Match of the Millennium

Description: The Electric Fountain in Rio De Janeiro is one of the premier fighting locations in the world; being a gorgeous hotel fountain that houses a full fighting ring. It's iconic nature, of course, makes it equally valuable for movie shoots. It's here where Johnny Cage's latest action crime drama, Brazilian Whacks, is getting it's shoot done. As part of the promotion, he has generously allowed a Saturday Night Fight to take place here. His opponent? Leona of the Ikari Warriors. Leona is here to not only provide a fight, but give the swaggering actor some professional consultation on proper special forces conduct from paramilitary organizations. Will she give Johnny Cage a lesson he won't forget?

[JOHNNY CAGE]
"... so that's when I said: 'Marty, baby, crime dramas have your name written all over it. That's your lane.' And he's been making the grade ever since."

Johnny Cage is standing in a crowd of fangirlish extras that are all dressed in as little clothing as possible. It probably has more to do with the scene that's being shot here at the fountain than anything Johnny Cage has done. Okay, that's a lie. He often asks for his female co-stars to be as scantily clad as possible. It helps him act better. Honest.

Anyway, Johnny's decked out in his costume for this scene. Which involves just jeans, sneakers and a Brazilian style button up thrown over a white t-shirt. He's practically Magnum, PI over here. Signature mirrored sunglasses are on his face as he talks the ears off the crowd of extras that have lingered around for the scheduled SNF 'Bout.

"So. After I kick some ass, how many of you want to come back to the hotel with Yours Unruly and celebrate? Show of hands?"

All the girls raise their hand and Johnny grins. A grin that turns into a small frown as he can just /feel/ something amiss behind him.

"Anderson. Put your hand down. You came last time and it was not a pretty sight."

Anderson, the Boom Operator, sulks and lowers his hand.

[LEONA]
A world of warriors. A world of soldiers and fighters. A world of conflict. And all of it makes the palms of Leona's hands itch. There is something to the blood, that she knows. Something she has to find out and learn about or from. She's had control over herself so far, but she can't be certain how long that will last.

She also knows that, in the world at large, there is a great deal of threats and danger, and looking into the problems that plague her mind and eat away at her will no doubt uncover a great deal of threat.

After finding herself held back against her fellow Ikari, Faolan, she has sought out a way to see if she is at the level she feels necessary to strike against the shadows she feels are looming over her at every moment.

She has turned to the world of competition. Of others with something to prove and the skill to prove it with. She has taken to this combative sport with all the intensity and seriousness she has afforded any threat to the world or herself.

However, Leona is a wanted woman. The NOL could be anywhere and they would prove to be troublesome if her identity became known. Clever as she is, Leona has taken to a disguise for her fight. Though, what passes for a disguise may not in fact be the best thing in the world. The addition of a cat tailed belt, ears and a simple half face masquerade to disguise herself can only do so much with the rest of her distinctive appearance. But she was always the Silent Soldier, not the Master of Disguise.

She arrives on the scene, in disguise, looking for her opponent. Some actor with something to prove, no doubt. But if he's taken to these sorts of challenges, she cannot underestimate him. A man with an entourage is easy to notice and she opts to walk over in his direction.

Face flat, unemotive, she points toward the centerpiece of the crowd. "You're my target. Let's go."

[JOHNNY CAGE]
Johnny Cage is in the middle of laughing it up like a fuzzball when he's approached and pointed out. He looks around, then at the costumed woman, then back around at the sea of entourage that's parting to allow for a simple view between the two competitors. It's almost choreographed the way the people part to give room and make it so that this is truly a spectator sport.

"Huh." Johnny smirks a bit and looks the competition up and down. "... Happy Birthday to Me." There's a quick raise of his eyebrows before he's stepping away from the extras and moving towards the more wide open space of the fountain and the newly arrived opponent.

"Target? Hold on, let me stop you right there, sweetheart." Johnny reaches up to pull his sunglasses off and hooks them on the belt of his jeans. "Johnny Cage ain't nobody's target." Johnny pauses and reconsiders. "Okay, well, that's not exactly true. I actually played a character named The Target in a British series named The Target. It was about this actor turned bodyguard that people hired to play them when their lives were in danger. That was an amazing show. We lasted three seasons before the network cancelled us." Johnny just rambles on and on. Could have something to do with the fact that he loves talking about himself. There's nothing better to talk about in his opinion.

There could be one way to shut him up though....

[LEONA]
Leona looks at Johnny as he parts the sea of groupies and hangers-on. She blinks. She doesn't really care about this man, the things he has done, or what else he might be doing outside of his combat prowess. And yet he talks. He talks and talks.

She slips on foot back, one hand reaching out in a half point toward Johnny Cage. A steady sway and serpentine ease of movement. Ready and waiting to strike. She plans her movement and her approach. With an opponent this cocksure and talkative, they may be hiding their true potential and power.

All the same, he is really, really annoying and that itchy feeling is digging at the palms of her hands and at the nape of her neck.

COMBATSYS: Leona has started a fight here.

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Leona            0/-------/-------|

COMBATSYS: Johnny Cage has joined the fight here.

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Johnny Cage      0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0            Leona

[JOHNNY CAGE]
If Johnny Cage is hiding any true potential and power... he's hiding it from himself. He's honestly just talking to hear himself talk. He loves his voice and he's pretty sure that everyone else loves it too. It just comes with the territory of being a famous actor that's beloved by millions.

"Oh, so we're doing this thing now, then? Right. No small talk. I can admire that." Johnny's off on a tangent again. "... Come to think of it, most girls I hook up with don't actually dig the small talk. Especially, the ones from Sweden. Swedish girls are a different breed. Hot as hell but a different breed."

It takes Johnny some moments to come back down to Earth from his daydreams of hotel stays in his past. He slides into a fighting stance that looks halfway between something serious and something out of an action movie. There are about seventeen to twenty-seven ways he's wide open for attack right now... but from another angle, it looks so damn cool that it doesn't even matter if he's open. "Now, I have to warn you, I've kicked a lot of ninjas asses in my time. And I'm just now reaching my prime, babygirl. But if you want, I can take it easy on ya'." Johnny suddenly breaks out of his stance, sliding towards Leona and aiming a swift kick at her midsection. "For starters, anyway."

Wink!

COMBATSYS: Leona blocks Johnny Cage's Front Kick.

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Johnny Cage      0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0            Leona

[LEONA]
Silent. Steady. Waiting. The kick is met with Leona's own two hands. The pat of the kick sounding off against the palms of Leona's hands. She's shoved back with a huff. Scuffing on the ground. While Johnny talks, Leona listens.

She starts to circle him focusing on her opponent, reading him, trying to discern what and who she is dealing with. Trying to parse out his strange and loose style.

She will need an appropriate response to his yammering, and to not focus on it, but the man doing it. He is her target though not to the point of being a target for an assassination. This is a battlefield of a different stripe.

COMBATSYS: Leona assesses the tactical situation.

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Johnny Cage      0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0            Leona

[JOHNNY CAGE]
The Style of Johnny Cage is easier to find in any of the different magazine articles that have been written about him in various martial arts publications over the years. He's more about showing off and just finding his way to victory through sheer skill and style. Than actually being some sort of kung fu master.

To hear him tell it, though, he's so much better than Fei-Long. Though, he won't ever say that to his face. Or hasn't. Yet.

Johnny Cage takes a step towards the circling opponent and spins on his back heel. "Right then. I shoulda' prepared a monologue for this fight." Cage makes another dig at the quietness of his opponent, his goading seeming to have no effect as he comes around towards her and extends his arm, the back of his fist aimed to catch her across the face.
"Spinning! Back! Fist!" Johnny quips in his best Chun-Li accent.

Which is /horrible/ by the way.

COMBATSYS: Leona full-parries Johnny Cage's Back Punch!!

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Johnny Cage      0/-------/-------|===----\-------\0            Leona

[LEONA]
Leona isn't the kind to read the various Mall Ninja magazines that litter the world and promise kids they too can be world class fighters if they just buy into their mail order and internet video programs. She isn't even familiar with Johnny Cage's films. Though she can tell there may be something going on here of that sort of stripe.

The fist coming in is slow, announced and clear as day. The hand comes in and Leona catches it with a twisting motion. She rotates over Johnny's arm, flipping sideways to put herself on the outside of his forward face. Giving herself a moment of opening to an off balance opponent.

Each motion is with serpentine grace as she leaps up toward Johnny's shoulders. Her knees land on his shoulders for a moment. Her aim to flip backwards, to toss the actor to the air, and in her rotating wake, to hurls a crescent shape of slashing energy right into Johnny's back.

COMBATSYS: Johnny Cage blocks Leona's X-Caliber Assault EX.

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Johnny Cage      0/-------/-----==|=====--\-------\0            Leona

[JOHNNY CAGE]
Cage is both impressed and knocked off balance by the sudden serpentine grace of his opponent. She's flippy and fast and it's actually kind of hard for Cage to keep up. Though, he's been trained to do all sorts of stunts and fights and he's fairly quick enough to be able to know when things are headed in his direction.

He's in the air, thanks to Leona's strength that he wasn't accounting for, but he manages to twist and brace his arms together as he comes back down towards the ground. His arms catch the brunt of the slashing energy and Cage opens his arms just close enough to be able to stop himself from hitting the ground too hard.

With a stylish backwards roll, Johnny Cage hops up to his feet and starts bouncing on the balls of his sneakers.

"We've really got to work on your banter skills." Johnny steps in and aims a quick left, right hook combination. "Anderson! Take a memo!" Johnny follows up with a stiff jab aimed for Leona's chest. "Schedule Mystery Girl here for a script meeting!" And then he goes for a final punch towards the underside of her chin, his fist glowing with green chi for some extra added oomph!

COMBATSYS: Johnny Cage successfully hits Leona with Fatal Strike.

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Johnny Cage      0/-------/---====|=======\-------\1            Leona

[LEONA]
This man is amateur. Leona's thoughts before her assault to Cage's back are proven to be a little too premature when he proves to be more competent than she thought. Perhaps there was something to be said about believing in initial instincts.

She lands back down on the floor as Cage is already calling her out and taunting. She's taken off guard for a moment. She ducks and weaves the initial strikes, but they come fast and hard. His fist catches her ribs and the follow-up backhand strikes with a bone-jarring force.

She staggers to the side, turning to keep up her momentum. She can't afford to give time. She must keep up with the attack to press down on the man.

While she's twisting around, she reaches for her ear. When her rotation brings her around to Johnny Cage once again, she flicks her wrist and lets fly her earring. The small bauble turns in the air until it gets closer to cage before exploding with a shocking amount of force for something so small.

COMBATSYS: Leona successfully hits Johnny Cage with Earring Explosive EX.

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Johnny Cage      0/-------/=======|=======\==-----\1            Leona

[JOHNNY CAGE]
Cage doesn't even have time to realize that things are happening that he's not paying attention to. He's too busy exchanging glances with Anderson for his overly complicated combo of witty battle banter and fists. Of course, he turns around just in time to see an earring flying at him. He raises an eyebrow and starts to leap to dive out of the way... but its too late. The explosion happens, catches Cage in the air and sends him sailing off in the direction of the fountain.

There's a combination of crash and splash when Johnny hits the fountain. He rolls off to the side and stumbles back up to his feet, shaking himself off and trying to get his had to stay off the wobbly swivel. "Gadgets? You brought /gadgets/?!" Cage reaches up and realizes that the corner of his lip is bleeding and he wipes it away. "/I/ want gadgets."

His pouting is short-lived because he's back in the mix and running towards the Mystery Girl. He stops and drops, rolling to the side before coming up to one knee and spinning with an outstretched leg to see if he can't sweep this girl right off her feet. "Trip Advisory!"

COMBATSYS: Leona interrupts Sweep from Johnny Cage with Gravity Storm EX.

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Johnny Cage      1/=======/=======|==-----\-------\0            Leona

[LEONA]
How kind of the man to give Leona a warning. Like the dollar store cat costume she's wearing suggests, her agility once more comes into play for her. The sweep comes in and Leona takes a dive. She lands on her back, smacking the ground with her hands, before immediately striking back up at Cage with a sharp series of kicks.

The blows enough to send Cage airborne, Leona kicks back up to her feet and leaps up after him, hands in a double knife edge strike stabbing at Cage's back.

For a moment, Leona is close to Cage as she puts her boots against his back. She leaves him with three words before launching Johnny Cage back down to the ground with explosive force. "Talk too much."

[JOHNNY CAGE]
Slow Motion might as well be in effect because the look on Johnny's face is priceless. He never thought his battle pun would be used against him in such a way that has him getting kicked into the air like a soccer ball or something. He goes up and up and then she's tearing into him on the way down that puts him into a bad way. His body crunches. His head pounds. And something, somewhere, cracks. He's not even sure which bone it is. But it hurts like hell.

There's only a moment where Johnny stays sprawled on the ground, his hand struggling to come up to his forehead for him to force a mock salute out at her, "... Noted." He coughs up some blood and rolls slowly over onto his back.

It takes him a second to get to his feet and when he does, his fighting stance doesn't look as cocky as it did when he first started this fight. He looks like he's just been jumped by some crazy stalker fans. Only with more pain. Still, though, he gets his dukes up and tries to keep a smile on his face. "Round Two. Begin."

Taking her advice, Johnny doesn't say anything as he seems to kick his own chi up a notch. He only takes two steps in her general direction before his body slides on one leg and his other one gets outstretched towards her, his red-hued shadow-images trailing behind him as he skids towards her with silent but deadly speed. Faster than he normally does this move but keeping it as signature as possible all the same. For the Fangirls, of course.

COMBATSYS: Johnny Cage successfully hits Leona with Shadow Kick EX.

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Johnny Cage      2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|======-\-------\0            Leona

[LEONA]
Struck down. There seems to be something different about Cage when he gets back up. Leona rolls her neck and establishes her base. Taking position again against Cage. She sways and bounces on the balls of her feet. Ready, waiting, biding her time to strike.

She sees that she's gotten the man serious now, and appreciates that. She will never get better until she succeeds against opponents that take her seriously. And when he moves with such speed, striking with that power. She can't take the kick the same way she defended his initial offering.

The sliding kick throws Leona off her feet and sends her rolling backward along the ground. She posts herself, gripping the ground with her hands and planting her feet to arrest her moment and to launch herself toward Cage.

She takes a spinning leap into the air, turning down toward him. With a striking arc of her hands, she slices a pair of energized X shapes down toward the actor. The force of the energy strong enough to not only stop her fall, but flip her gamely backward and away from her opponent.

COMBATSYS: Leona successfully hits Johnny Cage with X-Caliber.

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Johnny Cage      2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|=======\-------\1            Leona

[JOHNNY CAGE]
Johnny Cage's Serious is different than a lot of people's Serious. He's still looking as though he's having a ball. But he's just putting a little bit more effort into his fighting. Hey, she's the one that showed up in the worst costume that money can buy. He wasn't expecting her to be X-Cellent at fighting!

He finds out the truth when he's blasted in the chest by the X shapes of doom. He gets rocked backwards, stumbling through the fountain again, his feet getting all wet. He shakes out one of his legs and takes off running in her direction.

"Ready for your close up?"

He charges in, reaching out to grab her by her top and yank her close enough to catch the first of a series of brutal smacks or punches to the face and head. He goes for broke with this move, aiming to see if he can't teach her some manners. Fist to Face.

COMBATSYS: Johnny Cage successfully hits Leona with Kasting Kall EX.
Grazing Hit

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Johnny Cage      1/-------/<<<<<<<|=======\===----\1            Leona

[LEONA]
Up close and personal. Leona had hopes of keeping the distance for this fight. But the man has gotten up and against her. She tries to keep back, so slip away and dance her way around him. But he's a fast man, and a serious competitor underneath the facade he puts on.

Still. Though he grabs her, none of the strikes quite hit their marks. Twisting and struggling the whole while, Leona kicks from Cage's grip and rolls backward along the ground to put herself into a low crouching three point stance.

Her chest rises and falls with each deep breath. Her mask askew. Her eyes burning with an anger unbidden. Still, she's silent as she assesses the situation. And then she lunges forward, hand lancing with blue energy that crackles and foments. A sharpened blade of chi that slices for Johnny's midsection when Leona dashes forward with blinding speed.

COMBATSYS: Johnny Cage blocks Leona's Leona Blade.

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Johnny Cage      1/---<<<</<<<<<<<|===----\-------\0            Leona

[JOHNNY CAGE]
Johnny Cage is well met with those grazing strikes as the Mystery Cat manages to claw her way out of being struck with the full press. The kick to his chest to free herself has him stumbling back and he almost has to take a knee. She's got some fierce hands and feet, after all.

Cage gets his hands up in time to try and block that energy blade of chi that comes slicing down at him. His arms bleed when the slice goes against his defenses. It hurts but it is much better than whatever the alternative could've been. He'll take the pain.

Johnny moves quickly, though, attempting to catch her before she can get to far away. He leans in and aims for a strong punch to her gut, enough to maybe double her over. If he can grab ahold of her, he goes for a toss to send her airborne, following with a leap of stunt wire heights of his own. All of this aimed towards catching her on his shoulders and dropping back down to the ground, to crack her back over his superhero landing knee.

COMBATSYS: Johnny Cage successfully hits Leona with Blockbuster Smash.

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Johnny Cage      0/-------/---====|=======\===----\1            Leona

[LEONA]
This has been a remarkable learning situation. The failures that Leona has here are lessons in how to measure up against the great threats around the world. She has a long way to go. A long way to come close to her cohorts Clark and Ralf, and much much further still to be on the level of her adoptive father. All roads begin somewhere, however, and this is where her's truly begins.

The fight against Justice was a sign of greater things, but this time Leona is humbled by a movie star. Pummeled, the wind knocked from her, rode to the ground and crashing with a knee cracking against her spine.

The world thumps in her ears. She can hear the blood rushing through her system as she pushes back to her hands and knees and once more back up to her feet. Her swaying stance is now sign of her exhaustion and not her energetic style. But still, she cannot give up.

With one final bout of reckless abandon, she charges the man. Taking a leap, she falls down toward Cage, arms cross over her chest. With one final slash, a large V, burning with intense chi power, burns toward Johnny Cage with the last of Leona's desperate energy.

COMBATSYS: Leona can no longer fight.

[                      \\\\\\\\  <
Johnny Cage      0/-------/-======|

COMBATSYS: Leona successfully hits Johnny Cage with V-Slasher.
Glancing Blow

[                         \\\\\  <
Johnny Cage      1/-------/=======|

[JOHNNY CAGE]
Johnny Cage may not be the best fighter in the world, despite his claims otherwise, but he can definitely make a fight look good. His moves are more flashy than they are effective and he's okay with that. He keeps his footing after standing from his superhero landing backbreaker and attempts to back away before rebuttal attacks can come in his direction.

When there's even the slightest bit of hesitation, Johnny Cage figures himself for the victor and turns slightly towards his entourage. With a grin he grabs the sunglasses off his belt and plucks them right back onto his face, smiling with bloody teeth the entire time.

He spends so much time posturing that he doesn't even register that Mystery Cat is on her feet and charging him. He turns around to see where she's fallen and she's no longer there. She's up above him. "... My God." Johnny Cage pulls his sunglasses off his face just in time to get V slashed dead in the chest. It burns through his outfit and sends him sailing back to crack into the fountain. His head hits and his glasses are lost into the fountain's water. He's down.

But not out.

It takes him a moment but he finally stirs. Cage slips a few times as he rolls over and crawls out of the fountain... shakily pushing himself up with weak arms and weaker legs. He sways back and forth as he gets up to his feet and it takes him a few moments to try and stay on his feet and he eventually raises a fist into the air. In... Not-So-Flawless Victory?

"Cut. Print it." Cage quips as he signs his name on a 8x10 that he produces out of damn near thin air. Scrawling a quick message and signing his name before tossing the picture off in Mystery Cat's direction and stumbling in pained confident limping steps towards his fangirls.

"Medic! Medic!"

The message on the picture reads: 'Thanks for playing. -- Johnny Cage'

COMBATSYS: Johnny Cage has ended the fight here.

Log created on 11:26:02 03/25/2018 by Leona, and last modified on 18:26:42 03/25/2018.