Match of the Millennium

Description: In a special guest appearance, one of the world's most deft dancers will be entering the ring with one of the most notorious heavyweights in the hopes of teaching him a lesson in style and grace! Meanwhile, Big Bear is competing for that most classic of reasons - a paycheck! Will either fighter prove to be too much for the other?

[BIG BEAR]
It is with a tremendous roar, a shaking of the earth and the cheers of fans clamouring for a sight of the legendary wrestler, that Big Bear enters the prepared stage of Fight Fest. It's been quite some time since the legendary heavyweight has been seen in and around Southtown. International affairs, bookings, vacations and also simply laying low in the afrermath of occasional Syndicate work when abroad has kept him busy. In truth, were it not for a simple thing - he'd likely still be minding his own business elsewhere but work had dried up and sometimes the simple things can be enough to make someone swerve and adjust their daily routines.

A simple thing like a paycheck. Never turn down money.

And so a big gout of flame explodes from his mouth, billowing upwards, racing high to dissipate in a cloud of oranges and reds above the heights of the mall. The heat from the blast radiates out from the giant, rushing across the wide open match area to rush over those nearest to the metered out safety zone of the arena and Big Bear turns in place, arms akimbo to continue basking in cheers. It's almost enough to make him not regret having to set aside his 'Raiden' persona for..reasons.

"YEAAAH! LET'S GET IT OOOOON!!!!"

[AMANE]
It's just a hop, skip, and a jump from where Amane Nishiki was observing one of the 'Rivals' fights -- the up and coming participants in the new NFG season -- to this venue. After all, while watching Inei and Ayaki's bout was his privilege, his appearance in the fighting festival proper is... well, his price of admission. Being a participant gave him much better access than if he were just some urching off the street, and there is just so much to observe here that piques Amane's interest.

Thus, he must fight, one supposes.

His entrance into the ring is considerably more understated, which is saying a lot considering it's Amane we're talking about; he simply hops once, to the height of the ring, and then steps into his corner of it properly, reaching down to brush a hand and dust off his kimono. Compared to the fire-breathing behemoth on the other side of the ring, the Dance God does not have legions of hyped-up wrestling fans, and is positively petite by comparison.

"If we must," Amane says, to the screamed demand that the fighters 'get it on'. He extends an arm, body moving in the ever-so-slight swaying of his ready stance. "Let us dance forthwith, then."

COMBATSYS: Amane has started a fight here.

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Amane            0/-------/-======|

COMBATSYS: Big Bear has joined the fight here.

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Amane            0/-------/-======|-------\-------\0         Big Bear

[BIG BEAR]
"Hah! Well aren't you quite the contrast, mate?"

Big Bear claps his hands together a few times times, producing several pressure waves that ripple out over the space of the combat zone, rustling up dust here and there from the disruption to the air pressure.

He hunches over and then beckons for Amane to come forth as he sees fit.

"And yeah...we must! I've got some dollarydoos to make! Haulin' goods has been slow and so has the leg breakin' biz!

Pausing, he rubs at the tufts of hair forming his beard as he further studies Amane, ".....Not to sure how I'm not gonna just break you like a twig though. Gotta keep it family friendly for the persona... And I!I hafta admit, though, I'm not much of a dancer!:

He then shrugs and returns to his ready stance, both arms raised slightly as he hunches once again. "Oh well!"

[AMANE]
All things considered, Amane watches this display of animal aggression with relative sangfroid; if shockwaves and screaming and muscles are intended to bother him, they don't seem to be having much effect. Instead, the androgyne dancer quirks a smile. "Yes yes, you're very large and very strong, I'm sure," he adds, in a voice of calm patience. "I suppose we shall see."

A brief shaking out of his hands, like a piano player about to attempt a particularly different run on the keys, and then he steps -- well, 'steps'; Amane's 'step' would probably be a 'prance' by most standards -- to close the gap between himself and the Bear ever so slightly.

But he keeps SOME distance, before sweeping out an arm well shy of his opponent's actual position. Following his motion, one of the many ribbon-like cloths around him sweeps out, and then down toward the ground under Bear... before shaping itself into an enormous hand(?!) that reaches up and attempts to quite firmly slam the Syndicate wrestler right into the ground, purple-pink blooms of chi all around the process.

COMBATSYS: Amane successfully hits Big Bear with Jyuuken Dageki - Gekiren.

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Amane            1/------=/=======|===----\-------\0         Big Bear

[BIG BEAR]
It's true. No matter what persona he wears, no one would accuse Big Bear of any form of sophistication, style, grace or nuance in regards to the way he presents himself and how he sees his fights. Brutal and animal like is all too appropriate.

One can also add 'easily confused' to that as well. In a world full of magic users, supernatural hijinks, and bizarre schools of fighting...Big Bear's methos and outlooks are woefully mundane. There is 'chi' involved, as is the case with many fighters but don't ask him to identify and define how. Fundamentally, this means that as Amane approaches he simply has no idea -what- to expect ...and as the ribbon elegantly works its way outward, the chi blooms and the 'hand' grasps at him - all he can do is give out a startled cry of surprise and then a strangled grunt as he is slammed to the ring with force that actually cracks it slightly beneath the impact.

But Big Bear is indeed a physical force of great renown and he quickly grits his teeth and then presses his massive frame back upwards. The ground sunders even more so as he pushes off of it, lunging straight forward into a massive charge, seeking to try and close that remaining distance between himself and the elegant fighter and, if he is able to, seize the dancer into a grasp that will see him hauled upwards into the air and then hurtled back down again from a great height towards the unforgiving ground.

COMBATSYS: Amane blocks Big Bear's Overhead Toss.

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Amane            1/-----==/=======|==-----\-------\0         Big Bear

[AMANE]
Who even knows what it is Amane does or skill he has that makes cloth act like that, but as he winds the bolt that he attacked Bear with back to himself, it gives him an opportunity to witness how it's used on the defensive, as well. At first glance it seems like there's no 'defensive' at all; the wrestler is able to grip Amane and haul him upward with seemingly no effort needed. It's the slamming down part that provides a little bit of trouble.

As Amane's body descends in Bear's grip, yet more cloth unwinds behind and below him, so that instead of a hard slam into harder ground, the dancer is pushed onto a gravity-defying whirl of hire scarf twining under him. It certainly doesn't mean he got away scot-free -- the impact is still bruising -- but at the end, instead of sprawled on the ground, Amane is left sitting almost peacefully on the cloth, one leg crossed over the other. "Oh, come now. Everyone knows how to dance in some way. It's built into the human spirit."

As Amane steps down onto the ground like someone being handed out of a fancy coach, the cloth he was sitting on twines up and back into shape behind him in a serpentine rustle of fabric. The Dance God himself, however, turns... away from Big Bear for a moment? Foolishly, one would imagine, except that the moment is brief, and Amane's spin as he faces front one again is accompanied by a HUGE fan in both hands, the almost golf club-like swing causing a whirling tornado of pink chi, complete with scattering flower petals, to speed across the distance toward the Syndicate wrestler.

COMBATSYS: Big Bear auto-guards Amane's Gangan Senbu - Ginga.

[    \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////        ]
Amane            1/-----==/=======|==-----\-------\0         Big Bear

[BIG BEAR]
Now that wasn't supposed to happen. When he throws someone...they need to be thrown, not elegantly sit there with all the poise of a fashion designer observing a runway walk.

"Hey what th---!" Big Bear is fully upright as he turns to see this display but then finds his shocked expression is further disrupted as the chi flowers whirl and the flurry of elegance is sent spiraling towards him along the arc of the tremendous swing of those summoned fans.

For an instant, he literally has no idea -how- to deal with this incoming assault...and so simply defaults to his instincts kicking in...and he braces. The chi infused assault washes into his body, scattering petals in wild directions as the tornado whips and whirls about his body. Finallyit is suddenly forced apart as Big Bear splays his enormous arms to the side and pushes his gigantic chest and belly forward with a brutish display of disruptive strength. The blast sends the last torrent of chi petals flying upwards before drifting back down again as the audience cheers loudly for both dancer and wrestler. Clearly the spectacle of the fight is doing its job.

"Alright, find, so you cn prance pretty good mate!" rumbles Big Bear, regaining some composure now as he straightens up and pantomimes removing dust from his wrestlers gears. "I guess you live up to the hype..."

He crouches low again, his vast body building up energy like a coiling spring. His knuckles dig into the ground as he leans forward and then booms, "..But so do I!"

He launches forward, dragging up a trench behind his feet as he charges forward and then leans into a massive attempt at a shoulder leading collision for the dancer!.

COMBATSYS: Amane just-defends Big Bear's Giant Bomb!

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Amane            1/----===/=======|==-----\-------\0         Big Bear

[AMANE]
Despite it all, Amane regards Definitely Not Raiden's successful attempt to simply... flex his way out of that attack with an impressed countenance. "Ah, nicely done, nicely done." A hand comes up near his face, suddenly holding a folded paper fan, which he taps against his cheek with a thoughtful expression. "There is a kind of beauty in brutishness, when properly polished," the Dance God muses aloud. "Russsia's Red Cyclone, for example... ahh. There is a man who truly appreciates the essence of muscular beauty."

PROBLEM: waxing philosophical about beauty is fine but there are now multiple hundreds of pounds of angry wrestler coming his way and that needs to be dealt with pretty darn quick.

Incongruously, given his size, Amane seems prepared to simply meet the Syndicate wrestler's attack head on, which would be inadvisable by any measure... except that when the tackle smacks into what appears to be Amane's volumnious sleeves, the garment simply... floats to the floor, because the Uzume isn't IN it; those sleeves were a faint, and rather than be bowled over and carried along by Bear's tackle, Amane let himself roll with the force of the blow, as one might do when about to be struck by a moving car. He spins to a stop a decent number of feet *behind* his opponent, the cloth that was trailing after him suddenly gathering around his arm, which he thrusts forward, the spiralling fabric becoming a literal drill sheathed in pink energy, as durable as any metallic weapon.

COMBATSYS: Amane successfully hits Big Bear with Spiral.

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Amane            1/--=====/=======|=====--\-------\0         Big Bear

[BIG BEAR]
This has to be someones idea of a joke. Mr. Howards? Mr. Heinlein? Surely somebody out there must be offended by the great success and almight power of the great Big Bear such as to levy such terrible misofortune upon him.

Perhaps a certain thunder god finally tired of hearing of his name being bmismerched by the heel persona of this goliath. Of course that assumes that the thunder god has heard of Big Bear to begin with. OF course he has. Who hasn't?

These thoughts and more race through the aussie's thick school as he processes the inability of his immense frame to connect with AMane and then further more deals with the most elegant of drills as it slams home into his tremendous form. He grits his teeth in pain, eyes bulging as the force of the assault drags him backwards and presses into his might of his physical form. In truth, such an assault would immediately laid low many -- even torn apart machinary in its wake but the fighters of the professional fighting world, enhanced and willful as they are, are not so easily ripped to shreds.

It still hurts like hell.

"Yarrghh! What the..how!?"

At the end of the assault he goes sliding backwards, frame bruised and bloodied but still on his feet. He sways this way and that, regaining his balance and posture. Somewhere in the crowd someone gasps in shock and Big Bear shouts, "The Big Bear doesn't go down so easily! I--"

"So elegant!" squees the fan, clearly remarking on Amane's performance and not his.

Big Bear frowns. This will not stand.

"What the.... That does it! If dancing is what you want, dancing is what you'll get!"

In this case, the dance is a sudden lunge forward as the behemoth leaps into the air, dragging is immense mass upwards and then back down again while kicking out both of his legs in a drop kick strong enough to send a truck tumbling away!

COMBATSYS: Big Bear successfully hits Amane with Super Drop Kick.

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Amane            1/-======/=======|=====--\-------\0         Big Bear

[AMANE]
It is, indeed, difficult to leap nimbly out of the way of an oncoming truck, which is more or less what feels like what's happening here. Amane attempts to twist at the waist and move around Bear's simple linear kick, but perhaps underestimates how fast said oncoming object is moving. As one would expect, the result of the blow is forceful, sending Amane back more than a few steps, but in a swirl of silks, the Dance God rights himself in short order.

"That's all well and good," he says, to the Syndicate wrestler's declaration that he'll dance, "but a quality dance typically has more than one step."

There's yet another disorienting swirl of cloth as Amane suddenly and swiftly surges forward, the various bolts and ribbons collecting in front of him in the form of a spear, more or less, which his dashing forward movement will take, unless stopped, not just INTO Big Bear, but right THROUGH him, leaving the Uzume on the other side. If that first hit is clean, once he's moved past, the Dance God pulls all the silks and cloths back and makes a sharp downward gesture with one hand, a burst of pink chi in the vague shape of a cherry blossom erupting around his opponent.

COMBATSYS: Amane successfully hits Big Bear with Kyouryuu Tokkou - Seijyuu Rensou Kyaku.

[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////              ]
Amane            1/-------/=======|=====--\-------\0         Big Bear

[BIG BEAR]
Was that all it took? A decleration of the need for 'Dance' to enable the universe to smile upon the lumbering galoot?

Apparently!

Big Bear's landing, post his drop kick, is appropriately seismic in nature but he's quite enough to pull back to his feet with a goofy grin plastered on his features. A hint of something of a sinister glee lurks behind his eyes at the satisfied feeling of that impact .. but it's too soon for the syndicate brawler to celebrate as Amane is hardly down for the count and from the looks of the two fighters ..is still clearly in the lead here.

"How the hell are you still in one piece after that, mate! You're a bean pole!"

He slams a fist to the ground in frustration and then pulls up to his feet in full, broad frame filling out the air infront of Amane and making a very, very, very large target for that charge in and chi infused spear like attack. An attack that Big Bear sees far too late to even attempt to get out of hte way.

Not that he could or would even try. The spear of cloth rams home against him and for a moment Amane would find himself stopped right in to his tracks as the wrestlers flesh refuses to yield to either physical object or chi magic as it pushes against him. Big Bear's enormous hands reach down as his teeth grit and his body quakes from both pain and rising fury. His sausage like digits lay hold of the manifested spear, the mass of his arms bulge and then with a great "Rarrrrgghhh!" he pulls and then shoves, pushing it and the momentum of the charge to the side to let the spear and attacker go blazing past him as the chi blossoms then race onward to pass through the goliath.

The force of the assault leaves him staggered but he then lashes out with an enormous hand to try and snatch hold of the last trails of swirling cloth, intending on yanking Amane back towards him and out of the momentum of his charge before the dancer can recover.

"Don't you worry. See? I got more moves to this dance! Let's jam to the Bomber!!"

If Amane fails to twist away, Big Bear would scoop him up once again - and this time lunge forward in an attempt tto bring the elegant one slamming back down towards the ground in front of them both with the full weight of Big Bear's body coming down with the force of the throw!

COMBATSYS: Big Bear successfully hits Amane with Bear Bomber.

[                 \\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////                ]
Amane            1/-------/=======|=======\-------\1         Big Bear

[AMANE]
If fighting game-style life meters were real, the commentators on this fight would say it took very little for Big Bear to 'even it up'; after all, the wrestler's skepticism that Amane could be taking hits from someone of his stature without crumbling isn't without some merit, given the physical difference between them. Surely, Big Bear must be the biggest and the strongest, and Amane Nishiki's relatively lithe body could hardly be considered so.

The Dance God is certainly as vulnerable to fatigue and pain as anyone else; the Syndicate fighter's attempt to grasp a trailing cloth finds purchase, pulling the Uzume back towards him -- after all, Amane is so small and weak by comparison -- and slamming the dancer into the ground under his manly bulk, which predictably gets a sudden, sharp exhalation from Amane. After all, the biggest, strongest, and most powerful huge man is suddenly on top of him.

Pushing free, Amane rolls backwards slightly and gets to his feet, slightly more rumpled than before but still as poised as the moment the fight started. He gives a little sigh and shrugs. "I suppose it can't be helped," he says lightly. "A shame. Well, let us finish this for the audience." He brushes a hand through his hair, and the hire cloth that floats about his shoulders becomes a helix around his body, breeze fluttering his clothes... shortly before another chi-enshrouded drill of cloth erupts *from the ground* where Big Bear is currently standing, well away from where Amane is at the moment.

COMBATSYS: Amane successfully hits Big Bear with Ninpu Sengeki - Hariken.

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Amane            1/---====/=======|=======\-------\1         Big Bear

[BIG BEAR]
Well he's at least acting like he's the biggest, strongest, and most powerful huge man in the world. He's Big Bear! Never you mind there are peers who are several magnitudes larger and stronger then he - here in this place, in this match, his physicality and strength make him the goliath on deck and to act less then that is a disservice to his fans! Not to mention the Syndicate members who are most assuredly watching from the sidelines,..

That doesn't make him any less surprised and begrudgingly impressed when Amane yet again gets to his feet. It'd be ridiculous to not be impressed given the contrast between the two.

"Algirht, yer tough." he grumbles as he pushes back up to a ready position - only to have the drill once more spiral into being with no warning and this time beneath him as opposd to head on.

Instinct fails him this time nad the drill strikes home before his enormous frame can brace well and good. It bears him upwards with its flourish and sends him tumbling backwards towards the ground once again.

Chi petals rain about him as he impacts with another seismic rumble from the force of his fall but his body has again weathered the incredible assault and Big Bear is soon pushing back up to his feet.. Bruisied, battered, but still ready to go.

"Not quite done yet, mate! I thought you wanted to dance!"

Pushing off the ground, Big bear once more lunges into close the distnace towards the Dance God, closing in with a sweeping move of his arm in an attempt to club it around in a heavy swing for the lithe man.

COMBATSYS: Amane dodges Big Bear's Quick Punch.

[                  \\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////                    ]
Amane            1/---====/=======|=======\===----\1         Big Bear

[AMANE]
With a rustling of cloth, Amane drops to the ground only a fraction of a second before Bear's swinging fist sweeps through where his head was just a moment ago; people often underestimate the speed that physically larger fighters can bring to bear in fights, forgetting that the muscles powering their meaty fists mean they can move at a swift clip, as well.

Rising to his feet and backing up a step, the Uzume gives his opponent a faint, genuine smile. "Well, you show willingness, at least... though is it willingness or stubbornness, I can't really say. Either can be a virtue in the right circumstances, of course... but it's as you say. Our dance isn't complete just yet."

Raising his arms, Amane swings them both down, causing a long bolt of cloth to sweep through the air toward the Syndicate wrestler like a hammer swing... except that even if it's evaded, the true nature of the attack is to swing his arms *back up*, the chi-empowered fabric flinging even someone as massive as Big Bear into the air, before one final swing of the arms sends the hire scarf into the air, charged with Amane's pink energy, to snag him out of the air and bring Bear back down to the ground, definitively.

COMBATSYS: Amane successfully hits Big Bear with Hazen Gekisou - Jakua Dengekitai.
?!? Weird Hit! ?!?

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Amane            1/------=/=======|=======\===----\1         Big Bear

[BIG BEAR]
Whelp - even the would be biggest and strongest has his limits.

Sheer presence, bulk and a healthy dosage of practiced acting within the cinematic expectations of the various wrestling federations can enable Big Bear to put on a good show in regards to resisting pain and appearing physically invulnerable - but his insides are on fire right now. Each blow that has landed has been a rattling impact that defies the logic and reason of the fact that it was being done with silken cloth and measured restrained gestures. This latest one is no different, particularly as the ground itself is once more part of the process.

This time, when he lands, as concrete sprays and the combat zone trembles, BIg Bear emits a strangled gasp of frustration and rage. Sure = the almighty paycheck awaits for his donation of time and persona to this festival but...

Pain is still pain.

"Urgh! For th'love of..." he rumbles yet -again- rising to his feet. The match is not quite so definitive after all. Danger still lurks for the dancer and a sudden menace seems to drift into being over Big Bear as his 'Face' persona cracks just for a brief instant.

"Not bad...but we're not done yet. "

The dancers on sensitivy to the ebb and flow of chi would feel it. A sudden burst from within the giant as he lunges forward in an area quaking leap and then brings his arm around again in what could be seen as a wild berserker swing - except it is quickly followed up by another and then another and another in a series of rapid fire full powered strikes looking to punch through the dancers defenses and push his evasion capacity to their limits.

A final double fisted haymaker is sent at the end of it all, coming down in a final hammer swing for dancer.

However, this effort seems to be all that remains in the fuel tank of the giant as, whether he hits or misses, down towards the floor of the batlte zone, he will go.

COMBATSYS: Big Bear can no longer fight.

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

COMBATSYS: Big Bear successfully hits Amane with Crazy Train.

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

[AMANE]
Any commentator or analyst looking at this fight later, reviewing footage, thinking about the dynamics of it, might have this to say:

Amane Nishiki may have gracefully performed his dance time and again for his opponent, but a mere three clean hits was all it took for Big Bear to make this match's result to far, far closer a margin than a superficial examination would show.

"Of course," Amane says, all seriousness, as the Syndicate wrestler prepares to launch yet another offensive. "It's the height of offense to bow out before your dance partner has finished their steps." The Uzume is no fool; he knows what the man on the other side of the ring can do, even hampered by injury or fatigue. It would be foolish to underestimate him now, that's for sure... and it is this caution, this perhaps ironic respect for his opponent, that protects him in the end.

After taking multiple hits from Definitely Not Raiden on his guard this fight, it's no surprise that Amane's attempt to hunker down and weather the storm of blows ends up falling short before too long, weary arms not up to the task... but what Big Bear himself might notice is that some -- not all, but some -- of his rain of blows are ever so gently pushed aside or misdirected by the flow of chi-empowered cloth around Amane; not enough to keep the entire affair from being powerful or painful, but providing JUST enough of a margin so that what might have otherwise been a... well, not 'fatal', but certainly definitive... counterattack means that once that final hammerblow sends him to the floor, Amane Nishiki has JUST enough in the tank to climb to his feet, breathing heavily, but very definitely still up.

As the crowd cheers for both combatants, Amane brings his fan to his face, covering his mouth in an almost coquettish way. "Appare, Big Bear," he says, solemnly. "You certainly lived up to the name."

COMBATSYS: Amane takes no action.

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

COMBATSYS: Amane has ended the fight here.

Log created on 18:41:24 03/13/2025 by Big Bear, and last modified on 05:42:57 03/17/2025.