Description: Intense battling shakes the very foundations of Gedo High as two extremely powerful, experienced fighters grace the student body's presence and much throwing of furniture commences. In the end only one of these mighty warriors can stand -- but can the building? (Winner: Kain)
Gedo High. Home to an unruly bunch of punks, thugs, ne'er-do-wells, and whippersnappers, brought into line by the strength and will of their superiors. Respect is what they seek, what they demand, and what must be earned from them -- but those who know them know that when they see their respect is deserved, they give it willingly. Even those they like, though, they tend to berate with hoots and taunts, as though daring retribution from the victims of their abuse.
They are silent today.
Saishu Kusanagi, current patriarch of the legenadry Kusanagi line, strides into a clutter-filled Gedo Dojo flanked by a multitude of motley students. The aging fighter spares them no glances, walking straight to the center of the mats and crossing his arms inside his kimono, staring straight ahead to where his opponent will stand, expressionless and intent. The students gather around the sides of the dojo, but all remain silent, and their movements seem unusually tenative.
But then, they have unusual guests today.
The cameras are being set up in the corners. The room is piled with molding couches, half-broken chairs and tables, and other large frames abandoned from nearby construction sites. Unsalvagable furniture that needs destruction. Saishu Kusanagi stands amidst it like a king atop the parapets of his castle, only changing position once when he draws one hand out of his kimono to idly scratch at his pointy beard.
As though this broke some sort of spell, a leather-clad student with dyed green hair and multiple piercings suddenly bursts out indignantly from his place at the side. "Hey, why are we being so--"
Before he can go any further, Saishu, without turning his head or even moving his gaze, lashes out with his hand toward a broken chair standing right next to him-- which promptly bursts into flames, eating through the wood with unnatural speed until nothing but charred remnants remain.
Silence reigns, as the crowd of students collectively inhales.
The older man's hand stays in place for a few moments, palm held right next to the somehow still-standing bits of charcoal that remain-- and then he simply snaps his fingers, and the ex-chair collapses into dust and ash, as though it never was.
A deep sigh resounds, as all the students collectively breathe out.
Saishu Kusanagi grins.
A moment later, Kain R. Heinlein strides into the room, left hand hooked in his pocket as he strolls past the gathered students. Even the rough types that compose the Gedo student body step out of Kain's way, often without even realizing what they're doing. The aura of strength is palpable even to those who aren't schooled in the arts of chi.
Kain caught sight of Saishu's demonstration through the doorway, and he glances at the pile of ashes. Well, they're supposedly to be entertaining people. And this particular match is really built all around that concept. Indeed, the students quickly begin to watch Kain expectantly, waiting to see how he's going to try to match (or better yet, one-up) Saishu's display of power.
Finally, after several moments of Kain simply standing around, not even lifting his hand, one of the students decides to speak up. "Well, you got anyth-" He stops abruptly, mouth gaping open as pillars of purple flame erupt all around the perimeter of the dojo. A few people standing too close get knocked aside, but nobody actually gets set on fire, though whether that is intentional or merely lucky coincidence is up for debate. The pillars bathe the room in an eerie glow before they finally fade out, leaving only deep black scorch marks evenly distributed along the walls. And all the while Kain hasn't moved a muscle. Except for a quirk of his lip in a slight grin.
"L...ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Saturday Night Fights, live from Gedo High, Southtown, Japan! Uh... today we have for you a, uh, a special treat.... Two world-renowned fighters are, uh, gracing our institution today..."
Saishu meets Kain's eyes quietly, and the older Kusanagi's grin remains a resplendent banner of good-humored badass, his hands withdrawing back into his kimono sleeves again. He seems totally unimpressed by Kain's display of ridiculous power, the elder's only reaction a loud sniff before he lifts his shoulder to rub his nose against it.
His grin seems good-natured enough, but his eyes... his eyes are hard and analytic.
"...so get ready, everyone! Fighters... FIGHT!"
And Saishu explodes into action.
His forward lunge becomes a soaring leap as his right hand ignites with a wreath of red Kusanagi flame, tearing through a table, several chairs, and an old dishwasher as he barrels through the air like a squat, bearded dreadnought. Saishu's eyes gleam fearsomely from beneath bushy caterpillar eyebrows as his fist leads him on--
--right toward Kain's face.
"Ha ha!"
COMBATSYS: Saishu has started a fight here.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Saishu 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Kain has joined the fight here.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Saishu 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kain
COMBATSYS: Saishu successfully hits Kain with Kamu Kakari.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////////// ]
Saishu 0/-------/-----==|==-----\-------\0 Kain
Kain brings up his right arm in an attempt to deflect Saishu's attack, but Kusanagi's fist manages to find it's mark on Heinlein's face. He skids backwards, overturning some garbage scattered on the floor, but even as he's sliding back a wreath of purple fire surrounds his right foot.
Sweeping around in a circle, Kain drags his foot across the floor, leaving black scorch marks in its wake. As he completes his rotation Kain springs forward, leading with his burning foot as he attempts to slam a kick into Saishu chest, enveloping the older fighter in a cloud of dark hued flame.
COMBATSYS: Saishu interrupts Schwarzer Stob from Kain with Oniyaki.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Saishu 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\0 Kain
Saishu hasn't lost any momentum from his flying assault, and even once he touches ground after totally punching Kain right in the face (right in the face, man) and he just keeps on going, charging forward in his somewhat squat stance with tabi-clad feet pattering against the tatami. It is thus that the grinning coot seems completely prepared for his younger opponent's retaliatory kick -- prepared, that is, to suddenly dash with unprecedented speed right into Kain, colliding with him and knocking his attack akew. Even as he's slamming against his opponent, however, Saishu is leaping straight up into the air, and his right fist lashes out with an explosive uppercut, catching Kain under the chin and lifting him yet higher up. The Kusanagi elder spins once, green kimono flapping around him, and finishes the devastating combination with a spinning kick of his own -- one that looks suspiciously like an imitation of the one Kain was trying to do -- and plows his foot into the long-haired villain's torso, blasting him back and right into a large nonfunctional speaker. Crash!
The older man twirls once and lands rather spryly, still grinning as he draws his hands back into his kimono sleeves and crosses his arms. "Ha ha! You need more training!" he exclaims, finally speaking. "Ever considered learning Kusanagi-ryuu!?"
His eyes twinkle merrily.
Kusanagi-ryuu? And be a student alongside /Kyo/?! Not to mention that Kain's opinion of the elder Kusanagi isn't entirely positive, either. But at least he's not lazy like his son. As Kain pulls himself out of the wreckage of the speaker, the edges of it actually begin to melt where he places his hands, as flames flicker out of the openings in his clothing. "No, I don't think so."
Now, even if he's slightly annoyed, Kain still remembers the rules for this fight. He's supposed to be using environmental hazards, right? Well, nobody ever said he couldn't create some of his own... With even more flames leaping out from him, Kain walks calmly back toward Saishu, as sparks begin to flicker from the speaker he was recently escaping from, slow flames spreading to the considerably more flammable tatami mats and various scattered objects. A little flexing of Kain's will, and it quickly begins growing into a bonfire. Localized for now, although given the layout of the dojo it's probably going to become a problem.
Doesn't seem to bother Kain, though, as he launches at Saishu with a flurry of quick punches and kicks, ducking and weaving around Kusanagi. All the blows are feints, however, simply designed to get Kain into a position where Saishu is between him and the growing fire. And that's when Kain tenses up for a moment, and his entire body explodes into flames. In addition to engulfing the entire area around him (and probably starting another fire) there's enough kinetic force behind the explosion to launch Saishu back into the quickly growing /real/ fire, which doesn't have the limitations of chi flames...
COMBATSYS: Saishu Toughs Out Kain's Schwarze Kreuz!
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Saishu 0/-------/-======|=======\-------\1 Kain
Grinning, Saishu weaves out of the way of Kain's attacks without too much difficulty, apparently comfortable to give ground while his opponent makes up the ground lost during the Kusanagi's relentless rush. He's guided right to where Kain wants him, looking quite unsuspecting--
--and the blast of flame knocks him right into the speaker.
Which then explodes.
Silence reigns; silence and the sparking of a destroyed speaker, the lights hidden by the huge gout of the thick smoke of burning plastics. The old man cannot be seen.
Not, at least, until he emerges at a dead run out of the smoke, blurring out with an even /huger/ grin and holding aloft an entire half of the destroyed speaker, looking soot-smudged but really not that much the worse for wear.
"Ha haaaa---!"
He throws himself forward and brings the speaker down right at Kain's head.
COMBATSYS: Saishu successfully hits Kain with Random Weapon.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Saishu 0/-------/=======|=======\===----\1 Kain
Kain actually looks a bit nonplussed when Saishu climbs out of the wreckage, apparently unharmed. It throws him off enough that he's slow in his attempt to move out of the way of the descending speaker, which smashes over his head, leaving him bent over double as the upper half of his body is snapped down toward the ground, his head crashing forward and down fast enough that it might well result in some whiplash. And then he just stands there in that position. For a moment.
Only a trained eye would be able to catch the brief moment of muscle movement before Kain's left hand shoots up, attempting to lock on Saishu's throat. At the same time, Kain begins to straighten up, his right hand engulfed in a blue glow as he attempts to grab Saishu by the face with it. He looks oddly calm for someone who is getting his ass handed to him and just got slammed over the head with a large piece of audio equipment. Whatever rage he might be feeling is quite effectively channeled right into his hand, though. Luckily the fire in the area has already caused students to disperse, because audience members getting killed is probably bad for ratings.
Because all sound in the dojo seems to die down for a moment, and then, regardless of whether or not he actually got a firm grip on Saishu, all that energy in Kain's hand explodes outwards, a wave of raw chi ripping through everything in front of it, gouging deep into the floor and leaving a massive hole in the wall of the dojo. And anything within a fair distance of the other side of that wall, as well.
COMBATSYS: Kain successfully hits Saishu with Himmlischer Atem.
- Power hit! -
[ \\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Saishu 1/-======/=======|-------\-------\0 Kain
Saishu crosses his arms back into his kimono sleeves, grinning down at the doubled-over Kain. Yes, putting your hands inside your sleeves is a very tactical maneuver when in the middle of a melee. Clearly you do simply not comprehend the depth of Saishu's great strategic ability.
"Ha hauurkk--"
Grasped firmly by the throat, the shorter warrior is lifted off the ground and into the air by his eeriely calm opponent. Still, Saishu Kusanagi manages to maintain a weakened form of his usual grin, looking almost entertained by this painful turn of events. He seems confident, at least. No matter what happens, surely the indomitable spirit of Kusanagi-ryuu will prevail against any attempts--
--any attempts, that is, other than a wall-destroying beam of energy.
For a moment, those students who aren't too busy cowering in the corners of the dojo to watch think that Saishu has been vaporized into nothing. Whether or not that is in fact the case, it is quite evident that Saishu isn't in the room any longer; Kain's grasp didn't hold, and the older fighter disappeared into the light. Now where did that old coot go?
The cracking of rocks and a shower of dirt heralds Saishu Kusanagi's return as he emerges from the pile of rubble that was once the Gedo Dojo's wall. He shakes himself off, brushing the dirt off his face, shoulders, and kimono with slightly trembling hands, and steps away from the pile of debris. While the floor has been irreversibly damaged by Kain's attack, all the broken furniture has been atomized as well, so nothing stands between the two fighters.
"Ha! Ha ha! Not bad!" The Kusanagi elder shakes his head once more to clear it, and then grins, reaching up ostensibly to scratch his beard -- though his hand soon moves down to massage his throat. "I didn't expect that! Okay! You're pretty good! But!"
There's a rush, no, a roar of energy as Saishu suddenly jerks into his fighting stance and draws his hand back, igniting it with a glow of fire that builds and builds until it flickers white-hot.
"Now it's my turn! Kusanagi-ryuuuu--"
He thrusts out, and an enormous blast of the legendary Kusanagi flame emerges, for a short moment taking the form of a spiralling red dragon before it simply devolves into an amorphous gout of pure destruction.
"--ULTIMATE ATTACK!"
It's for the kids, after all.
COMBATSYS: Kain blocks Saishu's Orochinagi'.
[ \\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Saishu 0/-------/-----==|=------\-------\0 Kain
Kain punches the dragon right in the face.
No, seriously.
As the Kusanagi flames collapse from their dragon form into a mere cloud of destructive awesome, Kain clenches his right fist, purple flames flickering between his fingers. And then he punches the incoming attack. Red and purple sparks fly out across the dojo as the two powers clash, and although Kain's makeshift attempt isn't enough to overwhelm Saishu's attack, it does cause most of the flames to lap harmlessly around Kain, leaving only a severely diminished cloud of flame to wash over him. When it clears one of the shoulders of Kain's suit is on fire, but he otherwise seems only slightly scorched. And the burning clothing doesn't seem to be particularly important to him at the moment.
He has to keep reminding himself to be conciously entertaining, but forcing yourself to abide by restrictions helps to hone you combat reactions and thinking skills. Like making use of that burning couch over there. With all the flames flying around, it's not surprising that a lot of things have caught fire. And the cheap vinyl couch that Kain hefts up is no exception. It's a good thing he's got gloves on, because the vinyl is starting to melt under the heat as the couch burns. But that's going to be Saishu's problem, not his!
COMBATSYS: Saishu overcomes Schwarze Flame from Kain with Yami Barai.
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Saishu 0/-------/-----==|==-----\-------\0 Kain
That may have been the Kusanagi-ryuu Ultimate Attack, but even after unleashing it, Saishu looks like he's still got plenty of energy left. The older man's bushy eyebrows lift, unashamed to reveal that he's surprised and impressed, when the flames burst over and around but leave his opponent standing -- and his grin returns when the flaming couch is thrown his way. Reacting quickly, Saishu's hand snatches out and grasps the half-burnt remnants of a futon frame, twisting as his muscles strain against the weight as he lifts it one-handed above his head--
--and lights it on fire, too.
"Hah!" The hurled flaming futon frame crashes into the damaged couch and rips through the cushions, continuing on its dangerous course towards Kain. Saishu stands grinning, and Kain is able to catch one last glimpse of the older fighter waggling his eyebrows before the flaming futon descends and obscures his vision...
COMBATSYS: Kain negates Yami Barai from Saishu with Schwarze Flame.
-* CRITICAL HIT! *-
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > ///////// ]
Saishu 0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0 Kain
Well, that didn't work quite as well as Kain might have hoped. In that Saishu is not currently pinned beneath a burning piece of furniture. And is, in fact, attempting to return the favor. Unfortunately, the futon /is/ obscuring Kain's view of Saishu, as well as providing a bit of danger in its own right. So as it descends, Kain snaps his fingers.
For anybody who wasn't already taking cover, now is the time. There's a purple explosion in the center of the futon, and then white hot bits of metal shrapnel and burning bits of mattress are being flung about the dojo. A partially melted chunk of steel zooms past Kain's head, close enough that the wind of its passage brushes his hair back, but he doesn't even flinch. Now he can see Saishu again, so the fight can continue.
Impressed, but never stunned-- that is Saishu Kusanagi, man among men. When he sees the futon simply explode in midair, he doesn't waste a moment, simply hurling himself forward into a dead run toward the smoldering and quickly disintegrating wreckage. Ignoring the chunks of wood and metal that fly dangerously close to him -- and press the bewildered students that remain in the dojo against the walls -- Saishu charges and leaps into the air, a magnificent maneuver from a fighter usually so low to the ground.
With any luck, when Kain's vision is no longer obscured, the first thing he'll see is Saishu's foot descending towards -- that's right -- Kain's face.
Because Kain has not yet been hit in the face enough.
"Hiyaa!"
COMBATSYS: Kain blocks Saishu's Medium Kick.
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > //////// ]
Saishu 0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0 Kain
That's quite enough of that, thank you. Kain is well aware of Saishu in the air above him, and as the elder fighter comes down toward him, Kain reaches up to block the incoming kick with his arms. So, Saishu wants to aim for the face, hmm? Perhaps getting hit with a giant blast of energy in his own face wasn't enough for him? Kain will have to fix that, then.
Twisting his left arm around, Kain tries to grab Saishu by the ankle before he can leap away, dragging Kusanagi down toward the floor. At the same time Kain's right arm swings upward, blue chi gathering around his fist as he attempts to drive it right into the center of Saishu's face.
COMBATSYS: Saishu blocks Kain's Medium Punch.
[ \\\\\\\ < > ///////// ]
Saishu 0/-------/---====|===----\-------\0 Kain
Saishu's ankle is grabbed, and the older fighter is dragged toward the ground by Kain's grasp, but he moves with the pull and is able to roll with the motion somewhat. Enough, at least, to be ready for the punch and receive it on a firm left forearm, parrying the attack.
He sweeps his legs away from further grabbing as he rises, and thrusts out his hand with the motion, Saishu twisting his whole body to put all the force he can into one fierce punch, right toward-- well-- Kain's face.
Do I really have to explain why?
"Ha ha!" is the older warrior's battle cry.
COMBATSYS: Kain dodges Saishu's Fierce Punch.
[ \\\\\\\\ < > ///////// ]
Saishu 0/-------/---====|===----\-------\0 Kain
Kain leaps back from Saishu's attack, moving back so quickly that it almost looks like he's falling over. He's certainly not that clumsy however, and it's all part of his plan. While Saishu is on his way up, Kain is on the way out, and he attempts to speed it up by lifting up his right leg, then snapping it out to plant a kick in Saishu's stomach, seperating the two fighters even further.
COMBATSYS: Saishu endures Kain's Medium Kick.
[ \\\ < > ///////// ]
Saishu 0/-------/=======|===----\-------\0 Kain
Enough of this!
These blocked, parried, and dodged attacks are clearly not dramatic enough for Saishu Kusanagi and the art of Kusanagi-ryuu. He's got to live up to the standards of dojo-destroying blasts of energy, after all, and he sees out of the corner of his eye that some of the students are starting to look slightly less intimidated. That simply will not do.
So he comes out of his crouch swinging, and though he misses with the punch, he simply continues on, crashing forward through Kain's kick and taking the hit completely. Saishu buckles from the powerful blow and it looks as though he's gotten the wind knocked out of him, but it doesn't slow the old man down -- and doesn't prevent him from lashing out at a possibly-unbalanced Kain with a fierce gout of Kusanagi fire.
"HA!"
Saishu blinks... and teeters on his feet, squinting.
COMBATSYS: Saishu can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\ <
Kain 0/-------/---====|
"...hah."
Grinning lopsidedly, Saishu keels backward, landing with a thud.
COMBATSYS: Kain blocks Saishu's Homura Gasane.
[ \\\\\\\\ <
Kain 0/-------/---====|
Even someone with as massive a reserve of energy as Kain can start to get worn down after a drawn out battle like this. Nevertheless, he's still able to quickly summon up his flames to counter Saishu's attack, throwing up a wall of purple fire which the Kusanagi flames crash into, though some still break through to further burn him.
But then, when the flames clear, Kain is still standing steady, while Saishu is noticably wobbling. And Kain can sense that the other fighter doesn't have any strength left in him. Right down to having the perfect timing to emulate Saishu's demonstration before the fight. Kain waits a moment, then snaps his fingers. And Saishu falls over backwards.
Meanwhile, the sounds of fire engines can be heard rapidly approaching. And the devestated wall of the dojo gives a rather distressed sounding groan, as the remaining portion of the wall begins to buckle slightly. Oh, and those tatami mats on the floor /are/ rather flammable, and there's multiple large fires burning in the building. And a number of smaller ones. Geese's people are working on herding the Gedo students out and providing medical care, and since the fight is obviously over, it would probably be a good time for Kain to make his exit.
There's a crash as the second floor balcony over the damaged wall gives way, collapsing to the ground. Yep, time to go.
COMBATSYS: Kain has ended the fight here.
Log created by Saishu, and last modified on 06:27:45 08/13/2006.