Sprigatito has barely left a dent before Kitten turns to him and sends him flying. “AIEEK!” he yelps, tiny enough that he is sent careening to a nearby tea table, at which point the cat reflexes kick in and he ends up bouncing off the wooden leg, launching himself right back at Kitten.

“WAFFLE CHOMP!” he cries, invoking the power of early morning munchies and opening his mouth wide to try and BITE Kitten’s unarmored nose.

Meanwhile, between the two trainers, a fire was brewing. The frustration that passes over Kazuki’s face is brief- just in the moment it seems as if Verai will deny him the title- but is quickly replaced with triumph.

Kazuki is impulsive and brash, but choosing his rival had been deliberate. The armor and sword only serve to validate his decision.

When Verai charges at him, he welcomes it. The collision is jarring, Verai’s armor tips cutting into his skin, and the man wearing it is by no means a lightweight. He’s reminded of his attempts at stopping a charging Duraludon with his bare hands.

Except this time, it works.

Kazuki grins, all teeth as he stands his ground. His heels have practically left scorch marks in the rug below, Mom’s RUNNING SHOES being of apparently incredible quality. Blood drips where the reckless sword swing has cut into his arm, pouring down the underside and staining the rug. His heart beats at the sight of RED.

“Now that’s what I’m talking about,” he hisses through the pain. “No holds barred, fucker!”

He twists, attempting to use the weight of the sword to drag Verai closer while his other hand bursts into flame with FIRE PUNCH, aiming for the armorer’s temple.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Prompts}Sprigatito - Quick
- take an action on reflex
- start your move before your opponent's lands
- ricochet a move off something
- get a running start
- make a hasty decision
- make a sloppy mistake
- leave skid marks
- act without orders
- use a speed-raising move
- use a priority move

Kazuki (Black Belt) - Forceful
- fight through the pain
- try to crush your opponent
- try to strangle your opponent
- get blood in your eyes
- break something in the arena
- take damage from falling
- get hurt to protect a teammate
- turn the power up to 11
- use a move with recoil
- use a move with over 100 base power
- use an attack/sp.atk-raising move

Sprigatito giggles, landing on his feet as Kitten howls in pain. <Haha! I got you!>

It lasts for all two seconds before a ball of fire is spat in his face, which lights up like a baby fern.

Sprigatito squeals, running around in circles as his whiskers burn like candlewicks. <HOT! HOTHOTHOTOWOWOWPUTITOUT!> Still screaming and flailing blindly, he tries to douse himself by tossing his entire face in a QUICK ATTACK at the nearest object—which just so happened to be Kitten.

Kazuki’s hit lands, but before he can take advantage, Verai charges again. His planted feet are ripped off the ground, his back colliding with the far wall. Picture frames rattle at the force of the impact, his lungs wrung dry, his ribs trembling to the same beat. The strangeness of his skin is drowned out by the feeling of being crushed alive.

“You say that,” Kazuki wheezes, his voice only a rasp, but when he meets Verai eyes, he’s still grinning, “but you won’t even stay away.”

He twists, encircling Verai with his arms as he moves to pull him into a standing guillotine choke. All the while, the skin of his hands crackle, having switched to grapple with THUNDER PUNCH.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Prompts}Sprigatito - Quick
- take an action on reflex
- start your move before your opponent's lands
- ricochet a move off something
- get a running start
- make a hasty decision
- make a sloppy mistake
- leave skid marks
- act without orders
- use a speed-raising move
- use a priority move

Kazuki (Black Belt) - Forceful
- fight through the pain
- try to crush your opponent
- try to strangle your opponent
- get blood in your eyes
- break something in the arena
- take damage from falling
- get hurt to protect a teammate
- turn the power up to 11
- use a move with recoil
- use a move with over 100 base power
- use an attack/sp.atk-raising move

They roll in a little red and green snowball, Sprigatito flopping onto his belly and groaning dizzily by the end. But his face isn’t on fire anymore! But sweet Mew, this is going to take so much grooming!

Before he can fret further, he hears Kitten’s yelling and starts to panic, bracing himself for more fire, but when he falls back, all he feels on his paws are the thump thump of kitty paws. <Hey, that’s not fire! Ow! Ow! You’re slapping me!> He whines, reflexively retaliating by swiping back, attempting to SCRATCH her. The catfight has evidently switched into a slapfight.

Between slowly strangling Verai and the threat of electricity, Kazuki could feel Verai’s body losing the struggle. He snickers, tightening his hold. And then his vision turns white.

He gasps at the sensation of something slamming hard into his already-bruised ribs, doubling over as Verai suddenly pries himself out. Kazuki coughs, spit and blood pocking the floor under him. He yanks the breath back in his lungs before raising his head to see Verai shining.

The corner of his mouth twitches up.

"DID YOU REALLY THINK THAT COULD TAKE ME DOWN?"

“Nah, I didn’t think so,” he rasps, before straightening to a stand. He wipes the corner of his mouth and smiles, teeth blood-stained. “I know I can.”

The THUNDER PUNCH dancing over his fists burst into a SURGE, spreading across his body. He charges forwards in a flash of white, every muscle in his body at full power as he takes a running leap and slams his foot into Verai, sending them both crashing to the floor, where he puts the rest of his energy into pinning the armorer down.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Prompts}Sprigatito - Quick
- take an action on reflex
- start your move before your opponent's lands
- ricochet a move off something
- get a running start
- make a hasty decision
- make a sloppy mistake
- leave skid marks
- act without orders
- use a speed-raising move
- use a priority move

Kazuki (Black Belt) - Forceful
- fight through the pain
- try to crush your opponent
- try to strangle your opponent
- get blood in your eyes
- break something in the arena
- take damage from falling
- get hurt to protect a teammate
- turn the power up to 11
- use a move with recoil
- use a move with over 100 base power
- use an attack/sp.atk-raising move

<NO!> Sprigatito cries as Kitten lunges towards him, attempting to brace himself from getting bowled over—which turns out to be a fatal mistake. Kitten’s jaws clamp over the back of his neck, causing him to <Mreep!> in surprise, though it actually wasn’t all that painful—but Kitten is still a bit heavy, especially with all the armor, so he flops on the ground.

So now he’s on the floor, his face on the rug, with Kitten on his back, drooling on him. His little heart is still beating fast, his breaths labored from fighting such a fierce war. He can feel his eyelids begin to droop. No!

Very, very slowly rolling over to his side, he tries batting Kitten away again, except he severely miscalculates the requisite amount of force, and it just becomes him kneading her side. <Geddooofff…> Sprigatito yawns, eyes already shut.

The loud CRASH and clatter of armor and bone falling sounds like the end notes of a song. Music to his ears. But Kazuki is still far from done.

“Can’t get up?” He says, despite being the weight pinning Verai. The armorer struggles, and it does jar Kazuki enough to brace his knees further on the ground to keep from being thrown off. Hungry eyes rove over the battered plating below, trying to spot weaknesses to exploit. “It’s the armor. Why don’t I give you a hand?”

His hands burst into flame with FIRE PUNCH. As Verai struggles, he grabs the steel pieces, ripping and tearing, the clink of armor and diadem being tossed across the room. It’s all mindless, barely touching on the straps and rivets that could make the task easier, but it doesn’t matter. His fingertips melt it all the same.

Laughter bubbles out of him. Without the armor, Verai is polka-dotted with weaknesses—on his skin, in his joints, his vital points. They’re like little self-destruct buttons, and Kazuki itches to press them all like a child let loose on a control panel.

“Ver, Ver, Ver, Ver, Ver.” The fireplace is situated right behind him, casting Kazuki’s silhouette in a harsh light. He’s grinning. It is very, very bright. “This is so much fun.”

His hands are burning. Everything he touches is crumbling in his fingertips. The pain all over his body is background noise to the sound of KEEP GOING roaring in his brain.

“Let’s keep going.”

He launches his fists down on Verai from above.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Prompts}Sprigatito - Quick
- take an action on reflex
- start your move before your opponent's lands
- ricochet a move off something
- get a running start
- make a hasty decision
- make a sloppy mistake
- leave skid marks
- act without orders
- use a speed-raising move
- use a priority move

Kazuki (Black Belt) - Forceful
- fight through the pain
- try to crush your opponent
- try to strangle your opponent
- get blood in your eyes
- break something in the arena
- take damage from falling
- get hurt to protect a teammate
- turn the power up to 11
- use a move with recoil
- use a move with over 100 base power
- use an attack/sp.atk-raising move

Kazuki is in total control of his body, and yet not. It’s as if every movement is oiled, the act of aiming a punch enough to send the train hurtling down the tracks at top speed. He’s carried by a momentum he can’t name, and all the while, adrenaline floods his senses, synapses firing.

When his punch lands, Verai reacts like a wounded animal. It’s by no means an easy hit to take, yet even burned and battered, Verai is still going.

“You really don’t know when to quit, do you?” Kazuki laughs, unaware of his own exertion until he hears how breathy his voice has become. “See, that’s why you’re my favorite.”

He knows he’s past the precipice. When he aims to hit, where he’s aiming for doesn’t even register beyond the direction of DOWN. He throws it, hears the CRACK and crash that follows, and opens his eyes to see his fist has burned through the rug and shattered floorboard.

“Ha… haha… shit. My bad.” He pulls his fist out from the hole, the skin of his arm shredded by the wooden teeth. “Getting sloppy. I need to hit the bags again.”

Fire crawls out from the hole.

“Where were we?” Kazuki smiles serenely. “I was pummeling you.”

He reels his bleeding fist back, preparing to do it again.

In the corner of the room, Sprigatito snores in a pile with Kitten, oblivious to it all, and opting for sleep instead of battle. His eyes twitch, paws fidgeting in a fitful dream. His fur grows duller in the firelight.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Prompts}Sprigatito - Quick
- take an action on reflex
- start your move before your opponent's lands
- ricochet a move off something
- get a running start
- make a hasty decision
- make a sloppy mistake
- leave skid marks
- act without orders
- use a speed-raising move
- use a priority move

Kazuki (Black Belt) - Forceful
- fight through the pain
- try to crush your opponent
- try to strangle your opponent
- get blood in your eyes
- break something in the arena
- take damage from falling
- get hurt to protect a teammate
- turn the power up to 11
- use a move with recoil
- use a move with over 100 base power
- use an attack/sp.atk-raising move

Total: 11 points