Two men stood at the center of the hall, ready for the competition to begin. The officer of the Buccaneers, Dr. Maul, took hold of the rope with one hand, keeping his cane in the other. By direct contrast, the doctor of the Krunch Krew fumbled around with his rope for a good ten seconds before he got a hold of it. The laughter continued.

“Place your bets! Who will reach the ceiling first? Place your bets!” cried the gambling pirate.

“Ah, there’s no way this is even fair,” complained another pirate. “There’s no fun in betting in this contest. We all know what’s going to happen.”

Runch merely smiled in the face of such mockery. When directly addressed by Feya, he turned to address her back, any sign of worry completely missing from his expression and voice. [color=turquoise]”My doctor is [i]always[/i] inebriated! Omnomnomnom! It wasn’t just for the party we had earlier, miss Nelson. Wutong Ken has never once been sober in the time that I’ve known him, but he’s still never once let this crew down. Omnomnomnom!”[/color]

He turned his attention back to the floor below them. [color=turquoise]”Many have underestimated him as some lowly vagabond, unfit and irresponsible, incapable of doing anything. What they do not realize, what it took me time to realize, is that while he may be drunk he possesses a clarity of mind unmatched. Instincts that never fail. He is drunk because one must be in order to be a master of the drunken fist!”[/color]

“Begin!” shouted both the referees in time with one another.

Maul put himself into an early lead, wasting no time in pulling himself directly up the rope one hand after the other. His climbing speed certainly was impressive, but it was clear he lacked the physical prowess of the Red Rums’ and Krunches’ real powerhouses, like Caesar, Feya, and Hachirou. If any of them had been facing down Maul instead, it likely wouldn’t even be a competition. 

Still as it was, Maul was making great time, climbing the rope with his cane held between his teeth and his top hat remaining balanced on his head. He took a second to glance down at his competition, only to find that Ken had somehow gotten himself tangled up in the rope! Such a humorous sight it was to behold, as his right leg had somehow been tied up past his ear, his arms had crisscrossed along his back, and his left leg just kind of dangled in place.

“Hahahahahahaha!” laughed a Buccaneer, pointing directly at captain Runch. “And you were trying to put the fear of God into us over your crew mate! Hahahaha!”

[color=dimgray]”Disappointing that they wanted to waste my time with such a joke,”[/color] Maul sighed, giving pause in his climb. [color=dimgray]”Still, one must not look a gift horse in the mouth. An easy victory for my crew.”[/color]

[color=olive]”Quit bein’ a dumbass honky an’ take it seriously, dammit!”[/color] Jo called out, firing a shot into the air to vent her frustration.

Hachirou’s ears twitched. [color=orange]”He is about to make his move,”[/color] the man stated rather simply.

That’s when Ken began to swing in place, ever so slightly at first, but quickly gaining speed and momentum. Like a pendulum he moved back and forth. Then he spun around, unraveling from his rope-prison like the world’s most complicated yoyo! Faster and faster he spun, still swinging! The new torque had him swinging around in a circle as he unraveled.

[color=dimgray]”What is this?”[/color] Maul observed, intrigued by his opponent’s antics. Once he saw Ken’s rope spinning around him in circles, he received a sudden click of realization and began booking it up his rope again. More and more Ken’s rope wound around him, tightening, until he could escape it no more. The rope constricted around the doctor, preventing him from moving too much. In the same motion, the tip of Ken’s rope snapped upward. Having totally unraveled, he rose up through the air freely, almost making up all of the distance he had lost at the start!

Runch gestured toward the pirate taking bets. [color=turquoise]”5,000 bellis on my mate, please! Omnomnom!”[/color] The pirate shrunk away, muttering about how betting was closed.

Meanwhile, Ken was in the process of climbing up the rope and had reached where he had ensnared his opponent. [color=brown]”Shcuse me, hic! Coming frew.”[/color] he added politely, tugging himself up on Maul’s ankle, and stepping on his face heading upward.

“I don’t believe it!” cried one of the pirates. “He made it look so easy!”

“I don’t think he’s even aware of what he’s doing!” exclaimed another.

To his credit, Wutong Ken whistled merrily to himself as he leisurely climbed up, not a care (or sense of urgency) in the world. Behind his dark, round sunglasses, Maul narrowed his eyes in complete disdain for the drunken doctor that had just gotten such a tremendous advantage over him. [color=dimgray]”Not today, ol’ chap,”[/color] he muttered through the cane between his teeth. The ensnared man jerked his head back, knocking his top hat off. Before it flopped down to the ground below, he managed to snatch it between two fingers on his left hand. With a little jerking and prodding, a small syringe fell out of the hat and into his palm.

Licking his lips in anticipation, joyful that he now had what he wanted, Maul dropped the hat and repositioned the syringe between his fingers. Without any ceremony, he jabbed it into his side and pressed the plunger down hard.

“He’s doing it!” gasped a pirate, fearful.

“Dr. Maul is actually bringing out [i]him![/i]” another cried, both astonished and terrified.

[color=lightpink]”... So hot.”[/color] muttered Kitana Blade under her breath.

Among the tangled ropes Dr. Maul began to convulse violently, grunting and groaning pained gasps. His glasses fell to the floor, shattering on the stone. His muscles tensed and his joints spasmed out of control. Before their very eyes Maul expanded into a much larger person, muscles rippling, but in a rather distorted way. His limbs elongated as they bulked, giving him a wiry, spider sort of look as much of his hair fell out. If it had not been for his clothes (which now barely fit) he would not have been recognizable as the same person. 

“It’s him!” Most of the pirates cowered in fear, taking shelter beneath their seats. “Run! Hide! Fear for your lives! It’s Mr. Sledge!”

[hider=Character Box][center][b][color=slategray][h3]”Two-Faced” Mr. Sledge[/h3]
Dr. Maul’s Alter Ego
SLEDGE SMASH![/color][/b]
[img]https://39m9vk1z5i3x15rspj43y7k8-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/the-phantom-of-the-opera-312x240.jpg[/img][/center][/hider]

The rope snapped against the flexing, expanded muscles of Mr. Sledge in no less than four different sections. [color=slategray]”RAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!”[/color] In a single bound Mr. Sledge threw himself up to the same height as Ken. As easily as one steps on a bug, Mr. Sledge reached across the ropes and snagged Ken by the collar.

[color=slategray]”YOU FALL DOWN NOW!”[/color] he screamed, then chucked Ken down at the floor. No sooner had the drunken doctor left his hand did he begin climbing upward again, now much [i]much[/i] faster than prior to his transformation.

Ken fell down, down, down further. He had past the end of his broken rope before he was able to react and grab hold of it. [color=brown]”Welp.”[/color] He said in a sort of verbal shrug. The drunkard reached out with his toes, taking hold of Maul/Sledge’s own rope using nothing more than his feet! Head first he swung down like a pendulum, releasing his toe-grip at the height of his arc in order to grab hold of the rope with his hands. [color=brown]”Yoush-hic!-getsh down heresh!”[/color]

The drunk man began to tug the rope back and forth, sending whipping motions up along the thing. The first few didn’t even register on Mr. Sledge’s radar, but after a few seconds he noticed what was going on. Pausing his ascent for a second, the deformed mutant gazed back down at Ken, completely unimpressed and undisturbed by the drunken boxer’s attempts to shake him off.

[color=slategray]”YOU SUPPOSED TO BE ON GROUND NOW!”[/color] He fought back against Ken’s shaking by flinging the rope around himself, with brutish strength violently outpacing his opponent’s. Ken was being flung around like a flea on a yoyo for as much control as he had over the situation!

[color=brown]”Whysh the room shpinning more’n normal?”[/color] the drunken doctor asked in a daze as his body flopped limply around in every direction. SLAM! He collided with a wall! SLAM! SLAM! The brutish Mr. Sledge wasn’t giving Ken an inch to spare nor a second of respite! Despite it all, Ken never registered any pain even as he began bleeding out his mouth.

[color=slategray]”WHY YOU NO LET GO?!”[/color] Sledge redoubled his efforts, putting more and more force into the swinging, bashing Ken into wall after wall! The pirates were still cowering beneath their seats, though some of the more brave ones took notice of the brutal display going on in front of them. 

On and on it went. The good doctor was bleeding profusely and had lost so much blood he was unrecognizable. Still, his fortitude held steadfast. Not once did he let go with so much as a single finger. It seemed it would go on forever, but someone had to give, and finally someone did. Mr. Sledge slowed down and mostly went limp, breathing heavily, his stamina having taken a heavy toll. Once more he mustered the force of his great strength for one final swing! That’s when Ken opened his eyes and seized his opportunity. As he was flung once again, Ken tugged hard on the rope with the force of Sledge’s swing, redirecting his force. The Krunch pirate was sent rocketing upward high, closing the distance! Up, up, up he went! Ken flew past Mr. Sledge and at the apex of this jump he grabbed onto the rope once again!

Now ten feet above Mr. Sledge, and only five feet from the ceiling, Ken was all but assured his victory. He reached up with one hand, ready to pull himself to even greater heights! [color=slategray]”NO BEAT MR. SLEDGE!”[/color] The mutant man tugged hard, throwing himself up high with his vastly greater strength, and closed his muscular fingers around Ken’s calves. He clenched hard… But so did Ken.

[i]Phwoot.[/i]

Sniff sniff. Mr. Sledge’s face turned green in disgust after experiencing the most rank, awful, gut wrenching fart he had ever had the displeasure of smelling. Quickly he moved to cover his face with both hands… And promptly fell. [b]THUD![/b] [i]Crack![/i] The stone floor split where Mr. Sledge collided with it, knocked unconscious from the fatigue and the concussion. Before everyone’s eyes the man’s body shrank back into the form of Dr. Maul.

[color=olive]”You got dis, honky!”[/color] cheered Jo.

[color=turquoise]”Just a little farther, Ken!”[/color] chimed in Runch.

Whether or not the doctor had even heard them was up for debate, as he did not seem to acknowledge the cheers of his crew. Slowly, [i]painfully,[/i] he reached up with one hand and pulled up a little farther. With increasing difficulty he reached up with his opposite hand. Now he was right on the cusp of victory. All that remained was to touch the ceiling. Just reach out… And touch it!

The last of Dr. Wutong Ken’s endurance and stamina left him in that moment. Everything went black, and he fell…

[color=turquoise]”Bori bori jelly platter!”[/color] Cap’n Runch leapt from his seat with outstretched hands. Large, soft and porous cereal shot forth from his body and onto the ground beneath the falling doctor. He landed on the top with a soft [i]thwoomp[/i], sinking a good four feet down before rising back up to the top.

“Both contestants are unable to continue!” announced one of the referees.

“This match is declared a draw, with both sides losing their athlete!” added on the other.