Match of the Millennium

Description: Eiji is sent to test Robert Garcia. A fight, and maybe an explosion, ensues.

[ROBERT]
San Georgio Cathedral is not exclusively a tourist destination, but also a functional, thriving church in the heart of the city of Modica. And occasionally, such as today, it will play host to an extravagant formal wedding. Robert Garcia was honored to be invited. He may not have been personally close to the groom, but it was an excellent oppportunity for his family to catch up with the groom's.

But all things must come to an end, and if he didn't bail as soon as the desserts were served, Robert would have been stuck schmoozing with the families around for the rest of the afternoon -- and he had a lot of work to do. With the sun hanging tenuously in the sky, halfway on its journey to the horizon, Robert raises his hand to wave to a couple who used his departure as a polite excuse for their own.

Withdrawing a pair of driving gloves out of a pocket, the Garcia sheds his white sport coat, draping it over his shoulder. He pauses for a brief look up and down the street before descending the steps, taking the steps one at a time. He pulls the gloves onto his fingertips, smiling as though scent and feel of the black leather were establishing a connection with the beautiful stallion in the parking garage just down the street.

But once he reaches street level, the Garcia scion narrows his eyes, stroking his goatee for a moment. Something's off -- a weird sensation in the air. His pace doesn't slow, nor does it accelerate; Garcia feels he is more than capable enough of defending himself from any random punks who might have the temerity to start trouble right in front of a place of worship.

He flexes his fingertips, the leather creak reminding himself of the reward awaiting him just a few minutes' walk away. It's probably nothing, he reassures himself...

[EIJI]
Robert Garcia would not have been Eiji's first choice to receive an invitation to the World Warrior tournament. Nor the second. Nor the third. Garcia would not have even made the list, to be honest. The spoiled rich brat was only playing at playing at being a martial artist, as far as Eiji Kisaragi was concerned. But, Wolfgang Krauser had been, well, not insistent. Krauser does not insist on anything. He tells you want he wants done, and you see to it. He wanted Robert Garcia tested, and invited if he deserved it.

So Eiji went to see to it. It was, after all, what he was paid to do.

It was not hard to track the Garcia brat. The lists involved were easy to acquire. He had decided to wait until after the event to make his approach. Let the punk be fat and lazy after a night of fine dining. He followed Garcia to his car, and waited for the right moment. Garcia was just about to reach for the car door...

...and Eiji decided to see if he could pin that hand down. With a flung kunai.

COMBATSYS: Eiji has started a fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Eiji             0/-------/-------|

COMBATSYS: Robert has joined the fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Eiji             0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0           Robert

COMBATSYS: Robert blocks Eiji's Kagenui.

[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////// ]
Eiji             0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0           Robert

[ROBERT]
Garcia continues to stride along, that odd klaxon of danger still bleating in his mind -- a sound he consciously tries to mute by reminding himself of the purring thrum of an engine that awaits him. He nods quietly to the valet stand as the attendant races into the garage.

Rolling out of the darkened garage is a veritable work of art in fire engine red. The Ferrari Portofino - based on the earlier California T -- was unveiled just a few short months prior, and Garcia has managed to secure one of the prized prototype models for an exclusive -- and extended -- test drive. It's a bit less horsepower than he's used to, but the 3.9L V8 is more than enough for a family trip around the hills of Modica. The valet pulls away, and seems quite content to exchange the car keys for a rather sizable tip.

It's a shame that his date with an Italian noble is interrupted so rudely.
That danger sense flares.
Robert Garcia's hand snaps sideways at the last moment, intercepting the kunai. A loud *PING!* echoes throughout the garage as the kunai intersects with the metal links of his watch's wristband; a moment later, the blue silk of the Italian's shirt peels away, a crimson line in his tanned flesh reveals where the ninja's thrown blade had bit deeper as well.
And a moment later, the rejected blade skitters to the asphalt, spinning around harmlessly.

Robert Garcia exhales, turning back in the direction of the hurled blade.
"There better be a good reason for this," he cautions, securing his car keys to his belt, he tosses his sport coat onto the roof of the car.

The leather of his gloves creaks as he ambles out into the middle of the street, eyes shifting from side to side. The ninja has not seen fit to show himself, but that won't stop Garcia from calling him out.
For the ninja will likely be able to sense the chi as he begins to call it into existence -- a blossom of orange chi that begins to swell from just beyond his fingertips. It starts a single plume -- but as it grows, more and more of it swirls outwards, sending ripples flying through the Italian's silk shirt and pale-colored pants.

"Show yourself, coward! I've got better things to do than educate you punks!"

COMBATSYS: Robert gathers his will.

[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////// ]
Eiji             0/-------/-------|=====--\-------\0           Robert

[EIJI]
Eiji is, of course, lurking in the plentiful shadows, the bounty of fine vehicles. Plenty of ways to break line of sight. His eyes narrow as he flits around Garcia, while the young man summoned what was not a small amount of ki. Interesting, perhaps. He feels like Laurence Blood would have been a more... suitable proctor for this exam. But orders were orders.

The ninja picks his moment, emerging silently from the shadows, leaping in a slow, graceful arc as he delivers a sharp-angled kick to the back of Garcia's neck. It is a dangerous strike; Garcia is obviously on his guard, but the force and angle of the kick are still sufficient to snap a neck.

"Odd," he all but purrs, "I think that should be =my= line."

COMBATSYS: Robert blocks Eiji's Tenba Kyaku.

[  \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////   ]
Eiji             0/-------/------=|=======\-------\1           Robert

[ROBERT]
The kunai is the weapon of a ninja, and that means the attacker could be lurking anywhere -- either from the direction of the kunai, or somewhere completely different. Part of the reason for Robert's tapping into the wellspring of chi is to increase his connection to the world around. The negative side effect of that is effectively rooting himself into place, making him a wider target. But the positive outweighs the negative, as his form is suffused with orange light, his tanned skin glowing and radiant.

The attack comes from behind -- he can sense it an instant before it happens. His ponytail swishes out of the way as he brings his shoulder and forearm high, blocking his face and ear from the sharp-angled kick.

Thud! The kick lands squarely in the middle of Robert's guard, forcing him to step sideways. Dress shoes aren't exactly known for having a lot of tread, but luckily, Garcia's light on his feet, able to recenter his weight after a meter of travel.

"Tch. Everyone wants to skip the appointment line. I'm a busy man, whoever y--" Hopping back and forth from one foot to the other, he gets a better look at his opponent. And places the style almost instantly.
"Kisaragi, hmm? No further questions!" He lashes out with his injured hand, aiming to try and grab Eiji by the shoulder. If he manages that he'd pull the ninja down into a gut punch, stunning him long enough that he can follow up with a shin kick to the head. He'd spin into a quick kick afterwards, hoping to stun his nimble opponent before he can make use of his speed again.

COMBATSYS: Robert successfully hits Eiji with Sujin Ranbu Kyaku.

[      \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////////     ]
Eiji             0/-------/----===|=======\==-----\1           Robert

[EIJI]
Eiji was not quite ready for Robert's speed; after all Kyokugen is more of a power-based style, more for meatheads than anything else. Eiji gets staggered by the gut punch, leaving him open for the follow-up kicks. Eiji looks more inconvenienced than injured, though as he simply lashes out with an open hand to grab Robert by the front of his shirt...

COMBATSYS: Robert interrupts Kuuchuu Ippan Seoi from Eiji with Ryuuzanshou.

[            \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////        ]
Eiji             0/-------/-======|=======\====---\1           Robert

[ROBERT]
Garcia's short ponytail flutters about as he twists about from the kick, steadying himself for the next attack. It's now that he gets a better look at his assailant -- and flexes one of his hands, cracking the knuckles with a creak of leather.

But just when he was about to follow up with another strike, Eiji surges closer, lashing with an open hand.
Robert just leans back, letting him grab hold of his black vest.
And that's when his hand slaps down onto Eiji's wrist.
"Hold that thought!" he snaps back with a smile -- even as his shoulders drop backwards. The left side of the vest, as Eiji will find out, is a poor thing to grab onto when he's throwing his weight backwards onto his right arm.

In the blink of an eye, orange chi will race down his legs. And the Italian will backflip through a complete revolution, spiraling both feet upwards upwards into Eiji's armpit and ribcage, pummeling him upwards and away as he twists away. Sure -- the vest will get torn, jerking at Robert's arm and shoulders before eventually parting at the seams, but the exchange most likely works out to Robert's favor.

Garcia flips back to his feet, shaking the torn silk fabric back out lest it get in the way for a follow up strike. "Signore Kisaragi, you got a lotta nerve fightin' by a Church on a Sunday..." He hops back from one foot to the other, showing off his nimbeleness. "If you got a message to serve me, I suggest you get to it!"

[EIJI]
Eiji grunts with the impacts before being launched by the kicks. He would have smashed into a car, but ninja reflexes and superior agility allow the man to get his feet under him. He kicks off the car with such precision and control that the vehicle does not move in the slightest as Kisaragi lands lightly on one foot. The smirk is obvious under the mask.

"Entitled brat," he spits as he watches Garcia a little more carefully. This fight has gone neither as he wanted or expected it to. "What makes you I am not delivering it already?"

COMBATSYS: Eiji focuses on his next action.

[            \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////        ]
Eiji             0/-------/-======|=======\====---\1           Robert

[ROBERT]
Garcia shifts his weight onto his back foot, a mild smirk crossing his face as he observes the way in which Kisaragi leaps off the car without even setting off its alarm.

What message is he trying to send? Robert's shoulders shrug slightly: "Oh, well, if -that's- the message you wanna send, I can tell ya now: the Kyokugen dojo doesn't hold student auditions for students, but congratulations, you passed!" He flashes a wink back to go with that cocky smirk.

Protip: Robert doesn't actually think that was the message.

Without giving much more warning, he leaps into action. He steps forward, swinging the back of his fist into Eiji's facemask. And if that dazing blow connects, he would follow it up by wreathing his hand in flaming chi. And then, with his hand smoldering with fire, he would slam that fist upwards into Kisaragi's ribcage -- a powerful rising uppercut that would send both opponents flying into the air!

"Kuzuryuusen!"

COMBATSYS: Eiji blocks Robert's Kuzuryuusen.

[              \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////        ]
Eiji             1/-------/=======|==-----\-------\0           Robert

[EIJI]
Eiji catches the backhand with one forearm before slapping aside the chi-laden fist with one of his own. Eiji takes a step and a half back before launching forward again, lashing out with a chopping motion.

The hand itself is not exactly dangerous. It looks like it's holding something. Like perhaps a sword. If a sword were made entirely of red chi. This gets slashed across Robert's ribcage with more than a little force and aimed to take the wind out of Garcia's sails!

COMBATSYS: Robert dodges Eiji's Kotsu Kazaki Kiri.

[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////        ]
Eiji             0/-------/-======|===----\-------\0           Robert

[ROBERT]
Garcia frowns as his backhand slams into a forearm. He frowns a bit more as his forward momentum is disrupted by the ninpo technique, the gout of flame around his hand snuffed in a plume of smoke as his hand is shoved away. Rather than force the rest of the attack, Robert leaps backwards, drawing his hands back to his sides.

Bobbing lightly upon his toes, he keeps a loose and open stance. "Well, then -- I might be able to slot you into one of the advanced classes. Are Tuesdays and Thursdays good?"

When Eiji lashes forward, he expects a direct assault -- a punch, or something like it.
He does not expect anything so large as a sword.
And yet, as soon as he sees that burst of chi -- his eyes go wide.

Robert leaves his trailing foot in place as he pivots back and away. His arms had been raised to defend, but he drops them to either side, leaving his right shoulder alone to face Eiji's slashing attack! But he also leans back juuuust so...

The slashing sword cleaves right through the remainder of the vest -- slicing through the silk of his blue shirt. It would have impaled him right through, if not for that sudden lean...!

And yet, as the sword continues to cut, Garcia's twisting momentum is also carrying him out of harm's path.

But then the true fallout from the strike is made clear, as he looks down to see his vest carved to shreds, and the front of his shirt fluttering down, baring his chest and washboard abs. And it is -cold- here in Italy at this time of year!

He pivots, planting his toe as he squares his leading foot back into place. "... No? Well, how about Wednesdays?"

And then Robert plunges forward, thrusting his left elbow into a powerful ribcage strike. Should that land, he'd follow it up by a strong right cross, aimed at knocking Eiji right on his duff!

COMBATSYS: Robert successfully hits Eiji with Fierce Punch.
Grazing Hit
~~ Alluring Hit! ~~

[                  \\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////        ]
Eiji             1/-------/=======|====---\-------\0           Robert

[EIJI]
Eiji twists, the elbow not striking home /quite/ like Robert might expect. There is impact, certainly, but not enough to prevent Eiji from dodging the follow-up strike. Naturally, the ninja does not jabber much; he's not that kind of ninja really. Not one to run his mouth about how awesome he is, or how inept his opponent might be. Besides, Eiji is not really able to admit that Krauser's orders were not without merit in this case.

The Kisaragi ninja /does/ however, snap a fist out at Robert as he retreats, trying to buy a little distance and perhaps a bit of time.

COMBATSYS: Robert blocks Eiji's Medium Punch.

[                  \\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////         ]
Eiji             1/-------/=======|=====--\-------\0           Robert

[ROBERT]
Robert's strikes slam into Eiji, but the evasive manner still leaves the ninja room to maneuver around, to his dismay. And as the Kyokugen fighter is about to step into a followup, Kisaragi returns with a quick snap punch, forcing Robert to swivel his shoulders back, and absorb the blow with a raised forearm.

"Hey, nothing personal. Just don't forget who started this party!" As he recovers, he starts to form a ball of orange chi between his fingertips. Sizzling and popping, the sphere of energy grows to about the size of a large watermelon.

And then he tosses it lightly into the air, twisting aroudn in a half rotation.
He then spinkicks the roaring orb of flame outwards at Eiji, hoping to catch the ninja before he can leap once again to safety.

"Ryuugeki ken!"

COMBATSYS: Eiji full-parries Robert's Ryuugekiken EX!!

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Eiji             1/-----==/=======|=====--\-------\0           Robert

[EIJI]
"That I did," Eiji says evenly.

Then he lunges forward, chi coating his left hand as he backhands the Ryuugekiken into Garcia's car. He is not done there, it would seem. Eiij's form blurs as he brings forth that chi-blade once more, slashing at Garcia's flank. Then Eiji punches Robert in the ribcage, then kicks him in the knee, before raining a storm of strikes at the heir.

Robert might not be certain, but there may be /two/ Eijis there; there enough attacks from enough directions to give the man such an idea.

One of the Eijis will dash out, slashing with a chi blade before disappearing. The actual Eiji, however, will grab Garcia by the face and drive it into the windshield of his own vehicle!

COMBATSYS: Robert blocks Eiji's Kiritetsu Kamakiriken EX.

[                  \\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////              ]
Eiji             0/-------/------=|=======\==-----\1           Robert

[ROBERT]
Robert's eyes go wide as his own fireball is redirected to slam squarely into the side panel of the car. "Abbondanza..." he exclaims, the words fading as he reaches outward to the poor car as it slams backwards, swaying back and forth upon its suspension. For now, though, it would seem to just be problems a good paint shop could fix.

"Now it's personal..."

But just as the Kyokugen fighter starts to surge forward with another punch, the ninja has disappeared from sight.

A punch is slammed at his ribcage -- but he's able to shift before he's fully committed, taking the blow on the arm instead. He raises his knee before impact, allowing the followup to land in relaxed muscle rather than hardened bone. And he turns his back towards the series of strikes, one impact after another slamming dimples into his striated back muscles. He's getting worn down -- but he's not whipped yet!

He leans backward to avoid the chi blade that never hits...
Only to get grabbed by the face.
"HRRRK!"

But as his body is whipped around and slammed against the hood of the car, his hands had been left free, distributing his weight such that the windshield is not actually cracked -- but tenses visibly from the shuddering shock.

He stares at the pale reflection of Eiji in the glass.
"Your one error... was messin' with the car!"
And Robert throws himself backwards, scything a reverse kick backwards into Eiji's abdomen -- and also tearing the rest of his shredded shirt to tatters. Should he land that, the handsomest Kyokugen fighter of all will slam one kick after another into Eiji -- a seemingly endless barrage of precision-balanced kicks, hitting high, hitting low, and every point in between. And if all of those kicks land, he would rocket into one more flaming kick -- aimed at blasting Eiji as far away from dear Abbondanza as possible!

COMBATSYS: Eiji reflects Ryuuko Ranbu from Robert with Kasumi Kiri.

[                  \\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////                ]
Eiji             0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0           Robert

[EIJI]
Eiji goes on the defensive again, anticipating Robert's first move. And the second. And the third, apparently. Just the slightest of dodges to avoid each and every kick. Then the moment that he was clearly waiting for: That blazing kick comes screaming in, and Eiji summons a two handed sword of ki that slams into the kick, forcing the fire and force back at the Garcia scion.

And, not coincidentally, back at the Abbondanza. Whether it survives is completely up to Robert.

[ROBERT]
Robert grimaces as his moves are downloaded and played back to him in rapid motion. Either Eiji Kisaragi is an excellent bellwether of the flow of chi, or else the ninja's been poring over taped footage of the Kyokugen fighters' exhibitions for weeks. Neither of them is putting Robert in the same frame of mind that he was when the fight began... especially not when his flaming kick is tossed backwards towards the Ferrari.

"Yeah, no--" he exclaims, as his foot is wrenched aside painfully, and the flaming chi is practically ripped away from him.
"That trick won't work twice..."
And the flames dispel into thin air before they can reach the car.

He rolls with the motion though -- and he's yet to be -done- kicking, as he hops forward, pistoning one kick after another into Eiji. The sequence is different -- and he's not sending himself into an off-balance strike. Everything here is precision, plain and simple -- aimed at crushing the last vestiges of Eiji's guard, and finding what this is all about!

"Ryuuren Genei Kyaku!"

COMBATSYS: Eiji dodges Robert's Ryuuren Gen'ei Kyaku EX.

[                  \\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////                ]
Eiji             0/-------/-------|======-\-------\0           Robert

[EIJI]
It's as much the former as the latter, really.

The kicks are clean, efficient, almost praiseworthy for a Kyokugen dog. Almost. If Robert weren't using Kyokugen. Eiji weaves through the kicks once again. Robert may have to get creative if he wants to bring Eiji to a halt long enough for answers, as the ninja seems to have a grasp on Robert's movements now.

Enough so that the Kisaragi ninja ventures back inside Garcia's space to throw a quick palm strike the taller man under the chin!

COMBATSYS: Eiji successfully hits Robert with Jab Punch.
- Power hit! -

[                  \\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////                    ]
Eiji             0/-------/-------|=======\-------\1           Robert

[ROBERT]
Once he saw that his kicks were being evaded so effortlessly, Garcia withdraws, keeping his stance loose. Eiji is able to capitalize on that with a palm strike underneath his goateed chin -- one that hits him hard enough to send his head and shoulders snapping back. If not for his fleet footwork, Robert's off-balance stumble may have left him falling to the pavement. The Kyokugen fighter rubs his sore jaw and neck, turning back to Eiji.

No witticisms here, as he shakes off the pain with a shrug of his shoulders. It's clear the message will not be delivered without a bit more substance from the Italian's part.

With a determined look, he leaps into the air.
"Hien Shippuu..."
He lashes a kick outward at Eiji.

And then he thunders downward at a sharp angle.
"Ryuujin Kyaku!"

If it hits the ninja, there will be a rather sizable explosion of fiery chi -- and another chain of explosions as he's dragged across the pavement. Robert would then disengage with a backflip kick, driving a fresh sweep of chi flames burning across the ninja's form.

COMBATSYS: Robert successfully hits Eiji with Hien Shippuu Ryuujin Kyaku.
- Power hit! -

[                          \\\\  < >  //////////                    ]
Eiji             0/-------/--=====|-------\-------\0           Robert

[EIJI]
There is impact. Robert feels it lance up his leg when the kick connects. He feels something hit the pavement and move along with the surfing kick. When the smoke and flame and dust clear, however, there is no Eiji.

Just a log, with a very expensive looking envelope tacked to it with a kunai.

Elsewhere, Eiji limps through the shadows, clutching his ribcage. That was close, too close. That Garcia brat was more than the ninja expected. Maybe not more than what Krauser did; that man's insight was profound. But definitely more than Eiji was willing to admit to at first. Well, perhaps Eiji's opinions will bear out in the World Warrior tournament. Time will tell.

Speaking of time... there is something /else/ attached to the log. Robert may or may not hear the ticking of the bomb before it's too late, though.

COMBATSYS: Eiji can no longer fight.

[                    \\\\\\\\\\  <
Robert           0/-------/-------|

COMBATSYS: Robert blocks Eiji's Huge Thrown Object.

[                      \\\\\\\\  <
Robert           0/-------/-------|

[ROBERT]
Robert backflips through the air as a wheel of flame spins outward, exhausting itself in mere fractions of a second. As his shoes land upon the asphalt, he realizes his mysterious attacker has already fled. He scans left, and right -- finding no sign of the attacker.

"... Some freakin' message..." he starts.
Then he notices the envelope. Stepping close, he abruptly plucks it off of the log for further scrutiny.

And then, with horror, he hears the ticking.

He leaps backwards, turning his back and shoulder towards the explosive charge. His ebony ponytail is flicked up and around from the riotous explosion, all but eclipsed in the fury.

As he rises, he coughs -- his shirt practically in tatters, and his white pants -definitely- not white any more, covered in soot.

"Ugh. One of these days..." he mutters to himself, unfolding the envelope and looking inside.
And then he reads it, frowning as he stands all alone in the middle of the street, with the door of his pre-production car still showing the signs of the battle a short distance away.

"... There's an easier way to send these out, dammit..." he mutters, picking up what's left of his shirt and climbing into the car.

Sparing one more look at the explosion, he shakes his head, and revs the car to a start.
The valets have -totally- run for cover.

He punches a button on the dash.
"Call Ryo Sakazaki."
We gotta talk.

Log created on 16:38:38 01/07/2018 by Eiji, and last modified on 22:41:08 01/09/2018.