Description: Quon and Pepe finally have that fight the two were looking forward to. And the Neo League is there to catch it all as the two face off at the Village Mall in Southtown. (Winner: Pepe)
Oh, this has been a meeting that a certain Mexican has been waiting for for weeks! Well, one of them. Only recently has Pepe found the wonders of this whole 'Neo League' thing, which to someone like him, has essentially been a Get Out of Jail Free card insofar as his upbringing is concerned. Finally, the young man can spread his wings and do something that he truly loves!
On the other hand, his encounter with Blanka has severly diminished the import's sheer optimism. Who'd have known that lightning would hurt so badly?
Ah, but this time is different! Far from the dangerous waters of the sea, the plan is to meet up with the cause of his out-of-school excursion somewhere more stable. More grounded. Sure, it goes against his attunement, but on the other hand...has Quon SEEN the people in this place?! It's like all walks of life stop to mingle here: hotties, trashies, goths, rednecks, nerds, businessmen; the list goes on and on. It's this multi-faceted display of culture that Pepe watches from his bench, one arm pulled back behind the seat while the other holds in it a small drum on a stick. Occasionally, he'll spin the thing and bring the strung-on beads to bat against the stretched leather for a short string of sharp beats. He sits with one leg pulled up, bent and turned so that an ankle rests on a knee, though the foot is constantly jerking to simply vent some of his oft-endless energy. His head is bent back, eyes lifted skyward, and thus, fails to notice whatever looks and gestures he might get from the various shoppers.
So where IS Quon, anyway? He must have gotten the letter, right?
Quon has indeed received the letter. If there's anything that Neo League does well, it's finding the fighters so they can inform them of their fights. Seeing as Quon doesn't really have anything to do. That whole suspension while the school board tries to determine whether expell the Chongquan fighter or not.
When Quon finally arrives, he finds two parts of him at war with each other. A newfound seriousness towards his fighting caused by previous events and the old showmanship part of him that enjoys performing for a crowd. Maybe at some point he can reconcile those parts of himself but he's not at that point yet.
He sees Pepe sitting on one of the benches, and he sees the camera crew making their final preparations before the two are to get this fight started. He nods to the crew and then lifts his chin in acknowledgement of the Mexican. "Hey man! What's up?"
It's odd to see Pepe without his usual energy--but really, Quon has only met him once, right? How would he even know? The young man's chest swells beneath the mostly zipped-up confines of his beige jumpsuit, released in a skyward puff that crystallizes in the cool air. His eyes are locked on the vapor, how it lifts and drifts off, riding on the turbulent currents brought about by so many people rushing around in different directions.
But wait--he recognizes that voice!
Pepe's head perks up and rolls forward, his shaggy hair all too eager to spread over his forehead and try to obscure his eyes, but it's too short, just barely. His lips are pulled into this frown that somehow ends up being adorable--pouty, that's the term. When he finds the source of that voice, though, it all changes! Bored eyes give life to a renewed spark and those lips spread into an easy smile. "Quon! You made it!" He all but hops off of his bench, closing the distance to the other young man in short time. Both of his hands clamp onto his shoulders, a firm grip giving a friendly shake. "Gracias, gracias! You doing this means a lot to me!" The beads of his drum rattle while the slim wooden shaft digs into poor Quon's shoulder. "Seriously."
Quon's eyes widen as Pepe goes from bench to him in less than .4 seconds. The drum stick bores into his arm in a while not exactly painful, a still uncomfortable manner, eliciting from him a, "Grk!" sound. There's a few moments before he pulls out of the grip to shake Pepe's hand. Now free, he can let out a bit of a laugh.
He finally gets himself together when one of the crew members comes over to inform the fighters that they are ready for the two fighters to begin. That's when Quon moves into place before sliding into his stance. A loose, somewhat bouncier version of the fighting stance the Mexican might've seen from his friend, Antoine.
He waits for the word from the official to start and then he suddenly clears the distance between them as quickly as Pepe did when Quon first made his presence known delivering a forearm before slipping his leg behind the Mexican's and then shooting out a palm to assist in tripping Pepe backwards over his leg.
COMBATSYS: Quon has started a fight here.
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Quon 0/-------/------=|
COMBATSYS: Pepe has joined the fight here.
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Quon 0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0 Pepe
COMBATSYS: Pepe parries Quon's Wind Chases the Clouds!
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Quon 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Pepe
For his part, Pepe is all too happy to partake in the handshake instead. He really didn't think...his thoughts are just sort of a whorl. Being able to come out in public and just FIGHT without being punished is something that's still dangerous, taboo. Therefore, being not only allowed, but /encouraged/ to rumble in the street is like a little boy finally getting the BB gun he'd been wishing for all year.
...And then, there's the thing with Blanka. Pepe had never met anyone who was actually a match for him. Even with the backing of the crazy electric power that the Green Dragon commands, it was just last week that he'd learned that he's just a small fish. It's an issue that everyone goes through at first, right? That's why he's so thankful that Quon stuck to his word and met him like this. He /needs/ to test the breadth of this place, to see if it's indeed a small pond or an expansive ocean.
While he's troubled by all this, however, the fight has begun! He hadn't even noticed, so intently was he staring at the man before him. But wait, why is he coming closer? Is something going on? Oh--oh hell!
Pepe's body lurches backward nearly on its own accord, its natural reflexes easing him back as though the incoming elbow were a limbo bar! But isn't that what Quon wanted anyway, to tip him off-balance? It's not so easy to direct the wind, though: it will part and curl, gently slipping about any obstacle. Though he be pushed back, the young man's arms extend, palms meeting the ground as he flips neatly back, landing on the balls of his feet with bended knees.
And then, those knees come screaming toward the jailbird's head, their owner leaping up and forward in a move not unlike the muay thai staple!
COMBATSYS: Pepe successfully hits Quon with Arriba EX.
- Power hit! -
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Quon 0/-------/--=====|====---\-------\0 Pepe
When Quon had shot that palm towards Pepe, he brought up a guard to protect from any retaliation that could possibly occur. Of course he didn't expect the retaliation to be so quick and so powerful. The knees shoot under his guard pushing past his forearm to smash his chin and send him flying away.
The Chinese fighter brings himself up to his feet with a bit of a grin and a roll of his neck before taking his stance and moving in closer. When he's in range he leads with a sweeping palm strike to the head before swinging a fist into the Mexican's stomach.
COMBATSYS: Pepe blocks Quon's Strong Punch.
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Quon 0/-------/--=====|====---\-------\0 Pepe
Quon's certainly not the only one surprised at Pepe's swift retaliation! Such is the difference between once who works and trains for their craft and those who...just simply do things. His body can keep up, but he'd never fully realized the benefit and importance of the practice. To him, it was just having fun!
Though, having an ancient being direct one's 'playing' has its benefits.
"Holy hell, are you okay, man?!" Pepe lands on the balls of his feet again, his upper body slouching to lessen the landing's effect on his spine. His eyes are wide and both hands come forward. He's still holding that drum between two of his fingers, the big bound bulk of it extending back over his forearm. When the Quon gets up grinning, however, he heaves out a small sigh of relief. "Ah, gracias a Dios--"
The dull smack of the palm connecting with his arm when it suddenly lifts up is only outdone by the fist smashing into his free hand, barely stopped from sinking into his (admittedly fantastic) abs! For a moment, his lips are pursed and he glances between the two stopped strikes, then finally looks at the other man dead in the face. "Man, already so serious!" A grin spreads across his lips as his upper guard hand turns, trying to grip the palm it had stopped. With those dangerous arms held captive, he lifts his knee up between the two men, the jumpsuit pulled taut with the vertical split. His shin snaps up, a swift kick aimed for the guy's chin with easily enough force to lift him skyward if it connects! But that's not even the worst of it: there's still the matter of the single, solitary bolt of lightning that comes crashing down from the heavens, arcing in the air to strike Pepe's foot...and whoever is unlucky enough to be in the way!
COMBATSYS: Quon dodges Pepe's Cuautli.
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Quon 0/-------/--=====|====---\-------\0 Pepe
It's hard to say which part of Quon had the most influence in his reaction to Pepe's attack. The recent seriousness of Quon tells the Chongquan fighter to preserve himself, where the entertainer inside of himself tells him that he won't provide much entertainment to the masses by going down too quickly.
Quon leans back as he pulls his hands free from Mexican's grasp before launching himself backwards in a back handspring he then pushes himself forwards again delivering a backhand followed by two punches to the chest and finishing the combo with an uppercut to the chin.
"Hey, now I gotta be serious. They aren't paying us for half-heartedness now are they?" His lips curl into a bit of a smirk though the eyes seem fairly focused.
COMBATSYS: Pepe dodges Quon's Combo Attack.
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Quon 0/-------/--=====|====---\-------\0 Pepe
You know... Quon's right. He's really, truly right. This isn't a private affair; there are people huddled around, cameras watching! And what is he doing? He's all...ill-prepared, hesitant, lost in his muddled thoughts. This is what he'd come here for, to meet this man! To fight him! To learn! And here he is, making a mockery of it.
A sway of Pepe's head, a spin of his body on one planted heel. For being sort of a bulky young man, he sure can slip about fluidly! He takes a few more steps back, trying to get some distance between the two men. "You're a better man that I, huh?" A puffed breath is let loose in an attempt to rustle out ill thoughts, and that drum is finally slipped into one of his jumpsuit's many pockets. That done, he reaches for the zipper at his chest, tugging it down to his waist, letting flesh peek out from between the metal teeth. His shoulders pinch back and his arms pull inward, slipping from his sleeves until they're bent at his sides. As he extends them outward, the top half of his attire falls back and dangles from his waist, and now, his upper body is bare and free--and cold! Jesus, it's nippy out!
"All right, amigo! Sorry for the wait!" Not in the attack, he--he means, of course, the same pleasant, peppy nature he'd shown in the jail. His own lips are drawn into a smirk to match Quon's, both fists lifting up, his arms loose and bent...and then he starts running again. He moves head-on, no trickery in his approach, save for the kick off the ground that brings him close in a short hop. His right arm pulls back, muscles bunching as he swings down in a furious strike toward the other man's head!
COMBATSYS: Quon interrupts Hopping Fist from Pepe with Moving the Mountain.
- Power hit! -
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Quon 0/-------/-======|=====--\-------\0 Pepe
Quon's a patient man, and relatively laidback. He doesn't seem put off by waiting for the Mexican to remove his jump suit. And when Pepe comes in. Quon is already waiting for him stepping in to meet that short hop Pepe with lunge and a twist of his body.
At full extension of his body, he delivers a pair of palm strikes to both chest and torso. As a result of the twist, lunge, and the actual strike, Pepe finds himself merely just grazing Quon's hip bone. "Ok. There we go."
One thing is odd though. He hasn't shown that golden flame of his once during this fight even after he had mentioned and shown it when they last spoke.
While in midair, he can't possibly do anything to avoid the retaliation! Pepe had put his all into that punch, which makes the impact of palms on his precious body even worse! The twist of his attack is only helped as he's struck, sending him hurtling past Quon to land heavily on his shoulder, then roll a few times on the rough concrete. For his credit, he eventually finds a way to tuck his legs up in just the right way to push up, resulting in a further backflips that requires him to sling a leg back just to keep from falling over on his kiester. Ah, momentum!
"Friggin' ow!" A hand claps to the curve of his left shoulder, then brushes off bits of dirt and rock from the reddened streaks of abrasion. "Right. No flying." But that's okay! He doesn't have to be airborn to make use of it. He takes a couple of quick steps, hopping up once again--but not nearly as high, not as close! His legs tuck in against him and then the right slings out in a violent whip, a blur of electric blue coating the kick...kicks? It's not just one snappy strike, but a flurry of them, each slung out toward face and chest and throat, all letting loose a loud crackle of static before his other foot hits the floor to ground himself.
COMBATSYS: Quon blocks Pepe's Wind Kicks.
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Quon 0/-------/=======|=====--\-------\0 Pepe
Quon barely has time to recover from the lunge before he's bombarded with kicks. His hands move to intercept the strikes however he finds himself being forced to back up in the face of those attacks.
It doesn't take long for Quon to regain his footing and in fact he recovers around the time that Pepe's feet hit the ground as he whirls around in a spinning back heel kick delivered towards the side of his head.
COMBATSYS: Pepe interrupts Strong Kick from Quon with Istak.
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Quon 1/----===/=======|=======\-------\1 Pepe
Oh, if Antoine were only here. Perhaps he could yell out, "No! Don't do it!" It's a situation that Pepe's been in before, and he knows exactly how to handle an incoming kick: ELECTRIC BACKHAND.
The Mexican still has plenty of forward momentum from his last assault. His second foot hits the ground, and his body is already in motion, leaning into the danger. his right shoulder lunges out, muscles bunching until the arm swings forth, first balled tightly to meet the kick head-on. It's a very painful gamble, of course: the bones in his hands creak and nerve endings are pinched against them. At that first point of contact, in a sliver of time so slim that it's lost between the frames of rolling film, a tiny arc courses between Pepe's thumb and forefinger, right between the bunched knuckles. It's a precursor for the sudden gout of voltage spilling out in all directions from that hand, short streaks of light swelling half a foot...though a great many arcs turn and zag directly into Quon's foot, being the closest path of conductivity.
After hitting away the Chinese fighter's heel, it's his turn to chide! "Where's your fire, Quon? Didn't you say we couldn't afford to do this half-heartedly??" He tugs on the tied bits of cloth that are knotted above his biceps, getting them nice and tight. "Now I now I got off to a slow start, but I like you too much to let you lose without even giving it everything. It'd be so rude!"
"AIYIYIYIYIYIYIYIYIYI!"
That's the sound of Quon getting electricuted by the Mexican fighter. He then ends up falling over as the electricity locks his muscles up for a moment. He's on the ground for a few moments while he shakes out the electric chi induced fogginess. Then he rises back to his feet.
"I was waiting for the right moment." Inside his mind, both the performer and the newfound seriousness seem to say in tandem, 'If you wait too long, the moment might never come.' The performer then adds, 'Make your moment. Don't wait for it!'
Quon nods to himself, a grin plastered on his face as he comes in with a fist, attempting to deliver an uppercut with enough force to send the Mexican fighter into the air if he should catch him, then he flips forward in an attempt to drive a heel of golden flame down on him to force him back down to earth, and then flipping once more to deliver a double footed stomp on Pepe before flipping away with a twist.
COMBATSYS: Quon successfully hits Pepe with Dropping the Bridge.
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Quon 0/-------/----===|=======\==-----\1 Pepe
All right! Hearing that the poor guy isn't just going easy on Pepe makes him smile. "Awesome, then..." He plants both of his feet, heels touching firmly on the floor beneath. He faces directly forward, no angle to his stance to let him slip away. His shoulders and torso are loose now, even relaxed. The spring is unwound, and thus, will be difficult to bunch up so easily. And that's good. It's what he wants. He doesn't want to avoid this particular display. He wants to experience it.
Maybe he really IS a masochist.
Both hands extend outward, palms up, fingers flipping in a casual "bring it" motion. "...Let's see what you've got, huh?" And boy, is he ever asking for it. He had expected something grand, like a wave of golden flame, or maybe a ball of it, like he'd seen on television. What he didn't expect was a simple uppercut. It's disappointing, a reaction clear on his face. By that point, there's no getting away from it. His arms attempt to cross and halt the incoming fist, but it catches him cleanly, teeth clicking and then grinding against one another. He's sent flying, bashed downward, and crushed beneath feet--humiliating at the very least...but it HURTS! His mouth opens with a messy "guhaw!" of spent spit and forced breath. He's seeing stars already, but the blur that crosses his vision tells him where Quon /might/ be. It's a meager attempt when Pepe turns onto his side, kicking out his left leg to try and sweep out his opponent's heels. At the same time, he tries to use that momentum to push himself up, flipping end over end into a low squat.
COMBATSYS: Pepe successfully hits Quon with Light Kick.
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Quon 0/-------/--=====|=======\==-----\1 Pepe
After the beating he has been receiving at the electrified hands of Pepe, it's still quite impressive that he's still standing. The thing is, while Quon is just a bit faster than Antoine, he doesn't have the resilience that his best friend does and so when that kick comes, Quon's world goes into a complete spin as he's quickly taken off of his feet.
Quon slowly rises to his feet. His stance is unsteady at first but through focus, he manages to steady himself. The words in his head continue to echo. 'Make your moment. Don't wait for it!'
There's desperation in his initial approach but he lashes out a rapid fire series of kicks that move so quickly that they look like they are in three places at once, then he picks up speed and three feet become five. He hops switching legs as he does so. He snaps out kicks so fast that they look like he's hitting Pepe with seven feet in a variety of places all at the same time. And then kicks stop only to be replaced with one last fist to face to finish the assault.
He pulls back, his breathing heavy and his body bruised and battered as he desperately tries to swallow as much air as he can.
COMBATSYS: Pepe dodges Quon's Wild Dragon.
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Quon 0/-------/--=====|=======\==-----\1 Pepe
Quon is not the only one gasping for breath--but in Pepe's case, he's fighting against a smashed diaphragm. The difference is in the speed of recovery: the spirit of Quetzalcoatl is hard to keep grounded for long, in most cases. There's a cough, a fresh sputter, but his eyes are open wide, staring at the Chongquan fighter with a look of awe. "That's--kaff!--oh man, that was sweet as hell!" But there's little time for the Mexican to reflect and adequately portray how impressed he is! He's soon facing down another flurry of those brilliant, flashy strikes, and is all the more amazed when the speed picks up! It's like the guy just took his earlier move, made it his own, and turned it back at him! Or indeed, maybe he's the copycat here?
Not that it matters much. The problem is that seeing that fire in action has got Pepe's energy up. He's tightly-wound, exhilirated, all full of pep and vigor once again. He sways away from one kick after another, stopping just short of being struck though the flame and wind kick up his hair and lull beads of swat on his skin through the heat. It's really amazing, and god damn it, he's /smiling/ through it, like a kid leaping into someplace he shouldn't be and having the time of his life anyway. When it stops, it's rather sad, really! He bounces on the balls of his feet, eyes wild as he lets Quon get some space...for all of a few seconds.
"My turn!" Once again, bits of bright blue streak across his skin, but it's not just his fist. His bare chest threatens with electricity, the scent of ozone coming with the sharp-chitter of squealy static. The man hunches down, one leg pushing back in a sprinter's posture, and then he flies in fast and low, both arms out and behind him as he closes the cap like some sort of bird, albeit one now coated in a very loud, brilliant display of bright light and questionable voltage.
COMBATSYS: Pepe successfully hits Quon with Quetzalcoatl.
- Power hit! -
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Quon 1/---====/=======|=------\-------\0 Pepe
Quon's fatigue, however comes from pushing his body too far on the hopes that maybe his gamble would pay off and he could at least close the gap. But none of the glimpse of the fighter that Quon could be if given time shows up in this fight.
Quon's stands on unsteady feet as Pepe charges in. It's clear that he only manages to stand through just sheer willpower alone. When the Mexican closes the gap, and electrifies him again, Quon isn't just tipped over the precipice of the limits of his body, he's practically bullrushed over the edge. His body flies backwards and when he hits the ground, his muscles lose all control as he convulses for a few seconds and then eventually he stops moving.
Quon is fortunate in one thing though. When he finally wakes up, he won't remember all the pain he was feeling.
COMBATSYS: Quon takes no action.
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Pepe 0/-------/------=|
COMBATSYS: Quon can no longer fight.
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Pepe 0/-------/------=|
Ah, the rush! After the amperage is discharged from his body, Pepe lets out a puff. He's hunched forward, still a bit low to the ground, one leg out in front and bent heavily to support his weight while the other is stretched far back. He pushes himself up easily, bouncing back onto his feet, arms lifted. "Now you, amig--" Everyone is staring at the downed man and a look of utter horror dawns on the Green Dragon's face. Oh god, did he...did he really just kill the guy?! He rushes toward Quon, second only to the medic on-site, who's already checking his heart...and gets zapped right in the ear for his troubles. So unfortunate.
However long it takes him to wake up, he'll find Pepe still there, seated wherever he's able with his ankle constantly twitching, setting his let to bouncing with that irritatingly endless sea of energy that he often has.
COMBATSYS: Pepe has ended the fight here.
Log created on 09:39:01 01/06/2011 by Quon, and last modified on 01:34:04 01/08/2011.