Description: Battle of the bishounen! (Winner: Rock)
A lone, shadowed figure stands tall atop the concrete edifice, gazing down at the waters beneath him. The noon sun helps to alleviate the biting winter chill, its warm rays passing through the cloudless blue sky and causing the rippling waves of the Colorado River to gleam with a golden sheen. Amidst the backdrop of both the raw power of nature and the enduring ingenuity of mankind, the lone figure seems small and insignificant -- and witnessing all this power, he must know it. Yet still, he stands tall, poised, and entirely unafraid. Perhaps the Hoover Dam is a strange place for quiet meditation, but for a young man who feels power and passion are divine, experiencing the power of nature and the power of engineering working as one, can be nothing but inspiring. It is perhaps because of this, because of both his understanding and appreciation of the situation, that the tall youth with the elegant and unconsciously adopted pose is made to look powerful rather than weak, enhanced rather than overwhelmed by all this splendor.
Or perhaps it's just because he's very photogenic.
Alma, finally slipping out of his quiet reverie, glances down from his perch and realizes that the cameras are trained on him now, and with a bit of a sheepish smile he drops down from the parapet and back to the center of the dam, to the place where he'll meet his opponent for the first time. White shirt and maroon pants rippling in the wind, unkempt blonde bangs sweeping over eyes shaded by long lashes, golden ear-stud gleaming in the sunlight, Alma Towazu -- psychic prettyboy extraordinaire -- takes a deep breath, and sighs.
Oh, the things boys will do to impress girls.
~ Rock Howard. To think I'm ranked with him. Well, maybe I could've managed to surpass him in points by fighting the right people, but... I don't think that would be right. I'd rather use this opportunity, as a fighter ranked near him, to challenge him. I know I don't have his talent, but if I get in the zone... if I maintain my fighting spirit... ~
He awaits his opponent's approach, mild-faced and composed.
The last fight didn't go all that well for Rock -- not as well as he'd expected, anyways -- and it's done at least a little bit to shake his confidence. To say the least, he's not sure that he's undefeatable anymore. Well, we'll see how that goes. Not far from where the fight has been set up, a train rolled past not too long ago, and on one of the back cars was Rock Howard, traveling to the location of the fight the way he knows how best to do. Besides, he hasn't been paid all that much from his own fighting lately.
Eventually, Rock walks up to the site of the battle, his eyes fixed on his opponent and how... uh... pop star-ish he looks. "Whoa," Rock says, strolling into the "ring". "You're really my opponent? Are you... uh, well, I guess I can't judge by appearances. Alma, right? I'm Rock. Nice to meet you. You ready to do this thing?"
COMBATSYS: Rock has started a fight here.
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Rock 0/-------/-------|
Alma looks up, gaze meeting Rock's eyes, and remains looking rather inscrutible for a few moments before smiling gently, his eyes warming. "That's right. Nice to meet you, too... Rock." He shifts his stance slightly, subtly, as the cameramen settled in key positions on the parapet finish their preparations. His smile widens, winningly. "And I'm as ready as I'll ever be."
~ Goodness gracious, he really *is* beautiful. ~
He exhales once, and feels the flow of battle take hold of him, the boundary his mind constructs between self and other melting away as the rushing, crashing power of the river and the sturdy, indomitable resilience of the dam itself meld together within him, the ambient chi rushing into his empty mind and becoming his own. His aura begins to manifest as a rosy gold halo around his body, and pinkish-purple flames begin to trail up his hands and arms as the referee shouts:
"FIGHT!"
Alma thrusts his palm forward -- "Oosh!" -- and the flames explode around him, now trailing up to his shoulder and turning to a bright white-pink as flames and aura combine. "Please," he says, low tones quiet yet carrying easily, body and face relaxing as his eyes begin to gleam, "do your best."
COMBATSYS: Alma has joined the fight here.
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Alma 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Rock
COMBATSYS: Alma gathers his will.
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Alma 0/-------/---====|-------\-------\0 Rock
Rock runs one hand through his hair as Alma gets started -- though perhaps not a visible start, Rock knows preparedness when he sees it. "Alright, then," he says, eyeing his opponent for a few more seconds. This guy's even worse than Benimaru. Heck, he might even be worse than /he/ is. One has to wonder what the ratings for thing fight are going to work otu tbe for female fighters. "Don't you underestimate me -- and I'll show you the same," he says, "This race to the top -- I'm fine just fighting new opponents, so let's... GO!"
Rock takes off, too, sprinting towards Alma with a curious lack of technique in his charge. In fact, he seems to just be sprinting towards the charging Alma mercilessly, as though preparing to attempt to just out and out bowl his opponent over and throw off his rhythm in that way.
COMBATSYS: Alma blocks Rock's Random Weapon.
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Alma 1/-------/=======|-------\-------\0 Rock
Oof, that's rough. Alma gets his taste of Rock's physical power right away as the unrefined bodyslam hits straight on; but the tall psychic blocks fiercely, emitting another deep-voiced battle cry as his spirit surges up within him and somehow, miraculously, prevents him from sliding back under the voice. He maintains his ground, and as soon as he can recover, lunges in immediately.
He draws his hand back, and it leaves trails of white-pink mist in the air, the water in the air reflecting the vivid lights of his Psycho Power as he summons it into a vibrant coil around his hand -- and he thrusts out, striking point-black near Rock with a raw blast of Alma's very self. The inner fire, projected outward aggressively, glimmers with power and purpose.
"SHA!"
COMBATSYS: Alma successfully hits Rock with Self Expression.
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Alma 1/------=/=======|==-----\-------\0 Rock
Rock is struck -- and it's a weird way of being struck, too. For a few seconds, Rock seems to shudder in the wake of the blast of... whatever it was. But then he looks up, cracking a sharp grin as he resumes his fighting stance. "I get it," he says clearly. "You fight like Megumi. Great. I've been waiting for the opportunity to practice some Anti-Megumi tricks... looks like you're my guinea pig, pal! No offense!" Rock starts to sprint, charging his opponent again. But this time, where he would have just hit him foe like a truck, Rock whips his elbow out in front of him, lurching forward with a blazing elbow directed right into his foe's torso, followed by an attempted palm strike -- laced with chi, too.
"You guys are always tough nuts to crack... so, I'm going to give it my all!"
COMBATSYS: Alma fails to interrupt Hard Edge from Rock with Divine Intervention EX.
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Alma 1/--=====/=======|===----\-------\0 Rock
~ ...oh, man, his all is a lot. ~
Alma attempts to lunge in with a countering blow, but for the first time in his career, someone is actually too fast for it. To his own shock he gets elbowed in the midriff, popping him slightly into the air as he coughs violently, and the palm strike blasts him back several meters through the air. He manages to tuck into a roll and rise with his own momentum, but he looks seriously stunned and disoriented.
That... wasn't supposed to happen.
Rock takes two steps to the side, circling his opponent like a tiger. "Yeah," he says to himself. "You're tough, but... maybe not tough enough, pal! Let's find out--" Rock's fist takes off for Alma's face, and then disappears from sight. But Rock didn't just pull a vanishing attack. A split-second later, he reappears on Alma's other side, moving faster than sight, and driving his fist up into his opponent's side with merciless power. "Come on -- Give me everything you have!"
COMBATSYS: Rock successfully hits Alma with Medium Punch.
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Alma 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|====---\-------\0 Rock
"Nngh!"
Alma suddenly finds himself knocked in a *different* direction, only having just risen out of his crouch as Rock's merciless fist sends him staggering away once again, only barely maintaining his footing and half slumping to one knee, his eyes widened. "I can't even sense him," he whispers, as he wipes his mouth with the back of his hand, leaving a streak of blood upon his knuckles. "How is he so fast that I can't even sense him...?"
But when he looks up, his eyes are determined, and he's smiling, ever so slightly. "You asked for it," he murmurs, and his power blazes around him as, with a roar of fury, he lunges in, and unleashes a technique similiar to his first one, only nearly twice the intensity...
"UUUURYAAHHH!"
In the face of incredible odds, Alma cannot help but grin in defiance.
COMBATSYS: Rock blocks Alma's Absolution.
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Alma 0/-------/-======|=====--\-------\0 Rock
"Crap--" Rock barely has time to gasp before he pulls his arms up over his head, bracing himself for the force of the burst that's coming his way. The Absolution hits him like a wave of power, while Rock tries to do what he can to discard as much of the damage as possible. It's alot, but it's not nearly everything, and when the dust is clear, Rock staggers visibly for a second or two, shaking his head from side to side. "Jeez," he rasps, red eyes locking on Alma. "You've got firepower... So I'm not going to let up and give you the chance!" Rock lunges forward and straight /up/ into the air, dropping from the sky like a missile and training his fist on Alma's forehead as he falls, an angel's wing of indigo chi blossoming from his right shoulder to guide his fall.
COMBATSYS: Alma dodges Rock's Rage Run Dunk.
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Alma 0/-------/-======|=====--\-------\0 Rock
Alma's senses scream at him this time, and in a powerful lunge he just barely shoulder-rolls out of the way as Rock's fist impacts against the concrete of the dam instead. Immediately rising to a crouch, the tall blonde's eyes blaze as he quickly shifts into his fighting stance, wind whipping around him with unusual force as the halo of his aura manifests once again.
~ I have more power than this. I can win, if I can find that power... ~
Alma, expression intent, actually grits his teeth, in an uncharacteristic expression of ferocity, staring down his opponent and awaiting his next move, fighting spirit surging once again.
~ I can win! ~
COMBATSYS: Alma gathers his will.
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Alma 1/-----==/=======|=====--\-------\0 Rock
Rock hits the ground behind Alma as he manages to evade his assault -- damn! Hitting the ground in a crouch, Rock's eyes dart upwards as Alma gathers energy at an alarming rate. If he manages to do what he intends to, it could cause problems for Rock. Big problems. And Rock... is not so much desiring big problems at this stage in the ground. Planting his hands in the ground, Rock sends himself straight up into the belly of the charging beast, whirling like a corkscrew as he is launched upwards. "Rising... TACKLE!"
COMBATSYS: Alma blocks Rock's Rising Tackle.
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Alma 1/-======/=======|====---\-------\0 Rock
Alma can't maintain his ground this time; he goes sliding back from the force of the attack, only able to maintain his stance with a full cross-block, his aura flickering as it absorbs the force and distributes it evenly within his body and into the ground. But his eyes blaze with fury -- not rage or frustration, but pure fury, so pure as to almost be joyous -- and he shoves his opponent away, tearing his arms out of their guard position and immediately lunging in.
"KAAAAAHH!"
Entire body igniting with white-pink flame, Alma blurs forward and begins a series of blazing jabs. If he connects and is able to penetrate Rock's defenses or unbalances him, the attack will shift into a fiercer combination of powerful flaming punches and kicks, finishing with a huge uppercut coupled with an explosion of Psycho Powered flame. If he connects...
COMBATSYS: Rock endures Alma's Destined Duel!
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Alma 0/-------/-======|=======\-------\0 Rock
Rock thrusts one of his hands out to seize Alma's oncoming fury, his body bracing against the power of the Destined Duel. Rock grits his teeth, red eyes focusing as he struggles to get a handle on the immense power that Alma's throwing out. There's no more talking on Rock's part -- only dealing with the situation at hand. "Alright," he roars, at last. "Here I go!" Pushing aside all of Alma's power, Rock launches himself into the breach like a comet, one elbow leading the charge once again as he propels himself with all of his might into his opponent. "But I'm going to finish this fight, one way or another!"
COMBATSYS: Alma fails to interrupt Hard Edge from Rock with Divine Intervention.
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Rock 1/------=/=======|
COMBATSYS: Alma can no longer fight.
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Rock 1/------=/=======|
Alma roars his own fury as Rock closes in at incredible speed, and the psychic charges in himself, hand pulling back and gleaming with power. It's not about winning, now. He knows, quite clearly, that Rock is far more powerful than he. But if he doesn't give it his all... if he doesn't unleash all of his power before he falls...
~ I can wi-- ~
Alma's blast of power is, once again, overcome, and he's sent sailing back, and crashes limply against the wall of the dam. For a moment, he appears to be clearly unconscious. Then, with a sudden lunge, he's back on his feet! He takes a step forward; but the light is suddenly gone from his eyes, and he blinks once, looking disoriented. One leg collapses, and he falls to one knee, whereupon he glances down at said leg, looking bewildered. "Hm?" he grunts, not so much disbelieving as confused, and he turns back to Rock. Alma's eyes, clear and bright before, have grown hazy and bleary.
"Oh," he murmurs. "You're... very strong..."
Then he slumps forward onto his face, and sighs quietly.
~ But I wanted to... show Xiangfei... ~
Rock coasts to a stop, landing on his feet as Alma hits the ground slowly. "Hey," he says, as Alma hits the ground. "You're not too bad yourself." Rock turns, relaxing as Alma hits the floor. "You're pretty strong. I hope you don't turn this into incentive for training hard and coming back for me," he adds, whipping his jacket off and pulling it over one shoulder as the medics pour out onto the arena floor.
"Mnmm," responds the unconscious Alma. "Hehe... Xiangfei..."
Log created by Rock, and last modified on 17:21:55 02/12/2007.