Description: Wherein a torch is passed, and also AMERICA (Winner: Roy)
Even in the best of days, the Metro City slums tend toward squalor more than not. Mike Haggar has many programs focusing on the slums, but Mad Gear is like some kind of ultra cockroach, still clinging, still corrupting. Why, one of the originals, Two P., is standing in an alleyway, sneering and rather openly displaying The Drugs.
Then a wooden plank spins in from the darkness of the alley to shatter over the Mad Gear's head. He staggers forward a few steps, whirling around to yell "What the fu-" His curse is cut off when the mayor himself looms from the darkness, clamping a hand over his face. "Two P., Two P., come on, son, you're killing me here." Haggar snaps his fingers, and a cop car driven by a disaffected-looking man with lanky hair turns the corner, rear door open. Haggar unceremoniously tosses Two P. in the passing car, and the door closes. The car drives away.
The Mayor dusts off his hands, brushes some dirt off his nice suit, and wonders when Roy is going to get here.
Roy arrives on time, being dropped off by a taxi. The taxi arrives just after the police car leaves, preventing Roy from seeing street justice being meted out. He'll regret not seeing it later. After all, this is Mike "Tough On Crime" Haggar, the very incarnation of American political success.
Roy gets out of the taxi, paying the man and leaving a generous tip before heading out onto the sidewalk. He takes a moment to acclimate himself to his surroundings. Metro City's slums aren't a safe place for anyone. Even Roy is a little apprehensive of the city, despite being sufficiently tough to go almost anywhere he wants to go. But, Roy thinks to himself, this is just as much America as the wealthy suburbs of Des Moines are. He should go among the people, see their condition, and find out what he can do to help.
But that isn't his primary reason for being here today. Roy has an appointment with Mike Haggar, instructor in the school of hard knocks. Let's see if his recent training is going to pay benefits.
Haggar rubs his hands together as he sees Roy arrive, pausing to nod at a haggard but proud-looking family exiting the house next to where Two P. had shop set up. They appear glad to note his absence. Haggar strolls to the middle of the sidewalk, putting on his best Genial Politician face. It's a really rather good one, immediately inspiring trust and safety. The innocent residents forced to live in the slums can rest easily, for now.
"So... Roy Bromwell. As I understand it, son, you're looking to go into politics." He stops now, to face him, hands clasped neutrally. His entire body language is carefully controlled in such a way that, for once, he doesn't appear to be a mountain of dangerous muscle. It's really quite amazing.
Roy is a friendly person. He has a natural way with people, and while he's not as polished as Haggar, there's a clear potential there. Roy could do a lot of good if properly mentored. He glances at the family, then puts his full attention to the Mayor.
"I am, sir," Roy says. "I want to give something back to America for all of my good fortune."
Roy's posture is less relaxed. He's got pre-fight nerves. He runs on Hot Blood and antici...
"It's really a privilege to meet you," Roy says, putting out his hand. "You're an inspiration."
It cannot be said that Haggar looks like he's ready for a fight. He looks ready for /dinner./ Or a presentation to a room of people who already agree with him. However... how he looks and how he /is/ are two different things. He reaches forward to take Roy's hand, and his grip is iron. Not iron in that it is a vise grip, just... iron. Every muscle in his hand is on high alert. His eyes are sharp, watching both Roy and everything behind him. This, then, is true, manly poiltics - appear completely relaxed and easygoing on the outside, while having a soul of steel. "Glad to hear it. And good answer - no false humility, but open honesty."
Really, the fight's going to start eventually. Even the Mad Gear thugs in the area have stopped looking like they're about to commit a crime and settled down to watch.
Roy doesn't know what he's ready for, but he's ready for something. He holds eye contact as he grips Haggar's hand. His grip is strong. It may not have all of the steel in Haggar's hand, but Roy understands the value of pressing the flesh. A handshake is a stamp of honor. It's your gateway to another person. Roy takes them seriously.
"I'm a strong believer in honesty," he says, maintaining the handshake for the appropriate time before letting go. That was a tough handshake, but all the better for it. Haggar didn't try to crush him, but at the same time, the older man's presence is hard to get by. He's Mike Haggar. Everything about him is huge. "Honesty and clean living's served me well so far."
Roy steps back to a respectful distance, easing into a defensive stance. "Would you like to get started now, sir?" he asks. "I've been looking forward to this all week!"
Haggar likes this kid. He's got a good face, good handshake, and some good-ol-boy charm. Maybe a little too much - Haggar hasn't seen much of an edge from him yet, and today's world wants that edge. The handshake over without either of the fighters trying to throw the other, the big man takes a few steps away, rolls his right shoulder, and plants his feet apart and holds his arms wide. That body language has changed, now - it's more similar to when a cat raises his fur to appear bigger, except it's muscles. Somehow Mike Haggar manages to look like he's /suited/ to fighting in his more proper attire.
And then Haggar gets started, exploding toward Roy and flinging his arm out for a clothesline at his torso. As he does so, he repeats his favorite adage: "Face, face, face. Face is everything. If you don't look like you deserve to be leading people, you don't."
COMBATSYS: Haggar has started a fight here.
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Haggar 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Roy has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
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Haggar 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Roy
COMBATSYS: Haggar successfully hits Roy with Strong Punch.
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Haggar 0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0 Roy
Roy doesn't show his edge immediately. After all, this is an elder statesman. He deserves to be treated with courtesy and respect, even in a combat situation. Roy very much wants to make a good impression on him. Having Mike Haggar in his corner could make any future campaigns much easier.
Roy keeps his cool as Haggar puffs himself up. He's seen this a thousand times on television, but in person it's a whole different experience. He needs to keep his wits about him if he's going to come out on top. And here it comes!
Haggar surges forward. Roy mentally prepares himself for the strike, gritting his teeth as the clothesline comes in hard and fast. He almost pinwheels around it, but manages to land relatively evenly on the ground. He keeps his wind. Better than the last time somebody hit him that hard. He grins with determination and immediately flips back up to his feet, throwing an uppercut at the larger Haggar. "Believe in yourself and others will be able to believe in you," he says, perhaps answering adage with adage?!
COMBATSYS: Haggar fails to counter Strong Punch from Roy with Hammer Thru.
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Haggar 0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0 Roy
As Roy comes at his manly chin, Haggar draws his arm over his chest, as though to sweep away Roy's blow. He misunderestimates Roy, however, and the blow lands solidly, setting his teeth to clicking. "Ha ha! Good!" He takes a few steps back, grinning crookedly and rubbing his jaw. "Remember, you have to be out there, doing! Sitting in your office and doing paperwork is only as important as you tell yourself it is!"
Roy feels a little more confident as his punch hits home, managing to be just a little quicker than Haggar's counterattack. It hasn't sunk in yet that he's actually in a fistfight with Mike Haggar. He's too busy focusing on staying at the top of his game to be properly starstruck. There's work to be done here. He's got to make his parents proud.
Roy keeps moving. "Thanks!" he says, moving in to follow up with a faster strike to Haggar's midsection. "I want to be very hands-on!"
COMBATSYS: Roy successfully hits Haggar with Quick Punch.
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Haggar 0/-------/---====|===----\-------\0 Roy
The big man tenses up as Roy comes at him again, recovered from his failed counter. His hand comes to grab the fist to tug the student off-balance, but his timing is off. He's driven back a step. "Good man."
And apparently Haggar has decided to stop fooling around. His hands lash out, seeking Roy's shoulders, hoping to spin him about roughly. This can only be one thing---!!
COMBATSYS: Roy fails to interrupt Market Economy Buster from Haggar with Overhead Smash.
- Power fail! -
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Haggar 0/-------/-======|=======\-------\0 Roy
Roy tries to do something that will probably be elucidated on further, but successfully does nothing. So, without further interruption, once Haggar has Roy turned around, he locks his arms over him, in an iron grip not even Vega could escape from easily. Haggar bridges back hard, bringing Roy's head into the sidewalk. "Market!" He then rolls backward, gathering a thin coat of dust on his suit, coming out into another textbook german suplex. "Economy!"
For his last, Haggar rolls back several more times to build momentum, then flies into the air, continuing to somersault. The dust magestically flies off of him as he soars with Roy in tow, not going into his bridge again until the instant he lands. The cement cracks under Roy's head and his own shoes. "BUSTER!"
It means Haggar's going to school Roy but good. Roy doesn't realize this at first. He thinks he can out-speed the larger man, and starts to go for a jump. His problem is that he can't jump fast enough to get out of Haggar's grip, which means he's (a) off-balance and (b) about to eat pavement.
Okay, Roy thinks, as he sails through the air. Try not to die. Maybe you can miss the ground if you think really really hard about it. Maybe the ground will open up and reveal a pool of conveniently placed water. Maybe the concrete in Metro City is reinforced with mattresses. Maybe Roy will develop super-powers and become immune to concrete related impact damage. Maybe he'll be caught in a giant net and taken away by NESTS agents to be made into Royalid. Maybe aliens will choose this moment to invade and he will be pulled away into a beam of light. Anal probing is probably a lot more pleasant than what actually happens.
Roy meets ground. If there was a kind and merciful creator, Roy would promptly vanish in a puff of logic and leave behind $1.10, being an International. But Roy does not evaporate. Strike 1, the first head-meets-concrete impact, doesn't knock him out by some cruel miracle of genetics. Strike 2, the German, manages to make Roy's hands go numb for a few seconds as wires cross in his brain. He finds himself smelling the color violet as he comes around for Strike 3, the second direct hit.
Roy finally blacks out for a few seconds. There is some mercy in nature. It's just that Metro City isn't natural.
Mike Haggar springs away from the last hit of the MEB, doing one ridiculous somersault in the air before landing closer to the street corner. A true Haggar fan would become worried at the proximity between Haggar and the battered streetlight, which looks like it could fall over at any moment. Haggar shoots a stern look to a thug who looks like he might want to mug a passing man, and his look is potent enough to make him cower. The lanky-haired cop resurfaces out of nowhere to handcuff the thug, who's probably wanted for something.
Haggar brings his attention back to Roy, still on the ground, and decides not to press the attack. He instead brushes off his suit, playing up the motion for the cameras. "Get up, kid! Never look weak!" It's almost like a taunt?!
COMBATSYS: Haggar gains composure.
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Haggar 0/-------/--=====|=======\-------\0 Roy
Roy has some vague notion about human speech as his brain switches back on for some reason, probably some sort of evolutionary stupidity that keeps him from doing what would be rational and staying down. Haggar sounds far away and under water. Time isn't flowing properly. It could have been a half-second or it could have been six months. Where is he again?
Roy lurches up from the ground, removing his head from a two-inch deep rut in the sidewalk that he'll feel bad about later. If Geese doesn't pay to fix the damage to the street, Roy will probably do so out of pocket. He should have landed better. He shouldn't have been swept up in that attack. He shouldn't have done a lot of stuff. A rational person would probably claim that Roy shouldn't have come out here. But rational people don't do Saturday Night Fight.
Roy's on the ropes. It is at this point in any fight against Roy where his inherent superpower of Stupidity starts to manifest itself. Considering the number of direct hits to the brain Roy has taken in the last 30 seconds, a lot of things seem like good ideas.
Not a lot of things seem coherent to Roy at the moment. He's having trouble remembering things, and for a moment it seems that Roy might actually just fall down and go into a coma. His mother is crying her eyes out (again) and will probably try to forbid Roy from 'street fighting' on television once again.
Roy's dad, meanwhile, is screaming at the television. There's only one thing on the elder Bromwell's mind, which he shouts at the screen as loudly as he possibly can: "DYNAMITE! USE THE DYNAMITE!"
Roy lolls his head back, taking a breath. Chi starts to circulate up through his system, breakers mentally blowing in his head as he rallies all the strength he has left. It isn't much, at least not to Roy, but in reality his potential energy is vast. Roy has no concept of just how strong he is, though he's started to get an inkling from the devestation he leaves behind when this inevitably, INEVITABLY will go wrong.
Roy mouths something to himself, double vision being forced to clear as he rallies his energy. Haggar might be able to read his lips. Subtitles conveniently appear for the viewers at home later. It is not, they confirm, 'are you okai'. It is a very similar sounding power phrase, consisting of only three letters:
U. S. A.
Roy explodes forward, the sidewalk panel he was standing on all but pulverizing from his sudden, explosive advance. He surges at Haggar in a blue streak, chi fire exploding out of his left hand. With incredible effort, Roy makes his fist close to try to contain the awesome chi forces his body is screaming to release for just another second.
Roy throws the punch directly at Haggar's midsection, force hard enough to demolish almost anything human or otherwise in its path. He screams out the attack name, the crowd at home on their feet as Roy Bromwell once again Gets Retarded Up In Here:
"DYNAMITE JUSTICE!"
COMBATSYS: Haggar fails to counter Dynamite Justice from Roy with Power Swing.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Haggar 0/-------/=======|-------\-------\0 Roy
The pieces of the sidewalk fly behind Roy in a wide arc. Haggar has the clarity to watch them spin even as he sets himself against Roy's charge, noting to himself that more sidewalk is destroyed than in good quality on this street, and that he really needs to get a team in here to do something about it, backed up by MCPD Special Squad members - the only police squad consisting entirely of Ratio 1s, which cool people would apply for as OCs if they wanted to be cool. Perhaps if there was some kind of post reminding them of their existence.
There are cheers from the windows as Roy's hand explodes with power. Not cheers against their mayor, but cheers for the fight. That's good, the way things should be. Hmm, for some reason, there aren't a lot of broken windows here. Should there be more? Haggar doesn't know, as he steps forward, swinging his arm to try and intercept the punch before it can get to him.
The slow focus of experience blossoms into pain as Haggar's grip is blasted through, and he's caught with the full force of Roy's blow. His eyes bulge outward as he's flung away down the street, people hastily clearing a crashdown path for him. He crosses the street easily before dropping enough so that his legs catch the cracked concrete below, spiderwebbing cracks and bouncing the Mayor. He turns and spins in the air, landing once again, twice, before coming down in a kneeling position, inexplicable sand flying around him as he drags a hand to slow his flight. Breathing hard, the Mayor eventually stops.
Most people would be done by now, but not Haggar... no, definitely not Haggar. Suit scratched but not torn (good wool), breathing hard but not ragged (good lungs), eyes dazed but not unfocused (good pain tolerance), the Mayor of Metro City slowly stands to his feet. He defiantly drops into his wrestling stance, and holds one hand forward.
Mike Haggar beckons Roy Bromwell to bring it on.
Roy isn't thinking any more. He's in a place past rational thought. Nothing he does requires any more planning. Only the actions matter. Only the act of combat. He is never so /real/, so connected to the world, as when he has reached the point of no return. He wins or he loses now on his own merits.
The crowd is a far-away thought as Roy slams into Haggar, the large man flying away. Roy takes flight after him, running for a few storefronts before leaping up, buckling another square of the sidewalk beneath his feet. There's no need to invite him, Mr. Haggar. He'll find his own way in.
Chi fire flickers around Roy as he lands hard, back within striking distance of Mike Haggar. Roy's gaze meets that of his opponent once again. No fear, no hate, no rage, just respect. Respect for power. Respect for being able to push him hard enough to demand his very best.
Roy slams his fist down at the ground, letting the chi blast fly out of him like he was spiking an imaginary football. The wave of energy blasts out from his body, hammering forward at the heroic grappler before him. It's a make-or-break stunt, the kind of thing that runs on Sportscenter for days afterward. Will the Power Geys--TOUCHDOWN WAVE get the job done?!
COMBATSYS: Haggar endures Roy's Touchdown Wave.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Haggar 1/------=/=======|==-----\-------\0 Roy
Haggar realizes that the premise of the fight has gone out the window. He knows that mindset Roy's in - he himself has had to go into it in order to survive. His respect for Roy grows, as many people can't even set themselves aside enough to do that.
Roy's wave forces Haggar to react, and he hurls himself forward into it as is customary, spinning so as to throw the force around his body. He pushes through and keeps on going, both arms slamming outward as he continues to barrel toward Roy. G. Oriber is in the background, and he winces reflexively, rubbing a dent on his head in remembered pain - for this is his famous Spinning Clothesline.
COMBATSYS: Roy blocks Haggar's Spinning Clothesline.
[ \\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////// ]
Haggar 1/-----==/=======|===----\-------\0 Roy
Haggar powers through the Touchdown Wave. The sparking chi fire around Roy's hands extinguishes a second afterward, his body needing a few seconds to recover from the massive outburst of power. Those few seconds may be critical for him, as Mike Haggar is more than capable of overcoming the blast with sheer muscle.
Haggar blitzes Roy. Enough of himself comes back to activate his defensive reflex, bracing both of his arms in front of him. The spinning clothesline hammers against Roy's forearms, leaving large welts but managing to not knock Roy off his feet. Every impact drives him back across the sidewalk, his sneakers blowing off treads with every inch he gives up. It doesn't knock him down the block, but he is pushed a noticable distance back. He just isn't /heavy/ enough to resist that force without moving.
Roy draws in a breath, breaking away from the spinning clothesline. He rallies his strength, trying to recover enough energy to keep fighting. Come on, Roy thinks to himself, stay up, stay up!
A second later, Roy is once again on the assault. He explodes forward, leaping up at the towering man in a whirlwind of motion. He all but leaves a contrail in his wake as he powers forward, throwing a powerful uppercut with a drill-like force at Mike Haggar. The impact is both back and up, intended to juggle him up into the air. He may fly far once again if he manages to bring this home.
COMBATSYS: Haggar fails to counter Twister Upper from Roy with Power Swing.
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Haggar 0/-------/-======|===----\-------\0 Roy
COMBATSYS: Haggar has reached second wind!
[ \\\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Haggar 0/-------/-======|===----\-------\0 Roy
Mike Haggar winds down from his clothesline in time to see Roy hurtling at him once more. Almost reflexively his hand comes back around again, flaring with blue - and again Roy's punch will not be grabbed. This uppercut is far greater than the former one, lifting Haggar up off his feet to spin end-over-end before landing on the road. Luckily, this is the slums, and nobody drives here if they have to. Haggar seems down.
There is, then, movement. His right hand gets under him, levering his torso up off the ground. Then his left hand comes to help, wavers... and Haggar crashes back down. It's over.
For five seconds. Then, there's a burst of motion, just as the SNF announcer begins to call the victory. Haggar's fists pound into the pavement, cracking it as, in a burst of explosive motion, he hurls himself to his feet, blood dripping from his chin and the corner of his mouth. He staggers back two steps before dropping into his stance, rolling his neck with a series of pops. "And... no matter how much everything is bogging down... never drop your agenda."
Roy lands as Haggar crashes down. He's winded. Barely operational. Alive, if only just. The fight needs to be over. He wants to fall onto a stretcher and be taken away to a nice, cool, dark room so that he can try to remember his phone number again. The only reason he's not bleeding is because the internal hemmhoraging hasn't started to show yet. It will in about five minutes in the medical tent. Bandages will be required. Possibly a vigorous body massage.
But Haggar gets back up, just like Roy would if he could. Roy lets Haggar get all the way back to his feet before he starts the charge. He's got no time to bleed. Now is when he has to end this thing.
"Stay on message!" Roy shouts, which is a particular battle cry. He closes on Haggar, feints a punch, and then sets up a Chuck Norris quality roundhouse kick. But is Roy aligned with Norris today -- or Diesel!?
Roy lands as Haggar crashes down. He's winded. Barely operational. Alive, if only just. The fight needs to be over. He wants to fall onto a stretcher and be taken away to a nice, cool, dark room so that he can try to remember his phone number again. The only reason he's not bleeding is because the internal hemmhoraging hasn't started to show yet. It will in about five minutes in the medical tent. Bandages will be required. Possibly a vigorous body massage.
But Haggar gets back up, just like Roy would if he could. Roy lets Haggar get all the way back to his feet before he starts the charge. He's got no time to bleed. Now is when he has to end this thing.
"Stay on message!" Roy shouts, which is a particular battle cry. He closes on Haggar, feints a punch, and then sets up a Chuck Norris quality roundhouse kick. But is Roy aligned with Norris today -- or Diesel!?
COMBATSYS: Haggar counters Heavy Kick from Roy with Hammer Thru.
[ \\\\\ < > ///// ]
Haggar 1/-------/=======|======-\-------\0 Roy
Haggar roars, "EXACTLY!" as his arm comes up again. But this time, it fails to fail. Roy's leg is caught on the wrestler's forearm, and instead of how many others simply stop the momentum (a trick Haggar really needs to learn) it is out-powered, sending the student out wide - and hopelessly open.
Haggar capitalizes by stepping forward, balling up both fists, and simply driving them into Roy. It is an inelegant counter, much unlike the spins of Geese or the flashy forcefields of Zero (who is a jerk), but it definitely gets the job done.
Roy should have checked his horoscope today, as his sign was clearly not in the house of Chuck Norris, but likely in the house of Vin Diesel. The roundhouse kick looked great as it came up, but Haggar's sheer beefiness was able to slam it back down.
The war between these two men is nearing its end. The closely matched brawlers are all but spent. With Haggar's inelegant strike, Roy is driven down to the pavement for a fourth time with a horrible BOOM. For a moment, the announcer seems about to call the fight in favor of Haggar. But, with equally ghoulish determination, Roy rises back up from the impact. He will not. Stay. Down.
Guts. Glory. Determination. Everything that Roy is come down to this final exchange. He gains enough concentration back to access his vast inner reserves. From where does this nightmarish power come?! From hate?! From the fires of a demon's blood? NAY!
Roy's power comes from a much deeper, much more mysterious source. He attributes his strength to the American Spirit, a force that can never be broken. The sacrifices and bravery of generations of heroes fans his chi to even more brilliant brightness. Even if Roy himself is turned into mulch, the American Spirit will prevail. Faith in God, patriotism, freedom, the /love/ of freedom ... family, work, neighborhood. The heart and soul of America's past and the promise of her future. If he lives up to these principles...
Roy will not fail. Rallying every last drop of himself into one last strike, Roy clenches his left hand again and drives it at Haggar, the chi fire exploding out of it on impact with ... something, but he directs it at Haggar's solar plexus.
"DYNAMITE STRAIGHT!" Roy yells, voiding his lungs to try to drive Haggar down with his chi, his muscle, his /breath itself/.
COMBATSYS: Haggar blocks Roy's Dynamite Straight.
[ \\\ < > //// ]
Haggar 1/------=/=======|=======\-------\0 Roy
That is why this fight refuses to end. This is The American Hope vs. The American Dream in The American City. Maybe not the best part of it, but the country itself will not let this fight simply end without taking all that it can, testing both combatants - testing their steel. With all the might of the Industrial Revolution, Mike Haggar's arms drop down to slow Roy's blow, though even that takes more out of Haggar. But as long as the wrestler has even that one scrap left in him, he'll fight as hard as he can.
No words come from him, not anymore. Words take air, and he needs all of that to stay concious. Haggar turns around after the blow plays out, seeking to let Roy's momentum carry him just enough forward that he can easily get an arm around the young man's neck to put him in a headlock, and drag him up off his feet to toss him up, over, and down on the ground.
COMBATSYS: Roy fails to interrupt Quick Throw from Haggar with Overhead Smash.
[ \\\\ < > /// ]
Haggar 1/------=/=======|=======\-------\0 Roy
COMBATSYS: Roy has reached second wind!
[ \\\\ < > /// ]
Haggar 1/------=/=======|=======\-------\0 Roy
Roy throws himself upward to try to get air again, but only manages to throw himself into the path of Haggar's headlock. He is flipped head over heels and slammed down onto the ground with a final sounding smack of flesh against stone. The clap echoes through the narrow streets of the slums. The sound is the only thing heard for what seems like an eternity. Has it ended?
No. It will not end. Roy lurches onto his side, pulling himself up. He coughs, tasting copper in the back of his throat. He doesn't even know why he stands up again, only that instinctively he /must/, he must keep moving, he must not stay down. It is a call so strong that even the agony of consciousness cannot drive it away.
"Yeah," Roy says, to no one in particular.
Breathing heavily, Haggar doesn't show his surprise when Roy manages to get back up - he was certain that was it, after he saw him try to do something about the throw. But the spirit of America burns far too hot in the young man, even in this brief meeting, Haggar can tell. "And remember... more people will be against you than with you." Now the man strides forward. These are important lessons, and need important things being done with them. This fight should be long over, but apparently no fighter is as tenacious as a fighting politician. Is there a lesson there? Almost certainly.
Haggar begins this, probably the final thing he can keep the presence of mind to teach, with a powerful blow to the chest. "They are vultures." Steps heavy, he continues forward, bringing the other hand up to drive an elbow at Roy's face. "Everything you do will be tested." Haggar's huge right hand comes across to pound at Roy's right shoulder. "Never let them get to you. Do not crack!" The final lesson is punctuated by the mayor simply stepping forward, driving the head which leads Metro City down at Roy's own.
COMBATSYS: Roy blocks Haggar's Strong Punch.
[ \\\\ < > // ]
Haggar 1/-----==/=======|=======\-------\1 Roy
The spirit of America burns from every cell of Roy's body. He cannot stop. The fight is bigger than he is now, a battle of wills that almost seems ready to overwhelm him. This is a battle for the ages. People will be talking about this brawl for a long time. Geese Howard knew that when he pit these two against each other.
Roy takes the shot to the chest like a champion, knees bending beneath the withering blow. With the remainder of his strength, he braces both arms in front of him in a cross, taking the elbow to his forearm. Bone cracks against bone, prickly needle-like sensations exploding through his right hand. His knees bend again, but he isn't fast enough to block Haggar's forehead clobbering down into his own. Stars flitter before Roy's eyes, and...
Roy doesn't crack. There's hope for this one yet.
He stumbles back, chi rising up through him again. His body's reserves are crashing. Roy's spirit may be infinite, but the flesh it is embodied in is all but ready to collapse. Even The Great Communicator took naps. He'll sleep for days after this and eat two Big Montanas, one per hand, to get his equilibrium back. But that's for after this battle.
"Thank you," Roy says, forcing himself to raise his head to make eye contact with Haggar. "I'll...do my best, sir."
And as he finishes, Roy throws his hands downward, sending out a wave of chi fire from his body at Haggar. A second wave follows, larger than the first, and the third and final wave is even stronger. Afterward, Roy collapses to his knees for a moment, too dazed to properly straighten himself up right away.
COMBATSYS: Roy successfully hits Haggar with Super Touchdown.
[ < > / ]
Haggar 1/-======/=======|-------\-------\0 Roy
Haggar can't even get out of the way of the waves. His mind tells him to, but his body has taken too much punishment to move like that. So the blasts wash against him, driving him back along the ruined sidewalk, scorching the good craftsmanship of his suit. Haggar nearly falls then and there, a torch passed... but his tests are not over yet. In the political arena, no opponent will go down without saving their strongest debates for last, and it's no different here.
Haggar locks eyes with Roy after the flame, and simply nods. "And finally... remember." Haggar takes one step forward, and then blazes ahead. Normally, when this happens, a red haze rises over him, some kind of external representation of his fighting spirit. But now, it's different. The red comes out in stripes, mixing with white and blue, trailing behind him with his burning hope for the future of his city and his country. With Roy already down, his arm does not fly forward to knock him flat on his back, Haggar instead practically diving for his legs.
"Remember everything."
COMBATSYS: Haggar can no longer fight.
> / ]
|-------\-------\0 Roy
COMBATSYS: Roy dodges Haggar's Giant Swing.
> / ]
|-------\-------\0 Roy
Dudley goes OOC.
Roy is on his knees, barely able to move. He looks up and sees Haggar, and in that moment he beholds the greatness of America. Haggar has found a way to master that power. It radiates out from him with every movment. It is ... beautiful.
Haggar dives low. Roy throws his arms down and, with raw power alone, attempts to fly over Haggar as he races by, reaching for the red, white and blue...
And flies clear of Haggar, landing in a sprawled heap in the giant brawler's wake.
Roy hesitates for a moment before he pulls himself back up to his feet, arms trembling, nausea rising in his chest. He forces it down, moving to stand up. He will do nothing less but to stand tall for Mike Haggar, who he turns to face. With ragged breaths and blurry vision, he wills himself to speak one last time today.
"I will remember," he says. "...thank you."
Roy is on his knees, barely able to move. He looks up and sees Haggar, and in that moment he beholds the greatness of America. Haggar has found a way to master that power. It radiates out from him with every movment. It is ... beautiful.
Haggar dives low. Roy throws his arms down and, with raw power alone, attempts to fly over Haggar as he races by, reaching for the red, white and blue...
And flies clear of Haggar, landing in a sprawled heap in the giant brawler's wake.
Roy hesitates for a moment before he pulls himself back up to his feet, arms trembling, nausea rising in his chest. He forces it down, moving to stand up. He will do nothing less but to stand tall for Mike Haggar, who he turns to face. With ragged breaths and blurry vision, he wills himself to speak one last time today.
"I will remember," he says. "...thank you."
The moment Haggar passes through the space Roy was, the darkness that has been swimming on the edge of his vision finally washes up over him, and his freight train rush becomes a titanic collapse. Haggar hits the ground shoulder-first and slides for several feet before slumping on his back. The last thing he can hear is Roy's words of thanks before everything fades out for a time - but Haggar's prone body manages to beam with pride. His mustache even seems to bristle proudly of his own accord.
Mike Haggar has met Roy Bromwell in combat today, and has decided that the future of his country is in good hands.
COMBATSYS: Roy has ended the fight here.
Log created on 20:30:01 06/18/2007 by Haggar, and last modified on 15:13:46 06/21/2007.