Description: Rock Howard can move mountains. No, really -- he gave Daigo Kazama a run for his money in what was ultimately decided as a hair-splitting victory in Daigo's favor. (Champion: Daigo Kazama)
This had been a long time coming. But it was finally here. Thanks mostly to a lull in the Strolheim Tournament, the very last round of the Justice High Tournament is set for completion; and Rock Howard, fresh off the plane, can't wait. He's here early, an indication of just how eager he is to get started. Hands in his pockets as he stands in the open-air arena -- in the open, COLD air arena, to be exact -- ticking off the seconds until the living mountain that is his opponent arrives.
"Okay..." Muttering to himself under his breath, Rock allows a deep grimace to cross his features. He's eager to fight, but he realizes what sort of opponent Daigo is going to be. "Just stay cool and fight him like you fought Sagat. I can do this. Just gotta stay focused. I'm not going to get two chances at this one..."
Yes, the last round of the Justice High Tournament, that had been a long time in coming. Mainly due to a certain student having had an emergency or two to handle in the various lines of gangs of Gedo High. It's only by Justice's good graces that this man, Kazama, was even allowed to complete the final round without a time-out disqualification, and thus Daigo, the Boss of Gedo, feels privlidged in his own right to be allowed the honor to finish what he'd started. Let alone to be challenging the son of Geese.
Rock won't have to be waiting too long. Daigo is just as eager to get a good fight started, and his general sense of punctuality prevents him from being too late. The elder Kazama arrives, and marches his way steadily to the center of the arena, his one good eye focused on his opponent for the evening. Rock. Once he gets to where he wants to stand, he bows respectfully, allowing all of a smirk to cross his normally stone-faced features. "Rock Howard. I'm sorry we couldn't have done this sooner..."
Rock would have accepted a win by default, anyways. So, everything works out. The blond has shed his Seijyun boy's uniform from earlier rounds -- screw the rules of the tournament. He was going all out for this one. Raising his hand upwards, Rock casually tugs on the wrist of his riding gloves, pulling them taut over his fists; fists that have their work cut out for them. For a moment, indeed, Rock's casual bravado and eagerness breaks as he realizes, firsthand, the sheer /scale/ of his opponent. He's like a moving cliff face. But it returns after a split-second. No son of Geese or student of Terry is going to allow himself to be so easily intimidated.
Rock, too, bows -- although his bow is a little clumsy looking. He's not really used to formality like that. "Hey, big guy. Don't worry about it. We're here, now, and that's what matters. So make it worth the wait, alright?"
A fight worth the wait. That thought actually makes Daigo chuckle. Certainly he's in a good mood about the whole thing, especially since he gets to cross fists with someone he's been curious to fight for quite some time. Daigo nods, briefly, the elder Kazama stepping back. "No worries here. I'll try not to disappoint you."
Then Daigo falls into his traditional battle stance. A sort of modified brawler's stand, slightly hunched with his fists raised. His good eye, squinted in concentration. His smirk, gone. "Wait's over, Rock. Let's do this." Looks like he's giving his opponent the first strike.
Rock's fists clench, red eyes fixing on Daigo's solitary eye for a few moments. Gradually, though, Rock's tenseness fades in favor of an ecstatic grin as he extends one fist straight forward, extending thumb and forefinger into the shape of a pistol. "Alright, Kazama. You've got it. Bang." The moment the last word escapes his lips, Rock's hand ignites with purple flame, raw chi massed into the grip of his palm. Snapping his hand backwards as though cocking a shotgun, Rock sweeps the charged palm over the edge of the fighting around, sending a wave of energy racing towards his opponent. "REPPU~KEN!"
Even as the projectile speeds forward, and even as his hand still seeps with leftover energy, Rock is off and running towards his opponent at a sprint. He's going to attack a human mountain like Daigo head on? He must be even more courageous than he looks. Or stupid.
COMBATSYS: Daigo blocks Rock's Reppuken.
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Rock 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Daigo
Bum-rushing a brick wall isn't always as dumb as people assume. Sometimes the 'wall' in question never expects to be bombarded with flurries of attacks. Sometimes surprise is the best element one can have against someone big. What's the old saying? The bigger they are...
But that's why Daigo likes giving up the rights of first strike. There's only one truely good way of getting to know someone's fighting style, and that's to get in there and mix it up. Take a hit, and you feel their power. Then it's left to trained muscles and endurance to absorb the pain and return the favor. So Dai's body reacts now, the chi-windup being all the preparation Daigo needs to adjust his stance and let the chi-bullet slam into one meaty arm, purple 'flame' rolling over the coat sleeve.
With Rock charging in, Daigo now has an option. Wait for the follow-up strike? Or close in and deliver his own 'test' blow? The answer comes as Daigo steps forward to try and meet Rock's momentium, with his own thick fist. Chi with chi, even. An orange aura lighting up around Dai's right fist as he, too, cocks back, and then throws his arm out with that jackhammer-like force, trying to catch the Howard boy mid-step. If he's lucky, that'll trip him up a notch.
COMBATSYS: Rock blocks Daigo's Phoenix Fist.
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Rock 0/-------/-----==|=------\-------\0 Daigo
"Alright, here goes!" Gritting his teeth, Rock shields his face with both forearms and just barrels into the Phoenix Fist, managing to protect himself from a good chunk of the damage. He's slowed... but he seems to use that to his advantage. Daigo provides a little incentive for his inertia to cut out on Rock, enabling him to almost immediately whirl around and sweep one hand underneath the titan's view -- and towards the side that Daigo's missing an eye on; his blind spot. Making a grab for Daigo's ankles, Rock has clearly thought his opponent out beforehand: He's going right for his most immediately obvious weaknesses. His size, and his eye.
COMBATSYS: Daigo blocks Rock's Shinkuu Nage.
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Rock 0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0 Daigo
Rock seizes his foe by the ankle, grunting with the exertion of what he's going to have to do. Heaving backwards with all of his weight, Rock pulls Daigo's leg out right out from under him, dropping the colossus to the floor. But he's not done yet. Planting both feet firmly onto the arena floor, Rock flips his arm around in one swift circular motion, sending Daigo flying off towards a far corner of the arena -- where he'll have trouble reaching Rock with those physical blows that are most dangerous, hopefully blessing Rock with an opportunity to avoid immediate danger for a little bit longer.
That is one weakness that Daigo has made attempts to work on. He throws better than people think. On the other hand, all the practice people give him with flying also gives him the chance to practice his landings. Thus when he falls to the ground after Rock's impressive display of physical effort that moves the mountain of a man across the arena, the Kazama breaks his fall in a way to minimize the total damage, and spread it out. He can stand a little ache in multiple muscles more than a sharp pain in one place. It also lets him roll to his feet fairly quickly, hunkered down again to keep his opponent in view.
"...It's been a while since someone's tried a trick like that on me." Daigo notes, quietly, his face grim. Rather than do his own rush towards Rock, his steps come in a more methodical manner, easing the big-armed Boss closer to the other combatant. Little twitches in his shoulders showing how he'd so like to throw a punch. Timing is everything in a fight, Dai knows, it's just a matter of waiting for the right place and the right time.
COMBATSYS: Daigo focuses on his next action.
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Rock 0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0 Daigo
Rock stretches both of his palms, and then rubs at both of his forearms in an odd sort of cross-armed posture. Looks like the opening volleys have been fired, and 'first blood', figuratively speaking, has been drawn -- with no apparent victor. "I've got a whole bag of tricks like that, Daigo. I've had my fair share of good teachers... and I've picked up more than a few things on my own, too." Running one hand through thick blond hair, Rock remains where he is... until this time, /both/ palms begin to crackle with flame-like chi. No... it's not flame. It might look like flame, but it's more like... wind. Visible wind. Sweeping both arms across the ground, Rock propels twin waves of chi Daigo's way. "Double.... REPPUKEN!" Only, this time, Rock doesn't follow after the chi-fueled assault. No, this time, he's got something more subtle planned, holding his ground as his projectiles head towards his foe. But what?
COMBATSYS: Daigo blocks Rock's Double Reppuken.
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Rock 0/-------/---====|====---\-------\0 Daigo
Twin bursts of chi, shooting Daigo's way! Yet all the Gedo student does is take another step forward, brace his arms, and eat the energy one blast after the other. Impacts along his arms budge them, but again the damage is tolerable. Nothing more than a faint echo in Daigo's muscles, though perhaps that's more the adrenaline than endurance. Chi can hurt so much worse than a fist, when it's used right!
"Better than a one-trick pony." Dai grunts, after taking both projectiles, and continuing his progress. Projectiles...Daigo has a grudge against. He knows how to project his chi, too, but he'd much rather get up close and personal. Like he's attempting to do right now, getting in range to thrust that left arm of his in a quick jab, though hit or miss, the right hand comes with a flying cross strike, guaranteed to leave a bruise if it hits. If it doesn't, well...guess Daigo's walked right into more punishment, eh?
COMBATSYS: Rock dodges Daigo's 1-2 Smash.
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Rock 0/-------/---====|====---\-------\0 Daigo
Rock's faster than he looks. As he weaves to the side of the first of Daigo's two attacks and then ducks under the second, Rock's fists are still burning with energy -- leftover from the last attack, but not yet discharged entirely. He's been saving up extra? ... Could it be that this is precisely the situation he'd planned on? The moment he's clear of Daigo's offensive, Rock literally throws himself backwards, diving away from his opponent. Whirling in mid-air, the wolf cub sweeps both arms over the arena floor once again, the first one speeding his rotation as he spins like a bullet. One revolution to a Reppuken, until both are headed Daigo's way once more -- and each serving to push Rock further and further away due to the recoil. When he lands, center of gravity low, legs spread apart and one hand gripping the floor to keep himself steady, he's already set to capitalize on the results of his attack... or deal with a less-than-successful scenario.
COMBATSYS: Daigo dodges Rock's Double Reppuken.
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Rock 0/-------/---====|====---\-------\0 Daigo
Having noted that so far, most of what's pummelled his frame has been purple-flavored chi blasts, flung at high speeds, Daigo is really less than enthusiastic to be taking more of those deadly things in the face. Every once in a while, the Kazama manages to pull something crazy out of his own hat, proving to be a bit faster than most people assume someone of his size can be. Weaving one way, then the other, Dai manages to somehow get out of the way of both blasts, and keep Rock in his line of sight at the same time. There's only a breath's worth of a pause after that, before Daigo tenses his legs, and lunges at the retreating Howard, fully intent on planting the knee of his leg into the face of his opponent. Teach him to crouch down in a fight...
COMBATSYS: Daigo successfully hits Rock with Light Kick.
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Rock 0/-------/=======|====---\-------\0 Daigo
This isn't good. Daigo's faster than Rock had planned for. It's a miscalculation that's going to cost Howard as he gets nailed in the face and bowled over onto his back. But he's not staying there. Shifting his weight to propel him right back up to his feet, Rock's hand snaps out to seize hold of Daigo's outstretched knee before he can retract it and send him flying across the arena in the same manner he did earlier. Only, this one isn't meant to be as far as the last; Rock wants to keep Daigo near. Not /very/ near... but near enough. "You hit pretty hard. That's what I'd expected. But Sagat hits harder. So does /he/." Whoever 'he' is, is left unsaid. Rock's business is with Daigo, right now. "But you know what they say about 'the bigger they are'!"
COMBATSYS: Rock successfully hits Daigo with Shinkuu Nage.
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Rock 1/------=/=======|======-\-------\0 Daigo
The harder they fall. Maybe Daigo was distracted by the accusation that other people hit harder than he does. Of course he knew that, but why do people need to compare him to them? And who is /he/, anyway? These are all questions that may or may not have slipped through the Gedo Boss's mind as he, also, slipped through the air, to land square on his shoulders, upside down. That's one throw that is hard to just absorb easily... That one /hurt/. Spasms of pain lance through both shoulders, though Daigo manages to get back to his feet with minimal fuss.
"...It's more about knowing how to take a hit than it is how to give one." Dai insists, once he's on his feet and moving towards the Howard boy again. He should've known better than to have given a chance to throw him off again. Maybe he can correct that. Lean a little more on his chi-side than his brute side. Daigo's right fist lights up again, hoping to return the favor of eating spiritual pain when he leans forward to deliver a whole fist-ful of fun.
COMBATSYS: Daigo successfully hits Rock with Phoenix Fist.
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Rock 1/---====/=======|=======\-------\1 Daigo
One more hit to send Rock flying backwards. This time, the Phoenix Fist connects. And boy, does it ever. But Rock... Rock is not discouraged. Not by this, at least. He hits the ground and has to fight his way back up to his feet again, but he's still going for the gold, as it were. Once again, the youth hurls himself at Daigo... red eyes fixated on his opponent. "Looks like that one stung a bit, did it?!" Rock seems to be barreling towards his opponent with sheer reckless abandon. It's a situation that those who have seen Rock fight before can easily recognize -- a set-up for a quick application of his speed. The moment before Rock's fist connects with Daigo's person, his entire body flickers and vanishes with one lightning quick lunge to the side.
He's feinted to the side -- and he's behind Daigo. Anyone who does their homework will see this coming from a mile away. Only, not this time. "Did I catch you looking, chief?" Rock didn't circle around... he just dropped below, propelling himself between Daigo's legs and trying to grab hold from behind, heaving him more aggressively than ever before towards the edge of the ring. No, towards the outside of the ring. Rock's going to a ring out? ... No, that's probably infeasible. But he's definitely out to put Daigo where he doesn't want to be: With his back against a wall made out of defeat by disqualification.
COMBATSYS: Daigo blocks Rock's Shinkuu Nage.
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Rock 0/-------/-======|=======\=------\1 Daigo
Fake out! Daigo's caught completely flat-footed by the lightning-speed of his opponent, his good eye widening in shock when he realizes the attack wasn't coming from what he'd expected. "...sh.." Dai begins, but the idle curse gets interrupted by yet another Flight of the Kazama! Daigo's obtaining a lot of air time this fight. Perhaps he should have signed up for Air Miles. This third throw, Daigo can feel the power behind, but more importantly, he can see where he's flying to. It's hard to stop oneself from sliding out of an arena when propelled with such force! Luckily for him, he manages to come in contact with the ground with enough 'runway' to skid to a stop, and roll away from the edge of the arena, back to his feet. That was...way too close.
It was also something Daigo hadn't counted on. He rarely encounters fighters with the ability to toss him so easily, let alone to the point that he could be in danger of being DQ'd. But Dai has no time to be too cautious. Too many more of those throws, and he could lights-out. Come on, D, get in gear! "Pretty smooth... Care to try that again?" the Boss comments, and while he closes in, he doesn't attack with a fist this time. Trying his own 'feint' move, he thrusts his left arm out, keeping his right one up as a 'guard', though that left hand never quite connects. The last moment, he stops, and opens his fist, palm-out, and focuses...to send a sharp spike of a blacker, darker chi-aura out to greet Rock.
COMBATSYS: Daigo successfully hits Rock with Skull Aura.
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Rock 1/------=/=======|=======\===----\1 Daigo
Rock keeps driving forward, making his way towards Daigo. He's fighting more like a man possessed than anything else, and this is a fight he's not prepared to lose. But as he makes his journey towards Daigo, the energy projectile that had been hurled at him was... something he hadn't anticipated, either. He was hoping that Daigo wouldn't make use of something like that. But his recovery is pretty quick. He's sent staggering to the side from the force of the blast, but that doesn't prevent him from driving straight ahead into the breach. This time, though, his approach is a little different.
As Rock approaches Daigo, his objective is clean and simple. Leap up and /over/ the titan. If he's successful, he's going to come down right above his head, planting both palms on the top of his scalp with the intent to drive him right into the ground, unbalancing the human skyscraper and then adding in a little bit of his own weight to deliver a crushing strike to the face. "You're as tough as they said you were... but I'm not giving up yet!"
COMBATSYS: Rock successfully hits Daigo with Strong Throw.
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Rock 0/-------/---====|=======\=====--\1 Daigo
Right onto his /head/ Daigo falls, this time an audible /crack/ coming from the arena floor where the big body of the brawler lands. That one earns much more than a grunt from the Kazama, something close to an actual groan of pain, Dai's face twisted to show his more-than-a-little bit of discomfort. So much for picking up the pace... Daigo's got a couple of his own tricks though, and with Rock still as close as he is, it's as good a time as any to try one. It's just as simple as Rock's last throw. The groan turns into a growl, and Daigo attempts to reach up, while the wolf cub is still there, to try and drag him down to the ground, to be on the recieving end of a good ol' fashioned roughhouse beatdown, complete with a solid knee to the gut.
COMBATSYS: Daigo successfully hits Rock with Knee and Beatdown.
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Rock 0/-------/=======|=======\=======\1 Daigo
Wham. Crash. /CRUSH/. Rock is beaten around like a ragdoll, spewing a mouthful of blood from his lips. He's taking a real beating, now that Daigo is landing hits more reliably. His arms wrap around Daigo's knee as it pummels into his chest, hoping to gain some advantage on his upcoming attack by taking hold. His attempt isn't totally successful; as he staggers back, he barely manages to keep hold. He shouldn't be able to, after having that much wind knocked out of his lungs.
But he does.
Red eyes look upwards at his opponent still, his grip tightening. He's running on nothing but tenacity, at this point. Tenacity and spirit. "You asked me to try again, before? You better be careful what you wish for, pal. Because you just might get it!" Roaring with effort as he throws every ounce of muscle power into whirling his entire body around with Daigo's mass attached, Rock seeks to hurl his opponent right to the opposite edge of the arena. And maybe, just maybe? Out of the ring entirely.
COMBATSYS: Daigo blocks Rock's Shinkuu Nage.
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Rock 0/-------/-----==|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Daigo
Right to the edge! The line of the arena is /there/, and Daigo's foot lands less than an inch away from it. Inside the ring the Kazama stays. Another flight of Air Daigo, completed. "Those throws are really starting to tick me off..." Dai grumbles, once again getting to his feet, his good eye practically glued to his opponent. He's stalking now...hunched over, stepping away from the edge of the arena, one hand cracking the knuckles of the other. The only way he's going to be able to keep from getting tossed is to keep his distance, but this once, Daigo isn't too objected to that idea.
That's why he borrows a page from a certain street fighter's book, his ticked-off face smoothing to a calmer mask, and one arm reaching out, palm-up again. Skull Aura? You bet. With all of Daigo's frustration behind it, making multiple points of that dark chi lash out towards the Howard kid, each one seeking a place to inflict a little Gedo pain on the throw-happy punk.
COMBATSYS: Daigo successfully hits Rock with Super Skull Aura.
[ < > ///// ]
Rock 0/-------/-======|=======\-------\1 Daigo
Rock gets struck with the aura as he moves in for what's going to be his final attack. That sounds simple; but it's not. It's Rock's last ditch effort to win. Blow after blow pummels his person as the dark chi looses blood from multiple points on his person. He can't keep this up... but nothing is going to stop him from reaching Daigo. Absolutely nothing. He keeps going even as the multitude of blasts strike at him, making one desperate lunge for Daigo, roaring out loud as he makes to tackle Daigo and send /both/ of them flying right out of the ring.
COMBATSYS: Rock can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\ <
Daigo 1/-------/=======|
COMBATSYS: Rock successfully hits Daigo with Strong Throw.
- Power hit! -
[ <
Daigo 1/----===/=======|
Rock's body makes contact with Daigo's, the force of every last remaining drop of his stamina pushing them both backwards. "Sorry, Kazama...!" His voice is already weak, trying to speak despite having very little air in his lungs and an overabundance of blood and spit in his mouth. "... but there are way too many people I'm going to disappoint if I lose--" Already, he's fading out of unconscious, but the feeling of Daigo's stability giving way brings a grin to his face. "--and I'm not giving in until you beat the very last ounce of life out of me!" By the time they hit the ground -- whether or not Daigo is getting back up -- Rock's out like a light, having spent every drop of what he had.
Thus the man moved a mountain. Thus was Daigo Kazama, of Gedo High, and Rock Howard, both thrust out of the arena, to a double DQ.
Otherwise known as a tie.
Daigo saw only too late that his chi was not enough to stop this...bull of a man's last ditch effort. It's a state of mind he's seen, if not used, before. Every ounce of strength goes into that final, single-minded action, and every ounce of willpower goes into making sure it succeeds. Daigo couldn't stop it. He couldn't even try. He was hit, and the air just flew right out of him, both men tumbling right out of the arena, to thud onto the out of bounds area...
COMBATSYS: Daigo takes no action.
[ \\\\\\ <
Daigo 1/----===/=======|
COMBATSYS: Daigo has reached second wind!
[ \\\\\\ <
Daigo 1/----===/=======|
Out of bounds they may be, but Daigo manages to pull himself back to his feet. He knows the fight is officially over. He sees the body of Rock, unconscious.
For some reason, Daigo Kazama is not displeased with this result.
"...Heh. Guess you'll get a rematch then. I hope that's what you wanted." Dai comments to the downed Howard fighter, whether or not he can hear. Daaaaamn does his shoulders and neck hurt, though. Gonna be so sore in the morning...
[OOC note: After discussion with the judges, it was decided that Rock took Daigo down, but couldn't actually disqualify him because there was no way to get a ring-out in an enclosed ring. Effectively: Congratulations to Daigo Kazama, winner of the Southtown Schools Tournament.]
Log created by Rock, and last modified on 18:03:28 12/06/2005.