Big Leagues Round 1, Match 2: Choco VS Banshee

Banshee stepped out onto the stadium floor, keeping her gaze low towards the tiles. It had been embarrassing enough showing up to Satan City in her Pride Trooper garb, but standing in-front of a stadium full of shouting spectators was something else entirely. Even worse, North City was one of the main areas she had attempted to terrorize before Captain Koban brought an end to her villainous streak. It was hard to stand before these people in the garb of a heroine knowing full well she had once made herself known as their enemy, but perhaps it was an opportunity to make a point. With an uneasy breath, she looked up to the stands, scanning across. Every now and then, she focused on a face here or a face there, but she couldn't really read them. Maybe they knew who she was and didn't care, maybe they didn't know who she was... either way, she knew she had a captive audience here and around the world, so now was as good a time as any to get her message across.

But it wouldn't mean anything now. She wanted to deliver a clear message to the remaining allies of the Fleet, in the aftermath of the liberation of Satan City, that their assaults on the people of Earth would no longer be tolerated. To do that, and to have it mean anything to those that watched -- from civilians to lurking Fleet goons -- she needed to win. Or at least come close.

"I am glad for this opportunity to have a fair fight against the founder of the Crimson Strikers," Banshee called across the ring. "But while I may not be the strongest Pride Trooper, I cannot afford to lose to you. Satan City has been freed, but people still live in fear knowing that another threat may soon rise. I want to show that there are heroes strong enough to stand up against such despicable, lost souls as the murderous witch of 'Badman City.' That means I need to win."

She took a few paces towards the center of the arena, a long scythe materializing in her palm as she walked. "Do your best. I do not want this to be a hollow victory."

---

It was rather surprising to hear her opponent admit to being the cousin of the very witch to which she referred, but she didn't have long to process it -- let alone respond. The demon unsheathed a sword of crimson red and became coated in that very colour, causing her to pause in her own steps forward. She couldn't be sure how powerful this foe was, but the sword alone was enough to give her pause. She allowed her own energy to swell up and surround her, a ghostly aura of dim red and white briefly flickering around her before fading from sight. But the effect was clear, as her power effectively tripled in that instant. The only remaining evidence of the glow lay on her scythe, which glimmered an odd whitish-red in a certain light.

"I won't be going easy either," she promised as he began his charge. She fell back into a defensive posture, spinning the scythe around to hold it before her, more like a staff than the farming tool it was. But while she attempted to guard, the power radiating through his blade proved too much. It snapped through the shaft of her scythe, cleaving the weapon into two before cutting into her side. A spray of phantom blood signaled his blade reaching flesh, though every last drop that left her body evaporated before it even reached the ground. She let out a pained groan, falling back with a wince. Her guard had been sloppy, so her attack would need to be that much better.

As she stepped backwards to try to create more distance between them, she dropped the broken scythe onto the ground. In its place, she formed a disc of white energy in the palm of her hand. It let out a high-pitched whine as it revolved at a frantic pace: its cutting edges were razor sharp, as was the norm for disc-type attacks. Before she could even get her footing, she hurled it towards her opponent, her aim headed straight for his arm. She wasn't going to try to lob it off, but she was going to try to leave a deep cut. If she could disarm him, this fight would be a lot easier.

As her opponent again moved forward to engage her with the sword, Banshee opted to backpedal again. She dodged left and right, this time trying to play a little smarter than just trying to block its razor sharp edge. With less power behind the attack, it was a much easier feat to accomplish, and it was only as she moved back in to counter-attack that his blade found purchase with a shallow cut across her midsection. She let out a gasp of air as more ethereal blood coated the tip of the sword, only to vanish into nothing moments later. She knew she would take a hit if she moved it, but it was something she just had to accept.

"--You're good with that sword," she commented through her gritted teeth. "I don't have many tricks. The scythe is a symbol of who I was once upon a time. The discs are ... ki scythes. I'm not creative, I guess."

She coiled her arm back and thrust forward with all the might she could muster, aiming to deliver a powerful right hook straight to the demon's face. She preferenced power over speed for the blow, leaving her feet and twisting her hips to add force behind it. She had never been much of a martial artist, but she knew full well that a strong hook could hurt just about anyone, regardless of how much training they had.

She just had to hit.

---

This guy certainly wasn't taking his chances with the match timer. Only moments after her punch landed flush, the ghost found herself forced onto her back heel again as he released an aura of purple all around his body. This time, strange blades seemed to appear around him, and when he made his next move, those energy weapons moved in tune with him. He was trying to put this fight away sooner rather than later, and it forced the ghost to take desperate measures herself. She thrust both hands out to the side, conjuring twin discs not unlike the one she had used before.

When the energy blades swept in, she fired both discs out at once. They raced towards the demon even as she leapt backwards, twisting in mid-air as they approached. If everything went as planned, they would clash into his oncoming attacks and erupt into smoke in the struggle that emerged. Whatever happened, the important thing was that the ghost managed to escape damage for now. She landed on the edge of the ring, letting out a relieved break.

"You're in a rush, aren't you? Do you have a date to get to or something?"

Banshee let out a breath of relief when it became apparent that no residual energy or follow-up attacks were coming as a result of that last deflection. But to her surprise, her successful defense hadn't just bought her a little extra time: rather, it seemed he was content to stop the fight now and wait for the timer to tick down. She glanced over to spot the clock, wincing when she noticed how much time was left -- or rather, how little time. "They didn't give us much room to breathe here, did they? I suppose you have earned yourself a decision victory here, but I'm not about to go out like that. If I don't advance, then the least I can do is go out with more of a bang."

With that, the ghost seemingly split into two before the demon's very eyes. It very much resembled the traditional Multi-Form technique that some martial artists employed, but it was a little more... natural than all that, something based more on her unique nature as a ghost than any proper training. As the twinned ghosts darted off towards opposite ends of the field, reddish energy began to surround them as their respective powers surged. From the strain evident on both twinned Banshee's faces, the power boost came only through some intensive focus -- and their movements slowed considerably. 

But if the time really was ticking down, then she had exactly one opportunity to make anything of this fight. There wasn't time to try to out-think or out-fight her opponent: only to throw everything at the wall and hope something stuck. So, both ghosts raised their hands above their heads, forming powerful discs of white and red not unlike the attacks she had demonstrated earlier. While one was rather low-energy, the other seemed to practically radiate with excess ki, sucking energy from the ghostly figure holding it to the point of causing her spectral form to flicker in and out of sight like a video losing its signal.

Without any further warning, both Banshees hurled their respective attacks at Choco. He might be faster and evidently stronger than her, but perhaps there was strength in numbers.