Great Dojo

[yinsukin]

Young Man

Dust kicked up as the man brushed himself off.  One for the shoulders, another for the chest and one last one for the back.  With a whip of his head, he threw his ponytail back behind him and stared down his opponent.

"Your pretty good to have me do a desperate maneuver.  Your mistake was thinking i'd just roll over for you," he said, pointing a finger to the heavens and closing his eyes.  "We in the dojo district aim for the greatest heights and I am no exception."

The young man had seen him fight.  This was obviously another redirection maneuver.  So rather than see with his eyes, the young man would look with his third eye.  The third eye was a concept more abstract in nature, a concept that refered to the sixth sense that develops into a real sensory ability once enough meditation was done.  By being aware of his surroundings, a true master of the third eye technique could dodge attacks only by "sensing the truest blow."  However, that was something only Sethrol and the other higher level fighters in his dojo knew.

Something was approaching his face so he ducked.  Another strike aimed for his jugular so he blocked it with an upper frame block while moving backwards to keep out of range.  Another blow went to his liver and was met with a knee to the forearm.  The stomach strike?  He simply stepped back out of range of the strike.

The dome had closed in.  There was no longer room to move.  In a sense his strategy was now working against him.  The large dome had been reduced from a gym sized sphere to a classroom sized one, giving only enough room to do the most basic maneuver.  At first, it appeared that his magic had backfired.  However.....

What did he have back then that Mira had?  Why did he lose so badly?  The young man thought about it every night before sleeping, every day before training and before each bite of his food.  At last, in this moment, the young man may have found the answer.

"Show me your fighting spirit!" he yelled, taking a horse stance.  The young man's chest tightened, his abs flexing as they braced for possible impact.  The chi around him intensified, steaming as it rose into the sky.  "A trickster like you won't survive without any backbone!  Lets see how you do when you can't run!"

[Kotomine_Rin]

Vega

You dog... you're making this fun. No way, was this a smile that crawled up his lips? Running through the darkness like a shadow, he was as silent as a ghost even when rapture was overtaking his heart.

And zipping towards his foe, Vega's stance lowered as he performed a flurry of hand signs. This style of ninjutsu was one he designed himself, using the psychological pressure his hands created in order to breed confusion through these feints. As he advanced into the man's range like a bullet, it was impossible to tell what would strike first.

His left, or his right?

Each hand could instantly overturn that man's strikes or pierce him. Even if his body could take the blows, the blood loss and pain of being cut was a psychological pressure few unarmed men could exude. And if he hit a pressure point, the pendulum would swing in his favor.

He started with the claw, focusing on flashy slashes and carving as much of his surroundings in his way to make the man focus on the weapon's deadliness. Setting it on fire while in such a dark environment, he forced the attention to be drawn on to the weapon, then struck a deadly blow with his bare hand. This planted the seeds of paranoia, because it made his next attack that more uncertain - and its outcome appear even more dire. His claws, his hands, none of them were his real weapon. It was the threat they burrowed into the minds of his enemies that caused the slightest delay.

But one thing was certain, his hands were a weapon that must not be allowed to reach that man.

So what is it? Left, or right?

[yinsukin]

Young Man

The young man couldn't see the handsigns.  It didn't matter.  The "truest strike" was the one sensed.  People who have mastered this technique could differentiate between the less committed slashes and the bare fisted attacks, but the young man couldn't.  Thats why all his body relaxed and he let his mind go still.  With the mind calm, logic flourished, because that was all that remained.  Left, right, under, above: where would the next strike be?

It didn't matter.  He was in range.

Magical power gathered in the young man's palm, coating his fist in a bright light.  There was no point in attempting a premature strike.  His body sensed that.  Whereever the fist came from, he would sense it.  The truest attack was the one that would become evident.  When that happened, it would be blocked and a decisive blow would be struck.

Mira I have my answer for when I see you...

[Kotomine_Rin]

Vega

Hands darted like snakes and shot at the man like bullets - and with no mercy, the strike revealed itself. These terrifying feints were going straight for his eyes to gouge them!

Only for the ghost to vanish like a cloud, as if its momentum changed in an instant. Normally, there is a slight delay when changing from offense to defense, but Vega's movements were almost like water. He could shift his form and direction instantly! So the attack simply never came, and Vega stepped to the man's side.

Even if it was wise, awaiting for Vega's move meant delaying his own - and only let Vega move further through his guard. Whatever attack or guard would follow, Vega was already one step ahead.

An upward slash cracked the air to meet the man's liver. It was definitely his left!

[yinsukin]

Young Man

Nothing, not even a flinch.  The fingers that stopped inches from his face before fading into the wind didn't even seem to register.  Thats because it didn't.  The young man was blind to everything but intent to strike.  That is why the man was also able to so easily get through his strafing.  Vega easily slipped inside the man's guard, the young man simply frowning with his eyes closed.

I can see it!

The sheer weight of his intent to attack overwhelmed his body.  Vega's entire body became visible to his third eye.  Arms, weapons, eye position, even weird hairs he had on his body.  Nothing would could surprise him.  It was in this moment he realized the fatal mistake of this style that he trained so hard to learn.  IT granted him near perfect sensory understanding in the moment before the strike, but the man was already inside of his guard!  He wouldn't be able to block!

A fist shot forward like a rocket, slamming into his body with enough force to punch a hole in reinforced steel.  Is that you would not yield to your own weakness!  To be born strong does not mean you are strong!  To be born weak does not mean you are weak!

[Kotomine_Rin]

Vega

That punch was supposed to be undodgeable.

Vega's mask shattered in a million pieces. That light, that power, it was sublime. It shot straight through him as if his body were made of air. And yet-

That was, assuming that he was facing Vega 'The Performer'.

"That was terrific. I didn't think your senses could outperform me."

One step further in the man's guard, he laid like a spider on all fours with his back facing the ground. Vega's stance was nothing like anything ever seen in his public matches. But that man and that extended fist of his would barely have a moment to register it. This fighting style was only reserved for the targets in his manhunts. And those left no witnesses.

And with no delay, that dodge's momentum was used to flip Vega's leg forward - and deliver a scorpion kick that flew straight into the corner of his foe's blind spot. It was too fast! was no time to dodge or grab it from point-blank range! The only option was to take it or block it.

But he had kept so much of the focus on his hands, that a kick like this could come utterly out of left field - and the damage it'd inflict was impossible to expect.

And why would he? Vega's strikes lacked the power of a heavyweight. Even like this, they couldn't knock him out in one blow unless they were aimed carefully. But that was what an unaware man would think. However, to put it in simpler terms, if he were facing an enemy of equal durability class, this wouldn't even register as a knockout blow.

It was a one-hit kill.


Fighter's Lexicon

Spoiler for Hiden:

Escorpião: A signature Capoeira kick, a whip-like kick characterized by standing on one's hands or elbow. If done right, the body can move to unleash an overhead blow at a target in front of the kicker, impacting upwards with the sole or heel of the foot! Like many Capoeira blows, it lulls you with an unorthodox stance before delivering an unpredictable strike that used the body's torque, the leg's hardened bones and their increased power to amplify the force of a kick. It might sound flashy, but a mestre can easily deliver such a strike as seamlessly as a jab - especially if it's unexpected.

Spoiler for Hiden:

Psychological Warfare: The term psychological warfare (PSYWAR) is used to “denote any action which is practiced mainly by psychological methods with the aim of evoking a planned psychological reaction in other people”. It has been used for centuries in battle to gain an edge over an opponent. To strike unexpectedly, deal damage that can be perceived as a thread, and use the threat itself to lure and control one's opponent. For a seasoned fighter, the threat of a killer technique can be just as effective as that technique. That is why Vega worked to position himself directly under and in front of that man.

It's also why he made sure to plant the seeds of doubt and focus on his hands and claws. He had avoided using his staccato on his legs to make him subconsciously unaware of their true terror - the same way a body would rather jump towards a punch rather than what it'd perceive as a truck. Planting the seeds of paranoia, it's possible for an opponent to capitalize on the hesitation and delays that a careful fighter will showcase.

This was a facet of psychological warfare, to keep his cards hidden until he struck immediately in an unexpected manner.

[yinsukin]

Young Man

The young man could see it, his foe's entire body.  The intent to strike was even greater than the last time.  Indeed, this had a substantial amount of willpower dedicated to it.  Eyes still closed, but his minds eye open, he saw every detail.  That stance.... impossible!  It wasn't in the match!

It didn't matter.

The man who fought Mira used intellect alone to fight, but through meditation and training, the body can fight for the mind.  The arm came up before his mind had time to process the next move, forearms taking the full force of the attack.  The stump of his foot was like a knife, sliding into the muscle on his forearm before being met with cold bone.  However, there wasn't much distance to that bone.  Still, blocking would now be a risk.  The blood from the cut already on his torso splattered over Vega's chest from the sheer speed it took to preform the block.  The man hadn't done any damage, but the preformer had tipped the scales of the battle in his favor and both of them knew it.

A knee came up, ascending like a volcanic eruption.  The chi surrounding his knee formed an aura of pure blood red.  The blade of the foot, coated in the light of the chi came down like a meteor, threatening to split Vega's skull in two.

"Don't underestimate the student of Seras!  My talent far surpasses yours!"

[Kotomine_Rin]

El Dorado - The Emperor Vega

A cold gleam shot from two Azure eyes, gaping at the raised knee - but following up his kick to an unorthodox Aú Batendo the moment his opponent moved, he managed to cartwheel back just before the explosion of force pulverized his skull. Speed-wise, they were about even... but techniques like this were still Vega's specialty. The two were face-to-face once more for only a second.

Blood dripped from his lips. Oh my, I thought I dodged it. Was it his punch or that kick that grazed me? He stared right at the gaping wound in the man's arm.

"Muy bien. You have offered me quite a hefty sum of blood. Now earn your right to fight the real Vega."

Grinning like he was on the verge of howling into laughter, he shifted his movements into an unorthodox ginga - with no warning of his palms clapping the ground and the wave of kicks that were to follow. Feints and kicks spun and weaved into each other, and swaying bullets came for the man's jaw, brachial plexus, and sciatic nerve.

"Seven moves. Seven moves are all I can spare playing with you."

Try to grab and block if you like, but those kicks will only cut your arms up and your fingers off.


Fighter's Lexicon

Spoiler for Hiden:

Ginga: The ginga (pronounced jeen-gah; literally: rocking back and forth; to swing) is the fundamental footwork of capoeira. Its constant triangular footwork makes capoeira easily recognizable as well as confusing since it looks much more like a rhythmic dance step than an orthodox static fighting stance. Only a few martial arts employ similar rhythmic footwork found in the ginga. South Korea's Taekkyeon and some forms for Pencak Silat are a few others.

The main purpose is not dancing but rather to prepare the body for any number of movements such as evading, feinting, or delivering attacks while continuously shifting stances all while providing confusion. The ginga places the capoeirista in constant motion, making them a frustrating target for a forward-advancing opponent. The ginga also allows the capoeirista to continuously maintain enough torque to use in a strike while providing a synchronization of arm movement to avoid and slip under attacks. The ginga is not static so its speed is usually determined by the toque or rhythm dictated by the bateria.

Capoeira Angola and capoeira regional both have distinctive versions of this movement. In Capoeira Angola, the ginga is more expressive and individualistic, while in Capoeira Regional the ginga has a more structured and defensive look. Most Capoeira regional academies teach the ginga in the same way until the student advances to a certain level and begins to develop their own expressive and comfortable way of using it.

Spoiler for Hiden:

Aú Batido—The aú batido is an aú variation where a practitioner does a handstand, followed by a twist with the hips and a split, performing a downward martelo. During the kick, one arm is protecting the face while the other one is obviously supporting the body. Aú batido literally means "broken cartwheel". This movement is a defensive move, used when attempting to perform a cartwheel and the opponent attacks, generally with a cabeçada, a headbutt, the aú batido takes place, attacking the opponent by surprise before the attack is executed. The aú batido is sometimes also used in doubt or simply as a trick move. This move is also performed in tricking, and for quality, it is also used often in breakdancing where it is known as the L-kick. Names used in different schools may also include Beija Flor (Humming Bird, literally Flower Kiss(er)), Leque (Fan), Aú Québrado (also "broken cartwheel"), Aú Malandro(wily cartwheel), Aú Amazonas (Amazon cartwheel) or Amazonica.

    Aú Batendo-A similar technique, except that the hands generally stay on the ground and the cartwheel is not stopped during the kick, but rather continues over.

Spoiler for Hiden:

Sciatic Nerve: This nerve is located between the groin and the knee on the midline of the inner thigh. A severe knee hit will cause intense pain, shock, dizziness and temporary immobility of the foot.

Spoiler for Hiden:

Jaw: After suffering a blow to the jaw, a person can lose consciousness. With such a hit, the head turns so sharply that the brain literally shakes.

Spoiler for Hiden:

Brachial Plexus: A severe blow to this area causes intense pain and a numb sensation in the hand. A strong hard blow inflicted just below can actually break the collarbone. A typical side effect of a broken clavicle is a rupture of the nerves of the brachial plexus. This leads to immediate paralysis of the hand, shock, and nausea.

[yinsukin]

Young Man

Forearm to top of the foot.  Upper body, lower body, crouch, raise, inner body outer body: each strike forced him to move.  Blood splattered with every strike, soaking his gee in streaks of red.  His forearm was completely soaked.

Indeed speedwise they were even, but there was a slight difference that seperated them.  Vega had superior acrobatic skill as well as an unorthodox fighting style that was hard to adapt to in the moment.  It wasn't something he hadn't fought against within the dojo district but it was rare enough that experience alone couldn't help him compensate.  Indeed, the only thing that allowed him to keep up was his superior sensory abilities in the form of his third eye technique.  But the problem was..

"The real Vega huh?  So your just a liar..."

He thought the man was unskilled, but he was actually playing around.  That arrogant bastard.  He was actually aiming for vital points now.  It was at this moment he realized he made a vital mistake during the last exchange.  Now he needed to break free.  Ducking under a kick, he attempted to sweep Vega, a low investment attack to test his legs.

He had just boasted of his talent, but was that enough to bridge the gap in experience with this exotic form?

[Kotomine_Rin]

Vega

Hrm..six to four shots left to spare before this ground strips my mobility entirely. Fu fu fu... what a fun challenge.

"Tut tut. A fighter would never understand... but an entertainer must always have some tricks up his sleeve. You're feeling them, huh? Even those weak kicks can deal some serious damage if they land right. You must be wondering why an esteemed student like you is having a delayed reaction to them."

Constantly in motion, the killer strikes! Vega's left leg came swerving at the man's throat like a guillotine, and to counter that, the foe's sweep slammed towards Vega's arms. But Vega was already capitalizing on his lead and intercepting the counter with a grab. Grasping the sweep, he mounted the man's ankle with his grip and smiled gorgeously. Since his left was thrown off, he was suddenly using both the grip's torque and the momentum of the missed strike. It didn't even come with a warning, he'd immediately launch an even faster kick from his right at point blank range, booming straight at the boy's temple.

"That's because my technique is better than yours. My strikes can even kill a God."

Or perhaps the strikes were the distraction. Because these simultaneous moves were set up for a hook from the left leg the man dodged. A customized Negativa that'd slice his Achilles tendon. Of course, they were all meant to land. This was no feinting game, but a deathmatch.

Since Vega already sliced a muscle near his knee's joint earlier, logic dictated that flawlessly dodging was nearly out of the question. Not from this distance and position. And yet...

Fighter's Lexicon

Spoiler for Hiden:

Negativa: Negative, refusal or deny. a negativa is used to negate an attack by going low to the ground on one's side, with the leg closest to the ground tucked to the chest, the other extended, supporting one's body weight with the hand, with the upper arm in a location to protect the face. The negativa derrubando used as a sweep which involves hooking the other players supporting leg during a kick. Using the Latter, Vega can utterly unmake a man's footing, especially after they use an unstable attack like a kick.

[yinsukin]

Young Man

Shit that was too risky.

The young man thought back to that fight with Mira.  So this is what it was like to be on the other end huh?  To go against someone more talented than himself and be on the back burner.  It wasn't that he wasn't stronger.  He absolutely was the stronger fighter but in the game of tactics he was losing.

"Shut the hell up.  You talk way too big for a rejected carnie," he said, calling on his thighs to move.  Pain, a sharp pain shot through his system, refusing to move.  It was the injury from earlier. Very well.  "Its time to bring you back down to earth."

The young man's arm came down in an X block, his entire body screaming as the kick started tearing through nerves.  The ground began to shake, the very dojo of Sethrol the calm groaning to the man's mana. 

"When you go to the gates of heaven and tell god about your kicks, tell him I sent you."

MAGNITUDE 10!

The hand on top of the leg was suddenly encased in cold stone, spikes emerging from the ground that threatened to skewer him completely and utterly.  The dome had finally been reduced to the size of a small bedroom.  There was no where left to run.

The curtain had fallen long ago.  Even if he had lost the battle of tactics, he could still win with grit, willpower and determination.  That is what Mira had taught him.

[Kotomine_Rin]

Vega

-!

Even if he were dancing in the jaws of a beast this whole time, now he truly felt its teeth closing in. And that's when the stone clutched at his hand - and the victory that was destined to be his.

Don't be so cocky.

But his free hand harked for the stone that sealed his other hand, and his legs suddenly danced to gnaw at the spikes that came at him with graceful kicks, making distance with a spin of death.


It was only a moment, but there was no denying it. Dealing with all of those spikes and that chi-technique with nothing but his mind and body... striking them all in one fell swoop...when it came to technique, he could have gotten far in this land.

But his grim eyes and the hateful smile he sported revealed the truth. This man must never be allowed to bridge this gap of power. If he ever was to get his hands on something like this, he would surely become a tyrant.

I can still fight. I-

He was bloodied shallowly, his muscles were fine. Compared to that man's wounds, it was night and day. But as he moved back, his back hit the wall. He managed to cut the spikes and stone, but doing this left him open, and he had nowhere to run.

If he got hit by that...

His hand twitched to strike first, but the man's fist already had time to cock back before Vega's could even raise. Would Vega be able to capitalize on the man's wounds? Or would that man capitalize on his delay?

The next strike would declare the curtain call.

[yinsukin]

Young Man

The young man bent over to the side, letting his torso shelter under the rocks shattering under the man's legs.  The spikes continued to fly in his direction, the quakes shaking the land intensifying.  The trees of the dojo fell, the very earth underneath them beginning to split.  The two were now on a platform incased in a dome, separate from the rest of the dojo.  The once large dome was now the size of a shed, giving them little room to move.

Damn you!  FALL!

A closed fist shot forward towards his crotch.  At his level of power, it would be the end of that man, nay the end of that man's entire family line.  At least, that is what would happen if he was at full strength.  The arm that shot forward was falling to the ground, no longer able to listen to his brain, the arm that had blocked all of those strikes were falling.  This indeed was the end for him.

Damn it!  Go!  GO!  MOVE!

[Kotomine_Rin]

Vega

"Gh..."

Vega's eyes widened. He knew full well what it was like, fighting when burdened with so many emotions. An unfulfilled rivalry. A promise made to surpass. The weight of one's teachings.

Vega lost to Vanilla because of his love.

That man too, was fighting a shackling passion.

But that wasn't why Vega stepped on his fist. It wasn't the reason why he leveraged a step over that wrist, and sent a flying high knee on his chin. It wasn't even why he read tast blow so quickly.

He was strong, and his arms were bleeding. That blood from his arms reached Vega before the punch - and through luck alone, he dodged that and stepped over it.

Just like back then against Laishi... The rain warned me of her blows. It seems I should thank her. Fate is on my side.

Thus, the knee booms to crush the pressure point - and rattle the foe's brain for good.

[yinsukin]

Young Man

As the knee flew into his head, time seemed to slow down.  They say that when you are about to die, life flashes before your eyes, but for Jonathan, there was nothing but the battles fought and the amount of time he spent training.  Empty feilds, trees, the very wind caressing his face: everything blurred together into a single moment.  Faces flashed before his eyes, the moment within the moment being blurred by all the people he had touched.  Seras, Sethrol... Mira.

What would they think of his final fight he wondered?  Would they be proud?  Was this an honorable death?

The knee came even closer, englufing his entire vision.  A fear overcame his very being.  I don't want to die!  I don't want to die yet!

But it was too late.  Had he summoned that strength moments before, he may have lived, but the knee slammed into his temple, knocking his soul right out of his body.  The man was launched into the air before falling to the ground completely lifeless.  It was a painless death.