[DUEL] Rematch?

[SilverLutz]

Citrabanu felt more than just a bit nervous as he hunted down Mate'moto for a rematch. The General had told him to practice and come back when he felt he'd improved and while he still had a ways to go, he definitely had learned a lot since the last time they'd sparred. Was he good enough to impress her? Hopefully. He knew he wasn't good enough to beat her properly but maybe he could pull off a few moves that would show her he was serious about becoming a Battlemaster. Who better than to help train him than the General herself?

Thankfully she wasn't hard to find.

"Oh, Citrabanu," Mate'moto said with a surprised but amused expression on her face as the male paused before her. "What can I do for you?"

"I was hoping you'd give me the honor of another duel," Citrabanu said in as steady and measured a voice as he could manage. The General circled him slowly as he spoke, sizing him up without shame. His gumption to press on and chase his desire of climbing the ranks was inspiring and the fact that he'd come back to challenge her again was nothing if not impressive. He had a fire within him that she liked.

"Very well," she said once she reached his front again. "Impress me, soldier."  

[SilverLutz]

Citrabanu nodded and closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath. He could do this. Think about all his victories and losses, take what he'd learned from each one - yes, even the one with that strange Kovako - and apply it all now. He took just a moment more to give himself a mental pep-talk before opening his eyes and beginning the duel.

Rather than charging in as he might have done before, Citrabanu began to stalk in a circle, looking for a moment of weakness or a misstep. This was the General, though, so he had to capitalize on even the smallest mistake. He waited for Mate'moto to be mid-stride before pouncing, his large paw landing soundly on her side. He didn't linger in her reach long, darting back to hopefully avoid a returned blow.

Total: 3  

[SilverLutz]

Mat watched as Citrabanu focused himself for a few moments before starting the duel. She had a little smirk on her face, both from his interesting tactic at the start and because of how intent he was. It was just a duel and she knew she could be intimidating, but over-thinking things could be his downfall. Still, she was eager to see his improvement if there was any.

The pounce that came was perfectly timed, she had to admit, and the strike to her side was true. Before Citrabanu could completely withdraw, though, she unleashed her own powerful pounce with an ear-splitting roar, both paws connecting to the male's chest as she shoved with all the force of her jump.

Total: 3  

[SilverLutz]

Citrabanu froze for a moment at the terrifying roar and it broke up his escape. He felt the wind get shoved out of him as Mate'moto's fully weight plowed into his chest and it was all he could do to stay on his paws and not topple into the sand. That wouldn't be a good way to start this battle, ending up on his side. He did stumble pretty badly as he backed up and attempted to swat at her paws to push her away, but he didn't connect at all.

Backing up further, he finally dug in his paws and got himself ready to take on whatever Mate'moto would throw at him next. He knew her style of battle was very in your face, so hopefully his agility training would come in handy.

Total: 4  

[SilverLutz]

Mate'moto hit the sand as Citrabanu backed up, the thrill of the fight surging through her. Even in a duel like this she wouldn't go easy just because the male was only a soldier. He wanted to be a Battlemaster, he had to work for it.

Not letting him settle, Mat once again surged forward with a snarl, sand flying as she followed Citrabanu closely. He had just settled into his stance when her dark paw came flying up to knock him in the jaw, the powerful strike enough to stun a smaller opponent. Thankfully Citrabanu was a hardy Firekin, not some tiny wild dog or cheetah.

Total: 6  

[SilverLutz]

Citrabanu didn't have time to do much more than brace himself for the impact of the strike. Mat was in your face but she was fast, faster than he was himself. The hit hurt and knocked his head to the side, drawing a snarl of pain from him. It made him extend his claws into the sand as disappointment within himself turned to anger. Why couldn't he do this? Why was he failing so often? He needed to prove himself to Mate'moto, prove to himself that he was worthy of this.

With a snarl directed at the General, Citrabanu turned back to the lioness who was still incredibly close. Mate'moto sacrificed her own body for her hits, allowing a returning blow for her own devastating ones. It was a tactic Citrabanu had tried to emulate only to find it didn't work as well for him. The moment he lifted a paw to return the strike, though, his vision swam and he instantly put his paw right back down without even trying to hit her. Oh dear.

Total: 5  

[SilverLutz]

Mate'moto could almost see the stars in Citrabanu's eyes as he wobbled in place. That hit had been hard yet he remained on his paws. Even if he didn't win this duel she would be impressed that he'd come back for another beating at her hands. She was never challenged to duels, not after the tournament that had won her this rank, so to face off against him twice was noteworthy itself.

But just because Citrabanu was impressing her with his grit and desire to win didn't mean she'd go easy on him. Rather than deliver another blow to his head, Mat shoved her shoulder into his side and pushed, aiming to topple him over instead. He was already on his way, might as well give him the nudge he needed to end up on his side in the sand.

Total: 9  

[SilverLutz]

The push wasn't nearly as strong as the smacks had been, but Mate'moto's strength was not to be trifled with. The shove did topple Citrabanu to his side thanks to the dizzy sensation he was already fighting. He hit the ground with an 'oof' and struggled to get his paws back under him, hoping to get on his feet before Mat could attack again.

He could sense Mat edging closer to him so he struck out with a roar, hitting her stomach with his hind legs. The power there was enough to push her back as he got up, golden eyes blazing with the desire to see the duel through to the end properly. He wasn't going down that easy.

Total: 8  

[SilverLutz]

Mate'moto strode to stand over Citrabanu, hoping to call the duel to an early end if he really was too dizzy, but the roar and the sudden shove caught her off guard. She was airborne for a few moments from the strength of Citrabanu's hind legs and when she landed he was back on his paws, ready for more. Her brows rose with a grin to match, pleased he didn't go down easily. That was more like it.

She didn't give him time to set himself though. This was a duel, not a pity party. Charging forward with a snarl of her own, Mat raised her paw to strike him again, but this time hit nothing but air. She turned her head as her momentum carried her passed CItrabanu, shocked at how quickly he'd managed to dodge her attack.

Total: 10  

[SilverLutz]

This time Citrabanu was ready. He knew Mat would charge him, knew she'd go for his shoulder, and it was with enough speed and agility to surprise even himself that he dodged the blow, twisting out of the way so he didn't even feel the breeze of her attack.

As she ran by he reached out to swipe at her hind legs, catching her foot with the strike but not enough to trip her up too much. He narrowed his eyes and turned to face her, ready for her return attack.

Total: 10  

[SilverLutz]

Mat felt the gentle hit to her hind foot as she turned, tail lashing back and forth. Although he'd had some missteps Citrabanu had come back with a vengeance and for that she could commend him. But she wasn't going to let him win this duel even if he had impressed her yet again. Charging forward, Mat dodged at the last moment to strike at Citrabanu's side rather than his shoulder, catching the male off guard and landing one final, powerful blow.

Total: 13  

[SilverLutz]

Citrabanu didn't have time to correct his dodge when he saw Mate'moto wasn't going to aim for his shoulder at all. The blow to his side was enough to let him know he'd failed again and he hung his head as he grimaced. The knock to his jaw was still making his head spin and now that he had lost he could focus on that more, making him dizzy all over again.

"I yield," he growled, turning to walk away. Mate'moto's grin slid off her face as she watched him slowly retreat and she trotted to catch up with him.

"Hey, that was still a goo duel," she said, nudging his shoulder gently with her own. "I can see you've improved. You've been working on your speed and agility. You had the strength from the get-go so it's encouraging to see you recognizing your weaknesses and working on them."

Citrabanu gave a quiet 'mm' in reply, speaking making his growing headache worse. Mat seemed to get the message and slowed her pace until she eventually stopped, letting Citrabanu go off to sulk in peace. Well. She'd just have to find him later to talk to him. She had an interesting proposition for him and she felt like right now wouldn't be the time to ask. She let him go and returned to her own duties, not at all bothered with waiting.