Description: Rock may have wanted a rematch with Seishirou, but he'll have to settle for a blisteringly close 1-on-2 tag-battle against Kelvin and Tora. (Winner: Rock)
Rooftop
Accessible from a single stairway, the rooftop of Taiyo High is often
fairly quiet. Flat and wide, it provides a large venue for students who wish
to try out their fighting skills. Not that Taiyo teachers officially
encourage such activities on such a dangerous platform, of course...
Lights. Camera. Action. Now, this is a new one. He's fought a few times before,
but never has Rock Howard drawn this much attention. I guess being so publicly
announced as the son of Geese Howard helps one's popularity. In addition to a
huge, fairly elaborate camera crew, the fight on the roof of Taiyo High has
drawn a rather huge crowd. Outside of the designated 'fight area', the roof is
packed as much as would be safe, with more spectators on the ground below.
Everything's in place -- Spotlights to keep the action clear, three cameras,
complete with cranes, and 'boxing ring' style ropes to mark where the ring
begins and where it ends. And at the center of it all is Rock Howard, standing
dead center in the ring and waiting for his challengers.
"Yeah, kid, don't sweat it, this'll be a snap. Heck, it's almost unfair." These
are the words of one Tora Uzaruto, as he strolls out of the stairwell,
apparently addressing the fellow behind him that looks to be the same age.
Grinning, Tora looks out across the familiar -- but not usually so crowded --
Taiyo rooftop, spots Rock, and starts walking towards the ring.
"Hey, hey, been a while, man. Hope you're up for getting your ass kicked? I
mean, I know I'm late for the spar, but here we are." Slipping into the ring
without glancing back at Kelvin again, Tora seems completely serious when he
says this, although there's a faint grin -- there's no real malice here.
That's about what Dan said.. ..and Dan got the tar beat out of him by Daigo.
Kelvin remembers this all too well, as he just sort of stares at Tora. Deja Vu?
You betcha! But, rather than try and poke holes in his teammate's confidence,
he gives a subtle nod of his head, before moving to the legal limits at the side
of the ring, to prepare for the case when he might be called in. All of these
lights, and the people.. ..they're a bit less of a distraction than they were at
the start of his first battle, but he still spares a few moments to glance
around at them. "Just.. ..don't push yourself too hard," he calls, though in
his indoor voice..so it might get dulled out over the hooting and hollering.
"Tch. I was hoping for a rematch with Ryouhara." Rock Howard stands at the
center of the ring, his hands stuffed into his pockets. "But you two'll do just
as good. Especially since you--" Rock levels his glare on Tora, "--beat him up,
too. Welcome to the club. It's getting kinda crowded." Pulling one gloved hand
from his pocket, Rock waves a hand before his person, lighting it up with... raw
chi. Purple energy, by the looks of it. Quite a bit, too, the be summoned up by
someone his age. "I sacrificed alot for these fights, y'know. My rep at school
is pretty much over, now. More importantly, I had to cooperate with /him/ to get
here. But I think it's going to be worth it." Turning on his heel, Rock walks
back to the edge of the ring, before turning back to face Tora and Kelvin. "I
wanna see just where I stand. Make it worth my while."
Tora breaks into an open smirk at Rock's first sentence, which shifts into a
grin at the second and third. It's the fourth and fifth that elicit open
laughter from Tora, as he settles into a casual pose only vaguely reminiscent of
a fighting stance. "Yeah, yeah, man. Let's make a deal. None of us in this ring
rob the other side the way Shaderio robbed me, right?" This on TV, no less.
Sei-kun, you watching? Smile, it's all about you. "'Cuz we want this to be a
good fight much as you do." He glances back to Kelvin over his shoulder. "That
right, kid?" Yes, Tora is calling someone the same age as him 'kid'.
Oddly, it fits, considering Kelvin's small frame..he looks a bit younger than he
is. He also doesn't really seem to mind, since he allows a brief smile in
Tora's direction. It's short lived, however. This 'Rock' guy, he's obviously
taking this battle very seriously. It's possible that someone might get injured
here..and so, it's with this in mind that Kelvin continues watching tensely,
though he tries his best to keep his mind at ease. Such a public tournament
would have security measures, wouldn't it?
Rock's not wasting much time. He slips gracefully into a combat stance, his arms
careful held lower and staring straight ahead at Kelvin and Tora. "Whenever you
two are ready, alright?" Jerking his neck to flip some hair out of his way, Rock
stands almost entirely still, tightening his palms into posts. He's taking this
seriously, alright. When it's 2v1, you have no choice but to -- Especially when
you're the 1.
Tora looks back to Rock from Kelvin, and sees the readiness. Some of the humor
from his face fades slightly, and he nods to Rock, settling into a real combat
stance finally. "Let's do it."
Shifting into quick sprint, Tora crosses the ring quickly, moving in a direction
that would take him past Rock, were his intent to keep moving. Instead, he
twists midway into a high-speed spinning backfist, aiming to test Rock's
reflexes before commiting to anything more serious.
COMBATSYS: Tora has started a fight here.
COMBATSYS: Rock has joined the fight here.
COMBATSYS: Rock blocks Tora's Jab Punch.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Rock 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Tora
"Tch." Rock seems to be letting Tora close range with him. He's not even making
an effort to evade. Instead, he merely waits for Tora's attack... and then slams
his forearm into Tora's while he swings, effectively cutting his momentum and
the force of his attack considerably. All told, Rock seems hardly irritated by
the blow. He barely flinches. "Try again, pal. Hit me seriously. This isn't some
math test, it's a fight!" His hands moving into action, Rock dives low once Tora
finishes his blow. Reaching out to snatch at the ninja's ankles, Rock attempts
to make a grab -- which, if successful, sends his entire body into motion. His
arms whirling around like a windmill, Rock aims to swing Tora around low and
release him. The throw derives most of its power from centripetal force, enough
to cend the ninja flying treacherously close to the edge of the rooftop
COMBATSYS: Kelvin has joined the fight here.
COMBATSYS: Tora blocks Rock's Shinkuu Nage.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////////// ]
Kelvin 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Tora
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rock 0/-------/-------|
Tora frowns a bit at the block, not liking how this is starting. Then, as he
finds himself being picked up, his dismay increases quite a bit, lacking an
immediate means to stop himself from getting flung. Around the time that he
impacts with the roof, however, there's a burst of white chi-smoke, and instead
of skidding across the roof, he's flying in the air towards Rock, swinging his
fist again at the upperclassman. This time, however, there's a bit of an orange
glow, as a chi-flame is surrounding the punch.
COMBATSYS: Rock blocks Tora's Burning Hand.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////////// ]
Kelvin 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Tora
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rock 0/-------/------=|
And, once again... Rock deflects this attack just as he had the previous one,
with a flick of his forearm. He's apparently quite good at protecting himself
from harm. "That's better!" Bracing his left, blocking forearm with his right
hand, Rock is only momentarily vulnerable as he leans his weight against Tora's
arm in an effort to just slightly unbalance him by diverting his already
formidable momentum. Why? Because as he does so, Rock bracing right hand snaps
out from its place, flying right for Tora's face.
COMBATSYS: Rock successfully hits Tora with Medium Punch.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Kelvin 0/-------/-------|===----\-------\0 Tora
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rock 0/-------/------=|
Tora starts to smirk at the comment, but then he realizes that he didn't do much
more with that attack than before. Looking at Rock with a slightly more alarmed
expression, he sees the strike coming for his face, and it looks not at all
friendly. Quickly raising his forearms in a cross block, Tora takes the momentum
with him into a backwards tumble, coming back to his feet on the other side of
the ring from Rock with a bit of a frown.
"... your punch is strong." Unnecessary observation made, Tora shifts into a
clearly defensive stance as a faint flicker of an orange aura forms around his
hands. He's clearly quite wary of Rock, and seems content to take a moment to
prepare himself.
COMBATSYS: Tora focuses on his next action.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Kelvin 0/-------/-------|===----\-------\0 Tora
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rock 0/-------/------=|
Rock slowly retracts his fist, looking down at his hand wearily for just a
moment. "Yeah," he begins, grinning lopsidedly. "It is. That punch... That's
what you get when you've got a real fighter's pedigree." Sliding calmly back
into his fighting stance, Rock lingers in place for a few moments, allowing Tora
a moment to prepare. "But I'm more than just my bastard of an old man's son!"
And then he does something... a little weird. Despite having a well-known ranged
attack, Rock apparently decides not to use it. Instead, he plunges one hand into
the ground, his fingers prying at the underside of one of the waterproof tiles
that make up the school's roof. Demonstrating impressive strength, Howard
manages to pry it loose... and then he simply chucks it at Tora, like a frisbee,
aimed for his throat. But that's not all -- As it flies, so too does Rock,
sprinting in to close the gap between he and Tora as he follows behind the tile.
COMBATSYS: Tora blocks Rock's Thrown Object.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////// ]
Kelvin 0/-------/-------|===----\-------\0 Tora
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rock 0/-------/------=|
Tora allows for a brief moment a faint matching grin to Rock, fully
understanding the pride of building up your own skill. But then when Rock
reaches for the floor, Tora has to frown again. What is he..? Oh. Realizing that
this is going to need a little more in the way of action, as soon as Rock throws
the tile, Tora is moving forward, toward it. Before it quite reaches him,
there's another burst of chi smoke, but this time it doesn't fully obscure the
next event -- Tora starts moving to the side, right as another Tora appears,
grabbing the tile out of the air, preventing it from hitting the first Tora.
The second Tora gets a bit of his hand and arm cut up from trying to catch the
tile like a football, but he manages to keep hold of it as the first Tora leaps
into the air over Rock.. The point of all this?
Tora Prime makes an attempt to kick at the approaching Rock on the downward drop
of his jump, to hopefully get Rock from behind. Tora Secondary will continue his
spin from catching the tile, and try to smash Rock in the face with it.
COMBATSYS: Rock blocks Tora's Bunshin Ambush.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////// ]
Kelvin 0/-------/-------|====---\-------\0 Tora
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rock 0/-------/-----==|
Almost. But not quite. Tora Prime manages to nail Rock pretty good -- his kick
lands square in Howard's back, somewhat knocking him out of his momentum. But
that's where Tora's plan starts to go wrong. Whirling around the moment he hits
the ground, Rock's hands stretch out and grab Tora Prime by the leg, squeezing
him tight. If he can make the grab, he'll start spinning; and spinning; and
spinning. All while holding on to Tora's leg. If he can pull it off, he'll throw
Tora at what he hopes is just the right second to send him flying... flying
right into Tora Secondary. Hopefully fast enough to cause some damage.
COMBATSYS: Rock successfully hits Tora with Strong Throw.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Kelvin 0/-------/-------|=======\-------\0 Tora
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rock 0/-------/----===|
Helpless on the sideline, it's all that Kelvin can do for the moment but watch.
Tora's got some interesting tricks, but like the napping one's debut.. ..it
would take more than simple talent to manage here. This obviously well trained
fighter, Rock..he's got the best of both worlds. Yet, he doesn't shout any
words of encouragement to his own teammate..preferring instead to stay reserved,
and knowing that fate will choose the rightful winners. It doesn't make him
flinch or gawk any less at each of the blows, however..especially that last one.
This definitely isn't the time for a nap.
Tora quickly finds himself held onto. Just as he begins to grasp the full
implications of how this is bad, he finds himself being swung into himself, and
the resulting entanglement of Tora limbs prevents any real reaction -- that is,
except to dismiss one of Tora in another cloud of chi-smoke. Tumbling across the
ring, he shakes his head for a brief moment, then leaps for the side of the ring
where Kelvin stands, hand extended. "Yo, teamie! Take a go at it for a sec,
'kay?"
Kelvin is, of course, watching Tora.. ..fall in, quite literally, right in front
of him. A quick glance is given to Rock..who might be even more of a 'monster'
than Daigo was..and then, at Tora's sudden suggestion..well, there's no real
hesitation, at least outwardly. Climbing into the ring in Tora's place, and
trying to cover his back in the process..here is the rather unremarkable figure
of Kelvin, who even now looks sort of spacey. Taking a few steps in, he takes
what might be loosely called a battle stance..though he looks more like a
soldier who's been told to 'fall out' of formation. However, a look into his
half-closed eyes will reveal..he's taking a few moments to try and more clearly
see the situation.
COMBATSYS: Kelvin focuses on his next action.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Kelvin 0/-------/-------|=======\-------\0 Tora
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rock 0/-------/----===|
And then they switch. And Rock doesn't seem particularly fazed. When Tora shifts
out and Kelvin shifts in, Rock simply smirks a little bit, sliding back into his
combat stance. He's not taking advantage of Kelvin's, nor is he taking the
opportunity to taunt him or make any witty comments. If anything, Rock is using
the time to do precisely the same thing as Kelvin -- Preparing for what's about
to come.
COMBATSYS: Rock focuses on his next action.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Kelvin 0/-------/-------|=======\-------\0 Tora
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rock 0/-------/----===|
Truth be told, Kelvin was expecting such an obvious powerhouse to just keep the
attacks flying..and this puts his own style at a disadvantage. However, he's
thankful for the time to decide on how he should try and approach this, and
after giving an acknowledging nod of his head, and some thoughts as to Tora's
condition, he's off and running! There's nothing too fancy about what he does
next..mostly because his actual offensive repertoire is so small. A straight
line, and as soon as he's up close to Rock, one foot stays on the ground, while
the other slices in a kick towards his chest.
COMBATSYS: Rock counters Medium Kick from Kelvin with Gedan Crack Counter.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Kelvin 0/-------/----===|=======\-------\0 Tora
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rock 0/-------/---====|
Apparently, Kelvin isn't the only one with an empty mind style. As he runs
forward and sends a foot towards Rock's chest, Rock's hand are right there. The
attack isn't so much 'caught' as it is entirely turned against its user. Once
the foot is extended, Rock plants one elbow on the top of Kelvin's leg and the
other on the bottom, and uses it as a fulcrum to send himself flipping forward
head over heels Kevlin. Once again, a circular motion is rather plain in Rock's
movements, increasing the momentum of his strike as he whirls around to bring
his heel down /hard/ on Kelvin's shoulder. Really, really hard, in fact,
probably enough to stagger the victim a little. Rebounding, Rock lands rather
gracefully on his feet, slipping back into a ready stance. "Looks like I'm more
patient than you. Damn, that's a rarity."
Now.. ..that's how it should be done! Unfortunately, it wasn't Kelvin that
managed the feat..it was his opponent, and he pays dearly for it. That shoulder
is going to be in pain for a while, even after this match is over. But, after a
moment of catching his breath, he seems to recover, and take it in stride
with..an amazingly friendly smile, considering he just got the stuffings beat
out of him. "I have a long way to go, I know.. ..but, this is the only way I'll
improve," he takes the time to remark, before taking another step back..a motion
that he seems to use only to launch another forward attack. He needs to buy
Tora some time to catch his breath.. ..but many more hits like that, and he'll
be having to go it alone.
COMBATSYS: Rock just-defends Kelvin's Jab Punch!
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Kelvin 0/-------/----===|=======\-------\0 Tora
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rock 0/-------/---====|
At this point, Tora himself is looking a little more healthy. In fact, he looks
as fresh as he did coming into the fight, and is standing at the side of the
ring, pumping his fist to cheer on Kelvin. "Go teamie, go teamie, go teamie,
go!"
Now, what's /that/? Rock charges forward into the breach as Kelvin lets loose
with a short range poke -- But he blocks it. Somehow. It looked as though Rock
only raised his guard for a split second, but it must have been the perfect
instant to break the momentum of Kelvin's attack entirely. It doesn't even touch
him; indeed, Rock seems perfectly unharmed. "Yeah -- The only way to get better
is by taking your licks." Almost friendly in his tone of voice, Rock brings his
foot up fast into Kelvin's face, either unaware or unconcerned with his 'Empty
Mind' style of fighting. "And here's another!"
COMBATSYS: Kelvin fails to counter Light Kick from Rock with Negative Momentum.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Kelvin 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\0 Tora
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rock 0/-------/---====|
Thankfully, it's a relatively light 'lick', since once again Rock's attack seems
to pass right through Kelvin's defenses. It catches him right on the forehead,
since he seems to have been trying to duck and move to put in a hit of his own,
but instead it sends him stumbling back a step..almost comically, until he
finally catches his footing. Tora's cheering in the background sorta helps,
but..not really. But, if he can somewhat lighten Rock's mood, at least it
wasn't a total loss! He might even spare a laugh, if he wasn't..you know..in
pain. "Oh, man," he coughs..more out of trying to snap himself out of it, than
actually being in dire injury. It causes him to take a moment in pause,
however, and *seriously* reconsider this.
COMBATSYS: Kelvin focuses on his next action.
COMBATSYS: Kelvin takes no action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Kelvin 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\0 Tora
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rock 0/-------/---====|
Rock noticed /that/. Even as his kick lands, Rock's eyes light up briefly as he
watches the way Kelvin moves. He's something of an expert on counters... and he
knows one when he sees him. It's no wonder that the moment he does he retreats a
few paces, putting some extra distance between himself and Kelvin. "Man," he
declares, taking a moment to crack his knuckles. "You guys are unlucky. Today's
my 'coming out' party. I've made a decision, see. I'm not getting strong enough
fast enough for what I need to do. So I've decided to do something that sickens
me to the core." He doesn't elaborate on what, exactly, /it/ is. He does,
however, sweep his arm rather abruptly over the ground, crying out as he does
so: "REPPU~KEN!" Somehow, raw purple chi rises from the ground, racing towards
Kelvin at lightning speed. "If I have to use /his/ techniques, I will -- and
then I'll shove 'em back down his throat, and anyone else that gets in my way!"
COMBATSYS: Rock successfully hits Kelvin with Reppuken.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Kelvin 1/-------/=======|=======\-------\0 Tora
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rock 0/-------/--=====|
It would appear that the attitude adjustment wasn't quite adequate to keep Rock
from going all out! Not that it was any conscious move on Kelvin's part..just
being friendly. This ends abruptly, however, as Rock's slicing shock waves of
chi seem to catch him at just the right moment. He seems to make a token
attempt to defend it by raising his arms, to shield the brunt of the damage..but
it comes too late for the speed of the attack, and he's send falling back some
distance..quite a bit farther than the first 'big' strike. It should come as no
surprise that it's time to take a break, and climbing up to his knees, he
shuffles back and somewhat shakily holds out a hand to Tora..panting out,
"..I..don't think this is going so well, buddy." Understatement!
Tora sees the rolling wave of chi, and is actually standing stock-still in what
looks like horror as he watches Kelvin get torn up by the attack. He remains
perfectly motionless, until Kelvin actually approaches him, hand out. Blinking,
Tora looks between Kelvin and Rock.. Then shrugs, and slaps the hand, vaulting
into the ring. He strides a bit into the ring, and grins to Rock. "Okay, man, I
gotta give you. That was cool.. And good to know you got more." The normally
implied 'And so do I' doesn't come, but he does take up a slightly different
combat stance than before, not clearly aggressive or defensive, as his aura
bursts into a clear lining of orange chi-flame.
COMBATSYS: Tora gathers his will.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Kelvin 1/-------/=======|=======\===----\1 Tora
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rock 0/-------/--=====|
Rock doesn't just attack mindlessly. When Tora walks in and starts to prepare
for something big, Rock once again remains in waiting, sitting pretty in his
combat stance just across the ring from Tora. "Hey, if I have to become the
student of that /bastard/..." Again, no clarification on who he's talking about,
but odds are on Geese. "... I'll do it. I never thought the crap he taught would
work, but it does. I think, for the first time in awhile... I'm improving."
Still, he waits. "I was hoping to test myself against poor Seishirou. Guess not.
You're just as good, though. Maybe better."
COMBATSYS: Rock focuses on his next action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Kelvin 1/-------/=======|=======\===----\1 Tora
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rock 0/-------/--=====|
Kelvin, as soon as he's in the 'clear,' closes his eyes a few fractions, and
glances down at the now slightly ragged shape of his clothing. "..No wonder
these things pay so much," he ponders, trying to keep himself in good spirits,
"Half the winnings must go into buying new clothes." Shaking his head clear, he
sets himself down limply next to the ropes..subconsciously hoping that Tora will
be able to give him a bit of a break, in return..a nice, long one. His
breathing is short at first, but he seems to calm down after the first few
moments. "He's driven. When somebody gets like that.. ..I'm not sure if anyone
could stand before him."
Tora offers a bit of a grin to Rock as the older fighter elaborates slightly on
the current course. Particularly on the comparison at the end. Shrugging, Tora
opens his mouth to reply just as two clouds of chi smoke appears on each side of
him, "Yeah, well, maybe I'm as good, maybe I'm better, maybe I'm not. None of
that crap matters right now, tho. 'Cuz, see, I'm the one that's here now, so
that's all that you gotta think about. Just you, me, and my teamie, and that's
all that counts." As he speaks, the clouds dissipate, revealing two more of
Tora, each with the same orange aura. Spreading out, the three of Tora all
smirk, and extend one hand forward, palm towards the sky. Then as one, they curl
their fingers.
Come get some.
COMBATSYS: Tora focuses on his next action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Kelvin 1/-------/=======|=======\===----\1 Tora
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rock 0/-------/--=====|
"I'm alot of things, y'know." Rock slips out of his combat stance, strangely, as
Tora multiplies by a factor of three. "Stupid isn't one of them." Three glowing
ninja? No thanks. Especially not when they look devious. "Normally, I'd jump in
their kick the crap out of you... But Seishirou -- Or Shaderio? -- taught me
different." Rock rubs his neck for a moment, as though remembering something.
"You guys always have tricks up your sleeve. Even a guy like you, who fights
more like me." Rock does, however, begin to take a step forward... but this
time, he drags both arms behind him, swinging one forward and then the other.
Just as before, except now... the corresponding wave of energy is twice as big
and twice as angry looking. "But you can have this in my place!"
COMBATSYS: Tora overcomes Double Reppuken from Rock with Kage Bunshin Kunai
Surprise.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Kelvin 1/-------/=======|===----\-------\0 Tora
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rock 0/-------/--=====|
Tora has to nod solemnly in triplicate (each slightly out of sync with the
others) at Rock's statement, following the comments with clear agreement.
Sei-kun has that effect on people. Even as Rock gets ready for another
technique, Tora remains in place, his three-fold ready stance remaining firm..
until he sees exactly what attack this is. For a moment -- an ever so brief
moment -- Tora locks in place, an expression of fear flashing across his face.
It then passes, and an explosion of white chi smoke appears around each of the
three, and for a brief moment one might see an additional two Tora at each of
the three.. For the briefest of moments, three becomes nine, just long enough
for a huge barrage of shuriken, kunai, and a couple of golf balls to rain forth,
impacting with and dissipating the wave of chi.. Possibly, just possibly, some
of it getting past towards Rock. Just as quickly, the extra Torii disappear,
reducing back to just two instead of the three before.
".. Yeah. He does teach someone to improvise a bit, doesn't he?" One Tora smirks
a little, as the other examines his fingernails. "But, you know, we all live and
learn, don't we?"
Rock's attack has been... entirely foiled, it seems. Bummer. Once the smoke
clears from the explosion of chi -- not only from Tora and the Busnhin, but from
Howard's massive chi wave -- Rock can be seen... not being where he was before.
In fact, Rock isn't in sight at all. It's as though he was vaporized. Vaporized
by Kunai? Not likely. The solution to this riddle becomes fairly apparent once
the eyes of the crowd, the news cameras, and probably the ears of all three
Toras zero in on Rock's location: /Right behind Tora/. Fast. That was really
fast. Fast enough not to be noticed at all. Which might be bad news for Tora,
because Rock's fist is flying straight for Tora-Prime's face.
COMBATSYS: Tora interrupts Fierce Punch from Rock with Thousand Years of Pain.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Kelvin 1/-------/=======|====---\-------\0 Tora
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rock 0/-------/-======|
Tora blinks once as he realizes that Rock moved. Wait, no, that's not how this
works. Shade-kun does that, not braw-- oh hell. Whirling around, Tora Prime
realizes what's up just in time to see the fist moving towards him.. and he has
a minute to grin. Holding out his hands to catch the punch, he manages to slow
it a good bit, although it still clips his shoulder, and he tumbles away --
disappearing in a cloud of chi smoke.
At this point, the other remaining Tora finishes his slide to behind Rock,
clasping both hands together in what looks like the preparation of a technique,
knuckles laced, both index fingers pinting out in a 'gun' shape.. and then Tora
stabs at a pressure point in Rock's posterior.
Tora turns to face the nearest camera, and grins. It's just too good.
That wasn't part of the plan. Staggering just a little bit, Rock stays on his
feet, looking just slightly pained. Well, so much for maintaining his aura of
cool. Right now, somewhere, Geese Howard is probably shaking his head in shame.
But Rock's hardly done for. In fact, he seems to recover after a moment or so,
and seems to be out to take advantage of the situation. "... oh... ow... Dude.
That's... Ow. That's just wrong. Now I'm really going to kick your ass." And
seems to be out to make good on that promise, kicking his legs up to lock them
around the neck of the Tora who just dealt the crippling blow to him; and, in a
very un-Rock Howard-ly display of acrobatics, pulls his legs in /hard/ with the
attempt to fling this Tora rather messily into the other Tora. It's almost a
direct repeat of the previous throw; but that seemed to work fairly well. Why
not try again?
"... Hurk."
That wasn't part of the plan. Staggering just a little bit, Rock stays on his
feet, looking just slightly pained. Well, so much for maintaining his aura of
cool. Right now, somewhere, Geese Howard is probably shaking his head in shame.
But Rock's hardly done for. In fact, he seems to recover after a moment or so,
and seems to be out to take advantage of the situation. "... oh... ow... Dude.
That's... Ow. That's just wrong. Now I'm really going to kick your ass." And
seems to be out to make good on that promise, kicking his legs up to lock them
around the neck of the Tora who just dealt the crippling blow to him; and, in a
very un-Rock Howard-ly display of acrobatics, pulls his legs in /hard/ with the
attempt to fling this Tora rather messily off the roof. Yes, off the roof. He's
very serious about kicking Tora's ass, it seems.
COMBATSYS: Rock successfully hits Tora with Strong Throw.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////// ]
Kelvin 1/-------/=======|=======\-------\0 Tora
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rock 0/-------/=======|
Tora is still grinning when he realizes that maybe, just maybe, he should be
moving. This epiphany, unfortunately, is partially brought on by the sudden
presence of a leg-lock on his neck. Having enough time to let out a strangled
"grrk", Tora is flung into the air mightily, sailing towards the edge of the
rooftop. But not caught totally unaware, Tora is partially obscured by another
burst of white smoke as another Tora appears mid-air, reaching to grab for a
hand-lock with the first Tora, the clear intent to readjust momentum, and keep
on the rooftop.
Unfortunately, the hands miss by just under an inch. The second Tora spends
almost a second blinking before vanishing in another burst of smoke.
Now letting out a strangled yell, Tora flies over the edge of the roof, then
drops out of sight below. Then the sound of a branch being hit -- and snapped --
can be heard, followed by another woody 'crunch'. Then silence.
COMBATSYS: Tora gathers his will.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////// ]
Kelvin 1/-------/=======|=======\===----\1 Tora
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rock 0/-------/=======|
"... Hey! Dude, that's not cool!" It would suck if Rock accidentally killed
Tora. It would suck a whole lot, really. Momentarily dropping his guard, Rock
sprints over to the ledge and peers over. He peers over to find... nothing. No
Tora. No splattery mess. No nothing. That illicits a bit of a grump from Rock,
because he's beginning to suspect that he's been had. Taking a few careful paces
back towards the center of the rooftop, the son of Howard slips back into his
combat stance, eyes darting left and right. Waiting for whatever is going to
come to come, Rock pronounces, grimly: "I hate ninjas."
COMBATSYS: Rock focuses on his next action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////// ]
Kelvin 1/-------/=======|=======\===----\1 Tora
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rock 0/-------/=======|
For several moments, nothing of note happens. Then, after a bit of time has
passed, the door to the stairwell bursts open, and Tora comes running out,
sprinting for the center of the ring -- and, more specifically, for Rock. Moving
in a fairly straight line, he takes one brief moment to hop over the ring limit,
and level a fairly straight kick towards Rock's midsection.
During all of this, another Tora leaps atop the stairwell roof, aiming a
downward punch at Rock from above, just angled to move past the first Tora
without interfering.
And as this is happening, two more of Tora rush in to the ring from amongst the
spectators, one clasping hands with the other as one is swung low, used as an
implement with the intent to sweep at Rock's legs with his feet.
All told, the intent is that surely one of them will get a hit in on Rock.
COMBATSYS: Rock counters Kage Bunshin no Jutsu from Tora with Joudan Crack
Counter.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///// ]
Kelvin 1/-------/=======|=====--\-------\0 Tora
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rock 0/-------/=======|
"What. The. Hell." By the time Rock realizes what's going on, he's being
assaulted by Toras from all sides. He doesn't even time to be shocked; he only
has time to react. And react he does. As the first Tora brings a kick towards
his person, Rock's body dissolves into a blur of motion. /Fast/. That's what
that is... That's unreal speed, faster than the eye can follow. Both of the
first two Toras find their fist and foot coming into contact with approximately
nothong. Both of them, however, feel the sting of both of Rock's feet as he
leaps towards them and drives a kick into each of them simultaneously. They each
disappear into a puff of smoke. Now he's in a bad position. He's in mid-air and
there are two more Toras about to unleash upon him simultaneously. This is,
perhaps, the most impressive part of his performance. Catching the
Tora-as-weapon with two arms, Rock flips forward with the ninja's head as his
fulcrum, bringing his heel down on his mid-section... but even than, he's not
done. Whirling around again, Rock pushes off of the Bunshin -- even as it
vanishes into another puff of white smoke -- in time to bring his foot down on
the remaining Tora's head with a satisfying crack.
When all is said and done, there's one Rock, one Tora, and lots of white smoke.
Landing on his feet, Rock runs one hand through his hair, clearly winded by his
performance. "Tch. You're not done yet. Do it right, next time. 'Cause it's
gonna be your last chance."
Tora has even less time to deal with Rock's answer to the posed problem, and
becomes a bystander to his own beatings. The first two Toras are a lost cause,
and were too commited to their actions to do anything different. The third and
fourth Tora make an attempt to break off, but Rock catches the swung Tora too
soon, and the last Tora doesn't have time to do much more than try to brace
himself, so that he doesn't fall over from the impact on his head. Wobbling a
little, Tora takes a few quick steps back, looking at Rock with wariness.. Then
he reaches behind him to try to tag on Kelvin. "Gimme a sec, can you?" That's
all he says before he hops back out of the ring.
Some nagging sensations pull at the back of Kelvin's head. Sensations
like..hopelessness, for example! Rock is clearly being slowly worn down..but
it's also obvious that he's still relatively fit as a fiddle, and compared to
how Tora must feel after that last counter..well..it's pretty transparent which
way the momentum's swinging. To be honest, the lounge-about isn't feeling his
best, either..though it'd be hard to say whether it's from the hits he's already
taken, or the butterflies fluttering around in his stomach -- most likely a
combination of the two. Yet, as Tora approaches, he does his best for both
their sakes to swallow it all down, and gives an uncharacteristic serious nod of
his head. "I'll..do my best, just as you have," he notes as he climbs into the
danger zone, trying to encourage Tora..despite his current condition. Taking a
deep breath, he narrows his eyes somewhat more than is usual, as though it might
somehow grant him the power to see through Rock's defenses. "I'd just like you
to know..I don't blame you for any of this," he adds to Rock, before rushing
forward to swing a weak punch at his chin.
COMBATSYS: Rock blocks Kelvin's Jab Punch.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///// ]
Kelvin 1/-------/=======|=====--\-------\0 Tora
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rock 0/-------/=======|
A weak punch to Rock's chin which Rock catches with one hand, to be precise.
Don't feel too bad, Kelvin. It probably hurt Rock's hand. A little. Kinda.
"Look. You're both doin' alright... But you're out of your league against me.
This isn't just a pedigree. All of this is training. My new training. /His/
cursed martial arts. No matter how shameful it is, if I have to use them
willingly, I will!" Drawing back one fist, Rock sends it flying towards Kelvin's
jaw, despite his counter-oriented style. "This is the power... Of Saikyo-ryu!"
COMBATSYS: Kelvin fails to counter Fierce Punch from Rock with Negative
Momentum.
[ \\\\\\\ < > ///// ]
Kelvin 1/---====/=======|=====--\-------\0 Tora
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rock 1/-------/=======|
Kelvin would quite enjoy being defense oriented. Really, that's his plan,
apparently seeing something exploitable about Rock's attack, that's exactly what
he tries to take advantage of. The problem is..he tries to catch Rock by the
arm at exactly the wrong moment, and accordingly is caught right up in it, the
full effect of it hitting him square on the jaw, and..he just goes limp for a
moment in mid-air, not even having time to try and brace for the impact.
Amazingly, a few moments later, he's climbing back up, and trying to shake the
stars from his head. "Oh.. ..ah," is all he can manage. That's..a lot
different than what he remembers of Dan. Standing somewhat wobbly at first, he
gets a more sure footing, a testament of his own 'training' at the hands of his
strict parents. But.. ..Tora still hasn't had enough rest..yet doing another
rush isn't advisable..so Kelvin takes a moment to better collect himself,
keeping an eye on Rock in the process.
Standing on the sidelines, trying to catch his breath, Tora has to stare at
Rock's latest proclamation. ".. The power.. of.. ?" *blink* ".. whu.. Whut the
hell is that?!" Tora points into the ring, turning to a handy camera. "Wait,
wait, is that fair? Is he allowed to kick our asses and then freaking call on
the name of the stupidest fighter in the circuit? Jeeeze!"
A short pause. "... not that he's kicking our asses, or anything."
As he sends Kelvin flying, Rock shakes his hands a little bit, looking back at
Tora. "Saikyo-ryu's for losers, I know. But it's got some useful elements. This
is my hybrid of Bogard-style Hakyokusaken, Howard-style Hakyokusaken, /and/
Hibiki-style Saikyo-ryu!
As he sends Kelvin flying, Rock shakes his hands a little bit, looking back at
Tora. "Saikyo-ryu's for losers, I know. But it's got some useful elements. This
is my hybrid of Bogard-style Hakyokusaken, Howard-style Hakyokusaken, /and/
Hibiki-style Saikyo-ryu!" And now Rock's officially ruined his 'cool guy'
reputation. But he's also probably pissed Geese Howard off, wherever he is. And
now, to add insult to injury, Rock thrusts a forearm towards the nearest camera,
declaring triumphantly: "OSHA!"
COMBATSYS: Rock focuses on his next action.
Apparently still not entirely ready..or giving Rock a chance to showboat for the
sake of the fans..or somebody else? In either case, Kelvin seems to catch his
breath, and is now using the brief respite in action to try and prepare himself
for the last few blows..that's about all he figures he has left, before he's not
able to continue like this. With most of the hits he's taken, though..it might
be an optimistic projection. "Losers? But.. ..Dan was nice to me," Kelvin
mumbles to himself, in the process. "His style was a bit different, but..."
Well, no time for that! Rock will no doubt be done any second now.
COMBATSYS: Kelvin focuses on his next action.
"See, up until now, I've been fighting to get stronger -- Fighting to take down
the one guy I want to beat the crap out of more than anything. That was my
motivation. Now? I believe in myself, too. That's the secret of Saikyo. And
that's one thing you can't beat!" Rock breaks into a brash dead sprint, as
though he believed that nothing could lay a hand on him -- Perhaps he's right.
Driving one fist towards Kelvin's face, Rock... vanishes. Again. The same trick
he's used before: Dissolving in a blur of pure motion to travel all the way
around Kelvin in a split second. And /now/ he tries to deliver that punch, this
time to the back of the head.
COMBATSYS: Kelvin blocks Rock's Jab Punch.
[ \\\\\\ < > ///// ]
Kelvin 1/---====/=======|=====--\-------\0 Tora
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rock 1/-------/=======|
It wasn't quite what Kelvin had in mind.. ..this isn't the Rock he'd fought, and
had seen Tora fighting, earlier. This guy, is he..serious? Despite the
still-characteristic speed behind the punch, even Kelvin is able to somehow fend
it off this time, turning around in time to catch it with a forearm. For a
moment, Kelvin's face can only be said to carry an expression of.. ..surprise.
And then..he smiles. Not even the cocky or confident type of grin, half
relieved that Rock seems slightly less..grim? Yeah, now being beat up won't be
so bad. "I'm not sure what you're up to, but..!" And with that, he takes the
proximity to raise one leg to strike at Rock's gut.
COMBATSYS: Rock blocks Kelvin's Light Kick.
Rock catches this kick in his hands again, looking just as staggered as he did
last time. Which isn't really saying much. "Trust me, pal -- You prefer me this
way. I'd rather use Dan Hibiki's martial arts than Geese Howard's. And you don't
want to see real Hakyokusaken, believe me!" With Kelvin's leg in his hand, Rock
promptly twists his arm around in an attempt to bring Kevin's face rather
bluntly into the rooftop floor as hard as he possibly can.
COMBATSYS: Kelvin fails to counter Strong Throw from Rock with Retroversal
Slingshot.
COMBATSYS: Kelvin can no longer fight.
COMBATSYS: Kelvin has left the fight here.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///// ]
Rock 1/------=/=======|=====--\-------\0 Tora
Call it a critical failure. Just Rock not knowing his own strength, even when
'playing around'. Or whatever you want. The effect is that Kelvin attempts to
shift his momentum to reverse the rather devestating throw in his own
favor..something he'd normally, amazingly, quite apt at, knowing the ins and
outs from his thought experiments. Something goes terribly, terribly wrong.
Perhaps Rock's attempts to shame his father have backfired, because his own
skill has just seem him through, or perhaps Kelvin's inexperience and
carelessness. The end effect is.. ..it goes off without a hitch, and it's all
that Kelvin can do to try and brace himself. Even that fails, and he gets a
nice face full of roofing..with a rather loud 'thud.' Afterward..he just kind
of lays there, all too still..and then he coughs out weakly, "..Goodnight.."
Tora is outside the ring, and so can only watch with a grimace as Kelvin's
attempt at reversing Rock's technique fails rather dismally. Once it's clear
that Kelvin is down, Tora glances at the camera crew and announcer before
leaping into the ring, a burst of white smoke heralding the appearance of a
second Tora. One grabs Kelvin carefully, but hurriedly -- to get him out of the
ring so that Tora can fight. Keeping his distance, the Tora facing Rock makes no
aggressive moves until Kelvin is securely out of the ring, then takes up a
combat stance. "Right, so. It's back to you and me, then. Let's do it."
Rock watches Kelvin fall, smirking. He's not doing any more Hibiki-style taunts;
apparently, the one was more than enough to sate Rock's desire to tick off his
father when his plan to tick off Rock backfires. Pulling his gloves a bit
either, one after the other, Rock asks Tora in a surprisingly casual tone: "Are
all you ninjas this pathetic? Jeez. Guy's the only one that seems to be able to
fight worth a crap. You, Shade-rio... hell, you and somebody else got whipped by
Billy Kane. /Just/ Billy Kane. And HE practically has losing coded into his DNA.
That's pretty pathetic."
COMBATSYS: Rock takes no action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///// ]
Rock 1/------=/=======|=====--\-------\0 Tora
Tora remains silent at Rock's statements, not quite looking directly at Rock,
but not quite looking away. The extra Tora that's tending after Kelvin makes
sure he'll be okay, then disappears in the now typical burst of smoke. Finally,
Tora looks straight at Rock, and sighs a bit. "Yeah, yeah. So, maybe I'm not
where I thought I was. Maybe I'm not ready to fight you, even with help. But,
dammit, I ain't stoppin' here. I ain't givin' up, and if I lose to you, well, so
what. I'll figure out what I did wrong, get stronger, and fight you again
sometime. Trainin', like you said. That's what matters. That's all."
Drawing a single kunai from his thigh holster, Tora shifts his stance into
something that looks like a fencer, a scorpion posture with the kunai held over
his head, pointed straight at Rock.
COMBATSYS: Tora focuses on his next action.
"Good answer. That's /exactly/ what I wanted to hear. Tell you what... If you do
well, I'll show you something special. It'll hurt, but I think you'll like it.
And after all... this is my coming out party!" Rock breaks into another blatant
dead sprint -- this one is almost as though he's /asking/ to get hit hard. He
makes no effort to dodge or prepare for a counter-attack, this time. It's a
textbook example of what /not/ to do in a fight: Rock simply holds out a fist
and sprints straight ahead. It's telegraphed. It'll hurt, but it's telegraphed.
Very.
COMBATSYS: Tora interrupts Fierce Punch from Rock with Kunai Crush.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > // ]
Rock 1/----===/=======|======-\-------\0 Tora
Tora doesn't have a response for Rock, not even a smile or other visual
acknowledgement. He's too busy waiting, preparing.. And when Rock gives him
something to work from, he takes the opportunity. Instead of trying to avoid the
punch, or block it as he often does, he steps forward, into the puch.. and
allows it to clip his shoulder. Turning with the impact, he draws his Kunai
around, and cuts a long ragged cut at Rock's arm, trying to do what he can to
disable that limb for this fight if he can.. Failing that, as much pain as
possible. Once that's done, he finishes his fist-aided spin by stepping away and
past Rock, so that he's back in a ready stance, facing Rock from the other
direction.
Rock is finally wounded -- genuinely wounded. It's not really bad that Rock's
arm is cut. No, what seems to really tick Rock off is the fact that his jacket
has been rather handily ruined by Tora's quick blade work, slashed up along the
sleeve. Recoilin ga bit from the punch to grab his arm, Rock sticks a few
fingers into the new gash in his jacket, his face twisting into frustration.
"Oh, come on! Do you have any idea how hard it was to /find/ this thing? This is
like the third jacket I've gone through this year!" Slipping the garment off his
shoulders, Rock gives it a onceover, scowling. "Man. Now, I'm angry." Tossing it
aside, Rock, now clad only in a t-shirt, gets ready to beat the living crap out
of Tora.
COMBATSYS: Rock focuses on his next action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > // ]
Rock 1/----===/=======|======-\-------\0 Tora
Tora looks at Rock flatly as he starts complaining about.. a jacket. ".. right,
right, so. You want me to fight, but you don't want me to mess up your outfit.
.. whatever." Looking vaguely disgusted for a moment, he shifts his weight
slightly from his leading foot to his trailing foot, then leaps into motion,
Kunai flashing forward towards Rock.
Then, at the last moment, Tora spins, and there's a flash of orange chi-flame
around his empty hand, which turns into a punch aimed for Rock's jaw. A simple
feint, but still a feint.
COMBATSYS: Tora successfully hits Rock with Burning Hand.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > // ]
Rock 1/---====/=======|=======\-------\0 Tora
Rock is struck square in the jaw, apparently marking a return to a more
competent Tora, or a less competent Rock. Staggering back a few paces, Rock --
who doesn't seem particular injured -- just tosses his jacket to the side.
"Yeah. Point taken. Alright... You guys have fought pretty well. Not better than
Shaderio, since you /had help/, but hey; you take what you can get. Now, keep
your eyes peeled on this one, I don't use it all that often. You'll like it,
though. I promise!" With one exaggerated 'wind-up' motion, Rock brings his right
fist back behind him, where it starts to glow... Glow, with pure golden chi.
Holding it there for a moment, Rock's chi-charged fist crackles with
lightning-like energy. He doesn't run; he simply lunges. Lunges like a rocket,
that is. With one movement, Rock manages to cut the distance between himself and
Tora, driving his chi-charged fist right into Tora's chest.
COMBATSYS: Rock successfully hits Tora with Shine Knuckle.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ]
Rock 0/-------/---====|=======\=====--\1 Tora
Tora seems less annoyed with Rock once he tosses the jacket aside, accepting the
comments with a single nod as he shifts his position to a less defensive stance,
readying to bring the fight back to Rock. Watching a bit, he sees the glow, and
frowns. No, he doesn't think he likes that.. not one bit. Starting to shift his
position a bit back to an evasive one, Tora finds that the scale of movement
he's dealing with just isn't anywhere near what he's able to handle.
The fist finds its home right where Rock intended, and Tora can do nothing but
blink once, then cough up a little blood. The outline of Tora's form seems to
shimmer slightly, even picked up by the cameras, as if he was suddenly slightly
out of focus. This passes quickly, then Tora grins. ".. Heh. Right. That's...
pretty good."
Falling to one knee, Tora looks up with something almost like a grin, but it's
too strained from pain that it doesn't quite manage it. "But, that's 'kay. 'Cuz,
y'know, there's always more."
That's when Rock might notice the shadow overhead, covering him and Tora. A
shadow of about fifteen Toras, all flinging kunai down at him.
COMBATSYS: Tora has reached second wind!
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /// ]
Rock 0/-------/---====|=====--\-------\0 Tora
COMBATSYS: Tora successfully hits Rock with Kage Bunshin Kunai Surprise.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ < > /// ]
Rock 0/-------/-======|=====--\-------\0 Tora
That was supposed to end it. Why didn't that end it? Now Rock has a bunch of
knives in his back. Shallow, all of them, but they're still stabbed into his
back. Staggering forward and onto one knee, Rock finds himself in a position
that almost entirely mirrors Tora's own. "Alright... this is what I'm talking
about. This is better than Shaderio. Shaderio didn't have this kind of moxie...
But I'm not done yet, either!" Breaking for Tora, Rock tumbles forward along the
ground to come up right beneath the ninja, at which point he abruptly begins to
rotate around and around and around, driving his foot upwards towards Tora.
"Rising... TACKLE!"
COMBATSYS: Tora dodges Rock's Rising Tackle.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ < > /// ]
Rock 0/-------/-======|=====--\-------\0 Tora
Tora starts to fall over as the extra Toras rain their metal suffering on Rock,
but a flash of an orange aura surrounds him, and he steadies after a few
moments, just in time for Rock to recover from the pincushion test. Looking back
over to Rock with a clearer gaze, he narrows his eyes, and dives into a sideways
roll, to get out of the path of the rather fancy kick. Whirling around right
afterwards, he kicks off into a lunge to grab at Rock's waist, hoping to catch
the other fighter mid-air.
The Toras above have all dissipated, but in his newfound strength, Tora manages
to summon two more above him and Rock, who try to fall on Rock in a very rough
tackle.
COMBATSYS: Tora successfully hits Rock with Bunshin Pileup.
[ \\\\\\\ < > /// ]
Rock 0/-------/=======|=====--\-------\0 Tora
Rock Howard is now buried in Toras. "Man... you... never... give... /up/!" With
one bursting motion, Rock rises forcefully up to his feet, trying to fling the
Toras in every direction. This should be the majority of the damage he has to
deal -- But once he's up, he'll do the smart thing. He'll get away from Tora,
leaping back a few meters to try and get some room to breathe. "Oh, yeah. This
is /much/ better than what your ninja buddy was up to. No tricks, no gimmicks --
Just ass kicking."
COMBATSYS: Tora blocks Rock's Medium Throw.
[ \\\\\\\ < > ]
Rock 1/-------/=======|=======\-------\0 Tora
Kelvin is, by this time, just barely conscious on the sidelines. It took just
about all his willpower to manage that much..and after learning how much time
had passed since he was knocked out of fighting shape, he expected he'd wake up
to find it to be over. However, fate seems to have had different plans, and
he's been watching the last several exchanges through his drowsy eyes.. As much
as he wants to go to sleep, Tora deserves him to be awake for this impressive,
last minute display. But..he doesn't shout encouragement..it might break
concentration, and it'd require him to do something active.
Tora finds all three of himself thrown aside, the two additional Toras vanishing
as they hit the ground. The third is panding pretty hard, having trouble keeping
himself going after all the punishment he's received.. But then, he gets up
again anyway, shifts his grip on the kunai he still has in his hand, and turns
to Rock. "... yeah..... no gimicks." He agrees with a bit of weariness, but
through force of will he keeps himself upright. Taking a few quick steps
forward, starting to lunge as if to stab again, he drops into a quick crouch
before closing to immediate range with Rock, flinging the kunai towards Rock's
legs, aiming to possibly diable one, or at least hurt him.
COMBATSYS: Rock blocks Tora's Kunai Flight.
[ \\\\\ < > ]
Rock 1/-------/=======|=======\-------\0 Tora
Rock is apparently set on finishing this fight up. Even as Tora sends kunai
flying towards him, Rock blocks it -- With his shin, of course, which doesn't
really help the situation. Better than having a muscle impaled, though. All the
same, a slightly exhausted and battered Rock falls rather abruptly to his knees
mere inches in front of Tora. Unfortunately, falling to his knees doesn't entail
that this fight is over. No, it seems to be part of Rock's last-ditch effort.
Thrusting both fists towards the ground, Rock's body begins to explode with chi;
chi that rapidly begins to swirl around his person, like a tornado -- a tornado
that is centered right beneath Tora's chin.
COMBATSYS: Rock successfully hits Tora with Raging Storm.
[ \\\\\ < > ]
Rock 0/-------/-------|=======\======-\1 Tora
Tora is already slightly swaying when Rock falls before him, and all he can do
is frown in puzzlement at whatever it is that his opponent is doing. Then, as he
sees the chi, he has enough time to affect a truly horrified expression, and
then he's blown backwards, landing just outside the ring, almost falling on some
spectators. As before, there's a shimmering effect on his outline, which lasts
just a little longer than previously, making him appear out of focus. When it
stops, it looks like his skin is slightly burnt all over.. And not just where
Rock's technique struck him. It looks like he was evenly cooked all over, his
clothing slightly singed at the edges.
And.. he's not moving. For the first time in the fight, he's actually
stationary, and doesn't show any sign of moving again immediately.
COMBATSYS: Tora takes no action.
COMBATSYS: Tora can no longer fight.
COMBATSYS: Tora has left the fight here.
[ \\\\\ <
Rock 0/-------/-------|
Kelvin was actually..awake! As previously advertised. However, the very moment
that Tora's down, what wind had filled Kelvin's sails enough for him to manage
watching the last moments seems to die down, and he slumps back to lay down on
the ground. For a moment he stares upward, and then he just takes a nap, right
then and there..with some of the assembled crowd filing right past him. Some
might step on him for all he cares at the moment. It's time for another nice,
long nap.
"... Phew." Apparently spent, Rock staggers up to his feet above the defeated
Tora and the defeated Kelvin, looking them over briefly. He's also apparently
too exhausted to play up to the crowd -- Once the fight is done, Rock simply
starts to limp for the edge of the ring, on his way out of the fight. The media
pursues him, of course, but he's not up to answering any questions. He's just
walking away, and that's that.
Log created by Kobun, and last modified on 17:14:09 04/22/2005.