#managed to land semi sideways and in between the two trunks

[its-all-been-said]

Snapshot of the moment before Radar illustrated why having a harness with a handle is so important for mr. short legged scramble hiker

[gyromitra-esculenta]

Sequellish to Fern Flower (it’s somewhere here either under totally not witcher au or murder-deer tag) - a bad Witcher AU but not because of the TV series. I just wanted to, originally, try my hand at semi-Slavic mythos and rituals. Kind of part 1 since the thread is ongoing, when I find time.

Warnings: Violence, giant bugs, and I think that’s it for the moment.

The woman in her chemise leaning over the brim of the wooden tub struggles to her feet with fright when Jack barges into the room.

"You didn't pay for the other one," she mutters and runs past Jack with the skirts under her arm as if hell itself is on her heels.

"She took off with the lace," Jack observes, stripping off his shirt and throwing it promptly on the ground, fingers undoing the strings of his pants.

"That's what I carry it for." Gabriel leans back in the water.

"Maybe I should try it myself, one day."

"Maybe you should."

"Tempting," Jack grins, slipping into the tub and sending water sloshing over the brim. For the briefest of moments, his eyes flash the black of bottomless desert wells and he leans forward brushing the tips of his fingers against the leather pouch Gabriel wears by his medallion.

"For all the wrong reasons." Gabriel mutters, and Jack snorts, spraying him idly with water with a flick of his wrist.

"While you were getting entertained, I'd been gathering information, now I don't know if I should tell you anything at all."

"Are you pouting?"

"Am not, little cub."

"You are," Gabriel laughs, throwing his head back.

"Hush. Or I'll bite you. And, am not."

"Whatever you say. What's the story?"

"So, it's a big bug, and I hate bugs," Jack rolls his eyes. "From the woods."

"Did it escape, or the dryads let it go?"

"Either way, I haggled up to three hundred, so you owe me." Jack rubs absentmindedly the scar on his neck. "You could wash my back."

"Does it still hurt?" Gabriel straightens and covers his fingers with his own, mindful of Jack's amused stare.

"This one is here to stay, cub."

"So you're saying."

"I'm also saying you could wash my back," Jack retorts, watching him get up and out of the tub. "It's a big centipede, as I gathered, so it's venomous, and so far it got cows, a dog, though I think the mutt just run away, and a horse from under a local guard."

"From under?"

"Well, it got the poor sod too, left him half-digested when it vomited on him, but first, it got the horse. According to the witnesses because there were some, apparently. They ran away with utmost bravery."

"Anything else?" Gabriel dries himself with the cloth.

"I think they were lying about the number of the cows, but that's to be expected," Jack stretches in the tub, getting more comfortable. "And also, wash my back," he adds when he hears Gabriel moving behind him, and for a moment Gabriel considers the request in the earnest.

At least, until he puts his palms on Jack's shoulders and pushes, dunking him under the surface of the water, cutting short the beginnings of a shrill shriek amidst flailing hands.

"Washed."

"You asshole!" Jack spits out the water, almost snorting. "Stop smirking!"

"No."

"I'm going to bite you, that's a promise!"

*

"You could help me," Gabriel mutters through gritted teeth while kneeling over the slightly bloated goat with a drawn dagger.

"No. Suffer. You're baiting the bug, and I'm going to stand here, upwind."

"Asshole."

"Only as much as you are." Jack flicks a fly off his sleeve. "Now, hurry up, I want this over so we can go talk with the dryads about keeping their pets on shorter leash. Besides, that was your idea."

"Because you're being an ass and refusing to find it."

"I hate bugs therefore I'm not going to talk to it."

"Sombra's rubbing off on you." Gabriel starts to carve the goat and the stench coming from its guts is nigh unbearable.

"I can feel my eyes watering from here. My condolences," Jack quips, too entertained by the whole ordeal.

"I'm far from being inclined to believe it's honest."

"It's not." Jack settles down in a spot under a tree trunk, sheltered from the side by brush and fallen branches. He rummages through his sack in search of something as Gabriel finishes preparing the bait. "Come here."

Gabriel wipes his hands on his pants ignoring Jack's empathetic sounds of disgust and slowly walks to him.

"Shit. You stink now," Jack extends his arms to pull him closer and let him nestle back between his legs. "Here," he presses a handkerchief to his nose and Gabriel inhales.

It's moss, resin, and musk, drowning out the reek of the carrion. Fingers in his hair trace whirling shapes and he closes his eyes, one hand resting on the hilt of the sword lying across his thighs - until his senses curl and fold in rhythm with the forest breathing.

Only the hand moving away from his eyes - fingertips brushing over his eyelids - and a small flask pressed to his lips bring him to the present. Jack indicates the direction with a slight shift of his shoulder and Gabriel nods, the liquid burning in his throat and veins.

There will be a price to pay. There is always a price to be paid, sometimes in advance.

The forest speaks as he raises with the hand on the hilt of his sword, listening to the sounds of the disturbed undergrowth. The bait had worked, too well even.

Gabriel leans back.

"Two."

"I noticed," Jack hisses back.

"You could've talked to them."

"Excuse me for not wanting to feel like something's crawling all over my thoughts for the next month or so."

"Tell me that after it eats me."

"Now I'm hoping one of them does eat you for real."

"You don't."

"Well, I'll settle for a nibble and a bite now."

Jack moves behind, and Gabriel takes off in the opposing direction while the both centipedes start to hiss and butt their carapaces over the goat's carcass. As long as they're busy, the odds are favorable.

Which, of course, means shit, because as soon as he moves into the position, the one closest to him starts to slowly back off, maneuvering its segmented body with meticulousness of something that cannot simply reverse. Even as he tries to still, it gives out another kind of hiss.

There is a certain pitch to the whizz of pressurized air, the pattern to the clicks, and the tone to chitin plates scraping against one another. A male, and that would make the other one, now moving over the bait in his direction, a female. A breeding pair, together.

"Distract the noisy one!" Gabriel, running, shouts over the hiss.

"Me and what army?" Jack screams back from the other side, actually managing to nail one of the creature's eyes twice with an improvised pinecone - and Gabriel would sympathize, if not for the fact it's a centipede

And Jack always had a penchant for throwing objects, especially at other sentient creatures, but that was a thought better left to explore when not being charged by a giant bug steadily gaining in speed. At least he managed to gain the attention of the male.

"I hate bugs!"

"I know, you don't have to repeat yourself all the time!" Gabriel forms Aard around the hilt - aiming at the ground, and giving himself more momentum for the jump as the female bears down on him - to land on its back just behind the head.

Also, to slip on the smooth carapace.

The centipede is slow to react but it still twists after him, leaving him thrusting the blade between the segments to keep himself from falling, not even upright but awkwardly leaning sideways, almost half-sitting with one leg curled up.

"You good?" Jack sounds breathless.

"Yes," Gabriel screams over the loud clacking and hissing, pushing the blade deeper into the tissues. He's missing all the vital organs at this angle, but with any luck he might nick one of the sacks holding the digestive acids. The centipede bucks and swings back under him.

He lowers himself - almost lying flat against the carapace - when the mandibles flap above him, the interlocking segments of hard chitin preventing the female from actually reaching him.

Until it does something seemingly too clever to be intentional.

Its whole body smashes against the tree trunks, and Gabriel barely avoids having his arm pulverized between the wood and the centipedes bulk - the impact itself sending waves of aftershocks along his nerves and loosening his grip on the sword.

He can only let go, pushing with his feet against the carapace to give himself more momentum and gain distance as he lands, rolling immediately away from the female's legs hitting the ground in a frenzied rage.

He's at disadvantage with his sword lost, the daggers useless now.

"Coming through!" Jack calls from much closer than before, and only a second later Gabriel feels another body crashing into him, sending both of them flying from the path of the male barreling straight into the other centipede as it fails to correct its course after its prey.

Gabriel spares a glance at Jack springing back to his feet. His chest heaves with the exertion and his lips are parted with the beginnings of an excited grin, the tongue slightly pushed forward and nostrils flaring, as if he is a wild animal scenting the forest air.

And it's captivating each and every time, this feral abandonment Reinhardt tried hard to subdue and extinguish with training even when Ana told him not to bother with it.

"I get your sword back, you wash my back for real this time?"

"Deal," Gabriel mutters under his breath.

"Deal." Jack smirks at him. Under the moonlight his eyes appear to run black but it's only the pupils blown as wide as the irises are, and Jack takes off towards the centipedes swiping and biting at each other as they fail to disentangle without becoming more and more aggravated.

Cautiously, Gabriel moves back, fingers ready to form a sign if it comes to this, and Jack weaves between the swinging legs, his palm finally curling around the hilt. He pulls hard, but the angle is wrong, and the female notices the tug, hissing in distress. The male reacts.

"Fuck!" Jack evades the first strike still keeping his grip on the sword, almost thrown over to the other side of the female but loses his balance and shrieks in pain when a mandible catches him in the face spraying blood on the bark. Gabriel finishes forming the sign.

The resulting blast of magic is enough to throw Jack back and confuse the centipedes. Still, the idiot refuses to let go of the hilt even when hurt, and, luckily, this time the blade dislodges. He hits the ground with a crunch of breaking branches and another shout of pain.

It doesn't stop him from getting up and lobbing the sword in an arc over the beasts. It embeds in the undergrowth in front of Gabriel.

"See, I got it," Jack calls from the other side. "We have a deal. So let's finish this."

"You're a goddamn fucking moron!"

[scaredofheroin]

Captain N - Chapter 20: Round One

Finding his way to the entrance of the arena was simple enough. Directional arrows on the floor that seemed to have been recently painted guided Captain N to his first real fight. The closer he got to the match, the more sweaty his palms got and the faster his heart raced. He tried to distract himself by looking around the halls of the arena, keeping his mind busy. The hallways reminded him of sixth grade, where his dad took him to a Pro Football game. San Diego Chargers versus the Green Bay Packers. The muffled sounds of the audience cheering at the fight currently going on wasn't too different from that he heard at the football game. The Packers won that game, he remembered. He also remembered the incredibly long car trip and how he was too shy to ask the cheerleaders for their autographs when they were walking around the stadium during the halftime show. But these memories did little to assuage his worries. All these memories offered him were reminders that he was alone in this. Falco, Pit, Little Mac, Ryu and even Zelda had proven themselves to be more capable fighters than him. If it had just been him versus Dracula a few days ago, it certainly wouldn't have ended well for him or the world of Yamajiro. Apart from a few sideways glances by low-level workers in the stadium, Captain N didn't draw too much attention as he walked to the gate.

Then something occurred to him.

His name.

He told the receptionist that his name was Captain N.

The same name that the Koopa and the Waddle Dees and the Kremlings would be searching for.

And now he's about to fight in presumably one of the most widely-viewed events on this planet.

His heart sank to his stomach as he realized how doomed his situation was. Out of the corner of his eye, he could spot a pair of doors that lead somewhere at least resembling a way out. For the briefest of moments, Captain N considered bolting out those doors and running until his feet bled, and then keep running. But he swallowed those cowardly instincts. Zelda promised him she and the others would intervene if he was attacked by someone other than his opponent. Despite Falco being a little rough around the edges, to say the least, he had no reason to distrust them. Captain N took a moment to breathe, mentally went over the techniques he learned the day prior, and walked up to the gate.

On the other side of the wide concrete gateway lied a large arena of dirt with the limits of the ring laid out in white paint. The fight currently going on was between a large, muscular man wearing blue and black pants along with a blue mask that resembled a wrestler's, sparring against another muscular man wearing reed wrestling trunks and sporting a brown Mohawk. The sight of the two massive men facing off against each other made Captain N's knees feel weak. He knew he stood no chance against either of them. Their biceps were almost as big as his head. The two men grappled each other, their powerful forms locked in a standstill. But the match couldn't continue like this forever. The man in the blue mask weakened his stance just enough for the man with the Mohawk to take the advantage and sweep his legs. After a few moments of being pinned to the ground, the man in the blue mask drooped his head, having fallen unconscious. The announcer counted down from ten, which the audience soon joined in on. Upon reaching zero, a blaring horn went off, declaring the man with the Mohawk the winner. The crowd roared with applause, cheering at the display of might. The man posed and flexed his muscles victoriously, sending another chill down Captain N's spine. If the muscular man in the blue mask couldn't defeat this man, what chance did he have? He shook his head, remembering destiny was on his side. He could survive an encounter with Dracula, he could survive this.

"So you're, uh... Captain N?" The bored man standing by the gate asked him, snapping him out of his train of thought. "Yeah, that's me." He confirmed, clumsily shaking his head. "Y'know, a lot of people were expecting to see Ryu fight, so if you're gonna replace him, you better blow me away." the man warned him. "...I'll try my best." Captain N semi-confidently assured him, making him shrug nonchalantly.

"MATCH THREE WINNER: ZANGIEF DEFEATS CRASHER WAKE!" The announcer proclaimed from his booth in the press box. Crasher Wake is hoisted off the ground and onto a stretcher by two R.O.B.s, and is carried back into the underbelly of the stadium. After making a few more victory poses, Zangief peered at Captain N as he walked past him to the locker area. Feeling incredibly weak in the presence of Zangief, Captain N stepped back and watched him almost in awe as he lumbered by, like a lion patrolling the savanna. "You're not getting cold feet, are you?" The attendant asked Captain N. "Nah, don't worry, I'm good." Captain N shakily assured him, not meeting eye contact. "WE HAVE A NEWCOMER FOR OUR NEXT MATCH, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!" The announcer proclaimed. This drew a noticeable reaction out of the crowd, who were clearly expecting to see Ryu. "NOW, IF THIS NEWCOMER'S GOT RYU'S APPROVAL, THEN WE OUGHT TO BE IN FOR A REAL TREAT!" The announcer assured the crowd. Captain N took a few deep breaths, mentally preparing himself for the beating he's surely about to receive.

"AND NOW, FOR THE FIRST TIME IN WORLD WARRIOR HISTORY, GIVE UP FOR CAPTAAAAAAAAAIN N!" The announcer introduced him, fast-paced electronic music beginning to play right after. Captain N ran out onto the arena, in full view of everyone in the massive stadium. The stadium had proven to be far more massive than he had initially assumed, holding possibly thousands of men, women and children of various species. Humans, Toad people, animal people that resembled those living in New Leaf Town, and others he was unfamiliar with. The cheering from the massive crowd seemed more halfhearted, clearly unimpressed by this newcomer who was replacing Ryu. Captain N raised both fists in the air in an attempt to bolster his own confidence. The packed stadium was much more populated than any schoolyard brawl back in Midnight Lights. Atop the arena, Captain N spotted more Koopa, Kremlings and Waddle Dees, but they haven't taken action yet. He steeled his nerve, preparing to face the first man he'll be fighting mono a mono. "FACING THIS NEWCOMER, WEIGHING IN AT 110 POUNDS, IT'S GLAAAAAAAAAASS JOE!" The announcer continued, the music shifting slightly to introduce Captain N's opponent. Out stumbled a remarkably scrawny man from the opposite gate, wearing red boxing gloves and white/red shorts, and medium-length blond hair and a long face. The crowd applauded once more, about as enthusiastically as they did for Captain N. Upon seeing his opponent, Glass Joe visibly heaved a sigh of relief at not having to fight Ryu. Captain N almost laughed when he exhaled his built-up breath, easing his nerves a little bit. But he grew worried once more when he saw Glass Joe was wearing boxing gloves, while he wasn't.

Before he could do anything, the announcer initiated the match with "READYYYYYYYYY: FIGHT!". Captain N and Glass Joe moved towards each other. The closer he got, the more Captain N could tell Glass Joe was nervous about the fight, stumbling forward a bit. Once the two got into arm's range, he held his forearms up in front of him, taking a defensive stance. Glass Joe shifted slightly, which gave Captain N a window of opportunity to land a hit. He swiftly delivered a right cross to Glass Joe's abdomen, causing him to stumble back a bit. His defenses remained lowered, so Captain N closed the distance between the two and struck Glass Joe with three more jabs. Glass Joe grunted in pain with each hit, stumbling backward in an attempt to regain the advantage. Captain N wrung his hands out after punching Glass Joe. He had never punched anyone before in his life, thanks to his Zapper and two Boosters for getting him out of previous confrontations. His hands remained slightly sore as Glass Joe regained his footing and managed to cross Captain N across the face. The cushioned boxing gloves did little to weaken the impact, which made Captain N fall over. The announcer remained quiet throughout the match. The crowd started to get more into the match with the intensity emanating throughout the arena rising. Captain N regained his footing and managed to block another jab from Glass Joe. He tries to him him again, but Captain N dodges out of the way. Seizing the opportunity, he struck Glass Joe with four crosses across the face, slightly hurting his fists. Glass Joe then suddenly stepped back just as Captain N was about to strike him again, causing Captain N to fall forward and almost trip. He was quick to correct his stance, and weave out of the way of another one of Glass Joe's strikes. Captain N silently thanked his luck that he was facing a boxer, which he had the most experience from during his training. The dirt shifted around the two as they fought and maintained a short distance from each other. Captain N knew he could jut pull out his Zapper and shoot Glass Joe, but he felt confident enough in his boxing abilities to take him on. While he was reflecting on this, Glass Joe began to wind up a strong uppercut. Fortunately, this was incredibly telegraphed, and Captain N rolled out of the way before Glass Joe could hit him. Glass Joe stumbled forward awkwardly and almost fell on his face. His exhaustion was starting to show as he looked around for his opponent. Taking on a bolder stance, Captain N recalled his training session, yelled "Shoryuken!" and struck Glass Joe with a powerful uppercut. Glass Joe fell to the ground, unconscious. Captain N rubbed his right hand, now more sore from the continued punching. The announcer got back on the speakers and counted down from ten. The audience joined in counting down again. Once the number "one" was reached and the buzzer went off again, he felt a wave of relief wash over him. The audience cheered for him a bit more enthusiastically than when he first entered the arena. A smile growing on his face, Captain N pumped his fists into the air victoriously. It was only then that he realized how cut up his knuckles were. Two R.O.B.s came out and hoisted the unconscious Glass Joe onto a stretcher and carried him back inside the arena.

"LADIES AND GENTLEMAN, THE FIRST VICTORY OF CAPTAIN N'S FIGHTING CAREER!" The announcer proclaims, earning another loud cheer from the audience. The minions of Bowser, K. Rool and Dedede atop the arena still haven't intervened, which offered some relief to Captain N. The immense screen beneath the press box displayed a massive bracket of other fighters, which then shifted to show that he had moved on to round two. Beneath the match up between Glass Joe and Captain N was a match up between Dan Hibiki and someone called the Urban Champion. Realizing the next match was about to start soon, he ran back inside the underbelly of the arena and made his way back to the locker room. Zelda was still waiting outside for him when he arrived. "That was incredible!" Zelda congratulated him, rushing up to greet him. Captain N smiled and waved it off humbly. "It was actually a lot easier than I thought it'd be, that Glass Joe guy wasn't tough at all." He remarked. "It was your first bout on your own! Take pride in your accomplishments!" Zelda insisted. He chuckled and relented. "As you wish, your majesty." He joked. Zelda rolled her eyes, and Captain N walked inside the locker room to find Pit, Falco and Doc Louis. "Not bad, kid!" Doc Louis congratulated him. "Yeah! That was awesome! Little Mac's out preparing for his match but I bet he'll think so, too!" Pit eagerly added. "Well, thanks, but it really wasn't that hard." Captain N waved off. "Well, yeah. Glass Joe's got a win loss ratio of 1-99." Doc Louis informed him. Captain N and Falco shared a brief laugh at this revelation, but Captain N quickly stopped himself. "Seriously?" Captain N asked. "Yup, he was one of Little Mac's first opponents when he was up-and-coming." Doc Louis explained. "You think that guy'd get the message by now." Falco snickered. "Well, I think it's cool to see him so determined to win!" Pit defended. "Any effort expended in achieving such a goal is commendable." Zelda chimed in from outside the locker room. It was only then that Captain N spotted Ryu meditating on a bench farther away from the conversation. Ryu seemed undisturbed by the conversation, so Captain N approached him. "So... how do you think I did?" He nervously asked his pseudo-mentor. Ryu didn't respond at first. As Captain N turned back to Doc Louis, Ryu spoke up. "Your technique is solid for a newcomer, but your stance is exploitable. You're lucky your first opponent was someone less skilled." Ryu bluntly stated. Captain N reluctantly nodded in agreement.

"You should protect your fists, too." Ryu noted as he noticed Captain N's cut-up hands. "Oh, right!" Doc Louis remembered, and tossed Captain N a roll of bandages. "Wrap those around your knuckles. It ain't gonna make 'em indestructible but it'll provide some protection." Doc Louis advised him. "Yeah, thanks." Captain N responded, wrapping a generous amount of the bandages around his hands. "You show promise in your skills, Captain." Ryu said to him. Captain N nodded at him gratefully, appreciating the compliment. Suddenly, Pit and Falco exclaimed in surprise. "What happened?" Zelda asked, still outside the locker room. "Dan Hibiki somehow beat Urban Champion!" Pit answered her. "This is the first time that guy's ever seen round two!" Falco added with a smirk. "Looks like you'll be fighting Dan next, Cap." Doc Louis chuckled. "Who's Dan Hibiki?" Captain N asked. "Guy's a joke, you'll be fine." Falco waved off. "It's not smart to underestimate your opponent, Falco." Zelda noted. "Correct. Hubris can easily lead to one's defeat." Ryu agrees. Captain N sat down on a nearby bench and joined Falco and Pit in watching the next match. Little Mac versus Vega. Doc Louis finished another chocolate bar when Pit suddenly remembered something. "Oh! That's not how the Shoryuken works." Pit informed Captain N.

"Huh?"

"It's not just saying 'Shoryuken!' while uppercutting someone."

"Well, I couldn't grasp the subtleties as Ryu almost punched my nose off, so forgive my ignorance."

Ryu chuckled softly. "If we had the time, I could instruct you in the way of the Shoryuken, I would.". "Maybe someday." Captain N smirked. "Shh! The fight's starting!" Falco interrupted, his eyes still glued to the screen. Captain N turned to watch the fight alongside the others. Little Mac came out when his name was announced, who was soon followed by a tall man wearing a simple mask that obscured his face, and was equipped with long claw weapons. Vega was noticeably taller than Little Mac, but then again so was everyone else. Once the fight started, Little Mac proved himself much quicker than Vega. Swiftly dodging around each and every one of Vega's slash attacks, placing strikes when he lets his guard down. Vega's initially calm demeanor weakened more and more as the fight went on. His frustrations at being unable to hit Little Mac even once boiled over. Little Mac took the moment of opportunity and, with a firm uppercut, defeated Vega. The crowd cheered as the match ended, more so for him than Captain N. While this wounded him slightly, he figured Little Mac had more of a reputation. Pit met the results with applause, and Doc Louis nodded approvingly at the screen. "I assume Little Mac won?" Zelda asked, still out of view of the screen. "Sure did." Falco bluntly answered. Ryu was still meditating. Captain N was incredibly impressed with his show of skill, far better than anything he'd seen even on Earth.

Not too long after, Little Mac returned to the locker room. "That was awesome!" Pit eagerly greeted him. "Heh, thanks Pit." Little Mac chuckled. "Not a single hit! You oughta be proud of yourself!" Doc Louis added. "I know, I know." He waved off with a smile. He sat down on a bench and wiped his forehead with a clean towel. "How come you weren't that good against me yesterday?" Captain N jokingly asked him. "I didn't wanna hurt your feelings too much!" Little Mac replied. They shared a laugh and turned to the next fight on the screen: Cammy White versus Akira Yuki. Both proved themselves to be exceptionally skilled martial artists, and the fight went on for longer than the previous two. In the flurry of kicks and punches, the blonde woman in the green leotard fought viciously against the man with dark hair in the white martial arts getup akin to Ryu's. This display of raw skill and power made Captain N uneasy. If Falco was to be trusted, and Dan Hibiki wasn't very threatening, how long could his luck last? This is the World Warrior Tournament, after all. Expecting all his opponents to be chumps would be pure ignorance. With a strong roundhouse kick, Cammy claimed victory over Akira. The crowd erupted in applause for the woman as two more R.O.B.s came out and carried the man back inside the arena. "She's really something, huh?" Little Mac remarked. Captain N nodded, acknowledging how attractive Cammy was as she walked back into the arena, especially in that green leotard. "Yeah, strong, tough, good-looking, she's like the opposite of Zelda over here." Falco teased. Zelda's face grew a bright red as she scrunched up her face, but then sighed, figuring it wasn't worth the effort.

More and more fights went on, and eventually it came time for Captain N to face his next opponent. "Well, off to get my ass kicked." Captain N remarked as he got up, semi-jokingly. "Remember, bold stance, remain firm in your strikes." Ryu reminded him. "Bold stance, firm strikes. Got it." Captain N repeated. "You got this, Cap! Eye of the tiger!" Doc Louis encouraged him. "Go Captain N!" Pit cheered. Falco only offered a solid nod at Captain N. As he left the locker room, Zelda wished him good luck before he left, and reminded him that they'll be watching over him. Smiling at her, Captain N thanked her and made his way to the entrance. He jogged along the way, feeling more confident in his skills, and more importantly, the supposed lack of skills in his opponent. He passed by a couple more R.O.B.s before reaching the gate, where the same attendant from before. "Gotta say, didn't think you'd see round two." He said to Captain N. "Thanks for the words of encouragement." he jokingly replied, jogging in place to pump himself up. "Well, let's hope your luck persists." The attendant wished him. He nodded at him, and soon after the announcer came back on. "AND NOW, FOR THE FIRST ROUND TWO OF HIS CAREER, GIVE IT UP FOR CAPTAIN N!" He almost yelled, signaling him to run back into the arena. The crowd seemed more enthusiastic to see him, as their applause was a little louder than the last time he made an appearance. Looking up, he saw the same Koopa and minions from before, but now they seemed to be whispering something to each other. He could only hope it was unrelated to him, and reminded himself that his allies are at his back. "FACING THIS NEWCOMER, WEIGHING IN AT 163 POUNDS, HEEEEEEEEERE'S DAN HIBIKIIIIIIIIII!" The announcer boldly continued, whereupon a man with long, tied-back brown hair and pink martial arts getup burst out of the opposing gate to greet the audience. His arrogance was immediately apparently, jumping around and trying to hype up the crowd, which only offered half-hearted applause. Dan didn't seem to notice or mind, and turned to face Captain N. "So YOU'RE my next opponent?" Dan loudly asked Captain N. Before he could answer, Dan gave a loud "HA HA HA!". "I'm one of the GREATEST martial-artists in the world, and I'm self taught! Some kid like you's got no chance! You might as well give up now!" Dan continued to brag. Captain N remained quiet, perfecting his bold stance as Dan danced about. "READYYYYYYY: FIGHT!" The announcer declared, initiating the match.

"Here, I'll let you have the first hit, just for-" Dan bragged, but was immediately cut off by Captain N punching him across the face. Dan was clearly not expecting this, and stumbled back clumsily. Captain N's fist was less sore than before, thanks to the bandages around his fist. "Heh, well, I let you have that one! Now the real fight begins!" Dan rebounded, his ego recovering. He approached Captain N, who maintained a safe distance between the two while maintaining a strong stance. Dan tried to fake him out with half-jabs, but Captain N kept his hands up and blocked the jabs. Suddenly, Dan then jumped back and launched at Captain N with several spiral kicks, yelling "Dankukyaku!". He jumped out of the way, but was hit in the side by one of the kicks. It wasn't a particularly powerful kick, but it still partially knocked the air out of him. Stumbling over, Dan took the opportunity to gloat further. "I hope you're ready for a beating!" He boasted, readying another attack as Captain N got up. He could tell the audience was getting more into the fight from the atmosphere throughout the air. "And now, behold my power!" Dan declared, shooting his hand forward and yelling "Gadoken!", shooting a ball of blue energy at Captain N.  He recoiled and braced himself for it, but it dissipated right before it could hit him. Dan looked down at his hand, confused by this. Before he could attempt another attack, Captain N delivered another strong right cross, knocking Dan down. He stepped back as Dan writhed on the ground, clutching his face. Dan tried to get back up, but Captain N quickly struck him back down with a punch to the back of the head. Now completely vulnerable, Dan fell victim to a flurry of Captain N's punches. He disregarded any technique and wailed on Dan, left hood after right hook after left hook. He tried to raise his arms in defense, but Captain N quickly subverted these defenses. With one final strike from both his fists, Captain N knocked out Dan. One countdown from ten later, the buzzer went off, and Captain N was once again declared the winner. He took a moment to catch his breath after the fight, and raised his fists victoriously. The crowd cheered even louder than before, now growing more fond of this young newcomer. "LADIES AND GENTLEMAN, THIS YOUNG CAPTAIN N HAS JUST WON NOT ONLY THE SECOND FIGHT OF HIS CAREER, BUT THE SECOND IN A ROW! NEXT STOP: ROUND THREE!" The announcer proclaimed, boosting Captain N's ego somewhat. Two R.O.B.s came out to carry Dan off, and Captain N walked back to the locker room.

In the press box, in a dark, private room, a large man wearing a red hat and uniform was watching the match intently. As Captain N was declared the winner, he huffed to himself, displeased. A small portal opened behind him, where Kamek floated through to speak to the man. "Are you certain you don't want to move in on him now?" Kamek asked the man. The man stood up and shook his head. "If this 'Captain N' is who you really say he is, I'm certain his next opponents will be his undoing. His beginner's luck WILL run out, I'm sure of it.". "Dracula thought much the same, M. Bison. Vega already failed you earlier in the Tournament." Kamek reminded him. "I understand that, Kamek." M. Bison barked back. "You may have some sovereignty from the three kings because of Shadaloo supplying additional arms and manpower, but remember who's holding your leash." Kamek shot back at him impatiently. M. Bison snarled at this comment, but his eyes remained on the arena. "Rest assured I have my plans in place. If this 'Captain' can somehow survive the challengers to come, Shadaloo will ensure he'll never live to see the outside of the stadium.".