Disclaimer: I don't own The King of Fighters…
A/N: Hello fellow readers, writers, and lovers of all things SNK… So, yeah, another long wait that I must apologized for. Also, I'm afraid I may have flanderized a bit for drama, but hopefully not too much. Nevertheless, I assure you that the opposing team has three of my favorite characters, and I tried to do justice to the one who hasn't fought yet. So, with all that in mind, here … we … go:
The King of Iron Fist Tournament XVI: Where the Heart Is
Icy Reception
Monte Carlo, Monaco…
Arriving at their fight destination, Vice, Hiroshi, and Mature approached the opulent Monte Carlo Casino: Three fountains were lined up the front, all surrounded by palm trees. The first one, farthest away from the building, had a mirrored sphere in the middle; the second was surrounded by bright yellow flowers; and the third was encompassed by many colored flowers and multiple Monaco flags. The casino itself, built in the Beaux-Arts style, had a bluish-green domed roof with smaller golden domes over the columned structures, and large windows lining the front. The large clock over the doors was surrounded by sculptures of the goddesses Pomona and Diana along with more sculptures of the deities decorating the face of the building. The presence of one of them proved very appropriate as the Heaven and Earth team's opponents arrived.
Suddenly, a girl appeared, floating in midair and covered in ice, and slowly stretched out into standing position, the ice shattering away from her. She was very young with long brown hair and ruby-red eyes, and wore a purple-and-black spy suit, golden gloves, and black-and-gold tennis shoes. Just as suddenly, an image of a bee briefly flashed before a tall woman with her long silver hair tied with a purple flag appeared, and almost identically, a flashing image of a butterfly preceded the seeming teleportation of another statuesque woman with her tied high into a curly sphere. Obviously, it was the team of Kula Diamond, and her two guardians, Foxy and Diana…
The announcer's voice soon rang out over casino PA system, eliciting a swarm of activity of interested onlookers, "Congratulations, teams, on your first triumph, and welcome to the King of Fighters Tournament XVI second round! This match is: The Kula Team of Foxy, Diana, and Kula Diamond versus the Heaven of Earth Team of Vice, Mature, and Hiroshi Amaterasu! Teams, please select your order and send out your first member."
Mature and Foxy remained in place as the others exit the fighting area, whereupon Foxy materialized a red-bladed rapier with a bee-shaped guard as her team's theme, 'Frosted Affection', began to play…
Mature quickly started prodding her opponent, "A sword…?" You don't think that's a bit of an unfair advantage? Maybe even a little bit of overkill…?"
Foxy paused briefly in reaction, but she did not respond and simply went into fighting stance…
Mature playfully scoffed, "Not a talkative bunch, are you? Pity; I'm going to miss the little chit-chats…"
Foxy plainly said, "There's not much for me to say, not to a simple secretary anyway."
Mature let out an offended giggle and jabbed back, "I guess not. I mean, if rumors are true, it's not like you have much to do anymore, what with your greatest work fallen out of the sky and all."
Foxy bristled at the implication, replying, "Hmm… Maybe it would better if I were someone's attack dog. You know what that's like; do you have any advice on that?"
Mature grit her teeth, in what could only be called a smile from the nose down, and said, "You know, I think I'm really going to enjoy this. Come; let's see how sharp that blade really is?"
The announcer's voice rang out as Mature got into position, "Round 1! Ready! Go!"
Mature's first two attacks were met with two parries, Foxy's 'Seven Cycles' and 'Seven Distillations'. Trying to take advantage of her opponent being off-balance, Mature immediately attacked again but only received a third parry, 'Seven Stars'. Not wanting to be punished for carelessness, Mature quickly realized she had to be exacting and proficient. It was a very good trap; precision and efficiency were Foxy's forte. With her, there was no wasted motion or a careless step. She was struck with accurate slices like 'Noah's Memory', 'Plenelinium', and 'Tree of Wisdom'. In protection, she was elusive with her parries, teleportation, 'Atmosphere of Yearning', and 'Moon of Silver'.
Under such pressure and adversity, Mature was forced to adopt a plan of action that she personally disliked, one of hit-and-run. She would dash in with 'Metal Massacre' and quickly dash out; occasionally attempted 'Sacrilege' with great caution; she did find success with her 'Ebony Tears' projectile as Foxy had no reliable answer for it. However, Foxy eventually went into a long motion, causing Mature to hesitate momentarily, before throwing and connecting with a handful of dark red darts. Mature knocked them away immediately but not in time to avoid the terrible effects…
Her vision blurred. Her body turned cold. Her skin tingled irritatingly. Her muscles forcibly contracted and turned rigid. Mature had been struck with 'Horn of the Unicorn', and now she was fully paralyzed…
"Now is the time for victory…" Foxy said as she glowed.
Foxy rapidly dashed to Mature, leaving an after-image of a bee behind, and connected with 'Poem of the White Mare', carving her enemy with multiple slashes before sending her away with a forceful slice. Ravaged by the Danger Move, Mature struggled to recover…
"A tragic waste…" Foxy barbed as she tauntingly waved her sword from side-to-side.
Her ire provoked once again, Mature angrily rallied herself and got back in the fight. The two women clashed, the ringing sounds of Mature's nails against Foxy's rapier growing louder with each blow. Foxy, going for a finishing blow, leapt into the air as she flashed briefly and swung her sword forcefully toward the ground. Immediately, Mature became confused, the strike landing nowhere near her and not even close to hitting, but suddenly felt something speeding up behind her and instantly leapt into the air. She then became beyond shocked when a crescent wave of energy flew under and barely missed her. Having narrowly avoided Foxy's 'Prayer of the Planets', Mature instinctively took note that Foxy hovered in the air for some time after the move.
As the fight began to come to a close, both Mature and Foxy grew cautious, neither wanting to make the crucial mistake to end the fight as they felt fatigue setting in. Foxy, moving forward with a plan, parried a strike, teleported a ways behind Mature, and attempted 'Horn of the Unicorn' again. Mature sensed and managed to dodge the attack. Wisely, however, she stayed perfectly still … and it worked. Seeing Mature incapacitated, Foxy jumped up as she glows again…
"The world is but a desert…" Foxy declared as she raised her sword.
With that, Foxy attempted 'Prayer of the Planets', and, breaking the charade, Mature spun around as she flashed with light briefly. She fired out three consecutive projectiles of cutting energy, negating Foxy's attack with her own, 'Overjoy'. Acting on instinct and using her previous knowledge, Mature dashed as Foxy started to descend, glowing momentarily again…
Mature stated as Foxy landed right in front of her, unable to even react in time, "You can't stop this…"
Mature began viciously carving away at Foxy with 'Nocturnal Rites', and blasted her back with a finishing 'Ebony Tears'. Thoroughly damaged, Foxy was slow to stand, but Mature was not done; she folded her arms as she leaned backward.
"You want to see a real tragedy?" Mature asked threateningly as she glowed once more.
She dashed forward, grasped Foxy on the way, and slammed her into the boundary with 'Heaven's Gate'. Foxy let out a cry of pain…
The announcer loudly proclaimed, "KO! Mature wins!"
Mature relaxed and said as she brushed her hair out of her eye, "I guess that solves it: a sword is no substitute for good nails. Although, maybe it's just the swordswoman…"
Sitting up while holding her midsection, Foxy lamented, "To think… You could do so much more. You've never thought about taking authority? Being more ambitious?"
Mature confidently replied, "It's true; I probably could be the big boss somewhere … but that job's not for me. I prefer actually getting things done."
As Kula went over to Foxy to help, the announcer's voice rang out, "Kula team, please send out your next member!"
Foxy waved Kula back as she got to her feet, saying, "I'll be okay, dear; it's your turn now."
Diana instructed as Foxy exited, "Just do as you normally do, sweetheart. Your normal training is more than enough."
As Kula nodded, Mature took offense to the dismissal and took a shot at all three enemies, "Aw, what a precious little doll. Just looking at it makes me want to rip all of its limbs off."
"Is she … talking about me?" Kula thought to herself before asking aloud, "Doll? What … doll do you mean?"
Mature responded with a condescending chuckle, saying, " My, my, you're pretty clueless as well. Now, we can't have that… I guess I'll have to teach you a thing or two."
Getting agitated, Kula spoke out, "Seirah, Foxy, and Diana already teach me enough. You don't need to teach me anything!"
Amused at the young girl's annoyance, Mature went into fighting stance, but then Kula went into her fighting stance: Her hair color turned icy blue; her red eyes became even more prominent; frost started to collect on her body again but fell away. Her power was evident to Mature; the ground under her was frozen just by touch. The warm Monaco air chilled to a slightly frigid bite. The temperature in the battle area seemed to drop 20 degrees solely due to her presence. The sheer influence she had just from latent ability alone shook Mature out of her confidence and into seriousness.
The announcer boomed through the gardens, "Round 2! Ready! Go!"
Mature was in trouble early. As a warning shot and test, she fired an 'Ebony Tears', but incredibly, Kula froze it and kicked it back as an icicle-like spear with 'Counter Shell'! Mature only barely managed to flip over it. Mature dashed in with 'Metal Massacre' but Kula blocked it … by forming a clear sheet ice in front of her as a shield. Taking advantage, Kula momentarily stunned her with a 'Kiss' of impossibly cold wind then knocked her into the air with a series of kicks resembling a flying pirouette, and finally ended with a high kick, a combination of 'Diamond Breath' and 'Lay Spin'.
Still reeling, Mature backed off and quickly figured out Kula's game … which did not bode well for Mature; Kula had few moves with no long range option. However, the combination of those moves and the moves' versatile properties made her very deadly at close to medium range. This spelled doom because this was Mature's skill set as well. Fortunately, she managed to avoid her opponent with Kula casually strolling toward or away from her, but suddenly she switched gears and chased her … on ice skates as the ground instantly froze under her1 Mature quickly ducked down to braced herself.
Kula suddenly dropped down as well and slid forward, her bladed skates pointed up, calling, "Slider Shoot!"
With Mature right in the path of the attack, the sweep knocked her into the air, and Kula followed up with a snow-enhanced flying uppercut, 'Crow Bites'. On edge, Mature was forced into an extreme caution bordering on inaction. Eventually, she managed some offense, either landing some attacks or at least locking Kula in a defensive position with the 'Death Row' slashes and 'Sacrilege' spin. Kula was forced to endure because she did not have a momentum breaker … except for one option. Mature, in the midst of a 'Death Row', stopped at the second attack while Kula simply guarded, but Kula took quick advantage by letting out a long combination: She started with 'One Inch' short arm punch, knocked Mature into the air with a high 'Lay Spin-Stand', kept her afloat with a low 'Lay Spin-Sit', and finished it with a strong 'Crow Bites'. Mature cried out in agony as she hit the ground.
The announcer loudly declared, "KO! Kula wins!"
"This woman is scary." Kula thought as Mature writhed in pain, "I didn't understand anything she was saying…" She then happily exclaimed, "Diana! I took care of this one, just like you said!"
As Hiroshi helped Mature out of the fight area, Diana proudly replied, "You did great! Keep it up!"
"Heaven and Earth team…" The announcer prompted, "Please send out your next member!"
Hiroshi stepped back into the battle area, and it caused a noticeable shift in the opposing team. Foxy noticeably straightened up and watched more intently while Diana became tense from anticipation. All the while, Kula looked inquisitively as if she sensed something.
"Is … something wrong?" Hiroshi asked, noticing the attention.
Kula observed, "Hmm… You're really hot."
Hiroshi froze from perplexity as the comment smacked him in the face, finally forcing out after a moment, "Um … excuse me?"
Kula elaborated, "Your heat signature is abnormally strong… You can make fire like K', right?"
"Oh, right, right," Hiroshi replied while kicking himself for the path his thoughts took, then confirming by generating a small flame in his palm, 'Yes, I can make fire."
Kula wrinkled her nose slightly, saying, "Yours is pretty, but I hate fire."
Hiroshi replied, trying to appeal to the younger combatant, "Thank you, but I'm sorry to hear you don't like it. Trust me; fire's not that bad. Mine, for instance, does a lot of good things if used right."
"Hmm, yours does feel a lot different than others … but I still don't like fire. It only does bad things to me."
Hiroshi extinguished the flame in hand, and conceded, "I can understand that. I could try fighting without it … but I'm afraid I wouldn't be much of a match for you. And I don't think anyone wants a one-sided fight."
Kula grinned slightly, agreeing, "You're right. That wouldn't be any fun at all."
Diana interjected, "Kula-dear?"
"Yes, Diana…" Kula happily answered.
Diana calmly and somewhat grimly instructed, "Make sure you take him down. Show him no mercy, okay?"
As Hiroshi got a lump in his throat, Kula replied with a smile, "Sure thing, Diana."
Hiroshi swallowed hard and commented, "I don't think your mom likes me very much."
As Kula physically confirmed the suspicion with a shake of her head in the negative, Diana taunted, "You should step back now, little boy; you can't beat this girl."
Hiroshi deftly replied, "Maybe you're right. The least I can do then is give her a good fight; you don't mind that, do you, Kula-sama?"
Kula said with a smile, "Do your best. I'm still going to win though."
Both combatants, with all intentions revealed now, went into fighting stance as 'Frosted Affection' faded out and 'Reunion' faded in…
The announcer's voice blasted out the casino, "Round 3! Ready! Fight!"
Having watched the whole prior round intently, Hiroshi knew what Kula was capable of, and that he little margin for error. Kula proceeded cautiously as well; she definitely was not familiar with Hiroshi's tactics and, at the very least, was wary of his fire. This led to them mostly throwing out random attacks, and simply dashing in only to dash backward, neither taking much chance, neither wanting to make a fatal mistake. After a short while, however, the hesitation broke with the combatants engaging in an extended exchange of deadlocks…
Kula attacked with 'Diamond Breath', but Hiroshi rushed through it with 'Angel Rush'. Hiroshi dashed forward with 'Divine Press', but Kula formed a massive glacier in front of her, her 'Ice Coffin', the iceberg absorbing and shattering from the explosion of 'Divine Press'. The Amaterasu son stayed on the offense with 'Angel Spark', and Kula used 'Counter Shell' to freeze the attack and kick it back, but Hiroshi managed to evade with 'Heavens Fall'. Their next two attacks simply offset one another as 'Heavens Flare' clashed with 'Crow Bites' and 'Lay Spin' negated 'Sky Scraper'. Having built up enough energy, both shone as they reared back simultaneously, but Hiroshi initiated first, blasting a large fireball, a 'Reverent Saber'. Kula, however, was not too far behind, and canceled out the opposing attack with a large ice crystal upheaval, her 'Diamond Edge'. After the furious action, a small crowd of people had pulled themselves out of the casino just to see what was going on.
From there, Hiroshi and Kula settled into an odd back-and-forth struggle, neither giving an inch nor being overly aggressive. Both of them knew that one opening was all the other needed, so, as a result, they had a recurring sequence of striking only to back up, inching toward a conclusion. Hiroshi soon felt himself faltering; he had to end the match immediately, forcing him to attempt something drastic. Taking a cue from Kula herself, Hiroshi waited for a brief hesitation; Kula skated quickly at her opponent, and Hiroshi, thinking quickly, threw a small fireball at her feet. Kula had to bound over it, momentarily stunted by going from the streamlined ice to the ground, and that simple waste of motion was the only opening he would or need…
He took advantage and unleashed a devastatingly long combination. The Amaterasu son blitzed forward 'Angel Rush', canceled it to launch her into the air with 'Heavens Flare', canceled that as well to strike with 'Divine Dive' and get back into position, kept her afloat with a second 'Heavens Flare', and struck with a second 'Divine Dive'. Back in position once again, Hiroshi ripped upward after a brief flash with his 'Heavens Nova' DM, a series of fierce spiral kicks, before canceling one more time in midair and unleashed 'Angel Outburst', a Danger Move of fierce strikes ending with a point-blank fireball.
Kula shrieked in pained surprise as she fell to the ground. Foxy and Diana recoiled, stunned at the outcome. Upon landing, Hiroshi felt to one knee from punishing over-exertion.
"Well … that wasn't very smart…" Hiroshi said to himself as tried to catch his breath and ride out the wave of pain.
The announcer bombastically asserted, "KO! Hiroshi wins!"
Hiroshi soon regained himself and walked over to offer Kula aid, but contrary to what usually happened, this would not be an allowed action. Diana swiftly teleported between them, reappearing with her rapier primed and ready to strike. Hiroshi managed to see her at the last moment and back-flipped to avoid the slash. Not satisfied however, Diana took an obvious advancing step toward him … when Vice rushed in front of Hiroshi in time to halt Diana's progress.
Vice angrily spoke in Hiroshi's defense, "There's no fighting between rounds! What's your d- problem?"
Diana hostilely responded, still pointing her sword, "Tell that to your teammate. I'm only protecting my daughter."
Hiroshi explained, "I was just going to help her to her feet. I meant her no harm."
Diana sarcastically said, "Sure; of course you didn't."
Cutting the action short momentarily, the announcer's voice rang out, "Kula team, please send out your final member!"
With Diana staying put, Hiroshi expressed as Vice exited, "Thank you for looking out for me, Vice-chan."
Vice playfully deflected the sentiment, "Don't… Be more careful next time; I can't save you every two minutes."
Regaining herself, Kula tugged on Diana's half-skirt, saying, "Diana, I think you're…"
"It's alright, dear." Diana interjected, nonchalantly picking Kula up by under-arms, "I'll take care of this."
As Kula exited, Hiroshi tried to find some ground with his aggressor, "Diana, I understand you're probably seen a lot of 'people' with my position before; I'm sure a lot of people with my position have been obstacles for you even… But, please don't think that I'm like that. I just hope I didn't do anything to slight or offend you."
Diana harshly relayed, "It's not you personally I have a problem with; it's the very idea of you, what you represent, that riles me… Trust fund children; kids who get success as a graduation gift; little boys who get the world without lifting a finger… It … pains me that all too often the ones who have the most power are the ones who deserve it the least. You are simply a product of that."
Hiroshi was hit hard by the animosity and explained as courteously as he could, "It's true that I am a legacy … but that doesn't mean I'm sitting back with my feet up. I'm the one that's actually running my company. I oversee all operations and settle any major decisions; if there's a problem, I come up with a solution and fix it. If there's something I don't know, I look it up or ask someone. I'm not perfect, nowhere near, but I'm good at comprehending things, at grasping things quickly, at adapting when things arise, at relating to people. So, yes, I may have come this for a different way, but that doesn't mean I don't recognize my responsibilities and do the best I can to live up to them. And nothing has exploded yet, so I must be doing something right."
Unmoved, Diana scoffed, "I didn't say you weren't competent; you would have to be to keep that monolith going. What I'm saying is you have no right to be in the position you're in. What makes you so special? What did you do to earn it? What could you possibly have had to overcome? Did you ever have people second-guess you at every turn? Did you ever have someone disqualify you on sight alone? Did you have to struggle for anything at all…? But what am I talking about? It's not like I expect you to understand."
Hurt in a sensibility he did not know he even had, Hiroshi replied in his defense, "I understand a lot of things. Just give me a chance; I might surprise you."
Diana skeptically replied, continuing, "I doubt that. I mean, even with all that access, all that capability, with all that power, what does your estate choose to use it for…? Sports teams? Car companies? Movie studios? It's almost maddening."
Hiroshi paused as a nerve was hit and a switch flipped, and sternly pointed out, "So, I guess it would have been better if we built our estate like you did…"
Diana replied, catching the tone in his voice, "What are you saying?"
Becoming a little bolder, Hiroshi explained, "I'm saying it's funny that you're criticizing my family's business choices considering the way you got where you are."
Diana, obviously offended, incredulously responded, "Excuse me? What do you mean 'the way I got where I am'?"
Hiroshi continued rather hostilely, "Well, maybe I'm mistaken, but weren't both of you executives of NESTS … the terrorist cartel? The same cartel known for arms dealing, drug running … assassinations, abduction, human experimentation, on kids no less… I mean, you call Kula your daughter, but you're not really her mother…"
Diana angrily said, "Watch your mouth! Don't you dare say anything about Kula and I. We've looked after her and loved her since she was little."
Clearly adversarial at this point, Hiroshi continued accusingly, "I didn't say you negligent or callous, but that doesn't change the fact that she came from someone else. What's the truth behind that anyway? Did her parents 'donate' her to you, Heaven forbid? Or did you have killed and just took her? Even more than that, she wasn't the only one; Isolde, Nameless' love, was another one. How many kids did you go through before you got to her?"
Diana was fully angered at this point and lashed out, "Enough! You have some nerve, little boy."
Hiroshi stiffly retorted, "People who live in glass houses, Ms. Diana…"
Gripping her rapier tight enough to produce sound from her glove and the hilt, Diana went into fighting stance, saying, "I wasn't going to show you mercy before, but now … I'm going to enjoy slicing you apart."
"I recognize how you feel, but I have to say I disagree," Hiroshi said as he began producing flames all over his body, "I don't think you've really seen what being 'fired up' is…"
Quelling the fire to proceed, Hiroshi went into fighting stance as 'Frosted Affection' faded back in…
The announcer's voice boomed over the area, "Round 4! Ready! Go!"
Hiroshi charged forward but only hit nothing; Diana had teleported out of the way with 'Morpho'. It looked like an integral piece in a really good game of keep away. 'Morpho' moved her backward, forward, into the air, or behind Hiroshi in mid-air. She would attack with 'Red Admiral', a stationary volley of rapid- fire stabs not unlike Vice's 'Outrage', 'Lacewing', a midair downward slash, and 'Painted Lady', a butterfly-shaped projectile. This defensive strategy didn't last long.
Diana teleported backward with Hiroshi closing in ready to attack, but the only thing he would get would be a painful surprise. Diana emerged on the other end of the teleport with a dashing thrust, 'Brushfoot', nearly running Hiroshi through as she landed her sudden strike. From there, her plan of attack made a complete turn in the opposite direction, her defense turning into pursuit. She revealed 'Red Admiral' could also be used while advancing. She could use 'Brushfoot' straight ahead, low to the ground to attack the legs, or upward to prevent jumping in. She also had another attack that she could use out of a teleport, a launching slash called 'Spicebush'.
Still hurting from his fight with Kula, Hiroshi was obvious trouble, only proving to more so with more time. His usual answers to this style of fighting was uniquely negated; when faced with his 'Heaven's Brace', Diana incredibly could double-parry with 'Metalmark' into 'Spicebush' and 'Malachite' into 'Brushfoot'. When he attempted 'Divine Press', she would simply evaded it with her 'Morpho' teleport. Usually, he relied on his knowledge, instinct, and reflexes to read and counter his opponent's strategy accordingly. However, Diana's unique skill set forced him to use an approach he didn't like: he would have to match her blow-for-blow.
However, he managed to keep up and get past his disadvantages mostly through dynamism and tenacity; he answered her every flurry with one of his own and made progress. Eventually, Hiroshi offset a 'Painted Lady' with an 'Angel Spark' and dashed forward … and tried futilely to stop when Diana began to glow.
As her target got in range, Diana announced, "Let's see if this wakes you? Angel Butterfly!"
She ravaged her enemy with rapid-fire slashes, Hiroshi unable to escape as the energy from the blade sliced through him. Each cut gave the sensation of synchronized twisting and scorching as if he were roasting on a spit from the inside out. Not close to being finishing, Diana stopped and held herreapier parallel to the ground, glowing as she canceled one onslaught for another…
Diana asserted angrily as energy gathered at her feet, "Now, I'll show you … a butterfly's light of war!"
The energy collected into the form of butterflies and rockted upward and slammed into Hiroshi with crippling impact, battering him all over as the force lifted him into the air above Diana. The bolts, however, kept flying…
Diana then commanded, initiating the second phase of attack, "Drop like a butterfly … and destroy him!"
On command, the 'butterfly' bolts separated into dozens of smaller ones, and shoot back down even faster than they rose with streaks of light trailing behind them. Hiroshi was pummeled in mid-air by the vicious, mesmerizing hailstorm while the bolts ultimately fell around Diana to resemble a pillar of light, completing her 'Desolation' Danger Move…
The Amaterasu son hit the ground with a slight bounce and a stomach-turning sound. His body on the outside began to falter after being bludgeoned and brutalized by 'Desolation'. In addition, his insides were still gnarled and sizzling from 'Angel Butterfly'. It was near-maddening pain… As he lay on the ground, the whole prior conversation ran through his mind until he began focusing on it more than anything else. He knew he could not stay down; for the same reason he was set off in the first place, he was fighting for more than just himself.
Motivated beyond belief, Hiroshi dredged and mustered up every ounce of strength and dedication he could, and slowly forced his protesting body to stand. Halfway up, however, his hand and knee slipped from under him, and he fell back to the ground. Diana shook her head as the seeming futility, as the match was clearly over in her eyes. Hiroshi, however, kept his effort up and, even as his knees trembled underneath him, got back to his feet.
Diana stood frozen for a moment in astonishment; after withstanding such an assault, he should not even be conscious, let alone moving. With most of her moves already shown, she turned to one alternative, as it was her one resort left…
The area around her seemed to darken as she flashed once again, ssaying, "Is that the best a little boy can do…? You need to be punished!"
Diana began rapidly teleporting and dashing from all sides with multiple thrusts, the beginning of her Neo Max, 'Monarch Emergence'. Hiroshi desperately dodged high-speed attacks left and right, but after taking so much punishment, he couldn't avoid them all; Diana landed a successful stab, staggering Hiroshi. Readying the coup-de-grace, Diana teleported a ways back, and focused her power as she took aim, large monarch butterfly wings of energy bursting from her back. Seeing his opponent getting ready to bisect him, Hiroshi was now out of options, save for one… He stretches his arms out to the sides just as Diana blitzed forward, an energy trail flaring upward behind her…
Hiroshi calmly said as Diana got close, unaware of Hiroshi's plan, "Your heart shall be judged…"
Diana impacted with full force, but it only initated the reversal. She rendered completely immobile as the area went black. The kanji in Hiroshi's family crest appeared around her one-by-one. The Mystery Woman appeared where Hiroshi once stood…
The Mystery Woman said, her voice seemingly resonating through the soul, "Fear not. Heaven opens its arms to greet you…"
The column of white fire erupted from under her, and burned through their body. The flames scorched her with thorough transcendence as it penetrated to the bone. The pain was inconceivable and ultimately overwhelming, as she collapsed to she knees before finally succumbing.
As her rapier fell listlessly from her hand, Diana coughed out, "No, this… Not this way…"
"KO! The Heaven and Earth Team wins!" The announcer's voice boomed emphatically, "Please proceed to the next round!"
The flames soon subsided to reveal Hiroshi standing where he had been, and in truth, Hiroshi was not much better off than Diana. He immediately fell to his knees, coughing and gasping for air, and his whole body ached and trembled. Eventually, he slowly lifted himself back up again, and started to approach his fallen opponent out of habit. Catching himself however, he stopped as she sat up, and decided against it, turning to start leaving…
"What? You're not going to help me up?" Diana called out, pointing out the disparity.
Hiroshi replied, explaining, "I believe you would only take offense to it, so with that in mind … I'll just let you be."
"So, you do have some smarts." Diana giggled to herself. Hiroshi again started to leave, with a simple nod this time, but Diana stopped him, revelaing, "Listen, what you said about me … is right. But I've never claimed to be a sait, and I really do care for Kula and even those other kids."
Hiroshi faced her again and admitted, "Thene that's something we have in common. What you said about me is also true; I may not deserve everything I have … but I still work my hardest to live up to the expectations of me."
The two stared each other down again … until Diana finally relaxed and showed no hostility. Hiroshi responded in kind, relaxing and showing only relief…
As Kula and Foxy can to Diana's side, Hiroshi remembered, asking, "Oh, yeah; I can't believe I almost forgot… How is Nameless doing? Could you do anything for him?"
Her eyes practically lighting up at the presented oppurtunity, Diana relayed, "Yes, actually, and it's been a shock to us. There's only just enough of that girl's DNA in the glove, but every piece we extract has been incredibly receptive to every process we put it through. We should be able to give her a new body or definitely clone her without issue. It's almost baffling honestly; I stop short of saying she could have maintained setinence, but it wouldn't surprise me at this point."
Hiro said with a smile, "I'm happy to hear that. Thank you so much for helping him…"
Foxy added, "He's not the only one benefitting from this. We've learned a lot from him as well, from things and systems that power him to things about our … 'former company' that we'd only guessed at. We might be getting just as much from him as he's getting from us."
Kula pulled a slip of paper out of her pocket and skated over to Hiroshi, saying, "Nameless wanted me to thank you for him and give you this."
"Uh, okay. Tell him he's welcome." Hiroshi said accepting the slip and reading a message over a phone number: 'If you ever need anything…' Looking around, he noticed Vice and Mature already gone, and spoke urgently, "Right. Well, my sisters have left me; that means it's time to go. Until next time ladies…"
With a final wave, Hiroshi ran off after his companions. Eventually, he found them in the casino playing roulette. Vice, upon seeing him, stiffly smacked him on the back…
Surprised by the blow, Hiroshi asked, "Ow, what was that for?"
Vice smirked at him, half-impishly and half-proud, explaining, "That was for you. It's so … exciting when you get angry like that."
Mature ruffled his hair as an older sister would and added, "Every time we start to wonder about you, you turn around and show us a little dark side, you know that?"
Hiroshi asked, So, it's safe to assume that you didn't think that was too much?"
Vice quickly answered, "Oh, not enough…"
Mature added just as quickly, "Not nearly enough, little brother…"
Hiroshi explained, "Well, you can say what you want about me, but I don't tolerate people speaking bad about my family."
The Amaterasu son, seeing that Mature and Vice's turn at the wheel was up, turned away and looked at the television screen to find the tournament on. Fortunately, he had turned just in time to see the next fight ending, and that's when he realized who their next opponents would be…
"Hey, kid, what are you watch…?" Vice began to ask as she turned to look, stopping mid-sentence.
Mature turned as wellto see what was going on and instantly dropped the large amount of chips in her hands, asking, "Is that … Is that graphic right?"
Hiroshi swallowed hard and confrimed, "It would seem so."
Upon hearing that, Vice broke into a fit of maniacal laughter, much to the bewilderment and discomfort of those within earshot, and Mature grew a devilish grin, saying, "Looks like luck really is on our side."
Hiroshi, almost as troubled as those around him, replied under his breath forlornly, "Yeah … Lucky us…"
Emblazoned on the screen were pictures of both teams side-by-side as the updated fight card read 'The Heaven and Earth Team vs The Yagami Team'!
End Chapter
A/N: There you have it. I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter especially the fight with Diana, as I put a lot of thought into her moveset. Fun fact: all of her move names are kinds of butterflies … you know, to show I do indeed do some research on these stories. Anyway, thanks again for reading, I hope you enjoyed it, and I hope you come back to read more, especially with the next eam on the list. Please R&R, and as always, Rant, Rave, and Review.