Description: Alma and Yuri duke it out at the Taiyo High Battledome, with nobody less than Takuma and Frei providing background commentary, popcorn, and that scary mask. It might've gone either way, but with a good early start, Alma nurtures his battle momentum... and dominates. (Winner: Alma)
Welcome to Taiyo Arena!
Large, expansive and well-funded. The football field is where Yuri waits - she's been told to meet here, a mysterious league fight to prepare for. The field has a circle drawn out already, something akin to a ring for the girl to fight in. She doesn't _need_ it, but it's a nice little comfort, a bit of order in her day. The retractable portion of the roof is open, spreading sunshine onto the marked - out area, and the sun's warmth is perfect for loosening up muscles, which is what Miss Sakazaki is doing right now! Stretch, one two!
It's good to be out of the hospital.
Idly stopping at the entrance to flex his healed ankle, Alma Towazu, young warrior-model and psychic prettyboy extraordinaire, glances up at sky through the retracted roof. Long eyelashes shading his mild-eyed gaze from the sunlight, the handsome youth grins slightly at the clear sky. Something about the warmth of the day, spiting winter for the sake of sunshine, foretells a spirited fight. And for once, it looks like Alma's intuitions may be right...
With a respectful nod to the cameramen who walk by him to prepare to set up -- at this point, Alma is on a first-name basis with these people -- the tall young man makes his way over to the girl in her preparation phase, unconsciously running a hand through his layered blonde bangs. To be honest, he was hoping it'd be a man. The girls in this tournament are pretty rough. But of course, he'll make the most of what he's got.
"Miss Sakazaki, right?" Alma asks quietly, politely. "I'm Alma Towazu, your opponent. Nice to meet you..." He smiles winningly, and stretches out a copper-toned hand in greeting.
Most of the high school kids have gone home for the weekend, but those that heard about the fight taking place are beginning to file into the stadium, talking amiably amongst each other, to show their support.
There is one figure in the crowd who -really- stands out. Even amongst the weirdoes at Taiyo... none of them wear a karate gi, particularly one that's so... well-worn. Nor are they middle-aged or karate masters. Fortunately, those quotas are all filled by one man. The Man, The Myth, the Legend... Mr. Karate! Or.. Takuma, as he's known in the outside world, the one with the blue sky. Hey, at least it's not Captain Chaos, huh?
"YURI!!" he bellows, from the stands, "If you lose, it will be ten thousand pushups!!!" Of course, even if she -wins-, it'll be ten thousand pushups, but shhhh....
"That's me!"
Spirited indeed! Yuri gives Alma a bright smile, an energetic grin, and then shakes his hand most mightily! Well, not _really_ mightily - she's not superstrong like some. After she pulls her hand back, it goes behind her, absently tugging down the hem of her gi top, and craning her neck to look around. Cameras, ee! She leans in a bit, confidentially, and whispers, ".. Publicity's kinda a scary thing. Getting beat up on TV? Not so much my thing. But it'll be a great fight no matter what!"
She winces as Takuma yells the deterining factor out.. The threat is unmistakable, the wince evidence enough that she's doomed if she loses. She gives Alma an apologetic smile, then shrugs in a 'what can you do?' manner. "Sorry, you heard dad. I have to win! So I'll give it my all."
"And you, young man!" cries Takuma, "If you make any untoward advances towards my daughter, you'll have to answer to me!!!" And -that- means... probably a hundred thousand pushups. With Honda on your back, Alma. Do you really want that? Sweaty sumo ass-crack. It's not a pleasant sight.
Ah, publicity. Well, Alma knows all about that.
"Don't let it get to you," the gentle-voiced young man advises. "Learn to use the cameras. Rather than let them scare you, let the knowledge that the world is watching buoy your fighting spirit, and inspire you to greater heights." He grins openly again. "That's what I had to learn, anyway--"
Enter the crazy shouting middle-aged man.
Alma turns his head slightly to look at Takuma, lips parting and eyebrows lifting slightly in his mild expression of alarm, and basically sweatdrops. In a shocking second good intuition, Alma realizes that, however crazy that old guy may be, he's no one to be trifled with... and with a respectful nod (much lower than the one he gave the cameraman -- almost a bow, really), he turns to look at Yuri again, and grins lopsidedly.
"Well..."
"And!" calls the announcer, having finished his introductions to the camera. The high schoolers begin to cheer... "FIGHT!"
"...please, do your best!"
Stepping back, Alma slips off his dark blazer and tosses it away out of the circle, straightening his posture and shifting his stance only slightly as his hands raise relaxedly. Sporting a muscle shirt in a purple so deep it looks black from a distance (the tag says Dark Eggplant) and white-and-silver track pants with tan loafers, Alma reveals -- as he so rarely does -- exactly why he's so heavy. You know how often this guy works out? Man, you don't even wanna know. He's crazy. That's what you get when you're easily amused, don't ask for much excitement in your life, and have Resolve.
"Let's go."
COMBATSYS: Alma has started a fight here.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Alma 0/-------/-------|
Breathe! In and out!
Yuri takes a moment to focus, after the threat.. er, inspiration of her father. Yeah - this is going to be one of _those_ fights, it seems like. She's pretty sure that he means his threat, so she can't slack in any way, shape or form. Hopefully, she isn't going to dissapoint! She looks into the stands, gives her father a big thumbsup, and then bows to Alma. "Gone!"
As she answers the exhortation to go, she leaps into action, closing the distance between her and Alma in a few steps, and then.. folds under him. She's seemingly losing her balance, stumbling downwards to her knees right in front of Alma. It's a feint, though - the start to an attack! She's attempting to smack her hands to his chest - if she can get a hold of the muscle shirt, she'll follow up with a foot to the chest, and a flip over her body!
COMBATSYS: Yuri has joined the fight here.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Alma 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Yuri
COMBATSYS: Alma blocks Yuri's Silent Nage.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////////// ]
Alma 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Yuri
Takuma's not the only person in the audience who stands out in a crowd of high schoolers. ...Alright, so actually Frei's boyish looks and short height mean he does blend in with a crowd of high schoolers. Still, he's eating popcorn and dressed in his funky Chinese gogo-boy costume per normal, sitting a few seats down from Takuma, in fact. He'd heard Yuri had a match and came expressly to cheer her own.
Then he saw Alma and it all went to hell.
He is just sitting there, watching, hand halfway to his lips holding a single kernel of popcorn. He's conflicted. On the one hand, Yuri is an awesome fighter and Frei respects her. On the other hand, JESUS Alma is hot. You can almost hear the synapses firing and sparking.
Eventually, he just makes the Cartman >_< face and bellows, "GO FOR THE DKO!" There. That solution makes everyone happy. Nodding fervently, the monk stuffs some popcorn in his mouth.
"Hmph!"
Getting ahold of Alma's shirt poses no difficult, but the knee thrust is quickly blocked by Alma's left hand, the palm flowing into place with perfect intuited timing. His right hand, meanwhile, has snaked in toward Yuri's sternum, and he shoves her back harmlessly, attempting to unbalance /her/. But not in preparation for a throw. Instead, with a patented Hiten-Ryu skipping lunge, the tall young man gracefully leaps into the air and lashes out with a fast double-kick, snapping out first at the girl's abdomen and next at her face.
"Hou! Hou!"
The young man's bangs lift as he goes airborne, and though his gaze is intent with concentration, his eyes are bright, as he feels himself being immersed into the flow of a battle...
COMBATSYS: Yuri blocks Alma's Light Kick.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////////// ]
Alma 0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0 Yuri
"Drat!"
Yuri yelps as she moves inwards, missing the throw. She stops short as Alma's little lunge catches her off-guard, but .. her dad is there! She can't let herself be hit! Nooo! As the double kick comes in, she brings her own foot up, catching and intercepting the kicks with her own converse-clad feet. "Hah, Gotcha!"
She bounces as she recovers herself, and then leaps into another attack, literally. It's a jump, an attempt to pepper Alma's shoulders and face with kicks, each one fast and light - she's pretty sure she can't match his strength - but her speed's probably as good! That's the hope, at least! "Here.. we... GO!"
COMBATSYS: Alma endures Yuri's Light Kick.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////// ]
Alma 0/-------/-----==|=------\-------\0 Yuri
Alma needs to get a rhythm established, and he's willing to push himself to do so. The feeling of battle singing in his heart, the tall youth simply lunges and plows through Yuri's attacks, ducking his head to avoid strikes to his face but still absorbing the blows. Still, the damage isn't enough to slow him down -- and he's clearly gained momentum, for when he brings out his right hand this time, it's been engulfed by a halo of pinkish white light that leaves sparkling trails in the air behind it.
"Ha!" Alma exhales fiercely and thrusts out, stabbing forward with a point-blank mental blast to strike directly at Yuri's sense of self. Half the damage is the disorientation!
The other half, of course, is the explosion.
COMBATSYS: Yuri reflects Self Expression from Alma with Saiha.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////////// ]
Alma 0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0 Yuri
Momentum.. Self-assurance..
Yuri's self is impossible to be crushed. She's got self-confidence, her father is rooting for her - and today, she won't be dissuaded. She pulls back as the peppering kicks stop, and then folds her hands in front of her as the sparkles of light start. As the explosion of energy bursts out, she simply holds out her own hands, meeting his 'ha' with her own exhalation, the force of her own self-confidence blasting and pushing the energy right back towards Alma in the form of a red-gold shield - let's see how confident and assured _he_ is!
"SAIHA!"
Huh... maybe he should've known better than to attack /her/ ego.
"Mmph." The young man grunts lightly as the blast is reflected, but he's grown past the days when his own power would cripple him -- he seems okay! Not only that, but he doesn't seem fazed about having his attack redirected at all, and he immediately lunges out with a new attack; though maybe he's learned his lesson, since there's no Psycho Power enhancing this one. At least, not overtly.
Twisting to regain some momentum as he recovers, Alma raises his leg as though to lash out with a quick kick -- and instead steps forward, lashing out with a quick backfist. With the other hand he shoves out, and if both connect as planned, he'll follow up with a fierce forward punch to the girl's head. No mercy!
"Sha!"
COMBATSYS: Yuri fails to interrupt Strong Punch from Alma with Yuri Chou Upper.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////// ]
Alma 0/-------/---====|===----\-------\0 Yuri
Kick!
Yuri falls for the adjustment that Alma makes - that quick kick is the one she prepares for, not the heavy punch that rockets for her! She makes a squaking noise, halfway through her chant for her uppercut, the punch catching her right on the forhead as she ducks down - no mercy from her opponent! She lands on the ground, and bounces on her rear, once - twice, and then a third time, struggling to get back up! "Atchatchatchatch!"
He's not finished yet!
With his opponent recovering, Alma staggers into a twisting forward maneuver that makes it look as though he's about to give the girl a powerful slap on the face. Make that a flaming slap. From a couple feet away. No, wait, that flame is moving...
"Kuuuuu..."
Looking a bit like an off-balance but very graceful baseball pitcher as he throws out, Alma's handful of white-pink flame is unleashed in a quick gout of energy that aims to spiral forth and plow into Yuri while she's still getting up.
"...SEIHA!"
COMBATSYS: Yuri blocks Alma's Sacred Wave.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Alma 0/-------/--=====|====---\-------\0 Yuri
Almost to her feet.. Almost.. There!
Yuri returns to a standing position, and then looks up - just to see the burst of pink energy blowing right at her! Ack! She throws her arms up between herself and the attack, the force of it knocking her right back on her keister! This is just not her day, not with so many people watching! Augh!
"Okay..!" she says, getting back to her feet quickly this time - taking her stance, and bringing her hands up in front of her in a amazingly perfect horse stance. "Why don't you try that again..?!" she demands, tensing up and preparing as best she can for the man's next attack. She's going to be ready this time - no surprising her, gosh darn it! Her face screws up in determination, this time.. she won't fail!
COMBATSYS: Yuri focuses on her next action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Alma 0/-------/--=====|====---\-------\0 Yuri
The poor girl just keeps falling on her butt. Still, it could be worse; she could be Xiangfei. Xiangfei probably takes damage from falling on her butt.
Alma brushes his feathered bangs away from his low-lidded eyes and regards the girl with his friendly gaze. "If you're sure," he murmurs, and steps forward, the flames coming once again as he twists to unleash another pitch of flame, right at the girl's face this time--
--and then the flames vanish as he shifts into a lunge.
Grinning engagingly, the youth lashes out with a light jab under Yuri's chin.
"Heh!"
COMBATSYS: Yuri fails to interrupt Quick Punch from Alma with Yuri Chou Upper.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////// ]
Alma 0/-------/--=====|====---\-------\0 Yuri
Whatever to do, whatever to do!
Yuri's already winding up as Alma steps in, preparing again for the giant wave of psi that's she's going to dodge and she's going to absolutely PASTE him with her signature move, the Yuri Chou Upper..! Too bad, it doesn't work. Nope. She steps in, and catches the jab on the chin, rocking her back on her heels. "Augh!" she exclaims and then tries again to get herself under control - Losing focus in this fight means losing, and she's already behind! Not gonna happen, nope! Not at ALL!
Gee, Alma actually feels a little bad about that.
Readying himself in his stance once again, keeping his back straight and his body relaxed, the young man takes a quite breath and lets the tempo of the battle settle a bit -- allowing an interlude, if you will -- as his blood simmers with the joy of the fight.
"You alright there, Miss Sakazaki?" he offers politely, face serious to the point of deadpan -- but his eyes sparkle with inner mirth. Not mocking, of course, not in any way. Still, he thinks, maybe this...
COMBATSYS: Alma focuses on his next action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////// ]
Alma 0/-------/--=====|====---\-------\0 Yuri
It's a trap, Yuri!
Well, okay - it _might_ not be, but Yuri gets herself composed, and brushes off the worst of the dirt. She nods and gives a determined grin to Alma, then a thumbs-up. "Doing good! I'm ready if you are!" She does a few little hop steps, back and forth, stick and move - stick and move - then busts out some pure Kyokugen harshness! Stepping forwards, she chambers her right arm, then rushes it forwards, directly into whatever horrible trap Alma may have planned - She has to go all out - she can't give up now!
Takuma visibly winces as Yuri misses her second uppercut... he tried to tell her... Kyokugen -needs- no uppercut... but no. Well, live and learn... Takuma restrains himself from shouting anything--to distract Yuri at this point in the match would be none too prudent, and so Takuma stays still... but he practically vibrates with tension, causing a few students to back away.
COMBATSYS: Alma blocks Yuri's Jab Punch.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Alma 0/-------/-======|====---\-------\0 Yuri
The horrible trap is--!
Mild embarrassment, maybe? Because the prepared Alma is able to swat that punch aside without much worry at all, and he steps back as though to withdraw a bit -- and then just rears back on his left leg, lifting his right foot. "TSAH!" he shouts, all power coming from his abdomen as he then thrusts out fiercely with his leg, aiming to plant a single powerful kick on the girl's chest if he can manage it and maybe even knock the wind out of her. Worst of all, she'll probably land on her butt again.
Better watch out!
COMBATSYS: Yuri blocks Alma's Heavy Kick.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Alma 0/-------/-======|=====--\-------\0 Yuri
%"OOF!"
Yuri's not taking the full damge of these heavy assaults - but it still hurts nonetheless! She steps in at the kick, catching the foot brushing along her side. She moves in a fluid motion as she closes, rolling along the outstretched leg until she's right in against Alma. At that point, hands go for his shoulders, a foot goes for his ankle, and she tries to lever him over onto his back. "Take THIS! HAAAH!"
COMBATSYS: Alma interrupts Medium Throw from Yuri with Divine Intervention EX.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Alma 0/-------/=======|=======\-------\1 Yuri
"Hup...!"
The throw appears successful. Unbalanced as the girl moves in, Alma is shoved off his feet -- or foot, rather, as Yuri levers his kicking leg higher into the air. But the kung-fu fighter is quite flexible for such a big guy, and in a dramatic display of acrobatic ability befitting the protege of the Hiten-Ryu style, Alma actually flips and then plants his left palm on the ground, flexing his arm and pushing off before his feet even touch the ground.
And to top it off, as he flips up to face Yuri in midair, it becomes apparent what he's been doing with his right hand: powering it up so that it glows bright white with Psycho Power!
"HA!"
The youth's eyes flash, and he lashes out, sending a glimmering shockwave into the aether around him as he blasts out with a beam of energy that should at the very least send the girl back a few steps.
Not bad, Alma!
More than a few steps, at that!
Yuri tumbles, thumps, and falls backwards, hitting her head on the turf of the football arena, and getting up very, very slowly indeed. She's making a poor showing - and she knows it. She sighs, digging her fingers into the grass, trying to just figure out _what_ she can do to take this man on - but that last blast hit her right in the self-confidence. She isn't sure what she can do now - and she's off balance - off kilter, and angry with herself. "C.. C.. C'mon! Show me what you've got!" And in her near future - pushups await.
COMBATSYS: Yuri focuses on her next action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Alma 0/-------/=======|=======\-------\1 Yuri
Alma furrows his blow almost imperceptibly.
Mmn. He can tell when a fighter just can't get ahold of their own fighting spirit, and it looks as though this girl is having some trouble. Not to mention that this should be home turf for her, too, if what he's looked up is correct -- it's always smart to do at least a little research on your opponents before you fight them -- so this can't be feeling good.
But going easy on her wouldn't just be disrespectful, it probably wouldn't help. Still, while Alma doesn't consider himself the ultimate judge of character, if there's anything that will inspire a girl like this...
He cocks his head slightly before he raises his hands into the ready position, regarding Yuri with mild-faced stoicism. "Sure you don't want to quit?"
Then he lunges... and somehow slows in midair, image blurring and fading with the internal application of Psycho Power. First a high punch, then he twists into a low kick; but the image follows through, a second translucent high punch striking at the same time as his low kick. This combination strike of fading light continues for several more blows until the pale Alma image suddenly converges on the real Alma, and he lashes out with a fierce punch that is accompanied by a blast of wind and the fresh scent of rain...
"Hmph!"
COMBATSYS: Yuri interrupts Autumn Rain from Alma with Shin Yuri Chou Upper.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////// ]
Alma 1/----===/=======|=------\-------\0 Yuri
"Never going to quit!"
Yuri's lack of determination was a ruse! A simple ruse! Noone could shake her spirit, noone! Okay, maybe it was a little shaken. (possibly a lot, but she won't say it!) She snaps out of it as Alma asks her if she wants to quit, and shakes the mopeyness off like water off a duck's back! When he starts to move, she sidesteps back and forth, watching the movements with narrowed eyes.. and then leaps into action with nothing more than a wing and a prayer!
As the two images combine, Yuri's eyes flash open, and she ducks down - enduring blow after blow.. But still moving. A hand to his chest, fierce and strong - a second to his sternum.. And then a leaping move, a mighty uppercut - one might expect a yell from a move that Ken Masters would use - but instead..
"SHIN YURI CHOU UPPAAAA!"
The sky... it's full of stars.
His head snapped back from the ferocity of the attack, Alma staggers and falls back, just barely managing to tuck into a roll so that he doesn't just collapse. After a few artful tumbles he rises into a low crouch, but the young man still looks a bit dazed even as he gets to his feet and raises his hands back into a loose defensive position. He blinks a couple times.
And then he grins, warmly and winningly, eyes curving cheerfully.
"Not bad. But--"
With the beginnings of a blurring lunge, he vanishes.
And reappears suddenly right before Yuri, both fists igniting as he suddenly lashes out with a furious series of pummeling jabs to the girl's body and head...
COMBATSYS: Yuri fails to reflect Destined Duel from Alma with Saiha.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Alma 0/-------/----===|
COMBATSYS: Yuri can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Alma 0/-------/----===|
...and penetrating her defenses with sheer overwhelming momentum, Alma goes all out, unleashing all his gathered Psycho Power in a series of fierce punches and side kicks that ends in a final thrust punch to the girl's abdomen, triggering an explosive blast of soulfire that sends her flying back dramatically.
With a long exhalation, Alma places his feet together and brings his palms down, eyes closing as he releases the last of his spiritual momentum, his serene expression making it look as though he's offering it up to the heavens.
And somewhere further away, Yuri lands in a heap. Almost unconcious - and certainly out of the fight. She doesn't move for a long moment, staring up at the sun, trying to fight back any negative emotions. The power that blasted her away has shaken her, though - it's her first experience with an energy that can destroy her emotions so thoroughly, and put her offbalance on such a level that she can't effectively work. And so.. she lays there until the match has been called for Alma's sake. And then, she slowly rolls over onto her chest..
And counts out pushups.
"One. Two.."
And--and once everyone's done fightin' and all that, Takuma saunters out onto the fighting field... well, saunters is a bit much. Yuri got pretty thoroughly owned out there. Damaging to Takuma's pride, to Kyokugenryuu's pride... and to Yuri's. But he knows Yuri'll just use it to get stronger. Still, he's got to act the stern father and sensei at least... so as he walks... he slips out... The Mask. Oh yes. So that when Yuri looks up, she sees Mr. Karate in FULL GLORY. "YURI!!!!" he thunders, and he must have miniature bass-boosters in the mask or something, "This defeat proves you merely need more training!! This stripling boy should not defeat the likes of a Sakazaki!!!"
Well. That was an edge of the seat battle, wasn't it? Frei is actually kinda mesmerized by the end, zombified, slowly eating popcorn and then continuing to dip hand in box and place to mouth even when the popcorn itself is gone. Then all of a sudden, in an instant, the match is over. Frei winces, watching Yuri tumble end over end. He puts down the box and vaults the wall to hop on down to the field, seeming ready to go check on Yuri...
...who's doing pushups and talking to a loud, obnoxious guy. Okay then.
Swerving, the monk walks across the field toward Alma with a distant-looking smile, fingers laced together and arms behind his back, swinging every which way. He stops when he reaches the young psychic and gives a little wave.
"Stripling boy, huh?" he teases, thankfully not seeing the tengu mask. "That must be the daddy I've heard so much about. So..." He beams at Alma innocently.
"I can give you a proud back-patting and you can call me daddy. Then you'll be even!"
Well, nobody's bothering Alma as the crowd goes wild -- chattering to each other, mostly. After all, they came to support Yuri; the majority of them, anyway. Most of the high school girls have never heard of Alma Towazu, though a couple of them may be considering investing in a few posters at this point...
So he glances up at the sunny sky and smiles briefly, a photogenic picture of peace and goodwill towards all living things. Truly, this boy is the epitome of youthful serenity--
--until he jerks in surprise as Takuma activates his internal subwoofers, and nearly staggers back a step as that fierce Sakazaki fighting spirit is put to good use shouting at his daughter. Stripling boy, indeed! But Alma ain't gonna argue the point, not with /that/ guy... not with that /mask/...
At least Frei's appearance doesn't seem to surprise him. And the comment just gets a grin. "No, don't touch my back," he replies solemnly, "I'm a bit sweaty. I'd better take a shower, first." Ah, the power of deadpan. Turning, Alma walks toward where his blazer has landed neatly on a bench -- you don't think he goes around throwing his clothes in the grass, do you? -- but not before he glances one last time over his shoulder at the push-upping girl.
"Good luck, Miss Sakazaki..."
With a little two-fingered salute, he turns to go.
COMBATSYS: Alma has ended the fight here.
Log created by Alma, and last modified on 04:34:14 01/28/2006.