Match #13: Genesis VS Jecht

[Larxene]

Alright folks the tournament has finally been judged and thus the next round of matches can begin. This match will be between Genesis and Jecht! The first one to post will be Jecht who has three days to get out his post.

You may begin!

[malachi]

Jecht was grumbling as he made his way back to the waiting area. The Heartless he fought as an opponent was... kinda disappointing. She (did Heartless have a gender? Jecht wasn't sure.) was strong, sure, but the Blitz King felt like she wasn't giving it her all, thinking Jecht couldn't handle her at full strength. Well, now she had the snot beaten out of her and Jecht left the arena in victory. She shouldn't have messed with the best.

After Jecht's wounds were tended to, he moved back towards the tournament listings and saw his name had moved up to the semi-finals. Jecht smirked that arrogant little smirk he always had whenever he knew the Blitzball trophy was close at hand. Two more opponents and he'd be the Champ. Jecht massaged his shoulders as he waited for the reveal of his next opponent and soon he was not disappointed.

Genesis.

Jecht smiled a bit. So he was chosen to be the Champ's next opponent. Well, he didn't think it'd be easy to win this tournament. The short, squat satyr walked up to him with a scowl on his face. "Well, it looks like you're going up against the champ! I got three words for you! Lose. Graciously." Phil said as he crossed his arms and scowled at Jecht. However, Phil was immediately shocked by Jecht's next reaction. The former Sin laughed uproariously.

"You think I'm just going to give up?! What would people say if the Great Jecht just up and lost the match? You must have grass on the brain, Goat Boy!" Jecht exclaimed as he walked off, leaving a furious Phil to be restrained by Hercules. Eventually, the satyr calmed down and started announcing the match. He first announced Genesis and as the Crimson Hero arrived, his throng of fans cheered and chanted his name. The feeling in the stadium was electric, the tension incredibly high. After all, not only was this a semi-finals match, it was a match between two charismatic, powerful individuals.

"Right and the champion's opponents is none other than the man who arrived relatively unknown but has quickly proven himself to be a powerful opponent." Phil yelled, "But will he have the strength to beat the Champion? There's only one way to find out! Please welcome, THE GREAT JECHT!"

Jecht's own throng of fans roared as loud, if not louder than Genesis's fans, in an attempt to have their own competition with them. Jecht sauntered into the arena, then stopped. For the past two opponents, he just walked in. But this was the champion. First impressions were an absolute must. So Jecht jumped high into the sky and landed in the arena, making a small crater when he did so. He then smirked at red-coated man. Jecht got a distinctly familiar vibe from Genesis, but he couldn't pin down what.

"So, you're the champion, huh?" Jecht said, "You remind me of someone else, but I can't think of who it is for the life of me. Ah well, doesn't matter much now." Jecht embedded his sword in the ground and massaged his shoulder and cracked his neck, before picking the sword back up. "Well, you better not hold back! This old man's got more kick in him than you think and I'm going to go all out against you. Only fair that I get the same in return, don'tcha think?" Jecht then got ready and smirked again, the fans of both fighters cheering their favorite on. "Oh and remember. It ain't no shame to lose to ME!"

Jecht then rocketed forward, closing the distance between the two fighters like a bullet. He then started the fight off with his usual combo of "beating the snot out of the opponent like it's a bar brawl." He punched, kicked, slashed at and even threw in a couple headbutts for good measure before jumping backwards and pointing at Genesis and charging his sword for his Jecht Blade attack.

------

OoC Note: Here's a theme for this fight. Of course, Gendaj can provide his own!

Oh and I wish you luck, Gendaj and let's make this fight a spectacle!

[Genesis Rhapsodos]

It was no surprise to have been the victor over the last match, but there was going to be no lies in saying it was anything but easy. On the contrary. She may have just looked like an ordinary young girl who really shouldn't have been entering the tournament in the first place, but you should never judge a book by it's cover. The young woman reminded him of a Tonberry. Cute and innocent looking, but hidden beneath was a dangerous opponent. There were several moments in that last match where she could have easily overcome him. He was impressed, no doubt about that. First his employee and now this young woman? He had to ponder, was there going to be anyone else just as extraordinary as his past two matches? The fact remained that his next match was going to be harder then the past two put together. It was how tournaments worked. Unless you were extremely lucky, usually the weak lost and the strong survived.

The Crimson SOLDIER turned about where he stood, casting his attention away from the current progression board, half the fighters names now crossed off with the remaining proceeding onto the next round. It was the Semi-Finals now... Two more wins and the current Champion was going to be the King once more. Could he do it? Did he WANT to do it? From the reactions the audience and his fans gave him, they certainly wanted to see him reach the top once more. It was strange really, for during his time on Gaia when he and Angeal discovered their unpleasant past, he did have his fan club, mostly those who were just as obsessed with LOVELESS as he was. He didn't recall having any fans or followers who praised him for his strength, his fighting abilities... It felt... nice. He did feel like a Champion to them and it was that feeling which drove him to continuing onwards, to prove to both himself as well as his fans that he was the best. Not Cloud, or Sephiroth or Angeal or whoever else existed out there. No. He was the best. Genesis Rhapsodos was the best!

Goat-man Phil soon appeared by his side and tugged at the crimson coat to get the SOLDIER's attention. Genesis turned and glanced down to his feet, spotting the satyr peering back up at him. Turning and kneeling down as not to be rude, Genesis nodded his head and greeted the Goat-man.
"How you feeling Champ? Ready to go another round?"
Genesis just smiled and nodded his head slightly.
"I presume the next match is going to be harder then the rest put together?"
"No doubt about that kid. This next guy is tough. Built like a behemoth and hits just as hard as one. I'd not let your guard down for a second!"
Genesis stood back up and glanced over his shoulder, his eyes peering about as he spotted some of the other contestants in this Tournament, some of the victors and losers. For a second, the Crimson SOLDIER thought he laid eyes upon a old opponent of the last Tournament... 'Artemis'... but there was too big a crowd of fans gathering, trying to make their way to their seats for him to be sure.
"Thanks for the advice, Phil."
Genesis spoke casually as he turned to give the satyr and small grin. He nodded his head and turned about, making his way to the waiting area for the competitors and awaited for his time to head back out into the arena once more.

"Ladies and Gentleman!! Moogles and Chocobos!! Friends, guests, visitors and children of all ages!!"
Phil's voice echoed over the roaring the audience were giving off, whom only seemed to get louder and more excited nowing that since Phil was speaking, the next match, the Semi-Finals, were about to begin.
"The Semi-Finals are upon us!! Hold onto your hats and cheering as loud as you can to energize your favorite contestant!! Making his way to the ring... this man doesn't need an introduction, for he is your current Champion and best in the business.... GENESIS RHAPSODOS!!!"
The roars were amazing, enough so that the goosebumps on the SOLDIER's arms caused him to smirk as he felt the electricity crackling through his body as well as about the entire arena. To be part of something so spectacular, to help provide entertainment for the citizens of this and all other worlds, to bring light to the darkness and bring smiles to peoples faces... Genesis was going to win this match. With that in mind, he walked out of the shadows and across the sanded area surrounding the raised fighting stage. Stepping up onto the platform, Genesis made his was into the center where he raised a hand and turned about slowly on the spot, waving to the crowds as they continued to scream and chant his name.

As Phil introduced his opponent, one known as 'Jecht', Genesis turned about and stood his ground, watching through narrowed eyes as someone who's ego was even bigger then his sword strode into the arena. His expression was cold and hard, and remained so, even when the Blitzball Ace leaped into the air and crashed down into the arena right before him. Genesis was clearly unimpressed with his act, but knew very well that this guy was going to take something special to defeat. As Jecht spoke, he wasn't graced with any reply. Was this guy for real? This man was even worse then Sephiroth was... Looked like someone was going to have to put this 'Jecht' in his place and show him that being egotistical doesn't make you a good fighter. Flashy moves and abilities are useless if they looked awesome but cannot hit their target.
"You've already lost..."
Was all Genesis said in reply, barely audible thanks to the cheers and noise the audience was making.

Jecht made the first move it seemed and from the looks of it, the Blitz Ace was deliberately being reckless as if wanting to test how tough Genesis was. Perhaps if he was able to land several blows from this 'wild thrashing', then Jecht would be able to judge how much strength he'd have to need? While the speed in which Jecht used to close to gap between them was impressive, his attacks were not. Summoning his Rapier to hand with a stream of flame from his palm, the SOLDIER ducked, weaved and dodged any attack sent his way as he slowly started to step backwards as the Juggernaut before him stepped closer. Any slashes of that massive sword where he parried away with a smash of steel upon steel, Genesis using his Rapier to avoid damage from that over-sized weapon and throughout, the Crimson SOLDIER's bright blue eyes never once left those of Jecht's. Genesis stood his ground when the bear-like man jumped away and pointed at him. That little display of childish behavior didn't even deserve a reply from the SOLDIER, physically at least.
"Have you warmed up now? Please take this seriously... defeating you without having to try would be a disappointment. Phil warned me you're tough, so prove it."

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OOC - Love that tune =D I'll throw in this one and stick in this one too to see if I can help add inspiration for your next post =D

Best of luck to you!

[malachi]

Jecht smiled as Genesis proved that title wasn't just for show. What he didn't dodge, he matched Jecht blow for blow. As he charged Jecht Blade, the Blitz King was grinning ear to ear. "Oh, we're going to have some fun! About time, too! Zack wasn't too bad, but the last person I had to fight was so disappointing. You, though! You deserve to be the champ, I can already tell!" Jecht rarely, if ever, gave out respect like this, but he had to give credit where it was due. This Genesis guy was not going to give Jecht an easy time, which was just fine with Jecht. "Right, well, enough with the flattery, let's continue the party, shall we?"

With that, Jecht sped at Genesis again and released Jecht Blade right at Genesis's body, his swings empowered by his own fiery aura that had been invested in the blade. He then yelled, "One more!", as he launched the finisher to that special move, before moving in and, hoping to use whatever aftermath to that attack to his advantage, launched another brawling combo at Genesis, wishing to strike home this time.

After those two attacks, Jecht jumped back again and pondered his next move, ready for Genesis to strike back. A thought crossed his mind. If I don't hurt this guy with those attacks, I may have to resort to my Plan B... I just hope this guy survives it. He seems nice enough. Jecht thought as he braced himself.

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

Jecht Blade: Cooldown - Two Rounds

[Genesis Rhapsodos]

((OOC -- The moment I was just about to his Post Reply, my PC had a Blue Screen of Death and I thought I was going to have to write this all out again. Fortunately, my PC made a backup and saved the text. I love and hate this PC so very very much...))

Gripping the long crimson weapon tightly within his right hand, the SOLDIER kept his bright blue eyes locked upon the figure of the man before him, eyes narrowed as he kept his concentration focused and guard up. Even if Phil didn't say anything to him backstage, the One of Three knew that this guy was strong, ridiculously so at that. Perhaps not on the same page as Sephiroth was, but close enough to make him a deadly opponent if not taken seriously. He didn't seem to have any trouble swinging that massive weapon about much like how Strife could wield his. That would make for possible surprise attacks at unexpected directions and speeds. The best solution to winning this match was by not letting Jecht out of his line of sight. His body was muscular but all that mass didn't seem t effect the Blitz King's agility and Genesis knew fully well that his little 'tantrum' of an attack a moment ago was just child's play. Everything else was bound to come at him faster and stronger.

So what should the Crimson SOLDIER do other then keeping his guard up and eyes on him? His Clone took a beating in the last match against Naminé and with thanks to Genesis finishing the clone off himself, he figured the degraded version of himself would not co-operate so much this time around. Wold be wise not to rely on him then... and it was also a good job that the LOVELESS fanatic didn't have access to his summon materia either... for starters... that would just be showing off and would also be a compete waste of the summon's strength, having to squash just one man. Besides that, the Megaflare attack of both Bahamut and his powered up brother, FURY, would more then likely decimate the entire audience watching these matches. Looks like the SOLDIER was just going to have to rely on his swordsmanship and magical prowess. So with that sorted, the SOLDIER peered at the Blitzball Player curiously as he spoke up, charging that huge sword of his with some sort of power. Did he just mention Zack's name??!

"You fought Zack...?"
Genesis asked, his tone carrying much interest. But maybe this was some sort of dirty trick? Sephiroth was also present in the previous matches... did he go up against this guy and lose? Maybe the One Winged Angel didn't want the Crimson SOLDIER to win and had told Jecht some information that might throw him off balance and off guard? But what if Sephiroth didn't say anything and Zack actually went up against this guy and lost? That cannot be true either... Zack was powerful... enough to defeat the LOVELESS fanatic... but thinking back, Genesis was badly degraded at that time. Whatever Jecht's plan, Genesis was indeed distracted enough in his thought to momentarily forget about the Tournament he was competing in, and by time he managed to return to reality, his bright blue eyes widened as he noticed his opponent speeding towards him again.

"Shoot..."
Genesis hissed through clenched teeth as he swung his Rapier around and smashed the blade into that of Jecht's a metallic clank echoed about the arena, loud enough to be heard over the cheering fans whom now grew louder thanks to the fighters getting things started. Caught off guard, Genesis's face became enraged as he felt the power of Jecht's first swing knocked his Rapier too far away for him to bring it back to counter the second strike. Instead, the Crimson SOLDIER simple dug his heels into the floor and threw his body backwards till his shins were upright but the rest of him was near parallel to the ground, Matrix style. Jecht's second swing missed by inches... perhaps less then that. Time was off the essence and Genesis punched his left hand into the ground to flip himself away from the Blitzball player's third strike, rotating about the behemoth of a man and flipping back up onto his feet. Holding his Rapier as firmly as he could, he pushed the blade forth into Jecht's next swing, though his arms vibrated with pain from the impact of steel upon steel and his entire body was forced backwards from the impact. His guard broken, Genesis could do nothing but clench every muscle in his body and wait for the pain to hit him from however many attacks remained.

Fortunately there were only two more attacks ((OOC- Jecht Blade is a 6 hit combo, correct?)), but both of those left two nice slices across the SOLDIER's torso and when Genesis found out what had happened and where he was, he noticed he was flying backwards through the air. Blinking to make the stars go away, Genesis tucked his legs into his stomach and flipped himself out his mini-flight to land back upon his feet with the sound of leather scrapping across the floor. His long crimson coat seemed to have survived the attack so far and although the crowds were yelling and screaming with excitement, the only sounds to reach the SOLDIER's ears was his own breathing and the sound of his coat flapping in the wind as he fell and rested about his legs. However, a small grin had appeared across the SOLDIER's lips and the instant he felt himself stop skidding backwards, he launched himself straight back at the behemoth before him, noticing that he too was heading in for more attacks.

With Rapier in hand, Genesis unleashed a Counter Attack, temporarily forgetting about the damage that was inflicted upon him and digging into his SOLDIER strength, his Rapier began to glow a bright red as he released a Dancing Sword Counter. Like Jecht, this was his six-hit combo. However, instead of flailing his weapon about in brute strength, Genesis aimed his attacks carefully to try and cut down some of Jecht's speed and strength. The first two slashes of his Rapier were diagonals, one from right to left and the second left to right. These were aimed at Jecht's arms. Next came the three stabbing thrusts. Two were aimed at Jecht's thighs, one each and the final at his stomach. Finished off, Genesis jumped into the air up and over the Blitzball player, landing on the ground behind him in a crouch as he stabbed the Crimson Rapier into the floor, causing a shock wave to erupt from him and hopefully knocking the massive muscular man away.

-=Cooldowns=-

Counter Attack - 3 Posts. -- Genesis rushes forth, ignoring all damage done to him for the duration of whatever attack he plans to unleash.

Dancing Sword - 2 Posts -- Genesis swings his Rapier in a fast 6-hit combo. 2 diagonal slashes followed by three forward thrusts with the final attack being a jump into the air and stabbing of the Rapier into the ground. A large shock wave erupts from the stab and knocks away all nearby objects.

[malachi]

Jecht smirked as Genesis seemed shocked that he had fought Zack. Only one conclusion could be reached. "Oh, you know 'im!" Jecht exclaimed, "Yeah, he was a good fighter, but I beat him in the end. Good guy, though. You seem surprised that I beat him. Heh, kid, if you knew me, you'd know I'm an arrogant jerk, but the one thing I won't lie about is when I win."

The Brutal Blitzer then thanked his luck that he braced himself for Genesis's next attack. He was amazed that the former SOLDIER seemed to just plain ignore the damage dealt to him. Jecht then figured that this guy was in no way ordinary. Sure, Zack wasn't either, but this guy was in a different league than him. As Genesis attacked, Jecht blocked the first diagonal slice, but the second one was too fast for him to block. He winced, but kept on his feet. The third stab hit his thigh, but the next two slices were blocked. Then the Shockwave pushed Jecht back away from Genesis. Jecht skidded to a halt and turned to him.

Sure, he could ignore the pain. The damage wasn't as bad as it looked, since it took a lot more than just that to down the Final Aeon. However, how long could he keep this up against the Champion? If they kept trading blows, the outcome was a lot more likely to turn out against Jecht's favor, especially if Genesis could just shrug off the blows Jecht dealt. He'd have to be stronger, faster and more durable, enough to last and to land blows that the Hero wouldn't be able to just shrug off. Jecht made a decision. The Plan B was about to be revealed. That didn't mean he had to like it.

"Right... I hate to have to do this, but I'm here to WIN! And you're tougher than you look, so I'm confident you'll survive. So... let's up this ante." Jecht said. He then crossed his arms and an energy started building in the arena that everyone could feel. Like Jecht, it was a wild sort of energy, but it was eldritch, completely inhuman. Genesis might feel it to be similar to the beings sealed within Summon Materia. Of course, why it was similar would be answered rather quickly. Because then Jecht uncrossed his arms and the energy built until it flashed like a torch in the dark, despite it being in the day. Wind flew away from Jecht like a stormy gale.

When Jecht reappeared before everyone, he was in his Final Aeon form. He looked far more ferocious, his armored gauntlet becoming a monstrous claw, the spikes on his shoulder and leg more pronounced, his hair a snow white and his skin not only changed color to a brown, but looked far tougher than before. The symbol on his chest went from black to white. All in all, to the crowd, he seemed in the right to warn Genesis. Even Jecht's fans had been scared into almost silence, unsure of this new form. Jecht took a step forward, glaring at his opponent. He was in control... for now. He hoped the battle would be over before it got out of hand.

Jecht dashed again at the red-coated man, this time much faster than before. He roared as he unleashed another combo, every one of his attacks wreathed in that fiery aura from before. While he was still pretty wild in his attacks, they were more focused if not less ferocious for being so. This combo was intended to make sure Genesis had a hard time getting back from it, aiming his massive sword and limbs at Genesis's torso and head, swinging his sword three times at his torso, punching twice and kicking once, both at his head, his strength unbridled. Jecht clearly had decided not to hold back anymore. Jecht then jumped back and started circling Genesis, like a predator stalking his prey.

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Jecht Blade: Cooldown - One Round

Final Aeon: Duration - Four Rounds

[Genesis Rhapsodos]

The Counter Attack did have it's bonuses as well as it's draw-backs. Genesis grinned to himself as he noticed the look on Jecht's face when he realized that his past two strikes across the SOLDIER's torso didn't seem to falter him in the slightest. While the LOVELESS fanatic knew this would encourage the Blitz King to try even harder to win this match, he also realized that he was going to have to up his own game if he wanted to emerge from this round in one piece, alive, let alone being the victor and continuing on his way through the matches to retain his Champion title. Other then the brown-haired boy whom Genesis had met along with Sephiroth in Radiant Garden, Sora or something like that, he wondered if anyone else had been good enough to win two Tournaments in a row? Though such thoughts were quickly pushed away from his mind. His foe in this match was dangerous and all concentration had to be focused on him.

Having the advantage for a moment thanks to the perk Counter Attack carried, Genesis felt his Rapier slice into the flesh of his opponent, cutting at his shoulder and one of his thighs, though the Crimson SOLDIER had misjudged how much strength to use, as the mountain of muscle before him seemed just as unaffected as he did. At least, that was thanks to the poker face Jecht gave him. Genesis wasn't going to lie. His chest was in agony. That massive sword was hardly going to leave a tiny, painless scratch was it? Genesis was a SOLDIER, one of the best. He wasn't going to show pain or weakness to the enemy through facial expression or physical actions. Only until the match had ended would be either collapse or desperately attempt to heal the wounds he'd received. The shock wave attack of Dancing Sword blew the behemoth away and this gave the SOLDIER a moment to ponder what to do next. Surely this arrogant male was about to rush back in and attempt another 'bar brawl' style attack, no? Or did he actually have something more devastating up his sleeve?

The auburn-haired male had to look at his own cards for a moment. The Clone was out of the question and with no summon materia, Bahamut was not an option either. What to try then? This guy was fast for his size... so maybe taking an aerial advantage might work? Genesis' eyes narrowed as his brow tightened, watching to see what Jecht was going to do.
~I could summon my wing and launch spells at him from the air... Keep him at a distance?~
Genesis took a second to look to his left and then to his right, surveying the size of the raised fighting section of the arena upon which Jecht and himself stood.
~Holy's blast range might up enough to cover this whole area... The trouble is he might jump up towards me away from the blast and make me waste the attack... Though I have got THAT spell...~
Genesis' cut his thoughts off when he returned his eyes to the man before him, remembering what he had said about Zack before Genesis countered him. Raising his Rapier up and pointing the long, slender weapon at the Blitz King, Genesis gave a reply.

"You must have got lucky against Zack. Perhaps the judges favoured you... but I know Zack would not have gone down without a fight and if you beat him as easily as you describe... then I'll have to show you the true strength of a SOLDIER's honour."
The LOVELESS quoter spoke, keeping his Rapier held out at arms length as his bright blue eyes were barely visible due to how narrowed his brow was. Genesis didn't believe Zack would go down so easily unless this guy cheated or that he really was as tough as he made himself out to be. He was simply going to have to make Jecht bring out everything he had to test this. Though it appeared he wasn't going to have to try and provoke him to do so, for a frightening power started to escape from the bear-like man just ahead of him. Watching as he crossed his arms before himself, Genesis felt a familiar power start to gather about the Blitz King. When the blast of wind shot out from Jecht's person, the only thing it effected upon Genesis was his coat that begun to flail out behind him wildly. The SOLDIER kept his Rapier at at arms length, the tip pointed at the center of Jecht's chest and it occurred to Genesis that Jecht was perhaps growing desperate instead of wanting to try and show off anymore.

Peering down at his chest for a second, examining the two cuts he had received there, Genesis knew that this wasn't enough damage dealt to him in order for the SOLDIER to unlock his own true potential. Though the last time he used that attack was against Zack many years ago... He didn't know if he would be able to stay in control of such an attack in such a small vicinity. Returning his attention to his opponent, Genesis noticed that someone new was standing before him now. The aura his heart gave off felt the same, but his appearance was different somewhat. It was like that trick Naminé did against him in the last round of the Tournament. Though when Naminé seemed to turn into someone totally different... it seemed more like Jecht had 'transformed'. This might be a problem. Watching carefully as Jecht suddenly dashed forwards to attack, Genesis knew full well that he was still holding his Rapier out at arms length. It was clear that Jecht would run into the Crimson Rapier before any of his attacks would reach the SOLDIER himself... but the SOLDIER knew better then to rely on something as foolish as allowing his opponent to impale himself on his sword. Instead, he gripped the handle with both hands and shifted his footing to a more solid stance, allowing the behemoth to draw near and attack.

If Jecht was going to use his true power, then Genesis would have to take more damage so he could return the favour.

The Blitz King approached and Genesis' two handed grip tightened on the Rapier's decorative hilt. That fiery glow was a sight to behold but as the behemoth swung his sword at the SOLDIER's torso, Genesis threw everything he had back into it to smashed that huge sword away. The power Jecht now wielded shot though the LOVELESS quoter arms and body as he had to fight hard to hold in a pained wince from escaping his lips. Two more sword swings came at him and Genesis was determined not to let any of them hit his person, less he wanted to be sliced in half. Two more metallic clanks echoed about the arena as Genesis matched Jecht's speed and strength. Though when it came to the Final Aeon's punches and kicks, Genesis surprisingly gave the mountain of muscle a smirk and spread his arms from side to side, inviting him to land his next few blows. Two massive punches and a hard kick to the chest. It hurt. It hurt a LOT and the SOLDIER found himself flying backwards through the air once more, though this time he was unable to catch himself and instead crashed into the strange magical barrier that protected the audience from the action happening in the middle of the Coliseum. A loud magical 'POW' echoed about the Coliseum and Genesis bounced off the invisible barrier, landing back on his feet before staggering a few paces to keep himself from toppling over.

Standing up straight after a second or two, a nice dusty foot print was visible on Genesis's chest as well as two trickles of blood falling from his nose as well as his mouth. Those punches hurt and it felt like his nose was broken in several tiny places. A quick poke of his tongue about his mouth revealed no teeth were knocked out and instead he'd bitten his tongue again which was causing the blood loss. His chest felt like it was on fire and his face felt like he'd just been hit by a truck, but when he locked eyes back onto the Blitz King, Genesis smirked let out a small chuckle.
"I'll be honest... you're as tough as you look."
Genesis said, raising his left hand up and placing it on his neck. He tilted his head off to the left and allowed a satisfying 'crack' to fill the pause in his speaking. Turning his head upright again and lowering his arm back down to his side, the SOLDIER smirked more wildly, hiding the pain he was feeling brilliantly.
"But you've got to do better then that to keep me down."

That being said, Genesis suddenly raised his left arm up to his forehead, raising his shoulders a tad and bowing forth slightly so his smirk turned into a glare as he stared at the circling Jecht viciously. Throwing his arm up to his side, Genesis summoned his Angel Wing, a beautiful black feathered angel wing emerging from his left shoulder blade, shedding a few feathers as it revealed itself. As quickly as the wing appeared did Genesis act again. Flexing his knees, the creaking of leather tightening about his limbs happening as a result of the movement, the SOLDIER 1st Class launched himself up into the air, soaring high enough till he appeared as a mere speck on the cloudless blue sky. Turning at the height of his flight, Genesis allowed gravity to take over and he started to plummet back down to the ground. Nearing his opponent, he spread his single wing and maintained a hover roughly 20 feet above the Coliseum. Here he took hold of his Rapier in both hands and thrust the weapon over his head. A flash of light shone from the tip of the Rapier as a massive, high intricate rune appeared in the sky over Genesis head. Apocalypse

[/b] had been cast, for Genesis still lacked enough damage to unlock his true potential. As the rune in the sky begun to glow brightly, a series of bolts of pure, non-elemental energy begun to rain down upon the arena, all falling with speed and aiming for the behemoth that was Jecht. After a good number of bolts fell, between 20 and 30, the huge rune in the air vanished and Genesis lowered his Rapier to his side, maintaining his mid-air hover and peering down to see what had become of his opponent. He knew it wasn't going to be enough to keep him down for the count and honestly, Genesis would be disappointed if it did.
[/blockquote]

-=Cooldown=-

Counter Attack - 2 Posts. -- Genesis rushes forth, ignoring all damage done to him for the duration of whatever attack he plans to unleash.

Dancing Sword[/b] - 1 Post -- Genesis swings his Rapier in a fast 6-hit combo. 2 diagonal slashes followed by three forward thrusts with the final attack being a jump into the air and stabbing of the Rapier into the ground. A large shock wave erupts from the stab and knocks away all nearby objects.

Angel Wing - Passive -- Genesis summons his Angel Wing from his left shoulder, which increases his speed and agility, as well as granting him the ability to fly.

Apocalypse[/b] - 3 Posts -- Genesis raised his Rapier over his head and a huge rune appears in the sky. The rune glows brightly as several bolts of pure energy rain down upon the unlucky opponent. A flash of light ends the spell, removing the rune from the air.

[malachi]

Jecht smirked as Genesis picked himself off the ground. Yes, he was strong, but now the Hero was visibly injured. He wasn't sure how much energy Genesis still had left, but Jecht was confident he had more. That is, he did until Genesis pulled his own ace from his sleeve. As Genesis unveiled his wing, Jecht glared at him for a bit, then came to a realization. Now he knew who this guy reminded him of. That White-Haired Pretty Boy from the Dissidia War. What his name again? It was something pretentious...

"Another One-Winged Angel?" Jecht asked, his voice deeper and more gravelly, but it was still his. "Well, at least you're a lot more sane looking than that Sephiroth guy. And just so you know, Zack put up a real good fight. Gave this old man some exercise, although admittedly I didn't go quite as far as I am now." Jecht didn't like resorting to this form, but at least he had some control over it. How long it would last, though, was beyond him at the moment.

At that moment, Genesis shot into the air like a bullet. Jecht tried to get a bead on him, but eventually didn't need to as Genesis came back and hovered over his head. That's when he realized that the Man in the Red Coat cast his spell and it was a doozy of a spell at that. But Jecht roared in defiance as the energy blasts headed for him. As they were about to hit him, Jecht swung his weapon this way and that, deflecting the blasts away from his person and exploding around the arena, creating a nice cloud of dust. Unfortunately, the cloud of dust obscured Jecht's vision before he could deflect all of them so he was hit by the last few. And when he got hit by those blasts, he thanked his good skill that he didn't get hit by ALL of them. He was able to stay on his feet, being far tougher in this form, but he had strong doubts he could weather the whole attack. Well, no time for speculating.

Jecht was still fairly sure Genesis was up in the air, considering he hadn't heard him landing. Well, it mattered not. Whether in the air or on the ground, he would make sure this upcoming attack hit hard. Jecht snuck around in the cloud of dust so that he was in a different spot and, hopefully, out of Genesis's line of sight. Sure, it was probably a futile effort on Jecht's part to be stealthy for once in his life, but hey, it couldn't hurt. Besides, if Genesis was even close to being on par with Sephiroth, Jecht wasn't going to take any chances. Jecht then copied Genesis and rocketed into the air. He didn't quite make it as far as the Hero did but Jecht just needed to get above him, which he accomplished with ease. Then, he fell towards Genesis at an incredible speed and, when he met him in mid-air, Jecht launched a ferocious combo that was less about pure damage and about pure force, aiming to knock Genesis into the ground, or perhaps below it, considering his current strength. He ended the combo with a very mighty stomp of his foot, putting as strength and force as he could into it.

But Jecht didn't end it there. He then summoned a meteor from the sky, a move his fans had seen in both of his fights. He caught the meteor and used his Ultimate Jecht Shot attack, spiraling even higher into the air before hurling the giant flaming rock at the LOVELESS quoter. After that, he landed on the ground with a huge crunch and readied himself for the next attack.

-----------

Jecht Blade is ready!

Ultimate Jecht Shot: Cooldown - 3 rounds

[Genesis Rhapsodos]

Genesis cursed silently yo himself as he watched his Apocalypse kick up a cloud of dust down on the arena floor below, masking the muscled figure of Jecht enough so he found it impossible to track him with his eyes. Not that he'd be able to do much better even if there was no dust. The punch that had landed on the SOLDIER's nose had made his eyes water and blurred his vision, so much so that he could have sworn to have seen three Jecht's standing on the ground a moment before the auburn-haired male fly up into the air. After the runes in the sky vanished with a flash of light, Apocalypse ending it's barrage of attacks, Genesis raises a gloved hand to his face and pitched at the bridge of his nose, wincing painfully. Yup, his nose was broken. Pressing a thumb against the part of his nose sticking out to one side, clearly not how a nose should be, the SOLDIER snapped it back into place with a crack and another wince of pain.

Shaking his head from side to side to make the remaining few stars go away, he quickly rolled up the coat sleeve on his left arm and used the soft black of his shirt to dab his eyes to stop them watering. Another swipe of his arm across his lips removed the blood trickling there and the SOLDIER finally allowed himself a second to release a heavy breath of air gathered in his lungs. Whoever this man was, he was impossible. High agility as well as amazing strength... was he possibly stronger then Sephiroth was? Peering back down at the arena floor, the dust cloud still lingering there, Genesis attuned his senses to try and detect Jecht's position. Seemed he had moved however and this was quickly confirmed when the behemoth suddenly flew up into the air right past him, soaring into the sky. Genesis turned as quickly as he could and swung his Rapier across Jecht's upwards trajectory, but missed completely. Instead he flew up a couple of feet until noticing the Blitzball Player was copying his own maneuver.

Halting and maintaining his hover, Genesis held his Rapier before himself and kept his eyes on the sky, watching as the transformed opponent came rocketing back down to the earth.
~I'll have to try and end this quickly... I'm starting to feel myself run out of energy but he doesn't seem effected by any of my attacks so far...~
Thought Genesis as he took in a steady breath though his now-fixed nose and exhaled calmly out his mouth, steadying his heart rate and controlling the adrenaline he felt pumping through his veins. Unless the ex-guardian of Braska was good at hiding his pain like Genesis was, it appeared as though he wasn't hurt in the slightest. A shame he would be unable to let another Apocalypse rip in time... it seemed more effective then his Dancing Sword. Geneiss just let a smirk appear upon his lips as he nodded his head to himself, reminding himself of something very important.
~These people have come to see me win... to retain my title of Champion...~
He thought, watching as Jecht drew nearer and nearer as he descended.
~I will not lose to someone like you... you're too egotistical to become Champion... you don't deserve to have people of the worlds look up and admire you... you just want the attention... you have no ambition, no desire to fight for these people... to protect them, to watch over them... to save them. You do not have the right to defeat me today. You will not win!!~

Genesis closed his eyes and smiled to himself subtly, his mind made up and his determination to emerge the victor of this match growing stronger then ever. His smile turning to a smirk, he opened his and locked his sight upon the behemoth falling towards him.
"My friend, do you fly away now?
To a world that abhors you and I?
All that awaits you is a somber morrow,
No matter where the winds may blow.

My friend, your desire,
Is the bringer of life, the gift of the goddess.
Even if the morrow is barren of promises,
Nothing shall forestall my return."
As the two warriors met in the air, the behemoth would have noticed that many of his attacks made contact with nothing but the air about them. Genesis using his wing to shift his position within the air to dodge and sway between the strikes the mountain of muscle threw at him. Much like with his previous combo, any sword strikes were met with a metallic clank, Genesis swinging his Rapier to match Jecht's attacks and throughout, his smirk just grew wider and wider. As the final kick came, the Crimson SOLDIER crossed his arms before himself, holding them both up before his head to which he ducked his head behind to protect. The kick was hard enough to shake the SOLDIER's body and Genesis found himself slamming into the floor with tremendous force, enough to crack the solid floor of the Coliseum.

Landing in a crouch to try and absorb some of the force of landing so heavily, the auburn-haired warrior pushed himself up to his feet and lowered his arms from before his head, his bright blue eyes peering over his arms as he watched his challenge high up in the air catch a meteor from the sky. Genesis lowered his arms to his sides and grinned, looking up as he sized the meteor. It looked big enough to cover the whole fighting area of the Coliseum and the SOLDIER would have expressed his concern for the audience if the barrier protecting them was not in place. How to avoid damage from this then? The Crimson SOLDIER pondered, bring a gloved finger to his face to tap at his chin a couple of times. Getting an idea, Genesis jumped backwards till he were backed up against the magical barrier. Pressing himself against it, he waited until Jecht threw the meteor down at him. When the massive fiery rock was in descent, Genesis flapped his angel wing and propelled himself across the whole length of the arena, gliding low across the floor until he reached the opposite side, where he turned, crouched down and backed himself up against the barrier again. Stabbing his Rapier into the ground, Genesis wrapped his hands about his head and braced himself for the impact. Flames washed over his attire and skin from the explosion of the meteor as well as pieces of rock and rubble bashing into his curled up figure. Being hit by the debris was healthier then actually being UNDER that thing.

After the sounds died down, Genesis stood back up and dusted himself off, noticing that ANOTHER coat had been ruined in this Tournament. A sigh escaped the SOLDIER's lips but his eyes peered towards the figure of Jecht as he heard him crash back down to earth. Several cuts donned Genesis, mostly down his arms which he used to protect his face from the meteor explosion. Most the cuts were bleeding, but Genesis refused to lay down and admit defeat. The smirk of the LOVELESS quoter had vanished and was replaced with a disgusted look. Not only did he hate the idea of having someone like Jecht being the Champion of these people, he also hated having his coats destroyed. Tugging his Rapier from the ground, holding it to his side, the whole blade began to glow a bright white, an attack readying itself. Like when Jecht transformed into his Aeon state, a massive blast of wind blew out from Genesis' person as he took a couple of steps forwards towards his opponent, a large fiery orange aura surrounding the SOLDIER and pulsating outwards several times.

"My Limit is Broken... Fear my Purgatorial Wave"

Genesis swung his glowing Rapier before him slowly and unleashed it's built up energy before lowered it back down to his side. At first it seemed like nothing happened but then suddenly, a massive wave of energy exploded and blasted out of the arena floor under the feet of the Champion's opponent, it's power enough to incinerate near on anything caught within it's wake. This was the first time Genesis had unleashed such power since his battle with Zack and judging from the silence of the audience, swiftly followed by roaring cheers and chants, it sounded like they approved of it. Genesis stood his ground and took several heavy breaths, awaiting to see the result of his Limit Break, awaiting to see what remained of his opponent.

-=Cooldowns=-

Counter Attack - 1 Post. -- Genesis rushes forth, ignoring all damage done to him for the duration of whatever attack he plans to unleash.

Dancing Sword - Ready to be used. -- Genesis swings his Rapier in a fast 6-hit combo. 2 diagonal slashes followed by three forward thrusts with the final attack being a jump into the air and stabbing of the Rapier into the ground. A large shock wave erupts from the stab and knocks away all nearby objects.

Angel Wing - Passive -- Genesis summons his Angel Wing from his left shoulder, which increases his speed and agility, as well as granting him the ability to fly.

Apocalypse - 2 Posts -- Genesis raised his Rapier over his head and a huge rune appears in the sky. The rune glows brightly as several bolts of pure energy rain down upon the unlucky opponent. A flash of light ends the spell, removing the rune from the air.

Purgatorial Wave - 8 Posts -- Genesis' most ferocious sword attack. After gathering energy into his Rapier, until the blade itself turns a blinding white colour, the SOLIDER 1st Class swings his weapon before him that causes a large area before himself to explode in a massive wave of energy.

[malachi]

Oh boy.

Jecht was right to get ready for the next attack. He crossed his arms and braced himself for the impact and wow, was it an impact. The explosion hit him at full force and the Blitz King was flung back at full force into the magical barrier. He slid down it and went to one knee, his skin smoking still from the attack. He was panting and even through his tougher skin, he could feel the pain from the attack very clearly. He didn't even want to know what that would've done normally.

Even worse, the energy in his Final Aeon form was starting to subside. If he didn't do something drastic now, he would have wasted the form and wouldn't be able to use it again for the rest of the fight. He doubted Genesis, especially as injured as he was now, would politely wait until he fully regained enough energy to reuse that form again. However, Jecht was dreading what would happen when his Form wore off. The Final Aeon form was like a drug. It felt good, REALLY good to use it, due to the overwhelming power and speed. But the crash back down to normal was a killer. Genesis's attack lessened in damage only because of the improved toughness of his skin. The pain itself wasn't truly lessened, it was just easier to ignore. It would NOT be so easily ignored when the Form wore off.

Jecht took a couple deep breaths, stood back up and dashed at Genesis. Still smoking from the attack and trying to ignore the pain he was feeling, he launched another combo at Genesis, this time with the exact opposite intent of the last one. This time, the attacks were designed to knock Genesis into the air and also disorient him, as much Jecht could anyways. After the combo, Jecht then unleashed his ultimate move, Blitz King.

At an incredibly high speed, even faster than was normal for Jecht, he sliced at Genesis, appeared at his side and aimed a kick at him, intending to knock him into or even further into the air. He then appeared on his other side and punched downward at the Hero, before appearing again above him and stabbing downwards at Genesis. Using his sword's handle as a platform, he jumped high into the air, where another meteor had appeared, this one even bigger than the one Jecht flung at Genesis a few minutes earlier, dwarfing the Blitz King. Jecht flew above the meteor and then kicked it, cracking the meteor into a few large pieces. Then Jecht kicked it again and the meteor shattered into eight smaller meteors, all of them homing in on Genesis at high speed.

After the move, Jecht fell to the ground, his Final Aeon form dissipating until he was back to normal. When he landed, he instantly went down to his knees, panting. He was bleeding and an extreme amount of pain. He was crashing back down to reality and his body had taken a lot of punishment from Genesis's attack. Without his Final Aeon form to fuel his adrenaline, he felt the pain now and it was excruciating. He looked at where Genesis was and Jecht growled. "No... No, I ain't gonna give up. This old man's still got some kick left in him!" Jecht stood back up, using his sword as a makeshift crutch and then got into a stance. "One-Winged Angel or not, I'm not going to keel over THAT easily, Genesis! Bring everything you got!" he yelled, ready to continue the battle.

--------

Ultimate Jecht Shot: Cooldown - 2 rounds

Final Aeon: Cooldown - 6 rounds

(OoC Note: Awesome fight, Gendaj! I'm very pleased with how this turned out!)

[Genesis Rhapsodos]

This match was coming to an end, though more so because of time limitations over the contenders running out of energy. Well, it was unknown how Jecht was feeling, but Genesis was indeed starting to break a sweat. The enclosed fighting area, the hundreds of pairs of eyes watching intently, the audience themselves possibly sweating from the tension, the excitement. If there was a larger space to fight in and no cowards to watch, no innocent lives to be placed in harms way or to be worried over... The Crimson SOLDIER did ponder how this match would end if both fighters were allowed to go flat out. Use all their power, all their abilities. It was weird to think that someone else might be as strong as Sephiroth... Genesis never really thought of others living in far away worlds that had great strength. There was only one at the time whom the LOVELESS fanatic thought could best Sephiroth and that was the Goddess, Minerva. This Jecht was just some normal human... or at least Genesis would have assumed until witnessing his transformation. Was he too an experiment?

Purgatorial Wave had not been used in a long time, it's power was probably only a slither of what it could potentially be, but the technique still carried his dramatic visuals and also appeared to still pack a punch. Genesis simply had never fought anyone worthy enough to use it on before and after Zack, until now. Was that an honour, or an insult? While the SOLDIER 1st Class wasn't exactly keen on this behemoth of a man, his attitude and ego just stunk, he had to admit that he was possibly the strongest opponent he'd met ever since arriving in these worlds. True, he fought Angeal recently, but Genesis hardly wanted to use his full power and risk hurting his old friend. It was interesting... were there others as strong as this Jecht? Did Cloud potentially use his full strength when challenged on the Blue Planet? So many questions started to enter Genesis' head.

"Still standing after that? If I wore a hat, I'd take it off to you Jecht. You're certainly made from different stock."
Genesis' voice now carried the wounds he had obtained during this match, for his chest and nose hurt severely. Though he did not want this match to end just yet, Genesis was going to be very happy to head back into the waiting area and see the healers and medics awaiting him. Was this the first time he'd broken his nose? Possibly. Unconsciously, Genesis wrinkled his nose and he gasped lightly at the sharp, shock-like pain that shot though his face. Yup, it was bust alright. That caused him to peer at the mountain of muscle, catching a glimpse of Jecht picking himself up off the floor. Blurred in the explosion of his latest attack, that magical 'POW' reached the SOLDIER's ears. Judging from the smoking skin and heavy panting from the Blitz Ace, it looked like his Limit Break hit with good force.

Not enough to keep him down though and Genesis simply flexed his large black wing the once as his eyes caught onto Jecht speeding back towards him. He seemed just as determined to win this match as Genesis himself was, but more on a personal pride level over wanting it for the fans. Either way, he had to be denied. The auburn-haired male raised his Rapier, holding it at arms length before himself, swinging the long blade across his path as he smirked and beckoned the Blitzball player on with a couple tweaks of his left index finger. Flexing his knees, the SOLDIER 1st Class opted to play defensively now. Better to allow Jecht to burn out his energy and strike when he was exhausted. Leaping forth at Jecht when the Final Aeon was in range, the SOLDIER flapped his wing to give him added propulsion through the air, tucking his arms into his body as he did so as he flipped over the mountain of muscle, twisting about only half a turn before landing down on his feet, taking Jecht's flank.

Though the teleporting attacks that followed came as a surprise, the first kick hitting solidly and staggering the SOLDIER, though he swiftly caught his footing and was able to avoid any further damage to his person with a swift back step to escape the reach of the punch. Genesis whirled about, his coat flailing out as it trailed his movement, catching sight of the downwards stab of the massive blade and successfully managing to lift his Rapier and parry the attack into the ground, away from his legs and feet. Cleverly, Jecht launched himself up into the air off the impaled sword and Genesis simply let out a small sigh as he watched yet another massive meteor-like rock appear within the Blitzball players hands.
"Another one? Don't you have any other moves over flailing your arms and legs and throwing rocks at me?"
Asked the SOLDIER, his tone half disappointed yet also carried sarcasm as his bright blue eyes flashed in the sunlight, staring up at the sight overlaying the blue skies overhead. This new rock looked bigger then the previous and as such, his trick to avoid most of the damage might not work this time around. Fortunately, Genesis smirked as he watched the behemoth smash the meteor into smaller shards. Would it not have been more effective to just launch the whole thing down at him? No matter. Genesis' left hand acquired a golden orange glow, a spell being cast as his leather bound fingers curled as if holding an invisible ball. A burst of blast enveloped his hand, which was swung across his both not once, but twice. Each time, a blast of flame erupted from his palm as several Flashes were shot off into the air, aiming for the meteor shards.

While perhaps only one or two of the smaller shards were destroyed from the Flashes, the larger pieces at least had their trajectory altered slightly and their descents slowed enough for the SOLDIER to flex his angel wing one final time, using his extra appendage to rocket up into the air, dodging and weaving past three of the remaining six meteor shards. The sixth however clipped his right shoulder with a loud crack, the shard shattering from impact. This now altered Genesis' path and sent him crashing head long into the seventh. While that dealt it's damage, the SOLDIER found himself lucky to have been knocked clean out the path of the eighth shard, halting himself mid-air before crashing into the magical barrier. Bruised and burnt, his clothes tattered and cuts and slashes covering his upper and lower arms, as well as the two across his chest and his bust nose and bitten tongue... he had to admit this had been much more preferably over Felix's sword stabbing clean through his thigh. Glancing skywards, noticing that Jecht was no longer in the air but instead on the ground, kneeling, the LOVELESS quoter allowed a moment to let out a heavy breath of air, he too exhausted. Gently floating back down to the ground, he landed a few paces away from the behemoth and tucked his wing behind his back, where he then looked down upon Jecht with a smirk, nodding his head in approval.

"You're not half bad, for an old man."

-=Cooldowns=-

Counter Attack - Ready to be used. -- Genesis rushes forth, ignoring all damage done to him for the duration of whatever attack he plans to unleash.

Angel Wing - Passive -- Genesis summons his Angel Wing from his left shoulder, which increases his speed and agility, as well as granting him the ability to fly.

Apocalypse - 1 Posts -- Genesis raised his Rapier over his head and a huge rune appears in the sky. The rune glows brightly as several bolts of pure energy rain down upon the unlucky opponent. A flash of light ends the spell, removing the rune from the air.

Purgatorial Wave - 7 Posts -- Genesis' most ferocious sword attack. After gathering energy into his Rapier, until the blade itself turns a blinding white colour, the SOLIDER 1st Class swings his weapon before him that causes a large area before himself to explode in a massive wave of energy.

Flash - 1 Post. -- Genesis charges a fiery ball within his palm and swings his hand across his body, launching multiple fireballs at his enemy. They have strong tracking capabilities, able to turn 180 degrees to follow their target. Multiple hits build damage.

[Larxene]

Genesis will progress to the next round.