<Fac-Palace> Yuffie Kisaragi says, "HA!"
<Fac-Palace> Yuffie Kisaragi says, "Nice job, Zigs.  Now aren't you glad I conned you into signing up?"
<Fac-Palace> Ziggurat 8 says, "... conned?"
<Fac-Palace> Yuffie Kisaragi says, "Talked you into it, then?"
<Fac-Palace> Ziggurat 8 says, "Mmmhm."
<Fac-Palace> Colette Brunel giggles faintly.
<Fac-Palace> Yuffie Kisaragi sounds smug. "You know what this means, right?"
<Fac-Palace> Ziggurat 8 says, "No, but you're going to tell me anyway, aren't you?"
<Fac-Palace> Yuffie Kisaragi says, "Of course!"
<Fac-Palace> Yuffie Kisaragi says, "I get a cut of the prize money!  Hee hee!"
<Fac-Palace> Ziggurat 8 says, "..."
<Fac-Palace> Ziggurat 8 says, "I don't recall them announcing a monetary prize."
<Fac-Palace> Yuffie Kisaragi says, "WHAT?"
<Fac-Palace> Yuffie Kisaragi says, "There has to be a prize."
<Fac-Palace> Yuffie Kisaragi says, "There's ALWAYS a prize."
<Fac-Palace> Yuffie Kisaragi says, "If there isn't?  Sackbeat that stupid man in black until he gives you one.  Mm hm."
<Fac-Palace> Ziggurat 8 says, "I imagine there's something, it's just not known yet. Besides, I apparently have another fight left."
<Fac-Palace> Paula says, "I don't think I heard anything about money either. Just..uh..the immortality of being forever known as the champion."
<Fac-Palace> Yuffie Kisaragi says, "Yeah, but Zigs doesn't care about stuff like that, so it's not much of a prize for him."
<Fac-Palace> Ziggurat 8 says, "It's not something I can share, though."
<Fac-Palace> Yuffie Kisaragi says, "Well...actually..."
<Fac-Palace> Ziggurat 8 says, "I was contacted and told that I'd be fighting the WarMech later today, location still undecided. I may not yet get anything."
<Fac-Palace> Yuffie Kisaragi says, "If you told people I had a big hand in it and praised me warmly, that'd be fair enough."
<Fac-Palace> Ziggurat 8 says, "..."
<Fac-Palace> Yuffie Kisaragi says, "Call me coach!"
<Fac-Palace> Paula says, "The WarMech? You mean..that thing that SOUNDS LIKE: THIS?"
<Fac-Palace> Yuffie Kisaragi says, "Feh, Zigs can take him."
<Fac-Palace> Yuffie Kisaragi says, "Hold onto that good luck charm until then, okay?"
<Fac-Palace> Ziggurat 8 says, "I believe so. I've gotten some information from the Palace's database, but all I know for sure is that it's a formidible opponent."
<Fac-Palace> Ziggurat 8 says, "If you insist. I'm not one to believe in luck, or charms, but the battle against Dual was... close."
<Fac-Palace> Yuffie Kisaragi says, "Hey, it worked, didn't it?"
<Fac-Palace> Ziggurat 8 says, "Perhaps."
<Fac-Palace> Yuffie Kisaragi says, "That's what it's good for.  That extra little 'push.'  Combined with your fighting skills, it was enough to make you the winner!"

Wutai

         It's the Asian-esque village of Wutai! Better desc pending.

Yuffie Kisaragi doesn't usually wear things like this. 'This' being a silk kimono she liberated from Shang Tsung. It's a little big on her, but it's expensive, and that's what matters. As to why? She's...not really sure. It just seemed necessary. Normally she'd claim that she wanted to help calm Ziggurat 8's state of mind. But since when did he ever need calming in the first place? She heaves a sigh, kneeling on a tatami mat with her hands neatly folded on her lap. All the necessary pieces are arranged on the floor; except, of course, for the guest of honor. The front door is left open, so that Ziggurat 8 may enter freely.

Yuffie doesn't normally do things like this? Ziggy's never been to a tea ceremony before, let alone one that required a dress code. He doesn't have much in the way of multiple outfits, luckily the robe Yuffie gave him fits on over his normal attire.
It's true, Ziggy rarely needs help being calm. It's part of who he is. There's really only one thing that can throw him off the deep end, but thankfully that's not something that can just happen out of the blue. As far as anyone in the Palace is concerned, Ziggy is the model of calm, rational behavior.

Hah.

The cyborg arrives in Wutai, and is easily directed to Yuffie's house, accompanyed by a number of odd stares when the residents find out who he's looking for. He pays him mind to it, and finds the house easily enough. The robe seems to fit relatively well, a bit tight in contrast to Yuffie's loose fit.

Yuffie Kisaragi lifts her head at the sound of heavy footsteps and the creak of floorboards. Ah. He's here, then. Her cheeks are pink, but the set of her brow /dares/ him to say anything about it. "You came pretty fast," she notes, and blinks. "Kneel there," she points at the mat across from her. Her hands settle back on her lap. "So. Do you think you have a good chance against WarMech?"

Hopefully Ziggy won't damage the floor, is it treated for big metal boots?

He glances at Inoue. Hmm, pink cheeks. Is he that brave? ... brave, but not stupid. Walking over to the other side of the table, he kneels (difficult given the size of his legs, but the robe neatly obscures them so no one need question HOW he does it, haha!).

"I'm not sure..." He responds. "I've analysed the records the Palace still has on the WarMech. There's not many specific details, just notes on its formidibile strength, and mention of an attack called 'Nuke'." Before saying any more, Ziggy reaches into his pocket and takes out the 'charm' Yuffie gave him earlier, and places it on the table. "You can have this back if you'd like."

Yuffie Kisaragi looks at it. She looks at Ziggurat 8, then at the doll again. She smiles faintly and rests her fingers on the doll's head...then pushes it back. "You might need it. Keep it a bit longer." And level it up some more! Picking up a small bowl, she fills it via a clay pot with a little water, and sprinkles in some dried tea leaves. Mash mash mash. "Then again, you might not. You're strong, you're fast, and you can really take a beating without losing a step. But I'd like to think it helped somehow, you know?"

Ziggy shakes his head. "I don't know. I don't believe in things like luck. However the item capsules are a significant random factor of the fights. In the end the last item I got likely saved me. So, since the charm isn't overly cumbersome I'll hold onto it a bit more." And level it up. Sneak sneaky ninja.

"I'm still suspicious of this Man in Black's motives. He never mentioned anything about another match after the finals, and he choses the opponents. I'd like to think they were all enemies the three of us could defeat, but he could just as easily set us up with impossible matches. I get the feeling that there's something bigger going on behind the scenes of this tournament. I don't like being set up."

Yuffie Kisaragi frowns. There's a faint twitch of her eyebrow as she keeps her head bowed, eyes closed. Mash mash. Mash mash mash. This is troublesome. She wanted to claim credit in Ziggurat 8's impending victory. It made her happy, and besides, it cleared her free of any guilt she might have felt at having him yank her out of danger from Shang Tsung's mansion. This debt will /not/ be repaid if he falls into some sort of trap, because she urged him to give it a go. "Maybe I should go with you," she states firmly. "It can't hurt to have an extra pair of eyes to watch your back. It's my duty as a Blade anyway, so don't try to talk me out of it."

"But, I'm capable of dealing with a bad situation. Don't worry." Ziggy states. "I'm skeptical that the Man in Black will allow someone else to interfere with the fight. If my only chance to find out what is going on is to win, I'll have to do it honestly, even if HE cheats." Ziggy can take care of himself, he doesn't seem TOO concerned. That may change once he starts fighting the WarMech.

Then he blinks. "...duty as a Blade?"

Yuffie Kisaragi is still uneasy with this. Enough so that she fully intends to tag along whether Ziggurat 8 says it's okay or not. Or whether he /knows/ or not. "Yeah...it's a group we're putting together. Me, Presea, Phoebe..." She grins, setting down the bowl and filling it with hot water from a larger clay pot before giving it a quarter-turn, and passing the freshly-brewed tea to her guest. "All of us prefer to be the ones doing proactive work. Defending is nice and all, but I'm much better-suited for going on the offense. So is Presea. I think Phoebe is too. So, we're banding together to organize strategies, plan attacks...things like that. No leaders, just teamwork."

"Hmmm..." Ziggy ponders, as Yuffie explains her situation. A new group, eh? It's no secret the Palace Guard hasn't been terribly active lately. "I see. So you think an unstructured group that specializes in offense and assault is needed? I agree that more direct action against the Fortress is desired. Particularly after recent events..."
"But how well do you think a group like that will function? If everyone trusts each other, then a leaderless group could get by. But you would have to make sure that enmity and ill feelings were kept in check."

Yuffie Kisaragi shrugs faintly, watching the cup of tea intently. He'd better drink it. And he'd better like it! "I think it'll work great. We all hate EVIL, and none of us are the types to betray an ally. Outside of harmless practical jokes, I mean," she coughs into her fist. Gee, to whom could she be referring? She pauses for a moment, studying Ziggurat 8's face. Not active lately...? And he's been aching for a chance to study and bash EVIL too, hasn't he? Wasn't that why he joined the tournament, for the opportunity to obtain information on their enemies? "...Say, here's a crazy suggestion. Why don't you join us?" she grins. "You don't have an iota of enmity or ill feelings, you're always so calm and rational! Presea is too. I don't think we'd have any problems, honestly."

Ziggy sips tea. He doesn't seem to indicate whether he likes or dislikes it. "Hmm..." Ziggy says, thinking it over. "A chance of pace may be nice. But I'll have to think about it."

Ziggy finishes his tea. "Thanks for the tea, and the support." The cyborg stands, removing the robe. "It's time for me to get going. Hold onto that for me."

Well, as long as he's not spitting it out, or making weird swallowing noises while his face contorts, Yuffie can only suppose that the tea is a success. "Uh?" She catches the robe in her arms, blinking down at it, then up at Ziggy. And she grins. "All right." She pushes herself to her feet, brushing down at her kimono. "I'm coming along with you. Just to make sure there's no funny business!" she winks. And also to flaunt the fact that she's wearing Shang Tsung's kimono. If he's watching, it'll piss him off, and that's high comedy.

She's a stubborn one. Oh well. "As long as you promise not to interfere with the fight." He says, while pilling the materia-stuffed doll on his chest. "I suppose it'll be fine."

Yes... it'll be JUUUUST fine. Where's the dramatic thunder-clash when you need one?

<Live Broadcast> A random advertiser gets his moment to shine. "And now, the match you've all been waiting for! Ziggurat 8, champion of the Melee event, takes on the mighty robotic guardian itself, WarMech! The battlefield: Sky Palace! A teleporter has been set up from the base of Mirage Tower to the stands, but don't wander from them - I'm told Tiamat herself is in attendance! The battle will start in ten minutes' time.

Sky Palace

    Sky Palace is a palace floating serenely in the sky with no visible means of support. Normally the home of Tiamat, the Fiend of Air, and quite under her control. For the Smash tournament, though, a very, very long bridge has been taken over, with stands set up along the sides and the battlefield itself quite long and narrow.

<InterZone Chatter> Yuffie Kisaragi says, "WOOOOOOOOOO!!!  Kick its shiny metal butt, Zigs!"
<InterZone Chatter> Paula says, "Go Ziggy!"

Welcome to the battlefield!

The stage, today, is the long bridge WarMech often patrols. Although it's only about twenty feet wide, it's very, very, /very/ long, giving ample room for the combatants to move about. The stands are along the bridge, giving a good view to onlookers.
The Judge General, with chocobo, is in a judging box just big enough for him and his mount. Why he rode a chocobo inside Sky Palace, the world may never know. His face is hidden, but he looks serious as he waits for the contestants to arrive.

Ziggy arrives via warp. Eyeing the long bridge cautiously he has a slight sense of foreboding. He'll be able to keep his footing without too much trouble, that's not what he's worried about. The tournament itself has him thinking. The disappearance of the Hands, this Man in Black, these extra matches. Perhaps he's thinking about it too much, but he hopes to get some answers when this is all said and done.

Provided he wins, anyway.

He does one final check of his systems, even though he had a system scan when he left earlier. Weapons ok, and reflexes ok. The only other thing he needs is to be able to watch WarMech closely, and react quickly....

WarMech is here.

It appears to be in some sort of rest mode, as it's just sitting there, although it does focus its cameras and other sensors on Ziggurat 8 once he steps onto the battlefield.

Ziggy's own sensors aren't as elaborate as WarMech's no doubt, but the cyborg's full attention is on the hulking monstrosity. He swings his arm, flinging the Jack Knife into place and pauses. He's waiting to see just how fast that machine can move, given how large it is.

Judge General and his chocobo stay in their little box.

After a few seconds more, he brings up his whistle to his platemail-helmeted head, and blows it. It, surprisingly, sounds. "The rules are the same as previous matches! Good luck to both contestants! The game will begin on my signal!"

The Judge waits a few seconds, then blows it again, sharper this time.

WarMech reacts almost immediately to the sound of the second whistle. It rises up to its full height, the green light on its front pulsing brightly as it scans the immediate area to locate Ziggurat 8.

Once it has done so, WarMech begins to walk forward, slowly. It doesn't need to move quickly. "ELIMINATE THE CYBORG!" Its voice is robotic and artificial. The smaller red light under the green sensor flickers, then lets out a thin red laser beam toward Ziggy.

WarMech misses Ziggurat 8 with its Beam weak attack!

Ziggy sees the WarMech prepare to fire, and readies himself to move. As the laser is fired Ziggy leaps off to the side, escaping the path of the attack. So, what he read seems to be accurate, the WarMech can fight more than adequately enough without going into melee range. Ziggy excels in melee range, though, so he'll have to close the distance quickly.

Before running head-first into the giant death machine, though, Ziggy charges his cybernetic arm with some light electric ether and fires a similar laser-like attack at the WarMech.

Now that opening laser volleys have been traded they can start the REAL fight.

Ziggurat 8 strikes WarMech with his Laser Blade weak attack!

WarMech /does/ seem to be coming closer. Maybe it doesn't know that Ziggy is better at close range. Maybe it doesn't care.

If WarMech has a weak point, that would be its speed. It doesn't seem to have very much - it just slowly stomps its way along the bridge, every step bringing the menacing war machine closer. "TARGET IN SIGHT," it drones, apparently neither knowing nor caring that it's speaking out loud. This time, a yellow beam fires at the same time as the red one, slightly larger and more powerful.

WarMech misses Ziggurat 8 with its D-Beam attack!

As soon as Ziggy fired off his first attack he began advancing towards the WarMech rather quickly. If the fight is kept at range he'll be at a disadvantage.
As the WarMech prepares to fire again Ziggy's eyes quickly scan the Mech for signs of attack. As soon as he sees a yellow glint coming from the Mech, Ziggy prepares to leap to the side. Once again he narrowly escapes being struck. Closing the distance now, finally, Ziggy leaps upward. Once he's level with the WarMech's 'eye' (or whatever resembles an 'eye' anyway) Ziggy delivers a swift series of kicks, each accompanyed with a burst of fire ether.

Ziggurat 8 misses WarMech with his Cyber Kick attack!

Judge General watches impassively. That's his job.

About this time, a capsule appears about forty feet up in a flash of white and drops. It bounces off the metal of the bridge, then rolls a slight distance, toward Ziggy's probable landing spot.

WarMech's response to someone kicking at its eye (well, visual sensor unit) is to blink. Blinking, when you are a giant nuclear-powered war machine, involves sliding a metal shutter down over the entire array of electronics in that area. The flame and feet strike it hard, deforming it badly but not breaking through; the shutter grinds upwards back into its spot and may have been rendered unusable.

The close range that Ziggy prefers doesn't throw the WarMech off, either. Rather than pulling back and using guns, it simply continues to move forward, attempting to push through and trample Ziggurat 8 underfoot. It's big and heavy and sometimes that's enough.

WarMech misses Ziggurat 8 with its Bash attack!

Random Smash Item: Mr. Saturn (+weak)

Ziggy is thwarted by being blinked at. That's a new one. The WarMech proves to be even more impressive.

Just as his attack finishes, Ziggy lands a lighter kick on the external shell of the WarMech to throw himself off and back several feet. In this position he is able to get out of the way as the WarMech tramples forward.

When the capsule lands near his feet he wastes no time snatching it. Capsules can be a blessing or a curse, but so far they've treated him well. This time, though, he's just treated with a Mr. Saturn. "BOiNG?" It asks, curiously. Ziggy doesn't like to treat cute things roughly, but an item as an item. Ziggy chucks the Mr. Saturn at the WarMech, maybe it'll clog up one of its weapons.

Ziggurat 8 misses WarMech with his B@iNG Z@@M!! weak attack!

The Mr. Saturn flies right past WarMech, as the machine was starting to turn and actually had a hope of evading for once. "OPPONENT: TARGETTING SYSTEMS APPEAR NONFUNCTIONAL," it informs Ziggurat 8, apparently not terribly impressed by his aim - although then again, given WarMech's track record today, maybe it should have just stayed quiet.

The round discs over WarMech's hips pop open and reveal large, menacing-looking guns. Both of them immediately start to fire into the air as WarMech deliberately slowly moves them toward Ziggurat 8, trying to strafe them over the smaller cyborg.

WarMech strikes Ziggurat 8 with its Vulcan attack!
You have taken 20 damage.

Damn your cute little eyes, Mr. Saturn! You failed! Ziggy doesn't have much time to regret using the capsule, though, the WarMech has turned around rather quickly.
Neither of the fighters have showned much luck with aim so far, though for the WarMech that changes quickly.

Ziggy tries to get out fo the way, but is peppered with bullets as the WarMech strafes around. A few of his systems take a bit of a hit, but he still seems in relatively good shape, considering he was riddled with bullets.

Once the WarMech stops firing, Ziggy prepares another attack of his own. He doesn't waste time getting back into melee range just yet, not when he has at least a few ranged tricks up his sleeves. Charging his cybernetic arm with more electric ether, much more than last time, Ziggy punches the bridge with his fist, sending an electric shockwave towards the WarMech. Now, how well can this thing JUMP?

Ziggurat 8 strikes WarMech with his Lightning Fist attack!

Judge General keeps watching because that's what he does.

Just like the capsule, a Pokeball appears in the air, dropping down. This one, however, falls almost right next to WarMech.

WarMech either cannot or will not jump. It doesn't even react as the electrical shockwave washes over its lower legs, crawling up the metal to the knees. The electricity starts to dissipate by that point, but its legs are smoking very slightly.

About this time, something happens that WarMech was prepared for: a Pokeball drops. Extending from a hidden hatch on its side is something that looks like nothing so much as a bucket on a long, multijointed arm; the Pokeball drops in and is pulled inside the machine. Deliberately, it takes aim at Ziggy with its main cannon - and shoots its acquired loot right out.

WarMech strikes Ziggurat 8 with its Pokeball I Choose You weak attack!
You have taken 14 damage.

Random Pokeball: Weezing - Poison Gas

And what comes out but a...

"WEEZING!" The multiheaded thing doesn't yell so much as - well, wheeze. Irritated by being launched so fast, it emits a cloud of purplish-black poison gas before vanishing, off to wherever Pokemon used in this competition go.

Judge General misses Ziggurat 8 with his Weezing: Poison Gas attack!

For a brief moment Ziggy feels a bit better about the fight, as the Lightning Fist shockwave hits the WarMech head on. But then the Pokeball is fired at him.
No, it doesn't hit him in the face, or anything so comical, but it does impact with his left shoulder, whereupon it strikes the ground and opens. Instinctively Ziggy leaps forward a few feet, which was the right thing to do. He makes it out of the radius of the Wheezing's gas cloud just in time.

Now the cyborg finds himself in melee range again. So time to do what he does best. Snapping the Jack Knife back into place, Ziggy lunges forward, practically diving into the WarMech's various weapons. Suicide? Well, not if he's fast enough. Ziggy starts spinning around rapidly, the blade slicing at various parts of the Mech. Once his spin is done he leaps back again, hopefully to get out of the way in time before WarMech blasts him into swiss cheese.

Ziggurat 8 strikes WarMech with his Cyclone attack!

Random Smash Item: Barrel Cannon (+stun)

WarMech is heavily armoured, even underneath, so Ziggurat 8 doesn't disable the WarMech straight off. Even so, it's starting to look a little beat up and scored from the rapid attack, far faster than it can deal with easily. It actually staggers back one step.

This also allows it to scoop up the barrel-cannon the same way it got the Pokeball. It's a big bucket. There's room. Unfortunately, no matter how hard it shoots the barrel, it won't hurt - all it can do is trap Ziggy inside.

WarMech strikes Ziggurat 8 with its Barrel Trap stun attack!

Ok, now things are looking a bit better for the cyborg. He delivered a potent attack, hopefully it'll slow the WarMech down a bit. He seems ready to dodge just about anything as he eyes the WarMech intently, waiting for the mechanical monster to make a move.

Which it does, unfortunately. Ziggy isn't quite prepared to dodge a barrel, though he SHOULD BE, he knows by now anything is possible in the Tournament.
Ziggy gets effectively barreled, and incapcitated for the moment. This is... embarrassing.

Just be glad it wasn't a star rod. Dodging WarMech shooting happy little sparkly stars would be beyond the mental limits of most mere mortals.

WarMech watches the barrel for about five seconds, making sure that the person is well and truly trapped inside. Taking the opportunity to back up, he reverses, attempting to put some distance between it and Ziggurat 8. Another pair of beams lances out toward the barrel as it does so, breaking it before it launches.

WarMech strikes Ziggurat 8 with its D-Beam attack!
You have taken 21 damage.

Due to being stuck within the barrel Ziggy is wholey unable to dodge the D-Beam this time around. He gets a good sense of what it WOULD have felt like had he not dodged it the first time. The barrel breaks and Ziggy spills out. He doesn't remain sprawled on the ground, he throws himself back to his feet very quickly.

WarMech is proving to be quite the challenge, indeed. But Ziggy is far from beaten yet. Using fabulous Xenospace technology Ziggy calls a small rocket launcher into existance on hsi cybernetic arm. Taking aim he fires a volley of rockets at the WarMech. Individually each rocket is weak, but there's many of them. Enough to stack the damage up quite a bit.

Ziggurat 8 strikes WarMech with his MSP89SX Missile Pod attack!

The rockets actually do some significant damage to WarMech's side, leaving a smoking dent in the heavy armour plate. Unfortunately, it is not enough to disable the machine, and it focuses all its attention firmly on Ziggurat 8 again. Even more unfortunately, now it knows the target is actually a threat.

The tubes and systems all over WarMech start to hum ominously, and the glowing green 'eye' turns into a blazing spot of light. "INITIATING. FIVE. FOUR. THREE. TWO. ONE." During the countdown, it keeps its eye on Ziggurat, sending out a green dot on him as it targets. "NUCLEAR."

The blast is, strictly speaking, probably not actually nuclear. It isn't radioactive. It is, however, very hot, very bright, and very, very explosive.

WarMech misses Ziggurat 8 with its NUCLEAR smash attack!

Ah, the nuke. Ziggy's heard of the nuke. Quickly sending the Missile Pod away, Ziggy readies himself, and watches the WarMech closely. The machine makes the mistake of counting down, this gives Ziggy enough warning.

Just as the WarMech says 'TWO' Ziggy makes his move. He charges towards the WarMech and leaps into the air just as it says 'ONE'. Even if the WarMech tilts upward, Ziggy proves to be faster, and narrowly escapes being hit with a nasty strike.

He's not finished, though. Ziggy lands on the WarMech's top, and jumps again, high into the air above the WarMech. Ziggy quickly forms some giant balls of fire ether and kicks them down at his giant opponent. After five or six strikes he forms one final, huge, ball and kicks it down, blitzball-style. Ziggy then lands several feet behind the WarMech, whether or not the attack was successful.

Ziggurat 8 misses WarMech with his Meteor Shot smash attack!

WarMech starts to move as soon as the blast dies down. This means that it can angle itself to avoid the worst of the strike; what it can't avoid hits its heaviest armour. Eventually, it emerges mostly unscathed aside from a hole in the top of its body.

On second look, that hole is an opened hatch, not a blasted-open hole. With a flash of light and sound, a missile launches almost straight up, the hatch snapping closed again. The missile arcs at the highest point of its path, and rockets down toward Ziggurat 8; this gives WarMech enough time to turn around.

WarMech strikes Ziggurat 8 with its Missile attack!
You have taken 25 damage.

Random Smash Item: Bob-Omb (+FMV)

Ohcrapmissile. Ziggy isn't in the best position to dodge a missile after landing from his precious assault. The missile explodes on his back and knocks the cyborg forward. He remains crouched in a kneeling position for a moment. That must have hurt. He DOES stand, though, he's not ready to throw in the towel.
Especially not now that he has a capsule in his hands. Apparently it landed near him, and he grabbed it while kneeling. Opening it up he finds himself in the possession of a giant Bob-Omb. He got one of these in his last fight which did quite a number on K Rool.

He's not going to Chuck-Norris it into his foe this time, though. He settles for chucking it at WarMech the traditional way: Waiting till it's about a second from exploding, and letting 'er fly! Whether or not it damages WarMech the shockwave and flash from the explosion is enough to disorient Ziggy for a moment.

Ziggurat 8 strikes WarMech with his Zeeky Boogy Doog! finisher attack, but is stunned by the effort!

Kaboom indeed.

The WarMech is hidden by the cloud of smoke for some time. When it finally does clear, it's obvious that it took fairly significant damage from the blast; sparks occasionally erupt near its 'eye' and the armour is much more beaten-up than before. Its weapons, however, are still functional; both the weapons on its sides orient at the disoriented Ziggy, and WarMech lets loose with a barrage of bullets.

And it doesn't even need to strafe this time.

WarMech strikes Ziggurat 8 with its Vulcan attack!
You have taken 23 damage.

Ziggy is peppered with bullets again. He seems to have trouble dodging the attacks that aren't just one solid blow, but rather a series of smaller attacks. ie: Bullets.
He takes quite a bit of damage from this attack, and it shows as he's visibly bleeding in the few parts of him that are still visibly organic. His mechanical parts have become damaged, as they are leaking fluid with some occasional sparking. It seems both combatants are nearing their brinks.

Ziggy still has some fight in him, though. Namely, another Pokeball which landed near him. This could be good or bad, but he's not going to hesitate, not at THIS point. Clicking the button on the Pokeball, Ziggy tosses it at the ground and says a simple command. "Go."

He needs to work on his Pokemon Trainer mannerisms if he's ever going to raise his Aron right.

Random Pokeball: Lugia - Aeroblast (GM Area)

Go? It goes.

Specifically, the Pokeball opens to reveal a very large bird-like Pokemon who seems less than happy at being ordered around in such a way. "LUUUUUUGIA!" it calls, beating its mighty wings to take off into the sky...where it hovers, looking down. (Fortunately, Sky Palace has very high ceilings.)
It spends a few moments looking there before beating its wings more strongly, sending an almost horizontal whirlwind whipping around the battlefield. THis only lasts about five seconds before Lugia vanishes, but that just might be enough.

Judge General misses Ziggurat 8 with his Lugia: Aeroblast smash attack!
Judge General strikes WarMech with his Lugia: Aeroblast smash attack!

The only thing WarMech can do when the whirlwind comes is to dig in its feet and brace. This is less than ideal. The wind is strong enough to literally lift armour plates and increase the size and scope of damage it's already taken - but at least the war machine isn't totally blown away!
Seeing as it cannot trust the wind currents right now, WarMech settles for firing lasers at Ziggurat 8. Wind does not stop a mighty laser, after all! Unlike before, this is not a sustained beam, but a more erratic collection of scattered shots to improve its accuracy. That, and a lot of little attacks seemed to be working better.

WarMech misses Ziggurat 8 with its Beam Spray attack!

As the Lugia launches its attack Ziggy has enough sense to run back a few feet. He's not THAT familiar with Pokemon that he knows exactly which ones do what, but why take the chance at this stage? His gamble pays off, as the Lugia's whirlwind strikes only the WarMech, and not him.
Once the whirlwind subsides Ziggy dashes forward. As the Beam Spray is fired Ziggy leaps from side to side, narrowly dodging each shot. Once he's close enough he leaps up and snaps the Jack Knife into place. Aiming for parts where the armor of the WarMech has broken off Ziggy strikes twice at the exposed areas in rapid succession, once horizontal and once vertical.

Ziggurat 8 strikes WarMech with his Cross Lancer attack!
WarMech has been knocked out!

The blade bites in twice without much effect, and WarMech keeps struggling...but the third is different.

The third severs an internal wire connecting WarMech's processor with his legs...while he's in mid-step. Unable to control his legs, WarMech literally collapses forward, crashing to the bridge with a colossal thud. His weapons rotate, but are jammed partially underneath him, and as he can't get up...

Judge General rises up on his chocobo, blowing his whistle. "GAME! Victory goes to Ziggurat 8!"

<Live Broadcast> "GAME! Victory goes to Ziggurat 8!"

The WarMech collapses. As Ziggy lands from his final attack he waits, in a ready position, just in case it gets back up. Wait for it, waaaaaiiiit for it......

When the Judge calls him the victor he finally relaxes. This was a hard fight, but he came through in the end. He'll need some repairs, though, but it's nothing too serious.

Now... he has too wonder 'what comes next?'. He glances around the bridge, and towards the Judge General, as if expecting the Man in Black to pop in with another cryptic statement.

"So, what happens now?"

"Now," the Judge says, "you may go home and rest - and after fighting down the War Machine, I'd imagine you need it." He may have smiled. It's hard to tell. "You will be contacted by the organizers in the future."

INCOMING! Ziggurat 8 soon finds himself the target of a ferocious ninja glomp as Yuffie bodily leaps at him, laughing. "YOU DID IT! I knew you could, oooooooooo, ha ha ha ha!" And she ruffles his immaculate slicked back hair while she's at it, to add insult to...well, insult. She means well!

Ziggy doesn't seem overly satisifed by the response. But like the Judge, it's hard to tell, his own face is mostly unreadable. Right now he just seems... tired. So the Judge was pretty spot-on.

But, if there's anything Ziggy has, it's patience. He's come this far, he can wait another little while. The Man in Black, though, is far too suspicious to just ignore---

AHH FLYING NINJA! Ziggy verly nearly falls over when Yuffie jumps at him, his balance is poor at the moment. "Yuffie..." He grunts as he tries to pry her off of him. Don't mess with the hair! D: "Thanks... but right now I just need to get some repairs."

Taking off the little pinned doll he had on his chest, he hands it back to the ninja, for REAL this time. No givesies backsies.

Yuffie Kisaragi grins, accepting the doll. Strangely enough, it seems to be a little 'fatter' than it was before. She picks at the stitchings on the back, peeking at the interior. Then she whoops in delight! Ah ha ha ha, she knew that would work! "Repairs schmepairs, smile a little, you retard!" she laughs. "You freaking WON! Go celebrate, do something you wouldn't normally do for fun."

Ziggy sighs again. He's really not in the condition for celebrating, even if it was something he'd do. "Later, perhaps." He says, non-committingly. "Maybe once this is truly over I'll celebrate. We'll see what happens once X has his final fight." Against his MYSTERY OPPONENT.

"Thanks for the offer, though." Ziggy says as he turns to leave the arena. Most of his systems REALLY need some checking. The damage wasn't too severe, but it'll be troublesome if he leaves it unattended.

The Judge has nothing more to do here. Getting out of the box with his chocobo (don't ask how), he starts to head off. 

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