Description: Zach's troubles continue to plague him. His ridiculous display of power against Eagle apparently did nothing to dissuade people from throwing the Neo League guantlet at the psychic's feet. (Winner: Maki)
The setting is a random city in Asia. The situation is yet another Neo League fight. No matter where you're from, the Neo League could easily stop in your area at any time and at any place. Meaning that you could easily find yourself watching an exhibition of some of the greatest fighters in the world in some of the least likeliest of places. Today, it's in the center of the business district in the Asian city, with one of the fighters being Maki Genryuusai.
A longtime participant of the Neo League and one of the Top Ten ranking fighters in the previous season, Maki was once a big name in Metro City, but now her name is starting to become more well known. Some people are holding signs cheering for her, while others are just chanting her name. To Maki, though, being popular isn't what she's looking for. She seeks to refine herself as a true successor to her style of Bushin-Ryu. That's not to say, though, that she doesn't give her fans a wave and a smile as she enters the fighting area and begnis to warm up.
Zach, on the other hand, is well know period. His four year professional fighting career has been punctuated by fireworks, explosions, and property damage. And occassionally a good fight. Some of the crowd is here to see some more of that 'violet violence' in action.
Zach may be out to disappoint. He comes walking to the stage with a wakazashi clipped to his belt and a somewhat dramatic-looking scarf wrapped around his neck. The almost trademark cap is missing, allowing Zach's purple hair to waft in the breeze.
Both items are present with a purpose. The sword should be obvious. Word is getting out after his match versus Eagle that perhaps Zach Glen is getting serious about learning a fighting style beyond 'whatever works'. The scarf is there to hide what is, for Zach, a serious problem. One Maki is likely to learn about the hard way.
The psychic knight waves to the crowd with a slight smile on his face as he turns to face Genryuusai. He waits for the bell, latent energy humming just under his skin.
COMBATSYS: Zach has started a fight here.
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Zach 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Zach still bears the choker, which shimmers an odd color.
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Zach [E] 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Zach takes no action.
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Zach [E] 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Maki has joined the fight here.
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Zach [E] 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Maki
As soon as Zach makes his entrance, Maki turns from her fans to face Zach, and almost immediately her eyes narrow a bit. An old rival who Maki has had numerous encounters with, one who uses Psycho Power. No matter what he might be using as his fighting style, though, Maki's not intimidated by him in the least bit. In fact, this is almost like a special kind of match for her. Not because he's currently the champion of the Neo League, but because Maki enjoys battling with old rivals. Call it a nostalgia thing for those who are into fighting.
"We meet again, Zach," Maki says, smirking a little as she twirls her tonfa. "Been a long time, and I hear you're in the top spot now. But that's not the point of this. The point is that we're here to demonstrate our fighting prowess, and I'm only going to enjoy this because we've met up with one another in the past, and I always enjoy meeting rivals again." She rolls her neck around a few times before jumping up and down a few times. "Let's do this!" Maki assumes her fighting stance and waits for the bell.
COMBATSYS: Maki takes no action.
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Zach [E] 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Maki
Zach gives Maki a bit of a flat stare. First Eagle and trying to set up a match that he could stage, now Maki. He cycles through, and rejects a few snappy retorts, opting instead to keep his silence. He's never really /had/ a rival, and from what he had understood of the concept, there was some element of consent to it usually. Or at least some kind of commonality between the two. If he had a rival at /all/, Zach would likely consider Howard Rust for such a thing. Both men are up-and-coming American fighters, both until recently, lacked any kind of formal training.
He does not /feel/ any kind of connection with the tonfa-wielding girl with the odd diatribes. He just wants the match done with. He glances at the referee, and then the bell tolls.
Zach charges forward, hand drifting to the hilt of the sword at his left hip. He grabs the hilt, and pulls the wakazashi free even as he levels a strike against Maki's flank. Looks like he's not wasting time with this match!
COMBATSYS: Maki dodges Zach's Aggressive Strike.
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Zach [E] 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Maki
Seems Zach is using weapons as well as Maki. The only difference is that he's using a sword, while Maki has been using her trusty tonfa for the longest time. Of course, that alone isn't going to help her win a fight. Her ability to avoid incoming attacks is also a major ally in her ability to win fights. And that is something that she demonstrates skillfully as she rolls backwards, away from Zach's sword completely, and landing flawlessly in a standing position once again.
"Not bad, but if you're dealing with someone like me, you need to move faster!" Maki emphasises this as she attempts to deliver a kick at Zach's stomach.
COMBATSYS: Maki successfully hits Zach with Light Kick.
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Zach [E] 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Maki
Zach grunts as the kick strikes home, pushing him back several inches. He keeps his eyes on the girl, tracking her movement with a bit of care while he circles Maki. He bounces the short sword in his grip a bit while he considers his options.
He fought Eagle, for all his strength last fight. This will be a good test to see how well he can deal with a fast opponent.
COMBATSYS: Zach focuses on his next action.
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Zach [E] 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Maki
Maki pulls her leg back and gets back into her fighting stance quickly. She watches Zach and his sword, knowing fully well that if she gets hit, it's going to very messy in here. And Maki's not exactly in the mood to be bleeding all over a Neo League fighting area. But that's depending on how well she can handle herself against Zach. "Weapons or not, it all depends on how well you can utilize what you're fighting with. Just because you may have a weapon doesn't make you a more dangerous adversary," Maki comments. She stares at Zach carefully, watching that sword specifically.
COMBATSYS: Maki focuses on her next action.
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Zach [E] 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Maki
Zach looks, well bored may not be the correct word for it, but the emotion could be easily confused for boredom. He raises the sword and points it at the ninjagirl, calling up his own energies. It doesn't take very long, especially considering what follows.
Maki might be expecting some spherical blast of soul power. Or maybe soul power enhancing the sword strike. Zach lifts the blade over his head and sweeps it down hard as purple energy sheathes itself around the blade.
The roughly crescent shaped blast that erupts from the stroke, however, is massive. It rips through the stage as it all but /screams/ its way towards the Metro City citizen. Something seems... /off/ about this power. Maki's faced Zach's particular flavor of pain on a couple of other occassions, but this just feels... /wrong/ in comparison, even before the blast gets to the girl!
COMBATSYS: Zach successfully hits Maki with Warning Shot.
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Zach [E] 0/-------/--=====|====---\-------\0 Maki
If Maki were known for using colorful language all the time, she might cry out something like, "HOLY SHIT, WHAT IS THAT?!" But she's not like that. She just simply steadies herself and tries to absorb the projectile that's coming at her. But it fails, and Maki is hit hard, sending her staggering backwards into the protective ropes, and propelling her back forwards.
"Unngh... what the hell was that?!" Maki thinks to herself out loud, rubbing at her stomach which, along with the rest of her torso, is burning in a way she can't quite describe. In spite of that, though, Maki simply grits her teeth through the pain, while uttering obscenities under her breath.
"That was pretty good, but that's not going to be enough!" Maki shouts as she does a backwards flip onto a nearby turnbuckle, once she's caught her breath of course. Then she leaps off and flies directly at Zach with an insanely fast flying kick!
COMBATSYS: Maki successfully hits Zach with Hassou Kyaku.
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Zach [E] 1/-------/=======|=====--\-------\0 Maki
Zach takes the kick cleanly in the shoulder, spinning away from the strike. He waits /just/ for the moment that Maki lands as he continues his pivot, bringing the sword around in a hard arc. More will is slammed through the blade, which seems to take on a hum of its own.
Zach finishes the move, striking horizontally. The blade will likely not really cut the younger woman at all. Blunt force trauma is what she is going to need to worry more about as the strike threatens to hurl her clear out of the ring!
COMBATSYS: Maki dodges Zach's Burst Strike.
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Zach [E] 0/-------/-------|=====--\-------\0 Maki
Blunt force or sharp slashes, it doesn't matter. Whether Zach can hit Maki is the important thing, and Maki isn't about to let that guy hit her in the least bit. She twists to the side and dodges out of the way of the incoming attack, and uses her momentum to propel herself into her next attack.
Maki swiftly spins to the side again and drops onto the ground, spinning around on the tip of her tonfa while spinning around wildly like a whirlwind.
COMBATSYS: Maki successfully hits Zach with Bushin Senpuu Kyaku.
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Zach [E] 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\0 Maki
Instead Zach sending Maki flying, it appears Zach is going on the flight. Glen's back slams hard into the ropes, catching the young psyker non-too-gently. He wobbles a bit as he looks at the young lady.
He doesn't seem to be making any aggressive moves at the moment. His sword is low and at his side, seething with that same somehow wrong energy.
COMBATSYS: Zach gains composure.
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Zach [E] 0/-------/----===|=======\-------\0 Maki
"That's it, just take it easy," Maki says in a sarcastic tone of voice. "I've got all day for you." She taps her tonfa against her thigh idly, before shaking her head. "I've changed my mind, I'm not going to be waiting around for you after all!"
Maki steps towards Zach and attempts to grab him by the neck. If successful, Maki intends to administer a quick over-the-shoulder throw.
COMBATSYS: Zach interrupts Quick Throw from Maki with Third Stance.
- Power hit! -
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Zach [E] 0/-------/---====|=======\==-----\1 Maki
Maki does not even get close to Zach before the youth worker flicks his left hand in an almost negligent manner. Another of those insanely destructive bursts of soul power punches a hole through the stage as it screams towards Maki.
The flare smashes into Maki with the force of a runaway car, hurling the young lady across, and possibly out of, the ring!
Maki is hit before she can even realize what happened. She goes flying across the ring and smashes into a nearby turnbuckle. She ends up landing in a semi-seated position, at which point the official goes over to check on her. It's at that point that he steps away, watching as Maki gets back up, albeit quite a bit roughed up now. Her stance shows a slight hint of weariness.
"I guess I can admit I didn't see that one coming..." Maki says weakly. "But you haven't won just yet." And then she begins to catch her breath.
COMBATSYS: Maki gains composure.
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Zach [E] 0/-------/---====|=======\=------\1 Maki
Zach eyes the young lady with a bit of composure. He clearly is not taking any pleasure in his current progress, or in this fight as a whole. He levels the sword, placing it between himself and Maki at shoulder level while he aims the tip directly at the center of her torso.
More of that oddly-wrong energy pours off of Zach's frame while he waits for Maki's next move...
COMBATSYS: Zach gathers his will.
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Zach [E] 1/-------/=======|=======\=------\1 Maki
"All right, I'm done resting," Maki says as she looks up again. She still looks hunched over, but at least has a little more energy than before. "It's time to finish this once and for all!" Maki steps sideways and then advances again. "Get ready, here I come!" Maki yells as she brings her tonfa forward, only as an attempt to fake Zach out and deliver a swift hook.
COMBATSYS: Maki successfully hits Zach with Genkou.
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Zach [E] 1/---====/=======|=======\==-----\1 Maki
Zach grunts as the tonfa slams home, the crack of jawbone and whatever the hell that tonfa is made of echos across the arena. Zach straightens himself up and simply looks at Maki for a long moment...
...and then he /explodes/. Zach is known for this, really, but those previous attempts look like little more than firecrackers in comparison to this one. The ring is almost completely destroy in the storm of energy that smashes its way across the arena as Zach roars in either fury or pain. It's hard to tell over the din of destruction occurring at the moment.
COMBATSYS: Maki dodges Zach's Storm Flare.
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Zach [E] 0/-------/-------|=======\==-----\1 Maki
How did Maki avoid something like that? By jumping onto the nearby ropes and somersaulting over it, landing completely unscathed, although the ring is most likely going to need a lot of maintenance after this fight. Crouched and still somewhat winded, Maki shows no sign of letting up nonetheless. "You wasted a big attack there." Maki comments. "You should save it for when the time is right, like I'm doing!" Maki watches Zach, not wanting to take any chances again.
COMBATSYS: Maki focuses on her next action.
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Zach [E] 0/-------/-------|=======\==-----\1 Maki
COMBATSYS: Zach endures Zach's Storm Flare.
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Zach [E] 1/------=/=======|=======\==-----\1 Maki
The ring is /gone/, replaced by a massive cloud of dust and soot. When the dust clears, Zach is clearly looking the worse for wear. His shirt is in ruins, revealing a mess of bandages and blood. His face is cut in several places and his jeans are shredded. Blood runs down his sword arm, and Zach's left arm is pulled in tight as if he is trying to keep it from moving around too much.
He looks tired, and he is. Tired of the choker, tired of the constant battle to regain control of his power. But mostly, right now, he is tired of Maki's seeming superiority, as if she seems to know so much more and so much better than he does what he should do and how he should handle things. He doesn't mind good advice from friends, but Maki is not a friend.
Zach levels that sword, and channels every trace of energy he can gather up and forces it into his blade as he brings up and back over his right shoulder. With a yell of pain, he steps in and puts every bit of his weight that he can manage behind the swing. Not that he is looking for any mechanical advantage from the motion; he is simply /that/ committed to the strike.
The first 'energy slash' may have been large, but if that one was a car, this one is more like a freight train!
COMBATSYS: Zach can no longer fight.
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Maki 1/-----==/=======|
COMBATSYS: Maki dodges Zach's Burst Stream.
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Maki 1/-----==/=======|
Zach then collapses without a statement, clearly unconscious.
A frieght train? Talk about being railroaded!
But not in the case of Maki. Even if she's weakened and somewhat winded, she's not going to let that take her down. She takes a deep breath and blows it out, before actually going to an extreme measure and leaping onto a turnbuckle, then to another one. She manages to land without taking a beating, and as Zach collapses, Maki realizes something about herself.
"Wow, I actually managed to dodge most of those attacks that he threw at me. It looks like my ability to avoid my foes is getting better," Maki thinks to herself as her arm is raised in victory by the official. She doesn't bother saying anything to her fans or acknowledging them. She simply looks to Zach and says, "You fought well, but I was too fast for you it seems." A slight smirk, then Maki turns to be treated for her wounds.
COMBATSYS: Maki has ended the fight here.
Log created on 18:18:27 03/02/2011 by Zach, and last modified on 14:20:14 03/03/2011.