Description: That's a sight you don't see too often: Mad Gear at the street intersection in Southtown. In the new order, that would result in a dead weeaboo at the bottom of the harbor. But with the chaos unfolding in the underworld, Katana is bold enough to risk it. And the hapless victim of the risk is the famous psionic boxer Zach Glen. But as fists meet steel, the samurai wannabe finds out when risk in involved, the status of victimhood can change on a whim...
Downtown Southtown. 1 AM. The corner of 5th and Hibashi street.
And far from the Southtown Harbor.
The street was not empty, despite this late hour. A gang of seven Americans lurk around the signpost at the intersection. The occassional traveler in the night or the car gives a wide berth to the obvious hoodlums, the punks with their neon jackets and obscene mohawks. And yet, they weren't causing any trouble. Not yet. They were loitering, mutter and smoking. One was even polishing a bottle of sake, wincing at the taste. They didn't know why they were here.
That was only known by their leader.
Standing at the crossroads was the tall, stoic figure of a samurai. Bearing the armor of only the most ancient of Japanese warriors, the man was a figurative titan. Upon his kabuto was the symbol scrawled in crude kanji, meaning either 'death' or possibly 'heart.' The man carries two katanas at his side. His expression was a mystery; only the fixed glower of his fierce mask revealed his innermost thoughts. The infamous Katana, the eccentric but dangerous gangster of Mad Gear, stood at this intersection. Waiting. Watching.
But for what, was a secret known only to him.
Zach Glen may very well be at the wrong place at the wrong time. On his way back from a late night of shopping and checking in on friends, the psion was making his way towards the house he has on the outskirts of town. He was in a bit of a hurry; the town felt... off to him.
Then again, when he thinks back, it felt that way when every villain ever tried to invade Southtown all at the same time. It makes him uncomfortable, and wary. He doesn't make out Katana straight away, but he at least spots the guy. Zach's eyes narrow in concern.
The stoic figure's face turns slowly towards Zach.
The man's eyes were hidden in the depths of the mask. But the fact it was focused on Zach was a warning. The other hoodlums take notice, and begin to finish up their idling. As Zach approaches, the armored figure begins to uncross his arms. A single, long arm begins to rise, as he points towards the psion. And there, the booming voice rumbles.
"YOU!"
The sake bottle shatters as it is hurled to the ground by one of the hoodlums. The men file up behind the Mad Gear gangster, as the samurai continues to point towards Zach. The Samurai was not drawing any weapon yet, but it seemed that his actions had riled up the crowd. It looks like Zach was about to get in trouble. "I KNOW YOU! FROM THE SNF! YOU FOUGHT ME!" The samurai figure holds the finger up, as he pauses.
"HELLO!"
The psion blinks once or twice at Katana. Yeah, there was that. The boxer pulls his shoulders back and stares at the mask. This guy... he's confusing. Hard to read. However, it doesn't take 'psychic intuition' to notice that the dude's got thugs, and is clearly up to no good. You could say Katana has the vibe of someone might be making trouble in the neighborhood.
Carefully keeping his hands loose, he replies in an even tone. "Hello yourself."
It wasn't a stretch to say that was Katana's intentions.
With a smooth gesture, he steps towards Zach, striding with heavy footsteps across the sidewalk. He was a big man, much taller and wider than Zach. How much of this was the armor and how much was simply the man itself was not clear. But Katana was big. Striding towards the boxer, his gang follows. And as he approaches, the man's voice softens.
"You are a fighter!"
Standing a few yards away from Zach, he finally drops his pointing figure. And there, he bows. "I am Katana! You are a foreigner like myself, REGRETABLY." He adds, choking back under his mask. "But that is good! I have come to this part of Glorious Nippon for business! You are familiar to me! This is good! For now I will grant you the greatest offer! I want you to join Mad Gear! But if you refuse..." Katana draws out both of his blades, raising them crossed above his head.
"DO NOT REFUSE!"
"Point of fact," Zach says quietly, "I used to LIVE here." He doesn't mention Wellspring House, the place in Southtown that he still owns. Zach listens, then frowns as Katana levels... a job offer? Zach slides halfway into a fighting stance, his feet sliding into familiar places while his hands stay at his sides. However the air around them betray his intention; a preparation for intense self-defense as they take on a subtle golden glow.
"Yyyyeeeaaah," Zach says evenly, "About that. Already have a job. Takes up pretty much all my time."
"I TOLD YOU NOT TO REFUSE!"
Katana takes a step towards Zach, blades high. "You have OFFEENDED my JAPANESE WAYS! You will be FACING the TRUE POWER of the SAMURAI NOW!" As Katana bellows, the six other gangsters begin to fan out to surround Zach. One flicks out a knife; another, a rather expensive looking handgun. But as they ready themselves to dive on the boxer, a shout erupts.
"STOP!"
The other gangsters hesistate. Katana sweeps a sword towards the nearest punk. "Do not interfere! If I am to recruit a member into our gang, it must be in SINGLE HONORABLE COMBAT! This is the WAY of the SAMURAI! And the SAMURAI must fight with HONOR!" Katana trains his sword back to the boxer. "Now! BRACE YOURSELF! For you will be STRUCK DOWN!" And there, Katana charges at Zach, swords out.
ANd the pair attempts to cross into the man with a viscious slash.
COMBATSYS: Katana has started a fight here.
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Katana 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Zach has joined the fight here.
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Zach 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Katana
COMBATSYS: Zach blocks Katana's Fierce Strike.
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Zach 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Katana
Zach does NOT breathe a sigh of relief when Katana makes it a one-on-one; one does not show that kind of concern in the face of these kinds of then. And then Katana is on him. Zach raises his left hand, clenched in a fist to bring his forearm between himself and the blades. This prevents a quick evisceration, but still draws a gout of blood from the blocking limb.
The psion snarls in pain even as he brings his right fist to his shoulder and fires a vicious right straight at Katana's chest plate, as if to simply smash right through the thing. Golden energy, born from the wellspring that is Zach's soul, clothes the limb in force as it closes!
COMBATSYS: Katana dodges Zach's Straight Punch.
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Zach 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Katana
Katana was dumb.
But he wasn't unexperienced. As the cross slash comes, it is caught with the first punch. But as the second punch comes, the gargantuan samurai twists himself away. The punch comes roaring in, infused with energy. But the Mad Gear gangster's armor proves itself more than just show. Turning away, the punch grazes the chestplate, deflecting the impact. The armor cracks a bit from the blend of energy and impact.
But otherwise, the man seemed unharmed.
Sidestepping the punch, one could still not see the expression under the mask. But from the tone of disgust, one could guess what it could be. "Ugh! BOXING!? You know, Boxing was actually invented by the Japanese. When the Black Ships showed up at opened Japan to the Western World, the English discovered the Boxing Art, and then brought it oversees. Just like Judo! It's a fact, you know!" He scoffs as he whips the blades around. Hacking the pair in unison, he gives a broad unified slash; less disemboweling than the first one, and much more surface wound. He was aiming right for the arms now. Katana had fought in the ring long enough to know.
Blocking swords with arms doesn't work very long.
COMBATSYS: Zach fails to interrupt Medium Strike from Katana with Stopping Jab.
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Zach 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Katana
Actually, it was likely the Greeks, but Katana has never been too keen on things like fact. Or reality. Zach steps in quickly, trying to get inside the range of those swords. They make Katana's reach advantage even more troublesome. The plan is simple: to slow the swings of the swords by simple expedient of fist-to-face.
This does not go nearly as well as Zach would have liked. The swords smash down on Zach's shoulder, cutting deep. The boxer wobbles from the strike. This is going to be ugly, and quickly, if Zach doesn't turn this thing around quickly.
A round of cheers erupt from the gangsters.
The samurai hacks into Zach, his crew rooting for their boss. Katana was hardly agile, but he was fast, and he was aggressive. And with armor like that, he had momentum. Tearing into the boxer's shoulder, his expression is still unknown. But he knew one thing as he looked upon the psionic boxer.
Off-balanced.
Katana has the reach advantage, and an early offensive advantage. And now, he had the opening to seal it down. "THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS!" He bellow as he rushes in. Slashing his blades together in a scissoring manner, he attempts to not only cut into Zach under each of the shoulders, but catch him in place. If successful, he will knock Zach down to the sidewalk. And he will run. He will run down that sidewalk, dragging the boxer on the ground...
Until he begins to smoke and burn.
COMBATSYS: Katana successfully hits Zach with Daikyou Burning.
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Zach 0/-------/-======|==-----\-------\0 Katana
Zach goes for a ride, getting dragged across the pavement for his troubles. Cloth, skin, and a bit of blood decorate the blacktop of the city street. To his credit, Zach doesn't scream. He grits his teeth, and before Katana can back off of him, thrusts both hands forward with a yell.
A golden globe of energy erupts from open palms, aiming to smack Katana off of the psion in a detonation of light and sound!
COMBATSYS: Katana endures Zach's Blast Punch EX.
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Zach 1/-------/=======|=====--\-------\0 Katana
And finally, the ride ends.
Smashing Zach down, the samurai strides high. "HAVE YOU LEARNED!?" He scoffs as Zach. But despite the cheers from his small crowd, the boxer rises up. And with it, he brings POWER. As the armored samurai stands there, recovering from his charge, he sees the blast, and hears the yell.
And he just stands there, taking it.
The armor blows open as the blast knocks him staggering. Body tense, however, Katana simply endures. Striding high, he looks down on the other fighter, swords raised high overhead. As as a body wrap is revealed underneath, he unleashes the overhead strike, attempting to execute the fight.
With Honor.
COMBATSYS: Zach fails to counter Power Strike from Katana with Dynamite Punch.
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Zach 0/-------/----===|======-\-------\0 Katana
Execution may be the order of the day. The swords come down, and Zach... simply plants his feet. He is not going to back down in the face of the gangs that have reached out to try and take Southtown for their own. The Syndicate was bad enough, Mad Gear would make things almost infinitely worse.
Zach drives a punch that is something between a hook and an uppercut at Katana's head. The swords strike home before the fist can connect, driving the psion back down to the pavement. It begins to become a question of just how much punishment Zach can continue to take.
In Zach's defense, nobody expected Sodom on the streets.
As the overhead strike lands solidly, he looks down upon his opponent. And with that, he unleashes a shake of the head. "I am disappointed! When we last fought, I was impressed with your technique! But now, you are acting all clumsy and... not as good. Are you sick? Do you have a flu?" In some cases, that might be considered mockery. But the samurai's tone was clear.
He was actually kind of worried.
As he whips his swords around again, he lowers them down, attempting to catch Zach by the armpits. If he is successful, he will lift him straight up. And in an act of compassion, the samurai will bound high into the air, and with a flip, slam him straight down with the blades.
For extreme pain.
And compassion.
COMBATSYS: Zach dodges Katana's Butsumetsu Buster.
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Zach 0/-------/----===|======-\-------\0 Katana
Zach slips to the giant's right side, bringing his left fist low as he reaches for that inner spark. The fire that lies within his own soul. It burns, just a bit, as Zach entwines the energie around that fist.
Once again, he plants his feet, and drives that fist with the force of a hydraulic piston into Katana's liver in an attempt to wind the larger man!
COMBATSYS: Zach successfully hits Katana with Liver Blow.
- Power hit! -
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Zach 0/-------/---====|=======\=------\1 Katana
That was a surprise.
As if his words only served to drive Zach harder, the boxer broke from the grapple, evading it completely. As he dipped into his flanks, he takes the blistering hit hard, right into the hole in his armor that was opened before. A sickening groan comes from the man as he stumbles, the wind knocked clean out.
And a single sword falls from his hands.
The groans continues as he suddenly surges back up. The single sword swings fiercely, violently, angrily. "How dare you!" He says instead of roars, somewhat winded. But that what he does. Regains that wind. Forcing off the weakness, he resolves himself, rejuvenates. And with only one sword on hand, and the other on the ground, he thrusts the blade swiftly, attempting to drive back the boxer.
Before he gets too much momentum back.
COMBATSYS: Zach interrupts Medium Strike from Katana with Gazelle Punch.
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Zach 0/-------/--=====|=======\====---\1 Katana
Zach doesn't let the first punch go alone; he is moving almost as soon as Katana starts his movement by dropping into a near crouch. The left fist chambers as Zach reaches once more for that spark of energy that burns within him, creating another gauntlet of Soul Power.
The thrust comes in, grazing Zach's shoulder even as he explodes out of the crouch and leaps towards Katana's jaw, driving a massive uppercut at the gang member's jaw. Zach is covered in scrapes and cuts, blood soaking the tatters of his shirt black. Apparently, however, he is not yet down.
"IM-IM-IMPOSSIBLE!"
Such was the cry as the thrust of the blade is interrupted. Katana drew blood, there was no doubt of that. But a grazing on the shoulder was not worth the energy-infused smash that hammers into Katana's jaw. The samurai gangsters flounders back, stumbling wildly. There is a flash of skin from the mask, as the sword fell from his hand.
He was, at least, a man.
Now Katana was unarmed. He had lost both swords. And now, he was in trouble. But despite the waves of energy lashing out at his body, the remains still burning across his armor, he just wasn't slowing down. Blindly, he charges at Zach. Rushing swiftly towards the boxer, he attempts to simply knock him down. Should he be successful, he won't capitalize on the aftermath. But simply run back over.
And pick up his swords again.
COMBATSYS: Zach dodges Katana's Medium Throw.
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Zach 0/-------/--=====|=======\====---\1 Katana
Zach slips to one side, letting Katana simply run by. He wants to press the advantage, but he's starting to feel the strain of the fight as well as the blood loss. He watches, keeping level eyes on Katana while maintaining a fighting stance while reaching for still more of the energy that flows through him.
He's also mentally smacking himself upside the head; had he learned NOTHING from the last time he mixed it up with this guy?
COMBATSYS: Zach gathers his will.
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Zach 1/------=/=======|=======\====---\1 Katana
On one hand, he doesn't knock Zach away.
On the other?
He gets his swords back.
Clumsily, Katana scoops up his... katanas, and raises them up high, he takes in a long, deep breath. He was... tired. Zach's psionic pummeling came too fast, too furious. The assault had thrown him well off balanced in the end, and that nearly consumed him. But he had his swords back. And as Zach begins to burn with energy.
A glimpse of red light flickers in the depths of the samurai mask.
Katana surges in at blazing speeds, with roaring power. Anger ran through him. "THIS ENDS NOW, AMERICAN!" He bellows as he rumbles in like a freight train. Slicing his blades through the air in a cross pattern, he attempts to not only drive them into Zach, but keep a grip on him as he traps him. And if successful?
He will slam him over and over again into the ground.
COMBATSYS: Zach blocks Katana's Ten Chuu Satsu.
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Zach 1/---====/=======|=------\-------\0 Katana
Zach knows he has one shot at this. He braces up, stopping the blades between crossed fists. Unfortunately, this still works to Katana's favor, since there is enough of a grip that Zach goes up. And down. And up. And down again. The world swims before Zach's vision as he staggers away briefly.
Soul Power surges into Zach's right hand, wrapping around the hand even as he gives it an odd twist. He looks at Katana coldly. "Well, you're right about that," he admits.
The energy, still spinning, distends into a drill-like shape as Zach charges at the larger man. Once in range, he fires a heavy right straight, corkscrewing the punch to add still more torque to the punch aimed directly at the center of Katana's chest!
COMBATSYS: Zach successfully hits Katana with Heartbreak Shot.
- Power hit! -
[ \\\\\ < > /// ]
Zach 0/-------/-------|=======\-------\0 Katana
Zach was caught.
But he wasn't finished.
Katana just slams him over and over again, the gangsters wincing in pain at the onslaught. But despite the ruthless assault, Zach was not waning. He was not finished. He manages to blunt the main portion of the offense, and let it grow within. As the boxer builds in energy, Zach could see, in the light, a pair of eyes go wide in terror from behind the mask.
And Zach makes the shot.
And he scores.
There is a loud groan as Katana takes the blow right into the chest. The armor shatters as the swords clatter on the ground. Katana is sent flying backwards, slamming right into the gangsters. Katana lands firmly into the heap of men. He writhes a bit, but as the gangsters begin to recover, there is a faint moan from the samurai, clearly admitting his defeat. "Well done..."
"... Are you sure you don't want to join us?"
COMBATSYS: Katana takes no action.
[ \\\\\ <
Zach 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Katana can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\ <
Zach 0/-------/-------|
"Positive," Zach says as he finally pulls his fist back from the punch. "Take your guys, and get the hell out of this city." He forces himself to stay standing, to not shake, in front of the gang members. He's worn out enough that they might get ideas.
He takes a deep breath, and keeps his eyes open.
There is a pause, a silence.
And Katana lowers his head back down.
"Damn."
The gangsters scramble to defend their leader. Two begin to drag him away, while the other four stand in front, arms crossed, knife and guns out, looking about as intimidating as they can muster in the face of Zach. This was enemy territory. Zach was the enemy. And now, if Zach wanted to take a shot at the downed Samurai?
They were daring him too, at this point.
Zach doesn't say anything, simply bringing both hands up to point not at Katana but at the two thugs. He curls his ring and pinky fingers, keeping the middle and index fingers pointing at them like guns.
"Leave," Zach says as his hands take on a warm, golden glow. "Now."
The gangsters hold there ground, for just a moment.
And as Katana is dragged away, the punks begin to peel off. Three stand before Zach. Two. Then finally one. He looks into the psionic boxer's eyes. He looked tough. But ap ang of terror laid underneath him. He was afraid of Zach. And now, he was alone, as the gangsters flee with their boss.
And then, there was none that stood before Zach.
Zach lowers his arms, and drops to his knees. for a long moment. He stares after the gangers for a long moment before dragging himself to his feet and starts moving himself to an emergency room. It looks like things are going to be rough for Southtown in the coming months.
COMBATSYS: Zach has ended the fight here.
Log created on 22:06:23 07/17/2013 by Katana, and last modified on 22:13:27 07/21/2013.