Description: Zach Glen's 'Graduation Exercise' pits him against what could possibly be the one person he least wants to face. And the same person he needs to talk to the most. (Winner: Athena. You had to ask?)
The NDP tournament ran its course with Zach Glen working his way up through the brackets, each round a step closer toward reaching his goal, and each match a marked increase in challenge for him. The first round put him in the arena against an opponent that wasn't ready for the onslaught Zach could bring to bear. But the second round as a stark correction for this, forcing him to face off against the recalcitrant Ayame in a match that pushed the two fighters to their limits. It was only in the final match of the tournament that Zach found where his current ceiling might lie in battling against the remarkably gifted if strangely not entirely serious Johnny Jones.
In the end, taking the NDP final and the prize associated with it was not to be Zach's destiny. But that didn't mean he didn't leave the arena a winner. His climb through the ranks brought with it media attention, the offer of sponsors, and maybe even opened some avenues of financial backing that had been closed to him before. And in the aftermath of it all, it seems the eccentric billionaire, Ken Masters, had one more surprise in store for both of the finalists.
In the chaos of the finals ceremonies, an envelope was slipped to each in private with promises of yet one more fight for the two of them to be held somewhere else. When Zach takes the time to discover the contents of his, he will find the location sounds rather familiar - a specific address in the outskirts of the megapolis of Metro City, a place that is of utmost importance to his goals.
Travel expenses would be covered as always and the trip made as soon as he had time to recover from the grueling tournament matches. The great work taking place on site has been paused for the day. Buildings in the midst of construction, cranes shut down, their arms reaching high into the sky, and plastic tarp over various piles of construction materials can be seen in every direction.
The location is picturesque. On one side of the street, a thick forest of northern deciduous trees forms a wall of rich green. To the sides of the fenced off lot are rolling fields with Spring flowers popping up in variously colored patches all around. While the towering structures of Downtown Metro are visible in the horizon, out here it feels like a completely different city all together. It's to be wondered if Ken helped pull some strings in securing such rare, pristine property without having to go hundreds of miles away from the Urban Jungle.
It seems, unlike the commotion and fanfare of the NDP finals, Ken had something else entirely for this match. There are no cameras, no crowd, no venders selling various NDP, SNF, or NL-themed paraphernalia. Just the quiet construction site, the peaceful flora in all directions, the clear skies, a brisk, cool breeze, and a single other individual.
Athena is waiting for Zach on a recently hardened, thick concrete slab. It is to be the foundation for the front lobby to his school someday but for now, it is a clean, empty surface waiting to be put to the test. How she managed to extricate herself from her own usual throng of agents, paparazzi photographers, reporters, and tenacious fans is anyone's guess. But somehow, Athena Asamiya is present without another person in sight.
Her choice of clothing is a a tunic-styled top in her signiture rich red, worn over a blue, short-sleeved shirt and matching blue shorts. Her arms bear red fingerless gloves and her hair is decorated by her ever-present red, star-decorated red hairband. Her demeanor seems to be that of patiently waiting for Zach to draw near.
Zach, when he woke up after the beating Jones had handed him, took the envelope with a certain modicum of grace. He didn't really remember the end of the fight, and watching the replay confirmed what he had suspected. It left something of a bitter taste in his mouth. All the moreso in light of Ken's "Graduation Exercise." He popped open the envelope, and decided that Masters was playing a second trick on him. That fight, with Yatefusa Fuji, had pushed the psion to his limits despite his impression of the young woman.
The piece of paper had only two pieces of information. A time, which was coming up shortly, and a place. The time was irrelevant. Zach knew the place, better than all but a handful of people more directly involved in the project during this stage. Zach was no engineer, nor did he ever have any construction experience. He left those matters to people who did.
He got within a short walk of the future location of the Quon Chen Institute for the Gifted, and decided that Ken had played /two/ tricks for the price of one. He frowns a bit as he realizes almost as soon as he /sensed/ the identity of his opponent that there was noone else here. No construction crew, no crowd of spectators. Not even a /production/ crew. Could Ken have made a trifecta of this?
Zach slowly makes his way to Athena, his outward expression a resolved one. However, Zach has no /clue/ when it comes to masking his emotions against other psychics. He is, in many ways, not sure he /wants/ this fight. Athena knows the thing that Ayame threatened to reveal to the world during her failed extortion attempt. The young woman can read this as if she were reading a book, were she so inclined.
Zach senses little from Athena, aside from an abiding patience. This makes him wary, unsure of what to expect. In many ways, he views himself something of a failure when compared to Athena. As far as he knows, her hands have no blood on them. When the two psychics met in a meaningful context, his were already more than a little dirty. The passing year has not washed them clean. The events of the war may have dirtied them further; Zach had never gotten casualty reports for Metro City or Ulan Bator.
He simply stands before the young singer, unsure of what to say even in greeting. He looks resolved to this meeting, and more than a little tired. As if the last two years weigh more on him than the twenty-three before them.
"I've been reading a lot about you," Athena breaks the silence, eyes fixed on Zach, her expression neutral. He would get the impression that he's being evaluated. Maybe not psychically - indeed, for the phenomenal presence he might feel around the fellow psychic, she doesn't seem to be imposing it upon him at the moment, merely watching him, observing what can be seen on the exterior for now.
"You've come a long way."Before she knew him almost entirely from the incident that nearly destroyed his life. But Ken, in what seemed to be a clear state of mind, had defended his aspirations all the same, insisting that whatever might have happened, what Zach was pursuing now was for the good of many. From the self-destructive young man he once was to the controlled fighter he has become... she only knows what is public record or what she discovered the first time they met. She can only guess at the countless trials that have gone on away from cameras or reporters.
"As you know," she continues. The girl is composed, her demeanor still neutral. A stiff breeze tousles her hair a little. "Ken asked if I would endorse your school. I had strong reservations, but it meant a lot to him." She pauses, hands clasping behind her back, her head canting to the side. It might feel strange to be assessed by a girl over half a decade his junior, but Athena doesn't appear to think it awkward. "You almost won the Neo Development Project tournament and he seems to think it's time for you to move on from it."
One hand comes up from behind her back to brush a stray lock of hair back over her ear, "But he wants me to make sure. It's up to me to decide if you've graduated, it seems." She smiles a little at that. "So there is that." She glances around at the otherwise vacant lot. "But as you can see, it's just the two of us here. We can speak freely of things that aren't fit for others to know."
She brings her other hand from behind her back and lifts both arms in front of her, palms open, one foot sliding forward. "This thing you're doing," she taps her foot once, indicating the foundation atop which the two now stand. "It is good. I want to endorse it publically. But before I can do that, I have to be certain of the man you are, of the person you've become."
Her right hand shifts a little, palm up, fingers curling twice as she beckons him to attack. "As you know, those with our burden... have the potential to cause catastrophic harm to millions." The war is still fresh in the collective mind of the world - so many lives lost on account of a single, horrifyingly powerful psychic. "If my reputation is to be put on the line, I have to know what type of person you are at heart, Zach Glen. I will never make the mistake of backing a future tyrant."
A psychic shockwave explodes out from around the girl. It would be invisible but would, without any question, be felt. It seems she has tapped into her own psionic fount. "So come, please let me see."
COMBATSYS: Athena has started a fight here.
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Athena 0/-------/------=|
Zach doesn't flinch, listens, and accepts Athena's words. He frowns slightly as he considers his response. He simply nods when Athena states that she wants to be certain of Zach's intentions, but almost surprised by the wave of psychic force that washes off of Athena. He takes a defensive stance, summoning up his own amber energies almost instantly. The wave washes over Zach in a spray of lights and sparks, forcing the boxer back half a step.
He takes a deep breath, centering himself. He brings his fists to the ready, not focusing on Athena with his eyes so much as taking in the whole of it. However, the young woman in front of Zach has the whole of the psion's attention. "We should start after we went our ways then," he says, opting to simply tell the whole story. "I went back to Africa, in search of the woman who gave me the collar. I found her in the sewers of Johannesburg. There was... a cell of that cult down there. Sacrificing lives to their dark god. Tran was there, after the same thing I was. He... had whatever it was that was affecting Ken. The old lady wanted a fight. Proof, I guess, that she should give us what we sought."
Zach is slowly, steadily building up his own energies as he talks. It'd be no secret to Athena, and he's not trying to be subtle about it. "We won, that night. She freed us from our respective troubles. I returned to Southtown, and turned myself in to the police. I explained everything."
Zach launches forward, deciding that was enough exposition. He tries to get in close to Athena, before planting his feet and snapping off a simple jab. One that his coach drilled into him for nearly the first month of training. When Zach wasn't running or doing sprints, he had his right arm strapped close to his chest while he threw left jab after left jab. To this, he adds a faint aura of force to add to the impact. Certainly not the explosive force from his early days, all the more potent for the control of the field.
COMBATSYS: Zach has joined the fight here.
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Athena 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Zach
COMBATSYS: Athena blocks Zach's Jab Punch.
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Athena 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Zach
The girl is quiet as he speaks but her eyes never leave him. He will sense that the evaluation is continuing, his words judged on the razor of truth. Under this scrutiny, half-truths and lies will not go unnoticed. But he knew that before he started to share his account, filling in the details of what transpired off the record.
His own power is building, his resolve palpable as he speaks of his encounter with one of the monsters that had been responsible for his unfortunate fate. There is a slight nod as he says he explained everything, having thrown himself at the mercies of the justice system. "Do you remember how you came to bear the choker?" she asks. The question is pointed, the tone in her voice suggesting that the question is for his sake, not hers. "How do I know something like that wouldn't happen again?"
Her stance is light, her arms forward, the girl bouncing lightly on her toes. She may not be the fastest fighter in the world, but she's no slouch. She can see Zach's attack for what it is, predictions based on rote training, experience, and a split second of foresight. Chin has trained her well. A hand shifts, catching Zach's strike in her palm, long enough to deflect the strike and no more. The energy that accompanies his strike will meet with resistence, as if coming up against a counter force of at least equal strength to keep it at bay.
The girl pulls her hand back, drawing her arms behind her, her own rose-hued energy coursing down her limbs into her hands, power surging from within. It might be a touch dangerous to drop her guard for a split second at this range, but the window of opportunity to do anything about it would be brief before the girl slams her arms forward, the power rippling off her limbs into a collective sphere of concentrated Psycho Power that would threaten to crash directly into Zach!
Unlike in public appearances, she doesn't call out the name of her signature technique. This isn't a show she's putting on for world audiences and here the words that matter are the ones coming out of Zach's mouth, to be reinforced by way he fights.
COMBATSYS: Zach slows Psycho Ball from Athena with Homing Shots.
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Athena 0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0 Zach
Zach is already trying to get clear as Athena shoves the punch aside. His eyes narrow in focus as she asks the question that NEEDS to be asked. His answer is not quickly given; he has a Psycho Ball to deal with. He brings up both hands, pointing at the incoming sphere. Reaching for his own will, he decides not to respond to the worldly attack with raw power.
Instead, streamers of light erupt from the pointing digits like laserbeams from a science-fiction movie. The golden lights splash against the rose colored sphere, whittling away at it as Zach fires bolt after bolt. In the end, it isn't enough. What is left of Athena's sphere slams into Zach's chest, dropping the young man to one knee as he looks at Athena intently.
"The only thing I can give," Zach says, "Is my word. For whatever that is still worth. My fear drove me to that decision on that day. I will die before I let my fear lead me to another decision again." There is an enormous amount of truth, and determination, behind that statement. Zach takes in a lungful of air. "It didn't end with me turning myself in, obviously."
Zach pulls himself to his feet as he considers his next move. "The Southtown Police did not arrest me, obviously. It was decided that even with my power back in my control, or at least hurting only me, that until matters surrounding the King of Fighters were dealt with... that putting me in a cell was a bad idea for those around me." Zach swings his arms around a bit, testing range of movement. "So Rust, Antoine, and I went to the place where the final battles were taking place."
He looks around. "Clearly, we won," he says. "I turned myself back over to Southtown PD. They decided, and I agreed, that it would be better for all involved if I worked my sentence off with them on cases where they needed a fighter."
The energy that crash into Zach from Athena's attack might feel familiar yet distant. It isn't like the amber hued Soul Power he brings to his strikes to augment his attacks. It's more like the violet, destructive force he used to channel and release. It's more raw, the emotions behind it stronger in a way, and more diverse than the refined, controlled power he tried to stop her signature technique with. Like his power, however, it /hurts/, even when mitigated by his efforts.
Athena doesn't advance at first. For the time being, she's evaluating things other than how fast he can react to aggressive, high pressure fight tactics. There will be time to explore those as well - Ken wanted to make sure that Zach had in truth graduated beyond the feeder league of NDP after all - but for now, other things are more important.
"How did that make you feel?" she asks in return. "To be their weapon? To use your strength to crush people they called you in to deal with?" Her questions don't seem to get any easier. The account of his path toward redemption is important, and she never cuts him off. But it's in those moments he pauses that she looks a little harder. Her tone is neutral, leading him in no particular direction but toward the truth she's after.
Her hands are raised, palms open as she returns to her well practiced Kung Fu stance. And then she moves. On the offense, she's as fast as he might remember her being when she fought Ken Masters. Her left hand leads, prepared to deflect parries, counter attacks, or shove his guard off. Her right hand follows, her body twisting toward the left, to slam her palm out with strong force. If he doesn't manage to escape the strike, he'll find that the girl doesn't really hit any harder than he can. With his intense physical training, there is barely any gulf at all in their respective physical combat prowess. "HA!"
COMBATSYS: Zach blocks Athena's Strong Punch.
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Athena 0/-------/---====|====---\-------\0 Zach
"I didn't like it," Zach says as he slips Athena's left arm in order to parry the right with his own left hand. "I don't..." Zach scowls as he skips clear of the young woman's physical range. It's not an easy concept to put words to, at least not for Zach. "It probably sounds strange, given the length and route of my career," he finally continues, "But I... don't really /like/ fighting. At least, not for its own sake. I'm decent at it. Now. But the use of violence. However /easy/ it is..." He shakes his head. "It doesn't sit well with me. It never has." Which might explain Zach's record in a lot of ways. There are a LOT of losses on his record that could have easily been draws or even wins.
"I mean, there have been fights I've enjoyed," he says. "I enjoy good challenges, in just about any form. And helping the police... I think it helped people one some level. The people I was sent to help deal with... the police wouldn't have been able to handle that on their own." He heaves a sigh, considering his next move. "But then the war happened." He looks around for a moment. Athena can likely tell on some level that he is reaching out, ever so tentatively, with fledgling senses. He is still for a moment before continuing.
"I'm about to break a few United States Federal laws, but I feel like... the story of this place didn't stop with the Southtown Police." Zach says as he presses in again. He gets close, and Zach pulls a bit of a fast one. His stance, his style of late, indicates a methodology influenced heavily by boxing. Which is why Athena might be surprised when Zach throws a flickering jab with his left hand, and then steps in to throw a low kick with his right leg. Both bear traces of that amber energy again. Familiar, but not the same, filtered perhaps through an iron control. He backs away quickly after throwing the kick.
"The United States government was willing to let Southtown handle my case. My mail goes there, and it all went down in Southtown. Once the war started, and once people once again saw how the tide of battle could be swayed by even a single fighter." He sighs. "United States Joint Special Operations Command approached the government of Japan. A deal was made, and then extended to me. I would be commissioned by the United States Marine Corp for the duration of hostilities, and in exchange the remainder of my sentence would be waived."
COMBATSYS: Athena dodges Zach's Rapid Combo.
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Athena 0/-------/---====|====---\-------\0 Zach
He gives his answer and the girl who seems strangely positioned to judge him furrows her brow slightly. It does sound strange to hear that he doesn't like fighting given how much of his life he has dedicated to the improvement of it. He goes on to clarify that it's the violence he shirks, not the challenge, and the girl nods slightly, her expression still neutral.
Even as he tries to expand his own awareness of the psychic energy that exists between them, he will find her an impossible read. No hint of what her emotions are can be felt, no sense of approval or disapproval to be found. She's deliberately keeping him at bay, even as he tries to flex untested psychic muscles to see what he can feel.
He explains about the war and hints at the closely held secret before testing her defenses once more. Once more she stays put, watching his advance. While he may have determined the physical strength between them is not terribly different, the speed at which his opponent can avoid him seems to suggest she's seeing the attack come before it has even been executed. Can she read him that well without him feeling it? Could he keep her out if she was?
Her head turns to the side to avoid the jab. The kick might be a surprise to many, given his boxing stance, but Athena springs backward, his leg sweeping past where her legs were an instant before, to land a few yards away. She doesn't say anything at all when she lands, tensing but not attacking, as he continues to share the secret of his sentence.
Once again, it seems he was to be used as a weapon, another deal struck, an penance of paperwork, debt paid to the inhuman government proper. Again the questions come. "Waiving your sentence is a matter for the bureaucrats to determine. What about the people you hurt?" The question is as direct as her others, the girl not shying away from topics most would find uncomfortable to ask another to speak on.
It might be argued it wasn't his fault. He was being manipulated, the choker surging his destructive forces beyond any previous capacity... But in the end, it was still his energy that snuffed the life out of individualous and she seems as intent on smashing through his emotional guard as she is through his physical defenses an instant later.
The young adjudicator leaps then, taking to the air with graceful ease, to curl into a ball at the height of her ascent and come diving right back down for Zach. Her body surges with that rose hued power as she tries to crash into the psychic directly, attempting to drive Zach back off his balance. If successful, she'll finish with a crushing low kick for his shins with all her forward momentum dedicated to the task to taking him clean off his feet!
COMBATSYS: Zach blocks Athena's Phoenix Arrow.
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Athena 0/-------/---====|======-\-------\0 Zach
"Two of the men from that night had families," Zach says in a level tone. Athena can, no doubt, sense the mass of emotions that she is poking at is as immense as it is firmly held. Letting emotions into this would, without a doubt, utterly unbalance Zach's technique. Undo a lot of the work and effort he had made towards controlling this energy at his command. It would surprise Athena, though, to learn that it wasn't Athena Zach had been trying to read.
He was trying to make sure that they were, in fact, alone. This conversation was for the four ears involved in the fight, and Zach didn't want it going farther than that for the moment.
The psion thrusts his palms forward, spinning up a barrier of golden energy to slow Athena's dive. He shifts his weight off of the ankle, taking the kick squarely on the foot. He winces, even with the deflection, it still stung. "I approached them, did what I could to start to make restitution." He sounds weary, as he feels every time he visits this matter. Every time he signs the checks for the deposits. "One of them had three kids, the other had two. Their names are Kyouko, Kazumi, Harumi, Ken, and Kai." He focuses for a moment, taking a deep breath.
"They're all going to go to college. The mothers, Hatsuno and Midari, are being taken care of." So yes, money has changed hands. Is /still/ changing hands. The tone Zach uses, the raw guilt coming off of Zach, tell Athena that the money isn't enough to wipe Zach's soul clean. Will /never/ be enough to do that. The Psycho Soldier will /also/ likely tell that Zach is not "allowing her to see this." The emotion, the intent, these are not things Zach can mask mentally. He doesn't know /how/. "The third man... I'm still trying to find his family. If he had family. There's... a sum in an account that's building. If I don't find them before this place opens, then I'm going to put it towards operating costs. The ones that were injured didn't have to face medical bills afterward. It wasn't their fault for being in the wrong place at the wrong time."
But still, he gets back to the story. "The Marines sent me on four missions. One of them was here. Genryuusai and I held off a division of troops between the two of us. One mission was to Myanmar, after Chun-Li had been captured but the R Syndicate. The last one was to China proper, to try and apprehend Vega." Zach doesn't seem to be pressing the attack at the moment. The memories of the war are still strong in his mind, and he has a hard time dealing with both them and the fight.
COMBATSYS: Zach gains composure.
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Athena 0/-------/---====|====---\-------\0 Zach
Her attempts to probe his psyche with words rather than thoughts show it to be holding up rather well, just like his guard against her continuing attacks. SHe collides into him with her dive, but a combination of physical bracing and pushing back with his own energy is enough to keep her from bowling him over. So far, he is fighting remarkably well given who his opponent is. Athena slides to a stop then springs back, careful to not be caught off guard before she can recover from the aggressive attack.
She lands in a half crouch on the smooth, level concrete, then rises up to standing, lifting her hands, returning once more to her well practiced stance. Once more she holds her ground. The evaluation the remorseful boxer is enduring is taking place on countless levels simultaneously. There is more to it than her sponsorship on the line here. She had to know beyond any doubt that there was no danger of him becoming another monster. The world already suffered harshly under attack from one powerful psychic. There was nothing she could to to preempt Vega's rise to power. But if there was another threat growing in his wake, rising to fill the vacuum left by the dictator, she would want to know as early as possible.
But in the end, is there more he could have done? He can't bring back the dead. All he can do is undo as much of the damage caused by the travesty wrought by his hands. Helping the families left beyond... will be a heavy burden and one he will never get to leave behind.
He continues with his story then, the missions executed on behalf of the United States Government. No doubt he was a powerful tool for them to dispose, though Athena knows he's hardly the only one under their thumb.
"Your power runs amber," she states then. "No longer the violet energy you used to wield." She pauses for a moment, as if to consider her next words before continuing. "Why have you chosen to refine your energy so? To purify out the wide range of emotions available to strengthen the manifestation? Did your encounters with Vega's own cause you to fear Psycho Power? Are you afraid of what it can represent?"
As always, she keeps him under pressure, with each question comes an attack, the girl bolting forward once more. He may have had time to catch his breath, but Athena is still moving at full speed. She reaches for his right arm, aiming to twist into his side, lift his arm up high, and judo flip him over her shoulder to his back against the concrete. The impact might hurt, but there's definitely no risk of cracking the surface with only her attack. The engineers understood his specifications, after all. "YA!"
COMBATSYS: Zach interrupts Medium Throw from Athena with Gazelle Punch.
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Athena 1/-------/=======|=======\-------\0 Zach
The mission in Myanmar, to rescue Chun-Li not only from R but from Vega, was in Zach's mind the highest point of his short tour of duty. The fight in China less so; after all, Vega was able to fight free of the boxer. Even if Zach's friend and rival Rust Howard, along with a couple of associates, were able to stop the madman shortly after.
Zach scowls as Athena goes for the arm. The boxer ducks low and to his left, the right arm wrenching a bit as he pulls it forcefully from her. "The shift started after King of Fighters, well before I... put myself in Vega's path." Zach finishes the crouching motion, surging upward with a Soul Power gauntlet covering his left fist. The gauntlet itself is clearly defined, and resembles a modern take on a piece of armor you might find on a display of a knight. This is slammed hard against Athena's head.
Zach lands in a loose boxing stance. "When I came started to come to grips with the fact that my emotions were getting in the way of my control. That they were, in fact, responsible for the /losses/ of control. My emotions are still mine, so the responsibilty for the consequences are mine to bear. But the only difference between wielding psychic energy in anger and throwing a punch in anger is the scale of damage it can do."
He considers for another moment, looking at where he struck Athena. "It..." Zach starts to approach his concerns about Vega. About what that madman represented to the world, and to Zach in specific. "Vega is a nightmare of mine," he finally admits. It costs him something to say that here, to this person in front of him. "What I could become if..." Zach trails off. He's willing to expose the concern, but he doesn't want to apporach it more than that. "Not his power, mind. What he wields is not much different from what we both use. But his intentions..."
This part of the matter is a sticky wicket, and while Zach has in some ways found his path, he is still having a hard time putting words to it.
Zach proves Athena's superior in melee combat for that momentary exchange, pulling forcefully against the lithe fighter's grip, twisting down into a crouch as she reels, her guard open long enough for him to surge up into the side of the idol fighter's head. The jarring impact sends her sliding to the side, feet scraping over the concrete before she starts to take steps and catch herself just before she might have fallen over. The girl whips back around toward him, guard raised, prepared for any immediate follow up that might come, but it seems she has time.
His defenses are back up and now he's proven himself capable of landing a solid hit on her if she takes him lightly. He really is proving himself to be the cream of the crop of the NDP, ready to move on to the larger fighting world at large, leading the way for those that would follow in his wake. He talks about the change in his power while she lifts a hand to rub the side of her head gingerly.
"Those are healthy concerns," she replies when he talks about the fear of what it would be like if he could possibly become like that monster. It is the first time she has done more than ask questions since the fight begain, finally praising him for his worry. It is something her own master has cautioned his students on time and time again. The power they wield is so dangerously close to Vega's own... all it would take would be a slip in judgmenet, a moment of brash self-interest to make a mistake they might never be able to undo. Every time she taps into her own psychic energy, it is with that stark warning in mind. It is a weapon like any other, to be certain, but not every weapon feeds right back into its user's emotional stability or lack thereof...
"There is another matter." She turns her shoulder towrad him, adjusting her stance a little. Power begins to build around her even though it has yet to manifest visibly. "Have you considered what kind of target your school could become? There are many interested in just the sort of individuals you would be gathering here... It might make too tempting an opportunity to pass up on..."
She springs forward then, hopping into a short arc, her arms brought up over her head, the energy she was building surging up along her body into her hands, swelling into a rapidly expanding sphere of surging Psycho Power. By the time she lands, she's swinging forward, bringing the attack crashing down. The sheer quantity of energy is immense as the girl demonstrates more fully why she is as effective a fighter as her reputation would indicate!
COMBATSYS: Athena successfully hits Zach with Round Psycho Reflector.
Glancing Blow
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Athena 1/------=/=======|=======\==-----\1 Zach
Zach winces as Athena builds power for the next strike. He is already skipping back as she closes in. The energy arcs, and grazes him. Zach thinks he escaped the worst of it when his legs buckle. The look on his face says it all. *All of that from a /graze/?*
Zach takes a moment to regain his footing, taking another deep breath as he does so. "It'd make a damn good one," Zach admits. He recalls his second encounter with Ayame, when the young runaway actually /kidnapped/ him for experimentation. "The best I can do is to help the students learn as best they can." He looks thoughtful. "Of course, one of the physical education blocks would be martial arts instruction, where I'd arrange a rotation of whichever masters I can attract for weekly demonstrations. The main intent is to expose whatever aspiring fighters enroll to as many martial arts styles as possible, and possibly introduce would-be students to prospective masters."
Zach shrugs, "But it'd hopefully make for a good deterent as well." Zach takes a half-step back, throwing a straight punch that launches a sphere of Soul Power at Athena. "In the end, though, vigilence is going to be incredibly important."
COMBATSYS: Athena reflects Blast Punch from Zach with Shield Psycho Reflector.
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Athena 1/-----==/=======|=======\==-----\1 Zach
Zach is quick on his feet, that much is for sure. The surging sphere of Psycho Power is one of Athena's more powerful techniques and almost any fighter caught within the center of the intense wrecking ball of energy will be left reeling bad in the aftermath. Athena holds her stance, hands forward, palms open, sustaining the attack. It's too large for her to see around, but she can tell that Zach has escaped it - not because she can see him but because she can sense roughly where he has moved to.
Only then does she allow the energy to collapse, the brilliant rose-hued display fading quickly. Exhaling softly, she lifts her hands up, palms forward once more. It would be clear to him that the attack took a lot out of her. The flashes of power she has been demonstrating may be significant but they aren't nearly as sustained as the Soul Power the aspiring instructor brings to his fights.
He acknowledges her concerns but doesn't back down. It's clear that he's thought about them at least, his own experiences having taught him a painful lesson on just how interested others can be in exploring what sort of living weapons young, unprotected psionics can be made into. In the end, there is no perfect solution. Vigilence and education are the only two weapons they can deploy.
"Agreed," she states, once again tipping her hand with regards to her thoughts on his answers, seeming to become more and more open with him as the exchange continues on. "And... together, they will be safer than scattered, left to be individually discovered and pulled from the streets with no chance to fight back."
He launches an attack for her but Athena has more defenses than she has utilized thus far. Her hands smack to gether then she lifts them apart, a rapidly expanding discus of perfectly flat Psycho Power forms in the span between them as if stretched out of thin air. His energy collides with hers and, in an instant, is sent hurtling back at incredible speed!
"You're doing a good thing, Zach Glen," she finally states words of open praise after so long a time spent judging the troubled psychic she discovered in the wake of such terrible travesty.
COMBATSYS: Zach reflects Reflected Blast Punch from Athena with Stopping Jab.
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Athena 1/-======/=======|=------\-------\0 Zach
Zach does not, surprisingly, panic much when Athena sends his projectile back at him. He sets his stance, and summons up a terrific amount of soul power. What he is about to attempt, or more specifically /how/ he attempts it is not the most efficient use of energy. However, he snaps out another jab, sending his energy out into the incoming sphere.
Sparks fly as the sphere and the barrier around the left fist collide, but after the brief exchange the sphere is sent BACK at Athena. He... definitely couldn't do /that/ before. He nods, and smiles a bit. "That's the aim," he says humbly. "I will not forget what it was like for me to come into this ability." He shakes his left hand loose. "It was terrifying in places. I'd like to try and spare people that, if I can. Need money to do that, though, and few things out there do that legally like professional fighting, so here I am."
"Then again," Zach says after a careful moment, "There's... still a lot for me to learn. How do you..." Zach frowns, looking for the right words. "How do you be /quiet/ like that?"
COMBATSYS: Zach successfully hits Athena with Reflected Blast Punch.
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Athena 1/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|===----\-------\0 Zach
The control Zach demonstrates in responding to her attack is remarkable and not at all missed by the intensely observant girl. His own energy is hurtling toward him, sped along by the power in the girl's reflective technique, and rather than dive for cover, he stands in its path and, in a moment of impressive aptitude, figures out how to contend with it right then and there!!
The energies clash, this time it is his own Soul Power colliding against his own barrier, and in the end, he is able to send it launching back toward the girl, refusing the 'gift' of being hit by his personal projectile. The speed of the blast is remarkable by this point and even as Athena raises her own guard, it slips right past her defenses and collides against her chest, sending the girl sliding back a few feet.
Lowering her hands after her failed attempt at guarding against the attack, Athena is smiling at last. Whatever evaluation she was putting him through, he seems to have passed. Control under pressure, priorities seem to be in the right place, his attempts at atonement as heartfelt as humanly possible, his state of freedom squared away with the authorities that have sway over such things. "I was lucky," she replies. "I have a good teacher that taught me how to control my gift before it could become a danger to others. And I have dear friends with whom I am able to train and practice."
She inhales then exhales, closing her eyes for a moment then begins to draw even more energy from within. "I wish every one of us could have such good fortune. And the school you are founding... it may not find all of us, but it will will be able to help some, and that makes everything you are going through to make it a reality worth it."
Energy explodes up around the girl as she begins to channel a truly fearsome amount of Psycho Power around herself. Yet through it all, she remains perfectly calm, face reflecting intense concentration, but eyes not taking their focus off Zach. From behind the siren's song of resonating Psycho Power, she continues to address him. "You still have a lot to learn, yes... But you are further along than so many others. Pass along what you have learned and I will share what I have been taught. Collectively, we can all become stronger, safer, and be able to live happier lives for it."
The girl raises her right hand over her hand and that almost impossible manifestation of psionic energy surges up to form a tightly compressed singularity of nigh infinite potential. Athena closes her eyes then and bows her head slightly, "I will be happy to endorse your effots and help you in any way I can, Zach Glen." With phenomenal concentration, she keeps all her power in place even still. "Hold your head up and move forward with confidence. None of us can undo the past, but your path can bring a brighter day to the future of many, and in that I pray you find some solace."
She opens her eyes then, swinging her arm forward. All that potential launches for Zach, a cruise missile of unshakeable purpose, seeking to crash into him with inescapable accuracy. They may not be far apart in martial prowess, but this attack from the world famous idol fighter demonstrates there is still plenty of room for him to advance. The Zach-seeking rocket seems to be her way of welcoming Zach, on behalf of Ken, to the big leagues. One hell of a graduation gift, perhaps, but would one expect anything less of Ken Masters?
COMBATSYS: Athena successfully hits Zach with Shining Crystal Bit+.
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Athena 0/-------/----===|=======\====---\1 Zach
Zach's eyes go wide when he senses the sheer amount of energy Athena puts into that one attack. It staggers him, mentally, at least. He's fairly certain, in fact, that even IF that accursed collar not destroyed his control that he would not have been able to bring out that much energy into such a small space. It is, if nothing else, a glaring illustration that he has a ways to go yet. That while he may be done with the Neo Development Project, that he is perhaps not /completely/ ready for the big leagues yet.
Not that that would stop him, really.
The projectile slams into Zach midsection with thunderous impact, knocking the boxer off his feet. He slams to the ground hard, throwing up a small wave of dust from the impact. He stares at the sky, and manages to stand back up somehow. Athena can feel the effort of sheer willpower Zach is calling up simply to /stand/. Then he takes a lurching step towards the idol. Then another. As he approaches, the singer can see Zach's eyes. Blurry, out of focus. He takes step after step until he is just close enough to touch the young woman.
His eyes sharpen just a bit, enough to be able to pick out enough detail to see the bruise forming on the girl's face from that Gazelle Punch. He frowns a little bit at that. "That's a nasty bruise," he murmurs, barely coherent enough for Athena to understand. "Le-Lemme do something fer that." He reaches toward Athena, his left hand glowing amber with flecks of green running through the aura.
When that hand gets close to the young woman's cheek, Zach sends a gentle wave of healing energy into the young woman, causing the bruise to fade somewhat. Zach smiles at his work, and then falls on his back. "'Sgood yer here," he says. "Need your help with something."
COMBATSYS: Zach can no longer fight.
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Athena 0/-------/----===|
COMBATSYS: Zach successfully aids Athena with Lay On Hands.
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Athena 0/-------/----===|
There's no question that it was a solid hit but Athena doesn't look worried. Out of almost anyone she's fought in recent months outside of her sparring with fellow Psycho Soldiers, she knows Zach will be the most capable to weather the psychic storm she launched his way in the form of that singular, powerful shot. By virtue of will, he forces his way to his feet after a few seconds, getting up when most would be inclined to just stay down and wait for the jarring pain to flush out of their nervous system.
The girl's guard appears to be down as he approaches her. It's possible she has no idea if he will attack or not and is simply trusting in her reflexes should such be the case. Or perhaps she can sense the lack of aggression in the young man's psyche and knows that there is no need to ward him off beyond this point. His fellow psychic stares back at him, violet eyes appraising how far he's come since she first encountered him on that darkest of nights.
She's had her say, however, and thus remains quiet. He murmurs something, his words borderline unintelligible, but the intent is understood with absolute clarity. She doesn't pull back as he reaches for her cheek, her mouth curling into a quiet smile. "It's exceptionally rare to find those who have managed to focus their energy for something other than destruction," she muses. Not that she hasn't left plenty of fights with her fair share of bruises before, but if he is going to expend the effort to dress the mark, then she's certainly not going to turn it down!
The blemish fades and the pain beneath it as well, and then, the last of his efforts spent, he falls backward. Athena stands for a moment before glancing around at the quiet construction site, perhaps picturing what it will become someday thanks to his endeavors. Someday, if all goes well, it will be bustling with busy students pursuing academic and martial endeavors, learning, getting stronger, and building a community. But for right now, it's quiet. No press, no public, no entourage. It's nice. Athena is content to enjoy it for a little longer.
The girl settles into a seated position nearby Zach, "Hm? And what's that?"
Zach doesn't move much, simply turning his head to look at her. Despite his display, he is still going to need a bit of time to put himself back together. "After... After I woke up after fighting Vega," he says with concern washing off of him like a wave, "Things..." Zach screws up his face, trying to find the right words. "Things are... louder, I guess? Or I'm hearing more than I did before." He closes his eyes.
"Hearing isn't even the right /word/ for it... just the closest one I can think of to explain it. And it's not words so much as... insights, I guess. I don't know what it is." He opens his eyes to regard Athena, hoping for advice. Or better yet. Help. "But given the timing, and the fact that I don't know what it is or how to /stop/ it." He heaves a sigh. "It's only a real problem when I'm around a lot of people. But it still has me worried."
The girl is quiet as he speaks, listening, hands pressed against the concrete for support as she leans back slightly. She isn't looking toward him but rather seems content to gaze toward the skyscrapers of Downtown Metro in the distance. The thought of how to dwell among crowds, how to navigate through the collosal amount of psychic energy that exists around everyone whether or not they're aware of it... it's a lot to consider.
"Mm, yeah." she replies quietly. She's no stranger to what he's talking about. That mental feedback that comes from crowds, the emotional tidal waves one has to fight back against. "You're becoming more aware of the ties that bind everyone together - links of thought, stray emotions, energy that unites everyone in some degree. Anyone can see it in action... think of crowds at shows and events. An individual might not feel anything on their own in such a setting, but as emotion washes over everyone around them, they will become sensitive to it as well. It could inspire them to get angry or weep in tender surprise, all depending on how everyone else around them is also reacting."
She exhales a little, "It's like that, but you're feeling it stronger, and from countless individuals at once, rather than from a collective crowd. You do have to find a way to block it or it will overwhelm you eventually. I had to learn too. All I can tell you is what my sensei had me to do in order to build the walls necessary to keep everyone out and hope that it will help you in some way. The exact answer varies from person to person, so what worked for me may not be a perfect fit for you. But you have to find some way, and maybe it will help you get started."
She's quiet then, thinking back on her own training and growth under the care of Chin Gentsai. "It was a matter of starting small and growing from there. He would take me into town where we would find groups of people of various sizes, depending on the time of day and location, and he would have me work on actively thinking thoughts contrary to the empathy I was feeling with others. If they were stressed, I would try to think of peaceful times. If they were angry, I would try to feel happy. If they were cheerful, I would reflect on moments that made me sad. And so on. Little by little, it took less and less effort to counter the emotions I felt from others until gradually it became something automatic."
She lifts her eyes to the sky above, leaning back further against her hands, "Expanding that from small groups to larger groups... well, it's all a matter of increments, right? Start small, work your way up from there. It never becomes entirely ignoreable, but you can develop the skills necessary to mitigate it... Even with my years of practice at it, I still slip at times. There was a fight a month ago that that cretin Adon was determined to ruin. I was flustered and everyone in attendance were so angry... I let my walls down then and for a moment, all of the hostility of the crowd was able to drive my actions."
She glances toward Zach then, shrugging her shoulders just a little, "Fortunately, in /that/ case, the target of all that antipathy more than deserved it. But that doesn't mean it isn't a dangerous side effect of who we are and what we can do. You need to get started on blocking it out now before it gets worse... you already have a lifetime of regrets weighing you down, you don't need to suffer any more."
Zach considers Athena's response. That... makes a ton of sense, but... "That... had to be hard," is all he says. He's understating. "I mean, just the push and pull of it all. And to do it /actively/?" He lets out a low, appreciative whistle. "I don't know that I'm going to have the luxury of starting small, though. Too much work to do as it is." His face darkens visibly when he mentions Adon.
"That man is going to get himself killed one day," he says darkly. "Sometimes, I'm not sure if it'll be someone getting to him. Or him getting to himself. Or maybe it'll be six of one, half a dozen of the other." Memories of Quon come immediately to mind, and the interplay between the two students of Sagat. "I fought him, once. After Quon died. I..." He frowns. "I wanted revenge. The worst revenge possible, in the worst possible way." He thinks. He knows he has strong emotions, that are more than able to feed into his already considerable ability. "I was fortunate. A friend of mine talked some sense into me."
"It was," the idol fighter replies, her attention on Zach now. "But you don't have a choice. Not everyone grows into what you are experiencing, but... It seems to be your case as it was mine." She rolls up to her knees then and starts dusting her tunic off a little. "You'll have to figure out what way will work for you. I'll check on your progress in a little while," she offers with a faint smile. "If you're still having trouble, I know some who might be able to help." She glances off down the highway leading alongside the future school project.
He speaks of Adon and her smile fades, the girl quietly listening to his run-ins with the absolutely horrid individual. She nods slightly when he speaks of the desire for revenge, that dangerous emotion that can easily spiral out of control if not checked by willpower... "I see," she replies, a flicker of a smile returning to her lips at the end of his account. "Thank goodness for friends. Your friend sounds like a wise individual. I would trust his advice. Perhaps he can help you start to deal with what you are starting to experience."
She pushes up to standing then, bending forward to brush off her knees. "Don't push yourself too hard. Everyone has their breaking point... a lot of people will be counting on you before long, if everything goes as you plan."
In front of the lot, an expensive black limousine comes to a stop. "Ah, my ride." the girl states, sounding a touch wistful, having enjoyed the quiet escape from her many other much louder obligations. "It was a pleasure, Zach Glen. I'm sure we'll meet again."
Zach sits up, and nods. "Thank you," is all he says. Heartfelt. Honest. The underlying emotion of the statement more than makes up for the simplicity. He stays sitting up just long enough for the limo to leave before falling on his back again. He is bone weary. Soul weary.
But at the same time, so invigorated.
A grin spreads across his face as he stares at the sky. A determined, confident grin. The expression of a man absolutely looking forward to what the future will bring to his doorstep.
Log created on 17:11:06 06/30/2012 by Zach, and last modified on 09:08:22 07/02/2012.