Description: The bookies gave him almost no prayer. The odds were stacked against him. Those who knew what he was up against thought it would be a slaughter. Turns out they were right. Except they had the wrong man. Guile, American soldier extraordinaire, battles fighting veteran Rugal Bernstein, and repels him with decisive force. (Winner: Guile)
Welcome to Russia, the land of things being really really freaking cold. And a guy who wrestles bears.
But that's not why we're here tonight, tonight we're here to watch two men who don't spend all their spare time running around in a speedo piledriving the local wildlife go at it in a man to man fight. A large area in the middle of the Red Square here in Moscow has been cordoned off in a vague approximation of a ring using a collection of barricades behind which a fairly impressive crowd has gathered to watch one of the earliest fights in this new, improved Neo-League season.
The crowd's here to watch two big names in the fighting world pummel each other until at least one of them can't get back up. Guile's here because he's one of those two contendors. He stands about a third of the way in toward the center of the ring on one side, taking a few moments to stretch out his limbs while he waits for things to get started.
He's already made one appearance in the revitalized Neo League season two and it seems Masters' people are interested in keeping Bernstein in front of the cameras as much as possible. Having a fighting veteran of such many different styles take the stage always draws an audience and while he has ardently eschewed the league for years, for some reason the man has seen fit to get into it as of late.
Dressed in his signiture suit that he would be easily recognized in, most people just know him from his appearances as the sponsor of both the KOF 2001 and the Second Victory tournaments, knowing nothing of the other far more nefarious dealings the man engages in as leader of the 'R' Organization.
But no one wants to see a fight that's ridiculously lopsided either, which is why they've pulled in someone like Guile to put against him. Standing opposite Guile, watching him with that inhuman eye of his, Rugal adjusts the scarf hanging open around his neck. In acknowledgement of the bitter temperatures the two are to fight in, he has on a much thicker black scarf than usual as well as leather gloves that cover his fingers unlike his usual pair. The man is nothing if not prepared. Calm, composed, he seems to require no preparation, simply holding his left arm back, bent at the elbow as if ready to strike, while his right arm unfolds to his other side, palm, fingers idly caressing that black scarf of his. Men like him aren't much for chit-chat. Unless they believe they have something to gain from it.
If there's one thing a fight like this between two serious men is going to be missing, it's chit-chat.
Guile may make it part of his business to go messing around with shadowy organizations that most people don't know that much about, but in regards to Rugal he's in the dark just as much as the rest of the world. Back in Thailand he heard word of the 'R' Organization getting involved with Shadaloo, but he never seemed to run into any of its operatives. If Guile knew a bit more about the dealings of opponent the fight would probably work differently, but as it stands, Rugal's just a very talented and experienced fighter, and that deserves a touch of respect.
Although not too much respect, people are here to see a fight, and with the only rule being to keep this fight one on one, there's no need for a lot of fuss. Seeing his opponent already pulled up into position, Guile does the same, eyeing the one-eyed man before lunging forward across the open area of the square and trying to ensnare the man around the waist.
COMBATSYS: Guile has started a fight here.
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Guile 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Rugal has joined the fight here.
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Rugal 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Guile
COMBATSYS: Rugal fails to interrupt Backbreaker from Guile with Fierce Punch.
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Rugal 0/-------/-----==|=------\-------\0 Guile
The soldier's arms clasp tightly around Rugal's waist while spinning him around and hauling him up onto his shoulder as he drops into a crouch. In a flash he bursts up into the air, hauling his opponent with him, getting up past the six foot mark before falling back toward the ground, dropping to one knee as he lands and putting all the force of the drop onto Rugal's spine before tossing him off to the side. That's a good start.
With Guile's brazen first assault, the reaction from his opponent seems to be simply to smash him back for his audacity... However, it seems he has drastically underestimated the proficiency with which the trained soldier has mastered this very attack, able to execute it far better than many. The lift and jump are successful, ending with a crushing drop against Guile's knee before Bernstein is rolled off to the side, the man catching himself in order to land on both his feet, one palm pressed lightly against the ground.
There is a faint curl of a smirk beneath his moustache. This man bears going all out on, it seems. He hasn't seen much of Guile's combat history, which is different from most opponents he faces. But he'll adapt as he goes.
"Hm," is the only sound he makes, his tone deep, his human eye narrowing as he raises back up into a full standing position. And in the next instant he charges toward Guile, arms out at his sides, before he slides to a stop, swinging hard with his right knuckled fist toward the man's cheek, his left palm slamming forward toward Guile's stomach. "HAH!"
The attack certainly doesn't have anything much going for it after Rugal had already found the last strike denied. It doesn't have the speed one would normally expect from a real fighter and Guile takes clear advantage of it with a simple sidestep, letting the strike just pass right by him. That's not what he was expecting out of a man like Rugal, but this fight's just getting started.
Not one to just let his advantage slip away against an opponent he's seen at least enough footage of to know most people would consider a wiser bet in this fight than him, the soldier is quick to launch a second strike. Not nearly to impressive as trying to smash someone's spine, but still a good standard, he sends his booted foot flying out, a kick aimed dead on for larger man's knee from a slight side angle, a strike that, if successful, should do a good job of keeping the man off bit more off balance for the rest of the fight.
COMBATSYS: Rugal blocks Guile's Light Kick.
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Rugal 0/-------/-----==|=------\-------\0 Guile
The two swings are avoided with ease by Guile. It would seem Bernstein is still adjusting to him, reading him, seeing how he reacts, and how fast. Little by little he will assemble volumes of information about his opponent, until he will end up confident that he can even predict exactly how Guile will behave even before he does it. But for now, though there's a lot of testing to be done.
The man raises his foot a little as the strike comes in for his knee, causing the kick to hit only his shin instead, being mostly absorbed by precise muscle control. The suited fighter responds swiftly from that, however, stomping his leg back down so that he can bring his other one forward with a swift knee toward Guile's stomach... only to be followed by a second, sweeping kick from his right leg.
COMBATSYS: Guile just-defends Rugal's Medium Kick!
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Rugal 0/-------/----===|=------\-------\0 Guile
For some of the members of the audience, they're already starting to doubt the proclamation of Rugal being the more experienced fighter, getting out of the knee strike certainly worked, but it lacked a bit of flare, which the less dedicated fans of fighting consider a weakness rather than something to be admired. Guile isn't quite so foolish, and he's ready for a retalation strike from the start. As the kicks start to come in, Guile starts to kick back and tense up the muscles in his stomach, all combining to make it so while the Vigilante does take each strike in turn, they do nothing more than push him back harmlessly.
There's still no time to gloat about it, and Guile has no doubt Rugal could turn things around if he gives him the chance. In a flash he's already responding with his own strike, swinging around on his back heel with his arm fully extended, hand clenched into a tight fist as he brings it around in an attempt to strike a serious blow to the side of the other man's head.
COMBATSYS: Rugal blocks Guile's Spinning Backfist.
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Rugal 0/-------/----===|=------\-------\0 Guile
It seems like Rugal might have underestimated the man severely up front. Most of his opponents have been well known, titans of the fighting world. People with long public records to be researched and studied. Guile has only recently started appearing much in public, so Bernstein hadn't expected much... He's finding out quickly that the man is a lot more than initial impressions let on though, as even his strong kicks don't seem to phase him.
"Heh," grunts the crimelord, raising an arm to intersect Guile's incoming arm in order to open the way for him to lash out with his opposite hand in an attempt to grab a hold of Guile by the throat. If he can pull it off, he'll squeeze tightly before turning around to lift the soldier up and body slam him down onto his back on the other side, all in an attempt to line him up for further abuse no doubt.
While the American has held his own quite well so far, Rugal is slowly picking up speed, meeting strength with gradually increasing equal measure.
COMBATSYS: Guile interrupts Medium Throw from Rugal with Flash Kick.
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Rugal 0/-------/=======|====---\-------\0 Guile
Things are certainly starting to pick up from Rugal's side, the fist coming into a solid connection with the 'R' leader's arm gives a rather meaty sound, but years of experience can tell Guile right off the bat that it's not a good sign. The hand coming in to clasp around his throat just does an excellent job of reinforcing this opinion. The sound of struggling breathes should be quite clear to Rugal's ears at this close distance.
Of course even being held by the throat isn't enough to put a man like Guile completely out of the fight. As Rugal hurls him down toward the otherside, the soldier manages to flip himself around in even the short distance provided, hitting the ground in a bit of a crouch before blasting forward. His leg quickly comes up to slam his opponent right in the gut as he comes spinning around in an impressive somersault, dropping back to the square with a faint grin on his face.
Ah. The Flash Kick. Rugal should've known. He should have looked into this opponent of his better. The retaliation against his slam drives him off his feet and onto his back, sliding a little ways before coming to a stop. No fancy recovery, no flip through the air to land on his feet that time. Guile's strike was formidable indeed and the man knows better now what kind of warrior he is up against.
Rising slowly to his feet now, he breaks his silence for the first time, mouth curled into a scowl, "Impressive responses," comes the thinly voiced compliment. "But now you will see what you are really up against!" When Rugal charges forward this time, it is with all of his might bearing down on Guile, his arms extended out to his sides, miasmic red, liquid chi pouring from his fingers, splashing to the concrete and scalding it with enough heat as to burn it. "RAAAGH!!"
COMBATSYS: Guile Toughs Out Rugal's Gigantic Pressure!!
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Rugal 0/-------/------=|====---\-------\0 Guile
Things have certainly been going Guile's way, and while normally the fates would see it fit at a time like this to smack him completely back down to earth for what all's flowing through his head, there are times when the gods decide to let things stay the way they are.
As Rugal starts in on Guile, his hands flowing with boiling the chi of Hell itself, the Vigilante simply stands his grounds, the hint of a smile staying on his lips as he just waits for the man to get in even closer, hardly even an inch of his body moving, solid as a rock. But then the instant Rugal starts in on him, his arm swings up with more speed than most would think humanly possible, muscles flexing like powerful machines in a manner that, were it moving slower, would make that flag on his arm look like it were waving in the breeze. All of this blazing force goes flying up through the air, sending Rugal's chi blasting off harmlessly to the sides as it makes a beeline right for Rugal's jaw like a supersonic rocket.
COMBATSYS: Rugal blocks Guile's Strong Punch.
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Rugal 0/-------/------=|=====--\-------\0 Guile
And with that, Guile is spared one of the most intense deliveries of pain Bernstein is able to dish out. If a man like him could look incredulous, he would. Guile was in store for one hell of an agonizing experience of crushing, obliterating chi. Bernstein had literally intended to take him out in that single, decisive blow...
But the man strikes back with all the brazen courage of someone who had no idea what he was instore with, fist sailing at him with crushing force. "Che!" he growls, raising his arm to intersect Guile's, falling back to a defense change of pace as Guile's fist lands with a meaty impact.
Rugal's feet sliding back several feet, giving way to the power behind that punch, but he seems to have weathered it well for the most part. There is a shake of his head, the man standing up straighter, brow furrowing a little as a thin, red flash sparks in his unnatural, cybernetic eye. He's taking a second look at Guile now, studying him with a new intensity as he breaks down every piece of information he can gather about his opponent.
COMBATSYS: Rugal focuses on his next action.
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Rugal 0/-------/------=|=====--\-------\0 Guile
That had been a moment of brilliance, a rare moment when a fighter reaches some hidden strength that they may never see again. The fact that Rugal still managed to ward off the power of that blow speaks plenty to Guile. He'd certainly been expecting to send the man flying with that strike and the fact that it did no such thing is somewhat worrisome.
Not that the crowd would know anything about that. Most of them aren't even sure what the saw, but they know it was impressive. Loud cheers spur up around the crowd for both fighters as the people watching the fight are starting to feel that they've got their money's worth. Not that anybody is actually charging for this fight.
He may have passed that momeny of glory, but that doesn't mean that Guile's going to just let up. He's quick to lunge forward once more, this time bringing in a quick kick aimed right for the larger man's side. Nothing fancy.
COMBATSYS: Rugal interrupts Light Kick from Guile with Genocide Cutter.
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Rugal 0/-------/---====|=======\===----\1 Guile
Going overboard with his assault ended up only spurring Guile on into moments of increased greatness. The man appears to thrive on pressure. His mind well honed to take insane circumstances and adjust to deal with them. Rugal can tell that now. He was approaching this opponent all the wrong way.
Which is what leads to Guile getting a taste of that power that he has been spared thus far as he makes a kick toward the taller German. "Genocide-" comes the low, menacing growl as the man's foot lashes out with blinding speed to strike directly into Guile's chin with the kind of force capable of knocking nearly any man into the air. Red piercing, lancing chi trails behind, rending flesh and cloth that it intersects. "CUTTER!" comes the roar of triumph as his other leg swings up toward Guile's back to finish the job, the two warriors rising upward together until gravity takes charge and pulls them back down.
Black leather shoes clack against the surface as Bernstein lands, standing up straight, slipping back into his very relaxed ready stance. For all the pain Guile has dished out on him, he seems to be weathering it.... well.
The fates only give you so much chance to go beyond your level, to push the envelope. Guile seems to have gone past his allotment as what should have been a simple kick is turned into disaster. He's blasted up into the air with ease by the powerful attack, the the entire front of his tanktop is torn to shreds by the following chi, blood bursting out from the sick wound it opens up in a horrendous fashion. Then the second kick strikes with a sickening thump and crack against his back before he's finally allowed to come crashing back down to the square with another loud thump. Parts of the crowd are stunned, other parts burst into screams and still others cheer.
Painful though the assault was, it still doesn't seem like quite enough to keep the Vigilante down, although his stance is off and his eyes seem a bit glazed. He takes a few steps back as he tries to get a moment to collect himself.
COMBATSYS: Guile gains composure.
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Rugal 0/-------/---====|=======\=------\1 Guile
The crowd is ignored. The cameras mean nothing. Even the bitter chill of the deep Russian north goes disregarded to Bernstein now. Even as Guile begins to get back up to his feet, the suited tyrant begins to stalk forward, deliberate foot steps taken to close the distance between the two fighters. He's gotten his first blood now, and he's ready for much, much more.
When the charge forward comes, it's with speed more than force, the man leaning forward into aggressive lunge, right hand hooking out, the muscles in his arms contracting with precise control in order to deliver as destructive a hit as possible right into Guile's chest. The kind of punch that could crush rocks. And now it's his to deal with.
COMBATSYS: Guile just-defends Rugal's Medium Punch!
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Rugal 0/-------/---====|=======\=------\1 Guile
Guile's already stared into the very maw of Hell itself tonight and felt the force that many have fallen to and managed to get back up to his feet. There's something burning inside of him tonight that just won't let the man give up, something that keeps him pushing forward against the odds. Even as the wound straight up his chest continues to slowly drool blood, dripping to the ground, he stares Rugal down. As his fist flies forward, Guile doesn't seem to move his arms at all, once more just kicking back with the force of the blow, his muscles tightening around the area so it feels almost like hitting iron. The attack is more than shrugged off, it starts to give Guile a bit of that confidence back, the thought that winning isn't so impossible.
But now he's got an advantage and there's nothing for it but to press forward, darting in, and dropping to a one-kneed crouch, he quickly blasts up off the ground like a rocket, his leg fully extended as it attempts to knock Rugal right in the solar plexus, his entire boot sheathed in blue-tinged yellow chi as he launches back into a graceful somersault, lands and follows through with the same motion, seeming to gain even more power with the second strike. As he comes back down from the second motion, there's the barest of pauses before he once more launches up into the air, with enough force to send his opponent flying in a massive kick that reaches seven feet at its peak.
COMBATSYS: Rugal fails to counter Somersault Strike from Guile with Jab Punch.
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Rugal 0/-------/---====|-------\-------\0 Guile
Guile's ability to fend off his attacks rivals some of the greatest fighters Rugal has ever fast. No one has so consistently been able to stop, reject, and stuff every vicious blow he sends their way. The slamming fists are dealt with flawlessly by Guile and now the man has his chance to take advantage of Bernstein having over extended himself to deliver the attack.
The crouched attack stuns the crimelord enough to send him staggering, leaving him open to the rest of Guile's relentless battering. There is an attempt to intersect the man with a precisely timed, perfectly calibrated strike that would have brought the painfuls sequence to an early end, but not even that ends up landing as the American continues to tear into him with blow after blow.
Knocked to the ground again, Rugal slowly rises to his feet, jaw clenched as he fights back the pain of the attack he just weathered. Calm arms raise leather-clad gloves raise up and grab hold of the collar of his white, once neatly-pressed shirt and with one smooth motion, the man rends the garment from his body, shrugging scarf, jacket, and shirt to the ground, leaving only a tightly fighting green muscle shirt to cover his torso. No more playing conservative here, it would seem.
The Vigilante drops back to the ground and pushes himself back up to his feet with ease. The crowd has once more burst into cheers. Even if Guile is an American, he's putting on a hell of a show, and for fight fan's that's the most important thing. Unless you're in Metro where beating one of your city's many defenders gets you boos and garbage thrown at you, even if it was just a match for TV.
Now's not the time to waste time thinking about what sort of reception a victory here would give him, Guile knows full well that at any moment his luck could run out and Rugal wouldn't think twice about giving him the full force of any of his ferocious strikes, and the soldier intends to give him no chance to do so. As Rugal goes about shrugging off his extra layers of clothing, he rushes forward, arms lashing out as he attempts to grab his opponent by any available limb.
COMBATSYS: Rugal fails to counter Strong Throw from Guile with Medium Throw.
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Rugal 0/-------/---====|-------\-------\0 Guile
Guile's hands are quick to latch onto Rugal's before pivotting on one heel, hauling him up over his shoulder and then slamming him down against the ground with all the force he can muster.
There is that attempt to crab hold of Guile', fingers outstretched like claws ready to dig in to the other man's neck as he comes in close for the attack. But the grip is never obtained, the proud American getting a hold of him first before slamming him over his shoulder in a simple yet highly effective judo-like move with enough force to crack the concrete beneath Rugal's back. At last there is a gasp from the tyrant, his ability to deal with whatever training Guile brings to bear utterly failing him now.
Slowly, even after all that, Bernstein gets back up to his feet, jaw tight, hands clenched into tight fists. It looks, however, that this seemingly one-sided match can't go in for much longer. His left hand goes up to his mouth to wipe across the back of it briefly, brushing away spittle and blood that gets shaken off with a flick of his wrist.
This goes against practically everything the analysists in Las Vegas would have expected, odds on this fight would have gone quite solidly in Rugal's favor if you asked most of them. There's no reason for the american to be doing so well as he is. But that's exactly what's happening, odds being defied time and time again by whatever force is guiding Guile onward. Rugal's practically on the ropes at this point. Not that there are any ropes.
It's then that Guile rolls toward the side, moving to circle around the leader of 'R,' arms attempting to snake up under his opponent's and back around to grab hold of him behind the neck.
COMBATSYS: Rugal fails to counter Dragon Suplex from Guile with Genocide Cutter.
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Guile 0/-------/-----==|
COMBATSYS: Rugal can no longer fight.
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Guile 0/-------/-----==|
With his arms locking Rugal in a full-nelson, his muscles begin to surge with all the strength in his body, hefting Rugal up off the ground as he starts to bend backward, slamming the man's head down with incredible force, force enough to crush the solid concrete of the square once more, holding him with his shoulders pinned against the ground for a full three count before finally letting go, dropping him and pulling back up to his feet.
The man hardly has it in him to do much to stop Guile at this point. Even as transparent as the attack might have been, when your body is trying to deal with a constant assault of non-stop injuries, there's only so much one can do. There's that last second attempt to lash out at Guile and put a stop to his assault preemptively - maybe not turn the match around but at least give him something to remember him by. But he just doesn't have it in him.
Guile slaps the full-nelson on then slams the man over head down to the ground with a second crunch of pavement. Sprawled on the ground, the man rolls over, hands pressing against the ground as he gets ready to rise again, arms straining to give him that last ounce of strength to rise back up...
He ain't got it though. The man grunts, his arm collapsing, the tyrant of 'R' falling prone against the ground. Guile might not have known the blow struck against such an opponent this particular match or what the ramifications of a victory here might pose down the line. That he's now garnered some special attention goes without saying.
The match is over, and the underdog has come out victorious with little more than a torn shirt and a massive wound across his chest to show for it. The crowd at this point is screaming wildly over such an impressive, if somewhat one-sided showing. They certainly got their money's worth... even if it was free.
Log created on 20:08:37 09/03/2007 by Rugal, and last modified on 22:20:23 09/04/2007.