Description: When Ken just doesn't have time to bust some heads for his league, who better to send than Ryu? The Ansatsuken Wanderer takes on the wiley kunoichi on the sands of Sound Beach, and Mai discovers that it takes more than lies, damn lies, and cutoffs to overcome some warriors. (Winner: Ryu)
SOME TIME AGO
Mai excitedly opens the envelope mailed to her apartment above the Shiranui Dojo excitedly. Her long hair is bundled up into a plastic cap, streaks pulled through small holes to let subtle highlighting blend into her fake-auburn hair. The missive is stamped every which way with officious Neo League branding: "Oh boy oh boy! I can't wait to see who I'm fighting, Grandfather!"
Hanzo Shiranui is watching baseball on Mai's couch. "As long as it's not in another brothel like your fight against Laughing Skull Boy, or whatever his name is. I'm not paying for another round of shots for you, Mai -- you know the Dojo's health insurance doesn't cover prostitute-related diseases!"
"Oh, shush," Mai says, turning her nose up and spinning away from the old man on one heel. She fishes the paper out of the envelope, unfolds it, and reads. Her face goes white, and she drops the letter.
MAI'S IMAGINED FLASHBACK
Ryu, dressed as Goldar, punches Mai, dressed as a slutty Power Ranger, so hard that her head bursts like a balloon. Instead of blood and goe, though, as her decapitated body falls, a rainbow streams out of her open neck.
Nearby, Andy screams, tears welling in his eyes. "NOOOO! MMMMMAAAAAAAIIIII--"
Mai snaps out of it. "I'm fighting Ryu, Grandfather," she says. "At the beach!" She sounds a little hesitant.
NOW
Mai has chosen beach-appropriate fighting gear -- that is, a bikini top, red with white trim, a pair of blue foam flip-flops, and grey short-shorts with 'JUICY' written across the rear in yellow. As the Neo League camera crew sets up, she stretches, waiting for her opponent to arrive.
Flashbacks! Mai loves flashbacks, RYU loves flashbacks!
Of course, Ryu's usually involve Gouken speaking his then-obscure lessons, which the nomad has found to be slowly making more sense as senility approaches. .... alright, so he's actually rather young, and given his lifestyle, one could argue that lessons from Gouken and truly righteous battles alongside - or against - Ken are just about all the life experience the Ansatsuken Master really /has/.
'C'mon man, you've got to get back into the swing of it - giving that Howard bastard air time without throwing down for the KEN foundation!' .... alright, so maybe it's not exactly a righteous battle, except in Ken's mind anywho : 'You could TROUNCE these guys, man. /I/ would TROUNCE these guys, but I am way too busy driving cars and banging my wife and running a HUGELY SUCCESSFUL corporation. Plus training makes me sweat, and you KNOW how my dye job runs if it gets sweaty.'
... alright so maybe it didn't go QUITE like that, but if Naerose's challenge wasn't enough, the Masters Charity can always get a few more fights out of Ryu, regardless the opponent. He, too, gets informed of the scheduled matchup: "Mai Shiranui? ... the ninja girl? The one who's after Terry's kid brother... Andy?" Sure, he's heard of her.... even fought her as her NEFARIOUS TRAITOROUS teammate and/or monster.
Sigh. He, too, remembers nearly exploding the uniquely theatrical kunoichi.... but why not? A good spar with a good sport is always good exercise and perfect for clearing the head - and Ken usually gets whatever favors he asks for.
... NOT LIKE THAT.
The nomad arrives on time - or at least not TOO late, stoically pacing up the sands, far enough out so that the rushing tides wash in over his bare feet, dampening the tattered edges of his gi, the... /red/ edges of the garment darkening. The rest of the ensemble remains the same: a kanji-emblazoned black belt, crimson sparring gloves (Well padded for Mai's protection), and a long, red headband. Today, however, the gi matches.
He bows towards the kunoichi, eyes levelled on hers the entire time - a feat seldom equalled, in all likelihood, "Ken Masters has asked me to represent our style in his league." Ryu translates Ken's intent into a much politer explanation, but then, "Since he is too out of shape, it seems I have to stand in." The delivery is so dry it would evaporate rain. But there is no denying the very public and decisive burn, "I'm not touching my hair though." Ryu observes, brushing the haphazard sable mass back, to little effect.
He then nods, and lifts his hands, "Let's make it a good fight."
COMBATSYS: Ryu has started a fight here.
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Ryu 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Mai has joined the fight here.
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Ryu 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Mai
Mai bows as well -- it is a not altogether unpleasant sight. Part of her kunoichi training was, of course, proper manners, because manners make it easier to get away with cheating. She stands up -- almost hops, actually, as if she has too much energy to know what to do with. "Your hair looks fine," she says with a girlish giggle, putting one bare hand over her mouth demurely. "It's got that I don't really care look that's really in right now, you should think about becoming a model -- you're really good at pointedly staring into the middle distance and that's really half the skill set you need to get your foot in the door."
It might seem like Mai's just babbling for the sake of it -- and, well, maybe that's part of it, but it also serves to cover her as she starts swaying to some imagined beat, bobbing to gather speed, like priming the engines before she fights. "I wouldn't dream of giving you anything less, Ryu! You just keep your hands where they're decent -- I know what 'fighting in Ken Masters' style' /really/ means!" Ken: twice ice-burned. As Mai finishes her dis, though, she's already scrambling forward, leaping into the air.
She comes up short, however, intentionally attempting to kick up a spray of sand with her landing so that she can spin into a sweep to the back of Ryu's ankles!
COMBATSYS: Ryu interrupts Light Kick from Mai with Quick Throw.
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Ryu 0/-------/------=|===----\-------\0 Mai
Ah, the vacant titter. The seemingly random, eccentric anxious fidgeting in her step. It is indeed well practiced, and in this instance, noticed for what it is... this girl's had training, training from some rather impressive warriors, in effective arts. While she may not be the heir her grandfather was looking for... from where Ryu is standing the young kunoichi has picked up more than a thing or two.
Dark eyes narrow, and rather than being distracted by the flattery - or the innuendo laced burn - his focus seems to redouble. A light burns bright behind his eyes as he tracks Mai's leaping assault with a practiced clarity, as if he actually had time to dissect every element of the attack. In truth, the process is much more instinctual than that, particularly now. Mai lands, and Ryu drops down almost in perfect synch with that sand blasting landing. Eyes close against the cloud of sand, and the nomad doesn't even flinch.
Mai touches down, her foot sweeps in.... but at the very instant her sweep would land true the crouching Ryu meets her assault, snapping a lightning-fast hand out to one of her wrists, and twisting about abruptly. The grazing hit bounces painfully off his ankles, and Mai suddenly finds herself back up the beach in the direction she started from, hauled upwards and released outwards with alarming force, the product of a simple, yet undeniably efficient heave of Ryu's upper body... and leverage of powerfully muscled arms, the second joining the grapple of her wrist with a fulcrum further up her arm, to better huck the kunoichi clear. A tangible surge of chi rushes through the Wanderer as the surf crashes loud against the beach, seemingly answering the abrupt, forceful motion as he settles back into a ready stance, arms forward as Mai inevitably recovers... and plots her next trick.
"WA-AAH!"
Mai's exclamation of surprise is shrill, and mercifully quick -- not out of any consideration for listeners, but to avoid getting spattered sand into her open mouth. She is indeed hurled like a caber, landing roughly on one shoulder but maintaining enough composure to keep going -- the nasty landing against the hot sand becomes a tumble after the moment of impact, resulting in an awkward somersault.
With a few more curls of her body, Mai's on her feet, and shakes her head from side to side, whipping sand from her voluminous ponytail. "Okay, fair enough!" she says with a grin, as if it were just a bit of friendly joshing -- even though the fight's by no means a bitter one anyway. "I bet you've seen every trick in the book, so I don't know why that one would have fooled you! You've really earned my respect and ki-yah!" Without segue, Mai kicks up a volleyball hidden under the sand, and punches it toward the wandering warrior!
COMBATSYS: Ryu dodges Mai's Thrown Object.
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Ryu 0/-------/------=|===----\-------\0 Mai
Let's play a multiple choice question: Do you trust the ninja?
> No.
Mai's words are heard, but it's her motions, the subtle flow of the very energy around them, that Ryu truly listens to. Of course there's an attack coming - and knowing what he does about Shiranui, it's not liable to be another full-on assault. Not just /yet/ anyway. The volleyball appears, and Ryu is certainly surprised... unfortunately for Mai, he is surprised into motion. Darting aside, a wave of sand erupts behind him from the sheer velocity of the motion. That, and his subsequent attempt to bring the fight to the kunoichi instead.
While she is hardly a typical ninja, there is still only one answer to her and her ilk, a tried and true weapon perfected by generations of mercenaries, and particularly Ikari, for dealing with the dark assassins. While other clans laud ancient arts and guard mystic seals, some men know that the only solution to a ninja problem is helicopters, infrared scanners, and flying elbows.
Ryu leads the last steps of his charge with just such an instrument, his left forearm lashing out with hammering force squarely for Mai's temple, seeking to stun the tricksy warrioress before she can fully plot her next move.
COMBATSYS: Mai parries Ryu's Medium Punch!
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Ryu 0/-------/------=|====---\-------\0 Mai
Ryu's burst of motion, complete with billowing wave of sand, spurs Mai to hop up and land in an adjusted stance, fully expecting a reprisal capable of breaking at least forty percent of her valuable ninja skeleton. She's right to expect it, as it turns out, when Ryu's forearm is flung at blinding speed.
Luckily, speed is sort of Mai's game in a fight, and the kunoichi lets out a sharp "ch-hah!" and swings her own elbow up, striking Ryu's arm with enough force to divert the direction of his blow so that her temple is saved the terror of being smashed directly into her brain.
In the same moment, though, she swoops her leg upward with uncanny flexibility, attempting to drive her flip-flopped heel into Ryu's skull. It's a good thing she was stretching before the fight started, because this is the sort of move that gymnasts watch and begin to weep.
COMBATSYS: Ryu effortlessly dodges Mai's Strong Kick EX.
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Ryu 0/-------/------=|====---\-------\0 Mai
Ah, the close-range axe kick. It is indeed a weapon every bit as fierce as the flying elbow - an assault which Mai deflects with impressive alacrity indeed. It's everything Ryu can do to keep alert to the changing tides of battle as the swift Shiranui uses her capable guard to turn the nomad's offensive against him. His strike recoils, and he slides hard into the sand, twisting to keep the flanking ninja in front of him - for the instants that it matters. Her leg snaps up, and the Ansatsuken Master moves again, a blurring shift every bit as quick as the strike itself. It's one of those moments that Hollywood loves to exploit, inevitable bullet time and multiple camera angles showing the graceful, perfectly executed kick - passing directly /in front/ of the nomad as he twists sidelong and half steps - half leans - out of the way of the potent strike.
It's a close call, but in the end, a perfectly executed one indeed... sacrificing little proximity, the man known only as Ryu steps in on my in a flash of brilliant crimson, one gloved hand snapping for her bicep, the other grappling for her shoulder - in a way it's solid planning that she lacks suitable handholds, as things stand.
It's not going to stop Ryu from trying to rather suddenly leverage her up, flip her over, and slam her down on the other side, backfirst into the sand with a full, momentum building twist of his shoulders, however, "HAAAAAH!!"
COMBATSYS: Ryu successfully hits Mai with Seoi Nage.
- Power hit! -
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Ryu 0/-------/----===|=======\==-----\1 Mai
Mai is fast, but at times she's not fast enough.
She ruminates this as she's bounced off of the sand, harsh granules sticking to her face and getting in her nose, causing a fit of uncontrollable sneezing. It's a harsh punishment to pay for her lapse in guard, but she carries out her sentence, wiping her face vigorously as she pushes up from the ground.
"Nice hit," Mai says, recoiling away from Ryu, getting a good distance -- and kicking open a nearby cooler planted in the sand. She reaches down, and casually lobs Ryu a beer (Southbrau Brewing Co., a subsidiary of Howard Enterprises) -- of course, she didn't just take out the beer. Also stashed away were two of her steel fans, cold and wet from the slowly melting ice in the cooler.
Mai flicks them open as soon as the beer leaves her hand, throwing one fan into her free hand and lunging toward Ryu in a spinning whirl of flashing, cold steel!
COMBATSYS: Ryu dodges Mai's Hakuro no Mai.
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Ryu 0/-------/----===|=======\=------\1 Mai
If there is one thing Mai has apparently learned from years of neglect and abuse at her family's dojo, it is the myriad ways to muck with the hopes and dreams of men. Sometimes, a problem just has to be tackled from multiple angles.
Ryu's eyes dart to the whipping cold brew, a hand snapping up to catch it flawlessly, though he only has instants to eye it, and open his mouth to formulate a reply. It's a good trick, really - it very nearly turns his innate focus on the fight back to fond memories and flashbacks, but this time it's anything but a gesture of camaraderie! The flashing steel nearly takes Ryu's head off as he hurls himself backwards at the last possible moment, footfalls darting to keep up as he slips away from the suddenly armed Shiranui. The nomad steps back another pace in the sand, then another, voluntarily putting a few steps between them, now... and dropping the beer off to the side, for safe keeping. "Hah." He barks out a single, clipped but sincere chuckle, smiling ever so slightly, "You certainly pulled out all the stops. I'm almost afraid to find out what else is up your sleeve." If, you know, she had sleeves.
Ryu merely focuses in on his opponent, drawing a deep breath of the fresh sea air, his gloved hands flowing through a focused kata as he closes his eyes once more. The best way to avoid her deceptions? The exertions of battle, the sense of power still within Mai, a fight fiercely fought leaving a resonance all its own that mingles with the fluid ebb and flow of the ocean itself - Ryu draws it all in, and all around him the aura of gathering power increases. Crackling arcs of blue course over his now firm stance, both open hands prepared before him, and for a moment it is as if the nomad is indeed the center of it all, projecting and focusing the natural energy without distorting it.
COMBATSYS: Ryu gathers his will.
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Ryu 0/-------/=======|=======\=------\1 Mai
Mai is dodged, and as Ryu focuses, she snaps her fans shut, making a sulky frown that her latest gambit failed to yield any results. "Hmph," she adds to that expression, making the picture of discontent complete. Tucking her fans under one arm, she brushes her bangs out of her face and walks toward Ryu. Her eyes close, and her hands come up into a serene, even pose -- aw, they're meditating together.
Until chi-flame explodes out from her like a suicide bomber, anyway.
COMBATSYS: Ryu blocks Mai's Kagero no Mai.
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Ryu 0/-------/=======|=======\=------\1 Mai
Fwooosh!
Ninja fire erupts all around Ryu as Mai chooses to torch him out of his peaceful, empowering reverie. The energy surges in, and he compresses back. Stepping back on one foot, he steels his shoulders, flexing both arms forward as he slams his readied palms against the pyre. Flame erupts outwards in superheated bursts, as Ryu is driven backwards in the sand.
His eyes snap open, to Mai, as the energy dissipates, and he adds his own to the mix, filling the space between them with a brilliantly luminescent coalescence of blue-white chi as he pushes forward once more, energy surging from his palms into the quintessential fireball, the wildly flaring burst echoed by a fervent, "Hadooouken!!"
.... anything to keep away the wiley kunoichi with the nasty razors.
COMBATSYS: Ryu successfully hits Mai with Hadouken.
> Determined Hit! <
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Ryu 1/-----==/=======|=======\=======\1 Mai
Of course, Mai cheats while meditating; one of her eyes was pried open slightly to keep an eye on Ryu.
When Mai's chi-splosion fades, she's ready to move -- but once again, Ryu is too fast on the draw. She midjudges the speed of the legendary blue blast of energy sailing toward her, and her attempt to jump it results in it striking her legs. The impact swings her legs backward, whipping her upper body forward so hard that she flails into a spin and lands on her back, groaning and dizzy.
"So that's the Hadouken," she whimpers from the sand, before kicking herself upward. "Not bad!" She feels a little wobbly, and it shows in not only her stance but her aura as well. "But here's a taste of your own medicine!"
The two fans are plucked out of the sand -- and from somewhere, Mai produces a third, opening all three. With a deft spin, all three are thrown, sailing toward Ryu in sharp, whizzing spins!
COMBATSYS: Ryu blocks Mai's Mizudori no Mai.
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Ryu 1/----===/=======|=======\-------\0 Mai
Wait... that isn't the same thing at all! ... oh wait, right. Ninja, deceptive, and dangerous.... the bluish light of the Hadouken fades, and ripping back through the air are a trio of nasty-edged weapons. The nomad's brow furrows as he eyes their trajectory... and swiftly acts. Darting forward, Ryu flows into a sidestep, slamming an albow into the side of the spinning fan, which crashes aside into the sand. The second joins it, ripping a painful, but shallow gash on apparently granite-hard forearms as a crossed guard forces the bladed weapon high, and Ryu steps on past it.... to get a similar cut on his shoulder as he heaves himself aside, finally clearing the way to Mai once more.
Dark eyes lock on the kunoichi, and he rushes forward in an instant. At this point it's making up for lost time, but it doesn't slow the nomad down, now. A sprinting stride, then three, and he hurtles forward into the air, twisting a sudden, singular turn as his right foot snaps out straight, a swinging rotorblade of a flying kick that seems designed to decapitate unwary ninjas.
... thankfully, the resonating, disciplined impact of Ryu's strikes are a sight removed from such rending arts.
COMBATSYS: Mai fails to interrupt Senpuu Kyaku from Ryu with Shiranui Gourin.
>> Decisive Hit!! <<
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Ryu 1/--=====/=======|=======\=====--\1 Mai
COMBATSYS: Mai can no longer fight.
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Ryu 1/--=====/=======|
OK: you have a homeless martial arts master who is renowned across the entire world for the ass-beatings he dishes out rushing at you. What do you do?
Mai selects B: 'Rush /him/.'
She, too, leaps into the air, face determined, arms tense to try and grab Ryu and flip him -- but she comes up short, and his foot slams into her stomach, knocking the wind -- and the fight -- out of her. She sails backward, smashing through the wooden leg of an elevated lifeguard chair, and causing the entire structure to topple, old wood rotted by warm sea winds splintering and collapsing down into an epic mess.
At the bottom is, presumably, Mai Shiranui, and she fails to surface.
No shortage in tenacity, determined right until the end. Of course, when rushing and leaping /into/ the strike of the aforementioned martial arts legend goes awry...
Well, as Mai demonstrates, it tends to make a mess. Ryu lands on bent legs, sliding down into the sand and swinging around in a wide, ready stance - for the moments it takes him to survey the results of that last exchange. Rushing forward, the nomad beats medical teams on the scene to move the fallen tower aside - he can sense her aura, still, but a lack of imminent danger is no reason to leave a fallen opponent buried. At least this time he doesn't have a clawed midget trying to gut him while it happens.
"Guh-uhhhh," Mai gasps when she's relatively surfaced; as Ryu sifts for her, she scrambles upward, and they meet in the middle. "You kicked me /so hard/," she says while blinking frequently, as if this were somehow news. "I hope I don't have to buy them a new lighthouse..." Mai then slumps forward into Ryu, out cold.
COMBATSYS: Ryu has ended the fight here.
Log created on 19:23:11 10/08/2008 by Ryu, and last modified on 14:09:33 10/09/2008.