Description: Two modern day Goliaths duke it out while a smaller, female David rises to strike them down! (Winner: DKO by Chaos Agent)
The Kumamoto Prefecture in Japan happens to have a very colorful garden within it; Suizenji Jojuen, otherwise known as Suizenji Park, is an interesting and much-visited garden featuring miniature landscapes, a temple, and many small lakes containing large, hungry, multi-colored carp. It's just a short tram ride from the city and worth the visit. But that isn't why the location has been picked by the Boss, however much penny-pinching may be a requirement at times thanks to the larger and more grandiose fights that are on the card each week.
Striding out into one of the shallower areas of the primary water feature, Preston Alistair Wellington the II almost feels at home as he plunges ankle-deep into the cold depths offered. With a strong affinity for water in direct opposition to his father's form of manifesting chi, he can almost feel a bit of strength ebbing into his massive frame.
But drawing up to his full height, this is going to be one of those fights where the burly Brit is a physical underdog; and that truly is a rarity for him. Looking down into deeper waters, noting the speckled carp that flop within, he chuckles to himself. For once, prior to a fight, the boy is at peace.
And thus, slanting his massive oar across his broad shoulders, he turns his attention to the matter at hand. "Just about time to knock someone to pieces," he murmurs to himself, and steps out into knee-deep water towards the area that's been slated for the fight arena.
The camera crews bustle, and the announcer has his microphone ready; it's nearly time to rumble!
There is no peace in the soul of Brian Battler. Peace is something he never has sought out; only in conflict does he truly feel alive and well. This is why he enjoys doing these bouts so much... violence for the sake of violence, all wrapped up pretty with a bow and blood on the paper.
As he steps towards the water, the mountain of a man dangles the last can of a six pack of Budweiser on it's plastic ring from his middle finger. With his other hand, he lifts another of these cans to his lips, draining the container and tossing it behind him. Ripping the last can from the plastic, he drops the hazardous circle into the water nonchalantly. "Evenin'," he says to his opponent, tipping his cowboy hat towards the youth as he cracks open the beer. "If ya were old enough, I'da offered ya one, but ya ain't." Lifting the final can to his lips he guzzles the contents, dropping the can into the water when finished.
Casually stepping over the small fence surrounding the water's edge, Brian splashes into the water itself without much thought and a slight haze to his eyes. "This'll be fun."
Beautiful, luxurious castle grounds, the great water gardens!
The smell and anticipation of battle.
Before leaving Southtown proper, on the way to the grounds of this day's battle, Cherise Bouchard was given very specific instructions to put her opponents through as much Hell as she can conjure for both of them... and then sprinkle a little more on top. Even if the position often assigned to her seems boring, getting specific orders like that ... well... that just makes this whole thing worthwhile.
In one moment or another that's somewhat hard to identify, there's a girl that will be familiar to at least one of these two standing at the water's edge. She's small, slight, and wearing a short black sleeveless dress, the darkness of her clothes and the stark silvery color of her hair standing out against the greenery. Though she's barefoot, she stays back for a few moments-- carefully, calmly watching the two fighters already.
Which one of them is going to be more fun to play with? Which one will bleed better? The drunk man or ... the oarsman, at last at his own watery home?
COMBATSYS: Brian has started a fight here.
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Brian 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Preston has joined the fight here.
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Brian 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Preston
COMBATSYS: Cherise has joined the fight here.
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Cherise 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Preston
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Brian 0/-------/-------|
Yes, yes, let's not forget the castle part.
Turning his attention to Brian as the old(er) man stumbles out with the remnants of a six pack, Preston's brows lift slightly as he takes stock of his opponent. "Christ, you're big," he mutters, before giving a firm nod. "Hey," he says by way of returning the greeting, before he laughs at the offer. "Well, drinkin' laws are a mite diff'rent in Japan, but don't worry; maybe we'll have one after the fight."
He glances sidelong over towards Cherise, trying to recall if she was the one he beat up a few months back. "They all look alike," he breathes the words quietly, apparently wanting or at least trying to keep his racism in check. Stepping forward, the signature music to herald the start of the fight begins playing. It seems like it's time!
"Well, let's get started." Lifting the oar off of his shoulder, the Brit lets the blade dip into the water for a moment before he starts forward, bare feet splashing. Much like a hand of poker, Preston wants to see where he's at; thus he aims to strike, the oar streaking out of the water and arcing through for a very linear and emphatically wet strike against Brian's midriff! A grunt tears from the boy as he adds in some extra effort, striving to see just how burly his opponent is!
COMBATSYS: Preston successfully hits Brian with Medium Strike.
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Cherise 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Preston
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Brian 0/-------/------=|
Brian subconsciously notices Cherise's arrival, but doesn't acknowledge it. His fight is with Preston here, not her. All she's gonna do is cause the two of them havoc. Ignoring her, for the most part, will make this work out better.
Besides, the fight is on.
As the oar reaches up towards his midsection, the Texan raises an arm to block towards his head. This is, obviously, not where Preston was aiming, and so, instead, Brian gets an oar to his ribs. A grunt escapes his lips as he's made to stumble back a step. His teeth grit as he sneers. Perhaps the alcohol wasn't a good idea to start. No matter. It's time to cause some pain of his own.
Stepping in, Brian swats the oar aside as he stomps through the water. Balling his huge hand into a fist, he drives the wrecking ball towards Preston's face as if trying to take his head clean off with a single strike.
Ah, they're starting! And they're not even paying attention to her, even better. Spending the first few moments of the fight lingering at the edge of the water, Cherise moves forward with a few light steps after Preston advances with his broad strike. And then it rolls around in her mind-- the way the young man fights, returning to the forefront of her mind. The oar's heavy and powerful, but the swing is still a problem. If he misses, there's still a lot of overswing... even with the muscles Preston has at his disposal.
But, water resistance is huge.
She can see using it very well, almost like a Japanese swordsman using their sheath in a fast-draw attack. The power added, even some of the speed for the increased effort...
But missing... is that much of a problem with an opponent like Brian? It looks more like he's the sort to charge ahead blindly and take the blows like flies hitting a windshield. It's fairly obvious there that he's got nothing but power, power, and more power at his disposal... but she's going to have to carefully-- very carefully-- decide what to do next.
Narrowing her eyes, a strange energy tingles in the air. Silver twinges the outer parts of Cherise's irises while the water ripples around her legs...
"Oh... I see now."
COMBATSYS: Cherise focuses on her next action.
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Cherise 0/-------/--=====|-------\-------\0 Preston
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Brian 0/-------/------=|
COMBATSYS: Preston blocks Brian's Fierce Punch.
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Cherise 0/-------/--=====|=------\-------\0 Preston
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Brian 0/-------/-----==|
Hitting Brian with the oar would normally bring a grin to the face of the boy; he enjoys causing pain in his opposition, after all! But feeling the sheer wall of meat he just hit, plus the ache that resonates from his hands up into his arms, he figures out precisely where he's at. This guy is a tank.
With the oar batted aside, the retaliation comes. Lifting his free arm up, Preston cushions the strike with his meaty forearm. But a wrecking ball indeed -- there's still enough force there to drive the boy back, sliding across the bottom of the pond. Yet moving through water is often treacherous. The Brit falls backwards, rolling through with a splash and back onto his knees. Half-submerged, he eyes Brian as water drips down his face. Is that a look of mild disbelief? It fades into a grin.
"Man, just when you think you're tough, they bring in somebody who's fuckin' tougher. Let me ask; you run into anybody burlier than you, son?"
As he speaks, Preston gets his feet back under him. Pushing forward, he launches from his crouch and back onto the offensive. Water splashes up as his body moves forward, and he slashes through in a horizontal strike with the oar -- but it falls short?!
It's the wake that Brian needs to be concerned with. While aimed at his throat, the oar was never meant to hit; energy coalesces, blue-white chi manifesting, sucking in the airborne droplets as a crescent forms. For bit a moment it floats, before action is dictated -- it slams forward, aiming to drive Battler back!
COMBATSYS: Brian Toughs Out Preston's White Horses!
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Cherise 0/-------/--=====|==-----\-------\0 Preston
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Brian 0/-------/---====|
Looking down at his opponent, Brian tilts his head to the side, his neck cracking like the report of an assault rifle. "Yeah, I have," the Texan mutters, the slightest of grins on his face. "They call 'em 'horses'."
It's kind of appropriate that the attack Preston next unleashes has the name of the same beasts. It would almost seem that he stood there in drunken ignorance as the attack was levelled upon him, but the fact that the blow took very little out of the former linebacker might hint otherwise. He tensed. This is about all the reaction Brian gives Preston for his efforts.
"Cute," the titan says, almost in a growl. "You got me wet." In a surprising flash of speed, Brian shoots his hands out, aiming to grab the back of Preston's lapel. If he succeeds, he can pull him quickly into a reverse headlock. And from there, he can drop and force his head underwater.
Brian's never drowned a man before. Could be interesting.
The light steps and splashes come to a halt as she chooses her target, prepares... and then springs.
The purpose of this fight was to give them some sort of instruction, let them know what was wrong or flawed in their styles. See if they'll learn anything and maybe come out of it better fighters! There's a lot she could comment on as early as -right now-, but...
Talking about it now? That's no fun.
So as Brian weathers the attack, as he tries to go drown the British behemoth likely born from the sea, Cherise squats down a bit and -springs-. She gets good height, distance, and arcs toward the massive American. Once she's in range, her whole body twists and lashes out with a roundhouse kick at the back of the slab of muscle that constitutes his neck. But the balls of her bare foot, should it touch Brian, land with only a minor, light touch. No, what hurts is the bolt of silver energy that conducts down from her foot and literally tries to stab into the back of the man's neck and jolt him with some rather odd energy.
"Too much force, not enough finesse!"
COMBATSYS: Preston endures Brian's DDT.
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Cherise 0/-------/---====|=====--\-------\0 Preston
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Brian 0/-------/-======|
That's really not the kind of response Preston was after. Again, it seems that the burlier Brian has surprised the burly Brit; but why is that? He'll need a moment, but the boy will wrap his mind around this challenge.
Unfortunately he isn't given a moment. The strike comes, his open shirt grabbed and the move performed to perfection by the potential drunkard. But as his head is placed into the lock, his hazel gaze sees the lithe form of Cherise entering the fray with a springing leap.
Just in case the Chaos Agent sets her sights on the Brit, he opts to go along with Brian's maneuver. Slammed down head-first, he hits the bottom and very nearly chips a tooth if not for his superhuman toughness. Most of the pain comes from the wrench of his neck.
Yet there's this splendid sensation of water filling his mouth right now, and that's what kind of gets his attention more. "Fuckin' cheeky," Preston curses underwater, little more than a sea of bubbles that breach the churning surface. Like a carp, it seems that the boy is flopping.
But wait, there's more! With a sudden roar he seeks to burst free, arms encircling Battler's waist to hoist the man into the air and allow Preston to regain his footing. It's only the beginning as he seeks to shove the opponent back -- and then barrel forward, thundering his free arm through in a crushing clothesline aimed to send Brian skimming backwards like a pebble across the water! A pebble that feels pain, that is!
COMBATSYS: Brian endures Cherise's Argent Raid.
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Cherise 0/-------/-======|=======\-------\0 Preston
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Brian 1/=======/=======|
COMBATSYS: Preston successfully hits Brian with Running Rigging.
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Cherise 0/-------/-======|=======\-------\0 Preston
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Brian 1/=======/=======|
So, something happened here. He really doesn't know. But it was painful. He heard something about finesse, and then there was some kind of electrical jolt which shot down through his body. Though he weathered it well, it cost him a lot of focus, enough to be easily turned into a frisbee on the water's surface.
His head slams into the a rock, and the Texan crumples. Slowly, he slips under the water, and for a good minute, he stays under the surface. The announcer is too stunned to call the match, and until someone yells for medical, they aren't stepping in either. Finally, the announcer pulls himself together and begins to bellow, "Ladies and gentlemen... The winner of tonight's bout--"
Cutting the man off is the wet, muddy form of Brian emerging from the water, from his lungs an inhuman bellow escapes, chilling the air. Steam rises from his head as if the weight and heat of his anger alone is causing water to evaporate around him. His eyes roll back into his head as a reddened foam trickles from his lips, his body convulsing oddly. It's as if Brian was going into the Riot of the Blood.
When the Texan snorts, his breath shoots forth like a jet of steam illuminated from behind. He sets his jaw. And with all the speed he can muster, Brian explodes towards Preston, swinging his arm and shoulder towards the other mountain of a man...
COMBATSYS: Brian successfully hits Preston with Big Bang Blitzkrieg.
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Cherise 0/-------/-======|=======\=======\1 Preston
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Brian 0/-------/-----==|
...and with a lightning crack, forearm and shoulder collide into Preston, sending him into the air. Despite the shabby footing under the water, Brian manages to come to stop on a dime, turning around and dashing back towards the man as he crashes to the earth. As the other fighter falls, the Texan slams his shoulder and forearm again into the Brit, launching him into the air a second time. Again turning on a dime, Brian sends him flying a third time before turning a final time... and leaping into the air. Launching into a tight spiral, Brian's skull slams into Preston's lower back, grinding into his spine and dropping the Brit, face first, into the water again... Only Brian now lands, headfirst, onto the slightly smaller man's back. Rolling off of Preston after he lands, Brian gets to his feet and leaps... dropping both heels into the back of Preston's head.
Stepping off, Brian turns around and leans down. "Fuck. You," he spits before standing back up, cracking his neck once more.
Her foot touches gently-- a light tap, a jolt into the back of the tall man's neck. And...
Wow.
That looked like it hurt more than it should of, she thinks to herself while flipping back into the air. Once completely upside-down, her hands scoop under her thighs to hold her skirt while her knees tuck in. Right before impact with the water, her feet thrust down to catch herself steady and landing with a decently-sized splash.
"Oh my. I may've overdone it!"
At least, that's until Brian retaliates-- springing to life and running Preston over. Back, forth, back, forth, and ... wow. Moving that fast with that frame is no small feat, either! So as she stands there, her arms folding lightly under her chest, the wire-slinging French girl decides to carefully consider the quality of the large man-- taking the time to study him a little more closely. Perhaps there's something to see if she scratches the surface of this rude, beer-guzzling, trash talking, pottymouth American man, hm?
COMBATSYS: Cherise focuses on her next action.
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Cherise 0/-------/-======|=======\=======\1 Preston
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Brian 0/-------/-----==|
After sending Brian for that skimming slam, Preston actually expects the guy to get back up. But then time ticks by, so slowly. Eventually, the crisis seems to deepen as one of the organizers screeches for the medic to get in there and heal the heavy weapons guy. His free hand lifting, the apparent winner scratches at his chin, blinking several times. He even looks over at Cherise.
"Well that was sudden," the Brit quips, only to have the fallen rise back up with a roar and a bellow. Momentary shock fades; he expected this, right? The oar twirls in front of him, defensive at best.
What he doesn't expect is the sheer speed deployed by Brian. Battler crashes in, living right up to that name when everybody thought he was down for the count. Volleyed into the air, Preston can do nothing as the combo extends, the pain escalating as he's knocked skyward again like he were a ping-pong ball. And just like a ping-pong ball, the Brit ends up being hit square in the spine, an agonized gasp leaving his body as he momentarily goes numb from the waist down only for feeling to return as a pained tingle as he slumps forward, with Brian still stuck in his back.
Submerged, Preston's head is stepped upon as the older man dismounts. It would seem that the tables are turned, and now it's the Brit's turn to quite potentially be out of the fight.
But oh, it's never over so suddenly, is it? "Hey..." Preston breathes the word out while his head is still submerged, apparently able to hear what Brian had to say there perfectly fine!
The ground beneath Battler suddenly swells, an explosion of chi manifesting as a fountain, aimed to send the American skyward. In a second, much more minor fountain, the Brit takes to the skies in turn, aimed for a collision course.
"Hey, fuck you!" Preston replies in kind, gaining more height as he aims to help bring the drunkard back down to earth. Droplets of water fly off of his battered and bleeding body as he peaks and then falls, driving his oar down in an attempt to come close to impaling the American down onto a pond floor!
COMBATSYS: Preston successfully hits Brian with Azimuth Circle.
- Power hit! -
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Cherise 0/-------/-======|=====--\-------\0 Preston
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Brian 0/-------/--=====|
[This pose is rated M by the ESRB]
Brian was just about to turn around and leave. His epithet was going to be the last thing in the match for him, before he left. Instead, he's sent skyward as he turns his back to his opponent, and then sent right back into the water. Hard. And it hurt.
"You know what?" he mutters as he slowly crawls to his feet. "Fuck this noise. Fuck you and your oar, fuck SNF, fuck this bitch over here who only came after me, fuck it all." Regaining his footing, Brian starts to storm off, only to pause as he comes to a large rock sticking out of the water. Reaching down, Brian yanks the stone free from the bank, turns and then flings it at the Brit.
"Eat shit and die."
COMBATSYS: Brian can no longer fight.
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Preston 0/-------/-======|=====--\-------\0 Cherise
...and then he storms off.
If it weren't for the fact she'd have to submerge beyond the waist-- and likely -ruin- the dress she's wearing-- Cherise would be sitting on her heels right now, hugging her legs and looking between the two of them in a most analytical manner. Boys are weird. Boys who grow up to be ... well, boys... they're weirder, and almost interesting enough to stop and poke and prod at.
Ah, there comes the horrible language from the Brit! That was more the speed she knew and recognized... perhaps not loved, but recognized. Cherise's weight shifts from even standing to one leg with a slight roll of her hip, letting her finger tap lightly against her opposite elbow. "Wow, that was impressive." Brian was sent flying, after all.
But after he recovers, after he gets up and throws a rock at Preston, Cherise scoffs with a genuinely surprised face. "That is not true! You were stupid enough to stand there and take it!" It makes perfect sense, in her mind.
"And I'll have you know--"
Cherise's right arm suddenly whips backward, a line of silver cutting through the air. Her eyes again get the rimmings of silver with a strange tingle of energy in the air, and then like she were throwing the line-- she points, now, at Preston.
The wire shoots at a straight course like a bullet rather than a whip-like weapon, looking to whistle beyond the Brit's ear. With a subtle tap of her finger, the wire ripples from end to the weighted end, animating more like it were alive. The wire curves, trying to ensnare Preston's neck and tighten like a vice.
"I just did not get to him yet!"
COMBATSYS: Preston blocks Brian's Large Thrown Object.
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Preston 0/-------/=======|==-----\-------\0 Cherise
COMBATSYS: Cherise successfully hits Preston with Argent Sniper.
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Preston 1/---====/=======|==-----\-------\0 Cherise
It tightens-- and surprisingly so, fierce and unrelenting. Preston may just find himself unable to breathe, as well as the pressure put upon him by the thin wire trying to rip and bite into his tender neckmeats. It tightens... and then the worst is yet to come.
Cherise's smile becomes a rather wide leer, her smile vivid and her eyes bright. She pulls hard, bringing the wire across her chest and held tightly while her left arm reaches up to grip the wire with thumb and forefinger in a delicate pinch...
And then she plucks the wire. Repeatedly, in a steady pace, like she were playing some kind of twisted instrument. With each "pluck" on the wire, a bolt of silver energy screams down the length to blast the young Pacific student in the face, a rapid and cascading effect.
Three, four, five, six, seven...
And then finally she drops to one knee, sinking down into the water, and tries to pull Preston down a bit with her-- for one final, angry pluck on the wire, sending one more large burst of power right into his face. It isn't enough to send him back or send him flying, but the wire comes loose immediately after.
Even with the weight of the water, it's quick and responsive to Cherise's touch, sailing neatly through the air. She snaps her wrist, hard, and sends a lot of the liquid scattering to the air while it reels back toward her wrist to hide in that cute, innocent bracelet.
"Bo~ri~ng, Sir British."
Now suffice it to say, Preston Alistair Wellington the II is still standing when the tantrum begins; that's what he sees it as, anyway. The rock is picked up and hurled, and after careful consideration for all of half a second the Brit decides that it would be best to ensure this does not collide with him cleanly. Thus he braces, cushioning the heavy rock with his forearm and oar. It still brings forth a grunt. But he's still standing.
And it's a grunt that turns into a strangled sound as the wire from Cherise suddenly loops around his neck. He's felt this before, he realizes instantly. He's beat the shit out of this girl before, and her actions tonight are dictating that he's going to have to do it to her again!
But for the moment he is too battered, broken and bleeding to do anything about what follows. A half-hearted attempt to muster his defenses falls short; the energy slams down the wire and right into his face, one burst after another, culminating in that vicious tug and jerk, the final blast.
Left with considerable blackface, it's only a quick dip below the water's surface that allows him to look his regular British best. Opting to dip into his reserve, he simply smirks over at Cherise as he straightens, contemplating whether he'll take out his last action on the petite squinty Agent.
"Che," Preston snaps the sound out, swinging the oar up onto his shoulder. "You've ruined what could've been a perfectly good fight," he informs Cherise, before he turns and strides off in the opposite direction that Brian was left seen heading in. This fight is over, spotlight squarely stolen by the Chaos Agent!
COMBATSYS: Preston can no longer fight.
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Cherise 0/-------/-----==|
Log created on 21:51:20 04/27/2008 by Brian, and last modified on 07:03:14 04/28/2008.