[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/M5i4w53.png[/img]
[color=FE93EC][h3][b]✫✫ Nico ✫✫[/b][/h3][/color][/center][hr]

[color=FE93EC]"Nyahaha! I'm the best!"[/color] Nico gleefully shouted as she tip-toed around the golden waves, playing herself up to be the invincible heroine. [color=FE93EC]"Too slow, too slow!"[/color] she shouted while continuing to dance. For as much of a mockery as she made of it, though, her earlier assessment still stood: she can dodge, but not close the gap. Every time Nico got a little closer, she was forced to jump back in equal measure because of the following strike. Weaving around her opponent's attacks did let her catch onto something, though; there was something else at play here. The other girl wasn't [i]alone[/i]. Nico could see it, vaguely, slithering between the gold; a snake with its gaze locked onto her, waiting to strike... its eyes full of malice.

[color=FE93EC][i]"You're my target, aren'tcha?"[/i][/color] Nico thought to herself. She jumped back after another attack, raising up one hand with an open palm. [color=FE93EC]"Is that all?"[/color] she playfully asked. Nico winked, saying [color=FE93EC]"If you don't watch out, I'll catch up in-"[/color] to her opponent, but as she was speaking, the other girl cast a new spell of her own.

"Curse Serpent: Frog Eater!"

The giant head of a great serpent, scales as white as the attire of the girl who summoned it, popped up above Nico with its mouth agape.

[color=FE93EC]"...no time..."[/color] she finished her thought in a low, scared voice. Nico wanted to dodge backwards, but she knew as soon as its mouth startd closing in that there would be no escape. And instinctually she knew that, having let her guard down, this single attack would be more than enough to put her out of commission for this fight... or worse. Nico closed her eyes, but opened them up again just as quick when a bright flash and loud crash pierced her eyelids and ears respectively. The snake's eye had been struck, its whole image dispersing in the night sky along with the brilliant light of the arrow that had fired into it. The cat fairy had no idea where this shot had come from, but she didn't let the chance pass her by. She was already poised to jump; with a quick shift of her foot Nico pushed her momentum forward instead, conjuring pink claws at the edge of her fingers.

[color=FE93EC][i]"Please let this hit!"[/i][/color]

Our local ally of justice knew one thing: the cursed girl's arms were the key. Every time she'd attacked so far, that girl had extended, raised or pointed her arm. The ultimate attack required both. Therefor, [i]whatever[/i] was giving her power, it had to be located there. The shock from having her move broken allowed Nico to get a single hit in, striking at the location she thought she saw the snake. Nico did hit [i]something[/i], but couldn't confirm if it was a barrier, the girl's arm or a lucky strike on her actual target. As soon as she had, Nico jumped back; partially because she didn't want to leave herself open for a close-range counter, but also for one more reason.

[color=FE93EC]"I don't need the help,"[/color] she muttered to herself in a low, but frustrated voice. Nico wanted, no, needed to do this by herself. There was no point otherwise. She wanted to understand the other girl; only the two of them and nobody else should've been trading blows! The heroine could already tell so far: There was hesitance from the scaled girl when attacking Nico. No matter how expressionless her face, she couldn't hide those shaky, tense movements. It all but confirmed to the magical girl something that she'd suspected from the start: Something was hurting the cursed girl. And the cat fairy [i]was[/i] going to find out what it was...

...as soon as the other girl had made her next move, at least.