Re: Touhou CYOA - Second edition
"We'll keep going with the same strategy as before, but I'll hold back on attacking as well and focus on defense and avoiding attacks. As mean-spirited as it sounds, aim your attacks at the catgirl. We'll need any edge there is to defeat this Ran, she is impressively powerful and wise in the ways of combat." Byakuren passes her instructions to Murasa prior to the fight. They look to the other side, where Chen and Ran are having a little tactics swap of their own. Soon enough, all four contestants are sailing a few dozen feet over the ground as they commence the battle.
With the pairs facing against each other, Ran starts the battle by placing a hand on Chen's head, closing her eyes and starting a spell. Before Byakuren or Murasa can interfere, Chen starts to glow with a golden light, moving much faster than anyone they've met till now as her master's power flows into the little catgirl. With a mad boost towards the opposing team, she curls up to a ball mid-flight, starting to spin along the way as she aims at Murasa. Murasa can barely hold against the catgirl's assault as she slams against the captain's anchor, pushing her back with the force of the impact. Quickly catching a glimpse of the attack's true purpose, Murasa manages to block off the danmaku that Chen released in the wake of her rush. Ran weights in her attacks as well, using precision lasers instead of usual danmaku swarms, aiming her attack at Byakuren to keep the mage away from her partner.
Sensing the attempt at divide and conquer tactics, Byakuren switches on the offensive, moving towards Murasa to aid the captain in her resolute defense against the powered-up Chen. With a few quick incantations, Byakuren manages to push the catgirl away for a brief moment as she fires some smallish torrents at her. "Chen! Watch out, they'll attack hard if you back off!" Ran can be heard shouting from the distance. But her warning comes a second too late as Murasa pushes forward, hurling the massive anchor at Chen. With a resounding clang, the anchor connects squarely against the catgirl, taking her out with one well-aimed strike. "NO! CHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEN!" Ran shouts out, quickly flying out of combat to grab the falling catgirl. She manages to catch Chen before the girl hits the ground. Lowering her little shikigami to the ground with greatest considerable care, Ran takes a brief look over her shikigami. "Ran-shamaaaa..." is the only thing Chen manages to say before losing consciousness, a small trickle of blood visible on her forehead.
Lifting the little catgirl to her arms, Ran calls out at the two opponents still looking down at them, waiting for the battle to continue. "You two win this one. I can't leave Chen like this for long." With these words as her final take on the battle, the fox-woman turns her back on the two, tails swishing slightly as she leaves the arena with Chen. "What is this? The mighty Ran Yakumo has a soft spot in her heart? People, give this woman some respect, her caring for the shikigami is mightier than her desire to win. I wish you better success next time, and a quick recovery for little Chen!" Rinnosuke's announcement echoes across the surrounding plains, with cheers all around wishing the fox-cat pair their best.
Standing somewhat forgotten in the arena, Byakuren feels a pang of guilt for making Murasa attack Chen. The two of them leave in silence, both feeling bad about what just happened. They head back to the resting areas, keeping quiet and simply resting to prepare for the next battle. "So, it'll be us versus Shou and Nazrin..." Byakuren ponders, trying to get the guilt away from her mind.
Their moods don't lighten any after Shou comes over to them, looking completely depressed. Not saying anything, she sits next to Byakuren, a frown on her features as she leans on her arm and sighs heavily. "So... let me guess... You two... Lost your match..." Byakuren asks, Shou's brief nod answering her question better than words could at this moment. Before they can exchange further words, the call goes out for Byakuren and Murasa to take the field for the fourth time. Patting Shou on the shoulder, the magician promises her to win this thing and bring home the glory.
As soon as they enter the arena, Byakuren takes a look who the are facing. Her courage falters a bit as these two are both familiar figures from some time back. "Sakuya... and Meiling." Despite having faced a powerful presence like Ran during the last round, Byakuren gets more jittery at the thought of facing these two. Meiling is a brutally strong fistfighter, easily a match for both her or Murasa if they came to blows with each other. She is dressed in her usual green dress, but not the undershirt, leaving the girl's lightly-muscled arms exposed. Sakuya was something of a mystery to her though, the maid handled all sorts of knives with aplomb and was deadly accurate with them. She had some other power in her as well, the episode in the kitchen coming back to Byakuren's mind. She keeps her maid dress on even in a batle like this. "This battle will begin the fourth round, and boy do we have a good one ahead of us! These two servants have been keeping the top spots on many past tournaments, their strong teamplay making short work of most opponents as they fall under fist or blade. Some suggest their team power comes from long years spent in the same household, more wild rumors suggest it's an intimate relationship between them! Never has there been a more potent combination of gate guard and maid, it's Hong Meiling and Sakuya Izayoi!"
"Should I go easy on them, Sakuya-san?" Meiling says to her partner as she flexes her fingers, audible cracks coming from her hands as the chinese youkai prepares for the coming test of strenght. "No, we take this seriously. It's already past the halfway, there's two other fights after this." Sakuya replies, drawing a trio of knives from both thigh holsters she has.
"Ohhh dear... This is bad, really bad...."
A. Fight them offensively
B. Fight them defensively
C. Fight them some other way (comment your personal suggestion how they should fight)
