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>>1018630

Also, here is the pure story text for those interested (It's quicker to read than suptg archives):

King of Fighters Quest 1-9: http://pastebin.com/a8cqm8sk

King of Fighters Quest 10-12: http://pastebin.com/yxx6WRXv

>>1018630
>C. Something A E S T H E T I C.
Welcome back!

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>>1018650

>"I'm interested in aesthetics, in the way things look, in finding something in an image that maybe people haven't seen." ~ Alexa Chung

>New Thread Theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cU8HrO7XuiE

You wake up to the sounds of seagulls and waves crashing, the setting sunlight giving everything around you a pastel/washed-out kind of look.

You've... Been here before? Looking around, it feels like you're on a bluff right next to "Sound Beach" in South Town, USA... Except Sound Beach was man-made (Along with the island it's part of) and doesn't have a lighthouse, so...?

"Sorry dude!" you hear some guy on roller-blades yell as he zipped by you, snapping your focus back to getting up and out of people's way. "Christ, I smell like a whale puked me up..." Look at your limbs, you can see that you're covered in wet sand and your clothes are dirty, wrinkled and have bits of seaweed sticking to them. "Feels like I might have..."

You follow a little walkway and cross a pedestrian bridge that leads onto a sidewalk that's at the end of an extremely long street packed with what look to be bars, eateries, high-end clothing stores and a hotel with a gaudy neon sign audibly buzzing the whole place feeling alive in a way you just haven't felt South Town mimic in all of your time living there. Then again, you weren't even alive when the city had it's best days, so what do you know?

"Food..." you hear yourself grumble, then check your pockets to find you don't have a wallet, or any kind of identification... So, you sit down on a stone bench and try to think things over when you hear a telephone booth a few steps away start to ring, something deep within your being telling you to pick up.

>A. Answer the phone ringing off the hook.

>B. Explore the area a little bit more; This place has a sleazy charm you just don't see anymore.

>C. Roll 1d100 and Mug the first person you see for pocket change; you're getting hungry.

>D. Write-In Vote.

>>1018701
>A. Answer the phone ringing off the hook.

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>>1018711

"Well, let's where this goes." You shrug your shoulders and walk up to the phone booth, what feels like a spotlight surround you as you step inside of it and answer whoever's calling you. At first, you don't hear anything on the other end, but then find a quarter that wasn't there in your back pocket and slide it in to actually hear whatever's being said to you.

"Where have you been?" a voice obviously filtered and modified by a machine asks.

"Oh y'know, just fightin' my way out of a belly of a whale."

"... Who is this?"

"I'dunno mate, you tell me."

"... I see, it's you... We've got a job for you."

"What kind?" you ask, part of you not liking where this might lead.

"What you do best" is the reply, making your stomach churn a little. "We'll discuss the terms with your boss at the performing arts center within two hours. If you are late, we shall not ask you again."

"It sounds like the speaker is... Russian? Eastern European? Even with all of the distortion, I feel like I've heard that dialect somewhere before...?" You take a moment to let silence seep into the phone booth, traffic from both cars and people out and enjoying life surrounding you. This is obviously going to be a big choice, but just how much is lost on you right now as you knock out some water that was still logged in your ears and wipe away some sand stuck on your neck.

"Are you still there? If you keep staying silent, I'll just assume you accept our invitation."

>A. Tell him(?) that you'll be there, then figure out a plan to not look like a shipwreck survivor when the time comes.

>B. Decline and figure out what you want to do; You seemingly don't have any money or a place to go..

>C. Tell him(?) you'll call back, then Roll 1d100 and look for somebody to threaten into giving you money for food; You can't think straight on an empty stomach.

>D. Write-In Vote.

>>1018790
>A. Tell him(?) that you'll be there, then figure out a plan to not look like a shipwreck survivor when the time comes.
Be right back. Going to the store.

>>1018790
>B. Decline and figure out what you want to do; You seemingly don't have any money or a place to go..

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>>1018805
>>1018809

Aw man, looks like it's time for a >T-T-T-TIE BREAKER!

Link back to this post ASAP with your vote. The option with the highest number of new votes will take it.

>Pic Unrelated

>>1018852
>B. Decline and figure out what you want to do; You seemingly don't have any money or a place to go.

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>>1018809
>>1018861

"I refuse."

Hearing those words escape from your lips settles your stomach and makes you feel oddly at ease with yourself, though the confusion on the other line is evident even through a bunch of cheap voice modifiers and after-effects.

"W... What?!"

"I want to live my life on my own terms, no one else's. And I'm tired of having to live in darkness."

There's a long pause on the other end, long enough you produce another quarter out of thin air and put it in the phone just in case... Finally, the voice states "We have eyes everywhere. Never forget that" without any kind of filters before whoever that was hangs up on you.

You let out a sigh of relief, but immediately start to ponder what you can do, or where you can go as the sun finally sets and dusk starts to set in. "Well, I guess I could always hitch a ride... Or walk. Haven't done that enough." You double-check your pockets again and once more can't find any money on you, so you hop out of the phone booth and take off your shoes, a little bit of water falling out of both of them but also a small piece of change.

"Too big to be a fifty-cent piece... Heavy too." Examining it, it looks like a gold coin... A Krugerrand maybe? Hard to say in the fading light, but it's probably worth something... You tuck it into your jean's mini-pocket (The one that all jeans have for carrying pocket-watches) and take a short stroll, the neon from that hotel sign bathing everything around it in hues of pink, fuschia and aqua-marine/teal while setting the mood of stumbling on to a bygone age.

>A. Roll 1d100 and Stick your thumb out; You're hitchhiking to destination anywhere.

>B. Explore the area a little bit more. You've got nowhere else to go and nothing better to do.

>C. Cross the street and hit up a bar; Somebody'll probably spot you for the piece of gold you've got... Or at least start up a tab.

>D. Write-In Vote.

>>1018922
>B. Explore the area a little bit more. You've got nowhere else to go and nothing better to do.

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In the middle of making lunch. Sorry for the slight delay.

>>1018962

Though your stomach rumbles, you don't try to brave crossing the dense traffic to your left to get a bite to eat or something to drink. Instead, you slip your hands into your pockets and try not to bump into too many passers-by and start walking down the long, long stretch of beaches no where to go and nothing better to do with your time. The noise from a couple of nightclubs and the sounds of others dancing the night away across the street strain to be heard just above the din of the city and only reaffirm your loneliness.

Time seems to slow down to a crawl or this beach is the longest in the world, because it feels like hours have passed since you started walking, your head starting to get a little dizzy from hunger. You stop at another little stone bench to check your bearings, then look back at the all-too familiar buildings across the street... And do a double-take when you think you've been past that hotel before.

"What the...? Am I just walkin' 'round in circles or something?" The thought of your time being wasted walking in place, or having a repeating cityscape scrolling along with your steps like you were stuck in some old-school arcade game starts burning up something deep inside of you... But, it's not enough to spark into a wildfire of rage, so you pick yourself back up and look ahead to a ritzy hotel right down at the corner of where the sidewalk ends and the road curves. Sure enough, you get there faster than you think and spot a T-Section of road, a bridge leading to some suburban houses dead ahead, a curving stretch of hotels to your right... And a back-alley with even more neon to your left, the signs with Asian characters you only vaguely remember how to read.

>A. Go Straight into the 'Burbs.

>B. Go Right and follow the coastline hotels.

>C. Follow the Neon and go left into a back-alley maze.

>D. Write-In Vote.

>>1019078
>A. Go Straight into the 'Burbs.

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>>1019112

While the Blade Runner-lite neon to your left is intriguing, a couple of stretches suggest that your body is hurting, so you take the "Safe" route and walk over a bridge leading into a suburb, another feeling of deja vu sinking in as you spot maybe three or four types of houses on the block you're walking in, their colors being the only way to tell them all apart.

"Nobody said life was easy..." About the only thing that makes all of this bearable is that the air is warm and there's almost no wind, so sleeping out in the streets wouldn't be as bad as most people would think. Not that you really want to give up and do that just yet, but it bears thinking about as you lean up next to a traffic light at a 4-way intersection, no one around for miles but the light blazing red.

"We have eyes everywhere...?" you think out loud in a low voice, a security/traffic camera making obnoxiously loud noises as it amusingly, slowly zooms in on you as you wait for the light to turn green. When it does, you try to pull your T-shirt a little tighter around your shoulders as if it were a coat and hunch back over, the feeling of eyes watching you everywhere pervading your thoughts until it really does feel like the houses have big sets of cartoony eyes glaring at you as you walk by them while sticking out like a sore thumb.

Speaking standing out, when your focus shifts from paranoid delusions back to the world around you, you spot a compact yet flashy-looking car parked up at the curb, the only car you've seen not in a driveway or in a garage in the time you've been in this idyllic, yet oddly subdued and "Cold" place.

>A. Take a closer look at the car. It looks like somebody's either sleeping in it or waiting for someone...?

>B. Keep walking. No need to get into trouble here with all of the "Eyes" on you.

>C. Roll 3d20 to try and hot-wire the sweet ride. At least you'll go nowhere in style.

>D. Write-In Vote.

>>1019291
>A. Take a closer look at the car. It looks like somebody's either sleeping in it or waiting for someone...?
Hope more people come.

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>>1019345

Same here. I think the whole "Three Months without a peep" scenario hasn't helped either, but there was nothing I could really do about it so...?

Eh, I'm good with at least somebody out there to vote.

>>1019345

As you slowly walk up to the car, it looks like some kind of kitcar or maybe a beefed-up Pontiac Fiero with a bodykit at first glance. As you eye it up though, certain details (The big vents on either side, the spoiler and the roof shape in particular) suggest that it's a serious performance car. You try not to touch in case it has an alarm though; You wouldn't want to have to explain why you woke half of the neighborhood, now would you?

"What the hell is thing?" You spot somebody with a newspaper draped over his face sleeping in the driver's side compartment and think about trying to kick him out to take this thing on a joyride, but decide better of it; If you start to walk down that road now, you might not be able to make it back... You put that off and keep walking, what looks like a strip mall with a couple of cheap-looking fast-food places and a bank of pay-phones off in the distance. "Maybe I should try and give the voicebox guy another call..."

Another 4-way intersection, another stoplight, another ridiculously slow-moving and loud security camera snapping your picture... The houses now feel like a self-replicating code sprawled out over the place, with the mall another block down looking almost like an oasis by comparison. "Little pleasures of small-town life..." Just as you're about to say "Fuck it" and walk through the needless red light to the other side of the street, you hear a car pull up next to you. You crane your head and see it's the little red two-seater from a few blocks back...

"Need a ride?" the guy you saw sleeping earlier asks.

>A. Accept.

>B. Decline.

>C. Tell him what you're feeling and see what he says.

>D. Write-In Vote.

>>1019479
>A. Accept.
Why the hell not?

>>1019479
Well, at your ban is over.
Might pick steam after a bit.

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>>1019554

It's weird: Sometimes I get the "You are Banned" message, go through the verification and see the "You are not currently banned from 4chan" message sometimes still. Like just now for the last 10 minutes It's not enough to stop me from QM'ing, but it still puzzles me.

>>1019534

>New Thread Theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qltqwlG5m7A

"He's a rugged-looking bloke... Ah, why the hell not?" You shrug, then climb into a cramped, but plush cabin and have him buckle up your five-point harness.

"Anywhere in particular?"

"... Destination Anywhere, I guess."

He smirks and says "Sounds good to me" before making a left and cuts through a short little side-street out of suburbia and onto a highway heading to nowhere in particular, the street lights and building glittering like stars while the light from lampposts shine off of his over-sized sunglasses every now and then.

"You're awfully nice to pick me up mate. Especially when I look like death and smell like porpoise spit."

"Eh, I generally try to help out little by little when I can. Driving people around isn't too bad."

"Yeah, sure you do..." "Where'd you get a car like this?"

"I got it in an inheritance from my uncle and had it imported from Scotland."

"... Sorry to hear about that."

"Don't be. He was a mean sunnofabitch and had a lot of enemies out there" he fires back in a rapid pace.

"You have a name?" you ask, something about this guy feeling familiar to you but... Different.

He takes a moment to think about it, then explains "It would take days trying to pronounce it, so my friends call me "CD"."

"Initials?"

"Yeah... Polish parents, what can you do? So, what's yours?"

>A. "Mistral".

>B. "It's complicated."

>C. Roll 1d20 and throw the "I don't really have one" curveball at him.

>D. Write-In Vote.

>>1019721
>A. "Mistral"
Nice choice of music.

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Internet troubles strike once again. Apologies for the delay.

>>1019730

"Mistral" you tell him with an earnest conviction.

"That's French, isn't it?"

"Yeah, what's it to you?"

"Nothing really, but you're Australian right?"

"So they tell me..." you slyly say as CD takes an off-ramp into a shady-looking part of town, then explain "My dad was a bit of a world-traveler."

"Yeah? What did he do?"

"Well, he was scientist, and a botanist... And he probably screwed around with genetics too because he lived in Switzerland before meeting my mom."

CD nods, then takes a right at the T-Section and quickly pulls up to an old-school burger joint, complete with waitresses on rollerblades skating to-and-from parked cars. "Speaking of plants, you're not vegetarian, are you? Because I'm fucking starving."

"You read my mind mate... Er, but I can't pay for-"

"It's cool, I'll cover it" CD tells you as a cute little thing in 1950s clothes quite literally rolls up to the window and asks for an order. "I'll have my usual Jeannie."

"I guess I'll go for a Double Cheeseburger and a Coke?" you tell the waitress, then catch a long, black and bulging sedan quietly roll up next to the two of you out of the corner of your eye. Though nobody has gotten out of it yet, you can tell there's something suspicious either going on or about to happen with the clowns parked near you. "Eyes everywhere, huh?"

"What do you do CD?" you ask, trying to keep your voice occupied while your brain thinks up a plan in case something bad what might happen quickly.

"Oh, this and that..." he starts to say, then glares a little at the black sedan that pulled up.

"Something wrong, mate?"

"... I think I'll tell her to make our food to-go" CD calmly states as he takes of his sunglasses and starts humming a tune while two guys in stylish trench coats get out and look around everywhere except right next to them...?

"What the fuck are they up to? Are they waiting for us, or what?"

>A. Tell CD to just drive and see what happens.

>B. Wait for CD to make a move. You trust his judgement.

>C. Roll 3d20, ask CD "How good are you in a fight? before getting the drop on a couple of goons that are shadowing the two of you.

>D. Write-In Vote.

>>1020001
>B. Wait for CD to make a move. You trust his judgment.

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Had to click through, like, 35 captchas in a row just to get this post out in between prepping dinner and doing household chores.

>>1020056

After about a million paranoid scenarios of stuff going on play out in your head and practically surround your vision, you decide to sit tight and let CD decide what the game plan should be. After all, if that nasty scar is anything to go by, he probably knows "The Game" and can guess that something's up. Sure enough, when he tells Jeannie the waitress that he wants both of your orders to go, those two stooges looking around the parking lot start to slowly head back to their car. "Come on, come on, come on get the bloody food over here already..."

CD takes his time, even flirts with the waitress for half a second before he puts his sunglasses back on and starts up the car, a low, lumpy idle drowning out noise in the cabin.

"You still buckled up, right?" he asks while giving you a once-over, then revs it and drops the car into gear, sheer acceleration with almost no tire squealing at all pinning you to your seat and nearly spilling your soda all over the two of you.

===

>New Thread Theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrWI99niJW0

===

Though you're still pinned to your seat as CD goes up through the gears like a rapid-fire handgun, you can see that the big, black sedan from before is now in hot pursuit in the rearview mirror to your right. Just as you were about to yell what the hell is going on, CD cuts off of the main street and heads through a few grimy back alleys, the car's suspension doing quite well in soaking up all the bumps and uneven/broken pavement.

"OK, what did you do to piss these guys off?"

"How the fuck should I know?! I woke up on the damn beach next to the lighthouse without any clue what happened the day before."

"You lyin' to me?"

"Why the bloody hell should I?"

"Because I know these guys reputation and if you are, then I'm going to kick your ass to the curb" CD growls as you hear gunfire start to ring out behind you.

"I had some work done to this thing, made it as bullet-proof as I could" CD explains while over-steering through a crowded intersection. "Really, it was just a way to get the creaks and groans out of the chassis, but I think it helps."

>A. Ask him if there's anything you could do... Aside from get your ass kicked to the curb, that is.

>B. Just ride this out and see what CD'll do to get the two of you out of this... Who knows, maybe he'll let you "Make it up to him".

>C. Ask him if he's got any guns in the car, the Roll 1d20 and start shooting at the bastards chasing you.

>D. Write-In Vote.

>E. Wake Up.

Rolled 9 (1d20)

>>1020342
>C. Ask him if he's got any guns in the car, the Roll 1d20 and start shooting at the bastards chasing you.
Change the captcha to legacy. Go to setting, click Quotes and Replying and click on Legacy Captcha to turn it on and save setting.

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>>1020387

"You got any guns in this beast?" you half-ask, half-yell at CD while he's getting on with the simple act of driving as fast as he can

"You ever fire one off?" he as you look into his glove box, an incredible number of what appear to be parking tickets spilling out and nearly blind the two of you. You couldn't exactly make out what CD was trying to say, but you do feel something close to a gun in the now-empty glove box and hear a "Click-Clunk".

"How hard could it be?!" you rhetorically ask while trying to swat away any stray tickets and roll down your window,

"Goddamn it, and I was just going to pay those off tomorrow too..." You hear CD grumble with an oddly familiar voice to your ears, then try to use the rear-view mirror to "Trick-Shot" from inside the passenger's seat.

"The hell are you doing?!"

"Something I picked up" you tell him, then stick your firing arm out the window and contort it back as far as you can go before firing off a round. The recoil on this gun is immense and it nearly knocks it right out of your hand, but you hold on and fire off two more shots at the sedan, the

"I've only got one clip left in that thing Mistral. Make your shots count!" CD growls at you while executing a handbrake turn to get the car into a controlled slide so that you could drive down into an impossibly tight street. You tuck your right arm back in the car and pray that CD knows what he's doing as the walls seem to get tighter and tighter, but it eventually opens up and allows you to get back out and take a couple more shots at your pursuers, who seem to be either waiting for back-up, re-loading their guns or switching to heavier firepower.

"What the bloody hell is this hand-cannon? ... Feels like I've only got a few shots left."

"Any time now honey!" CD yells, clearly not amused at all of this.

>Roll 3d20 to try and get a bead on the bad guys' car. (Only the first three rolls will be counted)
>Pic Semi-Related, because it's car you're trying to shoot

Rolled 10, 15, 2 = 27 (3d20)

>>1020594

Rolled 5, 12, 9 = 26 (3d20)

>>1020594

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>>1020615
>>1020635

"Keep it steady CD!" you yell back at him while you clearly hang out of the passenger-side window and hold what looks like an old Ruger and focus. The first shot, amazingly enough, actually hits the pursuing car, though it doesn't do much to slow it down or deter the clowns in the trenchcoats from firing Semi-Autos at you. You quickly duck back in to avoid getting hit, but just as soon return the fire.

You've heard the phrase "Magic Bullet" before after studying the John F. Kennedy assassination in school as part of your "World History" curriculum, but until now you never quite understood what it meant. Right as you fired off the shot, CD must've went over a bump or hit a rough patch of road or something because it nearly made you fall out of the car and made your firing angle all kinds of fucked up. But by some miracle, the bullet you fired bounced off a brick wall and hit the engine block of the pursuer's car...

"That'll work..." You hear yourself breathing heavily, almost frightened as you put the safety back on and CD slows down to more reasonable speeds, but honestly you feel fine.

"Nice one kid, real one in a million" CD says, stopping at the red light of a T-Section near a harbor with what looks to be untold millions of dollars worth of yachts being anchored.

"Yeah, yeah... Just don't start calling me "Chewy" because I haven't shaved my legs in a couple of days."

CD smiles at that, then undoes your seatbelt and admits "Ordinarily, this where I'd ask for your number or if you'd liketo head back to my place for coffee, but..."

"I've heard that "But" before... Ah well, at least I got a free meal out of him." You take a look at CD and nod, then dig out the coin you found and place it on his lap. "That's for dinner and the ride mate."

CD takes a look at the coin, then pushes his sunglasses up to his forehead while examining it. Though his face is seemingly carved out of stone and devoid of emotion, his eyes are a dead give away that the coin you found might be worth more than just it's monetary value. "Where'd you get this?"

"I'dunno, I found it in my shoe when I was trying to scrounge up change for a meal."

"No wonder they're after you..." you hear CD think out loud, then watch him slip his sunglasses back on and tell you "I'd say hold onto it for good luck..."

"Yeah?"

CD nods, then explains "If you could, take it down to the nearest precinct and ask for a guy named Butch. He'll clue you in."

You nod again and say "Well, I'd like to say "Thanks for the ride CD", but-"

"Commodore."

Something around your field of vision kind of "Cracks" when you heard that name and before you could ask, "Commodore" drives off and kicks up all kinds of dust in your face.

>>>Cont.

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>>1020749

>A. Look for a homeless shelter, or a halfway house or somewhere you could go to shack up for the night.

>B. Roll 1d20 and start name-dropping the one gangster name you could think that could get you free stuff.

>C. Roll 3d20 and try to mug the first person you see. (Pics encouraged with this vote!)

>D. Write-In Vote.

>E. >E. Wake Up.

===

>Pause Updates

Well, I guess I'll say thanks to the one Anon that stuck around all day and voted.It definitely helped get my QM skills back into the groove and I do plan to be back tomorrow at the usual 10 AM PST/1 PM EST/5 PM GMT starting time, so...?

>Player Question:
Can a quest about fighting get away with having as few fights as possible?

>Bonus Question:
Time to stick to a name? Or let it slide for now?

Rolled 13 (1d20)

>>1020791
>B. Roll 1d20 and start name-dropping the one gangster name you could think that could get you free stuff.
>Sort
A fighting quest should have fights but to me for now, it's good.
>Stick with the name
Thank you for running

Rolled 20 (1d20)

>>1020791
>B. Roll 1d20 and start name-dropping the one gangster name you could think that could get you free stuff.
Let the name slide for now. There's too much up in the air.
Remind me why we're abandoning Kyokugen Karate.

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I have had a hell of a goddamn morning already filled with enough rage, salt and feels that would make /r9k/ collectively stand back in shock & awe. Updates will begin as soon as possible, but I can't guarantee I'll be able to continue this for a full 8 hours today.

>Pic Unrelated,

>>1022410

>Nat 20

>Remind me why we're abandoning Kyokugen Karate.

Three Reasons:

>1) Fortuna doesn't feel ready to confront Tatsuya & Ellie and explain why she's been missing classes lately, or why she quit her "Cover Job", or what she thinks she knows about herself (IE "I'm a NESTS test-tube creation").

>2) As of late, Kyokugen Karate has gone corporate, with Marco Rodriguez & Takuma Sakazaki himself (Among others) working and managing an awful "Kyokugenryuu BBQ" fast-food restaurant along with cheesy adds on TV hawking summer classes... And it just does't feel like Mistral wants to stay associated with all of that any longer.

>3) Mistral is starting to meet new people all of the time and part of her feels like getting somebody "Fresh" and/or outside of Kyokugen Karate to train her for the upcoming side-tournament might be beneficial.

>>1020803

Roll check has passed.

>>1022826
1. "I'm having an extreme personal crisis that threatens literally everything I know, and I'm not sure your classes alone will be able to handle it."

2. Takuma is a cheeseball. He's trying anything that'll make the dojo money, since it's famous for scarcely having enough cash.

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>>1022826
>>1022410
>>1020803

>Updates Resume
>You're still in "DreamTime"

"Well then... That was something." You dust yourself off, do a couple of stretches of the kind most non-martial artists do to relieve aches and pains from sitting in a car seat all day, then take a look around. The neon-bathed signs hide belie the seediness of this place and couldn't farther away from the pastel dreamland of the beachfront you woke up next to; This is the kind of place you imagined South Town to really be like back in it's so-called "Halcyon Days".

Your stomach rumbles again and you can almost feel the air density changing, clouds overhead forming at a rapid rate and electricity charging ions in the atmosphere... Of course, that could just be from the electric signs Once again, something deep within your being is telling you that you've got to be somewhere sooner rather than later.

"Fuck it, better get out of this before rain starts to pour down..."

Following that gut feeling, you cut through a couple of narrow back alleyways and end up at a rough, unmarked 4-way intersection of sorts, a cheap hotel to your right, an even cheaper-looking Pizzeria on your left, the main drag of a highway in front of you with what looks to be a clothing store that's still open and next to a bar with a long line of Harleys parked out front... And a small, yellow Vespa parked on the curb, a leather bag to store pizza boxes in on the back where a passenger might sit. You briefly consider taking that Vespa, but figure that you're in enough trouble as it is, so you quickly dash across stopped traffic and head inside, rain starting to fall.

"Not bad... I'm liking some of the blouses." The cashier looks up at you about five minutes after you walked and started looking for something new to wear, then drolly states "We're closed."

That makes you turn on your heel and ask back "Excuse me?"

"It's almost Midnight and we closed half an hour" he says, his outfit and mustache making you think of a 1920s investment banker.

"Well come on mate, the sign was still open..."

"I fell asleep before I could turn it off, alright? Please ma'am, we're closed for the night."

Sensing that unless you really lay down the law or drop a big name, you might not get a chance to change into some dry clothes, so you figure that threatening the old codger with words would be the best way to get what you need: "Listen mate, I want to be civil about this... But I work for the man that pays your rent. OK?"

"And who would that be?"

You look one way, then the other, then walk up to to the check-out counter and whisper "The man whose name can kill you. The guy who, if he's in the mood and you name-dropped him, will kill you, your family, your friends and any hand you've ever shaked... Y'hear me?"

The old guy's eyes widen with fear as he nods, then gets out a bottle of pills ("Ulcer medication?" and motions you to follow him to the back of the store.

>>>Cont.

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>>1022927

"Pick whatever you'd like, Ms....?"

"Mistral. Fortuna Mistral" you reply, feeling oddly assertive about using a pseudonym. He nods and starts to leave, but you grab him by the back of his shirt collar and ask "And where do you think yer'goin'mate? Call the piggies over fer' feedin'time?"

He's starting to break out in a sweat as he explains "I-I-I Was just going to get my measuring tape..."

"Oh? You'll get me tailored wear?

"Y-Yes... Your employer was adamant that whoever worked for him must have at least one fitted suit" the old guy explains as you let him go.

"Right then..." You take about half an hour to find the right bolt of fabric and the style of suit you want ("Something fairly flowing, but not too Bed Sheet-like") as the tailor fits in with some kind of odd, mesh-like cloth you've never see before.

"Hate t'ask, but y'mind if I get a raincoat too? Doesn't even need t'be proper gear, just something for the nasty weather out there" you ask, the "Aussie" in your voice oddly showing.

"Of course... You wanted a fresh set of clothes aside from the suit as well?"

"Yeah... That'd be super mate."

Another 15 minutes later, you're in a fresh set of pants, a shirt, some new boots (>Pic Related) and a snazzy black raincoat with a belted waistband... And are greeted by more trenchcoat & shades-wearing assjoles outside, the tailor locking the doors behind you and shuttering his store up in cartoon-like fashion.

"Fuck me, that old bastard ratted me out..."

>A. Roll 3d20 ad start busting some heads. There's only three of them and they don't look armed to you. (Only the first three rolls will be counted)

>B. Roll 1d20 to try and ditch them on foot, using some sick parkour tricks you've seen Kazahaya pull off if you have to. (Only the first three rolls will be counted)

>C. Hold your hands up and go along quietly; You have a feeling that these guys, the ones that chased you & CD and the phone call are all one in the same.

>D. Write-In Vote.

Rolled 14, 8, 11 = 33 (3d20)

>>1022980
>A. Roll 3d20 ad start busting some heads. There's only three of them and they don't look armed to you. (Only the first three rolls will be counted)

Rolled 8, 11, 10 = 29 (3d20)

>>1022980
>A. Roll 3d20 ad start busting some heads. There's only three of them and they don't look armed to you. (Only the first three rolls will be counted)

>>1022983
>>1022987

>New Thread Theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqvvtEkDPOE

You eye the three goons up a little, the rain pouring in sheets and the wind making it look like it's falling from the sky sideways. None of them look armed, or even all that tough to you, but you put up your guard and jokingly ask "I take it y'all aren't here to take me t'the opera, huh?"

You get a snicker out of one of them, but the bald guy on your right lunges at you with a Electric Taser. You easily dodge it and use his momentum to bash him into the shuttered store behind you, but doing that opens you up to a punch to the gut from the long-haired guy. You stagger a little, but use your off-balance footing to trip him up and drop him off of the steps leading into the Tailor's place.

"Got to get to level ground... Use the car as a battering point..."[/i[] You quickly take a couple of steps down and hop up over the third guy's sweep kick to land a "Hien Shippu Kyaku" to his chest, but before you can grab him up off the car he's slumped in front of to do more damage, the bald guy yells "Say hello to Dr. Watts BITCH!" and drives his taser into your back.

"FuuuurrrraaaaaaAARRRRK!!!" you hear yourself yell as your body shakes and your voice feels like it could crack from the scream alone, the bald guy letting up only after you spasm long enough that your legs feel weak and get down to one knee. "OK, hang on... Not over yet..." Your body's still trembling as you try to hold the kneeling position as the "Long Hair" guy goes for a running knee strike to your head, but you feint sideways and grab his leg and hold it in a Judo lock you're brain is too friend to remember the name of right now.

You feel a quick snap and let him go, then hit the third guy with a punch to his crotch and land a jumping uppercut (The "Strayacut") to the guy, but just as you find your footing and get back up, a fourth person gets out of the car and gets you in a "Full-Nelson" that makes you want shriek out in agony.

"Not... Yet... Come... On!" You squirm and struggle to try and get out of it, but the fourth guy has you locked in pretty tight... Until you hear somebody ask "Hey, you need a hand?" and the next thing you know, you're able to break free.

You take a moment to readjust your eyes and match the owner of the voice you heard with the person standing in front of you, glowering over the woman(?!) that had you in that lock, It's...?

>A. An Undefeated Kung-Fu Master from The Far East.

>B. A "Sukeban" Schoolgirl Wrestler.

>C. A punching bag with a face, wearing a Red Headband that flows in the wind.

>D. Write-In Vote.

>E. That "CD" guy from before.

>>1023123
>E. That "CD" guy from before.

>>1023123
>>E. That "CD" guy from before.

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>>1023131
>>1023135

"CD!"

"I told, my name's" CD starts to say, but then his words slow down and start to sound almost demonic as his lips move. You shake your head around and block the Long-Haired pathetic attempt to hobble up to his feet and tackle you, entranced at how ruthless CD is in taking down the bald guy and the other trenchcoat-wearing motherfucker. "I've seen that before... But where?"

"I didn't know you could fight!" you yell, kicking the long haired guy away one last time and looking around for the fourth one, the woman that held you tight in that full nelson lock.

"I ain't exactly a martial artist or anything, but I can hold my own" CD fires back after landing a wild-looking overhand right to the third guy (You'll call him "Crew-Cut" for expediency) and watching him drop like a stone, then hear CD growl "You don't make me look like a damn thug and escape with just a slap on your wrist..."

You almost feel like trying to calm CD down, but then you notice that the woman from earlier is gone, a trail of blood left in her wake... "Fuuuck... More goons to deal with later." "Come on mate, at least leave one of them alive enough t'talk."

CD stops punching the bald guy, then seems to heed your words as he gets out an oddly-shaped knife and holds it to his... Forehead? "What's goin' on?"

The bald guy coughs up some blood, then says "We're after the girl..."

"For what?!"

Another bloody cough, then the bald guy says "Our boss'll kill us all if we-"

CD doesn't let the guy finish and instead starts to slowly carve into the guy's gead with his knife, the screaming and blood sounding horrible and ringing out even in the middle of this tropical hurricane of a storm.

"OK, that's just fuckin' brutal..."

"Who are you working for?" CD asks, that gruff growl of a voice becoming more and more beast-like with each and every breath.

"He doesn't have a naaamammmEE!!!!!"

"WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU SHIT-HEADS WORKING FOR!?"

"This is just getting stupid... What the fuck, does he have a bullet hole in his forehead now? How's he still alive?"

>A. Roll 3d20 and try to calm "CD" down by force, because this is getting ugly fast. (Only the first three rolls will be counted)

>B. Roll 1d20 and try to calm CD down with words. (Write-in dialogue encouraged with this vote; Only the first three rolls will be counted)

>C. Get in on that action while you can; Might as well give the scumbag a little "Softening up" to make him sing.

>D. Write-In Vote.

>E. Wake Up.

>>1023276
>>E. Wake Up.

>>1023276
>E. Wake Up.

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Sorry for the delay. Dealing with crazy weather and personal business takes time.

>>1023288
>>1023310

You can feel a rising presence with CD; An unearthly, demonic force that kind of reminds you of fighting "Mr. X" (AKA Andrew Draco) a little bit. You try not to be too inconspicuous as you you slowly back away, CD's form becoming ever-more terrifying until he turns to you, knife in hand, eyes completely blank and a manic grin across his face...

With an unearthly roar that rings in your ears he lunges at you with incredible force, your eyes widening and everything going white around the two of you, your lips silently saying the word "Commodore!" before you feel a pain in your chest.

~~~
>Your DreamTime has ended
~~~

And of course, that nightmarish end wakes you up out a dead sleep, the wind and rain from outside lash at the windows of "Your" penthouse, everything soaked with sweat and your heart pumping., so you get out of bed and start doing your pre-stretch stretches, then try to calm down by doing some "Cross-Crawls", your hands and feet in concert as you nearly run in place. Eventually you feel your neurons kick back in and you start to calm down, then check your phone for messages after another "Cool-Down" set of stretches.

"Right... I wonder if that Ultima chick ever did a "Nightmares are the best part of my day!" promo? Because I'm feelin' like I could easily better it right now..."

Interestingly, you've got three new messages: Two from unlisted numbers and the third one from... Ellie? "Aw sheeit... Why does it always pour when it rains?"

>A. Go for the "Hard" message first (Ellie's). It might be important.

>B. Listen to the Unlisted Messages first. Your curiosity might be getting the better of you, but...?

>C. Put your phone down and get dressed before rustling up something for breakfast; Nightmares always make you hungry.

>D. Write-In Vote.

>>1023564
>C. Put your phone down and get dressed before rustling up something for breakfast; Nightmares always make you hungry.

>>1023564
>A. Go for the "Hard" message first (Ellie's). It might be important.

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>>1023587
>>1023592

Another day, anoher >T-T-T-TIE BREAKER!

Link back to this post ASAP with your vote. The option with the highest number of new votes will take it.

>Pic Unrelated

>>1023614
Fine, let's eat first.

>>1023587
>>1023614

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>>1023622
>>1023623

OK! >Option C takes vote and an updates is on the way ASAP.

>Pic Unrelated

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>>1023622
>>1023623

You put your phone down and fry up some french toast & poached eggs for breakfast, whatever messages left for your on your phone more than able to wait. Besides, you get a little "Loopy" first thing in the morning after even a little bit of a work-out or stretching session; It's why you kind of miss how hearty the meals Kyokugenryuu Karate would recommend.

"Never thought I'd be pining for Buckwheat Soba or those nasty Barbecued Ribs again..." Still, your tastebuds thank you for the meal and your stomach agrees along with them, so you hop online and check out what might be happening in the news of the world... Then log off after about half an hour, because fucking'A' life can be depressing, goddamn. However, you did get a taste of how the next King of Fighters tournament (Now officially called "KOF XIV") is having all sorts of new teams being invited as well as certain region and country-only tournaments, with the winners of each one getting honors to pick out future teammates.

"Well, he wasn't kidding when he said that there'd be an emphasis on new talent... And damn, there's a lot of money going 'round at this one this time. Kind of reminds of KOF '96 & '97 a little..." You do another stretch, this time for your neck and back from being hunched over on your lap-top because you didn't feel like getting back out of bed, then grab your phone and take a long look at it, the number to check your messages ready to be called and played.

>A. Listen to Ellie's message to just get it over with. She's the last person you want to talk to right now, but you never know what might be up with her...

>B. Listen to those unlisted number messages. Who knows, maybe you could get lucky and find some dirt on somebody like that one garbled Russian thing.

>C. Do some more stretches until you feel like your breakfast's digested, then go hard on your bodyweight training; Your race to being in the next KOF starts now.

>D. Write-In Vote.

>>1023818
>A. Listen to Ellie's message to just get it over with. She's the last person you want to talk to right now, but you never know what might be up with her...

>>1023818
>A. Listen to Ellie's message to just get it over with. She's the last person you want to talk to right now, but you never know what might be up with her...

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The weather is adversely affecting my internet speed as well as scaring the crap out of my dogs & cats. Calming them all down took longer than expected.

>>1023865
>>1023873

You listen in on Ellie's message first, figuring it'll be the hardest one to get through. Even though she's the only daughter of your Sensei, you never were really all that close or even particularly wanted to be close to her, especially not after she beat you up on the night South Town nearly burnt to the ground...

>"Hey, It's me, Ellie... Listen, I know you've been avoiding me and ducking classes left and right, but we need to talk. Now. My dad is... He's in a rough place right now, and I think you need to tell him and myself what the hell is going with you."

>"We'll be at South Town Municipal Hospital, in the East Wing. Call and ask for Room 1203. We'll be there waiting for you..."

"Bloody hell, did Tatsuya get hurt? Or one of the other students maybe? Doesn't sound good either way..." Hearing that message almost makes you want to cry, but you take a few breaths and get dressed to go out in such inclement weather. A turtleneck sweater here, some sweat pants under your jeans from last night there, and a big, black rain coat with a belted waistband sitting in Kazahaya's closet being the topper and really providing a layer of comfort that almost has you sweating inside the penthouse. As soon as you get to the elevator and start to go down to the lobby, though, you can feel that you're starting to have second thoughts about seeing Tatsuya & Ellie and look back at your phone.

>A. Drive out to the Hospital and see what's going on. You owe Tatsuya & Ellie that much.

>B. Call up Ellie and tell her that you're done with Tatsuya's classes and done with Kyokugenryuu Karate.

>C. Head out and look around for that one gymnasium you signed up for and go to town on your oddly-fine body; You can't afford to slack off on training now...

>D. Write-In Vote.

>E.

>>1024076
>A. Drive out to the Hospital and see what's going on. You owe Tatsuya & Ellie that much.
Time to be a fucking adult about this.

>>1024076
>A. Drive out to the Hospital and see what's going on. You owe Tatsuya & Ellie that much.

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>>1024089
>>1024104

You stare at the phone in the palm of your hand and even think about momentarily think of calling Ellie up to break this all off, but by the time the elevator gets down to the lobby's floor you've put your phone away and are thinking of how much money cab fare is going to cost to get you out to the hospital, because if your geography's still right South Town Municipal is quite a ways away from you...

"Nah, not gonna ditch'em on this. Today, it's time to be a fucking adult about all of this."

The cab ride goes without incident, though that might be because you're too wrapped up in guilt about how you've treated Tatsuya & Ellie over the last... Month?1 Holy shit, you've got to get on that. Oh, and the fact that you haven't tried to tell them about... Certain parts of your past and your life's story that you're not in the place of mind to care about how the cab might smell, or what the driver's doing.

Regardless, you walk into the reception area for South Town Municapl Hospital's East Wing with butterflies in your stomach and a slightly lighter wallet, ask for Room 1203 and are given directions. You follow them through a maze of identical-looking hallways and walk up two flights of stairs on account of the elevator being broken, but eventually find the room you're looking for.

"OK, here goes something." You take a big breath, then walk into the room to find a who's who of Kyokugenryuu Royalty inside: Ellie, Tatsuya, That one black guy with a mohawk you've seen photos of (And is currently the last person to be awarded a Kyokugenryuu Black Belt), Ryo & Yuri Sakazaki, Robert Garcia, Marco Rodriguez looking like he got into a fight with somebody...

And Takuma Sakazaki lying in bed, bandaged up and sleeping, with an IV drip in his arm and all kinds of sensors and monitors beeping behind him.

"Fuck me, I knew I should've bought some flowers before I got here..." You quietly say a "Hello" to Tatsuya & Ellie, Tatsuya looking on and giving you a hug while Ellie glares at you. "Sorry I'm late."

"Hey, no problem. So are we."

"What... What the bloody'ell happened to him?"

"It's up for debate" Ellie chips in, the three of you all talking low. "Mind if I we go outside for a minute dad?"

"Huh? Oh, sure pumpkin" Tatsuya says and a creeping feeling hits you as Ellie leads you out and closes the door behind the two of you.

"God, that's just awful... Makes you wonder who could've done something like that, y'know?"

"Cut the bullshit Kat. Where were you last night?" Ellie asks, that steely resolve from when you last spoke with her present in her voice.

>A. Be honest with her about everything.

>B. Ask her "Promise you won't get mad?", then tell her to get Tatsuya out here for this. It might buy you time to get your stories straight...?

>C. Roll 1d20 and try to lie through your teeth about what you were doing last night.

>D. Write-In Vote.

>>1024283
>A. Be honest with her about everything.
See >>1022845.

>>1024283
>Ask her "Promise you won't get mad?"
>A. Be honest with her about everything.

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>>1024299
>>1024310

"Promise you won't get mad?"

Ellie's stony silence speaks more than words ever could, which leads you to take a breath and start laying all out on the line for her. "Ellie, I'dunno how to put this, so... I'm having an extreme personal crisis that threatens literally everything I know, and I'm not sure your dad's classes alone will be able to handle it."

She softens a little hearing that, but again has that no-nonsense approach that helped become Mayor of the whole goddamn city. "I asked you what you were doing last night, Kat."

"I... Was in a tournament. An underground one put on by a... Well, he was a friend, but I'dunno what to call him now."

Ellie sighs and gives you a pout, the look on her face suggesting that even if you told her the outcome she'd be mighty pissed off at you. So naturally, in the effort of being honest, you tell her "I did pretty good, won it without too much of a hassle but didn't get home until about three in the morning... Why?"

Ellie leans up against a wall next to Takuma's room, then explains "From what Takuma told the paramedics before he passed out, he fought somebody that matched your description in National Park."

You feel your eyes widen upon hearing that, but force them to sit back down as Ellie continues. "I know you weren't the biggest fan of what you were having to deal with all of the time with the classes and all, so naturally..."

"Come on Ellie. You and your dad know I'm strong, but to challenge Mr. Freaking Karate to a fight? And win?"

"... Yeah... I told the police that but they still suspect that you were involved somehow."

"That explains it... Somebody trying to get to Kazahaya through me?" You bristle at that, but stop yourself from throwing out the big curveball of your possible past when Tatsuya walks out of the room with a glum look on his face. "Any word on what he's in for?" you ask him.

"Nah, not really... All we can do now anyway is wait to see him pull out of it."

You nod, then ask "The two of you down for some lunch in a little bit?"

"I'll have to get a raincheck on that one" Ellie says, the pun she's making not lost on either of the two of you. "Besides, I'm meeting up with Adam in a little bit so we can catch up on things."

"I was wonderin' where he was" you admit, then follow her down the halls, Tatsuya closely behind you.

"Hey, Kat, I was wondering..."

"I didn't fight Takuma, Sensei. I'm not that strong" you

"What's up with all of the classes you've missed? That one girl, Avery? She misses you."

You go to say "It's complicated" at about the same time as Ellie does, then the two of you look at each other and almost smile as Ellie finds a working elevator to send the three of you back to the ground floor. On that short trip down, you start to hint at some of the crazier parts of your past, but Tatsuya & Ellie don't seem to be all that interested or even shocked before the doors open and a couple of bodyguards escort Ellie out.

>>>Cont.

>>1024526

"So... Am I monster?" you ask the two of them.

"Nah, not really. It shouldn't matter where you come from, or what you're made up of; It's what you choose to do with yourself, your gifts, that define who you are" Tatsuya says, feeling like he left out a part about the awesome power of Kyokugenryuu somewhere in there.

"What my dad said" Ellie adds, her security detail pushing her forward before she could add anything else.

You feel some tears roll down your cheeks, but you aren't really crying... So, you wipe them away and ask Tatsuya "So... I've got an invite to one of the side tournaments KOF XIV are hosting to form new teams..."

"Yeah? Cool."

"Yeah... And, I was thinking that I need to really up my training to get to a point where, like I'm not NOT nervous about fighting at that kind of level, but...?"

"How much time?"

"Two weeks?" you answer, Tatsuya giving you a frowny face.

"This is why you should've kept coming to classes, Kat-"

"Fortuna."

"... Huh?"

"My name, it's... Well, like I said in the elevator, I don't think the name "Katja Hartlern" is actually mine anymore, so..."

"So you're Fortuna, gotcha."

>A. Ask Tatsuya if there's anything he could do to help prime you for the side tournament in a couple of weeks.

>B. Ask him if he's got any Karate Hobo friends, or just somebody outside of the Kyokugen fold you could go to for training.

>C. Ask him again if he wants to go to lunch and open up a little about some of the more bizarre parts of your possible life's story.

>D. Write-In Vote.

>>1024601
>A. Ask Tatsuya if there's anything he could do to help prime you for the side tournament in a couple of weeks.

>>1024601
>A. Ask Tatsuya if there's anything he could do to help prime you for the side tournament in a couple of weeks.

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>>1024621
>>1024630

"Well... What do you think Sensei? Can I make it?" you ask, your voice still going from opposite ends of the emotional spectrum.

Tatsuya pauses and blows a kiss at Ellie before he responds to you. "Two weeks is a tight frame of time... I spent two months with Adam getting him ready for Street Fighter and I still felt there was some stuff I left on the table more time could've worked out."

"Well yeah, that's somebody that doesn't have an idea what Kyokugen is like trying to learn it all in day."

"True, but I never taught him anything other than conditioning and the mentality of fighting at that level... And honestly, Street Fighter in those years was pretty much a joke compared to the kind of fighters KOF has always been able to attract..."

Tatsuya does another kind fidget you've seen him do in the past, something for when he's really thinking things through, and replies "So... Yeah, I could teach a few new tricks and get you up to speed. But you're going to have to listen to what I say, you're going to have to make some hard choices about what kind of fighting style you want to focus on... And if you succeed, you'll have to find someone other than Ellie & Myself to be on your team."

"Yeah, yeah, "Family Man" and all that..." "Well, actually, if I do get picked for this deal I'll be part of a team that the tournament organizer himself is picking out of the others that are there."

"Oh... Like with Team Japan, I guess."'

"Something like that, yeah."

"Well, the big thing isn't whether or not I have anything to teach 'Tuna. It's whether or you're ready to learn it..." Tatsuya tells you, giving you a look that you've seen him give to parents trying to enroll their kids in classes under his watch.

>A. You're ready to learn from Tatsuya-Sensei.

>B. You want to learn from somebody else.

>C. You... Need to get back to him on that. By tonight, probably.

>D. Write-In Vote.

>>1024779
>A. You're ready to learn from Tatsuya-Sensei.
Very few things can whip people into shape quickly like Kyokugen. It's not one of the strongest styles in the world for nothing.

>>1024779
>A. You're ready to learn from Tatsuya-Sensei.

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>>1024806
>>1024815

You close your eyes for a moment, thinking of things and wondering if there's anybody out there that could whip you into shape... But give up hope when you realize that Kyokugen isn't one of the strongest styles in the world for nothing. That's when you open them and state "I'm ready to learn, Sensei."

Tatsuya gets a crazy grin on his face, the kind you've mainly seen in photos after he walloped somebody in a tournament and gives you a pat on he back. "Alright 'tuna! We'll start tomorrow... Unless you want to run some miles in the pouring rain to where we want to go for lunch."

"Running ten clicks ain't so bad in the dry... In this? No thanks."

"Thought so. Come one, let's celebrate you coming back into the fold" Tatsuya says as wraps a burly arm around you while you tighten up your coat.

"You ever get that windshield fixed?" you asked.

"Yeah, pumpkin finally bugged me hard enough to take care of it. Of course, now the doors don't work, so you'll have to climb in and out like a racecar."

The thought of Tatsuya climbing through the windshield makes you think of some crazy, Japanese "Duke's of Hazzard" rip-off with that one sumo wrestler you've seen in a couple of photos back at Ellie's place... Of course, it's only a momentary flight of fancy, because the driving rainstorm makes running to Tatsuya's car a mad dash. It's close, but he just manages to edge you out, which is no mean feet for his size.

"Didn't know you could still huff it" you say, a short breath about the only thing that gives away your injuries from last night's tournament Kazahaya roped you into.

"You're sounding a little rough though, 'tuna."

"Fought in a tournament last night" you admit while climbing through the passenger-side window-sill.

"Did you win?" Tatsuya asks as he opens his door normally and hops in, the car almost completely teetering to the driver's side.

"Of course! Kyokugen's the strongest, after all."

"I hope you got a nice pay-day from it, because that's going to be the last one you'll be in before the one you're signed up for."

"No problem."

"Where's it being held, anyway?"

" "One of the world's premier underground arenas", so says the guy that got me in and the press release I read this morning" you tell him as Tatsuya's car finally starts up.

"Sounds good... Wait, press release?"

"Yeah, KOF's gone big this time. Like what Chizuru Kagura did back in '96."

"Oh... Cool. I'll forward to watching you and your team get through the ranks without having to hit up the usual spots" Tatsuya replies while stopped at the light.

"... Shit, that's right, I've got to deal those wrestling chicks... And that one guy... And the Kunoichi..."

>A. Tell Tatsuya about the enemies you've made in the last few weeks and how it might affect your training.

>B. Ask him how he's been doing lately.

>C. Ask him when he's going to get a new car? Because this one is falling apart.

>D. Write-In Vote.

>>1025018
>C. Ask him when he's going to get a new car? Because this one is falling apart.

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>>1025018

>Pause Updates

Thank you to the players that showed up for this, and thank you for having to wait in between my personal BS happening all of the while.

I'll be back tomorrow for one last session at the usual time ( 10 AM PST/1 PM EST/5 PM GMT ), but if that happens to change check my twitter feed at the top of the page for an announcement.

>Player Question:
What kind of techniques could Fortuna learn to set herself apart from run-of-the-mill Kyokugenryuu Fighters? Or is the old-school style what makes her unique in a world with Sylvie, Mian, Edgelord McFukstick etc. etc.?

>Bonus Question:
Y'all want to read about a fight?

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>>1025054
>This or something similar
Or maybe some grabbers
>Yes
Thank you for running.

>>1025018
>A. Tell Tatsuya about the enemies you've made in the last few weeks and how it might affect your training.
How much do you know about Kisaragi-ryuu Ninjutsu?

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>>1025073

>Yamazaki Extendo-Arms

She's related to NESTS. That's a move only Orochi-blood types can have... Unless "SCIENCE" happens.

>Yes

OK... I'll post it throughout the night.

>>1025092

>How much do you know about Kisaragi-ryuu Ninjutsu?

Only that it's somewhat feared, but nothing compared to the awesome might of Kyokugen. Also, that they have Kunai attacks and some weird Projectile reflector-thingie.

>Pic Semi-Related: A B&W doodle of Fortuna cosplaying K' and/or "You-Know-Who"

>>1025124
Thank you for writing! Joy to read!

>>1025054
>>Player Question:
>What kind of techniques could Fortuna learn to set herself apart
Super Constitution.
No matter the fancy techniques others use, she won't go down. Then when they exhausted themselves, she punches them once, they go down, win!
Maybe this is too cliché though (think Naruto, Bleach dude etc have this too)...

>>1025054
>>Bonus Question:
>Y'all want to read about a fight?
A brutal, bloody fight? Yes!

>>1026533
>Super Constitution
That's a bit too plot armor/mary-sue-ish.

>>1026533
Bit too "idiot shounen protag" for me.

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>>1025124
>>1026635

Well, so much for posting an outside story during the downtime between sessions (I fell asleep before I could finish even half of it)... So I'll save it for another time I guess. Or after today's session in lieu of character biographies, I suppose.

>>1026533

I guess having certain moves gain "Armor" on them could replicate that? (Strayacut becomes a beefed up version of Yashiro's "Upper Duel", Hien Shippu Kyaku becomes harder to get hit out of etc. etc.) Because all I'm thinking of after reading that is Tatsuya going full Hajime No Ippo on Fortuna's ass ("PUNCH HARDER DAMN IT! KEEP OXYGEN IN YOUR LEG MUSCLES! [Insert whatever's the Australian equivalent of "YAMATO DAMASHI!!!" here]" etc. etc.)

>>1025092
>>1025022

Nothing like starting the day off with a freshly-baked >T-T-T-TIE BREAKER!

Y'all should know the drill by now, but if not... Link back to this post ASAP with your vote. The option with the highest number of new votes will take it.

>Pic Unrelated, but a more believable crossover than Capcom Vs. SNK 3 at this point IMO

>>1026688
We can do both, Weasel.

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>>1026693

Alright, if there aren't any objections, we're combining Option A & Option C like pic related and updates will resume ASAP.

>>1026688
Gattai! Combine the mech- I mean, options!

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>>1026693
>>1025092
>>1025022

>Updates Resume

There's an awkward silence as you ride with Tatsuya, the rain coming down in sheets and a bunch of creaks, rattles, groans and what might be "Knocks" from the engine the only thing either one of you can hear. While you haven't really scratched the surface of what you are with your master or his daughter just yet (Which you'll probably get to when you have lunch), you should probably tell him about the people you've made into enemies since you've spent time with Tatsuya, especially as he dropped that "No tournaments" edict on you.

But, there's something a little more important to deal with right now; Namely, the state of disrepair Tatsuya's car is in and the feeling of it falling apart any minute on you. "Hey, Sensei... I hate t'be a bother, but when are y'gonna sell this beater to a scrapyard and get a new car?"

"You know, I hadn't really thought about it much 'Tuna. I kept this one for as long as I have because I figured if somebody torched it, or tried to smash it up it wouldn't be that big of a loss."

"Fair enough..."

"Besides, if it breaks down I can always get my exercise for the day in by pushing it everywhere."

"Yeah, or make me push it everywhere for you..." "I'dunno, I was just thinking that a man of your stature in the community would like to be seen in something a little nicer than this" you reply.

"It's not like I don't have the money to get something new... Like I said, I just never thought about it that much."

"Kay, now for the heavy stuff..." "Listen, Sensei... I know you were thinking about having me hold off from being in tournaments until the KOF Side one I'm in, right?"

"Yeah...?"

"Well... I've made a few enemies lately and, well, I'm probably going to have to fight a few of them sooner rather than later" you admit as Tatsuya stops at another intersection, the smell of something good filling the cabin.

"... Gang stuff again?"

"I don't think so..." you start to say, then take a breath and go into full detail about what you did to Tsuyako Horikawa, the confrontation with her mother Hatsune, the drunken threat Fiona Graves made and conclude with the Fuugetsu the Kunoichi from the tournament you were in last night, and how she thinks it was your fault for her getting KO'ed before your match even started.

Tatsuya nods through most of them, not saying much until you notice that he's driving up to "The Pao Pao Cafe" and he asks "Do you happen to know which clan did Fuugetsu belong too?"

"The Kisaragi', I think."

"Hmm... That could be a problem down the road, because the Kisaragi's and Kyokugen have had a feud going since before I even started learning how to fight" Tatsuya explains.

>A. Ask Tatsuya what we're doing here.

>B. Go along with Tatsuya and see what he has planned.

>C. Ask him about what he meant by "Hard choices about what kind of fighting style you want to focus on".

>D. Write-In Vote.

>>1026752
>A. Ask Tatsuya what we're doing here.

>>1026752
>A. Ask Tatsuya what we're doing here.

>>1026757
>>1026763

"Oh what the... Come on, he's not thinking about sparing, or making me fight whoever walks through the doors does he?" "Er... Sensei, what are we doing here?"

"Getting lunch, what else?"

"Well, it's just that the Pao Pao has a bit of a reputation for-"

"Great lunches, I know" Tatsuya chips in, cutting you off as gets out of the car and locks his door.

"Riiiight... This'll be fun if it doesn't kill me first." You sigh, shake your head and slowly try to make your way out of Tatsuya's car, first going for the "Reverse Duke's of Hazzard" out of the side-window, then give up and crawl through the driver's side door. You feel completely soaked by the time you're inside, but at least they've got a nice beat going and it's warm, smells of all kinds of different meat assaulting your senses. You spot Tatsuya already at his table with a frosty beer mug in hand and think about trying to get him to lay off the stuff, or at least cut back a little... Then you remember how it takes him at least three glasses before he starts to get a "Buzz" through a combination of his high metabolism and high bodyweight and drop the idea as you take a seat.

"I ordered you a couple of hotdogs and a coke while my steak gets ready."

"Thanks..." you say, then take a look around and see that the place is practically deserted. "Uh... Sensei, I know that you're just wanting to celebrate a little, but do we have to be here?"

"Why, what's wrong?"

"Well, those wrestler chicks like to do some sparring sessions here and if they show up today it might get a little..."

"Awkward? Yeah, I thought of that. I figured that since it's the weekend, they probably are off doing a show or something right?"

You nod and admit "Yeah, I could see that... But I'm pretty tore up to be honest. Just doing my stretches this morning took more effort than I thought it would've", then twist off the top of your bottle of "Pop" and take a sip.

"What, no cheers for good luck?"

"Alright, alright Sensei" you say while rolling your eyes, then *Clink* glasses with Tatsuya before taking another sip, Tatsuya already halfway done with his mug.

"That's better... Now, I know I said it just a little bit earlier, but you need to think up what parts or your skill you want to focus on training for the next couple of weeks."

"Yeah, like you said, I won't have enough time for you to teach me everything..."

>A. Focus on Raw Power & Physical Defense Training.

>B. Focus on Ki Control & Mental Training.

>C. Focus on Combinations & Speed Training.

>D. Write-In Vote.

>E. To hell with the consequences, you want to learn it all and go for the "Jack of All Trades" approach.

>>1026784
>C. Focus on Combinations & Speed Training.

>>1026784
>E. To hell with the consequences, you want to learn it all and go for the "Jack of All Trades" approach.
The greatest strength is having no strength.

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>>1026790
>>1026793

Looks like another >T-T-T-TIE BREAKER! Y'all should know what to do.

>Pic Unrelated

>>1026790
>>1026811
AAAAAAAAAH!

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>>1026814

Should've renamed the file as "New KOF XIV Balance Patch Notes", but whatever.

>>1026819

Also going ahead with Option C if there aren't any further objections and sorry for the double-posting outside of updates.

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>>1026819
Wait a minute, that pose...

>>1026821
I would still prefer being able to cover all our bases as thoroughly as possible to avoid getting pigeonholed and caught out.

What's Fortuna already skilled at?

>>1026821
>>1026814
>>1026790

You close your eyes and think long and hard about what you want to focus on for the next few weeks as Tatsuya's meal arrives alongside yours, the aroma coming from both distracting you slightly. "My fundamentals are fine I guess... I've got decent power for my body type, frame and gender... I can actually use Ki..." Finally, you open your eyes and look at Tatsuya while stating "I guess the biggest advantage I've felt I've had when I fought in the Real Bouts and the underground tournament last night was speed... So, I want to try and work on that."

"And that's it?"

"... No... I want to be able to take my current set of attacks that I use and be able to, I'dunno, do combinations in and out of them as I please. Like, lock a guy down in the corner with a long string and finish him off before he even has a chance to retaliate."

Tatsuya nods as he starts cutting up a slice of... Something that's shaped like a steak, but clearly isn't cow meat. Bison? Emu? Something completely disgusting-sounding to you? "OK... I can see where you're going with that. But the thing is, Kyokugenryuu isn't really about flashy combos or quick footwork: It's about fundamentals, reading the opponent like a book and pounding them into the ground when they make a mistake."

"Well, I'm not exactly a conventional Kyokugen fighter..."

"No, you're not. But that's mainly because I felt you were more powerful taking the brawling aspects of your game and honing them into something like Kyokugenryuu... Sort of a new hybrid style" Tatsuya admits before taking a bite.

You nibble on one of your frankfurters (Something in the back of your mind always a little self-conscious about eating these damn things in public), the ask "What about Robert Garcia? He's not exactly about fundamentals & reads now, is he?"

"That's different."

"How so?"

"Well, for one thing the guy's a genius with more natural talent than anybody out there, Takuma Sakazaki included. For another, he was taught the flashier side of Kyokugenryuu from Takuma himself... And lastly, well..."

"You're not really built to be flyin' around all over the place, huh?"

"Nah... Not anymore" Tatsuya admits as he takes another bite of his steak and you throw caution to the wind and start to devour one of your hotdogs.

"But you know somebody who could help, right?"

"Oh yeah, I've got a couple of friends that are Karte Hobos I could call up. I was going to anyway to help out in places I'm not familiar with..."

"Sounds good. When do we start, Sensei?"

"As soon as you're done with your food" Tatsuya gravely states.

>A. "OK, you're the boss..."

>B. "Come Again?"

>C. Roll 1d20 and tell Tatsuya about your indigestion you get from working out after a meal. Maybe he'll let you wait a little bit?

>D. Write-In Vote.

>>1026850
>B. "Come Again?"
Robert's Ryugeki variant has a lot of kicks in its repetoire. There are certain weaknesses to the style, but he worked around them and made it into a solid style. There are still Kyokugen fundamentals there.

>>1026858
Every member of the Art of Fighting team is a Kyokugen pureblood, except maybe Yuri to a mild extent.

>>1026850
>B. "Come Again?"

>>1026858
>>1026866

QM on a smartphone here. My Internet router is deciding to take a dump right now, so expect a long delay for the next update because of hacing to call up a tech and go through the motions of getting it fixed.

>Pic Related is MFW this always happens when I QM

QM again via smartphone. On top of dealing with tech support trying to reset the configurations on my router (AGAIN), I've noticed that my lap-top isn't showing any new posts past >>1026823 . Is this some kind of glitch? Because I've never had something like this happen before (Show that new posts are being made on the thread stat tracker, but in the thread itself)...

>>1026948
I see the posts just fine. Try turning off your router for a couple of minutes.

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>>1026948

*Not in the thread itself, sorry.

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OK, got the internet working again and reset appchanX to fix the missing posts issue.

>>1026858
>>1026866

Option B takes the vote handily and updates will resume ASAP.

>Pic Unrelated

>>1026858
>>1026866

"... Hang on, just because Robert's "Ryugeki" variant has a lot of kicks in its repetoire doesn't mean that there aren't still any Kyokugen fundamentals left in there...." You think over and craft a rebuttal to Tatsuya's remarks, but stop short when your ears lazily latch on to the last part of his sentence. "In the words of the Virgin Mary... Come Again?"

" We've got two weeks before you're tournament 'Tuna. We can't waste anymore time than we have to."

"... You do know I have really bad indigestion if I work-out right after a big meal, right?"

"Yeah. So that's why we're going to take our time to enjoy the last meal you're going to have before we get you back on a Kyokugenryuu-approved diet, do some stretches and then start on getting your speed up on the stage right behind us" Tatsuya calmly explains in between the last few bites of his steak.

Your eyes widen a little and you feel yourself out just a touch as thoughts of Tatsuya painting the floor red with your blood run through your mind (You've heard the stories and watched a grainy video or two of just how savage Tatsuya was in his youth), but then calm down and ask him "We're not going to spar, right?"

"No... Not today" he replies before polishing off the last of his beer and stepping out of his seat. "Think it over and let your food digest; I'll be waiting for you on the stage."

With that, Tatsuya walks off and suddenly the "Last Meal" metaphor comes into focus a little bit more than you'd like. "Well, never was under the impression that this was going to be easy... Don't exactly want to feel like I could kick the bucket out there, but here goes..." You take your time, not exactly playing with your food but savoring it as much as you can before Tatsuya-Sensei goes to work on you. You quickly finish both of your frankfurters, take a few more sips of your bottle of "Pop", wipe your mouth clean of any spills or blemishes and leave a tip behind before "Going to church", as you heard some old boxing instructor at your first gym call it.

"OK... I'll go through the whole warm-up routine with you, but after that it's all on you" Tatsuya grimly states.

You nod and feel at ease stretching out your body, still amazed Tatsuya-sensei can still get his considerable girth to mimic your body's movements. Before you know it, the two of you are done and ready as Tatsuya shows you a coin.

"He wasn't really Kyokugenryuu, but I heard Bruce Lee could snatch a dime out of somebody's hand and switch it for a penny faster than they could've thought possible..." Tatuya explains before placing the coin in his open palm.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah... So I'm going to see if you can at least try to do something close to that for a baseline."

>Roll 1d100.to show your sensei what you've got. (Only the first three rolls will be counted)

Rolled 5 (1d100)

>>1027001

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>>1027014
Someone else roll, please.

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>>1027014

Going with this roll unless others return soon...

>Pic Related: What usually happens in one of my quests when dice go bad.

Rolled 39 (1d100)

>>1027001

Rolled 16 (1d100)

100!

>>1027014
>>1027036
>>1027046

You crick your neck and rotate your shoulders little, Tatsuya giving you the usual "Whenever you're ready" kind of pep-talk as you place your eyes on the coin in his hand ("Silver Dollar? Neat."). You close your eyes and let out three breaths, then open them and go for the coin in Tatsuya's hand... Only to have him catch you in the act quite easily, his grip strong enough to crush a boulder.

"W... What?"

"Rule #1 about being a Martial Artist: There's always somebody better than you out there in the world" Tatsuya says with a grin as he lets go of your hand.

"Bloody hell, I though I-"

"They always do... But, you were quicker than most of the rookies I've done this with."

"Anyone catch the coin out of your hand yet?"

"Just Pumpkin" Tatsuya replies, then states "Rule #2 of being a Martial Artist: Expect the unexpected" before throwing a punch at your face.

You instinctively put up your hands to block it, but feel his other fist solidly lodged in your gut. "This is something that Ryo showed me, though I don't think they really teach in Kyokugenryuu's main curriculum anymore."

"It's a... Point-based technique, right?" you half-ask, half-gasp.

"Used to be. The thing is, if you aren't careful it could break the other fighter's sternum, so you have to be choosy on if and when you do it."

"... But that's more of a defense kind of thing, isn't it?"

"Not if you're fast enough" Tatsuya replies with a grin as he backs up and gives you a little space to breathe and picks up a stop-watch. "OK 'Tuna this might be a little unorthodox, but I'm going to time you running from one end of this place to the next."

"You do this with Ellie?"

"A little bit..."

"So THAT'S why we're here in the middle of the day..." "You want me to head to the far wall, or just get down into a sprinter's crouch and go for it?"

"Get to the far wall and THEN hit the crouch."

"Gotcha" you reply, then take a few more cleansing breaths as you ready yourself and get your legs loose, the true size of The Pao Pao Cafe lost on you until you find the back wall. "Fuck me, this place is bigger than I thought..."

"OK... Ready... Set... GO!"

>Roll 1d100 to show your sensei wat you can do. (Only the first three rolls will be counted)

Rolled 56 (1d100)

>>1027095

Rolled 62 (1d100)

>>1027095

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>>1027104
>>1027109
In the middle of making my lunch. Please wait warmly for the next update!

>>1027218
>>1027104
>>1027109

Truthfully, you never were great at sprinting; Distance running and marathon-style runs were more of what you were really good at. But as you got into a runner's crouch and hear Tatsuya say the word "GO!", something inside of you clicked and you felt like you were running faster than you thought you were capable of. Within eleven, maybe twelve seconds by your own internal clock you were at The Pao Pao Cafe's only entrance, touching the wall with the tip of your fingers before sprinting back to the opposite end of the building. "Come on, almost there... Don't lose fucking steam now...."

You get back to the wall you started on in what you thought was a record time, a couple of weary breaths escaping your lungs and revealing the extent of your tiredness from last night.

"Not too shabby 'Tuna. Not too bad at all" you hear Tatsuya say as he comes over to give you any kind of help if might've needed it.

"What's my time?"

"A 13.89 ."

"Is that good or bad?"

"Well, it's quite a few seconds under my best time and pumpkin's as well, but for a first run it's decent" Tatsuya tells you.

"Decent?" "How many more Sensei?"

"I'm two, maybe three... When pumpkin ran track in highschool it was three practice runs in the 100 meter dash."

"It's not a 100 meters from wall-to-wall though, is it?"

"I don't know" Tatsuya admits, then tells you go back to the wall so you could do another run.

"Not exactly a real confidence-booster..." "Give me a second" you say with a hearty exhalation, then start doing leg stretches before you get down into your crouch and put a hand on the wall, ready to go on Tatsuya's word. Your second run feels about as good as your first, but you lost about half of a second and end up with a 14.22 . Fired up about not wanting to lose some steam, you put it all out there on your third run, squeaking by with a 13.99 and your sides aching by the end.

"God hustle 'Tuna."

"Thanks..."

"Not much for speed huh?"

"Yeah..."

"Well, that's what I'm here for. Take a break while I go get my punch-pads, OK?" Tatsuya tells you.

You nod, take a sip from your bottle of "Pop" from earlier and let a few more weary sighs escape from your lungs."The Scary thing is, he's going easy on me today..."

>A. Roll 3d20 and get ready to pound some punches & kicks into Tatsuya's mitts.

>B. Roll 1d20 to do some stretches and try to refresh your body before Tatsuya gets back.

>C. Roll 3d20 and skip through to the end of your long, hard day of training.

>D. Write-In Vote.

>E. Look at South Town through the eyes of someone else for a little while.

Rolled 7, 13, 18 = 38 (3d20)

>>1027265
>A. Roll 3d20 and get ready to pound some punches & kicks into Tatsuya's mitts.

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>>1027269

Going with this roll unless someone else replies...

Rolled 11, 12, 17 = 40 (3d20)

>>1027265
>A. Roll 3d20 and get ready to pound some punches & kicks into Tatsuya's mitts.

>>1027269
>>1027318
>>1027304

Before you realize it, Tatsuya-Sensei returns with a set of sparring gloves as well as some shin guards you usually see Taekwondo users wear. He nods at you and wordlessly puts them on, then nudges you to follow him back out into the "Stage" that The Pao Pao Cafe is know to use for hosting fights.

"Ready when you are."

"Just a second Sensei" you tell him, then take a few more breaths to help activate your Ki and get your blood pumping again, then land a nice fat Left Hook punch to one of Tatsuya's pads.

"Good! Keep'em coming!" he yells as you go to work, focusing on punches at first and mixing in more Left Hooks to go along with some standing Jabs and Right Straights.

"Faster! Come on!" Tstuya roars and you comply, everything around you outside of yourself, Tatsuya and his gloves blanking out as you continue to work on him, then land your best combination: A Close Hard Punch, followed by a Right Straight, then mash out a million hits with your "Zaretsuken" flurry.

"There we go! OK! Keep going!"

You flash a smile at him, then hit Tatsuya with a "Super Kick" that nearly upsets his balance a little bit. Soon, you start working your legs, most of your hits usually aiming for the head of the upper body but getting expertly blocked by Tatsuya's superb defense. You slip in another punch to then get another combination you know to connect: Two Standing Jabs into Right Straight, then a Hien Shippu Kyaku kick that actually gets Tatsuya to step back a couple of places.

"OK, mix them up and we'll take a break!" He yells and you comply, punches & kicks flying faster than you could imagine them, holes starting to show in Tatsuya's defense as both sides of your brain work in concert to land a mother of a combination: Two standing Jabs into a Left hook, then a Right Straight, THEN he "Ryuuko Rambuu" "Desperation Move" that finally knocks Tatsuya on his fat rump, electricity flying from your fists on the last uppercut.

Your heart is racing as you try to calm down, offering Tatsuya an arm up off of the floor as a tingling sensation runs all over your body. "Well?"

"You're doing better than I thought 'Tuna, but the real key is getting back to that point tomorrow" Tatsuya replies as he dusts himself off. "You only have those punches to combo in and out of, right?"

"Unfortunately... I picked them up from an old boxer that trained at my first gym."

"Huh... I might know somebody that could help you get some more mileage out of your kicks, but I'll need to get in touch with her before I can teach you anything new" Tatsuya explains,

>A. Ask Tatsuya if he's getting old or if he's out of ideas already; You're feeling yourself right now.

>B. Let Tatsuya tell you what's next on the agenda. He seems a little tired already.

>C. Ask him if you could take the rest o the day off, or go sit-in and watch the afternoon Kyokugen classes somebody must be teaching in his place.

>D. Write-In Vote.

>>1027421
>B. Let Tatsuya tell you what's next on the agenda. He seems a little tired already.

>>1027421
>B. Let Tatsuya tell you what's next on the agenda. He seems a little tired already.

Dealing with my pets losing their shit over the rain, thunder, lightning and high winds takes time. My apologies for the delay.

>>1027429
>>1027435

"Man, I hope he's doing alright... I might've really rung his bells with that last uppercut." You nod and think of a couple of people you don't recognize from photos plastered all over Ellie's office as well as the small space out front of Tatsuya's dojo, but draw a blank for who he knows that's really good at kicking things... Then shrug your shoulders and do some more low-impact body stretches as Tatsuya catches his breath.

He seems to get your body language by doing them and states "Rule #3 to being a Martial Artist: Sometimes, Patience isn't just a virtue; It's a must."

"What's with these "Rules" Sensei? You marathon more Fei-Long flicks last night?"

"... Maybe..."

"I keep thinking it's like we're in "Fight of Fate" or something."

"Nah, I didn;t care for that one as much. I was re-watching "The Metro City Papers" again" Tatsuya admits as he takes a breather along with you.

"Is that the one with the Cocaine-Dealing Biker-Ninjas?"

"That's "South Town Connection" " Tatsuya clarifies. " "Metro City Papers" is about an electrician that stumbles onto a plot to brainwash everybody into voting for some M. Bison wannabe named Kaitoh."

"Oh yeah, with Haggar playing himself back when he was still wrestling in the CWA right?"

Tatsuya nods, then adds "South Town Connection is basically a celluloid take on the Kyokugenryuu-Kisaragi feud with Terry Crews thrown in as a Mr. Big knock-off."

"Huh... I'll have to watch it again, because that's almost like some kind of Daredevil parody..."

"We'll get together and do a movie night up at your cabin sometime" Tatsuya says, finally sounding like his old gung-ho self.

"Er... My cabin is under construction right now."

"Really?"

"Yeah... Remember when I told you about that poltergeist I had?" you start to say, then go through the whole ordeal of what you think might've happened and conclude with how you've been living in one of Kazunori Kazahaya's private Penthouses.

"Damn, you didn't tell me that you were going through all of that..."

"Yeah, I know.... Sorry, Sensei."

"Shit, I'm half inclined to stay with you there so that you don't get too soft on me..."

"Yeah right... Last thing I need to do is introduce you to one of the bigger crooks in town." "What's next up Sensei?"

Tatsuya shrugs, then admits "Normally, I'd drive and you'd try to outrun my car, but with it raining as hard as it is out there... You tell me?"

>A. Tell him you want to do more speed drills like before; That ache in your sides has subsided.

>B. Let him come up with something; You're at a loss yourself (Write-In Training Exercises encouraged with this vote.)

>C. Tell Tatsuya that you're good for now and want to check in on the afternoon Kyokugen classes.

>D. Write-In Vote.

>>1027613
>A. Tell him you want to do more speed drills like before; That ache in your sides has subsided.

>>1027613
>A. Tell him you want to do more speed drills like before; That ache in your sides has subsided.

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>>1027662
>>1027652

"My side's finally stopped aching...? Alright, let's get going." "I'dunno, some more back-and-forth runs would be good" you tell him, then finish off the last of your soda from lunch.

"Yeah? OK, we'll focus on running today then and maybe do some dash-work down the line" Tatsuya replies as he gets out his stop-watch again and you go to the far wall, some of the kitchen staff now starting to look at the two of you as if you had escaped from a mental asylum. You close your eyes, focusing on the prize that awaits you at the end of all of this, then go on Tatsuya's signal. You're not nearly as fast as before, your fourth back-and-forth "Lap" a full second and a half behind your slowest from earlier (15.73), but your second one has you back into the high 14's (14.87, to be exact) and your last run is right there with your previous slowest, sweat pouring down your face as you stop back at the wall.

It takes you a few moments to register what Tatsuya was saying, but your heard your time (14.25) and smile. Of course, that smile turns into a half-frown when Tatsuya has you do the punches & kicks routine again, your strikes not nearly having the energy or the speed from before but your power surprisingly is still intact. You feel exhausted beyond belief when you finish with an honestly-lame "Strayacut", but you're still in control of your body enough to stick the landing and not collapse to the floor when Tatsuya gives you a pat on the back.

"That's some good work 'Tuna. We'll call it for now, go rent South Town Connection and watch it back at your place?"

"Sounds good..." you start to say with a chuckle, then stop when you see some more people start to walk in and try to hide your disdain for "Tsunami Tsuyako" Horikawa and her mother Hatsune walk in among them. "Goddamn it, of all the times..."

"Friends of yours?" Tatsuya asks as he notes the look on your face.

"Not really... Well, I think her mom might become one, but I've still got to fight sometime soon."

"Which one's the daughter?" Tatsuya whispers half-jokingly.

"Hard to tell, huh? The one who doesn't have her arm in a cast, Sensei."

The two of them eye you and Tatsuya up, Tsuyako in particular trying to look mean... But once again, you can look right through her eyes and see that she's just trying to put on a brave face in front of her mom. Not that you even care, to be quite frank, but Tatsuya seems to notice it as well and asks you about it when you get back to his car, the rain lightening up a little bit.

"What's the daughter's deal? You can't get away with sneering and wearing clothes like that if you don't have the fight inside of you to back it up."

"I'dunno Sensei... Maybe I took the fight out of her when I broke her arm?"

"Maybe she never had it to begin with."

You nod and watch your breath form fog on tatsuya's windows as he starts his car up. Though you feel beat, in the words of FightChan's "Health & Fitness" board "You're gonna make it."

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>>1027740

>Pause(?) Updates

OK, here's the deal. I kind of want to end this thread on a happy, upbeat kind of note. Thing is, I promised y'all a knock-down, drag-out, bloody fight... I was originally planning on just writing it out, but now I'm tempted to just make it a normal votes & rolls part of the story.

So, with that in mind...

>1. End the sessions today and write out the fight story before this thread 404s?

>2. End the normal part of the sessions right now and fire up the fight as a proper part of the quest?

>3. Just end it and save the fight for another time and/or a Pastebin?

>>1027760
>3. Just end it and save the fight for another time
If you're out of time, I'm fine with ending it here.

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>>1027781

The thing is, I could keep going for a little bit longer (I used to do full-on 10-12 Hour Marathons almost everyday), but as of right now I won't have the time to continue this tomorrow...

The thread is also archived on sup/tg/ (http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/1018630/), so I'm not stressing out if anything happens (Or doesn't happen).

>>1027760
>1. End the sessions today and write out the fight story before this thread 404s?

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>>1027781

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>>1027760
>>1027781
>>1027815

>End Updates

I thank the players that stuck around in spite of my internet issues and household delays/ You anons are great and help motivate me to keep this little thing going. I also want to thank whoever requested the drawing of Tsuyako in >>1027740 from the "/qst/ DrawThread" that died from a lack of interest.

As stated earlier, I will not have the time to continue this tomorrow, but I do intend to start up Thread #14 sometime next week at the Usual starting times (10 AM PST/1 PM EST/5 PM GMT), but if that were to change check my Twitter feed (https://twitter.com/WeaselThat) for updates if my schedule changes.

Until next time... The Fight Story will start ASAP.

>Player Question:
Should Fortuna try to learn anymore "Command Normal/Special/Super Moves" before the tournament? And what should her "CLIMAX" attack be?

>Bonus Question:
Would an 80's themed "South Town Stories" quest work with Mr. Big & Geese Howard as the BBEGs work out? Would playing somebody who works for either one of them work out?

>>1027869
>Command Normal
>A super slammer
>Yes to the latter
Thank you for running

>>1027869
>>Player Question:
Super Punch!

OK, that was... Something...

Had a long, crazy-ass day that nearly ended in my car getting submerged in flash floods [b]TWICE[/b] just on the way home... So, as this thread finally 404s, expect the fight I was going to post sometime tomorrow and eventually collected into a pastebin.

>>1031664
Hope you're safe.

>>1031701

Thanks. I feel like I'm relatively now curled up in bed, but there's been about 9 inches of rainfall in my neck of the woods over 72 hours, so a couple of low spot on my way to work were nearly impassible.

Also, the usual litany of high winds and falling trees are always a touch unsettling, but what can you do?