Twenty-Fourth PSI

[a_gentle_boy]

U-Um.  Sorry about all the weird stuff I did this weekend.  I don't think I actually hurt anyone, but . . . I think I said a lot of rude things.  The, um.  Psychic PSIclone is setting down his cape.  Permanently.  And if I did hurt you, let me know and I'll make it up to you.

I'd like to make a request of you all.  It's a little strange, but.  It would help me a lot.  I'm asking for someone -- or several . . . ones -- to attack me.  The more powerful you are, the better.  And . . . you can use PSI or magic or anything else you know how to use, too.  . . . Maybe even a gun.

Thanks.  Just come by my house if you want to try.  I don't have anything else to do today.

Comments

[stay-cool-bro.livejournal.com]

Well, I won that fighting tournament sort of... but what's this for?

[a-gentle-boy.livejournal.com]

Really? Oh, I didn't hear. Congratulations!

Um. It's mostly to see how strong of a defense I can put up against the different magic or powers the people here have.

[stay-cool-bro.livejournal.com]

[Well, my last two opponents got droned, so it kinda killed the buzz. Word didn't really get around. ...He decides not to say that]

Thanks! It was a lot of fun.

All right, got it. So I'll come over and hit you with my best shot then.

[a-gentle-boy.livejournal.com]

Alright, thank you! You know where I live, right? 826 Goldberg. I'll wait outside.

[stay-cool-bro.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I know! I'll see you soon, Lucas!

[and he is just gonna fly over on his snowboard. But it doesn't pack the strongest punch; his Ikupasuy is tucked into a pocket.]

[a-gentle-boy.livejournal.com]

[As promised, Lucas is waiting outside, having prepared himself with a Refresh so his injuries wouldn't be too much in case he vastly underestimated anyone.]

W-Wow . . .

[That's really cool, Horohoro. When could you do that?]

1/2

[stay-cool-bro.livejournal.com]

Hm?

[stay-cool-bro.livejournal.com]

Oh right. You haven't seen us with the snowboard before, huh?

[by 'us,' he must mean-

Yep, he does. Kororo pops out of the snowboard and it drops lifelessly to the ground. He props it up, leaning a bit as he digs in his pocket for his Ikupasuy - which is an intricately carved wooden stick, as Lucas will see when he holds it out in front of him.]

I got a lot of skills back, you know! Tell me when you're ready!

[a-gentle-boy.livejournal.com]

Oh! Hi, Kororo! It's been a while.

[Lucas does indeed spot the stick and looks at it curiously, though he's not the type to touch without asking.]

Is that your weapon? I'm just about ready; wait one second.

[Fwoosh. Having seen Kororo's powers as he had before, Lucas chooses to throw up his PSI Shield.]

[stay-cool-bro.livejournal.com]

[Kororo smiles, talking in her own language but it's obviously a "how do you do!" Horohoro whistles at the shield]

That's your defense? Fine! Here I come!

Oversoul: Kororo Ikupasuy!!

[Kororo integrates with the wooden stick, and as she does so a large angry owl face made of spiritness materializes over it. Horohoro runs at Lucas and his shield]

Niike Fuike Kiroro!!

[it's ainu for scimitar of snow. He creates from his Oversoul a blade of spiritual energy. Anything the blade touches freezes over...and then the ice explodes. Naturally he's giving this shield a good hard whack with it.]

[a-gentle-boy.livejournal.com]

Ye --

[He's a little taken aback at what happens with the stick of wood and merely blinks for a moment or two. So. Bad plan with the PSI Shield there. Before Horohoro can bypass it entirely, though, Lucas briefly raises a hand to put up a normal Shield.

The combination of the two is enough to mitigate both the blow and the freezing ice; Lucas feels the blow keenly and flinches from the effects of the extreme chill, but keeps steady. It's like being punched by Kumatora. Similarly, the explosion sends him backpedaling to avoid a direct strike, but the marks that appear on his face and arms don't seem to be nearly as heavy as they ought to be.

Shield percentage - halving damage reduction.]

Keep going . . .

[The next spell he casts sinks into his body and begins to spread out around his skin. Horohoro may find that his strikes seem to meet with greater resistance.]

[stay-cool-bro.livejournal.com]

[he's intrigued. He'd initially wondered if he was going too hard on Lucas, but he doesn't seem to be getting roughed up too badly. In that case this is just good clean fun]

All right then! Take THIS!

[he slashes several more times. The more ice, the more damage when it explodes, and it seemed that was the purpose of this. He's noticed Lucas has thicker skin now, figuratively speaking!]

Heh! How's that gonna hold up?

[a-gentle-boy.livejournal.com]

[Every now and then, Lucas pauses to apply a healing spell on himself. Every few hits, a Shield shatters and he reapplies that.

But his PSI is not unlimited and it does still pain him. Enhanced by Kororo's spirit as it was, Horohoro's strikes left him notably worse off than the Captain's attempts with a golf club had. A few moments of this pass before he decides to move into the final stage of his testing.]

You're pretty strong! One last thing . . .

[The light of his PSI infuses into his skin even further, making it glow with a hundred little swirling points of light. It was the strongest defense he could muster: Stacked 80% damage reduction.]

[stay-cool-bro.livejournal.com]

[Meanwhile, since Lucas isn't fighting back, Horohoro is just getting a nice workout on a living punching bag, which doesn't bug him at all since Lucas can heal himself just fine. But he pauses to let him cast the pretty new spell]

Ha, impressive lookin'...

[so instead of slashing multiple times this time, he decides to just buff up the oversoul with more furyoku and give Lucas a heavy one. The ice spreads fast and thick.]

[a-gentle-boy.livejournal.com]

[The ice explodes beautifully around Lucas's Shields, accompanied by the glittering shards of his manifested psionics as they shatter. Lucas is sitting on the ground when the ice clears up -- The blast had sent him reeling backwards, though more from the sheer force than the pain. Still speckled with light patches all over his body, Lucas holds a hand to the part of his chest that had been struck.

His shirt has begun to bloom crimson in that region, though he doesn't seem especially perturbed.]

Ah . . . Thanks, Horohoro. That's exactly what I wanted.

[stay-cool-bro.livejournal.com]

[Yeah, he notices the blood. But if Lucas isn't bugged, he isn't either. Horohoro and his comrades from home have done so much worse; he wouldn't hesitate to kill his best friend to win the Shaman Fight, so long as someone was there to resurrect him afterwards. Pain and suffering makes you stronger.

He comes over and offers a hand up]

No prob.

[a-gentle-boy.livejournal.com]

[He uses one last PSI to patch up the injury before taking Horohoro's hand, his face screwing up in pain for only a brief second before it flickers back to his normal, soft smile.]

It looks like I've got to work on my defenses a little more. I haven't fought in too long.

[stay-cool-bro.livejournal.com]

[he pulls Lucas up, nodding a bit in understanding]

Yeah, training... I used to have my sister on my ass all the time, telling me to do it. I hate it but it's necessary...

We can do this again sometime if you want.

[a-gentle-boy.livejournal.com]

Probably not this exactly again, but having a fight every now and then isn't a bad idea. I really shouldn't let myself get lazy just because there aren't chimera or soldiers here . . . Thanks.