Outside the HQ – Dawn vs. Mich
Mich slowly pushed himself off the wall, wiping the blood from the edge of his lip. His eyes weren't wild anymore—just sharp.
Mich:
"Alright. Enough playing."
He pressed his palm into the soaked ground.
"Water Zone"
"Deep Current"
The air shifted.
The battlefield changed. The raindrops slowed. The puddles around them rippled unnaturally.
Water began to obey him.
Every droplet, every splash—aligned to his will. The moisture in the air condensed. Thin streams curled around him like tendrils.
Dawn paused. She felt the pull—like standing waist-deep in an undertow. Movement got heavier. Slower.
Her rod spun once. She lowered her stance.
Mich walked forward now—measured steps. Water coiled behind him like a wave on the verge of crashing.
Mich:
"Inside this zone, the water listens only to me."
He vanished—then appeared behind her. Fast. Fluid. His movement almost weightless inside his own zone.
Dawn spun, barely blocking the incoming strike. But the pressure from the impact sent her sliding back.
She exhaled, focused.
Her body started glowing a faint blue—the flow within her rising.
Then—
"Water Drive"
The water around her shifted again. Not in resistance—but in harmony. Her Drive didn't dominate the water—it joined it.
The zone wavered slightly.
Now it was her turn to move.
She shot forward—faster than before. Her rod met Mich's blades head-on, but this time the clash wasn't just physical. Currents twisted around them violently—each trying to bend the battlefield to their rhythm.
CLASH!
Rod and sword.
WHOOSH!
Splash against splash.
They moved like two storms overlapping—neither one giving in.
Mich snarled.
"Still trying to match me inside my own zone?"
Dawn ducked low, pivoted, and jabbed his side—water spiraling from the point of impact.
Dawn (calmly):
"No. I'm reshaping it."
She pressed forward.
Every step she took, the zone pulsed—pushed back.
The puddles on the ground began shifting—slowly moving with her, not Mich.
Mich noticed. Eyes narrowed.
He twisted his blade outward—
Water Magic: Aqua Fracture!
A sudden blast of jagged high-pressure water erupted point-blank.
Dawn raised her arm—
Water Magic: Spiral Guard.
The blast broke against her rotating shield, spraying mist and vapor across the zone.
She dashed through the mist—
Rod extended like a spear.
He blocked it just in time—
But she twisted, drove her knee into his stomach, then flipped back before his counter could land.
Both paused. Breathing a bit heavier now.
The rain intensified. So did the silence.
Their water magic layered over each other—twisting, overlapping, trying to take over the same space.
Zone vs. Drive.
Dominance vs. Harmony.
Neither giving way.
Mich cracked his neck.
"Tch. This isn't over."
Dawn adjusted her grip.
"I know."
They charged again—
Rod spinning, blades flashing, the battlefield becoming a blur of motion and water.
And above them, the storm churned on.
The battlefield was soaked. Steam curled from broken streams. Craters from pressurized strikes dotted the field. The Water Zone still hung in the air—but it flickered now, unstable. Weakened.
Mich's blade dripped. His breathing was sharp, clipped.
Dawn stood across from him, steady—but sweat and rain clung to her skin. Her rod was chipped, but her stance hadn't wavered.
Mich:
"You're tougher than you look."
Dawn:
"You're louder than you hit."
No smirk. No taunt. Just facts.
Mich gripped his blades tighter. The zone pulsed again.
He raised both hands—and for a second, the ground lifted.
Water Magic: Tsunami Crush.
A massive wall of water burst behind him, curved, and slammed toward her like a collapsing tide.
Dawn's eyes narrowed.
She didn't move back.
Instead, she spun her rod in a slow spiral.
"water magic: Spiral Basin"
She raised her hand—and the water bent. The wave curled around her instead of crashing. Then—she pulled.
The wave folded inward, becoming a rotating sphere of water around her—dense, humming with pressure.
She launched.
The sphere exploded outward as she moved—
Her speed doubled, rod surging with concentrated water pressure.
CLASH!
She struck first.
Mich blocked—just barely.
Then she swept his legs.
He jumped—but her follow-up jab slammed into his ribs.
Mich roared, spun midair, and slashed—
Water Magic: Cutter Vortex.
Blades of wind-sharpened water spun outward in a spiral.
Dawn shielded with her rod—but the force pushed her back. She dug her heel into the soaked ground, skidding to a stop.
Mich panted—his nose bleeding now.
He raised one sword overhead—
"water magic: Depth Collapse"
The zone tightened. The air got heavier. Dawn could feel her lungs working harder. Like fighting underwater.
Mich dashed in again—relentless.
Swing. Jab. Sweep. Twist.
Dawn kept up. Just barely.
Rod and swords collided again and again. Every strike from Mich now carried the weight of his entire zone behind it.
But Dawn wasn't backing off.
Instead—she leaned in.
Close quarters.
Parry.
Step in.
Palm strike to his elbow.
Spin.
Rod slam to his back.
Mich grunted—but kept swinging.
Final clash.
Mich went high.
Dawn went low.
His blade missed her head by inches—
Her rod struck clean into his side.
WHAM!
He staggered.
Dropped to one knee.
Dawn didn't waste it.
Water Magic: Ripple Lock.
She swept her rod in a circular arc—and water coiled around Mich's limbs, locking them in place.
He tried to move—but the bindings weren't brute strength. They followed the flow of his own energy—redirecting it, countering him perfectly.
He froze—trapped.
Dawn stood over him, breathing slow and deep.
Mich looked up—frustrated, panting.
Mich:
"…Damn."
He let out a low, tired chuckle—then slumped, exhausted.
Not unconscious, but done.
The Water Zone shattered, dissolving into falling rain.
Dawn stood tall, rod still humming with power—but her shoulders were tense, her arms bruised, and her breath heavy.
Mid-difficulty, but a clean win.
She turned toward the HQ. The sound of distant battle still echoed inside.
Dawn "ari and gray". She smiled.
Time to move.
No celebration. No time.
She started walking.
Focused. Quiet.
Unstoppable.