[center]
[color=f49ac2]Sakura Level 8: 38/80[/color] 
[color=fff200]Karin Level 3: 15/30[/color] 
Location: Twilight Town
Word Count: 2,016
Points Gained: 3 (+20 +8)
New EXP Balance--- [color=f49ac2]Sakura Level 8: 69/80 [/color]
[indent][color=fff200]Karin Level 4: 16/40 (pending)[/color][/indent] [/center]



	Karin arrived dramatically in port, boldly convincing everyone of the Tinkerslug’s harmlessness, and the friendliness of the Seekers. After settling where the Tinkerslug would be kept in the meantime, the two Street Fighters reunited in the docks. Sakura’s spirits had, naturally, rebounded somewhat since nearly being killed by Risky and that whole business on the ship. At the very least she was able to move past all of it to focus on the event at hand. 

	 [color=f49ac2]”This is pretty exciting…I met up with the Seekers right before we picked our first missions. I really feel like I’m one of them, now! Not like before. The team is assembling once again!”[/color] Sakura said, clenching her fists and shaking them up and down, a skip in her step.

	 [color=fff200]”I see. I assume you and I will be going on the same mission, then?”[/color] Karin asked.

	[color=f49ac2]”Yeah, duh! I went through all that work trying to get you back to normal. I’m not gonna give you up after just one battle.”[/color] 

	 [color=fff200]”...We must have that rematch.”[/color] Karin muttered under her breath.  She glanced around at all the colorful characters being gathered. [color=fff200]”Is this everyone?”[/color] Karin asked, she prepared to clap her hands together to signify everyone should be quiet. 

	Peach fired off her gun, though, and began talking in a very leaderly way. Karin transitioned into wrapping a blonde ringlet around her finger.  [color=fff200]”I’ll go after this one.”[/color] She said, pointing to Big Band as he spoke. 

	[color=f49ac2]”Eh? So soon? No way.”[/color] Sakura said. She found herself hesitant to step up onto the little picnic table.

	Karin glanced at Sakura but refocused on Big Band. He was big, and he had a band. A one man show, as it were. He seemed like a strong force to be reckoned with. A literal tank. Personality wise, he was on the level, with a distinct noir charm about him. 

	[color=f49ac2]”Sugoi..!”[/color] Sakura said, trying to make a game of his heavy footfalls, trying to maintain her balance on her tippy toes while he walked. Sakura clapped after he finished his speech, but stopped after nobody else did. 

	Sakura agreed- Tora was cute. She’d seen the two of them briefly before Blue and Yellow teams were created. Nevertheless, if he invented a robot like Poppi all on his own, he was super smart. 

	When Poppi came up after him, Karin couldn’t help but be grated by the way they spoke. ‘Poppi is Poppi’? What kind of inane sentence is that? Must they constantly speak in the third person? Let alone this ‘meh, meh,’ business.

	[color=f49ac2]”Hey, they say their own names all the time. Kinda like you, Karin!”[/color] Sakura noted, cheerfully nudging Karin’s shoulder.

	 [color=fff200]”I do not! Not as much as that. Only so my enemies know who they’re dealing with.”[/color] Karin said defensively. It was like Sakura could read her thoughts, and it was extremely annoying. 

	Next up was Miss Fortune, or Nadia, who Sakura liked a lot.  She clapped this time even if nobody else did. Karin watched coolly, not sure what to make of Nadia’s moral fiber from the short time they had known each other. And the puns were not nearly as endearing as she thought they were. Or, apparently they were, which didn’t bode well for the intelligence of the rest of the Seekers. 

	As Raz went on stage, Sakura’s jaw dropped. The kid’s list of abilities were as fantastical as they were outlandish. [color=f49ac2]”You can enter people’s minds?!”[/color] Sakura said. [color=f49ac2]”That’s so awesome!”[/color] 

	Karin thought that if nothing else, Raz was earnest. Extreme enthusiasm had long stopped getting on her nerves. For goodness sake, her best friend had somehow ended up being Sakura Kasugano, the most sickeningly sweet person on the planet. 

	When Red stepped up on stage, Sakura grinned excitedly. [color=f49ac2]”He’s a real life American comic book hero!”[/color] She said.  [color=f49ac2]”With a secret identity and everything.”[/color]  

	 [color=fff200]”I suppose it isn’t an unreasonable precaution. Still, I can’t imagine a scenario in this world where knowing one’s true name would give them away. Especially as a Seeker, a group who essentially declared war on god. We’ve hardly been subtle thus far.”[/color] Karin said.
	
	[color=f49ac2]”Ah, bah humboog.”[/color]  Sakura dismissed Karin’s reasoning with a wave of her hand.

	 [color=fff200]”...hum[i]bug.[/i]”[/color] Karin corrected after a second of attempted restraint.

	 [color=f49ac2]”Shh, this guy looks important. He looks like those mystery dudes.”[/color] Sakura said, patting the air in front of Karin’s mouth and staring intently at Roxas. Her hunch was right- this guy was involved. Infact, he used to be a member. Karin had only heard what Sakura had told her, so this was an interesting development.

	[color=f49ac2]”Welcome!”[/color] She called out to Roxas as he stepped off stage. He was still all Galeem’d up, which meant he was in need of a friendly beating later on. If he was ever going to find his friends, he’d need the truth of the world revealed ASAP.

	Next up was Primrose, who stole the show. [color=f49ac2]”Wow, dance fighting!”[/color] Sakura said, cupping the sides of her face. [color=f49ac2]”I wonder if she could teach me any of her moves?”[/color]

	[color=fff200]”...I’m not really sure her moves would be your style, Sakura-chan.”[/color] Karin said. 

Next up was Therion who seemed…pretty straight forward! His speech was precisely the reason Sakura wasn’t exactly eager to get on top of the picnic table herself. Karin was waiting for Sakura to say it was their turn, but at some point they would go up. Normally, Karin would just go up by herself, but she imagined that for the time being the two Street Fighter girls came as a package, as it were. 
	
	Sakura clapped as Ace went up, and clapped as he got done. He really was super cool. His weapons were the size of small cars, and he fought giant monsters for a living. And his name was ‘Ace Cadet’. Might as well be ‘Captain Coolguy.’ Or ‘Badass Youngman.’ Plus, he saved her life, so that gives him extra points if somebody out there was keeping score. Karin also liked Ace Cadet, having fought alongside him briefly. Overall he seemed like a brave, on the level type of fellow who could be relied upon in battle. And, he knew his own weaknesses, which was important, and a humble thing to announce in front of everyone. 

	Midna, the Twilight Princess (Sakura’s facial expressions went on a journey in the sentence where Midna said that part and dismissed the connection immediately) was up next. And she was, yes, a powerful sorceress who had been on many adventures. Her magic show earned vigorous applause from Sakura and polite applause from Karin. [color=f49ac2]”Man…I wish I could shoot lightning and wolves.”[/color] Sakura said wistfully, which earned a withering look from Karin.

	[color=fff200]”What, fire not good enough for you?”[/color] Karin said. So many projectiles had been slung Karin’s way in her life she was loath to imagine the possibility of more. Especially from her rival. 

	Next up was the koopa troop, who Sakura had become quite accustomed to. Mister King Bowser, Kamek, Junior, and Rika were staples of Blue Team. 


	Karin was hardly impressed by Bowser’s boasting. To be perfectly honest, he seemed to be the least competent out of all three of them. Excluding Rika, through no fault of her own. He was a big brute who fancied himself a tyrant and was too blind to see how little everyone took him and his little supervillain act seriously. Who [i]wanted[/i] to be evil? It was a shockingly immature mindset.

	Sakura was still rooting for Rika, and was happy to see her blending in so seamlessly with the eccentric koopa troop. It made her miss Bella, though, though she was glad that Abyssal had chosen a happy retirement

	Next up was Sectonia, who’s presence made Sakura’s chin recede into her neck as she leaned away from the Insect Queen.

	[color=fff200]”There’s two of them.”[/color] Karin said, pinching her nose. Bowser and Sectonia. The King and Queen of villainy. [color=fff200]”I can only imagine they’ll pick different missions to maintain their separate delusions. If not then we’ll be in for quite the show.”[/color]

	 [color=f49ac2]”She’s kinda scary.”[/color]

	Next up was Blazermate, the friendly healing, slightly creepy robot. She was undoubtedly useful in combat, though personality wise Sakura had no idea what to make of her. She figured she had to be a good guy if she was with the Seekers, but she’d barely conversed with the robot and found her zombifying and cavalier nature somewhat off-putting.

	Susie came next, and Sakura tried not to squee.  [color=f49ac2]”Ah…kawaii!”[/color] She said under her breath.  [color=f49ac2]”A business bot!”[/color]

	 [color=f49ac2]”She’s a girl CEO! Like you, Karin!”[/color]

	[color=fff200]”Quite.”[/color] Karin said. [color=fff200]”It’s…not exactly the same thing, but yes, she is.”[/color] How many oafish, complacent old men had she crushed in her time…a number not worth remembering. 

	[hr]

	There was a brief pause after Susie’s turn. [color=fff200]”All right, enough. Sakura, I’m going. And then you’re going after me.”[/color] Karin said. Sakura was flustered.  

[color=f49ac2]”W-wait, can’t I go first so I don’t have to follow you up?”[/color] Sakura pleaded, but Karin just ‘Oh ho ho’d’ and flipped up onto the picnic table.

	A gust of wind seemed to pick up her golden ringlets as she set a hand on her chest. [color=fff200]”Seekers! Before you stands Karin Kanzuki. I am a grand master of the martial art my family invented and passed down for centuries, known as Kanzuki-ryu Kakutojutsu.”[/color]

	[color=fff200]”I have managed a global business conglomerate since I was fifteen years old. And since I was a child I have overseen the training and deployment of the Kanzuki Family Ninja Army. Though, as any great leader, I lead from the front and by example. I have dedicated the better part of my life to the perfection of my body, my mind, and my skill. My fists and feet are my weapons, and they are deadly ones at that. My qualifications and accolades are too many to be named here in this brief introduction. I hope you shall all prove yourselves worthy of fighting at my side.”[/color] She swished her hair back and forth.

	[color=fff200]”Our task is a great and noble one, dedicated to freedom. In trouncing Galeem and his forces we will prove the strength of the mortal spirit supersedes time, space, and the barrier between worlds.”[/color] She clenched her fist in the air and grinned righteously. 

	[color=fff200]”Now I should like to introduce you to my dear friend and rival, Sakura Kasugano.”[/color] She applauded and hopped off her podium picnic table.

	Sheepishly, Sakura climbed on top of it and looked at all of them. Wow, they were all looking at her. It was her six year spelling bee all over again. She was eager and reticent in equal parts, causing her to fidget for a few moments.

	[color=f49ac2]”Pleased to meet you.”[/color] Sakura said, moving her hands to her sides and bowing.

 [color=f49ac2]”L-like my friend said, my name is Sakura. This is my first time saving the world, and um…I know two languages and ate 40 pounds of hot dogs in a contest once!”[/color] She said, nodding. Bowing again, she prepared to step off the picnic table, only stopped by Karin [i]frantically and angrily[/i] gesturing from the sidelines.

	[color=f49ac2]”O-oh! Right. I’m good at fighting. Punching and kicking and all that stuff!”[/color] She did a little hop and punched her fists together. [color=f49ac2]”You guys are great. We can totally win.”[/color] She smiled. [color=f49ac2]”Okay, that’s me in a nutshell, I’m getting down now, buh-bye.”[/color] She quickly descended from the table and hurried to Karin’s side. 

	There, she flattened her skirt with her palms and exhaled, glancing around. [color=f49ac2]”How’d I do?”[/color]

	[color=fff200]”You are…[/color] Karin began harshly, but her expression softened. [color=fff200]”...an idiot.”[/color] She finished. Maybe she didn’t soften that much. As the next person went up, Karin failed to not stew in her thoughts.

[color=fff200]”You could have at least mentioned you were a prodigy. If nothing else it would make me look better, being your rival and all.”[/color]

	[color=f49ac2]”...wanna fight about it?”[/color] Sakura asked, grinning. 

	[color=fff200]”I would love too.”[/color] Karin said. [color=fff200]”Later. And I’m going to get you out of that school uniform so people start taking you seriously, for goodness sake.”[/color]