Description: Wherein Robert learns why it is a bad idea to aim a water hose at psycho-powered dictators.
Who doesn't wish to learn the secret arts of Kyokugen?! Or the not so secret arts, instead - those arts of 'kick really hard' and 'punch really strong' and occasionally 'hit someone with your butt'. These skills have been studied for some time by Shadaloo, the Elite probably ignoring Kyokugen as a pretender to Ansetsuken. However, one man within the organization has kept his opinion about it to himself. That man - Shadaloo's leader.
Vega.
As he makes his way along the cement leading to the dojo, he ponders his place here, and his decision to move towards the Dojo. Why do this? Why expose himself to a fight where he could concievably lose.. And why would he do it when there is certain to be at least some fighters of caliber. The answer, of course, is obvious. Because he can.
As he reaches the dojo itself, his voice raises up, calling out those inside. After all, a simple 'knock' and a 'I'd like to meet your best master, ok thanx' does not suit Lord Vega. "I am here.. to challenge you! Send your best warrior - as many as you have, and show me the power of your school!"
COMBATSYS: Vega has started a fight here.
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Vega 0/-------/-------|
If nothing else, the crickets themselves take offense to this outburst and roar in answer to this challenge. This would probably be more dramatic if the roar of crickets equated to more than a pleasantly soothing ambience.
Only one person takes note of this. Certainly not what Vega was expecting, of course. A shirtless Italian in jeans is the only human to look up. Sure, the telltale muscles of a daily workout regiment is there, but there's something very decidedly unthreatening about him. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that he's in the midst of washing his precious Ferrari F40, an arc of water absently spraying across the windshield from the hose in his hand as the man turns to stranger.
Robert sighs. May as well answer if nobody else will.
"HEY, BUTT CHIN. The dojo is having a cookout today! You're the third gym buster this week and it's their day off, so scram."
And then he does the unthinkable. He...actually turns the hose on the crimson-clad crime lord and sprays him down like a common street vagrant. Oh man.
This .. is not what he was expecting. In fact, on the 'list of things Vega was expecting', Shirtless Italian man with Ferrari is pretty low. It's still higher than some of the other possibilities, such as 'Cammy, Chun-Li and Rose having a bake sale to raise money to fight Shadaloo'. Because, really - none of those women can cook!
Further ponderings are started, but not finished - the spray of water directly into his face is something that stuns and shocks Vega. The insolence! How could some idiot be so eager to just attempt to insult the head of Shadaloo, the most powerful fighter inexistence! This is inexcusable, and Vega is suddenly very, very, /very/ angry.
It might be hard to notice - he does look like a drenched rat, after all. The best way to tell that he's upset is the slow and steady walk he makes towards the water, and Robert himself. He doesn't say anything for a long moment - and then he reaches down, the dark purple aura around his hand flicking into life. It wraps up and around the precious, precious car, helping him lift it as he grabs the underside frame from the start. His voice is low, deep and dangerous as he brings it swinging.
"Then consider this.. my /Messsage!/" Robert's insurance isn't going to cover this!
COMBATSYS: Robert has joined the fight here.
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Robert 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Vega
COMBATSYS: Robert dodges Vega's Random Weapon.
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Robert 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Vega
On the bright side, at least Yuri wasn't included in that theoretical bake sale. Yuri is many things, but model kitchen house wife is not one of them. She can make SOUP burn.
Of course, burning soup isn't exactly the top of Robert's concerns at the moment. As Lord Vega begins walking towards him, Garcia is given a moment for pause, but he ends up answering that threat with an upward tilt of his chin and a smug grin. What's this? The costumed gym breaker wants to play? Why not, it'll be fun! He's better than most of the punks who darken the doorsteps of this dojo anywa--OH MY GOD HE'S LIFTING A CAR. Italian eyes bulge, and self-preservation instincts kick in. In the face of vehicular homicide, GLOWING PURPLE VEHICLULAR HOMICIDE, one simply does not stand there. No, one yelps as if given a koncho by Takuma himself and leaps nearly as high into the air.
Robert lands on the hood. What's more disturbing is that this man did not throw the vehicle. No, he picked it up and swung it like a bat, and he is in fact still holding it up in the air. Along with him. Oh my.
It's hard to settle on just WHAT reaction is most appropriate for a person finding themself in this sort of situation, but rich Italian indignance finally wins. "Hey! Get your greasy hands off my car, I just waxed that bumper!" He punctuates this demand with a FACEKICK. Nevermind the illogic of doing this to someone who is currently swinging the vehicle you're standing on, he'll deal with that bit of logic in a moment. It's not very convenient right now, you see.
COMBATSYS: Robert successfully hits Vega with Ryuuhan Shuu.
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Robert 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Vega
Holding the car with both hands leaves you relatively wide open, this is true. But Vega does not seem to be too worried by the look in his eyes, the narrowing and furrowing of his brow belying a sense of concentration as Robert adroitly avoids the swing. As the italian man comes in and demands Vega place the car down, he does so - a slow and deliberate motion that leaves his face wide open to the strike of Robert's foot. It impacts with a heavy CRAK, and Vega's head twists briefly on the side, blood flowing from a damaged and injured nasal passage. A sharp exhalation sends a few drops of blood onto the hood of Robert's untouched car, Vega sounding almost apologetic, though sarcasam comes through quick enough.
"There's blood on it, and I won't wipe it off with my greasy hands. Perhaps you should wipe it off..." And then Vega grabs at Robert's leg, trying to bring him up, around and down, aimed at slamming him against the stain. After all, he's probably superabsorbent, right?
COMBATSYS: Robert blocks Vega's Strong Throw.
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Robert 0/-------/-----==|=------\-------\0 Vega
Are you kidding? Robert would never allow his own touch to soil the perfect finish of his car! Manhandled like so, Robert expertly twists himself in mid-wrench to avoid kissing the bumper with his teeth, instead taking a face full of dirt. At least he can brace himself against the impact with his hands if it's the dirt, the car would have been another story.
This leaves the Kyokugen Dragon in a rather precarious handstand, with Vega still clutching one leg. This simply will not do. Twisting his hip, Robert attempts to bring Italian footwear to bear on the costumed man's head once more, and if successful pushes off the ground and chases it down with a series of follow-up kicks. "Not with my FACE. Have you no decency?!"
COMBATSYS: Vega endures Robert's Flying Whirlwind Kick.
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Robert 0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0 Vega
Vega's pretty tempted by this point to just wipe the man's car off the face of the planet. The effort Robert goes through to avoid damaging it is actually ... somewhat impressive, up and to willingly taking damage to save it. Still, it's not something that Vega would do - tools and items are disposable, be it a car, a VTOL, or a Doll. In the end, they can be replaced.
"No.. No, I do not think that I do." Vega lets go of Robert's foot as he starts to throw and lash those kicks, each one impacting 'pon his giant chin or against his cheeks with the sound of a bat meeting a tree trunk, or Rocky punching a hanging slab of meat. Either way, Vega seems unamused, and relatively unaffected, though some of that may be for show. Raising his hands up high, he brings them down after Robert's finished his lashing fury of feet - and a wave of dark energy explodes out behind where he rakes his hands. This close, he simply attempts to engulf Robert within the purple psychopower, to see just how strong he is mentally - the physical strength is impressive, at least.
COMBATSYS: Vega successfully hits Robert with Psycho Wave.
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Robert 1/------=/=======|==-----\-------\0 Vega
The hands of the mighty would-be dictator come crashing down. And then...blackness. "Not...again..." This feeling. This feeling deep inside. This feeling that he can't hide. He's felt it once before. It's very similar to the time that Alma hit him with whatever strange form of chi(?) that was that made him uncharacteristicly emo. Only, Vega's is slightly different. This seems less bent on making him a sad girl in snow. *This* time it's more like an omnipotent force that seeks to swallow him, consuming his essence in its entirety.
Jaw firmly set, eyes clenched tight and twitching in agony, it takes all the concentration he can manage just to try and grab the man by the front of his vest and heave him over his shoulder into the ground. Getting the guy's hands off of him seem like an excellent first step in breaking free of this strange power.
COMBATSYS: Vega fails to interrupt Strong Throw from Robert with Final Psycho Crusher.
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Robert 1/-----==/=======|===----\-------\0 Vega
Overwhelming oppressiveness. It's part of Vega's trademark - that strength of his will, deliberately turned into a weapon. A weapon which drives into people, forces them to give up, to quit, and to just fail. He prides himself on being able to cow most all that come up to him, to knock them down and away, to overpower them with the force of his personality.
But apparently he doesn't hold a candle to Robert's determination. As those hands reach through the psychopower aura for Vega, he increases the intensity, laying it on thick and causing the purple glow to explode into a wide arc. But even so, he doesn't manage to keep things from going wrong, and Robert chucks him over his shoulder, the dark energies winking out all of the sudden! *poof*
Ah, that's better. The birds are singing again, the crickets continue their heckling from the peanut gallery, and most importantly, the gleam from the hood of his freshly washed Ferrari all remind him of what a good thing it is to be alive. As his assailant slams into the dirt several feet away, orange light begins to flicker from Robert's hands as he takes a step back with one foot, anchoring himself while drawing his hands back into their set position. "Two can play at that game."
Haoh..." The energy begins to manifest in the form of a small sphere cradled between his hands, rapidly expanding as the man thrusts his palms forward. "...Shou KOUKEN!!" Not waiting for Vega to get up, the trademark Kyokugen Cruise Missile speeds its way toward the fallen Vega, seeking to return a favor. Can Robert's chi make evil dictators emo too?!
COMBATSYS: Vega slows Haoh Sho Ko Ken from Robert with Psycho Shot.
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Robert 0/-------/-----==|=====--\-------\0 Vega
On his back, trying to get to his feet - such fun. Vega isn't used to being tossed around by this, oh no, no he is not. Out of practice, or perhaps simply just overconfident - both marks of a rank amateur. Damnit! The only good thing is that the hate and frustration he fills himself with is like crack for him, a power source he uses to fuel his aura.
"This is no /game/. And you are not in my league!" Vega whips his hand around as the gleaming ball of chi comes in at him, and he /catches/ it, darkness flaring a centimeter from the palm of his hand, siphoning off and slowing the impact of the chiblast. It doesn't last, though, and finally it pumps through his defenses, washing over him and leaving him a smoking mass of very pissed off dictator. He raises himself to his feet with effort, and then stares down at Robert.
"Are you the best this Dojo offers?"
"Ha HA!"
It wasn't a clean blow, but it was enough to overpower the volatile purple energy that the man makes so much use of. Having been on the receiving end of that bizarre force twice and having his own power overcome it is a personal victory for Robert in and of itself. Flashing a toothy grin at Vega, the overconfident Italian begins pacing his way towards the stranger attacker. "Not the strongest by any means, but adequate enough for the task I'd say. Come on, cheer up. Have a little fun!" Robert then pauses in mid-step, arching a brow with a tilted head. "Oh, that's right. I forgot about the hose thing. I'd be pretty pissed off fighting in water-logged boxers too."
Distance thusly closed, Robert hops onto one leg and concentrates briefly, before thrusting his other leg forward. ...Make that legs, it's hard to tell. The space in front of the Kyokugen fighter is suddenly filled with a barrage of kicks travelling seemingly in every direction at once. The blows themselves are lightning fast and powerful, but the range of the attack itself is stationary.
COMBATSYS: Vega blocks Robert's Gen'ei Kyaku.
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Robert 0/-------/-----==|=====--\-------\0 Vega
A little fun?
There's no reason to have fun - Vega is seemingly stymied by someone so far beneath what his level should be that he's being driven towards distraction. Does he have too easy a time fighting his minions because they given in, or is he unknowingly looking for weak warriors? This is something that he shall have to ponder - and something that will probably drive him to distraction. In the end, it's disgusted him enough that he can't focus all his attention on this battle, at least not yet. Another time, when he's had a chance to prepare, he may be able to.
But for now, he's done. A last display of strength, Vega moves his left hand so it catches each lightning quick kick, each impact met time and again by his palm. The bruise there will probably be astounding, but it's a show of competence that Vega hasn't been able to offer up before. "... Then perhaps I should choose another time. When there are more like you to ... 'learn from'. You fight well." And with that, he turns his back on Robert, starting to walk away. Guard dropped, uncaring on the chance of another attack coming from behind.
COMBATSYS: Vega has left the fight here.
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Robert 0/-------/-----==|
Nah, no need to rub it in. Robert's point has been made. It honestly surprises him when the large man decides that he's had enough and turns to walk away with a sweep of his cloak. Garcia answers the compliment with a simple nod, watching as the stranger walks off into the distance just as randomly as he came...
Robert stands there waiting for a few minutes, just to ensure that the mysterious stranger is gone for good.
He glances around to make sure that no one is secretly watching.
Both conditions cleared, Robert abruptly collapses down onto his back, staring up at the sky with glazed over eyes. "Ohmygod ohmygod ohmygod OH MY GOD." Who the fuck WAS that?
Log created on 11:44:44 05/25/2007 by Robert, and last modified on 14:13:32 05/25/2007.