Description: Saturday Night Fights resume with a handicap match -- the Muay Thai Emperor versus HeavyD!, Sakura, and Rock, one after the other. (Winners: HeavyD, Sakura, Rock)
Howard Arena
Cavernous and huge, Howard Arena is the epicenter of public display
within Southtown. A multi-billion dollar venture by Geese Howard, the arena
paid for itself within the first two years. The enormous arena is able to
seat hundreds of thousands for any variety of spectacle--the most common of
which being sports, concerts, and of course, martials arts competition. The
latter has made Howard Arena famous, as it hosts various tournaments and
exhibitions each year.
There's only one primary arena, and every effort has been made to make it
impressive. The overall atmosphere of the arena is that of solemn magnitude.
Thousands of seats ring the main central stage, the front row seats dropping
to eyelevel of the flat stage. The stage sits in a large depression, with
enough space between it and the seats to allow for trainers, officials, and
other such people to run back and forth. These and exits in the stands lead
off to countless corridors for spectators and competitors to travel in and
out with ease. Naturally enough, these corridors are filled with vendors,
peddling everything from food to Ralf-style bandanas to authentic Mai
Shiranui thongs.
The stage itself is a massive rectangular block of stone. Six-inch thick
flat slate tiles cover a much harder core of reinforced granite, giving the
stage the look of a weathered, timeless mountaintop. Stairs on opposite sides
provide a dignified way for the fighters to approach the center, the stairs
appearing to be carved directly into the rock. Here, some truly spectacular
battles are fought under the eyes of an entire city and, indeed, the world.
Howard Arena. Sagat hasn't fought here much... he probably hasn't fought
here at all. So being here is a new experience. The Muay Thai Fighter is
currently wearing his normal fighting attire, a pair of shorts, hand and leg
wrappings. He's standing there, stretching his arms, legs and back. He agreed
to this match because.. well.. the money that was offered was good. That money
can be reinvested into some personal stock that Sagat may have. When his
stretching is done, Sagat simply places his arms at his side and stares...
waiting for the challengers.
Sakura hasn't fought here at all either -- but she's watched plenty a fight
here, way back when. She remembers when it was first built -- spent hours
before the fight roaming the halls, checking out all the nooks and crannies she
was allowed into, dreamt about the ones she wasn't. So for her to be up on
stage, as she may very well be later tonight, is a big rush for her. Sure, it
may not be the internationally-televised spectacle -- or debacle, if you took it
poorly - that the Masters Tournament was, it's more of a hometown appeal! She
paces back and forth in the staging area, occasionally walking up to the window
and looking out upon the figure standing in the ring. Sagat, the arch nemesis
of her absolute idol. She's nervous, granted -- she knows what he's capable of,
and even -looking- at him tends to send a shiver down her spine. Not that she
shows it much. It's just... well, if she can beat him, then she's that much
closer to taking Him on. Even if it is just as one of three in a balanced
match. Going back to pacing, she takes a gander at the dark-skinned man who had
agreed to fight first. "Good luck out there!"
Megumi is in attendance as well, though she's just one of those oddities they
call a 'spectator.' Seated amongst the rest of the crowd, she's watching things
unfold with a rather plain mood. ...Though Sakura's arrival does cause her to
applaud, after which she quiets down. Still, she's here and it's obvious whose
side she's supporting.
HeavyD frowns as he looks toward the ring. It's hard not to be intimidated by
the mountain of a man in the ring, considering how long he dominated Muay Thai.
Yes, even he, a boxer from Metro City, knows of Sagat's (in)famous reputation.
Still, despite the massive hurting in his bandaged head thanks to a certain man
name Bunji, he's ready for another shot. And who knows, if he holds his own
against the Emperor, maybe he can finally get some recognition. His
concentration is broken as he hears an upbeat voice wish him luck. Looking down
to the schoolgirl beside him through his shades, he smiles. Sakura's definitely
got an energy he's fond, and somewhat jealous of. "Thanks. You too," he says,
pulling off his shades and tucking them into a pocket inside of his jacket.
Steeling his nerves, he walks over to the stone fighting area, climbing the
stairs to the platform. Once he's cleared the last step, he eyes Sagat.
"So...you're the one they called the Emperor of Muay Thai."
"Called?" Sagat grunts as he walks forward and hunches over a bit to get
into his fighting stance, "As far as I am concerned, I still am." Sagat tilts
his head to the side to stretch out his neck, "Sorry if I do not know who you
are." The Muay Thai God grumbles, as he raises his fists up into the air.
Sagat raises up onto the balls of his feet and stares at HeavyD, "I just hope
you can fight."
COMBATSYS: Sagat has started a fight here.
COMBATSYS: HeavyD has joined the fight here.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
HeavyD 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Sagat
The boxer smirks, bringing up his hands tight to his face, left foot anchored as
his right moves forward, keeping him feet from being squared. "THe name's Heavy
D!. And whether or not you think I can fight, I'll do my damnedest to try."
Yeah, he doesn't have too high of hopes here, but D! figures he can still
impress a few people by going toe to toe with Sagat. "So lets do this."
"Indeed." Sagat simply grunts in reply to the Boxer's statement. Sagat
simply smirks and narrows his eye at D!. After a quick assessment of what D!
might be capable of doing, Sagat decides to go on the offensive. He rushes
strait at HeavyD! hoping to overwhelm him with the sight of his bulk coming at
him. When he's within a couple of yards, he leaps into the air and preforms a
solid kick that is meant to go directly for HeavyD!'s head.. take him out of
this fight quickly.
COMBATSYS: Sagat successfully hits HeavyD with Medium Kick.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
HeavyD 0/-------/---====|-------\-------\0 Sagat
D! isn't overwhelmed by the advance...but he does make a tactical mistake in
standing still as the flying kick comes. Banking on blocking and knocking aside
the kick, he instead puts his guard just too low. So rather than absorbing the
blow with his forearms, he absorbs it with his temple, sending him scrambling to
the side. "Gnnn..." So trying to wait for a mistake isn't going to work. Time
to push the offensive instead. Turning around, he steels up his stance once
again, shuffling to the side to get away from the ring's edge. Once he's got
the room, however, he uncharacteristicly lunges out with an arm, leaving his
guard way open. However, maybe that's because he's banking on the swirling
tornado of chi surrounding his arm to at least make Sagat thing twice about
getting too close.
COMBATSYS: HeavyD successfully hits Sagat with Rolling Soul Diver.
-* CRITICAL HIT! *-
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////////// ]
HeavyD 0/-------/--=====|=------\-------\0 Sagat
Sagat didn't think twice... Sagat wanted to press the attack. The Muay
Thai Fighter was going to go inside and give D! a knee, but he turned and
slammed him with a quick shot across the jaw. Sagat recoils only slightly...
the added Chi force behind the blow is what did it. Sagat chuckles a bit as he
pulls his head back and raises his fists back into his normal fighting stance.
Sagat hops on the balls of his feet, feigning with a couple of kicks to D!'s
legs, and one punch towards D!'s face as a diversion... his other leg is moved
up in a sweeping kick towards D!'s knees... attempting to painfully sweep D! to
the ground.
COMBATSYS: HeavyD blocks Sagat's Strong Kick.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////////// ]
HeavyD 1/-------/=======|==-----\-------\0 Sagat
D! luckily is quick to pull himself back into his guard after hitting home with
his trusty RSD, hands covering his face again. Sagat's recovery speed surprises
him, but not enough that he can't react to the feints. PUlling his weight onto
the heel of his back foot, he swivels away from the low kicks, weaving from the
punch that comes to his face. This, luckily, brings him low enough to spot the
swipe toward his knees. Dropping low onto his knees, he tightens up and takes
the shot to his shoulder instead...which still hurts like all hell. . o O (He's
like damned steel) the boxer thinks as he tries to shake off the hit. With his
left arm temporarily numb, he's forced to try a far, low hook with his right
arm, reaching out to try and do what Sagat attempted to do: take out his
opponent's knee.
COMBATSYS: Sagat blocks HeavyD's Hook Punch.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
HeavyD 1/-------/=======|==-----\-------\0 Sagat
Sagat is like steel... especially when someone strikes him. The Muay Thai
God kneels down and uses his arms and his legs to simply absorb the blow by
HeavyD. Nothing... he may have a small bruise there later, but Sagat barely
felt the blow. The two of them are in such close quarters, Sagat can not help
but pulls his arms back to gather some chi. It takes all of a moment to gather
the required chi. The Chi runs down Sagat's arms and forms in his forearms and
knuckles. Sagat growls out, "TIGER!" And swings his arms forward. When his
fists collide, a flaming crescent of chi energy is thrown at D! from close
range.
COMBATSYS: Sagat successfully hits HeavyD with Low Tiger Shot.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
HeavyD 1/-======/=======|====---\-------\0 Sagat
Ok....so he probably should have had the sense to get the hell back rather than
hit back. Heavy D! realizes this too late to help him out, though. As close as
he is, he attempts to roll away so he's in a better position to attack than if
he just blocked...but that doesn't work, the shot clipping him right in the
shin. "ARghhh...." Rolling off erratically, he comes to a stop, teeth gritted.
His leg is DEFINITELY going to be sore in the morning. "I'm gonna have to pull
THAT out," he says under his breath, pushing himself up on his good leg, then
his bad one. His right fist clenches as he turns around, eyes focusing on the
Emperor. "My shot now." And when he says shot, he means it quite literally, as
with a stomping step forward, his right fist lances out with an explosive punch,
orange chi blasting out of it as he shouts "D. MAGNUM!"
COMBATSYS: Sagat blocks HeavyD's D. Magnum.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////// ]
HeavyD 0/-------/-----==|=====--\-------\0 Sagat
Sagat has moved up into a standing position by the time D! has recovered.
It seems he's preparing himself for something. He simply hops back and forth,
alternating which leg he's putting his weight on. When D! gets up and tosses
the D. Magnum out, a leg rises up and his arms go into a defensive posture. The
blow hits hard, and would have caused some good damage... had Sagat not blocked
it. However... he did block it.. and the damage is minor in comparison to what
Sagat has planned for his opponent. When Sagat lowers his block, he rushes
towards the Boxer, probably faster than D! expected after his last attack.
Sagat wants to rush in on D! and catch him by surprise with his next attack.
What does he do? When he gets close.. he doesn't lash out.. he just... gets
even closer when you'd think he'd throw a punch. Sagat attempts to grapple D!
and if successful, will begin driving his knees into D!'s midsection one after
another.
COMBATSYS: Sagat successfully hits HeavyD with Tiger Rage.
[ \\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
HeavyD 0/-------/-======|=======\-------\1 Sagat
"Dammit! I can't believe I forgot the match!" And traveled all the way to
/America/. That must be history's most incredible case of forgetfulness /ever/.
But nonetheless -- fresh from the airport, but nonetheless -- Rock Howard is in
the arena, and fashionably late. All but sprinting through the doorway as he
rushes in, Rock still has his luggage, consisting of one big red duffelbag and a
beat-up looking bass guitar as he darts right through security on his way to the
match. Presumably, this causes more than a bit of fuss... until they realize
that he's one of the competitors, and let him through without restraint.
Eventually, Rock makes his way to the staging area, even if he has to leap over
a railing or two. Resting his luggage on the ground, Rock looks up at Sakura,
speaking as he tries to catch his breath. "Huff... sorry... I'm late... puff...
hope... huff... I didn't miss much..."
Indeed, D! is a bit taken off guard by how fast Sagat moves in, and as open as
the Magnum leaves him, D! really has no recourse except to try and absorb the
blows. He manages to tighten his stomach enough to lessen the impact of the
knees...but they still DAMN hurt. "GNnnnGnnnnGnnn.." Grunting, he falls back,
breaking out of Sagat's grasp. As much conditioning as he has, he still can't
keep from clutching at himself rather than putting his guard up again. "Nnn..."
At this rate, he needs to bring out all the big shots he can, if he wants to at
least put up a fight. Dashing forward, he advances on Sagat. NOrmally, for
what he has planned, he'd move fast enough that he'd disappear to the untrained
eye...but with his wounds, he simply blurs out as he rushes with a set of hooks,
a left one aimed for Sagat's side, with another toward his ankles following soon
after.
COMBATSYS: Sagat blocks HeavyD's Ducking Combination.
[ \\\\\\ < > //////////////////// ]
HeavyD 0/-------/-======|=======\-------\1 Sagat
Sagat smirks as he watches HeavyD react to the injuries Sagat has given
him. A stretch of his neck indicates he's ready for more.. and when HeavyD
comes at him, he merely ducks down, into his crouching blocking stance. A
couple of blows go right over him, another is blocked by his massive tree-trunk
for an arm. As the attack winds down, Sagat slowly utters, "Tiger...." His leg
muscles tighten and spring Sagat upwards. His fist has gone strait up and his
body arcs as Sagat shouts, "...UPPERCUT!"
COMBATSYS: Sagat successfully hits HeavyD with Tiger Uppercut.
[ < > /////////////////// ]
HeavyD 1/---====/=======|=======\==-----\1 Sagat
Sakura glances back to Rock, shaking her head lightly. "... Nah... not a whole
lot! Sagat's holdin out, so, assuming I don't miraculously obliterate the
Emperor, you're gonna get our leftovers!" She chuckles a bit, leaning upon the
railing again. "Ooh... ow. Oh man, d'you see that?" Cradling her chin in her
palms, she tries to look interested, despite a growing fear that she might end
up with a few broken bones in -this- match as well...
COMBATSYS: HeavyD takes no action.
COMBATSYS: HeavyD can no longer fight.
COMBATSYS: HeavyD has left the fight here.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Sagat 1/----===/=======|
And, as he watches the fight... Rock's eyes go just a little wide. "Oh... jeez.
Sakura... you're fighting this guy next, right? Listen... be careful." He sounds
more than a little worried, obviously. "This guy fights like my old man -- which
means that he's not gonna go easy on you just 'cause you're a teenage girl. Be
careful." Rock's sweating just a little bit. Worried about Sakura, and, perhaps,
worried about himself, too. "That... and give him hell."
Sagat does a backflip in he air once the uppercut is finished. He lands on
the ballsof his feet, a smirk upon his face as he sees HeavyD down. The Muay
Thai God nods his head at his vanquished opponent, and he moves to teh side of
the arena... where a bench has been set up. He sits down to take a short
breather before his next opponent enters.
COMBATSYS: Sagat takes a breather.
COMBATSYS: Sagat takes no action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Sagat 1/----===/=======|
Well... any doubts Sakura may have had about fighting Sagat have multiplied
tenfold by the brutal manhandling of Heavy D! She may have gotten off the past
couple weeks without any more K'-level bonebreaking, but all bets are off now.
If the trio of mismatched fighters can win, that means more money to pay off her
recent stay in Seattle. If not... well, she loses in public again and people
can make fun of her. Oh, and she might be hospitalized again. Not really much
to lose here, right?
"Yeah, Rock... thanks! I'll be trying my best!" She slips away from the
railing, slapping her cheeks as motivation. The Taiyo schoolgirl steps outside,
her mop of unruly, hair flapping about in the light breeze. (Vented
air-conditioning by the gate, not actual -wind-, of course.) Carrying her white
headband in her left palm, she strides out to the slate tiled arena, taking
careful steps down the stairs. Falling here would be embarassing to the nth
degree, after all -- and she makes sure to give the occasion all the dignity it
deserves. She smiles brightly, waving to the cameras and the crowd, blissfully
unaware of the pink, self-inflicted handprints still present upon her face.
Stepping opposite Sagat, she bows lightly to him, settling into less of a
showboat mode, pausing to don the long white headband. Tying it snug, she then
clasps her hands before her and bows again, wordlessly. There's no -need- to
say anything -- even if she would, normally. This time, she feels as if she's
fighting in that man's place. If it were a different opponent, she might have
more fun -- but this is a challenge! The schoolgirl then settles into a pose
reminiscent of Sagat's rival - one fist held defensively in front of her, the
other hovering about chin-level and ready to strike. A detached smile crosses
her lips as she psychs herself up for the inevitable -- but at least she'll end
the match having given it her all. She says nothing, the whole time -- until
now. "Let's do this, then!" And with that, she's ready for the second round to
begin.
COMBATSYS: Sakura has joined the fight here.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////// ]
Sakura 0/-------/-------|=======\==-----\1 Sagat
Sagat stands up from the bench he is seated at, just in time to catch
Sakura enter and bow to him. Sagat grunts and simply nods to her in reply to
her bow. He stands there for a moment, stretches out his tightened muscles and
then gets into his combat stance once again. He bounces from foot to foot on
the balls of each foot. His arms go up infront of his face. Another smirk
crosses his face.. and Sagat recognizes the form Sakura is using... or atleast
recognizes what its mimicing. The Muay Thai God wastes no more time after he's
prepared. He starts this fight off with a bang. His arms are brought back
behind him, and the Muay Thai Boxer gathers chi again. It pools up around his
wrists. The flaming chi laps and licks around his hands before he throws his
arms forward, slams his hands together, and sends a flaming crescent of energy
at Sakura.
COMBATSYS: Sagat successfully hits Sakura with Tiger Shot.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////// ]
Sakura 0/-------/----===|=======\====---\1 Sagat
Sakura stands her ground as Sagat comes up. Intimidated? Sure she is. She's
just determined to put her best foot forward. Even if it's her left foot.
Which is weaker. ... Whatever! She eyes Sagat -- considering it a bit rare
that she's seeing him from a head-on perspective. She -thought- she had psyched
herself up before the match, but... wow, this guy's not getting any shorter.
And the times she's encountered him before, well, he just hadn't been about to
launch a shot like that. When Sagat -does- throw that wave of orange energ, the
Taiyo schoolgirl is caught offguard by its sheer speed. She makes a motion as
if to leap over it -- until she realizes that it's coming towards her too high
for that, and tries to abort it into a tumbling roll to the side. However,
-speed- is the critical issue, and she doesn't have enough of it -- the orange
ball slams into her unprotected sides, knocking her back a good six feet. Her
sneakers squeal on the marble tile -- still standing, she exhales sharply --
"... ow. Nice one!" But instead of starting another attack right away, she
starts sidestepping -- arcing around in a long path towards Sagat, aiming to
close the distance while keeping him in visual range. Watching... and waiting.
That one caught her off guard, but she's determined to adapt this time.
COMBATSYS: Sakura focuses on her next action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////// ]
Sakura 0/-------/----===|=======\====---\1 Sagat
Sakura doesn't need to close the distance with Sagat... because Sagat wants
to close the distance between them too. And to do this, Sagat is taking a much
less subtle approach. He's running strait towards her... or running in a way
that'll let him intercept her path. Sagat's not going to let the girl have
enough time to set up whatever attack she's looking to set up, Sagat wants to
win.. and he wants to win quick. The large Muay Thai Fighter leaps into the
air. When Sagat comes down, he's looking to land his heel right against
Sakura's head or upper torso.
COMBATSYS: Sakura dodges Sagat's Medium Kick.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////// ]
Sakura 0/-------/----===|=======\====---\1 Sagat
Nice plan -- but Sakura's ready for him this time! Sagat's full-tilt run
actually signals that he's -probably- not going to waver much from that
straight-line path. At the last second, the schoolgirl steps to the side to
allow Sagat's leaping kick to whiff harmlessly by her. And as he rushes by,
Sakura pivots and launches herself at him with a full rising uppercut, throwing
her whole body into the attack. "SHOOOO-OUUUU-KEN!" she shouts with an exultant
smile!
COMBATSYS: Sagat blocks Sakura's Shou'ou Ken.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Sakura 0/-------/---====|=======\=====--\1 Sagat
Sagat sensed that he may miss this attack.. Sakura was preparing herself
for an attack.. so she was probably focusing on him intently. There was a high
chance he would miss with this.. so a second plan was in the works. When he
landed, eh immediately got into a defensive position. It worked.. cause his
arms end up blocking the Shou'ou Ken that awaited him. Sagat's arms drop down
back into a fighting position when Sakura's attack is over.. and when it is
over, he throws a few punches.. most of them distractions and feints. The one
that was meant to hit is a close-fisted backhand.
COMBATSYS: Sagat successfully hits Sakura with Fierce Punch.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Sakura 1/----===/=======|=======\=====--\1 Sagat
Sakura really -didn't- expect to miss her uppercut. She thought she'd found an
opening in the big man's defense, but apparently not! As her fist resounds off
his hardened forearms, she pulls back -- but spends too much time dodging the
flurry of straight punches to expect a backfist swinging her way. Suckered into
it, she takes it full on the jaw, spiralling off to one side from the impact,
and landing face-first on the tile, a thin trail of blood trickling from her
lips. Well -- almost face-first: she'd managed to put her hands down first,
softening the blow somewhat and allowing her to spring back to her feet. She
wants to make a cocky rebuttal, but there's too much at stake here -- instead,
she opts to clench her fists and start running at Sagat. Slipping into her
native tongue, she lets out a cry of "Iku yo!". She starts to throw a punch, it
seems -- but it's just a boost to her angular momentum. She whirls the punch
around harmlessly, entering a controlled spiral as she drops to the floor,
whipping her feet around towards Sagat's shin, advancing on her non-kicking foot
while whirling around again and again. If that succeeds, she'd finish it off by
standing again to deliver a full-on roundhouse -- but that's a big 'if' against
an opponent like Sagat.
COMBATSYS: Sagat blocks Sakura's Haru Ichiban.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Sakura 0/-------/-----==|=======\======-\1 Sagat
Just like Sakura is a flurry of motion, so too is Sagat. His single eye
watches Sakura's every move, a hand raises to block a strike.. then his leg to
absorb another... and then another block. Everything is blocked. Sagat ducks
towards the ground and raises his hands up above his head when the roundhouse
comes. As Sakura recovers from her own attack, Sagat springs upwards and throws
his body towards her. Sagat growls out, "Tiger..." His fist reaches skywards
and his legs spring him forward as he shouts, "BLOW!" the rising uppercut is
slower than one Sagat previously demonstrated.
COMBATSYS: Sagat successfully hits Sakura with Tiger Blow.
[ \\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Sakura 1/-----==/=======|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Sagat
Well, that didn't go too well. She actually considered stopping her spinning
kicks, but Sagat kept moving back -- she thought she might actually get him with
that last sudden roundhouse. But no, that iron defense is cracking her
optimistic smile! Sparing a moment to wipe the blood from her mouth, she spots
the tensed muscles signalling the oncoming strike -- but again finds her
reflexes too tardy to avoid the blow. The fist catching her hard in the
sternum, she finds herself sailing through the air, her evacuated lungs allowing
only a weak gasp to echo throughout the hushed stadium. She's still conscious
though -- barely -- as she lands on the floor, feet-first, but soon crumples to
her knees. She wipes her mouth dry again, wheezing as she stands once more...
flashing a winning smile back at Sagat. Ironic, yes, but she's got something in
the oven. Her hands clap together, as she whips them back to her side...
grinning even more brightly, there's a bright flash as a torrent of energy
rushes into her hands. "I got a present for ya!" she chirps, before sending the
basketball-sized globe of compressed chi racing towards Sagat: "HADOUKEN!"
Sakura, of course.
COMBATSYS: Sagat overcomes Medium Hadouken from Sakura with Low Tiger Shot.
[ \\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Sakura 1/-----==/=======|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Sagat
Sagat stood there for a moment and watched his opponent. This is taking
longer than he liked... he's still got one other opponent to deal with... he
needs to down Sakura quick. The Muay Thai Fighter takes a step forward.. but
halts when he sees what the girl is doing. She's gonna lob something at him.
The Muay Thai Fighter kneels down and pulls his arms back. He gathers chi at
his forearms again... and when Sakura's Hadouken is tossed, Sagat throws his
Tiger Shot directly towards the incoming projectile. Both projectiles collide
and disappear... canceling one another out. Sagat smirks as he stands back up.
COMBATSYS: Sakura overcomes Low Tiger Shot from Sagat with Small Hadouken.
- Power hit! -
[ \\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Sakura 1/-----==/=======|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Sagat
Sakura had kinda figured her weak, fast fireballs wouldn't cut it -- which was
why she was trying to cram more energy into the one she -did- launch. But in
the end, it didn't prove to be enough -- the concussive force of Sagat's Tiger
Shot splinters her tightly-wound fireball into shreds of blue chi as it barrels
on past her -- but Sakura still has another split second to squeeze off another,
more hasty shot! This one wouldn't have to be focused, just quick -- and with
the time she's got, she flicks her wrists forward, shouting yet again,
"HADOUKEN!" And this time -- -her- fireball clashes with -his- in a bright
flash of light... To that, she seems somewhat pleased.
COMBATSYS: Sagat overcomes Small Hadouken from Sakura with Tiger Shot.
[ \\\\\\ < > ///////////////// ]
Sakura 1/-----==/=======|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Sagat
So reminents of his last Tiger Shot made it through afterall? That's a
surprise.. and Sagat grunts at that surprise. Furthermore... he grunts when
Sakura has enough time to launch another Hadouken to tackle his Tiger Shot.
When that one overcomes his Tiger Shot and heads for him... Sagat blinks his eye
and pulls his arms back. Another Tiger Shot, a quickly gathered and fired one
is lobbed right back at Sakura and her incoming Hadouken. Man... deja vu.
M.Bison has disconnected.
COMBATSYS: Sakura fails to slow Tiger Shot from Sagat with Shinkuu Hadouken.
COMBATSYS: Sakura can no longer fight.
COMBATSYS: Sakura has left the fight here.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Sagat 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|
Uh-oh. This could get tiring! She'd had the slightest inkling of an idea that
maybe, just maybe, that fireball would be countered with a fourth, Sakura starts
to get a bit irritable. Throwing her hands to the side, she starts amassing
even more energy, her voice coming forth as "SHINKUUUUUUU---" -- her very form
rippling from the heat of the energy she's drawing into her hands. And when
Sagat's fireball is just about to hit her, she slams her wrists forward, loosing
the trashcan-sized torrent of energy right back at him: "HADOUUUUKEN!"
And yet, it's not enough, as Sagat's Tiger Blow punches a hole right through the
middle of it, shattering the tuned fireball right out of existence and nailing
Sakura square in the chest. It propels her across the ring, landing her against
the inside wall in a battered heap -- completely unconscious. So much for that
strategy.
Sagat stands there, giving Sakura's fallen form a side-long glance. His
eye narrows a bit as he looks at her. She's battered and beaten. He's got a
couple of bruises.. but nothing he can not fight through. The Muay Thai God
gives a nod to Sakura's fallen form, out of respect. The big man walks towards
the bench he was seated at earlier. He will sit down and take a breather before
his next and final fight, "Potential." He utters as he wipes his brow of sweat.
COMBATSYS: Sagat takes a breather.
COMBATSYS: Sagat takes no action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Sagat 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|
The fireball war seems to be prolonging the fight....but it seems to give D! the
time to finally recover. "Gnnnn..." Grunting, his eyes open, just in time to
see the last of the Sakura's end. He winces slightly as he watches Sakura get
blasted away. Damn...rolling off the edge of the ring, he manages to touch down
on the outside...before knees buckle and drop him to his ass. "Crap. I knew he
was tough, but damn."
Ironic that Sagat would make the same comment about Sakura that that one man
did, not so long ago. It's just as Rock makes his entry that Sakura slowly opens
her eyes... "... heh... In the end, I couldn't even touch him, huh..." None
of the practice, none of her fortification had any effect -- Sagat obliterated
her, hands down. She doesn't make any sudden move to get out of the ring,
rather just pulling herself to a seated position, forcing herself to smile in
the face of the assembled onlookers.
The very moment that Sakura goes down and Sagat takes his break... the third
fighter comes in like a shot. Sakura hits the ground, and Rock leaps over the
railing from the staging area and into the arena proper. Jacket settling on his
shoulders, Rock takes a few steps in before slipping into his combat stance.
Sakura's done for, Heavy D is done for, and Sagat is barely winded... and Rock
is doing his hardest not to look scared as he goes up against the man who was
until recent years known as the greatest fighter in the world. "Sagat! Looks
like I'm next... done with your catnap, or what?"
COMBATSYS: Rock has joined the fight here.
COMBATSYS: Rock focuses on his next action.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Rock 0/-------/-------|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Sagat
Sagat chuckles a bit and stands up from the bench. He stretches his arms
out a bit while he kicks his legs to loosen them back up, "You take on two
opponents and not want a quick breather, boy." Sagat chuckles a bit to himself
and gets into a fighting stance, "But yes, I am done. Let's begin." As soon as
the word begin leaves Sagat's mouth, the Muay Thai God rushes forward towards
his newest opponent. He leaps into the air, attemtping to come in at Rock from
above. His body looks as if he's performing the Tiger Crush, but at the last
second, Sagat swings his leg out in a flying kick.
COMBATSYS: Rock counters Strong Kick from Sagat with Gedan Crack Counter.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Rock 0/-------/-------|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Sagat
So, basically... It's the Emperor of Muay Thai vs. the Impetuous, Gutsy But
Stupid Blonde Kid. This doesn't look good for Rock. Standing in the arena and
practically waiting for Sagat to approach. It's almost impatience... but a keen
eye reveals otherwise. Flickering back and forth like red bolts of lightning,
Rock's eyes are watching Sagat and sizing him up. Every movement, every step he
takes... he's trying to glean some sort of advantage. Well, not so much an
advantage as... less of a /disadvantage/.
He doesn't have too much time to dally. Sagat's upon him like a shot with one
big kick, a kick that Rock doesn't seem to have time to evade. Half of the crowd
probably cringes and averts their eyes as Sagat's foot makes contact with the
young blonde's face... only, it doesn't. Snatching it from the air and locking
Sagat's ankle between both of his wrists, Rock stares straight up at his foe,
his expression one of seriousness; there's no time to enjoy this fight, not if
he wants to win. "I'm not going down that easily, and I'm not going to let their
hard work go to waste!" Sakura and D!, presumably. Making good on his promise,
Rock leaps forward, somersaulting in mid-air as he brings his leg down on Sagat,
aiming his heel at the God's one remaining eye. An attempt to blind him,
perhaps?
Well that certainly was a surprise. At this time, Sagat expected to be on
his feet and preparing for his next assault, but... he's on his back, on the
ground. That's the first time that has happened in this long... long fight of
his. Apparently the kick landed square on Sagat's shoulder... as he had the
notion to move his head a split second before Rock struck him. Once on the
ground, Sagat rolls backwards, back onto his feet. A smile crosses his face,
"Nice..." He admits before spring up, taking a step or two forward and flicking
another leg out at Rock.. it's a kick towards Rock's legs.
COMBATSYS: Rock blocks Sagat's Light Kick.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Rock 0/-------/------=|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Sagat
Rock ducks low, shielding his ankles from Sagat's kick with his arm. He manages
to avoid the majority of what was about to come his way, sliding backwards a few
feet but remaining mostly unharmed. Of course, you couldn't tell based on the
look on Rock's face. It doesn't take a genius to tell what he's thinking: (Jeez!
It hurts this much even though I blocked it?!) It doesn't take Rock more than a
second or two to recover, planting one foot onto the arena floor to slow his
backwards momentum and send himself flying straight ahead... and then to his
left -- Sagat's right, steering himself right into the Emperor's blind spot.
"Try this in for size! REPPUKEN!" Taking advantage of the distance between the
two, Rock sends a wave of purple chi racing towards Sagat, leaving him nice and
far away. There's no way in hell Rock's getting CLOSE to Sagat unless he has
absolutely no choice.
COMBATSYS: Sagat blocks Rock's Reppuken.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Rock 0/-------/-----==|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Sagat
Sagat wants to continue the offensive that he's got going on, so he rushes
at Rock still. The big Muay Thai Fighter skids to a stop when teh Reppuken is
launched. He ducks and covers himself with his arms. The Reppuken causes
damage, even though he's blocking... but it's not enough to stop Sagat from
wanting to continue the offensive. Once the wave has passed, Sagat gets up and
runs at Rock again, "TIGER CRUSH!" He shouts as he leaps into the air, tucking
his legs up under him and letting his powerful knee jut out.
COMBATSYS: Rock blocks Sagat's Tiger Crush.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////// ]
Rock 0/-------/---====|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Sagat
Once again, Rock is ready and on the spot with his arms, protecting himself as
best as he can from the assault that Sagat is doling out. But, still, he slides
back a few inches just from soaking the sheer force of the attack. "... strong!"
he exclaims, clearly a little shocked at the powerhouse that he is, even though
he can obviously tell how big Sagat is just by looking at him. "Was that too
small? Then... try this one!" Once again, Rock lunges hard to Sagat's right,
trying to beat his field of vision and escape from sight. No matter how good you
are, having two eyes is important... and missing one has got to be a
disadvantage, no matter what. Or at least, that's Rock reasoning. "DOUBLE...
REPPUKEN!" Same song and dance as before... only doubled up, two waves fusing
into one titanic wave, fired at Sagat's right side at point blank range.
COMBATSYS: Sagat dodges Rock's Double Reppuken.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////// ]
Rock 0/-------/---====|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Sagat
Sagat skids to a stop when he lands. Rock blocked his Tiger Crush, and is
now trying to use his lack of a second eye to his advantage. Luckily for Sagat,
he's trained long and hard to get over that disability. Sure... his field of
vision is reduced... but he fights as if he were not handicapped. Sagat watches
Rock, not letting the fighter escape his field of vision. He rushes forward, to
try and intercept Rock. In the process he dodges the Double Reppuken. The Muay
Thai Fighter rushes up towards Rock again, launching into another Tiger Crush,
"Tiiiigerrrr..." He shouts as he launches into the Tiger Crush. If the Tiger
Crush lands, he will immediately follow it up with a couple of punishing Tiger
Uppercuts, "GENOCIDE!" He shouts.
<Public> Terry says, "Well look what the cat dragged in."
COMBATSYS: Rock counters Tiger Genocide from Sagat with Joudan Crack Counter.
- Power hit! -
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Rock 0/-------/---====|=====--\-------\0 Sagat
The crowd once again covers their eyes as Sagat comes out swinging at Rock with
his biggest hit... but there's nothing. Once again, Rock snatches Sagat's knee
right out of the air, stopping him in mid-air /dead/. "You're a little blind on
the right. Just a little. Man, I'd figured it wouldn't work... but it's there.
Just a little!" The crowd literally gasps at what they're seeing, especially
considering Rock's track record of late, as far as matches in the public eye go.
"I told you, didn't I?! I'm not going down so easily!" Like a shot, Rock's
entire body swings forward, once again aiming the heel of his boot at Sagat's
remaining eye. Why? Well, if he can hit him there, or even if he's just /close/?
If Sagat loses one eye, he doesn't have any good ones left. And Rock Howard vs.
Blind Sagat? Those are odds that Rock likes a bit more.
Sagat can not believe it. Not only was he unable to complete his Tiger
Genocide technique... but the boy he's fighting managed to counter it... reverse
it on him. How is that done? Even the Muay Thai God is a bit taken aback by
this new information. He's also slightly angered by this. He shouldn't be
angry... he's had a couple of long fights... this is his third in a row.
Perhaps Sagat is finally showing how tired he really is? Sagat's eye is still
firmly in his skull.. so chances are Sagat managed to evade the strike to his
head again... and it again landed on his shoulder. Sagat rolls back to his feet
and wipes some sweat from his brow, "Do you have to talk while you fight?"
Sagat asks as he springs up into the air and delivers a text-book flying kick
towards Rock's shoulders and head area.
COMBATSYS: Sagat successfully hits Rock with Medium Kick.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Rock 1/------=/=======|=====--\-------\0 Sagat
Okay, that didn't work so well. This one might be a textbook kick, but it hits
Rock. ... Hard. Hitting the arena floor and skidding a few feet to a slow halt,
Rock looks up, grunting a little bit as he fights his way back up into a
crouching position. "... Now that you mention," he says, responding to Sagat's
question, "... I probably shouldn't!" So, no more talking from Rock as he slowly
climbs to his feet. Man, that one stung. But Rock's not giving up, not yet.
Immediately, he springs to Sagat's right... this tactic must be getting a little
bit tired by now, no? Well, not quite. Apparently, he's quite aware of that; as
the distance between the two combatants shrinks, Rock leaps hard to the other
side, sweeping one arm over the floor in mid-air and sending a wave of chi
flying over the floor at Sagat. "REPPUKEN!" Hopefully, Rock's attempt at a feint
is slightly more effective than his previous attempts at direct offense.
COMBATSYS: Rock successfully hits Sagat with Reppuken.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Rock 1/-----==/=======|=======\-------\0 Sagat
And apparently it is slightly more effective. A clean hit against Sagat
is achieved and the Master of Muay Thai hits the ground hard. The Chi energy
blast forcing Sagat to the ground once again. The massively built man is
beginning to look a bit more worse for wear... as is to be expected. However...
Sagat is a determined former champion. He kneels there once he gets onto his
feet and wipes his brow. After the brow is cleared of sweat, Sagat pulls his
arms back behind him... chi flames appears on his forearms. He stands fully
erect and then throws his arms forward. When the two arms collide, the flame
crescent is sent hurdling towards Rock.
COMBATSYS: Rock dodges Sagat's Tiger Shot.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////// ]
Rock 1/-----==/=======|=======\-------\0 Sagat
"Saaaaaggaaaat!" The moment Sagat gets nailed by the Reppuken, Rock's entire
body flies into motion. He practically charges right into the breach, even as
the Emperor of Muay Thai sends a huge ball of chi flying his way. Sprinting as
he is, Rock manages to get in close nearly as Sagat is about to fire the Tiger
Shot... and he simply dissolves into a blur of red and white. There's no Rock
where there was a Rock before! Sagat might find that slightly curious, until the
audience goes absolutely /wild/... because Rock is right behind Sagat.
"Yeah? Now this one, too!" Clenching both fists, Rock drives his entire body
down towards the floor, roaring at the top of his lungs: "RAAAAAGING....
STOOOOOORM!" Raising a Storm? No, Raging Storm. As soon as he makes contact,
Rock's entire body literally sprays chi in every direction, as though his entire
body were a conduit for the purple energy... and, not-so-slowly, the energy
begins to swirl around and around his body, like a tornado -- and Sagat is right
in the heart of the storm.
COMBATSYS: Rock successfully hits Sagat with Raging Storm.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////// ]
Rock 0/-------/-----==|=======\==-----\1 Sagat
The Muay Thai God seems to fold in on himself. His arms go up into the air
to block.. but block what? The attack is too fast... too quick.. too strong for
an effective defense to be mounted. All that chi being tossed around the poor
tired Muay Thai Champion drives him to the ground. When the attack lets up...
Sagat simply lays there for a moment. The big bald man pushes himself up
eventually with his arms. He looks terrible. The big man grins a bit, spits
out some blood and nods in Rock's direction, "Good stuff..." he admits to his
challenger. Sagat knows he doesn't have much left in him... or that he can take
much more abuse from his fresher opponent. So what does he do? Go back on the
offensive! He rushes towards Rock... in a near suicidal dash. Sagat is not
letting up.. and why should he? Has he ever? When he gets within striking
range he shouts out, "Tiger..." and a flurry of kicks is undertaken. One low,
two high, another low.. a sweeping kick and a flaming kick, "RAAAAIIIID!"
COMBATSYS: Rock fails to counter Tiger Raid from Sagat with Joudan Crack
Counter.
[ \\\\\ < > ////// ]
Rock 1/------=/=======|==-----\-------\0 Sagat
"What?! That didn't do it?" Nope. Sagat survives the Raging Storm, incredibly
enough... and he's /still coming/. Rock grimaces broadly, explaining: "...
That's not good!" No, it's not, because Rock is about to get hammered by a half
dozen or so blows from Sagat. The moment the last one is finished, Rock's entire
body slumps a little bit as he drops to the ground, spitting up a little bit of
blood. "... tch. That last one didn't bring you down? Well... try this one!
Raging... STOOOOORM!" Once again, Rock's entire body emits the spinning,
storm-like chi from before, in one desperate attempt to send the 'God' of Muay
Thai to Muay Thai Heaven.
"What?! That didn't do it?" Nope. Sagat survives the Raging Storm, incredibly
enough... and he's /still coming/. Rock grimaces broadly, explaining: "...
That's not good!" No, it's not, because Rock is about to get hammered by a half
dozen or so blows from Sagat. The moment the last one is finished, Rock's entire
body slumps a little bit as he drops to the ground, spitting up a little bit of
blood. "... tch. You're something else, man. No wonder they call you 'God'.
But..." Slowly, Rock begins to climb to his feet, forcing what strength he has
left out of his legs. "... I'm not down just yet."
Both fighers are battered and beaten now.. thanks to Sagat getting in the
many blows of his Tiger Raid technique. Sagat takes a moment to gather himself
after his attack. That took a look of energy out of him. By the time Rock is
on his feet, Sagat is moving.. and looking to end this fight. The massive form
of Sagat barrels towards Rock.. and when the Muay Thai Boxer is in range for it,
he skids to a stop and delivers a hefty kick towards Rock's side and midsection.
COMBATSYS: Rock just-defends Sagat's Light Kick!
[ \\\\\\\\ < > ////// ]
Rock 1/------=/=======|==-----\-------\0 Sagat
"... NOT YET!" Rock yells out as Sagat barrels towards him like lightning, as
though with will alone he could deny the impending defeat that was heading his
way. "I'm... not... going... down... just... yet!" The moment Sagat sweeps his
leg out in Rock's direction, Rock's arm is there... /just in time/. Deflecting
Sagat's kick entirely, Rock slides right into range with Sagat, gripping both
fists and driving them straight down into the ground. "Try again... and I'll do
it right, this time! Raging... STOOOOORM!" Rock's body explodes with chi, his
jacket flapping against his back, desperately trying to hang on to his body as
the raw energy swirls around his form, wrapping around and around and hopefully
sending Sagat straight up into the air with gale force.
COMBATSYS: Rock successfully hits Sagat with Raging Storm.
- Power hit! -
[ \\\\\\\ < > ]
Rock 0/-------/------=|=====--\-------\0 Sagat
The Chi envelopes the larger Muay Thai Boxer. It's too much.. Sagat can't
take this any more. He's been battered by three people. He made it this far...
he expected to... but maybe others did not expect him to make it this far. The
odds were that he'd run out of energy... drop out due to exhaustion or whatnot.
When the Raging Storm Subsides... Sagat stands there. He's ever persistant. He
is standing there, his body slightly slumped over. Sagat stands there, simply
staring in Rock's direction. It's a look that conveys his own desires not to go
down. After the punishing bouts he's been in... perhaps he should go down. His
arms move back behind him, chi begins to get channeled behind him. Flame begins
to envelope his forearms... but Sagat seems to waver... he drops down to one
knee... then... tiredly drops to another knee. Perhaps gathering this chi is
weakening the giant warrior. He stands there on his knees... gathering chi.
Sagat grits his teeth and grumbles out, "TIGER!" he swings his arms forward and
releases a blast of energy towards his opponent. The momentum of his arms
swinging simply topples him forward. He flops down to the ground... he's done.
COMBATSYS: Sagat can no longer fight.
COMBATSYS: Sagat has left the fight here.
COMBATSYS: Rock dodges Sagat's Low Tiger Shot.
[ \\\\\\\ <
Rock 0/-------/------=|
"... Phew." He can tell Sagat's done before the rest of the crowd knows. There's
a look in a fighter's eye when he's about to go down, and puts everything on one
last ditch effort to at least pull out a draw. Rock's seen it more than once.
He's had the same look, more than once." As Sagat fires one last Tiger Shot
Rock's way, the blonde warrior is ready... and he sidesteps a little bit, before
the Emperor of Muay Thai, one of the greatest fighters in modern history, goes
down.
And then Rock goes down, too, but not from abuse.
"... phew!" Breathing a huge sigh of relief, a huffing, puffing, Rock takes a
breather on the ground, plopping down in the middle of the arena and planting
his butt on the floor. "Man... that was close. I can't believe I'm still alive
at all."
Sakura, still down at arena level, is one of the first to cheer as Sagat falls.
Sure, she didn't do much beside keep Sagat vaguely amused for a minute or two,
but she can still clap as a spectator, right? "Good job, Rock! You did it!"
she calls out, pumping a fist in the air from her seated position. She'd just
never bothered to leave the arena, apparently. By this point, she has the
strength to push herself back to her feet, content to clap, as the rest of the
fans in the arena do, for Rock's victory.
D! watches on in surprise, having remained near the edge of the fighting floor
as Rock started to fight. Once Sagat falls, he can't help but thrust a fist
into the air, cheering the kid on. "YEAH!" he shouts, walking toward Sakura and
the steps to the floor. Sure, he didn't get the win, but it's impressive enough
that he has to give Rock some props.
Slowly, Rock climbs up to his feet, having caught his breath and feeling a
little better. He's still in a state of partial disbelief. With one motion, he
slips out of his jacket, grabbing it in one hand and slinging it over one
shoulder, the winged star on the back shown cleanly at the arena. He's throw the
jacket at Sagat, but... angering Sagat would be a bad thing, unconscious or not.
Thrusting one fist straight up in the air, Rock takes a moment to 'pose' as the
fight bell rings, before lowering his fist and saunters across the arena to make
ot back to the edge of the fighting floor near Sakura and D!. "Oof. Good work,
guys. No way in hell I could have done it without the work you did."
COMBATSYS: Rock has ended the fight here.
Among the crowd in the seats another person claps once it is apparent that Rock
has managed to survive a total beating. In the front row of seats the blue
haired mercenary known only as Leona remains sitting among most of the people
that are standing and jumping about. Her applause is short and she lets her
hands go back to resting in her lap after she is done applauding. She had been
watching the fight and remained silent for the most part, easily blending in
with the crowd since usually the large, painted up people near her would
constantly jump up and block her out of sight as they slap their large bellys
agaist one another in celebration. Now that things seem down she gets up and
moves to lean on the railing and call out to Rock. "Next time learn not to be so
slow and you could finish it earlier!"
Rock catches something out of the corner of his ear (is that even possible?) --
and looks up into the stands, catching sight of Leona. Or, perhaps, just the
blue hair. And, for just an instant... he blushes. Juuuust a little bit. Maybe
Rock's a little bit more shy than he makes out. But, gradually, he offers a
thumbs up in the direction of the mercenary, grinning a little bit as he calls
back: "Yes, ma'am! I'll make sure I do just that!"
Sakura rolls her shoulders. "Well, mostly Heavy D!'s help, I'm sure!" She rubs
her sore chin, hoping the swelling would goes soon but seems... mostly fine.
For what can be seen anyway, as she'd taken most of the hits to the torso.
"That was a pretty exciting match though, really! Congrats!" She starts to
continue with some other fluffery, but then Leona calls out to him, earning a
narrow stare from the Taiyo schoolgirl. "... What the...?"
Seems it was easy enough to just blend away in the crowd--once nestled away in
the fervent crowd, as they begin to stream out towards the exits one man is left
behind, still in his chair and staring at the arena floor intently. Only once
his row and a few around him empty out does he begin to stand up, stretching his
body out by reaching for the sky.
HeavyD gives a quick little salute to Rock, rubbing his poor, battered chin
where he took the Uppercut. "It's cool. Man, I knew Sagat was a legend, but I
didn't think he was that vicious." D!'s making a note to rest at least a week,
just to make sure he doesn't get permanent brain damage from the heavy head
blows he's taken. "Impressive stuff though, man. Though I could swear I've
seen some of those moves before."
It probably isn't much of a surprise to why Leona is really there. She had come
back after her embarassing loss to Daigo to get back to her mission anyways. She
jumps from the railing to get down to the arena proper, landing rather easily
and then standing up fully as a brow arches at the look Sakura gives her. She
just shrugs it off and has learned to take the schoolgirl's anger with a grain
of salt since she seemed pissy nine times out of ten. Instead she just begins to
wander towards Rock. "I do admit I am surprised to see you in this arena of ill
repute."
Rock rubs at the back of his head -- he seems as surprised that he managed to
win as anybody else. "Yeah? Well... like I said. No way I could have done that
if you two hadn't been there, too. It's not 'my' win -- it's 'our' win, that's
for sure." Rock tries to smile, but the topic that D! brings up manages to quiet
him just a little. "And... uh, yeah. Well, I'm Terry Bogard's student, so you're
probably familiar with a couple of the moves I used." Even though the majority
of the moves he used were derived from Geese's side of the style, as it were.
Rock rubs at the back of his head -- he seems as surprised that he managed to
win as anybody else. "Yeah? Well... like I said. No way I could have done that
if you two hadn't been there, too. It's not 'my' win -- it's 'our' win, that's
for sure." Rock tries to smile, but the topic that D! brings up manages to quiet
him just a little. "And... uh, yeah. Well, I'm Terry Bogard's student, so you're
probably familiar with a couple of the moves I used." Even though the majority
of the moves he used were derived from Geese's side of the style, as it were. By
the time Leona shows up, Rock, along with Heavy D! and Sakura are probably in
the process of being swarmed by more than a couple eager fans. "Oh, uh. Hey,
Leona. And... yeah, I'm surprised, too... but just 'cause this place belongs to
him, I figured I can't fear it." Trying not to get shoved around, Rock adds,
trying also not to be overheard by D! or Sakura, "Way I see it, fighting here...
it's like sending a message. I'm not giving up, no matter how badly he thrases
me."
HeavyD shakes his head, unaware of the advancing Leona. "No...I saw some of his
moves there, but the others looked like something else." He can't place it
(probably because he never actually got to watch the KoFs before the one he
entered, but he's sure he saw something else in there. He shrugs it off though,
look back just in time to see Leona come in. "Huh...guess I should step back
then," he says, turning to walk off and gesturing for Sakura to do the same.
Sakura turns back to Ralf with a smile -- she just doesn't want to deal with
Leona right now. She's only 'pissy' because of her tendency to dole out moods
as reactions -- and Leona just happens to get on her nerves. "Yeah... good job
in there! I, uh... guess I'll get up with you later, huh?" Rock's good cheer is
welcome, at any rate -- as are the swarming fans. "... Oh, really, you train
with him? That's pretty awesome!" But... Heavy D!, some guy she never knew
before a couple hours ago, is gesturing for her to move back. Puffing her
cheeks a little bit, she figures she might as well. It's Rock's night, right,
even if he does want to share the credit. She takes a spot next to the boxer,
grinning lightly.
Lowering his arms, the man shuffles out of the seating row--turning in towards
the ring and the fighters hanging about rather than heading out of the audience
exit like everyone else. Hood slung low, it does an excellent job of hiding his
facial features...maybe he's a fan like the ones trying to swarm the
once-fallen. If that's the case, he's most certainly taking his sweet time
making his way over for an autograph...slow, plodding footfalls mark his
approach, not the lightfooted jog of the throngs.
Leona nods faintly in response to Rock's explanation, the woman's gaze idly
sweeping over the crowd of people. "I think it was a good one that you sent to
him tonight, then...." she says in reply while looking towards HeavyD and Sakura
as they back away. She gives a nod towards them though she isn't quite sure why
they are backing off. The fans must be scaring them away. She shrugs again and
glances back to Rock. "Have fun with your team mates tonight. I just wanted to
congratulate you." she gives him another nod and starts to wander off towards an
exit.
HeavyD simply continues to walk off, not wanting to get caught in any personal
business that isn't HIS personal business. Respect for privacy and all that
jazz. As he walks toward the back (to get some ice for his sore head, likely
enough), he looks toward Sakura, a sharp 'heh' at her grin. "Impressive stuff
out there. A lot of youths getting into this thing early these days, huh?"
Rock clenches a fist, nodding at Leona. "Yeah. I hope it was a good one.
Anyways... Thanks for coming, Leona." Rock waves a little bit as Leona heads
off, apparently not saying anything else. A little chicken, maybe? Or maybe he's
just smart. Whirling around, the face he shows to D! and Sakura is one of pride
and more than a little satisfaction with the events of tonight's fight. Even if
he has to catch up with his teammates, Rock will sling one arm around both of
them (Sakura doesn't count as a normal girl, so Rock isn't necessarily the least
bit nervous around her). "So! What are you guys doing with your portion of the
prize?"
"M-me?" Sakura stammers. "Uh... uh, well, I guess if my parents had any say to
it, it'd go towards the hospital bills, and the trip to Seattle, and the new
uniform after the other night's fight..." She shrugs a bit, grinning
nonetheless. "Maybe I'll have enough left over for some ice cream? Hee..."
Her mood takes a slight uptick by Rock's encouragement -- she -did- do well,
even if her fireballs didn't. "Maybe I should buy some fireworks or something!
We should do that sometime!" She must be feeling better, for she's spouting off
randomness again!
The Man known as D! simply shrugs, thrusing his hands into his jacket pockets.
"Training, food, and rent mostly. Too old for flights of fancy right now. At
least, not if I want to get some cred before I get too slow up." He then thinks
a bit, knowing one other thing he'd want to use money for. "Probably will put
some aside for some charity stuff back home."
Rock grins a little. "Well, you just lemme know if you any plans for that. I'm
gonna go collect my prize money and head home -- there are a couple things I
want to ask Terry about. Anyways, catch you later? Nice to meet you, by the way,
Heavy D!. Hopefully, we'll get to fight together again sometime -- on the same
team or otherwise." Somehow, Rock manages to get the ! in there. Don't ask how.
Grinning a little, Rock releases his two teammates, waving one hand before he
sets out to track down Lisa, wherever she might be hiding.
Sakura smiles brightly, and nods. She -was- a bit down after her Hadouken
malfunction, but... eh! Things could be worse! She lost to -Sagat- after all,
not some random guy off the street. She nods and waves to all concerned,
shaking Heavy D's hand in congratulation, then heads out of the arena after
Rock.
Log created by Kobun, and last modified on 10:46:35 05/06/2005.