Double

Dragon Ball: Universe Zero

It worked. Just as Han planned, the ploy was enough to keep Niko from leaving. The look of utter confusion on his face served as the final nail in the coffin. Han's suspicions were correct after all. Niko was clearly not guilty of any of the crimes alleged by the pages of the dossier, and so whatever intention Han had of killing him was gone in an instant. Assassin though he may, he only targeted a certain type of individual, and Niko was clearly not it.

"I hadn't lied. My name really is Wu Han, and my intention really was to challenge you to a match." he had said, offering a quick bow, "But I did withhold the full story from you. I needed to see for myself just what kind of person you are, and you have shown me that, throughout the Tournament and in our match just now." he took the pages if allowed to and shook his head. He seemed a bit ashamed of himself.

"I am an assassin by trade." he said, fairly bluntly. He maintained his respectful tone but the warmth seemed to be slowly freezing up into something a bit more cold, "I was hired to kill you, I'm afraid." he gave Niko a brief moment to take in the revelation, but knew he needed to explain further to avoid inciting his wrath, "Originally I watched you in the tournament to observe your skill level so that I could plan accordingly, but... the more I watched you the more the information I was given didn't sit right with me. By the tournament's end I needed to find out for myself just who 'Niko Renzo' truly was before going ahead with the contract. That was why I challenged you just now. Everything that has transpired has told me all I need to know. You, Niko Renzo, are not the man I was to led to believe you to be. It seems I was manipulated by whomever wanted you dead."

He resumed eye contact with Niko by this point, "I've only been paid half the agreed upon sum, but that money is yours if you want it. Think of it as an apology. I should not have let myself be lied to so easily. Only the truly wicked in this world become my targets, and however briefly, I thought the same of you. My deepest and humblest apologies."

"I wish I could name the client for you, but I'm afraid that's impossible. They insisted on remaining anonymous. An unfortunate commonality for this business. But what I can tell you amounts to this: I don't believe them to be a single individual. The man I negotiated with was clearly not there of his own accord, and was likely following someone else's instructions." it was a shame Han couldn't offer much more information than that about the client. He preferred forthrightness but also understood the necessity of anonymity in a profession like this, "If you intend to discover the identity of this client, then perhaps you would accept my assistance? I don't take too kindly to being used."

Dragon Ball: Universe Zero

@FalloutJack@Balthazar007

Huh... well I wanted to get in a reply but... do I wait as well, then?

Dragon Ball: Universe Zero

@Balthazar007@FalloutJack

Here's a bit of detail for the Wuye-ying for future reference. It's headed by Laoguai, obviously, but he has two major lieutenants that serve as his right hand and left hand men. One of them is Mitsurugi Goda, who originally came from a Yakuza background before Laoguai approached him. As such he runs his section of the organization the same way any Yakuza family patriarch would. He used to be known for using a sword but has used it less and less since being trained by Laoguai, he does still keep the weapon on him for intimidation but has had little need to actually use it lately. The second man is Ngo Li, whom Laoguai took in off the streets as a kid because he sensed some potential in him. Li for many years was groomed to be Laoguai successor, but that all got changed once Han was born. Now he only sits as a loyal lieutenant and has watched his mentor effectively give up on him in favor of Han.

Dragon Ball: Universe Zero

You know, not for nothing, but my strategy was actually working. Han only used 26 vs Niko using 45 or so. The terrain was my downfall, it seems.

Dragon Ball: Universe Zero

Alright then, the angle I was going for has been successfully circumvented. So depending on how long the fight was going to go on for, my general strategy was getting to the point where Han had spent less of his Ki then Niko had and use that moment to go on the offensive for a more aggressive attack. I'm revealing this now because Niko's successful blow against Han... pretty much meant I had to pivot to a different tact altogether, hence my IC post's whole spiel about battle plans not surviving the engagement and split decisions sometimes needing to be made "in the moment". I assessed the outcome of that clash and decided, yeah, this was gonna have to be one of those split decision moments for this encounter to not end up being a waste of time. xD

Dragon Ball: Universe Zero

A wise strategist once said that the battle plan was always the first casualty of any engagement. An oversimplification, to be sure, but the logic was sound and the idea behind it was not without well deserved merit. This was one of those times. Han's initial plan would not survive this particular clash, but that in itself did not immediately mean failure. Yet another wise man once reasoned that there were occasional moments in time when one had to make a split-second decision, or else that moment - and the opportunity it provided - would be lost forever. That wise man also happened to be Han's great-grandfather, and like most everything else he learned from him, Han took that lesson to heart. This, he felt, was one such moment described by his great-grandfather's advice. A split-second decision was made, one that would decide the success or failure of this skirmish.

While Han had returned the dossier to the representative at the meeting, what that man hadn't realized was that 3 of the pages from that dossier had been slipped out of the folder. Those pages were now in Han's possession, and in the fraction of a second that it took Han to realize that his footing slipped, he acted as quickly on the draw as he possibly could. A hand slipped into his Gi, grabbed the three pages and let them fly from his possession as his body flew back. He went out into the water, was even submerged for a moment.

Now to end this, hopefully my ploy has done its job.

The ploy, in retrospect at least, was a rather simple one. Those 3 pages contained accounts of alleged transactions involving Niko, and the sale of military information to foreign entities. The way Han saw it, one of two things was likely to happen. If those accounts were indeed genuine, then most likely Niko would grab the pages and run or he would wait for Han to return to shore and attempt to get more information from him, possibly even try to silence him. Or the other possibility, should Han's suspicions prove true, was that Niko's curiosity would be piqued and he would similarly stay around to question Han for further information. No matter which outcome happened, Han would have been able to learn all he needed to decide on his next course of action for the contract.

Han had swam a short distance before surfacing. He walked upright on the shore, no longer maintaining any battle stance. If Niko had stuck around, this at least would be enough to signal an end to their brief fight. A smile would be Han's face, as he continued to maintain the warm and friendly vibe he had begun this encounter with, "I suppose I owe you some answers now, don't I?" he would ask, provided that Niko had not run away and was still present.

Dragon Ball: Universe Zero

I'd also like to point out that we've now had two rounds of posting each with little or no actual attacks being thrown or landing. I'll tell you this, though, Han DOES have a tactical goal in mind with his constant feint attacks (or rather, I do) but its going to be up to you to try and figure out what that angle is.

Dragon Ball: Universe Zero

The beginning was a test, more than anything else. Han was looking to measure up his opponent by taking stock of how he reacted to potential attacks coming from various angles. But this wasn't something Han could keep up forever, he could sense an ever-so-slight difference between the two of them, though he did not know if Renzo was aware of this difference. If Han wanted things to go smoothly, then he needed to make sure every move counted, and that not a single motion or movement was put to waste. With that in mind, he came in for one last feint attack, a chop that would have otherwise been aimed for the back of the neck had it not been backed out of. Instead Han maneuvered himself in front of Niko and willingly allowed his footwork to slow a bit.

"You know what you're doing. Good. Little wonder you made it to the Semifinals." By this point Han had allowed himself to stand still. Gone was his light footwork. Instead, ever-so-subtly, he had shifted his stance in a slightly different direction. His feet were more firmly planted on the ground and his guard appeared to be even more fortified than it previously was. The art of Defense was a two-sided coin, one of Evasion and one of Guarding. Han had previously just showcased the former side to that coin, and now it was time to showcase the latter. He readied himself, not to dodge, but to catch whatever blow came his way like an unbending oak.

---

~Defensive Stance, Immovable Shadow~

Health: 100
Power Level: 80
Attack: 0
Speed: 0
Defense: 80

Dragon Ball: Universe Zero

As the post-Tournament festivities prepared to begin, an elder woman introduced herself to the four semifinalists. Mr. Satan... the name certainly rang familiar to anyone who studied the history of the World Tournament, as Han certainly had. And yet his was not the only noteworthy name associated with the Tournament. Before Satan's time, there was another Champion, an enigmatic old man known only as Jackie Chun. Though he had only won the championship a single time, that championship battle was recorded as one of the greatest in the Tournament's history. And yet, despite returning to defend his title, the old man simply forfeited his match early on during the semifinals, and stranger still was never seen or heard from again. Perhaps he desired a quiet retirement? Han supposed that only the old man himself would've ever known the answer to that question.

After Ms. Pan's speech, two of the four semifinalists appeared in quite a rush to leave. And unfortunately, Han's target was one of them. While Lee vanished in a burst of speed, Renzo instead walked calmly away. At least until he was out of sight, then he was gone at a greater speed after that. Perfect, approaching the target privately was going to be the most ideal way for Han to move forward with his plan. And so, he too slipped out of the festival, and was able to do so with no fuss to boot as he was not among the important guests present. Despite the head start, Han was able to pick up Renzo's trail and followed him to the shore. His target was on the beach, seemingly in deep thought with himself.

Looking up, Han took in the view of the full moon. Part of him was reminded of his meditation that morning, at a similar beach while briefly under the light of the moon. This time, it seemed ominously reversed, as a dark night approached instead of a hopeful new day. In fact, a new haiku made itself known in Han's thoughts. But as he had no implements on his person to write it down, the next best thing was to verbalize it.

"The Sun lays to rest
The Night Sky envelopes All
ruled now, by The Moon"

That, of course, would no doubt tip Niko off to Han's presence. But, Han was never planning an ambush anyway, so this would have to do for an introduction, "Forgive me." he said, offering a bow, "When a haiku comes to me in moments of peace, sometimes I can't help myself but to share it. It helps to clear the mind, you know, keeps you at peace." he maintained a polite tone in his voice, and warm expression on his face. He wanted this meeting to be amicable, at the very least until he learned what he needed to learn from it, "Ah, right, I forget my manners. I am Wu Han. I watched you fight in the Tournament. I tried to sign up myself, but alas, I arrived too late. I hope you'll forgive my forwardness, Niko Renzo, but I followed you in here in the hopes you would honor me with a match." Han said nothing more, and from here allowed his actions to speak for him instead.

Han entered his Shinigami Stance, likely not one that Riko or most people had ever seen unless they were well versed in martial arts folklore. He appeared to make a lunge forward to strike, but what would have been a torso-aimed kicked instead stopped mid way - revealing itself to merely be a feint - so that Han could push himself back a few inches, tightening his guard and keeping his footwork quick and light as a feather.

---

~Feint attack, Trickster's Shadow~
Serious Speed Boost

Health: 100
Power Level: 100
Attack: 5
Speed: 30 x 2 = 60
Defense: 65

Dragon Ball: Universe Zero

Okay, it is morally and critically imperative that I ask this next question:

Goku Jr and Vegeta Jr when? XD