Preliminaries! Match #4: Inugami vs Roberta Rabbit

[WarriorofSpaceBooty]

Witnessing that quick match that Eschal ended by a single punch to a kid's stomach, his movement was unreactable by the boy, but Inugami saw it all and knew that this kid was in over his head. Inugami should've talked to the kid and persuaded him to forfeit the match cause what happened could've been avoided, but what's done is done, now it's his turn to fight, but he felt like this preliminary match would take much longer than the others, maybe longer than Liari. Giving Rutaba one more glance and ruffling his hair before walking through the doors of the waiting room, out into the arena.


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"Oh my god......uh well that was....a quick match for our last contestants, now next up is Inugami and Roberta Rabbit!"​

Inugami walks out to see the crowd roaring and cheering for more, wanting action, and he will grant them one with the opponent he is facing. Maybe he can end this fight within six minutes, but given other fights and how strong his comrades are, things could go either way. Tossing his first layer of clothes off, revealing his red jacket underneath the black button-up attire then began flexing and rotating his arms till he got that satisfied pop. Then, he went on to the next position, going into a walking lunge, bringing his left leg forward and bending by the knee while dropping the right leg straight down towards the ground, loosening up his lower body before he stood straight up, then hopping from one foot to another with a confident smile on his face "Lets do this! Lets rock and roll!" he yells out for everyone to hear and get excited.
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[Liari]

While the crowd was eager for more and Inugami seemed excited for his turn... Roberta was not. She had just watched a series of "fights," so-called, ended in a way that didn't constitute a fight at all! She was a martial artist, someone who trained HARD to get to where she was and the introduction to this tournament was fraught with magicians, monsters and who knows what else! For most, this might've enraged them, this display being a mockery of everything every other fighter has gone through to get here!

...For Roberta, she was... intimidated. She watched what happened in these matches with enlarged eyes, taking in the grotesque EASE these people dispatched of the competition! They arrived as a group, likely knew one another and they were laying WASTE to everyone else as if they were but children... aside from the actual children, mind you. She almost felt... inconsequential, as if walking into that arena would result in either humiliation... or something worse.

When she heard her name called, Roberta FROZE... glancing towards the exit that would lead to the arena. He had to make a decision right now: Was she going to go out there and fight, at the very least secure her PRIDE with her participation... or would she make the smart decision and act like her name-sake and find the nearest hole to hide in?

"...N-no... That's not me..." Roberta grunted, shaking her head. "I worked just as hard as these guys... I'm not gonna back away now that I got my chance at this... NO WAY!" She clenched her fists holding one up in defiance of her fear. "Yeah! I can win! I know I can! Look out world! Here comes Roberta Rabbit!"

By the time Roberta summoned her courage and rushed outside, there stood Inugami in the ring, ready to go! Roberta swallowed a lump forming in her throat at the sight of him... before making a BIG leap from the entrance to the arena, all the way to the center! It was an easy little jump, but it got the crowd oo-ing and awh-ing.

A flashy entrance at least.

"Alright! I'm ready!" She declared... more to herself than anything else. She would turn to Inugami... a tad unimpressed by his appearance. ...But she knew better than to trust book-covers. The matches before this one taught her that. There was a suspicious glint in her eye, the rabbit's defensive instincts already readying her to move, to expect the unexpected. Still... it wouldn't hurt to be polite, would it?

"Hiya! I'm Roberta! That's me!" She held out a hand to the man, offering him as sunny a smile as she could muster. "Let's have a good fight, huh?"

 

[WarriorofSpaceBooty]

With a respectful gesture, Inugami bows back to Roberta, showing that he is also polite when it comes to his opponent "I am Inugami, monk of the Fire Mountain," Introducing himself to the woman before him. A warm smile spreads across Inugami's face as he introduces himself to the woman in front of him with a warm stance, the Gong Bu, which is his preferred fighting stance, and gestures to her to join him in a fight. He says to her, "Let's have fun in this match! Let's have a great time together!" and then he rushes her, flying from his stand to hers in a matter of seconds, throwing some light strikes in an effort to test the waters with her, throwing a punch that angles towards her sides to see how she will react to it.
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[Liari]

"Fire mountain, huh...?" Roberta parroted, cocking her head. Was that like Frying-Pan mountain... or what was left of it? She wondered where all these strange people came from... always from somewhere obscure, she was sure.

With that, the match would begin and Inugami, surprisingly lightheartedly, would start things off! He would begin with some light blows, simple sparring stuff Roberta was WELL and easily accustomed to. She spun and dodged with the grace of a dancer, slipping around one punch, gently pushing aside another, almost effortlessly floating around the man's (albeit intentionally) weak offense! Still, Roberta grinned. At least he wasn't trying to blow her off the stage right away... at least she got to fight!

"Well, you certainly know what you're doing." Roberta would note playfully, throwing her own punch at Inugami's face! She would then make a quick jab at his leg with her foot, aiming to knock his front-leg off balance! If she succeeded, Roberta would quickly spring in the air and attempt a dropkick, throwing both feet out to slam into Inugami's chest!

If he was struck, Roberta would catch herself as she fell, quickly flipping back up to her feet!

If Inugami blocked... or countered, Roberta would appear to glow, a golden shimmering aura appearing to encompass her! When his counter connected... or when a block was confirmed by Roberta, the woman would suddenly VANISH, as if she hadn't been their at all! In the next instant, she would appear beside Inugami, just outside of his peripheral, fist already flying at his jaw!

It was her Bait & Blink technique, an ability that allowed her to surprise her opponents by catching them somewhere they least expected it!

 

[WarriorofSpaceBooty]

Inugami looks in wonder at how she moves when he initiates the dodge of his strike, dancing and spinning past them with grace, like a dancer, which gets Inugami thinking that she must come from a group that knows their way with footwork. Seeing her grin with him and comment on his plan for this fight, he nods with acknowledgement. Still, he keeps a smile on his face as she went to punch to his face and strike at his leg, shifting his body to counter her attack, going into a lower body defense, he moves with an upward palm strike to her jab to his face but raise his front leg then kick to match her but upon seeing her spring in the air like a bunny he once hunted all those years ago, ironic that he's fighting someone who looks like one.
He did his best to catch her kick, but feeling it push him a bit, he opted to push back with some force, but held onto her foot and went for a slam onto the ground, however, he felt nothing in his hand moments later which made him move backward but didn't think to expect her to appear outside his peripheral vision, catching a painful blow that sent his head rocking to the side. After receiving a surprised strike, he will use this opportunity with a bit of disorientation to stomp on one foot forcing him to skid a few inches then strike back with a low kick with his right leg, going for her in the gut but would stop then flick it up for her chin but if she manages to move or block his strike, he will throw a left elbow for her chest then right to her face hoping to catch her good but upon seeing her technique, he must play it careful or else he will find himself meeting grass.
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[Liari]

Roberta's eyes widened at the man's reflexes, able to take a dead-on punch from herself and right himself before his momentum carried him over the edge! It seemed that the Monks of Fire Mountain trained their students well... and it wasn't just the mantras they were made to study. Inugami would go right back on the attack, throwing a quick feint, raising his leg as if to go for her stomach! Roberta's ears perked, however, sensing the trick, leaning back just in time so that the toe of his boot just SLIGHTLY nicked the tip of her chin! Roberta, using her backwards moment, transitioned into a short backflip to gain distance, but Inugami was on her in an instant! Fighting like a true hunter, stabbing at her chest with his elbow! Roberta raised a forearm to block, wincing at the impact and being forced back a step! He was strong... stronger than his appearance AND profession would imply!

Inugami would then follow up his strike with another, catching the rabbit on the retreat and closing in with a scything elbow at her jaw! Roberta's eyes widened again with fear... but then she closed them... glowing golden energy beginning to emanate from her body!

BAM!

Inugami's blow would hit her and, in that instant, four separate Robertas would FLY away from the attack, crashing in four separate places before the monk, holding their faces! The Roberta's would then smirk, revealing the faintest line of red from the corner of their mouths, and begin zipping around the battlefield, pushing their raw speed to the limit to disorient and surround Inugami!

It was Roberta's Warren Mirage ability, creating magical illusion clones to trick and disorient the opponent!

They would then suddenly SPRING to each corner of the ring before SHOOTING at Inugami, cornering the man in the center of the ring from four directions! They appeared to close in with the intent to strike but, JUST before they would close in, the Robertas would LEAP into the sky, feet cocked below them... before ROCKETING DOWN on the monk's head! On impact, a MASSIVE shockwave would rock the arena, a carrot-shaped crater left in the middle of the ring with a single Roberta at it's center. Either the monk was with her, under her foot... or thrown in the direction of the arena's edge from the blast, hopefully!!

It was Roberta's Thumper Impact, a mighty STOMP meant for blasting entire areas... PERFECT for a confined arena like this one!

 

[WarriorofSpaceBooty]

Witnessing her body glow a golden hue of energy upon landing a clean scything elbow to her face, then her body burst into four separate Robertas that were sent flying, and crashing from the blow. Watching all four of them grab their face from where he struck, then a faint line of red from the corner of their mouths, "Hm," he hums to himself, but keeps a smirk on his face as they begin zipping around the arena, making him stay on his toes and use his ember eyes, this technique giving his eyes a smoldering ember that seems to make him look like a monk being possessed. He watches as each copy seems to give off magic trails, but none of them held an aura to the original, seeing the real Roberta glowing with a radiant grayish-blue aura that makes him gawk in awe of how beautiful it truly was, but he couldn't remain distracted as the copies rushed in and then leap up in the air with their feet aimed down to crash down on him.

He backflips six feet from the impact site, applying ki into his hands as he stabs into the concrete arena, grounding him. The impact comes with a blast and shockwave that would've sent him flying, but his grip remains iron-tight with noticeable cracks in the arean. "Such power, she can definitely pack a punch." He compliments, but straightens up once it all dies down, preparing for his next move. Seeing Roberta standing in the middle of the arena, he crouch low like a predator ready to strike, applying Rapid Movement to his body as he takes off in a zigzag, then closing the distance in seconds while conjuring fire ball in each hand and throwing them at her as feint but held enough strength to knock her back if she manage to dodge or block them. Once closer he performs a fast, centralize vertical strike to her central mass, his hands still heated from the phoenix flames he conjured applied some burning sensation upon contact but he didn't stop there, he snaps his right leg up for a mid-high kick to her side but spins around to deliver another kick with his left leg, hoping to push and see more of her martial prowess, If she manage to dodge or counter his advances.
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[Liari]

Roberta rose to her full height, huffing and puffing, the impact seeming to take nearly as much out of her as it did the tiles in the middle of the arena! Not a hide nor hair of the monk resided beneath her feet so, perhaps, the shockwave blasted him off the edge! She would look around, just to check her theory... before she caught sight of the man, kneeling there against the ground, hands glowing with energy that kept him tethered to weather the storm!

"Wh... What!?" Roberta gasped! He couldn't have just... survived her smash like that! What was this guy even made of...?

She was starting to feel the burn now... and that jump had been one of her handful of big plays! She wasn't even certain if she had the stamina to go at him head-to-head anymore... She was going to have to gamble this match.... on straight aggression! As Inugami began lobbing his fireballs, Roberta STOMPED her foot, the ground beginning to glow in a circle beneath her feet! Suddenly, the woman would dive down into the circle, slipping through the earth as if it were a portal and disappearing as the balls struck the spot where she once was!

...Suddenly, a circle would appear just before Inugami, Roberta SPRINGING up with a massive uppercut out of the portal with the intent to knock the monk on his butt!

It was her Burrowing Gate Shift technique, allowing her to slip into and pop out of the ground as if they were doing battle within a pre-established burrow!

If Inugami attempted to follow through with his attack, Roberta would disappear into her portal again... several more portals popping up on... well... EVERYTHING! It was like a dome of holes in the air, along the ground, holes EVERYWHERE around and within the bounds of the arena!

Roberta would SPRING out of one to Inugami's right, making a cheap-shot run at his face! She would then quickly dive, using her established momentum, into a portal by his feet! If he tried to chase her, it would be like stepping on solid ground for him, the way not opening for any but its master! Roberta would then SPRING down from a portal above Inugami's head, SWINGING her hands down in a double-fist hammer-strike to the back of his head before hopping away into another portal!

It was Roberta's greatest technique: The Eclipse Warren Domain: a mass summoning of portals that allowed Roberta to spring up and attack from any unpredictable angle... But if this didn't get Inugami soon.... her rabbit was cooked!

 

[WarriorofSpaceBooty]

Inugami narrows his eyes when he sees Roberta leap into a circle, and his expression turns grim. "That again," he says and stops midstep, looking around to see where she will appear, but is surprised when she appears before him, flipping backwards out of the uppercut which narrowly misses his chin, and then skids a few feet from where she appeared, but sees more portals popping up all over the arena and above, which makes him feel more cautious of his surroundings. His worry would be proved right when he felt a fist connect to his face, sending him rolling a bit, yet he managed to stop himself from sliding further, but didn't see her in sight, so he decided to rely on his senses to find where she would appear. Detecting her from above, opting for him to look up and see her coming down with a double-fist hammer slam, which he counters with a side-step and grabs her arms to slam onto the ground, unless she manages to slip from his grip. Refusing to let go as he pulls Roberta up onto her feet, into a headbutt, intending to disorient her, then two strikes to both legs, intending to keep her moving anywhere else.
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[Liari]

Well, that was the end of that. Roberta had put all of her power into that last attempt, to disorient, control, and ultimately knock out her opponent... but it just wasn't enough. The man's instincts were too refined, his reflexes too quick! That hammerstrike was what she needed to secure her victory but the man caught her like a predator's jaws around her throat. He deftly avoided the blow before SLAMMING his head into hers!

...And like a switch... she was out.

The man didn't even need to sweep her legs because the rabbit was already falling, her mind gone to the black as quickly as it had been turbocharged just a moment before. Inugami would stand, holding the woman up solely by her arms, the limp figure with her sleeping expression dangling in his grasp!

The announcer, noticing this change, would run over to look now that the combatants had slowed.

"SHE'S OUT!" The announcer would declare! He crossed his arms, indicating to the crowd! "ROBERTA IS UNABLE TO BATTLE! THE WINNER IS INUGAMI!"

The crowd would CHEER! Although the battle was short, Inugami was able to pull out a win... and in dramatic fashion, no less! Men would arrive with a stretcher to take away the fallen Roberta and, one would note, there was a faint smile upon the rabbit's face. Yes, she lost... and perhaps she felt she should have done better... but, in the end, it was a fine match... She did well enough to feel content after her fears earlier on.

Inugami... was a good warrior.

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In the waiting area, the clone of Liari had seen the whole thing and had already been taking notes. Those techniques... those PORTALS... It was as if the Majin's magical mind had broken the technique down unconsciously and were now remaking the technique in her own mind! As the seconds ticked by, Liari grew more and more aware of how her little portal-power worked, how she was tunneling through space not unlike a rabbit would the earth to make interconnecting openings from which she could strike! Liari glanced down and opened her hand, already creating a tiny spinning disk of space... that opened out to the changing room on this side of the arena.

Liari smiled wickedly.

That rabbit-creature might not have been strong... but she was creative enough to make this match truly worth while.

LIARI COPIES BURROWING GATE SHIFT.