ROUND 1; Antary versus Ikezu

[Gray Callahan]

The chosen environment; a rocky outcrop, blisteringly hot. Several tall pillars of uneven rock dominate the landscape.

Antary and Ikezu are transported to the arena via the transportation technology.

Have at it, children.

---

[tsukare]

Ikezu was transported to the top of a plateau in a blistering hot rocky landscape. Reminding him of the savage deserts of planet Vegeta. He had yet to spot his foe so he would take to the skies and scan for him. He kept an image of his face in his mind from the tournament table on the ship. A dark haired sayian. He looked up to the sky and noted that their was no sign of a moon, so unless the saiyan could become a super saiyan, the tides were on Ikezu's side.

The heat didn't bother Ikezu, having trained for a good couple of weeks in the saiyan desert himself, though that didn't stop sweat from prickling his furry hide.

Ikezu prepared himself by preparing two ki balls, one in each hand.

[Antary]

Upon his arrival on what was going to become the battlefield of this match, Antary took a look around. The large, thin pillars of rock were all over the place, blocking a good part of his view. Quickly, he jumps up on one of the pillars, slightly stomps on the rock a few times, making sure it wont fall off if he jumps. After three stomps, Antary accidentally left a small crack in the stone. He looked around him again, now from a better position. "A nice place. Reminds me of unpleasant years though." The memories of his previous life quickly flash before his eyes. The saiyan closes them. "14 painful years. It sucked, eh." Opening his eyes, Antary sends a quick blast of energy towards nowhere. A few seconds later the quick blast explodes, as if it had contact with something. "So this place is fake, it seems. Weird technology."

The heat of this place bothered the saiyan slightly, the sweat sliding from his hair onto his face, tickling him. After shaking his head to get it off, Antary closed his eyes, focusing on his opponent. He saw him briefly before jumping up here. Ikezu looked like an animal, yet acted like a man. They seemed to be around the same power level, or maybe Antary just couldn`t sense it right. However he felt for sure that this beastman was doing something with his ki, focusing it into two places. "His hands, probably." the saiyan thought, keeping his eyes closed for better concentration. Almost instinctively, as the beastman started to move, Antary surrounded his waist with his tail, as if a belt, taking the standard battle pose that he was taught.

Deciding it would be for the best to not even let his opponent show the special abilities and tricks he may possess, Antary decided to jump off the pillar and onto his opponent. When he gets into range, the saiyan would send a barrage of punches to the head and the body, trying to reflect energy attacks on his way towards Ikezu.

[tsukare]

Ikezu spotted his opponent as he leapt towards him.

'why isn't he flying?' Ikezu asked himself placing one of his feet behind, he wouldn't bother shooting them, instead he'd use his cat-like finesse to deflect the first attack away from his head as he pushed one of the ki balls into the saiyans chest. At such close range, with the saiyans momentum travelling straight into Ikezu, the likelihood that a close range blast like this would miss was infinitesimal at best. The blast didn't hold too much power, since Ikezu didn't feel like killing anyone today. Instead the purpose of the blast would be to knock the opponent away, while his second ki ball would be blasted with sufficiently more power at his head. Hopefully the blast would be able to rattle the saiyan long enough for Ikezu to get a flurry attack off. If not than Ikezu would keep his ground not wavering from his spot in the sky, and instead allowing his opponent to come to him. He had the advantage in position, and he would not willingly give it up.

All this time, Ikezu would be analyzing his environment and opponent.

[Antary]

Antary`s punch did not hit it`s target, and when the saiyan tried sending another punch, Ikezu dived under him and hit him with a ball of energy, which quickly detonated, sending Antary flying back. To regain balance, the warrior did a quick flip, using energy to stop going backwards and also to keep himself in the air. The saiyan managed to regain balance just in time to react to another blast of energy, which he hit with his palm, redirecting the energy downwards, reflecting the ki ball away. When it hit the ground, an explosion can be heard.

"He knows how to handle himself. This might be tougher than anticipated. I don`t want to reveal any trump cards to him just yet. I`ll stick with simple hand to hand for now. Well, here I go." Briefly noticing Ikezu looking around over the battlefield, Antary used this chance to take a position, as if he was about to launch himself. And he did, by propelling himself with energy, causing a white aura to surround him, which would leave a trail as he flew towards Ikezu.

However, when he started nearing his opponent, the saiyan propelled himself to the right, making a turn to try and end up behind the beastman. As soon as he completed this maneouver, Antary would put his left foot on the ground, literally gliding on it and sending off huge amounts of dust, and using the other leg to send a strong kick, as if he was playing football. Antary expected this kick to send Ikezu flying, and if it did, he would try to shoot a barrage of quick blasts at him.

[tsukare]

Ikezu hadn't actually let Antary out of his sight, so when he saw a blue flash out of his peripheral vision his focus went straight for that, Ikezu's focus being right on Antary and expecting a frontal assault, he was caught slightly off guard when he flew behind him with blinding speed. Having little time to react Ikezu was caught in the butt by a strong kick sending him into the air. As he was launched into the air he flipped himself face down he noticed a flurry of energy blasts heading straight for him. So he let loose three of his own with the intent of detonating three separate groups of the blasts in order to create a smoke screen.

He'd use this resulting smoke screen to pull a smooth move on Antary and burst all of his speed into flying underneath and behind him, using the dust screen Antary had made as cover, creating a palm sized ki ball which he would hide from sight in his hand. If everything went according to plan he'd blast the crap out of the back of his head. Not hard enough to kill, or even seriously injure though. Just enough to daze and surprise.

With Antary's focus being on anihalating Ikezu, it would be less likely that he'd notice this trick. Seeing on how ikezu would time his blasts so that it would appear as if Antary's blasts made contact with him.

[Antary]

As the blasts detonated, something felt off to Antary. It kind of felt like the blasts detonated too early, or made no contact. "This might be my poor ranged ability showing off, but I doubt it. He`s planning something." The resulting detonations created a pretty large smoke screen, which was also somewhat weird. It`s as if the blasts detonated around the same time. "I bet he is charging up some sort of attack or something. I won`t let him!" A white aura surrounds him instantly, and Antary propells himself forward towards the smoke screen at a great speed, leaving a trail of white energy behind him that quickly disappears.

The saiyan spent a couple of seconds in the smoke, arriving at the other side of it, cocking back his fist in preparation for a strike. However, to his surprise, Ikezu was not there. This caused "What?! Is this some sort of trick? Or did he just leave?" thought Antary, while anxiously looking around trying to find him. The speed of his initial dive into the smoke caused it to disappear quicker than it normally would, and after a few moments he spotted the beastman. "Guess he`s just as confused as I am, heh. But I`m not here to play around!"

"Enough messing around! Fight me!" shouted Antary to Ikezu before making another white aura, and flying at full speed towards the beastman. Once he got closer to him, the aura would disappear, but the saiyan did not stop flying towards him. Instead he only slowed down slightly, and put up a knee, trying to clash with him. If he managed to do that, Antary would continue the assault by a combo of low kicks and punches to the body and the head.

[tsukare]

Ikezu's speed also caused the dust cloud to dissipate quickly, when the dust cleared he noticed that Antary was all the way where he was looking all confused and stuff. As soon as the two laid eyes on eachother Ikezu raised his eye brow.

'Why would he rush the smoke screen? Unless he was hoping on clashing. Works for me.' Ikezu thought to himself as Antary rushed him.

"ENOUGH MESSING AROUND! FIGHT ME!"

"As you wish..." Ikezu smiled.

Ikezu decided that the best course of action would be to beat this guy at his own game. So he let him clash, and as he got within range Ikezu showed his claws. As the clash went began with Antary bringing his knee up Ikezu brought his right knee high as if round house kicking, but instead slammed it down on top of Antary's knee. If this connected it would cause Antary to flip forward over Ikezu. At this point Ikezu would try to catch Antary's shoulder with his left hand digging his claws into his clavicle and closing his right hand driving it upwards into his stomache and pulling him back down so that his head was facing the ground. If all this succeeded he'd bring his right knee to his gut, and stomp down on his face tearing his shirt and possibly some flesh as his claws ripped through his flesh. This would create distance, and as Antary was being knocked away Ikezu would rush him with a clash of his own.

If the knee missed he'd use it as a guard for his low kicks, try to push a right punch away to his right side and counter with a left knee to the gut, and a right elbow to the back of the skull. All together this flurry would land a number of strikes for Antary, they would sting a bit, but nothing that Ikezu couldn't handle.

"This is fun." He said.

[Antary]

As Ikezu brought his knee up, Antary proceeded to slam his own knee into the beastman`s lower leg, below the knee. This would probably cause sharp pain, but probably nothing his opponent would not be able to shrug off. Managing to land a couple of punches that made Ikezu`s head wobble around slightly before he started a counter attack. Only now have Antary noticed the claws, as the beastman raised his hand in an attempt to what the saiyan thought was to grab him by the shoulder. Realizing the dangers this could bring, the saiyan grabbed his opponent`s raised arm almost instinctively to stop it. "Don`t mess with me, you animal!" Whipping his own hand back, he quickly gathered as much energy as he could in less than a second, and shot it point blank in the stomach of his opponent.

Still clutching his opponent`s arm, he cocked his fist back yet again, however this time trying to land an actual punch, this time putting a lot of strength into it. If the punch hit, it would probably lift Ikezu up slightly, from the strength of it. If the punch however did not hit, Antary would probably be left vulnerable to a quick counter attack, which could be devastating with the beast`s claws. If Antary could still move after that counter attack (considering it was made) he would engage Ikezu in a clash of punches and kicks, not carrying too much force behind them.

Whether or not any of these actions were succesful, the saiyan jumped out of the clash if it lasted for longer than 2 minutes, for the sake of catching his breath. "He`s pretty good. Almost as good as me, heh." Taking his fighting pose once more, he was now waiting for Ikezu to try assaulting. While awaiting a melee attack, he was still expecting his opponent to shoot off some more energy blasts, just like before. "Come on, it`s your turn. Don`t dissappoint me!" shouted Antary to Ikezu, not so much taunting him but pretty much asking him to go first.

[tsukare]

"Don`t mess with me, you animal!"

"Animal!?" Ikezu said with a face twisted in fury as his opponent charged a ki ball in his hand, Ikezu would create his own ki ball, only this time he'd be smashing it full force into Antary's face. Unless Antary cancelled his attack in order to block Ikezu's they'd both hit eachother at the same time, both being blasted away from eachother.

Ikezu's fur would be singed and still smoking as he flipped himself over and quickly burst towards Antary. "I'LL SHOW YOU AN ANIMAL!!" his adrenaline numbing the pain he was feeling from the blow to a dull throb.

As he reached Antary he'd unleash a flurry of claw swipes, jabs, and kicks. Putting all he could into his attacks, dispite the fact that they were being thrown in waves. His kicks would be aimed at Antary's legs and hips. His hands at his chest and face. He'd see how Antary handled the assault, though he seemed angry, his mind had actually focused on a new goal. Rip his opponent apart.

[Antary]

During the blast exchange sequence when Antary stopped Ikezu`s grapple, Antary tilted his head forwards towards the blast, seeing how he wont be able to dodge it, he tried making it less damaging. By headbutting it. The explosions caused from the blast he sent towards Ikezu, and the blast that hit the saiyan`s head caused a pretty big explosion. This blast to the head did not go unnoticed, a cut could be seen on his forehead, causing bleeding that quickly reached Antary`s nose. "Darn, that was pretty strong. I have a tough head, but he almost cracked it open with the blast. Heh." As the blood kept dripping from the tip his nose, the beastman started quickly approaching, looking pretty mad. Quickly changing his stance right before the beastman started attacking, Antary starts avoiding the attacks. The first few punches and kicks were either dodged or blocked. However, once the beastman started using his claws, the saiyan was slightly confused at first. He had never seen such a fighting style before, and it caught him slightly off guard, resulting in a few cuts on his face, that were luckily only bleeding slightly.

The assault stopped for a few brief moments. It`s as if Ikezu was out of breath or something. Antary knew that this is a great chance to counter attack. Once Ikezu started moving, about to launch some more cuts and kicks, the saiyan also moved in with attacks of his own. The resulting clash would be an exciting sight for those who can see it at a speed like this. Their punches and kicks often clashed, resulting in loud metal clanging like noises because of their strengths. After a while, Antary decided it would be best to fall back, as the clash went on at an incredibly intense pace for longer than it should have. Now carrying many cuts around his body, shoulders and arms, the saiyan almost proudly ripped off half of his gi, letting his tail loose for a brief moment before "attaching" it back on to his waist.

"You`re pretty good, I`ll give you that. I did not bother to read your name on that tournament sheet. I didn`t expect this to be so fun. My name is Antary." Letting go of the ripped clothes that were once parts of his gi, which slowly fell to the ground. After Ikezu decided to introduce himself (or perhaps not), the young warrior would take his stance once more and continue talking. "I am an elite-class saiyan. Saiyans are a warrior race. Born to fight and to conquer. I joined this tournament to see how strong people were outside of that green planet. And I was not disappointed, at all. Well, then, let`s continue this fight for a while more. I`ll show you why the saiyans are called the greatest fighting force in the Universe." And so he charged at Ikezu once again, and once he has gotten close to him, the saiyan would simply disappear and reappear behind him, sending a powerful right handed punch to the beastman`s right temple. When using the zanzoken technique, Antary would keep the afterimage surprise until later use, not revealing it right now.

[tsukare]

Ikezu calmed down during his assault, slowing his attacks and focusing his power. The time lag of his assaults was just enough for Antary to go on the offensive, and a clash ensued. After a few minutes of clashing Ikezu was rightfully short breathed. So the two separated for a short reprieve.

Antary tore off his shirt, with a smile on his face. ""You`re pretty good, I`ll give you that. I did not bother to read your name on that tournament sheet. I didn`t expect this to be so fun. My name is Antary."

"My name is Ikezu, and I'm glad your such a challenge." Ikezu eluded with that statement that he had sparred a good amount of Elites, which reason would say meant that he also lived on Planet Vegeta.

"I am an elite-class saiyan. Saiyans are a warrior race. Born to fight and to conquer. I joined this tournament to see how strong people were outside of that green planet. And I was not disappointed, at all. Well, then, let`s continue this fight for a while more. I`ll show you why the saiyans are called the greatest fighting force in the Universe."

Ikezu smiled, deciding it would be best to save his little secret for later.

With all things said and done the Saiyan rushed him, and Ikezu took his fighting stance when suddenly the Saiyan vanished.

"Zanzoken." He said. He knew this technique, it was a common move used by elite saiyans. And the most common tactic was to use it to get behind the opponent.

Surely enough the saiyan ended up behind him, but it was too late to react. The hook landed and knocked Ikezu away. Ikezu looked at his opponent with utter excitement.

"Hehe. Things just got good." Ikezu said. He prefered to keep his tricks to himself for now.

Ikezu would take a fighting stance with one hand in front and his second hand facing his back. He'd than beckon Antary.

This fight was about to get very interesting. ^_^

[Antary]

Once his punch landed, Antary took the fighting stance he was using all this time. This time, he did it incredibly slowly, as if concentrating. Momentarily, he closed his eyes, taking a big breath. When his eyes opened, Ikezu was taunting him into attacking. So be it. The saiyan felt at peace now, he calmed down his saiyan pride. At least for now. It could burst out at any given moment, should the opponent provoke him. But for now, there was silent peace. Antary did not have much of a tactic. Only to continue hitting hard and fast. The biggest danger from Ikezu at this moment are his claws. So perhaps a hit and run tactic should suffice. Antary wanted to win this tournament, after all. It was time to fight, or else the beastman will take initiative. In an instant, the saiyan disappeared.

He reappeared slightly below Ikezu, flying upside down, his foot pointing at him. The next moment Antary was launching himself upwards, towards the beastman. His opponent`s reaction would probably be to turn around, as that is usually where the users of zanzoken head to, but in this case, the young warrior had other plans. If the opponent did not move out of the way of this kick to the jaw, he would probably end up flying upwards. And that is exactly what Antary was hoping for. If all went as planned, he would use the zanzoken technique once again, however this time in front of the now upwards flying opponent with a massive punch to the stomach. A punch combined with the strength and the momentum from zanzoken would be devastating.

If all went along nicely, Antary would zanzoken once more, this time with a knee to the back. Three zanzokens in a row cost him quite a bit of stamina, so the saiyan was pretty much forced to go on the defensive. At least for the time being.

[tsukare]

Ikezu saw the Saiyan disappeared and allowed himself to drop about half his body height downwards. He was utterly surprised to see the Saiyan appear in front of him with his head at Ikezu's chest level. Ikezu took the opprotunity as quickly as he could grabbing his opponent's Neck to stop him from teleporting and squeezing as hard as he could. He'd jerk the opponent down and around while charging a powerful ki ball as fast as he possibly could and slamming it as hard as he could into the opponent's solar plexis. With his hand clasped hard around Antary's neck, he'd prevent him from being blasted away. And as his body recoiled he'd punch him a couple times in the stomache until he was rightfully stunned before charging a ki ball as much as he could...

"This was fun, we should do this again some time." and drilling it into his face.

Again with his hand clasped around his neck with an iron clawed grip, his claws would cut into his neck as he was blasted away. More than likely cutting a vein. If not than keeping his body in place as his head would be violently jerked back. Enough to snap any normal man's neck.

This would most likely succeed, as his opponent was probably expecting him to turn around to counter a back attack, rather than falling in order to avoid it. With Antary's focus where Ikezu used to be, he'd more than likely be caught off guard by Ikezu's tactic. Giving Ikezu more than enough time to take his opponent and hopefully end this fight.

[Antary]

In midair, Antary was grabbed by the neck. The arm hang on tightly, removing his ability to breathe. His heart starts beating incredibly quickly. He knew that if he did not get out of this choke, he`d end up dead. Because of the massive adrenaline that was being produced from the saiyan`s position, it`s as if time has stopped. He was staring at the beastman blankly, his life force getting choked out of him rapidly. After what seemed like an eternity, Ikezu raised his hand, charging up energy in it. In this position, it was probably enough to mortally wound him. To the point where he would not be able to fight any longer, or perhaps even die. Antary knew only one way of escaping. Almost as if in slow motion, the hand with the energy ball moved towards him. Using the last of his strength, the young warrior raised his own hand, and slammed it palm first into the energy ball, setting off a large explosion. He did not really think of the consequences, he just wanted to not get hit point blank by this big ball of energy.

The resulting explosion, which probably caused Ikezu to let go of Antary`s neck, left a large black smoke screen. He did not inhale anything, and quickly glided out of the smoke screen, only now taking a breath. Dusting off the smoke from his clothes, Antary began looking around for Ikezu. The palm he used to grab his energy ball burned it, and it hurt. The pain was not that bad, only noticeable. "Alright, I need to start fighting with all I`ve got. I was pretty close to losing there. That won`t happen again." Antary started slowly gliding around the smoke screen, keeping at a reasonable distance away from it, looking for Ikezu. Soon the smoke dissolved, and they both would probably have a clear view on each other.

When Antary saw Ikezu, he shot a few medium powered blasts at him, then rushing straight behind them, towards his opponent. After the blasts went past (or hit) their target, Antary would use zanzoken to constantly change positions from which he`s hittting his opponent, sending a couple of strong punches or kicks before disappearing and reappearing at his unguarded side. He would do this around 4 times, and then teleporting away and sending a powerful blast. Then the saiyan would go on the defensive.