Match of the Millennium

Description: Its young vs old in this high impact clash of heavy hitters. The Iron Mystic goes up against Alex in a knock down, drag out, slobber-knocking brawl of a match.

[NOBORU]
It is midway through the third day of the Muscle Bomber tournament, and expectations are high. From these matches will emerge those worthy of challenging the Eternal Champion himself, and every member of the crowd has their favored pick for who should advance. Signs wave throughout the crowd proclaiming everything from wrestler's names to famous catch phrases, the screams and chants of the crowd filling the cavernous arena like water.
And then the lights go out.
The arena interior is plunged into darkness, followed soon after by the scraping rasp of an electronic cello. The already cacophonous clamor of the crowd begins to build as the cello is replaced by the galloping call of violins, music building and building in a rising whale until...
BOOM!
A blast of smoke and fire erupts around the ring as the lights blare back to life, revealing the Iron Mystic standing perched atop a turnbuckle with his thick arms folded across his chest and his head bowed. While the crowd roars out its approval, remembering the intensity of the mysterious fighter's last match, the music transitions into a driving violin instrumental backed up by pounding drums, up beat and gloriously triumphant. As if compelled forward by the combined pressure of the music and the crowd, the Mystic lifts his chin and scans slowly across their many ecstatic faces, arms unfolding so that he can thrust one battle-scarred fist high into the air, head dropping back to stare toward the ceiling with his long hair trailing down his back.
The Iron Mystic is here, and he is Ready, To, SLAM!

[ALEX]
As the first song begins to fade, the second comes in with a rise. The blaring sound of some classic American hard rock echoes through the speakers as the burly blond makes his way from his side of the arena, tying his hair back with his red headband as he goes. He plants his hands on the side of the ring with a boom then vaults up, slipping between the ropes. Once he's in there, Alex takes hold of his grey tank and tears it from his chest to split it down the middle. The two pieces of cloth are unceremoniously tossed out of the ring before Alex plants a gloved hand to his shoulder and rolls the arm in the socket as a warm-up stretch.

"You another ninja?" the blond asks. "Hope you ain't as slippery as the last one. Let's have a good match."

[NOBORU]
Having awaited the arrival of his challenger with both rope-bound feet braced on the top ropes of the corner, Noboru drops to the mat with a surprisingly light step despite his size. He certainly could be a ninja, what with the tattered half mask stretched across his nose and lower face. However, the travel-worn robe, loose grey pants, and hemp ropes wrapped around his hands and feet give him more of a homeless martial artist vibe.
Turning slowly to face Alex, the Mystic focuses in on him with his one, ice-blue eye, the other closed and mangled with a large scar passing through it. Out of the two men, the shinobi is the shorter by perhaps 2 inches, lighter by ten pounds. He is also the more battle worn by far, with visible scars on hands, forearms, and chest, not to mention the large one across his face. Older, more ragged, and judging by the way he is standing there, one hand folded over the other as they rest against his chest, willing to wait and see what his young opponent's first move is going to be.

COMBATSYS: [ CFO$ - The Rising Sun ] Lights all throughout the arena blink off, soon followed by the raspy opening notes of an electronic cello. Thick puffs of fog waft teasingly up through the darkness as the violins begin to chant, and then, with a sliding call of strings and a sudden explosion of pyrotechnics, the lights flash back on to reveal the man himself already waiting inside the ring! The Iron Mystic is READY, TO, SLAM!!!

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Noboru           0/-------/-======|====---\-------\0             Alex

COMBATSYS: Alex has left the fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Noboru           0/-------/-======|

[ALEX]
"Silent type, huh?" Alex says, "I can live with that." The blond spreads his feet, grinding his boots into the mat as he bends his knees slightly and spread his arms out from his sides, palms open and fingers curled toward Noboru.

And as soon as the bell rings, Alex is on the move. His muscles creak as he crouches down then launches himself in a bounding leap, immediately going high into the air and then dropping down toward Noboru in a sudden and sharp stomp. Big as Alex is, the height and distance is almost impressive.

COMBATSYS: Alex enters the arena, to the roar of the crowd!

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Alex             0/-------/------=|======-\-------\0           Noboru

COMBATSYS: Alex successfully hits Noboru with Air Stampede.

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Alex             0/-------/----===|======-\-------\0           Noboru

[NOBORU]
Alex's second attempt at banter draws about as much reaction from the stoic shinobi as the first, the muscular ninja watching and waiting while his younger opponent crouches down, readies himself, and launches high into the air. Chin tilting up, he tracks the progress of the descending fighter with cool indifference, arms coming up to brace against the stampeding weight of the brawler. Even still, the impact between feet and forearms is heavy, driving the shinobi backwards off of his feet to crash heavily into the corner behind him, Alex's full weight piling down atop him with such force that the ropes to either side of them hum in sympathy.
"HRMPH."
The grunting rumble that escapes the Iron Mystic is low and rough, good eye narrowing as he shoves up from the corner and powers forward, attempting to shove Alex off of him and bring his right hand exploding up into a quick but vicious punch to the bandana-clad fighter's jaw, hopefully rocking him back on his heels and opening him up for Noboru to lunge down and snag his right calf in the steel-like grip of his fingers, heaving the bigger man off of his feet and swinging him up and over his head into a crashing slam back into the corner the shinobi just escaped from.

COMBATSYS: Noboru successfully hits Alex with Uproot.

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Alex             0/-------/=======|=======\==-----\1           Noboru

[ALEX]
As soon as he lands, Alex is on the move again. He springs off Noboru to land away, but in the next instant the shinobi is in on the wrestler again. Palm meets chin with a thunderous retort of muscle, bone, and sinew. Alex's head snaps back, and his calf is grabbed. What follows is most certainly un uprooting.

The canvas sagged ands the springs clatter as Alex hits them on his back, thrown head over heels to the mat. It takes him a moment to manage to roll back to his feet, and when he's recovered, it's a staggering, swaying rise. His palm rubs against his chin, Alex working his jaw to make sure it's set. After a moment's recovery, however, he's back at it.

He snaps forward with a short, low kick, his heavy brown boot going for Noboru's stomach this time. It's a spartan affair: short, swift, and to the point.

COMBATSYS: Noboru just-defends Alex's Short Kick!

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Alex             0/-------/=======|=======\==-----\1           Noboru

[NOBORU]
The crowd pops as the big men trade blow for blow, wasting no time in battering the hell out of one another right out of the gate. Having sent Alex flipping away to crash to the mat, Noboru ghosts 2 silent steps into the center of the ring. Even if there weren't an audience yelling their heads off the hulking shinobi would be difficult to keep track of, each step smooth and methodical, thick bands of muscle relaxed and easy beneath his loose robe. It means that when he moves there is no vibration through the ring, and when he strikes, there are no telltale signs of impending danger.
This exact thing is demonstrated when his blond opponent regains his feet, rounding a bit woozily on the Mystic to deliver a swift boot to the gut. Outwardly Noboru gives no reaction at all, cool gaze locked upon Alex's face as the boot thuds into a midsection as solidly impervious as stone. Only those skilled in the ways of the Iron Body technique would understand the pinpoint precision of muscles flexing beneath his robe, abs tightening into an unbreakable wall of muscle just before impact and shunting the force back into the toe of the younger man's boot.
"Hrrrrm."
A soft, thoughtful rumble works its way free from the impassive shinobi, low and nearly drown out by the constant call of the crowd. Slight as it is, that sound is the only warning Alex gets before Noboru retaliates. One moment he is standing there, stock still and unreadable. The next he is taking a single, quick step forward to close what little distance exists between them, right hand blurring up from his side. Left foot impacting the mat between Alex's own with abrupt power, Noboru guides the force of his movement up from the ground, through his legs, and across his body, shoulders rotating forward as he puts all of his body behind a single, heavy blow aimed squarely for the center of the blond man's exposed chest.
"HRUH!"
The grunt of effort that accompanies the blow explodes forth from the deepest parts of the ninja's gut, snapping his mask outward in a forceful ripple of cloth.

COMBATSYS: Alex blocks Noboru's Fault Line.

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Alex             1/-------/=======|=======\===----\1           Noboru

[ALEX]
Alex's boot collides with what feels more like brick than muscle, and it catches Alex by surprise enough that he stumbles back, his leg swept back around to avoid falling over. "Geez," he mutters, "Like a freakin' brick wall."

But the next move is so sudden, so spontaneous and effortless that Alex barely has time to react. He brings up his arms, one across the other in a cross block that catches Noboru's palm just barely. It drives the burly blond back, his boots leaving the mat before he lands in an upright slide across the canvas. His knees bend at the end of the slide as Alex falls forward to catch himself on his palm and one knee, but he doesn't fully lose his balance. Not yet, anyway.

But then he's snapping forward like a runner, closing the gap swiftly despite his size. He lacks the grace and finesse of the shinobi, certainly. It's more like a truck or a small train barreling across the ring. One arm snaps out, muscles taut, and Alex aims to crash into the other man with a runaway lariat aimed at bowling him over without stopping.

COMBATSYS: Noboru interrupts Medium Lariat from Alex with Calm the Storm EX.

[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////       ]
Alex             0/-------/=======|==-----\-------\0           Noboru

[NOBORU]
Joints pop and crackle all throughout Noboru's hand as he slowly uncurls it from a striking fist, arm still held out at full extension before him. Spreading his fingers wide, hemp wraps straining against the movement, he observes while his opponent skids backward across the mat. There is a small part of him that is faintly impressed the younger man was able to get his guard up in time, but nothing of the sort shows on his battle-hardened face. The eye that meets Alex's is as cool and calm as a mountain pond, wholly unreadable. He may as well be a machine.
Relaxing back a step, Noboru settles his feet shoulder-width apart, right hand circling up and out even while his left drops low, tracing out an imaginary circle in the air. The motion is slow and relaxed, a gradual gathering of energy that ends when both hands come flashing in from the sides, rope-bound palms meeting with a CLAP that sends wind rolling out from the point of impact. Long brown hair blown back by the self-made breeze, robe fluttering, Noboru holds the potential force of his movements trapped between his hands, muscles gradually transitioning from loosely relaxed, to tensed, to flexed.
It is into the face of this innocent-seeming posture that Alex throws himself, forearm swinging up and around in a charging lariat meant to crash into the shinobi's chest and carry him backward off of his feet. Instead, the impassive ninja waits, holding the force contained until the very last moment. Just before impact, he steps forward into the blow, left knee bending and torso turning to accept the driving force of Alex's forearm high up on his left shoulder. At the same moment, he unleashes the gathered power stored within him, the subtle vibration of muscles that had been building rolling through his body, down his left arm and out through his palm as he lashes out to slam it hard into the burly blond's exposed ribs. The effect is not unlike being struck by a shotgun blast of kinetic force at point blank range, all that potential energy somehow stored and built upon itself as it was passed from one muscle group to another within the ninja's body.

[ALEX]
The fists of the shinobi have carried that same sort of resilience, that rock-hard durability that absorbed the blow from the wrestler a moment ago. Guarding against them took effort, defensive posture, reflex. Now Alex is on the offense, trying to overwhelm the man with a sudden blow from the lariat.

It is not fast enough.

The palms impact with a thunderclap, the wave of force echoing in their wake and blowing back Alex's hair. It beats against his headband as he soars back like he was launched from a cannon, complete airborne until he smashes against the ropes. The creak as they're stretched taut, pushed to the limit before bringing Alex to a stop. He slumps against them heavily, chest rising and falling as he takes time catch his breath.

And once he rises, his breathing is still labored and heavy. One hand reaches up to his ribs, his fingers moving along his side and pulling a wince from him as he rolls his neck. "...pretty good," the words slip out between breaths.

But suddenly his hand snaps from his side like a whip, Alex turning his palm flat into a straight chop. Yellow chi flares and wraps around his palm like a sheath, the chop splitting the air between them as he whips it around toward the stoic shinobi.

COMBATSYS: Noboru blocks Alex's Flash Chop.

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Alex             1/------=/=======|===----\-------\0           Noboru

[NOBORU]
Hair blown back by the force of Alex's abrupt departure, Noboru rises smoothly from his crouched position and brings his hands together, left fist cradled within his right palm. Holding this stance of monkish deliberation, he watches the younger man catch himself against the ropes, head inclining in silent acceptance at the praise thrown his way. But even if he were the type to banter, there is no time to. On the heels of Alex's words comes the flashing edge of his palm, the chi-infused limb cracking through the air toward the scarred shinobi's side.
THWACK!
Quick as a blink, the older warrior brings his right hand flashing up to collide with the oncoming strike, meeting chop with chop in an aggressive knife-handed block. Unfortunately for him, beneath the sound of flesh striking flesh can be heard the subtle crack of bone, something within the aging shinobi's hand giving out as chi explodes out from the point of impact.
Or perhaps that is merely an illusion. The pop of a joint, or something within the ring twanging at the force of their collision. There is no flicker of pain across the Iron Mystic's face, nor does he jerk away from the continued press of hands. There is only the focused stare of his good eye, bad remaining closed beneath a mangled lid.
"Hrm."
All at once the outward press of Noboru's hand is shifted sharply downward, the shinobi attempting to shove Alex's striking hand toward the mat even as his own knees flex and coil. That done, the Mystic springs forward and up with another of his surprising bursts of speed, right knee lifting to press firmly to his chest. If all goes to plan, he will leap just high enough to clear the blond's head, before unfolding his body into a vicious stomp, driving his right heel down and back toward the base of Alex's skull with stone-grinding force.

COMBATSYS: Alex endures Noboru's Cascade.

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Alex             1/---====/=======|====---\-------\0           Noboru

[ALEX]
Alex clashes with Noboru, his chop pressing against Noboru's block. The two break away again, and Noboru's on the move with the flex, coil, and leap. Alex's head turns as Noboru's behind him suddenly in a lighting fast burst of speed.

CRACK.

The stomp slams into Alex's back, the younger man shifting just enough to avoid having his head smashed into the floor--even if it means taking the blow head-on otherwise. He staggers forward once, twice, then slams his boot down so hard the leather creaks, twisting on the ball of his foot and turning back to face Noboru again. Sweat beads on his brown. His breathing is labored. Bruises are starting to form on the side of the impacts. The man seems to be slowing down, losing momentum.

But even as he does, Alex reaches out, aiming to catch the shinobi as soon as he lands by going low for a grab around the waist. If he gets hold, Alex drops back into a German suplex, then another, rolling over Noboru to execute each. For the final, Alex will try to launch up, leaping into the air to deliver an aerial Power Bomb.

COMBATSYS: Noboru barely endures Alex's Hyper Bomb but gets knocked away!

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Alex             0/-------/---====|====---\-------\0           Noboru

[NOBORU]
Heel strikes back with a satisfying THMP that vibrates its way up Noboru's body, sending the younger man staggering but leaving the shinobi temporarily airborne, unable to shift himself into a more defensible position. And so, as the blond reverses his momentum, lunging in to pluck him out of the air, Noboru chooses to roll with the slam rather than to fight it. Closing his eyes, he allows his muscles to go limp, hair and robes flung violently out as he is whipped up and over, shoulders striking the ring with such force the whole structure jumps and shakes.
Once, twice he is pounded into the ground, before both he and Alex are soaring up into the air. The ropes binding his right hand squeak with tension as he curls his fingers into a tight fist, bulky form flipped head over heels and driven down one final time hard enough to send him rag-dolling away to impact the far corner with a shuttering crash.
There Noboru lies, crumpled on his front, hair splayed around his face and robe spread beneath him. Planting his left palm flat against the mat he pushes up to one hand and knee, right foot sliding beneath him. Half crouched, head hung low, he brings his right fist up to just beneath his chin. Pouring all of his focus, all of his concentration into a point just beyond his knuckles, he pulls every muscle in his body into alignment, the air around him seeming to calm in response. Falling into a state of utter stillness, he draws in one long, slow breath.
Exploding forward from the mat, Noboru crosses the distance in a single surge of muscular power, blasting through reality and directly toward Alex with both eyes closed. It is not until he has crossed the distance, right fist rearing back, that both eyes snap open, fixing the younger man in a stare both icy blue and milky white, gazing deep into his being. Aiming for the very tip of the blond's chin, the Iron Mystic roars forward, scarred knuckles closing on their target with far more gravity than any of his punches up to this point. A howling gale of wind is pulled along in the wake of the blow, everything about it perfectly timed, a single, heavy punch that has shattered mountainsides.

COMBATSYS: Alex blocks Noboru's Crag Breaker.

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Alex             0/-------/-======|===----\-------\0           Noboru

[ALEX]
Alex comes out of the slam in a stagger with his arms still extended. He draws more deep, wheezing breath as he leans forward in a hunch. Reeling from the earlier blows, it seems like it's taking a momentous effort to stay on his feet. One eye closes; his arm sweeps across his forehead to push back hair and sweat. To quip, or comment takes just a bit too much effort for Alex's reserves at the moment.

Noboru's surge back into action closes any opportunity for it anyway. Suddenly, Alex is put on the defensive again. Pulling his arms up, he draws back into a guard. Ripping through the wind, the fist cuts a clear path until it impacts with Alex's crossed arms and sends out a thundering burst of wind and the thump of bone and muscle against bone and muscle.

Staggering back, Alex breaks his guard, his arms swinging back wildly. The distance between the two men widens briefly, then Alex surges, throwing himself back at Noboru once more.

This time the man kicks off into a short leap and throws himself high to try and catch the older man around the neck. If he succeeds, Alex swings around, aiming to slam them both into the mat using a headlock and drop.

COMBATSYS: Noboru interrupts Spiral DDT from Alex with Iron Sentinel EX.

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Alex             1/-----==/=======|====---\-------\0           Noboru

[NOBORU]
Fist meets block, the impact of which can be felt in the guts of those audience members seated closest to the ring, and the skin around Noboru's eyes crinkles in the briefest wince of pain. Apparently, mega punching someone with your broken hand hurts enough that even the Iron Mystic can't completely ignore it, fingers relaxing open with a nasty series of pops as he rebounds back from the opening blow.
There is no time for weakness.
With Alex already bounding forward to capitalize on Noboru's brief pause, the shinobi moves on instinct, stomping forward with his left foot and lunging into the oncoming blond. However, rather than meet him head on, the ninja pivots around his leading foot, whipping his back and upper shoulders around in a quick, violent motion while every muscle throughout his torso flexes into a wall of living iron. The end result is his upper back ploughing into Alex's chest and stomach like a run away bull, driving the both of them backward across the mat a good 6 feet before the headlock is finally dug in and Noboru is pulled out of his backward lunge, the ninja's forehead rattling the canvas as they both slam heavily down to the mat. It is sheer, unadulterated grit that sees the shinobi rolling slowly away from the impact, rising a bit dizzily up to hands and knees with his long hair hiding his masked face from view.

[ALEX]
Alex is mid-leap, surging into the DDT in one moment. In the next moment, Noboru has cut through, smashed into Alex's chest like a charging steer. Wheezing, the air is knocked from Alex's lungs as the shinobi smashes into his chest. Even so, Alex grabs hold and hangs on for the ride before slamming them both into the canvas with a thundering boom.

When Noboru rises, Alex does not. Instead, the wrestler struggles to get back on his feet. Slamming an elbow down, he pushes up, then rolls onto his knee. His palm smacks the canvas again as he loses his balance, but he doesn't go down--not right away, at least. Unsteady of his feet, Alex rises in a sway, then drops to a knee again.

He finally manages to rise once more in a surge, slamming forward to try and grab hold of Noboru. If he gets a grip, Alex delivers furious headbutt, then another, then a third in rapid succession--a machine gun of strikes before swaying, staggering, and then collapsing to the ground.

COMBATSYS: Alex successfully hits Noboru with Stungun Headbutt.

[                          \\\\  < >                                ]
Alex             0/-------/-------|======-\-------\0           Noboru

[NOBORU]
Forcing himself slowly but inevitably back to his feet, The Iron Mystic rises up with a loud crackle and pop of joints. Though he is the older of the two, the shinobi's body is apparently as tough as his name would suggest, absorbing all of the punishment the muscular blond can throw and soldiering on regardless.
"HRGH."
The low rumbling grunt that works its way free of the ninja has a slightly guttural edge to it now. A rawness that hints at the strain of forcing himself to move. But despite all that, the mismatched eyes that focus upon Alex's rising form are as cold and focused as ever. With single-minded determination he steps toward the larger man, hands coming up to try and grab him out of the air as he comes hurtling in for a final blow. Fingers slide across ribs, hands grab shoulders, and the first headbutt hammers into Noboru's face with a resounding THONK!
THONK!
THONK!
By the third strike, the skin between Noboru's brows has split open, blood cascading down to drip off of the end of his nose. But still he stares into the face of his opponent, eerily calm and focused despite the damage.
Right hand sliding up Alex's back, he attempts to dig hard fingers into the muscles to either side of his neck, clamping on with frightening strength. Through the contact, the sickening grind of bones can be felt shifting beneath the wraps of his hand, but if it is effecting his grip strength at all he must have had one hell of a grip before.
Hurling his weight forward and down, Noboru attempts to drive the young man face-first into the mat and pin him there beneath the relentless strength of his hand, holding him still while his left hand lifts, fingers curled into a tight fist, then is brought crashing down into the exact center of his back, scarred knuckles targeting the spine.
Then, and only then will the darkness begin to encroach upon Noboru's focus, the mingled pain and head trauma swimming forward to swallow his vision whole, leaving him kneeling in the center of the mat, death grip still applied to Alex's neck while his eyes fade, then close, consciousness fleeing yet muscles refusing to relax.

COMBATSYS: Noboru can no longer fight.

[                          \\\\  <
Alex             0/-------/-------|

COMBATSYS: Alex dodges Noboru's Entomb.

[                          \\\\  <
Alex             0/-------/-------|

[ALEX]
Alex starts to go down after the headbutt. His own vision is blurred, his head spinning. A stream of diluted red--blood and sweat--seeps from under his headband. When Noboru goes for Alex's head, the wrestler is almost already down for the count. In fact, his world goes white when he finished the assault of headbutts.

But then he snaps to, a brief moment of consciousness pulled back from the brink. Noboru plants his hand and drives Alex down toward the canvas--at least, so it seems.

It's at this moment, Alex's headband gives way, his long blond hair spilling out as he manages to narrowly slip out of Noboru's slam and into a rolling tumble. He impacts the canvas himself and lies there, breathing heavily. When Noboru doesn't immediately rise, he moves for the pin.

"Man...didn't know what I was expecting, but that speed and technique...you've got a real brutal style. I think I still got a lot to learn from a guy like you."

Log created on 21:49:08 03/09/2020 by Noboru, and last modified on 01:26:12 03/15/2020.