by Chao-Li Xin was a fighter. He always had been- ever since the day of his birth. He trained in various martial arts since he learned how to walk and primarily received instruction from his father, Chao-Wei Yun- a powerful mage who made a large portion of his family’s income through winning battle tournaments in fight clubs across Fiore. Chao-Wei was known throughout most of the underground world for his explosive power and heavily offensive battle strategies. He relied on his intimidating physique to scare his foes and cause them to doubt their own fighting abilities before finishing them off quickly with overwhelming strength. Being his son, it was expected for Chao-Li Xin to live up to- and exceed- the standards set by Chao-Wei. However, this was difficult. No matter how hard he tried, Chao-Li was overshadowed by bigger and better players. He was the “perennial underdog” of competitions- he had lots of skill and was no slouch in the ring but always seemed to let his shortcomings show at the most inopportune of times. Furthermore, the spectators in the audience always seemed to cheer for his enemy (who usually ended up winning.) Some likely felt sorry for Chao-Li- and he hated being pitied. When his father left the underground fighting scene and moved up to fight in the EFG (Earthland Fighters Guild- the most popular pay-per-view fighting show on Lacrima-vision) Chao-Li felt even more pressured to measure up to his standards.
Despite the events of the past, today was Chao-Li’s big day. He had been participating in a televised fighting tournament to win an enormous sum of money and a whole lot of glory. Every Friday of every week for the past five weeks tournament matches were held in his city’s local arena and today marked the final round. Chao-Li had won his last five battles with vigor and determination, displaying a tremendous amount of skill and prowess in the ring. The objective of the fight was for one fighter to throw his opponent out of the ring and into the deep water that surrounded it, and Chao-Li did not have too much trouble doing that. Aside from this stipulation there were no other rules- and in some matches fighters brutalized their opponents, or got help from the outside. None of this had happened to Chao so far, but he knew to be alert.
He was matched up against a man named Krakatoa- a magma mage. Chao-Li had watched this man’s matches beforehand and he was no joke; his lava magic left opponents helplessly battered and burnt to a crisp, unable to do much as they were slowly disassembled. Furthermore, he had an intimidating demeanor; his skin was painted blood red and he wore a mask which looked like it was made of molten rock. When it came down to match time Chao would be sure to dodge the man’s spells and strike hard to incapacitate Krakatoa before he could deal damage. Chao-Li came up to the arena, signed his papers and waivers and such for the day, and went to the area where the competitors waited to enter the ring. After sitting for a time, he was escorted to the fighting area by two attendants. He was kept in a separate waiting chamber from Krakatoa, and thus he had some alone time to meditate on his fight strategy.
He walked over the bridge spanning the fighters’ entrance and the ring, looking down at the waters below. The crowd was cheering; as he stepped into the ring, he threw shadow punches and boxed with an invisible man before stepping back to his corner. As Krakatoa arrived, the crowd went insane with cheers- louder than those that were heard for Chao-Li. This made the fighter somewhat jealous, but he knew he could not lose focus here.
The two announcers, Alexander Bennett and Vladimir Coleman, would begin their commentary now. Their voices would be broadcasted throughout the arena and on television. These two men were retired fighters themselves, and had experience in the ring.
Well, Vlad- it looks like we’ve got an intense fight ahead of us, don’t we?
Bennett (who was younger) had a smooth and even voice- he was only 26 and had been put out of the ring because of an injury that needed time to heal.
We do indeed- these two competitors, Chao-Li Xin and Krakatoa are most definitely going to give it their all today!
Coleman’s voice was less even than Bennett’s, as he was older. He had participated in this very tournament (it was held annually) at least 20 times, and won 8. Statistically speaking, 8 / 20 was a very impressive number. Coleman held the record for most tournament wins.
At the sound of Coleman’s comment, Chao-Li smirked somewhat. It sure would be an intense fight, wouldn’t it? He planned on giving it his all- but he knew his opponent would be doing the same. A huge prize was on the line here.
So Alex- what do you think we have in store today? How about an overview of the two competitors?
On one side of the ring we’ve got Krakatoa, the established veteran- he’s been scaring his opponents with his wild and brutal magic for years. He’s won this very tournament almost as many times as you have, Vlad. His aggressive style of attacking and his lack of mercy are very intimidating- yet very impressive.
That’s great and all- but what about his opponent? He’s surely got something to show us, doesn’t he?
That he does, that he does. Chao-Li Xin is new to this tournament, but he’s already been showing a strong streak. He absolutely decimated his opponents in the past few weeks with his clever fighting tactics and powerful bomb magic. It’s almost as if he’s got something to prove, don’t you think?
Well, whether or not he does, we’ll be in for a brutal fight today! Let’s get ready to rumble!
Chao-Li did have something to prove- and he was very close to accomplishing it.
As soon as the bell rung to begin the fight, Chao-Li flew towards Krakatoa with a flurry of strong physical strikes. He aimed swift jabs to the gut before leaping into the air and striking his enemy’s head with a kick.
And Chao-Li opens this one up with a flurry of powerful strikes! We’ve seen these before- they’re what he uses to get an edge on his opponents early in battle.
Krakatoa was hit, but he shrugged the blows off relatively quickly. He countered by coating his palm with lava and aiming a strike at Chao, who dodged and pulled off his own counter- a fierce blow to the windpipe. Krakatoa was stunned momentarily by this, and Chao took advantage. He shoved Krakatoa to the ground with great strength and stomped on the earth, causing a line of small explosions to make their way to the grounded magma mage. Once the explosions reached Krakatoa, they culminated in a single, large bomb-like blast. This hit Krakatoa hard.
Wow, did you see that? Chao just smashed the veteran in the chest, shoved him down, and capitalized with a strong explosion attack! That’s some good fighting there.
Indeed, but let’s not forget what a monster Krakatoa can be if he begins to gain some ground. Chao may have the upper hand now, but he’s going to have to ensure that he does not give his opponent any opportunities to make a comeback.
Chao-Li heard this, and would use this knowledge to his advantage. While Krakatoa was still grounded, he leapt into the air and performed a spinning kick, sending an arcing shockwave towards the lava wizard. Once it made contact with his body, it exploded into a blast of crimson flames and red smoke. The crowd was going insane; when the smoke cleared, Krakatoa was motionless on the floor of the ring.
Bennett, did you see what just happened? Chao-Li just used one of his many signature bomb magic moves, Scarlet Lullaby, to damage Krakatoa even further! It looks like the match might be over soon.
Chao-Li smiled; he was quite close to victory now. He remained cautious, however. Krakatoa began to stir, and he rose slowly. Chao would not be content in a one-sided victory- he wanted to give his foe some ground now to even out the match. As soon as Krakatoa got to his feet he was on the attack; waving his red arms, he summoned a wave of magma which moved quickly towards Chao. In order to block this attack, Chao slammed a fist into the ground, causing an explosion to occur around him. The force caused by this blast was enough to prevent the magma from touching him and burning him. Krakatoa was shocked when the lava cleared and Chao-Li was unharmed.
And Krakatoa is looking shocked here- his signature Lava Tsunami had no effect on Chao-Li Xin! What clever usage of explosion magic- it seems the force from the blast surrounding Chao-Li has completely prevented the magma from affecting him at all!
Chao-Li laughed at Krakatoa’s disbelief, and smiled smugly. Krakatoa roared and stamped his foot on the ground- as soon as he had done so, the earth beneath him began to crack and splinter, red hot magma filling the fissures. In order to prevent being burned, Chao-Li hopped upon the slabs of solid earth which remained, avoiding the lava. As the cracks began to grow larger and more magma began to show, Chao found himself taking bigger leaps and bounds until he reached Krakatoa.
Look at this- Chao-Li is avoiding the magma while running towards his opponent! What could be in store next?
As he came close to Krakatoa, he leapt into the air, and compressed magic energy in his fist- he slammed this fist into Krakatoa’s face, releasing the energy in the form of a great explosion, the impact flooring Krakatoa and sending him to the edge of the ring.
Oh, my God! There’s his finisher, Shellshock! We’ve seen many fighters taken out by this devastating move in Chao’s previous fights. Can Krakatoa get up?
Chao was sure his opponent was done. He was wrong.
Don’t tell me, Vlad- do you see that? Is Krakatoa beginning to stir?
He was indeed stirring. Chao made his way towards Krakatoa, but the cracks in the earth grew larger still and magma filled them more rapidly. Before he was able to strike Krakatoa again and push him out of the ring and into the water, he was struck by a searing wave of magma- this threw him back several meters. His enemy had gotten to his feet and capitalized before Chao could, and this was a damaging blow. Scrambling to regain footing, Chao-Li dodged another wave by using the same explosion technique from before, but found he was only making the cracks in the ground larger. He made a large leap in the opposite direction- a smart move. Krakatoa was advancing.
It looks to me that Krakatoa is beginning to gain ground as we feared- this might be the end of Chao-Li Xin!
The crowd booed. Chao-Li heard these words, but this was not the end- most definitely not. His eyes were glowing with determination as he channeled his magic energy into both fists. Chao-Li charged once more towards Krakatoa. He dodged another incoming wave of magma and leapt into the air.
Whoa, Bennett- check this out! Is that what I think it is?
The two commentators (and the audience) were at the edges of their seats- Chao-Li slammed one fist into Krakatoa’s face, which exploded violently, and the other to his gut (exploding as well.)
DOUBLE SHELLSHOCK!
The audience went absolutely wild- Krakatoa was just at the edge of the ring once again. It looked as though Chao-Li had beaten him- but the latter fighter was drained as well. He limped towards the edge of the field (stepping over the cracks once more) and attempted to shove his (much larger) opponent off into the water. Before he could finish the job, a pillar of magma shot upwards in the center of the field. When the red, molten rock cleared three men about Chao’s size had appeared. They were each colored red as Krakatoa was.
Uh-oh, not these clowns again.
It’s team Magma, Krakatoa’s little posse. This can’t be good- they intend to win the match for their boss!
That they did. The three men sprung towards Chao-Li, who was near exhaustion, dragged him away from Krakatoa, and began to attack him. They each threw kicks and punches, raining down fierce blows. Chao countered angrily- using the last of his magic power, he emanated explosive energy from his body in the force of an explosion- (essentially he projected magic in the form of an aura surrounding him and detonated said magic.)
Despite having numbers against him, look at Chao trying to fight back! He’s such an admirable fighter.
Team Magma was thrown back by the blast- however, they were back on Chao-Li once more, now using their own weaker lava magic to incapacitate him. They used their numbers to their advantage, picking up the downed man (who had exhausted his magic power) and tossing him from the ring into the water. The bell rang, and Krakatoa (who was unconscious after being hit by all of Chao-Li’s spells) was declared the winner.
This is despicable. Look at Chao’s actual opponent- he can barely even stand!
Oh well. A match is a match. Regardless, Chao-Li Xin performed wonderfully for us today. He’s definitely shown an incredible prowess in battle. He’s a talented young man.
As Krakatoa’s little posse accepted Krakatoa’s prize money and such (they would give this to their boss later) Chao-Li floated in the pool below, half conscious. He was incredibly angry about being beaten in this fashion- however, he was somewhat glad that the announcers had recognized him as a strong fighter. The crowd was also booing wildly- they showed great support for Chao as well. He resolved to train harder and make himself stronger- that way he would get the victory he so desired.
Despite the events of the past, today was Chao-Li’s big day. He had been participating in a televised fighting tournament to win an enormous sum of money and a whole lot of glory. Every Friday of every week for the past five weeks tournament matches were held in his city’s local arena and today marked the final round. Chao-Li had won his last five battles with vigor and determination, displaying a tremendous amount of skill and prowess in the ring. The objective of the fight was for one fighter to throw his opponent out of the ring and into the deep water that surrounded it, and Chao-Li did not have too much trouble doing that. Aside from this stipulation there were no other rules- and in some matches fighters brutalized their opponents, or got help from the outside. None of this had happened to Chao so far, but he knew to be alert.
He was matched up against a man named Krakatoa- a magma mage. Chao-Li had watched this man’s matches beforehand and he was no joke; his lava magic left opponents helplessly battered and burnt to a crisp, unable to do much as they were slowly disassembled. Furthermore, he had an intimidating demeanor; his skin was painted blood red and he wore a mask which looked like it was made of molten rock. When it came down to match time Chao would be sure to dodge the man’s spells and strike hard to incapacitate Krakatoa before he could deal damage. Chao-Li came up to the arena, signed his papers and waivers and such for the day, and went to the area where the competitors waited to enter the ring. After sitting for a time, he was escorted to the fighting area by two attendants. He was kept in a separate waiting chamber from Krakatoa, and thus he had some alone time to meditate on his fight strategy.
He walked over the bridge spanning the fighters’ entrance and the ring, looking down at the waters below. The crowd was cheering; as he stepped into the ring, he threw shadow punches and boxed with an invisible man before stepping back to his corner. As Krakatoa arrived, the crowd went insane with cheers- louder than those that were heard for Chao-Li. This made the fighter somewhat jealous, but he knew he could not lose focus here.
The two announcers, Alexander Bennett and Vladimir Coleman, would begin their commentary now. Their voices would be broadcasted throughout the arena and on television. These two men were retired fighters themselves, and had experience in the ring.
Well, Vlad- it looks like we’ve got an intense fight ahead of us, don’t we?
Bennett (who was younger) had a smooth and even voice- he was only 26 and had been put out of the ring because of an injury that needed time to heal.
We do indeed- these two competitors, Chao-Li Xin and Krakatoa are most definitely going to give it their all today!
Coleman’s voice was less even than Bennett’s, as he was older. He had participated in this very tournament (it was held annually) at least 20 times, and won 8. Statistically speaking, 8 / 20 was a very impressive number. Coleman held the record for most tournament wins.
At the sound of Coleman’s comment, Chao-Li smirked somewhat. It sure would be an intense fight, wouldn’t it? He planned on giving it his all- but he knew his opponent would be doing the same. A huge prize was on the line here.
So Alex- what do you think we have in store today? How about an overview of the two competitors?
On one side of the ring we’ve got Krakatoa, the established veteran- he’s been scaring his opponents with his wild and brutal magic for years. He’s won this very tournament almost as many times as you have, Vlad. His aggressive style of attacking and his lack of mercy are very intimidating- yet very impressive.
That’s great and all- but what about his opponent? He’s surely got something to show us, doesn’t he?
That he does, that he does. Chao-Li Xin is new to this tournament, but he’s already been showing a strong streak. He absolutely decimated his opponents in the past few weeks with his clever fighting tactics and powerful bomb magic. It’s almost as if he’s got something to prove, don’t you think?
Well, whether or not he does, we’ll be in for a brutal fight today! Let’s get ready to rumble!
Chao-Li did have something to prove- and he was very close to accomplishing it.
As soon as the bell rung to begin the fight, Chao-Li flew towards Krakatoa with a flurry of strong physical strikes. He aimed swift jabs to the gut before leaping into the air and striking his enemy’s head with a kick.
And Chao-Li opens this one up with a flurry of powerful strikes! We’ve seen these before- they’re what he uses to get an edge on his opponents early in battle.
Krakatoa was hit, but he shrugged the blows off relatively quickly. He countered by coating his palm with lava and aiming a strike at Chao, who dodged and pulled off his own counter- a fierce blow to the windpipe. Krakatoa was stunned momentarily by this, and Chao took advantage. He shoved Krakatoa to the ground with great strength and stomped on the earth, causing a line of small explosions to make their way to the grounded magma mage. Once the explosions reached Krakatoa, they culminated in a single, large bomb-like blast. This hit Krakatoa hard.
Wow, did you see that? Chao just smashed the veteran in the chest, shoved him down, and capitalized with a strong explosion attack! That’s some good fighting there.
Indeed, but let’s not forget what a monster Krakatoa can be if he begins to gain some ground. Chao may have the upper hand now, but he’s going to have to ensure that he does not give his opponent any opportunities to make a comeback.
Chao-Li heard this, and would use this knowledge to his advantage. While Krakatoa was still grounded, he leapt into the air and performed a spinning kick, sending an arcing shockwave towards the lava wizard. Once it made contact with his body, it exploded into a blast of crimson flames and red smoke. The crowd was going insane; when the smoke cleared, Krakatoa was motionless on the floor of the ring.
Bennett, did you see what just happened? Chao-Li just used one of his many signature bomb magic moves, Scarlet Lullaby, to damage Krakatoa even further! It looks like the match might be over soon.
Chao-Li smiled; he was quite close to victory now. He remained cautious, however. Krakatoa began to stir, and he rose slowly. Chao would not be content in a one-sided victory- he wanted to give his foe some ground now to even out the match. As soon as Krakatoa got to his feet he was on the attack; waving his red arms, he summoned a wave of magma which moved quickly towards Chao. In order to block this attack, Chao slammed a fist into the ground, causing an explosion to occur around him. The force caused by this blast was enough to prevent the magma from touching him and burning him. Krakatoa was shocked when the lava cleared and Chao-Li was unharmed.
And Krakatoa is looking shocked here- his signature Lava Tsunami had no effect on Chao-Li Xin! What clever usage of explosion magic- it seems the force from the blast surrounding Chao-Li has completely prevented the magma from affecting him at all!
Chao-Li laughed at Krakatoa’s disbelief, and smiled smugly. Krakatoa roared and stamped his foot on the ground- as soon as he had done so, the earth beneath him began to crack and splinter, red hot magma filling the fissures. In order to prevent being burned, Chao-Li hopped upon the slabs of solid earth which remained, avoiding the lava. As the cracks began to grow larger and more magma began to show, Chao found himself taking bigger leaps and bounds until he reached Krakatoa.
Look at this- Chao-Li is avoiding the magma while running towards his opponent! What could be in store next?
As he came close to Krakatoa, he leapt into the air, and compressed magic energy in his fist- he slammed this fist into Krakatoa’s face, releasing the energy in the form of a great explosion, the impact flooring Krakatoa and sending him to the edge of the ring.
Oh, my God! There’s his finisher, Shellshock! We’ve seen many fighters taken out by this devastating move in Chao’s previous fights. Can Krakatoa get up?
Chao was sure his opponent was done. He was wrong.
Don’t tell me, Vlad- do you see that? Is Krakatoa beginning to stir?
He was indeed stirring. Chao made his way towards Krakatoa, but the cracks in the earth grew larger still and magma filled them more rapidly. Before he was able to strike Krakatoa again and push him out of the ring and into the water, he was struck by a searing wave of magma- this threw him back several meters. His enemy had gotten to his feet and capitalized before Chao could, and this was a damaging blow. Scrambling to regain footing, Chao-Li dodged another wave by using the same explosion technique from before, but found he was only making the cracks in the ground larger. He made a large leap in the opposite direction- a smart move. Krakatoa was advancing.
It looks to me that Krakatoa is beginning to gain ground as we feared- this might be the end of Chao-Li Xin!
The crowd booed. Chao-Li heard these words, but this was not the end- most definitely not. His eyes were glowing with determination as he channeled his magic energy into both fists. Chao-Li charged once more towards Krakatoa. He dodged another incoming wave of magma and leapt into the air.
Whoa, Bennett- check this out! Is that what I think it is?
The two commentators (and the audience) were at the edges of their seats- Chao-Li slammed one fist into Krakatoa’s face, which exploded violently, and the other to his gut (exploding as well.)
DOUBLE SHELLSHOCK!
The audience went absolutely wild- Krakatoa was just at the edge of the ring once again. It looked as though Chao-Li had beaten him- but the latter fighter was drained as well. He limped towards the edge of the field (stepping over the cracks once more) and attempted to shove his (much larger) opponent off into the water. Before he could finish the job, a pillar of magma shot upwards in the center of the field. When the red, molten rock cleared three men about Chao’s size had appeared. They were each colored red as Krakatoa was.
Uh-oh, not these clowns again.
It’s team Magma, Krakatoa’s little posse. This can’t be good- they intend to win the match for their boss!
That they did. The three men sprung towards Chao-Li, who was near exhaustion, dragged him away from Krakatoa, and began to attack him. They each threw kicks and punches, raining down fierce blows. Chao countered angrily- using the last of his magic power, he emanated explosive energy from his body in the force of an explosion- (essentially he projected magic in the form of an aura surrounding him and detonated said magic.)
Despite having numbers against him, look at Chao trying to fight back! He’s such an admirable fighter.
Team Magma was thrown back by the blast- however, they were back on Chao-Li once more, now using their own weaker lava magic to incapacitate him. They used their numbers to their advantage, picking up the downed man (who had exhausted his magic power) and tossing him from the ring into the water. The bell rang, and Krakatoa (who was unconscious after being hit by all of Chao-Li’s spells) was declared the winner.
This is despicable. Look at Chao’s actual opponent- he can barely even stand!
Oh well. A match is a match. Regardless, Chao-Li Xin performed wonderfully for us today. He’s definitely shown an incredible prowess in battle. He’s a talented young man.
As Krakatoa’s little posse accepted Krakatoa’s prize money and such (they would give this to their boss later) Chao-Li floated in the pool below, half conscious. He was incredibly angry about being beaten in this fashion- however, he was somewhat glad that the announcers had recognized him as a strong fighter. The crowd was also booing wildly- they showed great support for Chao as well. He resolved to train harder and make himself stronger- that way he would get the victory he so desired.
