Description: Grant summons Rock and Gato for one of his ultimate tests -- fighting the Martyr of Might himself... At his full potential!
Rock Howard's been running around through Thailand for the better part of two weeks now. He's made two trips back to Southtown to take care of a few loose ends -- like punching Kurow Kirishima in the face and leaving Terry Bogard a cryptic 'time to save the world!' note in the usual spot. He's had some weird experiences in the Asian country. He got involved in some Cage Fighting that netted him both a match against the Muy Thai Emperor himself and a drafting into some sort of holy crusade by the ominous and enigmatic 'Alex.' Just Alex.
Now he's resigned himself to obeying that promise he gave Alex after losing their match. Rock Howard is a lot of things, but he tries to stick to his word. But when the summons from Grant came, he knew exactly the warehouse in question. It was one of the first places he checked out when he got into Bangkok. It was the old hovel for one of the bigger Pit Fighting rackets; long abandoned as INTERPOL became cognizant of it. Now it's just an abandoned pit, a steel chain-link fence cage, and some leaky pipes.
Arriving at the stated time, Rock swings open the rusty door from the alleyway to the side. He swallows a gulp, takes a skeptical look at the dark surroundings, and moves in. "Hello...?"
What Rock finds is not his summoner, but a stout and stern looking man in fine yellow silk. The stranger turns towards the blond as he hears his greeting and for a split-second looks puzzled by his presence. Gato's eyes move across the fighter, almost appraisingly, before he speaks.
"Hmm. You're not the person I expected to be here, and from the looks of you I doubt you'll be able to give me much in the way of training. Who are you?"
Blunt and to the point, the stern looking fighter crosses his arms after speaking, letting no expression more than a slight frown play across his face. It would seem that Gato Futaba is not a man much for pleasantries.
Rock has walked into enough dark and dangerous situations in his life that he can usually smell them out. The fact that the first thing his red eyes lay sights on is an unfamiliar man in a yellow silk doesn't buoy him with confidence about the cryptic invitation. Already on the defensive, the terse and unsettling greeting makes him freeze in the silhouette of the door. He squints.
The neon glow of Bangkok at night disappears a moment later when the rusty door slams shut; cutting Rock's only link to the safety beyond that door. It clatters against itself, failing to latch, a few times. Not sure who Gato is, either, Rock finally decides to just be honest with the man. "I'm Rock Howard. Someone told me to meet them here. Who the /hell/ are /you/?"
Gato shrugs his shoulders slightly before he says, "Well, it looks like we share a mutual friend. I don't think this was a chance meeting."
Then suddenly it looks as if some wave of realization crosses over Gato's face and he slides into his fighting stance, bringing his legs out to a wider center of gravity and bringing one hand up to protect his face, while the other hangs in a tiger's fang.
"I believe we've been brought here for sparring, Rock Howard. I have no doubt that our comrade is lurking here watching us."
Yes, he cleanly and clearly ignores the question Rock asked. So it seems this nameless stranger is itching for a fight. And yet, he chooses not to make the first move, waiting in his stance and watching Rock with that almost angry face.
COMBATSYS: Gato has started a fight here.
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Gato 0/-------/-------|
Rock Howard never backs down from a fight. But a sparring match with an unnamed man in a dark warehouse? He glances over at the remnants of the old cage fighting pit. He looks back up at Gato. It takes him about four seconds to process it all. The stance is unfamiliar to him, but he can definitely recognize it's martial backgrounds. This guy is for real. He's a legitimate fighter. Is he Shadaloo?
Fear briefly spikes in Rock's mind. If it is some sort of a trap, he's come here without a word to anyone. Not to Alex, that crazy witch-girl who was following him around, Sagat, Jimmie at the Seafood Stand, or even Terry Bogard (who he still hasn't been able to locate in Bangkok). He could die and they'd never find him.
He grins.
"Whatever," he says, a gloved hand motioning at Gato deferently. "It'll be your funeral, man."
COMBATSYS: Rock has joined the fight here.
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Gato 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Rock
"Enough..."
This deep, resonate tone seems to echo unnatural within the dark confines of the alley. It would appear the very air got colder, before there's a surreal ripple of motion. The round shakes as the massive form of Grant lands interposed between both figures in a heavy crouch, blue cape swirling around him in a ripple. He faces neither, stooped for a few seconds. Languidly he rises thereafter, slipping his arms free and spreading his stance. Presently his minimal attire is unclasped, revealing most of his torso and the tattered bottoms of his karate gi.
"I thought it time for you two to meet. Both of you have been receiving training from me these last weeks. Yet only one can have my full attention..."
His aura is rather condensed at the moment, air slightly swirling at his feet. Veins throb on his exposed flesh, muscles minorly swelling as his massive fingers clench into fists. Green eyes, luminescent in the shadows, shift first to Rock and then to Gato. "...So which of you shall take the true step into the upper echelons of might? And which shall fall to neglect, forever unable to live to the maximum potential?" He falls silent thereafter, but the response will have to be verbal. Unless either wishes to bypass the Martyr of Might to instigate a fight...
It looks like Gato's response is of the non-verbal variety as he dashes forward three steps before leaping into the air and somersaulting high above the rusty cage that hangs in the room. As he rolls through the sky, fairly gracefully, his body shifts and angles down towards Rock Howard.
The blade of Gato's foot extends downward along this same angle, poised to cleave the air on a path for the blond fighter's shoulderblade. What's strange about all this is that Gato's movements are mostly silent, he doesn't speak, he doesn't shout. The most that escapes from him as he begins his assault on the Howard boy is a single grunt.
It seems he fights a lot like Grant.
COMBATSYS: Grant has joined the fight here.
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Gato 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Rock
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Grant 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Grant just-defends Gato's Kyuu-Ga!
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Gato 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Rock
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Grant 0/-------/-------|
Rock takes two strong steps back when he senses the shift in Gato's movements. He's anticipating some sort of terrible assault. As far as he knows, at this moment, the man is some sort of assassin trying to take out a Shadaloo threat before the Alex and his merry band of crusaders can make any penetration into the Shadaloo perimeter.
Grant arrives. Rock's eyes flash over to the man. He initially had believed the summoning was by the alleged Martyr of Might but after finding Gato, he wasn't sure. It wouldn't have been difficult for a Shadaloo agent to gain the information that Rock Howard had been seen in town -- he wasn't being very discrete -- and then find out that he had been linked to Grant in recent months. It was an easy minefield to plant. And that was ignoring the perennial Geese Howard might have me killed element that hangs over every day of Rock's life.
Calmed by the knowledge that he isn't necessarily about to be stabbed in the throat, Grant's proposition stalls Rock. He's still thinking about it when Gato makes his decision. Rock can't react in any sort of real capacity, his eyes simply widening. "Hey, wait--" he manages to say, bringing his arms up to try and shield himself in case Gato makes it through.
There's a ripple as Grant shifts through the air. Rock will bear witness to an eclipse of blue cloth, completely blocking the descending Gato from sight. And that foot impacts that massive chest, which thrusts out in the same motion with a snarl. Feet spread, hands tighten, and for a split second the kinetic forces battle. But in the end, those pectorals triumph, forcing Gato back with rather explosive momentum and completely negating the assault. The Martyr of Might is completely unharmed. "Do not be hasty." There is a heavy foreboding to this, that heralds another outburst of that variety will not be reacted to so passively. "I am not here to pit you against each other. You have no chance, Gato. Rock would win." The assurity of this from one unbiased is probably a tough pill for the Kenpo master to swallow. "...I am here to gauge potential. And nothing more." But then he crosses his arms before his chest, and narrows his eyes. Suddenly a veritable torrent of chi starts to pour out, beginning to shake the surroundings violently. His voice begins to growl, eyes flaming heavier as both hands ignite in deep purple, so bright as to cast all darkness away before this violet sun. "You both... Shall fight me...!" One might say he grew an inch, as the forces of Ankoku conduit within his great frame. "Come at me when I say... And no sooner. You shall witness me at my maximum...!!" For now? They get to watch the lightshow.
COMBATSYS: Grant takes no action.
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Gato 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Rock
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Grant 0/-------/-------|
The Kenpo practicioner is taken off guard by the sudden interference of Grant, and thrust to the ground, with a look of indignation and surprise on his face. Then the real meat of the matter comes. A dual fight against Grant to determine which one shall be trained.
The very concept still seems puzzling to Gato, and so he remains there on the ground, looking at the Ankoku master, watching as the other fighter gathers his energy and powers up. It seems Gato Futaba still has a lot to learn.
COMBATSYS: Gato takes no action.
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Gato 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Rock
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Grant 0/-------/-------|
Rock braces a forearm across his face, shielding his eyes when Grant plumes into color. It's hard to see Gato between the glow of Grant's summoning chi. Howard has felt that energy and strength intimately before. He doesn't want to ever experience it again if he can help it. At least not until he's sure he's strong enough to really take Grant down. Their first meeting, he knows he got lucky in slowing the man. He hit him with the unexpected. That won't work again.
"Maximum...?" Rock mouths, almost to himself, as he squints through the glow. He's momentarily concerned; he thought he'd seen Grant's maximum before. But this... this is new and different. Steeling himself, Rock braces a foot into the ground and adopts his usual fighting stance. He waits for the cue, gloved fingers clenching closed.
COMBATSYS: Grant has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
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Gato 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Grant
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Rock 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Rock takes no action.
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Gato 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Grant
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Rock 0/-------/-------|
The power continues to surge and channel through Grant, becoming more violent. Air begins to swirl and billow around him, and genuine pain creases his tense form. But trembling arms cross before his chest, as the smothering onslaught of chi, enough the very earth appears to turn over in disdain, sharply cuts off as both fists snap down. The wind billows out towards either fighter, potentially enough to stagger if unprepared but nothing more. There he stands, breathing heavy and strained as crackles of purple energy slither across his form, causing spasms in either limb. "Hah... hah..." But he is indeed at a plateau significantly above what either have beared witness, fully allowed to prepare and coax himself to the utmost tier. "Now..." is growled, voice sounding gruffer but more powerful. His stance is taken, still between both men. "...Come at me. To fight with anything but your maximum... shall mean both of you fall in disgrace!!"
COMBATSYS: Grant focuses on his next action.
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Gato 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Grant
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Rock 0/-------/-------|
Gato pushes himself to his feet, and looks at Rock for a moment, appraising the Howard boy once more, before he shrugs and motions towards Grant, almost as if to say 'after you, Mister Howard' It seems that some of Grant's training has knocked some amount of sense into him, and he wants to see what this new ultrapowerful super-charged beast is capable of.
It seems he's being rather analytical of this fight. After all, he remembered how easily he was pushed aside by Grant in his normal state of mind. His cool eyes study Grant's energy wracked form and hmmms. Yes, Mister Howard. Now is your time to shine.
COMBATSYS: Gato focuses on his next action.
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Gato 0/-------/-------|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Grant
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Rock 0/-------/-------|
Nobody ever accused Rock Howard of being smart. Nobody ever accused him over being completely stupid, either. Wreckless, yes. A little bit insane, even. But he's not stupid. He saw Grant punch a piece of tank armor a few thousand miles. He knows how hard that man can hit and if he's really unlocking his full potential, like the surging chi he can feel warping off him indicates, Rock isn't going to slam into that. He still gets a headache in the morning from his trip to Geese Tower.
But he's not going to back down, either. Especially not when Gato succumbs to him the initiative. Glaring across Grant's flowing robes at the other guy, Rock turns his eyes hard and focused onto Grant. He waits until the man beckons and then he answers the request. Taking a step forward, Rock's body plants and his own energies channel forward. His right hand's fingers uncurl, his teeth grind, and he cuts his arm in an upward swing. A swirling shear of golden chi energy envelopes his hand on the incline and then rips off, rocketing forward across the former Pit Arena's cement floor.
It's probably a private little insult that that he uses a Reppuken to start.
COMBATSYS: Rock successfully hits Grant with Reppuken.
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Gato 0/-------/-------|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Grant
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Rock 0/-------/------=|
The swirl of energy indeed flickers towards Grant, whom observes it somewhat measured before attempting to leap over. The maneuver fails, and he's struck explosively in the legs; They char the fabric, but assuredly do not stem the speed of his assault. His right hand spreads, and with a swirl he descends while swiping through the air, and a literal explosive gout, a nigh wall, of energy detonates opposite. "HRRRAUGH!" Stone from the floor goes flying, a much more showy demonstration of chi then was just given. One likely enough to send the younger Howard flying. As good an opening hand as any. His back is now fully exposed to Gato, although what bearing that lack of instigation might have is questionable at the moment. How well they deal with the Demon is the more pressing question, most likely...
COMBATSYS: Grant successfully hits Rock with Kokuen-Ryuu.
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Gato 0/-------/-------|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Grant
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Rock 0/-------/---====|
Gato is on the move just as soon Grant leaves him an opening, running towards the Martyr of Might's back as the Reppkuen finds its mark. Gato's own attack is not quite as spectacular. As soon as he closes the gap between himself and his would-be master, he vaults forward, spinning his body to bring his foot forward and continue his momentum in a classic martial arts move. A flying dragon kick. His hands hang in the air and give him balance, and his back leg is bent up to keep him stable.
All of this is aimed for the meat contained in Grant's back. A nuisance attack, if nothing more, but even nuisances can add up if enough of them find their mark.
Rock has one of those classic 'ohshit' moments the second that Grant swallows the Reppuken on the incline, hits that huge apogee, and then releases a thundering wall of power at him. He has no basis for these abilities. His contact with Grant -- albeit limited -- has never prepared him for this sort of a display. He didn't even know that Grant was able to will chi energy in such a fashion. He assumed that was strictly Kain's specialty.
There is little for Rock to do to avoid it. The best he can hope is to survive it. The power washes across him and through him, dark power burning through his fiber and his core. Screaming in visible pain, Rock tries to persist, his body lit up by the glow of purple. It's a full two seconds of sustained screaming before his cleats break free from the floor.
Launching back, it's the bracing embrace of the warehouse's stone wall that stops him. It crumbles around Rock, who falls forward with chunks of cinder to slap into the ground. His breathing is already ragged and pained as he plants a palm against the cement; chi induced smoke rising from his back. Then another hand plants. Two feet. Stand up, Rock. Stand up to this man. He is just a man.
Getting a hand against a knee, the other hand against the breaking wall, Rock manages to rise up. He takes a calming breath, squinting across the mania of energy and power across the warehouse. Gato's distraction hopefully gives him a moment to figure it out.
COMBATSYS: Rock focuses on his next action.
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Gato 0/-------/-------|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Grant
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Rock 0/-------/---====|
COMBATSYS: Grant blocks Gato's Light Kick.
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Gato 0/-------/-------|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Grant
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Rock 0/-------/---====|
Whirling around towards Gato, Grant is fully facing him long before that foot flies out, his speed apparently heightened in this state. One forearm lifts, and the foot cracks against it. Bouncing off, without even the slightest jostle. Yet he does not cease there, flowing forward in reciprocation, rearing back his right arm before unleashing a devastating strike, attempting to impact Gato within the stomach and send him flying backwards towards an adjacent wall. Probably enough to dent it, stone or not, if it lands unguarded. "Insects! Do none of you know true strength?" is snorted, apparently more pained by sustaining this level then the actual process of the battle. Thus far, at least... Rock is given his breather, but not for long. Breath is coming heavy, great shoulders rising and falling as the mantle of blue cloth continues to swirl in the mild wind and power crackling from his body.
COMBATSYS: Gato fails to counter Fierce Punch from Grant with Hou-zan Sai Heki-Ga.
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Gato 0/-------/=======|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Grant
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Rock 0/-------/---====|
Gato brings his hand up to receive the fist, in a smooth fluid motion. And he does indeed to his credit catch the fist. The only problem is the sheer force behind the fist is enough to launch him backwards towards one of the brick walls.
He crashes into it sending it cracking and crumbling around his body, before slumping forward and falling to one knee. As he breathes laboured breaths he looks up towards Grant, glaring. It doesn't look like he'll be getting up to start another attack quite just yet. Though it does look like he's thinking on a strategy.
"Don't mess up," Rock tells himself in quiet prayer. He only needed a moment to regain himself after being deposited into the sediment of the warehouse wall. Some lingering bits of cinder dust still spiral down from the Rock Howard impact crater about eight feet off the ground. But he's still standing. He doesn't think any ribs were cracked. His Terry Bogard jacket isn't completely melted away and the bandages around his stab wound aren't on fire like the last fight. Overall, so far so good.
It's time. Rock's eyes align onto Grant's heaving back. He picks out a center and doesn't waver. His booted feet stampede against the ground, grinding and churning him forward into a full sprint. He closes the gap between them quickly, his body starting to distort as his own chi level blossoms behind him. He can't focus on that whistling noise that signals Gato's explosion into the opposite wall of the warehouse.
Rock reaches Grant. One step away, his right arm curls back, a golden halo of energy flowing down across it and then off his body. The last step slams down, hard, against the already cracking cement foundation.
"HAAAARDD," he yells, elbow exploding forward with all the forward inertia and force of his pursuit behind it. As it reaches it's maximum extension and is driven in, born for somewhere in Grant's core, Rock swings the knuckles of his other hand down with a twisting haymaker for the coup de grace. "EDDGGGE!"
COMBATSYS: Grant endures Rock's Hard Edge.
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Gato 0/-------/=======|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Grant
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Rock 0/-------/-======|
Slowly Grant turns around again, naked foot rasping across the concrete beneath. He faces Rock, looking upon him as a god might an insect. His inhuman eyes continue to smolder, and there's absolutely no reaction to the strike into his gut. It's rather immense, enough to send his cloak billowing behind, but the man himself only skids back an inch and slightly doubles forward. "...Hnnnn...!!" is growled, before his retaliation is to unleash a vicious kick upwards, trying to strike into Rock's stomach in a huge swathe of purple flame before he could pull back, bolstering the maneuver significantly. And the force behind such is rather legendary; Enough to double him over with change to spare. One shoulder drops if the maneuver works, aiming towards his face, before a single palm aims to send Rock flying backwards himself, dissipating the summoned Ankoku energy in a savage detonation of force. The execution is slow at the onset; But nothing is slow about the three-hit combo, especially were it to land...
Gato regains his feet as Grant turns his attention back towards Rock. His feet once again carry him towards the huge Ankoku master, and once again it seems like he's got all the intention of making himself known. This time however he leaps into the air once more.
Gato's somersault is just as graceful as ever, even after that terrible beating at the hand of the combined might of Grant and the brick wall. As he gets to the top of his parabola, his hands thrust out and a heavy grunt brushes past his teeth.
Just like that an unseen wall of chi slides quickly through the air to the ground, cracking the floor and sending clouds of dust into the air as it travels towards the now distracted fighter.
COMBATSYS: Rock counters Majin Gan-En from Grant with Joudan Crack Counter.
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Gato 0/-------/=======|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Grant
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Rock 0/-------/--=====|
Rock was always a thirsty and driven student. Even when he was having lessons ground into him by Geese Howard, one of the strictest and most disciplined instructors in the martial arts on the planet today, Rock was a hungry and devoted student. For every breath he took and no matter how much he said he hated his training by his father, he took to it with all the effort in his body. The lessons were not the problem; it was the pain and the bruises after that made Rock loath the man. It was those bruises that tingled into a gaping wound when Marie was killed.
He gives Grant every ounce of energy he's got in his body. It's a body that, in a short span of eighteen years, has experienced a lifetime of punishment. He was built to take it. He made from the stuff of legends. Knuckle feeling the impenetrable barrier that is Grant's bulk, Rock presses on. He follows through and then he's preparing for what he knows is to follow. He can't stagger Grant, only chip and chisel away at the exterior until the soft beating core is exposed. And that's when you hit it like that chunk of tank armor. You hit it so hard that it breaks.
Grant's combo barrage comes at him like a grizzly bear to a wounded deer. But Rock's not limping. He's ready. Those lesson of Geese Howard ring in his ears and his blood pumps with the adrenaline of his heritage. Taking a half a step back, Rock's toe twists into the cement and he uses it for leverage. Hips contorting sidelong, Rock pivots around Grant's extending flame-encased leg. The heat of the chi power bristles past him with a flourishing roar. Coming around the rotation, Rock plants his opposite foot and uses it to spring himself into a somersault over Grant's head.
Arcing smoothly, Rock imitates one of Terry Bogard's signature manuevers. On the final orbit of his open flip, his booted heel slams a promising ring for the side of Grant's head.
Two feet lightly land a second later. Rock rolls his neck. "We started yet?" he asks, trying to draw the aggression. He wants Gato to get a good hit in while Grant is fury-filled.
COMBATSYS: Gato successfully hits Grant with Kou-Ga.
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Gato 1/-------/=======|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Grant
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Rock 0/-------/--=====|
Both blows in tandem finally stagger the great titan; He's scarcely moved by the shifting of Rock's assault, the blow dimly noticed but far from felt. Yet this makes him completely vulnerable to Gato, and the blast of energy strikes him in the back. He stumbles forward, taking a moment to reel and grip his chest. The strain on his body is becoming greater; Unlike many, beneath the powerful hull is something much weaker -- and much stronger -- then both parties might fathom. "Hrrnngh..." He starts to teeter forward, before the glow in his eyes grows even stronger. Feet spread apart, and he almost detonates with a second wind of dark energy. A snarl leaves his lips as he is ensconced in the purple Ankoku energy, crackling and reverberating within the building. "Enough... One of you now falls..." His masked visage shifts, taking in both people before suddenly, all of the energy melts away. And focuses in his right heel, sizzling and flickering in crackles. "Majin...!!" This -- is the final test.
COMBATSYS: Grant gathers his will.
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Gato 1/-------/=======|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Grant
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Rock 0/-------/--=====|
Gato is almost sure he's seen this play out beforehand, and unfavorably for him as well. He looks to Rock, before looking back to Grant, and grabs his hands together, holding them inside the Chinese silk shirt that he wears.
The fighter then begins a series of breathing excercises, pulling large quantities of breath deep into his lungs and breathing it out slowly as he slows the pace of his attacks, and tries to get himself back into more amicable fighting form. Charging in and fighting is admirable, but also very, very stupid.
COMBATSYS: Gato gains composure.
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Gato 0/-------/-======|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Grant
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Rock 0/-------/--=====|
Rock looks over from Grant to Gato with an uncertain expression. He's not sure what is about to happen or what Grant is truly trying to test here. Does he want to see which one of them can deal the most pain to him? Is he trying to get himself killed? He looks like the exertions he's revealing here are painful. It doesn't look like an invigorating or pleasant experience to be channeling this power.
Rock learned long ago that the best way to handle an unfamiliar new technique was to let it come as it will. Rely on your natural instincts and reflexes to react to it naturally. If you really have the heart of a warrior, your first impulse will be the one you need to endure the best methods your opponents can throw at you. Failing that, punch them really hard and don't stop until they aren't moving. Both philosophies seem pretty smart somtimes.
But here, Rock picks the first. Starting a cautious pacing pattern around Grant as the man starts laboriously building to something, Rock maintains his traditional Hakyokusaken fighting stance -- his gloved hands close to his body, ready for anything. He thinks.
COMBATSYS: Rock focuses on his next action.
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Gato 0/-------/-======|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Grant
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Rock 1/------=/=======|
"..." Slowly Grant's energy fades away and he stands back up, shoulders rolling. "You both fail." is stated, calmly. Like that his strength fades away, apparently no longer interested in continuing this fight. "To back down in unsurity, allowing an opponent to assault unperturbed... Is foolish. Allowing them the chance for an ultimate technique, when you could instead interrupt it, or mayhaps strike them down... Neither of you yet have what it takes. You, Gato. Your passion overrules your tactical mind. Your stubborn arrogance and resentment taint your training. Until you pursue fighting for personal strength, you shall never be strong. And you, Rock. Your doubt conflicts with your willpower. Your hesitation cripples your unfathomable talent. You have many barriers built up between the pull of Geese and Terry, and cannot truly bloom until you take your own path." His cape is swept closed, Grant still seeming as strong as ever. "I shall not yet take either of you to the next step. You still have far too much to learn."
COMBATSYS: Grant takes no action.
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Gato 0/-------/-======|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Grant
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Rock 1/------=/=======|
Gato eyes Grant cooly, and finally his fists fall to the side of his body, "Hmph. So then, that's it. It turns out you had nothing to teach me after all."
Gato crosses his arms and eyes Grant Squarely, "You've disappointed me, Grant."
Yep, Gato really is foolhearty. Already he runs forward towards the man who has ended the fight. Rushing forward until he's up by the large musclature that is the martyr of might. One elbow hooks backwards, before he launches his palm right towards the beefy man's sternum, putting all he's got into this one blow.
It seems he's just not happy with the outcome of this session.
COMBATSYS: Grant fails to interrupt Shin-Ga from Gato with Majin Engetsu-Rin.
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Gato 0/-------/=======|=======\=------\1 Grant
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Rock 1/------=/=======|
Rock stands there fore a few seconds, blinking, his mouth half open -- there's a cold sweat running down his neck and he can feel the tightening of almost every muscle in his body. He hesitated because it was the smart thing to do. He could better react to whatever Grant did then. He could counter it into something optimal, or he could evade it. These, he realizes, are the lessons his father would have taught him. Grant clearly isn't his father.
But that doesn't change Rock's reaction. He doesn't like being called weak. Not when he's not /beaten/, but instead, told he should have stormed blindly into a supercharged mass of muscle and anguish. The Martyr of Might is fighting against 16 years of Geese Howard conditioning in Rock's fighting technique. "That's bullshit," Rock says, red eyes thin, the cold sweat melting into a burning fire. "If you won't /show/ me, I'll /make/ you take me to this 'next' step, Grant!"
Gato echoes Howard's sentiment, but the kid can't hear the other fighter. He's too busy feeling his own blood boil. Breaking into a streaking run reminscent of his assault earlier, Rock comes straight at Grant. There is no masking any of his movements. There is no hiding what he's preparing to do. His chi levels soar, visible energy blossoming around his body with each tearing footfall of his booted feet. By the time he's within arm-reach of the huge man, his eyes are blazing red and his fists are pistoned for punishment. Exploding it all forward, a fussilading frenzy of unrestrained strikes ratchets outward, faster than the eye can see. It's a relentless barrage; no apparent rhyme or reason to the technique. But each strike serves a purpose, the power within Rock -- the rage that fuels his strength -- pillaring with each thrust of knuckle towards bone.
It culminates brilliantly. It's his father's ultimate technique. With one final pair of thrust punches, Rock's wrists connect on the recoil. His red eyes align, his breath caught in his chest, and he drives his palms straight forward from the very center of his core. All of the chi he's built up is swallowed, dissipating straight into the length of his arms as it balloons forward in a pillar of piercing golden power.
COMBATSYS: Rock successfully hits Grant with Deadly Rave Neo.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /// ]
Gato 0/-------/=======|=======\=====--\1 Grant
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rock 0/-------/------=|
When Gato decides to continue the fight, Grant is a mite slow to react. After all, such is indeed foolhardy; His right leg flashes upwards, beginning to sheathe with energy. Doubtlessly it would of ended the fight by a large margin, but instead the blow is managed cleanly and the man is sent backwards, skidding before spreading his stance. Bowing forward, there's no apparent surprise. And he's unable to evade the other onslaught from Rock, blowing into his body. He's blown backwards at the finale, striking a wall hard enough to make a heavy impression. ...But he does not yet fall, instead stumbling forward and teeteringly gathering his feet beneath. "...You both only confirm what I thought. Hmmph. Do you know what my test was? To anger you. To gauge the heart of your fighting souls. And you both react... with rage." A laugh, sharp and pained, leaves his chest. "The arts of Ankoku require a clean mind. One free of all outside influences. What did you gain here, by alienating me as your mentor? Nothing. You only lose a path, rather then humbly ask what you truly did wrong. Neither of you are ready to learn what is next!! Do you see?!"
COMBATSYS: Grant takes no action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Gato 0/-------/=======|=------\-------\0 Rock
COMBATSYS: Grant can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Gato 0/-------/=======|=------\-------\0 Rock
Gato looks at Grant and just shakes his head, "The legends were false. You're nothing but a man, and one not worthy of my time. You beat my father? I doubt it. I'll find the way to defeat him myself. The only thing you've proven with this test is that you're nothing more than smoke and mirrors. Alienating you as my mentor? What mentoring did you ever do? You're useless."
With that, Gato moves towards the door, opening it and letting the neon lights of bangkok bathe in through the cracks. With a final look he turns towards the two fighters, and points at Rock, "You however have some strength. Someday I would like to challenge myself against you without the opinions of this false prophet. Pitting myself against your strength would certainly be good for me. I'll be waiting for you in Southtown, Rock Howard."
COMBATSYS: Gato has left the fight here.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rock 0/-------/------=|
Rock breathes in and out a few times, trying to catch his breath. The battery of the Deadly Rave Neo is one of the most physically exhausting assaults he's ever mastered. He reserves for moments when he is /really/ pissed. It's a one shot; he's way too spent after performing it to be able to put up an able defense. If Gato wanted to throat-chop him here, he probably could.
But Rock feels manipulated. He stares across the warehouse at Grant. He can already feel some of that anger starting to cool. "Kain told me to use what my father had given me, Grant. And all he ever gave me was what I just gave /you/," he says, starting to cross over towards the much larger man. "If that's not good enough," Rock flips his hand through the air and then jams it into his jacket pockets, looking at Grant's eyes evenly. "I don't know what to tell you."
But Gato's already making an impressive departure. He's also lobbing some words Rock and Grant's way. Something sparks in Howard's mind to them. "That's bullshit too, whoever you are. That guy, right there," Rock points at Grant. "If he really wanted, neither one of us would be standing right now. You walk away now and you'll never know. Trust me, I've walked away before. It doesn't fix anything."
"Do not be a fool, Gato. I started you on the path to perfecting your body. Today, I tested your mind." Grant states nothing more as the other man begins his egress, making no motion to stop him or even appearing truly offended. "And you are correct, Rock. But did Geese teach you rage? Or did your relationship with Geese teach you rage?" The latter question has a large amount of implication here. "You must control your blood. To succumb to it will lead you to corruption. And power is from purity, as Kain and I can attest." He fully regains his composure, appearing rather battered but not by any means broken. It was a loss, but both fighters had bells thoroughly run before the conclusion, and it was only a minimal engagement on both sides. "I have been lacking in hand's on teaching, for I will not waste time. I have been watching, to see how patient you are. I have been watching, to see what you do during your own time. My final judgement is at hand. I will ask you once. Do you have what it takes to learn?" This question is asked mostly to the air. For Gato might not have even lingered; Rock, however, is another matter entirely.
Gato, stopped by Rock Howard's words, looks towards Grant and the young Southtown man. He looks towards the open neon lights, and then back to the dark dilapidated warehouse.
A sigh escapes him, because Grant's words as flowery as they are do have some bit of truth ringing clearly in them. "All of these tests are wearing thin, Grant. First I prove my strength to you, then my tenacity by meeting with Kain. You want patience? Then I suppose the best demonstration of that is to stay by your side, even if it means more of these tests."
He closes the door, "If you're actually going to train me, give me my tasks, tell me what to do to enhance my skills. I think we've both proven we are eager students if nothing more."
Rock's got a twofolded problem. The part of him that is Geese is conflicted. It wants to learn new things. It wants to master techniques and dark arts to grow in fighting power. That ambition is unavoidable. But it also doesn't want to cowtow to any one man. He's already made a terrible commitment to this man's friend. He promised something to Kain that he can never take back. He thought that was enough.
His red eyes turn cold as he looks back at Grant. "I do what I have to do," Rock says, by way of a half answer. "That's all I ever do. If that makes me ready, if that says I have whatever it takes for you to teach me what I want to know -- because honestly, I just don't know -- then fine. If not, I'll find another way. And if you've been watching me?" Rock reshoulders his jacket, finding it strangely cold in Thailand suddenly. "Then you already knew that's what I'd say."
"I am not a man who tests often. But I am a man who is hard to please." Grant muses this easily enough. "You can ask Kain what his training regiment was like. Few people in this world have what it takes." And then he whirls away with a flicker of his cape, taking a moment to shift his eyes towards Gato. "And you are wrong, Gato. I long ago shed my last remnants of humanity. ...And I have more to sacrifice before the end. Such is the path of power." And the path of a true martyr towards his single goal. More important then his life, his soul, and eternity. "We shall meet again soon." And then in a flicker of movement and wisp of his heavy cloak, Grant vanishes into the darkness. A peculiar meeting to many. What is it he truly sought? What is it he learned? Such only matters to him...
Rock stands there dumbly for a few seconds trying to piece together how Grant does that. It must have something to do with his dark karate. Rock wants to learn dark karate too. After he's managed to satisfy his confusion, he slowly looks over at Gato. "Gato?" he repeats the name he just caught. He'll remember it. "I'll take you up on that challenge sometime. I promise. See you in /Southtown/."
COMBATSYS: Rock has ended the fight here.
Log created on 19:35:22 06/18/2007 by Rock, and last modified on 18:36:17 06/19/2007.