From Captain To Captain

[Matrim Gallagher]

Matrim's right cheek was struck hard with a foot after he dealt a blow to the floor. Not Matrim's finest moment, but something about the bottom of this kids foot meeting Matrim's teeth seemed to jolt his brain into realizing there were more important matters to deal with. Instinctively dropping the door of the locker Matrim's right foot swung over his left and he stumbled away from Cain, having to put his right hand on the ground for balance after nearly tripping. Matrim felt the taste of blood in his mouth and grinned quickly turning to face his opponent.

So he's smart enough to know how to dodge, that's good... I was beginning to worry. No more freebies for this one though... not that the kick was one of them....

"Not bad," Matrim said, his teeth stained red with the blood in his mouth. He wondered if he had lost a tooth or if one had just been knocked loose. Regardless he would charge, this time with some more reckless attacks. He would fight conservatively but the fact was that there was no fun in slowing down this fight at all. So he would do an aerial attack of sorts. Which are very dangerous to do since the airborne attacker in question puts their self in a very vulnerable position.

So Matrim would run and leap off of his right foot towards his left, his left foot sticking out and hitting lockers, he would proceed to push off that left foot towards Cain, Matrim who was now airborne would have his left fist drawn back, and he would throw it with his strength and all his momentum to try and connect with Cain's right cheek.

[Cain]

And once more, Cain's quick footwork, granted by his small size and lower center of gravity, allowed him to land one more good hit on the larger and stronger opponent, the male quickly bringing his foot back, swinging it towards his left and placing it on the ground behind him, arms raised and ready for whatever counter that his opponent would send, but apparently the kick had been stronger than Cain had expected, as Matrim staggered backwards.

With that, Cain instead chose to tighten his defenses, bringing his arms closer to his body and his legs wider apart, allowing for more leverage if he ever needed to move. And also, he started to assess his situation here. His forehead was aching, still, and it had probably been slightly cut in some places, though no blood was seeping out just yet. His chest, where he had been shoulder-rammed earlier, still ached, his breathing hindered by the pain of his chest rising and sinking.

And he knew that was just the beginning of it all. Now that blood had been shed, this fight had been taken to a new level. And considering how his opponent was obviously a lot better than he was, Cain doubted he was going to last long now. That didn't mean, however, that he could not try. Cain watched as Matrim charged, taking into the air.

His eyes widened in shock, as he watched the large male soar through the air, as if weightless. And he was coming in so quick. Cain gritted his teeth as he leapt away, knowing that at the rate Matrim was going, there was no way Cain would be able to dodge. Once again, he was forced to withstand the attack. The punch hit the center of Cain's retaliation, a crossed arm in front of his face. And considering he was already stepping backwards, Cain found himself being thrown off his feet.

He soared backwards, colliding hard into the locker and denting into the metallic door. A gasp escaped his lips as pain enveloped his body, the impact harder than he had expected it to be. His arms went completely numb and hung lifelessly by his side for the moment, his head lowered as he coughed, drips of blood spraying onto the tiled floor below him. Holy shit, that hurt.

Cain looked up at Matrim, before letting out a grin. Now this was the kind of fights he wanted. Fights that really forced him to push himself. Fights that showed him his limits. Fights that gave him the desire to become better. He pushed himself off the dent in the lockers, his arms obeying him once more, though still aching.

"... Nice hit. Let's see you try another one."

Could Cain take it again?

[Matrim Gallagher]

"With pleasure," Matrim said, having given the guy a bit of a push into the lockers. It seemed as though the kid wanted Matrim to attack more so he would. Matrim preferred reacting but it seemed he would have to make the moves in this fight so that's exactly what he would do. Touching down to the ground he bent low to absorb the impact, sliding a little bit but not much at all. So from his low position he was able to tuck and roll quickly to square himself off putting Cain in between himself and the lockers.

Matrim then charged aiming to spear the kid at the gut with his right shoulder, his hands would wrap up trying to grab underneath the kids knee caps. If he successfully managed to hit the kid in this manner he would keep a hold of the kids legs with his hands placed at the back of each calve muscle near the back of the knee cap. He would drag the kid back and step over the kids body with his right foot, maintaining a grasp and essentially would cause the kid to flip onto his stomach, making him roll to his right to do so. This would put Matrim's butt towards Cain, with his legs bent in Matrim's grasp.

((OOC: Here's a visual aid, it's basically a modified boston crab wrestling move. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lp7e8Bud2Bg ))

[Cain]

OOC: Haha, umm, sorry I had to do this, but I'm an analyical person in real life too, so... Yeah. Fun fight, btw!

And Matrim took the taunt, leaning forward as he got himself ready to charge. Cain's head hurt, but it did little to hinder his senses as he quickly analysed his surroundings, taking in whatever information he could and formulating whatever strategies he could come up with in such a short time. At that, his opponent charged in, Cain taking a few steps back to give himself a small amount of time. However, time was not what Cain was looking for. He lowered his knees, getting ready for impact as Matrim charged in quite quickly.

Soon enough, Matrim found Cain's abdomen. However, the damage was not as bad as it should have been, for Cain had leapt backwards at the last moment to cushion the impact, letting himself move with the spear. Whatever Matrim had in store for Cain next, however, would have to wait as the two found themselves hitting once more into that dent in the locker. Cain's back would be reunited, whereas the top of Matrim's head would be introduced.

After all, Cain had simply pushed himself off the locker earlier, not really thinking of making any distance with the locker prior to Matrim's spear. True, it was a double-edged strategy, considering how his back had to suffer for this to work, but hell, it was definitely worth it, considering Matrim's point of contact was the top of his head.

[Matrim Gallagher]

(OOC: No worries, sorry for the late reply got caught up with the Quest and Arena threads.)

Matrim hit his head into the lockers, which he hadn't fully anticipated. What he had hoped was that he would have had more of a sudden burst on the kid, lacking follow through and using the motion to trip the kid back when he grabbed the back of his legs. Instead what happened was the kid anticipated the attack and dodged back causing Matrim to stumble into a follow throw. His head hit locker, and head won. Locker definitely lost that battle, but at least it did it's damage.

Matrim who would still grab for the kids legs would instead of attempting for a 'walls of jericho' situation would simply pull up on the kids legs, swing around, and toss him headfirst into the lockers across from the current ones they were at. Matrim would follow through by running after Cain and he would attempt to jump forward with his left foot, aiming to Slam Cain with his right foot just after impact with the lockers opposite of the ones Cain and Matrim would have just done damage to.

Matrim slightly bleeding from the head, but he wasn't about to let up because of a scratch. Hell, a little blood loss was nothing, and he actually liked getting hurt in a fight. It meant he had areas to improve in no matter the situation, which meant another challenge, which meant less boredom on his part. Hell, who knows, maybe the could would pull Qi out of his ass and kick Matrim around a bit. Or maybe the kid hadn't discovered it yet and this fight would have a disappointing end for Matrim. At least the kid had proven himself a worthy opponent if nothing else.

[Cain]

OOC: No worries.

Cain's little risky move worked nonetheless, a soft smirk appearing on his face briefly as he raised his arms, attempting to push Matrim off him, his back aching quite a bit due to the impact. However, before he could even place his hands on Matrim, the better fighter would suddenly grab the back of his shins and turn around, dragging Cain along, the smaller male getting manhandled as he got tossed towards the lockers at the opposite side of the hallway. Cain strained his abs then, trying to pull his head forward as he managed to hit the lockers instead on his upper back. Great. Two lockers now. He was going to feel that in the morning.

Cain's arms instinctively shot up as he saw something coming towards him, and he found his two arms being pressed hard against his chest as Matrim's foot came upon them. Cain's eyes widened as the very air in his lungs was forced out of his body, saliva and blood spraying out from his throat as his body doubled over. That was a frikin killer!

Cain glanced up, a trail of crimson now making its way down from the corner of Cain's lips. However, the young junior's persistence urged him forward as he slid his right arm off from under Matrim's foot and smashed it into the side of his shin, hoping to numb the muscles by digging into it, the maneuver made possible by sticking out his middle knuckle.

[Matrim Gallagher]

A knuckle slammed into Matrim's right shin as he landed on his left foot, he dropped his right foot back, pulling the leg away as he noticed a slight numbness to the leg. As he pulled the leg back and set it down his left fist shot straight out for Cain's face, and Matrim would unleash a flurry of punches. The second being another punch aimed at the face, he would pull back his left fist to perform the jab, then a left hook to the face, and a right haymaker aimed at Cain's chest, and after he threw that haymaker he would do a shoulder charge at Cain's chest, pushing hard off his left foot trying not to depend on his right leg because of what Cain had just done.

This was the combination of hits Matrim had planned though things didn't always go as planned, he was just attempting to dish out as much damage as he could while he had the upper hand in this fight. He had tested Cain's physical abilities quite a bit, and he now had an idea for this kids potential, what his strengths were.

[Cain]

And Cain's hand found its target, as the pressure on Matrim's leg decreased considerably. Alright, it had worked. However, it seemed that the captain had yet to let him off as his left fist shot out at his face. Cain thew his left arm to his right, knowing that his outstretched right arm was too far away to block the attack. It only worked a bit, as Cain's hand took the blunt of the attack, his wrist screaming as it almost suffered a fracture from the impact. However, with both hands occupied, Cain was helpless against the next punch that hit him squarely on his right temple. His head shook, his vision blurring considerably in just one punch. This guy was unbelievably strong. His arms gave way suddenly, his left hand falling upon his right shoulder, leaving him open to the next jab, which also hit without much resistance.

It was only after the left hook that Cain gave way, the blue-haired junior falling to the side upon contact, his eyes rolling to the back of his head and blood trailing out from in between his lips. His body was still, if not shivering. He made no sound, except for a soft grunting sound that came out as an instinct. Cain had been knocked out. His body giving way as his mind lost its control over it for a moment.

It was obvious then, who was the victor of the fight already, if it wasn't before.

However... Cain was not going to give up. His right hand twitched softly, before making a more evident movement as he shakily placed it on the ground. He coughed, blood spraying onto the tiled ground and onto his right hand, but he still persisted, the born-fighter trying to get himself up.

He just did not know when to give up.

[Matrim Gallagher]

"Determination....." Matrim said taking a full step back, his eyes alive with the fight, he wanted to see this kid continue on, he wanted to hit him more. The fight had gotten fun for him, seeing this kids sheer unwillingness to accept defeat, a trait which he liked in opponents. Not always one he appreciated in allies because it meant they would often get themselves killed but since he currently held no emotional attachment to this kid, he was more than excited for his spirit.

Matrim would wait for the kid to get up, and he would give him a finishing blow of sorts to try and knock him out for good. It was obvious that his head was loopy, so he'd go for broke with this next attack. Matrim would lunge forward and shoot his left hand for Cain's throat, aiming to clutch him by the neck tightly and raise him up in the air, his right hand going to Cains lower back so that he could aim to choke slam Cain, his right hand making sure that he fell back so the back of his head would be leading the way toward the ground.

If the choke slam was successful Matrim would let go on impact and roll right and onto his knees, his hands would come up in a boxing stance ready to guard or block as necessary though he'd still be on his knees either way. He wasn't quite sure if the kid was faking his injuries or not.

[Cain]

Cain's mental dominance over his physical form prevailed as he pushed himself back up on his feet, both eyes closed and arms hanging lifelessly by his sides. His knees were bent and shaky, his body slightly slumped. His shoulders rose and sunk as his lungs attempted to supply his body with as much oxygen as possible. He knew that he was not going to last long, but he was not going to go down until he was completely over. He was holding the pride of 552 in his hands now, and he needed to uphold it.

Before Cain knew it, though, he felt a grip place itself on his throat, his eyes shooting open as he found that Matrim was directly in front of him. Crap, what now?! At that, he found himself being lifted off the ground, a hand being placed at his lower back. He knew this grapple technique. It was a choke slam. Cain gritted his teeth, his left hand snapping forward, before jerking downwards, attempting to smash itself onto Matrim's head, if not his left shoulder. A last retaliation attempt to make sure that Matrim was not going to get away with the last attack without getting something back.

And Cain landed hard on the tiled floor, a grunt escaping his lips as blood sprayed out once more, the light and smaller fighter bouncing off the ground once, before finally coming to the ground, with Matrim rolling away. Cain gasped, his whole body aching and seemingly paralysed as his spine had taken most of the landing.

His body shook, his right hand still moving as it slid across the ground, though stopping soon enough as it reached its full stretch. It was over. Cain's body had taken too much of a beating now from the stronger male to stay standing. Though, he had lasted long enough to at least not be fully ashamed.

Matrim had won this round.

[Matrim Gallagher]

"Guess that means it was me..." Matrim said, his cheek had been hit hard by the kid, and it swelled up a little. Upon touching the cheek his skin in the are felt stretched and kind of gross, Cain had knocked him just before completing the choke slam. Still he looked over at the kid who was obviously not getting up, wondering what to do to him. He got up standing all the way as a crowd of people watched, some of them surprised, but for the most part the mood going around was awe. They had a pretty decent fight, nothing Matrim would write home about but nothing he would soon forget.

"Guess that was a good enough greeting," Matrim said looking down towards the kid, Matrim looked over to one of the spectators, "Hey kid, take this boy to the nurse-- oh and before I forget...."

Matrim forgot to tell the boys his name, "The name's Matrim Awren Gallagher." He would say, turning away and patting the kid he just instructed on the shoulder, "Take this kid to the nurse now, and if he gets hurt any worse than he already is I'm taking it out on you tomorrow, got it?"

Matrim laughed, smiling at the kid as he left Cain there. It was clear that Matrim was Cain's challenge, his stepping stone. Matrim missed having something like that... of course Matrim wasn't without match, he still had plenty of people to fight at this school that were tough, but not as many as he used to have.

When I run out... I wonder what I'll do...

[Cain]

Cain's consciousness was fading away, the male finding it hard to stay awake as his body went completely numb. He was unable to move a single muscle, fatigue and pain taking over. However, he tried his best to stay awake and noteful of his surroundings. A crowd had gathered and the first thought that came to Cain's mind was that his presence was now going to be well-known. That is, of course, if rumours here spread as fast as it did in 552.

"The name's Matrim Awren Gallagher."

Matrim. Matrim Awren Gallagher. Cain etched the name into his memory, for it was going to be the name of his biggest challenge here in 42. It had been Jay for him in 552, and now, he had found a new target. Someone to fight for. Someone to improve himself for. Someone that he would look forward to fighting with again. Matrim.

He felt himself being lifted up, the junior mentally cursing as he braced the pain caused by the unwilling movement of his body. Whoever this kid was, Cain could tell that he was being careful. Whatever Matrim had said seemed to have had that kind of effect on him. Despite that, however, moving Cain was inevitable and it was hurting him quite a bit.

So much that Cain simply decided to let it overcome him. Cain closed his eyes, letting his consciousness slip away.

And his time here in Moral Crest High had just begun.