TIGER ☆ 001

[fiveminutefail]

Who: fiveminutefail, selfmotivations & shushushuriken
Where: Near the Industrial District
Style: First
Status: Closed, Heroes only ♥

Comments

[shushushuriken]

[While the other two Heroes had wisely chosen to conserve their powers for when the situation became dire, Ivan saw little reason to use his power at all. Being seemingly useless in battle, he quickly decided to forego activating his NEXT ability in favour of fighting hand to hand like his fellow Heroes.

Next to the two older men, however, he posed a minimal threat to the deranged assailants -- both due to his lack of significant experience in battle and his still recovering injuries. It was rapidly becoming painfully apparent that he simply wouldn't be able to stay on par with his older companions for much longer. In that moment he swore to himself that if he made it out of this alive, he'd train much harder so that this could never happen again. After all, what use was a hero that couldn't even defend himself, much less an entire city?

Nimbly hopping backwards over a fallen body in order to avoid a crushing blow from one of their enemies, the young man flung a shuriken with deft precision before turning to another enemy, fist at the ready. Their numbers seemed to be swelling rather than declining -- a fact which worried the winded young hero. Between kicks, he manages to gasp out:]

They don't seem to be letting up at all... at this rate... [Huff. Punch. Crack. Huff.] we won't be able to stop them!

[And he knows it's all too obvious who the first to fall in such a predicament would be.]

[fiveminutefail]

[People fail to realize that this generally goofy, unreserved old man is quite observant. He's taken note of the increasing size of assailants as well as the states of his companions. Bunny seemed like he was fairing well, but the other looked as if he couldn't much keep up with them or his attackers.

He's been keeping close to the other, doing as much as he can to lighten the load, but if the load keeps getting bigger on it's own then there's nothing that even he, in all of his persistent and stubborn ways, can do to help.

All he can do right now is ensure the safety of the others, even at the risk of his own. And that's a risk he's more than willing to take.]

That doesn't mean - [Another punch.] - that we can just give up!

[Observant as he is, in all of his tab keeping, he fails to notice several rapidly approaching attackers until they're too close to deal away with easily. The only one wielding a weapon, a short and simple blade, manages to deliver a clean cut to his forearm before the weapon is twisted out of the assailant's hand and then shoved roughly into the others.

A poorly concealed grunt can be heard before a hiss of pain, and he hopes it doesn't cause a distraction for the other two. After all, none of them can afford to look away right now, and what just happened should be proof.]

[selfmotivations]

[Ivan's skilled, but he hasn't had Kotetsu's years of experience, or Barnaby's time to train. And on top of that, he's wounded - Barnaby can't deny that he feels worried about the younger hero, especially in a situation like this, where they need to watch their own backs.

At least, Barnaby watches his own back and assumes the other two will do the same, such is his way. He still seems to be in no rush whatsoever to use his Hundred Power, even as the odds grow steadily more unpleasant. Tiger's words are exactly the idealistic stupidity he's come to expect from him - but on some level, he might agree.

But preservation matters more.]

And end up trapped? [He snaps it over his shoulder, keeping his eyes on the oncoming enemies.] We need to move.

[that said, he has no intent to go without them. At Tiger's sudden hiss, however, he turns for a split-second --]

- try to keep up!

[shushushuriken]

[The youngest Hero valiantly tries to do just as advised -- keep up -- but between everything already mentioned and his near constant concern for the well-being of his companions, he finds that it's an active struggle.

He appreciates their encouragement, in whatever individual form it comes in, and it's enough to keep him going despite his burning muscles all but screaming at him to give in.

Kotetsu was right -- no matter how bleak the situation looked, they couldn't give up, because true heroes never quit.

With that thought in mind, he quickly flings two more shuriken into the fray -- effectively finishing off another enemy with a newfound sense of vitality -- while another kick sends the nearest assailant into a nearby wall. Upon hearing Kotetsu hiss in pain, he pivots rapidly, concern overtaking common sense (which states that he should be focusing on his enemies, not his companions).]

Tiger-san! Are you alright?

[Definitely not the brightest move, leaving himself open to attack with the growing swarm closing in on the worn trio of Heroes. He can't help his sense of compassion, however distracting it may be at the moment.]

[fiveminutefail]

[He can't keep the wince from washing over his face as his fellow Heroes address him, partially from pain and from causing a notable distraction. There's a short reprieve on his end of the battle, and he snakes a hand around the cut to apply pressure.]

It's nothing, just a scratch...

[He tries his hand at discounting the injury by offering a smile, writing it off as nothing when it's clearly going to pose a bit of a problem for him. It isn't until he finally refocuses his attention from his arm to Ivan, the more visibly concerned of the two, that he realizes another knife wielding attacker coming up from behind the boy.

Urgently, he shoves the other behind him and takes hold of the attacker's wrist, but is quick to take hold of the other too, as there is an object held in that hand as well. A dark, purple gem, from the looks of it.]

Bunny! [He calls over his shoulder, still fending off his assailant.] Take Origami and go, I'll catch up!

[There's a huge hole in their defences because of this shift. He can see it, and he knows his partner can. He just wants them safe right now, and sending them away is his only option.]

[selfmotivations]

[Barnaby finds time amidst attacks to throw a scowl at the old man's dismissal of the injury. Far be it from him to be concerned, but that habit to shrug everything off could endanger them all. He's about to scoff, about to say as much, but is distracted by something swung at his head - the subsequent dodge takes the retort out of his mouth and he throws himself back into the fight with a kick.

A gleam catches his eye, a shining purple stone enclosed in pale fingers. But he doesn't have time to investigate further - his hand jerks out to bat it away and he sends the wielder crashing over his knee, kicking them further back and out of his way. But he notices more of them now, those purple things, held out to him like gifts.

It's only vaguely that he hears Tiger's words, and while he does move to help cover Ivan, he once again takes a moment to round on his partner.]

Leaving you here isn't an option either! [The fight kept him from snapping anything else, his focus shifting once more. If it kept up this way...]

[shushushuriken]

[He's prepared to question Kotetsu for brushing off his injury as little more than a scratch when the man was clearly suffering just as much as he was -- and as much as Barnaby must be as well, he muses silently -- when he finds himself suddenly shoved behind the eldest Hero. His fatigue gets the best of him and he nearly collapses to the ground at the sudden change in momentum. Steeling himself as best he can, Ivan straightens himself out and draws his focus to the man in front of him -- as well as the assailant he's currently warding off. The strange purple gem catches his attention momentarily, until Kotetsu calls for his partner to take him somewhere safe while intending to stay back to fight alone.

The mere notion is enough to cause a simultaneous spark of fear and rage to course through his veins. Fear, of course, that the man would be grossly outnumbered and therefore overpowered -- and rage at the idea of leaving a fellow hero to what would essentially be their death.

Seeing Barnaby move to cover him as well, and hearing his own thoughts on the suggestion, he snaps out of his thoughts and voices his assent.]

That's right, we're not leaving you here to die!

[With that, he's gonna slip out from between the two in order to form a triangle of sorts, prepared to rejoin the fight despite waning odds.]

[fiveminutefail]

[He continues to keep his assailant at bay, both hands occupied. He's having more of an issue than before, what with the condition of his arm, his natural energy reserves slowly depleting, and his now cornered state. None of them have gotten close enough; at least, they hadn't gotten this close.

He still takes the time to regard the other two over his shoulder, expression lacking that usual carefree sparkle, voice lacking his normal excitable undertone.]

Who said... anything about dying?

[He turns back just in time to notice a rather hostile attacker approaching him quickly, armed with a crowbar. Still fighting off the one that had almost cut their youngest companion in two, he has to make an instantaneous decision.

He pushes his current attacker off, taking careful measure to first bat the knife out of his hand, just in time to catch the wrist swinging the crowbar down upon him. Of course, his plan hadn't been foolproof. While the knife had been knocked out, what he had deemed priority, the purple jewel incased in the other had become a mere afterthought. In the stumble, it comes into contact with its marked target, embedding squarely in the centre of his forehead.

The following proceedings are a blur, as they happen on instinct, his body now taking over for his mind, which is lost in a sea of static noise.

Both assailants are shoved to the ground by two quick, adrenaline-fuelled jabs of his fists. He makes a strangled sound - at least, it might've been him - of pure shock and surprise. He stumbles, somehow regains his footing, and throws his undamaged arm up to lay a hand on his head, fingers fisting in his hair.]

[selfmotivations]

Are you kidding? [He doesn't shoot Kotetsu a look this time, keeping his attention on the small group of purple-eyed people advancing on him instead. There's an edge of amusement in his voice, but it's sharp and generally mirthless.] What else would abandoning an old man out here result in?

[His movements are almost automatic, fluid and precise. Ivan moves and Barnaby doesn't put up any effort to stop him - he trusts in himself (and only himself) to get him out of trouble if needs be, but if he wants to involve himself that's his perogative.

He misses a hand swiping towards him with one of those gems, slipping beneath it and turning the assailant away with little ceremony. Curious as it is, he's more worried about the weapons others are clutching. He kicks, lashes out with his elbow, and finds the motion turning as he comes to face his partner once more.

And Kotetsu still seems to be holding off his opponents, but something about that sound, that stance - something isn't right.

But Barnaby can't stop either, can't even look long enough to see what's wrong with this picture.

Narrowly avoiding a swing from a bat, he's drawn back into the fight.]

[shushushuriken]

[Back into the fight indeed. Ivan launches himself into the nearest enemy, distracting himself with the motions. Upon hearing Kotetsu's anguished cry, however, he darts his head to the side -- eyes narrowed in clear concern.]

Tiger-san! What --

[He cuts off abruptly when he remembers their surroundings, the numerous hostiles currently on any side of them. Spinning back around and ducking just in time to avoid what would surely have been a killing blow, he wills himself to focus on the fight rather than his injured companion. Much like Kotetsu had mere moments prior, the youngest member of the trio gives priority to the weapon in his assailant's hand, in turn brushing off the strange purple gem clutched in the other. The mistake proves itself to be a potentially fatal one for him when the now otherwise unarmed attacker -- disarmed by a well-placed kick -- lunges at the extremely worn young hero, hand extended. It happens so rapidly that he doesn't really have ample time to process what's happening, much less avoid being toppled over and having a purple gem firmly inserted into his own forehead. He manages a choked gasp before clawing desperately at his assailant, weariness creeping in much faster now.

Well Barnaby, it looks as though someone's gonna be essentially on their own pretty soon here.]

[fiveminutefail]

[He doesn't dignify his partner's response with a quip of his own, still focused on standing upright, and half-heartedly swatting away his attackers and dodging their attempts at finishing him off. Weariness was creeping into his bones before hand, but now he couldn't even see straight. He prided himself on his ability to endure though, so he wasn't about to give in. Not until everything was once again righted, and his colleagues could get away safely.

The latter of his two requirements was promptly taken and torn to shreds, though, as he hears the youngest of the three cry out, and turns to see him pinned and thrashing helplessly. Instinct takes over once more, and he moves much faster than he thought capable at that moment to kick his assailant off and unconscious.

He doesn't even realize that he's glowing blue until the haze of impending sleep lifts, and he bends to help Ivan stand. He takes note of the purple gem on the other's forehead, much like his own, and begrudgingly chooses to change his original plan, that being he stay behind to fight by himself, allowing for the others to escape.]

Bunny, we're retreating! We've done all we can here.

[Blue-rimmed irises gaze at his partner, silently affirming that he, too, will be leaving with them. That, and they should make haste. They have a five minute window here to get as far away as they can, at least he does. He could hardly keep his eyes open without the Hundred Power, he doubts that the sudden lack of energy as it fades will do him any good.]

[selfmotivations]

[He pulls back to fall into place with his fellow heroes again, drawn by Ivan's gasp. He's still fighting even as he works backwards - the throng around them isn't letting up. There's a glint of purple and another of those stones is thrust at him - instead of finding out what the significance of it is, Barnaby kicks, throwing them aside.

He chances a glance around at them and sees - more purple, those stones gleaming in their skin as if they were rooted to their skulls. He gawks at them, eyes widening as he wonders what the hell is going on. It's Kotetsu's voice that gets him moving again and he nods. He doesn't think about the way Kotetsu says 'we'. He doesn't think abou the way Kotetsu looks at him to confirm that he's coming, too.

He doesn't think about it, and surely would falter if he did, but he puts his trust in him in that moment.

Closing the gap between them, he hooks his arms around Ivan, pulls him into his arms. he doesn't know the extent of the damage yet, but this will be faster, anyway - blue flickers and flares along his skin, in his eyes.]

Let's go, old man!

[And then he jumps, suddenly, moving from ground to nearby rooftop in one movement.]

[shushushuriken]

[Through the current haze, he vaguely registers Kotetsu, even taking note of his activated powers. If that was the case, something must seriously be wrong or the battle must've increased in difficulty. Then it becomes obvious to him that it's not a matter of one or the other, but both. The serious issue being the gems embedded within Kotetsu's forehead as well as his own -- is that why he was suddenly feeling about 10 times as tired as before? (Which is difficult enough to believe on its own.) The waning odds are easily attributed to the aforementioned problem.

Somewhere in his clouded mind, he picks up on his oldest companion kicking off his attacker, and he relaxes the slightest bit. He's pulled up onto his feet the next minute, and a sense of vertigo quickly overtakes him before he's once more steadied by Kotetsu.

The next few minutes blur together a bit -- the words a jumble and the faces distorted -- but he knows they're abandoning the fight in favour of survival. He's not quite far gone enough yet to ignore the nagging feelings of guilt creeping into his system -- if only he were faster or stronger, this wouldn't have happened. He's also aware of Barnaby picking him up, skin and eyes blazing blue all the while from his activated powers.

Now it was really just a fight to stay awake -- a fight which he was rapidly beginning to lose.]

[fiveminutefail]

[He, too, leaps atop the building and rapidly follows his partner from rooftop to rooftop. Time is ticking, and he's trying his best to keep track of the seconds and minutes as they pass. He needs as much time as he can get here, for even with his power activated, he can still feel the strange sensation that accompanies the sapping of his energy. If he even feels a slight side effect of the gem embedded in his forehead, then he can't even begin to imagine how their youngest colleague feels, and through his enhanced vision, he can tell on the boy's face that things aren't going too well for him.

It makes him speed up his run, jump higher, exert himself further to try and get them all back to their apartment as quickly as possible. He can see people still being attacked, can still see their attackers as he moves past, and while they're not as abundant as they were closer to the Industrial District, he can still hear the screams echoing.

He wants to help them, and it irks him how he instead has to help himself this time.

They're getting closer to the apartment, and as a precaution Kotetsu moves from the rooftop to instead run along the paved streets. He hopes his partner can understand why, the glimmer of the jewel in his forehead the same as the one on the ailing boy in his arms.

30 seconds left. He darts quickly along the road. 15 seconds. His pace quickens even further. 10, 9, 8 - running, dashing, jumping - 7, 6, 5 - he takes another step, just one more step - 4, 3, 2, 1 - and then his glow vanishes and before he can even realize it, he's collapsed face first on the ground.

He claws at the pavement, drags himself, tries his best to climb to his knees... but to no avail.]

Sorry, Bunny... [He blinks rapidly to focus his eyes, and he only hopes that he'll see his partner keep going.

He just needs a power nap... he'll rejoin them in an hour.]

[selfmotivations]

Origami, keep awake, [he says, voice harsh, urgent. He has no time to spare to check that he's alright - they need to make the most of these five minutes, he knows. If this is the state Origami is in, would Tiger be the same, were it not for his Hundred Power? Gritting his teeth, he quickens his own pace, redoubling his efforts.]

Come on, Origami! [There's a little more concern in his tone this time, but he doesn't even look at the one he's carrying. They need to stay conscious, need to get out of harm's way before he can even start considering what the hell is going on.

And there's a flush of anger in him, but the typical outlook that his companions are just holding him back belies something else - that he didn't prevent this, that he doesn't know what's happening, that these are his own colleagues.

He barely registers Kotetsu moving from rooftop to road, he simply moves to follow him, to fall into place beside him once more. Their time is almost up, but the apartment building is in sight. If they can just make it -

Sorry, Bunny...

Time is up and Ivan is suddenly heavier, but he carries him one armed, the other shooting out, hand closing around the back of Kotetsu's vest and pulling him back up, pulling him to his knees, pulling him to his feet.]

Don't expect me to carry your dead weight too, old man! [The aggression in his voice is pure anxiety, though, and he hooks his free arms around Kotetsu's back, under his arms. The unspoken instruction is for Kotetsu to lean on him.] Come on.

[shushushuriken]

[It's all a bit muted, but Ivan hears everything around him -- from the rapidly fading sounds of the battle they're leaving behind to Barnaby's urgent demands (pleas). He doesn't have the energy left inside of himself at the current moment to vocally assure Barnaby that he was still awake (albeit barely) -- so he instead settles for grasping the older man's arm and squeezing as tight as he can in his drained state. It's barely noticeable, but it's there.

His struggle to maintain consciousness is an active one, but he knows it's only a matter of time. In this instant, he hears Kotetsu's apology and realises that his five minutes are up -- meaning the effects of the strange gems would soon be fully felt by his companion as well.

They had to be close to home by now, didn't they? Barnaby couldn't be left to essentially fend for himself for too long, especially since his own Hundred Power was sure to expire soon enough. If it hadn't already.

With one bleary glance in the other direction, he sees Barnaby supporting the eldest hero's weight as well, and it's this picture that motivates him to stay awake just a bit longer, despite the ever increasing allure of sleep. His eyes close afterward, but he's not sleeping... of course not. He's merely resting his eyes.]