A friendly sparring match

[Toptomcat]

Benjiro moves in, slipping past the dazed Nightrival's guard to place a strong thrust against the dazed martial artist's throat; just as it is about to hit, he checks it, leaving the tip against his Adam's apple. It would be much more of a threat if the sword were the sharpened one, but it still puts Nightrival in a situation where he's not going to get past Benjiro's sword without a crushed larynx.

"Ippon, I think. Would you like to try again? We've got some wonderful medical tech here that can patch you up very quickly. And I think you let me off easy by ending that wrist lock so quickly."

----

"My Web site, believe it or not, though the prices and licenses usually put them out of reach for individuals."

Shinken smoothly hops onto a dumpster's lip and onto the fire escape, landing with a clank of metal on metal.

"So, are you really a friend of a friend, or just a friend?"

[Shadowboxer]

Nightrival eases his stance, dropping his arms to his sides. He has to squint his eyes to properly see Shinken standing in front of him. He rubs his temples and tries to regain his breath. Although he's not embarassed about losing the first round, he can't deny the outcome has him worried. There are criminals out there just as dangerous as Shinken; how can he survive against someone like that in a life-or-death situation?

"I think I'll take you up on your offer," he answers. "Man, that was quite the hit. Been awhile since somebody tagged me like that."

--

"Huh," replies Nightrival, "you can get anything online these days."

He straightens up when he hears Shinken's question.

"Both, I guess. Looks like we know the same guy, and I'm told you've been doing your homework. You know more about Liam than most people."

Shinken's a smart guy, he thinks, he would have figured out we're one and the same with all the info he's got. I may have said too much already.

[Shadowboxer]

Nightrival eases his stance, dropping his arms to his sides. He has to squint his eyes to properly see Shinken standing in front of him. He rubs his temples and tries to regain his breath. Although he's not embarassed about losing the first round, he can't deny the outcome has him worried. There are criminals out there just as dangerous as Shinken; how can he survive against someone like that in a life-or-death situation?

"I think I'll take you up on your offer," he answers. "Man, that was quite the hit. Been awhile since somebody tagged me like that."

--

"Huh," replies Nightrival, "you can get anything online these days."

He straightens up when he hears Shinken's question.

"Both, I guess. Looks like we know the same guy, and I'm told you've been doing your homework. You know more about Liam than most people."

Shinken's a smart guy, he thinks, he would have figured out we're one and the same with all the info he's got. I may have said too much already.

[Shadowboxer]

Nightrival eases his stance, dropping his arms to his sides. He has to squint his eyes to properly see Shinken standing in front of him. He rubs his temples and tries to regain his breath. Although he's not embarassed about losing the first round, he can't deny the outcome has him worried. There are criminals out there just as dangerous as Shinken; how can he survive against someone like that in a life-or-death situation?

"I think I'll take you up on your offer," he answers. "Man, that was quite the hit. Been awhile since somebody tagged me like that."

--

"Huh," replies Nightrival, "you can get anything online these days."

He straightens up when he hears Shinken's question.

"Both, I guess. Looks like we know the same guy, and I'm told you've been doing your homework. You know more about Liam than most people."

Shinken's a smart guy, he thinks, he would have figured out we're one and the same with all the info he's got. I may have said too much already.

[Toptomcat]

Shinken nods.

"There's an astonishing amount of depth in the Yagyū Shinkage-ryū. I've made its techniques the basis for everything I do with the blunt sword. That particular move took about six and a half months to properly program. You took it very well...in fact, come to think of it, you're the first person I've seen stay standing after being hit with it, up to and including some minor metahumans."

A few lights flash, and a panel pops off his forearm to reveal a transparent packet of blue gel.

"Rub this on the bruise and wait a minute. It ought to take care of things- give you a second round on an equal footing."

----------------

"It didn't take much. It could be that my reputation as a superhero smoothed things over for people who would otherwise have been tight-lipped, but I didn't conduct the investigation personally- so anyone looking for remarkable martial artists in the Freedom City area and claiming to be working for a known hero could have gotten the same information I did. Something to think about."

Shinken leans against the building, gesturing to Nightrival. A streetlight glints eerily off his face mask.

"Do you have any idea on where to start, or do we start looking for drug dealers and work our way up?"

[Toptomcat]

Shinken nods.

"There's an astonishing amount of depth in the Yagyū Shinkage-ryū. I've made its techniques the basis for everything I do with the blunt sword. That particular move took about six and a half months to properly program. You took it very well...in fact, come to think of it, you're the first person I've seen stay standing after being hit with it, up to and including some minor metahumans."

A few lights flash, and a panel pops off his forearm to reveal a transparent packet of blue gel.

"Rub this on the bruise and wait a minute. It ought to take care of things- give you a second round on an equal footing."

----------------

"It didn't take much. It could be that my reputation as a superhero smoothed things over for people who would otherwise have been tight-lipped, but I didn't conduct the investigation personally- so anyone looking for remarkable martial artists in the Freedom City area and claiming to be working for a known hero could have gotten the same information I did. Something to think about."

Shinken leans against the building, gesturing to Nightrival. A streetlight glints eerily off his face mask.

"Do you have any idea on where to start, or do we start looking for drug dealers and work our way up?"

[Toptomcat]

Shinken nods.

"There's an astonishing amount of depth in the Yagyū Shinkage-ryū. I've made its techniques the basis for everything I do with the blunt sword. That particular move took about six and a half months to properly program. You took it very well...in fact, come to think of it, you're the first person I've seen stay standing after being hit with it, up to and including some minor metahumans."

A few lights flash, and a panel pops off his forearm to reveal a transparent packet of blue gel.

"Rub this on the bruise and wait a minute. It ought to take care of things- give you a second round on an equal footing."

----------------

"It didn't take much. It could be that my reputation as a superhero smoothed things over for people who would otherwise have been tight-lipped, but I didn't conduct the investigation personally- so anyone looking for remarkable martial artists in the Freedom City area and claiming to be working for a known hero could have gotten the same information I did. Something to think about."

Shinken leans against the building, gesturing to Nightrival. A streetlight glints eerily off his face mask.

"Do you have any idea on where to start, or do we start looking for drug dealers and work our way up?"

[Shadowboxer]

"It's an great technique. Hard to maneuver around," Nightrival says as he applies the blue gel to his injuries.

"Man, this stuff is cold!" he exclaims. Within a few brief moments the areas lathered in gel begin to tingle. Soon, the bruises turn from purple-black to pink and the swelling diminishes at a remarkable rate. The roaring pain throbbing in his chest and head dies down. Nightrival fully recovers within a minute, a new surge of energy coursing through him.

He takes a long pull from a nearby water bottle, tosses it over his shoulder and resumes a new drop stance.

"Ready when you are."

--

Nightrival laughs. "Yeah, you're right. I have a lot to learn about this whole superhero gig."

"But, I have no idea where to go from here," he continues. "I've been shakin' down dealers for two weeks and nothing has come up. I was hoping ya got some insight into all this. Though, we could start from square one if y'want."

[Shadowboxer]

"It's an great technique. Hard to maneuver around," Nightrival says as he applies the blue gel to his injuries.

"Man, this stuff is cold!" he exclaims. Within a few brief moments the areas lathered in gel begin to tingle. Soon, the bruises turn from purple-black to pink and the swelling diminishes at a remarkable rate. The roaring pain throbbing in his chest and head dies down. Nightrival fully recovers within a minute, a new surge of energy coursing through him.

He takes a long pull from a nearby water bottle, tosses it over his shoulder and resumes a new drop stance.

"Ready when you are."

--

Nightrival laughs. "Yeah, you're right. I have a lot to learn about this whole superhero gig."

"But, I have no idea where to go from here," he continues. "I've been shakin' down dealers for two weeks and nothing has come up. I was hoping ya got some insight into all this. Though, we could start from square one if y'want."

[Shadowboxer]

"It's an great technique. Hard to maneuver around," Nightrival says as he applies the blue gel to his injuries.

"Man, this stuff is cold!" he exclaims. Within a few brief moments the areas lathered in gel begin to tingle. Soon, the bruises turn from purple-black to pink and the swelling diminishes at a remarkable rate. The roaring pain throbbing in his chest and head dies down. Nightrival fully recovers within a minute, a new surge of energy coursing through him.

He takes a long pull from a nearby water bottle, tosses it over his shoulder and resumes a new drop stance.

"Ready when you are."

--

Nightrival laughs. "Yeah, you're right. I have a lot to learn about this whole superhero gig."

"But, I have no idea where to go from here," he continues. "I've been shakin' down dealers for two weeks and nothing has come up. I was hoping ya got some insight into all this. Though, we could start from square one if y'want."

[Toptomcat]

Shinken walks perhaps ten feet from Nightrival, then turns to face him once again, clearing his mind of the distractions of the last match and preparing himself for this one. His beginning stance this time is less aggressive: rather than raise his sword overhead in preparation of a quick strike, the tip stays at eye level, ready to respond and adapt to an attack. A moment passes, and he is absolutely still.

"HAJIME!"

He moves, but the strain the Daiitokumyouou put on his muscles and the systems of his battlesuit makes him react a hair slower than Nightrival; he watches warily as the fresher fighter closes, sword tip moving to cover his opponent.

--------

"Well, I've got a decent mass spectrometer built into this thing. Given a sample- and depending on a lot of different factors, largely depending on the composition of this Zoom stuff and what the wind's like tonight- I might be able to find concentrations of the stuff in a local area. If there's a stockpile of some kind nearby, that could lead us to the source.

Not a perfect plan, but it's better than nothing. You up for it?"

[Toptomcat]

Shinken walks perhaps ten feet from Nightrival, then turns to face him once again, clearing his mind of the distractions of the last match and preparing himself for this one. His beginning stance this time is less aggressive: rather than raise his sword overhead in preparation of a quick strike, the tip stays at eye level, ready to respond and adapt to an attack. A moment passes, and he is absolutely still.

"HAJIME!"

He moves, but the strain the Daiitokumyouou put on his muscles and the systems of his battlesuit makes him react a hair slower than Nightrival; he watches warily as the fresher fighter closes, sword tip moving to cover his opponent.

--------

"Well, I've got a decent mass spectrometer built into this thing. Given a sample- and depending on a lot of different factors, largely depending on the composition of this Zoom stuff and what the wind's like tonight- I might be able to find concentrations of the stuff in a local area. If there's a stockpile of some kind nearby, that could lead us to the source.

Not a perfect plan, but it's better than nothing. You up for it?"

[Toptomcat]

Shinken walks perhaps ten feet from Nightrival, then turns to face him once again, clearing his mind of the distractions of the last match and preparing himself for this one. His beginning stance this time is less aggressive: rather than raise his sword overhead in preparation of a quick strike, the tip stays at eye level, ready to respond and adapt to an attack. A moment passes, and he is absolutely still.

"HAJIME!"

He moves, but the strain the Daiitokumyouou put on his muscles and the systems of his battlesuit makes him react a hair slower than Nightrival; he watches warily as the fresher fighter closes, sword tip moving to cover his opponent.

--------

"Well, I've got a decent mass spectrometer built into this thing. Given a sample- and depending on a lot of different factors, largely depending on the composition of this Zoom stuff and what the wind's like tonight- I might be able to find concentrations of the stuff in a local area. If there's a stockpile of some kind nearby, that could lead us to the source.

Not a perfect plan, but it's better than nothing. You up for it?"

[Shadowboxer]

Nightrival sees his opportunity and slightly slides forward just within striking range. He draws his left shoulder up, facing Shinko's front, and braces his other arm. Nightrival then lashes out once again to ensnare Shinko's wrist but just misses him by a single inch. Frustrated, he springs up into the air and backflips thirteen feet away, keeping low to the ground when he lands.

Need to keep as far away from that blade as I can.

--

"You . . . you can do that? Hm. Beats chasing dealers all over the neighbourhood. I say go for it."

[Shadowboxer]

Nightrival sees his opportunity and slightly slides forward just within striking range. He draws his left shoulder up, facing Shinko's front, and braces his other arm. Nightrival then lashes out once again to ensnare Shinko's wrist but just misses him by a single inch. Frustrated, he springs up into the air and backflips thirteen feet away, keeping low to the ground when he lands.

Need to keep as far away from that blade as I can.

--

"You . . . you can do that? Hm. Beats chasing dealers all over the neighbourhood. I say go for it."

[Shadowboxer]

Nightrival sees his opportunity and slightly slides forward just within striking range. He draws his left shoulder up, facing Shinko's front, and braces his other arm. Nightrival then lashes out once again to ensnare Shinko's wrist but just misses him by a single inch. Frustrated, he springs up into the air and backflips thirteen feet away, keeping low to the ground when he lands.

Need to keep as far away from that blade as I can.

--

"You . . . you can do that? Hm. Beats chasing dealers all over the neighbourhood. I say go for it."

[Toptomcat]

What's the matter? He's obviously extremely skilled. Is he sandbagging me? Shaken up worse then I thought by that hit? Just having very bad luck?

Benjiro moves in on an angle, light on his feet as he makes three quick attacks at Nightrival's shin, stomach and temple. The first two are blocked- as expected, really- but the third strike is just barely fast enough.

---------

"I think I can do it- and, like I said, I'll need a sample first. Which means we need to be chasing some drug dealers- but that can't be all bad, right? Maybe we can scare a couple before we knock 'em cold.

Just give me a moment..."

Shinken steps back from Nightrival.

Activate urban maneuverability suite. Activate tactical nighttime sensory suite. Activate gas spectrometer; index input to mapping algorithm C. Standby for input.

The battlesuit reconfigures itself subtly but visibly. Mirrored lenses slip over the green, glowing eyes in the mempo; tiny nozzles open on the lower legs and feet, and armor panels slide aside to reveal a number of blank gray discs. A subtle humming fills the air.

"OK, ready. Where to?"

[Toptomcat]

What's the matter? He's obviously extremely skilled. Is he sandbagging me? Shaken up worse then I thought by that hit? Just having very bad luck?

Benjiro moves in on an angle, light on his feet as he makes three quick attacks at Nightrival's shin, stomach and temple. The first two are blocked- as expected, really- but the third strike is just barely fast enough.

---------

"I think I can do it- and, like I said, I'll need a sample first. Which means we need to be chasing some drug dealers- but that can't be all bad, right? Maybe we can scare a couple before we knock 'em cold.

Just give me a moment..."

Shinken steps back from Nightrival.

Activate urban maneuverability suite. Activate tactical nighttime sensory suite. Activate gas spectrometer; index input to mapping algorithm C. Standby for input.

The battlesuit reconfigures itself subtly but visibly. Mirrored lenses slip over the green, glowing eyes in the mempo; tiny nozzles open on the lower legs and feet, and armor panels slide aside to reveal a number of blank gray discs. A subtle humming fills the air.

"OK, ready. Where to?"

[Toptomcat]

What's the matter? He's obviously extremely skilled. Is he sandbagging me? Shaken up worse then I thought by that hit? Just having very bad luck?

Benjiro moves in on an angle, light on his feet as he makes three quick attacks at Nightrival's shin, stomach and temple. The first two are blocked- as expected, really- but the third strike is just barely fast enough.

---------

"I think I can do it- and, like I said, I'll need a sample first. Which means we need to be chasing some drug dealers- but that can't be all bad, right? Maybe we can scare a couple before we knock 'em cold.

Just give me a moment..."

Shinken steps back from Nightrival.

Activate urban maneuverability suite. Activate tactical nighttime sensory suite. Activate gas spectrometer; index input to mapping algorithm C. Standby for input.

The battlesuit reconfigures itself subtly but visibly. Mirrored lenses slip over the green, glowing eyes in the mempo; tiny nozzles open on the lower legs and feet, and armor panels slide aside to reveal a number of blank gray discs. A subtle humming fills the air.

"OK, ready. Where to?"

[Shadowboxer]

Shinken's blade glances off Nightrival's head, and this time he is able to sufficently roll with the attack.

His head stings, but his able to carry on. Following the force of the blow, Nightrival spins on his back foot to inch closer to his opponent, and then he firmly clamps down on Shinken's wrist and forearm. Each fingertip finds a pressure point within the armour's joints, and with a grunt he twists Shinken's forearm and wrist in opposite directions. He exerts enough pressure to control the wrist's movement rather than inflict pain. That would be near impossible against an armoured opponent. Nightrival narrows his eyes.

--

"Ah, right," he replies, "I guess I'm kinda eager to shut this mess down." Man, I sound like a jerk, he thinks angrily. I better be on my best behaviour if I don't wanna cheese him off. He's doin' me a favour.

Nightrival watches in amazement as Shinken's armour appears to "grow" new features before his eyes. Although logically he knows that technology is not capable of growing, the speed and fluidity the armour displays as it transforms makes it resemble a living thing.

"Well, alright. Looks like you're ready for a night on the town. If you wanna look for the local dealers, we should check out the blocks between Kissinger and Adams. That's where I've been bumping into'em."

Nightrival points to the roof. "We should get to higher ground."

[Shadowboxer]

Shinken's blade glances off Nightrival's head, and this time he is able to sufficently roll with the attack.

His head stings, but his able to carry on. Following the force of the blow, Nightrival spins on his back foot to inch closer to his opponent, and then he firmly clamps down on Shinken's wrist and forearm. Each fingertip finds a pressure point within the armour's joints, and with a grunt he twists Shinken's forearm and wrist in opposite directions. He exerts enough pressure to control the wrist's movement rather than inflict pain. That would be near impossible against an armoured opponent. Nightrival narrows his eyes.

--

"Ah, right," he replies, "I guess I'm kinda eager to shut this mess down." Man, I sound like a jerk, he thinks angrily. I better be on my best behaviour if I don't wanna cheese him off. He's doin' me a favour.

Nightrival watches in amazement as Shinken's armour appears to "grow" new features before his eyes. Although logically he knows that technology is not capable of growing, the speed and fluidity the armour displays as it transforms makes it resemble a living thing.

"Well, alright. Looks like you're ready for a night on the town. If you wanna look for the local dealers, we should check out the blocks between Kissinger and Adams. That's where I've been bumping into'em."

Nightrival points to the roof. "We should get to higher ground."

[Shadowboxer]

Shinken's blade glances off Nightrival's head, and this time he is able to sufficently roll with the attack.

His head stings, but his able to carry on. Following the force of the blow, Nightrival spins on his back foot to inch closer to his opponent, and then he firmly clamps down on Shinken's wrist and forearm. Each fingertip finds a pressure point within the armour's joints, and with a grunt he twists Shinken's forearm and wrist in opposite directions. He exerts enough pressure to control the wrist's movement rather than inflict pain. That would be near impossible against an armoured opponent. Nightrival narrows his eyes.

--

"Ah, right," he replies, "I guess I'm kinda eager to shut this mess down." Man, I sound like a jerk, he thinks angrily. I better be on my best behaviour if I don't wanna cheese him off. He's doin' me a favour.

Nightrival watches in amazement as Shinken's armour appears to "grow" new features before his eyes. Although logically he knows that technology is not capable of growing, the speed and fluidity the armour displays as it transforms makes it resemble a living thing.

"Well, alright. Looks like you're ready for a night on the town. If you wanna look for the local dealers, we should check out the blocks between Kissinger and Adams. That's where I've been bumping into'em."

Nightrival points to the roof. "We should get to higher ground."

[Toptomcat]

Wrist lock. Get out of it, get-

No! Misread it-damn damn damn-

The sword clatters out of Shinken's hands. He pulls powerfully away from Nightrival's hold, not desperate yet but getting close: the force fails to shake off Shadowboxer's hold but does make him stumble forward a bit, loosening the hold enough for Shinken to escape it entirely with a cartwheeling jump.

---------

"Let's."

Shinken is up there in one completely silent jump. It's more than he could have made a moment ago- he had to vault off the lip of a dumpster to jump onto the fire escape, but now he covers a few stories in one leap. Atop the building, he drinks in the plethora of new sensory information coming in through the Shinken suit's neural link. When he had added the feature, it was disorienting as hell to deal with the machine-added senses, but tweaks in the code and simple acclimation had slowly turned it into an experience like nothing else in the world. He briefly pulls up a map of the neighborhood onto his HUD to find out where the corner of Kissinger and Adams is, then nods to Nightrival and begins stealthily leaping from building to building- augmented senses on the alert all the while for anything unusual.

[Toptomcat]

Wrist lock. Get out of it, get-

No! Misread it-damn damn damn-

The sword clatters out of Shinken's hands. He pulls powerfully away from Nightrival's hold, not desperate yet but getting close: the force fails to shake off Shadowboxer's hold but does make him stumble forward a bit, loosening the hold enough for Shinken to escape it entirely with a cartwheeling jump.

---------

"Let's."

Shinken is up there in one completely silent jump. It's more than he could have made a moment ago- he had to vault off the lip of a dumpster to jump onto the fire escape, but now he covers a few stories in one leap. Atop the building, he drinks in the plethora of new sensory information coming in through the Shinken suit's neural link. When he had added the feature, it was disorienting as hell to deal with the machine-added senses, but tweaks in the code and simple acclimation had slowly turned it into an experience like nothing else in the world. He briefly pulls up a map of the neighborhood onto his HUD to find out where the corner of Kissinger and Adams is, then nods to Nightrival and begins stealthily leaping from building to building- augmented senses on the alert all the while for anything unusual.

[Toptomcat]

Wrist lock. Get out of it, get-

No! Misread it-damn damn damn-

The sword clatters out of Shinken's hands. He pulls powerfully away from Nightrival's hold, not desperate yet but getting close: the force fails to shake off Shadowboxer's hold but does make him stumble forward a bit, loosening the hold enough for Shinken to escape it entirely with a cartwheeling jump.

---------

"Let's."

Shinken is up there in one completely silent jump. It's more than he could have made a moment ago- he had to vault off the lip of a dumpster to jump onto the fire escape, but now he covers a few stories in one leap. Atop the building, he drinks in the plethora of new sensory information coming in through the Shinken suit's neural link. When he had added the feature, it was disorienting as hell to deal with the machine-added senses, but tweaks in the code and simple acclimation had slowly turned it into an experience like nothing else in the world. He briefly pulls up a map of the neighborhood onto his HUD to find out where the corner of Kissinger and Adams is, then nods to Nightrival and begins stealthily leaping from building to building- augmented senses on the alert all the while for anything unusual.