2798/WMAT AQ1 Shigure vs Mokuba

WMAT AQ1 Shigure vs Mokuba
Date of Scene:	14 August 2015
Location:	WMAT Arena - Spinach Wastes
Synopsis:	Ship vs Card player. Will the shells land true, or is the deck stacked in the boy's favour?
Cast of Characters:	127, 623, Shigure
Tinyplot:	WMAT 2015

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Shigure has posed:
    Earlier

    Shigure was out training, all last night, and all of the next morning, resting only long enough to replenish her supplies before setting out again. She sits in the Docks, washing off the last lot of grime, before her Radio picked up the announcement for her qualifier match... so instead of deploying again, she stayed in the dock until the timer ran down.

    Now.

    Shigure steps out from the contestant area, walking out into the open and waving to the crowd. Her rigging glimmers in the light, sleek black metal reflecting the sunlight overhead. She checks her equipment one last time, making sure she's loaded the training shells and torpedoes, instead of live rounds. It wouldn't do to murder someone, after all.

Seto Kaiba (623) has posed:
     Mokuba arrives only just in time for the match. A helicopter flies in, creating a bit of a loud noise as it moves into the arena. A rope ladder is hung out of it, and Mokuba rapidly climbs down. He loses his footing just a bit as he goes down, only barely managing to catch himself. Really, he'd have preferred a faster arrival, but as the Vice President of the Kaiba Corporation, he has many things he had to attend to before arriving.

     There is one major dissapointment, though. A glance is given through the audience, Mokuba looking for his older brother. He was told that Seto didn't plan to come. But, he has a brief glimmer of hope that he /might/ just surprise him.

     Mokuba's hope is sadly broken, no sight of the older Kaiba in sight.

     A Duel Disk is on Mokuba's left arm. Already, his deck is inserted into it. He draws his hand of cards, setting them in his left hand. And he smirks, looking towards Shigure. He is aware of what these ship girls are. Spirits of sunken ships. And so, he of course, has to make a comment. He points forward, with his right hand.

     "YOU DON'T STAND A /GHOST/ OF A CHANCE AGAINST ME!"

Shigure has posed:
    In the commentator box.

    Kuma sits at the microphone, with Nowaki and Chitose flanking her with their own headsets on. "Fufufu~ Looks like it'll be a good match... Shigure's been training all week for this, since she recovered from her damage earlier." says Kuma. Nowaki remains quiet, while Chitose leans forward. "I don't see any weapons... but that thing on his arm... could it be some kind of Rigging?" Nowaki finally pipes up. "We will find out soon."

    On the Battlefield.

    Shigure watches the Helicoptor, her eyes following it even before it appears physically, thanks to her AA Radar. She watches the boy descend the ladder, then bows formally in greeting. "I am Shigure. I wish you good luck in our match." she says to him, her voice soft, but carrying surprisingly far.

    She straightens, then pulls the small hand-cannon from her hip, leveling it at her opponent. "Opening fire." she muses softly, firing off a single shell, before darting off to her left across the open field.

Seto Kaiba (623) has posed:
     Mokuba actually freaks out just for a moment as the missiles come in. This is going to be one of his first real battles. All he has done, up to this point, has simply been practice. Yes, he is a great Gamer. Yes, he has one of the few methods which can help turn such into combat skills. But, he is realizing that going into this tournament just to prove himself to his brother might be a Poor Choice.

     But, his gaming instincts take over. Duel Monsters isn't his game, but he took a good look at his hand earlier. As the missiles come in, his 'turn' begins. He draws a card, and immediately plays down a monster in Defense Mode. A holographic image of a large trading card appears in front of him, intercepting the missile. As the explosion strikes the giant holographic card, an image of a ghastly Giant Rat appears, before being burnt away in the flames. Mokuba is saved from some of the damage, though the flames still heat him up a bit.

     "And now... I GET TO PULL A CARD FROM MY DECK! ...Another GIANT RAT!"

     It's a relatively simple strategy. The card Giant Rat pulls in another Earth monster within a certain Attack Range. And so, with the death of the first Rat, yet another is already on the field, set to attack.

     "And... ATTACK!"

     The large near-human sized rat runs forward, its claws moving in to stirke at Kuma. And Mokuba just chuckles a little.

     "HAH! Just go ahead and try destroying this one, too! I'll just keep filling the field with Monsters until you're flooded from all sides!"

     Yes, he is the kind who loves to explain his strategies.

Kirikou (127) has posed:
    From up in the stands, "You dirty rat!" is cried out. Probably more in amusement than actual outrage. Kirikou's just that kind of guy.

Shigure has posed:
    In the commentator box.

    Kuma winces a bit. "It looks like some kind of... I don't know, kuma." Nowaki chimes in. "Holographic emitter, it creates hard-light images of creatures and effects depicted on the cards placed on it." Chitose and Kuma both turn to stare at the Destroyer, who just shrugs nonchalantly. Nowaki continues. "Regardless, Shigure's shot seems to have been mostly deflected, the return attack by another hologram looks like enough to at least damage her superstructure."

    On the Battlefield

    Shigure grunts a little as that rat comes barreling over. Claws rake down an arm, sending up the horrible shriek of claws against metal, and leaving a jagged trio of blackened marks down the girls skin... Instead of firing at the rat with the smaller cannon in her right hand, the Destroyer turns and round-house kicks the thing, pirouetting around and with a fluid motion, unlatches her back-pack into a pair of tonfa cannons. She doesn't aim these forward either, using the solid reverse sides as melee weapons, empowered by blank shots being fired from the cannon barrels. She pummels the rat, then charges Mokuba with another flurry of rapid strikes.

Seto Kaiba (623) has posed:
     Mokuba's main strategy is to not be hit. And so, the moment the rat is attacked by a combo of melee hits, Mokuba is /trying/ to back up, and get out of the way before he himself is smacked. If he can move /fast/ enough, he can get his third Rat out of his deck, and onto the field.

     But, he doesn't move fast enough. The fury of strikes hits him. He does his best to dodge, but his face is now a bit bloodied. Thankfully, one of the hits manages to send him flying back. Thankful, for the fact that this gives him a chance to right himself and draw the card.

     "ALRIGHT! Fine! That rat gone, THIRD GIANT RAT OUT OF MY DECK! And..." He reaches to draw his card, as the third Giant Rat appears on the battlefield to replace the second one. It stands right in front of him, as he quickly plays his next move. "I set one card, and.... I summon Darkworld Thorn!"

     A second Monster appears on the field. This one, a strange blue plant. It is a mass of thorny vines, and its head is an eyeless sphere with a wide fanged mouth. It isn't the only thing that appears, though. A single card is set face down. Either a Spell Card, or a Trap Card. It is hard to tell exactly what it is, but... Mokuba is, most likely, planning something for later.

     "And now... ATTACK! BOTH OF YOU!"

     The Giant Rat and the Darkworld Thorn attack. The rat rushes in, leaping right into melee range with Shigure. The Darkworld Thorn launches numerous thorny vines forward. They reach towards Shigure, trying to whip at her arms and legs with those thorns. The mouth of the Darkworld Thorn opens, drooling hungrily towards the Fleet Daughter.

Shigure has posed:
    In the Commentator Box.

    Kuma clears her throat. "Shigure shows her agility, she's the fastest destroyer of her class, that's obvious. A flurry of blows from her cannons sends Mokuba reeling!" Chitose chimes in helpfully. "The boy isn't done yet though, he's called out another of those big rat things, and something new, a plant with a big mouth! They both attack, and it looks like Shigure might be in trouble here!"

    On the Battlefield.

    Shigure grunts a bit, flicking her cannons around with a shift of her grip. She fires 12.7cm shells at the two approaching monsters, using the recoil to back up... though that plant latches onto her arm, sending smoke wafting up from her skin as it sinks those teeth and pressumable, attempts to start digesting her with its drool.

    The Destroyer shifts her stance, and tries to wrench the plant out of the ground so she can swing it around to hit Mokuba with it like a bludgeon!

Seto Kaiba (623) has posed:
     It's something Mokuba still isn't prepared for. He knows game rules. He forgets that Elites are able to break the rules of the game. It's his fault for being so single focused. Missile attacks, at both of his monsters. The Rat is blown to pieces, dissipating into thin air. The plant, though? It manages to knock back the missile, only for it to be swung by its own vines. It hits into Mokuba. He tries to lift his arms to block, but it does little good. He's thankful the Darkworld Thorn managed to hold itself together, but it's forced to let go of Shigure.

     Mokuba remains tall, staring straight at Shigure. He has to act fast, despite the various bits of bleeding he is doing. He /has/ to prove himself, to his big brother. At the least, he knows the next card he wants to pull out with the effect of the Giant Rat, /and/ his deck is significantly thinned now. It'll help him pull out more.

     "This is where we turn things around! OKAY! First, my Rat lets me pull out another Earth monster... A /second/ Darkworld Thorn! I draw my card, and then I'll play...." His eyes turn to the card he just drew. A smile on his face. Thank god for deck thining.

     "TWO CARDS! First, the Spell Card, WORLD TREE! Second, BOTANICAL LION!"

     In addition to the two massives of thorns, a third monster is on the field. It is, in fact, a lion of some strange type. Its body is covered in a thick bark, leaves trail from its neck and along its back. A giant set of red petals form around its neck. And, the moment it appears? It starts to grow larger. Significantly so. There are three spurts of growth. Two for the Darkworld Thorns. One for the Botanical Lion itself. Behind Mokuba, a gigantic tree appears. It looks incredibly mighty. Something truly worthy of being called The World Tree.

     "HAH! My Botanical Lion gets more powerful the more /plants/ are in play! And.... My spell! THE WORLD TREE! I'll leave you /guessing/ on this one. And... BOTANICAL LION! ATTACK!"

     The Lion rushes forward. Its fangs move in, to bite at Shigure. Aiming for her torso.

Shigure has posed:
    In the Commentator Box.

    Kuma crows and leaps to her feet. "BLAM! ANother rat thing down! And good use of the plant thing! Mokuba is sent reeling again!" Nowaki hmms. "She did not manage to destroy the plant however... and now there are more. It seems the lion-like one is empowered by others like it." Chitose adds. "Shigure's faster than the lion though!"

    On the Battlefield.

    Shigure shifts her stance, and as the lion leaps, she folds back at the knees, letting it sail over the top of her. Claws rake over her uniform, tearing one of the shoulders, and leaving more of those jagged scorch marks in her skin.

    The Destroyer leaps back up to her feet, does a little run in place which sets her up for another round-house kick... this time, she aims for a quartet of small metal tubes that leap out of her left-side thigh assembly, booting them out toward Mokuba and his two Darkworld Thorns.

Seto Kaiba (623) has posed:
     Mokuba lifts his arms to brace, barely staying straight as the torpedoes strike. The Darkworld Thorns at least make a decent shield. But, the torpedoes blow them away, completely anhillating them. The Botanical Lion shrinks down, jsut a bit. But, Mokuba smiles. His tree, growing larger. Various beautiful white piles appear upon it. Mokuba pulls his card, grining towards Shigure.

     "Eehhhh, no big deal~. If you destroy my plant monsters, the World Tree just gains power! Juuust wait! I have some /plans/. But first... GET MY DEFENSES BACK!"

     He puts down a card on the field, in face up Defense Mode. Another Darkworld Thorn. Yes, his third one, and hence, the last in his deck. The Botanical Lion gets just a bit larger.

     "JUST KEEP SMACKING HER AROUND!"

     The Botanical Lion rushes in, its head moving forward into a headbutt. It lifts its claws, making a swipe at Shigure. And then, he leaps forward. Pouncing, and roaring.

     Mokuba, meanwhile, is trying to step back just a /bit/ more. He's playing it tough, but he's running out of tricks to flood the field with monsters.

Shigure has posed:
    In the commentator box.

    Kuma crows, "She dodge it and not only that, returned fire with a torpedo salvo! The plant things are dead!" Nowaki notes, "But the tree behind Mokuba has grown. This could be a trap." Chitose adds in. "The Lion is still there too, it looks like it's gotten a good grip this time!"

    On the Battlefield.

    Shigure pants for breath. All the fancy foot work is starting to eat into her fuel reserve. She shifts her stance, ready to fire at Mokuba and his plant, seemingly forgetting the Lion is still there... that is until her surface radar chirps a warning. She dives forwards just a moment too late, getting savaged but at least not tackled to the ground. She grunts as she hits the deck, rolling away from the slash with another scorch mark across her midsection, then hurks as she's pounced, keeping those jaws at bay with her tonfa cannons.

    At point blank range, Shigure jams those cannon barrels into the Botanical Lion's neck and upper torso area, and fires. There's no shell, only a blank charge, but hopefullyl it'll do some damage and get the Lion off of her.

Seto Kaiba (623) has posed:
     "MARK OF THE ROSE!"

     Mokuba flips a card rapidly as the Lion is attacked. If the Botanical Lion is destroyed, a large part of his strategy is ruined. He bites his lip slightly, nervous of whether or not this will work. It can be hard sometimes, judging how the rules of the Card Game will translate. It's a relatively simple card. Target a monster, control of it switches each turn. Mokuba is instead targetting Shigure's cannons. Hoping to throw them off.

     And, it does. It at least slows down the firing, making it so the Botonical Lion is only grazed a bit along the side. The Lion takes a few steps back defensively. But now, Shigure will be struggling a bit to work with her own cannons. Mokuba /knows/ this is unreliable, though. It will occasionally not take effect. It can be fought through. But... It might just be what saves him.

     Mokuba pulls another card. And immediately, he sets it face up, in attack mode. Next to the first Botanical Lion, a second appears. The twin lions now stand near eachother, roaring loudly. And, this is yet another Plant Monster on the field. Both of them grow.

     The two Lions start to circle Shigure. They now work in unison. When one moves in for the slash with its claws, the other moves to hit at Shigure's weapon. When one moves to bite, the other pushes Shigure towards its mouth. It is a fierce flurry of strikes, and Mokuba just grins while he watches.

     "You're pretty tough! Fleet Daughters /aren't/ something to underestimate, ehhh? But I'm not going to lose this!" Mokuba stands tall, holding himself with pride. Even if Seto isn't watching in person, /maybe/ he is watching from afar. Maybe he is watching the live broadcast!

     Elsewhere.

     Kaiba is currently sorting his cards. Looking through them, thinking of ideas for improving his deck. In a silent room with no television on.

Shigure has posed:
    In the commentary box

    Kuma whines. "Hey, that's gotta be cheating!" Chitose sighs softly. "It's not against the rules to use your abilities, Kuma." she chides. Nowaki chimes in. "A good use of distraction and combination... he may make a good Fleet Commander some day."

    On the Battlefield.

    Shigure grunts a little, looking at her cannons with concern. The Fairies inside have little swirly eyes as they poke their heads out of the portholes, flailing a little in confusion. "Hang in there, please." she begs them, turning to look at the lions, before getting pummeled by the combined assault. She shifts her stance, dancing a little between the strikes, using what armour she has to mitigate their impact, shoving one of those cannons into the mouth of one of the Lions to protect her body.

    Smaller gun nests fold out of the main superstructure of her tonfa cannons, swiveling out and peppering the lions with a hail of 12.7mm and 25mm machine gun and autocannon fire. With a defense screen set up, she levels her eyes on Mokuba her face serious now. SHe makes no threats, no words to him, just a plain stare of challenge, before she shifts her cannons back into position... "Load High Explosive. Fire." she intones softly, aiming to bombard Mokuba directly!

Seto Kaiba (623) has posed:
     There are several things noteworthy about Mokuba. A skilled gamer. A brilliant youth. And, most importantly given the current circumstances, more or less just a normal human in many ways. Yes, he can take far more than many humans can. But, as the cannons fire upon him, there is but one thing he can do.

     "--Oh fuuuck."

     The explosions tear at Mokuba. His body is in tatters, and he is barely standing. He really /wants/ to fall down right now. He almost want to give up. His teeth are gritted as he slowly tries to move. He reaches for his cards. Thank god these things are super resilient to near everything, somehow. It's a struggle for him to draw, but he /really/ needs a good, new card in his hand.

     He looks towards it. A blank stare. This will work, for now.

     "...I tribute my Darkworld Thorns. And I summon.... Fairy King Truesdale, in Defense Mode!"

     He places the card face up on the field, in defense. It is an elflike being in green armor, holding a golden staff. Large fairy wings are upon his back, sticking out larger than his body. He floats right in front of Mokuba, replacing the Darkworld Thorns. He'll work as a far better guard.

     Mokuba grins. Some blood rolls down his face, from some cuts on his forehead and cheek. "...A plant monster. And. while it is in defense, all Plant Monsters gain Five Hundred Attack and Defense."

     "...CUT HER TO PIECES!"

     Mokuba's changed a bit. His eyes glare forward. A deathly glare. He's been acting fairly normal so far, but finally he's letting his more sadistic side out. He wanted to keep up a good face in this tournament, but he doesn't care anymore.

     The Botanical Lions are moving faster and faster, lifting their large claws to dig into Shigure. They also bite down, one aiming at each of her legs.

Shigure has posed:
    Kuma and company are escorted out of the commentary box, replaced by the regular announcer, who does normal announcer stuff. They're put in the stands to just watch.

    Shigure, meanwhile, braces for the incoming impacts, her AA screen doesn't seem to be doing much against the Lions, especially now they have the extra boost from the new Fairy. Blue eyes begin to glow eerily, as the superstructure of one of her cannons crumples under the jaws of that Lion. She ejects that side cannon tonfa, then reaches down, hooking her fingers into the tailfins of three of her torpedoes, drawing them out like throwing knives.

    While one Lion is occupied with her cannon, those torpedoes are jammed into the mouth of the other one, trying to wedge it open just long enough to get her arm back /out/ again, before the warheads explode. The Destroyer girl then turns her remaining cannon on the other Lion, firing a three shot barrage in rapid succession, though the shots are slightly less accurate due to that spell card.

Seto Kaiba (623) has posed:
     The first lion is caught. The torpedoes are fired, and they explode within the lion. It is lucky that it is simply a hologram, and not a real lion. This would be messy, otherwise. The second lion is more lucky. The three shots fire, but it manages to only get grazed by the hits. It'll be going down, soon, though. Chunks are missing from its body where it was hit.

     Mokuba quickly reaches for his next card. The Duel Disk has to work with the rules of the cardgame. His 'Lifepoints' are draining fast. And once that happens, the Duel Disk will go inactive. He will have lost. Even if he chose to keep fighting, it'd be pointless without his Duel Disk.

     But. He looks back. The flowers upon The World Tree have bloomed to full. It's time to flip things around to his benefit again.

     "FIRST! I play /another/ Botanical Lion! And, see that World Tree back there? GUESS WHAT?! It has a /lot/ of tricks it can do. But, once three Plant monsters have fallen, and it has gathered up three Flower Tokens? I can do /this/."

     The Botanical Lion appears, pulled from the graveyard. Now, all three Lions that hide in Mokuba's deck? They're out. They boost each others' strength, while also being boosted by the Fairy King. They leap at Shigure. They're moving faster than ever. Each hit strikes stronger than ever. They claw across the entire body, rending at every limb, at the torso, and all parts from each side. If Shigure is overwhelmed enough? They'll whap at her like a mouse caught between three cats. Toying with their food.

Shigure has posed:
    "Boku ga boku de aru tame ni..." begins Shigure, singing softly as her uniform is ripped and torn, large gashes appearing in her arms and legs, not bleeding, but looking like the deep rents of shells through plate armour. She's taking damage. TOo much damage, but... when she looks up at the young boy who is her opponent, her blue eyes actually look to be FLAMING, licks of blue light wafting from the edges.

    "Sore ga nani ka wo sagashite" her voice is soft, and has never risen above a low murmur the entire match, though now, it seems to resonate with hidden power. One of the Lion's goes to swipe at her, and she grabs its paw, stopping it dead in its sweep. "Kizutsuki tachitomari tsurakute kurushii yo" she picks up the Lion, slamming it into one of its friends, then jams the barrel of her remaining cannon into the third's mouth, firing at point blank then leaving the wreckage behind regardless.

    She turns to Mokuba now, and the Fairy King, kicking forwards at a dead sprint, unarmed save for a single torpedo and her hand cannon, which she grabs back from her hip. "Dakedo ichidokkiri da, jibun wo kuyokuyo semezu ni". She closes the gap, pulls the torpedo from the launcher, and STABS the Fairy King with it, then levels the barrel of her cannon at Mokuba at point blank range. "Arukeba, aiseru sa My World... Hikari wa, susumu saki ni aru." She fires... but at the boy's feet, not at him directly.

Seto Kaiba (623) has posed:
     Mokuba is trying to keep his calm still. The wicked look on his face reveals more of his true nature than usual. He braces, ready for anything. He even feels down to his pocket. A switchblade within. Yeah, worst case, he can use that. If it absolutely comes down to it, he will fight to the /bitter/ end, here.

     The lion is stopped dead in its tracks. It is slammed into its friend, both of them breaking apart. The third is destroyed by the cannonfire. These are three powerful monsters, and this girl manages to outdo them. Even /with/ all of the boosts. With their own power, and the power of the Fairy King Truesdale? They have 3700 attack points each. An impressive amount. Even their Defense Points are at 2500. But, the sheer power of a Fleet Daughter is enough to push them into their place.

     The Fairy King Truesdale is stabbed. Exposions rock Mokuba at his feet. His legs are bloody messes right now. His eyes almost look like they're going to go blank. He almost looks like he is about to fall unconcious. But, a thought drives through him.

     'I /will/ impress big brother!'

     He reaches to his card, and pulls it. But, Fairy King Truesdale is still present. It isn't a simple miracle. It is a fast move from Mokuba's part. The World Tree bloomed once again, with the glorious white flowers. And, Mokuba used a power of it.

     He has empowered the Fairy King Truesdale. Even despite the wound in him, he remains on the field. The hole heals itself. And then, Mokuba gives the order.

     "FAIRY KING TRUESDALE! ATTACK!"

     The monster switches to attack. He stands tall. Suddenly, a burst of faux-magical energy surrounds him. A bright ball of white light centered on Truesdale, moving to engulf Shigure.

     Mokuba looks forward, grimmacing. His right hand is in his pocket, resting on the switchblade. If this doesn't work...

Shigure has posed:
    Shigure wasn't expecting to win, So when that magicall ball strikes against her, it's with a smile on her face. "Teitoku? Min'na ni meiwaku kake teru ka na..." she falls backwards in a smoking heap, her uniform completely ruined, her rigging... what's left of it a wrecked mess, and she doesn't look to be getting up. Seeming to get an answer, she closes her eyes. "Arigatou, yokatta."

Seto Kaiba (623) has posed:
     Mokuba takes his hand off the switchblade. He looks towards the girl in front of him, smiling. It's not a pleasant or happy smile, but it is slowly turning into such. He's putting up his facade of pleasantness.

     "It was a /great/ fight! Keep it up!" Normally, he wouldn't put forward such a compliment. But. This /is/ a publicly broadcasted tournament! Gotta keep up appearances. Plus, it was really down to the wire, so he doesn't feel /too/ bad about giving her a compliment, despite Seto's opinion on complimenting people.

     But, he still doesn't give any aid to help her get up again, and instead walks out of the arena. Medics will handle it!