The Battle Arena

Ooc: ok as I said in my letter to the Council Members this is the day where I take on the council, not for a position there but just to test my skill against the best. Here are the rules:

1) Only these people and these people alone are allowed to post in this thread, if you have any comments keep them either to the ooc thread or via pm to me.
LEA
Scott
Erik
Lioness
Aerixeth
Shrub
Safer
Bloodsword
LinkMasterSword
Tiroth
Shade
Wielder of the Sword
Power Shot
Zanza
Andúrhil
Star Boy
Drewey
Graceful_sheik (she’s the only non council member allowed to post because she’s a judge)

2) Council members are only allowed to post when it is their turn, if you have anything to say about this, e.g if you want to pull out, please pm me.

3) Posts must have at least 500 words, and quite good quality to them, I don’t mind how long its takes you to reply, so long as it’s a good reply.

That’s all the rules, please abide by them. To make this a fair match I have decided that we needed an unbiased judge, so its not a council member. Graceful sheik’s job is simple, she will post a short part where an announcer shouts out which one of my characters is facing which council members character e.g Cyno is going up against Sileya!, and she will do it every round after either I have beat the council member or the council member has beat me.

Council members, please pm with whether or not your joining this & the BA character you are using. All first post’s must be similar to my first one (though if you want to battle me with another council member pm about that as well), and all must have a stone attached to them, which cannot be removed until the end of the battle.

Bic:

The eight sat in a semi circle, all quiet with their heads bowed. No one had spoken since the fight that morning, where they had been ambushed, overpowered and knocked out. This feat hadn’t been rivaled in a long time, since the eight were nearly always victors of their battles. When each had awoke they had found they had been stripped of everything, weapons and clothes, and had been dressed in only thin shirts and trousers in colors according to their elements.

“Where are we Valion?” Aristo asked, breaking the silence. The man with wings producing from his back and dressed in white looked up, a look of defeat on his face.

“Already tried finding out, someone or something was smart enough to put up a magnetic barrier around this place, R.V can’t get further than 1 and half miles radius scan. All I know is that we are in under some type of giant structure, and from the looks of it a coliseum of sorts.” The angel said quietly.

“So we are going to fight for someone’s amusement?” Cyno chirped up, scratching at his itchy blue clothes.

“Apparently so my friends,” the animal tamer replied, trying to pull up the green trousers that were slightly too long for him.

“We will not fight for the entertainment of you stinking humans,” Turath grunted, holding hands with Glana, who was nodding at what Turath was saying.

“We probably don’t have a choice in the matter, why do you think they ambushed us?” Nyle said casually, trying to rip off his silver sleeves. The man to his left leant over and using his left metallic hand pulled the sleeves off with ease.

“Thanks,” the soldier muttered.

“Don’t mention it,” Kric replied, straining his auto-mail against his own gold sleeves.

“Wonder what we get if we win whatever we have to do?” Sudran wondered. Before anyone could answer him a hidden door slid open to the groups left, and several large men dressed head to heel in purple entered, all carrying a staff in their hands. The men circled the group, each standing behind a member of the group. Before they had the chance to react the men struck out, each striking in a different place from others. The ends of the staffs glowed, followed by a immense amount of pain as the ends of the staff’s detached, turning a grey color and sticking firmly to the groups skin.

“What is this abomination?!” Valion shouted angrily, striking repeatedly at the stone object attached to his right arm. The stone didn’t budge an inch, and after a few moments it began to glow, and the angel began to feel light-headed, slumping back down onto the floor. The hidden door once more slide open, and a weasel faced man entered, dressed in nothing but purple like the others.

“Welcome to the Battle Arena my… champions! I hope you can survive what we are going to put you through!” the man said, rubbing his hands with glee.

“What are these things?” Aristo grunted, trying to keep conscious.

“Those are the life-stones, made specifically to drain anything of energy and disorientate you, they cannot be removed without my knowledge, so I would give the feeble attempts a rest.” The man replied, gesturing to Kric, who was bashing his own stone with his left hand.

“Where are our clothes and weapons?” Nyle asked.

“Your clothes will be returned to you at the end of this little tournament, and your weapons will be shown to you when you fight,” the man said, looking at his manicure nails. Without waiting for a reply, he strolled back out the door, followed by the other men.

“I have a really bad feeling about this,” Glana muttered to Turath.

Ooc: once all the council members who have wanted to join have posted, Graceful will do her first judge post.

OoC: I'm going first sucka! And just for fun, your first opponent is none other then...a Power Ranger character!

BiC:

"Where am I?" Dreas asked in confusion, looking around himself in confusion. His bright crimson eyes gazed through the darkness of his surrounding, shining bright in the dark door. There was nothing, even though his eyes could see through the piercing black that surrounded him. "What happened?"

He glanced downwards, and breathed a sigh of relief. His morpher was still there, glowing red in the black room. "At least they didn't grab you," he muttered, feeling for the Echo F-Series on his holsters, which were not there. "They grabbed you guys though," he muttered as an afterthought. "Did the Rockets find me or something?"

Memories of the past day came rushing back through his head, clouding him with confusion. "...They came after me, some people. Where'd they come from anyway?" he glanced towards the door, creeping up closer towards it. "They couldn't be Rockets, they'd kill me first before asking any questions. This must be other people."

Should I morph? He looked down at his morpher, before discarding the idea. Whoever these guys are, they probably know about my Ranger form. But they can't remove it, that's why it's still here. They took the Echoes. He looked up at the iron door before him, creeping up to peer through some bars in the top of the door.

"What would they want with me?" he asked aloud, before he heard noises coming from the outside of the door. Backing up against the wall near the door, Dreas ceased speaking to hear what was going on.

"Heh, ready to get the sport?" a voice growled from outside, dripping with malice as it did so. "This one seemed a little scrawny though, I wonder how he'll fare against those we caught."

"Makes no difference," slobbered a second voice, a clink issuing from the door, the bolts creaking as it opened slowly. "As long as he gives a good show, they ain't gonna give a damn."

Two twin beasts entered the room with a grimace, giant men dressed in purple from head to toe. In their hands were two massive staffs with strange rocks on the ends of them. Those things are strange, Dreas noted, maintaining his position. I'd better keep away from those things.

"Where's the fighter, anyway?" the first grunted, looking around stupidly. "Ain't there supposed to be one in here?"

"That's what the manager said," agreed the second brute, unaware as Dreas ducked behind them, quiet as a mouse.

"Looking for me?" Dreas asked loudly, kicking hard against their massive feet. The momentum worked, and both fell with the first attack. "You'd better be careful, you might get hurt." The brutes stood up despite the threat, almost like they were perfectly confident in themselves.

"Hey, this one wants to fight before we even throw him in," one said gleefully to the other, lowering his spear. "Let's jab him with the sticks before he gets any ideas."

"Sorry gentlemen," Dreas replied, lifting his hand in response, jingling a set of keys in his hand. "I think I'll just let myself out, if that's okay with you." The two stood shocked, before the first began to dig through his pockets.

"Don't even-" the man stuttered, but Dreas had already escaped, turning the key in the handle with a satisfying click. "LET US OUT!"

"Take some time in the brig guys," Dreas replied cheerfully, saluting them. "Keep up the good work, you might one day be promoted to chief snot cleaner!" Ignoring their screams and threats, Dreas made his way out of the dungeon, making sure to bolt the door behind him. Humming lightly, he reached for and grabbed his uniform from the table nearby, he had somehow been misplaced with a light toga.

"Can't wear this stupid thing," he muttered, slipping out of it to change into his uniform. "After all, I am a Ranger. Wouldn't look right without wearing some red." He pulled on his boots and pants, setting his red shirt on over it, as well as his black jacket and white belt. "They seem to have misplaced my beloved Echoes though, I should find them before I bail." His belt somehow felt empty without them.

"Now then, where's the exit?" he mused, rubbing his chin. He looked through the corridor he was now in, and got off the table, his boots hitting concrete, and began to walk down the hallways, keeping his hands fingering his holsters absent-mindedly, even if there was nothing to fire. He heard voices coming as he progressed down the walkway, but did not stop. Where's the fun if you can have a little action? he asked, readying his fists.

He crept up to the wall again, flattening himself behind a column extending from the ground to the ceiling. Am I just here to fight? he asked himself, before his question was answered by a mass of people moving in the same direction. Hey, they have prisoners! he thought, peering through the column. Where are they going?

ZAP.

Stinging pain met Dreas' arm as he turned around, shocked to see that he had been found. A staff was jamming into his arm, detaching the head that he had told himself was strange. He grunted in annoyance, a burning smell issuing from his skin. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" he groaned, as the staff retracted, but the strange stone remained.

He gripped his left hand in annoyance, seeing a slight smoke emerge from where the staff had touched him. The man laughed, before he pressed Dreas against the wall, crushing his face against mortar. "Think you can wander do ya? Think again!"

"I'd like ta leave, if that's fine with you," he replied, still pressed calmly against the wall. "I really don't want to be here, so if you don't mind, I'll be leaving now!" He swept below, giving the big man the same medicine he had given the other two, knocking him to the ground.

"Ah!" He pressed his hand to his arm, feeling something drain from him. "What the hell is this?" he growled, a slight irritation forming in the back of his head. "What did you do to me?"

His enemy laughed, getting back on his feet. "It's a special amplifier that makes it impossible for you to rebel against us. Now then, I'm going to ask you to come with us, before something bad happens." He grabbed Dreas by the scruff of his neck, lifting the man off the ground.

"What are you doing to us anyway?" he asked, straining against the unusual lack of energy he was feeling.

"Oh, we just want you all to fight each other in combat," the guard replied, before he began to move in the other direction from the other fighters. "And I think just for fun, we'll have you fight first, seeing as you're so eager to escape. Defeat an opponent, and you can leave."

"I've got a bad feeling about this..." Dreas grumbled, placing his blasters in their holsters.

OoC: Okay, that'll do it for me. PM me if you have any serious problems that need changing.

A last, pirouetting drop of rain smacked against the dirt of the path as sun light slowly, but unstoppably broke through the shroud of black clouds covering the sky. The faint moisture that the rain had implanted in the spring air nestled the green leaves of the tress, coating them with a glazed dew. Water, being almost infinitely present in the area, coated almost everything, making the local animals’ trips to the lake seem almost pointless.

As the last of the gray abominations hiding the sun’s might faded away, the brilliant, shining light filled the land. The mountains illuminated beautifully with the morning’s coat of mist glinting proudly. The green, grassy, rolling hills and grasslands stretched far and wide, catching the sun’s bountiful gift as the breeze caused the grass to move with the fluidity of water.

Karaza blinked with newly opened eyes as something landed gently on his nose. He flew upright and hit his head on a branch of the tree he was sitting on, and then grumbled about how his new companion, the leaf, had caused him a significantly large bump to the head. Rubbing his skull sorely he pushed himself off of his branch, which, as he had feared the night before, caused him discomfort as he slept. He fell thirty feet and some twigs scattered on the dirt path heading through the forest. He looked at the sun and judged the time, and realized what sort of a beating he was in for.

Damn. Khana’s going to kill me. And I still gotta bathe. His thoughts were all too true. Khana hadn’t been happy when he had told her that he would be going out for another one of his “alone time” trips, and he had promised her that he would be a day at most. He must have already been three hours past a day, and still needed to get cleaned up before he could return. What was worse, he hadn’t found what he was looking for. He sighed and then cracked a smile, daring to imagine Khana’s reaction.

Town was a few hundred miles away, and about thirty minutes flight, if he didn’t strain himself to move faster than he needed to, which, if he knew Khana, which he did, he would most definitely. “I guess she won’t be letting me off the leash for a little while.” Karaza joked as he walked along the path towards the shimmering lake. Each step he took broke tiny twigs hidden from the sun’s rays thanks to the trees teetering above.

Karaza emerged from the shelter of the trees and gazed at the magnificence of the shining lake that he saw before him. Waves lapped gently in the wind and caused a bit of stirring, but it seemed rather calm, with a beautiful reflection of the mountains and trees on the other side to complement it’s elegance. Karaza smiled as the wind blew his hair and the grass around him eastwards. “Beautiful.” he stammered. The sight was truly picturesque, and despite the fact that Karaza often saw amazingly beautiful places did not seem to matter.

He moved towards the lake’s bank and sat down as he neared the water. The grass was cool from the light gust, and he could only imagine the chill he would get as he entered the water. What better way to do it than quickly, though? He pulled off his black shoes, put them gently beside him, and then slid gently out of his thick, grey vest. He glanced towards the sky and found it odd that he could see the movement of the sun. He had lost track of time, and figured that the longer he took, the more severe his scolding for abandoning Khana would be.

Karaza slowly reached for his tattered black shirt, and pulled it over his head, revealing his white, somewhat muscular stomach and chest. He twirled his shirt in the air for a moment, reaping the entertainment related benefits of having telekinesis. He shivered as a draft hit his bare skin, and pushed the oncoming air with his telekinesis, just to keep the more chilly gusts from hitting him directly. “The faster the better, I suppose.” He continued repeating several phrases over and over to help him forget about the cold of the water he was about to dive into.

He strained his mind, and felt the oh so familiar lightness that game with lifting himself off of the ground. Realizing that he had closed his eyes, he quickly opened them and watched himself raise from the grass, which obviously ceased tickling his toes, and into the air above the lake. After he was fifty feet into the air, he looked around, dazzled by the beauty that normally only flying creatures and others that took to the skies could behold. The water of the large lake, when seen from above, reflected the sun, and caused the water to look like liquid light.

“Ready set go!” Karaza cried quickly, with some glee in his voice, knowing that he was about to bare witness to another odd sensation that not many were familiar with. His body suddenly shifted so that his head was pointing towards the middle of the lake. His body, strait as a needle, suddenly shot forward with incredible speed so that he hit the water in a fraction of a second, causing a gigantic splash to shoot out in every direction.

His pace slowed as he felt the pressure around him build, and he mentally commanded his mind to stop his descent into the depths. After turning upright and detaching his limbs from their bolted position, he forced his eyes open and turned to face the surface of the lake. The large bright patch that laid on top of the water blinded Karaza, and he shielded his eyes from the devastating force.

Despite the seemingly magnified light, the underwater paradise was a haven for Karaza. Above the surface, noises distracted him, and his mind wandered away from what it intended to focus on, but whilst submerged, he found it miraculously easy to use his mind to it’s full extent. A place so absolutely calm, even when it was bustling with life, provided him with the perfect getaway location. He also loved the amount of manoeuverability he had while underwater. Using his mind’s psychic power he could propel himself around at great speed with unparalleled control. Perhaps he could do this above the surface, but underwater, almost none rivalled him.

“I gotta hurry. Khana’s waiting.” he tried to mumble, but, being underwater, the words sounded more or less like something along the lines of, “Uh gotuh hrey. Na’s ting.” Perhaps a less than perfect phrase, but it sounded out crystal clear in his mind.

He swam around a little bit, seriously lacking soap, so as to wash himself off a bit. He twirled, spun, pirouetted, flipped, and danced under the waves for a few moments. As soon as he thought he had sufficiently cleaned himself, he let himself fall to the floor of the lake, which was quite a distance down.

The lake was deep, to say the least. It got dark, and the water pressure started pressing against Karaza’s skin, but no sooner had his eyes started hurting did he feel his feet touch sand. With a strong kick off, and some telekinetic force, he shot towards the surface. He quickly felt his body hit the air, and really felt the effects of the cold water. Even after breaking the surface, he continued to rise until he stood about fifty feet above the ground. As he ascended, he twirled about so as to shake off the excess water. Just to add some style, he started doing acrobatics, flipping in the air and spinning in ever direction imaginable.

As his pace slowed he looked down towards the ground, and then into the distance. Looking past the mountains he couldn’t see the city that he had left Khana standing in, but it was a considerable distance away, and blocked by lots of bumpy terrain. Karaza sighed, his mind already tiring, and decided that he would fly until he tired, and then run the rest of the way. With a quick glance towards the spot where he had remove his shirt, vest, and shoes, he summoned his clothing and raced off, with the poor, but not necessarily forgotten, laundry, trailing behind him.

***

Someone bumped into Karaza and he sighed deeply. Why was it that cities needed to be so crowded? Couldn’t people just be happy with lots of tiny villages? Karaza gritted his teeth as he tried to manoeuver through the masses of the large, bustling city. The sun had already reached it’s highest point, and had started lowering. Karaza didn’t need a sun to tell him that it was past noon, though. People were running around everywhere, trying to make it back to work from their breaks.

Khana was going to kill him. He had left her early the previous day, and had told her that he would be back in a day or less. He must’ve been at least six hours late. He had flown on his way back to the city for as long as he could, but after twenty minutes he had unwillingly started falling, not even realizing at the time that he was almost completely sapped of all his psychic force. He had moved his quickest on foot after that, even accelerating at points, but after searching for a day, with only two hours of sleep, he could not maintain an accelerated pace for very long periods of time.

Could his luck have been worse? He couldn’t find their meeting point. They had agreed, early in the morning of the day before, that they would both meet in a tiny playground at six. It was most likely thirty minutes past one, by Karaza’s calculations, and he couldn’t remember how to find the playground. People were already looking at him; if he flew, with his luck, someone would probably call the police.

Karaza was imagining the conversation that would take place after he found the playground. He could already hear Khana scolding him for not returning on time. She would tell him that if they got separated that they would most likely never find each other again, which, and Karaza chuckled at the thought, would not have been such a bad thing. Khana was generally a kindhearted person, but she could make you feel so bad, and then force you to apologize. Yet, Karaza couldn’t imagine resuming travel without her. She was a good companion to travel with, but she had the ability to really bring the best out of people. Karaza was living proof of that.

As he continued to think about excuses for his being late, none of which would be particularly effective, seeing as he had found naught while searching, Karaza stumbled upon a small jewelry store. It was only a one story building, and fit smugly in between two others, so that there were no alleys in between, but it had some nice silver bracelets in the window case. Karaza noticed, above all else, that the color was surprisingly similar to that of the chain he wore around his neck; the same type of chain that Khana was also forced to wear around her neck.

Lady luck saves me, again! Aw, ****. He added, seeing the price tag sitting on the table beside one particularly beautiful bracelet. He sighed and reached into his pocket, knowing that being able to cheer Khana up (as well as avoiding the worst possible feeling of guilt imaginable) would we worth whatever he had. What he had, unfortunately, was just enough. He rushed in; bought the bracelet; walked out, wondering whether it would really be worth it; and bought a soda from a vending machine with what he had left.

His soda fizzed as he cracked it open, and he felt it splash down his throat and cool off his entire body. He sighed and wiped some sweat from his brow. Even his hair was starting to fall back to the side of his face, touching his white skin after falling from it’s outward spiked position. The sun was still beating down on everyone, and it was even warmer inside the city where the breeze had trouble reaching.

Karaza crushed his can in his hand and threw it across the street into a garbage bin. Several people who had seen him make the shot stopped to stare at him, even though they all obviously wanted to get indoors. Karaza looked around at the crowds gathering to wonder why crowds were gathering, and realized that he had forgotten how far the bin had been. He sighed and shook his head, and just then noticed something that made his ears perk up.

YellowReef Avenue, the sign read proudly as it stood high on it’s post. Karaza recognized the white letters that sat cozily on the green, but from where? The playground was on Hursely, which, if Karaza remembered correctly, was right around the turn on YellowReef! Knowing every second he delayed would only lower his chances of being guilt free for the next couple of days, he accelerated his physical structure so that he would move faster. The world around him slowed down, and he bounded in and out of the crowds.

As he rounded the turn on YellowReef he saw another sign with Hursely imprinted on it. Karaza realized at that moment how annoying cars were. What good did they do him? Riding in a car was slow and boring, lacking physical activity, and over all, just inefficient. And they made manoeuvring through the streets much more difficult than it needed to be.

Karaza turned another corner, enjoying being able to move freely about the people once more, and saw what he had been hoping was around the tall building. The playground was build in between the towering buildings, constructed in the block of land situated in between the four streets, surrounded by a few trees which made it seem more remote. There was an old rusty slide, some monkey bars, and a few other less than perfect looking pieces of junk that were most likely at one time used for fun by tiny children.

Karaza saw Khana leaning against the old, beat up slide, her hair being blown by the wind (which Karaza was surprised to see reached that part of the city) in a slowed state. Karaza took one more great bound and landed a little behind Khana. He turned around and rushed towards her, his feet sinking in the sand, causing it to tremble and fall in tiny holes. As Karaza reached Khana, who still wasn’t moving much, he put a hand on her shoulder, and immediately decelerated.

“Ah!” came a scream from Khana so loud that it knocked Karaza back slightly. Karaza smiled as she walked towards him with a look of disgust on her face. “Karaza! Don’t EVER scare me like that again!” Karaza laughed a little and hopped backwards in order to dodge the slap Khana threw towards him. Khana was wearing a navy blue top, and a white skirt, and Karaza nodded his head in mock approval.

“I like it. You look good.” Again he jumped back to avoid being hit. Khana was gradually pushing him backwards towards the street.She had a smile on her face, but Karaza knew it would only last so long. Again, he saw the white hand come flying in his direction, and he jumped over Khana’s head, flipped in the air, and landed gracefully on the swaying, yes, swaying, slide.

“Don’t speak to me like that, Karaza. I’m not in the mood for jokes! Not after you show up nearly seven hours late, I think.” She seemed unsure of the time, as if she too was losing track. She put her hand to her hip and patted the ground with her foot. “Now, I’m not going to hit you, so come down here. We need to figure out where we’re heading.” Karaza sighed and threw himself over the edge of the slide, and his stomach turned as he heard a loud boom. He turned around and was relieved that he had moved, for the slide had just fallen with a vengeance.

He sat down next to Khana on the sand and smiled, knowing he would have to score all the points he could manage. “I wasn’t joking, though. You look good. You should wear really thin shirts and really short skirts more often.” He smiled and felt Khana’s hand connect with the back of his head. He coughed and felt the back of his neck, which would undoubtedly bruise. “Okay, okay! Uh,” he put his hand to his chin and looked towards the blue, clear sky. “I think it would be best to head south-west, because I didn’t find what I was looking for, but I think I’m getting closer.”

Khana heard him, but wasn’t really paying attention. She was looking at his hair, which she still thought looked funny. “You know, I think you looked better with your hair down. It’s not depressing anymore, and quite frankly, your whole persona loses something because of it.” Karaza laughed and Khana shook her head. He told her that he didn’t feel depressed anymore, and she smiled. “That’s good, but you’ve been acting strange since you got back from the Dome place. Are you sure your teacher guy didn’t put a spell on you?”

Karaza laughed and threw his head back. Some clouds were forming. Karaza thought it was odd, but knew that it was eventually supposed to rain. Great. “No,” he answered, “he didn’t put a spell on me. Actually, he wasn’t there when I left. But I got into a fight with a pretty cool guy, and I think a piece of me stayed with the Dome. I feel great, though. Never been so happy.” Khana eyed him funnily.

“I think it’s good that you feel good, too, but people can’t just change overnight.” She looked back towards the sky, also noticing the gray clouds forming overhead. “You were pretty gloomy when I met you in the shed all those years ago. Now you’re always smiling and laughing, and making perverted remarks.” She hit him again, and he apologized, but she smiled, to Karaza’s fortune.

“Anyway, you’re out of luck. It’s my turn to run off without you.” Karaza cocked an eyebrow and Khana laughed. She stirred some sand around with her index finger and felt a drop of rain hit her hair. Then another on her skin. And another. She sighed and stood up; Karaza did the same. “Yep, I’ve, believe it or not, got some business here in town. Just some friends I made yesterday. We’re going partying.” Karaza raised another eyebrow.

“What, I don’t get to come along with you and your friends.” He asked, with a fake hurt tone in his voice. Khana shook her head, turned around, and slowly started walking back towards YellowReef, most likely towards a café.

“Nope, ‘fraid not. See, that’s your punishment, Karaza. You were late - six or seven hours, to be precise - and don’t get to come partying. Besides, you’ll likely scare my friends with your appearance.” Karaza caught back up to her and looked her in the eyes.

“Are you nuts?” he asked rhetorically. “Do they not notice your white skin? Or pointy ears? What’s wrong with me? It’s because I’m a guy, right? You females are always plotting against us, even when you’re of different races. Typical sexists.” Karaza curled his lip and pretended like he was going to cry. He then remembered his secret weapon, and pulled it from his pocket.

“I got you this!” he yelled to Khana, running to show it to her. She stopped and looked at the bracelet with interested eyes as the rain started to pick up. She sighed and pushed the bracelet back into his chest. Karaza sighed and insisted she take it as compensation for his screwing up. She stopped and shot him an angry look.

“Karaza, I don’t want it! Not now, anyway. I’ll take it when I forgive you. But you’re going to have to prove that you deserve my forgiveness, first.” She continued walking and Karaza ran up to catch up with her. “I’ll wear it when I forgive you, and I’ll forgive you when I wear it. Both things happen at the same time, get it?” Karaza nodded and shook his head in disappointment. He slid the bracelet around his own wrist for safe keeping, so that he would eventually be able to earn Khana’s forgiveness.

“Now, if you don’t mind, Karaza, I’ve got to go get ready for a party. I’ve got a hotel room, which you may stay in, if you can help me pay, but thanks to that trinket in your hands, I doubt you can. Men are so damn superficial.” Karaza knew that he was never going to make it into that hotel, let alone the same room, so he turned to go wandering through town, possibly on the rooftops, which he loved for the view, when Khana called back to him, “I’ll meet you here tomorrow. If you go off fighting some sort of supreme evil, then you’ll have to find me on your own. You like playing detective, though, so it’s up to you.”

She had reacted much better than Karaza had expected, yet he was still forced to wander outside for a day. He turned and slowly staggered through the playground, not knowing where to go next. He started as his chain, which under normal circumstances, never fell off, fell off. Something was obviously wrong. Karaza reached down to pick up the chain where it had fallen, but just as he went to put it around his neck he felt something connected with his skull.

Then blackness.

***

Karaza’s head hurt. Badly. He opened his eyes, and felt his hands bounce off of the material he was laying on. What?! He was in some sort of containment room. The walls, floor, and ceiling were all made of some sort of green, rubbery material. It was rather dark. Karaza could see his hands, but only barely. Normally he would be able to see in the dark, and it then occurred to him.

His hands raced frantically to his neck, and when he felt nothing there but skin Karaza beat the ground with a closed fist. His hand bounced off of the floor and ricocheted into the wall he was sitting by. He cursed his luck and turned his head towards a door - which was, unfortunately, made of the same green rubber substance - from where all the light, which was little, in the room originated. Where the hell was he?

“Yeah, the master says that this one’s special. Took some time to track him down, though, I ‘spose. Master kept cussing his picture whenever the squad reported back with nothing.” Karaza heard the voice from outside his cell, and immediately moved to the door. Two very scrawny men, each wearing black rags, which, to Karaza’s dismay, sort of resembled his own black shirt, were standing around. What were they talking about? It was hard for Karaza’s ears when he couldn’t pick up inaudible sound waves.

“Some sort of power’ouse, this one? I doubt it.” came the second man’s voice in a very raspy, high pitched voice. Both men were bald, abnormally skinny, and were twitching nervously. Their eyes were cold, and somewhat empty, but their words, despite their voices, were strong and distinguished. “He hardly put up a fight, heard, I did. They says he just bent over to pick some piece of jewelry up, and they shmucked him, they did. Out like a light, he went, I ‘eard. Real wimp.”

Karaza rolled his eyes, but decided to stay silent so as to possibly gain some more information as to where he was. The first man shook his head in disapproval. “No, the master was right angry every time this guy moved. Said he moved like lightning, never staying in once place, he did. Strong, too, I ‘ear. Some sort of super strength. Can lift mountains, they say ‘e can. Real freak of nature.”

The second guy shook his head, and swung his staff, which seemed to hold a funny, grey blob on the edge. His staff hit the gray stone wall, and made a metallic clinking sound. “Don’t matter. Master’s got some real beasts, he does. Master’s eyeing some samurai, who is supposedly really strong, I ‘ear. And some transforming robot or something that tried to escape. Wears a weird watch, ‘e does. Almost made it, too, but they got a stone on him first, ‘ey did.”

“I dunno,” started the first, more skimpy guy. He scratched his head and waved his staff around, too. Karaza wondered what these staffs were? They didn’t look like they were made for fighting. “Master says he’s acting weak, so’s that we lets our guards down. Says he could fight his way out if he didn’t have the stone on the back of his neck, ‘e does.”

It took Karaza a second to realize that the two men were discussing him. When he did, he quickly threw his right hand to the back of his neck, and sure enough, there was some sort of hard object sticking to him. As soon as he touched it, it zapped him, and a bit of purple electricity illuminated the room for a second, and then Karaza pulled his hand away. The object felt like a smooth rock, and was like a squished ball sticking to the back of his neck.

Seeing the light coming from the room, both guards - or Karaza assumed them to be his guards - rushed over to see what was happening. They looked through the door’s square window, making sure not to get too close, and asked him, “Awake, are we? Touched the stone, did ye? Hurt, did it? S’pose you burned your little white hands.” Karaza then looked down to his hands, which were indeed burnt, but slowly healing, and cursed further. His gloves, which served as his main weapon, were missing.

“What’d you do with my gloves?!” Karaza demanded so furiously that one man (the one who had thought he was powerful) jumped back. The other man scratched his head idiotically, trying to draw a conclusion. Karaza shook his head and rolled his eyes. “My gloves.” he said slowly. “I wear them on my hands.”

“Shut up!” the second man snapped back. “We ain’t gotta take no mouth from you.” Karaza pushed against his lip with his tongue and, in his head, laughed at the stupid comment.

“So, you want to take mouth from me, then? Two negatives make a positive, aye?” He mocked their accents. The first man, the one who had jumped back, laughed at the retort, but his partner hit him over the head with his staff.

“I said shut up!” Karaza sighed, not even remotely afraid of this man’s threats or orders, and sat down, so that the two men had to lean over the window to see his spiky hair. “What’s so important about these gloves ‘o yours, anyway. They got mumbo jumbo? What’re you, some magic man? That how you move so fast?”

Karaza smiled, he did, after all, move fast. “No, actually. I move fast because you two are so slow.” The first man was laughing again, until his friend ordered him to shut up, as well. Karaza was getting annoyed. “Now, either one of you two gentlemen hand me my gloves, or I’ll come out there and beat them out of you.”

There was a sudden silence. Karaza looked at both men, who were each looking at each other with worry in their eyes. Karaza did not believe for a second, however, that they were worried that he would break free and take his gloves back by force. “The master calls.” They both nodded, and each hurried off into the distance, apparently late for some sort of meeting.

Karaza sighed, alone in the darkness, left to wait for some sort of news. Was he being held prisoner? Why? For some sort of crime? To be a sacrifice? God, I hope not. Perhaps to be tortured? Where was he, anyway? What time was it? Khana would kill him if he was more late than he was before. A fate worse than anything these brutes could work up.

OoC - Woo! Good fun. I love the two guards. Lovable lot, 'ey are. Ha ha. Anyway, now we need to wait for some others to reply.

OoC: M'kay, at Icy's request, I'm going to do a judge post and start the first battle. I suppose any other council members who want to join can post after the first battle is over so that should give you slowpokes some more time.

BiC:

The announcer walked up into the stands, eager to comment on this day. Supposedly, the boss had come across some real fighters, which he captured and were now going to fight for entertainment. The arena was circular in shape but the enviroment was varied. There was mainly sand but boulders, trees, and even a little pond cluttered the area. It was probably specified for the combantants who would be using it. Of course, this was just one of the many configurations. The battlefield would probably be changed for each fight, giving the spectators some freshness.

The judge sat down in his seat and adjusted the microphone. "Hello, everyone!" he said, his voice amplified, "And welcome to the Battle Arena! Today, we have several great fights scheduled for today. These have been promised to be some of the best warriors we have ever seen. So, without further adieu, let's get this started! The first fight shall be between Kric Ureon, the Diamond Alchemist, and Dreas, the Pokemon Power Ranger!"

OoC: There ya go. Okay, make this a good fight.

The alchemist was flexing his left arm once more, trying to rip the golden sleeves of his clothes without having to touch them. Everyone had recovered from the stones effects, and most of them were chatting in little groups about what they thought was going to happen.

“I think these stones were put on us for a reason, otherwise we could just blast our way out of the front door.” Cyno said quietly, scratching at the stone on his arm.

“Or in your case freeze your way out,” Sudran chuckled. Kric didn’t see the point of listening to the others talk, they were just getting nowhere slowly. Pushing his back against a wall and closed his eyes, intent to get a little sleep before whatever was supposed to happen happened. Moments after a voice boomed out around them, making the alchemist fall from his bench. Grunting several curses under his breath, the alchemist sat up from where he had fallen, rubbing his head. Whatever the sound was it was being muffled by the walls, and only a few words could be deciphered by the alchemist.

“…fight…between…Ureon…Diamond…Pokemon…Ranger. ” The voice boomed. At the word Ureon everyone had looked directly at the alchemist.

“Look’s like your first for whatever’s going to happen.” Aristo said casually. Before Kric could reply the hidden door opened once more, and three rather large men dressed in navy blue entered.

“Take him, if any of the others try to stop us, knock them out.” One of the men said, issuing orders to the other two. They moved swiftly, one grabbing Kric from behind, the other grabbing his legs to stop him from kicking. None of the others moved, they just watched as the alchemist was taken away.

Fat load of good it does having friends… Kric thought to himself. Closing his eyes while the guards carried him, Kric tried to pretend he was hung in a hammock, but the cursing and spitting of the men ruined the illusion.

“If you want me to fight, then I will need my gloves and sword back.” Kric said lazily.

“Your sword will be hung in the arena, whether you get it before your opponent does is up to you. Your gloves will not be returned to you until the end of the fighting, use your imagination to draw something, alchemist.” The head guard grunted. The three kept walking, and as far as Kric could tell they were heading upwards. Suddenly they stopped, and the front guard said something to the others, who dropped him roughly to the floor.

“Once the door opens you have ten seconds to get out, or we start poking with out staffs.” Said one of the guards. Grunting more curses, the alchemist got up again and rubbed any dirt from his clothes, and began to study the area around him. He was stood in front of a metal door in a very small tunnel, the guards were having to stoop in order to fit. Suddenly the door in front of him opened, bright sunlight streaming in. Remembering the guard’s threat, Kric stumbled forward, falling flat as he entered the arena.

This is not a good day for me… the alchemist thought, wiping his face and spitting sand from his mouth. Looking up, Kric found himself in a sand covered pit, with various trees, boulders and a little pond littered all over.

“I’m not in Kansas anymore.” Kric chuckled, looking around for his weapon. As he was looking a glint caught his eye. It wasn’t Wraith, but another metal door. Presumably his opponent would be coming out of it, or he might already have come out. The thought hit the alchemist, and he flattened himself against the nearest tree. Suddenly something cold pressed itself against his back, making Kric freeze. The coldness didn’t move, and after a few moments Kric turned around and looked. He was leant against a shield that was dark red in color, with the letter ‘R’ printed firmly in the middle. Deciding he would need something to use until he found his sword, the alchemist unhooked the shield and placed it on his left arm.

“This should come in handy if anyone tried to kill me.” The alchemist grunted, and began to look for his weapon once more.

Ooc: I wonder what Dreas will do when he sees a big red R? Its not like its an organizations symbol is it? Oh and graceful could you post in BITTI.

"Get in there!"

Dreas heard his title in the announcements, confirming his suspicion that his identity had been discovered. They know I'm a Power Ranger, he thought furiously, the identity of a ranger was a sacred trust in Kanto. He glanced at his morpher, checking to make sure it was still securely in place. I'll have to be careful about this, I need to conserve the morpher's energy. It won't last me the year if I keep using it!

"Get in there fighter," one of the guard repeated, a slight snarl in his voice. His dumb voice irritated Dreas to hell, slobbering over him like he wasn't even a human. "That's not going to be a suggestion for long."

Dreas took one look at the iron doors before him, deciding it would be a bad idea to go through. But the stone still stuck in his damn arm, binding him to their will. Curse it all, he muttered to himself, trying to find a way out of fighting. His purpose was for defense, not battle. "I'm not meant for battling sport," he stated, hands going for the Echo Blasters on his holsters, but remembering they were gone. "Let me leave in peace, and I will allow you to peacefully retain use of your limbs."

"Get in there!" the guard spat furiously, before the doors opened behind Dreas, and he was roughly shoved out, falling onto the sinking sands of the battle pit. He didn't have a chance, falling into the coarse ground without a word. The PKM Ranger flipped, bracing himself with his arms and legs, and twisting up on his feet.

The crowds roared as he surveyed his surroundings, noting the various plants and life that existed in the oasis envoiroment that seemed to encompass him. It was of decent size, enough to have a decent fight in. But Dreas wasn't good in fighting, or at least the kind of fighting he was certain that he was there for. There is no criminal here, no reason for me to attack and capture.

His eyes pierced through the brush of the oasis ahead of him, seeing through the dense shrub and landscape the breathing of a man, his opponent. "All right, I think of it as a training excersize then," he said calmly breathing in the moist air surrounding him. "Object is to aprehend the target before target can disable and defeat me. Commence training."

Time to go to work.

***

Dreas leapt through the sand surrounding him, headed speedily for the jungle around the water. Gotta end this quick, so I don't have to morph, he thought, looking again at the watch on his wrist. "The last thing I want it to wind up without any power."

He jumped, raising his arms in preparation for capturing the target. His eyes scanned once more, crimson orbs searching for his prey. It would not take long. If his opponent was moving, Dreas would find him, no doubt about it. His eyes were too good. Ah-here you are, he thought to himself, glancing a moving tree.

"Identify yourself opponent," he called out, looking directly at the trunk the man was hiding behind. Picking up a stone, he hurled it with deadly accuracy, striking through the tree bark just above where the man's head was, leaving a gaping hole through it. "I am Dreas, you are under my juristiction. Come out with your hands up."

There was a loud laugh from the trunk, before a man emerged. The slighty smaller man wore a strange garb, studded everywhere with diamonds. "What the hell do you think you are, the royal guard or something?"

Dreas laughed, holding up yet another rock. "Nope, I'm a little more elite then those annoying..." His voice trailed off, his eyes scanning down to see the sheild the man was gripping in his right hand. The bright red "R" sprang up at him, though he had seen it coming. "Of course," he muttered, looking back up at him. "An agent from the Rocket renegades I followed here." He aimed the rock up, directly towards the opponent's head. "I have no quarrel with you, why do you wear the Rocket emblem?"

"What the hell you talking about?" said the man, holding the shield up against the small boulder, negating anything a normal man could do. "I'm not wearing any emblem."

"Name," Dreas stated, scanning his body with his eyes. The red orbs looked up and down the alchemist, tracing every weakness in the body with hawk-like accuracy. "Now."

"Kric," the man stated, holding up a fist. "The Diamond Alchemist."

"Dreas," the man retorted, striking his martial arts stance, bending his legs and arching his back forward. "The PKM Special Unit Corps. Red Ranger. I'm going to pummel the info out of you one way or the other, but if you want to fight that's fine with me Rocket."

The rock still pointed at Kric's head.

OoC: Slight note, Dreas is not going to morph any time soon. So I'll decide when to use it, and not you.

ooc: Oh yeah Power Shot, I meant to tell you to change that part about Kric’s appearance in your last post, the diamond that are in his coat are embedded into it underneath the material, so they can’t be seen at all.

Bic:

The alchemist kept his attention on finding his weapon, since his opponent didn’t seem that dangerous. He was dressed in a slightly weird get-up, black jacket, blue trousers and black boots.

Where did they get him from? Kric thought to himself. The man had made threats against him, but to the alchemist they were hollow and didn’t even faze him. Something caught his eye and the alchemist looked over at the pond, and saw Wraith hanging by a small piece of rope over the middle of it. Without thinking, Kric lowered the shield. A few seconds later a whistling sound was heard, followed by a rock that collided with the alchemist’s head. Kric saw stars in his vision, and his knees buckled underneath him. Moments later, Dreas was next to him, another rock pointed squarely at the diamond alchemist.

“Why am I here, Rocket?” the man asked, raising the rock threateningly.

“How should I know? I was brought here against my will. And stop calling me Rocket!” Kric moaned. Licking his lips to wet them, the alchemist could taste blood, his blood. Angry at what the man had done, Kric began to draw with his hand in the dirt, Dreas not even noticing.

“How do I know I can trust what your saying?” the man asked. Smiling to himself, Kric touched the complete circle with his hand, making it glow. Within moments, a rock spire shot up, knocking Dreas onto his back. Thanking whoever had created alchemy with so effortless circles, the alchemist jumped onto the other man.

“If you ever throw a rock at me again, im going to rip you a new mouth.” Kric growled. Punching the man in the face, the alchemist got up and speedily ran for Wraith, knowing that the other man would be probably chasing him. With a jump he cleared the pool, grabbing out at the sword with his left hand. But instead of snapping straight away the rope kept taught, giving Kric whiplash in his neck. Groaning to himself, the alchemist looked up to see the rope snap, making him fall into the pool.

Great, just what I needed, a freezing cold bath… Kric thought to himself. Closing his eyes, he let himself float to the top, thought his left arm and Wraith weren’t very good at floating. As soon as his face broke the surface, the alchemist latched onto the side of the pond, pulling himself out. Wearily opening an eye, Kric looked for any sign of Dreas, but he was gone.

Hopefully he took my threat literally… the alchemist thought. Shaking his head to get rid of any moisture, Kric stood up and grabbed his nearby fallen shield.

“Rocket! Face me!” a voice shouted. Groaning inwardly, the alchemist turned round, and saw Dreas standing a few feet away, a spiked mace in his hands.

“Great, we have to fight the medieval way.” Kric moaned, and slowly began to walk forward. At this his opponent began walking forward as well, swinging the mace as he did.

Ooc: Here's a pic of the alchemy circle Kric drew, just to prove how fast it would take to draw it.

Oh and sorry about crappyness of post, im not in a good mood and im not feeling very well.

NOTE: All trick posts are endorsed by Icy Angel.

The announcer reclined in his chair, enjoying the current battle. An alchemist versus a power ranger, whatever those were. He never payed much attention as he was only interested in getting a good fight out of the combatants. "Hmmm," he comtemplated, looking at a series of buttons near his seat. Each one performed a different actions, specifically designed to spice up the battle. And that's exactly what was needed. He circled his finger around the several buttons, "I think I'll push..." then pressed hard on a black button, "This one." Instantly, an explosion rocked the area. The black button had set off a bomb hidden under the pond. Its disturbance forced the two warriors off-balance and sprayed them with water. "I wonder which one will recover first."

Dreas broke into a run, branishing the mace in his grasp. Its hard cold steel stuck at him, but he had long ago learned to ignore pain of almost any kind. He felt the weapon, and knew damn well how to use it. Across from the water, he could see Kric running directly towards him, almost reaching the water.

"Time to hunt!" Dreas roared, leaping into the water without a second thought, knowing his special uniform would protect him from the wetness. The steel weapon clashed against the shield, knocking Kric off balance in the left knee. Dreas could see the weakness in the muscles under the outift, and knew how to use that.

Dreas doved, sinking deeper into the water. With a cry, he shot out his foot, tripping the smaller warrior. Kric lost it and fell, sinking into the pool of water. The PKM jumped out, flipping away just as soon as he connected. Dreas landed straight on his feet, already scanning the water with his eyes.

The water ripples there, he decided, noting where Kric was trying to swim and surprise him. And over there...

His eyes widened, seeing a small stream of bubbles coming from under the water, attached to a small bomb that was underneath the pool's surface. "Oh sh-"

The bomb exploded.

Dreas instantly dropped the mace, before retreating into his uniform without a second though. Pulling his arms and head into the protective cloth, the bomb detonated, knocking him away like an insect. He shielded himself, his clothing unbreakable. Blasts of rock struck him, but they were nothing. Just flies on a windshield.

He looked up in the hole for his head, and saw the ground rushing to meet him as he flipped. Bracing his feet, he landed, clouds of dust spewing around him. He removed himself, throwing his arms and head out of his clothing's shield. "Not bad," he muttered, craking his knuckles. "Now let's see what I can do."

He looked up, and saw to his joy his beloved Echoes. "I was wondering where these went," he muttered, leaping up to grab both in his hands "I missed you."

Spinning both in his hands, he searched around once more for the supposed Diamond Alchemist. Now it was really time for fun. "Echo F-Series Blasters!" he shouted, taking aim and attacking where he saw movement.

Smiling at his plan, the alchemist trod water, counting the seconds that passed, a faint stream of bubbles popping from his mouth. Thanks to Wraith and the shield, Kric was heavy enough to stop himself from rising to the surface. Noting the shadow that loomed above him, Kric smiled to himself, preparing to jump at his opponent. But moments before the alchemist moved, the pool exploded, the water jumping out of the pool, taking Kric with it. The water rose until it has deposited itself over the entire coliseum, and then dropped the alchemist. Yelling something unintelligible, the alchemist closed his eyes as he fell, waiting for his descent to end. Moments later and several loud thuds, Kric landed. Opening one eye, he surveyed his surroundings. Everything was soaked, including the spectators.

Well at least some good came of that… Kric thought to himself. Getting to his feet, the alchemist immediately fell over. Wondering what was wrong, he looked around, and found to his horror that the shield had pinned his left arm to a tree, the corner of it piercing straight through the prosthetic limb. Yanking at the shield helplessly in an attempt to free himself, Kric grunted with the effort. After several disappointing moments, he gave up, slumping down next to the tree.

“Great, I failed at the first hurdle.” Kric mumbled, giving his arm another tug. At the same time, someone snapped a twig. His hearing instantly focusing on that one sound, the alchemist knew that Dreas was approaching. Knowing that there was only one solution, Kric began to draw a circle, his eyes watching for his opponent. Finished with his drawing, the alchemist clapped a hand to the circle, making a small yet incredibly sharp spire rise out the ground, the end piercing his auto-mail and cutting it off, freeing him. Grabbing Wraith from where it had fallen, he dashed behind a tree, just as Dreas appeared. At the sight of the shield and Kric’s arm, the man went to investigate, shoving what looked like guns to the alchemist, into holsters on his belt. Grabbing the shield with both hands, the man pulled the shield out with ease, and picked up the auto-mail. Examining it with his eyes, Dreas touched two wires at the open end, making two of the fingers twitch. Slightly annoyed that someone was fiddling with his stuff, Kric swung Wraith round, cutting through the tree with one swipe. Kicking it with as much power as he could, the alchemist watched as the tree fell directly onto Dreas. But moments before it hit the man struck out with the alchemists arm, the diamond edged fingers cutting through the tree, saving him from harm.

“I believe that that arm is mine.” The alchemist shouted, gesturing to the stump of his left arm. Without even giving him a chance, Dreas pulled out one of his guns a fired off three rounds, the red beams striking Kric in his torso, knocking him over.

“You probably stole this as well Rocket.” Dreas replied. Seething with rage, Kric lashed out from the floor, using his feet to land a blow into the side of the man’s head, making him drop the arm. Rolling over, the alchemist grabbed the limb and pulled on four of the wires poking out, making the fingers stand up straight.

“I improved this thing myself.” Kric grunted, and pulled on a small white wire. Instantly, three small diamond blades popped out of the fingers. Lunging forward, the arm aimed itself for Dreas’s stomach, but as it hit the armor it made a screeching sound like nails on a chalkboard, and the blow bounced off.

"What the?" Kric gasped.

"That's a little annoying," Dreas grumbled, gripping his chest. There was no mark on his body, but that didn't stop it from hurting. "Trying to scratch my to death? You're not even trying, are you?"

"Not yet," Kric retorted, before glancing at the powerful armor the ranger wore. "Where'd you get something like that?"

"Special issue," Dreas answered, "if ya join the PKM they might let you wear one."

"Nice to know, for when I take it from you!" the alchemist replied, lunging towards Dreas' unprotected face. The crimson eyes glared, before the guns he carried whipped up, shooting one red blast each.

Kric screamed as the stinging rays met head on with his eyes, damaging the retinas badly. Dreas grinned, his plan in motion, and ducked, swinging his leg to deliver a kick to the man's calves, sending the alchemist off his feet.

Kric hit the ground hard, but not before grabbing Dreas' arm with him. Both fighters fell to the earth, though Dreas was certainly more graceful in his execution, flipping himself back up within seconds of landing, hitting Kric once more with a powerful kick to the chest as he did so. "What do you think I am, a freaking boy scout?" he asked the fallen fighter, keeping the guns triggered on the alchemist. "And I'm not stupid either."

Lowering the gun, and his eyes, he shot and destroyed the chalk that was in the man's supposedly concealed hand, ruining his chances at making another circle. Remove the magic, you remove his advantage over you, the ranger thought, before backflipping back to await Kric's rise to his feet.

Kric rose quickly, cursing the loss of his first chalk piece. He would have to be more careful if the battle was to be continued. Dreas was a more prominent threat then he looked.

Dreas' eyes simply stared at him, seeing through the muscle contractions in the man's face and body exactly what he was thinking. And everyone thought it was a waste of time to learn body language, he thought, keeping his fingers on the Echoes' triggers. I wonder how he plans to attack me next.

Kric clutched his eyes in pain, he was finding it difficult to see clearly from the beams of light that had struck him. The fight was beginning to shift advantage already, he would need to think carefully when he attacked next.

OoC: Please exucse the shortness, I'm at a school computer.

Ooc: Kric didn’t have any chalk, he used his fingers to draw in the dirt, just thought I should let you know.

Bic:

The alchemist was helpless, his vision incredibly distorted and unusable, the pain from them causing him to shudder. If it hadn’t been for the training Kric had received, he would have passed out already. Letting his other senses take hold, Kric could hear the breathing of his breathing only a few feet in front of him. Smiling, the alchemist pulled a piece of diamond from his belt and tapped it against a tree, the sound resonating. Moments later Dreas shot the jewel from his hand, which was what Kric had hoped he would do. As the diamond rose into the air, Kric rolled to his left, picking Wraith up as he did.

Shots rung out as his opponent tried to shoot him, but there was now a tree in between them. Using the detached arm to draw, the alchemist carved a circle into the tree, hoping that it would be correct without him being able to see. Finishing it with a stab in the middle, Kric pushed the auto-mail hand to the circle with his real one, filling his blurred vision with a bright blue light. Moments later a circular block of wood shot from the tree, just as the diamond fell to earth, the small piece colliding with the middle of the block and sticking to it. The wooden block carried on moving, and before he could shoot the block to pieces, struck Dreas in the stomach, forcing him back into another tree. As soon as Dreas’s back was against the tree, the diamond expanded, sticking him to the tree.

“Even if I can’t cut through your uniform, the diamond is still going to cause a lot of pain to your heart and other organs. Every time you move it constricts you further, you may have armor but you can still be crushed.” Kric shouted through the hole in the tree. Feeling about with the arm and sheathing Wraith, the diamond alchemist made his way to his opponent, a smile across his face. Sounds of struggling were coming from him, and the diamond was steadily crushing his bones. There was a sound of a gun being fired, but the shots just fired into the ground.

“Do you yield?” the alchemist asked, tapping the arm again the wooden block that held the diamond in place. Dreas didn’t answer, but kept struggling. His vision slightly better than it had been, Kric looked at the blurred outline of his foe.

“If you don’t answer me, I will kill you.” Kric said casually. Using his right hand, he tapped his index finger against the diamond, sending a blue spark into the slowly expanding jewel. The diamond moved suddenly, crushing Dreas even more, making him grunt with the pressure that was slowly building.

“I ask you a final time before I kill you, do you yield? You have no way of getting out of this without something that can break a diamond hold.” The alchemist grunted, sitting down and leaning against a tree.

Ooc: I want him to morph!! I know I’m probably not going to win this first battle, but I at least want a fight against a transformed power ranger!

OoC: AHAHAHAHAHA!!!

BiC:

"You want to see some action, huh?" Dreas grunted, deciding talking might be a fun approach to his situation. "Think you can handle what a PKM can dish out?"

"You think you're pretty tough, don't you?" Kric asked, maintaining the pressure on the fighter. "Well, from the looks of it, you're not the position to make a deal with me." He kept the diamond steady, and drew the red-eyed man towards him. Dres was thrown through the tree again, Kric enjoying every moment of it. "So," he asked, Dreas only feet away from him, "what are you going to do?"

Dreas grinned. "Well, I figured I would try and make you cocky, then I'd-" The foot came up so fast Kric wasn't even aware of it coming. Ignoring the pain in his boot from the thick leather armor, Dreas slammed hard against the man's groin, creating a giant echo that formed instantly from Kric's throat.

The alchemist's eyes bulged, losing control over the diamonds for the split second that Dreas needed. The ranger, reaching for his blasters, shot at his diamond wielding hand, breaking the connection between the man and his diamond. The ranger squeezed through the cracks in the mineral, free at last.

Checking his morpher for damage, Dreas waited for Kric to get back on his feet, gripping his front weakly. "That...was low," the alchemist gasped, pain flooding through his system.

"You got cocky," Dreas retorted, standing his ground with both blasters in hand. "But that was close, if you handed yourself to me I probably would have had a tough time getting out."

Still, I need to think of a plan, he thought, feeling the special stone stopping him from going all out. He could sense too, that Kric was under similar restraint. And Dreas' own body was damaged, bruises forming inside the suit. Wait a second, if this stone stops power, can I use it to charge my own?

"Hey, freaks in the controls!" he shouted, an idea springing to his head. "You guys design these stones as power sources?" he asked, a grin forming on his face. He looked at his PKM morpher, a plan formed in his mind. "Mind if I tap it?"

A yes murmured from the stands, signaling the go switch for Dreas. Kric stood, waiting for whatever Dreas was planning to do. "If you don't mind, think you can get this over with so we can fight and I can kill you?"

"Sorry," Dreas replied, a mocking tone in his voice, "change of plans on that idea. It's morphing time!"

Dreas threw his arm forward, touching his heart with his right hand. His hand flew up in front of his face, palm open. His left hand touching, but not pressing, the button on his watch. "PKM Spirit!" he shouted, activating the morphing call needed for voice recognition. "Activate!"

He gripped the watch, pressing down firmly onto the morpher. It shined, glowing with bright vermillion force. "...Voice recognized...Initiating morphing..." the watch answered, red energy pouring from within.

Kric tried to run up to stop the transformation, but was thrown back as Dreas' morpher connected to the stone in his body. Red light entered the arena, and Kric was forced to watch.

***

His hands, to his elbows, and everything below his knees, turned black as night. The material of Dreas' uniform reformatted for the morph, his belt shining more then usual, silver as the moon above. Everything else became red, crimson as blood, from his neck to his knees. The jacket faded away for armored cloth, hard as steel but flexible as nylon.

Dreas' head was covered quickly by a helmet made of red, leaving only his face unprotected. "Meet my true form," he said, his face covered by a black visor that resembled a V at the bottom, but was a W at the top, interlocked in black. There was something distinctly insect about it.

The letters PKM blazed on the uniform, in dark color on the uniform's side. A glow seemed to emit from the transformed Dreas, red as fire. Kric was basked in the glow, the change too bright to look at. He raised a gloved fist, and looked back at him.

"Were you expecting a fireworks show?" the Red Ranger asked, gleaming in the strange, unearthly light of the arena. "PKM Red Ranger power!" he shouted, the connection becoming complete. Under the visor, he saw perfectly, targeting Kric in his sights.

Dreas zoomed, blasting across the floor so fast it seemed he was flying over the ground, and delivered a punch to Kric's gut, sending the alchemist flying into the nearest tree.

OoC: Consider the wish granted, and now you may be screwed! *laughs at really bad joke*

The alchemist collided with the tree with such force, two of his ribs cracked, the sound making his opponent shudder. Falling to the floor with a thump, Kric hardly had time to take in a breath before Dreas had picked him up by the throat.

“Now who’s going to yield?” the ranger chuckled. In reply the alchemist coughed, blood spitting out of his throat and onto Dreas’s helmet.

“Kiss my ass.” Kric gasped. In reply he got a punch in the head, knocking him to the floor. Looking around for anything to defend himself, the alchemist saw his auto-mail and Wraith lying out of his reach.

“Great, I’m about to die and I’ve got nothing to defend myself with.” Kric mumbled. Wearily clapping his hands together, he touched them to his back, making the diamond lumps expand in a matter of seconds, forming a protective dome over his entire body. In the little room he now had, Kric clapped his hands together again, and the very little diamond left in his belt burst out, forming a razor thin platform. Clapping his hands again as he heard pounding noises on the dome, he touched the platform he was now laid on, and the bottom became a bed of razor sharp needles. Moving his body back and forth, the alchemist rolled over, the needles now sticking upwards.

Let’s see if I can’t go down with a little class… Kric thought. Closing his eyes, he clapped his hands yet again and touched the dome, making it shrink in size. Moving his hands to touch various places, the alchemist reformed the dome to look like a giant crab, with him protected by layers of diamond in the center. Moving his newly constructed body with ease, he looked out through the clear jewel at Dreas, who was watching what he was doing.

“I always had an affinity from sea creatures, and for doing stuff while lying down.” Kric shouted, and tapped part of the diamond to his left. Instantly the left claw snaked out and grabbed his adversary, pulling him off his feet before he could move. Manipulating the diamond to his will once more, the alchemist opened up and positioned Dreas over the diamond needles above him.

“I want to make sure that your armor is totally diamond proof, so let’s make sure of it.” Kric grunted, and let the claw release him. The ranger dropped onto the spikes, his armor keeping him from having holes punched in him.

“I think your going to pass out before anything happens.” Dreas said casually, trying not to move.

Ooc: Power Shot you can end this battle with your next post, make it interesting, but Kric gets to keep all his diamond.

OoC: My last post, well fought. And don't worry, Dreas ends all his fights like this, when a person sees his true form.

BiC:

"I didn't come to this world to die!" Dreas shouted, keeping both weapons trained on the strange creature. The Echo Blasters alone would not have the firepower needed to take down the giant crab, but Dreas had something that would. The Red Ranger grinned under his visor.

"Well, you're doing a crappy job of keeping that vow!" Kric retorted, his gleaming form menacing. "Looks like you're gonna get squashed!"

"Wanna bet something on that?" Dreas said, fingering the triggers for his beams. "Time for some Buster mode!"

He grabbed both pistols, barrels extending from both two feet. The handles extended, turning into two halves of a shotgun. The ranger threw both together, forming into a single, shotgun-like weapon with bright, vermillion force. "Beta E-Series Buster!" Dreas announced, the weapon gleaming in his hands.

"What's that thing gonna do?" Kric asked, mocking the way Dreas had chosen to end the fight.

"You know the story of every battle," Dreas retorted, gripping the weapon in his gauntlets. "The hero shows up, and kicks the villain's ass." He twirled the gun in his hands, almost waiting for Kric's giant crab to attack. It was slung so simply in his hands, and yet, he knew full and well what was in his grasp.

Unfortunately, Kric did not, assuming that the flashy colors and fancy lights were nothing more then tricks to disguise weakness. He tapped his diamond again, ordering the gem under his command. The claw came down again, and Dreas aimed the beam's barrels directly at him.

"Fire!" Dreas roared, pressing down on the trigger. There was a delay, as the weapon charged itself to the specifications that Dreas had predetermined, before a bright red light started to form, all in the span of several seconds. It grew in size, increasing and growing in strength, a ball of crimson light.

The weapon fired.

Bright light tore through the crab, slicing through half of it, much evaporating into the air as the concentrated heat beam sliced through. Kric lost his balance, too stunned to think, before his form started to come apart, Parts of his diamond beast falling to the ground like nothing.

Dreas crouched, before the Red Ranger leapt up, soaring over the battlefield as the thing came down, sending mounds of sand into the air. Controlling his descent, Dreas landed right in front of his opponent, guns pointed directly at his head.

"I win," the PKM said simply, Kric unable to move. “You have lost. Surrender, and I will allow you safe passage with your limb intact.”

“D-damn you,” Kric growled, the feeling in his body leaving him. “There’s no way someone like you could beat me.”

“I just did,” Dreas replied, pulling something from his belt, a small device that Kric knew nothing about. “Anyway, you won’t remember anything about me. In fact, no one will. Now that I have won, I have the freedom to leave in my way of choosing.”

He flipped switches on the strange weapon, grinning as he did so. “Have a nice life,” he said, raising the light over his head. The beam fired, frying every memory in the arena. Only the strange master, who sat in his booth, remained impervious to its assault, rubbing his hands together. He would allow Dreas to erase their memories, this time.

When the world returned to normal, Dreas was gone, Kric standing alone in the arena in a daze, wondering who his opponent was, where his opponent was, and why his body ached so much.

The first thing that sprung to Kric’s mind was the pain he was feeling, and how he couldn’t even move. Slowly opening an eyelid, the alchemist closed it immediately as pain shot through every nerve in his body.

Wow, I haven’t felt this much pain since Heon beat me when I was small… Kric thought to himself, trying in vain to move without causing any pain. As the pain flared up again, the diamond alchemist felt his hand clutching. Braving the pain, Kric opened his eyes, gritting his teeth. His hand was resting on another hand, this one a metal blue, tinted with what looked like diamond. Recognizing it instantly, the alchemist tried to move his right, which was nothing more than a stump. Groaning, Kric grabbed at his arm, making sure that it was stuck firm in his grasp.

“He don’t seem to badly hurt, wonder what happened to him?” a voice said suddenly.

“Who know? The master said that someone beat the living tar out of him, then vanished.” another voice said.

“How come we didn’t see no-one then, we had our eyes stuck to the ring the entire time, it was really boring. All I remember is this guy prancing out onto the arena, looking left and right, and then BANG! He’s down on the floor, and the arena is destroyed!” the other voice replied.

“Maybe he’s a physic, like the other one we got. Maybe he fried his brain or something, and destroyed the arena!”

“Ay, bet he did. At least with the stone on he can’t attack us with his mind.”

“I doubt he could even without the stone, he must have nearly killed himself doing that fancy trick!”

Someone shut these people up! Kric thought as two pairs of hands clasped his battered and bruised body, slowly placing him on a stretcher. Closing his eyes, the alchemist tried to fall asleep, but before he could even drift off, his body was slumped onto a bench.

“The doctor will come in a bit to fix your wounds, and someone will come to fix your arm. This was only your first fight, not your last.” A voice said. As the sound of two people leaving slowly receded, Kric smiled, thinking he was alone.

“Look’s like you got a beating.” Valion said suddenly. Snapping his eyes open, the alchemist found that he was back where he had started, in the room with the others. A fresh pile of gold clothes was waiting for him next to his feet. Moaning, Kric rolled over and off the bench, mumbling curses under his breath.

Ooc: Okay, council members have till Tuesday to post their entries, and on Wednesday graceful will do a judge post. Good battle Power Shot.

"That was an interesting battle. Not to mention the ending, either," the judge commented to himself. "Well, let's hope the next two will provide a great battle that won't be forgotten." He grabbed the microphone, "Okay, ladies and gentlemen, are you ready for the first fight of this glorious Battle Royal?!" The crowd rose in cheers and hoots, oblivious that they had just witnessed the first battle. "Alright! The first fight will pit the mysterious person known as Karaza against the animal trainer, Aristo Delad! Let's hope these two can provided us with a lively battle!"

OoC: Okay, here goes round two. And I provided a link to both your characters since you guys don't have them in your sigs.

Chatting absentmindedly with Valion, Aristo stopped as the crowds started cheering again, indicating that another fight was about to begin.

“There’s no point in trying to hear what they are saying, when the guards come we will know who’s going to fight.” Nyle said calmly, watching as Cyno and Sudran pushed their heads to the wall in a vain attempt to find out. Like before, a voice boomed through the stadium, and only a few words could be deciphered.

“Hopefully I’m up next!” Sudran laughed.

“I highly doubt that they would pick someone like you.” Cyno replied, rolling his eyes at the thought of being picked. After a few seconds, the hidden door opened once again, and four men dress in vermillion attire entered the room.

“Take the animal trainer.” One of them grunted. Moving faster than Aristo had expected, two of the four moved to grab him. Taking a half step back, the animal tamer struck out with a fist and a leg, landing blows in both of the men, sending them tumbling to the floor.

“I don’t like to be man-handled.” Aristo said firmly. Before he could anything else, a jolt of energy was sent through the stone on the back of his neck, making him yell in pain.

“Don’t think about doing that again, or next time I’ll turn the voltage up.” One of the guards said casually. Shooting a look of pure malice at the guard, Aristo walked past him. Forming a line behind him, the guards, now wary of what he was capable of, kept a distance. Walking down the narrow corridor, the animal tamer stopped as it ended.

“Where to now? Or do I need to get physical again so I don’t get bored.” Aristo said, leaning on a wall. All but one guard backed away even more, afraid of the man who they had outnumbered.

“So… would you like to spar with me?” Aristo said casually. The guard didn’t say anything, but just pulled a small truncheon from his hip. Pushing a button it, the truncheon extended until it was the same height as the guard. His face grim, the animal tamer prepared to fight. But before he could make a move, the wall behind slid to the side, revealing a small arena. Waving, he stepped into the light, watching as the door closed in front of him.

What a bunch of idiots, no wonder they need fighting to entertain them… Aristo thought, turning to survey his surroundings. He was now in the very centre of the coliseum, and it was not what he had expected. The entire arena was just a mass of water, with several land chunks, each varying in size and shape, littered across it. Planted directly in the middle of the arena, on the biggest land mass, was a tree, no leaves whatsoever. Instead, hundreds of weapons and other items hung from it, the metal glinting in the sunlight. Taking stock of his surroundings, Aristo noticed the thousands of people watching him. Turning his gaze back to the tree, something caught his eye. On one of the lowest branches was Autumn, and right next to it was his shin-guards. Smiling, the animal tamer jumped from rock to rock until he was at the tree. Unclipping his items, Aristo slipped on his shin guards and hung Autumn’s sheath around his torso.

I may not have me proper clothes to fight in, but with you guys I know I’m fine… the animal tamer thought, and began hunting around for his shield and gauntlets.

Karaza glared at the green wall, a pout distorting the features of his white face. “Damn freaks don’t even feed me.” he growled, agitated by his captivity. How much time has passed? Khana is going to be so pissed.

Clink! Karaza’s ears perked, and shook his black hair. “Hey! Let me out of here!” There wasn’t an answer. He couldn’t see anything outside of his cell, and his eye sight and other senses were only slowly deteriorating in the absence of his chain. He was even becoming numb, and the rubbery feel of the material that composed his cell faded into the blackness.

“It’s your turn, White One.” The face popped into his sight so quickly, and with so little warning, that Karaza stumbled backwards. Another frail looking man was beckoning him to come to the door of his bouncy prison. Karaza could only see his face, and even through the dark his pale, bony face was visible.

“The name’s Karaza, and I ain’t leaving until I get my gloves back, at least.” he shot triumphantly back. If he couldn’t have his chain, he needed some weapon to protect himself.

“You’re in no place to be telling me how things er going to be workin’, White One.” At least this brute used a consistent name, but would it be too much to ask that he use the right name? “When I say dance, you dance, got it?”

A sparking sound filled the tiny room, accompanied by a bright purple light. Karaza felt his breathing stop, and flinched as the striking pain tore at the back of his neck. It stopped suddenly, to Karaza’s delight, and he caught his wind once more.

“What do you want me from me?”

“Nothing more than simple entertainment, White One. As I said, you’ll dance for Master.” Karaza raised an eyebrow. Surely he wasn’t intended to dance. He couldn’t dance if he wanted to, which he didn’t. He couldn’t dance to save his life, which, at that moment, seemed like a vague possibility.

“Listen, just let me go, or there’ll be hell to pay later.” He sighed as the door to his cage opened and the brittle, yet nicely dressed man, ordered him to exit. He did so, still without his claws, and was forced to walk in front of the blackly clad guard. They walked for five minutes, up three flights of stone stairs, until they came to a large wooden door.

“There. The arena rests on the other side. You’ll find your weapons on the other side of that door. Dance, slave, dance...” he trailed off as he walked back down towards the dark depths. Light shot through a crack in the door as it began to creak open.

“Here we go again.”

OoC - Anyway, there we go. He'll collect his gloves, and find his chain later, I suppose.

A sudden creaking sound alerted the animal tamer. After seeing what had happened to Kric, he had expected that he would be facing an opponent. Silently, Aristo pressed his back to the tree. If it hadn’t been for the cheering of the crowds, he would have been able to his enemies breathing, and would have been able to plan an attack. Chuckling to himself, the animal tamer climbed the tree, using Autumn as a pick to climb with. Upon reaching the top, Aristo sighted his opponent within a few seconds. The man was stood next to a rapidly closing door, surveying the arena. When his gaze reached the tree, Aristo lowered himself down so he couldn’t be seen.

No time to get friendly, might as well strike while the opportunities good.

Lowering himself back to ground level, the animal tamer watched as the man made his way from island to island, until he as well was next to the tree. Aiming the blade, Aristo focused, and moment later was rewarded as the blue energy of the sword built up at the tip. Aiming for the man’s feet, Aristo let the ball fly. In less than a second, the lightning ball crashed at the mans feet, making him jump back, nearly over the edge of the island.

“I suggest you don’t move forward any more.” Aristo shouted, and stepped out from behind the tree. Without waiting for his opponent to reply, the animal tamer swung Autumn around and over his head, creating yet another ball. Stopping the sword in mid-swing, he watched as the ball slid cleanly off the blade and made its way to the other man. But the ball struck dirt, for the man had disappeared. A whistling sound to his left made the animal tamer move, and moments later a jet black kunai came whistling past his face, cutting the tip of his nose. Grunting in annoyance, Aristo side flipped, shooting out pieces of ice from his aqua guard as he did. The shards mostly embedded themselves in the tree, but by the time they reached where his opponent had been he was long gone. Muttering curses under his breath, the animal tamer looked left and right, swing Autumn deftly in front of him.

“Why did you feel the need to attack me?” a voice said. Looking up, Aristo found his enemy hanging from a branch directly above him.

“After seeing what happened to my friend after he fought, I decided to take no chances.” Aristo muttered, and swung his sword upwards. The unexpected attack caught his adversary by surprise, but since he had swung it upwards, the flat of the blade collided with the man, knocking him from the tree.

ooc: Sorry about the low quality, I had to write three two page stories for an exam in less than three hours, with lots of detail, which kind of drained me mentally.