Description: Alma vs The Paparazzi! While Ran does manage, with her usual extreme perserverance, to get one Exclusive Interview in, our heroic fighting model finally manages to escape in the end by, well... beating up a girl. But not before he's smacked in the face with a newspaper. Bad Alma. That's a *very bad* Alma. (Winner: Alma)
As summer wanes and with it its lively nature, autumn's touch brings a certain melancholy gloom, and Southtown days have accordingly grown shorter and more overcast. Though there has fortunately been no rain today, the temperature is middling, and people are now dressed for the chill as the afternoon begins to turn to evening. All in all, it's an alright day, but the fact that summer is finally ending, and the knowledge that school is about to begin again has dampened the spirits of many of Southtown's youth. But not all of them.
For you see, every day's a beautiful day when you're Alma Towazu.
That big hippie.
Well, not really. He's far too clean to be a hippie, and far, far too well-dressed. Standing on one end of a large white platform erected in the center of the outdoor mall area, the handsome youth, sporting a black long-sleeved shirt and maroon courderoy pants, looks as centered as ever. Taking deep breaths, his composure and mild smile juxtaposed by the genuine sparkle of anticipatory, nigh childlike cheerfulness in his eyes, Alma stands tall and relaxed, summoning up every fiber of his being for the coming conflict. After all, it's Saturday Night Fights, folks. And thanks to that, a crowd of people have begun gathering around the platform; sometimes it's fun to watch the no-name fighters, especially on a gloomy day like this, and especially *especially* when they're so terribly good-looking. Mm, yes.
~ 'Ran Hibiki'... I couldn't find much information on her, except that she does a lot of work for the Taiyo High newspaper. I wonder if she's any relation to that Dan Hibiki fighter...? ~
Looks like our psychic teenage hero hasn't got much luck going on with the strategizing aspect, but his meditation seems to be going pretty well, if his simultaneously peaceful and engaged countenance is any indication. Meanwhile, the crowd grows larger...
"Aaalmaaaa-kuuuun! We loooove yooouuu--!"
...thanks to the arrival of a gaggle of middle-school girls.
The mall... A place for shopping. A place for friend's to hang out. But also, to some... A place of something far more valuable than anything like mere personal belongings or friendship - Information. Of course, there are probably better places to gain information, but unfortunately, high school reporters tend to get kicked out of seedy bars and other such thug-hangouts.
Not that that ever happened to Ran or something, of course.
Speaking of, the reporter currently seems to be stalking her way through the mall, her sunglasses down over her eyes (a bad sign for all those around her), with a look of extreme determination on her face. Determination for what? Well, figuring out the next scoop, of course. However, the girl comes to a halt when she hears that declaration of love. "Wait a minute... Alma! He's that guy..." Instantly, Ran's attention is turned over to that platform, as the vaguest hints of a slight notion of an idea pops up into her head.
In rather stark contrast to the peacefulness coming from that dirty hippy - Er - Alma, Ran makes her way through the crowd, slipping past a few girls with a muttered 'Excuse me', before simply going to just shoving them out of the way, until she can step out of the crowds.
"You!" Ran calls out, pointing a finger at Alma. "Are you the one they call Alma... Er..." The reporter trails off. "Alma... um..." She hastily reaches into her vest, pulling out a small notepad and opening it, flipping through a few pages before putting a finger against the paper. "Alma To... Towa...." Her eyes narrow. "What is that, a Z?" Letting out a frustrated grunt, Ran shoves the notepad back into her vest. "I mean, you're Alma, right?!"
The tall fighting model looks down at the aggressive young lady, and meets her gaze for a few moments, his expression completely unchanging. Then, like a flower blooming in time lapse, his mild smile grows into a grin, and his eyes twinkle cheerfully, as though he's somehow quite genuinely amused by her antics, but laughing with her, not at her. "Alma Towazu," he says helpfully. "Yes, I am he." He then adds, baritone gentle, "You shouldn't push people out of the way like that. It's not very nice."
"You're Ran Hibiki," he continues, and looks quite cheerful about it, as though he's instead said something like 'puppies are so adorable'. It's a funny expression for such a big guy, and one dressed like that; who let this dude out of the monastery? "It's time for our match." His grin widening, he takes a step back, and relaxes into a catlike, spring-ready-to-coil stance, slowly raising his hands halfway to a guard position. His eyes look different now, though; they're still as calmly merry as ever, but there's a certain more serious glint to them now: question time is over. "If you want an interview, you'll have to fight me first. It'll be a meeting of our fighting spirits, so I can see whether or not I can trust you." Is he kidding? It's hard to tell at first, until those eyes of his give it away; yeah, looks like he's joking. Mostly. He's got a pretty good deadpan.
"Please, do your best!"
The people in the crowd who had been riled by Ran's approach start to settle down now as they begin to assume she's to be the young man's opponent, and whispers start to spread throughout the crowd as the official SNF referee approaches the sidelines. "Fighters ready?" he calls, looking expectantly between the two of them from a little ways away.
COMBATSYS: Alma has started a fight here.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Alma 0/-------/-------|
"I knew that!" Ran hastily responds to the model, folding her arms over her chest for a moment. "I just... My notes were kind of smudged, that's all. I need to find some better ink..." She shakes her head a bit, then lets one arm fall back to her side, the other raising her hand up to adjust her sunglasses somewhat. "Sometimes, a reporter has to do what she's gotta do to get The Scoop."
"Yes, I'm Ran Hibiki! Ace Reporter to the..." The girl trails off, her introduction interrupted when what Alma said to her reaches her. "Wait, our match? Right here? Seriously?" Ran asks, a somewhat blank look on her face, looking about the area as if just now getting what she's standing on, before returning a sharp, intent little stare back over to Alma. "Fine. I'm used to having to beat the interview out of a person..." Of course, usually the beating is just verbal. "I'll need my real film for this..."
In a series of motions that seem so practiced it almost seems to be a sort of artform, Ran hastily snaps her camera open, snatching a small roll of film and effortlessly loading it into the camera before closing it, tossing the container the film was in behind her. The container is colored red, along with a few black skull and crossbones printed along it. Threatening? No, not really.
With one hand on the camera, and her eyes set on Alma, Ran holds up her other hand in a thumbs-up after that call from the referee. "Ready!"
COMBATSYS: Ran has joined the fight here.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Alma 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Ran
~ Ha ha... I love spunky women. If only she were a bit older... ~
Oh. So *that's* why they kicked him out of the monastery. Darn teenagers.
"Then... FIGHT!" shouts the referee, and the crowd bravely cheers (as do the gaggle of middle school girls) as Alma, winking winningly to Ran once, immediately fades back a bit, stepping away to give himself room. "Let me see your passion," he says, almost solemnly, sounding more centered than ever now that the fight's actually about to begin. The tension's building, and it looks like he's riding it with ease, and by the look in his eyes, enjoying it, too. "Let's go!"
Bringing up his right arm as he moves back, his hand suddenly ignites with a wreath of light purple, almost pinkish flame, motes of energy dancing around as he draws it back behind him, and then chops upward; it's almost an underhand pitch movement, but he's not throwing anything. Or is he? The flames around his arm suddenly blast out in a gout of glimmering Psycho Power, an attack that drives straight to the soul. Looks like he's gonna take this fight seriously.
"SACRED WAVE!"
Immediately after the call of 'Fight' is shouted, Ran takes a step back, quickly grabbing her camera with both hands now, her eyes narrowing at her brief rival. "Great, why's it seem like everyone around here is capable of doing weird flame-y things like that?" The reporter mumbles under her breath, quickly dodging to the side in time to let the attack drift past her harmlessly, leaving her slightly crouched to the side.
Ran quickly raises her camera up infront of her face, a small grin on her lips as a finger hovers over the camera. "Now, my turn... Say cheese!" Okay, so the girl's lines need a little bit of work. But what can you expect from the sister of Dan Hibiki? Quickly, that finger comes down, and a brilliant flash fills the area, aimed at Alma.
COMBATSYS: Alma blocks Ran's Flash Attack.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////////// ]
Alma 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Ran
A stunning strike! Alma, however, with his Psycho Power now manifested, is One with the Way enough to sense the move coming (unconventional as it is), and closes his eyes, raising up his hand to give himself extra shielding just in case; and still, he's slightly blinded by the attack. That's one powerful flash. As a few members of the audience stagger around blindly, Alma is wasting no time -- oddly unsurprised by her move, he rushes forward, eyes still closed, and reaches out with his hands to grab Ran. For a guy who isn't looking where he's going, his throw attempt is pretty well executed; if he succeeds, he'll throw her over his hip, and hopefully loosen her grip on that darn camera.
"Cheese."
COMBATSYS: Ran dodges Alma's Quick Throw.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////////// ]
Alma 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Ran
"What?! Not even affected by my film?!" Ran mumbles under her breath, lowering the camera slightly, a surprised and almost worried look on her face. Still, she doesn't have much time to monologue to herself, as Alma is almost instantly ontop of her again afterwards, attempting to grab her. But, of course, if there's anything being a high school girl in Japan teaches you, it's how to avoid some guy grabbing you, and Ran quickly slips away from him. While Alma is still recovering from the missed throw, Ran moves in for a good ol' punch in the face. Simple, but (hopefully) effective.
COMBATSYS: Alma dodges Ran's Strong Punch.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////////// ]
Alma 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Ran
That's a pretty fierce punch for a girl, but when you're dealing with superpowered fighters, that's what you get, right? Fortunately, Alma Towazu manages to arch his body out of the way just in time, moving gracefully as he begins to circle his opponent, hands circling as well as he keeps on his toes. He grins slightly again, and raises one perfect eyebrow slightly. "Pretty slippery, aren't you? Spirited, too. But--"
Then he's suddenly lunging, in patented Hiten-Ryu style, and with a little 'haa!' (fortunately in a much deeper voice than Feilong would've done), he lashes out with a fast side-snap high kick.
"--are you really going to fight me with a camera?"
COMBATSYS: Alma successfully hits Ran with Light Kick.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Alma 0/-------/------=|===----\-------\0 Ran
Ran doesn't seem too surprised that her punch missed - after all, she's more used to just attacking with things other than her fists. The reporter tries to raise her arms to block the impending kick, apparently deciding there's not enough time to attempt and roll away from this one, but she's too late, and the kick connects, sending her stumbling back for a moment.
"You're damn right I'll fight you with my camera! It's more than enough to beat you... Let me show you!" Quickly, the girl raises her hands to her camera, aiming it at Alma in a snap before taking another blinding picture.
COMBATSYS: Alma blocks Ran's Flash Attack.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Alma 0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0 Ran
Tch. Not *again*.
It's the same thing; Alma reaches up just in time -- almost doesn't catch it, this time around, but he manages all the same -- and blocks the majority of the light from entering his eyes. He blinks a few times, and somehow manages to look elegant where another man would just be squinting awkwardly. Then again, another man might be irritated, too. Alma doesn't seem to mind much, though he's not smiling anymore. "That's not your only technique, is it? It's very clever, but don't forget-- this fight is for the benefit of others, too." Ah, now he's starting to grin again. "I have to admit, though, it sure is something, to meet someone who fights with a camera."
This guy probably rolls down hills on sunny days, and then goes out for popsicles... probably skips to the store, too...
"Come on! Show me your best! You're fast-- how fast are you?" With another near-blurring lunge, Alma closes in on Ran again, but this time he opens with a series of very fast jabs, all aimed at Ran's head. "Show me your spirit!"
COMBATSYS: Ran blocks Alma's Quick Punch.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////// ]
Alma 0/-------/-----==|====---\-------\0 Ran
Another block of her infamous camera?! Just what is Alma, anyway? Some sort of... camera flash... blocking... guy? Okay, Ran's not that great with expressions of surprise like that, and neither is her player. Or maybe it's just laziness. "What do you expect a reporter to battle with, huh?" Ran says to the other combatant, still keeping on her toes for his next action. "Now drop all that essence crap and... Ack!"
Before Ran can finish, Alma lunging at her once more, but luckily she's able to bring her hands up to block those quick jabs to her head. "Fine, you want something this, try THIS!" With a quick reach down into her vest again, Ran pulls out an ultimate weapon - Okay, it actually just seems more like a fan, or maybe a wadded up newspaper. Regardless of how threatening it may or may not look, it soon comes crashing down on Alma's head.
COMBATSYS: Alma endures Ran's Fan Slap.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////// ]
Alma 0/-------/---====|====---\-------\0 Ran
Answer: she's very fast.
Alma's flurry of punches have little effect, the camera-wielding girl proving that she indeed has enough martial arts skill/gung-ho to put up a fight. Prepared for a counterattack, a serene Alma draws up his arms; feeling the rhythm of the fight, one with the flow of battle, he looks with joy upon this exchange of blows, and--
--and then she whips out a newspaper. And whacks him on the head with it.
There goes his zen.
The fighting model stares at Ran for a few moments more, and then, looking an odd mixture of alarmed and slightly offended, his mouth slackens slightly. "...what?" he finally says. Sheesh, you got him. Usually he's good at not saying pointless things. Like stating the obvious. "You hit me with a newspaper." Oops, there he goes.
He literally just stands there for a second -- and then, unbelievably, he grins, and he leans back slightly, eyeing Ran with arched brow again. "What am I, a dog?" Looks like his zen is easy come, easy go. At least he recovers quickly. "Well," he continues conversationally, before suddenly leaping straight up into the air out of the blue, and then, leg igniting midair, suddenly blasting forward with previously nonexistant momentum, aiming to kick Ran really really hard, fueled by Psycho Power, "if that's the case, I'll show you a trick or two--"
"ENGEKI SHOOTER!"
COMBATSYS: Alma successfully hits Ran with Engeki Shooter.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Alma 0/-------/-======|=======\=------\1 Ran
Ran's eyes merely blink curiously at Alma's reaction. "I uh, yeah." She pauses a moment. "This is the part where you're supposed to go... 'Ow'. Or 'Oof'. Or something like that." Another slight pause, as if waiting for him to do just that. In the after-moment of the dramatic fan-attack, Ran just slowly pulls that paper back, cautiously stuffing it back down into her vest.
And she just has it placed back in, when suddenly Alma attacks her. Before she can even react to it, though, the powerful kick connects, the reporter letting out a rather pained grunt as she's knocked back off of her feet, just barely managing to spin herself enough to land back on her feet afterwards. Ran practically throws herself at Alma afterwards (And not in the fan-service-y way either!), attempting to cling straddle him enough to take a picture with her camera, at point-blank range. If successful, the flash should be powerful enough to actually knock him back... But that's a big if.
COMBATSYS: Ran successfully hits Alma with Straddle Photo.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Alma 1/------=/=======|=======\==-----\1 Ran
Ho ho! That'll teach her! That's a powerful attack right there, she'll be down for the-- no, no wait, she's already flipped to her feet. Dang, here she comes again. And if there's one surefire way to mess up Alma's zen, it's to wrap your legs around him.
"H-hey!" he stammers, looking a bit flustered as Ran emerges from the residual flames of his attack to launch herself at him; having expended all of his momentum in that one powerful attack, he's unable to get out of the way of an attack he'd normally be able to avoid, and so all he can really do is protest. "Ha ha, aren't you b-being a bit f-familiar?" Oh, there's his stutter, finally. A good sign he's lost his flow. "ARGH!" Oh, there's his exclamation of pain as he gets owned in the face by Ran's camera flash, and jerks back reflexively, hitting the ground hard at first but then managing to convert the movement into a rather graceful roll, rising to his feet with a mild glower; not genuine annoyance, but a sort of narrowing of the eyes that makes him look more serious. It's quite sexy, actually. But you'll just have to take my word for it.
~ Great, now I'm all fuddled up. This *always* happens... time to get back in gear! ~
Without a word, Alma takes a deep breath and relaxes back into his stance, and in a moment, his eyes soften slightly and the ghost of a smile plays around his lips. The air around him seems to ripple slightly as his aura manifests again, and chi energy is pulled in from around him, turning to a pinkish color as it approaches, and begins to coil visibly around his arms and emerge as ripples of flame up and down his body. Find your center, Alma!
COMBATSYS: Alma gathers his will.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Alma 1/--=====/=======|=======\==-----\1 Ran
As soon as Alma is launched backwards from the flash of the camera, Ran's limbs unwrap from him, letting her rather gracefully and harmlessly touch ground. Ran takes this window of oppertunity to do what Hibiki's do best - no, not make fools of themselves! Gloat! "Hah! And you doubted the power of my camera..." Ran says with an impish grin on her lips. "I guess you just had to learn first-hand, like... Hey, waittaminute."
The reporter brings her attention away from her own success to focus on Alma, after noticing that, well, he hadn't tried to attack her! Taking this moment to actually do something useful, Ran starts to dash forward, attempting to deliver a kick straight to that quote-unquote sexy face of his.
COMBATSYS: Alma blocks Ran's Heavy Kick.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Alma 1/-======/=======|=======\==-----\1 Ran
With a snap of his arm and a light-purple gleam in his eye, Alma Towazu knocks the kick to the side, and closes in. "Your speed is impressive," he says quietly, even as he lunges forward, the flames that are playing up and down his arms growing more intense. "However--"
Then he's literally blurring forward, his image distorting slightly as he punches out with a harsh, incredibly fast strike to Ran's chest, after which he... disappears. No, wait, in a flash he's there again, and punching again, this time to her lower torso -- this repeats seven times, the phasing attacks growing more and more aggressive. "--is your motivation truly enough to overcome my power?"
"Fist of Awakening!" the seventh image finally shouts, eyes blazing with Psycho Power as he rushes with a powerful uppercut that, if it connects, will send Ran sailing into the air. "SACRED REKKA REVELATION!"
COMBATSYS: Alma successfully hits Ran with Sacred Rekka Revelation.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////// ]
Alma 0/-------/-======|=======\=======\1 Ran
Ran only has enough time to mumble, "This isn't good.", before she's struck directly with that blow to her chest. She manages to stumble back a little, before she's hit with the next punch, and every subsequent one, only managing to let out grunts of pain with each hit. And then, with that final uppercut into the air, Ran is sent helplessly sailing up into the air, flopping down to the ground.
This reporter has seen better days, to say the least. Still, if Ran has anything, it's fighting spirit! What can you expect from a girl who fights with a camera? Raising one hand up, Ran places it dramatically on the ground, slowly lifting herself up. "That hurt..." She mumbles, before another wide grin spreads over her lips. "But I have a secret weapon!" And with this, Ran reaches into her vest, pulling out... A gun? A grenade? No! A MICROPHONE! With this, the girl dashes off at a lightning speed towards Alma, preparing to... Who knows?
COMBATSYS: Ran successfully hits Alma with Exclusive Interview.
- Power hit! -
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////// ]
Alma 1/------=/=======|====---\-------\0 Ran
And so, lucky for Ran, her attack goes through, and soon Alma finds himself... Holding a microphone? Yes, horror of horrors, Alma is left holding that microphone she had pulled out of her vest, no doubt feeling a little confused over it. In a rapid series of movement, Ran darts around him, snapping shots of him with her camera while he's holding the microphone, occasionally crouching down or leaning over to make the shot a bit more interesting. Hey, even if she loses this fight now, atleast she'll have some great pictures to take home! However, while she's taking the pictures, the reporter fires off a rapid-fire string of questions.
"What's your involvement with this whole Justice High business!? Who were you with when I saw you the other day?! Where were you on the night of December Fifth!? Just what is your relationship with that Jiro guy anyway?! How come you seem to be always surrounded by all these girls but I've never seen you with an actual /girl/friend?!" Does she actually expecet any answers from those questions? It's doubtful, but hey, that microphone has to have been shoved in his face for some reason.
Finally, Ran takes one last shot with her camera to complete the move - And send Alma flying back into the air.
Aw, crap. This is the sort of position a person with any modicum of fame should never allow themselves to fall into. When interviews happen, they should happen where the interviewee is comfortable, not where the interviewer has all the power. This is a desperate situation, from which there is no escape; even Sun Tzu would just have to say 'You shouldn't've let this happen in the first place, douchebag.'
But then again, this is Alma we're talking about. So, suddenly finding the microphone in his hand, all of that solemnity just vanishes from his expression, and he gets a bit slack again. Off his mojo goes again. Yet mojo or not, he's still Alma -- and so he actually makes a genuine effort to answer all the questions, even through his off-balance stammering. "I-I'm just out to help my friends, Jiro and Mimiru, and they're in trouble with N-N-Nedo Gedo and Kurow Kiri-- I, uh, I-I don't k-know, could've been Xiangf-fei I suppose-- J-Jiro? Uh, well, I'm, I'm not sure what, what you mean-- well, ha ha--" Maybe it's just from the strain of trying to keep up with all the questions, but his cheeks redden slightly here, and manages a bit of a lopsided grin. "--actually, unless I've h-had something to d-drink, I'm k-kind of shy w-when it comes to-- uhhnnn!"
Then he hits the dirt on his back, sent sliding away, to the applause of the confused members of the audience and the cheering of the entertained members, and the silent wide-eyed unbelieving shock of the group of middle school girls. Honestly... what the heck just happened?
Well, our teenage psychic heartthrob hero just ain't gonna worry about that. Go with the flow, dudes. Rising to his feet a bit gingerly, looking just as bad off as Ran at this point, the fighting model brushes himself off a bit and takes a breath: and then he looks up and smiles. It's an incredibly genuine expression, like the smile of a happy child, but not in a way that makes him look immature. Just in a way that makes him look... very content. "I would've given you the interview away," he says gently, tilting his head slightly with that almost mysteriously happy smile, "but I'm glad I decided to fight you first, because you've really earned one. I'm really impressed by your fighting spirit, Ran Hibiki. It's a pleasure to have you as my opponent."
What an odd thing for him to say. Maybe he's just really, really nice-- or maybe he's more clever than we're giving him credit for. For with his open admissions of respect, the light of Psycho Power in his eyes resembles more and more the sheer joy of the contest, the pure song of battle, and with every passing moment, he seems to inspire himself yet more, and as if by magic, he even starts to look... healthier.
Oh, the power of mindset!
Yes, what the heck just happened. Another typical, almost trademark reaction to a Hibiki such as Ran. The girl dusts her hands off in a dramatic little motion after that halfway-interview is finished, one of those hands instantly jerking out to catch that microphone before it hits the ground. "Thank YOU!" Ran says in an almost sing-song kind of way. Once again giving in to that evil temptation, Ran turns to face the crowd, waving her hands cheerfully to them in a moment to soak up the applause, even if none of them may really have a good idea of just what they're applauding about.
Still, when she hears Alma speaking again, she quickly turns to face him once more. "Oh, don't worry, Alma." Ran says with a confident grin. "Once I win, you're gonna give me an interview anyway! Save all that 'Good fight' stuff for when the fight is over!" And with this, Ran once again charges forward, this time attempting to wrap her slender arms around the man. If she succeeds, she'll pull her weight backwards and wallop him down onto the ground in a German Suplex... If not? She'll probably get smacked around more. Such is the life of a reporter.
COMBATSYS: Alma successfully hits Alma with Faith Healing EX.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////// ]
Alma 1/------=/=======|====---\-------\0 Ran
COMBATSYS: Ran successfully hits Alma with German Suplex.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////// ]
Alma 1/----===/=======|=====--\-------\0 Ran
It's true; the fight's not over yet. It's unclear whether or not Alma was actually trying to defend himself when Ran grabs at him, but whatever the case, her attack succeeds, and the fighting model is, well, suplexed. Yet he almost bounces off the ground with his kip-up, flipping up and backwards, and when he lands lightly on his feet, the gleam in his eyes reveals the sheer amount of Psycho Power still latent within him. "When you win?" he says, and his voice seems to echo strangely. The light starts to bend around him, and a light purple glow suffuses his body. Closing his eyes for a moment, the handsome youth takes a deep breath, and spreading his arms slightly, his aura, a halo of power surrounding him, fades into visibility as he opens his eyes -- and within his gaze is the ultimate in resolve, even as within his smile is perfect peace.
"You've already lost."
He lunges.
Sweeping his right hand back, all flames disappear as they are suffused into that one arm, which begins to glow with the radiant, purest light of his spirit. "Spirit Shattering Strike!" Alma says commandingly, as he blurs forward, closing the distance between them in a split-second -- but he swings his arm too early, and fails to physically strike Ran. What he does do, however, is emit a shockwave of raw battle aura, striking deeply and directly at Ran's very conception of self. It's a, aha, mind-blowing attack. And it's everything he's got.
"The truth shall be engraved upon your soul!"
COMBATSYS: Alma successfully hits Ran with The One Strike.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ]
Alma 0/-------/-------|=======\====---\1 Ran
Ran looks, to say the least, extremely surprised that her opponent is still standing after that attack. She was counting on him... Well, passing out after that attack. After that 'interview', and the suplex, she was fully expecting him to be down on the floor at this point. And so, when he lunges at her, she has almost no chance - the girl doesn't even have time to raise her arms up to try to defend herself, though it's not like it mattered anyway, with that sudden shockwave.
The blow knocks her off of her feet, to say the least, sailing through the air for just a moment before slamming down onto the ground. The girl emits a soft groan, perhaps already unconscious from the attack... Though, somehow, she manages to slowly drag herself up off of the ground. In a last ditch effort, she brings that trusty camera of her's up, taking a quick series of rather shakey shots towards Alma, before collapsing sideways down onto the ground. Though, more than likely, she's just gonna wind up with a bunch of sideways pictures of the crowd.
COMBATSYS: Ran can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Alma 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Ran successfully hits Alma with Super Flash Attack.
[ \\\\\\\\\ <
Alma 0/-------/----===|
Alma's ultimate attack is successful, and it blows Ran away -- and the Psycho Power leaves him. The rhythm that he'd been able to hear all fight fading, the tall fighting model leans back slightly and looks up at the cloudy sky, and that smile graces his features once again. "A good fight," he murmurs, looking quite satisfied.
~ I've been so busy finishing up my summer classes, this sort of thing has become a nice break, more than anything else. Since I have these sort of talents... I'd like to do whatever I can, while I have the chance... to do my best, to celebrate-- ~
BZZZZTTTT and there goes his vision. Finally blinded for good by one of Ran's attacks, Alma cringes, staggers backward... and collapses to the ground. The audience stares, transfixed; the middle school girls, about to leap into celebration, suddenly freeze -- overall, it's really quite amazing how much this small-time fight has entertained the audience. Now they're all completely engaged. But by the looks of things... this fight is a draw.
Until Alma's right fist slowly clenches.
~ This... isn't... my best! ~
Grunting with the supreme effort, Alma expends the last fragments of his resolve to, in a remarkable display of will for one usually so easily set off balance, pull himself together and rise to his feet. Despite his battered, exhausted, and somewhat stunned countenance... he manages to look pretty elegant again, standing there, a light breeze causing his bangs to flutter. He stands quietly for a second, expressionless.
Then he raises his right fist into the air, and the crowd erupts in applause.
"The winner!" calls the referee from the sidelines. "Alma Towazu!"
COMBATSYS: Alma has ended the fight here.
Log created by Alma, and last modified on 07:56:50 10/30/2005.