Match 19847 Michelangelo (Mirage) vs. Cracker Jack

[RakaiThwei]

Allen Snider tensed his legs before he pushed himself to a leap. He threw his body weight forward and down, somersaulting through the air as he soared in towards his opponent before he snapped his right leg out as he aimed to slam his foot directly into the mutant Terrapin’s chest. Widening his eyes, Raphael immediately side-stepped to his left and circled around the red-haired fighter, evading the leaping kick quickly. Allen landed feet first onto the floor and turned to meet his opponent only to quickly turn with his hips and he pumped his right and left arm out in a series of three quick punches aimed for Raphael’s face, but quickly followed up by swinging his right arm upwards for the Turtle’s chin, intending on contacting a solid uppercut. Raphael swiftly ducked and weaved from side to side, evading the former United States Martial Arts champion’s fists before he saw the incoming fist moving for him. Raphael worked to keep up with his opponent, now leaning back as the fist moved up directly in front. That was a close one, and he had to admit that this new opponent had the technique and speed to give him a fight. Raphael spun his sai in his hands, circling around Allen, who was also following Raphael’s movements.

Raphael snapped his left leg up in a front kick, but Allen slapped his right hand down to push away at Raphael’s foot before he retaliated with his own front kick from his right leg. Raphael leaned inward and he snapped his right leg out in a low side kick and parried Allen’s kick. The former United States Martial Arts champion quickly turned with his hips, and he jabbed his right and left fists for Raphael’s fist, but the red masked Turtle crossed his arms out in front of his face, blocking the incoming strikes. The red masked ninja spun his sai and gripped the handles, now holding his weapons in reverse and he pumped his arms out as he moved for Allen’s chest, intending on striking the blunt ends of his sai handles for his opponent’s torso. Allen Snider moved his fists up, and swung his arms horizontally outward, working to block and divert the incoming fists away. Quickly, Allen retaliated by turning with his weight as he swung his right arm across, firmly striking Raphael’s cheek and again he swung out with his left arm, striking his fist again onto Raphael. The Turtle was stunned, only registering what had happened too late as Allen turned in a spin to his left, now swinging his left leg across in a high roundhouse kick only to fluidly continue with the motion and he raised his right leg up and arced it in a spinning back wheel kick.

Raphael dropped back onto his rear as he firmly planted his hands down onto the floor as he shot a glare up at his opponent while the pain momentarily moved through his head. He hadn’t expected to be put down like that so early in the match and that was something which wounded his pride and reminded him— there were still many skilled and strong opponents in this tournament.

Allen grinned as he saw his opponent sitting on his rear in complete shock and agitation. He couldn’t help but grin in satisfaction for knocking the Turtle down a peg. Not wanting to stand for this, Raphael quickly flipped himself to his feet and assumed his fighting stance, gripping his sai in hand.

The red masked ninja quickly lunged in, and he thrust his right arm forward, moving to strike with the blunt end of his sai handle as he aimed it for Allen’s face. Instead, Allen moved his left arm up and blocked Raphael’s strike while simultaneously thrusting his right arm out for the red masked Terrapin’s face, firmly impacting the mutant Turtle hard enough to stop his attack dead on. In one fluid motion with a turn of his hips, Allen pumped his left arm out as he turned his fist, firmly striking Raphael in his plastron protected mid-section before turning with his weight and swung his right elbow across Raphael’s face. Allen leaned inward and he thrust his elbow out for Raphael’s mid-section, firmly striking the ninja in his mid-section once more.

With his opponent stunned from the punishment he inflicted, Allen focused on the energy within himself and directed it to flow through his body and channeled it into his right arm and hand. He shifted with a step forward and stomped his foot hard onto the ground, causing a brief tremor while he thrust his right arm out in a straight punch for Raphael’s chest, firmly striking the Turtle and caused Raphael to fly back eight feet.

“JUSTICE FIST!”

Allen snapped back into a horse stance as he stomped his right foot to the ground, only to now look at the Turtle who hit the floor of the terminal mall. Raphael took a moment to register everything which had occurred, and the pressure piled on him was being felt. He shot a glare at his red-haired opponent, now watching as Allen shook his head in disapproval while waving a finger from his right hand.

“Oh crap, this doesn’t look good for Raph.” Michelangelo whispered.

“We’re still in the beginning of the fight, Michelangelo. Just gotta give it some time.” Donatello replied.

Raphael flipped himself to his feet once more and he looked to his opponent once more. Already he had learned that Allen was skilled enough, strong enough, and fast enough to give him a proper fight. It had been some time since Raphael felt a sense of uncertainty in a fight and this only had given him more incentive to keep up. He spun his sai and gripped them, now holding them in reverse as he set himself to his own fighting stance.

Allen quickly rushed forward as he snapped his left leg out in a high side kick aimed for the mutant Red Ear Slider’s head, but Raphael leapt back from the incoming foot, positioning his right arm upward to block with his forearm. Allen leaned in with a step and he snapped his right arm across in a back fist for the Turtle’s face. Raphael hopped back and circled around his opponent, only to raise his right arm up and block with his forearm. The former U.S. Martial Arts champion followed Raphael’s movements, turning in a spin and he thrust his left leg in a back thrust kick for the Turtle’s head. Raphael hunched down, managing to evade the kick but Allen followed up with a roundhouse kick from his right leg before turning a spin and swinging his right leg across in a spinning back wheel kick for the Turtle’s head once more. Quickly, Raphael shifted back away from his opponent’s kicks and once again set himself in his fighting stance.

Allen stepped forward, now turning with his weight as he thrust his arms forward and out for Raphael’s face. Raphael immediately raised his forearms up, swinging them horizontally inward to deflect the punches away from himself before he pumped his right arm up in an uppercut—firmly striking the blunt end of his sai handle directly into Allen’s chin, stunning the red-haired purple uniformed clad fighter momentarily. Seeing an opening, Raphael shifted with a step and rolled his arms forward, quickly pummeling Allen in his abdominal region and knocked the wind from him, causing Allen to grunt painfully. The Turtle quickly swung his arms across, firmly striking his fists with his sai handles out directly across Allen’s cheeks before he turned in a spin and he swung his left leg across for Allen’s head, again striking the former U.S. Martial Arts champion’s face before he pushed himself to a leap and threw his weight across only to snap his right leg out in a jumping back thrust kick— solidly striking his foot into his opponent’s chest, causing Allen to stumble back from the blow before he lost his footing and dropped to the floor. Allen huffed his cheeks as he blew out air, working to cope with the pain as he got back to his feet.

Allen shifted forward with a step, only to snap his left leg up in a front kick aimed for Raphael’s chin but the ninja responded by side-stepping to his opponent’s left. Raphael turned with his weight as he thrust his right arm out for his opponent’s head, but Allen caught this from the corner of his eye and turned to meet the mutant Terrapin head on, only to cross his arms out and took the blunt end of Raphael’s sai handle directly in his forearms. In retaliation, Allen turned with his hips, and he thrust his left and right arm out twice, intending on striking Raphael directly in the face but the Turtle ducked and weaved from the incoming fists. Allen swiftly then swung his right leg across in a roundhouse kick for the Turtle’s mid-section, but Raphael raised his left leg up while moving his left arm down, clenching as he managed to block the kick directly head on.

However, Allen attuned himself to the energy within himself once more as he hopped back and now directed it to flow through his body and into his arms and hands. Cupping his hands together, he moved his arms back and formed a glowing sphere of orange colored energy in his palms, only to throw his arms outward and fire off the energy projectile as he landed feet on the ground.

“SOUL FORCE!” Allen shouted upon unleashing the energy.

“NNNGH!” Raphael grunted as the energy impacted him directly in his plastron, causing him to fall back and hit the ground flat onto his carapace. He hadn’t expected Allen to fire off an energy projectile like that, but this only reminded him that in this tournament, there were opponents who achieved superhuman status through training.

Allen again drew upon the energy from within himself, gathering it in the palms of his hands and shaping it to his needs before he threw off another sphere of orange colored energy at Raphael. The former U.S. Martial Arts champion fired off a volley of eight projectiles, intending to bombard the Turtle with these powerful energy blasts. The red masked mutant Turtle widened his eyes and gasped at seeing the energy spheres moving at him, and he quickly bursts into movement as he rushed from right to left, zig-zagging and evading the Soul Force projectiles while intending to close the gap between himself and Allen. Raphael clasped his sai together, gripping them in his left hand, leaving his right free as he reached down to his utility belt, only to grab at a smoke pellet and toss it at Allen’s feet.

“WHAT THE--?!” Allen yelled before he found his field of vision suddenly being obscured.

The red-haired fighter moved his arms, aiming to swat away and move the smoke which obscured his vision. However, this left him completely open as something managed to strike him firmly into his mid-section. Allen grunted in immediate discomfort as he felt the air in his lungs being forced out from him. He looked down to see a leg firmly pressed against his mid-section before it moved back. The Turtle must’ve landed a solid roundhouse kick onto him, and he had landed a very good one. With a shimmering flash of light reflecting from his weapons, Raphael drew his sai and spun them only to tuck them between his palms with the blunt ends protruding out.

The Turtle quickly then turned with his weight as he pumped his arms out several times, thrusting the blunt ends of his sai handles directly into Allen’s abdominal region and chest, keeping the pressure on the former U.S. Martial Arts champion. Raphael pumped his right arm in an uppercut manner for Allen’s solar plexus, smashing the end of his sai handle directly for his intended mark and Allen gasped only to get into a coughing fit. Raphael tensed his leg muscles only to push himself to a leap and he threw his weight up and back, now flipping back while swinging both his feet up, smashing them directly into Allen’s chin. Allen Snider clenched his eyes shut, pain radiating from his mouth as his teeth grinded against each other from the force of Raphael’s somersault kick. The hot-tempered Turtle flipped onto his feet, and he spun his sai in his grasp only to now tuck it between his palms, the sharpened prongs facing forward. Raphael pounced forward as he aimed to now tackle and moved his weapons for Allen’s shoulders.

Allen shook his head, fighting off the pain and now widened his eyes only to watch the Turtle soaring right in towards him. Quickly, he moved the internal flow of energy to move through his entire body and channeled it into his right arm and hand. Allen turned in spin and hunched down, only to push himself up high into the air as he leapt, and he swung his right arm in an uppercut— only to firmly impact the Turtle directly in the chin.

“RISING DRAGON!”

After suffering a defeat at the hands of an up-and-coming Ken Masters, Allen had taken inspiration from the man who defeated him, recalling Ken’s techniques and working them into his own arsenal of skill. Allen had spent years in developing and strengthening his skills, waiting for the day to use them against Ken and perhaps even reclaim his title as the U.S. Martial Arts champion once more. But for now, Allen was satisfied in seeing the effectiveness of his technique on an opponent as tenacious as the Turtle.

As Raphael was about to drop onto the ground, Allen once more focused on the internal flow of energy within himself and directed it to flow through his legs. He pounced forward while leaping to the air. He kicked his left leg up, then his right and his left again as he shouted the name of one of his super techniques.

“TRIPLE BREAK!”

Raphael felt three impacts hitting him, keeping him juggled in the air and then gravity dropped him onto the floor of the terminal mall. With a grunt, Raphael hit the floor and he now writhed in discomfort and pain. However, the Turtle wasn’t one to go down so easily. He took in a deep breath of air through his nostrils and exhaled— working to fight through the pain which he was experiencing. Allen rushed ahead to meet the Turtle head on as he was down, but Raphael rolled back to his feet, and now stepped back as Allen yelled out with a clenched fist ready. The red-haired fighter thrust his arms out several times, intending on bombarding the Turtle with a series of punches but Raphael positioned his forearms up, and swung them inward and outwardly across, diverting each of the incoming fists from hitting him. Allen stepped forward, his energy focused into his left hand as he unleashed another Justice Fist for the mutant Red Ear Slider’s chest, but Raphael side-stepped to his opponent’s left and he thrust his left leg up, slamming his knee directly into Allen’s solar plexus again.

Allen widened his eyes as the Turtle’s knee slammed into him once more, and he released a grunt of pain. But he fought through the pressure, again focused on the flow of internal energy from within.

Allen clenched his teeth as he powered through the pain his body was throbbing with all over, and he cupped his hands together as he reared his arms back to the right. Orange wisps of energy swirled and gathered into Allen’s palms, forming into a sphere of fiery energy which burst with power and increased in size. He threw his arms forward, releasing a large sphere at the Turtle with fiery fury.

“FIRE FORCE!”

Raphael widened his eyes in complete shock, not expecting Allen to unleash something that size and moving so fast. The red masked ninja pounced to the left, evading the incoming sphere of energy as it hit the spiral stairway behind him. The sphere of energy exploded upon impact, causing glass to shatter and metal to break. Small embers flew about but quickly went out as they had risen. Raphael spun his sai in his hands, and he threw his arms forward only to release his grasp from his sai as he released them. He watched as the blunt ends of his sai now struck Allen directly in the forehead, and the former U.S. Martial Arts champion now stumbled back. Raphael now zeroed right on his opponent before he turned in a spin as he swung his right arm across in a spinning back fist, firmly striking Allen across the head. With a furious yell, Raphael thrust his left arm forward and struck his fist directly into Allen’s face, impacting the man directly in his right eye before he followed up by pumping his right arm upward, delivering a solid uppercut to Allen’s chin. Raphael pushed himself to leap into the air, and he threw his weight across before he snapped his right leg out in a jumping spinning back thrust kick and landed a solid kick into Allen’s face.

The former U.S. Martial Arts champion stumbled back and immediately hit the ground like a sack of bricks. Raphael planted his feet to the ground upon landing and turned to now face his opponent who lay sprawled on the floor. The red masked ninja breathed in through his nose and exhaled out heavily, waiting for his opponent to get back up to his feet. He counted down from ten, and so far, his opponent didn’t seem to be moving.

The match was decided.

Raphael turned and now walked back over to his brothers. He hadn’t expected to have a good fight like that, but it was very welcome. If anything, it was most certainly better than the last match which he participated in. Allen had the strength and skill to give the hot-blooded Turtle some trouble. Leonardo looked over to his brother and gave him a nod of approval for his display of tenacity and skill. Donatello raised his right hand, giving Raphael a pump of his fist in celebration of his brother’s victory. Michelangelo meanwhile chuckled as he smiled to his brother before he stepped forth, now staring at the other team for the time being.

“Hope you don’t mind me taking the next turn, Leo?” Michelangelo inquired.

“By all means.” Leonardo responded.

The remaining members of Team EX looked to one another, pondering who would be next to take their turn in participating in the next match. Skullomania stepped over to the unconscious form of Allen, now grabbing him by the wrist and pulling him back to a safer area in the terminal mall, setting him down on a bench.

The sounds of bones popping echoed through the terminal. Jack slowly turned his head from side to side, popping his neck joints to alleviate whatever brief stiffness he seemed to be experiencing. He rolled his shoulders forward and back before he pressed his hands together, cracking his knuckles. Blair blinked as she now looked over to the man whom she had come to know as her bodyguard.

“Monsieur Jack, are you intending to go take your turn?” Blair inquired.

“Yes, ma’am. I most certainly hope that you and our spandex loving friend over there don’t mind. These guys look like they’re good. Really good, so I hope you don’t mind that I take a crack at’em.” Jack replied.

“Ever the gentleman you are, Monsieur Jack.” Blair chuckled.

Cracker Jack took hold of the front of his jacket and pulled it forward as he now stepped over to where Michelangelo was waiting for him. The bodyguard now looked over to the Turtle, raising his left brow in a quizzical manner at the idea of what he assumed was a man in a Turtle costume. He just breathed a sigh as he shook his head before he chuckled at the absurdity which was about to be had here.

“Never thought I would ever say that I got to fight a Turtle.” Cracker Jack said.

“I know, right? This is gonna be fun!” Michelangelo chuckled.

Cracker Jack just blinked at the positive energy which Michelangelo seemed to be radiating, and he had never really encountered anyone seemingly so wily. He raised his brows, shook his head and then raised his hands before clenching them into fists as he squared his shoulders and assumed a stance which resembled a boxer’s posture. Michelangelo nodded his head in seeing Jack already preparing himself for the fight ahead, and the wily Turtle clicked his tongue on the roof of his mouth before he moved his hands down to his belt and drew his nunchaku, spinning and twirling them briefly before he assumed his own fighting stance.

Jack would be the first to break the silence as he rushed at Michelangelo, his fists ready to be thrown as he drew closer to his opponent. Michelangelo spun and twirled his nunchaku, holding his ground as he readied himself for the battle ahead.

[Callisto]

Learn More About
Michelangelo (Mirage)
Read more about Michelangelo (Mirage) at Wikipedia
Official Site: Nickelodeon Links: Wikipedia

Cracker Jack
Read more about Cracker Jack at Wikipedia
Official Site: Capcom Links: Wikipedia

[RakaiThwei]

The next match up in my Mirage TMNT Storyline continues and hopefully this match will be something of a bit of surprise. I felt like it would've been too obvious had it been Michelangelo going up against either Blair or Skullomania, and I feel like in comparison-- Michelangelo could use a bit of a different fight when it comes to opponents, and I felt as if Cracker Jack would be an interesting opponent for him to go up against.

Writing out the recap between Raphael and Allen Snider was interesting because I also didn't expect for the votes to turn out the way that they did, and I kind of wanted to reflect that a bit by showing that Allen was skilled and strong enough to fight against someone like Raphael. After all, considering that this was the man who had fought Ken Masters for the title of the United States Martial Arts champion-- it seemed only right that Raphael be given something of a decent fight. I really hope that I reflected that as well. Also, it was kind of easy to write out mostly because that Allen just happens to be a typical Shoto type character, with a few variations and different techniques that are enitrely his own, while some are inspired by Ken Masters' moves as indicated in his storyline in Street Fighter canon.

Also, I had to decide if the next match was going to be with Leonardo or Michelangelo-- and I had to decide on who their opponents were going to be. I felt as if Cracker Jack would be too obvious for Leonardo, and Skullomania would be too obvious for Michelangelo. Similarly it was the same thought with Donatello to some extent. So I was looking at Michelangelo's record, and compared it with Leonardo and Raphael's... and hopefully this will be a match which will be worthy of Michelangelo. I feel as if Cracker Jack was one of the more interesting EX characters considering his movetset and even his personality as well.

Remember-- ENVIRONMENT IS ALSO A FACTOR IN THIS BATTLE! Something I feel like people need to seriously consider.

For new readers who are just hopping onto this storyline here, I suggest you look at the Mirage TMNT Respect Thread to see what the Mirage Turtles are more than capable of.

--

Michelangelo is Low Tier Superhuman in terms of physicals. Think Above Peak Human due to his mutation and training.

Michelangelo possesses his Twin Nunchaku, Shurikens, Smoke Bombs, and Kunai.

 

Cracker Jack is in Peak Conditioning due to his training.

Cracker Jack possesses his Baseball Bat.

Cracker Jack has his moveset from the Street Fighter EX and Fighting Layer series.

Battle Environment Map

[leroypowell3]

I always liked Cracker Jack busting out with that baseball bat. But Michelangelo is too much for him though.

[RakaiThwei]

3 minutes ago, leroypowell3 said:

I always liked Cracker Jack busting out with that baseball bat. But Michelangelo is too much for him though.

Thanks for taking the time out to comment, Leroy!

Hopefully, he gives Michelangelo a decent fight!

[Pizzaguy2995]

Can’t vote against my favorite Turtle, Mikey takes out Cracker Jack low difficulty.

[RakaiThwei]

44 minutes ago, Pizzaguy2995 said:

Can’t vote against my favorite Turtle, Mikey takes out Cracker Jack low difficulty.

I had no idea he was your favorite Turtle! Although if you're used to Mikey being the happy go-lucky Turtle, well, in the Mirage Universe, this Mikey is a bit different. He's more easy going compared to the other Turtles, but he has no problems getting serious and in some cases-- has been seen having a temper that's just as bad as Raphael's.

Thanks for commenting!

[Z451]

Very visual this time around, and it worked well to authenticate the experience even more. Explosions, high impact attacks, and over all well constructed flow of battle all work well in making this match a pretty good read for me this time.

On top of that, Raphael's somersault kick landing directly on Allen's face, was such a visceral and pointed image that the reader can feel the instant pain and drop that come after the impact.

Keep doing what you're doing man, your skills are improving, and your play-by-play writing style is working out for each match, making every one a unique reading experience.

 

Mikey will have his work cut out for him here, a cliche statement by this point heh. Cracker Jack may not be as high profile as certain other Street Fighter and SNK alumni, but there is no doubt, that he is not an opponent to take lightly either, and thus, in order to win this one, Mikey will have to find a way to avoid both his speed and his attack power simultaneously. Added to that, the baseball bat that Jack sometimes has, grants him an enhanced degree of both range and attack power as well, making this even more of a challenge for Mikey.

The best way to win here, is for Mikey to first do all that he can to relieve Jack of his bat, if he has it on him, and then proceed to force Jack to attack by using fake out techniques, so that Mikey can strike him when he isn't protected. Most boxers and boxing type opponents like to protect their chest and head by holding their arms close together and tight, but leave themselves vulnerable when they open up to jab at their opponents, it is in those moments that I can see Mikey truly giving Jack his full attack capabilities, while in every other one, forcing Jack to attack by playing games with his mind.

[RakaiThwei]

1 hour ago, Z451 said:

Very visual this time around, and it worked well to authenticate the experience even more. Explosions, high impact attacks, and over all well constructed flow of battle all work well in making this match a pretty good read for me this time.

On top of that, Raphael's somersault kick landing directly on Allen's face, was such a visceral and pointed image that the reader can feel the instant pain and drop that come after the impact.

Keep doing what you're doing man, your skills are improving, and your play-by-play writing style is working out for each match, making every one a unique reading experience.

It was easy for me to write out Raphael and Allen's battle considering the fact that Allen's moveset was still very fresh in my mind as I am a Street Fighter fan and have fond memories recalling Street Fighter EX's characters and playing the game. So I wanted to emphasize that Allen was a hard hitting person, and I like to think I got that across every time he managed to land a hit on Raphael. And with Raphael, I also wanted to emphasize that he was also the hard hitting muscle of the Turtles. I'd like to think that turned out pretty well!

1 hour ago, Z451 said:

Mikey will have his work cut out for him here, a cliche statement by this point heh. Cracker Jack may not be as high profile as certain other Street Fighter and SNK alumni, but there is no doubt, that he is not an opponent to take lightly either, and thus, in order to win this one, Mikey will have to find a way to avoid both his speed and his attack power simultaneously. Added to that, the baseball bat that Jack sometimes has, grants him an enhanced degree of both range and attack power as well, making this even more of a challenge for Mikey.

The best way to win here, is for Mikey to first do all that he can to relieve Jack of his bat, if he has it on him, and then proceed to force Jack to attack by using fake out techniques, so that Mikey can strike him when he isn't protected. Most boxers and boxing type opponents like to protect their chest and head by holding their arms close together and tight, but leave themselves vulnerable when they open up to jab at their opponents, it is in those moments that I can see Mikey truly giving Jack his full attack capabilities, while in every other one, forcing Jack to attack by playing games with his mind.

This is a very well thought out and detailed breakdown. I always enjoy reading your takes on how a potential battle could turn out!

Thanks for commenting!

[DSkillz]

Another great set-up, Rakai and man, it felt like Allen came close to giving Raphael the business. 😅 Great recap. 

As for the match, I'm thinking Michelangelo may have to watch his feet on some parts of the mall floor with the shattered glass and other debris from the last fight. Still, I think he should prevail against Cracker Jack's more undefined, brawling style. 

[RakaiThwei]

11 hours ago, DSkillz said:

Another great set-up, Rakai and man, it felt like Allen came close to giving Raphael the business. 😅 Great recap. 

Only cause the votes gave me enough incentive to show that, and considering Allen's skill level, it only seemed right.

11 hours ago, DSkillz said:

As for the match, I'm thinking Michelangelo may have to watch his feet on some parts of the mall floor with the shattered glass and other debris from the last fight. Still, I think he should prevail against Cracker Jack's more undefined, brawling style. 

Interesting assessment there! I felt like Michelangelo needed an interesting challenge here. Hopefully Cracker Jack fits the bill.

Thanks for commenting!

[Callisto]

Match Final Results

Member Ratings:
4.80 - DSkillz
4.50 - Pizzaguy2995
5.00 - Macklemore
5.00 - Z451
5.00 - JohnnyChany
4.60 - Boratz

FPA Calculation:
6 Total Votes cast
28.90 Total Combined Score
28.90 / 6 = 4.82 Final Rating on the match

MATCH SCORE
Michelangelo (Mirage): 8
Cracker Jack: 3