Match 20697 Feral vs. Kylun

[JohnnyChany]

THE XAVIER INVITATIONAL TOURNAMENT PART 25

TEAMS AND SET-UP

 

 

Maria Callasantos, Feral, had left her X-Force team after admonishing Shatterstar about his and Rictor’s performances in their respective losses to Nightcrawler and Magma. She felt they were letting Cable down and not taking the fights seriously enough. She left Xavier’s mansion and walked through the trees to calm down. She considered the fact that maybe the fault was not with them, but with her. Maybe she was taking things too seriously. It was just training after all. But, training was important. It is what makes you ready for the battles that really matter. She got upset again, but figured she needed to go back to her teammates and show she was a team player. After she re-entered the mansion, she stopped in her tracks when she caught sight of one of the big screen tvs broadcasting the tournament. X-Force’s next match had already begun, Warpath was squaring off against Snowbird of Alpha Flight. Maria watched intently as James Proudstar fought valiantly but ultimately came up short against the descendant of a Canadian goddess. X-Force had lost again. This time, however, Maria did not feel anger, she felt some guilt. She felt guilty for not being there for her team and specifically not being there for Jimmy. In a small way, it reminded her of when she had initially left X-Force years prior and joined the Mutant Liberation Front. Her anger prevented her from staying with her team. She slowly walked back outside, in no rush to see her teammates again. She thought about the tournament and what it was really for. Bragging rights between a lot of former teams? Something else?  She stayed on the school grounds, but away from the mansion for a long time after that deep in her thoughts.

It was well into the next round, when those thoughts were interrupted by the sudden appearance of a familiar face Feral was not expecting to see, the face of her sister.

THORNN: Maria!

FERAL: Lucia! I didn’t know you were here. I hadn’t seen you around. Did Xavier recruit you to help with the tournament??

THORNN: No, I came by my own choice. I came here looking for the X-Men’s help.

FERAL: And you are freely walking the grounds? That’s surprising, I thought the security would be more tight around here considering it is a school. I assume they must feel safe with all the heroes around. Still…

THORNN: Why are there so many mutants here at one time?

FERAL: It’s a long story. What kind of help are you looking for?

THORNN: I was hoping Xavier could help me track down some mutants. Some mutants that are missing.

FERAL: Who is missing?

THORNN: Blob, Toad, Pyro, Masque, Avalanche… I have been looking for them and I can’t find them.

Feral’s concern level grew

FERAL: Why? Why are you looking for members of Brotherhood?!?!

THORNN: They were once my teammates. Anyways,tt doesn’t matter now, I can’t find any of them. Not one.

Feral looked at her sister and then back toward the school.

THORNN: It is bad timing that I came here now, isn’t it? Too busy to help me.

FERAL: That’s not it at all. I’m just now thinking the two things could be related. Did Xavier and Magneto invite us all here to keep an eye on us so that we don’t end up like your old teammates? Is this whole tournament thing just a ruse to buy them time to figure things out?

THORNN: It could just be a coincidence.

FERAL: I don’t believe in coincidences. Not like this.

There was a brief moment of silence between the two sisters.

THORNN: If mutants are disappearing, what should we do?

FERAL: When the time's right we will get our answers, I’m sure. In the meantime, I feel like I need to get back to my team.

THORNN: Didn’t you just say this whole thing could be a ruse?

FERAL: Yes, but it could also be a proving ground to determine who is strong enough to go after whatever led to the members of the Brotherhood going missing. I am curious, I want in. Even with my team losing, I can show that I am a worthy warrior for any potential mission.

Maria and Lucia Callasantos were approached by Sage.

SAGE: That’s quite the leap.  Making a lot of assumptions, aren’t we?

Feral went into a fighting defensive position.

FERAL: What do you want?

SAGE: I came here for you obviously. It’s your turn to fight. I wanted to give you the opportunity to rejoin your team and participate in your match. That is of course unless you don’t want to. I heard you made quite the scene when you stormed out of the med bay after Rictor’s loss.

FERAL: I got a little heated after watching my teammate be consumed by lava, it happens.

SAGE: Of course. I know all about the times when your temper has gotten the best of you. If you think you will not be able to control your anger, you don’t have to fight. No one is required to, and we have a ready made replacement in Wolfsbane who is happy to step in as a long time member of X-Force if need be.

FERAL: No! Don’t give away my spot! I was chosen for a reason, and I intend to prove I was the right choice.

SAGE: Very well, then get back to your team before the next match starts.

Maria’s eyes traveled from Sage over to Lucia.

SAGE: Don’t worry, I will bring in Lucia. We have much to discuss.

Thornn shrugged in Feral’s direction and then nodded toward Sage. Feral also nodded and made haste back to the mansion to rejoin the X-Force team with a renewed sense of motivation fueled by her theory of what was going on.

SAGE: Lucia, tell me about every mutant that you haven’t been able to locate.

THORNN: You heard that?

SAGE: Think about where you are. There are eyes and ears everywhere.

Elsewhere, the Excalibur team of Captain Britain, Cerise, Meggan, Kylun, and Rachel Summers sat in front of the big screen TVs, engrossed in the final round matchups, specifically the fight between Storm and Rogue and the one between Monet St. Croix and Sunspot. They erupted in cheers when both Storm and Monet had defeated their challengers.

RACHEL SUMMERS: That’s it, the path for us to win is cleared. With both X-Men Blue and the New Mutants losing, we are the only team with a shot at four victories.

KYLUN: Wonderful. Now the pressure is really on me.

CERISE: Apologies are in order, it is my fault you feel this pressure, Kylun. If only I would have been able to defeat Cyclops, we would already have the number of wins needed to secure victory for our team.

RACHEL SUMMERS: Don’t beat yourself up about it. There is no shame in losing a battle to my dad.

CERISE: His tactics in battle were most impressive. It was fascinating to get a first hand look at why he is so often chosen to be the leader of the X-Men. 

MEGGAN BRADDOCK: No matter what happens next, we should all be proud to be in this position. We have done well.

RACHEL SUMMERS: Not bad at all for a team other teams called goofy.

CAPTAIN BRITAIN: They called us goofy?

RACHEL SUMMERS: It wasn’t a put down on us as heroes per se, more a commentary on the hijinks we got into.

MEGGAN BRADDCOK: That makes sense. When you think of many of our adventures, especially in the early days, goofy would be as good a word as any to describe them.

Brian Braddock was not amused.

CAPTAIN BRITAIN: Those goofy hijinks were my life, our lives, and many times there was nothing funny about them. Not to me.

Meggan placed her hand on her husband’s back.

MEGGAN BRADDOCK: Personally, I would go with exhilarating. That’s how it felt to me.

The team was joined by another long time Excalibur member, Micromax, Scott Wright.

MEGGAN BRADDOCK: Scott! It’s so lovely to see you! When did you get here?

MICROMAX: A while ago. I had been watching the tournament with a bunch of the students but then they approached me about hosting this final match when it became clear that Excalibur had a chance to win the whole thing. How could I say no?

KYLUN:  A pleasant surprise.

MICROMAX: I know the match hosts are supposed to be impartial, but I don’t think anyone would be surprised to know that I’m hardcore rooting for you guys. Time to bring it home, Kylun.

KYLUN: I will do what I can.

MICROMAX: Everyone, follow me to the Danger Room.

The Excalibur team followed Micromax to the entrance of the Danger Room where the X-Force team was waiting for them. Feral had rejoined her team, but Wolfsbane remained with them as well much to Micromax’s surprise.

MICROMAX: What are you doing here?

WOLFSBANE: After Feral returned, I was asked to come in and help you host this pairing. They didn’t want any team to feel like they were at a disadvantage or were being prioritized. As both former members of these respective teams, we balance each other out.

MICROMAX: Fair enough, let’s get this party started. Excalibur, with three wins already on your team’s name you have the chance to be the only team with four wins here with a victory from Kylun. X-Force, with only one win so far you are in the position of a potential spoiler to Excalibur’s team victory. Feral that position falls to you. If you would both please step forward.

WOLFSBANE: Feral, Kylun, your connection is clear to anyone with working vision. Two proud battle tested warriors with feline features, shunned by the closed minded of humanity due to their physical appearance but depended on by their teams when the chips are down. Now we will discover who has the stronger resolve.

Both Feral and Kylun came face to face.

FERAL: There is no way you are defeating me on this day.

KYLUN: We shall see.

The two mutants then entered the Danger Room which transformed into a river dock.

[Callisto]

Learn More About
Feral
Read more about Feral at Wikipedia
Official Site: Marvel Links: Wikipedia Marvel Comic Book Database

Kylun
Read more about Kylun at Wikipedia
Official Site: Marvel Entertainment Links: Wikipedia Marvel.com Uncanny X-men.net

[JohnnyChany]

 

[Callisto]

Match Final Results

Member Ratings:
5.00 - Boratz
5.00 - Pizza Guy

FPA Calculation:
2 Total Votes cast
10.00 Total Combined Score
10.00 / 2 = 5.00 Final Rating on the match

MATCH SCORE
Feral: 2
Kylun: 0

[DSkillz]

Sorry I missed out on this one, Johnny. It was about as good as any match in the arc, and it appears the plot thickens more with the missing Brotherhood members. 

And yeah, it looks like Feral rightfully won and spoiled Excalibur's shot at a fourth win. She just seems to have superior physicals.