Description: Alex gets another shot at his hero, Ryu. He beat the odds in the previous round -- can he pull it off again? (Winner: Ryu)
The streets of Hong Kong were almost perpetually busy with traffic of both the automobile and human variety. Like clockwork, activities seemed to ebb and flow in an unceasing cycle that was not unlike a tide. This time, however, those normal affairs were interrupted by variable from beyond in the form of a closed-off section of road, diverting traffic and upsetting the otherwise completely normal schedule of affairs as denizens of the city had come to expect.
You'd think people would be frustrated and angry over such a thing..and perhaps some were, but not nearly as much as there were those completely thrilled about what was about to unfold. A World Warrior fight in their city? It would quite easily put them in the spotlight of the world for at least day, and for some that was just long enough to be novel. Fans of varying sorts line the sides of course, all striving to get a look at the fighters who enter, the wanderer himself showing up with typical punctuality.
As the World Warrior tournament enters it's third round Ryu find himself with plenty to think of, mostly about how he'd been faring at this point in the last tournament and how things may go this time. But the fight was approaching and he could not allow those thoughts to wander too far. He set his eyes forward and looked for the arrival of his opponent.
Alex is the miracle kid.
He shouldn't have survived in to round three, but his defeat of Kain is, by now, the phenomenon of the internet. Everybody loves the underdog, after all. Which, perhaps, is why all eyes are still on Alex. If he beat the odds once, can he do it again?
The bulky blond fighter shoulders his way through the crowd just on time. In sharp contrast to most fights, these two combatants are arriving on time, without pomp, without circumstance. They live for the fight, and not for the entrance poses.
Stepping under the rope barrier and swinging his leg through after him, Alex pulls off his shirt and tosses it into the crowd. They'll sell it on eBay, or something. It's not his concern. The moment that's done, the audience drops out of existence. To Alex, they don't matter. There's the four ropes, Ryu, and the ground. That's the world.
"Hey, chief," he says, tightening up his gloves. "Long time, no see. You ready for this?"
Likewise, Ryu felt exactly the same. As far as he was concerned, there wasn't anyone else around but the two of them. He knew that Alex looked at fights in the exact same way, and it was why he felt this young fighter in particular had more potential than so many of the others he had seen. "Indeed, it has been sometime.." He'll nod solemnly before offering the wrestler a respectful bow, "It seems you've grown stronger since the last time we met." Clearly, news of his victory over Kain had reached even this vagabond's ears. No easy feat, considering the wielder of the Schwartz flames had bested him not so long ago.
"But I am indeed to ready to test my strength." A quick tighening of his headband and the fighter immediately falls into a combative stance, "I trust the same is true of yourself."
COMBATSYS: Ryu has started a fight here.
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Ryu 0/-------/-------|
"You know it is--" Alex says, tightening his headband and standing ready. "--ha. There it is. This feeling... this fire! This is what a fight's suppose to feel like. Not at all like that leisure suit loser..." Alex doesn't grin, the red marks on his face and shoulders remaining entirely inert. He's either savoring the moment, or waiting for the moment. Even if the fight bell rings, Alex doesn't move.
After all, that guy? He doesn't exist. "You think I'm stronger?" he asks, rhetorically. "Let's find out. Here I come!" he roars, before pushing his substantial bulk into motion towards Ryu, picking up speed and momentum, a sheer inertia that even Ryu may have difficulty turning aside.
COMBATSYS: Alex has joined the fight here.
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Ryu 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Alex
COMBATSYS: Alex focuses on his next action.
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Ryu 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Alex
Hm...stronger perhaps, but the wrestler clearly retained plenty of that youthful fire. Not necessarily a bad thing..but it did have it's disadvantages. Ryu won't move even when Alex begins to do so, electing to watch his movements and anticipate his plan from there. With the sheer bulk the blonde fighter is packing, the vagabond would likely have much difficulty trying to stop him, assuming he could. Fortunately, stopping the wrestler isn't in his plans! Rather, he'll instead attempt to use that incredible momentum to his advantage!
When it happens, it happens quick, almost imperceptible to the average eye. Just as Alex is upon him, Ryu will fall back towards the ground, simultaneous shooting both arms forward to hook right through his younger oppnenent's arm pits. Hopefully this will achieve the desired affect of taking Alex along for the trip, and a boost from his leg will sent the man straight on in the direction he'd been going, clear past and over the wanderer's head.
COMBATSYS: Ryu successfully hits Alex with Tomoe Nage.
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Ryu 0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0 Alex
Alex finds him lifted into the air by the older fighter's technique. He's a great deal of mass, but that doesn't mean he doesn't find himself planed right back into the ground where he came. All that bulk? All that speed? It all works against him. The differences between judo and Alex's street-wrestling have already become readily apparent. The impact would put any normal man down for the count.
But here's where Alex starts to shine. Almost immediately, Alex soars up onto his feet and takes off at Ryu once again, slightly bloodied but no worse for wear. Fighting's not about knocking other people down. It's about getting back up again.
There's not /that/ much distance between them to overcome -- enough of a lack of one for Alex to reach out for Ryu. He's big, and Ryu's small. That's the advantage he's got, if he has one at all, and he attempts to use it to lift Ryu up and invert him with two swift movements of his arms and then deliver the wanderer into the ground as hard as he can.
COMBATSYS: Ryu blocks Alex's Spiral DDT.
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Ryu 0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0 Alex
The funny thing is, Ryu's smaller size could be seen as an advantage as well. Sure, Alex had the potential to deliver some crushing if he could get his hand on the Japanese fighter..emphasis on the if! Smaller usually meant faster, and all it really came down to was who could outpace the other.
hough in this case, that matter seemed to go to the wrestler. Ryu's not without a plan for that, however. Well, less a plan a more of near-insinctrual reaction, the vagabond tenses his muscles and braces himself against the impact instead wasting time trying to free himself from the wrestler's grasp. He takes a good knock from it, yes, but minimizes the damage to himself as much as possible in the process.
And -that's- where he'll manage to worm his way out somehow, quickly bounding up and awya upon his feet, getting some distance from the wrestler for his next attack, which ought be apparent as the unmistakable blue energy surgeing between his cupped hands, "HADOUUUUKEN!"
COMBATSYS: Ryu successfully hits Alex with Hadouken.
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Ryu 0/-------/---====|======-\-------\0 Alex
Projectiles are one thing Alex isn't good at dealing with. He knows this. Growing up and learning to fight on the streets doesn't afford much of an opportunity for formal learning, and magical powers usually only come from formal learning.
So Alex keeps moving towards Ryu, and he moves right /through/ the Hadouken, letting the burning energy wash over his body with one swift wave. And as the brilliant blue flash dims, oen thing enters Ryu's field of vision--
Alex's hand, reaching for his face. If he can make contact, he's going to pick Ryu up and use all of the leverage and power his body can manifest to drive him into the ground behind him. That's a lot of power, for those of you keeping track at home.
COMBATSYS: Ryu interrupts Powerbomb from Alex with Medium Throw.
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Ryu 0/-------/=======|=======\==-----\1 Alex
Since the hadouken was just a manifestation of his own chi, Ryu would hardly consider it magic. Everyone had chi after all, it was simply that they would use it in different ways..though perhaps some had aptitudes for utilizing said chi in one area moreso than others. Still, part of becoming a better fighter is tackling the things you were weak at head-on and learning to deal with them somehow, possibly even turning said weakness into a strength. In other words, he wasn't the sort to pull any punches.
Still, the fact that Alex both chooses to and is -able- to simply barrel straight through the burning sphere is certainly something. Ryu's sure it did some damage, but the streets had made the wrestler one tough customer. He'd probably felt plenty things that hurt worse. In fact, the vagabond is caught off-guard by the tenacity of the action, being a moment too late too effectively dodge the counterattack, but not slow enough to fail in lifting his legs up as he goes down and wrapping them about the wrestler's torso.
Likewise ignoring the pain of smashing so forcefully into the ground (And it's quite a doozy!), Ryu will pour all his strength into lifting the massive wrestler up, over and behind him with those powerful legs, possibly right onto his head. Quite an odd feat to those watching, but was easy sometimes to forget just how much strength Ryu was able to pack into that smaller frame.
Alex hits the ground on a knee and a hand. That knee doesn't like the impact at all, but it leaves Alex in a position to get himself back into place. He's not fooled by Ryu's size -- he knows what he's dealing with, and he knows that Ryu knows that Alex is a smarter customer than his bulk might suggest. Pain isn't anything that matters.
Alex stands up, whipping off his headband and taking just a second to tie it around his knee as a brace. He doesn't think Ryu would take that shot, but it's a insult to his opponent to assume that of him, or to take a break in the middle of the fight. It's over in a few seconds. Breaks are for baseball and golf, and forget both of those.
His hair now loose, Alex starts moving again, barreling towards his opponent. His style is straight on. He can't best Ryu in a test of skill, but in a test of toughness? Maybe he's got a chance, there, and that's his goal, raising his knee as his moves -- his wounded knee -- to drive it into Ryu's torso.
COMBATSYS: Ryu dodges Alex's Strong Kick.
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Ryu 0/-------/=======|=======\==-----\1 Alex
Ryu's certainly not the type kick an opponent while they're down, especially if it's just for a couple of seconds. He could use a bit of recover time himself as well, taking the opportunity to roll away and clear the field between them, patting himself down and running a quick check of injuries..still not too bad off. His opponent doesn't waste time however, and sooner than looking does the vagabond find the wrestler's knee about to find a solid home in his solar plexus.
It quite -nearly- does, but this time the Herald of Hadou has seen it coming just soon enough to put that speed of his to use, quickly side-stepping the blow and following up almost instantly with straight, forceful punch at Alex's jaw.
COMBATSYS: Alex endures Ryu's Fierce Punch.
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Ryu 1/-------/=======|=======\=======\1 Alex
Alex gets punched hard in the face, his head snapping sharply to the side with a brutally abrupt motion. That hit was heard for a mile, at the very least. A spray of blood issues forth from Alex's mouth, and the bulky wrestle staggers for a second on his feet. It looks like a knockout blow--
By all respects, it should be a knock out blow--
and then Alex turns his head to look back down at Ryu. And, for a second, Alex grins. This is what fighting's supposed to be. These thoughts go through his mind, of course, as he reaches out to grab Ryu with both hands. Lifting Ryu up, Alex attempts to bring Ryu down into the ground. If he's still going, at this point? He'll do it again. And again. Each iteration, increasing in speed and power. Even if they're friends and teammates, Alex isn't showing Ryu an ounce of mercy. If he doesn, he'll lose for sure.
COMBATSYS: Alex successfully hits Ryu with Hyper Bomb.
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Ryu 1/----===/=======|====---\-------\0 Alex
Being colleagues or even friends was even more of a reason not to hold back, in Ryu's opinion. To give anything less then all your power against was simply doing a disservice to both them and yourself. Thus the vagabond holds back nothing and expects the same of Alex...expectations that are quite fulfilled when the wrestler unleashes his devastating triple power bomb against the hapless martial artist with uncommon speed for a fighter of his size.
In fact, the first hit quite nearly takes Ryu's brain for a trip to the wide world of hallucinations, but the second is enough to snap him back reality with just enough time to form a cogent strategy by the third. He'll twist and turn enough during Alex's final blow that he'll manage to get his feet on the ground, better absorbing the impact of the last hit and using the strength coiled up in his lower torso to launch himself out of his blonde opponent's grasp and into the air, hands already glowing again with that baneful blue chi. Something was different about it this time though...it seemed bright, more concentrated..stronger?
"SHINKUU.." He begins, and although both are too absorbed in their fight to notice, the crowd erupts in cheers, "HADOUUUUKEN!" He cries, firing a far more massive projectile of chi at Alex than he had before, taking no quarter to speak of.
COMBATSYS: Alex endures Ryu's Shinkuu Hadouken.
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Ryu 0/-------/------=|=======\===----\1 Alex
The explosion is tremendous, bright enough to blind the cameras and the audience. Those who fight through the brilliant light experience, abruptly, deja vu -- because there's Alex, soaring /through/ the explosion for Ryu, teeth gritted, his resolve not pierced one iota as he approachs his opponent, roaring like a lion. Waves of scorching, burning energy wash over Alex's body, but he keeps reaching -- reaching for purchase--
And if he beat that energy, and drive his way to its source -- Ryu's hands -- Alex's intent is plain: seize upon him, and then bring him right back up and into the Earth again, turning the street itself into his most potent weapon, his frenetic leaps even higher and his impacts equally greater which each impact.
COMBATSYS: Alex can no longer fight.
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Ryu 0/-------/------=|
COMBATSYS: Ryu blocks Alex's Hyper Bomb.
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Ryu 0/-------/----===|
His courage and resolve expended, at least for now, Alex staggers away from the blast crater he's made of the street and tumbles, slowly, backwards, until he lays flat on his back, looking straight up. He seems vaguely satisfied.
Once again, the sheer determination of the youthful wrestler to relentlessly push forward no matter what simply amazes Ryu. The number of people who could charge through a hadouken like he had were few..and those who could do the same with a -shinkuu- hadouken...well, lets just say the blonde fighter has joined an elite rank of sorts.
He sees his final attack coming, but even in the air Ryu is not completely defenseless, twisting away so that Alex only manages to grab one arm and making his landing such that the impact is spread evenly across his body. Getting up, he'll aproach his fallen opponent and spare a quiet smile befor offering another bows, "You've gotten better Alex...much so. A...little more discipline perhaps, but I believe I will see more great things from you in the future. Individuals like yourself and my student will stand at the spearhead of the next generation of fighters, I know it." He'll turn to gather up his perennial duffel bag, sparing one last glance towards the wrestler before he departs, "I look forward to passing on the torch." And then he's gone, vanished into the grounds. Already on the path towards the next challenge.
COMBATSYS: Ryu has ended the fight here.
Log created on 21:35:11 04/30/2007 by Alex, and last modified on 19:47:02 06/14/2007.