Round 2; Gerrek Zig vs Zach Cranston

[Deleted]

Not long after the two contestants are given a chance to see who they would be fighting in the second round of the tournament the arena would instantly telaport them to there battlefield.

As the two appeared within the battlefield the arena would simultaneously create the battlefield for them, a massive desert barren of any and all life save for the tremendous cacti scattered sporadically across the landscape. Off in the distance massive red mountains jut out from beneath the sands. The sun is high in the sky and the battlefield is just as hot as a authentic desert.

Begin!

[hewhostandsalone]

Again Gerrek was the first into his respective fighting arena. Or it seemed that way, at least. He could neither hear nor see his foe. As he gazed around the area what he did see put a wide, wily grin on his face. This place was just like his home for the most part. In fact, he might mistake this for part of his home if not for the fact that he was on a space station. Just from the environment that this fight was taking place in he already had an advantage over most fighters. He could last longer in the desert than others. And he had some water reserves he'd stored from the last fight, too. If he could outlast his foe, then this would be his fight to lose.

My last opponent decided to give up while she was still conscious. In a harsh environment such as this, an opponent that doesn't know their own limits might have a heat stroke or fall unconscious from heat exhaustion... Part of me wants to make it to the next round, but the other part wants to make sure my opponent doesn't end up dead. It will be interesting to see who I'm fighting. Hopefully it will be a good challenge. Maybe I won't have to hold back to keep from crippling them this time...

[Zach]

Following the conclusion of his battle with Nam, Zach wasn’t able to remain in the arena long enough to wash up so instead opted to remain in his transformed state for a few moments more and let his crimson aura burn the remains of Nam’s lost lunch off of him. Brushing the ash away, the teen descended back into his base state and took the time allotted to him between matches to rest. He wasn’t sure exactly how much time that would be so the blonde staked out a free corner, sat down, rested his head back and tried to get as close to sleep as possible without actually falling asleep; it wouldn’t do him well to nap through his match and end up getting disqualified as a ‘no show.’

Zach looked up periodically and eventually his name came back up, his image being paired up against that of a rather brutish looking fellow. The boy had just barely enough time to stand up before the vertigo inducing sensation of teleportation washed over him and he found himself in yet another simulated world. Like the last this one was hot but not humid, the exact opposite in fact. The place was a desolate waste filled with nothing but sand and some distant rock formations. Zach doubted they would be of any use given his experience in the previous simulation, the mountains were likely just for atmosphere.

Widening his legs and looking about, the half clothed teen finally spotted his opponent. The image hadn’t done him justice as the man towered over Zach and looked like he ate tanks for breakfast. Given the height difference the obvious strategy would be to duck under his opponent’s arms and go for body blows, provided of course they weren’t flying. However, noting the armor the other was wearing, Zach thought that might prove problematic. In any event, they were both there, it was time to start this ball rolling.

Raising his arms into a high defensive posture about his head and chest, Zach called out to his opponent to get his attention if he hadn’t already. “You ready for some fun?” he jokingly asked and started to stride towards the red skinned alien with steady, measured steps, not taking his eyes off of the other. He’d already started to sweat from the decidedly oppressive heat, but hopefully he’d be able to finish this before things could drag on for too long. Two high temperature matches in a row were a bit much, even for Zach’s endurance.

[hewhostandsalone]

If Zig could read minds, he'd have given a hearty chuckle at Zach's thought of him eating tanks. Though the young human's observations about his appearance were very much true. Upon hearing the voice of his foe, the red alien turned slightly to face him and smiled. Both opponents so far had plenty of opportunity to surprise attack him at the start of their fights, but neither had capitalized on those opportunities. Gerrek was glad that the fighters he was facing had at least some form of honor. Or maybe they were too prideful for their own good? He didn't know nor did he care. Zig only wanted a good fight.

As Zach moved toward him, Gerrek nodded in reply and said, "Didn't happen to catch the name of my last opponent. A bit of a shame, that. So I'll hopefully remedy that situation this time. I'm Gerrek Zig." Zig clenched his fists tightly with a quick motion, popping his knuckles. He bent his knees slightly and slid his feet further apart to widen and lower his stance. He brought both arms forward with his elbows bent so that his fists were at his chest level and his palms were facing one another.

"You want it, you got it." He took a short step forward and threw a light left punch. He had to test what his new foe was capable of.

[Zach]

With his arms up and already in a defensive position, Zach closed on his opponent as the other turned to face him and responded, providing the blonde with his name. Pausing just out of arm’s reach, Zach debated for a moment as to whether he should give the man his name and eventually decided to reply in kind.

“My name’s Zach.” the teen replied a moment before Gerrek added to his statement. Zach was happy to hear the other was eager to begin, both looking forward to the challenge of taking down the larger opponent and hopefully doing it without getting too roughed up himself since injuries combined with the oppressive climate could spell the end for him if the match started to go south.

Gerrek threw the first punch, a probing jab that Zach tightened his guard to deflect to the side. He hadn’t employed his energy armor yep, wanting to start things off at half throttle rather then going full out and wasting power before the fight was over. As his right arm raised to deflect the punch, Zach also threw a return jab of his own, striking out with his left. Although the punch he’d blocked was just a testing blow, it contained enough power to let the boy know that this brute was close to him in physical strength and not possessed of herculean might. That fact opened up the possibility that his rugged appearance might not be all that accurate and the old saying about a book and it’s cover might very well likely apply. Still he wouldn’t get arrogant, for all he knew the other was holding back an inordinate mount of his power and could squash him like a bug.

[hewhostandsalone]

Gerrek nodded at Zach upon hearing his name. Now that the minor formalities were out of the way he was ready. He did regret not getting the name of his last opponent. Perhaps he'd have another opportunity when he visited Earth after this tournament. Depending on how this fight with Zach went, he might look for Zach on Earth as well. He'd been to Earth a couple of times in the past, but he'd never encountered fighters like them before. The fact that Zach was in the second round told Gerrek that he wasn't your average human in the slightest.

The initial exchange in a fight was always something that got Gerrek's blood flowing. Each fighter sizing the other up based on the first strikes of a fight usually determined how the fight would go and how quickly it would be over. Deception could also come into play, though. While Gerrek wasn't the type for such guile, he would not use his full strength at the start of a fight in this setting. A tournament was no place for something like that. Using his full power could endanger the other fighter. It wasn't arrogance on his part like most would expect. He was a mercenary, not a murderer or an assassin.

The fact that his punch, though light, was deflected told him that this opponent would put up a good fight. He still didn't know the full extent of the youth's abilities, but at least it was clear that the fight wouldn't end in a few blows. With one arm being deflected and a punch incoming, Gerrek used his right arm to knock the attack away in a manner similar to what Zach had done. He added and additional movement into this, though. He swung his right knee around to attack the left side of Zach's ribs just below his armpit. Since he'd just interrupted an attack from that arm, Zach's side would likely be exposed to the knee.

[Zach]

With his right arm raised to guard against Gerrek’s punch and his left knocked out wide by the alien’s blocking arm and also given his opponent’s greater height, his ribs were indeed prime to be targeted. Gerrek’s knee thudded into Zach’s side, drawing a grunt from the boy and making him grit his teeth from the sharp impact. Exhaling he kept his wits about him though and tried to use the impact to his advantage, dropping his left arm quickly to loop around and under Gerrek’s leg and hold it against his side. Zach then intended to march forward, hopefully toppling the alien off balance and in the process forcing his opponent to open up his guard through which the boy intended to insert his right arm and a quick series of jabs to the middle of his stomach.

Should Gerrek manage to keep his balance or if he possessed the ability to fly and used said capability to attempt to stay upright or pull away, Zach would follow with his own power to fly, continuing to push the other man back or again topple him and lay into his stomach.

Both scenarios would end the same way provided they didn’t meet with an unexpected alternative, attempting to land the two jabs and then Zach would release Gerrek’s leg and pull away, returning his arms to their usual high defensive posture. With any hope this would help him gauge just how fast his hulking brute of an opponent is. If Gerrek turned out to be slower then him, Zach had it in his mind he could use gorilla tactics of hitting and moving rather then his usual style of slugging it out with his opponent toe to toe. Granted he preferred the slugging match as that was what he was best at, but so far he’d not seen Gerrek’s true strength, just a hint that they might be close and the blonde didn’t want to take the chance that the guy was significantly stronger then him and get knocked out by a lucky punch.

[hewhostandsalone]

Though not a murderer or assassin, Gerrek had been the veteran of many fights. Being a galactic mercenary for twenty years would do that to you. When the teen displayed his own skill and resilience by grabbing the leg he'd just been kneed with, Gerrek could see what would happen next. Bar brawls often ended with a patron being thrown out by the bouncer or one patron initiating a ground and pound on the other. The grapple had already started and Zach had begun moving in the direction to begin such a maneuver. Luckily for Gerrek he wasn't under the influence right now. He went with the momentum and lifted his other leg off the ground. He twisted his body at the hips so that he was effectively perpendicular to Zach. With this twist he would move his stomach out of the path of attack and put his ribs there instead.

It was all for the sake of launching his own attack, though. He swung his free leg backward in an attempt to smash his heel into Zach's knee. At the same time his tail would whip around for a surprise slam aimed at the boy's head. There was still the good chance that Zach would follow through with his jab combination on Gerrek's side, but he'd still have to deal with a kick and tail slam coming from opposite sides and aimed at opposite ends of his body. If both attacks connected it would surely send the boy for a side flip.

[Zach]

The moves were happening faster now, much too fast and at much too close a range for Zach to see what all of his hulking opponent was doing. What he did see however was evidence that the alien was trying to twist free of his leg hold, probably with the intention of getting away from the punches headed his way. Zach didn’t care, by sacrificing his ribs to the shots, Zach had the chance of breaking one, although he doubted he could with just simple jabs.

Then came the near unrecognizable blur out of the corner of his vision, Gerrek’s tail. The boy had only an instant to react, after landing just one punch he let go of the alien’s leg, leaning away. The tail still caught the boy’s cheek, snapping his head to the side, but with no where near as much force as it would have had, had Zach not spotted it. What he didn’t spot was the kick that took his leg right out from under him.

Already leaning back from his attempt to avoid the tail slap, Zach was the one that ended up off balance from the exchange, rather then his opponent. The kick to his leg took it out from under him and the boy tumbled backwards, rolling into his back and then back up to his feet, the length of his body away. The side of his face was reddened by the strike but his arms were already back up and in position to defend him, indicating it would take more then a few taps to take him down.

Zach was in fact smirking as he rolled back up into a standing posture, not that Nam wasn’t a worthy opponent, but he was physically stronger then the other boy, at least when transformed, and their fight had been pretty strait forward; this one however was already oozing with tricks.

“Heh, play time’s over I guess.” Zach commented and seeing fit as Gerrek had brought a fifth appendage into play, Zach would bring out one of his cards. Holding his defensive posture for a few moments more, Zach routed energy into his body armor technique and formed the translucent, protective energy bracers, chest plate and leg armor. He’d allow a moment or two for Gerrek to comment if he so desired but if it was evident that the other didn’t care to, Zach intended to start another exchange by dashing at his opponent and opening up with a quick jab at chest level. The jab however was a feint intended to draw Gerrek’s arms lower. The boy would continue forward and kick off, using the extra height to get a clearer shot of his opponent’s face with the opposite hand.

[hewhostandsalone]

Gerrek's attacks had been met with resistance, but he was still successful in his exchange. He had made it very clear to his opponent that this fight would not be easy by any means. The fact that he'd only gotten a successful trip and a glancing tail smack told Gerrek that the same was true for him. Most of the other opponents he'd faced, minus a saiyan elite or two of course, would have been dazed by those attacks. This human was something else.

Gerrek landed back on his feet after some minor use of Bukujutsu to keep himself balanced. As the boy rolled back and got to his feet Gerrek noted the smirk on his face. Clearly this fight had only just begun. When the boy commented about 'play time' being over, Gerrek nodded in agreement and responded, "Interesting technique you have there. I've not seen such a versatile defensive energy skill before." Perhaps not the wisest thing to do, letting your foe know he had something you didn't know about. Then again, there was much that either fighter had yet to show the other.

The practice gloves had been taken off. Now it was a serious fight. Gerrek was tempted to transform and use his full strength, but he still couldn't say for certain that the fighter in front of him could handle it. He needed to stretch things a little further before he'd know for sure. So he allowed Zach the next move. His ribs on the right side had taken that one jab from before, but it wasn't too bad. A single jab wasn't enough to put him away. Zach's intention for the feint had worked out. Gerrek dropped his guard lower in hopes of an easy block to set up some kind of counter attack. As Zach halted that punch mid-attack and leaped upward, Gerrek caught wind of the real attack. Though he was perhaps a bit late, he did manage to reduce the damage. He leaned backward at what would normally be an impossible angle for someone to stand at, turning his face to one side so it would be a cheek shot instead of a jaw shot.

His movements would place Zach partially above him if he followed. Now having part of his weight on his tail, Gerrek rose his guard in case of continued assault. He brought his left leg up in a wide arc from the side in an attempt to place another kick in Zach's ribs, this time the opposite side. He would see just how solid that armor was. If it didn't hold up then he'd continue working a strategy to incorporate the effects of the environment into his attacks. If it did hold up then this fight would last much longer as he'd have to fight much more cautiously.

[Zach]

Zach grinned at the comment about his armor being inpressive but now that the fight was getting serious, he wasn't going to destract himself by speaking like Nam and other opponents had. To start speaking in the middle of a fight was to open up a door and let your opponent take advantage. Launching himself skyward after feigning a chest punch, Zach was happy to see his opponent's guard dropping as he rose up. Pulling back the hand he'd struck with and thrusting the intended punch to Gerrek's face forth, the boy noted his target was getting further away. Evidently Gerrek had picked up on his ploy and was attempting to lean away from the punch. Zach followed though, insuring it hit and continued to ascend above the alien. From his elevated vantage point he he couldn't miss the twisting motion preceeding the launching of a knee strike and given their similar speeds and strengths, the boy had time to react.

With his armor already active, Zach had but to move any of his protected limbs into an interposing position and the armor would give Gerrek's knee a bone jarring reception. He obviously wasn't going to twist and use his chest as that would leave his side and back open. His arms were busy retracting into their defensive position up high and if he dropped on to block the knee, that would leave his head unguarded. Although the chances of his opponent trying to work the knee into a combination were slim since the knee it's self was generally slower in Zach's experiance and thus an undesirable starter for a combination, he couldn't yet tell just what this alien man would do. That left blocking with one of his legs. Since he was off the ground anyway, Zach was free to pull his right leg up and intercept the knee. Although he probably could have taken the shot, blocking this time had the advantage of saving him from further injury and potentially hurting Gerrek's knee in the prcess, he'd learned that from his fight with Nam. Although the frictionless energy armor wasn't intended as an offensive weapon, it was still a hard surface being struck and would hopefully at the very least give Gerrek something to think about.

Zach wouldn't just stop with the block though, with the heat, he had to keep things moving and get this fight over with quickly as his bare skin was already slick with sweat and the rays of the artificial sun were getting more oppresive. Once his leg was up and firmly blocking Gerrek's, Zach attempting a counter conbination of his own, dropping his right elbow down with the intent of smashing it into Gerrek's leg and then launching the same arm forward for a shot to the alien's snout. If it hit, Zach would reverse the motion and attempt to land the left and then start to pull away using his ability to fly.

[Gray Callahan]

Gerrek is disqualified!

1200 PL rewarded to each.

[Deleted]

I hope both of you will come and join me at the Banquet for your reward.