Erupting Flames

"Hellhound?" chuckled Ravenbone as he walked forward. "Are you trying to scare me with some technique with the name of the infamous guards of the devil himself? Cause if you are then I should warn you while you may be the dog of hell. I'm the embodiment of hell itself! Echoing Crush!"

Ravenbone's blasting voice escaped into the clouds above him. Mikoto paused for a split second before the blasting sound came right back down on top of him. It hit him again and again, almost as if there were multiple meteors of sound that were created, pummeling into Mikoto's body.

"Now Eternal Screams!" Ravenbone reached forward and prepared for another technique as sounds began to continuously pump free from his arm as if a banshee itself was trapped in it. The waves of screeching voices charged forward and hammered the air in front of Mikoto, quickly closing in and blasting Mikoto back.

"What did I tell you?" Ravenbone mocked as he jumped forward, disappearing before immediately appearing next to Mikoto, Haki coating his knee as he threw Mikoto aside with a powerful knee lift into his gut. "You may be fast, but even you can't outrun sound itself. Power, speed." Ravenbone grabbed onto the back of Mikoto's head and suddenly slammed his fist into Mikoto's gut again, "ferocity. You are inferior to me in each of these elements. And you still hold onto the hopes of being the Pirate King?" Ravenbone brought his fist back.

"Blasting Gong!" Snapping his entire body around and fire a farward blast with his hand and created a shockwave which surrounded the entire fighting area, shattering the nearby rocks into pieces and causing them all to fall. And with that much damage being dealt to the rocks Mikoto could feel his bones shaking within his own body.

The poor wild coyote was standing back onto his own two feet. His entire body was starting hurt, but he wasn't done. He hadn't hit Ravenbone enough and the only techniques that could turn the tide was Rapid-Fire. At least for techniques he had actual practice with. Haki soon began to cover Mikoto's arms and legs, but such a feat didn't seem to impress Ravenbone.

"You wouldn't be in the Grand Line if you couldn't do that," Ravenbone smirked, obviously unimpressed as he walked forward. Raphael had killed men with ten times the promise in Haki than this mutt was displaying.

"I may be a little rough around the edges with this technique so you're going to have to excuse me." Mikoto smiled to himself as he placed his two hands on the ground and morphed into his full-coyote form. "I'll push all of my strength forward." Gritting his teeth he could feel the all-too familiar feeling in the pit of his stomach. He had ended up in this position before, facing off against an all too close to impossible to beat foe. When it came down to this he would just have to keep going for it!

Mikoto rocketed forward, practically disappearing. His beast form was arguably faster than his previous forms, even his half-beast form was slowed. But that didn't mean it was better.

"Ha ha ha!" "Mwa ha ha!" "Bwa ha ha ha!" bellowed Ravenbone, multiple laughters coming out of his body and all merging together, creating a cacophony of chuckles. "This isn't unusual. I understand your strength and speed. A coyote's strength is in its speed. Your fighting style is all matched up to a humanoid-like body, shifting your body will shift the techniques you can use. Even your dreaded Rapid-Fire has been sealed away in this form.

"I, on the other hand," stated Ravenbone as he stayed standing in the center, "still have all of my strength. Including Area Orchestral Effect." Sound exploded from all sides of Raphael, filling the entire area in the shape of circle, covering everything. If Mikoto wanted to get through to Raphael he would have to brave the blasting sound.

However, that was not Raphael's intentions. The blasting sound seemed was designed to stop Mikoto, and it did. Mikoto's entire body seemed to stop short, it was more of an unconscious flinch, but it was still enough to make Mikoto stop short. Which was more than what Raphael needed. With Mikoto halted, he could take aim and fire. A laser-like beam of sound, slamming into Mikoto and throwing him back.

"Whatever technique you are using it seems you need a running start to get it going," stated Ravenbone, "perhaps if you had been fighting someone a bit slower you actually could pull it off. But I'm not going to let you perform such a long attempt!" Raphael leapt forward nearly firing a forward punch right at his opponent, slamming his knuckles squarely into Mikoto's cheek and knocking him back.

If Mikoto had one thing going for him it would be the increased durability his Devil Fruit gave him, Zoans were known for combat in terms of strength, speed, and durability. A Paramecian like Raphael didn't have such innate benefits, for him it was all about how he used it. And he was doing well. Raphael brought his fist back and let out another ringing blast of his gong which slammed into the mountain, missing Mikoto as he blasted off again.

As much as Raphael had been teasing Mikoto about his speed, he still had to admit that it was something to behold. Fast, powerful, a bit more amazing than what Raphael had originally credited to the little upstart. Not that it mattered. Even his speed was meaningless before the speed of sound. Raphael smirked and began another shockwave with his sound, however, before he could prepare it Mikoto dashed right in front of him, still in his full-beast form, Mikoto latched onto his arm with his teeth, trying to bring the man down through a combination of momentum, strength, and weight. Though Raphael, despite initially being dragged down, thrown off balance, managed to right himself once more.

"Dog Whistle!" A loud piercing sound hit the air, throwing Mikoto off with just that. "You Zoan-types are definitely a bit troublesome. Painful opponents thanks to your resilience, but no matter what you all eventually fall."

"I'm not like those other Zoans!" shouted Mikoto as he got himself back up onto his feet. "I'm going to be the one that defeats you!" Once again he took off with a running start, his entire body blasting at his opponent closing in and bearing his fangs in an instant. Though Raphael just smirked at it.

This was the same old technique. He was running around, trying to build up speed. The faster he got the more powerful he got, building up that momentum could result in a hefty blow. Though that was only if Raphael let him. Raphael was more intelligent and he wouldn't just stand here and let him. Raphael straightened himself out and snapped his fingers, creating another burst all around him.

Though Mikoto seemed to resist it this time. Gritting his teeth he weathered the blow, although there was definitely a moment where he slowed down if by a milli-second and Raphael leapt into action there, jumping into Mikoto's path.

The Shichibukai was much bigger than Mikoto was, especially in his full-beast form. At least in hybrid Mikoto gained a little mass to his lithe frame, but in beast form he may actually lose some. So facing off face-to-face with the man nearly three times his size and sound power was worrying.

Raphael accepted the fact that Mikoto could easily slam into him and cause damage in this moment, but if meant preventing Mikoto from launching into a much more powerful variation of whatever technique he was trying for than Raphael would just accept it. Bringing out his hand he prepared to even catch the little blur.

Though that was only if Mikoto really was as plain as he had been, slipping to the side, using his own Haki to practically coat himself in a smooth armor allowing him to lower his friction and slip by his opponent's guard and immediately begin running again. Although now he had his path tracked by Raphael, Raphael knew where to expect his opponent and exactly where to aim.

Preparing a trained beam of sound Raphael let a blast right after his opponent, a blasting explosion right into the ground, prompting Mikoto to immediately dodge to the side. Mikoto was keeping up as much speed as physically possibly.

There was a slight pause in Raphael's movement as he watched this, a bit surprised at what he could do. Until he realized it, Mikoto wasn't moving faster than sound, he was just moving faster than this Shichibukai could move. It took a split second of thinking and aiming before Raphael could fire and as a result during that split second Mikoto could use Haki to predict such a movement and dodge ahead of this movement. A split second before his attack.

Causing Raphael to be a little bit surprised at this speed. Mikoto suddenly rushed back at him, the same blur coming right him, bringing a large smile across his face, this would be a great moment for him. Mikoto's entire body began glisten, but nonetheless he came right at his opponent. Within three feet Mikoto's body shifted going from his beast form to his hybrid form and fired a punch right at his opponent.

Raphael brought his guard up and immediately tried to block the attack and managed to do so, his own Haki helping him out in this area, he sensed Mikoto's attack and he would block the attack and absorb it with all of his might. Tensing his muscles he was ready to absorb the punch.

And Mikoto was ready to dish it out. Transforming straight into his hybrid form Mikoto fired a single punch forward. His entire fist was cloaked in Haki as he slammed it into Raphael. Raphael felt a slight pain, but not only was Mikoto's speed greatly impressive, Mikoto's lack of strength was also impressive. Raphael don't think he ever met someone as weak as Mikoto. But Mikoto was still not done.

Raphael paused as he looked at Mikoto's fist, completely coated in red armor.

"This is the true nature of Hellhound!" Mikoto stated as suddenly a back blast of flames exploded from Mikoto's fist, covering Raphael and forcing him to wheel backwards. Mikoto still wasn't done, instantly shifting his weight and following it up with another series of heavy punches, letting them stream back into his opponent and throw them all back. The flames started to torch his opponent's arm. But Mikoto wasn't slowing down his strikes. Putting all of his power behind his punch Mikoto made sure to form a formidable chain of punches, knocking his opponent back with each rocking blow. They were strong and heavy, but the main problem was the flames. Raphael's Haki-embued guard was enough to weather the blows, but the flames were tickling his body and stopping him from launching a proper countera-attack.

Hellhound was indeed a difficult technique to get a grip on. Mikoto ran around and picked up speed as well as friction before charging forward, his body soon became ignited in flames from the friction. Haki was essential in this move. By coating his feet in it, he can increase his speed, by coating his arms in it, they can weather the fire. So Mikoto could just keep it up and push his opponent back with all of might, firing heft punches.

Every part of Raphael's body seemed to be fair game to Mikoto's punches. Gut, liver, chest, and chin. Mikoto's frenzy of flaming fists dug into every part of his body. Sinking his fists into every viable opening Mikoto could come across even Raphael's Haki seemed close to the breaking part now. Each fist would shudder into Raphael's body and then nearly explode in a verifible blast of flames.

There was not a single opening in the close to a wall of punches that Mikoto let fly. Raphael's field of vision slowly becoming a swarm of punches. Which was the only thing Mikoto could do to keep the battle in his favor. The slightest opening would just be the last. Rapahel wouldn't let it pass him by, he would blast Mikoto back without the missing beat.

That was only if Mikoto dropped his offense for that split second, which he promised he wouldn't. Rolling left to right Mikoto kept up his punches. Mikoto was faster than Raphael and even without perfect accuracy he could hammer his opponent back. Mikoto could fire at least three punches and land at least two before Raphael even had the time to react.

Suddenly sensing the best opening Mikoto rolled to the side, leaning all of his weight down onto one leg and grinning. Raphael was still reeling from the dizzying hurricane of punches and Mikoto had all of the obvious intentions of finishing him off here and now. The longer this berserk frenzy went on the higher the chances of Mikoto tiring out or Raphael countering it. Mikoto needed a definitive blow and now was the best time.

Mikoto lowered his weight onto one leg, compressing as much of his strength as possible into one quick punch. Firing it forwards Mikoto leaned into it, twisting his hips, snapping his punch, "Rapid-Fire x 25!"

Still with the scorching power of Mikoto's punch behind it the flames erupted into a beautiful explosion, consuming Raphael in a single burst of flames created from 25 punches all fired within nearly the same split second.

The frenzy of punches stopped although Mikoto was ready for the next punch already bringing his other arm back as if showing off he was willing to use another Rapid-Fire in this split second. However, he was also willing to just leave the fight at this. Following it up may just be pointless. Mikoto could already feel the flames of his attacks cooling down.

Though it only took him a second to recognize the fact that it would be necessary, from the clearing smoke he could already see Raphael's massive body beginning to lumber back up. Smoke leaking from his mouth.

Mikoto had to chase back, bringing his fist forward he went into the motion once more, but what he was fearing would happen just happened. He had given Raphael a second of relief and Raphael was now ready to interrupt Mikoto's flow.

The blasting shout destroyed the smoke screen, revealing Mikoto's location and causing him to stop his attack. Nonetheless weathering the blast Mikoto snapped forward and chased in. Immediately appearing before Raphael and knowing he had to start his chain up again. Mikoto rushed forward and threw a punch, however, much to both of their surprises no flames erupted. And without the flames Raphael had no worries of hammering another punch right into Mikoto, nearly flattening him with his strength.

Unyielding Flames