Sparring Ninjas [Venser & Gray's F->D Rank Exam]

Again, Venser was surprised by the unorthodox projectile flying towards his face - the shoe. He vaguely saw Gray jump somewhere out of the corner of his eye, but he couldn't tell which direction; depending how Venser dodged the shoe, he could either even the playing field again or set himself up for a beating. Taking a guess, Venser dodged to the right, only to curse his luck when he fell right into the path of Gray.

Venser saw Gray running towards him with the Ram symbol and panicked, believing that he would go for a fake-out attack similar to the one that Venser had performed last round. When he bent his legs to go for the headbutt, though, Venser broke out in a grin for two reasons. The first was because, once again, he hadn't expected it; it had been years since he had faced such an unorthodox, unpredictable opponent. The second reason was because he knew how to beat it. As Gray vaulted himself towards Venser, Venser fell backwards, using his arms to cushion his head as he fell. He stung a bit from the impact against the ground, but now he was out of the way of Gray's attack, watching as the other ninja sailed over him.

Venser strained his neck upwards just in time to see Gray begin his low sweep. The former Planeswalker's eyes widened as he realized what was coming, and that there was only one way to dodge it. Venser slammed his hands together into the Ram symbol and activated the Body Flicker, sending him ten meters away from Gray. Venser grunted as he stood up, glad that he had managed to pull off the Body Flicker in time to get away but mad that he hadn't been able to control where he was going in that short time. If he had control, he probably would have teleported on top of Gray like Venser had tried to last round.

--

Venser's Stats
HP: 95%
MP: 75% (10% used, 5% regenned)

Body Flicker: 3 post cooldown

Venser got to his feet slowly, keeping his eyes glued to Gray for a warning of any other shenanigans he might try to pull. Venser's opponent cracked his knuckles as the former Planeswalker got back to his feet, but did not go in for any sort of attack. Venser's face remained determined and expressionless, but he was smiling inside; the more Gray delayed attacking, the more likely it would be that Venser's own Body Flicker Technique would be up by then; they would be even again once that happened. It was in Venser's advantage to stall out until he could use his ability again.

--

Venser's Stats:
HP: 96%
MP: 75%

Body Flicker Technique: 2 post cooldown

Once again, Venser found himself caught off guard by Gray. When he vanished and Venser couldn't see him, he whirled around, expecting an attack from behind; little did he know that Gray actually was in front of him, and that he was leaving himself wide open to an attack from behind. The punch struck Venser straight in the back of the head, sending him forward and facefirst into the rocks. He raised the symbol for them to stop, getting up slowly. His nose was bleeding from the collision with the ground, and there was a bit of swelling where Gray had hit him, but he was otherwise unharmed. "You win this round," he muttered while he rummaged in his coat for a handkerchief to get the blood off of his face.

--

Venser stats
HP: 85%
MP: 75%

Body Flicker Technique: 1 post cooldown

Venser waved off Gray's concerns, chuckling as he wiped his nose. "Don't worry about it," he said lightheartedly. "It's not a serious wound." He continued to dry the nose, wondering why he was in such a good mood all of a sudden. Had he hit his head during the fall? Was he just giddy from the adrenaline? Either way, he was surprising himself; he was actually having fun. "Give me a minute to relax, then we can start again," he told his sparring partner.

--

Venser's stats
HP: 92%
MP: 75%

Body Flicker Technique: Up

Venser continued to sit on the ground, breathing deeply in order to relax. There would only be one more round after this; that made this a best out of three match. Whoever won this next round won the day. Venser would have to be focused, and act with conviction. Only then would he have a chance at winning.

Venser stood up and resumed his fighting position. "Alright, I'm ready," he muttered, his body prepared.

--

Venser's stats
HP: 85%
MP: 80% (regenned)

Venser watched as Gray got into position, finishing up his mental preparations. When Gray gave the okay sign, the former Planeswalker launched into an attack almost immediately. He rushed Gray, intending to land a straight right hook in his opponent's direction. He was hoping to catch Gray off guard, but even if that didn't work, he had another plan in place.

Venser smiled as Gray ducked under him. He had hoped to gain the upper hand in this exchange of blows, but he didn't think it would work out this well. He retracted his fist and dug in his heels, working his body to the limit to quickly and suddenly reverse direction. In the end, he only half succeeded, landing on the ground ungracefully, but he had been successful in dodging the uppercut. Now it was time to counter. Venser lashed out with his legs, trying to pull out Gray's legs from under him.

Venser saw Gray dodge the kick by jumping over it, then going forward to stomp on Venser's stomach. If the hit connected, the match would probably be over right then and there, but Venser had a plan. Using the momentum from the dodged kick, Venser propelled himself in a clockwise direction, moving to place himself out of harm's way. Once Gray had landed, Venser responded by springing upwards, aiming for the small of the other ninja's back.

Venser, having been unable to see Gray's hands from his position behind him, was caught unawares by the Body Flicker Technique. He was tackled from behind in the exact same manner that he had intended to get Gray with, sending both of them to the ground. Venser had a counterattack in mind already, however. As the pair landed, Venser put his hands together in his own Ram hand sign, vanishing and reappearing directly above the other Ninja. Venser grinned; he had moved barely any distance intentionally, making them close enough that Gray would be unable to dodge without leaving himself open for the next attack. He fell upon Gray, intending to piledrive into the Ninja's back.

--

Venser's Stats
HP: 85%
MP: 70% (10% used)

Venser's eyes widened for a moment as Gray moved himself into a position where he could counterattack, but they soon narrowed again. His opponent, while performing impressive physical feats, was leaving the most sensitive part for his body open for attack. While it was dirty, Venser was in it to win it; besides, most real opponents would play dirty in the same way. Venser's fist lashed out directly at Gray's exposed crotch, aiming for a nut-shot to finish the battle.