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Post by angelofmusic1992 on Jun 14, 2023 1:48:35 GMT
Utena thought for a moment. "How about...you show me a few moves? Just to get an idea of what you can do," she said. "Might be fun to have a person to practice on instead of a tree." She certainly wouldn't mind the change. Training dummies in the gym could only do so much, and everyone's combat styles were varied. Sure, some like Utena and Riku used hand-held weapons, but others preferred guns, hand-to-hand combat, or using their powers.
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Post by zuyuri on Jun 14, 2023 15:28:47 GMT
He couldn’t say no to a friendly match that wasn’t a tree, now, could he? Last time he had sparred with his teammates, he had a nasty bruise from Dimitri’s lance hitting him on the forearm. Riku stood in a fighting position, blade held aloft. “With or without the power boost? I want to make this not just a fun fight, but a fair one.”
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on Jun 16, 2023 0:22:13 GMT
"With," Utena replied. "Bad guys aren't going to hold their powers back when I go up against them." That was one of the downsides of Utena's powers. Sure, it helped her get up fast if she got knocked around, but it was more of a subtle power than anything else. It wasn't brazen and open, like making plants grow. "Okay, come at me. I'm ready," she said, getting into her own stance, her eyes focused on Riku.
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Post by zuyuri on Jun 16, 2023 13:59:41 GMT
Riku smirked knowingly. “Good. I like opponents who make it fun.” Utena set her stance, and after getting her blessing to go, Riku waited patiently for any weaknesses to show themselves. Or rather, opportunities for a sneak attack. Start small. He focused on a small branch over Utena’s head. Purple and black shadows covered it before it lowered and snapped the very top of her head before retreating back to its normal position
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on Jun 18, 2023 22:29:09 GMT
There was a moment of silence between the two. Utena figured Riku was studying her as much as she was studying him. Both of them were waiting for the other to make the first move. Riku finally did, and Utena heard a snapping sound above her head. Instinctively, she quickly moved aside, taking a second to notice it was only a small twig. Realizing her mistake, her eyes quickly went back to Riku, trying to spot his attack before he made it.
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Post by zuyuri on Jun 19, 2023 3:22:01 GMT
Riku did give Utena credit. She was able to dodge the branch coming in. He released the hold and the once dark branch became basic brown and green again. He took notice of Utena’s position as she righted herself. He feinted to the left, using the shadows to hide his movement before letting them go as he made a subtle motion with his blade to tap against hers and moving in to lightly tap her shoulder before retreating, blade still ready.
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on Jun 21, 2023 0:02:20 GMT
Riku moved fast. One second, his blade was lightly hitting hers. The next, she felt a tap on her shoulder from behind. How did he do that? She bit her lip. She didn't want to underestimate him again. As Riku moved back, she lunged forward, trying to knock his blade aside.
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Post by zuyuri on Jun 21, 2023 1:38:14 GMT
Riku lifted his blade to parry Utena’s attack. But he ended up lifting it too soon in anticipation of it. Utena was able to knock his blade to the side. Well, he had to say, she had a mean Capo Ferro thrust. In his haste to avoid becoming a shish kabob, he had dropped his weapon. Eh, no biggie. Black energy covered his sword and it floated back into his waiting palm.
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on Jun 23, 2023 0:00:03 GMT
Utena felt a small bit of triumph at knocking Riku's sword away, but his powers enabled him to get it back fairly quickly. Even without his sword, he still had some moves. Utena did too, but it mostly just consisted of socking people in the face or aiming a low kick. Although, going for one of those might not be a bad idea. Riku might not expect it. She swept down low with her leg in an attempt to knock Riku off balance.
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Post by zuyuri on Jun 23, 2023 14:07:46 GMT
The leg sweep. Trite and true, but with the right amount of focus, it could be dodged. Riku waited until he felt the slightest whisper of Utena’s foot dragging the ground before spinning out of the way. This position left her vulnerable to attacks, but even he was too noble to hit a girl. Instead, he focused on using his powers to pick up several small things lying around and tossing them towards her. “Think fast!”
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on Jun 28, 2023 23:30:33 GMT
Darn. Riku moved too quickly. Utena panicked for a second, realizing she was exposed. Riku took the opportunity to chuck whatever was lying around with his powers. Utena flicked her sword this way and that, blocking pebbles and sticks that came her way. "Ha ha, yes!" she cheered, before getting bonked on the head with a pinecone. It didn't hurt, but Utena felt embarrassed for celebrating a little too soon.
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Post by zuyuri on Jun 29, 2023 6:12:38 GMT
Riku stifled his chuckle with Utena’s mini celebration, complete with the perfectly timed pinecone to the head. She was great at catching attacks, so there was that. He’d hate to be on the receiving end when she was taking a fight seriously. Especially with her sword. “You’ve got good reflexes, and a great use of your blade.” He gave her a fencing salute.
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on Jul 4, 2023 15:05:59 GMT
Despite the pinecone to the head, Riku still complimented Utena's skills, which pleased her. She knew she'd come a long way from when she'd first started. "Thanks. I feel like I still have a long way to go though," she said. "I can't shoot fireballs or fly or lift super big boulders. So I gotta make up for it with this." She gave her sword a little swing. "I know some people like the more high tech stuff like guns or bombs, but...I don't know. A sword just kind of felt right to me. You know what I mean?"
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Post by zuyuri on Jul 4, 2023 23:27:52 GMT
"Yeah, but you rebound super quick. That's a power not many people think about, and those are usually the best kind." It felt weird saying something that a man so toxic once taught him, but hey, the advice had stuck to Riku. He stole a look to his own blade. "I took up the sword because I wanted something to keep me from going too far down the darkness; both figuratively and literally. At least, when I was a kid I always thought I'd go into a chasm and never come back out. When I got better with my skills, and found things that weren't shadows to play with, my skills got better."
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on Jul 8, 2023 14:51:40 GMT
Utena decided to take the praise and let it be. It wouldn't do any good to keep knocking herself down. Her mom had said more than once about how she had very high expectations for herself, almost too high. Utena just saw it as being the best though, being the best hero she could be. And maybe it would catch her dad's attention one day. Riku explained how he came about using the sword and it made Utena wonder about his past. He did say going down into the darkness was both literal and figurative for him. Deciding to test the waters and see how much Riku would say, she asked "Guess you had a rough childhood, huh?"
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