Description: As the program's most generous, handsome, charismatic, and undoubtedly ingenious benefactor, Ken Masters deserves nothing less than the brightest stage and the largest crowd. As such, he's given one of the world's most powerful foes upon which to prove to fans the world over his incredible dominance. Ken or Kyo: which of these men have the heaviest fists? Which wields the fiercest flame? Ten thousand people are in attendance to discover the answers personally, with many times more glued to their sets at home. (Winner: Kyo)
The Saturday Night Fights may not be that longstanding of a tradition, but one could go as far to say they might as well be the heart and soul of the Masters Media. Sure the Neo League may bolster consistent rankings, but these true pay-per-view bouts always bring in more fans as no one can ever know what to expect.
Always looking to be more extravagent then ever before, especially when it comes to the fact that their owner is participating, the crew has gone all out. Laser lights have been setup all along the edge of the inner arena, with fog machines constantly pumping out thick plumes of white which give the arena a truly eerie feel. The lights of the arena start to dim as the lasers kick on, colorful beams of light bouncing back and forth across peoples view.
A low voice slowly comes on over the intercom as the crowd starts to grow quiet, trying to catch the words that now are being spoken.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, tonight is truly a spectacular match. We have two legendary men of the fighting world, one of which owns this very arena this match is about to take place in. However, his opponent is truly a man of legend himself. A true master in his art, this young man is a threat unto all who cross his path as a foe. There have been claims that his flames burn as bright as the sun, however... Only can the field of battle lay out the claim who is truly the master of flames.."
"Which of these men wields the fiercest flame? WHICH OF THESE MEN HAS THE HEAVIEST FISTS?! WHO WILL BE THE VICTOR? Ladies and gentlemen, prepare yourselves for Ken Masters versus Kyo Kusanagi!!"
It's not like this is the first time Kyo Kusanagi has fought on Ken's home turf.
Though the arena isn't as familiar to him as good ol' Howard Arena back in Southtown, he /is/ the sort of fighter who puts butts in the seats, being spectacular and amazing and /incredibly/ humble. He doesn't hold much with fog machines or laser light shows, though, and while the announcer works up the crowd the Kusanagi heir's expression is one of elaborate boredom, as he checks his fingerless gloves to make sure they're properly tight, adjusting the sleeves of his jacket so that it sits just so. If he's gonna beat a guy up in his own arena, after all, Kyo wants to make sure he looks good doing it.
Names are called, at which point Kyo finally deigns to walk out into the midst of the arena, hands at his sides and thumbs hooked into the pockets of his jeans, his stance casual and his expression dubious.
"'Fiercest flames'?" Kyo repeats, as if the very statement offended him on some level. "I thought I was fighting Ken Masters, not Kain in a threadbare karate gi. Although," he adds, after a thoughtful pause. "That would be something to see, huh? He'd probably insist on an ascot, even then."
It's possible that Kyo isn't taking things... Entirely seriously.
A slight smile appears upon Ken's face as he steps into the arena, adjusting his own gloves. While Kyo may be humble, the crimson clad blonde is a showman. His job is to make things as exciting for the crowds, and there has never once been a doubt that he hasn't performed this job with great finess. While he may own the company, he doesn't choose the matches, nor the conditions of the fight. Yet, he's going to put on a show while fighting to his heart's content, and there aren't many like Kyo.
His hands move down to tighten the belt upon his gi, the crowd exploding into a loud roar as the blonde man slides into his own stance, fists raised as his body slowly bobs.
Ken's right hand raises upwards, motioning for Kyo to come forward in a slight taunting motion.
"Come on."
No matter what the outcome may be, and no matter what anyone may say, this is truly a match that the Ansatsuken user will give his all to winning.
COMBATSYS: Ken has started a fight here.
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Ken 0/-------/------=|
COMBATSYS: Kyo has joined the fight here.
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Kyo 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Ken
"What, no pre-fight banter?" Kyo wonders, raising his hands from his sides and spreading them in a 'what can you do?' kind of motion, shaking his head to go with it. "No amusing puns, or witty bon mots? And here I thought /Ryu/ was the boring one."
For Kyo Kusanagi, a fight is as much about psychology as anything else; the often endless stream of smack talk and taunts that leave the (actually not humble at all) Kusanagi heir's mouth serving as much as a weapon as his fists, feet, and flames. It is, of course, more useful against some opponents than others, but the reigning World Warrior champion can always be counted to run his mouth whatever the opponent. Is it, in the end, any surprise that so many people can't stand him?
Actually, usually they hate him because of his lineage and his indirect effects on their lives.
But sometimes it's the trash talk.
"Ah well," Kyo decides, settling into the simple Kusanagi-ryuu Kobojutsu stance he prefers, feet shoulder-width apart, hands loosely raised to his shoulders, keeping his weight moving. "Let's see if peroxided hair burns better, bottle blond!" Rushing in, Kyo steps off the ground at the last moment, throwing himself into a pretty straightforward jumping kick, one leg extended and the other extended downwards... But if his foot impacts with Ken, he twists and lashes out with his other foot in a second, quicker kick. "Huaa-!!"
COMBATSYS: Ken effortlessly dodges Kyo's 75 Shiki Kai.
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Kyo 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Ken
The slight smile turns into a grin as Ken quickly takes a few steps back, causing the heir of the Kusanagi to miss him spectacularly. Of course, if it had hit, it would most likely have been a very painful opening to this match.
"What? Is that really all you have Kyo? I thought you were supposed to be a master or something. My son could have dodged that." A slight shrug of his shoulders, and a headshaken in disapointment. It seems that if Kyo wants trash talk, it'll be more then happily dished out.
Those few steps that Ken had taken backwards are now returned as he rushes back towards Kyo, hands reaching out to grab ahold of the man's leather jacket. If he manages to grasp ahold of Kusanagi, his right knee will lift upwards, moving to strike the solar plexus, only for Ken to fall backwards, allowing the momentum to fling Kyo over him, and away.
COMBATSYS: Ken successfully hits Kyo with Tsukami Nage.
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Kyo 0/-------/-----==|==-----\-------\0 Ken
That was, admittedly, not how Kyo saw things going when he planned it out.
Landing lightly after the kick, the perpetual highschooler lets out a possibly good-natured chuckle at his own expense. "Does he get a lot of practice dodging kicks outta nowhere, then?" the younger man wonders. "Did my old man give you parenting tips or something?" And then, he gets grabbed by the jacket. By his /expensive jacket/. Grabbed and pulled off-balance with the strike to his solar plexus, the Kusanagi heir gets thrown! His landing is... Not the most graceful one he's ever managed, but moments later Kyo is back on his feet, looking as confident as ever.
"And here I was worried you were slowing down in your old age, Masters. Guess it's time to stop playing around, huh?"
And then, Kyo just /moves/.
He might not possess the nearly unnatural speed of some other fighters, like his 'clone', K'... Or the ability to actually teleport, like some of those Psycho Power freaks, but when Kyo Kusanagi feels like it, he can truck. Long loping strides bring him back to Ken in the blink of an eye, his right fist already swinging in a hooking punch aimed at the older fighter's jaw, a guttering arc of flame trailing behind the motion of his hand... A precursor of the small explosion of sacred Kusanagi flame at the point of impact, if any.
He keeps going, too.
Stepping in, Kyo swings his left fist up in a short uppercut at the underside of Ken's jaw, with a second eruption of Ever-Burning Flames, before twisting around and thrusting one leg out in a straight mule kick to toss Ken away. "Let's see... How weak your defense is!"
COMBATSYS: Ken blocks Kyo's Aragami.
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Kyo 0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0 Ken
Ken's defense isn't really that weak at all. Of course, he doesn't have much time to react to the flaming uppercut. His body turns slightly as he presents his right arm and leg to absorb the impact from the mule kick, sending him stumbling back a few steps.
"Old age? Man that was a cheap shot Kyo." A slight grumble escapes Ken's mouth as he turns shakes his right arm, trying to get rid of the stinging sensation. "What's wrong? Worrying over your homework? I figured that you'd hit harder then that."
Of course, if Kyo wants to start playing with fire this early in the game, then of course Ken's going to have to return the favor. Chi starts to build upon his right fist as he lowers himself downwards to a crouching position. In a fluid motion the Ansatsuken user is launching himself upwards towards Kyo's jaw, attempting to drag the man into the air, allowing his chi to do its fiery work.
"SHORYUKEN!"
COMBATSYS: Kyo counters Shoryuken from Ken with Nue Tsumi EX.
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Kyo 0/-------/---====|====---\-------\0 Ken
"Nah, I was thinking about lunch," Kyo remarks, demonstrating no visible frustration as Ken's defense proves to be better than he might've hoped. Of course, it would be too much to expect somebody to just let you beat them up, right? "Roast beef, swiss cheese... Some good mustard, you know?" Could it be true? Could the World Warrior champ's thoughts be anywhere but here? Stranger things have happened.
Naturally, not just letting somebody beat you up goes both ways, and Kyo himself isn't inclined to let Ken punch him into orbit or anything; the question becomes, what's he gonna do about it?
Stepping /towards/ Ken as the blond man crouches down, the Kusanagi heir's left hand snakes out, intercepting Ken as he rises up into the Shoryuken technique, nudging that punching arm slightly to one side in an almost gentle motion...
And slamming his other fist downwards at Ken's head in the process, an explosion of crimson flame at the point of impact.
"Whoops~"
A slight grunt escapes Ken's lips as he crashes down to the ground, the flames obviously having caused a good deal of damage. There's a few moments where Ken wonders if that this match was truly a good idea. Then again, why wouldn't it be?
"Man. If you're thinking about lunch, I'd hate to think about what you're like when you think about dinner." The blonde man quickly rolls away from Kyo, only to get back up to his feet. His hands move to his side as chi slowly starts to swell between the palms.
"How about we go hit up a coffee shop after this. I know a great place that'll even have a booster seat for you." The chi forms into a brilliantly blue ball which causes him to grin slightly. The hands are thrust forward, sending the ball hurtling towards Kusanagi.
"HADOUKEN!"
COMBATSYS: Kyo effortlessly blocks Ken's Hadouken.
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Kyo 0/-------/--=====|====---\-------\0 Ken
With a quiet snort of laughter, Kyo skids back on the strip of sandy beach in the aftermath of punching Ken right in the head, settling back into his loose, uncomplicated stance as he faces off against the owner of this fancy arena. "If I was thinking about dinner, you'd already be out cold, Masters," the Kusanagi heir retorts, well aware of exactly what it is that Ken is about to do... After all, he's fought Ansatsuken users before, and worse still one of them was /Sakura Kasugano/, who has about fifteen hundred different varieties of Hadouken.
So then...
Shifting position slightly, Kyo hunches down and gets his forearms in the way of the sphere of focused chi, letting the blast splash against his defenses rather than get through and do any serious damage. "That's awfully tempting," Kyo says, as he throws himself forward, bits of blue chi still tickling at his forearms as he goes. "Are they going to give you your senior's discount this late, though?"
As he closes with Ken, Kyo's posture changes again, and he throws out his left elbow, bracing that fist with his opposite hand, aiming to slam it roughly into Ken's solar plexus; if he manages that, Kyo takes another step in, thrusting his right hand out to grab Ken by the neck and, in a single motion, lift him right off of the ground.
"/BURN/!" Kyo orders, unleashing an enormous flare of Kusanagi flames right where Ken is, releasing him from the grab in the process.
COMBATSYS: Ken interrupts Koto Moon Positive from Kyo with Jigoku-guruma.
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Kyo 0/-------/=======|=======\-------\0 Ken
Even though Kyo may have an advantage with his flames, it doesn't mean anything just yet. Ken's had a lot of practice against people who are hell bent on beating him down, however he's still persevered.
"No, but kids do eat free there every day, so I figure it'll be my treat." A slight gasp escapes his mouth as the elbow slams into his chest, however it's not enough to completely throw him of balance so Kyo can continue his assault.
Ken's gloved hands thrust forward, only to once more place themselves upon the expensive leather jacket that Kyo was foolish enough to wear to a fight. The US Champion slams himself backwards as his right foot rises outwards to catch Kyo in the stomach, using the momentum to once more fling the Kusanagi heir up and over towards the sand behind him.
It's an impressive choice of actions that Ken uses to keep Kyo from having his way; risking pain to forestall further pain, the US Champion ends up tossing the World Warrior champ, Kyo landing in a low, awkward skid through the sand and ending up in the shallow water, now a dusty mess after that less than perfect recovery.
Straightening up, Kyo rubs the back of one gloved hand over his mouth. "Hey, I never say no to a free meal," the always confident Kusanagi heir says, because it's the absolute truth: Being often both lazy /and/ shiftless, the idea of eating a meal he doesn't even have to pay for attacks every part of his psyche at once, with delight. "Still... You'll have to be conscious to follow through, right?"
Straightening up, Kyo holds up his right hand, palm upwards; a flame springs to life there, despite a lack of fuel, raging in the cage of his fingers as he focuses his energy on it, focuses his thoughts on it... Kyo draws on the power of the Kusanagi bloodline, draws out that ancient force lurking inside of of him, and no doubt someone as canny as Ken can /feel/ it, like something enormous approaching, just out of one's field of vision. It's kind of ominous, really.
Kyo, of course, remarks smirking throughout.
COMBATSYS: Kyo gathers his will.
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Kyo 1/----===/=======|=======\-------\0 Ken
"As far as I know, its still an even match. Of course, whose to say you won't be conscious yourself, Kyo?" Ken nimbly leaps to his feet, eyes focused solely upon Kyo as the crowd seems to be losing their ever loving minds over this fight.
The usual grin slowly turns into a faint frown as Kyo starts to draw upon his bloodline's power. This may not bode well for the Ansatsuken user, so he's left with two choices. Either he can attempt attacking Kyo head on, or he can prepare himself for whatever is about to come..
The second choice seems to be a bit more safe, so a few steps are taken backwards from Kyo, attempting to put some distance between them as Ken tries to regain some of the footing he's lost so far in this fight.
COMBATSYS: Ken gains composure.
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Kyo 1/----===/=======|=======\==-----\1 Ken
With a faint snort as Ken doesn't press the attack against him, Kyo snaps his hand shut to snuff out the flames, bringing his fist down to slip back into his customary stance. "Seems to me it's more likely I'll fall asleep from your punches feeling so nice and relaxing," the younger man retorts, watching as Ken tries to alter the spacing of the fight. Okay, if he wants to play it like that, he can play it like that. Kyo doesn't seem overly bothered. Instead...
Snapping his fingers, Kyo summons forth another spark, and then chucks it under-hand towards Ken. There's not enough force for this 'seed' of fire to make it all the way to the Ansatsuken fighter, and instead it hits the ground and then blossoms, a streaking flame tearing across the arena floor towards Ken, as Kyo himself charges in after it, moving to close the distance between the pair of them...
COMBATSYS: Kyo successfully hits Ken with Yami Barai.
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Kyo 1/--=====/=======|=======\====---\1 Ken
This isn't something he expected. Ken thought he could dodge this without any problems, and continue pressing Kyo for distance. However, once the flames engulf the blonde man's body, there isn't much he can do except try to prevent the flames from doing more harm then they normally would.
Leaping towards the water and rolling across it, Ken slowly rises to his feet as Kyo continues pressing forward. "Man, haven't you heard that playing with fire is dangerous? I figured by now you'd have fallen asleep yourself as its well past your bedtime kiddo."
Ken decides to take back to the offensive, rushing forward towards Kusanagi, his right fist quickly flying forward, aimed for one of the most prized possesions of a lot of fighters -- The nose.
COMBATSYS: Kyo blocks Ken's Jab Punch.
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Kyo 1/--=====/=======|=======\====---\1 Ken
"Hey now, don't sell yourself short," Kyo retorts, as Ken charges at him, aiming to punch him in the nose... But instead meeting with the younger fighter's gloved palm, a harsh slap of fist on hand sending a stinging numbness down Kyo's arm... But it sure beats a bloody nose. "You're not quite /that/ boring. Close, but..." With a short chuckle, Kyo lets go of Ken's fist, and then... Goes back to the well?!
Mimicing his own earlier attack, Kyo swings his right fist in a fiery, hooking punch at the side of Ken's jaw, guttering flame trailing behyind his hand again and erupting at the intended point of impact as Kyo releases it, but his followup isn't quite the same. This time, he takes a longer step in, swinging his left fist in a punch that mirrors the first, aiming to drive the US Champion back even further...
Before taking another step after him, and driving his right fist up in a thunderous, explosive uppercut aimed at the underside of Ken's jaw.
COMBATSYS: Ken just-defends Kyo's Aragami!
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Kyo 1/--=====/=======|=======\====---\1 Ken
There is a brief moment where Ken can sense that this might be something to truly bring him down. Time seems to slow to a standstill as he lifts his left hand upwards to brag the first punch that has been thrown, letting go of it once its momentum has been stopped. As the left fist makes its way towards him, the Ansatsuken user leans back slightly, allowing it to sail past his face, missing him by mere millimeters.
As Kyo goes to rise upwards with his own uppercut, Ken steps back slightly grinning. "What's wrong Kyo? Having some trouble?"
Ken arcs his body in a circular motion, allowing his left leg to use the momentum to rise upwards, only to bring it down towards the Kusanagi heir's collar bone.
COMBATSYS: Kyo blocks Ken's Ryusen Kyaku.
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Kyo 1/-======/=======|=======\====---\1 Ken
It seems that Kyo might just /be/ having some trouble! Or that Ken is actually good enough to pose a legitimate challenge to the Kusanagi heir, but he'd never actually admit that out loud to or about anyone, ever. It's just not in keeping with his image. The always (over?)confident young man doesn't seem particularly fazed by Ken's expert defense against his combination, but... Well, he rarely /does/ seem fazed. Never let them see you sweat, right? Plus after everything he's been through on a semi-regular basis, it's hard to get too worked up about what essentially amounts to a 'for fun' fight.
Yes, even with all the money riding on it. Kyo doesn't care.
As Ken's leg comes hammering down, Kyo once again gets his forearm in the way to stop it, preventing the strike from doing too much harm, but sending another surge of numbness down his limb. Now in perilously close quarters with the Ansatsuken fighter, Kyo's options might seem to become mroe limited...
Which is why he twists, aiming to grab Ken by the kicking leg and then use that to bodily smash Ken into the ground. It's not particularly artful, but hey, he's improvising.
COMBATSYS: Ken interrupts Quick Throw from Kyo with Shinryuu Ken+.
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Kyo 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|====---\-------\0 Ken
Expertly stepping back as Kyo grabs ahold of his leg, Ken's quickly yanking himself free to duck down low as the younger man might realize that he's about to face one of the more famed attacks the Ansatsuken user is famed for.
His right fist rises upwards towars Kyo's jaw, only to drag him off the ground. Spinning his body around, Ken's right leg strikes outwards, catching Kusanagi in the side with a brutal mid-air kick, only to continue throwing more and more at him. Of course, this isn't the end of it, not by far.
Once more the chi builds upon Ken's fist as he ducks down low once again, striking the younger man in the chin, dragging him upwards in a spiraling torrent of flames.
"SHINRYUU KEN!"
Having underestimated Ken's willingness to charge through attacks in an attempt to land his own, Kyo Kusanagi takes it... On the chin.
Ha ha ha... ha, aww.
The World Warrior champion is caught by the opening Ken has created for himself, and Kyo gets battered around by the repeated strikes, and is finally struck with a powerful and fiery uppercut that knocks him further up and away, Kyo hitting the water with a tremendous splash and disappearing beneath the formerly placid surface. So way to go, Ken, you just killed a guy.
Or not!
Kyo gets up, water pouring off of him in sheets his dark brown hair plastered to his head and face. Rolling his neck with a quiet crackling, Kyo brushes his hair back out of his face, and looks down at his now sodden clothes with an exasperated expression. "Knew you had a real hit in you somewhere, Masters," Kyo says, as if he were somehow relieved that the kid gloves had finally come off, or something. He flashes a wide smirk at the older man, raising his right hand again in a return to his earlier posture. Despite his sodden state, fire rages in his palm again at his will, followed moments later by the way Kyo himself catches on fire. Standing right there in the shallow water. Like it weren't no thing. The flame in his palm becomes unbearably bright, and heat distortion warps the air around Kyo, but it only lasts a few seconds, a few precious moments of concentration, of focus... And then he slides forward.
Swinging his hand down and then across, Kyo unleashes that brilliant flame, and the fire on his body peels off to join it, to reinforce it, to empower it, a massive wave of fire that actually warps the water around it, creating a shallow divide that continues as it reaches land, the raging hellstorm digging a shallow trench along the beach towards Ken himself.
"EAT THIS!!"
COMBATSYS: Kyo successfully hits Ken with Orochinagi+.
> Determined Hit! <
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Kyo 0/-------/--=====|=======\=------\1 Ken
The flames strike against Ken's body, causing him to fall down to his knees in pain. Once the smoke clears however, he's slowly climbing back up to his feet. "I'm not down and out just yet..."
Ken's vision is already blurring as he starts his final assault upon Kyo. Rushing towards the man, the chi starts to build upon his right foot, trailing towards Kusanagi, creating wheels of flame that trail after him.
If he manages to catch Kyo with it, the onslaught of Ken's fading flame will not end there. He'll only continue to attempt dragging Kyo up towards the heavens once more, another sprialing torrent of flames before they fade with the rest of his strength.
"GUREN SENPUUKYAKU!"
COMBATSYS: Kyo counters Guren Senpuukyaku from Ken with Nue Tsumi.
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Kyo 0/-------/-======|====---\-------\0 Ken
BOOM.
That's how Kyo likes to play it.
Kyo is already walking out of the shallow water, actually dry from the knees up thanks to his little fire stunt, his hair artfully falling into just the right purposely disheveled look, because that's the sort of person Kyo Kusanagi is. He tilts his head a little at the unsteady Ken, who insists that he's not down and out just yet, and then leaps at the Kusanagi heir with one chi-empowered foot extended that--
--Stops dead, where Kyo catches Ken by his ankle. "Actually, you are," the younger man retorts, slamming his other fist into Ken in a brutal strike, an explosive release of Kusanagi flame at impact tossing the US Champion away while Kyo himself stands - battered, sure; bruised, definitely... But unbeaten.
"Ah~hh," Kyo yawns, rather rudely all things considered, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand. "/That's/ what happens when you play with fire, Masters. Still, hey, you made me have to actually try once or twice... Maybe you're not completely over the hill yet, huh?"
COMBATSYS: Kyo has left the fight here.
Log created on 20:00:53 10/31/2011 by Kyo, and last modified on 09:27:43 11/04/2011.