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>>31683387

As before, let's get this started with a vote, shall we?

>A. Ask Yuri how the fight went from her perspective and maybe try and shed some light on why she seemed so eager to attack you?

>B. Ask Yuri what's up with all of the "Rushdown" fighter's you've seemed eat up for breakfast lately by waiting back and counter-hitting them and see if you can try to encourage her to show a little bit of patience the next time she fights? (Or something...)

>C. Let Yuri think over how the match went with you on her own, then check in with everybody back at La Illusion, then ask if there's a nice restaurant around to get something for Lunch, because you're STARVING right now... (Plus, maybe you could invite them all to come with if they want to?)

>D. Try to talk about what was going through your mind and what you felt about Yuri's overall "Gameplan" as you walk up to "La Illusion"; Maybe you could learn something from her words?

>E. Something Else... ("Write-In" Vote)

>F. Assume the role of....? ("Write-In" Vote to determine which character to gain control of in a possible "Side-Story")

>28 Threads
>Of THIS

You are the literal cancer that's killing /tg/.

>>31683434

>E.

End this stupid quest and kill yourself like you should've at the end of the 16th "Thread".

>>31683434
>>31683387

I wouldn't go so far as to straight-up kill yourself, but this quest is dead as a damn doornail.

>E. Something Else... ("Write-In" Vote)

End the quest, lurk more and write somethimg better than this.

>>31683434

>F. Assume the role of....? ("Write-In" Vote to determine which character to gain control of in a possible "Side-Story")

Bizuki Iijima, because fuck it, she should've been the MC to start with.

>>31683434

Seconding >>31684260 to keep this quest alive.

Thr fuck is with all the haters today? Yeah, he's made mistakes in the past but he's apologized for that incident in Round 16 like a million times and ACTUALLY LEARNED from what happened IMHO.

>>31683434

>A. Ask Yuri how the fight went from her perspective and maybe try and shed some light on why she seemed so eager to attack you?

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>>31683796

Go back to /qtg/.

>>31683990

I'll admit that the thought HAS crossed my mind on a few occasions, but it just wouldn't sit well with me if I dropped this without any warning, especially after how close it's come to the start of the tournament itself.

>>31684260
>>31684375

And it looks like this will take the vote unless more arrive shortly...

>>31683434
A.

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>>31684529

I honestly don't know Anon.

>>31684375
>>31684260
>>31685303

And it's a TIE... Vote to break it /tg/!

>Pic, as always, is Unrelated

>>31685389

>A.

Bizuki shenanigans can wait until later.

>>31685389

>A. Ask Yuri how the fight went from her perspective and maybe try and shed some light on why she seemed so eager to attack you?

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>>31685528
>>31685303
>>31684529
>>31685733

OK, that settles it; Option A wins the poll and updates are on the way...

Lost internet connection for a little bit Anons; Apologies for the delay.

>>31685733
>>31685528
>>31685303
>>31684529

>Updates officially resume

>You now assume direct control of Katja Hartkern

>Days until the start of "The Infinite Match": 7

>Days until you're fight with "The Soul of The Streets" Team: 7

>Time of Day: 1:32 PM

You don't say much as you shoulder Yuri while the two of you walk together, a somewhat uneasy silence starting to form between the two of you on account of the facts that you had fairly, almost decisively beaten your best friend and former sparring partner andalso because Yuri had no real excuse to try and hide behind her loss to you.

"What made you want to come in on me?" you ask, seemingly to break the silence as "La Illusion" is now within sight, a bicycle resting up on the side of the front entrance.

"Huh?" Yuri asks in turn, seemingly not listening to you for a seond or so.

"Y'know, how ya' started to just rush in and try to overwhelm me with strikes'n'shit" you tell her.

Yuri pauses at that, then pouts as she says "I'dunno, I just thought it would work I guess", then explains "I've had a good run of luck doing it at the dojo, so I figured it was worth a chance to try it on you."

You nod at that and say "Fair point", clipping your words before asking "But, well, no offense 'Uri, but it just didn't seem like I felt anythin' off it 'tll the end y'know?"

"Yeah... And none taken" she replies, then says "And no offense to you, but I always thought you have a bit of trouble when it comes to stamina and longer fights, so I kind of tried to make it last longer and wear you down more at the start."

"Y'really think I can't get that sorto'thing fer long?"

"Kind of...?" she replies with an awkward smile as the two of you walk into "La Illusion" once more, your eyes spotting Mai Shiranui in the back talking with Fiona & Tsuyako, wondering about what she's wearing and why it seems to stick to her like a second skin...

>>31687021

>A. Try to hide your raging libido and greet Mai, possibly bringing up her current attire if the conversation leads there...

>B. Ask Mai "Wot's with the Yoga Clothes?" and say hello to her.

>C. Tell her that it's going to be a little bit before you feel like you could maybe fight her, as you just got done battling Yuri & Tsuyako...

>D. Ask King for some more water, then ask Mai and the rest of her "Gorgeous Team" if they'd like to join you for lunch somewhere (As you feel like you're STARVING right now...)

>E. Keep talking with Yuri about how the fight went and maybe bring King and the others into it, if only to keep them from feeling left out of your attention (Or something, you don't know...)

>F. Something Else... ("Write-In" Vote)

>G. Assume the role of....? ("Write-In" Vote to determine which character to gain control of in a possible "Side-Story")

>>31687137
B.
Mai in spandex? Isn't that Yuri's thing?

>>31687137
>>B. Ask Mai "Wot's with the Yoga Clothes?" and say hello to her.
...unusual.

>>31687137

>B.

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>>31687286
>>31687367
>>31688340

Apologies for the delay Anons; I had to commute.

Either way, Option B wins unanimously and updates are on the way.

Ran into an old friend that wouldn't quit talkin' about stuff and let me get this update in quicker.

>>31688340
>>31687367
>>31687286

"Hi Mai" Yuri says as the two of you walk over to her table, Mai seemingly drenched in sweat and glistening like a particularly delectable roasted chicken or sirloin stake, your libido and hunger mixing and matching at a pretty strange time right now (Though you thankfully don't say anything that could let any of the others get an idea of that)...

"What's with the stretchy clothes Mai?" you ask as you take a seat up at the bar, then motion for King to get you some water bottles.

"Eh, I had to cycle over here; Hatsune told me if I did I could take the rest of the day off..." she replies with a slightly-winded-sounding breath.

"You REALLY cycled all the way over here though?" Tsuyako asks as she takes the words right out of your mouth.

"Well... No, not all the way; I did like two thirds of the route, then I sorta gave up and did some transportation jutsu to get here" she sheepishly admits, then asks "Please don't tell your mom OK?".

Tsuyako nods and Fiona Graves shrugs and says "Eh, close enough", then turns to you and asks "How'd your fight go?"

"It was good, yeah..." you reply with a nonchalant tone to your voice, trying to downplay ho you beat-up your best friend.

"It was something different compared to the scrubs that're starting to show back up at the dojo" Yuri says with a smile as you polish off another small bottle of water.

"Two fights already huh? I should've got here quicker" Mai says with an almost teasing tone of voice, then asks "You feel like you could do one more round with me?"

You pause at that and take a deep breath, taking a long pause to think over how your body feels right now...

>>31689923

>A. Agree and ask if you could fight her outside, near where you placed your motorcycle... Or better yet, maybe you could ask King if there's somewhere else you could fight that isn't that dusty lot you and Yuri just fought in? (Roll 1d100 for How Much Health you regain while asking King)

>B. Decline, but tell her that you need to wait for a few more minutes... (Roll 1d100 for How Much Health you regain)

>C. Decline outright, then ask if Fiona or King if they could maybe spar with Mai or something... (And no, it's not to sate your libido or create any kind of wild fantasies or something; You know that they had fought earlier and are probably the "Freshest" to get another round in)

>D. Shrug and tell her that you need a few more minutes before you really can tell whether you're up for another fight or not... (Roll 2d100 for a Perception Check and for How Much Health you regain talking with her)

>E. Something Else... ("Write-In" Vote)

Rolled 50

>>31690006
>>A. Agree and ask if you could fight her outside, near where you placed your motorcycle... Or better yet, maybe you could ask King if there's somewhere else you could fight that isn't that dusty lot you and Yuri just fought in? (Roll 1d100 for How Much Health you regain while asking King)
Back-to-back fights might be good practice for the tournament.

Rolled 64

>>31690006
>A. Agree and ask if you could fight her outside, near where you placed your motorcycle... Or better yet, maybe you could ask King if there's somewhere else you could fight that isn't that dusty lot you and Yuri just fought in? (Roll 1d100 for How Much Health you regain while asking King)

>>31690006

>C.

[/u/-ing Intensifies]

Rolled 69

>>31690006

>A.

OK, yeah, we get it: Mai's fucjing HOT... Could you lay off the fanservice a little?

Rolled 78

>>31690486

>Implying that this kind if cheesecake is a bad thing.

I kind of like it compared to all of the smut in the rest of the quests on /tg/.

>>31690006

>A. Agree and ask if you could fight her outside, near where you placed your motorcycle... Or better yet, maybe you could ask King if there's somewhere else you could fight that isn't that dusty lot you and Yuri just fought in? (Roll 1d100 for How Much Health you regain while asking King)

Gotta push it to the limit.

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>>31690070
>>31690238
>>31690555
>>31690486

OK, Option A overwhelmingly wins and updates are pending...

Rolled 83

>>31690006
A.

>>31691717
>>31690555
>>31690486
>>31690238
>>31690070

You close your eyes and take another breath, trying to fight off your appetite and curb your curiously raging-sexual drive, wondering if you could really go one more match and especially against Mai Shiranui (As while she's unfairly criticized for her lack of fighting prowess and "Being part of the Furniture" as far as KOF Tournaments go, you know that she's been training hard and has that certain gleam in her eye that reminds you of yourself)...

You look up at her and reply "Yeah, I think I got one fight in me today... But it's too bloody cramped in 'ere to fight..."

"Yeah, I probably wouldn't be able to really stretch out and pull off my basic moves in here" Mai tells you, then looks to King and asks "You mind if we fight outside?"

"The lot in the back is probably big enough if you don't mind getting pavement scrapes" she says before she takes a sip from a glass of white wine.

Fiona nods at that and asks "You mind if I watch?"

You shrug at that as Mai motions you outside, watching her walk out as you do a few quick stretches and follow her, Fiona, Tsuyako & Yuri following you out of "La Illusion" as you head out to the small parking lot where you placed your motorcycle and find Mai doing a few hamstring & calf stretches on the wall your bike's leaning on.

You unzip your leathers a little and make a motion as if you're letting off a little extra steam from your body as Mai pulls a pair of fans from seemingly nowhere in particular, then extends them so that they nearly hide her body from the next down as she spins and almost magically slips into her "Traditional" Shiranui Ninja Garb (That looks about two sizes too small for her), then assumes a fairly "Hunched Over" combat stance, momentarily distracted by her "Dancing Figure" as you switch into your own fighting stance and get your "War-Face" on...

===

>Your Health: 70%

>Mai's Health: 100%

>Your Ki: 0%, 1 Bar of Ki

>Mai's Ki: 0%, No Ki

>>31690486
In this guy's defense, Katja has had two fights in a row, so any latent sexual frustration would've been worked out by now, at least.

>>31691756

===

>BATTLE START!

===

>A. Rush Mai down with high and low strings of basic punches and kicks and try to get up into her face, as she might not have the right attacks to keep you off of her... (Roll 3d100 for Speed, Evasion & Attack Damage)

>B. Back away from Mai and let her come to you, feeling her fighting style out and looking for chances to counter-hit her after defending her (Possible!) advancing attacks (Roll 3d100 for Speed, Defense & Counter-Attack Damage)

>C. Move in and out of Mai's possible attack range and try to play "Footsies" with her, spacing her out while keeping up a strong defense all the while (Roll 4d100 for Speed, Defense, Evasion & Attack Damage)

>D. "Power-Up" and try to possibly cow Mai with your most brazen of attacks, using a flashy and unrelenting offense to slam counter-hits home and get some damage in before the inevitable fatigue sets in... (Roll 4d100 for Speed, Evasion, Attack Damage & Luck that Mai gets "Rattled" by your attacks; Uses 1 Bar of Ki)

>E. Focus on spacing and using advancing dashes like the "Raijin Sprint" & "Raijin Lightning Rush" to try and possibly confuse Mai into making "Rookie" mistakes (IE "Get Tricky with her") (Roll 4d100 for Speed, Evasion, Attack Damage & Luck that your Eccentric Attacks will throw Mai off of her "Game")

>>31691821

Katja hasn't really had any sex in four years and has admitted that Mai's attractive to her eye... But yeah, I think I'll tone it down for this fight.

Rolled 20, 90, 20, 24 = 154

>>31691986
E. Some of the best offense is the most nonstandard tactics. Put in another sphere, "the one thing worse than someone who knows what he's doing is someone who DOESN'T know what he's doing."

Rolled 97, 85, 13, 52 = 247

>>31691986

>E. Focus on spacing and using advancing dashes like the "Raijin Sprint" & "Raijin Lightning Rush" to try and possibly confuse Mai into making "Rookie" mistakes (IE "Get Tricky with her") (Roll 4d100 for Speed, Evasion, Attack Damage & Luck that your Eccentric Attacks will throw Mai off of her "Game")

Can Katja actually outsmart a Ninja though? Well, only one way to find out...

Rolled 6, 43, 38 = 87

>>31691986
>>31691756

>A.

Option D was pretty tempting, but Mai's a pretty grizzled veteran by now and wouldn't be fazed by our tricky stuff IMHO.

Rolled 57, 16, 98 = 171

>>31691986
>>A. Rush Mai down with high and low strings of basic punches and kicks and try to get up into her face, as she might not have the right attacks to keep you off of her... (Roll 3d100 for Speed, Evasion & Attack Damage)

>>31691986
Four years? Is Katja even a virgin? Still, we get that she's in a dry spell and is still inching along barely trying to make sense of her potential sexuality, among other things. She's found a very strong outlet in her habitual working-out, at this point. "Wanna rub one out? Go work out" and things like that. Would Katja really be that clouded by her lack of sexual contact?

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>>31692250
>>31692299
>>31692448
>>31692511

And it looks like yet another TIE... Vote to break it /tg/!

>>31692549

No, Katja isn't a Virgin... And honestly, she's kinda-sorta-maybe bisexual as of this point, but doesn't really have the confidence to try dating girls just yet (Hence her attraction to Shen Woo). And yes, she HAS been as clouded as you're thinking, but she's trying to break out of it as of late...

Rolled 90, 65, 47 = 202

>>31692616

Damn... Is she desperate? Or just doesn't really care about getting any at this point?

Also stick by my Option A vote.

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Rolled 54, 47, 15, 87 = 203

>>31692448
Still, Weasel has all but outright said that Mai is naught but a jobber in the KoF. Yuri and King even admitted that in the last tournament, the Women's Team was very quickly knocked out by Team Japan.

>>31692616
>>31692616
Reaffirming E.
We still have to explore what exactly would make her attracted to men and women alike (men have the biological excuse) beyond her running excuse of "I don't have enough data to properly swing one way or the other."
We can get (but Katja probably doesn't see yet) how attraction can come from the other direction from both genders. In fact, that was one of the main points behind Katja's initial genesis: her androdgynous, masculine design and confidence (meant to stand out from all other women in the KoF just for being so wildly out there) would be attractive to everyone else. Guys would love to hang out with her and be with a strong woman, and girls would be inexorably drawn to her inherent masculine charm, strength and presence with something approaching awe and infatuation. Guys want to get with her, girls want to be protected by her. That was part of the original idea.

>>31692716
Part of me thinks she's kinda desperate, as she wants to get this all figured out as she slowly gets her life back on track, but she's done very well up to this point to mitigate her sexual frustration.

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>>31692716
>>31692965

I sadly have to commute Anons, but the voting is still open until I get home...

Rolled 60, 51, 34 = 145

>>31692965
Switching mine to A for expediency. We'll stick with the orthodox before we go for the funky.

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>>31694496
>>31692716
>>31692511
>>31692448

OK, back from my commute and option A wins the vote; Updates are on the way shortly...

>>31694496
>>31692716
>>31692511
>>31692448

You feel your body strain a little as you take up your stance and decide to forgo anything other than straight-up combat, rushing towards Mai at a furious clip while using the "Heat" you feel in your body to force yourself to try and land a few punches and kicks as quickly as possible... Curiously, Mai seems to be able to block most of them, yet can't quite get close enough or respond quick enough to try and land any real counter-hits; Indeed, the few hits she does get to connect seem to bounce off your torso as you land a Ha'oh Raijinken, knocking Mai back and out towards the other side of the small parking lot as you take a moment to catch a breath before running back towards her once more.

Mai recovers from your attack fairly well with a Ukemi and throws out a "Folding Fan" like a frisbee, then runs towards you after you dodge it and tries to get you in a"Cross-up", her foot outstretched as she flies through the air... Though you take the first hit and one more lazy-looking smack to the face with her folding fan, you bust out of her combo with a "Blow-Back Attack" and hit her with a Hien Shippu Kyaku, knocking her down to the ground with an electrified foot and seemingly pinning her down to the outer edge of the Parking Lot...

Unfortunately, you couldn't get your follow-up throw command to land and she smacks you with a horizontal fan strike, then transitions into a "Dragon Flame Romp" that feels like your "Kangaroo Suit's" on fire, though you grit your teeth and recover in time to block her curiously rare follow-up attack: A longer, more drawn-out version of her "Dragon Flame Romp" she dubs as a "Heavenly Serpent's Tail Swing"...

Fortunately for you, your guard doesn't break despite the "Chip Damage" that attack does and Mai's eyes widen when she gets ever-so-slightly off-balance afterward. leaving her open for you to...?

===

>Your Health: 58%

>Mai's Health: 87%

>Your Ki: 43%

>Mai's Ki: 73%

>>31696085

>A. Press on with your unrelenting offense and try to build up some more "Meter", as it seems to be working and you don't feel any real damage from Mai's attacks (Yet...) (Roll 3d100 for Speed, Evasion & Attack Damage)

>B. Try to land a throw on Mai and then move in and out of her possible range, feeling out her style of fighting a little (As well as giving you a possible moment to try and collect your thoughts) (Roll 5d100 for Luck in getting your throw to land, Speed, Defense, Evasion & Attack Damage)

>C. Start to use your dashes like the "Raijin Sprint" & "Raijin Lightning Rush" to try and possibly confuse Mai into making mistakes you can capitalize on, sticking with unorthodox attacks most of all (As a "Heads Up" approach doesn't seem wise right now...) (Roll 4d100 for Speed, Evasion, Attack Damage & Luck that your Eccentric Attacks will throw Mai off of her "Game")

>D. Play the spacing game with Mai and use "Footsies" and other tactics to try and counter-hit her (Possible!) advancing attacks (Roll 3d100 for Speed, Defense & Counter-Attack Damage)

Rolled 72, 46, 57, 56 = 231

>>31696327
>C. Start to use your dashes like the "Raijin Sprint" & "Raijin Lightning Rush" to try and possibly confuse Mai into making mistakes you can capitalize on, sticking with unorthodox attacks most of all (As a "Heads Up" approach doesn't seem wise right now...) (Roll 4d100 for Speed, Evasion, Attack Damage & Luck that your Eccentric Attacks will throw Mai off of her "Game")
She's already a bit frazzled because we stuffed her techniques. Going with a strange offense will really throw her off.

Rolled 23, 70, 75, 97 = 265

>>31696327
>C. Start to use your dashes like the "Raijin Sprint" & "Raijin Lightning Rush" to try and possibly confuse Mai into making mistakes you can capitalize on, sticking with unorthodox attacks most of all (As a "Heads Up" approach doesn't seem wise right now...) (Roll 4d100 for Speed, Evasion, Attack Damage & Luck that your Eccentric Attacks will throw Mai off of her "Game")

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>>31696549
>>31697086

Going with this if there aren't anymore votes soon...

Rolled 38, 79, 54, 73 = 244

>>31697321

>C.

Mix it up and confuse her FTW.

>>31696549
>>31697086
>>31697879

You aren't quite sure if Mai was expecting a throw or a strike from you right away as you zip past her with a deft usage of your "Raijin Sprint", then bash into the small of her back with a "Raijin Lightning Rush". She seems startled from the attack and only just Ukemi's out of your 7-Hit punch combination to get hit with yet another Ha'oh Raijinken, though this one seems to stun and knock her backwards her rather than knock her over entirely (As it's the "Weak" version, done mostly for it's speed) as you hop back and away from Mai's instinctive counter-attack: A backwards somersault while engulfed in flames that tries to hit you with the "tail" of her "Outfit" (Known as the "Hishou Ryuu'en Jin")...

You wait for Mai to harmlessly fall back down to the ground before you try to rush towards her, only for Mai to hop away from you just as you "Fake" out of it and land a standing Hard Kick to the side of Mai's head (Curiously not trying to hit her face, even though it normally would connect there on most average-sized opponents) just as she throws out another Folding Fan that hits you squarely in the crotch..

You don't try to capitalize on the small opening you get from the attack and instead hop away from her, staying right in the middle of her range and seemingly find the perfect spot to pick Mai apart, as her long-range attacks could leave her open long enough for you to try and sneak in a counter hit while her "Get OFF Me!" short-range attacks just don't seem to do enough to keep you from advancing...

That's when you start to pressure her a little with yet another "Raijin Sprint" that leads into a "Tani-Otoshi" throw, though you hold off on another "Denjin Haoh Shou Gouken" as Mai Ukemi's out of the throw and tumbles towards you in a lazy-looking, yet fast cartwheel, her elbow outstretched and leading her like a lance...

===

>Your Health: 56%

>Mai's Health: 69%

>Your Ki: 15%, 1 Bar of Ki

>Mai's Ki: 3%, 2 Bars of Ki

>>31699093

>A. Stick with plan and try to keep confusing Mai; It seems to be working and you can just feel the electricity in the air... (Roll 4d100 for Speed, Evasion, Attack Damage & Luck that your Eccentric Attacks will continue to throw Mai off of her "Game")

>B. Block whatever Mai's going to start throwing out at you and try to pick her offense apart piece-by-piece with well-placed counter-attacks (Roll 3d100 for Speed, Defense & Counter-Attack Damage)

>C. Try to roll past this tumbling Elbow-Cartwheel Attack Mai's doing right now and move in and out of her attack range, keeping yourself in that Mid-Range "Sweet Spot" as long as you can to frustrate Mai into submission (Roll 4d100 for Speed, Defense, Evasion & Attack Damage)

>D. Try to punish Mai's "Hissatsu Shinobi Bachi" with either a "Strong" Ha'oh Raijinken or a "Strong" Kohou and get back on the offensive side of this match, setting up your pressure game to try and take her down for the count! (Roll 4d100 for Speed, Evasion, Attack Damage & Luck that your Attack will "Stuff" Mai's incoming strike) (Please specify whether to use the ha'oh Raijinken or the Kohou with this Vote)

Rolled 41, 77, 38 = 156

>>31699416
>B. Block whatever Mai's going to start throwing out at you and try to pick her offense apart piece-by-piece with well-placed counter-attacks (Roll 3d100 for Speed, Defense & Counter-Attack Damage)

Rolled 49, 20, 44 = 113

>>31699416
>B. Block whatever Mai's going to start throwing out at you and try to pick her offense apart piece-by-piece with well-placed counter-attacks (Roll 3d100 for Speed, Defense & Counter-Attack Damage

Rollin' to help the cause.

Apologies for the delay Anons; I fell asleep for a short bit and these will be the last updates for the night.

>>31699583
>>31700171

You throw up your hands at Mai 's "Hissatsu Shinobi Bachi" and block it without much trouble, though trying to actually land a counter-hit against Mai proves to be easier said than done as she starts to unload a flurry of quick punches and kicks after that, almost immediately turning he tables and starting to put some serious pressure on you as you can feel your decidedly strong defense slowly start to crack...

That's when you go for a pretty risky Kohou attempt and (Amazingly) counter the end of Mai's best "Target Combination", sending the two of you flying through the air with curious grace on your part as Mai recovers in Mid-Air and tries to "Dive-Bomb" you with a "Musabi no Mai", though you again defend it as you feel like you NEED to get back on the offensive and try to recover some lost ground towards Mai, who might've been toying with you all of this time and/or has FINALLY calmed down a little bit and got used to your attacks...

You put that thought out of mind as you block the "Musabi no Mai" and go for a Thrust Punch that hits Mai Squarely in the stomach, though once again her speed is clearly starting to pick up as this fight wears on, as you don't try to go for a follow-up attack as you "throw-Clash" with Mai, breaking her attempt to grab you and quickly going after her with the fastest "Raijin Lightning Rush" you can muster, knocking Mai back a little bit and opening up some much-needed breathing room for you.

That's when you hear Mai yell something and watch her quickly "Power Up", her beautiful body glowing a slight orange-ish/yellow rather than the "Usual" gold you've seen others get as she grins and rushes towards you, your mind racing as to what you could do as you feel like you don't have the strength to keep blocking her attacks like you have been for the moment...

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>>31701456

===

>Your Health: 43%

>Mai's Health: 59%

>Your Ki: 55%, 1 Bar of Ki

>Mai's Ki: 49%, 1 Bars of Ki (Activated "Max Mode")

===

>A. Try to eat away Mai's "Powered Up" time by evading her attacks, moving in and out of her attack range and conserving your energy to try and NAIL her with a DM or SDM, depending on how rough this fight starts to get (Roll 4d100 for Speed, Defense, Evasion & Attack Damage; Could use up to 2 Bars of Ki)

>B. "Power Up" yourself and try to fight Mai Head-on, getting back on the offense NOW before she totally overwhelms you and you snatch defeat from the jaws of victory (Roll 3d100 for Speed, Evasion & Attack Damage; Uses 1 Bar of Ki)

>C. Throw caution to the wind and go for either a Ryuuko Ranbuu or a Fuujin to Raijin no Tenshouken, confident that either one could take out Mai right here and now... Right? (Roll 4d100 for Speed, Evasion, Attack Damage & Luck that your DM will connect; Uses 1 Bar of Ki) (Please Specify whether to use either the Ranbuu or the Tenshouken with this vote)

>D. Try to block Mai's attacks and hope that your guard can hold out long enough for you to get lucky and land one big, devastating Counter-Hit to end this fight (Roll 4d100 for Speed. Defense, Counter-Attack Damage & Luck that your Guard will hold out)

>E. Try to block Mai's possible onslaught of attacks and see if she'll give you mercy as you "Throw in the Towel" and admit defeat (As you don't want to end up in the hospital a week away from "The Infinite Match") (Roll 2d100 for Speed & Defense)

>F. Something Else... (Write-In" Vote)

===

>Pause Updates

As always, I'd like to thank all of the Anons that participated today despite my fairly wonky internet connection and hectic schedule... If this thread survives the night, updates will resume at 8:30 AM PST / 11:30 AM EST; If the thread 404's, a new one will be made at around 10 AM PST / 1 PM EST.

Lastly, the voting poll is open until updates resume.,, And good night /tg/.

Rolled 34, 21, 44, 12 = 111

>>31701706
>C. Throw caution to the wind and go for either a Ryuuko Ranbuu or a Fuujin to Raijin no Tenshouken, confident that either one could take out Mai right here and now... Right? (Roll 4d100 for Speed, Evasion, Attack Damage & Luck that your DM will connect; Uses 1 Bar of Ki)
Tenshouken.

Rolled 82, 54, 5, 4 = 145

>>31701706
>C. Throw caution to the wind and go for either a Ryuuko Ranbuu or a Fuujin to Raijin no Tenshouken, confident that either one could take out Mai right here and now... Right? (Roll 4d100 for Speed, Evasion, Attack Damage & Luck that your DM will connect; Uses 1 Bar of Ki)

Tenshouken, if only becaude we need to practice it more...

Rolled 97, 3, 27, 5 = 132

>>31701706

>A.

We runnin' now.

Rolled 44, 26, 58, 11 = 139

>>31701706
>>A. Try to eat away Mai's "Powered Up" time by evading her attacks, moving in and out of her attack range and conserving your energy to try and NAIL her with a DM or SDM, depending on how rough this fight starts to get (Roll 4d100 for Speed, Defense, Evasion & Attack Damage; Could use up to 2 Bars of Ki)

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>>31704830
>>31705469
>>31705499
>>31706067

Alright, and the new session begins with a TIE... Vote to break it /tg/!

Rolled 1, 62, 74, 93 = 230

>>31706413

Anon from >>31705469 here. Switch my vote to A please.

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>>31706608
>>31706067
>>31705499

OK! Option A wins the vote, but I unfortunately have to commute right now Anons; The first update should be up in around an hour or so (Gotta go to the chiropractors today)...

Apologies for the delay anons; It took longer to get myself adjusted than usual today.

>>31706676
>>31706608
>>31706067
>>31705499

>Updates officially resume

>You're still in direct control of Katja Hartkern

You oh-so-briefly think about "Powering Up" and try to go toe-to-toe with Mai Shiranui, though you instead hop back and only just manage to avoid her odd, almost floating kick (the "Red Crane Strut") and try to counter it with a standing Hard Kick, again connecting on the other side of Mai's head (Rather than her face).

That hit knocks her off balance a little and you capitalize by using the "Raijin Sprint" to dash past her, though you don't try to land a follow-up attack; Instead, you hop away from Mai and try to buy some time, hoping that you can force her to waste her limited time whilst "Powered Up".

Curiously, it seems to be working as it feels like Mai's starting to panic a little, genuinely surprised that you're matching her Ninjustu-Honed speed (Albeit in short bursts) and using it to run from her... Though oddly enough, she doesn't follow you straight away; Instead, Mai throws out a yet another Folding Fan and tries to force you to "Eat" a "Mix-Up", though you feel like you've seen this tactic enough to know what to expect...

Or so you thought as you casually block her folding fan, your eyes widening as Mai hops into the air and engulfs herself in flames yet again, looking to end this fight with the "Powered Up" version of her "Phoenix Dance" DM... Feeling that you've gathered enough energy, you "Power Up" yourself and try to break her out of her DM with your "Fuujin to Raijin no Tenshouken", praying that you don't kill her in turn...

Against all odds and common wisdom, your fist connects, though not without getting hit by Mai's fine, flaming form... However, you seem to soak up the hits and yell "Fuujin to Raijin no TENSHOUKEN!", making sure that your corcscrewing, electrified uppercut lands in spite of the pain you feel...

>>31708554

You dig deep within yourself and feel as though you've hit her an astounding 20 times, an extremely large version of the electric trail your "Strong" Kohou usual has doing most of the extra hits as you could swear that the strange, almost Haiku-like Kanji forms on the brick wall beside you:

>この拳が (kono ken ga) (This fist...)
>知っていません (shitteimasen) (I don't know it...)
>でも分かる (demo wakaru) (But I understand)

As both of you land, Mai hitting the ground HARD as you stumble forward, your head spinning from the after-effects of Mai's DM as you push your hands forward and try to keep yourself from face-planting onto the pavement... Though your vision starts to get blurry as you can hear voices far off in your mind as you flop over and pass out lying on your back, the hazy blue sky the last thing you see...

===

>DOUBLE KO! DRAW GAME!!

===

>A. Continue to play through this scenario as Katja Hartkern,possibly going on a "Dream Sequence" of-sorts until your conscious mind awakens again...

>B. Assume the role of...? ("Write-In" Vote to determine which character to gain direct control over)

>C. Time-Skip to when Katja Hartkern awakens, whenever that may be... (Roll 1d100 for How fast her recovery is [IE How little time she spends unconscious]))

>D. Something Else... ("Write-In" Vote)

>>31708703
b yuri

Rolled 42

>>31708703
>C. Time-Skip to when Katja Hartkern awakens, whenever that may be... (Roll 1d100 for How fast her recovery is [IE How little time she spends unconscious]))

>>31708703

>A. Continue to play through this scenario as Katja Hartkern,possibly going on a "Dream Sequence" of-sorts until your conscious mind awakens again...

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>>31708957
>>31708965
>>31708977

Looks like a three-way TIE... Though none of the options have enough votes to be "Official" yet (At least 2 votes per option).

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>>31709207

As it stands, I'm going on a lunch break with the voting still up and open until I can get to an internet-friendly place in my podunk little town (Shouldn't be TOO long, but you never know with my bad luck...).

Current Voting Tally:

Options A, B & C = 1 Vote Each
Option D = No Votes

Again, Vote to break the TIE /tg/!

Rolled 47

>>31709301
C.

Rolled 2

>>31709301
>C. Time-Skip to when Katja Hartkern awakens, whenever that may be... (Roll 1d100 for How fast her recovery is [IE How little time she spends unconscious]))

Rollin' to help poor old Katja out...

Rolled 19

>>31709301

>C.

LIVE KATJA LIVE!!!

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>>31709717
>>31710310
>>31708965
>>31710385

Alright, back from Lunch and Option C wins the vote; An update is on the way...

4chan stopped working on me for a while Anons; Apologies for the delay.

>>31710385
>>31710310
>>31709717
>>31708965

>Days until the start of "The Infinite Match": 7

>Days until your fight with "The Soul of the Streets" Team: 7

>Time of Day: 2:45 PM

You groggily wake up on a cot in a loft-style room, the sunlight glare from a window right into your eyes as you slowly take a look around. You can see a desk with a stack of papers on it, along with a hanging heavy-bag and a "Speedbag" up on a wall from where you lie, noting the scuffs and marks on the wall behind it as well as how well-used the bags look to you....

"Fuck me, I feel like I got run over by a road train" you hoarsely think out loud as you slowly sit up, holding your arm up as you check to see how badly your body got burned and/or beaten... And curiously enough, you don't see any kind of scarring or burn marks, nor even feel like your body's in all that bad of shape; If anything, you feel hungry enough to eat a live horse or something right now as you hear a door behind you open.

You shift your body and turn to see King walk in with a couple of packs of ice and a glass of water for you, but sets them down on her desk and heads over to you and asks "Hey there... How are you feeling right now?"

"Hungry..." you mumble, wondering how the rest of you looks as you unzip your motorcycle leathers some more and check your body for more possible burn marks, again not finding anything too substantially wrong with you aside from a few slightly pink-hued patches of skin on your abdominals that feel hot to your touch.

"You got burned a bit from Mai's attack, but I'm impressed that you recovered as quickly as you have" King explains as she heads over and tosses you a couple of "Hard" ice-packs. You snatch them out of the air with some difficulty, though you can feel the strain as you move to put them on the pink-hued spots on your stomach.

Running into even more internet connection issues Anons; Sorry for the tardiness on my end...

>>31713106

"How're the others holdin' up?" you ask, wondering about Mai as the sound of her hitting the ground rings through your mind as well as trying not to wince at the pain those ice-packs feel on your arms.

"Oh, they're alright I guess; Mai's a little worse for wear, but they're all downstairs waiting up on you" King explains, admitting "I had to give Fiona a bit of a warning when she started arm-wrestling with her trainer though..."

You chuckle at that, then start to cough a little as you feel your sides hurt a little bit, King pondering "You want me to go tell them you're OK? Or do you need some more time to yourself?"

You pause at that, thinking that you'd honestly wouldn't mind having some down-time to try and think through what exactly made you pass out... On the other hand, you know that Fiona, Tsuyako, Mai, Yuri... Hell, even Hatsune Horikawa are all probably worried sick about you after your fight.

>A. Tell King that you'd like to see them all for a little bit... And maybe ask her if she could get you something to eat? (As you feel that your dizziness comes from hunger rather than another concussion)

>B. Tell her that she should tell the girls downstairs that you need some space to yourself right now, then ask not to be disturbed until you can get up and walk downstairs under your own power.

>C. Shrug and say that you wouldn't mind seeing your friends for a little bit (Emphasis on the "Little" part, asyou aren't feeling all THAT great right now)...

>D. Something Else... ("Write-In" Vote)

>E. Assume the Role of...? ("Write-In" Vote to determine which character to gain direct control over)

>>31715134
A. As long as Katja shows she's still alive, that should be enough.

>>31715134
>>A. Tell King that you'd like to see them all for a little bit... And maybe ask her if she could get you something to eat? (As you feel that your dizziness comes from hunger rather than another concussion)
Food IS one of the three traditional followups to a good fight...

Still having issues with the Internet connection where I'm at Anons; I might leave earlier than expected just to get home to a stabler connection.

>>31715515
>>31715553

"Ah hell, send'em up" you tell King with a weariness to your voice that masks your enthusiasm for seeing your friends.

"You sure?"

"Oh yeah, I'm doin' fine" you reply, really meaning it as you do a few rotations of your shoulder to break through that stiff feeling you can sense throughout your body. "Just grill up some chicken or get some food for me please, because I'm REALLY hungry" you add, your stomach sounding like you had swallowed something that was still alive.

King nods and says "Sure. I'll get some bandages too" before heading downstairs, leaving you to your thoughts for a moment before you hear a stampede of footsteps pounding up the to the door, "The New Gorgeous Team", Yuri & Hatsune Horikawa all heading through to King's office to greet you.

"Katie!" Yuri practically squeals as she gives you a gentle hug, squeezing her back a little bit harder as you ask her to give you a REAL hug instead.

"You doin' alright Oz?" Fiona asks as she gives you a shoulder-hug.

"Yeah, just hungry and got a few light burns on my arms" you reply, showing off your light-pink hued skin on them.

"Wow... You're a real hardy one, huh?" Mai asks, wearing a pair of large sunglasses to try and hide the bruises you gave her when your "Fuujin to Raijin no Tenshoulen" connected.

"Yeah, I guess so... But I DID recover from a bloody coma in a week; Something like that pinwheel thing was just a love-tap t'me" you jest as you fist-bump Tsuyako & Hatsune.

"Damn... You sure you don't want to get into wrestling? Because you could be a Hardcore Match Queen if you keep this up" Hatsune jokes.

Tsuyako smiles as she tells you "Seriously though, it's great to even see you up and talking with us..."

"Wot, it wasn't THAT bad... Right?" you ask, wondering if you had made ANOTHER miraculous recovery...

>>31718279

"Well... I guess you could say it wasn't looking too good" you ear Yuri start to explain, though Fiona cuts in to offer her two cents.

"It was pretty bad at first; You weren't breathing when we got to you... Turns out you swallowed your tongue when you fell over and I had to yank it out and do a little mouth-to-mouth to get you breathing again."

"Really...?" you ask with the utmost seriousness, then look at Fiona and tell her "Thank you."

"No problem; You're just lucky I worked as a lifeguard at some rinky-dink pool back when I likved in Vegas" she replies with a shrug.

"So... How you'd feel after all that Mai?" you ask as you turn to look at her, your neck a little sore.

"Fine" she lies, trying to not let on how you had really given her a run for her money in spite of the fact that you had fought twice before hand...

"You worked out all morning with me and rode over here on a bicycle; You SHOULD feel tired" Hatsune says with amazement at Mai's blase attitude, though she asks Fiona "She DID ride all the way here, right?"

Fiona looks back her, then to you, then to Mai and says "Yeah, of course; She's not leading our team for nothing..."

You give Fiona an odd look, but don't say anything more about it and ask "You gals workin' t'night?"

Fiona & Tsuyako shake their heads "No", though Mai explains "No, but since they're on leave for the tournament all they have to do are a few "Training Montages" for the suits at their wrestling federation..."

"Not too bad then" you reply, though Hatsune holds up and and says 'It's no picnic though; it's pretty tough when you've got 5 cameras on you and you're wearin' a swimsuit that reveals everything 'cept your maiden name."

Mai blushes at that last part, obviously feeling that it's a dig at her for that "Leotardo No Mai" trick she sometimes does during her Chou Hissatsu Shinobi Bachi Desperation Move as you feel waves of nostalgia wash over you, feeling like you're back at the dojo you've never been to...

>>31719398

>A. Keep talkin' with the girls to try and hide your hunger and pain until King gets back.

>B. Let everyone else talk and just sit back and relax a little; You've had a rough 24 Hours or so and need to rest a little.

>C. Ask Mai how the fight went from her perspective and see if you can pick her fighting mind for possible advice (Roll 1d100 for Persuasion)

>D. Something Else... ("Write-In" Vote)

>E. Assume the role of...? ("Write-In" Vote to determine which character to gain direct control over)

Slow connection tonight Anons; Please bear with me.

Rolled 42

>>31719767
>C. Ask Mai how the fight went from her perspective and see if you can pick her fighting mind for possible advice (Roll 1d100 for Persuasion)

>>31719767
>>B. Let everyone else talk and just sit back and relax a little; You've had a rough 24 Hours or so and need to rest a little.
Take it easy. Conceal suffering with relaxed brevity.
Stiff upper lip, eh chaps?

>>31719909
Switching to B. We should mellow for now.

Rolled 48

>>31719767

>B. Let everyone else talk and just sit back and relax a little; You've had a rough 24 Hours or so and need to rest a little.

>>31720150

I'll ignore that roll, as it wasn't required for Option B...

>>31719909
>>31719968

You rest your eyes a little and let out a contented sigh, laying back in King's high-backed sofa and just trying to relax a little... Though Yuri taps you on the shoulder and asks "You sure you're OK? You look a little out of it..."

You look at Yuri as if to say "Mate, one of me best friends had to resuscitate me; Why WOULDN'T I look 'Out of it'?", though you say nothing on that and instead ask her "Would you after three straight fights?" with a slightly dry wit to your voice.

Yuri mulls it over, then blushes when she realizes how redundant her question sounds, though you give her a playful punch on the shoulder and say "Just kiddin' sunshine; I AM a bit out of it, but I'd rather be around you'n' the others than just feelin' down by meself" as Fiona & Tsuyako start to argue like the virtual couple that they (Probably) are, Hatsune looks around King's desk and finds a Mini-Fridge in it and pops as Mai casually takes a seat next to you on the couch.

"You could be a really good sparring partner, you know" Mai says as you get a closer look at the bruises starting to form on her face.

"Yeah, that's what 'Uri here always said" you reply, then hear Mai whisper "Thanks for letting me blow some steam off with you; I really needed it" into your ear and take another breath, smiling at that.

"You really feelin' what I told you, huh?" you ask her in a low voice.

"Oh yeah... I hadn't had a work-out or fight that enjoyable in YEARS" Mai replies with a slightly devilish smile, a dark part of your mind wondering if she's coming on to you or something (Or if it's just your mind playing hunger-related tricks on you) as you ponder where King might be right now...

>>31721343

>A. Keep listening to the girls talk about stuff and "Shoot the Shit" a little longer; You need this more than more fights or training exercises right now..

>B. Ask them to give you time alone for a little bit, as you need to just be with your thoughts for a few minutes or so before you try to talk with them all back downstairs.

>C. See if you can get a few of your friends to help you up to your feet and check yourself over for the amount of damage you took from fighting Mai (Roll 1d100 perception check)

>D. Something Else... ("Write-In" Vote)

>E. Assume the role of...? ("Write-In" Vote to determine which character to gain direct control over)

Rolled 43

>>31721375
>>C. See if you can get a few of your friends to help you up to your feet and check yourself over for the amount of damage you took from fighting Mai (Roll 1d100 perception check)

Rolled 93

>>31721375
>C. See if you can get a few of your friends to help you up to your feet and check yourself over for the amount of damage you took from fighting Mai (Roll 1d100 perception check)

>>31721375
>>A. Keep listening to the girls talk about stuff and "Shoot the Shit" a little longer; You need this more than more fights or training exercises right now..
Our luck.
Let us not push it.

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>>31722827

Looks like the votes and the rolls say otherwise Tiger...

>>31721420
>>31722538

Looks like Option C has got this vote locked in unless others show up soon (Within 10-15 minutes)...

>>31722538
>>31721420

You shift in your seat a little as you look at Mai and tell her "Nice t'know...", hopefully brushing off any kind of amorous advance from her (Real or simply imagined)as you try to get up and curiously stand without any trouble at all, the blanket you had draped over you as you feel sore more than anything else...

You note that your "Kangaroo Suit's" zipped down almost all the way and hanging low on your hips as you take the covers off and find the T-Shirt you had on earlier had been replaced by one that was a tad too small for you, highlighting your ample chest a little TOO well as you do a few lazy stretches to shake off the soreness and stiffness you feel in your body, your balance still there and nothing wrong as you ask Fiona "Wgat time d'you have t'leave for your flight Fiona?"

Fiona pauses at that, then shrugs and says "I have to be at South Town International by like 6 PM, so I've got time for a little bit of stuff to do", curiously sounding a bit downbeat at the fact she's going "Back Home" to Iceland.

"It'll only be a few days, right?" you hear Tsuyako ask her as she puts a hand on her shoulder, Yuri's eyes widening a little at how close Fiona & Tsuyako really are as you nod at Hatsune and ask her for a bottle of water from King's mini-fridge.

She tosses one towards you and you catch it easily, taking a good chug from it as you ask "What're you gonna' do when the tourney starts? You on a team yet?"

Hatsune smiles at that as you can hear Mai & Yuri whispering among themselves about something as she replies "Nah, not this time... Just seeing my little girl go out there and fight at this kind of level is a hell of a thrill in itself."

"Huh... What about Yashiro'N'Shermie then?"

Hatsune shrugs at you, then says "I'dunno, I don't think they're in it either; They couldn't get somebody to run that shop they've got" she replies,almost softly admitting "Anyways, I got what I came here for anyway... I'm content to just watch for now."

>>31724137

Your mind flashes back to that one guy you see around here and there, but you drop the subject and playfully try to ask "What, the fight start to run out of ya' from runnin' me girly mates into the ground?"

Hatsune chuckles at that, but shakes her head and replies "Nah, just doesn' feel right for me this year... It's another league compared to what I'm used to physically."

You shrug at that, though Hatsune says "And yeah, I think I'd be winded if I really tried to fight most of the people this thing's got... They kinda remind me of the old tryouts AJPW would do; They'd hold a mass tryout once a few years and up to 2,000 teens would show up. Then they narrow it down to half. Then run drills and narrow it to half again. Then halve it AGAIN. In the end, they might ask you to do 500 squats and 100 push-ups... And while I probably could do that in my prime, most people just couldn't. You can't... No one can."

You hold your tongue at that, not wanting to damper the mood and boast about how that was basically your Daily Routine when you were at the Kyokugen Dojo as Hatsune continues her story. "But the point was that they'd choose the ones who TRY and don't give up. They looked for heart... And in my mind, when I size up all the fighters in this tournament just seeing them at the party last night? Any of them could win it; They all have heart... Even the guys and girls that get shit on in the press over how they seem to exist for others to beat up, they could win it on the right day, or at the right time or whatever... Because they've got the heart and soul to do just about anything to achieve victory."

"And that was when it dawned on me that I probably couldn't win this tournament if I tried to enter, no matter who I was with... I lost that fire in my heart a while ago I guess" Hatsune concludes with a knowing sigh as Yuri & Mai STILL seem to be discussing something in hushed tones as Fiona & Tsuyako casually get close to one another...

>>31724886

You don't quite know what to say to that, though a part of you wonders if you made a wrong decision going with Yuri & King, as Hatsune feels like the kind of "Wise Old Sensei" Takuma Sakazaki SHOULD'VE been to you and the rest of Kyokugen Dojo... Though that thought flies right out the window when King walks up the steps holding your meal, the smell of a grilled chicken with a small salad and what looks like a slice of cake wetting your appetite enough you almost instantly drool.

>A. Try talking with Hatsune a little about her "Glory Days" and try to possibly help her out of whatever funk she could be in between bites of your gracious meal.

>B. Let that thought linger in the air for a second as you head to King and generously thank her for the meal she has for you, then listen to what the others have to say about the "Heart" of a fighter.

>C. Shrug and admit that you can't really add anything to that, as in spite of all of the crap you've had to deal with as a fighter, your will to fight and "Heart" hasn't really wavered (Yet...) (Roll 1d100 for Persuasion)

>D. Something Else... ("Write-In" Vote)

>E. Assume the role of...? ("Write-In" Vote to determine which character to gain direct control over)

>>31725276
>A. Try talking with Hatsune a little about her "Glory Days" and try to possibly help her out of whatever funk she could be in between bites of your gracious meal.

>>31725276
>>A. Try talking with Hatsune a little about her "Glory Days" and try to possibly help her out of whatever funk she could be in between bites of your gracious meal.
Katja uses tact!
...
But it failed...

Ah, for the social skills of a blind, dead, ornery badger.

>>31725276

>A. Try talking with Hatsune a little about her "Glory Days" and try to possibly help her out of whatever funk she could be in between bites of your gracious meal.

>>31725397
>>31725437
>>31726238

You quickly grab a small chair that had been tucked into the corner of King's office and quickly thank her for the meal she oh-so-graciously cooked for you, hoping that your words could give her an impression that you'll definitely talk to her in just a second before asking Hatsune "Not to try and pry, but what were you like when you were 'In your prime'?"

Hatsune takes a look at you as you start to eat, overhearing King talk with Mai & Yuri for a second before she replies "Damn, that's like trying to capture lightning in a bottle..."

You shrug at that and tell her "Humor me then" in between bites of your salad as Fiona & Tsuyako seem to turn their attention to their trainer as Hatsune clears her throat.

"Well... In my time, when AJPW was at it's best and women's wrestling was at an all-time high in popularity, I had the kind of status only rockstars and A-List actors nowadays get" she starts to explain, pausing for a second as the memories locked in her mind seem to flow out.

"What's funny is that I wasn't even the brightest start that AJPW had back then; They were talent-rich and to be honest, I always felt that I was kind of ordinary next to someone like Manami, or Akira or Etsuko or Yumiko..."

"How'd you get into the 'biz?" you ask as you attack your salad as though your life depended on it.

"Well, I was a champion amateur wrestler, but at the time my main goal was Judo, mainly because I was going to get to a demonstration of it at the first Olympics that allowed Women's Judo... And though I didn't get a win or anything, I got recognition back home for being the only Japanese women to do well at the demo tournament AND scored a deal for some vitamin sports drink company that took off thanks to my add getting plastered almost everywhere" she says as while Fiona & Tsuyako have heard all of this they can't help but listen anyway as you feel as though you're sitting right next to the center of attention in the room.

>>31727172

"Seriously, I did every talk show, game show, newspaper; you name it and we did it because my add for that drink was the hottest add in all of Japan for like a year" Hatsune says, then pauses before adding "... But I REALLY got started when I met a guy who introduced me to my soon-to-be boyfriend and god damn, I remember thinking "I have never seen more blood in a ring in my life" and thinking if I should really get into this or not... But you know, that itch I had when I got knocked off the Olympic Judo team and didn't fight for like 3 months after the Olympics ended got scratched and I kind of got hooked to it all."

"How many matches were y'doin'?"

"Like around 200 a year, sometimes twice in one night" Hatsune admits. "Not a lot of down time either."

You nod at that as you finish off the salad and go after the chicken again, asking Hatsune "What made you stop?"

Hatsune thinks about it for a second, then looks to her daughter, then back at you and replies "Well, two things really. One, almost all of the top-drawer talent AJPW split up and went off into like a million different feds and companies'n'shit, so there went my friends and co-workers. Secondly, well, when I found out I WAS pregnant with my princess here", stopping to touch Tsuyako's hand, "I kind of stopped caring about what my careeer was going to end up and started just focusing on Sox here."

You pause at that, thinking of the kind of matches that you had watch Fiona & Tsuyako do before asking Hatsune one last question before going after your dessert: "D'you think that if you went to, or found out about a King of Fighter's tourney when you were still young and filled with vigor, would you do it?"

Hatsune pauses once more, Fiona asking you "Damn, I though they were filtering out the smarks today" with a grin and a wink towards you as Hatsune finally replies "Yeah, I probably would've... But for pure skill and power? I was FAR behind the caliber of fighters they had even back then."

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>>31727433

"What makes you say that?" Fiona asks, uncanilly taking the next question your mind had jumped to right out of your mouth as you finish up eating your grilled chicken.

"I wasn't as strong then like I am now... Plus, not gonna' lie, I was kind of bad place when I found out I was pregnant" Hatsune admits, though she looks to her daughter and adds "I needed to really calm down and just..."

You try to fill in her silence with empty words as Tsuyako looks like she's going to cry, then gives her mom a big ole' hug.

>A. Keep talking with Hatsune and the others a little bit longer.

>B. Quietly ask one of the girls to chauffeur yourself and your Triumph Thruxton motorcycle home, as you're in no shape to ride right now.

>C. Lay back a little bit and let the others chime in on Hatsune's thoughts and opinions about stuff (To guess)....

>D. Something Else... ("Write-In" Vote)

>E. Assume the role of...? ("Write-In" Vote to determine which character to gain direct control over)

===

>Pause Updates

I thank all of y'all for sticking with this quest through thick and thin, as it's all thanks to you for continued sessions... Speaking of which, assuming this thread survives the night updates will resume tomorrow at 8 AM PST /11 AM EST; If the thread 404's, a new one will start up at the usual 9 AM PST / Noon EST Start.

Either way, good night /tg/... (Also forgot to mention VOTING IS NOW OPEN until updates resume!)

>>31727631
>A. Keep talking with Hatsune and the others a little bit longer.

Dude in the red blazer, second from the left.

>>31727631

>A.

>>31727631

>E. Assume the role of...? ("Write-In" Vote to determine which character to gain direct control over)

Andrew Draco, because I want to try and get a clearer picture of what lead him to do the things ge's done.

What? It's compelling IMHO.

>>31727631

>A. Keep talking with Hatsune and the others a little bit longer.

>>31730497

I'll admit that he's a fairly intruiging character, but now isn't the right time to switch to him... And tobe honest, I kind of eant to see how the side-story with Jean Gabriel & Bizuki Iijima pans out first.

>>31730596

Stupid phone glitching out on me again...

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>>31729365
>>31729277

I know... He's almost reaction-image worthy.

>>31730596

I apologize for the delay Anons; My computer's having some truly odd problems this morning... So much so that this might be the last day I can post for a LONG while (It's enough to get me to start thinking about sending my formerly-trusty lap-top out to a tech to try and scrub any viruses it might have.

Anyway, Option A wins the vote and updates are on the way ASAP.

>>31730596
>>31729365
>>31729277

>Updates officially resume

>You're still in Direct Control of Katja Hartkern

>Time of Day: 3:17 PM

You wait for a moment to ask Hatsune some more questions as Tsuyako keeps hugging her mother fairly tenderly... Though Hatsune tells you "Yeah, it was a magical time... But I've got to tell ya', it was right for me to semi-retire when I did; I look back on what all of the hype and fame and shit did to me and just...", then lets her voice trail off to emphasize her point.

You solemnly nod, then start to take a few nibbles of the dessert King threw in for decor you suppose as Mai adds "Yeah... It's hard to keep a balance on who you really are when everybody's telling you 'Oh, you're awesome' or 'You make traffic stop' or whatever; It can REALLY get to you after a while..."

Hatsune nods at that as you continue to nibble on your piece of Black Forest Chocolate cake, Fiona adding "It can only really get to you if you let it though..."

"Yeah, that's true" Hatsune replies, adding "And it's hard for a lot of people to wrap that around their heads" after a slight pause.

"You weren't like one of those prima-donna's that was havin' caviar or some shit sent up t'your dressin' room though, right?" you ask her.

"Caviar?!" Hatsune replies with a laugh, then explains "Dudette, I didn't make enough to afford something like that most of the time... But I kind of was a shit to a few of the bosses and individual promoters that wanted "Something More" than my wrestling skills."

"OH..." is all you say, Fiona asking "How bad did it get? Because I can't EVEN try to recall all of the smarmy jackasses that tried to get something like that out of me..."

Hatsune mulls it over with Tsuyako whispering something into her ear, then looks at her and says "Well, most of them shut up after a while, ESPECIALLY after I sent one guy to the hospital" with a particularly devilish grin, flashes of Takuma switching to his "Mr. Karate" persona in her eyes and voice...

>>31731445

"Still, it wasn't like I wasn't interested in sex or anything; Hell, if half of them were a little more natural about it..." Hatsune starts to say, then switches to something related, but different out of respect for her daughter. "AJPW had a VERY strict "Three No's" policy still in effect at that the time regarding what you did in the locker room and one of them happened to be "No Men"... Shit, I had to get called up in some random tag-team when one of the hottest Tag-Teams they had got busted violating thatat some big, multi-promotion "Supper Card" or whatever it was..."

Yuri comes over and asks "You gonna eat the rest of that?", feeling like she's left out a little as you wordlessly hand her you cake as Hatsune continues taking or a little bit more. "And believe me, with the travelling I did, I got, well... 'Frustrated' a lot, but I found that it helped me put on my best matches..."

Fiona & Tsuyako both nod at that, though you can tell that Tsuyako's a little uncomfortable about her mother talking about her past carnal desires, so you ask her "What about drugs & drink?"

"One of the other "No's", but it didn't stop others from trying to sneak either in anyway" she replies, then says "I kind of stayed clean to be honest; I remember this one time, they had popped Nakano-San for Cocaine when she had invited me to tour with her for some American Promotion just before I had to retire..."

"Oooh... That shit ain't cool mate" you quip.

"Dude, you're like one of those crazy truckers that run all around Japan or something" Yuri adds, Hatsune replying "Yeah... Not me though; I'd go out and dive for fish and shit just to kill time whenever we'd stop near the ocean just to get AWAY from that kind of bullshit..."

"Wait, you were an Ama too?!" Mai asks, thinking of a story her grandfather told her about going to some far-off fishing village in his youth and being "Rescued by a mermaid" when he had gotten caught out by rip-tide while out swimming in the ocean...

>>31731738

"Yep! My mom was one of the last to learn the art and actually makea living off deep-sea diving" Hatsune replies, Tsuyako adding "I also learned how to do it too... It's a really cool exercise to help with your breathing."

"I'd bet! You'd dive for like what, two minutes and come up for air?" Mai asks, genuinely sounding interested.

"Two and half for me, actually" Hatsune replies, adding "And my baby girl here can last like three minutes on a full breath right?"

"Bloody hell..." you think out loud, an ideaf or a new training exercise taking shape in your mind as you ask "Y'think I could try somethin' like that? Because I LOVE swimmin'n'all and I get this feelin' that I just can't get a deep breath sometimes..."

"I think you'd need more meat on your bones sweetie" Hatsune tells you after giving you a look-over, Tsuyako explaining "The belief for Ama was that having a layer of body fat was needed to combat the cold waters... That and you'd do it naked, or in a tiny little loincloth to try and let your own body heat dry you instead of getting that cold feeling wet clothes can give you."

Your eyes widen at that last admission, though Hatsune adds "That's the old-school way of doing it though; Now, you'd just get a wetsuit and be done with it... And yeah, it could be a hell of an exercise if you found a body of water that was deep and cold enough."

You nod at that, though Fiona boldly asks "Sounds like fun... Wanna try it out at that one beach out near where we shot that swimsuit catalog?", then says "Only kidding Oz, only kidding" with a sly grin almost as quickly as she brought it up.

>>31731941

>A. Keep talking about stuff with the girls just a little bit longer, because you feel like you're learning more from them about, well, EVERYTHING than just sitting in front of your lap-top or something... Though you SHOULD ask what time it is just in case Fiona needs to leave to make her flight out.

>B. Tell Fiona that you'll "Take a Rain cheque" on that and ask one of the girls to chauffeur yourself and your Triumph Thruxton motorcycle home, as you're in no shape to ride right now and it's getting a little long in the day...

>C. Boldly take Fiona up on her offer and quickly try to go virtual skinny-dipping with her, Tsuyako, Mai, Yuri, King & Hatsune (If they're up for it, of course...)

>D. Assume the role of...? ("Write-In" Vote to determine which character to gain direct control over)

>E. Something Else... ("Write-In" Vote)

>>31731954
>A. Keep talking about stuff with the girls just a little bit longer, because you feel like you're learning more from them about, well, EVERYTHING than just sitting in front of your lap-top or something... Though you SHOULD ask what time it is just in case Fiona needs to leave to make her flight out.
Freediving in Australia sounds like a risky proposition.

>>31731954

>A.

>>31732062
>>31732264

You think about cheekily accepting her offer and doing some semi-nude "Freediving", if only to say that you actually did it (As it's a bit like the idea of skydiving naked to you in how outlandish it seems), but another "Don't you have to get goin' for your flight though?"

Fiona pauses, then checks her phone and says "Sheeeit... I really gotta get going guys."

"Really?" Tsuyako asks her, sounding a bit disappointed at that as Hatsune gets up and does a few quick stretches, taking a look at her.

"Yeah... My flight's out of here by 6 PM, it's like over an hour in good traffic just to get back home..." Fiona replies as heads over to you and says "I'll see you in the ring Katja."

You sit up from your chair and grab her hand, telling her "I promise I won't hold back" in a partly friendly, yet oddly "Cold" voice that almost scares you in how direct it is and wondering where it came from inside of you.

Fiona grins and says "Likewise" in a slightly sultry voice, trying to hide her intentions a little bit more than you had as her grip hardens in your hand, then looks to Tsuyako and assks "Ready sweetie?"

"Yeah..." she says with a sigh, then looks to you and says "It was cool fighting you Katja... Let's do it again soon huh?"

You give Tsuyako a hug, then Hatsune looks at you and says "Yeah, back to the salt mines I guess..." with a slight grin, then looks over to Mai and asks "OK, you better get ready because I'm actually running with you all the way back to the house."

Mai's eyes widen at that as you, Yuri & King all stiffle chuckles as she sighs and nods, then looks to you and says "Kay, I'll be seeing you around Katja", pausing to admit "And thanks for this morning. I really needed that" as she places a hand on your shoulder.

Just about everyone else takes a look at you, though you brush off any funny ideas they might have by saying "Yeah, just talkin' about what you're goin' through helped out a lot huh?"

>>31733132

Mai nods, then leads her "New Gorgeous Team" out of King's office as Yuri & King turn to you and ask "OK, what's up with Mai?" in almost in perfect unison just as Mai's teammates started asking her the same thing downstairs.

You shrug, then ponder if it would be better to be blunt and honest over what had been going on with Mai and her relationship troubles with Andy Bogard and Draco... Though at the same time, you also think it might be rude to tell them if she hasn't brought it up already (Which, judging from their reactions, they haven't).

>A. Come clean over what has been happening with Mai, Andy and that fucker Draco.

>B. Stick to the principle that you shouldn't air other people's dirty laundry and tell Yuri & King to ask Mai themselves, as it IS rather personal...

>C. Shrug and only partly tell your teammates what has been happening with Mai, probably leaving out the fact that she and "Blue Mary" had spent the night at your place...

>D. Assume the role of...? ("Write-In" Vote to determine which character to gain direct control over)

>E. Something Else... ("Write-In" Vote)

>>31733281
>C. Shrug and only partly tell your teammates what has been happening with Mai, probably leaving out the fact that she and "Blue Mary" had spent the night at your place...
Let's just say Mai and Andy are on the rocks right now.

>>31733281
>C.

Let's be respectful of what Mai's going through right now.

>>31733390
>>31733468

You look at Yuri & King and say "Well, Mai & Andy are on the rocks right now... And I'd just leave it at that t'be honest."

"Really?" Yuri asks, though King purses her lips and says "Hmm... I wondered why she had been drinking so much lately..."

"Why wouldn't she come to us though? We're like her best friends still" Yuri asks you as you shrug at that.

"Busy trainin' I guess... But I'dunno, the two of you've known her longer than I have" you reply.

"Mybe she's still mad at u from that one night at The Pao Pao?" King ponders out loud, thinking about that one drunken catfight to end them all just after the "Lost" thirteenth KOF Tournament.

"Maybe... But I don't think that she'd STILL be holding onto that, especially after we apologized and stuff right?" Yuri asks as you feel yourself stretch out a little bit your body feeling "Normal" as you zip your leathers back up and think that it might be time to head back to your place...

You're not leaving already are you?" King asks as you tighten your gloves and stretch your neck out a little bit.

"I'dunno, maybe... I feel good enough t'ride and I don't think I'd like to walk back home from 'ere" you reply, then do a light calf stretch and feel the strain of trying to do it in your stylishly charred "Kangroo Suit" leathers.

"Come on Katie, hang out a little more... You NEED to rest after that hit" Yuri pleads and you pause, really picking up on that certain intangible "Little Sister" kind-of vibe she has towards you as you think it over for a few seconds...

>A. Shake you head and say your goodbyes, then try to ride back to "The Imperial Hotel" and take the rest of the day off recuperating from your fights.

>B. Stay a little while with Yuri and King some more, possibly crafting strategies in advance of your fight with "The Soul of the Streets" Team.

>C. Assume the role of...? ("Write-In" Vote to determine which character to gain direct control over)

>D. Something Else... ("Write-In" Vote)

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>>31733875

>"Maybe she's still mad at us from that one night at The Pao Pao?" King ponders out loud, thinking about that one drunken catfight to end them all just after the "Lost" thirteenth KOF Tournament.

Fixed. Also, I have to commute after this post, but the voting is open until I can return.

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>>31733875
>>B. Stay a little while with Yuri and King some more, possibly crafting strategies in advance of your fight with "The Soul of the Streets" Team.
>one drunken catfight to end them all

>>31733875
>B. Stay a little while with Yuri and King some more, possibly crafting strategies in advance of your fight with "The Soul of the Streets" Team.

>>31733875
>B. Stay a little while with Yuri and King some more, possibly crafting strategies in advance of your fight with "The Soul of the Streets" Team.

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>>31733966
>>31734041
>>31734146

OK, Option B unanimously wins the vote and an update (Or two) is on the way...

>>31734041
>>31734146
>>31733966

Your body language relaxes as you admit "Yeah... Y'know wot? I think I'll cool my heels a little, stay a while... Well, if King 'ere'll let me."

King shrugs as she says "I don't really mind... But I was wondering about what we're going to do about our opponents for next week."

You pause at that, then grin as you tell her "That was just on my mind too... You know anything 'bout these guys? Aside from them bein' underrated o'course."

King takes one last sip of her glass of wine as Yuri explains "Well, the Boxer guy is a really defensive fighter; He can really hop back from you and he covers a TON of ground when he does... The other guy uses Basketballs and kicks to keep you away from him."

"Yeah, Lucky's an annoying one to fight for that reason... But eavy D! can be scary at times because he has this" King starts to elaborate, but pauses as she remebers "THis sort of taunt he does before he charges up an attack."

"Wait, one of those guys can just charge up like it straight outta some tradhy animation?" you ask.

"Sort of... I've actually seen him do it when I fought him back in the day; He's got like alternate versions of his attacks, but he only does them after getting Ki into his fists or something..." Yuri thoughtfully adds.

"Huh... 'Kay, but is there like a limit to how many he can do or whatever? Because that sounds pretty damn crazy t'me..." you ask, wondering why exactly the formerly US Sports Team seem to get the reputation of being laughingstocks.

"He does it when he wants, but it only affects the first attack after, I think" King replies, thinking back to that fight and trying to remember what Heavy D! did back then... "He also can trick you into blocking the wrong strike, so that it's like he's got regular unblockable attacks."

"Dang... Gotta be on my toes for him" you think out loud, wondering if he can string together his attacks to make truly outlandish combinations... "Any videos of him fightin' we can watch?"

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>>31736731
"Heavy D! is a professionally-trained boxer, so he's inherently dangerous to deal with. Lucky Glauber plays basketball and does karate on the side, but any inherent lack of skill is more than made up for with his sheer size and reach. Duck King is Duck King: he dances more than he fights, but that makes him exceedingly tricky, as he can attack from the craziest angles. Plus, he's the most experienced on the team with the tournament, so combined with his unpredictability would make him the most dangerous member of their team."

>Not just saying that instead of going into their actual in-game mechanics

>>31736914

While that IS true, keep in mind that Yuri & King only fought the US Sports Team ONCE and NEVER had a chance to fight Duck King, while Katja's only watched Duck King fight once as well...

>>31736731

"Yeah... But I don't think my phone can acess videos like that" Yuri replies.

"I'm also pretty sure that even if we had something to watch them on, we couldn't get an internet connection anywhere close by" King says, then asks you "You got anyhing on their third man? Duck King?"

"A little I guess" you reply, then explain what you saw of him the first time you met Tsuyako & Fiona at The Pao Pao Cafe 2, Yuri & King waiting for you to finish before they add their "2 Cents".

"So he's a mix-up fighter then?" Yuri asks after you concluded your story.

You nod at that and reply "Yeah, he's really unpredictable and sorta has a "Screw with you" vibe instead of a straight-fightin' one... I know that he Tsuyako fits because he was preyin' on her inexperience."

"Hmm... Alright, so we've got a professional boxer, a Basketball player that does Karate on the side, but is over 7 foot tall and has reach in spades... And a dancer" King thinks out loud.

"My money's on Duck King bein' the toughest nut t'crack, just because of the unpredictability he's got" you reply, stroking your chin before you ask King "Is that one bloke REALLY that tall though?"

"Oh yeah, he's a monster" Yuri says, then adds "He's also got this weird dash move like you have to get him out of tight spots too... But if you corner him or back him up to a wall he's cake; He needs Ki to actually get out and try to punish you."

You nod at that, then ask "Kay... Who d'you think would be best t'try and take him down?"

Yuri shrugs, no treally getting what you're trying to ask, though King says "I think if you got close, you could be the perfect counter for him... And I would go against Heavy D! if he goes first; I can space him out with Venom Strikes and play "Keep-Away" against him."

>>31737214

>A. Agree to that plan and head on home; You've got a lot of research to do about Lucky Glauber, Heavy D! & Duck King as well as recover from your fights.

>B. Keep talking with your teammates about the upcoming battle ahead of you, possibly offering to host them at your place at "The Imperial" so you can get some more detailed discussion going (Roll 1d100 for Luck that they'll take up your offer)

>C. Listen to whatever Yuri & King have to say about "The Soul of the Streets" Team and casually

>D. Something Else... ("Write-In"/"Combine up to Two Votes" Vote)

>E. Assume the role of...? ("Write-In" Vote to determine which character to gain direct control over)

Rolled 38

>>31737214
You do know that King and Duck King co-own the same bar, right?

>>31737324
>B. Keep talking with your teammates about the upcoming battle ahead of you, possibly offering to host them at your place at "The Imperial" so you can get some more detailed discussion going (Roll 1d100 for Luck that they'll take up your offer)

Rolled 62

>>31737405

Maybe because the timeline got screwed up, that's not the case anymore?

>>31737324

>B.

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>>31737405

Yes, but not the one in South Town though; They co-own the one in England that King used to take Mai & Yuri to in their various KOF endings (For a time at least).

>>31738044

See above, but that's a good answer as well...

OK, Option B has this unless more votes arrive shortly...

Rolled 33

>>31737324
>>B. Keep talking with your teammates about the upcoming battle ahead of you, possibly offering to host them at your place at "The Imperial" so you can get some more detailed discussion going (Roll 1d100 for Luck that they'll take up your offer)

Internet got spotty on me for a minute Anons; Sorry for the delays.

>>31738443
>>31738167
>>31738044

"It'll be good to see Duck again though... I haven't had a chance to catch up with him for a while now" you hear King say, replying with a 'Hmm?" as though it were a verbal question mark.

"You started up that other "La Illusion" in England with him, right?" Yuri asks, remembering the few times that Mai had taken her back there to celebrate "The Women's Team's" early successes.

"Yeah... But I haven't seen him around much anymore after he got picked up to be some hip-hop guy's "Mix-Master"..." King replies, admitting "And to be fair, he kind of was only a backer most of the time: I rarely worked with him."

"You still own it though?" you ask out of curiosity.

"Yeah, but I let a friend of mine run most of the time" she answers, then says "Speaking of which, I have to do orders for a second; Excuse me" as she heads over to her desk and grabs a calculator and a stack of files that were on her desk.

You shrug at that and figure it's best to leave King in peace and quiet for a moment, though not before telling her "Right, I'll be downstairs" and slowly walk down the steps towards what looks like the modest kitchen La Illusion has behind the bar, a small door partially open that leads out into the very front of the bar itself as you look around for your motorcycle helmet just in case t could've got swiped or something...

You find it and place it up on the bar proper as you hear Yuri walk down the stairs and asks "What's the rush Katie?"

"I'dunno, I keep gettin' the feelin' that I need t'get goin'..." you reply, then explain "I'm in good spirits about how today's gone but I can't really fight for now, I'm tired and we've got a pretty solid baseline plan for next week... Right?"

"Well... Yeah, I guess so" Yuri starts to question, then agrees with you as she asks "But do you really want to leave so quickly though? And can you even get home safely?"

>>31740503
>>31737405

You shrug again, then sit on a bar stool and muse "I guess I COULD go for a beer..."

Yuri rolls her eyes at that, then asks "What is it with you and alcohol Katie?"

"I'dunno, it calms me down I guess" you think out loud, not really questioning why you're able to drink as much as you do. "I need somethin' to help me shut down and it'd take a reservoir to get me drunk enough t'quit functioning..."

"You never get that feeling that maybe you're living life too hard or something?"

"Look, sunshine, I know I put them down alright? But I ain't an alcoholic and I was, I wouldn't have been able to even join the Dojo and spar with you" you tell her, conviction in your words as you ask her "What's even got you talkin' 'bout this all of a sudden? It ain't like you t'judge others like your dad... No offense."

Yuri looks at you, a part of your mind trying to read what could possibly be Yuri's motives for this line of questions... But she doesn't show you enough to get a representation of what she wants as she says "I'dunno, I worry about you sometimes..."

You pause at the honesty in your best friend's words, fighting back the urge to tell her "Yeah, ya' bloody-well SHOULD worry 'bout me" as you tell her "Then what's with the forced drama mate? Y'know I hate that shit t'begin with."

"It just doesn't sit right with me that one of my best friends can drink so much when I can't even last a whole beer" she pouts as she takes a seat next to you.

You take a long pause, then ask her "Does it REALLY affect you that much? Especially when King drinks wine like it's goin' outta style?"

"Well..." Yuri starts to say, but pauses before answering "Yeah, I guess so. I just sort of never noticed it before... Plus, you never drank when you lived-in at the dojo."

You look at her and think of whether you really could hold off and go "Cold Turkey" for the whole tournament or not to try and calm your best friend's nerves a little before "The Infinite Match" begins...

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>>31740989
>A fighting Australian going sober
>For the entire tournament

>>31741051

I know right?

>>31740989


"Yuri..." you start to say, then stop as an oddly "Cold" rage starts to wash over you for a moment, especially since she had NEVER brought this up back when you were regukar sparring partners at the Kyokugen Dojo...

However, you let that rage flow out of you when you ask her "The pressure of this thing's really gettin' to ya' huh?"

Yuri looks down at the floor and nods. then explains "I just... I just really feel like we can win it this year, and I want to try and make sure that you and King were taking this as seriously as I was I guess."

You let her words linger in the air as you can hear walk downstairs to join you in just a few seconds or so, wondering if you

>A, Go "Whole-Hog" and pledge sobriety for her for the entire tournament; You want to prove that you believe in what she has to say and show her that you CAN change in that way, just as you had with everything ELSE in your life so far...

>B. Flatly refuse and try to tell her as politely as you can that honestly, if you felt like your drinking HAD affected how you fought before you got picked up to join "The Infinite Match", you would've backed off or quit drinking entirely already. (Roll 1d100 for the Power of Persuasion)

>C. Tell her you'll lay off the sauce a bit for her, but you aren't going to quit drinking entirely; You want your mind and body to be as comfortable as you can be going into this tournament and going "Cold Turkey" NOW isn't a very good idea to you.

>D. Tell Yuri that she's free to do as she pleases, but you're sticking with what you know and tell her that you ARE taking this seriously (Trying to hide the rage you feel at the fact that your best friend might think you're just goofing off a week before the biggest Martil Arts Tournament of your life).

>E. Something Else... ("Write-In"/"Combine up to Two Votes" Vote)

>F. Assume the role of...? ("Write-In" Vote to determine which character to gain direct control over)

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>>31741384

>You let her words linger in the air as you can hear walk downstairs to join you in just a few seconds or so, wondering if you should:

Fixed, as I had to make a few adjustments to that post to get it under the character limit and forgot to end that last sentence properly.

>>31741384
>A, Go "Whole-Hog" and pledge sobriety for her for the entire tournament; You want to prove that you believe in what she has to say and show her that you CAN change in that way, just as you had with everything ELSE in your life so far...
It's not like Katja needs to drink to fight, anyway. Not like that Chin Gentsai coot.

>>31741384
>C. Tell her you'll lay off the sauce a bit for her, but you aren't going to quit drinking entirely; You want your mind and body to be as comfortable as you can be going into this tournament and going "Cold Turkey" NOW isn't a very good idea to you.

Rolled 33

>>31741384
>>B. Flatly refuse and try to tell her as politely as you can that honestly, if you felt like your drinking HAD affected how you fought before you got picked up to join "The Infinite Match", you would've backed off or quit drinking entirely already. (Roll 1d100 for the Power of Persuasion)
>>C. Tell her you'll lay off the sauce a bit for her, but you aren't going to quit drinking entirely; You want your mind and body to be as comfortable as you can be going into this tournament and going "Cold Turkey" NOW isn't a very good idea to you.
C-c-c-combo vote!

>>31742267
>>31742302
Aren't Australian Aboriginees reviled for being infamous drunks?

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Love KOF fight mechanics but hate some of their character designs.

>>31742407
KoF characters were designed to stand out a little more than what you'd see in other games like Street Fighter. In fact, Kyo specifically goes against the grain of Ryu and Ryu-esque protagonists by being a young, cocky, exceedingly arrogant high school kid who subsists on talent more than hard work.

Rolled 54

>>31741384

>E. Something Else... ("Write-In"/"Combine up to Two Votes" Vote)

Combine B & C like Tiger did.

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>>31742407
>>31742464

SNKP have also been more fluid as far as redesigning certain character's looks from time-to-time (Kyo Kusanagi having three outfits, Iori Yagami having a couple, Terry Bogard having his original design and his Mark of the Wolves look, Mai Shiranui even having four legitimate outfits she's worn throughout various games [Even if they're all varying states of "Skimpy"]...)

>>31742371

The fact that Katja seems to be a "Functioning" Drunk is a jab at that, though she's only (Allegedly) half-Abbo...

>>31742302
>>31742791

And this combination of votes seem to take the poll unless more arrive shortly...

>>31742791
>>31742302

You try to ignore the jab that Yuri (Your best friend for crying out loud!) just took to your pride as a martial artist and calmly tell her "Look... I don't know if I can get it across t'you right, but I'm 'ere to win this just like you, and King and the 69 other mates and sheilas that're in this Tournament with the three of us... And while I probably AM gonna kick back on the sauce a bit until the tournament's over, I'm not gonna quit drinking right before the biggest fight of my life to make you feel more confident'o'me or somethin'", pausing to take a breath before you admit "And just so ya' know, if I had felt that my drinking WAS a detriment to me fightin', I would've quit a LONG time ago... 'Kay sunshine?"

Yuri doesn't say anything to that as King walks out through a hidden door that leads to behind the bar itself, then notes Yuri's downtrodden expression and asks "What's wrong?"

"We're..." you start to tell King as she walks over to the two of you, though you stop and instead ask Yuri "Well, we were just talkin' about you, weren't we?"

"Yeah" Yuri admits, feeling like she's a bit presumptuous of your drive to fight as she tells to King "I was talking to Katie about going sober for the tournament; No booze until after it ended... you know, to keep our minds sharp and our focus up?"

King nods at that, though she asks "What's wrong with what I do now?" like her honor had been personally attacked (As she's almost as fond of wine as you are of Foster's Beer)...

"Nothing alright!? I just..." Yuri starts to argue, then switches tack and tells King " I was just talking about how Katie here might be drinking a little too much. That's all."

You look at her and reply "I'm in complete control of myself at all times awright; I'm not a bloody rip-snortin' dru~unk like every other Aborigine seems t'be", though you immediately regret saying that as Yuri seems shocked into silence by your response.

>>31743467

King seemingly picks up on your mistake and tries to compromise by saying "It's an idea that has it's merits, but I really think we should wait until the day of our flight out to San Francisco before we go through with it..."

You sigh at that and say "Kay, I'm cool with that I guess... Hell, it'll just make that winner's champagne taste even better yeah?", trying to lift Yuri's spirits up a little bit as you get up off your bar stool and walk to grab your helmet.

"It was a lot of fun hangin' with ya' today mate" You tell King as you give her a quick hug across the bar, then say that "I prolly won't be up for a spar tomorrow, but the day after's down yeah?"

"It would have to be a pretty late one, as I'm working that night... But yeah, I'd love to get an idea of how you fight before we get to business" King says as you smile at that, then walk back down to Yuri and tell her "I'm headin' home right about now...", then ask her and /king "Either of you want to come back t'my place and check out those videosof our opponents?"

"Hmm... Not today, no" King says, admitting "After what Fiona did to me, I'll need to go home and stretch it all out to keep from getting cramps tomorrow morning."

You nod at that and ask Yuri "What about you 'Uri?"

"... No thanks; I get home quick in case Dad decides to kill me for staying out as late as I have today" Yuri replies as she turns around to give you an unexpected hug, what feels like tears in her eyes as she whispers"And I'm sorry for doubting you after you came back after that fight with Mai; I don't know WHAT'S going on with me today..."

"It's alright, it's alright" you quietly reply, then tell her "It's just like King said, you've the right idea... You just can't get so extreme with it like your dad would" before asking to call her before you leave "La Illusion", slipping on your helmet outside and hopping on your motorcycle to ride back home, feeling surprisingly good as you dice through traffic like always...

>>31743713

>A. Continue to play through the Current Day (5/24/XX) as Katja Hartkern, focusing on studying Lucky Glauber, Heavy D! & Duck King's fight videos online when you get back home.

>B. Time-Skip to later that noght and go on a "Dream Sequence" as Katja Hartkern.

>C. Time-Skip to Thursday, May 25th as Katja Hartkern.

>D. Assume the role of...? ("Write-In" Vote to determine which character to gain direct control over; SNKP-Related characters only please!)

>E. Something Else... ("Write-In" Vote)

>>31743836
>C. Time-Skip to Thursday, May 25th as Katja Hartkern.

>>31743836

>D. Assume the role of...? ("Write-In" Vote to determine which character to gain direct control over;SNKP-Related characters only please!)

Andrew Draco.

>>31743836

>D. Assume the role of...? ("Write-In" Vote to determine which character to gain direct control over;SNKP-Related characters only please!)

Fiona Graves. Don't ask me why, but I've got this weird vibe that something BIG is going to happen revolving around her...

>>31743836

>B. Time-Skip to later that noght and go on a "Dream Sequence" as Katja Hartkern.

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>>31744131
>>31744593

Connection got screwy on me Anons, hence the late response...

If no other votes come in quickly (IE Within 10-15 Minutes of this post), Option D will win the vote and force a TIE between playing as Fiona Graves or as Andrew Draco.

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>>31744593
>>31744131
>>31745166

I Apologize for the lengthy delay in between replies Anons; I simply fell asleep.

OK, Option D officially wins the vote, but there's no clear-cut winner between wanting to gain direct control of either Andrew Draco or Fiona Graves... Vote to break this TIE /tg/! (And please be quick about it, as I'm still fighting off some drowsiness on my end...

>>31746670
Fiona. She's been awfully mysterious about this whole thing.

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>>31746783
>>31744593
>>31746670

OK then, last updates of the thread are on the way shortly (And hopefully get in before I pass out and break my lap-top's keyboard or something)...

>Pic Unrelated

>>31744593
>>31746670

>You now assume Direct Control of Fiona Graves

>Time of Day: 4:59 PM

You ride "Shotgun" with Mai driving you out to South Town International Airport, your eyes closed and hidden behind a pair of fashionably large, slightly "Retro" sunglasses as you steel yourself for the long journey "Home"... Though in your mind "Home" is either in Las Vegas, NV or in Southtown with Tsuyako, NOT across the

"I can't thank you enough for driving me out to the airport Mai" you tell her, really meaning it as while you HAD a car waiting for you at the airport and ready to roll and pick you up wherever you'd fancy, using it would've raised questions among your friends that you're just not ready to answer yet.

"No problem...Though why didn't you get Tsuyako to do it? She seemed kind of down at the idea you were leaving" she replies.

You pause at that. as you don't really have an answer for her... Which is when you retreat to the same old "Stand-By" that you told her when this trip came up: "Well, it's like I said before: I've got a TON of family back in Europe and they're dying to meet me...", though you truthfully admit "And I guess I just that I wanted to get out of the United States before I decided to change my mind and blow them all off to spend more time with her."

Mai doesn't quite know what to say at that as she continues to speed towards Southtown's busiest airport in Andy's BMW, a part of you wondering if it's even still his from how much Mai uses it...

"OK... But what's with all of the luggage you packed though?" Mai asks you, seeming to let the previous topic drop as she adds "And not to get too far off-topic, but that's an AMAZING coat by the way..."

"Yeah, I've had it for a while now" You tell her, looking at the slightly purple hue to it's otherwise inky black color as you answer her query about your copious amount of clothes by saying "It's cold enough in Iceland that you gotta dress in like crazy amounts of layers to keep warm, you know?"

>>31746783
>>31749212

Mai nods at that as she turns off the highway to the "International Departures" gate, unaware that while you ARE going to end up in your ancestor's homeland soon enough, there's one stop you feel as though you feel compelled to try and make beforehand... Besides, it'll be a nice respite before you before you arrive in Reykjavik to kiss your elder family's asses and beg them to let you take your "Real" name back in exchange for a sword that you don't even have on you.

"All for a sword you can't even fucking use" You think to yourself as another grim reality hits you: If you somehow end up winning this tournament with Mai & Tsuyako, the bosses back at the South Town Wrestling Federation more-or-less are going to lock in your "Ultima" gimmick for the rest of your god-damned career there... But if you lose and become that "Blood Sister" Biker-Nun character you want to make happen, you'll end up squandering the best chance your birth parents have had in decades to get that stupid "Sword of Lesphia" back to them and get back on their good graces...

It's a hell of a conundrum that feels like a gordian knot for your mind to try and solve as Mai pulls up to the curb just outside of the front entrance to the airport, snapping you back to the here-and-now of getting your bags (Which ARE filled with clothes, though most of them are for the tournament) out and getting to the right gate on time (Even if it's only for show, as you have instructions to get on a private jet on the other side of the whole airport).

You hop out and grab your bags, your strength being tested by the weight of them as Mai follows you out while pulling your only rolling "Carry-On" as the two of you hunt for the departures gate you need to go to... Which doesn't take long at all as you give Mai a quick peck on her cheek a say a few quick goodbyes before getting stuck going through FIVE separate security checkpoints before arriving at Gate H-19, a few guys in suits waiting for you.

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>>31750511

>A. Keep playing through this scenario as Fiona Graves and Time-Skip to when you arrive in Europe.

>B. Resume Direct Control of Katja Hartkern and Continue to play through the Current Day (5/24/XX), focusing on studying Lucky Glauber, Heavy D! & Duck King's fight videos online when you get back home.

>C.Time-Skip to later that night and go on a "Dream Sequence" as either Katja Hartkern or Fiona Graves (Please specify which character to go on a dream sequence with as part of your vote).

>D. Time-Skip to Thursday, May 25th as Katja Hartkern.

>E. Something Else... ("Write-In" Vote)

>F. Assume the role of...? ("Write-In" Vote to determine which character in this storyline to gain direct control over)

=+=+=+=+=

>Pause Updates

As it's unbelievably late on the PST, I'm sadly going to have to cut this stream of updates shorter than I expected... However, assuming that this thread survives the night Updates will resume at 9:15 AM PST / 12:15 PM EST; If the thread 404's however, expect a new one at 10 AM PST/1 PM EST.

Regardless, thanks to all that participated and good night Anons. (Also, Voting is OPEN until updates resume.

>>31750692
>D. Time-Skip to Thursday, May 25th as Katja Hartkern.

>>31750692
so is katja ever gona get that lightning spear that she saw in Gabriel's collection?
also C
also

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>>31753584

Maybe...

>>31751038

And we start the new session with a TIE... Vote to Break it /tg/!

>Pic Unrelated

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>>31755983
>>31755983

>TFW No Replies

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>>31756399
>>31755983

>MFW STILL no replies

Call it a thread and regroup another day?

>>31756801
Reiterate D.

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>>31751038
>>31757036

OK, updates will officially begin shortly...

>>31751038
>>31757036

>Days until the start of "The Infinite Match": 6

>Days until your fight with "The Soul of the Streets Team": 6

>Date: Thursday, May 25th

>Updates officially resume

>You now resume Direct Control of Katja Hartkern

You spent the rest of yesterday going onto the most obscure video-sharing websites around, scouring for match videos of Heavy D! & Lucky Glauber first of all, as Duck King seemed to be MUCH more popular than they were (With more videos for just him than "The USA Sports Team" COMBINED). You went to bed that night with visions of some the absolutely, RIDICULOUSLY long combinations of attacks that Heavy D! could do off of one hit (And re-watching one video in particular about five times just to get an idea of how every one of his punches connected) and think that Yuri Sakazaki & King were more-or-less dead-on in their assessment of your opponents, typing up some notes on your lap-top before "Crashing" at around midnight.

You feel fairly refreshed when you wake up the next morning, though you definitely feel the hits you took from the three sparring matches you had yesterday, as well as the slightly-older bumps and bruises from your late-night fight with Andrew Draco at the Pao Pao Cafe the day before last...

You crane your neck and force yourself to get out of bed, gingerly doing some stretches and feeling like your body's fighting you every step of the way as you try to keep yourself limber for your "Warm-Up" Routine, let lone your "Advanced" course or any kind of work-outs today...

>A. Keep stretching and force your body to get back to where it was yesterday (When you weren't quite at "100%"), because this feels a little bit off-putting to you...

>B. Take a break and get some food in you before try to get another good stretch in before you try to do any kind of work-outs today.

>C. Stop stretching for now and take a swim in the pool; That always helps... Right?

>D. Something Else... ("Write-In" Vote)

>>31758359
>B. Take a break and get some food in you before try to get another good stretch in before you try to do any kind of work-outs today.
Katja may have Kyokugen conditioning, but that's no excuse to overwork.

>>31758359
>>A. Keep stretching and force your body to get back to where it was yesterday (When you weren't quite at "100%"), because this feels a little bit off-putting to you...

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>>31758499
>>31758861

Looks like yet another TIE... Vote to break it /tg/!

>>31759386
Switching to A.

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>>31759433
>>31758499

OK, updates are on the way with Option A breaking the TIE...

>>31759433
>>31758861

Despite the fact that it feels like your body's running into a brick wall, you keep trying to stretch and hope that you can at least attempt to go through your "Warm-Up" routine before breakfast as you breathe deeply to try and let go of the pain and strain you feel right now. Slowly but surely you can feel yourself start to regain your previous flexibility, though it takes you longer than you can remember as it's nearly 45 Minutes until you feel up to trying to do a "Normal" stretch, only going at a pace you're comfortable with for most of that "Warm-Up" routine as you consider the kind of punishment you've been putting yourself through lately...

You somehow manage to get through your "Warm-Up" stretches, though you don't try to push it any harder than you feel comfortable and instead take a pretty damn good shower, your aching muscles seemingly soaking up the hot water that runs down your chiseled form.

That's when you pause as you feel an odd, almost tingling sensation throughout your extremities as you finish washing up, pondering you should try to ignore it and get some breakfast or actually try to see what it's about, the hot water from the shower particularly inviting today...

>A. Put off training or food for a little bit longer and see if there's a hot-tub or sauna you can use; If there is, try to take a soak or a nice steam for a little bit...

>B. Use whatever your body's feeling right now to drive you to take a swim, or work with some bodyweight exercises to keep your fitness levels up.

>C. Keep showering and let the hot water soak into your body some more, as you seem to be feeling better by the second with it on right now...

>D. Dry yourself off, get some food in you and take a rest for a little while longer, contemplating whether you should just take the day off and focus on light exercises today... (Roll 1d100 for a Perception Check)

>E. Something Else... ("Write-In" Vote)

>>31761157
>>A. Put off training or food for a little bit longer and see if there's a hot-tub or sauna you can use; If there is, try to take a soak or a nice steam for a little bit...

>>31761157
>>C. Keep showering and let the hot water soak into your body some more, as you seem to be feeling better by the second with it on right now...
We are tingling. Like a spider. Showering gives you superpowers.
That is why neckbeards are weaker than most.
This is Fact. Or I made it up. I forget.

>>31761157
>A. Put off training or food for a little bit longer and see if there's a hot-tub or sauna you can use; If there is, try to take a soak or a nice steam for a little bit...

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>>31761231
>>31762599

Sorry for the slow internet connection today Anons; Thunderstorms are brewing in the area and it might be affecting my service tower...

Regardless, Option A wins the vote and updates are on the way.

>>31761231
>>31762599

While the sensation of hot water dripping over your body is quite a pleasant one, you you shut the shower head off and grab a towel to dry yourself, that "Tingly" feeling still with you as you look around for a sauna, or a hot-tub you could borrow for the day... Hell, a big bathtub would be nice to soak your battered body as thoughts of training or going out today seemingly fly out the window for the moment.

Sadly, you don't find a sauna or hot-tub anywhere in this so-called "Villa", though you DO find a hidden alcove next to the gym that holds a fairly "Moody" bathtub, dimmer switches to set the lights inside the curiously large, windowless room... You shrug and figure that it'll do and draw yourself a hot bath, that sensation you felt in the shower seemingly starting to spread all around your body like a rash, though it's not entirely uncomfortable as you slip into the bathtub, pondering if it's big enough for more than just one person for a moment and then almost as quickly chastising yourself for letting your inner carnal desires color your mood...

>A. Fight to stay awake in the 'tub and think through how you could go up against, you don't know, maybe that one flame-wielding "Pretty Boy" that caught your attention in one of those match videos you remember watching last night.

>B. Try to keep your head up and rest your eyes, body & mind in this bathtub; You honestly need a little R&R after what you've done in the last few days...

>C. Think about whether you're going to actually train today or not as you soak in the bathtub, planning your day much like Winston Churchill would... (And wonder why his name popped up in your mind, because history wasn't a strong suit for you in college.)

>D. Assume the role of...? ("Write-In" Vote to determine which character in this storyline to gain direct control of)

>E. Something Else... ("Write-In" Vote)

>F. [Insert Lewd-as-FUCK Action Here]

>>31763570
>B. Try to keep your head up and rest your eyes, body & mind in this bathtub; You honestly need a little R&R after what you've done in the last few days...

>>31763570
f
start thinking about mai then let our mind wonder over to Gabriel (implications if what else we are doing/enjoying)

>>31764337
Even if Katja were "working off stress," she wouldn't be thinking of Jean-Claude. He did try to kill her.

>>31764490
OOC Draco tried to kill her not gabe directly and katja did enjoy the date even tho it was mostly a mission

>>31764718
Jean-Claude is the one who put hits on everyone in the dojo and had her place ransacked. And then he took Katja on a date afterwards (knowing she was bugged and working for someone) because he "felt sorry for her" after all he did to her.

Fuck him.

>>31764854
fair enough
but katja doesn't know about gabes reasons just that he likes her.

>>31763570
>B. Try to keep your head up and rest your eyes, body & mind in this bathtub; You honestly need a little R&R after what you've done in the last few days...

"Petting the Kitty" is nice and all, but I think this quest is juts fine without anything TOO graphic IMHO.

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Sorry for that delay Anons; Had to get dinner started and lost track of time.

>>31764337
>>31764490
>>31764718
>>31764854
>>31765088

To be quite honest, I get the feeling that if Katja's going to fantasize about ANYONE, it would be Shen Woo for a guy and either Mai, Fiona, Tsuyako or Shermie for the girls side of things (As She thinks of Yuri too much like a sister to try and fantasize about her like that...)

>>31763614
>>31765354

However! Option B wins the vote and updates will (Hopefully!) arrive shortly.

>>31765354
>>31763614

As you close your eyes and soak up the warmth of the bathtub, an oddly dark part of your libido tries to take over your mind and have "Relieve some Stress", though when you actually start to do so a part of your "Rational" side cuts in and sort of stops you (Which was just as well, as the first person that came to your mind's eye was Jean FUCKING Gabriel and there was no way in hell you were going to get off to THAT creep)...

You let out a sigh, then sink a little under the water a tiny bit more and just relax for a little bit, not worried about the time as it seems to stretch on forever, your aches and pains even from an hour ago disappearing and feeling as though they floated up and dissolved into the water... Though just as the hot bath began to turn lukewarm, you hear your stomach start to growl as you wake back up from a half-sleep you were taking and sit up in the bath, doing a few neck stretches before you get up out of the 'tub and start to drain it, drying yourself off and going for the door when you hear the knob jiggle slightly.

You thank your lucky stars that you had thought to lock it as flashes of some far-off dream fill your head as you don't make a sound, quickly wrapping a towel around yourself and intently waiting for something on the other end to happen as well as charging up your Ki just in case you have to fight...

>A. Ask "Who is it?" in a friendly voice, then get ready to beat the ever-loving crap out of whoever got a hold of your address...

>B. Stay perfectly quiet and still, waiting to see if whoever's on the other side will break the door down on you or something; If they actually do, take them down with a righteous fury and unload your most devastating "Normal" (Read: Special) Moves.

>C. Open the door for them and hope that it's just housekeeping or something, though if it isn't and they try to attack fight them as hard as you can despite your practically nude form.

>D. Something Else... ("Write-In" Vote)

>>31767119

>A. Ask "Who is it?" in a friendly voice, then get ready to beat the ever-loving crap out of whoever got a hold of your address...

>>31767119
>A. Ask "Who is it?" in a friendly voice, then get ready to beat the ever-loving crap out of whoever got a hold of your address...

>>31767119

>A.

[Worry Intensifies]

>>31767843
>>31767879
>>31768746

"Who is it?" you ask, the first words you've even spoken out loud all day as you carefully wait and see what's going to happen, visions of a particular nightmare presenting themselves in your mind as your body fills with an unbridled electricity just in case something BIG goes down...

Which makes it all the more of a shock when you hear a voice reply "Housekeeping, sorry to disturb" in a fairly broken accent.

You pause at those words and feel a slight pang of disappointment at the fact that you weren't going to fight for your life against some thunderous god with a mammoth of a body today... Then ponder if that's healthy to think about as you unlock the door and open it, noting the older, "Pudgy"-looking guy in a less-detailed version of the same general uniform you've seen around "The Imperial" time and again in the last few weeks.

"I'll get changed and leave ya' to your work" you tell him, then just as quickly head back upstairs and into your bedroom, quickly changing into some pants and a clean shirt to go over your underwear, smartly grabbing your wallet, cellphone and the small bag that carried almost all of your worldly money and the precious stones that your father had looked after for nearly three generations...

You look at them all with thoughts about what really HAD happened to him swirling around in your mind for a second before you hear your stomach growl yet again and get a move on, briskly arriving at that small cafe in the lobby to get a "Brunch" going as you think over how you'd like to spend the day over some cinnamon rolls or a stack of pancakes or something (But definitely something sweet to match the laid-back attitude you have today)...

>A. Think about how the rest of your day's gonna go over Brunch.

>B. Ride out to Meadow's Park for some Tai-Chi after you're done eating.

>C. Wait for that cleaning guy to leave and do some calisthenics to keep your fitness up.

>D. Something Else... ("Write-In" Vote)

>>31769802
>A. Think about how the rest of your day's gonna go over Brunch.
We should still take it rather slow, since we had a one-character victory last thread.

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>>31769975

Apologies for the delays Anons; My service provider's hiccuping on quite a few people's Internet Connection tonight...

Regardless, Option A has this poll by default unless more votes arrive...

Sorry again for all of the connection issues Anons... I'm honestly going to have to turn in early tonight; These are the last updates for the session.

>>31769975

You get a Cinnamon Roll and a few pieces of fruit to try and offset the amount of sugar, fat and whatever-else is in of these things as you take a quiet seat in the back of the cafe.

You let your mind wander a little bit as you start with eating the pieces of fruit, wondering if your body's trying to tell you something with what you felt in the bathtub soaking (And briefly pondering if you should call up Shermie, or Tsuyako so you could "Relieve some Stress" your body had pent-up over time)... Then jump to thinking about what all of those dreams you've had really mean, as most of them have either turned out to be true or are close enough to what you've experienced in the last few weeks, the cleaning guy and meeting that older man in South Town National Park being perfect examples of the imperfect Deja-Vu that's come to be just an everyday occurrence to you lately.

"But what does it all MEAN?" you ask yourself in between bites of your brunch, thinking that some kind of sign would reveal itself if you had thought about it hard enough... But once again, you can't seem to hit upon that certain, almost magical dawning or realization you probably helped others have had over the course of the week.

You know for a fact that you're probably not going to try and seriously work out today though, as you can STILL feel that you're fairly "Tight" all throughout your body as you start to nibble on your larger-than-expected Cinnamon Roll. that something more like a walk or Ta-Chi session at Meadow's Park would be good to do today, not to mention some meditation could be beneficial as well...

Which leads you to ask yourself "Am I really missin' anything t'day?" out loud in a low voice, then grab your cellphone and double-check your phone for any plans, or missed messages you might've overlooked...

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>>31774381
>Shermie possibly becoming Katja's first booty call
You tempt fate, Weasel.

>>31774837
Maybe Shermie has a really killer massage routine that does the trick for Katja.

>>31774837

Yes... Yes, I do. What of it?

>>31774878

Very early on in this quest, Katja had a complex about swimsuits and other "Girlish" clothes, and Shermie (Along with Mai, Fiona & Tsuyako) helped her out of it when she had wanted to buy something from her boutique for a laugh.

>>31774381

Your eyes widen when it dawns on you that you had penciled in an appointment with a realty agent Robert Garcia said could help you find a place after "The Infinite Match" ends, then quickly call up his number.

"Offices of Jerry Goldman; How can I help you?" the receptionist on the other end asks.

"Well, my name is Katja Hartkern and I think I have an appointment with Mr. Goldsman over going to look at houses" you truthfully reply.

"One moment" the receptionist tells you as you can hear him(/her?) feverishly type on a keyboard in the background, then tells you "I don't actually have you on file here for any appointments... Would you like to schedule one?"

"Yes please" you almost immediately reply, adding "The earlier the better" in the hopes that you could hopefully start doing this BEFORE the tournament starts...

Though your hopes for that get dashed when he/(she?) tells you "I'm sorry, but he's booked solid through the first of July."

"Huh... Well, does he have anything solid on like the tenth or something?" you ask, hoping that you'll have that sweet, legal tender from "The Infinite Match" to spend it on a nice place of your own (And possibly buy it outright, as you got bloody sick and tired of having to deal with rent payments at your old place).

"Yeah, that sounds perfect... Can I get your phone number so Mr. Goldman can get back in touch with you to firm up that date?" he asks and you comply, then hang up and finish the rest of your cinnamon roll, thoughts of a life away from this ritzy place with everything you could want all-too real to you now, especially when you're probably going to have to move out fairly quickly...

>>31775155
I was there for Katja's panic attack in the swimwear store.

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>>31775454

Really? Good on'ya, but I thought it was worth mentioning again for any newcomers out there...

>>31775155

You sigh as you head back up to your room, finding the place absolutely spotless, just like the day you had arrived and check over everything just in case that guy had stolen anything from you, your 6th sense about bad luck and bad things happening to taking over your mind for the moment...

After a thorough search turned everything you own back up with no problems, you turn your mind over to what you could do today, as all but a few of the more intense training exercises don't seem to suit you after that fighting frenzy you went on yesterday, but then again you don't want to completely neglect yourself and your training either...

>A. Head out to Meadow's Park and do some Tai-Chi on your own to try to calm your Mind, Body & Soul down quite a bit.

>B. Sit and meditate in the "Villa" to try and calm your restless spirit and see if you can get to the bottom of your emotions today (Roll 1d100 for a Perception check)

>C. Call up Shermie and see how she's doing, as you haven't talked in a short while and didn't get a chance to see her at "The Infinite Waltz" party a few days ago...

>D. Straight-up admit to yourself that you're "Done" for the day, then Time-Skip to 5/26 as Katja Hartkern.

>E. Time-Skip to later that night and go on a "Dream Sequence" as Katja.

>F. Assume the role of...? ("Write-In" Vote to determine which character in this storyline to gain direct control of)

>G. Something Else... ("Write-In" Vote)

===

>Pause Updates

Firstly, I thank the Anons that could bear with my screwy Internet Connection today and hope that they enjoyed themselves participating. Secondly, if this topic survives the night Updates Will resume at around 8 AM PST / 11 AM EST; If it doesn't however, a New Thread will be made on 4/30/14 at the usual 9 AM / Noon Start-Time.

Lastly, until then? G'night /tg/.

Rolled 49

>>31775583
>B. Sit and meditate in the "Villa" to try and calm your restless spirit and see if you can get to the bottom of your emotions today (Roll 1d100 for a Perception check)
Some navel-gazing should help sort things out.

>>31775583
c

>>31775583

>A. Head out to Meadow's Park and do some Tai-Chi on your own to try to calm your Mind, Body & Soul down quite a bit.

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>>31778441
>>31779086
>>31779730

Apologies for being late to check in on the thread Anons; I had a LATE night and didn't really sleep all that well.

Regardless of that, thesession begins with a TIE... Vote to break it /tg/!

>>31779779
c

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>>31780041
>>31779086

Going with this if there aren't any more replies...

>>31779779
Change to C. We'll see if she can help Katja out of her funk. Getting this "stress" settled should make a lot of other things easier, as it's actually starting to notably distract her, which we don't need as the tournament starts. Plus, she seems like a nice-enough gal.

>>31780041
>>31779086
>>31780569

>Updates Officially resume

>You're still in Direct Control of Katja Harkern

>Time of Day: 11:07 AM

You let out a sigh as you look around this absolutely incredible pad, your heart sinking as you keep thinking about how the kind of luxury you've been given these last few weeks would probably be impossible to match once you leave, though you stop yourself from feeling too spoiled when you recall that you're probably only here because Takuma Sakazaki bugged Robert Garcia into letting you stay here to make up for his failings or something... Which only makes you feel worse as you shake your head at that, a part of you knowing deep down that Robert DOES care about you in the same way almost all of the others back at the dojo seem to do.

Which is when you try to snap out of your funk by calling up Shermie, as it had been a while since you had last seen her and, to be honest, you wouldn't mind to have her or even her big-squeeze Yashiro help you out of what's going on with you today (As Fiona Graves has already left for Europe and you just don't want to try and get something going with Tsuyako without her knowledge, more-or-less confirming in your mind that they really are a couple)...

"Oh, Kat-shaa! It's good to hear from you" you hear Shermie say, her voice as bubbly as ever (Though her fabulously "Fake" French accent seems subdued compared to when you last heard it).

"Yeah, nice to hear your voice again too" you reply, scratching your neck as you try to calm down.

"How's everything been?"

"Well... I guess y'could say I've been under a lot of stress lately" you admit. "And I'dunno, I figured you were the first person I could really talk to about it..."

Shermie pauses at that, then asks "OK... Well, what's on your mind?"

"I mean, it's like, Well..." You start to say, then pause to take a deep breath and tell her "Again, I'dunno, I just get this feelin' like me whole body's burning up, even though I'm not sick or anythin' yeah?"

>>31781490

You let your voice trail off a little bit as you get greeted by silence on the other end of the line, then add "Or like I've got this bloody itch that's came up and I don't whether I should just..." before you pause yet again, your face turning "Beet Red" as you admit "Fuck it, I don't think I should've called ya' about this."

"No, it's OK... But do you really not have anyone you could think of to scratch that itch of yours?" Shermie asks, a hint of surprise in her voice.

"God, just hearin' her say that's makin' me want to shove me head in a..." you think for a second, then shake your head and reply "Nope! And the only ones that MIGHT be interested left for Europe for the tournament...", though you wonder why you're "Nope!" came out so cheerfully considering your plight. "Speaking of which, are you'n'Yashiro fightin' in "The Infinite Mach" or whatever? Because I didn't see either of ya' at the party for it."

"We have the entries, but we just can't find someone to fill that third slot after Hatsune-chan decided not to compete this year" Shermie says with a sigh, though she enthusiastically adds "However, our match is scheduled to be in South Town and we have about a week to keep looking, so "Never say Never" you know?"

"Well, that's good" you reply, hoping that Shermie doesn't try to push that previous subject and focuses on something clean and wholesome, like bashing people's faces in or suplexing others into the ground...

"And you know, I would like to help you with 'Relieving some stress', I really would... But I don't want to make my Yashie-Kun jealous and I know how you told me how uncomfortable you can feel around manly men like him" she replies as it sounds like she has to leave the phone and make a sale, the sound a few electronic blips and beeps of a cash register on the other end of the line ringing in your ears.

"Oh yeah, that's right" you think out loud, waiting for her to pick up the phone as you feel childish calling her up right now.

>>31781723

You hear Shermie pickup after a few minutes as she says "Sorry about that, I had a few customers to tend to..."

"No worries" you meekly tell her, the awkwardness of this whole conversation weighing heavily on your mind as you ask "He's not into that kind of thing though? I'd think it'd be every man's fantasy or somethin'..."

Shermie giggles in an impossibly cute voice and replies "Well... It's not like we haven't talked about it a little, but I can say he's not like most men" she replies as your unease reaches a fever-pitch

"Yeah, he's better than them ain't he?" you joke to try and keep this conversation lively

"That's why he's my man" she replies, but then has to hang up and says "I'm sorry ma cherie, but I have to go; More customers and such" before she does.

:Well shit, NOW what do I bloody do?" you think out loud, your face in your hands as you know that if your desires are affecting you THIS badly, you'll probably get destroyed in the tournament if a fight goes the wrong way...

However, you feel a tiny bit better about it when Shermie offers you a slight glimmer of hope by leaving a text message that reads "I'll talk to Yashie about it and see what he says, though I can say for sure that we'd want to take you out to dinner or something beforehand <3" about five minutes after she had hung up.

>A. Text her back and try to make a firm date, as you have to probably fly out to San Francisco pretty soon for your fight against "The Soul of the Streets" Team...

>B. Try to go through some Meditation to try and calm your nerves and soothe yourmind, body and soul a little bit.

>C. Ride out to Meadow's Park to do some Tai-Chi by yourself, hoping that it'll sate your lust... Or at least subdue it enough not to feel distracted.

>D. Assume the role of...? ("Write-In" Vote to determine which character in this storyline to gain direct control of)

>E. Something Else... ("Write-In" Vote)

>F. [Insert Lewd-as-FUCK Action Here]

>>31782180
F
try ti relieve a little stress
(if anyone else wants to get creative please contribute)

>>31782180
>>C. Ride out to Meadow's Park to do some Tai-Chi by yourself, hoping that it'll sate your lust... Or at least subdue it enough not to feel distracted.
Tai Chi solves all problems.

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>>31782722

Going to go with this if there aren't any more votes so-

>>31783260

Never mind! Looks like yet another TIE... Vote to break it /tg/!

>>31782180
C. Discipline over desire. We're Kyokugen, after all.

Got caught up making lunch for others; I apologize profusely for the delay anons.

>>31783260
>>31783587

You decide to put off any thoughts about "Reliving Stress" for now and swiftly get dressed to ride out to Meadow's Park for some Tai-Chi, not even recalling how you had gotten into your new clothes until after you had zipped up your jacket and were riding down to the lobby, helmet in-hand and the phrase "Discipline over Desire" running through your head like a mantra of-sorts.

The ride out the park itself was rather uneventful, though the day was absolutely gorgeous and a part of you was glad that you had a chance to enjoy it, though dark thoughts of your own mortality filled your mind when you finally arrived there...

"Will I even live through this tournament?" you ask yourself, thinking back to the stories you've heard from your time at the dojo as a gust of wind blows through the cherry blossom trees that dot the park, almost magically causing the stray petals around you to flutter and twirls as you simply stop in your tracks and take in just how fucking BEAUTIFUL this place looks to you today.

After taking your time, you find that deserted spot you had started to learn Tai-Ch and take off your riding jacket, do a few quick stretches... And promptly feel like you have no idea what you're doing, as it's been long enough since you've thought about doing this that you haven't got a clue as to where you're supposed to start, dark thoughts about all of those head injuries you've had over the last three months coming back to haunt you...

>A. Take some time to think this over and REALLY concentrate on recalling exactly how your Tai-Chi routine went (Roll 1d100 for a Perception Check)

B. Hold off on Tai-Chi and instead try to go through your "Advanced" stretching routine.

>C. Contemplate what's wrong with you today while admiring the beauty of the Cherry Blossoms (Roll 1d100 for a Perception Check)

>D. Something Else... ("Write-In" Vote)

Rolled 19

>>31785185
>>C. Contemplate what's wrong with you today while admiring the beauty of the Cherry Blossoms (Roll 1d100 for a Perception Check)
Huh.
Deserted location.
Unusually beautiful today.
Stray cherry blossom petals swirling in the wind.
...
Shit. Boss fight?

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>>31785318

Going with this once more if there aren't any other votes soon...

Rolled 54

>>31785185
C.

>>31785318
>>31786655

You look around for a moment, half-expecting someone to try and jump out of nowhere and fight you or something... But no one (Or thing) does and you take a breather against a nearby tree, idly wondering what's WRONG with you today, but mostly enjoying the scenery a little bit, taking in the simple smells and pleasures of the surrounding foliage.

Though when you eventually get bored of doing that, you close your eyes and simply try to focus on finding your inner core, that practically mystical ball of energy in your mind that's supposed to be the representation of your Ki... But instead you can only think of Mai, Fiona, Shermie or Tsuyako in various states of undress as you open your eyes and then close them once again, really trying to find that center of yourself to see if anything's amiss..

You move your hands out in front of you, your mind's eye drawing out a big ball of electrified Ki that feels almost like it's really in your hands, though that's not the most unusual part of this process today; That would be reserved for your Ki itself, as while most of the time you've tried to do this you end up finding maybe a small, relatively pale ball the size of a Grapefruit, today the visualization of your Ki feels like it's the size of a Volleyball and glows a bright Blue, remarking in your mind that it looks a bit like a spherical bug-zapper as you close your hands in on it, not even aware of the fact that you're consciously moving your hands to cover that ball in the "Real World" and not just in your mind...

"You here for that Tai-Chi thing too huh?" you hear a voice ask as everything flashes away from you in an instant, your concentration broken as you look around to see who exactly just interrupted you... And find a fairly slim looking guy with long, blonde hair and glasses, his face framed by a fairly stubbly beard and accompanied by a small dog (A Pomeranian maybe?) that looks like it was simply a ball of fur with legs sticking out of it.

>>31787456

You don't think much of why this guy feels familiar to you, instead trying to limit the amount of rage you throw at him by replying "Nah, i was just here to train by myself today... Besides, I thought the guy stopped doin' it after a while?"

"Nah, I heard that he's back to like once a week or something" the dude in front of you replies, then asks "Shit, I fucked you up didn't I?"

>A. Nod and ask him to either give you some space or fight you, as you aren't exactly in a good mood today... (Roll 1d100 for Intimidation)

>B. Tell him "Yes, you did", but add that you weren't really concentrating all that much anyway, trying to be friendly-enough to him.

>C. Admit that you weren't really gonna stay much longer and maybe head out to Sound Beach or something to relax, as you DID put on that Black One-Piece Swimsuit just in case you felt like going out to the beach today...

>D. Throw out a Ha'oh Raijinken and storm out of Meadow's Park; This guy was the last FUCKING straw for you today...

>E. Assume the role of...? ("Write-In" Vote to determine which character in this storyline to gain direct control of)

>F. Something Else... ("Write-In" Vote)

>>31787500
B. Be nice.

>>31787500

>B. Tell him "Yes, you did", but add that you weren't really concentrating all that much anyway, trying to be friendly-enough to him.

Maybe we should try that waterfall meditation training all those mystic warriors (and likely Takuma as well) practice. It toughens the body, frees the mind and strengthens the spirit, and it should steel our resolve. Plus, we're already here, and you did say Katja has her one-piece leotard on.

>>31788814

While that IS a good idea Anon, the only known place that has a waterfall like that is in South Town National Park, and Geese Howard is there waiting to fight us...

>>31788234
>>31788591

"Yeah, y'did... But I wasn't REALLY trying to go all-out, so it's all good mate" you tell him, channeling your rage into more manageable words than what you'd probably say to him had this been 3 Months ago, pangs of nostalgia again rumbling through your mind.

The guy looks at you and shrugs as his dog barks at you, wagging his(/her?) tail as he then squats down and starts to pet and play with her (As you hear him call his dog "Jenny") as you get up from the tree and start to do your warm-up stretches once again, more to show-off rather than actually get ready to do your Tai-Chi routine.

"Oh, you go to that dojo too huh?" he asks as you continue to stretch, hiding your surprise that he recognizes your Kyokugenryuu-honed stretching techniques.

"Used to... I ain't exactly on good standin' with Takuma anymore" you reply as you FINALLY can go back at it at your "Normal" speed for a change, the guy and his dog watching you go for a little bit as "Jenny" barks at you some more.

"Holy jesus, that's fuckin' SICK" you hear him absentmindedly say as you finish up with a more "Advanced" pose or two, then ask you "How long did you fight with them dude?!"

"... 12 Years on-and-off, with the last four years 'ere in South Town" you truthfully tell him, then ask "You need to go through warm-ups and want to train with me? Or are ya' good on your own?"

He lets out a sigh that sounds a bit like a verbal question mark, then starts to say "Shit man, I don't know", pauses for a second and then adds "Fuck it, I can probably go a round with you if you'd like."

"Ah naw mate, I meant some Tai-Chi; I'm not up t'fightin' today" you reply, hopefully clearing up any possible ideas he might have about showing his (Probable) beginner's-level Kyokugen Karate skills to you...

>>31789437

The guy in front of you shrugs again, then says "Damn... 'Kay, I guess I'll join you with this shit then" as he squats down and starts to play with his dog a little, then does a few quick stretches while you wait for him to get ready so you can lead him through your Tai-Chi practice.

Curiously enough, you feel an odd ease with him around you as you virtually ignore him after the first five minutes, focusing on remembering the routine as you go through it as more people start to arrive after about half an hour, two "Homey"-looking black guys and a stocky white dude waiting around and shootin' the shit with each other (As they seem to be waiting on their buddy finishing up his session with you)...

You ignore them for the most part, though you partially watch the two black guys start doing some funky-looking Martial Arts training of their own as the other guy plays with this long-haired dude's dog... Which is when you subtly speed up the routine to the pace you had practiced at by yourself as your psuedo-student starts panting as he tries to keep up.

"Your shit is WEAK Bax!" you hear one of the guys yell half-jokingly as you decide to finish up quicker than you'd like to to help this "Bax" guy save some face...

The stocky white guy yells "FINALLY!" as you conclude the session, "Bax" and his buddies look to leave, though not before he bows and thanks you for your time instructing him.

"Whatcha y'all doin' out 'ere?" you ask the group, trying to be friendly to them a little bit.

"We're on our way to a tournament down in China Town" the black guy with dreadlocks tells you.

>A. Ask them what kind of tournament it is, then decide if you want to go or not.

>B. Politely decline, then go through that same Tai-Chi routine again on your own.

>C. Decline and head out to Sound Beach for some more R&R.

>D. Assume the role of...? ("Write-In" Vote to determine which character in this storyline to gain direct control of)

>E. Something Else... ("Write-In" Vote)

>>31790057
>A. Ask them what kind of tournament it is, then decide if you want to go or not.

>>31790057
>>C. Decline and head out to Sound Beach for some more R&R.
Meh.

>>31790166
Switch to C. This is our off day. Though it'd be nice to know what's going on.

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>>31790575
>>31790916

Alright, Option C takes the vote and updates are pending...

>>31790575
>>31790916

You think over this guy's offer, but ultimately decline as you tell him "Sorry mate, but I'm not in the mood; It's me day off and I'm a REALLY big tourney that's startin' up soon..."

"Oh... You mean South Town Regionals? We're all going to that one too" "Bax" asks, drawing a curious look from you as you've never heard of such a fighting tournament before now.

"Nah Mate, "The Infinite Match" you clarify, a sense of pride swelling within your voice as "Bax" and his posse seem awestruck at what you said.

"OH... Damn, that's the serious one ain't it?" the other black guy asks you as you grab your jacket and zip it back on you, not quite comfortable with your "Sweater Puppies" noticeably bulging against (And almost through) your shirt.

"Yeah... I'm on The Women's Team with King and Yuri" you reply, "Bax" looking like he just shat himself at your "Name-Drop".

"Dude! Yuri SAKAZAKI? Like, the only daughter of my dojo's grand-master?" he asks, again awe-struck as his dog starts barking again.

You hear the rather stocky friend yell "Jenny's gettin' HYPE!" as you squat down and hold out a hand to pet her, then look up at the four of them and reply "That's the one... She was my best friend and sparrin' partner fer a long time", curiously feeling :Old" at that sound of that.

"Sheeit... Well, see you'round then" the dreadlocks guy says as you hop up and shake his hand.

"What're your names mates?" you ask, getting quickly introduced to Baxter (The long-haired dude with glasses and a beard), "Pat" (The stocky white guy that doesn't look like he can fight), "Kenny" (The dude with dreadlocks you shook hands with) & "Ryan" (The other guy, who aside from being African-American doesn't stand out all that much). You give them all a nice send-off before you decide to ride down to Sound Beach, the day's sun slowly starting to wane as you can feel a warm wind blow through you as you strip down to the Black Swimsuit you had put on before you had left...