ten_fwd | [ota] Putting the 'out' in working out

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[ota] Putting the 'out' in working out

Minoru was planning on working out in the holodeck, but as soon as they announced the ship was docking on Pacifica, he was on his way out. From the cargo bay if it got him there faster! He needed to be on a planet to absorb natural energy and he badly needed to recharge that seal.

Option A:
Unlike the last place the Enterprise docked, which was filled with mountains and exciting terrain to traverse, this wasn't all that interesting. He didn't like water and he certainly didn't like lounging around. But if anyone's up for exploring, Minoru is always happy to tag along. Perhaps a trip to the Submersible Research Institute would put him face to face with some sea snakes.

Option B.
The beaches are a lot more secluded at night - perfect for an after-dinner run or sparring session in the sand. As long as no one gets hurt, they won't get in trouble, right? Right.

Option C.
Minoru promised a few sparring matches, at least one of which would necessitate the holodeck. With natural energy flowing through his chakra pathways and a steady supply of it available until the ship takes off, he can use all his power without holding back!

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A lightning user, certainly. Raiden's just disappointed because if the storm were real, Minoru would be in for one very impressive show. However, this is not the case and so he turns to his opponent, returning the bow and giving him a head start. There's plenty of insulating concrete and brick around, but aside from the cars and their rubber tires, not much is protected from a an electric charge.

He waits a moment, and then disappears in a flash of lightning, as a simulated strike hits nearby. He may not be an actual ninja, but in a storm he can be illusive. He holds out a moment on top of a low building nearby, and when another lightning bolt flashes, he appears behind wherever Minoru has dashed, looking for a haven in this wet scenario.

When the lightning bolts happened, Minoru lost sight of his opponent. Raiden could appear anywhere, and the rain was loud enough to obscure footsteps. Minoru knew he had a significant disadvantage here.

He paused on the side of a building. Literally, standing on the side. The brick was the best insulation he could think of off the top of his head.

He tried to stay still (which wasn't his strong suit either), using all of his senses to anticipate Raiden's eventual attack. When the lightning struck, Minoru turned his head... Albeit in the wrong direction. He fell for the feint.

Raiden comes in swinging with a roundhouse. His preferred style of fighting is more hands than feet, but with Minoru standing on the side of the building, it's one way of taking a shot at his legs. He's parallel to Minoru at least, the side of the building acting as their new ground though Raiden is hovering rather than standing, again.

It was a good feint. Even though Minoru tried to perform a substitution jutsu, there simply wasn't enough time to focus his chakra. The roundhouse made contact, and Minoru broke contact with the wall.

He splashed in a fairly large puddle, catching himself with one hand and then tumbling and rolling more than once to get back to his feet.

"Good one." He admitted, turning back around. He bounced into a squat, feeling his legs stinging slightly. "But it won't work on me twice."

"I would be disappointed, if it did." Raiden comes back down to the ground, sandals settling easily into a puddle with a small smile. It's clear that wet is not a state he minds in the least.

He takes a leap forward, swinging an arm down at Minoru, while the other stays back, ready to come in under his guard if Raiden can manage it against the skilled fighter.

Minoru slid his feet out and dropped low. When he was even lower than Raiden's second punch, he spun. He was already wet. Getting wetter was only going to be worth it if the sweep worked.

Raiden's feet go out from under him, but he leans forward, planting them again as he puts a hand down onto the ground, as if to stabilize himself. A quick jolt of electricity arcs between his fingers just at his hand splashes down into the standing water at their feet.

Minoru spun on his hands, catching a glimpse of Raiden landing in that forward crouch. The lightning...

He pushed himself out of the water as it struck, but unlike Raiden, Minoru couldn't levitate. What went up had to come down. He pushed chakra into his feet, and combined it with natural energy from his seal. The result was a partial Sage Mode. The white scales that now covered his feet and ankles behaved a little bit like armor, helping him withstand blows he couldn't conceivably block as well as protect against the elements. He hadn't ever tried it against lightning, but perhaps it would mitigate some of the shock.

How well and how much was about to be determined.

The attack is meant more as a jolt to put his opponent off balance and surprise their nerves, so that armor will certainly help Minoru reduce the effectiveness of the tactic. Raiden's not looking to be brutal though, and he's really quite curious by the change to Minoru's feet.

The charge to the puddle stops, and instead Raiden scoops up water in his hand, splashing it at Minoru as he comes at him with his fists again.

He landed while the electricity was still shooting through the water, and barely felt a thing. He knew, logically, that the jolt wasn't meant to do lasting harm, but the fact that Sage Mode provided protection from it was a big boost in confidence.

And then he got splashed in the face...

When Raiden came in, Minoru was still able to meet his punch. It did, however, come close than he would have liked. Instead of blocking and countering, he slid his hand up and around, coiling his arm like a snake around Raiden's arm. It was a joint lock. Pushing his hand against his opponent's shoulder, he moved to take him off balance. His back leg was already coming in for a sweep.

Raiden is surprised by the way Minoru puts his arm into the lock, but instead of struggling against it, he opens his fist, grabbing onto Minoru's clothing as best he can, and pulling as he leaned backward.

He's not trying to throw him over his shoulder, instead, as that sweep comes around Raiden pushes off the ground and goes airborne, Minoru in tow.

When Raiden grabbed on, Minoru expectd a throw. He found himself in the air, but in an entirely different way!

He could have grabbed on, but instead, kept his body lose. If he was going to be thrown from an even greater height, he needed to be able to fall safely. Being stiff only made things worse. On top of that, the energy in his seal was already moving. Minoru was ready to activate his Sage Mode with just a thought if necessary - especially if he had to face a lightning jutsu while in the other's grasp.

Raiden isn't looking to put Minoru in any real peril, but he's curious to see what he makes of the tactic. Not having control over the storm means he has to severely modify the attack from his usual method.

Once they're airborne, he does a spin and lets go, hoping to send Minoru into the air over one of the rooftops where Raiden can pick up the fight again. The drop at that point would be more than manageable for a skilled human, but it changes the dynamics of their arena a bit more with the metal ducting and air-handling systems now in play.

What he made of the tactic was vey much a 'wait and see' approach. The storm and Raiden's lightning affinity added an edge to this fight that Minoru wasn't taking lightly. He was a few moments from going full Sage Mode and was ready to escape via a snakelike substitution, if necessary. (That would have really taken Raiden by surprise!)

But when Raiden let go, none of that was needed. At least not yet. The momentum was more than enough to make it to the rooftop, and Minoru landed with multiple flips. He blew his fire breath in all directions, making a protective barrier around himself until he came back to a fighting stance.

It wasn't as big as he wanted, but it sure created some fog.

Raiden sees the area light up, eyes narrowing as he watches Minoru create fog around him. It's an impressive adaptation, and an interesting light show. The Sky Temple, however is in constant weather, and the fog is no more than moisture.

He has no water affinity, but even as that cloud spreads, obscuring his target, Raiden levels a hand as it flickers with lightning and sends a few low-voltage bolts into it.

He'd seen Minoru go into the fog, but what leapt out of it, and onto the concrete ledge of the building, was something very different.

The white scales that were just covering Minoru's feet were now covering his entire body. Two pairs of horns stuck out of his hair, and with the rain matting it down, they looked far more prominent than usual. Upon closer inspection, there were other details - snakelike slits for eyes, purple markings around them, fang-like teeth. He was a Dragon. This was Sage Mode.

"I'd almost forgotten what it's like to not have to conserve this..." He laughed. It was wonderful being on a planet again!

He ran along the edge of the building, hopping from rooftop to rooftop to make his way back to Raiden.

Raiden has seen many strange beings in his many millenia, but that never really jades him enough to prevent the brief look of surprise that registers when he sees Minoru emerge from the fog.

Raiden isn't going to make Minoru run all the way back to him. He recovers from his surprise, and then goes on the attack again, curious to see what this means for their match. He flies straight for Minoru but when he's still a rooftop away, he disappears again in his lightning. This time, instead of appearing behind Minoru, he reappears right in front of him, coming in swinging.

Sage Mode enhanced all of Minoru's senses, his reflexes and his speed. Even though Raiden appeared right in front of him, Minoru felt him coming. He felt the air, even the water droplets around him move. He was using natural energy now, not just his own chakra.

He dodged the punch, still moving past. One more step, and he pushed himself back with a jumping kick aimed at Raiden's back.

Raiden turns as the punch misses, bringing his arms up and blocking that kick just in time. Even though he's flying, it's as if his feet were planted and he moves back from the force of the kick. He pushes back, dropping his feet to the edge of the roof and dropping low for a kick upward at Minoru.

Minoru moved even faster than before, leaping over him with another kick of his own. He traded attacks with Raiden at an astinishing pace that the rain couldn't match, and still, he had the control of one never intending to kill.

The exchange speeds up as Raiden and Minoru meet strike-for-strike on the rooftop in the rain. The fight is almost poetic in nature, and reminds Raiden of his many sparring experiences with his own brother. Fast, powerful, but never a threat to each other's life or well-being.

Their exchange is growing more powerful until, quite suddenly, the buzzer ends their exchange. Raiden takes a leap back from Minoru, taking calm but deep breaths to step down from the impressive fight.

When the buzzer rang, Minoru leapt back as well. Since he didn't have to conserve natural energy right now, he simply kept his Sage Mode activated.

"That was incredible!" he grinned.

The excitement of such an amazing fight even made Minoru forget he was still damp. (Most of the water vanished with the illusion, but some of it was mixed with sweat and stayed behind.)

That earns a rare smile from Raiden which even shows some teeth.

"I have never seen a transformation quite like yours." There was curiosity and a small measure of excitement in Raiden's tone. This was something new, and that always caught his interest,

He came closer. With his seal drawing in energy as Minoru spent it, he could hold this form as long as he wanted to.

"You said you had ninja in your world. I guess none of them studied senjutsu?"

From what he'd heard of, the Sage Mode of a Snake Sage was probably the most dramatic. Some Toad Sages grew warts, but that was about it. He hadn't seen students of the other sacred animals, so he really didn't know any more than that.

"I do not believe they even have such a practice. The Masters wield their element with great power, but I have never seen this technique." Raiden studies Minoru's appearance curiously, the brim of his hat dipping and moving as he does.

"You call it senjutsu?"

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