Round 3: Kayla Croft vs. Hosa Corvina

She tapped her foot against the dark concrete, the sound echoing off the ancient brick buildings that lined the road. Her shadow stretched as tall as a giant across the ground, the streetlamps casting an orange glow, and blue electricity whipped around her like wild snakes. The dim blue light gave a shadowy cast to her face that flickered and danced like flame, and it burned in her eyes, reflected in cold chestnut irises. Kayla Croft wore an ice thin smile as she stared down her long awaited enemy further down the road.

"Miss Prefect," she muttered, turning the words over in her mouth. They tasted bitter on her tongue. Hosa Corvina. "Come to scold me for fighting again?" There was a dark grit to her words as she raised her hand in front of her, blue currents of light snaking up her arm to dance at her fingertips. "You look like you've changed your mind about the sport."

Kayla Croft, it was a name Hosa knew well. Mainly because Kayla was known for getting into fights - one of which Hosa had broken up. So, really, Hosa wasn't really surprise to hear the bitter tone in Kayla's voice. A soft frown was on Hosa's face as she stared at Kayla before speaking up. "Oh no, Miss Croft," she said in a mocking tone as a smile flicked on her face. "I am not here to scold you - I came here to beat you. I am all for fighting when it doesn't leave a lasting effect." She laughed as she finished, her blue eyes glimmering in the light of the lightposts. Normally she wouldn't be so...Mouthy, but the excitement of the tournament was getting to her. She was almost at the finals, she was almost back to where she was before...And this time, she was going to win.

Kayla could've laughed at that. "No real effect, huh?" It was almost insulting, the way she said it. The innocent little teacher's pet really didn't know anything. She grinned, and the light of a nearby streetlamp burst in an explosion of light and sparks. The metal pole began to wobble. "That's like calling yourself a master fighter because you're good in a video game. Have you ever killed anybody who was trying to kill you, Miss Prefect?"

By itself, the metal pole wrenched itself up from the concrete and began to levitate, electricity coursing up the sides. "Not in a simulation. When it's all real, and the pain sticks with you, and lives are on the line."

The pole leveled itself at Hosa like a spear and went flying down at her at an unbelievable speed as the bell rang. "You wouldn't know the first thing about that."

Hosa smile turned to a frown as she listened to Kayla go on and on. Her eyes kept flicking to the streetlamp as the light of it burst into sparkles and it was pulled from the ground. She gritted her teeth, couching down ready to dodge when the bell rang. It seemed Kayla wasn't wasting any time. Then the bell rang, and Kayla started the fight. Hosa quickly rolled to the side as the streetlamp came crashing down, but she was a bit slow and was knocked backwards by the sheer speed of it passing her. She hit the ground as the pole flew past, rolling onto her knees as she gritted her teeth.

Kayla was right, Hosa never had been in a real fight other with than with her first mission. She had never killed another person outside of this illusion...But Hosa was alright with that. She didn't come to Beata to kill another with her gift...She had come to master it and hopefully protect others. It was why she was a Prefect - to protect the students of the school. Her eyes closed as she quickly attempted to change forms before Kayla could do anything else. Her body flickered with pain as her body picked the new form for her to change into her, but Hosa was alright with that. So far, her forms had only led her to victory.

Soon, she was in her new form as she forced herself up, her talons clicking at the ground as she ruffled her feathers. Her eyes flickered open, now glowing with a strange blue light beneath them as she let out a caw - and thunder sounded in the distance. Electricity danced though her raven-black feathers as she stared down Kayla. She would of taken to the air only there was an issue - her wingspan was to big for the streets for her to take air properly.

Hosa quickly darted forward, attempting to smash Kayla with her talons as the name of her form came to her mind.Thunderbird. What a fitting form for fighting against a person with the power to manipulate electricity, don't you think? Hosa thought so, but she was a bit more worried about winning then the poetic nature of this fight.

Kayla didn't even blink at the streetlamp came crashing down into the street, carving a path of destruction into the concrete as it went shooting past.

And then she was changing. Her signature gift that nobody seemed to be able to stop raving about; Preston had ranted about it at some length after his match the day before. Another streetlamp began to wobble in place as she shifted, pulling itself up from the ground like a giant steel weed. When Hosa had finally transformed, Kayla couldn't help but chuckle under her breath.

Thunder boomed, and electric currents flickered around her dark feathers. Some giant glorified peacock, but Kayla could tell at a glance that her electric shocks wouldn't even tickle a monster like that. Typical.

Hosa charged forward across the ground, her wings too wide to take to the air, and Kayla sent the streetlamp flying toward her. With such little room for a massive animal like that to maneuver, there'd be small chance of dodging.

Still, Kayla wasn't going to sit around and wait for her to get up close. She took off running toward a brick building to the side, blasting through the door with a quick lightning bolt. It was a shabby looking apartment on the inside, but she wasn't going to stick around to critique the decor. Instead she started up the stairs, electricity flaring up her arm. Small metal objects from all around the house—knives, watches, coins, keys, pens, lighters, scissors—began to fly and float around her as she made her way up the flights of stairs, magnetized toward her. Stupid animal... Of all the forms Hosa could've taken...

The lamppost caused Hosa to come to a stop, her wing quickly lashing out to send it crashing into the building that had been unlucky enough to be there. It hurt, striking the streetlight like that, but it was nothing compared to how much it would of hurt if it had kept on its path. Her eyes darted when she saw Kayla dash into a building, letting out a soft clacking hiss with her peak - knowing that she was unable to get into that building. Her eyes flickered to the building next to her as she turned - knocking over a few cars and stands with her tail feathers as she leaped forward and hooked her talons to the building and started to climb up it in the way that a normal bird would sometimes hop up the side of a tree, using her wings for support. When she got to the top of the building after a few moments, she spread out her wings as she started to flap them, enjoying the space she had now as dark clouds started to form on the horizon - coming at her call as thunder boomed in the air and a cold wind ruffled her feathers. She would have to wait for Kayla to make the next move as she could not reach the Autumn, but now Hosa had the whole sky as her domain.

She could hear the rumble of thunder in the distance as she made her way up the final flight of stairs, toward the roof. Was there a storm coming? That would just be a boon to her own powers, but without direct electric attacks, she was limited to magnetism... and her ace attack.

Kayla gingerly opened the door leading to the open roof, not daring to move out into the open just yet. She could see Hosa silhouetted against a dark sky, blue lightning rippling down her big wings. A menagerie of random household objects floated all around her, from clocks to a metal stool, all containing a metal device of some kind.

Hosa's giant peacock might be immune to electric attacks, but a railgun wasn't an electric attack. It was a metal projectile that only used electricity to fire, as opposed to some big electric laser. Like a missile. Usually only one was needed to put someone out of commission, but knowing Miss Prefect, she'd have to bring on her own storm.

Metal could be fired at three times the speed of sound, a muzzle velocity of 1030 miles per second. It packed a punch like a freight train, literally, and could pierce through steel beams like butter. Flicking something small like a coin or bolt was easiest, but any metal would do. Including the ordinary household objects found in all these buildings.

She grinned, stepping out onto the rooftop, and tossed them all into the air. A shower of coins, knives, pens, spoons, lighters, clocks and nails went flying in front of her. Kayla whisked her arm through the air, giving them a lick of electricity, and a volley of lightning-like beams went shooting up into the sky toward the great thundering bird.

Hosa's gaze flickered over to Kayla as she reached the roof of her own building, her feathers ruffling as the storm grew closer and closer. Her eyes narrowed when she saw the shield that the other student had around her, and she knew things were about to get rough. When Kayla sent her items in front of her, Hosa took to the sky as the metal items shot forward. But she was just a bit to slow. Pain lashed though Hosa, the different household items striking her body at different points. A few holes in her wings, some of the items scratching her body as they went pass.

Blood-soaked feathers fell from Hosa as she flapped her wings with a painful squawk as she fell backwards onto the building. She rolled to regain her feet, stumbling slightly as blood trickled down her body and feathers but this was far from being close enough to bring her down. The items had been small compared to her giant form, and hell was she going to let herself lose so early. With an angry caw as thunder echoed once more, she raced forward before taking to the air to span the gap between her and Kayla. Her body turned slightly so her talons would be the first thing coming down upon the Autumn, her eyes glimmering dangerously.

The peacock went spiraling backwards like a downed plane, squawking like a surprised rooster, but Kayla knew that it wouldn't be that easy. Even if her lightning could blast a hole through a leviathan's head, Hosa was something else, and she knew that she was in for more of a fight than what she got from Grace or Dylan or Montare, or even the other girl she'd fought back in Japan. Kayla hadn't ever learned her name. Funny how that worked.

Hosa was back up on those clawed feet of hers, croaking bloody birdy murder, and took off into the air again despite the damage to her wings. Right toward her.

Kayla grit her teeth and stuffed a hand into her pocket, sparks crackling around her back. Walk on the ceiling, Mrs. Harper had said. Her words echoed in her head. That'd sounded too ridiculous back in that Gift Mastery class, but she could see what she meant now.

Suddenly, as if hurled backwards by an invisible slingshot, Kayla flew backwards and out of reach of Hosa's approaching talons. She pulled her hand out of her pocket, a quarter rotating through the air. Kayla flicked it, one last scorching ray of light leaving her fingers, right toward Hosa. Big enough target up close.

There wasn't enough time to brace herself though. Kayla slammed into the metal water spout of the brick building behind her, the building she'd magnetized herself towards. Like hell she was going to let herself get caught by those claws. The impact knocked the wind out of her, and Kayla had to swallow back vomit as she let herself topple forward and into the narrow alleyway. She pulled herself toward a dumpster, sneakers smashing onto the dumpster's steel lid with a web of lightning, hard enough to dent. Pain shot up her legs, but it was better than getting torn apart by a giant dirty crow.

Kayla stumbled off the dumpster and rolled onto the concrete floor of the alleyway, staring up at the sky. Hosa's size was a double-edged sword. She had strength, but this city was full of narrow clefts and crevices, and if she couldn't even spread her wings in the street, she sure as hell wasn't getting in here.

Still, Kayla didn't let herself comfortable... if you could call it comfortable. Her entire back was aching from her flight off the building. She pushed herself back onto her feet, breathing heavy, electricity flaring up her arm.

Don't think I'm stupid, Kayla thought to herself between pained ragged breaths. She might not be book smart, but she'd been throwing herself into fights her entire life, and even if Hosa was older, trained, and a giant lightning bird, she didn't have the instinct and muscle memory that came with years of experience. This was a game to Hosa, a simulation, but this was what Kayla lived for.

Hosa's eyes widen in surprise as Kayla was suddenly pulled backwards as she landed, her feathers ruffling as she watched her opponent reach into her pocket and pull out...A quarter? She was confused for a split moment, before Kayla sent it flying at her in a ray of light. Hosa gasped as she ducked along with falling to the side to escape the attack. The beam struck her shoulder, pulling off a few more feathers as blood started to drip from the new wound.

She let out a soft hiss as she stumbled, watching as Kayla slammed into the wall of the building behind her and fell into the ally. So this was how it was going to go, huh? A game of cat and mouse. Her eyes flickered with pain as she slowly made her way over to the side, sparing a quick glance down the side of the building to see Kayla in the ally before she pulled back before Kayla could even think about doing an attack of some sort. There was no way she was fitting down there, but Kayla would be unable to reach her as well.

She sighed as she turned, pacing on the rooftop as her eyes flickered toward her many wounds. So far she had done no damage to Kayla...None! It seemed Kayla was doing more damage to herself than Hosa was...Ugh, she shook her head as she found a perch on the edge of the roof, her eyes fixed on the entrance - or exit she supposed - of the ally way that Kayla was hiding in. She had nothing to do until Kayla made an appearance, so she decided to go over what Kayla had said at the start of the match.

She knew to take Kayla's words with a gain of salt - the girl was known for her sharp tongue but Hosa couldn't help but admit that she had been right. Hosa had never really killed anybody - she never got into a spot where somebody was trying to kill her in the first place. Kayla thought? Kayla was known for fighting, taking parts on missions while Hosa had done a grand total of one mission. But that wouldn't change a thing. When it came to abilities, Hosa's gift was one good for fighting. She could change her form to match her opponent's weakness and that was where her true skill was. However, even with her power being on the fritz like it was - something she had slowly been putting a small connection on why it was being like so - she had taken down Heron and Preston.

It was putting some new faith in her and her power, mostly due to the lack of losing control - it was a small victory for her - so like hell she was going to let herself be defeated like the likes of Kayla. Kayla always seemed to need somebody to put her back in her place and while Hosa was normally for peace and being laid back, the tournament was something that always riled up that more...Violent part of Hosa. She blamed being able to turn into dragons and the likes for that part of her nature. Or it just was a normal part of Hosa, it was hard to tell. All she knew, was that she was aiming to win this fight.

Kayla could see Hosa silhouetted against the sky, perched on the edge of the rooftop near the exit, just waiting for her to leave the safety of the alley. Keep waiting. For right now, Kayla had to put together a present.

She wasted no time in searching the alley, pacing up and down looking for anything that could be used. There was all kinds of junk sitting along the walls, but another man's trash was another girl's treasure. Kayla paused in her tracks farther down the alley, her eyes locked on five white bags resting against the grimy bricks. Flour. With a grin, she hefted them onto her shoulders, two at a time, to bring them over to the dumpster.

It was heavy green steel patched with rust, and the inside was half full with garbage and filth, but it would do just nicely. She grinned and dumped the flour inside, one by one.

When she was finished, she closed the heavy lid with a loud CLANG and held out her hand, sparks dancing across her fingertips. The dumpster began to levitate in the narrow alley, blue currents rippling across the metal. Kayla whisked her fingers, and the magnetized steel box went slinging out of the alley and whizzing past Hosa's head.

But Hosa wasn't her target. Kayla snapped her fingers, and a lightning bolt went shooting into the dumpster, piercing through the steel. There was a sound like the very air was being ripped in two, and then the dumpster exploded into a fireball, sending shreds of shrapnel exploding in all directions. The brunette, even from down in the alley, was sent flying backwards into the concrete by the force of the blast.

A dust explosion.

Hosa raised an eyebrow at the sound of the dumpster clanging shut, wondering what exactly Kayla was doing. Then the dumpster went flying past her head. Her wing suddenly shot up to protect herself in surprise, thinking that something else was following but for the split second nothing happened. Did Kayla somehow miss her with a giant dumpster?

Then it exploded.

White dust went everywhere, quickly consumed in the blast as metal shards went flying. Her wing which was still open took most of the damage, pain flaring though it as she had suddenly moved it to protect her from the explosion but still some pieces of metal slash across her body in near misses, other digging into her feathered body. She cawed in suprised as she stumbled backwards into the roof, her body gritted as more blood trickled down her. God...DAMNIT!

Her wings spread open as she let out an angry cry, a few bolts of lightning followed by thunder echoed in surprise. Here she was, stuck on a stupid roof because Kayla had decided to play hide and seek but was having all the luck when it came to finding things to use against her. She flapped her bloodied wing to make sure she could still fly, and once she was sure she could - even thought it sent agonizing pain though her.

Kayla wanted to hide? Fine - Hosa was going to try to even the field. Her took to the air shakily, her blood splatting the rooftop as she turned and started to fly down the streets. If Kayla really wanted to win that badly, she would have to come into the open and chase her down cause Hosa was done with chasing her. Even if Kayla did decide to stay in that alley, Hosa had a few ideas of how to try to get her out but she doubted Kayla would just be willing to sit there.

Kayla crawled back to her feet, throbs of pain pulsing through her body, but it was a good ache. It was worth getting thrown through the air if she could keep landing hits like that, and Hosa's screeches of pain sounded as sweet as a harp. She watched her flap away, sending a spray of red droplets against the dark bricks, and let herself slouch against the alley wall with a sigh. This game of cat and mouse was born more out of necessity than anything. She was headstrong, but she knew how to pick her battles. Hosa just had to transform into the one thing that could resist her voltage, and even Kayla could recognize that those talons were dangerous. A straight on fight was winnable, but risky. It was better to play it safe, and if playing it safe meant playing dirty and hiding away, then so be it. Kayla was here to win.

After a couple moments of silence, Kayla raised her eyebrow. Where did she fly off to? She stood up straight again, rolling her shoulders to alleviate the pain in her back. Kayla had watched enough horror movies as a kid not to walk into the street now, with a giant monstrous bird on the loose, but...

She grit her teeth. If Hosa was trying to protract the battle, then it was pointless. Right here, sooner or later, Hosa would die. Kayla had promised herself that much, at least. And if she was just biding her time, well, that just gave her another opportunity.

The shredded and twisted scraps of metal left over from the explosion began to twitch and float in the air, magnetized toward Kayla once again as she started down the alley, blue lightning reflected in her eyes. Everyone at the Academy was rooting against her from what she could tell. She wondered what they were all thinking as they watched this.