Description: The suggestions planted in Daigo's mind found deep roots : it is time to act. Gathering as much support as he can from his fellow students, Daigo organizes a rebellion to overthrow the current principal of Gedo High, Mister Smith(Zero) as well as kick out the Atelier Group from Gedo High's ground. Daigo fights alongside Makoto to defeat Zero as well as the guards from the Atelier Group.
As the tournament went on, a suggestion in Daigo's mind slowly became a strong conviction : the Atelier Group was a threat to the students, not only of Gedo High, but all other highschools. The price of inaction had become worse than the price of action, and Daigo thought through this time after time... The only way to rid themselves of them would be through force. Forcing everyone to see the truth for what it was.
Fortunately for Daigo, he had mustered enough evidences to at least fight them on more than blind intuition. It was time to find all the support he could amongst the students of Gedo High.
Daigo Kazama needed supporters he could trust but also he knew were capable enough to defend themselves if things got ugly. Makoto was amongst the first person he thought to ask for help.
He gave her a message, to meet her during the first break. A quiet spot in the courtyard. Apparently, he had something important to tell. If Makoto shows up, she'll find Daigo alone, arms folded around his chest, staring into the distance, like a guardian over the courtyard.
Makoto has no great love for the students at Gedo High. She made that much abundantly clear within the first few days of her arrival. The incredible flair with which the karateka had established her dominance had made her something of an instant celebrity and her fight with the resident tough guy and, in most respects, leader of the community, Daigo, is still talked about to this day. It's earned her no small number of challengers seeking to prove their worth against someone less intimidating than the man himself but none of them have enjoyed any real measure of success.
Despite her general reservations about the quality of the people that surround her in this asylum for misfits and rebels, there are atleast a few people that have earned her respect. In fact, the general atmosphere of Gedo High has turned out to be a great deal more palpable than she had first expected. As bizzare and eccentric as the populace may be they all share a sense of overarching willfulness and resolve that she cannot help but find pleasing. Now if only they would turn that energy towards less chaotic pursuits.
Makoto makes her way towards the indicated meeting spot without much delay when the first break rolls around. Her stride is agressive and filled with purpose, her brow already furrowed into a dark scowl, and for once in the short few months that she's been enrolled here she manages to pass without a single challenger stepping forward in search of glory or revenge. Receiving an invitation from Daigo is something new. He'd only come to call on her once before, after their initial confrontation, and she'd shunned his request for aid. That he would come to her again either means he's ready to try and convince her to change her mind or something else is up. Either way, she's not the kind of girl to turn down a direct callout.
It isn't hard to find Daigo once she makes her way out of the maze of construction scaffolding and bodies that fill the hallways. The young girl pauses for a few moments to peer at him curiously. Alone and in the open. Obviously he isn't planning to jump her with the help of his personal posse, not that he needs any help, she begrudgingly admits to herself. This must be something different though what could be so important as to call her out specifically she cannot begin to guess. Only one way to find out.
Ignoring the questioning stares that she can feel on her back as she turns and heads towards the Gedo High king, Makoto stalks across the courtyard and comes to a halt a few feet away. Her expression is stern but not angry or annoyed, just guarded and curious as she waits for him to explain himself.
"You wanted to see me?"
From afar, Daigo manages to see Makoto make her way through the mass of students a few seconds before she finally reaches his size. His massive height always allowed him to have a good view of the fray.
A faint smirk spreads on Daigo's lip when he sees Makoto, obviously pleased he answered his summon. After all, Makoto seemed fairly headstrong and he would have not been surprised if she had decided not to show up. She had given him the impression of a girl who didn't let anyone dictate her behaviour.
The tall man nods to Makoto when she comes, his expression as serious as hers, "Yes, Makoto... I am pleased you came," He says in all honesty. His eyes wander off for a moment as he continues, "There has been a lot of strange things going around lately : the new principals in Gedo High and the other highschools, the Interschool Tournament, the Atelier Group," He begins.
He lowers his gaze at Makoto, a slight frown on his brows, anticipating a question perhaps as he says, "I'm sure you're wondering why I'm telling you this, or why you'd care, but please, listen to me through the end," Daigo adds, before he carries on, "Many events made me think something was up, that everything was linked together and that something was up, but I couldn't quite put the finger on it yet, until then..."
Daigo lets his words trail off, his right hand going down into the pocket of her jacket to fetch a cellphone. He opens it up, and with a few flicks of the thumbs, he offers it to Makoto, for her to see. Browsing through the picture on the cellphone, Makoto would be able to see various wicked installations, a setup that seems similar to some sci-fi horror flick or something.
"Those were taken within the Atelier Group pavillions. I am not sure what they do there, but you can bet the students who are treated by them aren't just 'treated'. They're doing something there, and I fear for the safety of not only the students of Gedo High, but also all others... And the new principals are behind this -- at least, Principal Brown and Smith, from Gedo High and Taiyo High, I know that for a fact..."
Daigo frowns and says, "I can't stand by idle knowing there is something in the courtyard that threatens us and is dangerous to us. They are dangerous, really dangerous -- I think they've also infiltrated the school. Edge and I beat up a kid from Taiyo who had the attitude of a trained CIA agent, that's not normal,"
Daigo heaves a soft sigh and says, "I am spreading the word around. Alone, I cannot fight the Atelier Group and force the truth out." He lowers his gaze to stare at Makoto and he says, "Makoto, you are a great fighter, amongst the best I know in Gedo High. Few rival your strength and endurance. I would like you to join me and fight by my side against them," Daigo lifts his hand up, curling it into a fist. "I know this is dangerous, and could get us in trouble, and I will respect your decision should you choose to decline my offer,"
Quirking a brow in curiosity, Makoto's stony glower relaxes a bit and she reaches out to accept the device without any hesitation. Modern technology isn't really something that she keeps up with as a habit but she is young enough that even a dedicated student of the martial disciplines as herself atleast knows how to work a cell phone.
Her gaze drifts down to the small screen for several seconds as she flips through the collection of images. Indeed, they do look like something out of a cheesy tv show or a movie to her at first, which makes her frown again, wondering just what kind of nonsense she's being presented with here. Some kind of practical joke? If he called her out here to make fun of her...
Daigo provides the missing piece of the puzzle without being prompted. At first she just narrows her eyes but the more pictures that she reviews the more she can't help but shake a disturbing sense that she's seen these things before. It is certainly possible. Twice now she herself has been cared for by the Atelier Group but both of those visits happened while she was unconscious - her fights pretty much always end with /someone's/ lights getting punched out.
A sudden chill runs down her spine at the thought of some shady lab technician doing who knows what to her with these machines while she wasn't aware enough to stop them. But that isn't even all of it apparently. Makoto does not possess a good poker face. Her shock becomes very evident in the form of wide eyes and a slack jaw at the news that the principals themselves might be involved.
It's a rare thing to see her taken by surprise but whatever enjoyment he may take out of her disbelieving stare is short-lived as the shock quickly turns into anger. Taking a deep breath, Makoto closes her eyes and holds the phone back out to the towering youth before she crushes it in her bare hands.
"If what you say is true," she says, her voice restrained and measured, though the effort of keeping it that way is obvious in the undertone behind it. "Then these people have much to answer for."
Again, the slender girl inhales long and slow, her chest expanding as she fills her lungs in a meditative fashion. When she lets it out, her eyes snap open once more and she focuses her intense glare up at him for several silent seconds.
"For the record, buttering me up won't make me like you better." Then her expression shifts becoming a fierce grin and she lifts her hands, punching one tight fist into the open palm of the other. "But it certainly doesn't hurt either. Ofcourse I'll help."
Daigo's lips curl into a smile at Makoto's determination. He was uncertain whether or not Makoto would have helped him in this : she seemed, after all, rather uninterested by what happened in the schools in general. His genuine happy smile betrays his stern expression for a moment and he nods his head to Makoto, "Good, I am glad you've decided to fight by our side against them,"
Her next sentence and glares earn her an honest laughter out of Daigo's throat, tilting his head back while he laughs. He sets his eyes back on Makoto, resting his hands on his hips, "Duly noted. Though I was thinking everything I said," He doesn't let the discussion stray away for too long though, his smile slowly fading away to show his usual stern and cold face, "It will happen tonight, after classes. All the students who are willing to help will bust ouf the Atelier Group, and we'll try to fight off the more dangerous agents that might be there to defend the place and its secret... The vandalism will mostly draw Prinicipal Smith out, which means we'll have to deal with him as well,"
Daigo lifts his hand up to rest it on Makoto's shoulder. He nods at her and says, "Thank you, Makoto... I have to talk to many others, but together, I am certain we will be able to obliterate this threat," He says with a nod filled with conviction.
Normally, putting ones hands on Makoto is a quick way to lose them, but she knows there is no malice in the gesture so she lets it slide. Daigo's laugh is unexpected but not unwelcome and her grin lingers longer than she had planned on, her eyes alight with inner fire at the thought of battle.
More than that, this would be the first fight in some time that she could consider to be for a greater cause than the perfection of her art. Certainly, that was important to her; she had dedicated her life to that end for nearly as long as she has been alive. However, to be able to use those skills to bring low someone who truly deserved it, now that is a thrill that she cannot find anywhere else.
If these allegations are true then justice will be served swift and hard tonight. If not... well, justice will just have a different target if she finds out she's been lied to.
"I'll be there."
**************************
Some time later, the very same day....
**************************
The word has been spreading out rather rapidly through Gedo High. It was the sort of thing that was whispered between the students : apparently, Daigo Kazama was planning on a riot against the newly established Atelier Group, and those who were spreading the words were encouraging their fellow students to join in the rebellion against them. Rumors about what truly happens in there also have been spreading. Some say they've seen pictures of the true installation inside and the students hypothetize on the horrible things those things can be used for. Nobody knows who managed to get those pictures, but words are those things definately meant trouble for them.
And beside, rebelling against authority, wreaking havoc and anarchy was definately what a good part of the Gedo Students craved. When would all of this happen? Right after classes, when everyone would be heading out of school...
Everyone was quite eager to see what would happen -- those loyal to Daigo who'd follow him, the trouble makers who sought just an opportunity to wreck havoc, and the others who were just curious to see what would happen and not miss what could be one of the greatest coup d'etat that happened in a long while in Gedo High.
No one would act, nothing would happen until there was that spark that would set everything ablaze : Daigo's command to charge in. When he finally came by, the students were tantalized and grew to silence, awaiting to see if the rumors were true : the ones closest to Daigo knew what would come, they just waited to hear his orders.
Daigo glances at the cloth pavillon of the Atelier Group, and then back at the rest of the students. He lifts his fist in the air and calls out to them, "With me, everyone! Let us clean Gedo High's ground from the filth that is the Atelier Group and kick them out of here! They'll no longer experiment with us! Onward!"
Daigo turns on his heels and leads the charge, those most loyal to him following without a second question -- some others perhaps following from peer pressure and the number who moves in.
The plan was simple -- use sheer brute force to wreck everything... Hopefully it won't get out of hand too fast.
Daigo rushes in with a shout : a sort of battle cry to instill courage into the others, but also showing his intent in rushing in kicking everyone out and everything else.
True to her word, Makoto is present when the time comes for everything to go down. Like Daigo himself, the small karateka draws quite a bit of attention with her presence, though not nearly the same amount of general respect that the leader of the outcasts does. Though she waits for the signal just the same as the others, she stands apart from the general mob some dozen or so feet ahead, arms crossed, expression stern. The students seem to be just as wary of her presence as that of the pavillion.
Impatient fingers drum upon her forearms as she waits. Never having been the type of person who could control themselves very well when action was called for, Makoto is tense and fidgety, like a bull in the pen just waiting for the gates to swing open and the bell to ring. The muscles of her body ripple with restrained power that is easily visible in her school uniform, the skirt and short-sleeved blouse doing little to cover up her toned physique.
Daigo's eventual presence sets off a chain reaction of hushed anticipation in the assembled crowd but Makoto's reaction is practically the opposite. She grins and stirs from her casual posture, squeezing her fingers into tight fists that send a wave of crackling pops through her knuckles that might as well be gunshots in the tense silence.
And then all Hell breaks loose.
Daigo charges ahead like a general leading his army into battle and the small Rindou-kan warrior goes right along with him. She has no words of encouragement or fiery passion to deliver to her fellow students but action has always been the mouthpiece for her beliefs and she breaks into a run without a moment's hesistation moving at a good clip towards the Atelier Group's pavillion.
The pavilion where the Atelier are located is currently being avoided by a huge margin through the surrounding school. Outside it are a number of men in black riot armor, and one strange individual in leather with silver hair. Yet with Gen and Edge on their side, along with the sheer number of well-to-do scrappers that make up the student body, this wall of angry students is no small matter. Upon seeing the shouting Daigo at the head, the silver man slips inside with a look of wide-eyed terror. Shortly thereafter, a great explosion rips through the corner of the small temporary shelter, smoke and fire rippling up as the sensitive electronics are completely destroyed. After a few moments, the nurse slips out, arms crossed beneath her chest. "I suppose it's too late to discuss this in a civil manner?" she calls out to Daigo. The man in silver is standing behind her, scratching at his gloves and still looking mortified, sweat already running down his chin. Guns are leveled at the approaching students, although Daigo already knows -- they only fire rubber bullets, and won't actually kill anyone. Although that doesn't mean they wouldn't hurt pretty badly!
Miko Kobayashi was a late transfer student to the high school. She's on the books, but the information didn't ever really check out. Her love of long-term planning has led to a series of subtle changes upon the campus.
When she arrived, there were still many factions among the students who did not openly subscribe to the Church of Daigo -- they'd paid lipservice to the big man, but when the chips were down, they'd be the first ones to run. Miko... has convinced them of the folly of their ways. Her entire time here, she's been actively convincing people that Daigo was acting in their best interests. That if they want freedom, if they care for their liberty... they'd best support their leader. Instead of just walking around like aimless deadbeat punks, they should follow their leader.
All the while, she'd been subtly present -- a visible figure among the chain of command, making a name for herself. While she exercised control, knocking people on their asses if needed, she'd made sure to enforce the idea: Daigo's the boss. The unstated, subliminal corollary: 'for now.'
And right now... their leader needs them. Even if they are nothing more than rank-and-file grunts -- their support is needed.
And they are here -- Gedo students of all stripes and colors. Standing defiant, and moving as a phalanx on the command of their battle-scarred leader.
His priority was to rid Gedo High, and eventually the other schools, of the dangerous presence of the Atelier Group. A mass revolt should be more than enough to overcome them. Daigo knew this was potentially dangerous and wouldn't let his comrades go on without him. He was on the front line, to draw their ire, to draw part of the shots.
His body was strong, after all, and Daigo was a massive charging juggernaut. Nothing would stop his charge, and the bullets that snaps his muscles and leave deep bruises barely seem to hinder him. The pain echoes through his body though, but Daigo ignores it : he lets it empower him as he tries to ignore the pain. The adrenaline enough to give him what it needs to carry on and Daigo only hopes the courage of the others won't falter.
He tries to lead them by setting the example, by going in with them, even if it means ending up taking most of the Atelier Group's beatdown. Daigo's amongst the first who reaches down the line of antio riot guards. He charges right into one of them, using his massive body, power and bulk in an attempt to literally shove through them and burst through their line.
The fact that the medical group has riot guards on hand is a pretty damning bit of evidence. Gedo is certainly a rough school and has more than its fair share of thievery, vandalism, and other bits of petty crime, but these are ultimately still just high school students. The panicked reactions of the lab geek followed by the ominious explosion is the last nail in the coffin as far as Makoto is concerned. Screw civility, these guys are hiding something!
Without waiting to see if Daigo plans to stop and actually address the question, Makoto puts on her game face - which turns out to a be pretty unsettling glare that looks very out of place on a petite teenager who barely clears five feet - and draws her fist back, shifting her wild charge into a flying punch.
The karateka dives right into the front ranks of the riot guards without even slowing down, her slender body a wrecking ball of muscle, aggression, and technique that hits like a clap of thunder.
It becomes rapidly apparent that there's not going to be any sort of diplomatic end to this; when people continue to charge forward without a word beyond that look of violence, the nurse snaps her fingers. Weapons begin to fire into the gathering crowds in all directions, the majority indeed aimed at Daigo but many students to the left and right flanks not so lucky as to have the superhuman man within range. Although there's only about four guards total, one of which has just been tackled by Makoto. He's surprisingly tenacious, immediately moving to elbow her in the side of the head. "Get off me!!"
"Enough. #418, activate." "But... I don't..." "ACTIVATE." The silver-haired man suddenly looks stern, before grasping his gloves in both hands and yanking them off. Immediately his body begins to steam, before veins hiss crimson and fire erupts from his hands. "Hrrrraugh!!" Obvious pain is in his face, before the nurse leaps away. "Take care of them... I'm going to notify the principal...~" A whirling kick to the face takes out one student who tried to stop her, before she begins to slither destructively through the ranks before breaking free, rushing to the front of the school and vanishing inside.
The burning clone then twists around, and Makoto would hear a nasty growl before he attempts to grasp the hapless karate practitioner and hurl her away with surprising force. "Annihilate... all enemies..." he growls, voice sounding strange and forced as his eyes slowly turn a dark red, veins of crimson beginning to billow into them. "Kill...!!"
COMBATSYS: Assassin #418 has started a fight here on the left meter side.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Assassin #418 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Makoto has joined the fight here.
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Assassin #418 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Makoto
COMBATSYS: Daigo has joined the fight here.
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Makoto 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Daigo
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Assassin #418 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Daigo has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Makoto 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Daigo
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Assassin #418 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Makoto has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Assassin #418 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Makoto
> //////////////////////////////]
|=------\-------\0 Daigo
COMBATSYS: Makoto endures Assassin #418's Quick Throw.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////////// ]
Assassin #418 0/-------/------=|===----\-------\0 Makoto
> //////////////////////////////]
|=------\-------\0 Daigo
It was too late for diplomacy -- it was a firm conviction in Daigo's mind, enhanced by the various suggestions he received, that the only way to put an end to this conflict was through force and that it is the only thing they would understand. All discussions or act of diplomacy would be for naught.
The suppression fire from the guards had hardly stopped Daigo in his initial charge, but he feels the pain echoes through his torso. A keen and sharp pain at his side, despite the flexing of his muscles to absorb the bullets, he knows they'll leave deep bruises and he can only hope the pain he feels isn't from a broken rib.
Daigo is busy dealing with his own guard, giving him a powerful kick to shove him away. He turns his attention to the students, lifting his arm up and shouting his instructions, "Onward, everyone! Let's tear off the pavillon and rip it off!" he shouts. Not all the students had to fight the personal from the Atelier Group, after all, others had to rip off their tent and the stuff inside as well, the dreadful devices Daigo had shown to some of them.
Daigo takes a moment to assess the situation, clenching his side a moment as he does. Fortunately for the nurse, the sudden out-burst of the clone and the fire that erupts from his hand got Daigo's attention and he hardly notices her fleeing.
COMBATSYS: Daigo takes no action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////////// ]
Assassin #418 0/-------/------=|===----\-------\0 Makoto
> //////////////////////////////]
|=------\-------\0 Daigo
Fighting Makoto is an experience that can best be compared to attempting to subdue a miniature hurricane with ones bare hands. The moment that she drives into the line of guards the teenager begins to whirl about in a frenzy of fists, each strike a measured and controlled expenditure of raw force that flows into the next in swift and powerful thrusts and swings. The guard's elbow catches the girl against the side of her head but she brushes it off as if he were no more than a gnat and brings her fist down in an overhead karate chop against his helmet that strikes hard enough to shatter stone.
Her leg snaps out almost in the same motion as she rises back to her feet, attempting to drive another brutal attack into the side of the nearest soldier. Those watching might think it an action driven by bravery, to offer some reprieve to the students being hosed down by the painful riot rounds, but to Makoto it is merely the natural flow of events as she bounces from opponent to opponent.
Her rampage is cut short by the rather dramatic transformation of the nervous silver-haired man. A searing pain shoots through Makoto's arm as the assassin's hand reaches out to grasp her by the arm, incredible heat wafting off of his body as if he were ablaze. The karateka reacts on aggressive instinct and her foot lashes out blindly at the genetic freak even as she is tossed aside onto the pavement to land in a less controlled manner than she would have liked.
COMBATSYS: Makoto knocks away Assassin #418 with Medium Kick.
- Power hit! -
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Assassin #418 0/-------/---====|===----\-------\0 Makoto
> //////////////////////////////]
|=------\-------\0 Daigo
There's only four riot guards, not a giant battlement; and they are not well-suited for individually powerful people or huge numbers. When the main force of the Gedo group reaches them, they begin to flail and fire, barely holding their own... especially the one manhandled by Makoto and Daigo, already quite weakened. The nurse is gone; having already gotten to Zero to tell him that 'the situation cannot be salvaged'. Well. Igniz had stated it was only a matter of time before the charade ended. But to maintain appearances as best as possible; after all, if they can make the schools look even worse, all the better.
The foot slams home with far more force than #418 expected. Spittle and blood leaves his mouth as he hurtles through the pavilion, ripping through fabric and breaking narrow metal supports. He comes to a stop on the other side, twitching as he gets back up. "HRRAUGH!!" Whirling his hand, a great gout of flame suddenly annihilates the Atelier item. The wave of heat whirls into the hapless students, who might suddenly find themselves facing an opponent far more dangerous. Luckily, his attention is focused on Makoto; striding through the flames uninjured, he brings up his hand and then snaps his fingers, a great gout of fire rushing out towards Makoto's upper body. "Ex... Exterminate..." he growls out, steam seeming to billow off him more and more as the seconds draw on. Well-conditioned brainwashing in full effect, little more now than a pitiable tool of war!
COMBATSYS: Makoto blocks Assassin #418's Inferno.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////// ]
Assassin #418 0/-------/--=====|=======\==-----\1 Makoto
> //////////////////////////////]
|=------\-------\0 Daigo
Assessing the threats was exactly what Daigo was doing by keeping head up the fray. It didn't take long to spot where his aid would be needed the most when the sudden blazing inferno erupts from the man who is fighting with Makoto. Not that he doesn't expect her not to be able to deal with it, but simply because he strives to defend everyone from harm and this man was not only dangerous to Makoto but everyone aruond of him with this wild flames.
Daigo turns his attention from the guards he had first tackled after his rough charge, hoping the others who were around with him could finish the job for him and deal with him as he turns his attention to the flame spouting assassin. Daigo growls and charges up at him, quickly making up the distance between him and the Assassin. He lunges into the battle, fist first as he tries to shove his massive fist straight into the man's face while he fires his inferno at Makoto, in hope to offer her some distraction to break free from his attack, and probably get his attention.
Though bruised and singed from the strange energy coursing through her opponent's body, Makoto regains her footing in a flash and takes moment to glance around at the situation as it unfolds around her. The students have managed to overcome the guards for the most part or atleast draw them into close combat where their guns will be basically useless. There sheer amount of numbers in this case will be more than enough to deal with Atelier's goons.
Which means that she can focus all of her attention on KillBot 9000 over there. Seeing that her wild strike had sent the man plowing through his own equipment brings a grin to her face but it quickly fades when he strides back out still hot and bothered and spraying flames like an unhinged pyromaniac.
"Crap, why's it always gotta be a fireworks show with these things!"
Makoto's arms lift up protectively infront of her; not much of a defense against fire which she realizes pretty quickly and abandons that plan at the last second. She art and her soul are rooted firmly in the physical and visceral side of the martial disciplines which necessitates a certain level of finesse when dealing with people who can target her weakness.
In this case, her answer is to grab the nearest of the riot guards and use him for a shield. The flames impact the unwitting goon merely instants after Makoto's arm snakes around his waist and yanks him into their path. The heat washes over them both and she lets out a pained cry as her exposed flesh becomes closer to char-boiled than is particularly comfortable. Makoto grinds her teeth, biting the shout off in anger and frustration as she spins to the side to pull herself out of the direct path of any further fire.
The motion continues in a series of whirling spirals as she drags the guard along for the ride before finally hurling him bodily at the assassin like a human shotput!
Principal Smith's desk is dominated by a bank of monitors when the nurse comes to give him the news. The drama in front of the school is playing out on a couple, courtesy of riot guard-mounted cameras; school records and other important data are streaming down the others. His fingers are steepled just beneath his nose as he studies the feeds, because of course they are.
"Is that so?" he dryly replies to the nurse, shifting his eyes up to her with an arching brow. "They /are/ getting a little rowdy, my little hellions are; alright, then." As he stands, he rolls his head around to crack his neck with the sound of snapping pencils, then reaches beneath his desk to tap one of a couple of red buttons.r
"I suppose it's time they learn a valuable lesson about discipline!"
The distinctive peal of an old-fashioned school bell wafts through the PA system, barely audible above the growing sounds of violence.
After a couple of seconds, another begins ringing. And then, another, and another, and so on, until dozens - if not hundreds - of bells have exploded into a skull-pounding ensemble that washes over the space in front of the school just as readily as it dominates the halls themselves. All the while, Zero strides towards the front of the school, blowing lockers open and sweeping stray papers up in his impossible wake; the light brown teacher's trenchcoat he's wearing over his black and silver-striped sweater and black slacks billows wildly behind him.
Eventually, the front doors are flung open and Principal Smith emerges with a faintly static-laced bellow of, "STUDENTS OF GEDO HIGH!" that somehow slices through the cacophony. He continues right on towards the violence, seemingly unconcerned with the possibility of taking a stray bullet, knife, or fireball for his troubles; the bells stop sounding by the time he steps off of the stairs.
"Where is your honor?!" he continues at more normal, if still firmly authoritarian volumes, "Where is your focus, your discipline?! Where is your /respect/, that you would treat visitors to our humble institution to such carnage?!"
Red light briefly and brightly flickers in his right eye as his targeting systems come online.
"I'm afraid that it's detention for every last one of you--beginning /now/!"
COMBATSYS: Zero has joined the fight here as a boss!
ZERO
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0|---------------|---------------
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////// ]
Assassin #418 0/-------/--=====|=======\==-----\1 Makoto
> //////////////////////////////]
|=------\-------\0 Daigo
COMBATSYS: Assassin #418 dodges Makoto's Large Thrown Object.
ZERO
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0|---------------|---------------
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////// ]
Assassin #418 0/-------/--=====|=======\===----\1 Makoto
> //////////////////////////////]
|=------\-------\0 Daigo
COMBATSYS: Daigo successfully hits Assassin #418 with Strong Punch.
ZERO
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0|---------------|---------------
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////// ]
Assassin #418 1/----===/=======|=======\===----\1 Makoto
> //////////////////////////////]
|==-----\-------\0 Daigo
The hapless clone is not really doing too well at the moment; the riot guard is a good makeshift shield to say the least, only for him to be launched bodily towards the clone, who manages to leap aside without much trouble. But a moment later he's struck dead in the face, an explosive strike that sends him spinning away, crashing down to his knees. Black ash hisses away where Daigo's fist hit instead of blood, as the trembling clone seems on the verge of breaking down. Burn marks are in his skin where his superimposed veins are visible, breath coming quicker and quicker. "FOR THE GLORY... OF NESTS...!!" Erupting head to toe in fire, blackening his leather, the clone then rushes straight towards Daigo. Intent on slamming into him heavily, before striking him in a multiple-hit blow to the midsection, roaring in pain throughout before shifting to grasp him by the throat, heft him upwards, and then let loose a horrific explosion of fire that shakes the ground for meters around, blackening the hapless assassin's fingers heavily!!
COMBATSYS: Daigo just-defends Assassin #418's Inferno Execution!
ZERO
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
0|---------------|---------------
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////// ]
Assassin #418 0/-------/-------|=======\===----\1 Makoto
> //////////////////////////////]
|==-----\-------\0 Daigo
Unfortunately, Makoto's makeshift projectile ends up being less effective than she'd hoped but atleast that guard is unlikely to be causing any further problems for the students today. Rather than immediately rush in to follow up on that, she lets Daigo take over for a moment and uses that time to inspect the arm that was wrapped around the guard and thus exposed directly to the painful flames.
It looks about like she expected it to, flesh swollen and skin puffy and red from the heat. Anyone who has been burned knows that such injuries are incredibly painful and this one is no different. Makoto flexes her fingers a few times experimentally sending about a million invisible knives dancing up her arm in a flash. The sensation almost buckles her knees on the spot but she hisses sharply and pushes the pain into the back of her mind. No time to deal with this now.
Instead, she gets to deal with the school PA system suddenly going nuts like some crazed monkey is hammering away at the controls. Her hands fly up to cover her ears against the cacophany, one eye squeezing shut while the other darts wildly around for the source of this newest disturbance.
Thankfully the noise is short-lived and quickly replaced by a more tangible target. Principal Brown himself, who she's only seen in passing until now, steps out into the courtyard simultaneously insulting her honor and her discipline the span of a few seconds. Well that certainly isn't going to fly.
Makoto peels her hands off her ears and attempts to dispel the ringing echo with a fierce shake of her head. It doesn't really do much. Glaring at the man striding arrogantly into the fight as if it were little more than a schoolyard scuffle, the karateka calls out to Daigo before taking off at a dash towards this newest threat.
"You deal with that one, my fist and the principal need to have a student-teacher conference!"
Shoving her way through the crowd without much difficulty, Makoto barrels across the courtyard and into the open, skidding to a halt a dozen or so feet away from Mr. Brown and his freaky eyeball. She points a finger at him and shouts, though her voice is practically a foghorn to begin with so it might not even be necessary.
"You DARE impeach /my/ honor?! While you allow these CHARLATANS to do as they please with the students under /your/ protection?! I'm not keen on lectures from HYPOCRITS but I was taught to respect my elders, so if you apologize now, I'll go easy on you, old man!"
COMBATSYS: Makoto focuses on her next action.
ZERO
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
0|---------------|---------------
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////// ]
Assassin #418 0/-------/-------|=======\===----\1 Makoto
> //////////////////////////////]
|==-----\-------\0 Daigo
Daigo had done exactly what he wanted : get the assassin's attention. He lifts both of his arms up and glares at him, when he sees the blind rage in his eyes. The flames that cover his whole body are quite unsettling and frightening to say the least, but Daigo bravely faces them -- he prefers to withstand the pain of this man's assault rather than let him harm those who followed him into this rebellion.
His shout about NESTs though rings a bell : Hyo had mentionned them before, he's certain of this. It just causes him to glare further at the assassin, strenghtening his conviction that this was the right course of action. When he lunges at him, Daigo moves with surprising agility against his assault, his arms sweeping off his attack, his chi manifesting into flames of his own to protect him against the agent's fierce flames.
When he reaches out for his throat, Daigo growls and manages knock his hand away from his throat before he can lift him off the ground, causing his massive explosion to burst beside Daigo instead, sparring him from what might have been an horrible fate.
The ground shaking explosion would have scorched Daigo if it hadn't been for his reflex to manifest his own flames to shield himself from it. Still, the explosion is strong enough to knock him away from the assassin a dozens feet away. The tall man manages to land back on his feet though, taking a few steps back to recover his balance. He glares at the assassin but then... A loud voice in the courtyard catches his attention, someone more dire and dangerous probably than this assassin.
He turns to face Zero, even though he keeps an eye on the Assassin nearby. He glares at him and replies, shouting out loud for the other students to hear him, "Honor!? This is our honor! None will threaten the integrity of Gedo High, nor the safety of its student! We fight those who threaten us," Daigo lifts his arms up in Zero's direction, defiantly. "It's over now, Principal Smith!"
While Daigo would be quite eager to start the hostility with what he believes is the source of the Atelier Group, he hears Makoto shout him orders. While he'd prefer not to endager her needlessly, Daigo shows enough confidence in her to give her what she wants and he nods at her, "Be careful, Makoto, he's stronger than he looks,"
After this quick advice, Daigo turns his attention back on the assassin and he cracks his knuckles. Time to deal with him. Daigo charges the assassin and he moves his massive hand to grapple him by the shoulder, attempting to overpower him in a contest of pure strength, lifting him high up in the air before slamming him roughly against the pavement.
COMBATSYS: Daigo successfully hits Assassin #418 with Medium Throw.
ZERO
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
0|---------------|---------------
[ \\\\\ < > ////////////////////// ]
Assassin #418 0/-------/---====|=======\===----\1 Makoto
> //////////////////////////////]
|===----\-------\0 Daigo
There's a look of utter shock upon the figure attempting to assault Daigo. That such disposable lives would be used alone might only add to his burning fury, who allows his arms to hang limply. Eyes cast upwards, tears sizzling away to steam upon his face as he gazes up through smoldering eyes at the principal. "Z-Zero-sama... it... hurts..." Flakes of ash begin to whirl off him, before a feeble escape fails. Daigo is wrestled momentarily, only for an abject failure ending in a colossal impact with the ground. A great exhale lets loose a flash of fire and more ash, and a sort of terrible coughing wrecks him. "FOR... NESTS..." he states, aiming to grasp Daigo by the wrist. And then, in a horrendous blast that consumes the rest of his body, unleashes a flare of chi directly towards him. In a blinding light, the vaguely humanoid charred form suddenly bursts apart, blowing away in the wind slowly. Gone; a casualty, from the moment he ignited his chi against the opponents...!
COMBATSYS: Assassin #418 can no longer fight.
ZERO
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
0|---------------|---------------
> ////////////////////// ]
|=======\===----\1 Makoto
> //////////////////////////////]
|===----\-------\0 Daigo
"Apologize?"
One of the stripes wrapping around Principal Smith's torso bubbles with black chi as he halts and regards the karateka with a squint and a canted head, as if she'd suggested that the apology be given on an eighth day, or during a fifth season. Shortly afterwards, #418's pleas reach his ears, and the bemusement falls into a deeply unamused frown.
"Perhaps you're right; perhaps I /do/ owe the lot of you an apology for having so clearly failed you in my time here," he begins, lowering his head and thoughtfully stroking his chin with a hand. This lasts for all of, like, a second before...
"For allowing you children to devolve into paranoid sadists and /murderers/ under Kazama's watch!" boils forth. "You would lecture me and lower yourself to assaulting these brave men and women for striving towards a better future for all of you.. why?" The tail of his trenchcoat swirls about his legs as he turns to level an accusing glare on Daigo; a chorus of *SHNK!*s sounds as blades - not the blunt weights he's sometimes worn while fighting on school grounds, but wickedly sharp knives - slide out of the hem.
"To uphold the moral standards of a kidnapper? A torturer? A /thug/?"
As he turns back towards Makoto, he also launches towards her, fist snapping towards her belly like a viper.
"I can only hope that you'll find it in your hearts to forgive me!"
"Apologize?"
One of the stripes wrapping around Principal Smith's torso bubbles with black chi as he halts and regards the karateka with a squint and a canted head, as if she'd suggested that the apology be given on an eighth day, or during a fifth season. Shortly afterwards, #418's pleas reach his ears, and the bemusement falls into a deeply unamused frown.
"Perhaps you're right; perhaps I /do/ owe the lot of you an apology for having so clearly failed you in my time here," he begins, lowering his head and thoughtfully stroking his chin with a hand. This lasts for all of, like, a second before...
"For allowing you children to devolve into paranoid sadists and /murderers/ under Kazama's watch!" boils forth. "You would lecture me and lower yourself to assaulting these brave men and women for striving towards a better future for all of you.. why?" The tail of his trenchcoat swirls about his legs as he turns to level an accusing glare on Daigo; a chorus of *SHNK!*s sounds as blunt weights slide out of the hem.
"To uphold the moral standards of a kidnapper? A torturer? A /thug/?"
As he turns back towards Makoto, he also launches towards her, fist snapping towards her belly like a viper.
"I can only hope that you'll find it in your hearts to forgive me!"
COMBATSYS: Makoto fails to interrupt Medium Punch from Zero with Fukiage EX.
- Power fail! -
ZERO
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
0|---------------|--------------=
> /////////////// ]
|=======\=====--\1 Makoto
> //////////////////////////////]
|===----\-------\0 Daigo
COMBATSYS: Daigo just-defends Assassin #418's Hell Trigger!
ZERO
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
0|---------------|--------------=
> /////////////// ]
|=======\=====--\1 Makoto
> //////////////////////////////]
|===----\-------\0 Daigo
"Hah, so you admit that you're helping these freaks!"
Makoto's scowl twists into a grin as the principal rebuffs her callout with more imperious nonsense. What possible 'better future' could a group who creates self-destructing assassins bring about? They certainly didn't have that poor man's 'better future' in mind when they turned him into a living bomb and she really doubts that whatever they are up to here is any different.
Now that she's confirmed her suspicions, there's no reason to hold back any more. Makoto shakes her head almost sadly at the elder man as he tries to place the outcome of the assassin's demise on their shoulders. She's clearly facing a madman. But a skilled one, as it turns out.
"I'll create my own future! You can keep your 'concern' to yourself!"
The karateka clenches her fists in reponse to the lunging strike dropping her leading shoulder low and shifting her weight in an attempt to sidestep past the fist and drive one of her own into the base of the principal's jaw. Except it pretty much goes the other way around. The sheer size difference between the towering figure and the tiny teenager makes it quite difficult for him to strike her midsection to begin with. When she drops her center to go for the counter strike it just ends up bringing her face pretty well in line with the course of the incoming fist.
Makoto's head snaps to the side from an impact that can be heard across the courtyard. -CRUNCH- Caught mid step and flat footed, she spirals away like a top and collapses in a heap on the ground, knocked cleanly for a loop and momentarily stunned.
Daigo is too slow to actually hope to escape the Assassin's grasp -- he braces for impact, gritting his teeth as he moves his forarms in front of his chest to protect his vitals and midsection from the blindling blast. He lets a loud growl escape his throat as she attempts to shield himself from the blast with his own chi, manifesting his own fierce flames a moment around his forearm and body, absorbing the flames and dismissing him. The technique was perfectly executed, a question of timing, a second too early and he would have still ended up getting scorched and a moment too late it would have been the same. When the flame dies down, Daigo lift his fist up, ready to retaliate but he notices the assassin's desperate attack had reduced him to ashes. What an horrible fate, he thinks.
He turns on his heels and glances back to the school principal. Time to give Makoto a hand with the real threat. Daigo makes his way toward their clash, just in time to hear his insults about him, "A better future, you say? You cannot force your beliefs into us, or this future to us! We are free to strive for our own future -- your presence here has only been a danger to all of us. A danger that must be put to an end,"
His answer comes about the same time as Makoto's own, though Daigo's still too far to offer him a hand before she fails to defend herself against Zero's assault. The sight makes him wince for Makoto and Daigo lunges at Zero in an attempt to give Makoto a breather by giving him someone else to deal with.
Daigo leaps toward Zero, lifting his massive hand backward before he soars down need Zero and sends his fist crashing against the pavement. The impact causes the concrte to explode into dozens of debris, blasted upward against Zero by a massive burst of flames like a geyser of fire mixed with the asphalt that is hurled against him along with the flames.
COMBATSYS: Zero blocks Daigo's Phoenix Fire.
ZERO
[ ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
0|---------------|------------===
> /////////////// ]
|=======\=====--\1 Makoto
> ///////////////////////////// ]
|===----\-------\0 Daigo
"I look forward to it!" Principal Zero exclaims, straightening up and clasping his hands behind himself as Makoto spins and falls. "Perhaps you'll gain some appreciation for the sacrifices required along the way."
This is the problem with building a better tomorrow: those who get a glimpse of the blueprints tend to grow upset when they clash with today. The schools are ultimately just one front among many in NESTS' march towards the future, but the revolt serves as a small-scale reminder of just how jealously most people will guard their way of life when pushed.
"And you," he exhales, lifting his arms in a protective cross as he faces the lunging gang leader. "And you-- the so-called 'Boss', leaping bravely-- nngh--" Fire and debris splash against the administrator's forearms, leaving little flames burning along his arms that he quickly shakes out. "-- into a battle-- that you're barely equipped to comprehend!" Once the flames are gone, his hand sweeps down to the edge of his coat, leaving dark after-images in its wake.
"Adolescent rebellion masquerading as heroism," he dismissively states while casting the end of his coat in a crushing arc aimed at Kazama's torso. "And for what? To protect your fellow students from the tyranny of vaccinations?"
"Tch!"
Makoto lets out an annoyed sound as she slowly regains her senses. A hand lifts to rest against the already forming bruise on her cheek, probing it tenatively for a moment, but she doesn't dwell on it for long. A glob of spit and blood spatters on the pavement as she clears her mouth of the foul taste of humiliation in a most unlady-like fashion.
Daigo's intervention would be rather insulting if it wasn't abundantly clear that she'll need help with this man. Whoever Principal Brown really is, he's strong. Good. She likes a challenge. However, she also knows that stepping in at the wrong moment could be more damaging to the gang leader than to their opponent.
Still nursing her burned arm, the karateka takes a few moments to center herself and push all of the distractions and injuries that have built up in a rather short time into the back of her mind. She doesn't have time for weakness right now. Maybe Daigo can win this fight with or without her help; the point is irrelevant because she's damn well not going to back down!
She just...needs a moment to make the floor stop tilting.
COMBATSYS: Makoto gains composure.
ZERO
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
0|---------------|-----------====
> /////////////////// ]
|======-\-------\0 Makoto
> //////////////////////////// ]
|===----\-------\0 Daigo
COMBATSYS: Daigo just-defends Zero's Satsuma!
ZERO
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
0|---------------|-----------====
> /////////////////// ]
|======-\-------\0 Makoto
> ///////////////////////////// ]
|===----\-------\0 Daigo
Daigo straightens himself up, glaring up at the Principal. He lifts his arms up, ready to clash with him to free Gedo High of the Atelier Group and of him, the one who is the cause of all of this. "There's more to it than just vaccinations," Daigo replies with a growl, "It is useless to talk about this, you'd never admit the true nature of the Atelier Group, but we know -- we've seen it,"
Daigo braces himself for the Principal's counter attack. He moves his arms to block the incoming cape sweep, deflecting the blow to his side with a swift movement of his arms. "You can keep deny it, but it won't change it!" Daigo lunges at Zero, spinning on his heels and swinging his right leg to deliver a roundhouse kick at Zero, one that is quickly followed by a second front kick straight for Zero's stomach.
COMBATSYS: Daigo successfully hits Zero with Phoenix Kick.
ZERO
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
0|---------------|-------========
> /////////////////// ]
|======-\-------\0 Makoto
> //////////////////////////// ]
|====---\-------\0 Daigo
"HRRK!" Zero exclaims as Daigo's front kick causes him to hunch forward, following that dizzying shot to the head. It would have doubled him right over, if it wasn't for his improbably hard sweater vest; it's almost as if he's wearing an armored battlesuit undearneath, or something.
"The truth of the Atelier Group," he exhales as he pulls himself upright and rubs his aching head, "is that you aren't ready to grasp the truth of the Atelier Group!"
In the blink of an eye, his right leg lifts, lashes out in a retaliatory strike aimed at Daigo's ribcage, then falls so that his foot is planted forward; a casual observer could almost be forgiven for mistaking the movement for an oddly vigorous shift of positioning.
"As regrettable and misguided of a reaction as this /is/, it's a natural enough one for children confronted with something that they're ill-equipped to understand," he concludes, mock pity creeping into his voice.
COMBATSYS: Daigo blocks Zero's Strong Kick.
ZERO
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
0|---------------|-----==========
> /////////////////// ]
|======-\-------\0 Makoto
> ////////////////////////// ]
|=====--\-------\0 Daigo
Makoto opens her eyes again to find that her vision has mostly settled back to normal, though there's some obvious swelling in her face from the disgraceful blow she took earlier. Good enough. Time to get back in the fight. Turning her attention back to where the two men are scuffling and exchanging philosophical banter, as martial artists are want to do, the small brawler steels herself for the rigors of combat and takes a deep breath, drawing upon one of her secret techniques for aid.
The karateka goes still for a few moments as she calls forth the wellspring of energy and ferocity that lies dormant within her body. Chakra points open up, power shifts and reorients itself, and she allows the churing turmoil of heated emotions that lurk just beneath the surface of her disciplined exterior to bubble up and spill into her like a cauldron boiling over.
"Urrrryaa!"
Makoto's outcry is not one of pain or fear but that of unleashed anger and fighting spirit. Her cheeks begin to burn with a brilliant red hue but it quickly spreads throughout the rest of her body like some sort of wild cancerous growth until every inch of her exposed skin is the color of fresh blood.
"Don't think you can look down on us just because of our age!"
Her muscles burning with overtaxed effort, Makoto leaps into action and tears across the courtyard with reckless abandon on a direct and unsubtle approach towards the principal's side. Clenching her fists into miniature cannonballs, she leaps like some kind of primal berserker, unleashing another sharp kiai as she comes down at her target with a vengence.
Makoto's first attack comes in the form of a simple karate chop, an overhead blow with the side of her hand. However, the impact is far beyond what someone of her size should be capable of, her strike that of a meteor falling from the heavens with righteous indignation.
The tall man takes a step back after his attack, bracing for Zero's attack. Daigo was not one for quick manuevers : he steels himself like a rock and resists to Zero's kick by moving his arms in the way in a cross to block the incoming blow. Unlike his previous defensive maneuver though, he was unable to redirect the force and deflect the blow, his forearms taking the blunt of the impact.
The strength and might behind his kick makes Daigo grunts in pain, enough to make the tall man slide back a few inches. His forearms aches and still feels the impact even after he manages to push his leg away from his arms, "If you hide the truth from us, then how do you expect us to believe this is for our greater good!? It sounds and looks more like a threat to all of us!" Daigo takes a step foward, clenching his right hand into a fist as he swings his fist upward in an attempt to uppercut Zero.
COMBATSYS: Zero blocks Makoto's Oroshi.
ZERO
[ ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
0|---------------|-----==========
> ///////////////// ]
|=======\-------\0 Makoto
> /////////////////////////// ]
|====---\-------\0 Daigo
COMBATSYS: Daigo successfully hits Zero with Fierce Punch.
ZERO
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
0|---------------|-==============
> ///////////////// ]
|=======\-------\0 Makoto
> /////////////////////////// ]
|=====--\-------\0 Daigo
Assassin #418 falls asleep.
A swiftly building electronic hum precedes the appearance of concentric rings of grey chi a foot or two away from Principal Zero's skull. Makoto's hand collides with /it/ instead of him, twisting the persistent hum into a high-pitched whine of protest as the momentum of the blow is progressively stolen away and the barrier vomits out sparks; by the time she manages to forcibly cleave her way through it to reach him, the blow has been diminished to the point where he wavers on his feet and grunts painfully through clenched teeth when her hand meets his skull instead of buckling. The field almost seems to wrench itself apart with that breach as a focal point for its decoherence, but it flickers and fades away after a brief period of instability instead.
As soon as it's gone, Daigo hits him with an uppercut before he can get out of the way, knocking him several feet up and back. The landing is hard and faintly metallic, and while Zero is quick to pull up to a knee, and then retake his feet, blood pools in his mouth and quickly begins to leak out, as if he's smuggling dead rats in there for a post-fight snack.
"Truth..." he groans out of the side of his mouth after spitting out a mouthful of blood, the word slurred and muddled in a way that nobody really wants to suffer through reading due his damaged jaw. "... is overrated, Mr. Kazama; sometimes, the end results are all that matter." There's a note of melancholy there; learning to make peace with ugly truth in the service of a greater good has been the theme of his return to NESTS, poor #418 being the latest in an endless line of unfortuante points of fact.
"Or do you make a point of walking the factories where your food lives, suffers, and dies?" The down note doesn't really fade as he continues to press on Daigo, but black chi begins to boil across his torso with a low rumble worthy of the filthiest drop as he speaks. It briefly lingers on his person, and by the time he moves on to, "Of acquainting yourself with the injustices that allow society to function, such as it does?" tendrils of the stuff have begun to snake towads Makoto.
Once the question is out of his mouth, Zero becomes a dark blur speeding behind his ribbons of chi; they're meant to secure the karateka in a field of artificially intense gravity while he close the gap to deliver a knee to her abdomen, a punch to the jaw delivered with a sharp pivot at the waist, and then a thrust kick meant to catch her beneath the chin and send her flying.
A swiftly building electronic hum precedes the appearance of concentric rings of grey chi a foot or two away from Principal Zero's skull. Makoto's hand collides with /it/ instead of him, twisting the persistent hum into a high-pitched whine of protest as the momentum of the blow is progressively stolen away and the barrier vomits out sparks; by the time she manages to forcibly cleave her way through it to reach him, the blow has been diminished to the point where he wavers on his feet and grunts painfully through clenched teeth when her hand meets his skull instead of buckling. The field almost seems to wrench itself apart with that breach as a focal point for its decoherence, but it flickers and fades away after a brief period of instability instead.
As soon as it's gone, Daigo hits him with an uppercut before he can get out of the way, knocking him several feet up and back. The landing is hard and faintly metallic, and while Zero is quick to pull up to a knee, and then retake his feet, blood pools in his mouth and quickly begins to leak out, as if he's smuggling dead rats in there for a post-fight snack.
"Truth..." he groans out of the side of his mouth after spitting out a mouthful of blood, the word slurred and muddled in a way that nobody really wants to suffer through reading due his damaged jaw. "... is overrated, Mr. Kazama; sometimes, the end results are all that matter." There's a note of melancholy there; learning to make peace with ugly truth in the service of a greater good has been the theme of his return to NESTS, poor #418 being the latest in an endless line of unfortuante points of fact.
"Or do you make a point of walking the factories where your food lives, suffers, and dies?" The down note doesn't really fade as he continues to press on Daigo, but black chi begins to boil across his torso with a low rumble worthy of the filthiest drop as he speaks. It briefly lingers on his person, and by the time he moves on to, "Of acquainting yourself with the injustices that allow society to function, such as it does?" tendrils of the stuff have begun to snake towads Daigo.
Once the question is out of his mouth, Zero becomes a dark blur speeding behind his ribbons of chi; they're meant to secure the gang boss in a field of artificially intense gravity while he closes the gap to slam a knee into his abdomen, follow it with a punch to the jaw with a sharp pivot at the waist, and cap it off with thrust kick meant to catch him beneath the chin and send him flying.
COMBATSYS: Daigo barely endures Zero's Tsugio Hikoujin.
ZERO
[ ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
1|-----------====|===============
> ///////////////// ]
|=======\-------\0 Makoto
> //////////////////// ]
|=======\=------\1 Daigo
The principal's words are enough to make Daigo grits his teeth. He clenches his fist more tightly. He would agree that the end justify the means, to a certain extent -- why else would he have been part of this rebellion, after all. However, Zero's beliefs on the truth made him sound more like a tyran who craved to manipulate others with blissful ignorance more than anything else to Daigo's ears.
"We're talking about human lives!" The tall man replies, waving his arm to one side, "How can you hide such things!? Do you really claim that what you're doing here is for the greater good? And if it were, why hide the truth and your intentions!?" He narrows his eyes into a glare, his conviction of having done the right actions enrooting in his being. He had no regret, he would fight this to the end.
When Zero's body becomes a blurry mass, Daigo growls and moves one of his leg backward, bracing for his attack. He tries to keep his senses alert, but when Zero's gravitationnal field manifests around Daigo, the tall gang leader lacks the reflex to do anything more than endure it. He closes his eyes in pain, feeling his body crushed by the force applied to his body. He growls in pain, vulnerable for Zero's attack, wide open when he lunges foward and slams his knee into his abdomen. The gravity keeps him locked in place, allowing Zero to follow up with his punch to his jaw, spilling blood from his mouth.
The last kick under his chin is the thing required to blast him out of the gravitationnal field and sending Daigo flying upward. His body is wrecked in pain and the hit to his abdomen had left a broken rib most likely.
The tall man barely manages to withstand it when he lands. He maintains his balance instead of crumpling and falling down, allowing him to dash back at Zero. He hurls his massive body at him and lifts his arm up, swinging it with a quick rotation of his waist, using all his momentum and mass into this powerful backhand smack aimed at Zero's face.
Makoto hangs in the air like a puppet dangling from invisible strings as her mighty blow contends with the defensive barrier. The brash tomboy grunts with effort, her lips peeling back to reveal gritted teeth, every muscle in her body twisting with the strain of maintaining her strange enhancement technique.
A final surge of strength and a harsh kiai gives her the edge necessary to push through the barrier after a few seconds but the majority of her momentum is lost. The shield may not have stopped her completely but it served the NESTS agent well enough to keep his head intact for the moment.
The karateka rebounds from the blow with an agile twist of her body, rolling to the side to avoid getting caught up in Daigo's powerful follow up. She lands at an angle and drops into a defensive roll that adds yet more distance between herself and the two towering fighters. Mr. Brown's obvious difficulty in the wake of having his jaw rearranged brings a faint smirk to her face but she hasn't got time to sit back and gloat just yet and it looks like even that isn't enough to stop the old man from babbling about random philosophical blather.
"Are you saying it's ACCEPTABLE to sacrifice people for the happiness of others?! What kind of CRAP is that?! Who would be satisfied with that answer?!"
Fresh anger boils up within Makoto. It's one thing to know that suffering and unhappiness exists. It is part of the human condition. Everyone has their trials to overcome and it is within the journey of discovering oneself and finding a place to belong admist those hardships that harmony can be achieved. He would take away that chance merely to grant an easier life to those more fortunate? Bullshit!
"There is no greater GOOD to be found in sacrifice," she echoes the thug leader's sentiments. "What you're talking about is nothing more than a coward's escape!"
Upon seeing Daigo finally take a solid blow, Makoto gives chase and lashes out once again. There is less honor in striking a foe from behind but in reality the ugly truth behind battle is that such details are rarely able to be given consideration outside of the practice rings where one has the luxury of knowing that nothing other than pride is on the line. Whatever happens here, this madness has to be stopped.
The first strike comes in low and fast. Makoto reaches out to grab hold of the trailing edge of the principal's coat and yank him backwards, sweeping her foot out to hook around his ankle and in combination attempt to hold him steady for Daigo's haymaker and then send him crashing to the pavement with a powerful twist of her own hips. Her fist follows the takedown whether or not it sticks properly and she aims a ruthless straight punch directly into the small of his back where the nerves are bundled tightly.
COMBATSYS: Daigo successfully hits Zero with Phoenix Backfist.
ZERO
[ ||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
1|------=========|===============
> //////////////// ]
|=======\-------\0 Makoto
> /////////////////// ]
|=======\==-----\1 Daigo
COMBATSYS: Zero dodges Makoto's Araiso EX.
ZERO
[ ||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
1|------=========|===============
> //////////////// ]
|=======\-------\0 Makoto
> /////////////////// ]
|=======\==-----\1 Daigo
"Men, women, and children toil endlessly and fruitlessly in holes around the world to sate the needs of others who cannot - or will not - live without the goods that they produce, even as they themselves are denied even the barest taste of their fruits," Principal Zero lectures with a tinge of sadness, cradling his jaw as his foot comes down. Already, his words are sounding clearer, if still muffled by injury and, well, his hand. "Towns and villages run red with the remnants of those who committed the grave crime of living in the path of so-called progress, drowning as those with the power to save them turn away to plot their next conquest. /All/ of these sacrifices, every life crushed and mangled in the gears of civilization... they are as necessary to support your present existence as they are unjust! Nothing is free in this life, not even happiness."
His left eye flickers red as his systems flare in warning; something is coming for him from behind, hard and fast; his head turns as Makoto seizes his coat, and as she tries to pull him into her, he braces his left foot behind himself to brace against the movement. Before her leg can sweep towards his, he pitches into a forward roll to forcibly remove his coat from her hands and put a little distance between the two of them.
"Ours is not a world in which positive change simply /happens/," he continues in a murmur. Cracks in the authoritarian without offer a glimpse at the conflicted researcher within as he comes up in a three-point stance. "A future free of the sicknesses infecting our present must be fought for, earned, defended-- and, yes, /sacrificed/ for! Beneath it all, Atelier is--"
Arguably, it's impressive on a certain level that he manages to get as far as he does before Daigo sends him spinning away with the back of his fist; not /nearly/ as impressive as the way that the gang boss' massive arm forces Zero's last second forearm block aside, but the man has almost certainly delivered a monologue or two in his life.
Zero's head is easily his biggest weak point in a fight: the battlesuit doesn't offer him any protection at all, leaving him to rely on its force field generator and his own self-repair systems when martial defenses fail. Although he doesn't spin more than a few feet away, the landing is a rough one; when he goes to push himself up, a long strand of blood drools from his mouth, forming a little puddle beneath his head-- or, rather, a few little puddles, all of them swirling in and out of each other courtesy of his scrambled brain.
"Nngh..." he groans as he makes it to his hands and knees. "The man who exploded beneath your fists... he was as good as family to me," he quietly shares. Chi begins to flow along the lines of his sweater vest, but it's held back from another offensive explosion as Zero lifts his head to catch each of the rebellious students with a look as hard and cold as steel; his words of determination are for both of them, equally:
"And I would sacrifice him a thousand times over, if doing so would usher in a better world for his brothers and sisters."
Exhaling heavily, he then flows up to his feet so that he can push himself towards Makoto and attempt to land a heavy fist atop her skull. "To live with no true understanding of the horrors underpinning existence is one of the luxuries of youth; cherish it while you still can!"
"Men, women, and children toil endlessly and fruitlessly in holes around the world to sate the needs of others who cannot - or will not - live without the goods that they produce, even as they themselves are denied even the barest taste of their fruits," Principal Zero lectures with a tinge of sadness, cradling his jaw as his foot comes down. Already, his words are sounding clearer, if still muffled by injury and, well, his hand. "Towns and villages run red with the remnants of those who committed the grave crime of living in the path of so-called progress, drowning as those with the power to save them turn away to plot their next conquest. /All/ of these sacrifices, every life crushed and mangled in the gears of civilization... they are as necessary to support your present existence as they are unjust! Nothing is free in this life, not even happiness."
His left eye flickers red as his systems flare in warning; something is coming for him from behind, hard and fast; his head turns as Makoto seizes his coat, and as she tries to pull him into her, he braces his left foot behind himself to brace against the movement. Before her leg can sweep towards his, he pitches into a forward roll to forcibly remove his coat from her hands and put a little distance between the two of them.
"Ours is not a world in which positive change simply /happens/," he continues in a murmur. Cracks in the authoritarian without offer a glimpse at the conflicted researcher within as he comes up in a three-point stance. "A future free of the sicknesses infecting our present must be fought for, earned, defended-- and, yes, /sacrificed/ for! Beneath it all, Atelier is--"
Arguably, it's impressive on a certain level that he manages to get as far as he does before Daigo sends him spinning away with the back of his fist; not /nearly/ as impressive as the way that the gang boss' massive arm forces Zero's last second forearm block aside, but the man has almost certainly delivered a monologue or two in his life.
Zero's head is easily his biggest weak point in a fight: the battlesuit doesn't offer him any protection at all, leaving him to rely on its force field generator and his own self-repair systems when martial defenses fail. Although he doesn't spin more than a few feet away, the landing is a rough one; when he goes to push himself up, a long strand of blood drools from his mouth, forming a little puddle beneath his head-- or, rather, a few little puddles, all of them swirling in and out of each other courtesy of his scrambled brain.
"Nngh..." he groans as he makes it to his hands and knees. "The man who exploded beneath your fists... he was as good as family to me," he quietly shares instead of finishing his point about Atelier. Chi begins to flow along the lines of his sweater vest, but it's held back from another offensive explosion as Zero lifts his head to catch each of the rebellious students with a look as hard and cold as steel; his words of determination are for both of them, equally:
"And I would sacrifice him a thousand times over, if doing so would usher in a better world for his brothers and sisters."
Exhaling heavily, he then flows up to his feet so that he can push himself towards Makoto and attempt to land a heavy fist atop her skull. "To live with no true understanding of the horrors underpinning existence is one of the luxuries of youth; cherish it while you still can!"
COMBATSYS: Makoto endures Zero's Genma Kizashou.
ZERO
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
1|-------========|===============
> /////////// ]
|=======\===----\1 Makoto
> /////////////////// ]
|=======\==-----\1 Daigo
The injustices of the world around them certainly is something that is out of the grasp of teenagers like Daigo. He could not, after all, claim he had the power to change or do anything about it, though he's not impervious to what Zero tells him. He feels deeply for Zero's speech as he shares some of his beliefs and ideals though on a much more local stand point.
"Noble words and ideals," Daigo says, panting softly from the exertion and fatigue. He shakes his head slowly and adds, "Is that really what the Atelier Group is all about? I don't believe a word of it, not from what I've seen. Even so, I refuse to sacrifice the lives of our students..." It was a harsh decision, after all... If the life of one person could save a thousand, would the sacrifice be worth it?
Zero shakens Daigo's resolve though when he speaks of the man who exploded by Daigo's fists. The tall man lowers his arms some, his fighting stance faltering. Did he truly kill this man? All he saw after the blinding blast was ashes on the ground, he was certain he had escaped or ran away... In the heat of battle, he didn't had the time to think too much about it.
Daigo shakes his head and glares back at Zero, "No... This is where we're different. I'd never sacrifice the life of another, not like this," He growls through gritted teeth. He knew that for a fact, he wouldn't do such a thing to those who fights by his side, nor any students from Gedo High.
Daigo rushes after Zero and tries to press himself against his back as he attacks Makoto, his massive arms attempting to curl up into his cloak in an attempt to grab both of his arms and push them back painfully. Hopefully to give Makoto some breathing space, but also an opportunity to attack Zero.
Makoto stumbles forward as the coat is ripped out of her tenacious grip. She holds on as long as possible but the heavy weight of her target and quick thinking of the defensive roll leaves her little option but to let the principal slip the noose lest she get taken down herself. Instead of the man's back, her fist slams down against the pavement as she falls to one knee, frustration threatening to overcome her discpline for an instant with her emotions running amok.
"So who decides which people are sacrificed and which are saved?" The slender tomboy glares daggers at the NESTS commander as she speaks, her harsh brown eyes smoldering like coals beneath the messy veil of her wild bangs. "No one here asked for YOUR help!"
Pushing back to her feet, Makoto sways a little from the intense effort of holding her technique in place. Her muscles cry out in silent agony and every breath is like fire in her lungs. She's reaching her limits; but there is more to do! So long as this man stands she won't stop fighting. Her fists curl into her palms the nails digging into her flesh hard enough to draw blood. It hurts; but more importantly it gives her something to focus on to take her mind away from the general state of weariness besieging her body and soul.
"Don't give me that BULLSHIT! Anyone willing to throw away the lives of others for their own selfish goals doesn't deserve happiness! If you're so noble...!"
Zero comes at her fueled by the conviction in his twisted view of the future. The hand lifts up above her head and for an instant time slows down around her. She has a choice to make here: retreat in the face of overwhelming strength and madness or hold her ground while facing possible life-threatening injuries. These people aren't playing around. One man is dead already and who knows how many more have already died in their sick quest.
It doesn't matter. Even if she falls here today she'll do it standing proudly against the injustice of this man's ideas. No happiness can be built on the suffering of others. The utopia that he seeks is nothing more than a pipe dream of blind idealism. That's her take on it, anyways.
The choice isn't a choice at all. Gritting her teeth as the strike comes down, Makoto shifts to the side at the last moment allowing the blow to crash into her leading shoulder. Pain shoots through her arm in a flash but she ignores it, refusing to fall under the attack; instead she takes a step forward standing mere inches away in the shadow of the giant that looms over here.
"...Then sacrifice yourself! Hyaaaa!!"
Makoto's fist explodes outwards from her side as if it were a pnuematic piston, moving so fast that red streaked afterimages of her boiling skin trail in its wake. She aims for the spot that has proven to be the Achilles Heel for every person she's ever fought; it's not a matter of skill or toughness but simple human anatomy. Her strike slams down at an angle for the exposed section of flesh between his legs which he has so kindly presented as a target.
COMBATSYS: Zero blocks Daigo's Medium Throw.
ZERO
[ ||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
1|------=========|===============
> /////////// ]
|>>>>---\-------\0 Makoto
> //////////////////// ]
|=======\==-----\1 Daigo
COMBATSYS: Makoto successfully hits Zero with Seichuusen Godanzuki.
ZERO
[ |||||||||| ]
1|---============|===============
> /////////// ]
|>>>>---\-------\0 Makoto
> //////////////////// ]
|=======\==-----\1 Daigo
The impact of the tiny girl's strike is impossibly strong. Her size, her build, her weight; none of it adds up to explain how she is capable of delivering such intense power in such a small package. Nevertheless, she hits hard enough that Daigo will feel it /through/ the man between them when he gets close. It might also give him a few phantom pains from their battle.
Bellowing in wordless fury, Makoto flows from that first telling strike into a series of blindingly fast punches. One, two, and then another, they hammer against the rigid surface of Brown's armored suit sending bone-crunching reverberations through his ribs in rapid succession. More than her strength and her anger, however, the true venom behind each impact comes from her belief in the justice that she is fighting for.
Makoto isn't a philosopher. She doesn't have all the answered sorted out into neat categories that allow her to discern the best possible course of action. She's made mistakes in her life, over and over, and she'll keep making them. But despite that, she's able to move forward because they've been /her/ mistakes, /her/ choices. No one got to decide her future but herself. And everyone deserves that chance.
Burning with spirit and her own powerful convictions, Makoto unleashes one final devastating blow. Her fist lances up towards Zero's head and plows square into the base of his already mangled jaw like a volcanic eruption.
"SEICHUUSEN GODANZUKI!!"
"Whoever has a vision of the world they wish to see, the wisdom to plan towards it, and the strength to see it through," Principal Zero quietly answers as he looms over the karateka. "Just as it always has been, and always will be. To imagine otherwise would be naive; what matters is that the dominant vision is one forged in the service of the many, rather than the few-- hrrgh--"
Daigo seizes him as his eye flashes a warning. He struggles instantly, and while Daigo manages to hold him perfectly still for a moment, things get dicier after that: as strong as the gang leader is, and as battered as Zero is above and beneath his armor, the administrator manages to wrench and twist himself ferociously in Daigo's grasp, working an arm free after a couple of seconds. The effort leaves his back and shoulders burning, and he breathes heavily with exertion all the while.
"My happiness, my 'nobility'-- nnggh-- they are-- irrelevant, Ms. Kato and Mr. Kazama; just as you're-- willing to break lives and bodies-- for /your/ ideals-- so, too, am I-- "
*KA-TAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANG!*
Whatever else he has to say is drowned out by the sound of a battle-hardened fist clashing with NESTS engineering. The dull metalllic note rings across the courtyard, and while the collision isn't /quite/ the catastrophe that it could have been... it's still pretty bad.
The administrator's features twist from determination towards wide-eyed shock and agony as the blow radiates through his armor to the markedly less battle-worthy anatomy underneath. If that were /all/ Makoto had for him, it would be recoverable; /painful/, but recoverable. Given a little respite, adrenaline might've flooded his system and helped dull the pain, if only briefly.
It /isn't/, though.
The tell-tale percussion of bone on metal lends the rebellion a destructive back beat, and patches of digital snow hiss across the surface of his vest as her knuckles leave little dents all across his torso. The force of the third punch is severe enough to crack his ribs through the protective shell, causing him to cough up a fresh mouthful of blood and twisting his body awkwardly in Daigo's grasp.
"The Atelier Group..." he exhales as her fist retracts, panting as he sags in Daigo's grasp, "is... only... the beginning...!"
The final punch is pretty much the end of Principal Walter Smith, though. It snaps his head back and shoots his body out of Daigo's grasp, allowing him to fly straight up for several feet before crashing loudly to the ground between them. He's still breathing, but otherwise, there's no movement.
COMBATSYS: Zero takes no action.
> /////////// ]
|>>>>---\-------\0 Makoto
> //////////////////// ]
|=======\==-----\1 Daigo
COMBATSYS: Zero can no longer fight.
> /////////// ]
|>>>>---\-------\0 Makoto
> //////////////////// ]
|=======\==-----\1 Daigo
While Daigo struggles behind Zero hinder him and maintain his hold against him, Makoto seems to deliver the true painful blows that saps out the remaining strength out of him. In fact, her final punch enough to make him slip out of his grasp and knock him away, leaving Daigo empty handed.
He follows the prinicipal with his eyes, before he crashes into the ground. Daigo glances back at Makoto, a smile on his lips as he nods to the karetta, "Good job," He simply replies to her. Though his smile fades away when he turns his eyes toward the pavillon of the Atelier, than back to Zero.
With the principal out of it for now, Daigo's rebellion will most likely be able to overcome what's rest of the resistance from Atelier and wreck most of the place, "We still got some stuff to do to finish this," Daigo adds as he turns his attention toward the cloth pavillion. He cracks his knuckles, taking a second to take a breather, before he dashes off toward the main reason of their actions : the Atelier Group.
Satisfaction.
That is the primary sensation that floods through her body when the arrogant old fool crumples to the ground before her in a messy heap. No more speeches, no more twisted idealism, not from this guy; atleast not tonight. Justice prevails. It's a good feeling.
There are other feelings too. Mostly pain. It's a great deal less pleasant. Makoto's fist remains thrust skywards for several seconds, her body frozen in place as the muscles seize up from the overtaxation she has placed upon them. With visible effort the small teenager relaxes letting the power and emotion drain out of her in a flood. Her skin immediately fades back to its normal hue of sunkissed brown and the aura of intense spirit surrounding her evaporates like mist on the wind.
It takes an effort of will to remain standing but as she has displayed here tonight, Makoto is a fiercely stubborn girl. Setting her jaw into a scowl, she takes several long breaths, shoulders rising and falling with the motion of her chest until her aches have been pushed down far enough to allow her to walk without falling over.
Daigo's compliment is met with a small nod. Her gaze travels back to where the body of the principal lies, broken and useless. She glowers intensely for a long while but eventually turns and falls into step beside the gang leader, her short legs pumping furious to keep up with the hulking brute.
"Let's finish this."
The guards have guns, but they're severely outnumbered; if they haven't already been subdued by the other students, Makoto and Daigo rejoining the fight against them is certain to tip the scales against them.
Whatever the Atelier Group is - was - it isn't long for Gedo High.
Maybe a minute after the pair leaves him to finish cleansing their school, Zero's eyes snap open and he rolls his head around until he's able to watch the rebellion unfold. His diagnostics are beginning to edge up into the red after a period of dark grey dysfunction, but after a few seconds of study, his eyes slide shut and his thoughts drift towards the future.
His work here is pretty much done; it's time for the students to have their school back.
Log created on 10:11:47 02/07/2015 by Daigo, and last modified on 20:30:38 02/08/2015.