Description: A double-decker bus rolling through Metro City is the setting for the epic battle of Makoto, Haggar, and Guy versus Seishirou, Acacia, and Rock. (Winners: Team Metro)
COMBATSYS: Makoto has started a fight here on the left meter side.
COMBATSYS: Haggar has joined the fight here on the left meter side.
COMBATSYS: Seishirou has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
COMBATSYS: Guy has joined the fight here on the left meter side.
COMBATSYS: Acacia has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
COMBATSYS: Rock has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
There are many places where one can fight in Metro City. There are the easy ones: Metro Square, one of many gyms, a bar, or perhaps in the SlamMasters arena. Some aren't as well-used, but still notable. Alleyways, beaches, under the bridge, or perhaps on top of a skyscraper. But after a while, everything stops being new. One day, every single fighting arena will be exhausted, and on that day the magic of fighting will die./rHowever, Team Metro and the Finishing Three are going to fight on a double-decker bus.
There are many places where one can fight in Metro City. There are the easy ones: Metro Square, one of many gyms, a bar, or perhaps in the SlamMasters arena. Some aren't as well-used, but still notable. Alleyways, beaches, under the bridge, or perhaps on top of a skyscraper. But after a while, everything stops being new. One day, every single fighting arena will be exhausted, and on that day the magic of fighting will die.
However, Team Metro and the Finishing Three are going to fight on a double-decker bus.
Oh, and it's moving.
The wheels on the bus go round and round.
Round and round.
Round and round.
Struggling to keep the inane little children's song out of her head, Acacia stands in the middle of the bus aisle, on the upper deck of the vehicle. Now, double-decker buses don't usually allow standing passengers on the second level. It's not hard to see why. It sways more, up there. You feel the motion more. It's not as stable.
Of course, considering -this- group of passengers plans on waging brutal warfare inside said bus, what's a little standing between friends?
Acacia struggles to keep a straight face, as she considers the absurdity of the situation. Bringing her hands in front of her, she cracks her knuckles, the black leather of her fingerless gloves flexing. Adjusting the set of her military-green jacket, the girl narrows her eyes, and sweeps her gaze round the scene. Rows of seats. Confined space. Her erstwhile team-mates. The opponent. And, of course, the TV cameras. Both inside, at vantage points, and...well. Outside. Beyond the bus windows, she eyes the spectators and TV crews thronging the streets.
She sighs, and turns to the nearest opposing team member. "Right. I'm up. Who's going first, your side?"
A moving bus. Whose idea was this, anyway? These things are supposed to be entertaining, sure, but isn't that a little over the top? Standing at the front end of the top floor of the bus, as he's the first fighter for Team Metro, Guy can't help but wonder. After all, all sorts of crazy things might happen. To him. He's not exactly happy about it, but at least it'll be interesting. Anyhow.
Guy bows slightly to Acacia, seemingly unaffected by the swaying of the bus, stating, "That would be me. I'm ready whenever you are." Even as he says it, he's already wondering how he's going to start this. It's a bit crowded inside, but hopefully he'll be able to work around that. Maybe he can even manage to move the fight to a more...open area. Time will tell.
Makoto, for her part, is sitting. There are seats, and she was voted Least Likely To Be Fighting First on her side, she's making use of one. Plus, she stretched /before/ she got on, and is now just keeping her arms limber and her legs stretched out while she watches the first half.
Because she is now an honorary member of Team Metro, she has a Metro City baseball cap. It is red.
Rock reclines in one of the seats towards Acacia's end of the bus, one arm thrown over the back of his seat casually. He's entirely relaxed, considering the situation of the fight. "You're the newbie," he says, grinning. "You get the honors of going first. Seishirou or I will figure out who comes up next afterwards." He nods his head, looking to the left at the city as it passes by, and then straight ahead towards Guy. "That guy..." he adds, dry, "He's no pushover. Watch his speed. If you can't handle him... just tag out. I've been aching for a rematch with him."
Mike Haggar's there too. Very there. If there's one thing you can say about Haggar, it's that he is very, very there. Currently he's sitting on one of the seats facing the back of the bus, where he has a good view of the fight. He reaches down to his wrestling boots, adjusting them and making sure they fit right. He also nods to his once-teammate, Seishirou.
"I call the game of jan-ken-po to determine who goes next."
Ryouhara's sitting in the seat across the aisle from Rock, leaned over, with his fingertips touched together. He's looking evenly across the way to Acacia, and beyond, over to Haggar. .. To former somewhat-large-sensei, he nods quietly. You can almost see him sweat. If he weren't so calm about it. Looking over at Guy, then, Seishirou makes a quiet sound thoughtfully.
"Acacia! Don't mess up. That guy's good."
They've met before.
Acacia nods to Rock and Seishirou, quietly, though she doesn't turn to face them. Her eyes are fixed solely on Guy, sizing him up. She doesn't protest the newbie comment. After all, it's true, and Acacia isn't one to dispute such things. She accepts the advice - and admonishment - as well, with another nod. "Right. Thanks. Mph. Speed," she murmurs, quietly, "not what I do best against. Still..." She smiles, grimly. "...I'll try. Keep you posted."
Once again, Acacia cracks her knuckles, audible popping sounds resounding through the enclosed space of the vehicle. Then she drops into a simple fighting stance, shifting her feet apart with a heavy scraping of combat boot soles, legs bending at the ankles. Raising her hands in front of her, curled into fists, Acacia addresses the other team's ninja, raising her voice slightly, in a clear declaration. "Ready. After you."
COMBATSYS: Acacia focuses on her next action.
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Makoto 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Acacia
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Guy 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Seishirou
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Haggar 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Rock
Warnings? Against him? Ha. It's funny and flattering at the same time. Guy might have just chuckled if he weren't about to throw down. As it is, he has to push those other, minor considerations out in preperation. Closing his eyes and exhaling slowly, he's finally prepared and ready.
And so it is that he's ready to respond to Acacia. "If you insist." He abruptly springs into action, flipping forward from his standing position nearly vertical to the floor, so as not to hit the roof of the bus. Of course, he's no Blanka. That alone wouldn't be an attack for him. And so it is that he straightens out vertically, and drives an elbow down at an angle at Acacia.
Warnings? Against him? Ha. It's funny and flattering at the same time. Guy might have just chuckled if he weren't about to throw down. As it is, he has to push those other, minor considerations out in preperation. Closing his eyes and exhaling slowly, he's finally prepared and ready.
And so it is that he's ready to respond to Acacia. "If you insist." He abruptly springs into action, flipping forward from his standing position nearly vertical to the floor, so as not to go flying wildly off the bus. Of course, he's no Blanka. That alone wouldn't be an attack for him. And so it is that he straightens out vertically, and drives an elbow down at an angle at Acacia.
COMBATSYS: Acacia fails to counter Bushin Izuna Otoshi from Guy with Icon of Stone.
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Makoto 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Acacia
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Guy 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Seishirou
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Haggar 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Rock
She did insist. Unfortunately, Acacia's beginning to regret that. Because, as she realises now, behind narrowed eyes...yes. This Guy person -is- fast. As he drops down towards her, elbow outstretched, Acacia begins to move, instinctively shifting into her familiar patterns of countermoves. Aiming to catch and stop the elbow, while swinging round to deal a blow of her own. But the ninja's too fast, her timing's off - and the hammerblow lands, catching the girl with a stunning blow to the left temple.
A sharp hiss of breath explodes from her lips as she drops. "Nngh."
A good way to start this fight off, in Guy's opinion. Naturally, he fully intends to keep Acacia off balance, on the defensive. It's what his style's based around, after all. It's still too early to be congratulating himself, though. This is a situation he can't afford to get overconfident in, no matter who his opponent might be.
At this point, jumping around more may be a bad idea, and so Guy lands in a crouch, putting what little forward momentum he has left into a spin. Rather than something really fancy, all he does at this point is let it all carry into a simple backhand once he comes back around.
COMBATSYS: Acacia endures Guy's Kamaitachi.
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Makoto 0/-------/-------|====---\-------\0 Acacia
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Guy 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Seishirou
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Haggar 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Rock
There's only one problem with keeping Acacia on the defensive./r That's what -her- style's based on./r Taking hits./r And that's what she does now. When Guy attacks, rather than dodging or blocking, she -leaps- into the strike. Letting the backhand strike slam hard into her body as it arcs through the air. The audible sound of cracking ribs crackles like a gunshot. But Acacia doesn't seem to pay this, or the pain, any heed./r Wind from the bus' passage whistles through Acacia's hair, silver locks streaming behind the girl as she continues barreling towards Guy, the hit apparently not throwing her off course, or bleeding off any momentum./r And she shoots one arm out, smirking in ironic awareness as she drives her own version of an elbow-strike towards Guy's cranium.
There's only one problem with keeping Acacia on the defensive.
That's what -her- style's based on.
Taking hits.
And that's what she does now. When Guy attacks, rather than dodging or blocking, she -leaps- into the strike. Letting the backhand strike slam hard into her body as it arcs through the air. The audible sound of cracking ribs crackles like a gunshot. But Acacia doesn't seem to pay this, or the pain, any heed.
Wind from the bus' passage whistles through Acacia's hair, silver locks streaming behind the girl as she continues barreling towards Guy, the hit apparently not throwing her off course, or bleeding off any momentum.
And she shoots one arm out, smirking in ironic awareness as she drives her own version of an elbow-strike towards Guy's cranium.
COMBATSYS: Acacia successfully hits Guy with Mass Driver.
- Power hit! -
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Makoto 0/-------/-------|=====--\-------\0 Acacia
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Guy 0/-------/--=====|-------\-------\0 Seishirou
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Haggar 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Rock
Feeling his hit connect, and solidly, Guy's caught off guard when Acacia just keep coming through it like it was nothing. He hesitates, unsure of whether or not to leap out of the way or try to block it, and sure enough he doesn't manage either. The blow is enough to send him tumbling backwards down the aisle, eventually seeing him slow down and finally stop. Still, he's definately been hit harder, and he's up back up fairly quickly, ignoring how his vision is slightly blurred after that one.
Still, he's got a strategy, and he's not going to let up any more than he absolutely has to. Guy flips forward again in a fashion nearly identical to his first attack. This time, however, it seems he's screwed up for whatever reason, as he's actually heading toward the area just above Acacia instead of in front of her. Except then he reaches down for her shoulders, looking to throw his momentum into swinging her around and down, right into the floor.
COMBATSYS: Acacia fails to counter Izuna Otoshi from Guy with Icon of Stone.
- Power hit! -
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Makoto 0/-------/-------|=======\=------\1 Acacia
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Guy 1/-------/=======|-------\-------\0 Seishirou
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Haggar 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Rock
This little twist apparently catches Acacia quite by surprise. She was -preparing- to shift and attack as Guy landed, but his sudden change of direction caught her off-guard. You can tell, by her wide eyes. And the fact she's neatly caught by the attack, her body meeting the bus floor with a loud bell-like ring of bone against steel.
Acacia's -head- probably sounds the same. Lots of ringing. The bells. The BELLS.
Gasping, she rises in a crouch, lean frame shuddering. And snarls. Someone's not a happy camper.
The bus is now moving through the Industrial District.
That was even more than Guy had hoped for. Looking at his handiwork, he almost feels sorry for Acacia. Still, she knew what she was getting into when she entered KoF, and if she's this far into it, she'll probably be okay. Looking for the briefest of moments like he's going to say something, he opts to instead press his advantage.
Taking a step forward and crouching down to her level, much like he did right before she elbowed him in the head, he opts to mix it up again. Going into his spin, midway through he jumps and extends a foot, continuing the spin in a markedly whirlwind kickish attack. His only worry now is if it will be low enough to actually connect with his crouching opponent.
Makoto is watching the fight, not out the window. She probably has no idea where it is by now. "Go Team Metro!" she calls, reaching into a little bag she has at her side and waving a tiny flag. (Quick, act American.)
COMBATSYS: Acacia blocks Guy's Bushin Senpuu Kyaku.
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Makoto 0/-------/-------|=======\===----\1 Acacia
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Guy 1/------=/=======|-------\-------\0 Seishirou
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Haggar 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Rock
"Tch." Rock's been watching attentively -- more than pleased with Acacia's progress, so far -- but after that hit? That /really bad/ hit? Rock's up on his feet in a flash, shoes digging into as much traction as can be found on the top of a double-decker bus. "Acacia!" he exclaims, planting one hand against the seat he was seated on previously. "Tag out! I'll take him from here!" In this, he seems determined; not so much out of anxiousness, but an apparent worry over her situation.
Acacia's eyes close, her breathing slowing, then stopping completely - a moment before Guy's foot impacts with her body.
As does Guy's foot. It stops. Dead. Motionless against a rigid forearm, muscles tensed against the strike.
Acacia expels the held breath, in a sharp -hiss-, stepping back and disengaging. Her nose wrinkles, as she does. Perhaps in disgust. Perhaps just at the smell of the bus exhaust, and the faint tinge of pollution in the air from the industrial district the bus is just now passing through.
"Bah," Acacia mutters, in a distinctly annoyed tone, as she steps back. Raising her hand again, she points it, index finger and thumb outstretched, miming a gun. Pointing at Rock.
"Tag," she says, flatly, "you're it."
COMBATSYS: Acacia takes no action.
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Makoto 0/-------/-------|=======\===----\1 Acacia
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Guy 1/------=/=======|-------\-------\0 Seishirou
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Haggar 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Rock
"Don't worry," states Rock, as he rushes past her and into whatever passes for a fighting area in cramped quarters like this. "You did great. Better than I did, last time I fought this guy. Welcome to the team, in other words." Slipping into his fighting stance and mostly unperturbed by the unusual terrain of the bus, Rock fixes red eyes on Guy. "Long time, no fight," he says with a smirk. "Let's see how well you can move in tight quarters like this, Guy. I've been thinking about our last fight for a long time... I'm not going to lose again."
Hmm. That hit was pretty strong. Seishirou's fingertips touch and seperate a few times, all too calmly watching Acacia tag out. Sighing. It's getting to be about time. He slips back, taking out a small spool of wire from his pants pocket and cracking it open with his thumb. Unspooling some wire.
As Rock passes, Seishirou says this in as clear a tone as he can muster, "Run him dry, Rock." Even, but more paying attention to what he's doing--and that flag across the way--more than anything else.
Mike Haggar rubs his chin, watching the fight play out. People wave to him as they're passed by the Fight Bus, but he's too busy concentrating and studying to respond. Or maybe he's thinking about how much he'd like some meat and potatoes after this.
COMBATSYS: Rock focuses on his next action.
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Makoto 0/-------/-------|=======\===----\1 Acacia
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Guy 1/------=/=======|-------\-------\0 Seishirou
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Haggar 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Rock
Backing away a step to make sure he's not caught off guard, Guy nods solemnly. "I might surprise you. You may have an advantage on me currently..." He pauses, rubbing at his head where Acacia elbowed the crap out of it. "But don't think that it's going to be easy. Let's see what you can do."
The expression on Guy's face has gone from vaguely pissed at everything to one surprisingly devoid of emotion. It looks like he's taking Rock seriously. Very seriously. Guy's watched him fight, after all, and for all the times he's creamed the poor boy, he knows that it could easily have gone the other way. In any case, he decides he may as well do it dignified, and as such he slowly walks forward toward Rock, staring unflinchingly the entire way. It might catch him off balance, who knows?
Regardless, he stops directly in front of Rock, and then pauses. "Impress me." With those final words spoken, he reaches forward for Rock's shoulders and attempts to heave him right back where he just walked from.
COMBATSYS: Rock counters Seoi Nage from Guy with Joudan Crack Counter.
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Makoto 0/-------/-------|=======\===----\1 Acacia
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Guy 1/----===/=======|-------\-------\0 Seishirou
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////////// ]
Haggar 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Rock
"I live to please," exclaims Rock with a broad grin as he grabs Guy's hands with both of his hand, snagging him by the wrists before he can ever make contact with the blond's shoulders. "How's this?" Whipping forward, Rock drops his leg on Guy's shoulder with one familiar forward move, striking hard and fast and, more importantly, while nullifying Guy's own attempt to hit him. "I know you," he says as he drops to the ground. "You won't make it easy, even if you're hurt. But, no offense to the new kid -- I'm not going to be so easy." Back into his combat stance, inching backwards through the narrow aisle of the bus. Tight quarters affect him too, after all. Guy isn't the only mobile fighter in the world.
From her current position, at the Finishing Three end of the bus, Acacia smirks, in response to Rock's statement. "No offense taken," she says, dryly, leaning against the back of a seat, but still remaining on her feet. Usually, she doesn't care much for people so enamoured with the concept of witty banter. But this Rock, well, actually amuses her. In some strange, perverse fashion.
Whoops. Well, Guy should've known it would happen. I mean, it is Geese's kid after all. He makes a quick mental note not to try to toss Rock around anymore, even as he's pounded into the floor with a harsh clang. Not nearly as loud as when Acacia smacked into it, but it's still enough to make you wince a bit. Rather than immediately roll away, Guy simply lays there on his back for a moment, looking vaguely lost in thought. It's only moments later that the reason why becomes clear, as he kicks the bottom of an empty seat next to him, ripping it loose from the bus and sending it airborne all at once.
Not choosing to respond to Rock just yet, since this takes a bit of effort, Guy proceeds to hop to his feet and deliver a punishing roundhouse kick to the seat, sending it neatly sailing toward Rock. "I don't imagine you would."
COMBATSYS: Rock overcomes Large Thrown Object from Guy with Double Reppuken.
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Makoto 0/-------/-------|=======\===----\1 Acacia
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Guy 1/----===/=======|-------\-------\0 Seishirou
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Haggar 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Rock
Rock barely bats a lash as the seat comes flying towards him. Aside from the faint glow of indigo wafting from both of his hands, there's no reaction at all. "Guy! Quit playing around!" Stretching his palms and grunting with an exertion of energy, Rock's hands explode with a huge amount of raw, focused chi -- Rock's specialty, after all. Taking one step towards the flying object, Rock sweeps low with his left hand, hurling one wave of energy across the top of the boss and splitting the seat in two. Either half flies uselessly towards either side of Rock, bouncing off of other seats and probably flying towards his teammates, who may want to duck. "Double..."
The second half of the double comes next, as Rock sends his right hand of chi down the aisle like a bullet, taking advantage of Guy's recovery time to drive a wave of energy into his opponent's leg before he can regain his footing. "REPPUKEN!"
Honestly, Guy was half expecting that. After all, if he could reppuken, and someone threw a chair at him, he would do the same. Still, this isn't exactly going great. For all his big talk, it sort of seems like Guy really isn't in a good position at all. Still...It wouldn't be very kind of him at all not to give it his all. Of course, with that projectile coming at him, Guy wants to see if he can't aim a little better next time.
Kicking the chair to the other side of him up off the bus, and slightly forward, Guy raises his foot straight up above his head, and then brings it slamming down into the chair at an angle that will hopefully send it crashing into and through the reppuken, right back at Rock. If not, well...He's going to be pretty hosed.
COMBATSYS: Guy fails to slow Double Reppuken from Rock with Large Thrown Object.
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Makoto 0/-------/-------|=======\===----\1 Acacia
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Guy 1/---====/=======|-------\-------\0 Seishirou
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////////// ]
Haggar 0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0 Rock
The bus is now moving through the suburbs.
Rock's Reppuken tears the second chair. There are plenty of ways to approach what comes next -- he could just run through it. But, no. He can capitalize on this, while he's still in the zone. "Didn't I tell you? Quit playing games! If I wanted to watch someone play with toys, I would have sent Seishirou in instead of me!" Rock sprints forward and leaps straight into the air, actually diving /over/ the flying chair. Well, not quite. Its movement has already been almost completely drained by the force of colliding with the Reppuken, leaving it momentarily stationary in mid-air. That's just fine.
Planting one foot against the seat, Rock pushes off of the thing while it's still in mid-air, launching himself towards Guy faster than he normally could. It's not a huge speed increase, but every little bit counts.
COMBATSYS: Guy dodges Rock's Medium Punch.
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Makoto 0/-------/-------|=======\===----\1 Acacia
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Guy 1/---====/=======|-------\-------\0 Seishirou
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////// ]
Haggar 0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0 Rock
Blink? .. Hey. "Remind me to smack him when he gets back," Seishirou mumbles to Acacia, in a less than charitable mood.
Rock wants Guy to stop playing around? Fine. Even as he's hit by the Reppuken, getting knocked backward a ways, Guy quickly recovers and looks at Rock rushing at him. Once again choosing to remain silent for a while, he does something a bit rash. He jumps off the bus.
Which is not to say that he ever lands on the road. Planting his foot against a nearby suburbian tree, he leaps to the next one, keeping up with the bus, and then to the next, and the next, gaining a little bit on the bus with each jump. Finally, he leaps back toward it, landing at the very front of the deck softly.
Still, that leaves a bit of distance to cover to get to Rock. Guy closes it, quickly, by sprinting straight at Rock, going into a sliding kick only when he can't put it off any longer.
COMBATSYS: Rock fails to counter Hayagake from Guy with Gedan Crack Counter.
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Makoto 0/-------/-------|=======\===----\1 Acacia
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Guy 1/-======/=======|-------\-------\0 Seishirou
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////// ]
Haggar 0/-------/-------|====---\-------\0 Rock
Yeah, Rock is taking this head. Rolling backwards -- not quite as 'with the hit' as he'd hoped -- Rock hits the ground and tumbles a little bit, but he's back on his feet in due time. It was a hit, but considering how fresh he was up until now... he's looking to be in pretty good shape all the same. "Right," he comments, wiping his mouth. "Serious. I asked for it, I guess." Careful what you wish for, Rock. You just might get it. /Hard/.
You asked for it, Rock, prepare to recieve it. Even as Rock goes tumbling backward, Guy is already dashing after him. Instead of a kick or something similar, however...well, simply put, Guy begins to flip out like a goddamn ninja. It all depends on whether or not he suceeds when he reaches out to grab Rock's head...
COMBATSYS: Rock counters Bushin Musou Renge from Guy with Joudan Crack Counter.
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Makoto 0/-------/-------|=======\===----\1 Acacia
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Guy 0/-------/---====|-------\-------\0 Seishirou
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Haggar 0/-------/-------|====---\-------\0 Rock
Timing. That's the key. Rock's obviously learned something since the last time he fought Guy, judging by his reliance on indirect attacks like he's been using. Two hands rise, one blocking Guy directly and the other seizing him by the wrist. With one solid tug, Rock hurls Guy facefirst into another seat, leaping into the air as he does so. "Sit down, pal!" And then he drives his foot /hard/ down onto the ninja's back. Putting him on a cushioned surface might seem like a bad idea -- it reduces impact, right? Well, maybe it reduces the damage to his face. ... But since his body doesn't have anywhere to go, the hit to his back ought to be increased. Or at least, that's Rock's hope. Plus, being caught between two chairs ought to immobilize his foe a little bit.
That failed rather miserably. Guy has to admit, Rock's doing pretty fine, even through the horrible pain of being kicked in the back like that. You can hear bones in his spine popping, although not cracking. Either way, it hurts like hell.
Through the hurt to his body and his pride, Guy manages to take action. Groaning as he does so, he grabs onto the seat and uses it to swiftly pull himself up onto the seatback. From there he hops from seat to seat toward Makoto, crouching down on the back of her seat. "Tag. I've seen enough."
Tag, she's it? Makoto drops the flag - not that she was really waving it anyway - as Guy hops to the back of her seat. "Right! I'll show them what I can do!" She steps out into the aisle, bare feet shifting into the proper stance as she looks along at Rock.
For about three seconds, Makoto just /stands/ there. Watching. Barely moving. And then she literally charges down the aisle at him, yelling all the way; a few steps before she would run into him, she plants a hand on the back of the seats to either side and launches herself into the air (at least a little, as this /is/ a little dangerous on a bus), literally somersaulting in midair and trying to catch Rock in the back of the head with her heel.
COMBATSYS: Rock blocks Makoto's Tsurugi.
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Makoto 0/-------/------=|=======\===----\1 Acacia
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Guy 0/-------/---====|-------\-------\0 Seishirou
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Haggar 0/-------/-------|=====--\-------\0 Rock
"Whoa, there, cowboy!" Stretching both arms straight up and over his head, Rock manages some sort of inverted guard for the rear of his head, deflecting the force of Makoto's kick while he leans most of his body forward. Thus removing himself from harms way, Rock swiftly shifts his hasty block to a hasty grab, seizing Makoto by the leg. "Overanxiousness'll ruin you, y'know?" With the girl seized, Rock heaves his weight forward with the simple intent of hurling Makoto into the floor of the bus with enough force to leave a pretty sizable dent in the floor, if he's able to send her all the way there.
The bus is now moving through the West Side.
COMBATSYS: Rock successfully hits Makoto with Medium Throw.
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Makoto 0/-------/----===|=======\===----\1 Acacia
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Guy 0/-------/---====|-------\-------\0 Seishirou
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Haggar 0/-------/-------|======-\-------\0 Rock
Makoto attempts to push off Rock and away with her foot, but the angle is poor; she doesn't go very far at all. Certainly not far enough to get away from Rock's grab, quick as it might be. She goes flying, grunting and rolling badly with the impact - and yes, she leaves a decent dent behind as she rolls under one of the seats.
When Makoto comes up, it's not by rolling back out; she comes up through the seat, having literally wrenched it off its fittings. Apparently this is just the day for breaking seats off. She hefts it, two-handed. "I know what I'm doing!" she calls back; she charges /again/, apparently assuming that if it worked once, it'll work again. She uses the seat like a two-handed club, poorly as it's a little hard for her to lift (size, not weight), in an overhand smash.
COMBATSYS: Rock dodges Makoto's Random Weapon.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////// ]
Makoto 0/-------/---====|=======\===----\1 Acacia
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Guy 0/-------/---====|-------\-------\0 Seishirou
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Haggar 0/-------/-------|======-\-------\0 Rock
Not bad, Rock.
All truth be told, Seishirou seems vastly unconcerned with Rock's status here, at this exact point in time, only sparing idle glances towards the fight. At this point, he seems to be readying himself for his own inevitable entry into the battle. Checking over his backpack, unzipping it--there's a set of fuzzy dongles on the keyring on the zipper this time around--taking a few canisters out, making sure they're tied together--testing the resulting pack for weight..
He looks up.
Whoah, that one's pretty strong.
"You guys... you sure like to use the environment! Well, I guess two can play at that game!" As the chair comes falling towards him, Rock leaps out of the way, landing atop a chair directly to Makoto's left. Planting both hands against the top of the chair, the wolf cub whips himself around as quickly as he can, making one circuit almost immediately and hammering both of his feet into the chair that Makoto used to swing at him. If he connects, it probably won't hurt her, at least not directly. But he's noticed the awkwardness of the large object. It's going to use a contest of balance, not a contest of raw strength, to sandwich the young female fighter between the chair and the ground. The fact that their footing is unsteady with the movement of the bus? That factors into Rock's plans, too. If Makoto hits the ground, Rock'll launch himself off the chair and plant both feet against the top (bottom?) of the chair, adding extra force to Makoto's visit with the floor as he slides off the side like a skateboarder down a ramp.
COMBATSYS: Makoto blocks Rock's Strong Throw.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////// ]
Makoto 0/-------/--=====|=======\===----\1 Acacia
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Guy 0/-------/---====|-------\-------\0 Seishirou
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Haggar 0/-------/-------|======-\-------\0 Rock
Meanwhile, Acacia, on her part...remains standing. Resting her weight on one hand, braced against the top of a row of seats. Swaying slightly with the motion of the bus, as it cruises through the streets of Metro City. She watches the fight, carefully, studying the movements of the two. She seems to be particularly interested in Makoto, a glint in her eye as she observes the other girl's technique. "Hmmm," Acacia mutters. From what she's seen, this 'Makoto' isn't dissimilar to herself. Interesting. But with the amount of skill Rock's displayed...
Acacia smiles. For a moment, at least. "We'll see," she muses, out loud.
Makoto can't move her impromptu club enough to stop Rock from planting his feet in it, but she /can/ simply plant her own feet and brace herself. She grunts, shoving away to keep Rock from pushing her over - this is harder than it looks, and tiring to boot. She appears to have managed to stay put despite the movements of the bus, although not by that much.
Tossing aside the chair - she's completely out of ideas for it, short of 'hit him with it again' - Makoto balls her left hand into a fist. "I can do it the other way if you'd like!" she calls, taking two steps forward and driving her fist forward. She repeats the process with her right arm, then her left again, each one accompanied with grit teeth as she braces for impact.
COMBATSYS: Makoto successfully hits Rock with Shimaki.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////// ]
Makoto 0/-------/-======|=======\===----\1 Acacia
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Guy 0/-------/---====|-------\-------\0 Seishirou
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Haggar 0/-------/-------|=======\-------\1 Rock
Having made his way over to the seat beside Haggar, Guy slumps down in it, closes his eyes and exhales slowly, trying to figure out all the places he's been hurt in. It's a moment before he tiredly talks to Haggar, asking Mayor Huge, "This isn't going too badly, now is it?"
Mike Haggar has his hands knotted together, but not out of tension. "It's a rough group, but I think we can make it. Rock's no slouch, but if Makoto can get one of those real hits in..." But then he looks over to Seishirou. "He's a bit of an X Factor." Then to Acacia. "She's not through yet, either." His hands finally come apart, only to reknot behind his head. Haggar reclines a bit. "We'll have to see how things go on."
Rock takes that hit pretty solidly -- but it doesn't actually seem to upset Rock too much. He staggers back a few paces, grinning at his opponent. "Hey," he cries out, to the rear. "Acacia, why don't you take over?" This should be interesting. Backing up a few paces, Rock takes a seat near Seishirou, nodding to his teammate as he does so. And then, asking, "... are you sure Daisuke has a driver's license? I mean, I'm not sure where you guys are from. Sounds pretty out of the way."
Silently, Acacia releases her grip on the seat back she was leaning on, straightening. She takes a step forward, then another. For a moment, she looks like she's favouring her left side - unsurprising, really, considering the good rib-cracking hit Guy got there, in their earlier clash. But as she advances, Acacia's stride smoothes out, an impassive mask dropping down as she ignores the pain. Moving past the seated Rock and Seishirou, she stops in front of Makoto.
The bus lurches down the street - but that doesn't seem to give Acacia any problems, with balance. Both her feet remain square on the floor. "Makoto, right?" Acacia nods, once. "I like your style."
Slowly, a faint smile blooms on Acacia's face.
COMBATSYS: Acacia focuses on her next action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////// ]
Makoto 0/-------/-======|=======\===----\1 Acacia
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Guy 0/-------/---====|-------\-------\0 Seishirou
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Haggar 0/-------/-------|=======\-------\1 Rock
Looking over at Rock, making sure his bamboo packs are tied with his teeth, Seishirou shrugs at his compatriot's question. "Wouldn't know. Relax--he knows what he's doing." But when Acacia gets up, she receives a larger modicum of Seishirou's attention than Rock did. Seishirou was the one that actually took steps to get her, and while he does indeed trust Rock not to get whipped too badly.. Acacia is still a touch new. To this end, he takes a moment to look over the battle proper.
He makes an oddly tilted expression, frowning, but not quite looknig dissatisfied.
Makoto lets Rock go, returning to a more natural 'waiting' stance, left foot forward and right hand balled into a fist. She stands extremely still, only compensating for the motion of the bus - which, when it goes around a corner, is pretty severe up here. It just did that. "Yes, I'm Makoto! And - really?" That threw her, although just for a moment. She's good at hiding it. "It's Rindoukan, one of the strongest styles around!"
As Acacia waits, so does Makoto - but not for quite as long. She advances at a slower pace than her previous mad charges, in her somewhat odd stalking gait; from watching Acacia fight before, Makoto is pretty sure she's just going to sit there anyway. A few steps away, she switches into a short sprint, swinging her right hand overhead in a massive chop once she actually gets in reach; it's visible coming a mile away, but it has the slow, ponderous force attacks of this style often has. She ends in a kneeling position, having brought her hand up from vertical to literally touching the ground - regardless of what is in the way.
COMBATSYS: Acacia counters Oroshi from Makoto with Icon of Stone.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Makoto 1/-------/=======|=======\====---\1 Acacia
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Guy 0/-------/---====|-------\-------\0 Seishirou
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Haggar 0/-------/-------|=======\-------\1 Rock
In a soft, deceptively quiet voice, Acacia replies, "And I use Icon of Stone."
As Makoto charges towards her, Acacia stands her ground. It would be easy to step aside, from an attack so obviously telegraphed, like that. But Acacia doesn't. Because dodging isn't something Acacia's particularly inclined to.
A fact she's about to make clear, in just a moment.
In a single, fluid motion, Acacia's own hand snakes out, -catching- Makoto's chop just a split-second before it lands. Giving it a firm push to the side, redirecting its force and power away from the smaller girl's body. As the chop continues to descend, Acacia takes advantage of Makoto's proximity to lash out with one knee, pistoning it into her opponent's midriff.
"Iron defence."
"Jeez, Seishirou--" Rock remarks, staring at Acacia as she overcomes Acacia's attack totally. "Where'd you find this girl? She's a real ace." Rock isn't relaxed; he's on the edge of his seat. He, if anything... is absolutely pumped.
Makoto wheezes as the air is knocked out of her, staggering backwards for a moment. Apparently shaking her head clears this, too; she takes a deep breath, recovering fairly quickly. "Nice - trick," she says, still sounding a little short on air.
She pauses, then, recovering a moment longer. "Except for one thing. Nothing withstands Rindoukan's force! One unstoppable blow and you can break through any defense!" Makoto sets her feet just so, grinning widely. She loves doing this part. "I'll show you that!"
Taking two steps forward again, each foot placed precisely, Makoto levels one strong punch toward Acacia's midsection. Hit or miss, she follows it with a brief flurry, left-handed, before a brief pause for her to focus. Taking a deep breath, she smashes her fist as hard as she can toward Acacia's chin, using every ounce of force in her body, and yelling all the way.
"SEICHUUSEN GODANZUKI!"
COMBATSYS: Acacia blocks Makoto's Seichuusen Godanzuki.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////// ]
Makoto 0/-------/------=|=======\=====--\1 Acacia
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Guy 0/-------/---====|-------\-------\0 Seishirou
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Haggar 0/-------/-------|=======\-------\1 Rock
"Heard about her." Ryouhara, unsurprisingly the non-social sort, doesn't mention /how/ he heard about her. "Finding her wasn't very easy, though." Because the /name/ was all he had to go on. Luckily he was able to find her on short notice, though, given the.. team problems they've been having. At this point, satisfied with the weight of his backpack--he'll need all the speed he can muster here, he guesses--he reshoulders it and settles his elbows onto his knees, staring at the fight more carefully now. He's left some of the nonessential items--some canisters and bamboo propped against one another securely so as not to roll away, presumably less viable on a moving bus and tight quarters--on the seat next to him, but now he can focus on things more clearly now, his own preparations complete.
That was a pretty mighty punch.
"Good luck on your journey across the Sahara," remarks Rock, taking note of Seishirou's loaded bookbag. "Send me a postcard when you get there." He's just taking another crack at his teammate, as he sits and watches the fight. Pretty handy, having a fight in a place with soft, cushy benches. The comfort of a seat combined with a close quarters of the fight is a little weird, though. "... Whoa," he comments abruptly, at the force of Makoto's hit. "That was a whole lot of punch. ... but I think she stopped the lion's share." On this, Rock seems pretty confident. "Watch what comes next."
And it hits. It does. Unstoppable, as it were. Acacia's head snaps back, her spine arches, with the blow...
Except...
Something's wrong.
There's something strange, about the way Acacia's feet are spread, the way the soles of her boots are resting, against the cold metal floor of the bus' deck. Something strange about how every muscle in the girl's body is tensed. Tightened. Rigid. Like steel.
With an audible -crack-, Acacia brings her head back down, twisting it experimentally from side to side. She brings one hand to her neck, rubs it, and mumbles, "That's going to -sting- in the morning."
Then, that weird smile still on her face, she looks back at Makoto, eyes alight. "Unstoppable blow, eh?"
All her muscles were tensed. Remember that.
Because Acacia now uncoils like a spring, driving one powerful snap kick towards Makoto's midsection, aiming to drive the other girl up into the air, above the bus as it rattles through the street.
And if it hits? If Makoto goes flying? That's when she'll meet the leaping Acacia, in mid-air. Who'll then piledrive her down. Hard. Very hard.
COMBATSYS: Makoto blocks Acacia's Hammer of God.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////// ]
Makoto 0/-------/----===|=------\-------\0 Acacia
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Guy 0/-------/---====|-------\-------\0 Seishirou
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Haggar 0/-------/-------|=======\-------\1 Rock
COMBATSYS: Rock takes no action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////// ]
Makoto 0/-------/----===|=------\-------\0 Acacia
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Guy 0/-------/---====|-------\-------\0 Seishirou
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Haggar 0/-------/-------|=======\-------\1 Rock
Contrary to popular belief it seems, the bus is currently moving through Downtown.
For all the overenthusiastic motions and dramatic posing Makoto likes to throw in there, the recovery on Seichuusen Godanzuki - Rindoukan's last art - isn't actually all that bad. She's back in a defensive stance by the time Acacia snap-kicks her; it hits her lowered arms /hard/, and Makoto bounces in place from the force, but she doesn't launch as high as Acacia was hoping. She grunts as she lands again, somewhat awkwardly.
"Unstoppable blow!" Makoto echoes. She's not used to anyone taking her blows so - not casually, but easily, relatively speaking. Maybe it would be a little easier if she made it hard for her to tense in place...Makoto's left foot whips out in a hook, trying to catch around Acacia's ankle and knock her off balance, or ideally to the ground. If she goes down, Makoto follows this up by bringing her left foot up and smashing with her heel; even if Acacia stays up, Makoto will kick, although she doubts it will be quite as effective.
COMBATSYS: Makoto successfully hits Acacia with Araiso.
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > ///// ]
Makoto 0/-------/---====|===----\-------\0 Acacia
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Guy 0/-------/---====|-------\-------\0 Seishirou
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Haggar 0/-------/-------|=======\-------\1 Rock
*WHAAAAM!* Acacia crashes into the steel flooring of the lurching bus, sliding with the vehicle's motion and slamming into a bank of seats. Prone, she's in no position to resist Makato's descending heel, which buries itself rather -painfully- in her torso. That's -got- to hurt. And yet, Acacia somehow manages to find her balance, squirming away and rising, in a half-kneel, half-crouch.
Straining for air, Acacia regards Makoto levelly. "You sound like a broken record," she grates, in between ragged breaths.
And somehow, despite her pain, she manages a short, harsh, barking laugh.
That's when Acacia springs to her feet, rising towards Makoto, one fist outstretched. A punch, an uppercut. But not just a punch. There's the distinct wisp of chi energy building within Acacia, springing into visible form, enshrouding her hand and arm. Not a flame, not even light. But a dancing, indistinct heat-haze shimmer.
Pure concussive force.
COMBATSYS: Makoto parries Acacia's Bonecrusher!
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > //// ]
Makoto 0/-------/--=====|===----\-------\0 Acacia
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Guy 0/-------/---====|-------\-------\0 Seishirou
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Haggar 0/-------/-------|=======\-------\1 Rock
Makoto stares right back at Acacia. "But it works!" she objects; it seems to have this time, although the failure of Seichuusen Godanzuki doesn't go unremembered. "It's the greatest tenet of Rindoukan!" And what all her training is based around; of course she's going to defend it!
As Acacia steps forward, Makoto looks like she's going to simply block the punch like she often does, planting her foot behind her and bracing herself - but as the last moment, as it looks like Acacia is going to strike her, she shoves upward and outward with all her might. This knocks the punch off line - it misses her by about an inch - and gives Makoto and opening she fully intends to seize. Ducking into a half-crouch, Makoto rises up in an uppercut of her own, left-handed. "Haaah!"
COMBATSYS: Makoto successfully hits Acacia with Fukiage EX.
- Power hit! -
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > ]
Makoto 0/-------/-======|=====--\-------\0 Acacia
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Guy 0/-------/---====|-------\-------\0 Seishirou
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Haggar 0/-------/-------|=======\-------\1 Rock
The hit, when it comes, is epic.
Acacia goes flying. Arcing clean into the air, finally thrown off the ground by the brute force of Makoto's assault. The girl sails in a parabolic curve, crashing down clear across the length of the bus, landing in a messy, broken heap among the seats in the bus' rear.
For a moment, she lies still.
Then, Acacia stirs. She gets up, her movements slow, deliberate, pushing off the bent steel wreckage and scraps of torn and battered seat upholstry. While her clothing, at least, looks intact, the tough combat jacket untouched, it belies the clear blunt physical trauma its -wearer- has experienced throughout this fight.
A thin trickle of blood works it way down Acacia's face. She wipes it away with the back of her hand.
"Mmn," Acacia whispers, "badly injured." Despite the situation, Acacia manages to say this in a calm, conversational voice."Been so all this while," she continues, half-talking to herself. "fighting through the pain barrier."
She takes a step forward. One step. Two.
Refocusing her glassy eyes on Makoto, Acacia whispers, "But, before I collapse..."
She smiles.
Drawing upon the last dregs of her strength, Acacia drops into a runner's crouch. Flexing her legs. Then her booted feet pound into the metal deck, so hard they leave a visible dent in the floor. Blasting forward, Acacia hurls herself at Makoto, closing the distance. Leading with one raised elbow, her entire right forearm braced by her left, forming a solid bar of bone.
And accompanied by a cry of defiant, incoherent rage.
COMBATSYS: Acacia can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Makoto 0/-------/-======|-------\-------\0 Seishirou
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Guy 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\1 Rock
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Haggar 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Acacia successfully hits Makoto with Mass Driver.
[ \ < > //////////////////////////////]
Makoto 1/-----==/=======|-------\-------\0 Seishirou
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Guy 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\1 Rock
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Haggar 0/-------/-------|
Impact. And as it hits, Acacia goes spinning, ricocheting off like a demented pinball. Stumbling, she crashes into a group of seats. Groans. And lies still.
Mike Haggar stands up when Acacia goes down, one fist thrust into the air. "YEAH!" His pecs shine.
Makoto does not recover quickly from Fukiage. She holds the position before lowering her arm, taking a step forward - in the guarding position, as she is not stupid - to check on her opponent. When Acacia rises, she plants her feet, unable to hear just what the other girl is saying at the distance.
The physical cues, though, are unmistakable. Makoto plants her hand on the seat next to her, apparently about to use it as a liftoff to leap over Acacia - but it doesn't work. Her elbow plows into Makoto's gut as she rises, sending /her/ flying backwards to the front of the bus, head over heels. It doesn't look like she is going to get up, either.
And then she does. Slowly, and wobbly, Makoto rises to her feet. She does not look like she is happy; her nose is bleeding, her chest feels like someone hit it with a car and one of her ankles refuses to bend properly. She is also breathing heavily. But she is up; raising one hand in the 'wait a moment' gesture, she takes some gasping breaths, trying to get something - anything - back before they send in another fighter.
COMBATSYS: Makoto takes a breather.
COMBATSYS: Makoto takes no action.
[ \\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Makoto 1/-----==/=======|-------\-------\0 Seishirou
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Guy 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\1 Rock
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Haggar 0/-------/-------|
"Relax, newbie. You did well."
Two things enter the fighting area after Acacia goes to the floor. The first of these two things is a burning star. The second is Rock Howard, who just happens to be holding a sun in his right hand. Right arm extended and taut, left hand bracing his wrist with all the strength he has? Rock has no intention of messing around. Fingers tense as they struggle desperately to contain the ball of golden chi that he builds as he walks, slowly, into the ring. Pure, brilliant gold -- So bright that it lights up the entire bus, blinding to look at directly and crackling with pure energy. "Hey, Steamroller Girl. Sorry about this, but... I'm going to have to go all out. Don't blink, or you might miss it! Shine KNUCKLE!"
And then Rock teleports his fist at the space where Makoto's head just happens to be. Well, not quite -- it's a sprint, but it's /fast/. So fast, a sound that's not unlike a sonic boom's little brother rings out on top of the bus, rattling glass panes as Rock's Shine Knuckle all but explodes in a flash so brilliant that, for just a moment, the world turns yellow. The question is how much Makoto remains after that light fades.
COMBATSYS: Makoto dodges Rock's Shine Knuckle.
[ \\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Makoto 1/-----==/=======|-------\-------\0 Seishirou
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Guy 0/-------/---====|-------\-------\0 Rock
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Haggar 0/-------/-------|
None at all.
At least, none there. Makoto actually managed to catch something vaguely resembling her breath, and although she's not precisely feeling /good/, it's something she can live with for a few moments longer. When Rock came - she leaped, painful as it was on her ankle, to the next seat over; using her arms alone, she launches herself two more rows down, silhouetted briefly by the explosion of light behind her.
Moments later, Makoto steps out into the aisle again, breathing hard and face bright red. "Ha - nice try!" she calls. "She might have mighty fists, but it's going to take a little more than fancy light tricks!" She closes her eyes, briefly, calling on her inner focus; she stalks forward (although it's more like a shamble, with one bad ankle). She only punches once. It is one very, very precise strike with every bit of strength she has left in her body, aimed directly at Rock's back - or chest, if he turned around.
COMBATSYS: Rock blocks Makoto's Tanden Renki.
[ \\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Makoto 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Seishirou
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > //////////// ]
Guy 0/-------/---====|=------\-------\0 Rock
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Haggar 0/-------/-------|
Rock does indeed manage to whirl around -- barely -- and get his fists up to deflect the attack. It's hardly a perfect deflection, and Rock's hands take a beating. So much of a beating, in fact, that he's not only spun around by the momentum but his hands /light on fire/. Wel, not quite. It's purple fire... so, things are not all they seem. Spinning around in full with two blazing hands stretched to full extension, Rock whips one and then two Reppukens towards Makoto at point blank range. "Double... REPPUKEN!" He's still rotating as he skids to a halt on one heel, in fact, planting his foot into the ground like an Olympic sprinter with every intention of kicking off and following up if this doesn't do what he intends it to do.
COMBATSYS: Rock successfully hits Makoto with Double Reppuken.
[ < > //////////////////////////////]
Makoto 0/-------/=======|-------\-------\0 Seishirou
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Guy 0/-------/---====|====---\-------\0 Rock
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Haggar 0/-------/-------|
"Tch." Seishirou doesn't seem too happy with the results of that move. He'd gotten hit by it once and knew it's power. But he also stopped it once. It would have been a good tactic.. if he'd been able to /land/ it. As it stands, he didn't. The girl was good. About as good as Acacia. At this point, the ninja steps out of his seet, standing. Speaking of which...
He makes an attempt to go over, pick up Acacia, and put her in a good seat.
Then he looks back towards the fight, standing now, with his backpack slung over one shoulder.
Let's see how this turns out.
Makoto isn't moving that freely anymore, and Rock's attack comes too close for her to do much about it. She tries to leap it - but her ankle gives out, and with a muffled yelp, Makoto literally trips into the beginnings of the Reppuuken. The blast launches backwards in a messy somersault, although only through one revolution; her hand reaches out and grabs a passing armrest, which has the added effect of wrenching her shoulder. She's going to feel /that/ one tomorrow.
She's feeling it now, really, Makoto drags herself to her feet; her nose is bleeding again, her limp is worse and she seems to be unable to get a clean breath - although part of that may be exhaustion. She sort of stumbles over toward Rock; the intention was to punch him, but it ends up being more like falling on him elbow-first. When she falls, she doesn't get up - someone will probably have to drag her out of the aisle.
COMBATSYS: Makoto can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Guy 0/-------/---====|-------\-------\0 Seishirou
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Haggar 0/-------/-------|====---\-------\0 Rock
COMBATSYS: Makoto successfully hits Rock with Medium Punch.
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Guy 0/-------/---====|-------\-------\0 Seishirou
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////// ]
Haggar 0/-------/-------|======-\-------\0 Rock
COMBATSYS: Rock takes a breather.
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Guy 0/-------/---====|-------\-------\0 Seishirou
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////// ]
Haggar 0/-------/-------|======-\-------\0 Rock
COMBATSYS: Rock takes no action.
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Guy 0/-------/---====|-------\-------\0 Seishirou
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////// ]
Haggar 0/-------/-------|======-\-------\0 Rock
Hefted up by the ninja retrieval service, Acacia slumps, only semi-conscious, in one of the intact seats on the bus. She's coherent enough, it seems, to stir momentarily, instinctively hooking one of her arms around a metal railing to keep herself in place, even when unconscious. The finely-honed instincts of someone used to sleeping in weird, unstable places. That done, she fades back into blessed, intermittent darkness.
Rock gets nailed by Makoto's last shot, sliding on his feet a few inches back on the aisle. But then? Then, at least, he's okay. Taking a seat, Rock inhales once, sharply, huffing for breath and lounging back. "Damn," he mutters, clearly disappointed after the Shine Knuckle failed. "I had that one all worked out in my head. Anyways. ... let's get to part two."
Mike Haggar's hand lifts, clamping down onto the seat in front of him. He slowly and methodically pulls up to his feet, and releases. The seat doesn't seem to have liked it much. Haggar wedges his body out into the aisle, stepping forward to pick up Makoto and deposit her gently into the seat where he just was (still warm~~<3). "Hope you're ready, son. I need to win this."
Haggar hesitates just a moment, looking out past the front of the bus. Then he breaks into action, darting toward Rock and trying to grab his legs. If he succeeds, he's simply going to lift Rock up, just in time to bring him to bear on a passing traffic light.
COMBATSYS: Rock dodges Haggar's Random Weapon.
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Guy 0/-------/---====|-------\-------\0 Seishirou
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////// ]
Haggar 0/-------/-------|======-\-------\0 Rock
Ooh, warm seat.
Too bad Makoto is still out cold.
She did well.
Seishirou won't begrudge Acacia that. Or even Makoto. But now it's up to them to carry the fight on to victory. He shoulders the other loop of his backpack and stands firm, not noticing the sways as the bus turns. He folds his arms calmly and stars .. as.... the Mayor enters the battle, after making a seat cry with his ham fists. Even now, fighting on an opposing team.. well. Seishirou can't, at the very least, say he'd be ashamed if they were to lose here.
Frown.
When Haggar goes after Rock's legs, Rock's legs just aren't there. A quick hop and a split, and Rock is suspended above the floor, one leg on the chair in front and the other on the chair behind him. It's enough to evade Haggar's crippling blow, in any case -- But Rock is clearly surprised by the speed and /power/ that Haggar has behind this fists. Yeah, he's going to have to stay away from those. Already, chi burns in both hands. Without leaving his momentarily vantage point, Rock slings both attacks the mayor's way before rising into a stand and springing backwards and away. David versus Goliath, huh? Could be worse.
COMBATSYS: Rock successfully hits Haggar with Double Reppuken.
- Power hit! -
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Guy 0/-------/---====|-------\-------\0 Seishirou
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Haggar 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\1 Rock
The Mayor retreats immediately when his grab misses, pulling up in time to see Rock's attack coming for him. He /HATES/ that projectile business, though not as much as Cody. He crouches down, trying to protect himself from the wave and doing an absolutely terrible job of it. He's knocked more to the side than back, smashing into an empty seat and ripping it off its bolts and off into the street, where someone will probably pick it up and bring it into their home for the humor factor. They'll bring their friends around and be all, 'Hey, isn't this an awesome chair?' but they'll all laugh because it does look kind of crap in the house. It's not very comfortable anyway, why would you want it? I mean--
Woo, tangent.
Haggar pushes himself back up off the floor... roof... top, and moves back into the aisle, wincing. "That'll be enough of that..." He takes a step toward Rock now, balling up both fists and swinging them at his head like a terrifying meat baseball bat.
COMBATSYS: Rock blocks Haggar's Double Lariat.
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Guy 0/-------/---====|-------\-------\0 Seishirou
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////// ]
Haggar 0/-------/--=====|=======\=------\1 Rock
He might be smaller than Haggar, but stature isn't the only determiner of power. That said, Rock takes Haggar's hits with both arms covering his face -- and still burning with all the chi he can muster -- driving him further and further backwards with each impact. But he doesn't hurt as much as Haggar might like. In fact, Rock barely seems fazed at all. And the /moment/ Haggar lets down his guard, Rock heaves two more Reppukens straight at point blank range, one for each foot -- sweep the mayor right onto his face, and work from there. Bigger they are, harder they fall? Well, Rock hopes so.
COMBATSYS: Haggar endures Rock's Double Reppuken.
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Guy 0/-------/---====|-------\-------\0 Seishirou
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////// ]
Haggar 1/-------/=======|=======\====---\1 Rock
More Reppukening? Awwww hell naw. Haggar lets them hit, lets them fling his legs back, but uses his momentum to flip forward, plant both hands on the roof, and flip forward /harder./ He reaches for Rock as he comes for him, and if he doesn't get on the way, he'll hit him like a zombie with a grudge.
COMBATSYS: Rock interrupts Screw Piledriver from Haggar with Raging Storm.
- Power hit! -
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Guy 0/-------/---====|-------\-------\0 Seishirou
[ \\\\\\\ < > //// ]
Haggar 1/--=====/=======|=====--\-------\0 Rock
"Not... a.... chance!" The first sign is Rock's jacket -- beginning to flap faintly in the wind, a wind that shouldn't exist, even at the speed the bus is moving. As Haggar flips forward, Rock launches himself right into the breach, clenching his teeth and wrapping his arms, blazing with sheer blue chi -- deeper and more intense than the Reppuken -- swirling around his form. Wrapped in a protective veil of immense energy, Rock hurls himself, legs tucked up into his chest in a crouch, right into the approaching titan. "You feel it coming?! The storm?!"
His body, in effect, is little more than a massive blue hurricane of energy flying towards Haggar at top speed. And when they both hit, bad things happen. A collision of impossible energy and physical force clash head to head, the sheer power from Rock's attack ripping seats right out of the floor and hurling them down both ends of the bus. One even flies out the window, triggering a car alarm somewhere else. Beneath his feet, the floor twists and deforms, and a bubble of mangled steel is torn in the roof above him. "RAGING STOOOOOOOORM!"
When it's all over, Rock's still standing in the middle of the twisted pit he's left behind in the metal floor of the bus. Haggar? Haggar should have been launched like a rocket straight back down the aisle. Hopefully, he can stay inside the bus.
.. Wow.
The ninja just, sort of stares at what the Rock is cooking, over there. He kind of stares and blinks a couple of times. Man. That's.. Okay. Seishirou simply nods, his arms remaining folded. He nods, and nods approvingly at that.
"Maybe I won't smack him when we're done here."
Mike Haggar goes hurtling back from the force, hard. He sails low across the aisle, suspender burnt to nothing, wounds covering his chest, arms, and face. He nearly sails right past the upper wall of the bus, managing to grab onto the edge, which barely holds. The bus swerves around - first with Rock's blast, although the bus /is/ technically capable of moving, and then when the windshield is obscured by Mayorlegs. It comes to a rough stop, mostly blocking the road, completely stopping traffic. Haggar, wincing all the while, laboriously pulls himself back up. He's down, but not out yet. "Guy! Nngh... take him!"
COMBATSYS: Haggar takes no action.
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Guy 0/-------/---====|-------\-------\0 Seishirou
[ \\\\\\\ < > //// ]
Haggar 1/--=====/=======|=====--\-------\0 Rock
So, it's back to Guy and Rock, is it? Guy wasn't honestly expecting it, but...what can you do? Coming to his feet from the thankfully spared seat he was in, Guy stretches an arm. This went downhill fast, but there's still a chance. A faint, swiftly retreating chance, but a chance nonetheless. Although it would be nice if his various hurts magically vanished.
In any case, Guy wants to get Rock out of the way as quickly as he can. At the moment, he thinks he knows the best way. Leaping forward from where he stands at Rock, Guy lands a short distance away, only to leap up again, foot outstretched and spinning.
COMBATSYS: Rock blocks Guy's Bushin Senpuu Kyaku.
[ \\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Guy 0/-------/--=====|-------\-------\0 Seishirou
[ \\\\\\\ < > // ]
Haggar 1/--=====/=======|=======\-------\0 Rock
Rock's forearm rises to the challenge, soaking the lion's share of Guy's blow. Rock's body looks like it's about ready to give in on him, however. Knees buckle as he struggles to stay on his feet and in the fight. And then, somehow... he evens out. Stepping back once from Guy's attack, Rock calmly shifts into his combat stance, his shakes and shudders vanishing despite his wounded condition. This is endurance by will alone. "This time..." Inahling sharply, Rock takes a single deep breath. "It's time for this wolf cub to bare his fangs. Come on."
COMBATSYS: Rock focuses on his next action.
[ \\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Guy 0/-------/--=====|-------\-------\0 Seishirou
[ \\\\\\\ < > // ]
Haggar 1/--=====/=======|-------\-------\0 Rock
Brave words from Rock. Guy's response? "And what do you think you've been doing this whole time?" He sounds a little bit irate as he says it, but that's nothing unusual. Well, maybe a liiiitle bit more irate than usual. Regardless, he doesn't have much left in him, either. He's still a ways from going down, but it feels like all he can do to drag his feet forward. Naturally, it's a bit more than that when it comes, but it's the thought that counts.
After recovering from his leap, Guy takes a single step forward and kicks at the inside of Rock's leg, looking to put him down for good.
COMBATSYS: Rock counters Light Kick from Guy with Joudan Crack Counter.
[ \\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Guy 1/-------/=======|-------\-------\0 Seishirou
[ \\\\\\\ < > / ]
Haggar 1/--=====/=======|-------\-------\0 Rock
Two hands up... Rock's moving on nothing but will and guts, at this point. What else does he have to go on? He's exhausted, battered -- beaten, or at least he would be if someone could convince him of the fact. With a sleepy, almost unconscious movement, Rock hefts both hands into the air, snaring Guy's foot and rolling forward to deliver a heavy kick on his opponent's shoulder. It's enough to knock him back, and that's all Rock wants. "Sorry for being so stubborn," he rasps, recovering from his attack and taking a step back. "Runs in the family."
Maybe it's just because he's so dead tired, but Guy felt that hit a bit more than the others. He goes down right on his face, and for a second it looks like he won't get up. And as a matter of fact, he doesn't, instead just reaching out give Rock's ankle a good, solid, old fashioned punch. He mumbles something, but it's pretty unintelligible with his face pressed against the floor.
Mike Haggar has, now, pulled himself fully in, and is seated in the only surviving chair on his end of the bus.
COMBATSYS: Rock blocks Guy's Jab Punch.
[ \\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Guy 1/-------/=======|-------\-------\0 Seishirou
[ \\\\\\\ < > ]
Haggar 1/--=====/=======|=------\-------\0 Rock
"Alright, Rock."
The ninja's walking up--stepping nearly OVER a strewn seat, at one point--holdong one of his backpack straps. He's watched the fight carefully, examined everything he could. And now.. well. "He's not looking so hot. but you don't have much left to give him, other than a hard time." It's no mocking tone he takes here--Seishirou is serious, if a touch unconcerned. "Go take a seat.. you've earned it."
If Rock doesn't move, Seishirou will push him out of the way.
"Win or lose. I'll handle it from here."
"Take a seat," mumbles Rock, pupils dilated from sheer unconscious; how he's actually standing is likely a wonder of modern medical science. "... but... I guess so. ... just to rest my legs." And then he takes a few steps backwards, and falls over against the railing of the bus, slumping to the floor. "Take 'em apart, partner."
COMBATSYS: Rock takes no action.
[ \\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Guy 1/-------/=======|-------\-------\0 Seishirou
[ \\\\\\\ < > ]
Haggar 1/--=====/=======|=------\-------\0 Rock
Seishirou would give Rock a thumbs up, if he weren't focused on Guy entirely, now that Rock has entrusted the job of finishing things to him. He'll have to not disappoint. He'll widen his stance only a bit, as he faces Guy.
"Let's go," he'll state, and gesture. Come hither.
COMBATSYS: Seishirou focuses on his next action.
[ \\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Guy 1/-------/=======|-------\-------\0 Seishirou
[ \\\\\\\ < > ]
Haggar 1/--=====/=======|=------\-------\0 Rock
It had to come eventually. Guy wanted to put it off for as long as he could, because once you get used to it, the floor's not the uncomfortable. However...he also knows that he'll never forgive himself if he doesn't at least give this whatever he's got left. Pro-tip: it's not a lot. Slowly raising himself to a standing position, Guy looks Seishirou square on. He promptly comes to the conclusion that at this point, he's not having any of that, no-sir. Dropping back a pace, he exhales, and focuses, not on Seishirou, but on himself. Revitalizing and redistributing his chi for maximum effect, what Guy is doing is better felt than seen, although he does look markedly better afterward.
COMBATSYS: Guy gathers his will.
[ \\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Guy 1/---====/=======|-------\-------\0 Seishirou
[ \\\\\\\ < > ]
Haggar 1/--=====/=======|=------\-------\0 Rock
That's right.
Make this a decent fight.
The Leaf ninja nods grimly.
"Okay, then. We'll do this your way."
It's at about that point Seishirou begins to move. He'll start with a single step--one foot in front of the other, then he'll dip his head low. There is a concept at work here. It's called 'chi acceleration,' along the same lines that fighters use to jump so high, only applied horizontally instead of vertically. Seishirou was, in fact, one of the best in his class at this technique. And, now, at this point..
It's not exactly clear what Ryouhara does to the people watching this on TV, maybe even some of the more dazed fighters here. All that's clear is that Seishirou moved and inside that same instant, he'll be skidding to a stop behind Guy. Sometime between when he stops and when he starts, he used a whilring kick move directed straight to Guy's face.
If Guy's lucky, he'll see it before he hears it. Because if Guy doesn't respond with something meaningful when he sees it--well. Seishirou's already stopped by the time the crack of his shoe passing through the air can be heard.
COMBATSYS: Guy blocks Seishirou's Strong Kick EX.
[ \\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Guy 1/--=====/=======|-------\-------\0 Seishirou
[ \\\\\\\ < > ]
Haggar 1/--=====/=======|=------\-------\0 Rock
It's a bit late if you're saying to make a decent fight. As far as Guy is concerned, it's been pretty good. Above average. Fun. That's beside the point, though. As Seishirou practically teleports behind him, Guy's prepared. If things were different, maybe he would go ahead and attempt to get behind Sei before the attack lands- that would be a good one, but it's a bit beyond Guy right now. He can still see it coming, and it's not too difficult to tell where it's going. That doesn't mean it doesn't hurt, though.
Raising both arms to ward the kick off, Guy is still pushed back a foot or two by the force of the attack. He's definately not feeling the pain quite so much anymore, although a niggling little voice inside his head tells him that it's only because he's so exausted he can't even feel it properly anymore. Whatever. For the moment, he's feeling good, and as such it's with surprising vigor and quickness that he reaches forward for Seishirou's neck a mere speck of a moment later.
COMBATSYS: Seishirou fails to counter Bushin Musou Renge from Guy with Improvised Tactics.
[ \\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Guy 0/-------/-----==|=======\-------\0 Seishirou
[ \\\\\\\ < > ]
Haggar 1/--=====/=======|=------\-------\0 Rock
And then Guy gets to flip out. You know how some people flip flapjacks? The amount of flipping of the out variety right here is the equivilant of a thousand lumberjack camp flapjack flippers flipping for an entire year. Yeah, it really is that much. After the initial neck-grab, Guy starts with the punching and the kicking. Stronger and faster than any of his attack could normally be, Guy arms and legs would be a blur if you can even see them through the incredibly bright flashes of light that accompany the chi being violently released with every strike. Finally, with one last kick, Guy backflips away and turns his back to Seishirou, holding his hand up in front of his face in a cool ninja pose.
"...!!"
Yes, that's all you're going to strangle out of him. In the language of the ninja, this translates as 'Whoops. Ow.' Only with more expletives. Only Guy will understand this, and he'll know why from the fact that's currently getting massive rerenovations form Guy's fists. Consider his freshness seal, opened.
Only vaguely able to pick out punches and kicks once past his failed attempt at countering Guy's grab, Seishirou can't even think about making a reprisal. Not at this point. Once beaten solidly, the ninja slides back, breathing hard. But despite the fact that he just failed.. he smirks at Guy. Yeah. He's still got it.
He just got in here, so he wants this to be worth his time. And now he's convinced. He'll need to work a little bit harder at taking him down.
Woo...after that one, Guy's feeling a bit woozy, and more than a little bit drained. It's probably too much to hope that Seishirou was magically KO'd by that one attack. Turning back around...sure enough. But Guy's still concious, and that means that he's going to keep going. He can't afford to get beaten in the first round. Not in this tournament.
No longer quite able to keep himself steady, indeed, swaying noticeably, Guy moves forward, and the first thing he can think of to do is the thing he does the most. It's time for jumping, spinning, and kicking. It's not quite as well-executed as usual, but compared to what his other stuff must look like at this point, it probably looks awesome.
COMBATSYS: Seishirou dodges Guy's Bushin Senpuu Kyaku.
[ \\ < > /////////////////// ]
Guy 0/-------/-----==|=======\-------\0 Seishirou
[ \\\\\\\ < > ]
Haggar 1/--=====/=======|=------\-------\0 Rock
Yeah, that kick doesn't look like something Seishirou wants to be hit by. But at the same time, Seishirou doesn't believe it has exactly the right speed indexes to move against offensively. Therefore, he only has one option. When Guy whirls up in the air trying to kick him with legs that are probably long enough to kick God, Ryouhara whirls against the kick.. ducking neatly--underneath him--and to Guy's back.
The blue Leaf ninja will respond.. by waiting for him to land and palmstriking him once. In the back. Very lightly. If it lands, it'll leave a darkened mark on Guy's back, in the same pattern as Seishirou's family crest.
COMBATSYS: Guy dodges Seishirou's Ryuuouin.
[ \\ < > ////////////////// ]
Guy 0/-------/-----==|=======\-------\0 Seishirou
[ \\\\\\\ < > ]
Haggar 1/--=====/=======|=------\-------\0 Rock
Sometimes, it's good to be a ninja. Even a dead-tired, barely standing ninja. It means that even when it seems like you can't, you're capable of moving entirely too fast and getting the hell out of the way. This is, in fact, precisely what happens. Landing lightly after his leap, Guy catches a glimpse of Seishirou out of the corner of his eye, and immediately goes into action, rolling forward and safely out of range. Coming to his feet, Guy does his best to press the attack with what little he has left, taking a step or two back toward Sei and kicking out at the younger ninja's midsection.
COMBATSYS: Seishirou interrupts Light Kick from Guy with Medium Throw.
[ < > //////////////// ]
Guy 0/-------/---====|===----\-------\0 Seishirou
[ \\\\\\\ < > ]
Haggar 1/--=====/=======|=------\-------\0 Rock
He catches the foot neatly in the midsection.
With a soft off, he slides back--just a bit. Guy still has some powder left in his body. A little extra oomph? You bet. It's a small hit, but it hurts a lot more than the ninja expected it to hurt. Oh well. Not that it really matters for Guy, at this point.
Ryouhara has his sneaker gripped in-between his hands, softening the blow by just a bit, and, more importantly, gaining a foothold on Guy.
He looks at Guy quietly. And nods.
At this point, he'll pick up Guy's leg a little higher, and attempt to twist it--to force Guy into a very simple and abbreviated flip into the corner of one of the few remaining seats left here. Quick and dirty, but after what Guy just unloaded, Seishirou is up for anything simple. If Guy doesn't get out of it, it will probably do /just/ enough damage to take him out of the fight--or so, Sei's calculating.
Sometimes, ninjitsu is a simple and unimpressive thing.
Honestly, it's more than enough. A strong wind probably could have knocked Guy over at that point. At least it didn't send him into something sharp or pointy. Guy's eyes are unfocused as he thinks about how thankful he is for that. But now, past his limit, barely able to stand, Guy has enough for one last oomph before he topple down into sweet, sweet unconciousness. Feeling around briefly, his hand finds a large, hefty piece of bus debris. It's a one in a million shot at this point, but Guy comes swishing up with his makeshift weapon. Unable to compensate properly for it, this act may actually cause him to fall over backwards and flop onto his back. Assuming nothing else happens to him before then.
COMBATSYS: Guy can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Haggar 1/--=====/=======|===----\-------\0 Seishirou
> ]
|=------\-------\0 Rock
COMBATSYS: Seishirou dodges Guy's Random Weapon.
[ \\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Haggar 1/--=====/=======|===----\-------\0 Seishirou
> ]
|=------\-------\0 Rock
COMBATSYS: Seishirou takes a breather.
[ \\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Haggar 1/--=====/=======|===----\-------\0 Seishirou
> ]
|=------\-------\0 Rock
COMBATSYS: Seishirou takes no action.
[ \\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Haggar 1/--=====/=======|===----\-------\0 Seishirou
> ]
|=------\-------\0 Rock
And with Guy down, there's only one thing left for Haggar, still injured as he is, to do. Press forward.
The Mayor launches out of his seat, not yelling, for that would take energy he doesn't want to spend. He crosses the short distance between him and Seishirou far, far too quickly than one his size should, each step throwing him yards ahead. There's a kind of red flare from nowhere in particular as he slams his right hand straight at Seishirou's head with all of his force. He can't miss - he can't be avoided - he can't be blocked. Every fiber of his being is bent toward /willing/ the universe to let this work at full capacity. (More if this hits.)
COMBATSYS: Seishirou counters Giant Swing from Haggar with Kawarimi EX.
- Power hit! -
[ \\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Haggar 0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0 Seishirou
> ]
|=------\-------\0 Rock
If that had hit, Seishirou would have just went home to the village. And had never come back. Eyes widening a little at the extremely painful-looking piece of firewood or something else you'd find on a KOF bus, Seishirou bends backwards and to the side, curving his back into a broad C shape, the debris coming within inches of his nose.
Unfortunately, this perspective gains him a very good look at a massive tidal-wave of flesh and man coming at him even as his other other opponent fights honorably and falls. Tidal waves of muscle willing universes to work are not things that Seishirou would like to be hit with.
Sadly enough for him, he is hit with it. And when the red flare touches him and the hand grips his head mightily.. he just--evaporates, into thin air. As if he were a TV picture flickering out of focus and finally disappearing as the TV shuts off. However... he seems to have left a gift for Haggar.
A can of coke. Good old fashioned, American coke, frosty and cold, is gripped in Haggar's hand. Unopened. Wherever there is fun, there is always coca cola.
"Sorry, mayor..." Seishirou begins, from his position on the other side of the bus, adjusting the tilt of his gloves. "But I know how hard you can hit. Among other things.. I can't let you hit me today. Especially not with something that hardcore." You can even see the beads of sweat trailing down the side of his brow. Do you know how hard it is to cheat certain death?
Mike Haggar is Super Pissed. He simply whirls around, throwing the can right past Seishirou. It /zings/ past his ear, sailing off in a straight horizontal line into the distance, where it vanishes. It may have never even hit anything, having been thrown so hard and so angrily that it phased through our current plane and entered some kind of onion dimension, I don't know. But the point is that Haggar is very, very angry. "And I can't let you avoid me anymore." The Mayor turns crouches down, seizing the floor where it's damaged and torn. And he lifts. Metal shrieks as a Seishirou+ sized piece is ripped out of the roof. Haggar spins again, swinging it broadside at the ninja. "HRRAGGH!"
COMBATSYS: Haggar successfully hits Seishirou with Random Weapon.
[ \\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Haggar 0/-------/----===|=======\=------\1 Seishirou
> ]
|=------\-------\0 Rock
Okay, wait.
Now, there's some things Seishirou can handle. Some things he can't. BEING HIT WITH THE BUS OR A VERY LARGE FRAGMENT OF IT COUNTS. Coke can whizzing past his ear bedamned. At this point, Ryouhara is clearly lucky to have survived with his body intact. He -- well, lacking a sufficient escape route, clearly, to avoid being being smashed into a rich tomato paste--Seishirou, uhm, falls with the piece of steel. And is flattened beneath it. People are clearly out to destroy him instantly. And given Rock's state, and Haggar's level of sheer hugeosity and reserves, clearly it's up to him to keep this thing up for a time. A time that involves not being MELTED.
"Not.. bad.." the piece of bus that was once a ninja will cough wetly. "But.. I'm not through yet!"
He kicks the debris off of him and to one side with both legs and--amazingly enough, manages to get to his feet. He is, however, a changed man. ... Most of those changes were not gradual ones, either. Seishirou will take a moment to work out some of the kinks in his body. And stare at Haggar, for one instant. He'll gain everything he needs to know from that.
This battle needs to end soon, but ending it now would not be possible by him.
COMBATSYS: Seishirou focuses on his next action.
[ \\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Haggar 0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0 Seishirou
> ]
|=------\-------\0 Rock
The kicked off bus chunk remains in Haggar's hands, and he brings it back to him. The wrestler/mayor/Liefeld-like muscle golem brings what is pretty much a sheet of steel back to him, grasps with both hands, and compresses. He quickly and efficiently rolls up the roof into some kind of small, heavy boulder. "Operative word... yet." Like something out of a Greek myth, he performs one quick spin and hurls it at the ninja with a bellow.
COMBATSYS: Seishirou catches Large Thrown Object from Haggar with Kawarimi.
- Power hit! -
[ \\\\\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Haggar 0/-------/----===|====---\-------\0 Seishirou
> ]
|=------\-------\0 Rock
Oh.. it's still here. And now it's rolled up like tinfoil by Zeus.
And like Zeus' thunderbolt, it's thrown at it. Aw hell. He's still got all the juice he needs. So Seishirou's gonna have to make him work a little bit for this. He claps his hands together in the tiger handseal. And gets /smashed into jelly/ by the boulder. Little bits of chair go flying, however. And as the boulder rolls past? No jelly. Just little bits of chair, one piece with Seishirou's family emblem drawn on them.
Now standing on the /back/ of his original seat, the ninja stares openly at Haggar. Like he said. He had all the information he needed. But..
"Mayor, you're pretty strong. I know we've fought together before.. and I have to admit being smashed by you wouldn't be all that bad," he starts ruefully. "... But you're gonna need to try a little harder."
He had too much power left, Seishirou could tell, in his every movement. If he had made his move then, it would have only been worsening his position. He has to find some opening..
Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale.
Seishirou's jabs don't really get Haggar any angrier, nor do they defuse him. Then again, getting Haggar angrier without breaking some laws or kidnapping Jessica is almost an impossibility at this point. It's not even toward Seishirou that the anger is targeted - it's pur anger, not targeted at anything but instead being used as fuel. Haggar reaches down again, this time pulling up some pre-ripped debris. Twisted chunks of metal, disrupted from their position when one seat or another was torn up and hurled away. Haggar's arm whips up and across, the pieces hurtling across the distance between the wrestler and the ninja.
COMBATSYS: Haggar successfully hits Seishirou with Thrown Object.
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > /////// ]
Haggar 0/-------/----===|======-\-------\0 Seishirou
> ]
|=------\-------\0 Rock
A little bit like kunai, aren't they? Fast, hard to dodge. His kawarimi wouldn't be effective against something like that. So he has to move quickly, and lean to the--guh!! Stabbed with multiple bits of the metal like heavy baseballs or cutting knifes, the ninja is driven back before he can evade totally--circumventing MAYBE two or three, if that, this also knocks him over into the side of a chair that's almost been torn up, causing the seat to shift in it's mooring as Seishirou uses it for support. He needs to move against Haggar, and move against him now. He's not getting any weaker, but maybe he tired him out a little bit. Maybe it'll be enough. MAybe it won't. But anyway.. the time is now.
Seishirou will use the seat to cover his handseal.
When he rises against Haggar--he understands what he needs to do.
It's about then that the ninja will gesture in front of his face. And spit fire. It takes the form of a fast-moving stream of fire--nothing spectacular, but solid nonetheless. It won't form into anything special, but Seishirou still has a lot ofenergy left--enough to cause the firestream he's blowing to reorient on its course as it floods towards Haggar if he moves, seeking him out to a certain extent.
At this point.. it's the best he can manage.
It's what he's calculated.
It'll have to do.
COMBATSYS: Seishirou successfully hits Haggar with Katon Goukakyuu Half Burst EX.
[ \\\\\ < > /////// ]
Haggar 0/-------/--=====|======-\-------\0 Seishirou
> ]
|=------\-------\0 Rock
The fire goes right into Haggar, driving him back and nearly knocking him down, but not /quite./ He still have just enough right now to make one more move. He doesn't know if he can keep on after this. Mike Haggar leaps forward, covering the distance between him and Seishirou with one motion. When there, he reaches for his arm - if he grabs it, he'll swing one leg over his shoulder, transferring plenty of weight onto him to bring him down hard. From here, Haggar's plan is to wrench on that arm as hard as he can, with his legs more or less wrapped around his neck and shoulder.
COMBATSYS: Haggar has reached second wind!
[ \\\\\\\\ < > /////// ]
Haggar 0/-------/--=====|======-\-------\0 Seishirou
> ]
|=------\-------\0 Rock
COMBATSYS: Haggar successfully hits Seishirou with Quick Throw.
[ \\\\\\\\ < > // ]
Haggar 0/-------/--=====|=======\==-----\1 Seishirou
> ]
|=------\-------\0 Rock
Seishirou hits the ground hard. Being caught inbetween Haggar's legs is a /bad/ place to be, even in a friendly context and the wrenching force is swiftly going to break his arm if he doesn't do something about it. He needs to make a move, and make it fast. Even now, the pain is starting to dim his vision, if not the difficulty he's having breathing.
He'll need his strongest jutsu, and he'll need to do it the hard way.
Bending one of his legs almost reverse underneath him in an impressive feat of contortion--hearing his hip pop with the effort, it takes just a moment for him to pull his shoe and the stocking that binds it off. Then he claps his foot with his hand.
He links his toes with his fingers, trying to move the chakra between them with the new contact. He'd need to do this as close as it can be to the real jutsu to acheive every inch of it's destructive force, because Haggar.. is simply not stopping. He gathers the chakra raggedly throguh his mouth and into his lungs, stoking it like a fire. There it is..! He won't be able to shape and control it without being able to reach his mouth around that hold, but at this point, he might not have to. Just an instant more, as he forms the mnemonic in his head to make the jutsu complete.
It's a stronger form of what he just used.
"Gk.. if nothing else, Mayor.. good fight.."
KATON .. GOUKAKYUU NO JUTSU!
Craning his head towards Haggar.. Seishirou will release a /massive/ explosion from his mouth at the man, a firestorm of powerful chi energy flying out to flow right across Haggar's body. At this point.. it might scorch him too. But it won't matter much, because it's the very last Seishirou has to face off against him. Whether it succeeds or not, Seishirou will go limp right after, possibly as it launches him away from Haggar, or breaks his hold, or whatever happens as a result.
He won't get up.
COMBATSYS: Seishirou can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\ < > ]
Haggar 0/-------/--=====|=------\-------\0 Rock
COMBATSYS: Haggar blocks Seishirou's Katon Goukakyuu no Jutsu.
[ \\\\\\ < > ]
Haggar 0/-------/-======|=------\-------\0 Rock
If there's one thing Haggar knows about Seishirou, it's never to let your guard down around him. The moment his foot starts moving oddly, he breaks the hold and rolls up and away, crossing his arms in front of him. He slides back across the bus, the flames washing over him. Damn, but that /hurts./ Burns are covering his arms and chest now, and what isn't seriously burned is still red. But he's still up. Everything hurts so much now that none of it does, really. Haggar exhales once it's all out, and relaxes. "Damn good fight. Damn good..."
Haggar stands up now, wavering slightly, moving toward Seishirou. He reaches down and gives him a pat on his unconscious (maybe) shoulder. Then he straightens, looking toward where he last remembered Rock to be.
COMBATSYS: Haggar takes a breather.
[ \\\\\\\\\\ < > ]
Haggar 0/-------/-======|=------\-------\0 Rock
COMBATSYS: Haggar takes no action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\ < > ]
Haggar 0/-------/-======|=------\-------\0 Rock
"Hey! You haven't won just yet!" Rock ... isn't done yet. Is he? Well, apparently not. Climbing up off the ground, Rock has, apparently, seen fit to give it one last go: Namely, with a tackle hard enough to pitch them /both/ over the edge, with a success; over the edge and onto the street below, that is. Anything to hurt Hagger, at this point.
"Hey! You haven't won just yet!" Rock ... isn't done yet. Is he? Well, apparently not. Climbing up off the ground, Rock has, apparently, seen fit to give it one last go: Namely, with a tackle hard enough to pitch them /both/ over the edge, with a success; over the edge and onto the street below, that is. Anything to hurt Hagger, at this point.
COMBATSYS: Haggar blocks Rock's Strong Throw.
[ \\\\\\\\ < > ]
Haggar 0/-------/=======|=------\-------\0 Rock
Mike Haggar digs in as Rock hurls himself at Haggar, sliding back but not quite falling over the edge. Close, though. "I admire your determination, son." With Rock presumably still wrapped around him, the Mayor lifts up one arm and drives an elbow down at Rock's head. "I can't let you take me down now, though!"
COMBATSYS: Haggar successfully hits Rock with Quick Punch.
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > ]
Haggar 0/-------/=======|===----\-------\0 Rock
Rock tackle Haggar hard.
COMBATSYS: Rock can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\ <
Haggar 0/-------/=======|
COMBATSYS: Haggar blocks Rock's Strong Throw.
[ \\\\\\\ <
Haggar 1/-------/=======|
Log created by Rock, and last modified on 18:09:14 05/31/2005.