Description: A random encounter at the beach leads to a fully-loaded collision between two curiously blond heroes! Neo League! (Winner: Alex)
The Boardwalk has thinned some now that the sun has started to set. The usual beach crowds have cleared out but most of the evening crew of diners and shoppers haven't moved in yet. This is Rock Howard's favorite time of the day and one of his favorite locations in Southtown. It's a city he doesn't particularly cherish; it's his hometown but every turn reminds him of his father. But even the stench of Geese can't contaminate a nice sunset on a early summer day.
Stopping to lean on the railing that runs along the edge of the boardwalk and overlooks the sand and water beyond, Rock can't help but think about his current lot in life. He's started training with a man who reminds him of his father, Grant. The very same man who taught his Uncle how to fight. At the same time, the man he really wishes would dedicate his time to teaching him, Terry Bogard, is missing again. Add to that rumors that someone is impersonating him to perform terrible deeds and his recent very humiliating defeat to Geese Howard on Saturday Night Fight and things have been better for the young Howard. Exhaling, he looks down at his cellphone, flipping through his picture album. It holds still-shots of some of the world's most famous fighters.
"Hey. You're Howard's kid, right?"
If Rock were to look up, he'd be greeted with an odd sight. A massive man with long blond hair and a white muscle shirt, pointing at Rock with his chin. "I've seen you fight. On TV. You're pretty good," he says. Alex doesn't seem to care much for sunsets or frolicking on the beach, but it is perhaps a sign that he's not completely boring that he probably didn't come here looking for people. He has a bottle of water in one hand.
Generally, when people greet Rock in such a fashion, misery follows. It's either someone who has a beef with Geese and foolishly thinks that the man will care when they try and extract some sort of revenge scheme with Rock, or it's someone who foolishly thinks Rock is /like/ Geese and is a powerful force in Southtown. The truth is that he's just some teenage kid who desperately hates his father.
"Yeah? So what?" Rock says before even turning to look at the source. One of his gloved hands tightens it's grip on the boardwalk's railing, anticipating something bad. He snaps his cellphone shut and moves it for his jacket -- yes, he wears his jacket even in the summer -- pocket. Out of Rock's peripheral, he can make out blond hair. That doesn't narrow it down but at least he's not British like Billy.
"Huh. Most folks come back from that with something like 'Tough enough, pal' or they start yelling stuff in Japanese." Alex doesn't bother to make himself any more visible than he already is. His accent is as American as they come. East Coast? Metro City? Something like that. "Anyways, I hear you hang out with a big guy? Blond. Terry Bogard. From what I hear he's worth my time. Uh, no offense, kid, but I try to skip the plucky sidekicks, you know?"
Alex scowls, just a little. Terry Bogard's a busy guy to get a hold of. It's probably something to do with being an inner city superhero. Those guys are busy; an Alex, fundamentally, dislikes Japan. Too many little plastic trinkets that talk, and all of the buses and trains talk to you in bird-like, super-polite voices. If not for all the crazy superhuman martial artists, he'd just go home.
"Oh," Rock says when he realizes why this guy is talking to him. He wants a piece of the greatest fighter on the planet. Still not making eye contact, Rock lifts and drops a shoulder. "You want Terry... Well, you'll have better luck finding him than me. I haven't seen him in two months." Pulling his hand from his pocket and turning to face Alex, Rock crosses his arms.
"Who are you, any--" He stops mid-sentence, his eyes narrowing. He recognizes Alex immediately. The man almost won the World Warrior tournament. Rock's a fanboy. He watched every match religiously. It's about this point that the other words register. Not worth his time? That's pretty insulting. "I'm nobody's sidekick. And so what if I was? Last /I/ checked, I was kicking your ass in the Neo League, big man."
"Huh." Alex sounds surprised. "That might be so." He maybe doesn't know about the Neo League rankings, aside from that he has a fight every now and then. "Sorry. Didn't mean to bring it up. Bogard, I mean. You fight like him, so I figured he must be teaching you the tricks of the trade. There's a girl I know that's the same with another friend of mine." He figured, in other words, that Rock was the man-version of Sakura. Alex is tougher than Sakura, even if she's still worth fighting.
Alex already doesn't like Rock. Too pretty, even if Alex was kind of dismissive. Alex is not known for his politeness. "Name's Alex, by the way. I was hoping to take a swing at your--at Bogard, I mean."
"He /has/ taught me a few things," Rock says, immediately springing to Terry's defense. The truth is a little bit of both. Terry's taught Rock some, but most of it Rock's taught himself from training and emulation. His foundation and core is still Geese Howard's chosen techniques. Word of another disciple of another man, however, makes Rock also think immediately of Sakura.
Rock's lips purse. He doesn't like to be underestimated, even by a guy who got so far in World Warrior. He doesn't need the introduction; he knows who the guy is. He's one of the best fighter's in the world! "You think /you/ can take Terry Bogard? The best fighter on the planet?" Rock's irritated expression cracks into an almost condescending grin. "I watched you fight. On TV," he mimics Alex's inflection. "And I bet /I/ could take you. Terry? He'd beat you up so bad."
"Doesn't really matter if I can take him or not, kid," Alex responds, with a shrug of his huge shoulders. "Fighting's not about winning, it's about fighting." Alex tilts his head at Rock's posturing, seeming unmoved. "You talk pretty big, kid. If there's one thing that bugs me, it's people who run their mouths. Nothing worse than a dog that's all bark and no bite. "Bogard could probably mop the floor with me. But it's better than fighting a loser."
Rock tilts his head at Alex. He wears one of those "waitasecond, did this guy just call me a loser?" faces. Deciding that he /did/, he takes an aggressive step towards the much larger man. "Look dude, I know you're probably riding high after World Warrior and thinking you're the man, but here? In Southtown?" Rock twists some, pointing at the huge spectre of Geese Tower on the horizon. Howard's voice sounds bitter. "That's where it all starts and stops."
"The sooner you realize that, the better off you'll be. So I recommend," Rock grins at Alex again, backing up a step and rolling his shoulders. "You either prove that you're such hot shit and take me on in a Neo League fight, or you get back on the boat to Metro City." Rock's read Alex's bio.
"I didn't mean you," Alex says, about the 'loser' comment. "Unless you turn out to be a loser, anyways. I like to give a guy a little bit more slack than that. If you're really Bogard's student, maybe you are worth a second." Alex stops to think, before taking a step back. "If you care so much about Neo League rankings, then I'll give you a chance at mine. I got nothing to lose, right? Maybe it's the closest thing to fighting the big guy."
It's true. If Alex can't beat Rock, of all people, he's never going to be able to take down Terry Bogard. "Don't sound so excited," Rock says, dryly, about Alex's enthusiasm for a Neo League fight. He expected about as much. The guy is going to underestimate him. That's good, he can use that to his advantage. It's better than his usual situation; people usually overestimate him and then make him feel like crap because he is Geese Howard's son.
Shifting out of his Terry-coat, Rock places it on the boardwalk railing and then adopts a standard Hakyokusaken stance. It basically looks like a guy preparing for a bar fight. What else woudl you expect from Terry Bogard? Brimming with optimism, the younger Howard flexes and unflexes his gloved fingers. "Come on, Alex. I'll even give you the first shot."
COMBATSYS: Rock has started a fight here.
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Rock 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Alex has joined the fight here.
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Rock 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Alex
"Yeah?" Alex says, reaching into his back pocket for a read headband. He uses it to tie back his hair, keeping it out of his eyes and in a nice, neat pony tail. Well, neat compared to what usually passes for his hair. And then he pulls his shirt off, tossing it to the side. A crowd is already starting to form, nearby. They look like they're going to fight, after all, adn they're moderately famous.
"You're the challenger. You're the one who cares about proving me wrong. You want to so bad, you can throw the first punch."
Rock stares at Alex for a few seconds. He doesn't asault the man while he's preparing his headband, but when he doesn't seize the offer to open the melee, he doesn't wait around, either. "Fine," he says, toes curling in his boots, preparing to dash forward. Red eyes flashing to the crowd, Rock is determined to make this good and give Alex his best.
Breaking into a full run forward, Howard doesn't disguise his intentions with anything tricker or unusual. He just sprints straight at Alex, fingers curled and clenched into a fist. Jumping the last few feet, he lands right before Alex and casts all of his forward momentum into his arm as it screams forward. Grant recently taught him to /really/ throw a punch and he intends to test it. Alex's jaw is probably only twice as hard as the solid steel slab they were training against, right?
COMBATSYS: Alex blocks Rock's Medium Punch.
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Rock 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Alex
"You're gonna have to hit a little harder than--" Alex's palm rises to catch Rock's blow, not catching it, but using it to keep it away from his actual person. It's a tough blow, but Alex doesn't seem a little phased. At first, anyways. Withdrawing his hand, he looks at it, before frowning for a sec. "--nevermind. You're pretty tough," he admits, before rearing back on his hauches.
Almost immediately, Alex lurches forward again, driving that same hand into Rock's chest with the simple intention of shoving him down into the ground and applying some cosiderable force to the blow. Rock is no doubt quicker than he is, so he'll do whatever he has to to immobilize him.
COMBATSYS: Alex successfully hits Rock with Hand Stamp.
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Rock 0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0 Alex
Rock can feel Alex's considerable strength when the man denies his fist with his own palm. There was very little yield there. The guy swallowed it. It was almost the same way his father, Geese, handled the Rage Run Dunk. It brings a spike to Rock's anger, the memory flooding into his mind.
This slows his reaction to the incoming Palm Thrust. A second too late, Rock's eyes flick down to track the accelerated palm as it crashes into his sternum. Lifted up to and off his toes, Rock sails back from the impact point a good dozen yards. He slams into the wood-covered boardwalk and skids another half a dozen yards.
"Ugh," he manages to say, the air sucked out of his chest, as he climbs back to a knee and then both of his feet. "You're strong," he says to Alex with approval. "There's no denying that." He also figures he needs to stay /outside/ of this guys immediate reach if possible. "But I have a few tricks of my own."
Taking a strong step forward, Rock's body tenses as he quickly shifts his weight and centers himself. He calls up a sudden surge of chi energy, his fingers uncurling as his arm extends down at his side. Eyes locking onto Geese Tower behind Alex on the skyline, Rock's mind goes red as he suddenly cuts his arm forward through the air. "REPPUKEN!" he yells, as spinning slice of bluish white chi energy tearing off his arm to careen across the boardwalk.
COMBATSYS: Alex fails to interrupt Reppuken from Rock with Slash Elbow.
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Rock 0/-------/---====|===----\-------\0 Alex
Alex takes his turn to jump into the breach. If it's fancy fighter magic he's going to have to fight, he'll have to pull out his own -- rudimentary -- fighter magic, too, lurching into action and sailing into the breach. It doesn't quite work out. Upon contacting the Reppuken, Alex slows, brutally, until his momentum is sapped entirely by it. It is, perhaps, a testament to his toughness that he remains aright all the same. The wave washes over him like burning water, and Alex places a hand against the boardwalk to steady himself.
"I hate tricks," he mutters.
Rock waits until he's sure that the reppuken is going to strike pure and true to react. Knowing how it feels first hand many times over (Geese would often pummel him with reppukens when he'd sleep late), he anticipates that the much larger man is going to slightly disoriented by the strange sensation of the chi assault. Exhaling a swallowed gulp of air, Howard closes the gap with a straight sprint forward.
This time he doesn't jump to give himself more momentum. He doesn't need to. With a much larger distance between them, he's able to generate the kind of velocity he needs for his next technioque. Alex wanted to taste what it's like to fight Terry Bogard and Rock is going to give him exactly that. Closing in on the wandering warrior, Rock's body starts to streak with chi power as it curls off him.
Mere inches away from some sort of impact point, Rock's features blur as he's swallowed in the sudden wall of blue chi. His forearm tucks, his elbow jutting forward with all his power behind it, his other arm curling to send a fist sailing behind the elbow in a brutal follow-up. It's his favorite technique; his own variation of one of Terry Bogard's most famous moves.
COMBATSYS: Alex endures Rock's Hard Edge.
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Rock 0/-------/--=====|======-\-------\0 Alex
This guy does hit hard. It's true. He's fast, he's strong, and everything in between.
But that's fine. Alex is strong. You don't have to connect often if you can connect once and make it count for everything. Gritting his teeth as Rock comes straight ahead, Alex stands his ground, letting his foe cme to him instead of any other way -- all for one moment. Rock's elbow and palm-strike connect one after the other, but Alex, digging his heels in, resists being throw off balance. No, instead, he reaches out to grab at Rock's t-shirt, seizing him by it and trying to lift him up. "At least you're not just a rip-off," he says. "That follow-up -- that's not the same as his!" he yells, before trying to lift Rock, while arching his back to use his entire body as a lever, all to drive Rock's head into the ground behind him.
COMBATSYS: Rock blocks Alex's Powerbomb.
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Rock 0/-------/-======|======-\-------\0 Alex
Rock lets himself fall into Alex's grip. The strong man hefts him up into the air, and from there, Rock's agility does the rest of the work. Hands slamming down onto the side of each of Alex's fists at the apogeee of the powerbomb, he breaks free of the hold before he can be driven straight into the boardwalk. Falling forward over Alex's hand, Rock lands into a diving forward roll.
He comes out of it a few yards away from Alex, ending up in a crouch on a knee. His breathing comes in long, hard, breathes as he sizes the big man up again. "Yeah, I added my own touch... And you're /really/ strong," he says again. He knows he needs to use his speed to his advantage if he's going to win this fight.
With one more deep breath, Howard stands and starts circling Alex, his red eyes intently watching Alex's own to read his next move. The crowd tenses.
COMBATSYS: Rock focuses on his next action.
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Rock 0/-------/-======|======-\-------\0 Alex
"Yeah. I try," Alex says. For a moment, he is hungry to maintain the pressure. But he stares at Rock, and understands that Rock is staring at him, and so instead he waits, standing his grounds and tightening the bandage wraps around his hands. He had hoped to finish Rock, or set him up to be finished. Looks like that wasn't the case. "Ready? I'm waiting," he says, before stepping back into place.
COMBATSYS: Alex gains composure.
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Rock 0/-------/-======|=====--\-------\0 Alex
Rock continues to pace a circle around Alex for nearly an entire orbit before he stops. "Yeah, I am," he says back to the other fighter, gloved fingers closing into fists at his sides. Readopting his initial fighting stance, Howard breathes in once, out once, and then he acts. His booted foot bang against the wooden boardwalk as he dashes forward.
Stopping just outside of Alex's wingspan halo, Rock ducks, plants a foot and a hand, and then spins to send all his momentum down his leg in a slicing roundhouse kick. His intention is to take Alex's legs out from under him to open him up for a much more painful follow up attack.
COMBATSYS: Rock successfully hits Alex with Light Kick.
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Rock 0/-------/=======|======-\-------\0 Alex
Alex winds up flat on the ground, just as promised. "Good eyes, kid!" he declares, having observed, perhaps, Rock's ability to guesstimate his reach on the fly. Couldn't lay a finger on him. But he can see an inkling of Rock's plan, and doesn't intend for it to be followed to fruition. Planting his hands on the dirt, Alex kicks straight up, trying to wrap his ankles around Rock's neck and pull him down to Earth in a makeshift Frankensteiner.
"You've got some fancy footwork, kid, but let's see how well you do down in the dirt!"
COMBATSYS: Rock interrupts Quick Throw from Alex with Raging Storm'.
- Power hit! -
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Rock 0/-------/------=|=======\==-----\1 Alex
There is a momentarily reaction from Rock Howard that Alex might catch. As the man's feet come sailing for his neck, Howard's red eyes widen and his grin turns momentarily more sinister. It's a Geese Howard grin. And just as quick, it disappears and is replaced by an altogether different reaction. Alex wanted to fight Terry, but he's quickly realizing the fusion of styles is what makes Rock dangerous. And here comes Geese in all his glory.
Rock's chi levels skyrocket, willed into existence out of seeming thin air with a sudden corona of bluish white energy around his body. It doesn't last, in that same instance, Alex's legs lock around Rock's neck. His eyes widen and he stares straight back at the man. "RAGING," he yells, the corona of energy flushing outward into a terrible explosion of pure power. "STORM!" Shockwaves of energy rip off his body in every direction, shaking the entire boardwalk.
The crowd screams, many of them ducking for cover as the son of Geese lets all his anger out.
Nothing good comes of this. Nothing at all. Alex is struck with such intense energy and from such a unusual angle that he finds himself thrown off of the boardwalk itself and into the sand. He hits hard enough to leave behind an Alex-shaped crater when he stops moving. And he remains still for several seconds.
And then he stands up. He's unsteady, to be sure. You would be, too, if you got hit by a bus. But Alex is starting to figure something out. "That power--" he hisses, climbing back onto the boardwalk. "That strength--I've seen it before. And it ain't your old man's. I've seen him fight on TV. This... this, I've seen first hand. And you know what happened to that guy?" Alex asks, tightening his headband. "I kicked his ass in."
COMBATSYS: Alex focuses on his next action.
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Rock 0/-------/------=|=======\==-----\1 Alex
Rock comes down from the Raging Storm high. It's like touching a dark bit of your soul and letting it grow each time he unloads with that attack. He secretly hates himself for how powerful of a technique it is. He would expect nothing less from one of his father's signature attacks. On their recent Saturday Night Fight, Geese showed him what he could really do with the Raging Storm technique when he overpowered his own variation with it to knock Rock unconscious.
After catching his breath, Rock moves to the railing of the boardwalk to look down at the beach below. He expects to see Alex unconscious, broken and beaten, and ready to hand over his Neo League points to him. Instead, he finds the man getting up and looking like he's just getting started. "Not very many people can say they've survived the Raging Storm," Rock says, respect for Alex growing. "And you mean my uncle, don't you?" Did Alex beat Kain in World Warrior?
COMBATSYS: Rock focuses on his next action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Rock 0/-------/------=|=======\==-----\1 Alex
"Hell if I know your family tree. You look like him, so I guess it must be," Alex resolves, seemingly satisfied. "Must've been him." Alex cracks his knuckles, starting to stalk towards Rock across the boardwalk, no longer limping. "That power's rotten to the core, kid. You gotta know that. I've been hit with some pretty weird stuff -- palookas that spit fire, a guy that could turn his freakin' arm into a gun -- and that stuff? It don't suit you," Alex says.
"Anyways, you wanna know how I took down that guy? Kain?" With that word, Alex steps forward, to grab Rock by the shoulders. "He was better than me. I was just tougher, that's all."
COMBATSYS: Rock counters Spiral DDT from Alex with Joudan Crack Counter.
- Power hit! -
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////// ]
Rock 0/-------/---====|=======\==-----\1 Alex
Rock has met Kain. He's working with his former mentor to gain in power. He needs the power to defeat Geese. He knows it. He tasted how far he had to go when they fought on SNF. Even after months of training in seclusion, bettering himself, Geese still destroyed Rock in Howard Arena. It wasn't even a contest. It was embarassing. And then Geese /carried/ him out of the arena like he was this high and mighty, wonderful, man who cared about his son.
Rock wants to spit just thinking about it. When Alex's arms lock onto his shoulders, his own shoot up to interdict the contact and push them away. He shows surprising strength. With Alex hopefully surprises, Rock leaps forward and flips over Alex's head. On the end of his rotation, he sends a booted heel screaming for the back of Alex's head.
"It's the only way to stop my father," Rock says, landing and shifting back into his fighting stance.
Alex hits the ground again, skidding until he finds his feet. "Heh," he says, wiping the blood from his mouth. "That so, huh? I guess you really are a loser," he says, holding his ground and waiting still. He thumbs his nose, and clearly resumes standing, upright and tough.
"A guy who'll do anything just to win? That's what I mean by 'loser'. I can't stand guys who care more about the win than the fight. You really that kind of guy?" Alex says, steadying himself on his feet and holding his hands out. "If you're not, prove it."
COMBATSYS: Alex focuses on his next action.
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Rock 0/-------/---====|=======\==-----\1 Alex
"I don't care about anything but stopping my father!" Rock yells back to Alex, defending his actions. The truth is he's justified a lot of things under that banner. He needs to keep winning and getting better in order to beat Geese. "I'll do anything if it means I can rid the world of his evil. He's a /bad/ man. He killed--" Rock stops himself. He doesn't need to explain himself to Alex.
"Why don't you stop lecturing and show me what you /really/ can do, Alex?" Rock says, starting his same tentative circling of the other fighter again. Only this time, he's visibly trying to catch his breath and steel his mind for the next assault. He thinks Alex has been holding back. The man he's fought so far could never have gotten so far in the tournament.
COMBATSYS: Rock gains composure.
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Rock 0/-------/----===|=======\==-----\1 Alex
"Yeah? Figures--" Alex roars, before planting his hands against the ground like a linebacker and taking off at Rock. "--then if that's all you care about, kid, invest in some dynamite and quit wasting my damn time!" he yells. His plan is pretty simple. He's going to grab Rock. He's going to pick Rock up. And then he's going to throw him through the ground hard enough to break the asphalt. If that's what it takes, that's what he'll do.
"'cause if that's all you're fighting for, then all you're doing is insulting me -- and even worse, guys like Bogard and Ryu!"
COMBATSYS: Rock blocks Alex's Powerbomb.
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Rock 0/-------/---====|=======\==-----\1 Alex
This time Rock isn't able to evade the bullrush into pain technique of Alex. Alex grabs Rock. Alex picks Rock up. And Alex slams Rock down into the pavement. Only, as Rock is sent barreling into the ground, he braces his body by flexing his muscles His impact comes hard, the wooden planks on the boardwalk beneath his black splintering with it.
But Rock doesn't die from the assault. It hurts like hell, but he's young. Back problems aren't a concern yet. His vertebrae don't fracture or explode into his spinal cord. It just hurts a whole lot. And from beneath Alex, Rock reacts as quickly. His bracing prevented the air from shooting out of his lungs after the power bomb.
Lifting a foot, Rock sends it slamming straight for Alex's chest. He then rolls, using his leg to hopefully propell Alex over his head and into the boardwalk railing.
COMBATSYS: Alex Toughs Out Rock's Quick Throw!
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////// ]
Rock 0/-------/--=====|=======\===----\1 Alex
Alex grits his teeth and roars like a lion as Rock comes back to use his own tricks against him. And, indeed, Rock takes hold of Alex and gets him off his feet, but by the time he's hit the railing he hasn't let go of his opponent -- no, quite the opposite. He's hanging on for dear life. "One more thing," he rasps, trying to put his strength against Rock's.
"If you fight like that leisure suit loser and not like the real fighter that wants to teach you what's what..." If Alex can get Rock off the ground, he's just going to bring him back down again. And again, leaping straight up from the ground to deliver a harsher blow -- hard enough to rock the entire boardwalk, shattering beam and shaking the Earth -- before rising again, jumping even higher, and carrying Rock all the way down to the ground, looking to bury him in the sand.
COMBATSYS: Rock fails to counter Hyper Bomb from Alex with Joudan Crack Counter.
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Rock 1/-------/=======|-------\-------\0 Alex
Rock will remember those words for a long time to come. Confident in his victory after sending Alex slamming into the railing, Rock jumps out of his roll and breaks into a run straight after the man, intent to follow up with a haymaker. His attack is interrupted immediately when Alex grapples him squarely by the shoulders -- Rock completely amazed at this man's resilience.
Rock goes for the Hyper Bomb ride. The first backbreaking slam cracks the boardwalk wide open. The second sends the duo crashing through splintered beams and shattered wood. And then the third leaves Rock breathless and broken in the sand.
He's still for a few seconds. Alex probably think he's won. But Rock won't have it. His mind races through the fog and pain. He wills himself to stand, he wills himself to roll over onto his side, and then break into a stumbling run away from Alex on the sand.
Black t-shirt torn and ruined, body covered in cuts and bruises, Rock's eyes blaze with intensity as he stares at Alex for a few seconds, his hand clutching his burning chest. "You want me to fight like Geese, instead?" he rasps, each word a labor from fatigue. "Fine!"
Both of Rock's arms shoot out to his side. "DOUBLE!" he yells as his power spikes again, the arms cutting forward. "REPPUKEN!"
Alex starts walking. The sand has been kicked up by the exchange of attacks, harshly enough that Alex has to stalk through the cloud, his dull silhouette sharpening as he comes into view. It's time to bring this to a close. "I didn't say a word about Geese Howard," Alex says, as he approaches the staggered Rock.
Alex is still standing despite his injuries, and as far as he's concerned, there's nothing to stop him, save, perhaps, for Rock's remaining gusto. If there's a time for a dramatic turnaround, this is it, both fighters pushed as they are to their limits.
"Now sit down--" Alex says, before driving his palm into Rock's chest as hard as he can.
COMBATSYS: Rock counters Hand Stamp from Alex with Joudan Crack Counter.
[ \\\\\ < > / ]
Rock 0/-------/=======|==-----\-------\0 Alex
Rock's focus intensifies as Alex sends his palm thrusting for his chest again. Fool him once, shame on you, fool him twice, shame on him. As abruptly as Alex sends his palm forward, Rock reacts. He shows amazing resolve after the damage he took in the Hyper Bomb. He's running on pure fumes; total willpower and a desire to succeed.
Grabbing the palm with both hands, Rock twists and yanks down on Alex's arm to hopefully bring him off balance in the soft sand. Then, pivoting on his heel, he sends his other foot straight for Alex's gut.
"No," the younger Howard says, defiant until the end, "Never!" Alex will have to knock him unconscious before Rock will say surrender. That's in his DNA.
"Huh," Alex says, rubbing his chin and taking a few steps back and away. "Go figure. I hadn't thought you'd still be up on your feet," he confesses, taking a few moments to compose himself.
"Well, hell. Even if I lose, I guess it's enough to hear you act like life and death's on the line. Every fight matters -- but not ever victory does, if you catch my drift," he says, settling in on his haunches and waiting, slightly crouched. "C'mon. Let's finish this."
COMBATSYS: Alex gains composure.
[ \\\\\ < > ///// ]
Rock 0/-------/=======|-------\-------\0 Alex
Rock slowly lowers his extended foot to the sand and bounces back a pair of steps, shifting his weight from each foot, trying to keep his wounded and burning muscles from seizing up on him. It's a familiar feeling, the fatigue burn. A good fighter just has to learn to push through it and get to that second tier. "I told you I had a few tricks up my sleeve, Alex," Rock says. "But thanks, this has been /exactly/ what I needed."
Word comes from Alex to finish things. "Yeah," Rock says, agreeing with Alex. "Let's do this!" Willing forth all all his power, all his ability, Howard's eyes widen as he shoots both of his arms down to his sides. His fingers uncurl, nearly blinding bluish white chi energy forming around the hands. "DOUBLE!" Rock yells, taking a foot forward and planting it in the sand; his muscles snapping to life like uncoiling ripcords. "REPPUKEN!" he continues, twin snakes of chi power shooting off him and burning across the ground.
COMBATSYS: Alex interrupts Double Reppuken from Rock with Body Slam.
-* CRITICAL HIT! *-
[ < > // ]
Rock 1/------=/=======|===----\-------\0 Alex
Alex grins. Or, perhaps, he sizes up his enemy. They're similar. In a lot of ways. "Yeah, kid. Go figure. This is it, ain't it?" Alex says, but as Rock generates chi to hurl, Alex starts moving. And he starts moving /fast/. There, perhaps, is the secret that Alex has been concealing all this time.
All that mass. All that bulk... and when he wants to, he can move it like a train, and he's kept it under his hat all this time.
Clever bastard.
Before Rock can complete his assault, Alex is on top of him, bursting through the incomplete Reppuken and picking his opponent up. "I lied to you before, kid. There's more to this than bein' tough. The other half... that's knowing who you're fighting!" he roars, before hurling Rock down the boardwalk.
Letting those two reppukens loose took a lot out of Rock but he was pretty sure they'd take care of Alex. The man was standing as haggardly as Rock was. They were both within an inch of not being able to get up. But when Alex emerges through the storm not a second after Rock channels them, what's he supposed to do? He can't even breath let alone try and get out of the way. It's like Brian Urlacher mixed with Ivan Drago.
With a terrible crunch, Rock ends up slamming into one of the boardwalk's thick support pillars. It's like being thrown into a redwood tree. Crumbling down to the ground, Rock can feel the doors starting shut around his eyes. He can barely make out the hazy silhouette of Alex in the distance. His mind is giving in to the pain but his heart is still pumping. Stumbling forward from beneath the boardwalk and through the sand, Rock makes one last ditch effort.
Everything goes into it. He runs towards where he thinks Alex remains, his fist coiled back. When he gets near, he puts every last ounce of his energy into extending it -- a wash of chi power spiraling off the fist as it travels through the air. Rock's hoping that even if he misses, this last pulse of chi might swallow Alex and blast him back.
COMBATSYS: Rock can no longer fight.
[ \\ <
Alex 0/-------/----===|
COMBATSYS: Rock successfully hits Alex with Rage Run Dunk.
[ <
Alex 0/-------/--=====|
COMBATSYS: Alex takes no action.
[ \\\ <
Alex 0/-------/--=====|
COMBATSYS: Alex has reached second wind!
[ \\\ <
Alex 0/-------/--=====|
"Wait a second--" Alex says, watching Rock come right back at him. "Aren't you--You're kiddin'!" Even Alex is surprised that Rock is, somehow, on his feet. That's toughness. That's abuse. That's endurance. He can't react -- not fast enough to avoid Rock burying his fist in his chin, knocking him backwards and out. Alex lands not far from where Rock does, incapacitated. According to the regulations, after a ten second count, the fight is a draw.
10... 9... 8... 7... 6... 5... 4... 3... 2...
Practically clawing his way to wakefulness, Alex rises from his own ashes, staggering to his feet a pulpy, bruised mess. But he's up. And Rock's not.
"You did good, kid. A little more Hungry Wolf and a little less Eurotrash... and you might have done it. Maybe next time."
Rock falls down to his knees, managing to hold on for that ten count. The second Alex stands back up, he can't do it anymore. Everything in him dies and gives out as he slumps straight forward into the sand. He doesn't get back up in the ten second window.
COMBATSYS: Alex has ended the fight here.
Log created on 15:29:27 05/11/2007 by Alex, and last modified on 20:47:03 06/14/2007.