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Another night, another possible battle. Tsui was still recovering from recent... endeavors, but she found herself to be in a much more pleasant mood than before. Everything seemed to be falling into place; her ordeals with the Dark Mirror Court and Chaos in general, or perhaps it was her newfound love that made everything seem so much better? Sure, the White Moon Court was still in disarray and there was still some pent up jealousy she felt with her Chaos-loving rivals, but they seemed so much less important now than they once were.

She wasn't love sick, though if she was, she'd never admit it. Though, perhaps this feeling of euphoria was the pain killers kicking in? That seemed just as likely... but Tsui felt that she was prepared for active duty once more, if only to scout the area and keep the streets and citizens of Destiny City safe.

That was when she felt a dark blip on her internal radar, but she couldn't quite figure it out. It wasn't -too- strong but since when did THAT ever ring true to Tsui, and more importantly, when did she ever care what level the energy reading was? Chaos aura was Chaos aura... like she cared what level it was, unless it was another General King, or Princess... or another three headed Cerberus/Centaur mix youma. That last one was especially cringe-worthy... she wasn't sure if she had the strength, or the nerve, to deal with that again any time soon. For now, she'd have to investigate the energy signature... and see who was in for a beating!

Tsui was never the type to sit and observe her opponents from afar, though she was often told to exercise caution from her friends. What a good warrior would have done was take the time to observe the Negaverse lieutenant, take in her appearance as well as any sign of weaponry, possible strengths and weaknesses, as well as a good idea of their surroundings and how best to use it to his/her advantage. And if Sutai was here, Tsui would have considered such an approach. But... being as Sutai, nor any of her worrisome allies were here, it was all too easy to fall back into old habits, and the Senshi of Tigers did just that when Xenotime called her out.

"I'm supposedly a tiger made of steel," Tsui replied back, recalling the compliment from her dearest Anandi and perhaps allowing that statement to feed her ego as she approached the lieutenant. With the way Tsui presented herself, it was hard to tell that a youma had knocked her silly just days ago, and the prospect of a good fight was enough to push Tsui's reasonable caution aside. It was a Negaverse lieutenant... and not a Dark Mirror Senshi. Something to be grateful for, given her past few run ins. "Care to find out, Lieutenant...?"

It was a foreign situation she found herself in: normally, SHE'D be the underleveled underdog in the fight. This wasn't her first time being a rank above her opponent, but it was still something she was having trouble getting used to. The last time, however, Tsui went home with more bruises than she was willing to sport, and she half wondered if she should be concerned about this one. She seemed eager for a fight... that alone would be enough to even out the playing fields between the two, and Tsui rather welcomed it.

The fact that Xenotime did not even bother to introduce herself when given the prompt told Tsui a lot. This Negaverse lieutenant, though only a rank below her, was more interested in the fighting aspect of her job and not so much the chit chat and introductions. She seemed very simple and straight forward, and yet, Tsui liked that. She liked it a lot more than one would think!

"Finally, a Negaverse officer I can get behind... sort of," Tsui said when her opponent armed herself, and Tsui had meant every word she spoke. It had been too long since she faced a member of the Chaos faction and had a good, straight forward fight with them. None of this deep, heavy philosophical blabber, or blaming her for all the wrongs in the world that she had absolutely nothing to do with, no 'you're a lost little lamb' talk that only served to confuse her and distract her from what she was and what she needed to do. Super Sailor Tsui was a simple gal, and it seemed that she had found her equal, so to speak, in the Negaverse. Relief flashed in her eyes as she too fell into a combative stance, cracking her knuckles but unfortunately, no weapons besides her own fists appearing when she did so.

Super Sailor Tsui didn't need weapons, even practical ones that Xenotime owned. She had her magic, as well as her own fighting skills to fall back on, and she was determined to put some of her basic boxing training to good use. Despite the rank difference, Tsui made the first strike, aiming her fists at Xenotime's face when she went in with a left hook. She wasn't sure if her opponent would dodge, counter, or even brush off the attack, and in truth, she didn't care. She simply wanted a good fight... she was certain that her opponent would definitely give her that, and then some!

Xenotime's movements told Tsui a lot of what she might expect from this fight, and while part of her was a bit apprehensive, the other part of her reveled in that excitement. This girl meant serious business, and Tsui welcomed it as much as she almost feared it, despite their rank difference. Perhaps she just saw a lot of herself in her opponent, eager to exchange blows and not once thinking or caring who they were attacking, and if Tsui had the time to reflect upon this, she'd laugh at her own karma coming back to bite her in the rear as she now knew how Remarque felt when a basic had the nerve to attack him not once, but thrice!

Yet, given Xenotime's quick reflexes and even quicker retaliation, Tsui had no time to reflect upon these thoughts, and Xenotime's ploy had worked marvelously in catching her off guard. She overextended her dodge and in return, that fist slammed against her shoulder, the one that she was going to use to swing in the next exchange. The blow didn't hurt nearly as much as she thought it would, but it knocked her off balance, a feat that even the proud Senshi of Tigers was amazed with given how much she prided herself in maintaining her stance or in the very least, recovering it as quickly as possible.

She gave a pained grunt and tried to back step, hoping to put some well-needed distance between the two and reconsider her next action. She hit her right shoulder, which meant she'd have to try for a left hook or risk overextending her right arm and injuring herself further. Seeing the seriousness in Xenotime's grey eyes, Tsui went for the hook, and if that failed, then perhaps she'd try for a kick or a leg sweep. A dirty tactic, but Tsui didn't truly care for such technicalities in a fight. Killing an enemy outright? No, but she didn't feel TOO prideful to not resort to some underhanded tricks if it saved her from losing a fight (or her life).

'Tch... she's good... I'll give her that!'

Tsui was thankful to see her blow connect, knowing that her time spent training with Jett wasn't a total loss, though she could not help but feel a bit of apprehension starting to get the better of her. It had been awhile since she faced an opponent that was willing, and completely able to match her, blow for blow, and she was still eager to fight, but now she was beginning to become aware of the possibility of losing. And Tsui hated to lose... especially when she wasn't sure what it'd mean for her.

So Tsui was determined not to lose, though Xenotime was going to make her fight for her victory as she came charging forward, likely aiming for her left cheek and Tsui was more focused on dodging that blow than intercepting it at this point. She was never good with blocking or countering, but dodging? She felt she was nimble enough to try for that, though it left her open for the hand that latched to her bow and the gemstone in its center, preventing her from backing away and eliminating any chance of being able to dodge anymore attacks.

"Hey, hands off the merchandise!" Tsui shouted, any sign of humor gone from her tone and retaliating by reaching for the lieutenant's wrist with one hand and her hair with the other, in case she couldn't pry that hand away. She had seen Benitoite reach for such an area before and what came out when he pulled away... no, Tsui wasn't going to allow THAT to happen, as she dug her fingernails in deep to try and break out of her hold. Like hell she'd give up her starseed without a fight!

Tsui had to hand it to Xenotime in that the girl definitely knew what she was doing in a fight, and for as many school yard brawls Tsui was involved in, she had seldom encounter someone was fit and trained as Xenotime. If she had time to talk, she would have told the lieutenant this, but given the situation, there was no time for talk, only grunts and fighting.

The Tiger Senshi gave a pained grunt when Xenotime twisted her arm behind her back, and she didn't have much time to try and fight her way out of the position before the fist connected with her temple. The world flashed multiple colors from the blow, and despite the rank difference between them, it was definitely a crippling blow for Tsui.

It hurt like a b***h, and the worst part was that Tsui could feel her body beginning to slack. The siren's call to unconsciousness wouldn't be ignored, though one could tell that Tsui was trying her best to fight through it. Her knees gave away and down she went, the only words to come out of her mouth was a sneer, before becoming an incoherent mess. "Cheap shot..."

The worst possible scenario that played in Tsui's mind was the Negaverse lieutenant taking advantage of her weakened state and trying to rip out her starseed, but it seemed unlikely to pass. And while part of her pride would have felt offended at the thought of her starseed not being worthy enough, the other, more sensible side of her, was grateful when Xenotime pulled away.

By the time the lieutenant left, Tsui could feel her feet and legs again, and she pulled herself up to her knees with a groan. She knew better than to go for a standing position too quickly after a blow to the head, as she was a victim of countless ones in the past and had seemed to finally learn her lesson in that regard. Still, that didn't make her feel any better, and even with the compliments, as backhanded as that appeared coming from an enemy, Tsui couldn't fight the sense of shame she felt from this fight.

She had lost. To a Negaverse lieutenant. No doubt that would leave a mark on her ego, but then again, since when was Tsui's record flawless? She rubbed her temple, thankful that her bangs were long enough to hide any bruises she might have in the days to follow, as she licked her wounds. "Yeah, laugh it up. I'll return the favor in kind..."

A petty threat, Tsui knew, but she intended on keeping that promise. For now, all that she could do was nurse her wounded pride, and hope that none of her friends would learn of this defeat. As good of a fighter as Xenotime was, Tsui had a reputation of her own to keep up...