513 Posts
1312 EP
EXP
Total
"best worst staff member"
shaggy-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Darren Blanco II on Feb 13, 2019 16:42:01 GMT -4
Valiance. The name of the first professional heroics school in Great Britain, and the name of the country’s first pro hero, Sir Valiant. It also happened to be Arthur Hale’s hero name, fittingly so as he had inherited his father’s quirk, strength and will.
Inside the locker room, the young man was sitting slouched over with his elbows resting on his knees and his hands cupping his chin, pensively looking at an odd-shaped splotch on the wall. But it in the intimacy of solitude, it wasn’t the splotch that was on his mind. Arthur Hale, or Sir Valiant the Second, was preoccupied with thoughts of legacy and fears of inadequacy.
What if, on such a big stage, he sullied the name of his father -- who would undoubtedly be watching from the stands? There would be team battles as well, and that’s where the headmaster told them to concentrate their efforts, but Arthur was sure his old man wanted to see him succeed on the individual stage as well. Heroes worked together, that much was true, but when the chips were down they needed to display the grit and, well, valiance to triumph over a villain.
It was a side of the young man few ever witnessed; usually, Arthur was the knight in shining armor full of bravado and confidence, or so he liked to present himself. Standing at six-foot-five and sporting a stubble, he looked and felt like a much older man, but inside was a fifteen years old with his own doubts and aspiration. As much as he wanted to be Sir Valiant, and not just to please his father, he couldn’t help sometimes but to be Arthur Hale, a teenager afraid to fail on the big stage, in front of the cameras, in front of his father.
Someone called him in. He rose to his feet, the plate over his tracksuit clinging and clanging with the motion. Time to go, Sir Valiant, he thought to himself.
The home crowd didn’t cheer as much for him as they did for the representative of both the local school and the local tradition of swordsmanship, but thanks to his name and, to be quite honest, his appearance he was still rather popular. None of the earlier doubt could be read on his face as he waved to the crowd with the confidence and prestance of a veteran rockstar.
For this match, he was wearing the brown and gold tracksuit of his house under pieces of plate armor; a chestplate, shoulder and forearms guards, greaves and an armored skirt along with a pair of gauntlets completed the panoply of a knight in shining armor. Against what he expected to be a rather speedy opponent, he decided to forgo the chainmail in favor of his house’s colors.
With an assured step, he set foot inside of the square ring, listened to the ref’s last instructions as he stared down his opponent, above which he towered by a good head and a half. “I hope this will be a good fight,” he told her, effortlessly recalling his mask of confidence, even arrogance as he walked back to his corner. The invisible air walls were dressed. The match began.
“Now then, let’s see what your swordsmanship is worth against the mighty Sir Valiant, warrior of the rising sun!” With a grand gesture and speaking in a grander tone, the young man pulled two broadswords out of his elbows to the oooohs and aaaahs of the crowd and immediately adopted the signature guard of the Valiant style. The blades of bones shone pale under the winter sunlight.
True to his name, Sir Valiant the Second charged with the bravery of the knights of old at the swordswoman. Finesse and technique had their place, but sometimes, a warrior just had to courageously face danger, disregarding his own safety and well-being for the sake of those they protected.
That was twice as true for a hero, and thrice as true for Sir Valiant. |
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802 Posts
1 EP
EXP
Total
17 Years
Female
"Steelheart"
Student-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Tetsuko Shindou on Feb 15, 2019 1:45:03 GMT -4
Honor. There was nothing more important to a samurai. Tetsuko had borne the weight of this creed ever since her birth, and the burden had more than doubled after her own mother was crippled. Tetsuko was carrying the honor of more than just herself. She was carrying her grandfather's, her mother's, her school's, her city's, her friends', and all those who had given their effort to make her stronger. Legacy. That was what she'd been raised to fulfill, that was what her honor fueled. Tetsuko's heart hammered inside her chest as she waited in the locker room, pacing slowly to satisfy her growing restlessness. The ironblooded girl had gotten used to this fire that burned her from within, that made her mind spin and her world gray, by sheathing it in iron. No matter how she felt, no matter how she stressed, she had to be immovable. That was the essence of her art. But even if she was as sturdy as iron on the outside, internally the storm still raged. This was the moment she'd anticipated for weeks now, the debut of the first Shindou hero. The debut of the girl who had borne the legacies of Kashima's Iron Will and Silver Hand, who carried the weight of the whole town's pride on her back. Her grandfather himself had made abundantly clear how important this stage was, and how dire a loss or disgraceful display would be. Failure would only hammer home the idea that U.A. wasn't beneficial to Tetsuko's skills as a swordsman, or her power as a warrior. It was not only a fight for her family's honor, but a fight to prove that her path was the right one. A fight to push herself down the path her mother had once travelled, and had long since fallen off. If Tetsuko let this chance pass her by, she would never be able to forgive herself for the dishonor it would cause. Her doubts ate her from within, hungry and ravenous, but she knew she could not give into them. The fear of failure that dwelled within her was acknowledged and harnessed. Tetsuko's pacing slowed, her breathing slowing as she closed her eyes. Inhale. Exhale. Stop. Imagine their hands on hers. Elise. Her mother. Her friends. Let them steady her. Tremble inside. Yet outside, be immovable. Someone called her in. She opened her eyes, and adjusted her haori. Now or never, Steelheart, she thought to herself. Tetsuko's body wanted to shake and shudder as her heart hammered within, but she would not let it. Resist and become like steel. Unlike Arthur, the Shindou girl did not wave to the crowd that cheered her from above, nor did she pay them much mind at all. The noise was too much to care about, all she relied on was her sight. Casting her gaze up into the crowd, the laid eyes on when of the disabled seating areas, more open to allow for wheelchairs and the like. There, a large and grizzled man stood beside a frailer flower, caged within that chair. Her hair was like silver, her eyes a deep blow like the ocean, yet almost empty and vacant like a clear sky. They were cast down, quiet and focused on Tetsuko. In spite of the distance between them, Tetsuko could have sworn her eyes met her mother's. They smiled at each other, ever so subtly. The ironblooded girl would not let what remained of her mother, what remained of her mother's legacy, fade away. She would fight, and she would become. Tetsuko would not let herself bring any more dishonor to her family. No armor was worn by the Shindou girl, just the costume she'd had crafted by her classmate, based upon the garb of the Shinsengumi. A loose haori was worn over her incomplete garb, leaving her arms with enough space to draw out her iron. A cord held the distinctive white and blue haori in place, and loose hakama covered her legs. It was likely going to be torn and cut, but that mattered not, for her armor came from within. With her eyes set forward, Tetsuko stepped into the square ring, feeling the noise around her drowned out by her sole focus on the task before her. Nothing within her mattered right now. He was taller than her, but that did not take away the sturdiness in Tetsuko's eyes. "I'll give you nothing less." The ironblooded girl assured him, remaining steady on the outside while her heart hammered away within her chest, while her mind became heavy with the burden upon her. Her grandfather, and the masters of her sword school, were no doubt watching her right now. Returning to her corner, Tetsuko breathed in and out once again. Their hands. Her heart. Become immoveable. The match began. "I am Tetsuko Shindou. Granddaughter of the Iron Will of Kashima. Daughter of its Silver Hand. The one who must become..." The swordswoman uttered quietly to herself as she watched the opposing swordsman make his proclamations, and draw those powerful blades of his. This warrior, strong as he was, could not go unrespected. Tetsuko could give him nothing less than her all. "Very well. I, the Steelheart of Kashima, will see what you have, knight of Britain!" Tetsuko declared with pride as she extended her hand before her, the palm opened wide as iron sprouted, twisting around and flowing up as it took shape in her hand. The katana's blade glinted under the sunlight, its intricate channels and adequate design shining before all. The characters she etched into its side with her Quirk gave away its title, for nothing granted power like a name. This sword had a very important name. "Yukifuri." 雪降り (Snowfall) With this blade, she would strive to be quick and precise enough to cleave falling snowflakes in twain. Her opponent charged, recklessly and dangerously, and Tetsuko gave an equally simple approach. The Shindou girl would rush forward towards him, swinging her own blade once she was in range to try and deflect or clash against his. Their wills would collide, one way or another, and that was the only way this fight could go. Their own safety and caution was nothing next to their honor. That was how any good duel should be. ------------------------------- ABILITIES:C-Rank Quirk (C-Rank quality iron) D-Rank Swordsmanship E-Rank Speed E-Rank Regen E-Rank Stamina E-Rank Ranged Combat |
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513 Posts
1312 EP
EXP
Total
"best worst staff member"
shaggy-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Darren Blanco II on Feb 15, 2019 11:55:00 GMT -4
As Julia had told him, there was a girl in UA with a quirk very similar to his. Or at least Tetsuko Shindou used hers in a similar way to his; mirroring the drawing of his cartilage blades, she pooled cold iron inside her hand and shaped it in the form of a traditional katana. At a glance Arthur could tell it was a quality blade, from the way it reflected the sunlight to the relaxed form of its handler, a sign that the blade was perfectly balanced. A smile drew itself on his lips at the same time as a point of apprehension pierced his mind.
He charged nonetheless and Tetsuko followed. Iron and bone clashed in center ring to the roars of the crowd. Somewhere up in the stands, a bearded figure sternly watched over his son. If he was proud of him, he wasn’t showing it.
They seemed to struggle against each other for a few, but unbeknownst to an amateur, a highly technical contest of skill was taking place. Swordsman and swordswoman each fine-tuned their strength outputs, tweaking and adjusting their stances to match the other’s subtle movements. It soon became clear that the two were equally matched in swordsmanship.
“Not bad, lass!” he grunted behind clenched teeth. “But let me show you the true might of the Valiants!”
He stopped trying to deflect her katana out of the way and adopted a defensive approach with his swords, focusing on parrying and blocking instead of attacking. But at the same time, he lifted a greave-clad foot and thrust it into the samurai’s stomach, aiming to knock her off-balance with his size and weight. A few amateurs in the crowd booed, but it was a common tactic of medieval knights. A brutal one, perhaps, but no one ever said this was a knitting class.
He followed with a thrust to the left shoulder with the broadsword of blunted bone he held in his right hand, and with his main gauche came down with an overhead slash to occupy her guard up high; meanwhile, he had already brought down his other blade to his waist. With a motion reminiscent of the iaido draw, he swung diagonally upwards from his left hip to the full extension of his arm.
Arthur wasn’t blisteringly fast, but his strikes flowed together smoothly with excellent technique and more than respectable strength carried through the heavy cartilage. Even after his powerful last strike, he only left himself open for a short while, his main gauche already back in a guard, his foot stance secure and strong despite the heavy kick he had just delivered. He had lived up to pressure and expectations his whole life, and even now on this foreign stage he was doing the Valiant name proud, standing his ground against this strong samurai of the land of the Rising Sun. |
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802 Posts
1 EP
EXP
Total
17 Years
Female
"Steelheart"
Student-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Tetsuko Shindou on Feb 18, 2019 4:59:59 GMT -4
Iron clashed against bone, the will of each swordsman clashing against each other. Tetsuko shut out everything except her opponent, thought of nothing more than using her blade to its utmost. A cheer from the bulky man by the handicap section resounded, while the wheelchair-bound woman he was accompanying only opened her mouth slightly. No one could have said what words she wanted to say, nor what stopped her from saying them.
A swordsman spoke through their blade, and Arthur and Tetsuko traded paragraphs to each other as they clashed briefly. Tetsuko shifted her stance slightly, realizing her lack of height might be something she could use to her advantage against the tall Brit. Although it damaged her reach and overall ability to cleave through her opponents to defence, it also played into her advantage in fluidity and speed.. They were equals in skill, that much became apparent. The very thought that she could be beaten in swordmanship of all things terrified Tetsuko, only emphasising her need to win.
Losing now would irreparably damage her honor.
If it wasn’t skill that she could best him in, nor that he could best her in, then the victor would instead be determined by who best made use of their strengths and weaknesses… Of course, Tetsuko had more of her Quirk available than just blades, but what kind of message would that send? To fall back and use anything else would just be admitting her defeat in the realm of swordsmanship. That would not stand.
As Arthur shifted into a defensive posture, Tetsuko immediately became wary, yet did not relent in her assault. She would continue to unleash her attacks with that katana, flowing yet firm, in the solid and mobile stances of Jikishinkage-ryuu. The general manner of her style was to be like the ocean itself. Able to flow with ease, yet just as easily crash and sway. Regardless of how well he held up against her strikes from his defensive stance, Tetsuko wouldn’t be able to predict his next movement. Though, ultimately, she’d be thankful that he’d performed it…
The sudden kick to her stomach caught her off guard, Tetsuko swaying back but still finding her balance damaged by the hit, accompanied by a small grunt under her breath. He was using his superior size and weight to overwhelm her, she’d need to use her smaller form to slip from his grasp.
As his onslaught began, Tetsuko shifted her blade to parry his thrust at the last minute, a glancing blow sustained to her shoulder thanks to the kick’s deblancing effect. Like any good dual wielder, Arthur knew how to make the most of his paired weapons, so it was up to Tetsuko to try and counteract that by exploiting their problems when both used this way. As his smaller blade came down overhead, Tetsuko already knew how to react, how to use his superior weight to her own advantage. Moving her hands to her own left, she shifted them so that the dagger would strike clean against and the flat of her blade, both blocked, yet the force still carrying from his larger build!
The swordswoman moved forward as that force became momentum, and at the same time his iaido-style strike came up, Tetsuko used that carried momentum to twist her blade around, moving it in a circle to come back down and try and strike at the wrist carrying the main gauche from above, aiming to force his left arm down with her blunt sword to interfere with his right before its blade could reach her! Of course, like any good martial artist, Tetsuko didn’t put all her faith in this move, and also tried to dash to the side while swinging her blunt blade upward toward Arthur’s throat from its position behind his gauche,, to either get a very lucky hit, or more likely, to force him backward.
Regardless of the results, one thing had become clear to Tetsuko already… That there was one area where she could still surprise her opponent when it came to skill. Though they shared the same art, they were trained in different disciplines, European and Asian styles that had their own secrets that weren’t common between them.. Things neither could expect from their own training. From his kicks, to Tetsuko’s own tricks…
It was a battle only talked about online, a samurai vs a knight, and perhaps their own respective specialties would determine the victor!
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513 Posts
1312 EP
EXP
Total
"best worst staff member"
shaggy-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Darren Blanco II on Feb 20, 2019 2:37:55 GMT -4
The rowdy crowd progressively quieted down. Not that it wasn’t an exciting match; quite the contrary, in fact, but they found themselves enraptured by the deadly dance of the two fighters, only the thought that their blades were blunted reassuring them that they weren’t gonna witness a bloodbath. There was a strange rhythm to the exchange, almost otherworldly, such that no one could decide if they had seen a fast-paced clash of iron and bone or a slow and deliberate exchange of feints and parries. They were gonna be fixed very soon.
Where Arthur Hale made use of his superior size and strength, Tetsuko Shindou took advantage of her vivacity and nimbleness. With a clever block she prevented her opponent from pulling off his upwards slash, forcing his arm down to perturb his strike. While he could have forced it back up, it was already too late; the girl was circling away and coming up with a blow to his throat.
Under other circumstances, this would have been a deadly blow, but Sir Valiant was no slouch. He pulled up his main gauche at the last second, displaying the superhuman reflexes of a fighter trained from childhood to wield a blade -- well, two blades. Instinct didn’t know what a blunt sword was; it only saw danger, it only thought of death, it made the young hero's body react before his mind had a say in it. It made him step back before handed the reins back to his consciousness.
Immediately Arthur felt the looks coming down on him. Those of his classmates, shouting for him to get her back; those of the audience, of course, whom for the most part found their voices back to cheer for the local swordswoman, the loudest of those belonging to a certain redhead. But those weren’t the looks weighing down on his shoulders; compared to that one pair of eyes, they were weightless. Sir Valiant, First of his Name, the headmaster of the Valiant Institute of Unusual Potential and Arthur’s father: Marcus Hale.
The young man’s blood turned. He didn’t need to see the look in his father’s eyes, he knew what he had to do. If this samurai made him step back once, then he was gonna make her step back twice. Normally, one would pull up a guard after landing themselves in such a disadvantageous position, but instead, Arthur dropped his stance and charged back towards her, bellowing a terrifying war cry with a voice that did not belong to a fifteen years old boy. “RAAAAAAH!”
His swords moved in a blur. Five, six, seven consecutive slashes followed, one after the other; defense seemed an afterthought, but Arthur hadn’t lost his head just yet. The strikes flowed into one another with ingrained discipline, only leaving Tetsuko the smallest openings and not a second to breathe or think of counter-attacking. And he would only stop after she took two steps back. |
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802 Posts
1 EP
EXP
Total
17 Years
Female
"Steelheart"
Student-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Tetsuko Shindou on Feb 20, 2019 9:45:21 GMT -4
The dance of blades was enthralling to the audience, to be sure, as iron and bone clashed with deliberate movements that didn't exactly convey superhuman feats of physical ability, but instead, they consisted mostly of nothing more than pure skill. The otherworldly rhythm was what resulted, a tune only seasoned swordsmen could hear. A song that fell upon the ears of Miku and Masaru Shindou, the later cheering on, the former gazing down with that same vacant look in her eyes... With a hint of a spark. A hint of something more. Where there was a spark in hers, a fire had lit in Tetsuko's her focus sharp and strong as she pushed herself to overcome Arthur's offensive. With her vibrant and creative movements, she managed to push him back a step. The first victory had gone to her, who had remained in her place from the clash. To the cheers of her people, Tetsuko raised her sword back towards Arthur, a rush flooding through her blood, her heart hammering as the pressure became tangible in her hands. That was one victory. It would take many more to beat Arthur Hale, but if she could do it... If she could be immovable even against him, then surely... The Shindou girl looked up to her own mother. So distant, that look. So prideless and crestfallen. A bird without wings, thus, Tetsuko knew it was her duty to present new wings taken by her own hand. To win an honor that was not just hers. To make those eyes wish for victory once again. Her attention returned to Arthur, who was far from finished. Tetsuko had hoped she might be able to put him on the defensive with her initial counterattack, or that her quick reactions would make him hesitant to begin another assault. Hesitation created weakness, but unfortunately for Tetsuko, no such opportunity came her way. His stance dropped, and he charged forth. Whether driven by rage or simply trying to scare her, Tetsuko knew not. She was blind to his own strife, knowing only that he'd one goal in mind. To run her backward with all his force. The Shindou girl raised her sword quickly, eyes immediately searching for the first opening in his combination, but it never came. He was relentless, a blur of pure and ceaseless effort. Tetsuko tried to parry and block his swords, twisting her blade in quick movements as the onslaught came in. It took almost as much of her endurance to block the first few strikes as it must have to make them, her breathing becoming harder to control as her resolve began to fracture under the domination. His weight so much more than hers, Tetsuko soon found her own stance failing, no openings found to strike again, none that gave her enough room. What sight was she giving right now? Her foot finally slipped. Tetsuko took her first step backward, quickly readjusting her stance and continuing to endure the onslaught. It was relentless, furious, and she felt suddenly powerless beneath it. What was her grandfather seeing? What were her masters seeing? What was her mother seeing? Was it someone immovable? As Tetsuko continued to hold up, shifting her blade and her body with each strike, her weight continued again towards her back foot. This helplessness... It felt strange, horrible, familiar, and toxic. Infesting her focused mind all of a sudden, even if it wasn't out of the ordinary for a martial artist. Her foot slipped agin, and it looked Tetsuko was about to slip, her front foot raised slightly, her balance moving backward... For a moment, it looked like she'd lost herself. Their hands.
Her heart.
Become immoveable."HYAP!"Letting out a firm kiai, Tetsuko stamped down her foot, swinging her sword to clash with force against Arthur's next strike, as the fire raged in her eyes. The girl was furious with herself for slipping up like that, for forgetting where she was. That shout expelled the rapid toxin from her mind, and she continued fighting on. For pride, for glory, for everything and more. To be moveable, to be helpless, set her core ablaze. Another step backward would only admit inferiority. The closeness to disgracing her family disgusted her deeply. So Tetsuko continued clashing against the assault, only this time, with a different approach. Rather than just parrying or blocking Arthur's blades, Tetsuko was actively clashing against them. Shifting her body weight and using Jikishinkage-ryuu's firm and flowing footwork to keep shifting herself forward between blows, against his weight and trying to strike his own blades with force and fury. The wall he'd been pushing agaisnt was now pushing back. Using her smaller form to angle herself to try and clash more readily and with mroe of her weight, Tetsuko's goal was to tire her opponent out. One opening, was what she needed. To unleash the technique that had been forged by the original wearers of her garb. To unleash the wrath of the Shinsengumi. Made by Zeref of THQ |
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513 Posts
1312 EP
EXP
Total
"best worst staff member"
shaggy-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Darren Blanco II on Feb 22, 2019 19:22:19 GMT -4
The fight had begun with a quiet and slow exchange of technique and feints but then quickly turned into one of raw strength and nimbleness, anointed knight clashing against sworn samurai. Both fighters had legacies to uphold, and none were giving ground.
His fierce onslaught was met with a tight guard and a solid defense, but he had come to expect as much of the steel-faced swordswoman. Her heart must have been forged from the same iron, as she recognized the lack of openings and focused on defense, not letting a single hit of his come through. The knight in bony armor didn’t give up either. Their blades clashed and clashed until she took a step back. One down, one to go.
For a moment, her steel-faced demeanor broke down. The Ironheart of Kashima seemed confused, lost perhaps, like a deer in headlights. Arthur saw her hesitation and doubled down on his assault. A skilled fighter, he knew that once doubt poisoned the mind, very few managed to pull themselves back together, and it had been made painfully clear to him that against an opponent of Tetsuko’s caliber, he couldn’t afford to pick and choose his openings. So when she seemed to take a back step again, he did not hesitate. With all of his might, Sir Valiant the Second came down in an overhead slash with both swords, a blow that would crush down a weak guard like Thor’s hammer.
“HYAP!”
But instead of a weak guard, he was met with an equally fierce strike from the swordswoman. And another. And another. The hesitation had cleared from her eyes, and now she was dishing back blow for blow, their swords clanging against each other under the clamor of the crowd. “SHIN-DOU! SHIN-DOU!”, they chanted.
“AR-THUR! AR-THUR!” clamored back a single voice, deep and ruguous, poweful enough to make itself heard by itself. It belonged to Lucas McTavish, one of Arthur’s classmates and, incidentally, T-rex man the size of a car. This explained that. “C’mon, yer too bloody quiet, guys! Get fuckin’ loud or fly back tha fuck home!!”
Roused by Lucas of all people, the minority of Valiant Insitute students, family and faculty, even some of the Japanese public found themselves carried away by their school spirit. “AR-THUR! AR-THUR! VA-LIANT! VA-LIANT” soon howled an entire side of the stands. “SHIN-DOU! SHIN-DOU! U-A! U-A!” they chanted back on the other side. Electrified by such an incredible display in the first round, it was under the deafening cheers of the crowd that the two fighters continued clashing in the center of the ring. A deadlock of blade against blades brought them a moment of respite, but did nothing to erase the boiling tension in the arena.
“Consider me impressed,” Arthur managed through gritted teeth, trying to force her swords down at the same time. “It’s my pleasure and honor to be dueling such a strong opponent! But I cannot afford to lose here, proud samurai, so I’ll have to get serious.” Something like a grin could be read on his face. “Don’t come to regret it! HAAA!”
He attempted to push her back with his swords and took a forceful step forward, aiming for nothing less than stomping down on her foot as he entered a very close range. At the same time, he swung for her face with the pommel of his main gauche. The sideways stance he was forced to take hid the real strike, however. Down low, at belly level, he was preparing a poweful thrust aimed for the girl’s stomach.
Their blades might have been blunted, but their wills were razor-sharp. If Tetsuko managed to land what should have been a deadly blow on him, Arthur’s honor dictated that he would have to stand down right then and there, and the young knight thought he could see a hint of the same determination burning in the girl’s eyes.
Way up in the stands, hidden behind an impressive beard, a pair of lips belonging to a stern face curved into a proud smile. Every fiber of his being wanted to join in the cheering, held back only by an incorruptible sense of duty. As the headmaster of the Valiant Institute of Unusual Potential, it simply wouldn't do to show favoritism for his only son. For the first time in a long time, he felt a tinge of resentment for his job.
But damned he would be if the coming generation of heroes didn't look promising.
(tl;dr: h y p e, but also they deadlock in center ring; after Tetsuko start hitting back, they’re evenly matched. anime talk-in-the-middle-of-battle-suspend-your-disbelief-please-thanks, then he tries to push her, stomp her foot, pommel strike her in the temple with his left sword and then thrust for her stomach with his right sword. thank god this shit is blunted amirite) |
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802 Posts
1 EP
EXP
Total
17 Years
Female
"Steelheart"
Student-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Tetsuko Shindou on Feb 23, 2019 11:27:26 GMT -4
Their hands.
Her heart.
Become immoveable.
6 simple words became the mantra that repeated in Tetsuko's mind, the reminder that wrestled against her darkest shadows within. Iron alone wasn't the strongest of materials, not by a long shot. The smiths of old Japan had learned that the hard way, and had to put in all the heat and support they could muster to turn into something far beyond the sum of its parts.
It was their kind hands that gave Tetsu the support.
It was her warrior's heart that burned with blazing flame.
It was the effort of both that would temper her into a fine blade!
Honor, pride and legacy. All on the line, to lose it or gain. Even if Tetsuko had taken one step back, even if she'd found herself slipping once, she'd not let it pass again. She'd not let the pride she'd sought slip from her sight, not when it was so close in front of her. Her resolve was like a fine blade, bending but unbroken, now sharpened and swung in her opponent's direction.
Ferocity blossomed upon the battlefield as Tetsuko and her opponent clashed again, and again. The weight of their own responsibilities smashed against each other with each blow. Neither one of them was going to concede or give ground, neither one was going to give up their pride for an advantage. For a loss of honor was a far greater defeat to the noble blade-wielders.
Was it close to her now, Tetsuko wondered? That immovable heart? That pride of her hero? That tool of resurrection? The only way to know was to move forward, to meet every blow with equal viciousness. The crowd cheered their names, and with that support, the weight of what they fought for only intensified.
It wasn't just themselves. It was their families and their schools.
To her family's name chanted as she fought with her all for their honor... It was a samurai's bliss.
The two fighters found a moment of respite as their blades clashed, biting into one another and finding themselves at a deadlock. With teeth grit, they shared words, Tetsuko smirking at the other swordsman's compliments.."Likewise." She managed. "Failure was never an option for me... My goals are too lofty for it. Bring it, knight!" Tetsuko declared in turn, as another bout of blades began.
His forceful push let his body weight do the work, Tetsuko's back foot sliding back before her front suddenly found itself stamped upon! It was clear right away what he was doing, the boy was trying to close in so much that solid hits were more likely than ever. A pommel flew toward Tetsuko's face, causing her to raise her sword in a cautionary central guard, her hilt at about her solar plexus, as she swayed backward, using the anchor that was Arthur's foot to let her balance remain while she kept up her defense. After all, he could swing out that blade to cut if she left herself open.
However, his real plans became clear as Tetsuko swayed back her head to avoid what could have been a knockout pommel strike, as the boy was thrusting one of his swords for her gut! It was noticed too late to block normally, and for a moment it looked like a surely lethal strike, but Tetsuko had more than just traditional swordsmanship up her sleeve.
Her lower hand slipped down quickly so it was grasping only the bottom of her hilt, while her other rapidly raised to the sword's spine. Trying to deflect with the blade would be awkward and risky, and remove her chance for a counterattack... So instead, with her palm against the other side of the hilt, Tetsuko proceeded to position her blade and push it so that she deflected the stomach strike with the side of her hilt, while moving her body into a sideways stance that mirrored Arthur's! It was an irregular guard if there ever was one! Deflecting away the blade, it was a glancing blow to her side, that had her legs buckle slightly from the force, a grunt through grit teeth escaping her. But it wasn’t the deathblow it could have been. Her irregular guard was her saviour, and she still had enough fight left in her.
However, she was left open and vulnerable. She needed to strike fast, and decisively. If she was this close, aiming for the gut or limbs wouldn't do.
If she was so close that she couldn't miss, she had to unleash an executioner's strike.
Her bottom hand quickly grasped the hilt again as she pulled her sword back, twisting her waist with it. Her other hand extended outward along the blade's spine, as the sword turned so the flat of it was facing the ground. A strange parallel stance, with her hilt at around her hip, and her other hand now at its tip... In this quick yet complex movement, she'd set her target.
A controversial master had once said there was no reason to learn more than one sword technique. If you draw your blade, your goal must be to kill your opponent as quickly as possible. Thus, a single, perfect technique that is guaranteed to kill is all that is needed.
'Hirazuki'. That was what his philosophy had bred.
Tetsuko exploded forth, twisting her hips and using her waist muscles to put plenty of force and speed behind this thrust. Her horizontal thrust shot outward, angled slightly up as she twisted around, aimed straight for her opponent’s head, aiming to hit the neck or chin. She’d extend fully, pulling her other arm around to give herself even more reaction force as she unleashed a long-range blow from what was essentially point-blank range!
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513 Posts
1312 EP
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Total
"best worst staff member"
shaggy-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Darren Blanco II on Feb 25, 2019 4:35:53 GMT -4
In the end, neither of them gave ground.
The stomp caught Tetsuko, but she showed her head movement to sway from the pommel strike. That was exactly where he wanted her, locked in place for the thrust. But the samurai did not falter. She knew in which position she found herself, calmly assessed the situation and improvised, adapted, overcame. A deft thrust with the hilt of her sword, taking advantage of its single-edged nature allowed her to deflect the thrust enough to save herself from a deadly blow and come back with her own executioner’s strike, Hirazuki, a two-handed thrust for the throat with the spine of the blade parallel to the ground.
In the heat of a battle, a fighter didn’t think. He couldn’t afford to; thinking was slow. In these situations, a fighter reacted.
Things happened too fast for the audience to follow. Arthur’s thrust turned into a horizontal slash in the instant Tetsuko prepared her thrust. Sir Valiant’s blunted blade cleaved the Steelheart in the ribs as the dull point of her blade poked his throat.
His breath what cut for a while as he tightened the muscles of his neck and took a step back. He felt the impact of his own slash ring in his arms. The had hit each other simultaneously. It became clear to the whole arena that swordsman and swordswoman were evenly matched. The cheers roared only louder.
Arthur took a few moments to steady his breath, staring intently at the swordswoman opposite him. He never thought he would have met an opponent that could stand up to him here, in Japan, and certainly not this frail-looking girl. When did she ever look frail? He caught himself thinking. She looks like a warrior to me.
He spoke with a raspy voice. Thursts to the throat hurt. “Shindou… Tetsuko. Right?” He grinned. “That was an incredible fight. It seems our swords won’t be able to determine the victor today.” As he said that, he took an upright stance and spread his arms. Bone was rapidly growing out of his temples, his ribs, and knees. “I will be requiring the full power of the quirk me and my father were blessed with. With the same Quirk, my father became Britain’s first pro hero, and now the headmaster of the Institute bearing his name.” Bone plate was now covering almost every part of his body and a helmet made entirely out of cartilage soon covered his eyes in shadow. “I can assure you that I am aware of the privilege I was borne into. Nonetheless, I deserved my place at the Institute. I will not allow the honor of my father to be besmirched by accusations of favoritism.”
Armor was now fully enclosing his body. He almost looked like a villain, save for the proud V of Valiance adorning his chest and forehead, reminding the world of who was pointing a bony broadsword at the small samurai. “Allow me to do this again. I challenge you, Tetsuko of the Shindou name. Not to a contest of swordsmanship, but to a duel between heroes. I have no doubts that outside of this arena, I will be able to count on you to fight villains side-by-side. But today, in this tournament, I have more than a few things I wish to show the world.”
He brought both his arms in front of him in a cross guard. “I want you to come at me with all you have.” With a certain sense of spectacle, he raised his voice for the enraptured audience to hear. “Will you accept my selfish request, Shindou Tetsuko?!”
The crowd roared their approval. Now only remained for the Steelheart to formally accept, but Arthur had a feeling that he didn’t need to worry about that. He maintained his solid stance, making his intentions clear. Bones that left his body withered too quickly to be of any use unless he was close enough to keep breathing new life back in their marrow. This armor and the denser, heavier swords he now used were all the luxuries his quirk allowed him.
He didn’t need anything more. Like the knights of old, Sir Valiant put his body on the line to protect the widow and the orphaned, the weak and the downtrodden, and he never faltered, until the unbreakable V of Valiance turned into the radiating V of Victory. |
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802 Posts
1 EP
EXP
Total
17 Years
Female
"Steelheart"
Student-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Tetsuko Shindou on Feb 26, 2019 9:25:42 GMT -4
Immovable.
That was what Tetsuko strove to be. It was the pinnacle of Jikishinkage-ryuu, to be steadfast against all strife and force, to be an immutable force upon the battlefield. To control your heart, to let your heart guide your blade, to be a warrior without compare. To stand unrivaled under heaven, or so they said.
To be the strongest was a desire of any fighter, and Tetsuko was no different.
Thus, she did not dare give another step to her opponent, even after the distance was closed. The girl swore then to become immovable, unstoppable, and indestructible force without compare! Stern as a mountain, yet quick as flash, Tetsuko had countered Arthur's own offensive and returned it with her executioner's strike, her Hirazuki.
It wasn't an attack driven by planning and strategy, but by pure instinct. Her opponent reacted the same way.
In those few moments, their blades each met their mark. Neither willing to step back, both had opted instead to risk their lives before facing dishonor, and both would have easily lost them in a real fight.
The weight struck against her side, into her ribs with a powerful hit. Her body caved towards it for a moment, her legs buckling a little at the force, but she didn't dare move her own blade. A lethal strike, through her opponent's throat. Just as to her, another fatal wound was inflicted.
They both survived, yet it took a moment to realize. It took a moment to remember the other's blade was dull, as all their lives they'd been trained with awareness of the deadly weapons they wielded. Tetsuko staggered backward from their simultaneous clash, her free hand clutching her side as the crowd roared out.
It was a draw.
She scoffed beneath her breath. Such a result was initially unsatisfying... It meant she'd lost in this realm. It meant she couldn't prove herself on her training alone. Yet, after a moment, her mind changed entirely. This result wasn't disheartening... Instead, it stoked the flames within her, as she looked to the man who'd stood against her.
A man with honor and skill, a swordswoman she'd proudly call both peer and equal. How long had it been since she'd met such a worthy rival?
Tetsuko breathed steadily for a few moments more, a grin rising on her lips before Arthur spoke again. Everything he said, the truth. This wasn't just a foreign invader Tetsuko fought, it was an equal, a kindred spirit. He too understood they would not be besting one another on blades alone, but instead, with the blessings that let them go beyond. Her smile widened, as she stood upright and gripped her blade.
From this point on, this was not a fight between samurai and knight. Nor warrior against warrior. Simply... Hero. Against Hero.
He formed his armor out of bone, explaining the legacy he'd borne, and how he intended to live up to it. With his powerful message emblazoned upon his gear, he declared battle against Tetsuko, a true one, this time.
The Shindou girl let out another scoff, as she stood upright and looked to her opponent with pride and fire in her eyes.
"Of course, Sir Valiant."
With one swift movement, Tetsuko cut the cord keeping her haori on, shedding it and tossing it aside with her blade, leaving just the simple, sleeveless martial arts robes beneath.
"I feel shame for not besting you in swordsmanship alone, but like you, my duty has always been to surpass those before me. This blessing I have is exactly how I intend to do that."
Tetsuko twisted her blade in her hand, holding it in a backhand grip as she let more iron flow into it, lengthening the blade and hilt from those of a katana into a full-length nodachi! Still, it had those channels for her iron to flow, yet the characters changed. From "Yukifuri" to "Fubuki". From "Snowfall" to "Snowstorm".
"Born into privilege? No we were born into legacy. I have every right of upholding mine, of crafting a shining beacon in the Shindou name. I will become the first Shindou Hero."
Iron started to grow from all over her body now, in a similar method to the one Arthur had used! However, hers was much different in design. As the iron expanded out into bands and wrapped istelf around her to from armor, larger pieces were more notable. The flat iron shoulder guards, each of them containing a different character etched into it. On one, the character for 'steel'. On the other, the character for 'heart' - shin. Her gauntlets were light, fingerless. Her chest plate wrapped over her kimono as the iron sprouted from her back and reached through and over. Her legs, with their baggier attier, were covered from armor sprouted at her waste, those same samurai style plates present. All until Tetsuko, from her neck down, was armored like a true samurai.
"So let it be known, Sir Valiant. That I accept your challenge. To show this world the honor I claim, not for myself, but for my family. For its Iron Will, for it's Silver Hand, I will become the Steelheart."
Iron sprouted from her collar, forming her open-faced helmet, featuring large horn-like protrusions that arced upward to complete the ornamental design, before she raised her nodachi towards Arthur Hale.
"It will bring no honor to have a shameful fight, so give me your all, Sir Valiant. We fight... As Heroes!"
Her grin was massive, the blood pumping agressively through her veins. As her heart hammered, she prayed her mother was watching closely. For Tetsuko was taking the first, important steps... To reclaiming that lost pride. To resurrecting her. To becoming the Hero... That she had once been!
Her nerves evaporated, nothing left but intent and honor. Tetsuko's breath became steady, methodical, trained, as the world faded away around her. Nothing more than here and now, nothing more than two Heroes fighting to prove themselves.
Sir Valiant and Steelheart, the two great noble Heroes, would clash for their pride!
With a mighty kiai, Tetsuko stepped back firmly into stance, raising her nodachi into an overhead grip before charging right at Arthur, this time with nothing held back. No testing the waters, just pure ferocity and intent! Her breathing was shallower due to her high usage of her Quirk, and her skin was growing paler, but the fire lit in her eyes burned bright as ever, shining with one thing.
Honor.
That was why... She could fight at her all!
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513 Posts
1312 EP
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"best worst staff member"
shaggy-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Darren Blanco II on Mar 1, 2019 5:18:18 GMT -4
As heroes, they fought.
To his knight’s plate, she answered with a samurai’s lamellar armor, covering her small body in an iron shell. It made her look the part; Arthur knew her skills firsthand, but one couldn’t deny that Tetsuko looked perhaps a little mismatched facing the six-foot-five English.
Both now, with the both of them adorning their armor, the distinction faded. They were no longer a swordsman and a swordswoman, they were both heroes standing on equal footing. “We fight, then Steelheart!” clamored Sir Valiant. The crowd cheered as she raised her now heavier sword, a nodachi, and charged with a powerful overhead slash.
The difference was felt immediately by Arthur, who raised both swords to block the much stronger blow. He couldn’t just block these with only one anymore, he clearly needed his full strength from now on. But he wouldn’t be pushed back! Under his soles, bone spikes dug into the stone below, anchoring him, providing him with grip as he pushed back with all of his own strength and a mighty war cry.
“BEGONE!”
Julia put her hand on a collision course with her face. Why did Arthur get cheesier and cheesier the more intense his fights became?
Back in the arena, Sir Valiant quickly realized that wouldn’t be able to push off the Steelheart now that she was putting in her all. He had to get creative, and more importantly, he had to take risks. He finally elected to attempt to deflect the strike to his left shoulder plate as he ducked, trying to minimize the impact. At the same time, he wound up his other sword and, with a duck step while crouching down, attempted a sweep at Tetsuko’s legs, unwinding his entire body like a spring, after which he would attempt to stab her stomach with the same sword.
The armor made every strike heavier, but not slower; the young knight was fighting with all he had. His tracksuit was drenched in sweats and every single one of his muscles were aching, but he wasn’t giving up. Not now, not against this strong opponent. Honor demanded he stood and fight.
Are you watching, Headmaster -- no, Dad? Do you see how strong your student and son have become? Are you proud of me, father? |
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802 Posts
1 EP
EXP
Total
17 Years
Female
"Steelheart"
Student-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Tetsuko Shindou on Mar 4, 2019 9:57:25 GMT -4
Armorclad Heroes were ready to clash along the battlefield, each of them fully aware of the other's skill. Thusly, they were aware of just how difficult victory would be to obtain. This knowledge only stoked the flames within them, the burning fire that fueled their fight. An easily won battle was no honor, a weak opponent could not satisfy their blades. A hard-fought victory, on the other hand? Nothing was a batter supplement to their respective prides.
A Hero who didn't give their all was not a Hero at all.
So against this wall, Tetsuko would clash. He was her equal in swordsmanship, a boy who towered over her, yet the Shindou girl did not waver in her duties. Her duty to her family, her school, and herself. With nodachi in hand, she was able to put more weight behind her swings, compensating for her lack of bodyweight with this deft and powerful blade.
Just as her own blade struck into his, so did Tetsuko anchor her own feet with iron spurs that arced from her soles, leaving no chance of retreat. Falling here was no longer an option to her.
Failing her had never been an option from the start.
"BEGONE!" Arthur cried out.
"Never." Tetsuko uttered firmly, in between her shallower breaths. Her skin was pale, but her eyes still burned with a vibrancy and power not unlike the ocean and sky.
Pitting their raw strength against one another wasn't going to work anymore, that was clear, and Arthur was the first to try and get more creative, more dangerous than before. He ducked the attack, deflecting it off his own shoulder plate as he transitioned right into a leg sweep. Unwilling to step backward, Tetsuko moved in the next possible direction: Up. Iron shot from those spurs on her feet, quickly retracting after it had pushed her into the air, tucking her own knees up to avoid the blade.
Her split-second decision would cost her, however, as being airborne left her little ability to block the second blade! The most she could do was try and deflect it with her armguards, taking off some of the edge as it struck into her armored stomach. The iron cracked, and a harsh grunt escaped her lips. Air pushed from her lungs... Yet she'd more to spare.
An iron heart didn't bend under the heat.
As she came back down, Tetsuko didn't let Arthur's blade move back. Instead, she clamped on it harder, catching it just after it had struck right between her armored forearm and upper thigh. Moreover, as she landed back down, crouching her knees, Tetsuko shifted her other hand to try and grab onto Arthur's own forearm, leaving that nodachi of hers in a one-handed grip in her other hand.
With the arm tucked close for control, Tetsuko used this position of potential control to be reckless herself, swinging her Nodachi in a wide upward-arcing slash with a backhand grip, aimed right for his other arm! With nothing left to hold back, Tetsuko needed just one more chance before she let it all loose. She would bleed and sweat and suffocate with all that iron outside of her, but she would carry on.
Because it isn't yet gone... So I can still fight for it... The pride you left me.
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513 Posts
1312 EP
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"best worst staff member"
shaggy-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Darren Blanco II on Mar 5, 2019 23:16:04 GMT -4
Adroitly did Tetsuko jump above his slash, but deftly he had redirected it into a thrust, catch her in the stomach -- but the action didn’t stop here, as the crafty samurai instead clamped down on his sword in response. Her spirit was truly undying, unwavering, unrelenting; he tried getting away but she took hold of his arm and with a nasty slash from below, she hit him hard on his other sword hand. With another kick, he tried to wrench himself free from her hold.
He lost grip of his shorter left-hand sword with Tetsuko’s own blow. As soon as is clanked against the ground with a dull, bony sound, it started to crumble into dust. Arthur gripped his remaining broadsword with both hands. It was do-or-die now. Both of them were tired, injured, pushing the limits of their quirks to the absolute maximum. His arms were heavy, his movement sluggish as he lifted the broadsword into a defiant guard once again.
The knight’s vision was fuzzy. He didn’t know how long he would be able to keep doing this, but he had to. Dad was watching. Julia, Greg, Lucas, everyone in the stands, they were encouraging him, telling him to get up, calling for his name -- “AR-THUR! AR-THUR!” -- and in front of them, the Japanese crowd going “SHIN-DOU! SHIN-DOU!”. They were stomping in the stands, so much that the security personnel called on a couple heroes to brace the stands with their quirks. With a match between a knight and a samurai, no one was expecting a crowd this rowdy, but it was just such a fight.
With another warcry, untiring, unyielding, unwilling to stand down, Arthur charged again, lifting his swords with both hands for an overhead slash. Another one followed, and another one, parries in between, stepping away from her own slashes. Arthur wasn’t sure what was happening or how he was doing it, but his hands were moving on their own, twisting his sword where it needed to be, where his shoulders had to be to deflect slashes with the plates, his legs moved on their own to carry his momentum around, pull his waist behind his slashes when arm strength found itself lacking for the first time in ages. He wasn’t always successful.
How long had they been fighting? In the furnace of his bone armor, Arthur did not know. All he knew was that in front of him was a formidable opponent that he needed to fight with all his strength, all his courage, all his valiance, or he would never be true hero. It was the only thing Arthur was certain of right now; he had to keep fighting. |
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802 Posts
1 EP
EXP
Total
17 Years
Female
"Steelheart"
Student-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Tetsuko Shindou on Mar 8, 2019 12:13:43 GMT -4
The knight's foot slammed against Tetsuko, freeing Arthur from her grip as she staggered backward... Yet it was too late to dissuade her attack, which struck true in disabling one of his blades. If Tetsuko could limit the dual wielder down to one blade, she could force him to adapt in a style that might not be his specialty, and hopefully, overcome him with her own skill.
Standing to her feet as his sword faded away, Tetsuko knew as well as he did how little time they had left. It was do-or-die-, win or lose, honor or disgrace. The armor around her torso cracked apart as she stood tall, raising her sword into a central guard.
Every breath was shallow and purposeful, trying to draw out what she had left as long as possible. At this point, she was fighting against her own failing body as much as her physical opponent. Iron was her blood, and she was drained to her last remaining drops. Yet she did not yield. As the crowd cried out with the name of her family, the name she placed so much pride and faith in, how could she?
Tetsuko raised her longsword into a high guard. The cheers of the crowd, of her school, of her country, of her Masters, rang out around her. The ironblooded swordsman shifted her foot back into stance. A frenzied yell from her father erupted forth, shouting her first name with vigor. The young samurai breathed steadily.
A quiet voice uttered her name, hidden amongst the crowd's cacophony.
How could she back down now? How could she let that honor slip between her fingers?
Arthur's warcry was met with Tetsuko's own as she charged, her body being moved by will and instinct more than any kind of conscious thought. A downward slash clashed against Arthur's, before she began parrying against his own attacks herself, slashing in for attacks whenever the moment presented itself. His weight threatened to crush her, but she was nimbler, pulling out everything her body had to have her legs move with her own momentum, twisting and turning and dashing and slashing.
It all faded into one "moment", into one coalescence of combat. In that "moment", Tetsuko found her thoughts flowing through with strange clarity. Why she fought, for whom, how long she'd fought for. Her blade clashed against his, her will against his, and she saw they were the same. Fighting for honor, for pride, for their futures. Yet, there lied something different in Tetsuko's own reflection, as their blades met time and time again.
Desperation.
What separated it from a merely strong will was the hopelessness of it, the impossibility of her greatest goal. The desire to bring back what was gone, to give volume to that quiet voice that uttered her name, to give it assuredness of spirit... To reclaim its honor. To bring back what was dead. Tetsuko Shindou... Was a foolish warrior, if there ever was one.
Why become a Hero? To honor those before her. Why honor them? Because they were her Heroes. Was it so wrong to wish to reclaim that cycle?
Iron and bone clashed, and amongst it all, even as Tetsuko's body cried out in pain from the sheer exertion, her mind started to gain clarity. It was as though, with every step and swing, her core remained in the same place, her soul anchored and firm. Immovable. Her skin was deathly pale, yet amidst that icy shade, was the firmness of steel.
The past she longed for, was in the future she fought for. None of this would have been known to her, had it not been for Elise, on that fateful day in Kashima. The girl who was her everything, who knew her more than she knew herself, had taught her the resolve with which one must face an uncertain future.
An honorable future. To complete the cycle.
It was in the name of that future, their future, that she would win this.
Tetsuko breathed in deeply, drawing in what remaining breath she had, as she slipped back her foot, waiting for Arthur's next strike. As he grew weary, so did she... Yet, she grew firmer too. Deflecting his next blow, the Shindou girl would dash in the one direction she had yet to during their exchange of blows.
Forward.
His weight couldn't be hidden from for any longer. So... She simply didn't hide. Tilting her blade into a waist-height position, as though it were in a sheathe. She was putting herself in danger here, with little to save her from any attacks... Yet that wasn't her intention. All she could do here, was give her all on offense.
That armor of hers, suddenly morphed in its structure. It abandoned the coverage, instead changing into short, hard blades that covered a lot of her body! As she got closer, it became clear, that she had no intention of missing this attack. Yet, rather than swing her sword, Tetsuko first did something much more surprising.
With all her might, Tetsuko pushed off her legs, ramming her hardened body, covered with blunt edges, shoulder-first into Arthur, in the hopes of weakening what remained of his armor! Whether he moved back or not, Tetsuko would unleash her true attack afterward. With one smooth swing of the blade, she lashed it out from its iado position, tilting her body to the side as she dragged it across, aiming to focus all her bodyweight into the hopefully stunned Arthur's core, through one simple direction of her blade. All the weight, all her force, all her while, in a single small length of its blade, as she cried out with the remnants of her fading will.
"GIN-TE!"
Silver Hand
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513 Posts
1312 EP
EXP
Total
"best worst staff member"
shaggy-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Darren Blanco II on Mar 12, 2019 1:13:20 GMT -4
The chants of the crowd were now but a muffled sound. Even the clash of the blades barely rang in Arthur’s ear. Everything seemed to be slow and distant. He saw his sword somehow get in the way of Tetsuko time and time again, and it didn’t feel like he was the one wielding it. He felt like a robot executing the moves that had been drilled into him from a young age, guard and block, parry and riposte, side-step and slash.
Soon he stopped side-stepping, the strength in his legs quietly fading away. His arms were too heavy for the careful timing of a riposte. But then again, so were Tetsuko’s. It had turned into a battle of grit and guts rather than one of wit and speed. Nonetheless, they both fought with all the strength they had left, and their blades clashed and clashed again.
But the scales were about to tip. Roused by encouragements from her family, the Steelheart sprang forward with all her might, turning her armor into a suit of spikes in the same movement, for the last move one would have expected of the smaller girl: a shoulder bash.
It would have been a rather ineffective strategy had Arthur’s armor been at its strongest, but it had been out for a while. Arthur himself had been fighting for a while, and the bones he emitted remained part of his body. When he fatigued, they fatigued as well and became more fragile. Friable cartilage crumbled from his abdomen and scattered onto the ground, opening a weak spot in his armor, allowing Tetsuko to drive the blunt spikes into his solar plexus.
He was stunned for a second. All he could see was Tetsuko, so close to him, clearly on her last legs as well. He summoned the strength of every fiber in his body to help him lift that heavy, heavy sword over his head. Surely she would fall, with one more blow…
But alas, Tetsuko was a second faster. She had more stamina. Her iaido struck true, into his exposed abdomen. Her shout rang in Arthur’s head as he dropped his own sword harmlessly, it already crumbling. He fell on one knee.
His armor was crumbling as well, and with the helmet removed it became clear just how out of breath the knight was. Both fighters gave more than their all, but Arthur was way past his limits. He tried to get up, but his muscles simply refused to budge. He forced those of his neck at least to move so that he could face the one who defeated him. When it became clear that he wasn’t able to move anymore, the match was interrupted.
“WINNER: TETSUKO SHINDOU!!”
The crowd roared in applause, all of them, even those who had found themselves on Valiant’s side. Both fighters were being showered in praise, some told Arthur that he deserved to win, that they hoped to see him next year, but he wasn’t hearing it. His thoughts were now filled with what the headmaster, what his father would think, but more than that, it was filled with images of the match. Without a doubt he had faced a great swordswoman today, and he would remember this battle forever -- not for the shame of defeat on the international stage, but because of how much he learned and how this fight will have shaped the future pro hero, Sir Valiant the Second. The young Hale could already tell that much. He managed a couple words between haletant breaths.
"Well-fought. My... My defeat." |
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