Description: Shocking battle! Awe-inspiring twists! Gripping action! Geese Howard lets Kurow bear witness to the Howard Legacy first hand! Is Sakura Geese's real child?! Is Rock a Kyo Clone?! Do Kurow and Seishirou share a deep, dark past?? Does Yamazaki LIKE BURRITOS?! It's a Main Event with so many twists and turns, you'll be silently wondering if maybe this description actually did make sense after all!! (Winner: Geese)
Howard Arena. The stage of some of the most legendary battles -- and most heated rivalries -- the world has ever seen. In spite of its relative lack of much to make it distinct as an /arena/ compared to some of the more complex locations used in other Saturday Night Fights, Howard Arena is known for putting on, every week, a competitive main event with big names. Not all of them are big for pure fighting ability, of course -- some are just excellent self-promoters.
Then there are those who are a bit of both, like the 'challenger' in this week's main event. Though the young man presently making his way to the flat stone arena is not /quite/ the fighter that his opponent is known to be, he has proven himself to be quite the charismatic (or maybe just downright /manipulative/) fighter in recent weeks. Of course, running his mouth in a manner that the crowd loves tends to have a /few/ downsides, not the least of which is ending up in a fight that he's pretty sure he can't win -- definitely not clean, at least.
Regardless, he seems as confident as ever as he takes center stage on this, the biggest stage of them all in the fighting world. He gives the fans a respectful bow, moving to one corner.
Howard Arena has long been established as an icon of the fighting world. A tribute to the glory of battle and the legacy of Geese Howard, it stands as an eternal monument to the man's greatness -- or in some views, a stain upon the city of Southtown. Whatever the views of some, Howard Arena has become a landmark. There is history, here. And one of its greatest traditions has become the Saturday Night Fight Main Event.
And such is the case tonight, an event that has been anticipated anxiously by some. A fight between the young and impetuous Kurow Kirishima, and the very host of Saturday Night Fight himself, Geese Howard. The reason for it should be clear on a surface value; Kurow's broadcasts denouncing the skills of Geese's son have become quite popular of late. Obviously, the caring and selfless Howard seeks to simply defend the honor of his poor son, despite how estranged they may be. In reality?
In reality, Geese is simply curious to see if Kurow's talent actually matches his mouth. He could become problematic...
... If Geese allows him to be.
As the ninja takes center stage, he'll find his opponent is already waiting; dressed in his classic white gi and red hakama, the Hakyokusaken-user is poised calmly at the edge of the arena. He looks grim -- stern and displeased with Kirishima, even. It's a good mask. The fans roar around them as icy blue eyes center upon Kurow.
"So this is the face of the boy prodigy Kurow Kirishima, is it?" he muses in a wondering tone. "I have to say...
"... It seems to be a bit wanting."
AND SITUATED IN THE ANNOUNCERS BOOTH, RING SIDE, IS NONE OTHER THAN THE SON OF SATAN, THE SCION OF SEX APPEAL, THE SUPERSTAR OF THE SECOND GENERATION........... ROCK 'JUST ROCK' HOWARD!
Rock slides his announcing headphones on and looks over at Turk Gridiron. He waves a little at the crowd, rolls his shoulders, and gets comfortable for some serious sassing. "Hey Turk, long time," he says, rolling the chair into the booth and looking over at the impressive announcer. "This is like the greatest fight in the last sixty years. I'm so pumped up."
"Why's that, Rock?" Turk asks, grinning at the kid like a 70's anchorman. "Because any way you cut it?" Rock pauses for impact. "Someone I hate is going home in a stretcher."
COMBATSYS: Kurow has started a fight here.
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Kurow 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Geese has joined the fight here.
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Geese 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kurow
Taunting Kurow is not a sure thing -- not by any stretch -- but in a situation where he feels he has nothing to lose, such as a Saturday Night Fight, he'll always jump and take the bait. People love watching that sort of thing, if the crowd noise is any indication, and Kurow is hardly one to disappoint; having people wrapped around his little finger is job one, and if it pleases the crowd, Kurow is definitely going to go there. It's his whole reason for getting involved in sanctioned fighting.
"Really, now. I've kicked your son through more arenas than I care to remember. I'm not impressed with the apple, Howard," he says, fanning his hands out and glancing, just for a second, to the announcer's booth and more specifically to Rock Howard. Instantly pulling himself up into that stance that grows more and more aggressive, more and more open by the day, he finishes, "and I somehow /doubt/ it's fallen too far from the tree!"
The battle is joined almost instantly, as Kurow takes the initiative before Geese can use his supreme Saturday Night Fight-running powers to 'properly' declare the fight started and thus take it for himself. The bell rings the second Kurow brings his leg up, and before the people in the cheap seats can even realize what's going on, Kurow swings that leg out for Geese's chest.
COMBATSYS: Kurow successfully hits Geese with Light Kick.
- Power hit! -
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Geese 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Kurow
Akira doesn't really know Geese. She knows of Geese of course but she never actually interacted personally with the guy. She knows he runs SNF and is a great figher. She also knows that she doesn't like his gi colors. She also knows that a lot of people like Rock really hate him. But most of all she knows he's going to kick Kurow's ass all over the place.
Akira steps into the Announcer's Booth and tells Rock, "Did Geese beat Kurow while I was walking all the way over here?" She hopes not, she sort of wants to see it.
Maki Genryusai happens to be watching from the front row, meaning she gets all the action while enjoying her soda and popcorn. How did she afford those seats? Well, let's just say some things are better off not known...
Showmanship is key to any fight. Anyone seeking to manipulate the masses knows this. But here, in Southtown? Geese is king. Kurow's words are met with a stern frown as Howard lowers into a battle-ready stance. The crowd certainly feels for Howard, however mixed it might be. The poor man, sticking up for a son who hates him so -valiantly-. "Rock's choice to forsake my training is unfortunate," comes Geese's measured response in time with the ninja's jabs, "but I don't doubt he has more potential and talent in his pinky finger than you have in your entire body." And this much is a true opinion of Geese's. After all, despite what a disappointment and failure Rock has been...
He still has the blood of a Howard.
But whatever else the King of Southtown might have to say is cut off as Kurow abruptly starts the fight before it can even be announced. That leg swings, and comes down -- Geese does not even try to do so much as defend against it. The strike cracks against Howard's chest with an impact and force that is unexpected; so much so that Howard's icy blue eyes momentarily snap in surprise as he staggers back one step... and then another...
... and then stops.
"... Is that it, then? Well..."
He lashes out just as suddenly as Kurow is finished; as the swing completes itself, the fabric of his hakama rustles with the upwards thrust of his right leg, his foot lancing out to bury itself like a spear into Kurow's sternum.
"... I guess we can get this joke of a match started with now."
COMBATSYS: Geese successfully hits Kurow with Light Kick.
- Power hit! -
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Geese 0/-------/------=|===----\-------\0 Kurow
Rock tilts his head back at Akira. How did she get to ringside?! "Nah, he's just about to eat a Crack Counter and break his spine," he says, on camera. The scandal. "So what you're looking at there," he says, turning back to Turk and Macy. "Is Kirishima employing his famous 'hard kick.' He's got quite a few other hard things; his skull, his penis when he's looking at his sister--"
"You can't say that!" Macy and Turk say in unison.
"Oh, my bad," Rock says, with a smirk. "Does someone get fined if I say things that aren't TV-appropriate?" "Uh, yeah, the Saturday Night Fight Incorporated LTD, you know, your father's company... They pay for all on-air fines," Turk says, nervously. "Fuck those guys! They're a bunch of pussy dripping--" Rock says.
"You can't say that!" Macy and Turk say in unison.
There's something large. Truck like. And parked right outside the ring. The Shogun has come to watch SUCH WARRIORS, and Katana would never miss a true fight for anything! The truck is also covered in Christmas lights, and with a Buff Santa, hot Mrs. Claus, and elves that are more like polar bears. The others are slutty elves.
Katana is standing, looking upon the battle.
"I, THE SHOGUN OF MAD GEAR, DEMAND TO SEE MORE VIOLENCE AND RISKY ACTIONS!"
Idly throughout the aisles and hallways of Howard Arena, an oversized black-clad Syndicate enforcer paces along, dress shoe-heels clicking against the ground, hands resting in his pockets. Assigned to security detail for tonight's fight, Ryuji Yamazaki paces slow circles around the inner halls of the arena, listening to the crowd cheering as the fight commences, and kicks start getting doled out in either direction. "Goddamn, tonight is boring. Ain't one person makin' any trouble. Think I might go outside and beat up some goddamn drunks." He turns towards one of the doors before the walkie-talkie clipped to his belt sparks into activity.
"This is main desk to Ryuji Yamazaki. Main desk to Ryuji Yamazaki. Do you copy?"
"Yeah. What?"
"Please report to the announce booth, ASAP. Proceed with eviction of subject Rock Howard immediately, do you copy?"
"Heh. Yeah, I copy. Over 'n out."
Well, if it ain't his lucky day. This'll be a hell of a lot better than goin' after some of the drunks in the back. A quick 180 turn, and Yamazaki is stomping right off towards the announcers' booth.
Having his own tactics turned against him is something that Kurow does not much appreciate -- nor does he plan for it, at least at first. It's this lack of planning that gets a good, solid foot to the chest, sending him staggering backward across the stone arena. It takes him a little while to /stop/ staggering, for that matter; he very nearly falls off the ring, leading to a rather unceremonious end early on in the match.
"/Really/, now. I'd ask to have the tape run yet again, but I have a feeling these people have already seen it enough for a lifetime," Kirishima replies, starting back toward Howard. If this turns into a battle of pure speed, Howard's training will let him get the edge on Kurow -- even Kurow knows that. In situations like this, it's best to take a few risks -- thinking back to his battle with that hooded man, and to his subsequent training with yet another one of the world's most adept fighters, has taught him that much.
So he decides to take off the kid gloves a little. Running at the elder Howard and leaping into the air, Kurow pulls his body in tightly; a wide ball of black chi forms around his entire body, and one after another, wave after wave of white claw-like energy in turn moves around /that/, trying to pull Geese in and shred him to bits.
Looks like the Shogun is getting that violence he wanted.
COMBATSYS: Kurow successfully hits Geese with Yasha Guruma.
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Geese 0/-------/----===|====---\-------\0 Kurow
"Man they're going to fire you if you talk like that." Akira comments, popping open a bag of cheetos, oblivious to the coming...DOOM?! "It seemed more like a light kick to me--you want some?" She holds the bag of cheetos out, will this ruin your hardcore fighting diet?! She sees Kurow get kicked, "Youch! Is Geese fighting with a handicap? He didn't like fly up against the wall and go splat or anything." She doesn't really like Kurow. "--Oh man, I hate that one!"
"Arguing the concept of talent and skill is impossible for someone who doesn't understand it," Geese Howard notes placidly as his foot lowers, the Southsynd leader's body adopting a casual stance.
"So I think we'll end this conversation now."
Which Kurow seems to agree with. As the ninja pulls in with that signature move of his, Southtown's king is prepared to intercept... but it far too slow to establish a guard in time, despite the speed inherent in his movements. The claws of chi tear into Howard's body over and over again, until he invariably launches airwards with Kurow in a short leap. His gi is shredded at the front, burning cuts from the chi stinging the body and the soul...
... But even Kurow's greatest of techniques does not halt this man. Even as they go -airborne-, Howard lashes out, his right hand snapping forward and through the space between himself and Kirishima. From that hand churns forth a familiar sight; icy blue flames that burn through the air like a gale of fury, cutting a short-ranged swath of destruction that expands outward to engulf Kirishima within it and send him launching back further through the air.
"... Hmph." It would seem that it'd behoove Howard not to underestimate Kurow.
COMBATSYS: Geese successfully hits Kurow with Slash-style Reppuken.
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Geese 0/-------/--=====|=======\-------\1 Kurow
Rock defers popcorn with a wave of his hand. "You would think that Kirishima, having allegedly mastered all of my own techniques to the point that he's made about five hundred public statements as such," Rock says, sarcasm oozing. "Could dodge a Reppuken." Taking a smarmy sip of his designated Announcer Water, Rock is quiet for a second to let Turk and Macy commentate on the coolness of Geese's techniques. "He stole that one from a man named Jeff Bogard," he says. "You guys might have heard of him."
"I understand completely," Kurow says, shortly before Geese swings that hand up -- and spending time talking seems to be doing both of these men virtually no favor at all. The chi catches Kurow right across the chest, and actually rips through the top of his modified Justice High uniform. He sails up into the air, but incredibly, he manages to turn it to some slight advantage, snagging a maintenance scaffold with an extended claw and pulling himself up onto it, momentarily out of the path of Geese's strikes.
"... You're quite resilient," Kurow notes, not /surprised/ necessarily but definitely noticing Geese's condition -- he looks like he's a little better off than he was a few seconds ago. Typical of fighters at that level, Kurow reminds himself -- Iori was no different. ... of course, all that means for Kurow (as far as he's concerned) is that he has to work even faster to take Geese down, /if/ he takes him down.
The youth spreads his arms out wide to either side, playing the crowd for all they're worth for a split second -- and then as abruptly as he put himself up on that scaffold, he takes himself /off/ it with a high-speed spear tackle aimed right down for Geese's chest, much like the one that Rock nearly used to put /him/ down not too long ago --!?
COMBATSYS: Geese counters Kirishima Kyoujuu Reppa from Kurow with Gedan Atemi Nage.
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Geese 0/-------/--=====|===----\-------\0 Kurow
The trip to the announce booth was fairly uneventful, save for the cracking of Yamazaki's knuckles along with the low, sinister chuckle that rumbled in his throat as he pushes his way through the crowds and the random employees that get in his way as he makes his way through the back halls. Eventually, he finds the small hallway that branches off and leads to the announcers' area. He stomps his way down there, then stops for just a moment to knock before opening the door and letting himself in.
"Macy. Turk." A smile is slowly spreading across Ryuji's face as he addresses both of the usual commentators, then slowly, he turns his gaze to Rock. "Get out, y'little shit. Security says you ain't stayin' in here after that little stint with swearin' on the air." The smile spreads, and his eyebrows arch in just a fashion that he knows Rock's about to contest the decision, and that's exactly what he's waiting for. "I'm a nice guy, so I'll give ya ten seconds to pick up your crap before you leave."
"Nope." Akira stuffs cheetos in her mouth--she got it from one of the arena's vending machines. "I thought Terry only had one brother."
She lets out a whoop as Geese obliterates Kurow! "You get him! Put him through the wall next time!" Poor Kurow, but Akira doesn't seem to have much sympathy. She is about to say more, when suddenly: YAMAZAKI!
Akira stands up and glances over to Rock, "I told you so. I hope you have a second job lined up."
"No you don't," Howard states plainly as he lands. He makes no gesture, no concentrated effort, to pursue Kurow. Almost as if simply toying with the young man, he stops... and just does -not- move.
"Allow me to educate you."
A patient man, Geese Howard lands smoothly as Kurow grapples onto that scaffold. He places a hand against the burn marks across his chest look like nothing but catscratches compared to the deep scar that runs across his pectorals, now more plainly visible thanks to Kurow's little stunt. He stares at it for a moment, and frowns.
"... Potential, Kurow," he says the boy's name in a most conversational tone as he speaks, as if they had been friends for life -- as if he knew Kurow more than Kurow knows himself, "is a man's capacity for greatness. It's his destiny. Through ambition and drive and talent, a man's potential is born. You have ambition and drive..." Kurow spreads his arms wide, and Geese doesn't even seem to notice. He crosses his arms over his broad chest, instead, looking out to the crowds... looking towards Rock as Yamazaki approaches him with no more than a dull smirk. Kurow launches off in that spearing tackle, diving towards Geese at high speeds--
"But your talent..."
The moment that Kurow is in range, Geese is suddenly ducking down in a blur of white and red fabric. Where Kirishima should simply go soaring, though? A hand suddenly GRIPS him by the wrist in an iron-clad hold, suspending him momentarily in the air in a truly defining moment.
"... IS -LACKING-!"
Before Kurow can respond, before he can defend himself, Howard swings his right elbow forward through the air, the thrust BURYING a harsh blow deep against the boy's solar plexus before releasing, to allow the ninja to fly away from the King of Southtown.
"You're nothing more than a runt that got ahead on a stupid amount of drive, Kurow.
"You're a fluke."
"And that's what a flute player with a broken spine looks like," Rock color commentates about Kurow's failure to hit his dad. And then: YAMAZAKI.
"I'm surprised you found your way out of the dumpster," Rock says, nonplussed, by Yamazaki's dynamic entry. He looks over at Turk and Macy. "I guess I'm getting the boot from the man. It was nice while it lasted --" He looks back at Yamazaki, eyeballing him while standing up and being very deliberate about removing his headset and putting his coat back on. He takes his water with him. "What's it like working for the man, psycho-face?"
"Interesting. Kurow is more popular than I anticipated."
Boots ring softly over the marbled tile floor in the shadowbox. The Howard Arena A/V booth was a little different, a little more industrial and tucked away than the official announcer's booth, up in the higher lines of offices and high-priced private viewing booths behind double panes of soundproof, bulletproof glass.
"According to my intelligence, they've already mobilized Yamazaki to evict Rock," he mentions, though from the clinically observational tone of his voice, he doesn't seem to shaken up about it.
Seishirou steps past the body of a stunned and bound A/V technician.
"I hate being cliche," Seishirou explains, stepping over to the control panel that took all the audio from the announcer's booth and broadcasted across the entire arena, not to mention the TV feed. "This should be enough," he mentions, drawing a small paper seal from his sleeve.
An instant later, the double paned, soundproof, bulletproof glass explodes outwards from the booth, raining down in small sprinkling segments, in all directions.
"Attention audience. This is a pirate broadcast made by the Ryouhara clan," the shinobi explains, over the commandeered loudspeaker channel. He has carefully adjusted the studio's spare lighting rigs to focus on the booth. Presumably there /is still/ an announcer patch going through, but he has carefully adjusted the volume and soundtrack on that particular comedy. "You should probably be alarmed. But, despite our actions, we are merely interested in how badly Kirishima is currently failing. I seem to remember his skill index being much higher than that," he suggests, coldly. "Perhaps my evaluation was mistaken."
See? Ryouhara can work the audience too.
Coincidentally, current music set in the background of the announcer patch: Hard Knock Life.
Seishirou's companion, young Miss Sakura Kasugano, nods in reply to his offscreen commentary. "Yyyyeah that sounds about right..." replies Sakura. She's got a small LCD TV in her hands, and a headphone trailing from it. Not that Sei doesn't have =more= than this, but she couldn't stand being stuck backstage while all this was going on.
Of course, she much prefers what Sei has in store, anyway. Exploding glass is a good thing in this case!
And juuust after Seishirou's explanation, Sakura snags an additional microphone, and adds, "Besides, you folks didn't really wanna hear Rock and Kurow's little lovers' spat, anyway, didja?! Besides... we're here to provide you a 'fair and balanced' account of just =exactly= how much Kurow Kirishima just, y'know, couldn't bring his 'A game' tonight! But it's just as well, with how much trash he talks..." Little Miss Hadouken can bring the trash talk too!
"Far better than living on the streets and followin' around a washed-up homeless bum. Try 'n discern the differences 'tween livin' in a refrigerator box 'n livin' in a penthouse." Yamazaki just shakes his head again as Rock starts to clean up his things. "But I ain't hear to wax poetic on the high-falutin' lifestyle of a hob-- what the fuck!?"
Ryuji is quite thoroughly caught off-guard by the sudden explosion from the booth further up in the arena. ".. Ryouhara? ... oh, /son/ /of/ /a/ /bitch!/" Right on cue, the radio crackles to life at Yamazaki's hip.
"ALL PERSONNEL, ALL PERSONNEL TO THE A/V BOOTH! CODE YELLOW SECURITY BREACH! YAMAZAKI, ABANDON CURRENT ASSIGNMENT, YOU ARE ON POINT!"
"Copy. Out."
"You got lucky, you little bastard." WIthout another word, the door to the announcers' booth -slams- open, and Yamazaki goes charging out. After rounding the corner from the announce booth, it's a short trip to the stairs, which he starts to go up in groups of four or five.
"Hey," Akira is a fan of Terry because he wears a hat, "That's Mister Washed Up Homeless Bum to you!" It was spur of the moment, she couldn't quite snarf up a witty retort so she went for a terrible one instead. Looking back to Rock she adds, "Soooo.... does this mean you still have your job? Another victory for the working man, I guess." She stuffs some more cheetos in her mouth and tosses the bag into a small trash bin.
She looks back to the fight, "Come on, Kurow! Get up!" She's..cheering Kurow on?! "I want to see you get beat up again!"
The quick grab, strike, and toss are something that Kurow can at least roll with, but that doesn't change the fact that not only is he tossed around like a rag-doll, but he's /insulted/. Being told he's a fluke? Before, he was letting Geese appear to get under his skin for the crowd's sake -- now Geese is /actually/ under his skin. He rolls to a stop a few inches from the edge of the stone platform yet again, failing to get up on one knee -- he might already be out..
/Then/ comes the pirate broadcast, just as Rock is taken off the air. And what are /they/ doing? Why, they're doing the same thing Rock and Akira were doing a moment ago, the same thing Geese is doing now -- calling his talent into question. The worst part is, as near as anyone can see, they're right. Geese is still hearty; Kurow is on his last legs after a very short back-and-forth.
He lies there for a while, trying to rally his last reserves. Sakura and Seishirou go on and on -- and eventually, it seems to tweak something in Kurow. His eyes snap wide open, and he takes a sudden deep breath -- and with energy he didn't think he had, he pulls himself back to his feet.
His expression has changed. No longer does he wear the same supercilious little mask that he wears to almost every battle. His face has contorted, for now, into an intense expression of rage -- rather than suppressing those emotions, he's using them to their fullest. Didn't he tell /Sakura/ to draw on them rather than keeping them under wraps when she served Shadaloo? Didn't he see proof positive of the potential to use them rather than denying them, albeit proof that he can never tell another living soul he has?
As he rushes at Geese with a second tackle, this one aimed lower, he realizes: is he that much different?
COMBATSYS: Geese fails to counter Kirishima Kyoujuu Reppa from Kurow with Chuudan Atemi Nage.
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Geese 1/-------/=======|-------\-------\0 Kurow
And this time, he does just a little bit better.
Plowing into Geese's legs and bowling him just behind himself, Kurow keeps his speed up in spite of the fact that he just sped /into/ the legs of one of the best fighters to ever walk the earth. "... you're right -- my talent /has/ been lacking!" he yells at Howard, as each of a million claws of chi that spawn behind the youth feed the crime boss into each other, shredding him intensely with every movement.
"And yes, your son may lack ambition -- but /you/ lack drive! You're no better than /either/ of us!" Abruptly stopping, Kurow lets the force of his chi launch Geese high into the air, springing up after him with a forceful jump. "You've established your empire -- and now you just rest on your laurels!" Whirling in the air and slamming a heel down into Geese's gut to finish off the maneuver, Kurow finishes, "It may be a fluke that I've gotten this far -- but I can improve. I've got my entire life ahead of me to do it. You've reached your peak..."
Touching down with a neat, wasteless landing, Kurow yells, "and it's a fluke that you haven't completely /decayed/ yet!"
It's luck. Sheer, coincidental luck that ultimately brings Kurow Kirishima's tackle to full closure. Geese can see it coming. He can track Kurow's movements perfectly -- he can see the ninja's descent into a tackle as if it were coming in slow motion. His right hand rears back in preparation...
And then glass shatters in a booming explosion.
"Hn--?!"
The sudden appearance of Sakura and Seishirou and their words regarding Kurow are the perfect distraction the Justice High student needs to set up his assault completely. The tackle rears in and strikes Geese solidly for the split second his ice-blue eyes steer themselves upwards towards the source of the distraction. Normally, he is not so careless.
The reason why is demonstrated entirely in the furious motion of Kurow Kirishima's attack.
Each claw strike feeds itself against Geese's body in a series of slashes that amount to something painful when seperately, they would be nothing more than beestings. Thrust into the air, the final heel to his gut is enough to launch Howard completely -downwards-, flinging through the air with a trail of blood. Kurow speaks his words, but as he does...
... Geese Howard recovers himself with unnatural swiftness and lands, not in a painful heap, but in a decided -crouch-.
The damage done is apparent; certainly the strikes hurt, and blood trails down his body. But he smoothly comes to a stand, tall and proud... and smirking easily at Kurow. "Oh, the presumptuous nature of children. It never fails to entertain. I've accomplished great things for this world. My legacy is assured." His -immortality-. "You're at a dead end, boy. My son -- Rock -- is destined for great things. It's -HIS- legacy. You?"
Geese drops easily into his fighting stance once more, eyes narrowed easily upon Kurow.
"YOU are the one who'll decay into obscurity." He frowns here. It is quite distinct: a frown of pity.
"What a sad fate."
"I was amused. In his own commentary, he did get Rock a few times. Saa. I've still yet to decide what part of himself Kurow is compensating for--"
A small radio crackles at Seishirou's hip.
[yamazaki, abandon current assignment, you are on point!]
Ryouhara... frowns, faintly. "Idiots." Though he has done his best to make sure the inevitable flood of security crews to the area would be stemmed (bombs planted in the stairwells make great door prizes,) unfortunately, because he wasn't out to kill anyone today, Yamazaki should only be mildly upset by the time he gets here. Such is the nature of margins of error.
"Time appears to be limited," the ninja observes solemnly over the system, ambiently adjusting a small knob--turning the volume up on the announcer patch. Only just so. He leaves the soundtrack playing. "We'll need to delegate responsibility to assure a safe and secure transmission for the duration of the match. Rock, Sakura, I'll leave it to you. A shame. Kirishima seems briefly like he might have succeeded at something. .. it's novel."
"We have a minute at best," he advises Sakura in more clandestine tones, then turns, walking out. "I'll take care of it.."
"Hmm, yeah!" Kasugano looks back over her shoulder at the security and anti-security arrangements, before looking back to the match before her. Sweeping her bangs out of her eyes, she adds in a lower voice, "Well, do what you've gotta do there..." Mind, she wants the best seat in the house, so she'll be hopping up on top of the AV patch board, dangling her feet on the audience side of the destroyed window. And that gives her a better view of Akira -- and possibly Rock -- at the announcer's table; she gives them each a little wave!
And then, louder: "But yeah, folks... Kurow's been doin' really well for himself this match, considerin'! Of course, now he's dissin' the man himself, so his luck could very well change for the worse! Either way, the folks here at the Howard Arena sure come out with a great fight, despite the horribly one-sided match! Don't feel bad about destroying him, though, Mr. H! He's had it coming to him!"
Bombs in the stairwells. This is /just/ what Yamazaki felt like dealing with. Explosion after explosion rattles the skull and wardrobe of the Enforcer and temporary security guard as he goes barreling up stairwell after stairwell, stomping his way up the stairs through flight after flight. He's given time to think as he runs, and when Yamazaki has time to think, all he does is get angrier and angrier. By the time he reaches the floor that the A/V booth is on, his outer layer of clothing is smoking and charred, and black tinges the blonde that the top of his head has been dyed with. "I'm going to kill that little bastard, swear I will."
From the other side of the door, for a long time, there's just nothing. The careening of the black-clad thug gets louder and louder as he stomps up the stairs, and then? The door jamb breaks right off from the force of the kick that Yamazaki uses to open it. He stands in the now-open doorway, knife in his right hand, blade exposed. "The hell is that little shit... I know he knows I'm comin'.."
Kurow is beyond being fully rational at this point -- he only vaguely registers Geese's words. He's already built up a good, solid head of fury -- and clearly, that anger is working. Kurow sees blood, and frankly, he likes it; it's not even the self-assured, smirking 'like' that he usually has for such a thing. He's just straight-up /enjoying/ it.
"You just don't get it, do you, you old wreck?!" comes Kurow's reply as Geese gets back to his feet, the youth already moving to strike again. He's definitely starting to run out of gas, but he can't just hang back -- if it turns into a war of waiting and attrition, Geese wins. Kurow's already figured that one out. "There /is/ no legacy, no assured success! Anything you build can be destroyed. Any legacy you have can be shattered like /so/..."
And then he goes on the offensive. He raises his leg, looking for all the world like he's going to try for that same punishing kick that he used at the start of the match with a hissed "/much/...", trying to bait Geese into moving to deal with /that/. Of course, it's a feint -- though Kurow has occasionally let his moves get a little stale, tonight is not one of those times. Leaping up, he flips in midair and swings a claw down, finishing, "/glass/!" as he jabs out for Geese's face with those sharp bits of metal.
Akira leans in to Rock and murmurs, "How is he doing this with a broken spine?" She sounds like she wants to learn this broken spine technique.
COMBATSYS: Geese dodges Kurow's Weapon Jab.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Geese 1/-------/=======|-------\-------\0 Kurow
"So now you're trying to use anger as your weapon, eh?" Geese Howard muses as Kirishima bites out those words. The boy's tones, his expression -alone-, are enough to see just that. So, Geese's next words are ones that the cameras don't pick up, words he speaks low enough for Kurow alone. After all -- he wouldn't want to tarnish his image.
"How you children have managed to not get yourselves killed with your pathetic stupidity is beyond me."
Geese is not a stupid man. Especially not when he's fighting an opponent now blinded by rage. Distractions are no longer there to take his attention away from the fight, and this fact is cleanly established when the ninja attempts his little ploy. Geese sees -right- through it, blue eyes narrowed thoughtfully. A simple sidestep is all that is needed to outdistance himself from the range of Kurow's leg, just in time for the Justice student to leap and swing... and strike nothing but air, as Howard twists to come to a stop -right- beside Kirishima. "Nothing I've ever made could be destroyed by someone as sad and useless as you, especially when you look to flailing rage as your strength." A pause.
"You'd do well to remember that."
And then, without any further preamble, Geese seeks to simply GRIP Kurow by the front of his outfit before ripping him through the air... and SLAMMING him into the ground in a display of cold and efficient brutality. "HMPH!"
Outside the A/V booth, the broadcast from Sakura and Rock can still be heard, but at this point, it's the bass in the music that the ninja put on that shakes the floor, eerily in time to his steps as he all too calmly walks out of the A/V door.
o/` It's the hard knock life, for us.. o/`
As the shinobi walks, he tugs on the ends of his sleeves, creating slack around the gold armlets that secure the large things more tightly to his arms. The fact that his announcement indirectly allowed Kurow to gain ground against Geese matters to him exactly nil. It was amusing enough for the time being, and leaving Sakura in charge was exactly as he intended--after all, he doesn't really have an interest in long term announcing. Besides, there's someone worth his time standing in front of him.
"Ryuji Yamazaki..." Seishirou recites, as if from memory of reading a very dry text. "Highly violent... unpredictable, stubborn, nigh indestructible.." He focuses on the man, his eyes piercing dead forward. "... Class B threat."
A length of chain hits the ground, released from Seishirou's sleeve and held in his hand. The wrought iron is marked over with ominous interweaving lines in a complex design of ... scorchmarks.
"Sounds like a challenge," the ninja decides, looking on. "Should be interesting."
The music, now actually loud enough to hear the real lyrics, thumps below.
o/` Got my Mini-Me, in the G-P. See how it goes. Evil's all that I see.. o/`
Nobody ever said Seishirou didn't have a sick sense of humor.
COMBATSYS: Kurow dodges Geese's Medium Throw.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Geese 1/-------/=======|-------\-------\0 Kurow
Kurow's top was, unfortunately, shredded by Geese's slash-style Reppuken early in the fight... and if anyone who wanted to teach Kirishima a lesson could actually get a hold of his throat, ever, the world would be a much better place. Weaving back away from Geese and narrowly avoiding the simple scoop slam, Kurow takes another deep breath. "There's no strength in denying yourself," Kurow counters, allowing himself a little smirk -- just for a moment.
In an instant, though, he's back to the same aggressive tactics that have bought him more time than he might have initially expected in the match -- and still feeding on how much he hates this man in front of him. He hated him before stepping in the ring with him, before even really interacting with him; an American should never have been able to take all but complete dominion over the seat of Japan's power! Now that he meets him face to face, and now that he's been insulted time and time again by this man who claims he has no potential, he /really/ hates him.
Stepping in again, once more putting himself in that dangerous area that is 'Geese Howard's reach,' Kurow decides to try for a more straightforward tactic. Maybe Geese will expect duplicity from the ninja where this time there is none -- and drive himself right onto a hard, one-handed claw strike from Kurow, aimed right for the gaps between his ribs.
COMBATSYS: Yamazaki has joined the fight here.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Yamazaki 0/-------/-------|=======\-------\0 Geese
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Kurow 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Seishirou has joined the fight here.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Yamazaki 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Seishirou
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Kurow 0/-------/-------|=======\-------\0 Geese
On the other side of the hallway, the very same person of whom Seishirou talks about looks none too pleased about the current situation. "You know, it's goddamn funny that you, of all people, shows up." The knife begins a slow, practiced spin between the Southsynd lieutenant's fingers as he starts to pace slowly towards the Ryouhara ninja. "I never got to pound the tar outta you for that retarded boat that I got stuck on. Belmonte, hell, I'll punch her later for bringin' me on that shithole, but you and that goddamn midget of yours.. Riku? Shit, I don't know." The spinning of the knife slowly picks up in speed as he continues to talk. "You want to talk challenge? It was a challenge for me to not split your skull open on the side of the boat by the time I ended up evaccin' that ship."
The steps, as Yamazaki walked, grew quicker and quicker, and right as he finishes talking, he's breaking into a dead run. He's charging straight for the ninja that's standing at the end of the hallway, barreling forward with every intent to bury his shoulder into Seishirou's gut. Should he connect, he'll continue charging until he slams the kid as hard as possible into the wall a few feet further back behind them.
COMBATSYS: Geese blocks Kurow's Medium Strike.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Yamazaki 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Seishirou
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Kurow 0/-------/-------|=======\-------\1 Geese
"That's right folks, what we have here is a =classic= match of youth versus experience! Kurow certainly gets props for the 'No guts, no glory' approach, but now that the big G.H. has gotten wise to his tricks, will it be-- oh, oh! For once Kurow's fishnets actually serve a purpose, here! Ladies and gentlemen, this will be a fight to remember!" It's a good thing Seishirou's keeping peace and order out there, for that means Sakura can keep talking smack up here!
"Still... it seems both fighters are starting to get a little winded here... how much longer can they keep this up?"
There is no getting around it -- Geese Howard is a clever man. He takes this fight in stride, knowing full well of Kurow's nimble nature and his ability to maneuver himself even in the tightest of situationos. It's an ability that Geese gets to see now, as the ninja manages to narrowly escape the grasping outreach of his hand. Yet still? There's that stern look upon Geese's face. The face of a man confronting a terrible villain. A fiend. Here, in this arena, in this city? Kurow is the villain.
Geese Howard is the hero.
And, as a hero, he is not so easily overcome by Kirishima's antics. As that clawed hand snaps forward, it will find itself lancing into the tough material of the King of Southtown's right forearm guard. The force of the blow is absorbed across Howard's arm, but there is no blood, nor any inkling of pain in his gaze. Instead? He says nothing as he reaches out, to grasp onto Kurow's shoulders. If the grip is successful, Howard will throw him -up-...
COMBATSYS: Seishirou dodges Yamazaki's Strong Throw.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Yamazaki 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Seishirou
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Kurow 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Geese
COMBATSYS: Geese successfully hits Kurow with Rashoumon.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Yamazaki 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Seishirou
[ \\\ < > ///////////// ]
Kurow 0/-------/--=====|-------\-------\0 Geese
With Yamazaki gone, Rock shrugs, looks at the crowd. He looks at the announcer table. He looks at the crowd. They start cheering. He looks at the announcer table. He looks at the crowd. He looks at Macy's wonderful breasts. He puts his headset back on and sits back down. Like he didn't miss a beat, he tosses a hand through his blond hair and looks up at the AV Booth expectantly while making 'turn me back on' motions.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Yamazaki 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Seishirou
[ \\\ < > ///////////// ]
Kurow 0/-------/--=====|-------\-------\0 Geese
"I'm telling you you got a lucky break, you shouldn't swear again," Akira complains, "Not that I know why you'd listen to that guy anyway, he looks like kind of a jerk."
"How my son could be beaten by you is beyond me. Terry must be rotting away his mind."
And then Kurow goes skyward.
It's at disorienting speeds with which Kirishima travels. An upwards path that will take the breath from his lungs and bring him high, high up into the air. And as he descends? Geese Howard is there, waiting for him. Smiling. Dark blue chi sparks and sputters around his arms like electricity, the spark of life tended into an open flame in both his palms. The ninja flies down, and just as he is at eye-level with the King of Southtown...
"Worthless."
Those palms thrust out.
"RASHOUMON!"
From those sparks of flame a massive SPHERE of burning power roars to life in the space surrounding Kurow, engulfing and burning into him without mercy, without restraint. A reaction of cold flames churns within Geese's hands in a phenomenal display that leaves the audience gasping. And yet, for how coldly beautiful it is, how painful it must be, it only lasts for a split second before Kurow is spit out through the air, to make an unceremonious landing beyond Howard.
"Stupid luck can only get you so far, Kurow.
"Consider this lesson free of charge."
"Does it really matter?"
Riku. Riko. There is ultimately little difference nor interest from the ninja. "That's right. I seem to remember you weren't on the crew manifest. And I don't recall allowing non spectators like you aboard.." the ninja wonders openly, coldly, his chain beginning to swing in slow, lazy circles at his side, about in time with Yamazaki's own knife.
"Seems like there's a lot of lost ground to make up for."
There is no nin there when Yamazaki passes by. There is only the faint sensation of fingertips on the shoulder...
An instant later, his chain whirls around the mobster. The ninja is above him, inverted in mid-flip. Seishirou is going to snag him by the neck. Presumably, with his body no longer caught between Yamazaki and a hard place, he can simply flick Yamazaki into the opposite wall, using the weight of the chain and his falling body weight to subtly redirect Yamazaki's momentum until he is no longer charging shoulder first, but spin/careening headfirst into the wall. His normal grade of wire, without the help of his jutsu, probably wouldn't last too long in this fight.
"Well," Rock deadpans to Akira. "He does carry a pretty big knife and --"
RASHOUMON RASHOUMON RASHOUMON! Turk loves that move. It's kind of scary how much he loves that move.
"I'm not sure what I'm more happy about," Howard says in the wake of Turk's freak out. "That Turk just had an orgasm, that Geese just obliterated Kurow Kirishima, that they both might leave me alone for a few hours while they're in the ICU. Or --"
Rock stands up and throws his announcer water bottle and headset down. "That Yamazaki's still alive so that I can break his neck!"
Kirishima has seen Rock Howard use this technique a dozen times before -- but never quite so forcefully as Geese uses it right now. He expects, at best, a mild thumping, yet when he goes flying up into the air, he knows he's not in for nearly as smooth a ride. The young man sails up into the air, closing his eyes -- and when he comes down, he comes down hard. The explosion of chi launches Kurow even farther than the slashing Reppuken did earlier... and that's when Kurow knows he's beat.
Maybe he can at least make it a pyrrhic victory, though -- that's what he banks on as he uses the maintenance scaffolding yet again, propelling himself toward Howard's neck with one final, full-speed grab at the throat of the King of Southtown, albeit one made drastically sloppier by fatigue and severe bodily damage --?!
COMBATSYS: Kurow can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Seishirou 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Geese
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Yamazaki 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Geese dodges Kurow's Circle Slash.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Seishirou 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Geese
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Yamazaki 0/-------/-------|
-- and, unable to catch Geese, Kurow lands hard on the stone, unconscious. Whoops.
"Bah," Akira shrugs it off, "You've got the Dancing Cyclone Kick, that move is pretty much unstoppable. I'd show you but I'm afraid I'd break something." She does a jumpkick pointlessly aimed at nothing instead and her expression sours. "Oh look he's not--oh wait, yes he is down. Ouch." It brightens again. "I hope he challenges a wimp soon so I can go in there and jump kick him out of nowhere." What's with Akira and jump kicks lately?! Maybe she's been doing special jump kick training sessions. "Or use a table..."
Apparently, Sakura's question gets an answer not long after she asks it. Rock does too, but not from Sakura -- the mic was turned on by Seishirou before he left, but the booth folks hadn't been speaking clearly into the mic since then! Go figure!
But Sakura's not concerned with any of that -- like a true fighting fangir^H^H^H aficionado, her eyes are glued to the fight! ... The one she's commentating, not the one unfolding right behind her. "Whoa! Geese Howard may have let a few moves through, but was he just toying with Kurow? Was he just giving our fair ninja-school reject a taste of victory, only to snatch it away with a cocky smile and a Seven Samurai reference? It--" Sakura pauses, as her headphones indicate =someone else is talking!= "Hey! Rock!" she shouts, "You ever hear of keeping things family-friendly? Geeeeez..." She rocks her feet back and forth along her perch, =totally= oblivious to the forty rows of seats beneath her slowly-swishing skirt. It's a cool fight, why should she care?
COMBATSYS: Seishirou successfully hits Yamazaki with Leafwalking.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Seishirou 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Geese
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Yamazaki 0/-------/-----==|
COMBATSYS: Rock has joined the fight here on the left meter side.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////////// ]
Rock 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Seishirou
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Geese 0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0 Yamazaki
Rock's headset bounces against the announcer table. The Spanish Announcers are going crazy a few yards away from Macy and Turk. Turk looks at Macy. "Rock Howard's got something he wants to say to Ryuji Yamazaki! Remember, the last time they were seen together, Yamazaki put him in the hospital!" "That's right, Turk! I can only imagine what Howard is going to do when he gets up there--"
Rock stops his squinting up at the rafters abruptly. He spins around back to the table, pushing Turk out of his chair; he bounces off Akira and stumbles into the crowd barrier. Ripping the steel chair free of the ground, Rock folds the thing back up and spins back around. Turk keeps commentating because he's the man.
"Howard just threw me from my chair! He's got blood in his eyes! I don't know what is going to --"
Before Rock's headset can even stop rolling, he's in the Arena floor. Like a wild animal being released from its cage, he shoots from the announcer table straight towards -- not Yamazaki, not Kurow Kirishima -- but Geese Howard himself! He comes up on his father from directly behind him, slams a foot into the ground for the strongest base foothold he's ever achieved, and with forty yards of momentum behind him, tries to slam the flat end of the chair right through the back of Geese's head.
"He's going for Geese! OH MY GOD!"
Ah, yes. The proverbial 'ring rust'. Yamazaki should have likely known better than to go charging in against someone like a small ninja like that, but having been out of action for a couple months has his senses a bit dulled. And those dull senses result in being used for a vaulting point. Seconds later, the chain has redirected him face-first into the wall with enough force that his head, along with most of his upper body, causes spiderweb-cracks to reach out from the impact point. It takes him a moment to withdraw himself from the wall, but once he does, he just shakes his head and chuckles to himself.
"Look at me. Runnin' at you like a damned idiot." He ducks down for a moment, then snaps the dropped blade off the ground before he straightens back up. "Fuckin' fightin' a mexican jumpin' bean, that ain't gonna do shit." Slowly, Yamazaki tightens his grip on the blade of the knife, then takes a deep breath in before he brings a hand up and puts the knife through another slow spin. "Come on, shortround. There ain't no way in hell you're gonna pull that shit off a second time."
COMBATSYS: Yamazaki focuses on his next action.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////////// ]
Rock 0/-------/----===|=------\-------\0 Seishirou
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Geese 0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0 Yamazaki
Akira hears Sakura buzzing through the headset. She picks it up and puts it around her head. "Hee~" She laughs lightly, ducking around the bounce before commenting through the headset. "Akira Kazama would like to remind everybody!" She announces, "That hitting someone with a chair or perhaps a table is a sure path for victory!" the headset is sort of like a helmet in that nobody is actually going to be WATCHING HER SAY THIS. "I remember when Rock was like SNF and NeoGeo League leader and then I beat him and he went down like 100 places, but I bet he'll do better against his dad because of his genetics! Also because he totally jumped him after he was already getting beat up by Kurow. I hope your spine heals slowly, Kurow!"
COMBATSYS: Shihong has joined the fight here on the left meter side.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Seishirou 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Yamazaki
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Rock 0/-------/----===|-------\-------\0 Geese
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Shihong 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Shihong has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Seishirou 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Geese
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Rock 0/-------/----===|-------\-------\0 Shihong
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Yamazaki 0/-------/-----==|
COMBATSYS: Shihong endures Rock's Random Weapon.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Seishirou 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Geese
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Rock 0/-------/---====|======-\-------\0 Shihong
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Yamazaki 0/-------/-----==|
COMBATSYS: Yamazaki has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Seishirou 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Yamazaki
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Rock 0/-------/---====|======-\-------\0 Shihong
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Geese 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Geese has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Seishirou 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Yamazaki
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Rock 0/-------/---====|-------\-------\0 Geese
> ///////////////////// ]
|======-\-------\0 Shihong
Wild animals or no, when you're in the employ of one Geese Howard, there are certain things expected of you. Even if it means throwing yourself into the open mouths OF certain wild animals. EVEN if said wild animals are the offspring of your employer.
No matter. In the end, she gets a paycheck, and that's good enough for her.
A blur of black makes its way suddenly across the arena, the sharp sound of heels click-click-clicking across the floor as that blur drives a line for none other than Howard himself. With a hard look the woman moves with purpose, eyes fixed on the King of Southtown himself.
"Sir," she says, exercising a frightening amount of calm, despite how dire the situation may very well be for her. Without waiting for acknowledgement or any other word from her employer, the woman gives the man a harsh shove, driving Howard himself out of harm's way...
...and placing herself right into the fray, in the path of that incoming chair. The chair hits without fail, sending the woman flying a good distance. She hits, rolling thrice before she springs up, landing in a three-point stance. But rather than eye Howard's scion, she turns her attention to Geese.
"Are you alright?"
Then does she turn to Rock, sporting a glare and a bloodied smile. "Hi," she replies...before she charges forward, attempting to grab him by the arm and yank savagely. Should she get a good hold, she'll run up his front and take to the air above, before slamming her heels down onto his shoulders, attempting to drive Rock into the arena floor with a burst of violent red psychic energy.
"... Wow, Rock, I was totally joking about you and Kurow going steady an' all! It's not like y'have to go proving me right by rushing like the White Knight to his defense!" She'd say more, but Turk and Macy are making up for lost time here! ... And Rock finds his attack intercepted! "... Whoa, hey, there's something I didn't see coming! Though I'm gonna leave this to the pros, now that all the amateurs are out dancing with Mr. Howard now. It's been a wonderful evening, folks, and this is the Ryouhara Broadcast Network, signing off!"
It wouldn't be fun to escape -after- Seishirou and Yamazaki get finished, after all! Kasugano leaps into the seating section, dipping around and over a few of the members of the audience, and then disappearing back into the bowels of the concession stands. Besides... if Seishirou needs help, it'd be better from another attack vector...
Seishirou slides a hand into his pocket, the chain sliding down at his side with a heavy whmp just after he lands. "The first rule of tactics.. never repeat the same action twice." he comments, with an almost deadly level of measured finality. After all, if you repeat yourself too much, people begin to tell what you're going to do and how you're going to do it.
"Besides.." Seishirou begins, long furrowing lines of steam curling off his chain.
"I won't need to."
Without a word, without a single contrived gesture, Ryouhara's made his move. As Yamazaki attempts to shake off that fighter's rust of his, Seishirou is attempting to shell it, to keep Yamazaki trapped in his own mind. The way he does this.. is with blistering, almost inconceivable amounts of heat. Raditating from himself like a blast furnace, the ice cold ninja seems not to notice it at all, but it's there.
A crushing amount of chi devoted to the task, it is a subtle distraction technique. You see, there is no visual component because Seishirou is not using an attack. The shinobi doesn't intend to attack Yamazaki directly. No. Seishirou's going to set up a gradient field making it difficult to attack him with full resolve. In the meantime.. he is going to drown Yamazaki in a pure heat in which only Seishirou can maneuver while still being able to breathe. Against this kind of heat, focusing on Seishirou almost doesn't matter--the vapor alone is enough to make his form indistinct.
The chain, growing easily /scalding hot/ in the ninja's bare hands, he slings the length over his shoulder with not a lot more thna a smirk. "You should be pretty strong. I don't have a lot of time.. Let's see what you're made of, 'zaki."
COMBATSYS: Yamazaki reflects Katon - Shinrou Kiritsu from Seishirou with Bai Gaeshi.
- Power hit! -
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Seishirou 0/-------/------=|===----\-------\0 Yamazaki
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Rock 0/-------/---====|-------\-------\0 Geese
> //////////////////// ]
|=====--\-------\0 Shihong
The ending to this fight is as abrupt as its beginning. Kirishima flies through the air, making a beeline straight for Geese Howard. The Syndicate leader can see how fatigued and beaten the boy is, though; he is a perceptive sort of man. As Kirishima flies through the air, it takes naught but a single, solitary step to the side that seems all but effortless from Geese to outmaneuver the assault. Kurow goes flying through the air harmlessly. His claws bite into nothing. Instead, his face greets the cold and unforgiving ground with a thud as Howard steps backwards, pale blue eyes full of pity.
"And to think I gave you a sporting chance."
Geese turns his back on Kurow as he speaks his condescending words. It's a gesture of a victorious man. A man who has no fear. But it's also a gesture that leaves him entirely open to assault. As he pivots on his heel, his son is ripping across the air with a chair in hand. The King of Southtown seems not to notice. Or he would--
--Were he not -smiling- so distinctly.
It's something the camera doesn't get to see. What it DOES see is Howard slowly turning his head around to look towards Rock, with an expression of utter -shock-. "Rock, what are you--" And he's only cut off when a mysterious female form interposes between himself and his son, shocing him out of the way and valiantly takes the blow head on. Geese stumbles fortunately out of the path of the hit, and as Shihong speaks and attacks, he says something ultimately simple and -touching-:
"Just disappointed, Shihong."
Quick to compose himself even as Shihong assaults his son, Howard turns around, eyes leveling on the pair. "That's -ENOUGH-. I won't stand for any unnecessary violence." A lie, he finds this all terrible amusing. "Rock, my boy... I'm disappointed in you. All I want is for you to see how much I support and care for you, and this is how you repay me? Stubborn to the last, even now." A sigh.
"Leave, Rock. When you realize your -actual- potential...
"... Then hopefully you can show me more than these sad antics."
COMBATSYS: Geese takes no action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Seishirou 0/-------/------=|===----\-------\0 Yamazaki
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Rock 0/-------/---====|-------\-------\0 Geese
> //////////////////// ]
|=====--\-------\0 Shihong
COMBATSYS: Rock fails to interrupt Savage Tiger from Shihong with Shine Knuckle.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Seishirou 0/-------/------=|===----\-------\0 Yamazaki
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Rock 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Geese
> //////////////////// ]
|=======\-------\0 Shihong
"You had better hope you live up to your own words, Ryouhara. I'll cripple you if you give me so much as an inch." Slowly, the grin is starting to spread across Yamazaki's face as the bass rumbles in his voice. Abruptly, the knife twirls a quick 360 degrees in his hand; the hilt lands in his palm first, then the knife clicks into the handle before the other half closes over it, and it slides right back into his pocket. While Seishirou is busy generating all this heat, Ryuji is busy gathering his own energy into the palm of his left hand; wispy, gaseous purple chi starts to lick off the tips of his fingers, lashing against his palm at first, then slowly covering his entire hand as the second pass.
The heat, for most, would likely overwhelm; Ryuji Yamazaki is far more used to having fire in his face; his own Bomb Headbutt technique has helped him grow accustomed to the feeling. He doesn't even move an inch, simply not breathing, holding stock-still where he stands for a good several seconds.. he squints through the hazy, wavy heat lines, making out a single line against the rest; the chain. That's the one that came at him before. The energy gathered in his palm suddenly flares, engulfing his entire left forearm in purple energy as his hand comes up and snatches the end of the chain right out of the air. "Is this all!? Pathetic!" His hand comes right back down in a sharp diagonal motion across his body as he hurls the chain as hard as he can right back at its source.
"Don't give into the dark side, Rock!" Akira shouts, which is probably more apt than she realizes.
CRACK. COOOOONG. CHAIRSHOT. Rock hears the sounds, the ring jubilee of satisfying crunching metal against hated a hated skull. Each vibration of the broken chair in his hands is like a sweet symphony to his tortured heart; a song built on 18 years of anger. But when Rock finally opens his eyes, when he finally focuses on the fact that he just crushed not his father, Geese Howard, but some Asian Girl --
"Who the fuuuuu--" he starts to say before she's on him like a robot rhinocerus to Ace Ventura. There's no escape. He's never really experienced someone running up his face and then crushing him into the ground. Landing face first, the arena shakes from the ferocity of his impact. Howard lays still for a few seconds, not because he's dead or unconscious, just because he's not sure where this is going to rank up in the huge laundry list of failure.
Pushing himself up, he spits some blood out. "... Spare me," he says, indignantly, to his father. "They'll see through your routine one of these days, /Geese/, and then --" Rock doesn't finish his thought. Then they'll remember /Her/, he wanted to say, but it's too hard. Gruffly, he yanks his coat back onto his shoulders and wipes a sleeve, starting to walk away.
COMBATSYS: Yamazaki successfully hits Seishirou with Reflected Katon - Shinrou Kiritsu.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Seishirou 0/-------/-----==|=====--\-------\0 Yamazaki
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Rock 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Geese
> //////////////////// ]
|=======\-------\0 Shihong
"!!" Ryouhara's attempt to drown his opponent in chi is simply turned back, his whirling chain taken advantage of as it spun lazily, the heated red length thrown back at him along with the wave of his own heat, reflected back with pure fighting spirit. Turning away from the blast, the chain spins, allowing Seishirou to.. narrowly miss it.
That says nothing for the blast of /sheer heat/ that envelops him a moment later. He shields his face against it, only for the blistering wave to blow back the edges of his coat.
With his carefully constructed field disrupted, even he has to choke against it.
"I.. impressive," Seishirou admits, after his jutsu's chi relevels. He can't build on that much with his focus disrupted. Oh, it's still quite hot in here. His chain is still seething, a glowing red thing. "Then it's decided," he figures, walking slowly towards Yamazaki. "Here I come."
That gentle step turns into a dead run at the mobster.
With the vicious blow of psychic energy erupting beneath her feet, there's a certain sense of satisfaction that lingers on the woman's porcelain-white features. The impact alone gives her momentum enough to launch herself off of Rock's body, body twisting midair before she lands in a deep crouch. She lingers briefly; after all, taking a hit to the face with a chair hurts. A lot.
However, when yelled at the woman simply rises and briefly casts a glance onto Rock, black eyes distantly pensive before she simply lifts a gloved hand to her coat. Pulling out a dark velvet handkerchief, she wipes her face gingerly, eyes slowly drawing to a close.
Whatever their issues, it's none of Shihong's business.
And so, with a shrug, the woman decides the best, most logical solution here is to leave. So with no further argument or action, does precisely that.
COMBATSYS: Seishirou focuses on his next action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Seishirou 0/-------/-----==|=====--\-------\0 Yamazaki
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Rock 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Geese
> //////////////////// ]
|=======\-------\0 Shihong
COMBATSYS: Shihong has left the fight here.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Seishirou 0/-------/-----==|=====--\-------\0 Yamazaki
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Rock 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Geese
The moral of the story here is simple:
A wise man doesn't make himself so available without a plan.
Especially not when he is dealing with ninja.
The fact that trickery and backstabbing comes from his son rather than the ninja is of little concern to Geese Howard. The end result is the same. Shihong takes a debilitating shot that was aimed for him, and Geese looks no worse for wear. For a man like Howard, bodyguards aren't really there to protect him because they are more able...
... They just take the shots that he does not want to bother with.
The end result is clear. Rock is dealt his punishment by Shihong, and Geese's words and the presence of another seem to be more than enough to deter his son. Standing calmly amidst a very stunned Turk and Macy and the composed -- if not battered -- form of Shihong, Geese can do little but smile (sadly, of course) as Rock retreats. One has to keep an appearance for the cameras.
And so does the King of Southtown turn, to walk away; Yamazaki can deal with the -other- ninja, he's sure. "Good work, Shihong. This fight is over." And was the moment that Kurow hit the floor. The rest of this?
It's just good ratings.
COMBATSYS: Geese has left the fight here.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Seishirou 0/-------/-----==|=====--\-------\0 Yamazaki
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rock 0/-------/-----==|
COMBATSYS: Rock has left the fight here.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Seishirou 0/-------/-----==|=====--\-------\0 Yamazaki
COMBATSYS: Seishirou has saved the state of this fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Seishirou 0/-------/-----==|=====--\-------\0 Yamazaki
COMBATSYS: Seishirou has left the fight here.
> ///////////////////////// ]
|=====--\-------\0 Yamazaki
Log created on 19:21:13 12/26/2007 by Geese, and last modified on 23:28:02 12/27/2007.