Description: Aranha decides to acquire supplies before he makes his return to the Suiryuu. Unfortunately, he gets waylaid by a Justice Student. After a one sided butt kicking occurs, the two come to an agreement.
After the first round of the Jinchuu tournament was completed, Aranha got himself off the ship as quickly as possible. Because there was no indication of where the tournament would take place, Aranha didn't bring his equipment and so one of the first things he did was get back to his apartment and got his tools and night vision goggles, some changes of clothes, and some hygiene essentials. Quite frankly Aranha didn't trust the ninja deodorant they sold on the ship.
After Aranha took care of those necessities he still had a few errands to run here and there in downtown Southtown. On the way to one such errand, he carries his duffle bag. It is the errand he has to complete before he heads back to the ship and then he can finally reclaim his cabin on the ship.
On and off the Suiryuu - it should have been a simple exercise, right? Shopping, resupply. Problem is, with a secretive tournament held by ninja elite... well, even with the utmost secrecy word is bound to get around. Particularly to places like Justice High. Who knows what Raizo and Hyo Imawano may choose to do about this enigmatic contest... but one of the school's less favored students has his own idea. Find a guy with the invitation, and ask. Nicely, really.
Intercepting Aranha on his trip back towards the harbor is a rather imposing, muscular youth, the wind whipping through his already tousled, but close-cropped frosty blue hair. The jagged mane frames a stern, chiseled face that adds a bit of maturity to his youth, and he's already in full, striding approach as he calls out, "You! You know about this tournament that's going on, don't you?!?" Crazy accusations from a man on the street... if Adrian weren't correct. His heavy, crimson-etched dark Justice uniform is patted down almost unconsciously, smoothing out his coat as he closes the distance.
Besides the location was secret... The fact it was taking place, not so much. There were advertisements all over the place and so there's no doubt in his mind that people would know about it. Perhaps more than would be good for the Dancing Spider's health.
"Perhaps..." The battle scarred fighter says as he analyzes his accuser who moved into his path. No one who makes such statement and cuts off someone so aggressively doesn't do so without knowing a little something about fighting and so he pulls out a pair of Oakley Thumps from the pockets of his white slacks and slides them on and resumes his study, this time not of the person but rather taking in the locations of various cars, parking meters, dumpsters anything else in the environment that could be useful. "May I ask why you're so curious?"
"Hmf." Jericho admonishes, the broad-shouldered youth crossing his arms across his chest, a somewhat amused sparkle to his eyes despite the challenging demeanor, "What kind of tournament claims to be about your generation's up and coming warriors and all but overlooks some of the greatest talents in the world?!?" It doesn't add up, really, to Adrian. But that's about where his detective work begins and ends - scholarly is not his strong point. No, he's got a completely different sort of gameplan.
The nearly 6'5" man steps forward, dwarfing the lithe fighter and frowning a bit, "Maybe the ninjas are just going for size. Either way, I'm claiming a piece of the challenge. Unless you'd rather start running!" Boisterous, sure, but he doesn't seem particularly angry or dangerous.
COMBATSYS: Jericho has started a fight here.
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Jericho 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Aranha has joined the fight here.
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Jericho 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Aranha
The shorter fighter smiles as he finishes up his preliminary information gathering before shrugging at Jericho. "I guess the ninja chick didn't get around to you for the test... Not my problem." He takes a deep breath and moves his finger to one of the buttons which in turn begins to feed him the music before he continues, "You're welcome to take it up with them directly. And you know I could easily run and leave you in the dust... But seriously--" He stops for a moment, letting a dramatic pause fall much like the duffle bag he was carrying up to this point before he finally finishes. "--Where's the fun in that?"
Aranha lashes out with a glowing roundhouse covered in blue chi before following up with a spinning jump kick, also covered in blue chi, before finishing the combo with a glowing back flip kick.
COMBATSYS: Aranha successfully hits Jericho with Aggressive Dance.
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Jericho 0/-------/-----==|=------\-------\0 Aranha
Hey! This guy gets right to the point. It's not exactly unwelcome, but it IS surprising, that initial kick flying around to cleave squarely off Jericho's jaw, sending the larger man reeling, and leaving him vulnerable for the one-two that follows, despite his initial attempts to ready his guard. That's what he gets for letting the little guy start inside, right? Adrian slides backwards into a crouch, throwing his weight with the hit to avoid landing flat on his back as Aranha rights himself, "Not bad." the Justice High student admits, though intimidated he is not.
There's a vaguely wolfish smile, and the frost-haired youth charges right back into the fray, snapping sidelong and launching his left foot, his boot flying up, then around to drop sole-first in a precision axe aligned with Aranha's temple. Despite his hefty stature, grace on the offense Jericho has aplenty, swinging his weight around to snap his other reinforced toe up, seeking to plant it squarely in the other fighter's gut. In the aftermath of the quick succession of strikes? It's as if the impact in air or Aranha rips a hole around the strike, a vaguely luminescent, air-distorting shockwave burning through the wake. It's almost like a bubble of electrified plasma, or some similarly lovely phenomenon that usually isn't exploding in someone's face. The rippling power is shortlived, but intense - searing to be caught in.
COMBATSYS: Jericho successfully hits Aranha with Combine Pulse.
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Jericho 0/-------/----===|=====--\-------\0 Aranha
Aranha has a bit of trouble recovering his combo. There's one point where as he lands out of the final kick that he has back to his opponent. And while he has the presence of mind to look under his arm to watch for the retaliation the attack comes in too quickly for him turn and raise his arm up to intercept the first of the attacks and in fact he practically turns right into the first kick and then knocked away before he can even see the distortions.
After the capoeirista has gotten himself together he begins to sway to and fro in his ginga. He then launches himself into a cartwheel at Jericho attempting to thrust his heel at his stomach and push the Justice student backwards a bit.
COMBATSYS: Jericho blocks Aranha's Medium Kick.
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Jericho 0/-------/---====|=====--\-------\0 Aranha
The cartwheeling capoeirista comes hurtling back in on Adrian, but this time he's stabilized his own guard, and a sweeping forearm powerfully drives the leading foot wide, the kickboxer shoving off to the side, and swinging around to face Aranha full-on once more. Rather than pushing himself bodily back into the fray, Jericho drops low, slamming one fist rather audibly into the concrete, a rippling shockwave of force burrowing a landshark's course beneath the ground, breaking for Aranha's feet. It's not this ripple that poses the threat, however.
As the oddly distorting charge of power crosses below the copoeirista, or whatever else might get in the way, a shining lance of blue-hot, searing light shoots upwards in a narrow column, arcing up almost as if a mousetrap had been sprung. And seeking to catch Aranha fully in the brilliant column of erupting power, "Yea they 'didn't get around to it.' Such faith in Ninja!" Obviously, something Adrian doesn't share. They're UP TO SOMETHING, DAMNIT!
COMBATSYS: Jericho successfully hits Aranha with Killswitch.
- Power hit! -
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Jericho 0/-------/-======|=======\====---\1 Aranha
Aranha has a nagging weakness. He just can't seem to get away from attacks that manage to get under him. Combine that with his inexperience at dealing with energy attacks, especially one of an energy so strange and unfamiliar to him and you can only come to one conclusion. Aranha is in a world of hurt.
His body is sent high into the air riding the column of energy until it eventually pushes him away, letting him hit the ground hard. He would comment on the faith in ninja but he's too busy trying to get his mind right while lets himself go back to ginga waiting to see if can create some type of opportunity.
COMBATSYS: Aranha gains composure.
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Jericho 0/-------/-======|=======\===----\1 Aranha
FWOOM! It's always great to see someone reaved from within on that pillar of pure will, and Jericho's grin nearly reaches his ears as he pushes back to his feet, brushing down the front of his now-scuffed uniform, "You see? They'd have to be more or less blind to come up with the list they've got." He may not be one of the 'premiere talents' of his generation, but hell if he doesn't have the confidence - or ego - to back up what skill he does have. Not to mention no small measure of raw power.
"So what's the deal? Where're they taking you?" AND FOR WHAT NEFARIOUS PURPOSE? Adrian may not have the slightest clue, but Aranha one-ups that by knowing at least one of the clues : That is PROGRESS. Jericho pauses, not pressing the attack, just cracking his neck to the side as that unusual, potent energy burns through him, his frosty eyes all but glowing, now, "Unless you really think you're still in this fight."
COMBATSYS: Jericho focuses on his next action.
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Jericho 0/-------/-======|=======\===----\1 Aranha
"Once again... It's not my problem as far as who is on the list and who isn't." He knows he doesn't have the raw hitting power that Jericho has. And so he has to use the only other thing he can think of to counteract that with. His mind.
He knows damn well that he can't go in with a direct attack instead he back flips towards the nearest trash can and hefts it up before punting it at the Justice Student. "If want to go there so bad, why don't you figure it out on your own?"
Win or lose this current fight, Aranha will be damned before he gives up his own spot in the tournament. He knows he probably won't beat him but he's already looking for escape routes. That fire escape in one of the alleys looks relatively tempting.
COMBATSYS: Jericho dodges Aranha's Large Thrown Object.
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Jericho 0/-------/-======|=======\===----\1 Aranha
"Ha!" Jericho barks out in sincere amusement, "It's bound to be everyone involved's problem sooner or later!" A threat? It doesn't seem it, but he's not going to stand still and let the trash can clobber him in the face, either. Throwing his weight to the side, Jericho slides into a coiled crouch, where his legs flex, and he stalls only a moment. Launching himself towards Aranha and upwards, Adrian's muscular frame twists a full three-hundred and sixty degrees in the air, lashing out in a flying spinkick aligned to glance brutally off the capoeirista's jaw. The idea is not only the efficient crashing impact, but also the surge of roiling void that ripples the air following the slicing kick, threatening to reave Aranha's face further in twain.
... and deposit Jericho solidly on the other, balancing leg, should all go according to his plans, "Have it your way then!" Apparently not too concerned with having to find his answers elsewhere. Can't rely on people to have good common sense with a smack on the head, anymore.
COMBATSYS: Jericho successfully hits Aranha with Change-Up Kick.
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Jericho 0/-------/-======|=======\=======\1 Aranha
Aranha's defensive measures seem to get stymied at every turn. Aranha attempts to weave out of the way but inspite of his best efforts he just can't move out of the way.
Normally when he's fighting he can eventually compensate for a bad defensive day. However when he's dealing with someone who hits like that he just doesn't have the time needed to figure out a plan to topple them. So when in doubt, retreat.
Oddly enough, Aranha starts his 'retreat' by making a run right at Jericho before veering off and leaping off one of the cars to drive his foot into the larger man. All the while his entire body is glowing blue energy as it's trailed by shadows.
COMBATSYS: Jericho interrupts Joker's Wild EX from Aranha with Scarab.
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Jericho 0/-------/-======|=======\===----\1 Aranha
A bad day... or his opponent is having a good one. Adrian is, after all, rather motivated. Justice High may have broken from the path of the ninja clans, but there's plenty of talk... and more than that, considering the nature of that elite academy's students. He may be off the reservation here, but that's never slowed him down before. Adrian's eyes narrow as the capoeirista rushes in, backstepping and twisting to accomodate the sudden, feinting leap.
It's an impressive initial assault, but one that the Justice student tracks almost perfectly, cutting the dazing attack short with a sudden, sidelong thrust of his heel. It doesn't strike upwards or outwards, but rather directly into he street, several cracks webbing outwards as a charge of blue-white power implodes upon itself in a small, asymmetrical sphere that subsequently blasts outwards, the sudden eruption leaving Aranha to collide with energy shrapnel that seems to pass through him rather than blasting into him.
Jericho? He paces back a step, then two, flanking as Aranha falls back, "So you can fight. Can you add up 2 and 2? I just proved my point, and I'm not in this to hurt you. Why not do the smart thing and tell me what I need to know? Or would you rather trust the hospitality of a bunch of killers?"
And then even his escape route was cut off. Getting intercepted and then having the strange energy pass through him seeming to strike more at the core of his entire being rather than at his actual body itself. He slowly rises to his feet as he speaks. "You know, my reason for resisting is because I don't trust them. I know they're up to something and I need to be on there figure out what it is plus I know there's some cut throat bastards in the tournament and I thought you were after my spot or trying to injure me before the next round."
Aranha looks at the Justice High student. "Of course, I still need to make sure I can still do what I need to in this tournament before I give you any information. I also need to know that if you find out anything, that you will let me know and in exchange if I have any information that I can share I'll let you know." He raises his left hand to guard his face his right hand extended and ready to shake. "Deal?"
COMBATSYS: Aranha takes no action.
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Jericho 0/-------/-======|
COMBATSYS: Aranha can no longer fight.
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Jericho 0/-------/-======|
"Haha. Take your place in the tournament. I think, somehow, they might notice the switch." Jericho flexes one arm down by his side with a calm half-grin... "I just wanted to see what the competition was like for myself." Some people just like to fight. Some people also jump at any excuse (good or not so good) to vent that in societally acceptable ways. FOR JUSTICE! Adrian is momentarily pensive at Aranha's offer, but after a few moments his grin returns, and he takes the other fighter's hand rather firmly, giving it a shake.
"Fair enough." The frost-haired youth agrees, "Chances are you're going to need the help." Someone's got to figure out what this tournament's all about. And even if it's not him? This is probably not the last fight he'll get out of it. Good deal.
Log created on 13:52:22 08/30/2007 by Aranha, and last modified on 22:05:09 09/04/2007.