[Hardy]

‘Rrrrriiing… Rrrrriiiiiiing…. Rrrrriii-’ Beep!

“Yeeeah-loooo. You've got the H-service residents, how may I help you?” Click-click! The sound of the cutthroat blonde cocking one of several .45 caliber pistols she owns follows behind her finally answering her burner phone - one that she tilts her head to a side to hold securely in place between her shoulder and ear.

“This is… ‘'Mr. Mansion’. You've picked up a suitcase of mine before that, as you said, 'brought a smile to your face’. Need you to pick up something else for me. TWO things after you bring me the first. Call it 'another smile’, if ya like. Your services available, ma'am?” The voice of none other than Alexandrian Melfonny inquires of the blonde, who certainly recognizes his identity after that somewhat fairly vague explanation he's given her. The extraterrestrial blonde perks up and drops everything she's doing, smiling at the realization that another big payday is coming up fast from her absurdly wealthy client.

“Aaah! You don't say? For YOU? They're always available if you're as kind as you were last time, good sir. What can I clean up for you today, hmm?” She asks with a far more upbeat tone than before, now holding the phone properly within her hand as she shifts her hips and weight onto her right foot.

“A truck of ‘honey’. And not your typical dull, mainstream brand of honey, if you catch my drift. It's pretty bright and vibrant. So good, it could light up a room. Gotta a load of it coming over, but there's been some less-than-small complications thanks to what happened to Los Angeles city. One of those complications are… Nosy neighbors. Got word they plan on picking up the packages that are meant for me. Would you kindly show them that minding their own business is always better than trying to be an opportunistic Johnny?” Alexandrian requests.

“Show them, you say?” Hardy questions with a lifting brow.

“Yeah. By 'shows’, I mean a little cleaning up would do some good for them. And me.” Her client answers.

“Roger-roger. And when is this truck arriving again?” She prods.

“In less than two days. Monday, 6am. City of San Diego border in the state of California. It's sudden, but so is everything else that's been going on these past few days. I REALLY need you to get a move on as quickly as possible.” Alexandrian asserts.

“I hear ya, I hear ya. Consider it done, senior. I'll be there, with the honey, in a few days.” Hardy assures.

“That's what I like to hear.” The mobster comments.

“Uh huh. Just remember what I like to SEE, sir. You have a good one now.” And with those parting words, the blonde ends the call. From there, Hardy sets her gun down atop of the stainless steel workbench in front of her and opens the laptop nearby, of which she uses to punch in the vague location she's been given by her client.

“Hmm… talk about a tight schedule! I can make it, though.” She assures herself, then stands silent within a momentary pause.

“I think?” She adds while squinting her eyes and tilting her head to the side again. Nonetheless, she's more than willing and ready to take on the challenge. After all, she's aware it'll do well to boost her reputation. Thus, she goes on to shut her laptop before putting away the pistol she has sitting out back within its respective case. A weapon she substitutes for two other firearms - a sniper rifle & a steel revolver, a set with variety and plenty of power to finish 'clean up’ duty with accurate swiftness. She brings them along with her as she exits her apartment storage closet while they're still within their containers. Already set to travel, the mercenary in casual military clothing collects her home and car keys, then proceeds out the door in less than six minutes. It takes a mere minute for her to take the building's elevator down to its underground parking lot and make it to her car. A stainless gray 1999 Dodge Charger R/T. She sets her gun cases onto the passenger side, buckles her seatbelt in, enters the location of interest into the GPS app she has on the modified mobile device she pulls out of her pocket, and goes on her way with a roaring engine.

[ Elsewhere In Illinois / Galivinth & Naeth ]

“ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA!!” The sadistic femme Fatale barks enthusiastically as she lashes out with a flurry of majestically fluent swiping kicks that alternate with no real predictable pattern of where the next one is aiming on Galivinth's body, though they're always either a roundhouse kick toward the head, a whipping kick to the body, or a crouching sweep kick. Judging by the panicking look on the half-cryonean's face, it's quite clear that he's being pushed beyond what he's used to, that she's putting his defense to the test. The oddest part about this pressure from the female taekwondo practitioner is that she's not tapping into her soul essence one bit.

“How are you– Guh!” Galivinth pauses midway into his thought as he raises both his forearms to the side of his head to block a spinning roundhouse kick aiming for his temple. The impact nonetheless is still enough to send him involuntarily lunging off the sidewalk and onto the street, where he lands on his feet.

“So fast!? Woah!?” He finishes uttering his question just a mere second before he's swaying his body out of the way of a leaping ax-kick. Though he's quick to evade, Joscene is just as swift in keeping up her pressure. That overhead heel kick gracefully transitions into a thrusting kick before it meets solid ground. The follow-up attack is one Galivinth just barely manages to lean his head and shoulders out the way of.

“Practice! Now shut up and fight back, wimp! You're not just gonna spend all day BLOCKING AND DODGING, ARE YA!?” Joscene exclaims with far, far too much gleeful excitement for the boy's liking, and upon her taunting shouting, she easily and seamlessly takes up a flamingo stance. Balancing herself in place on one foot while her other remains above waist-level as it dishes out a barrage of thrusting & whipping kicks toward the male's face. It's truly thanks to his active soul essence, even at its mere output of 170%, that he's able to react well enough to avoid letting most of her attacks pry through his defense - however she finally gets through in the midst of that onslaught. Galivinth leans, ducks, blocks, and even deflects with redirecting brushes of his palms, but the one time she suddenly faints a spearing kick for his face, he slips up. He flinches. Reacting promptly by bringing his forearms up within an ‘X’-formation and just as quickly freezing up in confusion when no impact comes, a moment of which Joscene exploits with a quick jabbing kick to his stomach that sends Galivinth stumbling backwards while simultaneously knocking the wind out of him.

“OOOF!” Upon being hit, Galivinth is mentally blown away by how much power is behind that kick. And his adversary doesn't hesitate to capitalize on it.

“You're wide open!” Joscene exclaims with a wicked toothy smile as she rushes forward with a short sprint, but high burst of speed. Momentum she uses to take a hopping stride to the left of Galivinth and then bounce on the ball of her opposite foot, spinning her body in the process to deliver a power javelin kick to the torso.

“Guahk!!” - K R R R A S S H !!! Before he could properly regain the bare minimum balance and bring his arms up to defend himself, Joscene hits her mark. Hitting him so hard in fact, that he goes soaring toward the opposite side of the street and smashing like a human-like cannonball into a parked car. The damage is beyond repair. The side caves in and cradles Galivinth's entire body as he lays there, grimacing with bare teeth.

“Ooops. Sorry, was that too rough?” Joscene's tone is one of apathy as she looks at her handiwork with her hands at her hips. Curious nonetheless, she approaches the boy until she's standing four feet away. Close enough to get a good look at her newest victim.

“Hey, loser! You're not dead, are ya?” She calls out while bending forward.

“N-nnnghhh… Hhaaaugh…” Galivinth groans in pain, providing her with an evident-enough-answer. A smug grin crosses her lips in turn. However, it's then the sound of running footsteps snags her attention. She turns her head just in time to see Ryusuke coming to a sliding halt five feet away from her. She rolls her eyes, but provides him with her attention nonetheless.

“Oh, it's YOU. So you took down those three, Huh?”

“Heh. Wouldn't have come all the way down here if I hadn't. It's important to get through the veggies first before you get to the best part of a good meal - the beef!” Ryusuke comments with a grin, brushing a finger along the stubble of hair on his upper lip.

“You know… You're such an admirable guy, that it honestly makes me sick. I broke my other playmate, so I'll wipe that grin off your Goddamn face next.” Joscene announces with calm spite as she adopts another flamingo stance.

“HMPH!” Hearing those words, Ryusuke simply takes up a fighting stance of his own. His body presents sideways as he looks forward at her, his right fist at waist-level, his left fist aiming beside his jaw, knees slightly bent, and feet spread apart. Just before the two engage for the next fight, Ryusuke's expression becomes one of curious wonder as he looks toward that severely damaged car. Another grin takes form on his face again.

“...Heh. Looks like he's not quite down and out yet.” Ryusuke's comment draws a look of confusion across Joscene's facial features.

“Eh?” Curious, she turns her head to peer over her shoulder, and her eyes go wide at what she sees.

“Y-you're still…” She trails off, now witnessing Galivinth standing on his feet, rotating his neck and rolling his shoulders to work out the kinks in his bones.

“Man, that hurt…” Galivinth admits, sparing another moment to crack his knuckles against the palms of his hands, one fist after the other.

“But it won't be THAT easy.” He concludes with a soft frown of determination. Something that brings about a giddy smile across Joscene's lips.

“So the rumors weren't just empty gossip… You really are tougher than you look! Heheheh… C'mon, show me what the guy who beat up 50 gang members by himself can REALLY do!!! I'll take you BOTH on!” She exclaims with a crazy gleam sparkling in her blue eyes.

“ALL RIGHT! Now THIS is what I've been waiting for. Three schools, each of us representing their own… Let's see who comes out on top!” Ryusuke exclaims, as well. A similar excitement fueling his rising adrenaline. The aura of his soul essence engulfs his body with an output of 200%, a more or less similar size to Galivinth's. His happens to be yellow in color.

At that moment, further down the block, a stainless gray car comes to halt at the stop sign on the corner. While pressing down on the gas, the driver manages to get a look at the three-way standoff taking place 20 feet away to her right before it leaves her sight.

“Huh… Kids fighting in the streets. This side of Chicago really is unpredictable.” Hardy comments, nonchalantly shrugging her shoulders afterwards.

[ Meanwhile With Naeth… ]

Sharing a similar habit with his cousin, Naeth engages his opposition while starting off at a soul essence output of 170%. Even so, his aura is relatively equal in size with the others around him. And despite that detail, he's presently fending them off with casual ease. The cryonean even has his hands in the pockets of his gi.

“What is this…?” He questions dryly just before evading a flying arrow-kick aiming for his head by simply weaving aside, promptly counter-attacking once the taekwondo practitioner lands by soccer kicking the male's shins from underneath him. When one falls, the male's peer attempts to deliver a roundhouse kick from behind to the cryonean's head. An attempt that falls short by Naeth raising his forearm to block and stop it in its place, and one that receives a counter action in the form of Naeth swiftly ducking and simultaneously spinning his body with an extending leg to sweep his adversary right off his feet.

“Is this really the sum of your training?”, a question Naeth presents with a tone of disappointment as he rises to stand tall again. Taking it as an invitation, a member of the Floto Karate dojo comes soaring toward Naeth with a great leap.

“Let me see if I can put on a better show!” A voice draws the cryonean's attention. Shifting his eyes toward the source, Naeth lays eyes upon Jannon Clarke 25 feet in the air with his knees bent and closing in on him.

“FLYING CYCLONE SWIPE!” Jannon exclaims suddenly. The male effortlessly begins spinning when a clockwise flow of visible wind takes form around him, providing him great momentum he exploits to take a shot at Naeth with a spinning roundhouse kick.

The Muay Thigh enthusiast ducks underneath that kick, but the tremendous gust of wind behind it manages to send the top half of his gi he's been wearing like a cape flying off his shoulders and onto the road 22 feet away. Jannon lands smoothly on his feet while turning a full 360°, following up with a fierce uppercut aiming for Naeth's jaw. The latter evades it by simply leaning back and allowing that fist to whiff past his face. Then comes the retaliation. The cryonean throws a swift whipping kick at Jannon's vulnerable side with another force to earn a grimace from the white-haired young man, then shoots another that causes Jannon to stagger a few steps to the side. Naeth telegraphs the motion of drawing that very same leg back a bit, queuing Jannon in on another coming kick. The Floto student raises his arm defensively in preparation to block the side of his torso, but that whip kick shows itself to be a bluff. A faint that turns into a spinning low kick that lofts Jannon off his feet before Naeth uses the momentum of his twirling movement to quickly follow up with a thrusting kick with his opposite foot, connecting with Jannon's gut and sending him soaring 10 feet away, and tumbling another 4.

“Tch! Not bad!”Jannon shouts as he manages to recover and maneuver his body into a kneeling position instead of winding up flat on his back.

“Fascinating at best, shallow at worst…”, Naeth retorts stoically while maintaining the posture of his last kick. Just until he bends and slightly twists his hovering leg, raising its respective knee to pictorial-level in height so that he can rest an arm over its adjacent thigh. A pretentious display that shows his adept grasp on the art of taekwondo, as well irk one of his spectators.

“AAAUGH!” An angry outburst from Polo draws the attention of most of the bench around as he hops down from atop of the vehicle he's been sitting on and observing from, suddenly taking off into a mad dash toward Naeth's direction.

“Left - LEFT!” Shadow calls out while lagging slightly behind his companion, unsheathing his sword during his own sprinting.

Though far from expecting the sudden action, Naeth's more than ready to take on any threat coming his way. Or so he thought. Just when he's more or less 6-feet away from the cryonean, Polo brings forth his emerald-green soul essence to its maximum output and immediately leaps high and far over Naeth, surprising the space foreigner. Naeth, as well as the taekwondo students, turn to watch the hothead in action. To the trio's shock, they discover the two friends are intercepting incoming danger that nearly went unnoticed.

“FLYING CYCLONE SWIIIIIIIPE!!!” –

“Stillness-style… “ Shadow utters just as he comes to a skidding halt, hunching over with his left leg bending and extending outward in front of him, his right knee also bends while its respective foot rests with only the toe of his sneaker remaining on solid ground, and all while he holds his katana sheath at his hip with his right hand and grips the hilt with his left.

What transpires next is the duo display of Polo spin kicking an airborne car away with enough force to send it flipping and landing atop of an apartment building - as well an impressive feat from Shadow.

“REPULSING SLASH!” Roaring his technique out, Shadow instantaneously engulfs himself within the dark deep-blue aura that is soul essence, also at an output of 300%, and draws his sword to attack. His blade, also bearing his aura, cuts through the second car like butter and releases a powerful blow of wind that sends the two pieces flying all the way back where they came from literally 2.5 seconds after lashing out diagonally with his sword.

“I've just about had it up to here with you, you know that!? You think you're so good…” Polo wastes little time in shifting his attention to Naeth after taking care of the cars, pausing mid-thought while approaching the cryonean. On his way over, he abruptly gut checks one of the off-guard taekwondo students and knocks him out cold with a swift straight-punch. The second taekwondo student snaps out of his state of shock just a bit too late to react to the situation, thus he doesn't see the toe-jabbing kick to the stomach coming.

“Bring your stupid ass here– MMNNNN!!!” Polo follows up by literally grabbing onto him afterwards and supplexing him right onto the asphalt of the street. Casually, the hothead kicks up back onto his feet and sternly points a finger at Naeth.

“But there's a lot more to fighting out here in these streets than you know, bucko! I'll prove to you it ain't sweet like that on this side of town!” Polo exclaims with a fierce scowl. The recipient of his anger simply arches a brow and folds his arms across his chest - before Naeth speaks, Jannon cuts in while approaching the two.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

“Hey! I know you're fired up and all, but I still wanna go at him.” He says while pointing a thumb at himself.

“It don't even matter today, blood… Today is about teaching some newbies a lesson about dojo brawls with an insightful can of Beat-His-Ass! One of the things he's about to learn is that it's only LUCK when you get to run the one's out here, 'cause some hitters 'round these parts just don't give a crap!” Polo retorts while cracking both sets of his knuckles one after the other.

“Yeeeeah… fair point. Better for someone to learn that sooner than later, I guess.” Jannon concedes, placing a hand at his own hip while rubbing at the back of his neck with the other. There's a sudden shift that follows. Concurring with Polo, Jannon launches a swift cheap shot at Naeth in the form of a roundhouse kick. An attack the cryonean just barely manages to catch by the shin and stop it in its place.

“A Weasley one, aren't you? Doesn't matter… Both of you come at me once and instill within me this educational lesson you're so well versed in.” Naeth beckons his duo challengers verbally before shoving Jannon's leg away, causing the male to stumble back a few steps.

“You heard the man… Let's serve him a nice concrete platter of dirt!!” Polo exclaims with clenching fists. Jannon brings forth his soul essence at max output, and once his lime-green aura surges around his body, the two Floto Karate practitioners rush Naeth down together.

Back With Galivinth, Nearly Two Minutes Ago…

“Not this time!” Galivinth exclaims as his soul essence skyrockets to 235% and he masterfully catches a roundhouse kick from Joscene, seamlessly spinning to maintain her momentum and take her for a few twirls. He turns and turns before eventually throwing her 50 feet away down the street screaming.

“Huh?” Quick to react, the half-cryonean turns just in time to spot Ryusuke quickly closing in to deliver a thrusting straight at him, and defends himself by swiftly lifting a forearm vertically to block it.

“You really are something else!” Ryusuke praises with a big grin, though it's merely commentary, not a means to make conversation again. In the very next second, he retracts his fists and dishes out a flurry of attacks; a left hook to the jaw, a right hook liver shot, a left straight for center mass, and a spinning thrusting elbow with his left arm. The sound of limbs colliding is all that's heard as Galivinth blocks each of those blows with swiping hands to knock them all off course. However, Ryusuke follows up by lifting his right hand to aim his palm at Galivinth.

“Gust Of Intent!” The student of Floto Karate exclaims and discharges a powerful burst of wind with impact. The attack is translucent, yet it takes Galivinth by surprise by its physical aspect. It hits like a spread shot on his face and upper body, sending him skidding back at least 8 feet.

“Nnngh! What the…” The half cryonean's brows furrow as he cradles his face with a hand. Not particularly due to the small amount of pain, but shock. Sadly, he doesn't have the time to dwell on it or ask questions.

“Look alive, noobie!!” Joscene returns with a vengeance. A leaping flying kick, to be exact. One that hits the unsuspecting Tiger Kung Fu practitioner from behind and sends him stumbling forward a fair distance. Something that Ryusuke sees and takes advantage of within an instant, closing in to deliver a fierce body blow that tears an involuntary wheeze from the half cryonean, then goes on to grab Galivinth by the shirt and toss him over shoulder further down the street. Ryusuke turns around again to face Joscene with his stance ready. However, confusion takes form upon his features. He sees the female saunter her way over to a nearby car beside the sidewalk.

“Let's make this a little more interesting… Shall we?” Joscene questions with a mischievous grin & tone as she shoots a side glance toward Ryusuke. The female teen then, finally after holding off on doing so for a while now, brings forth her vibrant, neon-like violet soul essence aura at the capacity of 200%. Its presence is like a body of water that expands to the size of one-fourth of a football stadium, and it easily creates a sensation of being at the bottom of all that very water. Even Galivinth can feel it from where he's just beginning to rise to a kneeling posture. In the very next moment, Joscene extends a foot out underneath the car in front of her and, as if merely dealing with a soccer ball, lifts her foot with enough effort to launch the vehicle 10 feet into the air. With a twisted, wicked big smile on her face, the power inheritor of a girl swiftly jumps up to send it flying toward Ryusuke like a cannonball with a spinning roundhouse kick. A number of things transpire after she does. The first being Ryusuke staring like a deer in headlights as he observes Joscene and soon sees that car heading toward him. With just enough willpower to resist freezing indefinitely in place, the Floto Karate student grits his teeth and lunges off to the side to roll out of the way. Galivinth, thankfully not within its path, watches the car pass by with nothing short of shock on his face. However, the moment he looks forward again, it's JUST in time to witness the crazy female sending a second car at him this time. Horror overtakes his face. Acting on instincts, Galivinth jumps off to the side in desperation.

“Oh crap!” The half cryonean utters. To his own surprise, he winds up leaping a little over 30 feet into the air and onto a building, nearly stumbling over when he lands.

“Woah… I didn't know I could do that…” Galivinth comments under his breath as he stares down at his shaky hands and his aura coursing around his body. Soon a smile takes form across his lips as he realizes just how far he's come since starting his training. Though, he doesn't get long to fawn over his progress for long. The sound of a grunt brushes his ears as Joscene easily hoists herself up from the edge behind him and hops onto the roof, as well.

“Not bad, not bad! You're tough and nimble! But…”The girl trails off, pausing mid thought to raise her hand and point her fingers at Galivinth as if holding up a pistol sideways at her adversary.

“I bet nowhere near as much as me.” She purrs and gives him a threatening evil grin.

“You're… you're crazy…” is all Galivinth can say in response while facing her. Genuinely unsure if he'll live to see another day, he readies himself with a stance and raises his soul essence output to its max. 300%.

“I'm crazy? Nah, I just like some excitement in my life. Just like you. No normal person gets into a beef with a big gang like the Poppers and easily beats up 50 of their members like you did.” Joscene retorts.

“I didn't really want to, honestly. How do you even know about that, anyway?” Galivinth questions.

“HA!! Are you kiddin’, noobie? Word on the streets ALWAYS gets around. You thought nobody would notice you walking away from FIFTY guys laying on the concrete? You thought that wouldn't get people talking? This is a sport, homeboy. We fight for bragging rights and territory out here in these streets. It ain't hard to recognize when competition is throwing their weight around.” The girl elaborates, now lowering her hand down to her hip.

“Man… I was just defending myself. I'm not a gang member.” Galivinth corrects as he folds his arms.

“Whaddya think a dojo is? A collective is what it is. You wear matching uniforms, learn the same styles, and train together. The primary objective is to be better than the next fool who gives you trouble, too. You're also expected to be there for your classmates when they get into a tussle with a different school. All of that combined makes you a unit. A GANG.” She informs smugly.

“I… I… You… Holy cow, I think… I think you might have actually made a very fair point.” Galivinth admits with utter disbelief written on his face.

“See? And you're still a part of that dojo because you enjoy the absurdity and violence.” Joscene teasingly points a finger at him.

“Ugh… I'm not a delinquent! I swear I'm not…” Galivinth retorts as his brows twitch from the uncertainty and doubt creeping to the forefront of his mind.

“Don't sweat it, Gally. What girl doesn't like a cute boy who can fight?” She coos in turn, now adopting her flamingo fighting stance again.

“Did you… did you just call me ‘Gally’?” He questions with squinting eyes. It's then that Joscene leaps from where she's standing and closes off the distance between them with the intent of bringing a powerful axe-kick down on Galivinth's skull.

“I sure… DID!!” She exclaims just as the heel of her foot hits solid ground when Galivinth takes a short hop back to avoid the attack. The impact sends a small tremor through the building and creates a thick crack that expands a whole three meters. It's then the girl lunges herself forward by kicking off that very same foot, delivering an aggressive offense just like before. This time around, she's twice as fast. So much so, that Galivinth barely attempts to sway his body out of the way of her onslaught of kicks. He instead has to rely on blocking and using his deflecting palm training to redirect her attacks. His increase in soul essence output thankfully helps him operate at a far better rate as well, but it's obvious her boost in capabilities is considerably greater than his. It leads to her gradually backing him up to the opposite end of the roof they're on. Just as Galivinth is a little under five feet away from the ledge he's oblivious to, Joscene manages to deliver a strong spinning thrust kick. One the half cryonean manages to block, but still sends him flying back over a gap and right into a hollow building that's still under construction.

“Ooof!” He lands and seamlessly transitions into rolling backwards, then into a posture that looks like he's preparing to do one arm push-ups. He jumps up back onto his feet and shakes his hands, feeling the sting from her heavy attacks.

“I gotta use the essence shell… If I take a direct hit, it could be bad. VERY bad.” Galivinth murmurs to himself. With his next breath, he focuses and brings his fists to his sides as if he's gripping the underside of a bar. He strains to manipulate his aura, but it's a bit better than his first attempt from yesterday. The energy flowing around his body begins shrinking, stuttering along the way as it's made to form a thick outline around Galivinth's body. A protective transparent shell is what takes place. Just in time too, because it's then and there that Joscene comes jumping through the same opening he was sent through, wasting no time to kick off from that spot and rush Galivinth down again. The male's eyes shoot wide open with a fierce glare of determination when she comes at him with another spinning heel kick aiming for the side of his face. Stomping a foot forward, he tightens his fist and thrusts his forearm up to slam against the side of her shin to aggressively parry her leg away, disrupting her balance in the process. It's a moment he takes advantage of to lift his opposite leg and send her sliding back with a firm shoving kick to the stomach.

“Guh!” Joscene just barely manages to avoid falling from the edge and into an alleyway. She regains her balance and steps forward, soon looking toward Galivinth with a look of surprise on her face.

“Come on, then! This is what you wanted, right!?” The half cryonean barks as the brightness of his protective aura intensifies. At this change in demeanor, a psychotic grin takes form upon her face as her own aura intensifies in brightness.

“Hell yeah! Now, this is what I was hoping for! Let's see just how much you fight back, noobie!” Joscene exclaims as she closes the distance in a heartbeat. Something Galivinth helps with by rushing forward, as well. Reengaging, Galivinth just barely manages to weave out of the way of an incoming high thrusting kick aiming for his face, striding forward at angle and retaliating with a hook going for Joscene's jaw. Quite capable of being on the defensive, the female just barely manages to catch that punch within the palm of her hand. Joscene takes her turn in the form of yanking at Galivinth's hand to force him into hunching over and closer, of which she makes use of by using the same leg from before to hook over his shoulder, still grinning as she proceeds to hop and slam the knee of her opposite leg into the male's chin.

“Guh!” Galivinth attempts to stop that knee from ascending with his free palm, but only manages to reduce its momentum before it lifts and slams his own hand against his chin. The essence shell's protective casing proves itself handy by reducing the impact and keeping that blow from dazing him. The half-cryonean manages to put everything behind pushing Joscene off and away from, sending her soaring back until her feet skid along the floor and her back meets a support pillar a second later. Wanting to steal and withhold control of the fight, Galivinth rushes forward in the midst of her sliding back and lunges in to deliver a flying straight punch. His attack only meets stone. The structure shatters into half a dozen pieces onto the floor by way of her quickly barrel rolling out of the way of the incoming blow. In that moment, Galivinth realizes he has to chip away at her. She's both fast and strong, so trying to fight on even ground may be a fool's goal. And so, they go at each other again, he decides to implement his The Fist That Denies techniques to use. The adversaries throw a left punch at one another. The exchange results in one of them being hit, but there's a catch to that success. Galivinth manages to lean his head out of the way of Joscene's punch and actually lands his right against her cheek, but beyond a brief flash of white, it does nothing to the girl. The two stay that way for a moment. Galivinth, out of shock, and Joscene, out of amusement and disbelief.

“...Was that your best or are you holding out on me?” She questions while arching a brow and shooting a smirk at him. Galivinth then recalls what his mentor told him about using the Essence Shell technique; it increases one's defense by double at the expense of the user's attack power. The increase to his strength right now is only at 1.5-times instead of 3-times, unlike his defense which is now at 6-times high in durability.

“Tch!” The male blows air through his teeth. A sense of embarrassment hits Galivinth and he makes the mistake of forfeiting the leading role in their 'dance’ by retreating a few steps back.

“Holding back because I'm a girl, huh? You really think that's a smart decision against someone like me who can toss cars like they're just small rocks?” She prods, pointing a finger at Galivinth.

“It's not like that… I put everything I had behind that punch.” Galivinth admits.

“You're not lying to me, are you? You look like an honest boy, so it'd hurt my feelings if you wasted sucking all that air just to lie to my face.” She tells him. In turn, he furrows his brows.

“It's the result of a trade off I had to make, but don't worry… As I recall, you said you were a Power Inheritor, right? I've got something to help improvise for my lack of punch.” Galivinth assures solemnly.

“You better, Gally.” She retorts with a widening grin, taking up her flamingo stance again. Meanwhile, the two are oblivious to Ryusuke who's now caught up to the two. Silently, the Floto Karate student raises his hands forward, fingers spreading and bending like claws as he presses the bottom of his palms together.

Back With Naeth…

“Gust of intent!” Jannon exclaims as he shoots a translucent projectile from his hands at the cryonean, who's in the midst of exchanging blows with Polo. Perhaps it's by mere coincidence or intentional, but the Muay Thai fighter manages to gain a firm hold on the hothead of a male and roughly drags him into swapping positions. A lunging knee sends Polo stumbling back right into Jannon's technique, which then sends Polo flying off his feet and toward Naeth. The cryonean, with his soul essence output still at 300%, exploits by jabbing his right point finger forward into Polo's stomach.

“A'haugh!?” The impact knocks the wind out of Polo and renders him limp as he winces in pain. Naeth almost effortlessly goes on to lift him up with that single finger until his arm is fully extending above his head and Polo's face hovers three feet above his own.

“A shame… You don't seem to be a good teacher at all.” Comes the cryonean's cold remark before he plants a ticking bomb on the male, then slams Polo down. The male grunts as he hits down on the pavement and rolls a short distance away, holding his stomach in pain for a moment.

“Jeeze… this guy is ridiculous.” Jannon comments while rubbing at the back of his own head.

“Hey, you good over there, Polo!?” He then shouts over at his friend.

“Yeah… ugh..! Yeah, I'm fine, damn it!” The hothead answers angrily as he rises to stand again. The moment he removes his arm from his middle, he sees a small red glow of light upon it.

“Huh, what's–” Before he finishes that question, it explodes and sends him flopping back onto the hood of a nearby car.

“THAT is my Essence Bomb technique. What I gave you was a little taste of what it can do.” Naeth informs the two with a smug grin.

“Aye…! Aye yo, dawg! That you, Naeth!?” A familiar voice calls out. Turning his head, the cryonean sees none other than Shurman Edwards standing on the sidewalk. Wearing an attire of a white durag on his head, an open red flannel shirt with a white tank top underneath, beige cargo pants, a pair of high top Crimson July sneakers on his feet. The ginger has his sleeves rolled up to his elbows and a simple watch on his right wrist.

“Ah, Shurman, Galivinth's friend. Didn't expect to see you today.” The cryonean responds.

“Same, man. I’m on my way to the Rising Sun anime store to pick up the newest issue of the Spirit Devourer manga, and saw you after turning the corner. Is G with cha? We can kick it today if you two wanna. It's the weekend and a brotha’ got notta’ damn thing planned besides getting my book.” Big Red offers with a smile.

“I see. We did leave his home together nearly an hour ago, but we got split up. I think he's down the street behind me and still fighting, as well.” Naeth responds.

“Fightin’? With who? The homie ain't gettin’ jumped again, is he?” Big Red asks with concern behind his tone. It's during this time that Polo climbs off the car and crouches low to the end. Bitter as can be, the petty delinquent makes use of his inherited power. He reaches to dip his hand into the nearest shadow like water and scoops up a handful of gooey pitch black substance. He then silently rises to stand again.

“Gust of Intent!!” Polo exclaims, drawing everyone's attention. A black slimy projectile flies toward at an alarming rate. The cryonean raises a vertical forearm to block the attack. He does so, but there's a splatter of goo that gets all over his upper body, including across both of his eyes.

“You scheming cretin… What is this!?” Naeth exclaims as he attempts to wipe the substance off his face to no avail. From wiping, the cryonean goes on to grip and pull at the rubbery mess.

“Jannon!” Polo calls out to his classmate while reaching into the shadow on the ground again. Though this time, he plunges his arm elbow deep within it. He soon retracts his arm and pulls out… No, helps being out of it. A shadow doppelganger of himself.

“Get your stupid ass over here and help me jump this man!” Polo demands as he and his double rush Naeth down. The cryonean manages to pull and snap the substance off his face, though he's hit again with another handful of it that also manages to cover his eyes, courtesy of the living shadow. In the next moment, the two are slugging at the vulnerable cryonean. A left hook to the jaw from Polo, and a right jab from the opposite direction from the shadow of him.

“Woah, woah, woah, WOOAH!! What's going on here? You ain't finna jump the boy of my boy like that, fam!” Big Red shouts as he storms over to lend a hand. Or at least, he tries to. The swordsman of the trio cuts the redhead off.

“That doesn't concern you. Just keep walking, pal.” Brandon advises.

“What? Man, fuck out my face, lame.” Big Red scoffs and tries to walk past him, but Brandon keeps him back by shoving at Shurman's midsection with the end of his katana's sheath.

“Keep it moving, my dude. I just told you that there's nothing here for you.” Brandon asserts as the sound of Naeth taking a beating fills the background. The cryonean is soon brought down to his hands and knees. Grimacing, he spits a small portion of his vibrant blue blood out onto the ground before wiping at his lips.

“It's fine, Shurman. That one's dangerous, too, so you're just–” Before he can finish that thought, Naeth feels a stomping kick against the side of his face and even more against his body.

“Guh! You'll be wasting your time. Go. I got this!” Naeth assures as he toughs out the situation. Despite both parties insisting he turn a blind eye to it all, Big Red finds himself unable to walk or look away. Instead he observes with a disdainful scowl.

“...You guys are fuckin’ sorry, ya know that? You feel good jumping him three on one like that?” Shurman speaks up to give them a piece of his mind.

“Nobody asked you, my guy. Go home.” Polo retorts as he puts everything he's got behind punting at Naeth's side, sending the cryonean roughly slamming against the grill of the car nearby.

“Why don't YOU stop being a punk-ass bitch?” Big Red retorts while raising his nose. His response gets the male in red to turn toward him.

“You want an ass whooping too or something? This don't concern you at all…” Polo retorts.

“Nah. I just want you to stop being a downtrodden bitch. That's all, that's it.” Big Red slyly responds, calmly to boot.

“You wanna say that to my face, partna’?”

“Maybe. You callin’ a few more of your boys to walk you over to me? I think I got your mom's digits in my pocket somewhere if ya need her to come, too. Just lemme know what's up, man.” Big Red continues to banter with the other. Their exchange even distracts Jannon and the shadow double, unknowingly allowing Naeth a moment to collect himself. The cryonean ponders on his situation for a moment and only a moment. This? He's been preparing himself for situations like this since yesterday. He reassures himself that he doesn't need his eyes to win, only a focusing mind. He has all that he needs to overcome his adversaries.

“Expand and focus…” Naeth whispers to himself while steadying his breathing. His aura begins growing in size again until it's at its max capacity. It's then the mental image of Polo and Jannon, along with their respective auras, take form in his mind. He can envision every little movement they all make within his radius of detection. He's sure he's fully capable of turning things around now.

“Yo, who ever the fuck you are… I ain't got no beef with you, but if you say another Got Damn thing that sounds slightly smart, you're next–” Just as Polo finishes that threat, Naeth lashes out to go on offense. He starts by planting his hands flat against the ground and lifts both of his legs to promptly donkey kick Jannon with enough force to send the male soaring back until he slams into the building across the street and collapses on the sidewalk. From there, the cryonean maneuvers his body to spin and sweep both Polo & his double off their feet by using his legs.

“Now the real fight begins! You won't be gaining the upper hand again.” Naeth declares after swiftly getting back onto his feet. Polo and his shadow clone scurry to rise up again, as well.

“You got a lucky hit, don't get ahead of yourself! You still can't see jack with that stuff covering your eyes.” The former Floto Karate student reminds him.

“I don't need to see your pathetic face to beat you…” Naeth retorts snidely while taking up his Muay Thai stance again.

“Yeah, OKAY. We'll see about that, jackass.” Polo narrows his eyes while also adopting a fighting stance. Him and his double both. In the next moment, Polo lunges in with a straight jab. Naeth sways out of the way of the blow only to then see not another aura, but a hollow figure throwing a kick toward him while standing within his aura. Quick to react, the cryonean raises his forearm to block that kick and stops it in its place. The sight shocks the others.

“Oh nah… You're DONE, buddy. Homie just did that while BLIND. If you lose here, you'll be even more sorry than you already are.” Big Red remarks with a grin. Driven by his anger, Polo proceeds to lash out with a barrage of attacks alongside his shadow. Even so, Naeth keeps a cool head in the moment and denies each of those attacks. Weaving, block, ducking, and blocking each and everyone. Just until he goes on offense again.

“You're done!” Naeth exclaims as he throws out a whipping kick at Polo's side after parrying his last punch. While the other recoils from that harsh blow, the shadow attacks to cover for Polo with a roundhouse kick. The attempt is in vain. Naeth ducks underneath it while simultaneously spinning around to hook a leg of his own around the shadow's lone limb standing on solid ground and yanks at it, causing the double collapse onto its back. Quick to follow up, Naeth spins again, but in the opposite direction this time. Using the momentum to throw another heavy hit to Polo's side. The hothead winces in pain as he involuntarily drops into a sloppy crouch, holding his side as he does. It's then that Naeth puts an end to the conflict with another whip kick. One that strikes the male's temple and renders him unconscious. Polo falls over and his shadow disperses like a popped balloon, returning to where it came from.

“Oh… guess it's over.” Brandon comments as he steps aside.

“I take it you're not looking for a fight, then?” The cryonean questions.

“Nope. I think there's already been enough action for one day.” The swordsman answers, then goes on to tend to his friends.

“Dawg, that was straight outta an anime! How'd you do that?” Big Red asks while approaching the cryonean, who's now in the middle of peeling the sticky rubbery substance off his face again.

“Training. Diligent training. And… A few hours of learning something from my mentor.” He answers with a grin, then goes on to peel more of that black substance off his clothes.

“Crazy. You gotta teach me some of that crazy shut sometimes! But right now, you think we should go check up on G?” The ginger asks while looking down the street. Within seconds of him doing so, he then lays witness to half of a hollow building that's still under construction in the distance suddenly breakdown as a thunderous impact rings out.