Catch and Release [Nashua]

Nashua had been in the middle of a food break when she received the message. In fact, her sandwich was halfway in her mouth when the words popped up on her scouter. Was this Ramen playing some kind of prank? No, this wasn't her style. Not that Nashua had ever known, at least. This was someone else, and they claimed to have hostages. Even if it was a prank, she couldn't take the chance. The Saiyan quickly swallowed the food that was already in her mouth and stood up, before taking off and making a beeline towards whoever this was. She'd have brought her ship along with her in case she needed to transform, but... Well, she couldn't anymore. The Saiyan would just need to rely on her own power this time - she could do that! Especially if this mystery person was alone, as they said they were. There weren't many around who could go toe to toe with her, even at her base power.

It took a few minutes, but Nashua finally arrived at the location she'd been told to go, and picked up a significant power level, but one well below hers. And, when she got close, she recognized the Arcosian that stood before her. "You're that guy from the mountain!" she exclaimed, remembering how he'd tried to attack her and the pirate lady after the latter had accidentally damaged his space pod. How the heck did he get her contact information? Well, that didn't matter anymore. "I... Don't remember your name. Or, if I even got it. Sorry," she said, glancing around the area. She couldn't see anybody, but she was picking up multiple lower power levels in the near distance. Were those the hostages he was talking about? If they were, then she couldn't risk make any bold moves. He could blow them all up at a moment's notice.

"What do you want with me?" she asked him, bluntly. Things hadn't exactly ended well for him, if she could remember correctly, so if this was some childish act of revenge, then that was silly. What good was it to drag innocent Namekians into a petty squabble like this? She'd have likely answered his call regardless, though she had to admit, she probably would've brought a friend or two along with her to help. So, if he wanted a one on one fight, he'd gotten it. It was a dirty way to get it, but a successful one. "I'm busy with other things, at the moment," she stated, "If you want to kill me, then could you try and do so later? I have more important matters to be dealing with than trying to make a space lizard feel better about his damaged pride."

TAGS: Lord Chill

'Lord Chill', huh? Was every Arcosian a Lord? Nashua was pretty sure every one she'd heard of so far was. Then again, she'd only met, like, three. She'd heard of more, but they had all been referred to as Lord as well, like Lord Tundra and Lord Aizu. ...Was that just, like, the first name of all Arcosians, and not actually a title? Or some kind of 'last name first' situation, and all of them were actually related? Something to think on, perhaps, but either way, Nashua was in for a grudge match. He said he wouldn't kill her, but she had a feeling that just meant this would segue into something far, far worse if she let him get the better of her. How hard would it be to send out a discreet message to the Kingdom and request backup? As Nashua considered calling for help, Chill made quick on his promise of hostages.

The Saiyan gasped and lunged forward as he shot out a beam, but she was too late, already - one of the energy signatures that had been there before was now no more, as the beam exploded on contact. "You-" she started to exclaim as she grit her teeth. Nothing she could do about that, now. But Chill was being awfully clever, if he wanted her to stay and fight. Had he no hostages, she'd have just left him where he stood with little interest in allowing him to settle his grudge. But, now she had to fight, and she had to win. Otherwise, every life he was holding in his grasp was at risk. There was no telling what he'd decide to do with all the Namekians after he'd finished with her, so she couldn't allow him that chance.

His powered up form vaguely resembled Boreal's, though didn't quite pack the same amount of power. It was still well above hers, though. Would she even stand a chance in a fight like this? ...Only one way to find out. "You wanna dance? Fine!" she exclaimed, whipping her weapon out and making a straight charge for him. With their difference in power level, she was going to have to play this smart if she was going to win. The Saiyan lurched her spear forward, but over the Arcosian's head, and blasted into the side of a cliff that loomed over them. The explosion caused more than a few rocks to begin tumbling down, along with a fair share of dusty debris that'd make it hard for either of them to see clearly, but Nashua's scouter allowed her to zero in on Chill's signature regardless of how well she could actually see him.

The Saiyan darted behind Chill quickly as she could, and wordlessly charged and blasted off a huge amount of ki energy from her spear, her teeth grit and eyes narrowed in a silent rage. She wasn't mad that he'd dragged her into a fight, but rather, that he'd dragged innocent lives into the middle of their struggle just because he was feeling petty about his losses. The pink beam rocketed towards Chill, and if it made contact, it'd explode furiously and kick up even more dust and rocks. But if it went past him, it'd continue until it blasted through another cliff face and rocketed off into the atmosphere. Nashua couldn't afford to hold back with weaker strikes, here.

TAGS: Lord Chill

OOC NOTES: [UP2] Faithful Laser Beam blasted towards Chill!
47,520 PL damage incoming!
KP: 3/3 > 1/3

It seemed almost certain that her attack would hit its mark and effectively blast the Arcosian where he stood, but, in one instant, Chill was there, and the next, he was not. "Wh-" Nashua started to exclaim as her laser beam shot off into the distance and hurtled off into the atmosphere, though she was interrupted when she felt a finger jab into her back. The Saiyan didn't even have time to turn and look at her attacker before a blast of energy stabbed into her and sent her rocketing forward across the ground at high speeds. The young woman tumbled across the rocky surface for a few dozen meters or so before skidding to a halt after having managed to land on her feet. A sick feeling could be felt in her stomach as she panted for air, her golden eyes glaring at the disgusting space capitalist while he caught her breath.

The beam he'd blasted at her hadn't pierced her skin and dug its way into her spine, thankfully, but the smoldering flesh that was scarred across her back sure hurt. And the annoying part was, she probably could've avoided it if she'd been expecting it, but the sheer speed with which Chill was moving was quite difficult to follow, even with her scouter equipped. And he didn't have even the slightest difficulty following Nashua's movements, even when he was blinded by all the dust and rocks she'd kicked up, so that could only mean he was capable of sensing her energy signature. Great. If she tried to attack again so soon, she'd just end up wearing herself down quickly, and that was the best way to send herself and all the hostages into early graves. If she could get Chill talking, then maybe she could stall him for a bit to give herself more time to recharge.

"I don't see why you're seeking out me for revenge, here," she said, keeping a close eye on the lizard for any sudden movements. Just because she was going to strike him didn't mean she didn't have to be prepared for him to strike her. "That pirate lady was the one who did all the attacking and instigating, I just happened to be there. In fact, she was the one who blew up your ship! I hadn't even happened across the scene by the time that occurred!" A thought occurred in Nashua's head that maybe she could play with his pride, here. She continued with her arms cross over her chest, her brows furrowed at Chill. "Or, do you just think you can't handle her monkey form? So you had to single me out since I can't use it? Wow, you really don't put much stock into your own strength, huh? I bet you're just too scared to actually go challenge her."

TAGS: Lord Chill

OOC NOTES: [N1] Precision withstood! 55% PL damage taken!
KP: 1/3 > 2/3

Okay, she'd pissed him off. That was the plan, right? Now that Nashua thought about it, it probably was not the best idea to insult the pride of a bloodthirsty Arcosian. A blind man could have seen the rage that welled up in Chill's face as it contorted and visibly steamed, so to Nashua it was clear as day that she'd hit on a nerve. Still, it was keeping him from killing hostages for the time being, seeing as how focused he was on enacting revenge on her. Maybe she should just keep the ball rolling and see where it went? As he spat about his strength in comparison to Lord Boreal, Nashua mused back, "Well, you got one out of two things right, there: You are nowhere near as strong as Lord Boreal." As the Arcosian bulked up further in size and muscle mass, Nashua nervously eyed her scouter, and watched his power level rise even beyond that of its already massive 120,000.

When he finally stopped bulking, he now registered at 140,000. Just under double her power in her base form. Boy, a tail would really have come in handy right about now. It was time to make good on that taunt of hers, though - Nashua was not dying to this guy, of all guys. Not after all she'd already been through. Before she was ready for it, though, Chill launched himself at her in a massively powerful charge, a relentless swing taken at the Saiyan. She didn't even need to get hit by it to see how much power there was behind it, but that didn't mean she wasn't hit. The Arcosian's fist slammed into the side of the Saiyan's head, and for a brief moment, all Nashua could hear was a distant ringing sound, and saw blurry white flashes before her eyes. Well, that was probably a concussion.

She hadn't even had the chance to hit the floor yet before a further rush of punches came, pounding relentlessly against her face and torso, until, finally, she was sent flying back by a particularly powerful hit, the young woman soaring across the ground and smashing against the cliff side, embedded several inches into the rocky surface. Her feet have never even touched the ground. The Saiyan was dazed as she lifted her head and pushed herself out of her crater, stumbling forward and barely managing to catch herself from face planting. "That's... All you got?" Nashua taunted further. Her head lifted up to look at the Arcosian, a bruise swelling under her eye making it a little hard to keep her left one open properly, but she still stood back up and stared him down.

Nashua hadn't been expecting him to attack so viciously right off the bat, so she'd been caught off guard. That was mistake was not going to be made a second time. She just had to instigate him a little further... "Either you're pulling your punches, or someone really needs to hit the gym. This is your max power? You're barely a fraction of the strength that I can reach." It wasn't technically an empty threat, but she couldn't really make good on it without her tail. If she just had her damn tail, she could show this space lizard what she was made of! But for now, she needed to reserve her energy. There was only one way to win, and it was through giving her next attack everything she could muster. If that didn't do the job, then, well...

TAGS: Lord Chill

OOC NOTES: KP: 2/3 > 3/3

Angry Chill wasn't much one for words, was he? Nashua expected him to at least growl something at her in a rage, but instead of that, he just kind of huffed and puffed at her, seething with rage where he stood like a boiling stick of butter. He wasn't a fan of her resilience, that much was clear. Still, she expected him to say something before rushing at her like a raging bull, though he was entirely wordless while he charged at her and pulled his fist back for a swing at her. She was ready for it this time, though, ducking down and starting to dart off to the side before the hulking arm could fully extend towards her, only for the Arcosian to whip himself around and bring his tail swinging right towards her. The appendage slammed into her torso and sent her flying back again, a gasp of air rushing out the Saiyan's mouth as the wind was knocked from her lungs.

She crashed right back into the wall where she'd already been slammed, and a pained grunt escaped her throat, though it came out as more of a yelp than anything else. But all things considered, it was evident Chill still wasn't going all out with his power, and Nashua was able to recover just in time to launch herself up and over the Arcosian just as he lunged forward to attack her, his fists presumably crashing straight into the wall she'd just been embedded into with enough force to shake the earth itself. "You really think some punches and kicks are gonna get to me?" she taunted him. She had one idea left on how she just might be able to squeeze victory from the jaws of defeat, but it was risky. And it was really going to hurt.

The Saiyan landed behind him, and backed away briskly to keep her distance from him. The harder she was for him to just punch and kick, the better. "Boreal was able to put power behind his attacks!" Nashua shouted off at Chill, "You're all big and buff, but even I'm shaking off everything you can toss at me! Is this really all you have to offer? No wonder you were too scared to go after the pirate lady, she'd have torn you to pieces and left you with your pride feeling all hurt, just like she did back on Earth!" Nashua's body was screaming for her to stop talking and rest, with how empty her lungs felt, but she knew she had to instigate Chill a bit further, here. "Why don't you show me a real attack, if you're so big and strong?"

TAGS: Lord Chill

Her words had finally forced Chill into the breaking point she'd wanted him to go. With some pained words muttered at her expense, the ki energy around the Arcosian visibly began to focus into his arm, bursts of electricity shooting out from the limb from the sheer force of the attack he was building up. Nashua gulped as she readied herself. If she could do this properly, then maybe she could win. If not, and his attack hit its mark, this would likely be her end. The Saiyan braced herself, and wondered whether she should send Ramen a quick message on her scouter, just in case this was the end. Then, she remembered Ramen didn't have a scouter. As the energy from the beam blasted forth in a sickening bright red color, she took in a deep breath. And then, it blasted straight through her torso, surely putting an end to the warrior's life and sending her straight to the gave, just as Chill would have wanted.

...Or so it seemed. But, shortly after the attacked pierced her, the 'her' that it had pierced began to dissipate, before vanishing entirely, and a few dozen meters away from Chill, a panting but relatively unharmed Nashua stood, a faint smile across her features. "That was... Close!" she exclaimed, clearly gasping for air for a few additional moments before she corrected her posture and let out a sigh. "Sorry for instigating you like that, but I wanted to make sure you'd used up all your energy before I tried what I'd been planning," she started to explain as she put her weapon back onto her belt clip and folded her hands behind her back. Now was her chance to do what she'd been planning - talking Chill down while he was too drained of his energy to harm any of the hostages.

"Now then, I suppose I should apologize for what happened back on Earth, first and foremost. I don't know who that pirate woman was, but she was certainly not in the right to lash out at you like that. You had every proper means to be mad at her, I know how troublesome ship problems can be," she explained with a faint smile as she tried to keep the gasping for air to a minimum. Even if she was trying to settle the situation, if Chill noticed how exhausted she was, then he might try to take advantage of that and strike. "And, I'm not sure what grudge you hold against me, myself, but if I did anything to personally wound you, I deeply and profoundly apologize and insist it was unintentional," the Saiyan added as she bowed her head slightly and solemnly towards the space lizard.

As she lifted her head, she sent out one final plea. "So, please, don't drag other people into this mess just because I made a mistake. I know you're a smart and sensible person, so surely you know that, if you just start killing hostages here and there, I'm going to have to call in backup. Can't we just resolve this between the two of us?"

TAGS: Lord Chill
OOC NOTES: Battle Armor used for +1 Defensive PL! New PL is 72,000/144,000!
[SU1] Trusty Afterimage used to evade [MP3] Deadly Precision!
KP: 3/3 > 2/3

Chill wasn't backing down, even in the vulnerable position Nashua had forced him into. Nashua huffed out through her nose when the Arcosian stood back up and began to mutter about his superiority, how he 'deserved' to be above Nashua and the pirate Saiyan. If there was one thing that Chill had in common with Boreal, it was his conceitedness. "What is it with you Arcosians and your entitlement?" Nashua asked after Chill had finished scolding her. "I get taking pride in yourself, but seriously, I haven't met a single one of you that hasn't assumed they were just inherently better than everyone else in the universe! And-" Nashua was going to continue letting off on Chill, but stopped when a beeping scouter alerted her to an incoming blast from overhead, that she dodged to the side, the energy blast narrowly missing her head.

Chill had called in backup!? Nashua quickly scanned around, and sure enough, she was surrounded by energy signatures. They were weak, but there was a large number of them at his disposal. How had she not picked up on them before? She'd even been keeping on eye on the other numbers around to make sure the hostages - wait. A cursory scan revealed no other energy signatures than the ones currently firing at her. In fact, she was pretty sure she recognized some of the same numbers as before. "These were your 'hostages'?" Nashua shouted at Chill, more rhetorically than anything else. He sure had played her like a fool, making her think all these Goons were really Namekians he'd captured. And, she supposed she could rest a bit easier knowing that the one he'd offed earlier was actually just one of his own men that he found infinitely disposable.

Plus, she kind of didn't really have any reason to entertain his hurt pride any further, now. "Well, this has been a great waste of time. But I suppose I should thank you for further driving in the point that all Arcosians are conceited jerks who only care about themselves." The blasts that were coming her way felt like they were moving in slow motion in comparison to the stuff she usually have to maneuver her way around, so most were dodged quite effortlessly, and the few that hit their marks barely even stung. Still, she wanted to see what Chill would do, now. It had become abundantly clear that he lacked the power to kill her, even with all his strength. "Any last messages you wanted to relay before I shoved off to do more important things?"

TAGS: Lord Chill

OOC NOTES: KP: 2/3 > 3/3