[Dr. Gustave]

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!" A Booming and energetic voice explodes through the speakers set up around the enormous stadium. A deep and gravely voice, like someone who spent too much time smoking and decided now would be a good time to start screaming for their entire life. "WELCOME TO THE SECOND ROUND OF THE VYTAL FESTIVAL!" The crowd erupted into a ceremonious cheer, whoops and hollers came from all corners of Remnant as people tuned into the match from home. "YOU ALL KNOW HOW IT WORKS BY NOW, INTRODUCTION, SOMEWHAT OFFENSIVE QUIP, AND THEN ENVIRONMENTAL SPINNER, SO LET'S GET RIGHT INTO IT! IN THE SECOND ROUND, WE'VE GOT TWO MORE BEACON! IN THE FIRST CORNER, WE HAVE JACK PETTIBONE WHO SO FAR HAS BEEN SWEEPING THE COMPETITION AWAY LIKE A A HOT BROOM THROUGH DUST, AND IN THE OTHER CORNER, WE HAVE JUNO VERT, ROBO-MAN! NOW, ONTO THE ENVIRONMENTAL SPINNER!" The crowd cheered heartily.

A large holographic image of a lottery machine appears on all sides of the arena, with two spinners. The spinners spun so quickly, making it nearly impossible to make out the passing words. It ticked through the options slower and slower until it finally stopped on Urban and Forest.

The floor of the arena lowered and, in its place, arose one new floor. While it was certainly all city, it was one that had been forgotten by man and that nature had taken back, In the center, a single enormous tree sprouted into the air, towering over the other buildings around it. Throughout the city streets, trees littered the floor and large roots grew from building to building, creating impromptu bridges. Both combatants will start on the ground level on the main street, able to see each other down the road. Around them, there are buildings to duck into and forgotten cars littered down the street, providing cover.

Just then, the doors on each side of the arena opened and, from them, out strolled the combatants.


(A coin flip decided Jack gets the first post. The arena size is that of the 1v1 arena in the show, but still features biomes, though scaled down. Good luck, contestants.)

[Uncouth T-Rex]

Jack watched from just outside the arena, leaning against the tunnel wall and giving every appearance of being in deep concentration. His eyes were fixed on the man across the way, someone who, from the stories, had managed to beat Xanh when she'd had a lot of water at her disposal. Okay, so he either got lucky, or knew how to handle himself.

Heh, finally the announcer was giving him some respect. The ass. He still wished he could have actually fought Blancard and won, but there was no use bawling over spilt Jaeger. Robo-boy? Well, Vert did seem to have a nice suit of armor on him...kinda like that one he'd seen that Chanson bodyguard wear that one time...okay not really but it was still pretty well-made and meant to fit the body. Maybe it boosted his strength or something, or had collapsible weapons. An unknown, really. He had seen Vert in the halls, but hadn't exactly had very many classes with him, and they'd never crossed paths in the training rooms before...

The announcer was done jabbering. Good, lots of cover, lots of places to blink to, lots of good angles to strike from...the only better fight would be a big grassy field with a slow clumsy guy like that one dude Marlon's size who liked hammers...Greenbriar or something. He heard the music start to play, again courtesy of his fans and those Orabel had paid to bring in loudspeakers. He walked out calmly, the picture of serenity, and let his pace match that of the music. As the two fighters got closer, he noted the guy's toned physique. Yup, decent enough as far as athletic ability. And the skill he'd see soon enough.

The crowd had been cheering his name for a short while now, and he'd successfully pretended not to notice, keeping his eyes on his opponent, only looking away to blow a kiss to Orabel in the stands. Sweet, Victoria was with Ember, and Verdant too, all taking advantage of his girlfriend's excellent seats. When they were about halfway out, he paused, and stuck his hands in the pockets of his cargo shorts, looking around at his adoring public. His expression wasn't very pleased, and they were very quick to catch on. He didn't even have to tell them after the last match. Slowly they all went silent, and Saggio's chanted name went from a whisper to a booming thunder as they played right into his hands. Dogmeat was finally better for something than kibbles and bits.

Nodding in satisfaction and granting them all a brilliant smile, he raised his hands to egg them on, and in a few more strides, reached Vert and held out his hand. "Here's to a good match, Vert. Just as a fair warning, I'm fighting for the fallen and for the best woman in the world, so I can't afford to have fun with this. You seem like a good dude, and I'd rather we both enjoyed this bout, but it can't be. Sorry about that." he explained, his face remorseful but friendly.

[Zwei Not]

"Power regulation: Online. Weapons: Online. HUD: Online. All Systems: Nominal."

Juno took a deep breath as ANUBIS went through it's initial diagnostic check. His opponent was none other than Jack Pettibone, a student who he had paid little mind to before, but now found his face all over the news. He was talented, as recordings of his previous two fights had shown. And his semblance... Juno had fought teleporters before. He had one on his team, after all. But he had a feeling this would be different. Caja, for all the damage she could dish out, was frail in return, unable to take many hits before going down. From what Juno had seen, Jack was tougher. Stronger. More skilled. This would be interesting, to say the least.

As the tunnel doors opened, Juno let his visor retract back into his headset, looking over his opponent across the field. As Jack stepped forward, so did Juno, taking note of his opponent's gait, his build...

"Dem abs..."

Juno raised an eyebrow as Phi materialized on his shoulder, her gaze clearly locked on his opponent's midsection. "Hey. Phi. He's our opponent. You can stare later, right now is a time for focus." he chided, getting a disgruntled roll of the eyes in response.

Hopefully, that wouldn't be a proble-...

Was that music?

Why were they playing music? Juno didn't hear any intro music during his fight with Xanh.

While the sudden auditory intrusion was perplexing, Juno did his best not to let it show as he took several deep breaths. Calm. Focus. Jack Pettibone is your opponent. Not the arena, not the tournament organizers, and not the decent-at-best alt rock playing in the back ground. It wasn't long before Juno found himself mere feet away from his opponent. To Juno's surprise, the guy was taller than expected. Not that he was unnerved, mind you, but it was unexpected, to say the least.

He had no quarrel with Jack, and listened to what the man had to say, letting out a light chuckle as he mentioned he was fighting for the "best woman in the world".

"We've both got a lady to impress, Pettibone. I wouldn't expect any punches pulled." Juno replied as he took up his opponent's offer on a handshake, looking him in the eye for a moment before letting his visor slide over his face as he released the other man's hand, taking a few steps back before dropping into a simple, yet defensively advantageous stance.

"Good luck."

[nathan67003]

Nathan sat in the stands, looking with rare focus at the two opponents. Of course, he had his coat on to keep himself from becoming a target to almost everyone in the arena. Calmly focusing out the music and crowd, his earbuds helping a great deal, he watched as Juno and Petitbone - heh - stepped forward. Still keeping up the front, huh, Jack? He hoped, for the man's sake, that he'd one day find the courage to be himself rather than what others want from him.

Although he harboured a vague desire to punch Jack in the face himself, his newfound acquaintance seemed like a good guy. And so he watched, to study his opponents, without taking sides.

Well, maybe he was rooting for Juno. And Phi. Just a bit.

[Uncouth T-Rex]

Spoiler: ShowHide

Language warning for Red and Johnny

"Same, dude." Jack nodded, calmly sliding back into a loose, ready for action stance of his own, palms open and at the ready.

His face completely serious, he beckoned gently with his leading hand. Come and get it...

"Jack's fighting level is easily over 509." Victoria said, in an offhanded manner. Honoria, who had just bodily thrown herself into a nearby seat after running up the stairway, yelled with complete and utter awe on her face, "WHAT? OVER 509? SUCH POWER! IMPOSSIBLE!" People stared awkwardly at her. Ember, who had been there a moment before, was strangely absent.

Red sulked in the stands on the other side of the arena, his rear barely on the edge of his seat anymore due to his pronounced slouch. "Dude, tell me why the fuck I'm here again?"

"Plot device bro." replied Johnny Boy.

"What?"

"I said want some ice, bro? They put too much in my Mountain Glenn Dew."

"I am not taking shit that's been anywhere near your mouth. This fight sucks already, I wanna go home."

Johnny Boy smiled and ran a hand through his massive pompadour. "It's about to get better. I hacked the sound system."

"You what!? How!? You're a dumbass!" Red sat bolt upright, his hoodie string catching the chair and then hitting him in the eye. "SHIT."

"Night classes, my dude. Night classes."

At the exact moment Jack positioned himself, music once again filled the arena. Red stared dumbstruck at his beefy tan companion. "Fuckin' A."

[Zwei Not]

Aah, the "Come Get It" hand gesture. Always a decent way to begin a fight. Juno smiled as he returned the gesture with one of his own, breaking his stance to stand up straight, a hand on his hip as he saluted his opponent. Seeing as how his opponent had just given him the first move, Juno considered his options, subtly shifting his position and bouncing on the balls of his feet. His opponent had put some distance between the two, and disks were a solid option... but he didn't want to reveal the main draw of the suit yet. So he started to make his way forward, his footing light, stance just loose enough to dodge... Only to send a glare into the stands as more music began to play.

"Phi, is it possible for you to take care of that?" He asked, only to sigh as the AI shook her head. "Thought so." he continued in a resigned tone before refocusing on his opponent.

Once the armored teen had made his way into punching range, he opened up with a light jab to his opponent's face, followed by a swift knee to the ribs before bouncing back. Now was not a time to engage in a straight brawl. Now was the time for testing the waters. Patience was key, and hopefully Jack would show Juno his moves before getting a clue as to what Juno could do.

(Light Jab: 3%; Mid Knee: 5%)

(Aura: 100/100)

[Dr. Gustave]

The sound of yelling could be heard over the blaring music.

"DEREK, I SWEAR TO F ҉   ҉ KING GOD, IF YOU DON'T TURN THAT S ҉   ҉ T DOWN RIGHT NOW, I WILL DISOWN YOU FROM YOUR FAMILY. YES I- YES I CAN, DEREK. TURN IT OFF." The sound of someone clammering around a room could be heard echoing through the arena. "I WAS NOT PAID FOR THIS ONE, TURN. IT. O-" The music, as quickly as it came, disappears. "THANK YOU. YOU GET TO STAY A PART OF YOUR FAMILY ONE DAY LONGER."

[Uncouth T-Rex]

Jack let the punch come and calmly stepped backward, Vert's knuckles still close enough that he could have kissed them if he chose. The knee came in hard and fast, but that sort of move was ill-suited to staying mobile, especially if you didn't have a followup, and it didn't look like IRobot here had one. Blocking partially with his own knee and striking down with an elbow, he caught the blow before it full landed, taking a little bruise in exchange for hit on his opponent's knee joint.

As Vert awkwardly tried to dance back from his interrupted forward assault, he followed, suddenly stretching out into a spinning crouch to sweep out the leg he was standing on, the one that hadn't just been hammered in the kneecap, and then continue the rotation so that he was spinning on his hands to kick a now off-balance Juno right in the skull, neck, and torso a few times.

"WHIRLING WIND DRAGON LEAF DANCE!" he shouted, unsure as to why that felt so appropriate.

Spoiler: ShowHide

Jack's Aura 99%, Kneecap Block: Temporary leg trouble and stance issues, 2% Sweep: Complete lack of stance and balance 0%, Whirling Handstand Kicks: 30% if they all get through, 15% for head, 10% for neck, 5% for torso. As usual, alter damage values as necessary for counters/special abilities/dodging

[Sesh]

Spoiler: ShowHide

 Hya has a mouth and is mean. her views don't reflect my own.

Hyacacinth wandered into the stadium to scout things out. Her match was up soon and she'd never heard of these stupid tournaments, she'd look like a complete idiot if she didn't know the conduct and shit. She walked up to the weird fucker who was wearing a coat for some reason, even though the weather was perfectly nice. She tapped him on the shoulder and loudly asked, "Hey asshole, why the fuck are you wearing a coat?" She didn't hear his response, if there was one, as her attention switched to the fight happening. The two dudes in the arena were going at it, yelling stupid phrases while they fought.

Did she have to do that too? She could ask the coat guy...but...that would be gross. Better to just wait it out and see if they announced rules before the next match or something. She idly sat down next to asshole coat guy, eyes locked on the stadium.

[nathan67003]

The coated guy, taking onto an incredibly deep voice, merely said "Why not?", keeping his attention on the fight.

[Zwei Not]

(Grab permissions granted by Uncouth)

Juno couldn't help but raise an eyebrow as his knee was near expertly intercepted, forcing him to readjust as his opponent dropped to the ground. Sure, his opponent was fast, but a sweep like that was easy to see coming, and easier to dodge. Juno was quick to lift his leg and let the sweep pass under him before stepping back and steadying his stance, only to suddenly catch a foot to the side of his face.

That kick was, in fact, less expected. Especially given it's impracticality, but despite the fact that Jack had friggin named it and announced it. Brilliant.

Juno was quick to recover, however, and the the second and third of the handstand kicks were not met with the same success as the first. Lacking time to properly dodge the second kick, Juno blocked Jack's strike with his arm, then grabbed him by the leg. Seeing as how he had a solid grip, Juno then grounded himself before swinging the lighter opponent overhead and slamming him into the ground, using his momentum to flip forward and attempt to drive his heel into the other fighter's stomach.

The unexpected cry of "HEAVY DROP!" did prompt a glance from Juno, only for Phi to shrug as she sat on his shoulder.

"... What? I thought it fit. What do you think, Abs?" she asked, her attention turning to Juno's opponent as the armored teen switched to a more defensive stance.

(Aura 78/100)

(Grab-Overhead throw: 7%; "Heavy Drop": 15%)

[Uncouth T-Rex]

Alright, so Vert really did know what he was doing. Good to know, good to know.

Jack serenely contemplated these now concrete facts as his body sailed through the air before crashing hard into the ground. Skilled, decently fast, and strong. That would have knocked the wind out of him if he hadn't been ready. Instead, he lay there with the most annoyingly calm look on his face as he watched the man's heel raise to drive down at his unprotected belly. Until he snapped his legs up and rolled into a flip so that the downward kick plowed a small furrow in the dirt instead.

"DID YOU SEE THAT? REFLEXES LIKE A LIVING GOD!?" Honoria screamed, her hands clutching at the sides of her face. Victoria looked at her askance. Ember was still not present. Orabel was ogling her boyfriend through binoculars.

Casually landing in a cat-like stance on the balls of his feet as music once again begin to play, he moved forward, sliding across the ground like water sluicing downhill.

"Man I love Community College!" Johnny Boy said, having hacked into the sound system again. Red nearly fell out of his seat laughing.

Jack's fluid charge had him fake left, then right, and finally drive straight for the center, all with flawless form and with his semblance glowing. When he struck it was like a thunderbolt, an explosive snapping drive with his leading heel going almost straight up, to power through guards and into Vert's chin. It was followed by a quick drop and away from that leg which brought him partially around into a jab to the neck through the hopefully broken guard, then as many punches as he could fire off into the soft spots of an unprotected torso.

"ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND!"  he shouted, which seemed to fit. Odd.

Honoria simply howled wordlessly.

Red stood up, roaring in disbelief. "AAAH! ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND!? THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE! NO ONE'S EVER MANAGED TO SUMMON HIM!"

Johnny Boy stared. "Uh...did you find my stash or something brah?"

Spoiler: ShowHide

Jack's Aura: 92%, Chin Kick DMG: 25% and disorientation, Neck Jab: 10%, Unrealistic Storm of Torso Strikes: 30% depending on how many find their target. Again, alter as you please, I'll be okay with whatever you dodge/block

[Zwei Not]

(Well, uh... Rex notified me that he is dropping out. Dunno how to follow up with that, so...)

So. Jack was a bit more slippery than anticipated. Good to know.

As Jack advanced, Juno rolled his shoulder, the plate making his way down the armored teen's arm as he kept a defensive stance. Juno already knew that the young man was strong, the fact that he was already at a hefty disadvantage was a testament to that. A defensive option was always helpful against speedsters, and someone who could teleport on top of that...

Juno anticipated teleportation. He stood, ready to pop his shield the second his opponent vanished from view. Feint left, feint right...

The kick down the middle was not something Juno had prepared for. As his head was knocked back, Juno brought his arms up, deploying the shield and blocking the second strike. Not that he had seen it coming, he just needed an out. The second he found solid footing, however, he began to feel the flurry of blows against the shield. However, he stood firm, refusing to give an inch as he brought a hand to his hip. The blade wasn't complete when Juno thrust the shield forward to push his opponent away, but there was enough for him to let loose a vicious backhanded slash as he dropped the shield. Continuing with his rotation, Juno brought his free hand to his lower back, constructing a second sword which was then used in tandem with the first for another pair of diagonal strikes across the martial artist's chest.

The last two impacted nothing but empty air. Shit.

However, Juno didn't simply stop there, as he released both blades and let them shatter into nothingness, flicking his wrist to construct a disk and quickly lobbing it at his opponent's waist.

What happened next wasn't something he, Phi, or likely anyone in the crowd could have anticipated.

Juno's disk impacted one of the grenades on Jack's belt at such force that it caused the weapon to detonate. Since the explosive was in close proximity to multiple like it, there was a quick flash before a massive, colorful explosion of multiple types of dust enveloped his opponent, the shockwave sending Juno flying back into one of the nearby buildings. A quick glance at the HUD confirmed that his opponent, while out of the fight, still had some aura left.

At the very least, Jack was as unharmed as he could be after an accident like that.

(Aura: 33/100)

(Shield bash: 5%; Slash 1: 15%; Dual Slash: 30%; Disk: 5%; Dust explosion: 75%, 20% shockwave AOE)

(1 Slots active, 2 on standby, 2 charging)