Description: It's a promotional blitz extravaganza at the gaming Mecca, PAX! Chun-Li, Rock and Reese put on an explosive show to demonstrate just how awesome the new SNF fighting game series will be. Plus, lucky fans will find out the answer to the ultimate question: Does Chun-Li have leg implants? (WINNER: Chun-Li)
It's PAX!
Or something.
People are, like, playing videogames? Or buying anime tapes? Who really knows. PAX is essentially a place of mystery. Everyone who goes there is trapped under Scott Kurtz' blubber and never escapes, or horrified into muteness by how that one Penny Arcade guy looks like he has leukemia.
One thing is for certain, though: there is a fight a-brewing.
One wouldn't guess it, though, because even though Chun-Li is decked out in her traditional qipao and dark tights and blah blah blah, she does not appear to be in any grim mode. Instead, she's signing autographs for kids, because someone thought it would be a good idea to let kids into PAX.
The arena is just a conference room with all the tables cleared out. Seating has been set up; it's a little cramped, and a lot neckbeardy. Kids scurry to their seats after getting their autographs. Chun-Li keeps glancing around, seeing if her opponents are around yet. It'll be good to see Rock again after they teamed during that Strolheim tournament whose ending is mysteriously unremembered by everyone. And she doesn't know Reese from Adam, but is willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, because she's Chun-Li and that's what she does.
Seattle ain't a bad place to be. Even with this convention in town... crazy-ass place, louder than Terry on a 'mean drunk' night, and he's already run into several people cosplaying.. -as him-. Including one shapely blonde who is lucky Terry never saw her, one overweight guy who is not so lucky Rock saw him, and a little kid, who, body type aside, had the best-made costume of all of 'em.
The cacophony, however, is leading Rock to the arena, such as it is--a large room indeed, to safely hold the ring and the spectators, and there -are- a lot of them. Rock is looking forward to seeing Chun again, too; he remembers that tournament. And he's looking forward to fighting her. Not alone, of course; her claims of the World's Strongest Woman aren't a joke.
As he enters, he, too, is swarmed by autograph seekers; he smiles and signs politely, as he moves up to where Chun-Li is.
"Hey, Teach," he greets the Chinese woman casually, shading his eyes with one gloved hand. "You ready for this?" By this, he can only mean one thing--getting her ass beat in front of a Live Studio Audience(tm), something made clear by the almost-mockingly cocky grin he aims her way.
Reese, on her own, is a virtual 'unknown'. Nobody is bothering her with asking for her autograph, she's never really met either of the other two in the match, and if anyone asked her what a PAX was, she'd likely tell them it was some sort of disease.
Well isn't it?
She's had some fun with it though. Gone is her traditional fighting (and let's face it, everyday) outfit. She's dressed in a dual-layer tank top in beige with white over it. Dark beige hotpants, brown boots that come up to her calves. A thick black belt is around her waist with two thinner black straps coming down and twisting about the thigh of each leg to hold her two holsters. There is a whip on a smaller holster on the belt, and her hair is twined into a singular braid that hangs down her back.
Yes, Lara Croft, Reese Jones just stole your look.
After stopping near the room to get her picture taken with a Tomb Raider fan, she slips into the room. Instead of going her usual route of trying to be the attention whore, she eyes her 'buddy' for the fight, and the opponent.
Chun-Li signs the last of the autographs and strolls over to Rock, extending a hand toward her former student warmly. "Always," she says with a bit of a sly smile. "I look forward to seeing how your skills have grown since the last time we saw one another." Her tone is respectful, courteous, and probably a little bit repressed-maternal.
"But... where's your partner?" Chun-Li asks. "That 'Reese' boy? I admit to not knowing what he looks like, but really, it shouldn't be /too/ hard to pick out a young male fighter here..."
Chun-Li did not have time to read the dossier during her trip upriver.
Rock laughs, but not unkindly. "Reese is a girl, if I read the file right. And..." He turns, scans the crowd, and nods. "There she is," he says, as he parts ways with Chun, moving past her and up into the ring proper. Hopefully Reese will have caught eyes with the young Howard, and she'll know to come up on 'stage' for this whole rigmarole.
"C'mon, Chun, these people came for a show, let's give it to 'em!" he chides his one-time teacher, teasingly, with a wide grin to show that he's not entirely serious about the taunting. Already he's going through his usual pre-fight warmup--a stretch or two, a few punches and kicks... and then the real tradition:
Tightening his gloves and unzipping the sleeves of his biker jacket. Good choice of arena, he notes, properly reinforced for fighters of their caliber. Wouldn't do to have the fight spill over onto the audience, after all.
Boy? //BOY?!?// Reese narrows //her// eyes at Chun-Li and clears her throat. "I don't know if maybe your ox-horns are too tight or something, mate, but I'm right here." Her hand points up and down her body to show off her obvious female attributes and she grins. "It's easy to get confused, yeah? It's a bit of a unisex name." Moreso than not since she was named after her father in a sense.
Winking at the opponent, she wanders onto the stage while unholstering the whip from it's location on her right hip. "I'm joshing. Nice to meet'cha both."
Her warm-up is a little less involved than that of Rock. Her right arm swings back and forth, causing the whip to snake along the ground. Her wrist is given a few quick snaps causing the whip to rise off the floor and up an inch or two.
Chun-Li's face actually turns a little pink -- she brings her hand up to her face, which causes her big spiked training bracelet to rattle on her wrist. "O-- Oh! Oh my! I'm so sorry!" Chun-Li gasps, when Reese introduces herself. "Please, forgive me! I meant no offense!"
If nothing else, the World's Most Dangerous Woman certainly seems earnest in her apology.
"I don't know what I could do to make it up to you -- other than give you the best fight of your life!"
Chun-Li's warm-up process consists of relaxing her body into a fighting stance -- subtly stretching herself in the process. No check-swung kicks, no squat thrusts, no adjustment of her hairstyle's brocades. As soon as the two younger warriors are ready -- which is pretty much a judgment call on Chun-Li's part -- she's in motion, striking like a jaguar.
A jaguar wearing white boots, one of which is sent right toward Reese's mouth. After all -- she's got a lot of making-up to do!
COMBATSYS: Chun-Li has started a fight here.
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Chun-Li 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Rock has joined the fight here on the left meter side.
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Rock 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Chun-Li
COMBATSYS: Reese has joined the fight here on the left meter side.
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Rock 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Chun-Li
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Reese 0/-------/-------|
"I don't think a kick to the mouth is considered an apology, even amongst fighters!" Rock is amused, though... well, hell. Someone like Ryu probably -would- take the kick as an appropriate apology. He just hopes that Chun's apology doesn't take Reese's -face- off... she'd probably try to apologize more with more kicks, and that's just a vicious circle.
"Right... I'm gonna take this -to the limit-!" God, that sounds cheesy, doesn't it? Sounds better in Japanese. But Rock's an American. An American with red eyes. And pointy elbows. The elbow isn't what he attacks with first, though; after moving wide of Reese, he waits for Chun to strike--then strikes, himself, hurling his right hand in a sweep from low to high.
"REPPUKEN!!" he cries, and indeed it is that famous projectile, a hissing wave of purple energy slicing across the floor towards Chun's legs!
COMBATSYS: Chun-Li successfully hits Reese with Medium Kick.
-* CRITICAL HIT! *-
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Rock 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Chun-Li
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Reese 1/------=/=======|
There are two options here:
1.) Send the whip up and try like hell to catch the leg and swing the ox-horned woman to the ground, which judging by the speed of the incoming foot is //not// going to work.
2.) Swing her arms in and hope like hell the foot will hit those instead of her --
WHACK!
Head swinging to the side with a great deal of force, Reese finds herself airborne. Soaring high into the air before crashing into the crowd and landing on top of some rotund guy with very nasally breathing that sounds quite a bit like snoring. She hopes against all hopes that the poor slob wasn't //really// sleeping, since that would be a very rude (or maybe not-so-rude) awakening.
Elbowing herself off of the poor man and leaping back toward the stage, she wipes some blood from her cheek. Christ, that hurt. That hurt horribly. She forces a smile. It's a bit grotesque thanks to the blood (and maybe missing tooth). Working her jaw to ensure it's not been dislocated by the kick, she nods. "A'right. Apol-ow-gy accepted." Now maybe they can leave it at that and her face can stay intact.
Snapping her whip at her side, she watches what Rock is doing. There is less than a two-count, then she's lashing her whip forward, attempting to cinch it around Chun-Li's throat and swing her to the ground as she tightens it into a choke. Any success in this will have her swinging the whip side to side to use the much more experienced fighter as a paddle ball.
COMBATSYS: Chun-Li dodges Rock's Reppuken.
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Rock 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Chun-Li
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Reese 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Chun-Li just-defends Reese's All About Me!
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Rock 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Chun-Li
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Reese 0/-------/-------|
"--!" Chun-Li rushes to the side of the arena after sending Reese flying. In the process, she leaps out of the way of Rock's Reppuken, avoiding it deftly. "That poor man! Reese! Make sure he's ok--"
Then, suddenly, there's a whip coming at Chun-Li's neck. The World's Strongest Woman is surprised by this development. Now -- when a whip cracks, that is because its tip is pretty much breaking the sound barrier. That is how fast whips can move. Chun-Li somehow manages to move faster. Seeing the whip coming, she swings one hand up--
--and catches it. With her bare hand.
"Check on that man! Make sure you didn't injure him!" Chun-Li's voice is full of genuine concern, and the audience who have come with prepared questions may suddenly have second thoughts. Chun-Li lets go of the whip, then turns back toward Rock. "Your Reppuken glows brighter than I remember, Rock -- that probably would have really hurt!" It's somehow a compliment, just like kicking Reese was somehow an apology. "I look forward to how this will play out!"
As soon as the exclamation mark is dotted, Chun-Li is moving -- she bounds up again, her powerful legs picking her up and lifting her over Rock's head. Suddenly, she sharply twists in the air just as she clears him -- and both feet come out, seeking to impact the back of Rock's skull!
COMBATSYS: Rock blocks Chun-Li's Tenshin Shuu Kyaku.
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Rock 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Chun-Li
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Reese 0/-------/-------|
Definitely moving fast; Rock nods. Even faster than he may remember... but memories are so fleetingly accurate. Chun-Li's kicks, however, are not so fleetingly accurate--they're just -accurate-. Fortunately for Rock, his reactions are up to the task--this time. Without looking back, he snaps his right arm up, taking the impact on his forearm; he uses that momentary contact as a pivot point, spinning to face Chun-Li and pushing off to get some momentum, hopping backwards about three steps.
"Thanks, Chun. That means a lot, coming from you." Of course, even as he's talking to her--and being perfectly friendly--he's also attacking. All that stored momentum in his legs is suddenly used to propel him forward, the majority of his body hidden behind his pointed right elbow--aimed to slam right into Chun's sternum, a strike which, should it make contact, Rock will follow up, dropping to his left knee and throwing a low, left straight punch for her belly button.
Staying in close with the Kicking Master might not be the smartest move ever, but Rock isn't known for being the brainiest of fighters--maybe one of the most impetuous, or daring, and heedless...
"..."
Reese stands there looking quite dumbfounded as the whip is so easily caught. This is supposed to be her showing off! Her ability to taunt Marius forever and ever... and he's going to laugh at her. A new goal is set in her mind: find all copies of this fight and steal them. Yes, that will work marvelously!
When she realizes the opponent is actually yelling at her to do something, she blinks.
"Check on the... right. Sure." Reese will do it too, right after she performs a dazzling snakekiller technique, lashing the whip out swiftly at Chun-Li's calves in an attempt to bring her down enough to fall right into the elbow and punch.
Dropping back to the crowd, the somewhat bloodied Reese strikes up a conversation with the poor man who's stomach she nearly used as a trampoline. "Pardon me, mate... y'alright?"
The man gives her a shocked look, but double nods his head. "I'd be better if you can get Chun-Li to autograph her picture for me after the fight!"
"I'll see what I can do, mate, but no promises, yeah?" Then, with a wave, she's dashing back to see if Rock needs help.
COMBATSYS: Rock successfully hits Chun-Li with Medium Punch.
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Rock 0/-------/------=|====---\-------\0 Chun-Li
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Reese 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Chun-Li dodges Reese's Excavation.
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Rock 0/-------/------=|====---\-------\0 Chun-Li
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Reese 0/-------/-------|
The World's Strongest Sternum is punched by the World's Geesest Son. This is duly followed up on -- a fist slams into Chun-Li's stomach. It's her own fault, really. Not because of, you know, misogyny or anything, but because he caught her right as she was landing from her attempt to kick Rock's head clean off of his head.
This is Chun-Li's reaction to Rock punching her in the stomach: She spins away from him, toward the boundary of the arena. Facing Reese, to whom she directs a chipper: "Thank you!"
The 'you're welcome' is an attempt to whip her in the legs, which Chun-Li jazzes her way out of with some fancy footwork. "While you're out there, Reese -- why not answer one of the fans' questions?"
An SNF referee blows a whistle -- Question Time has officially begun, and Reese has been sacrificed on its dark altar. This frees Chun-Li's attention up for Rock.
"You hit harder than before, too! I could have sworn that one came from Terry!" Not really, but Chun-Li believes in encouraging young people, even if it takes a bit of hyperbole sometimes. "You should really try to hook them in first, though! Let me show you!"
One of the strongest legs in the world snaps out -- not to kick, but to try and lock around the back of Rock's knee and pull him in. One palm swings up, trying to catch Rock under the chin and pop his head back -- and then an elbow swings to try and knock said head to one side and send Rock tumbling away.
COMBATSYS: Rock fails to counter Combo Grapple from Chun-Li with Gedan Crack Counter.
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Rock 0/-------/---====|=====--\-------\0 Chun-Li
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Reese 0/-------/-------|
"Wha--" That's about as far as Rock gets, his body reacting before he can form a thought--but against one of Chun's speed, sometimes even a reaction that fast... isn't fast enough. Before he can stop Chun's leg, she's hooked him in, and the palm strike and elbow send him sprawling away, tumbling across the mat; though he rolls with it and springs back to his feet easily enough, he's out of position, and, for a moment at least, getting his bearings...
He probably is presenting a prime target, but that's for the best--he can take the punishment better than Reese can, at least somewhat. It doesn't take him too long to resume his fighting stance, though there's new wariness in his eyes. "I think you, too, have improved since that tournament at Strolheim, Chun. You're even faster than before..."
Questions? There's questions to answer? Reese is very out of her element here. She's again left standing there, staring at the opponent. She's watching and blinking, and hoping the question is something like 'how do you become an archaeologist' or 'where did you get that awesome outfit'.
Not a chance. The crowd is merciless.
A young woman, with big coke-bottle style glasses wanders up to a microphone, snapping her gum. Blowing it out in a big bubble and letting it pop, she sucks it back into her mouth. Then she pushes her glasses up her nose and sniffles once for effect. "So like, ya know that level in Tomb Raider Three? Lud's Gate? In the Lair of the Damned, when you follow the torch guy which way do you turn to find the secret?"
The poor young woman with the question is given a blank look. There are only two options, right? Right? Reese looks to the whip, then looks to her empty hand. She blinks a few times. Then she smiles. Smiles brightly and answers, "Not the way you turn normally!"
How's that for an answer?
COMBATSYS: Reese takes no action.
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Rock 0/-------/---====|=====--\-------\0 Chun-Li
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Reese 0/-------/-------|
Chun-Li chuckles. "You think so?" she says, responding to Rock's observation. "Well, thank you, Rock, that means a lot. I think it shows a fighter's dedication to their art -- to strive to become more resilient and quick with age! My master Gen, for example, began our training at the ripe old age of -- Oh! Shh!" Chun-Li waves a shushing hand as Reese is asked her question.
One of the World's Strongest Eyebrows raises. She did not understand a word of that -- but Chun-Li presumes that Reese must have, because it's not like that answer seems /wrong/.
"Hm! Enlightening!" Chun-Li says, turning back to the fight. "Now -- where were we?" The Queen of Fighters (it's her, not Iori in a dress, honest) raises her hands into a ready stance again, one knee curling into a tense but limber position -- so that when Reese returns, she can congratulate her on a job well done. "Congratulations, Reese, on a job well done!"
If an apology is one kick, congratulations are a hundred kicks.
Right. That's shaken off. Time to go back on the offensive. Rock is still not in the right place--he can't do anything about Chun going after Reese with one of her most famous techniques, ever... but it -is- a technique that necessitates that Chun stand in one place, for obvious reasons.
Releasing a shout, he tries something... that is really very inelegant--he plain ol' tries to shoulder charge into Chun from the side, leading with his left shoulder. But that's not all! He's not trying to bowl her over with the shoulder, necessarily--he's trying to upset her balance, so that he can then throw her--his arms seeking to wrap around her middle, so he can plant his feet, and turn to his right, hurling Chun into the matting.
Inelegant, and probably too late to keep Reese from weathering the storm, but the effort has to be made, after all...
COMBATSYS: Reese dodges Chun-Li's Hyakuretsu Kyaku.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Rock 0/-------/---====|=====--\-------\0 Chun-Li
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Reese 0/-------/-------|
There is finally a silver lining to nearly having her face taken off right at the beginning of the fight -- besides the bloodied lip finally coagulating and no longer dripping blood everywhere. This silver lining comes in the manner of knowing when to get the hell out of the way of the incoming speedy foot.
Reese jump-tumbles to the side in a very non-graceful manner. Her shoulder crashes against the ground, but the goal is met anyhow. That speed-demon kicking foot is avoided and she can bounce back up with a smile. A small fist-pump with a whispered, "YES!" is given and she takes a deep breath. She may survive this! "Thanks," she offers to Chun-Li when she's finally sure she's not going to die.
Twisting about as she hears another question being asked, she squints. Video games may not be her forte but playing people can sometimes work to her advantage. So as the second question is fired off, she nods and says, "Well isn't that usually the way?"
With that question handily answered, she slips the whip back into the holster. Then she whisks out one of the two guns on the leg holsters and pops her neck to the side. She's got confidence today that she can do this without taking extra time. Aiming it at Chun-Li, she says, "Next question goes to you, mate!" Then the trigger is tapped twice, sending off a double shot of silvery energy that comes out of the gun looking like an ancient arrowhead.
COMBATSYS: Chun-Li blocks Rock's Medium Throw.
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Rock 0/-------/---====|======-\-------\0 Chun-Li
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Reese 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Chun-Li dodges Reese's Projectile Point.
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Rock 0/-------/---====|======-\-------\0 Chun-Li
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Reese 0/-------/-------|
A lot of things happen in rapid succession: first, Chun-Li's attempt to kick Reese's head into a fine crimson mist is avoided, and Rock's arms wrap around her waist. Rock throws -- and Chun-Li lands, on one hand and one knee. Absorbing the shock isn't the most pleasant feeling in the world, and her knee in particular took it pretty hard. But there's no time to focus -- she's got /laser bolts/ being fired at her.
"Hup!" Chun-Li launches up, leaping into a sort of somersault that has her land on her feet once the bolts have passed her by. She grunts almost silently -- the knee didn't like that. The question gives her a chance to regroup, at least.
The official hands her a microphone, and Chun-Li skims the crowd, picking out someone and pointing, wearing a gracious, polite smile.
The person chosen, of course, is an adorable little girl. "Chun-Li, my dad says those aren't your real legs, and that you got illegal thigh implants in Bolivia, and that the reason you kick so hard is because the implants in your thighs are made from horse thighs, but my mom says that that's ridiculous, and that they're probably just black people thighs, which one of them is right?"
Chun-Li stares at this kid in mute shock and horror for like twenty seconds.
"I-- I don't have thigh implants," the World's Strongest Woman mumbles weakly, dazed.
COMBATSYS: Chun-Li takes no action.
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Rock 0/-------/---====|======-\-------\0 Chun-Li
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Reese 0/-------/-------|
Rock coughs explosively at the girl's question. God, people, stop reading the Internet! That cough was just to hide a bark of laughter anyways. Rock being Rock, he's going to wait at least a little bit, until Chun finally answers. With a little grin, he calls out, "I can attest to that! Those thighs are one hundred percent natural!" Helping? Or helping out -more-? But back to the fight! Rock takes two steps then leaps up, taking, well, a big risk--
--because Chun-Li is, due to those robot horse thighs, one of the fastest fighters around. He's hoping she's still dazed, maybe even more dazed by his words, and that he can get the drop on her, figuratively and literally--dropping his left heel onto her shoulder, at full extension.
It's almost, but not quite, an axe kick; he doesn't reach as high as, say, Kim Kaphwan would, or Makoto, but there's plenty of force there anyways...
No good way to go about hiding up the laugh that bursts forth from Reese. If nothing else, that question was, in her mind, payback for thinking she was male. If there was any lingering animosity (which there really wasn't), it would all have washed away at that. She makes a mental note to find the kid after and slip her five dollars or something. The laugh was //definitely// worth it.
Her energy shooting gun is twirled on her finger then dropped back into the holster. She //may// need to charge up the energy so that it's more effective. //May//. There are things to do before that though. One of which is to note that there is someone else asking a question. She's about to open her mouth to respond but sees an opening when Rock goes in for the maybe-axe-kick.
This opening entails Reese trying to sneak up behind Chun-Li (fat chance of that happening -- thank you audience participation!), slyly reaching her arms out for the woman's waist, and falling backward with her just enough to attempt to not only hoist the World's Strongest off her feet, but to drop her on her noggin as well!
COMBATSYS: Chun-Li dodges Rock's Fierce Kick.
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Rock 0/-------/-----==|======-\-------\0 Chun-Li
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Reese 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Chun-Li dodges Reese's Medium Throw.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////// ]
Rock 0/-------/-----==|======-\-------\0 Chun-Li
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Reese 0/-------/-------|
Rock's heel comes down -- on the gentle earth, because Chun-Li's shoulder is nowhere to be seen. She spins out of the way, right toward Reese -- but sneaking up on her is difficult when she's facing you. Chun-Li hops backward at the last second, just out of the intrepid young raider's grasp. "You're both putting too much emphasis on the power of your assault, and sacrificing your nimbleness -- tai chi teaches, among other things, that balance is key!"
Then, as if in helpful demonstration once more, Chun-Li unleashes a crowd-pleaser. Having recovered from the shock of being asked if she's illegally sewn animal or minority parts into her body, the warrior-woman suddenly inverts herself.
It takes special skill to be able to lift yourself like a helicopter using only strength of will and possibly latent mutant telekinesis. Chun-Li turns herself upside-down mid-flip, and swing her legs out wide, doing a mid-air split -- legs becoming like unto rotors, bearing her aloft as they attempt to connect with Rock's face over and over again.
"SPINNING -- BIRD -- KICK!"
COMBATSYS: Rock blocks Chun-Li's Spinning Bird Kick EX.
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Rock 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\0 Chun-Li
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Reese 0/-------/-------|
Rock, upon landing, doesn't bother with trying to get up. That's probably what saves him from the terrible storm of Chun-Li's booted feet; as it is, he has to throw his arms up repeatedly, deflecting the kicks away from his head, and that effort is more painful than any audience member could -ever- think. Even after he weathers the storm, he doesn't bother getting to his feet; he takes the momentum from the last spinning kick and uses it to hurl himself into a backwards roll, getting some distance before going back up to his feet.
His face is more serious now--as it should be, given the fight he's fighting. No one can take Chun-Li lightly, not even Vega or Geese, as powerful as they are. And Rock is nowhere near their level, not yet. But he's still just getting warmed up... shaking his arms out, he slaps his hands together and nods to Chun.
Glancing over to Reese, he grins, as if to say 'hey, we're doing well just surviving!'... but of course he wants to do much more than just survive the fight. He wants to -win-, as unlikely as it seems right now. Circling for a few moments, he moves in on Chun-Li again, dashing forward with incredible speed--but aborting that dash, looking so much like his Rage Run, in favor of cranking his right fist around in a whipping hook aimed for Chun-Li's temple--a classic boxer's punch, a stunning blow.
"Tai chi..." Chi... energy? That could be useful! That is something she will also have to look into after the fight! Reese's laundry list of tasks is getting longer and longer, and she'll never remember them all at this rate. "Balance is key? Guess it is, mate. I hate tripping over my own two feet."
Rather than going in for the attempt to over-power Chun-Li once more, Reese hangs back. Oh, there's a smile for the handsome young Rock no doubt, but she's not running in and getting into the fight this time. She instead readies her guns for a quick draw, focusing all of her energy upon them. Letting small silvery blue streaks edge down her hands to cause the guns to seem as though they're glowing.
"Tell me more about this tai chi sometime?"
COMBATSYS: Reese gathers her will.
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Rock 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\0 Chun-Li
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Reese 0/-------/---====|
COMBATSYS: Chun-Li interrupts Medium Punch from Rock with Medium Kick.
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Rock 0/-------/=======|=======\==-----\1 Chun-Li
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Reese 0/-------/---====|
"Of course, Reese!" Chun-Li responds. Unlike Rock, her determination is not worn on her sleeve -- it's kept buried within so that her polite, friendly side can shine through more readily. "Consider this whole fight a practical demonstration! Like /so/!"
Hard meets soft, so to speak. That is, the hard punch of Rock Howard meets Chun-Li's soft organs as he punches her in the stomach again. This is a compromise -- her hand came up to redirect the strike. She was hoping she could nullify its momentum completely, but the kid is too fired up and too strong. Besides, her focus is split.
The other end of Chun-Li's attention is devoted to using that deflection as a set-up -- her grip on Rock's wrist brings him in and keeps him there, so she can shoot a leg up and spike her heel under his chin with sudden, swift, brutal force.
"Not the most graceful demonstration -- I'll try to do better!"
"Guh--!" Rock makes intelligent conversation as he's kicked in the chin, hurled backwards and up in a picturesque arc. He lands hard, on his shoulders, which isn't good for his spine at all--but he's young and flexible, he'll live. From there, he falls over, to his face, then pushes himself up, off his face and chest, and gets up. But he's grinning through a bloody nose, for whatever reason.
He doesn't seem to be inclined to move--in fact, he appears to ground himself, his knees bending a little, as he crosses his arms in front of him--and they begin glowing with power, white-cored, with a purple fringe, the visible aftereffects of something Terry showed him how to do, once before... the glow creeping up from his forearms to his biceps, to his shoulders, tendrils licking up and off like solar flares.
No banter, he'll let Reese handle that, as he exhales a deep, centering breath.
COMBATSYS: Rock gathers his will.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////// ]
Rock 1/----===/=======|=======\==-----\1 Chun-Li
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Reese 0/-------/---====|
"Practical demonstration..." Reese is actually quite good at picking things up when it comes to learning hands on, but she's not so great as to learn an entire martial arts form from one demonstration. "Do you teach lessons?"
Grasping the handle of the whip, she snaps the popper twice just to loosen up her arm a little.
Then she watches poor Rock nearly get his face taken off, and she squishes up her face in a sympathetic wince for him. "Sorry, mate. That looks like it hurt." Stepping over to his side, Reese starts to offer her non-whip-wielding hand down to help him up. Then she sees the glowing and backs off.
"Let me see if I can recreate that..." Cracking the whip as a distractionary technique, the tomb-raiding archaeologist advances on Chun-Li. Her leg is shot up to try and catch her under the chin with her foot -- though not by using the heel. Reese twists to send the edge of her foot to the chin with somewhat swift, probably less brutal force.
COMBATSYS: Chun-Li interrupts Medium Kick from Reese with Tenshou Kyaku.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////// ]
Rock 1/----===/=======|=======\======-\1 Chun-Li
[ \\\\\\\\\ <
Reese 1/---====/=======|
"Lessons? My schedule is often rather busy -- but if I can find the time, you certainly show promise--!" Chun-Li is then popped under the chin with Reese's boot as Rock sits out for the moment. It's a triumphant moment, and lasts all of a microsecond before Chun-Li's own foot impacts. Stereo kicks.
Chun-Li's kick is just set-up, though -- she launches Reese into the air with her, before swinging her other leg up, fulfilling the 'two' of the promised one-two.
"That one rattled a tooth, I think!" Chun-Li states when she lands, clutching her jaw thoughtfully. "Well done!"
Reese has done well--no one can say she hasn't. For an 'unknown' like her to have lasted so long against Chun-Li... to even have dodged the famous, some might say -infamous-, Hyakuretsu Kyaku, no matter how ungraceful that dodge was... but the fight's going to over, soon, one way or the other. Things are coming to a head. "Right... I said it was time to give 'em a show, didn't I? Well then..."
Suddenly all that power that was expressing itself off of Rock's arms snaps inward, internalized. "Chun-Li! HERE I COME!" He charges forward, not really in a fighting stance--and then he reaches high, throwing his entire body down, slamming his hands on the mat--unleashing all that pent-up force in a furious, violent upwelling of chi, looking like gusts of wind crafted out of the essence of flame, tinted purple, exploding outwards at Chun-Li, threatening to engulf her.
"RAGING... STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORM!!!!!" comes Rock's shout, but he doesn't have time to admire his own handiwork--he knows that Chun-Li is more than capable of dealing with even this, and he's got to be ready if she does, getting back to his feet and getting his body back into position.
Managing to survive is a great thing, it really is. Even if Marius is going to laugh at her attempt, Reese can definitely hold her head high and point out that until he's been kicked in the face by Chun-Li he doesn't have a leg to stand on! Besides, she was part of the main event, getting lots of potentially adoring fans (well if they like the bloodied face look anyway!), and plenty of screen time! And where's he? Likely at home pulling a rabbit out of his hat.
Reese has plenty of time to think this as she's launched into the air, then kicked. Life doesn't run in slow motion but even so it seems her body hangs a bit before dropping to the ground with a bounce. Giving a painful groan she pushes back to her feet with a struggle. She wobbles a step to the right, then a step to the left. Kick-drunk.
The bullwhip is dropped, her hands swiftly twirl out the twin guns. The audience in front of her is given a broad smile and a wink. Her body shifts into a shooters stance, and she starts to fire off a barrage of super-charged silvery blue bullets. A good twenty or so before the energy converges to form an extremely large 'super bullet' (think Bullet Bill of Super Mario fame) that shoots directly toward Chun-Li that will explode if it impacts with her body.
COMBATSYS: Chun-Li blocks Rock's Raging Storm+.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Rock 0/-------/------=|=======\=====--\1 Chun-Li
[ \\\\\\\\\ <
Reese 0/-------/------=|
COMBATSYS: Reese successfully hits Chun-Li with Number One With a Bang!.
- Power hit! -
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Rock 0/-------/------=|=======\=======\1 Chun-Li
[ \\\\\\\\\ <
Reese 0/-------/------=|
Chun-Li's qipao flutters -- one of her silk brocades comes off -- and her strength is tested to its core, when she finds herself in the path of Rock's Raging Storm. She crosses her arms and leans back, putting her weight down low to anchor herself, and while she weathers the fury of the young man's attack, she nonetheless is fairly worse for wear afterward. "Most-- impr--" she starts to wheeze, before Reese capitalizes on her moment of weakness.
The explosion of bullet-chi -- epicenter, Chun-Li's belly -- knocks the the World's Strongest Woman backward as if she'd just been struck by a swinging wrecking ball. Tights torn, hair starting to come undone on one side, Chun-Li spits up a bit of blood and takes note that she needs to stop getting hit in the stomach because she may or may not have punctured something vital down there. "You're both... giving this your all..." Chun-Li groans as she forces herself back up. "I won't insult you by restraining myself!"
Chun-Li lunges forward. Even hurt, she's a human blur.
That blur comes into sharp focus as she tries to explode Rock's head with a barrage of violent kicks, moving so fast that they break most speeding laws and possibly also physics. Their goal is to end with a sharp launch upward into the air --
--so that Chun-Li can follow, whipping herself into a frenzy of a Spinning Bird Kick, legs revolving so powerfuly that they shear off sparks of chi like lightning from a stormy sky.
"HOUSENKA!"
COMBATSYS: Rock fails to counter Housenka EX from Chun-Li with Joudan Crack Counter.
- Power fail! -
[ \\\ < > /////////// ]
Rock 0/-------/--=====|====---\-------\0 Chun-Li
[ \\\\\\\\\ <
Reese 0/-------/------=|
COMBATSYS: Rock can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Reese 0/-------/------=|====---\-------\0 Chun-Li
"Oh, sh--" It's lucky for the parents in the audience that Chun-Li pretty much effectively shuts him up right then and there, because in a live event, there -is- no 7 second delay. Rock is withered by the storm of kicks--honestly, he's out by the time Chun-Li slams him into the air to follow him up and Spinning Bird Kick him straight to Heaven.
When he finally lands, it's with an almost -soft- thump, but that's because he lands on his back, and he's already out; comically, his legs stay straight up for about a second, then fall over, with a smaller thump.
What do you do when the big hitter is taken out of the fight?
Survival instinct screams... //FLEE// in big, bright, flashing letters.
Reese stares at Chun-Li and the fallen, thumped, Rock. She gulps. She looks like a frightened little mouse for a second, eyes darting to the doors.
Then she shakes it off by blowing across the tip of each gun, twirling them back into the holsters, and grabbing her whip. She has very little chance of actually outlasting the famed Chun-Li, but damned if she's not going to give the convention goers a great show!
She'll just check on Rock later.
"That was pretty amazing, mate. If I had even half your speed..."
Says the woman who is sending the whip in a speedy, graceful overhand crack in an attempt to catch Chun-Li's attention. A quick side-step has her barreling in with a hooked punch toward chest, and with any luck (pray pray pray for the luck!) she follows through by twirling away.
COMBATSYS: Chun-Li dodges Reese's End Scraper.
[ \\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Reese 0/-------/------=|====---\-------\0 Chun-Li
The problem is that when Chun-Li said she was going to stop holding back, she meant it. There's no eager encouragement or happy platitude -- instead, there's just Chun-Li, landing and whipping her body out of the path of Reese's fist.
As Reese twirls away, Chun-Li attempts to follow up on it with a rather nasty maneuver, no doubt inspired by her time with Guile and Charlie. Her arms come out -- and she seeks to grab Reese by the neck.
The plan is this: to fit Reese's neck snugly into the crook of her elbow. It's like a hug, but with more choking.
The second part of this plan is to launch a knee upward right into Reese's back with enough power to induce a galvanic reaction.
It's not quite as spectacular as the moves that took out Rock, but they more than make up for that with pure, potentially crippling brutality.
COMBATSYS: Reese counters Fierce Combo from Chun-Li with Artifact Snare.
[ \\\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Reese 0/-------/------=|=====--\-------\0 Chun-Li
Without even really thinking about it, Reese lashes the whip out at the incoming arm that is attempting to grab hold of her neck. Catching the offending lim in the whip, she yanks it upward really quickly in order to keep that knee from coming in toward her back. Once she's got Chun-Li hoisted up into the air, she swings the whip backward in order to drop the ox-horned woman onto her shoulders and skull.
Then she takes a second to just draw the whip back toward her and grin. There is much to be said for going with instinct and while she's all too aware that it doesn't work //all// the time, when it does it never ceases to astound her.
Granted, she is //definitely// feeling the wear and tear on her body from this fight and while she lets the whip arm relax momentarily she takes a few deep breaths to try and clear her head from the fuzzy fogginess it's starting to feel.
Chun-Li lands right on her head -- only one oxhorn remains intact, the other having come loose into a mere braid. It's not a good look on her, this half-and-half thing. "Hnngh!"
Throwing her body upward as if by automatic reflex, Chun-Li is also feeling the effects of a drawn-out battle. She threw a lot of herself into putting Rock down, and while her tank isn't down to vapors, the depletion is nonetheless self-evident.
Spitting out another salvo of blood, Chun-Li assesses the situation, and her mind drifts into a flashback.
SOME TIME AGO
Chun-Li is being made to practice Kikoukens until her fingerprints have been burnt into different configurations. Gen stands there, watching. Suddenly, a swift chop strikes Chun-Li's lower back, and before she can even react to it, his hand is once more in a position of calm rest. "Gnaaah--!" the student cries, pitching forward onto one knee.
"The last one flickered," Gen explains, coldly.
"But Master," Chun-Li says. "What if one day I'm fighting two young people, and I defeat one of them, but the other one is suprisingly resilient for someone who I'd never met before that day?"
Gen strokes his long beard, and harrumphs. "Then a mere Kikouken is not enough! Prepare to learn the forbidden art -- of KIKOUSHOU!"
NOW
Chun-Li braces herself, feet spreading wide. Her arms thrust forward so sharply that her back bends. "KIIIIIII--"
Suddenly, a globe of chi explodes from her palms, ballooning outward like a bomb going off, threatening to launch Reese into its center and knock her around like a poltergeist throwing dishes.
"--KOUSHOU!"
COMBATSYS: Chun-Li successfully hits Reese with Kikoushou.
[ < > ///////// ]
Reese 1/--=====/=======|==-----\-------\0 Chun-Li
Two thoughts go through Reese's mind as she realizes what the famed Chun-Li is about to do. The first, of course, is 'oh shit'. The second is, 'I want to do that some day'.
The second though is what has her watching the energy ballooning outward, attempting to duck under it, roll away from it, and otherwise get her body out of the way so she can continue to admire it.
In this, Reese fails absolutely miserably. That's not to say that she's not still admiring the energy bomb, but she's admiring it as she's blasting off across the conference room to slam against the back wall behind the audience. It's a tight fit. A very tight fit. So tight that if the person who she's landed behind decides to move their chair at that precise moment she'd be squished up against the wall and unable to breathe.
Thankfully, so very thankfully, the person decides to actually scoot forward to give Reese just enough room to slide down the wall and wind up in a heap on the floor behind the audience.
As nice of a person as she tries to be most of the time, she's not above a cheap shot now and then. Now is one of those times. The guns are slowly drawn from their holsters. Beneath the chairs and through the feet, she drags her sore and sorry body. Until she's up at the front row, wedged under a chair.
The guns are cocked.
The triggers are pulled.
Like before a barrage of bullets are fired out. This time the energy is a bit faded but it's still there. Still pointy. Still looking like tiny little bullets. Then it comes together, and just before it forms the Bullet of Doom(tm), it sort of fades out a bit more. The shape is gone now and the double-powered energy just bursts forth in a ball of silvery blue energy before Reese takes one last deep breath and decides that it's likely best if she just had a nap (enforced by the fact that zones out for at least a good minute).
COMBATSYS: Reese can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\ <
Chun-Li 0/-------/-----==|
COMBATSYS: Chun-Li parries Reese's Number One With a Bang!!
[ \\\\\\\\\ <
Chun-Li 0/-------/----===|
What do you do when a giant silver energy mind bullet is coming at you, hungry for blood? If your name is Chun-Li, you have already fallen for this trick once tonight, so falling for it again would just be poor manners.
So Chun-Li does what any self-respecting person would do.
She kicks it so hard it explodes like a firework, providing a festive air as the banner falls from the ceiling, reading:
HAPPY LABOR DAY, EVERYONE!
COMBATSYS: Chun-Li has ended the fight here.
Log created on 18:07:52 09/05/2010 by Reese, and last modified on 09:34:31 10/09/2010.