Prelude here: https://brendansversus.wordpress.com/2020/06/17/prelude-cammy-white-vs-black-orchid/
Alright, the combatants are set. Let’s end this debate once and for all! It’s time for a Death Battle!
——————————————————
Ultratech Headquarters, New York
It seemed to be a slow night at Ultratech headquarters. Most of the employees had turned in for the night, leaving the company’s head, ARIA, alone in her office. For the most part, everything seemed to be silent. The only sounds that carried through the upper floors were the mechanical whirs and metallic footsteps of the Fulgore units. For the past hour, these robots had scanned the premises for any sign of intruders, though none seemed to have shown up. In the deeper recesses, a pack of genetically-enhanced dinosaurs, the Riptors, lay in sleep, letting out the occasional violent spasm. In one of the lower areas, a man who seemed to be set ablaze was currently testing out his powers on several Fulgores. And judging by how the floor was littered with various metal scraps, it seemed pretty clear who was winning.
As Ben Ferris, otherwise known as Cinder, was busy sparring against his company’s sentries, another figure rushed past him. They stuck to the shadows, attempting to make sure they didn’t get caught, but Cinder seemed too preoccupied to notice. Once they had snuck through the door behind Ferris, the figure soon found themselves staring at what they had come for.
Standing in front of them was a massive computer, one containing billions of terabytes worth of knowledge. Unfortunately, it seemed that the figure was going to have to deal with some setbacks. Standing in front of the computer, surrounding it from all sides, were four Fulgores.
’Damn!’ The figure thought to herself. ‘Seems whatever ARIA’s guarding in here, she really went all out with the security.’
Reaching into a pouch on her belt, the woman fished out an extremely odd device. It appeared to be semi-cylindrical, with two old-fashioned keypads and a small glass screen. Pushing a button on the left keypad, the device immediately brought up a set of rotating 3D schematics for Fulgore on its display. Rapidly, the woman pressed several buttons of the pad, and then-
Veeeeewwww…
All four robots shut down, their eyes going dark as they slowly slumped over.
‘Too bad her software’s in desperate need of a patch.’ Black Orchid thought to herself as she stepped out of the shadows. Walking toward the computer, she immediately pulled a flash drive from her pocket and inserted it into the USB port. Then, with several rapid keystrokes from her hacking device, the ex-SWD member had managed to bring up all of the computer’s files. With a smirk, she quickly pressed one of the larger buttons on her device’s keypad, and with it a status bar began to slowly load across the screen. Each second that passed, another 20 files of once classified information would be loaded onto the device. As these folders were extracted, Orchid took note of several names, with one in particular catching her eye: Shadaloo. Back when she was serving in the SWD, Shadaloo was considered public enemy number one. From what she remembered, their crimes included smuggling drugs and weapons, kidnapping, and conducting human experimentation; among many others. She also recalled hearing mentions of a brainwashed team of assassins: the Dolls, if she was remembering correctly.
“Still,” Orchid thought to herself, “what would Ultratech want with Shadaloo? A hostile takeover? Or is ARIA attempting her ‘advance humanity’ schtick by copying their technology?” The thought sent a brief shiver down Orchid’s spine. Ultratech by itself was threatening enough, but if they got their hands on Shadaloo’s technology… Orchid quickly shook her head. She didn’t have time to worry about Ultratech’s intentions. Right now, all that mattered was extracting that data and getting the hell out of here!
Little did Orchid know, there was someone else in the building, currently on a mission similar to her own. This figure swiftly made her way through the skyscraper, avoiding all forms of detection as they slowly approached their destination. Soon enough, the figure peaked around the corner, watching as a man who seemed to be on fire slowly walked out of the nearby room. Despite the stone that made up his face, Ben was somehow managing to whistle. Once he was a safe distance away, the figure leapt out from the shadows and entered through the door. Then, after sneaking by for a bit, the figure cautiously approached the door. As if sensing their presence, the door suddenly opened, and with it the intruder snuck inside.
Upon doing so, they were met with the sight of a woman standing in front of the very computer they were searching for. A status bar scrolled across the screen, displaying 99% for a split second before shutting itself down. Seemingly content with this, the woman put a device back in her pockets and removed a flash drive from the computer’s port.
With the woman’s back facing her, the figure decided to reveal themselves as they stepped out of the shadows. As it turned out, “they” were a woman in her early 20’s, sporting light blue eyes, blonde hair that had been done up in pigtails, and a scar across her left cheek. Her entire torso was clad in a green leotard, while a red beret sat atop her head. Black, calf-length combat boots covered her legs, and a pair of red, studded gauntlets covered her hands.
Cautiously, Cammy White began sneaking up on the woman in front of her, taking great care not to make a sound. At the same time, Orchid was preparing to turn around when she suddenly felt someone wrap their arms around her neck. Almost as if on instinct, the Killer Instinct champion brought her leg up and kicked off, sending her attacker to the ground with an audible grunt. Backflipping through the air, Orchid landed on her feet, taking a moment to eye her assailant. It was obvious this woman wasn’t with Ultratech- unless the company had decided to start hiring bodybuilders in spandex, which she sincerely doubted. Upon spotting the red beret on the blonde’s head, Orchid began to feel some vague memories stir within her. She recalled that during one of her missions in the SWD, her superiors had mentioned an organization of agents dressed in similar outfits. The name still escaped her, but Orchid quickly pushed it aside.
”Not bad, blondie. I didn’t even hear you sneak up on me.” She complimented. “Who are you working for?”
“Delta Red.” Cammy responded. “I take it you’re here under orders, too?”
”That’s right.” Orchid admitted, making a mental note of the organization’s name. “Rumor has it Ultratech’s been dealing with various terrorist organizations, either trading technology or weapons depending on their services. I was sent here to extract information on the organizations and serve as reconnaissance. I’m guessing you’re here under the same orders?”
“Yes. From what I can tell, you’ve already accomplished your mission?”
”Yeah, but if you’re looking to complete your mission, you’re a bit late.” Orchid informed her. “My hacking device cleared out all of the files.”
“And placed them onto that flash drive, right?” Upon hearing this, Orchid cocked an eyebrow in confusion, only for her expression to become one of realization a second later.
”Should’ve figured you’d seen that.” She admitted. “So what are you planning to do about it?”
”Well, I can’t go back to Delta Red empty-handed, now can I?” Cammy said as she slowly lowered herself into a fighting stance. “I apologize if I’m getting in your way, but I need the data on your drive.”
“If you want it so badly,” Orchid began as she grabbed hold of two hilts. Then, with a flick of her wrist, a pair of cylindrical extensions emerged, suddenly sparking to life with electricity. Now armed with her eskrima sticks, the agent lowered herself into her own pose before continuing. “Come and get it!”
Cammy proved quick to take her up on that offer as she rushed forward, throwing out a punch to the stomach once she was close enough. Orchid’s response was almost immediate as she swung her right eskrima stick to block the strike. The two attacks collided, producing a small burst of electricity as the eskrima collided with Cammy’s gauntlet. A paralyzing pain spread across Cammy’s arm, but she put it aside as she noticed Orchid swinging her left stick in an overhead arc. The Delta Red agent reacted almost immediately as she brought her right arm up, resulting in another shockwave.
The two quickly entered a deadlock, with both attempting to match each other blow for blow. Orchid would swing her stick, but Cammy would raise her gauntlet in defense. Cammy would attempt a knee strike, only for Orchid to counter with one of her own. Soon enough, their clash came to an end as Orchid threw out a kick to the side, attempting to exploit her opponent’s blind spot. Rather than making its mark, however, this attack would hit thin air as Cammy ducked beneath it and countered with a sweeping kick.
With her leg kicked out from under her, Orchid fell to the ground, but she swiftly recovered by placing her hands against the ground. Then, with a quick push, the former SWD member cartwheeled back to her feet, gaining some distance between them. At the same time, Cammy let out a shout of “Spiral Arrow” as she shot forward, spinning like a drill. Before Orchid even had the chance to defend against it, she found herself knocked back as the corkscrewing Brit slammed into her stomach. The power behind the Spiral Arrow left Orchid reeling, and she wouldn’t have the chance to recover as Cammy took the opportunity to start a combo!
As she rose back up, Cammy clasped both hands together and slammed them into Orchid’s stomach. The Disavowed’s leader doubled over, leaving her open to an uppercut to the jaw. A roundhouse kick to the jaw followed this, causing Orchid to spin around. She soon came to a halt, but before she could fully recover Cammy grabbed hold of her right arm. Leaping into the air, the former Doll wrapped her legs around Orchid’s neck, threw her over her shoulder, and slammed her into the ground.
SOLID COMBO!
Despite the pain coursing through her body, Orchid threw out a sweeping kick, intent on catching Cammy off guard. Unfortunately, the attack ended up whiffing as her would-be victim backflipped through the air, putting some distance between them. Realizing she’d missed, Orchid got back to her feet, dusting herself off for a moment before reentering her stance.
[Pause]
“So you still want to fight?” Cammy asked. “Hmph. It seems you haven’t learned your lesson yet.”
”You think I’ll give up that easily?” Orchid asked with a smirk. “I’m just getting started!”
[Continue]
As she said this, Orchid suddenly jetted forward, moving so quickly that Cammy didn’t even see her move. She could certainly feel her, though, as a cartwheel kick struck Cammy twice. Orchid then followed this by dropping into a handstand and kicking Cammy two times, ending with an overhead kick to the forehead. The moment her feet touched the ground, Orchid broke whatever concentration the Killer Bee had built up by striking her across the jaw. From there, Orchid began the process of repeatedly bludgeoning her adversary, switching between overhead strikes with her right hand and outward swings with her left. Each one targeted a different section of her body, and as these strikes rained down on her, Cammy could feel her pain start to numb. Instead, anger was beginning to build up within her, and it would only grow as Orchid continued battering her. Finally, after nearly twelve seconds of being rapidly bludgeoned, Cammy had had enough!
With a surge of adrenaline coursing through her body, Cammy spun to the right, hearing an electric crackle as Orchid’s eskrima drifted past her. With Orchid’s back now facing her, White threw her elbow forward, slamming it into the agent’s spine.
C-C-C-C-C-COMBO BREAKER!
The force of the strike caused Orchid to lurch forward, caught off guard by the sudden attack. Before she could attempt to retaliate, Cammy continued her attack by delivering a backhand to Orchid’s right shoulder blade, striking hard enough to send her airborne. For a brief moment, Cammy considered the idea of leaping after her to continue her combo, but these thoughts were soon dashed as her legs suddenly gave out.
[Stop music]
Falling onto one knee, Cammy could feel her injuries flare up with each breath she took. It seemed that Orchid’s eskrima sticks had really done a number on her!
‘Still,’ She thought as her hand instinctively drifted to a sheathe strapped to her right thigh, ‘that doesn’t mean I’m out for the count just yet!’
In a swift, fluid motion, Cammy unsheathed her new weapon and rose back up. At the same time, Orchid had managed to recover in midair as she handsprung back to her feet. Upon landing, the agent looked back up to see Cammy, now holding a combat knife as she cautiously approached Orchid. As she saw this, Orchid brandished her eskrima sticks, giving a brief smirk before responding in kind.
Slowly, the two women made their way across the lab, sizing each other up and waiting for the other to make the first move. Soon enough, they were only six feet away from each other, and it was then that Cammy spotted an opening!
Lunging forward, Cammy gave an outward swing of her knife, intent on planting it in a chink in Orchid’s armor. Orchid’s response was almost immediate as she brought up her left arm, keeping the knife at bay as her stick met its guard. Then, with a flick of her wrist, she switched positions, knocking the Brit’s hand out of range and thrusting the eskrima stick into the arm. Cammy grimaced in pain as she felt the electricity burn across her forearm, but she quickly put it aside as she noticed Orchid already preparing for another swing.
With swift reflexes, Cammy leaned to the side, causing the eskrima stick to narrowly brush past her. Undeterred, Orchid threw out an outward swipe with her left arm, only for White to duck underneath that, as well. While doing so, Cammy noticed the weak spot from earlier and, with her knife still in hand, responded a swipe of her own! A wet SCHLICK rang out, followed by a grunt from Orchid as it was ripped out of her. Two slashes followed this as Cammy rapidly struck Orchid’s side, aiming one at her ninth rib and the other at her third. As the knife was removed from Orchid’s chest, Cammy took the opportunity to deliver a sweeping kick, sending her tumbling to the ground.
Orchid’s head slammed into the metal floor, causing her to groan as stars began to cloud her vision. Blinking it away, her eyes widened as she saw Cammy coming down on her, knife already poised to slice across her neck. As she watched the blade’s tip grow closer, Orchid brought her arms up, grabbing Cammy’s hand mid-swing. She then began applying pressure, trying to force her to drop the knife, but it seemed the Brit wasn’t willing to give up so easily!
Placing her left hand over her right, Cammy began putting more strength into her push, and Orchid responded in kind. The two seemed to be at an impasse, with both giving it their all in an attempt to overpower the other. For nearly ten seconds, each inch of progress Cammy made would be undone as Orchid responded with equal, if not superior force. As they continued struggling against each other, Orchid began to feel her strength fade, and panic began to overtake her mind as she watched the knife’s tip grow closer. For a moment it looked as if the knife was about to stab into her throat, but at the last second Orchid managed to throw her head to the right.
THOCK!
”What?” Cammy asked in surprise as she watched her knife slam into the ground, inches away from Orchid’s neck. Before she could correct this mistake, Orchid kneed her in the stomach, which she then used to kick the Killer Bee over her!
Cammy’s body flipped through the air, but she proved quick to reposition herself and hit the ground with a loud THUNK! As she rose to her full height, Cammy threw her knife at the still-recovering Orchid, stabbing her in the shoulder. A cry of pain emerged from the Killer Instinct champion before she got back up, tearing the blade out of her shoulder. Looking back at Cammy, she was briefly surprised to see the ex-Doll rushing toward her at full speed, but this soon morphed into a smirk.
”Looks like you forgot something. Hope you don’t mind if I return it.” She taunted before throwing the bloodied knife back at its owner. As it approached her, Cammy brought her left arm up and quickly swatted it aside, sending her former weapon clattering to the ground.
“Please! If you want to surprise me, you’ll need more than that!” Cammy responded as she closed the distance between them. Once she was close enough, Cammy threw out a left hook, intent on starting up another combo, but it seemed Orchid had other ideas!
”Alright,” she smirked as she reached behind her back, “how’s this for a surprise?”
Her arm moved like a blur as she leapt back, tossing a white cylindrical object at her attacker. For a brief moment, it ascended through the air, blinking red as it reached the height of its ascension. Upon hitting the ground, the item rolled toward Cammy, its blinking growing more frequent as it approached her. Her pupils dilated as she realized what it was, but before she could move out of its range-
BANG!
The grenade exploded, creating a blinding puff of smoke as the Killer Bee stumbled back. At the same time, Orchid rushed forward and began assailing her with a rapid flurry of kicks and eskrima swings. Her strikes were unrelenting, and she delivered each one with the intent of inflicting the same damage Cammy had onto her. Unfortunately for Orchid, it seemed that her combo wasn’t destined to last. Even as her body became wracked with pain, Cammy managed to raise her arms, blocking the attacks with her gauntlets. Undeterred, Orchid continued buffeting her, with her speed rivaled only by her growing anger at her inability to land a hit.
While Orchid continued chipping away at her defenses, Cammy had taken the opportunity to monitor the agent’s style, searching for any weak points. After several seconds of defending, she eventually noticed a small portion of Orchid’s body that she was failing to defend, one that could easily be exploited!
Orchid swung her eskrima at full force, ready to break Cammy’s defenses and slam it into her head. As it approached her, Cammy ducked beneath it before retaliating with a hard-hitting left cross to the gut! The fist struck hard enough that even with her bustier protecting her, Orchid doubled over, coughing out several flecks of blood. Cammy followed this by reeling her right arm back and smashing into her jaw with a hook. Blood and a tooth fell out of Orchid’s mouth, but she paid it no mind as Cammy slammed into her with another hook.
As she felt her head snap back, Orchid grit her teeth before glaring back at Cammy, who had already brought her fist back. With an annoyed grunt, Orchid swung her eskrima in an underhanded arc, intent on sending Cammy flying with a strike to the jaw. Unfortunately, it seemed Cammy was quicker on the draw, as she cut off Orchid’s attack with a right hook.
C-C-C-C-COUNTER BREAKER!
Orchid stumbled back, but before she had the chance to recover, Cammy lunged forward. The Delta Red agent had clenched her fist, which was now glowing with a dark blue energy. It seemed to be growing in strength as she drew closer to Orchid, and once she was in range, Cammy gave an enraged cry.
“Back off!” She barked as she threw her arm out, slamming into Orchid’s cheek with a backhand. Once the energy-infused fist struck her, an enormous burst of what seemed to be blue fire launched her across the lab.
QUAD COMBO!
[Stop music]
As Orchid’s pained scream rang through her ears, Cammy looked down at her fist, her eyes wide with shock as she watched the blue energy flicker away.
”That… that was Psycho Power!” She realized in horror. “But… how did it manifest? And why- why do I have it?” She asked, her hand trembling in fear.
Meanwhile, Orchid hit the ground back-first, causing her to let out a grunt of pain. Placing her hand against the ground, the agent began attempting to push herself back up, but this proved to be a horrible decision. The moment she began pushing, Orchid felt her stab wounds flare up, and her muscles threatened to give way. Before she could fully collapse, however, the agent’s expression hardened as she forced herself to keep pushing! It hurt like hell, and the feeling of blood oozing down her body didn’t help matters, but she refused to let that keep her down! With a determined cry, Orchid pushed herself back to her feet, though this proved to be a double-edged sword.
The moment she got back up, she felt a burning sting run across her cheek. Upon bringing her hand up, she had to fight back the urge to recoil in pain. It seemed whatever that energy was, it would burn her if she wasn’t careful!
’Looks like she’s got a few tricks up her sleeves.’ Orchid noted as she lowered her hand. Returning to her fighting stance, she continued, ‘Well, in that case, why not show her some of mine?’
As these thoughts ran through her head, a spectral purple bat appeared near Orchid’s shoulder, and she immediately rushed toward her opponent. Meanwhile, Cammy was just beginning to recover from her shock, and as she looked back up-
“Coming through!”
Orchid suddenly slammed into her ankle with an energy-infused slide kick, forcing Cammy’s knee to buckle. As she attempted to regain her balance, Orchid cut her off with three outward swings to the face, each one forcing Cammy to stagger. An overhead swing nailed her in the forehead, followed by a backhanded swing causing her to spit blood. A left swing followed this, with a right swing to the stomach forcing White lurch over. She attempted to push herself back up, but Orchid put an end to that by delivering a second cartwheel kick to her skull. Then, to end the combo, she threw out two 180° swings, slamming into Cammy hard enough to send her airborne. Just as quickly as she ascended, the Killer Bee began to descend through the air, and as she saw Cammy’s exposed back, Orchid gave a smirk.
”Lasaken!” While these words escaped her lips, Orchid threw her right arm into the air, creating a massive CRACK as her eskrimas collided with each other. As she did so, a spinning disc of plasma shot out of the sticks, slamming into Cammy’s back and sending her crashing into a nearby wall. A series of cracks spread through the surface, and upon seeing this Orchid pointed at her.
”Firecat!”
The moment these words left her, a specter of flames suddenly appeared out of thin air. The construct took the form of a tiger, letting out a roar as it lunged forward and headbutted Cammy in the stomach. Upon colliding, the Firecat exploded in a burst of orange energy, eliciting a cry of pain as Cammy was launched through the wall.
MONSTER COMBO!
[Pause]
For three seconds, Cammy fell through the air, feeling only the air flowing behind her back. Just as she was about to hit the ground, though, she backflipped through the air, hitting the metal walkway with a loud CLANG! Upon landing, however, she collapsed onto her knees, panting heavily. She couldn’t explain why, but each time Orchid had hit her, she could feel part of her stamina start to drain. Not only that, but with every blow, Orchid seemed to be getting faster and stronger!
‘But that doesn’t make sense. How could she-‘ Cammy’s eyes widened as she suddenly remembered something. While she barely had any time to register it due to Orchid’s combo, she could’ve sworn she saw some sort of purple specter beside her. Could that be why she was feeling so drained? As this thought came to her, Cammy began to realize something else: Orchid’s injuries didn’t seem to be slowing her down. In fact, with the way she was moving and how strong she’d gotten, it was like she hadn’t even been stabbed in the first place!
Before she could ponder her opponent’s newfound recovery, Cammy’s thoughts were cut off as she noticed a shadow rapidly approaching her from above. Out of instinct, the Killer Bee backflipped away, which proved to be the right choice as Orchid hit the walkway with a resounding CLANG! Looking up, Orchid watched the blonde skid to a halt, her combat boots kicking up a series of sparks as they grated against the walkway. Once she’d come to a complete stop, Cammy rose back up and reentered her fighting stance, eliciting a smirk from Orchid.
“Gotta say, I respect the dedication to your mission.” The raven-haired agent admitted. “But unless you’ve got some anymore surprises, you’re better off calling it quits. I just spent the past three minutes kicking your ass, and no amount of blue energy is gonna change that.”
‘She’s got me there.’ Cammy admitted to herself. ‘If I want to take her on, I’ll need to rely on more than just Psycho Power. Fortunately…’ she leaned down, pressing a button on both sides of her boots.
[Continue]
‘I’ve got just what I need for an extra boost!’
WHOOSH!
Suddenly, Cammy burst forward, moving so quickly that she disappeared from Orchid’s sight! Her eyes widening, Orchid brought her arms up, instinctively blocking an attack that sent her skidding back two feet. Once she had stopped, Orchid lurched over as she felt a knee strike slam into her chest. A spin kick followed this, with the speed and power sending Orchid hurtling through the air. Before she could regain her bearings, however, a sudden jet boost rang out through her ears, causing her to instinctively look up just as-
WHAM!
Orchid grunted in pain as she felt a flip kick nail her in the forehead, drawing blood and sending her crashing back onto the walkway. She attempted to push herself back up and recover, but Cammy put the kibosh on that as she dove down. Orchid’s eyes shrank in shock as the Brit rapidly approached her, but she proved quick to react by cartwheeling back up, just narrowly avoiding a dive kick. Unfortunately, she proved too slow to counter the follow-up, as Cammy then boosted into a Cannon Spike! The jet-boosted technique sent Orchid into the air once again, and this time Cammy was ready!
Using her rocket skates to her advantage, Cammy boosted forward with a shout of “Cannon Strike” and delivered a dropkick to the chest. An audible CRACK rang out as Orchid’s bustier became covered in cracks, but the woman herself only acknowledged this with an annoyed grunt. She soon fell to the ground, hitting it back-first, but as she attempted to recover, Cammy took action!
While Orchid was just starting to get back to her feet, Cammy rushed forward and struck her with a left hook to the face, forcing her to spit up blood. A right hook followed this, which then led to a roundhouse kick with her left leg and a crescent kick with her right. Orchid felt her head snap to the side, but her pain soon morphed into annoyance. Looking back at Cammy, Orchid attempted to regain control of the situation and swung her right eskrima in an overhead arc. Seeing this, Cammy responded by ducking beneath it, placing her left hand against the ground. Then, with a quick push-
C-C-C-C-COUNTER BREAKER!
She slammed into Orchid with a jet-powered, double-booted kick to the face, causing the agent’s head to once again snap to the left as she staggered back. At the same time, Cammy leapt forward, wrapping her legs around Orchid’s neck. Then, after allowing their combined weight to drop them to the ground, Cammy slammed Orchid into the ground back-first, eliciting a grunt of pain from the agent. The moment they hit the ground, Cammy released her grip on Orchid’s body, causing the agent to bounce back into the air! As she watched her opponent ascend, Cammy struck an odd pose, letting out three words as she did so:
”Shifting of gear!”
Then, with her speed boosted even further, Cammy lunged forward, curling into a ball as she leapt through the air. Once she was close enough, Cammy uncurled herself and dove past Orchid, delivering another rocket-powered Cannon Strike. Somehow, the dive kick hit Orchid three times, but this would prove to be the least of her worries as Cammy landed on the ground.
Without wasting a moment, Cammy corkscrewed toward her with a Spiral Arrow, hitting five times and sending Orchid spiraling through the air. The moment Cammy felt her boots touch the ground, she immediately leapt after her aerial opponent, giving a shout of “Cannon Spike” as she slammed her jet-powered skate into Orchid’s lumbar. Unlike before, however, it seemed Cammy wasn’t content with letting it end there. Instead, she allowed the flames of her jet boosts to grow in intensity as she threw out four more kicks. Each one carried Orchid even higher, and by the fourth they were nearly twelve feet in the air!
As the final kick nailed her opponent in the back, Cammy used the woman’s body as a springboard, creating burns on Orchid’s legs in the process. Cammy hit a nearby wall within seconds, landing with a resounding CLANG, and she immediately sprung off. Then, using a combination of her speed, agility, and the jet boosts; Cammy rapidly struck Orchid from all angles. Each kick carried them further through Ultratech’s headquarters, and it would only end once they were three floors above the corporation’s recesses.
”Acceleration!” The Killer Bee announced as she launched herself at Orchid and began spinning like a drill. Her legs ground against Orchid’s bustier, creating a small spider web of cracks that grew with each nanosecond. Finally, after three seconds of drilling into the Killer Instinct champion, Cammy spun past her, punctuating it with a shout of “You’re finished!”
GODLIKE COMBO!
[Stop music]
Once she was several feet away, Cammy stopped spinning and hit the ground with a muffled CLANG, but she still wasn’t done! Spotting the descending Orchid, Cammy shut off her boots and rushed forward, pulling out some garrote wire from a holster on her left thigh. Leaping through the air, the blonde performed a brief flip as she approached Orchid, using this opportunity to wrap her legs around the agent’s arms. With her opponent now restrained, Cammy shifted her weight forward, forcing Orchid to slam into the ground face first. A grunt emerged from Orchid’s throat as her head crashed into the metal floor, but before she could recover her bearings, Cammy wrapped the garrote wire around her neck. Then, without missing a beat, she began to pull!
The grip on Orchid’s neck suddenly tightened, causing her to snap back to reality as the garrote dug into her skin. Realizing what her opponent was planning, Orchid began writhing around, her mind filling with panic as she attempted to free herself. Unfortunately, she would soon realize how futile this was. Due to the way Cammy had wrapped her legs around Orchid’s arms, all she had done was slowly tire herself out. It didn’t help that each time she fought, Cammy’s grip grew tighter. Blood was starting to leak down Orchid’s neck, and she could feel her air supply slowly depleting. But if Cammy expected Orchid to accept her fate, she was dead wrong!
Instead, this feeling of helplessness was causing something to boil up within Orchid. Her mind, once clouded with panic, was rapidly giving way, replaced with a mixture of anger and desperation to survive. As if reflecting this, a blaze of fire began to surround Orchid’s body. A mighty roar escaped the agent’s lips as she leapt to freedom, her body having shrunk into a smaller, familiar form: the Firecat!
[Stop music]
”What?” Cammy asked in surprise as she watched the woman-turned-feline escape her grip. The moment the Firecat hit the ground, it immediately turned back around and lunged at the Delta Red agent, headbutting her in the stomach. The force was enough to make Cammy lurch over, leaving her open as Orchid turned back and began wailing on her!
Using the momentum of her first attack, Orchid cartwheeled toward Cammy, delivering two overhead kicks that forced Cammy’s head to snap to the left. Once her feet hit the ground, Orchid struck Cammy with a Flick Flack, with each one forcing her to spit up blood. A donkey kick to the stomach followed this, causing Cammy to cough up spittle. She attempted to recover her bearings, but Orchid cut this short with an overhead swing, forcing her adversary to lurch over. Not even a second later, and this would be followed by a knee strike smashing into Cammy’s chest. Then, using the momentum from this attack, Orchid brought her leg up and slammed into White’s jaw with a roundhouse kick. Cammy’s head snapped back, but before she could regain focus, Orchid fired off three blasts of plasma, each one slamming into the Brit’s stomach. Then, while her opponent was distracted by the pain, Orchid crouched down.
”Coming through!” She announced as her body began glowing a bright white. A split second after this, and the Killer Instinct champion lunged forward, having turned back into a Firecat. This time, however, there was a difference. Now she was moving fast enough to leave a series of afterimages! Cammy grunted in pain as the Firecat rammed into her five times, and once this was over, Orchid returned to normal. Unfortunately, she still wasn’t finished.
With shadow energy still coursing through her, Orchid threw out a lightning-fast combo. A backhanded swing struck Cammy in the side, followed by Orchid whirling around to smack her right cheek. Two downward swings nailed the Delta Red agent in the forehead, forcing her to lurch over. A knee strike then sent her into the air, with Orchid responding by morphing into a Firecat and leaping after her. Once again, the fiery apparition struck its adversary five times, with each one sending them further through the air. Once they’d hit the peak of their ascension, Orchid morphed back, punctuating it with a swing of her eskrima, and then dropkicked Cammy in the face. The former Doll found herself hurtling through the air, and it was at this same time that Orchid hit the ground. Not wasting a beat, the ex-SWD member brought her sticks’ handles together. A grunt of exertion escaped her mouth as she slammed the makeshift staff into the ground, and then-
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Four pillars of energy erupted out of the ground, each one carrying White further across the arena. The energy soon dissipated, and once it had, Cammy slammed into the metal ground with an audible THUD!
GODLIKE COMBO!
[Stop music]
Cammy laid on the ground, her body battered, bloodied, and covered in bruises. Pain shot through her with every breath she took, and her injuries were only making this worse. Yet for some reason, whether through sheer stubbornness or an innate desire to win, the Brit forced her arm to move. She placed her hand against the ground, mentally preparing herself for the pain that would come with pushing herself up, but a familiar voice cut her off.
”I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” Orchid advised. Looking up, Cammy noticed the ex-SWD agent had stopped in front of her, both arms crossed over her chest. “I’ll give you this, blondie, you’re tough, but I’m pretty sure even you should know when it’s time to throw in the towel.”
”No!” Cammy said defiantly as she attempted to fight through the pain. Propping herself back up with her right arm, the Brit slowly pushed herself onto one knee. “I can’t give up here! I won’t!” Hearing this, Orchid sighed in annoyance.
“Suit yourself.” As she said this, her batons began to glow a bright yellow, almost as if they were building up energy. She then swung them down, and it was then that Cammy’s pupils shrank in horror. Time seemed to slow down as a sense of dread overtook her mind. Was she really about to die like this? Alone, with her body left to rot in the catacombs of a corrupt organization? What would the other members of Delta Red think of her death, or of her failure to retrieve the information they needed to stop Ultratech?
As these thoughts ran through her mind, Cammy’s panic began to subside, and in its place was a new emotion. Pure, unadulterated rage, born from a determination to survive, began to boil within her. Blue sparks began to form around her body, each one appearing and dissipating with an audible crackle. They started off slowly at first, but each of these wisps continued to grow in frequency, only rivaled by their ever-growing size. Looking up, the Delta Red agent watched as the charged batons slowly descended upon her. By now, they were mere inches away from making contact. All Orchid would need is another millisecond, and all of this would be over. What she didn’t expect, however, was that Cammy was more than willing to fight back!
Bringing her arms into the air, the former Doll grabbed hold of the eskrima sticks, stopping them dead in their tracks.
”What?” Orchid asked, audibly surprised by what she was seeing. Aside from how Cammy was actually grabbing her eskrima without any ill effects, the Brit’s appearance had also undergone another change. For starters, her entire body was now coated in a fiery, blue aura, one that seemed to be made of the same energy from before. The second difference was in her eyes. Only a moment ago, clouded with fear and dread. Now, however, they shone with a cold, violent fury!
[Stop music]
Orchid grit her teeth, feeling her muscles strain as she attempted to push her eskrima into Cammy’s face. Unfortunately, it seemed this energy had given Cammy a second wind. No matter how hard Orchid pushed, her weapons refused to budge! It didn’t help that Cammy had begun twisting her arms and, by extension, the eskrima, to the side. Within seconds, the weapons were pushed out of range, and Cammy proved quick to counter it. Two knee strikes slammed into Orchid’s face, sending her skidding back as the energy in her eskrima suddenly dispersed.
With her opponent distracted, Cammy lunged forward, throwing out two hooks, two hard-hitting crosses to the stomach, and finished by slamming into Orchid with a roundhouse kick. With the added strength of Psycho Power, Orchid was sent spiraling through the air, a streak of blood trailing down her lips as she did so. Before she could even regain her bearings, Orchid found herself sent further through the air by an energy-infused Cannon Spike. As Orchid flew through the air, Cammy leapt after her, curling up in fetal position as she began ascending even further through the air. In seconds, the former Doll had ascended above Orchid, letting out a brief smirk as she dropped down.
With a shout of ”Cannon Strike,” Cammy dove past her adversary, this time unleashing a Psycho Powered kick. Under its power, Orchid was sent spinning even further across the lab, and Cammy proved quick to follow this with a second Cannon Spike. Upon feeling Cammy’s combat boot slam into her atlas, Orchid’s rapid spinning suddenly came to a halt, and she let out a cry of pain. She wouldn’t have the chance to fall, though, as Cammy wrapped her legs around Orchid’s neck. Then, with a violent twist, the Delta Red agent slammed her adversary into the ground! A resounding CLANG rang out as Orchid hit the ground headfirst, only to once again bounce back into the air.
As her opponent involuntarily flipped through the air, Cammy hopped forward. Then, with a cry of “Spinning Axe,” the British agent slammed into Orchid’s chest with a heel kick. A grunt of annoyance and pain emerged from Orchid’s lips as she flew through the air, but she proved quick to correct her course by backflipping to her feet. Upon hitting the ground, a series of sparks erupted from beneath her as she forced herself to skid to a halt.
AWESOME COMBO!
[Pause music]
Once she had come to a stop, Orchid collapsed onto one knee, letting out a heavy series of breaths. That combo had taken a lot out of her, and that energy… whatever it was, she’d need to keep her guard up if she wanted to get around it!
’She’s tougher than I thought!’ Orchid thought to herself as she fell onto one knee, panting heavily. ‘And that energy… whatever it is, it seems stronger than before.’ Closing her eyes, she let out an annoyed exhale before opening them again, revealing that they were now shining with anger. ‘Well, if that’s the game you wanna play, I’ll gladly join in!’
As if reacting to her thoughts, the Vampire Bat disappeared in a puff of smoke, and in its place was a glowing, orange sphere Its sides sported a pattern of intricate white lines and circles, while its middle contained a glowing, light blue iris. The moment it appeared, Orchid gave a grin as she felt her body became tougher, almost as if a layer of metal was coating her skin.
[Continue]
Now equipped with the Fractured Ward, Orchid ran toward Cammy at top speed, with the Delta Red agent responding in kind. They soon met in the middle, with Cammy leaping through the air and throwing out a kick to the chest!
WHOOM!
Upon contact, however, a purple shockwave shot out from Orchid’s body, with Orchid herself remaining unaffected. Cammy’s eyes widened in shock, but before she could attempt to rectify her mistake, Orchid countered with a powerful swing of her left eskrima! The Delta Red agent spat out blood as she was sent flying back, but she quickly recovered with a backflip through the air. Then, with a sudden lunge, the beret-clad Brit slammed into her opponent with an axe kick. Her intent had been to slam the former SWD agent into the ground, but once again she was met with the sight of a purple shockwave. Suspicion briefly donned on Cammy’s face, but it was soon replaced with pain as Orchid countered with a knee strike to the chest.
CRACK!
Cammy let out a cough of pain, flecks of spittle mixing with blood as she felt two of her ribs break. Four swings of Orchid’s eskrima slammed into the Street Fighter’s chest, with each one causing another one of her ribs to crack. Once the final swing had made contact, Orchid connected both of her sticks together. Then, with a grunt of exertion, she slammed them into the catwalk below!
BOOM!
A pillar of energy erupted from the staff, causing Cammy to grunt as it bombarded her multiple times. As it dispersed, Cammy was sent hurtling through the air, but before she could travel too far, Orchid leapt after her and planted both feet against her body. She then pushed off, dropkicking White in the chest hard enough to send her flying away from the catwalk.
EXTREME COMBO!
Cammy descended through the air at breakneck speeds, her back facing the gaping abyss below. Despite this, she showed no signs of worry about her current situation. Instead, Cammy gave a smirk as she threw her arm out. In what could only be described as a stroke of luck, she managed to grab hold of the railing, and she proved quick to exploit this!
Using her boosted strength, Cammy brought herself over the bar and quickly flipped off of it, making a b-line straight for Orchid! With a shout of “Spiral Arrow,” she once again corkscrewed through the air, this time drilling straight into Orchid. Unfortunately, it seemed that whatever was protecting her was still working its magic. No matter how hard she spun, she still couldn’t get past that damned shield!
With her frustration hitting its peak, Cammy crouched down for a second, allowing Psycho Power to build within her. At the same time, Orchid, noticing the gaping hole in her opponent’s defenses, threw out a left hook. Just before it could make contact, however, Cammy lunged forward, smashing into the Disavowed’s founder with a Psycho Power-infused axe kick! While it wasn’t enough to break through the shield, it had been strong enough to send Orchid crashing back onto the walkway!
CLANG!
[Stop music]
The deafening noise rang out across the room, though Orchid managed to push herself back up without much of an issue. That’s not to say her recovery had gone off without a hitch, though. Her fall, when combined with that heavy strike from Cammy, had left her shield in critical condition. Another hit like that, and the barrier would no doubt shatter!
As these thoughts ran through her mind, Orchid noticed a shadow suspended above her and immediately leapt back, just barely managing to avoid a punch from Cammy’s gauntlets. As she leapt through the air, however, Orchid noticed something concerning: the gauntlets were now covered in arcs of electricity, something that would no doubt be amplified by the ex-Doll’s Psycho Power. This theory of hers would soon be tested as her opponent’s feet hit the ground seconds later, with Cammy herself slamming an outstretched fist into the metal floor!
BZZZ-ZZZZ-ZZZT!
Orchid let out a cry of pain as the Psycho Powered electricity coursed through her body, tearing through her shield and attacking her directly! Thousands of volts rolled across her body, shutting her muscle system down and forcing her to collapse onto her knees. Before she could collapse onto the ground, Cammy rushed forward, slamming into the Disavowed’s founder with a kick to the stomach. Orchid was sent skidding back, and with her muscles temporarily shut down, she had no way of fighting back as Cammy laid into her.
Using the momentum of her latest attack, White spun around, striking her across the jaw with three spin kicks. As the final kick flew past Orchid, Cammy followed up with a powerful shoulder tackle to the chest! A grunt of pain emerged from Orchid’s throat as she felt her otherwise numb body flare with pain. Even with her bustier blocking it, she could still feel how hard the elbow strike had hit, and Cammy wasn’t content with letting it end there! Whirling around, the Killer Bee slammed into her face with a swift backhand, but then something odd happened.
Almost as if it were reacting to her subconscious demands, the Fractured Ward disappeared, much like the Vampire Bat before it. In its place was what appeared to be a miniature golden dragon. This new creature, the Exemplar, immediately went to work, filling Orchid’s paralyzed body with energy. The agent flashed white for a brief moment as Cammy’s fist approached. Then, despite her current condition, she raised her arm, casually parrying the swing with her left baton.
”How did you-“ Cammy’s question would be cut off as Orchid bashed her right baton against her side, staggering her.
”Recover so quickly?” Orchid finished with a smirk. “Let’s just say I’ve got my own secrets.”
As she said this, the ex-SWD agent threw out a swift barrage of strikes with her eskrima sticks. She targeted anything she could locate: the arms, the legs, the torso, it didn’t matter! As long as it would make it harder for Cammy to fight, she didn’t give a damn what she hit.
At the same time, Cammy was gritting her teeth, trying desperately to retaliate against Orchid, but to no avail. Occasionally, she’d manage to break the combo chain and attempt her own attack, but Orchid would block and counter with a blow that hit twice as hard. And unfortunately for Cammy, these signs didn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon. With each parry, Orchid would recover more of her lost health, and she could feel the energy in her attacks getting boosted even further!
Once these energies had hit their peak, Orchid began unleashing an even more brutal combo. Punches, kicks, and eskrima bludgeonings were happening so quickly that Cammy couldn’t even keep up with her. She didn’t even have time to register the movements in between each move, as her mind would still be left reeling from the previous blows. The onslaught of blows forced the Brit to continuously spit out blood. With each strike, she could another of her bones crack and her organs would either receive another bruise or start bleeding. Little did she know, it would only grow worse once Orchid decided to finish her combo.
Flipping herself upside down, the Killer Instinct champion threw out both legs and began spinning like a helicopter, causing her to ascend through the air! While this blatant defiance of physics occurred, two kicks struck Cammy across the stomach and chest, forcing her to share her opponent’s ascent. Upon landing a final kick to the face, however, White was sent flying off of the catwalk, hurtling toward one of the support pillars at supersonic speeds!
KING COMBO!
As she flew through the air with her back facing the endless expanse below her, Cammy forced herself to look up. Upon doing so, she was met with the rapidly approaching sight of a support pillar, something that she seemed destined to crash against it. Had most people been in this situation, they would’ve likely entered a state of desperate panic, but Cammy White was not most people!
The moment she saw the enormous pillar, a smirk began to form on Cammy’s face. Using her momentum, and fighting the agonizing pain in her system, White backflipped through the air, allowing her to hit the pillar with a muffled THUNK! Then, just as quickly as she landed, she sprung off, hurling herself toward Orchid with a diagonal kick. The blow made direct contact with Orchid’s chestplate, cracking it even further as Cammy flew past her. Appearing behind her, the Killer Bee then lunged forward, landing a kick to Orchid’s back as she once again seemed to phase through the agent.
Once again hitting the support, Cammy rocketed forward with a powerful kick to the stomach. Then, as she landed behind Orchid, Cammy delivered a diagonal ascending kick to the nape. As they ascended through the air, Cammy wrapped both of her arms around Orchid’s torso and performed a swift backflip. The two agents were rapidly approaching the catwalk, and just when it seemed that they were about to hit the ground together, Cammy quickly switched positions. With a resounding CLANG, Orchid found herself slammed into the ground, courtesy of a twin-legged stomp from Cammy. The moment they landed, White quickly backflipped off of her, landing only a few inches away from Orchid.
SOLID COMBO!
“I’ll give you one last chance: stand down.” Cammy ordered. Unfortunately, it seemed that the Killer Instinct champion refused to cooperate. As soon as those words had left her opponent’s lips, Orchid forced herself to get back to her feet, ignoring the blood that was now running down her face.
“Sorry, but I’ve never been the type to take orders from an enemy!” She taunted, attempting to retaliate by bashing an eskrima stick against her head. Just when it seemed that her plan was about to come to fruition, however, Cammy gave a smirk as she ducked underneath the swing.
”Then it looks like I’ll need a bit more force!” She announced as she reeled her right arm back. With each inch, her gauntlets began to violently spark, producing arcs of electricity and the occasional streak of Psycho Power. Then, before Orchid could attempt to correct her mistake, the Killer Bee threw her fist forward with all her might!
WHAM!
The Psycho Power-infused punch slammed into Orchid’s stomach, forcing her to double over as she coughed up several flecks of blood. As she would soon realize, though, this was merely the punch. The gauntlet’s blast had yet to come! While this realization was coming to her, she watched in horror as the energy continued to build up. Thanks to it pressing against her stomach, she could feel the growing reserves of energy slowly building up from her gut. Then, with an audible shout, Cammy released all of it in the span of a second, creating a massive explosion that sent Orchid flying across the arena!
As she soared through the air, Orchid let out a scream of combined pain and annoyance. Upon reaching the peak of her ascension, Orchid prepared to reposition herself in midair, but it seemed that Cammy had other ideas. Using her enhanced strength, the Delta Red agent leapt through the air, meeting her recovering opponent almost immediately, and prepared to slam into her with a Cannon Strike. Unwilling to let history repeat itself, Orchid brought her sticks up, crossing them in front of herself to block the dive kick. Unperturbed, Cammy threw out three more kicks, all of which Orchid continued to block. As they continued falling through the air, Orchid took a moment to look back, only to find that she was seconds away from colliding with the metal grating.
Desperate to prevent a painful landing, Orchid proved quick to improvise as she performed an overhead cartwheel through the air, striking Cammy in the chin and sending her over Orchid’s shoulder. With her body now repositioned, Orchid hit the ground feet-first and looked back to where Cammy was landing. Exactly one second later, the Brit landed on her feet, creating a muffled CLANG, and immediately rushed toward Orchid.
”You won’t escape my sting!” Cammy announced as she dove down, corkscrewing toward her with an energy-infused Spiral Arrow. As she watched the Delta Red agent approach her, Orchid only responded by giving a smirk as she reeled her arm back. Then, with a mighty swing-
BAM!
Cammy grunted as one of the eskrima sticks slammed into her jaw, sending her airborne. Then, without wasting a beat, Orchid threw out two swings, both of which hit White in the stomach. Shifting her body, the ex-SWD agent then performed a handstand as she threw out three spinning kicks to the chest. As she rose back up, Orchid delivered two 180° swings, sending Cammy flying helplessly through the air. The blonde attempted to correct her course by flipping through the air, but before she could-
“Firecat!”
At Orchid’s command, the Firecat appeared out of nowhere, slamming into Cammy with a powerful headbutt! Cammy grunted in pain, closing her eyes as she felt a fiery pain spread through her stomach. It soon dispersed, knocking Cammy back, and as she opened her eyes, Cammy was surprised at what she saw. Rushing toward her at hypersonic speeds was Orchid, who had now connected her eskrima sticks together. She held the sticks out a vertical angle, no doubt in an attempt to continue the combo. As this approached her, however, Cammy’s surprise soon gave way to a smirk. Orchid’s makeshift staff was milliseconds away from hitting her, but just before it could, Cammy suddenly disappeared from her sight, causing Orchid to hit thin air. Just as she realized this, though-
”Where are you looking?” A familiar voice called out as the agent felt a spin kick slam into her back.
C-C-C-C-C-COMBO BREAKER!
As Orchid unintentionally staggered forward, Cammy followed her counter by delivering a right underhanded punch to the lumbar, which then led to a roundhouse to the agent’s left shoulder blade. The kick sent Orchid spiraling through the air, and Cammy leapt after her in hot pursuit! Meeting in midair, Cammy planted her feet on the older woman’s back and shifted into performing a Spiral Arrow. The drilling motion of her legs rapidly tore through the damaged bustier, and now they were digging into Orchid’s skin. As she fought back the urge to cry out in pain, Orchid felt her head slam against the grating, forcing her to let out a grunt in annoyance. With her opponent distracted, one thought rang through Cammy’s mind:
”It’s time to end this!”
Once the Spiral Arrow had come to an end, Cammy didn’t even waste a second before performing her next attack! Moving her legs up, she quickly wrapped them around the older woman’s neck and began squeezing with as much strength as she could muster! Needless to say, it was clear that Cammy had learned her lesson from last time. Earlier, she had made the mistake of acting too slowly. If she wanted to take Orchid down, she’d have to do it quickly!
As these thoughts ran through White’s mind, Orchid, in a blatant attempt to defy her fate, responded by raising both of her legs into the air. Most of her vision had been obscured by Cammy’s thighs, but even in her current position she could still make out where her captor’s face and neck were. With little time to spare, Orchid wrapped her own legs around Cammy’s neck and began squeezing just as hard!
Under Orchid’s vice-like grip, Cammy could feel her neck start to twist involuntarily as she was pulled further toward the ground. The muscles in her neck were struggling to remain intact, and her breathing was becoming slower. At the same time, this brush with death was causing a well of adrenaline to rush through her body her, boosting her strength even further! The Psycho Power surrounding her body was starting to spike up, and with it Cammy’s grip continued to grow tighter and tighter. At the same time, Orchid’s own adrenaline had begun to rise, and she responded in kind!
By now, it was a race against the clock. Both soldiers lay on their sides, locked in a battle for supremacy as they held the other in a headscissor. Their thighs continued grinding against each other’s necks, forcing them to bend at unnatural angles. A chorus of cracks rang out as their muscles and bones began to give out, causing pain to flare through both women’s minds. The two flashed a pointed glare at each other, Cammy’s light-blue eyes meeting Orchid’s dark blue. Gritting their teeth, a strained grunt escaped the soldiers’ lips as they struggled against the other’s grip. These grunts soon evolved, becoming defiant war cries as each one twisted their captive. They could hear their muscles tearing and their bones threatening to snap, but this only seemed to further their resolve! The muscles in their necks began to strain under each other’s grip, and then, as they each gave one final push-
KRACKT!
[Stop music]
The audible crunch of someone’s neck snapping rang throughout the area, followed by the muffled CLANG of their hand hitting the ground and going slack. With her opponent dead, the victor pulled herself free, coughing and sputtering as she took several ragged breaths. Once the color had returned to her, the soldier pushed herself back up, taking a brief moment to look down at her fallen opponent.
Cammy’s body laid against the walkway, her neck bent at an unnatural angle. Her eyes were glazed over and her expression remained blank. The Psycho Power had faded from her body, having dispersed the moment Orchid snapped her neck.
As she stared down at the fallen Delta Red agent, Orchid allowed her thoughts to wander. Had her quest to destroy Ultratech actually brought her to this point, that she was willing to kill someone who could’ve been a potential ally? True, she could’ve made the argument that it was in self-defense, but that wouldn’t be enough to rid her of the disgust she was feeling toward herself. Maybe things would’ve turned out differently if they’d talked it out. Or if she’d placed a little less pressure, Cammy would still be here. Or maybe she could’ve used her smoke bomb to escape, instead of continuing the fight..
As her mind swirled with possibilities, Orchid gave a melancholic sigh before bending down. After closing Cammy’s eyes, Orchid switched positions and brought her into the air, taking a moment to look down at her.
”I’m sorry it had to come to this,” she admitted, “but I won’t let your death be in vain. Ultratech… Shadaloo… I’ll make sure those bastards pay for everything they’ve done. Every life they’ve taken, everything they’ve ruined, I’ll be sure to take it and pay it back tenfold! For my sake, and yours!”
As this promise escaped her lips, Orchid began walking out of the laboratory, taking Cammy’s body in tow. While the thought of Cammy’s death still left her with a feeling of disgust, she wouldn’t let it be in vain! She wouldn’t rest until Shadaloo and Ultratech were destroyed, and nothing was going to stop her!
Man, that was pretty close. If Cammy had lasted another second and applied a bit more pressure, this story might’ve ended a bit differently, right? Well, despite what the fight above might have led you to believe, this match was nowhere near as close as it looked.
Let’s start by discussing Cammy. Physically speaking, she’s comparable to the likes of Ryu, Chun-Li, and Guile; the former of whom had his energy used by M. Bison to power a city-destroying laser. This feat comes out at City Level, but it could likely be higher since it was performed after Ryu was subdued and beaten, and it’s unlikely Bison was using Ryu’s full power. Scaling its speed would put Ryu, and by extension Cammy, at Mach 5633, or Massively Hypersonic+.
When it comes to Orchid, this is where things get interesting. During the events of Shadow Lords, she was able to defeat Shadow Jago, who at the time was possessing Jago’s body. Jago was one of the three people (alongside Tusk and Kim Wu) responsible for defeating Gargos, who was able to disperse a massive amount of clouds, which comes out at 29.99 zettatons of TNT; or Small Planet Level. Keep in mind that this was just from Gargos appearing, so it’s likely he’s even stronger. In terms of speed, Orchid can be scaled to ARIA due to directly keeping up with her in battle. And in the Killer Instinct Novella, ARIA was able to do this:
ARIA sat down on her throne and tapped into her cloud-mind, running through every scenario that she had ever conceived—and its millions of potential pathways—in a nano-second. Her eyes flashed briefly and then she said: “I will go to the City of Dawn…alone. And I will ask Jago, Orchid, Maya and TJ—and their allies Thunder and Aganos—to join Ultratech in combating whatever malevolent beings will inevitably come through these portals.”
Since ARIA was able to process millions of pathways in a nanosecond, this feat would be around 15 million times faster than light. And since Orchid was able to keep up with her, this feat by proxy would scale to her as well.
In short, Orchid massively dwarfs Cammy in the stat trinity, but what about the other factors?
Well, experience is a bit hard to decide. Cammy’s been trained from birth to be a master assassin, and she’s fought her fair share of martial artists. Orchid, meanwhile, has been trained by her father in military and survival skills; and her time in the SWD has given her stealth training and knowledge of guerilla warfare tactics. This knowledge, when combined with her stealth, gives her another option to take Cammy down if brute force wouldn’t cut it.
In terms of arsenal, both had a vast array of weaponry, each with their own advantages. Cammy’s gauntlets give her better striking strength and its concussive blasts would grant her an edge in unpredictability. The choke whip could be used to restrain Orchid, and her submachine guns and rocket launcher give her better options for long-range combat. But while Cammy had Orchid’s number in long-range, Orchid had better close-range options. Her electrified eskrima sticks and tonfas could let her paralyze Cammy, and their eruptions could let her attack Cammy from a distance. Additionally, her smoke grenades could disorient Cammy, giving her the opportunity to attack via stealth tactics. Her transmutation spell is also something Cammy had no means of countering, as she’s never shown the ability to resist something like that. Admittedly, it’s unlikely Orchid would use it right off the bat since she typically saves it for a finishing blow, but this is a moot point considering she already holds a massive edge in stats.
Keep in mind that I’ve said all of this without considering the Guardians. By including them, Orchid gains an even larger edge in versatility. The Vampire Bat could heal her from any damage Cammy inflicts, and it gives her the opportunity to gain faster attacks. She could counter Cammy’s fighting style (which is based on agility and grappling) by using the Ram, Fractured Ward, Exemplar, Watcher, or Tiger. Astral Tiki and Lion give her buffs that would further the already massive gap in stats, and Snake would allow her to inflict a poison effect to further inconvenience Cammy.
Finally, there are their respective energy power-ups. While you’d think Cammy’s Psycho Power would give her an edge over Orchid, it… really doesn’t. Sure, it boosts her stats and increases her moveset, but Orchid’s Firecat accomplishes the same thing. It doesn’t help Cammy’s case that using Psycho Power will cause her body to decay. Admittedly, this will only occur over time, but it’s unlikely to happen in the first place since Orchid can easily blitz and one-shot her.
Meanwhile, when we look at Orchid’s Firecat, it becomes clear that she even holds the edge here. With it, she can summon Firecats to give herself an edge in numbers, they can explode or burst into flame for a larger AOE attack, and she can even turn herself into a Firecat to phase through Cammy’s attacks.
In short, Cammy’s firearms gave her an edge in long-range combat and her ability to use Psycho Power meant that she could lessen the gap in stats by a bit; but Orchid’s enormous edge in the stat trinity, superior experience, more tactical mind, larger arsenal, and larger array of powers allowed her to take the win.
Cammy thigh-ed her best, but it wasn’t enough to prevent her from snapping under the pressure.
The winner is Black Orchid.
Black Orchid (Winner)
+ Held an astronomical edge in stats
+ More experienced
+ Better training
+ Stealth training and guerilla warfare tactics gave her a form of combat Cammy had no means of countering
+ Better close-range arsenal
+ Smoke grenades could be combined with her stealth training to disorient Cammy
+ Magic was something Cammy had no counter for
– Though it’s unlikely Orchid would use it from the start
+ Guardians gave her massive buffs, ways to counter Cammy’s fighting style, healing options, and the ability to inflict poison effects
+ Firecat gives her an edge in numbers, larger AOE attacks, and unpredictability
– Inferior long-range arsenal
Cammy White (Loser)
+ Better long-range options
+ Could boost her stats further with Psycho Power
– But even with it, she has no way to close the massive gap
– She’d also get blitzed and one-shot before she could use it
– Even with Psycho Power, she was completely dominated in stats
– Less experienced
– Inferior training
– No way to counter Orchid’s stealth approach or magic
– Inferior close-range arsenal
– Guardians countered her fighting style, could poison her, allowed Orchid to heal herself, and gave Orchid buffs
– Firecat > Psycho Power
Brendan’s Versus Battles 
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