Description: Hakuya and Preston have never really fought before. It's time that changed.
Lunch hour at Gedo High was always chaotic. Since most of the students came from broken homes or some other crappy background, and most didn't know how to cook for themselves, Some were lucky to eat at any other point during the day except for lunch, because who was going to cook it for them? In short, when you put a bunch of hungry teenagers together and allow them to get food from the cafeteria... it was war to see who could get the best stuff first.
Hakuya was too nice to go around punching people in the face in order to get them away from the lunch counter before he could get to it, so in a normal situation here at Gedo, he'd be left with either nothing, or even worse, the dregs of the cafeteria - the stuff no one wanted to eat for fear of destroying their innards. But the young Suigetsu heir had a plan. Not so much a plan, really, as just being friendly and likeable... and, more importantly, respected, at Gedo High. Every lunch hour, it was possible to see the young man sitting near the gates with a laquered bowl and a pair of dice in his hands. For whatever reason, likely because Tenma told him to, the grappler gambled for breads out here.
What fewer knew was that he cheats.
Another round of gambling had come and gone, and now Hakuya, without ever throwing a punch, had a large pile of breads sitting next to him, along with several containers of milk. Munching on one of the rarest and coveted of breads - a melon bread - the young man also had a strawberry milk he was sipping. Alone here, the Suigetsu heir seems rather relaxed and laid back, staring up at the sky with a look of contemplation. Such a serene scene.
But in a school like Gedo, was it really going to last?
Not very long, not very long at all! While typically it may be another of the youths at the high school who exercised their martial discipline to seize the delicious breads and milk, this isn't destined to be a typical day.
Yes, yes, enjoy that milk, Hakuya! Enjoy it, for it may be your last!
There's suddenly a shadow over the Gedo youngster, whereas there wasn't before. It's odd, since there isn't all that much cloud cover today despite the relatively cold weather. "That's a fuckin' lot of milk," the shadow caster noted, for indeed, it was not the weather at all but Preston Alistair Wellington the II! With that mighty oar of his slanted across his shoulders, he's defying the weather by being stylishly brazen, showing off entirely too much flesh with his shirt open and a woolly scarf about his neck.
Ahh yes, so stylish he is, staring down at Hakuya in those moments. And then, to show just how much he likes the terrorist before him, he moves a foot to try and crush one of the milk cans, since clearly all beverages in Japan come in cans only.
And if Hakuya's truly unlucky, some of that bread may suffer his colossal wrath as well! Clearly, the British Godzilla is attacking the city once more.
Considering Hakuya is looking upwards when the shadow falls over him, it's not terribly easy to mistake the large lumbering mass to his side as a cloud. And further, since Hakuya knows very few people who are quite as big as Preston, and fewer still who talk like that, the young man is able to put two and two together pretty quickly to determine who it is. Thus, after Preston makes his introduction by commenting on the amount of milk cans centered around the grappler, the young Suigetsu smiles in his usual airy manner, and bobs his head in a quick greeting to Wellington. "Hello, Preston!" He calls out, just as cheerful as his smile.
And then Preston goes and crushes a can of milk - and a bread.
Hearing the noise following crushing, Hakuya blinks a few times, and then glances down at where milk is coating Preston's foot-and-or-footwear, as well as the smushed bread pressing up against its wrapper. "Oh, um, did I leave that out too far from me?" Hakuya asks, seemingly completely unknowing of the malicious intent behind stamping on his foodstuffs. Standing up, so as not to get flowing milk onto his pants, the Suigetsu heir frowns down at Preston's foot. Then, up at the man himself. "Sorry about that, Preston. Though the guys won't like it either... I usually try to save most of this to gamble back to them tomorrow, or later today," he explains, and then laughs a bit, rubbing the back of his head with a gloved hand.
"Um, but, I haven't seen you since we did that fight at Halloween. How are you?" Yep, that's Hakuya. Completely ignoring, you know, the fact Preston is here to /menace/ him, in favor of being agreeable. Not that he does it on purpose - that's just how he is.
Certainly, the British Brute had hoped for a different reaction from Hakuya! This one falls short of the mark, and the expression on the teen's face -- initially one of triumph -- falters as his eyes slowly narrow.
Oh yes, feel that squint.
The eyes narrow even further as the apology is made. In some ways, he can't tell if this is some kind of weird Japanese thing, or if Hakuya is just dense. Or is it all just an act, a malicious ploy made by the terrorist to ensure that there's no detection of his devious schemes? Sparing a glance down at his foot, he scraps the excess off. "Don't worry about the shoe," he gruffly declares, since his intent has been thoroughly thwarted in the face of this overwhelming passivity.
Indeed, the true pacific resistance may well be Hakuya. Lifting the oar from his shoulder, he lets the butt of it strike the ground as he casually leans against it. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Look, you're kind of fuckin' missin' the point here, sunshine. This was meant to antagonize you into a fight. Get you all steamed up and angry, you know what I'm sayin'? Any of the others would be up in arms about this slight. Why ain't you?
"And failing that," Preston goes on to add, "why don't you get up and fight."
In truth, the reason for Hakuya's behavior probably lies somewhere within the dense part. But whether it was true denseness or just Hakuya's personality - that is, that he really IS just that nice of a guy - is up for debate. Either way, the grumbling 'don't worry' about the shoes is met with another smile, and Hakuya bobs his head in a half bow of apology, half nod motion, laughing a bit at it. And more of that comes when Preston offers an answer to the question of his well-being. He even tries to offer some kind of comment, except that Preston overrides him with more words. Which just perplexes the hell out of him. He even gets a frown on his face as he tries to figure that one out.
Get angry over Preston stepping on his milk and bread? It wasn't even like he paid for it... though the other Gedo students who had lost their hard-earned bread in the gambling probably would've gotten steamed over it.
"Um," Hakuya offers in answer to Preston. He seems confused, still. Why would he be up in arms? It doesn't make sense to the kind-hearted Hakuya, since, you know, fighting over something small like that seems silly. But finally, something seems to track once Preston says to just get up and fight. "Ohh, you want to fight! Well, why didn't you just say so? I spar all the time with everyone else. Marisol often comes down here to do the same, you know!"
Sure... a spar. Sure.
Performing a standing side jump to clear the little wall of breads and milks, Hakuya gives a little more room between himself and the oarsman, and then rolls his shoulders and wrists in a fluid motion, all before adopting his usual fighting stance. He still doesn't look angry. In fact, he's still smiling... even if he's smiling a bit more fiercely, now, eyes fixed on Preston. "Lunch hour's almost over, so why don't we hurry?"
Indeed, whatever the reason for Hakuya's behavior, it seems that Preston is fine with just cutting to the chase, putting aside his initial frustration by being plain about it. Those are fighting actions, let's fight!
"That's more like it," he grudgingly mentions, when the opposing Gedo boy utters consent to the beating that will soon ensue. With a slight roll of his eyes for the savant he's dealing with, the Brit ambles away a few paces, giving Hakuya some room. Lifting the oar over his head with both hands, he stretches, displaying that impressive set of abdominal muscles that double as a cheese grater. He leans his head this way and that, issuing a few loud cracks.
"Don't worry, it'll be quick. And to make it interesting, how about the winner gets what's left," the Brit offers to gamble, nodding towards the remainder of the winnings Hakuya had already taken.
But will the boy cheat in this gamble as well?! In any event, he seems ready, the oar coming down between the students. He gestures for Hakuya to begin.
COMBATSYS: Preston has started a fight here.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Preston 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Hakuya has joined the fight here.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Preston 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Hakuya
Hm? A new gamble? Though Hakuya only really gambled because Tenma figured out that, for whatever reason, Hakuya knew how to cheat at dice, and thus could easily win food from the hapless students here, he had to admit the idea of it seemed to make things more fun. At least, so long as they were harmless things. Losing the bread would be bad in a sense, but ultimately it wouldn't do any harm. So it seemed like a rather fun addition to the fight!
The fact that Hakuya stood to gain absolutely nothing didn't even cross his mind.
"Okay! That sounds fun!" Hakuya calls out to the oarsman, and laughs, even. See? Preston couldn't be a bad guy. He was always thinking of fun stuff to do! Just like this. And then Preston even gives him an edge, by motioning for him to attack first. Though normally Hakuya would always be the one to let the other person go first, he's since learned better. Mostly because Marisol, Pas and Stasya have given him odd looks when he insists on that sort of thing, like he was being unintentionally rude. So, when the first hit is offered, he takes it now.
Stepping forward, Hakuya plants his feet and seems to be bracing momentarily. And then, just as he does that, he's off like a shot, rushing towards Preston in a quick dash towards the bigger teen. His goal here is simple: extending an arm, he seeks to put it around Preston's middle, and heft him off the ground with the force of momentum behind him. Then, if successful, he'll continue rushing forward for a short distance, building up speed all the while - then, suddenly, he'll pivot 180 degrees on a heel, throwing every ounce of force and momentum he can behind the oarsman, before slamming him back to the ground.
COMBATSYS: Preston blocks Hakuya's Tidal Crush.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////////// ]
Preston 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Hakuya
Just as planned! Preston is busy thinking about how much of a genius he is, duping Hakuya with regards to the healthy grains and solid bone-nurturing milk, when the fight begins! But not one to be caught off guard, at least not too much!
The initial strike is successful, the young man caught about the belly by the open arm. He's even half-lifted, shoes skidding along the ground as Hakuya charges forward with the burly Brit, as if to remove him from the same block as Gedo High forcefully! But it doesn't quite go as planned, the attempt to throw him failing as the Brit puts on the brakes, slamming his feet down to prevent himself being thrown too far away. Instead he skips backwards, one arm pinwheeling as he issues a sour grunt, the oar slashing the air between them to keep the boy back.
"What is it with you people and leverage?!" he asks for no apparent reason, the words growling out in that gruff British accent as he spins the oar between his hands, proving a deftness and grace to his style that he does not normally exhibit. Indeed, it may well be for show as his retaliation escalates.
Spinning the oar one more time, his shield-like defense ceases as he goes on the attack, lashing forward in two quick arcs of the weapon, forcing Hakuya back if necessary since he keeps the weapon close to the target.
But ah, there's always a twist! It wouldn't be a SAW movie without one. On the second slash, chi dances down the length of the shaft, cascading off the blade and into the air as a crescent swiftly forms. It wastes no time, lashing forward to strike at the Gedo Grappler!
COMBATSYS: Hakuya endures Preston's White Horses.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Preston 0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0 Hakuya
It's a little hard to be a grappler when your opponent is a head taller and a great deal bigger than you are! But things like momentum, leverage, lower center of gravity, all that good stuff, can be made to play in Hakuya's favor. After all, he wouldn't make a very good grappler if he didn't know how to work with any kind of situation given to him. And there was always that old maxim: the bigger they are, the harder they fall! Right? Right. So, when Preston isn't too disturbed by being caught up and thrown - or at least, attempted to be thrown - Hakuya likewise isn't too disturbed he failed to inflict much harm on the bigger man. He'd just need to try harder! Spinning around to face Preston, the Suigetsu heir re-adopts his fighting stance, prepping himself to defend against whatever might come.
And come it does, as the wheeling-about oar suddenly slips into an offensive strike, two quick slashes... but the first is only a prelude to the second! Noting the blue chi that begins to falre up along the oar, Hakuya's eyes narrow a little, and he does something that probably isn't too smart - he steps into the oar's range. The oar slams into him, and hurt it does, but Hakuya was prepared for this! No sooner does the oar hit him, and he utters his pained cry, than does the grappler's hands flash out. Both of them, held flat, seek to strike out against Preston's rock-hard abs in stiff open-palmed punches. Then, they switch, and lash out again, this time seeking to strike Preston in the sternum and the chest, another set of punishing palm strikes. But to finish it off, Hakuya then steps forward, and seeks to drive his shoulder into the bigger man's torso, in an effort to drive him backwards with applied force.
COMBATSYS: Preston endures Hakuya's Howling Harvest.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////// ]
Preston 0/-------/---====|=====--\-------\0 Hakuya
What follows is a swift exchange of strikes; the oar's potent payload is accepted by Hakuya, who is swift tso retaliate. But with the encounter so very close, the tall Brit has little reaction time to do anything...
Anything, that is, except MAN UP.
The slightest of smirks crosses the face of Preston as he realizes Hakuya's intent. Doesn't this boy realize who he's dealing with? Man-meat mountain is not so easily felled, and it's clear with each strike just how hard and thick the burly Briton is; he barely shifts, although the numerous strikes add up thanks to sheer volume rather than sheer force. The final shoulder block causes him to take a half-step back, but the intent on Hakuya's part falls short.
It isn't so easy to move a tank.
"Hrmph!" he disdainfully snorts the sound, the oar threatening for a moment before it fans off to the side. But a fast exchange is what this is, with the end of the lunch break looming; Preston retaliates swiftly, aiming to envelope Hakuya's head in that all-encompassing armpit of his. Naturally though, the true threat lies in the massive arm of his clobbering down across the Gedo student's own, to send him flying back!
COMBATSYS: Hakuya just-defends Preston's Running Rigging!
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////////// ]
Preston 0/-------/---====|=====--\-------\0 Hakuya
A fast and furious exchange of blows this is, and indeed, may be too fast, and too furious. But since there is a lack of cars drifting around corners, Hakuya will just need to make do with his own body. Preston was a big guy, it's true, and Hakuya was fairly sure Preston could take punishment like few could. Perhaps even better than the grappler himself, despite his training to make himself like a brick wall. The open-palmed strikes slam against Wellington, and despite the fact that such strikes would likely send a lesser person back more than just half a step, Preston doesn't even seem worse for wear! This concerns Hakuya just a little - but unfortunately there's just not enough time to ponder on this.
Instead, Preston moves, keeping the pace fast, but Hakuya moves just a little bit faster. Ducking underneath the big Englishman's arm, he comes back up, twisting his body to the side so his shoulder is pointed at the oarsman's torso again. Crouching down just a touch, Hakuya then seeks to sweep his forward leg around his opponent's own legs, less to make a true sweeping attack than to drive his shoulder into the bigger man's torso once more, but this time hopefully with enough force to make him take another step back - right into his legs, which would prevent Preston from moving, and thus, if all goes well, losing his balance and tipping him over, into the ground.
COMBATSYS: Hakuya successfully hits Preston with Waning Dawn.
- Power hit! -
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Preston 0/-------/=======|======-\-------\0 Hakuya
And in a rapid exchange of strikes, it seems Hakuya is able to not only negate everything the brutish Brit would throw at him, he even manages to fell the giant. In this battle of David versus Super Goliath, it seems that the innocent herdsman leading his men to the land of milk and lunch bread is indeed coming out on top.
Falling backwards is always an odd sensation for Preston. It doesn't happen very often, and when it does, it's almost disorientating for him. Particularly when he gets a bump on the noggin from his head hitting the pavement. A sour grunt is cut off abruptly as this happens, the Brit nearly biting through his own tongue.
On sheer instinct, he fights through the sudden grogginess to roll backwards and away, putting distance between himself and Hakuya. Rising into a slight crouch, he draws the oar in, keeping it in a defensive position as he curses; "Fuhkan 'elle," he breathes, grimacing at the taste of blood. He spits to one side.
That mouth closes, and rather than hurl abuse, he simply sports a smirk, looking none too pleased with how this is proceeding. Rising up out of the crouch, he charges right back into it, sliding forward only to close the gap by thrusting out with the oar, aiming to catch Hakuya right in the face with the stabbing blade of his weapon of choice!
COMBATSYS: Hakuya fails to interrupt Medium Strike from Preston with Silent Crescent.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////// ]
Preston 0/-------/=======|=======\-------\0 Hakuya
Breathing out a sigh of relief, perhaps, that he's no longer locked in a vicious melee with Preston, Hakuya makes a small hop backwards from the downed oarsman, trying to right himself and make his heart slow down a little. The grappler fully remembered Preston's and his fight at Halloween last year. Despite his best efforts, Hakuya had been failing hard against the big man's overwhelming force, and he had to just give way to his team mates, because there was no way he could've kept fighting and won out. Preston, physically as well, was fairly intimidating... it wasn't just the rememberence of that fight that went so badly for him. So, being so locked together in a melee with him wasn't exactly something Hakuya found, well, comforting.
Throwing him back, Preston isn't down for long. Already the oarsman is up and oaring at him once more. The 'blade' of the oar comes flying right at his face, and despite the relative distance away from Preston he is, he's still taken a bit off guard by it. Hands come up, and he both tries to slap the oar away, as well as grab it - the latter is successful if for a second. The former, however, is not. Whatever Hakuya was attempting to do, it's foiled by the fact the oar just slaps him right in the face, and the grappler goes staggering backwards a step or three, hand held at his face. It hurts, and the jab at his face also makes him dazed a little, wobbling even after he catches his balance.
"Ungh..." Hakuya mutters, shaking his head.
Whatever happened to that mysterious fight at Halloween, one may wonder! A mystery for another time and place!
Sliding to a halt after thwarting that attempt by Hakuya to reverse the tables, the Brit retains that smirk -- if anything, it deepens, and he lets the oar blade bounce off the pavement as he returns it to his shoulder. For a moment he stands there, simply an imposing presence, all heaving muscles and perky nipples, because let's face it, it's cold and his shirt is open. While he refrains from tweaking one at the opponent, he does not refrain from pressing the attack.
"Yeah, gettin' hit in the fuckin' nose stings like a bitch, doesn't it?" the Brit comments as he steps right up, an almost arrogant stroll taking him closer to Hakuya. With the rhetorical question out in the air, he strikes with the oar -- a vicious strike, right into a nearby (and extremely rare for Japan) garbage container! Knocking it off its bolts, he hefts the object up in his free hand.
And now, with two weapons for the price of one, he descends on Hakuya, aiming to clobber the boy's defenses with the garbage, let alone the contents!
COMBATSYS: Hakuya blocks Preston's Random Strike.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Preston 0/-------/=======|=======\-------\1 Hakuya
Though Hakuya recovers in time to see Preston striking the garbage container with his oar, it's still a bit surprising - or maybe intimidating? - to have both an oar and a garbage container lifted up and slammed down on top of him. A moment is taken to fret, before Hakuya just does what he normally defaults to: blocking. Arms shoot up, and rather than trying to block normally, he attempts to 'catch' both of the weapons with his hands, one hand for each weapon. And he's successful, too! The oar slams into his open, waiting palm, which hurts like a bitch, but not nearly as bad as having the thing jammed into his nose. Same with the garbage container - though that one's a bit heavier, it isn't as dense, and the hollow sound of sheet metal being struck with a palm is heard.
Grunting under the strain, Hakuya backs up a step or two, still holding the weapons, until he lets the oar go. Then, swiftly ducking and stepping to his side, he gets right behind the trash container, and seeks to drive his entire body into it, to try and force it back against Preston, turning his own weapon onto himself!
COMBATSYS: Preston dodges Hakuya's Random Weapon.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Preston 0/-------/=======|=======\-------\1 Hakuya
With Hakuya staring down a double-barrel shotgun of can and oar, that smirk on Preston's face only seems to get even more severe, more cutting, as he glares the other youth down. That's right. He's crushing you with his brain, Hakuya. Give it up now!
When it seems there's no real give though, with Hakuya thwarting and negating the attempt to be pulverized, it's a see-sawing battle that's destined to eventually give way, as the height of Preston continues to press forward. And seemingly it does, except in reality it's the Gedo kid pressing the offense, attempting to knock that can right back into the Brit!
Abandoning the can as it's struck, Preston evades the makeshift shield-barge by leaping into the air, actually managing to clear Hakuya as the other boy rushes by beneath.
"Fuckin' flyin'," he notes to himself, truly feeling the wind beneath his wings as he lands back down. It's a heavy landing, and he ignores the mild pain it causes his knees as he lurches forward, aiming to grip Hakuya by the back of the neck before he gets too far.
And like the wayward dog he is, the scolding attempt begins as he seeks to lift the puppy by the scruff of the neck, thick fingers squeezing as a distortion fills the air in front of Hakuya. Chi manifests, long slivers of blue-white energy spiking into existence -- only to slam forward with a stabbing force!
COMBATSYS: Hakuya reflects Cape Horn Fever from Preston with Lunaris Sunder.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Preston 1/------=/=======|=======\-------\1 Hakuya
Slamming himself against the steel garbage can, the attack is pretty hap-hazard and sloppy, since it's so impromptu. But despite this, Hakuya doesn't ever think that, you know, /Preston/ of all people would literally jump up over him in an almost effortless-looking dodge. In fact, this turn of events is so shocking that when Preston turns around to try his attack, the young Suigetsu heir has only taken a few steps away, altogether, and just stopped cold, blinking. He turns about to look at Preston with a bit of a shocked expression.
Did he just...? Yeah, he did. Whoa.
He would have to not underestimate Preston in that area, ever again.
But then Preston is moving to attack, and Hakuya blinks the surprise out of him, and goes for another automatic defense, as anything less than pure reflex would've been too slow. Snapping his right hand up, Preston's own hand doesn't come into contact with his head, but rather the hand, both pressed flat against each other. As the spikey chi begins to form around the hands, Hakuya sets his feet, and tenses up. A look of concentration passes over his features, and after but a moment, the chi spikes begin to move forward... but slowly. Then, they stop. And finally? They reverse their motion. With only a beat between the stopping and the reverse motion of the chi, Hakuya adds a little bit extra to the mix, by stepping in and swinging his other hard in a hard deck, right at Preston's sternum, while the spikes rain back on Preston himself, peppering him with his own energy.
After this completes, Hakuya makes a short hop backwards from Preston, panting a little bit. Looking briefly down to his hand, the Suigetsu heir... smiles? Almost defiantly, too. But he doesn't turn this to Preston, rather it's saved solely for someone invisible... perhaps someone who taught him that technique? In any case, he adopts his stance once more, waiting a moment to catch his breath.
And that -- that is definitely NOT Just As Planned!
Instead of grasping Hakuya's neck, suddenly the Brit finds the reversal happening with a remarkable speed. Maybe he's just too big and thick to keep up with it, but those clear hazel eyes of his start to fill with red the moment the Gedo youngster gets the better of him. His seize ceased, his aggressive shards driven back at him as he's hit in the stomach.
It's like an insult, a slap to his face, let alone his entire body being issued one as the energy rushes over him. Knocked back and away - back -- and away -- by the swift retaliation, the Brit is quick to right himself, glaring at Hakuya with an expression that borders on the murderous. If there was such a thing as murderous intent, the other boy would be feeling it right now. Oh, his power level, it's rising!
He snorts.
His boot scuffs the ground.
Loping forward, Preston has found the matador for which to gore, and he aims to do just that. Bounding at Hakuya, the gap closes and his head plummets, a thunderous headbutt aimed to break bones, particularly those across the collar! And should the beast be successful, he rears up, an uppercut aimed to batter the Gedo youth further as he seeks to clear his horns of debris!
COMBATSYS: Hakuya blocks Preston's Bull of Barney.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Preston 0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0 Hakuya
Uh-oh. Blinking a bit as Preston begins to rage after having his own energy turned against him, Hakuya seems a little unsure of what to do. Despite his fairly good luck against the other man so far, it wasn't as though Hakuya wasn't intimidated, somewhat, by the oarsman. The guy was big, and knew how to use that bigness to hurt. As Tonka Tuff as Hakuya might be, there was a limit to that ability to keep himself not hurt, and Preston could cross that line pretty easy. So when the big man comes charging down on him like a bull out of the pen, the smaller Japanese teen has only one recourse: scrunch up into a ball and hope.
The grappler's arms cross over his chest, and he ducks his head down behind them as well, tensing up and setting his feet in as strong a defensive position as he knew how to do. Preston comes rushing in, and then his head slams against Hakuya's arms, a hurtful pressure placed on the joints of his arms that was never meant to be applied like that. Similarly, the uppercut slams into his arms, and quite literally picks Hakuya up and sends him flying across the courtyard! Fortunately the Suigetsu heir manages to land on his feet, but he still staggers several steps backwards, trying to keep his tenuous balance.
"Whoa!" The grappler shouts in amazement, having never had -that- happen before. But in any case, he's got to move and follow up the attack. Sneakers digging into the pavement, Hakuya starts to rush forward. In mid-stride, he lowers himself and attempts to spear his shoulder into Preston's stomach as hard as he can, from as low as he can, in an effort to pick the bigger man up straight into the air, growling out in a strained voice as he attempts it. Should Preston get raised into the air, he'll then find himself brought up, over, and down in a traditional suplex motion, a quick and dirty throw to the floor.
COMBATSYS: Preston blocks Hakuya's Strong Throw.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Preston 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Hakuya
Although Hakuya may sail from the uppercut, the Brit felt the resistance. It annoys him further, only angering up what is already some considerably angry blood. So as he raises his head afterwards, having expected to see the boy sprawled, he instead sees his opponent landing on those sneakers and exclaiming in surprise.
Oh, how it angers Preston.
Another heavy snort is issued. He seems incapable of his usual racist remarks, which as he recalls are typically lost on Hakuya anyway -- what is the point, after all, of him utilizing a psychological game on an opponent who is clearly too dim-witted to understand it and let it affect him? But there's more to Preston than simply his words.
Indeed, much more, as Hakuya's attempt to spear the burly Brit and seize him fails. It's like colliding with a wall, the young man setting himself and thinking of really heavy things, like cows, the Hubble telescope, Marisol's breasts, anything to lower his center of gravity so that when the collision happens, the follow-up does not. Cushioning the impact with a forearm against the offending shoulder, he simply smirks down at Hakuya's back in that moment.
Is this check-mate?!
Strain through Hakuya might, this time he doesn't move. "Hrrmpph," he makes that derisive snort again, and does the sensible thing. He seeks to grab Hakuya by the hair, and slam him the rest of the way down into the ground!
COMBATSYS: Hakuya endures Preston's Medium Throw.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////// ]
Preston 0/-------/-----==|====---\-------\0 Hakuya
Man, it is really hard to hurt Preston! Not that Hakuya's proving entirely easy to harm, himself, either. But the fact he can't even lift the larger man, when he knows he can, normally, have no problem doing such a thing is pretty crazy. The big man's cushioning elbow and refusal to go horizontal on the ground once more makes Hakuya blink rapidly, and he attempts to back off almost immediately... but he's too close to Preston to really make that a reality. And indeed, Preston's follow-up attack is somewhat unorthodox, reaching in to grab the Japanese teen's hair, and then slamming him into the floor. A not-kind crunching sound followed by Hakuya's own pain in grunted form can be heard, but even though he's slammed down, he's already moving his hands to push himself back up.
Popping up quickly from the throw, Hakuya seeks to grab ahold of the oarsman's extended hand - the one used to throw him down. If he's successful here, he tries a different tactic - namely by sweeping his front foot forward to try and block Preston's leg motion, and then using his grip on the extended arm, pull the big man forward, trying to use his high center of gravity within those broad shoulders to tip him forward. If that's successful, then Hakuya flips the man into a tumbling forward fall, but that's not the end of it. Raising his knee, it would meet with Preston's spine hard enough to knock the big guy in the air once more, and once there, the Suigetsu heir would grip Preston, and use all his strength to bring Wellington up and over again in yet another suplex, apparently not satisfied with the way the first one turned out.
COMBATSYS: Preston just-defends Hakuya's Silent Crescent!
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Preston 0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0 Hakuya
Without a doubt, when it comes to being defensive linebackers, since there's really no cricket reference that can be used here, the two are close to being on par; they're the walls of their respective teams, although it would seem that the burly brute may yet gain the upper hand. But it's still too early to tell, with the see-saw matchup over milk and bread escalating. With a fist full of hair, Preston is rough about slamming the other youth down, truthfully expecting that to encourage Hakuya to stay down.
But Hakuya catches him off-guard, his hand caught and before he knows it, there's a knee lifting for his precious spine--!!
Preston squints. Time seems to slow for him as he recalls the last time someone did something to his spine; his father, in fact, the incident leading to a long stay in hospital for the much weaker Preston Alistair Wellington the II.
The knee seems to strike, but not with the umph it should have. Preston leaps, forcefully ripping control of his leg back from Hakuya, and the exertion of the suplex instead only assists in propelling the Brit higher. Rather than go with the flow, he shifts, rolling out of Hakuya's grip to land behind the opposing youth, a few yards further back.
And with his oar in hand, he sees a fine target right in front of him. "That bread is fuckin' mine, squints," he finds his voice, spinning the shaft of the weapon within his meaty grip before he thrusts it forward, aiming to smash the blunt end right into Hakuya's back as if he were the cue ball and this a game of snooker!
There, that's a slightly more British sports reference, right?
COMBATSYS: Hakuya endures Preston's Bunting Tosser.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///// ]
Preston 0/-------/----===|======-\-------\0 Hakuya
There's some sort of success here. Hakuya actually manages to pull Preston off his feet, for once. He rolls the other man, and even gets to the part where he starts to send him back into the air for the final suplex motion. But it doesn't take. Somehow, someway, the big oarsman gets to rolling out of Hakuya's grasp as though he'd been grappling all of his life and knew how to reverse every roll. Rather than get slammed into the ground, the man almost literally flies away. The Japanese teen, at least, realizes this is happening before he can fully commit himself to the strike, and as such just ends up in a horribly awkward position, his back curved, his arms above his head, looking for all the world like he were joyously praying to some deity, rather than just having his throw totally wrecked. Blinking in surprise, Hakuya is left to try and recover from the awkward positioning... which leaves him a little open.
And indeed, the oar seems to find its way into Hakuya's back, slamming into him. There's a grunt of pain, and the smaller of the two seems to stagger forward a step - before he twirls around, letting the oar stab past him, rather than just keep driving him forward and away. Stepping in closer to the bigger of the two, there's another attempt to capture Preston, this time by his oar. Trying to pull him forward yet again, it seems Hakuya wants to build on the successes of the past, shoving his leg in front of Wellington's to try and tip him forward. Only this time, rather than rolling him into a kneeing motion to knock him -up-, Hakuya spins, and then raises a foot in order to drive his heel into Preston's stomach, sending him back to the floor in a greater hurry, and with more force.
COMBATSYS: Hakuya successfully hits Preston with Blind Crescent.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////// ]
Preston 0/-------/--=====|======-\-------\0 Hakuya
If there's one thing to be said about Hakuya, the boy certainly doesn't lie down and take it! Sliding past the thrusting oar after taking the hit, the gap is closed, the oar seized, and with a trip and a kick the Brit is sent for a little tumble thanks to that heel. "Oooh, right in the milk bag," he grunts as he falls, only to pull out of a true fall and into a roll instead. Regardless, that stung.
"You really want that fuckin' milk, don't you?" he asks after rolling back to his feet, rounding on Hakuya with another vicious slash of the oar. It's all intended to keep the other boy back, the next clash to happen on HIS terms. "Wanna grow up to be as big as me, don't you, runt," Preston adds quietly, that smirk playing upon his face as he spins the weapon in front of him, a whoosh of wood happening in addition to somewhat of a strobe effect. There he is. There he is again. Oh there he is.
"Well it's mine! Fuck off!"
But swinging the weapon in one last feint, he finally lashes out, the weapon flashing horizontally instead of vertically -- a clipping strike aimed for the boy's head, followed up swiftly by a thrust to the belly. Turnabout is fair play in Preston's book, and he adds to it, aiming to clip Hakuya's feet out from under him in a final graceful sweep.
COMBATSYS: Preston successfully hits Hakuya with Queen's Regulations.
[ \\\\\\\\\\ < > // ]
Preston 0/-------/--=====|=======\=------\1 Hakuya
Blinking a few times at Preston's claim of getting him right in the 'milk bag', Hakuya seems to fret as he gets the meaning of what the big man is saying. "Oh, um...!" He starts, as if in apology, but then his opponent seems to just shake it off and stand up once again. Well, /that/ was a relief. Not like he wanted to, you know, really hurt his opponent, here! But he's made to look bewildered once more when Preston starts talking about wanting the milk. It wasn't -his- to begin with, really, and he could probably just get more tomorrow. Though his friends here at Gedo would be a little disappointed they had nothing to win back.
"Um, well," he says again-- and then Preston's telling him to fuck off. Poor Hakuya. Just can't get a word in, edge-wise, today.
And it's made moreso when the big oarsman begins to feint with his oar, slashing out in a few efforts to keep Hakuya back. They succeed, because the other teen doesn't have any inclination to rush in to try and hit Preston, but this also makes him perfect range for the big man to attack when he's ready. The oar slams into the grappler's head, causing him to grunt out in pain, and then it's followed up by that thrust, then finally the sweep comes, lashing his feet out from under him, all in rapid succession! Things look bad for our hero!
But he manages to get back up, slowly. Panting a bit, clearly beat up a good deal, Hakuya shakily rises to his feet, and then shakes his head at Preston. "I... am not fighting for the milk. I'm fighting, because last time, I didn't give you a very good fight," he says, and then smiles, a touch apologetically. And with that, he begins to move once more. Rushing forward, his hands extend to either side of him, palms flat, hands inverted so the wrists face up, knuckles down. Blue light begins to flare up around Hakuya's hands as he seems to be collecting... something. And then his hands flash out, dealing several strikes to Preston, in rapid succession. There is no order to them, they simply strike against the man's torso. And, after several of these punches, Hakuya places his hands up against Preston's stomach, and with a sudden grunt of effort, the blue light explodes outwards, slamming into the oarsman's abs with the kinetic force of all of those punches he just did, combined into one big force.
Regardless of whether this is successful or not, Hakuya then slumps to the ground, and takes a little nap.
And right as the bell starts ringing, too. Oh no, Hakuya's perfect attendence...!
COMBATSYS: Hakuya can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\\ <
Preston 0/-------/--=====|
COMBATSYS: Hakuya successfully hits Preston with Lunaris Sunder.
[ \\\\\\ <
Preston 1/-------/=======|
'No, not my baby!'
It is sometimes odd what thoughts occur to people in the middle of a fight. Preston is so lost by this sudden thought that while he does attempt to muster his defenses, his tank is somewhat running on empty; he NEEDS that milk and bread, just to get some fuel back in! This fight has been exhausting, the tug-of-war with Hakuya definitely a fight unlike any other the opposing Gedo student has ever given to the brutish Brit.
So the gap closes, and those hands press against Preston's stomach. Energy lights the smallest of gaps between the two, but thankfully it isn't chemistry in the air; it's the energy that flashes out as Hakuya unleashes those strikes once more, culminating in that blast that practically rips through him like an Indian curry!
"Ffffffffuuuuuu--" the Brit manages to curse as he's driven back, arms pinwheeling madly in an attempt to keep him upright. It's an attempt that fails, and he falls onto his ass with a mighty thump.
He looks up, expecting to see Hakuya bearing down on him. Instead, he sees the boy taking a nap. His mouth hangs open, before he clicks it shut. His mother always warmed him that he'd attract flies. Sitting there for a few moments longer, he realizes that the other boy isn't getting back up.
So doing the logical thing, he pushes himself back up, leaning against the oar for support. "To the victor, go the spoils," he rather nerdily quotes to no one in particular, ambling over towards Hakuya's ill-gotten gains, the precious milk and bread.
And by the time Hakuya wakes up from la-la land, there'll be nothing left but crushed cans of milk, and several crushed pieces of bread.
Oh yes. He card crushered half of them just so Hakuya couldn't have them upon waking.
Ain't Preston a bitch.
COMBATSYS: Preston has ended the fight here.
Log created on 17:43:41 01/02/2009 by Preston, and last modified on 03:57:25 01/03/2009.