Tournament - Rolento F. Schugerg vs. Ezio

[Mercenaryblade]

Mark woke up to the warm weight of Sparky his Eevee curled up on his chest, the soft sound of its breathing blending with the morning light filtering through his curtains. He stretched, feeling the pleasant soreness from yesterday, and patted Sparky, who yawned and stretched in kind. As they made their way to the kitchen, Mark’s mind slowly shifted gears from the grogginess of sleep to the anticipation of another day in the extraordinary household he shared.

The house itself wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, it was just another house in the seemingly ordinary suburb, and Mark was but a student at the university. No, it was his housemates that were extraordinary. For one thing he had an Eevee. 

He had an Eevee. 

Mark looked down at the adorable Pokemon staring up at him as he dressed. Mark remembered playing Pokemon games, he remembered watching the anime. Now here he was with an actual Eevee, he remembered raising her, feeding caring. But from the dark recesses of his brain he could remember a time where all he had was a plush of Eevee. Pokemon weren’t real. Yet there he was. As Mark thought about it his mind began to cloud over and he shook his head. 

“Come on, Sparky let’s get breakfast.” Mark muttered. 

“Vee!” Sparky chirped in reply.    

As he entered the kitchen, Master Chief was already there, making protein pancakes with military precision. "Morning, Chief," Mark greeted, still somewhat in awe of having a video game icon flipping pancakes in his kitchen.

"Morning, Mark.We have a big day ahead." Chief spoke without turning, his voice calm and steady as always.

"Yeah, yeah, you’re right." Mark replied, taking a seat at the table. As he watched Chief cook, a strange thought crept into his mind. Wasn’t it odd for a super-soldier to be making breakfast? He shook his head, dismissing the thought as quickly as it came.

Ezio walked in next, his charismatic smile brightening the room. "Buongiorno, Mark! Did you sleep well? I trust our training session today will be most enlightening." Ezio clapped him on the back with a friendly laugh.

"Still aching a bit from last session," Mark replied, grinning. But as Ezio began regaling him with tales of Renaissance Italy, Mark’s mind snagged on another oddity. How was Ezio there, in the kitchen? Specifically AC2 Ezio. Why wasn’t he shocked about the modern world and technologies?

Sakura bounced in last, the tomboyish schoolgirl vibrant and cheerful as always.She wore her usual seifuku, a traditional Japanese school uniform, complete with a pleated skirt and knee-high socks. "Morning everyone! Mark, ready to spar later? I’ll go easy on you today!" she winked playfully. 

"Sure, that’d be great," Mark responded, trying to stay in the moment. Yet, his mind began to spiral. The characters, their interactions, the very normalcy of it all—it started to feel surreal. Was this actually happening? Or was he dreaming?

The more he thought about it, the less sense it made. How could video game characters be living with him, cooking, chatting, training? He glanced around, half-expecting to see glitches or see the shine of a dream.

But then, Sparky jumped onto his lap, its warm, fuzzy body grounding him. He petted the Eevee, and as he did, his thoughts began to blur, the sharp edges of his confusion softening. The sounds of the kitchen, the smells of breakfast, the familiar presence of his friends—everything melded into a comforting haze.

"Hey, Mark, you zoned out on us for a second there," Sakura noted, concern flickering across her face.

"Yeah, just daydreaming, I guess. Everything’s fine," Mark replied with a dazed smile.

As they gathered around the table, enjoying the pancakes Chief had prepared, Mark’s earlier doubts seemed like distant echoes. He laughed at Ezio’s exaggerated stories, planned sparring moves with Sakura, and discussed strength training with Chief. The peculiarities of his life, for now, felt perfectly normal, and Mark decided to embrace the extraordinary day ahead, doubts set aside for another time.

No. 

Something wasn’t right. He did the only thing he could think to do. 

“Hey, guys. I’m not sure about anything… uh… is this real?” 

The characters regarded one another as if each were wondering who should speak first. 

But before any of them could there was a loud noise of someone rapping on the front door. The gaming icons shot to their feet followed by Mark. Who would be calling on them so early in the morning? 

 “Uh, guys?" he called, his voice laced with uncertainty.

Chief was first to the door, one hand on the holstered M6H as he flung the door open. A man wearing fatigues and a red beret and carrying a large stick stood just outside the door. Mark recognized him just as Sakura spoke.

"That's Rolento, He's all about creating his own military utopia. Not the friendly neighbor type. I’ve fought him before."

Rolento's eyes gleamed at the sight of Master Chief, a fellow soldier, albeit one from a vastly different reality. 

“This doesn’t make sense. Am I in a SFM film?” Mark muttered to himself. 

"Ah, the legendary Spartan," Rolento began, his voice dripping with a mixture of respect and a challenge. "I've heard tales of your exploits. How would you like to join a real cause, to establish a new world order under my command?"

Master Chief's response was cool, his tone dismissive. “I'm not interested.” 

Undeterred, Rolento sneered, "Are you afraid to fight for something greater? Or are you just a puppet following orders?"

Chief’s helmeted visage displayed no emotion. “I have nothing to prove to the likes of you. Now vacate the premises now.”

Rolento scoffed, “I’m disappointed in you. I thought you were a soldier. But you’re just a disappointment.”

Mark watched expecting Chief to splatter Rolento, but the Spartan merely moved to shut the door. Of course that made sense. Chief knew Rolento was not a threat to him, and unless Rolento was dumb enough to actually attack he would not engage. 

“Coward.” Rolento growled. 

Sakura bristled, ready to jump in, but Ezio laid a calming hand on her shoulder, stepping forward. "Amico, your words are as empty as your vision," Ezio said, facing Rolento with an unimpressed arch of his brow. "There's no honor in what you propose, only tyranny. The Chief has nothing to prove to the likes of you. I think you need a lesson in humility."

Chief nodded his approval as he stepped back and Ezio strode forward. 

Mark, Sakura, and Sparky stepped outside the door as the Assassin squared off with Rolento. 

“Careful Ezio!” Sakura cautioned. 

Rolento seemed to finally notice Sakura, “Hah, your friend is just like you. Undisciplined. I’ll make this quick.” 

Ezio smirked as he gestured towards himself with his hands, “Fatti sotto.” 

In a flash Rolento hurled a knife for Ezio’s leg but the nimble assassin easily leapt clear as the weapon buried itself into the neatly trimmed lawn. Ezio retaliated with a throwing knife of his own which Rolento deflected with a swipe of his stick. 

Ezio drew a sword and gave it a twirl as Rolento charged him.

Mark, and his companions all watched with bated breath. Mark’s confusion and early thoughts slipped away as he found himself enraptured by the spectacle before him.
 

[Callisto]

Learn More About
Rolento F. Schugerg
Read more about Rolento F. Schugerg at Wikipedia
Official Site: Capcom Links: Wikipedia Street Fighter Wiki FightersGeneration

Ezio
Read more about Ezio at Wikipedia
Official Site: Ubisoft Links: Wikipedia www.assassinscreed.wikia.com www.giantbomb.com

[Mercenaryblade]

Taking a bit of a risk here with how I set this fight up. Regardless of how I do in the tournament I hope to maybe do more with this storyline and setting, and hopefully answer questions if this is well received. 

[Macklemore]

I think Ezio's biggest advantage that he could possibly have in his fight, his stealth, is taken away from him in order to create a spectacle of a fight, but that just aligns the fight in Rolento's wheelhouse. Rolento, by virtue of being a character in a fighting game series, has proof that he can fare well in a fight where he's not ambushed. Ezio can as well, I'm not disparaging the assassin, he's a master with a sword and a very physically able human being, but I just don't see him doing well against most fighting game characters of equal power.

[leroypowell3]

On 4/14/2024 at 10:56 AM, Macklemore said:

I think Ezio's biggest advantage that he could possibly have in his fight, his stealth, is taken away from him in order to create a spectacle of a fight, but that just aligns the fight in Rolento's wheelhouse. Rolento, by virtue of being a character in a fighting game series, has proof that he can fare well in a fight where he's not ambushed. Ezio can as well, I'm not disparaging the assassin, he's a master with a sword and a very physically able human being, but I just don't see him doing well against most fighting game characters of equal power.

That's a good assessment. 

[Culwych1]

I liked the setup! A bit surreal and unpredictable, which is always good - hope you do continue this story as it could be one that gets more and more crazy. Some more explanation about what is happening would be beneficial in the future, but this is enough to wet the appetite. 

[Mercenaryblade]

2 hours ago, Culwych1 said:

I liked the setup! A bit surreal and unpredictable, which is always good - hope you do continue this story as it could be one that gets more and more crazy. Some more explanation about what is happening would be beneficial in the future, but this is enough to wet the appetite. 

Thank you! Something surreal with hints of something more going on was my intent. I hope to continue this as long as the interest remains.

[JohnnyChany]

I agree that you appear to have an interesting thing starting with an eclectic mix of characters. I'm intrigued.

[Mercenaryblade]

7 hours ago, JohnnyChany said:

I agree that you appear to have an interesting thing starting with an eclectic mix of characters. I'm intrigued.

Thank you much! 

[Pizza Guy]

Leaning towards Rolento in a straight up battle. Ezio whilst able to fight if need be would definitely prefer to strike from the shadows when his enemy wasn’t ready, meanwhile Rolento is a soldier whose far more experienced in fighting face to face with his foes.

[Mercenaryblade]

I guess everyone forgot Ezio was in SoulCalibur?

[Callisto]

Match Final Results

Member Ratings:
3.10 - C.T.
4.70 - Boratz
4.70 - Culwych1
4.00 - Macklemore
5.00 - patrickthekid
4.70 - JohnnyChany

FPA Calculation:
6 Total Votes cast
26.20 Total Combined Score
26.20 / 6 = 4.37 Final Rating on the match

MATCH SCORE
Rolento F. Schugerg: 3
Ezio: 4