Scene #2862: WMAT AQ1 Doppelganger vs Natasha

Owner	Pose
Natasha	Another day, another fight for Natasha! She managed to defeat Celestine, now it was time for the battle she was a bit concerned. The other woman had given her a heads up to what she was up against but she's still not sure how she's going to handle it. She enters the arena smiling and waving to the audience as she waits for her opponent to arrive.
Walter Bernhard	The Spinach Wastes. Green, rolling hills. Ostrich chickens. Stands for people to sit in, and hovercars with mounted cameras keeping track of the action, and putting them up on big screens. Pleasant weather, pleasant surroundings, unpleasant opponent. A large purple magic circle forms on the ground a distance away, and darkness swells upwards, gleaming red slits in a blob of a head already smoldering as they gaze upon Natasha. The shape is indistinct within the swollen darkness, but as the writhing shadows coalesce and condense more and more, a form becomes visible. A form nearly identical to Natasha's own, but with a purple-black haze of shadow surrounding her, obscuring the minute details. And there's the glowing red eyes of course. It's kind of creepy to see one's own reflection outside of a mirror, even with shadows surrounding it. The fact this 'reflection' may well be as the old stories say, a self that seeks to claim the original's identity through murder, adds even more creepiness to it. But this is a tournament, and this 'Doppelganger' didn't kill her previous opponent either. So maybe it's not like that. But it's still... WEIRD. A referee will start off the match when the two are ready. As if there's ever a time to be ready to face a copy of yourself in battle.
Natasha	Natasha is indeed surprised as she sees her double. She can tell already that it's certainly not friendly, "Um hi...?" How do you introduce yourself to a copy of yourself, she's not quite sure how to handle this. Still, she should be poilte even if fighting her evil twin. She looks around a bit curiosly to see who might have summoned her twin. She certainly has some questions for them.
Walter Bernhard	There's no obvious indication of a summoner in the area, though that doesn't mean they aren't here. Or watching, at least. Doppelganger Natasha, at least, seems somewhat unresponsive to the attempt at a greeting. She just glares with glowing eyes out of her shadowy haze... And when the referee approaches, and announces the match is to begin... "World Martial Arts Tournament Qualifier Match for Bracket A: Natasha versus Doppelganger... BEGIN!" Doppelganger wastes no time in rushing forward, flying through the air to attempt to land a firey punch upon Natasha! Her knuckles trail flames that seem more like molten blood that true fire, even 'splashing' on the ground where droplets fall. The splashes in turn burn in pools of magical fire for a time before dissipating. Though that may be the least of Natasha's concerns. Is rushing into melee Natasha's normal fighting style? Does Doppelganger even copy fighting style? She's an imperfect duplicate... But this one seems to have her own way of fighting too. The shadowy haze about her has taken on a more crimson hue once the fight started, red flowing upowards towards the cloud about her face. Maybe the meaning of this will become more apparent during the course of the fight. For now, defending against the opening attack may be more of a priority!
Natasha	"Okay, I guess you can't talk. I know the feeling..." Natasha sighs a bit as she's reminded of the time she spent mute. She can sympthize with the double a bit, but she still intends to defeat her. Natasha is indeed headstrong but seeing what her clone is doing, she knows she's going to have to try something else. She reels a bit from the punch but steps back and throws a small ball of fire at her. At least that confirmed one thing, they can hurt each other.
Walter Bernhard	As Natasha dodges Doppelganger's attack mostly the duplicate turns to reorient on her opponent, just in time for a small ball of flame to be shot at her. The projectile skims over the Doppelganger's shoulder as she attempts to evade, burning the side of the face and shoulder both from proximity. She draws molten flame to one hand and releases it in a similar fireball (though of somehow more 'liquid'-looking flame). It still works the same as fire if hits though. Then she speaks, her voice distant, echoing. "Can't talk. Know the feeling?" She can speak after all! Or is she just mimicking? Is this a person after all or just a magical clone without a mind? The fact she is doing things other than what Natasha does speaks for the former, but some kind of 'programming' could be responsible for it... Who and what this enemy actually IS remains uncertain. But the fact that they can both hurt each other is, as Natasha noted, pretty much confirmed.
Natasha	Did the copy just repeat what she just said? Natasha's a bit confused as hears that. Then again she didn't echo her greeting. Was she trying to mess with her head. "Did someone create you?" She remembers seeing a magic circle being summoned at the beginning of the fight. Then again that could just be her being teleported in. Getting hit by the fireball certainly hurt, but it shouldn't leave any lasting effect. She notes the cloud around the copy's face, was that what was creating the illusion. She rushes in and punches it hopefully she can confuse the other Natasha by copying it's move.
Walter Bernhard	Doppelganger is struck fiercely by Natasha, and sent hurtling back a bit through the air! It isn't clear whether she felt pain from the blow, but damage was certainly done! Her crimson haze flickers and then swells as she lifts upwards, higher above the ground. She puts out both hands at her sides, producing flames in each, and then turns as though to perform a barrel roll... And then comes flying in at Natasha while spinning at high-speed, and emitting flames that engulf and swirl around her, trying to ram into the 'real' Natasha and bowl her over! In passing, regardless of the attack's success or failure, Doppelganger chuckles darkly and asks, "Did someone create you?" When she pulls out of her spin attack, the WHOOSHing of flames dying down, she turns to look back over her shoulder and just says one more word. "You." Natasha created her!? Is that what she means!?
Natasha	"Whoa! I've never done that before!" Still, the fact that it barely made contact might be the reason Natasha hasn't. "I couldn't have created you though, since you entered the tournament on your own!" That means the copy must have existed before the fight, or someone signed her up for the tournament. She goes rushing at the double again, this time though there's flames circling around her as she tries to hit her indirectly.
Walter Bernhard	Doppelganger seems not to have much to say back to that as she is scorched by Natasha's own charging attack. She tries to get some distance, before unleashing a brief barrage of three smaller fireballs down towards the original Natasha. "You. You. You. You." is all she says after that. Then she clenches her fist, and the three fireballs erupt in spheres of flame trying to catch Natasha in the proximity of the small explosions if direct hits don't work. This is all really confusing. But if nothing else, maybe Natasha can learn some new moves from her... Duplicate? Is she even a duplicate? Is she able to use hidden potential that Natasha herself might not even know about? Is that why Doppelganger is doing things Natasha has never done before? The exact method behind Doppleganger's methods of attack, origins, and so on, probably won't be easily determined in the middle of battle. Especially with her communication ability so limited. But it should at least be apparent that Natasha's established 'moves' aren't the only thing Doppelganger can use. The question is what OTHER surprises lie in store.
Natasha	Did Natasha just break her double? All she's doing is repeating herself now. She wonders if anyone else in the Union has fought it before. Still she's going to have to wait until after the fight to ask. Focusing her attention on avoiding three fireball at once is difficult and two of them manage to hit her. Her copy isn't the only one who can throw multiple fireballs at once though. The fire element takes to the air letting down a barrage of fireballs as she flies upwards.
Walter Bernhard	The first fireball hits Doppelganger, bathing her face in flame that sears away outer layers of shadowy flesh. The other two are narrowly avoided, though they do damage in passing. The flying not-Natasha weaves through the barrage, trying to close the distance with actual-Natasha, and then strike with more of that weird blood-fire shrouded surrounding her legs as she flips in the air and tries to slam both heels down onto Natasha's head, boosted by elemental flame! "Did someone create you?" she calls down coldly, echoingly, tauntingly. Natasha's own voice, in tones that she has never hear herself speak in before. Her own face, looking upon her with pure aggression and animosity. A dark reflection in every way.
Natasha	"Okay, that's kind of creepy. And I guess you could say my parents made me." Of course Natasha reasons that's true for most people in the Multiverse. Natasha cringes as she gets kicked in the head. "Ouch, and for a copy of me you're not very friendly!" She notes that the other Natasha didn't do a very good job of copying her personality. She reaches out and grabs her double above her before trying to throw her back.
Walter Bernhard	Doppelganger is grabbed and thrown! She falls towards the ground, bounces off after only a minor impact thanks to being just as light of body as Natasha herself, and then flies right back up! She forms what appears to be glowing-red dots on the tips of her fingers as she surges towards the fire elemental, and tries to drive the rapidly-heating fingertips into Natasha's belly in a claw-like strike. "'Copy'?" Doppelganger asks. Then she just starts laughing as though Natasha had said something hilarious. She breaks off the laughter as she withdraws her hand. "Copy of ME." she asserts.
Natasha	"Are you trying to upset me?" Natasha was trying to be friendly here, but she's starting to lose her cool. "I don't have a problem with you taking my appearance but if you're going to be a jerk about it!" Natasha frowns as her belly gets slashed, leaving burning blood behind it. She reaches out and tries to deck the copy in the face hard.
Walter Bernhard	Natasha punches Doppelganger in the face. More of that glowing, molten blood flies from her mouth from the impact, her head whipping to the side. Rather than responding to the questions being asked, she instead retaliates in kind, swinging at Natasha to try to hit her just as hard. It doesn't seem this foe is a very friendly individual. It might indeed be her intent to anger Natasha. She doesn't appear to like the real deal very much, so she might have animosity towards the woman her form and powers are based off of. But she's also fighting just as hard as Natasha too. She too has something at stake here. "JERK!" she calls out, her voice still seeming to come from a distance even now. Even close up.
Natasha	Natasha goes flying back as she gets hit by the other Natasha. Her twin certainly hits hard as she reels from the blow. She spits out a bit of molten blood and wipes her mouth. "I guess I can't be a real heroine without fighting my evil twin at some point!" She should have expected this to happen sooner or later with all the books she's read. She focuses for a moment before releasing a huge blast of fire from her hands. Let's how her double handles her going all out.
Walter Bernhard	Doppelganger is blasted with a wall of flames, engulfed in them, and vanishing into them for a time as she is thrown back. Despite it being a direct hit, despite damage being done, just as with every other attack suffered so far... She make no sound of pain or suffering. She's definitely getting beaten and burned and injured as much as Natasha, but Doppelganger doesn't seem to be showing signs of slowing down, weakening, or being inhibited by the pain of her wounds. Then the duplicate comes zooming around the side of Natasha's fire blast, trying to get in close, and release an identical attack from her hands... Except instead of a blast, it's more like a single concentrated 'beam' of fire... Some kind of... Blood flame sword!?
Natasha	Natasha's familiar with that tactic, in fact she used it against Celestine yesterday. Of course she knows how to counter it as well by creating a flame sword of her own. Some of the flames from the other Natasha's sword hit her in the sword clash but it could have gone a whole lot worse. She tries to guide the weapon around the copy's and into her chest.
Walter Bernhard	Doppelganger is impaled on the flaming sword! Fire pours out around her injury, sparking and sizzling. Her existing injuries even have fire being forced out of them by the weapon pushed through her body. That's a pretty grievous wound there! If ever there was call to cry out in pain, this would be it. Doppelganger does not cry out in pain. Instead, she attempts to grab hold of Natasha create a very, very large fire sword in her free hand, and ram through Natasha's own chest in the exact same manner. Then, for the very first time, she says something that Natasha hasn't said so far, using words that have not been spoken by Natasha yet in this fight. "You can't help them. You can't help anyone. MONSTER." Then the sword explodes in a column of red and black flame as the two Natashas grapple in the air.
Natasha	"Shut up! I'll win this tournament and use the money to help people! If you were really me you already know that!" Like Natasha said before, the clone may look like her but it certainly doesn't act like her. Natasha's unable to avoid the explosion but she knows all she to defeat her copy to move onto the next round. Unlike the clone she still has her sword and tries to shove it through the other Natasha's shoulder.
Walter Bernhard	As Natasha stabs Doppelganger in the shoulder, she is knocked out of the air, hits the ground... And seems to dissolve into clouds of shadow that fly upwards, and then come back down. And the whole time, Doppelganger just stares up at her, grinning knowingly. Right up until she ceases to have a face and becomes nothing but rapidly-vanishing shadow. Did... Natasha KILL her opponent? That would certainly be against the rules. Was that the plan all along? To anger Natasha enough to get her to kill her opponent, disqualifying her from the tournament, and showing that she is, indeed, a monster? The answer might never be known. But the referee, at least, doesn't appear to be clear enough on what happened to decide either way. He steps forth and shakily announces, "Winner of this match... Natasha! Medics or... Someone... To the field?" That seems to be that. But the implications, even if Doppelganger survived somehow... That in the process of trying to help people, Natasha might hurt people instead... That might haunt her long after the physical injuries are healed.
Natasha	Of course Natasha's a bit confused as the doppelganger vanishes. She can't help but to feela bit bad for her even if she got angry, Still she figures she must still be alive if she won the fight. She would have to ask more about it later, but now it was time to celebrate.