Match of the Millennium

Description: Listen, some people get the short end of the stick, like Rock Howard. Other people don't, like Ken Masters. While Rock is off climbing the side of a mountain or something, Ken Masters got the match venue Rock was supposed to have: a cushy matchup right out in front of the shopping centers at Connaught Place in New Delhi. Fortunately, the strongest woman in the world has attracted the lion's share of the Dead or Alive spectating crowd, and has about a hundred reasons (to the face) for Ken to stay honest.

[CHUN-LI]
With her fingers knit tightly together, Chun-Li stretches her arms all the way overhead, allowing a veritable ocean of finely tuned, steel-corded muscle to ripple throughout her body. Steel guard-rails and a handful of t-shirted security guards are as good of a barrier as the fans in attendance get from the large, square mat stamped with DOATEC's logo in the center and corner and the two fighters occupying either side of it. For the woman on the east end, the myriad cheers and screams melt together then sink into the quiet depths of her perception while brown eyes fix unerringly on the blond man positioned at the west end.

It's been a long time - /years/ - since Chun-Li has participate in a tournament with this level of prestige attached to it, a thought which keeps butterflies stirring beneath the royal blue of her combat dress.

It really is a shame that she's already set her sights on losing.

"The wife finally let you out to play, huh?" she shoots across the mat, along with a knife-edged smirk and narrowing eyes. "Lucky for /her/, she's not gonna have to be without you for long," she tacks on as snow-white boots slide across the mat and she settles into her stance.

[KEN MASTERS]
The West Side is the Best Side.

So that's where Ken Masters always is whenever he's in a sanctioned fight. Maybe it has to do with his personal style or taste or maybe his profile just looks way too good from that angle and that's why he chooses to start his battles from this particular side. Then, again, there's also the fact that Chun-Li got here first. So that should be taken into account as well.

When it comes to the fanbase that's surrounding the mat, unlike Chun-Li, the boisterous Ken Masters is doing everything he can to drink it in. He's wandering back and forth in front of them and soaking in the praise and the chanting of his name. It doesn't fade into the back of his mind rather it fills him up and he can feel the empowerment.

A moment more of basking in the adoration and Ken Masters brings his feet up to the mat, reaching up to adjust the hair tie holding his hair up. It is, of course, one of Eliza's because her love gives him power. Or something romantic like that.

"You're right." Ken says with a playful smirk as he slowly unfolds himself into his own stance. "Once I get past you, the rest of this tournament's gonna' be a piece of cake." Ken winks and immediately starts his energetic bouncing on his heels in preparation for what he knows is going to be an incredible fight.

COMBATSYS: Chun-Li has started a fight here.

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Chun-Li          0/-------/------=|

COMBATSYS: Ken Masters has joined the fight here.

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Ken Masters      0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0          Chun-Li

[CHUN-LI]
"/Clearly/, the damage was already done before I got here, head trauma-wise," Chun-Li shoots back with an arched brow and a brisk gesture towards the American's skull, "so at least I'll have /that/ off my shoulders." Her arms are still stretched nice and long, undaunted by her steady climb towards the precipice of violence.

"After we're done, I'll autograph whatever she and the kids want; I know they packed you a duffel, right?"

The pearl of her taunting smile's only visible for a heartbeat before Chun-Li goes /flying/ over that cliff, a royal blue blur flashing from east to west like a storm intent on seizing a blond billionaire from his right side in arms powerful enough for stone-shattering punches.

And then she /stops/, just for a second. Just long enough to lean close. To whisper:

"We need to talk."

in Ken's ear, voice instantly stripped of its playful wrapper, leaving nothing but hard-edged necessity.

And /then/ she'll wrench her body -- and /his/ -- backwards, attempting to drop him directly on his head with a side suplex.

COMBATSYS: Ken Masters blocks Chun-Li's Medium Throw.

[  \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Ken Masters      0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0          Chun-Li

[KEN MASTERS]
"I hate that I don't have a comeback for that."

Ken just straight up admits it because he actually doesn't. He usually doesn't have a comeback for when people go in on his hair. It's hard to because he usually wouldn't even have this much but Eliza likes it like this and it's new and different so he might as well represent for it. And her. And...

Crap, here comes Chun-Li!

Ken's movements are as precise and well planned as he can make them because they have to be when you're in a fight with the likes of the Strongest Woman in the World. And he steps right into Chun-Li's storming arrival. He brings up both of his hands to try and block those arms headed for him.

Then Chun-Li's dropping quiet words in his ear and he looks confused for a half-moment before he realizes this could be a tactic. Then again, that wasn't a 'witty banter of the fight' tone. Oh and he's also about to get lifted off the ground so nope let's not let that happen.

Ken drops onto his back foot, shoving away so that he doesn't get grounded so early on. There's no hesitation, though, as he rushes back at Chun-Li with a quick series of jabs aimed to let him get in nice and close.

"About?" is confusion is evident even in his own quiet toned response. "We're in the middle of a fight?" Y'know, just in case she doesn't remember!

COMBATSYS: Chun-Li blocks Ken Masters' Medium Punch.

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Ken Masters      0/-------/------=|===----\-------\0          Chun-Li

[CHUN-LI]
The first punch solidly connects with Chun-Li's palm.

"This tournament is /bull/shit, Masters," she briskly states as the second blow's deflected by the edge of her other hand. "The brackets get shuffled around--"

The third punch is stopped by an adroitly snatched, then shoved wrist.

"-- the hosts are openly using it as a weapons' test--"

The final punch meets crossed forearms, then Chun-Li tries to create a modicum of distance by shoving back against the American and hopping a step backwards.

"Every criminal organization in the /world/ is stirring right now, and money's flowing like mad," is /just/ loud enough to be audible before Chun-Li steps right back in, turning an inch of motion into an explosion clutched tightly in her right hand and directed towards Ken's gut.

"I wanna figure out what's happening," she hisses in the blond's ear, "but I can't do it alone."

COMBATSYS: Chun-Li successfully hits Ken Masters with Medium Punch.

[     \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////// ]
Ken Masters      0/-------/---====|====---\-------\0          Chun-Li

[KEN MASTERS]
Ken doesn't know much of anything that's happening right now. This happens to him a lot when he gets yanked into stuff that he really has no business being involved in. Which, for the record, is most things. He must be telegraphing most of his moves because Chun-Li's blocks are so on point that even Ken has to take a moment to shake out one of his sparring gloved hands. Those blocks kind of hurt a little bit, okay? Chun-Li's frickin' strong as hell.

"Uhhhhhh. What?"

Perhaps that moment of confusion is what leaves Ken open for that return attack from Chun-Li. He catches the punch right into his gut and it sends him backwards hard enough that he has to drop down to a single knee so that he can slide with some dignity.

"Alright. Fine." That's said pretty loud but it's kind of hidden beneath that banter portion because he's farther away than he wants to be.

Ken then launches back up to his feet, taking a step and leaping at Chun-Li with a leading foot! Hoping to get close enough so that he can drop another response.

"I'm in. But only because I don't have room in my trophy case for another one."

Somehow, Ken Masters finds the time to wink while kicking at Chun-Li.

COMBATSYS: Chun-Li interrupts Medium Kick from Ken Masters with Koshuu Tou.

[        \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////////     ]
Ken Masters      1/-------/=======|=======\-------\0          Chun-Li

[CHUN-LI]
For a split-second, it almost seems as if Chun-Li's dropping her guard, with the way she throws her hands open wide-- until they snap shut around Ken's leg like a bear trap, just as his foot slams into her chest and causes her to buckle.

"Aren't you /rich/?" she wonders with a quirked brow and a relative lack of sarcasm.

The question's punctuated by a quick twist of her hips, wrenching Ken to the ground.

"Do the thing," she whispers after crouching down beside him with the followthrough. "The fire uppercut thing."

[KEN MASTERS]
"Yes. Incredibly so. Wh--!"

Ken Masters finds himself hitting the ground with such force that he can't even remember what he was saying. Or maybe even why he was even saying that. Then again, he does feel obligated to keep on proving himself verbally. Even through the clenched teeth of his winced expression he must defend himself, "I was being modest. Also... ow."

Ken's expression as he repositions himself and she drops that next part of the plan is one of just raw fake hurt and emotion. "Fire Uppercut Thing? Seriously?" Ken clenches his fist and ignites it as he starts to line up his shot. "It's called, and you should know this by the way..."

Ken launches at Chun-Li with the full flamingness of said uppercut. Though, the extra spins are definitely making it a show for the crowd. Since he's finally caught on to what Chun-Li's putting down.

"SHORYUKEN!"

COMBATSYS: Ken Masters successfully hits Chun-Li with Shoryuken.

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Ken Masters      1/------=/=======|=======\==-----\1          Chun-Li

[CHUN-LI]
"Oh my god, Ken, /sorry/ for not actually /saying/--"

Eyerolling and mild exasperation are cut short by fire and fury. A split-second before impact, Chun-Li squeezes her eyes shut and tenses-- all the better to make do with her jaw being painfully clamped shut for a brief, burning moment as she's rocketed off of her feet. While she manages to roll back to her feet relatively quickly after sliding to a stop on her back -- and even manages to take a few brisk steps forward -- she starts to wobble and weave precariously after that, then clutches her face and doubles over.

Briefly, she peeks at Ken through cracked fingers, catching his eye for a pointed moment--

-- and with a sharp and sudden twist, throws her entire body towards him with such force that not only does she flip upside down, she /flies/ across the mat, spinning at ever-increasing speeds until her outstretched legs blaze with electric-blue chi, and

"SPINNING BIRD KICK!"

splits the air.

Of course, as soon as she lands after several seconds of spinning, she promptly puts the back of her hand to her forehead so she can make a show out of staggering drunkenly to and fro for another few seconds before finally-- just-- /collapsing/, unmoving.

COMBATSYS: Chun-Li successfully hits Ken Masters with Spinning Bird Kick.

[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////            ]
Ken Masters      1/-======/=======|=======\====---\1          Chun-Li

[KEN MASTERS]
Ken Masters is definitely no actor. Especially when it comes to improving stuff on the spot. But sometimes you just gotta' roll with the punches... or kicks as it were considering what's about to happen.

'I hate this move.' is mouthed silently at Chun-Li in that next moment that it looks like he's trying to bring his arms up to defend. However, it seems that his defenses are just a little too slow because the arrival of the first of many feet to his face rocks him right out of his blocking stance and into a forward stumble.

Well, it would be a forward stumble if the helicoptering thunder thighs didn't keep smacking him back up and backward. His body actually just straight up ragdolls on some Weekend At Bernie's stuff with the way it's juggled by the strongest kicks in the world.

Ken does a full spin, a whole rotation, making a show of his eyes rolling back into his skull as he can no longer stay on his feet. His body falls into a collapsed heap, face first, onto the ground where he will, of course, be as unmoving as Chun-Li.

No, wait. MORE unmoving. Cuz those damn kicks HURT.

[CHUN-LI]
And so, the referee is left frantically glancing between two world-class fighters who have seemingly annihilated one another through the sheer intensity of their meeting. After a few seconds of grace time, he begins a faintly begrudging ten count.

One almond-coloured eye slits open, focused keenly on Ken.

"I'll meet you at your suite tonight," she whispers across the mat, "so we can figure out how to approach all of this; deal?"

COMBATSYS: Chun-Li takes no action.

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Ken Masters      1/-======/=======|=======\====---\1          Chun-Li

[KEN MASTERS]
"Fine. But bring food because /ow/."

Ken Masters doesn't really have any ability to move more than his mouth since he's trying to play KO'd completely. So there's just a lot of being completely out of it and making sure he doesn't move at all.

Even if his knocked out face is an annoyed frown.

COMBATSYS: Chun-Li has left the fight here.

[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Ken Masters      1/-======/=======|

COMBATSYS: Ken Masters has ended the fight here.

Log created on 15:31:08 01/22/2022 by Chun-Li, and last modified on 22:03:29 03/09/2022.