Description: Neo League: Rock vs Makoto. See the amazing Portapotty dominoes! See someone stupid run through a Reppuken! (Winner: Makoto)
Rock Howard, fresh off his first Saturday Night Fight victory since he lucked into the world title, is feeling pretty good about himself. His chest, while still needing the bandages, held up really well in real, thrilling, combat against Ash Crimson a little over a day previously. He didn't feel any drawbacks or weakness. He didn't find himself having any limitations on his preferred techniques. It was a good experience and a well-earned victory, in his mind.
With news of the mayhem in Thailand and plans to head down to it as soon as possible, Rock's been trying to keep a low profile around Southtown. It's the city that never sleeps, but more importantly, it's the city that his father owns. The last time he came face to face with Geese Howard, he was slamming his knuckles into the man's jaws on top of Geese Tower and telling him he wished he was dead. You don't normally walk away from that kind of offense. You certainly don't make yourself a high profile target in the man's city.
No, Rock plans to get to Thailand as soon as he can secure a transport. It's the hottest place on the planet; embroiled in chaos, and thus -- one of the few places on the Earth that Geese Howard and the Syndicate can't reach.
Rock's path home from getting some food in Little Chinatown means he needs to cross through Southtown Park. He often would stop to place a game of hoops with some of the local kids. It's the city he grew up in, and if it didn't smell like his dad, he'd probably like living here. But today? He just wants to get by the basketball court without getting noticed. His hands are jammed into his red jacket, he's got an official Terry Bogard trucker hat pulled low over his blond hair, and his steps are faster than normal as he moves through the winding path past the blacktop.
Makoto does not like cities at all - not Bangkok, not Southtown, not Metro. She is a country girl, and loves being in the middle of nowhere; there are just too many PEOPLE in a city.
That said, sometimes you need to go to a city when you are looking for people. Makoto is not looking for anyone in particular, but she makes occasional stops in Southtown to see who she comes across. Last time she got a League fight out of it. Because she likes the country, though, she tends to spend a lot of time in the parks. Like right now. Makoto is actually not in her gi; she is in jeans and the same sleeveless red shirt she normally wears under the gi, along with the enormous yellow scarf that she's never seen in public without. She is still barefoot, though.
Having just finished a snack under a tree, she tosses her garbage just in time to see someone else go past. Makoto has met Rock before, a long time ago, in a tournament. He looks familiar. She follows him for a brief time, to see if it /is/ him; that would be a fun end to a busy day, wouldn't it?
Eva heads south to the river.
Rock Howard is pretty good, after several years of dealing with it, of knowing when he's being followed. It's not uncommon at all for Geese to dispatch one of his legion of goons to keep an eye on Rock. When he was younger, too, Geese would always have someone trail his wayward son to make sure he wasn't doing anything to ruin his potential and legacy. Eventually, Rock got good at ditching those fools, too.
Picking up almost immediately when Makoto starts to trail him, Rock doesn't know /who/ it is, but he knows that there is someone tracking him through the park. He plays it cool at first, keeping his posture similar to when he first detected the person behind him. His hands stay jammed in his pockets and he keeps his eyes forward like there wasn't anything amiss. Rounding one of the pathways, Howard passes a row of Portapotty's hidden beneath a ring of trees to limit their offensiveness. As he clips the corner, he figures he has about three seconds of invisibility before the person will have an angle to continue their trail.
He takes this moment to flatten his back to the far side of one of the foul-smelling Johns, inhales a breath, and waits to see who walks by.
Makoto is bad at trailing people. She makes noise. She doesn't hide herself. This is because she doesn't work for Geese and is only curious as to who it is; it doesn't occur to her that she might be seen as threatening.
And so she is rather surprised when she doesn't see Rock when she turns the corner. "Hey," she calls; maybe he took a shortcut through the trees? Makoto reaches up to scratch at the side of her head, mildly baffled. "Rock, is that you? C'mon, if it is, where'd you go?"
Rock swallows a cold breath. His gloved hands curl, forming a fist, ready to pound the goon who rounds the corner. He's not going to let his one-way ticket to Thailand get derailed by a last minute assassin. He's not sure if Geese was impressed by his audacity in storming into the roof to Geese Tower and fighting him or enraged by it. After that Roshoumon, Rock just knows he woke up somewhere else.
He's not going to go down without a fight. It's a girl. She's calling his name. He doesn't immediately register it as a friend or a foe. It's unfamiliar, even though they've met before. Once the first sliver of fabric, the first hint of Makoto, rounds the bend -- Howard leaps out. He gets about a half a foot away from barreling into Makoto when he realizes what's going on.
Staggering back to shunt the momentum, he squints at the girl for a second. His sweat still feels cold on his neck. "I almost flattened you," he finally says.
"You did /not/," Makoto says, despite the fact that Rock was so close to plowing into her; she had to take a step back to avoid it too, although it was easier simply because she wasn't going nearly as fast. She stands firmly, hands on her hips, but still has to look up at Rock. Not much, but a little.
continues after a moment. "In fact, I don't think you could flatten me anymore. It might sting if you ran into me," she grudgingly admits, "but I'm better than before." Yes, she really does have that encyclopedaic a knowledge of who she fought, and when, and how she did against them. "In fact, you're just walking around! We should check that. I can do better this time!"
She seems to have utterly failed to pick up any subtle 'go away' signs Rock might be putting out, or the fact that he almost ambushed her when he thought she was going to ambush him. She's immune to subtlety.
"Wha--?" Rock becomes confused. He cranes his eyes open, slicing a hand along the back of his neck to rub it with confusion. What is this girl talking about? He actually doesn't recognize Makoto yet. It's not until about the fourth sentence that the bubbling optimism and desire strikes him. His eyes relax and he lowers his hand, breaking into a wry half a grin. "Ahhh," he nods, once.
He'd really hope that Makoto would have gotten better at fighting since their last match quite awhile ago. He also hopes that he's matured and gained experience since then. And if he remembers, this girl is always looking for a match. That's probably why she was trailing him. He comes flat out and asks it. "You're looking for a fight, huh?"
Makoto looks blank. "Well, yes," she says, in much the same tone of voice she would use to say 'I like breathing' or 'My dojo should have more students'. Doesn't everyone? "I thought I had challenged you! But okay, I'll make it official."
Makoto pauses, then points at Rock. There's barely enough room. Her finger is almost touching him. "Rock Howard! I challenge you to a battle! You're in the Neo League, so we can do that if you want." Frankly, she'd be happy with just a testing match; she only really thinks of the Neo League as a convenient way to get them rather than making winning it her goal. "Right here! Right now!"
"Uhhh..." Rock's red eyes shift from Makoto down to her thrusting finger. "Well," he hems and haws, eyes glancing over to the left. Some of the kids on the basketball court have taken notice of the mild commotion and are starting over to ear-range. Rock can't embarass himself in front of his boys! Or at least, his random early teenage maybe-fans who play basketball in parks.
She mentions the magic words. "Neo League? Deal," he says, finally. Fuck Geese Howard. If the guy wants him dead, he's not going to be able to get out of Southtown either way. No matter how low his profile is. With a step back from the still pointing Makoto, Rock starts to take off his jacket.
Beneath it he's got on a black tanktop. The bandages from Yamazaki's stabbing are visible, wrapped tightly around his chest. "My only condition," Howard says, setting the coat down on the grass. Rising bakc up, gloved hands curl and he spins back to face the girl -- already into his Hakyokusaken fighting stance. "Is that you give me your best!"
COMBATSYS: Rock has started a fight here.
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Rock 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Makoto has joined the fight here.
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Rock 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Makoto
Ryuujin heads south to the river.
Makoto stops pointing eventually. Really.
When Rock accepts, for instance; that gets her to stop and take a step back herself. She's not used to fighting in her jeans rather than her gi, but she thinks she can manage it, and asking him to hold on while she went to change WOULD be a bit much. Especially because she doesn't have her gi on her.
"I always do my best!" Makoto says, seeing the bandages but glossing over them for now. She's a dedicated fighter, but she isn't cruel, and she doesn't intend to do nothing but hit them like some fighters might. Instead, in the same motion that she enters her fighting stance with, Makoto takes half a step forward again and swings her foot around in a sweeping kick, near Rock's legs.
COMBATSYS: Rock counters Medium Kick from Makoto with Gedan Crack Counter.
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Rock 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Makoto
The bandages are a reminder of the pain he felt when Yamazaki both spiritually and physically bankrupted him. They are a reminder of the swift and brutal retribution of his father. They are a reminder of why Rock continues to fight as hard as he can every chance he gets. This is a great chance. This is another rising superstar. A professional fighter, stumbled upon by pure chance, who he can test himself against. There's nothing more to it. It's just a pure and true fight to see who the better warrior is.
Makoto's foot comes whistling towards Rock's legs but the kid is prepared. Eyes locking onto her own, his hands shoot out to intercept the leg near the knee with both palms. Bracing it for a half a second, Rock's toned muscles strain as he channels the energy down and through his body. Then he acts, releasing his hold on her knee and throwing her leg towards the ground. Taking an aggressive step forward, he sends his elbow barreling into Makoto's chest.
Makoto remembers this from last time: having her momentum turned against her is an unpleasant experience and one that she wouldn't forget. She does her best to roll with the impact after his elbow strikes her in the chest, but that's the best she can do; blocking it is beyond her.
She gets back to her feet, not badly hurt yet from her roll across grass and dirt. She is grinning; she enjoys fighting, which may be why she is so dedicated to it. And this, right now...this is a good fight. Makoto lunges forward rather suddenly, reaching out with both hands for Rock's upper arms in a blur of motion.
He might expect to be thrown, if she manages to grab. That is wrong. Instead she brings him closer to her, driving her forehead forward towards his; Makoto long ago found that hers is generally harder and this is to her advantage. Only then does she let go, no longer twisting arms painfully.
COMBATSYS: Makoto successfully hits Rock with Tacchuu.
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Rock 0/-------/----===|====---\-------\0 Makoto
Rock picks up on Makoto's /apparent/ intention after she starts lunging. He's ready to roll with the flow. He's ready to let her grab him, toss him over her body, and then he's going to swallow that momentum into a tightly tucked flip and land it on two feet. He'll be in a perfect position to strike her then from behind; she won't be prepared for him to land her toss. He's done it a thousand times before.
But that isn't what happens. Instead, Rock's eyes widen to red spheres as she grabs hold of his tank-top and then doesn't leverage her weight into tossing him off her hip. She sends her forehead sailing towards his own. The crack is loud and makes the basketball players who've come to to watch the fight wince and cringe back, like they could feel the pain.
Rock backpedals several full steps from the impact without any conscious thought of doing so. He ends up a few yards away from Makoto, blinking his eyes closed and open with hard motions to try and clear the sudden fog in his vision. "Nice one," he manages. She even knocked his hat off.
Rolling his shoulders once, Rock sizes Makoto up again. Satisfied, he breaks into a grin and breaks into two pounding steps forward. On the third, he pivots his body and lifts a leg, sending a roundhouse kick across the horizontal.
COMBATSYS: Makoto dodges Rock's Medium Kick.
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Rock 0/-------/----===|====---\-------\0 Makoto
"Thanks!" Makoto calls back, while Rock takes the opportunity to look her over. It was a pretty good hit; even she's feeling the dull ache on her forehead, but she's used to it and doesn't care as much.
When Rock comes toward her, this time Makoto goes low, ducking under the horizontal roundhouse kick and coming up next to Rock, uncomfortably close. Both her hands are reaching right toward his throat; she has every intention of keeping Rock close to her, the better for her to react in case of an attack.
She does not strangle like some fighters might, but simply picks Rock up and holds him there with both hands. Makoto does squeeze a little, but it's to stop Rock from escaping and backing up rather than to choke him.
COMBATSYS: Rock blocks Makoto's Karakusa.
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Rock 0/-------/----===|====---\-------\0 Makoto
Ash heads south to the river.
Rock gets lifted by his throat. It's a decidedly uncomfortable situation to be in. It won't do to continue to let her squeeze the breath out of his lungs. A fighter relies on everything working properly for their technique to succeed. A vital part of that is oxygen to fuel the muscles to fuel the movements. It's a simple equation to kick ass!
Making some sort of pained noise from deep in his throat, the younger Howard sends both of his fists slamming for the back of Makoto's wrists. It manages to weaken her hold enough that he can twist his neck back, breaking away. He falls down to the ground and lands into a crouch, boots firmly planted into the grass. From below Makoto, his eyes shoot up her body to try and home in on a weak spot in her style.
He doesn't see it yet. She's really come a long way since they last fought. Aborting the close-combat quarters, Howard twists back into a backward roll back across the grass. He ends up a half a dozen yards away from the girl, takes a step forward, and then cuts his arm up in the air. Chi suddenly explodes down the length of his arm on the upswing, a shear of swirling golden white chi snarling off on the extension and churning across the ground. It's familiar and famous. It's a Reppuken.
COMBATSYS: Makoto interrupts Reppuken from Rock with Hayate.
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Rock 0/-------/-======|=======\-------\0 Makoto
Makoto's reaction to blasts of chi coming at her is simple and instinctive. She's never been good against it; if she has a weakness, throwing that stuff around is it. She can't do it at all, and it is somewhere between confusing and scary to her. Not scary because of the unknown factor, but scary because she has few defenses.
At the first flicker of chi, Makoto charges in her low dash, running so fast that she actually appears to blur - until she comes to a total stop one step in front of Rock, transferring the entirety of her forward momentum to her fist. "Haaiya!"
Only after that does she seem to realize that she literally ran through a Reppuken to perform such a feat, and yelps, stepping back as feeling returns to her lower legs. It isn't a particularly pleasant feeling.
Rock hasn't ever seen someone who just straight ran /through/ an oncoming Reppuken. That's like running through a Ford F-150 with Roy Bromwell at the wheel. It just isn't done by people in the most rational states of mind. He has never even really conceived of a defense for this strategy. This makes him flat footed when Makoto's right there in grill and giving him his dessert.
Rock's head snaps back and to the left from the smash across his jaw. His hair sails with it, flopping out, as his mouth gorges open on the recoil. He's lucky that the pain settles in on Makoto because she got a really nice crack in there. If she wasn't driven back some, she could have probably followed it up with something malicious and terrible to Rock's person.
Feeling fortunate, Rock shakes his head. Cobwebs clear. He wipes his mouth with a gloved hand, approval on his face. He likes that this girl is pounding on him. It's invigorating to meet an equal in a fight. It's even more invigorating to fight someone who might have surpassed you; it gives you incentive to try harder.
Rock plants his feet again, curls his fingers, and raises his arms. He's back into the style he learned from his father. Over his knuckles, red eyes narrow as he focuses onto Makoto. "You really are stronger."
COMBATSYS: Rock focuses on his next action.
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Rock 1/-----==/=======|=======\-------\0 Makoto
"Of course I am. I've been training nonstop!" Despite her cockiness, Makoto is sore - her legs aren't built to take that sort of abuse - and breathing hard, running out of fuel from her initial headlong rush. "So are you, though. That was faster than I remember..."
She steps back when Rock does, planting her own feet and beginning a simple breathing exercise. In, out. In, out. Her hands stay up near her navel as she focuses her energy into it, revitalizing herself and making herself more ready to fight. The pain doesn't fade, but she ignores it as she does this, preparing for a new onslaught.
COMBATSYS: Makoto gathers her will.
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Rock 1/-----==/=======|=======\===----\1 Makoto
Rock is familiar with the more traditional fighting styles ability to gather the will and channel it into more precise strength. In some cases and against some of his opponents, he's even seen a similar action to Makoto's result in something he was completely unprepared for. Even yesterday, against Ash Crimson, the flame wielder imbued himself with some sort of arcane energy and then unleashed the biggest wall of freaking fire Rock's ever stared down the barrel of.
Rock got through it alive but he'll be happy if he never has to feel that kind of total body burning pain again. He'll be even more damned if he's going to stand there and let Makoto build up to her own variety of something like that. Swallowing a breath of air, he was already prepared to strike. He was prepared to act and he was prepared to deliver some pain.
He just didn't think he was going to have to be so decisive. Calling upon the techniques of his hated father, Rock's body suddenly pulses with energy. He locks his eyes onto Makoto, lowers his arms, and rockets forward into a full sprint right at her. There is no feint or camoflague. His footfalls just come hard and fast, boots digging through the dirt and grass below his toes, until he's just outside of an arm-span reach from the girl.
He stops. The world goes white. A shockwave of golden chi swallows Howard and then shoots outward in every direction. The doppler effect shakes through the area a split second later, a trademark calling cry of, "RAGING STTOOOOORRRRMMM!"
COMBATSYS: Rock successfully hits Makoto with Raging Storm'.
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Rock 0/-------/-------|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Makoto
Makoto, with her feet planted and concentrating on her own power, does not try to evade Rock running at her. She doesn't try to get away at all; she keeps her feet placed, and tenses, bracing against the blow. She expects a running punch; she has seen Shine Knuckle before, and was impressed.
It is not enough. It isn't even close to enough. Makoto vanishes in the shockwave of chi, but is visible again shortly - arcing up and away, having been blown by the blast. She hits a tree, rebounds, and falls nearby it with a heavy, painful crunching sound.
Makoto doesn't get up for a few seconds. She looks beaten - but she does, eventually, force herself to rise, first to one knee and then the rest of the way up with a grunt. Right now, she is operating mostly on sheer willpower, and doesn't have that much in her...she waits for him to come to her instead of vice versa, because she's not sure she'll make the run without tripping. "Nice...shot," she says, slowly.
COMBATSYS: Makoto focuses on her next action.
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Rock 0/-------/-------|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Makoto
Whisps of chi smoke curl off Rock's body in the wake of the Raging Storm. It takes a lot out of him to perform that attack; but it is a powerful and definitive technique. He knows, from the sheer fact that Makoto is now a dozen yards away from him and falling down from a tree, that it hurt. And it hurt good. A slow nod is ushered towards her returning the compliment after his powerful attack.
"Still standing," Rock comments, hiding his grin. He's too tired to smile at the girl. And he wants to win. This is coming down to a climatic moment and he needs every bit of focus he's got. "I'm impressed. Now show me everything you've got left. Don't hold back, because I'll never give up. That," Rock swallows a breath, almost looking like he's mimicing Makoto's earlier meditation. "I /promise/."
COMBATSYS: Rock gathers his will.
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Rock 0/-------/---====|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Makoto
Makoto starts to focus again, the same way as before. One breath, then another. One breath, then another. "I'm not - giving up either," she says, and then tenses.
Then she runs straight at Rock; she even manages to run in a straight line rather than weaving all over the place. It's not sustainable, but she only needs to run the few yards to him, bringing her fist around in a solid strike toward his gut with all the force she can muster behind it.
Makoto follows this up with a trio of punches aimed more or less scattershot over Rock's torso; she is not intentionally aiming at bandages, but he went into a fight with them and they might end up hit by mistake. "Haa!" Only then is there a pause as Makoto rears back, readying the last strike.
Rock has seen it before, a long time ago, but never felt it. With the windup, Makoto has an enormous amount of power to put behind the upwards strike; she's not called the Steamroller Girl for nothing. She holds the pose after, breathing hard to catch her breath, her yellow scarf fluttering in the breeze behind her. "SEICHUUSEN GODANZUKI!"
COMBATSYS: Rock fails to counter Seichuusen Godanzuki from Makoto with Gedan Crack Counter.
- Power fail! -
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Rock 0/-------/--=====|====---\-------\0 Makoto
Rock never really liked power tools or construction equipment. He played with Matchbox Cars when he was a kid rather than the Tonka Trucks and Constructicons a lot of other kids were always so fond of. This is probably because he knew, someday down the road, he was going to be looking at the human equivalent of a steamrolling and he was going to hate every minute of it.
Rock's seen the Seichuusen Godanzuki one time before in his life. Makoto has come a long way since then. The last time he saw it wasn't half as effective. It wasn't half as mastered. The first strike slams into his stomach, shooting the air out of his throat with an audible gasp as he buckles forward. Then the real pain train rides in. The combo of strikes sends him barreling back from their quick, scattershot, ripping impacts. Bruises start to form before Makoto's knuckles can even finish grinding into Rock's constantly miserable chest.
Then comes the hammer. There is a brief moment where Rock's eyes visibly widen and then there is nothing but the terrible noise of his body buckling against the ultimate strike of this sixteen year old girl. Launched straight back and off his feet, Howard sails through the air a solid dozen yards before he slams into the same Port'o'Potty he used for cover before. The thing crashes back from his impact, hitting the other outdoor toilet slotted next to it, and then the next one. All three topple like dominos.
The contents spill everywhere. Rock lays on the plastic side of the first one, a miserable heap, for a solid thirty seconds. He might be dead. His heart might has just quite simply exploded.
He finally moves. He looks over to the side and realizes what's going on behind him. While not laying in all the crap, he's close enough. The smell, the rotten egg funk. "She literally knocked the shit out of me," he says, audibly in self-reference to himself. Like this was a hilarious revelation.
Climbing off the overturned toilet, Howard finds that he can still stand. His ears are ringing so loudly he probably can't hear if Makoto is saying anything to him across the distance. But he can still see and move. He's got a few more fumes in the tank.
Makoto has never in her life caused quite that much destruction. Well, she has, but normally it was intentionally rather than accidentally hitting people off things.
She holds her pose for a few moments longer, because it's a good opportunity to catch her breath, stare at the wreckage, and make sure Rock is still up. Does she want to go over there and check? Not really - it smells awful. If he doesn't get up in the next couple seconds, she will, though, because she's hoping she didn't hurt him -
- oh, there he goes. And he's still up, and he did say to go all-out. Makoto actually finds enough power left in her to jump toward a tree, swinging on one of the sturdier branches and launching herself in an arcing kick toward Rock; she follows it up with a second kick, and then another punch upward. THis one, however, will launch him backwards, because the last thing she wants to do is land him in a literal puddle of crap. She doesn't even want to be near it in her bare feet!
COMBATSYS: Rock fails to counter Abare Tosanami Kudaki from Makoto with Joudan Crack Counter.
- Power fail! -
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Makoto 0/-------/------=|
COMBATSYS: Rock can no longer fight.
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Makoto 0/-------/------=|
Rock's done. The second combo of brutality with glorious brutality in so many minutes comes at him and the reaction is just about the same as the last one. Thunderclaps echo through the park as Howard is knocked around like a piece of meat in a Rocky movie. He finally crashes into a miserably heap somewhere down near the basketball court. He's still for a few seconds, completely blacked out, before his eyes flutter back open.
"Christ," he says, lifting a gloved hand to his forehead. It's pounding like Tijuana. Eventually, he sits up and slops his hands against knees. It'll be another minute until he tries to stand. "You hit harder than Dudley. Geez."
Makoto rushes up to Rock - well, moves quickly, she just exhausted herself a little too much to /really/ rush. This time, though, there is no punching, kicking, bodyslamming, or anything else attached to it; she just wants to go over there and make sure he's all right.
He seems to be, which is a load off Makoto's mind. She smiles, although painfully, and offers a hand up; she is actually hoping he doesn't just pull her off-balance. "I do?" she says, startled.
Rock rubs his neck and squints at the horizon for a few seconds. He's focusing internally on that ringing in the ears. "I'll let you know in the morning." If Rock's head is swelled shut, Makoto will at least have hit as hard as Dudley. Granted, that is without gloves. He'd never step in a ring with Dudley again if the guy took off his boxing gloves. Good lord.
"Thanks," he finally says, trying to stand. "I learned a lot."
Log created on 20:56:02 06/12/2007 by Makoto, and last modified on 11:43:40 06/13/2007.