Literally Snails

Rokata's eyes shifted when Jade made her dash. This time was different than when she moved quickly before. He really couldn't tell where she was, at least not physically. But Jade had a predictable fighting style. She never attacked from the front when given an option, and she never went for the back either. She would attack from the side. He raised a claw to block the claw swipe from the spectral dragon, but it was able to strike his head. He was sent off balance for a moment, but quickly planted his feet into the ground and only scoot back a few feet. "Perhaps that was enough."

And again she doesn't strike. Does she think she's being smart by always deferring the initiative to me? Rokata narrowed his eyes at Jade. He stepped to the side, cautiously circling his way to the middle of the arena. @Canteen_the_unstable @Dynamo Pad @dragon4111 @reader8363 @DwhitetheGamer His presence was felt by the weaker fans in the audience, making their hearts race and pores sweat like they were suddenly struck with fever. Even the stronger onlookers like the members of Teams Tatterhoof, lockdown, and Crimos could feel an effect, making them feel hot and as if the air around them was too heavy to comfortably breathe. Quill clenched her chest and fell to her knees. There's something missing from Jade. Something in her eyes that isn't there. Perhaps she needs to lose some of her control. I can do that. Rokata smiled and flexed one of his massive claw, looking at his own muscles with fascination. This form was something even he rarely got to see. This was only the second time he'd seen his full power. "When I take on this form, I become something of a different person, Jade," He said with a devious smile. Quill got back on her hooves with the help of Shining Armor. "There's something about that body," she said, looking at Rokata. "I need to get to my notes!" "I really am quite ruthless in this form. I'll do whatever it takes to get what I want!" Rokata pointed an open palm at Jade's teammates and fired a powerful blast of demonic energy that impacted the ground beside them. Quill was about to run toward the direction of the exit, right in the path of the blast, but Shining Armor pulled her back. The dividing wall behind them collapsed into a massive pile of rubble, and entire section of the stands collapsed and a huge fissure split through the stadium all the way to the ceiling. Even though it wasn't a direct hit, Shining Armor's shield disintegrated like tissue paper in water. Shrapnel from the destroyed stands flew out at them, causing minor cuts and bruises, but no serious injuries. Shining Armor and Quill were closest to the explosion, and were blown back against the wall. With her teammates weakened by their own fights, a direct hit from that could have killed them. Rokata looked at Jade and turned his claw slightly to the left, readjusting his aim. "I wonder if I'll... miss next time?"

@Dynamo Pad@reader8363@DwhitetheGamer @Canteen_the_unstable @dragon4111 Rokata's body transformed, obscured by the bright lights around him. His silhouette could be seen standing upright and jerking left and right as massive, muscular additions grew to his body. His hind hooves stretched out upright, his pelvis contorting to allow him to stand bipedal, and his hooves grew wide enough to balance his entire body. His shoulders broadened like armored pauldrons, pointed skyward at the tips. His body became muscular and monstrous like a minotaur, covered in pronounced veins and leathery skin. A pair of massive, feathered, gryphon wings grew from his back, bursting through the skin. His head went through the most dramatic change. His snout changed into something resembling a fleshy beak with sharp gnarled fangs that stretched past his lips. Horns grew from his skull, pointed backward like tusks. Rail dropped his lighter, standing in awe at what Rokata had transformed into. "So that's what he's been this whole time? It's more than I ever could have hoped for." Rokata's beady eyes scanned the ring. One of his ears twitched in the direction she was coming from. She was aiming for his head from the right side. She thinks too much. Makes her predictable. He stretched out his hoof and grabbed the flaming hoof, redirecting her momentum forward before pulling her back and causing whiplash. The flames around her hoof spread down his arm, singing and cracking the skin on his claw, but he didn't react to the pain. "Are we going to have to do this again?" he asked. He squeezed her hoof hard enough to crush the bone in her foreleg. Then he tossed her back and looked at his claw where he blocked her hoof. There was a bit of purple blood traveling down his wrist, and his fingers were clearly broken, but those wounds healed in seconds. "Do you really constantly need other ponies to show you your own potential?"

@Dynamo Pad@reader8363@DwhitetheGamer @Canteen_the_unstable @dragon4111 Rokata cocked his head and took a step forward. The few audience members who were still near him stepped back. Even they could sense the unease in the air. "Finally, Jade Lotus, you've done as I've asked," he said. His red aura swirled around him, raising high into the sky like a bonfire, sending out blazing lights. A sound accompanied his ghostly aura that sounded like distant moans of long forgotten souls, nothing like the loud, booming ringing that usually accompanied that size of aura. "I've waited too long for this, but finally my patience is rewarded." He stood up on his hind haunches, lifting his arms and spreading both his claws. Jade could hear the sound of snapping joints and straining skin as veins appeared across his body along the lines of his purple tattoos. "I want you to watch this very closely, Jade Lotus. See the power your teacher hid from you!" He shouted. His aura shot straight into the sky like a beacon of light. For a moment, the dreary, cloudy day was bathed in sunlight as his aura burst through the overhanging ceiling and shot a hole through the clouds. "RAAAAAAAAAH!" The pillar of light disappeared, leaving Rokata without a visible aura for a moment. That didn't last long as his aura exploded again, creating enough force to push back anyone near him merely by being in its presence during the explosive expansion. That included Topaz, who fell on her back near one of the dividing walls.

Rokata didn't seem to be trying anything. He was just taking the hits. His blocking became less and less effective until Jade found herself wailing on an enemy that didn't defend himself. She could feel cracking bones with some of her best landing strikes. After one strong strike, he flew into the dividing wall between the stands, causing a massive section to collapse like it was hit with a wrecking ball. The audience nearby cleared away as Rokata was covered in rubble. Only one of Rokata's hooves was sticking out. "She got him!" Shining Armor declared, but he seemed to choke up at the end as an uneasy feeling washed over the team. It felt like some sinister presence was growing. Rokata's hoof twitched. The rubble ontop of him rolled off, creating hollow clinks and crumbling sounds. His body rose from the rubble, covered in white dust. His legs were mangled and he even looked a bit smaller, but there was a tepid smile on his face.

Rokata retaliated with an under hoofed sweep to her chest during his window of opportunity, but he had to cut back on the force of his strike in order to quickly defend against Jades next flurry of blows. Jade seemed to be in total control of the fight, forcing him back and pushing him into total defensiveness. He blocked with both hooves, but most of her strikes still landed. Despite her clear advantage, however, there was a cold look in Rokata's eyes, like he wasn't actually losing.

With the cuffs gone, it felt like Jade could do more than simply match Rokata. She swung at him faster than he could make a move, landing a solid blow to his chest that made him stumble back, She could feel the solid force of the strike and even left bruising on his chest.

Rokata watched her turn around his attack, impressed with her graceful technique. She has talent. That gives her a right to be proud. But graceful technique alone is not going to save her in this fight. He reached out with his right claw and stopped the orb from moving closer. With a primal grunt and gritted teeth, he redirected the blast downward, creating an explosion of light and dust in the ground in front of him. Then he dashed to the right, sidestepping the crater to close the distance between him and Jade and swinging at her with a powerful kick.

"No more games, Jade," Rokata demanded, widening his stance while extending a claw with his digits curled into a fist. "Come at me with all you have. I want to see it." He opened his claw, and with a simple flex of his muscles, sent out a sphere of destructive red energy that shot out at Jade like a cannon ball.

Shining Armor kept his eyes on Jade while Dynamo spoke to him. "Well, maybe those cuffs have something to do with why she cant hurt him? They look familiar..." @Canteen_the_unstable The pulse passed through the crowd, drawing silence from the typically rowdy crowd calling for blood. "Now that's showmanship..." Tatterhoof said. "It's not just like you can feel her from here. It's like she's all about at once!" Said Cumulus. "Its a good thing I fought her before she got the superpowers..." @dragon4111 "She's already stronger than I ever thought a regular pony could be..." said Dai, planting her hooves in the ground to keep herself from blowing back. Rokata glared at Jade with his brow set. "I should have expected she'd give you her cuffs." He said, "But I never would have expected you to be so arrogant. Did you really think you could defeat me wearing those?"

@reader8363 @dragon4111 @Dynamo Pad @DwhitetheGamer @Canteen_the_unstable Jade really had hit him hard enough to throw him off his balance, and that opened him up for her next strike, which was hopefully her finisher. Her firey aura brightened in hue to a more yellow tint at the moment of impact, the explosive force of her strike blew apart the adjacent divider wall. Rokata rotated to his back from the force of the impact, and the ground beneath him became a crater. What was left of the ring was completely destroyed. Only chunks of segmented concrete remained scattered around. Even a large swath of the stands was obliterated. Though most of the rowdy fans had cleared out when they saw Jade's attack coming. Topaz peeked her head out from behind a pillar of rubble, looking at the two combatants. Then she looked at the destroyed earth where the ring used to be. "I... guess they're both out of the ring now, but it's not like they can get back in." Rokata lay with his eyes closed. Some dirt and debris covered his chest, and for a while he seemed to be unconscious, until he spread his wings, shaking some of the dust off his body. He raised a claw and grabbed the ground, pulling himself back on his hooves. As the dust fell from his body, Jade saw that she hadn't even scratched his body. There was no bruising or bleeding. It's like he was a machine, and all she did was force a short reboot. "Is that really all you can do?" He asked with a tone of disgust and disappointment. "There must have been nothing left of Tricis, if that's all she was able to give you." "This stallion... he really is invincible, isn't he?" Quill asked. "Don't say that!" Shining Armor ordered. "Even if you think it's true, I don't need to hear it right now." "I was expecting to be able to fight you with everything I have, but you've sorely disappointed me," Rokata said to Jade. "I wont need to use my true power to fight you. I can finish this as I am."

Jade's double-hoofed kick landed with more force than any of the other strike's she'd landed. She could feel in her hooves that there was some give to Rokata where she struck him on the cheek and neck, instead of feeling like she was striking a brick wall. The monstrous pegasus let out a loud grunt, and went tumbling in the opposite direction of Jade's kick on a bright wave of firey energy. He slammed into one of the sections of concrete as it fell back to the ground, causing it to explode into dust. He slammed into one of the steel and concrete divider walls separating the ring from the stands, nearly toppling it as he landed on his side. He propped himself up on his elbow, seeming to actually take a moment to catch his breath, leaving himself open again, if only for a few seconds.

Rokata's hoof slammed into the ring where Jade was standing moments before, blasting chunks of concrete in all directions on waves of red, demonic energy. Jade felt the shockwave from the blast, but it left him open for an attack. As the rubble flew, Rokata seemed off balance. His claw was still punching through the ground, making it impossible for him to block, an opportunity Jade wouldn't often get.

Rokata's grip was loosened enough for Jade to push herself away from him. Rokata didn't react physically, but he was surprised she was able to break away. Next time he would grab harder. He jumped and swung down at Jade with his right claw, sending out an explosive shockwave with the attack. With the center of the ring destroyed, there wasn't a place for her to make solid footing, but hopefully the distance would give her enough time to dodge.

Rokata spread his legs and took the hit, she struck him across the jaw and he lowered his right claw while turning his head. Impressive strength for a pony but not what I'm looking for. He reached out with his left claw and grabbed her leg just bellow the hoof. He held her and tried to rotate her leg back to break her balance, seeing if she was strong enough to break free.

Rokata seemed impressed by Jade's quick recovery. Part of him expected a direct hit like that to kill her, but he would at least get a better fight than that. He kept his eyes on her before she suddenly sidestepped, moving as quickly as he had before, and catching him off guard. She's swift. The kick connected solidly. Rokata stepped to the side and gritted his teeth. It looked like she actually harmed him unlike her other attacks. She could press on and try to strike again, but Rokata raised his left claw, ready to strike if she continued the pressure.

Rokata stepped back with each hoof she struck him with. He was hit on the chest, face, shoulders, and legs in a rapid succession, and it looked like Jade was in total control of the space, but she could see a look in his eyes the whole time like he was the one still in control. This isn't what I waited for. So utterly lacking in passion. Tricis didn't teach her to use the power she gave her. When Jade swung for another strike, Rokata sidestepped so quickly it was like he disappeared in her hoof. She swung at the air where he was standing and the green pegasus reappeared next to her. With her hoof extended, she wasn't in a position to block someone as fast as Rokata. He punched her chest with his claw, sending her flying to the stands with explosive force. It looked like he only hit her once, but in fact he managed three punches in succession before sweeping her away with an elbow.

Rokata bowed his head forward and gritted his teeth at the moment of impact. Her hooves struck the top of his head. He was pushed back by the force of her strike, but not very far. He slid back a few inches, his hind hooves and claws digging into the concrete. He looked up at Jade with a look of determination and vigor. "Come on!" He loudly grunted.

Rokata took a step back and looked up at Jade. Gritting his teeth, he spread his wings and puffed out his chest. He wasn't attempting a block or even a dodge. He just wanted to take the hit.

Rokata met her gaze with a stern glare as his fist slammed into the arena floor, creating a crater in the concrete that blasted away chunks of cement as large as Jade's entire body. The ring wouldn't stay intact for long if one attack did that kind of damage. His look was cold and calculating. He may have been a complicated sort, and he was in this fight for more reasons than the obvious, but that didn't change the fact that he was willing to kill Jade if given the chance. Jade felt like a regular pony kicking solid stone. There was no give in Rokata's flesh when she struck and she may have even hurt herself more than him. Without putting magic power behind her kicks, they wouldn't do anything at this level of combat. Rokata landed on all fours. The crater was so deep that he was standing in the moist sod bellow the ring. With a loud cry, he swept his right claw upward at Jade, sending out a vertical blast of energy in the shape and direction of his slash.

Immediately as the fight began, Rokata had his answer to the first question plaguing his mind in the days prior. Would Jade choose to attack first? No. This was an annoying habit of hers. Wait to gauge her opponents weaknesses before striking. She'd been spoiled by these gentle one on one duels and didn't appreciate the value of the first strike. Rokata pulled back his right front hoof and a starch green aura swirled around it in visible streamers, causing his muscles to expand and bones to contort in the leg until it turned into the gnarled, sharp claw he'd used before. It looked like the claw of a gryphon combined with pony physiology and something totally alien. "You think I'm not taking this personally too?" He shouted, gritting his teeth as he balanced himself on his hind legs, using his wings for support. His left front leg transformed as well, and the demonic transformation spread to his shoulders as well. Purple veins spread across his chest, blending in with his bizarre tattoos. "I'll start with both arms!" He declared. Jade and Shining Armor couldn't feel Rokata's presence before, but now that he was powering up, so to speak, his energy was easy to feel. The fight was just getting started, but he already felt like he was putting out more energy than any of the times he'd fought before. He placed his claws on the ground and spread his wings, then sprang forward at Jade with such veracity and speed that it looked like he was teleporting to the untrained eye. He became a green streak before stopping in the air ahead of Jade with his right claw ready to deliver a punch. Jade's eyes were more attuned than the average pony. She could see him move, but the speed was still remarkable. He punched down at Jade, but his fist wasn't the real problem, there was a red burst of energy that shot from his fist like buckshot, enough force to completely obliterate the ground she was standing on.

Rokata took a step forward and Rail addressed him without making eye contact. "Oh, try to win this one. I have a lot riding on this." Rokata said nothing and stepped into the ring. He stood across from Jade like they had before, but this time both fighters were teeming with anticipation. Something inside of them demanded this fight. "We're just waiting on a final ruling from the committee..." Topaz said, looking up at the blank viewscreen above the ring. @Canteen_the_unstable "Bah!!! I don't know how much more o' this I can take! Tell me I have to wait for something, that just makes me want it more!" Cumulus announced to the remaining members of Team Crimos who were still sitting beside him. "I'd advise setting up an energy barrier," Tatterhoof said. "These two are gonna cause a lot of havoc." DwhitetheGamer@Canteen_the_unstable @dragon4111@Dynamo Pad @reader8363 "This is the part I don't understand, Rokata is supposed to be the toughest of all of them, right?" Shining Armor said. Quill nodded. "I'm a magically aware pony. I don't understand why I'm not picking up anything from him. I can feel how strong Jade is and how much she's improved, but Rokata feels weaker than all his teammates. Now that the other members of his team are down for the count, the only strong presence I'm getting is... Jade." @Unicorncob "You know that what happens today wont save her. Tricis was dead before you ever met her," Rokata said, breaking the silence between the two. "You should have seen her when I knew her. Young and powerful and wise. But she wasted that gift, and I could not forgive her for that." "Come on..." Topaz muttered, staring up at the screen. "It disgusted me to see her like that. That's why she had to go," Rokata added with a venomous sincerity, though his intention was vague. Perhaps he really was that bitter. Perhaps he was just trying to make Jade angry. Perhaps he was trying to make himself angry. A green circle appeared on the screen, signaling the committee's approval. "That's it folks! The final match of the dark Tournament for the championship will be Jade versus Rokata!" Topaz announced. Rokata took one step back with his hind right leg and readied himself into a battle stance, extending one hoof out to Jade. "You've already seen how a life of apathy ends. You're better than that."

@Unicorncob "I dont think that's their style," Shining Armor said, "I dont know much about Rail, but we in the Royal guard are all taught to be up to date on Rokata and his cohorts. He's definitely the type to prefer the fastball over the curve, know what I mean?" "Or... that's another way of putting it." Shining Armor said, rubbing his ears. DwhitetheGamer @Dynamo Pad @Canteen_the_unstable @Unicorncob @dragon4111 @reader8363 Rail and Rokata stepped back into the outer ring, causing the crowd to quiet down, though many of them were still out of their seats. There was a sense of unease in the air as Topaz looked down on the two with an expression of concern. Rail nodded at her, signalling her to get on with the proceedings despite her emotional unease. She slowly raised the mic and cleared her voice. At one moment, she almost dropped it but managed to keep it afloat. "Okay fans, return to your seats! After a short recess, the tournament committee is ready to give their verdict. Will the team captains please enter the ring?"

Rokata realized the instance that she saw them. He could feel her anticipation and nervous energy, but better yet, he could feel that he was nervous as well. He didn't know the outcome of this tournament. He was finally going to get to fight. "There's nothing like putting your life on the line to put things in perspective," Rail said, exhaling a wisp of smoke. "That's something I've always envied about you fighting types. It's so much easier for you to make the ultimate wager." "I appreciate your confidence in me," Rokata said. @reader8363 @dragon4111 Dai didn't interfere with the scuffle between Draco and Rose, but when things calmed down and Draco went into his recovering sleep, she sat by his side and sighed. He wouldn't stay under for long since the final match was close to starting. @Unicorncob Rokata and Rail stepped away from the balcony and disappeared from view. It had been ten minutes since the wager was announced. Plenty of time for the "committee" to deliberate on their decision.

Rail moved the mic away so his voice wasn't picked up. "I despise cheaters, Copper Strikes. There's no greater thrill in this world than a gamble and no easier way to ruin it than with a con. You're worrying about the wrong thing. Jade will lose in a fair fight." He sounded sincere, but he was still a difficult character to trust. @Dynamo Pad @reader8363 @dragon4111 @Unicorncob @Canteen_the_unstable Rail moved off the stage while many fans in the crowd got off their seats to go to the betting booths. The consensus was close, but more gamblers were putting their money on Jade to win. Rail and Rokata stepped backstage and walked up into a less trafficked area of the stands to look over the crowd. "What exactly are we waiting for? You had me kill the tournament committee this morning." Rokata asked. "I thought they could use a breather," Rail said, looking down at Jade from above. He lit a cigarette. "It really drives up the suspense, don't you think? Though I don't think the tournament committee will be hard to convince, considering."