Match 20701 Iceman vs. Shadowcat

[JohnnyChany]

THE XAVIER INVITATIONAL TOURNAMENT PART 26

TEAMS AND SET-UP

 

 

Emma Frost walked into a room to find Charles Xavier and Magneto and a third person she was not expecting to see.

EMMA FROST: Ka-Zar? I thought I sensed you here. But I didn’t believe it.

The long-time protector of the Savage Land stood next to Magneto and Charles and was in mid-sentence when Emma entered.

CHARLES XAVIER: Ahh, Emma. Please come in.

MAGNETO: Ka-Zar was just informing us about the unfortunate fate of Shanna the She-Devil.

EMMA FROST: What is going on here? What does this have to do with Theresa Cassidy?

CHARLES XAVIER: Possibly nothing, most likely everything.

MAGNETO: Soon enough, everyone here will know the truth, but you can be the first, Miss Frost.

CHARLES XAVIER: It started many days ago when I met with the Exile, Nocturne, and my stepbrother, Cain. Cain told me that he had been approached by a shadowy individual about a team tournament with ultimate power being the prize. He brushed it off at first until the individual apparently made an impressive display of his power. Cain said that the individual offered him the chance to pick his own team of five and showed him some of the teams that had already signed on. Cain was not sure what to do and reached out to Nocturne. The two had grown close after their time in Excalibur and as moles in the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants and she suggested they go undercover again to check out if the tournament posed a threat to this world or any other. That is when they came to me.

MAGNETO: After Charles had agreed with their plan to enter the tournament to find out who and what was behind it, he reached out to me. He talked as if he was just seeing if I had heard of the tournament, but I know he was also probing to see if I was possibly behind it.

EMMA FROST: Not a completely unfair assumption, darling.

MAGNETO: I was not offended, but at the time I knew nothing about it. Very soon after that, I had a run in with Amelia Voght. She also spoke of this tournament and said Exodus was recruiting her, Skids, Rusty Collins, and Frenzy to represent the Acolytes. She detailed some of the other teams that had already agreed to participate, there was the Mutant Liberation Front, the Upstarts, the Sisterhood, it quickly became clear just exactly what kind of mutants this tournament was seeking.

EMMA FROST: Ones with no compunction about killing.

MAGNETO: None at all. However, there was one team configuration that caught my eye. The Dark Beast, Mesmero, Omega Red, Unus the Untouchable, and Aurora.

EMMA FROST: She was the other one I wanted to ask about. Why would Aurora be mixing up with those four?

MAGENTO: Why indeed. Then I remembered when that version of Dr. McCoy was in Alex Summers’s Brotherhood and had brainwashed Aurora into helping them. It occurred to me that not every participant in this tournament may be there willingly.

CHARLES XAVIER: A sentiment that was possibly confirmed by our friend, Ka-Zar. He asked for our help because Shanna was brainwashed and kidnapped by Zaladane and the Mutates of the Savage Land and then whisked away.

MAGNETO: Four of them specifically, Zaladane, Sauron, Lorelai, and Vertigo.

EMMA FROST: Another team of 5.

CHARLES XAVIER: That is our theory. 

KA-ZAR: Whatever this tournament thing is, I will find it and I will stop it!

CHARLES XAVIER: Patience my friend.

EMMA FROST: I still have several questions. Why have we been doing a tournament of our own and how does this connect to Theresa? Has she been kidnapped and brainwashed as well?

CHARLES XAVIER: Not at all. She volunteered to go along with Juggernaut and Nocturne after they had been joined by Black Tom Cassidy. Her reasons are her own but I suspect it is a soft spot for Tom for putting her on the path of a hero when he didn’t have to at a vulnerable time in her life. She elected not to tell Sean for fear he may have tried to stop her. 

MAGNETO: We put on this tournament to buy us time to gather more information and to prepare for what may be an inevitability if we are all dragged into whatever this is. We structured it the same way it was described to me by Amelia. I told her to encourage the others to accept Exodus’s offer so that they may be around to possibly save whatever other mutants are being held there against their will. I have lost all contact with them so I assume they followed my suggestion.

CHARLES XAVIER: Wherever they are, wherever Cain, Nocturne, Siryn, Tom, and Marrow are, has been shielded from me and Cerebro. We were hoping that this collection of mutants may lead us to some more answers and clues. I was curious to find out if Jean-Paul had known more about his sister’s predicament and was just keeping it to himself. Turns out he is more in the dark about it than we were. 

MAGNETO: We also pondered the possibility that certain mutants may be recruited while they were here due to some previous allegiance. Warren Worthington, Gambit, Logan, all former Horsemen of Apocalypse, Besty Braddock’s history with the Hand, why even you Miss Frost. Few have spent as much time on both sides of the coin as you, 

EMMA FROST: Frankly, I am a little insulted that I wasn't asked.

CHARLES XAVIER: Although it would admittedly be a bold thing to recruit someone here in the open I thought we might have had a chance with Feral. When her sister appeared on the school grounds I thought we might have something, but she only came to confirm what we already knew. Many long time villains have vanished.

MAGNETO: I feel that Amanda Sefton may know more than she has said since she appeared from nowhere.

EMMA FROST: So, what now?

Charles looked over to the nearby screen to catch a glimpse of the fight between Feral and Kylun.

CHARLES XAVIER: Now I must prepare the final two X-Men, Shadowcat and Iceman, for the final battle of this invitational. Afterward, Emma, we can discuss that favor I was asking of you. I need your help to help prepare the next generation of X-Men for whatever develops from this mystery tournament.

MAGNETO: We believe we may have found a way to reach where the tournament is being held.

Outside the Danger Room, the Original Five team of Cyclops, Jean Grey, Iceman, Beast, and Archangel met up with the mishmash team of Bishop, Forge, Shadowcat, X-23, and Amanda Sefton.

ICEMAN: Kate, how do you feel about us going last?

SHADOWCAT: A saying comes to mind that starts with save the best for..

Bobby Drake smiled.

ICEMAN: I have to say, if at the start of this thing you gave me 30 guesses on who my opponent was going to be, I don't know if I would have gotten to your name before I hit 30.

SHADOWCAT: Right back at you.

BEAST: An intriguing contrast of abilities to be sure.

BISHOP: Not sure if it’s a fair fight.

SHADOWCAT: Ye of little faith, Bishop, Bobby is going to have a hard time putting me on ice when I can phase in and out of any cold situation.

ICEMAN: Just remember this is an exhibition. Don’t go reaching in for my heart. I’ve had my heart broken enough times without someone actually going in my chest and taking it out.

Kitty Pryde laughed.

SHADOWCAT: Just as long as you promise not to try to freeze my insides.

ICEMAN: That’s a deal.

A hologram of Charles Xavier appeared before them.

CHARLES XAVIER: Welcome my X-Men to this final match. You have all distinguished yourselves beautifully throughout this tournament and have made us proud.  I can think of no better two to close it out than Kate “Kitty” Pryde and Bobby Drake. Both some of the longest tenured X-Men, beloved teammates, and youngest teammates when they first joined. Although they appear to be different in so many ways, they had similar paths starting out their hero journeys. Now is the time to see how far they have come. Please step forward.

Both X-Men stepped away from their teammates and walked toward one another. Suddenly, the alien dragon, Lockheed, appeared and flew over to Kate’s shoulder.

ICEMAN: Hold on a minute.

SHADOWCAT: You are going to get the full fight experience, and you know we are a package deal.

ICEMAN: Heh, so be it.

The two shook hands and then entered the Danger Room which transformed into the front steps of the Xavier Institute as it looked when Kitty Pryde first joined the X-Men all those years ago.

[Callisto]

Learn More About
Iceman
Read more about Iceman at Wikipedia
Official Site: Marvel Comics Links: Iceman Wiki Entry Mutant High-Iceman Uncanny X-Men: Iceman

Shadowcat
Read more about Shadowcat at Wikipedia
Official Site: Marvel Comics Links: WIkipedia: Kitty Pryde Uncannyxmen.net: Kitty Pryde Marvel.com: Kitty Pryde

[Pizza Guy]

Iceman’s my favorite X-Man but I’m not exactly sure how he’ll be able to get around Kitty’s phasing powers.

[DSkillz]

Ah, I think I have an idea where this arc is going.  Another good set-up, Johnny. 

As for the match, I might give Bobby the edge on this one. but it won't be easy. If this were a battle to the death, I wonder if Iceman could freeze the area around him enough to make chemical reactions too slow for even Kitty to phase, effectively killing her. Otherwise, the sheer variety of ice constructs Bobby could come up with just may be able to catch Kate off-guard and tag her. 

[Callisto]

Match Final Results

Member Ratings:
5.00 - Boratz
4.60 - DSkillz

FPA Calculation:
2 Total Votes cast
9.60 Total Combined Score
9.60 / 2 = 4.80 Final Rating on the match

MATCH SCORE
Iceman: 2
Shadowcat: 1