Description: In the first round of the Trial of the Dragon tournament, Andy comes fresh from the forests to face off against Aranha. In a furious twist of fate, the esteemed Bogard brother falls to Aranha's trickery! (Technically, it's a draw, but whatever!)
Aranha couldn't quite put a finger on what it was but every since he reunited with Amy, he had felt ill at ease with not just the tournament but with Sunshine City in general. Add to the that the fact that it was made quite clear that not many locations in Outer Sunshine would be used. It made him wonder what was being hidden.
But the most disturbing part to Aranha was the fact that he cared when truth be told all he wanted to get out of this tournament was a chance to get his name back out there. An opportunity that he got robbed of in the last tournament when he got jumped by a group of 'mysterious' assailants who seemed to use a certain fighting style (Muay Thai) who seemed to have a goal of keeping him from fighting in the Devil's Tournament which turned out to be a sham anyway.
At least the person he would be fighting in this tournament had a reputation for not using any underhanded tactics like that. So Aranha manages to show up to the fight this time. Taking a deep breath as he prepares himself in an open area of the drive-in theater he glances up to see that at least one of the cameras is hooked into the projector which would allow pretty much anyone anywhere can see the action.
Many things change over the years. When Andy last went into one of his ascetic self-banishments into the Japanese forests, Southtown was still a decent place to live. Metro City was under fair Haggar's rule. And Sunshine City? Well, he hadn't even heard of the place before. Oh, sure, he's heard of New York, Paris, Beijing...but Sunshine? Its luster been fading for a long time; no longer is it the crown jewel of the western coast.
But that's why he is here. It's why everyone is here, to push back against the vile sorts that have been encroaching upon the inner city like some sort of foul ichor. Some days past, fresh from the wilderness, Andy sought to test himself in the usual manner: slipping into some bout or another and seeing how well he matches up against them. The scene in Japan has been scarce, however, with the Trial of the Dragon tournament. Big names have travelled abroad to take part in this...others still to settle into the other side of justice.
"California, huh..." The prospect is interesting. For so many years he hadn't been back to his home country. It's far. It's familiar. More importantly, it's far, far away from Mai and her increasingly frequent demands for babies. Thirteen hours and four in-flight movies later, the younger Bogard brother has found himself in the lion's den, so to speak. Outer Sunshine is a pit; there's no polite way to describe it. He'd had a chance to look over the city's brochures and old travel guides on the flight over, but they were only a prelude to disappointment. Corroded from the inside out, it's like...it's just...familiar. Memories of Southtown's fall are still there in his memories.
"What -happened- to this place?" the man asks of the tournament coordinators as the event is being set up. He speaks of the tourist attractions that used to be, of the charm that has long since congealed into a dangerous, ugly mess. He doesn't end up getting much out of the men, however...and that's where Mister Mason comes around. He, too, looks like he feels a bit restless--at least to Andy's eye. Wasting no time, the blonde man walks forward, his ever-changing attire flapping a bit loosely in the process. "So... Are you from around here?" he asks once he's close enough, coming to a stop. His posture is uneasy; his weight rests on one leg and his right hand lifts up, pulling back strands of hair. His hands stays put as though fearful to stray.
"Nope." Just that is enough to answer the younger Bogard's question. "I'm from the home of Schugerg's invasion, the place of the lost towers." Quoting from the lyrics of Cameron and Jay Z's 'Welcome to Metro City.' Even if one was unfamiliar with the lyrics that Aranha quoted, the reference to events that happened in Metro City is quite obvious.
"How was your trip here so far?" Aranha is familiar enough with fighter profiles to know that Andy isn't a native of Sunshine City after all. He's been in a number of tournaments and both Bogards have made names for themselves. It is because of this rep that he knows he has to bring his A game. Aranha, while he is the premier capoeira practitioner in the fighting circuit, he has been incredibly inactive and as a result, he has to prove he still has what it takes to be considered the best among capoeiristas.
He takes a moment to stretch before he steps back and waits for the officials to give the word. "Ready when you are."
Aranha's answer brings a crook to Andy's brow, then a furrowing. His lips spread thin and tug downward on the edges, bringing the whole thing into a very confused-looking frown. "I'm sorry... The what?" Lyrics, events, none of this is known to the training-mad young man. "I haven't had a chance to catch up on what's happened to the world over the last few years, so..." He glances away sheepishly, finally allowing that hand to drop from his neck. It stops at his waist, its twin following suit until both are spread and resting above his hips. It sounds like something that he -should- know, but he doesn't.
Graciously, a shift in topic comes before he has the need to feel much shame over his ignorance. He looks back at Aranha, a shifting of his eyes coming before his head turns to fully face him. "It was good." There are a few awkward moments where he doesn't elaborate, just letting the words linger. He must notice this, however, as he adds with hurried words: "Very relaxing! Though the movies lately are kind of..." He trails off, again looking to the side. He lets out an obvious sigh, a thing that betrays the vigor that someone of his apparent fame should portray. All the while, things are finally nearly set up, it seems, as cameras and people litter the surroundings.
"Oh, right. Yes. It was nice to meet you," he says, taking a few steps back himself. He draws in a deep, full breath, filling lungs and swelling his chest. It's released slowly, carefully, and with it flows out much of the tension in his stance. He brings a foot back, turning his body enough to make for a slimmer target from the front. There's a flick of his head that brings his trailing locks of blonde back behind his shoulders, things which hunch up and ease back down as he begins to take on a steady, cautious rhythm. Both of his arms are lifted, hands forward and at eye level, flat with fingers in knife-like fashion save for the delicate curl of a pinky finger.
"I'm ready."
He stands in place, looking at the other man with newly-narrowed eyes, an intense scrutiny that wasn't there before. It's obvious that he's more comfortable crossing fists than he is words.
COMBATSYS: Andy has started a fight here.
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Andy 0/-------/-------|
"Wait... You mean to tell me you never heard about the Metro City Invasion?" Aranha shakes his head in disbelief. There had to be some mention somewhere even in comparisons to it via China invasion when Shadaloo was making a world bid. As a result, Aranha is pretty much floored.
Aranha remains in stunned silence for a good while before he sees Andy easing into his stance. Aranha takes that as a cue to get himself ready for battle giving a respectful nod before he goes into his dance. His hands relax into a slightly curled knife hands as he sways left and right always keeping one hand up to guard the face one hand down low which could be used to guard the body in a pinch.
The official gives the signal to start and Aranha immediately tilts over dropping into a handstand before swinging an arm around to spin him around with his legs going wide to kick Andy in the face.
COMBATSYS: Aranha has joined the fight here.
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Andy 0/-------/-------|======-\-------\0 Aranha
COMBATSYS: Aranha successfully hits Andy with Inverted Tornado.
- Power hit! -
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Andy 0/-------/-----==|=======\=------\1 Aranha
It's true: he knows nothing of Metro City's plight! Asceticism is a difficult thing to endure, and for someone of Andy's age, it's often easier to simply shut out the world entirely.
This also has its drawbacks, as Aranha's effective assault is soon to prove.
Bogard -sees- the flip, but he doesn't--at first--grasp its intentions. It doesn't appear that he fell over, no; he can see that it's deliberate. It's a trap? If so, it should be wise to err on the side of caution. Andy draws back and tenses his arms, prepared to catch whatever flies at him. Aranha is an unknown to him, he has no idea what he's capable of. Focus, examine, understand; those three tenants will surely serve him--
The look of utter surprise on Andy's face is priceless as a heel slams into his cheekbone. The sheer force of the impact forces his body to turn, for a foot to lift. His hip pivots and he slams his heel to the ground, using the momentum to spin and bring himself face to...feet?...with his opponent once more.
"Amazing... I knew it was coming and I still fell for it." The compliment is given as he draws in another breath, but the exhale is different. There's not a shred of obvious emotion despite his swelling cheek and the blood rushing beneath the skin. He exhales and the air that leaves him is almost icy, misting in the air before dissipating. His eyes are on the capoeirista again, further scrutinizing. He'll not be caught off-guard like that again.
COMBATSYS: Andy focuses on his next action.
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Andy 0/-------/-----==|=======\=------\1 Aranha
In Aranha's case it was more about the fact that he went into that attack with the intent of testing the waters and to figure out what exactly makes his opponent tick. When Aranha sees those arms come up, the capoeirista can't help but smile. It was the opportunity to test those defenses. The only thing the Dancing Spider didn't expect was threading that attack in so well. That was a pleasant surprise and quite frankly, Aranha was not going to look this particular gift horse in the mouth.
The other thing the capoeirista didn't expect was the lack of immediate reprisal. The scrutiny being put upon him was obvious. These were veteran eyes that were more likely to get a detailed look at him than the garden variety fighter. Which means pulling off anything like that will be harder.
Even still, he needs to get more information on Andy. While Andy is attempting to hang back to get information on him, Aranha would rather get that information by doing. He tilts himself out of that handstand, righting himself back on to his feet to keep the motion constant and then he follows up, delivering a blue chi roundhouse kick to the head, then following it up with a chi enhanced spinning jumpkick and then following it up by turning his back for just an instant to flip backwards as he delivers a blue chi engulfed kick down onto Andy's head.
COMBATSYS: Aranha successfully hits Andy with Aggressive Dance.
- Power hit! -
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Andy 0/-------/---====|=======\===----\1 Aranha
Seeing something and understanding it are two extremely different things! It's one thing for Andy to know that something is coming, but again, he fails to grasp the gravity of his situation. Oh, he tries. He certainly tries. For an instant, his legs tense up and his body leans back, making every indication as to try and avoid the assault outright. Indeed, he even shifts to the side so quickly as to appear a blur of white and blonde.
unfortunately, this streak rushes headfirst into Aranha's foot.
In a particularly harsh encore, the Human Weapon is battered and tossed about like a plaything, left to the brutality of blue-laced dancing of a superior coreographer. Time and time and time again, he ducks when he ought to dodge, zigging where he ought to zag. The final blow atop his crown finally drops him face-down into the floor. For a moment, he's still. The gravity of such a feat should be awesome. Andy Bogard, reknowned brother to Terry Bogard, has been knocked down with such apparent ease! It is certainly worthy of bragging rights.
Without so much as a twitch of warning, Andy springs up and creates some distance in a duet of bounding hops. His foot only touches the ground for an instant before he's airborn again. His hands are set upon stomach and chest, nursing bruised spots. His face looks far worse though, a few points swelling furiously from the impact of heel and chi. His right arm snaps forward just as his foot finds purchase on the ground beneath him. The sweep is quick, cutting; his hand juts out as a whorl of brilliant blue chi obscuring his fingertips.
"Hishooouken!"
With the yell comes a coalescence of energy; a bullet of force snapped from his hand like a pulsing bullet.
COMBATSYS: Andy successfully hits Aranha with Hishouken.
- Power hit! -
! VENGEANCE !
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Andy 0/-------/=======|=======\===----\1 Aranha
Aranha is the last person to underestimate an opponent. Especially an opponent like Andy Bogard. Just because he got some good shots in doesn't mean that he was going to have an easy time of things. In fact, he knew that it was only a matter of time before he woke the sleeping giant. He could hear that cry of Hishoken and then all he could do was rock away from it as he brought his arm up. There was a slight miscalculation in how much to turn to guard against it.
Aranha catches the energy blast right on the back is sent spinning end over end until he finds himself hitting the barricade head first. If not for that barricade, the Dancing Spider would have slammed head first into a convertible. He takes a moment to clear his head before standing back up. "Ouch."
He then circles around the Shiranui trained Bogard at a light jog. Then all of a sudden, Aranha's in motion again delivering a side kick to the chest.
COMBATSYS: Andy interrupts Medium Kick from Aranha with Shouryuudan.
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Andy 1/-------/=======|=======\===----\1 Aranha
'Ouch'. That single utterance marks the start of Andy's turnaround of this fight. Landing with both feet on the ground again, he resumes his original stance. The man is nothing if not calm, at least on the surface. Beneath, there rages a fire waiting to be unleashed, an inferno scarcely veiled behind a sharp gaze and stern expression. Perhaps now the spider knows how dangerous it is to thread a web of kicks around him.
Or perhaps not. The man's determination is deserving of compliment, but now is not the time. Even as he approaches, Bogard's muscles steel. There's a curl to his fingers, fists drawing shut beneath the cloth fabric covering their backsides. His rear heel lifts, booted toes digging against the concrete. He's ready this time.
The instant that Aranha comes within a few feet, the blonde springs into action! It's difficult to maintain a steady eye on him as he rushes forth, again with such speed that he's a blur of color and form. His arms extend outward and swing violently in a sort of horizontal windmill, catching his would-be assailer clean across the jaw. Then, from below. A flurry of strikes pinpoint their force on the edge of his hand, attempting to smash line after line of bruised bones beneath. The assault is upward in nature, lifting them man higher, launching him up even as the Weapon himself springs skyward like a dervish! Still spinning, his feet touch upon the ground. A moment later, he again exhales, steadying himself before drawing back into his ready stance once again. As before, he strains to maintain a cool air about him, but the ferocity in his gaze shows how that could change at any moment.
The capoeirista is knocked high into the air, bashed and battered about by the younger Bogard's rising windmill attack. The capoeirista grimaces as his own body gets lifted into the air before he ends up dropping unceremoniously to the ground with a loud thud. He doesn't verbalize the 'Ouch' this time but he felt it and Aranha knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that Andy knows he wants to say it.
The capoeirista doesn't close at first. Instead, Aranha goes into ginga, dancing once more to a rhythm only he can hear in his head. He then spins twisting as he whips his arm around, backhanding a spider web of blue chi, right at Andy.
COMBATSYS: Andy interrupts Web Shot from Aranha with Zan'eiken EX.
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Andy 1/----===/=======|=======\====---\1 Aranha
For the moment, it seems that Andy's going to be left undisturbed. The sight before him is actually quite a fascinating one, were he in any other position. To swing one's legs around like that and not fall down, well! Capeoira is indeed a magnificent dance. But alas, Andy is not here to dance. He is here to fight. His brow crooks again as the net forms in the space trailing his feet. Its intent is obvious. He means to trap him--or at least to cause him to break his guard and shift into a more advantageous position for his opponent.
But it's not going to work this time.
For a second, Andy's mouth gains a knowing grin. As before, his breath is cool and icy. His right hand draws in, fist curled and pulled into the comforting grasp of his left palm. The elbow juts outward, sharp and menacing. But what could he possibly do from there?
For one, he does not intend to wait for the web to come to HIM.
The moment that Aranha's spun about with his arm wide and chest exposed, Andy is in motion. Though, he's also still. It's a perplexing trick of the eye that makes his form thrust forward in another blur. He bursts through the netted chi, bursting through it by sheer force. His elbow pieces through the strands, meeting dead center against Aranha's sternum and then...goes through it. Literally. There isn't an ounce of pain as 'Andy' dissipates from view, only to reveal the man a few feet behind where he ought to have been, rushing in even faster than before. This second, physical instance strikes true with a crushing strike that strains the cartilidge between sternum and ribs. Most men find their bones cracking under the impact...but surely Aranha is made of tougher stuff!
Tougher stuff yes. The battle scarred capoeirista has seen more than his fair share of scraps and while he has been hit harder, that doesn't change the fact that the elbow and subsequent follow-up still seriously hurts. The capoeirista is driven backwards into a wild stumble. But he gained insight there. He knew there were two good choices as far as how to deal with the web. Unfortunately, he wasn't exactly able to cover both scenarios with the chi web. The Dancing Spider ended up picking the wrong one to cover.
Aranha does eventually recover his footing but he doesn't resume dancing until he takes a breath and then he's back for more delivering a powerful roundhouse to the side of the head. He then viciously swings that foot back the other way hooking a back heel kick around the back of the neck and dropping his weight downwards to pull Andy face first to the ground hard.
COMBATSYS: Aranha successfully hits Andy with Face Down.
- Power hit! -
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Andy 1/------=/=======|=====--\-------\0 Aranha
There's a moment when one realizes something; they can feel that it's time, that the universe has aligned to provide one moment where nothing can go wrong. A thousand lifetimes and a thousand outcomes, all of which scream to one's ego that now, this moment, is your chance. You can't fail. Accolades and accomplishments rain down, feeling that simple, single thought.
/I can do this./
Andy knows with all of his being that if he moves the right way, something amazing will happen. The fire raging in his gut yearns for success, for a release. He can DO this. Already, the outcome is filling his head: a shift, a duck below the oncoming heel. It's close, so close that a few strands of hair find themselves severed by the sharpness of the kick. He's near enough that there's no way the foot-fighter could possibly avoid him, could avoid a knee right into one of the elbows that support his style. With his pillar of support gone, he would have little left in his arsenel.
But ah, reality never goes a splanned. Andy is not a man that fights well on emotion alone. He has to quell it, to temper it, to direct it. Straying from his teachings delivers a lesson more effective than any words. As soon as he tries to weave, there's the foot. So sudden, so unexpected is the thing that his vision fades to white on the first hit. His body is lifted to a taller posture, his neck exposed and easy to hook a leg around. When he's brought down, he smashes face-first into the drive-in's concrete ground, a crack of his nose and a smattering of blood spreading from the point of impact. And for a few seconds, he stays down. Just what happened? He was so sure, so CERTAIN that he knew what to do. His hubris lead him right into the spider's web, but when did it happen? Was it the literal web that he broke through earlier? One of the earlier kicks to his skull affecting his depth perception? Whatever it was, it was masterfully done; he simply can't deny that.
With a sudden burst of life, Andy pushes off of the ground, once more bouncing away. Aranha's seen this before, but now the blonde stops after just one bound. Once more his hand snaps out from stomach, fingers stretched out as another bullet of bright blue energy flies forth. It's smaller than the last, though. It doesn't look as impressive, certainly! But it's no less dangerous.
"Hishou!"
That fire, the rage roaring behind his eyes needs release despite all efforts to look the contrary. It -demands- it. His expression takes on a sudden tone of unmistakable anger as the 'tracer' bullet explodes wherever it is, be it embedded in Aranha's gut or slipped aside. The thing explodes in a giant vortex of force, waves ripping back and forth across its surface with every intent to rip and batter whatever's unlucky enough to get caught in its tempestuous fury.
"KEEEEN!"
COMBATSYS: Aranha blocks Andy's Geki Hishouken.
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Andy 0/-------/------=|=====--\-------\0 Aranha
Aranha would be amused at the thought processes going through the younger Bogard's head if only he were privy to them. Instead, Aranha only has the insight into what he assumes opponent was going to do based on what good options he had. With his Face Down attack, he lends brutality to punish mistakes and hands that attempt to deflect them and deceptive speed to his kick that makes timing evasion difficult at best. The net result is a scenario noted in one of the songs of capoeira: While you're thinking, my foot is already there.
Aranha steps back, while Andy stays on the ground. The sharp eyed capoeirista knows that this isn't the end of his opponent. All of a sudden, he sees the blonde fighter spring up to his feet and Aranha is suddenly in motion as well. He rocks away from Andy as he brings his arm up to intercept the bullet of energy in his arm. This time, he's able to properly gauge how much to turn resulting in success in guarding against the attack. The explosiveness of the energy manages to slide the capoeirista backwards.
Aranha eventually is able to stop the skid but soon he's back in motion, cartwheeling to close the distance lost when he was knocked backwards. Upon landing, he immediately shifts to the side using the shift to provide momentum and power for the glowing sweeping palm strike across the jaw of Andy that if it should land, would make a thunderous sound echoing through the drive-in theater. That sweeping palm strike is then immediately followed by a spinning back heel to the same location he struck with his hand.
COMBATSYS: Andy fails to interrupt Dead Man's Hand from Aranha with Combo Attack.
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Andy 0/-------/---====|=====--\-------\0 Aranha
What a -slippery- bastard this guy is! Andy's brow furrows as the guy weathers the storm remarkably well. He can only furrow the one, because the whole left side of his face is swollen to the point that one eye is almost shut. There are a few dark purple bruises where heel has crushed flesh against bone. Ah, thank goodness Mai isn't here to see him in this state!
He hasn't given up, though, but he is certainly on the defensive. Aranha comes running in and the Human Weapon is already pulling an arm up. He aims to catch the incoming arm, to smash it between his own elbow and the arm that's quickly pulling over his chest, the latter's muscled stiffened and rigid like tempered steel. He's lost track of how many pit fighters whose careers he's ruined this way, but he can't afford the luxury of going easy. His father would be rolling in his grave to know that one of his sons might lose in the very first round of -anything-.
But again, it's just what Aranha might have wanted. Andy's elbow smashes into his arm, but there's nothing between them to break! The good side of his face is struck with such force, with such -noise- that his ears ring. The usual sounds of the worlds are replaced with naught bit a constant, droning din that doesn't even have a chance to fade before another kick adds injury to insult. A heavy smattering of blood escapes from both a broken nose and a split lip as the man is sent spinning off-balance. His arms swing outward and attempt to steady him, but he can't find a proper purchase on the ground. His heel slides out from under him and he goes down hard, landing on his left arm. This time, he stays down. Rather, it's better to say that between spitting up blood and trying to crawl toward something to lift himself up with, it's more a matter of being unable to -get up-.
What Aranha wanted? No. What he prepared for? Definitely.
That momentum he put into the attack was to make the attack difficult to counter strike or at the very least make someone think twice about attempting it. He also was utilizing proximity and positioning to make dodging difficult as well. The goal was only to do a little damage to set up the next attack. Truth be told, Aranha succeeded beyond his wildest dreams.
Aranha knows that Andy is not completely knocked out. He could get up if he let him get that breather. The problem is, Aranha can't afford to go easy either. It was an opportunity to show that he was a legitimate fighter after the way he got brutalized before he could make his fight, and it would let Adon know that he was justify in fearing a potential loss to him which is why he got jumped by his thugs in the first place.
He moves closer to Andy sighing at the situation that this put him in. He knew it wasn't going to look good but while his fighting style was flashy on paper, in his heart he was still a pragmatist. Aranha then hooks his foot around one of Andy's hands and then pulls it and taking one corner of support away from the Bogard and then he reaches for the ground, before performing a flip forward with a leg extended as he drops a heel down on Andy's back. Not enough to kill or maim or batter. Just enough to put him down and keep him down.
"Please. Stay down."
COMBATSYS: Andy interrupts Kick Combo from Aranha with Kuuhadan.
- Power hit! -
[ <
Aranha 0/-------/--=====|
COMBATSYS: Andy can no longer fight.
[ <
Aranha 0/-------/--=====|
Isn't it pitiful? The man is down already, and here Aranha comes to rub salt in the wound. Kicking out his hand from under him is the worst; he drops back to the ground, once more letting face meet concrete with a wet-sounding impact and a muffled groan of agony. He's already having trouble seeing straight, but he can't accept this. Going down in round one, before he can even prove himself? It's impossible. It's unconscienable.
It WILL NOT be.
With all the strength that he can muster, willing his body to ignore the agony that runs through his entire head, he lays both hands on the concrete below him. Even as the axe comes swinging down, Andy's body hunches up. Both legs pull up, bunch up, coiled and aiming at Aranha himself as he lifts himself by his arms alone. And then, it's all unleashed.
To call Andy's body a bullet is not an exaggeration. The strength with which he launches himself feet first into Aranha's midsection belies one so close to the edge, for one without the benefit of clear vision or hearing. The two are sent flying in a high arc...but will the spider be able to control his fall? Andy, having spent everything just to try and take the man down with him, can do nothing of the sort. He falls on his back with a cough and a new spritzing of crimson in the air, bits that fall on his shirt and stain the white above the fire pattern printed from its waist.
He tries to get up again, oh he does! A shoulder lifts off the ground, but another pained groan makes it evident that it's not getting very far. A leg? It almost manages to keep a heel on the pavement, but it slips out to extend the leg as well. And so he lays there, alternating between panting and having to spit up the effects of a bloodied, broken nose. "I have never..." He has to speak between these awful coughs, of course. "Never fought anyone--anyone like you before." He has to close his eyes; the swelling of one is awfully painful! "It's such...a frustrating style."
Once again, Aranha is undone by someone who chooses not losing over winning. It sounds like the same thing but it isn't. Aranha knew that all he needed to do was land the hit and make sure that he can get away from whatever came next. If Aranha's opponent wanted to win, he needed to get away from his attempt to take him down. He'd make it difficult but if they managed some miraculous defense, victory would be possible.
Not losing, involved taking the capoeirista down with him with no regard for self-preservation. When the Dancing Spider watches Andy push himself into the air with arms, he curses at the fact that Andy had chose not losing over the possibility of victory.
Aranha's foot connects but he's also carried into the air by the younger Bogard and then dropped unceremoniously on his back.
He can't get up. The fight had been driven out of Andy, the fight had been driven out of him. And his status in the tournament is uncertain. He will think back to this moment and if he ever faces Andy Bogard again in a tournament, he's not going to hold back even if he sees that Andy has one foot in the grave in a manner of speaking.
He's in a daze for awhile before he realizes Andy is talking to him. "Frustrating style? It's not like it shouldn't be at least somewhat familiar. Richard Meyer was in the first King of Fighters tournament."
He takes a deep breath as he clutches his back in pain.
Meyer? Andy tries to laugh at the thought; a reaction that only brings renewed misery. Already, officials are coming over to collect the two men with their packs of gauzes and antiseptics. The blonde man can do little to stop them as they start covering his cheeks and jaw with icy compresses. "Nothing--nothing like him," he forces out with a soft shake of his head. "Meyer, he was simple. You were better than that."
For sharing a similar style, fighting Meyer is something easier to handle. He was more direct. But Aranha? Aranha's tactics had him constantly guessing. Sometimes he chose correctly, sometimes wrongly; it was a constant game of cat and mouse that neither could truly see through to the end. The man is finally lifted back to his feet and he pushes off the offered assistance of a medic to lean against. "Don't think this is done," he warns. "You've only seen the tip of Shiranui-ryu's blade." Indeed, neither seems willing to hold back the next time they meet...
Log created on 20:21:34 06/11/2012 by Andy, and last modified on 22:50:17 06/12/2012.