Description: Guy and Chun-Li have a charity match on a big, floating chunk of ice! Determined not to suck as much as he did the last time he battled Chun-Li, the ninja gives it his all! It's a grueling match of stamina, and in the end, nobody wins! Not even the iceburg.
Life... life is sometimes a little strange. Particularly when you're a word-class fighter participating in what will likely be the most chaotic martial arts league to date. Fifty warriors of varying levels, open challenges and with no official closing date for matches? A formula for success on part of the Masters economy, certainly, and from Chun-Li's perspective an event she could not pass up. It seems an incredibly effective way of meeting opponents with whom she might never cross paths otherwise.
Though today's foe is one she has faced previously, and managed quite the crushing victory in the Masters Tournament of last year. The prospect of facing an improved and re-focused Bushin master is one she greatly looks forward to, no matter the outcome. But the theme for this bout has given her hesitation, and even now she stands chilled to the bone upon a small motorised dinghy, preparing to step off the vessel onto the jagged hunk of ice looming before her. A glacier in Antarctica. Strange, freezing cold, and with the promise of excitement for the fans watching from larger boats arrayed about the drifting ice-mountain.
Chun-Li's eyes drift sidelong briefly before she moves, a final attempt to mark the location and manner of arrival chosen by her opponent. But seeing nothing - at least on this side of the glacier's mass - she takes in a deep breath of chill air and gracefully hops onto a handy ledge of ice. Staggering only briefly as her sneakered feet give way beneath her, she pauses to adjust the thick, fur-collared jacket worn over her training outfit, before continuing on to the summit, in alternating steps, leaps and upward scrambles.
On reaching the smooth curve formed at the mountain's head, the world's strongest woman steps carefully to one end, experimentally testing her footing, then turning to face the opposite edge. Dark brown eyes scan for the appearance of Guy, and the Chinese beauty mutters something unheard as the announcer cuts in... "LADIES AAAAAND GENTLEMEEEN! HERE IS YOUR FIRST VICTIM, THE STRONGEST WOMAN IN THE WORLD-- MISS CHUN-LIIII!! AND FACING HER IS THE NINJA THAT LIBERATED METRO CITY, THE LORD AND MASTER OF BUSHIN-RYUU, GUUUUUUY!"
The announcer, naturally, is speaking through a large speaker system mounted upon a nearby cruiser.
COMBATSYS: Chun-Li has started a fight here.
It certainly is strange, coming all the way out here for the sole purpose of a fight. This really is as strange a location as you can ask for. The sheer expense that must have been put forward for this, to bring these boats all the way out here, providing for all the people who wanted to watch, well. It seems like a lot for simple charity. However, charity is not the reason Guy is here today. At least, it's not the most motivating reason. No, he's here to test his mettle against the so-called Strongest Woman in the World. Again.
Last time was a brutal disappointment. Guy didn't just lose, he got trampled. That sort of a loss never sits well with him. If he can't beat someone in the arena, what hope does he have to achieve his goals of stopping power-hungry, goodness defying madmen? At the very least, Guy wouldn't bet on it.
That is why Guy is here, already stepping onto the opposite side of the glacier, dressed exactly as normal and quite cold. He's feeling the chill deep in his bones, and he has to clench his teeth to keep them from involuntarily chattering. Still, the effect he's looking for is imposing - that of a warrior above being touched by such paltry things as temperature. It's a shame he's not really quite at that level yet.
Moving up toward the same crest Chun is standing upon, Guy studies her as he walks. Aside from the clothing, she looks much the same as he remembers. That means he's really going to have to be careful today. It wouldn't do to underestimate his opponent just because he's grown in strength. Coming to a halt a short distance away, Guy doesn't speak, both because he has nothing he really feels an urge to say, and because of the aforementioned clenched teeth. He just waits, watches, and mentally prepares himself.
COMBATSYS: Guy has joined the fight here.
COMBATSYS: Guy focuses on his next action.
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Chun-Li 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Guy
As Guy appears with the very announcing of his name, Chun-Li draws herself a little more upright, slipping one hand up to finger the zipper of her jacket. "It's been a while," she offers in a friendly tone, sparing the flicker of a smile as she then removes the overly cumbersome garment, giving an elaborate shrug to let it fall from her shoulders to the icy floor. A foot flicks back to kick it away a few feet, and the smile then fades from her lips to be replaced with an expression of focused concentration. Gaze gaining a spark of intensity, the Strongest Woman in the World raises her guard and starts forward at a quick stride, feet crossing one another as she approaches her opponent sidelong.
Somewhere in the back of her mind, she registers the call for battle to start, the words booming out across the glacier and its assembled congregation of oceanic vessels. This registry stirs a flow of motion from the Tai Chi mistress, her pace quickening to carry her right into the shinobi's guard. "Good luck." Two words delivered from what becomes a mere blur, blue-gold trails about all that remains visible of Chun-Li as she drops down low and rears up at Guy's left flank, spinning back upon one heel to deliver a powerful roundhouse from the other leg.
"HYAAAAAAH!"
COMBATSYS: Guy blocks Chun-Li's Medium Kick.
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Chun-Li 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Guy
Giving only a cursory nod to Chun-Li's greeting and well-wishes, Guy notes the beginning of the fight only through Chun-Li's motion, so focused on the task at hand is he. His entire world at this moment is boiled down to this glacier and this woman kicking at him. And as for that, Guy ducks down a bit and puts his shoulder forward and to the side, so that the heel's impact strikes his upper arm. That might bruise, sure, but it's a fleeting pain and a minor injury. Far more important, now, showing Chun-Li just how much Guy has improved.
Taking a step forward, hoping to catch Chun-Li before her guard is fully back up again, Guy responds with a strike of his own. Rather than using his legs, however, Guy has chosen his arms today. Unleashing first an elbow at Chun-Li's midsection, the ninja quickly follows it up with several smaller punches, each precisely targeted at the woman's torso. Individually, these blows aren't much, but together, they're slightly more fearsome.
COMBATSYS: Chun-Li blocks Guy's Medium Punch.
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Chun-Li 0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0 Guy
A solid attack met with an equally solid guard. Chun-Li feels a rush of adrenaline with the sensation of her blow's deflection, and there's a slight nod of her head as she sets her leg down with as much speed as can be spared, losing herself only a split-second of potential motion. "You've gotten better!" The words come in a breathless rush, but are audible enough. Her eye for detail has already spotted the slight changes in her opponent, the solidified nature of his stance and just a little less chaos to his movements. If Guy was a good fighter before, he may well have become a great one; but this remains to be seen.
"Hah!" Backing off in synch with his coming forward, the Chinese beauty is prepared for the flurry of blows sent her way, raising her hands to parry away each attack, deflecting the majority and twisting her upper body to absorb the one or two that do penetrate her guard. When the final fist is thrown her way, she reacts a little more dramatically, swinging herself down and around the over-extended limb, to raise herself on one leg a short way to the side. Arms swinging around to accustomed positions, asserting her graceful poise, Chun-Li pauses for the merest blink of an eye...
And then? Her right leg snaps outward in a lightning quick shot to the Bushin master's midriff, aiming to stagger him into the machine-gun round of strikes that follow, the woman's limb becoming a hazed blur of potential pain, that one sneaker-clad foot puncturing the full length of Guy's body with dozens of light kicks. "YA! YA! YA! YA! YA!"
COMBATSYS: Chun-Li successfully hits Guy with Hyakuretsu Kyaku.
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Chun-Li 0/-------/-----==|=====--\-------\0 Guy
The compliments to his person go unanswered; Guy's not really accustomed to compliments, and honestly he doesn't really care about them. He's faster and stronger, sure, but whether or not he's /better/ neccesarily remains to be seen. In any case, with his latest offense effectively stifled, Guy decides that maybe, perhaps, it's time to take a risk in order to get a better opportunity to attack. It's almost like she's willing to comply with his quickly made plan, lashing out with a single kick.
Guy's own experience against Chun, comprised mostly of strong, single, powerful kicks, leads him to be a bit surprised when it doesn't really hurt that much. He's entirely unprepared for the flurry of kicks that follow, each one impacting into him painfully. When the last one finishes, he's sent tumbling backward along the ice, although he comes to his feet quickly. With a noncommital grunt, sounding faintly displeased, he sees no help for it. Just because he's been beaten back for the moment doesn't mean he can slack off now. Taking a single step forward, Guy moves into a quick lunge, extending his reach by nearly his entire body length. An upturned palm is at the end, and from there comes a roughly soccer-ball sized sphere of reddish-orange chi, zipping the remaining distance to Chun-Li.
COMBATSYS: Chun-Li dodges Guy's Hibashira.
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Chun-Li 0/-------/-----==|=====--\-------\0 Guy
Andy has arrived.
"YA! YA! YA! YA! Ya..."
Tailing off breathlessly with the last exclamation, Chun-Li lowers her leg shortly after her opponent has been blasted away, such momentum difficult to stop with her usual speed. A little unsettled upon the ice, she actually stumbles a little - though it is barely perceptible. More obvious to the eye is the dramatic evasion performed a moment later, as her eyes focus upon the energy missile launched by Guy. Chi attacks? He only evidenced such a thing once in their last battle, an augmentation to the powerful combination assault he was able to catch her with halfway through. The assault that proved his worth despite defeat. And this, this projectile, is coming in fast indeed.
Dropping to a crouch, the world's strongest woman uses the environment to her advantage, the quick application of a palm launching her back in a skid across the slick surface, a little frost churned up in a trail about her feet. Her movement is almost as fast as the globe of chi, and she gains enough room for manuevering that she is able to flip herself neatly /over/ it once she reaches the glacier's edge. Both hands are required for the tight forward somersault, but she lands in a half-crouch and is instantly sprinting forward, veering only a little as her footing slips. "Hiiii-"
"SAH!" At the last moment she crosses the distance in a horizontal leap, both feet leaving the ground for an instant only to set firmly down to either side of the Bushin master. Chun-Li's right hand lifts to attempt a grasp upon his brightly coloured garment, and then with a half-spin she aims to take him off his feet and a short distance into the air, releasing her hold only to rear up with a thrust kick to the chin - carrying the ninja a little higher and a lot harder. "YAAAH!"
COMBATSYS: Guy dodges Chun-Li's Strong Throw.
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Chun-Li 0/-------/----===|=====--\-------\0 Guy
[OOC] Guy says, "You have no idea how nervous slow attacks from you make me."
Guy's frown deepens a bit in his face. That fireball was by no means slow, and yet Chun-Li's proven herself just as fast. It's quite an impressive feat, the method in which she got out of the way, and then immediately turning it into an attack? It's not bad at all. Mind, Guy didn't expect anything less. However, in this case, the ninja won't be so easy to catch.
Tucking himself into a tight ball, as small as he can make himself, Guy actually throws himself forward just as Chun-Li comes at him, passing between her legs in a roll. Stopping proves slightly more difficult that he hoped on the ice, as when he emerges from it he skids a small distance, unable to immediately spring back toward her. That unique moment of attack lost, Guy pauses for a moment, considering.
It's not a long moment, but it might be enough, all things considered. Using the ice to his advantage, just as she did moments ago, Guy takes a step forward and launches himself at Chun-Li's ankles in a slide, leading with one of his bright red sneakers.
COMBATSYS: Chun-Li interrupts Medium Kick from Guy with Medium Throw.
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Chun-Li 0/-------/--=====|=======\=------\1 Guy
"Hmph." Her kiai becomes a light grunt as Chun-Li finds her pale fingers clutching only frost-bitten air. There's no displeasure in the sound, far from it - this is exactly the fight she needed to take her mind off the recent burden placed upon her. A rematch against a man vying to become her equal in speed and grace. All he needs are the hair buns. Though perhaps his manner of attack could also do with a little work, as his momentary hesitation is more than enough for the Tai Chi mistress to spin about to face him, lips curling downward as she frowns in concentration. Timing her movements...
There! Dropping low as Guy slides in, a fraction of a second after his foot would connect with her powerful legs, she reaches out to briefly grip his ankle and haul the man around upon the ice. As he slides sidelong, she reaches with the other hand to reassert the intended grapple upon his gi, getting a firm hold of the material before twisting her body to the right, sending the Bushin master into sharp contact with the glacier. Face first. Kapow.
Chun-Li does not hang around long after executing this well-planned set of motions, dancing back away from the recovering man with all effort focused upon ignoring the bruise welling up at her own ankle. His strikes hurt when they connect, and even that clipping blow could prove pivotal at some point to come. Not now, though. Now she raises her guard, watches, and waits.
Happily for Chun-Li, she doesn't have long to wait. Though he's surprised when she grabs him and sends him into the ice (at least the cold will keep the swelling down), he's quick to recover. Sure, it hurts, and rather badly at that, but Guy's starting to warm up, now. As far as he's concerned, the fight up to this point was just practice. Considering how it's gone so far, is it any wonder that he's eager to put it behind him and focus on what's to come? It's a shame his body won't let him forget entirely, but he's only human.
Shoving off of the ice, Guy whirls about toward Chun-Li, using the momentum gained for just a little bit of extra oomph. He's on his feet running in an instant, refocused on the task at hand. He's tried dancing around like a fairy, giving light, probing attacks, and it's not working. Therefore, he's Going For It. Crouching down, letting the slippery ice carry him forward, Guy leaps. His foot is outstretched, the sneaker whirling away from Chun-Li, but his swift rotation bring it smashing back in from the other direction, angled upward with his own ascent. He whirls about twice more, each time trying to bring Chun-Li upward with him, but it's all dependant on that first hit.
COMBATSYS: Chun-Li dodges Guy's Bushin Senpuu Kyaku.
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Chun-Li 0/-------/--=====|=======\=------\1 Guy
[OOC] Guy figured it would happen, but he had to try, damn it!
A great deal of pressure to place upon a single, rotational swipe of the leg. And the waiting woman is more than ready to crush any hope it carries, her tightly muscled form flowing around the strike in a parallel of its own motion, a flash of blue-white material streaking around with the first rotation. It's almost impossibly graceful to those viewing the bout, and the announcer finds time to spout a burst of hype, his words likely not mattering one iota to the combatants, but to the fans? Many are going wild. Chun-Li may be coming out by far the favourite, but some of the spots are making this fight more spectacular than the simple 'wash and go' of their first meeting.
After making her evasion, the world's strongest woman is far from being done. A brief sidelong glance is shot to the rising Master of Bushin, and a faint smile emerges along with a light expulsion of breath from her nose. This should be interesting. Spinning away from Guy, she breaks into a three-step sprint with breathtaking speed, whirling about at its end to /hurl/ herself into a spinning backward leap, rotating her form fully around and then extending a single leg with deceptively powerful grace.
"HEEEEEEE!" The cry breaks through chilled lips as Chun-Li flies to meet the man before he can set back down to earth, aiding his momentum with her bone-crushing kick aimed to the collarbone. Should the shinobi fail to mount an effective defence - something that would no doubt thrill the crowd to the quick - he'll be sent down for another punishing meeting with Mr. Glacier.
COMBATSYS: Guy interrupts Strong Kick from Chun-Li with Bushin Hassou Ken.
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Chun-Li 1/------=/=======|==-----\-------\0 Guy
It's a tragedy. An expected tragedy, but a tragedy nonetheless. With his foot kicking the ass of only thin air, it seems Guy's wasted a bit of his time. Somehow, he'll manage to move on and cope with the heartache, surely. For now, however, he'll just put all that aside for now because Chun-Li is swiftly coming back at him to the roaring of the crowded ships. This, clearly, will not do.
As it happen, she's just a moment too late to keep Guy from landing, if you can call it that. The tip of his toe touches the ice, his sneakers keeping him from unduly slipping. That's all he needs, as in a split second, Guy is leaping up and forward at at Chun-Li. Her outstretched leg meet him before his bunched up fists can meet her, but the blow isn't full. The ninja manages to shift just enough to let it slide off, continuing his forward momentum. The first punch is enough to lift Chun-Li just a little ways off her feet. The second, less than a half-second later, is enough to carry her a little further. Each successive punch, coming in a blur, is enough to bring the world's strongest woman up a little bit higher, until both she and Guy are at a respectable height; then with one last punch, he sends her smashing downward toward the ice.
Guy gets his action replay moment, and Chun-Li finds herself taken utterly by surprise, the meat of her strike landing with reasonable weight behind it but so much more following in underneath - to strike the powerful Chinese woman repeatedly and with full strength, her form carried higher into the air with each successive portion of the assault until she is finally released in a seizure-inducing flicker of motion. She becomes a streak in the air briefly, before forming an impacted crater upon the surface of the glacier, steam rising up with the heated force unleashed by the shinobi. The crowd goes wild.
"Nngh..." It takes some time for the pained beauty to do anything likewise, however, as she simply lies still for several long moments, spread-eagled in the jagged hole made by her collision with the hard ice. Eventually she does pick herself up, but only into a tense half-crouch, fingers of one hand brushing the floor to steady her should she stumble once more. There is no stumbling to come forth however; Chun-Li remains still and focused, regathering her breath as she watches Guy through slightly narrowed eyes. No words, no compliments.. except those given by the intensity of her gaze upon him.
COMBATSYS: Chun-Li focuses on her next action.
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Chun-Li 1/------=/=======|==-----\-------\0 Guy
For his part, that took rather a lot out of Guy. It's no easy thing to do, and considering the way Chun-Li hits? He's not feeling too hot right now. He's somewhat impressed with how effective his attack was, however. Putting Chun-Li down like that, even for a little while, is no easy fear. In fact, it's a small mercy that Chun-Li isn't pressing the attack. He's certain that if she wanted, she would be able to spring out of that small indentation and attack, but with her just watching? It speaks of tragedy to come, but for now it's welcome.
Mind, Guy has no intention at all of allowing Chun-Li to simply take her time. After a moment to see that she's considering the situation, Guy goes into a sprint at her. It's tricky on the ice, but the Bushin-ryu practictioner knows full-well how to control himself. Once the gap is closed, Guy throws out a small kick at Chun-Li's ankle. It's not much, but dealing with it is complicated due to the fact that Guy's not stopping. His feet have ceased to move, but the single foot he's standing on is still sliding forward. Certainly, hijinx of some sort will ensue.
COMBATSYS: Chun-Li fails to interrupt Light Kick from Guy with Tenshin Shuu Kyaku.
-* CRITICAL HIT! *-
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Chun-Li 1/-----==/=======|===----\-------\0 Guy
Chun-Li does exactly as she did earlier in the bout; she waits and watches, timing her motions to come in close synchronisation with anything the Bushin master might throw her way. Concentration is trickier than normal in the chill air, within such bizarre surroundings, but this far her mind and body have not failed her. The time has come. As Guy swings forward in his deceptive strike, the world's strongest woman tenses her form to cut into an arc'ing leap overhead, aiming to come down with a similarly powered knee to the back of the shinobi's neck. But... he beats her to the draw, the ice adding a burst of speed she has not accounted for, and the tension of her form even works against her - so with a faint cry of pain the Chinese beauty is launched back to the glacier's edge, and over it...
Only the quick slamming down of a palm saves her, fingertips gripping deep into the firm ice to cement a hold that lasts /barely/ long enough for the woman to haul herself back onto solid footing, breath coming in heavy gasps and gaze briefly unfocused. "...nicely done..." she murmurs to her opponent, hastily raising her guard and fighting to retrieve her mindset.
If he's at all remorseful over nearly sending Chun-Li into the drink, Guy is showing a speck of it. He's here to fight, not to coddle his opponent. Hanging back for a moment, watching to see if he really did just kick her as improbably hard as it seems, wary of a trap, it only takes Chun-Li hanging off the edge to convince him that she's not faking. That's the moment he begins to come at her again, advancing cautiously this time, walking so that he doesn't accidentally go over the edge himself.
A curt nod is offered to Chun-Li's compliment, but the ninja's movement doesn't stop. He's not here for a pleasant chat, either, as should be obvious by the fact that they're on a damn glacier. Nobody chats on glaciers. Evidently, however, people do kick the hell out of each other on glaciers, because that's what Guy attempts once again, lashing out with a kick that's almost identical to the last one that sent Chun-Li flying, except with the other leg and without the icy sliding.
COMBATSYS: Chun-Li interrupts Light Kick from Guy with Tenshou Kyaku.
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Chun-Li 1/--=====/=======|=======\-------\0 Guy
There is one other subtle difference to the last attempt. Chun-Li is once more waiting, her arms raised to defensive positions about her torso and feet firmly set to the floor when the last of the adrenaline-induced shaking subsides. The change then? This time, she is undoubtedly prepared, and Guy's kick barely makes contact on a woman who drops to a crouch, sliding a short way on the blue-white surface before launching herself up toward Guy with a one-handed shove. "TENSHOU KYAKU!"
Her right foot slams into the man's chin, carrying him a good three feet into the air, but the attack is far from over. The over-extended shinobi is game for two more strikes, which are delivered from alternating legs and with gracefully pneumatic turns of the beauty's hips. The third and final kick is enough to launch her opponent twenty feet or more, and gives her the momentum required to flip head over heels, in a steady passage back to the ground.
Landing surely, guard snapping up in an instant, the Strongest Woman in the World seems well and truly back in the flow of action, despite the bruises covering her body and the ache beginning to seep into her limbs. Guy really has improved; she is working hard, and only barely coming out on top.
See Guy. See Guy get kicked in the face. See Guy get kicked in the face a couple more times. See Guy fly over the glacier like a pretty birdy. He does, indeed, soar a good twenty feet after that last kick, flipping about in an attempt to land in a crouch with the aid of his arm, but frankly it's a bit much for him. His arms gives out and he crashes to the ice, skidding a good distance toward the other end of the glacier. He recovers in enough time to keep from going off the edge, pushing himself up to his feet, but it's far too close for his comfort and peace of mind.
He's faced with a decision, then. Go charging all the way back across the ice to attack Chun-Li again, or just hang tight and try to recover a little bit. At the moment, he thinks he'll just let Chun come to him. Those kicks really take a lot out of a man, and frankly his entire body feels like a bruise. Breathing heavily, Guy just holds his ground at the edge of the ice and waits.
COMBATSYS: Guy takes a breather.
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Chun-Li 1/--=====/=======|=======\-------\0 Guy
...so he's heavily damaged, a shinobi incapable of further movement for the time being. Strangely enough, this prompts a smile from the Strongest Woman in the World, a light entering her gaze that was not present for a single instant in their last battle. For Guy still to be standing shows an immense improvement in the already formidable Bushin-ryuu practicioner, and he now stands valid testament to the style he alone keeps alive. But none of this is voiced. Nothing is said, not yet.
Instead, Chun-Li starts forward at the same fast stride she used at the start of this curiously situated bout, her sneakered feet tearing up the slick ground with alarming and deceptive speed. It seems both an age and an instant before she stands merely four feet from Guy, smile faded from her lips. A frown is given as she pauses, dipping her chin down as she offers a slow nod to the waiting man. He's just outside of striking distance, and still she has nothing to say - and seemingly not a thing to offer in assault, either. At least, until a second later.
"HOUYOKU SEN!" The cry comes out of nowhere, loud and clear, a clarion call for the rush of motion that follows. Ribbons flicker out behind Chun-Li as she launches herself forward off one leg, landing directly in front of the ninja to rock back with the first of many kicks, a clattering round of strikes set to stagger him and set up for what follows; a rotation of her form, to land upon the opposite leg and deliver an identical flurry from that previously set to the floor. There's one last swinging motion of her body, and she drops down low inside the tumbling man's guard to rear up in a demolishing thrust kick to the chin - its force enough to crush the jaw of all but the most hardy of men.
COMBATSYS: Chun-Li successfully hits Guy with Houyoku Sen.
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Chun-Li 0/-------/------=|=======\=====--\1 Guy
[OOC] Guy :(
Looking back on those days, in an unusual moment of reflection as he waits for Chun-Li, perhaps because of her approach, Guy has to marvel at how different his approach to fighting was. Back then, everything was about speed and trying to get out of the way. Now...now it's still about speed, but Guy knows that sometimes you have to take hits to give them. It's with a rising sense of anticipation that Guy waits. Coming to his feet as Chun nears, he's prepared to take whatever she can dish out, and then show her that he can do even better than that.
She begins to kick - he takes a step forward, the kicks just barely reaching his chest, ramming into him again and again. Another step forward, and she repeats it with the other leg. One more step forward, and he's almost close enough, weathering the innumberable kicks, ready to unleash everything he has left in him. And then that final kick comes crashing in, lifting him off his feet, sending him soaring backward, limp, into the water below. He splashes. After a few moments, the water is still. What has come of Guy?
And then the glacier begins to rumble. Thin fractures appears in varying parts of it, as the ice snaps and cracks in angry defiance of whatever is befalling it. Abruptly, then, Guy /erupts/ from the ice behind Chun-Li with an uppercut and a blinding white flash of light. He normally doesn't do this, but he's already punching and kicking in a fury, before he's even exactly sure that Chun-Li is where he thinks she is. He's moving too fast for him to be sure, exactly, of where he's striking, and besides which he's not entirely concious at this point, so if she's not, he doesn't even notice. The only thing that exists is this motion, and whiteness in his mind. This is Guy's last hurrah, before he's willing to concede defeat.
COMBATSYS: Guy has reached second wind!
COMBATSYS: Chun-Li dodges Guy's Bushin Musou Renge.
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Chun-Li 0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0 Guy
Chun-Li unfolds from her final, dramatic blow to suck in a slow breath, gaze flickering down to the waters that now seem to hold the Bushin master hostage. A concerned frown is on her brow by the time her fogged mind tells her exactly what has just occurred, and with a quick couple of steps the woman makes her way to the very edge of the glacier. To dive, or not to dive? The conclusion is to wait just a moment, in hope that the skilled warrior will surface, alive and awake, and prevent any possibility of tragedy. This conclusion is rewarded with an almost immediate response, as the very surface underfoot begins to tremor and crack.
"...!" Chun-Li's expression is priceless, eyes widening as she spins around in shock, her hands raising with intent to guard whatever is causing this - until logic gets the better of her, assuring her nothing this large can be defeated with a simple block or parry. What is this incredible force? The answer comes soon enough, as the Bushin master erupts in the face of the Chinese beauty, who barely reacts in time, hurling herself bodily into a backflip, hands slamming down at the edge of the partially destroyed glacier to hold her firm. The flip becomes a handstand, her eyes scanning the now upside-down ninja as he rockets overhead nearby.
"Hm." Eyes narrowing in the deepest concentration, Chun-Li watches carefully for the very instant her attack is likely to see just reward, before twisting her powerful form about with a thrust from her arms, legs snapping out to either side. The motion causes her to begin moving forward, and with a familiar cry she surges into a tornado of energetic kicks, spinning around and around as she heads in toward her landing opponnet... "SPINNING BIRD KICK!"
COMBATSYS: Guy dodges Chun-Li's Spinning Bird Kick.
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Chun-Li 0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0 Guy
Well, maybe it wasn't as much of a last hurrah as it seemed. Guy was about ready to go down, but after that display, with all of that chi surging through his body with nowhere to go, well. It has a revitalizing effect, you could say. Guy's not actually healthier, he's just pumped. Adrenaline is rushing through him for this fight in a way that puts whatever thrill he might have been feeling before to shame. This is the real deal - for a moment, it's like time slows for him. He can see Chun-Li, spinning upsidedown as if she were swimming.
With a lick of his lips, tasting the salt of the sea on them, Guy steps forward toward Chun-Li, forward and to the side. Just as it seems she's going to kick his face, he leans. Her foot brushes his cheek - that's all. He can feel it, but no damage is dealt. It's the absolute minimal dodge that Guy could manage, and then Chun-Li is past him and so is the rush. He's not feeling exactly perky right now, but Guy knows that Chun-Li is hurting to. He has to take her down - this is his second chance, and he doesn't intend to waste it. Spinning about to follow her, Guy pushes forward, and in a spray of water whirls, bringing his foot around in a roundhouse aimed at Chinese woman's midsection.
COMBATSYS: Chun-Li blocks Guy's Medium Kick.
[ \\\\\\\\ < > //////// ]
Chun-Li 0/-------/-----==|==-----\-------\0 Guy
Dodged. Evaded. Whiffed. Chun-Li spins past Guy in something of a crazy whirl - her trademark manuever lacking quite its usual level of grace, for more than one reason. Not only is the woman feeling the degrading effect of muscle fatigue but she is focusing herself on making a landing on something /other/ than a nasty fissure in the surface of the glacier. Getting one's foot stuck at this stage, or tumbling down into a small ravine, would be nothing less than a devastating certainty of defeat. So instead, she has the concentration to tumble down into a crouch on an expanse of uncut ice, only wobbling slightly as she lands, before rising to her feet.
"Ngh!" Her light grunt comes forth with the snapping up of an arm, to meet the very sudden kick to her midriff with an open palm that catches the blow and negates the bulk of the damage. Teeth clench hard, and the woman thrusts herself forward toward the airborne Guy, to meet his face with a quick elbow strike from her opposite arm. It's rather more brutal than the Tai Chi mistress might usually go for, but proven and effective... provided she can hold the determined warrior still long enough to land the attack.
COMBATSYS: Guy fails to interrupt Medium Punch from Chun-Li with Houzantou.
[ \\\\\\\\ < > /// ]
Chun-Li 0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0 Guy
An incoming elbow strike? Guy can see that Chun-Li is exhausted, and rightfully so - one could easily call this a match of stamina. She's been going hard, and if his moves aren't slowed, well. It's more out of sheer stubborness than thing else. That doesn't account for luck, however.
Ducking down and spinning, a small crack opens up under Guy's foot. It's not large enough for him to fall into or anything as equally crippling as that, but it is enough to catch his ankle and keep him completing his attack, leaving him wide open for Chun-Li to strike him full on. Guy goes down to the ground, groaning, yet already stirring to get back up onto his feet. 'Down but not out' would be a rather relevant saying to this situation.
Chun-Li staggers after pitching Guy to the floor, hands falling limply to her sides and head swimming briefly with a wave of exhaustion. This has been quite the match - hardly the brief, focused working over she gave in the bout of last year, but instead a battle of near-equals in every respect. Enough so that she finds herself similarly unable to move for the moment, sucking in two deep breaths to steady herself before turning her weary gaze upon the shinobi at her feet. Still down? Good.
"Hah... hah..." Still breathing hard and heavy, the Chinese beauty bends down to get a firm grip upon the man's shoulders, quickly moving to straddle his slumped form and then pausing, just for a moment, to steady herself. "I hate to end it like this, but..." Words dying in a gasp, she closes her eyes and gives the Bushin master a shove forward into the ice, at the same moment dropping down onto him with an extended knee to the kidney. "...hah!"
It's hardly epic, hardly interesting, but she has nothing left to give.
COMBATSYS: Guy blocks Chun-Li's Light Kick.
[ \\\\\\\\ < > // ]
Chun-Li 0/-------/----===|====---\-------\0 Guy
Really, it's sort of miraculous that Guy is still actually standing at this point. He's put so much effort forth into this fight already that most men would have long ago been face down on the ice. Come to think, Guy might have been one of those men a year or so ago. Who knows?
It's a largely irrelevant question, though, because Guy is not the man he once was. The last time he fought Chun-Li, it just wasn't possible for him to go this hard in a fight. Now, he's looking half dead and bedraggled, and working as hard as he can to fight Chun-Li off. She may rest on him for a moment, but Guy responds by twisting with the force, at once coming free of the ice and making sure Chun-Li's knee doesn't impact his body very hard. Down on his back, now, Guy pushes himself up to a sitting position, rocks forward onto his feet in a crouch, and then tries to deck Chun-Li while she's all staggered.
COMBATSYS: Chun-Li fails to interrupt Medium Punch from Guy with Tenshin Shuu Kyaku.
- Power hit! -
[ \\\ < > // ]
Chun-Li 0/-------/---====|====---\-------\0 Guy
[OOC] Chun-Li says, "Haha. x.x"
Chun-Li is thrown off exactly as Guy intends. Her vision and thoughts are moving in a blur now, and it's all she can do not to simply buckle under the blow that comes her way in what seems a fraction of an instant, the woman indeed still attempting to recover. But she has a lot more left than anyone might imagine; including herself. Surprising all watching, and laying ruin to her own disbelief, the Chinese beauty moves to hurl herself over Guy's extended fist, eyes wide and breath nothing but a rasp.
Whatever she was planning fails, and in mid-leap Chun-Li is caught with the blow, which sinks into tensed flesh, before the force of it sends the Tai Chi mistress spinning away in a mess of limbs, bouncing twice on isolated towers of ice. Her impact causes further disruption to the form of the glacier, which is shaking violently by the time she lands on her side, too lost in a cloud of pain and confusion to be alerted to the imminent collapse of their battleground.
Guy's come this far, and tired as he may be, he's not about to let up now. He doesn't care what Chun-Li was planning, only that it didn't work. She's on the edge now, he can tell, just as much as he is, and that means it shouldn't take too much more to put her down for the count. Hopefully.
Following up on her flying form, Guy's not moving as fast as he could, maybe, but he's being careful. If he came this far only to lose to the battlefield, well. It would be shameful, to say the least. Picking his way toward Chun-Li, in what may be one of the least dramatic attacks ever, Guy drops to his knees and tries to prop himself up on one fist. One first which is hopefully planted on some part of Chun-Li's head.
COMBATSYS: Chun-Li interrupts Jab Punch from Guy with Tenshin Shuu Kyaku.
COMBATSYS: Chun-Li can no longer fight.
[ <
Guy 0/-------/=======|
If only the Strongest Woman in the World were merely 'on the edge'. She's off it, and clinging on only by the tiniest fraction of a fingernail, clawing her way to consciousness only through a tenacious desire to do her very best - one that matches Guy's own, and with skills that seemingly match him likewise. New and improved, the shinobi is giving her the hardest friendly fight she has had in some time. Ever? Possibly. It certainly feels that way at the moment. But she'll keep trying, until the last.
As his fist comes down toward the dazed beauty's head, there is a brief murmur from Chun-Li. It sounds like 'no' but is vague in the extreme... far more vague is the sudden blur left behind where once was a woman, and Guy's fist is forced toward the glacier's summit. A moment later he's given a burst of pain, as his opponent curves around in the air overhead to cut a graceful summit leading to the extension of one knee and the planting of that knee into the exposed neck of her opponent. The blow crunches nastily on impact, the strike bringing fresh stars even to the eyes of the attacker herself.
Staggering backward as she recovers from the blow, the Tai Chi mistress attempts to manage a small smile to her no doubt similarly stumbled opponent, but it fails as her sneaker catches in an icy rift and subsequently her back slams /hard/ into a jagged outcrop. All consciousness ceases... the end has arrived.
COMBATSYS: Guy takes no action.
COMBATSYS: Guy can no longer fight.
Say what you will about him, Guy's neckmeats are pretty tough. However, it doesn't matter how tough your neckmeats are. When Chun-Li drives her knee into someone's neck, that someone gets hurts.
To put it as simply as possible, Guy crumples. Laying on his side after that one, his vision is blurring, just enough to see Chun-Li smack into the ice and cease her movement. That's enough, really, and Guy just lets his eyes close. At this point, he couldn't move if he tried, so why try at all? He's done what he came here to do - prove to himself that he's improved, as incentive to bring himself to further heights of strength, all for his personal mission.
And then he's out like a light, not even cognizant of the absolute /roaring/ of the crowd watching from the boats.
This does leave the teensy little problem of two unconcious fighters on a big disintegrating ice cube, but soon a couple of people come out to brave the tricky terrain and carry the two off to safety, warmth, and congratulation on a totally awesome fight.
Log created by Guy, and last modified on 08:54:32 12/10/2005.