Description: Roberto has been wanting to see his friend again. He finds however that his friend isn't quite the same. Will his attempts to reach out to Ichiro succeed or will he find himself adding yet another name to the list of friends he couldn't save?
The awful din of war out on the streets could be heard from the halls of Taiyo High. Roberto didn't have the walls to block out a fraction of the sound since he stood watch on the rooftop.
While it wasn't his turn to stand watch over the school he still wanted to keep an eye on things and his view from the rooftop provide more than just unfiltered sound of war, it gave him a view of a few familiar sights. His own friend. His own friend being turned against him although though this time it wasn't Shoma being turned against him. He caught the tail end of the fight with Ayame, the entire fight against Crimson Viper, and as the berserking lacrosse player turned his attention to the High School he graduated from, he decided he needed to take action now.
The Soccer star quickly scoops up the mesh bag filled with soccer balls and makes a mad dash for the stairs before sliding down the banisters, floor by floor until he's there and waiting for his friend and team mate, Ichiro Oe. Upon stepping out the door, he dumps the contents of the bag and stands in front of the door arms crossed and watching as his friend attempts to break through.
"Ah-hahaha!" Ichiro cackles madly as the small chi-infused steel orbs shoot from his hands and crash into second and third story windows, taking out entire window frames and causing untold damage to the classrooms as they ricochet around within. So caught up in this wanton destruction is Oe that he doesn't look up at the doorway that he tossed a half a tree through as he climbs the steps in front of it; nor does he catch sight of a familiar figure standing in his way until he mounts the final step and stands nearly chest to chest with his classmate.
"Miura!" Ichiro gasps in surprise as his dual-eyed stare meets Roberto's. Ichiro's newly vacant left eye socket dims slightly as he encounters his old friend; it seems to burn at its brightest when the teenager is engaging in violence. Along with the new facial real-estate, Oe also sports a multitude of small faint scars that crisscross his upper face in addition to a large, but cleanly cut scar that runs from just above his eyebrow and down to his upper cheek, right below the his eerily glowing eye socket. Oh, yeah and his hair is also buzzed short, he is wearing a black Shadaloo-issued uniform and is holding a wicked looking spear that appears to have been forged from a single piece of metal.
"Here to join the fun?" Oe asks, planting his new spear into the step next to him and leaning on it as he chuckles the dark laugh of a madman. Brief memories flash through the fog of Ichiro's mind as he regards his classmate, training together, study groups, talking about girls... but whose memories are these? Certainly not the violent science experiment with plans of burning down the very school were most of these memories took place. All that said these memories apparently bestow a sense of trust and kinship in SIN's playtoy. "Well, c'mon Miura, let's get started!" Ichiro laughs as he takes a few steps toward the doorway. "Now, where do you think they keep the main gas line... I'm guessing it is in the boiler room..." he mutters, stepping over a tree branch as he attempts to nudge his way past Roberto.
The soccer star's arm extends in a quick motion to stop the lacrosse team captain. "Ichiro, what happened to you?" There's a few things that the Golden Goalie wants to add. Things like, 'Dude, you look like shit,' or 'This isn't the same Ichiro who went to help Gedo.' All of those things are left unsaid.
Instead Roberto Miura comments on Ichiro's plans. "I'm afraid I can't let you do that. I'm not about to let you past me as you are. You're not the Ichiro Oe that belongs to the halls of Taiyo and you're definitely not the Ichiro Oe that I called, friend. If you want to get to the boiler room... You're going to have to get past me." He then slides right back in front of Ichiro, reestablishing the fact that he will be the gate keeper.
COMBATSYS: Roberto has started a fight here.
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Roberto 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Roberto takes no action.
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Roberto 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Ichiro has joined the fight here.
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Ichiro 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Roberto
Ichiro's metal-clad boots squeak slightly as the lacrosse captain is forced to halt by Roberto's blockade. The breath escapes Oe's lungs via an annoyed sigh as he raises his left hand to his rub at his forehead and buzzed skull, attempting to hold back the flood of rage that threatens to break through his single-minded focus. The question about his current state is ignored. Nothing has happened to him. He's always been like this, hasn't he?
"FINE!" Ichiro finally barks as Roberto slides in front of him. "TURN YOUR BACK ON ME!" he roars as the anger that pumps through his veins is unleashed, causing the violent golden fire to surge in his empty eye socket, tongues of energy licking over his scarred eyebrow as the Taiyo High student gives in to his rage. "Some friend you are," the teen growls coldly as spins the spear in his right hand point down and SLAMS the tip down toward Roberto's shoe, attempting to spike the soccer star's foot into the concrete! If he manages to immobilize or even tie up the other athlete's foot, Ichiro will quickly follow up the pinning strike with a quick shoulder tackle aimed at sending Miura sprawling to the ground as Oe yanks the spear out of it's concrete mooring.
COMBATSYS: Roberto blocks Ichiro's Random Combo.
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Ichiro 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Roberto
"Face facts Ichiro, you've changed. You carry a spear instead of a crosse. And once upon a time you would've stood by me to defend this school." And then he goes and does something that irritates the soccer star something fierce. He tries to impale his foot with said spear.
Miura's quick hand lashes out and knocks the path of the spear just enough off course that it cuts the side of his foot. "Before you would've stood by me and defended this school and the students within. If anyone has turned their back, it's you."
His eyes look over the new outfit and spies the Shadaloo insignia. "Though on the other hand you may not have had a choice in the matter. It's not like Shadaloo isn't above turning people into their pawns."
While he mulls that over he shoots in, grabbing Ichiro by the waist. If he should get that grab, he'll lift him up powerbomb the lacrosse player and then follow it with a kick to the rear end to send him flying out of the already busted door.
COMBATSYS: Roberto successfully hits Ichiro with Mundane Save.
- Power hit! -
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Ichiro 0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0 Roberto
Crosse? What's a crosse? Ichiro clenches his good eye shut as an image of an odd stick with a small netted pocket on one end flashes painfully in his conflicted mind. "Why would I want to defend this piece of shit school? This entire city will be wiped off of the map soon anyway?!" Ichiro shouts in response to Roberto's prodding. "I just want to give this place a head start," he adds darkly with a sneer.
A sneer that is quickly replaced by a surprised grimace as Ichiro is yanked by the waist, flipped upside down, slammed on the ground and kicked down the stairs. The goody-two shoes is feeling feisty. Groaning softly as the Taiyo student gathers himself up and pulls himself to his feet, Ichiro gives his addled head a quick shake to try and knock the cobwebs loose.
"You talk too much Miura!," Oe growls stows his spear under his right armpit and reaches into what must be very deep pockets by now, pulling out a small steel sphere, about 1 inch in diameter, and holds them in his outstretched palms. "I don't know who is worse, you or Hinata!" Ichiro adds with a sneer. ...Who is Hinata? The golden fire in Ichiro's left eye socket cools to embers for a moment as the science experiment gathers his violent spirit and focuses down his arms and into the palms of his hands.
"BOUNCE SHOT!" Ichiro intones as the golden energy envelopes the steel balls and sends them rocketing off in different directions. The orb in his left hand strikes one of the steps between Ichiro and Roberto, ricocheting off of the concrete and flying toward Roberto's lower body. The one in his right strikes a pillar next to the entry way and rebounds toward Miura's side. The fire in Oe's left eye surges back to life once his energy attack is unleash, though sweat has begun to pour trickle down the athlete's brow and the color has risen in his cheeks.
COMBATSYS: Roberto reflects Bounce Shot from Ichiro with Shining Clutch.
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Ichiro 0/-------/---====|===----\-------\0 Roberto
Roberto's hands glow as Ichiro's missing eye dims and the lacrosse reaches for the steel balls. He calmly shifts into a goalie stance watching as waits to see what Ichiro is going to do. The words are absorbed as he waits until Ichiro makes his move before he makes his own verbal response.
The metallic balls bounce off their respective locations and Roberto's body goes into automatic with a combination of fast reflexes and glowing hands catching and then redirecting both balls at Ichiro.
"In case you haven't realized, this place was a pretty nice place to go to school until this god damn war started. As for me talking to much? What's wrong? Think I might be telling the truth?"
With that he hops down the steps to join Ichiro at the bottom with a soccer ball close by. "Think about it. Have I said anything that was false?"
COMBATSYS: Ichiro blocks Roberto's Reflected Bounce Shot.
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Ichiro 0/-------/--=====|====---\-------\0 Roberto
"Gah!" Oe grunts as the metal spheres are caught by the soccer player and redirected right back at Ichiro. Raising his spear in front of his body, Ichiro begins to spin the metal weapon with both hands as the projectiles streak toward him; the first strikes the metal haft of his spear solidly, causing the weapon to resonate loudly, sending a strong vibrating pulse through the makeshift SIN operative's hands that almost causes him to drop the spear. The second ball rockets past his broken guard and strikes him solidly on the chest, eliciting an angry cry from the spear fighter as the blow spins him away from Roberto.
Clutching at his chest as he skids to a stop, Ichiro directs a gaze of pure hate and anger upon his classmate. "Everything you say is a lie!" Ichiro shouts, sweat now pouring down his face as his fever rises. The teen's mind is a jumble of confusion in his fugue-like state, confusion that only drives him deeper into anger, anger that only hardens his mind against logic and clear thought.
"Roberto Miuma, Taiyo's STAR athlete!" Oe whines in a mocking tone as he spits out the word 'star' as if it were a curse. "He gets all the girls, all the glory!" he continues, his voice rising shrilly as he slowly backs away from his friend. "WELL YOU'RE NOT BETTER THAN ME! YOU WERE JUST HOLDING ME BACK! YOU WERE NEVER MY FRIEND!" Ichiro screams, spittle flying from his mouth as he punctuates his words by jabbing his spear in Roberto's direction. Oe falls quiet for a few moments after this last statement, panting loudly with exhaustion as open hate burns in his dual eyed gaze. "But all that's over now. I'm going to kill you... and after that I'm going to blow up this fucking school."
COMBATSYS: Ichiro gathers his will.
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Ichiro 1/-----==/=======|====---\-------\0 Roberto
"Ok... Ichiro, that's where I have to call BS. While I may have been known as a star athelete, you were too. As for the girlfriends, I never got /all/ the girls." Sure, he had a couple of dates with Arika, and then there was him being in a relationship with Gabriel without even knowing it and then there was Yurika who he was, for all intents and purposes, in the talking to phase with, and so she didn't count.
"If I recall correctly, you were the one with all the girlfriends. And they were much more mentally stable too. Though doing crazy shit like this has guaranteed that your datability stock has gone down." He makes his approach dribbling that close by before getting up in Ichiro's face with a quick jab. "Tell me. How have I held you back?" A short pause before he adds as an afterthought, "Other than stopping you from destroying /our/ school." Yup. That's the only way he can think of as far as holding him back.
COMBATSYS: Roberto successfully hits Ichiro with Quick Punch.
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Ichiro 1/---====/=======|====---\-------\0 Roberto
"NO! LIES ALL LIES!" Ichiro howls as Roberto tries to reason with him, the soccer player's words stabbing Oe's brain like a white hot dagger. That wasn't him! Roberto has him confused with someone else. Some lacrosse player!
The only sound that Oe can hear as his left hand darts in toward Roberto's throat is that of his own blood pumping in his ears. He doesn't give the half-Brazilian's jab a second thought, all that matters to the science experiment now is that he dispatch of the soccer player as quickly, and painfully, as possible. Unfortunately for SIN's latest plaything, Roberto's punch was stronger than he'd anticipated, causing him to fumble slightly in his attempted grasping of the star athlete's throat. If he's able to get a sure hold in spite of this, Oe will spin the tip of his spear toward Miura's gut and attempt to drive the point into Roberto's side.
COMBATSYS: Ichiro successfully hits Roberto with Unsportsmanlike Conduct.
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Ichiro 1/--=====/=======|======-\-------\0 Roberto
"Gurk," comes from the soccer player as his throat is grabbed and then as the spear perforates his stomach causing the sound that sounds like a pained growl and grunt causing him to stumble backwards.
"You mentioned Hinata, right? Tell me what memories you have of her!" He then quickly closes back in, bobbing and weaving like a boxer. When he gets into that ideal range, he swings a rapid barrage of red gloved fists hitting both body and face. "If they are lies then why haven't you told me of any memories that directly conflict with them?"
COMBATSYS: Ichiro fails to interrupt Combo Attack from Roberto with Unnecessary Roughness.
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Ichiro 0/-------/-======|======-\-------\0 Roberto
"I don't gotta tell you SHIT!" Ichiro spits angrily as Roberto continues his grilling. The former-lacrosse player's black uniform that is somewhat reminiscent of that worn by Shadaloo's supreme leader is soaked through with sweat and his fever sends shudders through his body as Roberto dances toward him. "I don't have anything to say to you, you're already dead!" Even so, the Taiyo High student's brain attempts to grasp for any sort of memory that it feels is real, any facts about his past that don't belong to that lacrosse player; the only result is a splitting headache to go along with his physical pain. It's okay. Ichiro is just exhausted and confused. Kill this Taiyo High do-gooder and blow up the school, then you can rest and clear your mind.
Spinning the spear next to his side a couple of times before weaving it up above his head and spinning the weapon with both hands, Oe dashes toward Roberto and prepares to unleash what is shaping up to look like a pretty awesome attack... that is, until the feverish SIN operative is doubled over with a wracking cough that stops him in his tracks and Roberto's gloved fists begin to beat on him mercilessly, the final punch to his face sending him skidding on his back across the pavement. "Gnnnnhhh..." Ichiro groans as he wipes the blood from his face before pushing off with his hands and kip-upping to his feet. "Lucky bitch..." Oe mutters as he props himself up with his spear.
Roberto rolls his neck letting out a loud cracking noise. "Or is it the fact that you don't have anything to contradict what I'm saying?" He takes deep breaths as he focuses on his opponent watching him and waiting. "All this illogical rage I'm more inclined to think that it's because you don't want to admit that I'm right."
He then slowly circles Ichiro as he abandons his soccer ball as if he was marking someone on a throw in staying close but never really attacking. Waiting for the perfect opportunity to move. "I'm already dead huh? I don't know... I'm actually feeling kinda fresh... The wounds aside, I'm in pretty good condition. But you on the other hand have been coughing... And you've been taking a few hits... You're in no position to call me dead."
COMBATSYS: Roberto pumps himself up.
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Ichiro 0/-------/-======|=======\-------\1 Roberto
"I've never felt better," Ichiro mutters ironically, and then, as if on cue, his body clenches with another fit of wracking coughs. "Well, I feel better than you are about to at least," he announces with a dark sneer as he wipes the flecks of blood that he just coughed up off of his lips with a thumb. Roberto's words might have cracked through a bit and given Ichiro reason to be a little more introspective about his situation, but unfortunately SIN's 'treatments' ensure that the more the Japanese youth attempts to make sense of what is happening with him, the more pained and blinded with rage the young man becomes.
Having appeared to have calmed down slightly, Oe hefts the spear in his right hand a few times as if testing its weight before taking off toward Roberto at a trot. Quickening his pace to a full out run as he nears the other student, the violent youth dodges away at the last moment, changing his trajectory to a path that would carry him right past Miura before leaping into the air and twisting his body to face Roberto's side. "GYAAAAAH!" Ichiro roars as he thrusts his spearhead toward the soccer player's trapezius, hoping to buy the weapon's jagged point in the athlete's meaty shoulder muscle.
COMBATSYS: Roberto blocks Ichiro's Slashing EX.
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Ichiro 1/-------/=======|=======\=------\1 Roberto
The soccer star spins as Ichiro moves around him, performing a spin move which allows him to bring his arm up to catch the spear tip on his arm. A growl is heard from his lips before he looks down at the wound. And he feels a soreness not just from the spear but there's also feeling of an ancient ache. The ache that reminds him of his fight with Hyo.
"Dammit, Ichiro. You're lying to yourself. Don't you hear yourself coughing?" At this point, he's said everything that can be said... Now it's time to finish out the fight... And so he launches himself head first for Ichiro's stomach attempting to take the fight out of him once and for all.
If fighting gets taken off the table maybe words will actually reach him.
COMBATSYS: Ichiro interrupts Diving Header from Roberto with Cross Check EX.
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Ichiro 1/----===/=======|=======\====---\1 Roberto
Spots swim in Ichiro's vision as the fever caused by the violent energies that cannibalizes the young man's own body rises to dangerous levels. Heat wafts off of his ruddy, sweat soaked skin as the spear fighter sways slightly, taking all of his coordination to stay on his feet. "Everything... is lies..." Ichiro babbles as Roberto launches toward him, the sick student seems to be near unconsciousness or maybe even death, but he still manages to tap into his finely honed reflexes and quickly bring his spear shaft down to slam Miura on the back of his head while in mid-dive. Though Ichiro's bludgeoning strike nearly knocked his opponent out of the air, Roberto still had enough forward momentum to crash into Oe, sending him stumbling backwards a few feet and causing him to swing about his spear wildly to try to regain what little balance he has left. "If I'm dying... taking you with..." Ichiro mutters weakly as darkness threatens to take him.
Roberto's own vision begins to swim as he's slammed face first to the ground courtesy of Ichiro's spear shaft. He crawls to his feet, muttering as he pushes his bleeding body off of the ground.
He looks at the blood pool that was created from his intimacy with the ground and ,emories of the Thailand War come flooding into his mind. Of Shoma fighting him and beating him. He curses himself for finding himself in that same position again with another one of his friends and rage fills him.
There's a moment where there is no sound and then he responds to Ichiro in a low voice, "Dying? Fuck that. No one here is dying."
"Ichiro, I have a confession... I'm tired. No, my body isn't feeling fatigue but I can honestly say I'm tired. I'm tired of all the attacks that Shadaloo has been making on my school... I'm tired of being forced to fight my friends because Shadaloo keeps fucking with their minds... AND I'M NOT GONNA LET THEM GET A GRIP ON YOU TOO!!!" And with that Roberto roars as he launches himself at Ichiro. Wildly flailing with a barrage of punches to the body working the ribs as he attempts to drive the breath from his lungs.
COMBATSYS: Roberto successfully hits Ichiro with Combo Attack.
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Ichiro 1/---====/=======|=======\====---\1 Roberto
Propping himself up on his spear like a crutch as Roberto delivers his heartfelt confession; Oe's face contorts with inner conflict. It was all too easy for the violent warrior to deflect his peer's pleas and reasoning while he was consumed by unrelenting rage, but now his anger is now eclipsed by exhaustion and fevered sickness. "Roberto..." Ichiro mutters as Miura charges him and launches a myriad of punches that slam into the test subject's weary body, driving him back on his heels, but amazingly the violent young man does not fall. "...I'm dying Roberto..." Ichiro mutters weakly as the violent fire that burns in his left eye socket fades for a moment as it looks like the student is about to collapse...
...but he does not. "NO... more lies!" Oe shouts suddenly as the blazing energy that now makes up his left eye springs back to life. "Stop trying to confuse me!" Ichiro growls as his strength seems renewed, if only for a moment. Springing toward the soccer star, Oe's spear suddenly bursts into golden flame as the test subject consumes what must be nearly the last of his reserves to fuel his attack. Spinning his spear in a figure-eight pattern in front of his body, Ichiro attempts to slice Roberto's chest with multiple spinning cuts before drawing back his weapon and thrusting it toward Roberto's midsection, attempting to gore his friend as he continues his unrelenting charge forward.
COMBATSYS: Roberto fails to reflect SDF Lacrosse from Ichiro with Desperate Clutch.
- Power fail! -
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Ichiro 0/-------/-----==|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Roberto
COMBATSYS: Roberto can no longer fight.
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Ichiro 0/-------/-----==|
Roberto watches as the spear glows and he knows what he wants to do, what he needs to do but his body becomes paralyzed. His hands glow almost similarly to the Shining Clutch technique he displayed earlier however whatever he had in store for the attack will never be known.
Instead he only knows agony as each slash digs into his body spraying blood to and fro and then he falls to ground and the sky blue visor falling from his head. "First Shoma, then Brian, and now you. Am I that fucking powerless to reach my friends when they get their fucking claws in them?"
He then stares at the sky, and if anyone manages to get a look in his brown eyes there's a glazed over look. As if something inside has broken.
"Huh..." Ichiro grunts as he yanks his spear from Miura's body. He still seems to be breathing. Leaning down a bit to peer into Roberto's face, Oe shrugs and nudges the soccer player's shoulder with his boot as he straightens. "Hmm..." the test subject muses, wiping the sweat off of his face with the crook of his elbow as he gives his spear a considering look. "Nah. The blast will probably kill him anyway," Oe remarks with a wolfish grin as he spins on his heels and makes his way into Taiyo High. As beaten and bruised and near death as Ichiro appeared during his fight with Roberto, he seems to regain his vitality at almost super human speeds once the battle is over. Stalking into his school the former lacrosse player makes his way into the boiler room to break the large gas main that fuels the huge school.
Minutes pass as the violent teenager does his dirty work, his resolve strengthened by the first decisive victory in his distorted memory. It is with a perverted sense of pride and a wicked grin that Violent Ichiro stacks a pile of desks in the middle of one of the first floor hallways and starts a small bonfire, working fast for fear of the large gas main putting filling the boiler room faster than expected, left it catch him in the blast. "Goodbye Taiyo High!" Ichiro says with a shrill laugh as SIN's mind control pins down what is left of Ichiro Oe's consciousness, refusing to let it back in control no matter how it struggles against these despicable actions.
Exiting the school at a trot moments later, pausing to regard Roberto's limp form as he passes him. "I had fun kicking your ass Miura," Ichiro remarks, his lips pursed in thought before grabbing Roberto by the jersey and pulling him across Taiyo High's courtyard. "It should be a big explosion, you'll probably still die anyway," Oe tells his friend with a dark chuckle as he drops him a hundred feet or so from the school before resting his spear on his shoulder and jogging out of the courtyard and down the street to a safe distance.
Ichiro isn't quite sure why he dragged Roberto's body away from the school entrance; maybe his friend's words were actually effective on some deep level that he isn't aware of just yet. This isn't something that he's consciously pondering at this time though, he's still waiting for the-
*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!*
Ichiro is almost knocked off of his feet as the shockwave from the explosion deep within the school reaches him even at his safe distance down the street. "Aww... it's still standing..." Oe says with a slight frown, though he can't really be too sad, that was still pretty damn satisfying. Smoke and loose papers billow out the huge crater that has been blown out of the side of Taiyo High, the side which, fortunately for Roberto, happens to be on the opposite side of the large school from the soccer player. Shrugging and turning his back on his handiwork, Violent Ichiro makes his way toward his next victim as he chuckles darkly.
COMBATSYS: Ichiro has ended the fight here.
Log created on 18:44:34 04/08/2009 by Roberto, and last modified on 13:04:19 04/09/2009.