World Tree MUSH

     Another day, another fight! The crowds are just as rowdy as ever, and as sunset creeps its way in, great braziers are lit to keep the arena visible. As is customary here at Jacque Cachamard's No Holds Barred Arena, the main man himself stands before the large gong used to mark the beginning and end of fights, taking a deep breath as he prepares to announce the fighters.

"Good evening, one and all! From the mud-caked beggars to the cake-muddled bourgeois, welcome once again to a fantastic fight! This round will see the lion man Rez take on the watery lass Suiren! Everyone remembers the rules, right?" he says, his voice carrying throughout the arena. "Good! I'm bored repeating myself all the time. Fighters, take your corners!"

GONNNNNNNG!!

     Suiren was familiar with the arena and how fights could go here, especially after watching the match between Luke and Cyber Frost. This would be a fight to remember though, of that she was sure. She knew Rez was strong, but she was determined to try her best and win or lose, the experience she gains here would only make her and Iona stronger. The blue-haired young trainer enters the ring first and takes a moment to look around while she waits for her opponent to arrive. 

     In the stands, her mom and sisters are watching, along with another native from Alola, Professor Kukui. Her family wasn't about to miss her first big tournament battle, and with Kukui's area of study being Pokemon attacks and abilities, he is very interested in seeing Pokemon fight against 'off-worlders', especially with a 'Digimon' of all things. She offers a wave to them, and then turns back to the ring, taking hold of Iona's Pokeball and gripping it tightly. "Let's give this our all!" She exclaims brightly with a smile, then her expression quickly turns more serious. It was go time, and she tosses the Pokeball into the air, it opens to release a surge of red energy which takes the form of Popplio, the blue sea-lion-like Pokemon, who appears just as determined this evening as she too awaits the arrival of Rez.

    The Outworlder lionman has been in a number of matches so far against opponent's both great and small. He has been consistent in his methods thus far and seems to fight with only his fists so long as his opponents fight with the same honor, yet if other weapons or techniques are introduced then the Bancho Leomon is quick to pull out his own, either through special attacks or a large blade. He has, on occasion, simply picked up a foe and tossed them out of the ring completely for a quick win. He has made a very clear point that he only wants to face people who are 'the best in their world'. It's been a real crowd-thriller! 

    Before each battle, Rez has a routine in eating a meal before meditating until the match starts. This is a practice that has lead to him being far more accurate, far faster in reaction, and just plain tougher in his bouts. This is his element. He's a brawler. His image says as much. It's going to be very difficult to match the totality of his strength and prowess and the bookies are starting to catch on. 

    The stage gains occupancy from the gifted young trainer, but as her opponent is called he is nowhere to be found. There is a moment where Suiren, Jacques Cachamard, and the gathered masses might wonder if something has happened to the big guy. Nobody wants to see a match winner by default; that's no fun! Murmurs and whispers abound. Scan as Suiren may, there's no sign of the guy. 

    An eye cracks open to reveal a brilliant blue. A stalk of grass shifts as the mouth holding it curls into a faint smile. A fist tightens. A foot presses against the surface below. A length of chain sways loosely. There is a grunt and then a blur of motion bursts forth from the crowd into the air like cannonshot with cries of surprise and distress from those seated nearby. 

    "Sora kara!" 

    With a flutter of fabric, Rez's draped GAKU-RAN flapping like a cape behind him as he descends, the Beast Man-type Digimon lands in the ring. The impact of such velocity causes a billowing cloud to swirl up inside and around the ring made from the blood, sweat, tears, worn concrete, and skin cells of those that have come before. The total obfuscation begins to clear almost immediately, even as the clap of hyoshigi play, growing more rapid, until they are punctuated by two rhythmic sets of double beats of kotsuzumi and tsuzumi. In this beat, the air clears to reveal the Bancho Leomon with his fist a mere one inch away from his opponent's face. A hauntingly beautiful vocalization of 'yo-o-o-o' accompanies this revelation before ending in a percussive flourish. 

    ...that's a very large fist. The lion is grinning. "I am only here for one thing. I desire only to fight those that are the best in their world." To some, that might be a deeper statement that is seems on the surface. "Will you feed on your anger and disappointment and allow it to cloud your mind and ruin your display?" His stare is intense. "Do you have what it takes to face an unstoppable beast with the title of Bancho while maintaining your resolve?" Everything about this feline fighter screams 'champion'. "Do you have what it takes to face down a loved one and go as far as justice allows?! Can you maintain your values while death, deceit, pain, and selfishness surround you?! CAN YOU?!" 

    "Prove it to me, then, but there is no 'try'. Promise me that you will prove to be the best in your world or I will not allow you to place yourself in further danger here. Promise me and prove yourself or else your trial ends here!!" 

    The fist is given a shake to draw attention to it. "Great Promise no fisuto banpu," Rez urges. Never before has touching knuckles together had so much weight in meaning, but will Suiren do it before Rez withdraws to his corner?

>> SUMMARY[Rez] >> Basically, this: https://youtu.be/uBVHEfZYzb0

     Suiren indeed does wonder for a bit where Rez could be. She just saw him the other day and would certainly hope that nothing happened to him in such a short time. Thankfully she doesn't have to wonder for long as the Leomon makes a grand entrance that shakes the ring. Both Suiren and Iona cover their eyes briefly to shield them from any flying debris in that shockwave. Then he moves quickly and soon has his large fist right in her face, and Suiren does blink, a little intimidated by the gesture but she tries her best to keep her outward expression strong. 

     She listens to Rez speak of how he only wanted to fight those who are the best in their world, and thanks to their talk previously at the park with Luke, she better understood what he meant by that, though he also gave more detail here as well. She would not be one to boast that she was anything like the strongest Pokemon Trainer, but she and Iona have been training hard every day since they became partners. Their bond was stronger than anything, and Iona was probably one of the strongest Popplio you'd be likely to find. But Suiren knows that Rez is talking about more than raw strength. They would both do their best to not disappoint him.

     When she realizes the outstretched fist is an invitation for a fist bump, she smiles and fist bumps back, with Iona also joining in, leaping up to add her flipper to make it a three way fist bump. "We promise!" She says firmly.

     "Looks like we've got a friendlier contest than usual tonight, folks! Will we see some blood, or is this going to end in a... FRIENDSHIP!?" Jacques announces, as the two assistants behind him gasp in scandalous shock. The crowd murmur amongst themselves for a few moments, until someone tries to light a cigarette on one of the braziers only to catch fire himself. The ensuing chaos in the stands seems to rile the rest of the audience up again, shouting and stomping and roaring for one or the other of the fighters to beat down the other.

Oh, that guy who's on fire? He just gets tossed out of the stands by the people around him. He'll be fine. Probably.

    With another flutter from his GAKU-RAN, the Bancho Leomon turns away and takes a few steps back to his corner. As he walks, he remarks over his shoulder, "The match has already started, you know." Another step is taken. "You can attack me at any time." Another step. "Even when my back is turned." Plenty of other opponents would happily do just that. Honor in fights best won without honor is just a weakness most of the time. 

    This has got to be the slowest start of any match of late. Still, Rez reaches a comfortable spot and turns back around to face his opponent. His arms cross. His head tips to one side. He watches the pair even as the flickering shadows of the brazier-lit ring dance around and over those present. "Just to be clear so that you understand: these are not duels governed by the rules of your home. This is not just a Pokemon Battle. Most fights are already over by now." 

    A blue gaze falls upon the Popplio. "So? She made a promise on your behalf atop an oath already made. Make good on it." Arms suddenly uncross and a foot stamps hard against the ringtop as the beast takes up a fighting pose. "Because I don't think you can even hit me!" A pure feral burst of energy coarses through the digital creature. "Hit me and I'll consider this fight started, do you hear me? HIT. ME." 

    Against the giant of a cat brawler, Suiren and Iona may look very diminutive, but that's entirely the point. Rez is doing everything he can to pump up just how mismatched this fight is.

     It had been a fair while sice the gong had been struck and yet neither of them had struck each other. Part of her wanted to see what Rez was planning to do, but she realizes when he speaks that she perhaps should have been more aggressive. "I suppose you're right, quite likely my Sifu would have attacked you from behind, this isn't a friendly Pokemon battle." Also she knew if Rez really wanted to he could so easily pick up Iona and toss her out of the ring and it would be over almost before you could blink. This was a fight to prove she was ready to face Frost, so it seems taking this as an honorable battle was a mistake, one she won't make again. 

     Suiren smiles and looks down at her partner. "Alright Iona, Rez seems to think you can't hit him. Why don't you show him your best self? Do it like we practiced." The Popplio nods and gives a determined sounding bark. Iona then begins charging toward Rez, not using her water attacks, at least not yet. For a Popplio, she was pretty quick running on her flippers, clearly, it's something they have worked on. When she gets to within striking range, she looks up at Rez like she's about to leap and attempt to tackle him in the chest, but suddenly she instead ducks low and aims to fly past Rez, perhaps between his legs. Quickly she leaps for the ropes, and with a strong kick of her tail, springs off with her aim directly at Rez's back.

     "It's finally underway! Looks like our lion man is issuing a challenge to the little girl and her littler seal! Can they stand up to him though, or are they just going to get crushed!?" Jacques continues his commentary.

    Iona is fast and having her size against a larger opponent can be used to great advantage. The downside to fighting a larger stronger opponent is that it only takes one or two solid hits from them to do major damage. Most with ranged attacks or tactics would elect to use a distanced approach against the wall of tawny fur dressed like a Japanese high school delinquent leader. While Rez has no had to respond in kind, not even those at distance are safe against the brawler. 

    The battle-ready beast watches the charge forward. Thanks to his experience fighting a famous Primarina, Rez has a major advantage in understand the attacks that might be used. His eyes watch, frame by frame, as the Popplio rushes. If it uses a water blast, he can sidestep. If it uses bubbles, he can pop them. None of that, though; no, Iona instead dashes beneath where he stands. He could simply lift and lower his foot, but he doesn't. No. No. If his opponent is using size to maneuver in order to strike, it can only come from- 

    A flash of fabric furls as the fuzzy fighter furrows his brow. The coat on his shoulders and the chain attached to it are forcefully dragged backward and an arm extends behind with a light twist at the waist to not strike Iona midair in countering deflection. Instead, he- Fingers from that massive hand curl to grip the Popplio by the base of the tail in order to throw her back across the ring whence she started. This may come with quite a reaction from the audience. 

    "No. Again." He takes a single step forward, although at his size it's not a small distance at all. "But if I make it to you first, Suiren, this ends." That won't take many steps at all, especially if he's going to just add new challenges. What's the point of drawing this out like this if the clear-minded Mega Form Digimon is going to present such a brickwall? "HIT. ME."

     Iona lets out a surprised yelp as she is grabbed by the tail, and a bit of a cry as she is thrown across the ring, tumbling against the ring nearly back to Suiren's feet upon landing. Suiren winces a bit as well as she watches that happen, but the scrappy little water type isn't done yet. Iona is back up on her flippers, determination still shining in her eyes as she gives another bark that she's ready to keep going. Suiren nods and smiles.

     "Alright, I had hoped that would work, but we knew this wasn't going to be easy... Let's make it windy." She cryptically tells Iona, and the water type nods, once again rushing toward Rez, but this time she uses Icy Wind, though she doesn't aim it directly at Rez, instead she aims it at the ring under his feet, hoping to slip him up. "Quickly now!" Cries Suiren, and Iona leaps again toward the Leomon, aiming once again to strike him head-first.

>> SUMMARY[Suiren] >> Iona uses Icy Wind on the floor, then follows up with Tackle.

    A critical examination of the actions taken before him come moment by moment. Freezing the concrete around him with frosty air? Chances are that using such abilities aimed at the Digimon would bring about reciprocation, so using it on the environment is an excellent approach. Rez may approve, but he does not show it. This is the kind of creative awareness of one's fighting environment that Rez likes to see. It means an opponent is intelligent and can provide a good challenge. 

    The only downside to this tactic is that Rez is standing in place, marked by the paces in distance away from closing the gap completely. Perhaps it's a good thing what he'd do if he made it all the way is unspoken. Rez does not sidestep. He meets that charge head on without taking a step. He again reaches out to block this attack with an open hand, aiming then to absorb ALL of that physical force through his arm, which would no doubt push backward on him and cause his tall figure to slide backwards away from his step closer. If anything, this would put him further away than where he started and leave mildly unbalanced. 

    It might also result in Iona getting caught and flung away again -- by the head this time -- unless she or Suiren think fast to make the best use of that small moment in such close contact. "Where are your other Pokemon?"

     Suiren is laser focused on this battle, taking it more seriously than any she has ever participated in. She is also starting to feel like Rez is trying to push her ever chance he gets. Every word he utters seems chosen with the intent of raising the tension of this battle and putting more pressure on her. Was he baiting her by asking her where her other Pokemon were? 

     She'd think of that later, in the moment as Rez appears off balance she quickly calls out to Iona. "Jet, now!" However, it appears that Iona had already anticipated what Suiren was going to say and even as the words were coming from her mouth, a stream of water was flowing from Iona's mouth, encircling her in an envelope of water that continues to flow around her and suddenly sends her rocketing forward, directly toward Rez, aiming the attack to exploit his center of gravity and push him further off balance. 

     Only then does Suiren finally speak of her other Pokemon. "Kaiko? He's right here. I was giving Iona her time to shine as we've been training a lot, but Kaiko has been with me for even longer." She just wasn't sure how well he would do here in the ring, being much less inclined to fight on land than Iona. Still, she grasps the blue and white Pokeball with a net pattern and tosses it out in front of her. In a similar flash of red energy, the much larger plesiosaur-like Lapras appears and lets out a roar that still sounded pleasant and musical somehow.

>> SUMMARY[Suiren] >> Iona uses Aquajet, Kaiko enters the ring.

     After some murmuring from the assistants, Jacques waves them off and declares, "What an incredible turn of events! It seems Suiren has snuck another of her pokey mans into the ring with her! But since it's not /outside/ help, we can let it slide! Now that it's three on one, can Rez turn the tables?"

    Bancho Leomon has some large feet. Even still, there is notable use of the lion's tail for balance as that slippery ice causes his legs to shift just a little here and there from the lack of friction. If this were actually a 'fight' Rez likely wouldn't allow it to stay icy for long, but he's also toying with Suiren in a way designed to aggrivate, annoy, frustrate, and confuse. This can't be what she thought it'd be. Same for the people in the audience cheering her on. 

    This is something that Rez would sidestep, which is great. The issue here, of course, is that Rez has been pushed back enough to be right near the ropes on the far side of the ring from Suiren. If Rez sidesteps successfully, her Popplio is going to water bottle rocket herself straight out of the ring. Whether that would count as a total loss or just the loss of that teammate is up to the magnificent Jacques and his assistants, most likely. If Rez attempts to sidestep and slips and falls, Iona may still completely overshoot her target. If Iona hits, well, it might be enough spectacular force to topple him over the ropes if he just stands there. 

    In a move that completely contradicts the nature of the very tourney rules, the Digimon instead turns at the waist and reaches out with both arms to grapple the water-propelled Popplio from the side at full cost of the rest of his balance. This would transfer all of that momentum into his chest at a sideways angle while the Hugging Action Grip fighting cat loses his feet out from underneath himself and would, no doubt, place him square on his butt against the ropes all in a bid to keep the excitable girl and her new Pokemon friend from placing themselves in a potential Ringout DQ. 

    "Oooo-agh!"

     Suiren realizes a little late that her attack could have easily sent Iona soaring out of the ring, and she wasn't terribly confident about her partner being able to act quickly enough to jet her way back into the ring without touching the ground beyond it. So she does breathe a sigh of relief when that doesn't happen, though the fact that Iona is now grabbed isn't great either. The little Popplio slaps at Rez's arms with her flippers and/or tail, if any are free from his grasp.

     "Kaiko, use Body Slam." Suiren calls to her other Pokemon, and Kaiko nods then uses Ice Beam to freeze even more of the ring surface, a track of sorts, ending with a ramp. He then kicks himself forward and slides along it, continuing to push with his large flippers to pick up further speed. Eventually, he goes up the ramp and soars toward Rez. She knew she was taking a risk that she'd hit Iona as well, but she was counting on the fact that Rez would avoid an attack with such a long lead up, and hopefully, as he did, Iona would have a chance to free herself.

>> SUMMARY[Suiren] >> Iona uses Struggle, Kaiko uses an ice slide Body Slam.

     "Looks like they're beating Rez back! He can't keep himself on his feet from all this pressure! But here's a ruling from yours truly: If the pokey mans touch outside the ring, it counts as a loss for Suiren! That should keep things balanced, right? Haha!" Jacques laughs, clearly enjoying making up new rules on the fly as the crowd demand more violence.

    For one that issues a challenge to be hit, does grappling such an attacker count even though it was done to save them from potential disgrace? If not, the slappity-slaps that follow just might. Actually, Rez finds it amusing. Maybe not as amusing as Iona finds her situation to be. In the arms of such a brawler is one of the worst places to wind up in a fight. Holding the wiggler, the lion begins to rise to his feet. He's not injured or even tired. Not yet. He spends far too much time preparing for his matches to do anything but his best. 

    A swift stomp onto the ring flooring helps to shatter that layer of ice; that's enough of that. The only thing more fitting than saving a Popplio from ringout, however, is saving a Popplio from getting squished by a near 500lbs Lapras. That's unsporting. Iona gets forcefully ejected from the Bancho Leomon's arms to give her full clearance from the decending shadow. Eight feet of Lapras seems to all but bury Rez in a crumpled pile underneath. This might seem to be a major upset to any fans that bet on the brawler. He hasn't taken such a tremendous blow in the entire tourney. Is it all over? Can Rez get out from underneath the Lapras? 

    Strange. Lapras don't normally have the ability to Levitate. 

    Rising up, up, up; Kaiko's ascension is only soured by the shape of the one underneath him, arms lifting higher, until the large Pokemon is held up high for all to see! The Leomon looks pleased. "Very good. You managed to hit me after all. Now we can fight." The heft of the Lapras lowers just enough for the muscular lion to chuck the Lapras like an oversized basketball toward where he pushed Iona out of the way. 

    "Kaiko, use Body Slam!"

     Suiren stares, blinking in surprise at the turn of events, at least at first. She hadn't expected Rez to just toss Iona aside and take the body slam straight on, but then she does notice that he managed to sort of catch the Lapras. Her disbelief turns to horror though as he tosses him towards Iona. Rez might not be looking tired, but Iona, while still very much hanging in there, is starting to look a little beat up after being tossed to the mat twice. She slowly gets back up on her flippers, only for her eyes to bulge wide at the shadow of the falling Lapras above her. Quickly, she kicks with her tail and leaps out of the way just in time to avoid becoming much flatter. She breathes another sigh of relief but quickly moves to keep the fight going. 

     Now she had managed to strike Rez without resorting to elemental attacks, a challenge she had set for herself after doing some research and seeing and hearing about how some of Rez's previous battles had gone. If the fight was about to get real, she wondered if the gloves were really coming off now. She decides to go ahead and turn it up a notch on her end and calls out. "Ice Beam!" Kaiko's large mouth opens and a surge of superchilled water fires toward Rez, aiming to freeze him in place. Taking the opportunity, Iona uses Life Dew, spreading around splashes of healing water which restore some of the damage they both have taken, though Kaiko has barely taken any damage by comparison.

>> SUMMARY[Suiren] >> Kaiko uses Ice Beam, Iona uses Life Dew.

    That's all it takes. Quick as a flash, metal is brought out and up to bear in order to parry the Ice Beam. That's a trick he already knows about and being able to hear the commands shouted amidst the roar of the crowd and the heat of battle certainly helps him react quicker, too. The superchilled water beam strikes the flat of the over-sized tanto in a bid to deflect it causing the weapon to tremble from the force being applied to it. It won't stop the beam from spattering such cold material onto his form, leaving frost and ice where it hits, but he just might be able to reroute the beam with a careful twist to have it trace around in the direction of the one splashing water about! 

    Rez refuses to get caught on the defensive. With one final push against the beam, Otokodama now iced over to an extent, the frost-decorated Leomon twists to the side and charges forward. There's a smack of the blade against the concrete and the sound of shattering crystal before the lion becomes a whirling dervish of singing metal and sliced air. It's an offensive push! Suiren's Lapras may be vulnerable to these kinds of attacks, but it would seem that Rez is instead harrying the Popplio with a frightening and dizzying continuous display of spins, slashes, and lunges. 

    Iona is going to have to be fast to avoid the flurry of furry fury; especially if the beam deflection redirection was successful enough. Even previous Pokemon battles never had the lion be so aggressive with his blade. If they tire too much, they'll be sitting Duckletts for the more powerful stuff. Still, Kaiko remains untargeted yet. 

    "Can you continue?! Can you continue to fight knowing you stand against a Bancho?! HRAAAH!"

     Suiren grits her teeth as Rez deflects the ice beam and some of it rains down toward Iona, freezing some of the healing dew and a bit on Iona as well. "Shake it off!" She calls out, and Iona quickly goes into a roll against the concrete, fairly easily shedding the bits of ice from her slick skin. It would have been much less effective if she'd been hit full on, but the spray of deflected ice beam left a much less complete application of ice. When Rez comes at her with the blade, Kaiko almost moves in to take the hits for Iona, but Suiren quickly whistles and the Lapras stops in his tracks. 

     Iona creates several relatively small, dense, water balloons, basically solid spheres of water that Rez would find resist the slash of his blades. Even if he still cuts through them, it allows Iona more time to dodge the path of the blade. Also, while Rez is focused on attacking Iona, Kaiko acts on his own accord so this time there is no warning from Suiren calling the attack. He uses Ice Beam again, showing his intelligence as he directs the attack at his arm, hoping to hinder his ability to swing the sword. Seeing this, Suiren gives a cheer of praise for both her Pokemon.

    A flash of steel here! A zinging slash there! Rez is by no means limited to using his sword to combat those balloons. His entire body is a war machine. From his raking claws with reach between the bubbles, his Flash Bancho Punches that might just knock some of them into the audience, and sweeping kicks to try and catch the Popplio off-guard throughout the relentless assault, the sting of the Bancho Leomon's Otokodama is only one of many worries one needs to look out for. 

Kick! Punch! It's all in the mind. 

If you wanna test me, I?m sure you'll find 

the things I'll teach ya is sure to beat ya, 

but, nevertheless, you'll get a lesson from teacher. 

    Sniping attacks from the side smack the lion's back and arm with icy results. One gets particularly lucky on striking the Leomon's swordhand; the digital feline's other hand swings about to shatter it with a stone-crushing punch. "If you cannot stand toe to toe with me, how will you stand against somebody you'll find harder to strike?!" Splotches of ice made, more crunching water crystals pulverized; can nothing stop the rampaging beast? 

    "Enough out of you!" growls the Beast Man, focused turned to face Suiren's Lapras, and begins to rapidly slive into any beams shot his way. This doesn't fully block, but it just might send even more stray fire(ice) into the gathered crowd. However, a well-aimed shot misses the blade altogether and blasts the Digimon in the face. Rez has no choice but to drop his sword to the ring's floor in order to rip at the ice there with both hands. With nothing to deflect the icy barrage, the brawler begins to punch at further beams while steadily advancing on the ice turret...and is slowing. 

    No. He's... He's not moving. The tall beast is frozen solid with a shimmer of bluish-white coating his form.

>> GAME >> Suiren spends an Edge for: Kaiko and Iona Fire and Water combo.

     Suiren was starting to get worried as Rez got closer and closer to Kaiko while deflecting his attacks, knowing the large landbound Lapras was pretty much a sitting duck. Then a lucky break and a blast catches him in the face, and Kaiko doesn't relent freezing the Leomon in place. He then turns to look at Suiren, awaiting a command to stand down or keep fighting. Suiren isn't sure if this is taking it too far, and is a little worried about hurting Rez, but she'd seen him go through a lot, and also knew he was testing her, so she decides not to let up. "Ice Beam again!" Suiren cries, and Kaiko goes about reinforcing the ice around Rez, and Suiren really hopes this is over and done now, but still, Iona moves to hop up onto Kaiko's shell, ready to help out if Rez has another card to play.

>> GAME >> Rez spends an Edge for: Burst Mode Digivolution

    Lion statues are worth how much on the market? How about a lion lamppost? It may as well be a lamppost for the light its giving off. Since when did Rez glow? More importantly, why is the light getting brighter? 

    In the snap of a finger, the glowing orange light grows to an obscene brilliance and the ice is completely sublimated; flash evaporated! The steamy gas is overtaken, in a blink, by most intense fire punctuated by the scream of backdraft from being freed. Fire! 

    An infernal blaze envelops the brawler completely as he tips his head back in a loud yell, pulls his fists in close to his sides, and is lifted off the ground by the force of the energetic transformation. "GRAAAAAAAAAH! Bancho Leomon: Burst Mode!!" Even the lion's completely white mane has turned ember orange and gold. Each strand of fur and even his GAKU-RAN coat are lifted by this immense display of raw unadulterated power. The flames burn so grotesquely bright that they far outshine the braziers that illuminate the arena. It may as well be the middle of the day. 

    "These fists of mine seek JUSTICE, and JUSTICE they will have. You may have STRATEGY, but do you have the SPIRIT it takes? Stand up, then, against crushing DEFEAT and know that only the JUSTICE to see you kept safe from the dangers ahead will prevail. Only the strongest of SPIRIT can withstand my RIGHTEOUS FURY!" 

    The lion leaps srtaight up into the air, high above, with far more ease than his leap into the ring from the spectator seating. His booming voice fills the arena: "BURNING BANCHO PUUUUUUUUUUUUNCH!" Like a meteor from the sky with streaks of fire behind, the air itself ripples from the incoming attack centered on the two Pokemon in the ring down below while the descent causes the Suiren, Iona, and Kaiko to glow ever brighter until it's nearly blinding.

     Suiren's eyes widen as she sees the glow growing brighter. "No... can't be!" She mutters to herself moments before the ice around Rez is just gone, turned into a puff of water vapor. If he broke out of that she isn't sure trying to freeze him again really makes any sense, so she tries a different tactic, one that will pack a bit more pressure behind it. "Blast him away!" She cries out. Kaiko responds with Hydro Pump, sending a powerful jet of water toward Rez like a fire hose on steroids. Iona doesn't have any moves that match that in power, but she leaps up to land on Kaiko's head and adds her best Bubblebeam, an attack that to be fair hits a lot harder than you would think for a stream of bubbles, they do pack a punch when they pop and are now swirling around the rushing jet of water in a spiral as the entwined attacks surge toward the oncoming punch of Rez and Suiren hopes it is not just enough to counter the punch, but throw Rez out of the ring.

    The forces of intense Water and Ice combine to create a double helix of pure power. Splashes of the immensely cold liquid energy splatter below, but no reaction is so great as the contact of the beam with the fist-first Fireball descending from above. Steam billows from the place where they meet causing the air to ripple in ways that the heat from the fire around the Digimon doesn't already do. Cool mist splashes and rains down about the crowd. The force of the beam seems to have slowed the descent of the incoming Burning Bancho Punch, but, assisted by the force of his fire-propelled punch and gravity, Kaiko and Iona have their work cut out for them. They'll need all the support they can get; Suiren has the strength of oath and honor of promise on her side, but she has to truly be the best in her world to fulfill them both. 

    The roar of the unstable mixture in the air grows louder and brighter and for a moment it seems to be that nothing can stop the devastating blow to come. The arena is filled with truly sight-sapping light, the energy swirling around Rez contracts with one last push, and then a massive triple shockwave and accompanying booms spread outward to wash harmlessly over those watching: Heat, Damp, and Cold, each in turn. The arena itself is hard to see through the immense amount of humidity now present in the air. A fog permates and obstructs, but it quickly starts to spread and dissipate to reveal those within. 

    The Bancho Leomon, no longer enhanced by Burst Mode, kneels there on the concrete before the opposing team leaning onto his sword which sticks blade-first into the ringtop. Rez takes a moment further to regard the moment, then begins to stand. IT CAN'T BE! He takes a few steps forward, eyes locked on Suiren, while leaving his sword behind. A hand lifts in passive gesture. He's...not fighting. "Suiren. You are responsible for your own sense of Justice. If yours tells you to move forward and mine no longer tells me to stand in your way, then we no longer have a conflict of interest." 

    Rez gestures for Suiren to approach only so he can offer to lift her onto his shoulder. He seems hardly worn down at all and yet he wants to present the girl to the masses. Friendship, indeed, Jacques. Friendship, indeed. 

    "I concede. My opponent is to advance. This is how it must be, for Justice cannot be denied. Everybody: Cheer with all your spirit or bad luck will prevent you from finding delicious foods for an unbearably long time. Maybe even a week. Cheer!"

     Although the ending is less bloody and violent than many hoped for, the audience nonetheless erupts into deafening cheers for Suiren's victory, even before Jacques announces it. "And it's over! The victor by forfeit: SUIREEEEEEEN!" he calls out, though even he's nearly drowned out by the noise. It seems either the crowd is really happy for the underdog here, or the threat of starvation has overrode any disappointment they might have had.

Maybe both.

     When it quickly became apparent that there was no way the attack from her two Pokemon would even stop the descent of Rez and his punch, much less throw him out of the ring, Suiren starts to get worried, but she hides it well. She just knows that Iona is exhausted, and a land-locked Lapras isn't going to get very far on his own. However, though it is hard to tell through all the mist, it seems the punch doesn't actually land at all, though her Pokemon know how close it came, and the next thing Suiren sees is Rez, looking like he's back to normal, kneeling and leaning into his sword as it sticks out of the ringtop. She smiles as he affirms her sense of justice and says he will no longer stand in her way if she wishes to move on. As he gestures for her to approach, she first quickly rushes over to give Kaiko a big hug, and during this Iona moves to perch on her head and shoulders, so when Suiren moves to Rez and is hoisted upon his shoulder, she has a Popplio hat. "This was the best battle ever!" She calls down to Rez, though in the roar of the crowd, it's likely only he hears her.

    Rez merely nods as he does a little parading around for her. "Each battle you have becomes a part of you. Never forget those that you lose and those that brought you defeat, so that you may become strong. Never forget those that you win and those that lost to you, so that you may become wise and remain full of care."