Lights, Cameras, Action (Steel, Invite)

Due to Fukushu's power level, the sheer speed and strength behind that thrown rock meant that the drone was soon reduced to little pieces.  After a small explosion caused by the sudden rupture of its battery, of course.

A little under a mile away, Donût was trying to wrangle a handful of drones to capture the devastation and ongoing repairs being done to Lux.  Good footage for the inaugural episode of his travel show.  Then, he noticed that one of the feeds had suddenly cut out.

"Dagnabbit.  I swear if it's sum new lil' Fauxbian lady that's mad I'm takin' pictures'f tha city..."

He focused in on the drone that had gone silent, pulling up the footage it had broadcast to the central control device worn on his wrist.  And... instead of a Fauxbian, green or otherwise, destroying his drone on accident... it was a Heran.  Who had thrown a rock at it.  Donût sighed and pulled up its last marked location.

Then, he set the remaining drones on a course that kept them WELL away from the Heran fellow and leaped from the top of the very tall building he'd been standing on.  He landed many stories below on the roof of some sort of grand apartment complex, only to leap again, soaring through the air... until he landed near a pile of rubble.  Another leap brought him up and up and over to land right in front of Fukushu.

"What tha heckle-freckle is up with people in this town an' destroyin' ma drones?  Seriously, is this sum sorta facet'f Konatsian culture I wasn't told about?  Just breakin' things that ain't yers as soon as ya get a lil' cross?"

He wasn't, shouting, but Donût definitely sounded cross.  And he was less than an arm's length away from Fukushu.

He was also looking... strange.  A hairy little human that didn't even reach up to five feet tall.  In fact, he was one inch shy, standing at 4'11", or 149 centimeters, tall.  He had a fuzzy, wild mullet-mane of hair on his head, a goatee, cheap and gaudy-looking sunglasses... and strangely enough, an ugly, aqua sweater with orange stripes.  The sweater made some sense, though.  It was a chilly day, and tended to get even colder on top of buildings.  It made more sense than the neon-pink sneakers, or the tight jeans.

"Listen man, these ain't even my drones, dig?  These belong ta ma new agents, and I already lost one... so I'm gonna need sum monetary compensation fer tha one ya just broke."



Steel demands payment for his broken drone!
PL: 40,000

KP: 6/6
MP: 0/6
HP: 0/250

WC: 427

"Again, wut is it with this town?!  I mean, I luv tha lights'n tha sights, but people keep showin' no respect fer others' things!  I mean, does it ever occur ta people ta just... ask that footage not be shown?!  'Er ta ASK me ta move tha drones, instead'f breakin' 'em?!"

Donût seemed as though he was about to leave as he ranted, turning around and walking down the rubble pile that Fukushu had been working on and standing on top of... Then he turned around, about half-way down the slope.  With the barest of effort, he jumped off the pylon which he'd been standing on and landed back in front of Fukushu.

"Wait a minute... Are you threatenin' me?  Cause if ya are, I just wanna get this straight... Ya see a civilian model camera drone recordin' footage that includes you in a public place.  Yer first instinct is ta break it.  Then, when tha guy that was operatin' tha drone comes in, an' asks fer nuthin' more than tha money ta replace tha drone... yer instinct is ta threaten him with a beatin'?!  Wut are ya, sum sorta... space-pirate-mafia-man that's hidin' out from tha law'f his homeworld?  Cause I know you ain't a biological Konatsian!  Konatsians ain't blue, buster brown!"

If Fukushu was still bent over by the time this little rant was over, or had bent over again when Donût came back, he would have gotten a meaty little finger stuck into his face.

"Now it's yer turn ta listen ta me...", Donût said as he thumbed back to himself.  His voice shifted as he continued speaking, into the stage persona of Mister Steel. 

"I am not gonna be held liable fer breakin' company cameras right after I got 'em. I am not gonna ruin ma big break!  So you, tha feller that actually broke tha camera, are either gunna give me tha Zeni ta replace it, or help me get tha Zeni ta replace it.  In a legal manner."

Donût crossed his arms, and turned his shade-covered eyes to stare right into Fukushu's own.  Well... the mirrored lenses of the shades stared into Fukushu's eyes, since Donût's eyes were hidden behind them.  Fukushu would have seen his own face glaring back at him in them... his own body...

"Or... I'll go ta tha nearest law-enforcement kiosk an' report yer keister ta tha proper authorities!  I got all tha footage ma drones took saved ta tha cloud!  Y'know wut that means?!  I ONLY VAGUELY DO!  BUT I KNOW ENOUGH TA KNOW YA CAN'T JUST BREAK MA CONTROLS TA GET RID'F THA EVIDENCE!  So, while I'm sure destruction'f a drone ain't too big'f a deal, yer name will be on tha police's list an' I will press charges."

The tilting of Donût's eyebrows was the only indication that he was narrowing his eyes behind his shades.  He also pursed his lips tight enough to make his top lip disappear into the mustache portion of his goatee.

"So what'll it be, big blue wonder?  Do we settle this peaceful like, or not?"


WC: 519

Total WC: 946

The Unbreakable Mister Steel may have been a bit naïve, and thus willing to believe that Fukushu had seen reason, but he was a professional fighter with lots of wins and losses under his belt.  He'd also seen lots of movies that had dark and dastardly dorks who dared to draw on dirty tricks to win.  He knew a distraction when he saw one.  Therefore, rather than look up at the bag for the split-second Fukushu needed to go for the sucker punch, Mister Steel... disappeared.

Mister Steel uses Get Out the Way for 60% PL, or 24,000 Power!
-2 KP
4/6 KP

24,000 PL beats 7,098 by a longshot and with 16,902 Power to spare!
Before Fukushu's fist could hit him, Steel boosted his ki juuuust enough to move very, very fast for the split second he needed to get out of the way.  He wasn't quite fast enough to leave an after-image, though.  Instead, one moment he was mere inches away from a knuckle sandwich, the next he was gone.  He'd used his speed-boost to leap up and away from the fist, then flip over Fukushu's head, grabbing the coin-purse as he did so.

"Alright, so... It's 'bout five-hunnered-thousand Zeni fer a commercial camera drone..."

The voice of Mister Steel came from behind Fukushu.  And if Fukushu turned around, he would have seen that ludicrous little Earthling in the ugly sweater... rifling through his money-bag, looking for big bills to take while standing on a rubble pile about fifty feet away.  Steel grabbed a couple of "Lux-Bux" paper notes with big numbers on them and tossed the bag and the rest of the money back to Fukushu.

"I know ya said "coin", but I don't think that pocket change is gunna be 'nough.  So uh, gonna take tha big bills, if ya don't mind. Oh yeah, do ya have an address I c'n send tha change to?  Just in case I took too much?"

So not only had Steel dodged Fukushu's fist, he was acting as if the attempt to sucker-punch him hadn't even happened and had just taken the money he felt he was owed... as per the agreement Fukushu had made with him.  Not only that, he was... promising to return any excess money.


+1 MP for posting, +1 MP for using a technique.
2/6 MP

WC: 349

Total WC: 1,295

"Alright, now yer just gettin' confusin'."

Steel had just tossed the bag back in Fukushu's direction when Fukushu decided he was going to charge with both hands outstretched.  Presumably, he was planning to rush Steel and try to crush him with some sort of tackle.  Fukushu was fast, yes.  Just as fast as Steel, he was actually perfectly in Steel's league when it came to power, speed, and strength.  There was a fair chance he could actually beat Steel if he pulled out all the stops.

However, there was one key problem with Steel facing people his own "size" so to speak...  Prior to spending a year doing nothing but train and practice new techniques, Steel had largely faced opponents that were much, much stronger than him.  And much, much faster.  And, as soon as he'd come out of training, his first actual opponent had been someone who was so far ahead of him in terms of raw power, that it was only due to luck and graciousness that Steel had managed to get a hit off at all.  Not to mention, just about everyone that Steel had faced was a highly-trained professional that had often had the benefit of guidance from a more experienced fighter.  In other words, not only did Mister Steel's opponents tend to be stronger than him, they also tended to be way more skilled than he was.

Compared to them, Fukushu might as well have been a street-punk tortoise that took a few karate classes somewhere that used to be a pizza place.  Trained, yes... but not for very long.  He was sloppy and slow.

Ki flooded Steel's arms and torso as he stood, ready to face the onslaught... at the last moment, he ducked low so that Fukushu's belly struck against his face and torso.  Provided that Fukushu didn't have any secret escape plans or techniques... he would have felt beefy little arms wrap around his body, holding him with a grip like iron, no steel.  That was when Steel bent over backwards to try and drive Fukushu's head and upper torso into the rubble pile that he was standing on, with the help of Fukushu's own momentum and weight.


Steel uses Right Back Atcha! to defend at 50% PL, or 20,000 Power!
-4 KP
0/6 KP

20,000 vs 17,737... Right Back Atcha! wins with 2,263 PL left over!
REFLECTIVE activates, shooting that, plus 20% of Steel's Power level (8,000 PL) back at Fukushu!

He's got 10,264 PL heading his way!

Once Fukushu was free or planted, Steel spoke again...

"First ya tell me I c'n have tha cash if I take it from ya, so I do.  Then ya tell me I won't get a single dime from ya... Which is it?  Like, are ya lyin' ta me er sumthin'?"

The worst part?  He sounded genuinely confused.  Like he didn't quite understand that Fukushu was trying to fleece him or beat him into the ground.


+1 MP for posting, +1 MP for using a technique
4/6 MP

WC: 441

Total WC: 1,736

"Break ma spirit?"

Mister Steel put his fists on his hips and laughed, fully embracing his stage persona as he found himself in a fight that he probably could have avoided just by being a bit more firm or... less angry when he introduced himself.  Maybe he shouldn't have threatened to go to the police, he didn't particularly care for most cops, anyways.  Oh well, it was too late to do anything more than run damage control and attempt to keep the altercation from causing damage to the non-destroyed buildings of this district.

"Buddy, do ya know who yer pickin' a fight with?"

Steel stuck out a thumb from one of his fists, before pointing it to his chest, and the ugly sweater covering it.

"I'm the UNBREAKBLE..."

As Fukushu rushed at Steel, dipping his hands into the loose pile of rubble... Mister Steel did not get into a defensive position.  Instead, he flexed in the same manner that men at bodybuilding competitions, and ancient figures on clay pots, did.

"MISTER..."

He shifted his pose again, finally getting into a proper fighting stance right when Fukushu got up close. His feet were shoulder-width apart, one in front of the other.  One fist was held close to his own cheek, the other was held up and away from himself... at around chest height.  This position left him able to maybe intercept any blow that Fukushu planned...

But it did not leave him covered from having a pair of giant, concrete pseudo-boulders crashing against his body, seemingly crushing him and covering him from sight.  For a moment, it seemed as though the annoying little man had been squished flat as a pancake.  Ended.  Killed and quiet...

And then the pair of concrete blocks exploded as Mister Steel burst out with a triumphant grin.

"STEEEEEEL!"

He landed at Fukushu's feet... then leaped up, performing a leap that would have brought his knee rocketing up and into Fukushu's chin if the big Heran didn't get out of the way.  That leap included multiple flips, head over foot over head over foot... to a spot about a hundred feet away.  The distance obscured some tearing on Steel's sweater, and the scratches on his arms and knees.  Nothing more than flesh wounds, but it showed he did need a moment to recover his power.

"I mean, "Unbreakable" is in tha name, my guy!  An' lemme tell ya sumthin', if an elite Saiyan warrior can't bring ma mood down, then yer green keister ain't doin' that neither.  But I ain't a total jackwagon... I tossed ya back yer bag, an' I'll even give ya back yer hard-earned cash...  Heck, I'll even throw in an "I'm sorry"..."

Steel pointed both index fingers at Fukushu as he added.

"An' all ya gotta do is apologize first, fer breakin' tha camera ma boys gave me.  Deal?"

He didn't know if this would defuse the tension, or convince the weird alien to stop attacking him.  However, the offer was genuine... and if nothing else, it bought Steel a few moments to get some ki flowing back to where he needed it.


Steel doesn't use a technique this turn!
+2 KP
2/6 KP

+1 MP for posting

5/6 MP

WC: 519

Total WC: 2,255

The Unbreakable Mister Steel, at first, grinned and began to speak...

"Well that's great that yer seein' reason, so howsabout-... Wait, wha-?"

Fukushu's words only caught up with him a few moments later, by which point he'd already leaped up and over a nearby roof.  The confidence and power of Steel were forgotten as Donût realized he was in serious danger of losing out on his big break.  If those cameras got broken...

"No-no-no.  HEY!  HEY!  YOU GET BACK HERE AN' FIGHT ME WITH FISTS!"

Donût leaped up and after Fukushu, landing on the roof in a single bound.  He then scanned the skyline around him... and saw the Heran's boot disappear past the edge of a slightly taller skyscraper's roof.  He leaped after it.  And then leaped again.. and again... bouncing after Fukushu while the Heran picked up random chunks of concrete and iron and stone from roof-tops around the district.  Donût wasn't very far behind Fukushu at all, but he seemed unable to fully catch up.  He just kept... almost gaining on Fukushu... What was his plan?

Donût hadn't bothered to program the remaining drones for evasive maneuvers, an oversight on his part.  However, they were on various and disparate paths that were far apart from each other, recording footage around the city of random events and passers by.  Fukushu would have his hands full trying to find the drones, AND keep Mister Steel off of his tail.  But, as they were bounding around, a civilian model, that looked eerily similar to the drone that Fukushu had pelted earlier, came into view.  It was getting a shot of a skylane, recording the flow of hovercars and similar craft as they cut through the skies on their enforced, two-dimensional routes through the three-dimensional sky.

"...Don't ya dare!"



Steel uses no technique this turn!
+2 KP
4/6 KP

+1 MP for posting
6/6 MP

WC: 302
Total WC: 2,557

Donût just kept leaping and dashing to try and keep up with Fukushu.  He was getting closer... closer... closer...  He knew he had to stop Fukushu from breaking another drone.  One broken drone was bad, two was worse, and three might have meant an end to his career before it began.

"Don't ya dare throw-!"

Donût had to admit, he hadn't expected Fukushu to turn around and grab him from close range.  But it was a solid strategy.  Lead him away from the rubble piles with a threat to something that Steel wasn't willing to lose or risk... Then use that to get through his guard and prevent him from dodging or blocking or turning the attack around, like he'd been able to do with just a bit of forewarning.

"Oh, I see wut yer do- IIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNnnnnnnnn...!"

There he was.  Falling from a skyscraper taller than most mountains, held tight by big green arms that refused to let go.  Steel didn't have time to wriggle his way free, and even if he escaped at this height... he was travelling head-first towards the concrete below at what was quickly becoming terminal velocity.  And, since he never did figure out how to fly, The Unbreakable Mister Steel had no choice but to test out his title with Fukushu's (and gravity's) assistance.

Fukushu's maneuver went off without a hitch.  He let go at just the right moment, and Mister Steel crashed into a less-busy, but still populated, street.  Actually, he crashed through the street into the service tunnels below, causing the ground to shake and debris to be sent up and into the air.  Some sort of steam pipe burst, shooting up clouds of hot vapor up and into the air... where it slowly dissipated, just above the hole in the street.  Konatsians were fleeing this way and that, and a few were calling up the cops.  Ground-cars and buses, and hover-cars that had dipped below the official sky-lanes, tried to get far away from the empowered fighters.


Steel takes the hit at full power!
28,379 PL ≈ 71%

DAM: 71/250

Donût took a moment to take stock.  So... he'd broken through a sidewalk.  He'd gotten quite a few cuts and bruises, and it was likely that one of his bones was busted up somewhere.  He grunted as he stood up, and streeeeeetched out his arms... feeling... not his sweater.  Nope, that had been torn to shreds by the concrete and pipes and wires.  It was... completely gone.  And his t-shirt underneath wasn't looking very good either. Oh, and his shades had snapped in half and fallen from his face. So, with his hairy chest bared to the world, Steel leaped out of the hole... and looked up.  He saw where Fukushu had clutched to the wall, and slid down to street level.  Very calmly, with a demeanor similar to a glacier stopping a forest-fire... He spoke.

"Ma grandmama made me that sweater.  She made me it right 'fore she died, after ma first big win."

He cracked his knuckles as he said this, glaring at Fukushu with full rage.  But not the blind, unseeing rage that one might expect.  This was... cold and calculated anger.

"I tried ta go easy on ya.  Tried ta resolve things peaceful like..."

He rolled his shoulders, cracked his neck.

"I'm gunna give ya one. Last. Chance. Either apologize... Or I'm gonna hafta end this fight real quick, 'fore some civilians get hurt."

From some back pocket, he pulled out a pair of shades.  These he flipped open with a flick of the wrist, before placing the shades onto his face.  His eyes were covered... but the tight-lipped frown remained, and his eyebrows were still furrowed.  Then he got into a proper fighting stance again, fists up, legs apart, ready to get into it.


Steel uses no technique this turn!
+2 KP
6/6 KP

MP gain doesn't matter, since he's full.
6/6 MP

WC: 627

Total WC: 3,184