Description: The Junior League Championships of SNF, taking place atop an old Spanish galleon! Explosions and fires galore! (Winner: Kenji)
This SNF match has no actual audience for only one reason: They're floating on a goddamn ship in the middle of the ocean. However, when this airs, people will be glued to their TV. They may not know any of the fighters that well, but a championship is still a championship. Helicopters fly overhead, and speedboats and other floaty things surround the ship, to make sure they can capture every angle of this on cameras. For most people here, it's probably their biggest match ever. In Alan's case, it's his biggest match ever without the looming threat of a giant cat and a vat of molten bronze.
The antique galleon bobs in the water, sails furled, though the current carries it ever so gently west. Or east. Whichever's right. The ship has been restored to exactly how it would sail over FIF-TY YEARS AGO (no, surely not, no one was alive then), stocked with all the Spanish Armada would need to beat up whoever happened by. The ship is old, but SNF spared no expense in making it a suitable fighting arena, so the floor is likely not to go collapsing under anyone's feet until at least the second earthshaking technique.
Alan R. B. is the first to be announced, standing on one corner of the deck with a cigarette dangling out of his mouth. Normally he doesn't look like he's particularly invested in anything, but there's an eager bounce to the electricity crackling across his hands, both corners of his mouth turned up in a smile instead of the usual one. It's not the championship Alan is really excited about, but the rather sizable purse going to the winner, and the promise of plenty more money if he keeps doing well after. Alan will fill a pool with money and swim in it.
The blonde boxer hooks his iron rings off his belt and onto his fingers, and waits for the rest of the announcements.
The thing with being the champion is that you have to WANT it. You have to spend every waking moment yearning for that brass ring, even if it is a newly announced belt that seems to hold very little weight as of yet; a title is still a title.
Enter the lad from Pacific High, Preston Alistair Wellington the II -- "Don't call me that!" he shouts at the speedboat nearby that's doing the announcements, going so far as to shake his oar high into the air as he exits from below deck. Stripped to the waist, he makes his usual imposing figure, by far the tallest and by nearly triple-figures the heaviest of the combatants slated to do battle on the deck of the restored ship.
To think, that his family made its name, etched out its Dukedom, by destroying ships of this nature. The Spanish Armada versus the British, so many years ago. Nostalgia threatens to run thick for the Brit, but then he remembers that he doesn't care -- he also remembers that he's likely the best set for this battle, particularly if the boat starts a-rockin'. Perhaps the producers are favoring him, by placing the battle out on a boat. "Man, that's a big oar," he notes as he strolls across deck, gaze moving from cannon to oar that protrudes from the side of the vessel.
Ultimately he makes his way towards the rear of the ship and mounts what few steps there are, to the pilot's deck, up near the massive wheel that would under normal circumstances guide the ship. "Yo ho, yo ho," he announces with a smirk, standing at the railing before the wheel to stare down at those below. The rest goes unsaid as he shoulders his oar, and the smirk he wears does little to hide the look in his eyes; he is going to bring down pain from the heavens onto his opposition this day, even if he does not explicitly want the championship.
Mizuki is not exactly sure what she's doing here. After all, she's only been in a couple of SNFs--granted, she won in the other free-for-all she was in, but that hardly seems like grounds for her entry into the Junior League Championship. She doesn't really -care- about it... she doesn't fight for glory or money... but she would challenge even the most sanguine of fighters to be thrust into something as grandiose and not feel a bit nervous.
She arrived a little while ago--and the galleon is quite impressive, really... but she can't really take it all in. Too many nerves. Wearing her Justice High outfit--she thought about going miko for this, but it's just too much--she makes her own appearance, as she's announced--glancing left and right at both Preston (huge) and Alan (crackly). This is going to be an interesting fight; she hadn't yet met any of her opponents...
Preston looks like the most likely to actually supposed to be on this ship... Mizuki certainly looks out of place, as she takes up a position amidships. So far it's one boxer, one guy with an oar, and one redheaded girl with a baton...
And the last one to appear.
Who is talking on his cellphone.
"You didn't tell me I was going to be fighting on a god damn rickety old boat. They made me DRESS UP AND PUT ON EYELINER, you son of a bitch. Wh-- STOP LAUGHING. Tenma?! TENMA!!"
And then the doors to the captain's quarters burst open with a dramatic kick, the owner of which is a young man with messy black hair-- now hidden under a bandanna and worn-out three point hat. His shirt is white, half-buttoned, and the sleeves are rolled up. His pants are black, secured with a myriad of belts and a pair of boots. When he had signed up for this, nobody had mentioned it. The others got to dress as they pleased. And so, for that very reason, Kenji Ashima looks very pissed off.
The brawler from Gedo stalks out onto the deck with his hands left in his pockets, his face red and trying so hard to look intimidating. "I swear to god I'm going to throw someone over the rail."
Alan's eyebrows lift as Preston comes out - big guy. Not as big as some he's fought in his past, but still big. And that oar, if he's fighting with it, is going to give him one /hell/ of a reach advantage. Mizuki is a girl in a school uniform, which means he has no idea what's coming, and when Kenji comes out he is a pirate. With no regard to keeping cool or any of that nonsense before a match, Alan speaks thusly:
"Sppfffffhahahahahahaahahaha!"
The easily eldest one here just points with his right hand, holds his left hand to his abdomen, and gets a nice hard laugh at another's expense - the best kind of laugh. "Well take a look at Mr. Makeup over here! I didn't realize they restored the old crew, too!" It takes Alan a few more seconds to control himself, but he pulls himself together with a sneer, dropping his cigarette on the priceless deck and grinding it out with a foot as he goes into his manly stance.
As the other fighters reveal themselves, Preston takes them all in due stride. Alan seems the resourceful type who'll be hard to keep down. Mizuki looks out of touch with reality, but light; she's likely a flier. And Kenji... is a pirate.
"Well shiver me fuckin' timbers," the Brit announces from above and beyond the would-be pirate, for the captain's cabin lies below the pilot's deck. The rest is taken care of by Alan, it would seem, the boxer digging the knives in before he has a chance. Regarding the boxer, the burly lad gives a slow nod. He judges that guy to be the main opposition for this brawl. That parts a target square on the old man's back.
Moving to the side rail, he unwinds one of the numerous ropes that hang from the closest mast, the mizzen, and winds it about his fist instead. The oar held in his other hand, he waits for the starter's pistol to announce the beginning of the fight. And clearly, although partially unseen so far back on the pilot's deck, he intends on swinging into action. "C'mon, you fuckers, let's get this started..." he growls, waiting for it...
Age before beauty, huh? Or something. Man... why couldn't've there been another girl here? Guys dressing up, makeup and all, is just not the same. Mizuki closes her eyes, pretty much ignoring the others, for just one moment... finding her calm space. Finding her confidence. This is... probably not going to go well for her, but that's par for the course... she just wants to do as well as she can.
Breathing out, long and low, she opens her eyes to the sight of all the combatants lined up and ready to go.
"Well," she says--ignoring Preston's foul mouth--and probably everyone else's--she tries to smile in a friendly-like manner. She does not, however, make any comment about Kenji. Hey, it takes all types right? She's accepting of others' quirks...
"... I guess we should be ready to go now... good luck to all of you!"
COMBATSYS: Alan has started a fight here.
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Alan 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Kenji has joined the fight here.
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Alan 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kenji
COMBATSYS: Preston has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
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Kenji 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Preston
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Alan 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Mizuki has joined the fight here.
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Mizuki 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kenji
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Alan 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Preston
COMBATSYS: Alan has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
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Kenji 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Alan
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Mizuki 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Preston
COMBATSYS: Preston has joined the fight here on the left meter side.
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Mizuki 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kenji
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Preston 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Alan
COMBATSYS: Alan has joined the fight here on the left meter side.
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Alan 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kenji
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Preston 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Mizuki
COMBATSYS: Preston has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
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Mizuki 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kenji
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Alan 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Preston
Standing there, hands in his pockets, the Gedo student tries his hardest to contain his fury. Alan's laughter and following commentary causes a heavy squint-- as well as one glare sent back over his shoulder and up to the wall of what the holy hell is that man or solid muscle. But his eyes shift-- shift back from Preston to Mizuki-- ... s'up, miss-- and then back to Alan.
Waiting for a few moments more, the sound of the starter's pistol cracks the silent air, even as the waves crash and slam against the hull of the ship. And that's when Captain Kenji Ashima takes his cue, hands still in his pockets, to heft up his foot and stomp -hard- on the deck of the ship. Using it as his own signal to 'go', the Gedo student charges across the deck at ...
You guessed it-- Alan.
One hand emerges from his pocket as he slides on the heels of his smooth-sole boots, reaching out to grab Alan by the neck. And if he should get his hands on the boxer, from the depths of the student's throat comes a sturdy, "HYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH--"
And a glowing light will blast upward from his hand, attempting to simply launch Alan into the air. Where he lands... well, that's entirely up to him.
That solid muscle, otherwise known as the student from Pacific High, glances towards the nearby speedboat as the starter pistol sounds. From the scuffle he's hearing below, it's clear that the festivities have begun! "About time!" he roars, and takes a running leap -- right over the side of the boat!
Out and out he swings, as the rope pulls tight and then draws him back towards the main deck. It's a fancy move, and precisely what the masses watching around the world want to see -- some really zany moves taking place! The mast overhead creaks at the massive weight that comes flying back onto the deck itself, but as the rather burly teen swings across the deck, he snaps the oar out to try and smack the closest target he can find upside the head! Unfortunately for the girl who failed to wear the miko, that means her!
COMBATSYS: Preston successfully hits Mizuki with Medium Strike.
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Mizuki 0/-------/----===|-------\-------\0 Kenji
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Alan 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Preston
*THWACK* Mizuki is not only struck, she's struck hard, sent reeling by an oar to the head. She gasps, audibly, tumbling to the deck as it rolls with the waves. It's a free-for-all, but... man, that really hurt! Mizuki rises to her feet, unsteadily... her first instinct is of course to go after the guy that hit her... that'd be the guy with the oar, of course...
So she gathers her feet under her then lunges, bringing her own weapon to bear and wielding it almost like a sword--holding it in a reversed grip as she seeks to bring the weapon across Preston's stomach while she rushes past--a classic 'samurai' pose taken up.
COMBATSYS: Alan endures Kenji's Sky High Rocket.
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Mizuki 0/-------/----===|-------\-------\0 Kenji
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Alan 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Preston
Alan watches Kenji come right at him, and his sneer turns into a grin. "Oh no, I'm about to be plundered!" Subtly, he takes a quick step to the right, so smoothly that someone might not even realize that he moved. Kenji grabs him by the neck with only token resistance, and though that burst of light hurts, the fight's only just started. He can take one damn hit without going 'arhgalrlhgaa' at least once! He's thrown far, but thanks to that step, he's thrown in the direction he /wants/ to go.
And that's Preston's distracted back. Alan twists in the air, lightning crackling around his hands as he starts coming down, hands spread wide. He doesn't really know why he likes to beat up big guys - maybe it's subconcious childhood trauma, or the joy in the shame most big guys feel when taken down by a lightweight, but it's probably not repressed homosexual urges. Either way, Alan streaks down at Preston like an electric comet, leaving a wide trail in the air until he almost lands. "Thunderclap!" He slams his hands together just as he lands behind Preston, releasing a blast of noise and a huge amount of concussive force. Some waves emanate out from the ship, bobbing buoys and making that look more impressive than it was to the viewers at home.
COMBATSYS: Alan successfully hits Preston with Thunderclap.
- Power hit! -
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Mizuki 0/-------/----===|-------\-------\0 Kenji
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Alan 0/-------/---====|====---\-------\0 Preston
COMBATSYS: Preston dodges Mizuki's Fierce Strike.
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Mizuki 0/-------/----===|-------\-------\0 Kenji
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Alan 0/-------/---====|====---\-------\0 Preston
Now the problem with swinging across the deck on a rope? It leaves you open to all kinds of opportunists! After clearing the other side after hitting Mizuki, the Brit comes back to face not one, but two opponents! And by face, he has one of them behind him! He hears Alan call the name of his assault though, and his hazel gaze narrows.
"Oh you fu-" is thankfully, for the censors and the 7-second delay, all the youth is able to get out as that blast of force strikes him in the back, dislodging him from the rope he was twirling about on. Luckily though, the roll he falls into sends him directly under the path of Mizuki's weapon, a testament to good timing if ever there was one.
Rolling back to his feet with a stinging back, Preston rounds on his opponents, giving them the ol' stink-eye. "We're playin' that game, are we?" he asks, as a sneer develops across his fine British features. That oar is spun about and then thrust forward -- right past Mizuki, aiming to catch Alan square in the middle! It won't be the girl who's sent to hell, but the boxer himself if he isn't careful, 'fore if he is then the youth will display the brawn he is in possession of by lifting his opponent clear of his feet, hoisting him high and then slamming him down into hell itself!
And for the record, Preston has very nice teeth.
LIFTOFF! Kenji stands in a pose that would otherwise look cool-- pointing up to the sky as Alan sails through the air, lifted on the might of his brightly-colored energy. But he doesn't hear the *thump* of a body on the deck, nor does he hear the sounds of cussing, apology, or retaliation. Blinking and looking upward, Captain Kenji tips up the edge of his three-point hat and glares upward to where Alan simply -isn't-.
Hand still in one pocket, the Gedo student looks absolutely livid as the fighting goes on.. with the oar-swinging student from Pacific. "What the CRAP is this! HEY!! I'm in this too, you know!" he roars, pointing at the boxer intercepting Preston. But puffing a sigh, the brawler removes his hand from his pocket and clamps it down on his hat. His right fist slams down against the deck and--
"URRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH--"
-Bright- energy seeps out from under his knuckles and explodes up the length of his arm, the hat trying to blow free from his head. It has a certain element to it-- like looking at burning magnesium through a piece of blue glass. The energy surges for a good, long moment before he rises again... and while the glow begins to burn down and fade from his arm, Captain Kenji looks a little more juiced up. "COME ON!! WHO WANTS SOME?!"
COMBATSYS: Kenji gathers his will.
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Mizuki 0/-------/----===|====---\-------\0 Kenji
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Alan 0/-------/---====|===----\-------\0 Preston
Che, she missed. Well, she's not ultra-fast or anything, so that's fine; at least he didn't -hit- her again. Man, that hurt; her head's still ringing. She's got to shake it out... With Preston going after Alan, and Kenji deciding to get Dramatic(tm), Mizuki figures she can afford a moment or two to juice herself up, as it were. She might be going out quick in this fight, but she's going to do her best to make people -work- for it...
So she, like Kenji, draws power from the world. Unlike Kenji's power, hissing and hot like an arc-torch, burning bright, Mizuki's power is more natural. A swirl of blue-green energy rises around her, a spiraling pillar of energy and light that sheathes her for a moment.
As that energy rises, she can be seen literally standing tall--well, tall for her--upright anyways--her hands clasped and her head titled almost as if she were praying, her lips moving. Somehow she's not too disturbed by the roll of the ship.
COMBATSYS: Mizuki gathers her will.
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Mizuki 0/-------/=======|====---\-------\0 Kenji
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Alan 0/-------/---====|===----\-------\0 Preston
COMBATSYS: Alan dodges Preston's Bunting Tosser.
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Mizuki 0/-------/=======|====---\-------\0 Kenji
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Alan 0/-------/---====|===----\-------\0 Preston
Alan R.B. is just not OK with the idea of that oar, and the moment Preston comes at him with that thing, Alan tightens up his stance. Electricity crackles around him, and he takes two fast steps back, handily getting well out of the oar's range. He fights down the urge to keep pressing on the Brit - he's a boxer, he gets in a duel mindset - and instead hooks a thumb toward Kenji and Mizuki. "Look at these two kids here, thinking they'll just get all pumped up while we're running at each other." He smirks to Preston, and then without another word, peels away from the big man to move in on Mizuki, once again crackling with electricity.
The boxer is in her face almost immediately, hopefully for him before she can react. "Burst!" Electricity whirls down his arm as he swings about ten times with each fist in the space of two seconds, creating a short-range wave of electricty that expands outward at her.
Then, something catches Alan's eye...
For the moment, the oarsman and the boxer are left to their devices. This leaves Kenji to stare at the student from Justice, gathering energy in a much more subtle manner. Well, it's one way to do it-- the prayer, left without a whole lot in the way of defending oneself. And in that same merit, the boxer turns on Mizuki and goes to punch her rather quickly. And while Kenji is many things, a fair player ... well, he tries to be now, though how much so is certainly under question.
Shifting low and dodging to Alan's side, the Gedo student suddenly punches-- and for someone his age, the swing isn't all that bad. His arm moves in a crisp snap of muscles, his knuckles aimed to plant squarely into the side of Alan's head while he occupies himself with Mizuki. And as he stops, sets, and swings, his voice rings out: "AVAST, MOTHERFU--!" *beep*
His oar shoots through the air and catches nothing but air! Preston staggers forward. It's not everyday that happens to him. Drawing the oar back up, he grunts at what Alan has to say, and casts a glance at the other person providing the impromptu light show up there on the deck. "Cute," he says to Mizuki, noting her stance within that shell she's crafted. Is she praying? She better be, as far as he's concerned.
It seems the boxer will take care of her either way. For his part, the Oarsman turns his attention to Kenji. That youth springs into action, and it would seem that, quite possibly... the Brit is left to his own devices.
Thus, he slinks back, shouldering his oar, wearing a broad smirk on his face as he lets the others get into the thick of things. For himself, he spends a moment to reflect on how he's going to cram this oar of his down one of their throats... and how he's going to slap a certain half-Spaniard teammate for getting him into this mess in the first place. Certainly, if he had any back-hair before, he no longer does now.
COMBATSYS: Preston focuses on his next action.
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Mizuki 0/-------/=======|===----\-------\0 Kenji
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Alan 0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0 Preston
COMBATSYS: Mizuki reflects Thunderhead from Alan with Suishou no Kagami.
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Mizuki 0/-------/--=====|===----\-------\0 Kenji
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Alan 0/-------/-======|===----\-------\0 Preston
Impressive! Mizuki would really love to watch this match of young battlefiends--if she didn't have to -be here-. And despite what Alan, or Preston, or Kenji may think... just being inactive doesn't mean being unprepared. Mizuki's eyes snap open as she feels, senses, Alan coming for her. Almost subtly, her right foot slides back--and then she wheels her left back, creating just enough space for her to sweep her baton around in a large circle, the tip glowing a soft blue-white.
Once, twice her baton sweeps around, and by the time that wave of electricity is flaring for Mizuki's position, it is being confronted by a six-inch thick mirror of icy chi, one that flares and not only returns Alan's attack but bursts forward into him, lashing him with shards of cold energy.
"Suishou no KAGAMI!" cries the young woman, dramatically, as the backburst of chi ruffles her ponytail.
COMBATSYS: Alan blocks Kenji's Missile Fist.
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Mizuki 0/-------/--=====|====---\-------\0 Kenji
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Alan 0/-------/=======|===----\-------\0 Preston
Alan grits his teeth as his chi is rebuffed back into him - he's dealt with people with that technique before in Tran, and right now makes the decision to not go anywhere near Mizuki again. And luckily for Alan, he hears Kenji coming even through the crackle of his own attack, and suddenly swings around and pulls his arms up to soak most of the blow. And now, now he's in a bad mood, so he jumps away. A small orb of chi flares up in his right hand.
The boxer takes careful aim now, pulling his hand back and looking not at Kenji, not at Preston, not even at Mizuki, but at a set of three innocuous barrels on the deck. These three barrels have a Spanish word on them, in addition to a large black X. And Alan, now, he's a smart man. He doesn't know Spanish or ships that well, but he puts two-and-two together to figure that some well-marked barrels right by a cannon can only be one thing. "...Strike!" Alan swings, snapping his fingers and throwing a fateful bolt of lightning at the barrels.
When Alan's lightning bolt impacts the group of barrels, well, of course it explodes. It hella explodes, a bright red plume of force and flame that sets that part of the deck and one sail on fire, throwing a pillar of smoke into the air. However, there was one unknown detail - directly under those barrels of powder were more barrels, which were just close enough to another cluster, and so on...
The first explosion touches off more barrels which explode, and so on and so forth. The galleon is rocked by blast after blast, shaking the entire ship and throwing shattered, flaming wood everywhere. The winds pick up at this time, too, filling the few sails not flaming and dragging the ship from its slow, steady drift into something closer to a pitched flight. The wind and motion pull the initial cloud of smoke away, revealing the entire ship to be flaming, large patches of the upper deck just gone. Miraculously, the boat is not taking on water.
There isn't any place on the ship safe from this.
COMBATSYS: Kenji blocks Alan's Random Weapon.
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Mizuki 0/-------/--=====|=====--\-------\0 Kenji
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Alan 1/-------/=======|===----\-------\0 Preston
He blocked it! He blocked the punch that rocked the jaws of Osaka. Though he looks only slightly disbelieving, the young student has seen much worse-- but nothing can top the look in the boxer's eye when he turns his attention to those barrels. Eyes wide, Gedo's student council secretary holds out a hand to yell-- "WAIT!!"
*ka-BOOM*
His hands sweep up as if to defend, the force of the explosion more than enough to toss him back to the opposite side of the deck. Slamming against the side of the ship and nearly tumbling overboard, Kenji's eyes burn with the smoke and he coughs a few times-- what the hell?
Scooping up his hat and looking up at the ship-- the burning ship, now-- and his attentions are turned to Alan.
"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND YOU--"
At this point, there're enough curse words and beeping that the telecast will have to put a black bar over Kenji's mouth every second or so.
Grabbing a large piece of wood blown away from the barrels in the explosion, he flings it sidearm with a good two-handed throw at Alan. "UURAGH!"
COMBATSYS: Preston blocks Alan's Random Weapon.
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Mizuki 0/-------/--=====|=====--\-------\0 Kenji
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Alan 1/-------/=======|====---\-------\0 Preston
Let's look at Preston, watching as Alan sends a crackle of lightning towards the barrels labeled very clearly -- albeit in Spanish. "Tell me he didn't just do that," the youth says, as the cataclysm expands and the entire world seems to become little more than a rain of debris -- and let's not forget the fiery explosions!
With no real leeway to respond, the Brit does the sane thing. He lifts both arms and his oar, and he grits his teeth as he weathers the worst of it. A big piece of wood bonks off his noggin, but he seems none the wiser--hey, stop burning yourself in this paragraph! "You're a silly fucking bastard, you know that!" he shouts over the sound of flames, wondering just how bad the damage has been done. This ship was majestic! It's just not nice that it's been assaulted like this! He's rather glad his father isn't here to see this.
Lifting his oar, he notices that the end of it is flaaaaming. "Fuckin' great," he mutters, and decides to brandish it anyway! Leaping from his segment of deck down below, he rummages around below deck -- and then his oar SLAMS up through the battered deck, threatening to hit Kenji where it hurts!
COMBATSYS: Mizuki fails to interrupt Random Weapon from Alan with Koori no Hebi.
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Mizuki 0/-------/=======|=====--\-------\0 Kenji
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Alan 1/-----==/=======|====---\-------\0 Preston
Ow god that hurt. Mizuki realized what was going to happen, a moment before the lightning struck--and, hoping she could deflect it, or Alan, or maybe even stop the explosion, she gathered her chi and prepared to send it cresting forth.
Only, she didn't account for the quickness of the explosion, or the chaining effect it would have. The end result is she's battered, and tossed screaming, into the air, only to land on a (thankfully still stable) piece of decking. She gets to her knees, but... oh god, that hurt, she'll probably need a moment...
COMBATSYS: Alan dodges Alan's Random Weapon.
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Mizuki 0/-------/=======|=====--\-------\0 Kenji
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Alan 1/-----==/=======|====---\-------\0 Preston
COMBATSYS: Alan dodges Kenji's Large Thrown Object.
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Mizuki 0/-------/=======|=====--\-------\0 Kenji
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Alan 1/-----==/=======|====---\-------\0 Preston
Alan R. B., a man who has probably just achieved a level of infamy, lights up like a scoreboard at the first explosion. That, sir, is just goddamn awesome. "Ha ha ha!" But then, the boat shakes a second time. And a third. Alan realizes what's happening, because he's a smart man. No place on the ship is safe, that much is true... so there's really just one thing for him to do.
Alan spins away toward the rail, hauling /ass/ as he goes for it. His first step was a quickstep, leaving his outline in electricity behind him, but the rest is just straight out running. All his senses up thanks to adrenaline, he /feels/ more than hears the huge piece of wood coming for him, and he ducks and rolls, letting it pass overhead. "Hahahaha, this is sure shaking things up!" He then leaps over the rail, tucking in and slicing into the water just as the last explosion rocks where he was standing, hurling him down hard.
He's going to have to do some work to come back up.
COMBATSYS: Alan takes no action.
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Mizuki 0/-------/=======|=====--\-------\0 Kenji
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////// ]
Alan 1/-----==/=======|====---\-------\0 Preston
COMBATSYS: Kenji endures Preston's Weapon Jab.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////// ]
Mizuki 0/-------/=======|=======\-------\0 Kenji
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////// ]
Alan 1/-----==/=======|=====--\-------\0 Preston
And it does hit him! And it does hurt. And the eyes of the Captain bulge. For a moment, the world through the eyes of Kenji Ashima goes completely from color to a high-contrast world of black and white. But he will not falter. He -will not falter-. Even as the oar connects and the sharpest of pains blazes through his hips and causes muscles to violently spasm, as hell and brimstone blazes up his spine and nearly makes him choke on oxygen... he stands sturdy and firm.
"Ghbhb-- GHHH-- FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFNNNNNH--"
Kenji's feet spread a little more than shoulder width apart, the veins in his neck bulging out and his teeth bared in the most ferocious of snarls. Grabbing at that oar, the scrappy brawler of Gedo Street intends to -pull- Preston right upward as if to pull him through the very damaged planks of the galleon-- and slam him into the ceiling of the deck below!
COMBATSYS: Preston dodges Kenji's Strong Throw.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////// ]
Mizuki 0/-------/=======|=======\-------\0 Kenji
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////// ]
Alan 1/-----==/=======|=====--\-------\0 Preston
Stuck down below after delivering that potent strike to cause impotency, Preston finds himself in a bit of a pickle -- which is far better than Kenji's must be feeling right now. But what he can feel it, the groan of the ship itself -- the way it's gradually breaking apart at the seams, thanks to the handiwork of the boxer. Imagine his surprise though, when the oar is suddenly gripped at the other end and given a massive heave!
Thankfully though, he does the sane thing; he simply lets the oar go! Let Kenji have it if he really wants, since it's still on fire!
But without his signature weapon, just what is the Oarsman to do? With the ship falling apart, there's a clatter of wood behind him. The Brit turns...
A section is deck is abruptly smashed away as the lad rises back to the top deck, wielding what can only be explained as a miniature tree trunk. Not oar, but rather part of a replacement mast, his muscles bulge as he slants it up and onto his shoulder. If he had range before, it's ridiculous now. "You guys are so fucked," he explains, although he spends a moment wondering where the hell Alan got to.
In any event, he hefts the massive piece of timber up high -- and brings it down with an almighty CRASH at Mizuki, heedless of splinters!
COMBATSYS: Mizuki blocks Preston's Fierce Strike.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////// ]
Mizuki 1/-------/=======|=======\-------\0 Kenji
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////// ]
Alan 1/-----==/=======|=====--\-------\0 Preston
Splinters aren't what she's worried about--the massive -impact- is what she's worried about. Gasping still with the shock of being blow'd up, she barely avoids most of the impact--the shockwave alone is enough to throw her back to the decking.
And then she closes her eyes... and begins to pray again. Like before, energy rises around her... but not in a column; instead it gathers above her head, just barely, concentrating itself... then literally pouring down over her, a wash of blue-green energy that looks like glowing water, which disappears a few inches from the decking. And again, she clasps her hands as if she were praying.
After a long moment, Alan's head breaks through the water by the ship, with a sharp intake of air. "That was a damn shark!" Alan can't insult or demoralize a shark! He immediately grabs one of the few ropes on the side of the ship that aren't flaming, hauling himself up out of the water just in time. A shark leaps beneath him, intent on delicious, but is foiled. "Whew!"
The boxer proceeds up the rope, hesitating a few times as waves of heat wash over him from the flaming ship. Then... something occurs to him. He grins fiercely, clenching his right fist away from the rope. There's a blue flare, and electricity starts to pool into it. "We're doing this!" He kicks the rope /hard with a booted foot, causing it to snap. What Alan noticed was that this rope is very tense, and when it breaks, his part snaps up hard and vaults him out /through a flame/ out over the wrecked deck. A huge amount of chi around his right arm, Alan happens to be soaring right toward Kenji! "OVERCHARGE!" His fist lashes out at the Gedo student's face, lightning bolts snapping everywhere.
COMBATSYS: Alan successfully hits Kenji with Overcharge.
- Power hit! -
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Mizuki 0/-------/-------|=======\====---\1 Kenji
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////// ]
Alan 0/-------/------=|=====--\-------\0 Preston
Somewhere along the line, it seemed to Kenji that it would be a brilliant idea to keep his face out of the way of Alan's fist. Somewhere along the line, he was forced to make a decision. Snap back a step and move into his blind spot to strike with a punch to his exposed ribs, or take the punch to the face.
Whoops.
The lights are turned on and off so quickly in Kenji's vision that he thinks himself in a rave for a moment, his hat flying off and spinning away into the unknown. His legs give out and he falls to his knees, his half-lidded eyes veiling whatever life there may still be in there.
After a period of time longer than dialing in to most ISPs, Kenji's foot lunges forward and stomps down hard on the deck of the burning ship. "... Ow."
From that point-blank range, Kenji rises to his feet and reels back his arm in one smooth motion-- and then his fist just -launches- at Alan's face, looking to punch him as hard as the Gedo student can possibly muster.
That massive mast he's wielding crashes down, and it seems to have little effect on Mizuki as she both defends -- and then seems to go into another of those trance-like states! "Stop calling for god, he's not going to help you!" roars the Brit, who with a tremendous strain hefts the mast up off of the deck once more.
The sweat that runs his body has nothing to do with the fire that rages across the ship. And Alan's dynamic entry, while a tempting target, is not quite as tempting as the praying Mizuki. While it may seem particularly mean, he at least isn't going to use the mast again -- he does the unthinkable, lifting it onto its end and then hurling it up into the air! It's a feat of strength, but it gives him a moment to do something else.
Like charge straight at Mizuki, and attempt to smother the girl with his armpit as he otherwise seems to take her head off with a clothesline! "Hope he answers ya, sunshine!"
COMBATSYS: Mizuki successfully hits Mizuki with Iki no Nagare.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Mizuki 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kenji
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Alan 0/-------/------=|====---\-------\0 Preston
COMBATSYS: Mizuki blocks Preston's Running Rigging.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Mizuki 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Kenji
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Alan 0/-------/------=|=====--\-------\0 Preston
Oh, God answers, in his own way. Mizuki straightens, looking much better for wear--and then she's contending with a flying Brit, trying to send her to heaven with the stink of his armpit and the press of his arm. To which she says... no. Mizuki raises her arms and the clothesline bashes into them. A man of Preston's size hurts even with a defense like that, and Mizuki's arms sting... but she doesn't waver.
It seems she's ready to fight again, or something--lashing out with her baton, attempting tag Preston in the abdomen with a pair of jabbing thrusts--pretty simple a move, but that's because she's also trying to back over towards the other two fighters... trying to give Preston more targets to choose from so he won't choose her! Damnable oarsman, picking on a girl... okay okay, she doesn't really believe that. But c'mon, Alan's the one who blew up the ship!!
COMBATSYS: Kenji successfully hits Alan with Missile Fist Ashima.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Mizuki 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Kenji
[ \\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Alan 1/-------/=======|=====--\-------\0 Preston
PUNCHED IN THE FACE
Why, it's almost exactly like what Alan just did, but with less electricity and just more punch. The boxer's face contorts horribly, his sunglasses fly off into some fire, and /he/ flies into some rigging. The rigging is the only reason he doesn't fly off the ship, though he does end up getting tangled up, and then untangled and deposited roughly onto the ground. "Hwaagrhg!" He slowly pushes back up, spitting blood out of his mouth as it runs freely from his nose, and pushes unsteadily to his feet. "Ha ha ha... goddamn, Captain Jack, you punch pretty hard for a guy in eyeliner." He smirks even through his pain, rubs under his nose with his left hand, then pulls back his right. An orb of electricity crackles into being.
Alan has to take a second before he actually does it, but then he swings his hand at what he thinks is Kenji, through his blurred vision. "Strike!" A lightning bolt, hot and yellow, sizzles through the air, and another one follows it as Alan pulls his hand right back up, snapping his fingers. "Twice!" But it is not Kenji that he is actually seeing, oh no.
The impact is felt from knuckles to elbow, his eyes narrowed through the burning smoke and the stink of the gunpowder. And Kenji's damn well sure-- that felt -good-. Dusting off his hands, the Gedo student looks left and right-- now where is that Justice girl and the guy with the giant ... stick. What the hell is Preston WIELDING?
He has to decide what to do, but ... first... Treading a few steps off to the side, he moves toward the rail and breathes deep, trying to get a good taste of fresh air to clear his head before leering back into the cloudy fray. "ALL RIGHT! Who wants the next helping of KICKED ASS?"
COMBATSYS: Kenji focuses on his next action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Mizuki 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Kenji
[ \\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Alan 1/-------/=======|=====--\-------\0 Preston
COMBATSYS: Mizuki successfully hits Preston with Medium Strike.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Mizuki 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Kenji
[ \\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Alan 1/-------/=======|======-\-------\0 Preston
This is rapidly turning into a bad Star Wars film, what with all the lightning that's flying around! First Preston finds himself once more thwarted from truly striking Mizuki -- and it's starting to piss him off! On the flip side though, her baton against his middle... almost makes him laugh! "Hey, fuck off! I'm not ticklish, stop that!"
But with lightning on the way, he leaps back -- and just in time, as that mast comes plummeting back down. He catches it, despite the pain and splinters -- and the way the deck underfoot buckles from the sudden force that slams through the youth. "Man, that stung a little," he says to no one in particular, wringing one hand and then the other. But what to do, what to do? Kenji seems to be busy enjoying that salt air, and Mizuki and Alan... well.
He does the logical thing. He THROWS the mast at Mizuki, since he's not about to get close enough to her with a disoriented Alan throwing lightning everywhere! "Heads up!" he helpfully warns. Hey, it's a good section of mast. It's gonna hurt!
COMBATSYS: Mizuki dodges Preston's Large Thrown Object.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Mizuki 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Kenji
[ \\\\ < > ///////////////// ]
Alan 1/-------/=======|======-\-------\0 Preston
COMBATSYS: Alan successfully hits Mizuki with Lightning Strikes Twice.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Mizuki 0/-------/--=====|-------\-------\0 Kenji
[ \\\\ < > ///////////////// ]
Alan 1/------=/=======|======-\-------\0 Preston
The mast is... well, it's huge, but it's also -slow-. Easily sidestepped. Alan's lightning? Not so much. It scorches her handily, drawing a scream of pain from the girl--good going, Alan! You're just a jerk. Mizuki rounds on Alan, then, and...
Well, she actually does something remarkably athletic--not unusual, but she's been pretty ineffective throughout this fight and she certainly hasn't displayed a very athletic bent. But now, despite the searing pain, she runs for Alan, leaping into the air and turning to her left... and as she descends she tries to bring her baton around in a swinging backhand smash down onto Alan's shoulder.
COMBATSYS: Alan dodges Mizuki's Fierce Strike.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Mizuki 0/-------/--=====|-------\-------\0 Kenji
[ \\\\ < > ///////////////// ]
Alan 1/------=/=======|======-\-------\0 Preston
Alan R.B., even as whipped up as he is, is still able to move thanks to all that chi crackling around him. It crackles around and /inside/ him, giving him just a bit of that lightning speed. He sways to the right, slipping away from the baton, and is just not able to think at all tactically at this point. "Hey, you're not that Gedo kid... aw, whatever." He shakes his head to clear some of the cobwebs, clearly hanging by a thread, and presses in close to Mizuki. Chi swirls around his left hand as he comes in for a hard hook right into her ribs. "Fighting with a baton, anyway, what is that? Are you an Action Band Leader?"
And while Alan takes his time with Mizuki, where's Kenji? In the blaze that goes on around them, where on earth is that silly little pirate kid?
Running up the remains of the stairs to the upper deck, of course.
Once he reaches the top of the burning wood, the Gedo student turns and leaps back, turning around and clapping his hands together-- and dropping down from above, looking to slam the British oarsman over the head with his gathered hands and fingers woven together. "AIN'T SO TOUGH WITHOUT YOUR OAR, ARE YA?!" he yells on his way down with his axehandle of a punch.
COMBATSYS: Preston endures Kenji's Strong Punch.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Mizuki 0/-------/--=====|=------\-------\0 Kenji
[ \\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Alan 1/------=/=======|=======\-------\1 Preston
With the mast gone -- or rather, the big part of mast -- Preston again finds himself without any weapon by which to deliver harm upon others. He's busy gazing about the smouldering remains of the ship when a 'death from above' plunks off his neck and shoulders like, well...
"My, what an annoyin' big fuckin' fly you are," the Brit says as he turns to regard Kenji. Did he... even move... when Kenji hit him? "Now what was it that you went and said there, son? Something about me not being so tough without my fuckin' oar, was that it?" Those that know Preston, know what's about to happen. He gets two lungs full of smoke and air, and he starts ranting.
"Because let me inform you of something there, you little sack of shit. You just came out of no where and struck me from behind. Now, I'm not some kind of honorable man, although I most certainly am British, but God Save the Queen aside, you just made one hell of a mistake. Did you realize, and I will judge so based on the pain that is no doubt lancin' through both your bloody hands, that I'm a wall of meat compared to you? You've just gone and struck me from behind, and you expect me not to retaliate? I'm sorry there, sunshine, but that just won't do.
That said, he promptly improvises. He SLAMS a leg down, and the decking beneath him SNAPS upwards at the most awkward of angles. Massive hands grip the piece of timber, and he simply RIPS the deck away, until he's holding a rather broad plank of it in his hands. A smirk burns his features. "Buckle up, eh, ponce?"
But the strike that follows is not intended to hit -- instead, it's an attempt to drive Kenji sideways, at which point his other hand will snap out for the collar of that puffy white shirt of his, and hoist him high -- and then a column of water-laced chi will send the boy sky-high, to land elsewhere!
COMBATSYS: Mizuki fails to interrupt Hook Punch from Alan with Medium Throw.
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Mizuki 1/------=/=======|=------\-------\0 Kenji
[ \\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Alan 1/-----==/=======|=======\-------\1 Preston
Mizuki can't just dodge and avoid forever. Well, she could, but it wouldn't -do- anything. So when Alan swings his slow hook punch for her, she sets herself--intending to grab Alan's arm after impact and fling him away.
But the electrical shock is more than she expected and instead she's just impacted hard and sent down on her butt, gasping with pain. She doesn't like these free-for-alls, she's just not good for them... scrambling, she tries to at least get to her feet after her failed counterattack.
Alan breaks away from his hook, grinning as he feels his hit land cleanly despite the attempt at a counter. He shakes out his hand. "What's the matter, can't handle a little shock? How about this one?" He rolls his neck, pushing through the double vision, and pulls both arms up. Lightning floods around his arms again, and there is a blue flare.
"Thunder STOOOORM!" Alan swings his left arm down, snapping his fingers and releasing a huge bolt of lightning at Mizuki. Then his right hand comes down and right back up, doing the same thing twice. Finally, he pulls his left hand up again, snapping and ending in a pointing position. A nearby fire is shoved away from the force of the bolts coming out, and the deck creaks threateningly.
COMBATSYS: Preston successfully hits Kenji with Cape Horn Fever.
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > ///////// ]
Mizuki 1/------=/=======|====---\-------\0 Kenji
[ \\\ < > ///////////// ]
Alan 0/-------/-----==|=======\=------\1 Preston
His hands collide with muscle, and ... Kenji drops to the deck, staring at his gathered hands. What the shit? Was this guy brick or flesh?! His question is soon answered as a hand grabs him by the collar, hefting him up from the burning deck and blasting him into the air with what seems to be a column of water!
Landing in a heap, Kenji tumbles back head over heels until he halts in a sitting position. His head shakes as he clears the cobwebs in his head, and he grabs a chunk of non-burning wood to his side to hold him steady while he catches his breath-- which is hard enough in a burning boat. "God, ... you ... talk too ... much ..." he pants out.
COMBATSYS: Kenji gains composure.
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Mizuki 1/------=/=======|===----\-------\0 Kenji
[ \\\ < > ///////////// ]
Alan 0/-------/-----==|=======\=------\1 Preston
With Kenji thrown elsewhere, the Brit's smirk deepens. Left alone to his devices, Preston does indeed talk too much. But for the moment, he simply opts to do much akin to Kenji. He takes a breather, gathering his composure -- and reconsiders the option of the plank he's holding. He spots one of those giant oars, and inches around an open fire towards it. Don't mind him right now!
COMBATSYS: Preston gains composure.
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Mizuki 1/------=/=======|===----\-------\0 Kenji
[ \\\ < > //////////////// ]
Alan 0/-------/-----==|=======\-------\1 Preston
COMBATSYS: Mizuki dodges Alan's Thunder Storm.
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Mizuki 1/------=/=======|===----\-------\0 Kenji
[ \\\ < > //////////////// ]
Alan 0/-------/-----==|=======\-------\1 Preston
Wh--whoa! No one said she couldn't handle a little shock! It just hurt. That's kind of the point of it, though, so Mizuki can't really complain. Stumbling backwards, she may now count herself amongst the very fortunate as each bolt just misses her--blasting chunks of charred wood out of the deck of the much-abused galleon.
"Yow!" she cries, rather eloquently, as she ducks back... then lunges forward, attempting to quite simply throw a swift kick into Alan's stomach. The fight's gone on too long; she's running out of exciting things to do... but she's still up and running, perhaps not for long however...
COMBATSYS: Alan dodges Mizuki's Light Kick.
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Mizuki 1/------=/=======|===----\-------\0 Kenji
[ \\\ < > //////////////// ]
Alan 0/-------/-----==|=======\-------\1 Preston
"Yow indeed, babe." He looks unpleased by the fact that Mizuki just dodged those fast lightning bolts, but he's really considering it a miracle that between his super-punched face and the heat that he's even maintaining conciousness. Fists up, he flashes to the side, dodging away from the kick and coming back in close.
"Y'know, why don't you just go down? Better do that before... before..." Alan wavers a bit, then makes a series of quick blows at Mizuki's face. "This fire's making it too hard to think of good insults!"
And once again, the brawling Ashima of Osaka comes charging out of his quiet little spot while Preston digs around for a replacement for his oar. Though he doesn't charge at Preston, he doesn't charge at Mizuki-- no, the subject of focus this time is Alan.
"Then you shouldn't have set the fucking boat on fire!!" he yells loudly, standing behind him. Bringing up his leg in a massive, speedy kick, Kenji looks to crack Alan across the back of the head with the sole of his pirate-like boot. "So quit BITCHIN'!"
"No shit," Preston echoes the sentiments of Kenji as the youth launches into a strike. But what is he to do, on the other hand? One hell of a giant oar, at least three times the size of his normal oar, is slanted across his shoulders.
It makes moving difficult, but then -- he barely has to, even as he steps back into the fray. The massive implement is thrust forward like a pole, aiming to catch Mizuki square as she continues to square off against the boxer.
COMBATSYS: Preston successfully hits Mizuki with Medium Strike.
[ \\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Mizuki 1/----===/=======|===----\-------\0 Kenji
[ \\\ < > //////////////// ]
Alan 0/-------/-----==|=======\-------\1 Preston
COMBATSYS: Mizuki endures Alan's Jab Punch.
[ \\\ < > ////////// ]
Mizuki 1/--=====/=======|===----\-------\0 Kenji
[ \\\ < > //////////////// ]
Alan 0/-------/-----==|=======\-------\1 Preston
Preston's oversized oar... man, his weapons just keep getting bigger and bigger, don't they? Must be some Freudian thing, poor boy. Insecure much? Well, it smacks right into Mizuki. Not as painful as all that, but she's somewhat delicate and it's enough to make her want to stop fighting.
Alan's punch strikes her as well, though it really just kinda pushes her back towards Preston as she lunges at him, yelling an incoherent battle cry, her short-staff blazing with blue-green energy as she lashes out at him repeatedly, striking at his chest perhaps fifteen or sixteen times before cranking her baton around in a slashing uppercut...
COMBATSYS: Mizuki can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Kenji 0/-------/----===|=======\-------\1 Preston
[ \\\ <
Alan 0/-------/-----==|
COMBATSYS: Kenji successfully hits Alan with Roundhouse Reel.
Glancing Blow
[ \\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Kenji 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\1 Preston
[ \ <
Alan 0/-------/----===|
Alan continues to do what he's done the entire fight when something comes at him - get out of the way. He's been keeping an eye on Kenji and Preston while in this mini-duel, and when he spots Kenji coming, he ducks down and quicksteps back. Unfortunately, the duck was NOT quite up to snuff - the kick cuffs the back of Alan's head hard, and stars swarm in front of his eyes. "Gngh!" Too dizzy and hot to even make a retort, he swerves around at Kenji, leaping at him - though it's really more of a diving fall. He spins in the air, electricity crackling around the heel of his foot, driving at the top of Kenji's head. "Ring of--..." He starts to come around again, but the electricity frazzles, grows weak, and Alan basically drops down on his head.
After a while, brave officials in fire suits come onto the ship to get Alan off before he LIGHTS ON FIRE.
COMBATSYS: Alan can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Kenji 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\1 Preston
COMBATSYS: Preston has saved the state of this fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Kenji 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\1 Preston
Heidern heads to Canada.
COMBATSYS: Kenji just-defends Alan's Ring of Thunder!
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Kenji 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\1 Preston
His leg lashed out far, the speed and the strength of the kick are fortunately enough to get Kenji the edge he needs to smack the boxer in the head. The brave Captain looks a little haggared at the incoming strike, but the Gedo student refuses to surrender so easily. Swinging his fist up and around, a blaze of extremely bright blue chi trails after his knuckles as he stops Alan's heel dead-- with only a punch. After he drops to the deck and the officials hurry aboard to deal with him, he turns to survey the -other- situation on board.
Preston.
"Oi, oi! Just because your stupid little paddle got burned up, don't start trying to lug around anything too large, huh? You're going to get yourself hurt, at this rate, and--" A piece of burning wood drops between the distance-spaced pair to punctuate this-- "I don't think we have a whole lot of time left on this stupid boat!" he calls out, lowering his hands to his sides and hooking his thumbs into the pockets of his trousers.
COMBATSYS: Kenji focuses on his next action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Kenji 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\1 Preston
COMBATSYS: Preston blocks Mizuki's Kouryuu no Renda.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Kenji 0/-------/---====|=======\==-----\1 Preston
With the little girl striking at him so many times with the baton, the lad wielding the gigantic oar simply weathers each blow behind raised fists. His defenses proves enough to wear Mizuki down -- after which he helpfully sends the girl overboard by gripping her arm and slinging her over the side, so the officials can take care of her. Indeed, the ship is near the point of breaching the water, and that doesn't bode well for this title fight. The fans don't want to see two guys splashing each other with water to see who'll win the Junior League Championship bout!
Turning away from the rail, he sees Kenji speaking to him. Shouldering the massive weapon, a smirk trails his features as he hears what the other youth has to say. "Actually, the oar's fuckin' practically fire proof, I intend on collectin' it after..." he corrects the Asian. But there's a time old adage that suggests that the captain must go down with the ship, and the Brit is interested in seeing that prophecy come to pass.
Skirting wreckage, he makes his way towards Kenji with the utmost slowness, disappearing behind wreckage, plumes of smoke, and other associated maritime miscellanea. Once he reaches a clear enough piece of deck though, the lad breaks into a quick charge -- and slams his boot out to try and catch the good Captain in the chest. There's even a hole behind him to fall into!
COMBATSYS: Preston successfully hits Kenji with Light Kick.
[ \\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Kenji 0/-------/=======|=======\==-----\1 Preston
It's dark, cloudy, and Kenji has a whole lot of smoke in his eyes. But he won't give up! Even as a massive shoe comes flying upward and slams into his chest harder than he anticipates, reeling back into the hole in the deck behind them. "SHIIIIII--"
*crash* *crash* *CRASH*
Dead silence follows this, the noises from below reeling into the constant roar and fury of the flames the ship is going up in. There's little to indicate where the scrapper Gedo student landed or even if he's been caught in the flames or fallen right through to a hole in the bottom of the boat.
And then the door to the Captain's quarters, even with the upper deck missing and the majority of the doorframe gone-- again bursts open. Standing there with wide, furious eyes and a soot-covered face, Kenji starts sucking in whatever precious fresh air he can muster up with his tired lungs to catch his breath. Hands on his knees, his voice roars over the flames: "NOT. YET."
COMBATSYS: Kenji gains composure.
[ \\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Kenji 0/-------/--=====|=======\==-----\1 Preston
Standing over the hole after delivering Kenji into it, Preston wonders if that's the end of it. There is indeed silence thereafter, as the lad stares down into the hole, even as the deck starts to pitch to one side as the boat starts taking on water. A fine galleon it's been, but is that the end? The nearby speedboat with the fight's administrators is clearly considering whether that's the case-
And then the doors to the captain's quarters burst open, revealing a rather disheveled Kenji. The Brit emits a sour grunt, turning to face the direction of that loud roar. "Some people just don't know when to fuckin' stay down," he growls, bringing the oar up and off his shoulder.
But even as Kenji takes a moment to gather himself, will it be enough? The Oarsman lifts that massive oar off his shoulder and with a sudden burst of speed dashes at the opponent, sending the blade hurtling at the Asian like a spear. Should he be unfortunate enough to be caught about the middle, he can expect the ride of a lifetime -- hefted up as high as the masts above, and then SMASHED down into what remains of the deck.
COMBATSYS: Kenji just-defends Preston's Bunting Tosser!
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////// ]
Kenji 0/-------/--=====|=======\==-----\1 Preston
*FWOOM*
"I'll keep getting up!! Over and over, until I win!" As an example of this resolve? The oar stabs exactly where Kenji should be-- but the Gedo student isn't going to let Preston have his way. Letting out a gutteral "URRRRRAAAAAAAAAAGH--" his arm reels back and swings around with a disgusting amount of force. His fist collides with the galley oar on edge, the brawler's strength sufficent enough to stop it dead and drive the makeshift weapon downward.
Plowing ahead with a vigorous charge, Kenji looks dead set on using the oversized oar's reach to his own advantage-- by getting right in Preston's face. Leading off with a hard stomp of his right foot against the protesting deck of the now-listing ship, his shoulder rolls and his fist rockets forward to slug the Pacific oarsman right hard and send him flying to whatever part of the deck still remains on the ship.
COMBATSYS: Preston Toughs Out Kenji's Missile Fist!
[ \\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Kenji 0/-------/--=====|=======\==-----\1 Preston
The oar is stopped with but a fist, which causes the most tremendous twitch to develop in Preston's right check. "Son of a bitch," he says, even as the youth opposite him charges down alongside the weapon. That fist again comes to bear, but the Brit fails to move -- he simply smirks at Kenji, waiting for what comes.
And the fist doesn't even make him flinch. His muscles flex at the right moment, and again, Kenji may feel that he's just done something remarkably reflex, like hitting a steel wall with his fist. "Son, I thought you would've learned by now," he says down at Kenji, with the slightest shake of his head.
But then his right hand lifts up high towards the heavens, and with it comes a massive swell of chi directly beneath Kenji! A geyser erupts, the deck splitting further as it threatens to send the boy high into the sky--but it's only the beginning, if the Asian proves unlucky!
COMBATSYS: Kenji auto-guards Preston's Azimuth Circle!
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Kenji 0/-------/--=====|==-----\-------\0 Preston
His knuckles, bruised and beaten, slam against British muscle and do little more than send the sensation of impact back up through his arm and remind him-- well, his target is pretty damn hard. Pulling back his arm, Kenji takes a step back and ... seems to step into a situation that may prove very hazardous for his health and his ability to take the Chemistry test next week.
The geyser of watery chi explodes from below, but once again things don't go exactly as planned. Grabbing onto the massive galley oar in Preston's possession, his legs are thrown upward from the force-- and he spins over the surface of the gigantic paddle to land flat on his pirate boot-clad feet. Captain Ashima's back arches upward as he surges up and turns back to Preston, jumping up over the oar and thrusting out his foot. "HYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH--"
Should his foot strike home in Preston's chest, the Gedo brawler will release a surging burst of energy from underfoot-- one that seeks to blast at, around, and even rock Preston's innards. "FUCK OFF!!"
COMBATSYS: Preston fails to interrupt Rib Crusher from Kenji with Queen's Regulations.
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > ///// ]
Kenji 0/-------/-======|===----\-------\0 Preston
Luck is definitely shifted to the Captain's side. Even as the ship threatens to go down at any moment, the fight continues between the two. The fountain fails as Kenji proves too dynamic to be caught in such a ploy, and the foot that rockets into the Brit's chest is met with little opposition.
The brute is tired. Even as he attempts to lift the oar to thwart the attempt, it's too slow and the device too awkward so late in the piece. Breathing hard, gulping air, Preston has little defense against the blast of chi that strikes into his body.
He actually staggers back, his hold on the oar gone, the giant piece of timber clattering to the ground as the burly Brit threatens to fall to one knee. He maintains his verticality somehow, but clearly he's on his last legs! He doesn't even have the stamina left to rant!
The severity of the situation is starting to catch up with the Osakan. Not only is their fight taking precedence over their own lives, but ... the boat is -on- -fire-. Sure, there're people scrambling to ensure the safety of the fallen fighters and active fighters alike, but there's no more time for him to boast. Not even when his foot rails into the Brit Behemoth's chest and causes him to stagger!
Taking one step ahead and making a small hop into the air, Kenji tries to make up the difference in height between the two and swings his fist around once more for a fierce uppercut, his hard knuckles seeking to crack Preston upside his apparently-equally hard chin. Go DOWN!
COMBATSYS: Kenji successfully hits Preston with Strong Punch.
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > // ]
Kenji 0/-------/-======|=====--\-------\0 Preston
Go down?
Kenji, Preston doesn't do that.
Even as the knuckles impact across his jaw, the Brit's stoic face barely reels. Clearly though, it's going to be enough; and it's long past time they got the hell off the boat! Particularly as an explosion rocks the far end of it, and the deck teeters, even as debris rains down. Knowing that it's time to abandon ship, Preston grabs the railing behind him.
Amidst that debris is a flaming oar, of all things. The very oar that hit Kenji in the nads not so long ago. It spins through the air, and on instinct, the Brit lifts high up to catch it. And then he simply aims to pop the Asian square in the nose with the oar, before he falls off the side of the boat. Put a fork in him, he's deep fried like most British meals.
COMBATSYS: Preston can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\ <
Kenji 0/-------/-======|
COMBATSYS: Kenji blocks Preston's Weapon Jab.
[ \\\\\\\\ <
Kenji 0/-------/=======|
Landing hard on the heels of his boots, the Gedo brawler loses track of Preston for only moments-- but he sees it coming. The oar that sent him into a battle-crazy bloodlust earlier, the oar that he thought had been lost amidst the debris of the sinking galleon. His teeth are bared as he swings his arm up one last time to catch that pesky makeshift weapon across the forearm and buffer the damage.
And kaboom.
Seeing the heels of the Brit roll over the edge of the rail and off the boat, the Gedo student comes to the sudden realization that he is, in fact, the last man standing in this little brawl. Normally a happy moment, considering this to be the debut of his 'professional' career, the Captain instead takes this as his cue to -get the hell off the boat-. Running to the bow not far from where Preston himself went over, Kenji dives over and sails into the water with a big splash.
Swimming a short distance beneath the waves, he breaks surface a healthy distance from where he went in, surfacing with a sharp snap of his head and his soaked bandana's tails whipping around in the wake. Thrusting a fist in the air, the Gedo student is all cheers-- "WHOO!" And then something floats in front of him.
That stupid hat.
"Oh!" he says with a pleasant tone, snapping it up and slapping it back on his head. Now, where's that speedboat?
COMBATSYS: Kenji takes no action.
[ \\\\\\\\ <
Kenji 0/-------/=======|
COMBATSYS: Kenji has ended the fight here.
Log created on 20:11:54 06/09/2007 by Mizuki, and last modified on 06:10:38 07/20/2007.