Round Two - Major Berry VS Mechanical Pin

The roar of engines and flames filled the arena as the Mechanical Punisher rode his fire-wheeled into view of the crowd. He did a full circuit around the Arena before coming to a halt, leaving a trail of fire in his wake. As he stopped and dismounted his machine, he drew his shotgun. He’d managed to repair the damage from his last match, and wasn’t about to hesitate against his new opponent.

Not that he’d bothered to gather any information on them. He didn’t even know their name until the announcer spoke it aloud. Nor did he care. He wasn’t here to investigate, he wasn’t here to study. He was here to commit a series of murders, cutting a bloody a swath as necessary in his path towards the ultimate prize - a chance to rewrite reality itself.

It was rare that such an opportunity presented itself. He had no interest in letting such a chance slip through his fingers. He’d put an end to his last opponent. He would do the same here. The fact that he wouldn’t be held accountable for their deaths, which were apparently impermanent, was just icing on the cake. If he’d still had a heart, it would have swollen three sizes. Instead, the fluid in his braincase burbled with excitement.

“...”

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Major Berry

“Negative. You’ve never once in your short and sorry life fought anyone like me.”

The Mechanical Punisher strode towards Berry, shotgun raised. He fired one, two, three shots, the bright white ki spreading out like buckshot from hell. At the same time, a terrible rattling sound filled the arena as four long, black iron chains tumbled from his back, each of them ending in a spiked manacle. They dragged across the floor, leaving sparks in their wake and shrieking.

He had wanted to make this round quick, but then his opponent had opened his mouth. Had spoken with such great confidence, such hubris, that Pin instead decided he would take a little time to enjoy this fight - if only a little. He decided that ultimately, he would end this with the ultimate technique of the Empire, as it was bestowed unto him by the Commander herself. She would appreciate the lightshow, and Pin would appreciate showing an ant its place.

He couldn’t help but wonder what his opponent was planning to wish for. Would it be something as pedestrian as riches, or power? Or was he hoping to restore the life of a loved one? Whatever it was, Pin hoped that Berry was not ready to have his dream torn from him like an illegitimate child, to be cast to the stones and forgotten on Pin’s path to the ultimate vengeance. He didn’t want Berry to be ready, because he wanted to see the blue-armored warrior’s face as he watched it die.

Imagining that face would not be enough.

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Major Berry

Pin’s face did not shift from its eternal grimace as Berry managed to avoid his shotgun blasts. This was by design - unlike many androids, Pin was not equipped with a dynamic faceplate but rather something more akin to a death mask. While his mouth would move when he spoke, his expression was unchanging. The Major took to the sky, putting some distance between the two warriors, and tossed out a half-baked insult about the Mechanical Punisher being too slow.

“Your thin bravado is a mask, half-hiding a mewling child too afraid to either fight or face your inadequacies.”

Berry had begun to charge an attack from that ridiculous bulbous arm cannon of his. Pin couldn’t help but wonder if Berry were somehow handicapped, incapable of properly channeling his own ki energy like other organic fighters. Cannons like that were usually reserved for androids or, at the very least, cyborgs. Had Berry been admitted to the tournament on some technicality, or through some equality initiative? No matter. Surely he would rely upon that hand cannon and its range advantage over Pin’s shotgun. This was, of course, a mistake.

Pin holstered his shotgun at his hip, and glared up at Berry. If the Major wanted to compare charged power, Pin was more than happy to oblige. Besides, he already grew weary of this opponent and wished to move on.

The black-armored android planted his feet firmly on the ground and thrust his arms out to the sides, fingers slightly curled in towards his palms. Around him, crimson red lightning began to crackle, and his chains began to float off the ground, creating a haunting rattling sound. He was gathering energy, preparing to end this as he’d planned.

“Tell me...will your people miss you when you’re gone?”

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Charging Final Flash!

Due to Tournament Rules, Specials function as MP3 attacks

Current charge 100% ---> Next charge 200%

Major Berry

Pin continued to gather energy, feeling the power welling up within him. It was not a new sensation - he’d used this technique before - but it never ceased to fill him with a distinct sort of euphoria. Something about the fact that he commanded a power with the sheer force to destroy a planet was invigorating in a way that nothing else in his life had been, even before he’s installed himself into this mechanical shell. Not even his wedding day compared to this feeling.

As the arena cracked beneath his feet from the force of his crimson aura flaring out, his opponent flew forward with a speed and intensity that Pin had not expected. What good would closing the distance here do? Did Berry hope that somehow Pin would be unable to hit a moving target, or a close one? Pin would forever be baffled by the tactical decisions of inferior minds. Now more than ever, Pin was certain that Berry had not invented his arm cannon himself, but rather was using the creations of another, smarter person. Such a shame. So few scientists believe themselves capable of using their own devices in the field of battle.

Berry fired his charged shot, and Pin’s sensors read its overall strength. While it wasn’t exactly impressive, it wasn’t something Pin was looking forward to taking. But take it he would. To fire his attack now would leave too great a margin of error, and to dodge would mean that he would have to start over. Instead, he brought two of his chains forward, crossing them in front of his body. Berry’s attack hit, the impact causing those chain arms to shatter in a shower of sparks and smoke. The impact had also managed to rattle some of Pin’s internal systems, but not so much that he felt he was in any significant danger. He kept his arms raised, and continued to channel his energy into his palms, where he could feel it pooling, begging to be let out, to do its dark work. But not yet. No, not yet.

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Pin took Berry’s attack and lost two of his chain limbs!

Pin continued to charge Final Flash! Next turn 300%!

Major Berry

Berry was tenacious, Pin had to give him that. The blue-armored Major was in front of him in a flash, bearing down on him with a hammer-like fist attack. Pin’s sensors picked up on the fact that the attack was charged with energy, and was not just some normal punch. It’s power was nothing catastrophic, but could put a good dent in Pin’s armor - if it landed. But Pin didn’t need any more time. The energy building within his hands had swelled to a level that he was satisfied would do the job.

So as Berry came at him, Pin thrust his arms forward, his hands meeting at the wrist with his palms pushed outwards. His fingers were now fully curled in. The red lightning that crackled through his aura rushed into his arms, and formed into a bright ball of crimson in his palms. Pin had seen the Commander decimate entire armies with this attack, seen her destroy planets and had even heard rumor that she’d thrown an entire solar system out of alignment with it. Pin did not command so much power as she did, but he possessed more than enough to destroy an opponent like Berry using the Empire’s greatest weapon. A weapon called…

“Final…FLASH!”

The ball of energy before him erupted into a great mighty beam, launching point-blank into Berry with sound and fury unmatched in all of Universe 3. Or so they said.

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Pin has launched Final Flash at 300% attack power!

750,000 - 82,500 (Berry’s attack) = 667,500 total attack power!

KP 0/3

Major Berry