Description: Two of Ryu's greatst rivals have been seeded each other in the Gaia Tournament, but as an eerie fog rolls in across the frozen river where their arena is moored, it quickly becomes clear that they aren't the /only/ ones interested in seeing which of the two men is the strongest. (Winner: DKO)
"Ugh. This place smells."
Ken Masters, the United States Martial Arts Champion, Father and Ultimate Rival to the World Warrior known as Ryu is standing on the fishing vessel and looking around as if there could've been a so much cooler place to fight. Of course, anywhere in the United States would be a cooler place to fight. He's got just a little bit of patriotism in his soul right now and the glance around the vessel is what proves to be the final straw. Because he's immediately shifting all attention to his phone. Which doesn't have any bars. "Seriously, Thailand? Seriously?" The huff of bored frustration is enough to have Ken scrolling through his pictures of Mel and Eliza, his attention turning to something a bit more positive whilst he awaits the arrival of his opponent.
"I shoulda' brought my fishing gear." Ken stares down at himself on the phone, almost as if he's about to take a selfie. He stops though and just shakes his head. "I can't even lie to myself. I don't even know what fishing gear is." Pause. "And I ain't touching nobody's worms. Unless they Gummi." Pause again. "... and even then, only the orange and white ones." He's going to keep rambling, probably.
"You're an idiot, Masters."
Sagat is approaching the wealthy warrior from the other side of the vessel, having climbed aboard after a hike from the shore to the vessel. The promoters offered him a ride to the arena; he declined, wishing to suffer alongside the country that nurtured him before fighting in its name. Despite this, his attire is still limited to his usual Muay Thai shorts and tape, accessorized by glaring.
In all honesty, Sagat would have taken this match no matter /who/ his opponent was, but he was pleased to have ended up with Ken; despite appearances, he's a fierce competitor. Testing himself against a man of his measure - one who wields the same style as his greatest rival no less - makes for a much better homecoming than battering some helpless weakling. And on top of all that...
SOME TIME AGO
Clad in a loud and open Tommy Bahama shirt, loose shorts, and sandals, a vacationing Sagat freezes when his beach-side walk is interrupted by snickers not five feet behind himself. His eye narrows to a hateful point as he turns to scan for its source, only to see a familiar mop of blonde hair and an infuriating smile.
NOW... he still owes Ken one for ruining his weekend in Miami.
"Instead of dreaming of fish you could never have caught," he continues, tree-like arms folding over the scar etched across his chest, "you should be focused on what's before you."
It is the moment that he hears some of the ice crackle under Sagat's weight does Ken Masters stop his bored crouching and rise fully to his feet. He spins his phone in his fingers and takes to tucking it behind the black belt that he's wearing with his usual outfit. His feet are less cold because he took one of the Masters Hurricane Helicopters here and got dropped off. After all, fighting on a fishing vessel makes it easier for Ken to whoop up on Sagat without some random family member jumping in it or something. He don't trust fighting Sagat in Thailand.
"Sooooo. No Red Lobster after I kick your ass?" Ken asks, reaching up to run a hand through his hair and he cracks a big ol' smile because it is always great fun to get on Sagat's nerves. Messing with the mind of the man that thinks he's Ryu's One True Rival Even Though It Is Epically Clear That Role Belongs To Ken. He stretches his arms and his neck for the moment, keeping a close eye on Sagat as he gets himself situated and into preparation stance. Which comes just before the fighting stance. Which comes before victory.
COMBATSYS: Ken has started a fight here.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Ken 0/-------/------=|
COMBATSYS: Sagat has joined the fight here.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Ken 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Sagat
There's a toss of Ken's hair as joints crack and he tugs on his belt. Another moment and he's bringing those hands up to run through his hair, because his hair is just awesome enough to do many things. When all the hair showing off is said and done, because Sagat is bald, Ken Masters plants his feet and bops on his heels, his hands coming up to hang loose in front of him with a rare moment of focused energy, the controlled Kenneth flexes his sparring gloved fingers as he prepares for what is sure to be war.
"You ready for this, Cyclops?"
Sagat has little family and fewer friends in Thailand; even if that weren't true, he probably wouldn't need the help.
And even if he /did/, the odds of him seeking it would be slim to none; win or lose, he'd rather do it on his own, especially here, especially now.
"Is this your way of unbalancing me?" the Emperor of Muay Thai wonders with an arched brow and a slight tilt of his head. "Oh, Ken." His voice takes on a chiding edge. "Stop wasting your breath, your energy--you're going to need every bit of it to stand a chance of living up to your other half." His arms remain crossed over his chest, and his feet don't move an inch; this is, it would seem, as ready as he cares to get for his opponent
Ken is in the middle of making sure that laughter is on the menu for the next moment, before he immediately bounces right out of that fighting stance and into a quick rush of movement that has him practically sliding across the deck of the fishing vessel as he moves with punctuated and rehearsed style and skill. There's nothing but a huge smile on his face as he moves to see if he can't haul off with strong and quick hands, aiming a serious display of violence and talent as he goes for an introductory sucker punch of stylistic proportions.
COMBATSYS: Sagat endures Ken's Jab Punch.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////// ]
Ken 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Sagat
Sagat maintains his imperious posture as Ken rushes him, observing his foe's enthusiastic approach with a stony glare. If it /weren't/ for him paying such close attention to the millionaire, he probably wouldn't have noticed the punch until he'd already been struck; as it is, he spots it just in time to give himself a few fractions of a second to react, and /that's/ when he finally makes a move.
Towards Ken--towards the punch. Not only does he not block it, he throws his arms wide, allowing Ken's fist to slam into his chin hard enough to to make his teeth clack together. As soon as his feet touch the ground from the brisk step forward he took to meet Masters' attack, he hunches his hulking body low for a moment then lunging forward in an attempt at snatching the other man by his luxurious blonde mane, a cruel and tight smile stretched across his features. If he succeeds, knee after punishing knee will be driven into the other man's body until he wriggles free.
Successful or not, the sky above the ship begins to darken as the Emperor makes his move and banks of fog begin to roll across the frozen river. A chorus of wails emanate from just beyond the edges of the fog, like a medley of every sad song either man as ever heard.
COMBATSYS: Sagat successfully hits Ken with Tiger Rage.
- Power hit! -
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////////// ]
Ken 0/-------/---====|==-----\-------\0 Sagat
There's a cocky smirk that creeps onto Ken's face as he manages to connect his fist to the chin of Sagat. However, that smirk fades quite quickly, though, as the sudden explosion of movement has him getting yanked up by the hair and his face slammed painfully into the strong knee of Sagat. Somewhere in the midst of this, Ken finds himself stumbling backwards as his face begins to leak blood.
Ken doesn't seem to miss a beat, though, as he spins towards Sagat and reaches out to try and grab hold of him, before he drops backwards to get some rolling style and justice going as he attempts to send Sagat for a loop and maybe even a one way trip for a crate of fish.
Even though he's fighting for his honor right now, his eyes cut over toward the side of the fishing boat, almost as if there's something out there. He can feel it. Weird.
COMBATSYS: Sagat blocks Ken's Jigoku-guruma.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////////// ]
Ken 0/-------/--=====|==-----\-------\0 Sagat
"Are you still craving worms?" a smirking Sagat wonders, sinking into a proper fighting stance as Ken stumbles away. Fists up. knees bent and ready to be weaponized; he softly exhales as he settles into the familiar posture and takes a slow, sliding step towards the millionaire's right. "If only the river were still flowing; who knows what you could have drawn to yourself by leaning overboard for a little while." The towering Thai briskly tosses his head to either side, and each jerk sounds like a burst of automatic weapons fire going off.
The fog stops a few feet shy of actually touching the boat, forming gloomy, gauzy walls around the two men. Sagat looks just past Ken to squint at the encroaching banks briefly, and by the time he's focused on his opponent again, well--Ken is /grabbing/ him. The next thing he knows, they're rolling together along the ground, and he can't quite manage a good hit on Ken, much less find the leverage to pry himself free; the best he can do is try to assert some control over his own momentum when Ken releases him, leaving him in a three-point stance a couple of feet in front of the crate Ken was aiming for instead of splayed out in its remnants. His back and shoulders are aching after the rough trip across the deck, but he'll take a sore body over one covered in fish.
After taking a second to collect himself, Sagat drops to both knees, takes in a lungful of unseasonably chilly air and fishy aromas, then thrusts both fists forward with a mighty roar of, "Tiger!" Orange chi arcs across his chest and down the length of his arms as they move, coalescing before his hands for just a moment before exploding into a furious ball that races towards Ken. Rather than watch to see whether or not it connects - or even stand - the Emperor immediately turns his attention back to their surroundings. Now that the fog is /right there/, the wails are getting louder--and faces are beginning to emerge from its depths. Old and young, male and female, scarred and unblemished--the only common thread between them is that they spent their lives in combat; whether or not any given one of them is familiar, the curiosity gleaming in some of their eyes and the naked jealousy in others as the two men make war makes identifying them as former warriors easy enough.
COMBATSYS: Ken just-defends Sagat's Low Tiger Shot!
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Ken 0/-------/--=====|==-----\-------\0 Sagat
Ken is back on his feet and backpedaling with the quickness after that rolling throw that he was attempting to use to get Sagat into a position where he could be trounced with relative ease. He frowns slightly as Sagat manages to make it work for him and his eyes narrow. He's not exactly loving the fact that Sagat didn't smash into the crate and make with the fishiness. But now there's space between them and maybe Ken can use that to his advantage somehow. But first, a response to those words from his opponent.
"Dude." Ken actually comes out of all semblance of a fighting stance to plant one hand on his hip and just kinda' shakes his head at Sagat. "Worst. Witty Banter. Ever." He rolls his eyes and gives a dismissive wave of his hand. What the hell, Sagat. What the hell.
It isn't until he's in the middle of dismissive waving does he catch sight of Sagat's movements and he reads them so easily. And quickly. There's just a hair of a moment where his eyes go wide and then that chi is sailing towards him. He closes his eyes and leans back, dropping low into a slightly pelvic thrusted crouch that has one of his muscled arms coming up to see if it can't put a barrier between himself and that blast of chi energy sailing in his direction. Maybe the power of style is what keeps him from getting Tiger blasted to hell and back, because when his eyes open, the chi has dissipated and he's okay. Ken just smiles. "Fool! Let me show you how it's done!"His eyes almost glow as he rises to his feet, his hands pulling back to the side of him. As they do, he catches sight of the weird and ghostly images that are peering from the frozen sidelines. He can see himself in each pair of tired eyes that are watching him go toe to toe with this other warrior. For a moment, the gathering of chi stutters, for even just the briefest of seconds, as Ken Masters almost doesn't want to continue. His fingers loosen up as he can feel the gaze of dozens of former fighters upon him and his mind immediately wanders to his family. As if they were here, right now, next to him. Making him choose. He frowns just slightly.
But then, the moment is passed and Ken's chi energy crackles between those hands and he steps forward, hands thrusting towards Sagat with a vocal, "Hadouken!" and the crystal blue fireball of epic chi is hurled across the fishing boat!
COMBATSYS: Sagat blocks Ken's Hadouken.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Ken 0/-------/---====|===----\-------\0 Sagat
Sagat's arms fall after his chi bullet is loosed, and they don't come up again. For that matter, neither does he; he's too engaged in watching the figures appearing in the spectral audience to bother. Plenty are unfamiliar to him, or known only by reputation; there are, however, a few faces that he remembers staring at from across a ring, or down upon in the sanctity of his dojo. Being surrounded by countless reminders of the one fate he can never hope to avert is unsettling enough, but the first time he meets the gaze of a former student, his shoulders sag.
Kiet had plenty of heart and a deep love for Muay Thai; what he lacked was coordination. He came to Sagat's school decades ago, eager to one day be like the legends he'd grown up following; he lasted all of a week before being cast out to find a /new/ dream to chase. The Emperor didn't think any more about Kiet than he did any other failed student, but seeing him now with his eternally crooked nose and broken jaw - signs that he's perhaps chosen to continue pursuing stardom instead of quitting - it's all he can do not to bellow an apology.
For what, he isn't quite sure; not being good enough--no--/patient/ enough to guide his student to success, perhaps.
He refocuses on Ken a split-second before the millionaire's cry and instinctively throws both arms up in front of his face without leaving his knees. The all too familiar burning of chi washing over his flesh helps to draw him out of his head and ground him in the fight, but he still has to resist the urge to check over his shoulder as the fireball dissipates to see who else may be watching. As soon as it's safe to, he'll drop his arms with a growl of, "Consider saving your critique for a more appropriate time," and then spring back to his feet to charge across the deck. He has no intentions of stopping until he's close enough to lash out at Masters' already bloodied face with a scything elbow strike.
"When you're in traction and have nothing /else/ to occupy you, for example."
COMBATSYS: Ken blocks Sagat's Medium Punch.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Ken 0/-------/---====|===----\-------\0 Sagat
Slow motion seems to kick in as Ken Masters, in all of his bloody faced glory, sees Sagat rushing towards him. But there's much more going through his mind at the moment, as he looks around himself to see so many faces of on-looking warriors from the past. As he looks around, he spots more and more faces popping up, staring at him. Some of them seem to be cheering him on, others seem to be cheering on his opponent and there are others that look as though they wish they had never began to walk down the road that has put them where they are right now. And each time he blinks, it seems like the numbers double. The rate at which Fighters, people just like Ken, seem to be fading from reality to surreality is unreal and immeasurable.
Then he locks eyes with himself. Or what may potentially be himself. Whether this is in his head or real, it is hard to figure out. But the image is only there for a moment, enough to make Ken step backwards, before a Punch of Medium Flavor pushes through the imaginary Masters and clears Ken's mind. He blinks and brings an arm up to take that punch and shove it. Ken grits his teeth at the connection of fist to his forearm, but the pain is worth it. Just so he can smile at Sagat while up close and personal.
"Aw! Patches! You missed me!" He makes an asinine kissy-face at Sagat, before he pushes backwards, sliding one his back leg just to put some space between them, before he just steps back forwards, closing the space and brings his leg up and down to see if he can't put a little ShotoStank on Sagat with his patented axe kick!
COMBATSYS: Sagat blocks Ken's Inazuma Kakato Wari.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Ken 0/-------/--=====|====---\-------\0 Sagat
"Hnngh--!" Sagat grunts as Ken's falling leg meets his forearm. The older man grimaces as he fights to push through yet another hard blow to his already tenderized extremities, and after shoving Ken's leg away from himself and hopping back a step, he takes a moment to shake out his right arm before reassuming his stance with a hard-eyed frown.
"You're making a mockery of your training," he hisses as he takes another small step away from Ken. "How it must burn to know that you'll never--"
Even though he's addressing his opponent, his eye is eventually drawn to the spirits reclining in the mists behind him, whispering amongst themselves and pointing at him.
"--amount to half..." his attempts to continue his taunting lecture trail off into nothingness as ethereal snickers reach his ears. After a moment, his fists begin to unclench and lower, with his right hand ending up on the gnarled flesh of his chest. Who is he to judge /anyone's/ lack of focus when so many of his twilight years were wasted on vengeance?
Ken isn't forgotten as his fingers trace the hardest lesson he's ever learned, but most of his attention drifts towards contemplating the twisted, confused legacy he'll leave behind--all thanks to, of all people, Ken's sparring partner; in a year, or two, or five, ten, fifty - whenever he's gone and it's /his/ turn to watch the living chase their dreams - will he be remembered as the tough, but fair Emperor who gave a nation an example to live up to, or the thug-King too obsessed with chasing the past to live for his future?
COMBATSYS: Sagat gathers his will.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Ken 0/-------/--=====|=======\-------\0 Sagat
Ken Masters just continues to stand there. Which happens to be the best thing that can be happening right now because he's catching a breath. Taking a breather. That kind of thing. It is, of course, the best thing to do when fighting someone like Sagat. It's always better to take a few moments when dealing with such a dangerous fighter to make sure that you don't end up dead.
In the midst of, well, simply standing there, Ken Masters realizes something. He catches himself pulling his eyes away from Sagat as he realizes that he's still being watched. Watched by those that are already gone. His attention span is short with Sagat as he peers in the direction of those souls that are awaiting their their journey towards... wherever they are headed. He's staring at a teenager at this moment. Someone that can't be no older than about thirteen or fourteen. His eyes soften as he locks eyes with the spirit, ghost, whatever it is. And then, for just a moment, he sees Mel's face where the other's is. His son. In all of his glory. Standing there and looking at him with all the disappointment that he can muster.
He's let his son down. He's died, in battle, in a street fight and now Mel doesn't have anyone to teach him, anything. To show him what is most important in life. To show him that he doesn't have to fight just because his father did. He doesn't have to fight because it's fun. He doesn't have to fight because it is in his blood.
He just doesn't have to fight.
The feeling of dread that pours over Ken Masters is enough to cause another blink, which makes Mel's face disappear and the original spirit's face returns. Ken's vision is a bit cloudy from the water that seems to be welling up in his eyes. And that's when he realizes that he will not and can not leave this Earth. Not without seeing his son one more time. One last time. To tell him that there doesn't need to be a Legacy of Ken Masters. To tell him that he only needs to worry about the Legacy of Mel Masters.
And with his eyes closed, Ken composes himself, his feet digging into the deck of this fishing vessel. Now? Now it's time to fight. Cue the signature smirk and background music change.
COMBATSYS: Ken gains composure.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Ken 0/-------/----===|=======\-------\0 Sagat
Subdued amber chi warps the air around Sagat as it pours from his chest, exaggerating his already towering frame to funhouse proportions if glimpsed from the right angle: bulk and muscle seem to fade, leaving him a gnarled, spent, and spindly thing better fit for casting gloomy shadows than looming imperiously over future generations. His eye is glued firmly to the audience, now, but he has moved on from the snickering ghosts to pan across the rest of the crowd; somewhere in the back of his mind, he's grateful that Ken has yet to capitalize on his vulnerability, but he's so fixated on the audience that the thought of actually putting his guard up still doesn't occur to him.
What would it /really/ matter, anyway, if Ken were to hit him? He lost /everything/ to one sucker punch; what's one more indig--
--no--
--not a sucker punch--not a fluke, an accident, or anything but a mistake made by a cocky veteran and capitalized on by a hungry upstart. The Invincible Tiger lets out a slow, shaking breath that lingers in the air for all of a split-second before evaporating amidst his building chi. A growl rumbles in his throat, and as he gives himself a firm, bracing slap to the cheek, his eye wanders to the face of another watcher emerging from the fog--and unlike his former student, he immediately recognizes the old ghost as the man he dethroned to become the Emperor of Muay Thai. Or, more correctly, he recognizes the droopy eye, awkward posture, missing teeth--all of the remnants from his annual efforts to reclaim his throne from Sagat.
For the first time since stepping foot onto the frozen river, a shiver passes through the towering Thai's body; how close had he come to sinking into the same pits of ignorant, irrelevant futility as his predecessor?
"I /deny/ you," he says just loudly enough to be heard by his competitor and the ghosts surrounding them. The hand tracing his scar snaps into a fist, and then he surges across the vessel; the chi surrounding his body doesn't quite fade, but it's little more than a crackle across his muscles as he closes in on Ken. When he's close enough, he draws his right fist back to warn his foe that another punch is coming--only to twist his hips into a vicious roundhouse aimed at the other man's side.
COMBATSYS: Ken instinctively dodges Sagat's Fierce Kick.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Ken 0/-------/---====|======-\-------\0 Sagat
There's a chance that Ken Masters is still not paying attention. However, there's some kind of smirk that continues to creep onto his face the entire time that he's staring into the various abyssal voids that are the eyes of the spirits that surround this vessel as if they had nothing more to do than watch Ken do battle with Sagat. It was a journey that Ken knew he would have to focus on but he's constantly being distracted by the arrival of more and more incorporeal bodies that are appearing one after another.
It takes a moment for him to realize he's being eclipsed by the gigantic shadow of Sagat and he only has time to move. He doesn't think. He doesn't breathe. He doesn't even blink. His body just moves in a sidestep to put some space between himself and the foot of the Sagat, because he definitely doesn't want to feel the pain that comes from the connection of such things with his body. Because, y'know, Sagat's feet hurt.
Ken's movements don't stop until he drops all the way down to a crouch, his body still moving, spinning and balancing on his heels as he spins in and towards Sagat. There's a smile that creeps into his lips as he pauses just long enough to wink in the direction of one of those spirits. With only a half-second of hesitation, Ken starts the journey towards Sagat's chin with a slight ablazement of chi wrapped around his fist. His journey simply punctuated by the sound of Ken's voice as he arcs upwards with a move that Sagat should be all too familiar with: "Shoryuken!"
COMBATSYS: Sagat interrupts Shoryuken from Ken with Tiger Uppercut.
*KNOCKED AWAY*
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Ken 1/-------/=======|=======\-------\1 Sagat
The chi fades from Sagat's body as his leg sails through the air, and as soon as his foot hits the ground, he brings both fists up, hunches low, and shuffles towards Ken, intent on occupying as much of the smaller man's space as he can. All he needs is another good hit to turn the fight firmly in his favor; he can /feel/ it, just as surely as he feels the judgement of dozens of unfeeling eyes upon him. As surely as he feels the nagging injuries and regrets of more wasted years than he cares to remember; he just needs to--
--watch Ken sink into the posture that haunted his dreams for years, apparently; as soon as Sagat sees the millionaire spinning lower and setting his fist just so, he knows what's coming. His mouth goes suddenly and uncomfortably dry, and he has to silence the small part of himself that wants to cover up and retreat as far from Ken as he can before it happens. He survived it once--
'Shoryuken!'
--and if it means clawing out a victory in the name of his homeland, he can do it again. Ken's flaming fist catches him right in the midsection, and for a terrible, incendiary moment, memories of the World Warrior tournament flood his mind. Unlike then, though, this time he has the strength and presence of mind to spare himself the worst of it by bringing his arms up just in time to catch the fist with his forearms instead of his chin; there's still a painful, burning trail going up most of his chest, but that's far better than the alternative.
"Finally!" he roars, disengaging from Ken with a backwards leap. "/There/ is the man that I came to meet--someone /worthy/ of the eyes upon us!" Sagat charges right back in as soon as he hits the ground; this should, by now, be familiar to Ken, as should the way he drops his hulking frame to a near crouch after stepping back into the blonde's perimeter. Probably because--
"Tiger--UPPERCUT!"
--he's decided to retaliate in kind. He explodes from his bunched position, fist extended towards Ken's chin like the destructive tip of a seven foot foot missile.
Pain. It is something that Ken Masters has experienced many times over. And this time is no different than any of the other times that he has managed to experience pain. However, the moment that Sagat's fist touches his chin, his entire body is wrecked with the pain of the move that he knows all to well. A move that he refuses to speak of by name, even within his own mind. It has, at this point, come to be known as simply: Ow! And even that is an understatement to be heard in glorious retrospect.
Ken's body is taken higher into the air from the violent tactics of Sagat and he's in the air long enough to realize that the fight is truly starting to get interesting. His body doesn't come down for a short while, but when it does, gravity yanks him down and right into an enormous crate of fish. This is where he lies for just a short bit before he's groaning and shoving to get himself out of the mass of fish. Water pours out all over the deck and he steps out of pile of fish, already looking more and more like he's on the losing end of this fight.
He is. But that's got to change.
A stumble or two more and he's planting his feet on as much of the dry vessel as possible. Energy crackles between his hands as he's at a considerable distance this moment and he decides it is clearly time to try and keep Sagat at a safe distance. The mouthful of blood from such vicious uppercutting almost keeps him from being able to form the words that come with the explosion of chi energy that is displaced from his hands as he thrusts his palms out towards Sagat, "Hadouken!"
COMBATSYS: Sagat just-defends Ken's Hadouken!
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Ken 0/-------/-======|=======\-------\1 Sagat
Sagat spends his unexpected break watching, waiting, and staying warm with intermittent jabs and knee strikes aimed at an invisible opponent. If anything, Ken seemed to have been getting /stronger/ before that blow landed; he's reasonably sure of his ability to outlast his foe - especially /now/ - but he knows that he still has a ways to go before he can claim victory. When he isn't checking the skies to track Ken's trajectory, he's scanning the audience; once or twice, when his eye passes over a particularly smug or angry spirit, his lips curl tauntingly and he makes sure to throw strikes in their direction.
When Ken finally falls, the Invincible Tiger whirls towards the crash and begins stalking towards the crate. "Get up!" he roars along the way with an upward sweep of his arms. He has every intention of dragging Ken to his feet if this form of encouragement doesn't work, but the wealthy warrior fortuitously manages to make it up to his feet while there's still half a vessel between the two men. "There--Good--"
Whatever else he may have meant to say is interrupted by a burst of chi; his movement, however, remains unabated. In fact, he actually begins to move /faster/, sprinting the rest of the distance between himself and Ken and ducking his head behind his arms for a measure of cover. When he meets the projectile, he slows, he growls, but ultimately manages to force his way through, throwing his arms out to either side of his body as the burning blue ball of chi reforms behind him; smoke trails from his upper body and a number of black marks mar it, but he seems unharmed otherwise. After a couple steps more, he tries to slam his fists together in front of him with Ken's head poised to be the meat in what is sure to be a very unfortunate sandwich.
COMBATSYS: Ken blocks Sagat's Strong Punch.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Ken 0/-------/=======|=======\-------\1 Sagat
Ken is trying to get back in equal footing with his opponent at this moment, since he seems to have taken a pretty powerful and painful attack that has his head swimming. He's already still dealing with a bloody face (for multiple reasons) and now he's having to try and deal with what might be a mild concussion because Sagat hits like a mack truck going 200 miles an hour. Downhill. He has just enough time to spit out some blood before he catches Sagat rushing him. And that's not good. Not good at all.
"You only get one, Baldy." Ken remarks as he awaits those hands to come at his head. His arms go up and he manages to get those forearms in the way of Sagat's fists, taking the brunt of the insanely strong punch on his arms. He still winces, though, as there's a sting of pain that comes with it. Sagat is no weakling, that's for sure. And Ken definitely understands, first hand, just how painful those fists can be. Still, though, his spirit cannot be crushed as he spreads his arms just enough to have enough room to wink at Sagat.
That's a cue to more movement as he pushes backwards for a step, twisting on his heel and throwing himself into the air. One leg tucks and the other extends as he aims to connect with Sagat's skull, his body twisting in the air as he attempts to smack his opponent silly with a reverse roundhouse kick of stylish sorts. Ken Masters always has to put a little stank on it.
COMBATSYS: Sagat endures Ken's Ushiro Mawashi-geri.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Ken 1/-------/=======|=======\=------\1 Sagat
Sagat is struck hard enough to snap his head around--hard enough bring a spray of blood from his nose and send him staggering backwards a step. His eye is wide wide in the moment of impact and the ones that follow, but once he has a chance to stabilize himself and touch his fingers to his nostrils, a savage smile begins to spread across his features; a little bit of trickling blood gradually makes its way onto, then past his lips, but he doesn't seem to mind very much.
"Oh?" he replies, tilting his head just far enough to infuriate. "Then the second must have been free; much obliged." He shakes his hand out as he speaks, casting flecks of blood to the deck; by the time he's done, he is able to punctuate his gratitude by dropping back a step for distance, then /hurling/ himself at Ken with his right knee bent and angled towards the other man's chest.
COMBATSYS: Ken instinctively dodges Sagat's Tiger Crush.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Ken 1/------=/=======|=======\-------\1 Sagat
Ken's eyes are focused as attempts to keep himself upright and such, attempting to look as though he hasn't had his face bashed in from various angles. He doesn't need to prepare witty banter this time around as the moment he sees Sagat lifting from the ground, he's already moving towards him to bend backwards and slide underneath such attempts of Tiger Crushing. He even smiles as he does this, his confidence unwavering.
Ken is spinning around the moment he's clear and leaping back into the air. He's not about to let Sagat continue to keep the upperhand in this battle. His actions speak for him this time as he simply attempts to put plant his heel in the side of Sagat's face, his entire body arcing with the kick as he aims to silence Sagat's banter. It lacks wit and therefore it must be destroyed.
COMBATSYS: Sagat fails to interrupt Ryusen Kyaku from Ken with Tiger Shot.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Ken 1/-----==/=======|=======\-------\1 Sagat
As he skids to a stop on the other side of where Ken was, Sagat locks eyes with a smirking old fighter just overboard. The time it takes to scowl at the disrespectful ghost is enough for Ken to take flight behind him, and by the time he turns to face his opponent once more, all he sees is a foot rushing inexorably towards him. The Emperor draws his arms back and sucks in a deep breath in a last minute effort to summon up a scintillating Ken-repellant, but befofe he's even able to bring his shoulders all the way back, the millionaire's heel cracks across his face, forcing him to stumble backwards, then down to a knee.
"Hrggrh--!" he grunts, catching himself with a fist against the deck. His jaw is already beginning to swell, and once that involuntary noise comes out, he has to spit out a mouthful of blood. A slight tremor rocks the deck around them when he pounds the freshly spattered spot with his fist afterwards, and then he pushes himself back up to his feet and brings his hands up, ready to meet whatever other surprises his foe might have in store.
So here's the thing. Ken Masters is not about to just let an opening on Sagat like that roam free. He's stepping backwards and bouncing on his heels for a little bit, bringing his hands up and pumping those sparring gloved fists for a second, even doing a little bit of shadowboxing. After all, it's just a little bit of physical taunting to make sure that he can put some more of that stylish flair of his on this fight. He might as well show off for the spirits that are watching.
"Time to take you for a ride, Patches!" And that's the spark that has Ken Masters up into the air and twirling in the general direction of Sagat, his leg extended and he's launching forth with a vocal statement of, "Tatsumaki Senpuu Kyaku!" And here comes one of those signature Hurricane Kicks!
Each kick that comes in Sagat's direction is batted away with a sharp sweep of his arms; getting kicked in the wrists and forearms over and over is only a mild improvement over being hit in the face, but as long the blood is streaming from his nose, he'll accept it. He steps back with the first few revolutions, but eventually he tires of giving up ground and resolutely plants his feet against the deck; the next time Ken's leg comes around, the Thai sways back instead of blocking, then jerks forward in an attempt to catch the millionaire off-guard with a quick jab to his already bloodied face.
Hit or miss, he'll drop back one more step after taking the shot, just to avoid further kicks in the latter case--or the somewhat less likely possibility of Ken falling gracelessly on him if the punch /does/ connect.
COMBATSYS: Sagat successfully hits Ken with Jab Punch.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Ken 1/----===/=======|=======\=------\1 Sagat
Kenneth is definitely caught off guard because he wasn't expecting to be punched in the middle of trying to kick the holy crap out of his best friend slash rival's rival. It's pretty complicated. But either way, Ken doesn't really seem like he's in the business of going down just now. He gets rocked solid by that solid jab, stumbling him for a step or two. His eyes actually go wide at the moment because he wasn't expecting such a powerful response. A glance at the ghostly figures around him have them telling him to get back in there and get back to the fight. "Shut up. I got this in the bag."
Granted, his distractions are only making him get more into this fight. As he turns back towards Sagat, he rushes towards him. He actually takes a flying leap off a random crate (that's still put together) and soars towards Sagat's skull with a stylishly designed kick of his own. Nothing too fancy, but just enough to let his opponent know that for every punch, he's going to answer with a foot of fury.
COMBATSYS: Ken successfully hits Sagat with Medium Kick.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Ken 1/----===/=======|=======\===----\1 Sagat
/That/ kick sends Sagat reeling backwards until he hits the edge of the boat and slumps into a nearly seated position. His eye is wide with shock as his feet scramble unstably on the deck for balance, and a fresh rivulet of blood is tricking from his ear on the side where he was struck. Fresh rounds of ghostly laughter spread through the audience, and this close to the river, the chorus is right there in his ear. It's as if he's in a stadium of hecklers, wheeled out to amuse the crowd with his delusions of vitality before succumbing to the inevitable; the surge of triumphant, revelatory pride that drove him to turn the Shoryuken away is fading, and as blood runs over his teeth, the dark possibility that it's as responsible as his opponent's prowess for the hard turn the bout has taken begins to dawn on him.
His eye wanders from Ken just long enough to fix on the deposed Emperor; unsurprisingly, his voice is among the loudest.
"Is--" he defiantly spits out as he fights to push himself back to his feet. "--that the /best/ that you can muster, Masters?" As soon as he's on his feet, he gives his head a vigorous shake and swipes a hand across his face to check for blood--and in the process, smear a fair amount of it across his features as they twist into a mask of grim determination. Ducking low, he darts towards the millionaire with intentions of snagging the lapels of his gi just long enough to yank him into an abdominal knee strike.
COMBATSYS: Sagat successfully hits Ken with Medium Kick.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////// ]
Ken 1/--=====/=======|=======\===----\1 Sagat
"Eh. I can do better-aaah!"
Ken doesn't get to finish his witty rebuttal as he's yanked up by the gi and gets kneed something fierce in the stomach area. He doubles over, immediately in pain and also trying to put some space between himself and Sagat. Not a lot, but just enough to make sure he's not getting repeatedly kneed like some amateur chump or anything. He's a lot better than that and the fact that he's coughing up blood doesn't really seem to make that clear. Oh well. Ken knows the truth.
Those spirits, though, don't. They are already starting to lose interest in the red gi'd warrior, it seems. They start flagging at him and turning away, as if they are no longer interested in seeing him take down Sagat. In fact, the more he stares at them while he attempts to recover from the painful knee strike, the more he realizes that they are starting to cheer for Sagat. That, right there, might be the last straw. Ken Masters will not lose his fans, dead or otherwise, to Patches McMeat. Not Allowed.
As the distaste for such things grows in Ken, he moves with a burst of speed that has to be pure adrenaline. He lunges at Sagat, spinning on his heel and aiming a quick kick at his side and then another at his head. Just something to make it a little hotter out here. Because that's how he does. "Told you I can do better." And there's the patented Masters Snark.
COMBATSYS: Sagat blocks Ken's Light Kick.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Ken 1/--=====/=======|=======\====---\1 Sagat
Ken hears the crowd turning on him in favor of his opponent, while Sagat hears a mocking edge in their chants, as if they're more interested in giving the old fighter just enough encouragement to charge headlong into his demise than cheering him on to victory. Chalk it up to his ego, or to the vagaries of fighting in the middle of a paranormal event; either way, as Sagat stomps after the retreating man in red, he has to struggle to tune out their unrelenting cries.
The kick to his side catches him fairly cleanly and draws his hand to his ribs with a snarl; the second, however, is caught against his free forearm a foot or so away from his head. "You are full of heart," the giant admits in a voice that is at once harsh and sincere. "and possessed of enough raw talent to push your former partner to the brink, should you choose to." He shoves Ken's leg away from himself, then ducks back half a step and puts his guard up. "Regardless of what happens next..."
He begins to drag his fists towards his body as if they're suspended in quicksand with his eye narrowed on Ken. A web of cord-like veins and tendons strain against the rippling oceans of muscle that are his arms, and flashes of amber chi begin flickering across the surface of his upper body.
"... I want to thank you for giving me a taste of your potential."
No sooner than his fists touch his chest, he throws his arms out to his sides and explodes into the air like a cannon shell; the flickers of chi clinging to his body flares into a veritable blaze of spiritual fire around his body as he soars across the deck towards Ken. His right knee is bent and pointed towards the other man's body, poised to skewer him a manner that is at once familiar - Ken /did/, after all, turn the Tiger Crush away earlier in the fight - ferocious, and - if Sagat has his way, at least - not the least bit final.
"Tiger...!"
COMBATSYS: Ken blocks Sagat's Tiger Destruction+.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Ken 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|-------\-------\0 Sagat
With chi crackling through his body and a river full of dead warriors to silence, the flying knee strike is so forceful that it sends shockwaves through the vessel when he and Ken make contact--and it's only the beginning.
"--Destruction!"
As soon as his feet touch the ground, he'll duck for the split-second he needs to gather the strength to throw another leaping uppercut, which he also means to crouch after landing from. Every bit of chi swirling around him flows towards his fist, giving it a blinding but brief glow before beginning to expand into rings of fire intended to lend his final, rocketing ascent a vicious edge.
Ken can see what is happening this time and his hands go up to attempt to block what is headed in his direction. And even though he's able to try and get some defensive actions going, it doesn't seem to be enough. The sheer power and force behind Sagat's strikes are what send him sprawling and tumbling backwards. He trips over his feet and everything until he skids to a stop, dropping down to one knee. Anger and embarrassment wash over him in a liquid haze and he attempts to shake it off.
Rising to his feet, there's a slight glow around his body to show that he might be gathering chi or being fueled by the fact that he's being watched by crazy ghosts that still don't think he's worth their time. Their eternity. "You ain't seen nothin' yet." Maybe that's said a bit too loud and might even be a slight warning to Sagat.
"This'll hurt!" And here comes Ken, that chi igniting over his legs as he leaps at his opponent, twirling and spinning with flaming fury as one leg after another seeks to burn and kick and everything else under the sun of furious kick combinations of doom! It'll be a relentless onslaught of flaming kicks that, if things work out, has Sagat going airborne.
COMBATSYS: Ken successfully hits Sagat with Guren Senpuukyaku.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //// ]
Ken 0/-------/---<<<<|===----\-------\0 Sagat
"And one more for good measure!"
Which is followed up by a final flaming kick to knock Sagat out of the air!
Sagat's whole world is aflame before he knows it. He wants to defend himself - knows that he /has/ to defend himself - but every time he tries to pull a shin or forearm in the way of an incoming blow, another kick catches him from an unglimpsed angle and sends him reeling all over again. He staggers back from Ken and stands there smoking and covered in burns for a moment before the millionaire closes in to send him skywards; when he's finally hammered back to the deck, there are little fires flickering all over his body, and the impact is such that the ship creaks and bows a bit beneath his fallen frame.
He's still breathing, but it takes him a while to do much else: those tiny flames linger on his body for a fair few seconds before guttering out, and he's still for several seconds after /that/ before finally thrusting his right arm into the air and slamming it down in front of him. Nails stained with blood dig into the deck, and he groans in agony as he strains to push himself up, then make it to his knees, and eventually retake his feet. Forcing his battered body to remain upright is still a challenge, but after the herculean task that was 'standing up', holding something resmebing a fighting posture isn't so bad; he may not need to do so for much longer, anyway, with the way the fight is going.
"I haven't--seen--/enough/--yet," he correctively rumbles between labored breaths--the last of which he sucks in sharply and holds for a moment before throwing his arms forward with a defiantly roared, "TIGER!" Chi dances along his forearms as they're thrust out, briefly coalescing into a shining pebble before his fists before flying towards Ken. The pebble rapidly expands into a crackling ball of fury in the time it takes to cross the vessel, while its creator falls to a knee to catch his breath.
COMBATSYS: Sagat successfully hits Ken with Tiger Shot.
[ \\\\\\\\ < > /// ]
Ken 0/-------/-<<<<<<|===----\-------\0 Sagat
Ken is fairly certain he's taken Sagat down. But then he watches, with amazement, as his powerful opponent struggles and rises to his feet with nothing but impressive stamina and power. He watches closely as he attempts to take some time to catch his breath. Enough breath so that he'll be ready to rock and roll if Sagat doesn't fall back down to his back or something. And well, there's nothing but an impressed smirk that falls onto Ken's lips as he watches Sagat rise from the burning flames that he just made sure to connect all over Sagat with.
"Damn. You just don't stay down, do ya'?" Ken reaches up to brush some hair from his face. "I like that. It's good to have a challenge." Ken takes a couple of steps forward before the sudden arrival of Tiger chi smacks him straight up in his chest. It knocks him down, rolling him to the side, before he gets himself back up to a single knee. "Okay, seriously, /that/ hurt!" With a stumble run in the direction of Sagat's kneeling form. He takes a sudden flying leap, before flipping end over end and aiming to bring the heel of his foot down at the top of his skull. "Y'know, kinda' like this will!"
COMBATSYS: Sagat interrupts Strong Kick from Ken with Tiger Uppercut.
[ \\\ <
Ken 1/------=/=======|
COMBATSYS: Sagat can no longer fight.
[ \\\ <
Ken 1/------=/=======|
"Not--for you," Sagat rumbles as he balances himself on a knee and a fist and struggles to catch his breath. "Not /today/." It's 90 percent bluster, of course; he can barely stand after that Tiger Shot, and there are /two/ Kens wobbling around in his field of vision. "Do you hear me?!"
His voice suddenly and sharply rises with that last question, because it isn't just Ken he's addressing, it's the spirits who are drawing closer than ever to the vessel. After dedicating their whole lives to the art of combat, they can sense that a conclusion is drawing nigh. Young versus Old, Style versus Substance, Dragon versus Tiger--it's a match that has played itself out a thousand times in a thousand different arenas, and not a soul - not even the most self-absorbed, insoucient among them - would dare miss its final moments.
Ken makes it to his feet before Sagat does, and even manages something approximating a sprint across the deck. Sagat's first instinct - after cursing the younger man's seemingly boundless reserves of energy, anyway - is to cover up, or even roll away from whatever Ken has in store for him--and then he /jumps/ and everything changes.
Swallowing a mouthful of blood, Sagat turns his eye to the heavens and clenches his right fist near his heart. There's really only one thing to do now, and as he strains to shift his mind and posture in preparation for it, he has to ignore the agonized protests of a body that's already been pushed to the brink. Just cocking his arm and coiling himself for the perfect trajectory leaves him longing for the numbing embrace of the river around them, but--
"TIGER!"
--there'll be time to recuperate later. For now, he pushes thoughts of relaxation from his mind to concentrate fully on spiralling into the air, fist poised to meet the descending Ken on the way up. Leaping right into the kick proves to be a pretty poor way of defending himself from it - Ken's heel brutually smashes into the crook of his neck just as his arm is reaching full extension - but if he can just manage to bring Ken down too, the sacrifice will be worth it.
Either way, he crashes back to his knees the moment he hits the ground, and after exhaling deeply, he manages to croak out, "When this is over, Masters--when my people are safe once more--we will meet again," in a tone that suggests a promise more than a threat. "You have--much to learn--and perhaps a few things to /teach/, as well."
And then, with that declaration made, he tilts forward until he crashes face-first into the deck, finally unconscious.
Ken Masters is somewhere in the middle of attempting to make sure he puts the final touches on this battle with Sagat. Everything is moving in slow motion as he attempts to try and put this match to bed. But there is something nagging at him as he rises into the air to put a finishing moment on this epic battle.
Those empty and soulless eyes that have been watching him the moment he began his battle with Sagat. His attention is taken away from Sagat for a moment that is just long enough for him to see each and every one of their faces. A moment that is long enough for him to realize that he's not alone in this final attack. A moment that he realizes could be his final moment on this vessel or even alive, considering the damage that has been dealt to his entire person. He's not exactly been faring too well in this battle. And those spiritual fans of his, in addition to the ones he's lost, all watch on as the infamous Tiger Uppercut connects with him with incredible and full force. It is something that doesn't do anything but put Ken out in the air.
By the time his body drops from the sky, it crumples in on itself and falls to smash into another crate of fish. They just keep being around. His body is limp and nothing but dead weight as he finds himself losing the rest of his consciousness. Still, though, even as he fades all the way out of his ability to function mentality, he manages to put a smirk on his face. There's just enough energy left in his spirit for him to lay out a final statement.
"Dude... uncool."
COMBATSYS: Ken can no longer fight.
Log created on 23:21:13 08/26/2014 by Sagat, and last modified on 18:12:49 09/12/2014.