Aryck vs. Kyukaku

[Director Troutman]

Finals, guys. Do your thing.

[Kyukaku]

(OOC: If you mind my slight puppetting to keep from wasting time, just let me know.)

Kyukaku had made it through the beast that was Will. Beast? Perhaps monster was a better term. Regardless, Kyukaku had won. However, it could have been the hardest fight Kyukaku had ever made it through. Will had made Kyu expend alot more energy than he would have liked, and his right shin was beginning to make Kyu look like he had two kneecaps.

However, the finals were now here, and Kyukaku doubted it would be any easier. In fact, Kyukaku was sure. Unlike last round, Kyu knew exactly who the next person to walk into the octagon would be. Aryck Venn, former Nameless Masses member. Actually, former member of the former Nameless Masses. Version 1.0 all the way back at Varron Academy. Kyukau hadn't known he'd ever transfered over to Hircine, and now that he did, Kyukaku couldn't help but flash a grin as the spikey haired genius entered the area.

"I gotta say, this is rather poetic. I don't really see any more fitting of a way to prove to myself I'm ready for captainship than beating you, who gave me my very first beating in the whole corporal punishment system."

When Kyukaku was finished speaking, he walked into the middle of the octagon and extended his right arm for a handshake. Despite his normally good sportsmanship, Kyu knew Aryck had a very keen eye. Kyukaku was sure the younger student wouldn't fail to recognize the irony, whether he failed to shake the hand or not.

[Aryck Venn]

Aryck could consider himself lucky, if he believed in such a thing. Of the two fighters that had fought their way to the finals, Aryck had been lucky to escape mostly unscathed, even going so far as to receive a slight break in the action due to a participant withdrawing. Even so, the fight with Ari, though with no injuries to speak of, left him moving about much more frantically than he would have cared to do, and as such, was still a bit winded from the match. If he could have, he would have taken it slow for this last round, stalled as long as he could; however, he knew his opponent, and wouldn't stand to do so.

"It's been a long time, Scott," Aryck said as he entered the cage, before Kyukaku could speak his own first line. His countenance remained as it usually would, with the observant eyes flitting up and down to take in the opposing fighter's injuries and weaknesses. He could see the swelling on his shin, but apart from that, the boy simply looked like he had clawed his way through three prior rounds, much like Aryck himself had. Aryck was unaware just how much stamina Kyukaku possessed, but he knew that he, himself, as a former long-distance runner in Varron, could last a good deal more at the pace he was going.

When Kyu made a comment about the school captainship, Aryck didn't reply at first, merely raising an eyebrow slightly, in a manner that seemed more inquisitive than ironic or displeasingly. "You're going for the captainship."

It wasn't a question, but a statement, and spoken in true Aryck fashion, without any verbal cues as to whether he was being spiteful, mean, or simply reiterating what Tyler had already said. Either way, the taller Junior looked down at the proferred hand, once again observing it quietly for only a moment. He remembered breaking this same arm, and realized how easily again he could do it if he wanted to. His gaze traveled from Kyu's outstretched hand to his eyes, holding his look there for a moment or two before his own hand reached out and took hold of Kyu's, giving him a quick, almost friendly handshake. The crowd cheered to see this display of sportsmanship between the two talented warriors.

"This time is different." He released the hand, knowing full well that Kyu could take whatever it was he wanted out of that statement. Aryck took two steps back, achieving some separation from his opponent-to-be before lacing his fingers together and popping them, helping to loosen them up for the competition to come.

"Shall we, then?"

[Kyukaku]

(OOC: Sorry I'm taking so damn long. Weekends are typically bad for me as it is, but my internet comes and goes. I'll keep 'em coming as much as I can, but come the weekdays I should be back to my spunky self.)

Kyukaku nodded at Aryck's statement, having nothing to add to simple repeat of what he, himself had said. Aryck hesitated at the handshake, briefly causing Kyu to half-expect some sort of underhanded cheap shot. When the taller, younger fighter finally accepted the greeting, the crowd let out a cheer. Somehow, Kyukaku was less sure it was for the good sportsmanship than it was for the blood sport that would follow.

"Good to know."

Kyukaku wasn't sure of how exactly Aryck had meant it would be different, but he assumed for the better. The last time Aryck had been working for a certain student mastermind named Stern Mason. Ask the wrong guy the wrong question and you get Aryck on your doorstep, ready to break your arm. With Stern's departure, Kyukaku had little doubts that Aryck would be more or less neutral to school politics, if not downright apathetic.

As Aryck stepped back, Kyukaku did the same. Slipping into his usual loose karate stance, Kyukaku nodded at Aryck's signal to begin. Closing the gap in one step and slide, Kyukaku would reach Arycks front with his left foot forward, throwing a typical left handed jab. However, instead of punching with a tightened fist, Kyukaku would punch with his hand still in the half-fist position. To Aryck, it would look like any normal punch, but as it would reach its extension, Kyu's hand would open up. Pointing his fingers straight out, Kyukaku would plan to knife hand strike Aryck in the throat. From what Kyukaku had remembered, Aryck liked to dodge at the very last moment to ensure counter attacking. With the sudden extension in reach, Kyu hoped to catch Aryck off guard.

[Aryck Venn]

((Likewise, Tyler. Moved back home for the summer, just got my computer set back up. From here on out there should be no trouble.))

Kyukaku spoke what he needed to, and brought himself forward, ready to begin the final battle of the tournament. He started off seemingly rather conservatively, with a simple slide forward following into a jab. The loose formation of his fist, however, hinted to Aryck that something more than a simple punch was the plan of attack here. Regardless, it was coming in fast, and even Aryck's quickness wouldn't allow him to dodge it in a conventional way. Thus, as the punch came forward, Aryck went backwards, hopping back a scant distance of maybe a foot or two, leaning backwards as he did so to insure the jab would miss.

As he landed and readied himself, he saw the hand open and the fingers protrude into a knife-edge style attack. To this Aryck smirked inwardly, giving no outward expression of of his feelings.

If he wants to play that game...

Aryck's right hand would come up, fingers pointing straight in the snake-style configuration, and he would strike in an uppercut-style motion, his arm bent upwards at the elbow as he attempted to strike straight up, the tips of his fingers aiming for their target, the fleshy center of Kyu's inner palm. If connected, it wouldn't do much lasting damage, but it would give his arm a good shock, and perhaps warn the other fighter that open-handed strikes were Aryck's forte, and not his.

[Kyukaku]

Aryck had moved farther back than Kyukaku initially expected. However, just like last round, the round before that, and any other fight before that, Kyukaku didn't expect his first strike to land, nor did he ever expect it would in any pre-arranged fight to come. Because of this, Kyukaku was already in motion for a graceful chain of attacks.

As Aryck would move back, Kyu would begin to turn his hips to the right leaving his left arm extended briefly to keep a gauge on the distance between the two fighters. As Aryck's arm would move upwards to send a message to Kyukaku through his hand, Kyu would return the message to the recipient. His front left leg would snap up at the knee, moving out in a roundkick just above Aryck's waist. With Aryck's arm up, it would slip just underneath the guard, striking him between the hips and the waist with the lower shin.

Though a solid kick, it would lack the power the rear leg would have. Though hopefully winding him if caught completely off guard, Kyukaku doubted it would do much more than leave a bruise. Knowing this, Kyukaku would step immediately down with his left foot, sliding his right up along with it to prevent any gap in balance.

As his left foot would step down, Kyukaku would once again turn to the left. Leaving his hand where Aryck had struck it, Kyukaku would move his shoulder forward, causing his elbow to bend and strike out at Aryck's right temple, saving the time it would otherwise take to cock the arm for an elbow strike.

[Aryck Venn]

If there was one thing Aryck wasn't known for, it was blocking. With his lithe frame and lack of real density to his body, it simply wasn't a particularly viable solution for his defense. However, even so, when there is no other option, one must do something they aren't used to doing. And so, when Kyu kicked out, Aryck blocked it.

As Kyu's leg lifted, so did Aryck's right leg, lifting straight up at the knee in a Muay Thai-style block. Kyu's shin would strike instead against Aryck's knee, likely causing a little bit of discomfort to the both of them. Kyu's foot slid down and he stepped forward, curling his formerly attacking arm into an elbow strike aimed for Aryck's head.

Aryck, however, also had his hand out, and with a twist of his wrist and an outwards motion of it, had put his palm on Kyu's upper tricep, just below the point of the elbow. He pushed outwards, slowing the move's momentum just enough to strike out with his lifted leg, kicking from the knee in a round kick aimed at the exact opposite spot of Kyu's own previous kick: right around his left waist. There was a similar amount of power, and would yield similar predicted results if connected cleanly.

After the connection, of any sort, Aryck would do another quick short hop back again, gaining separation from the elbow strike and willing Kyu to press his luck once more.

[Kyukaku]

Kyukaku's shin collided with Aryck's knee, not exactly feeling pleasant but nothing too damaging thanks to Aryck's own light frame. Had Kyu kicked with his other leg, it might have been a bit more painful with his already swollen leg courtesy of Will. Aryck pushed against Kyu's arm, giving just enough resistance to keep Kyu's elbow from hitting its target.

As Aryck's returning kick came in Kyukaku shifted his hips to the right, riding the power out of the attack. At the same time, Kyu's left hand would sink down, clasping the ankle and pinning it against his side. Stepping sliding his right to the front, Kyukaku would keep his weight on his left leg as he'd send a short right punch to Aryck's midsection. Purposefully displacing some of the power, Kyu's hand would slide upwards and to his left. While this would take some power out of his attack, it would also leave no gap between the time it impacted and the time it would take to slide up to Aryck's right shoulder.

Gripping the dress shirt's material in his fist, Kyukaku's right foot would continue forward, moving in an clockwise arc. Using his calf, Kyu would sweep out the back of Aryck's left knee. With one foot already in his control, Kyu would pull forward on the shoulder as he took away the other foot. The end result would be a Judo sweep, causing Aryck to land on his upper back, shoulders and possibly the head if executed perfectly.

Though Kyu was confient he'd have the advantage if the fight took itself down to the ground, he would let go of Aryck and take a step back. Kyukaku prefered to stay with what he liked the best, and that wasn't wrestling. He'd get back into stance, waiting for Aryck to recover and come back at him.

[Aryck Venn]

Kyu took the kick in order to get a hold of Aryck's leg, which, if he had the time to, would have sparked a certain amount of amusement in the taller fighter. Just last fight, Ari Karamzov had attempted the same thing, with dismal results. Somehow, however, Aryck suspected there would be more to the martial artist's approach than the bum-rush that Ari had planned, and as such, was ready for anything.

When the fist came forward, Aryck's left hand revolved in a circle outwards, catching Tyler's wrist with his own to block the punch that would turn grab. As he did so, he torqued himself to the left, swinging both arms in that direction as he did so. The left arm would push the punch out of contact, stopping Tyler from being able to complete the throw he was planning, and the right hand would come in, with an open palm, attempting the same thing he first tried against Ari: A palm strike to the ear, hoping to send a ringing sensation into Kyukaku's brain, enough to jolt him into releasing the leg.

As with Ari, it would only be the first. If he would not let go, Aryck would then move on to more damaging methods.

[Kyukaku]

Had Kyukaku seen Aryck's previous fight, he may have been able to anticpate what was to come. The fact was however, that Kyu didn't know Aryck was even in San Fransisco until the finals came around. Sometimes it was good to be able to predict your opponent's moves. Sometimes it wasn't. The only way to ensure the latter was to make sure you give as good as you get.

Aryck saw the short punch coming quick enough to deflect it to the outside, preventing Kyukaku from getting a good enough grip to attempt the Judo sweep. Instead, as his right foot slid forward it would quickly chamber up at Kyu's left knee before shooting diagnolly forward and to the right. Due to the close proximity of the two fighters, their upper bodies would likely block Aryck's view from seeing the quick side kick coming. Whether Aryck saw it or not, however, would prove to be besides the fact he would be unable to dodge with one leg in Kyu's possesion. As such, it was very likely Kyu's sidekick would go unhindered and strike the inside of Aryck's knee with the blade edge of the foot, hopefully injuring the leg.

However, just as Kyukaku would keep one leg of Aryck's out of the game, it would also keep one of his arms out as well. Because of this, the same time Kyu's foot would collide with Aryck's knee, Aryck's palm would connect with Kyu's ear. Indeed it would jolt him, half causing and half convincing him to drop the leg in his possession. Side stepping with his right leg after the kick, Kyukaku would move around to Aryck's left side and take a few steps backwards, stumbling as he regained his sense of balance.

Assuming Aryck was unable to immediately follow up as well, Kyukaku would shake his head and get back into stance. Aryck's landed strike was one that Kyukaku could shake off in several seconds. If Kyu's kick was on mark, he doubted the thinner fighter to able to do the same.

[Aryck Venn]

Some would say that Aryck's grace and agility gave him an almost preternatural ability in the combative arts, and to see him in this match, one would only be further inclined to believe such a tale; however, it is not really the case. Aryck simply knew how to turn a situation to his favor, and often in a somewhat unorthodox style. It was taking all of his instincts and ability this time around, however, as his opponent, one Tyler "Kyukaku" Scott, had clearly progressed ages since they first met about a year ago in the woods.

Indeed, where it had once been little more than a hugging of two on one naive, curious boy, it was now a battle between two young warriors, both quite likely at the top of their game.

And it was just starting to get good.

As was mentioned earlier, if this were to be a direct trade of hits, Aryck's blow, being lighter and easier to shake off, would put him at a disadvantage. But with the close kick incoming and Aryck's somewhat unorthodox counter, this would, in fact, be of advantage to him after all.

Thanks to the close contact between himself and his opponent, most notably the foot resting against Kyu's opposite shin, Aryck could feel the shift in weight before he would see the attack, giving him just a tiny bit of time to react. Aryck hopped up on his left foot, swinging it out slightly before coming back in to avoid the kick. Even with his leg off the ground, Aryck's hand would still cuff Kyu's ear, and thankfully, one did not need a lot of force to cause pain in someone's ear canal. Aryck did not stop there, however, and grabbed some of Kyu's hair with his right hand, while shooting out his left to do the same to the right side of Tyler's head. His left leg bent at the knee as it came in to come in between Tyler and Aryck's bodies, and from there, he would fall. With his hands gripping Tyler's head, however, the slightly older student would be falling forward with him.

Aryck was not content to simply fall, of course. The way he had kicked out with his left leg gave him some backwards momentum, and the final position of both of his legs was such that they were between himself and his opponent. So, unless Kyukaku had neck muscles capable of holding all of Aryck's admittedly low body weight, the former champion would find himself tumbling forward onto Aryck, as Aryck rocked back and kicked his legs up, using them to toss Kyukaku up over his head in a modified, rather rough Tomoe Nage judo throw. At this range, if Tyler was not able to stop or avoid the throw, he would likely land in the cage mesh, as Aryck had been backing up enough previously to find himself getting too close for comfort with the cage walls.

((Tyler, just so you know, I'm deadass tired, and if this doesn't make sense, or just completely isn't feasible, tell me and I'll fix it.))

[Kyukaku]

(OOC: You know, I'm not sure. We'll just go with it.)

If Kyukaku was to place Aryck in reference to an animal, it would be a flamingo, or a kangaroo. Perhaps both, some sort of hybrid flamaroo/kangingo. Aryck's balance on what foot was so impressive, that he was able to jump back yet again, avoiding another attack from below.

As Kyukaku's foot would snap out and hit air, he would step forward and land on his right foot. Without Aryck's leg to hit and bounce back off of, this would move Kyukaku's body forward slightly, causing Aryck's hand to strike just behind the ear. Though still able to get ahold of Kyu's hair, the strike would be without any real power against the skull, turning more into just a grab rather than a hit.

When Aryck's right hand went forward for a similar attack, Kyukaku's right arm shot out as well. Moving in a small clockwise circe, Kyukaku would deflect the wrist with the edge of his hand, continuing the arm rotation to instantly circle back and shoot straight out in a palm strike. With both of his arms out, Aryck would be hit in the bridge of the nose by the heel of Kyu's palm, possibly breaking his glasses as well.

At the time of impact, Kyukaku's left hand would open up, allowing Aryck's foot to fall back down from gravity. Immediately after releasing, Kyu's let hand would ball up and shoot out about one foot's distance. Torquing hard to the right, Kyukaku would hit Aryck's floating ribs in a half-hook, half-uppercut punch. Between the two strikes it should have been enough to force Aryck to let go of his hair handhold. In the case he was still able to hold on, Kyukaku's hard torque would hopefully be enough to force his head and body away from Aryck, slipping free though perhaps at the cost of a few hairs.

If all went according to plan, Kyukaku would side step to the right, taking a moment to assess the damage done to both himself, and Aryck, who would hopefully be bouncing off the cage wall.

[Aryck Venn]

((I must be getting desperate. Once again, if there's an issue, take it up with me.))

Once again, Aryck would find himself thwarted, but the junior warrior was never one to let such a thing distract him. A battle was a fluid affair, it could be going one way one moment and do a complete turnaround in the next, and so, Aryck would simply do as the battle did and continue to flow, until the match had been called and one man or the other would be crowned the victor. At this point, Aryck would be lying if he said that the outcome mattered. Kyukaku had proven himself to be a vastly superior fighter than he had been before; indeed, he was now vastly superior to most other fighters Aryck had seen, period. And despite the former member of the Nameless Masses rather cold outer exterior, he could still appreciate a good, hard battle.

Speaking of flowing, Aryck would do just that in order to avoid a hit. As Kyukaku's hand would travel in a clockwise circle to deflect Aryck's incoming grab, Aryck would simply ride the hand around, popping his elbow out as his arm separated from Kyu's and swinging his arm around in tandem with Kyu's finishing of his own circle, his slightly later defensive maneuver coming in just in time to push the palming right hand just out of the way of a full on face smash. Unfortunately for Aryck, however, the hand would still clip the side of his corrective lenses, knocking the glasses from his face, a move that no one has ever been able to do to the slippery fighter before now.

There was also the fact that he was still falling.

As slick as he was, there would simply be no defense to the followup punch, even if Aryck had seen it coming, with literally no leg to stand on, and no arm to block with, he was defenseless. The punch hit, and the punch hurt, giving Aryck more than enough reason to release his grip on Kyu's hair, especially since any chance at his original throw working was out the window. And, as stated before, there was also the fact that was still falling. Without the added momentum from the palm strike, however, Aryck was just falling straight down, and would thankfully not bounce into the cage as may have been predicted by Kyukaku. Instead, he would simply fall on his back, and immediately as he landed, would chamber both legs up and fire up and out, aiming for a vague area consisting of Kyu's chest and/or midsection. While his throw wouldn't work, it would leave his legs in a fine position for a kick, anyway. And with two feet coming straight forward with all the power they could muster, Kyukaku would realistically be left with two choices: Move out of the way, if such a thing was still possible considering the rather close quarters the two still shared, or get hurt. To block with the arms would only cause the arms immeasurable pain, and to not block at all would easily spell a fight's end for all but the more stalwart fighters.

If, Kyu, however, managed to escape getting hit, Aryck would simply use the force from his kick to pull the rest of his body in a kip-up maneuver, putting him right back on his feet and ready to continue, pain in his ribs or no. All in all, it was a desperation move, even if Aryck would be loathe to admit it as such, but it was a damn fine one.

[Kyukaku]

Perhaps with the exception of Taiku (and perhaps maybe not), Aryck had been the swiftest fighter Kyukaku had ever faced off against. Just as Will had pushed Kyukaku to be as swift as he could be, Aryck would force him to react quicker than he could otherwise afford. Making Kyu feel like he was engaged in an old Kung Fu movie, Aryck would circle around with him. The added grace from both fighters would be in perfect sync for a moment, captivating the audience and making them think too, that they were watching a synchronized fight from a kung fu movie.

Although the first strike wouldn't land, the follow-up would. With the punch connecting cleanly, Aryck let go of Kyu's hair. Assuming Aryck was simply dropping from the punch, Kyukaku proceded as he had planned. Thankfully, Kyukaku didn't remain stagnant as he had made the mistake of forgetting Aryck never wasted a second. As the double kick would come up, it would catch Kyukaku in the middle of his side step. In a combined effort of deflecting with his outer forearms and pivoting 90 degrees to the left on his right foot, Kyukaku would have Aryck's legs pass in front of him, set just slightly off to Aryck's right from the deflections on his shin by Kyu's arms.

As soon as his left leg planted behind him from the pivot, Kyukaku's right hand would shoot out to the side, already chambered up from the deflection. Planning on striking with the edge of his hand, Kyukaku would send a chop aimed directly at the bridge of Aryck's nose. Chops were naturally a quick movement as it was, and with Aryck's kip his head would be whipping up into the line of fire at a high velocity, very likely being too quick for Aryck to see coming, specifically as he was now without proper eyewear.

(OOC: I don't see where there would be any issue at all. Sorry mines shorter too, I'm heading to B-dubs to catch UFC 84.)

[Aryck Venn]

As Aryck popped to his feet, his own right hand, from only moments prior when it was grabbing Kyu's head, was still hovering in the area in front of his face. And so, when he found his kick had, indeed, achieved its "Plan B" status of being a kip, and a vicious knife-edge chop was heading his way, Aryck's hand was already in place to deflect such a strike. His hand would grab Kyu's at the wrist, but would only apply minimal resistance. Instead of stopping the attack, Aryck planned to go underneath it.

Allowing both his and his opponent's momentum to continue, Aryck, upon landing on his feet, simply bent over backwards, showing his flexibility as he stepped forward with his left foot. The chop, still with Aryck's hand on the wrist, would keep going overheard as Aryck would literally limbo underneath the attack. As it passed over, Aryck would rise up and turn his body around to the right, tightening his grip on his opponent's wrist, and causing Kyu's arm to turn upside down, and move in the opposite direction it had previously intended. In the end position, Kyu's body would be open for attack, and Aryck would capitalize.

Quickly thereafter, Aryck, with Kyu's wrist in his hand, and with his right leg closer to his opponent's body, would bring his left leg around, chambering it at the knee before delivering a hard roundhouse to Kyu's lower ribs, just below his outstretched right arm, now crossing his own body. If Kyu wanted to attack Aryck's ribs, than he would surely return the favor.

Afterwards, if connected with no immediate counterattacks, Aryck would lower his body as he released his hold on Tyler's arm, dropping his kicking leg back to a standing position and swinging his own right in a sweeping grab, snatching his glasses from off the floor nearby before the battle would continue.

[Kyukaku]

Even with Aryck's hand in the way, Kyukaku had expected to blast through the guard, hoping Aryck wasn't ready for it. Alas, Aryck once again proved he was ready for anything. Aryck blocked the chop, immediately turning it into a grab. It was a strategy for Aryck, and most animal form Kung Fu practitioners in general, to follow up any attack or block with a grip. With this in mind, Kyukaku didn't intend to let Aryck have enough time to get a better grip than he would have initially.

Turning his chopping hand down at a slight angle, his hand would begin to drop down quickly, as the aerodynamics would completely change. Turning his chop into more of a downwards push, Kyukaku would seemingly be trying to place his hand against Aryck's chest to slam him to the ground. With Kyukaku's superior strength, Aryck would move downwards at least a portion, even if the edge of Kyu's hand never reached his chest due to Aryck's arm hold. Limbo, however, was a game all about who had the most balance while being off balance. With most of Aryck's upperbody weight pushed to the back, Aryck would find most of his energy trying to keep from toppling from the push.

When he had thrown the chop, Kyukaku had planted his left foot back at an angle from Aryck, placing most of his body weight on it. As such, Kyukaku was able to quickly swing his right leg out in a low roundkick sweep. With Aryck's feet only being planted for a second, it was also likely he didn't have them firmly planted. Kyu's shin would swing towards the back of his low calf muscles of both legs, kicking Aryck's legs out and upwards.

When both moves were done at the same time, Aryck would find his upperbody moving back and to the ground, while his feet would begin being knocked forward and upwards. Following through with both the kick and the chop/press, Kyukaku would intend to swing his arm all the way back to his body, slipping his arm out of Aryck's hand. Aryck, on the other hand, would quickly find himself literally falling head over heels, landing on the back of his head and neck.

[Aryck Venn]

((Ugh, if I'm not busy, then it's my computer not working. Sorry for the late reply, Tywad.))

Aryck felt himself falling, due to the change of direction of Kyu's move. The boy was fast, and able to switch tactics on the fly, much like Aryck himself. As such, anytime the older fighter would change, so, too would Aryck, flowing as naturally from one plan to the next as he could. Even so, Aryck was still losing this battle. Luckily, a small point he noticed before the battle even began could help him to turn the tide here and now, even if it did mean falling to the ground.

As he was pushed, Aryck bent over as far backwards as he could, pushing the hand past his face so as to only fall as fast as he himself to. As he did so, he lifted his legs to fall flat on his back, knowing that he would either fall and be in an uncomfortable back-bended position, or flat on his back, and the latter was much more profitable. What he didn't know, however, was Tyler's attempted sweep was coming in. As such, the kick came in just as Aryck was lifting his legs. Feeling the leg underneath him, Aryck quickly reacted.

His right hand released the palming push, now that it was over his head and out of mind, if only for the moment. His left hand, however, reached down to grab the back of Kyu's knee, holding it place only for a moment as he turned his body to the left as he fell, releasing his grip and dropping himself, butt-first, onto Kyu's already weakened right shin. Unless Kyu could swing his leg, held in place for the moment by Aryck's arm, back faster than gravity could pull his opponent to the ground, he would likely find the stress of his leg renewed by all 150 something pounds of Aryck falling onto him.

As he landed, however, Aryck would roll to his right, snatching his glasses from the floor as he did so, escaping to resume the fight standing up.

[Kyukaku]

(OOC: I thought this was going to be judged already, but I guess not. I'll just keep replying until they are.)

Unbeknowest to Kyukaku, Aryck planned to sweep his own feet out to minimize damage. The timing of Aryck's jump and Kyu's sweep were so close, that upon "impact" Kyu simply thought Aryck was lighter than he initially thought. Assuming nothing had changed, Kyukaku continued to follow through with his right leg. If Kyu's momentum had stopped, Aryck would have been able to keep his leg coming back for a moment, but by going to the back of Kyu's knee, the grasp's effectiveness would be near nil.

However, since Aryck's attempt would keep him from falling straight on his head, Kyu's foot would kick Aryck in the rear just before it would sweep by the legs. Kyukaku's shin would bump against it as well, causing the shin to warm up from pain once more. The kick could have cramped up Aryck's legs if it hit hard enough, but regardless would result in helping Aryck roll the way back towards his glasses, as he intended.

As Aryck would move away, Kyukaku would simply continue his momentum to spin all the way to face Aryck once again. Kyukaku allowed Aryck to get his glasses. If the momentary pain in his shin didn't stop him, then his sportsmanship and virtues did. Kyu preferred to never hit someone while they were down, or on the run. Currently, Aryck was a mixture of somewhere between both. Setting his left foot forward again to get into his usual loose karate stance, Kyukaku would wait for Aryck to situate his glasses and prepare another offensive assault.

[Director Troutman]

Alright, let's judge this thing. Now, before I go ahead, I want to point out that despite the delays both of you suffered, this was an impressive fight to read, right to the end.

However, we have to have a winner, so I elected myself and four other judges to cast votes. Over the course of the voting, though, we reached a majority verdict in three of those.

Tyler, you did a good job here. Your mid-thread counter was one of the best I've seen in a long time, and you did score the most decisive hit of the fight in the judges eyes. Aryck, you recovered well from that, but Tyler took that slight shift in the balance and worked from it excellently.

Congratulate yourselves, you did a fine, fine job, bringing a great end to the tournament.

Tyler wins, majority vote.

[Aryck Venn]

((Funny thing is, I agree with the verdict. I didn't think I was going to win in the judges eyes, so I was going to withdraw, but when I saw it was about to be called, I held off. Congrats Tywad.))

Aryck rolled away, his hand snatching up his glasses as he came back up to his feet, his hand quickly flinging the glasses back onto his face, the look in his cold green eyes seeming to say that he was ready to continue. But then, suddenly, a small smirk crossed his face.

"I'm through here."

The crowd gasped, then booed profusely. Underneath the chorus of derogatory chants, Aryck spoke to Kyukaku.

"We both know I've nothing to prove to you, but you'd everything to prove to me. You did well. Captainship suits you nicely."

Aryck turned towards the cage door, walking up to it before stopping, turning his head over his shoulder to look upon the tournament champion one last time.

"We'll do this again sometime."

Once again, not a request, not a command, but a statement. As if Aryck could divine the future, and predicted another battle between the two would occur. He then exited the cage silently, thoroughly ignoring the boos and trash being thrown his way.