Match 20752 Thunderbird (Neal Shaara) vs. Thunderbird (John Proudstar)

[JohnnyChany]

THE SECOND XAVIER INVITATIONAL TOURNAMENT PART 3

TEAMS AND SET-UP

Inside the X-Mansion, Warren Worthington III gathered his team together for the second Xavier Invitational tournament being run by Emma Frost. His team consisted of Heather Cameron, Ruth Bat-Seraph, Shilpa Khatri, Neal Shaara, and Gloria Munoz, also known by their code names Lifeguard, Sabra, Trinary, Thunderbird, and Risque. They had all been high ranking members in the non-profit organization, X-Corporation, of which Warren was the chairman. However, being spread across the globe had meant they usually weren’t all at the same time at the same place. The separated paramours, Heather Cameron and Neal Shaara warmly embraced.

THUNDERBIRD: It’s so good to see you, Heather.

LIFEGUARD: You too.

ARCHANGEL: It’s great to have all of you here.

RISQUE: It’s still not 100% clear as to why we are here. At least not to me.

ARCHANGEL:  We are here to win. It’s for pride of course. I have constructed a team with four of the most formidable female mutants in the whole world and Neal.. who is ok in his own right.

Warren laughed at his own joke as he grabbed Neal’s shoulder. The always serious Sabra remained stone faced.

ARCHANGEL: No, in actuality it is training, but not just training for training’s sake but preparation for something big on the horizon. At least according to Emma, Sage, and the Professor. But there is a part of it that is still tied to pride, at least for me. I am not bluffing when I say I have supreme confidence in this team. 

RISQUE: How serious are the sparring sessions supposed to be, really?

LIFEGUARD: Speaking as someone who was actually enlisted as a lifeguard during some of the matches in the first tournament, it is really intense. The expectation is that everyone goes all out.

ARCHANGEL: As it should be. The battles we fight everyday don’t allow for precautions  so neither should we. We have the healers on hand for any situation.

RISQUE: Just wanted to clarify. Sounds good to me.

SABRA: I agree that serious training should not be hampered by restrictions on how the fight is fought. I only wonder who will be in the fight with me.

THUNDERBIRD: It does sound like there is some motivation and incentive in performing well.

ARCHANGEL: I’ll tell you what, even before I knew the more serious reasons behind running this tournament I had all the motivation I needed to topple Remy, especially considering we were the first match. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough.

LIFEGUARD: It was still a very entertaining first fight.

ARCHANGEL: Fortunately for me, Scott, Jean, and Bobby picked up the slack for the team I competed on, but now is not the time to get into that. It’s time for this X-Corp team to show what it can do.

TRINARY: I do carry some reservations. I’m not sure that a team tournament composed of one on one fights is the best use of my abilities.

ARCHANGEL: Come now Shilpa, you know as well as anyone that not all fights are done with your fists… or energy blasts for that matter.

LIFEGUARD: I don’t know any of the matchups now that I am officially competing, but it would be amazing to see you paired up against someone like Sage.

Trinary thought over that possibility. At the same time, Emma Frost reached out to Warren telepathically.

EMMA FROST: Warren, it is time. Please bring your team to the Danger Room.

ARCHANGEL: We are on the way.

Warren escorted the five members of the X-Corp team to the Danger Room where they were greeted by Armando Muniz and Calvin Rankin, Darwin and Mimic.

DARWIN: Welcome.

SABRA: Is the rest of your team running late?

MIMIC: Nope, we are all here.

DARWIN: More accurately we are all here and in there.

Darwin pointed to the Danger Room.

THUNDERBIRD: I’m confused.

DARWIN: Our team consists of Mimic, myself, and three perfect replicas created in the Danger Room of former X-Men, Vulcan, Petra, and the original, Thunderbird, John Proudstar.

LIFEGUARD: No way.

MIMIC: It was thought that what a better way to honor some of these sometimes forgotten and fallen heroes of the past than to bring them in this tournament to help test the current generation.

SABRA: Vulcan? A hero? I don’t believe I would use that word to describe him.

DARWIN: Whatever you may feel about his allegiances now, and there is a reason he is not here in person, he was a true hero when we were teammates, and his simulation reflects that.

MIMIC: Not that any of you need to worry about that. He isn’t the member of our team that will be in this fight. No, our first fighter is John Proudstar. I bet you all can guess who from your team he is going to be up against.

THUNDERBIRD: Me?

MIMIC: What better match-up could there be for you? The second Thunderbird, James, fought in the first tournament and now you get to square off against the original carrier of your codename.

THUNDERBIRD: With all due respect is this really a proper challenge for me? I know John Proudstar had super strength and speed, but I can fly and I can discharge thermal plasma in a variety of ways.

MIMIC: No need for a breakdown of your powers, we are all aware of what you bring to the table, but if you think John was some dumb brute who would dive face first into your energy beams, then you really didn’t learn about the man. He was a proud warrior who found ways to victory.

DARWIN: It’s time to see if you will completely earn your title today or if you will be humbled and gain an even greater respect for your predecessor.

LIFEGUARD: You got this Neal.

[Callisto]

Learn More About
Thunderbird (Neal Shaara)
Read more about Thunderbird (Neal Shaara) at Wikipedia
Official Site: Marvel Links: Wikipedia comic book realm comic vine

Thunderbird (John Proudstar)
Read more about Thunderbird (John Proudstar) at Wikipedia
Official Site: Marvel comics Links: Wikipedia marvel.wikia.com marvel.com

[leroypowell3]

I gotta go with John Proudstar. I loved him and hated when he died.

[ThePhenomenalOne]

Proudstar was cool and the OG. I'm hoping his wit and battle skills hold up, but I'm leaning towards Neal.

[DSkillz]

Another good chapter to this arc, Johnny. You might just fit in every relevant X-Men character before all is said and done.  

As for the match, I'm thinking that Neal's radial blasts just might allow him to defeat the simulation of the original holder of the Thunderbird mantle, but it won't be that easy. 

[Callisto]

Match Final Results

Member Ratings:
4.00 - patrickthekid
4.60 - DSkillz
4.00 - ThePhenomenalOne
5.00 - Boratz

FPA Calculation:
4 Total Votes cast
17.60 Total Combined Score
17.60 / 4 = 4.40 Final Rating on the match

MATCH SCORE
Thunderbird (Neal Shaara): 2
Thunderbird (John Proudstar): 4