Checher: (Ducking low as her fist whistles past his ear) "Keep your guard up, Rose. If you’re looking at the floor, you’re already losing." Roselyn: (Sidestepping and pivoting on her heel) "I’m not looking at the floor, I’m looking at your feet. You’re off-balance." Checher: (Testing his weight, a smirk tugging at his mouth) "Am I? Try me." Roselyn: (Launching a lightning-fast jab that he barely catches) "With pleasure." Checher: (Gritting his teeth against the impact) "Not bad. You’ve gotten faster. But your right side is wide open every time you lung—" Roselyn: (Sweeping her leg out to catch his ankle) "You talk too much while you fight. It makes you predictable." Checher: (Hopping over the sweep and regaining his stance) "And you’re too impulsive. You’re trying to end this in one hit. Breathe. Wait for the opening." Roselyn: (Feinting left and then driving forward) "I don't need to wait when I can create one." Checher: (Catching her by the waist to slow her momentum) "Easy there. I think that’s enough for today before one of us actually gets a bruise." Roselyn: (Breathing hard, leaning into his space) "Admit it, you only want to stop because I almost had you pinned." Checher: (Laughing softly, refusing to let go) "In your dreams, maybe. But I’ll let you keep that one if it helps you sleep tonight." Checher: (Grabbing her arm firmly as his eyes bleed into a ringless, deep purple Sharingan) "Chaos Control!" (The world blurs into a streak of light, reappearing on a high, grassy cliff overlooking a sea of clouds and a setting sun.) Checher: (Releasing her as he stares into the horizon) "I said no dirty tricks... but that rule doesn't apply now." Roselyn: (Stumbling back, blinking at the sudden change in scenery) "Where—how did you? You cheated! You used the Chaos Emeralds just to win a spar?" Checher: (Turning toward her, his purple gaze shimmering with an eerie light) "Winning is about using every tool at your disposal, Rose." (He raises his hand, two fingers pointed like a barrel. A spark of jagged yellow energy crackles at the tips.) Checher: "Chaos Spear!" (A bolt of pure energy streaks past her shoulder, exploding into a shower of sparks against a distant rock.) Roselyn: (Squinting as the air around them begins to warp and ripple like heat off asphalt) "Checher, wait. Your eyes... everything looks... different." Checher: (Standing perfectly still as dozens of identical copies of himself begin to step out of the shadows of the trees) "The world is only what I want you to see. Do you still think you can find an opening?" Roselyn: (Reaching out, her hand passing through one of the shimmering illusions) "This isn't just a spar anymore. You're showing off." Checher: (His voice echoing from every direction at once) "I'm showing you the gap. Now, show me how you'll close it."
