Looking For Trouble (Darren)

[Pain Killer]

It was hard not to notice the hulking 6'5" Senior Student standing outside of the school, his arms crossed in front of himself as he stared at the school doors. His decision had been made, his plan set, and while he was certainly a slight bit nervous to be challenging the top fighter of this school so early, that would not stop him from doing what needed to be done. There was no possible reason he could accept that would keep him from following his path to greatness, as well as a more personal reason that he hadn't been particularly vocal about, even among those who he had recently considered to be friendly towards him.

Pan...

Scowling, he adjusted his fingerless gloves, making sure they remained snug against his hands. After all, if he were to be tackling the strongest of the school, he wanted to be prepared. The self-proclaimed Pain Killer took a long breath, then exhaled. He was ready. As soon as the next student walked by, his right hand whipped forwards, grabbing the kid by the shoulder and pulling him closely. This move, however, was not violent, instead, simply grabbing the kid's attention as Adam spoke.

"The School Captain. Go find him, and bring him here. Him and I need to have a little talk."

"No way. He'd wipe the floor with you!"

"I don't care! Go get him, or I'll give you the beating of a lifetime!"

Without another word, the kid ran off, presumably to find the leader of Hircine High. In the intermittent time, Adam would shed his trenchcoat, leaving it on the ground behind him as he stretched his arms, waiting for the student to show. If he was half as good as a School Captain should be, then this would be as physically demanding as any battle he'd had in the past, and the youngest Rydell wanted to be at the top of his game.

[Darren Blayne]

"Darren."

The student, knowing he had done nothing wrong, and thus, having nothing to fear, calmly approached the School Captain, who was at the time doing his usual rounds, casually walking about the school to ensure that the peace was being kept. Seeing as the boy came from behind Darren, Darren stopped, turning his body completely to face this one. One look up and down recognized him not only as a Hircine student, but as one who generally kept out of trouble. Thus, he knew no caution would need be taken against this one.

"Hmm?" Was his reply, as he cocked an eyebrow in curiosity. The student, beginning to gain his excitement at the prospect of what he was about to tell Darren, grinned suddenly and began his story.

"Well, there's this big guy. Really big guy, right? He's right out in front of the school, and he wants to see you for some reason. He says you need to have a little talk... but I think he wants a fight, judging from the way he was standing there."

"Is that so...?" Darren was silent a moment, regarding his options.

Could it be a pretender to my title already? These Varronites certainly don't waste any time, that's for sure...

"Alright, then, lead me to him, if you would," Darren requested politely. Nodding in agreement, the student turned on his heel and began to move forward, with Darren keeping pace casually behind him.

Only minutes after the conversation, the student came through the front doors, looking head-on into a determined Pain Killer, who had already shed his trench coat, and thereby dropping any doubts the student had about what this one wanted. Directly behind the shorter student emerged the captain himself, Darre Blayne, looking about as excited to be there as someone would be standing in line at the DMV. The student, leaving the two to their own devices, got out of the way, taking a spot to watch off to the side, as more students, both Hircine and Varron alike, seeing someone either one or the other knew, began to gather as well.

"You wanted to see me. I hope this is worth my time." Darren spoke his piece, and casually stood on the top step of the small set of steps leading up to the front doors, looking down at Pain Killer, waiting for his response.

[Pain Killer]

After only a few short moments, the kid returned, followed by a rather serious looking student. Of course, the almost bored expression did little to unnerve the former Varron student, as he'd seen plenty of students with much the same attitude, and he was convinced he could take every single one of them. Probably at once. His thumbs hung on the fabric of his pockets, Adam taking a rather lax attitude now that the School Captain had shown up. The pre-fight jitters were long since gone, replaced by the arrogance gained from winning more fights then he'd lost. At the newcomer's question, Pain Killer simply smirked back at him before answering.

"I'd certainly hope this is worth your time. It's not everyday that the School Captain loses his title in a decisive defeat."

The larger student took a few steps back from the steps, giving plenty of room for Darren to come down without fear of reprisal. While it was not beneath the self-proclaimed Pain Killer to take a cheap shot before the fight actually started, that course of action would counteract his plans in this battle. This was a match to prove that he could defeat the School Captain fairly, in a one on one situation, proving himself ot be superiour and to leave no doubt in anyone's mind as to whether he deserved the title or not. His thumbs left his pockets, though remained at his sides, not taking a fighting stance quite yet. If Darren were to refuse his challenge, then Adam would look like quite the moron in being too eager to fight.

"So how 'bout it, Cap? Willing to put your reputation on the line against one of Varron's own?"

[Darren Blayne]

"I should've known."

Darren took the few steps down quickly, coming up on the same level as the challening student. Before he would do anything, however, Darren began to pace around the student, slowly, looking him up and down, but not attacking. However, as he moved, he did speak.

"Just what makes you think I would accept this challenge? Look at you. Big, yes, but fresh from the Varron train. You've done nothing to prove yourself here at this school, and, judging from the crowd..."

Darren took a moment to look outside of the immediate circle, at those gathered. It seemed that most of the students were of Hircinian descent, and from the looks of the Varronite onlookers, they only knew Pain Killer by vague remembrance rather than anything in particular he had done.

"You've done even less at your old school."

With his little biting speech over, Darren was once more where he began, facing Pain Killer, with the crowd almost entirely circling them, save for the one exit: The front doors to the school. Adjusting his glasses upon his nose, he spoke once more.

"With that said, however, I accept your 'challenge', if that is what you wish. You amuse me, and I feel that is worthy enough of acceptance. As you have challenged me, you may begin."

With that, Darren settled back in a loose fighting stance, his legs slightly bent, his arms hanging at his sides, but held up a bit for balance. The battle would soon begin.

[Pain Killer]

The words Darren chose were seemingly picked quite well, causing the smirk on Pain Killer's face to falter for a moment. It was true, he hadn't quite gotten anywhere in the past school. Then again, there had been no School Captain at Varron, and being the loner that he was, Adam had been without support to rally behind his own claims to the title. Now, however, he wouldn't need to convince anyone with words as to how skilled he was, all it would take was one victory.

In less than a second, the smirk had returned, the confidence in full form as Adam simply waited for Darren to finish speaking his piece. There would be no cocky reply from Adam this time, instead he kept silent, not wanting to give the current Captain a reason to back out of this particular battle.

"If that's how you want it."

With a shrug, Adam brought his hands up, his right fist close to his face while his left arm was extended in front of him, slightly bent, with the palm facing his opponent. He stepped closer slowly, right leg first, then the left, bringing him almost within punching distance. Then, in a burst of speed much unlike the previous steps, Adam's left foot came forward, closing the distance rapidly as his left hand shot out to grab Darren by his right shoulder, which if successful, would pull the School Captain towards himself.

[Darren Blayne]

Pain Killer started off slowly, giving Darren time to read and analyze his preferred fighting stance. Quickly, in a way that only Darren's brain really could, he took in as much information as he could get from it.

Leads with his left, so he's likely right handed. It's a defensive style, which belies his large, aggressive nature. Either he's got something planned, or he's just a big idiot.

Pain Killer's plan changed, forcing Darren's mind to snap to a close as the big man suddenly lunged forth, taking a large step with his left and reaching forward to grab Darren by the shoulder. Unfortunately for this Varronite, his hand wouldn't reach.

A little before Pain was halfway finished with his step, Darren's right leg would quickly lunge and swing toward Pain's stepping foot, connecting with the middle of his shin, hard. This would knock Pain off course, screwing with his balance and likely causing the grabbing hand to falter, due to his plan suddenly backfiring on him.

As he did this, Darren pushed off his right leg, essentially kicking off Pain Killer's left leg as it hit the ground, adding a bit extra pressure to the pain he'd just inflicted, as well as putting about two to three extra feet of space between them once again.

All the while, Darren's eyes never left Pain Killer, it was almost as if his limbs moved of their own accord.

[Pain Killer]

Not surprisingly, Darren put his superiour speed to good use, kicking Adam's leg while he was still in motion. Normally, this would indeed cause a regular fighter to lose his concentration, the lack of balance forcing them to change strategies to keep from falling on their face. Unfortunately for Darren, he hadn't known Pain Killer before the transfer; if there was one thing Adam had, it was an unusually singleminded determination.

Even as he began tilting forwards, the upper body continuing forwards while the left leg was pushed back, Adam's left hand continued forwards, though with a new target in mind. With the tilting motion already bringing his hand closer to it's intended destination, Adam's hand reached downwards, reaching faster than it usually would have on it's own, catching hold of the pantleg of Darren's retreating limb. While this in itself would not be enough to hold the leg in place, it would hold for the moment, long enough for Adam's right hand to drop down and place itself underneath Darren's knee.

Of course, Pain Killer was still falling forwards, a feat that would soon wind up having him fall on his front should he continue to do nothing about it. His left foot stomped downwards, the right coming forwards in a stumble to regain his balance. At least, that's what it would appear to be, had Adam brought himself to a stop there. Instead, he continued forward, in what would be the beginnings of a run directly at his opponent. While there was certainly not quite the full speed of a sprint, the lack of velocity would be made up for with the sheer mass of the man slamming into Darren, his right arm pulling Darren's captured knee towards Adam's left side, pulling it out of the way as he collided shoulder first into Darren's sternum.

[Darren Blayne]

"Let. Go."

Two simple words spoken by the captain as this pretentious newcomer suddenly grabbed his leg and held it steady with both hands. Before he could even continue what would have been the rest of his move, Darren reacted.

In the middle of Pain's clumsy steps forward, which may or may not have been a stumble, but would still have all the grace of one, Darren suddenly met momentum for momentum, leaping heavily forward, bringing his left knee up as he did so. What with Pain Killer still falling forward at the time, and both of his hands tied up with Darren's other leg, the left knee would crash extremely hard straight into Pain Killer's chin with jaw-breaking force. For Pain Killer's sake, he would have his mouth closed tight, otherwise his tongue could be bitten clean off. In short, however, the move was intentionally designed to cause Pain Killer to, at the very least, remove his grip on Darren's leg.

Regardless of the condition, using his balance and agility, in the case of his leg being dropped, Darren would land on one knee, his right, and hop backwards, again in an attempt to distance himself from this rampaging, gorilla-like man.

[Pain Killer]

As the words still hung in the air, Darren counterattacked, leaping into his opponent much as Adam had simply continued into the School Captain. The very fact that he had leapt forwards instead of straight up, however, would be his undoing. Fast as he was, Darren would need some excellent timing in order to strike Pain Killer's chin with a knee attack in the small window of opportunity presented, a skill he most likely had from having been in many fights as he had. Still, this was assuming that Pain Killer would ignore his rapidly rising opponent, and run straight into him chest to chest.

Instead, the larger student began to twist his upper body to the left, bringing his right shoulder forward as he intended to make it the point of impact, in a bodycheck-like manuever into Darren's chest. Due to Darren's jump, however, this move would not go completely as planned, as instead of striking the School Captain's torso, the Varron student's upper arm would take the impact of Darren's knee assault. Painful, to be sure, but much less damaging than taking the blow on the chin.

With the momentum of Pain Killer slamming into him, as well as Darren jumping into the attack, it was likely that Darren would begin to fall backwards, his right leg still held by the Varron transfer. Standing tall, Adam adjusted his grip, not taking his right hand off of Darren's leg, but pulling it up towards his left armpit, where he would clamp down on the shin with his arm and then place his left hand atop his right, underneath the knee. With this type of grip, Darren would land on his shoulders on the cement, or if he were particularly unlucky, on the back of his head, the rest of his body being held up by the considerably larger fighter. Mindful of the fact that Darren's left foot could still conceivably kick him in the face, Adam began to turn to his right, attempting to use his strength advantage to flip Darren over onto his stomach in order to utilize a move he'd seen often in professional wrestling.

Should he succeed in overpowering Darren, Adam would straddle the student's lower back, facing away and still holding the captured right leg underneath his armpit. Then, he would begin leaning back, putting as much pressure as possible on the knee and ankle joints, in the hopes of disabling the limb, and in turn, assuring his victory.

[Darren Blayne]

Unfortunately for Pain Killer, Darren did not fall back as would have been planned, for his height advantage played in his favor. Having jumped not only forward, but obviously upwards some as well, when he struck the leaning-forward Pain Killer, Darren was the highest point in the mess of limbs and bodies. Leaning forward himself, Darren threw all of his body weight forward, putting his hands roughly about where Pain Killer's shoulder blades were, and fell forward, kicking both legs out to help with the falling process.

Pain Killer was big and strong, but he would have to have nothing short of immense strength in his right arm, since it was the one with the actual grip, to be able to pull all 180-some odd pounds of Darren back and around, especially without his upper body to aid, considering it was already bent over as such.

With that said, the sudden kick out of his trapped leg, plus all of his weight rolling over Pain Killer's back, would either force him to release his grip, or cause him to dislocate his shoulder, and then release his grip due to the pain. Either way, Darren would roll onto his back on the ground behind Pain Killer.

That would not be the end, however. Darren would immediately follow up by rolling backwards about halfway, planting both feet directly into Pain Killer's backside and shoving forward, not only helping the Captain roll back into a standing position, but ensuring that Pain Killer ran head-first into the steps in front of the school's double-doors.

[Pain Killer]

Darren's move was unexpected, leaving Pain Killer surprised and somewhat frustrated. He's slippery. Can't let him get away! Despite his questionable judgement at times, even Adam wasn't foolish enough to believe he could hold Darren's entire weight in the awkward positioning that he was in. He may be strong, but not quite that strong. Instead, he released his grip, shoving his right arm up to push Darren's left thigh over his shoulder, adding to the momentum as he straightened his spine. Not only would this cause Darren to land much faster than before, but it would also add a slight bit more height to his drop, causing it to be that much more painful to land on the concrete.

Of course, such a drop was unlikely to cause serious damage, unless Darren were particularly unlucky in his fall, but it would cause the School Captain to be forced to adjust his already planned landing in order to compensate, either by going with the momentum into a sitting position or stalling it somehow as he fell. Either way meant little to Pain Killer, as he brought his right foot forward, the foot sliding to a stop sideways a short distance ahead of him as he pivoted on his left, turning his body to face Darren once more as he sent a soccer kick with his right leg directly at where he had estimated Darren's lower back to be, should he have been sitting on the ground. If the Hircine Captain were still lying on the ground, the kick would strike the top of his head instead, much more damaging despite not being the intended target.

[Darren Blayne]

As Adam did the best he could to force Darren into taking at least some pain from the fall, this time by shoving his leg farther up than anticipated and straightening himself back out in order to tamper with Darren's previously-controlled roll. In mid-air as he was, there was little the captain could do in his situation, but, what he could do, he did.

His hands were still on Pain's back as the big man stood up, and thus, Darren gave him a little shove, inverted as he was. It wasn't much, especially considering the extreme lack of footing and positioning Darren had, but hopefully it would at least be unexpected and cause Pain to stumble the slightest bit. More importantly, however, pushing off of the big guy would push Darren a bit farther away from him, giving him the space he wanted in order to continue this battle.

Without the time to put his hands fully back into play, Darren swung his arms forward, putting them behind his head as he landed onto the concrete on the top of his back, his forward momentum causing him to roll with the landing, effectively breaking his fall, despite the slight initial moment of impact, which stung a bit. As Pain Killer had predicted, Darren followed through with the momentum; however, he didn't just stop at a sitting position on the ground, pushing with his hands into the ground to lift himself in order to pick his legs up underneath him again and take a sudden hop forward, distancing himself from Pain Killer just before the kick would hit home.

Turning back around, Darren would face the pretender to his title again. "You are annoyingly persistent, and have no technique to speak of. Honestly now, did you think such sloppy pursuits would really be enough to take my title? I tire of this."

After his little monologue, Darren brought up his hands. His left arm extended, though still bent slightly palm up, fingers curled in a kind of a reverse tiger formation, and his right arm was back, his palm about even with his left elbow, facing inside. He spread his legs a little past shoulder length, and with two quick motions of either hand, his right quickly shooting up to his glasses to adjust them, and his left's index and middle finger beckoning Pain to come forward, Darren waited to see what would be done.

[Pain Killer]

The slight push would be easily compensated by the step forward Pain Killer had taken in order to give his kick more power, but by taking the extra precaution, it seemed he had given Darren enough time to escape the blow. The Captain hopped forwards, his speed saving him once more, and causing Adam to scowl, but not give chase. Should he simply charge blindly in, there was a good chance he'd be walking right into a cleverly designed trap, and against a seasoned fighter like his opponent was, such a circumstance could very well end the fight then and there. Still scowling, the youngest Rydell boy simply watched Darren as he turned around, fairly confident that he wouldn't rush back into battle.

An odd lump had formed high up in his right pocket, though Adam already knew what it was. During his kick, the badge he'd gained for winning the tournament back in Varron had been pushed up by the denim material, forcing the top half to stick out of the pocket. It was one of the few things he considered valuable, and as such, had taken it on the trip to San Francisco, to remind himself of his own abilities. While he didn't wear it on his clothing like other winners did, he kept it with him, believing it to be a sort of good luck charm. Without taking his eyes off of Darren, his right thumb jabbed the possession back into place, even as he listened to the words the School Captain spoke. His scowl quickly faded, the arrogant grin that had become almost trademarked to Pain Killer rapidly forming on his face.

"I'm glad you're getting tired. I'm tired of chasing you. Here I thought the well-respected School Captain would at least stand his ground in a challenge, rather than copping a feel and running away."

Even as the cocky words left his lips, the self-proclaimed Pain Killer's mind was working furiously, trying to form a plan to keep Darren from escaping his grasp again. He's fast, kicks hard, prefers countering, and doesn't get flustered in close quarters. Doesn't seem to use his hands much though. The last part, of course, was subject to change, given how Adam recognized the difference in Darren's stance this time around than a few moments before. Seems like he's finally taking me seriously... His upper arm was tense from the blow it had taken, and his left began to reach over to rub the muscle into loosening up a bit, but as it passed over his chest, it rose to hold his shoulder in place instead as he made small circles with the joint, working the shoulder in. Should he let Darren know he was hurting, then the smaller student would feel more confident, but should he believe that the attack had yielded little effect, the Captain may perform more risky moves in order to keep Pain Killer down.

Sighing slightly, Adam pulled his fists back up, though much like his opponent, this stance would differ from the one he had used previously as well. His fists were roughly a foot in front of his face, the palms facing downwards, the left hand leading. It was apparent that Darren wished for Adam to start them off again, and the larger student was more than happy to oblige. He walked forwards, slowly once more, this time making sure that he was within reach before attacking; he would not suffer the same mistake twice. His left leg would lead once more, the right slightly behind and, should Darren choose to remain on the defensive as seemed to be his style, Adam would send a quick lefthanded palm strike towards the smaller man's nose. While not overly powerful, the nose was a sensitive area, and would likely cause the School Captain's eyes to water from the impact should it land.

[Darren Blayne]

Darren was silent, giving Pain Killer neither any bothersome clever retort nor a quiet admission of anything. In the end, Darren found it better, for his case, to give Pain Killer enough room to think on his own as to exactly how Darren took the remark. From what the captain had seen of this one so far, his weakest point was, indeed, his thinking.

If having to decide exactly what Darren thought of him on his own wasn't enough to drive him insane, Pain Killer moved forward, ready to start the battle once more.

Where Pain Killer's original stance had been bearable, his new one was just short of rediculous. It was like a Muay Thai stance, but, something about it just seemed wrong. Passing it off, once more, as just another side-effect of this one's lacking intelligence, Darren simply awaited the coming, this time with a new plan in mind.

The palm strike came forth, and Darren reacted, quickly and sharply, almost like a snake striking in his methods. His right hand closed into a quick fist, rising up suddenly, the his middle knuckle, the thickest of the lot, striking directly in the center of Pain Killer's wrist. Like the nose, this spot was a sensitive area, as the nerve was very exposed, and would send a spasm of pain shooting down his arm. As this happened, however, Darren stepped back quickly, simultaneously with the blow, snapping his arm from the strike back down to it's original point in the stance.

From there, he'd simply stand silent again, waiting for Pain Killer to try again.

[Pain Killer]

The Hircine student struck the soft underside of Adam's wrist in a move that was vaguely familiar to one performed in him by another spectacled fighter in the past. However, unlike the past occurance, Darren had stepped back immediately as he did so, ruining what was the simplest of plans in Pain Killer's mind. Once again, he didn't immediately give chase, but took the time to shake his left arm a bit, an unimpressed look on his face as Adam worked to get the blood flowing again. Try as he might to contain it, it would no doubt be clear to anyone watching that the Varron transfer was frustrated with how the battle had been going, the hit and run tactics of his opponent clearly grating on his nerves and slowly wearing him down.

"You're starting to piss me off."

The words leaked out from gritted teeth, the threatening tone underlying every word. Screw this noise, I'm done playing around. He stepped back a few feet, his hands dropping down to waist level, before breaking into a run directly at Darren. Now he had a few steps to gather up some speed. The plan was simple, he would charge straight through whatever defense Darren attempted, get a good grip, and pound the smaller man into the pavement, relying on his size and toughness to withstand whatever blows were landed on him in the meantime.

His forearms were crossed in front of his chest, Pain Killer slightly hunched over as he closed the distance. By running, he would effectively negate any steps backwards that Darren would take, as his forward momentum would simply close the intermittent distance. As such, it appeared to Adam that Darren would react in one of two ways; dodge to the side, or counterattack. Should Darren remain where he was, motionless, then Pain Killer would simply slam into him, forearms first into his chest, though that would likely not be the case. Either way, Adam was confident that the pace of the fight would begin to pick up.

[Darren Blayne]

With Pain Killer's simple statement, it was clear to Darren that he was thus far victorious in the battle. His simple strategy, and one that seemed obvious for any smaller, lighter man facing a larger, heavier, stronger one was starting to crack that proud facade he wore, and cause him to make desperate actions in order to try and end the fight quickly.

Darren was correct in his estimations, as Pain Killer thus started a blind, foolhardy run straight toward Darren, intent seemingly on simply crashing directly through him.

Much like he had done earlier in a similar position, instead of retreating from the charging foe, Darren, in another sudden and sharp burst of aggression, dropped to the ground, turning ninety degrees to his left and kicking both legs out, using his hands to balance himself on the ground as Pain Killer effectively ran full tilt into Darren's dual-footed dropkick styled attack, combining both the momentum of his feet and the momentum of the run to drive both feet square into Pain Killer's gut, a move which would easily render the big man breathless and unable to fight for a period of time.

Again, without wasting any time, if connected correctly, Darren would use his stomach as a springboard, pushing off with his legs into a roll to further keep his distance, and see if his move truly had defeated the big man or not.

[Pain Killer]

OOC: Sorry for this taking so long.

IC:

As his opponent dropped low in order to begin his counterattack, Adam's torso bent at the waist at a greater angle, bringing his shoulders and arms forward. It was only natural for him to react in this way, as he wanted his forearms to take the brunt of the impact, and if he continued to run as he was before, then they would sail helplessly over Darren's head as the two fighters collided. However, rather than simply duck lower, Darren turned to his side, supporting himself with his arms and driving his legs forward in a powerful dual strike with both feet, aimed at Adam's stomach.

Pain Killer, however, saw nothing but opportunity.

His hands shot downwards, the palms slamming into Darren's top leg at the side of the calf, not in an attack, but rather to push the legs down, as well as shoving Adam's own body up slightly. His legs spread, allowing Darren's feet to pass between them. Pain Killer pulled his feet back, allowing his body to land atop of Darren's in a straddling position, his rear impacting upon Darren's knees, pinning them to the ground. Now, with the Hircine School Captain's mobility severely impaired, it was Adam's chance to begin doing some damage. His left hand shot forwards, the fingers wide as he looked to grab Darren by the face, planning to hamper the Hircine student's vision as well as distract him from the righthanded punch being sent towards his stomach.

[Darren Blayne]

Pain Killer suddenly changed plans, exhibiting almost inhuman reaction times as, almost exactly as soon as Darren began his flowing dropkick move. Ducking and slamming Darren's legs into the ground, Pain Killer began to leap onto Darren's leg, straddling him to begin an assault that, at least, he hoped, Darren would be hard-pressed to deal with.

Unfortunately for Pain Killer, Darren's quick wits and sharp mind would help him here, once more.

Seeing his attack being pushed down, Darren threw his right shoulder back, pushing off with his right hand to spin himself over onto his back, putting him into a position where he could more easily see the following events and accurately deal with them. As Pain Killer dropped down fully onto his legs, forcing them down entirely, Darren pushed up into a sitting position, using his abdominal control as well as his hands, not to mention the see-saw effect he utilized from the downward momentum of his legs. All these things combined caused Darren to shoot up into a sitting position much faster than would be anticipated, likely, by the bigger man.

The left hand came forth, looking to grab his face, however, as he rose, Darren's own hands were in motion, his right forearm coming up to the inside of Pain's own forearm to block it and push it away, and his left hand, fingers still curled from his fighting stance rushed forth, coming inside of Pain's soon to be failed other punch, with a hard strike, using his still curled index and middle finger, to Adam's Apple, the initial strike likely being more than enough to wind the big man. If not, however, instead of pulling back, Darren's two fingers latched on, squeezing painfully on the big man's adam's apple, until he either yielded or passed out, one of the two.

What would make this attack even more stealthy, however, was Darren's rushing up with his upper body. As fast as he was coming, it would look like he had every intention of headbutting Pain Killer, which would either mask his true attack, or force Pain Killer into having to defend against only one of them.

[Pain Killer]

It seemed Darren was able to turn a disadvantageous situation into something not as bad, much to Pain Killer's chagrin. His left hand had been quickly deflected, his right delivering a glancing blow to the School Captain's stomach, the angle preventing the strike from doing any serious damage. Of course, such events were common in Adam's fights, especially against smaller fighters, and he was slowly becoming used to having to deal with it. As such, the lessened blow didn't frustrate him as much as one might expect, given his earlier actions.

With Darren rapidly sitting up, it did indeed appear as if he were going to headbutt the self-proclaimed Pain Killer, a strategy he respected and, in fact, epitomized; receive damage in order to deal damage. With his hands in no position to deal with such an attack, he did the first thing that came to mind in order to minimize the damage to himself. His head leaned forward, moving the hardest part of the skull to take the impact, hopefully safeguarding his face. As his gaze dropped with the motion, he caught sight of the knuckles heading towards his previously vulnerable neck. As most of those in Varron knew, Pain Killer already had a counter for most blows directed towards his throat, one that had worked more often then not.

His mouth opened, his head ducking lower than he had planned to counter the headbutt as he bit down on the knuckles, clamping them together so as to keep them immobilized, as well as deal some additional pain. Holding the hand in place, however briefly it lasted, would give Pain Killer a chance to pull back his right hand before delivering a right handed uppercut at Darren's left ribs. His left hand would reach forward as well, grasping at Darren's right upper arm should it have remained at his side, or failing that, driving his left thumb into the space between ribs on his right side.

[Darren Blayne]

(OOC: Here I am, I didn't forget.)

As plans were made and broken within the span of an instant, Darren realized his throat strike was going to be countered in a rather unorthodox way - however, this seemed to be quite fitting for this rather brutish competitor - as his mouth opened and prepared to catch Darren's fingers in his teeth.

Pain Killer's plan would succeed, though not in the way he'd likely imagined.

Darren's fingers quickly uncurled, but did not break away from their flight path. Now straight and stiff, the index and middle finger barreled right down Pain Killer's throat, jabbing up inside his mouth for an instant as his teeth closed down, painfully biting down on the fingers and causing Darren's eyes to wince subtely in an expression of the pain he felt. Forcing himself to ignore the constant pain for now, Darren, using Pain Killer's grip on his arm to keep him in a semi-sitting position, twisted his left wrist up putting his palm in Pain Killer's face, and, with his pinky and thumb, pressed down hard on each of Pain Killer's temples. While he didn't have the strongest grip for such a move, it would still cause a lot of discomfort, probably giving the bigger man a headache as a result, and there was also the fact that Darren's fingers inside of Pain's mouth had now curled up, and his nails were digging into the roof of his mouth.

With Pain's vision obscured, their bodies fairly close together, and the pain from Darren's new hold playing hell with Pain Killer's thought process, if only for the first moment, Pain Killer's attack to the ribs would go wide, coming in around Darren's side to strike him in the back with much less force. Meanwhile, Darren just held on to Pain's face.

"It will only get worse from here. Yield and save yourself."