Description: Billy faces the triple-threat of Tora, Seishirou, and Daisuke, managing to prove brawn can best brains. (Winner: Billy)
Howard Arena
[Exits : <Out> Out to Business District ]
[Players : Billy, and Lisa ]
Tora enters the arena.
Tora has arrived.
Seishirou has arrived.
Terry enters the arena.
Terry has arrived.
The announcer, a man with blonde hair, and what is possibly the gaudiest
purple outfit ever is in the center of the arena, the subject of an
intensely bright spotlight. And today, the bleachers are.. kinda populated
with spectators whom have arrived to see today's ... great show!
Adjusting his bowtie with a tug, the man appears to already be in the middle
of his announcing. "...So welcome, ladies and gentlemen to Howard Arena's
Saturday Night Fight! Today we'll be having a special handicap match between
four contenders with only one goal: To win!" He consults his card for a
moment. "First, let me introduce today's first team! You may remember a pair
of them from previous engagements, the three ninja from Nowhere'sville (I
think it's in Alaska), Tora, Seishirou, and Daiiisssuuuuke!" ..... At least
the applause is cheerful?
"And next, our man about town, the sultan of smack, BILLY KANE!" It's
notable that he doesn't need to explain just why Billy's facing these three.
If you've seen them fight before, you probably know why. Thus, the applause
is ... considerably greater.
Amidst the cheering crowd, the Legendary Wolf shows up, standing in the
middle of an entranceway to the Arena, having been here a few days ago when
it was much quieter and considerably emptier than it is now. He looks down
to the Arena stage, and one side of his mouth pulls up in a slight smirk as
he sees who's fighting against these three young men. Casually, Terry Bogard
walks down the steps towards the front row of seats, stopping to lean
casually on the railing, arms crossed over each other as he watches the
match start up, curious of what these young men he's never seen before can
do.
For a change, Billy Kane doesn't seem to be soaking up the attention of the
public. Normally willing to play to the crowd, Kane takes a different route
this time. Emerging from the stairwell at the large, intentionally dramatic
entrance at the edge of the tremendous stone battle arena. Dressed casually
and looking non-chalant, Billy steps up to his designated spot to begin with
his arms slung over his staff, which in turn rests over his shoulders. He
looks almost bored with the entire situation, though whether it's legitimate
or if he's simply trying to get a rise out of his opponents has yet to be
seen. Stretching a little bit once he reaches his spot on the stage, Kane
slips his staff off of his shoulders and rests the butt against the floor,
letting out a rather deliberate yawn as he leans over towards the announcer.
"'Ey! How old are these clowns I'm up against, anyways? What are they,
eight?"
As the first of the three on his team, Tora strolls out with a grin, looking
out at the crowd. Not even glancing back to see if the rest of his side of
the match is coming, he moves boldly towards the stage, seeming not the
slightest worried. I mean, last week he almost took down some supposed
badass by himself.. With these two helping him, no way he can lose, even if
they both suck. As he gets onto the stage, he finally spots his opponent..
And hears the comments.
Immediately moving to a scowl, Tora raises one fist at Billy, flashes a
single obscene gesture, and retorts, "Old enough to kick your ass, loser.
Shut up and fight." And with that, he steps into a ready position, clearly
intending to be the first to light into the older fighter.
Glare. Ooh, Ryouhara looks upset today. Seishirou walks in from the side of
the arena where they apparently keep ninjas on retainer. He's a good
distance behind Tora, thumbs in his pockets. This was going to be a waste of
his training. And furthermore, a waste of his time. However, the object on
his contempt and ire is not exactly Kane (whom Seishirou has only thus far
noted with a passing glance, seeming more interested in his immediate
surroundings and the arena at large) but rather seems to be a free floating
hostility right now. A tangible thing, almost, a dark cloud over his head.
He steps up, somewhere behind Tora. He seems to have no problem with letting
somewhat-nin go first. If somewhat-nin wants to die, that's his perogative.
Instead, he merely reaches behind him and unzips his backpack by an inch or
two. Looking over to Billy now, Seishirou only regards him warily. ".....
hmph." Children his age have beaten grown men..
Daisuke ambles out onto the arena floor as his name is called, completing
the trio of ninja. Tora's ready to fight and kick some ass, Seishirou's just
pissed off, and Daisuke...well, Daisuke looks almost asleep. His hands are
shoved in his pants pockets, and he doesn't appear to be aware of the world
around him, although he has no trouble following Seishirou onto the floor.
He stops at Seishirou's side, blinking blearily at Billy Kane before
glancing sideways. He raises an eyebrow, then mutters in words only for
Seishirou's ears, "Cheer up. There's no way we can win if you're gonna be
all sulky." He doesn't look like he's in any rush to fight either, though,
given his laconic stance.
"Don't let their appearance fool you!" crows the announcer, addressing not
only Billy but the entire audience. "They may be teenagers, but they've got
the stuff, and they're gonna show it off tonight! Ladies and gentlemen,
let's kick off this fight! GET READY TO RUUUUUMMMMBLE!" The announcer backs
up off the floor, and the spotlight kicks off, the entire arena swarmed in
bright lights. If there was ever a cue to start fighting, this is it.
COMBATSYS: Tora has joined the fight here.
COMBATSYS: Billy has joined the fight here.
COMBATSYS: Daisuke has joined the fight here.
COMBATSYS: Seishirou has joined the fight here.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Billy 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Tora
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Daisuke 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Seishirou
"Hm. Old enough, huh?" One by one, Billy looks to the three gathered ninja,
a lopsided, arrogant smirk on his face... but seriousness in his eyes. He's
trying to size the three of them up for real; he's not taking them for
granted, at least not completely. "Alright, lesse... You're all kids, but
that doesn't really mean too much... I've seen two of you fight, though."
Grasping his bo staff, Billy holds it up, pointing it first at Seishirou.
"I've seen you fight a bit. You got your ass beat by the boss' kid, and I
know how strong -he- is. You..." He points it now at Daisuke. "I've never
seen. But you look like you're dying of the freaking plague." He then moves
his staff to Tora, tilting his chin up and grinning wider. "-You-, though.
You held your own against Daigo, and he's a pretty tough bastard. So, for
the moment... let's say that you're the strongest one there. I don't think
any of ya'll fault me for attackin' first when there are three of you and
one of me... so let's GO!" And then... Billy moves.
His first move is almost impulsive, all things considered, charging the trio
almost immediately. Keeping his body low, Billy seems to be aiming at Tora
with one shoulder, moving in at top speed like a raging bull.
COMBATSYS: Billy successfully hits Tora with Medium Punch.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Billy 0/-------/-------|===----\-------\0 Tora
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Daisuke 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Seishirou
Tora just continues staring at Billy with a set jaw as the starts his
analysis, short as it is. Shrugging slightly when the finger is pointed at
him, he makes no reply except to shift his stance slightly, waiting for
whatever may come. He blinks, though, when Billy actually charges -- so
fast! -- and doesn't manage to shift his arms for the block quick enough.
Getting caught in the chest with Billy's shoulder, he lets out a pained
hiss, not having expected to get hit so hard so quickly.
On the other hand, he's far from unprepared for the impact, and is already
moving to compensate as soon as he's hit. Instead of getting knocked
backwards, he kicks himself off into a flip above Billy, striking downwards
with a orange flame-lined fist, aiming to catch Billy in the back before
landing on the other side of his foe.
Oh, and then he wobbles a moment.
There had to be a reason the arena was allowing the three of them to go
against Billy. What is even more troubling, is that in the whirlwind of
research Seishirou has unleashed in the past weeks, he remembered the name.
He's competed before. He might be a problem. Seishirou just hoped he was the
Dan Hibiki kind of a problem and not the Rock Howard kind of a problem.
It's right about then that Daisuke speaks. If looks could kill,
Seishirou'd've finished the job on Daisuke in a second. "...Just be lucky
I've got more important things to worry about..." Oh, and he doesn't
appreciate Tora being called the strongest. Not one bit. You can almost hear
the bones in his fists tensing.
But before he can think up an appropriate response besides 'shut up!' Billy
is -already- right in the middle of them, attacking. Seishirou hops back a
bit as Tora is ... flipping clear up into the air. And kicking downwards.
Let it never be said that when there is an opening, Seishirou is not willing
to exploit it, and, without further ado, he removes his hand from behind his
back before planting it firmly in the ground to attack -low- at Billy, in a
ground sweep that's probably going to hit (or miss) around the same time as
Tora's shot.
Daisuke laughs a bit sheepishly at Seishirou's murderous glare, giving a
little shrug. But before he can respond, Billy's already making his
pronouncement and attack. Daisuke doesn't waste time with words, and instead
leaps backward, well out of the fray. He coughs once, grimacing; Billy
wasn't far off, but then, Daisuke wouldn't be here if he couldn't handle
himself. Rather than add a fourth body to the confusion, however, he stays
back for the moment, resting one hand on the hilt of his sword and the other
at his chest. It looks like he's catching his breath, but at the same time
his before-bleary eyes sharpen, watching the opening gambit of the fight.
COMBATSYS: Daisuke focuses on his next action.
COMBATSYS: Tora successfully hits Billy with Burning Hand.
COMBATSYS: Billy dodges Seishirou's Light Kick.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Billy 0/-------/------=|====---\-------\0 Tora
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Daisuke 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Seishirou
*WHOOSH*
The moment his shoulder hits Tora, Billy plants one foot against the ground
to stop himself; or at least, to give him a bit more leeway in redirecting
his movements. Staff still in hand, Billy turns his head to the side,
managing to catch a glimpse of both Seishirou and Tora on the way... and
tries to escape completely. And he does, almost -- He's fast. Real fast, at
least compared to the ninjas. Fast, period. It's hard to see, really, where
he vanishes to; but Tora will definitely feel his fist making contact with
Regardless, Billy seems to land, unhurt, a meter or two away from the clash,
smirking confidently. Legs spread and one palm planted against the ground
with his staff behind his back, Kane nods to himself. "Yep! Looks like I was
right -- Blondie here is probably the best out of the lot of you. No idea
about you, yet, sick boy... But you?" He stares right at Seishirou. "What
are you even doing here? Why don't you sit down and let your teammate do the
work for you? I'll deal with you later!" And then he's on the move again,
circling around the trio in a half-arc. If any of them can follow his
movement, he's basically lunging just past them and them coming in from
behind... his knee aimed right for the small of Daisuke's back.
Tora straightens himself out shortly after landing, not allowing himself to
appear as woozy as he feels after that first initial pounding he took.
Bracing again, he grimaces as Billy begins moving towards Daisuke. Sprinting
forward again, although not quite at the speed Billy was, he tries to move
into a course to intercept his opponent, leaping in the air to aim a
spinning kick at him -- preferrably to the head, but any contact will do.
His path is designed to keep him from stopping at Billy, though, to land on
the other side of his projected impact point.
Seishirou doesn't miss a beat as he misses. Hrm. His moves are just as fast
as his mouth. Completing the sweep in a crouch, Seishirou frowns at Billy's
taunting. If it were anything else, Ryouhara wouldn't care quite as much,
but the jacket ninja dislikes being compared (unfavorably) to Tora, there.
He'd have to fix that. Seishirou sketches a neat flip backwards, and then
lands.. about where Billy was moments ago. Which leaves the question; where
is he NOW? It's as if Seishirou is blessed with some kind of natural
observancy; as he sees at least some Billystreak. Trusting Daisuke to be
half as observant as he is, Seishirou, instead of acting, leans back and
draws out some wire.. Let the others deal with it, then. For now.
COMBATSYS: Seishirou focuses on his next action.
COMBATSYS: Billy successfully hits Daisuke with Medium Kick.
Daisuke's eyes track Billy, trying to catch his movements as he deals with
Dai's teammates. It's one thing to watch fighters of Billy's level from
afar, but trying to keep an eye on him IN the fight is something else again.
..Especially when one is overcome by a coughing fit at the WORST POSSIBLE
TIME...
Daisuke didn't, couldn't catch where Billy was going, although the cocky
Brit's words do reach his ears. His eyes snap open as he figures out just
where Billy's headed, but too late..! Billy's knee catches Daisuke square
on, sending him skidding along the floor, tumbling a couple times. He pushes
himself onto his hands, but if he didn't look well before, he -really- looks
bad now.
Cue the little knowing smile.
The instant before Billy had struck him, Dai had learned where Billy was.
And even now as Tora rushes at Billy from the front, four illusions appear
in a semi-circle behind Kane, all of them ghostly representations of
Daisuke...and all holding a sword. Another millisecond passes, and all of
them close in with the intent to slam into Billy simultaneously.
COMBATSYS: Tora successfully hits Billy with Medium Kick.
COMBATSYS: Daisuke successfully hits Billy with Half Moon Dance.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Billy 0/-------/---====|====---\-------\0 Tora
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Daisuke 0/-------/-======|-------\-------\0 Seishirou
Well, now he's looking a little serious. Billy finds himself enclosed by
five attackers -- not the two or three he had planned on. And despite his
noble efforts to polevault straight up and out of the range of the quintet,
he gets hit pretty hard on all fronts. Sandwiched rather painfully amongst
them, Billy cringes rather clearly; he manages to stay standing more because
he was attacked simultaneously from all sides, rather than his own
fortitude. But he's on feet regardless, and slowly twirling his staff round
and round. "Well, hell..." His voice sounds slightly strained, at that.
"More than I expected out of you punks. Tell you what... I said I wasn't
gonna use it, but I'll give you a special treat. I'll show you my real style
-- I'll show you the bo staff that made me famous!"
Daisuke may want to wipe the smile off of his face, because head straight
for it -- right for his two front teeth -- is a red blur. To be precise,
it's the dangerous end of Billy's cudgel, moving in from below as Billy
lunges in low and leaps straight up.
Tora scowls as he comes to a landing, turning to face Billy, seeing that the
older man is still picking on the weakl-- er, his teammate. He stomps his
foot, calling out, "Hey, hey, dumbass! If you want a fight, pay more
attention to me, already!" And with that, he rushes forward, drawing out a
single blade, leaping towards Billy. Unlike last time, this is a more direct
approach, with Tora descending upon Billy with a two-fisted downward stab.
It's not aimed at any critical areas, but that blade is pretty sharp, and
has a lot of Tora's strength behind it.
They're all in the fray.
Seishirou realizes that from his outside perspective. Since they're all
pretty tight-knit and clustered around Kane, it's going to be hard to get
anything in there worth hitting the older man with for now. So he has to
bide his time, winding the wire around the sphere in his hand calmly. When
that's done, Seishirou tucks it into his side pack for the immediate
moment.. instead drawing.. a single knife. Taking -very- careful aim,
Seishirou tosses the weighted blade at Billy, with such an angle so that, at
the very least, it won't hit any of the others, barring extreme
circumstances. At the most... it'll impact quite solidly into Billy's
collar.
COMBATSYS: Daisuke dodges Billy's Sen'en Sakkon.
Daisuke looks up from the ground to view his handiwork, his smile widening
as Billy gets nailed from all sides. They might still have a chance yet. The
smile only lasts for an instant, though, before he realizes Billy is -still-
coming after him. To be expected, really...when lions hunt, they pick off
the weakest from the herd first, and Daisuke certainly fits the bill. But
he's nowhere near ready to just let Billy kick his ass.
He throws himself to the side (opposite the side Seishirou's on), rolling
once. As he comes up on his knees, he already has his sword drawn and held
in a reverse form. He dashes forward, the blade sticking out to the side,
adding his third attack to the mix--Tora on Billy's back, Seishirou to
Billy's side, and Daisuke's blade catching Billy in the stomach.
COMBATSYS: Billy dodges Tora's Kunai Crush.
COMBATSYS: Seishirou successfully hits Billy with Kunai Flight.
COMBATSYS: Billy counters New Moon Dance from Daisuke with Fire Dragon Pursuit Cane.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Billy 0/-------/-======|====---\-------\0 Tora
[ \\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Daisuke 1/-======/=======|-------\-------\0 Seishirou
"Tch -- You'll have to do better than this!" Tora's blade will find nothing
but air... or, perhaps, the stadium floor. There's no Billy to be found
where the kunai falls, in any case. No, Kane's managed to move. But where?
-Atop- Tora. Leaping up not only to evade Tora's attack but to pretty much
jump on him, Billy uses the young ninja as a springboard to lunge forward
and straight towards Daisuke. Aggressive force is never really applied to
Tora's body throughout, so he can probably escape unscathed, if not
disoriented. No, the real clincher is that Billy is more or less racing to
meet Daisuke's blade head on with his staff. And meet they do... but the
moment the two weapons make contact, something unexpected happens: Billy's
bo breaks apart into three pieces. It's not damaged, rather, intentional,
with the center section parrying the blade as the other ends simultaneously
whip forward to strike Daisuke twice, and painfully at that.
Now, to deal with the last mosquito. Detecting the blade whizzing towards
his collar, Billy thrusts his hand out in a attempt to catch it... and
fails. As a result, he now has a big iron kunai sticking out of the palm of
his hand. Ouch. He doesn't seem to excited, however, witha blade buried in
his hand. He simply looks at it, pulling it out casually and holding it in
his other hand. "Not bad -- I ain't gonna call you weak, 'cause you're just
kids. Nobody expects anything else from you. But consider this a lesson.
This isn't class anymore... you're not up against some tournament fighter,
even if I might have competed... you're up against someone who's had to
defend his life. You're against the real deal, this time. A scratch like
this is /nothing/." He doesn't throw the kunai away, though. No, he seems to
be keeping it, maybe for a rainy day.
Tora realizes that he isn't getting anything done shortly before he would
actually hit the floor. Being well aware of the value of his tools, he
aborts the lunge into a quick flip to land in a crouch, then bounces
backwards to watch the proceedings with a grimace. Nothing he can do about
that, though.. Not right now, anyway. Drawing himself back into a defensive
stance, Tora watches over Billy and the others grimly, taking a moment to
catch his breath and consider his actions.
COMBATSYS: Tora focuses on his next action.
Terry watches the fight from his place at the edge of the stands, one arm
folded over the other. He looks around from side to side, simply watching
and listening to the audience as they cheer the fighters on, though mostly
for Billy to win. He stands up to his full height and places a hand on the
railing, and with a single, fluid leap, he vaults himself over the front
railing, landing handily down in the trainers' area around the fighting
stage.
The fact that his attack landed is met with little celebration. Seishirou
isn't foolish enough to think that his attack was going to destroy Billy
instantly. Instead, Seishirou notes that both of his compatriots were..
almost out of the way now. Kinda. Looks like the sick one needs help, and
the somewhat-nin needs practice. So. He drops into a ready posture, as Billy
begins to speak. Someone who's had to fight to survive. ... He could respect
that.
"You might be right ... but I'm not going to give up."
Their opponent's status as a "big deal" is only a marginal note in his
tempered demeanor. Seishirou will do his best. Regardless. So sdudenly the
ninja explodes forward in a sudden and blinding burst of speed--at least,
for those that weren't of Billy's caliber. Taking a leap -over- Billy's
head... Seishirou decides that keeping at least SOME distance, while
attempting to keep Billy's immediate attention, is wise. That's why, as he
flips high into the air, clearly intending to go over Billy's head... a
black shot flies down at Billy.
.. It's a small, and heavy, iron ball. Aimed solidly at the man's head.
Daisuke's eyes widen as the staff splits apart. No way he could have seen
that coming-! Both ends strike him despite his best attempts to block, and
the force of the double impact sends him rocketing away yet again. Only a
deathgrip keeps him from losing his own weapon, and the clatter of metal
rings loudly as he strikes the floor. It takes an even greater effort for
him to rise now, and he does so slowly, deliberately. Wobbling to his feet,
he holds the sword in front of himself with both hands, apparently trying to
assume a standard kata pose. He makes no move towards Billy, only watches
him cautiously. Any more direct attacks like that might finish him off. At
least he can react to something Billy starts--and at the least, he's
providing a distraction while Tora and Seishirou continue their assault.
COMBATSYS: Daisuke focuses on his next action.
COMBATSYS: Seishirou successfully hits Billy with Thrown Object.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Billy 0/-------/=======|====---\-------\0 Tora
[ \\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Daisuke 1/-======/=======|-------\-------\0 Seishirou
CLONK. "Ow! Motherfucker, that -hurt-!" Almost taking a timeout from the
battle, Billy is completely struck in the face by a big freaking metal ball.
Bouncing off with a satisfying gong noise, Billy is given pause as he rubs
his forehead a bit. "Jeez, what the hell do they teach you at this school? I
mean, who fights with metal baseballs? Come on! Shuriken, fine. Throwing
knives, fine. Hell, grenades would be okay. But that was just a big hunk of
metal. Freakin' stung!" And then Billy reminds himself that he's in the
middle of a fight. Right, right. "I'll pay you back for that later, kid!"
For now, he had other things to worry about. Namely, finishing off Daisuke.
Which he does rather more promptly than one might have expected, pretty much
just whipping his staff -- still in three parts -- right at Daisuke's face
as he takes a break from the fight.
Tora actually has to chuckle a bit, as Seishirou decides to bean Billy
with.. Hell, it does look like a metal baseball. Shrugging, Tora decides
it's as good a time as any. Looking over Billy, he decides to do his part,
rushing forward, flames lining his fist again as he charges at his top
speed.. Unfortunately, his top speed has been clearly demonstrated as
nowhere near Billy's, even when Billy is being casual.
That's why when Tora gets close, instead of continuing the attack himself,
another Tora drops from above Billy unannounced, his own flaming fist
descending towards Billy's face.
You'd be amazed at just how much damage an iron ball could do when thrown at
someone's nose. It was a small revelation Seishirou had after the Dan fight.
If bamboo hurts, iron has to hurt more. As the former-fastball slams into
the ground with a dull thud, so does Seishirou, landing in a crouched
formation somewhere behind Billy. Smirking, in response. "I do." .. Notably,
Seishirou doesn't carry Shuriken. On the battlefield, nothing can be
discounted as a weapon. But it didn't do an awful lot of damage, like it
might have with someone whose face was.. you know. Less tough and gamy.
Unfortunately, Billy's getting kind of crowded again, so instead Seishirou
takes a moment to edge back, watching the physics of the ensuing trade
carefully.
COMBATSYS: Seishirou focuses on his next action.
COMBATSYS: Daisuke fails to reflect Blazing Cane Thrust from Billy with Waning Moon Dance.
COMBATSYS: Daisuke can no longer fight.
COMBATSYS: Daisuke has left the fight here.
Breathe in, breathe out...Daisuke watches Billy attack, eyes flicking to the
cane before his body reacts. Letting go of the sword with one hand, he
swings it in a wide arc, apparently attempting to knock the cane aside. But
the sectioned staff is just too evil and too fast, and his sword collides
not with the leading section, which would have knocked it aside completely,
but with the second section. While that gets struck, there's just enough
leeway in the cord/chain to allow the first section to finish its flight
before the second pulls it back. The section strikes Daisuke on the chin
with a resounding crack...and it seems three hits is Dai's limit. For a
third time he flies back, crashing into the trainers' area. And this time,
he ain't getting up anywhere near fast enough to finish the fight.
COMBATSYS: Billy counters Burning Hand from Tora with Water Dragon Pursuit Cane.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Billy 1/-----==/=======|-------\-------\0 Seishirou
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Tora 1/-------/=======|
At the moment, Billy is probably looking pretty good. With one hard slap of
his bo, Daisuke flies clear off the stage as though Billy had hit a home run
with his skull. With his staff still disjointed and in the air, Billy
becomes aware of his surroundings rather suddenly -- Tora coming from above
with that Burning Hand of his. But, wait... wasn't Tora somewhere else? Tch,
it doesn't matter. Reacting with fluidity to impress even seasoned pros (not
to mention kids like Tora and the gang), Billy pulls his staff back into his
grip, reassembling it with a flick of his wrist; just in time to split again
to counter Tora's clone in mid-air, using much the same method that was used
on Daisuke mere moments earlier... only not quite as deadly, which is a good
thing. Nonetheless, Billy whirls around, now aware that there are -- or
perhaps were -- two Toras where there once was one.
"Man, what is it with you guys and this copy crap? Never understood
ninjas... Eiji, man, no idea how you do it... Oh, and kid?" Turning to Tora
(or at least one of them), Billy holds his staff out, resting it on his
shoulder. "Try not to use the same damn move twice unless y'have to. After
you've seen it once... It's just not quite as good, y'know?"
Pain.
What was, in his mind, a well executed plan has quickly turned into another
chance to not enjoy life, for Tora. Taking the hit solidly, the Tora closest
to Billy only has enough presence of will to abort any pretense of hitting
Billy and adjust his momentum -- such as it is after being struck -- to move
him away from his opponent. Backing off, both Toras share similar
expressions of pain -- but not exactly -- even as the one that was hit moves
a little more carefully. Once they have moved back, they draw out their
blades, standing in similar stances to earlier, watching over Billy from
their seperate vantage points as they try to come up with another way of
doing this.
COMBATSYS: Tora focuses on his next action.
Terry makes a slight scowl as he watches Daisuke get cracked across the jaw
with Billy's bo and goes flying off of the stage and into the trainer's
area, close to where the Legendary Wolf himself is. He looks over at the
sickly young man as the medics rush over and start to tend to the injured
ninja, looking down at the young man. Noticing Daisuke's chest rising and
falling, and hearing his low groans as the medics tend to him reassure Terry
that the young man is not permanently injured of any sort, and his attention
goes back to the fight taking place up on the large stone stage. Terry
Bogard steps easily through the people in the training area, getting within
five feet of the fighting stage itself. Of course, this puts him in sight of
all the trainers, medics.. and even more so, the crowd. A small ripple
passes through the crowd, and every once in a while, people can be seen
pointing down at the legend, and even a few shouts can be heard.
It's a very difficult skill to acquire, learning the lay of the land before
making his move. Seishirou lays low for a moment, as Tora's
clones--fascinating, how the somewhat-nin managed to do that. He hasn't
heard of such a degree of control before. Ever. It's sort of sobering. But
at the same time... irritating..
It's at that moment, while paying close attention to the ground -around-
Billy and at once following Daisuke's downed path that Seishirou notices a
-new- person out in the fighting area. .... He recognizes him. A wary glance
is tossed his way, trying to discern if he was intending on interrupting the
battle, as Seishirou definitely recognizes him as a tournament competitor.
How could he not have noticed him earlier?! He'd have to watch him, but...
Seishirou's wary glance lasts only a second more. Tora was getting
beaten--as expected. Which means Seishirou would have to make his move. NOW,
while Billy's not paying as much attention to him.
Taking care to move absolutely silently, where Seishirou once was a second
ago is filled with empty air. As the ninja quietly manuvers himself to as
far behind Billy as possible... before making his move. Swiftly, the ninja
attempts to flit by Billy, a small click his only audial warning. From the
wary distance he was previously keeping plus the quick speed he's moving at,
Ryouhara will graze closer to Billy than he'd like, but the benefits are
great, if he succeeds.
As he will have planted a small device hastily taped to the back of Billy's
leg. A small device. With a hissing fuse.
COMBATSYS: Billy blocks Seishirou's Sadist Tactics.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Billy 1/-----==/=======|=------\-------\0 Seishirou
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Tora 1/-------/=======|
After a few moments, under the eyes of the medics, Daisuke comes to. He
breathes heavily, but makes no move to sit up, instead only listening to the
continuing fight. "Dammit, that guy's quick," he mutters, rubbing his face
gingerly where the staff struck him.
Okay. Situation under control. Blonde kid off to the side not punching him,
other kid attaching a lit bomb to his leg.
... God dammit.
Definitely too casual for the situation, Billy looks down and spots
something with a lit fuse attaching to his calf, and almost passes it over.
It couldn't be a bomb, right? Right? Fuck, it is. His expression betraying
his obvious shock, Billy hits the ground, reaching for the device. "Crap!
Crap! CRAP! Iron balls, clones, and FREAKIN' BOMBS?! What the hell is wrong
with you people?" And Billy snatches it off his leg, and lobs it through the
air, trying to get it away from him. Problem: It explodes too close, and
he's got to toss an arm up to protect himself... and even -that's- not quite
enough to protect him entirely, his forearm distinctly scorched. The bright
side? He just happened to throw the thing in Tora's direction, so it might
just be close enough to catch him in the blast, too.
COMBATSYS: Billy successfully hits Tora with Thrown Object.
Tora was just standing there, considering exactly what to do with this Billy
person, who has somehow proven meaner than Daigo, if marginally less ugly.
And then he realizes that Seishirou is doing weird crap again. And instead
of something bizarre like a trellis or scaffolding, it's got a fuse. Okay,
cool.
Wait. Billy is faster than Seishriou by a bit, and faster than Tora by a
lot. Not cool.
Realizing that the something is being flung into the air towards one of him,
Tora throws one set of arms into a bracing block just as the bomb goes off,
pushing him back a bit, and cutting up his arms and face more than a little.
There's a short pause as Tora reflects on what has happened to him when he
bellows, ".. HEY, HEY! No bombs in group fights! JEEZE." Rolling his
shoulders on his damaged self, he steps into motion, and both Toras begin
sprinting around Billy, holding their blades out towards Billy. Quickly,
they leap into the air and throw the weapons, angling them so that they come
at Billy from slightly different angles, to be harder to dodge, and have no
risk of hitting any Toras, or the idiot Seishirou (even if he deserves it).
Oh, and the two additional Toras that appeared in the air above Billy throw
their own blades, too.
.. Frown. In the ensuing explosion, Seishirou's 'sliding' stance helps keep
him relatively free from harm. That, and the ensuing smoke will help mask
his momentary escape. This is a plus. Unfortunately, it didn't massacre
Billy's leg, as Seishirou had hoped, but merely grazed his arm and hurt
Tora. This is a minus. Seishirou casts a withering glare in Tora's
direction, from his new position just far enough away from Billy not to be a
tempting target. "Learn to dodge..!" He's trying to -hurt- Billy, here. If
Tora can't keep out of the way of Billy's attacks, then it's his own fault.
Or so Seishirou's logic goes.
But then when the other Toras start rotating around Billy... another
interesting quandary is presented about an actual attack. Since Billy seems
to like keeping kunai, Seishirou's not intending to offer any more to the
mix. Instead quietly waiting. He's much quieter than Billy OR Tora, notably,
so he's not actually offering anything in response verbally save the short
snip at Tora.
Cause Tora's really annoying.
COMBATSYS: Seishirou focuses on his next action.
COMBATSYS: Tora successfully hits Billy with Kage Bunshin Kunai Surprise.
[ \\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Billy 1/---====/=======|=------\-------\0 Seishirou
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Tora 0/-------/------=|
"Hmph... You kids are pretty good. But you're missing something, the both of
you... Here, lemme show you!" Both kunai embed themselves in Billy's chest
-- Shallow stab wounds, but it just looks pretty upsetting. Blood trickles
down from the two wounds just below his collar... But Billy doesn't seem to
mind. He doesn't even go to pull them out. "There's more to fighting than
clever little tricks... It's called grit!" To demonstrate his point, Kane
has at some point... relocated himself to directly in front of Seishirou.
Even beaten up as he is, his speed hasn't diminished any more than a single
iota -- Which is good for Billy and bad for Seishirou, as he brings one fist
into the young ninja's face, attacking him for the first time in the
fight... but this isn't just any punch. No, Billy puts alot of power behind
it... it's more like a locomotive than a fist.
CSYS: Billy has targeted Seishirou with an attack.
Shortly after releasing their kunai, the two overhead Toras vanish in a
cloud of odorless white smoke, leaving the two Toras on the ground to look
at Billy with a concerned expression. This guy is failing to get hurt, and
this is entirely unacceptable. Deciding that he needs to take things up
another step, both of him brace themselves in defensive postures, but keep
their distance -- particularly as Billy goes after Seishirou. Maybe the
preppie can hold him off a minute or two, while he gets ready to do
something serious.
And with that thought, a faint orange glow begins lining the outline of both
Toras.
COMBATSYS: Tora gathers his will.
COMBATSYS: Seishirou counters Fierce Punch from Billy with Improvised Trap.
That guy moved fast. VERY fast. And furthermore, on top of that, he was
tough. Normally, Seishirou wouldn't worry if it was just one or the other,
but on top of this, he seemed to not only have a solid grasp of tactics, but
had the capacity to hurt any one of them hard in an open fight. That's why
they all got to face him on his lonesome. That made him a priority one in
Seishirou's mind.
And that's also why Seishirou is paying close attention to Billy. If he
loses track of him--even for a second.. there he is! Seishirou's eyes widen
as Billy simply materializes in front of him, more -sensing- him than
anything else. There's not much time before Billy's train/fist ran him over.
..Frankly, Seishirou did not relish the idea of getting ran over. Thusly,
why, when the Brit's fist lands.. it finds only air. And a small bag, sliced
open from the back and filled with caltrops. When they are punched, they
will scatter across the ground in front of Billy. Seishirou himself? Gone.
Or is he?
"You're fast.."
The 'preppy?' Behind Billy. And in the air. "But don't discount the mind!"
Even -while- saying this, the heel of Seishirou's foot is on an impact
course for the back of Billy's skull, the aim being? Knock him down. Hard.
Onto the figurative bed of nails that was just created.
[ \\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Billy 1/--=====/=======|=------\-------\0 Seishirou
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Tora 0/-------/-======|
"Alright... Answer me this, kids. You're both young -- Hell, you still smell
like baby powder. Why the hell do you wanna be ninjas? Do you have any idea
what ninjas -do- for a living? This ain't like joining the judo club after
school." Speaking even as Seishirou begins to unveil his plan, Billy reacts
with little more than a grin and a stomp. Planting one foot into the ground
to halt his motion, Billy whirls around and takes Seishirou's punch in the
face instead, and manages to remain standing -- Even though he does step on
one of the caltrops, illiciting a bit of a sneer of pain. "Make your reason
good, punk... If it's flimsy, this is a fight you'll /never/ be able to
win!" Billy's still fast, even leaking blood from who knows how many places.
How fast? A moment after Seishirou's face contacts with his face, he's gone
-again-. But this time, he isn't reappearing anywhere obvious... He's
nowhere to be seen on the stage. But, for some reason... the audience,
almost simultaneously, all look -up-.
"Up here, kid!" Sure enough, Billy is dropping in on Seishirou from great
heights, his staff spinning like a rotor beneath him as he plummets towards
the young ninja's head. A careful eye might notice that the two kunai that
were previously embedded in his chest? They're also gone, though it's not
obvious where they vanished to.
Tora shakes his head a bit as he watches Seishirou's attempts at a masterful
plan. Whatever. The trellis was cooler. Deciding it was time he got more of
the action, he allows one of his two remaining selves to dissipate, leaving
just one Tora facing towards Billy and the soon to be pasted jacketboy.
"Hey, hey, are you done ignorin' me yet? I'm tired of havin' to chase yer
butt across the damn ring." In a move not really intended to seriously
injure Billy, but more annoy him, he pulls out and flicks a single throwing
star at Billy. Deadly it might not be, but it at least is notably fast.
COMBATSYS: Seishirou interrupts Flying Assault Cane from Billy with Kunai Shot.
[ \\\\\\ < > ////////////////////////// ]
Billy 1/-======/=======|====---\-------\0 Seishirou
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Tora 0/-------/-======|
.. At that point, Seishirou blinks as Billy turns around.. and catches a
heel in the face.. and he just bounces off. Oh, Seishirou had to think Billy
felt it. Of course he did. No one gets kicked in the face and doesn't feel
it. Right? Regardless, Seishirou bounces off Billy's face, using his
suddenly arrested momentum to rebound far and away from Billy--if he's not
on that bed of caltrops, Seishirou would rather not be anywhere near him.
But as Seishirou turns twice in the air and lands on his feet, he notes that
Billy's gone again. The question ringing in his mind, he steps forward. Have
to be careful. Looking around him carefully, Seishirou begins. "My reasons
are my own..." Billy's skills may have earned Seishirou's grudging respect,
but his attitude--especially while bleeding that badly--isn't worth his
answer.
It's only a moment later--and on audio cue--that Seishirou realizes he isn't
the only one that can reappear above someone's head. Head snapping up,
Seishirou's knife is in his hand in a second as Billy sails down. There is a
brief sense of Tora throwing something--a shuriken, juding by its speed--but
beyond that, Seishirou is immediately concerned with the evil ablout to land
on his cranium. Suddenly, the ninja drops to the ground, the kunai readying
in his hand. A very careful aim is taken at Billy before the dagger is
thrown, just to give Billy something--anything to be worried about OTHER
than smashing his face in. At that point, Seishirou -attempts- to roll away.
Attempts, because Seishirou is quite battered by the edge of the spinning
staff before getting totally out of the way.
COMBATSYS: Billy blocks Tora's Shuriken.
"Tch. Y'know why you brats piss me off so much? This ninja thing... I know a
ninja. I'm mates with one. ... And he does some pretty terrible stuff."
Stab! Another kunai lands on his shoulder, and Billy promptly pulls it out,
barely flinching. This guy -is- tough, physically... at least in comparison
to the boys. "You really want a life like that, huh? You know what a life
like that brings? I've been busting heads since I was young -- not much
older than you punks. You know I got for it?!" In one sweeping movement,
Billy tears off his "No Smoking" jacket, exposing his torso entirely -- Now,
he's got only his staff in hand. There's one distinct thing about his body,
though. Scars. Lots of them, from a bunch of causes. Bullets... knives...
worse. It's a map of brutal fights past. New ones, too -- Left behind by
Seishirou and friends. "This is you in ten years, kiddo."
Notably, Billy's jacket hits the ground like a ton of bricks, thunking
loudly... sounds like wood. Lots of wood. What the hell was he carrying
around in there, anyways? "You think you have what it takes? Lemme show you
what a real fight's like... Gloves off!" And he's gone... -again-, a blur of
pink and blur that bum rushes poor Tora. Both hands gripping his staff like
a baseball bat, he takes one big swing into the little ninja's stomach. But
there's something different about Billy's staff... At the end that's going
into Tora, three metal objects are forced onto it -- Knives. Kunai, to be
exact, stuck onto the staff with the metal rings at the end. Each of the
three faces a different direction, but odds are, one of them is going into
Tora if the thing hits.
COMBATSYS: Tora blocks Billy's Random Weapon.
Tora looks at Billy with a bit of a frown, then blinks as the older man gets
to the part about showing off the battle scars. He manages a bit of a wince,
but his sympathy is limited; these are scars on the dude that is currently
kicking the ass of him and his team. So when Billy makes his little speech,
Tora just shrugs, widens his stance, and gestures once. Bring it on.
And then Billy does. Again he can't help but be somewhat startled by Billy's
speed, but he's no longer totally surprised by it. In fact, he is expecting
it, to the best of his ability. So when Billy comes in with that nasty
looking staff end, he doesn't back off. He doesn't flinch. Hell, he doesn't
even move. Instead, there's an orange blur in front of him, immediately
followed by an explosion of blood and white smoke. Billy's advance was
somehow halted, and Tora stands there, appearing untouched by the attack
that came so close -- but his face still locks into a grimace.
Raising a hand towards Billy, he makes an obscene gesture. "Yeah, whatever."
With that, he turns the gesture into a lunging punch, aiming to jab Billy in
the face.
"....." Weights? If only for just a moment, Seishirou's calm but belligerent
demeanor ..twitches as Billy displays the map to his life to them. In that
moment, Seishirou's brow furrows slightly. And then Billy displays something
else. And it isn't scars. The kunai! Seishirou blinks for a moment.. and
then looks closely at Tora with the newfound understanding, seeming to check
on his condition in that instant.
He shakes something off, and then settles down into his own ready posture,
seeming to be satisfied with allowing Tora to handle Billy, for now. There
was a lot to think about. But he had to keep his focus now. Focus was the
most important part.
COMBATSYS: Seishirou focuses on his next action.
COMBATSYS: Billy blocks Tora's Jab Punch.
[ \\\\\\ < > ////////////////////////// ]
Billy 1/=======/=======|====---\-------\0 Seishirou
[ \\\\\\\\\ <
Tora 1/------=/=======|
Billy's eyes actually go wide when his brash attack doesn't outwardly scrap
Tora -- But not with fear, or shock. No, Billy seems almost excited. "...
That's pretty good, kid. I like it. You two have a pretty solid chance of
winning." Taking a punch clear in the face, Billy staggers back a few feet,
still grinning. He might not have blocked it conventionally, but he sure
looks like he was braced for the blow. "But you're gonna have to work for
it!" Hefting that horrible knife-barbed cudgel in hand again, Billy takes
another swing at Tora... this one less belligerent and more controlled. But
it's still a big stick covered in metal stabbing objects, regardless.
Daisuke just coughs from the sidelines as he listens to Billy's little
speech. Older than the others, the comments provoke little surprise or
indignance in him, though his brows tighten slightly. Billy's one hell of a
veteran, but he doesn't know the three kids. With a shrug of his shoulders
and a wince, Daisuke lies back to watch the remainder of the fight. If they
can hold up just a little more...
COMBATSYS: Tora fails to interrupt Strong Kick from Billy with Kage Bunshin no Jutsu.
COMBATSYS: Tora has reached second wind!
Tora is still wearing that odd grimace as he watches Billy, and doesn't look
terribly pleased at Billy's excitement. Muttering a weary "Whatever," Tora
takes a step back to prepare for the incoming onslaught, looking like he has
a specific plan in mind.
In fact, he does. As the bladed staff comes in, three more Toras materialize
around Billy, all leaping inwards with various hand-to-hand techniques, just
as the standing Tora reaches forward to grab the staff, risking the blades
with the intent to keep it in place.
. But the plan goes wrong. Instead of grabbing the shaft of the improvised
polearm, anyone looking closely might get a good view of Tora cutting a
ragged gash along his arm, tearing up his hand in the process, before that
Tora disappears in a puff of white smoke. In fact, at the same time, two of
the leaping Toras similarly disappear, and the third falls to the ground
with a dull thump, unconscious before even getting to Billy.
There's only a brief pause before the fallen Tora opens his eyes, and
manages to kick himself away, landing in a somewhat startled defensive
crouch several meters away, not looking at all aware of what exactly is
going on, casting his gaze around with near-panic.
So. He was right. Tora did have a plan. Ryouhara's eyes narrow as he watches
the ensuing melee. It's a dangerous weapon that Billy had created, something
that Seishirou did not envy Tora in having to face right now. But
unfortunately, the somewhat-nin's plans do not quite work out as expected.
Leaving him on the ground and dazed.
.. He looked terrible.
Growl. "Stupid..."
Suddenly, it seems as if The blue ninja distills to shadows, flickering
briefly, displaying a speed that would have been scary against someone else
-not- of Billy's calibre. It's at about that point that Seishirou takes the
opening that, at the very least, Tora may have provided. He doesn't say
anything. He doesn't taunt. Instead, he appears right up in the air near
Billy, an air bursting technique allowing him to readily change speed and
dagger-kick diagonally down, right at Billy's neck. If his face can stop
injury, maybe his spine will be a little more forgiving for the serious
disparity in strength that's even obvious to Seishirou, right now. It's a
risky manuver, but that's honestly what they needed, about now.
COMBATSYS: Billy parries Seishirou's Strong Kick!
[ \\\\\\ < > ////////////////////////// ]
Billy 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|====---\-------\0 Seishirou
[ \\\ <
Tora 0/-------/-======|
There. Tora was out of the game. Turning to face Seishirou after wiping out
Tora's clones, Billy seems to be holding off on taunting the fallen ninja in
favor of finishing off his unhurt companion. "And then there was one. Come
on, kid. Bring it on." He seems to be enjoying it -- Until, that is... Tora
gets up. Turning slowly, Billy's eyes go slightly wide. For the first time
in the entire course of the fight, he looks... Truly surprised. Even when he
was being slowly whittled down by the trio, he never seemed SHOCKED.
Impressed, sure... This is different. "You're still standing? Tch... Maybe I
was wrong about you punk kids." And -then- he realizes that he has a foot
moving towards his face much faster than he likes.
Seishirou might notice something that surprises him -- His attack hits
something, sure. But instead of a satisfying smack of striking flesh,
there's merely a light tap, and Seishirou might find himself completely
deflected. In the blur of motion that he finds himself in, he might notice
Billy grinning right back at him as he gracefully blocks his kick with the
staff gripped in his hands... and redirecting Seishirou's momentum straight
into the ground, pushing off of him in the direction of Tora in the process.
With this added speed, Billy's even faster than he was before... and he's
headed for Tora, his staff sweeping low towards the blonde ninja. "Pat
yourself on the back, kid -- You never gave up, even at the end! -That's-
guts!"
COMBATSYS: Tora dodges Billy's Medium Kick.
Tora keeps his gaze on the motion around Billy and Seishirou -- that's where
the activity is. And while Tora is clearly fully awake, his apparent
comprehension of what is going on slowly recovers, as if he was waking up to
an unexpected scene. Looking over things, he is not quite lucid when Billy
comes charging his way. The slightly manic -- almost feral -- sort of motion
might well be why he is able to move quickly enough -- much faster than
early -- to get out of the way of Billy's low swing. He simply leaps into
the air, does a quick flip, and takes this chance to punch downwards, aiming
his fist at Billy's face with another one of his flame-lined punches.
No, he doesn't really recall Billy's admonishment about technique re-use.
Nor does he really remember how poorly that went last time.. But then, he's
not exactly in top form for thinking at the moment.
Clack! The sound of impact rubber against wood can he heard as Billy's cane
comes up (to Seishirou's dismay) and just bounces him off. Seishirou goes
sailing away, aware that Tora managed to dodge the attack that Billy
levelled on him. Billy was persistent about not being distracted. Seishirou
could appreciate that. But right now, he needed to keep his distance, he he
felt an immediate reoccuring attack towards Billy at the moment would be
tactically unsound. But at the same time, he's done all the analysis he can
do on the current situation. So, when Tora comes down on Billy with the
flaming attack--heh--Seishirou will make his own plans. Now, instead of
making any immediate efforts to rush billy, Seishirou instead assumes a
quick ready stance. Focus. Breathe in. Then a hand symbol is made near his
face. -- Breathe out.
As Tora strikes from above, Seishirou strikes down below, with what appears
to be a streaking blast of flame.
COMBATSYS: Billy parries Seishirou's Katon Goukakyuu Half Burst!
COMBATSYS: Billy parries Tora's Burning Hand!
[ \\\\\\ < > ////////////////////////// ]
Billy 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|====---\-------\0 Seishirou
[ \\\ <
Tora 0/-------/-======|
Well, this is a fix he's found himself in. Broken, battered, and
outnumbered, Billy Kane finds himself between two talented, determined
ninjas using techniques that are, to say the least... very dangerous. Even
for an experienced fighter, a spot like this isn't easy to get out of
scot-free... And yet, even as he's sandwiched between death and more death,
he merely smirks, his hands beginning to dissolve into a blur -- As does his
staff. "What did I just tell you, kid?! It's useless unless you change
things up!" Spinning his staff so quickly it's little more than a circle of
translucent red, Billy firsts deals with Seishirou. Raising the weapon like
a wall between himself and the ninja Billy's twirling staff dissipates
Seishirou's fire into nothingness. The same spinning shield is quickly
turned skyward, towards Tora, before stopping as he clamps a hand down on
the free end of it. And then? Almost casually, Billy catches Tora's foot
with the weapon, applying a careful bit of pressure intended to completely
ruin his mid-air momentum. If successful, it should send Tora spinning out
of his attack and into the stage in a painful fashion. Regardless, neither
ninja is going to lay a hand on Kane at this point -- The best Tora can do
is land on his feet.
Resting the staff -- Still bearing kunai barbs -- on his shoulder, Billy
steps back a few carefully measured paces, eyes carefully reviewing the
status of his two foes before he makes a rather confident comment towards
Seishirou: "Jeez, you spit fire, too? Heh. Come work for Geese Howard
someday, kid, we can use guys like you."
COMBATSYS: Billy successfully hits Tora with Strong Throw.
Tora finds himself caught mid-air, and all at once everything that's been
going on goes through his mind, and he realizes exactly what is up. And what
is down. And that things are about to join in a way that are going to be
totally unpleasant. Counting the seconds carefully, he finds he has just
enough time to do what he needs to. Making a hand-sign in front of his face
similar to Seishirou's to help his concentration, he focuses all of his
attention into his next action --
Namely, the four Toras that appear mid-air around Billy, falling as they
throw a set of blades at Billy from different angles, only barely deviating
to avoid hitting Tora or Seishirou. Then all four Toras vanish at once.
Tora just hit his head on the ground, and he's laying there, motionless.
COMBATSYS: Tora can no longer fight.
COMBATSYS: Tora has left the fight here.
Daisuke sits up again as Tora makes his last attack. Two down, one more to
go. Dai shakes his head, rubbing at his temple. "Well, Seishirou, now's your
big chance," he mutters to himself, slumping back. Sleep would be good right
about now.
His attack was dissipated as easily as any real fire with that spinning
stafff. THe fact that he might do that was a possibility to Seishirou, but
it might have opened Billy up for Tora's attack--at this point, it was what
Seishirou was hoping. But as soon as it dissipates, it would seem that it
wasn't enough to stop him. Tora was lost, he could tell long before the end
actually came. They were stuck at an impasse. One that needed to be broken.
So Seishirou digs in his heels and concentrates on Billy's next movements
and the area around him. It'd be the last free chance he got.
When Tora hits the ground, Seishirou is nonplussed. It was inevitable, but
at least he made his final move. Instead of ruminating further on the status
of his 'ally,' he eyes Billy. Those aren't all the trick he knew. "Howard?"
It's the name Seishirou places, from Howard Enterprises and--more
importantly, ROCK Howard. His eyes narrow to the width of a knife edge.
COMBATSYS: Seishirou focuses on his next action.
COMBATSYS: Billy dodges Tora's Kage Bunshin Kunai Surprise.
[ \\\\\\ < > ////////////////////////// ]
Billy 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|====---\-------\0 Seishirou
"... Tch!" Even after being clobbered, stabbed, and tossed around, Tora
still isn't out of tricks. The ninja's last-ditch efforts are not lost on
Billy. There's less surprise on his face than there was earlier, but it's
still very there -- Until Billy makes his move. Darting through the four
kunai as though his movements were choreographed in advance, the shirtless
Kane finds himself untouched as Tora loses consciousness along with the
disappearance of the four clones. And he... is still standing, finally alone
with Seishirou. Smirking with only a slight hint of rue, Billy once more
rests his staff across his shoulders, almost as though he were taking a
break for a moment or so. He seems even more confident now than he was
before -- And that's bad, since his arrogance, so far, has been
well-deserved.
"Your friend was pretty good. No finesse... But he's got guts. You're just
the opposite, aren't ya? Always careful... smart. Full of tricks. Heh.
You're a good team, especially with that other guy. In fact, I'd say that
all three of you together, against me... It's an even fight. But now you're
out of chances. It's you and me, now, so you better come up with something
fast. Tell you what -- I'll give you a few seconds to get something ready."
And indeed, Billy isn't going anywhere. "And yeah, that's right. Rock
Howard. The boss' kid. Forget it. Right now, he's out of your league. Hell,
I'll tell you what... Impress me, and I might be willing to share some
interesting information about the guy. You seem pretty sour about getting
your ass beat by him, and he could use a good rival for a change. Prove that
you're worth it, and I'll think about it."
COMBATSYS: Billy takes a breather.
Narrowed eyes. It's over for Tora. He wasn't successful. That makes
Seishirou's job all the harder. Settled into his ready pose, Seishirou
finally takes the moment to really listen to Billy. Now that the fight has
slowed down, Seishirou _can_. But regardless, he doesn't appear intimidated.
"You're strong..." Seishirou acknowledges. "....But your evaluation is off."
He's very calm when he says this. "I'm not associated with those guys," he
says simply. Contrary to the fact they appeared together. Images of Rock
Howard, and the failed opportunities that came with his crushing defeat by
the man came to his mind. As well as the days, _weeks_, of training that
came along with it. "You've lived a hard life... but if that's what it takes
to become strong... I'll follow you there." He has no option but to try his
hardest. If that impresses Billy... fine.
So here it comes.
Seishirou makes his next move after the brief exchange, simply vanishing,
right before Billy's eyes. What became of him? ... Well. He appears to have
copied Billy's aerial approach to the matter. In the inverse. He's on the
ground, RIGHT IN FRONT of Billy, in a -deep- crouch. And at that point,
Seishirou kicks off, -blurring- upwards like a missile at Kane, his hands
clasped together in the strongest hammer blow he could render, aimed at the
man's chin. Suprise attack was his only option. And Billy would expect an
air attack, as well as an attack from behind.
COMBATSYS: Seishirou successfully hits Billy with Fierce Punch.
[ \\\ < > ////////////////////////// ]
Billy 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|=====--\-------\0 Seishirou
Billy's head snaps back with what looks like real pain. Probably because it
/is/. That's easily the most wicked blow he's sustained the entire night, as
blood erupts from his chin. He's still not knocked down, but he's staggered;
and badly so. It takes him a few seconds to right himself again, grinning
back at the boy who managed to nail him so hard. "Good. But not good enough.
Your blonde friend was good as using chi to make duplicates... He used them
to make more of himself. But there are other ways to do the same thing.
Lemme give you a taste!"
Still at point blank range, Billy whirls around, staff in hand -- Like a
haymaker with his cudgel. But as he spins about, something happens. While
he's only supposed to have one weapon, there are suddenly dozens upon dozens
of chains and staffs making their way into Seishirou from his left-hand
side; it's less an attack and more a humongous wall of wood and steel that's
closing in with all the speed and mass of a Volvo.
COMBATSYS: Seishirou fails to interrupt Dai Senpuu from Billy with Jab Punch.
The last ninja finally got in a good hit. Something he's been looking
forward to for a long time. But unfortunately, the exhilaration of finally
getting something that didn't just -bounce off- of the man's _face_ (Billy's
suprised that the ninjas are using a lot of toys. Seishirou's suprised
someone's FACE can deflect blows. It's a decent trade, no?) is short lived,
as Seishirou suddenly finds himself with a huge problem. Or, rather, not a
huge problem moreover 80 smaller problems that have combined together. But
there's no time to ruminate on it, as almost instinctively Seishirou -fades-
back away from the Volvo attack, buying him some time. The next response..
is a ladder. Of bamboo. It looks like Billy's not the only one who carries a
lot of wood around. The ladder is hastily constructed -wide-, wnth a
familiar hissing device taped to it, with wrappings. THe intent? Ensnare
most of those attacks on the ladder. Unfortunately, Billy's attack is.. a
little better constructed than a hasty ladder. It's smashed to pieces with a
sudden explosion and loses.. relatively little strength in getting to
Seishirou. And he -feels- the resulting attack. Scattering bits of bamboo
and ninja everywhere, Seishirou goes flying away from Billy, rolling to a
stop. Even his backpack has become undone, releasing several red bamboo
stalks on the ground. Judging from the blood that's currently around
Seishirou, he doesn't look good. .. But he's in the process of getting up.
"Ngh..."
[ \\\ < > /////////// ]
Billy 1/-------/=======|=======\=====--\1 Seishirou
He's finally starting to breathe heavy -- It's an important distinction.
Billy's near the end of his rope, after dealing with ninja after ninja after
ninja. But he's still standing, and it looks like he's got something in
mind. With staff in hand, Billy reaches for the end of his staff. And, one
after the other, he pulls the three kunai he salvaged off and holds them in
hand, a few feet away from his opponent. "Tch. What the hell was that? A
ladder? Kid... real fights don't always have room for toys like that. Worst
case? Someone takes your toys, and uses 'em against you. Sorta like this."
And then Billy throws all three kunai right back at Seishirou, aiming for
his thighs... and it's a pretty deft throw, all things considered, as they
zip through the air towards his opponent. "This is it! The next hit... it'll
be the last, no matter who wins -- Don't you agree... uh, what was your
name? Shaderio?"
COMBATSYS: Seishirou catches Large Thrown Object from Billy with Kawarimi.
The ninja, crouched warily against the ground, watches Billy closely. He's
panting, as well. He's almost to the end of his limit. He's got large red
marks that look like they're going to develop into nasty welts later on over
his face, not to mention what is probably wicked internal bleeding. He
_felt_ that. "They've.." labored speech, "done their job." He coughs.
But when Billy holds up their own weapons--weapons they've trained with for
years--against him, Seishirou's only response is a smirk. When Billy throws,
Seishirou's hand comes up, pulling several wires... all connected to the red
bamboo that had apparently 'simply" fallen out of his backpack. And when the
kunai fly, they fly into a cloud of smoke... and hit the far arena wall.
Because Ryouhara is no longer there. As the smoke clears, it's apparent he's
been replaced. ... By a dipper bird. Dressed in a blue jacket.
And it appears to be going pretty hard at a still-settling glass of water.
From a position well behind Billy and a comfortable, but not extreme
distance away, one can hear Seishirou's response. "...Don't listen to
anything the somewhat-nin says. My name is Seishirou Ryouhara." Simple. No
taunt at all.
[ \\\ < > /////////// ]
Billy 1/-------/=======|=======\======-\1 Seishirou
"..."
"Note to self. Smack the shit out of Eiji next time I see him." Peering over
his shoulder, Billy catches sight of Seishirou. And then he looks at the
dipper bird. And then he looks back at Seishirou. "I hate you. You're good,
but I freakin' hate you." Okay. Now what? "Hmph. I don't know what you're up
to, pal..." Billy, staff still in hand, grips it tight and holds it
horizontally, one end facing his opponent. "But I'm going to figure out. And
then I'm going to send you to join your teammates, Seishirou Ryouhara."
COMBATSYS: Billy focuses on his next action.
He's standing quite calmly, straight as a pin, arms folded and peering from
his side at Billy. Watching the British fighter closely. He's not cocky--not
by a long shot. But he is confident. And collected. He graduated in the very
top of his class. He'd better be somewhat good. Maybe he'd earned this man's
respect--maybe all of them had. In the end, he could respect Billy, too. To
a degree.
But he's not willing to say that. ".... You're right," is the only thing
he'll acknowledge. "This has come down to the last..." Eyeing Billy.
Carefully. Coolly. "...But I'm not stupid enoguh to approach you." Not when
Billy knows he could be coming, anyway. Seishirou has exhausted all options
of direct approach. Therefore, it's come to this.
A standoff.
COMBATSYS: Seishirou focuses on his next action.
[ \\\ < > /////////// ]
Billy 1/-------/=======|=======\======-\1 Seishirou
"Tch. Figures you'd be careful like this. Oh well. One thing you have to
learn, kid... Brains are good. They'll trump brawn. But sometimes... you
just have to take the initiative. I know you've got something planned for
this... Now let's see if it works!" With his staff held in both hands, Billy
breaks from his focused calm, and surges forward. And he does so /fast/.
Faster than before. Faster than what he was entirely healthy. He's moving
faster and almost certainly hitting more accurately than he has yet. "Never
be afraid to get your ass kicked!" Billy's attack, however, is a bit
different than what he's used for.
This time, it's almost like a stab -- A stab with a blunt weapon. With
pinpoint accuracy, Billy charges in and aims the end of his staff at
Seishirou's throat... and, if he should connect, he's not just going to
leave it there. No, raising Seishirou on his staff like a speared fish, he's
going to shake him, strangling him in mid-air until he falls off.
COMBATSYS: Seishirou fails to counter Ippon Zuri Nage from Billy with Calculated Trap.
COMBATSYS: Seishirou can no longer fight.
COMBATSYS: Seishirou has left the fight here.
[ \\\ <
Billy 1/-----==/=======|
"Fair enough..." It's the only concession Seishirou will make towards Billy.
When the attack comes, Seishirou is ready. You remember the small sphere he
was toying with, way back at the beginning of the match? Put it in his hip
pack? Well, he's got it now. Attached to the wire in his hand, as Billy
surges forward, it's just a matter of a quick calculation--he moved
FAST!--before Seishirou flicks it at the ground before the -rapidly
approaching Billy. And, as it explodes, it spreads a black, rubbery glue at
the gronud. Firmly entrenched with ground AND wire, setting in seconds. With
this, Seishirou prepares to jump.
However, this is the point where Seishirou learns a hard lesson.
He's not -as- fast as he'd like to be.
The staff's narrow end simply -materializes- in his throat, and, eyes
widening considerably in suprise, Seishirou's plan halts immediately as he
realizes that he can no longer breathe. It's an instant later that the force
actually hits him. And before he knows it, he's simply -up- in the air,
choking and gasping for air, respiratory trauma gripping him... before he
simply passes out. ...He doesn't have a whole lot of stamina for things like
that. When he hits the ground, wire only -then- slipping out of his hands,
it's very apparent that Seishirou is not getting back up.
Knockout.
Slamming his staff against the stage, Billy takes a moment to survey his
territory. Seishirou conquered. Tora defeated. Daisuke demolished. Grinning
a little bit, Kane takes a few steps over towards Seishirou... almost
carefully. Poke poke poke. Sticking a foot out, Kane taps the ninja with his
foot a few times, as if making sure the ninja wasn't playing dead. Or
another kawarimi. Or worse. After a few seconds, Billy looks around
cautiously, before crouching beside the fallen Seishirou.
"See, kid? What did I tell you? You can't be scared to show a little guts.
You can't plan everything out in advice 'cause plans don't last long in a
real fight. Brains are great... But there's brawn, too." Glancing back at
Tora, who is presumably still passed out on the stage after hitting his head
/very/ hard, the bodyguard rises, smirking. "You two could learn from each
other. You'd make a scary team, I tell you that much. Oh, and? If you can
even -hear- me right now... Rock Howard? You haven't seen his best
technique. Not on TV, not in a magazine, nowhere. Not by a long shot. Look
out when he charges you up close -- It might look like just another hit, but
if he nails you... It's over. Eyes peeled, eh, kid?" Cracking his knuckles,
Kane disassembles his staff and stuffs it into his back pocket, before
reaching out to snatch his jacket up from the ground and toss it over a
shoulder. "And that thing I said about working for Geese? Forget it. Kids
shouldn't be doin' this stuff at your age." And then he's gone, looking
graceful and unharmed. Where is he going? To the locker room, to ache for a
few hours. Ow.
Log created by Kobun, and last modified on 09:47:38 04/23/2005.