thebastion | Day 78 - A Champion's Loss, The Road to Rebirth

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Day 78 - A Champion's Loss, The Road to Rebirth

Who: Ippo and anyone who wants to come rescue a confused and scared teenager
When: Day 78
Where: The Skyway!
What: Ippo wakes up on the skyway and sets off to find anyone who might have survived
Style: Action
Warnings: None that I can foresee
Status: Open

[It had been a long, long night for the newly crowned JBC Featherweight Champion and even now, late into the day, he could be found on his futon passed out; snoring loudly with his boxing trunks still on and his championship belt still firmly wrapped around his waist. Without warning, Ippo snapped awake and yawned loudly, sitting up slowly and rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he tried to put the pieces of his celebration party back together in his mind, to little avail. Still, he couldn't help but grin ear to ear as he looked down at his belt, wondering what new challenges awaited him now and how far he could take himself from here; it was then that the silence hit him.

Shaking himself further awake, he took note that it wasn't just the normal silence that filled his home...he couldn't hear /anything/. Even if his mother had been out for the day, she would have been back by now...but she had said she was taking today off to be with him; so where was she? Where was the normally busy sounds of the nearby docks? It put him off enough to turn himself away from facing the wall of his room to see...nothing but an expanse of grass, stone, and nothing holding it all up. It was like everything was just...floating in midair! Did the world end while he was asleep?!

Shocked didn't even begin to cover what Ippo was feeling, but it was quickly overrun by fear and worry for his mother and friends. Dragging his bruised body up from the floor, he grabbed one of his green shirts and threw it on before setting off into this unknown place after taking a tentative step onto a nearby platform to make sure it wouldn't fall underneath his weight.]

Mom...Takamura-san...Miyata-kun...Everyone, please be safe! I'm coming!!

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[As luck would have it, Ippo isn't alone on the Skyway. Company isn't exactly of the friendly sort, but at least Alucard isn't a hostile sort either. He'd been out hunting; after the oppressive mood that had settled over the Bastion, he needed something simple like this. Of course, there would have to be a something to interrupt his hunt, but at least another survivor would likely help the others' spirits.

He waits until the human - at least he looks human at any rate - spots him. Sudden movements might startle the boy.]

[Ippo had been jogging for about...well he couldn't rightly tell how long he'd been at this through the lack of anything he could discern time from and his panic; but it had been quite a while. He finally stopped to take a breather, his lungs still not recovered fully from last night, and took in his surroundings. There was nothing as far as the eye could see...except for the very oddly dressed and pale looking man over in the distance. Normally Ippo might have been weary of such a person...but right now, it was someone who was alive! So, tentatively, the young man called out to this new person and slowly, tentatively, began to approach him]

U-um...hello? Sir? Can...can you tell me what happened here?

[Not the most eloquent of introductions...but if the man could give him some answers...anything at all, he'd be appreciative.]

[The boy seems friendly enough. Decently polite too. A shame that there is no way for him to state this gently.]

...I regret to inform you that your world has ended. However, I can lead you to a small settlement of survivors, if you wish.

[Ippo's face almost fell off its hinges at the man's blunt statement, how could someone drop news like that so casually beyond a joke?]

Are...are you joking sir? Wait...is this something Takamura-san set up?

[Takamura /would/ stage a fake end of the world just after he had won his championship fight...]

[Alucard's face darkens a fraction at that. It's actually kind of an upsetting thought that someone would even consider joking about someone being the sole survivor of their world out of everyone they may have cared for.]

Destruction on this scale is not something to make light of.

[The sudden tone of the man shocked Ippo into a momentary silence...and then the weight of reality came crashing down on him as the truth hit home. His world had /ended/. It was gone...this was all that was left...]

Does...does that mean my mom...? My...friends?

[Oh he might very well be on his way to tears right now, this is way too much for him to take in...]

[...This is why he should not be allowed to deal with anyone from a newly destroyed world. He is clearly terrible at being at all reassuring, and crying people make him uncomfortable.

Now might be the time for... not exactly lying, so much as giving the truth in a more favorable light. Just please don't cry until he can get you back to someone who stands a better chance of being somewhat effective at providing emotional support.]

Yes and no. We have found that there are variant forms of every world, so it is more than likely that your mother and friends still exist in many.

[A short pause, and then he turns to go.]

...Come. It is unsafe to linger too long.

[Well...he had no idea what the man meant by variant worlds and such meant, but if it meant everyone he cared about was okay, then he could quell his tears enough to pull himself together.]

*Sniff*O-okay sir, we should get going. Before we go though...I'm Ippo, Ippo Makunouchi, despite the circumstances its nice to meet you.

[And he's going to give you a nice, big bow Alucard. Such a polite boy]

[The dhampire nods in return. At least the tears have been stopped for the time being.]

Alucard.

[Perhaps one day he will return to using his true name. Perhaps not. For now, he simply leaves it at that, and begins the trek back to the Bastion.]

Ah...okay Alucard-san, lead the way!

[With that, Ippo began to walk beside his new companion; his mind abuzz with thousands of questions, all without any answers that he himself could come up with. Every so often he would look up at Alucard, but then quickly turn back to his thoughts; his shyness persisting even in the face of the end of the world. Still...eventually his curiosity, or at least the need to know what had happened got the better of him as he finally managed to lock eyes with the pale man]

Um...can, I mean...do you actually know? I mean to say...do you know what happened here? How can...how can the world just end like this?

[Alucard would have answered; it was the polite thing to do, after all. Couple of Gasfellas had other plans it would seem. Still a little ways off though, so at least they're not caught by surprise. The dhampire readies his sword.]

Can you fight?

[It would be nice not to have to protect the boy entirely; it's so much easier to make mistakes when you have someone completely helpless to worry about.]

[The sudden appearance of Alucard's sword rightly startled the young man, causing Ippo to take a few steps back until he noticed the...things in the distance. He couldn't tell what they were apart from that they didn't seem to have legs, were wearing hoods, and were currently striking the ground with their hammers as if looking for something]

F-fight? I...know how to box but...do we really need to fight them? They don't seem to be doing much...

[They didn't seem to be doing anything particularly harmful at the moment...but the only way around seemed to be through. There wasn't much room in this place for much maneuvering around things...]

Edited 2013-06-21 23:08 (UTC)

[A hand-to-hand fighter? Perhaps not ideal for Gasfellas, but if the boy knows how to dodge in a space as narrow as this part of the Skyway, it will do. Fortunate, considering that the two of them had been noticed, and the monsters abandon their previous activities to try and pulp the survivors.]

It would seem we have little choice. Prepare yourself.

[With that, he darts in and makes a clean slice through the first spirit. It goes down in that one hit. The other is still headed right for Ippo though.]

[Everything was happening so fast...first the world had ended, and now his only companion was dashing off to fight some...weird things! How could anyone be so fast...not even Miyata could have matched that kind of speed. Everything seemed to slow to a crawl, even the beast charging him with its hammer raised. He couldn't take all of this, it was too much I was just...]

[It was then he felt it, the familiar sting on his back as if Coach had just slapped him again. He heard the old man's words ringing in his ears; his advice, his wisdom, and most importantly his encouragement. He wasn't just some random nobody off the street...he was Ippo Makunouchi, the JBC Featherweight Champion! Now wasn't the time to be overwhelmed, it was time to fight like his life depended on it; to remind himself of what it truly meant to be strong.

With the Gasfella only a few feet in front of him; be brought his fists up to his chin in his trademark Peek-A-Boo guard and propped himself up on the balls of his feet just as the hammer began to fall. It hit the ground with loud thud as Ippo deftly sidestepped the strike and rotated his body into the movement, allowing him to build up a nice flow of centrifugal force as he swung his body back around.

The wind itself seemed to ignite behind him as his fist came flying back like it had been loosed from a cannon and made contact with the Gasfella's head with equivalent force; enough to blow the creature off whatever was keeping it upright and sending it spiraling off the edge of the skyway to gods only knew where. Either way, it wasn't going to be getting back up; that much was for sure]

[The boy moves like a seasoned fighter, that much is certain. The power behind that blow was quite impressive too. If Alucard were given to praise, this certainly would have merited it. As he's not, Ippo will simply get a nod of approval before the dhampire begins heading back to the Bastion.]

Come. We are close, and I doubt you wish to fight more at this time.

[Ippo seemed to snap out of his boxing stance as quickly as he had dropped into it...and it was then that last nights match caught up to him. His body ached more in protest of the extra effort and his ribs groaned as he began to hobble after his new friend]

Agh...y-yes, I don't think I could do much more of that anyways. I haven't had much time to rest after last night...

[He gave his belt a fond glance, if not softened a bit by sadness at the realization that the only person it held any significance to now was himself]

[Mm. So Ippo had been in a bout of some sort the previous night. He could likely do with a good rest then. Fortunately, they have arrived at the transport back to the settlement, which he indicates.]

Standing on this will take you to the Bastion. You will be looked after there. I must part with you here for now as I have unfinished business on the Skyway.

[And that's all the warning Ippo gets before Alucard departs once again. Not much of one for goodbyes, is he?]

Oh? I uh...thank...?

[He watched Alucard dart off with that uncanny speed once more, leaving the boy alone once again. He looked at the strange tile wearily, wondering just how in the world it was supposed to get him to this "Bastion"]

Well...I don't see why Alucard-san would lie about it...I guess its worth a shot at the very least.

[He took a deep breath and stepped on to the tile...before being launched forcefully into the air towards parts unknown]

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Day 78 - A Champion's Loss, The Road to Rebirth

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