Description: Another close battle for Hokuto and Shingo (and Todoh!) that features some Serious Business Kasane Ates and some hardcore attempts to be... well... hardcore (see: Shingo trying to interrupt with Random Weapon!) (Winner: Shingo)
The Ebisu Bridge. The go-to place in Osaka for some of the best food in the region. A super-huge ramen place born of eight different shops joining forces. A fugu fish-fest adorned by a giant blowfish lantern. A crab place with a billboard to mark its territory as one of the finest in all of Osaka. Even a gigantic restaurant, eight floors tall, boasting a different take of Osaka's cuisine. Of all the places that Howard Enterprises could have endorsed... they went with a Haagen-Dazs.
It's rare that someone can actually make out the camera crew given how big a draw Saturday Night Fights tend to be, but they are there in plain sight. Crowds of young men and women alike are to be expected, but yet this is normal traffic. The crowds aren't exactly as packed as they'd hope, despite security being present to make sure things don't stray too far out. They might have overestimated the need for their presence.
A sharp contrast to virtually any other time he shows his ugly mug anywhere around the world, Ryuhaku Todoh is right there. 'There' being right in front of the humble sandwich board proclaiming that this is a mere Haagen-Dazs, regardless of how tasty the ice cream is. In fact, this is probably not quite the dramatic backdrop he appears to be looking for.
"BAH! What's it gonna take for you people?!" The elder Todoh's voice carries itself very loud and clear among a crowd of barely interested gatherers whom quickly go back to texting people barely more than twenty feet away while sleazy blonde-haired (obviously not natural hair coloring) men in suits try to pick up young women for work in the seedier parts of the area. It is difficult to say who is having worse luck.
The elder Todoh stands tall, irate, and proud, waving one of his trademark fans to cool himself in this warm evening. But then again, maybe he shouldn't expect much out of young people who, while spirited when local fighters and the local professional baseball team, the Hanshin Tigers, do well... they just don't know real fighting mastery when they see it!
It is a rare moment of mundane Todoh behavior, to the extent the word "mundane" even really applies.
Ice cream. A delicious cold treat, suitable for the hottest summer days and the coldest winter nights alike. A true marvel of food engineering and chemistry. A treat that Hokuto rarely allows herself, the better to increase the enjoyment of it when she does have it, and also, to help keep her figure. Not that she is particularly vain, but her figure is related to her ability to fight, and that -does- concern her.
The young woman emerges from the Haagen-Dazs shop, the bell over the door tinkling, the sound almost lost in the bustle and hustle just outside. Though of course, the SNF officials are creating a different kind of hustle and bustle, what with the setting-up of the playing field, in full view of the bridge and its occupants, not to mention all the other spectators observing this merry affair.
As she exits, Hokuto ponders her opponents; two weeks ago she fought Shingo, and learned a little bit about him. Todoh, however... Well, she steps outside just in time to experience a bit of the 'mundane' Todoh behavior. Surely Kasumi is more well-mannered than her father...? Hokuto resembles the younger Todoh somewhat, at least in appearance--she's wearing similar clothing, but her hair is different. And there is an aura around her that lets said sleazy young men know not to try picking her up.
One brave young soul tries anyways--and when Hokuto gives him a cold stare, he tries the physical route. A swift, subtle elbow to the chest and he's staggering away, whilst the young Mizugami scion is approaching the SNF officials, nodding to greet them. And... walking right by Todoh. Go figure.
In any other country, a Haagen-Dazs shop surrounded by some of the most elegant and reknowned restaurants in all of Osaka, offering perhaps the best food in the region, wouldn't do so well. In fact, nobody in their right mind would place a Haagen Dazs shop anywhere near some of these restaurants in any other country - but this is Japan. In Japan, you can get away with putting red beans in your ice cream and making a fortune off of it. You can get away with having fighting tournaments filmed inside china shops. You can afford to advertise things in various ways. When you're the Haagen-Dazs shop near Ebisu Bridge, well then, you can afford to sponsor a celebrity to advertise for you.
That's where Shingo Yabuki, Taiyo High student, self-proclaimed protege of renowned 'World Warrior' fighter Kyo Kusanagi, and all around nice guy, that's where he comes in. As Shingo has discovered within the past week since his last SNF, he in fact IS receiving personalized SNF invitations. This week's invitation was more of a business proposal directly from the Haagen Dazs shop near Ebisu Bridge, with the date, location and 'roster' of the fight. Thusly, Shingo had arrived hours before the fight due to a one day contract that was formed with the Haagen-Dazs shop - a simple contract stipulating Shingo acting as a celebrity spokesperson for the shop, and as part of said contract, required to wear a sandwich board advertising the Haagen-Dazs shop throughout the fight.
Like the gleeful youth he is, Shingo heartily accepted, and for the last few hours has been walking around the shop, talking to passersby here and there hocking the delicious ice cream that can be had at Haagen-Dazs. The sandwich board? A simple affair with the Haagen-Dazs logo and the address of the shop underneath.
Upon the arrival of the other two fighters, Shingo's temperment goes from cheerfully joyous to downright gleefully excited - which may not have much of a difference from a visual standpoint, but at least it provides Shingo a slightly wider smile and a twinkle in his eye. Moving away from a small group of young businessmen who have been fighting back laughing at Shingo and his sandwich board for the last few minutes, Shingo jogs over to where the other fights are beginning to assemble, and as such, waves at them emphatically. "Mr. Todoh!!! A great honour and a pleasure to see you!" Shingo starts, bowing as deep as he can with the sandwich board on, which isn't all that deep, but it's the thought that counts. Turning quickly, Shingo makes sure to wave to Hokuto as well, bowing to her as best he can as well. "And a pleasure seeing you again, miss! I don't suppose either of you would like some ice cream before we begin. I can head inside really quick and get some for the both of you, it's no trouble at all really..."
Some Howard Enterprises executives and coordinators back at HQ may already be slightly worried. Ryuhaku Todoh is a legendary figure in Howard Arena... not for his fighting. But rather, because not only has he never actually paid for a single admission ticket in his entire lifetime, they just can't keep him out! Even Eiji, reportedly, marked his ability to do so as an "Act of God." So, perhaps, it is maybe a little underwhelming to those who expected... something greater. Such as a more interested, populous audience that is here to watch the fight as much as they do try to pick up people of the other sex, play with their cellphones, and jump off the bridge in celebration of some local Osaka fighter doing exceptionally well.
Ryuhaku stews in his contempt almost silently. Almost. The world is too sinful to be able to have a moment where Ryuhaku Todoh is not about to open his mouth and say something brash or do something that would have gotten any other man jailed for any number of misdemeanor counts. (Ever wonder why the Todoh dojo still looks like crap despite Howard Enterprises endorsement in the past? Loitering tickets, that's what.)
His eyes follow the movement of a fairly young woman leaving the store behind him with two all-knowing fatherly eyes. Yes. She'll get a talking to about her behav-- oh, wait, that's not Kasumi. He tenses ever so less. After all, his daughter wouldn't be hanging around with these kinds of people, would she?
That's when Shingo, naturally, breaks the tension in a way only he can. "Hm?! Oh! You! The Kusanagi kid!" The fan falls back into his sleeve, two parts surprised, one part amused, and one part forgetful of the (in)famous Shingo Yabuki. "You think I came here for the ice cream?!"
Several of the SNF officials behind the cameras nod in respect to Hokuto and point her back towards the storefront where the elder Todoh's been standing. Evidently, things are about on time. Perhaps, the only good thing to be said about the turnout thus far.
Ah. Right. Hokuto turns quickly, smoothly, and precisely on her heel; cool brown eyes catch sight of Todoh and Shingo both. Hmm. Somehow she'd missed Shingo being there... maybe she was looking for the blue uniform, not the sandwich-board he's wearing. But there you go, the two clown princes of the fighting world--men as renowned for their wackiness as their fighting ability (perhaps moreso the wackiness...) Hokuto is, however, nothing if not respectful to her elder (she had good teachers.)
Thusly, Todoh gets a respectfully deep bow of greeting, in the traditional Japanese manner. Shingo also gets a bow, but it isn't as deep--as defined by Japanese society, Shingo is more her peer than a superior. And then she turns back to the SNF officials, asking with her eyes where she is to start.
Despite her cool nature, or perhaps -because- of it, many of the young men are hooting and whistling--cheering, or leering. Hokuto ignores them for the most part as she takes up the spot indicated by the SNF officials and... well, then she looks to Todoh and Shingo, waiting. She looks preternaturally calm and patient, the slightest of smiles curving her lips.
'The Kusanagi kid'? Almost makes Shingo sound like some sort of cowboy. Hrm. The Kusanagi Kid. Has a nice ring to it...shame he's not a Kusanagi, otherwise he'd debate using it. At this point, it's more a question of whether or not Shingo should correct Todoh, because it'd be quite rude to do so, then again, it'd be far from polite to give an incorrection impression. "Err, umm, Mr. Todoh, I didn't think you came here for ice cream. Was just offering. Plus, I'm not Kyo, although I could see how you might see that...not that you're wrong, and I'm more than happy to be the Kusanagi kid if you say so, Todoh-san, as I have a deep respect for you and for Kyokugen in general, I just would hate to be confused with someone else I have a deep respect for, as in Kyo, since I'm still working on being remotely as good as he." Shingo smiles warmly and nods, more to himself than to Todoh as he figures he's explained himself properly. Or so he hopes.
Reaching behind the sandwich board, Shingo pulls out his notebook, quickly jots a few notes down before reviewing the notes he wrote about his last fight with Hokuto, not to mention the fights he's watched with Todoh in them, and replaces it back behind the sandwich board. This'll be an interesting fight, and it never hurts to be prepared.
It's at this point one of the SNF officials walks over and begins whispering to Shingo. Apparently Haagen Dazs' sales weren't where they wanted them to be pre-fight, and therefore they want Shingo to remove the sandwich board. With a slight shrug, and a smile still on his face, Shingo nods, and with the help of the SNF official, they remove the sandwich board from the vicinity of the fighters. With his mobility somewhat returned to him, Shingo gives Todoh a proper full-blown deep bow, and Hokuto a not-so deep bow - his smile shining the entire time.
Rising from the bow, Shingo takes his place within the area, marked by a big 'X' (which he assumes is his spot), and with that he gives one final set of waves and smiles to the cameras and the crowd. Far be it for Shingo to start a fight off, but far be it for him to not at least be pleasant. "I'm ready to give this fight my all whenever you two are! I look forward to this fight, and I wish you both the best of luck!"
Ryuhaku did not quite have the greatest day of his life leading up to this. There's enough nagging about how the money is not coming in quite like it was a few months back, how he presents himself before the world on national TV in his attempts to show people the light and bring them in, infrequent pupils of dubious lifestyles whose antics lend themselves to hijinx, and, well... you know. That whole Kyokugen thing. There is a madness modifier inherent in the equation somewhere.
"-AND- KYOKUGEN?!" An arm is raised with an angry, closed fist. Further ranting and raving about why he's even bothered to come to this part of the country is, thankfully, halted by Hokuto's polite greeting. He lowers his hands to his sides, and slowly crosses them as Shingo, too, mimics her respectful bow. He nods his head. Thanks to Hokuto's politeness grabbing his attention, he does not suspect that Shingo has done his proper research about Todoh's style! Perhaps this generation still has some potentially great students of his style yet (...in his dreams).
"Very well! Then..." The elder man's eyes narrow. A sure sign of trouble afoot. "Let us demonstrate to the world the mysteries and wonder of the Todoh way!!" The camera crew know how to go about these antics with a dramatic pan out to give a better view of Shingo and Hokuto on one of the gigantic monitors they set up for this sort of thing.
Ryuhaku spreads his legs further apart, lowering his stance with both hands forward at around waist level, showing no particular favor as to who he is looking to.
Then again, the man's always had his eyes on the world and the prize, and maybe even the future. This should be of no surprise to absolutely anybody, except for the fact he has yet to display the usual sort of antics he has slowly become attributed to.
COMBATSYS: Todoh has started a fight here.
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Todoh 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Hokuto has joined the fight here.
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Todoh 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Hokuto
COMBATSYS: Shingo has joined the fight here.
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Shingo 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Hokuto
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Todoh 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Todoh focuses on his next action.
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Shingo 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Hokuto
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Todoh 0/-------/-------|
Hopefully Todoh's madness does not extend to all non-Todoh family-inherited fighting styles--otherwise Hokuto could be in trouble. The young woman quirks an eyebrow at the elder Todoh's proclamation... is he suggesting that this is some sort of 'promo' for 'Todoh-ryuu? Finally, then young woman speaks, her tone cool and bemused.
"My apologies, Todoh-san, but I do not practice your Todoh-ryuu and so I don't think I can go along with your plan," she says, the high-tech directional microphones catching her words and pumping them through the monitor speakers placed around the arena.
Though, to an outside observer, there will certainly be a great deal of similarity between Todoh-ryuu and Mizugami-ryuu Kobujutsu... minus, of course, the Kasane Ates... well, that sort of thing is to be expected. There are only so many ways to employ one's body in the practice of beating others up.
Her own stance is subtle--her left leg forward, right back, hips turned towards her left. Left arm up, hand open, right cocked back slightly, as she, like Todoh, simply observes these first few opening moments...
COMBATSYS: Hokuto focuses on her next action.
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Shingo 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Hokuto
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Todoh 0/-------/-------|
Shingo said something wrong. What he said wrong? Well, he'll have to figure that out later. Or not at all. Hopefully whatever it was wasn't offensive, because if it was, well, he may not be able to live that one down. Still, Shingo's easily excitable, and as such easily gets swept up in Todoh's enthusiasm, adding some of his own.
"Where Todoh-san will display the awesome power of the Todoh-ryuu, I, Shingo Yabuki, number one student of the amazing Kyo Kusanagi, dedicate this fight to Kusanagi-san!" Simple, effective, and at the very least didn't mention any other fighting style besides Todoh-ryuu. In theory? Shingo may be safe. For now.
Seeing as how the large letters of FIGHT have flashed across the monitors placed around the makeshift arena, and seeing how neither of his opponents have done anything but assume their fighting stances, Shingo follows suit. Spreading his legs ever so slightly in mimicry of the Kusanagi-ryuu stance, Shingo begins to gracefully bounce up and down, his fists clenched and his arms raised to protect both his torso and his chin - both arms bobbing in rhythm with his graceful leg bounches. His breathing slowing, Shingo begins to seem more focused, more at ease, more calm...even with a big goofy grin on his face. If there's one thing that a fight cannot do to Shingo, it's wipe his smile away.
COMBATSYS: Shingo focuses on his next action.
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Shingo 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Hokuto
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Todoh 0/-------/-------|
The world is full of dedicated martial artists. Some, perhaps a little too dedicated. Everyone shares their own say on the fight before them. Todoh, luckily, does not devolve into mad, mocking laughter. The world always needs a good demonstration! Everyone stands at the ready, where fists, feet, bodies, and the underlying energies of the world alike could fly at breakneck speeds at just about any given second. Not one person here is seen as anything less than highly skilled in their disciplines of choice, however interesting perceived setbacks to them may be.
...Well, maybe except for one, given their track record in Saturday Night Fights. It may not be best to name who out loud.
Todoh's eyes flash briefly towards the young lady. This would be a sure-fire sign of attack, a clean give-away, an easy weakness to spot to stop the oncoming assault, the hand furthest away from her rising up into the air.
The second one snaps up right after, though by all appearances he seems to manage some kind of symmetry standing before the two. "Then allow me to help you change your mind!"
Just as he cries that, a bright yellowish-orangeish light forms above him. Being that this part of Osaka is pretty bright and full of colorful lights, it wouldn't be anybody's fault if they weren't paying attention to this detail.
But as the arms go down, so, too, comes a torrent of three segments of aforementioned 'colorful lights' that spread out conically, increasingly transparent in the widened formation as a little sleight of hand angles the Kasane Ate a bit towards his left - to the finest student Kyo Kusanagi may ever have.
The crowd hasn't intensified any. Surely, they're missing the ultimate expression of chi mastery for their everyday friends and gadgets?!
Some of them are--and some of them aren't. There are certainly some oohs and aahs as Todoh unleashes perhaps the only move he's ever truly known. She doesn't dare call it by name--but now that the fight is well and truly on, the time for standing around and observing is over--at least, for the moment. Hokuto considers her actions carefully, however; she doesn't know much about Todoh's style--how close it would be to hers, ironically enough--but she does know that she wants no part of that slashing wave of chi. So she won't be attacking Shingo, and that leaves just one target.
Despite her seeming slow and precise movements, suddenly Hokuto is exploding off the block, as it were--pushing off with strong legs, lunging forward, bringing her left arm back, bent at the elbow, reinforced with her right hand as she flies forward, intending on smashing her elbow into Todoh's chest.
The move is known to Hokuto as Chuugeki Hou, and it is perhaps the most familiar move she herself has, her body flowing into perfect, practiced form, in the manner of someone who has dedicated themselves to the martial arts.
COMBATSYS: Shingo fails to interrupt Kasane Ate from Todoh with Random Weapon.
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Shingo 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Hokuto
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Todoh 0/-------/------=|
And so the fight begins! People around the world may just talk about this fight for ages to come, if but purely due to the awesome power of Todoh-ryuu.
They may also be as disinterested as the crowd who are actually there at Ebisu Bridge, not watching. The world may never know.
Shingo has never been inside a Skittles commercial, but he assumes that if life were a Skittles commercial than being attacked by the (in)famous Kasane Ate would be a part of daily life. Being that it's not a part of Shingo's daily life, and being that he hasn't 'tasted the rainbow' of a Kasane Ate, at least in so far as his recent memory, the youth quickly attempts to think of a strategy to deal with the rapidly incoming beams of light.
For starters, Shingo knows he can't move at the speed of light, so attempting to dodge them is a no go. He's not Kyo, so he can't just toss some flames at it and hope for the best, so that idea is out. With options rapidly dwindling as the Kasane Ate gets closer and closer, Shingo does the only thing that can pop into his head - toss something besides himself at it.
Looking around frantically, and running around in panicked circles as he does so, Shingo's eyes flit between the sandwich board he was wearing moments before, and the Kasane Ate himself. Having nothing to lose with the Kasane Ate about to make impact in mere blinks, Shingo makes a mad dash for the sandwich board, flings it towards the Kasane Ate, and is dismayed as he watches the board pass effortlessly through the lights mere blinks before the attack hits him square in the chest knocking him backwards onto his backside. A backside where Shingo remains for some time before hopping back to his feet and grasping at his chest in pain.
How do you spell oww? Kasane Ate.
COMBATSYS: Hokuto successfully hits Todoh with Chuugeki Hou.
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Shingo 0/-------/-----==|=------\-------\0 Hokuto
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Todoh 0/-------/----===|
Ryuhaku Todoh has such perfect faith in his technique that he doesn't give Shingo another look when it comes to how he tries to get around the tried, the true, the much-feared (...sort of) Ksane Ate. Either way, one would take advantage. Did he consider Shingo the greater threat? Does he hold more of an interest in her fighting technique? Who knows. (Is he even capable of acknowledging anybody else's style as anything other than 'not mine, not as good?')
But there is no doubting that it is an awkward angle to attempt to guard from, given what little time he has to react when Hokuto's speed comes into play. His arms cross themselves for the block, twisting his upper body slightly to try and provide a greater area of coverage. Her elbow manages to go under his by virtue of the differences in hieght, a clean hit that lands on the right side of his chest, a grunt as the elder Todoh bites his cheek in the impact. Being jolted helps make up for the lack of weight behind the strike, wind rusing out his lungs as he forces himself into a crouch to compensate.
He flashes a smile even as a bit of blood escapes out his cheek. She likes elbow strikes, does she? He has a time-honored (...not really) one of his own! He gives the fallen sandwichboard no respect for falling in the line of protecting Shingo. no, this is not how awesome the sandwichboard lived its life as an advertisement to the ice cream store before it.
The elder Todoh rises back up with another huff, arms adopting a similar posture to Hokuto's rush as his right elbow is brought up horizontally to nudge Hokuto back away. Takes more than one good elbow to knock the wind out of this old man.
At least he's not screaming about how she's doing it wrong... yet.
COMBATSYS: Hokuto counters Fierce Punch from Todoh with Goukyaku Kou.
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Shingo 0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0 Hokuto
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Todoh 0/-------/-======|
Doing it wrong? Hokuto -never- does it wrong. See, the thing most don't expect about Chuugeki Hou is that--well--she actually tends to back off after it strikes. Not far--a half-step, if that. Certainly not out of range of someone's return attack. Not far at all. But, usually, just far enough to prepare a response. Sometimes, she takes the easy response, the quickly-trained ones; sometimes... she takes some risks.
Here, and now, it's time for the risky. Given the position of her arms, it's rather simple; she twists to her right, but leaves her left arm in position to thrust-block the elder Todoh's elbow out of the way, twisting back to her left.
As that happens, Hokuto is smoothly moving forward, taking that half-step back and, incidentally, using her -right- elbow, swinging it around in a swift, short arc, a compact swing that strikes dead-center in Todoh's chest, knocking him back.
Again, the similarities should be very obvious between Kasumi and herself--but as Hokuto completes her strike she just smiles a little. If one elbow won't do it, then perhaps two will! It's too bad she's not prone to talking and all that, too much--she'd probably have a choice comment.
Between his getting knocked down, and his rise back to his feet, Shingo has done what any other fan of fighters would do - he stands in awe as the physical exchange between Hokuto and Todoh occurs. Oh sure, he can still feel the Kasane Ate against his chest (oh what a Kasane Ate it was! Oh what a chest it is!), but that doesn't affect his ability to take in the wonders of the fight that's continuing on without him.
Without missing a beat, without taking his eyes off the Amazing Fight Action (tm), Shingo reaches into his school jacket to grab his notebook, and begins to feverishly jot down notes - both about experiencing the Kasane Ate and about the two fighters.
If he were Kyo? He'd take advantage of both of his opponents being occupied. If he were any other fighter? He may do the same. Being that he's Shingo, the polite courteous all around far too nice and friendly fellow, he opts for his best course of action - to observe for the moment, to re-read his notes, and to be ready to strike when his opponents aren't fully focused on each other. Thusly, Shingo reviews his notes, and puts away his notebook, all while resuming his stance in preparation for his next move.
COMBATSYS: Shingo focuses on his next action.
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Shingo 0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0 Hokuto
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Todoh 0/-------/-======|
The elder Todoh, Ryuhaku, fails to make the recognition between potential similarities of the way Hokuto fights and the way he does. They both know effective use of their elbows, in varying degrees... but he gauges the technique in ways that equate in pain and D- in one's math homework. Come to think of it, that's not a very good analogy at all.
Reality doesn't express itself in analogies anyway! Metaphors, perhaps. But not analogies. When the elbow meets her left arm, he's ready to push it a bit to throw her back given the difference in their physiques. In that split-second, her right elbow swings itself into his chest - right in the center as she had hoped to nail the first time - and hurls him off his feet given his crouching posture, rolling backwards with a groan that could only be punctuated correctly with an exclamation mark.
The storefront wall of the Haagen-Dazs stops his knockback with another grunt, rising back up almost immediately with one hand rubbing his back and another huff. One eye is squinted shut. He sees that tiny smile, oh yes. He tries to match it, but goes overboard when it shows the teeth in something approaching a grin. He wants that last laugh! And if he has to have the ones before it, so be it!
He exhales once more, much more sharply than the last. Chest, back, both took a hit there. For the moment, maybe this only one moment, they're back in his favorite range as both hands go up once more. His standing posture isn't perfect, bent over slightly from the last exchange that he hasn't quite absorbed the pain of just yet. He did say they were going to demonstrate the wonders of Todoh-ryuu Kobujutsu today, dammit! And he's going to do it whether you like it or not, Mr. and Mrs. Chest and Back!
Since he's standing up against the building, those big, blocky chunks of chi that form are much easier to pick out from the scenery. But this is not just any set of blocky chunks of chi, oh no. They retain the same color, the same shape, that same... familiarity, to it. But what is the difference bet ween this and the next as the elder Todoh leans forward and swings his arms down yet again, this time with an accompanying, loud kiai best written as "HEEYAH!!"?
He'd hire an editor to correct that embarrassing punctuation placement error. Or not.
The difference is just how far apart those three segments nearly get in the process! (Or would one just be grabbing straws looking for a way to differentiate them all?!)
Hokuto might be able to tell the rest of the world once all's said and done.
COMBATSYS: Todoh successfully hits Hokuto with Fierce Kasane Ate.
- Power hit! -
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Shingo 0/-------/-----==|======-\-------\0 Hokuto
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Todoh 0/-------/=======|
Oh yes. Yes, she will be able to tell the world. But she won't -want- to. The slashing blades of chi take her by surprise--she's not only engulfed, but blown backwards, and as she doesn't have the wall of the Haagen-Dazs ice-cream store to backstop her, she is hurled out into the main arena area, tumbling and rolling once, twice.
Ow. Yes, that hurt quite a bit--even with Hokuto attempting to defend by just not being there... it happens. One zigs when they should zag, that kind of thing. Hokuto rises to her feet...
But she doesn't attempt to attack either of her opponents, because, well, for one, that HURT. And secondly, she's now out of position. And third, THAT HURT. Todoh may be a joke--certainly there are some camps out there that believe so.
But this is Fierce Kasane Ate, and it is Fierce business.
COMBATSYS: Hokuto gains composure.
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Shingo 0/-------/-----==|=====--\-------\0 Hokuto
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Todoh 0/-------/=======|
The past few moments have held a number of revelations for Shingo, some far more interesting than others.
Revelation 1) The Kasane Ate is a beautiful thing to behold, a painful thing to experience firsthand.
Revelation 2) If Kyo were here, he'd have slapped Shingo upside the head for wasting time gathering revelations instead of kicking butt.
Revelation 3) Shingo hasn't kicked any butt yet.
When one combines all of those revelations together, it becomes obvious what Shingo Yabuki knows in his heart he must do.
Shingo Must Kick!
What triggered Shingo's wanton need to now kick something? Was it Ryuhaku Todoh's Kasane Ate hitting him? No. Was it the beautiful counter-attack ballet that Todoh and Hokuto shared moments ago tempting Shingo to join in? No. Simply put, the chivalrous bones in Shingo's body cried out to him the moment Todoh's 'even more impressive than the last one' Kasane Ate collided with poor Hokuto. Who better to step up and defend a woman who can defend herself, than Shingo?
Without much initial warning, Shingo runs at top speed towards Ryuhaku Todoh, doing his best to avoid any oncoming bodies, sandwich boards, or flashing pretty rainbow coloured lights, and once within a few feet, Shingo twists his body around, turning, and leaps up mid-turn. As Shingo's body twists around to face Todoh, his right leg spins around, aimed skyward it aims itself directly for Todoh's head. As the youth descends, a cry goes out in the night - "SHHHINNNNNGGGOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO KIIIIIIICCCKKKKKKKUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!"
COMBATSYS: Shingo successfully hits Todoh with Shingo Kick.
- Power hit! -
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Shingo 0/-------/---====|=====--\-------\0 Hokuto
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Todoh 1/-----==/=======|
Ryuhaku takes a few steps away (or more a few steps forward) from that blasted wall and its body-catching ways as he rights up his stance after Elbowing: The Sequel. The sequel in which he would rate a mere one Kasane Ate on a scale of four, if only because it involved defamation of his defensive and counter-offensive maneuvers! His bias is why he is not trusted as a move critic, and as such he is not welcome as a featured reviewer of Fizzled Hadoukens.
Hokuto moves a bit too far out of immediate range for him to deal with. Well, not without hiking up his skirt and giving chase as she steadies herself from the last exchange of blows. Rather, he's not about to take the fight to anybody. Someone else takes the fight to him!
"Eh?!" That loud voice that carries itself far louder than any chatting group of friends, than any noisy advertisements, and, maybe, than any self-promoting declaration of Ryuhaku Todoh's own ways.
time seems to slow down between Shingo's descent and his hapless old man victim. This will probably be one of the best half-seconds in Shingo's life. He comes in far too high, far too fast, and much too enthusiastically for even such an enthusiastic fighter, like the elder Todoh, whose spirit borders and even surpasses the threshhold of bare-minimum maturity and cultural politeness as Shingo, literally, lands right on top of him while the elder Todoh doesn't even get his jaw to drop down low enough for a proper gape.
The ground seems to shake at the impact as Todoh is thrust into the asphalt face-first, allowing Shingo to continue on as he will while the elder Todoh finds that there is one thing that Osaka and his beloved Southtown share in common.
Asphalt doesn't taste very good, even in one of the best places to eat in all of Japan. What a gyp.
COMBATSYS: Todoh takes no action.
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Shingo 0/-------/---====|=====--\-------\0 Hokuto
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Todoh 1/-----==/=======|
Once again, Hokuto is surprised at her opponents' choice to leave her be; it's so unusual in take-no-prisoners, no-holds-barred fighting action, which is what SNF is touted as being. Not that she would complain--and really, Todoh has been taking the brunt of the action, hasn't he? That's probably not fair--even if it is tactically sound. Well, that looked painful, that connected Shingo Kick, and while it might be minorly amusing to gang up on Todoh more, it's probably not nice.
And, all things considered, Hokuto really is a rather nice girl. Just then, she notes something at her feet--something white, and made of heavy, corrugated material. Shingo's Haagen-Dazs signboard. Kneeling, she picks it up and smiles to herself, then calls out.
"Shingo-san, you forgot your signboard!" And then it gets flung, like a gigantic frisbee, twirling through the air almost lazily...
COMBATSYS: Shingo dodges Hokuto's Large Thrown Object.
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Shingo 0/-------/---====|=====--\-------\0 Hokuto
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Todoh 1/-----==/=======|
The moment Shingo begins his Shingo Kick, the SNF officials seem pleased - even moreso the moment it connects. On the monitors surrounding the arena, not to mention for the folks at home, the clip of Shingo executing his kick is replayed a few times, at least once in slow motion, at least once with commentary. This then leads into an announcement of a new DVD from Howard Enterprises SNF division - namely the Top 100 Shingo Kicks Of All Time, with bonus features like Shingo's Greatest Bloopers and Blunders and the What Would Kyo Kusanagi Do? mini-game, plus preview footage of the new SNF game for next gen home consoles! Coming to a store near you soon!
Of course, none of the fighters are able to hear the advertisements since the monitors are only relaying the video feed that goes out, and thusly anyone watching from around Ebisu Bridge would merely be treated to a random repeat clip of Shingo 'Shingo Kicking' Todoh in the head, and then some random clips of other Shingo Kicks against a wide variety of fighters, plus other random footage.
Marketing geniuses reside at Howard Enterprises! Mmhmm. Back at the fight...
Shingo, having successfully landed his foot onto Todoh's head, manages to land in a sort of half-crouch, Todoh lying on the ground behind him and Hokuto even further behind him. Had the call of warning that his sandwich board was on its way had not been made, he may have ended up with his face eating asphalt like Todoh, and a sandwich board on top of him. Being that there was a warning, Shingo tucks himself into a roll to move out of the sandwich board's way, eyeing it carefully as it hits the ground bouncing once or twice. Part of Shingo feels bad for the poor sandwich board that has seen more abuse so far in this fight than even Shingo normally does - but the sandwich board isn't alive, and thusly it warrants no real feelings. Still...poor sandwich board.
Grabbing the sandwich board with both hands, Shingo rises to his feet and spins around on his heel to face Hokuto, a wide smile forming on his face as he does so. "Thank you very much for returning my signboard! I hadn't really forgotten it though...hrm. You know, I think you deserve it more than I. They need a spokesperson who is as lovely as they are a great fighter, and at the moment I can't think of anyone here who deserves it more. Here, you may have my board! Please wear it well!" And so Shingo tosses it back. Is he intending to hit Hokuto with it? Not in the slightest, but Shingo isn't exactly one of the stars of any of Taiyo's sports teams. If it does hit, he'll be quick to apologize. If it doesn't, well, it just goes to show he was being nice about it.
For a moment, attention is not quite focused on Todoh. SNF officials know that one moment is, typically, all he needs to be allowed for everyone to just suddenly lose track of him. This trend fails to change, as the moment it is called to attention he's not even in the middle of the road like he was a couple seconds ago. What?
Perhaps Shingo and Hokuto are too busy preparing to go back and forth to find that, inexplicably, an all-too-familiar voice cackles from somewhat further down towards the bridge, near a crowd of young female students from a school around here gathered to... watch? Maybe? Todoh's silhouette suddenly stands out nearby, hands clapping above his head loudly as light brings back features to prove it is, indeed, Ryuhaku Todoh. See that big bruise on his forehead that his headband almost completely fails to cover up, and that blood trickling down his nose? He's in awful good spirits despite that. Um, how did he get there so quickly anyway?
"YEH HAH HAH HAH!! The gloves come off now!" Ryuhaku boasts with a renewed sense of vigor, determination, and purpose! These young children with their not entirely horrible fighting styles, being they are not Kyokugne users, are due to see what it is that makes him Todoh. Both arms raise up again, in that sign of impending doom, destruction, and cleansing of the unworthy. "So behold! Cherish this free lesson I'll give you! For it is the greatest technique among all of--"
A young girl tugs at his sleeve, which miraculously calls his attention enough for him to stop rambling for a moment. "We're trying to watch Kurow fight in China on my new cellphone. Can you please be quiet?"
The elder Todoh lowers his arms, sighs, and faces the crowd of slighted girls with a polite apologetic bow before peacefully moving back along closer to the actual battle.
COMBATSYS: Todoh takes no action.
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Shingo 0/-------/---====|=====--\-------\0 Hokuto
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Todoh 1/=======/=======|
COMBATSYS: Shingo successfully hits Hokuto with Large Thrown Object.
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Shingo 0/-------/--=====|=======\-------\1 Hokuto
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Todoh 1/=======/=======|
... and Shingo's toss seems to be more on-target than Hokuto expects--a gust of wind, or something, takes the signboard in the same direction that she's already moving--far too late for her to do anything about. And it hurts--as she expected it might do to Shingo. So far, 'luck' hasn't been on her side recently--that strike caused quite a bit of pain for the young kobujutsu fighter. She hisses softly.. not liking much of any of her choices, really, she kind of stumbles to a halt. And sets her jaw.
"No, Shingo-san, I really don't want it... I don't do endorsement deals, or anything like that..." So saying, she picks the signboard up once more--noting that the corner that struck her is a little crumpled. A lot crumpled, actually.
"And since they hired you you should be taking better care of your work clothing!" So saying, once again... the signboard goes spinning through the air... Hokuto taking a quick, skipping step forward.
COMBATSYS: Shingo dodges Hokuto's Large Thrown Object.
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Shingo 0/-------/--=====|=======\-------\1 Hokuto
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Todoh 1/=======/=======|
Shingo watches in slow motion as the signboard...sandwich board...the Haagen Dazs board sails through the air, and by no fault of his own ends up hitting Hokuto - the exact opposite of what he intended. At the same time, Todoh is no longer where he was on the ground (Shingo could've sworn he was still laying there), and is now quite a ways down the street. Odd set of circumstances to say the least.
Shingo being Shingo, he can't help but to bow profusely, his words coming out fast, furious, and as sincere and genuine in their apologetic tone as they can be. "Many many many apologies Hokuto-chan. I...didn't mean to hit you. I was just tossing it back. Please forgive me, I--" Shingo stops as he notes that the board is coming his way again.
Not wanting to be hit by the board, even if he might deserve it, the Taiyo High youth moves out of the way, stepping to the side and only narrowly escaping certain sandwich board attack doom! Eyes flitting between Hokuto and Todoh, Shingo takes a few steps back and re-assumes his fighting stance. He needs to collect his thoughts and see what's going to happen next. While he's fought Hokuto before, and he's seen some of Todoh's fights on TV, he's not quite sure what action to take next. Of course, if Kyo were around, he'd tell Shingo that the Kusanagi-ryuu is all about not letting up on your attacks. Actually, Kyo wouldn't say that, since Kyo wouldn't really give direction. Saishu might, but being that neither Kusanagi is around, Shingo figures he'll go with his gut on this one and just wait for his opponents to make a move before going full tilt.
COMBATSYS: Shingo takes no action.
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Shingo 0/-------/--=====|=======\-------\1 Hokuto
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Todoh 1/=======/=======|
The sandwich boards are thrown back and forth. At least one part of the crowd is more interested in watching a cellphone feed of some fight taking place in another nation than watching the one here. Ryuhaku Todoh seems to disappear off the figurative radar yet /again/ as the battle of sandwich board dodgeball intensifies between two young and quite adept martial artists.
"YEH HAH HAH HAH!!" And there he goes again, somewhere a ways behind Shingo. "Now th--" And then he gets interrupted even sooner as he has to duck and cover his head from a flying sandwich board that then clatters down onto the road nearby. Something snaps... further. He pulls a fan out of his top with his left hand and stomps ever-so-closer to the fight. "What's with the wait?! When you fight you go in there and take them out with every opening they give you!"
And, as if to puncutate the point, he tries to slap the flat end of the fan down on top of Shingo's head in local slapstick fashion. "Do it like she's doing!!" But would fate and the well-honed reflexes of one Shingo Yabuki allow such a humorous transaction between fan and head take place?!
Hokuto-*chan*? No one calls her that. If Shingo is hoping for understanding in those brown eyes, instead he is going to get something else entirely--for the moment those words pass the callow young boy's lips, Hokuto's eyes practically ice over. See, it's unfortunate--the only people that called her 'Hokuto-chan'... they have emotional investments made by Hokuto that go as deep as, and in some cases, even deeper than, family.
Fortunately--or unfortunately--Hokuto is good at bottling up that anger, after the first flare of it that heats her cheeks. Someday that anger might kill her; even now, the memories that she associates with something simple like an honorific or nickname are like an expanding weight in her heart, making it harder to feel anything else.
But if Hokuto is anything, she is a master of her reactions--or so she would like to think. She doesn't make any prosaic speeches--she doesn't even say the typical 'nobody calls me that' line--she just... acts on it. She acts on it by lunging forward, after Todoh reappears, seeking to grasp Shingo by the arm. Should that grip be made, she'll just tug him forward, seeking to throw him forward (back, for her) and trip him onto the ground.
COMBATSYS: Hokuto successfully hits Shingo with Quick Throw.
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Shingo 0/-------/=======|=======\=------\1 Hokuto
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Todoh 1/=======/=======|
COMBATSYS: Shingo counters Random Weapon from Todoh with Tsuki Hiji.
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Shingo 1/-------/=======|=======\=------\1 Hokuto
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Todoh 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|
There are times when Shingo doesn't really think. These are usually the times when he's dealing with other fighters...partly because he'd like to think of every other fighter as a friend. Well, except Iori. Come to think of it, mostly just not Iori. There may be a few other fighters Shingo's met that he wouldn't consider a friend or on friendly terms with, but only Iori ever really comes to mind. Was Shingo calling Hokuto 'Hokuto-chan' a mistake? Pretty much a slip of the tongue. While Hokuto lunges towards Shingo, Todoh is reappearing behind Shingo, his very words digging deeply into the back of Shingo's mind as the words sound almost exactly like those of Saishu sensei. It's when these two acts come together to converge on Shingo that some very odd things begin to happen...at least from Shingo's perspective.
Shingo's initial reaction is to put his arms out and attempt an Aragami Mikansei, or just spin around randomly punching at things to get himself some space - unfortunately, initial reactions aren't very viable when you have someone lunging at you, and someone else doing lord knows what behind you. Shingo's secondary reaction ended up being the one to follow through, and so as Hokuto makes her lunge at Shingo, and grabs his one arm, the youth spins around towards Todoh, raises his other arm's elbow up and swiftly brings it down upon Todoh's fan-holding hand, all before Hokuto jerks him away. The very momentum of being pulled away has Shingo stumbling enough, but what his feet seem unable to accomplish on their own, Hokuto's trip accomplishes, and down goes the Yabuki, falling right onto his ass with an audible thump - audible enough that the girls watching Kurow's fight in China on one of their cellphones actually put the cellphone away for a moment to take notice.
And take notice they do, in the form of pointing at Shingo and giggling as only schoolgirls can, before returning to their cellphone fight. Shingo on the other hand winces as he lands, getting up slowly and rubbing his pained backside as he does so, doing his best to keep a smile on his face, and his eyes on what his opponents will do to humiliate him next. Put a clown nose on him? Call him Shingo Yagami? Paint his clothes pink? Some other atrocity that he can't fathom since his ass is in pain?
There is something very special about the ways of Shingo Yabuki. But let's get back to that in a minute.
Todoh brings the fan down. He puts quite a bit of forward momentum in this, having been almost out of reach of Shingo's head when he decided to reprimand him for pausing so suddenly. But, the fan doesn't even hit air. Just as Shingo is attacked, the would-be 'pupil' of Kyo Kusanagi manages to start something that may culminate into the very highlight of the SNFs.
The elbow strikes Todoh's wrist with such force, such perfect execution that it drives the elder Todoh's momentum forward, finding his balance far too unstable towards the direction of Hokuto and a tripped Shingo a ways forwards.
"Gah!" So the elder Todoh practically squeaks, not only at the pain that throbs through a wrist that may very well have been nearly broken, but because he ends up falling into a tumble forwards to prevent himself from falling prone. The only significant problem with this is that, straight ahead, there is Hokuto Mizugami.
If there's enough momentum and not enough quick thinking on the part of one or the other, one may be looking at a three-fighter pile-up. (Or three would.)
COMBATSYS: Hokuto fails to counter Medium Kick from Todoh with Goukyaku Nage.
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Shingo 1/-------/=======|=======\===----\1 Hokuto
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Todoh 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|
Unfortunate, indeed. Hokuto has practiced long and hard to be able to stop situations like this from going bad. Sadly, all that practice is for naught; Hokuto's attempt to catch Todoh's stumble, prepatory to doing more damage... well, it fails. Hard. Instead she's caught by Todoh in the chest and that impact forces her back, stumbling away from Todoh and Shingo. She is experiencing a rather singular frustration; her composure and her analytical skills have, as of late, been rather off.
She has to find her center again--reach for the calm that she was taught to fight from, to use as the center of her world. That calm has been rather lacking... but she may not have the time to do what she needs to do to get her head back in the game.
When it comes down to it, one really can't blame the spectators for not spectating this particular fight.
Let's be honest. In the history of fighting matches, how often do three well trained warriors all end up stumbling over each other due to timing their attacks at the exact same moment? If you can count more than three matches, you need to go outside more and enjoy life. From out in the crowd, one of the schoolgirls looks up and brightens as she calls out, "Go Kyo Kusa-- oh. Wait. That's not Kyo. That's just some guy dressed kinda like him, fighting kinda like him. Bo-ring." and with those scathing words, continues on her way to the ice cream shop.
Shingo on the other hand doesn't hear her words as he's too busy attempting to figure out what just happened within the last few moments. For all he can recall, he was standing there watching Hokuto come at him, heard Todoh behind him, wheeled around and apparently hit Todoh before being tossed on his ass, and now looking up, sees both of his opponents stumbling around as well. Could his stumbling be a disease? Is he contagious? This could be an outbreak of epic proportions! Or...it could just be a coincidence. Yes. Coincidence. That's it.
Still, with Hokuto stumbling around, Shingo wouldn't dare take advantage of her...it wouldn't be right. As for Todoh, well, he is Shingo's elder, and he completely respects Todoh. Plus, he kind of elbowed Todoh in the wrist...so...
Taking a deep breath, Shingo lets out a sigh, and goes back to 'apology mode', bowing rapidly towards both Hokuto and Todoh. "MANY MANY MANY APOLOGIES!!! To both you, most revered Todoh-san, sensei of the Kyokugen, and to you Miss Mizugami! I only hope that you are both alright. I promise you both that going forward I will continue to do my best, but, from here on will not be holding back, as I do not want to insult either of you!"
With those words, Shingo does what he should've done at the beginning of the fight - puts himself in a fighting mindset. Getting back into his fighting stance, Shingo smirks as an entire attack plan flashes through his head, and visions of what Kyo would do in his shoes begin coming through crystal clear.
COMBATSYS: Shingo focuses on his next action.
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Shingo 1/-------/=======|=======\===----\1 Hokuto
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Todoh 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|
At the end of the tumble brought on by a particularly opportune Shingo elbow counter, Todoh grumbles something under his breath as he rights himself up and starts to shake the arm in which he was struck. Fingers waggle. His other hand supports the poor wrist with a quick rub. It may even be insulting to those extreme few that place any faith in him (let alone people who have actually bothered to commit his name and dream to memory, as he's the sort of guy that somehow just slips out of a lot of people's minds) to think that, after all his boasting, he stops pressing what would be a perfect time for an offense just to shake around a jolted wrist.
If there was ever a time for an exclamation mark to physically manifest in the real world over someone's head by some means, this would be the time for it to happen. Metaphorically. As he's content to try and nurse that last nasty boo-boo, someone makes a grave error. Him, of Kyokugen?!
"Gckt." Todoh's head dips with the little vocal tic. "Grk. Gnk. Ngh. Grr." This goes on for a very short while, all until it culminates to boiling point. Boiling... and beyond. Slowly, his head turns towards that spirited, well-intentioned declaration of his continued efforts to put up a good fight.
Were it any other subject matter, Todoh would politely applaud, nod, and probably continue to beat the crap out of him anyway. He seethes. A vein in his head looks as if it were ready to pop as he faces towards Shingo, one hand raised. Does this mean that Ryuhaku Todoh, after all his earlier boasting, is finally about to bring it on?!
Will there be giant chunks of blocky chi or sharp little waves that eem to take more off of Kasumi's own portrayal of the infamous technique, splitting the earth and heavens into two complete, distinct halves and leaving nothing but fallen fighters in its wake? Some of the gathered turn off their cellphones.
"GET IT RIGHT OR I'LL RIP YOUR THROAT OUT!" Ryuhaku Todoh says as he flings one of his fans for Shingo's face.
...
Yep. That's it.
Apologies? What a strange young man. Hokuto, however, doesn't want his apologies--not for whatever imagined slight he thinks he did or even for the slight (in Hokuto's mind) that he did perpetrate. Those issues are hers, not his; he couldn't have known about how she'd react to such a sobriquet being tossed about.
That doesn't make her willing to give him any quarter--but as she felt, and thought... she needs a moment to regain her composure. To bring herself back into the game, so to speak. So she is not out there shaming the name of Mizugami, though she is not, technically, one of them anymore.
In the meantime, it looks as though Todoh intends to deal with Shingo and in truth, she's more than agreeable--she'd love to see the two duke it out for a bit before she has to jump back in, which she is assured she will.
COMBATSYS: Hokuto focuses on her next action.
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Shingo 1/-------/=======|=======\===----\1 Hokuto
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Todoh 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|
COMBATSYS: Shingo endures Todoh's Thrown Object.
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Shingo 1/-----==/=======|=======\===----\1 Hokuto
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Todoh 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|
Get it right or he'll rip Shingo's throat out. Well...that's a tad uncalled for. Even Kyo at his worst wouldn't threaten to rip Shingo's throat out. Iori might...then again with Iori it wouldn't be a threat. Enough about Iori and the ripping of throats, there's fight to be had!
Both figuratively and literally shaking his thoughts out of his head, Shingo re-focuses on the fight at hand and ends up watching one of Todoh's fans sailing his way, having just left the other fighter's hand. This prompts Shingo to do what any Kusanagi-ryuu trained fighter would do - namely, run straight at his opponent and ignore the projectile.
Thusly, Shingo grins as he makes a mad dash directly at Todoh. While the fan was aimed towards Shingo's face, the youth brings his right arm back as if preparing a punch, and based on the angle and twisting of his body ends up getting hit on his left shoulder by the fan - but it seemingly doesn't faze the youth in the slightest.
Having bridged the gap, Shingo lets loose with all his might, thrusting his right fist towards Todoh's general direction, not really aiming towards torso, head, or otherwise - a blindly thrown punch really, with the rest of Shingo's body sliding into his fighting stance as if preparing for follow up attacks or defenses.
If anything, Shingo is showing he means business. Serious business. Serious punching business with potential forecast for kicking if opportunities permit. Of course, even if his punch misses, he's still primed and ready to go for the next move in his complex mental plan for this engagement...even planned down to how to handle Hokuto when she decides to rejoin the fight. Oh yes, he was prepared for her to do that. She did that in the last fight. He knows that it's only a matter of time before he may have to handle two fighters attempting to pound on him again...this time though? He'll be going with his first instincts.
COMBATSYS: Todoh fails to counter Fierce Punch from Shingo with Kuzu Otoshi.
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Shingo 1/----===/=======|=======\===----\1 Hokuto
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Todoh 1/----===/=======|
Todoh and Shingo are both sharing that single-handed anger of being slighted. Humiliation. Confusion. Forgetting each other's names and fighting styles. Being a man. These are all infuriating, stressful things. But it all boils down to this. Never mind the particularly good-looking, skilled female fighter waiting in the wings for the perfect opportunity to strike. She is not a man! (To be a man, you need honor, honor and a... well, never mind that.)
Shingo has closed in tight, heedless of the scorn of a thrown fan. Todoh holds resolute, anger and stress resulting in brief laughter. That Kyokugen thing was the last straw. "GET IT RIGHT! IT'S NOT KYOKUGEN! IT'S TO---"
His form hardens. One arm is held back, cocked as if ready to thrust forward at any moment. The other is held straight ahead. Theoretically, it can catch just about any attack. He watched Kasumi very carefully before perfecting this very stance she mastered - the one he was never able to at her age! (He'll never cop up to this.) It should have been an easy catch, given how high Shingo's fist soars. But what is with the interruption in Todoh's speech in this brief exchange between true men in one of their finest hours?
It is Shingo's fist that slides past the arm pointed out closer to him, going high and into his chin. "--D'OOOOOH!!" His upper body collapses in the direction that Shingo's fist travels, blood and saliva flying out of the elder Todoh's mouth that descend in Kasane Ate patterns, bunched in droplets of three as he goes soaring off his feet and back onto the asphalt on his back.
Dazedly, he stares up at the pretty lights around the bridge. Phasing in and out of consciousness, they spin about his head slowly as he barely even sits up.
Right. This fight really should have been billed as Shingo vs. Todoh and Hokuto--because that's what it is shaping up to be. Not out of any negotiating on either Hokuto or Todoh's part--but it's the natural way to view things when one member of the FFA is doing so much better than the other two. Todoh's been, for the most part, taken out--he certainly doesn't look like he's with it. It would be rude to take advantage of that. And in fact, Hokuto is hoping that Todoh will seek vengeance on Shingo, still.
So it is on Hokuto... and she's going to do her best to do damage to Shingo. Suddenly, she's dashing forward--well, almost gliding, really, much like with her vaunted Chuugeki Hou technique. But the girl doesn't 'stop with just a lunging elbow--should she make contact. The elbow will transition seamlessly into a double palm strike aimed for the same point on Shingo's chest that her elbow is aimed for. One thing that Hokuto did learn along with her Chuugeki Hou is how to use it as a setup...
COMBATSYS: Shingo fails to counter Strong Punch from Hokuto with Tsuki Hiji.
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Shingo 1/--=====/=======|=======\====---\1 Hokuto
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Todoh 1/----===/=======|
On the one hand, Shingo's punch has landed on Todoh, and the hero of the Kasane Ate has gone down, if but for the moment. On the other hand, Hokuto is doing exactly what Shingo thought she'd do - which is namely attack him to take advantage of the fact he just attacked Todoh.
Under normal Kusanagi-ryuu style circumstances, such an act would be a no-no, since if you get within range, someone practicing Kusanagi-ryuu will start to attack you and that's that. Sure, they may start with a counter, but once they start, they tend to not stop. Much.
Shingo uses a semi self-taught version of the Kusanagi-ryuu which has more inspiration from it than anything else, but is not in fact Kusanagi-ryuu. Top that off with the fact that Shingo is only so fast. He may have hit ninjas before, but he himself is NOT a ninja.
As such, when Hokuto comes elbow first towards the youth, he does what comes naturally, he brings his elbow up in defiance, ready to strike! Unfortunately, this is all done too late, or too early. Regardless, the timing is off and only further opens Shingo's body up to Hokuto's assault, which results in him being hit in the chest not only by an elbow but by a double-palm strike. This in turn causes Shingo to almost mimic what Todoh's body went through moments before, as he sails backward a couple of feet, landing squarely on his back. Groaning in pain as he clutches at his chest yet again during this fight, the Taiyo High youth opts to remain on the ground for the moment, soaking the pain up as best he can. Unlike Todoh, he's not slipping in and out of consciousness, although with the newly formed pain in his chest, he might be better off if he did.
Neglected for the time being, the cameraman points at Todoh briefly to make sure he's not about to run off and do something silly again. But, no, he's still there. He's still getting up after that last one to the jaw. See that big bruise on his chin? That's Shingo's John Hancock. Any lesser man should be out like a light by now, after suffering a punch so solid.
Not this crazy old man!
he brings his palms up to his head and gently, well, palms it as he stands up with a low, prolonged groan as he sees double of the various scenery. It's almost like the time that he decided to booze it up last month. Drunkenness by punching.
"Ooooh... yeah. Yeah, you... you better run." He stumbles a step forward towards the battle, unable to clearly make out distinctive features. There's this mostly blue-ish blob, and a slightly less blue-ish blob with some red on it, and brown on top for both. Also, lots of various, large blobs of similar colors. Similar uniforms?
He claps his hands up above himself for purpose of focus. It doesn't help very much, but it is a practiced force of habit he uses to try and center himself in a pinch to gather the concentration he needs. He needs it.
"The greatest... style on Earth. Yep... that's right... I'll show it for freeeeee...." His voice trails as he barely even really stays standing. With a cough, both hands go up into the air. Surprisingly straight into the air. The lights return again.
But what is it about this one compared to the rest? The chi blocks flicker a little before they are actually properly harnessed together thanks to being right on the edge of not being able to fight any further. But he knows what his wife is thinking at home. He's going home a winner tonight, that's what he said! A winner with a thousand students following him home! All of whom will be masters of his family art to carry on its legacy! It's that kind of wishy-washy thinking that's hurting more than helping.
Yet, it forms. His arms swing down almost prematurely, but that blocky chi comes down. Three segments. About as conic as the first the two saw this fight. There's, visibly, no difference at all, except for one thing.
The color. It ain't orange-yellow or whatever it is. He hurls it at both the blobs of blue color, but the one with the splotch of red manages to send the mostly blue one away. This leaves it as the only prospective victim.
The elder Todoh darn near falls forward flat on his face after the fact as dust clouds form around where it falls.
Kasane Ate again? Why, something better!
COMBATSYS: Todoh successfully hits Hokuto with Meiou Ken.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////// ]
Shingo 1/--=====/=======|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Hokuto
[ \\\\\\\ <
Todoh 0/-------/---====|
Sadly, Todoh gets it in his damn fool head that he needs to hit Hokuto. Once again, Hokuto attemps to evade--and once again, she is made of fail. The ... not-Kasane-Ate-really catches her full on--and it doesn't just blast her. it blasts her and carries her along and slams her into the brick storefront of the Haagen-Dazs shop--forcing a small group of spectators/ice cream eaters to scramble, along with their food, as Hokuto is just wrecked by that wave of energy.
The resounding *thud* practically echoes, and Hokuto stumbles to her left, trying to maintain her balance--and fails, falling hard onto her shoulder. She's dazed, much like Todoh was... but, as she gets up, she finds her eyes, at least, are still alright. And Shingo is still standing. Unsteadily, Hokuto raises her left arm, sighting along it, wielding an invisible bow. Chi flares up at the palm of her left hand, growing from a golden ball into a thick arrow-shaped projectile of chi... that is loosed at the only still-standing figure... as Hokuto herself falls to one knee shortly thereafter.
COMBATSYS: Shingo fails to slow Kiren Eki from Hokuto with Thrown Object.
[ \\\\\\\\ < > ////// ]
Shingo 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|=======\-------\1 Hokuto
[ \\\\\\\ <
Todoh 0/-------/---====|
What is with people hitting Shingo in the chest today? Have all those chest presses and other gym related activities actually been paying off? Is he wearing some sort of yellow circles with a bat symbol on the inside, and asking for folks to hit him there? Does he have a bullseye painted there, or a sign on his back saying 'hit me in the chest'? Sheesh.
Still, Yabuki may have been better off staying on the ground, because by the time Kyo Kusanagi's self-proclaimed student actually does get to his feet, another threat from Hokuto ends up on its way directly for him. Much like when Todoh attacked Shingo with his Kasane Ate, Shingo has been left with very few options as a speeding arrow shaped golden bolt of chi is heading right his way.
One would think he might've learned something from getting hit from the Kasane Ate, in so far as learning how to handle rapidly approaching chi projectiles...unfortunately due to the speed and force of the chi in question, it still doesn't sit right with Shingo to try anything but what he tried before. Sure, it failed the last time, but there's always a chance! A chance for success! A chance for victory! A chance to not get obliterated by pure energy! A chance to...survive?
Frantically and without much time, Shingo goes into 'find something to toss at the chi blast quick' mode, and ends up finding his sandwich/sign/Haagen Dazs board from earlier. It's seen a lot of wear and tear this fight, and is barely a quarter of a board now...but it'll have to do!
With cunning and speed seen only by molasses, Shingo swiftly scoops up the remaining board, and..
...ends up hit squarely in the shoulder by the arrow like chi, dropping the board as the mere force of the attack knocks him back first into the side of the Haagen Dazs building, and leaves him slowly slumping to the ground in a pile of moaning, groaning, and much pain.
Shingo may still draw breath, but it's clearly shallow. Slow. The wind has been knocked out of him, and the pain is starting to become overwhelming. For the time being, he remains in that state. Whether or not he can still fight is anyone's guess - although anyone who knows or has seen Shingo fight before knows that he comes back from such injuries at the most inopportune of times.
All three are, virtually, right on the ropes now. Whether by a twist of fate, Shingo and Hokuto have both found themselves resting against the Haagen-Dazs building while shouldering their collective fighting damages the only way they can.
Not Ryuhaku Todoh, no siree.
He tries to remain firmly standing on his feet despite that feeling of dizziness and numbness that just won't go away. He took a big blow to the head, all right. Well, more than one. But that last one by Shingo, that's gonna last for days. He grunts as he tries to put on that look that he's still in the fight. Arms right where they need to be... the one whose hand got slammed by Shingo's elbow is a little lower than normal.
When that big blast of chi came-a flying, he brought up his arms despite not being anywhere near its flight path. Distances have proven extremely difficult to judge, now. But he continues onward as Shingo flies into the building. Really, he's just been following whoever or wherever it came from. He's too self-centered to think they could've been firing for anybody other than him!
"That... that the best?1 Yeh hah... hah hah haaaah!" He draws closer and closer to Hokuto yet, only because her splotches of colors seem more guilty than any of the other bright lights around here. "Try again!"
That's with an exclamation mark as he approaches forward with a vague hint of stability and focus, crouching down before standing right back up - straight up - in an uppercut in hopes of sending the blue-with-red-and-brown-on-top blob packing.
It's an uppercut without much horizontal range and, again, the distances are far too hard for him to really gauge properly. Is he punch-drunkenly swinging at the air?
COMBATSYS: Hokuto counters Hakuzan Tou from Todoh with Goukyaku Nage.
[ \\\\\\\\ < > ///// ]
Shingo 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|=======\=------\1 Hokuto
[ \\\ <
Todoh 0/-------/-======|
Hokuto might be hurting, but she's not punch drunk just yet. Todoh, however, is; first he chiblasted her and now he's trying to hit her again? Well, not THIS TIME, sir. Hokuto groans in pain, even as she moves her arms--trapping Todoh's uppercutting arm with both hands, stepping past him as she rotates the arm in an unpleasant-looking arc...
... and then pulling to throw Todoh to the ground. But not -straight- to the ground, oh no. She also flings him in Shingo's direction, along the ground. Watch out, Shingo, old man coming your way! Of course... her aim is probably off, too--she's not feelin' too hot herself, one way or the other...
So Shingo doesn't really have much to worry about. Hokuto mumbles something under her breath... the monitors pick it up, of course, so that eveyrone hears her mumble about crazy old men... but it really isn't said with much rancor. She's just tired.
Shingo's eyes may be closed, but he can still hear, being that he's still got some sense of consciousness left. Somewhat. So when he hears random grunts, shouts, and other assorted noises that one usually associates with attacking, and the potential for something coming his way, well, he does what he can to pull himself together.
Thankfully when he does open his eyes, with much effort, the Todoh that was tossed in his general direction in fact doesn't actually end up near him. Straining himself as best as he can back to his feet, Shingo's facial expression is once mixed with a very strong wince mixed with a very strong effort to smile. It's about the closest Shingo might look to being in a fit of fighter's rage, although it's so far removed from anything resembling rage, well, it is what it is. Slowly but surely, with much visible effort and pain, Shingo gets to his feet, although barely able to keep himself upright, he does what he can. Stealing a glance at the currently fallen Todoh before looking over at the apparently still standing Hokuto, Shingo decides then and there what must be done.
Hokuto must go down.
The last time they fought, he pushed through the pain not once, but twice. In the end, it was a stalemate. He's not here to claim victory for himself. Normally he'd be claiming victory all in the name of Kyo Kusanagi. Not this time. No siree.
Even if what his battered mind has come up with in its haste, fighting through pain, even if it fails, he has a singular purpose now. A simple purpose. To win this fight. But not for himself. Not for Kyo Kusanagi.
He must do it for Ryuhaku Todoh. For Todoh-ryuu. He must do it out of utter respect for a experienced fighter, a man who in just this one fight has earned a great deal of respect - even though Shingo respected the elder fighter prior to this engagement. Yes. This is for Todoh.
With a grimace forming on his face at every step, Shingo pours all of his efforts into walking towards Hokuto. Slowly at first as he becomes accustomed to the pain. "Miss Mizugami. You've fought an excellent fight. I respect you for that, as I did the last time we fought...but as great as this fight is, all good things must come to an end. For example--" Shingo pauses and stops his approach long enough to point towards the currently fallen Todoh. "--Todoh-san. An incredible fighter, of whom I have nothing but the highest of regard and respect for. His Todoh-ryuu knows no equal. Well, except for Kusanagi-ryuu...but that's neither here nor there. My point is this. We have all fought a great fight...but I make this statement now, and I shall keep fighting even past my last breath to make it happen... This fight will be won in the name of Todoh-ryuu! Now. If that's because I beat you, or if that's because Todoh-san himself gets up and beats you...or if it's just because you know it's the right thing to do if you beat me...it will happen."
Shingo pauses as he reflects on all that, stopping his approach, he forces out a grin. "Now, I hope you're ready, because as I said earlier, I'm not holding back..." The grin doesn't fade as Shingo pushes himself towards Hokuto, barely a jog but requiring all of his strength, pushing himself to close the gap to do something all to familiar to everyone and anyone watching.
Once within a few feet, the bruised, battered, and on occasion berated Shingo, hops as best as he can towards Hokuto, leg wildly spinning around to aim upwards, heel positioned to come downwards towards Hokuto - perhaps towards a shoulder...perhaps not. His voice slightly ragged, the youth calls out with whatever energy he can muster, "SHINGOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO KICCKKKUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!"
Should it connect or not, Shingo will more than likely land, and will more than likely fall to his knees, out of breath, hand quickly moving to clutch a chest that is in far more pain than it should be.
The elder Todoh's arm gets grabbed by a less than eager Hokuto. Well, eager not to get hit. Not eager not to get hit. Whatever the case of wants and needs, the twist is such that elicits a low, almost confused grunt at the proceedings until he is mercilessly hurled towards Shingo. He doesn't go all too far, his body scraping up against the pavement with only his cloth and YEARS OF EFFORT AND HARD TRAINING TO ONE DAY DEFEAT THE KYOKUGEN MENACE FOR GOOD preventing him from gaining a couple new scratches and scars in the process. He doesn't pose much of a threat for Shingo other than that of a speedbump, which Shingo clears.
It's hard for him to rise after that. He's at the end of his rope - how many times is this going to happen? He wonders, in rare moments of something that may be confused for self-doubt if one grasps enough straws to look for it. But, something beautiful happens.
Shingo praises his name. Though the ambient noise of the nightlife echoes and the lights continue to swirl and the rest of him feels numb, Shingo Yabuki praises his name. Yes. The future of all martial arts and the children who will inherit and practice them for the next generation to come, they all count on him.
A fist clenches. He raises his head up with a sly grin, though he's been bleeding from the mouth the whole time from when he bit his cheek early in. Yes. One of his fans is just within arm's reach. He picks it up as he, by some miracle, rises again.
"He's right! M style... it's the greatest in the--"
His dramatic last-ditch attempt to claim it all is silenced to the sound of great cheers by a nearby crowd of gathered fighting fans. "HE WON! HE WON!" They cry. Who? The fight's over? Or wait, are they talking about something else?
A bunch of fans jump right off the bridge into the canal, despite frequent attempts by local law enforcement to put an end to that. But one problem remains in their eyes.
"ANYBODY HERE LOOK LIKE HIM? ...HEY, OVER THERE, IN THE HAKAMA!" A bunch of people start to surround him. Ryuhaku Todoh pushes aside common sense-borne confusion for optimism. Yes! He got through to the kids, he thinks, smiling as his eyes fill with tears.
Someone grabs him by the arm, but he's too happy in his delusion to really care, not to mention too far out of any fight left to really resist other than in token fashion. "To Southtown? Yeh hah... I'll train you a--"
Someone's name is shouted as he is thrown into the river. It's really hard to make out what that name is, as Todoh's yells fill the night air before he makes contact with the canal below.
The local papers the next day would mention the underdog victory of a local hero against some Southtown heavyweight. The person in question must bear a very strong resemblance to the Todoh-ryuu 'master.'
Hm.
COMBATSYS: Todoh takes no action.
[ \\\\\ < > /////// ]
Hokuto 1/------=/=======|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Shingo
COMBATSYS: Todoh can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\ < > /////// ]
Hokuto 1/------=/=======|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Shingo
COMBATSYS: Hokuto fails to counter Shingo Kick from Shingo with Goukyaku Nage.
[ \\\\\\\ <
Shingo 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|
COMBATSYS: Hokuto can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\ <
Shingo 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|
She's tired. Too tired, really. It takes everything she has just to muster up the response--and she really only has one choice. The fight needs to end one way or another. So, even as Shingo is flying for her, she raises her arms up...
Only to be cracked in the head by Shingo's kick. Whether he was aiming for her head or not, that's where he hits, and even if he looks like an unassuming young man, he still hits hard.
Hard enough to KO Hokuto instantly, her head snapped back and her body bouncing off the pavement as a result. There'll be no more from her tonight, and Todoh? Todoh's having a bath, it sounds like... well... Hokuto isn't hearing much, but you know. If she could. The officials are quick to announce Shingo as the winner--but does anyone watching still -care-?!?
Still care? Still care? Why of course they do. The SNFs are about making Howard Enterprises money, regardless of the fighters chosen for any particular fight. With the upcoming sale of the Top 100 Shingo Kicks Of All Time, the SNF officials pretty much cut the feed the moment the last Shingo Kick connected. From there, it was merely yet another few replays of the previous kick, followed up commentary from some SNF commentators, and finally yet another preview of the upcoming DVD. IN STORES SOON!
It was a long hard fought battle, but in the end...Ryuhaku Todoh ended up being pulled off the bridge, Hokuto ended up knocked out by 'yet another Shingo Kick', and Shingo? Well, Shingo merely remains on his knees, breathing as slowly as he can, doing his best to remain conscious, ignored by the SNF officials as they quickly send medical professionals over to Hokuto, and scratch their heads regarding the mysterious whereabouts of Todoh.
Looking at cameras that are no longer running, Shingo sighs before he lets out a whisper that none save for himself can hear. 'This one was for Todoh-ryuu...well, and Kyo. Mostly Todoh-ryuu.' And so ends another chapter in Shingo's fighting career, as he finally slumps over, and takes a brief nap on the sidewalk, using his Haagen Dazs sandwich board as a makeshift pillow.
Log created on 16:05:41 09/23/2007 by Hokuto, and last modified on 05:47:10 09/26/2007.