Felix vs. Akemi

[Hades]

Well, how does a Death God top a spectacular preliminary round of his own tournament? By making the rest of the rounds even better, of course. The stands and arena was empty currently, everyone avoiding the repair process. Hades stood in front of his throne, assessing the damage. He chuckled at the sight of the ruined stadium. The mayhem was amazing! He clapped his hands and a blast of white light enveloped the stadium. When it subsided, the stands and the battlefield were fully restored, with added bonuses. The battlefield now included several platforms of varying heights and sizes. Most of them were suspended in mid-air, but a few near the bottom were attached to posts secured in the ground.

A gong sounded and two gates opened up, signaling the combatants forward. The stands quickly filled as the warriors took their spots. Hades shouted across the stadium, "Welcome to Round Two! You'll see a few differences in the arena this time. I've added multiple platforms to enhance the battles. I know many of you like to hop around like rabbits on caffene, so here's your chance! I'm sure you'll also be glad to know that I've created barriers around the stands, so the spectators will not be injured. Feel free to cut loose in this round!" A shout of joy came from the spectators as they were glad they wouldn't be burnt, blown away, frozen, pelted by rocks, or anything else.

Hades, however, was not finished yet. He spoke again, "In the North Corner, we have -Felix-!" More cheers roared from the stands and then fell quickly. "In the South Corner, we have -Akemi-!" Another round of cheers rose and fell. Hades then finished with, "But what kind of Hades Cup would this be without some stipulations, huh? In this round, I'm gonna take away... Summons and Transformation abilities! And to make sure you follow this rule, I'm going to do this!" Another ball of energy left his hands and created an invisibile field around the arena. "This will ensure that you follow my rules. Now, fight!"




-OOC: Okay, now for rules. You can't use Summons or Transformations at all. That includes drive forms, trance, metamorphosis, or anything else that follows these lines. You cannot use Summons of any type, including GFs, Materia Summons, or any other types under your Summon sections. All of you should know what I'm getting at here. Attempting this will not only make your favorite deadman angry, but result in immediate disqualification. There is a 72 hour post limit and a 2 week limit on the round. So have fun, post frequently, and kick some butt. I look forward to seeing how this round goes. Don't disappoint me, now!-

[Felix]

One epic battle later, the red-headed freelancer known as Felix Maximilian was taking his time preparing for the upcoming battle. He had already been told that he would be proceeding to the next round as well as whom the other participants were, some of them familiar and others not so much. HE also knew who didn’t pass the preliminaries and much to his surprise, Vivi hadn’t made it to the next round despite all he had done. IT struck him as a bit peculiar but it was nothing to brood over, in the end the kid would have been just another stepping stone on his way to the top of the bracket to fight the people he really wanted to battle.

Hmph and I’ll be beating them as well, each and every one of them,[/i] he mused as his thoughts went on particular combatant, a crimson hue staining his cheeks as he shook his head to get rid of the thought, this isn’t the time for those kinds of thoughts Felix, keep your mind on the prize,[/i] he added mentally, try to get back his concentration. Taking a deep breath he walked over to the healing waters, cupping his hands together to take another swig to make sure he had been fully healed. He stuck out his tongue in disgust soon after, not particularly enjoying the taste of what they were being provided to heal their injures with.

”Jeez it be nice if they gave us something to wash out this awful tasting stuff with afterwards…I should complain to Hades about that, I need a stick of gum or something,” he complained as he gave a hearty yawn afterwards, ”I wonder if this water could cure her… I suppose I can steal some of it afterwards to give it a shot,” he added, his thoughts going to his mother who had recently fallen terminally ill. His lips curved into a frown as he sat back on a nearby bench, his eyes narrowing as he stared at the ground now another irritating thought entering his mind, this one far more stubborn. Indeed, it always seemed to crop up in his head when he was “working” or rather fighting, the red-head beginning to wonder if that was his conscious telling him to stop these meaningless battles.

While he didn’t have to worry about it as much in a tournament, these countless battles he fought were taking a toll on his body and if he wasn’t careful he could die at any moment. He already had countless scars littered across his body to prove how many close calls he had with death, his extraordinary luck being the only thing that kept him from kicking the bucket. The thing about luck though was that it always ran out and by now surely even his luck was beginning to run low, especially after the Lava Titan business.

”Even for me that was a bit more than reckless… beginning to wonder if I even value m-!“ but before he could finish that sentence he was called to come to the arena to fight the next round. He sighed lightly as he smacked both his cheeks hard, leaving red marks on both sides as he began to rotate his right shoulder and walk toward the arena.

”What am I always telling the brat again about fighting? Always keep a clear and cool mind, the moment you drop your guard is the moment you die. I can think about all that drama after this tournament, for now it’s time to focus on giving it my all, wouldn’t want to disappoint my opponent after all,” he spieled, giving him his own little pep talk. Whatever the case, the red-head soon entered the arena and let out a soft whistle as the battlefield was repaired and had a few additions made to it. All around the arena were platforms either suspended in mid-air, a big “F you” to the laws of physics while others seemed to follow the aforementioned laws. His eyes examined each one as he crossed his arms, his expression getting far more serious as his mind already went to work on planning ways to make use of this development. He didn’t get too much time to do so though before Hades introduced the rules for this match, a small smirk curving against the red-head’s lips when he heard them… he really was unbelievably lucky.

I use neither summons or transformation abilities… hmph I hope my opponent is the same otherwise this won’t even be a challenge,[/i] he thought arrogantly as he swiped his thumb past his nose now taking a gander at the opponent that was being introduced. While he didn’t let it show, the freelancer was a bit disappointed at first glance, the opponent seeming to be a bit too young to participate in something like this.

Then again to be fair I forced Night and he’s even younger I’m sure,[/i] he mused as he cracked his knuckles, taking note of the sword behind his opponent’s back. Judging by the way it was holstered, the red-head began to wonder how exactly he planned to use the blade he carried. The quickest way to pull it out of its scabbard would be with a reverse grip but such a grip wasn’t commonly used when actually swinging a blade about. Indeed, for most it was awkward way to wield it unless practiced heavily, Felix wondering if this kid had enough practice to fight in such a way. Whatever the case, he would have to be careful as a katana even in the hands of someone untrained can still cut. He didn’t have a full suit of armor on or anything so he couldn’t just charge head on and beat the kid senseless and while he could use his katana to fight, he was far more proficient with his fists than a blade. Furthermore, using his fists provided him some advantages in combat against a sword anyway, advantages that a greenhorn may not be fully aware of nor know how to handle.

I suppose it’s worth testing the waters with a simple attack, see if he’s green and if he plans to use that with a reverse grip or not,[/i] he would muse and as soon as the order was given to fight he took off. He would begin to sprint toward his opponent, closing the distance rather rapidly although his speed probably not being anything too out of the ordinary. He was just a human after all; he wasn’t able to move at high speeds like Genesis or any other monsters he had fought in his time, not all the time anyway. Indeed, he had to use his wits to win battles and that he would for as he got halfway toward his opponent, he would use one of the elevated platforms with a post beneath it that was near the middle of the arena. Taking a step to the left, Felix would vanish from sight for a moment, taking advantage of the base at the platform to hide. With that mere second of “invisibility”, Felix would activate Mass Manipulator[/b], reducing his mass twenty times and take off once again although this time much faster than before. Yes, within a second he would get behind his opponent, his facial expression showing no hesitation as he shifted his left foot forward and pivoted on it as precursor to his attack. Indeed, he would shift his weight as he then brought his rear leg up in an arc, seeming to head toward Akemi’s right kidney. Yet again though that was just for appearances as he instead snapped his leg down, bringing his shin towards Akemi’s right calf in an attempt to cripple his opponent. At the point of impact, Felix would manipulate his mass once again, making his leg weigh twenty times its normal weight. Needless to say, this would make the force behind the kick far more wicked along with the insane speed that came of originally being twenty times lighter. If it landed the freelancer doubted Akemi would be moving nearly as well which was something he wanted for if it came down to a dogfight he was sure he could win with any opponent. If he avoided the freelancer would merely carry his kick all the way through, releasing the mass switch on it and using the momentum of his kick to spin him around once and carry him back a couple steps. From there he would slip back into a Thai Orthadox stance and see how his dance partner moved to his rhythm.

OOC: Mass Manipulator - With this ability, Felix is able to manipulate his mass at will as well as any objects he is currently holding. The max amount of mass he can increase in regards to his body is times twenty and vice-versa in reducing his mass. In regards to objects he is holding/touching, Felix can increase their mass by 1000 times and reduce them down to the mass of a simple feather. Due to the immense strain this ability causes on him mentally, he is only able to use it for three minutes (three posts) before having to deactivate the ability. Not only that but after deactivating it, recovery time takes at least 2-4 minutes (2-4 posts) depending on how many times his mass is manipulated during the minute it's active, 5 switches being the max (1-2 switches, 2 post CD, 3-4 switches 3 post CD, and 5 switches 4 post CD).

Current Mass – Normal / 2 Switches Used in Total / 1 out of 3 post duration

[Akemi]

Akemi was nervous as can be. He barely made it through to the next round and god was it hard. The boy had never used his powers like that before. Hell, he was always afraid of them to begin with. But, it felt amazing though. The power surging through his body, being able to use it to the fullest. The feeling of being free and not afraid anymore. Well, he was a bit still due to the urges to keep fighting but other than that it was better good. The boy was sitting down, hugging his knees. His azure eyes were pointed up, looking at the ceiling. Even with his powers in check, he was still nervous. Even more than what he was. The last match was a group effort, he didn't have to rely on only this powers but he had help. A soft smile formed on his face. For once in his long life, he felt normal for a change. Wasn't called a freak, a nobody, but was actually relied on. This was something he wished he had back on his homeworld.

The roar of the crowd grew as the next match was about to start. This was it. The next match was going to be his to fight. Slowly standing up, he let out a sigh. If only he had more time to ready himself. Akemi made sure his sword was attached to his waist. "Alright...I can do this..." He said to himself as he began to walk forward.

He was pointed into the direction in which he was told to go. Following them, he could see a light at the end of the tunnel. Wow. So this is what he felt when looking at that. Made him feel as if he was dead or something. His footsteps echoed through the hallway. It was as if he was in a dream or something. To be honest, he had never imaged he would even be in a place like this in his life. Fighting in a tournament, flying around in the sky, and making people cheer. It was as if he was living someone's life.

Reaching the end of the tunnel, he looked around. People were cheering for him. The roared his name, clapped, and screamed for him. This feeling was amazing. Was he like a hero to them or something? A smile formed on his face as he stepped in to the arena. The area was filled with many platforms. Some tall, some small, and others in mid air. This was going to be easy when he transformed. The flamer, aka Hades, called out the name of his opponent. Felix? Looking at him, he looked strong. Heck, most of the people he seen looked that way. The roar cheered for both of them as the god kept going. He began to explain the rules as he heard the restrictions on the fight.

WHAT?! He wasn't allowed to change forms?! Crap! This was going to be harder than it thought he was going to be. The first time he ever got to use them without fearing it was going to be his last for now. Drawing his sword from behind him, Akemi held it in front of him like he normally did. He was going to have to rely only on his skills and powers for this fight.

The moment the god yelled fight, Felix rushed him. Oh crap. Akemi was ready to defend as he watched him get closer. Felix was fast, he would have to give him that. Akemi kept an eye on him as he stepped to the left. He hid behind a platform as he waited for him to come around the other side. Akemi was surprised when he saw him again but this time even faster. He barely had enough time to react. Pushing forward, the boy dodged the attack as he dived out the way and rolled away from Felix. Quickly standing him and regaining composer. Seeing him kicking back, this was his chance. Gathering ice into his blade, he slashed it horizontally as he used his Icy Wind. A wave of ice shards, about seven of them as they were a foot and a half long and six inches thick, fired toward Felix. They would be about a good ten inches from him once he landed. Akemi was going to use every trick he had to win this. There was no way he was going to lose. Akemi gripped his sword and kept his guard up, wanting to see how he was going to deal with that attack.

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Icy Wind:[/b] Gathering ice around his wings/sword, he can flap/slash them causing a strong icy gust of wind sending shards of ice at his targets.

Cooldown: 2 Posts

[Felix]

And so the battle began, Felix's first attack being unsuccessful although he had expected as much. Quite frankly it seemed like all his opponents dodged his first move, regardless of the strategy he employed whether it be an ambush or perhaps a fake handshake. Whether that belief held true or not the fact of the matter was that his attack was dodged and certainly such a greeting wasn't going to be taken lightly. Thus as he spun around using the momentum from his kick to carry him, he wasn't surprised to see his opponent throw an attack his way. Indeed, ice surrounded the kid's blade and was unleashed in a ranged elemental attack one that would have caught the freelancer off guard had he not used his kick's momentum to create a little distance himself. Yes, that seemingly negligible difference probably only added about a second for him to react but considering that his opponent seemed scared of him he didn't need much time to think. Gritting his teeth, Felix shifted his mass to ten times less, running forward with his forearms in front of his face, only a small crack allowing him any vision.

Taking the brunt of the attack with his forearms, Felix' recently acquired forearm guards came in handy and protected his face from a brunt of the damage. While the icicles did sting the rest of his body a bit, grazing the sides of his upper body, it was nothing terrible since he had met the force halfway instead of allowing it to reach full velocity. Not only that but since he didn't reduce his mass to more than ten times like he normally would, the gust of wind that carried the ice wasn't able to fling him off his feet were he any lighter. Perhaps not as fast as when his mass was twenty times less but seeing as the distance was less than what it was before that amount of speed wasn't as necessary. Furthermore, just the fact that he did something so seemingly crazy might cause his opponent to hesitate if only for a nano-second. Whatever ended up happening Felix wasn't going to just be taking damage without paying his opponent back with interest.

"RAHHHHHH!" he shouted loudly, the sound that escaped his mouth sounding like a savage beast more so than the battle cry of a man. Well that was the point anyway, he wanted to reinforce the image that he was a crazy bastard in his opponent's head to try and make him slip up or hesitate. If Akemi didn't think so yet than surely the next action Felix did would make him believe so as his body flew forward at high speed as if he had just been loaded up on a giant spring. Yes, the freelancer jumped forward toward his opponent not allowing him a moment to breathe as he went for a flying right knee attack aimed his opponent's sternum. As he had done so earlier near the point of impact he would shift the weight, this time of his entire body twenty times for two effects. The first would be the obvious one in that it would increase the force behind his blow and surely get through any normal guard the opponent attempted to put up. The second and not so obvious is that it would immediately ground him whether the attack was successful or not allowing him to get his feet on the ground where they needed to be.

Indeed to attempt any follow-up that would have some real potential damage behind it he would need to be able to get his feet on the ground to shift his weight around. Thus once he landed on the ground he would immediately release Mass Manipulator[/b] and switch over to one of his favorites, Earth Manipulator. His body would soon be covered from head to toe in a rocky armor that would protect him quite well and contorted to fit his body perfectly (still have to look good for the ladies after all y'know?). Without hesitation he would then follow up his flying knee attack, making sure to bob and weave into his opponent's range to make his sword's reach moot. Indeed, while being at the sharp end of a sword was scary, if a close range fighter could make their way past that sharp end they severely impaired a swordsman's ability to attack. The only real solution they would have at that point would be to step back but with Earth Manipulator[/b] the red-head meant to make that impossible to do. For if the left hook that immediately followed his weave to the left of Akemi landed his movement would be hampered quite significantly (Slow). Or rather any of the attacks in the short combo Felix performed hit, whether it be the first hook aimed to the kidney, the second one to the head, or the right uppercut to the stomach. If hit by any of these Akemi would be in deep trouble although whether he was hit or not, Felix was going to stick to him like white on rice and not allow him to use that blade nor create any distance.

OOC: Mass Manipulator - 4/5 Switches used, shut off manually... 3 Post CD started

Earth Manipulator -By using the same principle behind Mass Manipulator, Felix is able to manipulate the element of earth to his will. When activated, Felix’s body will be covered in an armor made of rock, reducing any incoming damage by 25% whether it is magical or physical (the ability does not provide him any extra resistance to Earth elemental attacks). As for his attacks, they will all be given Earth elemental damage on top the physical damage Felix deals normally. If attacked directly, part of Felix’s rocky armor will break off and attach itself to his opponent’s feet, weighing them down and slowing their movement speed (Slow) for two turns. The status effect will not be applied if the opponent is attacked with his katana. The manipulator has a duration of two posts and cannot be used with any other manipulator simultaneously and has a three post cool down. Furthermore, after it falls off, Felix will not be able to use any other elemental manipulator for one post. DURATION 1/2 POSTS

[Akemi]

Akemi watched as his attack did hardly any damage to the man. Most of his attack was blocked by his forearm guards while the rest of his body barely got any scratches. This guy was good, very good. The boy was surprised by the yell as he took a step back. What was with this guy? Was he crazy or something? Was his power fueled by rage? Akemi didn't know what to think but only that Felix was completely insane! Soon his eye widen as he was caught off guard. Felix had rushed him, running almost as fast as the wind. Stunned by the speed, he was hit directly in his sternum. The force of the attack literally felt like he was hit by a truck. Everything was in slow mode for him. Akemi's eyes widen as his body felt limp from the attack. His body looked motionless. He was sent back a couple of feet. He rolled on the ground a bit as he slowly got on his knees. His hands were holding his chest.

This guy was no push over. Akemi was having a bit trouble breathing as he tried his best to not lose control over his powers. Oh, how he wished he could transform right now and beat the heck out of this guy. His azure eye glanced up as he watched Felix get ready for his next attack. Rocks began to cover his body in an armor like way, shielding him for any attack Akemi might throw at him. Oh no. Thinking for a moment, he had to get away from him. If he was hit by any attack while he had that armor on it was going to hurt worse than the knee to the chest.

Akemi was rushed again. He had to react fast. Looking at the ground, he noticed a shadow behind him. He knew what that meant and he had to hurry up. As Felix got close enough, he gripped his sword and slammed his free hand to the ground. Frost began to surround the ground Akemi was on. The cracking sound of ice filled the air. With a smile, a cluster of ice jolted out of the ground under him. Akemi had enough of time to make a cluster of Ice[/b] to throw him into the air.

Akemi landed on a floating platform safely for now. He hoped that the rocks kept him weighed down while he was up in the air. Taking his breath, he sheathed his katana. The boy didn't want to risk damaging his blade with that armor on. Akemi would have to rely on his magic and speed for right now until he could think of a plan. But right now, he slowly stood up and kept his guard up, ready for whatever attack this lunatic had to throw at him.

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Icy Wind: Gathering ice around his wings/sword, he can flap/slash them causing a strong icy gust of wind sending shards of ice at his targets.

Cooldown: 1Post

Ice:[/b] Able to summon ice in the form of a cluster of spikes.

Cooldown: 2 posts

[[OOC: Sorry, low muse due to college sign ups today >.< ]]

[Felix]

Following after Akemi to unleash another devastating combo on him, Felix’ eyes narrowed as the boy planted a hand on the ground, slamming it down with great force. What came next wasn’t all too impressive but it certainly made him slow down, jagged spikes of ice that helped Akemi make a hasty retreat and threatened to skewer the red-head if he pressed on. In fact if he hadn’t rotated slipped his head to the left at the last possible moment, he would be missing his right eye as one spike of ice had headed straight toward. Instead, it glanced against his right cheek, shredding some of the armor that had formed around his body but it formed back up soon enough, not allowing any blood to drip to the ground.

Hmph… seems he used that more for an escape than an attack,[/i] the freelancer mused with a smirk on his face. Whatever the case, now that his opponent was on higher ground it was time to make use of these platforms of varying heights, one of many plans perfect for this situation. Thus with a quick pivot on his left foot, the freelancer spun around the spikes of ice and made his way underneath the floating platform. After doing so, he would unsheathe his sword and throw it up on the side Akemi was last known to be facing, throwing it just hard enough so that it would have a bit of air time in front of him.

That’s step one,[/i] he would muse as he quickly ran forward and toward another floating platform. As his katana reached its max height, Felix would jump toward the other floating platform nearby and plant his right foot on the edge. He would then press against it for a wall-jump effect, twisting his body as he did so to face the platform Akemi was currently on. With the height of this jump, he would be just a foot above that platform’s height and with his right hand cocked back. Once within range to throw a punch, Felix would plant his feet on the platform and if his trick worked be sending a punch to the back of Akemi’s head... or perhaps his face depending on whether he turned around or even air if the kid took off.

Indeed, the idea behind Felix abandoning his weapon for a brief moment was to improve his chances of landing just one blow on Akemi while his Earth Manipulator[/b] was active. By throwing his katana in the air there was a few things that he believed could happen, all but one being disadvantageous to the freelancer and thus worth the gamble. The most preferable one was that Akemi would be distracted by the sword and ponder why it was up in the air. Seeing as the freelancer would have been underneath the platform and taking advantage of it as a blind spot, it was unlikely that Akemi would know the man’s exact position. If Akemi was as freaked out by Felix’ seemingly brutish tactics as he hoped, he could think it was some sort of strange attack and focus his attention to the front. If that were the case, the blow to the back of the head would be almost guaranteed to land and seeing as it would be an unseen punch it’s damage would be quite devastating, perhaps even KO worthy. That was what he was hoping for but he was ready to deal with a few other potential reactions to this attempt at misdirection.

Regardless of what Akemi’s reaction was though, Felix would attempt to land that punch to the back of his head (or face as the case may be) and whether he was successful or not, attempt to follow it up with a combo. Much like the last attempt, Felix would keep the combo short and compact to increase the likelihood of hitting more so than hitting hard. After all, he didn’t need to hit his opponent as hard as he could for Earth Manipulator[/b] to take effect so it was more advantageous for him to land a blow even if it was a bit on the light side. Well light for him anyway, what was a light blow for him at 160lbs of muscle could be a whole lot different when hitting the body of his opponent that he figured was around 100lbs to 120lbs.

And let’s not forgot the whole fists made of rock thing, that certainly adds a bit of a sting too,[/i] he would muse as it began to crumble, it’s duration over after his combo of a double left jab to the head, a right uppercut to the stomach, and a hooking left elbow to the head.

OOC: Earth Manipulator[/b] – OVER 3 POST COOLDOWN START

Mass Manipulator[/b] – 2 POST COOLDOWN LEFT

Elemental Exhaustion[/b] – Felix cannot activate an Elemental Manipulator on the next post.

[Hades]

-Well, despite how much this was already entertaining me, Akemi's had to bow out due to illness. Well, there's always next year. Felix moves on to round three-