Match of the Millennium

Description: Round two of World Warrior sees Billy Kane face down Shina the Leopard. Fast paced fighters contend against one another to see who can come out on top! See the two square off under an Overpass in Southtown, because true street fighting begins on the streets themselves.

[SHINA]
Getting back to the streets as the World Warrior Tournament seeks to showcase that all the world is a capable place for fighting. Even the Streets. In the shadow of the concrete support pillars, under the Overpass is a respite from an otherwise wet, storming day. Crowds of people have gathered under the lights and colorful graffiti tags, most here for the fight while some just want out of the rain. Regardless of their reason, the buzz of activity echoes loud as any formal arena.

Jeanne Gado, AKA Shina, stretches out of her limbs before the fight. She considers the crowd around her. And is, in this moment, glad for the more popular awareness of Darkstalkers in a place like Southtown. She had barely gotten to notch a win against Baiken, only succeeding when she pulled out all the stops. She had no doubt her next opponent could prove even more of a challenge. She knew she was not going to be able to get through this fight without getting out the claws.

She closes her eyes and listens to the rain crashing down, and the din of the crowd. Like crashing of waves on the seashore, sounds rolling against each other. She exhales and opens her eyes. The sound falls away as she walks toward where the crowd parts for the floodlights. The time has come for a fight. And she was ready for it. No pretenses, no worries, only the rush of the fight lay ahead of her now.

COMBATSYS: Shina has started a fight here.

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Shina            0/-------/------=|

[BILLY]
For a tournment called the World Warrior it has certainly been a small world for Billy Kane. Geese had fixed things to where Billy got to pick his own place to fight last time, but this time around it just happens to be luck that he would be remaining in Southtown for at least one more fight.

The fight between himself and Maki wasn't too tough, but the ninja perhaps got more offense in than Billy should have let happen. He was a bit rusty and if anything he was lucky to come out of that fight the way he did. This is a tournament supposedly full of some of the best fighters in the world so he will have to be a bit more focused on things from here on out.

His opponent his time around? Much like Maki Billy knows little to nothing abotu Shina. Any accolades haven't reached his ears and honestly if she hasn't drawn the attention of Geese and the Syndicate there is little reason for Billy to take time to really take notice of any fighter.

The Brit steps forwards into the area where the fight has been set up to standa cross from Shina. He tilt his head a bit while looking her over in a thoughtful manner before raising his staff and lightly pointing it at Shina. "Hey hey hey! Welcome to Southtown. Be sure not to cause too much trouble while here or our next encounter might be messy."

COMBATSYS: Billy has joined the fight here.

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Billy            0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0            Shina

[SHINA]
Her opponent's arrival grabs Shina's attention. She pulls back on the hem of her gloves, offering a challenge of a grin toward Billy. Another weapon user, like Baiken was. That he had one is not a matter to Shina, after all she brings her own brand of weapon to these fights. But the staff did mean something of a different challenge for a close-in fighter like Shina. She would have to take that into account.

Or she could just surge in and go for broke like was planning on. Overwhelming tide of force before she's figured out and taken down. That was the way she would handle things. And that sat just fine with her.

"If you are thinking of holding back, don't," Shina states, head inclining with an imperious pride. "I want to see everything that comes with the title of World Warrior. Show me!"

[BILLY]
There is a light 'heh' that comes from Billy when asking him not to hold back. "Wasn't planning on it." He did so with Maki for a bit and it admittedly could have bitten him on the ass. Not to mention him losing a fight in Southtown never looks good for Billy or the rest of the Synidcate. Perhaps the one downside to fighting close to home.

The staff gets a few twirls before Billy settles into his fighting stance, his expression growing more serious as he takes a moment to consider his own actions. There is a feeling out process here in this case. This isn't someone he is familiar with fighting wise and he is unaware what tricks she has up her sleeve. He can only hope she is feeling the same way and isn't familiar with his own style.

Finally he moves, rushing forward with surprising speed as he lunges and brings the staff forward looking to jam it right into the sternum of Shina. If he manages to land it he shows surprising strength for a man his size too as he looks to heft Shina up with the staff and fling her right over his shoulder.

COMBATSYS: Shina blocks Billy's Sparrow Drop.

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Billy            0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0            Shina

[SHINA]
There is a glitter in Shina's eyes as she watches that bo-staff twirl about in Billy's hands. The anticipation building. The world narrows down to just the man across the circle from her. The noise of the collected crowd, the sounds of cars on the bridge above, a peal of thunder amid the rainstorm; all of these fall away to the focus of the fight. The blonde man facing her down. One Billy Kane.

he comes in quick. Shina drops into a defensive posture. A clap of baton on skin, Shina's palm smacking against the pommel. The force pushes Shina's boots along the ground, scraping the pavement, slowing down.

Then comes the lift. Shina goes with the motion. The height of the life, with her hands in control of the haft, is where Shina wants to be. She rocks her legs back and around, a pumping motion that swings her up and in the air toward Billy's shoulder. She pounces, catlike as her name, leaping to perch atop of Billy. Where, should she find purchase, she will twist away with a leap. A stomping shove to the ground and swift departure. Shina planning on using Billy as a springboard to better positioning for herself.

COMBATSYS: Billy counters Scramble Snatch from Shina with Fire Dragon Pursuit Cane.

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Billy            0/-------/---====|=======\-------\1            Shina

[BILLY]
The staff doesn't strike true, but still Billy goes through with his motions even knowing Shina has managed to lessen the brunt of the blow. She is skilled and he should have never doubted that. No one in this tournament would have an invitation unless they have proven themselves a capable fighter. Even Maki showed she was no pushover even if her attitude came off as a fighter who has never really been in a serious tournament.

Shina has a plan, but perhaps she underestimated Billy can be dangerous in close as well. Her plan to keep it close and personal makes sense. Lessen the impact of a weapon, but even so Billy has been fighting long enough he can adapt and that is what he does. Shina wants to land on top of Billy, but almost as soon as she releases the staff he is quick to move and her feet find the ground instead of his shoulders.

Worse than the missed pounce is the follow up. The jarring strike from the staff on the top of Shina's head when Billy makes that downward swing with his staff and then backing up a few paces while giving his staff another twirl. She wanted him to be serious and he had no plans to do otherwise. Not only that he can tell she is quick and while not a ninja like Maki she is going to offer other troubles with the agility she has displayed in such a short time.w

[SHINA]
The danger of that staff makes itself evident. The skill of the wielder is showcased in moments. A striking blow sending stars through Shina's eyes. Blurring the world all the more than her combat tunnel vision tends to do. She slips on her landing. Staggers forward. Her hand patting the ground.

A ripple flows over her body. From her fingertips on up, a wave of change shifts nail to claw. A cascade of fur races over Shina as the Leopard bursts forth from within. The blonde woman's face melting to a predator's fanged grimace as she looks back over her shoulder at Billy and his new posture.

The yowl blends beast with brawler, human and entirely not. She whirls on a two broad paws, tail lashing for balance. A lightning snapping assault to bare down on her much more experienced and settled opponent.

She goes for the throat. A full frontal tearing assault. A rending pounce to claw for Billy's ches t and grip his throat. The animalistic assault a set up. An opening salvo that is matched with a fighter's skill. Because the strike is meant to be followed by a rolling monkey flip to put Billy into the air.

Because should he end up in the air, Shina's movement is lightning quick, snapping with a bolt to pounce and drive Billy to the pavement with teeth around his throat to tear and rip.

COMBATSYS: Shina blitzes into action and acts again!

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Billy            0/-------/---====|=======\-------\1            Shina

COMBATSYS: Shina successfully hits Billy with Dam Sight Fang.
- Power hit! -

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Billy            0/-------/--=====|=======\=------\1            Shina

COMBATSYS: Billy counters Demolition Fang from Shina with Ifrit Crisis+.

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Billy            0/-------/-------|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2            Shina

[BILLY]
There is a pause. Billy is ready defensively on what Shina might do next, but he did not expect what he sees when woman changes to beast and he finds himself facing something much much more dangerous than he initially thought.

Yet there is confidence, a bit of a smirk even as she comes charging in looking to outright maul and destroy him. While she may look like a monster, Billy has faced many in his years as Geese's top enforcer. If anything Geese may be the biggest monster he has met.

Shina is much too fast and Billy maybe hesitates a bit, those claws tearing through cloth and flesh and he can feel the jaw hit his throat. He tenses and even so Shina might catch the fact there is no fear in his eyes even if it seems she has him dead to rights. It is when he is thrown into the air things change and she finds out why he seems so confident.

A fiery inferno of chi erupts around Billy as he manages to drive his staff into Shina when she looks to pounce once more. A powerful blow as the flames engulf both he and his opponent.

Billy himself is almost lightning quick at this point. His staff battering Shina while in midair before slamming her towards the ground, him following it up with a powerful staff strike right on top of her when he lands on the ground. The flames flicker and die as he leaps back. He is bleeding across the chest and from the neck where fangs punctured flesh, but he shows no fear. "Nice trick, luv. Hope you got more."

[SHINA]
No near whatsoever. Shina's opponent fights too well to be a fool. He is a man deserving of the title World Warrior. She knows she can touch him. She can taste the iron tang of blood. It isn't a very couth fighting style, but she learned for battle and mercenary contests. Not the world of show fighting, not these grand tournaments. Her power is raw, and needs refining, she cannot pull punches to survive against Gear and Darkstalker.

But this man is showing handily how the fight is done. The streets have a lot more to teach than young Gado knows. A cudgel rips the wind from her lungs. A strike that ripples human and beast in a rush with the simple force of the blow. Struck to the pavement, battened down. And scorched in a torrent of chi-fire. A beast roars in shock and blind fury. A beast rips through the fire.

Blood runs down, mars her pelt, her eyes are unfocused. Her steps are not steady. The bestial shape rakes back a claw, but it curls back into a human fist. The animal becomes a human. Lightning sparks to life around her fist.

She moves with a desperate rush. Maybe to some in the crowd they see a beast who can take a punishment. To those with better eyes they can see the tells of someone better at keeping composure than others. Her expression isn't on Billy. Her movement isn't settled and resolute. She is well on her last legs, but the beast fights on with a lightning charged fist swinging for the cuts on Billy's chest.

COMBATSYS: Billy blocks Shina's Assault Blow.

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Billy            0/-------/------=|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2            Shina

[BILLY]
Billy much looks like a punk that could be more talk than action to those that don't know him. The Brit has a mouth at times, but he has kept it mostly in check with Shina. This is all about having a good fight, not banter like it was with Maki. Maki had to tell him she was going to get serious. Billy knew Shina was serious from the start and appreciates it.

More so he appreciates she manages to stand after his last attack and shows she isn't willing to give up yet. Someone on their last legs? Perhaps that is true, but that could just make someone of her quality more dangerous. She shows no fear and that is another thing the brawler can appreciate about Shina.

She dashes in and that fist slams into the cane. The force pushing Billy back and making him grunt in pain. The force was enough feel the blow run through him even if it didn't land directly like she had hoped. With a bit of a smirk he twirls his cane as energy erupts again. Flames build about as he leaps back and brings the cane forward in a strike, the weapon actually breaking apart showing a chain connecting it showing extra reach than Shina may have thought. The end of that blazing weapon surges forward to slam directly into Shina's chest.

COMBATSYS: Billy successfully hits Shina with Blazing Cane Thrust.
Glancing Blow

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Billy            0/-------/---====|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2            Shina

[SHINA]
Shina was serious from the start. But she still has a great deal to learn. She is young, and though she has some experience, it pales in comparison to the people at the top of the pecking order around the world. She still fights with a brave, furious abandon. A fire that has yet to be honed and focused in the way it needs to.

Today is painful, but it will serve to teach her greatly. There is a time for worry, there is a time for fury. The time today, however, is to sit at the learning tree.

She is fast, she knows she is. She had hoped he would stay close enough and step into her zone. But Billy Kane knows more. He moves well. He stays away. And he lets lose with the cane's trick chain. Shina cannot react in time. It strikes her hard.

Shina's eyes reduce to pin pricks. Air gone. She gulps, swallowing nothing. Her limbs fall limp, her torso falls backward.

The fight is swift, as Shina tends to prefer, for good or ill. She lands with a quiet thump. The sound of the crowd, the sound of the rain, the sound of traffic high above drowns out the sound of Shina hitting the ground.

She lays still.

The crowd starts to rouse to a cheer. But as that sound rises, so does Shina. Her eyes, gold and slit as a jaguars. The herald of one final shift. A shuddering ripple that precedes the screaming of a jungle cat and the surging scent of ozone. Lightning striking from Shina's low, crouched body. She rages for Billy. A wild whirlwind of claws and teeth. A frenzied rage of a frightened girl, a survival seeking soldier, and a beast's toolkit. It is by no means a method to win, it is a monstrous instinct. A final sparking of a nervous system not ready to go down for risk of potential death. But in the wake of the Shina's assault she cannot even stand in the finish. It ends with her body giving out and sliding, tumbling, rolling to an unconscious heap whether she manages to strike her target or not.

COMBATSYS: Shina can no longer fight.

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

COMBATSYS: Billy counters Tornado Blast from Shina with Water Dragon Pursuit Cane.
- Power hit! -

[             \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Billy            1/-------/=======|

[BILLY]
A learning experience for anyone that as good as a fighter may be there is always someone out there better. Was Billy a hulking brute like some? No, he can talk smack, but he also has always been one to back up his words and he will take any fight serious. Even more so as he gets further in the tournament. There are no pushovers here. In the end it is all about experience.

Experience Shina will gain. For all the power and speed and innate abilities sometimes it is the person that won't panic or has been in too many battles to be phased or surprised that will come out on top. Was Billy the strongest between the two? Maybe for one night, but things could easily sway another day.

That last stand of defiance brings a bit of a smile to his face. Shina looking defeated yet finding the energy to come at him once again. The result is not as she had hoped, his movements swift as he easily avoids her strike and she finds the staff being slammed against the side of her head once more. She may have already been going down, but Billy seemed more than happy to make sure she stayed down after that.

"Tough, but you need experience." he says as he steps back and runs a hand on his chest to look at his blood soaked hand. "Fiesty too. You got promise, luv." Really someone of that skill could be useful for the Syndicate, but he isn't one to do recruiting. "Keeping doing well and I am sure someone will take notice."

With that being said he turns about to walk away. He tries to play things straight, but the blood loss is making him a bit dizzy. If anything Lilly will probably give him a lecture while dressing his wounds later tonight, but in comparison to the fight he just had he is fine with that small problem.

COMBATSYS: Billy has ended the fight here.

Log created on 18:44:01 09/29/2023 by Shina, and last modified on 20:13:47 09/30/2023.