Description: Perilously over a live volcano, Brett Neuer finds a most unexpected opponent in...a bear. A real live Bear. A bear motivated by threats of abandonment and having his sweet panda taken away from him. Who's more scared of losing, Brett or Kuma? And what difference will it make in the results? (Winner: Kuma)
This is a Volcano.
Like, this is absolutely a volcano. The bubbling cauldron of magma radiates intense heat and choking plumes of hot ash up through the air. Stretched across the mouth of the volcano, was a series of rickety wooden bridges. The bridges sway as the hot wind blows up at them. At the far end of one of the bridges, a van was pulled up.
And a well-dressed man was shoving a bear on to the bridge.
"Come on, Kuma! Heihachi insists~!" Was the call from the well-dressed man. Clad in a white suit, it was clearly Lee Chaolan, the adopted son of Heihachi himself. But the bear he was pushing was Heihachi's pet, Kuma. The 9-foot tall grizzly bear was at the start of the bridge, gripping both of its posts in each forepaw, and digging in his heels. Lee Chaolan throws his back into Kuma, struggling to push him on to the bridge. "It looks perfectly safe! You can believe me~" Kuma, for his credit, turns his head back to Lee, and responds.
"*Bear Noises*"
Lee Chaolan rolls his eyes.
Well, this is about as far beyond what Brett Neuer was expecting when he got set up for a Neo League fight. Bad enough the SNF fight he was in ended up in a collapsing aqueduct with suffocating fumes. Now, he's suspended above a volcano, with almost similar fumes, not in source but definitely in the potential to overwhelm.
Of course, that wasn't the part that had him hesitating at the edge of the bridge. No...it's the fact that his opponent is....well....not what he expected. "Am I really fighting a bear?" he asks in uncharacteristic bluntness, unable to hold back for politeness' sake because of just how WEIRD it is. Even as he ends up edging himself further and further down the bridge, he can't help but stare.
He looks past the bear at the man trying to push him, a shocked grimace. This whole situation truly is absurd.
Lee Chaolan stops pushing Kuma.
Stepping aside, he looks across at the boy that had arrived. The man waves at Brett, before cupping a hand at his mouth. "Don't worry! Kuma will be ready in just a second." The martial artist turns back at Kuma. The bear looks at him, and points a claw at the bridge.
"*Insisting Bear Noises*"
The Silver-Haired Demon shakes his head. "Look at you. The boy is brave enough to go on the bridge! Maybe I should just call up Heihachi right now, and tell him that he will have a new Bear. He will wear hockey equipment, and will be called Brad. That means no more salmon, Kuma! No more hot tubbing! No more maids! And most importantly?"
"No more pandas."
Kuma's eyes go wide.
"*pleading bear noises*"
Lee Chaolan reaches into his suit, and pulls out a cell phone. "Nope. I tried reasoning with you Kuma. I am calling Heihachi right now." Lee Chaolan pushes some buttons on the phone, and brings it to his ear. Tapping his foot, he glances at the bear. Kuma chews on his claws, looking down at the bridge, and then back to Lee. Finally, Lee answers. "Yes? Hello Father! I'm sorry for calling you, but I have Kuma right here, and Kuma is being a scaridy bear who won't even fight a little boy!" He pauses a moment. "What's that? I should just tell him that he is no longer adopted, and that -I- get all his stuff?" Lee Chaolan looks at Kuma, dead in the eye now. "Yes, yes, I think it would be best."
"To tell the Panda that Kuma won't be able to go on that date."
There is a burst of dust, as the bridge begins to rock wildly. The bear, on all fours, gallops down the bridge. Eyes wide, tears in the corner of his eyes, he charges towards Brett. Lee looks across at Kuma, a smirk on his face. Covering his mouth, he whispers into the phone. "Sorry Vicky. I had to call you my father for business reasons. No, I won't explain why." He turns his head a bit.
"I love you too, sweetie~"
It's nights like these that make Brett Neuer wonder if he made a mistake in trying to be a professional fighter.
The young Gorin athlete just looks on rather...dumbstruck. He's scared for his own life, sure, but it pales in comparison to the...train wreck drama happening at the other end. He doesnt' respond to Lee insisting that Kuma will be along soon enough...Kuma being the bear apparently. No, he just..waits, tilting his head, and wondering in his head if he's really doing this.
By the time Kuma finally races up to him, he swallows a bit. He SHOULD be scared of a crazy bear running toward him. But instead...he just...kind of bows toward KUma. "I'm sorry it's come to this..." he said, ducking his head apologetically. Somehow, he gets the sense that the bear wants to be here less than he does....
The bridge begins to sway wildly with every bear step.
As Kuma closes in on the boy, he hits the brakes. Scooting his bear bottom on the wooden boards of the bridge, he stops short. Looking down at Brett, he tilts his head, wiggling his ears. Heaving upright, the bear stands high in the air. It snorts heavily, staring down at Brett. It tilts its head the other way. And finally, it begins to growl.
"*Bear Noises*"
It hurls out its right paw, smashing it in a mean hook with frightening power, causing the entire bridge to swing hard to the right. Taking a step towards Brett, the bear slams its left limb with equal ferocity, attempting to smash his opponent backwards with staggering power. At the very least, it wasn't using its claws.
But nobody liked being punched by a bear.
COMBATSYS: Kuma has started a fight here.
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Kuma 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Brett has joined the fight here.
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Brett 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kuma
COMBATSYS: Brett blocks Kuma's Wild Lumberjack.
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Brett 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Kuma
And at this point, Brett wonders where he's gone wrong in life.
As Kuma stands up his full height, significantly dwarfing the young Minnesotan, Brett gulps a bit. He looks a LOOOOOOT bigger up close now that he's there, and somewhere, the hockey kid ponders getting the hell out of dodge.
Too bad the smashing paw comes forward before Brett can turn tail. It's only his reflexes dropping his stick AND his shoulder into the hard swipe to absorb it. The shot sends the rickety bridge swaying hard...but somehow, he stays standing. And from under his helmet, he glares. It always does take a hit like this to wake Brett up a bit. "...nnnghhh..." he growls, nowhere near as impressive as KUma's...but in turn, the hockey star levels forward with a HIGH high stick, trying to uppercut Kuma in the face with the heel of his stick.
COMBATSYS: Kuma endures Brett's Fierce Strike.
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Brett 0/-------/-----==|====---\-------\0 Kuma
Kuma could hit like a bear.
Slamming his limbs into the smaller hockey star, it almost seemed like a success. But after both only are checked by the steady stance of Brett, there was a loud call at the bear. "No, no, no, Kuma~" Came the cry from Lee, as he calls out with a megaphone at his mouth. "You can't expect to stay in Heihachi's favor if you do that!~ Also, watch out for that stick!" Kuma tilts his head, looking back at Lee. "*Questioning Bear Noises*" He responds.
And he suddenly finds himself smacked in the face.
"*enraged bear noises*" Kuma snarls out as he instinctively turns the whole of his stature towards Brett. That HURT, and while he doesn't get knocked off balanced, it is sufficent to cause swelling on the beast's nose. Lashing out with his massive bear arms, he almost immediately responds with trying to grab the hockey player by the shoulders. Should the massive bear get his grips, he will smash his head straight into the other fighter's helmet.
And then toss him away, down the bridge.
COMBATSYS: Brett endures Kuma's Grizzly Headbutt.
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Brett 0/-------/-======|====---\-------\0 Kuma
The high stick shot hit Kuma straight in the face....but one gets the sense that it might not be an inequivocally GOOD thing for Brett. Not after Kuma manages to take the hard shot and barely move. And THEN snarl straight at the hockey kid. And while Brett has encountered bears before, and even helped hunt a few, he's no Zangief. He's not meant to wrestle with them or face them down one on one.
Then again, most bears don't try to headbutt you either. With little recourse, Brett just ends up...taking the shot. He tries to steady himself when it comes, but the headbutt rings through his helmet and reverberates through his body. And when the toss comes...
Brett retaliates. His stick snapping out, surrounded with a thin aura of cool blue chi, he slashes straight across what approximates Kuma's chest, trying to smash him bodily with an energy charged slash before he crashes down on the rickety bridge, causing the thing to sway even more precariously.
COMBATSYS: Kuma blocks Brett's Red Sabre.
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Brett 0/-------/-======|=====--\-------\0 Kuma
"Oh! Excellent!~"
That was the cry from Lee Chaolan, as Kuma smashes his head into Brett. Tucking the megaphone into his arm, he begins to lightly applaud at the bear's performance. Even Kuma was feeling a little proud... until the teenager lashes out in a rude counter-strike. The slash of energy not only forces the bridge to sway, but also forces Kuma to bring his right arm around to knock away the stick. Instead of ripping open his chest, it cuts open a hot wound right into the bear's arm. The beast responds with a deep roar.
"*pained bear noises*"
The cry comes out, followed by an enraged snarl. Still standing up, the bear leans into the ropes, before leaning hard in the other direction, forcing it to swing back. And there, he falls forward, falling towards Brett. And should he land on Brett? He will attempt to bring him into a little bear hug.
And chomp down on his helmet.
COMBATSYS: Brett blocks Kuma's Fierce Bite.
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Brett 0/-------/=======|=====--\-------\0 Kuma
Slow to get up after having his bell rung so fiercely, Brett manages to pull himself to his feet by the ropes of the bridge. He heard the roar of pain from Kuma, but he has no idea if he actually hit flush or not. And with his vision still blurry, he isn't in the best position to see. His double vision onlys tarts to fade by the time Kuma leans forward and manages to wrap him up in the bear hug.
But the attempted bite down on his helmet is stimied by his stick, the reinforced wood managing to hold up against the onslaught of powerful bear jaws, leaving only the hard squeeze around his ribs to worry about...for now. "HUrrghhhkkkkk...." Gritting his teeth, he tries to twist his stick and strike the top of it across Kuma's still-open mouth, both in hopes of finding a soft spot to strike at, but also to provoke him into releasing his grip around his torso.
COMBATSYS: Kuma interrupts Random Strike from Brett with Frolicking Bear.
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Brett 1/---====/=======|======-\-------\0 Kuma
Helmets were hard to eat.
As Kuma lunges in to chomp on Brett's skull, he is checked once again by the fiercesome hockey stick. Struggling to bite down, the bear just grows frustrated. Lee himself watches, holding off on adding any more comments to Kuma just yet. It seemed that Kuma finally had his head in the game. As Brett swipes out randomly towards the bear's maw, he finally does the unthinkable.
He lets go of Brett.
Kuma pushes Brett back, falling on all fours as the stick grazes him in the mouth. And with a ferocious hop with all fours, he butts the teenager's torso hard with his head. Slamming his skull into the protective armor, the bear grunts. But this time, he does not rise. The bear remains low, in a natural, hunting stance. Slavia dribbles from his fat, black lips, as he looks at Brett.
This time, he makes no bear noises.
Brett had hoped to set something up once he was released, by hook or by crook. But with his attempted stick smash grazing Kuma as he's let go, he doesn't have any time to react before he finds himself barreled into HARD in the chest, sending him tumbling hard end over end along the bridge. Gasping for air, he can't even cry out in pain as he lays face down on the bridge.
Shaking as he pushes himself up, he looks up from beneath his battered helmet, and simply GLOWERS toward Kuma. He looks far less impressive on all fours than the bear does, assuredly, but it doesn't keep him from slowly pushing himself up from the creaky planks as the bridge sways. He doesn't move though, remaining in a crouch with stick in hand, used as a cane or a prop.
He waits...as if daring for Kuma to make the first move.
COMBATSYS: Brett circles, trying to pick up speed and momentum.
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Brett 1/----===/=======|======-\-------\0 Kuma
"Well Done, Kuma~"
That was the cheer from Lee as Kuma stays on all fours, watching Brett with cold eyes. Wiggling his nose, the bear unleashes heavy snorts. He crawls forward towards Brett, taking careful, delicate steps on the bridge boards. The bear's ears, twitch, turning towards Brett.
And then he rolls forward.
Tumbling forward, he rolls straight towards the focused hockey star. As he lands on his back, he suddenly stays on his back, like a furry turtle. There, continuing to slide forward, he spins around on his back, all four legs stuck right out. There, he will attempt to bowl right into Brett, to either knock him back...
or just run over him.
COMBATSYS: Brett fails to interrupt Break'n EX from Kuma with Sir Stanley's Crush.
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Brett 0/-------/---====|======-\-------\0 Kuma
Brett waited...and waited....and when Kuma came in? He moved....
He just didnt' expect the bear to actually ROLL toward him like that, unfortunately. He had his stick flipped up, ready to try and hook the blade of it onto SOMETHING on Kuma's body. But how do you hook onto a giant ball of fur, saliva, and claws?
You don't that's how. Steamrolled over, Brett manages to only not get completely flattened by core strength and the grace of his pads, little as that helps him as he's knocked back painfully yet again, looking wholly outmatched at this point.
Kuma was on a roll.
It was one thing to fight a bear. It was another thing to fight a bear trained by Heihachi himself. Knocking Brett over, Kuma was on a roll. As he keeps rolling, though, he begins to tumbling up on towards the teenager. Should Kuma manages to roll over Brett again, he won't try to smash him this time. He will try and catch him in clutches.
And what will he do if he catches Brett in his clutches?
He will keep rolling.
He will roll over on his back, and hold up Brett in his forelegs and backlegs. And laying on his back, he will begin to spin Brett around and around, spinning him like a ball in his legs. Over and over he will do this, before he will just toss him away on the bridge. All while letting out a rather... cheerful sound.
"*Jovial bear noises*"
COMBATSYS: Brett interrupts Rock 'n Roll Circus from Kuma with Hurricane Check EX.
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Brett 0/-------/---====|=======\==-----\1 Kuma
Even if he's in a desperate situation, Brett isn't about to just lie down and die. As he sees Kuma rolling toward him further, Brett grits his teeth and closes his eyes. He can't quit...not now...even if he's almost sure to lose at this point, he can't just up and quit....
So when Kuma nears, Brett lashes out, meeting the rolling bear head on and smashing him directly with a hard check, stick glowing as he slams forward. Not content with one strike, he pivots on one skated foot, pushing off and surging forward with another deep check, forcing all that centrifugal motion into a desperate crashing blow into the mass of fur and muscle.
Kuma whimpers in pain.
"*Pained Bear Noises*"
Bellowing in agony as Brett explodes out defiantly into the playful bear, Kuma is sent sliding away from the teenager. Lee facepalms furiously. "Kuma!~ I was just on the phone with Heihachi!" The Silver-Haired Demon teases, calling out using the megaphone. "If you end up being knocked out? I must cut the bridge ropes, and leave you to fend for yourself in the depths of the volcano!" The man pauses for a moment, before bringing the megaphone to his mouth again.
"After Brad clears the bridge, of course!"
Kuma perks up into a stand. Standing tall, the bear growls furiously. "*Furious Bear Noises*" Taking a heaving lurch towards Brett, Kuma surges with renewed vigor. Thundering towards Brett, he slams a paw overhead at towards Brett's helmet. And then, his other paw. The bear finishes his towering combo with a double-pawed smash, attempting to beat the sense out of Brett.
The only lava Kuma wanted, was Heihachi's tender lava care!
COMBATSYS: Brett fails to interrupt Triple Hammer from Kuma with Intercepting Strike.
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Brett 0/-------/-======|====---\-------\0 Kuma
It really was a last gasp for Brett, managing to plow Kuma away and send him across the bridge. But with his reserves running on fumes and his head swimming, it's still a huge uphill battle. He can barely make out the noise of the megaphone from the other side of the bridge...and that's the least of his concerns when Kuma growls and snarls forth at him.
Struggling to breath, he watches the bear charge and try to slam him with a paw. Desperately, he tries to smash his stick upward to meet the mighty paw...but only ends up meeting it with his head. THe following smashes end up driving into him further and further, the final double smash plastering him face down into the bridge nearly hard enough to break it.
And what was it for Kuma?
As Lee cheers him on from a safe distance, the bear was fighting because it was what pleased Heihachi. And yet, he did not fight to kill Brett. As each punch comes, there only bruises, no blood. He was battering the small manchild, hammering into him again and again. As the third blow comes, Kuma drops down to all fours again.
And then he rises again.
In a smooth, almost elegant gesture, the bear lifts up into a swift uppercut. He wasn't going to fatality Brett, no. In the dim mind of the animal, he recognized that perhaps, the funny headed boy might be just as afraid of the lava and bridge, as Kuma was. And that, Kuma thought, was a good enough reason not to risk knocking him into the hot scary water.
He still was lifting up hard with that finishing uppercut, though!
COMBATSYS: Brett interrupts Honey Trap from Kuma with Shark Crest.
- Power hit! -
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Brett 1/-------/=======|=======\-------\1 Kuma
His head feels like it's going to explode. He feels like he might very well throw up at this point. He's not sure if it's a concussion or simply the accumulated trauma.
But Brett isn't down. As painful as it all is, as toyed with as he is, he isn't about to simply stay down. Not while he can stay conscious.
So, when Kuma comes in low on all fours, then tries to uppercut him straight into the air, the Gorin athlete lashes out. It's almost instinctual more than anything, a strained roar escaping his throat as he slashes upward with his stick, the resulting strike upward creating a wave of ice blue energy that would normally sail straight across the bridge...if not for the fact that Kuma was already in the way point-blank.
Beast against Man.
The roles were almost reversed. With Kuma being the somewhat civilized fighter at this point, and Brett, fighting like a cornered dog, doing whatever he could to keep himself from falling. As Kuma lunges in, the desperate shotgun blast of ice sends him staggering back with a surprised groan. Falling over backwards, the bear lands on its back, the ropes of the bridge moaning and stretching from the force. Briefly, it
"*panicked bear noises*"
The worried sounds manages to rouse up Kuma on all fours, scrambling towards Brett desperately. As he closes in, the bear tries to make a last-ditch seize on Brett. Lee was already coming closer and closer to the ropes. If he thought that Kuma wasn't worthy... then no more fish. No more honey. And worst of all. No more panda. New energy surges through the bear again, as violently, he tries to grab the hockey-playing teenager. Should he get a grip on the boy? He will grind him against the bridge boards and ropes, slamming him around like a rag doll, before just hurling him down the bridge.
Still not gonna try and kill the kid!
COMBATSYS: Brett breaks through Swing Swung EX from Kuma with Broad Street Barrage!
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Brett 0/-------/-------|=======\====---\1 Kuma
Cornered as he is, Brett really doesn't have any recourse. And the irony of him fighting more like an animal than the mighty bear himself is lost on him, the haze he's stuck in too much to truly penetrate at this point. He just wants to escape...no...he just wants to win. He has to win, or at the very least go out swinging.
So when Kuma grabs at him and tries to slam and grind him down onto the planks of the bridge, Brett continues to run on autopilot. Even as his stick falls to the ground, he keeps burning fumes as he slams his elbow into Kuma, whatever he can hit on the bear. And again. And again, grabbing furiously at whatever fur he can for purchase while his right hand continues to swing out, elbows burning to punches eventually. Even as the paws crush against him, he keeps swinging and swinging until trying to finish off the desperate combo with one last right hook to try and drive the brutish bear away. Even if someone could look into Brett's eyes, they might not find anyone home at this point.
How was this possible?
As Kuma hurls out his own desperate offense, the boy breaks out of his grips to assault the bear. The man, or at this point, the rage elemental rips into the bear like a crazed beast, pulling out his fur as he hammers into the bear. Slowly, very slowly, the bear begins to topple like a smokestack. Collapsing backwards, he slumps to the side, the bear's eyes rolling. Lee shakes his head.
Was it time to pull the plug.
There is a deep moaning sound. Not from the bear's mouth. But from its stomach. If one could notice, the bear's belly was growing bigger. It looked like, for a moment, the bear was down for the count. But suddenly, something stirs. Something spasms. And as if a spirit had suddenly filled him, the bear surges to life. Lashing out towards Brett's back, the once KO'd bear lashes out with both claws, attempting to rake them- rake them like a beast- across Brett's entire body...
COMBATSYS: Brett dodges Kuma's Fatal Wind.
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Brett 0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0 Kuma
It's really not appropriate to call Brett a 'rage elemental' at this point. Sure, he wasn't exactly working on anything resembling human thought at this point, but most of it is less working off sheer anger, and more of a desperation of will: Brett simply did not want to give up until he was forced to. And while he looked like he could topple at any moment, that narrow desperation kept him moving forward, and further forward.
Stumbling after the final right hand, his subconscious instinct is all that keeps him from simply tipping over, grabbing at the ropes of the bridge to keep him upright. That same instinct saves him as Kuma's double slashing claws swipe out. Pushing away, the claws just barely miss the boy's face, and the rest of his body in turn. It's aminute miracle, missing by just milimeters.
Of course, such a dodge has its consequences, the boy falling back almost as if he was drunk, tipping back for what seems like an eternal second, before his foot lashes out. NOt even as a purposeful attack, but simply as a consequence of his body unable to support itself on that one foot. JUst...when that foot flicks out, it ends up flicking out straight toward that distended belly.....
COMBATSYS: Kuma interrupts Light Kick from Brett with Rolling Bear.
[ < > ///// ]
Brett 0/-------/----===|=------\-------\0 Kuma
Claws tear into the boards.
In this fight, Kuma had finally broken through the boards. Pieces of the wood drift down into the open maw of the volcano, consumed by the churning magma. Keeping his balance, however, there is a loud 'fert' sound, as the truth of Kuma's energy coming to light: bear gas. Yet, with the bear on both legs, the creature does not lose his momentum. The moment Brett lashes out?
Kuma is rolling.
The bear suddenly tumbles forward, smashing into the teenager with the full of the bear's body. Even Lee is impressed; He was already at the post, inspecting how best to cut it. The bear, in any case, smashes through the boy, managing to break through without his belly taking too bad of a beating. THe bear was held together by the same thing that was keeping Brett together.
Sheer grit.
Sheer grit has its limits.
And sometimes, it just isn't quite enough. Brett stumbling kick was not the most graceful of attacks or even the fastest. So it's not terribly surprising that, when KUma ends up in a fart-propelled roll straight into him, the kick is not quite enough to stem the tide. Falling back across the bridge, the Gorin star ends up falling limp, those fumes finally running out just as he lands on his stick....just awkwardly enough to see-saw the stick overhead. And what goes up must come down.
And wherever it lands, Brett won't know, until the poor boy finally comes to, feeling more sore than he'd ever been in several years of hockey.
COMBATSYS: Brett can no longer fight.
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Kuma 0/-------/------=|
COMBATSYS: Kuma blocks Brett's Thrown Weapon.
COMBATSYS: Kuma refuses to stay down!
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Kuma 0/-------/-----==|
Kuma recovers from the roll.
Sitting on the bridge, he looks around idly. He hadn't quite recognized that Brett had went down yet. Standing back up, the bear turns around, to glare towards the teenager. But something catches his eye. The meddling hockey stick, which made this fight so difficult for Kuma. Looking up at the falling stick, the gears in Kuma's head turn. And finally, he realizes what was happening. Kuma brings a paw up.
And the stick snaps against his foreleg.
Recoiling his arm, he looks at the downed Brett. Lumbering over towards the boy, he gives him a whiff, sniffling him. And as Lee waves his arm, yelling at the bear, Kuma grabs Brett in his jaws...
And tosses him on his back.
Kuma carries Brett across the bridge, and back to solid land. Kuma was afraid of the bridge. Brett probably was afraid too. Besides, if Lee was willing to cut the bridge while Kuma was on it, for losing...
What were the odds he would do the same to this poor manchild?
COMBATSYS: Kuma has ended the fight here.
Log created on 21:44:38 12/15/2014 by Brett, and last modified on 11:26:03 12/16/2014.