Description: A fierce battle between bitter rivals that ends in hateful feelings and oaths of vengeance. Actually, only a third of that sentence is true. Both warriors put up a great fight, but in the end it's Saishu Kusanagi who's standing tall, and Charlie can do nothing but submit to a fishing trip of epic proportions. (Winner: Saishu)
Revisiting the Boardwalk, the site of his latest loss (and only loss in the medal tourney yet... so he's 0-1...) Charlie is... not really expecting a fight. But being here is not the soothing, relaxing experience he was expecting; perhaps the sight of the boardwalk, the boards obviously replaced where Kula ripped them up, or just his own memories, are plaguing him. So his mood is a bit unsettled, something seen in the set of his shoulders and the way he walks.
Jingle-jingle-jingle.
The glimmering medal on the twine around his neck tinkles against his chest as he looks down from his perch, scratching his chin thoughtfully.
Flap-flap-flap, is the sound of his green kimono in the wind, as he gazes at the people beneath him, like a mighty god looking down in judgment upon nonbelievers.
And these nonbelievers think: What the heck is that crazy guy doing sitting on that lamppost? How did he get *up* there?
But this is why they are fools! What matters isn't how Saishu Kusanagi, elder and patriarch of the Kusanagi line, got *up* the lamppost, what matters is when he's coming down! And that's right now! Heads up! With a powerful leap and a "Ha ha!" he soars off of his perch and lands easily in the street right before Charlie, rising to his full height as his eyes twinkle. He ceases scratching his chin to instead begin scratching his armpit.
"In the medal tourney, aren't you!?"
Charlie has seen some weird entrances before--hell, he's jumped off a Harrier jet--but this is... well, it's a good thing Saishu is Saishu. If he were a young girl named Amelia he'd've faceplanted by now. Charlie's reaction is a bemused smile, as he spots the medal on the cord around Saishu's neck. "Sure am. A friend of mine insisted. I think she's atop the leaderboard now--maybe you've heard of her." After all, he certainly recognizes Saishu in some capacity--one doesn't become the master of a fighting style without attaining some fame. "You challenging me? It's convienient... I could use a good fight to clear my head...." And he bets Saishu'll be a good fight.
"Ha ha! That's the spirit!" The older man grins hugely -- oh, man, does he grin hugely -- and steps back, eyes twinkling merrily. "Hmmmm..." He scratches his chin for a few moments and studies Charlie just a bit more, and then, apparently deciding there's nothing else he needs to say -- who knows what conclusion he came to -- he slams his palms together, and with a 'Hmph!' draws them apart and manifests a surging ball of flame in the air between his hands before he brings them together again and extinguishes it.
"Ready when you are, kid!"
Kid. That may be a new one.
COMBATSYS: Saishu has started a fight here.
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Saishu 0/-------/-------|
Kid. Charlie hasn't been called 'kid' since... since forever and a day. Hell, he calls -Guile- 'kid' sometimes, even though they're not that far apart in age. The use of the word brings a smirk to his lips; good memories intermixed with the irritation that comes from being treated like a child. The big flame is a gigantic sign that Saishu isn't playing around... fortunately, just like his fight with Kula, Kanzaki Ninja Team is clearing out the extraneous people and setting up their hidden cameras and boom mikes and the like. Charlie just grins and raises his hands, already clenched into fists. "Let's make it a good one... pops." Give and take.
COMBATSYS: Charlie has joined the fight here.
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Saishu 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Charlie
"Pops! Pops!?"
Looks like Saishu can dish it out but can't take it. Then again, he *is* grinning. Looks like the old guy just has a sense of humor. A very extreme and hard-to-fathom one, but a sense of humor all the same. "Huh," the Kusanagi elder murmurs 'under his breath' (i.e. loud enough for everyone around to hear), "Americans, always so flippant about these things."
Saishu then proceeds to cartwheel forward, entirely unnecessarily, spin around like a ballet dancer -- and then suddenly, seamlessly turn his absurd motions into a powerful lunge forward, right hand igniting as he sweeps up and firing a huge wave of flame at Charlie-- "Hou!"-- and turning on his heel, twisting, and sweeping up a *second* time, unleashing another equally powerful wave of flame. "HYA!"
COMBATSYS: Charlie blocks Saishu's Homura Gasane.
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Saishu 0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0 Charlie
First ice, now fire. Charlie does the American thing; he blocks the flames with his forearms--ok, and he manipulates his chi some to absorb the impact of the flames, but it isn't anything conscious. "Flippant?" he fires back, with another smirk, "You started the name calling." Right; even with the successful block of the flames, Charlie still feels the singe, but Saishu's close, so Charlie makes an attempt to lunge forward and grab Saishu about the waist. No time to waste, after all; Saishu's obviously no spring chicken. Should he make the grab, he'll slip around to Saishu's back and heave him overhead and back down into the boardwalk, in a classic suplex manuever taken straight out of wrestling.
COMBATSYS: Saishu blocks Charlie's Dragon Suplex.
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Saishu 0/-------/-----==|==-----\-------\0 Charlie
No chicken, maybe, but Saishu can still spring! And spring he does, shoving fiercely away from Charlie's grapple and evading the brunt of the attack. Skipping back across the ground breezily, still-dark hair whipping through the air as the old guy's cheerful grin gleams, he summons up his flames again and tosses them almost idly, in an attempt to keep Charlie away as he withdraws from grappling range.
"Ha!"
COMBATSYS: Charlie slows Yami Barai from Saishu with Thrown Object.
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Saishu 0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0 Charlie
Snake of flame, hissing along the ground? Not good! And Charlie isn't prepared to just fling a Sonic Boom at it. Think fast! As he's moving back, convieniently, a small basketball from one of those sideshow games comes bouncing in, the result of a missed shot, and Charlie grabs it out of the air, flinging it into the fire. It'll slow it some, hopefully, and Charlie braces for the impact, rocked back a half-step by the hit.
What's this!? Sports equipment!?
How disrespectful! This is a fight! Huffing with indignation, Saishu lunges into the booth from whence the basketball came, and winking cheerily at the stunned participants, he rips a giant fluffy pink bear from the walls and leaps right back at Charlie, who may still be righting himself from the projectile attack.
With a bloodcurling battle cry, the Kusanagi elder aims the giant fluffy bear in a fierce attack at Charlie's head... but the attack itself is not the bear at all, but rather the twin clenched fists hidden *behind* the bear, aiming a hammerblow at the American's head.
COMBATSYS: Charlie blocks Saishu's Gou Tsui.
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Saishu 0/-------/-----==|====---\-------\0 Charlie
And Saishu's outraged about the -basketball-?? Charlie doesn't for a moment think that the pink fluffy bear is gonna be the attack so he's ready for when it comes down, blocking both bear and doubled fists with a classic cross-arm block. The attack sinks him down to a crouch, but that's fine with him--one of his best techniques comes out of that, and Saishu gets to see it now. "SOMERSAULT!" A strong push up from the legs becomes a turn away from the old man, Charlie's arms snapping out to the sides as he further pushes his momentum into a flipping kick. But not a front flip, oh no, he performs a reverse flipping kick, the somersault taking his legs through the air with chi flaring, carving slashes of energy out in picturesque afterimages. At the peak of the kick, Charlie turns to land gracefully on the ground.
COMBATSYS: Charlie successfully hits Saishu with Somersault Shell.
- Power hit! -
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Saishu 0/-------/-======|=====--\-------\0 Charlie
Ehhhh... that's the problem with big fluffy bears. If you miss, you can't see their attack coming. Saishu should've remembered that lesson from the time he had to fight those ninjas made of candy in the toy factory, and Takuma couldn't help cuz he was puking in the--
Anyway, needless to say, Saishu is blasted back like nobody's business, but even so, he flips and lands with that odd awkward grace of his, and when he looks up, he's still grinning. Even so, he takes some time to steady himself. With a quiet "Oosh!", the Kusanagi elder draws his hands back, steadying that squat stance of his, and waits...
COMBATSYS: Saishu gathers his will.
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Saishu 1/-----==/=======|=====--\-------\0 Charlie
Trying to get some distance and a reprieve huh? No, not today, not if Chuck can help it. But he doesn't go for the flashy attacking stuff right now; right now he simply closes the distance. His goal: Saishu's face. His weapon: A big American fist. The method of attack: A classic American uppercut, Charlie leaning forward to put more into the attack. "HAA!"
COMBATSYS: Saishu blocks Charlie's Strong Punch.
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Saishu 1/---====/=======|=====--\-------\0 Charlie
Saishu stands and watches, hands folded into the kimono that ripples around him with his gathered power, and just grins as Charlie comes at him. You know, for all its cheerfulness, that grin is actually pretty darn inscrutible. What the heck is he thinking?
Well, he may be thinking: 'Ha ha, you've fallen into my trap!' For all at once, in one smooth, lunging motion, Saishu parries the punch with his left hand, weaves forward... and whips out his right hand, which is glowing white-hot. He reaches out, just to tap Charlie on the chest...
"Tag."
COMBATSYS: Charlie dodges Saishu's Orochinagi'.
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Saishu 0/-------/------=|=====--\-------\0 Charlie
Tag? Oh, oh no. No no no. Charlie knows. He -knows-, you see. Whenever someone says 'tag', that really means 'I'm going to put you in the hospital so bad you're gonna cry 'cause you can't eat JELLO for three weeks'. That translates in any language. English, American, Japanese, even Zulu. Charlie ain't the fastest man around but he can move when he wants to. And oh man does he want to. So he performs a picturesque dodge, ducking to the right, spinning around the man with the Burning plan. And, winding up, he attempts to punish the old man, with his own attack; spinning forward, he puts his weight and momentum behind a spinning backfist, striking out with his knuckles. And he has something to say, too.
"Tag."
COMBATSYS: Saishu dodges Charlie's Spin Back Knuckle.
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Saishu 0/-------/------=|=====--\-------\0 Charlie
My god! Saishu's ultimate attack, the super patented attack of the Kusanagi family! It missed! It missed! Mah gawd! MAH GAWD! Oh, he must be *devastated*!
Wait, wait, no, he's still grinning, just like before. He's grinning like he *planned* this. Which of course he couldn't have, because that would be a dumb thing to plan. Wouldn't it? Wouldn't it? It's totally impossible to understand this guy.
Though maybe... maybe... if you *never* plan... for *anything*... then you can go around *looking* like you planned everything, and people will *believe* you...
But there's no time to think about that. Whatever the case, Saishu takes this event extremely good-humoredly, and in response, ducks under Charlie's attack and rotates around behind *him*, continuing the newfound tradition of spinning behind attacks: "No, *you* tag!" he barks, and attempts to punch Charlie in the back of the head, with merciless force.
COMBATSYS: Charlie blocks Saishu's Fierce Punch.
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Saishu 0/-------/-----==|======-\-------\0 Charlie
Jesus. Guess he's not a creaky old man; Charlie's turning even as Saishu spins behind him and that punch nearly does for Charlie. But he is just fast enough to duck it, the bottom knuckles of Saishu's fist creasing his forehead. "Jeez, you're faster than you look," comments the blond, even as he's reaching out to grab Saishu's gi and use it as leverage to quickly hiptoss his opponent.
COMBATSYS: Saishu endures Charlie's Quick Throw.
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Saishu 0/-------/----===|=======\-------\0 Charlie
[OOC] Charlie says, "Oh snaps"
Well, Saishu must not be *that* fast, because Charlie's able to grab him, and toss him upon the ground...
...upon which he looks up at the American, grinning hugely...
...and aiming up with his right hand, simply unleashes a huge gout of fire right in the man's face, almost flamethrower-like as it streams out in an enormous roaring torrent.
Needless to say, Saishu is laughing manically the entire time. I mean, how can you shoot a flamethrower out of your hand and not laugh manically? "HahahahahahahahaHAAAA!"
COMBATSYS: Charlie interrupts Homura Gasane from Saishu with Step Kick.
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Saishu 0/-------/=======|=======\=------\1 Charlie
This man... this man is a -freak-. Hell, no one in Shadaloo laughs like that, not even Vega (he has more ominous undertones and that barrel chest makes him sound like a freaked out totally crazy Barry White). Not that the laugh is getting to him too much, but the flames.. well. He could run and he could hide but that's not the way Charlie was raised by his country. Sometimes you gotta stand in the flames to get to your goal--and right now his goal is Saishu. So even as those flames come in Charlie's moving through them, stepping forward, putting the momentum into a hard step kick that plants itself right in Saishu's chest. Time enough for the pain, later.
Kablam!
Saishu is forced to roll back, coughing lightly, and he raises his bushy eyebrows in a sign of respect, even though his grin remains undiminished. Man, how is he maintaining that grin after all this hits? Charlie punches like a charging rhino. "Standing in the flames!" Saishu observes loudly. "I didn't think you'd actually have the guts to do it! That's what I like best about you American kids!"
It is with these encouraging words that Saishu quickly turns, subtly shifting his weight, and kicks out powerfully, aiming to knock Charlie back and away with a fierce thrust kick.
COMBATSYS: Saishu successfully hits Charlie with Medium Kick.
- Power hit! -
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Saishu 0/-------/=======|=======\====---\1 Charlie
[OOC] Saishu says, "Gwaharharhar."
It worked well enough once, why not try it again? Charlie beckons to Saishu, being a bit overconfident, and the result is--a gutshot thrust kick that damn near folds the man in two around that iron-like foot. "UNGH!" shouts Charlie, lifted off his feet, sent skidding along the boardwalk painfully; he's gonna have a serious foot-shaped bruise there soonish. But for now... the fight. He stands again, looking winded, but--doesn't come in for an attack, choosing instead to try and get a moment's peace to concentrate on his opponent.
COMBATSYS: Charlie focuses on his next action.
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Saishu 0/-------/=======|=======\====---\1 Charlie
Focusing! Focusing!? That's for *pansies*!
"Oooraaah!" shouts Saishu, and he throws himself into a quick flying kick, aiming to pop Charlie one in the head, cackling merrily as he goes.
COMBATSYS: Charlie blocks Saishu's Light Kick.
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Saishu 0/-------/=======|=======\====---\1 Charlie
Flying kick? Who does he think he is, Bruce Lee? Charlie's almost waiting for the 'kiiiyaaah!' and all that, but as the flying kick comes in he's still ready for it, and the foot bounces off his forearms--the most abused part of any tanklike fighter, for sure. Along with the outer thighs and the shins. Were Charlie a more contemptuous man he'd sneer; instead he waits until Saishu is just about to land, to harass the man with a low kick, striking for those aforementioned shins.
COMBATSYS: Saishu blocks Charlie's Light Kick.
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Saishu 1/-------/=======|=======\====---\1 Charlie
Saishu stomps, and catches the kick with his foot... and, grinning even huger than ever, he pushes off Charlie's leg, launching himself into the air, and thrusts out his hand at the American's face...
...and snaps his fingers.
A little spark pops out, and fades.
This may distract Charlie from the huge geyser of flame that is about to erupt beneath his feet.
COMBATSYS: Charlie fails to interrupt Tsumugari from Saishu with Somersault Justice.
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Saishu 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Charlie can no longer fight.
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Saishu 0/-------/-------|
Charlie is tired out, and that spark surprises him more than he expects; he's already lifting his arms up to block when the firecolumn blasts up under him--and just takes him out. He's caught completely flat-footed, a good lesson in distraction and tactics from the old man. Charlie flies, tumbling lazily, crashing into the boardwalk a good ten yards away. And busted up as he is, he isn't -out-; but he does raise a hand up from where he's lying. "Alright," he says, his voice clear if in pain, "you win. Here," he continues, snapping the medal off his vest and tossing it over to Saishu. "You're not bad," he finishes, "... for an old man." Any close observers would see that Charlie has a grin on his face; apparently he enjoyed the fight despite the ending.
"Ha ha! Almost got me there, kid!" Saishu cut it pretty close there, but he's grinning as cheerfully as ever all the same. Still chuckling merrily, he plucks the medal from Charlie's hand, and then immediately reaches down to help the big man up. "You're not bad for a little squirt yourself!" he puts in. The fact that Charlie towers over him is, of course, entirely irrelevant.
"You new in town!?" It's more of an exclamation than a question, like everything that Saishu seems to say. "I'm Saishu Kusanagi, by the by!" Only Saishu thinks introductions are better placed *after* fights. "Why don't you come on over to my house tonight?" He places an arm over the taller blonde's shoulders. "You'll meet my beautiful wife! Taste her wonderful cooking! Maybe meet my good for nothing son, if he comes home! Ever heard of him? Kyo Kusanagi? No, of course you haven't, he's nothing special."
"And afterward..."
The old guy grins, eyes twinkling.
"You like fishin'?"
Log created by Saishu, and last modified on 04:10:33 11/08/2005.