Fiction Fight Round 2 Match 2: Randolph vs. Badger

[Mazer]

Fiction Fight

Where Legends are made from pre-made Legends.



Randolph summons David Xanatos


From: Former main antagonist in the 90s Disney cartoon Gargoyles
Played by: Jonathan Frakes
Occupation: CEO of Xanatos Enterprises

Abilities/Talents:

* Best known for being the namesake of the trope, the Xanatos Gambit, his ability to think ahead of his opponents is only rivaled by the likes of Batman. He is a man who plans every possible outcome of any endeavor he takes on. Even when he seems to lose, he somehow comes out of it with something gained. Just when you think you have him beat, you soon realize that he held all the game pieces all along.
* In a show like Gargoyles, there were plenty of people with genius intellect, but none seemed to compared to Mr. Xanatos. He turned $20,000 from an artifact he gave himself with the power of time travel and became one of the richest men in the world. He is gifted in knowledge of robotics, cloning, and nanotechnology, which he used to take on powerful creatures like the gargoyles and even gods themselves.
* Unlike other cartoon bad guys, Xanatos remains remarkedly cool under pressure, maintaining an even mind under the harshest of circumstances. He takes setbacks extremely well and is able to adapt to any situation extremely fast.
* In a world of gods and supernatural creatures, Xanatos has vast knowledge of the magical arts, which he uses to great extent when science and technology are not enough.
* Xanatos is a borderline sociopath. He has no problem using others to gain knowledge or power. He draws the line at murder of maiming, however.
* Xanatos is very hands-on for a billionaire. He is an expert at karate, judo, and other hand-to-hand combat techniques. These physical traits are enhanced when he is using his armor.

Fights with:

His main claim to fame is his red ex-frame suit. Modeled after the main gargoyle character, Goliath.



Abilities:

* Modeled after the most powerful gargoyle, it matches his strength and agility.
* Jet packs on his back allow him to fly or stay in place in the air when necessary. Xanatos is able to get anywhere he needs to fast and efficiently.
* The claws on his hands and feet, along with the edges of his wings, are razor sharp. Able to slice through stone easily.
* Made of the most durable alloys, his suit is able to handle many types of physical and magical blows.
* Particle blasters are located on his forearms and shoulders. They can deal some heavy damage.
* His latest suit was endowed with the same AI he used to create Coyote. He has the ability to use the suit even when he is not in it.

Xanatos also has many magical artifacts in his collection, including the Phoenix Gate, which gave him the powers of time travel and instant teleportation. But it is his power of foresight and intellect that will make him a tough opponent to anyone foolish enough to take him on.

I will end this with Xanatos's most famous saying.




Badger summons Squall Leonhart


Squall LeonHart – Final Fantasy VIII and other games



Character Profile Link – https://finalfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/Squall_Leonhart

Gameplay Link https://finalfantasy.fandom.com/wiki..._party_member)

Description - Squall Leonhart (Japanese: スコール・レオンハート, Hepburn: Sukōru Reonhāto) is a fictional character and the protagonist of Final Fantasy VIII, a role-playing video game that was produced by Square (now Square Enix). In Final Fantasy VIII, Squall is an 17-year-old student at Balamb Garden, a prestigious military academy for elite mercenaries (known as "SeeDs"). Forced into becoming the Commander (委員長, Iinchō, lit. "Chairman") due to his outstanding skills, Squall befriends his underlings, and falls in love with Rinoa Heartilly. These relationships, combined with the game's plot, gradually change him from being a loner to an open, caring person. Squall has appeared in several other games, including Chocobo Racing, Itadaki Street Special, and the Kingdom Hearts series as the older mentor-like figure named Leon (レオン, Reon).

Personality – A cold yet calculating introvert who grew up in an orphanage who was close with “sis” Ellone left the orphanage who then left and it was never explained why. This led him to not wanting to get close to anyone else for fear of abandonment. He is a gunblade specialist who has a rivalry with fellow gunblade specialist Seifer Almasy which stems from childhood (although due to the use of the Guardian Forces impairing the memory) they forget how it started but the childhood feelings boil up. This came to a head when they gave each other a scar in training. Seifer is basically a jealous attention-starved bitch who although talented never graduated in SeeD due to his lack of discipline.

Squall has had to put up with babysitting hot dog living chicken wusses, trainspotting nerds and has been known to repel sexually harassing predatorial instructors lacking in leadership qualities by telling them to go talk to a wall:



Weapons:

Squall uses the hybrid weapon known as the gunblade in battle. Through upgrades via junk shops he can come to wield variant models, although in cutscenes he always wields the Revolver. The player should prioritize upgrading Squall's weapons as he gains new Limit Break finishers from them as well as improved attack power. The upgrades are described in Weapons Monthly magazines, but having the corresponding magazine for an upgrade is not needed if the player only has the materials.

Gunblades provide 255% accuracy, making Squall the most proficient melee fighter as he never misses, even when afflicted by the Darkness status. When pressing the R1 trigger immediately as the weapon hits an enemy, he can boost the damage dealt by 50%.

Squall's own model gunblade is unique, featuring a stenciled Griever on both sides of the blade, as well as having a chained pendant of Griever's head attached to the handle's base. The gunblade's casing is also custom, featuring an enlarged image of Squall's Griever pendant on the lid.

There are seven gunblade models available for Squall to use:

Revolver – Initial model. Described in Weapons Monthly, March Issue.
Shear Trigger – Described in Weapons Monthly, April Issue.
Cutting Trigger – Described in Weapons Monthly, May Issue.
Flame Saber – Described in Weapons Monthly, June Issue.
Twin Lance – Described in Weapons Monthly, July Issue.
Punishment – Described in Weapons Monthly, August Issue.
Lion Heart – Described in Weapons Monthly, 1st Issue.

Limit Breaks:

Squall's Limit Break is Renzokuken. The player is prompted to tap the R1 trigger button at the correct time, indicated by a moving bar on the bottom of the screen. Some bosses have unique Renzokuken sequences. Squall will slash the targeted enemy four to eight times before possibly beginning one of his four finishing moves.

The finishing move is chosen randomly, but Squall learns finishing moves in accordance to his acquiring of new gunblade models, and can only do a certain finishing move if he is wielding the gunblade model necessary to perform that technique. For instance, Squall cannot use the Lion Heart finisher if he is not equipped with the Lion Heart gunblade.

Here is an example of Squall performing the LionHeart Finisher:



Guardian Forces:

Compatibility with Guardian Forces determines how long the Charge Time is when summoning them. The below values are the base compatibility values at the start of the game, but changes as Squall acts in battle, as some actions boost compatibility whereas others lower it. Using compatibility items on him in the menu can also be used to boost compatibility. However, it is a minor mechanic in the game and can be ignored.

Squall is better off junctioning GFs that give STR-J to capitalize on his excellent physical capabilities. Out of the starter GFs, Shiva, can learn it initially, and Ifrit joins with it already learned. Ifrit also has Str+% abilities to further boost Squall's physical attack, making him a good GF for Squall for a good portion of the game. However, the GFs' abilities are highly customizable later on.

GF Compatibility
Quezacotl 580
Shiva 570
Ifrit 600
Siren 560
Brothers 576
Diablos 660
Carbuncle 580
Leviathan 620
Pandemona 570
Cerberus 640
Alexander 580
Doomtrain 540
Bahamut 520
Cactuar 580
Tonberry 540
Eden 480

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Links to these abilities with further information can also be found in the gameplay wiki article posted above. Also a full character description link is posted above too if you want to have a look




They will fight at HersheyPark



Hersheypark (known as Hershey Park until 1970) is a family theme park in the eastern United States in Hershey, Pennsylvania, about fifteen miles (25 km) east of Harrisburg, and 95 miles (155 km) west of Philadelphia. The park was founded in 1906,[3][4][7] by Milton S. Hershey[8] as a leisure park for the employees of the Hershey Chocolate Company. It is wholly and privately owned by Hershey Entertainment and Resorts Company. Hersheypark has won several awards, including the Applause Award.[9]

The park opened its first roller coaster in 1923, the Wild Cat, an early Philadelphia Toboggan Company coaster. In 1970, it began a redevelopment plan, which led to new rides, an expansion, and its renaming. The 1970s brought the SooperDooperLooper, an early complete-circuit looping roller coaster, as well as a 330-foot-tall (100 m) observation tower, the Kissing Tower. Beginning in the mid-1980s, the park rapidly expanded. Between 1991 and 2008, it added eight roller coasters and the "Boardwalk at Hersheypark" water park. As of 2018, the park covers over 110 acres (45 ha), containing 76 rides and attractions, as well as a zoo called "ZooAmerica". Adjacent to the park is Hershey's Chocolate World, a visitors' center attraction that contains shops, restaurants, and a chocolate factory-themed tour ride, where visitors can get their picture taken and receive a piece of chocolate at the end of the ride.



RULES

- 3 posts each over 5 days which will be timestamped after this post.
- 400 word count maximum per post. If the word count goes over then everything after the 400th word will be cut off.
- Posts must be staggered so whoever goes first must wait until their opponent has responded before they can go again.
- No editing. Once the post is in it is in.
- No rebuttals to each other on the first set of posts. Once everyone has posted first time around then it is fair game to rebut. Don’t mention your opponent (s) in the first set of posts.
- Post links, videos, images gifs etc to your heart's content! These will not count towards the word count.
- Quoting your opponent does not count towards the word count however using words from an outside source/article/reference will count.
- Adding anything extra that is outside the abilities of the Intro may be acceptable, but you must provide a source of it and be consistent with your intro.
- Remember, appearance and formatting counts.

The EXCEL SPREADSHEET OF DOOM has determined that BADGER WILL GO FIRST.


It's time to separate that Fact....from the FICTION.

[Badger]

Zell: “Aw man Squall! I can’t believe you get to go to Hershey Park! Can you buy me some hot dogs and bring them back bro? I can’t get any at the cafeteria here!”
Squall: “I don’t have time for that I’m on a mission!”
Selphie: “So jealous! I love trains!”
Squall: “They don’t have trains there you silly bitch!”
Rinoa: “Wish I could go with you!”
Squall: “Whatever.”
Quistis: “I order you to take me to the Kissing Tower. Please love me.”
Squall: “Go talk to a wall!”
Irvine: “Why does nobody pay attention to me!”

After saying goodbye and whatever to his group, Squall sets off for Hershey Park on his mission. Although he’s not usually the type to go to these kind of places, upon scoping the place out, he realises that this is perfect for his mission. It is a crowded amusement park but being only 17 years old, he can easily blend in with the kids and teenage crowd enjoying the various attractions while he searches out his target.

SeeDs are all about completing dangerous missions and infiltration. Some of Squall’s group infiltrated a missile base pretending to be Galbadian Army soldiers and saved Balamb Garden from being destroyed plus Squall and his group have infiltrated and liberated towns such as Fisherman’s Horizon and Balamb. He’s commanded cadets in the Garden battle against the Galbadian Army so SeeDs know how to plan. Squall could ride the Ferris Wheel and the rollercoasters to get a bird’s eye view of the whole park for example looking for his target. Even better than that, there is an observation tower where he can get a better vantage point. He could also go undercover in a haunted house and wait his target out. He could even choose to disquise himself in one of the Hershey character costumes There are many options available to him.

Also at the same time, he is also going to be careful not to cause any major disruption while he seeks out his target. The park has won several awards as per Mazer’s description so he has to keep the park’s as well as Seed’s reputation intact otherwise he may not be hired for future missions. Squall has the combat knowledge and knowhow to seek out his target but also make sure the crow are safe and do his business like the hero that he is.

[Randolph]

In the cloudy Pennsylvania night sky, a small red dot streaks across at a rapid pace.



Xanatos, in his red Exo Suit, is running behind schedule after dealing with a pesky sword in Brazil. But in his usual fashion, he found the sword's powers to be useful and captured it. After a quick stop to drop it off to his assistant Ower in New York, he now heads for the shores of Lake Erie. Xanatos has been made aware of the Storm Hag, a siren-like creature that lives in the bottom of Lake Erie that sends ships to the bottom with the sound of its voice. Even though the Hag lives at the bottom of the lake, Xanatos' suit is capable of withstanding the cold freshwater lake and would be of little concern.

However, Xanatos' sweet tooth gets the better of him.

In a quiet area of Hershey Park, Xanatos lands and his exo-frame suit disappears underneath his business attire. A wonder of nano-technology that his amazing suit possesses. David figured he could get one of those famous Hershey's chocolate cakes for himself.... and maybe one for his wife Fox, who has quite the sweet tooth herself. He also was getting some weird power fluctuations at the park, and his curiosity was peaked.

He makes a quiet landing and emerges from behind a shed to maintain his anonymity and surveys the park. It is near closing time, but he has enough time to get a cake or two and make his exit....



But that weird power fluctuation still bothers him. Xanatos has an amazing ability to sniff anomalies out, magical or otherwise, and is prepared for anything...

At his beck and call, his suit is always prepared to be word at a second's notice. If unexpectedly attacked, he is still ready to defend himself. You never know if a physically powerful gargoyle is flying up behind you or a magical blast is coming your way.

More importantly, Xanatos keeps his cool and calm demeanor and continues down to the shops. However, he talks into the intercom inside his jacket lapel.

"Owen, it appears the Storm Hag will have to wait. Something else may have presented itself"

"Understood sir, shall I come to Hershey and get the cakes myself"

"Thank you Owen, you know Fox would be upset if I didn't get one while in Hershey."

[Badger]

Squall has received his mission orders to take out his target which I can now safely reveal being the second post was David Xanatos. He is a SeeD graduate and knows what he is going to be in for when briefed. Xanatos is no Mr Bean like Squall easily dispatched last time. He is intelligent, calculating and extremely wealthy and has been pointed out can fight himself. He could very well likely win in many environments against a lot of fighters. He could probably win most fights in a lot of environments and Squall has a lot of respect for his opponent.

However, as much as Xanatos is typically a great planner, he has grossly miscalculated how much the environment is going to hurt him here. First of all, you talk about how Xanatos is just going to fly in with his Exo-Frame suit and then just hide it under his business suit when he lands and then emerge from behind a shed.

This is a highly, popular, crowded world-famous amusement park so while a seemingly foolproof plan to evade frontline security, do you not think the crowd is maybe going to look up at the sky notice somebody flying in a big red winged flying machine and notify the security and/or police? This is where Squall has a major advantage. Due to his age, he can blend in with the crowd in a variety of ways and not have to make a grandiose entrance to bypass security.

Secondly Squall along with other SeeDs plan and get briefed these missions so he would know to stash his gunblade rather than just whip it out in front of people. You say Xanatos can pick up power fluctuations but Squall and SeeD is smart enough to hide it and not show off their power unlike Xanatos flying in with his exo-frame so even if Xanatos somehow picked up any sort of energy from Squall, he himself would be picked up by the whole crowd beforehand just looking at him.

Thirdly Xanatos is a billionaire, CEO and founder of a huge company so if he were to fly in then get his suit on, there would be a huge frenzy and would make major news while he’s buying cakes for Fox. Squall being young blending into crowd can watch him, bide his time whereas Xanatos has his and his company’s reputation to think of.

[Randolph]

Xanatos prefers to do his business on the downlow, but like the egomaniac billionaire Tony Stark, he is not afraid to do his business out in the open.

I mean, the man did put a giant castle on the top of his NY skyscraper!



He has done an amazing job at maintaining a good relationship with the people and manages to spin-doctor around anything negative against him into a positive. He even managed to help turn public opinion towards the Gargoyles into a positive after they were exposed. If some random lunatic attacks him in the public, he will always know he can explain it away and gain public sympathy. He is just that rich, powerful, and smooth baby.



But you overestimate how much a crowd is going to bother Xanatos. He has proven that he is not afraid to step over others to get what he wants or to protect himself. He has been known to use humans and magical creatures alike to get what he wants. Plus the implication from my side was that it was night, which is close to closing time. The few people left in Hershey Park aren't going to be a problem.

If the environment is what you are banking on, remember that Xanatos fights most of his battles in NYC. He is no slouch when it comes to urban fighting and a theme park is not going to be an issue.

The exo-suit is ready at a moment's notice and Xanatos is aware that something's about to go down. The moment Squall does something, Xanatos will be ready with super-strength, the ability to fly, and best of all, arm cannons.



While Squall is rising through the ranks in his specialized academy, he lacks Xanatos' experience in dealing with the magical arts. After gaining his wealth from himself in the 1970s (long story) he has become obsessed in learning all things magical and scientific, and how to conquer use them to his advantage. He has been doing it longer than Squall has been alive. Even when faced with a new threat, David keeps a cool and collected head, no matter how daunting it is. Squall will be playing a mental game of chess with a man who already won before he even knew he was playing the game.

[Badger]

Well you didn’t specifically state that you’d be descending at night time (not that this will be a problem for Squall, in fact probably even better with less people about). It’s funny though that you’ve said Xanatos isn’t that bothered by a crowd yet also he has to conceal the suit to maintain his anonymity when there’s only a few stragglers so you’ve slightly contradicted yourself there.

The few people there including Squall can still see this madman in a mech suit descending so why bother concealing it? Also from what I’ve read on the Exo Frame wiki is that there’s a more compact version he can conceal beneath an overcoat allows him enhanced strength, limited flight via a jet-pack on his back and armored talons on his hands if I’m understanding this correctly. While still powerful, it does say limited flight so it seems he may be slightly and needlessly hampering himself.

Now you say Xanatos may be more well-versed in scientific and magical arts. SeeD cadets learn about magic in classes and Squall has this nifty ability (I did check with Mazer to see if I can introduce this now and he said it was okay if I provide evidence) where he can draw magic from his enemies.



I’ll quote a bit from this link:

https://game8.co/games/Final_Fantasy...rchives/269609

Draw is the method of taking magics from enemies and draw points. Draw can also cast the magic being taken directly instead of stocking it in the character's magic inventory.

Not drawing magic means you won't have enough magics to junction for your characters. You can only draw from draw points once whenever they are available, then you must wait before they become active again. (not all drawpoints restock themselves). Enemies, however, can be drawn from an unlimited number of times for magics.

So this means Squall can limitlessly draw any magics Xanatos has and either stock, cast or junction to improve his stats. Squall can summon a GF for aerial battle or duel him on the ground. When Squall is damaged enough is when he’s dangerous as that’s when the Limit Breaks kick in. While your suit is powerful it’s not completely invincible. Squall is very durable and fought many powerful opponents including defeating a Sorceress from the future using powerful time magic to try and destroy the world. Xanatos is essentially a mortal with fancy gadgets that Squall can defeat handily.

[Randolph]

I mean, Xanatos just wanted a cake, so he's not going to draw attention to himself if he can help it, but if attacked, then he is more than happy to show off what he's got. He's considered to be one of the most adaptable villains in Disney for a reason.

Xanatos is extremely knowledgeable in the magical arts, but he is not a normal magic user. He uses it usually to summon others to do his dirty work or to gain access to something more powerful. He uses his knowledge of magic usually to defeat it, not use it himself. Him and his exo-frame suit are not endowed with magic, instead, it is endowed with his (and his employees') knowledge in science and nanotechnology. His only real magical artifact that he used more than once was the Phoenix Gate.



The Phoenix Gate is a magical artifact that allows its wielder to jump through time and space, allowing him to disappear and appear anywhere he needs. Not really something that can be stolen from an opponent who does such things.

Xanatos takes great pride in being a formidable opponent in a sea of powerful and immortal opponents. He was a great example of how many aspects of magic were made redundant due to advanced technology.

But we're getting away from the main point.



You don't really talk about the gunblade much. Your Squall has a powerful weapon with it, but it doesn't seem to be any better than the magical weapons the exo-frame suit has gone up against in the past. The suit was built to withstand swords, modern guns, and the magical might of Oberon himself (the father of all deities in the Gargoyle universe).

It is equipped with powerful non-magical weapons that your boy Squall would have a tough time defending against, especially since he lacks armor for himself.

And even if Squall can summon attacks that become more powerful as he goes, Xanatos is the perfect guy with the contingency plan to get around it. He's a confident guy, but not one to let himself get careless when his life is on the line.

This fight will come down to who has the most adaptability, experience, and fun weapons to play with. Xanatos has you there and Squall will find his gunblade in the Xanatos archives, another victim of the collector of cool articles.

[Mazer]

@CWE @Caito @Blind Ninja

[Mazer]

And now for our verdict

Judge CWE

Almost too close to call for me.
"Squall is very durable and fought many powerful opponents including defeating a Sorceress from the future using powerful time magic to try and destroy the world. Xanatos is essentially a mortal with fancy gadgets that Squall can defeat handily."

Almost won it for Badger.

He just never handled "and best of all, arm cannon".

Randolph had a great response for anything Badger threw at him.

Does Xanatos now get to dual wield the Squall's gunblade and the dagger from last round going forward?

Randolph wins.

Judge Caito

So, this was a fight that left me wanting more… but not necessarily in a good way. After re-reading it a few times, it was honestly hard to find either side to have presented a really compelling argument for why they would best the other. Getting stuck on the whole “flying it at night” and “exosuit v regular suit” really dragged the argument down. Which is a shame, because some good points were established, such as Squalls ability to blend in and his SeeD training, or the weapons that Xanatos does have on his suit as well as his charisma with the public.

I think in the end, Randolph presented more reasonable points about why his fighter would win, and that’s why I’m giving the point to Xanatos.

Judge Blind Ninja

Randolph (Xantos) vs Badger (Squall)

Decent back and forth with use of environment. Badger brought up good points with why try to conceal your identity if people already know who you are.

But after that, Badger barely touches how he would defeat Xantos aside from a seemingly throw away line of Summoning GFs (which take time) or taking damage to open up his limit break.

Randolph is able to counter the draw and ability to adapt to situations as the arise have him pull it out for me

Winner, **Rando**

And the win goes to

rando

Great job by both posters