Description: Charlie finds the Ansatsuken master on the beach and, having a crisis of confidence, asks the man with the headband for a match, seeking... something. But does he find what he wants or needs?
The beach is cast in shadow under the moonlit Southtown sky, few citizens travelling the sands in the waning hours of the day, this far into November, but then... the World Warrior isn't most people. Dressed still in his trademark gi, showing little nod to the briskness of the weather, which at least sets reasonably mild breezes off the ocean this evening, the nomad stands just out of reach of the surf. Pensive eyes are turned out over the dark water, its hue broken only by the brightness of the silvery moon, the stars absorbed into the rapidly shifting, dark currents.
The subtle aura of power around Ryu isn't one of meditative focus, but merely consideration... the passive energy held by a warrior of his calibre, an alertness that never fully fades, no matter how far his mind might wander. One ungloved hand lifts to his jaw, rubbing there as the wind picks up, blowing the World Warrior's already-tousled hair back, fluttering behind him with the tails of his crimson headband.
The voice that sounds behind him--well, it is one Ryu knows. It belongs to a blond-haired warrior, a man of some estimation; like Ryu, despite the cold weather and the blowing breeze, he wears little against the cold, his orange vest doing little to hold warmth or block the wind. It's something of a secret, but he likes to come to the beach, even at times like this, and quite probably for similar reasons as Ryu, which explains his presence here.
"Ryu. Fancy seeing you here." Charlie's voice is warm, friendly; while he and Ryu aren't close he does consider the man a valuable ally and sometime friend. It is quite different from how he might greet, say, the personage of Rugal Bernstein. Charlie has been somewhat insulated from the world, as of late, mostly taken up by his work and the work requested of him; the recent firming of the alliance between the Ikari and the Vigilantes has certainly meant more paperwork for the man, especially as he largely refuses to shove most of it off on his assistants, as willing as they are.
Guile and Ralf doing paperwork... now there's a scary thought. Probably best that Charlie /has/ been keeping up with it, after all. Heidern didn't exactly strike Ryu as the cross-the-t's and dot-the-i's kind of guy, either. Ryu looks back over his shoulder as Charlie addresses him, offering a slight nod and a momentary smile, before his eyes return to the water for the moment, "Nice out here tonight. Won't get too many more like it before winter." Not just the mild tinge to the air, but just... the energy, the clearness of the night, the sound of the ocean. It agrees with Ryu, that's for sure, "Everything alright, Charlie?" He inquires. An odd starting question, perhaps... but he knows the Vigilantes are into some dangerous games, and that some dangerous men have been acting an awful lot lately, and with his past experiences... he's got this complex about the unexpected arrival of dangerous allies.
The most dangerous games of all, and we're not talking Street Fighter The Movie The Game. Charlie ponders the question, staring out at the ocean, crossing his arms across his chest.
"Is everything alright," he muses. "Well... yes, Ryu, and no. I'm still alive, so I'm alright. But things are getting worse for the world, or so I believe... you know, of course, that Vega is back, and apparently stronger than ever." It isn't even a question; Ryu would know these things. Probably has even gone up against him, something Charlie hasn't, yet.
"The Ikari are hunting another bad man--one I've come up against. If you haven't fought him yet, do understand--he's a strong one. His name is Rugal Bernstein." Now, technically, this kind of info is classified, but it's _Ryu_ we're talking about here, not some wetback punk kid.
"There are rumors that Shadaloo and this Bernstein are working together in some capacity... very disturbing rumors." Charlie doesn't even get into the whole losing-streak thing--that hardly matters except that his life has been on the line twice against Rugal and he's survived.
Ryu nods slowly, his only immediate reaction to the information. Other than that, he takes a moment to mull it over in his head, weighing the implications. Some of it he knew already, mostly involving Vega.... "I did what I could to draw Vega out." Ryu admits. His first reaction to the Shadaloo Lord's reappearance, "He took the bait, and I defeated him." He speaks it as if defeating the dictator in single combat were no big thing, merely what had to be done, "His fear makes him more dangerous, now, but it is momentum. He knows we can stand against him, now... and I've planted doubt in Sagat, and more frustration in Balrog. They are weaker now, not stronger, whatever force they bring to bear..." A psychologist Ryu is not, but he has a familiarity with the mind of a fighter, of many walks of life. Both a blessing and a curse, perhaps, "I have not fought Rugal, but if he is as strong or stronger than Shadaloo's other lieutenants, I recognize the threat he represents."
Which brings Charlie to a thought, and a request.
"Ryu. I request a match against you. Right here, right now." He holds up a hand, "This isn't a meaningless challenge--let's just say that I have been--doubting myself as of late. And I want to find out whether that doubt is justified, or not." He sounds gravely serious.
"I have been wondering if I should be leading the Vigilantes in this quest. If I am not able to be all that I can be, then I need to leave the Vigilantes in the hands of someone who -can-." Right now, of course, first choice would be Chun-Li.
Well, Charlie... if you wanted to be all that you could be, you should have joined the Army. In all seriousness, though, Ryu seems surprised at the admission, and the request, glancing askance at the Vigilante leader for a moment and considering him with a pensive look, "I will fight you." He acknowledges simply, "But if you cannot purge your mind of your self-doubt, and fight with all your focus and confidence, all the battle will tell you about is the depth of your own doubts."
It's one of Gouken's rules, and we know how Ryu is about holding on to those, "The Master must be assured, collected. In the mouth of Hell itself." As the words are spoken, the nomad turns to face Charlie sidelong, one hand rising, cleaving the air with his open palm, as his right fist tenses, and he shifts away from the Vigilante lithely into a defensive stance, as the World Warrior's own words ring once more, "For the roads you walk, Charlie, knowing the strength in your arms is not enough."
COMBATSYS: Ryu has started a fight here.
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Ryu 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Ryu takes no action.
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Ryu 0/-------/-------|
That's fine with Charlie. At least then he'll know how far he has to go to regain his confidence. Charlie smiles at Ryu.
"It'll be something, at least. And if I do have to leave the Vigilantes for a while at least there is someone I can explicitly trust to keep them going in my absence." Ah, 'training journeys'... is there anything better? Charlie backs up a few steps as Ryu poses, raising his hands into fighting stance.
"I know, Ryu. I trust my arms and my legs; I've trained them enough. But I need more than that and that has become painfully obvious to me. Now then--let's begin." And he watches and waits, to see what Ryu will bring to the table.
COMBATSYS: Charlie has joined the fight here.
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Ryu 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Charlie
COMBATSYS: Charlie focuses on his next action.
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Ryu 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Charlie
Well, if Charlie wants to pass the first nod back to Ryu... he'll take it. Of course, he didn't miss the steps the Vigilante took towards preparing himself for that opening move... a nod from the veteran fighter acknowledging the invitation as a surge of blue-white chi rushes forth from Ryu's palms, the World Warrior sweeping that brilliant blast forward, where it nearly instantly cascades together into a densely packed, searing mass of flame-trailing blue-white, the spherical burst sending sand blasting outwards in an impromptu trench between the Ansatsuken master and his opponent, the trademarked blast echoed by a fervent, "Hadooouken!!!"
COMBATSYS: Charlie fails to slow Hadouken from Ryu with Sonic Boom.
-* CRITICAL HIT! *-
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Ryu 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Charlie
The chi lights up the night, flaring blue-white, making Ryu look almost ghostly for a moment; Charlie attempts to bring his own chi to life, shifting forward with a half-step--but the Hadouken is just too fast this time around and Charlie takes it right in the chest; it actually lifts him off his feet. Thankfully the sand is soft and lets Charlie roll back to his feet--rubbing his chest where the chiball impacted.
"A good first shot, Ryu, as expected." Charlie's goal is not to win this fight--it's to test himself. And Ryu is quite possibly one of the best tests a fighter could ever have.
The night illuminates once more as the wind blowing off the ocean intensifies, cutting through the Ansatsuken master's hair and setting his headband to a dramatic flutter, buffetted on breezes that suddenly seem to swirl about him, Ryu becoming the central point for a whole lote of energy in a very short time. No outpouring of chi this time, it's all focused through his very form, a subtle, stirring tremor that builds stronger over brief instants, as the sand begins to retreat on powerful winds away from the nomad's feet, finally exploding outwards in all directions, a pit of the stuff cleared in a grainy blizzard for yards in each direction as the gathered energy finalizes its circuit, and the power begins to center within Ryu, his spirit preparing for the fight as he holds his guard, and simply nods to Charlie.
COMBATSYS: Ryu gathers his will.
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Ryu 0/-------/---====|=------\-------\0 Charlie
Ryu has dropped a connection.
Charlie doesn't particularly like the looks of that; letting Ryu build chi like that doesn't sound like a fun thing. So he does what he can; summoning his chi again, he cranks his right arm back, then slings it forward, ripping the air with his energies; they take the form of a spinning blade of chi, tinged gold and green at the edges, hurtling through the intervening space towards Ryu, a technique Charlie has long called the...
"SONIC.. BOOM!"
Yeah, that.
COMBATSYS: Ryu blocks Charlie's Sonic Boom.
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Ryu 0/-------/--=====|==-----\-------\0 Charlie
Ryu simply stands his ground as that whirling arc of chi whizzes his way, at the last moment lifting and thrusting an elbow full-bore into it, a brilliant flare of bluish chi announcing the impact on his end as the searing projectile explodes outwards, its energy stinging across the Ansatsuken master's guard, but doing little to actually batter his frame... slowed by the sheer power of the spinning burst, Ryu nonetheless leaps out of the block quickly, launching himself in high and dropping in on Charlie from above, his left foot snapping out and around, heel aligned to take the Vigilante square in the face, "Haaaaaah!!!"
COMBATSYS: Charlie blocks Ryu's Medium Kick.
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Ryu 0/-------/--=====|===----\-------\0 Charlie
The face? No, not this time around, at least; Charlie is ready for Ryu's flying kick, throwing his arms up to take the blow instead of his nose. It stings a little, but not much, and the pain is already fading as Charlie steps into Ryu's dropping body, throwing a short, but strong uppercut with his left hand, leaning into it, turning his torso sideways.
COMBATSYS: Ryu dodges Charlie's Strong Punch.
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Ryu 0/-------/--=====|===----\-------\0 Charlie
The flat of Ryu's right hand smacks against Charlie's forearm as that uppercut slams upwards, and the nomad's entire form twists counter-clockwise away from the trajectory of the punch as he descends from his deflected kick, using the force of that block, and his own honed strength, to guide his landing just-so... it would have grazed him but for the space of a hair. Landing in close on Charlie, both of the nomad's hands shoot for the front of the Vigilante's vest, and should that grip be found, Ryu rolls sharply backwards, dragging Charlie with him to the sand and then kicking his right leg into the pilot's ribcage, to add leverage to the sacrifice throw that Ryu intends to use to send Charlie sailing head-first into the beach beyond, "Hyaaaaaaah!!!!"
COMBATSYS: Ryu successfully hits Charlie with Tomoe Nage.
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Ryu 0/-------/=======|=====--\-------\0 Charlie
And so Charlie goes flying; he gets an excellent view of the beachfront for his short flight. No peanuts or a softdrink, though. He does get a meal, though; a mouthful of sand, that he spits out as he hops back up; from the moment he felt Ryu's hands on his vest he simply prepared himself for the impact, and he wipes his mouth clear of the rest of the sand, his eyes narrowing at Ryu's form. As expected; Ryu has devoted nearly all his life to this art, and for Charlie, as much as he enjoys it, it is a means to an end, not a lifestyle in and of its own... but perhaps that should change, at least for a while. Charlie looks at Ryu, quietly, his good cheer gone for now, as he tries to work himself back into the mindset of a warrior--so far he's made a very poor showing.
COMBATSYS: Charlie focuses on his next action.
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Ryu 0/-------/=======|=====--\-------\0 Charlie
Ryu holds his ground until Charlie regains his footing... but only that long, dark eyes locked on the Vigilante, "You cannot hesitate..." He intones succinctly, the consonants sharp with the kiai of his motion, all but blurring in on Charlie, his left fist taking its turn to snap an uppercut in-line with the Vigilante's jaw, a set-up for a sudden step-in timed perfectly with the intended collision of Ansatsuken elbow with Air Force ribcage, with force enough to stagger almost any fighter, if not send them sprawling. He's not pulling his punches here, "Your will, your destiny... can you see it?" Perhaps he's being a bit forceful, here... but these are big things Charlie's responsible for, and it's rise or fall, in the nomad's eternal cycle of self-challenges and philosophy.
[OOC] Charlie ponders his options.
COMBATSYS: Ryu successfully hits Charlie with Fierce Punch.
- Power hit! -
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Ryu 0/-------/=======|=======\-------\1 Charlie
The uppercut-elbow combination strikes true; even though Charlie tries to prepare himself for it, Ryu's superior speed creates openings all by itself, and Charlie is sent tumbling to the ground... quite possibly with a cracked or broken rib, it is certainly not out of the question. He is much slower to get to his feet this time--more careful, one might say--and he favors the injured side and merely grins, wryly. Nothing to say, anymore; Charlie is truly exploring the depths of his self-doubt. But--but the spark of his willpower isn't extinguished yet. After that moment of introspection, Charlie advances once more--perhaps foolishly, but who can say? His selected attack: a swift, snapping kick aimed at Ryu's shin.
COMBATSYS: Ryu parries Charlie's Light Kick!
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Ryu 1/-------/=======|=======\-------\1 Charlie
That swift, snap-kick meets a descending Ryu, who clamps a strong palm overtop of Charlie's ankle and shoves the strike right back into the ground before it even truly gets started, his low posture used to make on fluid rotation up and out of the crouch, springing into a full three-hundred sixty degrees of blurring intensity, his right leg snapping out as he hurtles around with rotorblade force, swinging kick after kick in on Charlie as, in defiance of gravity, the World Warrior simply hurtles forward, flying through the air with an echoing shout of, "Tatsumaki Senpuuuuu Kyaku!!!" No rest for the weary.... but then, Charlie's the one looking for a way to strive harder.
COMBATSYS: Charlie endures Ryu's Tatsumaki Senpuu Kyaku EX.
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Ryu 1/-------/=======|=======\===----\1 Charlie
He's tried dodging; he's tried blocking. Neither have been -particularly- successful. And Charlie is damned tired of running--and running into Ryu's fists and feet. So. So this time... he just stands there, and takes the hit. And a massive hit it is, too; it would probably crush the skull of a lesser man, though that obviously isn't Ryu's intention. But as he goes down, he fades with it--and is already attacking by the time Ryu has gone past. He focuses his will and his determination into this, his ultimate technique; it won't take Ryu down, but maybe it'll at least give him something to think about. Charlie turns his body away from Ryu, but only for a splitsecond; then he's pushing off the ground, scissoring a kick upwards, his booted foot lashing the air not just with steel toes but with Charlie's brand of chi; the force of the kick flips Charlie around, and he's not even much off the ground. He lands quickly and does it again, with even more force, both feet cutting the air this time, and even though he rises into the air even more, he is able to land with a burst of speed that seems unnnatural. And for the final reverse somersault kick, Charlie ends up rising up so high that he's nearly six feet over Ryu's standing height--and as he lands, he'll land on one knee, exhausted not only by the expenditure of efforts but also from the pure pain of having Ryu toll his bell like the Hunchback of goddamned Notre Dame.
COMBATSYS: Charlie successfully hits Ryu with Somersault Justice.
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Ryu 1/--=====/=======|-------\-------\0 Charlie
There's just no getting out of the way of /that/ much pent-up power and determination, and the aerial fireworks blast Ryu up, up, and away, the repeated lashings of foot and energy finally sending him crashing back to the beach, landing in a whoomp and a blast of sand as he skids into a handplant, vaulting into a sidelong tumble that takes his momentum into a crouch. Panting, he eyes Charlie steadily, a crackling ripple coursing along the ground, and up through Ryu's legs, then his entire form, sparking with dark blue hues as he pushes back to his feet, the winds around him already roiling madly. It's like all the power gathered earlier came to the fore and brought all its friends, and the World Warrior focuses that energy to a point as his hands cup at his side, fingers splayed in opposing directions.
"Shiiiiinkuuuuuuu...." The World Warrior incants, muscles tensing as a brilliant blue coalescence surges to life, its fierce inward breeze consuming the sand near Ryu, tugging powerfully on the edges of his gi, on his headband. The cerulean-touched luminescent charge builds to epic levels in mere moments, vaporizing seemingly large chunks of beach as its force is focused outward, and forward, the swirling, coruscating sphere digging a deep gouge in the ground between Ryu and Charlie, in answering measure to the ravaging just offered the nomad, "Hadoooooouken!!!!!"
COMBATSYS: Ryu successfully hits Charlie with Shinkuu Hadouken.
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Ryu 0/-------/--=====|======-\-------\0 Charlie
COMBATSYS: Charlie takes no action.
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Ryu 0/-------/--=====|
COMBATSYS: Charlie can no longer fight.
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Ryu 0/-------/--=====|
Yeah. Yeah, well... there will be no miracles today. Charlie's already fatigued, he's been hobeat up and down the beach, he's on one knee... he barely even tries to move before the blazing ball of defeat takes him right in the chest. The whole mess explodes around him and on him and in him, searing his senses, frying his nerves, and knocking the four winds of the earth out of him; he tumbles and skids across the sand, utterly defeated.
Ryu's feet slide back closer together in the wake of releasing that final blast of energy, and he eyes Charlie's prone form a moment, murmuring to himself, "You can still find your will." But will he? Ryu isn't sure, in this case, if it's a matter of Charlie's failure to see... or that the military man simply sees all too well. Some things aren't easy for a man to accept as necessary risk. Nonetheless, when Charlie drags himself up, he's liable to be hungry, right? So the World Warrior heads up the beach momentarily, looking for takeout. At least, he's hungry, and the Vigilante likely has more on his mind.
Charlie'll be up... eventually. For now, he's taking a nap... a nice long dirtnap... no, he'll be up in about 20 minutes. And probably sitting on the beach for a while. Did he hear Ryu's last words? Hell no. Ryu doesn't pull punches--and Charlie is glad for that. He lost--but he did take something away from it. Aside from bruises and a possible cracked rib.
Log created by Charlie, and last modified on 00:37:05 12/04/2005.