First Tourney - [Lower:R3B1] Tag Match

Description: In the midst of the tournament's lower tier of the tournament is a little shake-up match to keep things interesting: Megumi and Rock versus Kula and Guy. (Winners: Kula and Guy)


Howard Arena
   Cavernous and huge, Howard Arena is the epicenter of public display
within Southtown. A multi-billion dollar venture by Geese Howard, the arena
paid for itself within the first two years. The enormous arena is able to
seat hundreds of thousands for any variety of spectacle--the most common of
which being sports, concerts, and of course, martials arts competition. The
latter has made Howard Arena famous, as it hosts various tournaments and
exhibitions each year.

   There's only one primary arena, and every effort has been made to make
it impressive. The overall atmosphere of the arena is that of solemn
magnitude. Thousands of seats ring the main central stage, the front row
seats dropping to eyelevel of the flat stage. The stage sits in a large
depression, with enough space between it and the seats to allow for
trainers, officials, and other such people to run back and forth. These and
exits in the stands lead off to countless corridors for spectators and
competitors to travel in and out with ease. Naturally enough, these
corridors are filled with vendors, peddling everything from food to
Ralf-style bandanas to authentic Mai Shiranui thongs.

   The stage itself is a massive rectangular block of stone. Six-inch thick
flat slate tiles cover a much harder core of reinforced granite, giving the
stage the look of a weathered, timeless mountaintop. Stairs on opposite
sides provide a dignified way for the fighters to approach the center, the
stairs appearing to be carved directly into the rock. Here, some truly
spectacular battles are fought under the eyes of an entire city and, indeed,
the world.

Rock enters the arena.
Rock has arrived.

It's a cool night, but the lights glare across the arena as a fairly
sizeable number of fans have gathered for what's probably the biggest fight
of the tournament so far. Round 2: Kula & Guy vs. Rock & Megumi. The
evenly-matched fighters make for a good match - and even more interesting
betting - as the pairs enter from the tops of the staircases. The crowd
roars into life as the fighters become visible. Vendors make their rounds,
offering everything from sushi rolls to promotional booklets, and the
announcer calls out the four competitors.

"First up, we have Guy, the mysterious hero of Metro City, a Japanese ninja
whose speed knows no equal!"
"Then we have Rock Howard, bearing the name this very arena is named after!
The fighting arts taught by his father make him possibly the deadliest of
tonight's fighters!"
"Kula, the unknown neophyte, wielding the Yin chi of ice!"
And finally, we have the rookie Megumi, an energetic student of Aikido!"

Kula looks over to Guy as she enters, and says in her soft tone, "Are you
unhappy with being partnered with me?", she asks innocently enough. "This
shouldn't be hard, according to the data..." She then starts her way down
the steps, not really waiting for an answer to her question... but not
precisely rushing to the arena, either.

Megumi is last and least! But she sure makes good on an entrance, running
out of the locker room area and heading for the actual arena. But she
certainly takes the time to wave to the crowds as she goes by, waiting for
Rock in the meanwhile. She's fired up and ready to go.

"Oh. I forgot to mention." Hands stuffed into his pockets as he makes his
way out into public view, Rock Howard sticks close to his tag team partner,
Megumi, apparently speaking exclusively to her. "... Geese Howard is my
father." He'd done a pretty good job of keeping stuff quiet, but alas,
something that the entire world knows about is difficult to keep from one's
friends for very long. Looking fairly calm and casual as he steps out onto
the ring, Rock seems to lack of the measure of confidence he usually has. He
hasn't cracked any comments yet, after all, he has? "If you hadn't heard or
noticed it before."

Guy returns Kula's look, keeping pace with her as she moves toward the ring.
"I am not.  Rather, I'm grateful for such a capable partner.  I hope your
data is only partially correct." He seems to be totally loose and at ease,
ready for whatever this fight may bring.

Dan is part of the cheering crowd in the stands, lucky enough to get a front
row seat. "YOUSH! Show them who's mightiest, Megumi! THE ROOKIE COMES FROM
BEHIND!" He waves two flags, one pink and one fuschia. After that,
he--somehow--blends into the general background noise. Yep.

Megumi looks over to Rock and gives a sarcastic, "Forgot?" Then she shrugs
it off and sounds pretty accepting of this, "My fault for not figuring it
out sooner, I guess. We can worry about that later, okay?" Dan's yell gets
her attention, and she tosses a wave over in his direction, then looks to
Rock again. "Want me to start off for us?"

Kula speaks to Guy, not really looking over her shoulder as she moves on
ahead. "We have the advantage on speed. Don't take risks.", she lectures
softly, as if pretending to be a veteran fighter despite her age. "Reliable
attacks will minimize the risk of their counters." Her words come across as
almost parroted or robotic, as if rattling off a gameplan she was already
given prior to the actual match.

Rock looks ahead at Kula and Guy, scowling as he appraises the both of them.
"Ladies first. But be careful... the girl might not look like much, but
she's tough. Come back if you get into trouble and I'll take over." Pulling
his hands free of his pockets, Rock assumes a position on the side of the
ring, lightening up a little bit. "Good luck, alright? I'm hoping we won't
need it."

Guy nods.  It's sage advice.  His gaze wanders back to the rapidly
approaching ring, and comes to rest on Rock.  Haven't fought him before.  
Seeing him back off, Guy offers to Kula, "I'll keep that in mind.  If you
would like to go first?"

Megumi smacks a fist into an open palm, hopping up onto the arena floor.
"Alright. Plenty of nice open room for me to run in...lacking in scenery,
but open." She does a few hand-twists, effectively doing mild joint locks to
herself as a way of stretching out, looking towards Guy and Kula.

Kula nods slightly to Guy and walks into the ring, and doesn't seem like she
has any warmups... she just walks in, looking to Megumi with her dull-eyed
gaze. She stares, simply standing straight up rather than relaxing into a
stance of any sort. Her form is rigid, but hardly taut, as she idly folds
and unfolds her fingers for a moment. Suddenly, a rush of cold and frost
washes off of her, and her hair flows as if brushed by a wind from above.
"Ready.", she says in her quiet voice, remaining still for the moment.

COMBATSYS: Kula has started a fight here.
COMBATSYS: Megumi has joined the fight here.
COMBATSYS: Guy has joined the fight here.
COMBATSYS: Rock has joined the fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Rock             0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0           Megumi
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Kula             0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0              Guy

Rock gets into his place on the sidelines as Megumi and Kula go into action,
whispering one final tip to his partner. "Look out for the ice. It's quick,
and it hurts, but if you can dodge it she's wide open. ... Not that that's
easy. Just... good luck. Tag me in if there are any problems, I'm ready to
go whenever."

Megumi affirms this with her own "Ready", then takes off dashing for Kula,
yelling. She's getting up to a pretty good sprint, and is mindful of the ice
powers she's seen her current foe wield; she's juking side to side
occasionally as a pre-emptive dodge. And when she gets fairly close, she
spins around in a full circle, and zings a fist at Kula's head as she
finishes this bit of twirling.

COMBATSYS: Kula dodges Megumi's Spiral Knuckle.

Guy has taken his own place at the side of the ring, of course, and simply
watches the ongoing fight with a careful eye, ready to jump into the bout at
a moment's notice.  Until then, though.  He will just be silently rooting
for Kula.

Kula doesn't move an inch; at least, not until Megumi's just about to
impact. Then, in an instant, she leans back and out the way of the strike,
and weaves forward again... though not as quickly A hand comes up with the
thumb and forefinger together, lashing out as if to 'flick' Megumi. As her
finger lashes out, a spark of blue ice comes forth at the tip, aimed right
between Megumi's eyes as if the exclamation point to a wordless 'gotcha!'

COMBATSYS: Megumi dodges Kula's Jab Punch.
COMBATSYS: Rock takes no action.
COMBATSYS: Guy takes no action.

Megumi rewrites the exclamation mark to a question mark, swinging a chop
down at the ice as it forms, knocking it away. "I never thought I'd be
facing you here, anyway!" She reaches out for one of Kula's wrists, aiming
to twist it sideways so hard that she might well flip Kula over onto the
ground. This is the sort of range she wants to fight at, virtually
point-blank.

COMBATSYS: Kula blocks Megumi's Aikido Techniques.
COMBATSYS: Rock takes no action.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Rock             0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0           Megumi
[  \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Kula             0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0              Guy

Kula is grabbed, and doesn't even seem to care very much as she flows with
the motion, getting tossed to the floor of the ring. As she impacts, though,
she rolls backward, putting some distance between herself and Megumi. As she
quickly moves to her feet, she puts both her hands - palm-up - and puffs out
a long breath of cold. The stone freezes with the supercooled air, but
thankfully, doesn't crack or break like lesser arenas.

COMBATSYS: Megumi dodges Kula's Diamond Breath.
COMBATSYS: Guy takes no action.

Megumi makes a high leap as Kula puts her hands in front of her mouth. She's
got a pretty good idea what's about to happen, and turns out to be quite
right, sailing over the icy blast harmlessly. She inverts in mid-air, trying
to land hands-first on Kula's shoulders in an effort to push her to the
ground. If it works, she'll roll over and do a hasty armbar, then let go and
scramble back to her feet.

COMBATSYS: Megumi successfully hits Kula with Storm Hold.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Rock             0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0           Megumi
[       \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Kula             0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0              Guy

Kula is indeed, slammed to the ground, and cries out as her arm is injured,
but it's momentary. As she rises to her feet, she turns, and then does a
quick roundhouse at the still-close Megumi. As she does so, a blade of ice
erupts from the sole of her shoe - not unlike that of an ice skate, really.
"Hands off.", she says softly, apparently a little bothered that she's
getting beaten about a bit earlier than the data foretold.

COMBATSYS: Kula successfully hits Megumi with Second Shell.
- Power hit! -

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////       ]
Rock             0/-------/-------|====---\-------\0           Megumi
[       \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Kula             0/-------/---====|-------\-------\0              Guy

COMBATSYS: Guy takes no action.
COMBATSYS: Rock takes no action.

Megumi tries to shirk off to the side from Kula's kick, and were it just
Kula's foot...it would've worked. The ice-skate addition to it is what hits,
smashing right into her and sending her skidding back several feet.
"Ugh...well, I'm being selfish staying out here." She turns and begins
running for her team's side of the arena, jumping out of it. "Your turn,
Rock!"

COMBATSYS: Megumi takes no action.

"Here I go!" Rock seems eager to go as he literally leaps into the ring and
simply starts sprinting towards Kula at full-tilt, passing Megumi as soon as
she exits the ring. A reckless attack, surely... if not for him leaping into
the air at the last moment, effectively managing a feint... only this one
from directly above, as opposed to left or right. Once he's in the air,
Rock's entire right side explodes with chi as it propels him straight down
at Kula -- Enough chi to gather together to shape a "wing", per se... and
with one fist outstretched and headed for Kula's face, it could be a pretty
solid hit if it works out.

COMBATSYS: Rock successfully hits Kula with Rage Run Dunk.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////       ]
Rock             0/-------/------=|====---\-------\0           Megumi
[           \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Kula             0/-------/--=====|-------\-------\0              Guy

Kula looks down to Guy, and says softly, "It's more efficient if I recover
now.", as Megumi flees. And then, distracted, Rock's attack impacts her, and
she gives him a glare - cue slo-mo - before letting the impact toss her out
the arena. She lands on her feet, skidding to a halt as a thin ridge of ice
stops her momentum. "Your turn.", she reaffirms, looking to Guy.

COMBATSYS: Kula takes no action.

Guy nods a brief affirmation, and then swiftly takes off toward Rock, not
even bother to touch the ground.  Just as with Rock, Guy seems to have been
brimming with impatience, and that comes out now as he somersaults in
midair, rocketing toward Rock.  At the last moment, he comes out of his
headlong spin, bringing an elbow down hard at his opponent.

COMBATSYS: Rock fails to counter Bushin Izuna Otoshi from Guy with Joudan
Crack Counter.

[   \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////       ]
Rock             0/-------/-----==|====---\-------\0           Megumi
[           \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Kula             0/-------/--=====|-------\-------\0              Guy

Rock is indeed struck by Guy's attack, his head snapping downwards as he
recoils from the force of the blow. He's hardly crippled by it, however, and
manages to remain standing. "... Tch. I've never faced off against you
before, but you seem pretty good. I'm gonna enjoy this."

Guy almost smiles at hearing these bold words.  Almost.  It only manifests
itself as a small lifting of his perpetual frown, but it's there regardless.
 Still being up in Rock's face, Guy makes as if to start running forward.  
However, instead of going forward, he actually goes up, his feet seeking to
mash into Rock's unfortunate form.

COMBATSYS: Rock blocks Guy's Kamaitachi.
COMBATSYS: Megumi takes a breather.
COMBATSYS: Kula takes a breather.

[     \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////    ]
Rock             0/-------/----===|====---\-------\0           Megumi
[        \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Kula             0/-------/--=====|=------\-------\0              Guy

Megumi takes the time to gather herself after that kick, and looks over to
Rock and Guy. She watches him get struck by elbows and feet, and yells out
to Rock. "C'mon! Get aggressive! Push 'im back to his side of the arena,
Rock! You can do it!" It's meant to be encouraging, at least.

Kula looks up at the ring silently, staring. Whether or not she's pleased
with the current flow of the match is hard to say as she just watches, not
really offering support to Guy. To be plain about it, she has no real idea
how to do so.

Mashed, definitely. Unfortunate... maybe not. Struck again by Guy's attack,
Rock seems far more ready for it, this time. Thrusting his arms in front of
him to deflect most of the force of the blast, Rock takes a few steps
backwards; retreating, but still in control. He's still in the fight, very
much so. "Fast... Real fast. Tch. This is the second ninja I've gone up
against in this tournament... You're much better. So let's go!" Dashing
forward, Rock breaks into a lunge straight at Guy, planting a hand on the
ground just beneath him and leaping straight upwards, his entire body
corkscrewing to give him more momentum as he propels himself into Guy's
chin. "Rising TACKLE!"

COMBATSYS: Guy dodges Rock's Rising Tackle.

Guy makes an easy dodge, leaping backwards, away from Rock's upward attack.  
He quirks a quick eyebrow at Rock's words, though.  "Another ninja?  Hmm."  
He makes a mental note to investigate later.  For now, though, the match is
at hand!  From where he is, a small distance away, Guy runs forward at
breakneck speed, going into a powerslide at the end, aimed at taking Rock's
legs out.

COMBATSYS: Guy successfully hits Rock with Hayagake.

[           \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////    ]
Rock             0/-------/--=====|====---\-------\0           Megumi
[        \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Kula             0/-------/--=====|==-----\-------\0              Guy

COMBATSYS: Megumi takes no action.
COMBATSYS: Kula takes no action.

Rock's legs are, indeed, taken out. It looked almost as though Rock /tried/
to get out of the way, but didn't quite manage it. Hitting the ground on his
rear, Rock quickly whirls himself around and back onto his knees. Spinning
around on the ground as he tries to recover as quickly as possible (despite
a noticeable lag on his right side; that hit of Guy's looks like it finally
managed to do some real damage), Rock sweeps his left arm across the floor.
Fingers glowing with chi, the boy who bears the name of the arena unleashes
a wave of energy that races across the floor, moving about as fast as Rock
could ever hope to run as it charges Guy.

COMBATSYS: Rock successfully hits Guy with Reppuken.

[           \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////    ]
Rock             0/-------/=======|====---\-------\0           Megumi
[        \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////      ]
Kula             0/-------/--=====|====---\-------\0              Guy

Guy is good at dodging things, but to dodge you typically have to really
expect it first.  Indeed, the reppuken came as a fairly complete surprise,
smashing into Guy painfully.  He falls to the ground roughly, blasted back a
short distance, but is quickly up again, still in good shape.  He comes
running at Rock again quickly, this time slower, more careful, before firing
a punch of decent calibur at the young Howard's gut.

COMBATSYS: Guy successfully hits Rock with Medium Punch.
COMBATSYS: Megumi takes a breather.
COMBATSYS: Kula takes a breather.

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

This isn't going well for Rock. Guy's obviously faster than anyone Rock's
ever faced... Well, with one exception. Taking another strike in the gut,
Rock keels over and finds himself staggered for a few moments. He does seem
to recover after a few moments, but he's quite obviously taking more hits
than he ever wanted to take. Resuming a combat stance, Rock responds almost
immediately. Despite his range, Rock lunges forward... and fast, too, fast
enough so that his foot drags against the ground and leaves actual sparks
from the metal on his boot. The catch? Rock's elbow, which he held straight
forward as he drives it into Guy's gut, out to return the hit he just took.

COMBATSYS: Guy dodges Rock's Hard Edge.

Guy is fast, that's right.  It comes with the territory of being a
near-master ninja.  But in any case, Guy hasn't simply been standing idly
by, no.  Rather, as Rock comes rushing forward, Guy leaps near straight up
into the air, flipping repeatedly while curled up.  Of course, what goes up
must come down, and this rule includes Guy.  Instead of a traditional
attack, though, as soon as he comes down close enough, he'll grab Rock's
shoulders and FLIP him around into the ground.

COMBATSYS: Rock blocks Guy's Izuna Otoshi.

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

COMBATSYS: Megumi takes no action.
COMBATSYS: Kula takes no action.

Rock is picked up and tossed... But he seems to take advantage of it, for
once. Once he's thrown, Rock manages to right himself in mid-air, landing
not far from his edge of the ring, near Megumi. "Megumi! I need a break!"
Yeah, he definitely seems to have had enough. Quickly retreating outside the
ring, Howard passes the torch to his partner, apparently set to allow her to
take over for now.

Megumi acknowledges Rock's retreat with a "Yeah!", and hops into the arena.
The very second she lands, she's sprinting for Guy. "Guess we get our
rematch right now. Convenient, isn't it?" She's not even waiting for a
reply, as she aims to overtake Guy and make a flying clothesline
smash...only if it hits, she'll wrap her arm around his neck, and drive his
head into the ground, rather than outright striking him.

COMBATSYS: Megumi successfully hits Guy with Flood Reversal.

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

Guy starts to reply, "I suppose it is, at thUrk!"  Evidently it wasn't what
Guy expected again, seeing as how his arms were already moving to block
other areas of his body.  Regardless, when his head is slammed into the
stone arena, he decides that it's not a bad idea to let his head clear
before fighting more.  He shouts out, "Kula!  Your turn again!" and then
sprints for the edge of the ring.

COMBATSYS: Guy takes no action.

Kula leaps at Megumi from outside the ring, launching herself directly at
her. She shifts her weight, turning as she lashes out with a arc of frozen,
sharp ice - a slashing attack. She passes by Megumi, and then lands, quickly
turning one-eighty as if she was on solid ice rather than stone.

COMBATSYS: Megumi counters Claw Bites from Kula with Flood Reversal.

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

Megumi lets Guy go, looking towards Kula as she re-enters. She doesn't move.
She doesn't speak. She just stands her ground, and when Kula spins, she
yells "There!", dodging off just to the side of Kula's ice and catching her
arm in both hands. She then pivots, and slams Kula into the arena floor,
backing off immediately out of fear of eating another icy kick like she took
earlier.

Unfortunately, Kula was designed to go against hard-style flame-wielders,
and not soft aikido. She's taken out of the air and slammed to the ground,
breathing deeply as she picks herself up. Sliding up the the ground, Kula
skates after Megumi immediately, and gathers ice in her hands. Learning
forward, she just aims a straight punch at her opponent's chest, adding a
swirl of icy energy to the attack.

COMBATSYS: Kula successfully hits Megumi with Ice Strike.
COMBATSYS: Rock takes a breather.
COMBATSYS: Guy takes a breather.

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

Megumi attempts to backpedal from Kula, but it's not quite enough. Kula's
fist meets her chest square on, eliciting a sharp cry and making her stumble
back a step. "You know, she was right..." Megumi hops back, then dashes
forward, and then tries to slide between Kula's legs and yank them out from
underneath her. "...This kind of fighting is more fun!" If she gets Kula
off-balance, Kula's going down to the ground, and will receive quite the
sharp ankle-twist.

COMBATSYS: Megumi successfully hits Kula with Storm Hold.

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

Finding the ground /again/ by way of Megumi, Kula cries out again, almost
whimpering. She pushes herself up, though, and leans into Megumi as the
other girl gets up, maintaining her determination despite the bruises
forming under her suit. Extending her center of balance far forward, she
lashes out with a backhand of a punch, aimed at the solar plexus... with a
characteristic 'shake' at the end of the blow that one might expect from a
certain movie actor. The one inch punch is a simple but distinctive move, to
say the least.

COMBATSYS: Kula successfully hits Megumi with One Inch.

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

COMBATSYS: Guy takes no action.
COMBATSYS: Rock takes no action.

Megumi knows that punch. Feilong's own innovation, that one. And now she
gets to know what it feels like to be hit by it! It hurts like hell,
knocking the wind out of Megumi and making her fall down to her knees, a
'gasping' expression dawning on her face. "That was...?" She shakes her
head, and fails to complete her thought as she tries to wrap her arms around
Kula. If she grabs on, she'll jump about a dozen feet into the air, flip
upside down, and begin spinning with Kula in tow. Destination: The ground.

COMBATSYS: Megumi successfully hits Kula with Tornado Slam.

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

Kula is grabbed - and slams into the ground painfully, headfirst. She picks
herself up, blood running down her face and standing her hair. It's already
begun to freeze, though, the wound becoming staunched by the girl's aura of
cold. And with that, she 'skates' on small patches of ice, dashing out the
ring. No need to expend her power just yet, after all. She's got a surprise
in mind; a surprise that she's only shown to Iori...

COMBATSYS: Kula takes no action.
COMBATSYS: Rock takes a breather.

Guy leaps forward to cover Kula's retreat, his head definately long since
recovered from Megumi's headslamming attack.  In fact, he comes out in the
exact same headlong fashion as last time, flipping end over end.  Also like
the last time, the elbow comes when he comes out of the spin, aimed solidly
for Megumi.

COMBATSYS: Guy successfully hits Megumi with Bushin Izuna Otoshi.

[            \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////                   ]
Rock             1/-----==/=======|=======\-------\1           Megumi
[                  \\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////      ]
Kula             1/--=====/=======|=======\-------\1              Guy

Megumi starts to pick herself up from her last technique, starting to show
very real signs of fatigue. "It's happening again, isn't it..." Well, she's
certainly about to get deja vu, as Guy's flip and elbow-strike catches her
in the face despite her efforts to hop back. She staggers, then shakes her
head and lashes her hands out at Guy's closest arm. Her intention this time
is to bend it up towards his collarbone area, and past it. In a straight,
non-circular manner; not a way the human arm was meant to move, really.

COMBATSYS: Guy dodges Megumi's Aikido Techniques.
COMBATSYS: Kula takes no action.
COMBATSYS: Rock takes no action.

Well, when you've got a thing going, it sucks to knock it off.  So Guy
decides to simply pull his arm away from Megumi, negating the entire attack.
He does respond to her comment in a puzzled manner, saying, "What's
happening again?" While he says this, he hasn't stopped, though. Rather,
he's brought his right knee up, driving it toward Megumi's gut.

COMBATSYS: Guy successfully hits Megumi with Light Kick.

[            \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////                       ]
Rock             1/-----==/=======|=======\==-----\1           Megumi
[                  \\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////      ]
Kula             1/--=====/=======|=======\-------\1              Guy

Megumi tries to get away from Guy's kick, but the end result is that her
jump backwards is just too late, it only adds to her momentum. She goes
sailing back, landing prone on the arena floor...and doesn't get up.
Instead, she just starts rolling sideways, flopping out of the ring rather
lamely. "I'm lookin' like a moron out there...your turn, Rock."

COMBATSYS: Megumi takes no action.
COMBATSYS: Kula takes a breather.

[            \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////                       ]
Rock             1/-----==/=======|=======\==-----\1           Megumi
[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////      ]
Kula             1/--=====/=======|=======\-------\1              Guy

Watching the fight, Kula puzzles over her mistakes. She's used to being the
faster fighter, and her mistake was to try and use her speed rather than her
power to her advantage. Granted, every strike she lands is devastating, but
actually landing those strikes in another story. Leaving her to a similarly
quick fighter - Guy - seems to be a solid bet, though. And once Guy has worn
down Rock a bit... this could work. Unfortunately, the data on Megumi seems
to have been painfully wrong... throwing doubt on her entire preperations.

"-You're- looking like a moron? Welcome to my world!" With a grimace and a
shrug, Rock cracks his knuckles before hopping up and into the ring. Lunging
into the playin field as Megumi heads out, Rock hits the ground running
again. This time, he races straight out at Guy, one fist leading the way as
he aims to plow it straight into the ninja's face. "My turn again -- Let's
finish what we started!"

COMBATSYS: Guy dodges Rock's Medium Punch.

Guy's frown lightens just a bit again, as he dodges under Rock's punch.  It
seems he's really enjoying himself.  It shows, as he returns, "Nothing would
give me greater pleasure right now."  In fact, while he's crouching, Guy
chooses to spin around and plant his fist solidly into Rock's gut.  It might
just be a trick of the light, but it seems to be glowing slightly.

COMBATSYS: Rock counters Houzantou from Guy with Joudan Crack Counter.

[            \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////                       ]
Rock             1/-----==/=======|=======\==-----\1           Megumi
[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////          ]
Kula             1/--=====/=======|=======\==-----\1              Guy

"I'll hit you this time, clown!" Guy's foot never touches Rock's gut;
rather, he swings both arms forward to catch the blow. Snatching Guy's blow
right out of mid-air, Rock actually uses the ninja's mass and momentum as
leverage as he flips straight forward. One foot extended forward, Rock
brings it right down on on Guy's shoulder, hoping to dislocate it -- He
doesn't hit it quite hit it hard enough, however, and it's unlikely that he
actually does what he intended.

Guy lets out a small, restrained grunt of pain, but the instant Rock lets
up, Guy flips onto his feet.  Not wasting any movement at all, Guy chooses
that moment to move into his next attack, trying not to give any warning.  
Guy spins around as he rises, foot swinging around outstretched, leaping
upward in the same motion.  His foot comes around twice more while he rises,
hopefully carrying Rock with it.

COMBATSYS: Guy successfully hits Rock with Bushin Senpuu Kyaku.
- Power hit! -
COMBATSYS: Kula takes a breather.
COMBATSYS: Megumi takes a breather.

[                    \\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////                    ]
Rock             1/-======/=======|=======\==-----\1           Megumi
[            \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////          ]
Kula             1/--=====/=======|=======\===----\1              Guy

Um, ow. Guy hurts Rock. He hurts him pretty bad with that one. Flying loose
of Guy's assault and hitting the ground flat on his face, Rock finds
himself... totally overcome. Guy is too fast. So, he's going to have to get
a little underhanded. Lifting himself up to his knees as he finds himself
squat right beneath Guy, Rock shakes his head. "Tch... stupid ninja. "You
oughta learn to SLOW DOWN once in a while!" Without delaying at all, Rock
lifts both hands over his head, bringing them down onto the ground as his
entire body explodes with chi. Rising up from the ground and whirling around
him like a hurricane, Rock quite clearly intends to catch Guy in the storm
-- which is a place that he, obviously, doesn't want to be.

COMBATSYS: Guy dodges Rock's Raging Storm.

"Thanks, but no thanks."  These are Guy's words as he quickly puts distance
between Rock and himself, getting away from the massive winds.  That's a
danger situation, right there.  Staying back for the duration, Guy pauses
for a moment, not entirely sure as to how he should proceed, and not quite
sure the storm has died down.  The answer that presents itself to him is
simple.  Just charge in again.  As fast as he can.  So Guy does that,
whirling around for a powerful spinning roundhouse kick once he's in range.

COMBATSYS: Guy successfully hits Rock with Hayagake.
- Power hit! -

[                           \\\  < >  //////////                    ]
Rock             1/------=/=======|=======\==-----\1           Megumi
[            \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////          ]
Kula             1/--=====/=======|=======\====---\1              Guy

COMBATSYS: Megumi takes no action.
COMBATSYS: Kula takes no action.

Well, he can't touch Guy tonight. He also can't dodge Guy. In fact, he can't
do a damn thing against Guy at all whatsoever, and it's pissing Rock off.
Grinding his teeth together as Rock slides across the floor from his hit,
the losing fighter climbs slowly to his feet, looking like he's going to
take another crack at this... but considering that he's getting his ass
beat, he just takes a step back and out of the ring. "Megumi... Tch... I'm
nothing on this guy. You're going to have to hold him off or he's going to
put me down for the count."

COMBATSYS: Rock takes no action.

Megumi has since at least got to her feet, after her rather laughable exit
from the arena previously. Not quite as energetic as before, she simply
responds, "Who knows. I'll give you as much time as I can, anyway." She
plainly steps into the ring, progressing into a fast walk, then a jog, then
a full run. When she gets near Guy, she tries to slide between his legs and
yank them out from beneath him while passing by. If he's suitably knocked
down, Megumi quickly shoots to her feet, grabs Guy by the ankles, and begins
spinning. And spinning. And more spinning, finally joined by smashing him
against the ground a few times like a doormat before tossing him away.

COMBATSYS: Guy blocks Megumi's Tornado Slam.

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

Guy sees it coming, so to speak, and manages to act accordingly.  Rather
than try to dodge it, for once the ninja simply takes a defensive posture.  
When he's knocked down, instead of being grabbed and flung, it's more
appropriate to say that he's grabbed at, and then suddenly becomes fairly
slippery, not allowing a decent hold to be maintained on him throughout the
attack.  When she's done, Guy runs for the edge of the ring, calling out,
"Kula.  Finish her, if you don't mind."

COMBATSYS: Guy takes no action.

Kula turns, noticing the pace of the fight, and then skates towards the
arena as Guy moves to make his exit. Leaping back into the ring, she holds
her hands above her head as she does a pirouette. With the spin, though,  a
leg lashes out at Megumi twice, and Kula tries to slip back into a defensive
stance.

COMBATSYS: Rock takes no action.

COMBATSYS: Kula successfully hits Megumi with Ray Spin.

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

Megumi is winded after that last one, especially after expending extra
effort trying to get ahold of Guy again when he kept half-slipping free. Her
movements are definitely sluggish now, and she tries to duck Kula's leg but
starts a half-second too late. She's simply struck on the upper back each
time, knocked to the ground. Megumi gets to her knees right away, but no
further just yet. "Even a few more seconds'll help him..." She tries to wrap
her arms around Kula's midsection while fully standing up, and moving from
that into a spin behind Kula, and attempting what amounts to a German Suplex
by bridging over backwards.

COMBATSYS: Kula dodges Megumi's Storm Hold.

Kula blurs with speed beyond what she's shown, becoming a purple flash that
slips away from Megumi's hands. An instant later, she's back to back with
her opponent, and Kula then lashes out behind herself with a knife hand
aimed at the back - more specifically, the kidneys. Thankfully, most
fighters can survive this blow nonetheless.

COMBATSYS: Megumi dodges Kula's Behind Slash.

COMBATSYS: Rock takes a breather.
COMBATSYS: Guy takes a breather.

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

Megumi is surprised when Kula just slips away like that, but seems to know
what's up, even asking aloud, "Behind?", then jumping off to the side.
Kula's 'backstab' misses by a few inches, quite the close call. She makes a
backflip, aiming to go up and beyond Kula, inverting in mid-leap to try and
use her hands to grab Kula's shoulders, spin her around, and smash her down
to the ground forcefully.

COMBATSYS: Megumi successfully hits Kula with Flood Reversal.

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

Slammed again, Kula takes the fall hard, unable to generate an effective ice
defense against Megumi's throws. Softly, though, she says, "Sorry...", cold
radiating out from her form now in waves, as her power builds. She then
lashes out, pressing both her palms forth as a hurricane of icy winds blows
her long blue hair straight ba ck. A wall of ice shimmers forth, growing
quickly as she tries to catch Megumi before she can even rise.

COMBATSYS: Kula successfully hits Megumi with Ice Coffin.
COMBATSYS: Rock takes no action.

[                        \\\\\\  < >                                ]
Rock             1/------=/=======|=======\===----\1           Megumi
[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////          ]
Kula             2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|=======\======-\1              Guy

Megumi gets to her feet. That's good news. Kula's ice goes off just about
the exact same moment she finishes standing. That's good news...for Kula.
Megumi's caught within the wall, and when it breaks, her feet hit the floor.
She makes a leaping pounce right at Kula, aiming to grab her by an arm, and
incredibly just throw Kula with little prelude. The only unusual part about
this would be that Kula will be spiralling through the air as she goes, the
destination roughly being towards Rock's side of the arena. Even if this
last-ditch assault works, the most she can manage after it is a stumbling
step forward, then keeling over on her side, immobile. She's out, um,
'cold.'

COMBATSYS: Megumi has targeted Kula with an attack.
COMBATSYS: Megumi can no longer fight.
COMBATSYS: Megumi has left the fight here.
COMBATSYS: Kula blocks Megumi's Tornado Slam.

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

Though thrown, Kula recovers, skidding along the ground. As Megumi slumps,
Kula simply waits for Rock to enter, waves of frost forming from her body,
as if sheets of snow were blowing on the ring of the floor.  She looks over
her shoulder, and simply waits for Rock. "I'm sorry.", she says softly, more
like a warning than apology.

COMBATSYS: Kula takes no action.

"Megumi!" As his partner goes down, Rock has a surprisingly animated
response. It's his turn to go in, after all, and he does just that. Rock
doesn't even bother taking a step in; he winds up for one giant punch, and
then simply ROCKETS in, rendered mobile by chi as he flies at Kula. His
fist, indeed, explodes with energy, shimmering like a gold arrowhead aimed
right at Kula's chest. It's a last-ditch effort; he, himself, is quite
clearly on his last legs, and now he's outnumbered. But at least he's going
down fighting.

COMBATSYS: Kula blocks Rock's Shine Knuckle.

[                        \\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////          ]
Rock             0/-------/------=|=======\======-\1              Guy
[                        \\\\\\  <
Kula             2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|

Kula blocks the attack, an icy shield forming as she blocks with her
shoulder... but is still blown back, sliding to the middle of the arena.
"It's over...", Kula whispers,  "... no more..." She then yells
uncharacteristically, "... HOLDING BACK!", as cold literally radiates in
every direction, ice forming across everything in its path. The deadly blue
chi is quite a sight, covering the entire ring in ice in an instant - and
continuing for a short distance aside from that. In the middle of it is
Kula, arms spread wide, hair blowing straight up, apparently unarmed by the
literal detonation of icy chi.

COMBATSYS: Rock dodges Kula's Freeze Execution.

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

"Tch! ... Dammit!" Impacting with a shield of ice, Rock's near-best meets
with minimal effect... and now he's in trouble. Without much in the way of
warning, Kula's ridiculous power is unleashed and consumes the entire ring
in one sweep. There's nowhere Rock could have gone, no way he could have
dodged that... right? So where is he? ... There's no sign of Rock Howard
anywhere in the newly-formed ice that covers the fighting floor.

Probably because he isn't /in/ the ice. Dropping down from directly above
Kula, Rock's perfectly-timed leap brings him to land right behind the icy
warrior. Landing in a crouch and rising to his feet, Rock grunts audibly, no
more than a foot away from her. "Nice. ... Looks like you guys win, today.
But if there's anything I've inherited from my bastard of a father... I'm a
sore loser. Sorry about this!" Not delaying another second, Rock's arm snaps
out to snatch her by the leg, hoping to grab her and toss her gracefully
right out of the ring with a movement of his arms -- It's a throw that
Kula's seen before, and the perfectly practiced windmill of Rock's arms is a
familiar follow-up, provided he somehow managed to nail it.

COMBATSYS: Kula dodges Rock's Shinkuu Nage.

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

When Rock goes to grab, Kula evades... but not in the way you expect. She
slumps back somewhat, teetering from her expenditure of energy, and out of
Rock's grasp. She balances herself with a spin, though, and skates out of
the now-icy arena. She slips off the edge, falling out of the ring. "I'm
done.", she states definitively.

--- scene ended abruptly here. Rock OOC chose to concede, and everyone got
some sleep. --

Log created by Kobun, and last modified on 17:25:30 12/06/2005.