Dixi and Ryofu vs. Bumblebee

Ryofu shook her head with a hand to her forehead, trying to keep her thoughts stable. There had to be a trick to it! It wasn't just that she found them...attractive, right? And after she'd gotten so flustered at someone coming onto Dixi just a day ago...she was going to feel real bad about herself if she started oogling someone back...

The shoulder bump from Dixi was enough to snap her back to reality, as she quickly picked up on what she was thinking about. Although she wasn't at a hundred percent, she nodded, as Dixi darted off to start. At this point, Dixi was able to keep up with even her speed, now. Ryofu took a moment to gather her thoughts, trying to shove them down...and immediately rushed towards the gale that Dixi was making and shoved her hands directly into the vortex, causing it to alight with crackling ki. If it failed, she was ready to make her move towards them and take advantage of the confusion.

(Follow Ripping Gale with Dixi - Lightning Grip on Blake if misses)

Ripping Gale (80) Success, Clone (90) Success
Struggle (85,50) Fail
Assist (55) Fail

The terrible gale swept up the Huntresses, sending painful shocks through each of them as they were lifted off the ground. Yang was well and truly caught, but Blake managed to barely slip away by tethering herself to a tree and pulling herself out while leaving a clone behind. A clone that was immediately torn apart by the storm. "Yang! Catch!" She looked back to her partner and tried to throw her the ribbon to help, but it was blown away by the tumultuous winds.

"Nnngh! I'll be fine, Blake! Just... be careful! I'm not sure what tricks Dixi has in this form!" Yang called out through the tornado, trying to orient herself and channel her Aura before attempting to escape again. Regardless, it didn't seem like she was having a good time up there.

Dixi: 16 Stamina, 20 Ki, Clear Mind
Ryofu: 22 Stamina, NoXLimit 2/3
Yang: 20 Stamina, 5 Ammo, 1 Burning Spirit, 1 Windburn
Blake: 25 Stamina, 2 Clones

Dixi winked at Yang. "Sorry, seems like there's a big storm coming in." With Yang trapped in the tornado, Dixi focused her attention on Blake, it was time to start turning the tables. She started by focusing her energy, increasing her speed even more, to her, it almost looked as if everything else moved in slow motion. She had a few preparations to do and the first step was to speed up.

(Over Acceleration.)

It worked. It worked! Dixi and her had talked about it for a while, but that was the first time they had actually done it. And it worked super well! Ryofu couldn't help but be a little proud of herself right about now. But with Yang currently out of commission, she needed to keep pressure up on Blake so that she couldn't simply pull Yang free.

She burst forward towards the cat-like woman, flipping her body forward to throw both her legs towards her neck in a pincer motion. Dixi clearly needed some time to prepare; best she could do was give it to her.

(Lightning Grip)

Over Acceleration (60) Success
Lightning Grip (9) Crit Fail
Struggle (50) Success, Blast Dash (4) Crit Fail
Aimed Shot (Auto)

Dixi entered her zone, becoming as light as air and as fast as a hurricane. Speaking of hurricanes, Yang got herself upright, then pointed Ember Celica away from Dixi and let it rip. The explosion propelled her out of the tornado and directly towards the quick brawler, but even this was too slow for Dixi in her current state. Yang ended up crashed on the ground, but at least she was free. "See? Told you I'd be fine...." she groaned after cratering herself.

As fast as Ryofu was, such exaggerated movements made her intentions clear to Blake. The Faunus stepped to the side at the last second and gave her a shot in her lower back for her trouble. "I thought you told ME to be careful, Yang!" She wasn't pleased with how recklessly her partner was fighting, despite that being her MO.

Dixi: 16 Stamina, 19 Ki, Clear Mind, Acceleration 1/2
Ryofu: 19 Stamina, NoXLimit 2/3
Yang: 20 Stamina, 3 Ammo, 1 Burning Spirit, Off Balance
Blake: 25 Stamina, 2 Clones, Fiery Payback

(So, I'm presuming that when Dixi's character sheet says 'crits' for her Passives like Fellows or Mirage, it means Crit Successes but not Crit Fails. Lmk if I'm wrong)

In her current state it was easy for Dixi to avoid Yang's attack and, by doing so, it looked like the blonde was trying to hit a mirage, leaving a trail of rainbow-colored dust behind. "Change." With her new speed, Dixi dashed all the way towards Blake, surrounded by a powerful gale of wind. Maybe now she could match the cat-like woman's speed while Ryofu kept up the fight with Yang.

(Fiery Rush)
(it is both types of crits actually)

The shot from Blake threw her off balance slightly, but she was more surprised at how slippery Blake was. It was hard to pin her down with a single move. Maybe she needed to be more discrete about it...that was unfortunately not Ryofu's M.O. though.

The crash of Yang's escape was known to everyone, just from the sound. She hadn't stayed up there very long...but she was still wobbly from the escape! Ryofu was always an opportunist, after all. Seems like Dixi had the same idea, too. "Switch!" Her entire body jerked back around towards the still recovering Yang, her fist mere centimeters from her abdomen. Even from this distance, her ki-charged fist only needed one moment...!

(Close Pulse)

Fiery Rush (73,53) Fail
Close Pulse (Auto)
Orbiting Sun (84) Success

thud Yang was given a powerful blow to her gut the moment she got back to her feet. She clutched her stomach and flinched from the pain, but she stayed on her feet. At the same time, Blake danced her way around Dixi's assault by just a hair, as though it was her intent to barely avoid everything thrown at her (in reality, she was getting lucky with half of these dodges).

"Yang!" She tossed her ribbon to the blonde, who took hold and used Ember Celica to get herself off the ground. Blake carried her momentum and launched her into both of their opponents like she was a burning boulder from a catapult. Before they could defend themselves, the burning bruiser gave them each a solid haymaker.... and also stuck the landing this time.

Dixi: 13 Stamina, 18 Ki, Clear Mind
Ryofu: 16 Stamina, NoXLimit 2/3
Yang: 17 Stamina, 3 Ammo, 1 Burning Spirit, Fiery Payback
Blake: 25 Stamina, 2 Clones, Fiery Payback

(So, does that mean Dixi should have a Mirage stack cause Yang crit failed against her?)

The last hit had her reeling a bit. Despite the successful hit, Ryofu felt farther away now than she was at the start. Her heart was racing the entire time, and beads of sweat were dropping from her face. Was their teamwork not good enough? Was she not good enough? The dejection was something she felt pretty strongly...but she knew the best way to fight it off was to get back in there. Blake was still being a problem for Dixi to land hits on, and had been taking potshots on both of them the entire time. She had to do something about all of that.

She focused more energy into her hands as she darted back into the fray, palms and fingers crackling with that same yellow ki as she rushed towards Blake, hoping to pin down her movements.

(Shock Therapy: Arms on Blake)

This whole fight was getting Dixi's blood pumping. Their teamwork was so much better than hers with Ryofu's. It came to show how much experience they opponents had when it came to fighting together. Surprisingly enough, more than frustration for their failures, Dixi found them inspiring to improve, to get better and grow stronger together.

She was taking a beating harder than Ryofu but she would not blame it on the limiter, it made the fight more fun and enjoyable. "Damn, not enough speed huh?" After such a hit, Dixi remained determined to keep fighting. Focusing her Ki, first she would need to keep Ryofu shielded from another blow like that, she could see how the green haired was starting to sweat and she know that she has to look out for her partner's health too. A rainbow-like dust enveloped Ryofu, creating a protective barrier around her, one of Dixi's little tricks, to ensure her companion's safety.

(Victim's Sanctuary)
(Yeah, she would have 1 stack of Mirage)

Black Instinct (61,73) 2 Fail
Shock Therapy: Arms (76) Crit Success, (8 ) Success, NoXLimit (Auto)
Victim's Sanctuary (Auto)
Rising Dragon (Blocked)

Blake tried seizing the initiative against Ryofu by keeping her at bay with her sword, but her wrist got caught and surged with electricity. She grit her teeth as she quickly yanked her arms away and winced from the literal shock of the exchange.

Yang tried coming to her aid with an uppercut to Ryofu's jaw, but Dixi's little trick intercepted her blow and caused it to bounce off harmlessly. "You okay, Blake?"

"I'm fine, just... gotta improvise a little...." the Faunus answered as she sheathed her weapon for now, no use trying to swing it when she couldn't feel her hands. As much as she reeled from the thunder, Ryofu was also starting to feel the consequence. The huntresses weren't so sure about their advantage, and were still fighting as though every decision could make the difference.

Dixi: 13 Stamina, 15 Ki, Clear Mind, 1 Mirage
Ryofu: 13 Stamina, Disadvantage, Sanctuary
Yang: 17 Stamina, 3 Ammo, 1 Burning Spirit
Blake: 23 Stamina, 2 Clones, Arms Disadvantage 0/2, Disadvantage

Something inside Ryofu felt like it burst as her thumping heart reached a fever pitch from that last hit. If her frustration hadn't been getting larger with each moment, she might have actually noticed it, and done something about it, to boot. Hestia had shown her these things, after all. She was going to be so disappointed in her...that made her more sad than anything.

Right when the pain started, Ryofu's hand went up to cover a heavy cough, her body shaking from the action. As she pulled it back, there was a slight red stain on her hand, but not as much as it had been in the past. That was...reassuring.

You're just going to keep going, aren't you?

Her movements were slightly more haggard than they were just a moment ago, as she tried to pull herself together. Her chest hurt. And, her vision was a little shaky. But, they weren't done. That last one actually connected, it looked like. That was good. Her body crouched down as she was still able to burst out towards Blake again, keeping the pressure on as her hand crackled with ki. She just had to keep going...that's all there was to it.

Goddammit, Ryofu, take a breather! This isn't like with her! Dixi, I'm really counting on you, right now...

(White Wolf Strike to Blake)

Dixi noticed the little red stain on Ryofu's hand, adding that to her cough and the pained look on her face, she pretty much knew what was going on. "Ryo!" She rushed to her side, stopping the green haired fighter from keep going. "Time out!" Dixi raised one hand while used to other to stop Ryofu. "Ryo, calm down, Ryo. You are pushing yourself too far."

The Huntresses immediately heeded the call for a time out, lowering their guard and going to check on Ryofu with Dixi. "Are you okay? I'm so sorry, I didn't think I was cutting so deep." Blake said apologetically, thinking she might be behind this. Her ears drooped along with her mood.... at least it distracted her from her arms.

"No, I don't think you did this. Look, she's coughing up blood. Is she okay, does she need a doctor?" Yang asked, unsure of what to do and hoping that Dixi had it under control. She knew Huntsmen who could drive themselves to fatigue using their Auras, but what Ryofu was going through seemed different.

Ryofu's mind was in a one-track state for a time...but Dixi was someone that could get her out of it. Slowly, she was coming down from her instincts, and the exhaustion was setting in.

Oh thank god. I'm going to have to keep a tally of all the ones I owe that woman, at this rate.

"Ugh..." And there was the pain again. She shuddered after her first breath. "S...Sorry...I think...that's all I've got, today..." Her legs were a little shaky now, but she was persevering. "I-It's not your fault, really! I..." Her gaze went to Dixi, looking a little pleading. She knew this was her fault. "C-Can we...sit down, until this goes away?"

"Of course." Dixi gently helped Ryofu to take a sit. She knew that this could happen but she didn't expect to happen so soon. She felt pretty guilty for having Ryofu join the fight like that now.

She looked at the huntresses with an apologetic look. "Sorry. But I think we'll have to call this out at this point. I don't want Ryo to keep pushing herself." She was glad that Blake and Yang stopped the fight when they did. Had they not stop, she would have been forced to overpower her limiter, with the backlash that it would come as a result.

"Oh no, it's okay. What's important is no one gets really hurt. Is there anything we can do to help?" Blake asked as she also sat with them, her eyes locked onto Ryofu with concern. Anything to make her feel just a little better, she also felt somewhat responsible for this.

"Yeah, we even agreed to stopping the fight in case of an emergency. I'm sorry for getting you two to spar with us, I should've known there was a reason Ryofu was reluctant." Yang sat on the other side of them, also willing to make it up to them. "How about we pay for that lunch?" She added as a meek little joke.

She let out a little groan as she took a seat, starting to feel it go through her now. Hestia was gonna kill her. Chances are she probably already knew. She knew everything, it felt like. Despite that, she gave Blake a weak smile. "S-Some water would be nice..."

Ryofu let out a sigh, as she leaned back on her seat. "Sorry. I got frustrated, and...probably wasn't taking care of myself as best as I could've. This was my fault...and I don't want any of you taking responsibility for it." She looked up at Dixi with something of a pout and a finger point. "Especially you. 'cause I know you're thinking it." She held it for a second, before flopping back into the seat. She just had to wait for it to pass.

Dixi was pretty surprised by how Ryofu knew exactly what she was thinking but even if she said that, Dixi couldn't help but to feel guilty about it.

"I'll go get you some water." Dixi looked at Blake and Yang. "Mind keeping an eye on her for me? I'll be back in no time. I saw a store not too far from here." After asking them that, well, as much as it could be considered asking without waiting to hear their response before running towards the store, in this moment, she was worried about Ryofu but she knew she could trust her to Yang and, besides, she wouldn't take long.

"For sure! She's safe with us!" Yang called after her, loud and proud so she could hear. Then, a somewhat awkward silence took hold until she finally spoke up again. "For what it's worth, you were amazing out there. Fast and strong, just like Dixi was when we sparred.... you had nice legs, too." She added that last bit hoping it would lighten the mood a little, although it was the truth.

"Yang!..... Well, she is right about you being a great fighter. You kept me on edge the entire time, it was a lot of fun." Blake told Ryofu with a gentle pat on the back. "And, sorry if that trick with my butt was unwelcome, I picked up the trick from a friendly midara and I've been practicing with it."

"She says it's for 'research' purposes." Her partner interrupted with a smirk and barely contained laughter, which was acknowledged by the Faunus bonking her on the head with the hilt of her sword.

These two were...odd. Not too different from the two of them, though. "I'll take the compliment, don't worry. And, honestly...I'm kinda glad it was a midara thing and not that I was just horny. I got a little bit jealous when I heard someone was hitting on her. Even if it was in a fight. Hope you're not mad." She flashed Yang a smile, although it was still weak.

"I guess I was worried that...I haven't really been able to keep up with Dixi. We're both doing the same kinds of things, you know! And yet, when she goes at it, she's doing things that...I couldn't even dream of doing. I kinda just use ki to hit things harder. Maybe I was...getting a bit frustrated at things, during the figh-"

She was cut off by a small cough, that she covered with her hand. Only a few specks this time. It was passing, but it wasn't a pleasant experience. "Ugh...Mom's gonna be so disappointed."

"Don't stress over comparing yourself to Dixi. She's amazing, but you are, too. Be a better Ryofu, instead, I'm sure Dixi will like that more anyway. Heaven knows I don't need to be more like Yang." Blake told Ryofu while giving her a rag to clean herself up.

"You say that, but you were trying to tease the both of them just like I did. It's pretty fun research, isn't it, Blake? Oh, and don't be 'shocked' that you couldn't look away from her ass, same thing happens to me sometimes." Yang joked with them both, chuckling to herself the whole time. Neither of them wanted to touch on the 'Mom' subject, they preferred to just try and cheer her up.

Ryofu took the offered rag and wiped up the spots from her last fit. Her throat felt dry, but the pain was slowly passing. The back and forth between them was enough to elicit a small giggle from her, too, albeit somewhat scratchy. They really did feel so close to each other.

"I suppose that's a good way of looking at it. A little harder to see it that way when I can't go at it like she can without ending up like this, but...baby steps. Even now, she's probably still blaming herself for this, but I've had this for years, anyway." She slowly pulled herself up from her seat, still weak but not content to lay there like a dead chicken. "She's really special, not just to me but in general, but she's always doubting herself. I know she's way stronger than I am...that little thing on her leg is proof of it. And that's why I keep pushing. I wanna give her security to go full blast, one day. Completely take it off and match her, power for power. I imagine she'll have the biggest smile on her face during all of it...to really cut loose and feel like nothing bad would happen for it, you know?"

At this point, she realized she'd probably been rambling a little bit, looking a little embarrassed. "Oh! Sorry, I got off a little too far on something...didn't mean to just take over." She had a slight blush on her face as she fixed her hair a little bit. "So, I have to ask...you just, practiced with a midara for a while, and you started picking up on their charm magic? Do you think anybody could do that? I mean, I'm just human, so..."

Dixi came back running. She had took a little longer because the store had a lot of people waiting. "Sorry for the wait! Store was bursting with people." She offered the bottle to Ryofu. "How are you feeling, Ryo?" She needed to catch her breath. The spar and then the frenetic running had left her a bit exhausted and she was sweating a lot.

"Well, Dixi and I had the time of their lives when we sparred at full strength, her limiter still withstanding, but you know. You'll only get better as you keep going, but not if you're hurting yourself. One day, you'll be able to help Dixi go buck wild, I'm sure. But, for now, why not just put a smile on her face?" Yang suggested, beaming as she remembered their battle fondly. She could still feel the many ways Dixi made her burn up.

Blake then answered her about her experience with midara. "Well, I don't have any magic or tricks like that. They simply showed me how to better... er, well... 'use what I got' as Yang might put it. If my subject has significant enough attraction to me, and they listen to my voice and watch my movements, then I can gently put them into a trance. I think anybody could do it.... maybe. Yang's only human and she can do something similar, and I'm... not exactly human but it's pretty close." She rambled on a bit, seeming unsure how to explain everything all at once and her ears twitching with that last statement. The Faunus was grateful that Dixi arrived and gave her a good reason to stop.