Description: Rapid river rafting takes on a whole new meaning in this league match. (Winner: Shingo)
A day...like any other day. If one were a fighter. Who just happened to be in the city of Ontario located in the northern country of Canada for one of those fancy Neo League matches. Though, is it really like any other day when if one were one of those fighters participating in today's match they would find themselves about to board a wide wooden raft floating on the bank of a river. Fight enthusiasts and casual on-lookers line the banks as they wait in anticipation for the fight to begin. The whole selling point for this fight, other than it being a Neo League battle, is that the two fighters are on top of the raft battling it out as it floats down the river. The catch? The river ends at Niagara Falls. The question is will they be able to finish the fight in time?! Or will the impending rapids cast them both overboard into the cold winter waters?! Only one way to find out!
Shingo has already boarded the raft and is just doing some last minute stretches to make sure he's fully limbered up for this fight. He knows his opponent is going to be tough and so is preparing himself. That and running through his head over and over again how he's -not- going to be the first one in the river. Since the first one in automatically loses. The rapids further down making it next to impossible for most to get back onto the raft once they fall over. Now he just has to wait for Kim Jae Hoon to join him.
It's cold. Jae Hoon knows this -- and if there's one thing he's learned from books on the human body, athletics, his own training in martial arts, consultation with a sports medicine professional, personal experimentation, and consultation with the internet, it's this: The body doesn't function best when cold. It requires a warm-up. Jae Hoon has been set about this, jogging across a considerable length of Canadian (and for a brief stint New York) forest on his way to the scene of the fight. It's a fast jog -- a sprint for a normal, non-fighter -- but it's done what he's asked it do in terms of getting his blood flowing.
And here he comes, with a track jacket thrown over his torso (white, with the Korean flag stitched on the back) and bounding towards the edge of the river, towards the raft. Right to the edge of the river, in fact, where he goes for a lengthy leap, crossing twelve or so feet after his sprint before landing right atop the wooden raft, which bobs a bit under the newfound wait. Jae Hoon's jacket flutters in the wind and lands in a tree somewhere, where the camera crews go and grab it. Hitting the raft in a crouched position, Jae Hoon, sweating slightly from his forehead, pops up onto the balls of his feet, doing a few quick stretches as he addresses his opponent. "Okay, I'm here! Sorry if I'm a little late -- I'm all set to go!" It's a quick transition from there to a fighting stance, all of the tension and excitement of his jog (and the studying he's done on his opponent before the fight) pay off. Now's where everything begins. "Come on! I'll give you my best shot!"
COMBATSYS: JaeHoon has started a fight here.
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JaeHoon 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: JaeHoon focuses on his next action.
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JaeHoon 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Shingo has joined the fight here.
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JaeHoon 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Shingo
When Jae lands on the raft and it bobs Shingo steadies himself. It would be extremely uncool if he were to fall off the raft before the fight even got started. He blinks at the Tae Kwan Do fighter and instantly pulls out his notebook...from somewhere. "This guy! Note! Note!" Why is he doing this? Why it's because as far as he can remember this is his first time actually encountering Jae in the 'ring', so to speak. And Shingo is all about taking notes on every fighter he faces. When he's done he nods and grins to the Kim and follows suit.
Normally he would be all about coming in at Jae Hoon with his best techniques, but this is a different battlefield. He really can't afford to be as reckless as he can tend to be on this huge chunk of floating wood. Especially now that they've been cast off and are on their way down towards the most well known waterfalls in North America. Shingo holds his stance and thinks on some strategy.
COMBATSYS: Shingo focuses on his next action.
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JaeHoon 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Shingo
Jae Hoon raises his knee to his chin, balancing on one foot -- a bare foot, notably, and despite the motion of the river he has little difficulty remaining upright, even on one limb as he is. His eyes, too, seal on Shingo's, waiting for either a moment to strike or a cue that he should react. He, too, is taking notes -- notes in his head, that is--
Nevermind, that's not important. Now's the time. Regardless of the cause, Jae Hoon makes his first move, closing on his opponent with two sharp movements forward and straight into Shingo's range. He remains there for only a split second, however, drifting and weaving to the side before he leaps right back, retreating... only, the moment he "retreats", his foot actually propels itself right into Shingo's jaw, an intentional surprise with more than a bit of power behind it.
COMBATSYS: Shingo blocks JaeHoon's Light Kick.
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JaeHoon 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Shingo
It may be meant as a surprise but that's not exactly how it all plays out. Shingo has seen fights involving Kim Kaphwan and May Lee. Enough to know how their particular brand of Tae Kwan Do works. It's mostly all kicks. So Shingo watches Jae's feet anticipating the next attack; his hands ready. Ready enough that as the quick kick targets his jaw it is easily stopped by Shingo catching the foot in one hand. His other hand used for balance as he swipes out with a leg at Jae Hoon's supporting foot to knock the young man to the 'floor' first. Of course this will get the raft bobbing again. But it's wide enough that it's not easily flipped over. Yay.
COMBATSYS: Shingo successfully hits JaeHoon with Strong Kick.
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JaeHoon 0/-------/---====|=------\-------\0 Shingo
Jae Hoon is hit with the approximate force of a runaway train on steroids. Jae Hoon's entire body is whipped backwards by the force of Shingo's insane hit, enough to send him rolling across the floor of the raft until he lands for a moment, sucking in breath and trying to recover some sense of who he is and what year it is. Okay. Now, he's back on track. Jae Hoon plants his hands against the ground, launching himself straight into the air and pushing the raft down onto one side with the force -- it's an attempt to unbalance Shingo, because the moment he reaches the apex of his leap the TKD ace is propelled immediately downwards like a shot, his leg blazing with flame as he looks to make contact on his foe.
COMBATSYS: Shingo counters Hishou Kyaku from JaeHoon with Tsuki Hiji.
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JaeHoon 0/-------/--=====|==-----\-------\0 Shingo
If it's any consolation for Jae Hoon, he did succeed in caushing Shingo go lose his balance. The force of the TKD fighter pushing down on the raft to propel himself upward coupled with the increasing rapids of the river cause Shingo to wobble as he struggles to get his balance. So much so that it even looks like he's about to get nailed by the descending kick of flame from his opponent. Unfortunately for the Korean, losing his balance was actually a boon to Shingo. How? Well for one it has him rocking with the raft so much that he inadvertedly ducks backwards out of the way and his own legs fly up to smack Jae Hoon out of air with a kick and a loud cry of, "GECCHU!" Right before he hits the raft himself.
Never let it be said that Jae Hoon backed down in the face of danger. When Shingo hits him a /second/ time, the young fighter doesn't spend more than a split second on the mat before he comes right back up onto his feet. But this time, his maneuver is entirely different. His feet are doing most of the talking, that's for sure, but this time Jae Hoon makes the attempt to pull one of his feet under Shingo's arm part and push him forcefully across the surface of the raft. The dragging is what's doing the damage, and the foothold that Shingo provides will get Jae Hoon right back up onto his feet -- before his opponent, if all goes well.
COMBATSYS: Shingo blocks JaeHoon's Quick Throw.
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JaeHoon 0/-------/-======|===----\-------\0 Shingo
Finding a foot placed under his arm usually means that he's in for some trouble. Trouble is usually painful. Except in this case. When Jae plants his foot there and attempts to slide him across the raft Shingo grabs a hold of the Korean's leg and holds on tight. Hopefully spoiling the plans of doing max damage to Shingo. After all it's kind of hard to move one's leg when someone else are holding onto it tightly. When it's all over Yabuki grins widely and twists his body while still on the raft and holding onto Jae's leg attempts to slam him face first onto the mat and hard.
COMBATSYS: JaeHoon just-defends Shingo's Quick Throw!
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JaeHoon 0/-------/-======|===----\-------\0 Shingo
Jae Hoon hits the "mat" -- but not in the way that Shingo intended. Not at all. Hoon hits the floor and then rolls with the punch and the motion of the river entirely, springing backwards with perfect timing and escaping Shingo without any injury. "You've got great technique -- you work hard on becoming as good as you are, I can tell! I've got an eye for hard work, you know..." Still rolling backwards, Jae Hoon stops himself and then launches forward, whirling ahead in a circle as he drops one foot -- a foot that bursts into an inferno of orange and red flame -- down onto the still-prone Shingo's gut. "HANGETSU ZAN!"
COMBATSYS: Shingo fails to counter Hangetsu Zan from JaeHoon with Tsuki Hiji.
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JaeHoon 0/-------/=======|=====--\-------\0 Shingo
Laying on what could be considered the ground doesn't necessarily mean that Shingo is prone. Only reason he's still there is because he has a trick up his sleeve. Jae Hoon will be made aware of it soon enough as the other fighter brings his flaming heel kick down on him. What Shingo does is lift one bent arm up to knock the kick away with an elbow and then drive the shin of his right leg into the side of Jae's head. And it would've worked too had the attack not been faster than he expected. A large amount of air is expelled from the blow and dazes Shingo for a moment.
Jae Hoon rolls backwards again, but remains on the ground, his palms pressing against the floor of the raft to push himself back into Shingo, where he wraps his own legs -- and the power and flexibility there is immediately apparent and striking -- around his opponents, attempting to snare Shingo in a sort of... figure-eight, for lack of a better term. Almost immediately, Jae Hoon turns over, looking to twist Shingo's legs around and apply painful pressure to both of his femurs. "This one--" he grunts, "--I learned from television!"
COMBATSYS: Shingo counters Medium Throw from JaeHoon with Tsuki Hiji.
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JaeHoon 1/------=/=======|=======\-------\0 Shingo
Shingo won't be allowing that to happen Jae Hoon! For just as he springs forward at Shingo intent on putting him in a type of leg lock the former recovers from his dazed state just in the nick of time to roll out of the way to the side, onto his feet and right beside Jae Hoon to slam the Korean back onto the floor of the raft; causing it to rock some more as it goes with the ever increasing flow of the river, "Hiji Otoshi!" Can they really end this fight before they get to Niagara Falls?!
Jae Hoon is on his feet in a flash -- both heels digging into the floor with the pressure and dedication of a fighter who is refusing to give in. "That's a heck of a technique you have, there--" he announces with eyes keen on what Shingo did. "The ability to shut down any offense... I'd kill for something like that. But I'll have to settle for defeating that technique," he declares, and launches himself at Shingo with a kick barrage of blows -- one, two, one, two -- all within the space of a split second. "With my own!"
COMBATSYS: Shingo blocks JaeHoon's Shakka Shuu.
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JaeHoon 1/-------/=======|=======\-------\1 Shingo
So...how does Jae Hoon intend on defeating Shingo's Tsuki Hiji if he doesn't use it? But then if Shingo doesn't use his Moon Elbow it could be said that it effectively has been defeated. Quite a quagmire. Of course none of that is going through Yabuki's head. He's instead focused on this match and enjoying the fight. Each one of Jae Hoon's kicks blocked with Shingo using his hands to absorb the impact from each hit instead of having his body do all the work. The effort causing Shingo to slide back slightly.
He grins sheepishly and rubs his head, "Heheheh. Well, not any offense. It's not really perfect or anything. But it works in a pinch! It's something I picked up from Kusanagi-san!" Now that he has revealed the secret behind his counter technique it's time to show Jae Hoon the other techniques that make up his adopted fighting style. "KURAE!" Shingo pivots backward on one foot and instantly comes back around with a devious hook punch right for Jae's upper-body. If he's good enough he can react before it hits. If not...oh well.
COMBATSYS: Shingo successfully hits JaeHoon with Dokugami Mikansei.
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JaeHoon 1/---====/=======|=======\-------\0 Shingo
Jae Hoon is getting his ass kicked -- hardly a surprise, as it's part of what he's gotten used to taking. But he's not above giving a little bit in return, either. As Shingo strikes him, Jae Hoon attempts to use the powerful punch that Shingo delivers to his advantage. Now, more than ever, his opponent is pushing forward, and that momentum can be used to his advantage. If he can get the timing right. Jae Hoon recoils from the blow, attempting to crouch and get his back under Shingo's torso to lift him straight up into the air, even as he falls backwards the blow, and send Shingo soaring on his own speed and momentum.
COMBATSYS: Shingo endures JaeHoon's Strong Throw.
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JaeHoon 1/--=====/=======|=======\=------\1 Shingo
The interesting thing is that if Jae Hoon is paying attention he would notice that Shingo didn't offer any resistance at all to being grabbed and then thrown through the air and almost off the edge of the raft. It would've been anti-climatic if he had simply fallen off. Especially if he went through the effort of letting Jae get so close to him.
Shingo twists his body in the air to alter his trajectory and land on the raft with the currents nipping at his heels, "Oomph! That was a good throw!" Shingo gives a thumbs-up and then lances forward at his opponent, "Now prepare yourself for my Flaming Phoenix Forger!" He crosses the distance quickly and gets in low to jam his shoulder right into Jae Hoon's gut with a loud battle cry of, "Oriyaaaaaa!"
COMBATSYS: Shingo successfully hits JaeHoon with Ge Shiki - Kake Hourin.
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JaeHoon 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|=------\-------\0 Shingo
"Your /what/?!" Jae Hoon barks, apparently unimpressed and cringing as Shingo comes towards him. This isn't going to go well. ANd it doesn't -- but it doesn't throw Jae Hoon off the raft, either. The fighter is pushed to the very edge of the thing by the immense power of Shingo's blow, sliding to a sudden halt... where he stops. Huff. Huff. Right. ... Now it's time to get this over with. Jae Hoon locks his eyes on the opponent across from him, and then... he moves, attempting to make singular contact with his foe before the last of his 'fight' goes out like a candle.
COMBATSYS: JaeHoon can no longer fight.
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Shingo 0/-------/------=|
COMBATSYS: JaeHoon successfully hits Shingo with Chou Hou'ou Kyaku.
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Shingo 0/-------/-======|
There. Alright. Jae Hoon starts kicking. And kicking. And kicking. With one kick, Kim Jae Hoon sends his opponent skyward, following him straight up with a sequence of upwards kick. Here, Shingo should smell something familiar -- ozone burning, as Jae Hoon's kicks begin to spark and flare. Not from electricity, but from a rising tide of flames that erupts from his constant, upward kicks. "Good fight -- but no son of Kim... will /ever/... /ever/... finish a fight without giving his opponent something to remember him by!" At the very peak of the two fighters' upward climb, Jae Hoon kicks straight -down- with one mid-air axe kick that blazes with the heat of an inferno, sending Shingo down towards the raft with enough power to shatter the wooden vessel like tissue paper.
The heat from Jae Hoon's fire chi is felt sure enough but fortunately for Shingo it's nothing like the fires that belong to Kyo Kusanagi. If it was then there would be no way he would have the strength to hold onto part of the raft that just got split in two by his body smashing into it. Thanks to Jae. Way to go. Heaving himself up onto the piece that's just large enough for him to maintain balance on as he watches where Jae is going to land. Hopefully he won't have to dive back into the cold waters to save the guy. What with Neo League staff and rescue watching on the sidelines for any emergency.
COMBATSYS: Shingo takes no action.
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Shingo 0/-------/-======|
COMBATSYS: Shingo has ended the fight here.
Jae Hoon manages to land on the raft, dropping onto one knee in defeat; he's on one half of the thing, anyways, floating away from Shingo with just enough time and energy to issue something of a salute with one fist before he falls over, into the care of the Neo League staff.
Relieved that Jae is in no danger of going over the falls or drowning in the river, Shingo waits for his own aid to come. Which isn't long as a helicopter is soon there to pick up everyone and take them back to safety.
Log created by Shingo, and last modified on 13:01:40 12/18/2005.