks, but didn't expect what Lu did next.
"SHADOW BOMB!" Lu shouted, raising his hands and creating a giant ball of dark energy. "I can't see you, but that doesn't mean I can't destroy you!" With a shout of power, the white tiger threw the ball down, creating an explosion that covered the field.
When the energy faded, Lu was still standing, his eyes recovering as he panted from exhaustion. He then looked and laughed as he saw Junjie's body lying on the ground.
"How... can I beat Shifu... when I was beaten by a newbie...?" Junjie muttered before falling unconscious.
"See!? I said I was the strongest!" Lu boasted.
"Hmph, someone needs to take that guy down," Aurora said.
"Agreed,"Anubis said.
Rhino vs. Hyung
"Thundering" Rhino, head of the football team, watched as his opponent took to the stage. The football star was wearing grey robes with a white and gold undercoat. Meanwhile, Hyung was wearing a Shaolin uniform, consisting of a baggy orange jumper with a black belt and straps that crisscrossed up his legs, along with white bands on his ankles and wrists.
"Ready? FIGHT!" Kai announced.
Hyung jumped back to plan his attack while Rhino charged, swinging his Cloud Hammer at the maned wolf. Brushing a paw through his black mane, Hyung decided to act by striking the hammer as it came in, deflecting the hit and sending Rhino off to the side stumbling.
"We don't need to escalate this," Hyung said.
"This is a fight that everyone is watching. We shouldn't hold back," Rhino retorted. He took a stance, backed up, then rushed forward, using his Unstoppable Force to run at the maned wolf.
Hyung jumped up to avoid the attack, panting heavily as his adrenaline started to spike. 'I need to keep calm, or else…' His thoughts were interrupted when Rhino turned around to attack once again. Hyung avoided the attack, deflecting the hammer with his Shaolin training, but he let his guard down as Rhino managed to get a hit in, knocking him a good distance away.
"Come on, kid, I didn't put my full strength behind that swing," Rhino said, seeing Hyung stay on the ground.
When the maned wolf opened his eyes, they were bloodshot and his fur bristled with red lightning. "Get away…" he muttered, "GET AWAY!" With that shout, his shadow came alive as a feral maned wolf with glowing red eyes.
Rhino stepped back in shock, but steadied himself and tightened his grip on his hammer. "Don't worry kid, I'll get you out of there," Rhino said.
Hyung charged forward, his body struggling as the spirit dragged his body around to attack. Rhino blocked with his hammer, but the spirit ran around and knocked Rhino onto his belly. Hyung then jumped onto Rhino's back, raising a claw that filled with dark energy.
"Wait, I concede, I concede!" Rhino shouted, pleading with the wolf.
Hyung hesitated, then calmed down as his spirit went back into his shadow. He got off of Rhino, looking at his hands as if they were soaked in blood.
"I'm… sorry…" Hyung muttered, walking back to his seat as Kia announced him winner by forfeit.
Alena vs. Kumo
"Hey," Kumo said. The spider was wearing a black jacket with a skull on the back.
"Sup," Alena replied. The black panther was wearing a red fighting gi with a purple belt.
"Ready? FIGHT!" Kai Announced.
Kumo started by covering the filed in webs, making it sticky so that Alena was slowed down. The panther jumped up, going into a kick to try and land on the giant spider. Kumo dodged, letting Alena get tangled up in his webs then grabbing onto her and biting down.
"Now you have my poison coursing through you," the spider said. "Soon you won't be able to move and I'll have won this battle."
"Not if I defeat you first," Alena said.
The panther ripped up the webs holding her down, then raised up her hands to draw in energy. She seemed to glow with the sun's power and manifested a shield, getting into a stance.
"Wait, is that…" Karasu gasped, recognizing the weapon.
"The Divine Sun Shield," Hikari breathed.
"Ooo, a fancy shield, so intimidating," Kumo sarcastically said.
Alena rushed forward, bashing the spider on the head, followed by a kick. Kumo tried to recover, but the panther continued her assault, mixing in some Solar Chi to keep up the damage. Kumo managed to get in another web shot, which gave him time to get away from Alena and tie her up.
"It's been five minutes, which means the poison has taken its course," Kumo said.
"What do you-?" Alena tried to say, but stopped as he body freezed up and didn't respond.
Kumo then simply pushed the panther over, giving her a four-legged kick out of the arena.
"Alena has been knocked out of the ring, which means Kumo is the winner!" Kia announced.
'Damnit. Looks like I need to learn to defend myself better,' Alena thought as the nurse came over to cure the poison.
'I'll have to ask Alena how she got that weapon,' Karasu thought.
Riku vs. Mei Ling
"Good luck Mei Ling!" Crane called out to his friend.
The golden cat smiled as se readied her staff. She was wearing a grey outfit with a turquoise scarf and black gloves.
"You too, Riku!" Cat called.
The ram nodded, readying her scythe for a fight. She was wearing a white T-shirt with a small black jacket and jean short shorts, definitely the most casual of all the fighter so far.
"Ready? BEGIN!" Kai announced.
Riku started by running forward, swinging her scythe to cut the golden cat. Mei Ling jumped up and foot stooled the ram, pushing her opponent to the floor. She laughed, then quickly dodged again as the ram continued to push forward.
"Stand still so I can end this!" Riku shouted, throwing the scythe at Mei Ling.
Mei Ling dodged Matrix-style, the scythe barely missing her nose before getting stuck in the stadium side. She then rubbed her nose, looking to see a bit of blood come out.
"Gimmethat!" Riku shouted, rushing forward to grab Mei Ling's hand.
The golden cat jumped up to dodge, then summoned a cloud to stand on. "I don't know why you need my blood, but whatever you need it for can't be good," she called down.
Riku growled, then threw her hands onto the ground. "FROZEN WASTELAND!" she shouted, freezing the floor over. "There! Eventually you'll have to came down, and when you do, you're mine!"
Mei Ling thought about it, then smiled. "Rain Dance!" she called, summoning a rain that made a mist cover the arena due to the ice.
As Riku looked around for her opponent, she heard, "Cloud Dash!" then was struck by Mei Ling, whom struck the ram with her staff while dashing away. She did this a few more times, ending by hitting Riku up into the air and slamming her down with her staff.
"Ow," Riku said, pulling herself up from the crater se made from impact.
Seeing a staff in her face, she looked up to see Mei Ling standing over her. "This battle is over," Mei Ling said. She then smiled. "So you should probably give up."
Riku raised a hand with Ice Chi in it, but stopped when she saw Mei Ling create a water ball in her hand. The ram sighed, then put her hand down. "Fine, I surrender." She then smiled slightly as Mei Ling helped her up. "I must admit, most people can't avoid my blood attacks. You're pretty good."
"Dodging and attacking afterwards is kind of my thing," Mei Ling said, giving a wink before rejoining Crane in the stands.
Croc vs. Cat
The final of the football stars, Croc, took to the stage, wearing bronze armor on his waist, arms, shoulders, and back.
"Time for me to fight," Cat said. The cheetah was wearing a black Goku-style gi with white boots.
"Ready? FIGHT!" Kai announced.
Croc charged forward with a battle cry, but stopped when he saw multiple versions of Cat standing there.
"What's the problem? Seeing double?" the Cats said.
Croc swung his tail at the clones, making them disappear into smoke as the real Cat came around and did a few hits to Croc's back, but was surprised when nothing happened.
"Hah! My hide is impenetrable!" Croc boasted, turning around to swing his tail mace.
Cat jumped back. "Darn, I need to build up power to end this," he said aloud. He put his hands together, creating a sphere of energy in his hands.
"It seems that we're not the only Aura user on campus," Anubis said to Aurora as Cat shot the aura sphere forward.
Croc dodged the ball, but was blindsided when it split up and came back as multiple smaller balls. Cat then summoned a gauntlet on his hand, using it to deliver a powerful punch to Croc's soft underbelly.
"GAK!" Croc sputtered. "That… really, really hurt."
"Now I have you!" Cat said. He continued to deliver punches to Croc's gut, ending in a Chi-infused punch. "Time for my first finisher: Elemental Punch!" With that statement, Cat charged up his aura, summoning five spheres of elemental energy and fusing them into his fist. He then delivered an uppercut to Croc, sending him flying and knocking him out.
"Croc is unable to battle, so Cat is the winner!" Kai announced.
"Good job, my friend," Riku said as Cat rejoined her.
"Does anyone else feel like the football team is becoming a bunch of push-overs?" the Cheetah mused.
Meanwhile, Lu stared down Cat, growling to himself. "Be ready Cat, because if we face, your blood will be spilt by my hands. Revenge will be delivered swiftly."
Viper vs. Suya
This was the battle the guys were looking forward to, as two of the most attractive women in the school were about to duke it out. Viper had pink flowers on her head, while Suya had a black tube top and short shorts.
"Um, maybe I'm a bit underdressed," Suya said, blushing a bit as the boys oogled her.
"Don't focus on them, focus on the fight," Viper said, blowing a kiss to the crowd.
"Ready? FIGHT!" Kai announced.
Viper started by rushing forward, wrapping around Suya and making the owl unable to move.
"Wow, that was easy," Viper said.
'Crap, I didn't expect her to do that,' Suya thought. 'I didn't want to do this so early, but…'
In a burst of power, Viper was forced to let go of Suya as the owl's appearance changed. Suya was now wearing a gold top and skirt, with a pearl embedded in her stomach. "This is my First Gear form!" Suya shouted. "Time to end this fight early!"
The owl went on the offensive, using Crane Style to fight off Viper's Kung Fu style. She then mixed it up with her Chi powers, sending out flower petals to knock Viper around.
"You're not the only one that can control plants," Viper said, summoning vines to use as dancing ribbons.
The fight soon devolved into a fantastic display, with both women dodging flawlessly and giving a show to the people. With their Chi running low, Suya and Viper stopped their attacks, with the owl returning to her normal form and sitting down. The crowd then burst out cheering, pleased by the show they had just seen.
"Did we just turn this fight into a dance show?" Suya asked.
Viper giggled. "It looks like it."
Suya also giggled. "Well then, giving them a show is all I need. But we still need to actually decide a winner."
"Agreed." And with that, Viper lunged forward, grabbing Suya's wing with her wing and flinging her out of the arena.
"I really should have seen that coming," Suya said, getting up from the floor.
"After this tournament, you should come join the dance club," Viper said as she went back to her seat.
"That form the owl took… I feel as if I've seen it somewhere," Anubis said.
"She needs to master its abilities before she can use it for more than a power boost," Karasu said, making Aurora look at him. Can the raven hear Anubis?
Author's Note
We're halfway through the Qualifiers, so hold onto your seats. What did you think of this batch of fights? We're also setting up some story arcs for after the tournament. What are looking forward to?
