Description: Kyo: Kind of a dick to most people. Freeman: A psychotic killer who keeps sneaking into SNF in disguise under assumed names. Frei: Caught in the middle. Can Freeman concentrate on one opponent long enough to win a fight? Will Kyo unleash his full potential on someone deserving of his scorn? Will Frei be able to cooperate with Freeman if he figures out who he is? Watch and find out! (Draw Match)
The main event? Maybe, maybe not. Certainly, the match that the crowd here at the White Arena paid money to watch is among the least gimmick-y of the various battles in this week's SNF lineup. It's simply a 2v1 battle, here in one of professional fighting's classier venues. The fact that Kyo Kusanagi, a big ticket name, is going to be involved also helps put some bodies in the seats. There is something about seeing the real prodigies out there that tends to draw people in it, even if they're wisecracking bastards.
For Frei, here to participate as one of the '2' in the '2v1', Kyo Kusanagi is a sort of dim memory. They fought once before, to his recollection; in fact, it was a title belt match on this very TV show, though that felt like a lifetime ago considering what's happened to Howard Enterprises and SNF itself since then. When he'd challenged Kyo, Frei knew he didn't have much of a chance of winning, but he'd nevertheless found fighting the Kusanagi scion enlightening, and had no real regrets about it in the end.
Now? Now he's here in the relatively featureless White Arena, coming out from the stage doors carefully disguised as sliding paper doors to continue the 'dojo-like' feel of the setting. In his right hand is the cloth-covered bundle that fighting fans have come to recognize as the wooden sword that has become part of his style, to date. Looking out at the crowd with a faint smile, Frei nevertheless steps over to part of the stage and stands there, tapping his feet on the ground a couple times and looking restless. Last week he was on the other side of the mathematical equation in this sort of fight: the '1' rather than the '2'. Hopefully he and this "Freeman" can work together as well as Nahid and Faolan seemed to.
Though he'd be less nervous if he knew even the remotest thing about Freeman, in the end...
Underneath the guise of multiple names Freeman had pushed himself into the different rungs of the SNF bracket. For two straight weeks he had put himself in the betting game. Both opportunities were either postponed or paused indefinitely. He did not mind as much. All he really needed was the names and he did not trust this 'Kain' as much as Geese. Geese used to let Freeman do what he want.
Kain, as Freeman has learned to hate, may as well be immortal. Even if Freeman would like nothing more than to rip out his trachea there is very little a man of his strength can do to a god like Kain.
Today Freeman had come in a simple trenchcoat attire that he had disposed of before moving into the Arena. He comes with his own sort of look. With long, flowing hair that covers his eyes and a bellyshit that gives way to his pale skin to his white bellbottoms with black triangles that jut out like the teeth of a sharp, cutting into the heart of the fabric.
Freeman jauntily moves in towards the center of the arena with the visage of another fighter in his eyes. Frei.
Did he have another opponent? He doesn't care. He just had happened to wander into an opponent or ally. He isn't too sure. He wasn't too keen with Kain. The police would have most definitely been called upon his appearence.
The sanded wood of the dojo-style floor plays host to the sound of footsteps once again, as someone enters from the opposite side that his opponents have separately arrived from; that someone shows enough disrespect to the whole idea of a 'dojo' that his shoes remain firmly in place, although they get good enough traction on the sanded wood flooring regardless. Tracking up, there are... Jeans, dark blue and probably more expensive than the outfits of most individuals in the crowd, much less the other two people fighting today, a plain black leather belt with a short chain dangling from it, apparently connecting his wallet (?!) in his back pocket, then a plain white t-shirt. Over the shirt, which strains a little bit over a compactly muscled physique, the new arrival wears a plain black leather jacket, the sort with a round collar, like a motorcycle racing jacket. On his hands, fingerless gloves made of an unidentifiable fabric, black with yellow detailing, the gloves stretching up his forearms under the jacket's sleeves.
On his face, one smug fucking smirk.
"Oh, oh, what's this?" Kyo Kusanagi, reigning World Warrior, former SNF Champion and former King of Fighters wonders, stopping about ten feet away from the unlikely duo of Freeman and Frei, his dark eyes taking in the other two in turn. Frei looks vaguely familiar, although Kyo would be hard pressed to remember who he is at all, but Freeman? A mystery indeed. "They actually found somebody willing to fight me? And keeping the buddy system, too. That's touching."
He taps himself over the heart, demonstratively.
Snapping the fingers of his right hand, Kyo summons forth the Ever Burning Flames of his bloodline with contemptuous ease, dismissing them just as quickly in a brief display of skill and power. "So, let's get started, huh? There was this sandwich shop I saw on the way over, looked pretty good... Figure I'll work up at least a /little/ appetite beating you chumps senseless. Bring whatever you've got," Kyo adds, confidently. His smirk, somehow, manages to broaden.
"I'll make you famous."
COMBATSYS: Kyo has started a fight here on the left meter side.
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Kyo 0/-------/-------|
It's really hard NOT to stare at someone like Freeman, impolite as it might be. Considering that anyone else stepping onto the mostly empty stage would pull the eye too, and there is a moment or two -- an uncomfortable one -- where Frei's green eyes track onto the newcomer and he gives him the once and then, in truth, the twice over. You don't want to judge a book by its cover; lord knows Frei himself is proof enough of that. But still, there is something about the red-haired man... an aura of... something.
Perhaps it's for the best that shortly afterwards Kyo walks in and effectively blusters that moment right out of the park. Despite himself, Frei chuckles at the bravado. He knows that Kyo has the skills to back that up, but that SNF wouldn't schedule a total fait accompli, either. The outcome's not written in stone, and it may be that in fighting the Kusanagi scion, Frei will find something to help him on his search for one particular, elusive answer.
"Well..." He says after a moment, unwrapping the cloth from his bokken and sliding it into his back belt loops, the white wrapping fluttering dramatically to the ground behind him as he gets into stance. "I do like sandwiches, myself. Why don't we split the difference and make the sandwiches famous."
One last time, he glances to Freeman, but then decides the best way to see the somewhat unnerving-looking man is to let him get into the battle. Thus Frei starts things off himself, rushing Kyo and once he gets near, planting his foot and scything a quick circle kick toward Kyo's shoulder, the path of the blow trailing an arc of blue-white frost.
COMBATSYS: Frei has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
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Kyo 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Frei
%Freeman looks up over towards Frei with a smirk that is much more uncanny then Kyo's, given a somewhat shrouded meaning behind it. The man twists his head slowly but surely towards Kyo after giving Frei a moment of his oh so precious time. Kyo had jauntily entered and already begun to taunt. A world warrior? Freeman sneers. He would have to work together with Frei to do this. He is used to solo jobs. This is... demeaning. Even if Kyo would ruin him without the aid of Frei.
Since Kyo is obviously able to take both of them alone, Freeman had decided to start a conversation. "Since we are all about to meet death, let us introduce ourselves. You must be Frei?" Freeman asks as the man is already launching himself forward towards Kyo's shoulder.
"And I can already tell I will not like you." Freeman mentions off hand as he looks towards the boy. It is a very unweildly sort of notion. Freeman dislikes anyone against his ideas. Anyone not willing to accept death or the possibility of it even worse.
Lurching forward from where he stands, the pale man aims to grasp ahold of Frei in a devilish grasp of both hands and tear the meat directly from his bones to send him spinning through the air from the force of the razorsharp nails he carries.
COMBATSYS: Freeman has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
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Kyo 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Frei
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Freeman 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Frei successfully hits Kyo with Light Kick.
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Kyo 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Frei
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Freeman 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Kyo counters Morbid Angel from Freeman with Nue Tsumi.
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Kyo 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Frei
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Freeman 0/-------/---====|
There is, tellingly, not much malice at all behind Kyo Kusanagi. Though he finds a certain exhiliration in fighting - what professional fighter doesn't? - hurting people has never been something that particularly appealed to the Kusanagi heir. It's way too much of a bother, most of the time, to actually build up the desire to cause harm, although there are always certain individuals whose very existence just piss Kyo off.
Luckily for everyone concerned, none of them are here today.
As Frei prepares his weapon, Kyo arches a brow in mild curiousity - he doesn't fight against a lot of armed styles - but it turns out that the first thing Frei goes for is actually a kick, that tricky little devil. With the other fighter rushing at him, Kyo's attention fixes directly on Frei for the moment, trying to shift position to blunt the scything kick, but he (shockingly?) underestimates it, especially as he wasn't expecting any elemental chi, foot and frost both striking Kyo's shoulder and staggering him a bit.
"That's a change of pace," Kyo remarks. "Usually everybody copies the fire!"
But then, /Freeman/. Kyo is canny enough that he can tell that Freeman is some sort of bad customer, the sort of guy who fighters dread to face and who a weirder portion of the female fanbase writes in-depth fanfiction about how he's just misunderstood. But when Freeman lurches forward with surprising speed to try to grab him with rending claws, Kyo is pretty sure he doesn't misunderstand the guy.
What he does do is grab one of the grasping hands, tugging Freeman off-balance long enough to swing his other hand around in a vicious punch, although more problematically the punch is accompanied, at the point of impact, by an EXPLOSION of crimson Kusanagi flame, adding still more tremendous force to the blow. "This isn't a popularity contest, guy."
"Well," Frei offers conversationally, as he finishes the spin of his kick in a crouch, pressing one hand to the ground before he hops backwards to a slightly more safe distance, "I expect I find convention as dull as you do." He'd feel worse about Freeman getting the business over on the other side of the stage, but the death metal maniac was... pretty blunt that it appears he wouldn't like his teammate one bit from minute one. It was refreshing and disarming honesty! It also... you know, doesn't exactly endear Freeman to his partner, either.
But they have to work together, so Frei shall grin and bear it.
The sword-sage's right hand comes around, resting on the 'hilt' of the wooden sword in its makeshift scabbard across his back as he sizes up Kyo. That hit he landed on Freeman really looked like it hurt... so perhaps if Frei keeps up the banter, he can distract the Kusanagi scion for a moment or two and give his partner time to recover? Thus despite it all, Frei rushes back in at their opponent, only this time he suddenly ducks low and attempts to, with a quick 'iai'-style sword draw, sweep the wooden sword through Kyo's legs, potentially knocking him over. "Would you LIKE fire instead?" he asks... which is curious, since instead of ice this time, the wooden blade is charged with purplish arcs of lightning instead.
The feeling that Freeman feels may well as be his ribs shattering and sticking into his lungs, puncturing them as his entire chest is upheaved through a fiery grasp of inflammation to all of the damages portions of his body. Instead, what he feels is the point of impact of a powerful strike and an explosion of firey chi that sends him lurching across the wooden floor. Freeman does manage to stop himself as he disperses into a roll, ripping apart the very floor itself and leaving claw marks to where he slowed himself down.
Looking back up to Kyo Freeman is estatic to be feeling such a power. One, while painful, he may be able to stand against with a more or less ally of fortune. They have to work together for a common goal, albiet their motives are entirely different. Frei's may to be to help a group or charity. Freeman's is to kill people.
Frei speaks as Freeman slowly rights himself upon the floor, more or less getting up upon his own power. Frei was a 'good' partner. Entirely expendible, and more or less the next target as soon as Kyo falls (if he falls at all). Freeman kept no real reservations on that.
"I was wondering where I could find you after this." Freeman pauses at first. Looking upon Kyo as Frei charges forward. Freeman follows, his feet powering across the ground as he shifts right and left, as he rushes before finally coming upon the heir of such power and attempting to, with a wide and powerful right, drive a hand directly into his back with the addition of a piercing sensation and a black miasma that is his chi.
"We may... talk then."
COMBATSYS: Kyo blocks Frei's Unbalancing Draw.
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Kyo 0/-------/----===|-------\-------\0 Frei
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Freeman 0/-------/----===|
COMBATSYS: Freeman successfully hits Kyo with Vision of Death.
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Kyo 0/-------/---====|-------\-------\0 Frei
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Freeman 0/-------/---====|
And lighting, too? Frei is clearly some sort of multi-disciplinary... Chi... Guy. Kyo is at least a little bit surprised by this display, having initially taken Frei's remark about being able to use fire too as probably just a bluff, trying to throw him off his game or somesuch: Words, especially leading statements, can be useful that way. But what actually happens when Frei tries to hook his electrified bokken in there and upend Kyo is that the Kusanagi heir lifts one foot and just steps on the wooden blade, trapping it briefly against the ground. This is pretty effective in keeping him from getting knocked down, or anything, but in exchange he gets a jolt of electricity up his leg, muscles clencing and spasming.
"Well, you--" Kyo starts to say, and then Freeman makes a sort of creepy, vague threat and punches him in the back with evil chi. A surprised expression flits across Kyo's face, and the young man staggers forward a few steps, looking like he's trying and failing to draw breath. He reaches up to his back with one hand where he was hit, and turns to give Freeman a horrified, fearful expression...
...That lasts all of, like, five seconds tops.
"Ha ha ha, just fuckin' with you," the World Warrior says, looking inordinately pleased with himself as he lunges at Freeman, swinging his right fist in a hooking punch of his own - but this one is aimed right at the creepy man's /face/, flames trailing behind the arc of the punch and, subsequently, erupting at the point of impact if any. "I know, I know," he says as he attacks, demonstrating a remarkable ability to multitask. He steps in, if the first punch lands, swinging his left fist out in a second strike that mirrors the first, right down to the flames. "You're a big bad scary son of a bitch, right? Well..."
He finishes things off, if all goes according to plan, by stepping in /again/ - forcing Freeman back - an unloading a thunderous uppercut on the underside of his jaw, complete with a /third/ explosion of sacred Kusanagi fire. "...SO AM I!!"
Okay, now this is just getting weird. Not Kyo's defense; that's actually a pretty reasonable way to deal with Frei's sweeping slash, all things considered. No, it's Freeman and Kyo's interaction. Which is just insane. There really is no other way to put it. If Frei didn't know better he'd peg Freeman as 'furious goth ex-boyfriend' and Kyo as 'seriously I don't know this guy ex-boyfriend' but that doesn't really ring, even if that fic is probably on at least a website or two. It certainly seems as if Freeman is getting to Kyo, though maybe not in a way he'd like, since Kyo seems... rather intent on beating him senseless in a really aggressive sort of way.
Of course, that might just be Kyo.
This time, Frei doesn't want to get involved; he hops back a few steps and re-'sheathes' the wooden sword, watching what's going on closely and looking for an opening. And, well, deciding to give voice to the anxiety that he's currently feeling about all this. "You don't... know each other, do you?" Frei says, trying to sound conversational. "Because this is actually getting a little awkward, not going to lie."
COMBATSYS: Frei focuses on his next action.
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Kyo 0/-------/---====|-------\-------\0 Frei
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Freeman 0/-------/---====|
COMBATSYS: Kyo successfully hits Freeman with Aragami.
> Determined Hit! <
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Kyo 0/-------/--=====|-------\-------\0 Frei
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Freeman 1/-------/=======|
%Freeman was convinced that he had struck home seeing Kyo stare in horror for a moment. But he fear was not real. He wasn't scared of anything. The 10 seconds that pass quickly give way to laughter at the expense of the murderer. The boy was yucking it up and quite literally making a mockery out of Freeman. Another one that so happily ignored said death that Freeman may have been incapable of delivering. Not that Freeman was in any bargaining position as he dealt with Frei as a 'team mate' and nothing else.
Even if Kyo decided entirely to focus all his might upon the stick figure of a man with no skin tone and fashion sense.
"I'm going to rip you to-" Freeman manages to shriek out as Kyo delivers multiple strikes on the serial killer all along with sacred fire that he uses. Those hot flames that burn and lick upon the pale skin of the man who brought his arms up in dire need to escape the terrible and mildly attrocious assault of the Kusinagi heir.
That wasn't exactly enough for Freeman to successfully stop that hit. It certainly felt hard as the man was literally lifted off the ground, thrown backwards across the floor boards before landing hardly. Gritting his teeth and looking fiercing up at Kyo as he struggled to his feet, blood dripping from his wounds and burns and bruises about his chest.
There isn't any more words exchanged at this point, since Freeman lurches towards Kyo with a single hand, aimed to wrake it across like a long, powerful knife.
COMBATSYS: Kyo blocks Freeman's Aggressive Strike.
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Kyo 0/-------/-======|-------\-------\0 Frei
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Freeman 1/-------/=======|
"Yeah, yeah," Kyo says, having heard the shrieked, incomplete threat. It's not as though Freeman isn't clearly a dangerous psychopath, but Kyo... Well, Kyo runs into kind of a lot of those. He has his own personal dangerous psychopath, following him around and trying to kill him; for most people, running into a violent murderer who's trying to rend you limb from limb is a worst case scenario.
For Kyo Kusanagi, it's a fact of life.
So when Frei asks if they know each other, Kusanagi actually takes the foolish step of looking away from the serial killer as he struggles to stand, and instead turns his attention directly to the bokken-wielding monk. "I don't really think so," the Kusanagi heir says, just as conversationally. "But sometimes I lose track of all the psychos trying to eat my liv--"
Suddenly, Freeman!
Taking a single step /in/, towards the man lashing out at him with palpable killing intent, Kyo swings one arm up to intercept that slashing strike. Freeman's rake cuts clean through Kyo's coatsleeve as if it weren't even there... But the mysterious material of the Kusanagi gloves doesn't give, despite the stinging pain Kyo feels lance up his arm. "Hey, you're not related to Iori Yagami or anything, are you?" the World Warrior asks of Freeman, about two seconds before he lunges in, swinging his body around to smash his shoulder into the rail-thin murderer, technique transferring enough force that, if all goes according to (Kyo's) plan, it'll send Freeman flying again.
That gets sort of a... slow breath out, on Frei's part, one hand going to his hip. This really is bizarre, and part of him is wondering if he should really just... pack it in and let these two settle their differences. But he knows that's not terribly fair, and while Frei is the forgiving sort he's seen enough of Kyo's public appearances (and, well, the last 10 minutes on stage or so) to know that the Kusanagi scion might have his share of enemies, for example. And really, he came here to keep honing his skills, and to give the people a show, so...
Still, even as he starts to move to make his attack, he doesn't seem... happy about it, per se.
A hand comes back and grips the hilt of the wooden sword again, portending another sword-drawing attack and, indeed, as Frei charges Kyo, that's exactly what happens. In the blink of an eye Frei draws the wooden blade in a wide slash, silver-gold metallic-looking chi creating a slashing arc in the path of the attack. If it connects, a sound like a struck tuning fork even reverberates about, for a moment.
COMBATSYS: Freeman counters Hatsugane from Kyo with Creeping Death.
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Kyo 1/-------/=======|-------\-------\0 Frei
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Freeman 1/---====/=======|
Frei hasn't done anything yet. Well, no, he has, but Freeman has not paid as much attention. He's focusing his entire attention on a certain someone that just so happens to have it out for him. It must be a crush of some sort. Frei is right there, defenseless as he watching the entire thing. Such innocence! It's too bad he's going to be dragged into this no matter what. If Freeman stands, he has to deal with Freeman. If Freeman falls, which is the more likely scenario, well, Kyo is right there and pissed off. Not too good of a situation to be in. It's pretty evident.
Not to say Freeman's position is any better as Kyo comes down upon. Intercepting the strike with a coated arm and diving into the stick like murder in attempt to break him like a twig. Kyo should have looked twice, since Freeman had been preparing for such a thing. He had purposely placed himself close to the man in an effort to garner attention. Once Kyo lunges in...
Freeman just walks directly at him. Slowly. Even with very few inches between them at this point. Kyo lunges directly into the darkness that Freeman seems to ooze at that moment. A linger patch of chi seems to engulf him before stopping Kyo the best way he knows how. Ripping and tearing. Lurching below the strike and bringing a hand across, crimson wave piercing the darkness. The second blow from his left hand follows, being drawn across the Kusinagi heir. It ends with a third strike as he drives forward across and through the heir before stopping behind Kyo, both hands clenched and crossed over his chest.
"No! All I want you to do is bleed now. Shut up and die!"
COMBATSYS: Kyo dodges Frei's Houken.
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Kyo 1/-------/=======|-------\-------\0 Frei
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Freeman 0/-------/------=|
For perhaps the first time since this match started, Kyo Kusanagi is completely, totally caught offguard.
It's clear that Freeman is not an individual to be underestimated, even by the Kusanagi heir; the peculiar technique, the manifest malice of the blade-slender killer manages to not only circumvent Kyo's own attack but then attack him in turn, rending him with slashing talons. A normal individual would probably be killed outright. A fighter of lesser ability would probably be seriously hurt; only Kyo's superior caliber, his skill and speed and toughness, allows him to blunt the worst of the attack, turning what could've been a game finishing move into simply a noticeable level of damage, visible cuts appearing through his jacket and white shirt, now stained with red.
But, perhaps surprisingly, not /that much/ red.
"I dunno if you've heard," Kyo says, with a pained chuckle. "'Shutting up' is the one thing I just don't do."
When Frei comes at him, Kyo simply moves out of the way of that slash that seeks to ring his bell, as it were, a quick sidestep showing that his injuries haven't significantly affected his abilities. "'Dying' isn't really on the menu either, so I guess I'm gonna have to disappoint."
He doesn't even make any sort of smartass follow up to that, which means this might actually be a serious situation.
Lunging spryly at Freeman again, Kyo's expression is one of focused concentration for a change, and he, straight up, just tries to slug Freeman in the head as hard as he possibly can.
He doesn't even put any fire into it.
"Haa-!!"
He didn't get to the top of the circuit -- or become the World Warrior a year or so back -- for nothing. Frei has a moment to appreciate Kyo's apparent nonchalance even as he recovers from whiffing his attack. Really, the sword-sage thinks to himself, that's the trick, isn't it? Not just doing it, but making it appear effortless. Though who knows, for Kyo it might BE effortless. More to the point, though, Frei glances down at his hand with a raised eyebrow for a moment, and processes that his internal monologue has gone decidedly off the rails into bizarre, Alma-like territory because this situation is So Damn Uncomfortable.
Thus he goes back on the offensive, but strangely enough he's feeling rather sympathetic toward Kyo at the moment. Bringing his hand to his side, he clenches it into a fist that, mostly on instinct, suddenly bursts into crimson flame, though naturally, of a different quality and intensity than the mystic Kusanagi fire. And even as he's swinging that haymaker right at Kyo's face, Frei seems to look... concerned. "Do you want me to just chill while you guys work this out? I'm kinda feeling like a third wheel here."
COMBATSYS: Kyo knocks away Freeman with Strong Punch!
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Kyo 1/-------/=======|-------\-------\0 Frei
[ \\\\\\\\\\ <
Freeman 0/-------/--=====|
Freeman slowly stands, happy with his work. His hands may as well be covered in blood. Thats what they always are covered in anyways, and will forever be, if Freeman had it his way. Now, the only thing that really is standing in the direct way is Kyo actually beginning to warm up to the idea of Freeman as a fighter instead of a crazy murderer. Or from a joke to a crazy murderer that earned the teeniest respect of a fighter. Maybe just a nuiscence but anything is good enough for Freeman.
Well, no, what he really wants is Kyo's unconditional surrender into death. And him to shut up. Both are very unlikely to happen.
Freeman grins a rather tacky grin, a smug of excessive satisfaction coallescing it as well. Freeman may as well be talking giberish as Kyo once more shoots down his not really fair conditions for death. "Is there a tomorrow than can exceed today?" Freeman asks in Terry's general direction. It is too bad that when he does, Kyo is no longer talking. Not even the one time that he had expected him to.
The spry leap was enough to catch Freeman off guard. Raising his arms to protect from the single slug from his head was misguided. The punch solidly connects with a notable THUNK. Freeman is sent flipping across the ground before bouncing hard against the earth. Blood drips from the many wounds as well as mouth. His will to get up does however answer the question if he is dead yet. Which he isn't. Tough.
"Frei." Freeman snarls, "I will meet you in the future. We will meet. You will die as well." Freeman carries on as it was just a normal conversation. Let us not forget that he says this while Frei is still in pristine condition. Frei must have that new car smell as well. Golden.
Eerily twisting his head towards Kyo, his body follows. Not just a simple walk, but to a stride, to a run and to a leap in an effort to catch a hold with Kyo as he rushed directly through with both arms clamping across his chest as he rushes by.
COMBATSYS: Kyo effortlessly blocks Frei's Fierce Punch.
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Kyo 1/------=/=======|-------\-------\0 Frei
[ \\\\\\\\\\ <
Freeman 0/-------/--=====|
COMBATSYS: Kyo dodges Freeman's Nightmare.
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Kyo 1/------=/=======|-------\-------\0 Frei
[ \\\\\\\\\\ <
Freeman 0/-------/-======|
That was /really/ satisfying.
Kyo, fresh from punching Freeman really, really hard, finds himself beset by Frei again, the sword sage brandishing fist, and fiery chi, and a joke. With that kind of an attitude, Frei might start actually impressing the Kusanagi heir or something! So we'd better make sure /that/ doesn't happen. Twisting slightly, Kyo shifts his weight almost imperceptibly and actually /smacks/ Frei's haymaker away with a negligent air, hardly seeming affected by the searing chi or the stinging feel of actually slapping a guy's fist out of the way.
"Sorry if I'm hurting your feelings," Kyo says, although he doesn't sound particularly broken up about it at all... And he's probably about to say something else when Freeman gets up and decides to threaten his transitory teammate. "Seriously," Kyo says, looking at Frei and giving his head a rueful shake. "This guy, am I right?"
As Freeman pounces, Kyo moves out of the way once the killer is too committed to the attack to redirect himself, getting his footing with ease and whipping around, throwing one arm outwards and tossing a small 'seed' of fire that hits the sanded wooden floor of the White Arena and then blossoms into sacred flame, streaking along the formerly pristine floor towards Freeman's anticipated landing point.
Well, that stops Frei short.
He really does sort of yank his hand back. That hurt! Not, like, punch to the face hurt, but you can't just knock away someone's fist and not have them feel it a little bit. That said, the physical reaction is actually more symptom of the mental reaction than a response to actual physical stimuli. What the hell did Freeman just say? The be-freckled fighter tilts his head at the goth killer for a moment, as if he didn't quite hear him, but at least he doesn't do something annoying like ask him to repeat himself.
"I, uh... okay?" He seriously doesn't even know how to react, and so perhaps stupidly, he falls back on his typical response to bizarre stimuli, which is to try humor. "You know, like... I guess you can hit me up on Google Calendar or something? I don't know. This is a lot to process for a first date."
That said, he... really doesn't feel like attacking. Kyo's just doing his best, you know, and attacking Freeman might be satisfying in a transitory sort of way but in the long term, that's just not the way he'd like to do things. "He who sows the wind and all that," Frei says aloud, even as he backs a step up and decides to center himself, taking a deep breath or two. He's probably going to need it once Kyo gets bored with Freeman...
COMBATSYS: Frei gathers his will.
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Kyo 1/------=/=======|====---\-------\0 Frei
[ \\\\\\\\\\ <
Freeman 0/-------/-======|
COMBATSYS: Kyo successfully hits Freeman with Yami Barai.
> Determined Hit! <
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Kyo 1/-----==/=======|====---\-------\0 Frei
[ \\\\ <
Freeman 1/------=/=======|
Now there was a few things to factor into this now that Kyo has settled entirely upon crushing Freeman into fine paste. Now, Freeman wasn't expecting Kyo to move as quickly as he did. As soon as he felt nothing, a very particular and pressing feeling, he already knew that the boy was going to capitalize on it. Giving it his all in an attempt to stop that from happening, Freeman aimed to leap out of the direction.
The seed of fire engulfs him quickly even as he pushes off from the floor and away from it. It burns at his legs, pants and many other parts that causes a poignent sear of pain to flare up about him. Wreathing in not so much fake but really proper pain Freeman falters to the ground with a little bit of venom, a lot bit of hatred. He forces himself up, pointed directly towards Kyo at first.
But then he twists towards Frei with a very unhappy look smothered across his hair shadowed face. He is none too happy. "You useless bastard.... I COULD HAVE SHOWN HIM HIS DEATH! I COULD HAVE...!" Freeman howls, lunging towards Frei with very animalistic urgency as he leaps towards the sword mage aiming to tear directly into him with whatever strength he has before twisting his knife like hands into the boys chest, if he can grasp, and ripping out with another twist, against the hold of his other knife like quality appendage.
But after the last thrash he has left, Freeman begins to falter and lose his step, shaking, trembling akin to an old lady without a cain to support herself...
COMBATSYS: Freeman can no longer fight.
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Kyo 1/-----==/=======|====---\-------\0 Frei
And then he falters going deadly stiff, before falling directly flat upon the floor like a board.
This is already turning into a bad habit for the Hungry Wolf. Well aware that there's a fight going on in the general vicinity of Ken Masters' arena, that presented the opportunity for carefully planned mooching. Amidst the doling out of punches going on throughout the arena, Terry slips quietly in through one of the service entrances, hands tucked into his pockets while he weaves his way through the halls, aiming to make his way right over towards catering. More than a fair share of people see him, but no one really comments; who's about to stop Terry Bogard from walking through Masters Stadium uninvited? Once he reaches the service area, a plate is picked up, and more than a fair share of snacks are picked up along with a bottle of water. The bottle is tucked into a pocket on his vest, and food in hand, Terry decides to go see what may be afoot over in the arena itself. He doesn't quite walk into the smaller of Ken's two arenas, instead staying just within the entryway, mostly tucked within the shadows. Careful eyes, such as those within the arena, /might/ see him there, if they were to make an effort.
Although Kyo is generally a pretty lazy kind of guy, sometimes... Well, sometimes even /he/ knows when to focus on something. If he's got to be in the ring with a psycho killer who is out to show him his death and probably like, knit a quilt out of his skin afterwards or something, he's gonna take that guy /out/.
It's just common sense.
As Freeman proves to have a little go left in him after being on the receiving end of a fresh fiery assault, Kyo readies himself to deal with the rail-thin killer's reprisal, only to be caught offguard - possibly even surprised, or perhaps /flabbergasted/ - as Freeman instead expends the last of his strength going after Frei, his supposed ally for this match, who had the good grace and sense of fair play to feel out of place helping Freeman try to take down the reigning World Warrior.
Some people.
"Uh," Kyo says, looking like he's not really sure what to do, here. But surely Frei is going to be just fine, right? Considering this to be a suitable distraction and thus, fair game, the Kusanagi heir takes a moment to regain his equilibrium.
Look if he was a real dick he'd attack Frei too, this is Kyo being nice.
COMBATSYS: Kyo gains composure.
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Kyo 1/------=/=======|====---\-------\0 Frei
COMBATSYS: Frei blocks Freeman's Gore Fest.
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Kyo 1/------=/=======|=======\-------\0 Frei
This outcome might not be wholly unexpected, but it still catches Frei by surprise... particularly since Freeman's words tell a particular story, and it's not the narrative Frei had been constructing in his head to this point. Eyes widening in surprise, the YFCC instructor falls back before Freeman's blistering, insane-seeming assault on his person. Thankfully, that grip that would have turned the flurry of strikes into a near-eviscerating disaster is avoided, but not without cost; lines of red and gashes in his dark grey shirt appear as Freeman's knife and claw-like hands land more than a few rending blows before the man just collapses.
For a second, Frei is left on the opposite side of the stage, breathing heavily, still looking more than a little shocked. That really came out of almost nowhere and, apparently, even the normally unflappable Frei can be, uh... flapped.
"So..." he starts, glancing at Kyo out of the corner of his eye for a moment. Say what you want about Kyo Kusanagi, but the man seems to be fair, if abrasive, in Frei's eyes. "If it's alright with you, I'd actually like to see this through. It's good training either way..." He glances at the unconscious form of Freeman for a moment, before looking back at Kyo for confirmation before he hauls off and tries to attack the guy.
COMBATSYS: Frei takes no action.
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Kyo 1/------=/=======|=======\-------\0 Frei
"Heh," Kyo chuckles, when Frei addresses him. There's actually no disdain in it for once, he doesn't sound like he's laughing /at/ Frei; he sounds a little rueful, if anything. Frei is clearly one of 'those fighters', the love of the game guys. The Kusanagi heir might have about as much in common with them as he does the murderous psychopaths (which is to say very little) but at least he generally finds this type less bothersome to deal with. I mean, they don't try to eat your spleen or anything.
Although the 'positive role model, let's do it for the kids' thing can get on his nerves, too.
Straightening up, Kyo brushes a hand through his hair, the dark brown locks settling back into their just-so artful disarray, as if willed there by whatever benificent gods smile on the Kusanagi heir throughout his apparently blessed life. "That's a relief, I was worried for a second there you were gonna puss out on me," he says, aaaaaaand we're back to abrasive.
Suddenly breaking into a full-tilt dash towards the sword sage, Kyo ends up turning it into a sudden baseball slide, skidding along the sanded wood floor of the arena and swinging his leg across in an attempt to kick Frei's out from under him, following it up by twisting and then kicking with his other leg back in the /other/ direction, either to reinforce the trip or, well...
Just to kick Frei, you know?
COMBATSYS: Kyo successfully hits Frei with Light Kick.
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Kyo 1/-----==/=======|=======\==-----\1 Frei
Mm, cheese. It was one of Terry's secret catering weaknesses. They always had good cheese trays, and Ken Masters was never one to disappoint when it came to proper catering. Settled in where he was, a single eyebrow quirked up at the decision made by Freeman to turn on his teammate at the last minute, combined with the comment made when the goth-looking fighter did so. "Shown him his death..?" This was mumbled underneath his breath before the blonde head shook. Going for the kill during an SNF was just tasteless, never mind disrespectful. Nevermind the look on Iori's face if the impossible were to happen, and Freeman did do something horrible to Kyo.
Once that's said and done, a tiny brick of cheese is popped into Terry's mouth, and he decides to sit himself down while he watches the fight.
There are ways to turn being tripped to your advantage. Elegant, kung fu-like ways that involve handstands and rolling and leaping and twisting and striking, serpent-like, from midair. What's important to understand about these methods is that they are dependent on not simply being knocked on your ass because you misjudged the initial attack in the first place. Thus Frei, with the best of intentions for weathering the storm and using his improved position to strike at Kyo before he could retreat, instead ends up on his back a few feet away, staring at the ceiling.
He says, wishing to keep things succinct: "...ow."
Grimacing, he gets on his feet, brushing himself off, but despite it all he smiles faintly at Kyo. "A long time ago, that mighta been true, actually. But I've survived a lot worse than getting my backside handed to me since then. Besides... there's something..." Briefly, Frei's thoughts flicker across the months to the YFCC kitchen, and a very strange meeting with K'. It's just one of those things. Frei has a sixth sense for them.
With a shrug, he lets the idea drop. "Anyhow, I'd rather be unconscious than boring."
Ducking forward in a quick dashing step, Frei makes a grab for Kyo's arm, much like before. This time, however, he doesn't attempt to flip the Kusanagi scion to the floor. Instead, he twists the arm behind Kyo's back just long enough so that he can bring his other hand forward, surrounded by an aura of purple-black energy that Frei presses into Kyo's back, the effect being a cold, numbing feeling spreading from the point of impact.
COMBATSYS: Kyo auto-guards Frei's Shihaku!
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Kyo 1/-----==/=======|=======\=------\1 Frei
In the aftermath of his own kicking assault, Kyo hops back up to his feet, just in time for Frei to come at him; one thing he would have to say in Frei's credit, were he the sort of person to say anything in anyone's credit without the most extreme grudgingness... Grudgeosity? Begrudgement? Anyway, the fact that Frei doesn't settle into simple patterns, that he doesn't limit himself and his combat style to something easily predicable is a point in the sword sage's favour.
'Better unconscious than boring' is probably a good sentiment, then.
Kyo's arm is grabbed, and Frei begins twisting, applying pressure... And Kyo's response is to move with it, to twist in return and apply his /own/ pressure, using leverage and his own knowledge of the 'soft' arts to, if not use Frei's grapple attempt against him, to at least completely stymie it. Because Kyo, too, is the sort of fighter who tends to bring various elements into his combat style, having made his own self-devised kenpo system to supplement his knowledge of Kusanagi-ryuu Kobojutsu.
Also he's know Goro Daimon since, like, he's been able to walk, and that guy grapples the shit out of anything in sight. Kyo knows some Judo, if only as a self-defense mechanism.
Speaking of which: Kyo aims to keep the grip war going on between himself and Frei, but /now/ to turn it to his advantage as he suddenly turns, presenting his back - totally cool Kusanagi clan emblem on the back of his leather jacket and all - to Frei... Just long enough to flip the sword sage /over/ it, in what is in fact a Judo throw. What is /not/ Judo in the least is that Kyo will follow Frei on down, to land shoulder-first on top of the other fighter, if all goes according to plan. "Let's get to work on that 'unconscious' thing!"
COMBATSYS: Frei interrupts Issetsu Seoi Nage from Kyo with Ashura Ressenjin EX.
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Kyo 1/--=====/=======|=======\====---\1 Frei
Ohhh this is not how he envisioned this playing out. Still, despite it all, Frei remains calm even as Kyo deploys some really quite impressive counter-grapple defensive work. Once he has time to process it later, the redhead will probably reflect on how impressive it is, but *in the moment* the best he can do is let go as soon as possible and get out of the way, as it's very easy to counter a grapple with another grapple since the person's right th--
And Kyo keeps his grip before Frei can get rid of his. But interestingly enough, having never finished his own throwing technique means that aura of purple-black energy is still swirling around Frei's other, unencumbered arm... and thus the chi sage develops a plan. Trying to yank his arm out of Kyo's grip is a waste of time; Kusanagi is miles stronger in terms of raw physical power. But Frei is surprisingly tough, and he can handle being slammed onto his back just long enough so that when Kyo comes down for that improvised shoulder-ram to finish it off, Frei suddenly raises his hand and basically detonates that burst of chi between them, bringing Kyo's technique to a premature halt.
With a surge of adrenaline -- and hopefully before Kyo can do anything about it -- Frei leaps to his feet and, getting a grip on the bokken, starts performing a series of drawing slashes, over and over again, each arcing swing of the wooden sword carrying another burst of that dark energy until finally Frei grips the thing with both hands and swings as hard as possible, looking to bat Kyo away and give him some breathing room.
Which is exactly what he's doing once Kyo gets back on his feet, for sure: leaning forward, hands on his knees, taking deep breaths. "It might happen," he says, trying to be realistic. "But I'm not gonna give it away."
And so Kyo is, for the second time this fight, really legitimately surprised by one of his opponents. In a way, it's kind of a relief that it isn't the murderous psychopath this time, but simultaneously there is a definite element of it hurting anyway, as he's struck by Frei's slashing bokken, the erupting energy that comes with each strike. It's a powerful technique, Kyo can tell - relatively speaking, anyway - but with his own ability and general toughness the Kusanagi heir is able to mitigate much of the strength behind it, though it ultimately does bat him away, sending him reeling and staggering.
"Hey, look at you," Kyo says, as he regains his balance and faces Frei across a good ten feet of scuffed up wood flooring, "hanging with the big kids!"
Letting out a single breath of his own, Kyo's feet settle shoulder width apart, and his right hand raises up, fingers loosely cupped; in the 'cage' of his hand, a brilliant flame appears, raging. All over Kyo's body, fire spings to life, covering the Kusanagi heir in an orange-crimson luminescence, threads and tendrils wrought of sacred fire rising up off of him as his power compresses, coalesces, takes shape. There is a sense of something... Something great and terrible, building, coming closer.
Coming for Frei.
When Kyo speaks again, his voice is oddly modulated, the sheer power pouring out of him warping the air and his voice with it. "Tell you what, if you want... Think of this as a compliment." And then, suddenly, he moves.
Sliding forward, Kyo swings his right arm down, and then across himself in a wide arc, and with that he /releases/ the flame. The Ever Burning Flames of the Kusanagi Clan peel off of Kyo's body, joining with the flame in his hand as it expands into a massive conflagration, a raging storm of fire, heat and pressure that blazes through the space between the two fighters, seeking to envelop Frei like a wave.
"/EAT THIS/!!"
COMBATSYS: Kyo successfully hits Frei with Orochinagi+.
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Kyo 0/-------/-----==|=======\====---\1 Frei
This marks the second time that Frei's faced down this technique, probably the apotheosis of the Kusanagi flames, the clan hallmark technique. One time, he was able to just barely avoid disaster, defending himself against the onslaught of scarlet flame. Just the one time.
It's possible that one time was luck.
Trying to avoid that is pointless. Frei lacks the footspeed to make that happen. Trying to plow through it is suicide, as it seems unlikely that he'd be able to make Kyo suffer enough to have that be worth it. No, the best option is to hunker down and hope for the best... but after a moment or two, even Frei's considerable defenses are just overwhelmed by that attack. The expanding inferno literally blasts him right off his feet so that he slams into the far wall with a resounding *CRACK!* noise, sliding down it. 'Think of this as a compliment'... it's a strange compliment, but...
Among fighters, it's a perfectly valid statement.
In all truth, the SNF people are about ready to declare Kyo the winner when, against all logic, the redhead who had to this point been slumped on the ground with his back against the wall, head down, suddenly slams a hand palm-down onto the polished wood floor and then another, hauling himself to his feet raggedly. His body does sort of hang forward a bit when he stands, causing Frei's dark red bangs to fall into his eyes, but eventually he stands up, looking... well, like you'd expect someone to look after taking an Orochinagi to the face.
But he smiles a bit.
"'Big kids', huh..." he says, fixating oddly on that. "I'm twenty-eight years old, thank you very much." His hand comes down, hovering slightly over the hilt of the bokken, and he gives Kyo an even expression, taking deep breaths. "Compliment accepted. I suppose this might not be the same 'compliment' in return, but... this is about all I can do."
Reflexes slowed by pain and fatigue, Frei nevertheless suddenly surges across the distance between himself and Kyo. When he gets close -- just out of sword striking range, oddly -- he draws the blade... but the blade isn't important. What IS important is the wave of blue-white frost that slashes through the air, practically person-high, toward Kyo, and if it connects, that's just the start...
COMBATSYS: Frei successfully hits Kyo with Shinra Banshou.
- Power hit! -
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Kyo 0/-------/---====|-------\-------\0 Frei
"Water," Frei yells, the wave of ice and cold almost drowning him out, "nourishes Wood." It's the beginning of a familiar refrain for anyone who knows the five Chinese elements... but it's also the start of Frei's strongest technique, entering the cycle at that point. The bokken circles back around for another slash, but again, the sword isn't the issue: this time it's crackling bolts of violet lightning. Then a torrent of flame. Then a wave of invisible, concussive force. Finally, with one last slash, the air sings out with that struck-note vibration of metal chi. And all the while, Frei is narrating the cycle of the elements with each new attack. "Wood fuels Flame! Flame clears the Earth! Earth bears Metal!"
Because it's obligatory, at the end he half turns away, slowly sliding the wooden blade back into place. "All things in creation in their proper cycle."
Naturally, Kyo Kusanagi's smug manner of showmanship comes to the fore once the Orochinagi hits; he straightens up and lifts his right hand, index finger pointed up, so that he can blow the flame out like it was a candle. But the /thing is/, that Frei isn't done yet.
"Ohhh?" Kyo says, sounding somewhere between impressed and amused, with a little bit of patronising thrown in for flavour. What Frei actually says at this point is somewhat less relevant than the fact that he's able to talk at all, and the younger fighter turns to face the sword sage as... He suddenly explodes into forward movement, racing towards him and swinging his bokken to unleash that wave of frost. Overconfidence being an occasional, minor flaw of Kyo's, the World Warrior starts to slip into his guard a second too late, and in the process is knocked off-balance by the initial, frosty strike, weakening his unconscious defenses and leaving him that much more open to the barrage that follows.
Frei runs through the classical Chinese elements, striking the Kusanagi heir with each, and it seems pretty damn decisive; Kyo has been worn down over the course of the fight, Frei and Freeman each having poured their whole focus into landing strikes that Kyo can't just laugh off. But...
It's bothersome, but Kyo's never been the sort of person to just lie down and lose.
With a last burst of speed and strength, Kyo lunges at Frei, throwing an elbow out to stun the sword sage; if he can manage that, Kyo then steps in, in a smooth practiced motion thrusting his other hand out to grab Frei and heft him off the ground, before unleashing another tremendous explosion of Kusanagi fire, as if he hadn't just tossed around such a huge a mount moments before.
Being this good has its advantages, after all.
COMBATSYS: Kyo can no longer fight.
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Frei 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Kyo successfully hits Frei with Koto Moon Positive EX.
[ <
Frei 0/-------/-======|
Truth be told, that was what you call a last, desperate gambit. The tiny part of Frei that doesn't mind winning official matches had hoped that it might put Kyo down definitively, but the rest of his logical mind says that's basically impossible. So it's not that he's surprised when he turns and sees Kyo lunge for him, and in fact Frei reaches into some deep personal reserve of energy to make a desperate bid to avoid being put down to the mat himself, but frankly Kyo has the edge in this scenario, and with a second burst of flame Frei goes flying again. Perhaps not quite as far as after taking an Orochinagi full force, but after that, the point is basically moot.
He doesn't get back up this time; the redhead lands on his side, rolls to a stop, and stays there, starting the recuperation period with some nice, blissful unconsciousness. Hopefully he'll be dreaming about pleasant things, and not about being barbecued, or about meeting Freeman in a back alley alone once this is all over...
COMBATSYS: Frei takes no action.
COMBATSYS: Frei can no longer fight.
Releasing Frei in the tail end of that technique, Kyo then stumbles, wobbles, and falls flat on his back, quite obviously just as much out of the fight as Frei, although he hovers somewhere closer to the actual level of consciousness.
"Guh," he mutters, woozily. "Well, I told him." Look at all the fame distributed today! Freeman, famous for trying to be a psycho killer on live tv (sadly attempted murder during a professional fighting match is difficult to prosecute, thanks to the Yamazaki Precedent, where most lawyers are scared shitless the guy would just break out later and come after them), and Frei, famous for not only totally /not/ dying after getting hit by one bad mother of an Orochinagi, but even managing to get the drop on Kyo immediately afterwards.
Kyo, though, Kyo's gonna take himself a nice little nap.
By the time the fight has finished, the plate of food is all but gone, and the bottle of water chugged. Quick an eater as the Hungry Wolf is, he's back on his feet again by the time Kyo decides to unleash the unholy hell that is the Orochinagi. Slowly, Terry just tilts his head back, as if to lean away from the heat of the flames as they're set loose, but a small part of the back of his mind is surprised that Kusanagi decided to pull out all the stops for.. well, no insult to the people on the other side of the fight, but combatants not quite on the level of people like Kyo or Terry. By the time the thought process has reached its end, though, the blonde simply shrugs; Frei's already gotten back up and responded in kind. Gloved hands tuck into their pockets, and he leans up against the wall as things come to a close with.. well, everyone on their backs. With that, Terry just shrugs his shoulders.
"Better get back to practicing, Kusanagi! Looks like they're startin' to catch up to you!" There's more of a playful tone than a sarcastic one to his tone. If nothing else, the Wolf knows that he's probably going to get punched for that later, but he couldn't just leave without saying something. He starts to laugh, after that, laughing all the way down the entrance hallway as he turns around and exits the arena.
Log created on 20:47:27 11/14/2010 by Kyo, and last modified on 22:02:57 11/16/2010.