Balance of Dimensions [RP]

[Desbear]

GM

Almost immediately, a staff member came running out from the backstage, pulling the security officer off of Aaron almost immediately. "That's him! That's him! Jenkins, get off of him! God damn it Jenkins, I said get off him!" He yelled, until the security officer eventually got off of him.

[GoldForge]

Alexa Lockhart
-------
As she was babbled to about her performance through her years, the slightest shred of pride bubbled up from her quivering heart, translating into...possibly the least photogenic grin to ever grace mankind, crooked and kinked like a bent out bike chain.... Until the comment about her clumsiness. Yes, that part was quite true.
It then swooped down upon her, the grim realization that she had never truly mentally prepared herself to interact with fans this up-close. Well, fan and soon-to-be opponent some time in the future. In return to the outstretched hand, she reached out her right, a worn-out black glove that was well-loved and cared for over the years, the occasional amateur stitching job done here and there. "Pleasure to be with you, Hannnnna." Lifting a brow, Alexa drew out the name, as though unsure of the pronunciation.
From the moment she released her grip, the crowd roared, signifying the beginning of the first round. "...Pull up a chair, we're going to be here a while." Though it was highly uncharacteristic of her, she secretly could not wait to see the monkey king's cranium caved in. Was it out of spite, perhaps? Highly likely. The screens shot on all around them. A portrait of both fighters, then a flicker to their astrals, splash screens sliding past eachother. While the stats for their astrals began to scroll across the monitors, the blonde searched for the nearest chair, deciding to scoot right up next to Jade. After all, she seemed the most trustworthy, here.

N.S.B.
-------
One moment, she was standing as still as a stick in the mud. The next, she sprung to life as though an invisible power switch on her back had been flipped, her head jerking up to face the one that had addressed her. The hollow drumroll of cardboard rattled against her head, the triangle-cut mouth seeming to gape in childish curiosity. Though, not like it ever displayed any other expression, of course.
"Golly, am I? AM I?!" Her voice was bubbling over the brim with enthusiasm, like a cheerleader that had been on the receiving end of one too many Redbulls. Every move she took was full of bounce and lively stride, as though every day of her life was a cheesy drama performance she had been over millions of times, yet the box stayed securely on despite being far too wide for her head. Around, she circled the one that approached her. "Don't you know me, young lady?" A pose was struck, hands at where her ears would be. "It is I, the hottest internet sensation!" With the next step, her hands upon her hips as she leaned in. "With one fell swoop, my name sweeped the nation!" Another pose, and another. She was nearly back to her starting position behind the backpack. "I'm the pop star idol that all the freshest kids know! Now, if you don't mind me, when I get through those doors at my turn, I'LL be the new star of the show! ...Implying this show, too. Just you wait and see, darling!~" Mind it also be mentioned that she swapped through a pallet of accents and voices for each sentence? What an odd, abstract young girl.

[The-Blades-slave]

Aaron
Aaron brushed himself off, doing his best to make himself presentable. He pulled his beanie down more over his head, and straight his unbuttoned flannel to make sure that his sponsorship symbol was still visible beneath it.

"Sorry for the misunderstanding, Jenkins," He rubbed the back of his neck, his cheeks stained by an embarrassed blush. "I'll make sure to be here on time - and in the right place - next time."

Without waiting for a response, Aaron pivoted on his heel and sprinted onto the stage. He could feel thousands of eyes staring at him and judging him, and it made the hair on the back of his neck stand up out of sheer fear, so he chose to focus on his opponent instead. "Hey, man, sorry I was late! Hope we can still get off on the right foot... Ashley, was it?" Aaron thought it was a weird name for such a huge, intimidating guy.

While he was talking, he hurriedly punched in his information into the console, doing his damnedest to make up for lost time. He didn't even take time to marvel at how cool it all was, like he normally did. It pulled up a 3D image of Sun Wukong on top the Nimbus Cloud, with his name above his head in bold orange letters, and displayed his strengths, weaknesses, and abilities beneath that. "Ready whenever you are."

[Tickles]

Ash punched in his info, and the dragonborn appeared above him with the info. Ash also fired a dart at Aaron, but his aim was off this time.

"It's Ash. Don't forget it".

He took a seat and synced in. Everything was dark for a while, but he knew he would be in his prime form in just a moment.

[The-Blades-slave]

Aaron
The abrupt hostility caught Aaron off guard, and he could only blink as the foam bullet whizzed over his shoulder, hit something behind him, and fell to the ground. Uh... Was he really that upset I was late? The puzzle pieces clicked together in his mind when Ash corrected him on the name. Oh. Can't say I blame him for wanting to use a nickname.

Aaron nodded and laughed the attack with the Nerf gun off. "Oh, my bad! I've gotcha man!" Ash didn't seem to acknowledge him (or maybe even care) about the apology, and instead took his seat and synced in. Aaron swiftly did the same, not wanting to hold the contest up anymore. He felt the familiar tug that ebbed at his mind increase, and he let it take him, descending into darkness.

Sun Wukong VS Dovahkiin: 1st half
Sun Wukong hovered at the summit of the arena, sitting cross-legged on top of the Nimbus Cloud. The breeze jostled him from his soundless rest, and he opened his eyes, admiring the view from so high in the sky. The forest below looked like it was built out of baby trees; they seemed so small from so high in the sky, and - was that a warrior?

The Dragonborn synced in, landing on his two feet in a clearing. He took quick note of his surroundings, a perfect circle of trees and a dense growth towards the north. He awaited Wukong and the signal to fight.

The Monkey King’s lips curled in a smile. On his whim, the Nimbus Cloud descended at a rapid pace and headed in the direction of The Dragonborn. “Greetings, horned warrior! I am the Great Sage, Equal of Heaven! Who are you?”

“Finally, a worthy opponent. I am Dovahkiin, lost bloodline of Tiber Septim, and slayer of dragons. Might I ask of your name Great Sage so that I may have the bards sing of it  for ages to come.” He readied his sword, and had Oakflesh cast to take on the look of wood.

“Songs about me?” Sun Wukong posed to puff out his chest and make himself appear more grand. “I am Sun Wukong, the Monkey King!”

“No you’re not, I am!” A voice said from behind Dovahkiin, and another Sun Wukong hopped around excitedly. “Don’t listen to this impostor!”

“Silence, both of you!” Another voice, identical to the first two, shouted. “I am the real Sun Wukong and I will not listen to you fools slander my name!”

The three bipedal, anthropomorphic monkeys continued to argue rather loudly - and boisterously - over which of them was the real one, completely ignoring The Dragonborn in their angry tirade.

The Dragonborn wasn’t phased in the slightest. The only way a strong opponent will fight is if you show your strength to them. "WULD!” He dashed towards the three monkeys, slicing at all of them in one go. They all disappeared in a puff of smoke.  “So it was an illusion. No warrior would be so blind to turn their back on their foe.”

“Where do you think the real Handsome Monkey King is?” Sun Wukong said from behind Dovahkiin. He was standing upside down on the Nimbus Cloud, his head eye-level with the horned helmet the warrior wore. “Wait! That’s me!”

He dropped off of his cloud and righted himself mid-air, landing nimbly on his feet. “Why did you have to destroy all of me so fast? Couldn’t you have left them alive for a little longer?”

The Dragonborn jumped from the voice behind him. Another illusion, or was this the real one? “A tricky one aren’t you? I had to see for myself. Fought many a mage who made magical clones.” The Dragonborn cast Magelight at his foe, a bright ball of light came from his hands at a quick speed. He followed it, ready to strike once it landed.

Wukong brought the Ruyi Jingu Bang up (which he was gripping with his tail) to block the overhead strike from the sword of eternal cold. He wasn’t even paying attention to the battle, though, more curiously poking at the light stuck to his chest. “What’s this? A wisp of light?” He tried to create a clone, but the light stuck to him, revealing him as the true Sun Wukong. “That’s not fair! You’re taking the fun out of it!”

“Call it a tactical measure.” The dragonborn's voice had changed. It sounded arrogant, and a little unsettling. “You want to talk fair? They told me you could make clones. So I waited for you to play around like the child you are.” He moved in, screaming "Wuld!" to close the gap and tried to land a kick on the monkey king.

The kick struck Wukong’s breastplate with enough force to launch him into the air and leave it with a dent. He managed to land on his feet in a low-lying branch of one of the trees, but he didn’t look all that winded. The Monkey King scratched at his chin curiously. “What else did they tell you about me? Did they mention how Handsome I was?”

“They said you smelled like ass.” The dragonborn had to keep up the pace. That kick was impressive, but it would be a bit before whirlwind sprint could be used. He came under the tree. "Hey Monkey King.” The dragonborn slapped his ass and started to hoot and holler.

Wukong clapped his hands together. “Oh! Are we doing party tricks?” He squeezed his eyes shut tightly, and grew two more heads, four more arms, and was suddenly holding three Ruyi Jingu Bang. “What do you think of this?”

Dova placed one foot on the trunk of the tree, and raised the other while shouting Wuld. He ramped up the side of it, getting on the same level as Wukong, and taking a swipe with his sword from the side at his foe. “Not even that scary buddy. I got a handy from five chicks at once.”

“But I’m a Monkey with six arms!” The Sage moved all six arms, creating a wall of Ruyi Jingu Bang in front of him. The sword bounced harmlessly off of the defensive move. “Watch this!” He brought all three of the poles around simultaneously to swing at the Dragonborn’s midriff.

“Oomph” The Dragonborn was sent flying into another tree, falling towards the ground. “Nope, can’t fly…” He slammed his sword into the trunk to slow his descent. The bark froze when the blade entered, but gave him a good hold. “That hurt more than I thought it would. Was pretty sure his power drops in that form.” He would have to yell at the research department later about it. He climbed down the tree, but was a still a little winded.

Wukong snapped his fingers and all of his extra heads, arms, and Ruyi Jingu Bang’s returned to the normal form.  “The Great Sage is hard to catch off guard!”  He shouted (to nothing in particular) and hopped off the branch to land in front of the Dragonborn. “Ready for the real fun to start?”

“You better believe it.” The dragonborn ran forward and yelled Wuld once again, spear tackling his foe while screaming, “I don’t go down that easily either!”

[Lunartic]

Whoever this girl was, she didn't look very open to conversation. Jessie smiled apologetically and continued on, leaving her phone in her pocket this time. But she still didn't know where Aaron was...

The crowd exploded.

The combatant's names were announced and Ashley - er, Ash - bolted through the stage doors. And Aaron still wasn't here. Jessie elbowed her way through the crowd of battlers surrounding the screens. Just in time to watch Aaron fly into the stadium, sprint to his station, and get tackled by a guard. “Well,” she muttered, “at least he showed up.”

Ash didn't look like the friendliest competitor, but watching his Astral and Sun Wukong banter each other was fun to watch. They seemed to be an even match for each other, too. It was too early to tell who would win.

[LunarOrbiter]

Amused by the girl's slight mispronunciation of her name, Hannah tried to contain a small giggle by putting a hand over her mouth. "No, the pleasure's all mine.", she said, grinning. Judging from how loud the crowd was getting, it appeared as though the first match was about to start. Nodding at Alexa's other comment, she followed the girl and sat down beside her. With eyes glued to the screen, she wondered who was going to win the match. It was thoroughly entertaining so far. The wisecracks and the banter had the crowd in stitches, including herself too. Their boyish behaviour made them quite the the pair of crowd pleasers. Out of curiosity, Hannah wondered who Alexa was rooting for. She decided to ask, because why not?

"Hey, Alexa, who do you want to win?", Hannah asked, curiously. To be honest, she didn't care who won. As long as it was entertaining it'd be enough for her. Although if she had to pick one person for victor, Aaron would be Hannah's pick. The way he arrived late, with those guards chasing him was just perfect. Someone just play Yakety Sax over that, please. Guaranteed YouTube viral video right there.

[GoldForge]

Alexa Lockhart
--------------------

The entire display was watched with a blank face, or so it may be implied, as the thick rolling curtains of golden locks made it difficult to read her expression from the side. Of course, it should be obvious. The false smile remained plastered to her features, only slipping away when she caught sight of Wukong's new abilities.

'Wait! That's bullshi--!' She wanted to cry out, though no words fell forth, as she feared a punishment may be put in place for carelessly tossing foul language out like anthrax-dusted rose petals. Instead, there was a lurch forth from her seat...and then a slow settling back down. There really wasn't a peaceful way to put this together.

Of course she wanted the monkey man to be blasted to smithereens! For private reasons she would not pack down upon her new aquaintance. Though, the comment regarding a handy from five women finally got a gross, nasal cackle from her. "Nnnheheh. From lady bugs, perhaps." Was it simply just in her to lay down the burns? Perhaps that polar opposite of a personality astral fit her better than once thought. Was it-- Oh, god. Their partnership was forged by puns. That had to be it.

[The-Blades-slave]

Sun Wukong VS Dovahkiin: Part 2
Wukong was a veteran at fighting trained martial artist and reading the body language of his opponent, but he was too busy taunting to notice the tackle until it was far too late to dodge. It lifted him off of his feet and knocked the wind out of him, and he ate the dirt hard enough that there was a loud CRACK that he was sure was one of his ribs shattering, because there was suddenly a sharp and throbbing pain in his abdomen. “Plegh!” He spat the mouthful of dirt and grass out into the Dragonborn’s face, and sharply brought his knees up to smash into the Dragonborn’s chest in an attempt to seesaw him off.

“Aarrgh, I’m blind!” The Dragonborn was pushed off and landed on his back. He was scrambling to his feet while trying to clear his eyes, somewhat panicked. “You’re dead you damned ape. Dead!” He swung wildly, seeing everything as a blur.

The Monkey King kicked back up to his feet quickly, unable to hold back a heavy grunt of pain as his full weight was brought down onto his wound. He easily swept the desperate attack away with a flourish of his staff, knocking the Dragonborn off of his balance, and the immediately followed up with a heavy blow to the stomach, snapping one foot forward and twisting his hip to achieve the full power of the swing.

The Dragonborn was knocked onto his ass again, but this time he decided to do something risky. He pushed up from his position towards the direction his foe just hit him. “WULD” he shouted, careening towards Wukong and balling up. He decided to cannonball this bastard if it was the last thing he would do.

Sun Wukong started to somersault over Dovahkiin, his muscles bunched and already bending at the knee to launch himself into the air, but the pain in his side flared white hot before he could and he seized up, gasping in pain. The blow hit him square on the chest and his breastplate shattered, and he was propelled into the trunk of an ancient tree that was behind them. He collided into it with enough force that the tree gave an agonized groan and slowly began to tilt on top of him. Sun Wukong reflexively raised his left arm to try and shield himself from the crushing weight, which proved to be a mistake, because the bone snapped like a dry twig. The Monkey King was buried completely under the tree, just the very end of his right hand and his feet poking out.

“Holy poop that actually worked?” The Dragonborn got up from the ground, a little tired, but not done. “You got more tricks marmoset? Or are you actually done for? Guess not seeing as your hairy ass is still here.” He inched towards the flattened primate, sword pointed at where Wukong’s torso should be beneath the tree.

“YOU DARE TO STRIKE THE GREAT SAGE, EQUAL OF HEAVEN?” Sun Wukong’s voice was like rolling thunder, booming out from every single corner of the arena like he was everywhere. “I’LL SHOW YOU, FOOL!” He lifted the tree off of the ground with a single arm and held it above his head and threw it at Dova, cradling his limp and injured arm close to his chest.

The Dova tucked and rolled out of the way. “Guess playtime is over!” He was smiling. “This is what I’ve been waiting for.” He tossed his sword aside. It already proved to be useless against Wukong. He was going balls out with this one. “Hey, Mankey King! MUL QAH DIIV!” With the utterance of his Dragon Aspect shout, the dragonborn was coated in armor resembling a dragon. The power seemed to explode from him. He ran towards his foe to fight mono-a-mono. “Fight me like a man!” He went with a left hook, and would try to follow it with a right haymaker.

Sun Wukong easily sidestepped the left swing, and caught the right in the palm of his good hand; the sheer strength of the blow was enough to drive him back several inches, and he was forced to dig his  feet into the ground to hold out. “I am no man, mortal. I am much more, for I am the Monkey King!” The sky above parted and made way for a regal golden cloud that zoomed down toward them, and Wukong somersaulted above the treetop to land on top of it. “Witness my true strength!”

The Sage raised the Ruyi Jingu Bang above his head with a single hand as the cloud rose into the sky. It began to grow and widen at an immeasurable rate, and did not slow until it was twice the length and width of any tree in the arena, and probably ten times heavier. It stretched so high into the sky that it eclipsed the sun and threw an entire portion of the forest into a seemingly unending darkness, and yet he still managed to control it with a single hand. It looked like he was holding a skyscraper above him. “Never challenge the Great Sage, Equal of Heaven again!” He bellowed and channeled all of his strength and rage and pain into this final strike. The Nimbus Cloud hurtled toward the ground like a falling golden meteor, and Sun Wukong swung the staff down at Dovahkiin.

“You should dodge.” The dragonborn spoke in the back of his mind, but Ash had a better plan. “Nope, we’re catching that, and we’re gonna send it back to him” He raised his hands up and caught the pole, but it was a lot heavier than he thought. "WULD!” He tried to use the force of the shout to push back, but it only caused the ground around him to crack. “WULD!” A second time, but it still refused to stop. "WULD!” he slowed it down, could this be it? No, maybe one more time. "WULD!” Now he was pushing back, but it’s not enough. One shout, he had to make a choice. "WULD!” With that last word, he pushed to staff to the side of him, and jumped. The earth beneath him began to give way, and he made a mad dash towards safety. His armor would wear out any moment. Steady ground was just a few feet away…

The force of the staff hitting the ground shook the arena with the force of two planets colliding, and the entire forest trembled and the earth shook. Every tree for a mile was ripped away by their roots like a leaf blown in the wind, and a huge storm of dust had completely overtaken the section of the forest like a bomb had gone off, making it impossible to see anything but shadows. Sun Wukong knew he was in trouble. With his magic gone the Nimbus Cloud gave way beneath him, and the Ruyi Jingu Bang started to fade into oblivion. He was falling through the air, fast, and hit the ground beside the crater his attack had caused, making a much smaller version of it himself. “Eegh. . .” He groaned, but the combined will of astral and battler was enough to keep it together and stay synced. They had to win their first match.

With a gargantuan display of determination and grit, Sun Wukong climbed to his feet. His fur was matted to his flesh by blood and sweat and dust, his armor lie around him in ruined and fragmented pieces, and his broken arm still hung limply at his side.. He inhaled raspily, and coughed more blood into his good hand. “F-face the Great Sage, coward!” He roared to the sky with half of his normal volume, but all of his normal charm, his eyes narrowed to look for the shadow of a figure through the dust. He may have been weaponless and injured, but he had trained in Martial Arts longer than his fool of an opponent had been alive. He slid into an advanced offensive stance he knew utilized kicks more like second nature, and glanced around suspiciously.

Though the Dragonborn’s armor wore off, he wasn’t going to back down. His sword was good as gone, his magic pool was out, and all he had were steel covered fists. “You got one thing wrong about me friend. I’m no coward.” He went in with both fists clenched. He went with a right jab, and would follow with a straight kick to the sternum. “Let’s do this like grown folks do!” There was a look of respect on the dragonborn’s face.

Wukong weaved away from the first punch, but the immediate kick caught him off guard and he was sent reeling back a foot. What martial art style was this? There was no finesse to it, no display of skill; it was just brute strength and force. He could do the same. The Monkey King struck out at Dovahkiin with a feigned  open-palmed strike at his chest meant to bait him into a false defense, and then quickly launched into a pattern of complex attacks directed at his stomach and face.

The Dragonborn fell for the bait and the other attacks landed perfectly, causing him to stumble back a few feet.. He still had enough in him to keep going, so he sent a punch into the stupid monkey’s face.

Wukong avoided the hit by barely an inch, and he felt the wind from it rush over his ear as it sailed by. He quickly forced the Dragonborn away with a roundhouse kick, desperately looking for an opening he could abuse before he was gassed. He was easily the more skilled of the two in hand-to-hand, but he had taken the brunt of the pain their first fight.

Dova kept coming, and responded with a kick of his own. Wukong saw his opening and tucked to the side to avoid the kick, then smashed a kick of his own into the side of Nord’s unarmored knee. There was a loud snap. The Dragonborn screamed in agony, and collapsed to one knee, but tried to endure it and get a punch in.  Wukong caught the slow punch with his good hand, and then kicked him in his remaining knee. Dovahkiin fell to the ground, but planted both hands firmly into the soil and tried to push himself up. He refused to lose to an overgrown chimp. “I told you… I don’t go down that easy.” He had a plan, but didn’t know if it would work.

Sun Wukong spoke with a smirk, “Improve your skill! Then find me again.” The Monkey King went to end the fight, but the Dragonborn somehow managed to power through all of the pain and rise from the ground and launch himself in one final attempt to hit Wukong with his elbow.

Sun Wukong—tired of the same game and still in excruciating pain—pivoted on his heel and executed the most powerful reverse-roundhouse kick he could muster. The heel of his foot caught the Dragonborn hard on the jaw before he could reach him, and Dova’s momentum worked against him as  his head snapped to the side fast enough to give him whiplash. The ground rushed up to meet him, and it was finally enough to put him away. Dovahkiin de-synced.

WINNER: Sun Wukong

Aaron de-synced but remained in his seat dumbly for a minute. His entire body ached as if he had been the one to take the metaphorical train that Dovahkiin had run over Sun Wukong. Instinctively he held the arm that had been broken close to his chest to protect it, and kept the foot that had been hurt in the last strike off of the ground. The crowd was roaring louder than he had ever heard, but it was like he was in a completely different place. None of this seemed real: how could he have won? Everything had been stacked against him.

In the arena, Ash was rubbing his jaw. “I can still feel that. Good game kid.” He put his hand out to shake Aaron’s hand. Normally he shoots his opponent in the face with his nerf darts, but he had nothing but respect for this guy.

Ash’s hand being shoved into his face broke Aaron out of his trance. “Thanks man, you too! I really thought you had us when that tree broke Wukong’s arm, and I’ve never seen anyone try to lift the Nimbus Strike like that!” The teenager  looked like lightning trapped inside of a bottle: contained, but bouncing around and desperate to get out. Aaron was struggling not to start dancing around the stage to celebrate. “Great fight thou-....”

Ash walked off the stage, his team meeting him “Good fight Ash. We’ll go over the footage and consult Amadeus.” Ash put his hand up, “Fine, but do your research a little better for my next opponent. I don’t want to go in thinking their weakened and get knocked into another damn tree. If you guys need me, I’ll be down the street at the bar.” The team tried to stop him, but he just shoved them aside and kept walking. “Amadeus isn’t going to like this.” One said. Another simply shook their head and motioned the others to head back to the suite for analysis.

Aaron followed Ash off of the stage after awkwardly being ignored, but instead of exiting he headed to the battler area backstage where the rest of the competitors would have seen the battle. He was used to celebrating success with a team, and even though he didn’t have one here. . . maybe he could find a friend or two to enjoy the victory with him? That was the plan at least.

[Lunartic]

Jessie crossed her arms and shook her head The Dovakhin raised his hands to catch the Riyu Jingu Bang. “It’s not gonna work,” she muttered. The staff crashed into the earth, his attempts only delaying it, as he dived away. “He should’ve dodged. He would’ve been fine if he dodged.” His shouting wouldn't have saved him from the shock wave, but that was nothing compared to the staff itself. She was surprised he could still walk away.

But Wukong might not.

Aaron narrowly lost his first match against Jessie. Wukong knocked Samus down and winded her. There was no way she could dodge the massive Riyu Jingu Bang, so she activated her own super move to save herself. Wukong might have centuries of experience, but Aaron only had two years. Jessie’s been with Samus for six. They took the full force of the super move and had just enough energy to shoot Wukong out of the sky. After they fell, Aaron couldn’t take any more and desynced.

That felt like ages ago. They practiced for hours every day after that fight. Jessie dragged him through hell and back again to ready him for the tournament. When Wukong went down, Aaron had to get back up.

And there he was. The Monkey King clambered out of the crater, not fully strong, but still alive. Still synced. But so was the Dragonborn. Without weapons or armor, they clashed in fist-to-fist combat.

It only took one punch for Jessie to know who would win. If it wasn’t for his inhuman stature, she could take on the Dovakhin herself. He was strong, slow, and ungraceful. It doesn't matter how hard your one punch hits if you can’t land it. A few more seconds and the shouting brute of dragon’s blood fell to the ground, defeated.

The two desynced, shook hands, and parted ways. At least Ash was a good sport about that. He sauntered off the stage and left the stadium, but Aaron walked towards the battler’s lounge instead. Jessie’s blue eyes lit up. The doors swung open and she elbowed her way through the crowd - again - to find her friend. “Hey Aaron! Good job on winning your first fight,” she said with her hand up for a high-five, “but what took you so long? I was afraid you weren't gonna show up.”

[Desbear]

Stella

"Al...Alright then." Was Stella's only response, before stepping back. She wasn't really sure how to respond to the girl, other than that simple response... ["Well, at least someone here is confident." Looking around, she moved to watch the monitor as a familiar face stepped on stage; albeit from the wrong side of the stage.

GM

As the battle came to an end, a man clad in a black and white suit was standing on stage; awaiting the victor of the match. As Aaron began to walk back stage, however, he followed, microphone in hand as he grabbed Aaron by the hand. "Mister Stillen sir, Mister Stillen, Sir! We still have to do your post match interview!" He called out, trying to bring him back onto the stage.

[The-Blades-slave]

Aaron
Aaron obliged the high five and smiled with relief, glad to see a familiar face in the sea of strangers, who he knew thought of him as nothing but competition to be put down. "Work ran late, and the guy who was supposed to take over my shift canceled." He rubbed at the back of his neck?a nervous habit he had developed over the last month or two?and chuckled quietly. "Was about ready to tell my boss to shove it, but I can't really afford to get fired. . . literally."

It wasn't common knowledge to most, but Aaron's sponsorship wasn't exactly a package deal. He spent most of his free time at work, and he reviewed his own games and strategies. Thus far, he had been shouldering the work of an entire team on his own, and in the brief moments that his adrenaline would wear out it would show: baggy eyes, a tired slouch, and a tendency to black out the world around him and just go through the motions.

"I got here though," he laughed it off. "Had to run a mile and dress on the way, and my entrance might not have been the most subtle, but at least I didn't get DQ'd my first match...." Aaron trailed off when he heard someone shouting from back on the stage. A weird looking dude in a black and white suit, who was holding a microphone, was running backstage to chase after him. "Shit, did I mess it up again? Sorry Jess, I gotta go."

He jogged back onto the stage and over to the suit clad interviewer, hoping the strange fellow didn't give himself a heart attack over the interview. "My bad! I got a bit out of it after that last match, must have taken one too many hits to the head!"

[Tickles]

Ash went to the bar next store to the stadium. It was a convenient location, though a bit pricey. Nothing he couldn't afford, but even he knew it was highway robbery. All the screens had the tournament on them, and it looked like his latest opponent was getting a post game interview. "Well, could be worse. I might have made a bigger ass of myself."

He went over to the bar and found a seat close to one of the T.Vs. He motioned to the bartender, and got himself a scotch. Whiskey was for when he won, scotch to ease the pain of losing. It wasn't until he nearly finished his drink that Amadeus took a seat beside him. "Barkeep, bring me a soda. No alcohol. I'm the driver for this fool."

"Let me guess, I messed up, I need to report for sparring early tomorrow, and why did I ever decide to help train you in the first place?"

"Ash, I'm not here to talk down on you. Although sparring in the morning is not a bad idea. I see a lot of potential in you, but I feel like you're wasting it. I know you didn't try in that match. You haven't tried for a while. What happened over the season break?"

"A man doesn't get emotional, teach. Let's just say a stupid decision that I'm still sorting out."

He knocked off the rest of his drink and motioned for another. "You're drinking a lot more lately."

Ash downed the scotch in one go. "Is there anything else? I'm not a kid anymore. Haven't been since that bear incident. I became a man that day and haven't looked back. So if I want to enjoy a stiff drink, I have every right to enjoy one or six. Seven is for special occasions, eight is when I get laid."

"Ash, everyone is worried about you."

'Then tell them not to. I'm fine, and have been fine. I'm just celebrating a good match."

"You only drink scotch when you lose. You hate that drink. I can see it on your face. Just don't get too drunk tonight. I'll walk you back when you're ready."

The two sat in silence, figuring there isn't much else to do than watch the rest of the opening day ceremony.

[Desbear]

GM

Nodding, the interviewer gave his best smile as he led Aaron back out onto the stage; before waving towards the crowd. "No problem, Mister Aaron Stillen! After all, this is very new to you. In fact, we've heard that you've only been battling for two years! Tell me, how does it feel to be standing up here, with the crowd cheering your name, on the largest stage in the world, having won your first match of the tournament?"

[The-Blades-slave]

Aaron took a moment to gather his thoughts before he answered the interviewer. His heart was pounding heart enough that he was scared it was going to burst out of his chest, like some freaky alien in those B-movies he had seen, and staring out at the crowd wasn't doing him any favors. He had been in front of a stadium of people before, but never to this scale and they had never been focused solely on him. "Uh.. It, uh... Yeah... I've only been battling for the last two years, and uh..."

The interviewer laughed, in the fake way a new's reporter does when they tell some shitty joke about the weather, and he patted Aaron on the shoulder. "Take your time, kid, we're in no rush!" He turned toward the audience. "You all aren't going anywhere, are you?" The roar of the crowd was more than enough assurance that they were, in fact, not leaving until they got their monies worth.

Aaron nodded, taking a deep breath and screwing his eyes shut hard enough he saw fuzzy colors, like the snow on a broken television. It helped him reign in his nerves and his thundering heart, and when he opened them again and looked it the crowd, he smiled. "It feels great to be here in general, but it's really cool that I won. Ash gave me a great match!"

"Well what do you know, it looks like we've got ourselves a rare species here: a good sport!" The interviewer was obviously experienced at his job. He pandered to the crowd and hyped up whoever his subject was, and then seamlessly shifted onto the next question before anyone got restless. "What were you thinking when he got up after that attack from the sky? That really looked like it was time for you to meet your maker, from our end."

Aaron flashed back to the moment he had watched the Dovahkiin rise from the rubble of the forest, and the hopelessness that had overwhelmed him as he plummeted from the sky. He had thought that he had messed it up again; he had failed Sun Wukong again, just like he had in his first battle with Jessie and Samus*. "At first? I was... well, I was pretty bummed out. I wasn't sure I could beat him without the Ruyi Jingu Bang or Nimbus Cloud, and I was a lot more hurt than he was."

"But you pulled it out in the end. What gave you the drive to finish the battle?"

The desire to not fail Sun Wukong. To prove that he did belong here, no matter what anyone else thought or said. The need to win and reassure himself that he could do it, and he wasn't in over his head. Aaron wasn't sure how to explain in just a few words everything that had been going through his mind. "I guess I just really wanted to win, and so did Sun Wukong." He smiled and leaned back slightly. "It also helped that we'd been in the same situation a couple times before, and a friend has been helping me out on staying synced."

"It sounds like you've got yourself a good team!" The interviewer glanced at his watch, and obviously he realized the time, because he shifted to the next question. "How do you think you'll do in terms of the rest of the tournament?"

The teenager wasn't really sure how to answer that one. He was still riding on the high from his first win: the thought that he had four or five more battles hadn't occurred to him yet. "I'm not sure. I'm just gonna take it a day a time and see how it all goes, y'know?"

"I certainly do! Don't want to stick your foot in your mouth, eh? Smart move!" He laughed and motioned with his hand as if to wave off his own bad joke. "Well, that's about all the time we have! Anything you want to say to any fans you have out there before you go?"

That was a thought that forced Aaron to stop his current thought process, sending his train of thought flying off of his mental train tracks, where it collided with the side of a mountain and exploded, just as the conductor jumped out the window and kicked a stray tourist in the head. He could have fans? He hadn't even considered that people would look up to him, and wasn't sure how to feel about it in the slightest. His entrance earlier was suddenly much more embarrassing. If he had fans, had any of them stopped being so when they had seen how much of an idiot he was? "Um... I'm the Monkey King?"

God damn it all, Aaron...

The interviewer burst into a bout of laughter at that, pinching the bridge of his nose and holding the mic away so it didn't pick up the noise he was making. "You're really something, kid," he said quietly, and then reigned in his laughter and brought the microphone back up to his mouth. "You heard him, folks! He's the Monkey King! Lets give our primate overlord a round of applause while we get ready  for the next battle!"

The stadium clapped for him (possibly out of pity for how awkward he was), and Aaron was lead off the stage by the interviewer. "Good job out there, and don't worry too much about it. I've seen much more embarrassing things in my time." A smile tugged at the edge of the older man's mouth. "Go ahead and tell the next two contestants to head to the sync station, Monkey King."

Aaron face was stained permanently red from embarrassment. He graciously took the opportunity he had been provided to slip into the lounge where the rest of the battlers were waiting, keeping his head low, and only raised it long enough to loudly say, "Steven and Alexa, they want you to head out to the stage." The latter of the two names - which he had read off of the paper they had been given - seemed somewhat familiar, but he shrugged it off.
*: Aaron had a battle with Jessie the first day he arrived, which he lost because she survived his ult, and he de-synced due to lack of experience.