Claw And Blastery (Jace/Meara)

The first thing to signal Mearas entrance into the arena was his video dying out, the poppy music video being replaced by...bagpipes? Jace's horror slowly melted away, very slowly but still he did eventually tilt his head, confused by the choice in music. He wasn't really aware of bagpipes being popular in Japan, heck the main reason he was familiar with them was mostly due to being French and thus being in close-ish proximity with Ireland when he'd lived there. Still, bagpipes weren't exactly common in the Parisian streets nor the coast of Cannes where Jace was from, so it was a new experience. Though the news that she was Irish wasn't new itself, while she'd never mentioned her quirk she had at least mentioned that in passing, and if he remembered correctly even showed off her Gaelic in chat. Or, at least he assumed it was Gaelic, really for all he knew it could be Welsh and he'd never know the difference.

Still, the ginger boy would turn to face Meara, unfortunately for him missing the highlights of her previous battle, and thus also a glimpse into her quirk. Already starting off with bad luck, even if he was unaware of it. But what he was aware of was how that the blonde haired girl did not look happy. He was actually somewhat taken aback by the intensity that she entered with, her face being one of stone as she stared sternly ahead. He choked down the gulp in his throat, not realizing how much Makoto literally crashing into the arena had added levity to the beginning last round, and how much more nerve wracking it was with a more focused opponent. He was blinking nervously now, sweat appearing on his brow and the girls intro music hadn't even stopped playing yet. She was about as tall as him, if not just a few centimeters taller which the red headed boy couldn't pretend didn't sting, and couldn't hide the blush it led too, which with the addition of his face still being red from the embarrassment of his music video made him have a very deep crimson on his cheeks.

Now what he hadn't been expecting was to her to actually talk to him, and he noticeably tensed up even more as she called out to him, his eyes raising in surprise. But it wasn't trash talk, but instead a...compliment? The moment she'd call him sweet, his crimson blush would spread to his entire face, while staring in shock. O-Oh...Uhh-Ummm.... But before he could even start, she wasn't done. This wasn't just a compliment, but a warning, and as she continued his face would turn to one of increased nervousness, while still blood red from before. Uhh...Umm..Y-Yeah...O-Ok, I...won't... What could he even really say to that? To such an intense opponent. Seeing how badly she wanted this win just made Jace feel more out of place, not because he didn't want to win, not even he was that passive, he really did want this. But she was frustrated from having expected it, whereas he felt...lucky just to be taking part. And that's what Jace would see when the girl finally revealed her quirk, as armor covered her and a look of cheated frustration as a bluish black mask swallowed her face. Jace for his part, was looking surprisingly solemn as the thoughts of comparing their attitudes started appearing, though it didn't lessen his blush, nor did it stop him being taken aback at her quirk. Another transformation... One just like him, though what she could do in this armor he had no idea. Still, last time he didn't transform right away he was blitzed by Tsuji, so after Mearas transformation, Jace would as well.

His, however, was far less showy. His hair would become even more ruffled as cat like ears grew, and his fingernails grew longer and sharper into claws, and if one paid attention his teeth also being much pointer than before. And perhaps the most obvious, a cat tail growing from his tailbone. But none of these things were particularly flashy, but it also meant it was a pretty quick transformation all in all, his body mostly just tensing up during the changes. But it did have its own charm, especially when paired up with his naturally slit like pupils. But they'd only be able to reveal their quirks for a moment before the announcement came.

And...BEGIN!

And at that Jace rushed towards the statue, hoping get behind it and wait to see what Meara did.

Jace's transformation wasn't flashy. This was just a fact, nothing particularly awestriking or cool happened, he didn't grow three times his size, he didn't get scythe's for arms, and he didn't grow midnight colored armor that covered him head too toe. But while his transformation on the surface only had some sharp claws, some pointy teeth, and a new tail, there was more to it than met the eye. And Meara would see this first hand, smoke coming from underneath his school gym shirt on both his shoulder blades, before he stared at her, his slit eyes reflecting the glow that burst from his arms as they were engulfed in flame along with his cheeks and tail. Thankfully his gym uniform was flame proof so he didn't have to worry about suddenly becoming shirtless, that would be unbearable.

Jace wasn't really fond of igniting off the bat, not because he was so cocky that he liked to hold back in the beginning of a fight like some students here, he was neither that arrogant nor foolhardy. While it was nice, having an Ace up his sleeve, in truth the main reason was it was just easier to ignite when he was close enough to strike rather than maintaining it for extended periods of time. But this time, Jace revealed his entire hand to the blonde girl, looking a bit calmer than he had before as the adrenaline soothed his battle nerves. Transforming always tended to calm him a little bit, at least enough to stay focused and not freak out. And thus, when given the go he was able to react quickly, going straight for the statue. Which proved to be a wise decision as soon enough blasts were flying through the air, coming from Mearas hand as Jace peeked his head out to look before being forced to get back behind the statue as a dangerously close blast blew gravel into his face. He didnt respond to the taunting, just grimacing at his situation. This was about the worst scenario he could get in, stuck in an open field with a ranged quirker and rapidly disappearing cover. His breathing hastened, getting more and more stressed at his predicament that even the adrenaline was having trouble keeping him together.

This was even worse than the last match, at least than he'd had someone to team up with in a temporary truce. Here, it was just him, and his already low expectations in his abilities to do this solo were rapidly deteriorating further. But, while he had no good options he did have options. And for all his faults, Jace wasn't one to hesitate when he's made a decision, and as he looked at his smaller and smaller cover, he knew it was now or never. So he'd step forward, not towards Meara but away as if he were retreating to the other boundary. However, he just needed some room, and would quickly turn around and rush the statue again, leaping unto it with his claws before jumping off, arms still alight. But, he wouldn't land on all fours like usual, but instead landed like a normal, not cat person,as he continued running towards Meara. But this was only to gain momentum, as as soon he was close enough, he'd go into a slide, trying to go underneath her legs and slashing at her annoyingly armored ankles. He click his tongue against his mouth in annoyance though as his claws met the resistance, not cutting straight through it, but instead cutting into it slightly before scraping against it. The armor was strong, really strong. But hopefully it wasn't fire proof. Jace would push himself up after sliding behind Meara, transitioning into a sloppy but burning roundhouse kick as his leg ignited.

Jace's cover was rapidly dwindling as Meara took shot after shot at the statue protecting Jace. And her taunts only made things more stressful,the red headed boy becoming increasingly unnerved as she went on even with his transformation numbing some of his worst tendencies. It didn't help that Jace truely couldn't tell if Meara was was enjoying slowly exposing him as she blasted away the statue piece by piece, or was frustrated by it and each shot acted as a reminder she had to do this in the first place, thus frustrating her even more with each shot.

Still, Jace couldn't really stay here much longer. The statue was getting smaller and smaller, and soon it'd be gone completely. But thankfully, Jace wasn't completely without ideas, and he was pretty sure he knew how he was going to approach this. And his statue friend was going to help him. Taking a step back and rushing it, he leapt off into a successful sprint, luckily managing to get that split second opening necessary to go where Meara was least protected. Underneath her. But while Jace managed to slide between her legs, h was met with a very unfortunate development. Her armor, which refused to give way to his claws. Still, he went for the follow-up, flipping himself up and around and igniting his leg before swinging it into her head. And for a moment it looked like that one had actually had some type of effect, the girl staggering back. Jace would be fully on his feet now, warily on guard as his arms were still alight, expecting that to be a deterrent. But he definitely hadn't been expecting what came next.

It was unnerving,the laughter that followed his attack. The maniacal tone, the unhinged, constantly shifting pitch as it went from high too low, the ever increasing rapidity of the laughs. It was something you'd expect from a villain, and the suddenness of it all, along with the sheer presence it gave caused Jace to drop his guard, deeply unsettled by Meara, and how she was thankful he was putting up a fight. Which was obviously followed up by a bitch slap to the face via cannon. Jace didn't react to the warning that came from her threat, nor was he prepared at all for it, his flames having simmered as he'd just been frozen for a second from what he'd just witnessed. Which meant he was completely open for the follow-up as well, grabbing his face in pain as he recoiled back, only to suddenly be staring at the sky as he was literally flipped off his feet,smashing into the earth before being tossed like a sack of kittens.

Jace would roll for a few times, coming to stop by the statue, before slowly picking himself up. But it wasn't like before he stared at the ground hyperventilating, panic coursing through him. Mearas act had completely broken through his transformations emotional control, and now he was truely terrified of the girl. She was completely different from Tsuji, who'd gone raging from feralness. He'd at least had cover there, and someone to work with. But here he had nothing, and Meara exuded that same madness, but compared to Tsujis hot rage hers was a cold one. And so he once again scampered behind the statue, this time not as a strategy but as somewhere to hide. I was crazy to think I could do this...Theres no way I'm ready for this...And she's...she's crazy.... So Jace hid behind what little cover he had, fully cowed by Mearas presence.

Jace was hiding behind the little that remained of the statue, still trembling in broken down nerves over how Meara reacted to him attacking her. How she'd reacted to him attacking her it was like something you'd expect too see in an anime instead of real life. Even after she'd thrown him she'd kept it up, taunting him, begging him to burn her some more. It was like nothing he'd ever seen, Tsujis rage had been less scary. Rage at being burned with flames he could understand. But excitement? He couldn't make sense of it, and what he'd seen had been beyond terrifying. Whatever nerves Jace had had were gone, shot, as was his composure for this fight, being reduced to a shaken mess as tears welled in his eyes. He knew how it looked, he knew how he looked. And he felt pathetic. But moreso he felt truely scared of Meara. And so he couldn't help but let out a cry and flinch each time she struck the statue, not with the blasts from before but something else. He wasn't sure what it was, no longer taking recon like he had before, but it was long and string enough to break stone as it sheared the statue piece by piece. And with every hit she denigrated him further.

“Is this really what you’re gonna do? Hide and cower? Like some kind of infant?!” He couldn't think of a response to that, instead going from having tears well in his eyes to having them run down his cheeks as he felt even more ashamed.

“How the fuck do you call yourself a hero when your first instinct is to run and hide?!” It was a fair question, and one he had no answer too. I don't know... It was a whisper, not loud enough for anyone other than him to hear, but even he was judging the answer. How could he call himself a hero right now?

And soon, what little had remained of the statue was gone, and he'd hear her approach. While his flames were gone, his cat form remained, and with it his extreme hearing. But part of him wished he didn't hear each step, the palpable rage as she stomped towards him, Jace visibly flinching with each step she took towards him while still in his curled form of hiding not turning towards her. And when she finally pulled him up, he'd flinch even more than before, not looking her in the eye, his face red along with his eyes from tears and shame, some tears still falling down the ginger boys cheeks. He looked truely and utterly pitiable, which she would not so kindly point out. And she'd continue, stating how he should just leave UA when they returned. And while Jace had been having that feeling deep, deep in his heart, he'd also been trying to ignore it. So having it forcibly dragged out and thrown in front of his face caused the boy to at least react this time, not out of fear but desperation.

But...But I don't want... He didn't want to leave. His feeble attempt to try and justify him staying was met with Meara pointing out another obvious, that if he did this in the field it'd lead to disaster. But...But I'm not good at fighting directly... It wasn't a lie, but it also didn't justify his behavior. His response was weak, his eyes trembling along with everything else. He had no good answers for her accusations, no good reasons for his behavior other than he'd been truely scared by her. And so, he had nothing to counter her ultimatum. No huge justifications as she gave him the two options, fight or surrender like a fucking infant,in her own words. He had nothing. Except the fact he really, and truely didn't want to leave. But...But..But... Once again, tears broke through, rolling down his cheeks. ...But I really do wanna be a hero... He remembered the vigilantes he'd seen on TV, helping others, saving people, even if the public hated them or wanted to arrest them. He remembered the feeling it'd given him, imagining how it'd feel to be able to do the same. And now, here he was, about to lose it all. And that gave birth to a new feeling, one not born of the fear that he felt right now, or the shame. This was something different. It was a desperate rage. She'd given him the choice between fight or flight, and his instincts had picked fight.

Meara would see the scowl form on his face as it looked towards the ground, having been unable to meet her eyes. She wasn't gripping him hard, instead pointing her cannon at his stomach in a threat. She wanted a response, him to try and break free from her grasp, but Jace didn't do that. Instead, the front of his hair would become alight as he headbutted her in the face to get her to let him go. Jace couldn't reignite his cheeks since he'd ignited them before and had yet to cool them down, but the rest of his head was still in play as Meara would learn. Then he'd push her back with a kick, trying to reposition himself to gain distance, before rubbing his head against his hair to kill the flames so he didn't end up bald. Then he'd lick his arms, cooling the tingling feeling left after igniting the hair in them, before licking his hands to spread his saliva against his chest where he'd ignited. Gross, but efficient.

But just because he had enough piece of mind to prevent himself from literally burning his hair off and to get himself battle ready didn't mean he was in the same mindset he'd had in the beginning. He was still scowling at Meara, his fangs bared wide as he proceeded to let out a high pitched, piercing yell of anger, like an enraged cat, before charging her.



The boy would rush her on all fours, moving in a quick, non-linear fashion to make it harder to get a bead on him with that cannon. And if he reached her, his fist strike would be at her head, helmet or not with his claws. If her helmet wasn't activated, she risked having him actually claw her eyes or nose, before trying to grab her cannon arm with his other hand, and once again slashing her head in a second strike. He was trying to keep the pressure up, keep her from using her cannon arm, and try and keep his claws in check. He would tear at her armor, claws unable to pierce but still scrape against it. Then he'd utilize his leg. While his right leg had been ignited, his left leg was still usable, and he'd knee her in the stomach with a flaming knee, having noticed from her face she was at least vulnerable to heat. But, this wasn't a desperate, all out assault. It was a predators strike, fierce but calculated, which is when he'd show his true plan.

Using the claws in his feet, he'd try kicking them into her armor, scratching against her chest after the knee. And while they wouldn't dig in, they did give him traction, traction that the boy would use as he placed his hand on Mearas shoulder and would try and flip behind her, essentially jumping her like one might jump over a tall fence. And if it worked, once behind her Jace would grab unto her other arm and pull back, yelling again as he fully ignited his arms and body, pushing his knee against her back as he pulled as hard as he could.