Description: Maxima has had a pretty easy time so far plowing through the untrained ranks of underground fighting matches as a source of easy revenue, but that streak seems threatened when he finds himself matched against another experienced and mystetious fighter with a habit of doing the same thing! Who will remain standing at the end?
log/publish 1
It wasn't a very uncommon thing, in a city that more or less catered to the best of the best in the fighting world, that some of the more shady elements would try to cash in on whatever's profitable, and that included the multi-billion dollar industry of fighting. Underground, unsanctioned fighting tournaments weren't uncommon in the downtown or Chinatown areas of Southtown, and it was through this way that certain fighters got a decent bit of cash. The Hizoku assassin Duo Lon was one of them. It was, essentially, an easy way to make money, because a lot of fighters in these tournaments were low-class martial artists, ones Duo could beat with two hands tied behind his back.
This particular one was set up in a warehouse, two stories, that had only a few things to it. Namely, a smallish-marked off circular ring in the center of the warehouse, and a whole lot of people. Teenagers, mostly, or college-age kids. They were chanting something in order to build up excitement. It was the final match, and the two fighters were honest-to-god big names; or at least Duo was, for he had been seen in a few SNFs during his time here. "LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!!" a young black announcer calls out, speaking into a bullhorn to amplify his voice - a speaker system would've been too much to set up in a location that was meant to be 'mobile.' "WE HAVE for YOU tonight!! A spectacle of sight!! TWO MEN, fighting each other for some easy cash this night, and let me tell you folks, it has been easy money for the both of them! But that's alright! For you see, these two men are really top class! Top ranked fighters, famous around the world! Give it UP! FOR! THHHEEEEMMMM!!!"
The crowd cheers, yadda yadda. Duo Lon is stationed at one end of the circular ring, looking... calm. For the most part. Hands in his sleeves, head bowed though his eyes open, observing his opponent, should he be on the opposite side of the ring. The announcer babbles on for a bit about rules. No killing, all that stuff typical to underground fighting rings. Then comes the important part: "Fight, when you two are ready!"
No, it certainly wasn't uncommon at all in town like this. You couldn't throw a rock more than ten feet without hitting -some- kind of unsanctioned fighting event in these parts. Sure, the official stuff was where the best fights happened, but where else could people turn to satisfy their fightlust on any day of the week? Besides, every now and then you were certain to see at least one fight that made your money worth it, and perhaps there'd be one today!
Duo certainly isn't the only experienced fighter who had the idea of tearing up these tournaments and the rookies fighting in them for some easy cash. When you were a fugitive from a shadowy organization with aspiration of controlling the world it could be hard to hold a job down while constantly on the move. And while he may not have the same basic necessities as a normal human would, even Maxima had use of cash. Being broke tended to hamper your ability to move very far and stay ahead of NESTS assassins, for one.
The hulking cyborg stand opposite of his more lither opponent, displaying a similarly calm demeanor. He's not one that caters to the crowd nor indulges in many on-stage antics, and while hasn't been in the spotlight as much as the fellow over there his name is nonetheless known in the fighting community. This was the sort of match-up you'd expect to see in more legitimate fighting leagues, so attendance was rather high. Everyone was expecting quite a show, and they might actually get it!
Once the announce finishes his standard boilerplate however, it's almost as if a flip switches somewhere on the man. With a nod, he'll hold up his arm and..oddly enough, seem to pull back his wrist with solid click, brielfly exposing a silver glint of the alloy composing most of his body beneath that synthetic skin as all weapons systems begin to come online, "Lets go, 'partner'!" He'll say in apparent reference to his trusty vapour cannon. He'll then assume a wide fighting stance, ready for whatever his mysterious opponent will pull.
COMBATSYS: Maxima has started a fight here.
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Maxima 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Duolon has joined the fight here.
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Duolon 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Maxima
Calm, dark eyes regarded the cyborg across from him dispassionately. He'd never seen his opponent before, but unlike the rest of the laughably incapable fighters at this fighting tournament, this one seemed to actually have some skill. He hadn't actually bothered to watch any of his opponent's matches, because he was almost egotistically sure no one in this tournament could possibly do him any harm. But, simply listening to the crowd's reaction to the man across from him, it was clear they thought this was going to be a 'good fight,' which meant little else than someone of skill other than he had entered this tournament.
And honestly, that suited Duo just fine.
Fighting, to the Hizoku, was a way to affirm his strength. To keep him sharp. He was, after all, an assassin, and letting his skills go dull was bad for business. If this fighter he faced now was even half of what the audience thought of him, he was certain, even if he somehow lost, he would be satisfied. Though no actual emotion passes over the Hizoku's face, there almost seems to be a ghost of a smile on his lips as he lowers his hands out of his sleeves. Eyes gauged over Maxima, particularly that... gun...? that he... well, had in his -arm-. Confusing... but interesting, all the same. Rather than saying anything, however, the Hizoku pulls a trick of his own: he blurs.
Black lines replace the Hizoku's form as he quite literally seems to simply disappear, the streaks moving towards Maxima at high speeds. The Hizoku reappears in front of Maxima, and he's already in motion, body seeking to get inside the larger man's guard, grab him and, with surprising strength for a man his size, yank him forward, while simultaneously planting a foot in his stomach, and kicking hard, backwards, pushing/throwing him away.
COMBATSYS: Duolon successfully hits Maxima with Suishu Makyakuho.
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Duolon 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Maxima
The cyborg's eyes widen just a tad when the pale fighter seemingly disappears in front of his eyes. A quick infrared scan reveals nothing..until he reappears right before him in a matter of seconds. That was strange..it was as if for a moment the man had simply ceased to exist, how did he do something like that? Seemed Maxima wasn't the only one with a couple of tricks up his sleeve!
Of course, now there was the matter of actually -dealing- with him all up in his face as such. While the cyborg does have the ability to analyze many facets of a fight with respect to an opponent's capabilities, anticipating actions and such, his technology does have its limitations. Particularly, he was enhanced to withstand punishment, not exactly evade it. There's no way he's going to dodge that attack, but he may be able to outgrapple him..
No, not quite. Being that he wasn't -entirely- a machine, Maxima was still plenty capable of making errors in judgement for this kind of thing, and he simply isn't fast enough compared to his opponent. It's a solid hit, certainly, though Duo might note it takes -quite- a bit of effort to actually move the man, even more than one would expect of a person with his mass.
Regardless, the kick makes its hit and the cyborg fighter will stumble back, but not for long. In fact, he's back upon the Hizoku almost as soon as he was knocked away, surging forward with unanticipated speed accompanied with a curious, mechanical 'whoosh' sound of sorts. Best not to get too distracted by it however as two powerful arms will quickly seek to take hold of Duo, rasing him clear above the Canadian's head and throwing him forward with ease should they seize successfully.
COMBATSYS: Duolon dodges Maxima's Maxima Lift.
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Duolon 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Maxima
In fact, the Hizoku does note the... er, differences to Maxima. The arm, the weight, the whatever the hell it is that allows Maxima to move faster at him. Very curious. Duo, however, was not entirely familiar with the technology of this world. Sure, he knew of microwaves and computers and cars and all that jazz, but none of the 'advanced' stuff - the stuff governments and shady groups didn't want you to see. Still, while he couldn't term Maxima as a cyborg, he understands that the Canadian is -different- somehow. And that's enough.
The cyborg's arms come at him, but true to the speed shown earlier, Duo simply ducks under the grappling arms, and tucks into a roll, tumbling off to the big man's right. Rising smoothly from the evasive move, the assassin doesn't hold back in showing that he, too, has just as many tricks as his opponent, by kicking him. And no conventional kick was this, for rather than kicking -at- Maxima, he simply raises his foot, then brings it back down again. With that motion, it seems Duo is done. That is, until somehow, a blurring motion can be detected below the Canadian. Though it is difficult to make out with how fast the blurring whatever it is moves, it almost seems... like a skeletal foot? Either way, it's a kick independant of the Hizoku's body, and it's aimed right for Maxima's gut, before it disappears into the ground again.
COMBATSYS: Maxima blocks Duolon's Medium Kick.
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Duolon 0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0 Maxima
Andy has arrived.
Andy heads north into Chinatown.
Likewise, every movements Duo makes is being recorded, analyzed and stored in the cyborg's memory bank, actively using the information as it's acquired to estimate base speed, power and other capabilities relevant to fighting. But just as Duo is ignorant of the more technological wonders of the world, so too is Maxima unversed on the arcane, mystical things from which the Hizoku may draw his talents. There is no accounting for them in Maxima's computers, and this assuredly affords the pale fighter some sort of advantage.
Not -too- much of one, however. While he has no explanation for whatever it is that Duo does, the brawler is able to to discern the threat instantly, perhaps thanks to some sort of proximity warning system. Again the speed is too quick for him get out of the way but he -can- defend against it, and so he does, settling into a quick crouch and bracing himself with both arms crossed out in front which should take the brunt of the attack. It knocks him back lightly, but he's certainly none worse for the wear and eager to return the favor, quickly turning to where the Hizoku stands and leading in with a solid straight punch.
COMBATSYS: Maxima successfully hits Duolon with Quick Punch.
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Duolon 0/-------/---====|=------\-------\0 Maxima
The block is made, though what -against- is perhaps a mystery... and always will be. It was no doubt a highly advanced chi-manipulation move, like he often does, but certainly a very odd one, even then. It's likely the Hizoku could have evaded the attack that followed in kind to his own, if he wanted to. But rather than do that, he felt it necessary to try and see just how strong this big man was... because otherwise, so far, Duo's ego said one thing about Maxima: he was not a threat. So, obviously, there had to be -something- to the man. And thus, he stood there. And, of course, not being crazy, he crossed his arms in order to cover himself as the punch came.
...And the punch completely broke his guard. Underestimating the strength of the punch, Duo is quite simply knocked off his feet, his light body sent flying back into the roped-off edge of the combat ring. The Hizoku makes a grunting noise in pain, followed closely by a 'tch.' Regaining his footing, he pushes off the ropes, and runs towards Maxima, this time in a standard, non-blurry run. As he nears his opponent, his hands lash out in a double palm strike, aimed squarely at the Canadian's middle. It's followed up quickly thereafter, should it be successful, by a rising palm uppercut to the man's jaw, and then finishes up with a shoulder ram against his middle again, the attacks striking out quickly.
COMBATSYS: Maxima blocks Duolon's Shaki Juuryuu.
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Duolon 0/-------/--=====|==-----\-------\0 Maxima
A mystery indeed, but there's nothing mysterious about Maxima's fist colliding solidly on Duo's person! It was somewhat a relief to see that despite the odd abilities he displayed, Duo was indeed a person of flesh and blood. And as long as he had those two things, the cyborg knew he could hurt him. It was just a matter of actually -hitting- the slippery rascal.
Of course, with what he's seen the Canadian fighter knows Duo could have probably evaded that hit, but chose not to. Thus no attempt will be made to hide the wry smirk pulling at the corners of Maxima's lips as the limber fighter goes flying off on his way. Underestimate him, huh? Never a good idea! Though he understood the intent, to make a sacrifice in order to gauge the capabilites of one's opponent. Maxima could see that he was dealing someone who fought in much the same way as he, relying on knowledge of an opponent's abilities and patterns in their fighting style so as to better construct a battle plan of their own. He had no doubt this would be an interesting fight. In fact, he might still be broke when it was over!
Having seen a good amount of Duo in action now, the cyborg has gained a greater insight into how the Hizoku prefers to strike. Quick, precise and probably lethally if it weren't for the rules in place here. Not too different from a snake when one thought about it, and the similarity became even more apparent when looking at many of the pale fighter's stances.
Anticipating now those same strikes and the relative speed of himself to the assassin, Maxima will shore up a successfuly defense against the other's onslaught, a heavy arm their to intercept the initial blow, then leaning back just enough to evade the hit to his jaw by mere milimeters and leaning forward again in time to meet the should ram, canceling out some of it's force. Damage minmization at its finest, for sure!
As for what comes next, a powerful kick raises itself towards Duo's stomach in retaliation, relying on sheer power to break through any likely defense.
COMBATSYS: Duolon dodges Maxima's Heavy Kick.
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Duolon 0/-------/--=====|==-----\-------\0 Maxima
Indeed, an almost kindred spirit. Were, you know, they not completely different in fighting styles. They did rely on analytic data, though. Testing defenses and the like. It'd been awhile since he'd had the opportunity to fight such an opponent. Considering his usual fare was, uh, Shenwoo, it was rather refreshing to fight someone who, despite being a large person who seemed to rely on pure physical power, was intelligent, to boot.
His attacks, however, have little effect on Maxima. While Duo was no slouch on physical power himself, it was simply far too difficult to inflict straight damage on the man. His ability to minimize damage was... well, impressive, frankly. Whereas Shenwoo just blew through attacks like he hadn't even felt it, Maxima seemed to know just how to take the least amount of damage in a fight. And even if he was a defensive fighter, he was still dangerous, up close. So that's probably why, when his attacks are blocked, Duo simply gets the hell -away- from the Canadian. Jumping to the side by using the fact he was put off balance by Maxima leaning into his shoulder rush, the Chinaman evades the kick that likely would've hurt a lot.
Rather than darting back in, the Hizoku gives a slight 'hmph' and raises his hand, crossed over his chest. It begins to boil over with energy, the sickly purple-black energy bubbling up and over his hand, growing in power. Once it had grown to a sufficient level, Duo casts his hand out, and throws the energy straight at Maxima. An unsettling change overcomes the projectile as it flies out: black eyes and mouths appear on the surface of it, writhing and screeching wails of agony, a ball of screaming of faces aimed right for the bigger man.
COMBATSYS: Maxima endures Duolon's Genmu Kyaku Uchikiba.
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Duolon 0/-------/-======|=====--\-------\0 Maxima
Well, Maxima can take bullets with ease, so it comes as no surprise that the Hizkou's light strikes should meet with similar affect, especially when he can prepare for them. Those fancy smancy pressure points wouldn't work either thanks to lacking a normal human physiology! Gotta love that might steel frame he was packing underneath a normal human-looking body.
Big chi attacks, however, were another matter entirely. Maxima had encountered them before, and it was an admitted flaw in his design that he didn't really have any terribly effective means of dealing with them. Well, he did have one..but it just wasn't the sort of trump card you could but out seriously. No, when it comes to fireballs, even the particularly horrendous looking ones, Maxima found his best defense was to simply rely on the endurance of his mostly robotice body.
Thus, he'll make no attempt to move from the approaching onslaught's way, not even when all sorts of horrid imagery rises from it. Likely Duo is advanced enough of a chi manipulator that he can manifest these things to inspire fear and terror in his opponents, but against a cyborg's analytical mind such ministration shall fall flat. Of course, the power of the attack itself more than makes up for it.
Bracing himself the moment before it hits, the Canadian fighter grunts as the chi slames into his chest, giving him quit a good jarring and scorching his kevlar jacket for good measure. It wreaks minor havoc with his internal systems, which quickly manage to stabilize themselves and set to the task of repairing the damage done, though if Duo kept that up he'd be hitting him harder than his nanites could compensate. "Heh.." In spite of it, the large man pulls out a sly grin, "Good hit." He'll praise, breaking the silence of the fight as it has gone so far.
"But now it's my turn!" He'll shout resolutely, charging forth at Duo in much the same way as he's been doing, diverting what energy he can spart to the rocket propulsion in his legs, thereby increasing his speed. He'll stop a good deal short of the Hizoku, extending his fist foward, his wrist seeming blossoming out into a steel contraption of sorts, as if he now wore a heavy kind of bracelet that slightly dwarfed his own fist, a circle of precise holes drilled around its front.
"VAPOUR CANNON!" The cry comes, although he's at least a foot shoot to hit the pale fighter even at his farther possible extension. But the idea isn't to hit with his fist. No, the true strike shall come from the highly pressurized air released from his arm at the precise moment his fist should stop, ten times as powerful as any normal punch from him! See? Maybe they had even more similarities than initially thought!
COMBATSYS: Maxima successfully hits Duolon with Vapor Cannon.
- Power hit! -
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Duolon 1/---====/=======|=======\-------\0 Maxima
Dropping his hand as the chi attack hits, Duo seems fairly confident that, yes, that was in fact a good hit. But he's not so naive to think that Maxima was -out-. Oh, dear lord no. A good hit was just that... not something that knocked a person out. And with the subsequent cries of 'my turn' and 'vapor cannon,' Duo is sure that's very much so the case. Feet sliding apart as he prepares to dodge again, he's instead taken a bit by surprise when the attack is not precisely physical... but rather a ranged attack. Something he hadn't had expected from one of Maxima's size. And, well, besides that the attack just looked hella weird. Moving, the Hizoku attempts to get out of the way - to no avail. Seeking to dodge the punch he's pretty sure is coming, he finds that dodging the punch isn't what he should've done, but instead, should've been dodging the sudden blast of pressurized air that hits him squarely in the chest, sending him flying back. With a loud cry, the Chinaman again is sent back against the ropes, nearly toppling over the damn things, but ultimately managing to stay upright.
It takes him a moment to recover, and when he does, he staggers a little. Giving a slight nod to Maxima, the assassin intones in his oddly quiet voice, that still somehow manages to be heard over the roar of the crowd: "Not bad yourself..." and once that's completed, he rushes forward. Instead of striking, instead suddenly drops low when he gets towards Maxima, driving a low knife hand jab into the man's stomach. Regardless of whether this hits or not is irrelevant: the real attack comes after the feint, intending to shift Maxima's guard away from his legs, which will meet with a sweeping leg to the back of the man's knees.
COMBATSYS: Maxima endures Duolon's Medium Throw.
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Duolon 1/---====/=======|=======\=------\1 Maxima
A satisfied grin paints it's away across Maxima's face as his little gamble pays off, and quite well. Of course, he can still tell that Duo has plenty of fight left in him, and has the odd feeling that he has yet to show just what he is truly capable of. That's fine though, neither has the cyborg fighter himself.
Maybe it was time to rectify that.
Once again the Chinaman will put that blinding speed to terribly effective use. The Canadian can tell he won't be able about that, especially when his own speed was somewhat reduce due to the damage taken on, and even then it was no match for that of the Hizoku's. The hand jab is negligible and he'll see it for the feint that it is, but knowledge of actions means nothing if you're not quick enough to avoid them and the larger fighter goes down hard, making a quite a thud on the ground.
"Hmm.." He'll be prone for but a second. Yes, he thinks he can make a bigger thud than that.
It all happens rather quickly, with yet another sound of whooshing air and the whine of some high power-sounding device starting up as Maxima raises his legs up, "BUNKAH..."
As soon as he slams them down, the rocket jets in his feet and legs will all point down and ignite at full blast, shooting him into the sky at remarkable speeds. This displacement of air is such that Duo might even find himself knocked off his feet at his proximity if he is not quick to recognize the threat.
Of course, the -true- threat is yet to come as the newfoound rocketeer turns himself upside down midflight to make solid impact against the roof of the warehouse feet first, absorbing much of it by bending he knees at just the right time, bounding up as much potential energy as possible before kicks off again.
"...BUSTAH!!!" And kick off he does, again firing at maximum thrust, hurling himself back to the ground. Specifically, the ground wehre Duo is standing, with all the force he can muster. The impact will likely shake up the entire foundation, and kick up more than it's fair share of dust.
Oh Maxima, what did Mother Earth ever do to you?
COMBATSYS: Maxima successfully hits Duolon with Bunker Buster.
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Duolon 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|-------\-------\0 Maxima
A response of 'hmm' to being thrown on the floor is not a particularly nice one, really. And really, it's what tips Duo off that the big Canadian has something planned, and this is likely the only reason that the sudden burst of air doesn't knock Duo away. As it is, he gets his footing secured, hands raised in a defensive posture. The air does, however, distract him from the real threat, which is rapidly descending on his head. He notices it... much too late. The massive cyborg body falls on top of him, and any pain noises he might've made are completely cancelled out by the fact he quite simply has no air in his lungs to cry out. The impact was just that damn great.
All's quiet for a short while after that. It seems like Duo might be down?! After such a brutal attack, could there really be any doubt? But any observer would notice the air getting darker, and a little more chilly. It keeps going that way until the fighting ring is more or less engulfed in darkness. Then, just as suddenly as the area grows black, does it light back up again, as a hellstorm of familiar screaming faces simply -rips- upwards from underneathe Maxima, the spirits pummelling upwards -through- the cyborg, and then right back down again. Thirteen spirits altogether for a nice, round, 26 hits that simply would hurt, if they hit. As for Duo, uh... that was the last of his strength. He'll be kind of groaning in pain, after that... seems like he lost.
COMBATSYS: Duolon can no longer fight.
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Maxima 0/-------/------=|
COMBATSYS: Maxima endures Duolon's Hiden Genmu Onryouheki.
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Maxima 0/-------/-======|
Success! If Duo can walk away from -this- the Canadian fighter would be truly impressed, as he had his doubts to weather the lithe Hizoku could withstand that kind of punishment he'd dropped on his head. Still, he remains wary, about to back away to a safe distance when his scanners register a sudden, unexpected energy spike from the fallen fighter.
He doesn't even know what to expect from this aside from another form of chi attack, but even bracing for it doesn't seem to do much good as the 'spirits' or whatever they are simply -pass through- the cyborg, overwhelming his systems with extensive internal damages and rendering numerous faculties off-line with electrical interference. Somewhere in the middle of it he actually blacks out, smoke literally rising from the man's hulking form as, like a sundered tree, he slowly tips over onto the ground.
Confusion would be the order of the day as the crowd begins to rumble with questions of who exactly won the fight, it was a tie or what. The overseer begins a countdown, and it's starting to look like a double knock-out..
That is, until Maxima's energy reserves kick in, rebooting and re-activating the cyborg just in time to pull himself to his feet before both fighters are declared out. He's running on an absolute minimum of power, running only the absolutely necessary functions, but it seem he won. Looks like the easy money goes to him this time..though easy wouldn't exactly be the right word after this fight.
His movements are slow to conserve himself, but he does spare a quick scan to confirm that there is nothing too wrong with Duo and spare the fighter are a nod, "Not bad at all. Only by the slimmest of margins.." He'll grunt as he tries to get the right movements to respond, knowing nanites are already at work with extensive repairs. He'll need to find a place to lay low for a while until he's re-charged..which ought not be a problem with the winnings he'll be picking up, "Keep it up, we'll have to do this again sometime."
COMBATSYS: Maxima has ended the fight here.
Log created by Maxima, and last modified on 02:28:33 05/07/2007.