Ask to Join The God Of Highschool

[Schrift]

Ryo stood in the locker room, standing in one of the less crowded areas of the cramped space. Sure the room was large enough to hold the 250 contestants here, but even then he didn't like how close everyone was to each other. Fighters of all backgrounds, all gathered here for the first match in 7 years. The room was filled with a buzzing energy, chatter and rumours spreading around about what was going to happen in this tournament. People talked about their wishes, some talked about their styles of fighting, others talked about their dojos and gyms, and anybody who wasn't talking? They just seemed to be focusing for the upcoming battle. Everyone's personality seemed to differ here, Ryo could pick out who were probably the serious fighters and who were the more laxed fighters.

Ryo had arrived to the arena early. Well he thought he was early. When he had arrived outside the arena he couldn't help but see the massive crowd of people, all lined up and gathered around the entrance. How long have they been waiting for? Ryo knew the tournament was going to be big but already he could see thousands outside, all gathered up. That put him off slightly, so many people outside. He knew the number would grow as more people arrived, which didn't help his nerves. As he approached he met his first challenge, getting through. Though it didn't seem to pose that much of a challenge as the crowd parted, doors opening as a member of NOX in a formal suit walked past the crowd. "Ryo Kengan?", the female asked, her voice being somewhat soft yet also somewhat stern. It was an odd mix. Ryo gave her a small nod as he looked around, his cold stare running across the crowd. This obviously had an effect as a some of them went quiet or looked away. The lady pulled up his left arm's sleeve, revealing the tournament's wristband. Every single contestant was given a wrist band, each and every one of them having acquired it a week before the tournament. She gave a nod of approval before telling Ryo to follow her. The walk was quiet and awkward as Ryo was lead to the locker room.

Even though he was early there was still a large amount of people here already, easily 50 or so people. "And I made sure to leave an hour early for this", he mumbled as he looked around at the other people there. Ryo was dressed in his work clothes still, buttoned shirt, black trousers, black shoes and a waist coat. Ryo found a locker in one of the far ends of the room, where he put his phone and his wallet inside before rolling up his sleeves. That was all the preparation he needed. He was cocky to the core about this tournament, nothing and nobody could beat him. As he waited for more people, he spent his time just listening on others and looking down at his wristband. He vividly remember coming to the arena a week prior in order to gain his wristband. He still remembered them injecting the nanobots in his arm as they put the wristband on. "These wristbands help us use the nanobots inside you, as long as you have it on you cannot and will not die. They will keep you alive long enough for us to help you. But if you take the wristband off for more than 48 hours, all nanobots inside will deactivate and will be flushed out of your system", he said to himself, citing the nurse's words.

As more people arrived and the energy started to build up in the room, Ryo left his spot as he walked down the aisle. The locker room was rows and rows of aisles, all connecting to one large hub in the centre of the room. The place was well lit and the lockers had a good space between them. The hub had benches in a square formation with them all centred near the middle. TVs were scattered around, the room with the central hub having 4 large ones hung from the ceiling. Ryo took a seat on one of the many benches as he looked up to watch the broadcast. It seemed he wasn't the only one watching it as others around him stared up at the screen. The figure on the screen seemed to be a member of NOX. They also wore a formal suit just like the lady who greeted Ryo at the entrance however this one had a large purple tophat, with the microphone also looking like his cane at the same time. The audience were still filling in seats, although the arena was mostly full more and more just kept appearing. It seemed like it was going to be a full house. The arena itself was a large open flat space, hell there wasn't even a ring in it. What on earth was going to happen for the first round? Unlike the changing room, the arena actually seemed quieter with it seeming a bit more tense. The impacts of the previous GOH could still be felt throughout the arena, it was a ghostly feeling not seen yet felt.

"Sorry for the wait everyone!", he called out into his microphone. He spoke with such energy, so much energy. It's almost like he was born a commentator. As the room went quiet. "A dream means nothing if you don't catch it with your own hands, you have to fight for it! No matter how many unsteady roads, you have to chase it! Welcome to the God of Highschool tournament! Participants from any school, any background, all coming together to fight for their greatest desire!", his tone shifted a bit, his voice having a slight sneer. "Though as much as you believe in your dream, this world is unfair. It's miserable, some may work all their lives and never even get close to it. That surely is unfortunate don't you think?". His tone had shifted completely now it seemed almost like he enjoyed the thought of it. "But that doesn't matter! Whatever the outcome, hard work in itself is a success!". Again, his tone shifted back to a normal cheery tone. "The preliminary matches shall be starting soon, so get ready!"

Ryo didn't like the broadcast one bit, it put him off even more. Everything here just seemed to put him off. But it was worth it, he had to win. It was the preliminaries, he couldn't let himself lose here. Ryo had lived with his sister ever since the incident, they both lived in a NOX camp. A small one set up only 5 miles from the arena. They weren't massive and they took in anyone who reached out to them. Ryo like many others were grateful to NOX for what they did. He was even grateful now to be here. A lot of people around Ryo were near his age, with a few looking like they were in their mid 30s. It seemed nobody was younger than 16. On the screen a countdown timer appeared, 20 minutes? Till what? Ryo thought about it, surely it meant till the match starts. Till they have to go out and fight. Ryo was getting excited inside, although he didn't show it on the outside as he kept his blank stare, he was certainly readying for the bloodshed to come. However he had to admit he did feel slightly disheartened. Unlike a lot of the contestants who brought family to watch them fight, Ryo brought nobody. His sister was in hospital and he had no family to invite. Though this only burned a fire in him as he got ready.

Spoiler: Discussion thread and Discord

Roleplay Discussion thread: https://forums.pokecharms.com/threads/the-god-of-highschool.29980/#post-930643 (Ask to Join - The God of Highschool Discussion)

Discord: https://discord.gg/dcHJ45wuj7 (Join the The God of Highschool Discord Server!)

Spoiler: Contestants

Participants:
@Schrift -Ryo Kengan
@=Nightshade= -Kin Tangerine Taeran
@Killerbunny the god -Isak Olsson
@Clite of Dragonbow -Shiro Vainglory
@|Dean| -Ryo Zuyuki
@DevVoid -Vermin
@Void_Nugget -Jake Harrington
@Captain Cardboard -Annie Darkwood
@Thomas the trainer -Adrian Marks

 

[=Nightshade=]

Hey. Hey, Taeran.

No response.

Taeran.

Nothing.

Okay. I tried talking normally. Now WAKE the FUCK UP AND QUIT IGNORING—

“For crying out loud, Dwight, shut up!” Taeran hissed under her breath. She winced as a knot at the top of her spine writhed just under the skin. It didn’t hurt, but it wasn’t comfortable. Curious and suspicious glances from the people closest to her flicked her way at her talking to apparently no one, and Taeran gave a false smile that dropped into exasperation the moment the roving eyes left her. She flipped the hood of her frog jacket over her head and crouched closer to the top of the locker she’d been sitting on to observe her competition.

“Shut up,” yeah, right. Me? You must be crazy. Azy-cray, crazy Tae—

“Taeran?” The silence where there should have been a surname spoke unmentioned volumes.

Taeran looked down quizzically, then her childlike face broke into a grin when her eyes met those of her master. She leaped down from the locker and snapped into a smart bow, though it looked a little ridiculous in the frog hoodie she wore. “The wilds go with you, Master,” she said, greeting him in the traditional way of her style.

“We are the beasts,” Suo said, replying in kind.

“How’d you get back here?” Taeran asked once the exchange was over and she stood at ease. “Did they let you in? Special passes?”

“I have connections,” Suo said mysteriously. “We all have our secrets. Anyways. I may have pulled some strings so I was the one to escort you to the changing rooms. Though, knowing you, I doubt you’re going to take that off,” he added with a smile, gesturing to her hoodie as he checked her wristband.

“‘Course not,” Taeran grinned back. “It’s my trademark.”

“Good luck,” the aged, suited martial artist offered his student as he held open the locker room door for her. “The wilds go with you. Keep an eye on her, Dwight.”

You got it, old man, the parasitic frog demon said in Taeran’s mind. The girl rolled her eyes and gave an offhand wave as she continued through the rest of the tournament customs, dropping off her cell phone, earbuds, and cash in her locker and taking some time to stretch.

As Taeran approached the arena with the rest of the contestants, she continued to prepare herself mentally, using Transitional Form as a warm up and switching from Tiger stance to Rabbit, then Snake and so on. The broadcast played, going in one ear and out the other, and a twenty minute timer appeared on the screen. Taeran rolled her shoulders through mental protests from Dwight, the parasitic demon in her back.

I’m ready.

Fuck yeah, we are, Tae. Was there ever any doubt?

 

[Thomas the trainer]

Adrian woke up early and began creating explosives filling metal balls with gunpowder, making sure he had all the weapons he needed and preparing various other tools strapping them to his body. Adrian looked at himself the mirror putting his gi on this was the moment he spent his whole life preparing for. He waved goodbye to his mom. "Adrian..." His mom began to speak in a concerned tone
"Yeah." Adrian responded slightly irritated. His mother paused for a second trying to say something. Looking at her son in his getup.
"Just please stay safe." His mom told him in a sad tone. Adrian noticed her sadness.
"Hey I'm going to win, and then we'll see Dad." Adrian told her smiling giving her a hug . Adrians mother put on a fake smile and kissed him on the Head. Adrian headed off towards the tournament running across rooftops at incredible speeds when he reached the Arena he was in awe at its size. He was recognised and ushered in.

 

[Clite of Dragonbow]

"Demon Spawn!" an older lady yelled after throwing a rock at the Young Man, said man was around 20 years old, maybe younger, with a medium long Icy blue hair and gray like Storm eyes. He was in a ragged, dirty clothes. It was even hard to tell how his clothes looked before they were torn,soiled with blood, mud, sand and burned in several places.
This person was surrounded by the crowd and they Just like a woman before were calling him names, throwing sticks and stones at him.

"Devil!"
"Beast!!"
"Cursed child!"

"Go Away! Go Away! Go Away!"
"Leave us alone!!!"
---
"Hey you, blue head over here" Blue haired Man turned towards the voice, seeing a Man of fairly darker skin than his, Bald, He also seemed to be in dirty and torn clothes, but unlike the blue head, his clothes didnt even have a hint of Blood... This Man wasnt hated.

"What do you want?" Blue hair asked.
"Mind if I sit next to you?"
"Suit yourself" was all that baldy received for an answer. He did Just as he was told and allowed himself to sit next to the one called 'Demon' by the others.
Sun was So warm today.. And light breeze of the win helped to survive the high temperature. They stayed like this for a while, but blue hair eventually lost his patience and annoyed, turned around to the bald man.
"Okay! What the hell do you want?"
"Life was rought on you, wasnt it?" Bald Man ignored blue hair question and asked his own.
"Maybe? What it is to you? Want to spend time with a devil?" the other one chuckled dryly and glared at the person next to him. He seemed to regret letting him stay with him.
.
..
...
"Would you want... To achieve Enlightment together with me?" Bald Man turned to meet Blue one's gaze. What was that?.. Hope? Curiosity? No, It was neither.. And yet.
"Whats Enlightment? And who are you? Some idiot with vast imagination and no knowledge on the world?" although less annoyed, He really couldnt tell what the baldy was thinking.
"Oh.. My name is Bu*-+a" said the Bald Man and after he got up, he offered his hand to help the blue haired boy.
"Hmp.... And I am Mastema"
---
Suddenly, Shiro felt a great pain in a back.. As if spear tried to pierce him through.
"What the hell you think you are doing? Tool doesnt need to know anything about me!" Booming, chilly voice said, It sounded tired and hateful.. Then Shiro felt that someone is tearing him apart.
&&&

"AGH!!!" Shiro yelled and hit the floor with his face immidietly after he jumped out of his bed. His room wasnt too big. Whats more, It was cramped with furnitures and boxes. It was a true miracle that he didnt hit anything else than the floor.
"Same dream huh..." He glanced over at his alarm clock.. Which seemed that he didnt set alarm on.
"CRAP! Im gonna be late!!" He quickly got up and rushed out of his hause to the arena!



Wearing the white hoodie and blue shorts, a wide grin on his face but his Amber eyes showed how nervous the white haired boy was.

He luckily didnt got late and even managed to hear what the commentator(?) had to say for all of them. Well, that would explain the tension. As the guy said all of them had their dreams that they fight for.. But for Shiro? He could get rid of his reoccuring dream but did he really wanted to? Others had more important things! Sick family members, destroyed homes, lost future and more. It made his wish feel insignificant. Maybe he could change it? Shiro began to have his doubts about it.

He looked at the stands but no one was there for him. His Master said he wasnt interested in preeliminaries and his Mothers were busy at work to earn for their Family living.

He still had one last thing. Maybe his family didnt watch him and he didnt have a very important dream, but he had a goal! Proof everyone that the person like him can be strong! The strongest in fact!

He will fight with each opponent with this thought that each of them can be more than you can see on their levels or GP amount. After all, if Levels were everything then tournament would be pointless right? He will keep winning and gain Expierience! Go further and further! Make his martial arts and himself stronger!
And even if he Loses then he will Just train his ass off and overcome the one that defeated him!
He will aim to evolve further here as a Warrior and Martial Artist.

He was ready for it.

 

[Killerbunny the god]

Isak had refused to share with his family that he was gonna attempt to win the God of High school tournament because he didn't want them to worry about his well-being. Not when they already had enough to worry about because of his sister's cancer. He had picked up his wristband with the nanobots a few days prior but hadn't yet put it on. He was gonna wait with that until he had arrived at the arena. His mom and step-dad had left the apartment to go visit Jean, his sister, at the hospital. She was staying there almost full-time. The situation was bad.

Isak had picked up the clothes he used while training, his daggers and a water bottle before leaving for the arena. He was incredibly nervous about the tournament, wondering if he could actually win, though you probably wouldn't be able to guess that based on his mischievous expression. There would be a lot of people there with much more experience than him. But he had to beat the best of them if he was actually going to save Jean's life.

When he arrived at the arena, there already was a large gathering of people despite him thinking he had arrived sooner than he usually did. His usual timing was 15 minutes late, but this tournament was extremely important for him so he had taken extra care of arriving on time. Looking around the gathering of people, Isak saw a good mix of serious contestants and those that were just here for fun. Though he knew very well that looks could be deceiving; he was faking his own mood after all.

Isak quickly changed into his training clothes in the locker rooms and put his daggers in their sheathes that were connected to a belt. Then he found himself a bench to sit down on while listening to the broadcast. Despite his usually cheerful attitude, he was not there to make friends so he refrained from speaking to anyone. He simply sat and waited for the preliminaries to start.

 

[Captain Cardboard]

Earlier, outside the arena...

"Ah! Pardon me. 'Scuse me. Pardon me." The apologies in a southern drawl paired with the sounds of hooves against the pavement turned some heads. The young woman rode through the crowd on a brown horse. A brown cowboy hat kept the sun out of her eyes, with a pair of blond braided pigtails poking out from under the hat. She wore a light brown vest over a plaid long-sleeved shirt, with a small metal star that read "Sheriff" pinned over her heart. On her belt dangled two revolvers, and chaps covered her brown pants. The young woman dug the heels of her cowboy boots into the side of the horse, signaling to stop as a man stepped into her path. He wore a suit and sunglasses, and had a purple mohawk on his otherwise bald head.

"Annie Darkwood?" The man asked. The cowgirl smiled brightly.
"Yessir, that's me!" Annie replied cheerfully. Even though his sunglasses hid his face, there was a clear aura of annoyance as he looked down to the horse.
"You do realize you can't bring that in with you." The man said. Annie looked down at her horse, then back to the man. She sighed, a little disappointed.
"Yes sir." Annie said. She dismounted the horse and unstrapped the things she had brought with her to the tournament. The first, a pair of saddlebags, she threw over her shoulder. The second, something about 4.5 ft long and wrapped in a bundle of cloth, she carried under her arm. With her free hand, she swatted the rear of the horse.
"Now go on, Flint. Git." Annie said. The horse snorted before trotting off. The cowgirl turned her attention back to the suited man.
"Alright, mister. Lead the way!"

~~~~~~~~~

The cowgirl made her way into the locker room. If there were some that stared at her unusual appearance, she didn't seem to notice. Annie whistled cheerfully, opening up a locker and putting the saddlebags and the cloth bundle inside. Closing up the locker, Annie sat down on one of the few benches inside the locker room. So this was it. The legendary god of Highschool tournament. Her best shot to save her family's ranch and their livelihood lay at the end of this tournament, as the prize. Surely, other contestants must be fighting for their own wishes. Even with this tension, Annie couldn't help but to feel an excitement welling within her. She knew she should be feeling nervous, on edge, maybe even afraid... but she couldn't help but to feel relaxed and excited.

Annie looked around, surveying the rest of the completion. She had expected to stand out, and yet there were plenty other competitors that looked even stranger than she did. A taller man that looked homeless. A kid in a large frog hoodie. A gothic guy with piercing on his face. Annie's watching of the other competitors as the screens in the center of the room lit up, displaying an announcement by a person that Annie assumed was the MC of the tournament. The matches will be starting soon.

Annie stood up, beginning to stretch and loosen up. It appeared she wasn't the only one, as the kid with the frog hoodie began to warm up as well. Annie watched her out of the corner of her eye. Prior to the tournament, Annie had been able to do a bit of research on the Goh tournament using a local internet cafe in her hometown. The Goh was a fighting tournament, with many competitors utilizing different martial arts. Annie wasn't too knowledgeable on the subject, but what this little girl was doing was like nothing she had ever seen before. For a moment, the frog girl looked like a mountain lion on the prowl. Then rattlesnake ready to strike. Then a jackrabbit ready to bolt. Annie stopped her warm-up to watch as Taeran went through her forms.

Once the frog girl ended her warm-up, Annie whistled in admiration.
"Ah'll be damned. Ah ain't never seen a person move like that before." Annie called over to Taeran. "Purdy impressive."

 

[DevVoid]

A few hours before the tournament
A man had been pestering another customer in a somewhat-populated bar. Him and his group were actively making fun of someone else, just laughing and insulting the other man. Unfortunately for them, this man was not one to take insults lightly. Slowly standing up from his seat, the tall stranger had walked over to the group, overlooking these insignificant beings with his towering height in full display.

" Theyah a prawblem heeuh, guy? "

From his accent alone, the others in the small group begun snickering. The rather cocky drunk responded in sarcasm, not taking in the lion's den he was walking straight into.

" A 'prawblem' ? Your accent, that's the problem! You sound more drunk than I do, boy! "

Instead of rebuking, the tall stranger grabbed the drunkard's head and slammed it straight into the table before the drunk man had realised what was happening. Bolting up in pain, the man was dragged out of the establishment by the tall stranger, his group now following along, trying to start a fight.

The owner, nor the employees saw much of the fight, but they sure did hear it. What first was a group of drunk men angrily taunting and insulting the stranger quickly turned to regret as they were silenced one by one. After some time, the workers were a bit concerned over what had happened and one was sent out to go check what was going on out there. There, only the group of drunkards were found. All knocked out, bruised and battered to hell and back. The stranger was nowhere to be seen, likely having already fled the scene.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Current Time

Actively pushing himself through a crowd of people, the stranger with rather torn clothes and a long, metallic bat over his shoulders approached the men in black. Even for the NOX Agents, he had been towering over them. Now flipping his bat in one hand, he moved it from his shoulder and slumped it to the ground, still holding a tight grip on it.

" Vermin? "
" That's right. Let's get this Pahty stahted! "
" After me. "

Arriving at the locker room, Vermin had looked over the heads of everyone there, already standing taller than most people present. Anyone who had given him a weird look was given a glare back, causing them to quickly look away. The hobo batter really had not much to leave in a locker. Rather just the few personal belongings he had, such as his phone. The same one he had kept since he left his former home, having remained in use for all these years. Sure, new ones had come out already, but it's not like he wanted a new one. Not like he had the money for it anyway. He had kept his tennis balls and baseballs on himself, seeing as he can probably put them up for use in his upcoming match.

He had gone to the arena, bat rested over his shoulders and held in one hand, a baseball thrown up and down in the other. Seeing how he had nothing to do, he just simply kept throwing the ball to pass the time as he waited for the preliminaries to start.

 

[Void_Nugget]

Having only arrived from England a few days ago it had taken Jake several hours to find the damned arena, now at his destination he cassually strolling upto the arena and waited to be called to, he then followed the suited man into the arena. As he walked he admired the building and hummed to himself quietly. They quickly reached the locker room and Jake was left to his own devices as the man walked off, "guess I just go in" he said to himself before opening the door and stepping in. He glanced around the room as he walked in examining people and the interesting choices of attire, from the ninja to the cowgirl to the frog person, giving a small chuckle and a massive grin, Jake could tell this was gonna be really fun. As he had expected he was taller than many people here except for one guy in particular who seemed to be glaring at everyone, with a grin Jake sauntered over to the large man and gave a small wave, "hey there big man, nice to meet another tall fella, gotta say wasn't expecting anyone to be taller than me at this thing" he said in his strong British accent.

 

[=Nightshade=]

Taeran finished her stance warmup and was about to drop into the splits—partially to stretch before prelims and partially to show off a little—when a taller girl in a cowboy getup caught her attention by calling out an offhand compliment. Taeran blinked in surprise, not expecting someone to say something if they were impressed, just judging by the closed-off, suspicious expressions of most everyone around them. She curiously approached the cowgirl, head tilted with an inquisitive grin.

“Ah, thank yew—” Taeran began, subconsciously mimicking the accent before clearing her throat in mild embarrassment. “Ahem. Thanks, hehe. Part of my fighting style, gotta be light and flexible,” she said, purposely not elaborating much. It’d be fun to make some friends, of course, but not at the price of losing early. Then her eyes widened and Taeran crouched down, looking around the girl at her belt. “Woah! Are these guns?! You can use those?! Are they allowed?! That’s so cool! Ah— wait—” Taeran bounced to her feet. “Forgot to introduce myself. I’m Taeran, good to meetcha!”

Can I say something…?

No, you’re the trump card, Dwight. Can’t show my hand yet.

In her head, Taeran could feel the frog demon mentally pouting.

Yeah, yeah, cry me a river. You can talk to people as much as you want when this is over, ‘kay? M’kay.

 

[Captain Cardboard]

The raggity frog girl approached, and Annie flicked the brim of her cowboy hat upward and returned the frog girl's smile.
"Light an flexible, huh... A pleasure to make yer acquaintance, Taeran! Th' name's Annie, but ya can jes call me Ann if y'd like." Annie said. As Taeran began to obsess over Annie's guns, the cowgirl puffed up her chest and smiled proudly.
"Eyup! Thanks!" Annie said proudly. "As far as ah know, ah'm pretty sure they're allowed. The judges didn't say anything about 'em when ah came in. And ah asked before, too. The judge ah asked jus laughed, then asked if ah was serious. When ah said yessir, he jes said sure an' rolled his eyes an' okayed 'em. Ah think they don't particularly hold 'em in high regard, but they ain't against th' rules."

The cowgirl casually drew the revolver on her right hip, twirling it before showing it to Taeran for a closer look. Annie was careful not to point the barrel towards the frog girl, either accidently or otherwise. The barrel was around 5 and a half inches long, with the well-polished metal reflecting the fluorescent lights of the locker room. The handle was a simple wooden one, and the barrel had the word "Peacemaker" inscribed on it.
"Colt Peacemaker. This one was made in 1874, a real antique. Been in mah family fer generations." Annie said cheerfully. "But don't let her age fool ya, she shoots jes as straight as the next gun."
The cowgirl quickly returned the revolver back to the holster with a twirl. Annie quickly scanned the crowd in the locker room before turning her attention back to Taeran once again.

"So those moves you were doin' earlier... You one of them martial artists types? Like, doin' the kung fu an' all that stuff?" Annie asked, mimicking a karate chop to emphasize the question.

 

[Schrift]

Ryo stared down at his wristband as he waited for the twenty minutes to come to an end. Until it did he guessed he might as well attempt to socialise. It wouldn't hurt getting to know your opponents right? Surely it wouldn't. As he looked around he spotted multiple opponents that caught his eye. A cowgirl, frog hood fighter, a hobo, they all stood out to him. Though his train of thought was cut short as a contestant sat down next to him. He was visibly taller than Ryo with black hair and green eyes, contrasting Ryo by quite a bit. Ryo took a good look at him before looking to the sheathes on his waist. A melee fighter? On one hand this person could be extremely skilled and decided to bring daggers in a fight against people with swords, spears and some who even had guns. Ryo sat upright, his posture being tall and open. "Pretty ballsy to bring daggers in a tournament like this, let's hope you know how to use them". Ryo didn't mean to sound condescending, but it just seemed to come out that way. His tone in general it sounded cold, and monotonous there wasn't much emotion in his speech. "But you shouldn't really worry, a lot of the fighters here don't come off as that strong so your chances don't seem to be zero", he said, now this time seeming cocky. On Ryo's wristband the numbers shown were 10, 750 and 15, all in order of level, hp and gp.

@Killerbunny the god

 

[Cmeriwether]

Some time Earlier

Shiori had been flown in from Kyoto, Japan to South Korea, she had gotten off the plane, and was given a location for the Tournament. She naturally followed the signs about the tournament, as she got through the town. She naturally took in the sights, seeing buildings left and right. This was not anything like where she lived, five miles out from Kyoto. She then arrived at the site for the tournament, which had someone there explaining things.

Present time

Shiori had been preparing for the tournament after arriving in the area. She had passed multiple people on her way to the locker room. A Frog girl, a cowgirl seemingly from the American West, and a different young male, all about her age. She then got her stuff sorted, placed in a locker, and fiddled with her longer spear. She made sure her equipment was in okay order, and ready to go. But she heard something out of the edge of her ear. Shiori walked over in the direction that she heard them from.

"Odd, there are a lot of seemingly skilled people." Shiori had her spears on her hands, ready for anything, even a bad reaction.

She had noticed the daggers and wondered what his thing was, was one of them a National treasure, like how The Ice Dragon Spear, which was owned by a comrade of her Charyeok's, or Chrysaor, which she encountered during her Training, the only one she's ever encountered so far. She then waited for a response.

 

[Clite of Dragonbow]

"I agree! I think that we got quite a lot of skilled people, everyone with their own speciality at that" suddenly said a quite high pitched Male voice. Boy with white hoodie also approached the two... Now three people that gathered in one spot as they were the closest ones to him and it hurt a bit to have no one to talk about the competition.

Boy was quite ordinary, at least by stats. Level 6, HP 680, GP 24. Now, His level was this low cuz he didnt use any of his martial arts and let his Guard down as nothing started yet and his GP due to keeping his Charyeok sleeping and supressed to not lose Control. No one had a way to know about it tho and So, Shiro appeard to be probably one of the weakest guys out here.

Yet, he wouldnt care how they judge him and Young kid Just wanted some fighter friends to have and learn about their dreams and goals.

"Gotta say you guys all seem so strong! I honestly wish we all could Just advance from this point in the tournament together!"

 

[Killerbunny the god]

As Isak was waiting for the tournament to start, he heard someone next to him try to talk to him. He looked at the person speaking, wondering who would try to make friends at a place like this. The voice came from a guy with white hair that looked a little bit younger than himself by approximately one or two years. The way the guy dressed made him look a little snobby, and his seemingly callous gaze merely added to this. As did the way he spoke; commenting on Isak's daggers and how most of the people here seemed pretty weak. This guy seemed condescending and cocky and Isak did not approve of that. But before he could respond, two more people showed up to talk; one black haired girl dressed in a red haori, holding a spear. And another guy with white hair dressed in a white jacket and black jeans. The girl had a quite serious demeanor, the exact opposite of Isak, while the other white-haired guy looked rather chipper.

Isak turned to the first guy again.
"Oh don't you worry about me, worry about yourself if you find yourself on the other side of my daggers instead. I've never been stabbed before but I hear it's quite unhealthy" Isak said with a mischievous grin, as if he doesn't really mean what he's saying. Although this was a fighting tournament where everyone's nearly impossible to kill, Isak was still hesitant to actually use the daggers. He would prefer to use his fists over the daggers so he wouldn't inflict too much pain on his opponents.

He turned back to the other two, still with that grin on his face.
"Love to rain on your parade, white-haired dude, we're all gonna have to fight each other so there's not much room for advancing together. Ain't that right, you cocky waiter?" Isak said and gently bumped his elbow on the other white-haired guy's arm in a friendly manner.

@Schrift @Clite of Dragonbow @Cmeriwether

(OOC: In the third paragraph, "white-haired dude" is referring to Shiro and “cocky waiter” + "other white-haired guy" is referring to Ryo)

 

[=Nightshade=]

Taeran watched with awe as Annie casually twirled her guns with visible expertise, then giggled at the too-stiff karate chop. While she had never actually practiced karate, she had learned all manner of strikes and patterns of attack for which to counter, chops included. It was… fairly clear that Annie was not a martial artist, unless she was faking it, which wouldn’t surprise Taeran. But it felt genuine, and it felt good to laugh a little. It would help her relax and loosen her muscles before the preliminaries.

“Yep,” Taeran answered Annie’s question with a grin. “Martial arts is the whole reason I came here. My master said it would be part of my training. All these super-skilled people, I’m bound to learn something!” Her voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper. “But just cuz I don’t really care about the wish doesn’t mean I won’t be tryin’ to win. Cuz if I lose, I can’t fight ‘em anymore.” She gestured to all the people around. “And I want to keep fighting.” Taeran’s teeth were bared in an adrenaline-soaked smile, hyped up as she was for the tournament to start. Her fingers and toes itched to pit her skills against other talented fighters and see if she could hold her own. I’m going to get stronger, Master! Just wait and see.

 

[Captain Cardboard]

"Wow." Annie said as Taeran explained a bit of her reasons for joining the tournament. The cowgirl thought for a moment, then chuckled. It was clear this frog girl was excited for the tournament, raring to go. Now that Annie was talking to her, she realized this girl didn't seem as serious as many of the others standing about. And that helped put Annie at ease. Taeran then dropped that wasn't in it for the wish. Now that was a bit of a curveball. A wish, any wish that could be granted, and this girl thought none of it? It seemed like a falsehood, but Annie didn't get a sense that Taeran was lying. Annie certainly hoped that this girl was telling the truth, she seemed quite nice just from the few moments they had been talking.

"Fightin' fer the sake of fightin', huh? Y' remind me of mah older brothers. They'd be gettin' inta fights jes fer the fun of it. Ma and Pa would have to break 'em apart and whip 'em into shape constantly." Annie said with a nostalgic smile. " 'Course, they don't do it as much now that they's older."
The cowgirl paused a moment again, wanting to resist the burning question she had on her mind before giving in. Glancing around, she lowered her voice as she spoke to Taeran once again.
"You really ain't in this fer the wish? Really?" Annie asked Taeran incredulously. "... Well, if y'don't mind me askin', if y'do win, what would y' wish for?"

 

[=Nightshade=]

“Huh… what will I do if I win?” Taeran thought aloud, eyebrows drawing together in pondering. She hadn’t thought about it that much, in all honesty. Of course, when she first heard about the wish from Master Suo, she had assumed it was a bunch of crock to garner more participants. The old man had assured her it was real, though, and he had never lied to her before. Naturally, that had brought up some thoughts, thoughts of wishing her family’s contract to be void, wishing her sister older than her, or other loopholes so that she could go back to her family. But it felt wrong to meddle with her own history, and she was worried of the legal repercussions her father might suffer after a wish such as that. As a result, Taeran had quashed those thoughts as early as she could, to focus on her preparation for “victory” as a goal, rather than something concrete. After that, Taeran had refused to even think about what she might want to wish for. Why waste time daydreaming about things I should or shouldn’t wish for when I could be training?

Obviously, the frog girl couldn’t tell her all that, though. Taeran considered for a moment, then tilted her head back up to look at Annie. “Won’t count my chickens before they hatch!” she said with a grin. “But if I did, well… I don’t really know the rules. I’d want to wish for the wishes of the folks who make it past the prelims to come true, maybe. As like a thank you for good fights! Dunno if that would be allowed, though. Maybe prosperity for my master’s dojo for generations, that would be cool, too… but honestly, rather cross that bridge when I get to it,” Taeran finished, her tongue sticking out as she pulled an arm across her chest in a shoulder stretch. “Gotta make it to the top before any of that stuff!”

 

[DevVoid]

So far, things were pretty boring. Well, of course they were, the whole tournament hadn't even started yet. Still though, one would think these guys would up something for the contenders to keep busy with. Even just some bookshelves would've been fine. Alas, this was not the case, so all Vermin had was just his baseball. Or so it was, until another tall guy approached him to talk with him. Surprising really, he thought the hobo look and giant size would throw everyone off. Oh well, can't hurt to talk, can it?

Turning, Vermin relaxed his glaring, instead swapping for an easy-going grin and a calm, relaxed expression in his eyes. An englishmen and a bostonian meet up at a tournament.. what a way to set up a classic history joke. Well, the man seemed polite enough, so Vermin humoured him.

" Yeah, I bet 'cha didn't. Not a lot of people I find that ah tallah than me, eithah. You come pretty close though, I'll give ya that. I'm Vahm'n. you? "

 

[Void_Nugget]

Standing there with the large man, Jake glanced around the room again examining peoples warm ups and trying to hear what people said to each other in case they revealed their strategies. He then eventually turned his full attention back to the guy he had engaged in conversation with a grin still on his nodding slightly as the guy talked before realising he wasn't actually sure he understood what the guys name was exactly, "I'm Jake, pleasure to meet you, uh was that Vermin, like as in rat, sorry if that's rude" he said his hand resting casually on the sheath for his knife as he considered the fact he had actually just asked someone if there name was essentially rat.

 

[Captain Cardboard]

Annie listened as Taeran spoke. The more the froggy girl talked, the more Annie felt convinced that she was being legitimate. Either that, or the smartest and best actor she had ever seen. Wanting to support her master's dojo, or help out other competitors? Maybe she would be open to help Annie with her own wish. No, she couldn't get ahead of herself. Annie had to keep her determination. She was going to be the one winning this tournament and getting her wish. Her family was depending on her. And if she happened to have a good time and make a few friends along the way, well, that would just be life, wouldn't it?

The cowgirl crossed her arms, leaning against the lockers as she listened to Taeran. Unknowingly, Annie was also displaying her wristband for all to see. If one looked closely, they would be able to see her stats. LV 9. HP: 950. GP: 125. Annie smiled softly.
"That's mighty kind of you, partner." Annie said, admiring Taeran's ideals. As Taeran stretched, Annie couldn't help but to notice something else about the frog girl. On Taeran's upper arms, there were strange brown splotches. They didn't appear to be tattoos, but Annie had never seen birthmarks of that size in that number.

Realizing she was starting to stare, the cowgirl was quick to look away. She distracted herself by surveying over the fighters once again.
"Can ah... Can ah asked yer help with somethin'?" Annie asked after a moment of silence.

 

[Thomas the trainer]

Adrian walked around the Arena exploring it crawling underneath chairs and trying to climb up into the rafters of the arena or into the vents. The person who ushered him in kept trying to talk to him. "Adrian please stop." The man kept repeating. Adrian ignored them and continued examining the arena. Adrian kept exploring the Arena. "Adrian just go to the locker room." The employee sighed giving up and walking away. Adrian sighed and waddled over to the change-room and walked in. He saw all the combatants preparing, he was immediately hit with a wave of anxiety as he began second guessing his chance at winning. Adrian approached a Blond Haired Woman with an American accent and a Child in a Frog Poncho. And approached with a bit of false bravado. "Greeting my name is Adrian Marks proud and founding practitioner of the Furi o suru clan Ninjutsu." Adrian introduced himself to the American Girl with an awkward bow. He then turned to the the Girl in the green poncho and repeated what he had previously said exactly. And then stood there awkwardly.
@Captain Cardboard
@=Nightshade=

 

[Captain Cardboard]

At the sudden appearance of someone new encroaching on their conversation, Annie quickly stood up straight. She hadn't expected someone else to suddenly introduce themselves, and looked a little embarrassed. The cowgirl quickly tried to play it off, and looked over the new guy. Black hair, black clothes, a mask that covered the lower half of his face... He was barefoot as well. In fact, both him and Taeran were barefoot. What's the deal with that, these two don't like shoes? The teen guy also appeared to have a belt with multiple pouches, and a curved shortsword.

Wait a minute...

Black clothings and masked...

Strange pouches on his belt...

Clothes and weapons of some sort of eastern asian style...

The teen introduced himself as Adrian Marks... Then did it again, the exact same way to Taeran. But Annie didn't seem to care. Her eyes were gleaming as she looked up Adrian.
"Are... are... are you a samurai?!" Annie asked excitedly in her thick southern drawl.

 

[Thomas the trainer]

Adrian paused at the question and entered into a squat position, from the movies and comics he read samurai where always second to Ninja and he never payed attention to them, as they were inferior to Ninja's. Adrian did not actually know what samurai are. he imagined a false memory of his father being a young samurai who was then promoted to a ninja due to his achievements. He returned to a normal position and pointed at the American Woman. "I am a Ninja we are the superior version of the Samurai, stronger, faster, and cooler !" Adrian announced striking a pose holding his short sword.

 

[Captain Cardboard]

The strange teen squatted down, and Annie was a little taken aback by the unusual action. She glanced over to Taeran, her excitement giving way to confusion as Adrian squatted for a few moments. Some strange people were here for this tournament. Suddenly, he jumped back up. Annie put a hand on her gun as the ninja drew his short sword, but relaxed as it was clear he was posing. When he announced he was not a samurai, but a ninja, dissapointment was clear on Annie's face.
"Oh." Was all she had to say. Ninjas... Annie had heard of those types of warriors.
"Stronger, faster, 'n better? Are y' sure?" Annie asked Adrian. "Ah thought ninjas were more of th' stab ya in the back, poison yer watering hole types."

The cowgirl shook her head.
"Sorry, ah don't mean ta offend. Th' name's Annie." Annie said to Adrian.

 

[=Nightshade=]

“Pft.” Taeran couldn’t suppress her giggle at the newcomer, though she was a little disappointed at his arrival. She had been curious to know what it was the cowgirl had wanted her help with, but it seemed now it would have to wait. She stuffed her hands deep into the pockets of her loose pants, making a mental note to herself to empty out the few snack wrappers that had been abandoned in them. “And I’m Taeran!” she said brightly, seamlessly tacking on to Annie’s introduction. She eyed the shortsword, mental question forming to the being that shared her headspace.

If he stabbed us with that, would your slime deflect it?

Oh, now you talk to me.

Dwight.

I dunno. Maybe it’ll just… slip past my guard.

Dwight!

The frog demon’s mental laughter caused Taeran to exhale through her nose slightly, amusedly exasperated. Asshole frog…

That’s me~

 

[Schrift]

"Yeah good luck going up against me with a pair of daggers, unless you're some universal master of daggers I doubt you have a chance", he said, back to his usual cold tone. More people, more people had appeared. Wasn't exactly what Ryo had wanted but it didn't matter. It's not like he'd get attached to any of them right? He'd better pray he didn't weakness wasn't going to help him in this tournament. "You're being a bit too optimistic here, don't know what your meaning of skilled is but if it's these people here then maybe we have different meanings", he sighed. When Isak had nudged his elbow against Ryo, Ryo gave a small chuckle. "Yeah glad to see you aren't completely brain dead". As Ryo stood up he took in the two new people who had joined him, they did seem somewhat strong. Especially the white haired one, Ryo could feel it in his jellies. Or maybe he was just anticipating his opponents a bit too much here.

Looking up, Ryo noticed that there wasn't long till the prelims were to start so he decided it was best to leave early to get there first. "You lot should probably get ready to go, unless you feel like being left behind in my dust", he said, a small cocky chuckle added at the end. He stood up, making his way towards the door. However as he walked over, he couldn't help but notice what was a girl in a frog hood, a cowboy and a guy in karate gi. "You look like fucking dorks", he said, as he took a moment to just stare at them. They just seemed so odd. As Ryo got to the door, it slid open revealing a short woman on the other side. Her features were pointed and sharp, it gave the impression of a shark almost. Dressed in blue, with an ear piece, high-vis jacket and a clipboard, she looked around the room poking her head out to make sure this was the changing room. "All contestants must make their way to the centre stage for The God of Highschool Tournament, anyone who isn't there before it starts will be disqualified immediately", she said before going out of the room.

Perfect, absolutely perfect. Ryo made his way out of the room and through the mess of hallways until he arrived to the stage. He could see the blinding lights at the end of the hallway, cheers getting louder as he approached. As he entered the massive octagon stage, he squinted a bit as he got used to the lights. Camera drones buzzing in the air, fighters spilling from different entrances, everything was so full of life. The arena was a massive octagonal room, with the audience sitting in rows behind a cage raised above the stage. Ryo couldn't spot any referees in the ring, only one person, the man from the broadcast. More fighters were appearing, almost 100 now with more still coming in. Even with this much people coming in, there was still more than enough room for everyone coming in.


@Schrift , @=Nightshade= , @Killerbunny the god , @Clite of Dragonbow , @DevVoid , @Void_Nugget , @Captain Cardboard , @Thomas the trainer , @Cmeriwether

 

[=Nightshade=]

Taeran blinked and stiffened as she felt someone’s eyes on her back. She turned slowly, suspiciously, to fix the newcomer with a curious glare. When he spoke and continued to stare, Taeran felt her left hand grow rigid of its own accord, then raise jerkily to her eye level and give the suited white-haired boy the finger. The girl looked at her raised hand with mild surprise, blinked, then formed her face into an innocent grin, though inside she was berating her inner frog.

Whaaat? It’s not like you were gonna make more friends. Bastard had it coming, anyway. Obviously we’re a dork but did he have to go and call us on it?

What did I tell you about snagging my body whenever you feel like? Damn it, you better not do that in a fight unless we need it.

Do what, flip our opponent the bird? Fine, yeah, you got it— hey, pay attention! There’s an announcement.

YOU pay attention, you impudent toad!

Toad?! Well, I—

“Lalalalala, I can’t hear you~!” Taeran spontaneously sang aloud, her hands over her ears. In some vague corner of her mind, she registered that the preliminaries were beginning soon, and began to amble away from the ninja and the cowgirl towards the exit. As she passed through the door, the frog girl winced at the sudden light, pulling her hood down lower over her face until she became accustomed to the blinding glare. Drones buzzed above them, broadcasting the images of the contestants to the world, and hoots and hollers from the audience bombarded Taeran’s ears. The prelims hadn’t even started yet, and she already wanted to fling slime into the faces of all the snot-noses kids trying to stick their fingers through the cage.

I could do that, easy!

Not yet, we’d have to make it look accidental, Dwight. Hah.

Aww. I never get to have any fun.

Taeran smiled under her hood. She could almost taste the combat, feel the desire to fight in the air. The girl took a deep breath, letting it out in a huff through pursed lips. She chewed her cheek in anticipation. The fun would begin soon…

 

[Clite of Dragonbow]

"Shiro.. Tell once more.. Why would you want to learn my martial art! Among millions that there are in the world, you have chosen Akuma no Michi for what reason!!"
Gensai shouted at the boy, 16 years old brat, who could barely lift 5kg Sinker when he first met him. Now he was clearly stronger than before.
Boy named Shiro was lost in his thoughts, he had lots of reasons, but all of them were connected in one thing.
"Strenght.. Its becouse I acknowledge you master as one of the greatest masters and Akuma no Michi as the greatest martial art!" He started.
"Dont sugar coat me kid, It wont..." before Kuroki could continue, Shiro interrupted his Master, who interrupted him.
"Its becouse I could tell those things.. Thats the reason! Whats wrong with the weak wanting to be the strongest!!!" Shiro yelled out and could almost feel his throat hurting. A hand made way to his shoulder.
From touch itself it could be told how hardened is the skin on that hand, how much pain it took to make it reach that level.
".. It took you a long way... But in the end, hear me out as I shall speak the truth. Go out there to this tournament and after it there will be no mistake.. Every mind will acknowledge, every head will bow and every tongue will confess that Shiro Vainglory is the strongest!"
---
Having his hopes of having a fighter friends basicly slammed to the ground by the two out of four people that he was with felt like being stabbed to a heart with Master Gensai's Devil Lance. They had no mercy on Shiro's innocent dream of friendship! Fine, He will find a really good friends somewhere else!
When cold waiter bid his farewell to the group, Shiro had to agree on one thing that they should probably get ready. He smiled widely to the others, a girl in a rather fancy haori and Spears that remind him somewhat of an old Japanese or Chinese warriors of the past, with a quite distractive looks and a long black hair, luckily Shiro's mind was innocent enough to not think about it for too long. Smile was also there for a Guy that looked like a fan. No, not the Electronic device, though that would be useful. No, he looked like a Rock fan of some sort, metal or heavy rock. Shiro didnt know. However, he still though that Isak was quite an edgy looking Fellow. After a few seconds white haired boy said "It was really nice to meet both of you! Do your very best in preliminaries!" And slowly left.

When he walked slightly away he noticed something that almost made him chuckle. Arrogant Bartender getting a Middle finger salut from the frog. Now speaking of a mentioned frog, She was quite bigger than your ordinary Animal, she was also walking on two legs and... Oh wait, she is a human. Silly silly... Anyway.

The frog girl seemed like a chaotic, but pretty nice person. Her title came from a frog hoodie that Shiro had to admit looked funny in a combat tournament but suited her really well.
Same thing could be said about Frog girl friend that was with her. Blonde girl with a cowboy hat and outfit, she seemed to have Guns in her possesion and she gave off an auta of an expierienced shooter.
While both of the cosplayers looked rather cute, there was one more person that cought his eyes attencion. He was wearing a gi, though he didnt gave off the Aura of a martial artist, no it was more like a trickster or a warrior that always had 10 backup plans cuz he knew that original one may fail. A truly interesting person.. And his outfit was rad too, not gonna lie!

He couldnt help but be excited already, all of those people seemed So talented on their own right, specializing in something, that allowed them to be here. He didnt care what the others arrogant asses said, he could tell many of the people here were strong.
He could see some random faces making worried expression in Annie and other Guns owners direction.. Idiots, if you dont have a plan in case to deal with the long ranged gun users then what are you even doing in this tournament?

After he heard that it was time to go to the arena, he quickly dashed forward and fluidly passed through the people that started to push one another out of the way, without noticing our white haired kid.

To say the arena was stunning was an understatement, but becouse of author laziness and fact that the arena was already described two posts before. Shiro suprisingly didnt gave many thought to it and brought some tape to fix the hole in the fourth wall.

However, what was mentioned and detected by the boy's mind was the fact that.. No one he cared about was there to watch him.. But there were reasons to it!
---
A feeling of incoming death.. No matter how often he sees this, Shiro always thinks that his life passes in front of his eyes when he needs to encounter Master's Devil Lance technique. Shiro made the one of his own and two spear hands were coming at each other only for one of them to be pierced by the other. Blood gushed out a bit from the wound and the training had to be put on hold So Kuroki could treat his student injury.
While they sat down on the ground and Kuroki got bandages ready, he asked his student.
"If we take my power to the level system of the tournament. What level do you think that I would be?"
Shiro thought for a minute and answered "Clearly above 20..but I cant Say if its above by 1 or by 5 or by another 20 or 40. Probably cuz I can see in the Flow of power how heavily you are suppresing your own strenght in our spar so I cant guess."
"Hmpf..Played it save, eh?" was his Master reply and then he continued "Shiro.. When I met your power level could be 1..no..even lower than that. You were so fragile that even 4 years younger kids than you could give you an ass whooping.. Now look at you, for those few years after you met me you trained and trained. Your hands were broken, your legs were shaking, your back and torso hurt like if you were hit by a car and head felt Dizzy. Broken Bones, Torn Muscles and bleeding wounds, while you were sweating rivers and now you are phisically stronger than normal adults, having level 5 while you dont use any of the styles of our martial art. But make no mistake.. People you will meet.. They can have Swords and Guns, tricks and illusions or be simply born with God given body and talent. You lack all of those, only thing that is God given to you are your eyes.. But everything else you achieve with your hard work and this hard work will let you win." Sensei said with a smile, after he finished patching Shiro up, he then took a dagger from his bag and quickly made a movement to pierce his hand as well.
"Mas-.." Before Shiro finished, the dagger broke and its blade flew away from intense contact with Kuroki skin which ended with the blade to hit a wall at amazing speed.
"As you can see, Martial arts can make up for a lot of humans Weaknesses. So stay strong... Before the tournament starts I will teach you all my techniques..." He began and approached the wall smashing his back at it and breaking it. "Then even canon fire wont easily harm you.."
---

'Remember Shiro.. In preliminaries use only basic martial moves, Copy techniques of others or use armorclad technique. Dont even think of doing anything more than that.'
Those were his Masters words. As Shiro reminded himself that this is only a stepping Stone.. He was ready for a fight!


(Yes, there is quite a bit Backstory here.. But it was all relevant to Shiro and was here to explain his character and goals a bit more So I hope that you didnt saw those as a waste of time while Reading them)

 

[Void_Nugget]

Deciding to continue the conversation with the larger man later as the announcement that the prelims were beginning, Jake excused himself and turned to walk out the changing room. As he walked he got another few looks at people as they all made their ways to the arena. Once he made it to the arena he was so taken in by the sheer size if the place he practically collided with a guy who seemed pretty exited (Shiro), "oh sorry about that mate, hey I think I saw you in the changing room, you seemed quite nice, the names Jake, isn't this gonna be fun" he said a cheerful glint in his eye as he cooked his head slightly at this new possible friend. "You don't have to respond much now just promise to get through the prelims so we can get properly introduced I like fun people he said with his big old grin. If he could make allies he could easily get information from what they had overheard, also he liked making friends.
@Clite of Dragonbow

 

[Killerbunny the god]

Soon after the two annoying icicles (Ryo and Shiro) left, Isak got up, excused himself to the remaining girl and walked out of the changing room. Just because he had no plans of making friends, he could still act politely towards the contestants. Despite his mischievous nature, he was capable of being polite. As he entered the big arena, he could see how big it was and that there were over a hundred different contestants and at least 10x as many spectators.

This made him second-guess himself even more. Could he really save his sister when there were so many contestants against him? Even if he won, could he really take everyone else's wishes from them just because he beat them in combat? Another part of his brain told him that he had to win. For Jean's sake. And if he won, the wish was his fair and square. A third part just wanted to shout "ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED!!?" to all the spectators if he got the chance.

He looked around at all the other contestants to see who his first target should be. He was no idiot, he knew he had limits. Therefore he would go after those that looked easier to take down. While appearances can be deceiving, this was the best option he had unless he wanted to go up and talk to people. Which he didn't want to. He saw the two icicles again, a frog, another dumb-ass like himself (Jake) and a bunch of other contestants. He saw one of the icicles grab some tape from out of nowhere and stick it to a wall for some reason but then diverted his attention to other contestants. There were some larger groups of people talking to each other; a guy with tattoos all over his body, a boxer, an Assassins Creed wannabe and a sumo wrestler were talking to each other. There was a guy dressed up as Darth Vader, another with so many piercings you'd be able to defeat him with a small magnet and many other weird people. Isak leaned back against a wall and just waited for the preliminaries to start.

 

[Captain Cardboard]

As Annie waited to continue the conversation, she sensed someone approaching. Taeran was quick to notice as well. A teenage boy, one with white hair and wearing some sort of suit. He almost looked like he was dressed like a waiter or barista. Before Annie had the chance to say howdy, he spoke.

"You look like fucking dorks."

Annie blinked in surprise. She supposed she shouldn't be. After all, this was a fighting tournament. Insults and banter was to be expected. But that was just the first thing to say to someone? He began to walk away, and that was when Annie fully processed what happened.
"Excuse me?! What in tarnation did you just say to me?!" Annie exclaimed, storming after the white haired teen. But it was too late. He had disappeared into the crowd of contestants that were making their way to the stage. The cowgirl scowled, shaking her fist in the direction.
"Ah know yer face, yew yellow-bellied son of a gun! Y' best hope we don't cross paths in this here brawl, or I'll put one right between yer eyes!" Annie called after Ryo.

"Lalalalala, I can't hear you~!" Annie looked back in confusion as Taeran called aloud.
"Ah wasn't talkin' ta..." Before Annie could finish her sentance, the frog girl was already wandering off. She seemed distracted by something, had that white haired teen's remark really gotten under her skin? Well, Annie did know frogs had sensitive skin.

"Uh... Good luck!" Annie called after Taeran. The time for the prelims was fast approaching. As folks began to filter out of the locker room, Annie quickly made her way back to her locker and got out the large bundle she had brought in. The cowgirl hung it on one of the locker vents, then pulled the strand of cloth that was keeping the bundle tied together. The bundle unraveled, revealing it's contents. Weapons. A lot of weapons, attached to the inside of the cloth sheet. A rifle, a shotgun, a pair of large knives, a tomahawk, a few revolvers, and a few small pouches that were filled with ammunition and other things. Annie untied the rifle, an older lever action rifle with a gold colored action block. She quickly checked the weapon, making sure it was loaded and in working order before sliding it into the sheath on her back. Next, she untied the tomahawk from the bundle and tested the blade, making sure it was sharp and ready for use before putting it in her belt. With all of her weapons that she was brining into the prelims at the ready, she rolled the bundle back up, tied it up, and put it back in her locker.

Annie followed the rest of the contestants to the arena. She knew it was going to be a large one, but the cowgirl was a little overwhelmed by the sheer number of people in the crowd. It was loud. Very loud. But she couldn't let it get to her. Annie smiled cheerfully, waving to the crowd as she entered into the arena. Speaking of the arena, it was also massive. There was nearly a hundred people here, but there was still plenty of room. It was just a simple, open area. No cover to hide behind, no obstacles to fight around. Just an open area. Not great. Annie scanned the crowd of fighters, but couldn't see Taeran or Adrian the ninja boy. That white haired teen dressed like a barista wasn't anywhere in her line of sight either. As Annie scanned the competition, she noticed that there were a few competitors that were doing the same to here. The closest one, a taller man in a leather jacket with a griffin tattoo on his neck, was standing right next to her and very clearly looking her up and down. Annie waited a moment, but the man continued to do so. She cleared her throat.

"Y' keep lookin' at me like that, an' people might start to get some ideas." Annie said to the man. Although she spoke to him, Annie continued to scan the fighters. The man was silent for a moment.
"This is a martial arts tournament." The man said. "We're not going to sit back and let any random person with a gun and no other training try to burst in an interrupt things."
We... He's part of a group. Not to far behind, Annie noticed there were a three men in fighting gi, as well as a man swinging a chain menacingly and a woman in a cloak. Then there were two more men, in matching leather jackets with the first man, the two armed with switchblades. 8 including the first man, all staring down Annie.
"Ain't exactly polite, th' lot of you ganging up on one woman such as m'self." Annie said to the man with the griffin tattoo.
"If you don't step out of this ring before the match starts, we are going to beat the shit out of you. You may be able to stop one or two of us with those popguns, but not all 8." The man with the griffin tattoo said.

Annie turned to face the group, resting a hand on her Colt Peacemaker on her right hip.
"Apologies, friend. But quittin', well... that's jes something ah can't do." Annie said to the man with the griffin tattoo.

 

[Killerbunny the god]

While Isak was looking around the other contestants, he saw a cowgirl getting ganged up on by a group of about 8 people. It didn't really seem fair to gang up on anyone so he started debating whether or not he should go over there to help the girl out. On the one hand, unsportsmanlike behavior was unsportsmanlike. On the other, he could risk losing to the group if he tried to help. He slapped himself. "Come on, dude. You need to be confident. You're not losing to the first group of idiots you meet" he told himself and approached the group.

"Oh look, a group of people. Ganging up on an innocent girl. Must make you feel so big to know you have such a big unfair advantage. Such strong, strong men. Oh, and a woman pretending to be from Assassins Creed" he said with such a big grin it was hard to know whether or not he actually meant what he said. To emphasize what he was saying, he pulled out one of his daggers and pointed it towards the group to ready himself for the tournament to begin.

 

[Captain Cardboard]

Annie stared down the members of the group as they slowly approached. Sensing yet another person approaching, Annie glanced back to size them up. A boy, about her age that stood nearly half a foot taller then her. He was thin, but with his hoodie it was hard to tell if he was scrawny or lean. Annie had noticed this guy earlier in the locker room, recognizing the piercings on his lip and ear. She also clocked the daggers on his belt. As he approached, the teen made it clear he was not affiliated with the group that was going to attack Annie. The leader of the group, the man with the griffin tattoo, scowled at Isak's interference. The woman in the cloak frowned, and seemed more confused at Isak's comment then insulted. She looked down at her cloak.

"Life isn't fair, kid. We're not going to sit around and let this hick shoot us down." The man with the griffon tattoo said, crossing his arms. "And isn't it more unfair that people like us who put in the actual training for martial arts should get beaten just because someone brought a gun to this tournament? Does that seem fair?"
"Pretty sure they wore something more like jackets in Assassin's Creed and not cloaks..." The woman muttered, looking back up to Isak and Annie. The group began to spread out slightly, still moving closer but now also having Isak in their sights.

Annie frowned at Isak, then sighed and shook her head.
"Ah'm much obliged, stranger. But ah ain't no damsel in need of savin'. Ah can handle m'self." Annie said to Isak. The cowgirl was still on guard, watching Isak carefully along with the rest of the group. For all she knew, he'd decide to jump her right as the competition started.
"Move along, punk. This doesn't concern you." One of the other men in the leather jackets called over to Isak, the one with the scar on his right cheek.

 

[DevVoid]

Vermin wanted to respond, right until he had noticed that the preliminaries were just around the corner. He had exited the scene and went back to his locker, quickly checking if there wasn't anything else he should be putting away. On further inspection, there really didn't seem to be anything worth storing in there. At least, nothing that he hadn't needed for the battle, as he was sure his supply of tennis balls and baseballs would come in handy sooner or later.

Closing his locker, Vermin headed to the arena, following alongside the mass of contestants. The light struck his face, causing him to close his eyes as they adjusted, but not flinching much otherwise. Heading up to the fighting platform, Vermin could really take in all the people he would have to face, a cocky grin working its way on his face as he looked across the heads of everyone in his view. His examination had stopped when he could hear some clear words amidst all the noise, spoken a short distance to his left.

" Didn't think they'd just pick any disgusting shmuck off of the street.. "

Vermin turned to face who had said this. It appeared to be an older man, seemingly somewhere in-between 40 and 50. Wearing some kind of gi, a bushy, brown beard on his black-eyed face with all hair shaven off. What a weird getup, the trash batter had thought. Some kind of martial artist? Or just some nerd who's watched one too many Bruce Lee movies? Either way, it was time for some banter before the fight began. It may not be as fun as actual fighting.. but it sure as hell was fun getting a reaction out of people who were so stupid to mock him.

" That kind of mawckery, com'n' from the midlife crisis in bathrobes? You're a real comedian, pal. "

" You dare disrespect the Goju Clan?! You will come to regret your words!! "

Looks like he hit a nerve. Perfect. Just as this stranger said this though, seven other guys turned to Vermin, all wearing the same uniform, only difference being differently-coloured belts. The man himself had a black belt, while all the others had coloured variants. Ooh, a martial arts class. How exciting.

" Buddy, that ain't the only thing I'm gawnna disrespect heeuh. You and youh choih boys bettah give me a good show. Y'know, before ah bash youh skulls in too fast! "

 

[Killerbunny the god]

“I think having guns put a bigger target on your back. Not only is it attracting incels like you guys by just carrying guns around, but they’re also loud and will attract even more attention. So no, I don’t think it’s more unfair for her to carry guns” Isak said. He ignored the woman that was confused about his Assassins Creed comment, better to leave her confused for as long as possible so she’d be distracted when the whole thing started.

When the girl next to him began talking, he turned his head towards her but kept his dagger in direction of the group.
“I don’t doubt you could handle yourself. When the fight’s fair. You look like you fight an ox every day before breakfast. Don’t worry, I’m not here to team-up with you. Like I said, guns are loud. I’d rather stay away from them for as long as possible. Unless I want to take down someone with a gun. And just as a precaution…” Isak said and pulled out his other dagger, keeping it ready in case the cowgirl would attack him.

Finally he turned to the last guy who spoke. A man with a scar on his right cheek.
“Hate to break it to you but this is a fighting tournament that I participate in. Who my opponents are is definitely my business” he told him, nonchalantly.

 

[Schrift]

Ryo had noticed that less and less people were now entering the arena. Wow, how could so many people be here and yet there is still space to easily fight. How big was this place? Ryo's eyes scanned the room for people with weapons... yes weapons. Weapons. He had to scout them all out. Those people were his targets in this tournament. Though he was curious, what was going on? Where are the brackets? The rings? This was nothing like he was expecting. It confused him. Though his attention was turned towards the announcer from the broadcast as the drones began to turn towards him and focus on him.

"Here in this arena we have gathered fighters, all here for one goal... to achieve their greatest desire! This is an all style martial art tournament, with fighters from any background using any martial art are allowed to compete! Furthermore there is no timer and any weapon is allowed! The only way you can win is by knocking out your opponent or getting them to surrender! Preliminaries will narrow down our list of fighters to the best ones who will move onto the next round of the tournament!". The man put his arm around one of the participants, "we will be using your wristbands to monitor your vitals, should you be injured severely we can monitor your vitals and heal you immediately. It is impossible to die so long as you have your wristbands on! That being said, don't hold back whatsoever! Whoever survives from the prelims, and even win the tournament, will have their wish granted so remember what you're fighting for!". He gave the participant a small smack on the back before his face turned into a sneer once more. "That was a good enough explanation... right? Heh, we now ask you to begin the fight... yes, now".

The audience went quiet, cheers halted and the noise dropped into almost absolute silence. Nobody spoke, the tension becoming so thick it'd take a knife to cut it. Ryo stared around, what was supposed to happen? Fight? What should he do? Everyone was quiet. But then chatter began to spread as both the audience and participants wondered what they were supposed to do. The air was cold, an uneasiness grew within the arena. What was going to happen?

CRACK The silence was broken as Ryo felt a sharp pain from his back, a blunt force for sure. Ryo whipped his head around as he stumbled forward slightly, behind him was a female staring back at him, a grin across her face as she held a wooden sword tightly in her hands. She seemed confident that her attack on Ryo was effective. Oh boy this didn't sit well with Ryo. As Ryo approached, the fighter swung back once again with her sword. This time Ryo side stepped it, countering with a punch to her face. This caused her to falter. She turned around to see Ryo with a maniacal smile on his face, the first smile he had on all day. As she came back for another strike, raising her sword high, Ryo took the opening to return a strike. Lunging forward, hands in pockets, he sent his foot deep into her front. As it sunk in a crack echoed in the arena, there goes her ribs. The first participant was down and rather easily. As Ryo looked down he realised that her level was less than half of his, a measly level 4.

After the little scuffle, the participants were starting to realise... the first round of the tournament was no bracket but a last man standing fest. And now all carnage broke out as fighters started targeting each other. Bodies hit the canvas, people were throwing kicks and punches, grapplers putting people into submission, weapon wielders targeting non weapon wielders, fighters targeting lower level fighters it was an absolute slug fest. Oddly enough though no charyeoks were seen yet. Yet...

Ryo turned to the first two participants he saw one with nun chucks another with brass knuckles. He smirked as he walked up to them in a calm demeanour. He dodged the first punch thrown with minimal ease as he was met with a knee from the other fighter. Ryo blocked the knee, before grabbing the opponent by his head and slamming him down onto the canvas before raising his foot and sending an axe kick to his chest. The other opponent seemed scared, almost too scared to do anything. But Ryo showed no mercy as he threw a gut punch, making the poor fighter keel over before being met with a knee to the head. Ryo's style was wild and merciless, it had no proper form or technique it was almost like a bar fighter. He smiled at the carnage as he walked on to see what else was in store for him. The God of Highschool Tournament had officially started.

 

[Captain Cardboard]

The man with the griffon tattoo looked to his companions before laughing and shaking his head.
"Having guns puts a bigger target on your back? Well, you said it yourself kid. The cowgirl here is just reaping what she's sowing." The man said. "And for all the talk of incels, you're the one that's white knighting here. Now scram, two against eight isn't better odds for you."
The man stepped closer to Annie and Isak, taking a standard fighting stance. Legs slightly bent, fists up and ready to hit or defend. Annie stayed where she was, her hand still on her Peacemaker as she stared down the group. When Isak drew his second blade, Annie gave a small sigh and shifted her stance slightly, opening up so she was now facing both the group and Isak.

"Yer actin' wishy-washy, Slim. If yer fightin' me, focus on me. If yer fightin' them, focus on them. If yer not fightin', then scram." Annie said to Isak, staring down the group.

Then the announcer began to speak. While Annie listened, she did not let her gaze move from the group. The man with the griffon tattoo smirked, stepping closer once again. Closer... Closer... Until he was a little over an arm's length from Annie.
"This is yer last chance, all of y'all. Jus' walk away from me an' fight someone else." Annie said to the group quietly. None of them showed signs of their resolves wavering.

"Heh, we now ask that you begin the fight... yes, now." The announcer said. The members of the harassing group appeared... confused. As in, now now? A few moments later, towards the middle of the arena, a sound of a scuffle could be heard.

That was all Annie needed.

Blam! BlamblamblamblamBLAM!

Six gunshots rang out in quick succession. Before the man with the griffon tattoo had time to react, Annie had drawn her Colt Peacemaker. Aiming from the hip, she shot him in the stomach. The man with the griffon tattoo folded like a sack of potatoes. Sliding her right foot back, Annie fanned the hammer of her revolver and continued to shoot from the hip. Her second shot hitting the man in the leather jacket and the scar on his right cheek directly in his right shoulder. He spun and fell to the ground, dropping his switchblade. The third shot hit his friend, the third man in the leather jacket, in his right forearm. The man gasped in pain as his sank to his knees, his switchblade clattering to the ground. The fourth shot hit the man with the chain in the gut, and much like the leader, he folded and sank to the ground. Shots five and six hit two of the men dressed in gi, hitting the first one's left knee and the second one's right knee. Both of them cried out in pain as the fell to the ground, but it was lost to the sounds of gunshots.

Less then a second has passed.

The third man in a gi stared at the writhing forms of his allies in surprise, caught off guard at the suddeness, speed, and loudness of the last few moments. The woman in the cloak threw her cloak open, drawing a pair of short swords and charging towards Annie. The man with the griffon tattoo struggled to his knees, attempting to stand up to attack Annie.

Annie drew the Colt Thunderer on her left hip.

Blam!

Shifting to face the man with the griffon tattoo, Annie fired a shot into the man's right shoulder. The bullet knocked the man off his feet and onto his back. Annie shifted her aim to the woman in the cloak, opening her stance and using her right arm to support her aim.

Blam!

The bullet hit the cloaked woman in her right knee. She fell, faceplanting onto the ground. Her shortswords flew out of her grip, skidding away from her. The last man in the gi seemed to snap to awareness, and began to run towards Annie.

Blam!

The third bullet hit the last man in his right knee as well, and like the woman he faceplanted into the ground.

Less than two seconds had passed.

Annie shifted her stance once more, aiming the Colt Thunderer she held in her left hand at Isak. But she did not shoot, and stared at him expectantly. Suddenly all of Annie's senses felt like they were dialed up to 11.
"Well, Slim? We fightin' or naw?" Annie asked Isak. She was trying to keep a calm appearance, but her adrenaline was already rushing and making it rather difficult. She could sense the eyes of other competitors on them, and it was only a moment before those other competitors decided they wanted to try to rush her.

 

[=Nightshade=]

“We now ask you to begin the fight. Yes, now.”

Before the second “now” had been spoken, Taeran had dropped into a ready stance in Snake style. The nearest participants didn’t seem to realize that the battle had begun, but she had been trained to expect the unexpected and always be ready. Her movements were almost slow, almost gentle, like the surface of a river with deceptively calm eddies concealing deadly riptides.

Throat, then knee, smooth movements buckled Taeran’s first opponent by the time anyone had barely registered the battle had begun. As he stumbled and began to turn, Taeran slipped behind him, following his momentum and twisting her limbs around his. The difference in size made Taeran seem like a backpack on the man, but a quick twist of her body dislocated both his shoulders and brought him to his knees with a bellow of pain.

From across the arena, the sound of gunfire bloomed in her ears, sparking an explosion of combat that suddenly picked up. A whistle from behind Taeran’s right ear made her disengage quicker than she meant to, and as she dropped back into her stance, a knife that had missed her neck stabbed into the upper back of the poor soul who Taeran had just immobilized. The man cried out again, sobbing with his face on the ground, arms limp at his sides. Clearly he hadn’t prepared very well for a martial arts tournament.

The knife wielder took a moment to realize she had missed her intended target, then looked up with a feral gleam in her eyes. She thoughtfully ran her tongue along the blade, revealing unnaturally sharp teeth. “I didn’t know they were allowing children to enter, now,” she purred, gliding closer. Taeran held her ground, almost hovering, Dwight’s senses fully in tune with hers. “But what a ruthless child you are!” She bit the tip of the knife, teeth sliding along the metal with a sound like nails on chalkboard.

Wait for it…

Wait for it… Dwight agreed.

Now! Dwight and Taeran were completely in sync with the prediction of when the wild-haired woman would charge. Her body leaped, transitioning seamlessly from Snake to Tiger form as she landed lightly on the shoulders of the bulky man behind her who was currently smothering another contestant in his abs. The woman didn’t even try to stop her momentum, simply changing her directly just slightly to stab the massive butcher knife into the liver of the man Taeran was perched on, and he roared, buckling forward further. A horrible crunching sound came from below, where he had been holding the other contestant in a death grip, along with a higher pitched scream of pain.

A chorus of battle cries, screams, and the sounds of weapons and knuckles on flesh was punctuated with hoots and hollers from the audience. Taeran continued to leap lightly across the shoulders of other contestants, the wild knife wielder following her through the crowd, slashing and stabbing people out of her way. When the frog girl had made her way to the edge of the arena, the woman with the knife still on her tail, Taeran leapt onto the cage, finding finger- and toe-holds in the fine mesh.

The woman began to throw knives instead, unable to reach her from the ground with her cleaver. Her coat flapped open slightly with her movements, revealing that the entire inside of it was covered in pockets, each with a hilt sticking out of it. Taeran studied her movements, confirming the patterns she had picked up through the chase.

“She’s just a little kid!” someone shouted from the section of audience directly behind her. A vein popped on Taeran’s forehead. Other voices chorused their agreement. “Leave the kid alone! Where’s your sense of honor?!”

Half of Taeran wanted to cuss out the audience members at full volume. The other half was Dwight.

Attack her, you dolt! You know her patterns, now go Falcon on her ass! You can flip off the audience later!

Taeran grudgingly agreed, her fingers curling in the mesh of the cage before pushing off, launching herself down at the woman. A knife flew, missed, and then Taeran was practically on top of her, a whirl of constant motion. A disarm and a backhand to the temple sent the woman sprawling. She didn’t get back up.

It had been at most two minutes since the battle had begun, and there were already so many fighters down. It seemed there was a clear gap between who had the potential to reach the finals and who didn’t. But now that those who weren’t ready had been eliminated, Taeran knew the battles would only get more intense from here. And yet, despite this knowledge, she couldn’t help but locate the person who had first called out in her defense (albeit by calling her a child), and give them a little wave— which, on further inspection, had one finger raised.

The girl flipped her hood up and dropped back into Snake, cool, lazy confidence returning to her stance, prepared for her next assailant.

 

[Killerbunny the god]

When the announcement came and the cowgirl started shooting, Isak had to admit to being impressed. He didn't even need to do anything. The girl was fast in her reactions. The group of people deserved what came to them and Isak gave the girl a nod out of respect. He put one dagger back in it's sheath but kept the other one trained on the girl.
"Well, I don't see a reason in fighting each other now. You're clearly good and I'd prefer to take down the weaklings first. Gotta save your strength for the stronger ones, you know?" He said. And with those words, he took off without even saying "bye". The truth was, he still hesitated to actually use his daggers. That girl clearly had no remorse for what she did and that's why he took off. No way he could compete with that.

Isak was no slouch, he was fast, agile and could get through small spaces pretty easily. He weaved through different crowds and fights. He still couldn't quite bring himself to stab someone but he knew that he had to. "Come on, Isak. Don't be a coward. It's not like they're gonna die anyway. The nanotech in the wristbands prevents it" he thought.

He gritted his teeth and ran towards a random guy with his blades drawn. The guy had his back towards Isak so he took that opportunity to literally stab the guy in the back with both daggers at the same time. He could hear the guy gasp for air as the blades sunk in. He pulled out the daggers and kicked the unconscious body to the ground. He was shaken. He had done this. He had actively harmed another human being for the sake of getting his wish. His thoughts were cut short when a woman came at him with a sword, aiming for his chest. Isak ducked and sprung forward to stab the woman in the stomach. He was successful and continued on his path to take down some more people. His guilt for harming other people would have to wait.

 

[Void_Nugget]

Jake was dragged away from his intended conversation as the announcement for the start of the tournament was made, processing that this was some kind of last man standing event Jake immediately took a low stance and pulled out his dagger. With a grin he dashed forward into the mass of people, carving a path through the crowd as he went, slashing and hacking at people left and right. He moved fast, making sure to always keep moving, if he stopped he could be attacked and he would prefer to not have to deal with defence right now. This plan was almost instantly put on hold as after easily dealing with around 12 people he was suddenly knocked onto his back by a punch to his chest. Recovering quick he got to his feet and glared at his attacker, the large man grinned as he prepared to strike once more. When the large man threw his punch Jake grinned and swiftly dodged under it with trained flexibility and and in a swift motion sliced clean through the mans arm, severing it just above the elbow. The man backed away with a cry, eyes wide and erratically shifting between Jake and the severed arm on the ground, Jake stood and twitched slightly, a voice in the back of his head reminded him that his insanity levels were getting dangerously high, usually he would have paid more heed to such a warning but with so many possible threats around him he figured he would probably have to keep fighting meaning he was gonna have to dance on the line of full insanity to succeed here. The large man having gotten past the shock of losing an arm let out a angry yell as he lunged at Jake while he was slightly unfocused, the cry alerted him and with a swift back kick he stunned the man before lunging forward and slashing the mans chest and throat and leaving him bleeding on the ground. With that dealt with he examined the best next target only to discover a large group of people approaching him, he had left himself open to third parties like an idiot and now he had to figure out his best course of action, his time to do so was cut short with the first attack that he dodged and the onslaught began, going for a defensive version of his combat style he dealt with a least half before taking the opportunity to slink away, an impressive feat considering his size. Once among the masses once more he returned to his tactic of keeping on the move while dealing with anyone who got in his way, keeping wary to not lose control.