Realistic or Modern BADAZZ (Always accepting!)

[Tiramiisu]

Name: Aoki Heizo
Race: Human
Aura: White
Date/Time: January 1, 2025
Location: Akashiro's Restaurant, Kirin District (Inside)
Tagging: The Black Knight , Ginko The Mushishi , @Nenma Takashi, @Zamasu, _Line 213 , @Fearmonger , @Elekta Kount, @Xale, @Elenion Aura, sprouhtt , Seraph Darkfire
Aoki's fight with Helmet was slowly beginning to make her feel exhausted. But, with her newfound tactic, she saw Helmet's attacks begin to slow down as he lost more of his bright green blood. She prepared another ball of energy, about to hurl it towards the giant brute, right before someone walked in between her and her shot. Both Helmet and Aoki took a moment to stare as Musa crossed between them, right before she cast the flaming white ball towards Helmet. The brute went down like a tree, a heavy thud resonated around the restaurant.

"Yes!" Aoki raised her arms in victory, instantly regretting the action as a searing pain burned in her shoulder. She groaned, stretching out the sore limb. There was no time for breaks, she needed to see if she could find a way to stop Jesus before he resurrected the downed fighters.

When Akashiro's harsh voice yelled at them to work together, Aoki almost wanted to object to that idea. It was easier said than done. Judging by how her original plan of taking down Jesus first was ignored, she found it more beneficial to take everything into her own hands and solo the fight. She quickly took a glance around the scene inside the restaurant. Fedora was kept occupied by two people, who she assumed were customers who were...dancing? She wasn't too sure what their plan was. There were some other newcomers of their makeshift team tending to their wounded. Aoki decided to focus on her original plan; finding where the resurrection freak went and taking him down before he was able to restart the fight yet again.

She was just about to make an attempt to leave the building and search for her target, only to get distracted by Lu's frantic screaming. She knew the man was eccentric, but attempting to piggyback ride your opponent to death was strange, even for him. Despite her better judgment, Aoki settled on quickly helping him and Taiga as she suppressing her ki into her hands and she charged towards Tensai. She swung her arm causing her fist to leave an impact in Tensai's gut while his guard was down. He sunk to the floor on his knees, groaning in pain before she landed the final blow onto his jawline. Tensai blacked out, giving Aoki the chance to relax her energy for a moment.

"I think I may have gone a bit overboard," Aoki muttered, tapping her foot on Tensai's head. She directed her attention to Lu, her eyes quickly glancing him over for injuries. "You okay? Didn't seem like he dealt much damage to you." Making the assumption that Lu seemed alright to her, she decided to share the details of her little scheme. "I don't know about you, but I'm not too fond of having to fight these guys again. I don't have that much left in me to keep fighting like this. If we're going to win, we need to target that healer of theirs, but I'll need someone to help me." Asking for aid in fights was out of character for Aoki, but even she had to admit that this was more than a petty bar fight and she could use all the help she could get.

 

[Ginko The Mushishi]

Name: Zheng Luang
Race: Human
Aura: Phoenix Fire Blue
Date/Time: January 1, 2025.
Location: Akashiro's Restaurant, Kirin District.
Tagging: The Black Knight Tiramiisu @Zamasu _Line 213 @Elekta Kount @Elenion Aura sprouhtt

Aoki had jumped to save the day in turn, Lu was finally able to get off of Tensai when Aoki helped tag-team with him and knock down Tensai.. Resting against the wall, huffing and puffing a little Lu finally returned to his usual, silly old self. Grabbing his hat and slapping it back on his head with ease. "I'm not dying, but I've certainly used up a lot of Stamina already.. Though I agree with you, getting that ressurection weirdo out of the way would probably help us in this fight.. I'll help you with the last amount of strength I've got!" Lu was initially against having to use the Phoenix Roaring to help boost himself considering his current situation of being exhausted would in turn make Lu incapable of fighting for the remainder of this battle to save the restaurant.. It would seem he'd have to kick back with Old Man after the limit of his Phoenix Roaring would shut down.. Though he wondered why everyone was calling the Old Man "Shiro" or "Akashiro." Maybe he was named after the legendary fighter? Who knew, Lu didn't know a thing. All he knew was the guy made great food and he was nice enough to let Lu talk to him without telling him to shut up every minute.
Perhaps Old Man had all the Akashiro Merchandise?! Could it be possible? Is that why the Gangsters want the territory so much? So they could find out the Old Man's hidden stash of Koizumi Akashiro action figures, Halloween outfits, cups, you name it. Was Old Man really that much of a fan of the ole' number 1? Maybe he'd have to ask sometime...
"Just give me a little bit to breathe, I'm still exhausted from all the fighting. I certainly don't want to be down for the count when we face off the big bad of this group, and I don't want to use one of my moves to just waste it and keep going strong for just one fight then have to sit out for the rest of the time...Also, do you think Helmet-head likes to tend to flowers in his spare time? It certainly seems like he could have a green thumb. You know what they say, big tough guys are big softies deep down." He nudged Aoki with a large grin and a wheezing chuckle.

 

[The Black Knight]

Name: Musa Azuma
Race: Human
Aura: White (Currently)
Date/Time: January 1, 2025
Location: Akashiro's Restaurant, Kinrin District.
Tagging: _Line 213 sprouhtt

Musa blinked when the girl—who he swore he had just saved—recoiled away from him. The look on her face was one of disgust, which had his dark brows dropping into a frown. His brows clinched tighter when she didn’t understand his proposal. Did she really think he meant dance? What was she stupid? Fedora didn’t seem interested in targeting him anymore—probably because she was repulsed by his ambience. He had been able to repulse two females in a moment apparently—female fighters…

Slowly, Musa took a step back and then another as Fedora continued to tango with Aline. He eventually turned and happily jogged over to the counter to resume his intended business. “Ojiisan~” Musa greeted in a sing-song voice. By the time Aline would start talking to him, she would see that his attention had turned somewhere else.

Musa could see that there was a downed fighter in the kitchen that two others were giving urgent care and love. There was an old man in a wheel chair who Musa believed had to be Akashiro. The man was built, and his current state was misleading. He could see it in his eyes, this guy was strong perhaps stronger than everyone surrounding him. Musa’s amber eyes motioned over to the girl who had been standing next to him. Even from beneath his hood, his eyes motioned up and down her body without shame. He then stared at her face for a few seconds longer until he finally muttered thoughtfully to himself, “She’s not a guy…”

The fighter had spent several years in prison to the point that even some guys started looking pretty. Since his release, he has become wary of the cute ones. Turning his head to wipe some of the blood from his face, he slapped his hands upon the counter top and confidently proposed, “Your restaurant looks like it can use some help. I could use some help myself. You help me, help you, help me, and we’ll make something happen.”

Do something!

Musa narrowed his eyes and turned his head to regard Aline’s crazy fight. She had a very strange way of dodging Fedora’s attacks. It almost seemed as though she were dancing. Was dancing her thing? For real? It seemed to be working since Fedora couldn’t hear the same beat she was moving to.

“Oh, now you want my help,” Musa spoke nonchalantly. “You're doing just fine. She’s tired and can’t do much more. End it already. What are you waiting for?”

Musa had no idea that Aline was a rookie. She didn’t seem like one with how easily she was getting around Fedora’s copy cat moves.

 

[The Black Knight]

Name: Koizumi Akashiro
Race: Human
Aura: Red
Date/Time: January 1, 2025, 12:15 PM
Location: Akashiro's Restaurant, Kirin District.
Tagging: Tiramiisu @Zamasu @Elenion Aura _Line 213 Ginko The Mushishi simj26 The One Eyed Bandit Rhino Schneider sprouhtt RI.a Seraph Darkfire

From left to right: Akinari; Fujio; Hideki; Chikao; and Helmet

Spoiler: Deathstalker Theme

• Akinari (Red Terror): He is boyish and excitable as well as the most destructive. He is like a child in a china shop, and will happily wreck any establishment or property he is ordered to. Preferred Weapon: Fists wrapped in steel chain.
• Fujio (Ash Tray): He didn’t just receive his nickname because he smells like secondhand smoke all the time, but he likes to beat his enemies to near-death and then twist out his cigarette on their faces. Preferred Weapon: Fists. He sometimes uses his cigarette as a distraction, stabbing it into his enemy’s eyes or flicking ash into their face.
• Hideki (Leader): He runs the clown show. No one really knows what happened to his left eye. He probably lost it in a fight or as punishment. Preferred Weapon: Hidden wakizashis up his sleeves.
• Chikao (Quiet): The quiet types are usually the worst ones. Chikao actually is a quiet sadist who likes to cut his enemies. He will cut them to death rather than outright kill them just so he can see them bleed. Preferred Weapon: Knives. He has them all beneath his robes, and he has plenty to not only cut with but throw.
• Helmet (Batter): Not even his fellow peers know anything about him. He is some dude who likes to wear his motorcycle helmet and won’t ever take it off. There have been whispers that something happened to his face, making him hideous to look at. The last guy who tried to take his helmet off got a spiked bat to the skull. Preferred Weapon: Spiked Bat; he also uses PEDs.

From left to right: Fedora, Neiiji, Jesus, Pretty Boy, and Tensai.​

• Fedora (Copy Cat): Her perception level is superhuman. She has the ability to learn her opponent’s movements, improvise them, and use them against them. Solo, she is impossible to take down. She is a quiet one and never speaks. Preferred Weapon: Knuckledusters.
• Neiji (GM-NPC/Leader): He is the leader of this gang and despite having many rivals within his own Deathstalker group, the other gangs cannot deny that Neiji is a frightening fighter. Not much is known about him, but those who have seen him fight show him nothing but respect. Preferred Weapon: Unknown
• Jesus (Deadman): He doesn’t fight. Why fight when there are others to fight for him? Literally. He uses his ki to resurrect fallen fighters, and they will do his bidding. They will protect him fiercely making it almost impossible for anyone to lay a finger on him. Preferred Weapon: Downed fighters.
• Pretty Boy: Everyone has called him “Pretty Boy” for the longest time that they don’t even know his real name anymore. Behind those shades is a man…or a woman…what? His androgynous features make his gender hard to distinguish. He is very vain, but supposedly, no one has ever managed to damage his moneymaker (his face). They say Pretty Boy can enter a fight with multiple opponents and still emerge beautiful. Thus the name. Preferred Weapon: His vanity and a steel comb that acts as a knife.
• Tensai: The nerd is a genius. Like Fedora, he will study his enemy’s movements and knows exactly how to penetrate their guard. He will bob and weave, lean and dip, and make his hits count in the most sensitive of places. He uses pressure point techniques, and if he wants to, just for fun, he’ll use his skull-shaped bo staff to break bones. Preferred Weapon: Brain and bone staff.

Taiga collapsed upon her side in relief when Lu finally came to her aid. Her wounds weren’t fatal, but they had winded her until her body begged for her to rest. She sank to her knees, her legs buckling weakly, and then she slumped onto her side. I just need a break, she thought. Just a little… She closed her eyes with every intention to rest them, but she found her conscious fading into dark solace.

Hideki stepped through the door of the restaurant, dragging the flat side of his blade across his tongue. Behind him, another cocky fighter had fallen, but not without having put up a good fight. With the gang leader’s ability to keep rising, it was only time before he wore the other fighter out and took him down with his blade style. Lowering his sword, he grinned at Aoki and the resting Lu. “Looks like I’m late to the party.”

His eyes slowly rolled over to Lu, his brows sinking wickedly. “I’m gonna break your ribs this time.”

Behind him, Jesus was crouched and positioned next to the door. He had been listening to Aoki’s and Lu’s plan. They were onto him. He knew it would only be time until they figured him out. They were immobilizing his fighters, and he needed more, but he couldn’t risk exposing himself. His eyes lowered to the legs of the downed young man in the doorway. He was the closest fighter he could get to, and while he wasn’t a Deathstalker, he still could suit a purpose. Jesus grasped his ankle and his hand glowed with his ectoplasmic-green ki. Juro gasped and his eyes snapped open gleaming in green. The kid rolled onto his side, and then rose to his hands and knees grasping his skull.

“Ugh,” he groaned. Who hit me?

Juro rose to his feet to stand next to Hideki and looked between Aoki and Lu. There was an awkward expression on his face, and then his eyes lowered to his arms that rose offensively on their own accord. He blinked. “What the hell…my body is moving on it’s own!” he panicked. Hideki and Juro were both prepared to take on Aoki and Lu.

Meanwhile, at the kitchen, a fat vein of anger was pulsing above Akashiro’s right brow. He had seen how Musa had been ogling Ayumi. It was unforgivable. Even though she was his niece, he loved her as though she were his own daughter, and no punk was going to get away with disrespecting her in his presence. Akashiro didn’t answer Ayumi’s irritable questions. His left hand instead rose from the armrest of his chair, and his right hand lowered to rest on the wheel. While Musa was busy yelling over to Aline, Akashiro’s left hand balled into a fist and his arm slowly cranked back like a spring-set trap.

As Musa’s attention returned to Akashiro and Ayumi, Akashiro had suddenly thrust out his fist in his direction. The man’s arm was extended across the counter top and his weight was canted and balanced on the right wheel of his chair. Musa felt his heart skip, feeling the blast of wind slapping against his body. His arms rose to cross before his face until the gust from the sudden motion receded. Musa’s eyes were wide in shock. Was he a wind manipulator like the old lady? No. He could sense it like something bad about to happen. That was an attack. Musa’s white and shocked eyes lowered to the old man. This was the real Akashiro.

“I’m not interested,” Akashiro responded, casually retracting his fist and settling his wheelchair back on both of its wheels.

A crater suddenly appeared at Musa’s mid-section. A gasp of breath and spittle left his mouth as he started to fold over. His head then snapped to the right, cheek flattening as though struck by a fist. His head then snapped left and then back. His feet left the ground as he went soaring backwards. The back of Musa’s skull struck the back of Addison’s. Addison’s ki constructs faded as he fell face-first onto the floor. Chikao fell to the floor next as Musa continued to soar across the back of the restaurant and through its wall. Another hole was put in the establishment, but this one hadn’t bothered Akashiro as much since he was dealing with perverse trash.

Jesus was creeping along the restaurant wall, trying to stay clear of the windows so his hunters couldn’t see him. He saw Neiji engrossed in a fight with the android, and then the emergence of another fighter, exploding out of the restaurant to go rolling like a rag doll across the ground. He could reach that one, he was certain. As much as he just wanted to flee the fight, he knew the boss would never forgive him. Cowardice would mean execution.

Back inside, with reinforcements having shown up in the door, Fedora timed a kick at Aline’s chest to shove her back and put her within the triangle the Deathstalkers made. It was Fedora, Hideki, and Juro surrounding Aoki, Lu, and Aline. Two were already exhausted perhaps just as much as she was. This was the final showdown.

Kuron vs. Neiji​

The android propelled himself toward the teal-haired boss, and there wasn’t a flash of worry or shock on the man’s face. Neiji stopped, allowing the bot to quickly close the distance, which granted him some extra seconds to cock back his left arm. Forearm, bicep, tricep, and deltoid inflated with strength. His right arm rose, bent at the elbow with knuckles hovering just below his right eye in a defensive position. Neiji sent his left fist surging forward to have his knuckles meet with the knuckles of Kuron’s machine-like fist. The connection wasn’t a normal one. Metal did not meat brittle bone as had been the case with most of the machine’s battles. Teal-colored ki erupted between their fists, and like a javelin, fired down the length of the machine’s arm. It was destructive, and it winked out after it had passed through. An average human’s arm would have instantly been shredded from the strike, a martial artist, depending on their level, would have had shattered bones, sprains, or even dislocation. It was apparent that Neiji wasn’t about to go easy on an android. He didn’t see Kuron as a living thing, but instead, as an exercise bag for him to test his strength. If Neiji was more talkative, he would have told Kuron about how he planned to send him back to his creator in pieces.

GM Note: You've lost more fighters (mostly due to one drop out and inactivity)! We're almost at the end! Main Goal: Survive to the end!

 

[The Black Knight]

Name: Musa Azuma
Race: Human
Aura: White (Currently)
Date/Time: January 1, 2025
Location: Akashiro's Restaurant, Kinrin District.
Tagging: sprouhtt

Jesus crept along the wall of the restaurant until he came to the hole the fighter had exited out of. He peeked inside to see that Chikao was free; he glanced over to Neiji and the android just to make sure he was still distracted; and then his attention returned to the fighter who hadn't made any motion of recovering. Jesus pushed away from the wall and hurried over to Musa’s form. He kept his stance hunched over and he took a knee next to the downed fighter, assessing him. His face looked pretty messed up. It was already beginning to swell in some places. Jesus glanced about his surroundings once more and then raised his glowing green hand. He reached out for Musa’s chest, preparing to lay it flat across it until he felt a hand latch about his wrist.

Jesus’s eyes snapped over to the hand that was gripping his wrist, and then his teeth bared when he felt the grip growing tighter and tighter. He was going to break it! “Ay, ay, ay, ya!” Jesus exclaimed.

A deep frown sank on Musa’s face. A shadow was cast over his golden eyes as they glared up at the person or thing, he wasn’t quite sure what it was hovering over him. It looked like a damn zombie. “What are you supposed to be, Death?”

Musa yanked Jesus’s left arm to the side, causing him to sprawl over him, and then Musa’s left leg rose. His leg bent at the knee and he drove his cap into Jesus’s crotch. Musa’s knee collided with Jesus’s scrotum like a hammer against a bag of gummy bears. Jesus’s mouth dropped open. A breath so lost and thin wheezed out of him. Musa lowered his knee and sent it hammering twice into the Hispanic’s tenders, the force causing Jesus’s body to rock as it passed through him to his shoulders. With his mouth still agape, Jesus slowly and pathetically rolled onto his side. His free hand went between his legs to grasp what was left as Musa released his wrist.

“I’m not dead yet,” Musa grumbled. He crossed his right arm over his chest and then drove his elbow into the side of Jesus’s face, putting the zombie, servant of Death, whatever he was out of his ball-busted misery.

Suddenly, Hideki’s and Juro’s eyes rolled into the back of their heads as they collapsed. Chikao who had been prepared to lunge at those in the kitchen, fell with a thud upon the floor. Musa, unaware of the outcome of his actions, rolled onto his side with his back to Jesus. His hand went to grasp his sore stomach. I couldn’t even see his moves, Musa thought. He was certain that the old man had hit him, but for being an old bastard cripple in a wheelchair, he had hit him so fast. He went easy on me. Someone with moves like that should have ripped him apart. Akashiro; Koizumi Akashiro. Why was such a legend working in a dump restaurant in Kinrin?

Musa sat up off the ground like the dead rising from the grave. His head limply fell forward and he brought his hands to either side of it. Cracking his neck left and right, he released his skull and exhaled a soft groan. Akashiro was fully capable of defending his restaurant, so why didn’t he? Why did he let the Deathstalkers crash the place? Whatever the reason…it wasn’t every day that Musa got to encounter a legend. If he worked for him, then not only could he make some money, but he might have been able to learn something from the geezer. Yes; there wasn’t an employer worthier than him in the Kinrin District. Musa rose to his feet and returned into the restaurant through the hole he had exited through. He came before the counter and called out Akashiro, “Ojii-san…Akashiro-san…” Musa brought his arms to his sides and formally bowed until his torso was parallel to the floor. “I meant no disrespect. Please allow me to work for you.”

Akashiro frowned at Musa as he mused, He recovered pretty quickly… He hadn’t hit him as hard, but still an average martial artist would have been winded. So Musa wasn’t going to be an average pain in his ass. He already had one pain in the ass who persistently returned to his restaurant. If Lu hadn’t been a paying customer, then he would have told him to get lost.

“No,” the answer was heavy like a mallet.

Musa stumbled in surprise at how easy Akashiro had rejected him. He had even been extra formal! Musa straightened with a scowl. “Really? Look at what you’re gonna have to clean up! You’re gonna need some help!”

Akashiro crossed his arms before his chest and frowned. “I’ll ask somebody else.”

“What? Why not me?!”

“Because I don’t want some pervert working around my niece.”

Musa’s face flushed with anger as he pointed as sharp finger at Ayumi and hollered, “I DON’T EVEN WANT YOUR UGLY COW OF A NIECE! I JUST WANT A JOB!”

Akashiro’s face flushed red. His hands latched onto the armrests of his chair as he roared, “YOU DARE INSULT MY GORGEOUS ANGEL OF A NIECE! GET OUT!”

“NOT UNTIL YOU GIVE ME A JOB!”

“I WOULDN’T GIVE YOU A JOB EVEN IF YOU WERE THE LAST WORKER ON EARTH!”

Having grown tired of yelling, Musa tilted his head to the side and shrugged in a carefree manner. “I have no other place to go, so I’m staying here whether you like it or not.”

“I’ll call the ACP!”

“Heh, like they’ll come.”

Akashiro hissed. He was right. The ACP never came. They wouldn’t have even responded to his current predicament. Musa grinned extra large and proud. He knew he had the old man stumped.

“I’ll work for 10 credits an hour.”

“You won’t get a bit from me!”

 

[Seraph Darkfire]

Name: Alexander Matte
Race: Human
Aura: Light Green
Date/Time: January 1, 2025
Location: Kinrin District; Akashiro's Restaurant
Tagging: Ginko The Mushishi Tiramiisu The Black Knight

With a soft sigh Alex looked towards the two fighting "It'd be preferable if we focused on the current situation before you get into another one" he said calmly. He headed for the door into the main restaurant. He noticed Chikao on the floor and cocked his head. He was sure that this man had been moving about when he'd arrived. Looked like he was heading into the kitchen before he fell. Kneeling down, he checked the man's pulse and nodded, noting that he was still alive. With a few quick jabs, he made sure that he wasn't going to go critical or wake up anytime soon.

He then turned and looked across the room towards the entrance, spotting Fedora, Aoki, Aline, and Lu. They were all standing in pretty aggressive stances. He walked towards them "Now now, everyone here is pretty exhausted. You should all just sit back and relax. Everyone else has already fallen and no one really needs to get hurt even mo.." he suddenly took a step back as Fedora threw a punch at his jaw, his hand flicking up and grabbing her wrist. With a quick twist he attempted to dislocate it.

Alex watched the woman's eyes widen a second before he twisted and she broke his grip, stepping away from him. He grinned slightly "That was impressive" he said as he shook his fingers lightly "You have very good eyes" he stepped forwards and the woman stepped back, keeping her distance, her eyes watching his every movement. She was keeping her distance. His fingers twitched slightly before he looked down, spotting the other bodies. They were breathing, they'd be fine.

He quickly moved away when he noticed the woman attempting to attack him while he was distracted. However, he noticed that she wasn't using another punch but a grappling move. His eyes tightened. The positioning of her fingers, the way she held her body. It was very similar, with slight variations. She was already beginning to mimic his stance after a few altercations. She was not a simple enemy.

Stepping back, not letting his eyes leave the woman as he got closer to the other three "You all look quite tired, if you'll allow me, I can restore some of your stamina, though not all of it." the more times he did it the less effective it would be.

 

[_Line 213]

Name: Aline Romani
Race: Human
Aura: ???
Date/Time: January 1, 2025
Location: Akashiro's Restaurant, Kirin District
Current Jam: Wanna Be Startin' Somethin', 2:20--2:55
Tagging: The Black Knight , Ginko The Mushishi , @Nenma Takashi, @Zamasu, @Fearmonger

I did it! I landed a strike! Now we can--

The game-changing follow-up she had expected never came; in fact, the stranger that had appeared with such disgusting gusto mere moments before had entirely vanished, prompting the foreigner to look around in absolute confusion. It was only once raised, arguing voices began to echo throughout the restaurant that she managed to lock onto the unfamiliar figure, his abandonment of the fight (and at Fedora's whim at that) tickling a nerve somewhere within her.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" she shouted, even as the man locked himself into a heated exchange with the proprietor, "EVERYONE ELSE IS OUT HERE DOING THEIR BEST AND YOU'RE ARGUING?!" Of course, so was she in that moment, but her circumstances were of course a little different, at least as far as she was concerned. And yet, she had forgotten about said situation entirely, Fedora recovering rather easily from what could have been a far more punishing maneuver were there anyone present to complete it. The fact that someone so green had managed to duck and weave around her blows so easily might have been a frightening thorn in the side of the woman's mind, yet if such were so, it would only increase her urgency; if everyone else was going to play games, then there was no better time to wrap everything up in a nice little bow.

A cascade of blows slammed into Aline's midsection in the midst of her distraction, snapping her back to the fight at hand as a final kick sent her sliding along the floor, pain clouding her vision as the initial strike she had soaked that day was replicated several times over. Entirely dazed for the second time, she found herself once again unable to stand or move, eyes watering as she tried her best to force herself into some state of motion. Not even the music emanating from the phone in her jacket was helping, the piercing pain proving to be more than a match for any sort of internal groove. Things only got worse when it turned out that those who were left were entirely surrounded, looming, murderous figures now appearing from all sides as Aline regained her vision. She wanted to run, she wanted to hide; she was nothing if not paralyzed in that moment, all of her former reluctance resurging all at once.

Deep breaths.

She was in more pain than she ever felt in her life. No matter what she did, her mind said that she was going to die. If she stopped there--rolled over--then that would become a certainty. But what way out was there, possibly?

Her legs barely managed to return her to some semblance of her full height, the girl having given up on any sort of battle-stance entirely, not that it had really done her any good. Slowly, but surely, her mind began to focus in on the music again with practiced precision, her mind lighting up with recognition as beats and patterns began to register with her once again. Her small movements returned, diminished by the pain that came with each.

Almost there...Almost to that part...

A few seconds. All she needed was a few more seconds.

And if that didn't work out, then there was nothing else to do.

 

[Ginko The Mushishi]

Name: Zheng Luang
Race: Human
Aura: Phoenix Fire Blue
Date/Time: January 1, 2025.
Location: Akashiro's Restaurant, Kirin District.
Tagging: The Black Knight Tiramiisu @Zamasu _Line 213 Seraph Darkfire sprouhtt

"DID SOMEBODY SAY JOBS!?" Lu shouted out, after having the relief of not facing off the whole murderous brigade of zombies because of Musa's quick takedown of Jesus, Lu was in a much better mood now. "OLD MAN I'LL TAKE A JOB IF YOU'RE HANDING 'EM OUT! I WAS PRACTICALLY RAISED IN A RESTAURANT!" Lu smirked, pumped up now that it was only Fedora standing in the way now. "YYAAAAAHOOO~!!!" Lu hollered, slamming his one foot down on the ground and returning to his Opened Gates Style. "I'm FIRED UP!" The morale boost of Musa taking down Jesus, as well as the arguing over jobs brought Lu out of the state of exhaustion he was in.

Alex was also a welcoming presence, if he could help restore Lu's remaining exhaustion, he'd be ready to face off with the big bad wolf alongside everyone else. But he was currently focused on Fedora. Grabbing up Aoki, Aline, Alex and even Musa in his arms, Lu hugged them all rather tight "LETS GET THIS OVER WITH YOU GUYS!" Letting them all go from the hug, Lu grinned under his hat. "We know she copies moves, but lets take her down together now! My name's Zheng Luang, and I hope I can be your friends. I'll keep her open for you guys to attack!" Lu laughed like a child as he threw himself into a fight with Fedora.

Though naturally Lu would have fought her with his Style, this time he wasn't planning on fighting at all. Instead this was a test of endurance. Fedora was quick, and cunning keeping away from Lu initially until she thought of a perfect way to attack or to use one of his own moves if he used one in turn... But he didn't, which made her question just what he was doing until she saw it. He had leapt into her personal space, and locked his feet down to the ground. Grabbing at both of Fedora's hands and interlocking his fingers with her own. This was a classic game of Mercy. A distraction as well, to allow the others to attack Fedora as she was facing off with Lu.

Lu started off weak, and slow. Considering his exhaustion was still taking affect, Lu was struggling in the beginning. But quickly overcame that struggle as he began to bend her own fingers. "You look like you just came out of a mobster movie, ya know that?" Lu stated as the game heated up, Fedora regaining her control and returning the game of mercy to a standstill. Both of them shuffling a few inches to the left or right as the battle of endurance trudged on. "I wonder what's under your mask.. You got some sort of oral infection you don't want anyone seeing?" Lu stuck his tongue out, laughing in a taunting way. Which had Fedora push Lu into a wall during the mercy fight, twisting his hands dangerously close to being defeated. "Oh no you don't!" Lu quickly twisted his arms back into place, keeping his place equal to Fedora in the game.

 

[sprouhtt]

Name: Ayumi Akashiro
Race: Human
Aura: Gold
Date/Time: January 1, 2025
Location: Akashiro's Restaurant, Kirin District. (Inside)
Tagging: The Black Knight (Koizumi Akashiro & Musa)

Ayumi went closer to her uncle and put her hand on his shoulder, I think he is asking him for a job like Uncle would ever hire him. Her uncle didn't hire a lot of people to work with him, the only people that would work this is Ayumi, Akashiro of course, and two others that would either cook when Ayumi isn't here or help serve. She couldn't remember the last time someone came to help out at the restaurant, it had been a while. But now this guy was coming to ask for him, Great, She thought to herself, now she had to help train him if her uncle hired him, and also clean up the restaurant after this whole mess was over. Ayumi had a long day, no wait, week ahead of her since this was going to take the whole week to clean this restaurant up. She couldn't call any authorities because they would take their sweet time with coming over to this part of the town and when they get to the restaurant they would say there is nothing they can do for them. One time they even told her Uncle to shut down the restaurant and retire, but Akashiro had some words of his own that day and they never raised the question of whether he would retire or not.

Ayumi gasped at Musa when he pointed his finger in her direction, who did this kid think he was. He is no man for acting the way he was, calling Ayumi names and humiliating her, wait until everyone leaves and he is still here, that is only if her uncle gives him this job. Ayumi's gonna knock some sense into him during training, but what is she talking about, she hopes her uncle doesn't hire him. She already has enough on her plate and he won't be of help. How did he know, him waving his finger in front of her face was not going to cost him a finger? Ayumi wanted to be a lady in front of her Uncle Akashiro, she didn't want to be seen as someone biting another person, or at least not in public...

Ayumi chuckled a bit to herself, but then she felt her Uncle moving and before she knew it he had sent Musa flying across the room. "Ojisan! I know he insulted me but you didn't have to send him across the restaurant. Now I gotta clean up that mess his body made," Ayumi said, not even slightly concerned with whether he is okay.

It amazed her to see him come back after such a blow, she thought he was dead.

"You might as well give him the job, look he came back from the dead Ojisan." Ayumi whispered when she bent down next to her uncle. "...as much as it kills me, I am going to need help cleaning this place up and running to get next weeks supplies," Ayumi said. Why was she defending him and asking for her uncle to give him a job?

Ayumi thought that anyone who was stupid enough to come back up after a blow like that from Akashiro deserved a shot.

 

[Tiramiisu]

Name: Aoki Heizo
Race: Human
Aura: White
Date/Time: January 1, 2025
Location: Akashiro's Restaurant, Kinrin District (Inside)
Tagging: The Black Knight , Ginko The Mushishi , _Line 213 , Seraph Darkfire
Aoki stared at the man arguing with Akashiro, a dumbfounded look on her face. The man had just waltzed into the restaurant and taken down Jesus, now he was demanding a job? She knew the people in the Kinrin District were all odd, but with the recent excess of newcomers, she was beginning to think everyone was just insane.

"Well. I guess that solves that problem." She mumbled, now switching her focus onto Fedora. The healer from before was now confronting Fedora, his movements were swift and calculated, yet, the woman somehow was still able to mirror his stance.

"An extra boost sure sounds nice right now, but I think I could manage," Aoki gave Alex a grin, which quickly faded when she was pulled into a tight hug by Lu. "Too tight, too tight! Put me down!" She gasped out before letting out a sigh of relief after being released. She appreciated the Lu's enthusiasm, but if he was always this energetic it couldn't be good for her health. She'll eventually be having a heart attack if he continued to surprise her like this.

Aoki gave Lu a quick nod at his makeshift plan, watching as the man lunged himself towards Fedora. He seemed to be making some progress with her, but it wasn't enough to hinder her. There was no way Aoki was able to use her abilities like last time. She couldn't risk Fedora mimicking her and possibly burning the restaurant down. If that did happen, she didn't have enough money to pay for repairs anyways.

Instead, she opted on switching her fighting stance. It left her more open and vulnerable, but at least she wasn't going to risk having her abilities copied. She shrugged, choosing to mostly focus on punching and improvise as she went on. Aoki charged into battle, attempting to take a swing at Fedora, before being blocked by the woman. She clicked her tongue in annoyance, before throwing another punch. Fedora gripped her hand and twisted it, barely ducking to dodge one of Lu's attacks.

Aoki noticed Fedora's little hiccup and decided to keep swinging at her. If they were all able to override her senses, then taking down the copycat should be quick and simple.

 

[The Black Knight]

Name: Musa Azuma
Race: Human
Aura: White
Date/Time: January 1, 2025, 1:30 PM
Location: Akashiro's Restaurant, Kirin District.
Tagging: Tiramiisu @Zamasu _Line 213 Ginko The Mushishi simj26 The One Eyed Bandit Rhino Schneider sprouhtt RI.a Seraph Darkfire



WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

Musa closed his eyes and sighed in exasperation. “Oh my god…do you ever shut up?” he muttered.

EVERYONE ELSE IS OUT HERE DOING THEIR BEST AND YOU’RE ARGUING?

“It’s not my problem if you jokers bit off more than you can chew,” Musa irritably returned.

DID SOMEBODY SAY JOBS!?

Musa’s eyes narrowed as he thought, Who is this clown?

OLD MAN I’LL TAKE A JOB IF YOU’RE HANDING’EM OUT! I WAS PRACTICALLY RAISED IN A RESTAURANT!

Akashiro’s face paled a little. Not him. Frowning, he yelled back, “I’m not handing out jobs! I don’t need your help!”

“What a stubborn old fart…” Musa grumbled, and then happened to glance out of the corner of his eye to see Akashiro giving him a death glare. Musa took a few steps away from the kitchen. He really didn’t want to get hit again.

When Pony Tail embraced him and others in a hug, Musa’s hand immediately clapped over Lu’s face, pushing it away. “Don’t lump me in with you chumps! I’m just here to work!”

Akashiro gave Ayumi a wide-eyed look when she tried to convince him to give Musa job. He felt betrayed. His own niece! Glancing about the restaurant at the damage, even a man like him rooted to his wheelchair, no level of stubbornness would have made him desire to clean up such a mess. The damages were extreme. Akashiro crossed his arms before his chest and hissed. He could feel it…his walls were shaking. He felt the sympathy pains crawling up to his neck and his intuitive sirens ringing, No! Don’t say it! You’re making a mistake! Baring his teeth as though it was taking a summons of all of his willpower to say what he reluctantly didn’t want to say, Akashiro finally deflated. The defeated sigh hissed through his teeth before his lips came together in a scowl. The old man dropped his arms and turned his back to the restaurant as he wheeled over to continue preparing the ramen he was cooking.

“I…might be willing to give a job to whoever can get rid of these thugs trying to destroy my restaurant and clean up this mess,” Akashiro admitted.

Musa’s lips parted into a wicked grin beneath his hood. His hands clenched into tight and determined fists. “I want to get paid overtime Gramps.”

Akashiro remained silent, but his frown became even more rigid as he tasted the soup broth. He felt as though he was making a mistake making such an open declaration. Lu was a man-child and Musa was a lecher in disguise after his sweet niece. It was all a disaster waiting to happen! “Kami-sama; let me not regret this,” Akashiro prayed under his breath.

That one guy (Alex) who had been tending to the wounded couple decided to walk into the thick of the fight. Musa had thought he was just some nosy med student until he nearly broke Fedora’s wrist. Why he didn’t, Musa could only think the fella was too nice, and he would pay for it one day. Lu engaged Fedora in what appeared to be some silly game, but he understood why he did it. The bitch was a copy cat and a pain in everyone’s ass. She was starting to beat him at his own game, reminding Musa that Lu and everyone before him had been fighting before he got there. They were probably exhausted. He looked over at Green Ears (Aline). She was still jamming. Maybe her music was helping her keep calm? She had looked terrified at first. Pig Tails (Aoki) engaged Fedora second, and the Deathstalker was demonstrating an impressive will to survive. She was countering both of their moves, but she was stretched thin. Musa walked over to Aline. He saw that she was focused. Her battle spirit was rising. She was ready.

“Now’s your chance,” Musa told her. “Make sure that whatever you’re planning to do counts or I’ll kick your ass myself.”

Musa was more than capable of delivering the finishing blow to Fedora, but from what he could tell, Aline had not only ever been to Kinrin, but she was fresh in the fight. She needed to learn how to put her feelings behind her and do what was necessary. If she didn’t stop Fedora, then she would only prolong the suffering of those around her. She needed to learn how to accept that responsibility.

Outside

The android’s arm shook as Neiji’s explosive ki passed through it, exciting a series of small eruptions of black smoke to pop down the machine’s arm. Sparks flickered, chains of electricity dancing from Kuron’s fist to his shoulder. The android didn’t even perceive what would have been excruciating for an organism. His computerized brain merely resorted to another technique to compensate for the damaged limb.

As Neiji retracted his fist, Kuron followed up with a kick. His weight shifted onto his right stationary leg. Propelled by rockets, Kuron’s left leg swiftly rose in a round kick toward Neiji. The teal-haired DS leader bobbed backwards. He felt the breeze of the android’s kick pass before his face, and the machine’s assault didn’t stop. With rockets blazing at his legs, he continued to kick at Neiji, whirling like a top. Left leg; right leg; his kicks rapidly passed before the fighter’s face like fan blades as he stepped, leaned, and pivoted around the android’s attacks. He was making it difficult for Neiji to have a chance to attack him.

Neiji’s eyes glinted fiercely. His frustration had risen. His next evasion of Kuron’s kicks sent him dropping to the ground. Neiji’s fists slammed upon the asphalt, and the black turf cracked beneath the android before a geyser of teal-green ki erupted underneath him. The ki sent Kuron flying into the air like a spout of water. The android flipped and used his thrusters to correct his positioning. The thrusters sputtered until he was upright, and then raising his arms, Kuron dropped toward Neiji with an extended kick. Neiji rolled out of the way as the android’s descent caused a crater to implode beneath his foot. Kuron turned to face the fighter and Neiji whipped his arm out, which caused a green sickle-like blade to leave his fist and pass through the android’s mid-section. The cut had been so clean that Kuron’s processors hadn’t even known it had been made until he made a motion to charge. The android’s hips fell away from his torso to collapse heavily upon the street. The android’s upper half fell face down. The section that was severed sparked chaotically and his legs spasmed and kicked about. Neiji lowered his fists and marched over to the bot, stomping his foot down upon Kuron’s skull.

Neiji stared down into the machine’s eyes, knowing that he was really gazing into the eyes of his dollmaker. “Needs work,” he taunted before he walked away from Kuron to head back into the restaurant. He passed through the second door Musa had created earlier and stopped to take in the outcome of the interior battle. His eyes widened. What the hell had happened to everyone? His entire gang was gone in the few moments it had taken him to take down one inexperienced kid and a government toy. He knew his group was superior to Hideki’s. Neiji gazed over at Lu, Aoki, Alex, Aline, and Musa. They were the last ones standing besides Akashiro and his niece. Silently, he assessed them, his eyes shrunk like beads in his anger. They were weak, tired, and he was only warmed up.

Neiji

Deathstalker Mini-Boss​

• Explosive Fist: Neiji charges his ki into his fists and releases it upon impact. His ki explodes in a straight-line similar to a lance, and if not careful, can disable a fighter’s limb.
• Upheaval: Neiji slams his fist upon the ground and a ki explosion erupts beneath his opponent. The ki attack sends his enemy airborne.
• Sickle Whip: Neiji whips out his arm and a teal, crescent blade of ki leaves his fist to rip his enemies apart.
• Shocker: If Neiji gets his hands upon his opponent, he can shock his enemy with teal lightning.
• End Game (Ultimate): Similar to Shocker except Neiji fills his opponent with his destructive ki, causing boils to form across his opponent’s body and explode with his ki.

GM Guidance: Notice how his ki only generates from his hands. His hands are his deadliest weapons. The mini-boss has been introduced. He will no longer be GM-controlled. Writers are free to dictate their fight with Neiji. We will go with the flow from here to determine how he will be defeated in the end.

Musa gazed over at the teal-haired fighter. Compared to all the other enemies he had seen that day, this guy had actually looked like someone he didn’t want to fuck with. He glanced over at Lu, Aoki, Alex, and Aline. They needed a break. Musa’s hand rose to his cheek, resting over the bruise that had swollen from when Gramp’s had hit him. His strikes hadn’t meant to incapacitate him, but they did want to teach a lesson and give a warning. The warnings still lingered on his body.

This guys looks pissed, Musa thought. “Shit; fine. You and I are gonna dance first.”

Musa’s hands tucked into the pouch of his hoodie to remove a pair of black gloves. Passing them between his teeth, his hands crossed, grasping the hem of his sweater and in one upward motion he removed it. A black tank top tumbled down abs sculpted with a conditioned strength. His hoodie was tossed carelessly to the floor, and the fighter who had been hiding beneath it was revealed. His tan flesh was marred with various scars that slashed his skin like stripes. He removed the gloves from his teeth and started sliding them on, flexing his fingers through the fingerless holes. For having come off as an unimpressive bum, Musa had a stern look on his face. His amber eyes were fixed on Neiji as he tried to focus his thoughts, feelings, and nerves. He couldn’t afford to doubt. He had to believe that he had a chance to beat this guy.

Bringing his hands together, Musa interlaced his fingers to ensure the gloves were snug. Without turning his head, he spoke to the others behind him, “You guys better hurry the hell up and catch your breath. This fight isn’t gonna be easy.”

Neiji was gazing upon the scars that covered Musa’s flesh. There were so many, which made him acknowledge that his opponent had some experience. Akashiro was studying Musa also. He had so many scars. Where did a man like that with so many past injuries come from?

On the floor, it wasn’t obvious, but Musa’s shadow began retracting as though being sucked into his feet. Dropping his hands, Musa called out to Neiji: “Let’s take this outside.”

Musa raced over to the blown-out window, grasped the sill, and vaulted over it only to realize that Neiji didn’t even follow him. The teal-haired fighter instead targeted the exhausted fighters and charged toward them. A blank and embarrassed expression flashed on Musa’s face. Mother fu-

A pitch-black figure passed through the restaurant wall, sprinting across the furniture-strewn room, to intercept Neiji. Its arms thrust out as though barring his path, causing the Deathstalker leader to hesitate in confusion. The black figure warped into that of Musa whose right fist launched toward the startled boss’s face. His knuckles connected, sending Neiji’s head snapping back twice. The teal-haired fighter’s eyes were wide in shock. Had he been struck twice? He hadn’t even seen the second swing.

“I said you’re fighting me, Asshole!” Musa growled. “Now let’s…” His second fist embedded itself into Neiji’s mid-section. His stomach caved in twice, causing the DS leader to hunch over. “…take this…” A black hand grasped Neiji by the throat and started to run with him toward the windows. When Neiji focused on the figure, he saw only a shadow in the form of a man. It had looked like Musa and was wearing a sadistic grin as it ran Neiji outside. The shadow passed through the wall before it vanished, being replaced by the black sole of a boot. Musa’s left leg was outstretched into a flying kick that met with Neiji’s face and sent him flipping into a lamp post. Neiji’s back met the post, causing the metal to bend outwards. The post groaned as it tipped over. Neiji rolled out of the way of its collapse and Musa gazed up at it, quickly backpedaling to get out of its path. While Musa was distracted, Neiji whipped his right arm at him. A teal-green blade of ki hissed through the air as it incinerated the molecules. Musa’s eyes flicked over to see it rushing toward him, and he turned to the side to dodge it. He felt his heart skip as the hot energy passed before his face and nearly took off his nose.

“Shit!” Musa cursed in surprise.

Neiji charged him, whipping his left arm horizontally and right arm vertically. The cross shape hissed toward Musa, forcing the fighter to duck into its rightmost corner. Neiji’s left foot stomped down and right foot rose toward Musa’s face. Musa’s left hand crossed before his face and his palm blocked Neiji’s foot. Neiji used Musa’s palm as a step as he brought his left leg whirling around to connect with the side of the fighter’s face. Musa’s head jerked to the side and his body followed, rolling like a log across the asphalt. Neiji followed him, bending over to slam his right fist into the ground. A teal geyser like blaze burst out of the street, missing Musa’s rolling form by a few seconds. Musa continued to roll as Neiji continued to punch the street, sending a series of geysers following him.

Baring his teeth in his exertion, Musa’s golden eyes gleamed with frustration before his shadow jumped up from his body and started running toward Neiji. Neiji ceased punching the ground when he saw the black figure and raised his posture, bringing his fists up below his eyes in a boxer position. He was used to Musa’s shadow trick by now and was waiting for the fighter to emerge. The shadow vanished and Musa didn’t appear. A bewildered frown weighed on Neiji’s brows as he glanced down the rows of craters to not see Musa at the end.

Neiji suddenly glanced to his side in time to see two booted feet collide with his face. “Looking for me!” Musa exclaimed. Musa dropped upon his back and then rolled backwards. With a hand posted on the ground, he remained kneeling and took a moment to catch his breath. This was the most cardio he had ever done in a while. His moped was a curse. He wasn’t expecting to run today, and he wasn’t expecting the Deathstalker goon to have laser, blade things, whatever the hell they were!

I need to lay off the buffets, Musa thought. It made him internally regret saying such a thing. 11.95. Who could beat that for a full course meal?

Neiji had stumbled but regained his footing. While Musa took a moment to rest, Neiji straightened and brushed the dirt from his face with a laugh. Musa scowled at the now declared nutjob. Neiji laughed so much that he tipped his head back to announce it to the world. He hadn’t had a good fight in a long time, and it had felt good, but at the same time, it had also made him angry. His fight should not have been this long. Like his previous battles, he should have ended this punk in seconds. He might have shared these frustrating thoughts with Musa if he was talkative, but instead, Neiji abruptly ceased laughing and glared at Musa.

“I’m going to kill you,” Neiji declared.

Musa laughed, “I’ve heard that my whole life.”

Neiji faced him and Musa rose to his feet. The DS leader swiftly approached him, jabbing with his right. Musa raised his left arm, knocking the punch aside at the wrist. He saw the teal ki crackling along his fists as the two got into a boxing match. He couldn’t let Neiji lay a hand on him. So far, he had only seen his ki come from his hands. It made playing offense too risky at such a close range. Therefore, Musa was forced to defend. He continued to bob and weave around Neiji’s swings and backstep. Neiji attempted to bait him, changing it up. His right knee rose for Musa’s mid-section after Musa had dipped around one of his punches. Neiji’s knee struck Musa’s mid-section to his surprise and Neiji had followed the attack up with a jab from his left that Musa redirected over his shoulder. Musa’s teeth were clenched, baring them through the pain. Musa’s right hand grasped Neiji’s forearm and his head tilted against it, trapping it over his shoulder. He figured that Neiji was hoping to bait him into blocking his knee and not deflecting the bigger threat. Neiji growled and sent a jab at Musa’s face to free his arm. Musa shifted to the right, keeping control over Neiji’s arm. The sudden motion threw off Neiji’s swing and caused him to stagger. Musa followed it up with a knee to Neiji’s liver. Neiji bore his teeth through the pain and latched onto the denim of Musa’s pants. Teal electricity flashed across Musa’s leg.

Shit! Musa thought. His entire body then started flashing as Neiji’s destructive ki passed through him.

“Aaaagh!” Musa screamed.

GM Note: Last stretch! Boss battle! Main Goal: Survive to the end!

 

[_Line 213]

Name: Aline Romani
Race: Human
Aura: ???
Date/Time: January 1, 2025
Location: Akashiro's Restaurant, Kirin District
Current Jam: Wanna Be Startin' Somethin', 2:55--3:50
Tagging: The Black Knight , Ginko The Mushishi , @Nenma Takashi, @Zamasu, @Fearmonger

Jobs?

Friends?

Aline's eyes widened at the sudden uptick in energy by the boy next to her, being pulled into his arms without a second thought. Her cheeks flushed, running hot for several moments; yet, at the same time, his positivity was somewhat infectious, serving as a further distraction to the myriad emotions that continued to course through her. Ever so slowly, she could feel her fears fading; they were nothing if not in danger, still, but there was something else there, a sort of odd kinship that she would never have expected to find, not in that moment.

It was just like a dance; perhaps, in that moment, they had transitioned from mere to people to proper partners, the kind of people that you rely on to make their moves so that you can make yours. Even that strange, dark, brooding figure from before seemed to be rooting for Aline in his own weird way, the combination of well-wishes, renewed energy, and encouragement in the strangest of places and oddest of forms filling her heart alongside the ever-present rhythm.

Part of her wanted to cry a bit. Maybe, maybe with everyone's help, she really could do this. She reached a hand up, wiping at her nose. "My...M-My name's Aline! Aline Romani! I-I'll be your friend, and I won't let anyone down!"

Everyone really is doing their best. I'll do my best too!

The music began an upward swell, the song's long-awaited climax mere seconds away. Whatever had come to her in that studio a year ago had already begun to manifest. She could feel it; the others--through their words, through their actions, from the old man opening her eyes, to the others digging in their heels--had finally managed to get her to the point where she felt she could do something.

"Okay! I'm tagging in for a sec!" For that brief moment, her fear dissipated, giving way to only motion, the cadence filling the air around her reaching a fever pitch as it gave way to the twang of guitars, and, to great surprise, the spike of the girl's spirit.

Fedora, occupied with two other fighters, had no space to react to the incoming Aline. Even if she did, chances were she wouldn't have the time; within the span of a single, lightning-fast note, the rookie had shot forward, closing the gap between them in an instant, and then some, having ended up behind her all while Fedora had only barely managed to react to a landed strike, as if the girl had flicked out a lightning-fast pass at her in an even quicker motion. Yet, as soon as she had stopped, she started again, the cascading guitar interlude guiding Aline's strikes as she passed by again, and again, and again, kicks, punches, and swipes coming, not practiced in form, yet locked on in rhythm, each landing and retracting, only for another to take its place from note to note. Fourteen blows in the space of just over two seconds, and that was only her first volley; shoulders, torso, legs--there was barely a part of the body the girl didn't hit, her focus fixed and singular for the first time over the course of the entire confrontation. The unmistakable twirls of Capoeira momentarily manifested in the flurry, heightened to a speed that was nothing if not inhuman as she allowed no space for Fedora to even react, let alone imitate.

"TEE-HA!" With a wild yell, she finished her frenzy, swiping a kick sideways at Fedora's side with enough force to send her flying, the sound of the impact reverberating harshly as the instruments kicked back in. Her efforts had awarded her with a full sixteen seconds of perfectly-timed flow, though not without due punishment; it was clear from her rapidly-collapsing form that the girl was not at all used to exertion of this measure; indeed, it was an open question as to whether she had even done something like that before. The music continued to play, but there was no telling whether or not Aline had the energy to celebrate, let alone dance on.

 

[Ginko The Mushishi]

Name: Zheng Luang
Race: Human
Aura: Phoenix Fire Blue
Date/Time: January 1, 2025.
Location: Akashiro's Restaurant, Kirin District.
Tagging: The Black Knight Tiramiisu @Zamasu _Line 213 Seraph Darkfire sprouhtt

Lu was fending off Fedora pretty well, it seemed. He was able to keep her in position for most of their game, but she did throw in a few kicks to try and weaken Lu's hold. It was only after Aoki arrived did Lu get some relief, taking a more offensive approach to Fedora while she was distracted, but this didn't stop Lu from continuing to distract Fedora. Lu pressed on, overpowering Fedora enough to startle her, Lu won the game of mercy. A quick twist away and Fedora was flailing her arms in hopes of dispersing the pain. Too occupied, she wouldn't be aware of the onslaught of attacks Aline would bust out on her...And Lu just watched the entire time that Aline kicked off her climax.

When all was said and done, after Aline's rather powerful kick. Lu could sum it up that Fedora, just took a hit she wouldn't be able to get up from...Well, practically 15 or 16 hits for that matter. All dead-on and none of them redirected or dodged. Lu examined Fedora first, hoping she wouldn't hop back up, or move an inch. Taking a stray piece of wood from the aftermath of the fight indoors, Lu walked back over to Fedora, and for good measure whacked her in the face with the wooden board to ensure she truly fainted. Whether she was already down or not didn't matter. It almost seemed like a scene out of a cartoon for that matter. After Lu felt she was done and out, he smiled towards all the others.

"HAHA!! That was AMAZING!! Aline is your name, right? " Lu laughed as he flipped a thumbs-up to Aline and her preformance. He then turned to Aoki. "You did an amazing job too! Without you, I don't think even I would be alive at this moment!" He chuckled childishly. "It's a pleasure to meet you all, especially broody moody out there." Referring to Musa, he then turned towards Alex. "I'm so exhausted, you said you could recharge us?" He slumped in one of the chairs, crossing his arms happily.

 

[Tiramiisu]

Name: Aoki Heizo
Race: Human
Aura: White
Date/Time: January 1, 2025
Location: Akashiro's Restaurant, Kinrin District
Tagging: The Black Knight , Ginko The Mushishi , _Line 213 , Seraph Darkfire

Aoki noticed her and Lu seemed to be making good progress keeping Fedora in check. Gave them just enough time for Aline to swoop in and down Fedora in a flash. The girl's energy was astounding. Aoki had never seen anyone use their ki to produce music to win a fight. She was dumbfounded by the sudden knockout, but the surprised expression quickly turned into an amused one when Lu went to whack Fedora with a board. If it wasn't for her having to constantly fight one gang member after the other, Aoki would have found more amusement just watching the fight rather than be a part of it.

Her face turned a slight shade of pink at the compliment, the embarrassment of having the attention be on her caused her to awkwardly let out a chuckle. "What can I say? I'm sort of used to this by now," She shrugged, almost letting out another snort at Lu's nickname for Musa. Even though he admitted to being tired, the man still seemed to be a bundle of an endless amount of energy. Turning her attention to Alex. "We might as well take the chance to reboot now. Especially since we have one more member left to take down."

She stretched her arms above her, before flinching when she heard a sickening scream. Sounded like another fight already picked up and she honestly didn't know if she had it in her to keep throwing punches at a target again. Aoki let out a puff of air, channeling her ki into her fists. "We may have to speed up that healing session. Seems like our next match is about to begin."

 

[Seraph Darkfire]

Name: Alexander Matte
Race: Human
Aura: Light Green
Date/Time: January 1, 2025
Location: Kinrin District; Akashiro's Restaurant
Tagging: Ginko The Mushishi Tiramiisu The Black Knight
_Line 213

Alex walked over to Lu first to examine him for any serious wounds before nodding "Now I will explain that this isn't healing in the normal sense. I can help your body repair itself but nothing will beat proper rest" he stepped back slightly before rapidly striking Lu between the eyes. Lu would feel a cool minty like sensation pass through his mind and into his chest.

"Normally this process would take longer but I am using my Ki to accelerate it given the circumstances" he knelt down and lifted Lu's feet before performing the same strike to the base of each foot.

He then moved up Lu's legs and struck him slightly under his kneecaps. Moving further he gripped both of Lu's hands in a vice, his thumbs pressing firmly above Lu's. Finally he grabbed the man's head and jabbed his fingers on either side of his spine.

"The human body is interesting. It holds back a lot of energy to prevent causing damage to yourself and surroundings. Massaging each pressure point for around five minutes will get you fresh and ready for the day. My method is a bit more dangerous" he began walking over to the others and repeating the same process while explaining.

"Using my Ki, I excite your own similar to an adrenaline rush. This in turn causes your body to release more energy in the form of Ki. The energy lasts longer than a simple rush, but the side effects means you will feel even more tired than you do now when it wears off. Afterall, nothing beats actually sleeping"

 

[The Black Knight]

[Salvaged Post on Accidental Edit-Over]

Teal chains of lightning covered his body like netting. The destructive ki that passed through him robbed his mind of concentration and focus. His nerves became numb, and the grip he had tightly applied to Neiji’s arm had loosened considerably until the fighter could jerk his arm free. Neiji released Musa. The striped fighter weakly staggered as his body continued to crackle with the residual ki. Neiji grasped Musa’s face. The grab immediately brought Musa’s wits rushing back to him. Shit, he wasn’t in a good position. Or maybe he was…He had been afraid to allow the blood thirsty maniac a chance to lay a hand on him after seeing how destructive his hands were. But he had an idea.

Beneath Neiji’s palm, Musa’s teeth clenched and an angered hiss escaped between them. Neiji’s hand flashed with another jolt of electricity that caused Musa’s entire body to go limp. Parting his maw, an overzealous roar left the Deathstalker leader as he used all his strength to drive Musa’s skull to the ground. Musa bent backwards until his feet unfolded from beneath him. The back of his skull mercilessly slammed against the asphalt before the street lit up in a teal energy beneath him. Neiji had strung together two attacks so far. The upheaval exploded beneath Musa. Teal light engulfed his body until it was propelled lifelessly into the air. Neiji straightened and his right arm crossed over his left shoulder. His right hand was clenched into a glowing teal fist as he waited for Musa’s body to begin its plummet. Whipping his arm in an arching downward motion, a green sickle of condensed enemy hissed toward Musa. The sickle struck his body, and Neiji smirked, expecting the fighter to gruesomely separate like the android. The teal energy vanished in a wink that made Neiji’s eyes widen in shock.

“Masaka,” Neiji gasped. Had he seen it right? He then watched as Musa’s body started to stretch, elongating into white beams that passed over Neiji’s shoulders and passed his hips. The DS leader followed the energy in circle, facing behind him to see Musa resting on one knee. His hands were positioned one over top of the other and crackling between them was an orb of crackling white ki. The orb was growing as the white ki threads were being absorbed into it, causing the metaphorical yarn ball to swell between his hands.

Neiji’s eyes shrank as Musa thrust the ball of energy at him. The ball erupted, exploding in a massive white beam that struck Neiji’s mid-section. The DS Leader’s feet left the ground his body folding over (much how Musa’s did against Akashiro’s punch). The power his shadow self had absorbed from both the shock, upheaval, and sickle whip attacks were combined into the counter that sent Neiji flying across the street into the side of a parked car. The parked vehicle folded like aluminum around the fighter before it detonated with the nuclear energy that fueled it. Musa raised his hand to guard his sweaty face from the white aftershock ring that expanded outwards, shattering windows, and causing car alarms to blare.

Musa was panting. His tank was clinging to his body that was drenched in his hard work. How long had it been since he last had to fight for his life against some maniac……..not too long apparently. He closed his eyes and collapsed back across the turf with his arms and legs outstretched.

I don’t have anymore tricks, Musa thought. Hopefully that had been it. Just stay down mother fucker…

A low gurgle emitted from Musa’s gut, causing his eyes to crack open as he stared up at the sky. That hadn’t sounded good. A hand went to his stomach as he felt it rumbling and then an odd squelch emitted. Carefully, sitting upright. Musa pushed off of a hand he pressed against the ground and rose gingerly to his feet.

My stomach is going crazy, he thought. He wondered if Neiji’s electrocution had liquefied his insides. By insides, he meant all of that processed shit from the buffet.

A burnt black rim clattered as it fell from the melted and crumpled wreckage of the hover car. The orange fire turned into a shade of teal as a hand reached out from the amalgam of twisted slag. Musa watched, his face paling as though watching an enemy rise from the dead. Neiji emerged, rising from the wreck in only burnt jeans and the singed briefs seen through the holes in them. His flesh was red, wavy, and melted in patches across his shoulders, arms, and face. Any normal human would have been needed to be rushed to the hospital. The right side of his teal head was singed black. The hair had bent burnt completely off. On that same side, Neiji’s cheek had melted revealing teeth clenched in rage. He looked like hell—as though he crawled from it. Death would have been a kinder mercy.

Immediately, Musa’s hand clapped against the back of his pants and his cheeks locked tight. The horror of seeing Neiji still alive and even more pissed off had nearly made Musa shit himself.

“I’m out!” Musa exclaimed. Keeping a hand grasping the back of his pants, he quickly shuffled back into Akashiro’s through the wall he had exited through earlier. He informed Lu, Aoki, and Aline quickly as he passed them: “He’s all yours!”

Akashiro saw Musa briskly shuffling toward his kitchen with a hand suspiciously hidden behind his back. The old man rolled his wheelchair directly in his path and glared up at him. “What are you doing?” he challenged.

Musa bore his teeth and squirmed as though in pain. “Old man, I can’t right now!” He felt his insides beginning to twist into what felt like knots. It was going to come out! “Where’s your bathroom!?”

Akashiro’s nose turned up in disgust. He almost rolled out of Musa’s way until he realized the gravity of the situation. “Wait! I only have one guest bathroom!”

Musa side-stepped around Akashiro and made a mad dash for the back of the kitchen. The old man was wheeling behind him hollering, and he didn’t have time to listen to any protests. He had to go! The unisex symbol over one of the doors identified Musa’s target. He passed through the door and whipped it closed behind him as Akashiro rolled up.

“The bathroom is for paying customers only!” Akashiro shouted. His fist banged against the door before he thought to check the knob to see if Musa had even locked it. Upon grasping the doorknob, the horrible sounds he heard passing through the door made him retract it as disgust caused a shadow to fall over his face. “Uh…just…uh…clean up after yourself in there.”

Akashiro rolled away from the bathroom with a disturbed look. Sheesh, ever since guests started coming to his restaurants the ridiculous, strange, and drama-filled situations never seemed to end. The ramen broth was ready so leaving it simmering, he decided to start preparing the noodle dough to pull.

Are they finished saving my restaurant yet? the old fighter wondered.

 

[Seraph Darkfire]

Name: Alexander Matte
Race: Human
Aura: Light Green
Date/Time: January 1, 2025
Location: Kinrin District; Akashiro's Restaurant
Tagging: Ginko The Mushishi Tiramiisu The Black Knight
_Line 213

Finishing with Aline, Alex cracked his knuckles slightly as he watched Musa come running through the restaurant, looking a worse for wear. He frowned "You all should be ready to go in a few seconds, join me outside would you?" he headed towards the hole where he noticed a hand reach in. With quick movements, he jabbed the fingers before jumping through the hole, kicking Neiji back "Sorry, closed for renovation" he said observing the man he'd knocked back.

'Not good. He's strong, very strong' he thought. He'd attempted to knock the man down, but Neiji had some quick movements, he barely felt his foot connect. Not only that, the man looked like he'd just went through hell and back and still radiated strength. He flexed his fingers, noting the way the other man kept his hands prepared 'Grappling techniques maybe?'

No time to think was left as Neiji moved towards him, hands beginning to glow with teal energy. The man was faster than Alex gave him credit for, in the moments when they both moved, Neiji was able to get a hand around his wrist. Alex didn't know what would happen, but he reacted quickly, using his free hand to rapidly strike points along the arm that was holding him. There was the slightest tingle of electricity before Neiji released him, more against his will than of any kindness, and Alex jumped back.

Alex shook his hand "Can't focus your Ki when the blood flow is disrupted" he frowned when Neiji moved back into a fighting stance. His Internalize technique was supposed to disable a limb if struck properly and considering that he'd been released, he hadn't messed up. Neiji's ability to recover was quite terrifying. Alex would just have to keep hitting him. He shot forwards, moving around the man, watching as his hands began to glow once more 'Can't let him touch me again' he thought right before the man slammed his fist into the ground, up heaving the area, causing Alex's momentum to not only be arrested, but the force of Ki sent him into the air.

His eyes widened as Neiji appeared under him and thrust his fist into his stomach "Disruption!" Alex quickly grabbed the fist and shifted himself slightly sideways as a spear of energy passed through his side, sending him tumbling to the ground. Rolling, he quickly pulled himself up, gripping his side, feeling warm blood pooling out. He quickly pinched a few spots on his side to restrict the blood flow to that area. If he hadn't reacted as quickly, he could have ended up in a much worse situation.

Another fist to the ground and Alex quickly leaped back as the ground exploded 'It is directed!?' Alex hadn't seen how the attack had hit him the first time, but it wasn't an area of effect he'd originally believed. Another quick movement and he barely avoided a teal colored scythe passing where his neck had just been 'And ranged attacks, definitely glad I'm not facing him alone for much longer' he couldn't beat him alone, but he could certainly keep dodging. Quick movements were his specialty after all.

 

[Ginko The Mushishi]

[/imageFloat]
Name: Zheng Luang
Race: Human
Aura: Phoenix Fire Blue
Date/Time: January 1, 2025.
Location: Akashiro's Restaurant, Kirin District.
Tagging: The Black Knight Tiramiisu @Zamasu _Line 213 Seraph Darkfire sprouhtt

It was time, Lu had been healed up by Alex, and he was ready to jump into the fray with the big boss. He slipped out just as Alex was fighting him. Neiji looked like hell from the side Lu could see, he also looked like burnt bacon. Bad burnt bacon. But there was no time to waste, he knew what Alex told him about, but he had to help fight Neiji and he wasn't taking any chances!

4th Gate: Phoenix Roaring

Lu got into a horse stance, allowing his ki to wildly flow out of his body in blue flames. The energy wrapped around his body, beefing up his stamina, strength, and speed. "Now I'm ready to play!" Lu slammed his foot down onto the pavement, rushing at Neiji.

Neiji felt Lu's energy from behind, twisting to meet Lu, he grabbed at Lu's arm and slammed him down into the pavement, a hiss coming from boney remains of his mouth as he began charging up for an "Explosive Fist" move. Lu was lucky to bend far enough away from the impact as Neiji slammed his fist into the ground, but this caused the energy from the technique to ripple, and cause his technique "Upheavel" to initiate through Lu's body, slicing up his back from the immense pressure. Lu yelped, but quickly reacted.

Thrusting a palm out to smash into Neiji's throat, Lu made sure to put extra pressure on the impact. Allowing blue flames to scorch against Neiji's neck and face. Neiji recoiled from the blow and gripped at his throat, hissing again, now in anger rather than pain. Lu slipped up, rushing at Neiji again, and pressuring Neiji with blows to his arms and elbows, trying to weaken them as much as possible, mostly because they were his mainframe for attacking. Though Lu thought it best to hit the arms, he forgot the legs were also among Neiji's arsenal. Thrusting his leg out towards Lu's shin, a nice "crunch" sound broke through Lu's body, forcing him down and shivering in reaction.

"GAH!" Lu realized his mistake of trying to solely focus on weakening his arms, and Lu wouldn't allow the same mistake to happen again.. Standing up once more, Lu exhaled and returned to his stance, keeping pressure off of his bruised shin. "You got me good, but this time I won't let that happen again!" Lu Shot forward, his fist extended out as a roaring torrent of flame surrounded him.

"Walking Fist", one of Lu's signature moves in the Heavenly Gates Style, was boosted by the Ki Output. Neiji had no openings to go for, considering Lu was now a torpedo of flames coming straight at him. But this also played into his favor. Allow Lu to get a hit, and then use his Shocker move on him to send Lu to hell. He charged forward, a smirk displayed across his ruined face..

Lu was hoping that he'd charge, and stopped his attack a few inches before the blow would hit, using the flames around Lu, he began to twirl slowly, soon enough increasing in speed. Pushing the flames into one specific spot.

Neiji saw this, and rather than watch the show, he decided to use the "Explosive Fist" once more, throwing his fist out towards Lu, he made sure that the ki he had stored up would be enough to stop this kid's heart on impact...

Lu bent down low, grinning at baiting Neiji into one of Lu's favorites.. Mountain's Edge. Scooting himself within Neiji's personal space, he thrust his body upwards, standing on his tippy-toes and allowed the flames to engulf Neiji as his back rammed straight into Neiji's chest. This threw Neiji backwards a bit, and scorched his chest some. But it wasn't enough to down Neiji, evident as he stood back up, wiping off the residue flames from his body. Though with Lu's bruised shin, Mountain's Edge was severely weakened. At least the hit did something, considering Neiji actually looked like he was staggered by the blow. Lu turned around and smirked at Alex. "We've got this in the bag!" Lu returned to his stance. Hoping Aoki would join the fight, considering Phoenix Roaring was slowly but surely dying out. And Neiji did not seem to want to slow down.

 

[Tiramiisu]

Name: Aoki Heizo
Race: Human
Aura: White
Date/Time: January 1, 2025
Location: Akashiro's Restaurant, Kinrin District
Tagging: The Black Knight , Ginko The Mushishi , _Line 213 , Seraph Darkfire sprouhtt

Aoki mumbled a quick thanks towards Alex as she focused on bringing relaxing her energy and building up her ki. This guy was clearly different from Helmet head or that copy cat woman. She could feel something radiating off of the man, something way stronger than whatever energy she could muster up. She blew out a puff of hair to briefly remove the bangs covering her eyes. She gave a quick wave towards Akashiro, before hopping through the massive hole in the wall.

While Neiji was busy with Lu and Alex, Aoki took a moment to assess him. His face was badly burnt, almost to the point of the skin literally melting off of him. She grimaced, feeling the need to throw up at the site of it. She's seen her fair share of blood and gore, sure, but just watching how Neiji was oozing bits and pieces of himself onto the sidewalk she couldn't help but cringe at the sight of it.

Aoki moved her eyes away from Neiji's face and focused on his hands. Much like herself, Neiji's aura was focused on his hands. "Oh great. Another disadvantage." She huffed, choosing to instantly opt out of using her usual counter moves. If Neiji was capable of surviving burns to his face like that, then that could mean two things: He was some sort of metahuman or he was just high off of PEDs. She decided to go with the second option. That being the case, their best option was to tire him out long enough for her to come in with the final attack.

She saw her opportunity rise when Neiji was knocked back by Lu, some flames still resonating off of the man. Neiji was starting to look less like a man and more like a burn victim. She noted to herself not to go all out with her final attack. She just needed to attack him with enough power to knock him down and not become a murderer.

"Tag out!" Aoki rushed past Lu, swinging her leg towards Neiji's torso. He quickly blocked her attempt with his forearm, nearly staggering from the impact. Aoki let out a short chuckle. "A bit tired out, huh?"

Neiji grunted in response as he quickly grabbed Aoki's leg. A teal aura began to glow as a bolt of lightning shot through Aoki. She winced from the pain, twisting her body to release herself from Heiji's grip. She slid backward pausing to cough into her hand for a moment. Her eyes stared at the red liquid smeared into her hands. She grimaced, rubbing her hand on her jacket. The shock was enough to hinder her, but not powerful enough for it to be deadly. Probably due to how weakened Neiji appears to be right now. She had to thank her teammates for that.

Aoki spat some blood onto the concrete, reading her stance once more. She was beginning to feel the fatigue build up again, the effects of Alex's healing probably wearing off due to the shock. She had to finish this quick then. She created two balls of ki in each hand, tossing both of them towards Neiji. While he was occupied with blocking, Aoki rushed him focusing her aura onto her hands and throwing as many punches she could at him. She swung her leg once more, kicking Neiji back and clasped her hands together. "HELLFIRE!"

A pillar of flaming white ki shot out from Aoki's palms, knocking into Neiji and blasting him back away from her. The flames from her ki engulfed Neiji, making him look like a human fireball. She watched for a moment, before collapsing onto her knees, letting out shaky breaths. She hoped that was enough to keep him down, or at least stall him long enough for the others to take advantage of the opening.

 

[_Line 213]

Name: Aline Romani
Race: Human
Aura: ???
Date/Time: January 1, 2025
Location: Akashiro's Restaurant, Kirin District
Current Jam: None.
Tagging: The Black Knight , Ginko The Mushishi , Tiramiisu , Seraph Darkfire , sprouhtt ,

The girl could barely register Lu's cheer for several moments, barely able to look over at him and offer a tired smile and a nod. That whole thing had taken more out of her than she realized; and yet, if she was going to be a threat of any sort, then she was going to have to figure out some way to pull off stunts like that at the drop of a hat.

Even in the limelight of what should have been a victory of some sort, the girl found herself tired, and a little scared.

She fell back on her bottom as music continued to pulse from the phone in her pocket. It barely registered to her, at that point; if they still weren't in danger, she could well and truly take a nap right there on the floor. In fact, she nearly did, stopped from doing so in the nick of time as one of the other protectors came up to her, infusing her with energy and the ability to start moving again, as if the sensation had never left.

"...Hey, what're you--" she failed to finish her exclamation, the sudden rush of the desire to do coming as something of a surprise. Everyone knew what it was like to have your energy leave you, sure--but this was something else entirely. And it felt good. By the time he had finished, Aline felt as if she had woken up from five--no, ten--nights of perfect sleep at once. "Whoa...man, I wish I could feel like this all the time!" she said, hopping to her feet with a grin as she stretched her limbs a bit. Even the pains of before had been pushed to the background; since she couldn't really feel them, she could only hope they were gone. The last thing she wanted to do at that point was keel right over again.

She was up right in time too, it seemed; the man from earlier had elected to bail from the fight entirely and...hit the bathroom? Aline couldn't help but glare as he shifted past the group, declaring the remainder of the fight to be in their hands. "...I really don't like that guy," she complained, mostly to herself, before looking to the others. Normally, she'd be right there with him, declaring that she'd done enough (all things considered, she probably had), but with whatever that doctor had granted her coursing through her system, for once, she felt as if she could see this whole thing through to the end.

Time to see if she well and truly could.

Skidding to a stop alongside the others, Aline readied herself in the blink of an eye. There was a layer of uncertain caution to her stance even then; after all, her newfound energy hadn't convinced her that she was entirely invincible. Whomever this new figure was was more than ready to put up a thorough fight, whether she was prepared for one or not. The other three jumped in first, which was probably for the best; they had far more going for them in terms of technique and experience, and Aline had a great deal more to figure out, even in the best of spirits.

As the others took their turns, however, Aline took the time to think. He's...pretty different from that other girl, right? she began, doing her best to focus in on what she could best do to aid the others. If they were all going at him together, then that made things a little more complicated. Even if she were stronger, there was no way she could just run up there and punch him and hope for the best. She'd have to figure out where she fit into the dance.

Extended viewing made it clear that she barely had the stomach to even think tactically in that moment; despite looking like something out of a horror movie, the demented leader was still going; flashbacks to the earlier incident within the restaurant itself threatened to pull her out of her current mindset, prompting a vigorous shake of the head to keep herself on-track.

Keep it together Aline; they're going to need you, even if it's only a little bit!

Everyone was feeling pretty low after that first round; if they could conserve their own--putting it towards things that made more of an impact--then perhaps they'd be able to pull through. If that was the case, then what they'd need was a distraction.

Pulling her phone from her pocket, Aline prepared to change the song, only for a nearly-blinding pillar of white light to crash against their foe, obscuring him in pure brightness. The girl looked down in awe, nearly letting glow of the item in her hand as she attempted to get a glimpse of Neji through the light. If that didn't take him down, then what would?

 

[The Black Knight]

Date/Time: January 1, 2025, 1:30 PM
Location: Akashiro's Restaurant, Kirin District.
Tagging: Tiramiisu _Line 213 Ginko The Mushishi sprouhtt RI.a Seraph Darkfire

Neiji

Deathstalker Mini-Boss​

• Explosive Fist: Neiji charges his ki into his fists and releases it upon impact. His ki explodes in a straight-line similar to a lance, and if not careful, can disable a fighter’s limb.
• Upheaval: Neiji slams his fist upon the ground and a ki explosion erupts beneath his opponent. The ki attack sends his enemy airborne.
• Sickle Whip: Neiji whips out his arm and a teal, crescent blade of ki leaves his fist to rip his enemies apart.
• Shocker: If Neiji gets his hands upon his opponent, he can shock his enemy with teal lightning.
• End Game (Ultimate): Similar to Shocker except Neiji fills his opponent with his destructive ki, causing boils to form across his opponent’s body and explode with his ki.

GM Guidance: Notice how his ki only generates from his hands. His hands are his deadliest weapons. The mini-boss has been introduced. He will no longer be GM-controlled. Writers are free to dictate their fight with Neiji. We will go with the flow from here to determine how he will be defeated in the end.

Neiji landed on his back in the street. White flames from Aoki’s ki started to shrink and extinguish as his fingers started to twitch and chest heaved. His shoulders rose, head hanging back limply as though his neck didn’t have the strength to lift it. The Deathstalker leader sat up and curled a leg beneath them to have himself rested on a single knee. Sluggishly and unsteadily, he rose. His stance swayed to his anger. When his teal eyes settled on the blurred and smudged forms of Lu, Aoki, and Alex, Neiji scowled for even though his mind didn’t accept it, his fighting spirit had already acknowledged the defeat. He had lost.

How could this have happened? Neiji wondered this as he took slow and careful steps toward Aoki. His fingers curled and uncurled as teal sparks of ki flickered and snaked about them. His gang had started out so strong. A group of only a handful of fighters had managed to take down two Deathstalker squads. It was unheard of. In the Kinrin District, Deathstalker was supreme! Neiji was so deep in thought and recollection that he hadn’t even noticed that he had walked directly passed Aoki. The mini boss leader was walking out of stubbornness, clinging to a hopeless victory that would never come. His right leg buckled, giving like a pillar. Neiji’s balance shifted toward his right side and his body dropped to the sidewalk in an ungraceful heap.

Facedown, Neiji’s eyes glazed over as his consciousness left him in his defeat. With the adrenaline settling and concentrating fading, the fighters were able to take a 360 and gaze upon the destruction and the amount of bodies scattered about a small restaurant. It resembled a battlefield; a gang war; and Akashiro’s restaurant still stood like a fortress unconquered.

Twenty-feet in the air and posted upon a street lamp was a small insect with a circular camera lens for a head. The bug’s lens dilated on a small whir before its translucent wings started to flutter, carrying it into the air to disappear over the rooftops.

Deathstalkers Defeated​

Story Arc Summary Update!​

Knock Outs

Good Guys: 7

Bad Guys: 10

GM Award
Technique Slot +1​

Awardees

Alex ( Seraph Darkfire )
Aline ( _Line 213 )
Aoki ( Tiramiisu )
Lu ( Ginko The Mushishi )

The fight was finally over, and there was much to repair and clean up. Akashiro had called an ambulance to have the bodies of the unconscious and wounded removed from his restaurant. For now, the damage of the restaurant would remain. It didn’t matter for his restaurant survived and the enemy was defeated. The old man had set a table with big bowls of tonkotsu ramen.

It was the least he could do for the fighters—or in Lu’s case, his regulars. Akashiro had rolled back to the kitchen to prepare a kettle of hot water for the green tea. As he prepared the hot water, the bathroom door opened as Musa stepped out, and a wave of brown odor clouds washed into the kitchen. Akashiro’s hands clapped over his nose and his eyes darted over to Musa who was resting against the doorframe of the bathroom with a sheen of sweat on his brow and an unashamed relieve grin on his face.

“WILL YOU CLOSE THAT DAMN DOOR!” Akashiro exclaimed. “I don’t know what sort of a toxic waste dump you created in there, but you’re going to clean it up before you do anything else.”

Musa uttered a short and light laugh as he reached over and closed the bathroom door. After that big shit, he was in such a pleasant and carefree mood that he didn’t even care. Once the door was closed, he was able to smell the hot brothy aroma of the ramen. He smiled as he inhaled the scent.

“You made me lunch, Boss?” Musa asked.

“I’m not your boss! I’m treating those who saved my restaurant,” he replied.

Musa blinked and pointed a thumb at himself. “I’m one of those guys right?”

Akashiro gazed back at the whistling kettle. “You put a hole in my wall, destroyed my bathroom, and sexually harassed my niece…”

Musa stormed over to the old man and roared, “ARE YOU KIDDING? YOU’RE KIDDING RIGHT? YOU PUT THAT HOLE IN YOUR RESTAURANT WHEN YOU KNOCKED ME THROUGH IT THINKING I WAS LOOKING AT YOUR STUPID NIECE!”

Akashiro glared up at Musa.

“AND ANOTHER THING, I HAD TO TAKE A FUCKING SHIT! THAT’S WHAT THE FUCKING BATHROOM IS FOR RIGHT? AND ALSO, THOSE LOSERS WOULDN’T HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SAVE YOUR LAME RESTAURANT IF I HADN’T COME ALONG AND SOFTENED UP GRABBY HANDS!”

The two glared lasers at each other until Musa sighed and turned his back to the old man. He knew why he was getting such ungrateful treatment. Old Man Shiro was trying to run him out. Musa didn’t have anywhere else to go, and he was in no mood to live on the streets. With a much calmer, but still frustrated tone, Musa asked: “Where do you keep your cleaning supplies?”

Akashiro’s eyes widened briefly before he answered, “There’s a janitor’s closet in the back on the right.”

Musa headed for the closet, while Akashiro picked up the kettle and wheeled out of the kitchen to set it on a reed mat at the center of the table. The food was on the house, and if the heroes wanted something strong such as beer or sake, or anything else (desserts, appetizers, etc.) all they had to do was ask.

 

[Ginko The Mushishi]

Name: Zheng Luang
Race: Human
Aura: Phoenix Fire Blue
Date/Time: January 1, 2025.
Location: Akashiro's Restaurant, Kirin District.
Tagging: The Black Knight Tiramiisu @Zamasu _Line 213 Seraph Darkfire sprouhtt

Lu watched as Neiji had finally fallen, what a strong opponent... Lu had felt his Phoenix Roaring de-activate, the exhaustion settled in, and Lu felt limp all over. Though with the reserves of whatever strength he had left, he lazily dragged his feet towards the body of Neiji. Clasping his hands together and bowing to him. Quietly, Lu spoke in honor of Neiji and their fight, whether or not Neiji was meaning to kill Lu and the others, Lu felt it was an experience he had taken with pride. "Perhaps we could have been friends, if things were different. Thank you for your fighting spirit."

After paying his respects to Neiji, he turned to catch a whiff of Old Man's cooking, TONKOTSU RAMEN!! Lu's previous exhaustion seemed to be relieved upon the old man's cooking. Dashing inside and flying towards a chair, licking his lips. "Thanks old man! I haven't had a bite to eat at all today, oh I can't wait!" Lu almost dug in, almost. He was close to catching a bite of the ramen until he examined the restaurant before him. The damage caused in the restaurant was mainly himself and the others.. and he felt it wasn't right to just leave it like this despite saving it. Lu stood up, peering into his pocket full of the 400 dollars he was saving up this week..

Without a second thought, Lu walked over to Akashiro and handed the money over to him, clasping his hands together and bowing before the old man. "I'm sorry for ruining your restaurant, please forgive me. I know its not much, but its definitely a start for you to have repairs....aaalllso~ whats up with the applications Old Man?" He nudged Akashiro lightly, "I'm telling ya, I'm a great waiter." He plopped back down after he gave Akashiro the money, feeling much more at ease now.

One big slurp of ramen and Lu was chowing down like a savage beast. Savouring every bit of the bowl he had. When he gulped down the large amount of ramen he had stuffed in his mouth, he drank some of the broth to go down with his noodles, some of the green onions and seaweed sliding into his mouth at the same time.

 

[Seraph Darkfire]

Name: Alexander Matte
Race: Human
Aura: Light Green
Date/Time: January 1, 2025
Location: Kinrin District; Akashiro's Restaurant
Tagging: Ginko The Mushishi Tiramiisu The Black Knight
_Line 213 sprouhtt

Alex flexed his fingers slightly as he watched Neiji go down. It had been the best he could do to keep the man distracted, at least without resorting to more dangerous techniques. Still, the fight had been won and things were dying down. When he walked back in to assess the damage, he found the old owner of the place making them food and tea?

He wasn't one to refuse a gift and took his place among the others. He quietly sipped his tea as Lu loudly ate his meal and gave Akashiro his pitch for being hired. It always interested him that people always wanted to work in the food industry, whereas no one wanted to work in the same field he did, despite the numerous benefits.

When he tasted the ramen, he raised an eyebrow "Oh, this was indeed worth coming here" he said softly. He wondered if Akashiro had mastered some form of food based martial arts. It would be an interesting method of study. He'd been exposed to a lot of martial arts since he started his studies and he'd...appropriated many of the styles to produce his medical arts. He wondered if learning some food based martial arts would aid in his skills, some sort of medicinal broth?

He certainly planned to go down this path of study in the future. For now, more eating.

 

[_Line 213]

Name: Aline Romani
Race: Human
Aura: ???
Date/Time: January 1, 2025
Location: Akashiro's Restaurant, Kirin District
Current Jam: None.
Tagging: The Black Knight , Ginko The Mushishi , Tiramiisu , Seraph Darkfire , sprouhtt

Aline let out a long, weightless sigh as the villain finally came to a stop; seeing him get right back up again and walk out of the fire for more had given her quite a shock. Even with the energy donated to her moments beforehand still coursing through her body, ultimately unused, her sheer relief nonetheless caused her to fall backwards right onto her bottom, a second, louder sigh coming as everything finally ended.

"...Jeez, I've never felt as if I was gonna die before," she said to no one in particular--or perhaps everyone, or at least anyone who cared enough to listen. She very nearly flopped all the way down onto her back in the middle of the street, the filth of the roadway--especially following the battle--being the only thing preventing her from doing so. The silence that had taken over the now-stilled sidewalks was perhaps the first time in a long time that Aline truly appreciated some sense of quiet; anything, after all, was better than the sound of carnage. It was a strange sensation, feeling both tired but not; her body had more than enough energy to move with, yet her mind suddenly felt as if it could shut down at just about any moment.

Slowly, she arched her back forward, propping her arms up on bent knees as she lapsed into a brief period of thought; fighting was exhausting; especially on the mind. Maybe more on the mind than anything else, at least to her. She felt her eyes drifting toward the motionless boss, only to linger for a few moments too long; his mangled, tortured features solidified in her mind for a split second, forcing her off the street and into the restaurant even as the others continued to celebrate outside.

The inside of the establishment was motionless chaos. Save for sounds that now seemed to come from the kitchen, the place was dead silent, maybe even more quiet than the frigid air out on the sidewalk. The awkwardness set in quickly; compelled to busy herself, Aline began half-heartedly righting some of the less grievous wrongs committed against the interior, flipping tables and chairs back to their proper alignments before dragging them into some semblance of their prior arrangements, or at least what little she could remember or estimate. The bloodied corner filled with another motionless body was purposefully avoided, as were many of the other, hopefully-unconscious crooks; Aline dutifully stepped over and past them, setting furniture and picking up shattered tableware whilst leaving anything that looked remotely like a body entirely undisturbed. It was nothing if not further weight off of her shoulders once an ambulance finally arrived, removing the sleepers from Akashiro's--and hopefully from Aline's life, as well.

She hadn't even noticed that food had been offered to them until a few of the others called out in excitement and gratitude. The girl's eyes widened as they fixed themselves on the dishes; the past few monetarily-tight days had been filled with little other than cheap, one-credit offerings from vending machines, hardly healthy, yet just barely enough to survive off of, at least in the short term. It wasn't until the scents of broths and side-dishes reached her that she realized just how long she had been running on empty, mouth instantly, sloppily salivating.

"R-Real food...!"

Aline abandoned her chosen tasks as she marched toward the long table with single-minded purpose rivaling that of a zombie. With her hunger setting in all at once, it was perhaps an apt comparison; as soon as she sat down, she barely had the time to belt out a quick thank-you (and even then, arguably, she did so with a stuffed mouth). She practically inhaled anything the offered sticks and spoons managed to bring to her, her adopted feeding technique prioritizing intake volume over flavor savor; over the course of no more than a few seconds, it became clear that she hadn't had a proper meal in quite some time. Happy, hum-like giggles emanated from her as she emptied her bowl with reckless abandon, the fresh yelling between the Old Man and That Other Idiot barely even seeming to reach her ears.

 

[Tiramiisu]

Name: Aoki Heizo
Race: Human
Aura: White
Date/Time: January 1, 2025
Location: Akashiro's Restaurant, Kinrin District
Tagging: The Black Knight , Ginko The Mushishi , _Line 213 , Seraph Darkfire sprouhtt

Aoki watched as the gang members were taken away by the paramedics. She let out a relieved sigh and went back into the restaurant. She sat at one of the tables that weren't hacked to pieces and pulled out her phone. The screen was cracked, but it still worked which meant she didn't have to spend what little money she had to buy a new one. The notifications that popped up showed that she had missed twenty-one messages and three missed calls. She clicked her tongue, a small grin beginning to appear on her lips. She knew her co-worker was probably concerned about her well-being or bored running the bar. Probably bored judging by how much he was whining over text. Aoki sent back a simple text that read, Got busy. Be back soon.

She shut her phone, resting her head into her hand and staring at the empty restaurant. She knew the other members may join her at the table now that Akashiro had brought food out. She said a quick thanks, before reaching out to grab a beer bottle and pour it into a glass. It was a bit too early for her to be drinking, but the aching in her arms needed to be sedated somehow, and alcohol was looking like a pretty good option right now. She downed the first glass, already moving to pour herself a second one.

"You guys better hurry over here if you wanted to drink. I may just end up finishing it all." Aoki mumbled the last park to herself before tilting her head back to finish the second glass. Working in a bar for so long and dealing with Kei in her earlier years, Aoki had learned to hold her alcohol pretty well. After a moment of silence when Musa had finally decided to settle down, Aoki took the moment to glance around the table and picked out two bowls of ramen. One for herself and one for Kei. She took one last quick shot and stood, walking towards Akashiro. She fished out a wad of money from her hoodie pocket, before handing it to the man.

"It's not much, but I hope this could compensate for the damages." It was most of the money she had saved up from that week's worth of work and Aoki thought the least she could do was offer some sort apology. After all, most of the destruction was caused by, not only the gang members but herself as well. She gave a quick nod, walking back to her seat on the table and pouring another glass before diving into her ramen soup.