Catalysis [Sora, Kairi, Axel]

[Fate]

We Won't Stop 'Till We See the Morning
Ignition by tobymac.

Kadaj couldn't block fast enough for the first hit that Sora landed on him, sending him back a couple feet. He grimaced. That wasn't supposed to happen to him; no one was supposed to be able to get a hit on him. Now he was mad and Sora was going in for a vertical attack on him. Oh no, Kadaj couldn't let him have that. Sora wasn't going to get anymore hits on him if he had his say and he would most definitely not win at all. This was Kadaj's fight.

The silver-haired remnant jumped up to dodge the vertical attack, landing on the Keyblade itself for a split second before doing a back-flip and landing on his feet. Darkness was surging through him again, just waiting to come out. He smirked and chuckled a bit as he held his sword in its reverse position. It turned black quickly, darkness almost oozing off of it. He was pretty sure he liked this little ability that he had taught himself how to use. He would just need to work on putting even more into it later.

Now with his sword infused with darkness, it was time to move again. He sent himself straight at Sora again and attacked, going for a simple horizontal attack going from right to left before turning around to switch positions and go for an attack from below and the left. Directly after that, he turned around and did a vertical attack from above. His movements were fluid and quick, all of them fueled by his anger. He could not let himself lose, not let himself get another hit. He needed to be better than this kid in every way. He was strong and had a powerful hit, but Kadaj could do that too if he wanted to. Kadaj had darkness; there was no way he could lose with that.

[Battle Report:
Kadaj used Shadow Blade
Will last through next post]

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[Castle]

Sora reacted on pure instinct, whatever he did in attempt to avoid those attacks lost in a blur. He was being forced backwards again, that much he knew, and he was also aware of a rip appearing in the front of his shirt and a sharp sting on his face. Like the cut on his arm, the sting was abnormally acute. He finally realized that it was because of the darkness that swam around Kadaj's blade.

He couldn't afford to hold anything back. This guy was going in for the kill. He knew that before, but now it was more obvious. Sora refused to be defeated. He'd beaten badder things than this before, right?

As soon as there was an opening, he took advantage of their close range and went in with another series of fast attacks, aiming primarily for the ribcage. Maybe some damaged ribs would slow Kadaj down.


--
Battle Report:
Sora used [Slapshot]
Uses left: 0

[Fate]

Oh No You Didn't

Finally, he was beginning to get to this kid. Sure, the kid was still blocking and dodging, but he was still getting hits. This made Kadaj smile, the darkness in his sword still strong. He could make it last for a little while longer and then get some more hits in. Though, he was starting to get a little impatient. Sure, he loved a good fight and Sora provided an excellent challenge to him, but he didn't want Sora to live either and sort of just wanted the job done and over with. He was going as fast as he could and this job was still going rather slow. He needed to force this kid back.

Or he could get attacked in the ribs when his guard was slightly down. Good move Kadaj; you should have never let your guard down at all around him. Sora got those five fast hits directly where he wanted to, sending Kadaj flying. As always, he managed to land on his feet, but that didn't mean he wasn't in any sort of pain. He was breathing harder now because of that and was a whole lot angrier. He held his free hand to his chest as he looked at Sora, his green eyes full of absolute fury. This had to end. Now.

He gripped his sword tightly and ran as fast as he could at Sora, jumping in the air and going for a downward slash. Once his feet touched the ground again, he went for a diagonal attack from the upper right to the lower left. His sword went from left to right in a horizontal attack directly after it, Kadaj then spinning around to go for the other side. He couldn't stop moving, couldn't let his guard down for a millisecond. If he kept his speed up, he could tire Sora out.

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[Castle]

All five attacks hit, yielding the exact result Sora was hoping for. Kadaj went sent flying, and when he landed, he was noticeably affected. Unfortunately, that was where the "exact" result became more of an approximation. Kadaj wasn't done yet, and now he was even angrier than before. Sora didn't think he would go down that easily, anyway, but he was still kind of hoping. So much for that.

He was met with another flurry of attacks. Sora raised the Keyblade and caught the first strike, and when the next move came from above as well, he held it at a different angle to block. However, that was where the relative simplicity ended. The two horizontal attacks were a curveball. The first caught him in the side just as he tried to jump away. It didn't cut as deep as it could have because he was in motion, but it still hurt a lot, and it prevented him from completing the dodge.

Sora gritted his teeth and parried the next blow, and this time the backward jump worked a bit better. He wasted no time; as soon as his feet landed, he jumped forward, higher than the last time, and swung down at Kadaj's head.

[Prythian]

"Good." The Champion looked away. "Just remember... I do not have a choice in the actions I take. It is harder for me to do them than it is for other people to accept that I have done them. In return for your cooperation I will do my best to make sure I do not end up having to take action against your friend Sora. But the actions I must take will paint me as a villain..."

He sighed, looking down, but still everything about him showed that determination and utter strength of will. "...and perhaps that is not too far off the mark." In his other hand, the golden sword appeared once more, flashing as he vanished. The darkness surrounding them vanished, flying outwards in all directions and disappearing.

[Fate]

Ready For the Finale? I Am.

His hits made it in, or at least a good couple of them did, before Sora retaliated and went for his head. Kadaj put his sword up to block and held it there for a second. The darkness vanished from the blades, which meant he would need to wait before using that little trick again. He gritted his teeth and dug his heels into the ground in that instant that their blades met, pushing Sora away and standing alone. Sure, he had loads of energy to spare, but that didn't mean he wanted to use all of that energy to take this kid down. He would need to for at least the next few moments though; maybe he could get somewhere by doing that.

He paused for a second, looking around their little area. They were in the forest, but Sora's sidekick wasn't. Kadaj turned his head around just in time to see a wall of darkness disappear. Wait a minute, where did that come from? He didn't remember putting a wall of darkness up there when he went to fight Sora... wait, did he actually do that? He didn't tell the darkness to make some giant wall around the Keyblade Master's sidekick. Either way, it was sort of cool he guessed.

"You've been missing all the fun," he told the girl, "Though you're just in time for the final act." He grinned and turned quickly to jump at Sora, his sword going directly for his head this time as well. Once his feet hit the ground, he took the Souba and aimed for the right again, turning around and then going for the left. He could do this little dance all day if he needed to, and he needed to. He couldn't destroy a world with this guy standing in his way and Maleficent needed to be shown how good he was. If he could defeat Sora all by himself, something not even she could do, he deserved some respect.

[Battle Report:
Shadow Blade has worn off; cannot be used for three posts]

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[Castle]

When Kadaj jumped back, Sora noticed him glance over at something and instinctively followed his gaze. He caught a glimpse of something large and dark burst and fade. Standing where the darkness had been was Kairi. Sora blinked. She didn't appear to be in any danger, but what was that?

Kadaj made a comment that returned Sora's attention to him. Immediately after, the battle resumed. The first move was a vertical swing similar to the one he himself had just used. He put the Keyblade up but sidestepped the attack instead of just blocking. After that, Kadaj did that right-left switch he'd been using throughout the battle, and Sora blocked and parried again.

However, this time Sora used the momentum from the parry to spin himself around and swing the Keyblade backhanded at the side of Kadaj's head.

[Aerith]

Left With Not Much to Do

Kairi said nothing else to the Champion and simply watched him leave. She needed to find the other Princesses of Heart soon. What if there was a timetable she didn't know about? The Champion hadn't mentioned anything about when she should get this accomplished, but if the balance depended on this, then she should probably get to it as soon as possible. Plus, she really didn't want the Champion coming after Sora.

The darkness around her dissipated, and she could see again. But Sora and the other swordsman were nowhere in sight. They must have still been in the trees.

She felt like someone was watching her.

The silver-haired man's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. Both him and Sora were nearing the treeline again, though the fight still looked to be very intense. She didn't want to be a distraction to Sora, but she still felt that she might need to help him soon. It would be better than standing here, twiddling her thumbs.

[Axel]

Boredom Wins Out Over Secrecy

Unfortunately, Axel hadn't managed to pick up much in the way of new information. Both Kairi and her conversation partner were talking in very hushed tones. He assumed now that the Champion of Darkness was in there; this Kadaj guy certainly didn't seem like the type to just throw up a wall of darkness to make sure Kairi stayed out of the way.

He caught something about the Door to Darkness. And Kairi was a piece necessary for gaining access to it. That was about all he caught other than hearing Sora's name mentioned.

Speaking of Sora...

When the kid followed up his introduction to Kadaj with "Got it memorized?" Axel's full focus snapped in Sora's direction. What the hell was the kid thinking, stealing his catchphrase like that? Suddenly, Axel became very suspicious. Did Sora know he was here?

The sibilant sound of the darkness fading away around Kairi made the Flame's eyes leave Sora for the moment. She looked completely unharmed, which was good news for the kid. Axel knew how much Sora cared about her. He'd tried to exploit that once, after all.

The fighting between those two was still going strong, neither side looking like he was going to quit. It was high time Kadaj got any notions about killing Sora out of his head for good.

He disappeared into a Corridor, opening another one mere feet away from Kadaj. In the transition, he summoned Eternal Flames.

There was no fanfare, no introduction of himself. There was no need. Kadaj was just a gadfly that needed to be exterminated. The first thing out of the new Corridor were both chakrams, both propelled along faster than usual thanks to the tiny fires along every spike. And if they managed to catch Kadaj off-guard, he'd have an additional explosive surprise.

Axel stepped completely out of the Corridor in time to catch the returning chakrams. "I'd suggest backing off now. Strongly suggest." In actuality, the words were for Kadaj. But if he insisted on fighting, Axel would work better if he didn't have to worry about Sora getting in the way.

[Fate]

I Do What I Want

Parry and swing. The blade caught him in the face, which hurt considerably since it was such a large blade. That kid had some nerve swinging the Keyblade at his head; not everyone had the guts to do that. Though, that didn't mean Kadaj liked it or respected it at all. It just fueled that anger and drive that said to kill Sora. He got into his offensive position again and prepared to run straight at Sora again in this never-ending fight they were having. The kid was more stubborn than he thought he would be, but that wasn't going to make Kadaj stop. He would stop only when he had won.

Well, he was forced to at least pause when two flying things came at him. And they were on fire. He jumped right out of their way, not wanting to get hit by fire at the moment, and then watched as they returned to a man with red hair and a black cloak. Said man was telling him to back off and quit fighting, which Kadaj was going to most likely end up ignoring. He couldn't help but grin at the moment. An Organization member had just walked in and Sora were here. He was in great luck today. Though, if this Organization member was anything like the last one he ran into, he'd be tough to beat. Hopefully, he wouldn't get trapped in another blizzard; he hated snow.

Now, the only problem was deciding which one to go after first. Sora was already at least partially worn down because of him, but this Organization member was probably ready to go. Kadaj had energy, but it might be better to stick with Sora for the moment. Organization member would probably fight at the same time, which could prove to be fun. Oh yes, that could work. "Oh you do? But what if I don't want to?" His answer was childish and arrogant. "I was just having fun."

With that, he sharply turned around and started another attack on Sora from the left. Then from above, and then another sharp turnaround to go from the right. He wasn't going to stop just because someone told him to; that would be completely unlike him, after all.

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[Castle]

Sora's eyes went wide as two familiar weapons flew out of nowhere and nearly hit Kadaj. His gaze traced the paths of the weapons back to the hands of their owner, who was just stepping out of a Corridor. The sight of him made an object in his chest cavity do a startled backflip.

"A-Axel?!" he exclaimed.

Wait, he was telling Kadaj to back off? Did that mean he was trying to help him, or did he just want Kadaj to leave so he could attack Sora himself? Either way, there wasn't much time for consideration, because Kadaj went right back to trying to cut him to pieces.

More fast moves. Sora walked backwards and tried to block them with as little unnecessary movement of the Keyblade as possible. More movement meant slower reaction time, and he couldn't afford any more of that in this battle. The cuts weren't bleeding much anymore, but the twin slashes on his side still burned a bit.

He jumped straight up and twisted around in midair to land behind Kadaj, swinging the Keyblade at a downward diagonal as he did so. However, he was still very aware of Axel's position nearby. What were his motives here?

[Axel]

I Don't Like Being Ignored

Both reactions to his sudden appearance were about what he had expected. From what Axel had seen of Kadaj, he struck him as more than a little arrogant. A warning to leave before serious damage was done would go straight in one ear and out the other. This guy thought he could, and would, beat Sora, even with the added presence of the Flame.

Sora was just plain shocked. The kid always did wear his heart on his sleeve. But Axel was spared any awkward conversations when Kadaj immediately resumed his attacks upon Sora. No time for chit-chat. Somebody was just begging for a very fiery and painful death.

They were still in the thick of the trees. The pyromaniac in the Flame was almost giddy at the sight of all that wood. But he really did need Sora to get out of there as soon as possible.

The kid was on the offensive now, aiming a downward strike that would, in all likelihood, be dodged if Kadaj had any speed left in him. Both halves of Eternal Flames left his hands again, racing toward Kadaj to give him something else to think about.

The edge of one brushed against a low-hanging branch. Small flames sprouted amongst the leaves.

He grinned. "How about you have a little fun with me for a while? I know how to have a good time."

[Aerith]

Smoke Alarms

Kairi had almost made up her mind to go in search of Cinderella. She had been about to head in the direction of the castle when a familiar voice stopped her.

Axel.

Abruptly, she spun back around to face Sora. Was Axel here to continue what he had started in Castle Oblivion? She would have to step in, if that were the case. She couldn't let Sora go through that again. It had been painful enough in that odd vision she had experienced.

No. Axel was attacking the silver-haired man and telling him to leave. Did that mean Axel was here to help them? Or was this simply some plan to gain Sora's trust? She couldn't say. But she was more inclined to believe that Axel was here to help. After all, he wouldn't hurt Sora, because that would be hurting Roxas, in a way. Right?

Tightening her grip on her Keyblade, she ran just inside the trees. Something was burning already, and her eyes quickly found the fire eating up an unfortunate branch.

"Sora!" She was reluctant to be a distraction, but she felt he might want to know about the danger he was in. "Get out of there!"

[Fate]

Jump Start

Sora blocked his blows and jumped into the air, looking to come back down on him. It seemed he was going to ignore this Axel guy and just continue fighting with him. He wasn't going to ask how the two knew each other since it wasn't important. The important thing was getting out of the way of this next attack, which he did by jumping back. What he didn't expect to happen was to have those two things fly at him again and hit him. They were on fire too, which Kadaj just didn't like at all. It was better than a blizzard, but that didn't mean he wanted to get burned.

So Axel wanted to have fun with him now and distract him from Sora? Kadaj looked back and forth between the two for a few seconds. If he came back with the news that he killed Sora, and just Sora, Maleficent would be sufficiently happy. However, if he came back with the news that he killed both Sora and and an Organization member, she would be even happier. He would have proven his worth more than enough by then. He could take them both down, definitely. Of course, he didn't know anything about this Organization member aside that he had throwing wheels of fire, but he could still do it.

"I think I can do that," he said with a faint grin, looking over at Axel. He didn't pay any attention to the leaves on the trees being on fire. He just jumped toward a tree and rebounded off of it straight toward Axel, his sword ready to go down from the upper right. Let's see if this Axel had any speed on him; looked like he did, and he would need it for this little fight.

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[Axel]

Can't See the Forest For the Fire

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Sora was off Axel's radar for now. Kadaj had the privilege--or misfortune, depending on one's point of view--of having the Flame's complete attention. The guy was obviously fast, but so far, all he had done was swing his odd sword around and infuse it with darkness. If those were the only two tricks up his sleeves--and they probably were, considering there wasn't much room underneath all that tight leather--then this fight would be a breeze.

Jumping off trees seemed a little unnecessary, though. Whatever. Axel blocked the downward strike by bringing his left chakram across his body. Then he quickly lashed out at Kadaj's stomach with the right one. Regardless of whether or not that hit, he pushed the sword off the left chakram and dashed around Kadaj's left side.

"Hope you like heat!" He released his hold on the chakrams and summoned a sphere of fire between them that exploded, engulfing more of the forest in flames. But did Axel care about a few burnt trees?

Hell. No.

[Summary:
Axel used Pyre Shock.
Posts until next use: 4
Uses remaining: 2]