Description: In today's episode of Neo League, Yamazaki explodes, and Kyo gets punched in the balls. (Winner: Kyo)
The Neo League is a funny thing. Sometimes, you give or receive a challenge directly... And sometimes, you just put your name in and they find somebody for you to fight. For, at least, Kyo Kusanagi... This is one of the latter times.
A large swath of the park has been cordoned off for this Neo League match, with the usual camera crew and League officials stationed on the far side of the barrier - none of them are paid anywhere near enough to actually get /into/ the ring with the sorts of lunatics you find on the professional fighting circuit - and beyond them a small but growing crowd of spectators. Though there hasn't been much notice, Kyo Kusanagi /is/ a big name; a former King of Fighters champion, and the reigning World Warrior, he's done pretty good for himself despite his inability, or unwillingness, to graduate from high school.
Maybe he just likes the lack of responsibility.
Standing to one side of the ring, such as it is, Kyo stifles a yawn behind one gloved hand, as he waits for his opponent, whoever they might be. The poor sap is at least bound to get a little renown out of it, even if the result is pretty much a foregone conclusion, in Kyo's mind... The best he can hope for is that he gets a little fun out of it, something that makes it worth missing his afternoon nap!
On the other side of the ring, there's.. well, more or less a virtual unknown. This random fighter, this up and coming brawler, wanted to get his name out there by making his first official fight against the person that currently leads the Neo League. Wearing his Lucky Shorts and his Lucky Shoes, today's his day. He paces on the other side of the ring, pumping his fist occasionally, other times punching one fist into the other open hand. This kid sure does look ready to go!
Until the towering form of Ryuji Yamazaki decides to make its appearance known from inside the crowd, by way of hopping right over the railing for the ring.
The kid doesn't see it coming. He's far too concentrated on Kyo to see the leather-gloved hand of Yamazaki, only aware of him when those fingers grip the back of his head. One swift downward shove plants the unknown face-first into the concrete, knocking the conciousness right out of him before he even knew what, or who, hit him. While the medics are already busily tending to the unconcious youth, Ryuji straightens up, smirk wide on his face as he brushes his hands off. "Change t'your dance card, Kusanagi." Both hands reach into pockets, one withdrawing a cigarette, the other a lighter. Flame is put to paper, and Yamazaki takes a deep drag from the cigarette before blowing the smoke into the air. "Kid tripped 'n hit his face somethin' fierce, he just ain't gonna be able t'fight today."
Sure, Kyo will make some poor kid famous, why not? At least it might be good for a laugh or two. The flamewielder tugs his gloves tighter as he turns to the unlucky up and coming brawler, just in time to see... The kid get wrecked by Yamazaki from behind. That's not at all what he was expecting!
For a moment, Kyo looks legitimately surprised, hir brows raising and his mouth going slightly agape, but a moment later the younger fighter snorts a faint laugh, shaking his head a little. "Oh, aren't you just a charmer, cutting in like that," he says, tugging his gloves tighter. "Fine by me, though... You want to get your ass kicked in his place, who am I to complain?" There is, of course, a bit of a kerfuffle from the Neo League staff, but... Honestly, in their place, would you want to get in to the middle of an argument between Kyo and Yamazaki? That would just be silly.
"C'mon, Yamazaki," Kyo says, beckoning the gangster on. "Let's go."
COMBATSYS: Kyo has started a fight here.
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Kyo 0/-------/-------|
While Kyo was busy looking like a slack-jawed local in response to Yamazaki's intrusion upon the private event, another long drag is taken from the cigarette before he puts it out, rubbing the burning end into the concrete. It's tossed away, then the gangster straightens himself up. Both arms go high over his head, stretching out, and he turns his head sharply enough to pop his neck just before he settles back down. "Ain't shit else goin' on. Why not?" The slow smirk returns, pulling at the corners of Ryuji's lips before his right hand settles its way into his pocket.
Upon invitation to begin, Yamazaki's just a little too impatient to await the call to begin from the Neo League officials. Hell, they'll be too busy trying to figure out what just happened. Rather than waiting for some announcer, the left shoulder of Yamazaki drops down just a couple inches, turning that side of his body to face Kyo. That same arm dangles lifelessly from the joint, swaying idly in the breeze all the while. "Better not just fuckin' fall over from one punch, kid, I want a damn fight, not some damn prom dance." Right as the sentence ends, the thug's shoulder pulls up sharply, and his arm lashes out with the motion, reaching all the way across the ring in a brief moment of telling physics to go straight to hell. The leather-clad knuckles reach right across the ring, aiming to bury his fist right into Kyo's sternum with a sharp whip-crack of his arm.
COMBATSYS: Yamazaki has joined the fight here.
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Yamazaki 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kyo
COMBATSYS: Yamazaki successfully hits Kyo with Snake Tamer.
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Yamazaki 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Kyo
Well, Kyo did ask for it.
As Yamazaki lashes out at him, Kyo tries to get an arm in the way of the gangster's own rather stretchy one, but to no avail; the Orochi-tainted fighter's fist gets past, smacking the Kusanagi heir, indeed, right in the sternum. It stings a little bit, you know? Staggering Kyo back a step and a half or so, but not long enough that he isn't immediately rushing forward to close with the larger man, lunging and swinging his right fist in a flame-trailing strike.
"Hey," Kyo says as he attacks, his fist aiming for Yamazaki's head. "Did you even GO to your prom?" If the first punch lands, then Kyo follows it immediately with a second, a rising backfist similarly imbued with raging Kusanagi flames. "'cause I can't shake the image of you in a bitchin' powder blue tux." Stepping in, he twists around for a whirling heel kick aimed at the other side of Yamazaki's head. "Your mom must've been so proud of her little man!"
COMBATSYS: Yamazaki endures Kyo's Aragami.
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Yamazaki 0/-------/---====|====---\-------\0 Kyo
That over-extended arm finishes its blur of movement, and Yamazaki retracts the fist, pulling his arm right back to its normal dimensions again. His fist relaxes, then fingers clench again as a small grin pulls at his lips once again. But soon enough, Kyo's rushing right back in, charging straight for him with one of those fiery fists. "Nope." is the answer as he turns his body away, letting the punch smack against his shoulder instead of his head. He turns the other way, taking the backfist against his other shoulder. "But damn.." The kick wheels around, and Yamazaki digs his feet in, only sliding back a couple inches from the kick that slams right against the side of his head. "I /would/ look good in a blue tux."
When Kyo's busy getting his feet underneath him, though, Yamazaki is still standing strong, and his right arm is already up and moving. At first, it looks as if he's going to try and throw a hard straight punch, but his hand opens up at the last moment, aiming to instead grip Kusanagi by the throat. If he does manage a grip, he'll wheel around in short order, then, and chokeslam the flame-wielding high schooler to the concrete.
COMBATSYS: Kyo counters Strong Throw from Yamazaki with Nue Tsumi.
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Yamazaki 0/-------/=======|=====--\-------\0 Kyo
And now, Yamazaki in a powder blue tuxedo will be an image that haunts the nightmares of many for ages to come. Maybe a little blond and black 'fro too.
Kyo, meanwhile, is finishing his spin and getting both feet back on the ground when the gangster comes at him with surprising speed for such a big fella, taking advantage of the apparent opening that comes in the aftermath of Kyo's brief combination.
Which is how Kyo ends up with a hand going for his throat.
"Hey, hey," Kyo says, moving slightly to the side as he catches Yamazaki's wrist, his other hand lashing out in a thunderous uppercut at the gangster's chin, complete with an eruption of Kusanagi flames to seal the deal. "Hands off the merchandise!"
Well, that didn't end quite as well as Yamazaki had been hoping for. As his arm extends to grip Kyo's throat, he ends up, instead, taking an uppercut right up underneath his chin. The thug staggers back rather quickly as flames go off in his face, rolling backwards once and leaving him down in a crouched position, one hand bracing against the concrete while the other waves the remnants of the flames out of his face. "Che. 'Hands off the merchandise.' People been sayin' that since before you were even born, y'little shit." After a moment, he straightens back up again. "Talkin' about shit that shoulda gone out of style long time ago, right along with those damn powder blue tuxes." Ryuji shakes his head, still chuckling to himself.
The laughter breaks in a hurry, though, as Yamazaki goes from standing to barreling forward without so much as a blink of an eye. His right hand whips right out of his pocket, and anyone nearby can hear the telltale 'clik' of a knife-blade unsheathing as that hand comes across to slice a switchblade right across Kyo's gutmeats.
COMBATSYS: Kyo blocks Yamazaki's Nightmare - Then Darkness.
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Yamazaki 0/-------/-----==|=======\-------\0 Kyo
As a general rule, Kyo doesn't like being cut with knives. When Yamazaki suddenly lunges forward with that frightening speed, the Kusanagi heir grits his teeth and tries to get back and away... But even with all the space set aside for the match, there just isn't enough room for him to actually /get away/. Instead, Kyo has to face off against the crazy gangster and his switchblade, which rather than cutting open his precious abdomen, instead meets with his forearm, slicing through tough leather and drawing blood, though Kyo's expression reflects more irritation than pain.
He really liked that coat, dammit.
"Too slow, jackass. Must be getting old!" the younger fighter grits out, his expression returning to his usual cocksure smirk as he wiggles his fingers to make sure they all still work right. And, praytell, how does Kyo follow that comment? Well, naturally he lunges forward in an attempt to grab Yamazaki with his uninjured arm, just long enough to set off a sudden explosion of Kusanagi flames that seek to consume the gangster entirely! "BURN!!"
COMBATSYS: Yamazaki fails to interrupt Koto Moon Positive from Kyo with Bomb Headbutt.
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Yamazaki 0/-------/---====|=======\=------\1 Kyo
"Just because I gotta slow myself down to keep up with you don't mean nothin', Kusanagi." Despite the fact that the fight isn't exactly going in his direction hardly changes the fact that Yamazaki, on a daily basis, more or less swims in sarcasm. The arm flips back to sheath the knife once again, safely holstering it away and sliding that hand into its pocket. When Kyo comes lunging forward again, Yamazaki lets the grip happen, and only once Kyo's fist is coming in does the gangster lower his head down in an attempt to power his way right through the flames. It's a fight of fire vs. fire for a few moments, but the obvious winner in a fight like that is shown when Yamazaki is sent flying back to the ground again, covered in flames that take a few moments to dwingle out. From there, he just lies for a moment as smoke rises off the body of the downed thug. "... goddamn.."
"Heh," chuckles Kyo, upon seeing the result he'd expected... Yamazaki getting set on fire and hurled back. Shaking the last wisps of flame off of his hand, the Kusanagi heir stands up straight and watches the gangster as he hits the ground on fire, those flames dying out as well... And the smirk on Kyo's face as he eyes the downed Yamazaki is probably exactly as pleased with himself and shit-eating as you'd expect. But, Kyo's breath comes a bit raggedly; seems he's been a bit careless here, trying to shut Yamazaki down with powerful attacks instead of conserving his energy.
So, Kyo holds up his right hand, and a flame springs to life there, intensifying as he concentrates, drawing on the power of his bloodline. There's a feeling of pressure, of weight from the direction of the highschooler as his power builds, but his attention seems fixed more on Yamazaki than anything else, the raging Kusanagi flames in his hand casting strange shadows on his face. "So, what... Is that all you've got, Yamazaki? I probably would've gotten a better fight out of that nobody you knocked out!"
COMBATSYS: Kyo gathers his will.
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Yamazaki 0/-------/---====|=======\=====--\1 Kyo
Soon enough, Yamazaki is hopping back up to his feet again. A quick backwards roll puts him into a crouching position, then he stands straight once again. He takes a brief moment to brush himself off before one hand reaches back into its pocket. He pulls out the lighter, then retrieves the half-smoked cigarette from its pocket. He lights it aflame while Kyo is busy showing off, then lets his lungs fill for a moment before blowing the smoke backwards the flame in Kyo's right hand. "Eh. I just ain't takin' this fight too seriously, I s'pose. I mean, who the fuck are you, anyways, other'n some snot-nosed little kid?" The ashes are flicked from the tip of the cigarette before Ryuji takes another drag. "I ain't even gettin' paid for this fight." Already finished, the butt of the cigarette is flicked aimlessly off into the crowd. "Least you could do is make it interestin' before I get bored."
COMBATSYS: Yamazaki gains composure.
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Yamazaki 0/-------/----===|=======\=====--\1 Kyo
At Yamazaki's assertion that he isn't taking the fight seriously, Kyo's expression turns a bit, well, dubious. "That's your excuse? Poor widdle Yamazaki is only getting his ass handed to him because he's 'not taking it seriously'?" To complete his indulgent sarcasm, the Kusanagi heir even pouts dramatically and, with his hand that isn't currently /on freaking fire/ makes a little tear-rubbing motion at the corner of his eye. Boo hoo, his expression reads. Boo goddamn hoo. "Well, I hope that makes you feel a lot better about yourself once your pathetic ass wakes back up," Kyo adds finally, before rushing forward.
As Kyo closes with Yamazaki, the flames in his hand die out, trailing off behind him, and once he finally gets close enough to strike, the younger fighter ducks low quickly, before coming up and forward in a lunge directly at the gangster's head, aiming to introduce the other fighter to his elbow right in his damn face. "You pussy!!"
COMBATSYS: Kyo successfully hits Yamazaki with Quick Punch.
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Yamazaki 0/-------/--=====|=======\=====--\1 Kyo
A slow, over-dramatic roll of the eyes is taken on Yamazaki's part while Kyo talks.. and talks.. and talks. "Jesus, they were right when they said you're a whiny little bitch. I just couldn't listen, had to come find out for myself, and fuckin' lo and behold, they were right. You even cry like a six year old." When Kyo's elbow-strike comes inward, Ryuji... does nothing. He gets an elbow smashed right into his face, and though his head cocks back from the effort, it's not enough to bring the gangster off his feet. ".. you call me a pussy? And you punch like that? Che." Taking a moment to roll his head and pop his neck again, a slow sigh rattles in the back of Yamazaki's throat. "Christ."
After taking a moment to allow his vertebrae to settle, the Syndicate thug finally turns his attention back to Kyo. A brief hop forward preceeds the sudden upward ascension of his right foot, going from the ground to over his head in a split-second. Just as quickly, it comes right back down again, aiming to drive the hard heel of his shoe, along with all the weight behind it, right into Kyo's head.
COMBATSYS: Kyo blocks Yamazaki's Yakiire.
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Yamazaki 0/-------/--=====|=======\======-\1 Kyo
"Only one whining 'round here is you," Kyo replies simply, shrugging his shoulders a little. As for the punch, well... If Yamazaki isn't trying, why should he bother to? Of course, that line of thought can only last for a little while... Sooner or later, Kyo will get just bored enough to finish things off. The axe-kick coming down at him meets with Kyo's upraised arm, his hand catching Yamazaki by the ankle with a loud SLAP, stinging pain and numbness running down the Kusanagi heir's forearm from stopping the attack. But...
...Without releasing Yamazaki's leg, at least not doing so /purposely/, the gangster is certainly strong enough to power free if he were to put out the effort, Kyo just twists and attempts to hurl Yamazaki away from him by adding a second hand to the grip of that leg, a graceless and not particularly efficient throw, but it sure could end up hurting.
COMBATSYS: Yamazaki interrupts Strong Throw from Kyo with Sadomazo.
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Yamazaki 0/-------/--=====|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Kyo
As soon as he feels the collision of leg against arm, there's a moment in which Yamazaki tries to retract the striking leg... but he's unable to pull it back. He pulls on it again, but he's not pulled himself free by the time Kyo is attempting to throw him. However, rather than just flying away, he turns with the momentum, using his weight to turn in mid-throw and land square where he was standing, rather than flying across the room.
It's from this position that Yamazaki strikes; right as he hits the ground, it's a simple and elegant upthrust fist that strikes, knuckles-first, right into the crotch of one Kyo Kusanagi. No fancy pyrotechnics, no special techniques, just one hard, dedicated cockpunch straight upwards in an attempt to prevent Kyo from soiling the gene pool any further.
Unpleasant.
As Kyo gets hit right in the balls, you can see his expression falter, face screwing up a little bit. It doesn't matter how good of a fighter you are, you know; it doesn't matter how awesome your threshold for pain is, or how good you are at taking hits. When somebody hits you in the good'n'plentys, YOU FEEL IT. He doesn't, at least, give the satisfaction of making much more noise than a faint grunt of pain, staggering back from the blow.
Also, he then proceeds to light himself on fire.
As the Kusanagi flames rage over Kyo's body, he raises his right hand again, and the flames focus themselves there, raging brighter and stronger than they already have in the rest of the match... Without much in the way of further ado, because seriously he just got punched in the balls here, man, Kyo takes a step towards Yamazaki and swings his arm out, throwing all that collected orange-crimson flame in an enormous swath, a wave of fiery destruction that seeks to consume the gangster utterly, as well as burning the crap out of the poor, defenseless grass.
It didn't deserve this! It never hurt nobody!
COMBATSYS: Yamazaki fails to reflect Orochinagi' from Kyo with Bai Gaeshi.
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Yamazaki 1/-======/=======|====---\-------\0 Kyo
COMBATSYS: Yamazaki can no longer fight.
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Kyo 0/-------/--=====|
After watching Kyo stagger back, Yamazaki climbs right back up to his feet again, though he's not nearly as lazy about it as before; when you punch someone in the balls, they're not about to let you just get away with whatever. Also, the whole Kyo lighting himself on fire thing might have given it away, too. Just maybe. When Kyo unleashes fiery hellish destruction, Yamazaki simply outstretches one hand, and for a moment, the fire starts to run up along his arm; rather than just enveloping him straightaway, the fire starts to mix with wispy, gaseous looking purple energy that wraps around the flames and covers Ryuji's arm from shoulder to wrist. For a second there, it almost looks like something interesting might happen.
But then, Yamazaki's arm explodes.
The fire of the Orochinagi is far too much for Yamazaki to manage to contain, and it explodes right in his face, sending him rocketing backwards with all the force of a small fighter jet crashing into a wall. He leaves a good-sized imprint in the wall, as well, and it's there that he just hangs for a few moments until finally falling free. He drops to his knees for a second, then lets out a ragged little cough before he just... turns away. "Shit, I was wonderin' when you might make it interestin'. Too bad it wasn't until the end." Ryuji turns his head, then spits a fair mixture of saliva and blood off to one side before walking, with a noticable limp to his right leg, away from the fighting arena. He makes a vague motion towards someone sitting on top of a parked car nearby, and that someone nods back before snapping up a small tripod-mounted camcorder. The tripod and camera are put away in short order, and the person carrying it follows Yamazaki off-stage.
It's usually a pretty good recipe for making the other dude pissed off, yeah. Kyo does feel somewhat better, though, when he sees his massive fiery attack overwhelm Yamazaki's defenses entirely, blasting the gangster away in a most satisfying manner. The Kusanagi heir watches, over the stretch of scorched grass between himself and the massive thug, to see if the other fighter has any gas left in the tank; but, apparently not, as he doesn't figure Yamazaki for the sort to end a fight before he's given all he's got to give.
So, as Yamazaki - and his cameraman?! - turn and leave, Kyo snorts and spits on the grass. "Yeah, that's what I thought," the younger fighter mutters, turning in the opposite direction as what's left of the crowd explode in cheers at the decision that Kyo's won; of course, they'd cheer just as loudly if Yamazaki had, buncha bandwagoning fight fans.
Kyo, however, isn't thinking about the sweet taste of victory. He's thinking about an icepack. Also, he's walking a bit gingerly.
COMBATSYS: Kyo has ended the fight here.
Log created on 18:49:43 03/20/2008 by Yamazaki, and last modified on 23:20:26 03/20/2008.