Match of the Millennium

Description: NESTS Agent Upsilon is on assignment in Southtown. The mission is to scout of local areas with potential weaknesses for future sites of NESTS operations. Secondary objective is to study the defensive capabilities of the local gangs. His crew locates and identifies the reluctant Syndicate enforcer, Katashi Tairyu, as the singular local boss. A simple "Stress Test" ensues.

[UPSILON]
A mall. Shops and people. And a location that holds any number of potential threats and dangers, as well as information fonts and data trails. There have been locations compromised due to Shadaloo efforts, as well as some substantial failures in the efforts on the King of Fighters front. Complicated more is the varying gang activity being consolidated under the efforts of Southside Syndicate. It falls, then, to NESTS to determine just what the overall level of force is being brought by the largest potential threat in the Japanese operational region. And to do that, NESTS has dispatched the efforts of Agent Upsilon.

Upsilon has his team at the ready, the van of operatives and controllers that are compiling the data and piloting a handful of drones to observe the sortie of the afternoon. The agent himself stands out in his very obviously out of place coat and glasses, and the vague look of disgust that sits everpresently on his face. He walks among the customers, listening to the observation team report the identities of the people around him, to isolate and determine any present Syndicate operatives for the purpose of today's stress study.

[TAIRYU]
Meanwhile, one (1) Tairyu has managed to take a few hours of time entirely for himself. Granted, even when he's not actively being made to work for the Syndicate's ends through Aizawa-gumi, there is still a never-ending stress for him involved in the form of his sister being used as collateral. But there's not much he can do about it right now-- and he won't be able to do it later, either, if he isn't able to keep himself in check.

UNfortunately for Tairyu, while he pads his way through the mall's crowds and sips at a drink taken along with him from a burger joint through a straw, one of NESTS' drones in the air may well get a facial match on him. Even well before the Syndicate's involvement, he had some notoriety within Aizawa-gumi's turf. The full story behind his association with the Syndicate might not be in their records, but in all likelihood, he is going to be flagged.

[UPSILON]
"Subject information incoming."

Upsilon's head raises and he puts a finger to the piece in his ear. Noted Syndicate member has been identified by drone three. Upsilon pulls a phone from his labcoat pocket and reads the feed coming from his people. An assimilated heavy from a former independent organization. Information potential covers local street muscle skill as well as presumptive threat assessment of local Syndicate control. Good enough for studying the capabilities of this mall in holding a NESTs comprehensive kinesthetics lab.

"The target is acquired," Upsilon speaks into his bluetooth. "Coordinate drones on me for Fitbit upload."

The NESTS agent slips through the crowds, pushing past people with a disregard once he has the sight of the gangster. Overhead, the small drones buzzing increases as they start to gather. A woman stops in front of Upsilon and she finds herself brushed hard and backward, stumbling toward Tairyu with a startled yelp.

In her wake, Upsilon stands there in his coat, underneath the black bodysuit pulses with lines that glow a vibrant orange as the chi that bursts from within is handled by NESTs advanced biotechnology. "Katashi Tairyu," Upsilon states bluntly for attention.

[TAIRYU]
The woman's stumble is met by Tairyu turning, just enough so, that he can bring his free hand up and brace the woman from completely stumbling over with her full weight. Without breaking stride, he asks of her calmly, "You alright?"

But that stride is broken when he hears his name called out. Green eyes lift up from the woman, towards Upsilon himself, brows furrowing lightly. Once the woman has gotten all straightened up again, he gives just the lightest of urging shoves to her with a low grunt of "Get out of here," and the emptied drink cup getting tossed unceremoniously aside.

"What's that?" He calls back, as he turns to fully face the man. "Didn't now there was a cosplay event in town."

[UPSILON]
"Mild insults, expected from your position," Upsilon notes with an airy sort of disdain. He checks his cuffs before raising his fists, already assuming a well practiced fighting posture. "You have been selected for examination, do attempt to not waste my time."

The drones whirl about overhead, their cameras catching the movement, posture, and potential all in real time to feed back to the NESTs mobile operations van. And while Upsilon holds the focus on the moment, he can only vaguely disguise his distaste for having to fight some common thug for any reason at all. His posture is practiced, his sneer steadied and his eye level. He wants to finish this and depart. To Upsilon, this run of the mill sob story of a young thug has already run out its interest.

COMBATSYS: Upsilon has started a fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Upsilon          0/-------/-------|

COMBATSYS: Tairyu has joined the fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Upsilon          0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0           Tairyu

[TAIRYU]
"Examination," Tairyu repeats the single word with a slow blink of his eyes, before giving Upsilon one more good, slow up-and-down look while the other man is assuming his stance. "...Seriously. This town's bullshit just keeps getting weirder."

"But..." His eyes flick briefly upwards, where the drones are whirring about, before he shifts one foot along the ground, lowering his own stance slightly. "Guess this is the kind of bullshit I'm going to have to take seriously."

With those words rumbled out, he springs into motion; posture lowering further while his feet dash him forward, towards Upsilon. The quick motion brings him to have to tilt his head up to maintain eye contact from the significantly lowered stance, but one final stomp of his foot right below him brings him springing up again-- and with it, drawing the open palm of his right hand in an almost completely vertical angle towards Upsilon's jaw.

COMBATSYS: Upsilon blocks Tairyu's Rising Claw.

[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////// ]
Upsilon          0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0           Tairyu

[UPSILON]
"Trial start," Upsilon speaks with bored reservation. His feet move from old training. A short jogging hop as he moves forward and then back. He gauges, plans, and he sees what comes when it's gearing up and close.

Smack! A clinched tuck. The stomping heel palm crashes hard against Upsilon's tight in and forceful hands. "Predictable street fighter. Untrained," he scoffs and the bursting energy that pulses along his bodysuit flare up when he pushes his way back and away from Tairyu.

"This is below me," he states. The kickboxer slides a foot back. "Allow me to show you what it means to show force." A swinging roundhouse splits the air. A force of energy, an arc of orange chi bursts outward created by the slashing kick of Upsilon's foot. The wave crashes forward, bending the light around it as it slams outward, breaking stands and rippling the air in the kick's wake.

COMBATSYS: Upsilon successfully hits Tairyu with Flare Wave.

[    \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////          ]
Upsilon          0/-------/---====|======-\-------\0           Tairyu

[TAIRYU]
"Tch." Tairyu's eyes narrow with the impact of his palm against those of Upsilon's own two palms. He does make a point of scuffing one foot backwards along the floor to help build the distance all over again when the overspilling energy flows out from his opponent's suit. "Is the motormouthing part of the 'examination' too?"

What came along after he didn't quite expect, though. Not the blade of energy flying out from the spinning kick. "Eh?" Eyes widen, and by pure instinct rather than conscious thought, he makes to jump to the side, but--

Too slow. The chi attack smacks square into his center mass, and Tairyu's sent sliding back by a few feet before steadying again. But not without a harsh, pained sound coughed out from his throat. That wasn't good. Not good at all.

The step that he takes afterwards is a wobbly one, one that might very well make it look like he's about to fall over. But that motion is quickly turned into a different kind of momentum, forward, carrying him to close the distance all over again with a renewed determination. Fist brought up, one jabs towards Upsilon in an initial feint, before hooking the other in towards his midsection, and following in with both hands making a grab for Upsilon's shoulders to pull him in towards a rising knee, with the full intent to follow up on it all, finally, with a shoving of weight and leverage to send him down on the floor.

COMBATSYS: Upsilon blocks Tairyu's Combo Grapple.

[      \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////          ]
Upsilon          0/-------/--=====|=======\-------\0           Tairyu

[UPSILON]
Upsilon stands in the wake of his kick, watching as scraps of planter and wood fall to the ground. He looks down on Tairyu and pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose. He mutters, "Fool."

The combo comes along and Upsilon leans his weight into the rush. Fist meets a blocking arm. A tucking clinch locks down the grapple when Upsilon stands his grown. He rolls into the knee with a huffing bark of a breath. And close in, sneering, the Dutchman pushes Tairyu back from him to put space again.

Upsilon sniffs. "I can see how the Syndicate so quickly assumed control here," he states with a languid roll of his neck and a shake of his head. "Let us resume."

A new burst of orange light as the tubing on his suit fires up and pulses with its force-flowing chi. Explosive bursts coming from his hands and feet, Upsilon flares forward with a quick left and right combination that follows up with a knee to cannon kick for the center of Tairyu's chest and stomach. He moves with strict precision, a tournament fighter underneath the modifications made by NESTS to his genome.

COMBATSYS: Tairyu counters Iteration Three from Upsilon with Dragon's Clutch.

[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////          ]
Upsilon          0/-------/--=====|=======\-------\1           Tairyu

[TAIRYU]
The seperation after the strikes is mirrored in like by Tairyu-- but this time, he doesn't quite go as far. He knows now that Upsilon can just attack him from range if it comes down to it. Slow, steady footwork keeping him in motion still after that, circling about the dutchman. He doesn't show much outward reaction to what he's saying-- except for that last sentence. His lips purse and his jaw shifts just enough to hint at teeth grinding against each other.

Once Upsilon turns to renew his assault, Tairyu bends his knees, eyes focusing on the incoming energy-glowing fists. His hand sweeps aside the first incoming punch, and he bobs to the side to evade the following. It could well hit, too, if it wasn't for hand catching onto the wrist of the offensive arm, and using his own sidestep's momentum to give a forceful pull to yank the dutchman off balance.

Rather than being content with that, and letting Upsilon return to motion again, however, him letting of go of the wrist is immediately followed with forearms crashing down upon his upper back, leveraging further weight to send him leaning over forward as his knee rises up to slam for his center. And once he brings his knee back down again, the foot is slid back to reacquire spacing between the two.

A quick, vulgar spitting of a glob of blood down to the floor while he shifts into a prepared stance all over again, with one fist held up besides his chin, the other aimed downwards. "You talk too much."

[UPSILON]
The drones whirr and zip about. Images captured, style researched. In failure, things are to be learned. As Upsilon finds a problem in his approach, the lessons taught to the team in the van are recorded for future endeavors.

Cracking, slamming blows that force Upsilon to the ground. Down to his hands and knees. Down on the ground. He coughs and punches the ground, a burst of chi cracks the floor while Upsilon picks himself back up to his feet.

No words this time, just a spinning strike. Upsilon whirls about on his heel. He brings a two-fisted punch to the center of Tairyu's breadbasket with another crushing blow that explodes outward with waves of crushing orange force.

COMBATSYS: Tairyu blocks Upsilon's Mass Driver.

[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////             ]
Upsilon          0/-------/--=====|=======\=------\1           Tairyu

[TAIRYU]
At this point, Tairyu is hardly considering the drones up above anymore, or the implications thereof. He's focusing entirely on the opponent directly before him, who has proven well enough to be a formidable one.

Thus, he watches Upsilon spin around to gather the momentum for his fists, aimed towards his own face. This he meets with both his own arms rising up to shield his head, parallel to each other. Upsilon's two-handed blow impacts with his forearms, drawing a low growl for the effort from Tairyu himself before he shoves his arms aside and sidesteps to the side, turning himself along Upsilon's perimeter and sending himself spinning around to aim a vicious roundhouse kick of his own to his side.

COMBATSYS: Tairyu successfully hits Upsilon with Diving Kick.

[              \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////            ]
Upsilon          1/-------/=======|=======\=======\1           Tairyu

[UPSILON]
Smash!

Scattered to the ground. Tumbling, rolling, labcoat flapping loose and free. Upsilon sent sprawling out on the ground. He lay for a moment. The weight of that heavy blow pushing him down and out. A foolish move. An idiot's overconfidence. But how, how could some untrained gutterpunk do this to him! With fury, he smashes his hand against the ground and looks up with fury. His broken glasses hanging loose on his face.

A surging blast of orange chi echoes as the force of it hoists Upsilon up into the air and back down onto his sneakers. His chest rises and falls, panting as he dusts himself off and stares with hatred in his eyes. "This has been quite enough," he says. One hand back, the other remaining checked and ready, Upsilon steps forward with a flourish of his wrist.

A spinning sickle of orange energy slashes out, scything in a quick spinning projectile of power. The wave slices the air, warbling as the chi cuts for Tairyu.

COMBATSYS: Upsilon successfully hits Tairyu with Remix Wave.

[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////                   ]
Upsilon          1/------=/=======|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2           Tairyu

[TAIRYU]
"What's wrong?" Asks Tairyu while Upsilon is still on the floor, giving him the stinkeye as he is. Voice surprisingly calm considering the circumstances. "If you're going to start a fight with someone just for the sake of seeing what happens or whatever, you shouldn't be getting that angry over a couple hits."

Those calm words of Tairyu's are flipped right over when Upsilon is thrown up into the air by the immense burst of energy-- such that he is forced to take a step back, too, in reaction. "Wha--?"

It's much lke the first time around. A last second effort is made at sliding to the side and ducking down to evade the mass of energy cutting through the air, only for it to cut right through Tairyu in the middle of the motion, tearing up a piece of his jacket and shirt both before knocking him into a roll along the floor.

He does manage to send himself onto one knee at the end of the roll, but ultimately, he needs a precious moment to clutch one hand to where he was hit, with a tight grimace. Breath heavy. Bracing against punches and kicks is one thing, but concentrated chi is something completely different. Feels like it's tearing him apart from the inside.

And yet, he manages to push himself up, and launch himself towards the dutchman all over again. "Not yet!" The motion carries a quick jab towards the other man, squarely towards his chin. Followed by another from his left, and a fiercer hook again from the right, in a flurry of repeating blows that end with the his foot raised up and swung towards Upsilon's ribs, with the momentum there carried on to a spin around, the foot withdrawn to stomp on the ground to exchange for his other leg rising up into a vicious roundhouse aimed up high.

COMBATSYS: Upsilon blocks Tairyu's Soaring Assault.

[                 \\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////                   ]
Upsilon          1/-----==/=======|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2           Tairyu

[UPSILON]
Lens gone from his left eye. Upsilon's hand still remains raised and ready in the wake of the rush of power. His fingertips tremble as he takes off the glasses and folds the bow gently before putting it into the jacket pocket. His face is a mix of rage and self-importance. "You're below me. I am made for this. You're just a thug in a world you don't belong," he spits in a low, steady tone that holds the rage with a chaining restraint.

Another attack. But this time he's ready again. The jab, strikes one arm. The left is shoulder rolled. The hook sinks deep, but it doesn't fully clip the target. Blow after blow rains down against Upsilon, but still the agent takes the thumps with precise, measured body blocks. Each strike puts one more step back to Upsilon's pacing. The heavy breaths come through. The wearing of the fight writ upon Upsilon's face.

"But I see your weakness. You just don't have power." The words come with amusement, cruel and bitter amusement.

A pulse in the air. The orange lines running up and down Upsilon's body suit pulse with renewed vigor. Heart rate kicks and the flow of power courses over his body. Like a living leyline, chi thrums through him. Held until now, the dam bursts.

A sold step forward. A cross blow that doesn't punch with a fist, but a pure cannon of force. A second cross shotguns a burst of orange blasting chi. And with a kick to the heavens, a cutting axe kick splits the air and carves the ground with the force of its blast. The energy enough to blast Upsilon back, up into the air to land a distance away, while the column wave tears up the ground on its way to crush Tairyu

COMBATSYS: Tairyu dodges Upsilon's Coronal Dominance.

[                  \\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////                   ]
Upsilon          0/-------/-------|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2           Tairyu

[TAIRYU]
"Gh--!" Worry crosses visibly over Tairyu's face from all that gathering energy. He can see it coming even while he's tenaciously pummeling on the other man. Seemingly uselessly so.

And then it comes. The explosion. The younger, japanese man instinctively jumps back first, almost as if expecting that alone to be something that would damage him. But no, the worst comes after. The mass of energy approaching him like the grim reaper itself descending for him.

The torn up floor blows debris in all directions, clouds of dust misting up the air. But-- in the instant the pillar of energy reaches where Tairyu was standing, the light mist is blown aside by the Yakuza's sideward leap, and continuing run towards the NESTS agent.

There's no returning of all the taunting. No outflow of energy. Just sheer determination in Tairyu's eyes when his running approach brings his fists up high at his sides--

And slammed inwards, aimed for either side of Upsilon's skull. Not intent on simply letting his fists impact on them, but if they do connect, his knuckles will press hard enough into the man's head to keep it pinned in between; enough for him to carry him up along with him when he'd follow the combined blow with a jump upwards, and pull back down upon gravity bringing them back down, aiming straight for his upraised knee.

COMBATSYS: Tairyu successfully hits Upsilon with Sun Dragon's Bite ES.

[                           \\\  < >  ///////////                   ]
Upsilon          0/-------/--=====|>>>>>--\-------\0           Tairyu

[UPSILON]
Cracking. Stars. There was never a moment when Upsilon expected this goon, this untrained thug, to defeat him. Him, with power, with skill, with the burning might of NESTS technology behind each movement and strike, was knocked hard enough to see the world slip into a sludgy and incomprehensible blur of visuals and sounds.

But even with Upsilon seeing the world in a drunken, angled stupor, unaware of just how the geometry of the place worked, he knew one burning truth. He was not going to walk from this fight unless he ran now. Data be damned, they had what they needed, the test was complete. He could make out the urging, concerned voice of the girl in the van. It was the same one he heard after fighting the escaped K'. He really did need to remember her name one of these days.

He looked forward, eyes blinking out of sync. "We're done," he says, the rush of orange coming back to him. "You've been enlightening." It might be a compliment, or at least an acknowledgment, which may be the best one can get from someone like Upsilon. But now he makes a final statement with fists.

He dashes forward, a sharp knee for Tairyu, and a rolling toss. But it comes sloppy and misangled. It comes to simply toss the goon out of the way, to clear a path as down the open air mall a sleek white van is already turning. Customers and public safety be damned, they are heading for the recovery of their agent.

COMBATSYS: Tairyu counters Iteration One from Upsilon with Tiger Drop.
* Attack Of Opportunity! *

[                                < >  //////////                    ]
Upsilon          1/-------/=======|======-\-------\0           Tairyu

[TAIRYU]
Once face has met knee and knuckles have withdrawn from sides of a skull, Tairyu withdraws a few smooth steps from Upsilon all over again. "You know..." Rising into his readied fighting stance, he briefly brushes his thumb over the corner of his mouth to wipe off some blood left dripping from there, mixing with perspiration. "Only second-rate thugs feel the need to use words to convince people of themselves."

If he could hear the concerned voices coming through Upsilon's earpiece, things might be different. He might see Upsilon as someone who really just needs to cut things and leave. But as it stands, Tairyu's focused eyes merely sees an opponent in front of him, right then, who still persists in the fight.

The statement from the NESTS agent does have the Yakuza murmuring out a calm, "I see."

And so, he meets the man's approach. Bloodied and bruised as he might be, he still has energy left over in him through sheer determination. Determination that he channels into stepping forward to meet Upsilon halfway, and bending his knee down low, simultaneously bobbing his body besides the incoming knee and using his lowering posture to launch a fist into his solar plexus with explosive force before he gets the chance to fully go through with the rest of his attack.

[UPSILON]
Shouts come first, then cries. Then comes the high pitched whine of the electric engine within the van, designed as such to be as quiet as a box van can reasonably be. The vehicle doesn't roar so much as thrum its way with reckless abandoned toward the fight.

At the fight, Upsilon is punished for the slovenly attack. He forgot his training, he forgot what he was before the work by NESTS. And he fittingly gets a series of blows that rattles his brain and cuts the wind from his sails.

He stays up, slumped, and bobbling forward. The final blow is easy to send him up and into the air. Sent up by the strength on display from Tairyu.

The van skids sideways, the panel door open. Inside are several men and women in well cut suits. More importantly, they carry guns at the ready. A small woman wearing a full face mask dashes out the moment Upsilon hits the ground with an anticlimactic thud. She's the one doing the retrieval while the armed goons keep making it very clear they're not caring to use fists in any upcoming fight.

While the unconscious agent is dragged to safety, the drones from above zip down from above and attach themselves to docking clamps on the roof of the van before the driver kicks the vehicle backward with a madcap pace; the door not even fully closed yet.

Today this side of Southtown is safe for the Syndicate, and the citizens, as NESTS is forced to make their escape from the experimental "stress test" of Syndicate capability. Perhaps this showing by Tairyu will keep the mad scientists from their interest, perhaps not, but for now they are retreating.

COMBATSYS: Upsilon can no longer fight.

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

[TAIRYU]
With Upsilon sent flying back by the blow, Tairyu lifts himself back up again from the posture the somewhat unorthodox technique brought him into, and lets out a heavy exhale of air in an effort to start steadying his breath.

"Unconscious...?" He mutters, when he looks the dutchman's prone form over. "Too bad... Had some choice words for you."

He's not given a chance to wait for him to wake up, either, it turns out. Both his brows lift up for a second in surprise at the sight of a van screeching to a halt right besides the KO'd Upsilon, and armed men step out to aim their sights on Tairyu while the agent is recovered.

He doesn't try to interfere, either. Truth be told, he knows very well that he isn't in any shape to be getting into a second fight. But, he does maintain a glare and a firm posture while they are still within eyesight there. All the way until the van is driving to make it's getaway, with drones and all.

And only then does he allow himself to relax a bit, and clutch at his side - where one of the chi attacks tore up the fabric of his jacket and shirt. "Guh..." Better go find a ride to take him someplace he can rest before the techno goons change their mind about getting out of dodge.

COMBATSYS: Tairyu takes no action.

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

COMBATSYS: Tairyu has ended the fight here.

Log created on 14:38:52 06/15/2020 by Upsilon, and last modified on 21:59:33 06/15/2020.