4GFFG: Round Two: Neo Germany Neo Greece

[mcred23]

The fourth fight of Round Two is Neo Germany vs Neo Greece in the Fire Arena.

[thatguyent]

The spartiate fighter Polynikes sat stock still in the cockpit of his Gundam. The Hoplite's repairs had been costly, and while respected and revered by many of his government's officials he had still been told in no uncertain terms that were he to lose like that again, his welcome home might not be as heroic as one might expect.

"Politicians," he huffed to himself, before relaxing his breathing and stretching his limbs. He had been defeated, fairly, and efficiently by a swift, and skilled opponent. He had learned from the mistake, and swore that such an event would not befall him again. He would not underestimate another single Gundam Fighter in these finals of the grand tournament. After all, those who had managed to make it here, to Neo Luxembourg for these final rounds were the best of the best. He should have thought that through more thoughouly before the finals had begun.

With that in mind, he slammed his old style pole arm weapon against the surface of his domed shield, and began his march toward the flaming arena's entrance.

He didn't fight for the crowd, he didn't fight for the politicians, he didn't fight for world domination, or for personal gain. He fought for pride.

The pride of a Spartiate warrior.

The pride of Neo Greece.

The pride of a Gundam Fighter.

When he considered these thoughts, stepping through the huge metal sliding doors as they trudged their way open before him, Polynikes smirked. He remembered an old Spartan King's words, when asked how far Sparta's boundaries reached, the King, Agesilaus, responded in words that rang true to Polynikes here today. For his boundaries were the same.

Hefting his spear forward, he quoted that ancient, and honored king. "As far as this can reach!"

[Fritz Ashlyn]

G(ermany) Gundam Episode 2: Roar of the Really Large Rocket Bazooka

After a night of very speedy (and dare I say it, efficient) repairs, the VW backed Neo German team was ready to compete again with a Gundam that looked like it had just rolled off an assembly line. A very tired Aiko sat in the command room of the zeppelin as it flew above the arena, and she rubbed her eyes as she tried to stay awake after pulling an all-nighter with the rest of the mechanical crew.

"Such a tiny mockery of a country, it shouldn't surprise me that they stick us in the same awful arena and light something on fire to pretend it's different," Dieter grumbled as he did some last minute stretches in the cockpit. "Dieter!" Aiko's voice rang in the cockpit through a connection to the zeppelin, "This one is a close combat fighter - he's not like the last one. You'll have to be more careful this time,".

"Careful, ja," Dieter answered flatly as he connected to the mobile trace system. With a flourish of his arms, he hefted the massive Gundamschreck and swept the barrel across the small space they would be fighting in. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH THE BAZOOKA?!" Aiko perked up, startled at the seemingly insane choice of weapon. She also tacked on a rapid-fire string of insults and questions about Dieter's intelligence and sanity in Japanese, but he simply tuned that out.

Polynikes had entered the arena and psyched himself up in the meantime, and he shouted "As far as this can reach!" as he lifted his spear. "I bet I can reach fartherrr," Dieter growled, pointing the Gundamschreck in the general direction of his opponent. One of the rockets from the Gundamschreck going off in the confines of the neutral... pardon, FIRE arena, would make the grenade from the last match look like child's play.

"Gundam fight!" Dieter barked, tensing up.

[thatguyent]

"GUNDAM FIGHT!" Polynikes called out in response to Dieter's own yell, bracing his shield and spear together before him in an old Spartan march stance. Moving forward at a sluggish, fan disappointing pace, Polynikes prepped his Phalanx. "READY GO!"

Moving inch by inch, by Gundam standards, the Greek mobile fighter came to a crawling advance, a smirk having crossed Polynikes' face. He had heard the response of Dieter over the communications channel regarding his "longer reach" and he was certain the man was right. However what he was more then well aware of was that the fire in this arena would overwhelm his opponent long before it did himself. With the i-field defenses of his Phalanx bits, and the solid shield and armor plating of his Hoplite, he was sure in his self confidence.

As he continued his forward march, he awaited his opponent's next move. As he had decided after his defeat at the hands of the Pacman, he would not underestimate another opponent.

[Fritz Ashlyn]

"READY GO!" Polynikes responded with his own battle cry. The Greek Gundam began to stomp forward, shield and spear at the ready.

"Another hand to hand warrior, eh? Well, I guess I should play along, ja? Shouldn't disappoint the crowd," Dieter said as the match began. He shrugged slightly, the Effizienz mimicking the motion. Lifting the giant rocket bazooka from his shoulder, he lowered it to waist level and seemed to rummage for something on his skirt armor. Seemingly satisfied, he messed with the barrel of the bazooka for a moment before using his free hand to draw the flammenschwert from his Gundam's back.

Clutching the end of the barrel with part of the hand holding the sword and the handle of the bazooka with his other, he reared back and then tossed the Gundamschreck underhand in his enemy's direction where it landed at his feet and skidded to a stop behind him. "Well, come on then!" Dieter grunted. Eins. Taking the sword now in both hands (Zwei) and urging the Hoplite to charge Dieter added, "Let me see how well that shield holds up to my little sword,". Drei.

[thatguyent]

"Here it comes then, to victory or to Elysium!" Polynikes called, going in to a dash, his shield still held up directly before his Gundam. The Hoplite was joined on each side by a group of 4 Phalanx Bits, with one floating patiently behind. In response to the thrown Gundamschreck, Polynikes activated the jettison controls for his own small beam rifle. Thus the weapon was released from its hard point rack on the back of his skirt armor, and as the heavy thud signified it's collision with the earth, the Hoplite sprung forth.

Spurred on with the invitation of his enemy, the young Spartiate warrior thrust forward with his Dory, once he'd reached close enough quarters to use it. The beam blade end lead of course, braced atop the curved indentation in the Hoplite's shield rim. The half length beam saber type blade affixed to the end of the spear was aimed to make its home in the left Pauldron of the Effzienz. The true aim of this attack was to limit his opponent's ability to adapt in combat, taking away one limb. Polynikes had played things too close to the chest in his last match, helping to lead to his downfall against Nyman. This time the Neo-Spartiate would be on the offensive, and keep pushing, giving his opponent no quarter.

With the bit's ability to mimic a Phalanx, and encircle his opponent, Zabat planned to keep this battle in his favor. He wouldn't underestimate the Effzienz, it's sword, or it's pilot Dieter, as they had all proven their worth throughout this tournament, but he wouldn't allow himself to be pushed in to a corner again either. "Show me what you've got Neo Germany!"

With Polynikes' last pronouncement, the Phalanx bits encircled the two, I-Field generators active.

[Fritz Ashlyn]

Vier.

"Here it comes then, to victory or to Elysium!" Dieter's foe bellowed, jettisoning his own rifle to charge in with his spear. "Komm dann, Dummkopf!" Dieter roared back, though strangely it seemed like he was stifling an off-kilter laugh. Now able to use both hands to control the Flammenschwert, it glowed brightly as he widened his stance and stood his ground. A metal ball fell from his left hand and bounced on the ground at the Effizienz' feet as he tightened his grip. He raised the sword, arms across his torso and head in an attempt to deflect the tip of the spear up and away from his shoulder and-- Fünf!

BA-KOOOOM

The grenade jammed in the barrel of the Gundamschreck exploded, causing the magazine full of rockets to cook off as well, filling the arena with even more fire and debris. Dieter was blown off his feet and tumbled to the edge of the arena where he came very close to pitching into the flames, but he managed to find his grip on the floor and come to a stop. Luckily for him, Polynikes had been between him and the Gundamschreck when the whole thing went off...

Unfortunately for him, he hurt all over and several systems were failing to respond.

[thatguyent]

Polynikes was very close to being caught in the explosion. However, almost wasn't close enough.

Back pedaling at the last possible moment, and giving the command for the withdrawal of the Phalanx Bits. Pulling the defensive field projecting remote weapons back in to a tight formation around himself, Polynikes dug in, anchoring his legs by way of their attached claw like ground spikes, and holding his shield directly ahead. Putting all the power he could in to the defensive-field of his shield, Polynikes withdrew the Dory and placed it low to the earth, its blade deactivated. On each side one of the Phalanx bits circled him, until they had formed an almost dome around him, one going so far as to have pressed hard in to the earth itself, projecting its defensive field downward, bringing protection from that direction as well. That wasn't enough to stop the flames however. In fact, as he had moved backward, to stand almost atop the explosive itself, it didn't do much to protect him at all from the explosion either. In fact his skin felt as though the flames were atop him, thanks to the pain feedback system in his cockpit. He knew that those would have been at the least second degree if not for the Gundarium behemoth that protected him. The only thing he was safe from was the shrapnel, as his Bits blocked most of the mangled chunks of metal and composite from reaching him, he was however thrown high in to the air by the explosion.

Flip flopping haphazardly as would a rag doll thrown high in to the wind, the Hoplite came crashing down hard. Managing to turn his mobile fighter over so that it's back would land first, Polynikes braced his muscles for collision, grunting in pain as he came down to the earth. The Phalanx bits had projected their defense field above him in an attempt to protect from further attack, but were he more aware after the shock inducing explosion, he would have used them to catch him during the fall. In fact all he did was manage to lose three of them as the missiles shot up from underneath, bypassing the energy fields that would have lessened the blows, and instead increasing the damage. Not only by destroying the bits, but by reflecting the explosion downward when it hit against the defense field above them.

Shaking his head in an attempt to clear the cobwebs, and bracing himself atop one strong leg, almost certain that the other ankle was sprained, if not broken, Polynikes brought the Hoplite up to one knee. The rounded shield of the Spartiate warrior's suit stood ready before him, as the remaining Phalanx bits took up another half circle formation, this time behind him. Though he held his shield high, Polynikes was reeling. The dirty trick of the German had caught him off guard. Causing a grimace to spread across his face, this fight was supposed to be one of courage, and honor, and pride in your country and your ability. This opponent was no proud warrior, he was something else entirely.

Pain ripped through the body of the Spartiate warrior as he fought to get his Gundam back to its feet. A large gash had been torn through his MF's right shoulder plating, exposing the apogee motors there. A similar bit of damage had taken place not to far from the cockpit itself, all thanks to shrapnel from one of the loose missile explosives from the bazooka. He was on one knee in the cockpit, just as his Fighter immitated for the crowd, and his opponent. Cheap trick yes. Effective, even more so.

While the smoke was still clouding his vision from the initial attack after all this, the Spartiate backed himself away from the flames that caused them, and gave a loud chuckle inside his cock pit. "Ah, so you want to play hit and run do you German?"

The Neo Greek fighter smirked, buckling down tight as he switched his Vulcans on. The young pilot knew they wouldn't do much damage, but when they hit, he would hear them, so he sprayed in to the cloud of smoke. Coughing up blood through his bravado, from the internal wounds suffered from the fall, and the "shrapnel" wound to his suit's torso, which had been like a boxer's right hook to his kidneys, Polynikes attempted to save face. "I'll find you Northerner. This isn't going to be that easy!"

[Fritz Ashlyn]

"Eheh," Dieter grunted a wheezing laugh at Polynikes' threat. He realized he had the wind knocked out of him when he had first tried to roll over and move, and the vulcan fire forced him to keep his head down for a while longer. Taking a moment to hug the floor and try to catch his breath, Dieter reached back for his trench knife. Where the Flammenschwert had landed he didn't know.

Trying to put his Gundam to it's ideal intended use as a pseudo-military unit, Dieter dragged himself forward in a crawl through the smoke staying under the gunfire. Or at least he tried to, because he hadn't moved very far at all before the Effizienz' left arm buckled. The left forearm, damaged in the last match, had been repaired adequately... but Aiko and the other mechanics didn't expect Dieter to blow himself up in the very next contest. Not deliberately in any case.

With a hiss of pain (more of a gasp, since he was still getting his breath back) Dieter's chest hit the ground. At least it protected him from the vulcans... "Die Eier von Satan!" he grunted through clenched teeth. Something felt wrong across his chest, and he didn't know if it was him or the Effizienz. "Note to self - enough mit the grenades," he muttered, grasping forward with his good arm to drag himself closer to Polynikes as he tried to rise up into more of a kneeling position himself.

The smoke and haze cleared enough for him to get a look at the Neo Greek fighter as Dieter shakily rose into a crouch. "...feel like I headbutted a cooktop," he grumbled, trying to ignore the burning sensation the mobile trace was so helpfully transmitting. "You found me!" he laughed evilly, yelling at Polynikes the way one would jumping out to scare a child. With his knife at the ready, he danced closer to the Spartan to see how he would react.

[thatguyent]

((Sorry for the long wait guys, I've been in the hospital, and I didn't have my laptop until today.))

Polynikes leaped back from the suddenly oncoming German quickly, his mobile fighter coming down hard on its damaged ankle as he landed. The damage to the suit was reflected in the grimace of pain that played across his face as he collided hard with the ground beneath his feet. Having replaced his Dory and drawn the stylized spartiate beam sword which his Gundam used, Polynikes buckled down. "If you want me, you'll have to come to me now!"

The bravado in his voice was mostly overstated confidence, and the young warrior knew it. His unit's right leg was almost useless to him now, and would greatly forestall his maneuverability against Dieter's semi-militaristic unit. If he allowed Dieter to get close enough to use that trench knife, he'd be done for, the Beam Sword was his best bet however, as he couldn't fight effectively with the spear when his shield was unable to match its movements. The Spartiate fighting style focused highly on the combination of the said two weapons, and his unit's damaged left arm was limiting his ability to use that style effectively. "Come now, let's see who's the stronger!"

With that, he drew a line before his mobile fighter with the blazing edge of the beam weapon, leaving a sizzling trail behind. "Come and get me if you dare."

As he said these words, Polynikes smiled, having sent his Phalanx Bits away during the initial backward leap to avoid the Effzienz own reappearance. They now circled behind Dieter, through the smoke and flames, preparing to ram his suit in the back at a moment's notice from Polynikes. Though Spartans were known for their ability to outfight almost any opponent in their age and many hence, they were also known for their cunning in battle as well.

[Fritz Ashlyn]

"Come now, let's see who's the stronger! Come and get me if you dare," Polynikes offered a challenge, carving a line into the floor of the arena with his saber.

Still sucking wind from the blow to his chest, and still trying to ignore the singed sensation all over his body, Dieter tottered closer and flipped the trench knife into a downward, more-stabby grip. "Nice sword," Dieter grunted, trying to make an opening for himself and simultaneously kickstart his computer's freude detection systems, "Do they make them for men?". He lunged in a feint and hopped back to avoid a possible retaliation, but the Neo Greek fighter was too stoic for that sort of fake-out. "Test of strength it is, then," Dieter half-pouted, tentatively advancing with the long-bladed knife at the ready held in front of him. He had to get inside that sword.

Staying loose, back on the balls of his feet, Dieter slunk closer slowly and then lunged in a real strike mimicking his feint. He jabbed with the knife at mid-range, trying to damage Polynike's midsection to open up an advance.

[thatguyent]

"Mistake number one, coming with in range of my sword." Polynikes offered, as he swung outward with the blazing edge of the beam weapon, aimed for the forearm of the limb holding the trench knife. "Mistake number two, ignoring the Phalanx. I have you now."

Polynikes called, as he gave the order for the remaining bits to strike. Their defensive fields went up, and they burst through the smoke and flames that lay behind the Effzienz. Each bit flew at maximum velocity toward the Neo German Gundam's back, in an attempt to off balance him and throw his own lunge with the knife wild. If this were effective it would also make the beam sword's swing a guaranteed strike.

If that were effective, it would also push Dieter's Mobile Fighter in to the shield of the Hoplite, pinning him down for another attack between it and the Phalanx bits. "Let me assure you, this sword is a man's weapon. That knife you carry would barely be suitable for a spartan woman to skin a goat with in their time!"