Round two, fight two; Lance vs. Darnell
Round two, fight two; Lance vs. Darnell
OOC: Sorry I didn't consult you while drawing the names, Meg. I did it quickly because I needed to start the round before the day ended. Do you want to go first or should I?
This is an archival account used by staff to port posts belonging to the former handler Slayer.
((Eh, I'm not worried about it. Do you mind taking first post? Gonna be busy today/tonight.))
It was over half an hour later, and as Darnell Butler descended into the Shooters basement again for the semifinals of the tournament, he still couldn't quite believe he had beaten Bobby Jacks in the previous match. Especially not so easily. It hadn't taken long at all to catch the boxer in an armbar and force him to submit, perhaps somewhat ironic due to Darnell's own certainty he would lose that fight. Nevertheless, as he once again navigated through the crowd and tried to ignore both the smells and sounds of the basement where the tournament was being held, he reminded himself that it was almost over.
Two more wins, and that money's mine.
It was already the semifinals, all he had to do was win twice more, then he could leave. Except for his sore back (which had calmed down some) he had emerged from the last round unscathed. As he entered the ring still in his black shirt and shorts, wiping a bit of sweat off his brow, he supposed that fact would give him an advantage. He'd heard patrons talking about the previous fights, and while Melissa had gotten messed up some in her win, Paul and Lance won with rather little effort, according to rumours Paul's fight only lasted thirty seconds. Still, they had to have taken some damage, at least.
Taking a glance at the bulletin board, which was visible from his position in the ring of spectators, he was fighting Lance. Lance Barrett...it seemed Montezzo was determined to not give Darnell any breathing room in these fights, the boy thought with a chuckle. Lance was tough, Darnell knew that full well, and the ex delinquent also had a far better reason to be there than Darnell did.
That man needs the money far more than I do.
By now, the pregnancy of Heather Tilmitt, girlfriend of Lance Barrett, was common knowledge among the school. It was obvious to someone like Darnell, then, why Lance would be fighting here for two hundred dollars in prize money. It made Darnell think though, what right did he have to be here as Lance's opponent? Darnell wasn't here for any good reason, he didn't even need the money. Who was he to interfere with a man who desperately needed that same money for his child? Shaking his head, he tried to clear the thoughts from his head while he waited for Lance to show up, bouncing lightly on his feet for a second before throwing several jabs and one-two combinations. He might as well get warmed up, he figured.
Baby or not, Lance Barrett, I'm not going to insult you by holding back.
Two more wins, and that money's mine.
It was already the semifinals, all he had to do was win twice more, then he could leave. Except for his sore back (which had calmed down some) he had emerged from the last round unscathed. As he entered the ring still in his black shirt and shorts, wiping a bit of sweat off his brow, he supposed that fact would give him an advantage. He'd heard patrons talking about the previous fights, and while Melissa had gotten messed up some in her win, Paul and Lance won with rather little effort, according to rumours Paul's fight only lasted thirty seconds. Still, they had to have taken some damage, at least.
Taking a glance at the bulletin board, which was visible from his position in the ring of spectators, he was fighting Lance. Lance Barrett...it seemed Montezzo was determined to not give Darnell any breathing room in these fights, the boy thought with a chuckle. Lance was tough, Darnell knew that full well, and the ex delinquent also had a far better reason to be there than Darnell did.
That man needs the money far more than I do.
By now, the pregnancy of Heather Tilmitt, girlfriend of Lance Barrett, was common knowledge among the school. It was obvious to someone like Darnell, then, why Lance would be fighting here for two hundred dollars in prize money. It made Darnell think though, what right did he have to be here as Lance's opponent? Darnell wasn't here for any good reason, he didn't even need the money. Who was he to interfere with a man who desperately needed that same money for his child? Shaking his head, he tried to clear the thoughts from his head while he waited for Lance to show up, bouncing lightly on his feet for a second before throwing several jabs and one-two combinations. He might as well get warmed up, he figured.
Baby or not, Lance Barrett, I'm not going to insult you by holding back.
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((Continued from Round One, Fight Two; Lance vs. Jessa))
Maybe it was the fact that the adrenaline that had been burning from his fight with Jessa Vanallen was beginning to fade off, but Lance Barrett definitely knew one thing -- those little baby punches she'd thrown at him throughout the course of the last round were starting to hurt like hell. He hadn't realized how hard she'd punched him in the face, and now it felt like his eye was starting to swell up where her fist had connected. He didn't know if the eye was black or not, he hadn't had the time or motivation to look in a mirror since the fight had ended. Instead, he'd remained downstairs to watch the third and fourth fights of round one. He had called Heather in the middle of Melissa and Brad's fight to tell her that he'd won his first match, but the only response he'd gotten out of her was a, "That's nice", and "So the money is going to me, right?"
No, bitch, it's going to her.
Her response had, understandably, made him a bit upset. Maybe he shouldn't have even told her he'd entered the fight, maybe he shouldn't have said anything about the money. Now, he was mentally kicking himself for doing so. If he'd been wise, he would've simply taken the prize money down to the local bank and started a savings account for their little girl. She'd need clothes and books and shoes, and she'd need money for tuition into college, because come hell or high water, she was going to college. Lance wouldn't let her screw up her life like both he and Heather had done, she was going to be better than that.
The thoughts raced through his head as he rushed from the grungy basement restroom. It was his fight, and he would be lucky if he made it to the ring now, purely because he'd become lost in his thoughts. He raced through the jam-packed crowd and just barely made it to the ring. For a moment, a look of horror shot across his face, and he was afraid that Montezzo was getting ready to disqualify him. When he didn't, though, Lance managed to regain his composure fairly quickly.
His opponent? One, Mr. Darnell "the Bull" Butler. An intimidating force, to be sure. Fortunately, Lance had been able to watch the match between Darnell and Bobby Jacks, so he'd been able to at least get some idea of the football player's style of fighting. Fighting Darnell was going to be a lot different than manhandling the girl from the first round, that much was for certain. If he made it through this match, he'd either take on Paul Smith or Melissa Diaz, and although part of him was hoping for Melissa simply because she was a girl, Lance was smart enough to know that size and gender don't really matter in a tournament like this. Girls can be even more vicious than some of the guys.
"Butler," Lance mused with a light smirk as he sized up the gargantuan standing in front of him.
Why is someone like Darnell Butler even here to begin with? What does someone like him, some spoiled kid from the 'burbs, need with two hundred dollars? I'm sure he could just take it out of mommy and daddy's bank account if he really wanted to. He must be one of those people that's just here for the hell of it. Makes me wonder if anybody in this little tournament is here because they really need the money, or if they're all here to play games. That first girl, she probably just wanted the money for more drugs. Butler doesn't need it, I don't have a clue about the Smith kid or the Diaz chick but... I don't care. I can't lose.
"Alright man," Lance muttered as he spat to the side, "Gimme all you got."
Lance raised his fists in front of his face and braced himself. He wouldn't rush in headfirst into this fight. He'd play it smart, let Darnell come to him, try to tire him out. Darnell's fighting style seemed a lot like his own, so now, Lance had to play it a little bit differently if he didn't wand to wind up on the receiving end of a lot of chokeholds and suplexes. Any semblance of a smirk or smile faded from his features and his expression got serious, it was game time.
Maybe it was the fact that the adrenaline that had been burning from his fight with Jessa Vanallen was beginning to fade off, but Lance Barrett definitely knew one thing -- those little baby punches she'd thrown at him throughout the course of the last round were starting to hurt like hell. He hadn't realized how hard she'd punched him in the face, and now it felt like his eye was starting to swell up where her fist had connected. He didn't know if the eye was black or not, he hadn't had the time or motivation to look in a mirror since the fight had ended. Instead, he'd remained downstairs to watch the third and fourth fights of round one. He had called Heather in the middle of Melissa and Brad's fight to tell her that he'd won his first match, but the only response he'd gotten out of her was a, "That's nice", and "So the money is going to me, right?"
No, bitch, it's going to her.
Her response had, understandably, made him a bit upset. Maybe he shouldn't have even told her he'd entered the fight, maybe he shouldn't have said anything about the money. Now, he was mentally kicking himself for doing so. If he'd been wise, he would've simply taken the prize money down to the local bank and started a savings account for their little girl. She'd need clothes and books and shoes, and she'd need money for tuition into college, because come hell or high water, she was going to college. Lance wouldn't let her screw up her life like both he and Heather had done, she was going to be better than that.
The thoughts raced through his head as he rushed from the grungy basement restroom. It was his fight, and he would be lucky if he made it to the ring now, purely because he'd become lost in his thoughts. He raced through the jam-packed crowd and just barely made it to the ring. For a moment, a look of horror shot across his face, and he was afraid that Montezzo was getting ready to disqualify him. When he didn't, though, Lance managed to regain his composure fairly quickly.
His opponent? One, Mr. Darnell "the Bull" Butler. An intimidating force, to be sure. Fortunately, Lance had been able to watch the match between Darnell and Bobby Jacks, so he'd been able to at least get some idea of the football player's style of fighting. Fighting Darnell was going to be a lot different than manhandling the girl from the first round, that much was for certain. If he made it through this match, he'd either take on Paul Smith or Melissa Diaz, and although part of him was hoping for Melissa simply because she was a girl, Lance was smart enough to know that size and gender don't really matter in a tournament like this. Girls can be even more vicious than some of the guys.
"Butler," Lance mused with a light smirk as he sized up the gargantuan standing in front of him.
Why is someone like Darnell Butler even here to begin with? What does someone like him, some spoiled kid from the 'burbs, need with two hundred dollars? I'm sure he could just take it out of mommy and daddy's bank account if he really wanted to. He must be one of those people that's just here for the hell of it. Makes me wonder if anybody in this little tournament is here because they really need the money, or if they're all here to play games. That first girl, she probably just wanted the money for more drugs. Butler doesn't need it, I don't have a clue about the Smith kid or the Diaz chick but... I don't care. I can't lose.
"Alright man," Lance muttered as he spat to the side, "Gimme all you got."
Lance raised his fists in front of his face and braced himself. He wouldn't rush in headfirst into this fight. He'd play it smart, let Darnell come to him, try to tire him out. Darnell's fighting style seemed a lot like his own, so now, Lance had to play it a little bit differently if he didn't wand to wind up on the receiving end of a lot of chokeholds and suplexes. Any semblance of a smirk or smile faded from his features and his expression got serious, it was game time.
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Darnell's back was facing the area from which Lance came in when the man made his entrance. Because of that, he heard Lance before he saw him, the sound of shoes moving across concrete and the telltale murmurs of the crowd immediately giving the man away. Abruptly turning around, Darnell made eye contact with Lance as he started to step forwards briefly, sizing the man up a last time for good measure. It seemed the rumours that he had won his fight easily were somewhat mistaken, as his face was clearly bruised and one of his eyes was blackened and swelling. Lance was shorter than Darnell, and slightly heavier, but maybe the outcomes of their last fights would make the deal easier for Darnell.
Lance may have seen Darnell fight Bobby roughly half an hour prior, but Darnell had seen numerous fight videos starring Lance Barrett over the years, many of which were on Youtube, and if the man's style was even remotely the same as it had been Darnell knew many aspects to it already. From what he knew Lance was much like Darnell in that they were both grapplers, good ones too. Because of this similarity, Darnell would have to be careful, but at the same time it meant he could find weaknesses in his counterpart's style. As Lance started to speak, Darnell came to a halt in his short time stepping forward, standing up straight and in a relaxed posture with his left leg slightly in front of his right. There was a small bend in his legs, but nothing that suggested a fighting stance.
"Barrett," he said, returning the grin with one of his own while Lance sized him up, still not breaking eye contact with the older fighter as yet more doubt started to flood into his mind. Who was he to try to fuck over Lance's kid like this? He had no reason to be here, and it was even detrimental to his scholarship, or at least it would be if Montezzo hadn't gone through every legal channel he knew of to set the thing up. Nevertheless, was Darnell really cold hearted enough to rob Lance's child of the chance to live life outside of poverty, or to at least have the very essentials? He couldn't back down now though, that wasn't an option. Just before Lance started to speak again though, an idea came to "The Bull".
"Tell you what," he said while his hands raised and he cracked his knuckles habitually, "if I win this tournament, the prize money's yours."
Without another word, Darnell began the fight according to Lance's request, swiftly sending his left leg up toward Lance's right knee in what was basically a snapping roundhouse kick, with the point of his sneaker making contact at the knee. The attack was swift and without much of Darnell's weight in it, so not much damage would fall to it other than perhaps an abrupt loss of balance, but Darnell knew that his best chance was to compromise Lance's balance and force him out of the stance, and almost every option to this move could start a chain of events that would overextend Lance's balance, adding to the problem and playing right into Darnell's hands. With his current positioning, it also meant he was free from reprisal, as his upper body was too far away and his lower to far down to his hand to reach without moving forward, giving Darnell plenty of time to react to anything he did.
Lance may have seen Darnell fight Bobby roughly half an hour prior, but Darnell had seen numerous fight videos starring Lance Barrett over the years, many of which were on Youtube, and if the man's style was even remotely the same as it had been Darnell knew many aspects to it already. From what he knew Lance was much like Darnell in that they were both grapplers, good ones too. Because of this similarity, Darnell would have to be careful, but at the same time it meant he could find weaknesses in his counterpart's style. As Lance started to speak, Darnell came to a halt in his short time stepping forward, standing up straight and in a relaxed posture with his left leg slightly in front of his right. There was a small bend in his legs, but nothing that suggested a fighting stance.
"Barrett," he said, returning the grin with one of his own while Lance sized him up, still not breaking eye contact with the older fighter as yet more doubt started to flood into his mind. Who was he to try to fuck over Lance's kid like this? He had no reason to be here, and it was even detrimental to his scholarship, or at least it would be if Montezzo hadn't gone through every legal channel he knew of to set the thing up. Nevertheless, was Darnell really cold hearted enough to rob Lance's child of the chance to live life outside of poverty, or to at least have the very essentials? He couldn't back down now though, that wasn't an option. Just before Lance started to speak again though, an idea came to "The Bull".
"Tell you what," he said while his hands raised and he cracked his knuckles habitually, "if I win this tournament, the prize money's yours."
Without another word, Darnell began the fight according to Lance's request, swiftly sending his left leg up toward Lance's right knee in what was basically a snapping roundhouse kick, with the point of his sneaker making contact at the knee. The attack was swift and without much of Darnell's weight in it, so not much damage would fall to it other than perhaps an abrupt loss of balance, but Darnell knew that his best chance was to compromise Lance's balance and force him out of the stance, and almost every option to this move could start a chain of events that would overextend Lance's balance, adding to the problem and playing right into Darnell's hands. With his current positioning, it also meant he was free from reprisal, as his upper body was too far away and his lower to far down to his hand to reach without moving forward, giving Darnell plenty of time to react to anything he did.
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((Sorry if this isn't up to my usual standards. Phone isn't turned back on yet so I'm having to borrow a buddy's internet and he won't stop talking long enough for me to concentrate and write anything.))
Darnell's words caught Lance completely offguard. It seemed he was correct in his assumption that Darnell was here for no reason other than pride and glory, but Lance didn't know what to make of his gesture of kindness. Darnell would give him the prize money if he moved on in the tournament? Lance didn't quite know how to respond. He wouldn't have time to respond either way. The fight began, and before Lance had time to regain his focus and composure, Darnell threw a swift kick to his knee, sending him off balance and sending him stumbling backward.
Shit!
The thought flew through Lance's head as he stumbled back and made some feeble attempt at regaining his footing. If Darnell attacked now -- which he most likely would -- Lance would be quite susceptible to anything that the taller boy could throw at him, and that definitely wasn't a good thing. His head was still somewhat groggy from the fight with Jessa. He was starting to think it had taken much more of a toll on him than he'd initially believed. If he was correct, this fight was going to prove even more difficult than he first imagined it would be.
Darnell's words caught Lance completely offguard. It seemed he was correct in his assumption that Darnell was here for no reason other than pride and glory, but Lance didn't know what to make of his gesture of kindness. Darnell would give him the prize money if he moved on in the tournament? Lance didn't quite know how to respond. He wouldn't have time to respond either way. The fight began, and before Lance had time to regain his focus and composure, Darnell threw a swift kick to his knee, sending him off balance and sending him stumbling backward.
Shit!
The thought flew through Lance's head as he stumbled back and made some feeble attempt at regaining his footing. If Darnell attacked now -- which he most likely would -- Lance would be quite susceptible to anything that the taller boy could throw at him, and that definitely wasn't a good thing. His head was still somewhat groggy from the fight with Jessa. He was starting to think it had taken much more of a toll on him than he'd initially believed. If he was correct, this fight was going to prove even more difficult than he first imagined it would be.
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The emotionless look he took on as he had started the fight would not show it, but Darnell was satisfied that the attack went just as planned. While it had not been intended to do such, his offer seemed to take Lance off guard, rendering him incapable of reacting to the kick. Because of that, Lance was sent reeling backwards, his balance compromised. At this rate the fight would be much easier than he could have imagined. He had no time to gloat though, as Lance could only struggle for so long to regain his footing before he eventually did so. Darnell had the edge in the fight so far, and he intended to keep it for as long as possible. It was true that Darnell was at the tournament for no reason other than pride and technically training, but that didn't make his desire to win any less potent.
Because of this, his second attack came almost immediately after the first. Snapping his kicking leg back down while Lance was just starting to fall back and throwing his arms outward from the boxing guard in his attempt to regain balance, he dragged the leg back along the ground and started to contract his left hip to twist his waist counterclockwise as the right leg picked up and swung outward at the flesh just below Lance's ribs in yet another kick, the recovery of his first kick giving the momentum for the second. His hands had been brought up to protect his face while he threw the kick, but he wasn't sure if there was anything to worry about. The kick itself was too fast and powerful to be very safe for Lance to simply block or grab thanks to the velocity provided by his method of throwing the kick and his own great strength, and Lance's lack of balance would turn against him in this instance. However, the kick still had a wide arc, so it was possible that Lance might be able to avoid it somehow.
It was a risky move, but Darnell was confident in its chances of success. If he hadn't been, he would've tried something else. He could go all out with a clear conscience now that it was known he intended to give Lance the prize money if he won the tournament.
I have you right where I want you, Barrett. Stay there and I can end this quick.
Because of this, his second attack came almost immediately after the first. Snapping his kicking leg back down while Lance was just starting to fall back and throwing his arms outward from the boxing guard in his attempt to regain balance, he dragged the leg back along the ground and started to contract his left hip to twist his waist counterclockwise as the right leg picked up and swung outward at the flesh just below Lance's ribs in yet another kick, the recovery of his first kick giving the momentum for the second. His hands had been brought up to protect his face while he threw the kick, but he wasn't sure if there was anything to worry about. The kick itself was too fast and powerful to be very safe for Lance to simply block or grab thanks to the velocity provided by his method of throwing the kick and his own great strength, and Lance's lack of balance would turn against him in this instance. However, the kick still had a wide arc, so it was possible that Lance might be able to avoid it somehow.
It was a risky move, but Darnell was confident in its chances of success. If he hadn't been, he would've tried something else. He could go all out with a clear conscience now that it was known he intended to give Lance the prize money if he won the tournament.
I have you right where I want you, Barrett. Stay there and I can end this quick.
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About half a year ago, Lance Barrett wouldn't have been careless enough to let his guard down and allow his opponent to rush into the first attack in a fight. No, Lance would have jumped in headfirst and beat his opponent to within inches of his life like it was no big deal, because back then, it wasn't. It was something he did every day, it was "the norm". Back then, Lance had been somewhat of a local celebrity. Everyone in the building had probably seen the videos -- camera phones, YouTube, video cameras, the videos came from all over Highland Beach, and it was because of them that his name grew to the level of infamy that he now had.
But that was then...
Lance couldn't help but think that as he flailed his arms in an attempt to regain his balance that perhaps he really had "gone soft". He wasn't the fighter he used to be anymore, and it didn't matter what anyone said, that wasn't the type of lifestyle he wanted to go back to. Ever since that fateful conversation between himself and Heather Tilmitt, he'd wanted to move on to something bigger and better in life, but in wanting to do for his unborn child, he found himself falling right back into his old routines, because the truth was, that was all Lance knew.
Darnell wasn't a fool, that much was for certain. He didn't wait around on Lance to regain his balance and launch an attack of his own, instead, he spun around for another kick, using the momentum from the first, along with Lance's lack of balance, in an attempt to knock him down. Lance anticipated the kick as Darnell spun around, and he knew it was coming, but the quickness of the attack didn't allow Lance much time to form up a good counter of his own. Darnell's foot connected with a loud thud and Lance felt his feet fly out from underneath his body and he was suddenly plummeting toward the floor.
FUCK!
He had already made far too many mistakes in this fight... mistakes he couldn't afford to make if he was ever going to win this tournament. He thought that he'd given Darnell enough credit at the beginning of the fight, but now, he was really starting to think that perhaps he had underestimated his opponent. He had to dig himself out of the pit he had already fallen into, and fast. Lance thrust his arms out as he fell to the ground and attempted to grab ahold of Darnell's leg. Ideally, he would throw Darnell off balance and knock him to the ground as well. Hopefully, he'd have enough time to get back to his feet before his opponent stood up.
But, if it didn't work, he was probably in for a face full of boot.
But that was then...
Lance couldn't help but think that as he flailed his arms in an attempt to regain his balance that perhaps he really had "gone soft". He wasn't the fighter he used to be anymore, and it didn't matter what anyone said, that wasn't the type of lifestyle he wanted to go back to. Ever since that fateful conversation between himself and Heather Tilmitt, he'd wanted to move on to something bigger and better in life, but in wanting to do for his unborn child, he found himself falling right back into his old routines, because the truth was, that was all Lance knew.
Darnell wasn't a fool, that much was for certain. He didn't wait around on Lance to regain his balance and launch an attack of his own, instead, he spun around for another kick, using the momentum from the first, along with Lance's lack of balance, in an attempt to knock him down. Lance anticipated the kick as Darnell spun around, and he knew it was coming, but the quickness of the attack didn't allow Lance much time to form up a good counter of his own. Darnell's foot connected with a loud thud and Lance felt his feet fly out from underneath his body and he was suddenly plummeting toward the floor.
FUCK!
He had already made far too many mistakes in this fight... mistakes he couldn't afford to make if he was ever going to win this tournament. He thought that he'd given Darnell enough credit at the beginning of the fight, but now, he was really starting to think that perhaps he had underestimated his opponent. He had to dig himself out of the pit he had already fallen into, and fast. Lance thrust his arms out as he fell to the ground and attempted to grab ahold of Darnell's leg. Ideally, he would throw Darnell off balance and knock him to the ground as well. Hopefully, he'd have enough time to get back to his feet before his opponent stood up.
But, if it didn't work, he was probably in for a face full of boot.
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If one asked an average Southridge student for three ways that Lance Barrett and Darnell Butler were similar, all three would boil down to the subject of fighting. First, he would tell you, Darnell and Lance were both grapplers when it came down to it. Second, they were also both veteran fighters in Highland Beach and each was well known for being quite good at it, in fact among the select few who would be qualified as the best in the school, if not the entire city. Much like Barrett, Darnell used to fight regularly, back in the Freshman year it was almost every day that he fought someone. A search on YouTube for "Darnell Butler fight" would turn up almost as many results as "Lance Barrett fight" would. He had even fought Montezzo Valtieri, a legend around the school in his own right, in a battle which to this day still had its outcome disputed by many students. Even through Sophomore and Junior years when his status on the football and wrestling teams made him keep himself on a relatively short disciplinary leash, he had still gotten in quite a few fights.
However, that would be where their third similarity came in. That similarity would be the fact that it had been a long time since either of the two had been in an actual fight. In Lance Barrett's case, the pregnancy of his girlfriend Heather caused him to try to clean up his act, which included swearing off fighting for the most part. For Darnell, it had been his scholarship that inspired him to stop his violent ways. He had become far more peaceful upon learning that his scholarship would be granted if he just passed Senior year with as few disciplinary infractions as possible, and even when he had to fight to stop his team-mates from bullying other students he did it mostly by restraining them until an authority arrived. Because of this, the current match with Lance was only the second time all year he had been in a real fight.
The effect of this was obvious; he was much more likely to make a mistake. He was still in prime shape, as strong and fast as always if not even more so, but his movements weren't as sharp, the possibility of him overlooking something was greater. He had more openings, exactly like the one Lance Barrett just took advantage of. In itself, the kick worked perfectly, hitting Lance hard and knocking him off his feet. However, it was when he recovered that things went wrong. Bringing his leg back down and moving his left forwards in what was a simple reversal of the spin he had used to launch the second kick, he found his leg grabbed just above the knee by the falling Lance Barrett, who promptly pulled downward on the leg as he fell.
Due to physics, there was no real way out of the fall, so Darnell chose the next best thing; he went with it. Contracting his legs suddenly so that the knees were facing slightly downward and bending his torso over slightly, he allowed himself to fall with Lance. At the same time he opened his boxing-style guard and while still keeping his left closed in a fist opened up his right hand, angling both downward. Twisting to the right as best as he could, he sent the left fist shooting down at Lance in a mixture of a straight and a hook just before the two landed on the ground, the intent being that almost immediately after impact Lance would find himself punched hard in the throat. At the same time Darnell's knees and right arm would hit the ground, the right arm bending down in a pushup-esque motion at the elbow to absorb the impact, with the left knee hopefully landing somewhere on Lance's body, and the right would painfully hit the concrete with enough force to almost make Darnell grimace.
After the landing and the fist making contact, Darnell's left hand would open up and quickly enclose around the recently-struck throat in a chokehold at the same time as the man used his right arm to push himself up. With Lance's hands still grabbing his leg, he couldn't get up completely, but his newly raised position would make things more comfortable. Still choking Lance with the left, he would raise his right arm a bit and hold it at an almost ninety degree angle before sharply launching it to the left, aimed at Lance's temple in a series of quick and powerful blows. He wasn't sure if this would outright end the fight, but at the least he hoped it would make Lance let go of his leg.
However, that would be where their third similarity came in. That similarity would be the fact that it had been a long time since either of the two had been in an actual fight. In Lance Barrett's case, the pregnancy of his girlfriend Heather caused him to try to clean up his act, which included swearing off fighting for the most part. For Darnell, it had been his scholarship that inspired him to stop his violent ways. He had become far more peaceful upon learning that his scholarship would be granted if he just passed Senior year with as few disciplinary infractions as possible, and even when he had to fight to stop his team-mates from bullying other students he did it mostly by restraining them until an authority arrived. Because of this, the current match with Lance was only the second time all year he had been in a real fight.
The effect of this was obvious; he was much more likely to make a mistake. He was still in prime shape, as strong and fast as always if not even more so, but his movements weren't as sharp, the possibility of him overlooking something was greater. He had more openings, exactly like the one Lance Barrett just took advantage of. In itself, the kick worked perfectly, hitting Lance hard and knocking him off his feet. However, it was when he recovered that things went wrong. Bringing his leg back down and moving his left forwards in what was a simple reversal of the spin he had used to launch the second kick, he found his leg grabbed just above the knee by the falling Lance Barrett, who promptly pulled downward on the leg as he fell.
Due to physics, there was no real way out of the fall, so Darnell chose the next best thing; he went with it. Contracting his legs suddenly so that the knees were facing slightly downward and bending his torso over slightly, he allowed himself to fall with Lance. At the same time he opened his boxing-style guard and while still keeping his left closed in a fist opened up his right hand, angling both downward. Twisting to the right as best as he could, he sent the left fist shooting down at Lance in a mixture of a straight and a hook just before the two landed on the ground, the intent being that almost immediately after impact Lance would find himself punched hard in the throat. At the same time Darnell's knees and right arm would hit the ground, the right arm bending down in a pushup-esque motion at the elbow to absorb the impact, with the left knee hopefully landing somewhere on Lance's body, and the right would painfully hit the concrete with enough force to almost make Darnell grimace.
After the landing and the fist making contact, Darnell's left hand would open up and quickly enclose around the recently-struck throat in a chokehold at the same time as the man used his right arm to push himself up. With Lance's hands still grabbing his leg, he couldn't get up completely, but his newly raised position would make things more comfortable. Still choking Lance with the left, he would raise his right arm a bit and hold it at an almost ninety degree angle before sharply launching it to the left, aimed at Lance's temple in a series of quick and powerful blows. He wasn't sure if this would outright end the fight, but at the least he hoped it would make Lance let go of his leg.
This is an archival account used by staff to port posts belonging to the former handler Slayer.
((Sorry for the delay, spent the day out Christmas shopping yesterday so I'll post when I get home from work around 1ish.))
This is an archival account used by staff to port posts belonging to the handler Megami. While this handler hasn't been around in quite a while, should they return and wish to take custody of this account and/or its posts, they are welcome to do so by contacting staff.
((Because of my apparent inability to post on schedule during this round, I'm going to throw the fight. No big deal, it was fun while it lasted, but with Christmas and stuff I'm finding it hard to guarantee a post in 24 hours. So, excuse the overall shittiness of this post.))
Lance's counterattack to Darnell's kick worked perfectly... at least, it seemed that way at first. He successfully knocked the other student off of his feet and sent him toppling to the ground right behind Lance, and for a moment, the dark-headed boy grinned. What he hadn't counted on was the fact that the drop hadn't stunned Darnell like it would most people. The thing was, Darnell Butler definitely wasn't "most people". Darnell used to live for this sort of thing, so it really shouldn't have been much of a surprise when Darnell retaliated almost immediately, but Lance never saw it coming. The next thing Lance knew, he was getting pummeled with multiple attacks from the other boy, but it happened in such quick succession that the assault barely had time to register, let alone gave Lance time to retaliate. He wouldn't have to worry about it much longer, though. Darnell's barrage of punches to the temple hit just the right nerve, and before Lance knew it, he was out cold.
Lance's counterattack to Darnell's kick worked perfectly... at least, it seemed that way at first. He successfully knocked the other student off of his feet and sent him toppling to the ground right behind Lance, and for a moment, the dark-headed boy grinned. What he hadn't counted on was the fact that the drop hadn't stunned Darnell like it would most people. The thing was, Darnell Butler definitely wasn't "most people". Darnell used to live for this sort of thing, so it really shouldn't have been much of a surprise when Darnell retaliated almost immediately, but Lance never saw it coming. The next thing Lance knew, he was getting pummeled with multiple attacks from the other boy, but it happened in such quick succession that the assault barely had time to register, let alone gave Lance time to retaliate. He wouldn't have to worry about it much longer, though. Darnell's barrage of punches to the temple hit just the right nerve, and before Lance knew it, he was out cold.
This is an archival account used by staff to port posts belonging to the handler Megami. While this handler hasn't been around in quite a while, should they return and wish to take custody of this account and/or its posts, they are welcome to do so by contacting staff.
Darnell's assault worked too well. That was the first thing that crossed his mind as he felt Lance's arms move; but instead of releasing Darnell's leg and rising to attempt a defense they went limp, falling to the sides and weakly hitting the ground. He knew full well what such a thing meant, he had seen it too many times to count over the years. It appeared that instead of simply causing Lance to release him, Darnell's barrage of punches had knocked the man unconscious. He was aware of this before Montezzo even started to move in to break them up, and had stopped his punches when he first noticed the signs. Returning the arm to a resting position on the ground, he released the choke and allowed Barrett's head to turn to the side. Pushing himself up and taking his left knee and hand off of Lance, Darnell would step back and to the left as he saw Montezzo dart in to check on Lance.
It's over already...just one more fight.
His thoughts were soon proven correct as Montezzo rose to his feet from checking Lance's condition and turned around to walk towards Darnell. As he felt his hand jerked up, he offered no resistance, too surprised at yet another quick win to react at all. It was just like with Bobby Jacks, a battle he expected to be difficult over within what felt like a heartbeat, and in his favour.
"Your winner, by knockout, Darnell Butler!"
The crowd went wild as Montezzo's voice boomed with the announcement, though there were boos among the cheering. Mainly people disappointed at the short length of the fight. Darnell ignored them though, instead turning his attention to the Sicilian man as he released Darnell's arm and started to walk away. Montezzo was in front of him, with hands in his pockets, so it was easy to bring his still raised right hand down onto the man's shoulder to catch his attention.
I've got to be sure...
"Lance...is he going to be alright?" this question caused Montezzo to chuckle a bit as he looked over his shoulder at Darnell, his gaze much sharper than Darnell's despite the identical eye colour.
"If you're worried about hurting people, why are you in a fighting tournament? Heh, don't worry about it, he should be alright. I'll get some doctors on it right away."
"And my promise?"
"Yeah, I heard that. If you win, I'll give Lance all of the prize money," a mischievous grin appeared for a fraction of a second on Montezzo's face before it disappeared again, "but you have to win the tournament, first."
With that, Montezzo turned his eyes ahead of him again and continued to move forward, shrugging his shoulder to shake off Darnell's hand, which was not trying to secure any kind of grip. The adrenaline having not quite worn off yet, Darnell allowed his hand to drop to his side before grinning slightly at Montezzo's retreating figure.
I'll win this whole thing, I swear it. I'm not doing this for me anymore, I'm doing it for Lance and his kid.
Without another word, Darnell followed Montezzo's lead, carefully stepping around the doctors attending to Lance with a polite "excuse me" as he stepped through the crowd making way for him.
OOC: Continued in Fight Night
It's over already...just one more fight.
His thoughts were soon proven correct as Montezzo rose to his feet from checking Lance's condition and turned around to walk towards Darnell. As he felt his hand jerked up, he offered no resistance, too surprised at yet another quick win to react at all. It was just like with Bobby Jacks, a battle he expected to be difficult over within what felt like a heartbeat, and in his favour.
"Your winner, by knockout, Darnell Butler!"
The crowd went wild as Montezzo's voice boomed with the announcement, though there were boos among the cheering. Mainly people disappointed at the short length of the fight. Darnell ignored them though, instead turning his attention to the Sicilian man as he released Darnell's arm and started to walk away. Montezzo was in front of him, with hands in his pockets, so it was easy to bring his still raised right hand down onto the man's shoulder to catch his attention.
I've got to be sure...
"Lance...is he going to be alright?" this question caused Montezzo to chuckle a bit as he looked over his shoulder at Darnell, his gaze much sharper than Darnell's despite the identical eye colour.
"If you're worried about hurting people, why are you in a fighting tournament? Heh, don't worry about it, he should be alright. I'll get some doctors on it right away."
"And my promise?"
"Yeah, I heard that. If you win, I'll give Lance all of the prize money," a mischievous grin appeared for a fraction of a second on Montezzo's face before it disappeared again, "but you have to win the tournament, first."
With that, Montezzo turned his eyes ahead of him again and continued to move forward, shrugging his shoulder to shake off Darnell's hand, which was not trying to secure any kind of grip. The adrenaline having not quite worn off yet, Darnell allowed his hand to drop to his side before grinning slightly at Montezzo's retreating figure.
I'll win this whole thing, I swear it. I'm not doing this for me anymore, I'm doing it for Lance and his kid.
Without another word, Darnell followed Montezzo's lead, carefully stepping around the doctors attending to Lance with a polite "excuse me" as he stepped through the crowd making way for him.
OOC: Continued in Fight Night
This is an archival account used by staff to port posts belonging to the former handler Slayer.