[center][abbr=Pit][img]https://i.ibb.co/7VzgY22/pit.png[/img][/abbr]
[sub][i]Thursday Morning[/i][/sub]
Word Count: 2902 (+3 exp) 
[u]Level[/u]: [b]8[/b] - [u]Total EXP[/u]: 308/80 
[b]Location[/b]: Esaka's Pools, the Forbidden Kingdom
[sup][i]ft. [@DracoLunaris][/i][/sup][/center]
Pit rushed to his assigned stage, not stopping for anything until he'd leapt over the water and landed on the painted wooden platform. Little waves splashed up over the edges, but otherwise the stage proved itself to be sturdy. There were even little boats moored to it that rocked gently with the ripples caused by Pit's arrival. 

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"I'm here!"[/color] he gasped, near breathless. He didn't just seem winded from the run - his hair and feathers were ruffled, his laurel wreath was askew, the clothes he wore were smudged, and there was at least one bruise beginning to bloom on his cheek. It looked like he'd just fought an entirely different match right before getting there... which, unbeknownst to anyone but him, he had.

He had always recovered quickly though, and this time was no exception. He stood up straight, though before he could even think about explaining anything to Ashrah who he'd landed next to he heard his name from the other side of the water's edge. He looked over, a little surprised to see Rika and Bowser Jr. cheering for him. And... Fight of Gods' Zeus too! Support like that was honestly something he hadn't known he'd needed at the moment after what had happened with Juri. Disheveled as he was he beamed at the three of them, waving with one arm before flashing them the sign for victory, his two fingers in the shape of a V.

"You cut it very close," Ashrah said, drawing his attention back to her. Her expression was impassive as she looked down at him, at least until she got a better look at the state he was in. Curiosity flickered in her dark eyes, but she didn't ask. 

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Sorry, just had to deal with someone..."[/color] he answered anyway, though he didn't actually seem that apologetic. Doing his best to put the encounter with Juri out of his mind for the moment, he sighed before going on. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Please tell me it's not too late to fight still?"[/color]

Ashrah shook her head, moving to take her spot nearby but out of the way, and across the wooden platform their opponents watched on. Now that Pit had caught his breath he could actually get a look at them: a man and a monkey. Dweeb, the [url=https://i.ibb.co/BVPc0y3J/outfoxdb.gif]kameo partner[/url] who Pit would have been more surprised to see if he wasn't already acquainted with Diddy and Donkey Kong, leisurely munched a banana as he sat atop one of the small boats tied to the raft's edge. The [url=https://i.ibb.co/j9KNKdLS/outfoxjs.gif]man[/url], John Smith apparently, took one last drag of his cigarette before putting it out on the sole of his boot. The action was a bit redundant since he ended up just tossing the butt into the water anyway. It floated for a few seconds before sinking, joining an unseen host of all kinds of debris at the bottom of the Pools. 

Though he was dressed extremely casually in a t-shirt and jeans, John's face was hardened and blank. When he spoke it was with the grizzled tone of an experienced assassin, though like his outfit his words were pretty casual too.

"Can't say I wouldn't have been glad for a quick win by technicality, but you made it in time kid. And we've got..." he paused to pull one of his sleeves up and check his watch. "...twenty-three more seconds left in round one."

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Oh, good!"[/color] That was a relief! It would be way too embarrassing to face everyone else after losing because he'd been [i]late[/i] no matter the reason, not to mention disappointing his partner. But... twenty seconds left? Had time already started?! [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Wait, wh–"[/color]

[b][i]BLAM.[/i][/b] Giving his opponent no other heads up than the timer being in play, John whipped out his heavy handgun, aimed, and fired it all in one motion. He'd leveled it at Pit's head, either used to Esaka's quick revitalization especially during sanctioned matches or simply unconcerned with killing what he viewed as a child. Probably both. To his credit Pit's reaction time called his Guardian Orbitars to his defense immediately. They formed a little too late to reflect the bullet, but it was caught in the ethereal body of one of the shields in front of Pit's face and dropped harmlessly to the wooden planks at his feet once it dissipated. 

The [i]others[/i] ricocheted off of the face of the Orbitar, as John squeezed off a few more rounds. He was on the move, avoiding the return fire but keeping his distance. That would normally suit Pit just fine; bullets were far from fireballs, but it wasn't like he'd never been shot at before. And he could deal with ranged fighters, even preferred it to be honest. However, Ashrah had given him a crash course on all things Kombat - if the timer ran out, the fighter who'd taken the most damage lost the round. Were the mysterious Heavenly Principles going to count the damage he'd taken since he arrived, or since the time officially started? If it was the latter, then he was in trouble. He had to move in and wear his opponent down as fast as possible or go for a quick ring out!

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"I guess we're getting right to it!"[/color]

He wasn't sure how much time was left when he dropped the shield and zipped forward with a sword in each hand. John however was, and he counted down the seconds while he backed up to the edge of the raft and kept firing. He no more than grazed Pit, if even that, as the angel dodged from side to side and closed the distance. Pit lunged at the man, but John side-stepped him and suddenly he was over open water. Even more embarrassing then being late would be falling in, but thankfully his wings were still in perfect working order (relatively). He beat them and pushed himself up into the air then back to the stage, moving in to attack again as soon as he touched down. 

John snapped his fingers and a moment later Dweeb was dropping down with a knife. The monkey had aimed a falling stab at Pit with hopes to push him back towards the stage's edge, but his target back pedaled just enough to pivot around him. Dweeb was gone again the next instant. 

[i]So that's how it works,[/i] Pit thought, though he didn't think the snapping was really part of it. John had used the interference to put more space between them again, and this time when Pit got up close and lashed out he was sure he had John pinned down - until a swirling, golden wind current swirled around them both, stopping the blade.

[center][i]ROUND ONE: JOHN SMITH WINS
TIME OUT[/i][/center]
Reading the words forming in the air Pit's heart sank a little, even though he thought this might happen. In front of him John held his hands up, a look on his face that seemed to say [i]'hey, them's the breaks.'[/i] He walked around the angel to return to his side of the field, leaving Pit to clench his fists around the hilts of his swords. He inhaled and held his breath for a moment, then slapped his his hands to both of his cheeks to psych himself back up. The motion was a little awkward with his weapons still in his grip, but it served its purpose.

"It was only one round," Ashrah called to him from the sidelines, her unconcerned voice meant as a reassurance. Pit nodded.

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"And it's the only one I'm gonna lose from here on out!"[/color] he promised.

The start of the next round was imminent, but Pit took the time to look over at his audience again and shout out to them. He definitely didn't want to lose in front of Bowser Jr. of all people. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Don't count that first one! I'm going for real this time!"[/color]

[color=SpringGreen]”You better! That was such a lame way to lose!”[/color] the prince called back, while his sister tilted her head to the side in a moment of contemplation and then nodded in agreement with her brother.

Finally Pit faced his opponent across the wooden stage, his bow held tight in his hand.

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow][i]Alright Lady Palutena, what've you got for me on this guy?[/i][/color]

[color=lightgreen][i]There's not much, but apparently he'll do anything for money![/i][/color]

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow][i]Wow, so he's like a really bad guy?[/i][/color]

[color=lightgreen][i]Well when I said anything, I meant [b]anything[/b]. He'll walk dogs or babysit too, so I guess the amount of money doesn't really matter...[/i][/color]

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow][i]Oooo...kay... but as a fighter he seems experienced.[/i][/color]

[color=lightgreen][i]Well he's also a professional hitman![/i][/color]

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow][i]Why didn't you lead with that?![/i][/color]

The golden winds swirled once more, providing the participants some vitality and spelling out the words that would begin the timer and start the next round:

[center][i]ROUND TWO: FIGHT![/i][/center]
Both fighters reacted instantly. Though John opened much the same way with his gun, Pit's light arrows were faster. They zipped across the arena and struck, individually not very powerful but preventing the hitman from properly firing. He tried ducking, dodging, and sprinting, but when the streaks of blue light could curve to follow him it was hard to escape. Of course Pit didn't intend to play the battle this way forever, just whittling John down. He dashed forward, producing more powerful arrows that could actually force John back whenever he was hit. It was a safe way to approach while pressuring the hitman at the same time, and soon enough John was at the raft's edge and Pit was advancing on him. 

John snapped his fingers and Dweeb lobbed something at Pit. The object was small and egg shaped, though when it hit the floor at Pit's feet with a sort of metallic thunk it was quite obvious what [url=https://i.ibb.co/RTK32Qs0/Screenshot-2025-10-26-125550.png]it[/url] was.

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Hey-!"[/color] Pit exclaimed, his eyes widening as he leapt back and away. The explosion that went off the next second left a plume of dark smoke, but somehow the stage had survived. Thankfully Pit had too, one hard beat of his wings dispersing the smoke. Just in time to see John pick up a shoulder mounted rocket launcher that his kameo partner had thrown him. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"-is that even legal?!"[/color]

"Hasn't gotten us disqualified before," John replied. Ignoring Jr yelling [color=SpringGreen]”Cheeeeaaaaap!”[/color] at him, the hitman hefted the weapon and hit a button, firing the explosive ammo. 

The rocket sailed past Pit as he threw himself to one side to evade it. He had wanted to get a handle on how his fighting style might be restricted, and he could feel a few changes, but between the items being thrown in, the monkey itself, and the risk of getting thrown off the stage... this was more similar to a Smash match than Pit imagined it would be. And, actually, if he thought about it that way... then didn't that mean he definitely had this in the bag?

John loaded and fired another rocket, though it resulted in another miss. This time Pit charged forward after dipping out of the way, and in preparation for the angel dragging the battle into a melee John dropped the rocket launcher and snapped his fingers, catching a katana that Dweeb tossed him. It was a wonder where exactly the well dressed primate was keeping all of these weapons. Regardless, Pit had a kameo partner too.

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Ashrah!"[/color] he called out. The demoness leapt into the fray ahead of Pit, soaring into a twisting, downward strike on John with her kriss. The force sent John to the ground so hard that he bounced up, perfectly timed for Pit to swipe him with one of the bow's blades, then spin and slash outward with both. It was a fast and fierce attack that would be familiar to at least one onlooker, the forward smash powerful enough to launch John right off the end of the stage and into the drink.

Satisfied with that, Pit straightened up out of his fighting stance and grinned lightly. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"There we go."[/color]

[center][i]ROUND TWO: PIT WINS
RING OUT[/i][/center]
A pair of cheers rang out from the spectators (with Rika’s second [color=Aqua]”go Pit!”[/color]sounding considerably more genuine than her first one had) along with a short clap and a “Ha ha, now that’s more like it!” from Zeus.

John rubbed at the back of his neck after climbing out of the water, rolling his head and shoulders in preparation for round three. He hadn't exactly been going easy on Pit in the first couple rounds, but he seemed a little more serious now. The kid had decent situational awareness at least as far as avoiding ring outs and earning his own went. In the few seconds they had before having to go at it once more he looked at the angel and said, "I was hoping to catch my first couple targets off guard, but... you a platform fighter too?"

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Uh..."[/color] Pit tilted his head and held his hand out flat, twisting it in a so-so motion. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"I think I'm kinda more of a rail shooter now?"[/color] 

John raised an eyebrow, but otherwise didn't respond. Both of them took their positions once more.

[center][i]ROUND THREE: FIGHT![/i][/center]
Pit practically exploded out himself from his side of the stage, closing the gap within seconds. Still armed with the katana, John did the first thing that came to mind - he chucked it at the approaching angel. Ah, but Pit had seen this strategy before too. Rather than stop to block or dodge, Pit quick-summoned his Upperdash Arm and plowed right through. The sword bounced off the whirring Arm and into the water while the divine weapon itself slammed John in the mid-section, throwing him directly up into the air. Pit was already pulling back the ethereal bowstring while the bow itself was reappearing, aiming up while charging a flaming arrow that struck true but did not leave John with any kind of burn or pyro status.

The hitman landed on his feet, blocking the quick slashes Pit lunged at him with by crossing his arms in front of him. He dropped into a low stance and kicked his leg out, interrupting the blade combo when Pit chose to jump over the attack. John pulled out his firearm once more, flipping their positions and forcing Pit to block the close quarters shots. They hurt a lot less than he thought they would - that must have been the Heavenly Principles' doing as well, right? He just had to wait for the magazine to run out of ammo and... now!

Pit burst forward while brandishing his blades only to be met with a smirk on John's face and the nozzle of a very different weapon staring him down. Nearby Dweeb hollered what sounded like a laugh as the flamethrower sparked to life. It's plume was wide reaching, scorching Pit even while he retreated. John swept it the side to follow his opponent, at least until Pit leapt away from the arena, hanging in the air away from the flames as long as he could before falling onto one of the boats tied to the platform. It rocked dangerously but he stayed dry. He held his breath for a moment, hoping this didn't count as being out of bounds. Thankfully it didn't, since no sparkly gold wind came to interrupt the match. 

John ran forward, flicking the flamethrower on once more, but this time Pit was ready enough that he could send a few light arrows John's way. They twisted through or around the spewing fire and struck the hitman, and when he staggered Pit used that as his opportunity to get back onto the stage proper. He pounced at John with a flying kick, landed in front of him aided by a double downward slash, and ended with a forceful forward cross slash that broke through John's upward guard. He kept up his offense until with one final push he knocked John over the edge once more with a swift kick to his side.

[center][i]ROUND THREE: PIT WINS
RING OUT[/i][/center]
Though things had started off iffy, it hadn't gone too poorly all things considered. Pit sucked in another breath and after banishing his bow he fluffed his wings out and flashed two victory signs this time, one for his cheerleaders and one for Ashrah, who returned his light smile.

"You won't be able to rely on ring outs after the Pools," she advised him.

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"I figured, but might as well do it while I can!"[/color]

From the water side Jr called out [color=SpringGreen]”Nice one Pit!”[/color] while Rika asked more quietly but still audibly [color=Aqua]”Oh, so is it over already?”[/color]

It was indeed; a best two of three of ninety second rounds would only have lasted five minutes at most including the down time between each round's start, but this match was made considerably shorter due to tardiness and quicker wins. Pit hadn't doubted that he'd be able to handily win the first few rounds (if not the tournament as a whole), but he was still proud of himself. The rematch with Juri had been tougher than this physically and emotionally, serving as far more than just a warm up, and he'd still come out on top here right after the fact. It did mean he was more tired than he normally would have been afterward though.

[i]I think I'm gonna need to refuel... or a quick nap sounds nice,[/i] he thought to himself as he and Ashrah went to meet his supporters. He would have stopped to help John out of the water, but the man had extracted himself quickly enough and had his jacket slung over his shoulder as he made sure his pistol was still in good working order.

"Guess there's still a chance to win big in Loser's, huh, Dweeb?" he said to his partner as the monkey walked up next to him, straightening its bow tie. He refilled the gun's magazine and clicked it back into place, not too put out at all about the loss.