"Time for one of the last matches of the tournament - and I'm sure you know our competitors by now. But just to remind you - our first deus in this match is Ischiko Naokirou, with an even scoring so far in the tournament, he's doing well for a newcomer to the tournament scene - let's keep an eye on this one. "Let's hear it for Naokiro and his angel - Yukino!" The announcer raises his hands to the crowd, calling for applause.

The applause comes, people have noticed Naokirou's performance so far, and are impressed. "Go Yukino!" and "Ganbare Yukino!" are called out to him.

"On the other hand, this deus is no newcomer to our tournaments, everyone here knows her name, it's Aogiri Mikage ... The White Storm! With an unbeaten record so far this tournament, it seems like the Storm is yet again a force of nature, but will our energetic newcomer be able to weather the Storm?"
"Let's hear it for Mikage and Rei!" the announcer doesn't get time to raise his hands up before the crowd cheers out for the deus and her angel, and voices call out "Show us the Storm!" and "Mikage! Mikage!"

The announcer waits for the noise to calm down to a soft rumble, then calls out loudly "Let's see the deuses now, come on out!"

Naokirou is an obedient enough sort and is sure to march out onto the layer when they're called forward, nervously pushing his hair back away from his eyes while he hugs Yukino neatly beneath one arm. He smiles a little bit at the complimentary announcement and waves a bit to the crowd, more politely than arrogantly, before he steps up into his seat and settles down. He looks somewhat more nervous as his opponent is announced, though, frowning minutely down at poor Yukino, likely about to get his little patuckie kicked yet again. He squares his thin shoulders, though, and props Yukino on the edge of the layer while he picks up the visor and sticks it squarely on his head, those mechanical wings splaying themselves out on either side of his anxious face.

As always, Mikage is rarely what one would expect for all the fan-faire that gets thrown her way when she arrives in the arena. She is, for the most part, unremarkable, other than the pale skin and white hair that has given her part of her trademark namesake. She gives a timid, shy smile towards the audience, waving her hand towards them, even though she can't really see them. Then, she turns and heads towards her side of the arena, and the waiting egg-shaped chair. As she settles into it, her angel emerges from one pocket, set onto her palm in wait for her eventual arrival on the layer.

While seeing Mikage doesn't lead Naokirou to underestimate her, she's not brimming with lofty arrogance like his last opponent nor of the sort to squash him like a bug at first glance, like some of his others. This is largely because she's smiling, no doubt. He makes sure to smile at her across the layer, whether she sees it or not, and give a little nod in something that could be greeting before he waits on the announcer, clearing his throat delicately and silently wishing for something to drink.

"In the East corner! Ischiko Naokirou and his unusually designed angel, Yukino!" The announcer calls out, "And in the West corner! Aogiri Mikage, the White Storm, and her gargoyle angel Rei!" As he says this, the respective chairs rise up to the layer, upon which the scenery begins to form.

"Ah, the Reactor" The announcer says, as if expecting the crowd to understand immediately - and probably for at least some of them, this is enough. He continues after that pause, while the rest of the scenery forms around the bright green glow of the cylinder at the centre. "This layer is a busy one, with lots of computers and other clutter around to get in the way, and the power from the reactor sometimes gives angels the boost to fight on a little longer than they normally could." He grins, "How will this affect the fight between the angels today - it will be interesting!" Then the announcer points his hand suddenly at the layer, "Deus's, are you ready?! It's time...Entry Angel!"

When the announcer calls for the fallin, Naokirou picks Yukino up, pats him once on his cap, then lobs him gently towards the layer shield, "Do your best, Yukino-kun!" The angel strikes the shield and seems to gather energy off of it, falling towards that sickly green as a ball of white gathering energy, concealing the angel completely in its depths. It strikes that glowing cylinder only to break in a flicker of wind, leaving the speedy angel to surf lightly around the outside until, with a flip, he lands neatly and battle ready in his usual armour, his visor sliding down over his eyes while he gives his head a shake, hair standing spiked and on end. It's always a fun thing to enter dramatically.

No, Mikage can't see the smile of her opponent, but she returns one none the less. Even those who know her well, sometimes have trouble figuring out that she's nearly blind, but time has taught her to mask such things. As she places the helmet down onto her head, her fingers reach to gently press the wings upwards. With a small flash, the world appears in her visor, seen through hidden cameras placed at layer height for people with such disabilities. Afterall, Angelic Layer was originally designed for disabled individuals.

She slowly gets to her feet, her angel still cradled in the palm of her hand. "Spirits of wind and water... Will of my heart, power of my spirit. When all is lost... be my wings! Rei!" It's a familiar call-out, tweeked occassionally, but the idea is always the same. Rei, the guardian, the survivor, is thrown towards the layer. As she passes through the barrier, there is a flash as her eyes open, glowing white for a moment before her wings expand, allowing her to glide down to a soft landing. Her talons *click* upon the metal floor, her wings folding backwards and her tail giving an instinctual, bestial slap to the ground. As she turns towards her opponent, the gargoyle tilts her head, and then inclines it politely as one would do when meeting some new stranger. However, a moment later, she sinks into a 'ready' stance... prepared for the battle to come.

The crowd stills, waiting eagerly for the match to begin, the arena becoming unusually quiet for a few seconds before the announcer calls out "Angelic! Fight!" and the timer begins to run.

As soon as the buzzer rings, Rei is in motion. She steps forward, and then begins to... spin? Whirling, twirling, she keeps her wings close about her at first, and then as the speed picks up, her wings extend, sweeping air along with her into a swirling vortex that begins to pull chairs away from their stations, paper into the air, and pens flying in all directions. It threatens to draw in Yukino as well... into the heart of the cyclone where the ecomancer better known as Rei, waits to strike.

As the vortex begins sucking and tugging on the slight angel, Yukino is dragged across the floor, struck by chairs and other bits of flotsam that cause him to wince, duck, and dive. Something goes flying from his hand - a yoyo, at first glance - that hooks itself around that glowing tube only to hold him in place as the wind continues to drag. He's injured, certainly, but rather than simply give himself up to the storm, he focuses intensely on the other angel's form through the tumtultuous wind before, at the last second, he lowers the yoyo to his feet and lets it expand, then pushes off from the tube, sending himself along with the momentum of the wind to breach the cyclone itself, aiming himself like a javelin straight for Rei's middle.

Quick-witted, Rei sees the attack coming through the whirling winds of her own attack, but rather than trying to abruptly stop the wind, she uses it as a weapon. When Yukino comes rushing towards her, she lashes out, flapping her wings forward and returning a rush of air right into his direction. Not only does it slow the attack, causing it to do minimal damage, but it also serves to damage her opponent as well. Still in such close confines, Rei gives a small snarl under her breath. She turns and ducks in a quick motion, her tail coming around and lashing in an attempt to take Yukino's feet right out from under him.

Taking one hit after the other, not only while defending but now while attacking as well, Yukino curls himself up in an attempt to save himself from receiving the brunt of that damage, his yoyo expanding into something more of a shield. The tail knocks him across the room like a baseball, though, and he bounces off of consoles and desks, shattering the glass screens as he goes. It isn't meant to act as a real shield, though, and as he bounces, he strikes the consoles on his body as much as the yoyo itself, smashing him into the sickly green tube. He doesn't give up, though, looking as ragged as he quickly is, but instead throws himself forward once more, twisting his body in the air in an effort to strike the other angel with his knee.

There is a sound, like a rumble from within the reactor. Then, the sound seems to echo around the entire layer. Is it the rumble of the crowd? Or perhaps something more... dangerous? Rei takes a side step, letting the powerful knee-kick come flying past her rather than into her. She gives a mid-toned growl, cracking her knuckles slightly as she steps backwards a few paces, grasping her armored wrist with her opposite hand. Some might see this as a sign of injury, but others... know better. Sparks begin to form in her palm as she channels energy into the shape of a glowing, energy-arcing ball. Then, with a bark-like roar, the attack explodes. A blinding flash of light ripples towards the East side of the stadium, leaving some on-lookers with splotches in their vision, but it's surely enough to blind an angel at layer-level. Following it, a split-second later is a wave of sound energy... which reverberates through the small chamber, causing metal to rattle, and the reactor itself to crack, just slightly... that can't be good.

"Could the angels on the layer *please* be careful with the nuclear device? It really isn't a toy...actually I guess it it." The announcer says, "Well, don't say I didn't warn you."

It's an impressive attack, that's for sure, but Yukino proves to be quicker than he looks, throwing himself downwards at the very last second to avoid the blast, all in order to balance on his hands while he throws his legs into the air. One of his legs snaps out at the knee, aiming a sharp kick straight for Rei, one of those balls of energy that act as yoyos resting on his shin as a kind of armour, likely making up for the fact that he doesn't have much of any other kind to wear. It's not a terribly effective attack against this sort of angel, but the crowd likely recognizes the seemingly wild fashion of fighting the angel always seems to have, applauding the reckless flexibility of the little guy.

The kick coming towards her simply goes wide, leaving Rei to watch with a curious expression on her face. One ear tilts upwards, the other folds back as she seems to try to puzzle out just what to do. Rather than pressing the attack, the gargoyle looks up towards the announcer, throws up a 'thumbs up' motion, and then reaches under one of the counters... pulling some sort of long strip of something. Then, she starts to peel off the edges. Wait a minute... it's a giant bandaid? Wha? The gargoyle slaps the bandaid on the crack in the nuclear reactor, and pats it twice with her hand. Yep, this is Rei's idea of nuclear physics, apparently. Looking quite pleased with herself, she looks back at her opponent, waiting to see if he's recovered from her blinding attack yet.

While Yukino is momentarily distracted by the other angel slapping a giant bandaid on the reacter, he is grinning for only but so long, his hands resting on his hips while he surveys the fix. He then seems to realize that they're still in the middle of a fight, startling into motion as he hooks a foot on top of the nearest console and draws his yoyo string taut between his hands, flipping forward in an attempt to catch the other angel not across the neck, but on the wings, with every intention of hooking it over them and yanking the other angel down to earth.

Well, Rei certainly has a sense of humor, or though it usually doesn't get a chance to show on the layer. In the heat of battle, things usually become a matter of growls and snarls and other related not-so-niceities. She probably would have been content to remain her more light-hearted self, but... when someone comes at your back with a string in a threatening manner... it's hard to remain on friendly terms. She catches the motion in the reflection of the reactor glass, and ducks down at the last moment, her face twisting into a look of anger and surprise. She rolls sideways, and then slashes her hands down as if she were going to strike at the ground. Instead, the lines where her talons had traced, form into shards of ice that shoot up from the ground along their path towards Yukino.

The icy shards that are sent shooting for Yukino catch the angel almost entirely by surprise, hardly expecting the other angel to possess such capabilities. Unable to quite dodge, he brings up that shield once more and simply weathers the storm, falling forward and skittering across the floor until he slides into the far off console. He's left to shake off the cold, standing and prancing from one foot to the other before he leans havily on the console, obviously needing a moment or two to regroup.

Amazing and unusual abilities are something Rei and her deus are known for, and this is no exception. However, while that may have been one of her powers, it is not the most powerful by far. That distant thundering rumble comes again, shaking the floor of the layer. There is a hint of electricity in the air, as if something outside of the reactor is coming. Some power, some ability, something that the audience has seen... a cheer begins to rise up at the first signs of Rei's most powerful technique. But how exactly will a storm find it's way inside a nuclear reactor? That much has yet to be seen, but the angel's hair stands on end, her teeth clench, her eyes glow, and a growl echos from her as little jolts of electricity arc up from her feet, to the tips of her fingers.

That's a somewhat terrifying look, no doubt, and yet the plucky little Yukino, known for his determination, pushes himself slowly back to his feet and stares up at Rei for a few long seconds before he takes off across the floor at a quick run. A speedy devil, he crosses the layer in no time flat, hopping lightly to plant a foot on one of the consoles surrounding the reacter itself only to flip backwards, attempting to catch Rei under the chest with his feet so that his body becomes something of a cracking whip in shape. It's a touch reckless, acrobatic as it is, but that seems to be this angel's nature.

Reckless and acrobatic? Yes, the glowing eyes of the gargoyle shift to see the attack coming, allowing her to react in a quick mannor. She moves in a motion that seems almost too quick. Something one wouldn't expect out of the powerful defensive angel. There is a crackle. Energy lashes from one side of the layer. Rather than summoning up the sheer force of a storm that would usually come, in the confined space, Rei seems to be summoning up a lightning storm. The panels pop as bolts shoot in all directions around the layer, seeming to move of their own will towards Yukino. Bits of fried machinery bounce in all directions, rebounding off of the reactor itself, and making the entire area more than a little dangerous.

It seems that the slighter angel is faster than one might guess at first glance, as it seems as if he's almost running between those flashes of lightning, dodging them nimbly. He gains speed as he rushes towards Rei, seeking, perhaps, one last final push for offense, ultimately leaving a ghost image of himself behind until, finally, he comes to a stop, those yoyos of his whirling wildly, bright and crackling amidst all the electricity. Those glowing orbs aim right for the other angel, seeking to land strikes wherever they might while Yukino plants his feet and does his best not to turn back.

With the terror of the storm still ebbing away, the lights on many panels go dim as they seem to have been burnt out by all the electrical activity. Smoke rises from a few consoles, and the reactor itself nearly goes dark, then slowly brightens again to a dull, glowing green. Within the half-darkness, the monster waits. Rei's glowing eyes show through the half darkness as she spies the yo-yos coming at her. A quick motion to the right, and then the left, and both are avoided as she steps forward, snarling under her breath. Once you have awoken the beast within, there is no turning back. Her arms raise above her head, an aura of bright read flowing up towards her hands. Her hands swirl in the air, forming circles of wind that seem to solidify into blades that circle around her hands. She narrows her eyes, and then aims a talon towards Yukino... making him the target of the blade's fury. The two begin to spin, entwine around each other, and then race towards their victim.

It's a difficult strike to dodge, and it takes the last of Yukino's substantial speed to dodge it. While he seems to be lagging by quite a bit, the plucky little angel doesn't give up, diving onto the console so that he might throw his arm out, aiming for the other angel's neck with the side of his hand while he balances somewhat precariously on the edge of those already broken consoles.

Rei seems to move around the broken bits of machinery with no problems whatsoever. She once again manages to avoid the attack, by stepping backwards, giving a small yowl of surprise. However, the surprise doesn't last for very long as she begins to let her unarmored arm circle slightly. As she does, a ball of energy seems to form in her hand... little bits of electricity flowing up and seeming to singe her hand. It can't be comfortable to hold in such energy, but it seems to be worth it to the gargoyle angel. Exchanging a bit of pain, to channel more energy into her attack. With her teeth gritting back the pain, she roars and throws the ball of condensed energy towards Yukino, trying to blast through the wall, and knock him sheer out of the layer.

This is an attack that Yukino simply wasn't expected, and he's expended far too much energy to perform one of his prior miraculous dodges. He has only a moment's notice, his head turning and catching sight of the blast just in time to bring up that yoyo shield. It does little to stave off the blast, killing only the barest edge before the shield cracks and sends the slim angel hurtling through the air, electricity crackling over his pale form. He soars to the edge, bounces off a console, and is then sent free of the layer itself. He is saved from the floor solely by the actions of his quick and concerned deus, who lunges forward to capture him even as the layer shield ripples and dissolves.

"Whoa!" says the announcer as Naokirou stands up while in the high egg chair "Careful up there!" then calms down when he thinks that Naokirou's finished endangering the insurance fees for the building "But what a finish! Yukino survives the lightning storm ... but Rei doesn't let up - she throws attack after magical empowered attack, and the small, swift angel just can't keep up. Just what we expect from the White Storm - but her opponent put up a good fight." The announcer says "Another cheer for -" then he pauses and places his hand to his ear, perhaps recieving some instructions from the people in charge, "Oh yeah. REI WINS!" he says, yelling all the louder to make up for the lateness.

A sigh of relief comes from the pale young woman as her angel breaths heavily on the layer. She looks up, and then closes her eyes. The monster is gone, and Rei can rest once more. Mikage slowly stands, removing her headset and tucking it under her arm. She bows politely across the layer towards her opponent, and then rises to give a wave to the crowd. There is a kind smile on her face, but not the gloating type. And, she seems a little tired. This being one of her last matches, it has been a long few days for one who still doesn't have great physical endurance. As the egg-shaped chair lowers down to layer-level, she retrieves Rei and strokes her hair gently, nodding as she checks her over briefly, and then moves to exit the arena and the bright lights and loud sounds there-in.

Naokirou is cradling his own angel quite concernedly, plucking at poor Yukino's damaged body and trying to make sure he's not too badly damaged - or at least none of his limbs are falling off. He takes off his own visor as almost a second thought and smiles meekly at the crowd before he looks curiously after Mikage, waving after her amiably enough only to scamper from the dias himself. He doesn't mind that he lost, but he certainly doesn't want to be in front of all those people any longer than he has to be.