[Round 2] Yasuo vs. James

VS.

Description: To debut the opening of the new Beach Selena, which sits on the western coast of the GTB plot of land, Midus has decided to host the second round of the tournament in this lovely place. The sun is shining brightly as the warm breeze blows gentle waves along the clear crystal waters. Boats, surfers, and ski boats trail the waters as a large crowd of spectators gather around a single large wooden platform situated out in the middle of the water. This platform will serve as the fighting ground for both fighters as they are transported out here, either via boat or by their own creative method. The platform itself is made of wood, but contains a solid slab of stone underneath it that is four feet tall meant to keep the platform from being destroyed. Though you may think you can destroy rock with your attacks, this stone is extra tough, meaning knocking chunks out of it will be your only capability, so don't expect to punch any holes through it.

Field Measurements: The platform is a square shape, with the distance measured from one side to the other merely 15 yards, which equates to 45 feet. You won't be able to run around this thing as freely as the last arena. The platform is raised a foot above water, so if you fall off, you can still simply climb back on. The platform is rooted underneath with a four pillars of the same stone at each corner, so it will always remain stationary. The pillars are ten feet long each (and quite wide), touching the sandy floor underneath.

Ten Count Boundary: Falling into the water begins the ten count. If the other fighter goes into the water, too, or makes contact with the fighter in count-out in any way, the count resets. This does not apply if both fighters are in the water. Only when a fighter has both feet on the platform does the count stop for them.

The flying rule remains in effect.

Other Penalties: Do not attack spectators or attempt to destroy the platform's rooting underwater. Doing so will result in a DQ.

Fight Ends: On July 9th, at 9 PM Central.

*SPLASH!*

Water sprayed up from an area close to the platform. As cliche as it may have appeared, Yasuo was very much into this kind of flashy entrance. The shinobi would emerge from the water shortly after his splash landing, and climb up onto the wooden platform.

There stood James Eredas, a man notorious for his flaming good looks, fiery technique and overall "hot" attitude, if one could call it something along the lines fire innuendos. Fire and water would clash against each other this day, and only one would be left standing in the end. "Eredas," Yasuo addressed, reaching into his vest with each hand. He'd palm a single shuriken, and pull out in his right his sharpened kunai. His two favorite weapons in his arsenal were now going against one of his most sought after fights.

"Are you ready?"

"Very well..."

The shinobi was answered, and James had obviously gone into a state of calm for this fight. Yasuo registered this with a great respect, and mimicked it in return in his very own way. Slipping the shuriken under the strap of his bracer, and putting the kunai into his vest once more, he freed up his hands and readied them to form a few familiar handseals.

*Suiton: Water Cannon Replica*

Yasuo slowly brought his hands out in front of him, the palms wide open in order to control the abundant and precious element located all around the immediate area. The water, which was thrashing lightly about but a few seconds before, had become calmer than the smooth surface of a lake on a summer day.

James hadn't realized it yet, but he was already surrounded.

**Chakra [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] 1 Bar used

-]1[-**

An group of fans raged into the stadium as they all flipped off both competitors and then waved a giant banner that read in red:

"JAMES BETTER WIN OR HE'S GOING TO GET GANG RAPED BY PEDOBEAR AND LADY GAGA"

They were fans who were pissed he won the first match, but still wanted him to win since he had the opportunity. If he didn't win after the shit he went to last round, the fans of the prior combatant were never going to let him hear the end of it.

They flipped the banner and it read again...

"March on soldier!!"

(More gay fonts!!)

As the waters crashed, James could be seen vaulting over the waves. The man had no trouble digging into his athletic prowess to clear such an obstacle, his response might've went unnoticed during the acrobatic midair twist had it not been for an accompanying streak of flame.

A subtle sweep of his arm sent a third Dragon Surge toward Yasou. Despite the dull, dark reddish hues present in weaker versions of James's flames, being struck by the projectile was akin to a heavy-handed slap, with first degree burns fairly likely. It was James's only real ranged attack, used now to keep Yasou under pressure while he closed in for some close-combat. James himself would land a few yards away from Yasou, closer now, but still out of melee range.

Mode: Path of Sei Used: Dragon Surge

Fast, James thought passively as he landed and turned to face the ninja, only to have a shuriken embed itself into his side. There definitely wasn't anything close to a cry of pain or surprise that the ninja might've liked though.

With barely a glance, James pulled the shuriken out of his jacket, the fashionable layer on the outside giving way to reveal something circular and sand-colored underneath.

Armor. To be specific, small ceramic plates, woven into the lining of a layer of kelvar.

The slayer was hiding some teeth after all. However light the armor woven into his jacket actually was (light, as in, protection value, not weight), it was very effective at taking shrapnel hits, as well as other small, and light projectiles.

The Scion of Flame discarded the shuriken and then advanced on Yasou steadily, with his hands bursting into flame in the process of weaving a intricate pattern before him, a pattern that made it seem as if James was molding an invisible globe with fire. Two reasons existed for daemon-hunter's slow pace. One, he was wary of his footing, the planks were now wet from Yasou's attack, and he knew the ninja could control stone and water. On another hand, James required a bit of time himself to build up his own energy.

Mode: Path of Sei

James took deep, calm breaths as he sensed fluctuations in the man's ki. The daemon slayer was adept at sensing supernatural energies of many sorts, a useful trait out in the field to avoid being ambushed by monsters. Yasou had a formidable chi level, although warriors like him actually referred to such energy as "chakra".

Quickly, James concocted a plan. His eyes never left his target even as he ceased his advancing, and raised up his left arm, flames coalescing around the hand with greater fury.

"Lets see how you deal with this" James thought.

From a distance of roughly seven feet away, rolled forth a large wave of flame that would seem to completely obscure the vision of both fighters from each other. Short-ranged as James's Serpent Wave technique was (for it would dissipate rather abruptly past the nine, to ten feet mark), there was little room to dodge such an attack with, especially with Yasou backing himself toward the edges of the ring. Being struck by the giant fireball would probably send the ninja the rest of the way back and over the ledge and into the water, just in time to help ease any sustained burns on the body.

Actually striking the man with the fireball wasn't the the intent however. James had an ace hidden in plain sight that few people ever realized.

Mode: Path of Sei Used: Serpent Wave

Yasuo looked on as James approached at his epic, steady pace. He watched the mans every movement closely, trying to pinpoint what he was going to do. When James' left arm raised up, and flames started to burn furiously around it, the shinobi inferred that something big was about to happen.

James Wrote:

> "Lets see how you deal with..."

Yasuo inverted the hold on his blade, changing it from a single handed stance to a reverse ninja's hold/inverted grip. His right foot would come forward and plant itself firmly onto the platforms foundation as well.

He said under his breath, "Come on..."

James Wrote:

> "...THIS!"

Just as James threw down the fire, the shinobi's hands came together, clasped into a single handseal with his blades tip facing down towards the ground.

Suiton: Suihachi (Water Release: Hand of Waves)

The wall of fire approached quickly, leaving less time than the shinobi had anticipated. Yasuo had hopped up in an attempt to get away from some of the flames as his left hand shot down and fired a fire-hose worthy stream of water into the rolling fireball. The end result? Hot steam, lots of heat and more than just a sauna's worth of a full-body sweatdown. In fact, it was so hot that the shinobi felt a burning sensation on every exposed part of his body, as few as there were. Was it enough to stop anything? Absolutely not. It was going to be a wonderful process outside of the fight though, once the skin was given time to become infected, and when the adrenaline wore off.

For now, however, Yasuo had to use what was in his arsenal to gain some sort of edge. How did he do that? Well simply put, he shot his hand out of the steam shortly after landing and sprayed down the entire area in front of him, while quickly and progressively moving in towards James' last location. Every movement stung like a bad sunburn, but it was also bearable from a realistic standpoint.

Here was hoping James' had a fallback capable of taking on a pissed of shinobi with a sword and the equivalent of a fire hose ready to take down anything in his path.

Chakra [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] 2 Uses, 2 Bars -]5[-

First thing through the steam? The water jet of course. 350 PSI of pressured blasting through a steamy shroud was probably not what would be expected as the tip of the spear, but Yasuo wasn't exactly the most practical - nor predictable - kind of person. He was, however, human, and as human he was prone to mistakes. Like this one!

*"Wh-what?! Where did he..."*

When the shinobi emerged from the hot blanket feeling a bit like a boiled crap, he couldn't help but notice two things. One, the space in front of him was wide and open. Two... he saw a foot flash over his right side peripheral. It was too late to do anything more than allow reflex to try and ease the blow. He leaned to the left, unsuccessfully dodging the blow and taking the brunt of it between his shoulder - the steel toe boot crashing down right into the soft tissue and muscle.

*"GAAAH!"*

The blow was enough to drop the shinobi down to one knee, his right one, and leave him what appeared to be opened to another blow. Gritting through the pain was easier then what it would come off as, however. The Iwa-nin wasn't physically strained yet, and only had a bad case of sunburn to deal with. This blow just wasn't close enough to bring him into submission.

Now, for a defense...

Yasuo focused his chakra into his right leg and foot, and cocked his head off to the right side to get a quick look at James, as well as for any potential attack coming his way. With gritted teeth, Yasuo would only bide for a moments worth of time before reacting, feeding into the false front that he was actually helpless.

Chakra [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] 1 bar, Chakra Strength Activation -]6[-

An eye widened as the pause in James' movements signaled a horrific series of events. The air around the two turned into what could only be described as bloodlustful, scary, and most of all... dangerous. Yasuo felt it hit him like a wall, not fear but adrenaline taking over his senses. He had to be witty; had to fall back on his teaching, and take out what would be the equivalent to a threat upon his entire village. It was go time...

James Wrote:

> "Back-"

*"DYAAGH!"*

Yasuo shot back his right leg, aiming to slam the entire bottom of his armored sandal into James' right knee or thigh. Upon impact, the ki-using street fighter would feel an unprecedented force be exerted upon his leg. The explosive blow that would've landed would have more than enough force to blow him off of his feet, to say the least, and send him flying back quite a ways. Just like the expanding gases in the barrel of a gun, the shinobi's kick had exerted a concentrated blast of chakra upon James' form. This was to not only create distance, but even the playing field again between the two.

If the kick was successful, and had launched James back as planned, then Yasuo would quickly right himself and face the flaming wonder - with his blade in his right hand, and another concentration in his left.

Spice time baby...

Chakra [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] 1 bar (potentially), Blast Exertion -]7[-

A grasping around the ankle was one thing, but to do so with bestial strength was another thing entirely. Yasuo felt his ankle come under immense stress with James holding onto it. He wouldn't fight it, if only because doing so would cause more damage. Instead he'd turn on his back and be dragged that way, so his vest could take the ground beating instead of his arms.

Know what else would happen when he turned though?

Well, while James was busy hauling Yasuo's ass across the boards, the shinobi - who's blade was still in his right hand - didn't intend to be taken much further than ten feet. The connection he had made in the blade was broken, since he really couldn't concentrate on both that and what was going on. Instead... at such a close range... well the logical thing to do was of course to get the beast of a man off of his ass.

Cue entrance to improvisation.

No sounds, no grunts. Yasuo took no time in spear tossing his blade at James' left leg, behind the knee, to knock the guy down to his level and potentially cripple him . If it worked, Yasuo's left leg and foot would thrust into the mans back as well - his armored sandal making for more than just footwear at this point.

If the shinobi wanted a recovery, he needed distance. These were his steps in trying to create that.

Chakra [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] 1/2 bar recovered -]8[-

When the gripping feeling left the shinobi's ankle, an almost panicked dash was made to get as far away from James as possible - or at least to the opposite end of the arena. The steam was finally subsiding, though the burns to his exposed areas were still stinging something fierce. His ankle wasn't in the best of shapes either, though he'd still have full use of it as he had already discovered. This game of Cat and Mouse was certainly switching up the roles rapidly, and unless Yasuo wanted to take things to a new level, they'd probably stay as such.

*"What can I do..."* he questioned himself, going over his options as James form became more clear, and while he was catching his breath. *"He's a monster. He's something I haven't fought in years."* It became more and more obvious, however, that James was not the man he had been just moment prior to the Iwa-nin's escape. It did not matter though, not anymore. A man with such a volatile level of power only had one place in this world that they all lived in, and in order to protect any others from suffering such wrathful power, Yasuo decided upon his next course of action. *"He has to be taken out. Now..."*

A calming sigh would be taken while revealing once more his sharpened kunai. Another breath was taken as Yasuo's focus was put solely into his hands now. He had to be quick...

*Bunshin no Jutsu (Clone Technique)*

Two copies of the shinobi would pop up on either side of him, each holding the same weapon and bearing no differences in any form than to the original. Each was sentient, and well built - controlled by their creator in the center spot. There was only one defining detail that made these clones completely different from Yasuo himself, and James was about to find out what that was.

*"Hmph... KYAAAAH!!!!"*

A full on charge was made by Yasuo, the center figure of the three, while the two others shot off in opposite directions on both the left and right sides. Our clones had their kunai jutted out in each hand, the left side one getting ahead of the right side.

The first clone would take a shot out for James face on the right side. However, when the clones hand would make contact with the physical form of James, nothing more than speed lines were left in it's place, blurred away by the interruption of chakra.

Yasuo, Mr. Dead center, was up next. Unlike the clone previous to him, Yasuo's right fist would make much more of a physical impact if it had been successful. With the kunai in his hand giving it a little more weight as well, this punch for the stomach would be a little more than just an everyday haymaker. It's follow through would make much more of a "sharp" turn, excuse the pun, before the shinobi made diverting dash off to the left.

Just behind that the other clone would come and make for another feint punch at James face on his right side, only to leave those windy, familiar speed lines behind once more.

Yasuo himself would already be far off to the left before James could react to anything else. A poor outcome for a man who was probably confused as hell as to what had just happened.

***Attack Summary

1. Yasuo's clones appear
2. Clone 1 (James' right side), strikes first, dissipates
3. Yasuo runs in, attempts to plant kunai uppercut into lower midsection before diverting
4. Clone 2 (James' left side) strikes, dissipates.***

Chakra [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] 1 bar used, two clones created -]9[-

*One flap Swoosh... Second flap FWAP!*

Yasuo's clone was disrupted, as well as his face having been fwapped by the street fighters jacket. His punch was diverted, and an immediate retreat was attempted before having his wrist gripped at. Yasuo, thinking quickly, fought against this grip and...

(Roll Evens to escape, Odds to be caught)

..ripped free from the jacket that had swiped his kunai. This gave Yasuo the edge to plant himself, back pedal a step and take on a new offensive position - right in front of James. The shinobi scanned over James form, looking for some form or another of an attack, just to be safe.

Out from behind the shroud of his jacket came a knife, ready to jut forth into Yasuo with unrelenting power. It was a good thing that he had kept defensive in this case, seeing as how a knife in ANYONES gut was kind of a big deal. In order to counter this, Yasuo pivoted back on his own left leg, letting the knife pass right next to him - so close in fact, that his tactical vest would catch its fury - and from there reverse the direction of the pivot back towards James. This time, Yasuo's right hand, clamped around the kunai, would head straight for the Ki-warriors face to deliver a hardened blow to remember

Chakra [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] 1/2 bar restored -]10[-