Batman once more puts the memory module hemlet on.  Azumi wanted to continue her training, so he agreed to it.  However, seeing her pass through the prior three of Mad Hatter, Lock-Up and Roxy Rocket, he knew that he had to up the ante, as it were.  His prior three follow-ups wouldn't do against her, so he had to switch it up.  Find three more than could test her far beyond her limits.  He knew to keep the seventh around as a final challenge.

He thinks, and immediately finds the three that would be of best challenge for her.  Two immediately come to mind for the first challenge.  Instead of the speed-based and stealth-based arenas, this challenge would require an area solely meant for combat.  He presses the microphone on the module.  "This one's a purely combative challenge.  Defeat the two enemies that will appear."

===

Azumi nodded within the simulation. She was back in that costume, by now used to it after three consecutive trials in their previous session. More than anything, she just wanted to get her mind back on training so she could hide what she was feeling. Rage and depression were the highest, but trust, trust in Bruce Wayne, as well. She was scared by that, though not as much as she was of the duo of villainesses, simply following his instructions.

Fear was not a bad thing if she didn't let it control her, and she would not, could not allow it to do so. She watches as the circular arena formed itself.

A kind of grouping of cybernetic pillars of gray, close enough to be a circle of walls reaching up into the abyss above, with four entrances, one at each of four separate directions. Her enemies could come from anywhere.

Getting into a very slight crouch that had suited her combat style, she waited for them to come, only saying one sentence.

"Hit me."

Immediately, there is a sound of impact from behind the right opening.  A clawed hand grips one the edge, and a giant figure steps out, scaled with grey and green, reptilian eyes and jagged teeth.  "Well, well, well... Looks like I got carry-out for dinner tonight."  He gives a deep chortle.  "I was wondering what this croc was gonna have.  Looks like it's gonna be Cape."

On the opposite side, there comes a splurching, squelching sound.  "Back off, Croc.  This Cape's mine to smother."  A giant mess of brown shambles out into the arena, made of a swirling mass of brown goo.  "I'm going to enjoy this."

Azumi remained deathly silent, crouching in a her combat stance. Her terror was hidden only barely as both hands curled into fists, her training overtaking her thought, thankfully. A seven foot tall walking crocodile, a nine-foot-tall muddy mess of a humanoid. She was but five-foot-eight, but had seen her fair share of Brutes. The Jiralhanae averaged at eight and a half feet, yes, but she normally had a gun handy to fight them. Now she had to fight these two with nothing but her wits, a smoke gauntlet, a knife, and her bare hands. By herself.

It was times like this that she wondered if Batman was actually out of his mind. Not that it really mattered, but it would be nice to know.

Still, she just stayed where she was, not about to make the first move if she could help it.

"Staying put, huh?"  Croc circles around her.  "Doesn't matter to me.  Meat is meat."  He immediately charges towards the 'Cape', his arms stretched out, as if going for a hug.  "However, I tend to like mine a bit tender!"

[i]Wait for it...[/i] She stayed put, her metal gauntlet flexing very slightly again and again as he came closer. He was a foot away when she moved, one fluid motion. A step to one side, a full flexing of the gauntlet, and the blade came out. She stabbed hard at his chest, hoping her strength and his allowed it to cut through his scales, and quickly drew it out, turning on the spot to kick him in the back before turning to both of the assailants.

If they wanted a fight, they would most certainly get one.

Croc snarls as he rolls and lands on his knees, feeling his chest.  This cape managed to chip through a number of his scales and even made a good sized puncture.  It didn't bring any blood, luckily.  "Okay, Cape.  You just made sure that the pain you get is gonna be a lot worse!"

There was a smirk from their opponent at the reaction, but she remained completely focused, listening as the walking pile of mud spoke.

"Save it, Croc."  Clayface begins to shamble towards Azumi.  "You had your shot."  His right arm shifts into a gigantic mallet shape while his left one takes the shape of a battering ram.  "Now it's my turn."  With that, his shambling movement turns into a sprint, his right arm swinging in a wide arc, his arm elongating.  His left arm also acts, pistoning straight ahead towards his target.

Reflexes were key. The hammer of a right arm was ducked under as he swung, his makeup leaving his reach to her imagination. Standing up...

The battering ram took her straight in the chest, knocking the wind from her lungs as she was pinned against the far wall, coughing. Unless she could find a way out of this, she might have been a goner.

"Look's like I got the squeeze on you, Cape."  Clayface begins to walk towards the pinned Azumi.  "Now before I crush you like a grape, I wanna take a look at what's under the mask."  His hammer hand shifts, splitting into a regular left and right hand, each one grabbing one side of the mask.

"Could you hurry it up, Claybrain?  I'm starving here!"  Croc stomps up to Clayface's side.

There were two reasons why she needed to keep her mask. First, she needed it for protection. This wasn't just for hiding, like with her teacher.  Second, it gave her nightvision and a breath filter. Without those, using her smoke as she likely would need would be extremely detrimental.

But she couldn't let him get her, couldn't just die here. There had to be a way, had to...wait.

Mud. She was being held up to the wall by mud and clay, pretty malleable. Her arms were free, so all it would take was....

A flick of her wrist, and the blade was out again, slicing up at Clayface's arm. She hoped to sever it, to escape. If she could manage to get out, she would immediately run aside to get out of Croc's range.

Clayface yelps as the ram-arm was cut, not in pain but in anger and shock.  The plasmic form that was his body eroded most of his nerves, making his ability to feel pain all but gone.  But for someone to attempt this...  "You're gonna pay, Cape!"  He turns towards the fleeing Azumi and launches parts of himself towards her, the pieces hardening into sharp spikes.

Meanwhile, Croc's patience had finally wore out.  Snarling, he chases after Azumi as well, his arms stretched out, ready to ensnare her in a chest-breaking bear hug.  "Come here, meat!"

The woman ducked, jumping to the side to avoid the spikes. she winced as one scraped her shoulder, but ignored quickly, keeping an eye on Croc. She was too late, though she jumped back in an effort to avoid him, trying to make some distance before she struck again. Still, due to her bruises, she still needed a moment to regain focus. A moment she did not have.

"Got you!"  Croc finally manages to grab a hold of Azumi, and without hesitation, places her within a rib-crushing bear hug, with her grunting in pain.  "Now I'm gonna crush you like a... A..."  He pauses from increasing the pressure on his bear hug, surprised.  That gasp didn't sound right, if it were coming from a man.  "Wait a minute.  You're a chick!?"

"What!?"  Clayface stumbles over to Croc's side, the pieces of him that flung off turning back to the plasmic form and reintegrating with his body.  "How can you tell?"

Croc didn't respond, instead looking at his captive.  "I guess I can stand some more tenderizing."  With that, he continues to apply pressure.

Seconds left, no time to lose. Azumi's lungs were being crushed, she could feel her bones bending nearer to a breaking point...but her arms were free. A punch wouldn't do much, and she assumed Wayne would frown upon her stabbing him through the eye socket, as easy as it could be. There was always Plan B.

Without a word, she acted. The nonmetallic gauntlet was shoved in Croc's face, a cloud of noxious smoke sprayed directly at his eyes and the rest of his head.