Description: What's more epic than the Iliad, the Odyssey and Beowulf all put together? THIS LOG. (Draw Match)
One of the most famous suspension bridges in the world, this point of connection between Metro's two most important boroughs sees a whole lot of activity every day: from the jaded and cursing longtime residents jammed into the four traffic lanes, all just trying to commute into downtown or midtown for work, to the tourists who swarm along the pedestrian walkway above, taking photos and generally being annoying curiosities to those who actually live in the city.
Now that SNF has chosen to set one of its matches here, however, the bridge has just gotten even busier. Tourists mingle with residents mingle with fans, all pushing and shoving interestedly to get a good view of that one cordoned-off area where the fight is slated to take place. Spectators jam shoulder to shoulder on the pedestrian walkway that stretches above and in the center of all those lanes of motorized traffic, and even a couple drivers in the lanes below-- all stuck in a huge traffic jam, doubtless caused by the SNF itself-- sneak peeks upwards from their unexpected front-row seats.
This time, K' had no complaints about the stipulations of the match... and so, the staffers were allowed to breathe a collective sigh of relief at not having to deal with any lost tempers. The boy, thusly rendered harmless, keeps to himself off to one side of the cleared area, hands shoved in his pockets as he considers the view of the East River-- as well as the network of thick cables and supports around them.
Really now, Hayato, brutal? That's an unkind thing to say. Sure, he can be very... enthusiastic in fights, but he doesn't give people more than they can take! Well, more than he thinks they can take. And as a bit of an optimist, Hayato's views on the subject may be more generous than those of the people in question... And he does seem to enjoy fighting people who are capable of taking a good thrashing... Uh, you know what? Nevermind.
How about we check in on how Hayato is preparing for the fight? Apparently by climbing one of the bridge's suspension cables. Why? Because it's there. He's reached a rather dizzying height by this point, just hauling himself right up the cable with his arms and legs. Luckily his bright red clothing makes it quite easy to spot him up there, so at least people can be sure that he's actually shown up, and isn't just late in arriving. It may take him a bit to get back down, though. Even he would probably get pretty badly hurt if he were to drop from that kind of height.
Brutality is entirely relative, anyway. It's only 'brutal' if the person you're hitting can't deal with it properly... And if they can't, where's the fun in fighting them?
The self-styled 'God of Battle' makes the scene last of all, striding up with his hands tucked into the back pockets of his leather pants, elbows sticking out, and his eyes hidden behind a pair of designer sunglasses. Wild blond hair rustles in the breeze that cuts across the bridge, but the tall man from Shanghai seems pretty well disinterested by the location of the match... Except inasmuch as this is /where he gets to fight somebody/.
"Oh, hey, look who it is," Shen says, grinning from ear to ear as he sees K', his shoulders giving a faint hitch. "At least we've got a nice audience to watch you get your ass beat, huh?" The berserker's trash talk is, actually, meant fairly good-naturedly! He doesn't really have any beef with K', he just finds the white-haired fighter fun to pick on.
Withdrawing his hands from his pockets, Shenwoo adjusts his tight leather gloves and the heavy metallic rings he always seems to wear in a fight, before taking off his shades and tossing them aside carelessly. He's got plently more where they came from.
At this point, Shenwoo looks pretty much ready to fight. This is, of course, because he hasn't bothered to consider the fact that there's supposed to be a third participant. Who is currently pretending to be Spider-Man?!
As for K', well, he doesn't have any philosophical thoughts on the nature of brutality and his own viciousness thereof. K' has no problems either with giving somebody more than they can handle, or feeling unchallenged by an opponent. If he's mad enough, whoever it is pissed him off will be getting assbeat regardless of whether they can fight back or take his attacks. His two slated opponents, however, are hardly people incapable of dealing with him: and that's fine too. No improvement without challenge, after all.
He seems distracted this match, lacking either the boisterous energy of Hayato, or the eager enthusiasm of Shenwoo. Things are weighing heavily on his mind... his lean frame only recently mended from Billy's vicious attacks, and his thoughts still circling around Geese's potential offer to him. It's why he doesn't really notice Shen up until the other young man addresses him, and even then he is slow to swivel his gaze around and fix him with a thin, somewhat strained smirk.
Shenwoo might be capable of being good-natured, but K' really isn't. Guess what it was HE caught on re-run, this past week. It's damned lucky K' doesn't know Whip's his sister, or he'd try to trash Shen's ass on principle, even though he knows that kiss was just an accident. As it IS, he already feels affronted enough at Shenwoo, that mild irritation-- largely leftover brother's instinct-- infringing a little on his grudging liking of the straightforward brawler.
"Yeah?" K' fires back. His smirk cuts a little wider. "Just don't kiss anybody this time around, huh? People paid to see a fight--" And that's about all he has to say in reply before he decides it's about time to open the match. There's no preparatory motions, no warmup-- just K' lunging right at Shenwoo in a blurred rush, slamming a sharp kick at the other combatant's jaw.
COMBATSYS: K' has started a fight here.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
K' 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Shenwoo has joined the fight here.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Shenwoo 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 K'
COMBATSYS: K' successfully hits Shenwoo with Minutes Spike.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////////// ]
Shenwoo 0/-------/-----==|=------\-------\0 K'
COMBATSYS: Hayato has joined the fight here.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////////// ]
Hayato 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 K'
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Shenwoo 0/-------/-----==|
Of course, Shenwoo has no idea what K' is talking about. It even shows in his expression, as his brow furrows in mild confusion at just what the genetically-altered fighter is getting at with this talk of 'kissing'. Luckily though, the brawler doesn't have to worry about it too long, as K' flies through the air and kicks him right in the face.
With a grunt, the self-styled 'God of Battle' staggers back a few steps from the kick, but if that's how the other fighter wants to play it... Who is Shen to disagree? Recovering quickly enough from getting booted in the jaw, Shenwoo rears back with his left fist, that half-feral grin pulling at his broad mouth again. "I dunno what you're on about, so just..." The rearing back turns into a sudden lunge, Shenwoo's hair and unbuttoned silk shirt trailing behind him as he tears forward at K', swinging his fist in that characteristic rushing punch of his. "...SHUT UP AND /FIGHT/!!"
Man, aren't these two going to be surprised when Hayato joins in?
Interesting that one should mention Spider-Man, as Hayato happens to have brought a long coil of rope up with him. If people had been watching him, they'd have seen that he's tied the rope to one of the cables, and then clambered from one cable to another, in the opposite direction of the fight, carrying the rest of the rope along with him. He gives it a good hard tug as he looks down at the fight starting below, then nods to himself. Most people would want to check their measurements a second time, but there's no time for Hayato to do that!
The first sign of Hayato's presence that Shenwoo and K' will probably notice is some faint laughter, from somewhere up above and away. And it rapidly starts growing louder. As it gets even louder it turns into a wordless shout, and if they should happen to look in the direction it's coming from, they'll see Hayato swinging in at high speed, clutching a rope with his left hand and with his right balled into a fist. He can't really aim too well at this point, but he's heading in the general direction of both K' and Shenwoo... with the plan of slamming right into one of them fist-first and carrying him down to the ground. ...If he misses, well, it's going to go pretty badly for him.
COMBATSYS: K' blocks Shenwoo's Gekiken.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////////// ]
Hayato 0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0 K'
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Shenwoo 0/-------/----===|
COMBATSYS: Hayato successfully hits K' with Power Punch.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////// ]
Hayato 0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0 K'
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Shenwoo 0/-------/----===|
K' reciprocates Shenwoo's general confusion for the space of about two seconds. He doesn't remember? Would that we were all like Shenwoo, able to so readily forget such traumatic experiences as kissing. The boy scowls articulately for another two seconds about it before he decides to just forget about it (poor Whip) and settle for kicking Shenwoo's face in instead. Kicking people is something infinitely more cathartic and familiar.
Pushing off and landing in a slight backwards skid, K' recognizes Shenwoo's reprisal instantly-- he's fought the other boy enough times for that-- and immediately goes on guard, letting that powerful blow glance jarringly along a solid defense of his right hand and arm. Shaking off the sting, he sneers and straightens up, doubtless about to advance on Shenwoo and return the favor--
--when suddenly, a quite foreboding sound from overhead enters his senses. K' has only enough time to look startled before he realizes what all that yelling is.
Whatever defense he might have put up gets plowed straight through by the sheer force of that much accumulated downwards momentum, K' knocked to the ground and sent skidding and tumbling away. But it's early on the fight, so he's quick to recover, twisting back to all fours and sputtering in mingled pain (dragging across steel mesh stings) and sheer "What the HELL!"
That incredulous assessment of Hayato's chosen entrance given, K' angrily lights on fire in the same sort of way a cat would bristle up. Concentrating the flames before him, he abruptly rises and spins hard, a sharp kick propelling the fires straight at Hayato in an irritated reprisal.
What the hell, indeed. Shenwoo is nearly as alarmed by the sudden arrival of Hayato as K' is, and he didn't even get landed on! In the aftermath of his punch, Shenwoo took a turning step to bleed off the rest of the momentum, even though the attack itself was blocked; so he's got his footing back by the time the Burning Teacher crashes on K' like a sack full of bricks.
Also it would appear that K' wants to make that 'Burning' epithet more literal, huh?
Shenwoo decides to get in on the fun himself, lunging at Hayato in turn. His hands clap together, fingers lacing between one another to form an axe-handle position, which - in the split-second after whatever happens to K''s projected flames - he attempts to slam Hayato in the top of the head with. "ORA!!"
COMBATSYS: K' successfully hits Hayato with Second Shoot.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////// ]
Hayato 0/-------/---====|=====--\-------\0 K'
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Shenwoo 0/-------/-----==|
COMBATSYS: Shenwoo successfully hits Hayato with Fukuko-Geki.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////// ]
Hayato 0/-------/-======|=====--\-------\0 K'
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Shenwoo 0/-------/---====|
Hayato is rather high on adrenaline when he climbs back to his feet after sending K' sprawling, and until his heartrate slows down a little bit he can't even hear very well over the thudding in his ears. He can feel the heat of the flames, though, but it doesn't give him enough time to turn and defend himself. And that explosion ends up sending him staggering toward Shenwoo, who brings his hands down hard on the back of the teacher's skull.
Bent over double, Hayato doesn't hesitate but instead lunges forward, attempting to wrap his arms around Shenwoo's midsection. Properly, this technique should be done from behind, but the end result should still be quite sufficient. Hayato attempts to rear back, swinging Shenwoo up off his feet, then he bends over backwards to slam the brawler's skull into the ground.
By this time, K' has had a few minutes to get his breath back and pull himself back fully upright. He watches as Shenwoo and Hayato grapple, eyes narrowing as he tries to figure out how to work an attack into that mix. Drawing in a little closer, he waits for the moment when it'll become clear whether Hayato's bid to take the Shanghai brawler off his feet will succeed or not; and then, he finally acts.
K' tries to slip a grasping, metal-sheathed hand to seize ahold of whatever purchase he can attain on Shen; whether or not he ends up getting tossed, or escapes Hayato's grip. From there, he'll try to push or pull the other young man off his balance, attempting to force some kind of opening, which he'll immediately capitalize upon with a sharp, arcing blow strong enough to send even Shen to the ground.
COMBATSYS: Shenwoo dodges Hayato's German Suplex.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Hayato 0/-------/--=====|=====--\-------\0 K'
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Shenwoo 0/-------/---====|
COMBATSYS: Shenwoo parries K''s Spot Pile!
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Hayato 0/-------/--=====|=====--\-------\0 K'
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Shenwoo 0/-------/--=====|
Laughing with almost childlike glee as his strike hits home on Hayato, Shenwoo certainly sees that attempt to grab him by the waist coming, but he... Doesn't really feel like getting hugged right now, you know? Especially since Hayato probably has something more in mind. No, instead, Shen makes a short, almost completely horizontal hop backwards, the heels of his shoes scraping lightly against the bridge underfoot. Then, suddenly, K' is there too. Uh oh.
"Hey!! Back off!" Shenwoo exclaims, actually /batting aside/ K''s metalshod hand, before he twists around and brings up one leg to drive his heel into the leather-clad fighter's midsection, presumably doubling his opponent over. If he manages that, then the God of Battle throws himself forward pell-mell, swinging his right fist down in a harsh overhead punch with the intent of driving K' back onto his face again. "GRAAAH!!"
Hayato takes a moment to recover after Shenwoo leaps clear of his grasp, standing back up straight and turning around to watch as Shenwoo goes off after K'. Hayato's not about to be left behind, however! While Shenwoo goes after K' with a punch, Hayato follows up just a few moments later with a kick. It takes a moment to catch up with the God of Battle, but once he does Hayato leaps off the ground, snapping his leg out at a sharp upward angle. Fiery orange chi surrounds his leg as the kick drills up toward K', ideally launching him up and back while he's still recovering from getting thumped on the head by Shenwoo.
COMBATSYS: K' blocks Shenwoo's Fusen Kyaku EX.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Hayato 0/-------/----===|======-\-------\0 K'
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Shenwoo 0/-------/-======|
COMBATSYS: K' dodges Hayato's Devastation Kick.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Hayato 0/-------/----===|======-\-------\0 K'
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Shenwoo 0/-------/-======|
Well, that was a surprise. His attempt to seize Shenwoo smacked aside and then instantly capitalized upon, K' has only seconds to react to the swift follow-up. Stepping back a pace or two and defending himself from that driving heel with crossed arms, K' grits his teeth as his guard gets rattled yet again by a punishing blow. He's barely come out of his protective stance before Hayato is after him too, but-- already on the defensive-- he's quick to get the hell out of the way of that kick, his light frame momentarily blurring at the edges as he swerves mere inches around the orange, blazing chi.
Resolving back into a skidding stop several feet away, K'... seems content to just take a minute to catch his breath after those first few rounds of frenetic, breakneck action. As crazy as the fight description billed the three of them to be, it's still pretty hard to just keep going forever. And being as he was the one who got LANDED ON by like 80 kilograms of enthusiastic Burning Teacher... he needs a few seconds.
COMBATSYS: K' gains composure.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////// ]
Hayato 0/-------/----===|=====--\-------\0 K'
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Shenwoo 0/-------/-======|
It's hard to tell if Shenwoo is disappointed or pleased that K' manages to guard against that powerful attack he attempts to deliver... Though, it probably stung some anyway. But when he sees that the genetically altered fighter is hanging back, to catch his breath or something, the former street thug tilts his head to one side and arches a brow, looking... Yep, now he's disappointed.
"What's the matter, ya big baby? Too much for you already?" Shen wonders, possibly making a laughingstock of poor K' in front of the spectators for the match. Maybe he's just trying to bait K' into action. Whatever Shenwoo's reasons are, the next thing he does is to rush /directly/ at K' as he tries to catch his breath, swinging one tattooed forearm to try and knock the smaller man's guard out of alignment, before just up and headbutting him so hard that K' is quite liable to get knocked right off of his feet if it connects. "RAAAAGH!!"
Well, Hayato had a great entrance, but he doesn't seem to be living up to it. It looks like he's going to need to up the ante a bit to really start showing Shenwoo and K' what's what. The Burning Phys Ed Teacher cracks his neck a few times, then slams his right fist into the palm of his left hand. Waves of orange energy begin to radiate off of him as he grins widely. If the SNF people want a show, well, he'll be glad to give it to them. "This has all been a pretty good warmup so far, but I think it's about time to get serious. What about you guys?" Judging by Hayato's expression, this is all in good fun... but it doesn't mean there won't be people getting hurt.
COMBATSYS: Hayato gathers his will.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////// ]
Hayato 0/-------/=======|=====--\-------\0 K'
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Shenwoo 0/-------/---====|
COMBATSYS: Shenwoo successfully hits K' with Saikouhou-Geki.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Hayato 0/-------/=======|=======\-------\0 K'
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Shenwoo 0/-------/-======|
Trying to bait K''s temper is something that usually nets mixed success, for all one would think the volatile young man is prone to snap at any provocation; and even when one is successful, the reaction is rarely predictable. There are times it's got all the effect of a pebble in the ocean, and there are times where you only have enough time to wonder what the hell it was you even SAID before you get punched in the face.
For a few seconds, it's not clear which way things are going to go, even when Shen finally manages to crush past K''s defenses and knocks him clear into the ground. But soon enough it's shown he has to struggle a minute to get back under control and thinking straight. He recovers in relative quiet, twisting back to his feet with his characteristic resilience and spitting blood. He's irritated, but not about to let it ruin his focus; that is a problem he's aware he has, and which he can't let get at him if he's going to be able to deal with Geese and come out in one piece. "Then get serious," K' retorts at Hayato without looking at the teacher, raking upwards abruptly in a motion that slings a burst of sudden flames straight at Shenwoo.
COMBATSYS: K' successfully hits Shenwoo with Eins Trigger.
Glancing Blow
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////// ]
Hayato 0/-------/=======|=======\-------\1 K'
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Shenwoo 0/-------/=======|
With Hayato still holding back, it seems that K' gets to bear the brunt of Shenwoo's almost completely singleminded focus; the teacher isn't currently presenting himself as a threat, so the berserker, well, he's keeping his attention directly on the genetically altered former NESTS agent. Except for one thing, anyway, as he has to respond to Hayato's remark: "I was serious from the start!!" the God of Battle retorts, because fighting is indeed Serious Business, to him.
The burst of flames sent his way makes Shenwoo duck to one side, managing to get, well, /mostly/ out of the way. Flame sears his arm, drawing a sharp hiss of pain from the tall, lean blond fighter, and of course he's not about to take /that/ lying down. "Ha ha... That was pretty obvious!" Shen laughs, even though he only /mostly/ avoided it.
And then he lunges right at K', trying to catch him by the throat.
If Shenwoo manages that, then he lifts K' right off the ground and chokes him, the sound of leather straining as his hand clenches quite audible, before smashing K' bodily into the nearest solid object. "Ha ha ha ha!"
Indeed, Hayato /is/ getting serious. He reaches up and draws his shinai from the loop on the back of his track jacket, clenching his hand tightly around it. He waits a moment while both of his opponent's are moving about, then starts charging once it looks like they'll be standing still for a moment. While Shenwoo is reaching for K''s throat, Hayato is coming up behind Shenwoo.
As he approaches Hayato swings his arm up, shinai held high. If it were a more traditional sword, it would probably be flashing dramatically in the light. Even without special effects, though, it's still more than capable of coming down hard on Shenwoo's head. Then Hayato follows that up by a strike below the ribs from the left, leading into a slightly higher blow from the right on the return swing. Finally the weapon goes up once more before Hayato brings it down to smack into the God of Battle's collarbone.
COMBATSYS: K' fails to interrupt Kyakuten Touchi from Shenwoo with Crow Bite.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Hayato 0/-------/-======|=======\-------\1 K'
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Shenwoo 1/-------/=======|
Looks like it's not a good idea to try to talk to Hayato when Shenwoo is locked on. His own attack gone slightly wide in that instant, Shenwoo avoids the brunt of the flames and comes right back around them, lunging in at a target K' seriously does not want attacked.
K''s throat has seen an incredible amount of abuse in the past week, all told, and a barely-healed injury from Billy Kane's staff gets aggravated even further when the berserker shuts a crushing grip on it. The boy seems to have no intention of letting that stranglehold remain, fire searing about his wrist as he attempts to break Shen's grasp and get the other boy away from him, but mid-attack he gets preempted when Shenwoo abruptly slams him into the nearest structural support.
Normally, an attack like that wouldn't have phased K' appreciably, but his recent injuries militate against him being able to shrug this off. Folding slightly against the steel, strangled and unable to breathe for rather longer than Shenwoo might expect, K' strains for breath as he snarls without word or sound: angry, but mostly at himself, and at the pain that starts crawling in his veins as he tries to regain a grip on his implanted flames.
COMBATSYS: Shenwoo endures Hayato's Scolding Slash.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Hayato 1/-------/=======|=======\-------\1 K'
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Shenwoo 1/----===/=======|
Somebody who laughs while choking another human being might, just maybe, be considered a little 'crazy'... But, so goes the God of Battle. The fact that he clearly just barely avoided a dangerous reprisal from K' in the midst of that just gets more adrenaline pumping, Shenwoo riding the high of battle and danger with a huge, wolfish grin and a glint of possible madness in his black eyes. Oh yeah, this is the fight he wanted.
When Hayato slashes at him from behind with his shinai, Shenwoo doesn't even try to avoid it. He just stands there and gets hit in the head. The brawler's lean body rocks with every strike of the bundled bamboo lathe blade, whirling around to face Hayato after the slash to his collarbone, an obvious welt forming.
When he turns around, Shenwoo is grinning even more than before. "Ha ha ha ha!"
Suddenly, Shenwoo slugs himself in the face, twice, each fist hitting its respective cheek as he forcefully pushes himself over the edge. Throwing his head back with a wild, feral bellow, Shen is abruptly surrounded in a flaring aura of power, and as it fades the berserker - because he is, indeed, a berserker in truth now - lunges forward at Hayato with terrible purpose, trying to catch him with a straight punch. "Ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!" he laughs throughout, following the first punch if he gets any contact at all with a further combination of blows, using his knees and feet and fist and elbows in a seemingly endless barrage. Finally, the madcap laughing attack of the God of Battle comes to an end, with a last, brutal headbutt aimed to take the Burning Teacher right /out/. "HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!"
COMBATSYS: Hayato endures Shenwoo's Bakuma Assault.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Hayato 1/--=====/=======|=======\-------\1 K'
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Shenwoo 0/-------/-------|
Shenwoo's not the only one who finds this amusing. Hayato stands his ground during the barrage of punches, and after a few moments his own laughter rises up to mingle with Shenwoo's. He falters only occasionally when one of the blows manages to strike him in the face, briefly forcing him to shut up. But even as his body is being rocked by Shenwoo's repeated punches, kicks and various other strikes with any handy limbs, Hayato is drawing back his right fist.
There's a flareup of orange chi around Hayato's fist, and then, as Shenwoo's headbutt connects with his skull, Hayato brings his arm swinging around. The chi-infused fist comes streaking toward the side of Shenwoo's head, bringing all of Hayato's strength bearing down in a blow to send the brawler flying to the side even as Hayato is sent crashing down, seeing stars.
...well, it looks like everybody took K''s injunction to 'get serious'... -really seriously-. Still a little strangled from the result of Shenwoo forcibly crushing a throat that already-- just days previous-- took a blow from Kane's staff dead-on and full-force, K' pushes himself angrily away from the steel support and hisses a long breath, hating himself for the terrible, godawful crime of being appreciably affected by wounds that would kill normal people-- and even, perhaps, other, less sturdy fighters.
K' is not a person who is very kind to himself, no. Or even realistic about what he expects from himself.
Of course, what's happening right now is still a little hard to cut into, even when one possesses little to no common sense or conception of personal safety. K' looks at Shenwoo. K' looks at Hayato. After a pause, he pulls his fire out in a hiss down his arms and about his wrists, wresting a proper control over it in a preparatory move, circling closer while the teacher and the berserker tangle up in that close-range mutual shitbeating. Perhaps now we could revisit those initial wonderings on just what the meaning of brutality is, and add 'premeditation' to the list.
COMBATSYS: K' gathers his will.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Hayato 0/-------/-----==|=======\====---\1 K'
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Shenwoo 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Shenwoo fails to reflect Burning Cross Counter from Hayato with Tamaken.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Hayato 0/-------/-----==|=======\====---\1 K'
[ \\\\\\\ <
Shenwoo 0/-------/--=====|
At this point... Something weird happens. Or almost happens, depending on how you look at it. As Hayato's fist comes for Shen's face, somehow the berserker has the presence of mind to start swinging his own hand up towards the incoming energy-charged appendage... But with his own tiredness and commitment to his previous attack, as well as Hayato's craftiness, he just can't make it in time.
Instead, he gets slugged right in the damn head, and yes, he goes flying to the side, crashing in a heap of his own. "Ha ha ha ha... That was great," Shenwoo laughs, as he starts to push himself up...
Although Hayato gets his attack in, he still has to deal with the reprecussions of getting violently beaten and then sent crashing backwards by a savage headbutt. The teacher lands on his back, and spends a moment staring up at the sky while Shenwoo is having his own introduction to the ground. Sitting up, Hayato rubs at his head for a moment, then climbs the rest of the way to his feet. "Man, you sure pack a punch..."
Then he glances in K''s direction. Hayato watches him playing with fire and responds with a demonstration of his own, chi radiating from his body again. "Man, I'm really gonna feel this in the morning... You two don't disappoint." He grins, flexing his fingers with a series of popping sounds then tightening his grip on the shinai. "But it's still too soon to declare a winner."
COMBATSYS: Hayato gathers his will.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Hayato 0/-------/-======|=======\====---\1 K'
[ \\\\\\\ <
Shenwoo 0/-------/--=====|
Hayato and Shenwoo flop on the ground, and lie there for a few seconds in the wake of their explosive tradeoff. When they finally do sit up, it's to the sight of the third combatant in this exchange very patiently waiting. The unusual sight of K' actually having some prudence is made somewhat more explicable by the fact that while he waits, he is -on fire-.
Still, he probably -was- plotting something; his recent fisticuffs with Rock Howard having finally suggested that he might need to rethink his usual aversion to anything but the most straightforward, rampantly violent tactics. And if Geese ever consents to take him on, the impassioned flailing that passes for his current style is certainly going to have to suffer a change. It probably won't be too hard to steer him in a more coherent direction: one thing that had always been a part of his mode of fighting was the trick-- the blurring evade and the mindgame-- and that can be built upon. Still, K' is never quite going to lose his unmitigated violence... or his reckless temper. No matter how much he gets taught, he'll always have that breaking point.
Another thing he isn't going to lose-- not entirely-- is his impatience. And when Hayato just stands there, K''s ability to wait finally expires. "Too soon," he agrees, just before his fire cuts out and he blinks almost entirely out of sight in a sudden, surging onrush of speed. "But we ought to have a lot clearer of an idea after this," his voice muses, coming from somewhere out of that black streak of movement, before he resolves to the eye again in the midst of a stunning blow aimed straight towards Hayato's chest. Should that first hit connect, K' lapses instantly into the wild and violent followup... a near-mirror of Shenwoo's earlier chained sequence of tearing attacks. What K' would finish it with, however, is not a headbutt-- it's a straight forwards drive of the right hand, accompanied by a blasting burst of fire.
But you know... Even somebody like Shenwoo has their limits. Putting forth so much effort, especially in that last failed attempt to do... Something, has got the brawler pretty drained. "Hah... Hah..." he breathes out raggedly, his laughter turning into laboured breathing. So really, he only gets about as far as a low crouch before he has to rest his arm over one knee, his other hand bracing him up while he catches his breath.
Besides, it looks like K' is doing something interesting to Hayato... So why not just watch for a moment? "Don't worry," Shen says, grinning tiredly. "I'll kick both your asses in just a second." At least he's confident?
COMBATSYS: Shenwoo gains composure.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Hayato 0/-------/-======|=------\-------\0 K'
[ \\\\\\\\\\ <
Shenwoo 0/-------/----===|
COMBATSYS: Hayato fails to counter Chain Drive from K' with Counter Thrust.
[ \\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Hayato 1/-------/=======|=------\-------\0 K'
[ \\\\\\\\\\ <
Shenwoo 0/-------/----===|
Hayato may have just been standing there, but he certainly reacts when K' comes charging in toward him. He may be moving fast, but Hayato's reaction times are also quick- but not quick enough. Hayato's fist zooms toward where K''s head should be... but isn't. And then the blow to the chest lands, blowing through any chance of Hayato attempting a guard and momentarily stunning him. That's all the opening K' needs to launch a staggering series of attacks, followed by the final explosive punch which sends Hayato tumbling backwards until he crashes up against the guardrail at the edge of the bridge, then falls to the ground. He's still moving... but it looks like it'll take him a moment to get back up.
Even when it looks like Hayato might have something really bad prepared for him, K' just... keeps going, choosing to up his speed in an attempt to hit rather than balk at the signs of a dangerous reprisal. This time he is fast enough that he escapes retribution... but that attack takes quite a bit out of him. Stumbling back in the wake of his assault on Hayato, K' huffs out a long breath, getting his bearings back... and then he straightens up, battered but seemingly no more than a little tired (so far), his unnatural endurance a boon in this particular match. The injuries he's sustained will probably be enough to fell him anyway, though, if he's not careful...
His yellow eyes turn towards Shenwoo as the other boy takes a second, and the first beginnings of a cold grin start to pull at the corner of his dour mouth. Yeah, he's aware that Shenwoo is quite deadly still, even when this battered-- but that isn't going to stop him taking a little retaliatory shot at the other young man for his earlier trash talk. "See... the way you are now," K' explains calmly, rolling a lick of flames about his wrist and along his knuckles as he gauges Shenwoo, "is why you pace yourself..."
And then K' pretty much ignores his own advice and keeps going full-tilt, perhaps sensing and wishing to capitalize on the strained states of his fellow combatants; flicking that little flame out into a full-fledged ring with a motion of his arm, he punts the mess of fire in a straight line towards the brawler, aiming to knock him back.
COMBATSYS: Shenwoo reflects Second Shoot from K' with Tamaken.
[ \\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Hayato 1/-------/=======|=------\-------\0 K'
[ \\\\\\\\\ <
Shenwoo 0/-------/--=====|
"Think so, huh?" Shenwoo wonders of K', already starting to rise up completely when the former NESTS agent kicks fire at him. It's kind of common knowledge to most people who've fought the berserker, or studied his fights, that he doesn't do so well with projected attacks... He doesn't really have a proper defense against them.
Until, it seems, right now.
Rather than looking dismayed, Shen just grins wildly, and swings his hand at the incoming flames. Surely, this is a foolish move: What else could possibly happen but getting himself injured, probably taking his hand and maybe entire arm out of the fight?
Well, what /happens/ is that Shenwoo just physically bashes the collected fire out of the way, sending it careening wildly into the side of the bridge, quite harmlessly.
"Got anything else you wanna try?!" Shen wonders, quite pleased with himself!
It might have taken Hayato a while to get back to his feet, but he's still here! And who's the one who sent him crashing down? Why yes, it was K'. While the science experiment has his attention directed toward Shenwoo, the battered Hayato comes running up toward him, lunging forward in an attempt to wrap both arms around him in a tight bearhug. Should he succeed, Hayato tenses his legs for a moment before leaping off the ground, carrying them both into the air.
There's not much hang time, but it's enough for Hayato to try to turn K' around so that his head is facing the ground, then give both their bodies a good twist so that they start spinning as they draw rapidly closer and closer to the point of K''s head getting slammed painfully into the bridge.
COMBATSYS: K' just-defends Hayato's Kaiten Shinai Otoshi!
[ \\\ < > /////////////// ]
Hayato 1/-------/=======|=------\-------\0 K'
[ \\\\\\\\\ <
Shenwoo 0/-------/--=====|
...now THAT was a surprise.
Historically confident about throwing fire at Shenwoo-- Shenwoo never seemed to muster any sophisticated defense against it, after all-- K' is left to visibly -stare- as the berserker just grins right on back and punches -clean through- his flames, scattering them to the winds. K''s hand drops, the young ex-agent frowning deeply at the sight. Momentarily, K' is effectively... shut right the hell up.
Naturally-- and unfortunately-- this state doesn't last long. "...che! So you learned something new," K' dismisses with a shrug. "But--" And that's about as far as he gets before he senses imminent pain rushing up behind him. K''s opinion on Shenwoo's new trick must sadly be left to another time.
Twisting around, K' slams his hands outwards against Hayato's attempt to seize him, throwing it wide as he ducks around the teacher. Shenwoo is momentarily forgotten as K' tries a sharp retaliation against the teacher: cutting a sharp burst of fire outwards towards the older man with a horizontal swipe.
Forgotten? Shenwoo? Oh no, this won't do at all. With K' now busy dealing with Hayato and not promptly demonstrating his awe for the God of Battle's overwhelming power, the brawler from Shanghai has only one option left open to him. That option is, of course, the same option he always has: Attack all out.
Running forward, Shen rears his left fist back again, before throwing himself into another forward lunge... Rushing forward without seeming to move his legs, through sheer physical force, the weary brawler swings his fist forward as he gets closer to K', attempting to punch him right in the small of the back while he's trying to barbecue Hayato. "GRAAAAAAH!!"
COMBATSYS: Hayato dodges K''s Eins Trigger.
[ \\\ < > ////////////// ]
Hayato 1/-------/=======|=------\-------\0 K'
[ \\\\\\\\ <
Shenwoo 0/-------/--=====|
Hayato is left wide open after K' manages to defeat his asault. There's no way he's going to be able to guard against those flames... so he doesn't try. Instead he leaps backwards, just barely managing to avoid getting ignited. His eyebrows get slightly singed, but otherwise he escapes unscathed.
When he lands, Hayato starts tensing up his legs, dropping into a preparatory crouch. When K''s flames clear that's the signal for Hayato to spring forward, raising his shinai up high. With Shenwoo trying to strike him from behind, Hayato attempts to strike K' from the front, hitting him on the top of the head and driving him all the way down to the ground. What will follow is a brief series of strikes, all aimed at keeping K' in place long enough for further hitting, followed by a good solid kick from Hayato to send him rolling away.
COMBATSYS: Shenwoo successfully hits K' with Gekiken.
- Power hit! -
[ \\\ < > ///////// ]
Hayato 0/-------/-------|===----\-------\0 K'
[ \\\\\\\\ <
Shenwoo 0/-------/-======|
COMBATSYS: K' blocks Hayato's Burning Push-Ups.
[ \\\ < > /////// ]
Hayato 0/-------/-------|====---\-------\0 K'
[ \\\\\\\\ <
Shenwoo 0/-------/-======|
Okay, K' might not be appreciably tired quite yet, but he IS pretty battered, his lean frame having sustained way more punishment than it should rightly be able to take over the course of the fight. And soon enough, Shenwoo adds yet -more- punishment to the NESTS runaway's body. Catching K' momentarily unawares-- the boy is busy being aggravated over Hayato escaping his fire-- Shenwoo gets K' in the back particularly hard, sending the boy stumbling forwards... and straight towards Hayato's rebuttal.
One would think this to be the end of the lovable K'! But it seems K' somehow sensed that what was incoming was exercise-- after a fashion. K' barely gets a guard up in time to deflect that first descending blow, the attack stinging him all the way down his defending arm. But there's no time to whimper about the pain-- things are quickly getting very, very dire for pretty much all three combatants.
Annoyed, K' backs up and out from between Hayato and Shenwoo, tapping into the wavering, guttering fire into his blood and trying to coax it back to some appreciable usefulness. The response is more listless than it was before, but a little fire still comes out along his wrists. The boy subsequently goes right back at Shenwoo, the fire seething before him, and tries to cut a sharp kick at the brawler directly through the ring of flames.
COMBATSYS: K' successfully hits Shenwoo with Second Shell.
[ \\\ < > ////// ]
Hayato 0/-------/-------|====---\-------\0 K'
[ \\\\ <
Shenwoo 1/------=/=======|
"Ha ha ha! This is great!" Shenwoo laughs again, grinning wildly as he rebounds off his attack on K'. The berserker's breathing is heavy, sweat clearly visible on his skin from the sheer exertion, but he looks like he's having the most fun in the world. Probably because he is. When K' comes at him with another fiery attack, adding a boot to the bargain, Shenwoo understandably tries to avoid it... But maybe he's just too worn down to make it, as the kick strikes home, knocking the brawler back from physical force and searing him with the bloodline flames of the Kusanagi. But...
Shen keeps right on truckin', laughing still. "Isn't this fun?! You two feel it too, right?!" Rearing back again, this time Shenwoo throws himself forward even faster than before, as fast as he can for all his terrible weariness, a rushing punch with near to blurring speed as he bears down on K' fist first, a shockwave of pure energy riding on his fist, enveloping his body. "THIS IS THE BEST WAY TO LIVE!!"
Battered, but not quite broken, Hayato is still in this fight, and having the time of his life. He may be slowing down a bit and breathing hard, but as long as he's awake and capable of moving, Hayato's not gonna give up. As far as Shenwoo's question... "Wouldn't have it any other way!" With a life of his own, Hayato comes running in toward the spot where K' and Shenwoo are clashing.
And while Shenwoo lashes out with a massive punch aimed at K', Hayato leaps into the air toward the God of Battle, right leg extended. All's fair in love and war, right? Should he manage to connect, Hayato will spin about in mid-air, following up with the first kick with a quick snap kick from his left foot before dropping to the ground, landing on his hands and knees. Hardly the best stance, but Hayato's not in any shape right not to pull off anything fancier on such a short fall.
COMBATSYS: Shenwoo successfully hits K' with Zetsu! Gekiken.
[ \\ < > ]
Hayato 0/-------/-------|=======\-------\0 K'
[ \\\ <
Shenwoo 0/-------/-------|
Were K' a more carefree or cheerful individual like the two he's matched against, doubtless he would find this all to be amazing and hilarious and fun as well. However, K' is not typically given towards exuberance or joy. When pushed to the extreme limit-- much as they all are now-- K' doesn't laugh, doesn't look entertained, doesn't shout his excitement; he just focuses like an animal, operating on instinct, abandoning restraint and living up to the name given him.
Of course, he's feeling the adrenaline rush as much as the others, feeling the challenge of the fight... but about the most he expresses as any form of response is the faintest hint of a smirk. A prodigious eyeroll serves as his more visible reaction, the runaway agent straightening after his attack and prowling back a step or two to watch the opposition.
And soon enough, Shenwoo proves himself to have the fortitude to press the attack effectively, even now. Battered by the successive assaults of the brawler and the teacher alike, K' finds his ability to get out of the way severely lacking. That attack-- quite similar to one of his own, in fact-- slams into his lean frame, carrying it all the way back to nail against one of the steel supports of the bridge with a painful -crack-, and K' folds, coughing blood, his teeth baring shortly thereafter in a mingled snarl and smile. "Crazy... son of a bitch," he finally replies Shenwoo's roared declaration, but the sound of his voice is not entirely unappreciative.
And when Hayato lunges in that attack, K' abruptly zeroes in on him: moving completely on adrenaline and instinct. The boy rips into blurring movement, crossing space in an instant as if to slam a kick high into the other's body... but at the last instant he drops out of that feint, aiming a harsh sweep at the other from a lower vantage point... and skidding thereafter, regardless of the result, to a halt, entirely spent.
COMBATSYS: K' can no longer fight.
[ \\\ < > // ]
Shenwoo 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Hayato
COMBATSYS: Hayato successfully hits Shenwoo with Second Kick.
[ < > // ]
Shenwoo 0/-------/-----==|=------\-------\0 Hayato
Too tired. Shenwoo is just... Too tired. Worn out as he is after blasting the hell out of K' with his flashiest of attacks, taking a turning step to bleed off the rest of the momentum and try to right himself, Shenwoo simply can't get out of the way of Hayato's leaping kick, getting hit quite solidly with both the first and second hits. It's not... The hardest blow he's taken in this match, but at this point, it's more than enough to wear down the God of Battle. "Heh..." Shen laughs quietly, stumbling a bit but managing to stay - unsteadily - on his feet for now.
Putting all the strength he has left into one last shot, Shenwoo moves at Hayato, turning around once as he advances and thrusting out one log leg in a straight kick for the Burning Teacher's gut. Succeed or fail, Shen can rest easy knowing he gave it his all.
Because after he attacks? Shenwoo is out like a light.
COMBATSYS: Shenwoo can no longer fight.
[ \\ <
Hayato 0/-------/------=|
COMBATSYS: Hayato dodges K''s Narrow Spike.
[ \\ <
Hayato 0/-------/------=|
COMBATSYS: Shenwoo successfully hits Hayato with Tenrenshou.
[ <
Hayato 0/-------/----===|
Hayato is running on pretty much pure adrenaline at this point. If he stops moving he's probably just going to keel over even /without/ somebody smacking him around further. Of course, neither K' nor Shenwoo seem to want to take that chance. Hayato quickly steps back as K' kicks out at him, his foot winding up just a few inches shy. Then Shenwoo's leg comes rocketing in toward Hayato... No time to move. Can he escape by just falling over backwards? That's what he attempts... but no. Shenwoo's foot crashes into his stomach as he falls, knocking out what little wind is left in his lungs.
As he was already falling when hit the blow is somewhat less dramatic, though it does cause Hayato to hit the ground a bit further back than he otherwise would have. And hit the ground he does. Hayato bounces once, then winds up sprawled out on his back, staring blankly up at the sky for a few moments before his eyes shut.
COMBATSYS: Hayato has ended the fight here.
Log created on 19:58:39 03/29/2008 by Shenwoo, and last modified on 16:19:17 04/01/2008.