Scene #2216: 2015 Battle Rondo R1- Vervi vs Kiki

Owner	Pose
Fuki	In the sportscaster booth, a bowl of water houses a lone shinki, a Ianeria model named Ia. "Welcome this evening to the Busou Shinki Battle Rondo first round between the wonderful Vervietta and the graceful Kyknos. Vervi versus Kiki. Who will win today is anyone's guess but I am sure it will be an entertaining fight. Joining me tonight in announcing this event is Miss Daidouji from Tomoyo's Boutique. Welcome Miss Daidouji~" she starts, a smile given to the camera. "Vervi and Kiki were in last years Battle Rondo and they both got far, it will have no shortage of exciting events happening this round!"
Tomoyo Daidouji	Tomoyo's not too sure how to feel about being here. Her best friend got hurt yesterday, and the fight was partially her fault. Her mood has been better, suffice to say. But, she is a professional. Though it was last-minute, she signed a contract, and owes everyone listening an announcer worth listening to. So, with a deep breath, she smiles and answers Ia. "Oh, just Tomoyo is fine, if I can call you Ia! Hello everyone, and welcome! So happy you could join us on this night of nights~" She sits on a chair at the table holding Ia's water bowl, smiling demurely and waving to the camera.
Guest Vivio	Vivio stands off to the side in her place as Kiki's temporary master. She's waving energetically to the Kyknos who is currently walking out into the arena. Kiki looks a little embarrassed by the girl's enthusiasm, Vivio shouting, "You can do it! You'll win for sure! Don't give up! Just put all your heart into it and you can't lose!" Reaching her starting position, the rather reserved Kiki curtsies to the crowd, her wings spreading out in leu of a dress. She reaches up into the air, summoning her large sword into her hand. She spins the weapon a couple of times before planting it point down into the ground with both hands. Kiki calmly looks to the other side of the arena, waiting for her opponent.
Vervi	"It's the first round, Master," Vervi states with a little nod. Using both hands, she slides on her headpiece, while the flaps and maneuvering surfaces on her flight unit all rise into place, the engines letting off a soft, idle whine. Fully equipped, she turns on Nathan's hand to look up at him with a smile, "I'll do my best to make you proud, please cheer for me with all your stoic strength!" She bows slightly, then turns around once more. There's a puff of blue light when Vervi's engines throttle up and the blue shinki soars into the arena filled with cheering fans, shinki and non-shinki alike. She rolls, tracing a spiral with her engine exhaust, before circling around and landing in the center of the Arena's massive Visualizer. Neither of Vervi's weapons are present. Once there, Vervi tucks her hands together and bows politely towards Kiki, "Let's do our best!"
Fuki	"You wouldn't be the only one to care about fashion shows, Tomoyo~ but here we area as the two Shinki enter the arena's visualizer and soon, as the battle gets ready to begin, the visualizer will start to coalese into something amazing for the two to put on our show for! Now, shall we see what our event will be today?" With a smile, and the radio muted, "She's a blue haired one, Tomoyo." then with the radio unmuted, she continues, "Tonight's arena is going to be....."
Fuki	"The factory field's been chosen by the visualizer. It's a large indoor structure quite crowded with catwalk platforms, conveyer belts and various bits of heavy equipment that can cause some pain to Shinki. I believe that Mary would like this field quite so!"
Nathan Hall	Nathan Hall is here. Once again, he has likely tuned and retuned gear with his traditional competition nervousness, but he has, by now, deployed Vervi, and retreated to the spectators' area, to wherever might be designated for the master of the Shinki in combat. From here, he is actually cheering, though it remains in that mild, less expressive way, the same stoicism that Vervi spoke of. His cheers are considerate, inoffensive, respectful, matching Vivio effectively. "Good luck, Vervi. Do your best, and I'll be proud of you. Show her that spirit I've seen before, you'll pull through no doubt." He's calling out, exclaiming without exclaiming. As the visualizer starts up, he takes an attentive look, but rather intensely so, eager and, despite his abject lack of expression, clearly still very vulnerable to being caught up in the fannish enthusiasm.
Tomoyo Daidouji	Tomoyo looks down on the battlefield, and has to hold herself back from cheering for Vivio and Nathan. An announcer must be impartial, after all! So instead, she focuses on something she's allowed to get excited about: Shinki fashion. "Thank you Ia~ Now, as you said! Tonight, Vervi the Vervietta and Kiki the Kyknos will clash before our eyes! Now, like all Shiki, they are adorable. I really like the contrast between Vervi's pink hair and blue armor. And Kiki's wingspan is amazing~ If only it could be a fashion show... but I guess only I would care about that! Ehehe~"
Guest Vivio	Kiki gives Vervi a friendly smile in return and says, "Indeed. Good luck!" As the visualizer begins to materialise their environment for tonight's fight, Kiki briefly recalls her knowledge about the Vervietta types... And as the terrain takes form, Kiki feels a little more confident. Suffice it to say, it should be an interesting fight! Once the the visualiser finishes creating the terrain, Kiki realises she has lost sight of Vervi. The maze of platforms and conveyor belts making it difficult to gauge possible paths to her opponent. So Kiki takes to the air, thrusters lighting up as she begins to slowly weave through the obstacles of machinery, keeping an eye out for Vervi.
Vervi	"Good luck!" As the Battle Field materializes, Vervi's stance shifts. Catwalks and conveyors and equipment will make it tight flying but also a good place to capitalize on range, as the equipment will make evasion more difficult. Her eyes narrow as her weapons materialize, the beam rifle in her left hand and the canister of her sword's hilt in her right. Only once the field is complete does Vervi take off, weaving between two enormous presses as she ascends. With a thumping sound, Vervi deploys four small devices from the back of her flight unit which wrap themselves in orange light and start maneuvering behind her, weaving through the factory interior. On a silent command, she scatters them in a search pattern, twirling in midair and arresting her momentum, using her Options to expand her vision beyond the cluttered field of view she has with just her eyes. After a few moments, one of those spheres darts below Kiki, then stops and opens fire with a spray of machine gun fire. about a yard away, Vervi's eyes open and she darts into motion, trailing blue light from her engine exhausts in twin streams.
Guest Vivio	Kiki is still slowly flying around, looking for Vervi when a sudden surprise attack from below catches her off guard. Thankfully Kiki's armor is thick, the bullets digging holes into Kiki. After the initial volley, Kiki's thrusters kick up and she begins to spiral through the air, making it harder for any follow up attacks. So far Kiki still can't get a bearing on Vervi, but she still has a target! Taking out one of the other Shinki's Options should reduce Vervi's effectiveness. So after another spiral, Kiki swerves around and quickly closes the distance towards the Option. Her hands move her large sword back in preparation. Kiki darts past the Option, blade flashing out in a single sweep. Large sword versus Option might not be an easy thing to pull off, but if she can do it Kiki is confident the Option will feel it!
Vervi	A large energy sword would do a number on Vervi's Options with a direct hit. The trouble is those little things are pretty nimble. It darts aside when the Kyknos descends on it, only getting grazed on one side with a shower of sparks. It retreats quickly, trailing a thin streamer of smoke from its propulsion system. Meanwhile, on the other side of a complex assembly station, Vervi swings her legs forward and raises her rifle. While indicators dance in her vision, tracking Kiki's location using telemetry from her fleeing Option, the barrel of her weapon splits open with a hiss of glowing blue smoke. "Gotcha~!" Without hesitation, Vervi squeezes the trigger, firing a lance of blue light right through the assembly equipment with a burst of metal and exploding oil lubricants. Not completely convinced that Kiki will stay in one place, Vervi sweeps the weapon aside, carving a glowing red arc through the machinery and across the conveyer belt on the opposite side, pursuing the Kyknos' movements.
Guest Vivio	Kiki frowns a little as the Option manages to avoid most of her swing, but atleast it's damaged. But Kiki also knew that it would only be a matter of moments before Vervi responded to the attempt... And sure enough the beam comes streaking out of nowhere. Kiki rolls in an attempt to evade, the result being the beam digging a groove through her armor, but atleast avoiding anything critical. So far the fight isn't going well for Kiki... But the direct attack means she is now better aware of Vervi's location. And much as the Vervietta anticipated, Kiki doesn't stay still, flying higher towards the factory roof and out of sight behind catwalks. As Vervi makes chase against Kiki, she will suddenly find a large robotic arm fall into her flight path, end sparking from where it was separated from its position on the conveyor. This may possibly result in a crash if Vervi can't avoid quickly enough. Either way, Kiki uses the brief distraction to fly out from behind some machinery and try to close the distance to Vervi!
Nathan Hall	Nathan is quite into it. "Yes, yes. Yes. You have the advantage. You're playing it smart. Keep pressing it, use your superior situational awareness. Scout, you can beat her with knowledge." He's clearly appreciating Vervi's intelligent environment exploitation and scouting tactics, while he calls out, cheering her on but remaining inexpressive. She might not even be able to hear it in the Visualizer, really, but he's completely ignoring that due to his stoic eagerness in watching. Of course, Kiki's already dealt some damage. And there's only a limited number of Options! He watches them as intensely, already intending to offer to repaint them -- again -- with Vervi sometime, maybe something more cameoflaged if she'd like to start using them more as scouts...
Fuki	With all the excitement going on, some of Ia's words get cut off, only for the mic to be fixed again shortly. "And the excitement is here in the crowd tonight." she comments, "I'm not sure using the terrain to attack your opponent is legal but I will allow it, she's still using a weapon that was in her hands~ And the chase begins, who will have the upper hand here soon?"
Vervi	R Laser snapping shut, Vervi's engines flare as she gives chase, leaving the smoldering Assembler behind. Her Options form up to either side, even the damaged one, as she ascends after the slower Kyknos. It's Kiki's head start that results in Vervi losing track of her, and the blue shinki pauses to dispatch her Options again, then resumes her upward thrust. And then suddenly a robot assembler arm out of nowhere. Vervi arrests her upward thrust in an attempt to evade, only to get clocked right upside the everything and swatted down several feet, trailing sparks. Rolling, Vervi hauls the arm off herself and accellerates again, dashing horizontally out amongst the Factory's equipment. Inwardly, she notes her top speed would be a liability in such cramped quarters if she allowed even a single distraction from her flight radar. So instead, Vervi slows to a hover and closes her eyes, focusing on her Options again, darting to and fro as they reach closer to the ceiling of the structure. After some pinging sounds, the blue shinki nods. Two of her Options each fire a cluster of small crimson missiles, while Vervi herself wheels around and accellerates again, ascending around an enormous coolant tank in a spiral pattern while her Options resume the pursuit with clusters of missiles aimed more at the terrain than Kiki herself, to deprive her of cover. Plenty of explosions though.
Guest Vivio	The robot arm worked! Knocking Vervi through a bit of a loop and giving Kiki the time she needs to get closer. Of course, the return of the options is not all that much of a surprise. But Kiki doesn't see them as a target right now, as focused as she is on catching Vervi. Still, missiles hurt! Kiki's wings fold in closer to her body as she dives, spinning and rolling to the side as the first cluster of missiles explode nearby, sending bits of machinery flying. Kiki manages to avoid most of the debris, before her wings spread out wide to catch the air, thrusters joining in to quickly slow Kiki's speed. The other cluster explode ahead of Kiki, the debris rarely reaching her. Picking up again, Kiki begins to descend around the other side of the coolant tank. If her calculations were correct... Sure enough, Vervi comes into view and Kiki charges head first! She swings her large sword above her head and brings it down in an overhead blow towards the Vervietta.
Tomoyo Daidouji	Tomoyo's mic also cut out for a little there! Damn lazy AV-techs. She checks the screens and looks out the window as Kiki bravely weaves through the explosions and debris, quietly wincing as a few shards of debris strike the Shinki. But her flight takes her towards Vervi's hiding place, and she swings with that massive laser sword! "Ah, Kiki did well avoiding those Option shots, and she's found Vervi again! She swings... oh, so so close~!"
Vervi	Vervi is ascending while Kiki is descending and the two meet in the middle. Sighting the Kyknos, however, Vervi brings up her rifle to present the heavy shield mounted over the stock. Hefting this, she anticipates the sword coming down from above and meets it with that shield, a nasty black mark appearing on the surface. The force of it knocks her downward somewhat, putting her at an angle that the pink blade can carve a black mark down the side of Vervi's flight unit as the two shinki pass. The blue shinki has, by this point in her life, become accustomed to this kind of high speed aerial dogfighting. She banks sharply, forming up with her options when they break off the pursuit, and then reaches under her wing with her free hand. A pod disengages, clamping to her wrist, which Vervi thrusts forward. A matching pod under the opposite wing swings down on its mount. There's a brief pause before both gunpods open fire, spraying copper rounds in a glowing stream while ejecting tiny brass casings in steady streams to either side.
Guest Vivio	In contrast, Kiki isn't much of a dogfighter. This becomes evident as Vervi opens up with the gunpods. Quickly rising, Kiki flips over, her wings detaching from her back at the same time. They fold closed, locking into place and forming a shield which Kiki catches in the air. A few of the gunpod shots manage to dig into Kiki's armor before she brings her wing-shield around to block. The gunpod bullets rattle against the heavily armored wings as Kiki begins to fall. She quickly lands on one of the conveyors, which begins to pull her along as she keeps her shield between herself and Vervi. Her other hand shifts its grip on her sword, its blade splitting down the centre. The two halves slide open, revealing the emitter beneath. Aiming towards Vervi, Kiki pulls the trigger on the new grip that filps out. The sword-turned-rifle begins to fire bursts of magenta light towards Vervi.
Tomoyo Daidouji	Tomoyo's mic also cut out for a little there! Damn lazy AV-techs. She checks the screens and looks out the window as Kiki bravely weaves through the explosions and debris, quietly wincing as a few shards of debris strike the Shinki. But her flight takes her towards Vervi's hiding place, and she swings with that massive laser sword! "Ah, Kiki did well avoiding those Option shots, and she's found Vervi again! She swings... oh, so so close~!" She watches as Vervi falls, letting the blade blacken her shield. "Vervi doesn't flinch in the slightest, facing down that massive blade with her shield and deflecting it! It's not perfect, but it could have been so much worse! And now she's capitalizing on the opening from that big swing, with two bullet streams!" Now Kiki is the one who is falling, sacrificing her flight to block the shots, but some still seemed to strike deep! But she's not down yet, switching the sword to its emitter mode and firing a blinding beam! "Kiki uses her wings as a shield, but ladies and gentlemen, it looks like some of those shots hit home! She's forced to land, keeping those wings between her and that never-ending barra-AH! She's returning fire with her sword!"
Vervi	The gunfire pauses as Vervi swings her arm back, reattaching that pod to its wing mount. The second one makes a clicking sound as it reloads, then opens fire again in bursts while the still-airborne shinki maneuvers, probing at that heavy shield. When she spots the appearance of a sword-beam rifle, she swings her rifle up to protect her body. The beam grazes the shield and lances out under her wings, catching the reloaded gunpod. It sizzles briefly, than explodes, hurling Vervi aside in a midair tumble of smoke and limbs. Smoldering and with her right wing mangled, Vervi rights herself a foot or so from where she had been, scanning the situation. Kiki is grounded for now, with a super-heavy shield. Green eyes flitter further down the conveyor and a plan forms. Vervi quickly darts back in-line with the conveyor and opens fire with her gunpod again. Her Options join in, firing from various angles, intent on keeping Kiki focused on her attack rather than the conveyor she's on or the industrial press slamming into steel plates some distance behind her. While Vervi's attacks against that heavy shield are ultimately ineffective, intent only on pinning Kiki down, that high pressure forming press is a whole different story!
Guest Vivio	Kiki was aware of the dangers that the conveyor system presented, but it still presented a solid tactical choice. Maybe not right now, as stuck as Kiki is due to the concentrated fire. Her shield weathers the attack, but that industrial press is getting closer and closer... She has no choice! Kiki turns her back on the attacks, bullets ripping into her armor as she waits for the press to rise before diving beneath it. The press quickly slams down again. Did Kiki make it? The press rises up again and... There's no Kiki? Wait! On top of the press! Kiki's left arm is raised. With a quick burst of thrust, the twin grappling spikes on her gauntlet shoot out, streaking towards Vervi with wires trailing behind them. They attempt to wrap around her legs. If Kiki can get a good enough hold on the Vervietta, she'll attempt to whip her around into the side of the coolant tank.
Tomoyo Daidouji	The announcer cameras show that Tomoyo is clearly getting into this fight! She's on her feet now, eyes flicking from displays to the window looking out onto the battlefield. She beholds as Vervi is sent tumbling by the explosion of her own gunpod with one of her wings ruined! "Ah, the laser shot hits a gunpod, destroying it as it was reloading! Vervi takes the brunt of it, flailing through the air, her right wing scrapped! She's opening fire now, gunpods and Options in unison, keeping Kiki grounded!" Only after that does Tomoyo notice Vervi's plan, Kiki moving ever-closer to the press. Even if she could probably be repaired, she feels her stomach squirm at the thought. "Oh no, has Kiki not noticed the press? She's getting closer, closer... she's made her move! Ducking under it as it rises up, but she's hit! And it slams down again, did she make it?! She's... AH! She's on top of it now, shooting spike-tipped wires at her foe!" The relief in her voice is evident, despite her best efforts.
Vervi	The blue Shinki snaps her rifle up when she loses sight of Kiki, her Options spreading out to get a better idea of what's going on. By the time she's located her white-clad foe, though, it's too late to escape. Her engines flare in an attempt to evade, the spines digging into her left leg and yanking her backward. Thinking quickly, Vervi shuts off her engines and twists herself around right before impact to save her engine cowlings, smashing front-first into the cooling tank solidly enough to rupture it. Kicking away the spikes, Vervi drops amidst a spray of chilled oily lubricant, igniting her engines halfway down and darting quickly aside, trailing thick black smoke the whole way. Quickly, Vervi assesses her situation. She wasn't counting on her own distraction being used against her, and so she develops a new plan. But first Vervi must cover her movements. Panels snap open on her battered armor and she rolls swiftly, ejecting several dozen miniature missiles which swarm outward and then arc back, converging on Kiki's position atop the industrial press!
Guest Vivio	Free of their grip on Vervi, Kiki's grapples retract back into her gauntlet. Even as Vervi plots out her moves, Kiki is doing the same... Unfortunately the missiles interupt her train of thought. Kiki raises her shield in front of her to blunt the blast as much as possible, but she is still sent flying. Attempting to uses what thrust she has, Kiki manages to recover in her fall enough to crash land on another conveyor. He armor is scorched, cracks beginning to show from the repeated stress of Vervi's attacks. Recovering from her landing, Kiki doesn't have time to think as a mechanical arm spins into position above her and fires its cutting laser. Kiki spins to the side to avoid, only having to duck under a second laser. The third cutting arm is met by her shield, the motors screeching as Kiki holds the arm back. Finally the gears break and the arm goes limp. With a moment to break, Kiki gets an idea. She grabs the dangling arm, cutting laser still active, and swings it up and around to aim towards Vervi. The laser slices through air and machinery alike as it chases the Vervietta through the air.
Vervi	Darting at high speed, Vervi is a difficult target, the laser carving another slice through the coolant tank's side and then into another assembler, cleaving into finely machined parts and manipulator. Finally the beam catches up with Vervi during a maneuver, cutting into the side of her flight unit before she can roll away from it, trailing smoke and a dash of orange flames amidst her normal blue exhaust. Diving, Vervi cuts her thrust, then levels out and swings her legs forward, digging pointed boots into a catwalk with a shower of sparks. Whirling in place, the VerVietta slams her rifle down to stop herself before she hits the end of the line. Recovering from what seemed like a bad hit, Vervi is in no place to attack on her own. Her Options, however, dart in and start orbiting around Kiki at various ranges, bobbing up and down while making clicking sounds. That clicking, it turns out, is their internal mechanisms loading a new weapon, which is revealed in short order to be a copy of Vervi's signature scatter gun, introducing the Kyknos to cones of high speed shrapnel to keep her busy while Vervi recovers.
Tomoyo Daidouji	Tomoyo winces as Vervi crunches into the cooling tank, but does her best to keep being impartial. "Kiki's wires find their mark, and she uses them to swing Vervi about! She turns of her engines and twists to soften the impact as she slams into a cooling tank! She's still going though, but that black smoke doesn't look healthy... her chassis opens up several missile pods, all of which fire at Kiki!" Though, the cameras would clearly see the concern on her face. A little too soft-hearted for this? Maybe! And then Kiki is blasted by several missiles, being thrown back! Tomoyo bites her lower lip before saying, "Kiki gets her shield up, but it can only do so much against repeated blasts... oh no, she's all cracked, and she landed among a bunch of industrial lasers! She dodges one! Another! And breaks a cutting arm! And then she turns one of the lasers on Vervi!"
Guest Vivio	A hit! Kiki watches with satisfaction as the laser cuts into the Vervietta's flight unit. Of course, Vervi goes down after the cut. But then she sends those annoying options out to attack instead... Too nimble for the large laser, Kiki is off and running. They haven't attacked yet, making the Kyknos wonder what's up... Though she doesn't like the sounds they're making. Deciding to return to flight once more, Kiki goes to attached her wing-shield onto her back again, but that's when the options open fire. The first blast impacts the shield hard, throwing it from Kiki's hand and sending it flying to clatter down on a different conveyor. The second blast hits Kiki dead on, ripping into armor and knocking her over. Quickly scrambling to her feet, Kiki realises she doesn't have time to retrieve her wing-shield with those darn options on her! So, Kiki decides to try and deal with them. Kiki grips her weapon like a sword again, the half blades sliding back into place. The surrounding energy field activates again and Kiki shifts the large weapon over her shoulder in preparation of attacking... But she's still grounded and those options are flying. What's her plan? Kiki's sword begins to hum as the energy covering it glows brighter. Kiki then takes a step forward and swings the large weapon in front of her. The gathered energy release as a wave that streaks towards two of the options, threatening to slice them in half at range.
Tomoyo Daidouji	Tomoyo watches, dazzled by Vervi's elegant flight pattern as she avoids the industrial laser. "And Vervi is ducking and weaving around the las-AH! It got her!" She presses her hands against the glass, checking a display to follow Vervi's fall. "It got at her flight unit, and she's gone into a dive, slamming into a catwalk!" She audibly winces, and raises a hand to her mouth as the little robot slides towards the edge, but she uses her rifle to help her slow down. "But she manages to stop herself, and she has her Options hassle Kiki with scattered bursts!" She seems a little confused as Kiki fails to react immediately, but a look of shock replaces it as the shotgun blast takes the Shinki's wings away! "Oh my goodness! I don't think Kiki was expecting a switch in weapon systems, because those shots ripped her wingshield from her, and a follow-up got her good! She's grounded, with several small targets everyone, what's her next move?" She sits back down and rubs her face. That's pretty bad, and she wonders how Kiki could come back from it, but she can't sound despondent for the listeners! Besides, the little robot hasn't given up! "She's got her sword ready, and it's glowing even brighter... ah, a sword beam!" She's back on her feet again!
Vervi	With her flight unit damaged, Vervi's choices are narrowing. She continues to harass Kiki with her Options, peppering the white shinki with shotgun fire while Vervi herself rushes along the catwalk on foot, two levels above. Grabbing a railing, she vaults it and descends, and there's a flash. At conveyer level, Kiki's slash wave clips another option. Much like the first time she attacked them directly, the little weapon pods prove highly agile, narrowly evading being cut completely apart. The one that she does clip starts trailing smoke, making two damaged Options now. It retreats slightly, clicking, then dips back in to resume harassing. One level above, the light subsides and Vervi's armor dashes into the air, hovers for a moment, and then descends feet first. It only has one arm, terminating in the remaining gunpod, which unleashes a stream of bullets as it descends. But the armor is clearly unoccupied--a potentially irritating trait of the VerVietta shinki. Vervi herself, sans armor, holds her laser rifle over her shoulder as she dashes down the upper level catwalk, searching for a good position while her remote controlled equipment continues to ruin Kiki's day.
Guest Vivio	Kiki is really getting iritated thanks to those options! Stupid things... She rolls to avoid a shotgun blast, starting to prepare for a counter-attack only to be forced to roll again to avoid another. The above continues until Vervi's armor joins the frey. Kiki is initially pleased to learn of Vervi's location, only to realise Vervi's not actually in the armor... Still, it presents a tempting target. Take it out and Vervi may well be left vulnerable. Kiki jumps to her feet, starting to run. She zig-zags as the options pick up their attacks, the shotgun blasts grazing the sides of her armor. The gunpod achieves better hits, blowing away chunks of armor as Kiki is charging right for it, sword trailing behind her. Finally Kiki jumps, sword swing up towards the descending armor.
Vervi	The ascending slash catches Vervi's armor in the side, cleaving into the metal in a satisfying way through where Vervi's body would normally be, slicing clear up into the flight back before the mass of the equipment inside that unit stops it. The armor jerks from the impact, shearing away but not reacting as a shinki would. It is, after all, just armor. Sparking violently from the glowing slice in its equipment, the armor leans forward on the sword and grabs at Kiki directly. About three feet away and on an upper level catwalk, Vervi stops her run and turns in place, dropping her rifle from her shoulder and balancing it on the railing in front of her. Eyes narrowing, she aims down the barrel at Kiki and her armor engaged in close combat. The weapon's barrel splits open, letting out that glowing blue smoke and explosing the laser core within. A moment later, she squeezes the trigger, a lance of burning blue light searing down at a shallow angle. And this time, there's no huge mass of equipment in the way to suck energy from the beam.
Tomoyo Daidouji	If Tomoyo had a handkerchief, she would be biting it right now, actually moved to tears as the two Shinki keep going. "Both brave Shinki are badly damaged and grounded now... Kiki's beam only grazed an Option, not enough to even keep it from firing." Her display shows Vervi moving around, and she turns it to face her. "Up above her, Vervi is making her move. She's... oh my goodness! Her armor is acting as a drone, dropping to engage Kiki directly alongside the Options, while she stays above!" Immediately, the tears are gone, replaced by exuberance! "This is /so risky!/ But will it pay off?!" She turns her attention back to Kiki as she struggles to avoid the Option assault. "Kiki dodges, again and again, the Options giving her no other... well, option." She giggles quietly, covering her mouth, but leans forward again as the Shinki makes her move! "She sees the armor, and it looks like she's going to engage it! Perhaps trying to leave Vervi totally vulnerable! And she leaps at it, swinging her blade upwards to catch it as it falls!"
Guest Vivio	Kiki is struggling against the grip of the armor when she notices the light out the corner of her eye... Too late! Vervi's beam rips into Kiki's shoulder, the armor and structure beneath melting under the onslaught of energy. The beam then comes out the other side, continuing to cut through the machinery behind. Kiki recognises the slower movement of her arm because of the damage... Not good. It's still useable, but she's not going to be doing much swordplay at this rate. She turns to look in Vervi's direction, trying to consider other options... Wait, is that? ... Kiki smiles. The armor still impaled on her sword, Kiki uses its own grip on her to start swinging it around. It takes a couple of spins but the armor finally slides off the sword, thrown in the direction of those annoying options. It's unlikely either will hit the other, but it should delay them long enough! Using what thrusters she still has, Kiki makes several high jumps from one mechanical arm to the next, taking her up to the same conveyor level as Vervi. Returning her sword back into its rifle form, Kiki closes the distance separating the blade halves and then begins to charge Vervi in the distance. With a pull of the trigger, the rifle begins to rapid fire bolts at the Vervietta, hopefully keeping her on the defensive and from moving too much.
Tomoyo Daidouji	Tomoyo looks simultaneously satisfied at the sound of the armor being cut, and horrified that something so fashionable is being destroyed. "Kiki's sword strike true, almost cleaving the armor perfectly in twain!" When she catches that it's still functioning, the lets out a little squee. It could be salvaged! "But it's still functioning, using its arms to grapple Kiki!" She spots Vervi on the catwalk above, with the rifle raised and aimed, smiling softly at the little robot's cleverness. "And up above, Vervi takes advantage of the momentary immobilization to line up a shot!" She yelps as the beam of energy strikes Kiki! "Oh goodness! The shot hits home, going straight THROUGH Kiki!... but she's still going!" Bouncing on her chair now, she watches as Kiki fights past her internal damage. "Swinging her sword, she launches the armor at the Options and is making her way up towards Vervi!" She's both giddy and worried, now that the Vervietta's gambit failed. "And her sword becomes a rifle again, firing a flurry of shots at the isolated Shinki!"
Vervi	The barrel of Vervi's rifle closes up and she immediately swings it up, turns, and runs even when Kiki's leaping up onto the catwalk she's on. She knew she'd give away her position with that shot, even if she managed to land a good hit. It wasn't good enough! Vervi's armor, thrown aside, hauls itself back up. The engines flare, sputtering smoke and flames, as it rises into the air. With a grinding noise from the damage, its shape reconfigures into a jet aircraft flanked by the Options and it accellerates in pursuit. Vervi herself, once she finds herself under fire, drops down. As she swings her rifle around to shield herself from incoming purple energy bolts, one sizzles close enough to burn her side, and another her shoulder, damaging the joint and causing her to wince with the motion. When a third shot hits her shield with enough force to nearly knock Vervi over, she opts to simply hurl herself sideways off the platform. In midair, she reunites with her mangled armor, smoldering, one engine guttering while the other strains to keep her aloft. Vervi dismisses her rifle into the Slipway and retrieves the hilt of her own sword, which erupts with a narrower blue beam blade. Ascending, she slashes at the catwalk right where she'd been standing, then doubles back and slices the flooring behind Kiki as well, then brakes herself into a hover while the catwalk starts to fall.
Guest Vivio	Kiki watches Vervi return to her armor and prepares for the coming attack... But it doesn't come... At least not in the way Kiki was expecting. Slice. The catwalk she's standing on suddenly drops a few inches. Kiki quickly looks around for options... She could-No. She's saving that. Tch. No choice! Kiki begins to run as Vervi makes her way around to cut the other side. Kiki jumps just as the catwalk begins to fall beneath her. She can't reach the other side in time, but she has put herself in a good position to fall onto one of the lower catwalks. Kiki plummets through the air, before crashing down onto the next catwalk. She feels more of her internals crushed by the impact, but she holds on as the falling section of catwalk crashes into the one she's currently on. The middle of the second catwalk breaks off with the first, continuing to fall. Kiki slowly stands, turning to look across the void towards Vervi in the middle. It's a pretty bad situation for the flightless Kyknos! Still, Kiki doesn't seem disheartened. No, her face is one of determination. Kiki takes a few steps forward, then starts into a run towards the broken edge of the catwalk. Is she going to jump!? There's no way she can carry herself all the way to Vervi, is there!? Suddenly, an object falls off one of the broken conveyors above. It's Kiki's wingshield! Kiki aims her left arm towards it, grapple spike firing out. It hooks the shield, quickly reeling it back in until Kiki can grab it. The swan has her wings back! But wait~ She's not reattaching them to her back! Instead she attaches it to her sword/rifle? She then jumps off the edge of the catwalk! The thrusters in the folded up wings come to life as they connect to the weapon's power source. Combined with Kiki's own thrusters, the combined sword/shield begins to pull Kiki forward through sheer thrust like a rocket. The emitter within her weapon hums to life, projecting a long blade of energy out of the two halves and further into a long point. Kiki rockets towards Vervi, energy lance poised to puncture right through the Vervietta.
Vervi	The blue shinki hovers, watching her handiwork collapsing downward and Kiki's daring escape from doom far below. The blade of her sword disengages and Vervi swings her hand forward again, manifesting her laser rifle once again. Panting due to her ruptured coolant system, she levels the rifle, its barrel splitting open to reveal the laser core. Vervi fires, a lance of blue searing through the catwalk where Kiki had been standing. Caught off guard by the sudden accelleration from her foe's MacGuyver'd weapon, Vervi sweeps her laser in an arc, but misses the kyknos by millimeters. Vervi's sword blade ignites, but due to her shoulder damage, she's unable to recover from the bulkier laser rifle's sweep in time to bring the sword up defensively, and the shield she's relied on thus far is in a poor position as well. There's a brief look in those green eyes before the lance stabs right through her side and out the other with a spray of coolant and sparks. Vervi's remaining engine sputters and dies out, and both shinki start to drop. The Visualizer pulses and then fades, dismantling the ruined Factory interior and permitting both shinki to land on the relatively close emitter floor rather than the seemingly bottomless pit at the heart of their arena.
Tomoyo Daidouji	Tomoyo watches as Vervi's armor turns into an alternate form, her eyes shining with delight. The idea of transforming clothes is obviously charming to a tailor. "Vervi's armor is smoking, its parts grinding... but it's transformed, into a little jet! It and the Options rush back to their owner, who's fleeing from Kiki's shots!" She looks back at the Shinki's struggle, watching as the shots slip past her shield to strike at her, glancing her side and striking her shoulder! "Vervi is doing her best to block them, but there's far too many! She jumps off the platform, her armor serving as her footing..." She blinks as the rifle is dismissed, replaced by a sword. Is she planning a melee battle? Wait, no! "Oh my! She's taking out the catwalk, trying to send Kiki tumbling down!" Tomoyo checks her display, watching as Kiki leaps for the edge, but falls short! "Kiki jumps, trying to reach the other side! No good, but she manages to land on a lower catwalk at least!" A zoom-in on the Shinki's face shows that her eyes are still alive with courage, despite the lengthy brawl. "But, she still looks deeply determined... ah, she's running to the edge, jumping!" There's no way she can make it all the way to Vervi, is she glitching out? No, she has a plan! "Her wingpack is back, and she pulls it to her with a grapple hook! And... she combines it with her sword!" The only thing more amazing that a transforming outfit is a weapon that combines with other things, as evident by Tomoyo's dazzled look! "The combo weapon powers up, pulling Kiki towards Vervi, the blade suddenly expanding outward into a lance!" She looks on, eyes wide as Vervi struggles to stop the assault, firing a shot, trying to muster her sword and shield. "Oh my goodness, Vervi was too slow to shoot Kiki, she can't get her own weapons up! AHHHHHH! A clean strike, right through!" She leaps off her chair and looks out, display showing the coolant leaking from the beaten Vervietta. The Visualizer fizzles out, leaving the two on the ground. Wiping at her eyes, Tomoyo speaks clearly into the mic. "Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to announce the winner of this round of the Busou Shinki Battle Rondo, Kiki the Kyknos and her master, Vivio Takamachi~!"
Guest Vivio	As the terrain of the factory fades away, so does the energy blade of Kiki's weapon. Pulling away from Vervi, Kiki falls backwards to land on the floor of the arena. She looks pretty broken up, armor sections either scorched, cracked, or completely broken off. Not to mention the hole through her shoulder. After a few moments, Kiki lifts her head up to look at Vervi. She gives the other Shinki a tired smile. As the final blow was made, Vivio was cheering enthusiastically for her temporary Shinki! Now as the battle has completed and the arena opens up, Vivio runs out to meet the two combatants. She drops down into a kneel next to Kiki, softly picking up the broken Shinki. Vivio beams at Kiki as she says, "Good work!" Vivio then looks over at Vervi and says, "You too! That was SO intense!" Kiki, finally feeling the drain of the fight, simply lets Vivio express her own words, smiling some more at Vervi.
Vervi	Once the terrain disappears, the damage lifts a moment later, leaving an exhausted but intact VerVietta resting on her back on the Arena's visualizer. With Kiki's help, she hauls herself to her feet, exhausted, and dismisses her armor with a flicker of the Slipway. Though wobbly, Vervi returns Kiki's smile and adds in a polite bow, "We both did our best, so I'm happy with this even though I lost." Straightened, though still unsteady, she adds, "Please continue to do your best for your master, okay?" Even if she's just a Virtual Master, maybe if Kiki does well this year, she might find a home for good this time, right?
Nathan Hall	Nathan has been watching intensely. As soon as he sees that rocket lance connect, there's a sympathetic pained noise he makes, not any particular severe pain but the kind of good-natured sympathy when you understand your favorite team isn't going to win the match. And that's what this is, it would seem. He's going to allow Vervi the time to speak with her opponent as long as she likes, of course, to congratulate her on her win and to exchange compliments. But he'll be heading out to retrieve her, carefully and caringly. "She's right, you know. Definitely right, definitely right, you were quite intense out there. Remarkable, very remarkable, splitting, flanking, reuniting like that. Well done." He says, still in the monotone but punctuating it with a more approving sort of noise. "Likely exhausting, likely more than just a little bit exhausting. Do you want to head back home to get to charging, or would you like me to treat you to something for your performance and stay around a little longer?" As per the norm, he'll be offering to pick her up, giving her the almost obligatory gestures of approval with his finger, nudging and fussing.
Vervi	Speaking of masters! When Nathan's hand nears, Vervi clamps on to his thumb and sits on the edge of his hand like that, eyes closed and pleased, if exhausted. Her feelings are quite honest, really! It was such a great fight that she doesn't mind that she lost, now she'll get to see Kiki do well in round two as well. Kicking her feet a little, she admits, "Thank you, Master! But I'm very drained." One eye opening opposite a petting finger, she says, "Let's go home. If you want we can go out tomorrow and do something fun."
Nathan Hall	"A good plan. Ought to get to sleep myself, still catching back up on it, still catching up. Let's get home, let's figure out something fun to do tomorrow." Nathan says, pleasantly, cupping Vervi carefully and heading on out in that usual slow, deliberate stoic shuffle. And, of course, he'll head on out, chattering casually and in a friendly way with Vervi about the fight and some plans for tomorrow. Like old friends!