Description: In scenic Kyoto, Japan, four fighters are placed in an unlikely situation: fight on rickshaws! What could possibly go wrong?? (PROTIP: Everything.) The Beast of Prey K' and his unlikely British teammate Preston square off against Taiyo's Hayato and Marisol in a race to see which team will come out on top. Oh SNF, what WON'T you do?! (Winners: Hayato and Marisol)
"Man, this is one fuckin' racist setup," grouses a racist.
"Aren't rickshaws in China? I didn't think they had any here." It's a touching moment, particularly from a burly youth who is known for getting under his opponent's skin with skilfully worded barbs about gender, race, and ugliness. A giant hand lifts, to rub against thick stubble.
"I mean, if I'd known they had 'em here, I'd be usin' em more often. Fuckin' gooks, always tryin' to Shylock us westerners..."
This bodes well. This bodes very well. Preston Alistair Wellington the II stands in the staging area, as the clock ticks down to the beginning of the fight. There are four rickshaws, one for each combatant, and a team of thin men dressed up as sumo wrestlers for some inexplicable reason are slated to pull the rickety rickshaws.
But without his trademark oar, is this going to be the kind of fight to really bring the cheers of the crowd out? For the moment, the topless teen with his tanned, rippling muscles (and some of those muscles have muscles) leans casually against a barrel. He finally looks at the audience listening to his racist ramble.
And that's a fair number of glaring Asians. "What?" he questions them, wondering why they're all squinting at him before waving them off.
The organizers hurry about, last minute checks from camera crews on mopeds and horses (?!) being seen to. The fight is going to begin soon!
COMBATSYS: Preston has started a fight here.
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Preston 0/-------/-------|
Despite Hayato's insistence that he could participate in this fight while pulling the rickshaw /himself/, and that it would make things more interesting, the SNF staff has finally managed to convince the fighter just to hang out on the vehicle. He has, however, made clear his intention of taking over if anything should happen. He's not going to let the fight stall, or his team forfeit, just because one of the guys pulling the cart couldn't keep up!
And for once Hayato actually knows something about all the fighters in this match. Marisol and Preston are at least vaguely known to the teacher, by virtue of being students at a Southtown high school. Not even Pacific escapes Hayato's watchful eye! And K'... Well, Hayato is familiar with him after the brash young man's fight with Batsu. Of course, for the students Hayato's knowledge doesn't extend much beyond knowing their names, and that they do go to Pacific... Although Preston is providing a bit of an introduction.
Hayato frowns as he listens to Preston's tirade, arms crossed over his chest and chewing on a long grass stem clenched between his teeth. His shinai is, for the moment, slung through a strap on the back of his sports jacket. "Didn't anybody ever teach you even some basic manners, Wellington?"
"Does it MATTER?"
Near the racist Briton is Marisol O'Connell with her arms folded neatly over her chest, gray eyes peering up at the foul-mouthed youth. Clad in a comfortable pair of jeans and a camisol, the half-Spaniard girl's flat features give way to a lopsided smirk, gray eyes hooded as she regards her teammate...turned opponent once more.
"Just don't break it, fat ass," she adds with a hint of amusement on her sun-kissed features.
Walking past the youth as he receives numerous glares from the observing Asians, she lifts a hand and delivers an aggressive slap on the man's bare back, laughing aloud to herself before she offers a 'good luck' to her colleague in passing.
Wandering to her place in this precarious and odd venue, the girl spies her teammate, the elder man from Taiyo High. It's an odd match-up, but it works she surmises privately as she lifts a hand up and tries to get the man's attentions. "Yoo-hoo!" Her wandering breaks into a light jog as she makes her way over to the man.
When she closes in, the girl's feet stumble before she stops with a broad grin. Thrusting her hand out, she offers it to the elder man as greeting, maintaining a toothy smile. "Hola. My name is Marisol O'Connell - you can call me Marisol if you like. Glad to meet you, mister Nekketsu. I've seen some of your fights before, so I think we have a damn good shot at this." A smirk crosses her ips briefly.
But a moment after, she pauses, gray eyes drifting to the sky as she purses her lips thoughtfully...before she turns and looks back to her teammate, talking rather loud and quite obviously. "And oh yeah, don't mind the bald British guy. His manners are awful, but that's a given. And really, he talks offensive but really he's not worth getting worked up over at all - a real pushover. Ha ha ha ha ha!!"
Glancing over a shoulder, she blows a kiss to Preston.
K', as usual, was distressingly punctual in getting to the match. He still looks annoyed as hell, but whether it's his lingering irritation with his recent run-ins with Kyo, leftover anger from the ridiculousness of last week, or just his normal poor attitude is anyone's guess.
However, actually going near the other gathered fighters before he strictly has to is another thing entirely. He doesn't show himself until the other three have already started crowding around the conveyances in question, and when he does it's at a leisurely pace, hands hooked on his belt loops and the last remnants of a pre-fight cigarette wreathing smoke up before his indifferent eyes.
Not really bothering to mirror Marisol's good manners and actually greet his teammate, K' just walks past Preston: the only regard given the Pacific student a single quick onceover. His eyes turn away, a muted chuckle escaping him at Preston's coarse observations, before-- hands still hooked at his hips-- he scales agilely into one of the rickshaws and kicks back sidewise in it, a heel propping negligently up on the high armrest as he settles in his perch and waits for shit to start going down.
It's about that time he actually notices Marisol. For a moment or two he stills perceptibly, his yellow eyes focusing in a manner that says, quite unmistakably, Yes: I remember you. Then, he drifts his eyes half-shut, leans back in his perch, and just cuts her an extremely nasty grin.
COMBATSYS: Marisol has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
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Preston 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Marisol
COMBATSYS: K' has joined the fight here on the left meter side.
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Preston 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Marisol
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K' 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Hayato has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
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Preston 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Marisol
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K' 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Hayato
It's funny how Preston is about to respond to the Taiyo Teacher's remark, but someone else does it for him. Marisol O'Connell, his erstwhile teammate on Pacific Resistance, seems to have all the answers. And a slap on the back as well. So for being such a know-it-all, she gets a mildly playful glare-squint from the tall Brit.
It's a gluint! Or a square. K' should know something about that.
Regardless though, he gives his own answer; "My da tried to beat some manners into me, it didn't work out so well for him; I dunno what you crazy Japs have over at Taiyo as far as teacher's hittin' students, but don't worry. You ain't my teacher, so show me ya moves."
That said, he receives a blown kiss from Marisol. And that just gets her another gluint from the closely-shaved burly muscle-bound guy.
But the officials speed things up. It seems that the time has drawn nigh. Thus, Preston directs a sidelong glance over at K', before he simply shrugs and starts towards one of the rickshaws.
With the barrel over his shoulder.
Several of the local (read: Asian) workers point and make comments of 'Donkey Kong,' which goes right over the head of the Brit. He just gluints at them, pausing before mounting the rickshaw. "Oh this is gonna fuckin' suck," he grouses in advance, getting his balance. The team of men tasked with pulling his rickshaw take off immediately, pulling him into the lead.
The Brit turns around, squinting back at everybody.
COMBATSYS: Preston focuses on his next action.
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Preston 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Marisol
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K' 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Hayato
Hayato hops up onto the rickshaw set aside for himself and Marisol, once it becomes clear that the fight is soon to start. Of course he's not going to sit down, as one would normally do for the sake of safety. He's not here to relax! And then it's not long before both of the rickshaws are off and running, moving at the fastest pace that the men pulling them can keep up for an extended period of time. And as close together as they can get without risking bumping into each other, of course. Though that may well happen once things get hectic... The rickshaw for Preston and K' winds up with a slight head start, but it doesn't take long before the two vehicles are drawing even. While Hayato is still in the process of pulling alongside, he slowly reaches behind his back and draws his shinai. "Oh, I practice tough love at Taiyo. I know how much my kids can take, even when some of them don't know themselves. As for you... I can see why your dad may have had some trouble. Let's see how I do!"
By then Hayato has drawn level with Preston, and he lunges forward with an overhand strike, aiming to bring his shinai down hard on the shoulder opposite the barrel. Of course, given their positions a lunge is rather tricky, leaving Hayato's foot hanging out over open space... so his plan is to kick off of Preston's rickshaw as he starts to fall, using the recoil to push his weight back up onto his own cart. Foolproof!
The look K' gives Marisol is a notable one - so much so the girl turns her head the moment K' begins glaring at her to meet the taciturn youth's yellow-eyed gaze. She stares for a moment, mouth discreetly agape as she observes him, even as his eyes shut and he offers her a vicious smirk. The girl's face just gets a tiny shade of red, hands curling into light fists...before she exhales and grins.
"Don't check me out like that!" she calls to the former NESTS project. "Pás would get awfully upset!"
But when Preston replies to the Taiyo phys-ed teacher, the girl's lips cut into a cocky smirk. Glancing sidelong to the man, she replies with a quiet, for-his-ears-only, "See? All talk. Nothin' to worry about." A hand waves dismissively afterwards.
However, the pre-fight banter can only last so long. Soon enough SNF officials try to corral the fighters into their respective rickshaws and get the fight rolling. Encouraged to move, the half-Spaniard girl wanders to her rickshaw and hops on, testing her balance and the sturdiness of the vehicle as Hayato gets onto it as well. She spares the man another glance before she's suddenly jarred by the cart as it moves into action.
"G-god damn it," the girl mutters darkly under her breath, arms outstretched as she tries to balance herself. Whatever Hayato has planned, and whatever Preston's fate at the end of Hayato's shinai (or foot) may be, the redheaded Pacific girl is far, far more focused on trying to keep herself balanced WHILE paying attention to the fight.
"Guh..."
COMBATSYS: Marisol focuses on her next action.
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Preston 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Marisol
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K' 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Hayato
K', meanwhile, just kinda leans back and exhales a long, final breath of curling smoke as the entire messy business gets started. Putting his cigarette out on the back of his right hand, thoroughly snuffing the embers, he regards Marisol as she finally overcomes her initial fluster and manages to fire a retort back. His smirk just widens a little at her injunction not to check her out, the boy's eyes flicking upwards in a universal 'whatever,' before he replies generously, "Heh. Don't flatter yourself..."
He hauls himself upright shortly after with relatively little incident, his lean frame seeming to find it a bit easier to strike a balance by dint of its lightness. Still, he isn't quite too keen on trying to compromise his perch with a physical strike quite yet, so when he turns on Marisol, that smirk fading to be replaced by a distressingly-intent stare, it's with a lick of fire starting to gather about his wrist.
Wait. Was it really such a good idea to put a firewielder on a rickety wooden object?
Seemingly heedless of this potential hitch in the SNF organizers' grand plan, K' lets that little coil of fire gain strength, eventually bursting it into a snarling ring of flames that surges into the space between himself and Marisol (rendering the rickshaw-pullers a little... nervous). He hesitates, leaning in the direction of the rickshaw's movement a little bit, before he finally feels stable enough to slam a kick into his fire to send it searing towards the girl. He lands a little farther towards the back of the contraption than he had intended and wavers, his stance immediately lowering as one hand claws into the wood to help him keep his balance.
COMBATSYS: Preston blocks Hayato's Fierce Strike.
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Preston 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Marisol
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K' 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Hayato
"You can try," is all Preston says, keeping further replies to himself as he keeps half a mind on maintaining his balance, standing atop the rickshaw as he is. It barrels down the street, a scenic tour of Kyoto starting just outside the very big train station with its massive 9-story department store, heading east towards the older, rundown and somewhat dilapidated side of town.
But the fight begins, the Taiyo Teacher precariously leaning off of the opposing rickshaw to strike at the tall youth. Eyeing the descent of the shinai, Preston lifts his free arm, blocking the strike with his forearm. A sour grimace spreads across his face.
"Not bad," he replies, promptly retaliating; Hayato need not worry about kicking off of the Brit and the Genetic Experiment's rickshaw, Preston will help him right out!
His large, bare foot streaks forward as he shakes off the pain of the initial strike, aiming to kick the 'tough love' teacher square in the stomach!
COMBATSYS: K' successfully hits Marisol with Second Shoot.
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Preston 0/-------/------=|====---\-------\0 Marisol
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K' 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Hayato
COMBATSYS: Hayato blocks Preston's Light Kick.
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Preston 0/-------/------=|====---\-------\0 Marisol
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K' 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Hayato
Well, Hayato didn't expect it to be /that/ easy. Preston is pretty tough looking, after all. As for the banter back and forth between Preston and Marisol and Marisol and K'... Dang kids, how's Hayato supposed to have any idea what they're all going on about? This is a fight, not a date! And one important part of a fight is not taking clean hits. Between his kicking off of the rickshaw and bringing his leg quickly up to block Preston's foot, Hayato accomplishes both that and getting himself back up firmly on his own rickshaw. He then spares Marisol a grin. "Oh, I'd hope not. This wouldn't be much fun, otherwise."
And then K' is sending fire racing between the rickshaws toward Marisol. An opening, perhaps? Hayato tenses his legs up for a moment, keeping his eye on the other rickshaw, before giving Marisol a brief glance and a grin. "Hey, hold the fort for a bit, would ya?" And then he leaps, carrying himself between the two vehicles and hopefully carrying his fist right into K''s stomach. But he won't stop there, continuing to push in an attempt to lift him right up off the rickshaw before twisting around and slamming him back into it... hopefully without sending all three of the occupants into a horrible crash. And three is definitely a crowd when it comes to these vehicles.
Putting a fire wielder into a fight on wooden rickshaws was a TERRIBLE idea.
K' goes relatively unnoticed by the girl, as she tries to maintain her balance. It's a good thing Hayato has his act together; this is proving to be distressingly less simplistic than the girl had presumed. She is beginning to have doubts. Oh yes. They only double when a spark of flame catches her attention from the corner of her eye.
Before she can properly react - and it doesn't help the damn rickshaw is shaky to begin with - the girl finds herself slammed with fire. It winds the girl, sending her staggering from the blow and crashing into the back of the cart with a loud, audible groan, the front of her jeans and camisole singed and burnt. Marisol frowns deeply.
"I LIKED these jeans!" the girl yells, glaring pointedly at K' as she brushes hands over the front of her garments with a huff of annoyance. Still eyeing the experiment, she scowls and hoods her gaze sharply, only pausing to glance and see how her teammate this match fares. At least HE'S doing better than Marisol.
"Tch - I fought your ass last week," the girl grunts, turning her attentions back onto K' briefly. Only after does she lift a hand and jerk a thumb toward Preston. "'sides, he looks a little lonely. Sooo~ooory!" She sticks her tongue out at the experiment shortly thereafter. When her eyes turn back onto Preston and Hayato, he does something a little unexpected. He goes for K'?
The girl's lips pull into a broad smirk. "I can't if I'm gonna punch people," she offers the phys-ed teacher with a laugh...before she leaps across as well and attempts to grab the Brit by his throat and, with the opposite hand, draws the palm's heel forward as it flares with yellow chi. The energy is aimed for his gut and, should it land, will erupt brightly, to launch the Briton! Hopefully not off the cart.
Hopefully.
COMBATSYS: Hayato successfully hits K' with Power Punch.
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Preston 0/-------/------=|====---\-------\0 Marisol
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K' 0/-------/---====|==-----\-------\0 Hayato
K' just cuts another infuriating smirk at Marisol as she objects loudly to his treatment of her clothing, somehow managing to be an ass even when mildly off-balance and skidding ever-closer to the far edge of the rickshaw. Soon enough, he takes his attention off her for a precious moment or two as she sniffs and turns away. This proves to be an error, since it's no longer Marisol he has to worry about...
Still clawing to regain ground on the plunging conveyance, K' has only barely re-established himself before Hayato has done the unexpected: leapt clear off his own vehicle and barreled straight into the young fighter. Fortunately, Hayato is nice enough to plant K' right back into the rickshaw bottom at the conclusion of his attack, but K' could have done with a substantially less painful means of regaining his proper balance; his back's slammed right into those wooden slats.
Oh, he remembers Hayato too. Evidence enough of that lies in the way his eyes darken as they meet Hayato's own, K' fixing a sharp and unimpressed gaze up at Hayato. Against all common sense, K' retaliates with fire again; his right wrist alights, the flames crackling luridly mere inches from the very dry wood, before K' swipes forwards and sends a blast of fire straight towards the teacher in a bid to get him to back off. As much as he can back off when on a rickshaw, anyway.
COMBATSYS: Preston interrupts Moon Sling from Marisol with Queen's Regulations.
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Preston 0/-------/------=|=======\-------\0 Marisol
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K' 0/-------/---====|==-----\-------\0 Hayato
See now, Preston thinks it's a great idea himself. K' may be fire, but it's the Brit that brings the water to douse any would-be flames. But right now, he seems a little off-balance as Hayato blocks that kick, teetering slightly as the rickshaw hits a bump on the cobbled streets of Kyoto.
It's a beautiful town, it truly is. The path the rickshaws take leads over a bridge, with the (somewhat) broad Kamo River running beneath it. A plastic bag blows in the wind. There is so much beauty.
Gathering his balance, he watches as his opponent makes the daring leap across the gap. The two rickshaws roughly collide, wheels grinding against each other; sparks fly, but thankfully there are no jutting spikes from either set of axles! These aren't duelling chariots. The two groups of sumo-clad Asians begin bickering with each other about who's to blame as they cross over the narrow bridge.
Preston's attention shifts as he catches sight of Marisol making the leap as well. "Hello hello hello, what's all this then?" he questions, watching her progress, seeing that hand go for his throat.
As the girl's slender (read: manly) fingers close around his throat, he hefts that barrel above his head. An eerie sound plays, like a barrel being reeled back to be tossed at high speed, like a bionic barrel.
In this case though, it's Preston slamming the barrel down to rather crudely block Marisol's attempt to discharge that potent chi into his belly and create a chi-baby within him; the barrel smashes downwards, harsh and unforgiving, and he gives her three massive thumps before, with a screech that the rickshaw drivers swear was that of a giant monkey squealing, blasts her back across the gap with a barrel uppercut!
Do a barrel roll, Marisol!
COMBATSYS: Hayato fails to interrupt Eins Trigger from K' with Devastation Kick.
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Preston 0/-------/----===|=======\-------\1 Marisol
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K' 0/-------/--=====|==-----\-------\0 Hayato
So, K' gets slammed down on his back, and he's going to attempt to blast Hayato away before getting back up? Well, the Burning Phys Ed Teacher is going to have none of that! His plan becomes clear as he lifts up his right leg, grinning down at his intended target. His foot is engulfed in fiery orange chi as it comes crashing down toward K', even before the science project can get his own attack off.
Unfortunately, Hayato really does become the /BURNING/ Phys Ed Teacher before his foot actually manages to connect. K''s flames engulfs Hayato, the force of the blast lifting the teacher up off of the rickshaw and sending him crashing down on his back on his own vehicle. The landing is not particularly dignified, unfortunately, as he manages to land in one of the seats, requiring a few moments of struggling before he can get back in a position to regain his feet.
Wordlessly the girl makes her move, closing in on her would-be teammate under any other circumstances. Here and now, though, they are opponents. Does it pain her? Probably not. Half the time the Brit deserves a hearty punch to the face.
Or three.
Ignoring the rickety rickshaws as they struggle across the bridge, the half-Spaniard grips the young Brit's throat. Her arm swings forward, a burst of chi swelling as it drives right for his stomach. She very nearly has him...
Until the barrel crashes into her. Not once, twice, but three times before she's uppercutted with a damn barrel, sent flying back onto the rickshaw from whence she came. She should count herself lucky she didn't fall off onto the bridge, or even into the water. But she doesn't.
Instead, the girl hops to her feet and glares at the Brit, eyes hooded sharply. Gritting and gnashing her teeth, the girl rubs the back of her hand over a bloody lip before absently flicking her hand aside. And then...she moves.
Leaping over the gap again, she attempts to kick the Brit in his stomach to stun the youth. Should she land her blow, the girl's fists ignite with chi once more as she lands in a light crouch before a fist drives fiercely into his gut. Reeling her fist back thereafter, she will attempt to deliver two chi-imbued hooks to his face, each strike marked with an angry burst of dandelion-yellow chi energy without a single word. Sore loser? Of course!
Hayato grins down at him. K' just slants an innocent look right back up... one which twists into a wild smirk at the last possible moment. Seemingly totally fearless of that harsh heel crashing down towards him, K' lunges upwards towards it, his hand clawing as he throws his flames and... hopes.
This time, that recklessness means he's just fast enough to preempt the teacher, stopping that blow when it's moments from impact. Immediately scrambling to pull himself upright as Hayato goes tumbling right back into his rickshaw, K' twists to all fours in the vehicle and peeks his yellow eyes over the edge at the melee. Hayato won't be coming right back at him for a few moments, Marisol and Preston seem occupied...
K' huffs an amused breath, backing up a step or two until he hits the back of his vehicle: giving Preston a little more room to deal with the incoming Marisol. As he watches the proceedings, a muted fire lights about his arms, slinking up his shoulders subtly as he taps his stolen fire with a sigh of pain.
COMBATSYS: K' gathers his will.
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Preston 0/-------/----===|=======\-------\1 Marisol
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K' 1/-----==/=======|==-----\-------\0 Hayato
COMBATSYS: Preston endures Marisol's Red Clover.
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Preston 0/-------/=======|=======\==-----\1 Marisol
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K' 1/-----==/=======|==-----\-------\0 Hayato
AS (POTETNAILLY) THE ONLY PERSON IN THIS FIGHT WHO HAS REALLY BEEN TO KYOTO, BEHOLD, MORE NARRATIVE.
The path into the older district of Kyoto is scenic; small, wooden buildings, and the building where Nintendo first started back when it produced a little card game with amusing pictures on them.
The rickshaws take a dangerous turn around the corner as Marisol O'Connell closes the gap, bringing her charged-fists to bear against the Kong-like Preston Alistair Wellington (the II). One strike after another lands home as she touches down on the rickshaw, the wooden structure tipping onto one wheel as the group of men lugging the thing struggle with all the combatants in one place at the same time.
Heading north, the rickshaws go pass a geisha house, where the girls comment on Donkey Kong going by. Unaware of uncaring, Preston tilts his head to one side as the final of Marisol's strikes lands, blowing out a puff of smoke.
"Not bad, luv," he compliments her, having withstood the strikes deliberately. Even with her boxer's background, hitting his hard girth (and girl's love girth right??) is still likely to hurt.
Towering over her, he reels back with the barrel in both hands -- and then sends it hurtling towards Hayato instead, aiming for the Taiyo teacher while he's down! Preston Kong's still got it! Hayato will never save this Princess; she's on another rickshaw!
COMBATSYS: Hayato dodges Preston's Large Thrown Object.
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Preston 0/-------/=======|=======\==-----\1 Marisol
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K' 1/-----==/=======|==-----\-------\0 Hayato
It takes Hayato some time to struggle back to his feet, but thankfully not so much as to keep him from noticing Preston getting ready to hurl the barrel. The teacher is quick to scramble out of the way, and the rickshaw shakes violently as the barrel hits the spot where he was before bouncing off. The bearer's pace is thrown off for a moment, but he manages to keep going and avoid a crash. And the barrel bounces away down the road. Hopefully there wasn't anything good in there... Hayato would be quite cross if, say, Preston had wasted some good booze.
And now Hayato's all alone on his rickshaw, and that's no fun! Of course, having four people fighting on top of /one/ rickshaw is probably going to severely test the structural integrity of the vehicle... but that's not something that Hayato's really going to spend a lot of time dwelling on. Besides, if this works maybe he'll manage to knock somebody off! Springing off of his position of safety from barrel related incidents, Hayato snaps out a kick as he flies toward K'. A few flames aren't going to intimidate him! They won't do K' much good against a foot to the chest with Hayato's full weight behind it! ...Will they? Well, too late now!
Every blow lands, but there is something about the way Preston weathers them that strikes the half-Spaniard as 'odd.' He should be staggered if he was truly caught off his guard - but he wasn't. She KNOWS this tactic. Preston has something planned.
Placing a few footsteps' distance between herself and the British lad, the girl's arms tense and hover at her sides. Gray eyes hood, her expression stern and very much ready as she waits...and the young man does not fail to disappoint. But--
The barrel doesn't crash onto Marisol. Instead, Preston THROWS the barrel across the gap between the rickety rickshaws, sending the heavy thing at her teammate. She keeps an eye on the man, as he scrambles just out of harm's way to avoid the stray barrel, leaving it to bounce down the streets as the rickshaws keep moving.
"Hmm, sorry big boy," the girl remarks, casting a brief glance to Hayato as he flies for K'. Pursing her lips, she looks over a shoulder before she grins demurely, adding, "I think I need to guard the fort." Legs tense, and a split-second later the girl leaps up and back, landing shakily (but safely!) on her team's respective rickshaw. She just needs a moment.
COMBATSYS: Marisol gains composure.
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Preston 0/-------/=======|=======\-------\1 Marisol
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K' 1/-----==/=======|==-----\-------\0 Hayato
COMBATSYS: K' blocks Hayato's Strong Kick.
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Preston 0/-------/=======|=======\-------\1 Marisol
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K' 1/-----==/=======|===----\-------\0 Hayato
K' passes a glance over at Preston and Marisol as they continue their banter-laden exchange. Fortunately, Marisol isn't antagonizing him, so he doesn't bother trying to go after her-- especially when she takes herself out of reach again, retreating to the other rickshaw. Normally he might have attacked her for hanging back, just on principle, but he isn't keen on trying to cross the distance. Besides, Hayato seems to be monopolizing the airspace between the conveyances for the time being.
Rising out of his low crouch, K' has just enough time to brace before Hayato comes rocketing in. Catching that snapped kick with a hiss-- the force behind it transmits straight down his arms, jarring him right on down to the shoulders-- K' braces and forces his block back out against the teacher. Back... and slightly upwards.
The reason for this soon becomes clear when K''s forearms light with fire again. The downswing of his hands carves a wide swathe of flames through the air, fire burning fiercely in a ring before him. Trying to capitalize on Hayato's airborne status, K' cuts a sharp rising kick towards the teacher through the fire, attempting to drive both the blow and the flames into him... and with any luck, send him right back into the other vehicle along with his partner.
There's a charming moment there where Preston simply watches the barrel as it bounces down the street. "Well that fuckin' backfired," he comments off-hand to no one in particular, although Marisol's bound to hear him.
Left scratching his head, it seems the mighty Preston Alistair Wellington the II is again without a weapon with which to relentlessly pound his opposition into dirt!
The rickshaws turn west, heading towards what is unofficially the biggest shrine in all of Japan. An old man by the name of Johnny Hillwalker (not his real name) takes a tour group inside, where he explains that locals built the temple by hauling wood down from the mountains, regardless of the weather. "They cut off their hair to make rope! They were craaaaaazy!" Johnny explains.
"Sounds pretty fuckin' crazy," Preston agrees, attention shifting to see Marisol taking a breather. "Oh, stop bein' so bloody soft," he growls at her.
Meanwhile, it seems he needs a new weapon. Thus, he grips the seat of the rickshaw, and rather crudely rips the thing right out, nails and screws still intact for what's sure to be a rather painful display of his brutish might.
With Hayato within reach, he aims to help K' out, swinging through with a colossal baseball-like (he prefers cricket however) swing of the rickshaw's seat, showing that their team does indeed use violence to enforce this 'stay on your own rickshaw' law! If the kick doesn't land cleanly, perhaps the Brit's bench will!
COMBATSYS: Hayato blocks K''s Second Shell.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Preston 0/-------/-======|=======\-------\1 Marisol
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////// ]
K' 1/------=/=======|====---\-------\0 Hayato
COMBATSYS: Preston successfully hits Hayato with Bunting Tosser.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Preston 0/-------/=======|=======\-------\1 Marisol
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
K' 1/------=/=======|=====--\-------\0 Hayato
K' makes for a rather sturdy landing zone, so Hayato doesn't immediately drop to the surface of the rickshaw, as with his momentum it would require going through K' first. That doesn't mean he's helpless, though, as he manages to bring his left leg into play to block the kick that snaps out toward him while still in mid-air. He can't really dwell on that accomplishment for long, though, as thanks to Preston the rickshaw seat comes swinging around, slamming into Hayato and sending him crashing back to his own vehicle.
Hayato sits up, then climbs back to his feet, shaking off some fragments of wood in the process. He cracks his neck, then slams both of his fists together with a grin. Flame colored chi begins to radiate off his body... similar in color to K''s flames, but simply raw energy rather than actual fire. "Well, looks like we're getting somewhere. Better be careful, though, or you won't have anything left to ride on!"
COMBATSYS: Hayato gathers his will.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Preston 0/-------/=======|=======\-------\1 Marisol
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////// ]
K' 1/------=/=======|=======\=------\1 Hayato
Meeting the Briton's gaze briefly, as he comments on his stray barrel, the girl smirks, eyes hooded in obvious delight as she adds, dryly, "Pretty much, Preston. Nice try though. Really." A sarcastic thumbs up follows...before her expression lightens a bit, her smirk a faint grin. She's just teasing. Really.
Left to her own devices for the interim, the girl catches her breath, only pausing to shoot the Brit a nasty glare as he tells her to stop being 'so bloody soft.' A middle finger is swift to follow, followed by a dismissive gesture of her hand. Her features falter as he tears apart his rickshaw and, with a vicious swing, attempts to take out her teammate. And things don't seem to be going well for the teacher.
"On my way!" the girl exclaims for no real reason. Tensing her legs, she leaps in just as the swing follows through. But she ignores Preston - instead, Marisol goes for K', attempting to hook the poor NESTS experiment right in the back of his head. If she can buy Hayato time, well..!
COMBATSYS: K' interrupts Hook Punch from Marisol with Crow Bite.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Preston 0/-------/=======|=======\======-\1 Marisol
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////// ]
K' 1/-----==/=======|=======\=------\1 Hayato
Sadly, K' doesn't have time to look at the biggest shrine in all of Japan, even though-- under different circumstances-- he might actually have been interested in that distant, silent, and awkward way he takes interest in most odd things about the world. Instead, he's a little bit busy trying to boot Hayato back to his proper place on his own rickshaw... and, at the eleventh hour, receiving a little help from his British teammate along the way.
Hayato deals with the kick-- but it distracts him enough Preston can smack him right back to his own rickshaw. It's odd, really, the pattern of the match: Hayato and Marisol have spent their time trying to jump the gap onto K' and Preston's rickshaw, and the latter two have occupied themselves booting the two right on back. In the wake of this latest cooperative deterrence effort, K' casts Preston one glance, his gaze oddly neutral in a way that bespeaks a limited tolerance-- such a rare thing to be granted, from K', particularly considering the recipient-- before his eyes cut away again and K' goes right back to minding his own business.
He's such pleasant company.
But if there's anyone present who can REALLY attest as to how pleasant K''s company can be... it's Marisol. Already treated to a vicious death threat from the Beast of Prey in their last engagement, this time around K' gives the girl something a little more concrete. She lunges in with a sudden hook, trying to peg him; K' twists right into her attack, her fist glancing along his jaw as he narrows his yellow eyes on hers.
Moments later, his right arm alights and K' claws around in a sharp spin, a rising blow smashed into the girl with sufficient force to send her right on back across the gap: a continuance of that 'stay on your own rickshaw' enforcement, doubtlessly. Completing his twist, he lands a little unsteadily in the bottom of the rickshaw, one hand shutting immediately on the side of the vehicle to keep him from just falling out.
After assisting to send the Taiyo Teacher back onto the other rickshaw, Preston spends a moment admiring the new blade he's chosen to wield. Or oversized novelty club, as the case happens to be. The moment is interrupted as Marisol presses the attack, leaping into the fray to try and deliver that punch to K' -- and the Beast makes her pay.
It's with half a sympathetic mind that he watches the outcome of her strike, before he casts a glance at the deliverer, K'. "Nice," he compliments, spending the moment to speak with his partner for the first time. "How about we finish this off? I think we're near the red light district..."
That is to say, the rickshaws take a sudden turn, heading down what is affectionately referred to as the equivalent of Tokyo's Akihabara; the techno street of Kyoto, which is really just a mile-long street with a couple of tech shops within it. And a few adult shops as well, as the case happens to be. The rickshaws don't easily fit within; the street is barely wide enough, the two jostling each other for position as the bearers hurry the combatants along.
With the gap practically erased between both rickshaws, Preston takes a daring step forward, his foot on the edge of THEIR rickshaw as he lashes out with the bench he's wielding. But it isn't the bench that they need to worry about; it purposefully falls short from hitting the Brit's target, Hayato.
It's the chi that bursts out in the wake of the wooden weapon, that's what Hayato needs to worry about! A crescent forms after the bench, and with a sudden start the white-blue energy seeks out the target for a cuttingly wet impact!
COMBATSYS: Hayato blocks Preston's White Horses.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Preston 0/-------/=======|=======\======-\1 Marisol
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
K' 1/----===/=======|=======\=------\1 Hayato
With both of the rickshaws so close together, there's not much to keep Hayato from simply striding across to the other one in preparation for unleashing some pain. Well, there is the matter of Preston swinging the entire seat of the rickshaw at him, but the Burning Phys Ed Teacher isn't going to let a little thing like that stop him! Not even when the weapon reaches out with a wave of chi, seeking to crash into Hayato. He simply swings up his right arm. His sleeve gets sliced open, but the breakwater of his arm serves to protect the rest of his body.
The lifting of his arm also serves him well on the offense. The shinai is brought into position as he surges past Preston and closes in on K'. Then the weapon comes down, Hayato seeking to smash it down on K''s collarbone, but he won't stop there. He'll follow it up with a sideways blow to the ribs, then another from the opposite direction on the backswing. Once he gets that far, he'll finish things up by bringing the bamboo blade down square on the center of the Beast of Prey's skull.
Well, if there was one thing accomplished here, she DID manage to buy her teammate some time. She thinks, at least.
Closing in behind the leather-clad fighter, the half-Spaniard girl winds a fist at her side and slings it out with every intention of leaving a nasty mark on K''s noggin. But much to her surprise he actually holds his ground and twists with the attack, taking the blow head-on. The girl frowns. She knows she won't like what's coming next.
And when he flames up and crashes into the girl with fire and pain, she rests assured that, no.
She really didn't like what came next.
Hitting the rickshaw from whence she came with a heavy, loud thud and groan, the girl slowly twists and struggles to pull herself to her feet. Staggered and swaying, she is dizzy and desperately trying not to see six fighters instead of three. Clutching at her head, the girl stays back, seemingly content to ride on her lonely rickshaw as she tries desperately to focus on clearing her head and vision and getting herself properly back into the thick of it all.
"F-fuc...D-damn...ed fire. I hate that shit!"
COMBATSYS: Marisol focuses on her next action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Preston 0/-------/=======|=======\======-\1 Marisol
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
K' 1/----===/=======|=======\-------\1 Hayato
COMBATSYS: Hayato successfully hits K' with Scolding Slash.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Preston 0/-------/=======|=======\======-\1 Marisol
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
K' 1/--=====/=======|=======\==-----\1 Hayato
Retracting from his attack, snuffing the flames with a shake of his wrist, K' isn't looking at Preston when the other chooses to exchange words with him. His gaze stays focused forwards, and for a moment it seems like he isn't listening. But soon enough he shows he was: one yellow eye flicks over, K' cutting the other boy the barest hint of an amused grin. It's a proposal he could get behind.
--of course, the 'finishing the fight off' one.
And presently, the rickshaws glide close together, the combatants brought quite close together. Hayato takes immediate advantage of it in the wake of Preston's attack, lunging across at K'. Caught in a moment of instability as the conveyances sway and clatter across the road, his attempt to ward the first blow off goes a little wide, and the subsequent attacks plow unhindered into the boy: the last one smacking him to a hand and knee in the bottom of the rickshaw.
Huffing a bloody breath, K''s hands tighten. He lunges upwards instantly in a retaliatory movement, repeating his earlier fire-riddled, twisting blow at Marisol-- but this time, at Hayato. And this time, he doesn't stop just at once; if he can catch the teacher with the first attack, he'll slam another spinning uppercut into the teacher, and then crack a leg around at the apex of the motion to slam a blazing kick into the other and knock him back into the bottom of his own vehicle.
Swinging through with the make-shift weapon, Preston grimaces as his strike proves to be less than effective against the Taiyo teacher; it's all but shrugged aside, the chi washing over that forearm like water off a duck's back.
Grinding his teeth together, he watches as Hayato moves on to capitalize, moving the fight across rickshaws one more time. Thus, with the fighting hectic between K' and the teacher, he makes a sane move; he exits that rickshaw, leaping across onto the one Marisol seems to be focusing upon. "Get your head out of the fuckin' clouds, luv," he warns his teammate, landing with a heavy thud much to the chagrin of the rickshaw bearers who curse Kong for his entrance. They also wonder where his barrel went. "If you don't like fire, then get ready for some water!" He knows she likes it when he makes her wet with his chi. Physically. Uh. Literally.
As fate would have it, the rickshaw happens to just be passing a set of barrels, all neatly piled atop each other. Seizing the opportunity, Preston lashes out with the bench, throwing it at Marisol as he streaks past her, his massive hands reaching out to grab a fresh round weapon to fulfil his destiny as Donkey Kong. The comment about water was a ruse, for now!
COMBATSYS: K' successfully hits Hayato with Heaven Drive.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Preston 0/-------/=======|=======\======-\1 Marisol
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////// ]
K' 0/-------/----===|=======\======-\1 Hayato
Hayato attempts to step back as K' rises, but the moving rickshaws make for treacherous footing. His head snaps back from the impact of K''s fist, a brief splash of blood flying out as his lip gets cut on his teeth. Then another blow sends him staggering, before the finishing kick sends him right off his feet, crashing down and back into the rickshaw seat. The teacher struggles for a moment, but before long he's able to get into a crouching position. He turns his head to spit out some blood, the splash on the street quickly lost behind them as the rickshaws continue on.
And then... Hayato doesn't stand up. No, he goes well beyond that, going from a crouch to springing into the air toward K'. No finesse here. Just his right fist drawn back, fiery energy surrounding it, and a wild grin on his face. Hayato's leap takes up him in a high arc, so that he's coming down out of the air toward K' on his approach, with his arm cocked back to slam downwards into the Beast of Prey with crushing force. It's highly likely that he's going to end up putting a hole in the bottom of the rickshaw with this one... particularly if he misses. That could be awkward.
COMBATSYS: Preston successfully hits Marisol with Large Thrown Object.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////// ]
Preston 1/-------/=======|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Marisol
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////// ]
K' 0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0 Hayato
When spoken to, the girl looks up from her rickshaw, glaring at the Briton as he regards her. Head in the clouds? "Fuck off," she hisses in response, shooting him an awful glare in response. "I don't see you taking hits from this guy flinging fire and shit. In fact, I don't see you taking any hits." A sharp smirk follows, eyes half-lidded in sarcastic amusement. "What's wrong? Afraid of getting hurt?"
But soon enough Preston moves, to the dismay of Marisol. Watching carefully as he lashes out with the bench, the half-Spaniard attempts to weave aside and avoid the blow altogether with one smooth motion. But she fails to account for one single fact: the rickshaws are unstable, unsafe and definitely not the best grounds for trying such a feat. The result?
Struck hard in the chest, Marisol stumbles back hard, her rear crashing into the edge of the rickshaw and very nearly sending her toppling over the back ledge. But with a swift shooting out of her arms she stabilizes herself and prevents precisely that. It just takes her a few minutes after to slowly rise back up and from being half-bent over the side.
"Oh, you want to play that game?" the redhead asks, frowning harshly as she stares the Briton down. At the same time her hands come to rise at chest level, both palms facing each other as a spark of yellow energy springs to life between. It grows, coalescing and churning, growing wider and wider as her hands slowly part and, holding it in her left hand, the girl laughs.
"I can play that shit TOO!" she cries, slinging the sphere of dandelion yellow energy right at Preston's face. Yes, the face.
COMBATSYS: Hayato successfully hits K' with Burning Cross Counter.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////// ]
Preston 1/-------/=======|=======\======-\1 Marisol
[ \\\\ < > ////////// ]
K' 1/-------/=======|===----\-------\0 Hayato
Panting hard, teeth half-bared as he tries to catch his breath, K' squints over at the rough location of Hayato's landing. He can't see the teacher clearly anymore, there's rickshaw and Preston and Marisol and all sorts of flying barrels and energy in the way--
--but soon enough, Hayato is gracious enough to show himself to K' again. Fist-first.
K' has only enough time to lock his widened eyes on the incoming phys-ed teacher and try to back away before Hayato crashes into him, the blow slammed into K''s chest hard enough to crush him right back down into the bottom of the vehicle. And indeed, Hayato does put a hole in the rickshaw, K''s back breaking clear through the wood; the boy's hands claw instantly for support into the wood on either side of him, his teeth gritting as he braces to keep from falling right out that opening blasted in the bottom of the vehicle.
He's put a bit off-balance by that, struggling to stay IN the rickshaw as he is... but in a sudden surge of unnatural strength, he tries desperately to regain some semblance of stability-- and to get Hayato off him. Fire laces his wrists, streaming down his forearms, and K' abruptly surges upright. Simultaneously slamming all those gathered flames towards Hayato as he tries to return the favor of that direct, crushing blow, his right hand-- coiled into a claw and laced with Kusanagi fire-- slams an open-hand strike towards Hayato's center of gravity.
COMBATSYS: Preston dodges Marisol's Rolling Star.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////// ]
Preston 1/-------/=======|=======\=======\1 Marisol
[ \\\\\ < > ////////// ]
K' 0/-------/-------|===----\-------\0 Hayato
With the bench gone from his hands, those giant digits of Preston reach out, out, out--! And clasp onto a barrel as the rickshaws continue down the narrow street. They burst out into the downtown area, straight through traffic and into the biggest strip mall in the region. Capsule toy stores fly by as the fight continues between the four combatants, as girls with knee-high socks and adorable accents stare in wonder.
With barrel in hand, Preston turns to regard his teammate after hitting her with his wood -- and he's just in time to see her charging her laser! The yellow ball heads for his face, but the Brit is not one to have balls bouncing off of his features!
Throwing himself to one side, the ball of energy whizzes over his shoulder, scorching a storefront as the rickshaws barrel on. "Man, where the fuck are we," he questions to no one in particular, a sideways glance given as he watches shop after shop go by.
"Close one anyway; not a bad shot there, sunshine," he compliments his teammate never the less, but now he has a delicious barrel, and he must hit someone with it.
As fate would have it, that person is Marisol. Lurching back to his feet, he again swings for her with the barrel -- but this time, it's just a simple, linear strike, aiming to do the side of her head in!
COMBATSYS: Hayato blocks K''s Heat Drive.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////// ]
Preston 1/-------/=======|=======\=======\1 Marisol
[ \\\\\ < > ///////// ]
K' 0/-------/-------|====---\-------\0 Hayato
K' might want to return Hayato's blow, but the gym teacher is understandably reluctant to allow him to do so. The open handed strike is blocked by Hayato's left arm. The flames quickly begin to sear through the sleeve of Hayato's jacket as his clawed fingers dig into the flesh, but aside from the damage to the limb, Hayato is relatively unscathed. From this attack, anyway. He's more than roughed up enough for his tastes already.
K''s hand on his arm might make it rather difficult for Hayato to do a number of things at this point, but luckily he has no intention of backing away. And his right arm is still free. Sure, his mobility is momentarily hampered, but it won't keep him from swinging his shinai up and then bringing it down swiftly onto the Beast of Prey's head. And then a second time, just for good measure.
COMBATSYS: Marisol blocks Preston's Medium Strike.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////// ]
Preston 1/-------/=======|=======\=======\1 Marisol
[ \\\\\ < > ///////// ]
K' 0/-------/-------|====---\-------\0 Hayato
"Who CARES where we are!?" the girl barks, her teammate here otherwise forgotten for now as she focuses on the Brit. Marisol is sure Hayato can handle the Beast of Prey at this point, and like HELL the girl's going to mess with the angry young man anymore at this point. Besides, he hits hard, and really, she'd rather punch Preston in the face. It's far more satisfying.
"Stop fooling around, you goddamned moron!" Frustrated? Very much so! Gray eyes hood sharply, full lips pulled in a thin line. Glaring at the British youth, the girl laments in her lack of effectiveness here. He avoided it? And now he's shooting the shit? That's not kosher to Marisol. Not one bit.
Gnawing at her bottom lip, the girl's features harden as Preston wields the barrel and readies for a strike to her head. An arm lifts and simply intercepts it, the bulk of the barrel crashing harmlessly into her forearm. A smirk swiftly cuts over her lips.
"Take him out, mister Hayato!" Marisol cries, sparing a glance toward the phys-ed coach of Taiyo. And without further holding back, the girl's head whips back, gray eyes wide as she sports a wolfish smile toward the Briton. "Time to get serious."
Lunging for the youth, her hands erupt with yellow chi once more. Swinging three times, she attempts to hook the young man harshly in the jaw before she simply lunges UP and tries to slam her skull into his face. With a fist still afire, the girl intends on dropping low and, with a swift rise, uppercut her teammate right in the jaw!
COMBATSYS: Hayato successfully hits K' with Medium Strike.
- Power hit! -
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////// ]
Preston 1/-------/=======|====---\-------\0 Marisol
[ \ < > ///////// ]
K' 0/-------/-----==|=====--\-------\0 Hayato
Persistent in much the same way as animals which kill by strangulation, K' latches where his hand lands and momentarily shuts a viselike grip shut on Hayato's forearm. His grasp tightens grimly as the fire blasts forwards and past the resilient gym teacher, but when Hayato shows signs not only of being able to withstand the flames, but being able to retaliate, K' abruptly lets go with a hiss and tries to snake to one side.
The first blow glances along his jaw and the side of his face, the force sufficient to stun him and open him up to the follow-up. It comes harshly, the shinai smashing home and driving K' to his knees and one bracing hand. Huffing a sharp, irritated breath as he takes a moment to clear his head and let the world stop spinning, he fails to move appreciably for the space of several moments. Perhaps he's done?
...no, not quite, but almost. Not particularly known for going out quietly, K' abruptly snaps back into movement, biting out towards Hayato with a persistent malevolence. A flare of snarling fire accompanies his sudden kick, a lashed attack that swipes upwards and at an angle towards the nearby teacher.
COMBATSYS: K' can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////// ]
Preston 1/-------/=======|====---\-------\0 Marisol
> ///////// ]
|=====--\-------\0 Hayato
COMBATSYS: Marisol successfully hits Preston with Cloud Nine.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////// ]
Preston 1/-======/=======|====---\-------\0 Marisol
> ///////// ]
|=====--\-------\0 Hayato
Talking casually with an opponent may seem contrary to what the SNF organizers had hoped for this fight -- but hey, they're getting a breakneck (read: running) speed tour of Kyoto while the fight is going, so it all seems very exciting for the audience at home! The rickshaws continue through the strip mall, around a fountain, where they head east.
For Preston Alistair Wellington the II though, there's definitely something bad heading his way as the rickshaws tilt onto one wheel to make the turn. With a declaration that it's time to get serious, Marisol O'Connell moves in for the kill.
An attempt to get up his defense in the wake of the half-Spaniard's onslaught fails; he manages to block the first strike, but the rest shoot through for home, the boxer's routine rocking the tall Brit's world; skulls collide with a sharp crash, and that thundering uppercut sends him stumbling backwards.
Only the back of the rickshaw stops him from tumbling over the side and putting victory into the hands of the Taiyo teacher and the Pacific student.
Nursing what is likely to be a swollen jaw later, he grimaces, refusing to talk; he spits blood off the side of the rickshaw, before pulling himself back to his feet. The barrel firmly in hand, he decides it's time to try and end this -- one way or another, although with his partner down it looks like the motley crew of teacher and student is likely to tick this SNF under the win column!
With a wordless roar, he barrels at Marisol. Literally. Brutally. The wooden barrel is swung through in a massive uppercut, as he aims to take her out of the equation -- and likely break the barrel entirely in doing so!
COMBATSYS: K' successfully hits Hayato with Second Shell.
[ \\\\\\\\\\ < > /////// ]
Preston 0/-------/-----==|====---\-------\0 Marisol
> ///// ]
|=======\-------\0 Hayato
K' may be battered and his world may be spinning, but that doesn't keep him from being dangerous. His snap kick strikes Hayato in the chest, the force of the blow and the blast of the flame sending the teacher staggering back over to his own rickshaw. The space between them has opened up a little bit, causing him to fall over to a sitting position as he lands.
But even after that, Hayato doesn't seem to be down for the count. He shakes his head a few times, but manages to climb back to his feet, taking a deep breath. He glances over toward the continuing battle between Preston and Marisol. He'll... be over there in just a minute. But first he needs a second to catch his breath. He may be tough, but K' is no pushover.
COMBATSYS: Hayato gains composure.
[ \\\\\\\\\\ < > /////// ]
Preston 0/-------/-----==|====---\-------\0 Marisol
> //////// ]
|======-\-------\0 Hayato
COMBATSYS: Marisol endures Preston's Man Overboard!.
[ \\\\\\\\\\ < > ]
Preston 0/-------/-----==|=======\==-----\1 Marisol
> //////// ]
|======-\-------\0 Hayato
As the redhead lands the chi-laced uppercut, she does not hesitate to pull back and ready her defenses. Likely, the assault was enough to earn her the ire of the imposing Briton in this curious little SNF, and when that happens...well. It's quite PAINFUL.
Even so, there's a ghost of a smile on her lips, gray depths alight with amusement as she regards the young man - her teammate on grounds other than this matchup. Hayato and K''s fight has come to its conclusion, with the phys-ed teacher still standing. ...well, not literally. He needs a breather, obviously.
Shooting him a brief thumbs up, the girl turns her attentions back onto Preston, as he grabs firm hold of the wooden barrel he has sought to employ as his makeshift weapon this fight. With a wind back, he readies the barrel...and then..!
It strikes home. Hard. Very hard.
Marisol is lifted off her feet, sent into the air by the sheer raw, unrestrained force wielded by the young man. It hurts and stings, and will very well leave her dazed and disoriented in the morning. But she didn't move or bother defending herself - for a reason.
Suddenly jerking her body in midair, the girl drives her feet for the rickshaw, intending to land HARD on the rickshaw before Preston. A split-second later and running on pure adrenaline, the girl lunges into him with four stunning hooks, to disorient the Brit. And should that succeed, the girl offers a weak, bloodied smirk as she draws an arm back, fingers clenched painfully tight...before she releases it, driving her fist to the center of Preston's chest hard.
Whether it succeeds or fails...well, the girl will stumble forward thereafter before falling flat on her face, unconscious, a weak sigh escaping her bloodied lip.
COMBATSYS: Marisol can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\\ < > //////// ]
Preston 0/-------/-----==|======-\-------\0 Hayato
COMBATSYS: Preston blocks Marisol's Atom Smasher.
[ \\\\\\\\ < > //////// ]
Preston 0/-------/----===|======-\-------\0 Hayato
It's a brutal display, the way Preston puts an end to Marisol. It hurts her poorly, and she's shaken enough that when she puts her all into the last strike -- well, it's just not enough to fell Preston. Blocking the strike with the remnants of the barrel, he cushions the blow; it still hurts, the force of it rushing past the makeshift shield and onto his body, but he's still standing.
Breathing hard, he discards most of the barrel's remains, holding a single stave as he casts a glance down at the unconscious girl. "Ah well," he laments, turning his attention to where the Taiyo teacher is taking a breath.
"Well, guess it's just the two of us," he begins, slanting the barrel stave over his broad shoulders. He huffs a breath, directing his squint as he considers whether or not he can finish this fight off; only one way to find out, he figures.
Thus, he launches into action. Closing in on the shorter, certainly lighter Japanese man, Preston brings his fingers to bear, seeking out Hayato's throat; if successful, pain is going to follow, as he aims to sweep the teacher's feet out from under him and slam him down onto the rickshaw's floor.
Big if by this stage, but if all of that's successful, there's a sudden burst of chi to follow, flowing down his arm and right for Hayato's face!
COMBATSYS: Hayato counters Keelhauling from Preston with Counter Thrust.
[ \\ < > /////// ]
Preston 0/-------/=======|=======\-------\1 Hayato
As Preston's hand reaches out for Hayato's throat, the teacher's fist comes swinging in the opposite direction. A perfect opportunity for a slow motion shot. Their reach is fairly even, but Hayato has the edge in experience, and a little bit more speed on his side. Before Preston's fingers can close around his throat, Hayato is driving his fist into the center of the British student's face, leaning forward into the blow to knock him back and off his feet before driving him all the way down into the rickshaw with a wood splintering impact.
Straightening back up, Hayato flexes his hand a few times. The kid has got a pretty tough head... certainly tougher than the wood of the rickshaw. But now the question is... will he be getting back up? Hayato makes no move toward a position that would be safer, should that be the case. This is because if Preston still has some fight in him, the proper response is to just beat it right back out!
While Preston may have a tough head, it nevertheless hurts when it's smashed into by a fist. His attempt goes awry, the veteran of the two seizing an opportunity with an expert's prowess. The Brit's head rocks back and to the side -- back, and to the side -- before the follow-through bears him down into the floor of the rickshaw.
There, the son of a Duke lies, a muffled groan -- oh, wait, that's him grumbling instead. Thoroughly annoyed, he gathers together for what will likely be his final action for the fight before he too slumps down into unconsciousness, to allow Hayato to enjoy the scenic tour through Kyoto all by his lonesome.
In one final attempt, Preston surges to his feet, aiming to uppercut Hayato with a thunderously large fist!
On the other hand, he is pretty much gone, so he might just flop to one side instead.
COMBATSYS: Preston can no longer fight.
> /////// ]
|=======\-------\1 Hayato
COMBATSYS: Hayato dodges Preston's Running Rigging.
> /////// ]
|=======\-------\1 Hayato
Now, hanging around to beat any remaining fight out of Preston does not mean that Hayato's going to stay right where he can be /hit/. When Preston springs to his feet, Hayato is quick to back out of the way, causing the British student's fist to shoot through the air just a short distance away. And then... he falls back down. Well, it looks like Hayato's job is done, then. Meanwhile the rickshaws continue to run along.
After a few moments it's clear that Hayato's the only one still standing, so with a grin he waves some people as they pass by. Then he turns to the men pulling the rickshaws. "Okay, you can stop now. Looks like things are over." And stop they do. Rather more suddenly than Hayato expected was possible. And his current condition is exposed when the sudden stop sends him crashing back down into the seat. Okay, that somewhat damages his image... but he tries to play it off by moving to a relaxed pose. As if to say, 'yeah, I meant to do that'.
COMBATSYS: Hayato has ended the fight here.
Log created on 21:28:49 03/15/2008 by Marisol, and last modified on 14:31:34 03/19/2008.