Round 1: Harper / Mueller vs. Jung / Waterson

Matty felt a pang of guilt as his opponent crumpled to the ground. Part of him wanted to help her up and stop this whole thing, but he had a feeling it wouldn't stop. The other part of him really did not want to disappoint Jules who was taking a beating under the water. The latter part won out. If they were able to win, the sooner it would be over and he wouldn't have to fight her any longer. It was a very flawed logic, but it was what he clung to as he swung the staff down once more. The first swing was well timed and with a lot of force behind it. Each one after was a little sloppy. There was a fair amount of speed behind the blows, however nothing too fancy. Overall, the strategy was just an attempt to get as many hit in as he could while he had the chance.

After a few moments of this, he turned and sprinted towards the fountain. A year in cross country hadn't done much for him other than make running a bit easier. However, his sides still heaved with the effort of the whole battle. He reached in to search for Jules shirt and pulled upwards. Matty was far from the strongest guy around, but he put all his effort into yanking against the weight. His muscles strained at the effort, water making the endeavor even harder. His breathing became tight as he mumbled to himself, "Come on, come on."

Lowell managed to get out of the water in time. His back hurt from the knife. But mostly he was shook because Jules didn't scream in pain from his punch.

His thoughts were too jumbled to focus any strength in his body, so he jumped out of the water and kicked the back of Matty's knees with a normal persons strength.

(placeholder it'll look pretty tonight)

Thwack.

White pain flashed in front of her eyes, then exploded across her skin where Matty whacked her with the staff, again, and again, and again. She was rolling back onto her stomach, pushing herself to her knees as Matty ran to where Battletoad Lowell was pinning down his partner, blood flecking the smooth stone as she hacked her lungs out. Well, that'll bruise... Or it would, if it weren't "just" a simulation. Somehow, she couldn't quite find the strength to smile, finding her feet, the bat scraping against the ground just beside her, wiping the blood dribbling from the corner of her mouth as spots danced across her vision, swallowing her nausea.

Just hang on.

Lowell sprung from the fountain, sweeping a kick toward where Matty was stooping. Addison pushed herself forward, walking, then running, the world slowing around her once again, water still dripping from her clothes.

Hang on!

Ugh, was that—...? She felt bile rise up at the back of her throat watching Juliette pick at her ribs, but she couldn't dwell on that. The girl moved to toss her spear, and Addison swung, eyes wild as it came flying toward her. Addison sidestepped as the tip of her bat caught the makeshift javelin just beneath the head, sending a crack splitting up the middle of the shaft as it went deflecting harmlessly away.

Skin herself a little girl... Somehow she got the feeling that she wasn't entirely joking. Addison cracked a bloodstained grin, the pain pulsing through her chest. "No thanks," she said. She didn't fuck with crazy.

Matty wanted to protest at his partner's words. Clearly she didn't understand what little control he had over whatever power he posessed. Jules must have been too busy with her opponent to notice failing was his main line of both offense and defense. The only drive behind it all was the fact he'd managed to make it through several beatings in his life time. He bit his tongue. She sounded so cheery about it somehow. Before he could and turn to attempt a hit on Lowell, his knees were knocked out from under him. Given his stature, it didn't take much on his knees to make him crumple.

"Oof." Matty grunted as his it the ground. It surprised him more than it hurt. Although, he was now terrified by the prospect of fighting this kid who had super strength. His limbs would be twigs to this guys. Tightening his grip on the staff, Matty pulled together any strength he could and aimed first for Froggo's stomach before attempting blows on his sides and arms. He missed fighting Addison. Interally, he cursed Juliette for the opponent change. She was far more skilled than him. If anything, Lowell was better for her. Matty? Well, he was probably best up against someone who was just as weak and powerless as he felt in that moment. Sadly, that was far from what he had to face now.

Lowell was already wincing from the pain in his back. The knife stuck out, firm into the left side of his upper back, churning against his muscles with every movement of his left arm. Thankfully the blood oozing from the wound was minimal. If he left the blade in its place, he wouldn't have to worry about bloodloss. Not yet, at least.

"Fuck," he muttered as his chest heaved. With one arm essentially useless, the boy would have to rely on his legs and right arm.

While he was momentarily distracted by the pain, his new enemy threw a few quick punches in Lowell's gut. The dark-haired initiate recoiled, his free arm reaching down to hold his stomach as a new pain rippled through. Before Matty could hit his sides, he managed to jump back. "You're partner's pretty stupid for leaving you alone with me," he spat before straightening up and running back at the other boy full throttle. His fist was raised high, gaining momentum and power as he approached. With one sweeping motion, he slid down on his side, skidding across the stones before kicking at Matty's shins and thrusting his fist upwards to catch him right in the crotch.

He never thought he'd be so desperate to punch someone in the balls this much.

Matty groaned as Lowell's feet connected with his shins. He felt immense pain in his left shin as he fell back to the ground. Thankfully, Juliette was able to save him from the second blow. There was no doubt that would have been a bitch to deal with for days to come. The boy landed roughly back on his butt. Once more, he remembered the irony of how peaceful and beautiful their battle scene was for what was currently unfolding. He tried to push himself up on his left arm, grimacing at the pain that shot through him from earlier. Addison's bat had sure done a number on him. After struggling for a second, he managed to get back on his feet. He managed a rushed 'thanks' to his partner. It appeared that Jules had realized he was no match for the mega strong, frog boy. As he stood, his balance was off. Limp evident now.

I just want this to be over. Matty thought for what was probably the thousandth time since this whole thing had started. He had never been one for fighting. However, someone he suggest he sign up for this thing, and he was all for trying new experiences. Little did he know what it entailed. Once more, he gripped the quarterstaff in both hands. His knuckles went white with effort. As soon as he was close enough to be in range, Matty swung once again with his wild and untimely blows. He didn't mean to say it out loud but found himself shouting, "I'm sorry!" He hoped desprately that at least one would land, that maybe one would catch Lowell in the head and be enough to knock him out.

Addison danced back, not taking her eyes off the spear girl for a second, but the other girl peeled away, leaping to knock Lowell to the floor in a full body tackle. For a second, she could only watch as the three of them writhed and tussled on the floor, flipping the bat over in her hands as Matty disentangled himself from the mess.

Nope. She didn't know Lowell that well at all, but they were in this together for better or for worse. Addison sucked in a deep breath, pain pinching at her ribs, adrenaline burning in her legs, pressing her shoes against the pavement. Is he seriously saying sorry? It looked like she wasn't the only one in over her head, but they could talk about that later. The Summer pushed off like a sprinter, the world blurring around her. "Up off your ass, Froglegs!" she shouted with an inward swing, pulling back to try and crack Matty across the other leg, and outwards again on the follow-up, trying to smash Juliette across the temple.

Panic shot through him as he was flattened against the ground and the knife in his back stiffened. His heart pounded loudly against his chest, filling his ears with a speedy thump. The only thought crossing through his mind was simple; This was the end.

It almost didn't register in him as he looked up to watched Matty swing his quarterstaff that Addison has sprinted towards the three, her bat aiming straight for the boy's leg. In a flash, Lowell's hand shot up, grabbing the staff in its wake. His grip grew tighter and tighter until finally, the wood snapped. The sound was loud as the weapon splintered. He was tired of this bullshit. "I'm not a fucking frog," the boy snarled.

While Addison ran up to slam her bat down on Juliette, the initiate twisted over until he faced the girl once again, doing all he could to ignore the ripping that came from her grip on the knife, although his voice let out a long grunt. Once again, with a quick but sweeping motion, he brought his fist forward, aiming straight for her jaw. Despite the... disturbing visuals, it seemed she could recover from a damaging blow. There was no need to worry about holding back.

Matty fell forwards as the bat cracked against his leg. After all this time, his left leg was finally done in. He kneeled awkwardly next to the intense brawl that was happening. However, what struck him more was the destruction of the staff. Lowell snapped it like a twig. Frustration rose up in his chest, but it was overwhelmed by disappointment. He had spend quite sometime working on the carving. And it was destroyed like nothing.

"Okay." Matty said to himself. It was like he'd come to a decision. All of the conflicting emotions of the whole battle seemed to melt away. He had a goal, more evident than before, to end this. If it ended in his lose, so be it. Matty's hands gripped the splintered staff, one end in each hand. His fingers gripped them tighter than before. Gathering each and every ounce of what strength he had, Matty thrust the pointed ends straight at Lowell's back.

She just missed Juliette as the two lovebirds went rolling over across the floor, but she felt the vibrations up her arm as she connected with Matty's leg, the satisfying, totally disgusting impact of the blow. Heart pumping, the world moving in slow motion, watching the way Jules' flesh seemed to ripple under the force of the deflected punch, the blood welling up from around the knife blade... Every image seemed even sharper at this speed, like watching every gory frame in crystal clear high definition.

Fucking yuck.

Addison swallowed her nausea, winding back as Matty went down to one knee. He thrust the broken staff toward Lowell like a spear, and she swung full force toward Matty's face.

Sorry. Not sorry.

Addison felt her stomach flip. He was dead. It'd all been gross and violent before, but watching the blade plunge into his chest, watching the life ebb from his eyes as the blood pooled around him, it changed the whole arena. She killed him, and they'd kill her next. A screaming dread flooded out from her core and into her limbs, filling her head with a sudden wild hysteria. Crack. A blood smeared hand shot up between the metal and its soft squishy target, bending unnaturally under the force of the blow, but Juliette looked casual about an injury that would've sent anyone else howling in agony. Sweet and blood-spattered.

Fuck. Mom was right. People here were fucking crazy.

What the hell had she gotten herself into? It didn't matter if it was all a simulation, in that instant, all the pain and blood and sweat and gore and fear were very real, and somehow, in the back of her head, she got the hunch that all this would be real to her long after the simulation ended. How the hell was she supposed to win something like this? Her knees almost buckled, and in one frantic moment it was so tempting to collapse into a ball and scream her lungs out until the mirage faded, but she just stumbled back, eyes wide and wild, the weapon faltering in her grip for half a heartbeat, but she was still standing.

How had Wright explained it to them, when they all prepped for the first match? Kill or be killed. That thought alone rang clear through her head through the flurry of emotions. Instinct. It was fight or flight. She chose fight, if it was even her choice.

Adrenaline pumped through her arms, spurring her forward. Addison pulled back, digging her heel into the ground, and swung, swung so hard she thought she might pop her own shoulder from the socket. Give her a second? Like she'd let him have that chance; she was winding up before she even finished the sentence. There was a nauseating squelch, the ring of aluminum against bone, a warm spray across her face. She didn't blink as Matty went arcing backwards, almost twirling, carried by the momentum of the swing as the bat went sweeping up, and then slamming back down again as he hit the floor, two hands wrapped around the rubber grip.

The sound was kind of like dropping a watermelon from your balcony. As for the smell... well, there wasn't anything quite like the smell, but it hit her like a freight train. She didn't let herself look long, but the little glimpse she caught as she went tottering away seemed burned into the back of her eyelids, flashing in front of her eyes whenever she blinked. Addison spun around to face Jules, her bat scratching a red circle into the ground where she'd let it scrape against the stone.

In real time, the whole exchange, from Lowell's death to Matty's was maybe ten or eleven seconds at best, probably less. For her, it'd felt like two minutes.

Addison finally puked in her mouth. She swallowed it back down, wiping her sleeve across her lips, panting, sweating, a stark contrast to Juliette's playful indifference to it all, dancing back as best she could to put some real distance between them. I won't be like Lowell... This wouldn't end in a wrestling match. She wasn't tall, or bulky, or a swordsman or a martial arts master, but she had her gift and a big fucking metal club. It didn't matter how fast Juliette stitched herself back together; she'd smash her into mulch if that's what it took.

Her eyes fell on the broken fingers, face wrinkling in disgust. "What is wrong with you?" she breathed in between pants, almost inaudible. At this point, she didn't care if Juliette heard her or not. This was all fucked up, but now she was in it. They'd promised to go all the way.

What a fucking freak. She watched the hand clench, unclench, still badly red and swollen and bruised like any broken hand should be, but she could tell that sensation had started to return to the girl's fingers. Regeneration... Whenever she'd thought about the tournament, it'd been the big, flashy powers that terrified her. Fireballs, lightning bolts, that kind of thing. But this was something completely different.

She shouldn't have let her keep talking. The moment she moved over to Matty, stooping down, she should've ran up and smashed her bat over the back of her neck. But she didn't. Addison moved her sweaty palms up and down the rubber grip, forcing the air out through her nose as she tore away at Matty's shirt, and then—...

Oh, fuck.

What the hell, man?

Addison puked. Again. For real this time. She bent over as the arm went flopping uselessly to the ground, detached, like a fucking iguana or something. Her thoughtful monologue all went through one ear and out the other, stooped over to hurl her breakfast out across the ground. It was funny how the simulation even managed to get that right.

You're fucking sick. Addison sucked in a breath through her teeth, flipping the bat over in her hands, and then sprung, zipping toward her, the world churning in slow motion. She curved toward her, sweeping the bat two-handed in an arc to try and take her in the back of the knees.

Oh.

Oh.

That was fucked up. She felt like an entity outside herself, like she was passively watching something this surreal and this disgustingly ridiculous happen to another person. Never in her life, not even the night before this whole tournament started and she'd made her peace with slamming skulls with baseball bats, had she ever considered that she'd get a fucking severed arm tossed at her.

It took all her inner strength to not flinch and close her eyes, but she was sure the disgust flashed clear enough across her face as she went bounding over it, almost tripping over her own feet. Addison hoped that Juliette would get a good laugh out of that after this all was over.

The thing went rolling behind her, stiff fingers clutching at nothing, as Addison hit the ground half-running, half-stumbling, off balance and on uneven footing, but she let the momentum carry her. If she stopped, even for a second, she wasn't sure she'd have the mental strength to keep herself going. Addison flung one arm forward, pulling the bat back with her other hand, inhaling a lungful of air, and screamed as she swung, trying to slam the club into her ribs.

That was the closest she'd ever get to a battle cry, but it sounded more like something out of a horror movie, a pitched, splitting scream, eyes wide and wild.

Yeah. She was going to need some ice cream after this was all over. And a hot bath. And after that, she was going to down a bottle of Benadryl and sleep for twelve hours. That sounded nice.

Addison could barely even hear her above the blood roaring in her ears. Her head was a haze of adrenaline, wrenching the bat back, twisting to try and avoid the kick. Bitch...! She weaved back as the kick came sweeping up in slow motion to hit her, but her own body moved just as infuriatingly slow, not bending back fast enough to keep the crook of Jules' leg from connecting cleanly to her waist.

Pain spread out in a slow wave up and down her side, webbing out like poison.

If only to keep herself from flying back from the blow, almost if just by instinct, she let her arm drop, catching Jules' kick where it landed and keeping it trapped there as best she could. Damn it, if it worked in anime, then it'd work here...! Addison pulled back with her other arm, squaring her body, and slammed the bat toward Juliette again.

She hadn't thought this through, had she?

White light exploded in front of her eyes, a cluster of pain bursting in her skull as their heads connected. For a second, she blacked out, thrown down like a ragdoll in Juliette's tight grip. When her vision returned, blurring, doubling, the two of them were halfway to the ground, with the other girl's weight falling down on top of her to pin her to the ground. Blood spattered across her lips; she could taste it. It was flowing out from her nose like a faucet.

As soon as she hit the dust, she felt the blade plunge down into her chest.

Addison choked out a gasp, sputtering up red spittle, the breath knocked out of her. You expected a cold, clean, piercing feeling, but the impact was more like getting smashed in the sternum. She sucked in a rasping breath, but Juliette must have punctured a lung, because it rattled in her throat, and every flex and heaving movement of her chest sent new needles of pain through her body. The blade felt like frost, and she could feel all the minute twisting and sawing, the cutting, churning, tearing a hole in her body, steel scraping against her rib cage to send shivers up her spine into her brain.

The bat clattered against the stone, bouncing and rolling away. Her free hand clutched up in the air above Juliette's back, fingers twitching.

"Ow... O-ow..." Red lips trembled. Her cries were barely above a whisper; it was like her voice had been stolen out from her throat. Not like Lowell... I can't lose like this... Focus. Just cling on. People had come through worse, right? The fact that they hadn't pulled her out had to mean she had a fighting chance... Any strength she had left had flooded out through the wound in her chest; a cold, creeping numbness washed up her shins, starting at her toes and spreading up to her core. Her limbs might as well have been lead weights, and Juliette might as well have been a thousand pounds, an immovable boulder pinning her to the ground, constricting her like a python.

She tried to tighten her concentration, focus it, sharpen it. I can freeze her... Her heart pumped in overdrive, sending cold sweat washing down her face. I have to try... Addison's pupils dilated, hollowing out, until her eyes were two black eclipses ringed in color. Time slowed to a crawl around them, thickening the air, suffocating them. Even if her body couldn't handle this kind of mental strain on top of everything else, what other choice did she have? Fight or flight. Fight or flight. Fight or—... "Fuck..." she breathed.

It hurt. It hurt. It hurt. The pain stretched out at this speed, spreading her thin. She was pale.

Freeze her. Wriggle out. Grab her bat. Smash it down over her skull until her brains had the same consistency as alphabet soup. She could keep her still long enough for that much.

Okay.

That was a game plan.

But how much more of this could she take?

Just breathing hurt.

Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Streams of tears washed down across her face, as much as she'd been able to hold them back before. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Blood seemed to fill her windpipe, invading her senses with the sharp scent of iron, bubbling up in her throat. Ow... Addison's body twitched with each violent hack, and that just made the pain worse, the knife rocking back and forth in its sheath, a dark stain spreading across the front of her shirt, the crimson spilling down to pool in her jacket, soaking her back in a wet stickiness.

It hurt. It hurt. It really hurt.