Description: A week had passed since the Chongquan master passed away, forcing the temple to be abandoned as many of the students part ways. After paying his respects, Antoine prepared to travel until he was stopped by his best friend. It is the beginning of a new age and the test of wills was a tribute to their late sifu.
It is a peaceful day. The sun remains risen in the heavens, shining down its light on those within the earth. The blue sky offers a promise of a brand new day. It has been a week of mourning: the death and a funeral of a teacher and father figure, the separation of all of the students who trained in the temple, and the departure of the temple.
Although soon to be abandoned, the large temple is beautifully crafted, decorated with aesthetics of the Chinese. Guardians stand in front to 'protect' it. Beyond the temple is a plain where the grass has grown with a few thistles. The trees are pretty cleared of, save for the end of the path that leads to the woods themselves.
Mourning had passed; it is time to press on from his death. A dufflebag hangs over the back of an eighteen-year-old man. The African-American martial artist through the horizon, gazing back towards the temple one last time. A faint smile draws before he comments, "Thank you for everything, sifu... I depart now." Both eyes shut, then he turns around. Within his turn, he approaches towards the woods, ready to set off.
Shiden has arrived.
A few moments after the African-American, a Chinese man comes down the steps of the temple carrying an orange back pack on his back and wearing a mustard kung fu outfit.
A smile appears on his face however in this case it's a mask to cover his sadness over the fact that now he has to leave the temple behind. "Hey, Antoine!"
He leans on one of the guardian statues and then breaks the silence. "I guess this is it." It feels oddly awkward and feels as though he is at a loss for words.
As Antoine is about to step foot towards the woods, he pauses when he hears the sound of a familiar voice not too far. His eyes shut as a smile creeps over his face. Ahh. At least his best friend is here. It is good to know that he is the last person that he gets to see before he goes on his own separate way.
Antoine turns to face Quon, offering a smile his way. "...Yeah." He shuts his eyes, "We all have our own paths now. So... we must pursue it. ...I always dreamed of seeing the world." It bothers him. Their sifu did not die of old age, but was murdered. A weak smile draws at first, but then it becomes stronger as the renewed spirit comes over him. Their sifu would not want them to be like this. He would want them to move on.
"Take care and good luck to you, homie."
"Hold on." Quon removes his backpack and places it next to the guardian statue. He takes a few steps towards Antoine and then stretches. "Before you go, I want to ask you something." He cracks his neck and lets his body loosen up because he already is pretty sure that his friend knows what he's about to ask and he pretty sure that he will agree to the request. At this point, the verbalization of the request is just a formality. "How about one last round before you go?"
He pauses for a moment and then further justifications come to his lips though he's pretty sure he doesn't need them. "You can either think of it as a birthday present to me, or you could think of it as a chance for sifu to watch us one last time before we part company." The chinese man shrugs as he waits for Antoine's response.
Although Antoine was ready to depart, he is stopped when Quon requests for him to hold on. Antoine turns to face Quon again and notices him stretching. When he makes a request, there is a grin is formed on his face. As signal to show that he already knows what the request is, the hand releases the string, letting the dufflebag drop to the ground.
As it lands with a floppish thud, Antoine extends both hands into the air to stretch them as far as they can go. While he starts to step closer towards his best friend. "...Fair enough. Let's see what our paths have taught us." His hands are brought up in front of him, the palms are opening up as his right side shifts to face Quon.
COMBATSYS: Antoine has started a fight here.
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Antoine 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Quon has joined the fight here.
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Antoine 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Quon
Quon loosely falls into a similar stance. There's a bit less ridgidity in it. His lips curl into a smile as he begins to think of their sifu watching them fight for one last time and he begins to emotionally pump up as they prepare themselves.
He bounces on the balls of feet and then he quickly shoots in with his right forearm going right for Antoine's collar bone and then quickly following it up by threading his left leg behind the other fighter's as he shoots his palm for the chest in the hope of toppling him over.
COMBATSYS: Quon successfully hits Antoine with Wind Chases the Clouds.
- Power hit! -
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Antoine 0/-------/-----==|==-----\-------\0 Quon
And the fight begins. Both warriors are ready to show what they are made of. Nothing to prove, but want to pay respects to the man who taught them the style.
When Quon moves, so does Antoine. The young man presses his feet against the ground, moving towards Quon at the same time. The right forearm strikes out against the collar bone. Although Antoine lifts his arms to guard against it, it plows through the arm, sending a sharp snap of pain into the collarbone. Then, his leading foot is caught by the threading left leg before the palm strikes him towards the chest.
The body lands against the grass with a painful crash. He grimaces, rolling back towards his feet. However, along the way of moving to his feet, he sweeps the right leg over towards Quon's legs to catch him off guard. Then, he moves forward while leaping off of the ground to release a mid-air, outward crescent kick towards the man's head.
COMBATSYS: Quon blocks Antoine's Heavy Kick.
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Antoine 0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0 Quon
Quon put a bit more oomph into his opening attack than he expected however the fact that it landed gave him more than a bit of comfort. His opponent doesn't seem intent on letting him meditate on his good fortune because he puts the pressure right back on with the sweeping leg to get him looking low and he shifts back as a result which then puts him in position to raise his arm to catch the kick on his arm.
He steps back and cranks his arm a bit before coming back in the adrenaline rush forcing an even bigger grin on his face as he moves in with a couple of rapid punches to the chest before following with a side kick to the chin.
COMBATSYS: Quon successfully hits Antoine with Combo Attack.
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Antoine 0/-------/--=====|====---\-------\0 Quon
Of course, the foot is caught by the arm, softening the impact more than that he would had made if it had actually struck. Yet, Antoine is not one to let that get him down. After all, Quon is more experienced than the young martial artist. He immediately spins away after the foot hits the ground.
As Quon follows through with the series of punches, the chest is beaten against as each fist strikes out towards the points of the body. That side kick to the chin is what catches him off-guard; he slips backwards and he lands hard against his back. His eyes widen as he tries to regain himself, staggering up to his feet.
Grimace. He rubs the chin a bit, trying to sort out the pain. However, in a way, he fees alive. Both hands lift up, the palms are opened once more. His feet lan to the ground and the fists tighten. He runs forward, taking off of the ground before releasing one of the legs to snap against Quon's chest. Should he not be careful, the next one will strike out towards his chest as well.
COMBATSYS: Antoine successfully hits Quon with Sundering Heaven.
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Antoine 0/-------/--=====|======-\-------\0 Quon
And Quon doesn't quite handle the attack with the care that the attack requires attempting to slip away from that first kick however he isn't quite fast enough to do so taking the impacts to the chest and flying away from Antoine from the final impact.
He quickly gets himself back up to his feet with a smile and with a shout. "Again!"
He then falls back into his stance for just a moment before flipping forward with his own version of a move that they were both taught. He flips forward at the other fighter driving a foot engulfed with golden flames down upon the other fighter.
COMBATSYS: Antoine fails to interrupt Crossing the Bridge from Quon with Crossing the Bridge.
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Antoine 1/-------/=======|=======\-------\0 Quon
When both legs make the impact against Quon's chest, Antoine lands on the ground, both feet planting firmly before he looks towards Quon. A smile draws up towards his face, lifting his hand up before he tightens them into fists. As his stance is ready and poised, he sprints towards the fighter, moving towards his 'brother'.
The opposing wills: old vs new. While Quon flips forward with the leg releasing the golden flames, Antoine is drawing the more traditional style; the leading leg is stepping forward and presses him off of the ground. The back leg moves forward with an inward crescent kick while lightning radiates from th leg. He is attempting to swipe at Quon while planting it deep to the ground afterwards to prepare him for the next move.
Unfortunately, the old style is overcame by the flair of the new. Quon's leg strikes him towards the chest, forcing him back onto the ground. The impact knocks the wind out of him before he descent. "Eghh!!" Thud! He gasps for air, lifting his legs up and he kicks himself back up to his feet. He straightens himself, taking back to the rigid-style.
A grin draws up.
As Quon lands he laughs with an almost childlike joy as he watches his brother from another mother get back up to his feet. The movements, the adrenaline rush causing him to have fun with the fight as they go.
Quon's stance while similar to Antoine's own, gains a bit of bounciness to it. After a few somewhat experimental bounces, Quon goes back on the attack moving in close before lashing out with a rapid succession of snap kicks up and down the other fighter's body.
COMBATSYS: Antoine just-defends Quon's Seven Dragon Tails!
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Antoine 1/-------/=======|=======\-------\0 Quon
The movement starts again.
As Quon steps in with the aggression behind him, Antoine is ready. Water and fire meet together. Antoine is now the water as Quon is erupting forward with the series of kicks. As the foot draws forward, both of he hands lift up to guard against the impact, then the left hand shoots out to impact against the foot. "Sh---"
The resonation of chi gathers around him as he takes a deep breath. He releases that chi to shield him as the guarding hand meets with the rapid series of kicks. As the feet keep striking against the hand...
--Antoine moves.
Both hands are brought together. Then, his right foot stomps against the ground, expelling the chi while he shoots out both of his hands to strike against Quon's chest; the power behind it is enough to knock the man back.
"Shooou!"
COMBATSYS: Quon interrupts Immovable Mountain from Antoine with Moving the Mountain.
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Antoine 1/------=/=======|=======\==-----\1 Quon
To say that Quon didn't see that defense coming was an understatement. When he finally draws back his foot, he can't help but look impressed. Though back in their earlier days, Quon did see sparks of brilliance in Antoine, seeing him deal with that attack with such poise goes beyond what he saw back in the past.
When Antoine brings his his palms together, Quon replies by stepping forward while twisting the body sideways, then launching both arms out, the leading palm striking out to the target's chest slipping just barely under the paired palm strike the chi blasting the side of him as he goes under and Quon just happens to have just a little more depth in his own strike against Antoine
Both hands had shot out with a quick, forceful precision. However, it was surprising and ajarring that Quon managed to break through his defenses. Both eyes widen when he is caught by the defensive-cutting technique. The leading palm slips underneath the paired palms with the chi. The chi-laced palm strikes him towards the abdomen, closing it in as his body is launched from the ground. Flung across the air, he lands across the ground with a skid. While he rolls, he shoots a hand down to push himself back up and prepare himself for the next move.
"Heh... That was impressive, Quon." The calm demeanor offers his comrade a smile, yet it turns serious once more before he sprints towards Quon. Springing up off of the ground. His legs are launched over as they are cutting through the air. He performs an aerial flip in the mid-air, shooting the legs to cut straight towards Quon.
COMBATSYS: Antoine successfully hits Quon with Splitting the Earth.
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Antoine 1/----===/=======|=======\===----\1 Quon
"Thanks."
After the compliment, he watches his friend's face return to that serious demeanor while his own becomes more relaxed and almost playful. He then watches Antoine go up into the air and then come down upon him with a powerful kick dropping the Chinese fighter down to one knee from the impact. Unfortunately the kick was too fast for him to completely move out of the way of.
Quon brings himself slowly to his feet. Gives himself a moment to shake himself off and then he comes Antoine again. Leading first with a punch to the chest, he then follows with a flip forward as he brings his golden flame engulfed foot down on Antoine in a repeat of his Crossing the Bridge attack before then following it with another front flip and stomp.
COMBATSYS: Quon successfully hits Antoine with Dropping the Bridge.
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Antoine 1/=======/=======|===----\-------\0 Quon
When the dropkick is planted, Antoine manages to push himself away from Quon while in mid-air, landingb ack onto his feet. When both feet plant to the ground, the young fighter is turning to face his brother in arms with the serious demeanor. The battle is approaching the climax. Part of him can feel it. The new flow of energy resonates within him.
As Quon shoots forward, Antoine runs forward. The flipping maneuver is noted, waiting to be caught by the foot so that he can draw the chi himself. The lightning lingers alngh is hand. However, he is knocked off-course as the chi-laced foot sears the golden flames across his body, causing a wince from him. When the flip comes forth, the feet planting towards him sends him into the rough ground in a rougher manner.
His body is collapsed underneath Quon. A grunt draws up, but he immediately pushes himself up, aiming to knock Quon off of him if he didn't get off of him already. With the lightning lingering around him. The chi crackles around him as his hands close together. He steps his right leg back the two hands are brought to the right hip as the lightning builds up. It crackles into a large ball, "...SHAAA!"r
The ball suddenly combusts, surging around his body. The lightning that travels through the body splits parts of the ground around. Lastly, the warrior lunges forward, shooting his entire weight and force forward as the palm aims to strike against Quon's chest. "HAAAAAAAAAA!!!"
When the dropkick is planted, Antoine manages to push himself away from Quon while in mid-air, landingb ack onto his feet. When both feet plant to the ground, the young fighter is turning to face his brother in arms with the serious demeanor. The battle is approaching the climax. Part of him can feel it. The new flow of energy resonates within him.
As Quon shoots forward, Antoine runs forward. The flipping maneuver is noted, waiting to be caught by the foot so that he can draw the chi himself. The lightning lingers alngh is hand. However, he is knocked off-course as the chi-laced foot sears the golden flames across his body, causing a wince from him. When the flip comes forth, the feet planting towards him sends him into the rough ground in a rougher manner.
His body is collapsed underneath Quon. A grunt draws up, but he immediately pushes himself up, aiming to knock Quon off of him if he didn't get off of him already. With the lightning lingering around him. The chi crackles around him as his hands close together. He steps his right leg back the two hands are brought to the right hip as the lightning builds up. It crackles into a large ball, "...SHAAA!"
The ball suddenly combusts, surging around his body. The lightning that travels through the body splits parts of the ground around. Lastly, the warrior lunges forward, shooting his entire weight and force forward as the palm aims to strike against Quon's chest. "HAAAAAAAAAA!!!"
COMBATSYS: Antoine successfully hits Quon with Perfect Storm EX.
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Antoine 0/-------/----===|=======\-------\1 Quon
As Antoine shifts from under him, Quon shifts off of the other fighter before returning to his stance. He watches as the energy builds up and Quon is too close and his body is too battered to do much about it. All he can do is watch with wide eyes as the palm drives into and the lightning pumps into him shaking his body up.
And that's when he realizes where Antoine always excelled in comparison to him. He had a toughness that Quon never really had and that's what brought the two to this point. He's not going to let the other fighter go without having him defend himself against one last attack.
He throws a punch for Antoine's chest leading as if he's about to do his Dropping the Bridge but instead he suddenly leaps into the air and comes foot first on the other fighter before dropping to one knee.
COMBATSYS: Quon can no longer fight.
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Antoine 0/-------/----===|
COMBATSYS: Antoine dodges Quon's Eagle Catches Mouse.
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Antoine 0/-------/----===|
The thunderous explosion of energy.... The chi and the resolve of Antoine has gotten him this far.
It has shown in this training. It has shown in this fight; a gift to his homie and a tribute to their surrogate father. This battle would had made him proud. In survey, Antoine respects what Quon has done with the style. It is not of the tradition, but he made it fit for him. That is what counts.
When the fist is coming towards his chest, Antoine immediately sways his body over towards the opposite side in an angle. And then when he leaps into the air to bring his foot back, Antoine actually slides back to a distance, just an inch away from the foot striking him. To reciprocate the strike, Antoine lunges forward with a palm towards Quon's stomach to have him hunched over for a set up.
The fist comes up from the other arm to strike towards the chin.
But it stops a centimeter from Quon's chin
The air remains tense for a few minutes, allowing calmness to settle in.
Quon's eyes drop down to that arm to which the fist just outside of eyesight originates from and then he smiles. It takes a few more moments to regain enough energy to rise back to his feet and bow.
Quon then extends his fist out towards Antoine. "Do me a favor. Don't lose to anyone else out there." Not that he expects Antoine to keep that promise. There are lots of extremely skilled fighters out there. Just saying that felt right to him. He pauses for a few moments. "And by the way I do expect to have a rematch in the near future."
As things calm down, Antoine is able to smile again. He relaxes from his fighting stance, bringing his feet together to bow in an honorable manner in respects to his friend.
As the fist is extended out, Antoine's knuckles meet with Quon's own.
A smile is drawn forth, "I will try my best to keep hold of that promise." When the silence passes, Antoine nods, pulling the hand back. He approaches the dufflebag, scooping it over his shoulder. "I will look forward to it." He turns to face Quon, "Do well in college." A grin comes up. "I want to see you in the movies."
Log created on 21:36:27 05/26/2010 by Antoine, and last modified on 12:01:32 05/29/2010.