Description: A showdown in Southtown's Chinatown between the rock-wielding Mei Lin and Alexis Lovell, who wields the power of rock. Who can rock harder? (Disclaimer: contains gratuitous rock and rock-related puns.) (Winner: Alexis)
The first step in the grand scheme of things had been done successfully! Never had Mei Lin been so scared in all of his life -- the physical exams and the skills assessment ones. What would have happened if they didn't judge him good enough for all of this, or refused him in due to his condition? Years of secret training paid off though, and he managed to get approved into the league.
Second step? Fighting! It was time for him to get some real experience. With real fighter. Doing the routines were one thing, now he'd have the chance to test his skills with other martial artists. And it starts now. In China Town. Mei Lin has challenged someone in the league for a match : someone name Alexis Lovell.
The young man stands in the middle of the street, gaze staring off the distance, smiling for no obvious reasons. A portion of the streets have been locked down, allowing people to witness the street fighting event : a crew of the neo league around to record the battle and make it all official.
==*== A FEW MINUTES EARLIER ==*==
"You don't have to do this, you know," Matthew "Math You Bad" Barker, the drummer of Killasaurus Orphanage, said to Alexis as she prepared for her upcoming bout, making some last minute adjustments to her stage outfit, tugging everything into place so as to make herself as presentable as possible.
"And you don't have to try and talk me out of it," Alexis replied as she ran her fingers through her hair and checked her reflection in a nearby antique shop's window.
"I mean, from a financial perspective. One hundred dollars isn't really that much -"
"I think you mean two hundred and fifty, Matty," Alexis interrupted, narrowing her eyes. "That's how much a win is worth. Don't assume that just because I haven't won yet doesn't mean I won't now!"
"I'm speaking in the worst case scenario, Lexi. And what I'm getting at is that with our schedule lined up, we could be set for a while. Really, I think that risking getting hurt and missing our shows is worse than -"
"I'll be fine. I'd play a show supporting Zabel Zarock with a broken arm if I had to. This is just like one of the band's gigs - if I'm going to get into one of the real money matches, I'm going to have to make myself known."
There was also the matter of the given purpose for Neo-League: fighting for your dream. Alexis knew exactly what she would do if, by some miracle, she were to win, but that was something she kept to herself.
"You know that money isn't everything, right?" Matty asked, brow creasing behind his sunglasses.
"Sometimes it is," Alexis breathed out before making her way toward the throng.
==*== NOW ==*==
"Alright! Who's ready to see me kick this guy's ass?" Alexis' voice rings out from the top of a grocery truck parked a short ways down the street from where Mei Lin is standing. Even without the assistance of a microphone, she can be heard for nearly a block. The response is a bit less impressive than her own lung power: four teenage punks standing near the truck (her own bandmates, some might recognize) let out an enthusiastic applause, but reactions are otherwise half-hearted. Her red guitar is slung over her back, the strap hugging the front of her tight blouse.
The lukewarm response from the crowd doesn't deter Alexis from her plans. "Alright! Let's go! Take me to him!"
With that, the girl unslings her guitar and tosses it to the band's roadie Steve before throwing herself from the top of the truck and into the crowd. Crowdsurfing is always a risky prospect. On the other hand, enough members of the crowd gathered to watch this fight are familiar with the concept (or just want to put their hands on the girl for one reason or another) that she actually manages to surf all the way to the street across from Mei Lin - before being dumped unceremoniously onto the ground.
"Son of a -!"
The girl picks herself up, brushing her skirt down and reaching out to catch her guitar as it's tossed to her before donning it again. Huffing indignantly, she whirls to face her opponent and raises her fists, dropping into a fighting stance.
"Alright, buddy! Hope you weren't looking to put one in the win column today, eh?"
COMBATSYS: Alexis has started a fight here.
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Alexis 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Mei Lin has joined the fight here.
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Alexis 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Mei Lin
Hearing the loud call, Mei Lin arches a brow and lifts his gaze up in Alexis' direction. The crowd surfing seemed to surprise the young man : was Alexis some sort of big champion of some kind? She certainly had the confidence of skilled fighter, though definately not the attitude of one.
He rests his hands on his waist, waiting for Alexis to be carried into the fighting ring. When Alexis gets into her fighting stance, Mei Lin grins and replies with his deep voice, "That's unusual -- I've never heard of any martial artists using a guitar to fight..." He bows his head a moment and says, "Win or lose, the experience is what matters..."
Mei Lin gets into his own fighting stance : a horse saddle stance, both of his hands beside his waist, fingers all curled up and palms exposed. His gaze is in Alexis' general direction though his eyes don't quite seem to be looking at her. "... Give me all you got, you better take me seriously, or else you'll be the one losing," He warns with a smile.
When the referee gives the signal for the battle to start, Mei Lin is already quite eager to get into the fight : he lifts his right leg up a few inches and slams it into the ground, causing the aslphat under his feet to crack up. A sudden pillr of rock burst out at an angle, literally hurling Mei Lin's body at Alexis. With a loud and deep scream, Mei Lin comes crashing into Alexis, turning his body midflight to deliver her a powerful flying kick to her midsection.
COMBATSYS: Alexis blocks Mei Lin's Landslide.
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Alexis 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Mei Lin
Alexis' lips return Mei Lin's smile fiercely as the other fighter insists that she take him seriously. At the referee's signal, she bends her knees slightly into a crouch, preparing to move - but the way that the ground cracks when Mei Lin slams his foot down gives her pause.
"What the -"
And then suddenly the very earth is assisting the other fighter's assault, causing the musician to cover up reflexively. Being new to the fighting scene, she can still sometimes be afraid of changes. The kick slams into her crossed hands, shoving them against her middle and sending her stumbling back toward the crowd. The attack doesn't quite bring her down, though, and she rubs her arms for a brief moment before flexing her hands. A low hum starts to fill the space around her.
"Nice! But you should know better than to try and use rock against me!" she yells as she runs forward. Diverting toward a bin at the side of the street, she jumps onto the edge of it, then launches herself into the air. Throwing herself sidelong, she aims to slam into Mei Lin in a cross-body before swinging around him, locking an arm over his head, and throwing herself down to the pavement, driving him head-first into it. Should the move connect, a sonic shockwave would be released, filling the air with a dissonant vibration.
COMBATSYS: Mei Lin blocks Alexis' Stage Dive.
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Alexis 0/-------/-----==|==-----\-------\0 Mei Lin
Mei Lin stumbles back a few steps after he lands his kick to regain his balance and footing. He resumes in combat stance, allowing Alexis about the same time to get pushed back into the fight. The young man's lips stay curled into that seemingly delighted smile.
Her comment makes him laugh and Mei Lin's smile widens, "We'll see who rocks the hardest," He stays focused and turns on his heel to follow Alexis' movement. When she jumps at him, Mei Lin moves his arms to block the impact, his posture allowing him to withstand her weight with relative ease. However, he's hardly swift enough to push her off when she swings around him and gets a hold of his head. The young man's easily sent off his head and is slammed against the pavement, the sonic shockwave that comes with it making him groan in pain.
When Mei Lin gets back on his feet, he seems a little desoriented : perhaps due to the hit on his head or the sonic shockwave? He shakes his head, attempting to regain his bearing and he thrusts his palm violently with a ki shout at Alexis' direction.
COMBATSYS: Mei Lin successfully hit Alexis with Medium Punch.
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Alexis 0/-------/--=====|==-----\-------\0 Mei Lin
Bouncing off of the ground and back to her feet after the takedown, Alexis turns back to face Mei Lin, panting hard. The fight may be just underway, but the punk rocker isn't so much about pacing herself. She smirks when she sees Mei Lin's dazed state, leaning onto one hip and putting the other hand on the opposite hip. "Who rocks who hardest, eh? I'll rock you like a hurr-fff!"
Her taunting is suddenly muted by Mei Lin's palm slamming into her chest, sending her flying back onto the hood of a car someone had the misfortune of parking too close by, setting off the vehicle's alarm. Grunting, Alexis rolls off of the vehicle to her hands and knees, then pushes herself upright, rubbing her collar region. As the siren sounding from the car fills the air with harsh noise, she lowers her hands to her sides, balling them into fists. The sound of the alarm seems to warp and distort as a deep bass tremor fills the air in Alexis' vicinity.
"Alright! Let's make some noise!" she yells, presumably addressing the crowd, as she faces down her foe, raising her fists once more. "Bring it on, buddy!"
COMBATSYS: Alexis gathers her will.
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Alexis 1/------=/=======|==-----\-------\0 Mei Lin
Mei Lin keeps his posture for a moment after he hit Alexis. He seems pleased with the result and winces a bit at how harshly Alexis hits the car. She didn't expect her technique to end up knocking her back that much. Then again, this is the might of Hung Gar!
Hearing Alexis' goading, Mei Lin smiles and he gives her a nod. He swings his arms fluidly in front of him, shifting his stance into a different : one hand wide open in front of him, the other lifted up above his head. He slides his right to keep his legs wide apart while the other leg keeps a square angle at the knee. "Very well! Let's see how you handle the Iron Dragon Fist technique then!"
Mei Lin rushes over Alexis and starts his assault : a rapid flurry of blows for Alexis' torso. Two quick punches, followed by one smack of his right elbow to Alexis' ribs. His left foot stomps the ground roughly with the elbow smack, making the ground rumble a moment and a sudden slab of stone bursts out of the ground at Alexis' side meant to smash her away.
COMBATSYS: Mei Lin successfully hit Alexis with Iron Dragon Fist.
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Alexis 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|===----\-------\0 Mei Lin
"Iron Dragon Fist Technique?" Alexis' brow crinkles, one eyebrow arching questioningly. Whatever questions she may have thought to ask are answered violently when the Hung Gar practitioner's fists come flying in. The punches blow right through her guard, opening her up for the elbow to collide cleanly with the girl's ribs.
"Hnngh!"
Doubled over by the attack, Alexis is left unprotected when the rock slams into her side, sending her hurtling away, tumbling across the pavement like a log.
By the time that she clambers up to her feet, the Canadian punk is bleeding from scrapes and cuts all over her body, her bare midriff starting to bruise from the latest blows. Gritting her teeth, she swings the guitar on her back around to her front, flicking a switch on the body on.
"Seems like your Iron Dragon Fist is pretty good, but when it comes to heavy metal, I prefer the Iron Maiden technique!"
Specifically, the riff from Iron Maiden's Number of the Beast, it would seem, which she tears into, all of the sonic energy built up before channeling through the instrument in destructive waves of force that ripple through the air toward Mei Lin.
COMBATSYS: Alexis successfully hits Mei Lin with Shredding Solo.
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Alexis 0/-------/<<<<<<<|=======\-------\0 Mei Lin
The few solid hits Mei Lin manages to get against Alexis make his smile : win or lose this fight, it had been enough to prove himself that he had chosen the right path and he could fight. A small victory, but one that meant a lot to him. His smile wasn't a mocking one, it was just a genuinely pleased one. He turns on his heel to face Alexis, his back hands exposed to him defensively. His ears catch on the disturbance in the air, and the sonic wave that comes at him. He slams his feet against the ground, causing a small wall of dirt and earth to rise in front of him, cracking the asphalt in front of him.
His barrier of stone proves ineffective though as Alexis' Iron Maiden, the sonic wave rapidly cracking his stone wall and blasting through it with all its fury, unphased by Mei Lin's attempt to defend himself. An high pitched scream of pain escapes his throat as Mei Lin's violently knocked away by Alexis' destructive wave. He walls to his back and rolls over himself fully -- he would have skidded further had it not been for his hand grasping against the pavment to stop himself in this motion.
He lifts his gaze up and stares blankly at Alexis for a moment, before he rises up to his feet. "Wow... That was impressive... This Iron Maiden Technique is truly a force to be reckon with," He says. The young man seems still a bit shaken by the blast he took, but he decides to rush back at Alexis nonethless to get back into melee. The moment he gets close, he goes for a low roundhouse kick straight for Alexis' right thigh.
COMBATSYS: Alexis dodges Mei Lin's Medium Kick.
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Alexis 0/-------/<<<<<<<|=======\-------\0 Mei Lin
The instrument of destruction is swung back around behind Alexis as the barrage ends, the sonic energy spent. "Maiden is pretty sick," she agrees as she brushes her hair out of her face, where it's become tangled in a fit of mandatory headbanging to accompany the guitar play. When Mei Lin swings his leg at her, she lets out a cry, dropping down instinctively to the ground on her back to let the kick pass over her. The position leaves her vulnerable, but it may also leave the guy she's fighting vulnerable...
A trill pierces the air as she snaps her leg upward from the ground, aiming to drive her shin between Mei Lin's legs in what is surely a cheap shot. After throwing the leg up, she swings her upper body upward, trying to grab onto his arms while he's hopefully stunned by the attack, before pressing her boots against his middle and throwing him behind her with a rolling motion and a shove of both feet accompanied by a blast of sonic energy.
COMBATSYS: Alexis successfully hits Mei Lin with Charged Combo.
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Alexis 0/-------/=======|=======\==-----\1 Mei Lin
Whether you're a girl or a boy, a vigorous kick to the groin will always be painful. It might not bear the same destructive power as it would for a real man, but it definately leaves Mei Lin stunned when he fails to move out of Alexis' rising kick. He barely has the time to recover from that and Alexis has already grabbed into his arm. Before he can realize what's going on, Mei Lin is sent flying away by Alexis' roll and sonic blast. He crashes into the pavment a good couple of feet away, a few groans of complaints escaping his throat as he scraps his arms and knees on the pavement.
It seems to take some effort to get back on his knees. He groans and smacks his foot into the ground, channeling his chi through it. It causes a few boulders of asphalt, dirt and rock about the size of basketballs to bounce up in front of him. He quickly smashes his fist into them one after the other, hurling and tossing the rocks straight at Alexis.
COMBATSYS: Mei Lin successfully hit Alexis with Rock Barrage.
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Alexis 1/-----==/=======|=======\====---\1 Mei Lin
Rolling onto the soles of her boots after the throw, Alexis smooths her skirt down briskly and eyes Mei Lin as she drops back into a brawling stance. When the chunks of stone start to bounce up with the stomp, she's definitely impressed. When he actually starts punching the balls of stone straight toward her? "That's pretty fucking metal," she has time to say - or so she thought - before trying to hop out of the way. She's a bit too slow, though, and hunks of rock and asphalt smash into her one after the other. Her hip, her stomach, then her face are on the receiving end of the barrage, the last strike spinning her around before she falls to the ground.
"Hey guys!" the band's cherry red-headed bassist, Kim 'KimPenetrable' Steele, suddenly exclaims at the sidelines. "This fight really rocks, eh? Ehhhhh?"
The remark is met with a collective groan.
"Friggin' hell," Alexis growls as she shoves herself unsteadily up from the pavement. "I guess you're the one who's without sin, eh?" The air around her hand sings as she makes a fist and swings it toward Mei Lin's gut. Should it strike, another burst of sound will be released. Either way, she'll follow up by trying to grab Mei Lin's shoulders and pull him into a bent-forward position before locking his head between her thighs, then kick both legs up, trying to drop him face-first into the pavement using a combination of gravity and her hips with a blast of dissonance akin to the sound produced when you smash the strings on an electric guitar.
COMBATSYS: Mei Lin fails to interrupt Drop D from Alexis with Steel Tiger Claws.
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Alexis 1/----===/=======|=======\=====--\1 Mei Lin
That's definately not the kind of brutal things you'd expect someone with Mei Lin's frame to be able to do. He embodies brawn without bulk. He lets a deep and vigorous ki shout with every smack against the rock and stops only when he has managed to pin down Alexis with his barrage.
The young man steadies himself and resumes his low horse stance, with the hands beside his waist with the fingers curled, bracing himself for Alexis' next attack. He looks at her, though his eyes seem a little off, as if he wasn't totally looking at him but something else off the distance. He blinks, a bit lost at his comment, "The one without sin?" He obviously doesn't seem to get it.
When Alexis lunges at him, he attempts to sweep her arm off and deflect her blow with his tiger claw kung fu, but Alexis proves to be swifter than he is. The hit makes a whine of pain escape his throat, and the burst of chi that follows make him bend over in pain, knocking the wind out of him for a moment. It gives Alexis just the right opening for Alexis' followup, already half-way bent.
With the added weight and sudden push, Mei Lin's knees give in and he hands up getting slammed head first against the pavement -- fortunately, his screams are muffled by the pavement and having Alexis sitting atop his head. He lies there, splattered on the ground, bucking a bit underneath Alexis.
With a satisfied smirk at the results of her attack, Alexis keeps Mei Lin pinned for a moment before thrusting up onto her feet, twisting her hips and tugging at her skirt as she saunters to one side of the young man. Her body may be bruised and battered, but her posture suggests that she still feels in total control of the fight. She tilts teasingly toward her downed opponent, arms across her back, her position potentially presenting an eyeful of cleavage to the young man should he look up at her. It's definitely a distraction technique, though the execution may leave one wondering whether it's intentional or one that just comes naturally.
"Soooo, you ready to give up? Or are you still ready for me to rock your world?" she asks in a sultry sing-song as a sonic ambience embraces her ankle region. In truth, it's a trap she's baiting - as soon as Mei Lin stirs, she'll spin around in a circle, aiming her heel at the other fighter's face for another sonic energy-empowered kick.
COMBATSYS: Mei Lin blocks Alexis' Strong Kick.
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Alexis 1/----===/=======|=======\=======\1 Mei Lin
Mei Lin, on the other hand, didn't seem in control too much after that last slam, especially with Alexis atop of him. Unfortunately for him, he would never be able to enjoy the sight of Alexis' cleavage, even if he raises his gaze up. Though when he looks his head up, his eyes seem totally lost into her cleavage.
"You're tougher than you look," He admits with a smirk, "Let's rock this!" He groans as he rises to his knees, his arms going up just in time to block Alexis' kick to prevent her from smashing her face. The sonic blast that follows her kick sends Mei Lin back on her feet fully.
She staggers back to regain her composure, panting with fatigue and adopting her fighting stance once more. She approaches Alexis and turns on her heels, placing her right leg up and resting on her left. She unleashes a flurry of excessive rapid kicks at Alexis : low kicks at her shins, hips and abdomen. Her fatigue though obviously seems to wear her down and slow her movements.
COMBATSYS: Alexis blocks Mei Lin's Avalanche Kick.
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Alexis 1/--=====/=======|=======\-------\0 Mei Lin
Mei Lin isn't the only one who's starting to fatigue from the fight. Alexis is already drawing in deep breaths - that last kick was meant to put Mei Lin down for the count, and when it fails to do so, the girl is left winded. When Mei Lin's kicks come in, Alexis forces her body to action: she raises her leg to catch a kick with the thicker and less vulnerably part of the limb, then thrusts a hand down to block the next. When one is aimed at her hip, she actually pivots into it, bracing for the blow. She clenches her teeth as she catches the hit - that's definitely going to be sore tomorrow - but she's still standing, if only barely.
"Thanks!" she responds to the compliment as she gathers herself from the assault, her aquamarine eyes glinting briefly. "But you ain't seen nothin' yet!"
Alexis has decided that it's time for a sit-down - and time to make Mei Lin join her. Hurling herself at the Hung Gar fighter, she attempts to lock her legs around his midsection and drive him to the ground, straddling him in the process. If she can manage to mount Mei Lin, she'll follow up with a flurry of fierce punches directed toward his face, each accompanied by a tone similar to a different note in the musical scale preceding a noisome clash to be released with each impact.
COMBATSYS: Mei Lin blocks Alexis' Beatdown in Three Four.
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Alexis 0/-------/------=|=======\=------\1 Mei Lin
Before Mei Lin can lower his leg after her onslaught of kick, Alexis has already tackled him. He flails his arms to try and keep his balance, but ends up falling on the ground along with Alexis who straddles him, leaving him little choice but to defend himself while on the ground. He manages to move his arms and deflect some of the blows, protecting his face, hitting his forearms sometime or managing to get hit on the shoulders or breasts instead.
He was in bad posture that's for sure and he felt the end drawing near, his strength slowly fading from him. Before he can no longer defend himself, Mei Lin smashes his foot on the ground, to channel his chi into the pavement. A stone pillar bursts out from his side with an angle, cracking the pavement as it lunges out for Alexis in an attempt to knock her off from him. Whether or not this succeed, Mei Lin's going to lie there flat on the ground afterward.
COMBATSYS: Mei Lin can no longer fight.
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Alexis 0/-------/------=|
COMBATSYS: Mei Lin successfully hit Alexis with Stone Spike.
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Alexis 0/-------/--=====|
There is a momentary lull in the violence as Alexis shakes out her hands after pummeling her opponent with them. She missed the one last defiant stomp. So when the ground suddenly trembles under them, she quirks an eyebrow. What, is this guy some kind of maso -
*WHUMP*
Unfortunately for her, Lexi is too busy jumping to inapppropriate conclusions to jump out of the path of the rock hard pillar rising up at her from below. She lets out a gasp as it slams into her mightily, lifting her up off of Mei Lin's midsection - then sending her tumbling away, head over heels as she becomes the victim of Freudian fortune.
She ends up collapsed face-down on the concrete some distance away from Mei Lin's fallen form. She struggles, pushing herself to her hands and knees, her entire body trembling as she strains to breathe.
"Come on, Lexi! You can do it!" calls Kim from her place with the rest of the band.
"She probably can't do it," guitarist and pessimist Benoit "Benny Lava" Lavoie replies flatly.
"Shut... up... Benny," Alexis growls as she tries to force herself up with one last surge of effort...
COMBATSYS: Alexis takes no action.
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Alexis 0/-------/--=====|
COMBATSYS: Alexis has reached second wind!
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Alexis 0/-------/--=====|
...and manages to keep her boots under her as she sways, dark marks covering much of her body. "Man... I feel stoned," she exhales woozily as the referee starts to count the knockout and the crowd in attendance cheers.
COMBATSYS: Alexis has ended the fight here.
Nothing like a good stroke of an hard pillar to get a girl off your waist. Mei Lin feels Alexis' body knocked off from her, the stone pillar crumbling shortly afterward.
She hears the voices of her band shouting for her, and Mei Lin just stays on the ground, feeling too numb to actually rise up. The pain was making his body heavy, his lungs burned with every heavy and long breath he took. It was a horrible feeling. Mei Ling closes his eyes but a large smile stays on his face -- it was worth it, even if he lost, this was what he wanted and here, he was able to get what he wanted.
Did he manage to knock her off totally? He's not sure, he feels her through the ground, he senses her but his senses are dull due to his pain. He's going to lie here for a little while.
Log created on 13:03:13 02/23/2015 by Alexis, and last modified on 13:34:52 02/25/2015.