Description: Jiro and Alma walk into a bar... Well, not really. Alma waits for Jiro in the bar, proving his patience. Jiro shows his impatience with the folks in this fight. And it looks like Alma has the upper hand, but the under dog proves to be the victor in the end! (Winner: Jiro)
Alma Towazu is a tolerant man. He has quite high standards for his own behavior, and part of those standards include a firm belief that he ought to be able to engage in and contribute to whatever sort of situation he finds himself in. This means that strange and new things don't usually bother him -- and challenges become opportunities. This is an important part of Alma's philosophy and pursuit of passion, and it explains why he so carefully cultivates his generally mild-mannered demeanor. As much joy as he derives from conflict, cooperation is so much better than confrontation, don't you think?
These beliefs, these ideals, are all very close to Alma's heart. He is willing to push himself to his limits to reach towards them, and has does so numerous times, straining against the limitations of his body and mind through sheer passion. But right here... right now...
"HEY KID! ARE YOU ONE OF THE FIGHTERS!? WITH A FACE LIKE THAT!? HA HA HA HA! HERE, HAVE A DRINK, I-- OH DAMN, DID I SPILL IT? SORRY MAN!"
...he is being pushed like never before.
"That's alright," murmurs the tall bishounen, but his voice is completely lost in the chaos of shouting, jostling men. The presence of an SNF match has made groups of already rowdy working men go almost completely out of control, and the Shanghai Sports Bar, nearly at full capacity already, is reaching a stifling, high-tension state. Alma can /feel/ intoxicated men glare at each other from across the bar, can sense the lust to see violence becoming a craving to /engage/ in violence -- but there's nothing he can do about it right now. Because what's most frustrating of all is... he's being affected by it too.
I mean, these men are positively indecent!
"What a disgrace," mutters the tall youth, leaning against one of the walls with arms crossed to avoid any more jostling -- yeah, good luck with that -- as he watches the SNF cameramen struggle to find vantage points and keep the designated 'arena' area clear with the aid of the bar's bouncers, and awaits his best friend's arrival with an unusually downcast expression. Why, he looks almost /sullen/. Perhaps he and Jiro will get on famously today.
If they can even hear each other speak, that is.
You know, it is actually a good thing that Alma is a very tolerant man. It is a great belief to follow through, as it helps better one self. Unfortunately, his opponent does not have that same patience. The Stray Dog has really tried to better himself over the past few months, with the occassional outbreak of his emotions taking over. But really, Jiro has managed to make his way through his new life a better person.
Once the Stray Dog is walking into the bar, he is greeted by beer being poured over his entire form. Likea waterfall of the sticky substance along his clothes, the Stray Dog blinks a few times. Both eyes dart to the right to see that a burly man laughing is responsible for this.
...Let's note again, Jiro is not a patient man.
An opened palm extends to the man's face and immediately swings it across the door, then proceeds to launch his foot back and boot the man at the spine between the rectum and the lower back out of the door.
A sigh is exhaled, "****er."
Baby steps.
He stomps over towards Alma, glaring at him, the patrons of the bar, the inhabitants, and then Alma again. Glare.
"This is bull****. Let's get this over with."
Alma always appreciates Jiro's presence, but at a moment like this, he finds it especially comforting. Something about seeing Jiro literally kick one of the men out the door is very satisfying. Not because it's necessarily just -- if he thought it was a fair thing to do, Alma would've done it himself. That's why you never see Alma kicking people out doors. It's just, in a place like this, he feels his world getting turning upside-down... and it's comforting to see that some things are still functioning as they normally do. Like Jiro.
The taller youth casts his erstwhile rival a somewhat tired-looking grin. "Yeah," is all he murmurs in response. "Let's." He walks with Jiro toward the center of the bar where the 'arena' area is located, ignoring the loud hollering of the men around him; it's not like it's gotten any louder than before. A contemplative pause, as Alma finds himself able to compose himself now that Jiro is around. "You wanna get ice cream after this?"
'Ladies and gentlemen! ...well, looks like mainly gentlemen today, but... welcome to Saturday Night Fights! Today, two young rivals will battle it out for your enjoyment at-- wh-- ah-- whuahh!?'
Alma's head snaps up at the screech of the microphone and the sudden renewed burst of shouting. The sounds of argument grow more intense, though it's difficult amidst all the milling people to see who is arguing with whom about what -- until several men stagger into the area where Alma and Jiro are supposed to be fighting, in the midst of a drunken brawl themselves. For Alma, it's like the split-second after seeing someone press the button on a detonator...
Ragged cheers erupt at the sight of the brawl, and suddenly it seems as though everyone is piling in. It's impossible to see where the bouncers are if anywhere, but there's no time to think about it anyway... because men are already swinging punches at Alma himself! With a mildly startled and slightly affronted expression that's out of place amongst all the other expressions of drunken rage, the tall fighting model easily evades the poorly aimed blows, sweeping gracefully around his 'opponents' and gently redirecting them. "Pardon me... sorry... excuse me..."
But it's starting to get way too crowded for such gentle measures. Finding himself back to back with Jiro for a moment, Alma casts a wry glance at his younger friend before stepping forward again, trying to catch sight of the bouncers. For some reason, they don't seem to be anywhere in sight, but... those SNF cameras are rolling...
~ I feel somehow betrayed. ~
He's got no time to think now, though. It's on! One enraged man actually /leaps/ at Alma, and he has no choice but to twist and toss the man away -- only realizing a moment too late in all the confusion that he's thrown the guy right at Jiro.
"Wh-- Jiro!"
COMBATSYS: Alma has started a fight here.
COMBATSYS: Jiro has joined the fight here.
COMBATSYS: Alma successfully hits Jiro with Large Thrown Object.
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Alma 0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0 Jiro
Was it satisfying to throw the man out? Damn right. Jiro will take care of the rest of these yutzes if they try anything. THis is where the Stray Dog stops to look at Alma. "..." His anger subsides briefly, then he offers a shrug, "Sounds good." He glares, "If you don't leave me with a ****ing crazy woman like you did -BEFORE-." God damn Vice.
Then, when the sudden outbreak of the fight takes place, Jiro's eyes narrow and he grumbles under his breath. "...Okay, I am glad my dogs are waiting out of the door." Right now, Jiro is -seriously- considering crowd control. As for that one guy thrown out? ..One can him screaming as angry dogs bark.
Unlike Alma's polite motion of gettin through the crowd, Jiro growls and starts bowling through the men, "Move! Out of my god damn way! _BITCH!_" Jiro elbows another one out of his way, "This is---..." is eyes widen when he sees the man crashes on him from Alma throwing the man.
On the ground, Jiro gives off a groan, looking quite irritated. The man, however, looks at Jiro while a bit dazed, "....'Eeey sweet thang.... wanna.... csssome back to my plaasshhe?"
"..." First off, Jiro head butts the guy in the face, then he immediately pulls himself up grabs that individual, and throws him out of the door. Following through is a low whistle.
It translate to, 'Daddy says maim'. ....And the dogs start off on that outside.
Jiro growls, "I avoided that from Alma, no way in hell I'm toleranting that shit from another person." Jiro growls, "Screw this." Jiro is immediately rushing through the crowd, aiming to bowl every single person with a clothesline, straight towards Alma.
COMBATSYS: Alma dodges Jiro's Strong Punch.
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Alma 0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0 Jiro
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Alma 0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0 Jiro
Oh, dear.
Alma sighs softly, slowly running a hand through his hair as he sees the man he's thrown accidentally collide with Jiro. This isn't going to get any better very quickly. You don't have to be a psychic to figure that out.
Needless to say, though, Alma can't very well let Jiro charge around bowling everybody over. That's not a very responsible way to deal with this problem at all, now is it? Perhaps he is inspired by the danger Jiro is inflicting on everybody else, for Alma is actually able to take the initiative in this case, leaping forward and twisting into a crouch, letting the clothesline pass just /barely/ over his head -- before continuing to twist and, now facing Jiro's back, unleashing a quick burst of purple-tinged soulfire in an attempt to stun the younger man.
"Jiro! BEHAVE!"
That's a battle cry if I've ever heard one.
COMBATSYS: Jiro endures Alma's Self Expression.
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Alma 0/-------/-----==|=====--\-------\0 Jiro
This is not good.
While the arm immediately misses its mark on Alma, the Stray Dog immediately pivots his feet with the momentum of the charge as to redirect it. Failing that, one of the incoming drunken men will have to do.
The man has his arms out to capture Jiro, but the Stray Dog leaps off of the ground, then he extends both of his legs to the man's chest, using him as the momentum to charge towards Alma in redirection.
...Right into the purple soul-fire. His eyes, however, narrow as the white flames, ignited by his wrath, ignite. With the flames breathing into life, the Stray Dog is rushing straight into the flames. "Arrrrrrgghhhh!"
Lightning exchanged flickers and sizzles about from the collision of energies, but Jiro breaks through it as he drives his fist straight onto Alma's form. Should that be successful, a huge explosion will send Alma flying through some folks.
COMBATSYS: Alma interrupts Exploder Knuckle from Jiro with Divine Intervention EX.
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Alma 0/-------/---====|=======\==-----\1 Jiro
It is sometimes said that chi is the energy of one's surroundings, while Psycho Power comes solely from the self. Whether or not this is actually the case, Alma Towazu's understanding of his self results in an interesting -- and occasionally very potent -- interpretation of Psycho Power. When battle is approached with an empty mind and a heart full of fire, with flow and with rhythm, self-definition, Alma feels, becomes even more closely attuned to one's surroundings. In this sense, it seems that the difference between self and other becomes either much more complex or simply arbitrary, and it becomes unclear how one can draw power from one's 'self' in the first place.
However he does it, Alma's power seems to resonate powerfully with the status of those around him, and combined with his firm resolve to unleash everything he has in combat, the result is often a fever of aggression that seems unusual for such an apparently mild-mannered young man. Normally, Alma's attitude toward his environment is serene, and his aggression stems not from Jiro-like rage but a fury that Alma considers more pure. But normally, Alma's environment isn't quite so crazy, and the auras around him aren't so filled with undirected anger.
So reflexively, as Jiro attacks, Alma breathes in deeply of the energy around him, making it his own as his soul crackles with all the emotion, passion, and simple life energy--
"URRRAAAAHHHH!"
--and roaring incoherently, he lunges forward and crashes into his opponent with a blaze of dark purple Psycho Power, negating most of the force that Jiro was attempting to strike with, and lashing out with a fierce attack of his own. The explosive blast sends the Stray Dog flying back, knocking over those men struggling to get up after being clotheslined, bowling over a few more brawlers, knocking over a camera, and finally destroying a banister and several chairs before Jiro finally comes to a stop.
The light in Alma's eyes fades, and he blinks.
"..."
He glances down at his hand, and then back up, expressionless.
"...uh..."
Jiro is flying. He is flying far from the ferocity of ALma's own blasting power. THe Stray Dog is growling under his breath as he is flung straight into the men and destroing a few property. This causes the young man who finally recovers after breaking so much stuff to start twitching.
...Anger. Fury. FURY!
The Stray Dog growls under his breath, finally releasing the white flames to erupt around his body, "ARRRRRRRGGHH! SOMEONE'S GOING TO GET ****ED UP!" He snarls out, approaching Alma with a few steps. He extends a hand up, gathering the white flames to start engulfing his hand. Fury, the essence of energy that can be with no discrimination. Pure, unadulterated fury is released. "Starting with you." He allows the chi to engulf his body as several sparks emit from the tip. The hand launches higher as the ground forms a circle of light. Light starts shooting upward, as if being absorbed by the chi in his hand. Jiro immediately calls out, "REBEL!" He slams his fist to the ground, releasing the chi in the form of large gysers straight towards Alma, "_SPIKE!_"
Time to make Alma eat uncontrolled fury.
COMBATSYS: Alma overcomes Rebel Spike from Jiro with Full Confession.
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Alma 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Jiro
The fury. Alma can sense it. He and Jiro have fought for so long, talked a great deal, about the difference between anger and true fury, about their different perspectives on the nature of the fighting. And now, two completely different people who wield two entirely different powers can, facing each other in combat, draw upon the same passion--
It's enough to make you take up martial arts.
But then again, no one wants to be in the way of those geysers of power, tearing their way across the floor as though devouring it, mercilessly seeking out the only one who dares to stand in their path. Still temporarily stunned by his own expression of rage, Alma watches as the power streaks towards him, that destructive energy bearing down as he hears Jiro's defiant cry--
And again, despite the panic and chaos all around him, it makes sense. His body begins to glow with rising power almost despite himself, all the emotion around him surging in and filling Alma's eyes with a crystal white-purple light.
He has to meet passion with passion, self with self. That's why he's alive. That's how he learns. That's what it's all about. Everything else can be dealt with later. Right now--
"Haaaaaaahhh!"
--he's going to fight.
"You..."
Throwing himself forward at the Rebel Spike, Alma twists and punches the floor, and though the air resounds with the sound of the impact, the floor itself is undamaged. What results is a torrent of surging soulfire that emerges as a geyser to meet and tear through the energy Jiro has released, exploding outward at an angle as it continues on through all obstacles, potentially to strike Jiro himself.
"...still need more practice!"
COMBATSYS: Jiro dodges Alma's Full Confession.
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Alma 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Jiro
There is one thing that has to be counted about Jiro.
You can never keep a good dog down.
The Stray Dog grunts and he immediate leaps up into the air when the geyser comes forth his angle;. The young man immediately rolls himself forward and away from the soulfire in time. He looks down at the source of the matter, then he exhales a sigh of relief.
Descending towards Alma, he looks at one of the drunks fighting another. "Hrm... time to take a page from River City Ransom." Then, he lands right behind the drunk.
"Hey asshole. Wanna fly?" Not giving him a chance to answer, Jiro grabs the man and hurls him straight towards Alma.
Eat Javelin Man.
COMBATSYS: Alma dodges Jiro's Large Thrown Object.
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Alma 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Jiro
Well, Alma seems to have calmed down a little bit -- that or he's just tired. But he grins slightly when Jiro evades his attack. This fight isn't over yet, oh my no. He's looking forward to a bit more action, and--
--hey, what's he doing?
The tall youth barely has time for a doubletake before he's force to throw himself into a forward roll to dodge the flying bystander, coming out of his tumble significantly closer to Jiro and with some gathered momentum. "Jiro! That--" Lunging forward, he leans out of the way of two stumbling and confused men to unleash several blurring jabs at his younger opponent. "--was highly inappropriate!" His movement takes him downward, and if Jiro is successfully distracted by the jabs, he may not have time to react to the quick sweep kick that Alma attempts, trying to take the Stray Dog down to the ground.
"...I mean, it's not like I /meant/ to throw that guy at you..."
M.Bison has disconnected.
COMBATSYS: Jiro counters Light Kick from Alma with Bull Fist.
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Alma 0/-------/---====|===----\-------\0 Jiro
The two jabs are launched out, the Stray Dog immediately start tilting his head away from the two strikes. It looks like that he's distracted, as he's stepping forward. But, when that quick sweep is given off....
... Jiro's foot stays in place, as if he an immovable object. His fist launches back, snarling he shouts, "SEI!" The fist winds outward, then he whips it back towards Alma's gut, "_DO!_" He grumbles under his breath.
"They won't remember who kicked their asses, so I don't care."
The fierce punch sends Alma sprawling with the wind knocked out of him, but with speed brought on through sheer effort the young man lashes out with one hand and grasps a slightly splintered part of the floor, gritting his teeth against the force of a blow that otherwise would have carried him to the opposite side of the room. For a moment, the youth's body goes diagonal as he simply tries to prevent himself from being blown away, but once he has mastered that momentum he is immediately pulling himself forward by that crack in the floor, dragging himself into another forward roll and pressing the attack.
"There's no need to be so rough with them," Alma continues as though he hasn't just been punched forcefully in the stomach, 'gently' shoving a staggering bystander out of his way, sparks beginning to gather around his feet as he charges forward. "And whether or not they'll remember you afterward really shouldn't be the deciding moral factor--"
He leaps over the head of another confused brawler -- it seems that a majority of them are now incapacitated, along with a few of the cameras and a sizable amount of the furniture -- and his legs ignite as he twists into a fierce counterattack, a blazing series of roundhouses that aim to overwhelm Jiro's defenses and send him flying back...
...well, toward the door, actually.
COMBATSYS: Jiro endures Alma's Rising Fury.
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Alma 0/-------/--=====|======-\-------\0 Jiro
The Stray Dog growls at Alma after seeing the man grasping onto the floor. Not too satisfying. The young man shrugs for a moment, walking towards Alma when he suddenly ignites the flames to lick about the leg. As Alma comes flying towards Jiro with the blazing roundhouses, Jiro leaps right into it. Then, the Stray Dog aims to have his right leg launch ou towards Alma's gut with a heavy thrust.
Then he'll slip by to give him a spinning kick to the gut, right out of the door. "Lay down."
COMBATSYS: Jiro successfully hits Alma with Heavy Kick.
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Alma 1/-------/=======|=======\-------\0 Jiro
So, this is a little startling.
"Urrgh!" Alma feels at least his initial kick strike home, but he underestimates Jiro's resilence, and in twisting he leaves himself open for Jiro's responding kick to impact in his gut and send the taller youth back down to the floor. There's no rolling around this time; it's the most the boy can do to slam his palms on the ground to prevent his face from slamming directly against the floor.
But Jiro's still in the air, and Alma is on the ground. Quickly pushing himself to his knees, Alma's sharp gaze snaps up to where his opponent has begun his descent, and soulfire builds immediately around his hand. "Kuu..." Lashing upward with his hand, he unleashes a short spiralling blast of energy, aiming to hit his opponent with a final stunning blow before the boy has another opportunity to begin an attack.
"...SEIHA!"
At least there are a couple cameras left to get this.
COMBATSYS: Jiro dodges Alma's Sacred Wave.
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Alma 1/-------/=======|=======\-------\0 Jiro
The Stray Dog glares right at Alma when he launches that kick to send Alma on the ground. ANd while he is still up in the air, coming down at Alma, the Stray Dog immediately tilts his body to move away from the Sacred Wave coming in his path. This, in turn, has his body spinning until he controls himself in the last second.
Tilting his body over once more, he extends his right arm out and he descends out to clothesline Alma straight onto the ground.
COMBATSYS: Alma endures Jiro's Strong Punch.
[ \\\\\ < > ////// ]
Alma 1/----===/=======|=======\-------\1 Jiro
"Hmph...!"
So that's how it is. Again, Alma has underestimated his rival's abilities. It's been far too long since they've duelled like this before others. It's a shame he messes up like this, sometimes forgetting just why he's so impressed with the older Kasagi, but-- it's also nice to be reminded like this.
Jiro descends, and Alma smiles, just a little.
~ Heh... very well. ~
And throwing himself up into the air with a sudden unexpected surge of energy, he slams right into Jiro's attack and lashes out with a fierce punch of his own. The two of them collide in midair again, like battling birds of prey -- but it's unclear which of them is going to fall to the ground first...
Why yes, Jiro does like clotheslining people. He was crazy enough to do it again while in theair. And, when Alma is throwing himself into the strike and his ist, the young man immediately lifts his knee to press Alma back from having the arm strike Alma.
The Stray Dog launches foward with his right leg snapping at Alma's face, then he spins around with a hook kick. Roundhouse, hook kick, it's like clockwork. THis is at least until Jiro juggles Alma up with the kick.
Lifting his right foot outward, Jiro says, "PUBLIC!" Then, he spins the leg and drives forth the axe kick at Alma's head. "EXECUTION!" It slams into Alma's head, aiming to send him down to land and break a table from the force.
Landingon the ground, Jiro swings his hand downward and snorts, "Tsch."
Huh.
What's this broken table doing here.
...oh, yes. He just fell on it.
~ I... forgot about that one. ~
In his heart he knows it's over. His body is screaming at him to relent and allow himself to pass out. But right now, it's not about victory or defeat. No matter what the consequence, even as his vision blurs and his mind clouds, Alma knows he has a duty, an /obligation/, to unleash every last bit of power he has left at his disposal.
"...Jiro..."
Emerging from the table, rising slowly to his knees, Alma manages to tilt his head up -- and reveals that he's grinning, despite a trail of blood making its way from the corner of his lips down to his chin. With a quiet grunt the tall youth adjusts himself, shifting his feet as he tries to prevent his swaying form from collapsing entirely.
"...not bad."
He blurs forward, his kneel becoming a crouching start. And with the last of his energy he blasts out with a series of punches, the last sparks of his passion surging around his fists as Alma roars mightily--
--and trails off as he sags to his knees again, heaving a quiet little sigh before tilting to the side and collapsing entirely. If you ignore the blood on his face, he actually looks quite peaceful.
COMBATSYS: Alma can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\ <
Jiro 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Jiro counters Destined Duel from Alma with Backlash.
[ \\\\\ <
Jiro 0/-------/------=|
The Stray Dog looks quite beaten at the process. Sweating, panting, and gritting his teeth. The young man snarls as he awaits for Alma to come forth to give him everything that Alma has.
"...You always give me everything you got. That is why I consider you my best friend." He grins once, almost fanged-like. And, when the man comes out with his ferocity of blazing glory, Jiro aims to put a stop to Alma with a nice turnaround.
The Stray Dog aims to grab at Alma's arm and swing him about to keep him from falling over. While swinging the man around, Jiro immediately sets him down. "I'm done.." Jiro turns to walk away, as if he's not going to finish the move with a Jackhammer slam.
..He's not.
Instead of the transition of the Jackhammer slam, the Stray Dog turns around with a kick towards Alma's gut to tilt him over, then he aims to lock his right arm out and use the left hand to move over the head of Alma. Then, he's slamming his weight down to have Alma's chin hit the shoulder and fall.
The mother ****ing Stray Dog Stunner!
...
Someone should announce the win or something, but, well... it looks like someone knocked the announcer unconscious several minutes ago, and everybody else is either unconscious themselves, drunk and near unconsciousness, or rolling camera to speak.
So Alma just lies there for a bit. That's probably enough.
Then, grunting once and twitching slightly, he begins to rise.
"I... appreciate that..." he manages, flinching as he gingerly reaches up to massage his neck and chin, getting to his knees again. It takes him a few more moments before he feels prepared to get to his feet, looking bleary-eyed and unable to fight but, somehow, in decent enough spirits. "Congratulations," he says then, his voice sounding more composed, wiping his lips with the back of his hand and smiling at his friend with lips now free of blood. "You've been seriously improving."
There's a slight popping sound, causing Alma's eyes to widen before, grimacing slightly, he reaches both hands around to the small of his back.
"But, uh... let's take our time on the way to the ice cream shop, okay...?"
The Stray Dog grins at Alma when he gets up, then he offers a smile, "Sounds good." He flashes his friend a thumbs up. "I'll need to talk to you about a few things...when we're not so beaten up."
Log created by Jiro, and last modified on 21:22:38 09/02/2006.