Description: The Voice of the Earth clashes with the Voice of Humanity as Frei Tsukitomi-Renard and Zach Glen clash in Sunshine City in the first round of the Tournament of the Dragons. (Draw Match)
Lazy, lazy days. That's what it's been since the whole Orochi business. One minute he was banishing a demon back to the nether abyss -- pretty much literally -- and the next he's in Southtown, defending the YFCC and watching the sky darken and feeling that queasiness in the pit of his stomach get worse. But then it passed, and Alma went off to... be Alma, and basically that left Frei in charge. But since no crazed cultists came back to try and explode the building or anything, for the most part it was a relief. A day to day routine of training, managing the center, and even teaching classes became the norm and Frei more or less dropped off the face of the Earth in the professional fighting scene. Considering that the mild-mannered redhead has only ever at best been a niche favorite, there were no rumors of his death or anything.
Months upon months went by in this state, and everything was fine. During the bizarre, Shadaloo-sparked war with China his hackles went up again, shifting into 'defender' mode, but against all logic the YFCC seemed to avoid becoming a target. And so everything went back to normal *again*... until one night last week. Frei had, out of nowhere, the worst nightmare he's had in some time... a recollection of an experience from back during the last King of Fighters, right here in Sunshine City. The sense of some darkness right below the surface, roiling, even interfering with his chi-manipulating abilities. The things that really haunted him, though, was that sense of a hunger in the dark.
When he woke up, that very day a tournament was announced in Sunshine City.
And so it was that Frei had to bid the sleepy normality he had acquired goodbye. The two couldn't be a coincidence, and who else knew what he did? Entering the tournament was the only way, and so he gathered up the staff of the Center as best he could, gave them an emergency call list if things went south (mostly consisting of Howard Rust and Hotaru Futaba's cell phone numbers), and headed off to the US which is where Sunshine City has always been, we swear.
As it is right now, the red-haired fighter is making his way off the train at Sunshine Central Station, headed to what is apparently his first match. He's not carrying much -- a long, thin, cloth-wrapped bundle and a duffle bag slung over one shoulder -- and in the US, he stands out quite a bit less than in Japan despite being half-Japanese... of course, most people aren't wearing a Chinese shirt + blue jeans combination, so perhaps he does stick out from the crowd after all. Stepping across the main platform -- a huge, circular room with a tall clock at the center -- he skims the crowd for familiar faces... and tries to get the sense of anxiety plaguing him under control.
Zach's story is... a little more active than Frei's of late. Where the chi-sage had allowed himself to rest, the psion had kicked into high gear, working for one agency or another before and during the war with China. Afterwards, the psion devoted his considerable energy to another effort: The Quon Chen Institute.
However, his own unease was perhaps just as potent as Frei's, if coming from a very different source. Zach is in the square, wearing a t-shirt, blue jeans, those MMA gloves he prefers, and an cloth-wrapped oblong bundle about two feet long. The first thing Frei might notice differently about Zach is the hair color; that deep violet color has retreated to just the tips of gold-blonde hair. The psion also carries himself with a certain amount of... surety that he did not seem to have before King of Fighters.
The psychic takes one look at Frei, and Zach frowns. "You feel it too, then?" Zach asks seriously. "There's..." Zach frowns, looking away from Frei with a slightly distant look as he tries not only to sort the emotion out as being seperate from himself, but also to try and block out the sense of trouble from the people in the city. "Unease in the air. People are nervous about something."
"/Damn/," Zach thinks. "I need to find someone who can help me with this, before I go nuts."
Comparatively, Zach does indeed stand out in a crowd. Thus it doesn't take much for the two to apparently bump into each other... but hellos apparently will have to wait, as the young psychic decides to cut right to the chase. Frei is still framing his response in his mind when Zach adds on something about the unease of people. Glancing around, the sage takes in the lay of the proverbial land, then puts a hand to the back of his neck. "I don't know from uneasy people," he starts, before glancing off in what appears to be a random direction, "but there's something suspicious here. Has been for the better part of a year. I guess I just... let it slip my mind."
Of course, the REAL reason for Frei's inaction is perhaps more complex, which is why he goes back to scanning the room a little bit. Buried deep down, the truth may be that he was *enjoying* not having to fight, that secretly engaging in training for the reasons he originally learned how -- to expand his horizons and awareness -- was more fulfilling than engaging in battle. It's only a fierce sense of responsibility that has him here at all. And speaking of a fierce sense of responsibility...
"Well. I'm probably not the person to ask in your case, but..." Here, he stops, and sets down everything he's carrying at his feet, before unzipping the duffle bag and withdrawing a letter in an off-white envelope. Thankfully, the Trial of the Dragon people had the good sense not to seal it with wax ala Rugal, because that would have probably pushed more than a few people over the edge.
Taking out the letter, he turns it around in his hand facing outward so Zach can read it... and, indeed, it is the official announcement of their pending battle in the tournament, to take place forthwith.
"Fancy meeting you here, then," is all Frei says.
Zach gives a dry chuckle as he checks the bundle he is carrying, ensuring that it will stay in place on it his belt. It doesn't look like it will go anywhere. For that matter, it looks like Zach would have to make an active effort to unwrap it... and he is not making any move to do /that/.
He pulls out a matching envelope, with a similar announcement, save for the appropriate name changes. "Yeah," he says. "Must be fate." He looks around, the concern clear on his face. "We should head to the square, I think I saw a match ring set up there. Just... figured I would meet you at the station before." He heaves a sigh.
"Was hoping the unease wasn't just me," he says quietly. "I'm not... this whole thing is kind of new to me. Given the timing of it," Zach shrugs, "I don't think anyone would fault me for being worried about it."
Thankfully, talking and walking at the same time is a skill that they teach in Japanese public schools. Frei puts the envelope back in the bag and hauls his stuff back onto his shoulders as he and Zach head off to the official sanctioned place of battle. "I don't think I've ever made a conscious decision to get involved, honestly," the redhead says carefully, looking around the city as he walks. "Maybe one or two times. Usually, I'm just... in the right place at the right time. Or possibly the wrong place." For a moment, he flashes back quite a while, now, to the invasion of Southtown... a moment when things really started to go very wrong indeed for him.
For a moment, after that, he's quiet... but eventually his eyes stray to the bundle Zach is carrying, and Frei's green-eyed gaze hovers it in surprise for a moment, then he faces forward, keeping his voice somewhat low. "A gift from the Ryouhara?" he asks, glancing sidelong at Zach, before looking forward. "I've seen a few of his toys. They're... distinctive," he offers, by way of explanation. "I've actually got one of my own. I took it off a rampaging robot panda." And that says everything you need to know, right there.
And then the ring looms large, and official tournament fighting time approaches. Surprisingly, Frei doesn't seem all that enthused about it, but it's not in an 'oh god, why' sort of way. Instead, he seems sort of... resigned to participating. But if he knows anything, it's how to endure with a smile, and so he wears one, though if it's for the sake of Zach, the crowd, or merely his own feelings, is hard to say.
Zach simply gives a short nod when Frei asks his question. "Same one," Zach says. "The sword I only sort of know how to use. Figure it'd be a good thing to have around." He looks at the ring, letting out a low whistle. "Gallo wants to make a show of the thing, clearly," Zach says almost to himself. The crowd gives off a sense of excitement that washes over Zach, who gives a slight shudder when it hits him. The whole thing just... bothers him. Which might explain why the psion has holed himself up in his place in Japan as much as possible. Perhaps, he thinks, it would explain why most non-evil psychics turn out to be recluses for the most part.
"Right then," he says as he climbs into the ring with a sigh. "Let's get to it." He closes his eyes before taking a calming breath. "Let's have a good fight," Zach says gamely to Frei. Clearly the psion is trying to get himself into this as well.
"Just remember the old saying:" Frei offers in response to Zach's admittance that he doesn't 100% have the whole sword thing figured out, "a weapon you don't know how to use belongs to your enemy. Or something like that."
And then they're in the ring, and the official announcements are happening, and some of the familiar feelings of being a professional fighter that Frei's been away from for almost a year start to come back to him. Reaching into his own gear, he unwraps the cloth bundle he was carrying. Inside is something relatively mundane: a wooden sword. Excellently made and considerably more durable than your average wooden sword, but in the end it's still just a carved length of wood. Slipping it horizontally through his back belt loops, the redhead turns and squares off with Zach, getting into stance with a long, exhaled breath.
Into the tense silence, Frei gives a slightly wry-seeming smile. "Maybe we both need to just relax." Good advice anywhere and anywhen, really.
But then the exhortation to fight comes, in the form of a guy with a microphone shouting "FIGHT!" and the crowd cheering. With a nod, and an "En garde, Zach," Frei kicks things off, ducking in and attempting to grip Zach's wrist and flip him onto the ground Judo-style, a charge of blue lightning arcing from his hand as he does so.
COMBATSYS: Frei has started a fight here.
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Frei 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Zach has joined the fight here.
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Frei 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Zach
COMBATSYS: Frei successfully hits Zach with Medium Throw.
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Frei 0/-------/-------|===----\-------\0 Zach
"Well," Zach admits, "I know how to send energy through it. I just don't know how to use the sword. Or any sword for that matter." He notes the bokken. "Maybe I should hit you up for some lessons." The fight starts.
Frei charges in, maintaining a tight stance as he tries to backstep clear. Frei proves too fast for the boxer, and Zach goes down to the mat with a thud. He stares up at Frei for a moment before rolling back and to his feet.
"Right then," he mutters before stepping in to throw a swift jab to Frei's face. Amber energy flares around the fist, popping before Zach leaps clear.
COMBATSYS: Frei dodges Zach's Jab Punch.
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Frei 0/-------/-------|===----\-------\0 Zach
The boxer replies with a swift blow, and certainly his opponent has zero experience with the ducking and weaving one needs to avoid punches at close range. Thankfully, this actually works in his favor, because the second Frei sees Zach starting to move he throws himself backward. The punch is handily evaded, but the extra burst of psychic power that follows it bursts only inches away. Considering that these two haven't fought in quite some time, seeing both the boxing style and the greater control over his power Zach has found are both new to Frei, who can appreciate the growing Zach has done in the interim.
"It's my mother you'd need to inquire to about lessons," Frei says with a faint smile, attempting to imagine the conversation that would ensue from such a meeting. "Or... well. I can think of someone even better suited, if he's still out there somewhere..." How long has it been since Frei faced down his brother Kataki, psychic and swordsman both, who then dropped off the map? Did he make the changes Frei hoped he could make? "I imagine you'd have a lot to teach each other, actually."
But there's a fight going on here, and that leaves precious little time for nostalgia. Deciding to get back in close while he can, Frei rushes Zach, torso tilted forward as is common with battoujutsu uses, hand hovering over the 'hilt' of the wooden sword at his back, but when he gets close, Frei sweeps his hand out *without* the sword, instead creating a wave of scarlet flame. Using the spin from that strike, Frei then comes back around low, swinging *with* the sword this time, creating a second strike that flows through the fire wave.
COMBATSYS: Zach interrupts Kagerou from Frei with Gazelle Punch EX.
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Frei 0/-------/--=====|======-\-------\0 Zach
Zach nods. "As I understand it, that kind of thing is usually a two-way street," he says. He's not at all concerned that Frei dodged the punch; Frei has always been a bit above Zach in terms of fighting ability for as long as the two have known each other. Frei's fire sweep catches Glen clean in the chest, igniting the psion's shirt.
For all of that, Zach does not relent. Instead of staggering back from the heat and flame, Zach drops into a crouch and brings his left fist in close. A gauntlet of amber energy forms around the hand, and Zach leaps towards Frei throwing an uppercut aimed at stopping the sage from bringing the sword down on him.
"I thought you used ice," Zach says with a touch of surprise. His knowledge on the subject was somewhat informed, and had led him to believe that people generally stuck to one element.
Well, that stung. Forced back more than a few steps, Frei rubs his jaw from the force of that blow. He does note the interesting difference that a similar path can take. It would appear both fighters in this match let energy flow into even the simplest strikes, but their methods for doing so are quite different, indeed, Zach forming shapes and bursts, while Frei tends to simply... let whatever flows with the attack, happen. Both effective, in their own way, and perhaps more importantly, emblematic of the people doing the fighting.
"I... hmmm." He's never really thought about that, Frei has, but in point of fact he IS a bit different from the typical wielder of elemental chi, in that he's never felt tied down to any specific element. Hotaru Futaba had mentioned it, once, in passing, as had Sakura Kasugano a long time ago indeed. To Frei, the act of shaping chi to his needs has been so internalized over time that it's become second nature, and so he's never really given it much thought.
Of course, now that he has ice on the brain thanks to Zach's statement, it makes a bit of sense that Frei holds his ground at a distance, making a complex gesture with one hand as a swirling pillar of frost and ice erupts upward from the ground around the psion. "I mean, I CAN use ice. I honestly just, you know... use what's handy."
COMBATSYS: Zach fails to slow Hatsuyuki from Frei with Homing Shots.
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Frei 0/-------/--=====|====---\-------\0 Zach
The need to be in control versus living in the moment? An interesting theory, if the two were to talk about it. Zach frowns, and tries to leap clear of the ice pillar as it forms, pointing at it with both hands even as he leaves the ground.
The psychic immediately starts to fire rapidly timed bolts of Soul Power at the pillar even as the ice crackles and claws its way towards Zach's legs. The pillar simply ignores the energy as it encloses Zach's lower legs. Once it /has/ the psion, it envelops Zach for a moment before cracking and shattering. The boxer collapses to the ground, gasping for air.
"...hate that move," Zach mutters, recalling the last time Frei hit him with it.
There is a moment where Frei looks... genuinely confused, before he rubs the back of his neck in a bit of embarassment and says, with a note of genuine shame, "...sorry." You were the one who brought it up!
There's a moment while Frei considers what to do next, and then decides that Zach probably wouldn't mind a moment to collect himself... and Frei wouldn't either, actually. He takes a breath, trying to center himself, and it seems to work for a moment or two. And then he grimaces, eyes going briefly glassy, and grits his teeth. There it is. Weak, here, compared to the temple. But he can still kind of feel it, brushing against the edges of his perception. Something just beneath the surface. Something... hungry.
Shaking it off, Frei runs a hand through his hair, and then prepares to defend himself. But still... that little confirmation that things are still messed up in Sunshine City wasn't really what he needed right this second.
COMBATSYS: Frei gathers his will.
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Frei 1/------=/=======|====---\-------\0 Zach
"It's good," Zach says as he pulls himself to his feet. "Took a chance." He eyes Frei preparing for... something. Unable to sense chi flow, Zach's not only unsure what Frei is preparing, but HOW he is preparing. He considers for a second before charging in; whatever Frei's about to do the psion is not going to sit still for it.
Zach jumps in close, planting his feet before driving his left fist into Frei's liver. More of that golden Soul Power accompanies the strike, trying to attack Frei's stamina as much as Frei's body. Zach doesn't stay put long after that, leaping away in case Frei does some kind of point-blank blast.
COMBATSYS: Frei blocks Zach's Liver Blow.
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Frei 1/-----==/=======|====---\-------\0 Zach
The defense Frei puts up is almost artistic-looking, perhaps because it was inspired by art; one hand drops low, to his midsection, and is held palm out, fingers extended up, like the hand of Buddha in some depictions. There's a *WHMP!* sound as the psychic-empowered blow smacks into Frei's guard, which he quickly reinforces with a field of his own energy to soften the blow. He still grimaces in pain, gritting his teeth against it, but the end result is significantly less scary than taking a punch to the liver, especially one with Zach's sort of power behind it.
"Fair enough," Frei adds, but he doesn't want to let Zach get away this time. Even as the psion leaps back, Frei ducks forward, attempting to snag Zach's arm before he can get away. If the red-haired fighter gets his grip he plants his foot and *yanks*, pulling Zach backwards and spinning him around in an arm bar, before letting go and opening his until-now closed palm, a burst of wind adding to the sudden push that separates the two fighters in the end.
COMBATSYS: Zach dodges Frei's Improvised Throw.
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Frei 1/-----==/=======|====---\-------\0 Zach
Zach proves to be a touch too nimble in this situation, getting clear of Frei's reaching limbs in time to /not/ be thrown. He is, for all of that, starting to breath a little heavier; throwing that much energy around is still taxing even with the amount that Zach is generally known to have.
Frei has a distinct advantage in this fight, and the psion feels the need to try and make up for it. He channels his energy, speeding up the healing of the bumps and burns incurred during this battle.
While there's time to take a break in every fight, if you look for it, Frei doesn't feel like letting Zach get TOO much back on his feet. He doesn't retreat, even when the psion doesn't press the attack. In fact, it might be even easier to keep up the pressure now that Zach isn't threatening him in some way. Pressing forward, he charges, one hand held low to the ground, index and middle fingers extended and starting to glow a hazy blue-purple.
All the sage appears to want to do is swing around and press those two extended fingers to Zach's forehead. While the physical blow is beyond negligble -- just a touch, if that -- the touch isn't really what's important here. What IS important becomes apparent when, if Frei GETS his 'touch' on Zach's brow, the red-haired fighter shouts "Come, lightning!" and to be perfectly blunt a bolt of crackling violet lightning drops out of the sky at that very location. If Zach doesn't erect a defense against it, well...
COMBATSYS: Zach blocks Frei's Reiki EX.
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Frei 1/----===/=======|=======\-------\0 Zach
COMBATSYS: Zach successfully aids himself with Lay On Hands.
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Frei 1/----===/=======|=======\-------\0 Zach
Zach is already throwing himself back as Frei approaches, bringing his arms in front of him. Of course, with Frei, it's never /just/ physical. There is invariably an energy element to his moves. Zach spins up a barrier of golden energy, interposing the construct between himself and the incoming lightning.
"Holy /crap/," Zach says excitedly. "That was /close/!" The psion is shaking his hands loose, the gloves looking slightly charred as he shakes the tingling sensation out. The adrenaline is starting to kick in, and Zach is starting to get into the fight.
Slipping to the side, Zach brings a fist back, and throws a punch. This doesn't come anywhere /close/ to Frei. The wash and resulting sphere of Soul Power, however, may be enough to do the trick!
COMBATSYS: Frei blocks Zach's Blast Punch.
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Frei 1/--=====/=======|=======\-------\0 Zach
"Learned that trick watching Magic Knight Rayearth," Frei says with a faint smile, even as he hops backwards away from Zach, knowing that whatever's coming next he will probably need to prepare for. There's something about attempting to drop a lightning bolt on someone's head that tends to make them... aggressive, afterwards. And indeed, Zach does respond in force. Shaking out the hand that just so recently tried to lightning the psion in the jaw, Frei yells a sort of wordless kiai before thrusting his hand *at* the incoming sphere of psychic energy. The pyrotechnics that result are actually quite impressive; struggling against some barrier of invisible force that Frei's putting out, the gold light of the energy spills out around it. However, a hastily-erected impromptu defense isn't going to hold out against a measured attack, and the psychic punch carries onward to smack Frei in the chest, but at the very least, it was reduced in strength in the process.
Taking a breath, Frei grimaces and shakes out that hand AGAIN... not in preparation, this time, but because that weird numbing feeling of being hit with psychic attacks makes it feel like he slept on his arm, never mind the force of Zach's attack in general. "Dunno where I learned that one, though," he offers, sounding genuinely curious.
COMBATSYS: Frei gains composure.
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Frei 1/---====/=======|=======\-------\0 Zach
"Well," Zach says as he jukes left, then right. Frei's... resting? For some reason, that bugs the boxer. "Seems fair, given I got the shielding idea from you." He flexs his hands open, then closes them into fists. Energy slides along his the psion's arms even as he takes a deep step to get back in close.
"Makes a guy wonder if there's anything /new/ out there sometimes," the boxer throws a thunderous uppercut aimed squarely at Frei's jaw!
COMBATSYS: Frei endures Zach's Uppercut Punch!
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Frei 1/=======/=======|======-\-------\0 Zach
Thunderous, indeed. Empowered by Zach's prodigious psychic powers, the blow slams into the bottom of what appears to be Frei's unresisting chin with a sound not unlike thunder, frankly. Some people in the crowd turn their heads, unwilling to watch the comparatively light frame of the befreckled ginger chi-user sailing out of the ring. Somewhat unfortunately for Zach, but thankfully for squeamish members of the audience, this is not what happens. What ACTUALLY happens is that the blow -- the painful, bone-jarring blow -- lands clean but through a combination of being surprisingly tough, and sheer stupid force of will, Frei doesn't move an inch despite the tremendous force of the blow.
Glancing down at Zach, teeth gritted in pain, Frei knows he has exactly one chance to take advantage of this situation, and that's exactly what he does: he reaches up one hand to attempt to grip Zach's arm and keep him in place, while his other hand whips out to the side, beginning to shine with an opalescent, silver-gold light that has an almost metallic sheen. The sage's voice resounds, surprisingly given the space, as he intones what almost sounds like a 'magic spell': "O noble hunter who prowls the skies, brilliant blade of shining white, honor our pact and appear before me!"
What happens next is that the glow around Frei's hand bursts upwards and outwards, becoming a claw-like sword made entirely out of light that practically hums, the sound of it like a number of tuning forks at complementary pitches all struck at once. "Claws of steel, rend the darkness! Byakko!"
And then he lets go, giving Zach his chance to escape, or defend himself in some other way, before Frei starts lashing out with a series of sweeping strikes, using all the swordsmanship his mother taught him but doing so with the weightless, instinctive flow of the chi blade he's created. Huge, looping strikes intended to settle the bout all in one go.
COMBATSYS: Frei successfully hits Zach with Shinra Banshou.
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Frei 0/-------/----===|=======\====---\1 Zach
Zach's eyes go wide with the realization that he has /no/ chance of avoiding this one, nevermind avoiding it cleanly. He surges with Soul Power, covering his whole body while making an attempt to protect his vital areas. Chi blades clash with Soul Power shields, throwing a blinding array of flashes and sparks across the arena. Several people turn away while covering their eyes from the dazzling display.
When vision returns to normal, Zach... is still standing. He looks wobbly, and is a mess of blood, cuts, strips of clothing, more cuts and more blood. The psyker's gaze, while slightly out of focus from the pain, are still locked on Frei. Zach takes a deep breath, and what is left of his shirt flutters away on the breeze, revealing a well muscled body riddle with small scars. One scar, a small fist-sized scar squarely in the center of his chest, is also bleeding a good deal.
"Is..." Zach gasps, "That all ya got?"
Zach sets his weight, preparing a right straight with a twist. Soul Power spins around the fist as it cocks at an unusual angle in relation to the rest of the arm. The energy whirls and spins, a slight hum coming from the construct that grows into a howling drilling sound. "I don't have any fancy spell to recite with this one," Zach says hoarsely, "Just a name."
With that, Zach steps in, driving the fist forward as that drill of psychic energy attempts to plow directly through Frei's guard. The rotation of the arm augments the striking power of the punch, turning a textbook right straight into the legendary Corkscrew Blow!"
"HEARTBREAK SHOT!"
"
COMBATSYS: Zach successfully hits Frei with Heartbreak Shot.
- Power hit! -
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Frei 1/------=/=======|-------\-------\0 Zach
Well. He asked for it, did he not? Tit for tat, as it were. The entire affair ends with Frei bracing himself, but honestly, how do you for that sort of attack? At the end of it the red-haired fighter -- who is surprisingly light for how tough he can be -- literally bounces off one wall of the ring and drops to the floor in a heap. Zach certainly got payback for the injuries he experienced just now, that much is clear. It actually takes some time for Frei to haul himself to his feet; in fact, some people think he might not get back up at all. But he does. Coughing the entire time, some of which is coughing up blood on the floor of the ring, but he does get to his feet.
"No... it isn't," Frei says carefully, pushing his dark red bangs out of his eyes. "And while that was a good go, it'll take more than that to break my heart."
Everything in him says that he should stop, now, and not strike back. He's tough enough that this isn't over just yet. But another part of him realizes that such a voice is speaking as a 'fighter,' not the person Frei hoped he'd become over time. Whether he wins or loses in his fight really doesn't have much meaning, anyway, does it? It's not why he came; it was a means to an end. Just like fighting has been all this time.
But that doesn't mean he's going to just give up. Steeling himself, Frei advances on Zach, watching him carefully, perhaps even being forced to circle him for a moment or two... but when he sees an opening, he takes it: fist sheathed in a transparent, barely-visible field of force, he attempts to drive the heel of his palm into the bottom of Zach's chin. Nothing fancy... there's no energy for fancy anymore.
COMBATSYS: Frei successfully hits Zach with Quick Punch.
- Power hit! -
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Frei 1/------=/=======|====---\-------\0 Zach
Zach nods shortly when, through bleary vision that refuses to focus on what he's trying to see, notices Frei starting to get back up. "Thought as much," Zach croaks. The punch was clearly more effective than he thought it'd be. He doesn't have the energy to move much in reaction to Frei's circling, barely having enough stamina to try and keep Frei in front of him.
The sage moves in for the finish, and Zach sees Frei coming in. He tries to dodge, but his legs simply will not /move/. He knows he cannot do much more; there simply is not enough Soul Power in him to create another of those barriers. Forget defense, then, he thinks numbly.
Zach tries to time this right, but Frei's palm slams into Zach's jaw with an audible cracking sound. The boxer, however, isn't done. His punch, a left handed three-quarters punch resembling something between a hook and an uppercut, has already been thrown. That fist arcs towards Frei's head, culminating in a final thunderous burst of Soul Power.
Half a second later, Zach is slumping to his knees before slumping forward. Spent.
COMBATSYS: Zach can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\ <
Frei 1/------=/=======|
COMBATSYS: Zach successfully hits Frei with Dynamite Punch.
[ <
Frei 1/--=====/=======|
Sadly, while Frei might not be quite as fatigued as Zach, he really took a pretty severe beating not that long ago, and the impact of injury on muscles and limbs can be just as debilitating as that of fatigue. That is to say, that final punch really does send Frei tumbling backwards onto the ground. He's tough, but there's only so much you can do in this sort of situation. There's a groan of pain from the redhead as he struggles, visibly, to get to his feet, but he gets to about one knee before every check he's written gets cashed at once, and the red-haired fighter flops inelegantly onto his face, unconscious.
COMBATSYS: Frei takes no action.
COMBATSYS: Frei can no longer fight.
Log created on 14:38:15 06/09/2012 by Zach, and last modified on 09:23:11 06/11/2012.