Description: Zach and Ichiro have a rematch, with Oe having the homefield advantage. Will Zach's new tricks bring him victory, or will the support of his friends bring Ichiro victory? (Winner: Ichiro)
Ah, this is more like it! The broad smile on Ichiro Oe's face says it all as he makes his way through the gathered crowd of Taiyo High Students that have gathered to watch the Neo League match that is only moments away from beginning. This is a very welcome change from the venue of his last League fight, which happened to be the boiler room at Gedo High. Not a very friendly crowd at that place, that's for sure. Securing the chinstrap of his visorless lacrosse helmet as his Taiyo brothers and sisters slap him on the back warmly, young Oe finishes checking the rest of his gear as he waits for Zach to arrive.
Speaking of hostile environments, the first time Ichiro fought Zach was for a Neo League fight on the Pacific High rooftop, though there wasn't much of a crowd to speak of then. Zach came away the victor that time, but maybe a little of the home cooking will be enough for Ichiro to pull out a victory in this rematch. Adjusting the light shoulder pads on his shoulders and checking their straps, Ichiro pulls a simple mesh practice jersey over the protective gear and waits for his opponent to make his appearance. At least the Taiyo High crowd won't be as mean as those Gedo kids, if there's one thing a Taiyo student knows, it's good sportsmanship.
Zach is starting to pull crowds of his own. After Zach's impressive showing last season, people are starting to pay attention to the YFCC's handyman-slash-janitor. Glen makes his way to Taiyo High for another matchup against a somewhat familiar opponent. Zach is once again wearing his street clothes, and his arm is finally free from the cast.
Zach grins as he waves to the Lacross Kid, bouncing on the balls of his feet for a moment. He smacks his fists together, flares of purple spilling forth before dancing across the ground. "You ready?"
COMBATSYS: Zach has started a fight here.
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Zach 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Ichiro has joined the fight here.
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Ichiro 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Zach
Returning Zach's grin with a warm one of his own, Ichiro gives the older boy a slight bow in welcome and assumes his own athletic stance, gripping the haft of his crosse with both hands as he lowers his center of gravity. "Oh yeah," he replies with slightly nervous chuckle as he gives the purple flares of energy coming of Zach's fists a glance. "I've been waiting for a rematch, it was close last time," he adds as he pulls a rubber lacrosse ball from his mesh shorts and bounces it on the ground a few times before catching it in the net of his crosse.
"Since you won last time I'll start us off, get ready!" he announces as he whips the lacrosse stick towards Zach, sending the ball streaking towards his chest at a fairly fast clip, but nothing too impressive. It's always important to warm up when beginning any athletic activity. You don't want to pull a muscle.
COMBATSYS: Zach negates Medium Fling from Ichiro with Warning Shot.
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Ichiro 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Zach
Zach takes a short hop back, somewhat expecting Ichiro's move as he whips an empty hand. The palm glows for a moment before a sphere of purple energy rips forth and slams into the lacross ball.
The two projectiles slam into each other before evaporating into some much rubber and so many purple sparks. Zach grins, "Come on. Gimme the heat!" Zach may be mixing his sports expressions here...
Frowning slightly as his ball is blown out of the air by the blast of violet energy. Give him the heat huh? Ichiro thinks as he reaches into the pocket of his shorts and pulls out another ball. Those are some deep pockets! Tossing the ball up a few inches and catching it on the back of his hand, Ichiro rolls the ball up his forearm in a practiced move and knocks it back into the air with a twitch of his elbow. "Alright, you asked for it man," Ichiro replies with a grin. He'd probably be better suited to trying to fight with some more strategy, but his competitive spirit is hard pressed to refuse the older guy's request. After all, the fight just started and his burning spirit hasn't had a chance to become fully ablaze yet.
Focusing his gaze on the ball as it hangs at the apex of its arc, Ichiro seems to concentrate for a moment before the ball suddenly erupts with golden energy. Catching the blazing lacrosse ball in the net of his crosse, Ichiro gives the stick a twirl before raising it above his head and flinging it downwards towards the ground, sending the flaming ball rocketing towards the ground. "Here comes the heat!" Ichiro informs Zach as the golden fireball ricochets off of the pavement between them and blurs up towards Zach's gut.
COMBATSYS: Zach dodges Ichiro's Bounce Shot.
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Ichiro 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Zach
Zach slides to the side as the ball comes in screaming, watching the ball with wide eyes as it flies by. He lets out a low whistle as a compliment as he regains his balance.
Zach rushes in, attempting to throw an elbow at Ichiro's midsection before thrusting both palms forward to deliver a short burst of psychic energy immediately afterward!
COMBATSYS: Ichiro dodges Zach's Fierce Punch.
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Ichiro 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Zach
Sighing softly as his flaming ball sails past Zach, Ichiro makes note of it's trajectory so he can grab it later. First, though, Ichiro has a charging Zach to deal with. Sucking in his gut and twisting aside to avoid the elbow that flies towards his midsection, Ichiro makes certain to drop backwards on his heels and roll over one shoulder to avoid the purple energy that follows. Oe remembers how excruciating that stuff was the last time he fought Zach, and chances are that it hasn't gotten any less painful. Coming up into a crouch as he finishes his backroll, Ichiro hops back a couple steps to put some more space in between Zach and he before scooping up the stationary lacrosse ball with his stick as it lies on the ground. A lot has happened so far in the fight, but so far no one has been touched yet, that probably won't be the case for long. Gritting his teeth, Ichiro begins to fan the burning spirit within him as he fully prepares himself for the rest of the battle to come. He'll need to be on top of his game if he's going to have a shot at beating Zach.
COMBATSYS: Ichiro gathers his will.
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Ichiro 0/-------/---====|-------\-------\0 Zach
Zach watches for a moment as Ichiro starts to power up with a bit of a grimace. Energy starts to spill off of Glen's arms as he considers. Zach decides that this match has not gone anywhere really; dodges and negations, not not much in the way of progress.
Zach pulls a fist back, and aims carefully before throwing the punch that falls very short of the intended target. A slash of psychic energy rips forth, slamming towards Oe's position with surprising speed!
5r
COMBATSYS: Ichiro blocks Zach's Zero Stance.
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Ichiro 0/-------/--=====|-------\-------\0 Zach
His eyes widening as Zach throws a punch at him that seems to just... keep on flying towards him, Ichiro can barely manage to throw his gloved arms in front of his face to try and deflect some of that painful energy. "Hyaaa!" Ichiro shouts as the slash of energy tears into his arms, almost blows the gloves off of his hands and sends him staggering backwards. Yup, just as painful as ever, if not worse.
"Nhhh... Man... that energy is scary stuff..." Ichiro says to his opponent with a wry smirk. Ichiro puts a lot of faith in skill and burning spirit, but is it enough to stand up to such strange and otherworldly seeming energy as Zach and a few other fighters that he's fought are able to throw against him? The crowd of previously cheering Taiyo High students fall into a worried hush as one of their up and coming fighters resumes his normal fighting stance, but doesn't make any effort to follow with an attack of his own. He's not scared, is he?
COMBATSYS: Ichiro focuses on his next action.
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Ichiro 0/-------/--=====|-------\-------\0 Zach
Zach grins. "Not really," Zach replies as charges forward. Energy flares around him as he drops his weight to get below Ichiro's center of gravity. Zach plants his lead foot, driving upward into Oe's breadbasket. "POWER!" Zach yells as he pushes with enough force to lift himself and possibly Ichiro off of their feet.
Zach pivots in midair, driving a fist down and foward, a massive wash of energy follows in the wake of the strike in an attempt to drive the younger man into the floor. "DUNK!"
COMBATSYS: Ichiro interrupts Second Stance from Zach with Cross Check.
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Ichiro 0/-------/=======|=====--\-------\0 Zach
Is Ichiro scared? Of course not! Well... he might be a little intimidated, but every athlete knows that if you let yourself become intimidated by your opponent then you've already lost the game in your head. His grip on the crosse in his hands tightening as Zach closes in on him; Ichiro struggles to retain his composure as he's launched up into the air with the older boy. That first hit wasn't the attack, Ichiro figures, it was just to get him off his feet and distracted. It's almost impossible to defend yourself when you find yourself in the air unexpectedly. Fortunately for Ichiro, he was able to keep his head in the game and Zach is about to pay for it.
"Hyaa!" Ichiro shouts as just as Zach pivots in midair and draws his fist up to strike young Oe down. Lunging forward as he soars higher into the air, Ichiro drives the haft of his metal lacrosse stick into Zach's face and cuts him off before he can finish the name of the attack, sending him flying towards the ground instead of Ichiro. There's no fancy energy or technique there, just brute force. Sometimes it's enough to do the trick.
Zach is sent tumbling and rolling across the floor before skidding to a stop on his belly. Zach groans as he pulls himself to his feet, wobbling slightly as he eyes Ichiro. He chuckles a bit in appreciation as he settles into his stance, which looks like a mixture of Terry Bogard and Ryuhaku Todoh.
The difference, however, is that purple energy that rushes around Zach's body as the fighting psychic prepares for his next move!
COMBATSYS: Zach gathers his will.
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Ichiro 0/-------/=======|=======\=------\1 Zach
Landing in a crouch as Zach is sent tumbling away from his improvized 'Cross Dunk', Ichiro slings his lacrosse stick up over one shoulder as Zach pulls himself to his feet and shoots Oe a chuckle. Smiling that crooked little smile that so many of the Taiyo High School girls write about in their diaries at night, Ichiro nods to Zach and watches as he assumes his stance and surrounds himself with that painful purple energy of his. This doesn't bode well for Ichiro.
Frowning slightly as Zach's fireworks rage on, Ichiro tosses the ball still nestled in the pocket of his lacrosse stick into the air with a flick of his wrist. Concentrating on the ball once more, Ichiro ignites the rubber sphere with another dose of the physical manifestation of his burning spirit and catches the chi-imbued ball in the crosse's net. "BULLET SHOT!" Ichiro intones as he swings the stick back behind his back, this time whipping the stick forward over one shoulder and sending the golden fireball rocketing straight towards Zach's midsection with blinding speed.
COMBATSYS: Zach blocks Ichiro's Bullet Shot.
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Ichiro 0/-------/=======|=======\==-----\1 Zach
Zach gets both arms in front of himself, stopping the ball from hitting something more sensitive to damage. The globe ricochets away, shoving Zach back. Zach thinks for a moment, mentally replaying the fight in his head to think about what Ichiro might do next.
He inhales, then exhales, and keeps his eye on the lacross player. Ichiro's move.
COMBATSYS: Zach focuses on his next action.
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Ichiro 0/-------/=======|=======\==-----\1 Zach
Catching the lacrosse ball as it ricochets off of Zach's arms and flies back towards Oe, Ichiro gives the other guy an appraising glance. Well, Zach doesn't seem to be in any rush to press the attack in on Ichiro, so it looks like the ball is in the lacrosse captain's court. No pun intended. Ichiro could sit back and lob shots at him all day long, but really, what'd be the fun in that. Besides, his Taiyo brothers and sisters came out to support him, so he might as well pay them back with some action! Gripping his crosse in both hands as he charges in towards Zach, Ichiro dashes straight towards the other fighter as if he's about to shoulder tackle him. Instead of throwing his entire body at the older boy, though, Ichiro dodges off to the side at the last moment and swings his cross towards Zach's gut as he attempts to run by.
COMBATSYS: Zach fails to interrupt Medium Strike from Ichiro with Burst Strike.
- Power fail! -
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Ichiro 0/-------/=======|=======\=====--\1 Zach
Zach pulls back his right hand, a baseball-szied sphere of light forming in the palm which Zach clenches hard. There is another flash of light, revealing the large purple gauntlet around the right arm. Ichiro charges in, and Zach step in towards the attacking youth as he throws the mailed fist forward to meet Oe...
...the fist goes wide, and Ichiro's cross slams into Zach's midsection, sending the older man flying across the turf. Zach rolls to a stop, face first on the ground. He stays down for a moment, gasping for air. Zach eventually rises, taking up a wobbly stance to prepare for Ichiro's next attack.
His sneakers skidding to a stop on the ground as Ichiro puts on the brake, the lacrosse captain turns towards Zach and a flicker of concern crosses the young man's face. Ah, he just got the wind knocked out of him, Oe thinks as he watches the other fighter gasp for air and work his way up to his feet. Ichiro always hates when that happens. It makes you feel so powerless.
Waiting for Zach to regain his fighting stance before he presses on with the attack, Ichiro starts to run toward the other fighter once more, just like he'd done just a few seconds ago. This time though, as he nears, Ichiro raises his lacrosse stick as if he is going to throw another attack towards Zach's face, but at the last moment, Ichiro throws his weight to Zach's right, leaving only the lacrosse player's knee behind to try to spike itself into Zach's midsection for yet another brutal blow. This attack is even more solid and focused than the last, attempting to replicate the effective results of the last, and hopefully leave Zach laying unconscious on the ground for good this time.
COMBATSYS: Ichiro successfully hits Zach with Light Kick.
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Ichiro 1/-------/=======|=======\-------\1 Zach
Zach is slammed by Ichiro's knee to his midsection. Glen staggers back several paces before dropping to his knees. A moment later, Zach slumps forward, facefirst into the ground. This time, he does not get back up, and a referee runs across to check on Zach.
Seconds later, the match is considered over, with the ref pointing towards Ichiro and declaring a victor.
COMBATSYS: Zach takes no action.
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Ichiro 1/-------/=======|
COMBATSYS: Zach can no longer fight.
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Ichiro 1/-------/=======|
Skidding to a stop once more, Ichiro turns back to look at his opponent and make sure that his last focused strike as enough to earn him a victory this time. Nodding in satisfaction as Zach is unable to rise and he is declared the victor, Ichiro is about to walk up to his opponent and give him a hand to his feet when he is suddenly enveloped by a crowd of his Taiyo High peers. "Hey, ah, Zach!" Ichiro calls out to the older boy as he's lifted off his feet by his friends. "Now we're even at one a piece! I'll be waiting for the rubber match to see who wins the series!" he calls out with a grin as he's carried off of the field, but he can't be sure if Zach can hear him or not, he might still be unconscious.
Log created on 20:01:00 05/13/2008 by Zach, and last modified on 11:42:07 05/14/2008.