Neo League 976 - #1000: Heihachi vs Billy

Description: The 1000th Neo League battle is announced within the suitable confines of the Masters Stadium, and for the defending #1 there is indeed a surprise special gift: a genuine challenge in the form of one of the world's greatest warriors. And lest we forget, he's also the lord and master of the far more prestigious KUMA LEAGUE. What ensues may be epic, but it ain't got nothin' on battling kodiaks.



Ken Masters' Neo League has become a global phenomenon, arguably now the foremost 'formal' rules system for sanctioned fighting on the face of the planet. To celebrate the one thousandth battle since its inception, the American has invited two of the world's greatest warriors to his stadium, extending invites for the battle to only the rich and the famous. Consequently, the throbbing roar of voices filling the famous Red Arena belongs only to the rich, the famous, and those who attend their mansions and steal golden ticket-stuffed envelopes. The atmosphere is electric; drunken millionnaires cry out, disgustingly expensive breast implants jiggle with excitement, and the announcer adopts his best and cheesiest voice to call in the gladiators.

"Ladies, and, gentlemen! One thousand, nine hundred and ninety eight furious fists have graced the Neo League with their power. Nine hundred and ninety nine bodies have hit the floor, and nine hundred and ninety nine victors have risen above the ashes! Now, for your pleasure, and their honour, two men contest for the most envied position as the one thousandth victor in the Neo League. It doesn't get any bigger than this!"

Pausing to adjust his bowtie, the announcer gives the cue for spotlights to sweep across the water and sand, circling through a tightly orchestrated helix before alighting upon one flank of the arena; where the first competitor is due to emerge. The pounding of drums and the screech of guitar heralds a familiar rhythm, and the already-explosive crowd... well... explodes, as searing gouts of flame erupt to sling the doors open.

"HEY, HEY, HEY!!"

Concealed microphones pick up the high-pitched, unruly yell and project it from all four walls, as in its wake comes a figure clad in denim and leather, spinning the crimson staff that has made him a figure of delightful infamy among the world's celebrity fighters.

"From London, England, the Neo League #1! BIRRY! KAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANE!"

The Londoner wears the largest, most shit-eating grin as he kicks his way through swathes of sand, leaving a furrow in his path as he continues showboating with that three-sectioned namesake weapon. Licks of fire burn in the air around him, not fully dissipated from his impressive entrance, until he reaches the arena's central point, iconic between gurgling stream and perfectly-maintained trees. Wild eyes stare out across the crowd, the staff slung over his shoulders now as a pointing finger sweeps across them. Billy's got where he has by holding these people in the palm of his cruel, cocky hand, and they hang on his very presence. Yet as he sinks into his stance, his music ebbing away, all eyes turn toward the other entrance. Every one of them wondering...

Who could possibly hope to challenge THIS man?

COMBATSYS: Billy has started a fight here.

Well. Although Heihachi Mishima is somewhat loathe to contribute to the fame of the Neo League, the opportunity presenting itself here is not one he's going to pass up. After the world renowned fighter is finished being introduced, the spotlights sweep over to the opposite hallway where his opponent will come out from. A number of sound effects like roaring bears is heard, and a somewhat lackluster spray of fireworks. Hardly as well choreographed, but it gets the point across.
"And the self-proclaimed, uh, King of Iron Bears..."
A tarp falls with a large picture of a grizzly, momentarily covering the hallway. Then a light from behind silhouettes the large form of Heihachi, before he bursts through with a loud "KIYA!", landing heavily in view.
"From Tokyo, Japan, the Kuma League founder! HEIHACHI! MISHIMAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
A slow crack of the neck sideways is done by Heihachi as he strides across the sand. He wears a black gi, the arms ripped off, loose upon his massive torso. Fingers slowly curl one by one before cracking into an opposing palm. Interest from the crowd is noticeable -- his participation in world leagues in the last decades has only been the King of Iron Fists, a much smaller endeavor then many global ones. In theory, he is one of the strongest men alive. In practice, he has not shown such in a long, long time.
Settling opposite Billy Kain, a completely disrespectful kind of stare follows, eyes drooping as a hand scratches behind his head. "Hrrm. I suppose you might be worth acknowledging, youngster... as a fighter, anyway. You are no match for my Kuma in being a bodyguard. Didn't Geese get thrown off a building while you were distracted...?"

COMBATSYS: Heihachi has joined the fight here.

Kane has seen a lot of pretty incredible things in his tenure as primary bodyguard for Geese Howard, his duties extending beyond guardianhood to encompass an enforcement role that's seen him travel the globe for reasons other than 'merely' fighting in tournaments like these; hell, he's organized a couple himself, albeit on a level below even the relatively newly-branded King of Iron Fist. Granted the results have been rigged and substantial payments made from Syndicate coffers to ensure only the truly 'best' man is elevated... but that doesn't mean Billy's not seen his share of insane old masters putting on displays that...

Okay, let's be honest. They've barely ever compared to this. Kane's grizzled enough not to be shocked into dumbstruck awe like the majority of the crowd NOT drunk enough to rampantly cheer anything, but a thin brow arches toward the striped line of his bandanna, the staff tapping against his shoulder as he stares levelly at Heihachi's bizarre entrance. Slowly a scowl begins to emerge, though not at anything Mishima himself has done. Rather because it reminds him so painfully of another total idiot. Another total idiot who's idiotically powerful enough to break a man in two before going off on another rambling rant about the good old days.

Kane may be in his thirties but it doesn't stop him being a disrespectful 'young' punk. As such, he doesn't really bother heeding what Heihachi as - at least immediately - brushing it aside with a 'feh' as he shifts the staff to a two-handed grip and bounces experimentally from foot to foot.

"Am I supposed to b--" His dismisive Cockney sneer cuts off abruptly along with his rhythmic motions, as he stops and simply stares at the middle-aged bruiser before him. "Wot did you say?" All that choreography and informed awesome by the announcer goes to absolutely nothing as Billy Kane is suddenly an irritable teenager again, his mouth forming an angry rictus before he suddenly surges forward, sand exploding behind him as he uses pressure from the back foot to hurl his staff forward, striking tip seeking the old man's gut.

"I'll show you 'ow good a bodyguard I am, you washed up scrap of bloody bootleather!" If he can find purchase, he sinks the staff deep and /hoists/ Heihachi up and other, slamming him brutally into the unorthodox floor of the arena. "By BREAKING YOURS!!"

Over the high-mounted speaks, the announcer struggles to keep control, "Uh... F-F-FIIIIIIGHT!"

COMBATSYS: Heihachi counters Fishhook Throw from Billy with Heaven's Wrath EX.

[        \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Billy            0/-------/--=====|==-----\-------\0         Heihachi


Slowly, Heihachi's grin becomes something that Billy likely recognizes well. Cruel and sadistic. He enjoys the thrill of fighting, and the feel of breaking another person. However, he gets nothing from the weak... but these days, he finds it very hard to find people that don't crumple too fast going against him. Having coaxed Billy into a rather straightforward charge, the elder Master simply shrugs his shoulders lightly. "So hasty..."
A flare of cerulean fire engulfs Heihachi's hands. He catches the end of Billy's staff, and yanks. Hard. This is only meant to cause a split second distraction, given that's truly all he needs. His knee brutally sweeps out to slam into Billy's chest with incredible force, a crackle of blue lightning swirling over the motion. Before his chi-imbued forearm strikes out, impacting the former King of Fighters in the back of the neck and brutally faceplanting him into the ground at Heihachi's feet, hard enough to give a slight bounce.
"Although unlike that Howard... I don't really need help. There is no greater protection..." Energy crackles along his arms once more, smirking at the younger fighter with a shit-eating grin no less. "Then me being in the room...!!"

Takuma Sakazaki. That's the name. A warrior whose accomplishments in the ring - or on the street - need neither announcement nor gimmickry to sell them, yet the first impression Heihachi makes smacks of the same dawning senility that wracks the Kyokugen master; a tendency toward the absurd that renders him nigh-impossible for a man like Kane to actually respect. The only way it could be worse were if, like his son, he were to deliver dramatic overtures to somehow being a better, more worthwhile human being than others who break face for money. It renders the aggravated Billy only moreso that he can draw a comparison with the former...

But during his approach, any resemblance to either man is blown into tatters by the expression upon Mishima's face; he does recognize it, and his eyes momentarily widen in something not quite akin to shock. As he feels his namesake diverted in that instant, there's an even briefer one in which the Londoner is able to reflect that as last this two-bit fighting league /has/ delivered an opponent who's completely, absolutely worthy. Even the alarmingly prodigious Fujiwa hadn't surprised him so with her first motion, and Futaba was just disappointing-- the closest, so far, is the psychotic Vice. At least she had the right attitude.

Thoughts flash through Billy's mind, but in the passing of that instant the only one he can acknowledge or properly experience is the one that manifests in big flashing letters saying 'PAIN! LOTS OF PAIN!'. Geese's champion is bent double indeed, and brutally flung facefirst to the fine-combed dirt that Masters sees fit to line his ludicrous arena with. But no extraneous thought remains, just the savage spirit of a warrior ignited by the unrelenting ferocity of an opponent who can /finally/ fight, who can deliver the goods and then some.

"HA!" Billy's barked laugh sends the agony washing off his leather-clad back like rushing water, as he slams his staff downward in one hand, bracing what would be his second impact with the sand in mid-bounce. Wild eyes dart sidelong as he pushes hard, twisting his lower body up and inward, folding up for a moment before turning the bounce into a spring. Dragging the staff with him, he launches heavenward, entering a short, spinning flip that sees him emerge with the rod snapping into its three component sections, held above in both hands like a flail. Sighting his own echoed grin from above, he reassumes it. "Just might be right about that, old man!"

With his words on the air, he's falling, fast and hard, slashing downward with all his strength.

"But don't think for /one bloody second/ you won't be needing that protection!!"

COMBATSYS: Heihachi endures Billy's Power Strike.

[        \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////    ]
Billy            0/-------/--=====|====---\-------\0         Heihachi


Solemnly, Heihachi plants his foot heavily and steps forward as Billy lurches into motion once more. The intense strike hits him directly in the face; but flexed muscles steel his body and stance. Kinetic energy goes through him, bloodying a smirking lip heavily, but his intent is to sweep out a hand and catch Billy by the front of his jacket before he can get any desired distance. Although the eccentric old man is sure that Billy lacks the traditional weakness to intimate proximity... that's where the Mishima patriarch thrives.
"Where are you going?!" If he finds purchase, his upper body bends backwards a moment while he tries to haul the anti-smoking advocate forward into a brutal headbutt, aimed right at his face. A large crack of thunder and bolt of lightning would follow it, aiming to add even more to the blow. Although he remains somewhat satisfied himself... Most fighters are utterly broken when they fly into his counterattack, and Billy is still thriving. "You've got some talent at being violent... but not nearly as much as me...!!"
The crowd is a bit surprised so far, having expected Billy to be the fan favorite rather then initially driven into a corner. But they are still cheering heavily for the hateable bad boy, leaving the number of Kuma League supporters distressingly minor!

COMBATSYS: Billy endures Heihachi's Stonehead, but Heihachi knocks him away anyway!

[              \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////    ]
Billy            1/------=/=======|=====--\-------\0         Heihachi


*crack*

Billy begins to sneer in swaggering jubilation, before his nerves remind him that the effect of cleaving Heihachi Mishima in the face with his mighty staff has the approximate physical feedback of bashing six inches of reinforced steel girder. Oh, and incidentally, your jacket's just been grabbed by five granite sausages. Proximity isn't something Kane normally shies away from too terribly; he's one of the best fighters in the world at ANY range, even a 'disadvantage' normally no more than a mild irritation, and his cocky attitude begs that he take risks - it's a large part of the reason WHY the bad boy thing works so well.

Despite the reputation he has in some derisive circles, Kane really isn't a coward. He finds consequent little fear in facing down the incoming forehead of Mishima. Though off-step and staggered from his landing, the staff uselessly at one side and too slow to bother interposing - at least without the kind of substantial effort that tends to backfire and render his situation twice as worse - Billy keeps his grin in place and remains completely still. Up until the moment he's suddenly FLUNG backward, cheeks puffing out as the accompanying pain rockets through his skull and draws a wave of nausea. It hurts like fucking hell, but the fact remains--

Kane took it. He can USE it.

"We'll see--!!" He grits his teeth as he plants his boots hard, halting his horizontal blowback with all the grit of a tenacious underdog and all the alarming skill of a top-level warrior. He doesn't even sway as he comes down in the stream running one side of the arena, rocks crunching beneath his feet and rivulet streaming up to his ankles. He's managed to hold onto the staff, and spins it to the fore, sinking low and thrusting his weight from this position, the weapon's sections snapping apart as it extends. "About /that/--"

Suddenly, crimson flame sears from within the sleeves of his jacket, scorching the patent leather then whipping into twin helixes, rippling down his fingers onto the brightly lacquered rod. As the tip reaches out at its full extension of the final section to catch Heihachi full in the chest, the napalm blaze of Kane's infamous flames reach it also. The first strike is merely horribly bruising, but the second carries an explosion of power that has dropped so many lesser foes in a single blow; and made even the greatest hesitate. It's a signature strike, so familiar yet so brutally effective that the crowd scream along with Billy Kane.

"GO TO HELL!!"

COMBATSYS: Heihachi blocks Billy's Blazing Cane Thrust.

[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////      ]
Billy            1/------=/=======|======-\-------\0         Heihachi


Swiftly exhaling, Heihachi spreads his stance and snaps up both of his large hands in tandem, grasping the shaft's tip in a firm, confident grip. This does prevent it from impacting him in the chest as desired. Eyes widen suddenly at the secondary effect though, and he just barely manages to angle it away before a sudden discharge cascades out, hitting him dead in the face. Whirling fire surrounds his shoulders for a moment, as the serpentine staff would be yanked back without further issue. Although Heihachi is grinning when his head lowers, black smoke huffing out the sides of his mouth. Hands carefully adjust the proud tufts of hair he holds.
"Ha! You are doing better then that scrub Masters did..." Flowing into his aggressive stance, Heihachi pushes off with his back foot, launching towards Billy again with a determined expression. A brief exchange of thrusting fists and snapping feet follows, but all of it is easily defended. Until he suddenly brings up an elbow, expression intentful as he aims to drop it with cataclysmic force on the other man's shoulder, aiming to drive him down to his knees!!
The thrill of battle is clear in the elder Master, however. Although his mannerisms can be awkward and peculiar, Billy can see with utmost clarity that none of this is within his fighting style. It is intended to shatter and break, with no limits imposed. One foot stamps on the dirt once more, sinking in as he roars out in challenge... intent to maintain the inertia he has built up!

COMBATSYS: Billy blocks Heihachi's Aggressive Strike.

[                \\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////////     ]
Billy            1/-----==/=======|=======\-------\0         Heihachi


Watching Heihachi Mishima in full flow is a privilege to any true fighter, that much is clear; and there are scant few men in the world Kane would so admire. Even the former World Warrior performed within limits that the original King of Fighters could both track and meet on level terms. Ryu may have earned the closest most come to 'respect' from Billy, but it's ultimately tainted by the certain knowledge that he was holding back, utilising a castrated art - a fact evidenced by his brief struggle with his own nature toward the end of their nailbiting bout. There's a brutal urge in Heihachi that evidences his power truthfully. Nothing withheld, and so much more gained as a result. Perhaps even Geese could stand to learn something from this man.

"Masters?" Retorts Billy as his fearsome opponent charges in, barely getting his staff back in time to spin it about into a defensive position. "A media mogul and a playboy, playin' at bein' a man." Voice cold beneath the necessary heat of an intense battle, carrying a distance as the Londoner focuses himself, he begins to shift in responsive tandem with the scattered assault of Mishima. The staff parries two blows, then is slung about one-handed as he shifts an elbow upward to intercept another. A raised leg checks two low kicks - one on either side - and then Kane is darting backward, reaching the wall as he and Heihachi battle through the stream.

"I reckon a man like you--" There comes the final, overpowering elbow, indeed the only real attack in the selection; Heihachi may not be holding back, but Kane can spot and intercept feints. This dance has been full of them. It's a cunning tactic on a lesser warrior, overwhelming before crushing them. He grins a little wider as he throws both hands up, leaning aside as he interposes lacquered crimson wood. The elbow impacts...

And forces him almost to a knee, a harsh vibration running up his arm into the targeted shoulder.

"HNGH!" Bracing himself, Kane moves in counter, but aims not to throw the attacking arm back. Rather he pushes it up, throwing every bit of his lean-muscled strength into unbalancing Heihachi and opening his guard. "Knows how to /really/ bloody fight, eh?!" The last comes out harsh, the Londoner LEAPING heavenward, a spin of the staff seeking to crack it against the older warrior's chin, and both legs following suit as the weapon slams against the floor. Kane is then vaulting into a double-booted kick, attempting to carry Mishima with him into the heated air above the arena. It's a Kodak moment, gaining 'oohs' and 'ahhs' from the audience.

But what comes up must come down; if he can get that far, Billy reverses his flip and swings the fully-extended rod around to impale the old man as they both fall back toward the scattered sands. He's crowing all the way, "LET'S SHOW THAT BARBIE-DOLL FUCKER 'OW IT'S DONE!!"

COMBATSYS: Heihachi fails to interrupt Flying Assault Cane EX from Billy with Demon Uppercut EX.
- Power fail! -
-@- Dazing Hit! -@-

[                \\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////           ]
Billy            1/---====/=======|=======\-------\1         Heihachi


"Gouken would spin in his grave to see him now..." Heihachi states derisively. And does look genuinely disgusted by this fact. It wouldn't be too surprising that this man had met the Ansatsuken warrior before; calling it a gutted style might be appropriate when you face one such as Ryu, but the merciless nature of the art was very clear against it's creator. This comment doesn't interrupt the brutal dance the men are doing, Heihachi always pressing forward in defiance of any risks. Diving into the heart of the storm and reigning supreme... that is how he has fought since he was a child of single digit age.
The sudden launch skyward does indeed stagger Heihachi backwards, not expecting such a powerful motion from his stance. It is rare for him to fight an opponent who can surprise him, and that particular excitement blazes even more strongly on his grizzled features.
"DON'T GET COCKY, BRAT!!" His forearm explodes with lightning-like chi, as he brutally hurls himself forward. His fist whirling towards Billy's face... but the advantage of his staff's reach is apparent, slamming into the elderly master while he has room to weave away. Launched upwards, the returning slam sends him hurtling down, impacting the dirt and sending up a plume in all directions. It was a mighty hit by all accounts.
But Heihachi rises up to his feet with barely a pause. Blood from a split forehead curls down in angular trails, one eye closed. Rather then seeming beaten back, it is more that the Zaibatsu tyrant is getting warmed up. "Good. GOOD...!" The palm of a hand smears blood from his eye, both narrowed with intensity. "You survived the opening game... where even Ken Masters fell. Now the fun can truly start..."

Gouken. There's a name Billy Kane has heard uttered in connection to the heights of power men can potentially reach; a forgotten legend, and far more an appropriate representative of the Ansatsuken art than either of the warriors he left behind. Pursuit of ancient legacies and forbidden arts is not in the Syndicate punk's personal bingo book, but he maintains an interest in such things through his aforementioned master. That Heihachi would mention him-- it's certainly filed away, though not commented further during their deadly dance. It's all he can do to move fast enough to evade the chi-soaked counter as it is, all he can do to complete his motions...

By the time they land, Kane all but riding Mishima's mighty chest as dust and dirt explodes through the arena, they've both moved on from the subject anyway. Only one thing truly matters here, for either of them, and that's tearing each other apart - proving their own power not because millions of eyes are watching, but for their own achievement and sadistic enjoyment. Rebounding into an almost lazy, arcing flip, Billy lands opposite the rising middle-aged behemoth with a loose, steady posture, twirling his staff and wearing a dark smirk. Heihachi's words are only an echo of his own feelings. Battles don't /end/ like that. They begin.

"Yeah," he mutters, gaze intensifying as he bolts forward, "Let's get serious, Mishima."

It's like running through a sandstorm now, residual chi buoying the grains disturbed by that cratering impact, biting at the skin and lashing at the eyes. But Kane has only eyes for the end of the tunnel, and his own energies roar in readiness, a tremendous heatwave broiling off his very shoulders as he skids to a halt just short of striking range. But he doesn't stop entirely; or at all, rather this just provides the firm fulcrum for a sweep of his namesake length, the staff scything through the air to create an explosion of vicious chi-flame, dense and roaring as it stews quickly to a melstrom with a second looping spin. From behind this spitting hellfire, Kane keeps his wild vision upon his worthy prey, teeth gritted and chest heaving.

"Masters ain't got a monopoly on /fire/," he yells, "Let's show him how real men... /BURN/!!"

Suddenly he's leaping forward, a bounding spring coupled with a dynamic twist of lean-muscled frame, warmed leather whipping outward in the accumulated backdraught as Billy Kane unleashes the most pure expression of his artful flame. From his very soul it tears, launching a searing corona of heat and force to consume Heihachi and even the delicate, well-kempt woodland beyond. Unlike the focused intent behind the shrouding blaze of other men, when Kane calls upon the energies of the earth, he demands they consume and destroy.

Let it all burn.

COMBATSYS: Heihachi blocks Billy's Blazing Whirlwind Cane.

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Billy            0/-------/---====|=======\=------\1         Heihachi


The intensity of that flame makes Heihachi leap backwards, preferring to prepare himself for the rest of the assault he knows is coming rather then risk the sharp increase in temperatures. He stares directly into the small sun birthed by Billy's passion, and still has absolutely nothing but determination upon his features. Slowly he exhales out every ounce of breath, eyes closing before he turns his side towards the amalgamating fire. Fingers clench, and lightning begins to seethe and dance between his fingertips, an intense light blue beginning to build.
And then that ungodly fireball is hurled towards him, larger then the Mishima himself. Heat strikes against his form, scorching the front of his blackened gi, causing his grin to grow all the brighter. Before suddenly it impacts him... and a bolt of lightning strikes down from the heavens above. The assault is split neatly in two, billow of wind and energy violently cutting the assault perfectly in half. He has the follow-through stance of an overhead chop, arms still crackling with lightning.
The two halves of fire then detonate, blowing across the landscape behing Heihachi in either direction. His hand is scorched as a result, but there's probably not a lot of people who will literally /chop that attack in half./
"Good. That was GOOD!!" Heihachi laughs out, before suddenly bursting forward, hurtling towards Billy with incredible velocity. Before his entire body whirls around, arms crossing overhead as he achieves a short hop-like motion. And then both palms come down, facing in opposite directions. A sudden pulse of lightning flashes out, intent on striking into Billy and sending him blasting backwards!!

COMBATSYS: Billy interrupts Raijin Stance from Heihachi with Red Lotus Requiem EX.
- Power hit! -

[                    \\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////                     ]
Billy            1/------</<<<<<<<|=======\====---\1         Heihachi


Elements rage, the fire and the fury clashing to astounding effect. Indeed the very glass surrounding the arena, separating the deadly warriors within from their baying idolators, cracks and warps in the white-hot shockwave erupting as the sky's thunderous fury turns aside hell's own flame. Heihachi stands statuesque in that moment where held breath suddenly breaks into screams of excited horror, women clinging to husbands and boyfriends as some of the wealthiest and most purportedly powerful people in the world are shown a horrifying reflection of the thing they're most certainly not; powerful. Those with real strength stand beyond.

Kane lands from his forthright leap, the staff still smouldering with his spirit's embers as he stares toward this titan amongst men. Heihachi Mishima has barely been on the fighter's map-- reputed as one of the strongest in the world, he remains relatively unproven and thus disbelieved by so many. The number calling themselves great is insurmountably, unfathomably vast, provinicial heroes and delusional fools all stepping into the organized limelight only to be forced to a knee soon after. Mishima transcends them all.

"Heh," Billy can't help but continue grinning, a shake of his bandanna-clad head expressing the emotion the whole world will be experiencing as it watches, "Where have you /been/ all my life, 'ei'achi Mishima?" Sinking his stance deep, he draws a heated breath, ignoring the rain of sand and glass about him to instead draw on more of his gathered strength, the flames on his namesake undying as his opponent soars forth. Normal people, and even lesser fighters, would have no time to prepare-- they'd be crushed before the unrelenting charge. To Kane it seems almost an age, that spare single second giving him all the readiness he needs...

"GRAAAAAAHHH!!" Screaming a wordless cry for the first time, he steps in, twisting about to redirect the punishing force of those incoming palms aside. It hurts still, the crackle of lightning's kiss sending a delirious shockwave through his body. His heart palpitates, but Kane's had worse-- far worse, and endured nonetheless, as he does now. His rod remains fully extended, and it sweeps upward now, cracking once more beneath Heihachi's stern chin to carry him aloft with a second leap. But this one sees Billy push his feet together, gaining greater height and speed as he throws the staff into a tornado-like spin.

Flame comes easy to his bidding now, chi drawn from the drenched atmosphere in a sucking wave, pulling Mishima inward to the burning maelstrom that ensues, fresh waves of napalm suffering exploding with every rapid rotation of the staff. All the while Kane's shout continues, only ending with a harsh expulsion as he snaps his weapon to a halt with one last smack to the skull, a final explosive eruption pitching his foe back to earth. Billy himself lands in a crouch, breathing hard as he straightens, staff held in one hand at his side, the other arm extended with a warding palm as he watches his opponent warily. Other men would have fallen...

Perhaps /all/ other men, at this point. Just how tough IS Heihachi Mishima?

"Get up." Kane wants to find out. He needs this. A real fight, at last. "Get up, you son of a bitch."

Slowly, almost listlessly, Heihachi falls to the ground in the wake of Billy's onslaught. He impacts with a dull thump, and many would have genuinely believed his defeat was at hand. But such is not true. The front of his gi has been ripped open, and a scorched line leads up to a blackened jaw. But eyes remain open and alert, slowly leaning up into a sit. Raising without haste, gripping the two remnants of his upper gi and tearing them off. Black cinders fall along with the cloth, baring his physique matched by few despite his incredible age.
"You are wasted here. Billy Kane. Playing in Ken Master's little league..." A finger points towards the other man, and there's a sudden sharp intensity. "You... should be in..."
"THE KUMA LEAGUE."
Afterwards, Heihachi slowly assumes a martial stance once more. "But... very well. I'll show you my greatest technique. I've not used it in over ten years... be honored when you fall. Brat." Slowly, chi begins to well up within him. It seems to fill the entire open area of the arena, a sort of static buzz that crackles and pops audible. Muscles bulge out, supercharging himself for what comes next. Kicking from the ground, a massive explosion of sand and dirt sprays behind him simply from the kinetic force of his advance... he was already an incredibly fast man, but he has transcended even those limits for a moment, as a single, brutal fist soars out for Billy's face...!!

COMBATSYS: Billy fails to counter Raijin's Wrath from Heihachi with Water Dragon Pursuit Cane.
! VENGEANCE !
*KNOCKED AWAY*

COMBATSYS: Billy can no longer fight.

[                     \\\\\\\\\  <
Heihachi         0/-------/-------|


Did something get in the way of Heihachi's fist? He got that impression for a moment. Just a moment.
The blow to Billy's face would probably be enough to end the fight at this point; an explosive force that rings out like steel on stone. Three more chi-imbued onslaughts are leveled into Billy's chest, as lightning continues to lick over Heihachi's form. Before he suddenly goes low, and with a roar uppercuts Billy high into the air like a ragdoll. Multiple meters; enough that every head in the arena gapes upwards as a result.
Slowly he then focuses all of his chi and concentration into one fist, slamming it into the heel of his other hand as it glows blindingly bright. And then as Billy listlessly tumbles down, he strikes straight upwards. Impacting dead center mass, folding Billy over it like so much meat. A great CRASH of lightning is pulled down from the heavens, as if Thor himself ripped the elements to his bidding.
Although he's not done there. Hauling Billy to the side, he whirls into a brutal sidekick, a final snap of cerulean sending him flying towards the hopefully reinforced walls at the edge of the arena. "Hah... I've not had my blood pumping that much in too long...!!" In the end, the battle was decided in that single instant. Had Billy diverted the opening hit, Heihachi would have fallen instead. Indeed... a battle ending any other way then a razor's edge is a waste!!

Something certainly tries.

Simply staring hard and wild through the suggestion he be entered in a league for /fighting bears/, Billy Kane is shaking head to toe with an anticipation he hasn't felt in a long time; against Ryu, he was taken to the wire, forced to keep standing when his body screamed no, pouring his all into strike after interminably well-defended strike until he couldn't legitimately do any more. He fell through exhaustion. This is different-- here the stakes are as high as they should be, absolute brutality awaiting the man who fails. He doesn't care about the League, it's one thousandth battle or being the one thousandth victor; hell, he only cares about winning because his drive and his ambition will allow nothing else. It's not about the glory, or the gold.

This is a fight, plain and simple. With the promise of Heihachi's greatest technique, it's all the Syndicate enforcer can do not to simply throw himself toward it with all the reckless abandon that drove him to endure this terrifying middle-aged man's thunderous, thunder-drenched headbutt. Instead, he whips his staff across, lacquered wood momentarily brushing the incoming knuckles before it explodes aside... and indeed, cracks, the wood actually splintering for the first time in recorded history as Kane's much-feared counter is turned aside.

His mouth falls open, but he has no time for words. An instant later his face is consumed by violence.

What ensues puts two thousand other warriors to absolute shame, the assault culminating in a strike of lightning so purely destructive in its ferocity that it defies and betters the efforts of Mother Nature herself. Kane is electrified, his torso seared to a smoking crisp as streaks of chi-bound savagery lance across it, the smell of burning flesh soon reaching those in the crowd still possessing wit enough to watch this contest. Yet the Londoner remains staring too, eyes focused upward as he struggles to breathe, fighting the urge to fall even now, even as he's grabbed and pitched toward the arena wall by a kick that - in any other circumstance - would be noteworthy by itself. He may fight it every way...

But as he does indeed fall, crashing down between stream and sand, the water quite literally boiling with the heat of his broken body as it lands, Billy Kane has to concede; today, Heihachi Mishima was the better man. He has no ability to resist further, can barely lift his head to manage one last, weak grin, blood trickling from one side of his mouth and one eye swollen shut beneath a dishevelled bandanna. Across the roars of the remaining crowd, through clouds of lingering, raw chi energy, he cracks out all the words he can manage.

"Good... fight... you old bastard..."

And then, the former Neo League #1 collapses with a groan and a splash, water continuing to evaporate as he passes out.

COMBATSYS: Heihachi has ended the fight here.

Log created on 10:59:47 07/09/2012 by Billy, and last modified on 09:05:44 07/11/2012.