(LA Day)Training Center

[Joshua]

"So is this," I groaned, and then with a flicker of motion, to Maya's eyes I disappeared.

Half an instant later, I landed my own knee to her back and added to it by flipping her around and dragging her face along the ground before twisting her arm in a way it is not meant to be twisted. But she was too tough to break it, not that I had intended to.

"How do you think I'm doing that anyway? The Replacement Technique is a ninja illusion technique, but ordinary people, without any powers whatsoever can do it Mai. It's a skill that I spent 3 months perfecting. And Mai, I can do the Groundhogs Day thing so that a single day can be like a century to me, giving me more than enough time to perfect a skill. And I spent 3 months learning these Ninja techniques in a Hidden Villiage, ironically just before I even met Doc."

"So why haven't you used them before?" Maya said as she got up, acting as if there was nothing wrong with her.

"Never needed to. My time powers were enough before I got into more and more physical fights. And I'm not joking. KO me and I teach you how to do the Replacement technique. I KO you and . . . you teach me one of your skills, something Doc didn't teach you and that I actually want to learn."

"Setting terms now?" she teased, but still didn't attack me.

"Do we have a bet?" I asked with a wicked grin.

[Maya]

"Screw you." I scoffed, "Keep your stupid techniques- i'll KO you for the sake of it."
"Oh really?" He said cockily, taking a menacing step forward.
"Really." I replied, doing the same.
"And what makes you think i'd let you do that?" Another step.
"'Let' doesnt come into it, clock boy." I replied, also stepping so that we were right in front of each other, and he was smirking.
"So you re..." But he never got to finish. The heel of my hand flew up so quick he didn't know it had happened until it hit him under the chin, jolting his head back painfully. He toppled backwards, and i looked down at him with a grim smile. I stood over him, and clicked my fingers before his eyes- nothing happened, so i grinned at Doc. Having experienced Joshua's swappy thing several times, i could now sense that this was the real deal. Oh i cant wait until he wakes up. I thought.

[Joshua]

Sooner than you think, Maya heard in my mind before I spun out with my legs like a helicoptor, catching her legs and knocking her to the ground. Slayer strength or no, I've had my share of hits, and while I couldn't talk until a healing spell was applied to the facture in my jaw, I was no where close to being knocked out.

Rather than hesitate, I took the opportunity of my temporary advantage and landed a couple of kidney shots while she was on the ground, and before she struck out I also stepped on her hand before leaping away.

And now came the hurting as all my injuries made themselves known, with shouting force. I stumbled to my knees and tenderly held my jaw. Maya stumbled to her own feet and I quickly scrambled to stand not wanting her to see me in my weakness.

[Maya]

"You hurt my finger." I growled. I could see just from the way he stood that Joshua was in pain. He was tiring, and if he wanted to stay conscious, wouldn't be able to use his switching trick again. I got him with a quick spinning kick to the jaw, dropping him to his knees. Without pause, i added a kick to him stomach, and he cried out. I stood far enough back that he wouldn't be able to swipe at my legs, and gave him a second or two... hey, its not like im evil or anything.

[Joshua]

OK, I thought to myself, she's still slow, but now all of a sudden I'm slower. Not enough energy left to do the Replacement Technique, let alone Shadow Replication. That leaves exactly three options if I still want to win this fight.

I slowly got back to my feet, keeping my back to Maya and knowing her well enough that as long as her opponent was human, and too stupid to quit, she wouldn't attack me until I was on my feet.

Option number one, I continued thinking to myself, Temporal Magic. I instantly disregarded that since although they were Temporal magicks, Maya could counter any type of low level, close range spell of almost any kind so long as it was directed at her.

Option 2... the Lotus... No. Not unless someone was in danger. My pride in a sparring bout didn't count.

That left . . .

I let out a heavy sigh as I finally got to my feet and turned to face Maya, who was smirking knowingly at me.

Two seconds later I disappeared from her vision, but she didn't seem too concerned about that.

Half a second after that, Maya was flat on her back staring up at...herself.

"Hey girlfriend, how ya doing?" the Maya on top, who looked identical to the one beneath said. The one on the bottom looked up, shocked at the other, but nobody, except Joshua and Maya, could tell which one was real.

"The Transfiguration technique," Doc said with amazement. He was not a ninja, but he had heard of it. And that Joshua could do it so well was more amazing than the fact that he had lasted *this* long against a powerful Wicca/Slayer.

[Maya]

"Do you not understand the meaning of the words PHYSICAL FIGHTING ONLY!?" I cried, kicking... myself... off.
"Ah... so that one would be Mai." Doc commented.
Fine. He could cheat all he wanted, but i was still determined to flattened him without using magic, and as he had done... whatever he did, without slayer speed too. I guessed that he thought i'd go lighter on him if it appeared that i was fighting myself... trouble is, Joshua really didn't know me.
Before he was even up again, i had leapt up and delivered a kick to the midrif. He(still looking like me) rolled across the mat and forced himself up. By the time he looked up at me, my fist was in her face, then again. Then i swiped her legs out and once again dropped down on my opponent, my fingers to their throat, and more than a little angry. Somewhere in the distance, i could hear Doc yelling, but i didn't move.
"You've lost." I said simply to the figure beneath me, not smugly, or triumphantly, just matter of factly. She/he was groping at my hand about their throat. "Now stop being me. NOW." i growled.

[Jessy Jackson]

(Do I exist yet? Cos I wanna come in.)

[Joshua]

I walked into the gym after having stepped out for a little bit, eating an apple. Then I saw an interesting sight that most people would pay $5.95 a minute to see, two Maya's, two sweaty Mayas, breathing heavily against each other and looking like they were in the middle of a cat fight.

"Uh, hey guys, what's up?" I asked as I entered the room and stood next to Doc.

Maya gawked and then looked down at the other Maya. "What the... but? How?" Then she looked directly at me and stated with lethal intent, "You cheated."

I leaned into Doc and asked, whispering, "What's she talking about?"

"That's not you?" he asked, sounding suprised, pointing at the Maya on the ground.

I stared, a little surprised, until I caught the subtle little clues in the other girl's face, then I frowned in annoyance.

Half an instant later there was a harmless explosion of smoke around the Maya on the ground, and she was suddenly a beat-up version of me.

He chuckled and then muttered, "Sorry boss." Then he disappeared into another explosion of smoke.

I sighed and rolled my eyes. "That's the problem with my Shadow Dopplegangers, they're always less inhibited than me and they never know when to quit. I've been in the kitchen since Lunch left guys, getting a snack," I gestured at the apple in my hands. "I guess one of my Dopplegangers from my fight with Doc decided to hang behind. I hope he didn't cause too much trouble."

"Oh not much trouble," Doc answered quickly with a laugh. "He put on a good show though. You never hinted that your Dopplegangers were so powerful."

"Oh they aren't," I corrected him, taking another bite out of the apple. I chewed for a bit and then swallowed and continued, "All of my dopplegangers I make by using the Shadow Replication Technique have 1/10 of my ability and power reserves. So I can make up to ten at a time, giving me an army of 11 to go after a demon or somebody else if I want to."

[Maya]

Right. NOW i was angry. I was on my feet in a second, glaring at Joshua,
"Next time i wont bother holding back then!" I snapped. I could see from his face that he thought i was kidding, but i really wasn't. I hadn't been going full out until the moment it turned into me. Doc had been right- as irritating as Joshua was, i didn't want to kill him.... or i didn't then. I stormed right up to him,
"You are officially the MOST irritating, despicable, masogynistic B*STARD on Earth!" I yelled in his face. I stepped past him, and then turned back to whack him round the head. [thats for the thought when you saw me...us] i mentally snapped.

[Joshua]

"What'd I do?" I squeaked in non-understanding at Doc.

He just stared at me before sighing and rolling his eyes and following Maya out.

"What??!!?" I shouted after them. "What'd I do? "

[Nicola Next]

I am soooo bored! I thought as I made my way down the street, wondering where the hell everyone had gone. Two seconds later and I found myself at the Training Center facing a very p*ssed off Mai and a comforting Doc

'What happened?' I paused and corrected myself 'What did Joshua do now?'

[Maya]

"You SO dont want to know!" I snapped, but told her anyway, in very angry tones. By the time i'd finished, Joshua had followed us out, and was edging round the side of the entrance hall, eying me nervously,
"Someone please tell me what i did?" He begged.

[TPot]

"You lived," I said as I walked off, "WHAT?" screamed Joshua, But I had dissappeared into a burst of flame, "You lived, I hate it when people need it spelt out to them," I said from behind Joshua and dissapeared again.

[Joshua]

I backhanded Tpot in the face, may not have thrown him against the next building, but it did break his nose and get him to hold his hands over his face while he moaned about his nose.

"Maya, Doc, seriously now and with the excuse that I don't get the energy back *from* the dopplegangers when they disappear, which means I don't have their memories. If he picked a fight, then I'm sorry, but would you please just tell me why you're both so mad at me?" I begged.

[Joshua]

"Oh, hi Nicki," I said offhanded, finally noticing she was there before turning my attention back to Maya and Doc.