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Michelle Floran
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For M.U.G.E.N (IKEMEN)
(c) 2025 Toon Pimp

This version updated: 09 27 2025

Michelle’s eyes snapped open as the swamp’s murky water receded from her pupils. Froggou’s whispers had been louder than ever tonight, clear and insistent, like a siren’s call luring her from the safety of her lily pad. The full moon hung low, its silver light slicing through the dense foliage and shimmering on the water’s surface. Her webbed fingers trembled—not with fear, but anticipation.

The stories her grandmother once told seemed more vivid with each passing day. Tales of Froggou and the La Tène Spark—the moment their kind had been transformed—burned bright in her memory. Froggou, the ancient being who bestowed intelligence, upright form, and mystical abilities upon the animals, was revered as a myth, a bedtime story to keep restless younglings in line. But tonight, as the whispers surged, Michelle’s doubts about her own insignificance began to gnaw at her. Was she truly destined for greatness, or was she just another fabled frog chasing illusions?

The swamp was her solace, a world removed from the humans’ chaos. Their squabbles and technologies seemed distant, like a story unfolding behind frosted glass. But recently, that divide had shrunk. Her run-ins with Corchaug upkeep crews—humans hunting her kin for profit—were a stark reminder of their cruelty. Yet, she couldn’t ignore the allure of their creations. Some of that power called to her, a seductive promise in the grimy city streets where she often wandered, searching for answers.

The whispers had brought her thoughts back to the Gathering more frequently of late. The Cutchogue, as they still called themselves in Down’s Creek, clung to their traditions with a stubborn fervor. Their simple garments, sometimes interwoven with fur as homage to their dual nature, symbolized their unity with the old ways. To Michelle, though, their isolationist views felt suffocating, their belief in Furry superiority over humans a cage. She had never fit into their vision of destiny. She wanted something more.

Michelle sighed, pushing herself upright from the log. Her damp clothes clung to her, heavy with the swamp’s embrace. “Magic’s good for a lot of things,” she muttered, flicking swamp water from her fingertips. “But it can’t dry a soggy shirt.”

She raised her hand to the moon, focusing on its pale glow. A faint light shimmered at her fingertips, coalescing into a flickering orb that illuminated the swamp around her. The energy thrummed in her palm, a tangible reminder of her connection to Froggou’s ancient gift. For a moment, she let herself bask in its warmth before letting the light fade. “No training tonight,” she mumbled, her tone half-scolding. “It’s not like I’ve mastered Waver yet.”

A rustle in the brush snapped her back to reality. Her heart leapt, and her hand clenched, ready to summon the glow again. The sound was followed by a soft splash, and she spun to face the intruder. Relief washed over her as a familiar voice cut through the tension.

“Michelle, child, you’re up late.”

Taupaw stepped into the moonlight, his fur a patchwork of greens and browns that blended seamlessly with the swamp. His movements were deliberate, almost reverent, his gaze heavy with concern. “The whispers… they’ve grown loud, haven’t they?”

Michelle lowered her hand but kept her posture wary. “Louder than ever,” she admitted. “But don’t tell me it’s Froggou’s will. Not tonight.”

Taupaw tilted his head, his expression unreadable. “What else would it be? Froggou’s gift flows through you, Michelle. It always has. The whispers are a guide, a reminder of your purpose.”

Michelle snorted, her voice tinged with sarcasm. “Purpose? Right. Look at me, Taupaw.” She gestured to her sodden outfit, her tone sharp. “I’m trudging through muck in soaked clothes, barely scraping by while humans play gods with their machines. If this is purpose, it sucks.”

Taupaw’s eyes softened. “You’re frustrated, I see that. But you must tread carefully. The humans fear what they don’t understand, and your gifts make you a target. You know this.”

“Yeah, I know,” Michelle said, her voice softer now but still defiant. “But I’m done hiding. Hiding didn’t stop the Corchaug crews from hunting us. It didn’t save anyone.”

Taupaw stepped closer, lowering his voice to a whisper. “The whispers, Michelle—they’re not just Froggou’s will. They’re warnings. And your path…” He hesitated, his words heavy. “Your path is unlike any other in the Gathering. You’ve always been two-souled, caught between what was and what could be. That’s why you hear them louder than we ever will.”

Michelle met his gaze, her own steady and fierce. “You think I was put on this Earth as a gift,” she said, almost spitting the words. “But all I see are limits. Limits we put on ourselves. And I’m not buying it anymore.”

Taupaw studied her, his expression a mix of sadness and pride. “Your heart yearns for more, Michelle. I can’t stop you. But promise me this: be cautious. The world beyond the swamp doesn’t see your gifts as blessings. They’ll twist them, use them, and leave you with nothing.”

Michelle squared her shoulders, her resolve hardening. “I’ll be careful,” she said, her voice firm. “But I have to do this. For all of us.”

As she turned to leave, the moonlight caught the faint glow in her eyes. Froggou’s whispers surged again, louder than ever, urging her forward.

And this time, Michelle was ready to listen.

Months later, that fateful night arrived—the whispers grew too strong to ignore. Froggou's call led her straight to the fry of a bounty that had slipped through her grasp, deep in the outskirts where the distant glow of New York City's skyline taunted her from the horizon. Her prey was cunning, but Michelle’s determination was sharper. Yet, in the dark maze of the city's underbelly, her pursuit came to an abrupt end. Greasy hands yanked her from the shadows, dragging her into the garish lights of a police interceptor.

Her curiosity had pushed her too far into the labyrinth of a world she didn’t fully understand. Now she was ensnared, her name etched into a record that wouldn’t be wiped clean anytime soon. Could her week possibly get worse?

It did.

Jai Walker. That slippery, sardonic feline in the bright purple turtleneck. He had the audacity to show his face again. The last time she’d crossed paths with him, he’d been her mark—a wily, sharp-tongued nuisance who always managed to wriggle free at the last second. But this time, the tables had turned. He wasn’t her quarry. She was his.

With that infuriating grin plastered across his face, Jai strutted into the courtroom and launched a lawsuit so brazen it could’ve been plucked from a satire. A misunderstanding, he claimed, recounting a twisted tale of Michelle’s supposed aggression. His voice oozed charm, his words laced with just enough plausible deniability to sway the human judges. His lawyers, dressed to the nines and armed with arguments as sharp as his claws, left no room for doubt.

Michelle sat in stunned silence as her livelihood unraveled. Every hard-earned credit she’d scraped together as a bounty hunter was siphoned off to pay fines and legal fees. Jai’s smirk never wavered, the glint in his teal eyes promising he’d be back to haunt her path sooner rather than later.

For a fleeting moment, Michelle thought of Froggou’s whispers, of Taupaw’s warnings about the humans’ world and the dangers of straying too far into their games. Her heart burned with frustration, but her resolve only hardened. This wasn’t the end—not for her.

The swamp may have birthed her, but the city had its lessons too. She would adapt. She had to. Froggou’s whispers weren’t calling her to quit—they were beckoning her toward something greater, something far beyond the grasp of Jai Walker and his ilk.

But for now, she’d let the city lull itself into thinking it had her beaten.

Michelle grinned faintly as she turned her gaze to the grimy cell window. “You win this round, furball,” she muttered under her breath. “But don’t get comfortable. I’m not done yet.”

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::MOVES LEGEND::
<-: Back
/: Down-Back
|: Down
: Down-Forward
->: Forward

-> \ | / <- or similar directions must be rotated smoothly if
you see no commas between them.

OTG= Off The Ground attack

====================================================================

--NOTE-- Moves with * next to them can cause extra damage to P2
if they're caught next to Michelle via OTG.

A(standing):Light Kick
B(standing):Med Kick
C(standing):Hard Kick [OTG]
X(standing):Light Punch
Y(standing):Med Punch
Z(standing):Hard Punch/Blaze Upper
A+B(standing):Dodge Roll
/ (jumping, on the edge of screen): Walljump
|\->,C (standing): Latch of Sustenance (2 NRG, Vores if opponent is near death, nearly undodgable from ground.)
<-/|\->,X+Y with meter (standing): C-Flare  *
A+X with meter (standing): Quantum Accelerant (Speed Increases)  *
|\->,X/ Y/ Z (standing): Waver Blast (Projectile, strength differing on button chosen)
|\->,X/ Y/ Z (standing): Shorfroguken (Flying uppercut, strength differing on button chosen)
<-,->B+Y (standing): GraviTongue (Draws P2 in near Michelle, long range, Stuns P2)