Odin vs. Taiku

[Dain Gavyns]

Hope Dain's gym isn't getting boring, cuz your back here again. Ever seen the movie "Fight Club"? If not, go rent it before you start, cuz it feels just like that here. The mat's been pulled up. The crowd's tight around you, just ready to see some bloodshed. Oh, and lighting? Dain's got it rigged up, the only light on is from a single, swinging bulb on a wire, right above where you're gonna fight. The crowd's pretty pliable, if you get knocked into 'em, they're gonna move out of your way, the fight can go all over the main floor of the gym, hell, take it outside if you want. Be warned, though, it's pretty late, and the streetlights aren't so great 'round here. Pretty much, if you wanna see, stick to the middle.

Oh, and don't break the light.

[Odin Reeves]

Snap! Snap Snap! SnapSnap! SnaSnap!

Preparing outside the swarm of people cheering for the current combatants Odin was going through the motions. He started off slow, letting his muscles adjust as he threw out a jab, followed by the basic 1-2 combination. His denim jacket snapped with a crisp crack as his fists struck the invisible target lying in front of his eyes. His body cradled back and forth softly, weaving from side to side as he mimicked offensive and defence coming together.

Unlike in the prior rounds, where his opponent’s either fell to quickly, or didn’t even bother fighting, he knew he’d enjoy this fight. He had faced his opponent before, and unlike most of his other matches he had lost to him. This remained one of the few issues left swirling around in his head. If he remained unable to beat Taiku then what chance would he have if he pressed forward into professional fighting?

Taking a deep breath he stood with his hands to his sides, his fists loosening while tilting his head back. The crowd signified the end of the last match, whom had won and lost didn’t matter. It was over, and now it was his time to fight. Opening his eyes he peered out into the darkness, the dim light barely reaching his desolate corner of the gym. This would be more troublesome then previously imagined. Up till now Odin had blocked out his sense of hearing, ignoring any taunts from his opponent and the same from the crowd. But now he’d have to be wary if they strayed to far from the light.

‘I just have to keep it in the middle. Alright, Lets do this.’

Exhaling he shed his denim jacket, remaining in only a pair of jeans and steel-toed boots. Pushing through the crowds he made his way toward the light, knowing the rest of his life depended on it. As he came out the other side of the sea of people he stood just within the range of the light. Looking across he failed to notice his opponent’s arrival. Nothing new, Odin was always the first to arrive, and usually the first to attack. Defence tactics and counters weren’t his style, despite holding a place in his repertoire. Calmly he stood there with his hands at his sides, speaking under his breath.

“C’mon Taiku, where are you?”

[Kazuki Akimoto]

Clearly, Dain had been watching Fight Club in recent days. The setup for the fights betrayed it, and whilst it was a touch inconvenient, he focused on the one thing that stood to favour for him.

Light

Not to any assumption that he had some kind of night vision going on, but so long as a silhouette was cast over the pair, the inborn speed he posessed would hopefully give him an advantage in the darkness. Under the bulb that was hanging, though, he'd have to be careful. Prior experience made him wary of this fight, and whilst he'd had some rather easy walks so far in the league, he'd finally get the challenge he'd wanted.

Making his way through the crowd wasn't difficult, they'd grown accustomed to the dimmer light, as had he after sticking around to watch a couple of the earlier fights, and he pushed his way through with minimal hassle as he reached up behind his shoulders, grasping the shirt he had on and dragging it off with a quick motion, draping it over his shoulder as he stepped out into the almost-sterile feeling light. A quick skim over Odin brought one thing to his attention; the steel-toed boots. He knew Odins style well enough and that the likelihood of a kick from the burly fighter was unlikely, but it merited noticing by every mean.

In a stark contrast, he was clad only in light, casual sneakers that were bound tightly to his feet and a pair of well-fitted track pants. Loose enough to give him full mobility, but hardly hanging off of him. Glad he'd opted for dark clothing tonight, he dropped the shirt to the ground a little behind him at the current 'wall' of the crowd. Rolling his head slowly over his shoulders, twisting his arms in a methodic pattern as the muslces were pulled taut for a few moments, he set back to a casual position afterwards and gave a nearly blank glance towards Odin.

"Ready?"

As he asked the monosyllabic question, he raised his arms very slightly from waist height, though they never rose past his ribcage, and shifted his weight through his left foot, stepping forward onto his right slightly as he made it obvious that he had no interest in any chit-chat exchanges here. He'd respond to anything required of him, but other than that, he would wait only for a display of readiness from the younger fighter.

[Odin Reeves]

Taking a quick moment to analyze Taiku’s stance he found it had changed since their last fight, which was all and well since he had done the exact same thing. Slipping his left foot forward he went into a short lunge like stance, his hips squared off as his right hell came off the ground. Raising his hands up he kept his left hand just in front of his right, both protecting his face, one on either side. Hunching forward he lowered his body a bit more, bending both his knee’s a tad bit further before he started to move forward. Despite the bloodlust he often felt when fighting he remained calm, pushing forward with calculated shuffles. He was anxious to begin, but wasn’t showing signs of his excitement.

While taking his time to cross the ‘ring’ to his opponent Odin did a few assessments of the situation. His opponent was right leg forward, meaning that jabs would become useless for actual strikes, as they’d have a good chance of easily being blocked. Unlike in their prior fight their was no sturdy ring post, so it would be impossible for Odin to push him back into the rings before going for a take-down. That means he’d have to keep this a striking match, and would just have to be more careful about Taiku’s feet then he is with most others. If he was going to strike and grapple then he’d need to get in extremely close and control both of their bodies and weight, the light only permitted so much range, and to fall outside of that would prove in Taiku’s favour. The sneakers made his feet considerably lighter, so Odin knew he would most likely be chasing the man down rather then exchanging shots.

‘Seems like that’s the best tactic for now. Damn, and I really wanted to throw the first punch.’

Mentally upset – though with no external signs – Odin continued to push forward. He’d get within his range before staring to slightly bob and weave back and forth. Just small ‘circles’ to keep his body loose while not exaggerating his motions. Despite being in range to strike he wouldn’t, he’d just continue to push forward, watching Taiku’s movements. It would be like a tortuous chasing after the hare, Odin going on the idea that slow and steady wins the race. He knew Taiku wouldn’t fall to the pressure he was emitting, such games weren’t necessary between the two veterans of combat, but if Taiku didn’t attempt anything Odin would chase him down until he was inside the older males guard, where grappling and punches both hand a strong chance of success.

[Kazuki Akimoto]

As Odin began to near him, his body grew tighter as he watched the younger males hands...One thing, if anything he could predict, was that Odins primary asset was his fists and those would be the things to watch. However, once putting himself just outside of range, he was simply weaving instead of attacking directly as Taiku would have expected. It wasn't much of a shock, after all having had a few altercations in tournaments in the past both knew the standards each set...

'He's playing a cautious open...By baiting me into attacking first, he'll most likely aim to overpower me if he's able to catch me into close range...'

A faint etch of a smirk grew on his face as he moved around to his left, taking the opposite direction from Odin to keep a motion between them and to keep the larger of the pair a comfortable distance away for the time being.

Allowing a moment or two as they circled a half turn or so each around their 'barrier' between one another, Taiku would skip a step, causing the previous positioning they had of being opposite each other to break. Immediately into the step, he would close in the gap off his left foot, stepping down onto his right and wheeling his left leg through in a swift, heavy kick that carried a hefty portion of his weight behind it.

No doubt a brash opener, after all the likelihood of it being defended against this early was high, but on the opposite side of the same coin, he was just as capable of reacting to anything Odin might do this early. On top of it, he was most likely expected to open with a punch, a faster attack by a considerable margin. The kick might well be able to catch Odin off-guard, and it could lead to a further opening afterwards.

[Odin Reeves]

Odin breathed out a sigh of relief from behind his fists, invisible to both his opponent and the crowd. Taiku, the quicker of the two fighters was playing into his strategy nearly to the tee. He was moving away in a circular fashion, keeping within the range of the bulb of light. These motions were longer then Odin’s and by just making quick little turns he was able to pursue his opponent despite his agility and speed being along the lines of half that of the smaller man. Quickly pivoting over on his right foot all he had to do was step forward with his left to resume his stance and stalk down his boss with the same shuffle from before. Every movement was being watched, not so much the upper body of his opponent, but the hips.

In boxing your taught to watch the shoulders, not the fists. The fists move to fast to be seen properly, so you watch the area that moves the least, and thus the shoulders become the center of attention. However, when kicking is involved it’s difficult to decide what area to watch, but seeing as Taiku was so keen on avoiding confrontation to begin with – a good plan as Odin would try to grapple and contain the speed advantage – it made for an easier target to watch. The hips would give away more information then his shoulders at this point, and if he plants his feet it’ll be easier to read then his upper frame.

When the attack came Taiku’s assumption had been correct, Odin was expecting Taiku to start off with some sort of striking technique from the upper body, presumably a punch. He just hadn’t thought that his opponent would give him such a chance to capture and control his speed from the beginning, but he wouldn’t pass up the opportunity. Dropping down his right guard Odin kept his arm tucked in close to his body, his muscles tense as he bent his knees and absorbed the impact. Using a rather unusual means to hold Odin brought his forearm up on the backside of Taiku’s left knee, a natural strangling force being applied as Odin used his superior upper body strength to push his arm inward.

Just after the kick had struck and been capture Odin stepped back with his left leg – after being forced to step out to the side from the strength of the kick. Leaning away from Taiku he kept his distance from his opponents upper body as he twisted his hips over to pull down on the mans leg. At the same time his left hand grabbed his clenched right fist, reinforcing his strength to help cause the knee to bend and the leg to be pulled toward the heavier fighter. Using his weight and strength advantage Odin was trying to force Taiku face first on the floor with his left leg bent and being twisted at the end so that it would be turning inward at an unnatural angle.

Is this move disabilatating? Yes. Is it painful? Yes. Will it work against Taiku? Hopefully.

[Kazuki Akimoto]

ooc: A fair piece of assumption, but you know the drill with that by now. ^^

ic:

The impact of the kick had created the desired effect from Taikus motions, and with Odin having been knocked to the side slightly by the kick, it would now put the pair very near the edge of the 'ring' created by the spectators, with Odins back to the crowd on top of that.

In an endurance battle, he would lose. He knew that. His primary skill was almost negated by the larger fighter, and he had had to get into a mental frame for the fight. As such, he aimed to exploit what would be a massive shift in the potential outcome, thanks almost entirely to Odin biting the hook he'd dangled in front of the larger fighters nose. He'd half-expected the kick to be intercepted, this early in the fight against someone of Odins caliber, if it hadn't been, he'd have been gravely disappointed...

The very instant it was caught, Taiku hopped up with his free leg, bending the joint in on his trapped one to close the distance between him and Odin, before thrusting out his right leg in a vicious driving blow to the bigger males midsection. At the range they were, Taiku doubted seriously if the powerhouse had the speed to do much about it. Not, of course, that it would really do much in the way of lasting damage. That much was a given, he knew that Odin would take more than a single kick to the chest to beat, but the force of the blow would certainly be enough to knock him back.

Into the crowd.

Away from the light...

The spectators knew better than to get mixed up in the fights for fear of injury, and would almost certainly part around them, reforming the ring loosely albeit a good bit away from the puny little bulb and its meagre offering of incandescent light...Taiku, having landed back-first on the ground, would have sprung back to his feet and into this darker ring, where the fainter light would make it harder for the pair to see. Here, the older of the pair would keep to the further section of the circle where the light was at its dimmest, waiting for Odin to rise.

[Odin Reeves]

Taiku was definitely using his speed to his advantage, to capitalize off of a capture power kick and move straight into another strike without much break in motion proved the mans ability. The fluidity of kicks was always something Odin had a hard time comprehending, not clearly being able to see how someone was able to go from kicking in one direction to using the other leg to force them back. It had to do with the legs being a base, and using those bases of balance to attack. Regardless, Taiku’s move was effective, but also helpful.

By bending his leg Taiku came in closer to Odin’s body, making his second kick unavoidable, that much was certain. But Odin’s ‘grip’ with his arm weaved around Taiku’s leg would become that much tighter. His fist was now basically pressed against his chest as he held his opponent’s leg in close. Stepping back as the second kick came in he was relentless with his pursuit and ideal of not letting go. Still stepping back as planned he felt Taiku’s sneaker painfully rip across his abdomen. While he doubted the kick broke skin it felt like someone gave his stomach and Indian burn with a large piece of sandpaper. The kick made Odin’s left leg buckle, dropping him down lower as Taiku would land much closer then he had anticipated. Odin’s right fist would wrap itself a bit more around the top of Taiku’s knee as the leg would remained twisted to the side – like it was kicking – but now resting on his shoulder.

Upon exhaling he looked up at Taiku, only a silhouette in front of him. In a burst of energy he screamed out with the fury his fighting was known for. Pushing up off his back leg he reached out with his left hand to grab the waistband of his opponents pants. Using his strength he’d try to lift and push Taiku up and away from him. It was like he was throwing a shock-put with his left hand, his right was only there the keep it stabilized until it was released. There was a good chance that Taiku would be able to land on his feet, but he’d be back a few feet regardless, and possibly a bit shaken. That’s where Odin’s explosive strength would truly excel, as his throw of the older man was only to get him a few feet away while returning to his feet. Odin’s body basically being shot out of a cannon towards Taiku’s torso would follow the push, or at least that’s what it might look like. With his left arm extended out to the side he’d be trying to connect with that side of his body as he launched himself in a spear at his boss.

This would, should it be success, bring them both to the ground. And everyone knows Odin’s tactics when on the ground.

[Kazuki Akimoto]

Though he would hit the ground a little more awkwardly than he would like, he'd land far enough away from Odin. Even in close proximity, the landing would be enough for him to push away from the larger of the pair before he was charged at. A winding from the uncomfortable landing on the solid floor still held him, but the mere fact Odin screamed as he did made him easier to pick out, even over the crowd bearing in mind how close the pair would be to one another, not to mention the use of the bulb casting a silhouette onto Odin just as it did Taiku.

He grinned very faintly in that dim lighting a moment, the sight of Odins normally clever fighting appearing so brash to him in this instance, and burst off to his left with a powerful step, letting the bigger fighters hands clamour for nothing but air as he twisted his torso, balled his fists and brought both of them down in a hammer shot to the small of the grapplers back. He didn't count much on actually hitting Odin, for a big fighter he moved quickly on his feet to get into that close range where he was most effective, but in the game of speed, his advantage might have been enough to score him a chafing smash to the lower right of Reeves' back, perhaps even able to stumble him onto his knees if he'd charged hard enough.

However, no matter the outcome, Taiku made no effort to return towards that light and lingered in the darker sections of the warehouse, his body tense as he stood poised for the retaliation he knew was coming. Cliche though it sounded, even in his head, he was being gifted by the shadows in this fight. To shun that gift would be a foolish thing indeed.

[Odin Reeves]

It was true that Odin’s nature had changed from a brute whom grew accustom to fighting into something more articulate within the last few years. His first tournament showed his anger and aggression being used as his main weapons. However, while working at The Edge and Legion he had hardly ever lost his cool, always remaining silent enough to go unnoticed, yet loud enough to be a distinguished force when needed. What he was attempting was to merge the two bodies of his mind together, a task that he hoped he had successfully completed.

The sprint forward had him with his eyes locked on Taiku, so when the elder of the two shifted across from his sight, moving entirely to his right, which was across Odin’s body as he was trying to connect with his left, Odin took note of the situation. Applying the breaks as quickly as possible he was forced to take an extra half-step forward with his right foot. As he came to a halt he felt a jerk in his lower back. There was a blunt force that caused him to straighten up slightly, but his aggression and aggravation was already high, his adrenaline coursing through his veins as though it was being pumped through a V8 engine.

Using his body as an indicator he judged where his opponent was and stepping back with his right foot. It was a quick, deep step back that flowed in unison with his left foot pivoting over so he was turning into his adversary. As though mimicking his opponent Odin wove the fingers of either hand together, creating his own Hammer fist. Starting low he’d swing it upwards, almost like he was swinging a baseball bat. He’d aim low an attempt to strike upwards into the stomach of his opponent. His weight carrying through with the blunt force aggression, making it a hard-to-handle blow.

[Kazuki Akimoto]

When his fists connected against a solid obstacle, and not one that continued forward, Taiku was forced into a slight surprise. He'd not expected Odin to have enough foresight to halt himself that quickly, not least because of the intensity of his burst forward, and with the slightly sidewards position he stood in he had a lucky heads-up in seeing what was coming his way. Though he'd already begun evasive movement before Odins swing was made, he was glad for the cautious mood he'd entered the fight with. If that had caught him at the peak of its swing, there was no doubt he'd have been put on the ground, if not had a rib or two broken in the process...

Stepping through and past Odins right foot, Taiku would weave an inside motion, turning counter-clockwise with a sharp spin to put himself to the back of his opponent, or where Odins back would have been at the beginning of the swing, in any regard. In doing so, his left fist would then slash out with a vicious backhand shot to the back/side of Odins head.

His punches would be nothing compared to Odins, Taiku knew that well, but even the biggest and strongest fighter couldn't ignore a hit like that to the head. The body had the advantage of muscle to absorb punishment, the head didn't have the same luxury.

Whether successful or not was little of an issue in the grander scheme, the Asian would consider it a point to his favour if he'd got on target but if nothing else, he would be aiming to move through Odins movements and stop that hammer swing from connecting. Had he hit Odin, chances stood the blow would catch the younger fighter off guard a little and stun him back. If not, Taikus movements would, in any case, have had him stepping back far enough with a small hop to clear Odins range. For all the power in a strike such as a hammer fist, the range was only that of arms reach. Trying to move with it was awkward and unwieldy, momentum took almost full control when it was used with sufficient force.

A few short breaths were taken by him as he kept his eyes on the dimly lit figure in front of him, his body merging back towards to make his appearance less conspicuous in the poor light...

[Odin Reeves]

Whether it was because of his simplistic nature or due to his fury and wild swings Odin’s body didn’t stop turning once there was nothing to hit. He continued to pivot around; doing so with his back right foot as well as he turned toward it and pulled his right hand out of the hammer fist grip. Turning his body around and continuing with his momentum Odin’s rising right fist would arch gently and begin to make a long decent, striking at a slight downward angle somewhere along Taiku’s face. The aiming was reflex, only having seen the smaller, more agile individual as he continued his spin. Odin’s right arm was leading his body, and thus passing his body. Just by turning around Odin had almost ensured his evasion of Taiku’s backhand. Odin’s arms were longer, a near given due to his height advantage, but also having naturally long arms. So, if he was within range to clock Taiku across the jaw, how close was Taiku to hitting him? Regardless of what happened Odin would be facing his opponent at the time he’d be hit. With his body moving in the same direction he’d limit any damage to his jaw while continuing to attack.

Just like his style and body Odin was putting his power into this move as well, that meant his weight was behind him. He was partially leaning over to his right, as his right leg hadn’t quite stepped over to the side to regain his balance. That helped to make the decent of his arm faster as his falling weight added into the mix. Speed times mass equals power; Odin trained by this, making his mass faster to create more power.

By the time Odin’s fist would reach Taiku’s head, Odin’s reflexes would kick in to keep him standing. Rather then just go into a straight on fall his right leg would step out, more so with a sliding motion as he braced his weight and corrected his balance. As his right foot regained balance his left side would come in a bit closer, his left shoulder rolling forward as his left fist came around for an over-the-guard punch. Basically, it was two different and powerful techniques attacking the same area. Odin didn’t have time to play around; he was serious from the beginning and was putting his all into keeping up with Taiku. If just for a moment he’d be able to catch his opponent while standing still then it would all be worth it.

(I left whether or not Odin got hit up to you, mostly because I don't know how close Taiku stepped or the length of his arms, so I can only go with Odin's gauge of distance from the prior move.)

[Kazuki Akimoto]

Stepping in as he had, Taiku would not have gained any distance from Odin and in fact would more likely be closer than before initially, and as his body whipped around the fist would find its mark in Odins jaw. As close as he was, however, Odins right arm would come around and club him with the forearm against his own raised forearm. The battle of power was obviously Odins victory, but Taiku took a small reprieve in the momentum slowing slightly into the further part of the swing, and his own twist naturally taking his body away from the blow as it crashed into his raised forearm.

The force was enough, combined with his twisting body, to put him in a position where his balance was all but gone, but rather than allow himself to fall to the floor the elder Asian would use the added 'push' of the blow from Odin to leap off his feet and away. Landing into a break-fall to his left, Taiku would let his left arm absorb the initial impact on the floor before following through into a sharp, sudden roll that would bring him back to his feet at its peak, putting him a comfortable margin away from Odin for that instant. His right arm ached from the impact despite being struck with just the forearm, the result of the sudden and reflexive defence, and the pain rattled through the limb in a very occasional pulse.

Disregarding that, however, he knew that the shot to Odins jaw would be something even the burly fighter wouldn't ignore. In terms of power, Taiku lacked severely against Odin, but the speed of his blows added more force than would be thought to them...That backhand would have been enough to dislocate someones jaw if it landed perfectly, though the chances of that weren't high given Odins own movement during the exchange.

[Odin Reeves]

Crack-Thud! Thump

That's all crowd would hear during the exchange of back fists, Taiku's left arm connecting against Odin's jaw as his head turned over - nullifying the force of the blow - then Odin's right arm forcefully connecting with all his weight against Taiku's guard. Only the roll afterward would signify the end of the exchange, giving both men time to compose themselves and catch their breath.

In terms of Stamina Odin still had plenty left in the tanks, he was like an Hummer in size, but could roll like a civic in terms of fuel consumption. If he felt like it he could move forward, not giving Taiku the chance to rest and continue to sap away at the smaller mans energy supply. There was only one problem, the shot to his jaw had connected, sending a jolt to his brain and giving him a different perspective. Despite his still frame in the eyes of the crowd he felt like his entire body was spinning, all concept of time flew out of window. When things came to a halt and his opponent finally came into focus Odin wondered how long it had been, not realizing that only seconds had passed.

Staring at his opponent Odin's eyes narrowed as his lips pressed together, thinning out as he held back his thoughts. He knew Taiku was winning this fight, but it had just started. To win he'd have to calm down, obviously mixing his two combat personalities together wasn't working. He'd have to go with one or the other. Which would it be? How would he choose? These questions ran through his mind, making him angry at himself. He didn't like these types of fights, making him think. He liked to do, not contemplate.

Ignoring his thoughts Odin stepped forward, giving him a left foot forward stance once more. Rolling his shoulders forward he hunched and formed his turtle shell like appearance, bringing his fists back up, each once guarding a side of his face. Moving forward he slid one foot at a time. Quick, short bursts that help him cover the distance without giving up his guard.

Coming into his range he didn't think about what to do, he just relied on his instincts. Turning his shoulders over he snapped out his left fist while pushing off with his back right foot. He shifted his weight forward, making his jab into something more along the lines of a straight. Yet, his speed never diminished, and his pull back was just as fast as a normal jab.

By pushing off with his right foot and forcing his weight to the front he counter-balanced his body. The correction was simple, sliding his left foot forward and resuming his stance. This allowed for a second jab, just as fast, just as strong to follow. The same thing happened, Odin shifted his weight forward by pushing off his back foot, then corrected his balance by sliding his front foot forward.

By playing to his strengths, height, weight, range, Odin was snapping off quick jabs to Taiku's right side while remaining out of his range - should the elder male continue to move back. If not, Odin was pushing forward, into his opponents range while delivering stronger and stronger blows as his fists traveled shorter and shorter distances. All the while his right fist remained tucked up against his cheek, primed for offense and defense.

[Nathan Branigan]

I'm gonna go ahead and call this one a day early. Busy day for the next week and a half and I don't have the time or energy to do this tomorrow. Taiku wins. He has some pretty decent hits and Odin seemed to have less. In a prolonged fight, who knows, but as Odin put it himself: "He knew Taiku was winning this fight". Good luck next round guys. Good match.