The Ogre began to rise out of the rubble. With one hand it pushed Gurk over to the side before takin a ground-shaking step towards Janus. He froze in fear of the looming creature. The already dark area was obscured further by the size of the Essencima casting a shadow over the limited light that crept through the hole in the floor above. As he trembled, he could feel a nagging vibration on his right hand.
A notification? Of all the times... He glanced at the Implant fastened onto the back of his wrist and noticed that it was glowing. I'm about to get smashed into a pulp. If I don't check this message, I'll never get a chance to.
The Ogre slammed downwards with one fist, smashing the conveyor belt adjacent to Janus after he rolled away from the attack. With the Ogre reeling its arm back from the strike, Janus seized the opportunity to bring up his projection. Another notification from my Rumble Circuit profile page! He tapped the screen again and then looked up at the Ogre. It fumbled away in the dark, struggling to see with its one eye. His gaze returned to his Rumble Circuit profile. The notification brought him straight to his command list. Ion Tail was still there, but the rest of the Special Techniques table was still empty. He quickly pushed the screen up and noticed a new move underneath the Signature Techniques section.
Meteor Bang?
Janus shut off his screen and sidestepped to position himself behind the Ogre. It turned its head from side to side, scanning the area with the limited vision it had. Remaining out of the line of sight, Janus prepared to utilize his new technique from behind the creature.
I just need to focus. Itzel said the Technique should come naturally if I just think about it.
He took a deep yet silent breath. He raised one hand above his head with the palm facing the ceiling. His wrist shook. He could feel something coming from his hand, but he wasn't sure what it was. Then his entire arm trembled. He looked upwards and saw his quivering limb, but nothing. There was no purple aura like with his Ion Tail. No follow through motion. Nothing.
A new attack and I can't even use it when I need to!
The Essencima took a sharp turn and looked behind itself. Janus’ looked towards the ceiling and saw that a shred of light shone on his leg. Realizing that he had been discovered by the large creature, Janus continued to flee. The Ogre stomped forward, cutting Janus' escape short by running in front of him. With a backswing, the creature slammed into Janus' side and sent him flying backwards and landing right next to where Gurk lay.
"Urgh..." the crocodile moaned. He lifted himself upwards, scratching the back of his head. Janus rolled over, placing one hand on his back. It ached, but he could still stand up.
"G-gurk!" Janus exclaimed, almost smiling if it weren't for the Ogre in the same room that was actively scanning for him, "Are you alright?"
"Kinda..." the crocodile moaned. He wobbled a bit as he stood up on his legs. He shook his head and returned to his fighting stance.
"I know time is kind of tight, but I got a question for you," Janus said quietly. Despite his attempt at being discreet, the Ogre pinpointed his location and moved in full speed towards him and Gurk. Both jumped out of the way, narrowly avoiding a bash from the creature's shoulder. The two split apart in their evasion, each on the opposite side of the raging Essencima.
"I learned a Signature Technique, Gurk!" Janus shouted. The Ogre growled and then turned towards him. Janus dashed to the side, ducking a horizontal swing from the Ogre's hand. He lay prone on his stomach with his hands over his head. "How do I use it?"
"EV!" the crocodile shouted in response. With the creature's rear towards him, Gurk slashed at its back. The Ogre turned itself around, batting the crocodile away in the process.
EV... Janus thought to himself. He recalled the battle in Grub On between Itzel and Enidri. The screen that Gurk had brought up contained a plethora of bars and meters, but the term "EV" sounded familiar. He brought up the Rumble Circuit screen and saw a similar display as the one that was present during the Ranked Challenge. Most of the meters were grayed out as if they weren't relevant at the moment.
However, towards the bottom a familiar-looking segmented blue bar was glowing. The first two sections were filled but the last part was partially gray like the rest of the display. It was half filled with a dimmer blue than the rest of the segments. Looks like I'm almost there. I guess I should just keep doing what I've been doing if I want to use Meteor Bang.
Janus rose to his feet and approached the Ogre. Gurk had the creature's arm pulled behind it but was clearly losing his grip, evident by the way he struggled to keep the Essencima still. With the Ogre's left arm held by Gurk, Janus seized the opportunity and moved in towards the vulnerable side of the creature.
"Ion Tail!"
A rising roundhouse kick collided into the Ogre’s jaw and knocked its head upwards. Janus landed on his feet, set somewhat off-balance by the rubble. While the creature was still reeling from Janus' Special Technique, he stole a glance at the EV meter. The entire bar was filled and the word "SIGNATURE" flashed on it. Janus clenched his other fist, letting a soft 'Yes' escape when he realized that his Signature Technique was ready to go.
"Gurk!" he shouted, "Keep it steady for just a bit longer! My Signature is ready to go!"
The crocodile gave a nod, acknowledging that he understood Janus' plan. He spread his legs apart, giving him more leverage to combat the Essencima’s struggling. The Ogre angled its body away from Gurk, trying to pull its arm free. Realizing that his window of opportunity was shrinking, Janus got into position.
His hand rose high above his head with his palm opened wide. This time, however, a large sphere of purple electricity formed just above his hand. The entire area turned dark purple from the illumination of the attack. The small ball of energy rapidly expanded in size, reaching the size of a dinner table in a matter of seconds. In the center of the purple crackling mass was a dark black void that shot purple streaks of lightning through the air.
"Meteor Bang!"
Janus heaved the projectile at the Ogre. It descended at a low angle and travelled at a slow rate like a deflated balloon drifting back to earth. With his shoulder, Gurk pushed the Ogre into the attack before hurling himself away. The massive attack vanished into the flesh of the creature, paralyzing its entire body. As it was absorbed, violet bolts of electricity formed across the creature.
The plasma travelled throughout the Ogre’s body in a series of waves, sizzling as the creature’s flesh lit up like a mauve candle. Smoke emanated from the Ogre's skin as bubbles formed on the surface where the Meteor Bang was absorbed. The sizzling continued for moment as the creature remained motionless like a standing statue. Purple sparks would intermittently jump off its body and onto the ground.
"Is it... dead?" Janus asked. His breathing was heavy. He clutched the arm that had summoned the attack with his other hand. A lingering sting coursed through his arm.
"Think so." Gurk pushed on the still standing Ogre. It toppled over from little more than a touch, landing stomach first. There was a loud crunch as the boiling flesh splatted against the floor.
"I'd say so too," Janus said.
