Strolheim - [R1] Team Balrog vs Team Guy

Description: Guy, Megumi, and James fight Balrog, Vice, and Makoto to the finish -- and almost get an admission of defeat out of the Spanish Ninja. Almost! (Winners: Guy, Megumi, and James)



It's certainly been an interesting week for Shadaloo agent posing as the blonde matador of his younger days. Balrog hadn't really put much thought into what his team would be like coming into this tournament, figuring that he'd end up stuck with some hopelessly untrainable wretches, but luck was fortunately in his favor. Makoto came already versed in the art of inflicting pain and merely needed some practice in applying her mind more fully to the battle, while Vice...? A familiar face, one whose style he was already vaguely familiar with, though convincing her that he was unquestionably the leader of this little operation required a little, shall we say, "persuasion". He only hopes that the wounds have healed well by now, so as to not impact her performance. Balrog is pretty certain she'll perform well either way, having promised her far worse if she fails to meet his expectations - honestly he's too lazy to follow through with such a threat, but it seems to be best method of controlling the woman.
Balrog enters the courtyard, unmasked with hair bound back in a loose ponytail instead of his usual braid. Clothed in loose-fitting, colorful silks that unmistakably mark him for the "fruit" in the bunch, his leather-clad feet leave little more than quiet scuffs in the ground as he walks. "Keep your eyes open. This is three on three, a little more than you're both probably used to, and there's no rules that say we have to pair off. If either of you get overwhelmed, support each other: don't be afraid to take cheap shots at their exposed backs."

Looking good and being showy are not things on Guy's list of priorities for the day. No sprinting onto the scene, or jumpkicking through anything in a shower of debris today, no. Silently and motionlessly psyching himself, Guy can only hope that everything's going to turn out alright. He's certainly doubting his own ability to perform as the 'teacher', remembering the time he's spent with Megumi and James. It's all he can do to keep his worries to himself, showing the world his normal, slightly disapproving face.
Still. There's nothing he can really think to say to his team at this point, and so he doesn't. Instead, he simply leads the way, taking bold strides on his way to the ring, looking for all the world like he's fully in control of the situation. It's the least he can do.

Vice follows Balrog into the courtyard, staying a few steps behind, and to the side of the Spanish ninja. Remaining silent for his advice, she nonetheless shows her appreciation of the man's "teaching" thus far with a silent snarl, and narrowed eyes aimed for the back of his head. Not while he was looking, of course. "Yes, teacher." she hisses in reply, allowing her narrowed eyes to glance over her oppenents, next.

Children or weak. All three of them. Focusing her narrowed eyes upon James, she holds her gaze upon him for a few long moments, no trace of kindness seen in her dark eyes. She was quite a bit grouchier than usual, evidently.

Megumi has been sort of quiet too, unusually so as she follows Guy out. Looking for all the world like she's thinking about some deep subject, but she's heading out into the yard as well. She's not said much while getting ready for the match either, but...

...Balrog gets a look from her, then she shakes her head. It looked like she almost had some moment of recognition then decided it wasn't a match with anyone she knew. Then there's Vice too, and surprise visibly registers on her face. But even as surprised as she is, she raises her hands and shifts her leg posture until she's in the dirt-ring, and settled into a typical Aikido stance.

Makoto enters on the opposide side of Balrog as Vice, trailing him as well. Unlike the other two, she certainly seems to be in a decent mood; she's light on her bare feet and full of energy. Balrog's direction, though, gets little more than a glance. Makoto's entered multi-person matches before. She knows how it's done. Most of her attention is on the other side, looking from each one to the other. Megumi she knows, and she gets a nod and a very slight smile. The other two, she doesn't.

His first fight. Well, first real fight, anyway. Jim wasn't quite sure how this whole thing went in this part of the world. As he stepped from the shadows and into the ring at Guy's side opposite Megumi, he calmed himself and closed his eyes as Metzger's words flowed through his mind. His brown suede jacket had been exchanged for a simple tight-fitting white T-shirt which exposed his muscular-yet-lean frame, and his hiking boots had been switched out for white and red sneakers, leaving only his bluejeans unchanged. He turned to one side slightly, bent one knee, and lifted his hands, watching the opposing team carefully, silently.

Vice had apparently centered her attention on him. He could sense emotions radiating from all of them, unable to pick out what or why, exactly, but he wondered if she would go for him. He would make the last move, in any case.\

Balrog carefully studies each member of the opposing team in question, drawing his own silent conclusions. When Megumi's eyes light up on him, he offers her the most brilliant and sincere of smiles. ...Which is to say, it's one of those smiles that are so pleasant and well-meaning that you wonder if the person is about to reach out and snap your neck. Truthfully, he has to strain not to smile any wider, welcoming the sight of her like a cat would the canary stepping out of its cage. Not pausing in his steps, he brings his right hand to his chest and offers her a small little half-bow of courtesy, not betraying anything further. Not even the sound of his voice: when the two teams meet in the courtyard, he carries out his affirmations with whatever officials in tight little nods, looking very much bored and not hiding the fact that he'd rather them step aside and let the action begin.

While for some, the moment may come all too soon, for one whose mind races as quickly as the Spaniard assassin's, it's an eternity. The very moment the beginning of the fight is signalled he's off like a bolt of lightening, sprinting towards Guy and rapidly closing distance. It's only at the last minute that he abruptly veers to the side, throwing his weight into a sideways cartwheel that ends with him attempting aiming a crack at Megumi's jaw with his teeth. So much for pleasantries!

COMBATSYS: Balrog has joined the fight here on the left meter side.

COMBATSYS: Megumi has joined the fight here on the right meter side.

COMBATSYS: Guy has joined the fight here on the right meter side.

COMBATSYS: James has joined the fight here on the right meter side.

COMBATSYS: Makoto has joined the fight here on the left meter side.

COMBATSYS: Vice has joined the fight here on the left meter side.

[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Balrog           0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0              Guy
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Vice             0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0           Megumi
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Makoto           0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0            James

His team's assembled, the opposing team is assembled...it's right about then that Guy realizes he hadn't bothered to really check who they were beforehand. Attention diverted from his own worries, he carefully studies them while he can, pausing on Vice. It's likely he would have stared longer, but then the fight starts and Balrog's in motion, faking him out and attacking Megumi. This won't do.
While Megumi can take care of herself, Guy is sure, that doesn't mean he can't quickly spring into action, to provide an assist. Ducking down so that he's at about the height of the middle of Balrog's cartwheel, he whirls about with a backhanded clenched fist. It's as good a way to say 'Step off my teammate' as any.

Pleasantries seem to be scarce for at least two-thirds of Balrog's team. Taking a step towards James, Vice turns her head and promptly spits on the ground. Returning her gaze towards James, she interlaces her fingers together, and stands on her tipetoes, stretching herself out for a moment, her expression unchanging from the narrowed eyes and snarl.

But then... she grins. A wide, toothy grin.

As soon as her little stretch is over, she explodes into motion, taking a few dashing steps towards James. She doesn't dash right up next to him, however... pausing a foot or so away, she lashes her hand out towards James's lower leg, hoping to take hold of it there. Should she get her grip on him, she would simply fling him one-handed the way she came.

COMBATSYS: Megumi dodges Balrog's Scarlet Terror.

[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////// ]
Balrog           0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0              Guy
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Vice             0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0           Megumi
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Makoto           0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0            James


Megumi stays back, even as Guy charges ahead. She does notice Makoto's quasi-greeting and returns it with a light wave, then the fight is on and Balrog's heading her way, even with Guy on up ahead. That makes his feint even more puzzling to her, and Megumi almost wasn't ready for it. Just suddenly, this disguised Balrog is flipping over at her and trying to smash her head in...and he moves real fast.

Megumi's probably not as fast as he is, but dives sideways and rolls out of the path of the attack. She's about to try and retaliate, but Guy's already on him. Okay. Her hands cup together in front of her, a bright, sparkling red, basketball-sized orb of energy forming. She pulls it behind her head with her right hand, then with a yell she flings it at Makoto.

COMBATSYS: Megumi successfully hits Makoto with Crimson Comet.

[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////// ]
Balrog           0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0              Guy
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////// ]
Vice             0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0           Megumi
[     \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Makoto           0/-------/----===|-------\-------\0            James


Makoto is the last of her team to actually burst into action - because she doesn't. While she moves forward with her slightly odd walk, she can't quite decide which one to go after; she'd been going to plant her feet and watch for a few moments. Her plan is interrupted by a globe of chi exploding in her face; her attempts to duck and weave are, unfortunately, met with failure.
On the other hand, this could be considered a good thing. It gives Makoto someone to take her sudden irritation out on. Pushing her bare feet against the ground and shifting her stance slightly, Makoto bursts into a very rapid run at Megumi, almost appearing to blur in motion. When she gets there, she abruptly stops /dead/, only her fist whistling out with all the force of her run behind it, aimed right at Megumi's face.

COMBATSYS: Balrog blocks Guy's Houzantou.

[   \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////// ]
Balrog           0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0              Guy
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////// ]
Vice             0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0           Megumi
[       \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Makoto           0/-------/----===|-------\-------\0            James


COMBATSYS: James fails to counter Decide from Vice with Reversal.

[   \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////// ]
Balrog           0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0              Guy
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////// ]
Vice             0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0           Megumi
[       \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////       ]
Makoto           0/-------/----===|====---\-------\0            James


Apparently Vice has a spectator, as her move connects, Mature from the audience breaks into bright and high pitched laughter.

Jim's eyes exploded open just as Vice lunged for him. He had been gathering himself for an attack, and instead, was being attacked. Instantly, he dodged to one side and... Too slow! He found himself being thrown behind Vice and uncerimoniously landed on his face, tumbling. For a moment, he sat there, dazed. Apparently, this woman had more to her than he assumed. His debut, and already off to a bad start.

Cursing, he rolled over and pushed himself into a crouch, then a standing position, lowering his right arm and bringing his left up into a claw formation. His eyes focused on Vice.

It was a bold move on Balrog's part, certainly worth the effort he had put into it, but it seems that the one who he takes for the team leader is up to the challenge of delaying his unfinished business. Spotting the approaching Guy with his peripheral vision, forced to shift his weight in mid-flip to account for the interdiction of guy's fist, it's an easy matter for Megumi to roll away from his reaching feet...this time. Turning in mid-flip so that his midair revolution is complimentary to the angle of the attack, Guy's hand connects with flesh only fleetingly as Balrog rotates away from it. Not having *yet* touched down from the flip, the acrobat swings his legs around in an attempt to get a hook around the man's neck: and if successful, he'll twist his body in a midair crescent, hauling the man off of his feet and launching him away from the fray.

COMBATSYS: Guy dodges Balrog's Crescent Line.

[    \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////// ]
Balrog           0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0              Guy
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////// ]
Vice             0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0           Megumi
[       \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////       ]
Makoto           0/-------/----===|====---\-------\0            James


Having felt one success already, although it could have been significantly more successful, Guy's ready to really get into things. Putting all of his worries out of his mind, he tracks Balrog's swift, elusive movement, watching the deadly legs come up to capture him. A course of action comes to Guy's mind, so that instead of neck, there's only a single leg left in its place. Now airborne, Guy spins, other leg outstretched and whirling.

Now... that felt good. Just about made her forget the events of a few days back. A quiet chuckle passes the painted lips of Vice, and she slowly turns around to face James. Slowly, she hunches her torso forward, and allows her arms to dangle in front of her. "Weak, weak, weak." she whispers, before running her tongue over her grinning lips.

Suddenly, she lunges forward, attempting to grab the arm the man was holding in front of himself. Should she get her way, she would yank him to the ground harshly, then drag him along the earth of the arena for a few seconds, before just tossing him away.

COMBATSYS: Megumi counters Hayate from Makoto with Crimson Blast.

[    \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////////  ]
Balrog           0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0              Guy
[   \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////////  ]
Vice             0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0           Megumi
[             \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////       ]
Makoto           1/-------/=======|====---\-------\0            James


Megumi stays right where she is as Makoto seemingly just zips right over to her. That's pretty fast. But Megumi tries to stay calm (partially succeeding; looks a little worked up over /something/) and wait for it, catching Makoto's punch by snatching at Makoto's wrist with her left hand. With the attacking limb caught, Megumi's right hand is surrounded by that same sparkling red energy she threw at her foe, and she swings the hand upward in a diagonal chop to knock Makoto away. The hand itself never makes contact, just the energy field. That energy fades right after the strike, however.

Makoto had /not/ expected Megumi to do that, and it shows. The glowing chop really does knock her away, launching her literally head over heels, although by some frenzied twisting in midair she actually manages to land on her feet. /That/ hurt. She's already slightly wobbly, although Makoto is pretty good at hiding that. Focusing her attention exclusively on Megumi and barely paying attention to anyone else, she charges her again - although not nearly as fast - but ends in a somersault, turning it into an overhand chop as she completes her roll, ending on her knees. "Hiiiiya!"

COMBATSYS: Vice successfully hits James with Gore Fest.

[    \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////////  ]
Balrog           0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0              Guy
[   \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////////  ]
Vice             0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0           Megumi
[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////             ]
Makoto           1/-------/=======|=======\-------\0            James


And there she comes at him again. For some reason, this woman really intimidated James. Maybe it was her spunk or the way she looked at him, or perhaps it was even the general ferocity of her attacks. Whatever it was, he took a step back as she advanced, and then flinched, giving her just enough time to grab him, 'sweep' him, and hurl him away.
Eating dirt for the second time, he pushed himself up and snarled. As intimidated as he was getting, the haughty confidence she seemed to exude riled him. A lot. Crouching low, he took a step closer to Vice and flattened his hands across the dirt of the arena. Concentrating for just a split second, he whipped them up, and a trail of glowing yellow energy crackled and burned upward, following his hands and screaming towards Vice. A successful hit would explode in all manner of brilliance.

COMBATSYS: Balrog fails to interrupt Bushin Senpuu Kyaku from Guy with Stardust Drop.

[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////////  ]
Balrog           0/-------/--=====|==-----\-------\0              Guy
[   \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////////  ]
Vice             0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0           Megumi
[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////              ]
Makoto           1/-------/=======|=======\-------\0            James


Sadly, in spite of the great show of aerial supremacy, Balrog *has* to run out of airtime eventually, and he's on his downard descent, already. This doesn't stop him from trying at least, trying to wrench his way to the side and so that he can grab Guy's hair from behind and drill him into the wall like a cruise missile, but there's only so much even he is capable of. Outmaneuvered and out of air, the Spaniard is caught in the rising whirl of a kick to land flat on his back. It's a good thing Guy isn't going for cool points today, because Balrog was far too close to the ground at that time in the flip to be impressively airmailed back from whence he came. He's only down for a moment, heaving his lower body upward so that he can flip out of the downed position and gain some ground. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Makoto struggling, and clenches his teeth. "MAKOTO! She's too fast for you, switch with me!"

As his kicks connect, Guy almost gives himself time to be heartened by his continued pummeling of Balrog. With his attack having proven effective, his landing is soft, coming down from the air easily. Not wanting to give more than the barest minimum breathing room for Balrog, Guy charges at the Spaniard, barely hearing the shouted command to Makoto given. Well, if he thinks that will help, let him. Now's as good a time as any to give orders to his team, as well. "Megumi! Help James!" Still, he's not going to let Balrog get away from him that easily. Finishing his charge, Guy kicks a foot out at waist-level, leading into a momentum halting backflip, regardless if Balrog is elusive enough to evade it or not.

COMBATSYS: Vice endures James' Force Ki.

[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////   ]
Balrog           0/-------/--=====|==-----\-------\0              Guy
[         \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////////  ]
Vice             0/-------/=======|==-----\-------\0           Megumi
[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////              ]
Makoto           1/-------/=======|=======\-------\1            James


And what would perhaps be a bit heartening for James, his fist connects, exploding in a brillant stream of light. But it seems Vice was expecting such a thing. It hurt... oh, did it hurt, but before the light faded, Vice made sure that she was standing as close to James. And that she was grinning at him.

"You're not good enough." she says, before she then leaps upwards, doing a backflip midair. There was a difference to this backflip, however. As her feet would near James's head, she would attempt to grasp his neck inbetween her feet, then complete the backflip, driving the top of James's skull into the earth of the arena.

COMBATSYS: Makoto successfully hits Megumi with Oroshi.

[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////   ]
Balrog           0/-------/--=====|==-----\-------\0              Guy
[         \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////          ]
Vice             0/-------/-------|======-\-------\0           Megumi
[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////              ]
Makoto           1/-----==/=======|=======\-------\1            James


Mature holds her breath as she obsrves Vice's movements from the audience. Her nails dig into her sleeve of her opposite hand as she squeezes in greedy anticipation. In a cheer to Vice, Mature shouts, "Introduce him to pain!"

Well, that stings. Megumi's /completely/ ready for the overhead chop, then Guy yells out to her and takes her mind off things. "Whaa?" She gets out, and starts to abandon her attempt to catch the chop, in favor of trying to get away from it and head for James. *WHAM*. No.

Megumi is smashed to the floor, stars exploding into her vision. "...Oww...." She pushes herself back up, not sparing the time to tell Makoto what she thought of that hit. Instead, she leaps at Vice and inverts herself in mid-air.

Her aim? Plant her hands on Vice's collarbone and drive her down to the floor, whilst inverting in mid-push to land on her feet. That's the intention, anyway.

Makoto straightens up from her overhand smash, pleased that she didn't catch one in response and that Megumi dashed off. It's tempting to follow her...but Balrog yelled at her to go do something else, and he /is/ the trainer here. Plus, she's less than interested in getting her hands grabbed and her punches countered again. And so when Megumi heads off, so does she; dashing toward Guy, she tries to intercept him before he gets back into motion after his flip with a low kick toward his knees, trying to take him off balance so he can't run after Balrog. "You're it now!"

COMBATSYS: Vice successfully hits James with Negative Gain.

[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////   ]
Balrog           0/-------/--=====|==-----\-------\0              Guy
[         \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////           ]
Vice             0/-------/-------|======-\-------\0           Megumi
[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////                        ]
Makoto           1/-----==/=======|=======\=======\1            James


The operative phrase for Vice's maneuver would be 'Ouch.' In fact, Jim had absolutely no time to counter it or even see it coming before his head smashed into the pavement with deadening force. Something snapped, and he crumpled into a heap on the ring floor. For several moments, he didn't stir, didn't move.

As he slowly pushed himself into a crawling position, the blinding light in his eyes began to fade. The problem was, though, all he could hear in his ears was a loud roaring sound, like rapids. All he knew was that it hurt. A lot. A /LOT/. Squinting, he pushed himself up, blood running in small trickles from both ears. His breathing was remarkably calm as he clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, staring straight ahead into space. His back was to the action, however.

COMBATSYS: James focuses on his next action.

[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////   ]
Balrog           0/-------/--=====|==-----\-------\0              Guy
[         \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////           ]
Vice             0/-------/-------|======-\-------\0           Megumi
[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////                        ]
Makoto           1/-----==/=======|=======\=======\1            James


Balrog's interview with Vice taught him something. Playing the role of handsome matador is one thing, but fighting without a weapon causes him to lose too much of his advantage. He had been hoping to play this card slightly later in the match, but it seems that all of the Spaniard's best tricks are forced improv these days. Squatting and using his forearms to deflect the blow, he wastes no time in launching himself in a sprint straight for Megumi: en route, not bothering with the buttons, he pulls open his shirt to reveal an expanse of manly chest! And a brief glimpse of a tattoo, if you're watching closely enough. But that little detail is likely to be lost in the artifact his hand emerges with, a three-pronged claw that he immediately affixes to his left wrist. Having fought Megumi before, and knowing just how fast she can react, he uses this opportunity to catch her off-guard with a quick stab at her side, hopefully before she can anticipate the blur of unmasked claw murderer speeding towards her. "Sorry to have kept you waiting, darling. We have unfinished business!"

COMBATSYS: Makoto successfully hits Guy with Light Kick.

[            \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////      ]
Balrog           0/-------/-======|====---\-------\0              Guy
[         \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////           ]
Vice             0/-------/-------|======-\-------\0           Megumi
[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////                        ]
Makoto           1/-----==/=======|=======\=======\1            James


Giving a small hmph as Balrog neatly block his attack and goes after Megumi, Guy immediately starts to run after him, only to receive an unwanted kick to the chest. Stopped in his tracks by the force of the blow, though not seriously injured, Guy quickly decides to get Makoto out of the way. Taking a step forward to grab at both her arm and shoulder, he attempts to flip her the heck out of his way. There's no time to waste catching up to Balrog, but just letting Makoto attack him while Guy pursues...it's just not a good idea.

COMBATSYS: Vice blocks Megumi's Flood Reversal.

[            \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////       ]
Balrog           0/-------/-======|====---\-------\0              Guy
[           \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////           ]
Vice             0/-------/------=|=======\-------\0           Megumi
[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////                        ]
Makoto           1/-----==/=======|=======\=======\1            James


Where flinging James across the room felt good, driving his head into the ground felt... delicious. She could feel the frustration just ebb away, just fade away... but belatedly, she realizes that Megumi was attacking her, when the woman's hands push against her shoulders. The harsh downward push Megumi gave her did drive her downwards, but not in the way she intended.

Vice fell hard on her behind, wincing a bit at the pain that ran through her at the move. Alright. Good feeling gone. Rising to her feet again, Vice notes Balrog rushing in her general direction, and moves the hell out of his way... but then her eyes light upon James once more. A wicked little grin plays across her lips, and she lunges at him, trying to wrap her arms around him. Should she get her iron grasp on him, she would jump in the air, spin him upside down, and try to smash his back or head into the floor of the arena.

COMBATSYS: Balrog successfully hits Megumi with Weapon Jab.
-* CRITICAL HIT! *-

[            \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////       ]
Balrog           0/-------/-======|====---\-------\0              Guy
[           \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////                ]
Vice             0/-------/------=|=======\==-----\1           Megumi
[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////                        ]
Makoto           1/-----==/=======|=======\=======\1            James


"...You!?" Megumi is startled as she lands from trying to plant Vice down, only to find Balrog /is/ familiar. That claw. Her eyes shoot wide as it...pierces right into her side. Well, not quite; Megumi tries to spin away from it, and as a result just gets stabbed in the front instead. It hurts. She doesn't scream or yell, she just...slumps onto her knees, tears forming from the sensation of having a claw damn near driven through her.

"...You're that guy..." Even as she has Balrog's claw embedded in her, she tries to disengage from it and bring forth another red energy orb, much as she started the fight with. Clearly hurting, she nonetheless tries to fling it past Balrog and at Makoto, all the while trying to just back up from this guy. She clearly wants nothing to do with Balrog.

COMBATSYS: James counters Mithan's Robe from Vice with Dead Air.

[            \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////       ]
Balrog           0/-------/-======|====---\-------\0              Guy
[                 \\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////                 ]
Vice             0/-------/---====|=======\==-----\1           Megumi
[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////                        ]
Makoto           1/-----==/=======|=======\-------\1            James


COMBATSYS: Guy successfully hits Makoto with Seoi Nage.

[            \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////       ]
Balrog           0/-------/-======|=====--\-------\0              Guy
[                 \\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////                 ]
Vice             0/-------/---====|=======\==-----\1           Megumi
[                   \\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////                        ]
Makoto           1/--=====/=======|=======\-------\1            James


COMBATSYS: Megumi successfully hits Makoto with Crimson Comet.

[            \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////       ]
Balrog           0/-------/-======|=====--\-------\0              Guy
[                 \\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////                 ]
Vice             0/-------/---====|=======\====---\1           Megumi
[                         \\\\\  < >  //////                        ]
Makoto           2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|=======\-------\1            James


"Aww..." Up in the seating arrangements, the color simply drains away from Tony's face as his jaw slackens. Balrog looked mildly familiar to the fighter as well, although quite a few individuals fit his general bodytype-Hyo Imawano, for one. The claw though, the claw was memorable. A trademark, even. A very un-good trademark. "...Aww hells no..." Tony burbles, before cutting himself off. /The/ Spaniard was in Strolheim, and was probably going to kill him. Crud. He should probably be leaving then...but isn't. Indecision claimed him, instead...and in the end Tony just sort of sat there.

Makoto is quite literally picked up and thrown by Guy; she makes a startled sound as he hefts her. "Hey! Put me down!" Although being thrown was not quite what she'd expected, she twists about and makes an attempt at landing on her feet. It would work, too, if Megumi's ball of energy didn't strike her in the small of her back, causing her to faceplant and skid back toward Guy.
When Makoto finally pushes herself to her feet, it's with a good deal more effort than she'd like; her face is bleeding from scraping across the ground, and her back doesn't exactly feel quite all there either. She is, however, still up...her run toward Guy is a little awkward, but the trio of punches toward his gut is delivered with full force, as is the followup smash toward his chin. She's not going to be able to keep this up much longer, though...she could swear she pulled something on that last smash, and she returns to a standing position quite painfully.

When you startle a wild beast - wake them from sleep, nudge them from delerium, and so on - the beast sometimes has a tendency to react, and in quite a vicious manner. The instant Jim felt Vice's hands brush him, he spun around with remarkable agility, grabbing her wrists with his hands in a painful grip. His eyes were slightly glazed, but apparently he could see through them quite well. His jaw was set with grim and quiet determination, although it was rather obvious that he was in great pain. "Madam."

Falling onto his back, Jim pulled in his legs and dragged Vice on top of him. In one vicious piston, he sent her flying into the air, and a split second later loosed a blazing stream of crackling golden energy towards her. The energy slammed into the airborn girl a moment later, exploding in a brilliant lightshow and engulfing her completely before she fell to the ground several feet away.

How nice of everyone to leave Balrog alone, finally. Makoto is serving her purpose admirably, buying him the time he needs to give Megumi the attention she deserves. Only one more thing could make this scene any more beautiful than it already was, and that would be...yes...the cruel ease with which his Claw sinks into her belly. Vindication at last. "It's a bit late for introductions, dear. Just grin and bear it!", he pipes cheerfully as he gives that claw a loving wrench on removal. The psychological warfare has begun, and Balrog intends to push the advantage fully home: with Megumi in the weakened state that she is, and with nobody to distract him, he claps one hand on either side of the girl - she knows this move, she's felt it and with any luck fears it - and attempts to hoist her overhead. If successful, he'll drive her straight into the ground behind him.

COMBATSYS: Guy dodges Makoto's Seichuusen Godanzuki.

[             \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////       ]
Balrog           0/-------/-======|=====--\-------\0              Guy
[                 \\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////                 ]
Vice             0/-------/---====|=======\====---\1           Megumi
[                         \\\\\  < >  //////                        ]
Makoto           0/-------/--=====|=======\-------\1            James


Once again, Guy's plan goes off quite nicely. After having chucked Makoto, he's ready to get back to hounding Balrog; he's not sure just what's between the spaniard and Megumi, but Guy's pretty sure it's nothing good. He starts to charge at Balrog, only to be interrupted by Makoto once again. Persistant, but this time he was half expecting it. Leaping up, somersaulting forward at Balrog, maybe Guy needs to say 'step off' a little more clearly. Coming out of his somersault, reaching forward for the shoulder, he grabs for Balrog's shoulders, planning to use his momentum to flip his opponent over and slam him into the ground.

For a moment, Vice blinks as her wrists were grabbed, the grin slipping from her lips as she stares blankly into James's for a moment... but the world then exploded into a red haze, and pain.

Megumi keeps trying to back away, but she's hurting, and Balrog's probably faster than her even when she's in fine shape. He gets his hold, and will smash her into the dirt yard hard, hard enough to cry out from the pain.

She rolls out of his grip after the suplex concludes, getting up to her feet. "Get away..." She flicks her wrist to the side, red energy flowing off of it, up her arm, shoulder...down her chest, hips, down her right leg...and ending at her foot.

"Get away!" Megumi snaps a kick at the air between her and Balrog, sending the energy shooting out as a thin beam. It expands into a wide, spiralling cone just inches short of him: the tip points at Balrog, the open end is wide enough for Megumi to fit into. And that's exactly what she plans, jumping into the cone feet-first. Once she's in, the energy cone rockets forward and tries to smash right through him. Something about this guy really has her spooked, and she's lashing out in a decidedly desperate fashion. Impressive, but desperate.

Ow ow ow. Makoto just stands there, trying to make sure her back isn't going to, like...fall apart or something as soon as she moves. It doesn't seem likely, even though right now, /everything/ hurts. Especially her face. She puts her hands on her knees, bending over as she takes the opportunity to both catch a breather and see if she has any /other/ wounds she should know about.

COMBATSYS: Makoto takes a breather.

[             \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////        ]
Balrog           1/------=/=======|=====--\-------\0              Guy
[                 \\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////                     ]
Vice             0/-------/---====|===----\-------\0           Megumi
[                     \\\\\\\\\  < >  //////                        ]
Makoto           0/-------/--=====|=======\-------\1            James


As Jim finished off the attack and relaxed his leg muscles a bit, his hearing returned all at a rush, the blood having cleared from his ears after that monumentous effort. Gingerly, he rolled forward and pushed himself onto all fours, then lifted himself onto his feet. His legs supported him relatively well, but he couldn't take another direct hit without some serious consequences. As he glanced at his opponent, he caught her words and smiled darkly. "Metro City trash has lots of pointy sides and edges."

He was a bit 'pissed off' himself, and he lifted a hand to bestow upon Vice a bit more of his current frame of mind when... He turned his head, noticing... Megumi. He could see her wounded and bleeding, struggling to get away from... All thoughts of petty vengeance, of pain, of self-preservation fell away as Jim turned /away/ from Vice and started towards Balrog. A fierce look filled his now-clear eyes, the a fiery determination, a newfound will. Steadying himself and drawing in a lungfull of air, he unleashed a shrill whistle, aimed towards the Spaniard. "Hey!"

Both hands pulled back into a tight grip, a slight tremor swept over James. Then, as he threw forward both hands, golden energy flashed within his palms and a spinning helix of golden light tore straight towards Balrog.

COMBATSYS: Balrog dodges Guy's Izuna Otoshi.

[             \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////        ]
Balrog           1/------=/=======|======-\-------\0              Guy
[                 \\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////                     ]
Vice             0/-------/---====|===----\-------\0           Megumi
[                     \\\\\\\\\  < >  /////                         ]
Makoto           0/-------/--=====|-------\-------\0            James


COMBATSYS: Balrog dodges Megumi's Exceed Charge.

[             \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////        ]
Balrog           1/------=/=======|======-\-------\0              Guy
[                 \\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////                     ]
Vice             0/-------/---====|===----\-------\0           Megumi
[                     \\\\\\\\\  < >  /////                         ]
Makoto           0/-------/--=====|-------\-------\0            James


COMBATSYS: Balrog dodges James' Golden Helix.

[             \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////        ]
Balrog           1/------=/=======|======-\-------\0              Guy
[                 \\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////                     ]
Vice             0/-------/---====|===----\-------\0           Megumi
[                     \\\\\\\\\  < >  /////                         ]
Makoto           0/-------/--=====|-------\-------\0            James


Yes, you fools. Save the poor, helpless girl that he's torturing. ...Pinheads. Can they not be any more stereotypical? Even as Megumi rolls away from him, Balrog's eyes are darting from side to side, noting the position and alignment of her team mates, lips parting to reveal a maniac grin of glee. Megumi doesn't have to tell him to get away: he's off like a bullet, ducking his head and slipping through the grasp of Guy. While Megumi is hot on his persuit, his land speed such that her attack simply can't keep up with him. And as if this weren't a crazy enough shooting alley, a golden helix of energy streaks by? It's a miracle that the three somehow miraculously avoid meeting their attacks in a three-way trainwreck, let alone aspiring to actually *hit* him.
It doesn't end there. Instead of veering away from the wall as he nears, Balrog leaps towards it. "Hooooooaaaaah..." Turning in midair so that for a brief moment his feet and hands touch off of it, he suddenly SPRINGS off of the surface right back at the three, travelling over their heads and seeking to strike Megumi down even as she stands in their midst with the strongest slash he can muster. "HAAAH!!"

Guy's frown deepens as Balrog manages to slip away from the gamut of attacks. Still, though, he's not letting up. Even as Balrog sprints away toward the wall, Guy is following, sprinting behind. When the clawninja leaps up and rebounds off of it, Guy is momentarily surprised, and does his best to follow suit. Kicking off the wall and rebounding, he's nonetheless a moment too late, his foot landing awkwardly on the wall and making him come off at a strange angle. Finding himself now heading more closely toward Vice, Guy attacks while he can, spinkicking on the way toward her, planning on heading back toward Balrog as soon as he can.

COMBATSYS: Vice blocks Guy's Bushin Senpuu Kyaku.

[             \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////         ]
Balrog           0/-------/-------|=======\-------\0              Guy
[                    \\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////                     ]
Vice             0/-------/-======|===----\-------\0           Megumi
[                     \\\\\\\\\  < >  /////                         ]
Makoto           0/-------/--=====|-------\-------\0            James


Vice's attention follows James as he begins his little rush to save Megumi. Hunching over further, she begins to dash towards the man's back. "Forget someone?" her hissing words also bearing a slight growl.

But out of the corner of her eye, she spots movement. And more out of instinct then any concious thought, she twists herself out of the way of the move. Which would've worked lovely, had his foot not struck her side, albiet in a less painful spot, anyways.

Staggering off to the side, she nonetheless returns her attention towards James. The ninja person could wait. He had to break, and he had to break NOW. Displaying her lack of anything resembling honor, she makes her move, attempting to grab James by either the shoulder, or the back of any clothes he was wearing, and smash him to the ground. She would then reach to his front, and drag him along the ground before tossing him away like the garbage she was fond of calling him.

COMBATSYS: Megumi counters Hari Tsuki Rolling Barcelona from Balrog with Flood Reversal.

[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////         ]
Balrog           0/-------/-----==|=======\-------\0              Guy
[                     \\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////                      ]
Vice             0/-------/-======|===----\-------\0           Megumi
[                     \\\\\\\\\  < >  /////                         ]
Makoto           0/-------/--=====|-------\-------\0            James


Megumi drops out of her energy cone as it fades away, not entirely keen on riding it into, say, a castle wall. It took a lot out of her, and she just plain looks exhausted. Guy heads off to fight someone else, and she decides to encourage James to do the same. "You, go...over..." She points at Makoto, panting for air. Balrog's really working her over.

Speaking of, he's now descending upon Megumi. She stares up at him...and suddenly shouts "There!", shooting her hands out to snatch at both claw and arm, getting them. She pivots ninety degrees, and flings Balrog away. He'll enjoy a nice rough landing. Megumi's too tired to capitalize on it and chase after him, but at least the claw didn't strike her. That's a plus in her book.

Makoto finally has some breath back, and Guy has his back to her. This is a good thing. Makoto inches forward, trying not to aggravate any damage or draw his attention. Only when she's close does she actually try anything; her foot lashes out toward the back of his legs, and she tries to yank backwards, taking him to the floor. When he's down - if he's down - she uses that same foot to axe-kick his back, hard. It's not her best move, but it's the best she can do right now.

COMBATSYS: James counters Gore Fest from Vice with Reversal.

[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////         ]
Balrog           0/-------/-----==|=======\-------\0              Guy
[                        \\\\\\  < >  ////////                      ]
Vice             0/-------/=======|===----\-------\0           Megumi
[                       \\\\\\\  < >  ////                          ]
Makoto           0/-------/--=====|==-----\-------\0            James


Jim wasn't quite sure how his corkscrewing attack had manage to miss Balrog, but miss it did. At the same time he unleashed it, a wave of nausia and fatigue crashed into him, bringing him to one knee. He barely noticed Megumi's surprise counter of Balrog's dirty little attack, but notice he did, and a smile creased his lips. The battle was far from over.

Vice chose that moment to strike, apparently. He felt her approach, could sense someone in his periphery. On reflex, he ducked lower and turned, catching Vice by surprise. Once again with his grip firmly on her wrist, he sent her tripping and smashing into the dirt, driving an elbow into her lower back and rolling over her into a crouched position. As he swiveled on one heel and crouched again to face his opponent, another wave of nausia struck him and he teetered slightly. He thought, somehow, that he might be bleeding internally... But his mind refused to allow his body to shut down, to preserve itself. This was his fight.

That was...unexpected. But it shouldn't have been: it's his fault for not remembering that damn Psi trick of hers from last time. Yoinked out of his air with a yelp of surprise - he prefers the normal laws of physics without your meddling, nothing personal Megumi - he's flung away from her, and thus she's safe for the moment. If only the same could be said for poor James. Landing out of sight behind him, not even making much noise with how smoothly he rolls up from his impact with the ground, he points a finger at Megumi from a distance: he'll deal with her in the moment. In the meantime, the assassin quietly pads towards James from behind, doing his best to remain silent. Guy and Megumi are at a bit of a distance now, so more than likely they can only watch in horror as he walks right up to James from behind, grabs him by the shoulder, and wrenches him around to face him: he'd better think fast, or he's going to end up with a belly full of razors. "Here's a tip your teacher forgot to mention: you shouldn't have whistled." Setting a proper example like the good mentor that he is, Balrog waits until after the stab to announce his attack.

COMBATSYS: Guy dodges Makoto's Araiso.

[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////         ]
Balrog           0/-------/-----==|=======\-------\0              Guy
[                        \\\\\\  < >  ////////                      ]
Vice             0/-------/=======|===----\-------\0           Megumi
[                       \\\\\\\  < >  ////                          ]
Makoto           0/-------/--=====|==-----\-------\0            James


As Makoto creeps up on him, Guy's left eyebrow twitches, and when the trip attempt comes in, he lets out a, "Hmph!" and leaps into the air, flipping backwards and in fact backing up just enough in his jump to land squarely on Makoto's head, feet close together to fit on such a small surface area. He looks downwards and informs the girl, "Now is not our time to fight."
And then he's off, backflipping again off the girl and hitting the ground in a run towards Balrog, leaping into the air once more and curling into a ball, flipping forward several times before unfolding above Balrog and stopping suddenly in midair, arms snapping down to try to hook themselves under the Spaniard's armpits.
Should this grapple suceed, Guy flips forward once more, this time with Balrog in tow, and slams him violently into the ground at James's feet in some kind of strange pseudosuplex.

The Orochi woman shakily rises to her feet after the pain of James' counter, holding her belly and breathing heavily. Faintly visible on back of the black and red fabric of the dress she wore, were a few bloodstains now. Seems the wounds she had sustained during her 'lesson' had not been allowed to fully heal.

"Bastard...!" she hisses towards Balrog, ducking down and scooping up a loose chunk of rock from the ground below. "That one is -mine-." she says, her anger overriding the common sense that would say that saying such things to Balrog was not such a good idea. Despite her words, she makes no move towards Balrog, instead flinging her rock at the head of James.

What trick? Megumi spent years learning how to catch attacks like that, that's no special trick. A feat against someone as fast as Balrog? Yeah. Trick, no. But she's been given the reprieve she wanted, regardless.

Megumi takes a second to gather herself, watching, thinking...rock thrown. Vice is chunking stones at James. Okay. She cups her hands in front of her once more, forming that familiar glittering red sphere. Pulling it behind her head, she leans forward and pitches it at Vice, hoping to bean her with it in the sides.

Makoto is left alone. Except for the fact that Guy was, however briefly, standing on her head. That was not quite the reaction she was hoping for, nor is it one that she can really deal with. "Hey!" She starts a slow run toward Guy, leaping up into the air as she approaches and trying to return the favour by stepping on /his/ head. Except it's not really stepping on so much as kicking off; the kick gives her an opportunity to plant her foot and boost up into the air in another leap, landing a bit beyond Guy. If it misses, though, she's going to hit the ground a little uncomfortably. Okay, a lot uncomfortably.

COMBATSYS: James endures Vice's Thrown Object.

[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////          ]
Balrog           0/-------/-----==|=======\-------\0              Guy
[                        \\\\\\  < >  ///////                       ]
Vice             0/-------/=======|===----\-------\0           Megumi
[                        \\\\\\  < >  /                             ]
Makoto           0/-------/--=====|===----\-------\0            James


COMBATSYS: James endures Balrog's Weapon Jab.

[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////          ]
Balrog           0/-------/-----==|=======\-------\0              Guy
[                        \\\\\\  < >  ///////                       ]
Vice             0/-------/=======|===----\-------\0           Megumi
[                        \\\\\\  < >                                ]
Makoto           0/-------/--=====|======-\-------\0            James


So, it looked like it was Jim's turn to bite the dust... Not quite yet, though. Even as Vice's stone came around to blunt him in the face and Balrog's little claw perforated something rather useful (while unperforated, anyway) in his back, he took the moment to lean into the latter and stare Balrog right in the face. And he smiled. "Picking on someone your own size, now, are you?"

The hand laying on the ground supporting Jim just 'happened' to be beneath Balrog as he jabbed, and Jim brought it up and away, trailing yet another stream of crackling energy, which streaked unguided towards the Spaniard.

James, on the other hand, took that moment to drop like a sack of potatoes, bleeding from the new back wound and again from either ear (the latter wounds reopened when his skull smacked against the ground). Stick a fork him; he's done.

COMBATSYS: James can no longer fight.

[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////          ]
Balrog           0/-------/-----==|=======\-------\0              Guy
[                        \\\\\\  < >  ///////                       ]
Vice             0/-------/=======|===----\-------\0           Megumi
[                        \\\\\\  <
Makoto           0/-------/--=====|


COMBATSYS: Guy successfully hits Balrog with Bushin Izuna Otoshi.

[                  \\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////          ]
Balrog           0/-------/---====|=======\-------\1              Guy
[                        \\\\\\  < >  ///////                       ]
Vice             0/-------/=======|===----\-------\0           Megumi
[                        \\\\\\  <
Makoto           0/-------/--=====|


COMBATSYS: Balrog dodges James' Force Ki.

[                  \\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////          ]
Balrog           0/-------/---====|=======\-------\1              Guy
[                        \\\\\\  < >  ///////                       ]
Vice             0/-------/=======|===----\-------\0           Megumi
[                        \\\\\\  <
Makoto           0/-------/--=====|


"Then you should have finished him off!", Balrog replies with a cheery laugh as the blades are plunged into James, shortly followed by Vice's secret technique of Rock To Head. But then...the guy speaks up. And Balrog, well, let's think for a moment here. Sneers? No, as much as he considers James beneath him, that'd be a step in the positive direction. Laughs? Damn straight. Grinning at James, he has enough time to roll his eyes before throwing himself out of the way to supposed safety. "You're beneath me, if I'm not mistaken." He kicks the fallen James to illustrate, but that display of cruelty proves his undoing: Balrog is hauled up by Guy and brutally slammed into the ground, evicting a pained cry with the force of the blow, but still not dazed enough to let that stop him. Throwing himself forward and shoving Guy to the side, he begins his sprint back towards Megumi. He has a date to keep, you know. He doesn't close the final distance directly, instead circling around her to throw her prediction ability off, before finally stepping in with what looks like a kick at first. Instead, with a fancy bit of footwork, the Spaniard twists his in mid-motion to drop down on that foot, and instead bring his *other* sailing for the back of her head.

COMBATSYS: Guy dodges Makoto's Tsurugi.

[                   \\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////          ]
Balrog           0/-------/---====|=======\-------\1              Guy
[                        \\\\\\  < >  ///////                       ]
Vice             0/-------/=======|===----\-------\0           Megumi
[                        \\\\\\  <
Makoto           0/-------/--=====|


Guy springs backwards away from Balrog as he's shoved, more than happy to get out of the striking range of the man's claw, and he's about to gear up for another attack when he is, once again, Makoto'd at. With a sigh, he snaps a hand up and grabs the girl's ankle as it comes in towards his head and yanks her swiftly downwards, attempting to slam her frustratedly into the ground. "You're going to have to try something special to hit me, miss."

COMBATSYS: Megumi successfully hits Vice with Crimson Comet.

[                   \\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////          ]
Balrog           0/-------/---====|=======\-------\1              Guy
[                             \  < >  ///////                       ]
Vice             1/-----==/=======|=====--\-------\0           Megumi
[                        \\\\\\  <
Makoto           0/-------/--=====|


Curling her lip further at Balrog's comment, Vice twists her head away from him, nostrils flaring in anger as her eyes search for another target, landing upon Guy. It was at this moment that the fireball strikes her in the side.

And it hurt. A lot. But pain was secondary right now, secondary to relieving her frustration on a more suitiable target than the now-unconcious James. Vice orients herself towards the man that filled her vision. Vice orients herself towards Guy.

Black began to replace the red in her vision, but single-mindedly, she begins to trudge towards Guy, that trudge gaining speed with each step. With a defiant shout, one more against the darkness that threatened to overtake her vision, rather than her oppenent, Vice seeks to grab the ninja, spin him upside down... then smash against the ground below. But then she would do it again. And again. Either at his dodge, or the third strike of Guy upon ground, Vice would lose her battle with the darkness, and fall to the ground, unconcious.

COMBATSYS: Vice can no longer fight.

[                   \\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////          ]
Balrog           0/-------/---====|=======\-------\1              Guy
[                        \\\\\\  < >  ///////                       ]
Makoto           0/-------/--=====|=====--\-------\0           Megumi


COMBATSYS: Megumi fails to counter Cosmic Smart from Balrog with Flood Reversal.

[                   \\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////          ]
Balrog           0/-------/--=====|=======\-------\1              Guy
[                        \\\\\\  < >  //                            ]
Makoto           0/-------/--=====|=======\-------\1           Megumi


Megumi fails to fall for the feint in the classical sense. She's seen enough people try that. In fact, she gets greedy; she goes after the feinting limb! And almost has it too, before Balrog pulls it back and uses his other leg. *Whack*, right where he aimed it.

Megumi falls down on her face. To her credit, she's not down yet. She...does start to push back up. Slowly but surely, she's getting back to her feet. No words, just the effort of getting up after taking yet another hit to the head...

COMBATSYS: Guy successfully hits Makoto with Strong Throw.

[                   \\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////          ]
Balrog           0/-------/--=====|=======\=------\1              Guy
[                             \  < >  //                            ]
Makoto           1/------=/=======|=======\-------\1           Megumi


Makoto is grabbed out of the air by Guy - grabbed, and then thrown solidly right into the ground. It doesn't look like she's going to get up for a moment; she just lies there, sprawled untidily in a heap.
Very slowly, though, Makoto forces herself to her feet. The cuts on her face are bleeding, again, and she's breathing hard, but she /is/ up. "If you want something special - you've got it," she says, softly, staring straight at Guy once she's straightened all the way up. With another deep breath to settle herself, hands held in front of her, she steps forward in a slow, deliberate pace. Fortunately, Guy isn't far; it only takes her a step or two, and then she can deliver a series of well-aimed strikes with both arms and one foot. They're not an incredible flurry; they don't come that fast. Each one has her entire focus and strength behind it, though, and they strike with deceptive force.
Eventually, though, even Makoto's focus can't hold her up anymore; she puts her foot down wrongly after a kick, twists her ankle and lands on her knees. She isn't even able to get off one more chop before she slumps the rest of the way, out cold.

COMBATSYS: Makoto can no longer fight.

[                   \\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////          ]
Balrog           0/-------/--=====|=======\=------\1              Guy
                                  >  //                            ]
                                 |=======\-------\1           Megumi


The kick has her reeling, the blood loss has her lightheaded...and she's afraid of him. The necessary tools are at the assassin's disposal, and he intends to end this the right way. He doesn't even have to close any distance really, and he's even nice enough to grab the front of Megumi's shirt with his right hand and help her to her feet, though he ensures that she's elevated off of firm footing for his own safety's sake. "It was a pleasant reunion, Megumi. Unfortunately, I finish what I start." And with that, he simply jerks his left wrist forward into her stomach again, trying to stink those claws in once more, hopefully for the last time. ...
Well, the last time *today*, anyway. <3

COMBATSYS: Vice successfully hits Guy with Withering Surface.

[                  \\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////                ]
Balrog           0/-------/--=====|=======\====---\1              Guy
                                  >  //                            ]
                                 |=======\-------\1           Megumi


COMBATSYS: Makoto successfully hits Guy with Tanden Renki.

[                  \\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////                      ]
Balrog           0/-------/--=====|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2              Guy
                                  >  //                            ]
                                 |=======\-------\1           Megumi


Guy, quite frankly, gets Schooled. His ninja talents finally fail him, possibly due to being offset by Vice's creepy tenacity, and he gets triple-groundslammed quite violently. This, alone, hurts very badly and opens several wounds in the back of Guy's head.
But to make things worse, when he's getting UP from that, Makoto simply beats what hell remains out of him. Despite suddenly becoming VIOLENTLY ASSKICKED, Guy doesn't groan or growl or snarl, simply climbing steadfastly back to his feet, that same frown as always on his feet. "Your students are tenacious and ferocious. If it is you that instilled this in them, than I congratulate you for your efficient teaching," he announces, even as he closes his eyes and begins to concentrate, planting his feet, facing Balrog and preparing for his attack.

COMBATSYS: Guy focuses on his next action.

[                  \\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////                      ]
Balrog           0/-------/--=====|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2              Guy
                                  >  //                            ]
                                 |=======\-------\1           Megumi


COMBATSYS: Balrog successfully hits Megumi with Weapon Jab.

[                  \\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////                      ]
Balrog           0/-------/-======|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2              Guy
                                  >                                ]
                                 |=======\=------\1           Megumi


Megumi is lifted up. But...she knows how to get out of this. She knows. Getting out of being held by the shirt or neck is one of the first things she ever learned about fighting. Her left hand swings from underneath Balrog's, hoping to catch it at the wrist and force it upward.

Nice idea. And it probably would've worked if she'd been in condition enough to start a little bit sooner. The escape-tactic is cut off abruptly when she's stabbed right in the gut, and Megumi...goes limp. Just in time to see Guy finish dealing with Guy and Makoto, but also getting waylaid. One eye's already closed, but she saw what happened, and reaches over Balrog's shoulders. She doesn't want his body blocking this as she hangs impaled on his claws.

Her hands go wide, then high and low...or as good as she can with the angles restricted by reaching past Balrog. It's good enough; a paper-thin, tall, sparkling red energy wall springs into being where she just gestured. It goes towards Guy...and she'll not get to see the result of it. Her other eye closes, mind shutting down. She's out.

COMBATSYS: Megumi can no longer fight.

[                  \\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////                      ]
Balrog           0/-------/-======|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2              Guy


Balrog frowns at first, twisting his claw painfully within Megumi when she seems to fight back...but he's left with the familiar feel of a victim sagging in his grip, he turns with her still in his grasp to follow the line of the red energy. He...has an idea of what Megumi just did. That's a trick of Athena's. He knows it well, and he despises it. Snorting derisively, he removes the forked blades from her stomach and drops her like an ugly baby. He then steps over her, circling around wide, until there's nothing standing between himself and his final opponent. "Both of them have discipline. A different kind in each, but that isn't the sort of thing that can be taught." He glances at his fallen "pupils"...and while he's far from a sentimental fool if his treatment of Megumi is any indication, he does have to give them credit: they served him well for tools. The least he can do at this point is see the rest of it through - mostly for his own sake admittedly, but they've earned the right to stand with him at least.
"In the end, it comes down the two of us. Let's follow their example, shall we?" Smirking at Guy, he nods his head once, and looks like he's about to nod twice, but halfway into the second he launches himself forward, springing off of his hands into a careening roll ghat sends him bowling into Guy. It's merely a setup to keep him off-guard for the real attack however, coming up from his second bounce off the ground with a stab for his side.

COMBATSYS: Megumi successfully hits Guy with Restoration Aura.

[                   \\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////                    ]
Balrog           0/-------/-======|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2              Guy


COMBATSYS: Guy endures Balrog's Rolling Crystal Flash.

[                   \\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////                         ]
Balrog           1/-------/=======|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2              Guy


Guy cracks his equivalent of a smile - that is, he briefly stops frowning to look neutral - when Megumi gets off as much healing as she can before going down, and embraces the warmth as the wave washes over him, slowing his breathing into a rhythmic in-and-out. "Of course, at least one of my students, as you can see," he begins, eyes still closed. "Practices the art of healing, and they are both, as you have felt, defensive combatants. This is the difference between fighting for power and fighting for good."
"The true purpose of Bushinryu is not to defeat your enemy, but to protect the weak and innocent," he preaches on, as Balrog bounds towards him and begins to roll. "I do not sense this purpose in you. Your use of such a vicious weapon shows you as insecure in your own abilities, and your apparent enjoyment of combat for such sadistic measures is an obvious sign of an evil man."
"So this becomes not just a battle of skill, but a battle of morals! I will defeat you to show you that Good is the mightiest force! This is the way!" Even in his 'excited voice,' he hardly raises above a whisper, but he still manages to seem mighty, and he doesn't flinch even as Balrog's claw digs into his midsection, tearing open both his flesh and his gi.
He does not flinch, either, when he smashes his hand downwards, trying to crack it violently into the back of Balrog's claw before gripping the sides and tearing it violently off and tossing it aside, uncaring if he takes some of the skin on the man's hand with it.
Should this effort succeed, he launches into a barrage of brutal asskickery, delivering two quick kicks to the man's knee and hip, followed by a half-dozen of punches to his chest and shoulders.
As a finale, he leaps into the air, ending up sideways in midair and kicking once, which spins him about and gives him a little more height, and then again, trying to slam his foot violently into the side of Balrog's head.

COMBATSYS: Balrog blocks Guy's Bushin Musou Renge.

[                        \\\\\\  < >  /////                         ]
Balrog           1/-----==/=======|====---\-------\0              Guy


Oh, simply *marvelous*. A speech. Please forgive him if the set of his eyes changes to a somewhat bored and exhasperated one. There isn't much time to talk after he launches himself at Guy, so his responce will have to wait. With Guy accepting the stab of the blades and using it as an opportunity to trap Balrog's hand, he's allowed the pleasure of wrenching the weapon away from him and summarily discarding it. That does not, however, leave the Spaniard a helpless and defensive fighter. Showing that he possesses a surprising amount of strength to back up his speed, Balrog first braces with a squat so that he has a more centralized position to mount his defensive from, using every single angle of his forearms conceivable to interdict the blows from their intended targets. Unfortunately, the righteous fury of Guy still bears its toll: each blow is extremely powerful, leaving his arms a mass of scrapes and bruises with fractured bone underneath. His arms are literally screaming right now: he won't be able to stand the pain for too much of an extended period. This will have to end. Soon.
"I'll give you one thing.", the Spaniard begins. "Your speeches are far less lame than Athena's..." Surging forward once he detects a lapse in Guy's activity, ignoring the sheer agony of his forearms straining, he tries to grab the other ninja under the armpits in a way much similar to what his opponent had treated him to not too long ago. Teeth clenched with the effort, the rest is a snarl: "...BUT THAT ISN'T SAYING MUCH."

If his grip is good enough, he'll spring upward with Guy and slam him into the ground with two consecutive midair rolls, only to launch himself back into the air with the man, turn the man upsidedown, and drive him into the courtyard in the most brutal piledriver possible.

COMBATSYS: Guy dodges Balrog's Hari Tsuki Rolling Barcelona.

[                        \\\\\\  < >  /////                         ]
Balrog           0/-------/-----==|====---\-------\0              Guy


Though Guy falls victim to Balrog's rolling, grappling fury, his braced position allows him to simply deny Balrog's initial slam, instead attempting to reverse the grapple and wrap his arms around Balrog's midsection, lifting him up above his head, spinning him about, and attempting to slam him violently into the ground, head-and-shoulders first.

COMBATSYS: Balrog blocks Guy's Strong Throw.

[                          \\\\  < >  /////                         ]
Balrog           0/-------/----===|=====--\-------\0              Guy


Balrog, in turn, seems to know how to brace himself for a throw as well. Though he is indeed slammed into the ground, he manages to wriggle enough out of Guy's grasp to where his full back can absorb the brunt of the attack. It still hurts, but it's alot better than what he had intended. It also sets him up to keep the pressure on: not giving Guy a second of respite, his arms in turn grab the other ninja, trying to haul him up overhead as he stands so that he can crash backwards with him into the ground.
They're not dancing. Really.

COMBATSYS: Balrog successfully hits Guy with Rainbow Suplex.

[                           \\\  < >  /                             ]
Balrog           0/-------/--=====|=======\-------\1              Guy


Guy oofs, the air escaping his lungs as he's slammed against the ground. This doesn't stop him from continuing his assault, however, rolling backwards, out of Balrog's grip and into a crouching position, and lunging forward, trying to grab Balrog and leap into the air, carrying him along.
If he manages to, he releases him at the hangtime of his jump and proceeds to quite simply beat the unholy crap out of him.

COMBATSYS: Balrog just-defends Guy's Bushin Hassou Ken!

[                        \\\\\\  < >  /                             ]
Balrog           0/-------/--=====|-------\-------\0              Guy


Often, things simply don't just don't go the way you plan them. Rarely though, ever so rarely, it turns out being for the best, much like missing the flight that goes down in the middle of the ocean.
Tensing his legs in preparation to spring away, Balrog takes a step to the side and...slips on a pebble!? "Dammit!" Flailing his arms while cursing in Spanish, the declawed ninja lands flat on his ass, just in time for Guy to go sailing by. ...What the hell? This is just flat out surreal! Is this another one of Vega's weird mental conditioning things? Regardless of how it happened, Balrog perfectly escaped Guy's maneuver through sheer blind luck, and he has an opening right in front of him. Launching himself up from his sitting position, he attempts to counter his opponent's leap by backflipping in place, attempting to get a solid hit on the fighter's jaw.

COMBATSYS: Guy dodges Balrog's Scarlet Terror.

[                         \\\\\  < >  /                             ]
Balrog           0/-------/--=====|-------\-------\0              Guy


Guy narrows his eyes as Balrog slips - literally - under his attack, and as his initial lunge ends, he twists about in midair and lands in a crouch, ducking down under Balrog's attempted counterattack and then straightening up and trying to simply plant a foot into his opponent's chest, real straightforward-like. He's pretty much completely out of steam as far as fancy maneuvers go...

COMBATSYS: Balrog fails to interrupt Medium Kick from Guy with Cosmic Smart.

                                  >  /                             ]
                                 |-------\-------\0              Guy


COMBATSYS: Balrog can no longer fight.

                                  >  /                             ]
                                 |-------\-------\0              Guy


Balrog has the same thought as well, the two fighters meeting kick for kick in a finale truly worthy of this gruelling match, but as Balrog raises his arms again to ward off the attack, a flash of pain catches him just long enough for Guy to land a square hit. Balrog is knocked back onto his ass with the blow, and for a long moment he just sits there. He doesn't get back up, apparently he's just thinking, and alot of it seems to be focussed on those ruined arms of his. Finally, he speaks.
"I concede. Even if I slam your face into the courtyard until you've got no teeth left for the camera, this just isn't worth it anymore." Shaking his arms, it's apparent that he suffered something from those last blocks: given the hidden pain the Spaniard is trying his hardest to conceal from everyone, something nasty.
Instead, the Spaniard climbs to his feet somewhat unsteadily. He doesn't offer his hand to Guy for any number of reasons, but he does allow him a tight, respectful nod. "I'll be honest with you: I don't buy into your morals, at all. Good, Justice, Bunshinryu, whatever you want to call it: don't preach it to me. The only people I want to protect are long since gone, and I'm happy with this little hedonistic existance of mine." That's alot, coming from Balrog. He turns on his heels, looking to the four fallen fighters...his two in much better shape all considered, Guys having been utterly brutalized...and he shakes his head. "You aren't good enough for the crap you spew. Look at your guys, look at mine...while all of them are beaten, yours are mutilated and half-dead. You couldn't protect them. Your ways would not have saved my mother." Spitting on ground with a disdainful hmph, he turns back to look at Guy one last time. "I'll acknowledge you as an equal. If that isn't enough for you, I'll leave a message at your hotel with where you can find me. One on one, we'll see whether your principles have any meaning."
Unlike Athena, he can take this guy alot more seriously. And he'll show him just how poorly his morals will hold up on their own.

Oh, by the way, did I mention that the definition for "graceful loser" doesn't exist in Balrog's dictionary?

"I am sorry you had to suffer through the loss of your mother," Guy states, simply, "But that is no excuse to be such a hateful man. You only live once, yes, but remember that everyone else only lives once, too."
With this said, he bows deeply. "Perhaps I will take you up on that," he finishes, and then turns sharply, moving to make sure Megumi and James aren't, you know, bleeding to death.

Log created by Balrog, and last modified on 08:43:55 04/26/2005.