Match of the Millennium

Description: Aranha and Banyu come together for a throw down at a fish market in Southtown. The action gets heated, literally, as both fighters are finding their energy acting weird. (Winner: Aranha)

[BANYU]
The fisherman has found his fish market. Stalls upon stalls of fresh sealife ripe to made into delicious meals. Cooks and locals frequent this place both, and for good reason. The center plaza of this locale is used for fighting sports with decent regularity. In fact, Banyu has fought here once before. He lost. Quite badly, in fact- That has happened a lot recently, to be perfectly honest. His first match was a draw, after that it was loss after loss- He got relatively close against Jae Hoon, a young Korean Tae-Kwon-Do practitioner. But he was just barely unable to land his finishing blow, and was the first to fall.

It's a hit on a man's motivation- and reputation.

While many spectators had respect for him, others found it more appropriate to mock the old man. And one of those induviduals had found his way on the plaza's perimiter. A 30-something businessman, already jeering against him even before the match's start. "Retire, old fool!"

One might gauge that this certain induvidual was taking out his uncertainty of his age on the Indonesian. In any case, Banyu Darma had been able to ignore him up until this point. He was sitting down on his side of the plaza, looking around the various stalls surrounding them- looking at the catches that had been made. There's some good fish in there! Not as good as what Banyu could find, of course!

When he would sight his opponent, he would stand up- and begin to walk over to them with an outstretched hand: For a firm handshake.

[ARANHA]
The capoeirista has his own history with the TKD practitioner, Kim Jae Hoon. His own particular match against the younger fighter ended in a draw and considering that Banyu got dangerously close to putting Jae Hoon down as well in his own loss, Aranha would not be overlooking him, no matter what his fight record was saying.

The one time Neo League finalist, and consistent TOP 8 finisher approaches fighting area surrounded by cameras, crew, and spectators just as the 30-something jeers at Banyu. In response the darkstalker uses his index finger to lower his shades just enough to direct a glowing, blue-eyed glare right for the business man. He then continues his approach to the fisherman meeting him half-way as he gives his own firm handshake with a relaxed smile.

"Let's give the spectators a hell of a show, okay?"

The capoeirista takes a step back as he raises the sunglasses back up to cover his eyes once more.

[BANYU]
"Hmmm." A satisfied nod and rare smile from the fisherman, particularly at Aranha's dealing with that disrespectul fellow- The businessman flinches back, opens his mouth-- before closing it. It remains closed for the time being, his expression souring. In general, Banyu is appreciative of people that treat him with a measure of respect, as he tries to do in return. "Aye- Best f' luck." The elder responds simply, shaking hands and taking back a few solid steps. He is mostly unaware of Aranha's reputation. He did not come into the Neo-League with an extensive history, or willingness to study up for his fights- In all ways, as a figher, he is a relative rookie. A rarity, considering his age.

Taking a few steps back, he enters his stance. A deep, sideways horse stance- with his fingers curled up, but the palms facing outward. His front one toward Aranha, and the back in his side, facing the sky.

COMBATSYS: Aranha has started a fight here.

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

COMBATSYS: Banyu has joined the fight here.

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Aranha           0/-------/-======|-------\-------\0            Banyu

[ARANHA]
The artificially created darkstalker of African descent in response to Banyu taking his to nod and perform a bit of initial information gathering. Height was already gathered upon laying eyes upon but now for the more subtle items. Limb length, weight, how he moves in that little moment it takes to get into stance. And even the stance itself yields some information. Wider stance usually places more emphasis on stability.

The capoeirista goes into what is less of a stance and more of a dance, swaying to and fro in ginga. When prompted, Aranha nods to signal his readiness to the official and the official looks over to Banyu for his signal for readiness before starting the fight.

The capoeirista opts to pour on the pressure immediately, bringing himself up into a handstand as he walks toward the fisherman and delivers a rapid-fire flurry of snap kicks upon Banyu.

COMBATSYS: Banyu blocks Aranha's Inverted Flurry.

[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////////  ]
Aranha           1/-------/=======|=------\-------\0            Banyu

[BANYU]
Stability is one of the cornerstones of Banyu's fighting style, but as will possibly be discovered- it his not his only method of dealing with assailant. For the time being, his steadiness persists in his defense- raising his arms as the rapid barrage of kicks chip away at his guard. Thankfully, Banyu leaves the interaction with but a mild pain in his arms, yet he feels how numb and heavy they are now.

A dangerous sign indeed.

However, for the time being- He opts to go on the offense himself-- Reeling back his arm far, the fist and forearm are kind of pointing upward- It is rather telegraphed, but he /lunges/ forward after that. As the strike is initiated, he extends the knuckle of his middle finger into a sort of point: And out of it grows a triangular, spectral shape of water-like chi. Streaming and rippling, as he attemps to bury the fist: And with it, the point into Aranha's chest.

COMBATSYS: Aranha fails to interrupt Sharkfin Knuckle from Banyu with Dead Man's Hand ES.

[        \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////   ]
Aranha           0/-------/=======|==-----\-------\0            Banyu

[ARANHA]
The capoeirista continues to press the attack, possibly thinking that if presses the attack, he could possibly prevent the fisherman from getting settled in which is a dangerous position to be in regardless of who the opponent might be. Unfortunately for Aranha, while his rationale is sound, his execution left a lot to be desired and as he tilts back out of the handstand to wind back with blue, glowing, sweeping palm strike threatening to connect with Banyu's jaw only to find himself sent flying away from the larger man and into a skid across the ground.

As he climbs back to his feet, he can see the rippling of the air around his hands and he then looks over to his opponent, he can see that the subtle rippling is also surrounding Banyu's body as well.

"We're both are about to do something strange in a moment."

No clarification is coming. He doubts the fisherman will even give him much time to clarify what he meant by, 'something strange.' Just as well. He'll figure it out.

[BANYU]
His fished smashed into the capoerista cleanly, the point creating a nasty wound as he's blown back. A satisfied nod follows, yet an eyebrow is raised at Aranha's admission. "Your words confuse me.."

But his words would not confuse the fisherman for much longer. Because, as normal- His arm is raised, a loose fist with it's gap facing Aranha. Banyu channels his chi, calling upon the surging waves that make up his Qi...

Yet, a heat is felt. A schorching, radiating heat. Not from the outside... But from within. Aranha's prediction- Or rather, his factual assessment, comes true. What would normally be a stream of cool water-

Is now a roaring wave of fire, Banyu's arm glowing intensely. An orange hue with only his veins marking dark spots beneath the skin.

"U-GAAAAAAH!?"

It hurts, it hurts bad. And in his hand, he is holding his usual harpoon: Attached to his wrist by a tethered cord. A tethered cord that is now searing his flesh, as it's made from fire- and so is the spear. In a confused panic, he throws the harpoon toward Aranha- While his mind is racing, his body executes the attack mostly undettered. The flaming point threathens to bury itself into the spider's stomach. At which point it would stick, searing close the flesh that it would have impaled- The cord would connect Aranha with Banyu.

Like a captured Whale.

COMBATSYS: Aranha negates Harpoon Wrest from Banyu with Web Shot.

[         \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////    ]
Aranha           1/------=/=======|==-----\-------\0            Banyu

[ARANHA]
Aranha, through his various fights in the NL starting even from the previous season was starting to become familiar with those moments where fighters' energy would do things that they normally wouldn't do. After a while he could notice the signs of when it was about to happen even if he wasn't exactly what one would call a chi or axe(pronounced ah-shay) sensitive.

The two fighters' move almost simultaneously. The Dancing Spider's arms feel the heat just as Banyu's does, the normally blue energy of his instead glows red and orange as magma drips from his finger tips. He spins as his arm lashes outward, flinging a spider web of lava chi right at the harpoon. Some of his followers on FightTube have taken to calling it the Shakunetsu Web Shot as its unofficial name. The two fiery projectiles meet in the middle releasing a fiery burst and send jets of hot air back to their respective fighters and anyone in close proximity to the fight. The magma drops down to ground, cooling into a puddle of obsidian while the capoeirista takes a deep breath.

"/That/ was what I meant."

[BANYU]
"Grah--" The fisherman shields his eyes from the ensuing clash of energies, all the while stumbling to a knee as he grasps his arm- attempting to subdue the energy. "Huff, huff.." His breathing is heavy, as his arm stops glowing, and the burning stops. "What- What did you- How did that happen?!" He yells, in anger. Unsure whether to blame his opponent, or if he's unrelated to the happening. After that, Banyu was unable to recuperate and continue his assault right away. Instead opting to take a few more deep breaths, and steadying the raging energy. It returns to it's usual state of slowing water- And overall the man looks re-energized, and more ready to react to Aranha's next moves.

"Tell me!"

COMBATSYS: Banyu gathers his will.

[         \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////    ]
Aranha           1/------=/=======|======-\-------\0            Banyu

[ARANHA]
With Banyu choosing not to attack, Aranha is free to converse with the fisherman and enough time that he doesn't feel pressured to rush the explanation. Fine by him.

"There's been this strange trend of fighters having their energy do things that it normally wouldn't. Your case it seems to be fire instead of water, my case seems to be magma instead of my normal energy. Usually, there's no control over when it happens, and so far the type of energy I've seen come from people hasn't changed from fight to fight, let alone within the same fight. I've seen it happen enough times, I can recognize the signs when it's going to happen."

There's a slight pause as the capoeirista's eyes zero in on the rippling around Banyu.

"And you're about to send some fire my way."

Explanation given, the Dancing Spider doesn't seem content to stay back and just talk, there's money to be made and fighting to be done and so he swings a hard kick into the midsection to see how tough Banyu actually is.

COMBATSYS: Banyu blocks Aranha's Fierce Kick.

[        \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////      ]
Aranha           1/-----==/=======|=======\==-----\1            Banyu

[BANYU]
"Hrrrngh- I see. My gratitude." He nods, thankful for the explanation- But mindful that the fight will continue. And then, fearful- As Aranha announces it is going to happen again. "N-No.." But much time to reconsider the battle is not granted, Aranha charging in with an attempt to slam his foot deep into the elder. Banyu manages to employ an active defense, catching the side of his leg with his forearm as the kick is pushed aside: Yet, the sheer impact of that intial catch has his arm bruising- and hurting significantly. He even shakes it afterward, as if trying to get rid of the pain.

And as the spider announced, another burst of heat. But as Banyu expected it, it is... under control to some degree.

Yet still, it stings. It stings a lot- and more then that, it just feels... wrong. "What a disgrace.." He mumbles. "A fisherman, entrenched with fire!"

Yet with that, he takes a singular, large step toward Aranha. Standing up straight for a moment before finishing the pace- His elbow surges with fire, all the energy concentrated there as he slams it downward, toward the Capoeirista's shoulder. If it connects, it does so with a fiery explosion- "Ugraaaah-!"

The fisherman yells, as the flames lick at his forearm.

COMBATSYS: Aranha parries Banyu's Hammerblow!

[        \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////      ]
Aranha           1/----===/=======|=======\==-----\1            Banyu

[ARANHA]
Aranha's moves are quick, almost instinctual as he manage to not only slip the 12-6 elbow coming from the larger man, he redirects the blow, gently guiding it to the side and turning him slightly off center. It would allow more time for the capoeirista to reposition into a ideal spot while Banyu would to catch up.

"On the upside,"

This is the point where Aranha leans in more towards the parkour aspects of his particular take on his martial art. He leaps onto a stand, careful not to damage it or ruin the wares, before he leaps up into the air with a pair of blue glowing hands to grab a hold of the fisherman to send a burst of energy into him before attempting to shove him away with his feet as he launches off of Banyu in a back flip and lands softly and quietly on the ground.

"Fire would make cooking the fish easier."

COMBATSYS: Aranha successfully hits Banyu with Hunting Season EX.

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Aranha           1/---====/=======|=======\====---\1            Banyu

[BANYU]
Banyu staggers back after his attack being turned away- The flames fizzling out yet again, as the Fisherman grasps his elbow: Trying to deal with the pain. From the corner of his eye, he notices the swift assault Aranha is engaging, emboldened and coming in swifter after the Capoeirista's elegant defense. He only turns to face the man, seemingly not very intent on active blocking or evading. But even his attempt to weather the storm Aranha threw at him turns unsuccessful- As he's grabbed onto and shocked by the burst of energy- Thrown off enough so that the second attack of being shoved away renders him stumbling forward to faceplant on the floor.

"Ugyuaah!"

"Tsch, spare me your feeble attempts at humor.." The grumpy side (which is his largest side) of the elder comes into full view, anger and frustration apparent in his visage as he stands up to face Aranha, just having landed softly at an uncomfortably far distance. Nontheless, the Fisherman closes it with a few quick paces, then attempting a swift elbow to his adversary's cheek before transitioning that same arm into an equally fast backhand, as he extends his joint. A 1-2 attack, to some degree, lacking in power.

COMBATSYS: Banyu successfully hits Aranha with Quick Smash.
Glancing Blow

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Aranha           1/---====/=======|=======\=====--\1            Banyu

[ARANHA]
Considering that the capoeirista had watched Banyu's matches (especially the fight against Jae Hoon), he knew there would be a distinct possibility of the fisherman moving into his attack to deliver a nastier blow which for the capoeirista, would be considered a win even if it wasn't what he'd call an ideal situation.

Aranha decides to remain quiet. No need to rub salt into the open wound of his energy doing weird stuff to him. Besides, with the taller man's long strides, he isn't really given enough time to respond anyway. The elbow connects with the Dancing Spider's jaw but to his credit he manages to spin with it, keeping it from landing cleanly. Aranha is more prepared for the backhand and he manages to tilt into an cartwheel under it aborted half-way into a handstand while positioning himself at the fisherman's flank. He then twists his hips lashing out as he slaps the fisherman with his lava covered feet while upside down.

COMBATSYS: Banyu fails to interrupt Inverted Tornado from Aranha with Whale Burial.

[           \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////                ]
Aranha           2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|======-\-------\0            Banyu

[BANYU]
Banyu, Banyu had /not/ watched any of Aranha's matches. The Elder could tell his opponent was skilled, but he wasn't sure to what extent. The fisherman sees the Capoeirista's attempted attack unfold, and in reaction- Surges with fire yet again. This distracts him: This distracts him so much that his attempt to break through the Spider's attack failed- Rather miserably. "R-Rah!" He roars out, dropping into a sort of split, lunging out low with his arms.

But at that point, his opponent's skilled and precise kick socks him in the face. The heat of it's accompanying Lava searing his skin, and the impact leaving the old man to crumple over, the flames fading from his body, and his attack rendered useless.

"Goddammit!"

Cursing like a Sailor. He only barely manages to stumble back to his feet before Aranha would continue his assault.

"TAI!"

[ARANHA]
To understand what happened it was necessary to go back to how he delivered the attack. Tiny things that while hard to notice in the heat of the moment could be possibly noticed either in hindsight or after review of the footage with a clear head.

First the tilt into the handstand kick was practically engineered to look lethargic and slow. He was almost daring him to knock him out of his attack. It was at that moment he saw Banyu commit to attacking him, he raised his arm to swing it across his body. This achieved multiple things. The arm swing generated additional momentum making the spin go faster, balancing on one hand gave him a smaller pivot point which also made it easier to spin, the arm across the body also allowed him to cover up more of his body should things go south. All of this, allowed the capoeirista to land his flashy, lava laced blow.

As his feet touch the ground, the magma chi dissipates. The capoeirista is breathing heavy, partially from a sigh of relief from his gamble paying off. Partially, his heavy breathing comes the demand placed on his body from healing damage accumulated not only from Banyu's attacks but the burns from the lava chi coming out of him. He knows he can't afford to let up the pressure and so he sends a scything kick toward the feet to wreak havoc with the fisherman's balance before kicking that same leg up and over the other way, not actually connecting but instead, generating momentum for the follow up round kick to slam in his face.

COMBATSYS: Banyu parries Aranha's Strong Kick!

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Aranha           2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|=======\-------\0            Banyu

[BANYU]
Indeed, Banyu was read and manipulated perfectly. The slow-looking kick speeding before the moment of impact- It was a terrifying display of skill and precision. A sort of fighting that Banyu was wholly unfamiliar in dealing with. It frustrates him- It frustrates him so much that he keeps mumbling obscenities under his breath.

But he is focused regardless.

Perhaps due to all that losing, all that getting angry in fights- he had gotten a bit more accute, able to take a step back, observe. And as such, as Aranha attempts to sweep him low...

He hops. A tiny, concentrated hop over the kick- as it whiffs. He is able to land on the floor just in time to /bend/ beneath the follow-up roundhouse with his somewhat trademark, yet rare moments of incredible flexibility. At the same time, his right leg kicks up high and from the side toward the opponent's face: Leaving him to balance on a single leg in a downright odd position. He quickly transitions, however. Spinning on one leg after the side kick, his body returns to a more natural, straight positon. Crouching down in the middle of the spin while simultaneously sweeping the legs with that same, kicking foot.

Assuming this makes Aranha reel enough for him to stumble and drop low enough for Banyu to sink a final circular chop of his hand toward Mason's neck. It is trailed by a surge of water, tracing a visible half-circle of chi.

COMBATSYS: Aranha blocks Banyu's Goumari Sinker EX.

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Aranha           2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|=======\-------\0            Banyu

[ARANHA]
The exchange looks almost like something that would be seen capoeira roda. Older man shows off more reaction speed and agility than he would've given him credit for. The small hop, to the bend, to the tilt that leads to the side kick. The capoeirista has no choice but to catch the kick on his forearm as he bends backward, grunting from the impact as his other hand touches the ground to give a third point of support. When he springs back up to a standing position, that's when the water chi bolstered chop comes for his neck. He raises a forearm, taking the impact there as the chi washes over his arm. He goes with the chop, cartwheeling with it before standing back up once more.

Aranha takes a moment to shake out his forearms before returning to the swaying dance of capoeira's ginga. He takes a moment to observe. He still had to regard Banyu as dangerous. If one or two more shots landed here or there he easily could've been in trouble.

Aranha raises his foot to chamber a side kick. In that moment, he can see a ripple near his shoes, he already knows what is coming but he has already committed. He shoots out a side kick of his own, to the stomach, his foot covered in lava. When he retracts it, the magma drips off of his foot and disappears.

COMBATSYS: Banyu parries Aranha's Change-Up Kick!

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Aranha           1/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|=======\-------\1            Banyu

[BANYU]
His attack got blocked, but at the very least Banyu did not get punished further then that. It's more or less a net neutral ending to his spectacular evade- Though with the Initiative on Aranha's side. And Aranha takes that initiative, that lava-infused side kick flying Banyu's way.

What if He did it again, though?

A wholly risky and reckless attempt, yet one that goes in the Fisherman's favor. As the foot comes his way, Banyu -slips- his torso to the side. A small motion, but one that has the kick whiffing by an inch- small droplets of magma scattering. Once again, he transitions straight into his counterattack. His fist is raging, surging and dripping with liquid energy. But he doesn't strike it toward Aranha- Instead, he punches downward, letting his fist collide with stone tiles beneath.Water surges into and through the earth, gathering below Aranha before /shooting/ upward in the shape of a impressively large Geyser.

It would attempt to crash Into the Capoeirista- Battering his body and leaving him knocked a few feet into the air. "Take that!"

COMBATSYS: Banyu successfully hits Aranha with Madura Geyser EX.

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Aranha           1/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|=======\==-----\1            Banyu

[ARANHA]
Once again, the capoeirista's foot finds nothing but air. This was also why Aranha came into this fight with a healthy respect for the fisherman. He wasn't about to let himself be undone by hubris here. If he were to fall, it would be due to not doing the things he needed to do.

Aranha never gets the opportunity to fully rechamber his kick, let alone returning to ginga before a geyser of water bursts from under him. The capoeirista's body is sent flying and when he returns to his feet, his clothing is soaked, and the sunglasses he was wearing earlier, got washed off of his face and the glowing blue eyes that were the most visible sign of his transformation can be seen.

He takes a deep breath as he tries to get himself together as well as deal with the demands his enhanced regeneration are placing upon his body. He then launches himself at Banyu, attempting to wrap his arms around the fisherman's legs and shoot for a double-leg takedown. Should he get that, flip over to land a stomp on his chest before performing a front flip with a half-twist to land on the ground facing his opponent.

COMBATSYS: Banyu interrupts Kick Combo from Aranha with Trident Kick.
-@- Dazing Hit! -@-

[                   \\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////                    ]
Aranha           2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|=======\====---\1            Banyu

[BANYU]
Banyu grins. Somehow, the last few beats of this battle have been going in the Fisherman's favor. He still has the feeling he's at a slight disadvantage- Yet, the possibility that 'there is a chance!' grows. Perhaps, Finally a victory after his humiliating stretch of defeats.

Yet through his many losses, he realizes that hubris such as that can be turned around at the drop of a hat.

But even so, as Aranha comes in low to grasp his legs: He eyes successful. Flipping the larger man on his back. Yet, he rolls with it- And when Aranha jumps up for that first stomp. He pushes himself off of the ground with his elbows hands planted on his wast for additonal support. All to perform an infused double-legged kick straight upward! Crashing into Aranha's chin with the might of an ocean- Blowing him up and off yet again while the fisherman transitons into a roll backward from the old kick, before standing up straight. "Cough- Cough." Still, he is damaged- And tired. Very much so. He can still fight, but it takes no genius to notice that his fuse is rapidly burning up.

Panting heavily, he still finds the opportunity to berate his opponent. "G'ahaha- That's- That's what you get!"

[ARANHA]
Aranha pretty much had predicted that Banyu would attempt to blow through his attack to land his own. Seeing it coming doesn't mean that he's exactly in a position to do something about it. The upward mule kick crashes into him. His vision goes white. And the capoeirista falls down to ground like a sack of potatoes. The sound of ringing can be heard in his ears.

His wits were stolen from with that mule kick and as a fighter that prizes his ability to analyze a fight situation and make adjustments on the fly, this is situation is far from ideal. His vision comes back but he's seeing double. His legs are wobbily. His body sways even more than usual and his body's regeneration will have to work overtime to recover.

He lashes out with a desperate uncontrolled kick, more designed to give him room to get his head back together than to actually hit.

"That's what I get for what?"

COMBATSYS: Banyu blocks Aranha's Light Kick.

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Aranha           2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|=======\=====--\1            Banyu

[BANYU]
Banyu catches on to Aranha's current grogginess- His attacks tend to have that effect on people. And as that swift comes in to make room for Aranha, Banyu assumes that he won't have to worry about his opponent's tricks- at least for the moment. The elder bats the kick to the side, a mild bruise left on his arm. "Dah? That's what you get for... Grrrr!"

Banyu does not have an answer to that, and that upsets him. Aranha has been a great opponent, in actuality- Strong, but sportsmanlike. Stronger then him, in truth- Though he would not admit that any time soon. "Bein' so goshdarn tricky!" He finally responds, while he moves in with a swift, sweeping backhand. Rather wild and uncontrolled, used as an attempt to deter Aranha, more then anything. The heavy breaths suggest that for the moment, he is too winded to engage in any sort of more complicated technique.

COMBATSYS: Aranha parries Banyu's Swift Backhand!

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Aranha           2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|=======\=====--\1            Banyu

[ARANHA]
Aranha, between the wild kick to himself more room to think, and the healing factor granted by his unwanted prize from the Majigen Series, has recovered enough to see that yes, his opponent is starting to fatigue too. And now he can actually take advantage of it.

Banyu might see capoeirista glowing blue for just a moment right before he turns on the speed. Aranha darts under and behind him, not letting the strike even connect. And that's when Aranha bounds on one of the carts once more, choosing to lean on his parkour rather than capoeira, bounding off of it to deliver a kick to the kidney. That is only the beginning as he bounds off other stands, trees, light posts, carts, and other assorted objects as he bounces around like a rogue ball of flubber to deliver kicks from every imaginable angle, targeting the ribs and abdomen. Yes. It was clear that Aranha had observed Banyu's fatigue as well.

COMBATSYS: Banyu blocks Aranha's Joker's Wild EX.

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Aranha           1/-----<</<<<<<<<|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2            Banyu

[BANYU]
Somehow, Banyu manages a desperate defense.

When the Capoeirista dips and dashes past him with those many, lightning-fast kicks- Banyu keeps up. Perhaps it's the adrenaline, it's probably part luck. But most of the kicks get absorbed by a panicked combination of forearms, knees, and hands placed in the way. A few slip through, and obviously- The hurt is piling on more and more. So much that the Elder once again falls to a knee, his ribs arms, legs: Everything aching with pain and bruises. He doesn's spare the energy to talk, say a clever quip or a rude grumble. "Hnng... hnggg..."

He simply waits, not even making an attack of his own as he attempts to regulate and focus his energy- one hand resting on his chest. He seems to make a decent recovery, considering the circumstance. His breathing steadies, and the pain lessens. And his focus is heightened, as he stands straight on two rather shaky legs: Firey eyes staring into Aranha's glowing blue ones.

Of course, he is going to keep trying.

COMBATSYS: Banyu gathers his will.

[                  \\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////                     ]
Aranha           1/-----<</<<<<<<<|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2            Banyu

[ARANHA]
Aranha has to admit that he's impressed. Even if desperate, the level of speed required to keep up with him at that level was incredible. And even the ones that managed to slip through still were turned aside enough that he couldn't quite achieve the goal further tiring the older fighter.

When the barrage finally ends, Aranha skids away from the opponent as he tries to gather himself together. Aranha almost breathes a sigh of relief when Banyu doesn't respond with an attack of his own. It gave his body more recovery time, even with his paltry healing factor, which was a boon.

He then dances back into kick range. And all of a sudden he swings out with a powerful roundhouse kick to the head and then hooks that same foot back in the other direction, behind his neck and drops all of his weight downwards to yank Banyu face first down towards the ground.

COMBATSYS: Aranha successfully hits Banyu with Face Down.
- Power hit! -

[                   \\\\\\\\\\\  < >                                ]
Aranha           0/-------/------=|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2            Banyu

[BANYU]
It became too much for Banyu.

The exhaustion, the non-stop assault of Aranha, all of it. He was burnt up. And unfortunately, quite literally so, in this instance. Mason's kick lashes against his scalp painfully, dazing him enough for the man to hook his leg around to pull Banyu into the hard stone face-first. A loud crack is heard, as the Elder's nose gets broken. Blood pooling beneath his face. He lays still for a few seconds- Aranha's leg still pinning him down.

But yet, the fire that has been enveloping the man heats up yet again. And he roars out, face rising from the cracked ground- And in a final, desperate attack, he thrusts up a palm upward- Toward Aranha. The fire, those raging flames build- Yet somehow, they don't hurt Banyu this time. The flames feel strangely comforting, warm. Out of a palm, a rolling cylindrical wave of fire surges free. Banyu's entire arm glows, yet the burst of flames seems somehow hindered, in due part due to the less-then-stellar angle the Capoeirista has him caught. "GRAAAAAAAH!"

But with that final, spectacular attack, the chi fizzles out and away- While the elder collapses into the ground for the final time.

COMBATSYS: Banyu can no longer fight.

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

COMBATSYS: Aranha dodges Banyu's Longline Flooding.

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

[ARANHA]
There's a moment after the kick where Aranha's body starts glowing blue once again before his body flickers and then is covered by magma as Banyu's flames wash over him for a less than a fraction of a second before he leaps away from the flames with an acrobatic leap before landing on one knee.

He's barely stays up on his feet even as the demand that he was putting on his body finally catches up with him. Sweat drips from his forehead, as magma drips from his finger tips and then, even that dissipates as he looks over, panting with his hands on his knees.

"I'm glad I didn't underestimate you. I can see why you gave Jae Hoon trouble."

It is only when his victory is made official that he allows himself to fall down and stare at the sky and letting himself have a chance to recover.

COMBATSYS: Aranha decides that discretion is the better part of valor.

[                   \\\\\\\\\\\  <
Aranha           0/-------/-------|

COMBATSYS: Aranha has ended the fight here.


[BANYU]
"Grrrr-" Banyu wakes up some 15 minutes later, on a stretcher and in the medical truck. Another loss, yet a hard-fought one would go on his record. But the failure of his attempts at the Neo-league had sunken in rather deep. And now these random, scorching bursts of fire?

The Elder feels like he's going against his nature, in more ways then one.

It's all so.. publicized. Violence glorified- And Banyu does not inherently mind that. But he did want to have something to show for it- He wanted to earn. Up until this point, the pay had been less then stellar: He could barely keep himself afloat! Everything in Southtown is expensive, after all.

But, as Banyu rises up from the bed he was painstakingly placed on by some poor medical employee, he vouches to keep trying, at least for a little bit.

Aranha was strong- Like most in this competiton, for that matter.

But when he finally runs into another equal match, he will make sure to win- He will /crush/ the opponent, and he will secure his first victory...

He finally would.

Log created on 14:11:18 06/25/2021 by Aranha, and last modified on 10:05:43 07/01/2021.