Neo League 401 - #411: Drake vs Tenma

Description: Gedo High's Tenma Kiryuu challenges wrestler 'Domino' to a League match in the disused Shinto shrine outside of Southtown... But apparently, the latter fighter is coated entirely in TEFLON. (Winner: Drake)



Late afternoon on what most would call a 'lazy' day. It's one of those scorchers, to boot. Normally it would be a good thing that this Neo League match is supposed to take place indoors, but couple that with a good clustering of fans and camera equipment, and you have one seriously humid Shinto shrine.
No announcer could be found/bothered to call out this match, so the crowd is waiting in relatively silent anticipation. Before long though, the robed challenger Domino makes his entrance into the shrine, hood drawn up over his head but robe worn open. It's hot, remember? The fighting zone he approaches is unfavorably left out in the open where pretty much just anyone could fumble into, but the model wrestler doesn't care too much. The gap in the audience closes up behind him once he enters the 'arena', and he turns in a slow circle, fists raised into the air. After a few seconds of this, his robe is shrugged off and taken into his right hand, which is then held off to the side. Hopefully his teammate will take it for safekeeping. Not enough room to really go about his typical flambouyant behavior this time.

It's clear that Tenma Kiryuu actually came directly from school... Or who knows, maybe he's even cutting class for this? It wouldn't be the first time, after all he recently skipped school entirely to go fight in a library in /Boston/. ...But anyway, the reason it's clear is that the Gedo swordsman is still wearing his uniform, at least the summer variety. The high-collared coat is foregone, and in its place he wears a short-sleeved white dress shirt, partially undone, a red t-shirt underneath bearing the Gedo High logo. Of course, he's also got his two constant companions with him; the tight bracelet of prayer beads around his left wrist, and his trusty bokken, resting on his shoulder, the cloth sheath nowhere to be seen.

As it happens, the highschooler is already present when Drake makes his somewhat listless entrance, sitting casually on the floor at the far side of the 'arena', drinking a beverage from a glass bottle... It looks like iced tea, judging by the logo on the bottle. Also with him is a small group of other Gedo boys, though at the moment his own teammate is absent... Probably actually in class. "Hold this," he tells one of his classmates, as he screws the top back on the bottle and then tosses it over his shoulder casually, before getting to his feet. "There you are, Zoolander. I was startin' to think you weren't gonna show," Tenma says, smirking a bit, his usual overconfidence apparently undampened by the heat and humidity.

Tenma actually frowns a little though, looking around uncomfortably before he goes into his own usual pre-fight routine, biting open his thumb and drawing a line of blood down the blade of his bokken; sweeping the weapon through the air, it's soon surrounded by a misty red aura of mingled blood and chi. "This time's gonna be different, huh? Jus' you an' me. No stupid monkey and barefoot weirdo to get in the way."

Sweltering day, no kidding. Taking a break from rehearsal once she heard that Drake had a fight going on today, the lead singer of Femme Fatale pushes her way through the crowd so that she can have a front row... er... seat for this battle. It should be quite easy for anyone that knows her to spot her, since Arika hasn't really come incognito at all. In fact, she's probably the -least- dressed one in the crowd, sporting just a bikini top and a pair of model-shorts, with her workout hoodie folded over one arm.
The other arm holds up an 'I <3 Domino' pennant flag that she waves toward the wrestler with a sly little wink. Bet he thought no one would show, huh?

Drake continues holding the robe out, waiting for Arika to snatch it. But when she doesn't, a rather grabby teenchick snatches the robe and bundles it up in her arms, eyes all huge and starry. Drake gives her a surprised look, then shrugs his shoulders. Eh, Arika didn't take it, other girl can hold it.
Drake - or Domino, as it is now - turns his attention to Tenma, and a smirk touches to his pleasant features. "Y'know, it's actually hard to tell if you're complimenting me or trying to be insulting," he muses passively. "Either way, you got it. Just you and me. No need to go switching up or anything. No interruptions from your pal Uklangor."
But with that, Domino pauses a moment in thought. An obsidian eyebrow quirks. "Remembering how that fight went, though, I guess I should take back the 'pal' part. Bad past experience?" The querry is innocent enough, and the wrestler adjusts his footing to take up his stance. The base of which is a shallow backstance, right foot forward. His left hand chambers at chest level, fingers splayed as if ready for a grapple. His right arm rests angled before his body, hand tapered flat. Seems he's ready to go.

COMBATSYS: Drake has started a fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Drake            0/-------/-------|


Blood drips from Tenma's left hand for a few moments before it stops - being a fighter is pretty nice, isn't it? - but the boy's blue eyes cast a look down at where those droplets hit the floor. "Man... S'not like this place is still in use anyway," he mutters to himself, before returning his attention to Drake and... Actually it doesn't make it back to the wrestler right away, as his gaze stops on the underdressed girl /cheering/ for Drake, and then his expression goes flat.

Why does that guy get girls cheering him on, and Tenma only gets a bunch of mooks from school? Life is deeply unfair.

"Mmmph," the Gedo swordsman exhales irritably, tapping one sneaker's heel against the floor. "Guess you could say that," Tenma says finally on the subject of the 'bad past experience'. Well, Luc is pretty much his ETERNAL RIVAL, but he doesn't want to actually give the German that much credit. Now aloud, anyway. But since Drake is standing there waiting for the younger fighter to come at him, who is Tenma to disappoint? Except he knows what happens when one gets in too close to a /grappler/. So instead, he raises his bokken up, and sweeps it down in a wide arc, launching a crescent of crimson blood directly at 'Domino'. "EAT THIS!!"

COMBATSYS: Tenma has joined the fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Drake            0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0            Tenma


Eeep! Dropped the ball on that one, didn't you princess? Arika looks over at the starry-eyed teenchick and taps her gently on the shoulder. "'e'll need this back after the fight, mate. 'ere, free o'charge." She offers the pennant at the girl and says, "'and it o'er and I'll toss in a free CD and introduce you after the fight, hmm?" See? Even though it goes against what the diva wants, she's still being nice! Making a grab for the robe (and not stopping until she gets it), she lets it rest over her hoodie after reaching into the pocket and pulling out another pennant to wave it about. Now at least the model has two fans in the crowd, both of who will -hopefully- be silent for most of the fight except for the occasional cheering.

COMBATSYS: Drake dodges Tenma's Dharmapala.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////// ]
Drake            0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0            Tenma


The girl's eyes go all hooge. "Arika Fade!," she squeaks. The robe is handed over at the promise to introduce them later. "I love your work! You rock! What's it like being on the same team with him? Is he real nice? I bet he's nice! You guys ever kiss? Better not kiss!"

Ramble, ramble. So much for keeping quiet.

Domino's a bit too occupied to find this amusing, though. As the sword is drawn up, the agile wrestler's footing and weight shifts almost indiscernably, and his amethyst eyes narrow a bit. When the bloody arc of energy comes towards him, he nimbly side-steps it and dashes in to close the remaining distance. He reaches down quickly to attempt grabbing Tenma's left foot to yank his balance out from under him and hopefully land him on his back. If successful, Domino's left boot sets over Tenma's right foot to keep its toes pointed to one side, and he twists the other foot in the opposite direction. A standing ankle-twist.

COMBATSYS: Drake successfully hits Tenma with Quick Throw.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////////     ]
Drake            0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0            Tenma


Frustration, Tenma's grandfather reminds him often, is your worst enemy in a fight. He's witnessed Drake's surprising speed in the past, so it shouldn't surprise him too much that the wrestler manages to avoid his attack - the crescent of blood smashing into the far wall, spattering red everywhere - but it /does/ irritate him, throwing off his response when 'Domino' makes a grab for him. Just what he tries to do isn't clear, but what happens is that he ends up on the ground with his ankles getting wrenched, and that kind of sucks. Clearly his grandfather doesn't remind him often enough.

His current situation being somewhat problematic - not to mention painful - Tenma does what comes naturally. He can't use his legs, so the longest reach he has is, of course, his weapon; gritting his teeth against the pain, he sits up as best he can, using his free hand to support himself... And thrusts his bokken out and up, between the wrestler's legs. "Back OFF!"

COMBATSYS: Tenma successfully hits Drake with Weapon Jab.

[   \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////////     ]
Drake            0/-------/-----==|==-----\-------\0            Tenma


Domino continues wrenching the ankles, brow quirked slightly. He's assumed his Dark Side persona, and therefore gives no visible sign of forthcoming mercy or relent. But of course, there are always exceptions to this rule. In this case, there is an exception when the favorably blunt weapon strikes him 'twixt the knees.
"ERK!"
Domino hobbles back from the swordsman with a collective gasp from the spectators. Gasp! How... awful! How dirty! How very much like sports entertainment! 'Cept Domino can't really go along with this amusement. He's too busy cursing himself for not wearing a friggin' cup. Lesson learned, dammit.
So, Domino stands a couple feet back from Tenma, amethyst eyes rather huge and strained, body hunched a little... but keeping close eye on his opponent's movements.

COMBATSYS: Drake focuses on his next action.

[   \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////////     ]
Drake            0/-------/-----==|==-----\-------\0            Tenma


It's Tenma's considered opinion that there's no such thing as dirty or unfair in a fight... Which should come as no surprise to anyone who has spoken to him for more than a minute. Rolling back over his shoulders, the Kiryuu boy uses his free hand to push himself up, vaulting back up onto his feet, even if his ankles are pretty sore now. "S'better," he says, exuding confidence once more. Now, he just needs to keep his head cool.

It may then come as a surprise that Tenma's choice of action is actually very similar to Drake's; keeping his own stance ready, chi-radiating bokken held in front of him, the Gedo student watches Drake carefully, slowly stalking around the wrestler. He's looking for an opening, of course; with somebody as flashy as 'Domino', there's bound to be a few...

COMBATSYS: Tenma focuses on his next action.

[   \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////////     ]
Drake            0/-------/-----==|==-----\-------\0            Tenma


For certain. Right now would be an ideal opportunity, what with Domino's.. err.. parts getting bashed. Ouch. But with this added pause, the wrestler composes himself a bit and shakes his head tskingly at Tenma. He turns to observe him as he circles about, waiting a couple moments.

And the audience is, of course, all wide-eyed. It looks like they're about to explode into awesome kung-fu action.

Domino suddenly dashes in at Tenma, body hunkered rather low to the ground to hopefully cut past his defenses. When he raises up, it's beside his opponent, right arm hooking one of his legs and left arm locking around Tenma's neck to hoist his side along his shoulders. The martial wrestler holds him in the fireman carry for only a second before hopping up and dropping aside, aiming to smash his head against the floor in a death valley driver.

COMBATSYS: Tenma fails to interrupt Strong Throw from Drake with Head Breaker.

[   \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////            ]
Drake            0/-------/-----==|====---\-------\0            Tenma


When Drake comes at him like that, Tenma actually steps /into/ the attack, reaching to grab the wrestler right back... Unfortunately, Domino is better at grabbing dudes than the Gedo swordsman is. Instead, he gets scooped into that fireman's carry, and then he gets smashed into the floor, which? Is not terribly comfortable. Grunting as he hits, Tenma rolls clear of Drake as quickly as possible, to get his footing back underneath him. Who knows what the other fighter might try on him next....

Immediately following the heavy slam, Domino shifts onto his back, curls onto his shoulders, and kips up cleanly to his feet. And just like that, he's ready to continue the fight. And by this juncture, his stoic, emotionless expression has returned. He's back to fully concentrating on the match at hand.
Deciding not to give any quarter (mostly due to hitting his naught-bits earlier), Domino rushes in to continue the assault. His hands chamber at his sides, and the moment he enters range, he drops into a low forward stance on his left leg. The hands thrust out in a double palmheel strike aimed for Tenma's torso, hands igniting in a dazzling white flash of energy the moment his arms are fully extended.

COMBATSYS: Tenma endures Drake's Whiteout.

[    \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////               ]
Drake            0/-------/---====|======-\-------\0            Tenma


This time though, it seems Tenma's a bit more prepared to deal with Drake... Or at least, he /feels/ he is, as he steps directly /into/ the palm strike. The eruption of white energy staggers the Gedo swordsman a little, but apparently not enough! "Heh," he chuckles, sliding one foot forward and pressing on despite the force of Domino's energy attack...

And the suddenly, Tenma's sweeping his bokken down with both hands, a vicious diagonal slash aimed to strike Domino right across the torso once, with hard wood and bloody chi, before then swinging back /up/ in a second strike. It's not overly fancy, but hopefully it's timed before the wrestler can properly recover from his own attack... "HAAAAA!!"

COMBATSYS: Drake dodges Tenma's Ungyou.

[    \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////                ]
Drake            0/-------/---====|=======\-------\0            Tenma


The shrine is illuminated briefly in the flash of white light. The moment the light has dimmed, Domino's eyes lock onto the downwards swing of the bokken. His body twists sharply aside, letting the first strike connect with nothing. The upwards strike is smoothly dodged with a quick backbend. The impeccable timing and the movements themselves lend an almost Spiderman-esque appearance.
The moment the bokken is in the air, Domino twists a third time - only this time -towards- Tenma. He drops to a knelt position, and his right elbow rockets out in a hard elbow smash attack aimed for his midsection.

COMBATSYS: Tenma dodges Drake's Strong Punch.

[    \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////                ]
Drake            0/-------/---====|=======\-------\0            Tenma


Okay... That's not bad. Tenma is a bit surprised as his strike is dodged from that close; clearly Drake has /very/ good reflexes. But when it comes down to it, the Gedo swordsman is no slouch either. When Drake ducks low, Tenma is already moving, springing forward, and rather than getting elbowed in the gut he actually vaults /over/ the wrestler, landing on his feet behind him... And takes a few more steps to get some room, turning to face Domino once again.

"Looks like you're losin' your touch there, Zoolander," Tenma chides, wagging his bokken at the other fighter. Meanwhile, he's taking the opportunity to get his head together; Domino's definitely got him on the proverbial ropes so far, and he's got to figure out a way to get /out/ of this bad situation if he hopes to win... Which of course, he does. He likes winning! It's fun.

COMBATSYS: Tenma gains composure.

[    \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////             ]
Drake            0/-------/---====|=====--\-------\0            Tenma


Well, well, look at that. They share a philosophy! Winning > losing. They'll have a beer later to celebrate their newfound middle ground.

Or.. wait. They're both underaged.

To Hell with comradery, then!

Domino whirls on the student, looking quite undaunted by the chiding. Indeed, Domino's expression is still unbroken - calm and calculating. He dashes in towards his opponent again, left hand making a sudden grab for Tenma's wrist. The one that supports the bokken, to be exact. Hey, it was being wagged at him. If caught, the wrestler yanks him forward and crouches low, right hand shooting up to set to Tenma's torso. Still pulling with the left to keep motion going, Domino pushes suddenly with the right to simply flip him over onto his back.

COMBATSYS: Tenma blocks Drake's Quick Throw.

[   \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////               ]
Drake            0/-------/---====|======-\-------\0            Tenma


So, Tenma's wrist gets grabbed. And he gets pushed and pulled into what would probably be a very uncomfortable throw... If he were inclined to just let it happen. Rather than do anything as silly as that, the Gedo fighter manages to move his weight in midair, getting his feet underneath himself, landing roughly and abruptly... But landing under his own control, at least. So that's something, right?

Wrenching his wrist free as best he can, Tenma sweeps his wooden sword back at Drake, trying to hit the wrestler before he can properly recover from the not-quite-successful throw, the chi-charged weapon aimed right for the back of ol' Domino's neck.

COMBATSYS: Tenma successfully hits Drake with Light Strike.

[       \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////               ]
Drake            0/-------/-======|=======\-------\0            Tenma


Whack. Domino is struck, and sent to a knelt position. A pained expression crosses his face briefly, but he quickly shakes his head to clear it. He raises to his full height again and begins circling around Tenma again, waiting for an opening.
It isn't long before Domino rushes him, right hand chambering briefly by his head before snapping out in a swift reverse knifehand strike aimed for the base of Tenma's neck.

COMBATSYS: Tenma interrupts Quick Punch from Drake with Initial Breaker.

[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////                 ]
Drake            1/-------/=======|=======\-------\0            Tenma


Twisting around quickly as Domino tries to get behind him, Tenma sees that hand pulling back... And at the same time his own right hand pulls back, pulling his chi-charged bokken into a horizontal position, his left hand held out by the tip. Yes, rather than try to block the attack, or dodge it, or whatever, he's going to /attack at the very same instant/.

The knifehand strike hits the side of the Gedo swordsman's neck instead of the back, thanks to his moving, and at the same moment his bokken is thrust forward into a driving strike at Domino's solar plexus, lashing out once more with solid wood and more emphemeral chi, driving the wrestler away. "HA-!!"

Domino is, indeed, driven back from the strike with a soft 'hurk'. Arms loop around his midsection, and his eyes narrow a bit on Tenma. Instead of rushing back in to continue the assault however, he turns aside and gestures to the boy, waving to the audience. Could he be congratulating Tenma? Kind've hard to tell, what with how Domino still seems quite self-assured and doesn't actually -say- anything. But he turns back to face his opponent, hunched over a little, hands setting to his knees. He attempts to regulate his breathing while watching Tenma intently.

COMBATSYS: Drake gains composure.

[       \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////                 ]
Drake            0/-------/-======|=======\-------\0            Tenma


After that 'Gatotsu'-style attack (Tenma watches way too many samurai movies) the Gedo swordsman pulls his blade arm back, reassuming the earlier pose. Yeah, he's showing off a little bit. "Hanging back?" the youth wonders aloud, brows raising as Drake catches his breath. "Doesn't seem like you, Zoolander. Figured you for more the 'press the assault' kinda guy..." Of course, most people would think the same of Tenma, but he's actually a lot smarter than he looks. Smart enough to know that after that attack, Drake's not the only one who needs a moment. Which is exactly why young Kiryuu keeps talking. "...C'mon, bring it. Don't wanna disappoint those chicks in the audience, right?"

COMBATSYS: Tenma gains composure.

[       \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////              ]
Drake            0/-------/-======|======-\-------\0            Tenma


Domino snickers at that. Look, stoic face is broken! At least for a second or two. The agile wrestler turns to face Tenma again briefly, assuming his stance... before suddenly lunging for him. He drops into a very low slide moments before closing the distance, legs scissoring out to attempt catching Tenma's. If captured, he twists back, bringing the swordsman down to the floor on his front, and Domino continues to roll over until propped neatly on his hands. The end result sees Domino's legs locked with Tenma's, curling his legs backwards in a leg-locked boston crab hold. Personalized submission!

COMBATSYS: Tenma interrupts Strong Throw from Drake with Deep Strike.

[                \\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////                 ]
Drake            1/---====/=======|=======\=------\1            Tenma


Unfortunately for Tenma, he gets caught by Drake; unfortunately for Domino though, the Gedo swordsman isn't quite as caught as the wrestler was probably hoping. Maybe the hold isn't pulled off quite how Drake was hoping, maybe Tenma's rather, uh, unorthodox style screwed the pooch, it's difficult to say; what IS clear though, is that though he gets caught in the modified Boston Crab, the youth is able to grit past the pain and force himself up on one hand as well...

And twisting painfully, his chi-charged bokken glowing with that misty red energy of his, Tenma sweeps his weapon back in a repeated barrage of strikes at Drake's side, using all the strength he can put behind them in his current position. It's not fancy, and there's not much finesse behind it at all, but he's in a pretty awkward and uncomfortable position here. "I SAID, BACK OFF!!"

There isn't a whole heck of a lot Domino can do from this position. For one, his back is effectively turned to Tenma. For another, he's balancing on his hands. Crazy-dextrous though the nimble wrestler may be, Daredevil he ain't.
Domino let's out a sharp cry of pain from the initial strike, releasing the hold and pulling himself forward to roll away from Tenma. He lands in a crouch, eyes widened, looking... well... he doesn't look anything. That brief cry of pain is all the merit the strike gets. He turns around to face Tenma, teeth gritting. He's masking his pain very well. That's part of what the Dark Side entails, though. He raises to his feet and suddenly rushes the swordsman again, reaching out to grab him by the shoulders...

COMBATSYS: Drake successfully hits Tenma with Total Eclipse.

[                \\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /                             ]
Drake            0/-------/-------|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2            Tenma


With Tenma's shoulders grabbed, he jerks his opponent up to his feet. He yanks him inwards to lock his neck between his legs, and his arms then hook around Tenma's midsection to hoist him upside-down into the air.

Many wrestling fans should recognize this as a piledriver position.

His right fist thrusts into the air briefly to signal his finisher to the crowd. Both arms then lock around his midsection, suddenly gripping with anaconda-like strength. This inverted bearhug lasts several excruciating seconds, the pressure ever increasing until he leaps into the air with his prey. Keeping the bearhugged pressure on, he pulls forward to begin a series of forward flips. The speed of these flips increase rapidly as they ascend into the air, and by the time they begin to come back down, the two fighters have blurred together into an opaque ball.

The finale of this technique comes when Domino drives the insane momentum of the flips along with their combined bodyweight against Tenma's head.

From there, the acrobatic model wrestler simply releases him and hops back, assuming his stance again.

In the long run, Tenma will have to say... He really didn't enjoy /that/. In fact, for a few seconds it looks like he's not even going to get back up, before the dark-haired teenager pushes himself to his feet, shakily. He looks back over his shoulder at Drake, and a trickle of blood runs down from his scalp... Yeah, that hurt a little. Exhaling slowly, the boy's stance widens, and he pushes his left hand forward, palm out, fingers slightly contorted with pinky, ring finger and thumb curled in, middle finger extended and his index finger resting against the back of his middle. His right hand, with that bokken of his, pulls way back, and the red glow around the weapon intensifies.

"Time to go to hell, Zoolander," Tenma says, but there's no smirk and arrogance in his expression or tone. None of the anger one might expect otherwise. He knows he's got one last strike, one last chance to take Domino with him... And he's got to make it count. Staggering a little, he rushes foward at Drake, swinging his bokken in a wide, wild arc at the wrestler's side...

If it strikes, in addition to the regular damage, Tenma's chi rushes through Domino, disrupting the flow of energy through his body, leaving a numb chill in its wake...

COMBATSYS: Tenma can no longer fight.

[                \\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Drake            0/-------/-------|


COMBATSYS: Drake dodges Tenma's The Sealing Sword.

[                \\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Drake            0/-------/-------|


The audience is on the edge of their seats. They actually fall silent after the Total Eclipse is delivered, waiting to see if Tenma can rise again. And when he does, the audience begins to murmer... but in hushed tones. It looks like he's about to do something! When he speaks, they fall silent.

Talk about a climactic finish.

Domino adjusts his footing, and his amethyst eyes narrow intensely. He focuses in on Tenma's movements, nerves on edge. The moment the bokken slashes out, Domino bends back to an extreme, twisting over to place his right hand behind him on the floor to balance himself and cleanly evade the strike and letting Tenma pass him. After that moment, the model pushes himself back up to his full height and extends his right leg back. Not to strike so much as to set between Tenma's shoulders to push him forward and hopefully down.

"Not this time."

An irritated 'tch' can be heard to escape Tenma as Drake avoids his attack. The wrestler should be proud; only one other person has ever been able to do anything to that except eat it. But he's already on his way towards the ground before Drake can even give him that nudge, the head injury from that huge piledriver before getting the best of him. As he tumbles, the misty red aura around his weapon fades, and keen eyes would notice that the red line he painted upon it with his blood has disappeared.

"Well, son of a bitch," the Gedo swordsman mutters, shaking his head. "Guess you're not just for show after all, huh?" Tenma directs at Drake, proving that with some people, no matter what happens they never change their tune. Not entirely, anway. "This one's yours, Zoolander. Barely," Tenma amends, with a a wide, wolfish grin.

Domino turns smoothly to face his opponent, in stance again. What with his foot missing its mark, he expected him to be getting back up. But apparently not. 'Erego, fight is over. 'Erego, the Dark Side of Domino recedes, and the Light Side returns with a wry smile.
"Don't sound too surprised," chides the model. "I -am- the total package, after all. Looks, talent, and skill." Humility doesn't really fit in there, though. "Don't beat yourself up over it. You did pretty well."
And with that, Domino turns to face the audience and cameras. His fists thrust into the air, signalling himself as the victor. He holds this pose for a few moments, nodding to the audience, before his left hand sets to his hips and his right hand whisks through his bangs, roguish smile touching to his lips.

COMBATSYS: Drake has ended the fight here.


So, now the answer to teenchicks question can -finally- be answered. With the fight over, Arika pushes her way up toward Drake and doesn't bother holding out the robe. Throwing her arms about his neck, she draws herself closer to him and whispers, "Congratulations, darling," before pressing her lips to his in a short, sweet kiss.
Then, and only then does she step back and hold the robe out for him so that he can make the exit of a victor.

The remainder of the crowd cheers loudly for Drake 'Domino' Vyril, lead by teenchick. Whistles and shouts of "DOMINO" can be heard from even the furthest corners of the room (despite everyone being incredibly warm thanks to so many spectators being present).

For his part, Tenma just rolls his eyes at the cheering and much worse the public display of affection. Because he's a jerk and a teenager, and adults are gross.

He's helped to his feet by the other Gedo boys, who give him the usual 'better luck next time' stuff and pats on the back, plus the typical teenaged boy bantering and ripping on each other, and then at a choice moment of quiet in the cheers he can be heard to say:

"I swear, if any of you idiots try to kiss me, they'll still be finding your body parts come Christmas."

Log created on 16:45:29 05/29/2007 by Tenma, and last modified on 21:27:33 06/07/2007.