Description: Roberto and Frei meet in Metro City Square for a Neo League fight. The results? It's easier to explain in this quote: "In... the movies... this looks... so easy..." Frei says with a ragged grin, standing up a little straighter, shaking his head to clear it a bit. "Just wire-fu for... ten minutes then... someone's on the ground. Never show the messy bit where everybody's freakin' tired!" (Winner: Frei)
He would have never thought that he'd actually be hungry (if such a word is apt) for competition. Of course, some of Frei's last few official bouts have been something of the sort... challenging people of strength far greater than his own, to test his limits, see where he can go and what he can do. But the YFCC instructor has, in a way, let himself go slack. With nothing to do lately but sit around the center, fret, not get emails from anybody he's trying to find, and worry about friends like Shurui and Alma, he's had a lot of time to catch up on fighting news. What he found actually made him feel, if anything... guilty. His peers, friends and colleagues, are out there almost every day, fighting strong opponents, keeping themselves in shape, testing themselves. Frei, on the other hand, is killing time like a mother hen.
The fact that he had brownies in the oven at that moment pretty much sealed the deal, anyway.
So a call went out to the Masters people, to get re-involved in the latest Neo League season. In his experience, Neo League matches have always been good places to test himself against capable fighters... and an excuse to travel, which is always nice. His bout is scheduled for this afternoon, an unseasonably warm one for Metro in February; heavy coats have been discarded for light jackets in the crowd, for example, and there's quite a lot of people here to see things go on. Somehow, the people who show up gravitate to that 'unofficial' fighting area, a combination of grass and concrete in front of a fountain, and know to cordon off enough space so that they can see everything close up, but not get hit with a stray punch to the face, which will *really* ruin your afternoon.
As it stands right now, Frei is waiting on one side, watching a street performer -- a juggler, in fact -- dazzle the audience while he waits for his opponent to arrive. He at least seems in good spirits, alternating laughing and clapping with taking sips from a clear sports bottle full of water... but the very perceptive may notice that somewhere in that green-eyed gaze, there is a thread of strain and concern and worry... atypical things for the usually calm and cheerful individual.
For Roberto's part, he hasn't been all that busy when it came to the fighting world. Between off-season training and his course load he just didn't have the time. It was quite fortunate that the soccer star managed to take care of everything on his syllabus for this semester. He had been wanting to get back into the fighting circuit quite some time.
After returning from the fight at the Dream Amusement Park, Roberto put in his call for the Neo League. Little did he know that he would end up fighting one of his favorite opponents and so when he gets there, his lips curl up into a smile.
"Hey Frei! Long time no see! How's it goin?"
He enters the cordoned off area with a mesh bag of soccer balls over his shoulder. He then dumps the soccer balls out and boots a ball into the crowd to give a lucky spectator a souvenier. He then rests his foot on one of the soccer balls and rolls his neck as he looks at the other fighter. He's not at the range where he can see the concern and worry in the monk's eyes.
The redhead is just bringing the bottle back up to his lips when Roberto makes his appearance, and realizing his opponent has arrived, he takes one last thirst-quenching swig before setting the bottle down on the ground (where it will, doubtlessly, be snatched up and eBay'ed by some greedy fighting fan in the crowd... a little less altruistic than Roberto's gift of a soccer ball, for sure) and turning to give the Taiyo soccer star a little wave. He opens his mouth to respond, but for a second no sound comes out. Why?
USUALLY when people ask 'how's it going?' what they want to know is that you are doing okay. Frei, by nature, tends to answer the question honestly rather than the pro forma call and response dictated by custom. At least, in this instance, he keeps himself from worrying in-a-good-mood Roberto with needless nonsense, and the very brief silence becomes a sheepish smile, the chi sage running a hand across the back of his head. "I do okay. Nice to see you again."
For a moment, Frei takes the time to admire Roberto's sense of style, wondering not for the first time if it's something common to the many Southtown students who've turned athletics into a way of fighting. The soccer star is a crowd pleaser, for sure; he knows how to put on a good show, a quality that the amusing, if stolid, YFCC instructor admires. Plus, he knows Roberto is going to be a challenging opponent. "Alright, then... don't want to keep the people waiting too long!" Deciding to be a TINY bit flashy himself, Frei brings a hand up in front of his face, then swings it down to his side as he gets into stance, the path of his hand trailing briefly flickering motes of colored light as he does so. "Ready?"
COMBATSYS: Frei has started a fight here.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Frei 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Roberto has joined the fight here.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Frei 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Roberto
The smile on the soccer player's face grows larger as he rolls the soccer ball back and forth as he attempts to psych himself up and then he responds. "Alright then. Let's go." It's almost as if a switch is turned on and the soccer star becomes fired up as he rushes in towards the monk with excitement, dribbling in as he quickly eats up the distance between them.
With a couple of fancy step overs he attempts to slip to Frei's side and then hop forward knee first in an attempt to slam a hard knee right into his side.
COMBATSYS: Roberto successfully hits Frei with Heavy Kick.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Frei 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Roberto
A strong, slow start from Roberto... and it would do Frei good to remember that when you're dealing with a soccer player, kicks are his specialty, even for a goalie. Lured into a false sense of security to some extent, the redhead takes his chances on shifting to the side, trying to avoid that punishing knee strike entirely. Roberto's too quick for that, however; with a sharp exhalation, Frei takes the blow right on the hip, sending him scrambling back a step or two but thankfully not bowling him over quite just yet. "Hehe... I think I'm getting soft in my old age," he mutters. 27 doesn't feel old until you're fighting someone considerably younger than that.
But just because Roberto got in the first strike doesn't mean this is over quite yet. Regaining his balance, Frei doesn't waste time getting back on the offensive. Kicking off the ground, he makes something akin to a dive toward the soccer player, looking to snap a hand around Roberto's wrist. If he can get it, the forward momentum of the dive is poured into that grip, Frei effectively swinging Roberto's entire body through the air in a circle before letting go, a burst of wind erupting from his hand to speed the soccer star on his way.
COMBATSYS: Frei successfully hits Roberto with Charged Throw.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Frei 0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0 Roberto
Roberto tries to snatch his hand away however he overextended himself just a bit too much and finds his hand seized before being swung around and getting slammed into the ground with a burst of wind chi. While the execution is much more graceful, the soccer star can't help but note the similarities in principle it is to his own Shining Save.
"Old? You don't look much older than me." He peels himself up off of the ground before moving to the soccer ball he had been taken off of just a few moments ago before dribbling it again. There's less showiness to his moves this time, just a fake inside before attempting a nutmeg, kicking the ball so it rolls between Frei's legs, and then performing a slide tackle right for the monk's leg. If Roberto's path is uninterrupted, his course should intersect with the path of the ball that went between Frei's legs.
COMBATSYS: Frei interrupts Sliding Kick from Roberto with Reiki.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Frei 0/-------/--=====|======-\-------\0 Roberto
That comment gets a laugh out of Frei as he draws his hand back, taking a deep breath. "I dunno who that says more about, me or you... but trust me, I'm older than I look." People seem to think that looking younger than you are is a good thing, but it isn't in *every* situation. People often take you less seriously when you look like a 'kid' (for given values of kid). He may have gotten that attack off, but he recalls Roberto being one tough nut to crack in any fight... of course, if you're a soccer goalie, one sort of expects it. You may not get tackled all that often, but you've got to have sharp reflexes and know how to take a hit. A soccer ball flying at you at goal shot speed is worse than a human bullet, sometimes.
Steadying himself, the YFCC instructor waits for the incoming attack, and it comes sooner than he might expect. However, the angle of Roberto's attack gives him an idea on how to respond. Monitoring his center of gravity as carefully as he can, the chi sage braces and waits for the inevitable low sliding strike, which smacks heavily into his shins and sends him toward the ground... but since he's ready for it, what could be a nasty fall turns into an even nastier surprise for poor Roberto. Inverting before he can hit the concrete, Frei slams one hand palm down onto the ground, catching himself in a brief handstand before flipping backwards... and as he does so, a shockwave of pale gold, earthy chi erupts *outwards* from where his hand just was, slamming into Roberto just after he delivers that kick.
It would be awful pretty-looking... but Frei ruins it by failing the backflip part entirely, landing on his backside with a loud "oof!" and a wince.
But on the upside, Roberto didn't see the fall. He was too busy getting spun out by the shockwave of golden chi which also ends up sending the star striker off course and the soccer ball ends up rolling out of the fighting area. Looks like another fan has received an eBay-able souvenier as well.
The soccer star gets back up on his feet but he doesn't attack. No he hangs back and bounces up and down on his feet before shuffling from side. All of this is to get his head together after all, taking impact from a wave like that is quite jarring. When he's ready, he drops into a goal keepers stance and takes a deep breath.
COMBATSYS: Roberto psychs himself up.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////// ]
Frei 0/-------/--=====|=======\-------\1 Roberto
Of course, Roberto has a second to himself anyway as Frei gets to his feet, absentmindedly rubbing a hand across the back of his hip and wincing. Concrete is hard! Don't fall on it, kids, it hurts! "Haaaa... I guess I deserve that for trying to be all acrobatic," Frei admits with a small smile. It got the job done, but the chi sage is perhaps more known for his acts of tenacity and resolve than his graceful wire-fu. Looks like the soccer player has decided to play it a little cool and careful, an approach Frei himself tends to favor. Thus he doesn't leap to the attack just yet; instead he hangs back and takes stock of the situation, drawing in a deep breath and then exhaling, pushing his hands out, tai chi style... a different hobby, perhaps, but something similar to what Roberto himself is doing.
Even as he's getting himself ready for phase 2 of this fight, Frei still has time to do a little bit of talking. "I'm glad it was you they set me up with," he says with a smile, holding his defensive stance. Whatever Roberto's going to do next, it's going to require all his concentration. "I have to keep on my toes the whole time."
COMBATSYS: Frei gathers his will.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////// ]
Frei 1/------=/=======|=======\-------\1 Roberto
The soccer star finally gets himself ready and he sees Frei getting himself ready as well. His grin gets even wider as he approaches. "I'm glad to hear that. It means people are taking me seriously."
The Golden Goalkeeper edges in slowly as his red gloved fingers wiggle. The tension is palpable as two take part in a bit of a showdown and then soccer star moves. With a sudden burst of speed the soccer star launches himself at the monk, shooting out a quick fist which mechanically is similar to a goalie punching a soccer shot aside. The soccer ball for these purposes would be Frei's head.
COMBATSYS: Frei blocks Roberto's Quick Punch.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Frei 1/-----==/=======|=======\-------\1 Roberto
It's not graceful, but it's effective; Roberto's gloved hand slaps into Frei's sudden outstretched, upraised palm with a meaty *THMP* sound... that punch may be fast but it had some force behind it, for sure. "I try to take everyone seriously," Frei says in a measured tone, solemn but not upset, so that his sincerity hopefully comes across. "I think if you want people to take you seriously, you have to be willing to extend the courtesy, after all." And there are far stranger things than soccer to be turned into fighting styles, in Frei's experience... far stranger indeed. In fact, a sport where you regularly kick, run, dive, tackle, and block seems like a damn GOOD bridge to fighting. "Plus, we've fought before, so I think I know what I'm talking about!"
The YFCC instructor doesn't want to give Roberto too much time to react, however; he brings his defending arm back and hops back a step, then suddenly surges forward, one arm held down at his side with fingers extended and then whipping upward in a parabolic arc. The hand strike sweeping toward Roberto's torso is one thing; the glittering, silver-gold aura of metallic chi that accompanies it is quite another, the strike making a sound like a ringing tuning fork if it hits... and hopefully not reminding Roberto unpleasantly of Yurika in the process.
COMBATSYS: Roberto blocks Frei's Houken.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Frei 1/-----==/=======|=======\=------\1 Roberto
"Good points." He would voice more of an agreement however the upward hand strike cuts off any further reply since he has to focus more on his defense than pleasant conversation. His hand goes up and deflects Frei's strike. While it didn't strike fully that metallic ringing noise relatively disorienting and the star striker finds himself stumbling backwards as he tries to recover at least on the mental level.
When he gets his feet back under him. He takes a moment to shake it off and then he swings a foot up into air with chi surrounding it as he attempts a toe blow to launch the monk into the air. "You've gotten a few new tricks since our last fight."
COMBATSYS: Frei fails to counter Thrust Kick from Roberto with Shindou.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////// ]
Frei 1/--=====/=======|=======\==-----\1 Roberto
Even he doesn't know it, but participating in Strolheim is actually having a positive long-term effect on Frei. For starters, it has taken a fighter who is not always given to thinking in a tactical sense and made him see the usefulness of doing so; Chizuru, his mentor, certainly uses that to her fullest advantage when fighting, to great effect. His opponents, too; Frei is used to simply following his gut, moving with intuition. But sometimes long-term planning has its usefulness too. Slowly, the two perspectives are merging in his head. And in this particular instance, that's one such example... he sees an opportunity, feels it in his bones, follows it out to its logical conclusion. In short, Frei sees the opening and he takes it.
He then gets booted in the stomach really, REALLY hard, flipping up into the air and slamming back down onto the concrete with a definitive *THUD*.
Wincing as he gets up, Frei nonetheless feels a chuckle bubble up in his throat, giving a helpless shake of the head. "Mn... I think I overreached a little too much, there," he admits. Just because you had a good idea doesn't mean it needs to be *immediately* executable, Frei.
Roberto didn't see that coming. When he performed that powerful kick it was with the intent of getting some space on his terms. But then he sees Frei reaching in and were it not for his visor, his widening eyes would be quite visible. The slight jaw drop still is though.
But then Roberto's foot impacts and the Blazing Striker finds himself breathing a sigh of relief. He doesn't know what the hell Frei was planning but he doesn't plan on asking questions. Instead he moves forward again lashing out with a low kick before hopping back to retreat.
COMBATSYS: Frei auto-guards Roberto's Light Kick!
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Frei 0/-------/----===|=======\==-----\1 Roberto
Apparently a moment of insight can do double work. His attempt to catch Roberto's kick came to naught, but it does give him a reason to work that much harder defensively. It shows, too, when Roberto comes in for another punishing leg strike; the redhead's eyes dart to the low kick and, in a defiance of his previous expression of low acrobatic skill, suddenly hops up a step or two and snaps a foot out so that, for the *briefest* of seconds, he is literally standing on Robert's kick before pushing off that momentary perch and landing in a crouch a few steps back. He takes a deep breath as he stands, pushing his hands out again, and then opens his eyes, which he didn't know he'd shut, looking... as surprised as anyone else, actually.
"It's not fun to overreach, I guess... you can lose sight of where you are. But, it's foolish not to have a dream too," Frei says, shaking out his hands. He pauses, then blinks and laughs nervously. "Not that I have a dream to hurl you onto the pavement or anything, I'm just saying." But conversation aside, Frei wants to keep the battle going; he ducks forward, hoping to snap a hand around Roberto's forearm before he can stand up fully. If he can get the grip, Frei effectively YANKS the soccer star to his feet in an arm bar with one hand... and with the other, he presses his palm into the small of Roberto's back. Which doesn't sound painful, until you consider that said palm crackles with purple lightning chi too.
COMBATSYS: Roberto reflects Shunrai from Frei with Shining Clutch.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////// ]
Frei 0/-------/--=====|=======\====---\1 Roberto
The moment he finds Frei perching on his leg the striker gasps in an uncontained bout of shock. Before he even has time to consciously think about it he lets loose a, "Huh?"
The monk touches down and he attempts to back track away from the attempt to grab his hand but he doesn't quite get away. On the other hand he does manage to shift just enough that Frei can't quite lock in the arm bar. While Roberto isn't known for his acrobatics, it is worth mentioning that soccer players do train with minor acrobatics to develop physical awareness. Plus it makes for a damn awesome goal celebration.
It's also what saves the soccer player. Using Frei as a support he performs a one handed handspring and then turning to face Frei just in time to see that purple chi lightning coming. The glowing hand draws the purple energy from the chi sage's finger tips before he redirects it right back into his hand. "It's bad to over reach and sometimes it's better be lucky than good. Hopefully I can be considered both by the end of this fight."
There is just enough time for Frei to grit his teeth and remind himself that someday, SOMEDAY he's going to have to learn that trick, before his entire arm goes numb from the sudden resurgent burst of thunderous chi. That stings, more than Frei would have thought getting struck with his own energy actually would. He's forced back a few steps, shaking his head and his arm out with a look on his face that... actually could best be described as 'just ate something that tastes unpleasant'. In a way, he did, too.
He wants to just strike back at Roberto, but his body is *aching*, and he knows the soccer player has much more to fire off before this fight is over. Instead he hangs back, making a few small but complicated passes in the air with his hands before pressing his palms together. Around him, in the air, float tiny motes of gold-green light, rising slowly upwards before disappearing into the ether. "But only the good die young? I don't know, I got nothing. But... not quite down and out just yet," he says with a faint smile.
COMBATSYS: Frei gains composure.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////// ]
Frei 0/-------/---====|=======\====---\1 Roberto
A laugh of amusement comes out when Frei makes his own response and then it's time for him to get back to business. He shifts from side to side for a moment regarding the chi sage with a focused look before he comes in.
He darts forward as he moves toward a soccer ball in a blur of speed and then he moves towards it with a glowing foot setting the soccer ball ablaze the moment it strikes sending it screaming at the chi sage. "I'd be disappointed if you were down and out."
If the soccer ball should hit, the ball should explode like a massive bomb of chi. Though he had been careful to angle it upwards so no spectator should be caught in the explosion. They'll just get a pretty light show instead.
COMBATSYS: Frei blocks Roberto's Blazing Strikers.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Frei 0/-------/-======|=------\-------\0 Roberto
Well, there's the leadup... Roberto is planning something big, and Frei can feel it ringing in his bones. The air is already humming with the fiery chi the soccer star has in store. But the young sage is determined to ride this out until the bitter end, and he braces himself to repel whatever attack comes his way, no matter the cost. And there IS a cost, indeed; the green-eyed gaze narrows as the soccer bomb screams his way, a combo of passionate energy and plain old high-velocity impact really looking to put the hurting on. But Frei is an expert at seeing attacks as something other than what they are... not necessarily their physicality, but as lines of force.
Taking a breath, he plants his feet, extends his hands palm out, and *concentrates*. It's the chi that concerns him for now, the fiery aura promising a blazing impact. But as the ball flies, Frei exerts as much counterforce as he can... and slowly but surely, like the layers of an onion, the fire starts to peel away, making crimson curls in the air as it bleeds off. By the time the ball slams into Frei's hands -- with ringing force, to be sure -- the fire is all but gone. What's left is the powerful physical impact, which still sends a bone-jarring jolt through his body.
The YFCC instructor breathes out slowly as he brings his hands down, shaking them out to relieve some of the numbness. "Huhhh... huhh... wasn't sure that was going to work." Trying not to disappoint, though, he leaves his surprise for later. Instead, he drops down in a stance almost like a football tackle, before launching himself at Roberto with some speed. But he's not attempting to ram the goalie down; rather, he tries to run *past* him snagging his arm as he goes, and *pull* him toward the ground on his back. If Frei can accomplish that much, he suddenly backsteps, raising one fist shrouded in his own version of crimson flame, and with a loud kiai, drives it right at Roberto's vulnerable tummy! Of course, there's a lot of 'if's in that equation...
COMBATSYS: Frei successfully hits Roberto with Charged Combo.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Frei 0/-------/-======|===----\-------\0 Roberto
The soccer star's recoil leaves a lot to be desired. His foot is still hanging in the air when the monk charges him down and drops him on his back to slam some fiery pain of his own into the soccer star.
The soccer star lets out a loud. "Oomph!" The pain from that attack alone was substantial but add to that the fact that Frei has been dishing out the pain for most of this fight and one could understand why Roberto is a bit slow to get up. He does still manage it though taking a deep breath before he comes back at Frei swinging a couple of fists at the monk before bringing them up to defend himself.
COMBATSYS: Roberto successfully hits Frei with Quick Punch.
- Power hit! -
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Frei 1/-------/=======|===----\-------\0 Roberto
Tough it out, soldier! At least that's what Frei TRIES to do. It doesn't quiiiiiiite work out that way. After all, the YFCC instructor IS surprisingly durable, but he's not really the type to walk into a punch with a big grin, a 'didn't hurt!', and a punch to the mush. Thus he braces himself and tries to weather Roberto's punches, but frankly has just been beat down pretty hard to this moment and doesn't QUITE have the stamina. Of course the fact that he basically put his face right in the path of Roberto's fist means the goalie hits *that much harder*, literally knocking Frei over onto his back.
When he gets back up, he blinks a couple times, wiping a hand across his mouth. He looks at Roberto with a slightly vague expression, almost quizzical. And then he brings up one hand, flickering with a shimmery silver aura, and tries to pop him one right in the nose, wordlessly.
COMBATSYS: Frei successfully hits Roberto with Quick Punch.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Frei 1/------=/=======|=====--\-------\0 Roberto
Roberto's own fatigue is getting the best of him and when he raises his hand to knock the fist to the side, the punch slips through causing him to stumble backwards in the face of this silvery chi busting him in the mush.
When the soccer star can't help but wonder why he saw a flicker of what looked like filed down serial numbers on Frei's fist. It's both amusing and somewhat bizarre that his opponent was such a master of chi usage that he could summon up Generic Chi of such great detail.
Roberto has no choice but to shake it off and continue the fight and so he pushes back forward surging forth with a pair of fists right to the sage's bread basket once again treating his opponent much like the soccer balls he usually works with.
COMBATSYS: Frei fails to interrupt Strong Punch from Roberto with Ashura Ressenjin EX.
[ \\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Frei 1/----===/=======|=====--\-------\0 Roberto
It is just not Frei's day for following his gut. He knows he doesn't have a lot of fight left in him, but he wants to see this all the way through. The problem is that going on the defensive when you're on the ropes isn't typically very smart. So instead, he grits his teeth and decides to give it the gusto, running *at* Roberto as he approaches. His muscles burn and ache as he quite literally cannibalizes internal chi to give him the boost he needs to try and pull this off... and overestimates by a mile. He tries to lead off with a chi-laced palm strike but is too slow... or Roberto's strike is far too fast. Either way, instead of a miracle comeback, he gets whomped in the face so hard he bowls over backwards. It takes him a second to even get up; he spends a moment or two on his back, staring up at the sky with a blank-eyed expression.
Eventually he yanks himself back to his feet, though his stance is a little loose, his body leaning forward a little more than it would be if he were absolutely at his best. But he's not out, not yet... and though it's a little muzzy, he keeps telling himself: you've bounced back from worse. "Good, lucky... I'm the guy with the gun," he jokes, smiling raggedly.
The crowd gasps, causing him to turn to them with a blank look. "...it's a movie quote, people."
There are some mumbled 'oh's.
When Frei makes that quote Roberto raises a hand behind his head scratching with a look of uncontained confusion. It wasn't a movie that the goalie has seen... Too much time on the pitch and not enough in the movie theater. When Frei clarifies it, his own 'oh' blends in with the chorus of them coming from the spectators.
The soccer star waits for Frei to turn back towards him and then his feet launch out with a trio of rapid fire kicks to his ribs before he leaps back with a spin putting himself behind one of his numerous soccer balls.
COMBATSYS: Frei just-defends Roberto's Triple Kick!
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Frei 0/-------/-----==|======-\-------\0 Roberto
COMBATSYS: Frei has left the fight here.
[ \\\\\\\\\\ <
Roberto 0/-------/-======|
COMBATSYS: Roberto has ended the fight here.
It's gonna be one of those fights... certainly, if the crowd is looking for the dramatic swing back and forth from crushing agony to amazing success, Frei is not disappointing them one bit. It could be, at this point, that he is simply embracing a never-say-die spirit... or that, over time, he's come to understand the competitive spirit as wanting to give everything you have until there's nothing left to give. Something a little different than his previous perception of winner-versus-loser. In the long run, philosophically speaking, the battle is more against one's self than against the other individual.
It is hard to be reflective while being kicked in the face, though.
As is his semi-trademark, though, in the last moments of his ability to fight Frei displays something akin to trance-like defensive inspiration. Each successive spinning kick meets the YFCC instructor's hands; not caught in his palms, but with circular sweeping hand movements that effectively brush each kick aside, sending the powerful blows just far enough off course that they miss. It means Frei's giving ground, of course, but that in and of itself gives him a moment to take a deep breath and start again, even as Roberto jumps back to collect himself as well.
"I dunno I've got kicks like yours," the redhead says with a tired smile, "but I can manage a LITTLE something." Twisting a bit as he runs at Roberto, Frei plants his foot and then spins his whole body, driving a sudden snap high kick to the soccer player's shoulder, a wave of sparkling blue-white ice trailing after it to add a little frosty bite to the strike.
COMBATSYS: Roberto fails to interrupt Light Kick from Frei with Mundane Save.
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > ///// ]
Frei 0/-------/----===|=======\-------\1 Roberto
In wars of attrition like this fight one needs that 'never say die' spirit. And for Roberto, it stopped being about him vs. Frei. In a brutal fight like this it has become him against himself even though Frei is still attacking him. It's about not staying down in spite of the burning he feels in his lungs and the aches in his muscles.
To get the soccer star to this point when he has been pacing himself fairly well says a lot about Frei skill on display in this fight. His achy muscles scream in protest when instead of moving to avoid his opponent, the soccer star moves in to grab Frei by the waist. The hold never gets locked in. Frei's icy kick connects before the star goalkeeper can fully extend his arms and causes Roberto to spin to the ground before he pulls himself up to one knee. His panting is audible and the sweat drips off of his face and onto the street.
Roberto might feel better when he sees Frei, post-kick, too: the short redhead retracts his kicking leg, then stumbles back in a wobbly fashion for a second before leaning forward, putting both hands on his knees in the universal symbol for 'oh jesus TIRED', taking nice big gulps of air. Apparently he and the soccer star are on the same page when it comes to what exactly is going on here... it certainly explains the nail-biting closeness of this match! "In... the movies... this looks... so easy..." Frei says with a ragged grin, standing up a little straighter, shaking his head to clear it a bit. "Just wire-fu for... ten minutes then... someone's on the ground. Never show the messy bit where everybody's freakin' tired!"
He has one last shot, Frei knows; closing his eyes for a second, he brings a hand up in front of him, palm held toward his face. Little motes of light of every color in the spectrum dance around it for a moment, before he opens his eyes, clenching his fist at the same time, the light disappearing... but a haze like heat shimmer flows around his clenched fist. "Thanks for the fight, Roberto... I mean it." And with that, he drives forward at the Taiyo super goalie, clenched fist at his side. When he gets in close, Frei digs his feet into the ground and swings his arm around, slowly as if it were carrying a heavy weight, and then opens his fist, palm out. The result is a point-blank, invisible shockwave of pure chi force, an echo of his former Fukami Reikai technique. It isn't exactly elegant, but what is, at this point?
COMBATSYS: Frei successfully hits Roberto with Reiki.
[ \\\\\\\\ < > ]
Frei 0/-------/----===|=======\===----\1 Roberto
Roberto slowly makes his way back to his feet. His breathing is heavy and he can barely keep his hands up in what could pass as a suitable guard. Undone completely by his own fatigue he weakly raises a gloved hand to intercept the palm to knock the attack off course but there's not quite enough fuel in the tank and he's sent flying backward rolling on impact with the ground.
He slowly rises to his feet once more. And then he lifts his visor to wipe the sweat from his brow before returning it to its rightful place. His body is wobbly, and there's a desperate attempt to gulp mouthfuls of air for one last attempt.
"No, I should be thanking you. Alright, Frei.... HERE I COME!!!" He takes one final gulp of breath and then he's off running at full tilt as he charges down the monk and then he shoots forward knee first to lift the monk into the air before spinning around and flipping backwards to drive Frei back to earth with a glowing Bicycle Kick.
COMBATSYS: Roberto can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\ <
Frei 0/-------/----===|
COMBATSYS: Frei blocks Roberto's Blazing Juggle.
[ \\\\\\ <
Frei 0/-------/---====|
Very, very tired indeed... and an extremely close match. That first knee is very quick and nastily powerful; worn out as he is, Frei has little to do in the way of avoiding it, and the first shot sends him skyward. However, whatever energy he has left in him, he suddenly pours into his defense in the air itself; the followup kick intended to send him back toward the ground impacts on Frei's suddenly upraised arm, the YFCC instructor having righted himself just enough so that he can deflect Roberto's final strike and land on his feet rather than his face. Which... lasts about 0.5 seconds before he tumbles backward, sitting heavily on the pavement, legs splayed and breathing heavily. That hurt.
But eventually, he *does* get up. There's not a lot of fight left in him, but there's just enough in this case. There's a few seconds of just breathing, while the crowd cheers for both tenacious fighters and the Neo League announcers work the crowd, as they do. To Frei, those are far away sounds; right now what rings in his ears are his own breathing and Roberto's sincere thanks.
Stepping over to his opponent, the redhead smiles and offers a hand up. "Sometimes I wonder how my life would be different if I'd gone to Taiyo at your age..." he says, and means it. So many powerful people appear to have come out of Taiyo High... must be something in the water. "I think it would have been fun."
COMBATSYS: Frei takes no action.
[ \\\\\\ <
Frei 0/-------/---====|
COMBATSYS: Frei has ended the fight here.
Log created on 12:16:16 02/11/2009 by Roberto, and last modified on 16:15:08 02/13/2009.