Post by Saito Kito on Jul 13, 2015 19:54:07 GMT -5
“Excellent. Next time be sure to utilize both the palm and the elbow in a single strike. This maneuver is rarely seen and often works to the user’s advantage.”
They moved to position and began the attack once more. Saito was quite pleased with the progress of his students. It was becoming clear that anyone could grow in power so long as they had someone teaching them who was up to snuff. Saito continued his training but found a bit of a stagnation since his battle with Tundra. In times of peace there was little reason to train. With the bastard defeated and so many of Earth’s strongest planet side, Saito was certain he could take a moment to train his students. His pride for them was outmatched only by his concern. Many of them were getting cocky, and some believed themselves ready for real combat. Thankfully the days training would prove a little much for them. Itan was training alongside the other students, Sonya on the other hand was not. She was tasked with watching the entrance and doing her own personal training. When their unknown guests arrived, she was there.
She heard their muttering from the road and made her way to the front entrance. It was a group of at least fifteen, all dressed in what she believed to be the dorkiest white uniforms ever. In front of them, an older gentlemen who turned to face them when Sonya appeared. Scolding them, he turned back to speak with her.
“Excuse me little girl. My boys and I are here to challenge the master here. Could you take a break from your cleaning activities and escort him to us?”
The level of offense taken by sonya was palpable. Not that he was here to challenge the dojo, but like so many before him he believed Sonya to be nothing more than a fancy piece of decoration. Her eyes squinted as she took a deep breath to try and ignore the slight, though her words would show an utter lack of decorum.
“Sorry, the master here doesn’t allow challengers unless they can beat the maid. So I guess you and your band of shit heads are out of luck”
Yeah, that felt good. The crew of young men behind him fell silent and looked to their leader for guidance. His eyes had doubled in size at such a comment. The sweet innocent girl before them had a mouth like a sailor and more importantly had challenged their very arrival. Never before had he challenged a dojo only to be spurned upon entry. His fists balled, his teeth clenching together. He was ready to say something equally rash, but found his patience after a few deep breaths.
“Have it your way then. Rin, remove her from the doorway and earn yourself a place in the tournament to come!”
The youngest of the group stepped forward, a sincere smile plastered across his face. It was clear he had come as moral support and was not expecting to taste combat. With his feet planted firmly he nodded to his master and then looked back to Sonya stating softly his sincerest apologies for what he had to do next. Sonya only shook her head, watching as the boy began to scrape his heels on the cobblestone path. His form wasn’t half bad, and he was probably about Sonya’s age. She almost felt bad for what had to happen next. The moment he stepped forward the blue haired lass removed her leg from the ground and with a powerful lash struck the boy’s stomach with her shin. His reaction was immediate, he hit the ground. The entire crew marveled at the quickness of the fight. Perhaps Rin had not been expecting such a hit and was taken down by surprise. Maybe he was just that inexperienced. Either way the others were now riled, and the master responded thusly.
“Shu, Tye, remove her from the doorway immediately!”
He repeated himself, and this time two warriors stepped forward. It made no difference to Sonya how many were there. Her position had taken a far more defensive stance. Both arms raised in the air, and her feet apart with a bent knee. When the first boy attacked, Shu, she side stepped, her palm redirecting his fist and sending it into the doorframe. The second fighter used this to his advantage and came in from the opposite direction, his hand formed a chopping motion and Sonya ducked underneath it, rising and striking quickly with a swift punch to his under arm. The muscle that aided in the arms movement immediately turned a deep purple as the sleeveless fighter let out a yelp of agony before falling back. Sonya was not the maid, and she had now proven it to three fighters.
“Don’t be such a baby, the swelling will go down in a few days.”
She said, almost feeling bad for having bested them so quickly. Sonya knew what quick humiliation felt like. Her battle with Della was still burned into her mind. These men however were arrogant, insulting, and more importantly here to challenge the dojo. She would defend it and herself without pause. The master raised his hand, allowing the two boys to return to their position. One was now bleeding from the nose as his face had made contact with the reinforced doorframe. The other was gripping his right arm pit as though if he let go the limb would fall out of place. The master stepped forward.
“I think I understand now. You are one of his students aren’t you? A rarity indeed to see such a beautiful young girl in such a dangerous occupation. You have made your point. Now allow us to enter. This is your last warning.”
His recognition of her talents did ease her anger. Having attacked her on thrice occasion she was less than willing to move out of the way. They entered a staring contest as the other students began to back up. Sonya would remain unmoved. If that was the best the students had to offer, the master would undoubtedly be no different. It would take almost a full minute before the master would finally respond to this indignation. His own eyes began to glow as a white aura started to slowly seep out of him.
“Have it your way then. I tried to be reasonable”
Suddenly his powerlevel spiked. As though he had been hiding his power all along. The ki energy within his body was growing at a rate much faster than Sonya could handle. This tiny man had gone from no threat at all, it extremely dangerous. Her body was frozen in the doorway, her arms crossed against her chest as the attack was launched. Invisible and fast the energy pushed against her arms and thrust her into the back wall of the entryway. In an instant the Ki exploded, shaking the very foundation of the school.
The hideous laughter of the shorter man made the situation worse. Sonya had thought that perhaps it would be the final noises she would hear before death. Yet following the laughter could be heard rather well, and despite her stunned muscles, her body was surprisingly unharmed from such an explosion. Opening her eyes it became clear that she was no longer alone. The young student had been coated in a deep blue bubble of energy, and kneeling next to her was Itan. He had caught the girl as she flew back and simultaneously raised a barrier to prevent further harm. Despite having been removed from the explosion, her chest burned as though it had been hit with a sledge hammer. Whatever the man had done, it was powerful.
“I caught her Master”
Itan panted, his energy wavering as the orb shuttered. Itan had considerable strength when it came to shielding, to have already taken so much energy away from him was no easy feat. This man was serious, and thankfully a serious opponent was ready to face him. Walking up the hallway was the shirtless form of their master, Saito Kito. The Phoenix was in his base form, no energy pouring from his skin. It was as though he were unthreatened, despite the damages done to his school. Once Saito had taken a stance in between the orbed students and the rival school, Itan’s shield gave way, fading.
“An impressive manifestation. The boy blocked nearly all of my attack. Luckily for him I did not put a lot of force behind that one”
The older gentlemen said. His words cut deep into the pride of Sonya who looked to either side of where she had landed. The floorboards had all been pulled up and the doorway was warped. His attack hand caused serious structural damage. Saito was uninterested in the pleasantries.
“I assume there is a reason you assaulted my student and vandalized my property”
He growled, his expression less than its usual friendly demeanor. The other students whom had only just picked themselves up from facing Sonya took a few steps back, Saito was an intimidating man. His eye patch, scars, and bulky exterior made him look far more menacing than he actually was. In this case it played into his favor. He didn’t need these students learning from their master that callous flaunting of their power would get them what they wanted.
“I had heard the Crane school had a new master. I had to see for myself. The last Crane was most impressive, I only hoped the next one would be as well.”
“If you have come for a fight by all means. We need not spar in the garden. I have never turned down a challenge. However I should warn you that if you attack my students again, it will no longer be a spar.”
It would be the last time he said anything about it. Sonya had undoubtedly mouthed off and earned her trip through the doorway. That said he could not set the precedent that this behavior was acceptable. Sonya would keep quiet and this man would get his battle. Nodding he walked forward, his students following in toe behind him. The mystery surrounding who he was still eating at the three. As Itan helped Sonya to her feet, that mystery would be solved.
“I am Fu of the Akatskei Dojo. I hope you are everything I have heard and more.”
It would take a couple of minutes, but eventually the schools would be sitting across from one another, their masters standing in the center of the room. Saito had set the gravity to a whopping thirty five times the earth’s accustomed gravity. The opposing teacher seemed fine with the decision, and the entire set of schools marveled at their master’s ability to withstand such an intense weight. That was when the simulator activated, taking the entire crew into a new world. A boring one, but new. It was simple a recreation of the dojo. This way any damages sustained would be imaginary. The simulator was almost magical that way.
“Fu of the Akatskei. You have come to the Crane school in search of a challenge. I present one to you here. We will fight in no holds combat. All manners of combat are acceptable. We will fight until one surrenders, or is physically unable to continue the match.”
Fu nodded, a devious smile unfolding on his lips. Obviously he had something planned for the Crane master. Sonya had wrapped a bandage around her chest, soothing the burning sensation. Whatever his attack had been on the porch, it was not one that Saito had ever faced before, nor one that she would want to face again. A small buzzer rang from the simulation and the world began to change. Fu had been given permission to choose the first location. They had been transported to a snowy hillside. A small wind with the icy snowfall began to kick up. Fu began to move his arms in a circular motion, obviously summoning his first attack. Saito spread his legs and held out both hands, he was ready for whatever the other master threw at him.
The first attack became clear as the shorter master thrust his arms forward, creating a ball of energy that instantly flew at the Crane. His reaction was equally swift as both hands extended, a coating of Ki surrounding them. It was his spiritual redirection and it worked like a charm, sending the ball to his right causing it to explode in the snow a safe distance away. Fu let out a chuckle as the students watched in a stunned disbelief, they had clearly never seen their masters attack disarmed so quickly.
“That was just a test Master Kito. Let’s take it up a notch!”
With that the elder crouched down and leapt up into the air leaving only the impression of his body in the snow behind. The quick movements were quite difficult to trace for the students. Saito too was incapable of following with his naked eye. Closing it tightly the Ki signature of the warrior became clear to him. More importantly a new problem emerged. Fu was drawing a weapon. With his right hand pulling back to the hilt of his blade, Saito waited for Fu to unsheathe his weapon. Whipping through the wind would fly four Shuriken, bladed throwing stars, aimed directly at the crane master. This was no contest for his Katana and with two solid slices through the air, the Crane caught all four shuriken, sending them colliding into the snow with a distinct clicking noise. Again Fu had been thwarted.
Landing a few feet away the teacher seemed a little less confident. Perhaps he had believed Saito Kito to be a fraud, yet under these conditions it was clearly not the case. He was at the very least his equal in many ways. It was time to release the attack that Fu knew would be victorious.
“Tell me Crane master. Do you possess any of the talents of your predecessor?”
Saito nodded, there was no reason to lie.
“In desperate times I am able to call upon the Kikoho, among other talents”
Fu’s smile grew several inches as his energy began to expand. Clearly the goal of his coming here was rising to the surface.
“I have then another stipulation to add. I too have a special technique, an unbeatable one. I have always wanted to test it against a Crane special technique. If I best you this day in combat you shall teach it to me. If I should fail I will show you mine”
Saito nodded slowly, yet his words contradicted the motion.
“No”
Shock filled the room. Saito’s students were not at all surprised that their master would not hand over a crane technique to this stranger, but to deny a challenge was never Saito’s way. He continued to speak.
“If I were to use the Kikoho against you, even in contest, it would undoubtedly kill you. I accept your challenge, but I refuse to use my Kikoho to best you”
Now they were confused. Sonya especially. He had already witnessed the destructive power of Fu’s secret technique. To deny himself access to his greatest arsenal of techniques was foolish. Yet saito stood his ground, and Fu nodded in agreement. Learning the Tri-Beam was a far greater reward than anything, and his confidence was not missing. With both masters in agreement the swirling Ki that had surrounded Fu dispersed, an invisible wall of Ki slamming into Saito from the front. Fu’s eyes had begun to glow as the attack threw the Crane several feet causing him to land in the snow. With that unpleasantness out of the way, Saito rose from the snow, propping himself up on his right elbow. He had not been able to block the attack as it had been too fast. Instantaneous in a way. Closing his eye once more he found focusing on the master’s energy made it easier to track the attack itself. It was at its core a ki release, and a well-timed one at that. With both eyes closed tightly Saito rose from the snow, and watched as the attack charged again. Fu’s eyes began to glow as the Ki itself floated around him. A bright flicker in the eyes was the Ki too release, and this time Saito was ready. He jumped from the snow just in time to avoid the collision, a feat all the students seemed impressed with. Fu on the other hand was less than pleased.
He released the attack again, and from Saito’s vision it was clear that the attack required very little Ki for activation. At its core, it was no better than Ezekiels Telekinetic powers. While it appeared more concentrated and unable to physically pick up objects, it functioned about the same, making the attack feel instant and unavoidable. This however was not the case. Saito back flipped once more, landing at the top of the hill, only to roll sideways as another explosion of Ki engulfed the area. He continued to maneuver the hillside, his speed being put to the test by the instant spawning of the wave. Attempting a counter attack was useless. As Saito leaped forward his body was pushed back by another stunning blast of turquoise energy. Panting the crane landed a few feet back, having now avoided several blasts in the enhanced gravity, the intensity of this technique became clear.
“Out of breath already Saito!? I’m just warming up!”
Another barrage, this one faster than the last. It was as though the man could create explosions out of thin air. It was obvious that Saito could win if only he would use his most powerful techniques. Tranforming into the phoenix would make short work of the shorter sensei. Shaking off the idea was easy enough. He wouldn’t just beat Fu as the phoenix, he would probably kill him. Saito had to remain at a reasonable powerlevel and against such a foolproof attack it proved difficult. One false step was all it took and Saito was caught in one of the nasty explosions. His arm turned a deep red, capillaries in his arm popping and spewing a thin layer of blood across the snow.
“Gah!”
He growled. It had been a painful mistake. More than anything he wanted to counter with an attack of his own, but doing so would leave him open for another punishing blow. With a little quick thinking, Saito would end this match with a single blow. Rising to his feet the other master chuckled, his eyes beginning to glow once again. The Crane students watched on, a distinct fear on their face. Their sensei would never compromise his own values. He would sooner let Fu kill him than transform and accidently kill the man himself. Thankfully for the worried young men that would not be an issue. Saito burst forward with an insurmountable jolt of speed. His Ki dash. Caught off guard the rival sensei fired off a shot, missing entirely. Saito’s jolt was met with one of Fu’s own. Quickly combating the speed with some of his own Fu began a race across the icy hillside, explosions appearing sporatically. The students couldn’t see what was happening, but Saito could. He moved from each attack, keeping his distance well enough to dash away whenever one was coming. The battle of speed was a taxing one, and once Saito’s own muscles began to tense he knew it was time to act. Defying logic that master made a B-line for Fu, a foolish move he had already attempted. Fu released his attack, a little extra in fact. It would be his final strike as the blast hit Saito full on, exploding in a flash of Ki and eliciting pained gasps from the crane students, and a stunned silence from the Akatskei. When the students could see properly however they would note that Site was standing, unharmed sans the injury from earlier on his arm. Fu on the other hand was on the ground, unconscious.
What they had not seen was what took place in that flash. It had in fact been Fu’s attack colliding with Satio’s P.O.S.E shielding. Itan’s own invention and one that Saito rarely used, the shield was able to appear almost instantly to defend Saito at his desire. When Saito had taken the attack, the POSE had taken it for him, thus eliminating any damage he could have taken. It was at that moment that he struck the other sensei. Unprepared for a possible counter attack, Master Fu took a hard blow to the side of his head with the Ki encased righteous fist of Master Saito.
The battle was over, and Saito had won.
It was a hard fought battle, but Saito had won. Without the use of his Kikoho or even the transformation into his Phoenix form. He had defeated the rival dojo. Begrudgingly master Fu kept his end of the bargain as well. It would be quite interesting to utilize the Spirit Wave in his future battles.
(Simulator Bonus, Gravity 35 Bonus, PL, New Technique)
Spirit Wave: Spirit Wave: Telekinesis with a BANG. Rather than picking up objects, the force of the telekinesis is focused into a narrow and invisible blast. The energy can both push the opponent back forcefully, and explode violently. Such power is based on the user’s powerlevel and can be difficult to avoid without the proper Ki sensing.