Takuro Nakajima
"Fair," Takuro responded to Fluffy, musing over her suggestions. Then he noticed Dinah pulling on the floor.
"Er, what are you doing?" he asked her.
Samus wasn't the first.
Lane - Dorms
"Ghost busting, eh?" Lane says, listening (relatively) attentively to Tsurugi's words. "You know, for someone who channels spirits from a fantasy world, I shouldn't be as surprised as I am to learn that ghost busting is a real thing."
Lane takes a closer look at the key presented to him. "Silly question, I know, but does that unlock anything or is it more like an ignition key?"
Lane - Dojo
Lane strolls into the dojo wearing an outfit reminiscent of his hero costume but without the jacket, bracer or most of the belts. His annoyed frown and general body language indicate he's quite frustrated, and he soon voices why.
"Bloody hell, isn't it a little early to be physically exerting myself?" Lane grumbles loudly, crossing his arms. "I hardly even do my own stunts; I have wyrms for that."
Lane eyes Dinah cautiously as she comes in, having awoken at roughly the same time as her being quite unsure of why she was so brief at the time - not to mention, where she had gone between waking up and coming to the dojo.
Edited by TheGoldLeaf on May 31st 2023 at 8:40:29 PM
Ay, you! It's Gold, and I'm noble!
Surrounded by weirdoes
Tsurugi gave a shrug. "Bit of both" He said "I can use them to make my animal partners manifest and for them to lend me their power to become Kiba, and I think if I punch someone while gripping one, but never tested that"
"How did the dimension thing happen, anyway?"
—-
The punk took a glance at the dojo, taking note of how it looked, as he stretched in the corner for the moment. Looking at everyone, he simply nodded.
"Pretty relaxing, I guess" He said. "Beats having the old man smacking me with a stick or making me run around the city with a ridiculous amount of weight over my back"
He threw a couple punches in the air, seemingly getting distracted. He found himself in his armor for a second, fighting what seemed to be a deranged white tiger monster. A purple light flashed as Kiba was struck death center in the chest by a flying knee followed by a kick smashing him back to the ground. The image of the armored hero forcing himself back on his feet ran into his mind.
Still gotta finish that fight, Shirogane
"Wonder what kind of crazy we will have to deal with"
Edited by Blueace on May 31st 2023 at 11:52:08 AM
Wake me up at your own risk.
Yui
Yui cracked her knuckles, rolling her shoulders. She readied herself, settling into a loose stance. She didn't have much discipline, but she'd learned enough bits and pieces to hold her own.
"Bring it, fuzzface! Bet you know who's gonna be on top!"
Before they could get underway, Purupuru crept out of Yui's bag, sticking their head out like a gopher.
"Pardon me mistress, but such an unwarranted show of aggression may not be in your best interests. Your levels of L/C have seen some small improvement, but there is a long ways to go yet. I can suggest several other recreational activities if you wish to prove your superiority in a less audacious manner."
"Oh, this'll be rich. Whatcha got, slugface?"
"According to my sources, chess is one way to prove dominance. Checkers and card games are also an adequate solution. I have heard that poker is a popular method of proving supremacy, as is its more infamous variant. I believe it's called stri—"
Yui blushed, shoving her mascot back in the bag. "SHUT IT!" She glared at Kimiko. "What're ya standin' around for?! We gonna go or we gonna go?!"
The Gayest Bowser
Hyotoshi - Dojo
While the other students either stood about or tried to prematurely murder one another, Hyo was scanning the room to take it all in. He was no stranger to training rooms. The Merge was basically a cybernetic city in and of itself with basic amenities - albeit sanitized and "optimized" because lack of emotions meant lack of fun - one of which was a gym.
The switches were a little tantalizing. He kinda wanted to just press 'em all and see what happened come what may. Buuut, if the girl lifting a floor-plank off the ground was any indicator...maybe he wouldn't do that. Yet. She looked like a disaster.
"Doctor, I did say look for the Spymaster. Or should I say Spy....Master?"
AKA Nixer
Dyna-Mite
"I wanna see what's in the floor," Dinah answered nonchalantly, not even looking back at Takuro as he asked her what she was up to. If there were no safeguards in the floor, she'd lift the panel away with little difficulty; setting it down to one side and then peering into the gap it left. "I'll put it back in a sec, don't worry. I'm not sitting around waiting for the teachers to show up, I wanna see how this place works first off."
She squinted as she peered inside, not touching anything but looking closely at what was beneath the panel.
"Besides, I can handle it. Probably. It's a training hall, there's dangerous stuff in here obviously but... better me than some random Joe Schmoe taking a look like this, right? He'd be mulch if anything goes off, I'd be..."
She trailed off, leaning forward slightly further.
"...well, we'll see in a moment..."
bork
Ba Ke Nook, Dojo
The tanuki saw Dyna's meddling with the floor panels, Yui challenging someone to a fight before the lesson even started, and Tsurugi... seemingly fighting himself. Somehow the (somewhat cartoonish-looking) yokai felt like he was more level headed than most of his teammates, and he felt concerned.
"Um, guys, I don't think the lesson started yet!" He sheepishly said aloud.
Takuro Nakajima
Takuro noticed Kimiko and Yui seemingly about to get into a fight, but Yui's response to the challenge forced Takuro to hold back a smirk, and Purupuru weighing in just made it harder. Then he heard Dinah tell him what she was doing with the floor.
"Cool," he said to her, and then listened to Ba Ke's concerns.
"Don't worry, we should be fine," Takuro assured him, but at the same time, he rubbed the back of his neck, making sure he would be able to hit the button to don his costume at a moment's notice. "Probably. What do you see in there, Dinah?"
Breath of the Sun
Kimiko
She stared at Yui's interaction with the slug with mild amusement. "Sure, cutie. Your funeral."
Kimiko moved. Although she wasn't enhancing herself with ki, she was still quite fast, and moreover struck with deadly precision.
She launched single high snap kick, aimed right for the head. Not that hard to deal with, but that was the point - because Kimiko's long tail swept in a half-second afterward, staggered perfectly to catch Yui in the middle of trying to block or dodge.
What is so amusing about this? Why do you take lives? How can you forget?
The Gayest Bowser
Hyotoshi - Dojo / Potential Disaster Area
The Hyoto gently chuckles, balancing his arms against the guard of his spear playfully.
"Not to be that guy, but I can't help but feel like the lesson here's gonna be 'curiosity killed the cat.'" He snarked. "Or 'the cat got everybody else killed.'"
Edited by klom99 on May 31st 2023 at 8:39:22 AM
"Doctor, I did say look for the Spymaster. Or should I say Spy....Master?"
Yui
Yui stepped out of the way, her movements carrying a deft amount of grace. They ebbed and flowed, flooding into the next, bearing the same weight as a rushing waterfall. She bent her knees and stood her ground, raising her arms as she took the blow, rolling with the swing. She grit her teeth, dashing over to sock fuzzface straight in the gut, almost a blur. There was more where that came from, but she'd need to see if this would land.
The Dojo — Should Have Seen That Coming
As soon as Dinah stuck her head in the opening, she was in for a nasty shock. A pillar of plasma burst out of the hole, blasting her face like a steaming geyser. It was a concentrated mass of particles, shooting up and down in rapid succession, a continuous stream. It was wave after wave of particles, roaring past Dina's skull, deafening her ears as her defenses wore down. Strong as she was, there was only so much she could take.
Ba Ke Nook, The Dojo
Ba Ke was shocked metaphorically at seeing the sudden pillar of plasma in Dinah's face.
"Dinah! You okay?"
He wanted to try to help her, but he was too shocked to really move. And the plasma didn't seem to hurt her *that* much, but it would probably do much worse things to him.
AKA Nixer
Dyna-Mite
"SHOULD'VE EXPECTED THAT!" was all Dinah could cry out after about a second of agony, suddenly pulling herself out of the way at a considerable velocity and hitting the wall on the other side of the room due to the excess speed. Catching herself with her feet against the wall, Dinah rebounded back towards the still-firing beam of plasma, flying through the air and aiming herself towards the floor panel that had originally been hiding the device. With a determined expression on her face, she picked up the floor panel with her hands and lifted it high above her head, before slamming it back down in place over the beam, hopefully cutting it short before stepping back and catching her breath. The impact would likely cause the room to shake a little, and the panel would probably be at least slightly deformed.
She'd pulled herself away mere fractions of a second before her barrier would have fully broken, and while she didn't know that she even had a barrier, she definitely knew that if she hadn't moved just then she would've been killed instantly. As she recovered herself, and her damaged barrier slowly layered back around her, she turned a singed face towards her allies and gave them a broad, slightly manic grin—nodding back at Nook in reassurance.
"Yeah! That could've killed me! Like, actually killed me! Oh, bring it on, that was fun!"
Her heart was beating at a mile a minute, and she didn't actually feel as positive as she was letting show. She could feel pain setting into the skin on her face, and she knew it was likely either tanned or red raw, which was... lucky, to say the least. She didn't let that show though, beyond a few involuntarily spasms in her facial muscles. She was fine, for the most part.
"Okay, so now we know what's under the floor. Safety violations! Someone write that down, 'cause I didn't think we were even starting and I wouldn't want to be the cleaner here if that happens every time. Unless someone fired that off! Hey, did someone fire that off on purpose?"
She span around, looking for any kind of observation area or cameras that she could point her finger towards.
"'Cause if you did, I'm gonna put you through the F***ING ceiling."
Edited by Enirboreh on Jun 1st 2023 at 10:11:51 AM
bork
Takuro Nakajima
"Monster Masher! Henshin!" Takuro yelled, pressing the button on the back of his neck as soon as he saw the plasma erupt from the floor.
However, there was still a problem. Takuro certainly had forms that could take a hit from the plasma, but as big as this room was, he wasn't sure if he'd be able to fit inside using one of them. Someone else would have a better chance at dealing with this than he did. Luckily, Dinah appeared to be that someone, as Takuro watched her slam the floor panel down, with the impact forcing him to steady himself.
"I mean, that blast only happened after you pulled a piece of the floor off," Takuro remarked when Dinah told the others to write down the supposed safety violation. "Maybe that panel just isn't supposed to be removed like that."
Fwomph
Dorms
True to her word, Feol'ctaen stood right there where she said she would.
All night.
Her surfaces lit as though in sunlight yet casting no light themselves.
Maintaining full eye contact with Yui's precocious mascot character.
Smiling.
The Dojo
Of course such a promise fades away once morning comes and the obligations of actually attending class. Such as this class, which as Dinah has just demonstrated is full of highly lethal mechanisms hidden under the floor panels!
"I think our teachers put us in a trap. It will not work."
Feol smiled and looked around the room.
"... I am going to need a practice weapon if anyone wants to do play fighting. You do not want to feel what my blade is like."
It's clearly a case of backroom political albumizing.
Breath of the Sun
Kimiko
Yui could take a hit, at least. Credit where it was due. Kimiko's tail struck true, but her opponent rolled with it easily and countered with a punch to the gut.
Responding in kind, Kimiko stepped back, moving with the blow even as she held out her hands as if to block it. But she didn't, instead tensing her abs and letting it land. She exhaled sharply at the hit, but stayed standing, and her hands grabbed Yui's arm.
Her fur was soft, but her grip was iron, trying to hold Yui in place while lashing out with rapid tail strikes.
The nonsense with Dinah went ignored. The supergirl seemed to have it handled, anyway.
What is so amusing about this? Why do you take lives? How can you forget?
Yui
The soft fur was a welcome distraction, but Yui shook herself out of it. She had fuzz face where she wanted her, but so did she. She was hammered with blow after blow, the rat girl's tail as sharp as a whip. But she didn't give up. She fought through the pain, forcing herself through and attempting to break free of her grip. She unleashed a flurry of blows, as strong as a hammer and fast as a piston. She wasn't sure how much more she could take, but she'd give as good as she got.
Breath of the Sun
Kimiko
In a contest of endurance, Yui might have won. So Kimiko decided to switch course. Her tail swished in front of her to catch Yui's free hand, intercepting the next punch and curling arround Yui's other arm like a snake.
This, of course, put them at a stalemate. Two arms and a tail binding Yui's two arms. Rather than risk trying to overpower a girl who was clearly more muscular, instead Kimiko leaned forward, meeting Yui face to face.
"Funny thing about us ninja, is that we don't play fair." She briefly opened her mouth, giving Yui a good look at the oversized incisors contained within. "Surrender or I'll start biting."
What is so amusing about this? Why do you take lives? How can you forget?
Yui
"Tch..."
Any other day, Yui would have spat in her face. She was sorely tempted. She'd seen worse and lived through worse still. But the rat meant buisness. She wasn't sure she'd do it, but those fangs looked nasty.
"Whatever. You win, fuzzface. Should've known you'd play dirty..."
She was bound and helpless. The rat's fangs were sharp and deadly, but even without them, there wasn't much Yui could do. She was completely at Kimiko's mercy.
The Gayest Bowser
Hyotoshi - Dojo, IE: Definite Disaster Area
Hyotoshi watches as the floor panel suddenly fires a gun that looked like it cleanly shaved the poor girl's skull off...until she closes and stands back up.
That was definitely the grin of a battle-junkie. Or someone very, very bored. He looks back at the room, which otherwise seemed no worse for wear.
"Question now is...Defense mechanism or Minesweeper?"
The Hyoto takes his spear in his hands and, choosing another panel, pokes it with the blade.
"Poke."
Edited by klom99 on Jun 1st 2023 at 8:03:56 AM
"Doctor, I did say look for the Spymaster. Or should I say Spy....Master?"
Breath of the Sun
Kimiko
She grinned, still showing off those fangs, and leaned in close.
But instead of biting, she gave Yui a quick peck on the cheek, before releasing her.
"Don't feel bad, Yui-chan. Without using ki, you're stronger than I am, so I kind of had to fight dirty to win. It's a compliment!"
Stepping back, she rolled her shoulders, rubbing at the spots where Yui had hit her. "You really pack a punch, y'know. It's a good thing I don't bruise easy."
What is so amusing about this? Why do you take lives? How can you forget?
Takuro Nakajima
Takuro watched Yui and Kimiko fight, silently rooting for the latter. He was still a little sore about Yui teasing him the previous day, so he smirked when Kimiko was able to get her to yield.
"Well, they seem to be getting along," Takuro remarked to whoever was next to him upon seeing Kimiko peck Yui's cheek. "I think."
Yui
Yui stood still. She slowly brought her hand to her face, rubbing her cheek as she turned red. She stammered, staring into space her brain barely able to function. Kimiko had plenty of tricks, but she didn't need a fancy tail to wrap her around her finger.
"T-thanks... I-I mean, of course I do! Wouldn't last a second out there if I didn't!"
She rolled up her sleeve, patting her muscles. She wasn't a tank, but she was well-sculpted. She had plenty of scars and bruises too, but it didn't bother her any.
"But you ain't too bad yourself..." She looked away, doing her best not to stare. "...n-not that it means anything..."
Ba Ke Nook, Dojo
Ba Ke was caught up in the battle between Yui and Kimiko. He wasn't sure if now was a good time to do so, since as far as he knew the lesson didn't actually start yet.
"Um, that went well, I guess?"
Then he saw Hyoto attempt to essentially play in a minefield by poking one of the panels with a spear. This time, he began running towards him.
"Noooo!!!!"
Kimiko
'Feol'ctaen, Keeper of the Chalcedony Gates' was not exactly a normal name, so Kimiko's reaction was to raise her eyebrows for a few moments. Then she shrugged, filing it away under the girl's general weirdness.
"I'm just gonna call you Fifi." She declared, in a tone that brooked no argument.
The rest of the night was uneventful, though Kimiko did get the strange feeling of something being under her bed. She dismissed it as nerves from sleeping in a new place. Also, whatever was there would just grab Yui, not her. Top bunk perks.
The next morning found Kimiko in her usual cheerful mood, as she cartwheeled into the dojo, spinning the motion into a casual backflip. She landed near her bunkmate in a crouch, before rising into a fighting stance.
"I mean, if you're itching for a fight, Yui-chan, I can show you what this 'karate crap' can really do."
Technically in her case it wasn't karate so much as a more freeform taijutsu style that focused a lot on atemi, but semantics.
What is so amusing about this? Why do you take lives? How can you forget?