Tournament Battle 2 - Eien Odayaka vs. Ishmael Ridley

"Call me Ishmael."

Ishmael Ridley (called Ridley by his friends, of which in this city numbered 0) stood calmly on one side of the Arena, one of several constructed as part of the Suzaku Festival's Beginner Tournament event. His Olena floated passively in front of him - though this was a guise, for the Olena was scanning the Arena, storing the information and formulating various ideas. Ridley had no idea why he had said that three-word sentence out loud. He had had a strange sense of deja vu as he said it, as if someone had said the exact same thing, once upon a time.

"Enough culture references," Ridley said, momentarily breaking the fourth wall, and called, "Where is my opponent?

For the past hour, Eien had been waiting patiently for a tournament challenge. As Ishmael called out his challenge, Eien had to restrain himself from jumping up with excitement and taking that challenge, or at least as excited as Eien got about things. Able to operate as calmly as ever, he rose from one of the benches that surrounded the area. Raising he hand, he replied to Ishamel, his voice remaining as cool as his behavior, "I'll take on that challenge. Odayaka, Eien Odayaka."

Stepping onto the field, he took note of the very traditional battle Arena for this festival. The cobblestone path was earthy enough for those with the power of earth to make use, while the tree off to Eien's left provided shade and a small patch of grass for the types that needed it. Opposite of the tree, forming a diamond with the two areas with the trainers in them, was a small fountain, designed both for beauty and for the tournament. It would allow those that like to be submerged in water a place to go. The fountain, of course, was nothing truly remarkable. It was just 3 tiers with water flowing off each tier, creating a constant, peaceful sound in the area.

Not wanting to waste too much time, Eien called out his Kohitsuji with a raised hand, the psychic/ghost lamb appearing in a small burst of light about 4-5 feet in front of Eien, who was at the very edge of the chalk line Arena. Since it was official, a few of the official spectators that wandered around the area focused their attention on the two trainers that they expected to get into battle in a few moments.

"Somehow I get the distinct feeling you have an Olena," Eien stated, his eyes turned away from the scene, having a bit of a small ill feeling about this battle. Olena, in his opinion, was the hardest opponent for him to fight. Since both trainers had the ghost type, they nulled each other out, but Kohitsuji's psychic type made it lose that resistance. Plus, for the most part, it psychics weren't the greatest at fighting ghosts. However, even if his opponent had an Olena, Eien was confident his proper planning would give him enough of an edge to balance out against his, in essence, opposite. Even the trainer seemed to be opposite with a far odder personality than Eien.

As Eien entered, Ridley's eyes naturally flicked towards the disturbance of movement made in his peripheral vision. Instantly, his sense of keen observation kicked in as he studied Eien. The man was clearly intelligent - Ridley had never known an idiot to carry around a laptop in a custom-made case. You would only invest in such a luxury if it were for something that you used frequently, and to some skill.

Eien's greeting - both the raised hand and the vocal message - was responded to by Ridley almost instantly. He nodded in return, and said, "Greetings, Eien Odayaka. You can call me Ridley. My name is Ishmael Ridley." The slight repetition of the sentence either escaped Ridley's notice or he cared less about the correction of it. Cracking his knuckles, Ridley stepped back and motioned for Olena to move in front of him.

Ridley would have been interested, but not surprised, to learn that Eien was thinking much the same thoughts as he was - namely, the different type advantages and disadvantages. He knew that he possessed a resistance to Kohitsuji, while Kohitsuji possessed neither a weakness nor a resistance to him, thanks to psychic - but it was certainly not a match-winning advantage, and both of them knew it.

"Olena, Shadowed Expansion, but don't lose your awareness." Ridley murmured, soft enough so only his Olena would hear. Immediately, shadows began lengthening from various objects in the arena, including rocks, trees and pillars.

If Ishmael was expecting a reaction from Eien in response to his move, he would be disappointed. Eien, merely started intently at the Olena, their position currently away from the shadows anyway. His Kohitsuji, as well followed suit, staring intently at the Olena as well. It wasn't the most exciting strategy, but this would allow Eien and Kohitsuji to react to attacks quickly, rather than go on any form of a true offensive yet. By being patient, one could wear their opponent down, or at least negate any trump moves that they had. Knowing that Kohitsuji wasn't that strong, he knew that he didn't have any truly battle changing abilities.

For the most part, the two creatures had similar abilities for offense, relying heavily on Ghostly Lights for some form of an offensive. Ghostly lights, thankfully, was an efficient move that wasting wasn't as large of a concern with it compared to other moves. That made it more attractive when trying to set up some kind of positioning with an opponent, since it had a lot of uses.

Eien did make one, very small, motion, pushing his glasses up slightly so there was less of a glare on the lenses.

"Olena, pay attention to Kohitsuji's eyes, but don't lose awareness of your surroundings. We've studied this - if the sheep's eyes flash, it is using Telekinetic Glare. Advance on an angle and charge Ghostly Lights." Ridley murmured the extensive command quietly, well-versed on such techniques like Telekinetic Glare. He would not underestimate Eien - to do so would result in a loss, no question about it.

Olena, no blind soldier itself, understood the logic behind the command and began to comply. He moved forward on a slight diagonal angle away from Kohitsuji, so if he kept going he would eventually be perpendicular to it. It began charging the Ghostly Lights, as well as watching Kohitsuji and it's surroundings carefully the whole time.

Eien did nothing. Kohitsuji did nothing. Although, Eien was aware the ghost was planning something. Prepared at any moment to use them, Eien had the power to cast a Feeble Wall to protect his Kohitsuji as Eien got a feel for his opponent's offensive capabilities. In the meantime, both Kohitsuji and Eien would help prepare their building offense. Eien woudl be quite interested to see if his opponent would be prepared for when the offensive would be unleashed.

For now, he did not have Kohitsuji prepare any moves, Ghostly Lights or Telekinetic Glare, while available, remained as a Plan B to the grand strategy. It was, from what Eien knew, an older strategy that probably became very obsolete after his Natrelmon advanced sufficiently, when he'd have far better moves. But, it was something that he knew his cousin used tow in his first Natrelmon battle with his Kohitsuji. There seemed to be no reason not to try it. And, if it worked, he would have a powerful advantage against his opponent with a nearly guaranteed first hit, or at least getting the Olena to waste some of its escape moves.

That was the important thing to remember when fighting ghosts, something Eien made sure to memorize. Ghosts had a large array of escape moves, making up for their lack of true power. This made them a pain to fight, especially for psychics which relied not on large amounts of power themselves, but on utilizing that power cleverly. Ghosts could easily escape their traps, adding to the already large nuisance of having a type disadvantage. Eien did not like ghosts.

As Olena progressed on the diagonal to the right of Kohitsuji, Ridley said, "Stop." The ghost instantly complied, holding the charged Ghostly Light (equivalent to two seperate ones) ready. Ishmael could not, of course, know exactly what Kohitsuji was planning, but evidently it was either a strategy that required a certain length of time to prepare or nothing.

And Ridley knew - knew - it was not nothing.

So, he commanded Olena. "Shadow sever, Olena, and fire!" Olena nodded, drawing back into the shadow of a nearby tree to draw power from it, whilst still in view of Kohitsuji. Instantly, the Ghostly Light was fragmented into around thirty miniature balls. This was capable because of Olena's innate control over the Ghostly Light, and the fact that because of it's low level, the charged Ghostly light was not entirely stable, making it easier to fracture.

Without command, Olena instinctively fired the Ghostly Light storm at Kohitsuji - because it could not control so many fragments at once for long, and since he had to dispose of them, at the enemy was a natural solution. They went to the left, right, center and slightly above of Kohitsuji, closing the already-halved distance between them (thanks to Olena's movement) rapidly.

Eien waved his hand quite calmly, the magic releasing itself and creating a protective wall between the Olena and the Kohitsuji that was quickly shattered. However, it was placed well enough that it blocked the actual thread of damage, the rest of the moves going to hit the area around Kohitsuji. Of course, should impact not get made, the back up plan was clear from Eien's whisper, telling Kohitsuji to go Intangible if the Feeble Wall was somehow circumvented.

Of course, Eien had placed his Feeble wall precisely in the zone the lamb needed to be protected from the barrage. There was no reason it shouldn't work, since the technique was basically launched already and most likely out of the low level Olena's control. The advantage to a Psychic/Ghost type is that they tended to have a larger range of control with their telekinetic abilities, making them a more ideal candidate for switching up the direction of an attack as needed. In some respects, that made them superior to other types. Ghosts, however, still possessed the annoying ability to get out of situations they probably shouldn't be able to.

Eien's plan, most likely, would continue unhindered by the Olena's attack. Sure, he wasted a Feeble Wall, but the balls were not that powerful and they weren't as staggered as they should be for such an attack. It was, however, a good barrage style technique that Eien would have to remember, especially since his Kohitsuji had far, far better control over an actual attack like that.

Eien was, of course, correct in his calculations, just as Ridley had known - or strongly suspected, he thought - that he would be. No, the battle was in early stages yet, and the Ghostly Lights barrage had been little more than a probing attack to see how Eien reacted to unconventional strategies. Clearly, although at the beginning of his journey as a Trainer, like many, Eien was no fool for it.

Ridley tried to - unsuccessfully - hide an appreciative smile as Eien waved his hand and summoned the Feeble Wall to block the attack. It was predictably textbook to use a Feeble Wall to block attacks, but not so to use it at the zenith of the attack - in other words, use it at the point where the Wall would block as many of the Ghostly Lights as possible.

While they watched, Ridley and Olena were both aware that Kohitsuji had yet to make an offensive move, and they were more wary for it. "Olena, Shroud and flank, then..." Ridley whispered a long set of commands, which diverged to react based on actions that Kohitsuji took. By now, the Arena was covered in roughly 60% of shadow, providing enough shadow-paths for Olena to traverse. Olena obeyed, melting into the shadow - which Eien could see, of course, but nothing hence. Slowly, Olena began to flank the duo, ready to attack.

Eien's had no observable reaction to Ishmael's actions, but he was mentally kind of irked. He had been close to have been able to do execute a powerful combination attack on the Olena, but with him and Kohitsuji unable to see where it had gone, Eien was unable to continue with his plans. Sighing, he began issuing orders to Kohitsuji. While in a stealth form like this, the ghost was able to move around. However, Eien knew there were two ways for the ghost to accomplish this - Shroud or Invisibility.

"Kohitsuji, move for the sun," he called to the sheep, the lamb obeyed, only a few steps from a bright zone near Eien's end, where the shadows wouldn't have enough material to extend over. Even with the powers of the Olena, the Shadowed Expansion had limits. There would inevitably be areas of light in the battle zone, which Eien planned to make use of. He knew that an ideal time would be to strike unsuspectingly, but Eien had a back up plan. "Prepare to go Intangible if needed."

Unlike Ishmael who issued long, whispered orders, Eien vocalized his clearly. It prevented confusion and he was confident in his working with his Kohitsuji to still win even if his opponent knew what he was doing. The trick was that his commands didn't exactly mean what they meant literally. Kohitsuji was able to understand the full force of the plans from what Eien had practiced with the lamb beforehand.

Of course, Olena wasn't going to sit idly around as Eien began issuing a new set of commands - the first audible one since the battle had begun, if Ridley remembered correctly. Ridley hoped that whatever Eien was planning, - he was certain it was not nothing - it would be disrupted by the twin blows of loss of location and sight.

As the Kohitsuji responded to moves, Olena slid to the boundary of the shadows, again on a diagonal - this time angled to the left - of Kohitsuji. It was still cloaked fully in shadow, however. Deciding that the time for subtlety was gone, Ridley called piercingly, "Now, Olena! Attack and be ready to dodge or Intangible a counter!" Moments before he said this, Ridley began to run into the battlefield, so that he was within range to use Feeble Walls anywhere around Olena comfortably.

Ridley stopped, ready to use Feeble Wall, and Olena attacked.

A Ghostly Light burst from the shadows - as did Olena - some fifteen feet away from the left and below of Kohitsuji. It was aimed on-target and moving fast. Eien could block it, Ridley knew, but at that range, that was all he could do - he doubted that Kohitsuji could move out of the way in time. Of course, there was Intangibility, but Ridley would be pleased if Kohitsuji was forced to use one of it's trump cards.

"Dodge, Glare, and Disappear," Eien called, the lamb using the natural lambness of being a lamb to move out of the way of the attack. Even though the attack was quick and on target, the 15 feet described was more than enough for the lamb to move to the right side of the Ghostly Lights attack and fire a burst of energy with a flash from its eyes. This would serve a few purpose. First, it would prevent a direct assault on the area the lamb was at, the path of the Telekinetic Glare rippling the air around it. The Olena would have to move to the side to get a shot off at the lamb, which was more fully covered by its attack than the ghost. Secondly, it provided a small cover for it as it went Invisible.

He made a falling hand gesture in addition, indicating something to the Kohitsuji which could still see him in his state of invisibility. The next stages of Eien's plans were coming into motion. Although, it was clearly a plan B. He seemed to be waiting to shift back to his first plan, but the exchanges created forced the lamb and his trainer to go onto an early offensive.

Ridley was pleased. Eien had finally, after many turns of preparing some undoubtedly powerful stratagem or technique, gone on the offensive. Well, he supposed, it wasn't even that. It was finally the fact that that damn lamb had finally moved from the singular spot it had occupied. It might have seemed strange that he was proud of such a mundane fact, but Ridley's mind worked in unconventional ways.

"Olena, intercept and back away." Ridley commanded calmly. Olena understood and obeyed. To intercept the Telekinetic Glare, Olena fired a Ghostly Light. They would collide and nullify each other, with any residual energy too small in quantity for use. Then, Olena began moving to the west side of the battlefield, at a speed fast enough that Kohitsuji could not flank it in the limited time it was invisible, at least, not by Ridley's calculations.

"Continue," Eien called, adjusting his glasses as he let his lamb execute one of their few offensive combos. If the opposing trainer had expected the lamb to become visible again, he would be wrong. The lamb stayed invisible. But, the actions going on while it was invisible were unknown. The Olena moved west, but did the lamb? Where was the lamb? What was it planning? All questions that Eien expected Ishmael to be thinking. Kohitsuji's execution was flawless and the lamb was executing a prepared strategy.

The issue with these were that he could really only tell the lamb to continue, or do something completely different. They weren't the most flexible all the time. Right now. Eien was waiting for a moment to strike, watching the movements of the ghost type very, very closely. The confines of the battlefield ultimately limited the movement for both combatants, but with the Olena moving to one side, it was potentially, if the lamb was following it, limiting the zone it could move in without getting close to the lamb, going out of bounds, or getting struck with a barrage of attacks.

But, once again, it wasn't something that Ishmael would know and Eien would like to keep the ploy secret.

All at once, Ridley knew he couldn't take a chance. Whatever Kohitsuji was planning, whatever strategy Eien had taught it and was executing since presumably the beginning of the match, Ridley didn't want to see it. It would be far more prudent to prevent the attack - or at least, disorient it - by wielding much the same move that Kohitsuji was currently using - Invisibility.

And so he did.

Seconds after the Ghostly Light and Telekinetic Glare collided, Ridley ordered, "Olena! Ghost Cloak and evasive manoeveurs, now!" Olena vanished in mid-run, instantly changing directions. Because of the fact that it had not slowed running since Kohitsuji had gone invisible, and was now completely untrackable, it would be hard for the lamb to intercept Olena with any certainty of success before it went invisible, and it left enough time for either Ridley to block any attack or Olena to dodge.

"Negate the counter," Eien yelled at the lamb, who had been following behind the Olena. This time, it stopped and flung a Telekinetic Glare at the ground around where the Olena had gone Invisible. This would create a cloud of dust around the area before it could get too terribly far and allow the lamb and Eien to watch the movements in the dust cloud to find a point to strike out at.

Eien was also still on the defensive with his Feeble Walls, if a situation merited a use of them, he would be there to block the attack for Kohitsuji. The development of this strategy gave Eien an idea for a follow up. It would be a potential gamble, but if it worked, Olena would not have the appropriate time to react to the lambs combination attack. Kohitsuji was now about 5 feet from the edge of the range of the dust cloud, still within 20 feet of Eien who was giving it orders.

Swiftly, as Kohitsuji appeared to the front of Olena (situation discussed OOC), Ridley stepped backwards rapidly with Feeble Walls at the ready to block any prospective attack. Olena was far enough to avoid harm, Ridley guessed, as it could just dodge any attack comfortably enough, although it might be by a narrow margin. And he suspected Eien knew it. That meant the Telekinetic Glare... had another purpose. "Olena, move and counter!" Ridley said quietly.

As it hit the ground, Ridley saw the basic logic behind it - even it he didn't understand the full reasoning behind it. Finishing his last step, Ridley knew that he was in the parameter for the activation of Feeble Wall - within twenty feet, but it would be closer to Kohitsuji than Olena or himself, as the spell specified. He worked the spell as the Telekinetic Glare exploded.

The Feeble Wall took the onrushing wave of dust. It was close enough to the explosion to absorb most of the kinetic energy, and thus Olena wasn't tracked. Instantly, the 'counter' section of the move became evident - a Ghostly Light erupted from the left of Kohitsuji merely a few feet away, placing Olena between Ridley and the sheep. Eien could see what was happening, but, Ridley doubted, would be able to react in time. Meanwhile, he still had Feeble Walls at the ready.

A Feeble Wall took the hit, Eien's raised hand always ready to throw out the quick spell. With the blocking of the counter and the disruption created by the Ghostly Lights, Eien knew where the Olena was. With a nod, the Kohitsuji executed the order of beginning a barrage style attack of ghostly lights. When the Olena had stopped to strike, Eien's counter would allow the quick barrage of Ghostly Lights to close the gap just as rapidly as Olena had struck.

The barrage would be rapid, the firing going for a direct hit and off to the sides of Olena as well as above. This type of strategy would work well at such a close range, most likely forcing a Feeble Wall. What was even nicer is that Kohitsuji could keep this blasting up with Ghostly Lights, using the larger size of the Olena as a weakness. Since it needed more room to dodge, it would be much easier to hit and allow the ghostly lights a wider range of coverage. If the Olena tried to slip through the narrow gaps, it would be blasted again. Feeble Walls would only do a small bit, since they would be shattered instantly, delaying an inevitable, then met with more blasts of energy, which were ready to follow the movement of the ghost type. (the new ones would be fired ahead of a path)

Eien had his Feeble Wall to use as well, as well as Kohitsuji's trump card of Intangibility, ready at the slightest indication of their need. However, within the type of attack the small Kohitsuji was executing, most of any attacks done by the Olena would collide with its own, also only delaying the inevitable.

Ridley didn't even bother.

It was clear that Eien and Kohitsuji had devoted a large amount of resources - it looked like every single Ghostly Light the Natrelmon still possessed - to hitting Olena. No amount of dodging could avoid that blitzkrieg attack, especially at such a close range. So Ridley decided to roll the proverbial dice, and throw everything into an identical attack, but one with a difference.

So he did.

"Olena, Intangibility and copy!" Ridley said quietly, again only loud enough for Olena to hear and just after the original Ghostly Lights. As the barrage again, Olena flicked Intangibility and rose just above the highest possible angle for the attack, despite it being aimed upwards, at a 45 degree angle and practically next to Kohitsuji. Then, as the ghostly storm continued below him, Olena performed the exact same move.

He knew how, of course - Olena was a quick learner, and he had, after all, provided the original impetus for the move via his opening attack. In addition, because Kohitsuji was in the middle of a move, it was impossible for him to perform Intangibility fast enough to avoid the point-blank attack. And, just as Eien had planned the move, Feeble Walls - especially a single one - wouldn't cut it.

It was over. Just the same, Ridley still had his Feeble Walls ready.

Eien's attack continued as planned. Like the original plan, the Ghostly Lights Barrage moved with the Olena. Using his last Feeble Wall to negate the first oncoming Ghostly Light, giving the small amount of deviation time that was needed, the rest of the Ghostly Lights that were a threat to Kohitsuji would be met with Kohitsuji's Ghostly Lights. Eien had always planned to follow the Olena with the barrage style attack, since the Olena would have to come out of Intangibily, and knew that any counter attacks would be met with his Kohitsuji's Ghostly Lights. Since his opponent had chosen to use the same style attack and cut off escape routes, he would be using up a lot of Ghostly Lights that Kohitsuji wouldn't even have to dodge to avoid. It only had to block the Ghostly Lights that were on target to it.

Sure, Eien was now down to no Feeble Walls, but it was worth it, since his opponent had used his Intangibility. With that gone, it would be possible to execute Plan A with no attempt for a counter attack. Of course, that would be once the Olena's barrage ended and it saw that the Kohitsuji was still ready to go. If, for the off chance, his opponent's barrage was more aimed towards Kohitsuji's body than cutting off the escape routes, any excess Ghostly Lights could be easily picked off by Telekinetic Glares, draining very few of them, if at all. Since Kohitsuji's initial barrage only used 4, and since Olena was using the same style of barrage. After having used 2 Ghostly Lights already, the barrages would probably be a wash, especially since after the initial dodge, Kohitsuji only had to fire on target; or, at least blasts that were leading the Olena, while the Olena would have to keep cutting off escape routes of the unmoving Kohitsuji to make its barrage even remotely effective.

Eien knew at this point he now had the advantage. Without Ghostly Lights, Olena had little it could do aside from close range attacks. Eien would still have Telekinetic Glares on his little lamb Natrelmon, allowing him to continue to mount any needed offensive.

Even if Eien had needed, Kohitsuji could have gone Intangible, but it was better to save that card for emergencies. Since the Olena had clearly demonstrated within the range given, it could go Intangible, so could the Kohitsuji. The 45 degree angle did not bring the creature any closer to it. The upward and forward movement basically kept the distance the same. That was the problem with the angle of attack that had been chosen. There were far more ideal uses to make a counter attack with Intangibility.

The cobblestone would no longer be perfectly laid. The blasts from each of the Natrelmon would create debris and loose stones, something Eien would use to his advantage. Eien would see how his opponent reacted to the counter of what he assumed was his opponent's trump card. If he did not initiate a follow up attack, neither would Eien, for the time being, giving them time to have a quick chat. If he somehow managed to continue, he would continue to react.

"Stop, Olena! Kite Kohitsuji and attack!" Ridley snarled, finally losing patience. The battle was becoming extremely irritating - mainly because of the sheer audacity of the moves displayed by such low-level Natrelmon. It was exhilarating to see one move - Ghostly Lights - used as expertly as a level 50 move. But it did not change the fact that it was still tiresome to have every single technique countered successfully.

Kohitsuji continued with his attack. Fortunately, Ridley had ordered the attack just in time. Olena halted the barrage - as it had the luxury of doing so - just as the first Light collided with the Feeble Wall in front of it, with only a few more being expended. It placed itself in the hands of Ridley as it hovered foward, spinning in midair, to land hovering behind Kohitsuji. It then fired a single Ghostly Light into the back of the sheep.

As it moved, Ridley wove a single Feeble Wall - between Olena and Kohitsuji, to protect Olena from attack. It delayed the barrage attack just long enough for Olena to circle around, just as Kohitsuji had done to Olena beforehand in order to correct the attack angle. Ridley was fairly confident that Kohitsuji was finished, for several reasons. The second he kept.

Even if Kohitsuji used Intangibility, Olena would continue to track it, kite it from behind and attack it once Intangibility wore off, presumably winning. Both Natrelmon were relatively the same speed, and Kohitsuji could not outrun Olena by any significant margin. In addition, if the lamb tried to turn to face Olena, it would be pummelled with Ghostly Lights and surely knocked out. Ridley also had last remaining Feeble Wall ready.

Kohitsuji's barrage ended the moment it could no longer target the Olena effectively. It had orders to execute the barrage when it was able to follow the movements. Since it couldn't move behind it, both Eien and Kohitsuji executed a new plan, the lamb moving off to the side of a single ghostly light from behind at Eien's order, angling to the left and immediately chaing directions as it used a Ghostly Shroud, making it invisible.

Eien had been keeping count of his opponent's moves. He was out of Feeble Walls, could not go Intangible, and had far fewer attacks left than Eien's Kohitsuji did.

Since Kohitsuji responded to Eien's hand motions, as well as vocal commands, he was more than able to explain the situation to Ishmael. "A good try," he stated, more than ready to counter any attack on his invisible Kohitsuji, similar to his dust bomb. "But, you are out of worthwhile defensive techniques aside from Invisibility which will just bide you time. You have fewer attacks and any offensive strategy you execute will be countered by Kohitsuji's attacks. I offer you this. You withdraw from the tournament, but I will let you keep 500 N of your bet, which is more than enough for you to purchase a relic or so. Then you can get another Natrelmon and challenge me again with your higher leveled Olena or new creatures. You do not have the offensive firepower to counter my Kohitsuji at this stage, not with your mimicry of my barrage attack. It is nearly a 3 to 1 ratio of attack difference and I still have my ultimate defensive move and my ace in the hole."

Eien adjusted his glasses as he spoke, using his offhand to do so. It was one of his ticks. His other hand was there to command Kohitsuji should the need arise.

"I concede."

The words hurt Ridley's pride, but his voice did not waver. Eien's words rang true. Invisibility was the only technique that could have saved Kohitsuji in this situation, and Eien had used it. It was impossible to track an invisible Natrelmon, and thus the height advantage was redundant. Briefly, and only in his heart of hearts, Ridley swore loudly and profanely. He had invested so much effort and time into winning the battle that it crushed him to have been outplayed - and it hurt more to know that it was largely because of his lack of offensive moves.

Still, no shot at victory was worth his Natrelmon's health.

"I accept your terms, challenger. I have been outplayed at the climax of the battle, and we both know it. Please know that I do not concede - or that I battled so ferociously - for fear of losing my wager - I have three times that amount in my personal account. No, I hope you realise that I battle because it is my passion." Ridley inclined his head graciously in recognition of the superior skill demonstrated by Eien. A slight smile appeared his tired face as he recalled Olena to his side, the battle having ended at his acceptance of the gracious terms of surrender.

He walked slowly towards Eien, carrying Olena in both arms as he would a tired child. It was worn from the intense battle, and was soon falling asleep. In his hands was the victor's N1500. "Here is your prize money, as rightfully yours. And... my PDA number, if you want a rematch. I have already scanned yours in from the local wireless network." Ridley said, handing the cash over.

"Farewell, challenger. I look forward to our rematch."

That said, he left.