Description: In an attempt to put Kain's abilities to the test, Geese pits him against Maxima and Shingo as an attraction at a wine and cheese festival in Bordeaux, France. Probably the most exciting event of the day. Unless you /really/ like cheese. (Winner: Kain)
A French wine and cheese festival? An excellent way to spend time for one with a refined palate. It gives Kain a quite enjoyable way in which to kill time prior to the start of the fight. In fact, when it is actually time for Kain to make his way toward the area that's been cleared for the fight, he's holding a glass with a small amount of red wine remaining in it. The crowd has started to gather because, let's face it... As good as the wine and cheese may be, this is likely to be considerably more exciting.
Kain takes up his position in the fighting area, leaning back slightly on his heels as he takes a sip of his wine. Is it really a good idea to drink alcohol before a fight? It's not something that Kain seems to be particularly worried about.
Wine and cheese. Just two of the many things Maxima can no longer really savor. He can taste the fine flavors of the wine, the strong taste of the cheese, but when you've come to a point that food and water are no longer necessities, something is lost in the translation -- some spark that made these kinds of events special.
That doesn't exclude him from enjoying himself and the atmosphere, of course.
The titan of a Canadian has been here for some time now, if not in the arena itself. As tall as he is, and with as unusual an outfit he wears, he shouldn't be hard to spot -- the towering beast of a man who has hoisted two small children up onto his broad shoulders, spinning around in a form of a game to entertain the kids. They seem to enjoy it, and the parents smile and laugh as the grinning Canadian slowly comes to a stop, setting the two kids down. "Woo!" he exclaims, fanning himself. "Good warm up for the fight. Thanks, kids -- wish me luck."
Soon after his bout of children's entertainment is finished, Maxima approaches the closed off 'arena' here at the festival, stepping up and into his side of the grounds. Giving a slow roll of his shoulders and neck, the lumbering Canadian offers a slow, thoughtful look towards Kain -- his opposition. Offering a friendly smile, Maxima inclines his head in a nod of greeting, but says little. For now? Maxima is going to think and, unbeknownst to anyone else, mull over the data his complex mind is pulling up for him. Kain Heinlein. ... This could be messy.
Where to some a wine and cheese festival is a perfect opportunity to get completely drunk and have ones fill of delectable cheeses, for others its merely something to avoid. For example, Shingo Yabuki - famed fighter, Taiyo High student, and self-procclaimed number one (and only) student of Kyo Kusanagi - a wine and cheese festival holds little interest. For starters, Shingo's a tad too young to legally drink. Well, maybe not too young in France, but he's a straight arrow upstanding youth, and has no particular desire to get hammered. As for the cheese? Well...
...okay fine, so he's sampled a few pieces of cheese here and there, but he felt it'd be rude not to, and far be it for Shingo to be rude to anyone.
Much like his opponent Kain, Shingo has come early to take in a bit of the festival prior to the match, seeing as how it was on the itinerary supplied by the SNF officials prior to him boarding his all-expenses paid flight.
Regardless, not wanting to be late, Shingo stuffs a small piece of cheese that's handed to him by one of the locals as he heads over to the area that's been designated as an arena. Of course on his way he hams it up for the crowd as usual, big jovial grin on his face as he waves at everyone, even if most of the locals are confused about who the heck he is.
Lo and behold, both his 'partner' and his 'opponent' are already within the ring. Mind you, Shingo can't really call Maxima a 'partner', being that they've never met and that they're only paired up to take Kain on, but, heck, as long as Shingo keeps that sort of thinking in his head, he'll be fine. Hopefully.
Quickly taking up a spot next to Maxima, Shingo smiles widely and waves over to Kain and then over to Maxima, offering a hand to shake in greeting to the both of them. "Hello there! Pleasure to meet you both! My name is Shingo Yabuki, and I must say, big fan of the both of you...seen some excellent fights, and well, I'm really looking forward to this!" With that Shingo gives each fighter a bow, and begins stretching. Who knows when this'll start, or how it'll start. Either way, should prove interesting with what he knows about everyone involved.
Kain takes a last sip from his wine, finishing off the glass, then provides a brief nod to both of his opponents. "Well met. And now, seeing as we are all present... Shall we begin?" The SNF camera crews are already set up, filming in an attempt to catch any interesting pre-match banter. With a casual sweep of his arm, Kain tosses his glass aside. It flies smoothly through the air, spinning to a remarkable, undamaged stop on a nearby table. It's all in the wrist.
With his hands free, Kain shakes out both of his arms, letting loose brief blasts of flame from his sleeves. It's a flashly display, and meant to be a distraction. Because the moment Kain starts to lower his hands he dashes toward Maxima. Between the two of opponents, the Canadian seems to be the larger threat. Heinlein leaps into the air after a short distance, flames wrapping around his leg as he lashes out with an explosive kick toward Maxima's chest.
COMBATSYS: Kain has started a fight here on the right meter side.
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|-------\-------\0 Kain
COMBATSYS: Maxima has joined the fight here on the left meter side.
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Maxima 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kain
COMBATSYS: Shingo has joined the fight here on the left meter side.
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Shingo 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kain
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Maxima 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Maxima endures Kain's Schwarzer Stob.
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Shingo 0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0 Kain
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Maxima 0/-------/---====|
It seems that things are going to go off on a rather explosive start. Maxima barely has enough time to reach out with one large hand to offer Shingo a shake in greeting, returning with a, "Let's both do our very best, alright--" before Kain is already surging forward. Maxima -feels- the man's approach before he sees it. That sudden, unbelievably surge in chi that rises up swiftly and almost -naturally- within Kain is like a booming radar, a bright and shining beacon that alerts the Canadian long before his eyes can keep up. He sees the incoming slice of Kain's foot, laced with broiling black fire. His response?
Maxima runs right into it.
Maybe suicidal, but given the speed of the strike? It's likely his best odds, here. The Canadian cyborg rushes straight into Kain and his flaming foot, letting that blast of chi-born fire wash against his chest, streaming off to the sides of him. Yet, despite the intensity of the strike, and the damage clearly apparent from the burning chi... Maxima still moves -forward-, seeking to capitulate on his position and Kain being in mid-kick to lash out with what would seem, on the surface, to be a simple punch. Yet...
"HMPH!!" Mere inches before Maxima's fist should strike? His wrist suddenly -expands-, wreathing his hand in a series of armcannons that just as suddenly release a massive volley of highly pressurized air -- super-heated steam meant to slam into Kain's chest like a battering ram.
Mere seconds before a typically gleeful Shingo can respond to Maxima, the proverbial crap hits the fan to the tune of Kain's flaming foot. Now, Shingo's seen a lot of fire attacks in his day, happens when your idol is Kyo Kusanagi, but that still rarely prepares one for having to experience them first hand.
Shingo's initial reaction when his 'partner' runs right into the attack? Mild shock. That is of course until it hits Shingo that he's done far sillier things during fights, and thusly understands WHY Maxima would do it. Still, the fight's just begun, and Shingo can't sit idly by while Maxima has all the fun...or does all the work...or similar sentiments.
Having only missed a beat, maybe two, Shingo nods at Maxima (who probably can't see it, but the cameras can which is good enough), and decides to capitalize on the moment by taking a few strides towards Kain's position, and seeing that Maxima is going for an attack attempts to get the timing down.
The moment Maxima throws his fist forward, Shingo quickly hops into the air and twists his body around such that his right leg ends up pointed towards the sky. "SHHINNNNNGOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO KIIICCCKKKKKUUUUUU!!!!" the youth cries out as he makes his descent, leg aimed to hopefully come down upon Kain's head. Should it hit or miss, Shingo will assume his fighting stance, and prepare for whatever may come next.
COMBATSYS: Kain blocks Maxima's Vapour Cannon.
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Shingo 0/-------/-------|===----\-------\0 Kain
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Maxima 0/-------/--=====|
COMBATSYS: Shingo successfully hits Kain with Shingo Kick.
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Shingo 0/-------/------=|====---\-------\0 Kain
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Maxima 0/-------/--=====|
Kain has seen some of Maxima's fights, so he's not caught completely unaware by the man's unusual attack. He crosses his arms in front of his chest, absorbing the brunt of the air blast. There's still enough force to send him sailing back from the Canadian, however, especially after the impact of his foot with Maxima's chest. Flying backwards makes it difficult for Kain to react to the oncoming Shingo, however, and he's unable to evade the foot that comes swinging down onto his head, knocking him back down to the ground.
Even a blow to the head doesn't slow Kain's reflexes, though. As he crashes to the ground he shoves downward with his hands, catching his balance immediately upon impact. A quick kick off the ground with his left foot and a twist of his shoulders brings Kain's right foot swinging around, black flame sprouting around as he attempts to drive it into the side of Shingo's knee.
Despite the fact that his fist doesn't connect fully, Maxima still has the benefit of knowing it helps to set Shingo up for his own technique to get through Kain's impressive defenses. Despite the odds stacked against him, Maxima knows just from the readout he's getting from Kain's power -- this is going to be a tough, extremely painful encounter, no matter what the outcome. And as such... he needs to be prepared for whatever is to come next.
Leaping a short hop back with a heavy -whud- of landing after his assault is blocked, Maxima's wrist once more compacts, sliding into a more 'normal' appearance with a series of metallic clicks and locks. Watching as Kain once more lashes out with that black flame, aiming for Shingo this time, the cyborg presses himself down, considering his next move. He doesn't take too long. There will be time for extensive planning later. For now?
Maxima acts, and acts -swiftly-, bursting across the distance between himself and Kain. As the German lashes out with that impressive chi that seems to just ooze out from him, Maxima similarly lashes out -- with an outstretched hand, seeking to grasp onto the back of Kain's head. If successful, he'll yank -backwards-, twist Kain upwards through the air... and then bring him towards the ground in a sudden fling downwards, fast and painful.
COMBATSYS: Shingo fails to counter Medium Kick from Kain with Tsuki Hiji.
- Power fail! -
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Shingo 0/-------/=======|=====--\-------\0 Kain
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Maxima 0/-------/--=====|
So far so good, what with the patented Shingo Kick hitting its mark! Looks like Maxima and Shingo are working quite well as a team thus far. Mind you, it's only been a few brief moments since the fight started, but Shingo is hopeful.
After Shingo's heel connects with Kain's head, and the youth resumes his fighting stance, he flashing Maxima a quick smile and a thumbs-up. During this momentary gesture is when out of the blue, Kain swings his leg out towards Shingo's knee.
Now, it's not a matter of Shingo being distracted, or a matter of Shingo being too cocky, it's more a matter of Kain being incredibly fast. While Shingo can easily see Kain's leg coming towards him, and while he can easily attempt to stop the leg, his movements are far slower than Kain's, and thusly instead of it seeming like he was about to react (which he was, as he was about to bring an arm up for an elbow drop), instead all the cameras and any spectators end up seeing is Shingo flailing his arms and then the sound of bone potentially cracking as Kain's kick hits true right against Shingo's knee, knocking him both away from Kain and down.
Not that Kain broke any of Shingo's bones, but the pain alone has Shingo sitting on the ground wincing in pain as he clutches at his newly injured knee.
COMBATSYS: Kain dodges Maxima's Quick Throw.
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Shingo 0/-------/=======|=====--\-------\0 Kain
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Maxima 0/-------/--=====|
Ground fighting isn't one of the main focuses of Kain's training, but he does work to prepare himself for a variety of different combat situations. Right now that preparation seems to be serving him well. Kain continues sweeping his leg around in a smooth motion as Shingo is sent crashing to the ground. He then pushes off the ground with his left foot, rolling slightly to the side as Maxima reaches out for him, slipping free of the cyborg's grasp.
And while Maxima is recovering from that, Kain begins rising back to a standing position. Not through anything so simple as just standing up, however. He braces himself with his left foot, while his right rockets up toward Maxima's jaw like a flaming spear. If he connects, Kain follows up by sliding back to get both his feet on the ground again.
COMBATSYS: Maxima interrupts Schwarze Lanze from Kain with Maxima Missile.
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Shingo 0/-------/=======|=======\-------\1 Kain
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Maxima 1/-------/=======|
Wincing a little as he witnesses the full brunt of that kick crush into Shingo's body more in depth than most could or should be able to, Maxima nonetheless remains prepared. Kain is able to deftly outmaneuver his attempt at a grapple onto his head, but this doesn't leave the Canadian -defenseless-. Far from it, in fact; as soon as Kain rolls off to the side and the Canadian grasps air, he is quick to snap his hand back to his side, preparing for the inevitable retaliation. His body lowers, his right fist tenses. He is prepared.
And then Kain lashes out, only a moment after Maxima has hunkered down. Rising up in a sudden flaming kick, Kain is registered in heat signals and chi outputs that slow his movements down to a decimel point for Maxima, allowing him to prepare... and -strike-.
One fist. One fist explodes upwards like a rocket the moment that Kain strikes upwards. Taking advantage of Kain's lack of proper footing, the Canadian SOCKS him straight in the jaw the moment that Kain's strikes Maxima's own chin in an explosive burst. The force is enough to send him staggering backwards, but not before he delivers the full force of his own technique, to knock Kain up and away. "HMPH!!"
Fact: Shingo's knee hurts unlike any other pain its recently experienced.
Fact: As bad as it hurts, he's not out of the fight.
Watching Maxima carry on, Shingo does his best to shake the pain off, rising back to his feet, and flashing a hearty smile as he waves to the cameras, attempting to note that he's fine. He's not really fine, but he's been worse.
Shingo's eyes fall back towards the exchange between Kain and Maxima, and as they do, Shingo notes that Maxima was able to at least get a hit in - specifically, a hit designed to knock Kain upwards. He begins to attempt to run towards where it seems Kain is or will be after Maxima's hit, but after a few steps, Shingo quickly realizes that he'll have to fight through considerable pain to run, and thusly, the youth pauses for a moment - perhaps not the wisest thing, as hesitation in a battle can give away pretty much everything.
Without giving it too much thought, Shingo shakes off the pain, shakes off the thoughts that maybe holding back would be a good idea, and instead does something silly, crazy even by Shingo standards.
He runs right for where he thinks Kain will be. Screaming, partly out of pain, partly out of the heat of battle, Shingo pulls back his right fist and once within range, lets his fist do the talking as he launches it towards wherever he thinks Kain might be in the best resemblance of a punch using all of his strength that he can muster.
Of course, being that Kain is fast, he's anticipating that he'll miss, and as such, should he miss, he'll stumble forward a few steps, then quickly whirl about on his heel, raising his arms in his fighting stance and readying himself for whatever Kain may throw at him. Mind you, Shingo'll be all the more shocked should the punch actually connect...
COMBATSYS: Kain dodges Shingo's Fierce Punch.
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Shingo 0/-------/=======|=======\-------\1 Kain
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Maxima 1/-------/=======|
Kain is fast, it's true. Not as agile as some, but his reflexes are nothing to be scoffed at. Even after taking Maxima's fist squarely in the jaw and being sent staggering backwards he's still aware enough to see Shingo's attack coming in. He quickly shifts one foot backwards to stop his stumbling, then twists suddenly to the side as Shingo's fist comes flying straight toward him. It's a risky position, and if Shingo recovers quickly Kain could be in trouble... but Kain doesn't intend to let him have the time.
While Shingo is stumbling forward, black flames begin quickly rising up around Kain's body. As Shingo is whirling himself around those flames suddenly explode into a towering inferno. The force is enough to lift Kain's feet briefly off the ground, and probably quite sufficient to send Shingo sailing backwards if he finds himself caught in the blast.
Slow, powerful attacks aren't really going to do much against a man so far above Maxima's own tier. Realizing Kain's own awareness and skill, Maxima holds back to watch Shingo's own attempted assault, frowning as he sees it fail... and then notes the sudden, unbelievable SURGE in power rippling off from Kain. Something big is coming. He can sense the chi just -spiking- from Kain in a mind-numbing amount. He wheels backwards...
... and does the best that he can. Moments before that black fire comes into a full, bursting apex of an inferno, Maxima cups his hands to his mouth. "Hey, kid!" He shouts, his deep voice booming across the arena. "WATCH OUT!"
And then it comes, in a horrible inferno of might. Maxima can only hope his warning will help Shingo to react in time. Because if not, it's likely going to be most painful for him.
COMBATSYS: Maxima assists Shingo.
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Shingo 0/-------/=======|=======\-------\1 Kain
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Maxima 1/-------/=======|
COMBATSYS: Shingo dodges Kain's Schwarze Kreuz.
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Shingo 0/-------/=======|=======\=------\1 Kain
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Maxima 1/-------/=======|
Whether by a miracle, Shingo's own reflexes, Maxima's warning, or perhaps Kain's aim being off by even the smallest of margins, Shingo manages to avoid Kain's firey assault, leaping off to the side, into a roll to get some distance before hopping back on his feet and giving Maxima yet another thumbs-up. "Thanks Mr. Maxima! That was a close one..." Shingo states as he turns his attention back on Kain, and back on the fight proper - at least in so far as what he should do.
On the one hand, Kain is quite nimble, more agile than most fighters Shingo fights. On the other hand, Shingo has fought agile fighters before and prevailed...it all came down to figuring out a weakness, a pattern, anything. This of course leads Shingo is quickly whip out his trusty notebook from within his jacket pocket. Surely he's taken some sort of notes on one of Kain's fights before, or maybe fights with other fighters that moved too fast for conventional attacks. Feverishly, Shingo flips through his notebook, one eye scanning the pages while the other flits between Kain and Maxima, ensuring that he's aware of the fight while still searching for some sort of hint, tip, or clue as to a next action.
COMBATSYS: Shingo focuses on his next action.
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Shingo 0/-------/=======|=======\=------\1 Kain
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Maxima 1/-------/=======|
Kain frowns as Shingo gets away from him, but under his own power rather than by being blasted backwards. And then... he stops to open a notebook. Kain stares at him for a moment, then just gives a brief shake of his head. Whatever it is, it means that Shingo is no threat for at least the next few moments. Maxima, on the other hand, could still be an issue. Having made his decision, Kain rushes past Yabuki and toward Maxima.
While Kain doesn't have any built in scanners or analyzers or what have you, but he has his own ways of reading his opponents. Cyborgs are decidedly different from normal humans when it comes to the flow of chi through their bodies. Kain's no engineer, but tracking that flow of chi might prove useful, even with a mechanical body. Kain eyes Maxima carefully as he rushes in, then summons blue chi energy around his fist as he picks his target. He lashes out with a blow toward Maxima's chest, aiming for the location of one of the seams that opens up when the cyborg uses his chest cannon. He's not sure if it's actually a weak point, but it seems like a good spot to try...
COMBATSYS: Kain successfully hits Maxima with Fierce Punch.
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Shingo 0/-------/=======|=======\==-----\1 Kain
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Maxima 1/---====/=======|
Well, this is pretty unpleasant.
While Maxima might not technically have a 'weak point' persay where Kain strikes, his body is still particularly vulnerable where those mechanical joints rest. Thus, the blow that strikes the Canadian's chest is -very- painful -- primarily because of the fact that Kain exerts so much fiery blue chi with the simplest of strikes, but also due to the weakness in that particular location. Maxima's face contorts in a brief expression of pain as he wheels -backwards- and away from Kain. The force of the blow is enough to rocket Maxima off his feet in a short hop which, considering the man's mass, is something of a testament to Kain's force. Landing in a stumble that ultimately leads to him falling on a single knee, Maxima shake his head and mutters something unpleasant under his breath. "Geeze... this guy..."
Still; despite the clear pain from the assault, it's not enough to keep Maxima down forever. Soon enough, he is rearing upwards... at remarkable speeds. Chi is diverted towards his legs, battlesystems diverting powerflow to his feet as something distinct occurs: those feet blossom -open- into rockets. Rocket boosters, on Maxima's feet, that begin to crackle with artificially generated chi. "Bunker..."
Without much preamble, Maxima is suddenly BLASTING through the air as those rockets ignite in a blaze of fiery, golden chi, propelling him through the air like a human missile. He goes up higher, higher... until he appears as no more than a dot in the sky. It might be odd to some, but Kain's a smart man. He should be able to notice that rapidly approaching dot in the sky becoming larger and larger as, like a meteor falling to earth, Maxima begins to descend, enshrouded in a thick sheathe of golden light.
"BUUUUUSTAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!"
Rapidly descending, Maxima has every intent in landing on top of Kain with rocket boosters at full thrust, his entire four hundred and eighty pounds of metal intent on SLAMMING into the man in an -explosion- of chi and kinetic force, depressing the earth in further and further as a thick wall of dust lifts from the site of impact -- whether Kain comes with him or not.
And whether Kain goes with Maxima into the ground or not is a question on Shingo's mind as he watches the entire attack in sheer awe. It's not even a matter of whether or not it actually hits their opponent - more the sheer incredibly awe inspiring imagery it gives off. Then again, this is Shingo Yabuki, who watches cartoons, colects action figures and looks up to Kyo Kusanagi. Just about anything out of the ordinary is incredible and awe inspiring.
Shingo's momentary respite from his notebook gives him all the information he needs to reaffirm his decision - his rise to action. He's perused the notes, he's absorbed what they have to say, and none of its pretty. In short, if something has succeeded once against an opponent that can avoid or counter anything you throw at them, try it again. The whole 'if at first you DO succeed, try try again' scenario.
Shrugging (more to himself than anything), and hoping that Maxima is alright after that deadly display of death from above, Shingo puts his notebook away as he blindly makes a mad dash towards the vicinity where Kain should be after Maxima's attack. For all Shingo knows, he could be running right into fire, or right into Maxima, or right past both of them out of the arena. Anything is possible. Either way, Shingo hopes for the best, closes his eyes, and does something he did only moments ago --
"BLINNNNDDDDDDDD SHHINNNNGGOOOOOOOO KIIIIICCCKKKUUUUUUU!!" Shingo calls out as he jumps straight up into the air roughly where he thinks Kain might've moved after Maxima's attack, or at least where he won't hit Maxima, and swinging his left leg into a deadly arc, hopes that with his eyes closed he can actually hit something.
If the attack hits or misses mind you, Shingo will find himself landing squarely on his butt, opening his eyes slowly, almost comically, to assess where he's landed before hopping back on his feet.
COMBATSYS: Maxima successfully hits Kain with Bunker Buster.
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Shingo 0/-------/=======|=======\======-\1 Kain
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Maxima 0/-------/----===|
COMBATSYS: Kain auto-guards Shingo's Shingo Kick!
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Shingo 1/-------/=======|=======\======-\1 Kain
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Maxima 0/-------/----===|
With the speed of Maxima's rocket propelled flight downwards, Kain isn't confident in his ability to get out of the way. He does, however, think that he's capable of stopping the falling cyborg. Heinlein plants his feet firmly on the ground, raising both hands up toward the falling Maxima. There's a flare of blue light as Maxima's blazing form slams into Kain's hands, driving his feet into the ground beneath him. And... and it seems that there's more force there than Kain was counting on. Heinlein's knees crumple and then he's engulfed in the dust and fire of the explosion as Maxima drives all the way into the ground.
Even getting crushed like that isn't enough to stop Kain, though. Rising up out of the small crater in which he finds himself, Kain reaches out with one hand to shove against Shingo's ankle as the young fighter comes kicking in. The force serves to redirect Shingo's flight, leaving him to go sailing on past the blond fighter. Kain then reaches one hand up toward the sky. Maxima's not the only one who can bring death raining down from above. There's a flare of blue light as Kain clenches his hand into a fist, then thrusts it downwards. The air above Maxima suddenly swirls with a glow of blue chi, before raining down three powerful energy blasts to drive Maxima right down into the ground he just climbed out of.
COMBATSYS: Kain successfully hits Maxima with Himmlischer Atem.
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Shingo 1/-------/=======|==-----\-------\0 Kain
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Maxima 1/---====/=======|
The landing is a success, even if it merely heralds something even more painful to come. Maxima drives Kain into the ground in a relentless explosion, driving a deep crater into the ground. The exhaust of Maxima's rockets die out, the explosion dispersing his chi throughout the area in that sudden, potent -burst- of power... and soon enough, Maxima is up off his feet, hopping backwards and -away- from Kain. Rolling one arm, and then the other, Maxima's gaze shifts in ways unseen by human eyes -- seeing the world in spectrums of heat. Infrared scanners give him the precise location of Kain, deep in the earth, just as the man rears up and swats Shingo to the side. And then... every warning in Maxima's largely mechanical body goes off like a bomb. The surge of chi, the twinkle of energy in Kain's hand.
"This isn't going to end well, is it--"
BOOM.
The deafening explosion is followed by another, and another, each shaking the ground tremendously and driving Maxima further and further into the earth below. Smoke rises, and chi flames flicker and die as soon as they were born, the deafening booms coming to an end to bring only eerie calm and quiet...
... which is just about when a massive beam of cerulean chi cuts straight through the veil of upraised dirt, slicing through the air in a super-heated path that takes it towards a dead-on collision course... with Kain. The beam moves slowly, but still brings with it tremendous force, far larger than Kain is tall. Even with the man's practice with chi, if this hits... it will probably sting a little.
In the aftermath of it all, stands Maxima, his chest closing as he rocks backwards once, forwards... and then tilts, falling all the way down and landing with a large THUD against the ground. "Uggghhhhhh..."
COMBATSYS: Maxima can no longer fight.
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Shingo 1/-------/=======|==-----\-------\0 Kain
As Shingo's flight is redirected, and he ends up kicking nothing but air, due to the redirection the youth ends up sliding along the ground for a few feet, stopped only by Shingo realizing he had missed, and using that opportunity to at least get some distance between himself and Kain - although the effort may have come far too late. Getting back to his feet and dusting himself off, Shingo can't help but gasp as he watches Kain rise and attack Maxima with some form of chi attack that Shingo has never been witness to. Until now that is.
What earns a secondary gasp is when Shingo bears witness to what appears to be Maxima's final act during this fight as the larger man, his 'fighting partner' in this bout falls to the ground. Perhaps Maxima's last words were right, that 'this isn't going to end well'...especially since Maxima was doing a majority of the connecting of attacks when it came to Kain, whereas Shingo was doing a majority of the missing.
If he were anyone else, he might consider giving up, sparing himself pain and humiliation...then again, he's Shingo Yabuki, and if there's one thing he's learned in all his time fighting, it's to never give up. Standing as tall as he can, and attempting to appear as bold as can be, Shingo begins slowly walking towards Kain, his body language attempting to show himself at ease, confident, filled with determination - his words echoing as such. "Mr. Heinlein. I realize you have the upper hand at this point. I also realize that you may not see me as a threat at this point. You may very well be right. However." Shingo pauses as he takes a bit of a breath and looks over at Maxima. With any luck, whatever the back of Shingo's mind has cooked up for a plan will work, and he'll be able to thank Maxima for his kindness during this match...
"However...I'm not about to just give up. I'm going to give this fight my all, much like any other fight. If I can, I intend to win, but not for myself. No. I intend to win this for Maxima, who deserves this win as much as anyone...and I intend to win this for Kyo Kusanagi. My mentor. I suppose the bottomline is that I'm ready to take whatever you've got to throw at me, Mr. Heinlein...I just wanted you to know that I wasn't just going to give up because the odds aren't in my favour. Just wanted to let you know that this has been an incredible fight, regardless of what happens." Smiling brightly, Shingo merely bows at this point, and resumes his fighting stance.
He's got a plan of course. It's crazy, but hell, it's worked before, and at this point the Taiyo youth has little to lose. His walk having closed the gap between the two fighters, Shingo once again repeats his actions from earlier in the match, but this time, with a very obvious smirk on his face, giving away the fact that there's something potentially devious in mind - or just displaying how crazy Shingo is for repeating an action that clearly won't work on Kain. Pulling back his stronger more dominant right arm, Shingo swings a wild punch in Kain's general direction, just hoping to hit anything at this point really.
COMBATSYS: Kain dodges Maxima's MX-II Final Cannon.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Shingo 1/-------/=======|==-----\-------\0 Kain
COMBATSYS: Kain interrupts Fierce Punch from Shingo with Fierce Punch.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Shingo 1/-======/=======|==-----\-------\0 Kain
Indeed, standing in front of Maxima's giant laser blast seems like a bad idea. Luckily, Kain is able to spot the build up, even when Maxima himself is obscured by the fading explosion. Heinlein leaps quickly aside, hitting the ground rolling as the blast slices through the air behind him. It's a quick matter to pop back up to his feet once he's clear of the blast zone, and then there's just Shingo to deal with.
Kain pauses for a moment as Shingo speaks his mind, giving the youth a few moments. "A commendable mindset." It's polite... and also gives Kain time to get his bearings and decide on a plan. And that plan involves not moving away when Shingo runs in to throw a wild punch in his direction. Instead Kain holds his ground, although the black flame which surrounds his hand is a warning sign. When it comes to trading blows, Kain has a bit of a reach advantage over Shingo. So although Shingo's punch does connect with Kain, it's after Heinlein has driven his own fist into Shingo's jaw, robbing the Kusanagi student's attack of some of its power.
While Kain's fist landing a blow against Shingo's jaw may have been an excellent idea to slow the youth down, Shingo rolls with it as best he can, keeping the smirk on his face as he does his best to stay upright and within arms reach of Kain.
This is roughly the point the sheer amount of pain that resulted from Kain punching him in the jaw begins to set in, and set in it does, to the point where Shingo makes a grimace, and without warning, spits some blood out to the side, careful not to hit Kain or Maxima.
"Oww." Shingo states quite plainly as he rubs at his jaw where Kain's fist connected. Of all the things he was expecting, it wasn't that. Oh sure, punch him in the ribs, toss him to the side, light him on fire...but...punching him square in the face? That's just...painful. Still, he's got one ace up his sleeve, and now that he knows how Kain reacts to a thrown punch when NOT dodging it, he can at least pull out all the stops.
Normally, this is where Shingo would say something potentially witty, or at least emulate his idol and make a full blown statement about what's going to happen next. As it stands, the moment Shingo attempts to open his mouth to do or say anything besides oww, it seems to result in even more pain, and as such, he tries to silently smirk while looking at Kain...but even that ends up causing too much pain, which results in a quick spit to the side of more blood. Sighing, the youth fights through the immense amounts of pain, continues smirking, and cocking his left arm back as far as he can, let's loose another punch, this time aimed straight for Kain's head...but this time, the punch is different than the last, coming in at a lower angle, as if unsure if aiming towards Kain's torso. While the left arm shoots forward, the right arm pulls back. Should the left fist connect with Kain's head, the right fist will follow to aim for Kain's torso. From there the fists will interchange their targets from face to torso, each fist hopefully hitting Kain three times each, six in total. Should those all connect, Shingo will raise both his elbows and try to bring them both down on Kain's shoulders, in an attempt to disorient the fighter. Should that succeed? It'll all be followed up by Shingo swinging his hips away from Kain, then rapidly towards him, all in a very good fascimile of a hip check designed to knock Kain backwards and down.
Should even the first punch not land? Well...Shingo will go through some of the motions, knowing full well that whatever Kain will do next will hurt a lot more than the humiliation and embarrassment of a dancing Shingo.
COMBATSYS: Kain just-defends Shingo's Burning Shingo!
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Shingo 0/-------/-----==|==-----\-------\0 Kain
Kain slides back a step as Shingo comes charging in, lifting up his arms to deal with the attack. It's a good thing he prepared himself, because Shingo explodes with a powerful series of blows... all of which are skillfully deflected by Kain. Heinlein does take a few steps back under the assault, but it's unclear if he's actually being forced back, or if he's just attempting to move into a more advantageous position.
He certainly winds up in a good position, at any rate. After Shingo's last blow is deflected, Kain takes a sudden step backwards. His right arm becomes engulfed in black fire, then Kain suddenly moves right back in. He sweeps his arms out toward Shingo, though not coming close enough to actually connect with him. The flames, however, leap forth in a black cloud, crossing the gap between the two fighters as an explosive blast.
COMBATSYS: Kain successfully hits Shingo with Schwarz Cutter.
[ \\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Shingo 1/------=/=======|====---\-------\0 Kain
Apparently even a last ditch attempt by Shingo in so far as giving Kain everything he's got wasn't meant to be, as the German fighter seems to make every one of Shingo's blows completely inconsequential. It's when Kain takes a few steps back, CLEARLY takes a few steps back, regardless of Shingo's assault, that the young fighter realizes that his 'last ditch effort' was for naught. Slowly but surely the reality of the situation creeps into the entirety of Shingo's head - not only is he going to lose, not only is Maxima going to lose, but he's going to be in a lot of pain in a few brief moments.
True to form, Kain follows Shingo's attack with some sort of flaming explosive blast sort of attack between the gap that Kain had made by taking a few steps back. This is where Shingo reacts, more out of instinct than anything else, as he charges THROUGH the flames, his clothes catching briefly on fire as he does so. Yes, it hurts like hell, and yes, the flames manage to lick at Shingo's body, the explosive blast itself causing more internal injuries than the external ones, and the external ones show quite quickly upon the youth's skin in the form of minor burns, bruises, and the like, and yet, Shingo charges through anyways - shoulder first.
Crying out in pain, Shingo angles his shoulder down slightly, and continues running, the flames dying down to show portions of Shingo's clothes reduced to ash, blood running down his face, his arms, his torso, even his legs, and yet, with whatever remains of his strength he pushes towards Kain in what can only be described as a shoulder tackle.
Being that he can only see red at this point, Shingo may very well miss the mark. Even if he hits, Shingo's strength having been expended in that last ditch effort, coupled with the charging shoulder tackle, the student of Kyo Kusanagi will fall to his knees, look to the sky, and with blood clouding his vision will merely flop forward onto his face, causing flecks of dust to rise up as Shingo's consciousness fizzles out.
COMBATSYS: Shingo has reached second wind!
[ \\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Shingo 0/-------/-------|====---\-------\0 Kain
Or does it?
The youth does fall forward, this much does happen. He does remain motionless for a few brief moments, this too happens...BUT, as if by some twist of fate, some miracle, or perhaps some devil who wishes Shingo to have more pain inflicted upon him, Shingo begins breathing, and with much strained effort, pushes himself back to his knees, then back up to his feet. Dusting himself off, albeit with a pained look in his eyes, Shingo wobbles ever so slightly on his feet as he gets up, and merely stares over at Kain, disoriented, and unsure of what may happen next at this point.
COMBATSYS: Kain interrupts Ge Shiki - Kake Hourin from Shingo with Schwarze Schleife.
[ < > ////////// ]
Shingo 0/-------/--=====|======-\-------\0 Kain
Shingo will get to lie on the ground... But not just yet. After he hits Kain with his shoulder charge, Kain's hand lashes out to grab the youth by the throat. Black flames engulf Shingo's neck and head as Kain hefts him off the ground. In addition to the burning, the flames surrounding Shingo's head are going to make it quite difficult to breathe for the several moments for which the agony lasts. Finally, though, Kain tosses Shingo aside, giving him a chance to collapse. Or get back up to attack again, as the case may be.
It's possible Shingo won't be able to talk for a few days. While this'll more than likely please a number of people (aka, pretty much half of Taiyo High, including Kyo. ESPECIALLY Kyo), it doesn't please Shingo in the slightest. Mind you, the youth is in far too much pain to be concerned about whether or not he can talk. Was he able to bring himself back to his feet after all of that? Yes. But barely.
Stumbling over his own feet, Shingo wobbles back and forth as a drunk man might, his vision blurred and crimson hued. His destination? The reddish looking blob of a thing that looks like the earlier reddish looking blob that spewed fire at him. His mission? Give this all one last try.
Unfortunately for Shingo, he's barely able to keep himself standing, let alone attack Kain, but still, he pours whatever strength he has left into one very weak looking attempt at a punch, before once again, collapsing to the ground - this time potentially for good.
COMBATSYS: Shingo can no longer fight.
> ////////// ]
|======-\-------\0 Kain
COMBATSYS: Kain dodges Shingo's Jab Punch.
> ////////// ]
|======-\-------\0 Kain
As a vague blur in Shingo's vision, it's not to difficult for Kain to step aside as Shingo lashes out with his last ditch effort. Kain watches as Shingo crashes into the dirt, and after a few moments it becomes clear that Yabuki isn't going to be getting back up any time in the immediate future. Once it's clear, Kain gives a brief nod to his two fallen opponents. "Well done." And with that said, he walks off. Pausing to grab a glass of wine as he goes.
COMBATSYS: Kain has ended the fight here.
Log created on 19:41:27 09/30/2007 by Kain, and last modified on 05:49:39 10/04/2007.