Wanna Piece of Bubblegum? (Shale/Open?)

[~Baburugamu]

The weather was perfect: the sun bright in the sky, a few large, poofy-cotton ball clouds floating around to keep things from getting too hot. On the ground there was a gentle, but cool breeze, furthering the feeling of comfort; Birds sang happily, other small wildlife squeaking and squalling rather peacefully to one another. And inside the bustling capital of Earth, things were no different.

There was a sense of serenity about the whole town as the normal traffic, both vehicular and foot, moved around. Things seemed normal; that was, until a scream echoed through the back-alleys, cutting though the peace. It would be silenced quickly, only for a second one to break through the sudden silence. If one were to have the capabilities to sense energy-signatures, or soar high in the sky above the many buildings, they might easily be able to pinpoint the source of the scream; however, for anyone lacking these abilities it would be too late already.

Baburugamu was on the move, gaining sustenance from a few of the cities populous. It wasn’t that she required human flesh for sustenance; no, she absorbed them simply to gain a boost in power. The Majin was driven by an unnatural force to get stronger. Though forgotten to her, she was crafted by a maniacal magician a millennium ago, with hopes of using his creation to take over the universe; now only that hunger for power remained strong inside her.

After absorbing a pair of rather talented martial artists, she would need to move quickly; luckily for her, she left behind no signs that she’d been there, being able to absorb a being in its entirety had its perks. Still, the screams would likely draw a crowd, and her bright blue, unearthly appearance didn’t exactly blend in.

Hastily taking to the sky, she’d move on, in search of someone that might provide her with a bigger boost in power. Touching down on a rooftop a few blocks away, she’d run a hand up her cyan tentacle-like hair and sigh, ”Hmph, for such a big city, you’d think it’d be easier to find a better meal…” she huffed to herself, glancing towards the spot she’d just left as a confused crowd gathered. Maybe all that ruckus would draw in someone a bit tastier…

[Shale Evans]

Shale Took a deep breath. "...Who the hell did somethin' like this?" Shale asks with a look of surprise. There was a few kis she'd felt here earlier that just... popped away, without a trace. Unfortunately, the amateur she was didn't have a real way of actually getting a clear read, so she resorted to following the crowds. Seeing everyone gathered nearby, she floated down and started walking, hoping to hear what the crowd spoke of.

Terrified screams, yelling followed by silence. Something lurking in the darkness. Those are what the panicked crowd feared. "Damn..." Shale swore to herself. She wasn't the type ot lack confidence in her martial abilities... but she lacked the faith in her ability to actually hunt someone down. Tracking was a problem for her.

"Let's see... if I was a crazy serial killer, where would I be?" Shale asked aloud with a chuckle, before her eyes widened. "...? I mean..." Shale shrugged, Suppressing her power as best as she could - which was practically nonexistent. "...Guess I'm just going to go wander into a dark alley, then." SHe stated with a groan, dashing just a short distance away from the crowd.

The town didn't seem to have a real alleyway, but there were some dark areas she could conceivably get cornered quite easily, so she power walked into one such area, taking a deep breath as she watched the surrounding area around her.

[~Baburugamu]

Gazing a pink eye over the crowd, Bubblegum watched plenty of people gather, all discussing their own theories behind the cause, but no one really having any ideas. To her, it was humorous how they all gathered below her, like cows, drawn to the slaughter- at least, to the best of her knowledge that was a good simile. Still, there was no one that particularly caught her eye right off the bat.

Lacking the ability to sense power levels herself, Baburugamu was purely a sight predator. The knowledge of her place on this planet was a collection of things she’d gathered from those she absorbed; an incomplete puzzle that constantly gained new pieces; however, not every piece fit in to the whole picture. Often she compared herself to be much more animalistic than humanoid; obviously she was far from human, but didn’t that mean she was far from an animal too? All in all, it didn’t seem to concern the cyan Majin too much. She had a goal she had to achieve: to be the strongest.

After watching the growing crowd for a few moments, she caught sight of an interesting movement from the corner of her eye. A darkly dress figure darting away from the gathering, and towards what seemed to be an alley. Her brow rose as she watched the figure duck between a set of buildings, into what this city could best offer as an alleyway.

There was something about the way the silhouette moved, that Baburugamu couldn’t help direct her interest to. There was no way this being was just a simple human. Perhaps they would offer a nicer meal and a bigger boost. Perhaps they could offer more to the Majin’s being than just useless information; A toothy grin slid over her face, and she crept to the side of the building, positioning herself above the figure. Then, without much thought, she threw herself over the edge, and plunged downwards like a stone. The fall wouldn’t take long, the building being maybe ten stories tall, or so, and surprisingly, the Majin would right herself at the last second, landing silently behind the darkly-clad figure. There was no masking of energy; however, if the figure could sense signatures, it would be as plain as day that Baburugamu was there.

Her smirk stood strong, plastered on her rather demonic face, her piercing pink eyes glowing in the dark of the alleyway, but rather sadistic look aside, she stayed silent, and did not seem to advance any further on the figure. She only stood and watched; ready to see if her instinct had been correct- to see if this was just the normal run-of-the-mill human.

[Shale Evans]

Shale couldn't help but emit a small gasp as she turned around. A young girl made entirely out of laffy taffy, or something. She felt like there was a candy the "woman" reminded her of, but the name didn't quite come to her mind. Other than the obvious skin... differences... that the girl had, the woman had black eyes filled with pink pupils, a smile filled with razor sharp teeth, and an aura of bloodlust radiating from her face. Not ki, but... simple predatory instinct. Shale had felt it before, back in the day... in her dark moments, she knew she'd worn a very similar expression. But compared to this woman? She'd been a saint.

Shale took a deep breath, relaxing her hands as she took a seemingly relaxed pose and readied her hands into fists. "Able to stick a landin' like that so easily, an' with a look like that, you're not here for sightseein'." Shale finally stated. "Don't think I'd be mistaken to say that you're here for somethin' a little more nefarious than sellin' drugs... Tell ya what."

Shale looked straight into the creature's eyes, looking for some sort of humanity in them. She didn't find any, but she still chose to try an' appeal to it. "leave these people alone, stop with the... whatever you're doing to these guys... and I'm willin' to pretend I didn't see nothing. Heck, I'd even be willin' to find ya some grub, if ya'd like. maybe figure out a better use o' your time together." She added with a smile.

Then, taking a deep breath, Shale allowed her ki to flow forth, a dark emerald sheen wrapping around her body as she brought up one hand. "If that ain't okay, though, I'm going to show ya exactly what happens to people who follow this path." She states with a chuckle. "And don't think I won't enjoy it."

[~Baburugamu]

Baburugamu let out a huff at the woman who was rather quick to speak; her reaction to the Majin’s sudden arrival was enough to confirm that she was no ordinary human. The smirk on her face widened as the woman spoke, spouting something about illegal substances, which was indeed something she had no interest in. The other woman was straight to business, and quick to suggest an alternative to Baburugamu’s silent assault on the city. Her interests were piqued by the chosen words of the woman, never had she come across anyone so straight forwards; already she knew she liked this black-clad female fighter, but whether or not that was a good thing would remain to be seen.

”And what is it that makes you assume I am the one wreaking havoc on this city, hmmmm?” she cooed, placing a hand on her hip as she pushed it out to the side, cocking her head at her question.

The woman’s next move to let her ki flare flashily, and her threats simply drew a laugh from the cyan-skinned Majin- she didn’t experience fear. ”Oh? Let’s say that I am indeed the one attacking these people; if that were the case, why exactly should I be scared of you?” Even with her notable smaller stature, there was no denying this woman held an air of intimidation about her, ”Perhaps I’m simply taking my place at the top of the food chain.”

Though she made no visible motions to take guard, her electric pink ki too would flare around her, mirroring the flashy display the other woman was making, and her eyes narrowed, ”You wouldn’t kill a wolf for eating a chicken, would you? Or a lion for taking out a gazelle? They are simply following their place in this twisted world. Earthlings have been on the top of the food chain for far too long; perhaps it is now their time to drop a step, and for a greater predator to take its place at the very top.”

[Shale Evans]

"A place in this... twisted world?" Shale noted, looking at the woman with a blank face, before glaring. "You're either young or pretty damned defeatist. This world doesn't have places. It doesn't have some defined natural order. That's just what people use as an excuse not to try." Shale added. "Assuming you are a people. What'cha got is choices."

Shale Took a deep breath, and widened her stance. "Eating my own kind is hardly the sort of thing I'm gonna let slide, anyways. Unlike a lion, I can actually give ya a shot at trying to be a little... nicer. And if you're really set on eatin' someone?" Shale added with a grin. "You'll have to try and get through me, first. Can't guarantee I won't give ya heartburn, though." she added, keeping her breathing tight as she watched the blue-haired creature. In truth, the woman was honestly terrifying, and while Shale didn't quite get terrified anymore, to say she was nervous was an understatement. The enemy was strong, and the enemy was confident. Moreover, she'd never fought anything that looked like this before. She had no idea what she was in for...

On the other hand, as her grin grew... for some reason, she couldn't shake a growing feeling of excitement.

[~Baburugamu]

”Young?” Baburugamu echoed with a huff, ”I think not. Defeatist?” she let out a humored laugh, shaking her head, ”Not in the slightest. A realist, perhaps. I am simply stating fact. As you can tell, I am far from one of these ‘peoples’. Therefore, I am not confined to their laws, of way of thought. I am far superior in every way.”

She rose a hand, whisking a stray strand of cyan tentacle from her face and smiled, ”Your kind, you say? I have interacted with many a human, but none have possessed the energy you do, none have had the fight you have, and none have ever confronted me so bluntly. How can you consider these pathetic creatures your own kind when you too rise far above them in every category?”

Her hand fell to her cheek, a finger gently running down her pink marking, ”You are an interesting creature, indeed. There is something about you- you want a fight?” she giggled, taking a step back and motioning a set of fingers towards the woman, ”I’ll humor you. Why don’t you show me that fire burning inside you isn’t just an act.”

[Shale Evans]

Shale looked a little shocked at her statement, her comparison to herself and the humans around them. Then, a very slow, very soft chuckle came from her. "...Energy or not, My parents were still humans. Rise far above them? Nah... I'm still a stupid kid. A kid that couldn't even save a single man." Shale added in a lower tone. "...If you think either of us are truly 'better' than them..." Shale added, before cutting herself off with a self-satisfied smile.

Instead, she looked for her opponent's stance. the woman cockily motioning her forward. "...Well, your type? Guess I'll explain the hard way." She finally added, as wisps of green surrounded her.

Then, she was off, Zipping towards her opponent and throwing a large straight to her opponent's face, before following up with a hook while the woman's eyes would be presumable occupied by the fist, and then attempting to disengage with a quick trio of jabs at her opponent's shoulder, before jumping back a few feet.

[~Baburugamu]

”The hard way, hmmm?” she cooed, a tone of humor in her voice.

It wouldn’t take but a moment for the other woman to clear the gap, throwing a hard punch at the Majin’s face; however, to her surprise, she would find the blue-skinned creature’s consistency much different than flesh and bone. The punch would connect, and Baburugamu’s face would literally crater against the force. The next of the assault would connect too, also finding a surprisingly squishy connection. As the girl jumped back, Baburugamu’s body would remain cratered from the impacts, but only for a second before springing back with a rather comical nature.

Her grin remained as she eyed the girl, ”Hmm? Is that all you got?” she asked gently whisking a hand against one of the spots that the other woman had hit; it seemed that the woman’s assault had been ineffective, ”Hmph, and I was expecting something impressive…” she added with a rather flat tone.

Pointing a palm to the woman, she let out a small huff, steadying her arm at the elbow with her other, ”My turn~”

In a moment, a sphere of electric-pink ki formed in her palm, then fired, a huge wave of energy rushing directly down the alleyway and towards the black-clad fighter. If she could since energy, she’d know that there was no holding back: this blast was fired without mercy, reaching the full potential of the Majin’s base level. Baburugamu was not keen on playing warm-up games like some fighters. Only opponents that could stand up to her at her best were worth her time.

[Shale Evans]

Shale's eyes widened as the blast came at her, the energy baking the alleyway. The shocked martial artist could only stand stock-still in silence as the blast came at her, as the energy collided with her... or rather, collided with an after-image.

Up above Baburugamu, Shale whistled. "That was a li'l closer than I expected." She added, wiping the sweat off of her brow as she looked down with a grin. "Times like this I'm glad I can do the whole flying thing. "Knew there was somethin' weird about you..." Shale added, before her grin grew broad. "Intrestin' resistance ya got. Wonder if it has a limit?"

And with that, Shale went for a flying kick, grinning as she disappeared the moment before the kick hit and leaving an after-image in it's place, too. Popping in from behind, Shale went for a low, sweeping kick, looking to knock her newfound opponent on her feet.

shouldn't be holding back... well, maybe... but this way, when I figure her out, I can catch her off-guard with my full strength.

[~Baburugamu]

Obviously, this woman wasn’t new to fighting. Her use of the Zanzoken technique played nicely to her advantage, allowing her to slip away from Baburugamu’s ki-wave. Of course, this wouldn’t be without doing damage to the surroundings. As the blast shot though the alleyway, it violently licked at the base of the buildings, scorching the structures. Exiting, it would collide harshly with a building across the street; the pink energy exploded on impact, easily taking down the building and causing a cloud of debris and rubble to explode upwards. Screams were heavy in the air, the building had been inhabited.

Regardless, as the black-clad woman floated in the air, giving the Majin her “two cents”, the cyan-skinned creature simply smiled, ”Nice moves,” she complimented, but shook her head with a laugh, ”But you must have forgotten, we’re not in some desolate wasteland!” More obvious than ever now, was the fact that Baburugamu felt no guilt, she couldn’t care any less about the inhabitant of this planet, ”Perhaps dodging wasn’t the appropriate response, Miss Noble.”

Baburugamu would be caught off guard by yet another use of the Zanzoken technique, the woman positioning herself in front of her, but attacking low from behind. The kick would hit hard, sweeping the Majin off her feet; however, to her opponents surprise, her arm would extend, reaching out to grab the woman’s wrist, and fling her violently out of the alleyway, and towards the rubble and debris that had yet to die down.

[Shale Evans]

Shale looked back with horror, realizing the damage she'd allowed to happen. Shale glared, feeling a wave of anger wash over her as she realized just how little this woman cared. Even moreso, the fact she was right. She'd been fighting like she used to, where she'd just cared for herself and her own amusement. And once again, she'd let innocent people die - innocent people that she knew were going to join the ranks of ghosts she could feel pulling at her, everyday.

Her shock stopped her from reacting properly, as Baburugamu grabbed her by the neck and chucked her into the rubble.

Shale stumbled to her feet, struggling to get her foot to catch after the last hit. "...You're right." Shale finally stated with a glare. "Thanks for knocking some sense into me..."

Shale put her hands next to her sides, as emerald energy pulled itself around her. "hhhhaaaaahhhhh!" Shale yelled, her hands at her side as her energy formed in a blazing ring around her. For a few seconds, Shale held this pose, before Dashing forward with her full speed, Ducking at the last second to perform a sweeping kick, and then following up by standing up and shifting into a snap kick aimed for Baburugamu's chin. Without wasting any further time, Shale jumped up, hands above her head. "Masenko..."

backflipping in the air, Shale aimed her hand straight down, as brilliant golden energy formed around her palm. "Haaaaa!"

The Thin blast of energy would lance forward, Creating a car-sized explosion on either Baburugamu or the pavement she'd stood upon.

[~Baburugamu]

Her smug smile stayed firm as the woman attacked once more, there was some distance between them, and that gave the cyan Majin enough time to react properly. As the woman swept low, Baburugamu’s legs recoiled like a spring, leaping over her first kick; however the second would hit her firmly in the gut. Nevertheless, this creature wasn’t built like a human, and as a human might double over, she held firm. Her hands balled into fists as the woman leapt into the air above her, firing a beam of golden energy downwards, directly in-line with her.

The energy seemed to connect with an explosive display, kicking up dust and debris as the ground cratored. But the Majin had prepared herself, pooling her pink ki tightly around her body to shield her from the attack at the last second, and coming out unscathed. Quickly deactivating the shield, the Majin would use the cover of the dust to fire her own elastic hand upwards, and take hold of the girl, who would hopefully have lowered her guard for the moment- admittedly though, without the ability to sense ki Baburugamu just be taking a guess on her aim.

If her hand did indeed catch the girl, it would recoil, pulling the woman down full-force, only to meet her midsection with a powerful knee. Following the knee, the Majin would fire a right hook to the cheek, then a left, her right leg rearing back and finishing the barrage off with a backflip-kick intended to knock the woman back once again.

[Shale Evans]

Shale looked down towards the dust and debris. "...Is it over?" She muttered irritably, hoping she'd managed to at least to some damage. What Shale hadn't expected was that not only was the cyan majin mostly unfazed, but that a light blue arm would pull her down by the stomach into the majin's awaiting smile. Shale wasn't ready for the attack, and found herself taken down into a hard impact with the teal majin's knee, spitting up phlegm as the attack sunk into her gut. Her face was one of shock as the majin went for a barrage of attacks, leaving the woman bruised and staggering as she was knocked into a wall.

Getting up with a growl, the Woman stared at Baburugamu with a look of pure hatred. "Enough! I"m going to finish you off in one blow! Just try and stop this blast!" Shale yelled, pulling her hands together as she built up white and green energy within her hands, arcing with lightning. her hands shook from the force of the ki gathered, as she looked baburugamu right in the eyes. "Explosive... Demon..." Shale stated, slowly going over every syllable as she pointed her hands forward at her majin opponent...

Then, the Angered Shale, and the energy blast she was holding, faded into a harmless after-image.

"Just kidding!" Shale stated with a smirk, coming down on Baburugamu with a sizable chunk of rock held in both hands, as she attempted to plant the stone firmly into the girl's head.

[~Baburugamu]

Baburugamu prepared herself for the black-clad woman’s retaliation, even lacking the ability to clearly sense ki signatures, the output this woman was undeniable. Her hands curled at her sides as she braced herself; only for the woman to vanish, and reappear above her head with a chuck of stone. To say the blue-skinned Majin had been unprepared for such an assault would be an understatement.

The stone connected hard, Baburugamu’s rather blubbery body bowing under it, then under the sheer force of the attack, pop like an overblown bubble. Her cyan matter splattered the walls, floor, and her attacker in a rather grotesque explosion. Her hands shook as her body gave a bit of a spasm, but stood firm for a few moments, and a silence fell upon the alleyway.

In that moment Gamu learned the true meaning of the word: “Headache”. However, she was still far from out of the battle- of course, her opponent wouldn’t know that.

The matter behind Shale, out of her sight, slowly moved forwards as Baburugamu’s body fell to her knees, then slumped to the ground. The cyan matter inched it’s way to the woman’s feet, in an attempt to glue her in place before she tried to leave the scene. If successful, Gamu’s cyan body would suddenly spring to it’s feet, the nub that used to be her head bubbling in a horrific display as it attempted to reform.

Cocking a hand back, it would release a powerful uppercut at the woman’s chin, followed by another strong leg to the right of her midsection. Jumping back a few feet, the body would outstretch its hands, palms facing the target, and unleash a barrage of quickly formed electric-pink ki blasts, full intentions to take advantage of the woman’s predicament.

(Technique used: Chewing Gum (A.B.C.); holds opponent in place for one post if it connects.)