Description: While attempts to seize the other schools have not ended with success for enemy forces, that does not mean they're completely safe from harm. Having nearly had his school razed by 'R' forces, the Principal of Justice High, Raizo, has even more reason to fight against enemy forces to protect the student body: Shadaloo's disgraced Muay Thai Emperor Sagat and Kurenai have been dispatched to the school to try and wrangle power from the angry principal and seize Justice High once again. But Raizo does not fight alone: Pacific High faculty member Howard Rust is there to aid him against enemy forces. Is the angry Bear mightier than the fierce Tiger...?
The already weakened school, recovering from the last onslaught, had few defenses against the foe that was sent by Shadaloo. The time since Raizo was warned about a disturbingly small force, to when the front doors of the school were blown out with a single swift kick, might of been minutes. Weakened students and faculty charged to almost instant defeat. It is the titan of Muay Thai, once a contender for the greatest fighter alive. There was no sadism or cruelty to his nearly casual assaults, all but ignoring people not capable of injuring him. His lackeys have had much more difficult encounters thusly, as his solemn gaze looked on, ignorant of those few that fell to the sheer will and tenacity of the defenders. He could of saved them, could of with a meaningless effort, but did not. Kurenai is the only one to reach this far with him, the rest still battling outside.
As the dust clears, Sagat pulls the gauze tighter around his fist, good eye scanning around the interior. Almost listless, as if he's looking from far away. "..." Nothing is said to his associate, who may have had more then one close call as well from some last, driven attacks. Little doubt that he has no heart for this manner of work. A former king of Muay Thai, sent to shatter opposition already broken? It is almost insulting. The only reason he accepted was the knowledge of one man, a legend of old much like himself. He knows the Imawano name, and who he is. A shame they must come to blows on this kind of battlefield...
She isn't entirely sure why she's here, to be honest. The pink-haired ninja--wearing a ninja outfit, if not the hood--and wielding a bokken--is here... but why? This is /Sagat/, for godsakes. He's the Emperor of Muay Thai, titles be damned, and he's a powerhouse. She is decidedly NOT. Of course, she's done her share of the fighting, but it's up against untrained or nearly-untrained weaklings, no show required--a strike to the head, a strike to the knee, something to knock out or disable, and she's moving on, following in his wake. However, she begins to think, as Sagat caves the doors in with a single strike, this will at the least be...
...educating.
So she's beginning to warm up to the idea of fighting Raizo, or at the least, watching Raizo and Sagat clash... of course Raizo doesn't know, or perhaps shouldn't know, of her own associations with the Imawano clan, as faint as they are, but she knows a bit about him... the bear vs the tiger... this may prove to be one amazing battle.
Sagat's briefing was flawed.
Justice High is as much fortress as academy, and although its defenders have been strained somewhat by the ongoing Southtown war, Sagat has badly overestimated just how badly. The last attackers came under cover of shadow, attempted to slip into the formidable facility's basement, attempted to plant a bomb.
Raizo killed one of them and beat the other senseless while suffering relatively little damage, himself. He assumed that the lessons they learned that day would teach them not to come back.
Raizo receives brief warning about the incoming attackers. He picks up his office phone, and calls a man whose aid he's had before - and although that match had a relatively poor outcome, Hyo is busy dealing with the attackers outside. Raizo will need someone else's support to deal with the people who've pushed this far.
Sagat steps into the main hall of Justice High.
Raizo is there, suit neat and pressed, chin tilted upward, tugging the leather glove tighter on the one hand he wears it on. He stands tall - absurdly massive in every way. "So it's you," the old man rumbles. He knows that face - by reputation, more than experience, but still. Kurenai receives a brief look, and then is dismissed out of hand. No threat. Not compared to Sagat. They sent the big guns, this time. "I take it your masters didn't learn from the beating I gave the last people who came to this place."
After three days, Rolento came knocking where his newly recruited soldiers were held. Intelligence came in suggesting that they would continue to try and bring down Justice. The Pacific teacher was told in no uncertain terms that he would hurry there to bolster the weakened defenses in order to keep Justice standing... or else.
Shoved back out of the safehouse with a bag over his head for a short time, just to keep him in the dark as to where Rolento's own have set up defenses just in case the middle-aged man decided to go rogue, before long he's found his way over to Justice. His legs are killing him. He didn't have a chance to go see if his piece of shit truck was still in one piece over at Gedo.
What's he to tell Raizo? He doesn't have a ph-- all of a sudden, something vibrates in his pocket. Huh. Guess he got one stuffed in there while he wasn't looking. Rolento sure is good at preparing and coordinating these things. Even with his own intent to not stay in the dark about whatever the hell is happening to bring people to want to attack the schools as a focal point for the war, there's no denying even now he's still pretty out of the loop.
One brief phone call with a tinge of awkwardness later, Mr. Rust sneaks through the side. It's kind of funny. Nobody seems to have gone in this way. At least... until he comes across a number of people taken out by the forces that have already passed through this way. A lump falls down his throat. Who knows who's inside with them. Ol' Rusty is drawn cautiously as he edges down the hallway towards the Main Hall. There's a still air that suggests something could jump out at him at any moment. Movie-like. Not that he'd want to equate a situation so serious with movies.
Finally, he strides up to a door. He leans up against it, hoping to hear whatever might be going on from beyond. But... unfortunately, the door is much too weak from when Sagat busted his way through, the door noisily falling off hinges and crashing to the ground with a rather exaggerated dust cloud as Mr. Rust goes into a coughing fit before where the rest have gathered.
Not the sort of entrance anyone would prefer to a precarious situation!!
Oh, Sagat has no delusions about the strength that remains within Justice. If anything, he does more then Vega. The major losses have been to the less important people, the common students, the average faculty. All exceptional fighters in their own right, but as was proven by his nearly casual assault and entry, not sufficient for stopping Sagat. The huge fighter spreads his stance slightly, continuing to pull and tighten the wrappings about his fist. "...Hyo, Kyoko, Hideo... they are distracted. They will prevail... but not in time to step up to help you." Vega's mission was very clear. 'Break the spine of Justice.' Make them feel despair. Make them feel hopeless. Then, the rest would fall.
Again, Sagat does not care.
"...Hmm, hmm, hmm." A wry, solemn chuckle. "I want to see... how strong you are, when you are fighting for all you have ever worked for." His stance spreads across the ground, both his fists brought up before him. Leaning back and away, giving full mobility for his sleek, thickly muscled legs. "Settle this with me. If you defeat me, we will leave." Almost offhandedly, he glances towards Kurenai. For a moment, a seeming darkness slithers across his scarred features, good eye narrowing into a slit.
"If you interfere... I'll kill you."
A hand gestures towards Rust. "Just keep him and anyone else out of my way." Simply because Sagat wants a straight man to man fight doesn't mean anyone else much cares for that. He grins, toothily, towards the other man. Neither has an advantage in terms of imposing size. A rare treat, if nothing else.
"So. Let's begin."
"I'm not here to interfere, Sagat." Her voice is quiet, calm, assured. A front? Perhaps. Or maybe she is just that self-possessed. It's hard to say; she gives him her best bland look, even though her insides should be turning to water... She raises her weapon, slightly. No, not here to interfere, not at all, and it's only if Raizo decides to change targets that she'll be forced to do anything to him... or about him. Not that it is an idea she relishes. Raizo's strength /is/ legendary, as much so as Sagat's.
"I'm here to make sure -others- don't interfere..." Because there's no way she can take down Justice by herself, and even Sagat... even a man like him can be overwhelmed, brought down by sheer numbers. The fighters of Justice haven't yet proven it this day, there's no point in taking that risk. She nods, as he gestures towards Rust.
"As you say... that is what I'm here for." She looks across the hall, at Rust. And offers him a cheery smile, waving with her bokken.
"Old man! Over here, old man! I'm here to keep you from getting between the big guys." She pauses a moment, her eyes rolling upwards as she thinks.
"Don't know why you'd /want/ to be between 'em, but... there you go. So if you want him," she gestures at Sagat with her weapon, casually, "then I guess you gotta go through me, and you gotta do /that/ before he," again, gesturing at Sagat, "goes through /him/," and here she gestures at Raizo.
"Hope that's not too confusing for you!"
Raizo listens, and knows Sagat is right. The defenses are tough, but they've deployed just enough strength that Raizo - for all that he can act tough - is also the last line of defense.
Fine. His fist clenches.
"You wish to see my strength," the old man rumbles, and it is like the sound of an oncoming train. "Then, you shall see it."
No choice. Dialogue is impossible. He has no choice but to defeat the former Emperor of Muay Thai - or at least savage him enough that he can't continue onward. It's no small task. But...he's the only one who can do it.
"I'll give you all that you ask," Raizo adds, mumbling to himself and taking a step forward. "And far /more/ than you've bargained for!" And then he holds up one hand, a spark of chi formed there, which suddenly vanishes as that gathered energy rushes through Raizo's entire body, giving him the sudden speed to charge in long, loping bounds toward Sagat, and at the last step, he slams his clawed fingers forward right at the Muay Thai fighter!
COMBATSYS: Raizo has started a fight here on the left meter side.
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Raizo 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Sagat has joined the fight here.
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Raizo 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Sagat
COMBATSYS: Sagat has joined the fight here on the left meter side.
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Raizo 0/-------/-------|
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Sagat 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Sagat has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
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Raizo 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Sagat
Cough, cough, cough. With furious arm waving and a little bit of elbow crackling, the smoke clears enough and gives the Pacific teacher a better view of the situation he has, effectively, blundered into. A powerful voice naming names. A voice that commands fear and respect from those who know who it belongs to, and even though the man hears a whole bunch of different voices through the day, there's something about this one that sticks.
Any suspicions of who it might be are dispelled when he gets a load of who it is right here. Sagat! The one and only! With a start, the Pacific teacher stands straight up and thrusts his back against the doorframe with a grimace. Did Rolento know that he'd be here? That guy's one of the greatest there's ever been - dishonored or not! A near-death experience with Igniz has put the fear of God in him (...which one?).
While content to paste himself to a doorframe while Sagat and Raizo prepare themselves for what could be mortal combat, a young girl waving a wooden sword tries to address him. Too tense to want to peel himself away from the doorframe, his eyes try to follow her every movement, real and imagined.
"I uh, I uh... yeah. Th-that's... clear." He hisses as he considers the situation. Raizo is one of the toughest sons of bitches this world would ever know. But Sagat! /Sagat!/ Does he even stand a chance? In his fright, the (sadly) fresh memories of Kichiga's words come back to him. He was letting Raizo down over at Gedo.
Fright melts slowly into aggravation - if not outright resolve - as he pushes his left arm against the doorframe as though he were an adhesive sticker that needed to be removed. This is probably not far from the truth in essense, shoulder crackling as he leans forward and takes a step. She's a kid. Probably... half his weight? He doesn't know what it is that gets him into run-ins with psychotic young women with weapons. Maybe it's just a Japan thing. They're everywhere.
He sucks in a breath and rolls his neck as soon as he pulls himself all the way off the door frame, rubbing his left hand up and down his face. "Listen. I... I don't know what... why you're doing this. And... and you know what? I'm really. Really. Really, tired of that."
He whips Ol' Rusty forward with a flick of his wrist, one eye widening as the pain shoots through his forearm. That hand still hasn't recovered in full. It may never do so at this rate. "Hell if I know, if I know what good I am now, but don't think I'm going to," he pauses momentarily to look at Sagat. No, stop looking at Sagat!! His head snaps back to Kurenai, "...going to just... just walk away this time."
He sucks in breath one more time and makes an effort to gather up his courage, Ol' Rusty pointed at the mysterious pink-haired girl as he clenches his left hand into a fist. This path you're on, may be the only chance to get some answers and finally do something about this. Even if it's a little girl who, by all rights, probably could kick his teeth in.
In the company of the greatest Muay Thai user that ever liv-- argh, stop thinking about that, he curses himself. Now's not the time!
COMBATSYS: Rust has joined the fight here on the left meter side.
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Raizo 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Sagat
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Rust 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Rust focuses on his next action.
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Raizo 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Sagat
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Rust 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Kurenai has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
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Raizo 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Sagat
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Rust 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kurenai
COMBATSYS: Sagat endures Raizo's Claw Stab.
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Raizo 0/-------/-----==|==-----\-------\0 Sagat
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Rust 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kurenai
The rather rapid assault is observed evenly, Sagat retaining a rather solid defense. Rust is given no observation; he is not important here, to him. Kurenai can have her fun with him, or get beaten to death. That isn't on his list of priorities, really. Yet he has already realized that Raizo is not someone to underestimate in terms of speed. The weight of his muscles obviously does nothing to slow down his reflexes, the charge given a raised brow of appreciation. But he moves in the same motion, doing nothing to stop those fingers from slamming into his chest, tearing through skin and gliding along steel muscle beneath. A grimace turns into a smile, as both his massive hands try to grasp upon Raizo's shoulders, and then step past him to gain enough inertia to hurl him along, trying to send him down the hall with a growl of effort. After all, the bear is by no means the easiest person to send flying!
Kurenai eyes the length of pipe with.. curiosity. It's one hell of a weapon; it certainly has psychological impact. And probably physical impact as well; she frowns to herself. Getting hit by that will -not- be good. "Well, Mr. Rust, I wasn't expecting you to just walk away... that doesn't seem to be what the people here do very well. Walk away, that is. Some of them can walk," she shirps, "But some can't. They're kind of crawling." As Sagat and Raizo begin their clash, Kurenai is facing off with Rust, and she seems decidedly casual about the whole thing--not really approaching the man.
"But y'know, I'll tell ya. This whole thing has been very interesting... a veritable classroom of power struggles and betrayals and the like. I'm sure ten years from now it'll take up quite a place in history, whether Mr. Howard can be taken out or not."
Almost casually, the girl stops, kneeling down for a second--and then rising, smiling. Still smiling, still loose, not really holding a stance yet. "But I think one thing is becoming clear to the people who are watching this happen, here in Southtown and abroad. The truth of the world is, you have to /fight/ for what you want..." And then, she whips her arm forward, flinging a baseball-sized chunk of debris at Rust.
"And that's a lesson well worth learning!" Hey, wait. Back there. How did she know who Rust is? It's not like he's famous... something for him to think about, maybe.
COMBATSYS: Raizo blocks Sagat's Tiger Carry.
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Raizo 0/-------/----===|=------\-------\0 Sagat
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Rust 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kurenai
Sagat makes a move to grab Raizo, and the big man makes use of that same bewildering speed to get out of it; he snaps both arms up, exerting the simple leverage of his enormous arms to keep Sagat from getting anything more painful than a grip. He has to move fast to stop anything further coming his way. No words - men like this don't need words. The Muay Thai fighter is an intense, powerful enemy, and Raizo has to focus all his concentration on beating him as quickly as possible, causing all the harm his body is capable of causing - and Raizo can really run a man through the wringer.
He moves fast - leaning back just a couple degrees, which Sagat will soon find to be because he's about to jab a very well-shined shoe into the Muay Thai warrior's gut!
COMBATSYS: Rust dodges Kurenai's Thrown Object.
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Raizo 0/-------/----===|=------\-------\0 Sagat
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Rust 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kurenai
Well, here the shop teacher is. In the middle of yet another siege, up against another opponent more than happy to lend themselves to the cause of attacking Southtown. His stance loosens a little as she speaks his name. She knows him? Well... then again he's been on national TV a few times, hasn't he. Problem solved! (...Is it really?) He reasserts the stance as she continues on about this whole war issue. Interesting, she calls it. Like none of this affects her, whether Mr. Howard can be taken out or-- whaaaaat?!
Surprise emerges rather comically as she casually slips this fact. All this for taking out Geese Howard? /The/ Geese Howard? The shock is such that he doesn't stop her from going through with the collection of that little piece of debris as Kurenai runs down the list of pretty much every trait that has gotten under the skin of one Howard Rust through his stay. Sassy mouths, giving life lessons to someone likely twice their age, brandishing weapons, and a seemingly casual disregard of others' lives... all this, and a great grasp of English! (Whoever teaches these kids that much deserves a gold medal.)
A loud grunt later coinciding with the timely bending of his knees (which are about as loud as the grunt) later, he snaps back to reality as he hefts himself into the air with a modest leap. The height he can manage is wholly unimpressive. The baseball-sized debris just scrapes underneath one of his boots in a near miss.
"And you're all right with--" He yells this half-completed sentence as he hops forward, but even with that forward movement it's questionable if he'd even leap within arm's length of the young girl. The break in the statement is more when he realizes this half-way into the question, thrusting Ol' Rusty forward in an attempt to somehow maybe tag her with the end of it with another grunt given how his pipe-wielding palm simply stings. He puts so much into this movement that by the time he's to make contact with the ground, he's not going to be in a great position to land smoothly - if she lets him do so at all.
Graceful aerial movements are not his forte.
COMBATSYS: Sagat fails to interrupt Heavy Kick from Raizo with Tiger Uppercut.
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Raizo 0/-------/---====|===----\-------\0 Sagat
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Rust 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kurenai
Indeed, Sagat has no needs for words either. The challenge is simple, and the odds are great. Raizo will win, or Raizo will fall, and leave the school to operate without him. And certainly, Sagat is already realizing he was correct in this drive making him stronger. Fighting aggressively, fearlessly, leaving openings that are misleading. The lean backwards is observed, and he rears back one fist, tightening it in a creak of taut bandages. "TIGER..." he growls, swinging out his fist. But Raizo's range wins, by a sliver; slamming into his hardened defenses, the old teacher kicking himself away as much as the mountain is staggered backwards. A blur of his fist, slicing through the air a mere inch from contact. He doesn't follow through; instead stepping backwards, relaxing the muscles in his body and patting his stomach. "Hmm." A curious appraisal. But the initial foreplay of the fight shouldn't last for long; soon, the mutual attempts to shatter bodies will ensue.
COMBATSYS: Kurenai just-defends Rust's Power Strike!
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Raizo 0/-------/---====|=------\-------\0 Sagat
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Rust 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kurenai
Problems build up quickly. Problem one--Rust isn't as slow as he appears. The dodge isn't graceful, it isn't artful, but it performs as wall as needs to be. Problem two: Rust is also a bit faster than she was expecting, his pipe swinging in, the very end of it whipping around, threatening potential serious bodily harm for the young girl.
That's okay. She's got a plan. Considering the angle of attack for a moment, Kurenai first angles her weapon--and then, at the right moment, she leaps, just as the pipe is making contact. With her weapon in hand, she pushes off--taking the momentum, essentially, for her own, being flung sideways--but in a controlled manner--and then touching down to the flooring, pushing off, and leaping high.
As she comes down, she then shifts her grip on her weapon--and aims a falling, cleaving strike at Rust's crown, her weapon flaring ablaze with pink-white chi as she slashes downwards. Not as deadly as a 'real' sword, but... that's okay by her. She doesn't want to kill anyone. Yet.
"Am I alright with what? With what's happening here? Sure! Why wouldn't I be? It's all good fun! Look at those two, they're having the times of their lives over there! We should aspire to such good humor!"
Raizo's sheer mass is his greatest asset - it is no falsehood, for he truly is as monstrously strong as his body looks. But at the same time his speed and skill with that body are the sort of thing that few fighters of his scale can achieve, and that misconception people so easily reach serves to his advantage - witness, as Sagat's Tiger Uppercut slices past Raizo's chin by a hair, and Raizo's leg hammers home, sending Sagat backward. Raizo doesn't grin or sneer. Sagat isn't that hurt - surprised, maybe, probably not in good shape, but not nearly as savaged as other lesser men would be by two solid hits from Raizo.
Raizo rumbles in return, and then seizes on Sagat's momentary lull, surging forward and, rather than a punch or a kick, grabbing at Sagat's shoulder with one arm, sticking one leg out and simply tossing him across the leg, meaning to trip him to the ground - where Raizo can apply /gravity/ to his strength.
COMBATSYS: Rust fails to interrupt Power Strike from Kurenai with Medium Strike.
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Raizo 0/-------/---====|=------\-------\0 Sagat
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Rust 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Kurenai
Some of that previously expected slowness may live up to expectations when Rust lands on his knee with a small thump and another soft vocalization of effort and discontent alike, left hand pressed against the ground as he leans in that direction, his right leg raising as to get his footing. It'll be a short while. One eye is shut as irritating dust reaches his left eye and a nostril. This gives him a nasty blind side.
This also happens to be the side Kurenai moves to in her skillful defensive maneuver against the strike with nary a hint other than whatever noise she might make on her first landing. He misses this, sniffling from the rising urge to sneeze along with a sudden stiffness of his neck preventing him from looking over that-away. It's when she starts flapping his gums that he knows exactly where she's headed.
By 'exact' it's more 'argh she's at my blind side!'
The consideration that he struck out at a young lady - considering the dislike he has for having to come to blows with children - or rather the absence of such really coincides with something she says about good fun. Fighting really used to be good fun. Things were looking up at last for him, getting in the Neo League and holding up relatively okay.
Uncertain of what she's actually doing thanks to the whole 'blind side' issue, he sweeps Ol' Rusty in an upward sweep from right to left. A respectable anti-air maneuver, with the problem being he can't get the swing out fast enough with how close the glowing bokken is to striking his skull.
The very moment of impact, Ol' Rusty is pointed upwards. The swing stops abruptly as the strike lands clean on his skull with a rewarding, loud echo of wood against bone, the high school teacher biting his cheek and suddenly gaining a slight hankering for some snack or another as his head bobs down under the righteous impact.
His left hand reaches for his scalp moments later, vision going blurry as he exaggeratedly bobs back and forth from his kneeling position while it feels like skulls are clattering around his head. All that, and his eye still itches.
COMBATSYS: Raizo successfully hits Sagat with Quick Throw.
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Raizo 0/-------/---====|===----\-------\0 Sagat
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Rust 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Kurenai
Once more Raizo's relentless assault breaks through Sagat's charge; a man who might be the peer of Raizo's size, but obviously does not share his ability to move with remarkable agility and speed. He is someone who is the master of range and keeping opponent's away, but the principal can break through such and take advantage of it far better then most. The sound of Sagat hitting the ground is remarkably loud, a sharp grunt finally showing that the moves are certainly getting through. But he kicks up, rolling away and falling into a crouch. "Hmm hmm hmm... I am glad I came... you are as strong as I heard." He wipes his mouth with a bandaged hand, glancing at the crimson before spitting aside. Kurenai's progress isn't glanced at. Whether she wins or loses won't matter, unless Rust decides he wishes to be a hero after all. "Come!! I am only getting started!" He then begins to slam his fists together, snarling as the air fills with the presence of his chi, carrying a sharp, almost feral quality as he narrows his good eye towards Raizo opposite...
COMBATSYS: Sagat gathers his will.
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Raizo 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\0 Sagat
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Rust 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Kurenai
Kurenai lands from her strike, and hops backwards, immediately putting a touch of distance between Rust and herself. First blood to her--but it isn't the first strike that's most important, but the last. Still, she -does- appear to be having fun--more so than the two sourpusses over there. Maybe it's just that she's a touch less worried about how this fight's going to go--she doesn't really have anything at /stake/... othe than her life. But that's the life of a fighter. Stepping into the ring, raising arms... the ocntest of life, given a distinct form. She is one of the first of her family to experience it--and she loves it.
"Ooh... I hope that didn't hurt too much, we've still got a long ways to go before either of us can be declared the victor... I don't know about those two over there... but I definitely think we should be enjoying life! After all, we'r both still alive..." An almost callous remark, rally, considering the kind of casualties the war's brought about. But that's just her nature.
Even if Rust looks all wobbly, she's still approaching him with care, with a certain sort of wariness, her weapon slung across her back, held in her right hand. And then she's charging forward.
"HA! HA! HAAAAA!" comes the kiai, as she slide-lunges forward, slashing at Rust repeatedly, firing off a series of three chi-infused slashes at his torso.
Raizo sends Sagat to the ground - he notes the sound of the man's fall, acute eyes gauging the other fighter's condition. Raizo's doing damage. Good. But he can't let up, especially as he watches Sagat begin preparing himself, gathering his strength for a crushing assault. Well, Raizo can't let THAT happen.
"Only getting started, you say," Raizo rumbles, setting his body for the attack once more. "Good, then," the old man says, setting himself - watching Sagat's movements, bracing himself for what comes next. He has to be in position to hit at just the right time.
"Let us begin," he says.
COMBATSYS: Raizo focuses on his next action.
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Raizo 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\0 Sagat
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Rust 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Kurenai
COMBATSYS: Rust blocks Kurenai's Hell Splitter.
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Raizo 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\0 Sagat
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Rust 0/-------/----===|-------\-------\0 Kurenai
Sagat's soft laughter and happiness with his battle, Raizo's seeming acceptance of this, and Kurenai's crooning all come out as a little loud and echo-y to the Pacific teacher's swimming consciousness as his bizarre crouching swagger continues. Well, more hers than the others, she's closer. Clearer. Louder. Even with her caution, he appears pretty defenseless. He /is/ pretty defenseless. Ugh, his head, how that stings.
A bright flash of light comes before him, threatening to leave spots in his vision as the first of the chi-infused slashes nails him just under his right arm. His eyes shoot wide open, even with the left one twitching from itchiness. Hello! His arms flail as he comes to grips with consciousness. His left elbow accidentally catches the second one, making him wince - it is actually rather painful, preventing him from doing the proper fist clench as the last blow comes in from his right. His forearm takes the blow. It is not the one he prefers to do any catching with. Never has. It's even worse when you're nursing a significant injury to the respective hand with almost every waking hour. The force is as such that Ol' Rusty nearly gets forced into his own face. Blood trickles out the side of his left mouth. He bit that cheek pretty hard.
"Hngh!" A generic grunt as his left arm tries to go around her right upper arm, to yank her forward as he intends to slam the butt end of Ol' Rusty into her chest while simultaneously using his grip on her as a means to help him stand up - never mind that she is almost half his weight and that she may be cunning enough to slip out of any sort of hold he might have on her - to put just a little distance between the two and actually, oh, put up a fight.
"I just don't... get kids these days," he mutters to himself all the while a little too loudly.
So, the offense is relented to Sagat. Potentially an error, he muses. To a lesser fighter. But there is only signs and information that the man opposite is a brilliant tactician. Many might think Sagat to be a simple brute, but his complacence comes from lack of challenge. He can feel his blood begin to boil, the weightless surge of adrenaline, hear the increasing beat of his heart. A true battle, the first in countless weeks. He grins, but this savagery is reserved for the conflict. They could be in a sand ring in Muay Thai rather then this broken town, and his expression would be no different. "Good...!!" He rears back both of his arms suddenly, and then slams them forward, a spike of chi rippling down his elbows and coalescing into a ball at his fists, launched forward with brutal force by the kinetic motion. A wash of air and debris is blown away in it's wake, the huge blue orb screaming towards Raizo. "TIGER SHOT!!"
COMBATSYS: Kurenai dodges Rust's Armed Combo.
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Raizo 0/-------/---====|======-\-------\0 Sagat
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////// ]
Rust 0/-------/----===|-------\-------\0 Kurenai
PRrimly, Kurenai informs Rust, "Adults aren't /supposed/ to get kids, didn't you know that?" She sees what's he's doing--what he's attempting--and her repsonse is... well, why not let him up? The grip on her arm she allows; in fact, she even counterbalances so Rust can get back on his feet. This has the effect, though, of allowing her to throw off that intended hiltbash. "Whoa!" she says, with a grin, as she slips her arm free of the teacher's grip, perhaps leaving him a tough unbalanced. It's nothing he can't recover from, as the girl take a half-moment to obtain her stance--weapon held high, the tip almost even wtih her face.
She retains stillness for only that half moment, and then she's attacking Rust, lunging forward, stabbing outwards with the weapon repeatedly, aiming for seemingly random spots on his torso. Strike after strike she fires, some feints, some real, perhaps aiming to try and find weak points in his defenses, places he isn't defending as well... it's a swift and almost furious attack, but there's a calculated pattern to the striking, one that might not be immediately apparent, as she moves forward.
"Besides, kids don't get adults either, usually," she continues, as if the conversation hadn't been broken by several moments of strenuous movement, "all this guff about responsibility and doing what's right and all that... just doesn't seem to matter right now!"
COMBATSYS: Raizo parries Sagat's Tiger Shot!
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Raizo 0/-------/-======|======-\-------\0 Sagat
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////////// ]
Rust 0/-------/----===|-------\-------\0 Kurenai
Raizo sees it. His eyes follow Sagat's motions. He's getting into it - that could be bad, Raizo surmises. He could become more willing to use dangerous moves that could turn the tide of this battle in a heartbeat. Raizo himself must resist the anger that is boiling in the pit of his stomach - he must be efficient, ruthless, yes. But if he allows anger to drive him, that sliver of difference in his reactions will end this fight in an instant. He grits his teeth. The chi gathers. Raizo sets his feet. Sagat throws the ball, screaming toward Raizo, and Raizo traces its path in his mind even before it gets there - and at the last possible moment, Raizo shows off that tremendous agility again.
He squats down, getting all the strength into his legs, and BOUNDS over the incoming Tiger Shot, somersalting in midair and coming down neatly on all fours in the debris-strewn path it carved, and then he transfers all that momentum forward, shoving off into Sagat - not with a shoulder tackle or a body blow, but rather with arms out stretched, such that when Raizo /gets/ there, they begin to fall - like a torrential rain of claws.
COMBATSYS: Rust fails to interrupt Random Strike from Kurenai with Cement Upper.
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Raizo 0/-------/-======|======-\-------\0 Sagat
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Rust 0/-------/----===|-------\-------\0 Kurenai
His grip is sure, for a moment's time. The momentary delay seems maybe a little too perfect as he helps himself to his feet, curteousy of the latest superpowered teenager to be on the ball both in terms of the fight, and of the trash talk. She reinforces her advantage in the foremr in very short order when she pulls herself away, leaving Mr. Rust to lean forward with his right foot going forward as his readjustment to his balance. He exhales loudly as his left eye clenches itself shut again, a little watery from the dust.
He really hates it when he sees grins like /that/. Zach's used to really brush him the wrong way, because there is something about those kinds of smiles. Something about them, that suggests they know they have the upper hand and intend to continue to press it. This can't keep going for longer, even if within the first moments of their meeting, he learned something significant - who their target is.
He learns one thing. Kurenai, potentially, can stand to learn a whole lot more. At least, about her target. Mr. Rust has a whole lot of physical tells and, likewise, probably one of the worst overall poker faces in fighting. It's not even his face, per se. It's every part of his body. The little creaks of his joints when he moves about too swiftly are tell-tale signs of his daily pains from working himself to the bone in his young adult years. His knees may appear particularly juicy. The varying amount of tension his right hand puts on Ol' Rusty speaks volumes - it hurts to squeeze. If Kurenai has ever seen any of his Neo League battles, it's plain as day to know that he likes to ward off blows with his left arm, and earlier she scored a pretty good shot against the elbow. She also may stand to learn that, usually, you have to put a lot of effort in a strike to really deter him.
His arms go out to either side, Ol' Rusty pointed backward as she pokes at his torso. He seems to let this stand without much discomfort. He doesn't seem ticklish in any of those first four legitimate hits in her routine. His right hand starts to spin the pipe around behind him, showing that despite the clumsiness and generally slow movements, he at least has good manual dexterity. He's a craftsman in more than a few trades. These things tend to go hand-in-hand.
"Of course it matt--" He says this as he swings Ol' Rusty up into an uppercut swing that displaces a bit of the air in front of it. The technique that is his old standby, the Cement Upper. It still has no relevance to any cement, but Kurenai times a particular strike perfectly as the weapon slides under his right arm and pokes pretty good at where he was struck just moments before - right under the arm, in fact. His eyes bug out, his vocal rebuke about responsibility halted as the reflex makes the swing angle itself away to Kurenai's side. He stumbles back, maintaining at least the ability to stand on his two feet, as he inhales some air, grunts lowly, and lets his head sag a bit. To let a little hit like that stop him... guess he wasn't 100% recovered from the Igniz beating.
COMBATSYS: Raizo successfully hits Sagat with Kyoujyuu Reppa EX.
- Power hit! -
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Raizo 1/------=/=======|=======\==-----\1 Sagat
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Rust 0/-------/----===|-------\-------\0 Kurenai
Ah... Raizo is giving no mercy, no quarter. His eye widens in surprise at the effortless escape of the massive orb, trying to pull up his arms to regain his guard, but it happens too fast. His chest is gouged open, sent staggering back, letting loose a nearly animal growl as he brings up his knee and forearms too late to do much good. Now he is angry. The calm, enjoyable facade has been shattered, and an almost hate burns within him as lips peel back from his teeth. "...!!" His performance is poor. Raizo knows it, and Sagat knows that the old man knows it. How can this be? Sagat gets the fight he has been hungry for, but his body fails to obey. His reflexes are dulled. His instincts are worn. Mild, but enough for the predatory bear to make sport of him. If that is the case, then he will see if the principal can also make sport of his rancor!
"Tiger..." he begins again, before rushing towards Sagat. Sweeping down a vicious, bone shattering kick, then snapping up for another towards his face, repeating this one-two combination again before driving up a knee, once, then a second hard enough to take him off the ground... Before leaping forward, whirling his entire body around to send a heel erupted in flame screaming opposite. Attempting to /slam/ into Raizo, and show him the power of the former Muay Thai titan.
"RAID!!"
Truth be told, she really doesn't know much about him at all. Barely enough to fill in a name and face. She's just trying to keep him off-balance mentally as well as physically. She knows full well that despite her seeming success and dominance... a solid hit from the teacher and they're even, if not putting him ahead. Battle is like that. She's prepared for the possibility that she -will- lose; nowhere in her head does she even remoately think that she's infallible or invincible. But moments havet to be taken as the come. Learning is found where it can be. She's learning about him in a combative sense--she thinks to herself, suddenly, she might like to learn more about him philosophically.
That will probably have to wait; she somehow doesn't think he'll be open to just sitting around and chatting over tea and cookies. Not anytime soon, anyways. It isn't even about the hits he's taken--here she is, an obvious member of the opposing force.
After the strikes are made she returns to her stance, gazing at Rust, her exprssion somewhat clearing, becoming more serious. But not entirely. "Really, I think you should just let loose a little, have some fun. There aren't many areas of life where it's socially acceptable for a grown man to swing a rusty pipe at a young woman, after all!"
In a sparring session, she'd probably let up right about now, let her opponent get their balance back. But while she is learning a lot from this fight, it's no sparring match, and so she comes again, using a somewhat unusual form; lunging, she throws a full power thrusting front kick... which falls short, becoming the base for a low stance. That stance is the base for the power overhead slash she brings down, the blade once again lighting up with her pink-white chi.
COMBATSYS: Raizo interrupts Tiger Raid from Sagat with Ursa Ultimate EX.
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Raizo 0/-------/--=====|====---\-------\0 Sagat
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Rust 0/-------/----===|-------\-------\0 Kurenai
Raizo is not intending to mock Sagat, but with this level of performance, it is perhaps inevitable that Sagat will feel shamed. Raizo does him the mercy of not laughing off his failures, however; instead, when Sagat peels away, Raizo lets him, hands clenched and bracing himself for the next round of combat. Sagat will come in hard, this time. Raizo has to capitalize on the merest of split seconds.
He's watching closely, but he underestimates Sagat's speed on the first attack - Sagat's foot catches him in the gut: "WHOOF!" and then in the face: "AUGH!" and then one, two, again, again! It hurts, a lot, but Raizo keeps his eyes open, seeking, searching, finding that perfect moment!
Sagat shifts his weight to shoot his knee up. He finds no purchase - Raizo has skirted back just a step, just enough that Sagat is now left soaring helplessly through the air - right as Raizo bellows a howl of war and leaps into him, tackling him a full five feet, laying into the ex-Muay Thai Emperor with fists and claws and bodymass.
COMBATSYS: Rust blocks Kurenai's Heavy Strike.
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Raizo 0/-------/--=====|====---\-------\0 Sagat
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Rust 0/-------/---====|-------\-------\0 Kurenai
The teacher's left hand rubs the spot that threw his reliable technique off the swing as he is stuck in a corner (metaphorical - not physical, there's plenty of space behind him) with someone who happens to be enjoying what's going on around her. A whole lot like that loud and mouthy kid with the skateboard from when he was staggering along back from Gedo. No care for anyone or anything else around them, but their own enjoyment. That, along with the typically poor grades of his class on average, is not something that makes the man very happy with his lot in life when he dwells on what is wrong with it.
As she draws back to her stance, his left hand rubs at his own face, wiping away the irritation in his left eye as he noisily swallows another lump. Raizo's roaring makes him shudder and bring his left arm - still a little sore - to a defensive position in front of him over absolutely nothing... you know, just in case. People of great prestige, power, and sheer /presence/ have that effect on a man nowhere near as great in ability.
"Have fun?" You know... he'd like to. He had stars in his eyes when he came to Southtown. It was the perfect chance to try for his chance in the sun at last, then his job caught up with him. Everything seemed to fall back into line after so long... only for the war to happen, and with it many of its harsh realities.
She throws a powerful front kick, of which he leans back. The feint throws him off, crackling in his knees and, notably, his shoulder as he tries to work out what he's doing here. Stand? Move? Wha-- she goes high for the powerful overhead slash, at which point he turns his upper body to the left to catch the blow with his shoulder. The arm after it doesn't seem apt to want to move, but the shoulder will do just fine.
The pink-white chi splashes out explosively as an accessory to the loud crash of wood against bone, Mr. Rust refusing to give up much additional ground based on the clenching of his teeth and the narrowed eyes as sweat runs down the side of that awful combover. Blood starts down the other side of his mouth. He bit the other cheek.
"Young lady," he hisses, "it's not... socially... acc-acceptable to come after... come after teachers with," His knuckles on his right hand crack loudly. Telltale sign! "A," His right shoulder and elbow make other disconcerting pops as he tries to force them out of rigidity, Ol' Rusty pointing downwards, "WEAPON!"
He exhales laboriously as he tries to hook Ol' Rusty somewhere along that ensemble. Somewhere, somewhere around there, and jerk it upward to toss the pink-haired math prodigy as to toss her with the end of Ol' Rusty instead up and behind him instead of doing it with his own two hands. It's much like a wrecking ball, if the rest of the machine behind it were in serious need of oiling.
...A really loose wrecking ball, anyway. She's not likely to stay there for long, if at all.
Well, in the midst of his terrific assault, Raizo blew through it and tackled him backwards. Hardly a harmless trade, but in his state Raizo can make those kind of sacrifices to try and bring him down. The mountain is sent through the air and slams into the ground, before grasping Raizo and snarling again as he heaves him offwards, not enough to do damage, or even take him off his feet, but breaking the grapple is irrevocable. Getting up in short order, the apparent vulnerability turns into an asset... as one clenched fist is suddenly sent flying, lunging towards Raizo and attempting to slam it into him, to take him airborne. "TIGER BLOW!" he bellows out again, a hint of desperation now evident within his attacks. No words, no flash, nothing but the raw battle -- and he is hardly harmless to the calculating principal in this state, which would become more then apparent if he connected...
COMBATSYS: Rust successfully hits Kurenai with Wrecking Ball Swing.
- Power hit! -
>> Decisive Hit!! <<
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Raizo 0/-------/--=====|===----\-------\0 Sagat
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////// ]
Rust 0/-------/-======|===----\-------\0 Kurenai
Few things are constant in battle. Luck, skill, speed, strength. All these factors are variables, and each moment is an equation that can be solved, with all of the right factors accounted for. But inevitably, everyone makes a mistake. In a moment, Kurenai make hers; she jigs just a little to one side than she expected, her right foot landing badly on debric--and she's caught. Caught, and slung upwards, shrieking, barely managing to keep hold of her weapon throughout the chaotic movements, hurled about for a dizzying few goes before she's slung away, flying off to go hurtling into a wall.
The sound it makes is a dull thud--possibly hardly audible over the clashing roar of bear and tiger--but she certainly feels it. Her fall from the wall looks graceless, limp, but she recovers it halfway down, landing on her feet--and one hand, her left. Rising up, she gasps, "... ow..." Okay, so, taking hits is never 'fun', unless you're a freak like, say, Vice and Mature. Still, she doesn't yet appear to be too badly injured--it just confirms that she really can't let the man exchange blows like that.
"Oh, I know... except it is, in the guise of fighting! Look at Taiyo! Their teachers mix it up with students all the time! It doesn't bother them!" Which is probably true. But Taiyo is special.
"Anyway, teach, you sure hit hard, I'll give you that..." Moving in again, she appears to have something in her left hand--another chunk of concrete. That is thrown at Rust again--but it's just a feint, really, as she comes leaping at Rust, her blade drawn back for a thrust downwards, at Rust's chest.
COMBATSYS: Raizo blocks Sagat's Tiger Blow.
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Raizo 0/-------/=======|====---\-------\0 Sagat
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////// ]
Rust 0/-------/-======|===----\-------\0 Kurenai
Raizo tears into Sagat, sending him backward until the other man manages to force him back. Raizo drops immediately back to a ready center. He's been on the offense this entire fight. He's felt the strength Sagat can bring to bear against him, a force even Raizo has difficulty resisting. But he has to keep fighting, keep pushing - has to take this man down. This is his life's work. He will defend it decisively. They will see the power of Raizo Imawano, and know that it is not to be trifled with.
Not that Raizo can call this /trifling/. Sagat lunges forward, furious and strong, and Raizo brings his arms up, catching the blow on his forearm rather than the chin. It hurts, badly, and Raizo grunts in pain at the power of it. He has to act fast, crush the last of Sagat's strength with what force he still has.
So while Sagat is still recovering from Raizo deflecting the worst of that blow into his arms, Raizo spreads his arms open, and with a wordless growl, wraps them around Sagat.
And then he SQUEEZES.
COMBATSYS: Kurenai successfully hits Rust with Crushing Strike.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////// ]
Raizo 0/-------/-======|====---\-------\0 Sagat
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////// ]
Rust 1/-------/=======|===----\-------\0 Kurenai
Through that time he has her in his grasp, he works his right arm for all it's worth even as his body wants to lock itself in place. Any loss of force from fighting against his own muscles, his own joints, seems almost mitigated when he puts as much as he does into it. This whole affair could very well be life or death because THERE IS FREAKING SAGAT and while Raizo may have the upper hand, this fact is lost on the shop teacher because THERE IS FREAKING SAGAT and he doesn't know about some of those kids out there but THERE IS FREAKING SAGAT and him being around at all, let alone a part of the attacking force against a school, is a cause for worry no matter how many attractive pink-haired teenagers happily say it's time to loosen up because THERE IS FREAKING SAGAT.
He coughs once as he turns to face where he's flung the poor girl, the cloud of dust briefly obscuring that she's managed to gain her footing along the way down. Did I really just... break a little girl against the wall? Her little gasp of pain makes him think so. That sort of empathy that comes from a guy who, at his core, really does not like the idea of having to /hit/ a kid earns a wince in turn as he wipes blood from his mouth.
That she pipes up again soon after is not much relief to that or the problems at hand (attack against Justice, THERE IS FREAKING SAGAT, her), turning his back to the Raizo and Sagat spectacle unwillingly, Ol' Rusty pointed towards her while she goes on about how Taiyo enjoys it. He shakes his head, he's not Taiyo, he's not part of that crazy hive mind that turns innocent pastimes into ways to kill people. His grip on the pipe weakens as another surge of pain goes through his right hand. He doesn't want to have to keep this up much more. He deals with a lot of aches every day, but this is the one that might push him over the treshold.
She not only gives him that he hits hard, she also gives him a large piece of concrete. He doesn't really have a whole lot to fear from mere little (actually large) pieces of concrete. Yet, as with just about everything that's happened with his time in Southtown, he doesn't think he should take that for granted. She's outplayed him every step of the way. If he stood there and took it, then what? How many could he take?
Growling, he bends his legs down and leaps. This is pointless, as the feint sees to the concrete landing well short of him. He meets Kurenai air-to-air, turns out - where her superior jumping height gives her the higher ground in an environment he's not terribly agile in. She's high up enough from him, in fact, he doesn't have any real way to stop the crushing strike.
Thanks to the difference in height and that the teacher moved forward enough into it in his pathetic leap that almost any fighter out there has a right to laugh at, she gets him in the head again. There's another loud collision of wood and bone as he is powered downwards, falling into an (uncomfortable but mercifully short) backwards roll over some debris that, in a way, hurt a bit more than the actual strike although a bruise is forming underneath that UTTER LIE of hair.
"Grrrbrlrlhbrggrh." This is the only way to put the groan in readable form as Ol' Rusty is leaned upon for support with his left hand. He shakes his right hand out in a futile attempt to get the stings to stop... shouldn't be he nursing his skull? His back turns to Kurenai again as Raizo goes in for a bear hug against Sagat. In any other circumstance, this would be really entertaining to watch.
He huffs once more, clenching his left palm on the end of Ol' Rusty that so happens to be there. He's not sure what Kurenai plans to do behind him. Rush in? Toss something? Jump at him again? With a bit of effort, he gives another old favorite the ol' college try, bending his knees down and leaping ag-- no, it's a handstand! He can't hold it for long. He's just hoping Kurenai is behind him in the process of lifting his feet up as he loses balance moments later, landing flat on his back a very short ways towards Raizo's and Saga
t's battle.
COMBATSYS: Raizo successfully hits Sagat with Bearhug.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > // ]
Raizo 1/------=/=======|=======\-------\1 Sagat
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////// ]
Rust 1/-------/=======|===----\-------\0 Kurenai
To be defeated by a hug might look comical to some, but he knows the ominous tidings in a heartbeat. He glances right, seeing a tree trunk arm. He glances left, a similar looming threat. Before him, an eclipse of angry suit. He tries to bring up his forearms, but to no avail. Raizo has a better vantage point to apply that shattering force, breaking down his resistance as he feels his bones creak in defiance. "Hss..." But still no shout of pain, no final bellow, and his furious attempt to break that hold fails. He is held until Raizo finishes, and then drops to one knee, fist impacting the ground to brace him. His good eye rolls up, peering towards the other man. That rage remains, body seeming to tense, a snarl warping his lips... but then he stops, and it leaves him like a ghost exorcised. Again that deep chuckle, as the massive figure manages to unsteadily get to his feet. "...a good fight..." he offers, definite respect apparent. "...I will challenge you again, when I am better on my game." He holds up a hand haltingly towards Kurenai, obviously letting her know the battle is concluded. "...I will not raise my hand against the schools again, and my men will retreat. You have my word." Some improvement, mayhaps, on the vile vengeance conquering his soul. He learned something hear, and for that, Raizo has some grudging if unspoken thanks.
COMBATSYS: Sagat takes no action.
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Raizo 1/------=/=======|===----\-------\0 Kurenai
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rust 1/-------/=======|
COMBATSYS: Sagat can no longer fight.
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Raizo 1/------=/=======|===----\-------\0 Kurenai
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rust 1/-------/=======|
COMBATSYS: Rust successfully hits Kurenai with Crashing Down.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Raizo 1/------=/=======|=======\-------\0 Kurenai
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rust 1/-----==/=======|
Oh, man. Oh /man/. Did she just see Sagat get taken apart? She is going to be up /all night/ writing her after-action report, because wording what she saw (in bits in pieces) is going to take a long time. Perhaps the uniqueness of seeing Sagat actually fall distracts her--distracts her enough that she's not paying full attention to Rust. This is a mistake. By the time she's got her brain focused back where it is, Rust's flipkicking her, in a very... unorthodox manner. And the impact is pretty damn tremendous; she gasps, again, as she's kicked away from Rust at fairly high speed.
However, she's not KOed--and she years what Sagat says. About withdrawing, and not troubling the schools of Southtown. It's a disappointment but... no one is going to argue with Sagat. Except maybe Vega. And he is welcome to do so.
Kurenai, for her part, flips in midair, once again landing--then works her jaw a few moments, making sure everything is in place and hinged together, working properly. Right.
Glancing at Rust, and at Raizo, she smiles, apologetically, and bows. "It seems as though he wants us to leave... and so I shall. It was fun, Mr. Rust. You sure do hit hard... as I thought you might."
And she backs out of the school, before turning around, and making her way out. An interesting day, if not one that Vega will like overmuch. That, however, is not her concern.
Raizo squeezes Sagat's body until he fears his strength will kill the man, and only when he feels Sagat's strength beginning to wane entirely does Raizo release the savage embrace, stepping back, falling into combat posture. No chances will be taken.
But then Sagat offers his surrender, and Raizo's arms slowly lower to his sides, and the old man nods, offering a small grin on his ursine face. "I'll look forward to that day," he says. "Until then...you'd best be going."
A pause, and then Raizo rumbles, nodding his head, "Your honor does you credit."
The shop teacher is flopped on his back with a 'whump,' just staring upward into the ceiling with only a smattering of satisfaction, if it's even that, of his feet hitting something light. he hears little pieces of what Sagat says - he's withdrawing and won't attack the schools again? You know, that's really good news. Really good news. Maybe. He's a bit out of breath, just soaking in the collective wounds of Kurenai's many strikes on his person.
He throws his right hand up into the air as Kurenai addresses him about leaving, talking about it's fun, about how hard he hits... he has a mouthful to tell you, young lady!! A real mouthful, about... about kids, why she shouldn't be all smiley, why she shouldn't... ah, what's the use. He lets the hand drop back on the ground. He groans. Shouldn't have let it hit the ground that hard. They're going, right?
"Hey, uh... Principal Imawano," he coughs out in a tired, strained voice, "hi, uh... belatedly, I'm your... your help." He's got a lot to talk about, if what the pink haired girl said is indeed true. That's a lot to swallow. If Geese is their target... assuming that is what is meant by 'Mr. Howard,' why did this involve the schools at all?
He breathes in and out as the thoughts dance around his head, now that there is a moment of peace to be had in all of this again.
Log created on 21:58:50 04/07/2009 by Rust, and last modified on 05:44:18 04/11/2009.