SNF 2008.03 - Ropes! Decapre/Daigo vs Frei/Hayato

Description: It goes 'twang'. Also, EVERYONE dies!? Daigo is diagnosed with TERMINAL BRAIN CANCER?!?! Also featuring: King Kong?! Can no one stop Starscream's rampant log descing!?! NO ONE!!!? (Winners: Decapre and Daigo)



The last time Frei appeared on Saturday Night Fights, it wasn't exactly in an official capacity. And indeed, the public's feelings about the monk's sudden interference with the four-way bumper car match were mixed, tending to the negative. His totally uncharacteristic rage and tendency to lecture was part of it, while stopping the antics of what could have been a very entertaining match otherwise. Of course, Frei has his own feelings of regret over it, and thus he dutifully signed up for the show the following week. If nothing else, he could give Howard Enterprises the opportunity to throw him to the lions as penance.

Much to his surprise, they did not... but Frei still resolved to have as much fun with the match as he could given the setting. He shows up well in advance, having little better to do, and giggled uncontrollably upon seeing the oddly-shaped rope pyramid being constructed, rising like a wire frame Eiffel Tower from the center of Metro Park. Yes... this would be interesting. And, though he would admit it to nobody else, Frei could use some distraction from the way things are going lately. Over the course of a few days, as he lounges around Metro City, Frei often comes back and joins the crowd of Metro schoolkids and businesspeople on their lunch to watch the erection of the fighting arena. Short and inconspicuous, he thankfully blends in most of the time.

Finally the night of the match arrives, and he's there way ahead of time, chatting with SNF staff and offering apologies to faces he recognizes. A few people give him askance looks, perhaps concerned about his potential instability (emotionally or otherwise), but even as he sips coffee from a styrofoam cup, everything SEEMS normal.

When Hayato arrives, the first thing he does is take a good, long look at the setting for tonight's fight. He stands there, hand on his chin, occasionally cocking his head to look at it from a slightly different angle. After quite a while (long enough to get him a few odd looks), Hayato suddenly nods to himself. Seems like he's done with whatever he was pondering. He then walks over and gives the base of the structure a good hard tug. Not a bad thing to check, since it would be rather unfortunate for the whole thing to collapse once everybody's on top of it. But it seems that whoever set it up has done their job well.
That taken care of, Hayato strolls over in the direction of his partner for the fight, pausing on the way to get his own cup of coffee. Black, of course. "Hey pal, nice to see you again." He extends his hand for a hearty handshake. Perhaps overly so; his grip has caused numerous people to flinch in the past. "Looks like we're on the same side this time, eh?"

What is it with the Saturday Night Fights and these sorts of constructions. First, Daigo's stuck fighting on top of the Eiffel Tower, now he's fighting on what seems to be a replica made out of ropes. At least this one doesn't have any bizarre conditions. Just a two on two fight. In a rope jungle gym.

The Gedo Boss walks towards the arena, once again dressed in his usual school uniform. He stops a little way away to take a good look at the battle ground. It seems something awkward for someone his size, but it's not like he has a choice in the matter. For now, he nods to his opponents, and waits for his own partner to arrive.

With this being the first event of this sort that Decapre has ever so much as signed up to do, it seems a little odd to think that those responsible for the venue would choose something that felt this... appropriate. No one in the general employ of Saturday Night Fight ought to know anything about her except for the fact she wears a mask and-- Ah, they probably went on the assumption that she had something to do with Balrog. And while she actually doesn't, there are still enough coincidental similarities that no one would believe her if she told them that. It's obvious that she's emulating several other people, after all.
Decapre doesn't really look like the type to bring it up to anyone, though. With that iron mask obsuring her face, and the way she just sort of marches out to the tall structure they're supposed to be fighting in, on, and around without so much as looking at anyone, it's probably safe to assume that she's of the 'shut up and fight' school of thought.

Blinking somewhat as Hayato's voice cuts through the air, Frei turns to face him, then brightens. He does remember the Burning Phys Ed Teacher(tm) even if his player does not, and does indeed reach out to accept the handshake. "Ah, that's right... hello, Nekketsu-saGRK," he finishes somewhat lamely, Hayato's death vise handshake momentarily catching him off guard, the half-drunk coffee in the cup he's holding with his other hand trembling slightly at the sudden application of force. "...right," Frei begins, taking his hand back, then holding it behind his back and shaking it a bit to get the feeling back in it. "I guess that's just how these things works. One day you're mortal enemies, the next you're playing King of the Hill with a pyramid made of reinforced bungee cords." Is that really how it is?

Draining the rest of his coffee in one go, Frei hands the empty cup to a nearby employee (who takes it with some confusion on inertia alone, since the monk is already walking over toward the 'arena'), talking as he goes. "I've seen what you can do first hand so, I'm glad to have you on my side for this, though," he admits. Yes... he knows full well the terrible power in Hayato's shinai, and is quite happy that it will be focused on someone other than himself for the time being.

Then he sees their opponents: a grim young girl in an iron mask and a mountain of a man in a Gedo uniform. Blinking a few times, the monk scratches the side of his head, before turning to look at Hayato with a curious expression that very clearly says: '...who are these people? D:'

Finishing his own coffee, Hayato casually tosses the cup over his shoulder. It makes a graceful arc through the air, then falls cleanly into a trash can without touching the sides. Hayato doesn't notice Frei's look, but by the grin he's giving Daigo, it looks like he'll at least be partially answering the question. "Daigo Kazama. Long time no see." Even though he's a Taiyo teacher, Hayato interacts with students from other schools on a pretty regular basis, particularly when there are athletic competitions going on. And he has a personality that allows him to get along pretty well with a good chunk of the Gedo student body. He speaks their language. And anybody who knows the student body at Gedo certainly knows Daigo.
The Burning Phys Ed Teacher then spares a glance in Decapre's direction, raising an eyebrow. She's... not even /looking/ at her opponents? "Hey, you're certainly a quiet one. Not even a friendly 'hello' before the fight?" Daigo at least nodded. Of course, he's not one to waste words. Hayato can live without it, of course, but under circumstances such as this he prefers things to be friendly, when possible. It doesn't mean he won't be trying to beat people down as hard as possible, but it makes things much more pleasant afterwards.

As Decapre arrives, silently and masked, Daigo takes the time to size up his partner. "You would be Decapre, I take it." He asks, but before he gets any further, the Phys Ed teacher from hell appears. "Mister Hayato Nekketsu." He says, with a slight bow. He does, after all, have a fair amount of respect for the teachers in the area. "I'm looking forward to this." His opponents do elicity a grin from the Big Boss of Gedo. He looks to the monk, and gives another small bow. "Let us have a good match." He says, before standing to his full height again.

Decapre looks over toward Hayato when he gives her that look, as if she'd somehow sensed his eyes on her even with the way the shape of her mask is likely to impair one's peripheral vision. When the man speaks, she gets the impression that he's a lot like some of the drill sargents she's known, and it makes those already-narrow red optics of hers squint a bit more. But rather than be completely rude to him, she gives a deep bow now that she's been called on her lack of manners. "Forgive me. Perhaps I was just a bit shy at first."
The Doll then turns toward her match partner and gives a nod. "I'll try not to get in your way. Let me know if there is anything else you require throughout the course of the fight." she offers, sweeping her braided pigtails back and reaching to grasp the nearest rope and hold onto it so that she's ready from the word 'go'.

It's at about this time that the announcer says the magic words, and because of the December Doll's eagerness to grab onto that rope, she is able to act rather quickly. She uses her grip on what would seem the bottom of the jungle-gym type structure to boost herself up for a rather high-flying leap, aims a scissor kick right at Hayato's head, but then flips herself over at the last second so that the attack comes from behind instead. Should her legs actually reach around his neck, she aims to throw herself backward into yet another flip that would normally slam him into the ground. But what she's really trying to do here is throw him at the thing they're supposed to be fighting on. As high as she can get someone in his weight-class, anyway, with her thighs... "Hya!"

COMBATSYS: Decapre has started a fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Decapre          0/-------/-------|


COMBATSYS: Hayato has joined the fight here on the right meter side.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Decapre          0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0           Hayato


COMBATSYS: Frei has joined the fight here on the right meter side.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Decapre          0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0             Frei
                                  >  //////////////////////////////]
                                 |-------\-------\0           Hayato


COMBATSYS: Daigo has joined the fight here on the left meter side.

[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Decapre          0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0             Frei
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Daigo            0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0           Hayato


Well then, if his partner is going after Hayato, Daigo's target is obvious, suddenly swinging into the battlefield. He's not as fast as Decapre, but he's big enough to cross the distance quickly, as he reaches around, to grab Frei, and pull him harshly into the gym, and throw him into an awkward position. It's more of a set up than an actual strike, but it's a good way to get the fight going with speed.

COMBATSYS: Daigo successfully hits Frei with Quick Throw.

[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////    ]
Decapre          0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0             Frei
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Daigo            0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0           Hayato


A little flicker of recognition flashes across Frei's features as Hayato addresses the big burly guy on the opposing team. "So that's Daigo Kazama..." Of course, as a resident of Southtown who works at the YFCC, it's hard not to have heard the name of Gedo's big boss, a man among men or so the story goes. While the YFCC isn't exactly a Gedo-type activity, it attracts a fair number of students who at least have Gedo friends. At last, the monk has a face to place with the name. "This should be fairly interesting, at least."

And then the bell sounds, and said Kazama is leaping right at him. That *was* unexpected, and Frei's sloppy footwork isn't enough to get him out of the way of that simple throwing technique Daigo is tossing out. Thus Frei gets hurled right into the center of the massive wireframe-looking monstrosity with a loud series of *twang!* noises, briefly but hopelessly entangled. When he finally gets himself free, he grins like a crazy man. "...haha, that was fun." Apparently, he's insane. Balancing as best he can on the vibrating ropes, the monk's hands suddenly start to glow with purple-blue arcs of electric chi as he nods at Daigo. "Alright. My turn." And then he's springing off the thing, using it as a launching pad like a bow firing an arrow, attempting to go up and *over* Daigo's shoulders with those static-charged hands and then fling Daigo backwards right to where Frei just was with a simple toss.

COMBATSYS: Decapre successfully hits Hayato with Reverse Frankensteiner.

[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////    ]
Decapre          0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0             Frei
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////   ]
Daigo            0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0           Hayato


Having legs wrapped around your neck from behind you is fairly difficult to defend against and accordingly Hayato finds himself flipped up and thrown in the direction of the ropes. When he actually hits it he's upside down, but as he starts to fall through the ropes he manages to get a handhold, shortly leaving him dangling by one hand but in the proper orientation. "Hey now, all you had to do was so you were ready to go!" Hayato grins, hauling himself up to a position standing atop the ropes.
The teacher glances in Daigo's direction, but it seems he and Frei are getting acquainted, and he'd hate to interrupt that. He definitely intends to give Daigo's abilities a test... but first perhaps he should respond to the masked girl. Hayato jumps back, flipping about to land in a handstand... or at least, he would if he wasn't landing on ropes. Instead he grabs the ropes, then continues to fall, tucking his legs up so that he'll swing through the gaps in the jungle gym. Once he's build his momentum up and he's coming back toward Decapre he snaps his legs out and lets go of the rope, shooting out through another gap and flying feet first toward the doll.

COMBATSYS: Decapre blocks Hayato's Strong Kick.

[    \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////    ]
Decapre          0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0             Frei
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////    ]
Daigo            0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0           Hayato


Decapre didn't really know how well that was going to work out, but it obviously could have gone a lot worse than it did. The shinai-wielding teacher may not be much the worse for wear, but he didn't buck her off or turn her technique against her. And besides, he went roughly where she intended for him to go. The only real problem shows itself when he impedes her from climbing up to join him by swinging down to meet her with a kick. She's able to get her guard up, but the impact is still heavy enough that it makes her grunt, and sends her skidding back several steps.
Shaking her gauntlet-clad hands out, the masked blonde then decides it's time to bring out her claws, sending them shooting out of the spaces between each knuckle on either hand. She then breaks into a run, and tries to rush Hayato with a series of quick slashes, seeming like she's aiming for the legs that kicked her.

COMBATSYS: Daigo blocks Frei's Charged Throw.

[    \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////    ]
Decapre          0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0             Frei
[  \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////    ]
Daigo            0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0           Hayato


The throw works, to an extent. It gets Daigo to move. But rather than land where Frei was, he manages to brace himself on the ropes, and catch himself, taking far less damage than he could. He takes a quick glances as to how Decapre is dealing with her opponent, but focuses on the matter at hand. As he goes against the ropes, he uses it to propel himself forward, swinging out with a leg at the hopefully open Frei. Well, there have been worse plans.

COMBATSYS: Frei blocks Daigo's Light Kick.

[    \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////////     ]
Decapre          0/-------/----===|====---\-------\0             Frei
[  \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////    ]
Daigo            0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0           Hayato


Fortunately for the monk, he lands just in time to see Daigo's kick coming right for him (IT'S COMING RIGHT FOR US) and braces himself, thankful that he's on the ground at the moment and can use it for support, since even though he catches the Gedo boss' kick on crossed and raised forearms, it still stings pretty fearsomely, driving him across the ground a few inches from force alone. Letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding, Frei grins at Daigo. "You don't say much, do you? Well, that's alright. I'm usually talkative enough for two or three people." For a moment, his green-eyed gaze turns over to Decapre and Hayato, who don't seem much the worse for wear either way... of course, Frei and Daigo are doing alright too, more or less. The fight's just getting started, after all.

Deciding not to attack, Frei circles around Daigo, moving back toward the rope pyramid and thinking things through. There's a slight kick up of wind around him as he uses the downtime to draw energy in, bolstering himself for whatever's to come. He almost looks serious for a moment, which makes the SNF types involuntarily twitch considering the previous week.

Then he, without warning, reaches over and plucks one of the ropes like a harpstring. It, and indeed the entire pyramid, vibrate with a loud *THRUMMMM* sound. Frei, deadpan, tells the world at large: "I've been wanting to do that for three days now."

COMBATSYS: Frei gathers his will.

[    \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////////     ]
Decapre          0/-------/----===|=======\-------\1             Frei
[  \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////    ]
Daigo            0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0           Hayato


COMBATSYS: Hayato blocks Decapre's Medium Strike.

[    \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////////     ]
Decapre          0/-------/----===|=======\-------\1             Frei
[  \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////////     ]
Daigo            0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0           Hayato


Hayato actually brings his leg /toward/ Decapre's claws as she slashes at him. A foolish idea? Perhaps... until you see that he manages to position himself such that Decapre is hitting him as close to her hand as possible, denying her the use of leverage to slice deeply into the limb. That won't work for long, of course, and Hayato is quick to yank his leg back before Decapre can simply pull her arm back and slice him up that way. The leg of his pants has a few slices in it, but otherwise the teacher's leg looks to be in fairly good shape.
Then he glances toward Daigo and Frei. What's this, an opening? He flashes Decapre a grin. "Gonna have to excuse me for a moment." And then suddenly he's on the move toward Daigo. "Hey, Kazama! I've been wondering about this for a while. C'mon, give me your best shot! Here, I'll go first." Hayato grins, leaping forward from the ropes, his right arm drawn back. There's nothing fancy here... he's just shooting toward Daigo at high speed, preparing to drive his fist into the center of Daigo's torso with every ounce of his strength. From all he's heard, that may not be enough... which just makes it even more fun.

Decapre finds this to be a rather unconventional means of defense, so it surprises her just how well it works. She tries to adjust for it of course, but the teacher doesn't give her the time necessary. He's already heading for her teammate. While this would seem an opportune moment to try and stab him in the back, she's got no real cause to. Daigo doesn't look very otherwise occupied with his current opponent taking that step back to toy with the rope-structure.
Regardless, she's still going to want to try and keep Frei from doubling up with his partner to attack the gangboss. And rather than just attack him right now, she sees fit to instead start scaling and flipping her way up onto the now somwhat-shaky jungle-gym and position herself pretty much directly over where he just flicked it.

COMBATSYS: Decapre focuses on her next action.

[    \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////////     ]
Decapre          0/-------/----===|=======\-------\1             Frei
[  \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////////     ]
Daigo            0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0           Hayato


COMBATSYS: Daigo auto-guards Hayato's Deep Strike!

[    \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////////     ]
Decapre          0/-------/----===|=======\-------\1             Frei
[  \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////////     ]
Daigo            0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0           Hayato


As Hayato comes full force at Daigo, somehow, he is prepared, as he's forced back against the ropes, his arms crossed across his chest. But somehow, he absorbs the damage without blinking. "Very well! Let's!" Grabbing a rope fo support, Daigo brings his right foot up to kick Hayato in the chest, before folling up with a roundhouse from his left to catch Hayato in the side, and hopefully, send him flying.

Frei blinks as he catches Hayato out of the corner of his eye, dashing straight for Daigo rather than continuing on with Decapre. As far as the monk is concerned that's fine with him; the Gedo boss hits like an atom bomb, and Frei suspects that for all his resiliency, the Taiyo phys ed teacher is probably better equipped to deal with Daigo's particular brand of fisticuffs. Spared further assault, Frei turns his eyes to Decapre, studying her with a curious expression, head tilted. "The mask is a neat touch," he says with an air of genuine interest. "Were you scarred by acid or something?" Chances that Decapre has either seen or read 'The Princess Bride': close to zero. Not that Frei knows this.

Since the girl is hanging back, the monk decides to keep the distance between himself and the lady fighter for the time being, but that doesn't mean he's not going to attack. Prismatic light glows in an orb between his hands as he bounds up the rope pyramid like a slightly overweight gazelle. When he reaches something close to top? He suddenly hops *up*, then lands on a rope heavily... and the rebound sends him sky-high. With a shout of "AMURO... TAKE OFF!" he suddenly spins in midair and thrusts both hands at Decapre, launching a person-high burst of multicolored chi at her, tacking on because his contract with the Ansatsuken types requires him to: "HADOUKEN!"

COMBATSYS: Hayato endures Daigo's Phoenix Kick.

[    \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////      ]
Decapre          0/-------/----===|=======\-------\1             Frei
[   \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////          ]
Daigo            0/-------/----===|====---\-------\0           Hayato


Well, after that stoic display from Daigo, there's certainly nothing Hayato can do but stand there and take the student's attack like a man. He's not quite as unmoveable an object as the Gedo mountain, but he at least manages to keep his feet in the same spot after the blow to the chest. His torso does certainly bend back under the impact, however. And then the roundhouse kick... Ah, but here Hayato is ready. It still hits him, but the phys ed teacher shifts his weight so that rather than be sent flying, he slides under the impact.
As he's sliding Hayato attempts to wrap an arm around Daigo's leg, momentarily pinning him in place. Such a grappling attempt is unlikely to succeed for long, but hopefully long enough for Hayato to snap out a kick with his own left leg, fiery orange chi surrounding his foot as he attempts to plow it sharply up and straight into the center of Daigo's broad chest.

COMBATSYS: Decapre slows Hadou Souran from Frei with Crimson Cascade.

[        \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////      ]
Decapre          0/-------/-----==|=======\-------\1             Frei
[   \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////         ]
Daigo            0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0           Hayato


While Frei probably only meant that as a joke, it's actually not terribly far from the truth. If Decapre's mask were to come off right now, it would probably look like somebody spilled some kind of hazardous chemicals on her face. But she's not about to come out and *tell* him that. And there are soon more important things to respond to anyway. Like that brightly-colored fireball coming her way.
The Doll wasn't ready to have to change her plans so drastically once her new target began to ascend the rope-jungle, and soon enough got to a higher point than herself, but she attempts to improvise anyway. With a quick flick of her wrist she cuts some of the support-ropes she's not holding onto herself, severing them with her claws, and because of their tautness they curl up and sling out in the direction of the fireball. That kind of makes sense. But when it starts to look like they're spraying blood, too, that part kind of doesn't. There's now this waterfall of crimson fluid that connects with Frei's stylized Hadouken. But when the fireball breaks through it and continues on to hit Decapre anyway and the red stuff fizzles out in a shower of sparks, it turns out to be a false alarm. The structure isn't actually alive and it's not bleeding. And neither is Decapre, but she looks like she might have had the wind knocked out of her a bit.

COMBATSYS: Daigo endures Hayato's Devastation Kick.

[       \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////      ]
Decapre          0/-------/-----==|=======\-------\1             Frei
[        \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////         ]
Daigo            0/-------/-======|====---\-------\0           Hayato


The full strength of Hayato's kick plants dead on Daigo's chest, slamming him hard into the ropes. On the other hand, Daigo grabs onto Hayato's leg, and doesn't let go. "Ha....nice one..." The Gedo Boss suddenly, moves to push Hayato's leg in such a way as to spin him around, and hen grab him from behind, and catch him in the most classic of wrestling moves. The German Suplex, as he attempts to smash the PE Teacher's head into the ground below the jungle gym.

Landing as he does near the top of the pyramid, Frei has ample time to look down and... see the girl calmly cut the ropes and make them bleed. Alright, that's creepy, and his face shows exactly how creepy he thinks that is, too; his normal :D has been briefly turned to D: in shock. The ropes he touches down on bounce a bit, and unprepared for the landing the monk actually almost topples backwards, grabbing the top of the pyramid with both arms and hauling himself upright with a "Whoa whoa WHOA!" His balance restored, he glances down to see his opponent up and ready to go, and actually gives a low whistle of appreciation for her counterattack. Having thrown one of his stronger attacks, seeing it all but nullified is impressive indeed.

Almost toppling again, Frei clears his throat and nods at Decapre. "Okay. Opening salvo fired, check." Then he slips through the top ropes, actually gripping the center pole and sliding down it Batpole-style before coming to a stop in the very center of the pyramid, where most of the upper ropes connect (though some are gone thanks to Decapre's counterattack). Bracing himself against the pole and standing on the ropes, Frei suddenly launches himself forward at the Doll, fist extended in a ridiculous, hand-forward arrow-like flying punch.

...which suddenly bursts into flames all around his body.

You know what he's going to yell, right?

"FALCON... PUNCH!"

Right.

COMBATSYS: Daigo successfully hits Hayato with German Suplex.

[       \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////      ]
Decapre          0/-------/-----==|=======\-------\1             Frei
[         \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////              ]
Daigo            0/-------/=======|======-\-------\0           Hayato


One moment Hayato's foot is connecting with Daigo's chest. The next a pair of strong arms are wrapping around him, then plowing him head first into the ground. Hayato impacts with a loud thud, first on the back of his head, then on his shoulders, then finally sprawled out flat once Daigo releases him. Clambering back to his feet, Hayato then quickly begins climbing up the rope structure. Despite some damage, it still seems to be in decent shape, and Hayato is able to make good time.
Whether or not Daigo follows him, Hayato pauses once he gets near the top, looking down at his opponent. "Good, good! But let's see how you handle this!" And then Hayato leaps from the ropes, coming sailing down feet first toward Daigo's head. Captain Falcon and Mario. A team of champions.

COMBATSYS: Decapre dodges Frei's Fierce Punch.

[       \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////      ]
Decapre          0/-------/-----==|=======\=------\1             Frei
[         \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////             ]
Daigo            0/-------/=======|======-\-------\0           Hayato


Decapre watches as her target nearly loses his balance, only to right himself and then makes his way toward her, the monk eventually looking like he's maneuvering toward getting in some sort of punch. When he rockets at her all powered-up with fire like that, she spiders her way up out of harms way in the nick of time, only to come back down onto that little middle section, expecting that Frei didn't let his missed attack carry him too far.
When she inevitably spots him again, wherever he is, she tries to go whirling toward him like a top, intending to stop just in front of him and deliver a couple of quick backfists to his chest and face. Her claws are still extended, and her hand is glowing with that same bloodred energy that shot out of the ropes earlier, so the 'knuckle' part of this technique is maybe a little more serious than it sounds!

COMBATSYS: Daigo blocks Hayato's Strong Kick.

[         \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////      ]
Decapre          0/-------/-----==|=======\=------\1             Frei
[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////             ]
Daigo            1/-------/=======|=======\-------\0           Hayato


Daigo isn't exactly keen on following Hayato up the jungle gym. That is, perhaps, why he is prepared for the descending kick that descends upon him. Though the force is still enough to push Daigo back a bit. Grabbing a rope, Daigo swings around, moving to slam his fist into Hayato's back, the student moving with a hopefully unexpected speed. He doesn't say anything, but he is grinning.

COMBATSYS: Frei blocks Decapre's Axle Spin Knuckle.

[         \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////        ]
Decapre          0/-------/----===|=======\==-----\1             Frei
[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////             ]
Daigo            1/-------/=======|=======\-------\0           Hayato


Thankfully, Frei is already turning to face Decapre even as she leaps nimbly over his attack like a gazelle. While he's not exactly the penultimate kung fu hero, he's been at this for a while and knows the qualities of a slow attack like the one he tried: it hurts, but it's easy to get away from. Thus he tries to ready himself as best he can for inevitable followups, and in this case it serves him pretty well. Even as Decapre lunges back at him, he's got his arms up, flinching a little as claws shred through the sleeves of his qipao coat and into his arms... but moreso at the crimson energy that goes with it. That stung an awful lot, even for an attack he mostly deflected! His eyes widen in surprise, but he doesn't let it rule him long.

Bouncing up and down somewhat on the rope that's keep him steady, Frei grins at the masked Doll. "Claws, eh? Well, two can play at that game!" He suddenly stops bouncing and... adopts a lucky cat statue pose?! Could it be... the legendary Cat Fist technique? Oh, it totally is. Look, he's even wearing the Ranma-esque costume. "Neko Punch!" Frei says cheerily, before raking his hand at Decapre's shoulder, catpaw style... and indeed, three 'slashes' of swirling green-white chi appear in the path of his strike, too.

COMBATSYS: Hayato fails to counter Fierce Punch from Daigo with Counter Thrust.

[         \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////        ]
Decapre          0/-------/----===|=======\==-----\1             Frei
[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////                   ]
Daigo            1/------=/=======|=======\=------\1           Hayato


Daigo may be able to get behind Hayato for a moment, but the Burning Phys Ed Teacher doesn't lose track of him for long. When the Gedo student comes flying back in off the ropes, Hayato is spinning around to meet him, fist raised high. Daigo coming in with a straight blow, Hayato bringing his fist down from above toward Daigo's head... it's a close call, and up until the last moment it's not clear just who is going to prevail...
...But in the end, it turns out to be Daigo. Before Hayato can drive the Gedo boss' head into the ground he finds a fist being driven painfully into his stomach, sending him flying back into the ropes. But at this particular point the ropes don't quite provide the necessary support for his back. He hits one at a bit below waist height, the momentum from Daigo's punch sufficient to then send Hayato toppling over backwards, falling to his back with his legs hooked over the rope.

COMBATSYS: Decapre endures Frei's Quick Punch.

[            \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////        ]
Decapre          0/-------/--=====|=======\===----\1             Frei
[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////                   ]
Daigo            1/------=/=======|=======\=------\1           Hayato


Decapre just sort of tilts her head curiously at the monk's words, standing there and staring back at him through the eyeslits in her mask. He was going to claw her? Apparently this was something she wanted to verify, since she stood there and made no attempt at avoiding the telegraphed attack. Her shoulder gets scratched by the energy-claws Frei produced before her very eyes, and it tears the sleeve of her uniform free just a bit.
Her reaction is to shove at him like a bully at the playground who's just found some reason to take offense at something he did. And as everyone knows, girls can be way mean. Given that they're still standing pretty high up on the jungle gym, and she's trying to push him over the edge, this probably qualifies.

And the Phys Ed teacher is in a position too good to pass up. The Gedo Boss moves to grab Hayato's legs, and pull him up, and then continue with the followthrough, to hurl him into the center of the battlefield, locking his legs into the ropes to give him more stability as he pulls. Reckless, perhaps, but it could quite pay off.

COMBATSYS: Frei interrupts Quick Throw from Decapre with Hizashi Ronde.

[                      \\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////           ]
Decapre          1/----===/=======|=------\-------\0             Frei
[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////                   ]
Daigo            1/------=/=======|=======\=------\1           Hayato


Telegraphed, perhaps... but Frei is not quite so silly as all that. The benefit of that little punch is that only took one hand to do; the other, cleverly, is behind his back... and observers may note that it's gathering a sphere of orange-red-gold chi, like a small ball of sunshine, even as he's attacking Decapre with his other hand. Thus when the Claw Doll comes back for him, he's not totally without recourse. Mind, she's quite nimble and quick, which makes it no sure thing by a long shot... but it's a gamble the monk appears to be willing to take. In fact, when the girl tries to shove him off the top of the pyramid... he lets her. Unresisting, in fact, he topples backwards.

However, rather than fall all the way down, he suddenly twists and hooks his foot around the rope he was just standing on, keeping him from falling too far as it catches him like a bungee cord, the hand he just used to claw Decapre one snaking downward to push off the next highest rope and effectively send the monk bouncing *right back at her*, twisting again so that his hand holding the now quite large sphere of gold chi is extended toward her. With a beatific smile, the monk hurls the sphere at the girl at point-blank range, shouting "Happy Fourth of July!"

Which is entirely appropos, since the sphere of gold suddenly EXPLODES in a massive array of red, gold, and orange chi fireworks, like a thousand repeated sunbursts all contained into a tiny space around Decapre and containing a rather impressive amount of explosive force.

COMBATSYS: Daigo successfully hits Hayato with Medium Throw.

[                      \\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////           ]
Decapre          1/----===/=======|==-----\-------\0             Frei
[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////                       ]
Daigo            1/------=/=======|=======\====---\1           Hayato


Hayato was planning on getting up, really! But apparently not soon enough, thanks to Daigo's plans. Hayato finds himself yanked back up over the rope by the legs, spun around, and then hurled a fair distance. He hits the ground on his back, and although he manages to tuck into a roll it's still far from pleasant. Eventually, though, he comes to a stop, managing to stand back up. He's looking a bit battered, but not yet beaten!
Cracking his neck a few times, Hayato grins at Daigo. "Well, I can see how you were able to whip Gedo into shape." And then he charges forth. Once again, no fancy moves, he just draws his fist back as he closes in. Although this time fiery orange chi engulfs the Burning Phys Ed Teacher's hand as he prepares to slam a punch with all his might into the center of Daigo's face. Will Hayato be able to break through Daigo's formidable defenses, now that he's aiming at a possible weak spot?

Decapre clearly didn't see it coming. She acted on impulse as she often does, and now she's paying for it. Basically, the December Doll failed to look both ways before crossing the street, and Frei just hit her.
The blast blows the pigtailed girl backwards, and she flies through ropes, smacks into others, and finally snags onto the last one before she would've fallen out of reach of the structure completely, left to hang upside down by her legs for a moment. She's obviously still got a little more fight left in her, but she's dazed enough that she doesn't want to move from her precarious position just yet.

COMBATSYS: Decapre gains composure.

[                \\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////           ]
Decapre          1/-----==/=======|==-----\-------\0             Frei
[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////                       ]
Daigo            1/------=/=======|=------\-------\0           Hayato


COMBATSYS: Hayato successfully hits Daigo with Burning Cross Counter.

[                \\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////           ]
Decapre          1/-----==/=======|==-----\-------\0             Frei
[                 \\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////                       ]
Daigo            1/-======/=======|=------\-------\0           Hayato


This time, Daigo's defenses aren't good enough, as the Burning PE Teacher slams his burning fist into Daigo's not so burning face, sending him flying, slamming him into the ropes. But even that isn't enough to drop Daigo out of the fight, as he pulls himself to his feet. "Very good...I can't hold back either." The Gang Boss stands up, and moves to enact something quite visious in retaliation.

The Gang Boss swings at Hayato, expanding in to a sequence of attacks, combining kicks and punches, and culminating in a powerful punch encased in Daigo's red phoenix chi, planning to slam into Hayato with his full force, and send him out of the arena.

It's probably for the best that Decapre didn't retaliate right away. Why? Because the force of the blast knocked Frei backwards when he launched that chi assault... but his foot was still hooked around rope he had been standing on. The result is a bit like what happens if you're on a line in Super Mario Sunshine holding on with both hands and suddenly fire the Rocket Pack of Mario's FLUDD. That is to say, Nintendo references aside, that he suddenly and rather violently goes spinning in the opposite direction of his attack with no small amount of force, rotating 360 degrees around the center point of his ankle hooked on the center rope until his momentum comes to a stop and he tumbles down, completely at the mercy of vertigo, to land a few 'branches' of the pyramid lower.

When he finally gets up, his eyes are clearly still spinning, and he puts a hand to his temples and wobbles unsteadily on the lower rope connections for a moment before slapping his hands with both cheeks and taking a deep breath. He reaches up a hand toward where he thinks Decapre is and points with one finger, which wobbles unsteadily as he slowly but surely recharges his internal batteries after that last burst. "Alright. Let's see whatcha got," he says muzzily, apparently still a little dizzy. "I'll take all three of ya."

COMBATSYS: Frei gathers his will.

[                \\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////          ]
Decapre          1/-----==/=======|======-\-------\0             Frei
[                  \\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////                       ]
Daigo            0/-------/-----==|=------\-------\0           Hayato


COMBATSYS: Daigo successfully hits Hayato with Phoenix Fury.

[                \\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////          ]
Decapre          1/-----==/=======|======-\-------\0             Frei
[                  \\\\\\\\\\\\  < >                                ]
Daigo            0/-------/-----==|======-\-------\0           Hayato


Daigo's attack almost works precisely as planned. Hayato is battered by the series of blows, sent staggering, then flying back after that final punch. If Hayato lost conciousness right then and there, he /would/ go flying out of the fight. But he doesn't. As he flies back, Hayato manages to grab one of the ropes. His vision is getting a bit blurry, but he doesn't need to see in order to swing up, then start swinging back down before launching himself back in the same direction he came from.
Hayato flies toward Daigo, right leg extended, with orange chi surrounding his leg as he seeks to make contact with the Gedo student. If he can actually drive his foot home into Daigo's sternum, terrific. He'll then follow up by snapping his left foot out for /another/ flaming kick. But whether he does or not, Hayato's next act will be to fall flat on his back, conciousness fading due to being repeatedly punched and kicked by the massive Gang Boss. If Daigo was Hayato's student... he'd probably be getting an A in PE.

COMBATSYS: Hayato can no longer fight.

[                \\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////          ]
Decapre          1/-----==/=======|======-\-------\0             Frei
[                  \\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Daigo            0/-------/-----==|


Decapre ends up thrusting her hand down at Frei in response, whether they can actually see each other or not, in something more akin to the Shadaloo salute. But she's not really saluting him. She's brandishing her claw. And the longer she holds it out, the more it seems to lose definition. If one could inspect it closer, they might think she was merely moving it back and forth really fast and making her claws and fingers look rubbery, but there's more to it than that. There are illusory copies thrown into the mix made of rippling psychic energy, and when she starts to fall from her perch to try and strike at him, she proves that even the fakes are capable of shearing through rope.

COMBATSYS: Daigo blocks Hayato's Devastation Kick.

[                 \\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////          ]
Decapre          1/------=/=======|======-\-------\0             Frei
[                    \\\\\\\\\\  <
Daigo            0/-------/----===|


The kick from the PE Teacher has an awful lot of force behind it, for a final move. This slams him against the ropes, even as he guards himself. But for the moment, he doesn't retaliate, trying now to regain composure, hanging to the roipes for support. He also gives a nod of respect to the downed PE Teacher, as he takes a few seconds to catch his breath.

COMBATSYS: Daigo gains composure.

[                 \\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////          ]
Decapre          1/------=/=======|======-\-------\0             Frei
[                 \\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Daigo            0/-------/-----==|


COMBATSYS: Frei endures Decapre's Rippling Razor.

[                 \\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////              ]
Decapre          1/----===/=======|=======\=------\1             Frei
[                 \\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Daigo            0/-------/-----==|


Dizziness can have its advantages, after all. Frei is forced to squint up at Decapre as her claw starts moving unpredictably, his vertigo-addled brain not 100% able to handle all of that. In fact, by the time he can even tell what her plan is in the first place, it's too late for him to do anything like get out of the way. However, at the same time he also notices that Hayato has just gone down... and that's not good. While he's somewhat confident he can more or less keep up with Decapre, he knows in the long run the Gedo boss' power and superior expertise are going to wear him down... and fighting two people at once is not Frei's specialty.

Thus he stands his ground when the psychic attack slams into him, readying himself as best he can for what's to come. Yes, the sudden assault of slashing figures does push him back... but it also gives him momentum to suddenly twist and dive at Daigo. His goal? To latch onto the tall fighter's jacket, and if he can get the grip, suddenly leap off of him Sakura Shoot-style, a crackling burst of purple lightning spreading out from the point of impact to give it some extra punch.

Decapre goes falling down somewhere far below Frei after slashing him, and isn't seen again on the same level as he is for some time. But she's not bailing out on Daigo or anything. She's just being stealthy, and trying to position herself directly under Frei. This becomes somewhat problematic when he tries to latch onto the eldest Kazama the way he does, but as soon as the masked Doll sees him either let go, or fall, or whatever, she's right there waiting to meet the monk with a breakdancing doublebooted kick, shooting out toward him like a rocket, not seeming to care where she ends up falling after her spiraling ascent has ended. Her feet are wreathed with more of that same crimson energy, and she's trailing afterimages until gravity finds her.

COMBATSYS: Daigo fails to interrupt Tenrai Enbu from Frei with Phoenix Fist.

[                 \\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////               ]
Decapre          0/-------/-----==|=======\==-----\1             Frei
[                      \\\\\\\\  <
Daigo            0/-------/-----==|


Even as Frei attempts to come in and strike Daigo, the gang boss moves to interrupt. But even he cannot move fast enough, his attempt to strike Frei out of the air failing, as the Gedo student is sent into the ropes. "Hmph...Faster than I was expecting..." He mutters, as he pulls himself up from the tangle he's caught in.

COMBATSYS: Frei blocks Decapre's Reverse Demon Shaft.

[                 \\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////                  ]
Decapre          0/-------/-----==|======-\-------\0             Frei
[                      \\\\\\\\  <
Daigo            0/-------/-----==|


In his heart of hearts, Frei hadn't actually expected that maneuver to work at all... how pleasant a surprise to find out that it had! However, that acrobatic technique has one major flaw: it puts Frei in midair once it's over, waiting to fall back onto whatever perch he came from. Sadly, in this case that perch is Decapre, who is suddenly below him and lashing out with a blazing kick that makes the monk's eyes widen at its speed and ferocity. He is able to defend against it, but only barely; inverting in midair, he sort of dives ONTO Decapre's rising, two-legged kick, taking the hit on the forearms instead of on the back. However, the kick itself -- while powerful -- isn't the only thing on the menu with that attack. The crimson psychic energy courses through his body, Frei's wide-eyed surprise becoming a squint of effort as he fights to keep his head above water, as it were.

The two fighters finally disengage in midair. It's very wuxia, very 'Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon'.

However, Frei's not going to wait to hit the ground before he counterattacks. Moving with sudden speed, he grins at Decapre and then sweeps out his arm in a circle in front of him, the air between the two fighters suddenly alive with sharp blades of frost that spear out toward the Claw Doll, looking to hasten her fall back to the ground... and hopefully giving Frei himself some time to land a little more gracefully.

COMBATSYS: Frei successfully hits Decapre with Hyoushou Rengeki.

[                       \\\\\\\  < >  ////////////                  ]
Decapre          0/-------/--=====|======-\-------\0             Frei
[                      \\\\\\\\  <
Daigo            0/-------/-----==|


Well, maybe it's a good thing Decapre didn't prepare how she was going to fall, since it wouldn't have gone exactly as she planned even if she had. She was fully expecting her attack to strike true, and it didn't. Then, on top of that, she just got shot full of sharp icicle-shards in the midst of freefall. Ow. But again, she's still kicking when it's all over.
Rolling back up onto her feet, Decapre takes her fighting stance, though it may be just a little bit slouched, and starts to shimmer with red light for a moment, breathing deeply as she tries to push herself. And she actually does manage to straighten her posture the longer this goes on.

COMBATSYS: Decapre gathers her will.

[                      \\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////                  ]
Decapre          1/------=/=======|======-\-------\0             Frei
[                      \\\\\\\\  <
Daigo            0/-------/-----==|


As Decapre stands back, Daigo steps forward, bringing his arm back, and swinging around, to grab Frei, and, ideally, hurl him over his shoulder as he rolls forward. That's the trick to two on one fighting. Never give them a break, and cover your allies. So Daigo is simultaneously making himself a target as well as keeping Frei on his toes.

COMBATSYS: Frei endures Daigo's Rolling Slam.

[                      \\\\\\\\  < >  ///////                       ]
Decapre          1/------=/=======|=======\==-----\1             Frei
[                       \\\\\\\  <
Daigo            0/-------/---====|


Frei himself is pretty damn tired, not that he shows it, and plenty beat up to boot... but the other fighters have shown him a good fight, and he intends to do exactly the same. As Daigo suddenly comes lunging for him, the monk takes a deep breath and then walks right into it. He's not even sure what Daigo's going to do in such a situation, but his arms are sore and beaten from Decapre's attack, and dodging such a quick assault is entirely out of the question. However, his awareness means that the normally disorienting rolling slam's effects are massively lessened... and Frei has time to gather power to himself while Daigo can't see very well, hands glowing with prismatic energy even as he and the Gedo boss make a nice little ball across the park grounds.

It's Daigo who might need to watch out, though; as both fighters tumble out of the slam, Frei is ready, dropping into a crouch and turning to face Daigo with impressive speed, firing off another person-high burst of powerful chi straight for the bulky fighter... and hopefully taking him out of the fight. "HAAAADOOUUUKEEEEEEEN!"

Decapre chooses to do another little disappearing act while Frei is in the middle of being slammed by the gangboss. But since there isn't much for her to hide behind on this occasion, it's more likely that she's capable of using a technique something like Lord Vega's own Psycho Vanish. And when she decloaks right there behind Frei, the situation begins to look a lot like a game of Team Fortress 2, with the Spy about to get the drop on someone.
But rather than try to slit the chi-filled monk's throat, she's going after him with a pair of whirling, claw-aided uppercuts.

COMBATSYS: Daigo blocks Frei's Hadou Souran EX.

[                      \\\\\\\\  < >  ///////                       ]
Decapre          0/-------/-------|=====--\-------\0             Frei
[                        \\\\\\  <
Daigo            0/-------/--=====|


The Gang Boss manages to guard himself against the fireball, but it isn't enough, as he feels himself buckling. Fine. He's got one move left, so time to take advantage of it. From the distance, he extends his hand, and from it fires a group of dark spikes. The Skull Aura. "Hope that's enough..." He says to his partner, dropping to a knee.

COMBATSYS: Daigo can no longer fight.

[                      \\\\\\\\  < >  ///////                       ]
Decapre          0/-------/-------|=====--\-------\0             Frei


COMBATSYS: Daigo successfully hits Frei with Skull Aura.
- Power hit! -

[                      \\\\\\\\  < >  ///                           ]
Decapre          0/-------/-------|=======\-------\1             Frei


COMBATSYS: Frei fails to interrupt Psycho Stalker from Decapre with Hyoushou Rengeki EX.

[                      \\\\\\\\  < >                                ]
Decapre          0/-------/-------|====---\-------\0             Frei


COMBATSYS: Frei can no longer fight.

[                      \\\\\\\\  <
Decapre          0/-------/-------|


Although his final rally may go down in history as one of the shortest lived ever, it's certainly one of the most interesting. Daigo's rolling slam put the monk back toward the center of the goofy rope pyramid that has made this entire fight so very interesting, but something in Frei's sixth sense tells him that Decapre's not going to just sit there on her heels and do nothing. Thus he makes a critical error: he ignores Daigo, hoping that the boss will leave him alone, or perhaps not attack until Decapre's done trying to shred him. Blue-white already starts to glow around his hand as he prepares to throw some more ice in Decapre's face and bring this to an end...

...and that's when his chi sense, perhaps one of the more finely tuned in the circuit, realizes that Daigo's about to toss something at his back. While Decapre attacks his front. Faced with a pincer assault, the monk is paralzed by indecision and then beaten bloody by the combined assault while his moment of panic works through. Even Daigo's final blow is enough to knock the fight out of him; Decapre's psychic assault is more than enough to push him right over the edge. There's a moment while a slashed and dazed Frei stands there, staring... and then he just topples forward into the dirt onto his face, lying still.

Mostly.

After a few seconds, one hand snakes up from the ground and, as before, twangs the bottom rope like a harpstring, complete with deep thrumming noise. He gives a muffled "...heh" and then falls silent.

Log created on 21:09:09 03/22/2008 by Frei, and last modified on 17:38:08 03/26/2008.