The Big Showdown!
By: Evangel
Unfortunately, this will probably my final water war, after which I will most likely retire due to complete lack of the kind of warring experience I'm really looking for, with the possible exception of this one. Anyway, this time the battle takes place at my condo complex, Southridge. Sorry if it runs a little long, but this is pretty epic.
Even though this was only a short 2-on-2, this may be our most epic battle yet, as this time Gonzo and I were pitted against the two deadliest opponents we know: our best friends Sparrow and Seraph. While Jake was a formidable adversary, Sparrow's ninja-style skills are legendary, as he's the only one so far to actually beat me 1-on-1, and he did it in two out of three of our wars last year! Seraph is potentially just as dangerous, possessing incredible physical strength enabling him to handle even the heaviest weapons like they were ordinary pistols! Both of them have been serious water warriors for as long as I have, and this combination makes a duo that is definitely to be feared.
As usual, I equipped my Flash Flood and 100oz. Aqua Pack. Gonzo loaded himself down with as much firepower as he could, consisting of a Blastmaster XS-660 as primary, as well as a CPS2000 and Monster XL strapped to his back. Sparrow's setup was similar to mine, consisting of an ice-loaded Arctic Blast and 100oz. Aqua Pack, while Seraph sported his trusty Monster X.
We started off by heading off in different directions to find active faucets. When we found one, Gonzo filled our guns while I tried to activate some of my Kuji-In techniques. Afterwards, we snuck around the complex searching for them. Gonzo spotted them quickly, so we moved in. Unfortunately, they must have spotted us as well, because Sparrow was waiting for me right around the corner. I tried to run to Gonzo but we was already engaged against Seraph behind a carport. Hoping that Gonzo and I were thinking on the same track, I ran to the opposite side of the carport, luring Sparrow into Gonzo's field of fire; my strategy worked great, for when I popped out from behind the carport with Sparrow close on my tail, Gonzo was ready to intercept him with a CPS2000 blast.
We rejoined in the middle of the driveway so we could attack side by side while I decided on the best tactic to use from here. I quickly noticed that Gonzo's weapons had considerably longer range than mine, which opted that I move into closer quarters while he laid down some sniper support. But I quickly found that earlier disruptions had rendered my Kuji-In techniques ineffective, as I became exhausted after only a few minutes, a natural weakness of mine that I had hoped my Kuji-In would help rectify.
We separated and divided the two opponents, with me handling Sparrow, and Gonzo up against Seraph. With my energy reserves locked up, all I could do was try to keep the pressure on Sparrow with continuous volleys of stream fire. However, it seemed that Sparrow's evasive skills matched even my own. He continued to dodge my attacks until he could find an opening for a combination attack of ice-cold pot-shot streams and flood blasts which I was unable to avoid. Afterwards, he turned his attention to Gonzo who was caught up in a duel with Seraph. Knowing with such a heavy weapon loadout that Gonzo would be a sitting duck in a two-on-one fight, my next move was to supress Seraph and give Gonzo time to get away with Sparrow in pursuit.
This was now a duel against Seraph, but at this point I was completely out of breath, rendering me unable to dodge his attacks. The best I could do was profile myself to try and redirect the blasts toward the armored sections of my vest. Eventually though, my energy ran out, and Seraph saw the opportunity to unleash a close-range fury of rapid-fire streams, each one nailing me directly and forcing me to tap out and collapse from exhaustion.
All of sudden, the other two combatants returned to the battlefield. Gonzo was able to back Seraph off and regroup, but since my energy hadn't returned yet, he was still forced to take both of them on by himself. However, I was suprised to see that his sniping skills were able to keep Seraph at bay, while his heavier weapons forced Sparrow to pick his moves carefully. Eventually though, I felt well enough to get back up and rejoin the fight, once again making it a two-on-two battle. While Gonzo's high-powered weapons kept them on edge, I took my time and waited for one of the opponents to drop their guard, which Sparrow did, allowing me to hit him from behind with a flood blast.
I then turned my sights on Seraph, who was ready for a rematch. Still a little exhausted and with little time for Kuji-In, I instead attempted to use my in-depth knowledge of my chakra points; I took my Flash Flood, pointed it into my solar plexis, and released a stream of cool water into the solar plexis chakra, which is the chakra associated healing. My theory was that the burning sensation I was feeling in that region was resulting from that chakra point being overworked, and I hoped that this hari-kiri-type technique would relieve the thermal stress, which I believe worked, as I began to immediately feel a bit more invigorated, enough in fact to actually avoid Seraph's next burst from his Monster X and counter-attack with a flood blast that connected dead-on.
At this point, however, my ammo was beginning to run low. I opted to retreat and refill, but Gonzo wanted to stay and fight. Seeing how he handled both opponents at once, I felt that I could break off and refill by myself. Quickly finding an open tap and refilling the Flash Flood and Aqua Pack, I returned to the battlefield, noticing that Gonzo was holding up well. Something else was different though; in an unusual tactic, Sparrow took off his shirt and held it in front of him like a shield, which to my amazement was blocking nearly every frontal attack launched against him. Fortunately, my previous duel with Gonzo and his Shield Blaster 3000 taught me how to easily defeat this tactic. After repumping, I laid down small bursts from my main nozzle which forced Sparrow to put up his shirt shield; while he was pinned, I was able to get in close enough to side step to his blind side and quickly delivered a shotgun-like burst into his now bare body mass. When he put down his shield, it was apparent that he had nearly all he could take. Thefore, I once again turned on Seraph for one final duel.
I decided it was time to finish it quickly, so I cartwheeled backwards a bit to get some distance while I ejected my half-empty Aqua Pack. I then performed the six hand signs for the Chidori (the actual hand sign combination from Naruto). When I was ready, I rushed right at him with drastically improved speed, agility and energy flow. My new agility enabled me to easily stay out from Seraph's line of fire even at close-range. This, however, was not enough to actually get inside for a flood without him counter-attacking; I had to try a new technique I just mastered from my ninjutsu classes. After I quick side-step to the right, I immediately dashed to the inside-left and leaped into a Zenpo Kaiten (shoulder roll), which allowed me to get on his backside without him able to track me. When I completed the roll, I twisted around and pointed the flood nozzle at his widely-exposed body mass and fired, awkwardly hitting him directly in the groin region. It was safe to say he was done in, but just to make sure, Gonzo and I finished off both of our opponents.
After the war concluded, we unanimously decided that Gonzo and I were the clear victors. It wasn't easy though, as Sparrow and Seraph both boast unusual skills that easily make them fearsome opponents that your average water warrior would be hard-pressed to go up against, and I respect that.
Posted: 20070729
