Aria[W] vs. Pagoma[L] [Ref: Hal'y]

Pagoma watched as his Death Ball missed his opponent and for a moment he marveled at the capabilities of Aria. As reality set in, that amusement was quickly replaced by discouragement. He had used his two strongest techniques back to back, exhausting himself in the process, and yet Pagoma's opponent was unphased by them. Was there anything he could do to possibly gain an upper hand? No, probably not...

As Aria's form changed to lose her metallic skin color, her power level dropped slightly, but now her speed was unrivaled. Pagoma could barely keep up with where she was going next as she flashed about in a blue blur. 

"Let's end this." The words echoed through Pagoma's ears. A sense of dread filled him as the Changeling fought back fear. Would this be the moment he would meet his end?

"No, not yet..." The frost demon whispered to himself. He wasn't ready to die. But the life of a warrior called him to fight this sense of fear and to be brave. So brave he would be. As he stared down death in the face, Pagoma's opponent began to charge her next attack. Several kilometers behind Aria, Pagoma's Death Ball exploded as it sat on the horizon, the great force and wind causing the forest around them to turn the remaining trees of the area into little more than toothpicks. The scene of their battle looked like it had been struck by disaster.

Pagoma looked up to his enemy and braced himself for the worst, as a powerful black sphere of energy approached the ground in front of him. Moments before the blast struck, all seemed to grow silent. Pagoma made a cross with his arms in front of his face and body, doing all he could to muster up some sort of defense from the oncoming doom. As the blast hit the ground beneath him, Pagoma felt a hot blast consume his body as his vision was lost and his hearing was replaced by nothing but a loud ringing. He felt himself flying through the air behind the force of the blast, landing on a pile of broken branches and tree trunks. His body was at the mercy of wherever its force took him as he bounced off one pile of bark and landed on another. This process repeated itself several times, each producing more pain and suffering through the Changeling's body. Had he not been in this Third Form, Pagoma would never have been able to remain in one piece. As he finally slowed down, Pagoma's hearing and vision returned to him and he found himself in a dark cavern.

"Am I... dead?" The Changeling asked himself out loud, unsure why everything around him was pitch black. Coming to his senses, he realized that he was covered by tree limbs to the point that they had blotted out any remaining light seeping through. Pagoma struggled to pull himself up, as his feet sat on unlevel shards of bark, and his body rebelled in absolute agony. With no real rush to his method, Pagoma removed the ceiling of the wooden cavity he was in and wrestled his way to the top of the trees. There was no sound anywhere around now. Any traces of remaining wildlife were extinguished in the blast and now nothing even resembling a bird's call was left. A quick whoosh through the wind revealed that Pagoma's opponent was onto his location, landing in close proximity to her.

Pagoma looked down at the mess of broken trees beneath him, his pride not allowing him to look up at his opponent. She congratulated him on lasting so long against her, but also acknowledged he couldn't possibly last much longer.

"I'd like to allow you the opportunity to grow stronger and leave you with a voracious hunger for a rematch with me. Do you accept?" Aria’s words rang out in the open plains.

Pagoma looked up at his opponent, in disbelief for a moment. Was she really being this merciful to Pagoma? Or was she playing tricks on him to bring down his guard? No... She appeared sincere, holding out a hand towards Pagoma to offer her regards and call a truce. Pagoma struggled to take a step, only able to advance further because his body was already moving. His arms hung at his side, too heavy to lift. Still, he didn't have to die today, and that was worth something. It was worth a lot, actually. And though Voithos was surely at the bottom of a pile of tree branches, Pagoma could still sense his energy, so his henchman hadn't died either. This was a miracle, all things considered. How many could walk away from a battle like this and be spared their lives? It couldn't be many... Pagoma was tired... This was his way out. His pride was squashed, but his life would go on. He could continue training... Continue to grow stronger... Continue to fight for another day.

Pagoma was within arm's reach of Aria now. Her hand was outstretched in front of him, waiting for what Pagoma assumed to be him grabbing it in some sort of physical agreement that was foreign to him. This was it... Good game, Pagoma...

...But then... Something came over Pagoma. A small spark in his mind that grew into a small ember, growing brighter and warmer in his brain until it was too much to ignore. Pagoma's enemy before him probably wondered why he still stood there, aware that he was about to accept her offer but still staring at her outstretched hand of a peace offering.

"Would I be so stupid...?" Pagoma asked himself internally. "No... Swallow your pride and shake her hand, Pagoma... Remember your father and what is really important to you..."

The fire inside him burned on, consuming him.

"Think about Voithos... Think about Lord Frost..." he continued to speak to himself in his mind. "Think about your responsibilities on Planet Frieza..."

The flames inside him grew to a blaze and he could no longer ignore them.

"Think about..." Pagoma's internal struggle stopped itself. "What would my father say if he were here today, watching me surrender?"

Acting out before he could contemplate further, Pagoma held out his hand, inches away from Aria's. His fingers stretched out in such a way that they could meet his opponent's in gratitude. But then... They curved across his body and Pagoma let out an invisible blast of energy, intended to cut his opponent's arm off. 

"You would have me give up now?" Pagoma lashed out at his opponent. "Is this all a game to you? Am I nothing more than this evening's entertainment? No... I am the last of my Clan... A proud warrior! There will be no surrender! Not today!"

Pagoma launched a kick towards his opponent's chest, his goal trying to put as much distance between them as he could without retreating. Hoping she was still caught off guard he launched two blasts at her, one after the other. With a newfound energy running through him, Pagoma reached out his hand and coerced his Ki into a ball, aimed at trapping his opponent inside. Not wasting time to find out if he was successful or not, he threw his arm to the ground and watched an explosion of wood and debris erupt through the night sky. Hoping to find his target on the ground waiting for him, Pagoma charged towards her, closing the gap, one fist cocked back and an irate expression on his face. Pagoma was almost ashamed of himself for even considering giving into his opponent's offer. He was a warrior from a proud race... The Changeling race... He would not give up so easily. He would never give up. Never surrender.

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