Description: Sagat comes across Rock training in a fighting pit somewhere in Thailand. Rock is seeking fighters for the fight against Shadaloo. Sagat happens to arrive at this arena with the same goal in mind. The two fight one another to guage the other's strengths.
Rock laughs some at Sagat's comment, eyes breaking from the living legend to sweep out at the crowd of onlookers. Howard's a natural showman; he's got the charisma of his father, in that regard. Taking a few steps, to let the question hang in that air, Rock finally stops and twists back to look up at Sagat. The cage is buried some in a pit in the warehouse foundation, to allow the spectators a good view of the carnage.
"No," Rock says. "But with the level of competition here in Thailand, I didn't think a legend would ever waste his time in here." Rock motions with hand, a little dismissively, over towards the earlier kickboxer he knocked out. The crowd starts booing again.
The Muay Thai Legend looks all around him at the fighters and spectators, "With the current situation engulfing my country, Howard, I do not believe that beggers can be choosers. Especially when they are seeking other fighters to both spar against as well as to join the cause." Sagat's single-eyed gaze returns to Rock. He points a meaty finger at Rock, "However, I would not have expected to see YOU here. Come to Thailand often?"
"I heard you guys needed a hero," Rock says, with a small shrug of his shoulders. He's playing the heel here to try and lure Sagat into the ring. He's being a little facetious and overbearingly confident. He's always looking for the next great fight and -- international incident around them or not -- the chance to tango with a man like Sagat in his home country in front of hundreds of his people is too good to not go for it. "And I was available."
"And I find you here fighting within the pits?" Sagat asks while not hiding his distaste for the place in his voice. His head shakes, "I hope you are at least here for the same reason that I am, hmmm? Practice. Recruitment. People are dieing in my country. These people should be inspired to fight the good fight."
Rock looks to the side again. He looks at all the money clutched in the hands of the spectators. He looks at the bookies in their white suits, cruising through the ranks, making bets and exchanging money lines by the second on the fights in the ring. He shakes his head and looks back up at Sagat. "That was my hope, yeah," Rock admits. "Need to keep the edge. But these people?" Rock adjusts his arms, recrossing them over his chest. "They don't look like they want to be inspired, Muy Thai God."
"And yet you are still here." Sagat grunts in response. Sagat approaches again, wading through the crowd. The wading isn't difficult however, as no one in their right mind wants to be in the Tiger's way. They move away, providing Sagat with a path towards the pit. Sagat points towards Rock, "And perhaps they can be inspired yet. However, if inspiration doesn't come immediately... I at least wish to hone my skills while I am here."
"Oh yeah?" Rock says, perfectly playing his part. He's got Sagat at the edge of the cage. The Medics have carted the other kickboxer out of the ring by now. All he needs to do is get the Muy Thai Emperor to step through that metallic lattice, that threshold... And it'll be on! "You could inspire them, Sagat," he continues, stopping his pacing and adjusting his gloves. "But the only language any of them understand is the one we speak in here," Rock motions with his thumb at the floor of the ring. "In this ring. Fist to face, knuckle to bone. You know that."
"Intimately." Sagat's gravelly voice responds as he passes that threshold. The Muay Thai Tiger crosses through the entryway of the cage and into the pit. The Thai Mountain starts to adjust the wrappings around his wrists as he enters, "And I'd like nothing more than to inspire them today with a show of my strength and my power. The same strength and power I have decided to use to free my country with."
Here it is! The fight fanboy in Rock Howard gets a cold chill in his spine when Sagat passes through the cage entrance. A small Thai boy, in awe that the legendary Sagat is about to fight in this ring, runs over to chain the door shut after Sagat enters. He snaps the padlock shut with an audible click, and Rock's red eyes light up, swiveling to lock onto Sagat.
"Good," Rock says, now that he has Sagat in the ring. He doesn't need to play the heel to the crowd. He wants just as much to see the power of the legend. He wants to see, feel, and experience why this man is called a tiger. Why he's an Emperor and a God. With the final bell, made by another teenage Thai over near the main betting table, Rock starts to rove and pace again. His steps echo the style of his father.
"Give me everything you've got, Sagat. Let's show these people to stand up and fight."%
COMBATSYS: Rock has started a fight here.
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Rock 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Sagat has joined the fight here.
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Rock 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Sagat
Sagat stares down at Rock Howard after he finishes tightening his forearm wrappings. The huge Thai Fighter simply nods at Rock, "Oh, I can not inspire by giving less than my total power. I hope you are prepared, because I am going to show these people how I am going to free this land from the oppression that envelopes it." The Thai Tiger shifts into his fighting stance in an instant. He rises up onto the balls of his feet, his hands form fists and hover in front of him, and his legs bend at the knees. After getting into his stance, Sagat's clenched fists get tighter as he starts to focus on his chi, control the rage within him as he was taught and begin to channel it all into power!
COMBATSYS: Sagat gathers his will.
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Rock 0/-------/-------|====---\-------\0 Sagat
Rock's opponent might try to contain his rage. Rock Howard follows the opposite philosophy. Fights are a slowly burning fuse with him. It burns and burns, slow and steady, until it suddenly explodes in a burst of boiling blood rage. That's how he gets his strength. He's an unrefined razor. A hammer and a blade that hasn't been purified by the struggles and trials of experience.
But he knows one thing. He's not going to charge straight into Sagat's arm-span if he can avoid it. The man is a human monster. A whistled and carved piece of strength and purpose. He could end Rock in one decisive motion. Swallowing, Howard stops his perimeter pacing and forms his Hakyokusaken stance. His eyes align onto Sagat and he rolls his shoulders, keeping them lose, ready for what the man is going to bring.
"I'm ready," he says, with a slow nod.
COMBATSYS: Rock focuses on his next action.
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Rock 0/-------/-------|====---\-------\0 Sagat
The Thai man's gravelly voice responds to Rock's statement, "No you are not." And with that said, Sagat is a blur of motion. The unbelievably large man moves with unbelievable quickness. Men of Sagat's size tend to be far slower or more cumbersome or more lumbering. Sagat moves with a swiftness that takes most of his opponents by surprise! The Thai Tiger rushes towards Rock, not taking long at all to get into Sagat's considerable reach. Sagat stops his advancement only to perform a swift snapkick. The big man's lower torso twists to the side as Sagat maximizes the range at which his leg can lash out to. The wrappings around the ankle and shin should reach far enough to hit Rock's head or shoulder... that is if Rock doesn't move!
COMBATSYS: Sagat successfully hits Rock with Light Kick.
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Rock 0/-------/-----==|====---\-------\0 Sagat
Sagat is wise. Sagat is also right. Rock wasn't as ready as he thought he was. No sooner has his toe touched into the dirt floor of the cage, is Sagat suddenly on him. He didn't even see the transition. He has the eye of the fighter and he just plain /missed/ Sagat. The guy was in one place one more and then in his face the next.
The leg extends. It snaps forward. It cracks against Rock's chin, his toes curling against the floor, as he's propelled off the ground and back. Crashing into the wall of the cage behind him, it clatters and rattles as it bends back and then plants Howard onto the floor. Rock hits it on all fours, knees and palms flat against the ground.
The crowd erupts. Betting increases. Everyone is picking Sagat.
Rock digs his hands into the ground, curling two handfuls of dirt. He pushes himself up, swallows a breath, and squints at Sagat. "Point taken," he manages, before swallowing in a gulp of breath. Suddenly stepping forward, Rock's hands spring open -- and he brings first his right arm and then his left arm back. The right arm cuts forward, igniting in a swirling plume of golden chi. "DOUBLE!" the left arm mirrors the right, slicing up through the air a moment later. "REPPUKEN!"
Twin shears of churning chi energy explode off Rock's body, barreling across the ring floor.
COMBATSYS: Sagat endures Rock's Double Reppuken.
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Rock 0/-------/----===|=======\-------\0 Sagat
The former Muay Thai God's strategy tends to be a simple one in most of his fights. Overwhelming offense meets ungodly defense. It is the terror that most fighters have to deal with when they encounter Sagat within the fighting arena. It is the same thing Rock is going to face in this impromptu bout! The Double Reppuken is met head on by Sagat. The Thai Fighter simply slams his body into the dual blasts of golden chi energy. His advancement towards Rock isn't even hindered as the force and the pain wash over the Thai Tiger. Sagat simply rushes for Rock, bends his knees and propels himself forward and skyward in a painfully smooth motion when he's in striking range. The rising uppercut is announced with, "TI-GER BLOW!"
COMBATSYS: Rock counters Tiger Blow from Sagat with Gedan Crack Counter.
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Rock 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\1 Sagat
Rock isn't surprise when Sagat simply powers through the Reppukens. Alex did it too. So did Momoko. So did Geese, even. He's already starting to get a complex about his chi abilities. He needs to learn Kain's Schwarze Flame technique or Terry's Power Geyser soon rather than later. This isn't working. But he is surprised that the man doesn't even visibly show any pain. He doesn't even /lose/ a step.
But Rock is also a fan of the fighting universe. He's seen Sagat fight many times. People around the world imitate the man's style. They aspire to be him. The many variations of the Tiger Uppercut, while nearly unstoppable, are well known. Sensing that one is coming, Howard takes two harsh steps backward. His heels dig into the floor and he braces his body.
Sagat's fist whistles forward, intention on Rock's chin. But Rock reacts smoothly with it, tilting back just enough that the upper-cut passes by the edge of his jaw. Suddenly spinning on his heel, Howard pivots in a full circle around, tucks his arm towards his body, and sends his elbow driving for Sagat's ribcage on the man's incline.
Now that's certainly not what the Thai Legend expected to experience. He expected to feel Rock's jaw cracking against his rising knuckles. He wanted the tell tale sound of teeth clattering against once another forcefully. Instead Sagat is met with an elbow driving deep into his midsection. The Thai's ascent is interrupted. Sagat falls back to Earth and staggers backwards. For a brief moment the massive man had the wind driven from his lungs. However with almost four decades of intense training to fall back on, the sensation is quickly dealt with. The pain is shoved away from his thoughts and replaced with simply the fight at hand. Sagat stops gripping his stomach and again races for Rock. He reaches out for the young man with one hand. If he's successful he will grab onto him and pull him towards him. sagat will then raisea powerful knee and drive it into Rock's chest. This will be followed by, almost immediately, a elbow being driven into his back. It's kind of like a Rock sandwich.
COMBATSYS: Rock auto-guards Sagat's Medium Punch!
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Rock 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\1 Sagat
Huge Thai fingers curl into Rock's jacket. He feels the strength of this brutal man as he literally drag's Rock's bulk forward into his oncoming strength. Eyes widening, Rock's eyes snap down to the impending knee. He wills himself to react, he wills his body to move before the pain train comes to the station.
Rock's palms shoot down. He manages to pin them into the knee's upward path. All the force between the two men stops at that instant, Howard's jaw grinding shut from the shocking pain that shoots up through his body from his arms. It's like a full body charlie horse. But it stops that knee from breaking his ribs open. It's worth it.
Rock isn't nearly as trained or experienced as Sagat, but he has had some. His entire life has been one big training exercise orchestrated by his father in that huge tower in Southtown. Able to ignore the tingling sensation throughout his body, Howard falls back from Sagat's embrace with a twist of his hips. Spinning around the man, he cuts lower to fall into a roll that brings him out of the Thai man's immediate reach. Coming out of it in a spinning kick-up, Howard ends up facing Sagat's back. He exhales; fight tension making his sweat cold.
COMBATSYS: Rock focuses on his next action.
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Rock 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\1 Sagat
Sagat does not relent. The results are, again, what Sagat intended. Rock should be rolling on the ground with a broken rib or a bloodied nose by now. Regardless the Thai man doesn't give Rock much time to recover or to focus on him or his strategy. He moves with such speed as he intends to force his opponent to make split decisions. If split decisions are made there is a better chance that his opponent will slip up and make a mistake. Hopefully this is the time. Sagat takes a step forward, turns around, crouches low and shouts, "TIGER-" He launches up into the air, tucks a leg underneath him and thrusts the other leg out ahead of him knee first. Sagat intends to slam his thrusting knee into Rock's body or face, "-CRUSH!"
COMBATSYS: Rock fails to interrupt Tiger Crush from Sagat with Rising Tackle.
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Rock 0/-------/-======|=======\==-----\1 Sagat
Rock explodes back from the terrible impact of Sagat's flying knee drop. It cracks against his jaw, splitting his face to the side, as he body slams into the wall of the cage against. Those metal chain links are unrelenting. Slamming back into the floor, Rock tries to endure the resulting wash of pain as it shoots from his burning jaw through every nerve in his body.
He hauls himself up, stumbling once from the effort, before he gets his center of balance again. Determination setting into his face, he locks his eyes onto Sagat. "Harder," he insists, rubbing a gloved hand across his mouth. "Show these people /everything/ you can do!"
Sagat lands shortly after connecting with his knee thrust. He is greeted by both cheers from the crowd and by goading from the younger Howard. Sagat narrows his eye at the demand. Sagat realizes what Rock is doing and grunts, "Everything-" Sagat begins as he raises a leg and rears it back. He hops forward and attempts to slam his heavily wrapped shin into Rock's side in a text-book style roundhouse kick. The crushing blow is meant to either whither Rock's defenses away or forcefully shove him back into the chainlinks, "-They are also capable of doing!" he concludes after the kick.
Hotaru heads to sub-stage 4.
Hotaru arrives from the Thailand main area.
COMBATSYS: Rock counters Medium Kick from Sagat with Gedan Crack Counter.
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Rock 0/-------/=======|=======\===----\1 Sagat
Rock's read a lot of textbooks. He's fortunate that a part of his training in the style of his father was the requirement to be able to quickly read almost any fighting style and be prepared to counteract it's offensive abilities into efforts of your own. Geese calls his technique by a different name but the effect that Rock extracted from the lessons? They are the same.
The leg comes cutting towards his side and Rock's reaction is smooth, like he was prepared for this eventuality. His left hand shoots down to intercept the oncoming leg, near the knee, sending the force of Sagat's kick up his arm and then down through his body. Bracing his hand on the leg for that split second, Rock locks his eyes onto Sagat and then makes a sudden leap.
Howard's body arcs directly over Sagat's head in an extended flip. It's a variation of the crack shoot, one of the Legendary Wolf's techniques, as Howard completes his somersault over Sagat's head -- one of his booted feet plants itself in the back of the man's neck.
Landing on the opposite side of the Muy Thai Master, Rock rises back to his full height and rolls his shoulders. "Too slow, Sagat."
Again, Sagat is met with what he had not intended to meet. Rock is rather adept at manuevering around his techniques in unbelievable ways and then providing Sagat with the pain he had intended for Rock! The boot slams into Sagat's neck and he staggers forward. There is a slight cracking noise and Sagat may suffer from the effects of whiplash later. Sagat spins around and narrows his eye at the younger fighter, "Just fast enough..." He utters in his gravelly voice. Sagat charges for the younger Howard. He attempts to do nothing short of tackle the youth. If he manages to get Rock in his powerful hold, he will aim to spin around again to throw Rock back into the cage they are fighting inside.
COMBATSYS: Rock blocks Sagat's Quick Throw.
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Rock 1/-------/=======|=======\====---\1 Sagat
Rock gets grappled by the coat again. Sagat is impossible to stop; he's like a stampeding rhinocerus and Rock's the side door of a Honda Civic for him to gorge. But he's also a touch little Civic door. Hurled over Sagat's shoulder, Rock manages to employ some of the dexterity and agility of youth. His body contorts in it's path through the air.
He hits the cage wall with his feet first. They piston against the links, the fencing bending from his weight. It hits it's threshold and then the cage wall shunts forward, Rock swallows and pushes with all his strength, and goes shooting forward with it.
Streaking straight across through the air like a torpedo, Rock comes right at Sagat -- hopefully faster than the man can ever expect. He leads with his fist, chi suddenly ballooning and blossoming off his body. It starts there, a Power Dunk type attack of chi that explodes on his full extension.
But it doesn't end. Feet planting, the fussilade follows, as Rock transitions straight into one of his father's most infamous techniques. A volley of fists and feet come following the initial leaping punch, all of the organized chaos and frenzy culminating in one final cry of, "DEADLY RAVE NEO!" And with the cry, an explosion of chi shoots down Rock's arms as he thrusts them forward -- a beam of concentrated power ratcheting forward.
COMBATSYS: Rock successfully hits Sagat with Deadly Rave Neo.
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Rock 0/-------/-------|=======\=======\1 Sagat
And this techniqued is appropriately named. It is deadly. The Thai Legend gets pummeled by the younger Howard. Rock simply beats down Sagat's defenses with the Deadly Rave Neo technique. Sagat's raised arms can not bat away or deflect any of the violence being brought to bare against him. How goes the betting now one would wonder? Are these people being inspired? Or are they on the verge of going broke after losing their bets? Those thoughts do not enter the massive Thai Tiger's mind. Right now, bringing Rock down in front of these people is what goes through his mind! When the blows cease, Sagat is still standing... though this time he look visibly pained and visibly injured. Never-the-less the momentary ceasation of hostilities only lasts... a moment. Sagat bounces back! He rushes towards Rock, "TI-GER-" he shouts as he leaps through the air performing a much faster Tiger Crush manuever at Rock. When he lands will immediately launch into a swifter and more powerful version of the Tiger Uppercut, "-GENOCIDE!" Sagat bellows loudly!
COMBATSYS: Sagat successfully hits Rock with Tiger Genocide.
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Rock 0/-------/=======|===----\-------\0 Sagat
CRUNCH.
The sequence of events Rock Howard's body goes through is impossible to explain. It all can safely be summed up in PAIN. After the Tiger Uppercut sends Rock screaming straight up into the caged roof of the pit, Rock's body springs against it and then it rocketed straight into the warehouse's foundation. It is a craterous impact. There's a solid ten seconds of silence that runs through the crowd in it's wake. It's very possible that Rock Howard is dead.
Eleven seconds pass. It starts with the kid at the cage door. He yells, "YEEAAHHHH!" Then the rest of the crowd erupts into cheers, following the first valiant warcry.
It's another minute of cheering before Rock finally stirs. He manages to roll over to his back and stare at the ceiling. He can't hear their cheers, of course, because his hearing went out. But he's pretty sure they're inspired.
COMBATSYS: Rock takes no action.
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Sagat 0/-------/---====|
COMBATSYS: Rock can no longer fight.
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Sagat 0/-------/---====|
Sagat lands from his uppercut in a better position than Rock. The Mighty Thai Fighter keeps his arms at his sides, fists still clenched tightly. The cheering. The inspiration. They are falling on deaf ears. Sagat simply stares down at the fallen Rock Howard. The Legend snaps out of his trance eventually and crosses his arms over his chest. He begins to look around him to the crowd outside the cage. The cheering finally reaches him and it dawns on him that the fight has concluded. Sagat lets out an long exhale and actually has a slightly smile falling upon his face.
COMBATSYS: Sagat has ended the fight here.
Log created on 19:26:13 06/16/2007 by Sagat, and last modified on 09:08:11 07/11/2007.