Description: In the RED Arena of the Masters Stadium, the RED Cyclone Zangief and the not especially RED Mizuki Kamigawa face off against the definitely not RED at all Kyo Kusanagi. Can this strangely mismatched duo stand against the might of the Kusanagi clan? Will Kyo get horribly manhandled by a half naked Russian? Will Mizuki get sexually harassed by one of the world's greatest fighters? Find out inside! (Winner: Kyo)
The roar of the crowd, the taste of the terrible American Hot Dog, the cheering and baying of his fans! For how long has Zangief waited for this moment? To be The Main Event? It was only fitting, of course, that a man of his stature be given the opportunity, but so often he had found himself put further down on the listing. Saturday Night Fight has not, historically, been a very successful venture for Zangief. If he's not being beaten up by little girls one week, he's crushing people far too weak to put up a fight the next. That he was finally getting a chance to prove his worth means so much to the Russian wrestler, it would almost be pathetic.
"COMRADES!" He bellows, striding out into the middle of the arena wearing a silky red cape over his naked chest and traditional boot-and-short combo. "ARE YOU READY FOR BLOOD!?"
Flinging the cape into the air, The Red Cyclone is clearly in full swing as he laughs, heartily, to the crowd. "WAH-HAH-HAH-HAH! Tonight! I will prove that Kusanagi is just a man! That for all his fire and flames, he can never match the heat of true devotion to ones country! Tonight, comrades, Kyo Kusanagi will burn! Burn in the face of my LOVE FOR MOTHER RUSSIA! NOTHING! NOTHING CAN STOP THE RED CYCLONE!"
You've got to hand it to Zangief, he does have quite the following, and the crowd really seems to be eating it up. Or maybe they are just looking forward to seeing a large, hairy man get horribly burned by a vastly superior force. Who can really say?
American hot dogs aren't that bad. If you eat half of one every six months or so, they're really quite managable. Or so Mizuki thinks. Yuno sneaks 'em, she bets, but what can she say? The boy's got a metabolism like a goddamn terrier. It's amazing. But so is Zangief's entrance--quite the showstopper, really, and a bold, bold proclamation. For that, she suspects, Zangief will be burned. Horribly.
As for the miko... well, she's given up the robes for now, preferring a more modern, utilitarian outfit--plain, black teeshirt tucked into a pair of blue denims, those tucked into a pair of utilitarian black boots. Quite a departure from her earlier fighting garb. Along with the more utilitarian garb--a more utilitarian entrance. She isn't greeted with the same amount of cheering and shouting, but that's quite fine with her; the spotlight shines on her, the announcer trying to be dramatic when he shouts her name, but she just waves, politely, and steps up next to her hirsute partner.
"Kyo Kusanagi. It's almost impossible to be a fighter from Japan and to /not/ have heard his name... we've quite the fight ahead of us, comrade," she says, in a quiet tone, to the big wrestler.
Already, she's preparing herself, mentally, for the fight against a superior foe... too bad she can't borrow some of Zangief's boundless optimism and confidence, eh?
From Japan? Hell, it's almost impossible to be a fighter anywhere on /Earth/ and not to have heard of Kyo Kusanagi. Maybe someplace where they don't have televisions, though. Somewhere like /Russia/.
The reigning World Warrior champion, the onetime King of Fighters and former Saturday Night Fight champion - who never lost his title until they changed the rules so he couldn't have it anymore - and through no fault of his own the so-called 'Hero of Southtown', an unwelcome and extremely annoying title he gained during the siege of the city by the combined forces of Shadaloo and NESTS and probably some other guys, is naturally the last of the fighters to appear in the Red Arena, making the final entrance as befits a fighter of his stature and accomplishments.
Plus he was late.
Wearing plain blue jeans and black shoes, with a plain white t-shirt and a black leather jacket with the Kusanagi crest on the back - it matches the ones on the backs of his fingerless gloves - Kyo is looking pretty much like he always does, i.e. smug enough for ten ordinary men. Suppressing a yawn behind one hand, the Kusanagi heir strides out to put himself approximately equidistant from the wall and from Zangief and Mizuki, rubbing blearily at one eye as he stops. "Oh man, that was an amazing nap," he says, to nobody in particular but loud enough to be heard by one and all. "Ahh, sorry," Kyo adds towards his opponents, though naturally he doesn't sound sorry at all. "I was thinking about fighting you guys and I just got all sleepy. Whew."
"Of course," continues Kyo, mouth pulling into a lazy smirk. "In about a minute it'll be you two out like a light, huh?"
At first Zangief was just happy to keep up with the jovial and confident... confidence that he was exuding. Laughing to Mizuki, "Bah! Don't you worry little girly, you are fighting alongside the RED CYCLONE! You just try not to blink! You might miss it when I..."
And then Kyo turns up, and poor Zangief looks like he just got slapped across the face. Not only was Kyo not particularly worried, he had... been napping? For Zangief, this is truly an unprecedented, and horrifying, situation. Even in his earliest days, he had been /huge/ enough that no opponent he had faced had done so without feeling at least a little bit worried about what they were getting into. But Kyo... Kyo took insolence to a whole new level.
Zangief isn't one to let something like that stun him for long, though.
"WHY YOU!" He shouts, displaying all his usual eloquence.
"YOU NEED A HAND WAKING UP, COMRADE?!" He /roars/, lurching into life as, suddenly, he is throwing himself forwards. Not waiting for anything so silly as a starting bell. There's a mad look in his eye. And are those... flecks of spit in his beard?
His arms reach out, aiming to just grab hold of Kyo around the stomach, and lift him up, squeeeeezing like a man possessed, in something like a terrifying hug. Should he actually manage to get Kyo up to his eye level, the huge Russian will actually start shaking him along with it, shouting, right into his face- "WAKEY WAKEY LITTLE MAN! TIME TO GET UP NOW!"
COMBATSYS: Zangief has joined the fight here.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
HeavyD 0/-------/-======|-------\-------\0 Zangief
COMBATSYS: Kyo has joined the fight here on the left meter side.
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HeavyD 0/-------/-======|====---\-------\0 Zangief
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Kyo 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Mizuki has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
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Zangief 0/-------/---====|-------\-------\0 Mizuki
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Kyo 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Zangief has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Kyo 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Mizuki
> ///////////////////////////// ]
|====---\-------\0 Zangief
... oh, geez. Well, she knew what kind of fighter Zangief was when she agreed to the fight card. It's going to be interesting, at least--very interesting. She almost feels bad for letting Zangief just rush in there, but there's no way /she's/ controlling a hyperactive Russian, and besides, he outmasses Kyo by two hundred pounds at least. Right now she's thinking about what she knows about Kyo--young, but with a whole ton of power and the skill to back it up... and no small touch of arrogance, though he'd probably call it confidence.
She isn't interested in bringing him down a peg, but she was brought to the fight and so she should make the most of it. It might be a valuable lesson--in how to not get killed. With the Russian charging in, though, Mizuki elects to use his action as a cover, moving to circle around to Kyo's backside, to give him two fronts to worry about...
COMBATSYS: Mizuki focuses on her next action.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Kyo 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Mizuki
> ///////////////////////////// ]
|====---\-------\0 Zangief
COMBATSYS: Kyo counters Stomach Claw from Zangief with Nue Tsumi.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Kyo 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Mizuki
> /////////////////////// ]
|=======\-------\1 Zangief
It's true, Kyo Kusanagi is as insouciant as he is talented and handsome. He is also incredibly humble.
Zangief bears down on him like a... Uh, like a... Er... Well, like a Red Cyclone, really, and in a matter of heartbeats the big Russian is right /there/, reaching for his /stomach/. "Whoa there, Rasputin," Kusanagi says. "Hands off the merchandise."
One of Zangief's reaching hands is grabbed by the wrist, though admittedly Kyo can't get his entire hand around the big man's entire meaty forearm, and Kyo takes the slightest shift to the side in order to avoid the other CLAW. With unbelieveable precision and frankly ridiculous speed, Kyo takes a turning step /into/ the Russian's grasp, and drives the elbow of his free arm into Zangief's bare sternum, letting the wrestler's momentum do most of the hard work.
And then that same arm shoots upwards, his fist hammering into the underside of Zangief's jaw, complete with a sudden, violent explosion of the distinctive Kusanagi flames, before the younger man releases his attacker. This leaves him facing Mizuki.
"Hey there, what's the matter?" he asks of the shrine maiden. "You've overwhelmed, right? I know, I know. Never thought you'd be this close to the legendary Kyo Kusanagi. It's okay," Kyo says, his tone rife with mock sympathy. "I know how intimidating it can be, beating somebody famous and roguishly handsome. Tell you what, once the fight's done, I'll sign your boobs for you." Kyo punctuates his sexual harassment with a wink, and a double finger guns.
Wow.
For a heartbeat, Zangief is actually silent. It is the period of time it takes between him roaring towards Kyo, and finding himself bouncing off the floor with his head on fire.
A lesser man would learn a lesson from this.
Zangief NEVER learns!
Picking himself up from the floor, Zangief shakes his head and one meaty hand slaps against the side of his face, putting his beard out before the fire really had a chance to spread. "OKAY!" He roars, "OKAY KUSANAGI! OKAY!" Wow, did he actually get hit hard enough that he's been rendered stuck on repeat?
"If that is how you want it! I WILL GIVE IT TO YOU COMRADE!"
Other men would take a moment to collect their thoughts, consider their options and seriously wonder whether they should reevaluate their position vis-a-vis getting punched upside the head by an angry Kyo.
Zangief, however, worries not for such petty mortal concerns. Pissed off beyond belief, not only that the speedy 'little man' had managed to get the upper hand on him, but also that he's now more concerned with Mizuki than with Zangief himself! "YOU WON'T SIGN ANYTHING!" The behemoth bellows, "BECAUSE I AM GOING TO BREAK OFF YOUR ARMS AND FEED THEM TO YOU! HRAAAAAAAAAAARGH!"
For those watching at home, Zangief is definitely more enraged than usual, today. Perhaps because he considered this an important moment to shine and prove to the world how much better than the Kusanagi Flames his own style- being a massive hulking brute with incredible strength and a willingness to ignore burning pain- truly is.
With that desire shining in his heart, Zangief thunders forward again. This time, he just aims to grab any part of Kyo that he can. Snatching out for a limb. If he can just get that grip, the smaller fighter will find himself hefted up into the air, and slammed down bodily as Zangief falls on top of him. Shouting out "FINAL!" Even this early in the fight.
This would be followed by scooping him up in his meaty arms, and leaping into the air. Kyo's face getting a truly unfortunate position between Zangief's legs as he spins gracefully...
"ATOMIC!"
Before plunging into the river section of the arena, not even bothering to try and go for the strategic stones, just slamming on in there, and aiming to drive Kyo all the way down with him. The water thrown up into the air in a disturbingly mushroom-cloud-esque way, with all the force of a depth charge hitting it, before Kyo would follow with it.
"BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUSTER!"
"Overwhelmed? I don't know if I'd say that... you're a pretty strong fighter, that's to be sure, but I've faced some strong fightsrs. I don't come close to matching up, but that doesn't mean I'm going to just be a pushover..." She smiles, very sweetly. "And what would your girlfriend think of your weird flirting?" How does he even /have/ a girlfriend... the 9th wonder of the world, perhaps.
Zangief is, for now, /totally/ stealing the spotlight, but she'll do what she can to help out--just before Zangief starts shouting, Mizuki makes her own move--not nearly as flashy as all that, she still wants to try to distract Kyo from the charging Russian Bear and so she moves in with a quick pace, stopping suddenly and throwing her right foot out and up in a high arcing roundhouse--a kick that is somewhat faster than stronger--though she, in all honesty, must look like she's standing still, to someone of Kyo's skills.
COMBATSYS: Kyo blocks Zangief's Final Atomic Buster.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Kyo 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Mizuki
> /////////////////////// ]
|-------\-------\0 Zangief
COMBATSYS: Kyo dodges Mizuki's Aggressive Strike.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Kyo 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Mizuki
> /////////////////////// ]
|-------\-------\0 Zangief
Of course, Kyo being Kyo, his response to Mizuki's words is to laugh. "Hey, she's not the jealous type," he says. If she was, no doubt Yuki Kushinada would've found a way to leave Athena Asamiya in a shallow grave somewhere by now. Girls can be scary, even when they're not actually fighters, you know.
Mizuki's actions, though, have to be handled more definitively than her words; as she rushes in to deliver a high roundhouse, Kyo simply skirts back out of the way, kicking up a bit of dust from the speed of his movement... Which brings him suddenly into the ominous shadow, and subsequently the grip, of Zangief.
Kyo begins to say, eloquently, "What the fu--"
And then he finds himself scooped up and tossed into the air, looking extremely unimpressed by this particular turn of events, his whole expression flattening. Oh, he is not happy. The impact with the ground hurts, especially as Zangief lands on top of him, but 'FINAL!' is all the bigger man can get out.
Kyo is, luckily, able to break out of the hold as he gets scooped up a second time, skidding back from the Russian. "Ugh! You smell like sweaty beef!" He's going to have to burn this jacket now, you know. And it's all your fault, /Zangief/.
"Here," Kyo suggests, "try some of this instead!" He sweeps his arm in a quick arc, sparks trailing behind the motion of his fist as he throws a small 'seed' of fire towards the ground; it blossoms, impossibly, into a flame that races across the arena floor towards the rassler.
COMBATSYS: Kyo successfully hits Zangief with Yami Barai.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Kyo 0/-------/---====|-------\-------\0 Mizuki
> ////////////////// ]
|===----\-------\0 Zangief
Zangief grunts as Kyo manages to wriggle out of his beefy grip. He had to admit, there weren't many people alive who could manage that. Perhaps Kyo Kusanagi's legend wasn't entirely built upon heresay and tall tales. Maybe there really was a genius fighter underneath there. Of course, Zangief would never admit it now. Because Kusanagi had not only stated outright that he smelt like sweaty beef (which is totally untrue, Zangief smells like flowers and daisies, honest), but he'd also thrown fire at him.
Zangief starts to cross his arms, but nevertheless, the fire scorches up around him, and that just makes him even more angry than he was already. What kind of person threw things around in a fight? Well, the /loser/ type of person, as far as Zangief was concerned, that was who!
"Grrrrrargh!" He spits, drawing himself up to his full, imposing height, and smashing his boots into the ground as he slams his hands together, "Alright Comrade!" He shouts, "If that is how you want to play this thing, we can do it your way! GRAR! To think! They thought you would be a match for me! There is not an ounce of passion in you! I'll prove it! AS I TAKE YOU APART PIECE BY BLOODY PIECE! NOTHING, /NOTHING/ STOPS THE RED CYCLONE!"
COMBATSYS: Zangief focuses on his next action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Kyo 0/-------/---====|-------\-------\0 Mizuki
> /////////////////// ]
|===----\-------\0 Zangief
Sssssssswing and a miss! At least Mizuki doesn't get her face punched in for the missed kick. Not that she's going to stop, just because Kyo is world-class and she is not. Hell no! Zangief ain't stoppin' one bit, even getting flash-fried by the master of fire. How can she do any less? Zangief is an inspiring presence, all around. Touching down from the flying kick, she whips right back around and motions at Kyo, throwing her arms upwards...
It isn't a gesture of frustration, though it might look like that--instead she's sending a wave of icy cold chi at the young man. For her, it's a powerful attack--for Kyo, perhaps not... but she'll do what she can. She even gives a big 'urraaaaaah!!' on the attack, infected by Zangief's fervor!
COMBATSYS: Kyo effortlessly blocks Mizuki's Hyouryuu no Kiba.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////// ]
Kyo 0/-------/---====|-------\-------\0 Mizuki
> /////////////////// ]
|===----\-------\0 Zangief
And so we see the Kusanagi in his native environment, which is to say setting people on fire and being a jerk about it. The overconfident young man watches Zangief draw himself up to his full height - and seriously, dude is Big McLargehuge, which Kyo only deals with as well as he does because a) incredibly arrogant and also b) he's known Goro Daimon pretty much his whole life, and come to think of it, he'd actually like to see what would happen if these two big lunkheads started throwing each other around.
Alas that it will never come to pass.
As Zangief gives his shouting tirade, Kyo's response is to roll his eyes and make the 'yap yap yap' motion with his right hand. "Sure thing, chump. Tell you what, you take a little breather, and I'll go deal with..."
Kyo's attention is suddely caught, by the very same person he was about to say he was going to go deal with in an attempt to further insult Zangief. He turns towards Mizuki as she hurls her icy chi his way, and as he turns he focuses his own chi with contemptuous ease, swinging up one forearm to actually /bat the wave of chi aside/, though it frosts his forearm and sends a faint twinge of pain through the limb.
"Hey, look at you, ready to play with the big kids!" Kyo says, cheerily. "What can I call you, though? I mean, somebody else who shoots ice is already Sno Cone, and she's like, a hundred times stronger than you are. What about... Oh, I know!" Kyo grins and suddenly he rushes forward, crossing the distance between himself and Mizuki with startling speed, throwing his elbow out in a strike to her sternum. "Let's just call you /FINISHED/!" If he lands the elbow, then Kyo twists, throwing his other hand out towards Mizuki's throat, to lift her off of her feet in a smooth motion.
And then, of course, the miko will be enveloped in a massive explosion of flames, that sends her flying.
Never let it be said that Zangief is a man to let little things like common sense and rationality get in the way of a good, blind, furious rage. He couldn't believe the sheer nerve of this man. Mizuki had put a lot into that! She was starting to get into the swing of things! Screaming and shouting like a proper warrior should! If she'd done it with some good old fashioned wrasslin' instead of that energy nonsense, he'd actually feel ready to call her a team player! But, if there's one thing Zangief hates more than smug people, it is energy projectiles, so she'll just have to wait.
Still. Blind furious rage. Lets get back to that.
"COME HERE LITTLE MAN!" Zangief roars, as he throws himself at Kyo again. "You are a slippery one... but that won't stop me from BREAKING you!"
And Zangief seems pretty intent on doing just that. There aren't many people who can say that they are as desperate to get their hands on Kyo right now as Zangief is, and that is likely a rather disturbing thought.
Meaty hands reach out to grab Kyo by the shoulders after he has finished trying to beat up his teammate. Should he succeed, again, he'll find himself being crammed into a very uncomfortable space. This time, however, Zangief is really focusing on the spinning part of the motion. Intending to glide through the air... before making a spirited attempt at breaking the rocks in the river with Kyo's head, with a loud- "ORAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
COMBATSYS: Mizuki blocks Kyo's Koto Moon Positive.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Kyo 0/-------/--=====|====---\-------\0 Mizuki
> ////////////////// ]
|==-----\-------\0 Zangief
Oh god damn. Mizuki's arms snap down, but she can't keep Kyo from grabbing her, and lifting her up; she slams her forearms into Kyo's fist just as her world explodes in fire--and she goes flying away, arcing quite picturesquely, flipping around--to land on her feet.
"Can't call me that yet," she gasps, though she's feeling more than just a tingle of pain in her body. That fiery pain is lingering, though, and she tries to calm it with chi, drawing upon that power that many fighters become famous for using...
Swirling up from the ground, silver-blue, lapping upwards in an undulating circle, the energy pouring up into her, soothing the pain temporarily, if not quite giving her reprieve from the actual damage Kyo inflicted on her even with the efforts she's made to reduce the amount of pain. In the meantime...
GO GET 'IM, ZANGIEF!
COMBATSYS: Mizuki gathers her will.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Kyo 0/-------/--=====|=======\-------\1 Mizuki
> ////////////////// ]
|==-----\-------\0 Zangief
COMBATSYS: Kyo blocks Zangief's Screw Piledriver.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Kyo 0/-------/-======|=======\-------\1 Mizuki
> ////////////////// ]
|===----\-------\0 Zangief
Wow. Mizuki survived that? Colour Kyo impressed! He even claps a little bit, though it does seem at least halfway sarcastic. C'mon, this is Kyo Kusanagi we're talking about.
"What, don't you want to give it another shot?" the World Warrior champion wonders of the shrine maiden, spreading his arms in what might be a suggestion of a magnanimous gesture; a 'come on and hit me' move. Of course, it's basically just him being a dick again, but what else can you expect? More problematic for Kyo at the moment is the fact that he's got Zangief coming at him from behind.
And if there's anything he doesn't want, it's a big burly sweaty hairy dude wearing short shorts coming at him from behind, heyooooo.
Kyo is, briefly, caught by Zangrief's grab, but before he can be lifted into the air for the Screw Piledriver, the Kusanagi heir summons all of the strength he has just to power out of the big man's grip, albeit painfully. "Geez, buy me dinner first," Kyo complains, before he whirls around and swings his right fist in a hooking punch for the side of Zangief's head. There are two important things to note, about this punch. One, Kyo's fist is trailing fire as he swings it, and if he strikes there will be a burst of Kusanagi flames at the point of contact. Two, it's fast. Really fast.
If he lands the first punch, Kyo steps in to swing his left first in turn, a second fiery punch that mirrors the first... And then, he swings his right up again in an explosive, fiery uppercut. "Tch...!"
COMBATSYS: Kyo knocks away Zangief with Aragami.
-* CRITICAL HIT! *-
>>> Punitive Hit!!! <<!
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Kyo 1/-------/=======|=======\-------\1 Mizuki
> /////// ]
|=======\===----\1 Zangief
Zangief isn't quite sure what happened, there.
One moment, he has his hands around Kyo's supple, supple shoulders. Ready to deliver a world of hurt. Then, the next moment, he is sailing through the air, on fire, and he's not sure, but he's pretty certain he can't do math any more. The large man hits the dirt, and for a few moments, he just... doesn't get up.
In his minds eye, Zangief can see many things. The cheering faces of Russian children. The gentle snowflakes dropping to the ground in the cold Siberian winter. The taste of blood in his mouth doesn't seem so bad, it is more like... that first sharp drop of vodka in a winters evening. The flames fill his heart, his belly. That spreading warmth a reminder of that most precious liquid.
He couldn't stop now. He had too much to give. Too much to prove to the world.
Slowly, the behemoth rises. Blood pouring from the side of his head, and one eye swollen shut. By all accounts, with the sheer /force/ with which Kyo had hit him, punching through his guard as though it weren't even there, Zangief should be /dead/, he shouldn't be getting up, and his lips definitely shouldn't be curling back in a deathly growl. There is determination shining in his eyes. The only thing keeping him going at this point was sheer, bloody /spite/.
"Little... man... is... fast..." Zangief snarls, forcing air into his lungs. "But... for... /RUSSIA/." And, for emphasis, he decides to repeat that.
"/RUSSIA!!!/"
COMBATSYS: Zangief gathers his will.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Kyo 1/-------/=======|=======\-------\1 Mizuki
> ///////// ]
|=======\=======\1 Zangief
Wow. Just... wow. She knew that Kyo was powerful and skilled. But seeing Zangief just torn apart like that... it's very sobering. And yet, Zangief continues to inspire. Mizuki's chances of fighting Kyo and beating him are... well, near zero--really, her best fight option is to keep Zangief up. Surrounded by such luminaries, how can she not be inspired?!?
But she isn't inspired to attack Kyo, oh no. Now she's inspired to keep Zangief up. "ZANGIEF!! MAKE YOUR MOTHERLAND PROUD!!" He probably is, aside from the whole bear thing... She takes the power she'd just gathered, and -hurls- it at Zangief, in the form of a glowing green ball of energy--energy that'll seal wounds and revitalize energies...
"Man, your defense is terrible," Kyo says, shaking his right fist out as he watches Zangief pick himself up from the heap in which he lay. "But I guess you can make it work, being so stupid tough." The fact that, after that, Zangief is able to even /get up/ is a remarkable feat in and of itself. He keeps his attention on the possibly maddened Russian, head tilted to one side, posture casual, and a smirk on his lips, but in truth he's fairly wary. Not, like, actually concerned the way he might be fighting someone of his own caliber, but he's not /completely/ dismissing Zangief, which is progress.
The surge of power from Mizuki does not go unnoticed, though.
Kyo turns his head towards the girl as she summons up her power... And then hurls it at Zangief. It's not an attack on her ally, he can tell that immediately - she doesn't seem the type to do it - and as he feels the eddies of the chi she's projecting, Kyo can tell the /intent/ is not to harm. "You know, if you /want/ me to come and hit you, you could just ask," Kusanagi notes to the shrine maiden.
And then he starts moving.
Bearing down on Mizuki with a quickness, the future legend (and in some places, like his own mind, /current/ legend) turns his approach into a baseball slide, swinging one leg across Mizuki's ankles in a sweep, turning when he finishes the arc to kick /back/ with the other leg, aiming to finish the job if he didn't knock her down the first time.
COMBATSYS: Mizuki successfully hits Zangief with Iki no Nagare.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Kyo 1/-------/=======|-------\-------\0 Mizuki
> //////////////// ]
|=======\=======\1 Zangief
Zangief never really did get the hang of chi, so when the ball comes in for him, he doesn't know how to react. He just sort of flounders a bit. Then he decides to try the only thing that seemed to make sense. He tries to headbutt it. This results in the ball of energy splashing over his face... and then the severe beating he had taken didn't seem to be slowing him down quite so much. "Haha! Okay comrade!" He roars, clapping his hands together, "Little man! I am going to crush you now... FOR GLORIOUS MOTHER RUSSIA!"
Yup, it seems to have knocked just a little bit of the howling fury out of Zangief, as suddenly he could think without his head being on fire. It is with that in mind that he comes forwards again. The intent is rather simple, really. He had noticed, Kyo seemed to rely a lot on his arms to use that fire of his. At least, he thought so, he wasn't really very good at strategy.
Either way, Zangief has a rather ingenious solution to this. Both arms come to try and grab Kyo's right arm, and wrench it up above his head. If he can manage this, he will then /BITE/ as hard as he can, and start applying serious pressure with those ripping gnashers of his.
Well. Kyo probably wouldn't see it coming, at least!
COMBATSYS: Kyo successfully hits Mizuki with Light Kick.
> Determined Hit! <
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Kyo 1/------=/=======|======-\-------\0 Mizuki
> ///////////////// ]
|=======\=======\1 Zangief
Swept! Mizuki tries to drop low, but the pair of impacts is just overwhelming, and she doesn't just go down, she tumbles a bit. "Oof--!" she cries, loudly, cracking her shoulder against the stone flooring of the arena, continuing the roll to give her the momentum she needs to stand up. Alright, Zangief is as taken care of as she can manage for now--what about Kyo?!?
Well, he /did/ just come after her--she doesn't have much choice now. Maybe she ought to make a crack about hitting girls, but, well, it's a fight, and fighters do that. So instead she attempts something flashy--she looks to leap over Kyo, and grab his jacket--and, well, she isn't a -great- throw technician, but she's seen this done once before--she attesmpts to throw Kyo -at- Zangief...
COMBATSYS: Zangief successfully hits Kyo with Improvised Throw.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Kyo 1/-----==/=======|======-\-------\0 Mizuki
> ///////////////// ]
|=======\=======\1 Zangief
COMBATSYS: Kyo counters Medium Throw from Mizuki with Nue Tsumi.
> Determined Hit! <
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Kyo 1/---====/=======|=======\======-\1 Mizuki
> ///////////////// ]
|=======\=======\1 Zangief
See, this is how totally not sexist Kyo is, he doesn't see any difference between hitting girls and hitting guys. Either way, he's fighting people who are prepared to fight, and if they don't like it, well... Maybe they shouldn't get in the ring - or reasonable facsimile there of - with him!
Already getting to his feet, Kyo finds himself with some unexpected help in the form of Zangief, who grabs him by the arm and lifts it up, so he can /bite/ it. Seriously, actually /bite/ it. Luckily for Kyo, between the tough leather of his jacket, and the mysterious material his elbow-length gloves are made out of underneath, the skin doesn't break. It still hurts like hell, though.
"Man, what is your problem?!" demands the World Warrior champion, generally not a fan of being bitten unless it's by a hot chick. He wrenches himself free, stumbling forward... Into Mizuki, who grabs at his jacket. This may prove to be a mistake.
Kyo doesn't hesitate, doesn't even skip a beat, he just twists around and slams his fist into the side of the shrine maiden's crimson haired head, technique and raw power backed up by the expected surge of Kusanagi flames, a fiery burst of sacred power that all together forces her to release his jacket and gives him a little breathing room. "Ugh," Kyo complains. "At least he didn't break the skin, then I'd end up turning into a weak-ass wrestler every full moon."
Sometimes, there is calm before the storm.
Zangief has been doing a lot of shouting this match. It has become almost trite, the amount of screaming and shouting which has gone on. It might be considered a bit odd then, that, after Kyo's arm has left his mouth, Zangief has been very quiet.
Until, that is, Kusanagi actually dares to call him weak. Him. The strongest man in the world.
The silence is deafening.
Then one heavy hand aims to tangle in Kyo's hair. The large wrestler just repeats that word. The one which had actually stabbed at his very heart. Zangief did not have much respect for trash talkers at the best of times. When the trash talker is actually one of the best fighters in the world, somehow, that made it even worse. It was this sort of thing which caused people to stop being fighters. It discouraged the young. It hurt children.
"Weak."
It is said with all the cold, hard, solemnity of the Russian winter. A word that would strike men's hearts dead.
Should that hand manage to tangle in Kyo's locks, what comes next is truly terrifying, as Zangief unleashes everything he has. Every ounce of pain and suffering he has endured throughout this battle is channeled out in one crushing movement, aiming to bring Kyo around and into the ground by his hair. "YOU ARE EVERYTHING THAT IS WRONG WITH FIGHTING TODAY!" Zangief bellows, face turning red. His movement sweeps up, and, spinning through the air, he aims to smash Kyo into the ground a second time.
"You crush the weak, and spit on their dreams!" He roars, hefting the man up grabbing his leg, intending to crash his knee up into the Kusanagi's spine. "You have no respect! No dignity! No passion! Just spite and hate!"
And in one last motion, for the third time he attempts his signature move, positioning himself carefully, and wrapping himself around the man of fire as he spins through the air, trying to steer it directly in front of his teammate, "That is why we MUST beat you... FOR THE FUTURE!" He roars, "MIZUKI! COMRADE! DON'T HOLD BACK! SHOW HIM WHAT YOU CAN DO!"
So it comes to this. An impromptu teamup, culminating in... this. Well, Zangief is the powerhouse on this team, but Mizuki will do what she can, naturally--and it's impromptu indeed. These techniques weren't /meant/ to be put together like this... but Zangief has called for her as a comrade, and despite the fact that Russia and Japan were not allies during the years of WWII, she responds.
But she has to wait--if Zangief lands his attack, then Mizuki will be there to take advantage. None of the flurry of strikes she aims at Kyo, though enhanced with that icy chi she wields, are all that much--but they're just the appetizer, as her strikes would carry Kyo past Zangief--to a relatively open area--where she can slam a final palm strike up into his jaw, a gust of chi hurling upwards.
A gust of chi that would then turn into a brief storm of that energy, tearing at Kyo's body, keeping him suspended for moments before dropping him back down to the ground...
COMBATSYS: Kyo counters Ultimate Atomic Buster from Zangief with Nue Tsumi EX and avoids Ultimate Wild Dragon Buster from Zangief and Mizuki.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Kyo 1/-======/=======|==-----\-------\0 Mizuki
> ////////// ]
|=======\-------\1 Zangief
At this point, Kyo says a very bad word. We will censor it, because there are children present, but rest assured he says it quietly but /quite/ emphatically, when he sees the look on Zangief's face, and perhaps more relevantly sees Zangief coming at him like that.
The hand that reaches for Kyo's hair instead meats Kyo's /hand/, fingers lacing together as the Kusanagi heir catches Zangief's attempt at a grab. This doesn't, you know, stop the big Russian's tirade in the least, but it doesn't come with Kyo being flung around like a rag doll. Instead, it comes with the tall for a Japanese Kyo and the gigantic for anyone who doesn't play basketball, goddam, Zangief somewhat approximating face to face.
And Kyo smiles, a smile as chilly as Zangief's first word.
Using Zangief's hand, Kyo drags the big Russian forward, turning sideways and bringing his other arm up, smashing his elbow right into Big Z's face, flames erupting once again. He does let Zangief go at that point, and he keeps turning, taking a short hop back to open up the range. "Seriously? /I'm/ everything that's wrong with fighting today? Let me tell you something, Hotpants. Out there there's a bunch of raving psychotics pretending to be real fighters, guys who'll gut you as soon as look at you, who think it's a good laugh to cripple an opponent forever. But /me/? You wanna single /me/ out? Look, if the newbies are gonna pack it in just 'cause mean ol' Kyo Kusanagi hurt their widdle /feewings/, they shouldn't be in this line of work to begin with. If they can't cowboy up and tough it out, then they're just gonna get eaten alive by some lunatic with a bunch of knives, or a..." Kyo gestures, searching for the right reference. "I dunno, like a zombie vampire or something."
What? It could happen.
"Look," Kyo continues. "The point is, if you've got such a thick skin you can't take me talking trash, get lost. Because then you really /are/ weak."
There's really only one word for this; unbelievable.
Zangief has been beaten before. His record isn't perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but he has /never/ encountered someone who can just turn his best attacks around on him like that. It doesn't make any sense. Nobody could be this good. NOBODY. But apparently Kyo hasn't got the memo, because no matter how hard he struggles with it, Zangief just isn't making any headway here.
He refuses to stay down, though. Barely listening to Kyo's words; his actions spoke more than enough for the big mans liking, he still manages to get the general gist, and it drives him crazy. Because on some level, Zangief couldn't /help/ but think that Kyo was treating him like a beginner. The Red Cyclone is not a beginner. Although it had been made painfully clear that he wasn't operating on Kyo's level, he could STILL try to make him feel it.
"Enough talk." He growls, one hand running through his mohawk briefly. "You... you are very talented. So let our fists do the talking!"
Stamping his feet, Zangief does perhaps the most stupid thing he has done all fight. Straightening himself up to his full height, one fist slams into the palm of the other hand, and then he separates them, raising them, ready.
"GIVE ME YOUR BEST SHOT, KUSANAGI!" He bellows, "I WILL TAKE IT... THEN I WILL BREAK YOU! /NOTHING/ STOPS THE RED CYCLONE!"
COMBATSYS: Zangief gathers his will.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Kyo 1/-======/=======|==-----\-------\0 Mizuki
> //////////// ]
|=======\====---\1 Zangief
Their moment of awesome is completely denied them... Zangief's doing all the blustering, but Mizuki isn't one for bluster anymore. Instead, she is attempting to be cool, to analyze their chances--they aren't good. But when the going gets rough, you can't back away, or you'll never get anywhere, right? So Mizuki takes the long shot. The very long shot, as it were--as she literally backs up about five steps before running forward, pushing off, and whipping her right leg up, over, and down in a heel kick.
It's a heel kick that, with the right technique, the right, strength, the right aim, could probably cave someone's skull in--but she's pretty sure Kyo can take it, even if she /does/ hit, and she isn't wearing spiked combat boots or anything of the sort. Really, she's probably just buying time for Zangief... but she's a-okay with that. Sacrifice is also a part of battle.
COMBATSYS: Kyo blocks Mizuki's Fierce Kick.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Kyo 1/=======/=======|=------\-------\0 Mizuki
> //////////// ]
|=======\====---\1 Zangief
"See?" Kyo says, heartily, when Zangief starts bellowing and blustering again. "That's the spirit!"
He just can't stand people who take things all /seriously/. Sure, sometimes they are pretty serious, but this is just a fight. And even when things are pretty serious, nine times out of ten Kyo is still being a wiseass during. It's sort of his thing, you know, aside from just being a really talented, strong fighter. And a wonderful conversationalist. One really has to wonder why there are so many people who want to either seriously hurt or kill him, out there. He's so nice!
Of course just when he might very well be about to give Zangief exactly what he wants in the form of 'his best shot', Kyo has to deal with Mizuki reminding everybody that she's in the fight, too. It's an impressive bit of acrobatics that let her go for that heel kick, but rather than hitting Kyo in the noggin, he stops her leg with his forearm, eliciting a faint grunt from the World Warrior champion. "Wow, heavy," he says. "You might wanna go on a diet."
Ha ha, oh Kyo.
From there, Kyo attempts to grab Mizuki by her kicking leg, and then just straight up smash her into the hard packed arena ground. It's not the most finesse-having throw he's ever done, but it might do the job.
Well, you can't say that Zangief didn't give him a chance. He did. He asked for it and everything. But Kyo just likes beating up Mizuki, and, well, lets be honest, if you had a choice between laying hands on Mizuki, and laying hands on the angry, sweaty, bloodied form of Zangief, which one would you pick?
Regardless, for all the bluster in the world, Zangief can't keep this up forever. He's angry. The world is watching. This, as far as he is concerned, is the meaning of fighting. Sure, sometimes, people did stupid crap and you had to go sort it out. But this competition in the public eye is the true essence of it for the mighty Russian, and he isn't going to let himself be humiliated by Kyo if he can stop it.
So again, he comes forwards. Once more into the breach rode Zangief, arms flung wide, he aims to wrap his arms around Kyo, and heft him into the air...
Lets us see if it has more luck than his other efforts thus far, neh?
COMBATSYS: Kyo successfully hits Mizuki with Strong Throw.
> Determined Hit! <
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > // ]
Kyo 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|=======\-------\1 Mizuki
> //////////// ]
|=------\-------\0 Zangief
That's it. The kick thumpbs into Kyo's guard, and then he's lightning-fast to react--Mizuki tries to pull her leg out of his grasp, but she can't manage it before she's slammed into the stone ground, only barely managing to keep her arms between face and stone. The impact, even (slightly) blunted, is more than enough to put her out--but she has one last act of defiance, before she falls unconscious--gathering her power and sending it flying at Zangief once again...
... and then she's out, having lasted a decent amount of time against the World Warrior champion. She can't complain about that.
COMBATSYS: Mizuki can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////// ]
Kyo 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|=------\-------\0 Zangief
COMBATSYS: Kyo just-defends Zangief's Ultimate Atomic Buster!
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////// ]
Kyo 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|=------\-------\0 Zangief
"That's one," says Kyo as he smashes poor Mizuki into the ground. He knows she's not getting back up, though of course she's not going out without a response, hurling more of her chi at Zangief, to steel her ally for the rest of the battle to come. Kyo, though, seems pretty much unfazed, just turning his attention to the Red Cyclone as he comes to give him the world's worst hug. Kyo, showing his uncanny timing and superior skill once again, catches the great meaty paws of Zangief, and with obvious strain, pushes the Russian back, halting the attack cold and giving himself room to breathe.
Well, not just breathe.
Snapping his fingers, Kyo raises his right hand up, a flame igniting in his palm, cupped in the cage of his fingers. The flame is a focus, for all of his power. He pushes it together quickly, stuffing everything he's got available into that flame. A terrifying, tremendous force can be felt, radiating from the Kusanagi heir. Everyone watching knows what's coming.
Kyo rears back for just a second, and then swings his right arm across his body in a wide arc, up to down. A scything wave of flame erupts from the motion of his arm, a hellish firestorm seeking Zangief out, the legendary Ever Burning Flames of the Kusanagi in their supposedly ultimate form. "AND THIS IS TWO!!" calls Kyo, his voice oddly modulated by the sheer outpouring power.
COMBATSYS: Mizuki successfully hits Zangief with Iki no Nagare.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Kyo 0/-------/--=====|=------\-------\0 Zangief
COMBATSYS: Zangief fails to interrupt Orochinagi+ from Kyo with Kamitsuki.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > / ]
Kyo 0/-------/--=====|=======\=------\1 Zangief
COMBATSYS: Zangief can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Kyo 0/-------/--=====|
Zangief has had just about enough of being twisted and pushed around by this little punk, that much is for certain. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't land a solid blow. It was downright spooky was what it was. There is a certain grim inevitability in Mizuki's sacrifice that speaks to a deep part of the Russian. There is, after all, nothing shameful about being overwhelmed by a force far greater than yourself. There is only shame in letting it cow you. Zangief is not about to let himself be cowed.
The healing energy hits first, thankfully. Perhaps it is that which gives him the strength to try what comes next, or perhaps it is just that Zangief has some latent suicidal tendencies we just don't know about. Whatever the case, he refuses to yield in the face of the mass of fire, instead, he steels himself, and throws himself forwards.
Fire roars all about him, but leg muscles strain, and do not buckle. Heavy steps come forward, one after the other, driving him on until he is almost, almost within arms reach of Kyo. The fire is so intense that there isn't even any sweat. It was too /hot/ for sweat to form fast enough. Narrowing his eyes, another, trembling step is forced out of protesting muscles, and he snatches forwards, blinded by the fire and intense, powerful heat.
His hand snatches nothing but air.
Slowly, the titan falls. One knee giving out, and then the other. A perceptive observer might note that, right until the moment that his head hits the dirt, his mouth was chomping, open and shut. As though hoping that Kyo would, perhaps, stumble /into/ his mouth. But alas, such a fortuitous occurrence is not on the cards today. Despite every effort, this fight is over, and the victor could not have been made more clear.
And that, as the kids say, is that.
Kyo Kusanagi stands there as Zangief impacts with the Orochinagi and ultimately is unable to overcome the blast of legendary flame, and he watches with no small amount of disconcertment as those mighty chompers of Zangief's keep right on chomping as he falls forward. Yikes.
Half turning away, Kyo raises his right hand, flame still dancing from the fingertips of his index and middle fingers, and blows them out... Pretty much just for show, since he could snuff them with a thought, but hey, the audience wants to see some theatrics, here. "Tch... If nothing else, you've got toughness and tenacity," Kyo says, begrudgingly. "After all, look how long you lasted taking a beating from the greatest in the world!" Turning fully, Kyo presents the sun crest on his back to his fallen opponents, waving idly over his shoulder. "Whew," the perpetual highschooler mutters to himself. "Now I'm all hungry. I wonder if that dumb blond Masters put a Wendy's in the concessions here..."
COMBATSYS: Kyo has ended the fight here.
Log created on 14:41:25 11/15/2009 by Kyo, and last modified on 22:42:59 11/28/2009.