A wish came true... A dream became a reality...
This is set to become an actual episode of Death Battle. Check out the Death Battle Wiki's page for it here.
Jon Talbain vs Sabrewulf is an episode of SoMaShadow's Death Battles. It features Jon Talbain from the Darkstalkers video game series, and Sabrewulf from the Killer Instinct video game series.
| Jon Talbain vs Sabrewulf | |
|---|---|
| |
| Season | Off-Season |
| Season Episode | 1 |
| Air date | November 4th, 2020 |
| Written by | SoMaShadow |
| Episode guide | |
| Previous N/A |
Next Shadow the Hedgehog vs Ryūko Matoi |
Description
Darkstalkers vs Killer Instinct! Though these two fighting game werewolves seek to be rid of the monster within, the hunger for battle that drives their bestial instincts have transformed them into some of the deadliest creatures to ever wander the planet. Under the moon of oblivion, which of these mighty monsters will howl for the last time?
Interlude
Wiz: Hailing from Eastern Europe, the Werewolf has always been a haunting symbol of the night. Under the light of the full moon, those cursed with lycanthropy assume their beastly forms, and with bloodlusted rage, they ravage as they see fit.
Boomstick: Perfect for a ruthless, moonlit melee between two 90's fighting game werewolves of the East and West.
Wiz: Jon Talbain, the baneful warrior of the night from Darkstalkers.
Boomstick: And Sabrewulf, the cursed aristocrat-turned reluctant beast from Killer Instinct. He's Wiz and I'm Boomstick.
Wiz: And it's our job to analyze their weapons, armor and skills, to find out who would win... a Death Battle.
Jon Talbain
Wiz: In the dark demon realm of Makai, among the seven legendary houses and families who rule it, the Kreutz nobility is perhaps one of the deadliest. Led by the Wolf Lord, Baraba Kreutz, this group of royal guardsmen participated in numerous battles across the history of Makai, even earning Baraba the honour of being rival to vampire noble Demitri Maximoff.
Boomstick: Twenty years prior, Baraba had ended up stumbling into our ever familiar human world, falling in love with an unknown woman who cared for him as he suffered grievous injuries. Despite his fading memory upon returning to the demon realm, this encounter permanently tied Baraba to mortal life. And ten years later, Baraba disappeared.
Wiz: Rumour has it that he returned to the woman he met that decade prior, but his true fate is a mystery. This secret affair would give birth to the cursed werewolf, Jon Talbain.
Boomstick: Born in 1940, England, Jon’s mother died shortly after giving birth, and his father soon disappeared once again. Sad little Jon was forced to grow up all alone, blissfully unaware of his demonic ties, but his life wasn’t all bad despite this. Man, what is it with stories of orphans-turned hero of the night?
Wiz: Jon would remain ignorant of his heritage until he was a young adult, where one fateful day, under the iridescent glow of the full moon, a beastly instinct awoke. Where there was once bare flesh, laid fur. In his new werewolf form, the orphan had become an outcast from human society and was determined to prevent his monstrous urges from consuming his human past completely.
Popup: Jon is officially classified as a “B+ Class Darkstalker”, the same class as other Darkstalkers like Felicia and Anakaris. Jon has also been stated to be the “fastest of all the Darkstalkers”, which would indicate speeds faster than that of Felicia, who can outpace lightning, and since he has defeated Anakaris in combat before, Jon should be capable of power equal to, or greater than that required to sink Egypt.
Boomstick: Though shocked by discovering he was a Darkstalker, Jon harboured no animosity towards his parents, who had never been a part of his life. Jon cursed his fate, but was determined not to let his primal instincts consume him. Following his inner voice, he devoted himself to fighting and pushing himself past his limits, adamant that mastering his inner humanity would undo the curse and make him man once more. Though a Red Blood Moon would force him to go berserk and lose control over his power, those aren't too common, but I'll be damned if a bloodlusted werewolf isn't a brutal sight to see.
Wiz: Eventually encountering a similarly plagued hermit, who informed him that the curse would be broken if Jon achieved his physical peak, Jon hears of Demitri’s plan to organise a tournament to determine the strongest Darkstalker, alongside the invasion of the alien energy god Pyron, and saw this as a way to further his physical abilities and link to humanity.
Boomstick: And if he was going to hold his own in the tournament, he’d need a bunch of skills to take on his opponents with. Luckily for him, he had plenty. Like his signature Beast Cannon and Climb Laser, which despite the name, isn’t actually a laser. When using the Beast Cannon, Jon cloaks himself in an aura of chi and propels himself towards his opponents with incredible force. He can go in any direction, and even do several of them back to back, if need be!
Wiz: Jon’s Climb Laser is an upwards kick engulfed in chi, similar of that to Guile’s Flash Kick from Street Fighter. His Wild Circular is a powerful grab, where Talbain grabs his opponent, performs a rolling backflip into the air, and slams his foe down. And when utilizing his Million Flicker, Jon takes out his nunchucks, which he apparently has on him at all times, and swings them at his opponent in the blink of an eye, dealing massive damage at close range.
Boomstick: Despite how cool a nunchuck werewolf sounds, Jon has even more badass techniques at his disposal. Like his devastating Moment Slice, where Jon stabs his opponent in the gut with his claws and then proceeds to slice them into the air. Hell, it’s so powerful that Jon can tear people in half without even trying. Damn, that’s hardcore!
Wiz: Due to Talbain’s inherent magical nature as a Darkstalker, he has access to some curious, yet potent abilities. With the Dragon Cannon, Jon summons a giant spiral dragon made of fire and shoots it at the opponent. This tends to be one of his strongest techniques overall, capable of incinerating people in a few seconds. One of his other incredibly intriguing powers is the ability to create a mirage clone of himself that follows his every move, dealing enormous amounts of damage. This would be his aptly named Mirage Body technique.
Boomstick: But he’s also got some other more simple moves, like the Canon Flyer, Sadness Wind and Canon Rounder, which draw upon his experience in martial arts, but others like Rapid Crunch and Strike Wolf, draw from his more vicious nature as a werewolf.
Wiz: With all of these abilities on hand, Jon’s wishes become manifest after the tournament was over, as the curse was lifted, and he returned to human form. His quest seemingly over, Jon looked to the shining sun, illuminating his victory over the darkness within. Despite his success, however, Jon continued to be shunned by human society, finding acceptance only amongst the innocence of children, even befriending two orphans known as Fred and Marco, to whom he taught martial arts.
Popup: During Demitri’s tournament and Pyron’s invasion, Jon would clash with many different characters, like Hsien-Ko, Lilith Aensland, Lord Raptor, and Demitri Maximoff, to name a few. The defeats of these other characters showcase his immense skill and power, as he is capable of scaling to some of their best feats, like Lilith flying from England to New Orleans at speeds of over Mach 360, Hsien-Ko’s mother creating an explosion worth 400 tons of TNT, and Anita launching Castle Maximoff into space, which would require a force of over 37 Megatons to accomplish.
Boomstick: But years later, the otherworldly heir finds himself sensing the urge of the werewolf within calling to him. Hearing an ethereal voice in the back of his mind, Jon abruptly transforms into a monster once more. It is only then that Jon finally realises that it is impossible to rid his blood of the curse forever.
Wiz: Not only was Jon once more cursed with his lycanthropy, but he soon learns that his fears had manifested as a corrupt alternate version of himself, referred to simply as Dark Talbain, and then the sealed demon lord, Jedah Dohma, decides to try and remake Makai by harnessing the power of the unnatural realm, Majigen, drawing all Darkstalkers together once more. That’s got to be a rough week for the guy…
Boomstick: I’ll say! And during this whole kerfuffle thing with Jedah, Jon came face to face with fellow Darkstalker, and strange Egyptian mummy man, Anakaris. And he ended up defeating the giant cloth man, but here’s why it’s important. Care to take it away, Wiz?
Wiz: Certainly. Anakaris has been able to perform two very notable feats of strength, to which Jon is certainly comparable. Firstly, he was able to throw several pyramids during a battle, and considering the location and makeup of these pyramids, this feat comes out to around 4.6 kilotons of TNT. Though this is blown out of the water by his more impressive feat of warping the country of Egypt through space and time. Due to his connection with his home country of Egypt, it’s likely that Anakaris holds enough power to theoretically destroy a country, and Jon was able to overpower him.
Boomstick: And he’s supposed to be just a B+ Class Darkstalker with this kind of power? That ranking system seems a little out of whack.
Wiz: Well, the ranking system in Darkstalkers isn’t very congruent with what the characters are able to achieve. Though it makes him seem like he isn’t very impressive, he has been able to fight on par with Darkstalkers of A and S Class, like Morrigan, Lilith, and Demitri, and they are all considered to be above Pyron, a character who can destroy galaxies with the utmost of ease. Not to say that Jon would be able to perform the same kinds of feats as Pyron does, but the scope of characters he can take on certainly speaks volumes for his skill and power.
Boomstick: So we know that he’s a tough son of a gun, but he’s also super quick. In his battle with fellow furry Darkstalker, Felicia, they appeared as just a blur, and they’ve both outrun explosions! Plus, he can outpace the bullets of the crazy weapon girl, B.B Hood, and fought evenly with Chun-Li when they had a crossover with Street Fighter. Oh yeah, Darkstalkers and Street Fighter had a crossover, it wasn’t actually that bad!
Popup: In said crossover, Jon has fought with characters like Chun-Li and Akuma, and though he could potentially scale to some of their feats, the ones performed in his own game eclipse that of Street Fighters. Namely Akuma’s island level strength being outclassed by Anakaris’ country level strength.
Wiz: Back to the topic at hand, Jon has also defeated the servants of Pyron, the Huitzils, who are capable of flying from the alien planet Hellstorm to Earth, within a short timeframe. To perform such a feat, they would have to be moving at speeds massively faster than light! Not to mention that Jon has kicked around these beings with strength of around 4,200,000 pounds of force!
Boomstick: Plus, Jon has been able to endure explosions from B.B Hood’s weaponry, like bullets, grenades, Molotov cocktails, and a goddamn rocket launcher! She’s an expert Darkstalker hunter, by the way. And he’s survived stabbings from Bishamon’s blade, Kien, which can slice people clean in half. Not to mention his healing factor, which allowed him to fully recover from injuries sustained when fighting Felicia over the course of a night. Man, don’t fuck around with Darkstalkers!
Wiz: And at the climax of Jedah’s plans, Jon came face-to-face with his malevolent alter-ego, Dark Talbain, and engages in a battle to determine which side of him will obtain dominance over the other. Achieving victory, he at last comes to terms with his monstrous half.
Boomstick: But if there’s one thing that Jon is constantly dealing with, it’s fighting his urge to go full beast. While he’s never given into his beastial side thanks to years of honing his skills, he still constantly fights against himself to keep it in check, though he gains much better control over it at the end of the series. Because Capcom won’t bring Darkstalkers back for a new game! It’s the F-Zero of Capcom, I swear…
Wiz: Regardless of Capcom’s stance on potential follow-up games, Jon finally achieved peace within himself, living together with Felicia in an orphanage, working as a handyman, and teaching martial arts to children. Despite a turbulent past, Jon has pushed forward, carving his own path, and as long as he seeks to retain control, Jon Talbain will never stop pushing himself to his limits.
Jon Talbain: My power is the fury of the beast. None can overcome it!
Sabrewulf
Wiz: The Killer Instinct tournament hosted by Ultratech has sported a wide array of strange and exotic competitors: robots, agents, aliens, humans whose bodies have been engulfed in flame, and even cybernetic dinosaurs. But among all of them, none have been quite as classic, or as tragic, as the tale of the werewolf that entered.
Boomstick: Baron Konrad von Sabrewulf was once a wealthy aristocrat from Germany who was kind of like Tony Stark. While he was rich and smart, he also loved parties, women, and booze. But after receiving his family’s castle from his dying parents in their will, he discovered that his family had a secret. A really awesome secret.
Wiz: Konrad learned that his family were monster hunters, known to have wiped out multiple monstrous races, and had even mounted some of the trophies from these long battles on their walls. But the biggest change in Konrad’s life was yet to come.
Boomstick: One night, while stumbling around in the basement totally shitfaced, Konrad accidentally cut himself on a nearby wolf’s claw that was mounted on the wall. However, this wolf’s claw was actually that of a werewolf, and its ability to transform a human into a werewolf still remained dormant inside.
Wiz: On the night of the next full moon, Konrad transformed completely into a werewolf and went on a rampage, destroying most of his family’s estate. Once he transformed back, he discovered that he had accidentally destroyed the last cure to his lycanthropy, and sought out a new cure through experimentation. Ultimately, however, this only drove him further into his madness and made him addicted to opioids.
Popup: It is unclear how large Konrad’s family estate is, but comparing it to traditional German castles, like Neuschwanstein Castle, it likely covers an area of 6,000 square meters. Konrad also possesses a keen knowledge of ancient medicines, potions, and artifacts, which he has used to try and revert his lycanthropy, to little avail.
Boomstick: It wasn’t long before the werewolf’s story reached Evil Walmart, I-I mean Ultratech, who found that they could profit from the man’s pain. They offered him a cure if he managed to win their Killer Instinct tournament, to which Sabrewulf ultimately accepted.
Wiz: Now pretty much owning the rights to Sabrewulf’s body, they used him to experiment with cybernetic enhancements, enhancing his agony by extending his transformations as long as they could go.
Boomstick: And if Sabrewulf wanted to win the Killer Instinct tournament, he’d need some killer abilities to help him out. Like his Sabre-Pounce, Sabre-Spin, Sabre-Roll, Sabre-Slap, Sabre-Flip, and Sabre-Wheel, which are all pretty self-explanatory. I mean, he’s a savage werewolf, so his moveset is bound to revolve around his vicious nature, but he couldn’t be more original than just slapping “Sabre” in front of everything?
Wiz: Originality aside, Sabrewulf has more abilities than just basic slashes and lunges. By howling, he can charge himself up, granting an increase in power and speed, and he can somehow call bats to him, light them on fire, and shoot them as projectiles. Rather strange, but an effective move, considering that most of his techniques are made for close-range combat.
Boomstick: With his Dash skill, he can quickly dash past enemies, allowing for mix-ups, and with his Ragged Edge, he frantically charges at the opponent with several claw swipes, channeling his brutal ferocity for a killer beatdown.
Wiz: How often are you going to make that joke?
Boomstick: As long as you hate it. And if Sabrewulf is hating that his opponent keeps blocking, he can break through their guard with an unblockable Overpower attack.
Wiz: With Eclipse, Sabrewulf performs an overhead swipe, perfect for catching airborne targets and setting up combos. He is also able to infuse some of his attacks with shadow energy, hitting more times, dealing more damage, and affecting a larger area. Sabrewulf is also capable of utilising grabs in his arsenal to turn the tides of battle.
Boomstick: But Sabrewulf has one last tool up his sleeve; his Instinct Mode, Feral Rage. When his emotions reach a boiling point, Sabrewulf will enter a berserker state. In this glowing form, Sabrewulf will hit harder and become less predictable, fitting the namesake to a tee.
Popup: Sabrewulf also possesses a limited healing factor, likely obtained from his meddling with magic, or Ultratech’s cybernetic implants, similar to those given to pro-boxer, T.J. Combo. Sabrewulf has also kept up with, and defeated trained fighters in combat before, so his lack of sanity isn’t always a problem, though he can be outsmarted by more intelligent opponents.
Wiz: With all these skills, Sabrewulf would go toe-to-toe with many impressive fighters like Riptor, Fulgore, Tusk, and Jago, and before his first bout with the warrior monk, he had a win/loss record of 17-0, though this streak would soon be broken.
Boomstick: To be fair, when Evil Walmart classifies you as a “high-level threat” and “one of the deadliest creatures on the planet”, you’d better be able to live up to the name. And Sabrewulf certainly does. He’s taken down foes like Mira, Glacius, and Chief Thunder, who controls lightning! Not to mention that he’s straight-up man enough hold on to a helicopter that was taking off, briefly halting its ascent, and can easily crumple dense metal when he grabs it.
Wiz: He can launch the 550-pound Fulgore into the air, and can dodge his satellite laser No Mercy, which should move at relativistic speeds. He has also fought with Tusk, who can summon meteors from orbit, which moves at nearly Mach 8,000 and hits with a force equivalent to 10270 tons of TNT!
Boomstick: And the feral Count's No Mercies are especially brutal! He can sprout a large claw from his hand and stab it into his opponent with one deadly blow for his literal, if not aptly named Claw Stab. And with his Screen Punch, he slaps his opponent into the screen. Here I was thinking that his "Sabre" moves were uncreative...
Wiz: Calling upon his Bat Swarm, the winged creatures carry his opponent off into the skies, raining blood down upon the arena. And if Sabrewulf has access to his cybernetics, he can perform the Electric Claw ability, wherein he fries the opponent with volatile blasts of electricity. Last, but certainly not least, is Sabrewulf's Ultimate, where he brutally swipes the opponent 4 times, quicker than they can react, before powering himself up and pouncing towards them and cutting them apart.
Boomstick: Not to mention that he’s collapsed this giant bell in the Tiger’s Lair, and created a storm with the shockwaves of his attacks during his Ultra Combos, though this is something that all Killer Instinct characters are capable of. And coming back to Glacius, the popsicle space-police man was able to blitz the CEO of Evil Walmart, ARIA, who can process events down to the nanosecond, and Sabrewulf has defeated him in battle before.
Wiz: Sabrewulf has also proven himself capable of harming the spirit, Hisako, which would infer that he is able to harm non-physical beings. He has also endured several rounds of automatic fire from a helicopter and survived being stabbed through the neck, nearly bleeding out in the process.
Boomstick: He’s should also scale to the not-so-Inferno-man, Cinder, who flew over an island to reach a volcano in seconds, and has taken down Black Orchid, who defeated the ancient rival to the cosmic warlord, Gargos, though he was possessed at the time.
Popup: Sabrewulf’s best feats of strength in collapsing the bell and creating the storm are applicable to all characters, as it is tied to the Ultra Combo mechanic, so it is debatable as to if he should reasonably be able to do so. Giving him the benefit of the doubt, this feat would come to around 3.7 Megatons of TNT. Additionally, though he does not directly scale to characters like Gargos, who is moon level, he may scale to others like Jago and Tusk, who have fought him.
Wiz: Though Sabrewulf is certainly powerful, it wasn’t enough to net him a win in the Killer Instinct tournament. Defeated early by his reluctance to unleash the beast within, Sabrewulf was heading home, injured and despairing, when he was caught and beaten by an ignorant, sadistic country lynch mob. Barely alive, he ended up back in the hands of Ultratech who set about making their ungodly ‘repairs’. But the pain, loss, and humiliation rapidly drove the Count over the edge: breaking free of the company’s clutches, he loped back into the world with only revenge to live for.
Boomstick: And so he tore out the cybernetics and went on the run. Though wild and crazy, he is still knowledgeable about ancient medicines, and while Sabrewulf has shown he can think and speak when in his werewolf form, he often acts on pure instinct.
Wiz: This can be a great strategy against a more feral opponent, it also makes him prone to being outsmarted. After years of desperation and betrayal, he finds himself having to constantly withhold his exceedingly violent urges until he just can’t contain it anymore.
Boomstick: He can also transform back into his human state, though he relies heavily on his werewolf form during battles. He’s also very lacking in the sanity department, but hey, at least he has an awesome theme song!
Wiz: Freed from Ultratech’s control, and having more control over his transformations, Sabrewulf will live on in hopes of finding a cure to his affliction, by any means necessary.
Sabrewulf: I must either cure this curse… or master it.
DEATH BATTLE!
The luminescent moon once more shone its soft glow upon the land, heralding in the end of the day, and the beginning of the ever-familiar night. The iridescent light of the moon shone over the roof of a decently sized structure, one which housed many inhabitants. Heard from within, was the joyful laughter of small children, and throughout the entire building, the feeling of happiness radiated clearly. An ornate, cat-like design was displayed on the outer gates to the building, unmistakably indicative of the owner.
As night descended upon Felicity House, the children that lived within prepared themselves for bed, beginning their nightly ritual as they did every other night. Once all of the children living in the orphanage were safely tucked into bed, the azure-haired owner stepped out into the main room, satisfied with the day’s events. For the Darkstalker, Felicia, she was glad to be following in the footsteps of the woman who raised her, and by opening Felicity House, she would be one step closer to bridging the gap between humans and Darkstalkers.
“You know, Felicia, those kids really look up to you” the other Darkstalker in the room spoke, as a smile grew across his features. Long silver hair adorned their head of this man, and he sported a yellow belt indicative of his martial arts experience tied across the top of his purple shorts, his visage topped off by a similarly violet shirt. Though he held magical heritage, it was apparent that he was human, and one would not be easily able to see otherwise at first glance. As he faced towards the cat-nun, she quickly reached her arms around him, locking him into a tight hug.
“They look up to you too, you know!” Felicia replied, visibly happy to see the man. “I’m still really grateful for you sticking around and helping out, and I know that the kids love you being here, too!” She said candidly, smiling up at the taller Darkstalker. Releasing her hold on her fellow Darkstalker, Felicia quietly spoke, “And I love you being here…”. Continuing with her sentence, the cat-nun asked “So can’t you go check out that castle some other time?”
“Felicia” he responded curtly, “I have to go tonight. I’ve heard people in the town speak of a castle in the woods, and that those who entered, never returned. If it’s a Darkstalker who is killing humans, I can’t risk them coming close to the children.” A look of fear crossed Felicia’s face, the gravity of the situation dawning upon her. She knew it would be necessary, and while she would never let anything happen to the children, she didn’t want her companion to be put in danger, either.
“It’ll be fine, Felicia. Hopefully, it’ll be nothing, but in case it isn’t, I will handle it. No one will ever harm those children, I promise.” Though her fears were alleviated somewhat, she still worried about the man in front of her. Once more pulling him into a hug, she replied “Alright, just… come home safe, Jon.”
The Darkstalker, and son of the Wolf Lord, Jon Talbain, reciprocated and responded “I will, Felicia.” Ending the hug, and moving towards the door, he felt the tug of the wolf within and knew that once he stepped outside, the moon would initiate his transformation. Taking that final step, he felt the light of the full moon fall upon his body, starting his return to his familiar wolf form. Claws growing out from his fingers, fur replacing flesh, and shirt ripping outwards, Jon held back a howl to the skies, as not to awaken the inhabitants of the orphanage.
Breaking off into a sprint, Jon built up speed, the light pitter-patter of his footsteps on the ground silently announcing his exit from the town. As he left the civilisation behind, Jon instinctively knew where to go, breaking out onto all fours, he ran far, the light of the moon illuminating his path forward, as the murky sky loomed overhead.
As Jon continued onwards, the trees around him grew darker, and the moon’s light became obscured by the haze in the air. His environment slowly shifted to that of a bleak forest, and he knew that his destination would soon be approaching. The trees around him began to look different, some had deep claw marks etched into the bark, some were cut off from the base, toppled over onto the ground, and others were uprooted entirely. Something had gone on a rampage here, the devastation made that evident, but what alarmed him more than the tattered forest was the smell of fresh blood that assaulted his nose.
A clearing not far up ahead alerted his eyes to a large castle, yet while it could have been pristine a long time ago, the current state of the grand caste was ruination. The scent of humans not long dead emanated from the structure, and it was clear that people were being killed inside by some creature. Jon knew not what it was, but his sharp senses heard the faint screams of men, not long before they stopped entirely. To any normal person, it would’ve been undetectable, but Darkstalkers were far from normal humans, much less that of a wolf, and Jon’s senses could not be fooled.
Getting back onto two feet and slowing down, Jon cautiously approached the looming castle. The outside featured many shattered pillars, indicative of the creature’s rioting, and the stone walls sported holes, as though objects had been thrown through them with great velocity. Whatever monster lay within the castle walls, it was a fearsome one. Darkstalker or not, Jon knew it would put up a fight.
Slowly walking up to the entrance, Jon’s ears alerted him to something being thrown from inside, and quickly dodging out of the way, a door flew off of its hinges, the upper body of a human flying out alongside it. A deep grown emanated from within the castle, accompanied by the scream of one last human. Rushing into the building, Jon saw piles of bodies, the blood running along the floor, painting the ground crimson, though the deceased seemed to all originate from one direction. Following this lead, the Darkstalker hastily followed the trail of corpses to where he heard the sound of a human splattering up against a wall, arms and head missing, as his torso fell and slumped against the ground.
From the direction the body was thrown, Jon spotted a creature. Claws painted crimson with blood, and a lifeless arm hanging from its mouth, the monster’s features were far too familiar for Jon’s liking. It was another werewolf. Perhaps a misguided Darkstalker, Jon figured that he should at least try to converse with the being in front of him before any rash decisions were made, it’s what Felicia would want. Though the piles of corpses gave Jon a grievous feeling as to how conversation with the creature would go.
The monster’s eyes, as red as the blood that stained his claws and teeth, looked upon Jon, surprised to see another werewolf. The newcomer to his castle sported a lighter blue coat of fur than he did and wore light purple shorts, contrasting with his dark blue fur and brown shorts. With a ravenous look in his eyes, Baron Konrad von Sabrewulf glanced at this stranger in his home, holding back his instinct to kill.
Attempting conversation, Jon tried to better understand the other wolf, “Are you a Darkstalker?” he prodded. “I have not yet seen another wolf like me.” Caught off-guard by the question, Sabrewulf responded, “I know not what a ‘Darkstalker’ is, but if you are a creation of Ultratech, I will not go back under their control.” His response firm, the Baron assumed a battle position, though cautious of his foe, he had not yet lost control over his actions, but he feared that this may soon happen regardless.
“You have slaughtered these innocent men and women, and I cannot abide by the murder of underserving humans. If let loose, you will pose a threat to those I hold dear, something I cannot allow to happen. Pray that this may end quickly.” Jon addressed the wild wolf in front of him, and though he did not want to actively involve himself in combat, it seemed that it would be necessary for this situation.
“Sorry, Felicia. Looks like this won’t be ending peacefully.” Jon solemnly thought to himself, dissatisfied with his inability to follow in her ideals. Both wolves knew that battle was inevitable, and whilst Jon would continue to remain in control, Sabrewulf had tired of fighting off his instincts. Letting out a rage-filled roar, he lunged at Jon Talbain, starting off what would be a vicious…
FIGHT!
(Cue Aquarius (Castlevania III) – Super Smash Bros. Ultimate)
Bloodied claws flew at Jon’s face as the Darkstalker rolled to the right, swiftly dodging the lunge by his fellow werewolf. Bringing his leg upwards, Jon brought it down on Sabrewulf with an axe kick with speed that the cursed baron couldn’t react to. Following up with a chop to the stomach and strike to the chest, the Darkstalker pushed his foe back, crashing him into a wall.
Striking back, Sabrewulf initiated, using his dash skill to quickly approach Talbain, and slashed at his torso with his claws, narrowly missing, but forcing Jon backward. The Count continued forward, continually slashing at Jon, barely missing his target each time. Anger overcame the werewolf, and his attacks became more frenzied. His strikes became more difficult for the Darkstalker to avoid, and he found himself being slashed across the chest, his opponent drawing first blood.
Knowing that his wound was superficial and that it would heal itself soon enough, Jon paid it little mind and went back on the offensive. Leaping to the wall behind Sabrewulf, he used it as a springboard, and cloaked himself in Chi, making use of his Beast Cannon to strike at Sabrewulf. The Darkstalker’s enhanced move struck at the German baron, knocking him back, and dispelling the move, Jon hit the ground and sprung from it to kick at Sabrewulf with a Cannon Rounder.
Thanks to the added momentum, the kick struck Sabrewulf harder and forced him to raise his guard against the blow. Grabbing Jon’s outstretched leg, Sabrewulf turned his moment of weakness into an advantage. Initiating a grapple, he threw the Darkstalker onto the ground and pounced on him once more, but to greater effect. Jon raised his arms in a defensive position, reminiscent to that of a boxing block, and its employment proved fruitful in shielding him from the brunt of the wild wolf’s attacks.
Though most of the damage has been successfully safeguarded against, Jon did not escape unscathed. His arms featured new claw marks, again drawing blood from the Darkstalker. The slashes hurt like burning fire was lashing at his forearms, but Jon held strong against the onslaught of attacks. As Sabrewulf lifted his arms to the air, aiming to land a more effective blow against his opponent, Jon saw his chance, and rolled to the side, sweeping Sabrewulf’s feet out from under him, and reversing their positions.
Now with his foe on the floor and at his mercy, Jon employed a similar technique to that which had been utilised against him before. Slashing at Sabrewulf’s arms, Jon drew crimson blood, yet when his opponent tried to muster a defence, the Darkstalker knew to change his plans. Curling his hands into fists, he struck at Sabrewulf’s exposed torso, forcing him to cough up blood, and with the moment of weakness he had forcefully created, Jon smashed his fists into the baron’s head over and over, denting the ground beneath Sabrewulf. Continuing to repeat this action, Talbain drove his palms into the baron’s nose, breaking it, and forcing the blood to trickle down in small rivers of maroon liquid.
Moving off of the victim of his brutal assault, Jon grabbed Sabrewulf’s legs and smashed him into the ground, as if to mock his attempts at harming him earlier. Further cratering the ground around him, Jon threw Sabrewulf to the ceiling, where he would land face-first into the stone above him, and upon his descent, Jon charged his leg with Chi energy and performed a vertical kick upwards, his Climb Laser sending the baron careening through the ceiling to the floor above.
Feeling the cold stone break apart with his flight through the ceiling, Sabrewulf felt increasingly enraged, and with nary a moment more to react, he rolled to the side just in time to witness his adversary crash through the ceiling cloaked in golden energy, Jon using his Beast Cannon to bounce off the walls to reach the higher floor. As the Darkstalker breached the elevated levels of the castle, Sabrewulf saw his moment to capitalise, and tackled Jon mid-flight, sending both of them hurtling onto the floor.
Knowing that his opponent was likely to attack upon rising, Sabrewulf started to charge power into his paws, preparing an Overpower attack. In the craze of battle, Jon launched a powerful haymaker into Konrad’s chest, but the vicious wolf was ready, and retaliated with an enhanced Overpower attack, knocking the Darkstalker back several feet, nearly sending him tumbling down the stairs which lead to the higher level of the castle they were currently battling on.
Sending a small swarm of bats in Talbain’s direction, Sabrewulf utilised the winged creatures under his command to try and blind the Darkstalker, at least for enough time to allow him to make his move. As the bats approached with great speed, Jon slashed at each one with expert precision, impaling two on his claws, slamming a group into the wall, and bringing the horde’s assault to a screeching halt. Unfortunately for him, he noticed too late to see Sabrewulf rolling underneath the swarm, and landing a savage uppercut to the beast’s jaw, sending Jon flying backward down the stairs.
What Sabrewulf didn’t expect was for Jon to cloak himself in Chi once more, and bounce off of the stairs, onto the wall, and slamming back into Sabrewulf, Jon’s Beast Cannon negating his plan to let the hard stone and gravity deal some damage. Furthermore, the savage baron was not expecting for the Darkstalker to be holding nunchucks, and certainly not expecting the speed at which Talbain whipped them around. Summoning more bats to attack his foe, the winged mammals were no match for Jon’s skill with his nunchaku.
Smashing small bats back and forth, Jon’s Million Flicker began to pick up speed and using the momentum of his swings, Talbain’s movements began to resemble that of a twister. All creatures that came within the vicinity of the whirlwind were instantly destroyed, and with all the bats gone, Jon jumped into the air, and spun his body in a flipping motion, using his nunchaku to cover his body as his descent began, the swinging weapons lashed out at Sabrewulf, slamming into his head and torso as Jon landed safely onto the ground.
Once more using the ground as a springboard, Jon slashed at Sabrewulf, drawing blood from his arms, and ducking to avoid a counterattack, Jon stabbed his claws into Konrad’s leg, further drawing forth small crimson geysers, an artery distinctly pierced. Not letting this moment of advantage go to waste, the Darkstalker grabbed hold of the werewolf, and preparing to spin once again, leapt into the air with his adversary and threw them harshly backwards, executing the plan to launch his opponent down the stairs that Sabrewulf wasn’t able to achieve with his Wild Circular.
As Konrad fell down the stairway, his tumbling body knocked a candle off of its hinges on the wall, letting the fire fall to the ground below. Though miniscule at first, the embers soon caught onto small parchments and tapestries, kicking off a blaze within the grand manor. Not caring for the condition of his estate, Sabrewulf saw an opportunity to gain an upper hand in their bout, and summoned a large swarm of bats, setting them alight with the flames that engulfed parts of his mansion.
Jumping down the stairway to continue on with the fight, Jon was caught off-guard by the swarm of flaming bats that surrounded and flew straight into him. Singing his fur slightly, the winged annoyances caused little long-term damage to the Darkstalker, as his descent down the flight of stairs was interrupted, causing him to fall, and crash against the hard stone steps. Awaiting Jon’s tumble towards himself, Sabrewulf gathered ephemeral emerald energy in his claws, swinging his arm in an arc, catching Jon upon his descent with an Eclipse.
Knowing that this move was his chance to turn the tides of battle in his favour, Sabrewulf let out a howl to the skies and allowed the beastial call to enhance his abilities. With his power increase, Sabrewulf cloaked himself in shadow, prepared for Jon to come back down from his Eclipse, and with the wolf hitting the stone floor, Konrad started to perform his Shadow Ragged Edge technique. Slashing out at the Darkstalker with his palms, Sabrewulf successfully landed several claw strikes, sending the opposing wolf flying a short distance away, but not far away enough for the cursed baron’s Sabre-Roll to catch him upon his descent once more, concluding what would be a Killer Combo.
Reeling back from the potent combo of attacks by the savage werewolf, Jon could feel the toll that the battle had taken on his body so far. His wounds were not exceedingly serious, though a moment to rest would not go unappreciated. He knew that the savage creature he was engaging in battle wouldn’t allow him a moment for recovery, but he also knew that his wounds were not as severe as those inflicted upon the baron of the manor. Still, adrenaline would only carry both so far, and if Jon were to match his brutality, skill and speed would be paramount to overcome that which his opponent was experienced in.
(Cue Overwhelm Despair – Under Night In-Birth)
Adopting a stance reminiscent of his time whilst under the training of his master, Jon put his right foot forward, left foot back, right hand at his side, and left hand held out in front. Ready for Sabrewulf’s advance, Jon swiftly stepped back, and struck forth, dodging the claw swipe the baron had attempted, and retaliating with a jab of his own. Following up, Jon landed 3 more jabs to the chest, and hit with a kick to the knee, forcing the baron to buckle, but before he could hit the ground, Jon caught him in a formidable uppercut, sending Sabrewulf flying back several feet.
For Sabrewulf, his rage would only increase exponentially, yet this wolf would not have him beat in power. If a straight-on approach wasn’t effective, he would find an opening, or better yet, make one. Smashing the ground with his fists, Sabrewulf grabbed a large chunk of stone from the floor and threw it at Jon, before dashing towards him, aiming to catch the Darkstalker off-guard. Seeing the large piece of rock being thrown at him Jon charged his leg with Chi and brought it upwards, smashing the rock into dust with a Climb Laser, yet without the iconic flip to accompany it, as he knew that Sabrewulf was going to make an approach in the moment of hindered visibility. His planning ahead would pay off, as Jon brought his leg still infused with Chi down onto Sabrewulf, hard.
Ground cratering around his body, the impact caused blood to drip from the savage count’s maw. Attempting to force his way into an opening with an Overpower, Jon knew what was coming, and jumped backwards to avoid the powerful strike, he wasn’t one to fall for the same trick twice. Upon reaching the ground, Jon sprang back to his original position, knowing that the move would be over, and he brought forth his nunchaku, aiming to land more effective damage than last time. He swung the small object back and forth, his Million Flicker inflicting successful harm onto the wolf, and his onslaught only increased in velocity and swiftness.
He felt the impact of his nunchucks on the foreign werewolf before him and it was clear that the monster could take a lot of punishment and keep on fighting, so something of a higher calibre would be required to land meaningful damage. Striking at his midsection, upper torso, and head, Jon decided that now was the perfect time to utilise a move he had kept hidden in the battle thus far. Concluding his combo with a Sadness Wind, Jon knocked Sabrewulf backwards, onto his the ground, the perfect set-up for his Strike Wolf to slam into the German count, head-first.
Allowing a small frame for Sabrewulf to get up, Jon jumped back slightly, grabbing his foe's leg and swinging him around, only to send him crashing up against a marble statue, a relic from the days of the Sabrewulf clan’s monster hunts. Stoking up the embers of the flames around them, the fire grew in intensity to match the fury of the one fuelling the flames. Jon called upon his Chi to aid him in battle, and with a practised motion, he held his nunchaku out in front of him, one in each hand, and yelled out a battle cry, indicative of his next devastating attack.
“Face the fury of the beast!” Jon yelled with a cry, the air around him shaking under the pressure of his immense Chi, and the sky was painted a burning orange as he called forth his Dragon Cannon to strike upon Sabrewulf Castle. The infernal dragon tore through the once luxurious mansion, ripping through the walls with no effort, and the blazing heat causing no harm to Jon, as the dragon crashed into Sabrewulf on Talbain’s command. Incinerating not only the marble statue, but the entire upper floors of the manor, the roof was lucky to still be intact. Yet Sabrewulf still carried on through the fire and the flames, holding onto consciousness by sheer will alone. Bloodied and burnt, crimson rivers of blood cascaded down the savage baron’s body as he flew, a trail of crimson fire and blood left in the wake of the Dragon Cannon. Sent careening through the many floors of his castle, when the dragon dissipated, Sabrewulf crashed into his laboratory, falling upon many healing potions he had used to try and revert his lycanthropy.
Luckily for the cursed baron, these potions had minor healing effects. Though not able to entirely cure the heavy burns he sustained, the injuries caused by the Dragon Cannon were not lethal, thanks to the curative effects imbued within the elixirs. Picking himself up, Sabrewulf knew it would not be long before his foe would find him, and he needed to create a plan of attack. Brute force was usually his go-to, but no matter how much violence he employed, he was still unable to overpower the Darkstalker. Climbing up along the shaky walls of his manor, Sabrewulf made it to the floor above, and he found that the ground was unstable. His vantage point located, he would need to draw Talbain towards him, and with a howl, he made his presence known.
Sabrewulf’s howl served a dual purpose. He would attract his enemy into falling for his trap, and his physical strength would be enhanced. With not much time left, Sabrewulf silenced his breathing, as not to alert the Darkstalker to his location before he arrived on the scene. Fortunately for Konrad, it would not be long before the wolf in question would come hurtling towards the lab, his Chi dissipating, a clear sign of the recently used Beast Cannon. Since the environment around them was already unstable, more chaos would be ideal, and mustering up the necessary strength, Sabrewulf smashed his fist into the insecure floor he stood on, breaking it beneath his enhanced power.
Jon had not much time to survey the area for the battered baron before he heard the sound of fist striking stone, and with a mighty crash, the roof above him gave way, collapsing on top of him. Knowing that Sabrewulf must have been the cause of this, Jon looked above to see the injured werewolf jump to the rafters above, confident in his collapsing stone floor being able to crush Jon beneath its immense weight. As part of the structure gave way, Jon lashed out at the stone pieces that he could reach, smashing them into dust before they could reach him. Although he had shattered many, not all were within his ability to destroy, and the debris fell upon him one by one, trapping him beneath the stone.
Satisfied with his assumed victory, Sabrewulf took a moment to rest, letting his body’s natural processes heal him of what injuries it could. His burst artery would take more time to recover from, but the burns on his arms slowly, but surely started to ebb away, his healing factor putting in great effort to recover Konrad’s body from the intense damage it had endured. Flames started to engulf more and more of the manor, and his escape would have to be made with great haste. Beginning his descent, Sabrewulf jumped from the rafters to indent his claws into the wall, letting gravity assist him in his way down. Touching onto the ground safely, the savage baron began to walk away as he saw the flames grow hotter and larger.
The rate at which the flames grew was alarming for the wolf. Even in regular fires, the flames never caught that quickly, but his growing fears were confirmed as he heard an enraged scream pierce through the silence and flickering embers. A flaming dragon incinerated all of the stone around Jon, as he called a vertical Dragon Cannon to free himself from the oppressive rock. Dissolving into ashes, the dragon’s aftermath revealed flames scorching with a hellish intensity, and within the middle of all of the carnage stood a lone wolf. Jon Talbain was not done with this fight.
Roaring into the skies, both battered wolves ran at each other, Sabrewulf cloaked in a barrier of dark shadow energy, and Talbain covering his body with golden Chi. As the two beasts collided into each other, the Beast Cannon and Ragged Edge cancelled each other out, sending both hungry wolved flying back into the unstable walls of the castle. Flames burning around them, the lupine Darkstalker sped his way over to Sabrewulf, looking to end the fight as soon as possible. Seeing his opponent’s advance, Sabrewulf rolled to the side and elbowed Jon into the wall on this side of the castle. Slamming his fists into Jon’s side, then his stomach, and then slamming his face into the stone wall, blood coated both wolves and ran down their coats in slow streams.
The bashing of his body into the stone brought forth a more feral instinct within Jon, as he rebelled against being pinned to the wall, and sunk his fangs into the crazed baron’s arm. Ripping his teeth out of the enraged wolf, Jon tore a bloody chunk out of Sabrewulf’s arm, as his adversary threw him through the fire, and ripped a part of the castle wall off to smash over Jon’s head. Tackling Talbain through the flames, the two wolves fought with brutal ferocity. At points, Sabrewulf would gain an advantage with his savagery and claws, slashing at Jon’s torso, but the Darkstalker would just as soon reverse the action, and claw at Sabrewulf. Blood flew from their duel in the flames and stoked the funeral pyre of one of the clashing wolves. Which monster would prevail was yet to be seen.
The wolves would match each other blow for blow, and when one gained an advantage, the other soon closed the gap and turned the tables. The once-grand castle that the creatures fought within was ravaged by fire, destruction, and claw marks. The structural integrity of the building was starting to give way, and the monsters who quarrelled within only brought about the end of this manor even faster. Walls and ceilings gave way under the clashes of fists and claws, and the main roof collapsed inwards to reveal thunderous rain and lightning. The cold water that fell upon the batting wolves did little to cool the raging spirit of fire that burned brightly within them, and no amount of crashing lightning, nor booming thunder could distract them from the bout at hand. With a final clash, the fists of both Jon and Sabrewulf met, neither willing to give in, and the shockwave from this clash was felt throughout the building. With a final strike of thunder, Sabrewulf Castle gave way and collapsed on top of both monstrous wolves, allowing for the rain and light of the moon to fall upon the rubble the two creatures were buried under, yet something was eerily off…
Felicity House
As Felicia stretched out on her bed, nearly drifting off into blissful slumber, she wondered to herself why Jon had not yet returned. He had once been one to walk away from people, but he had shown that he kept his promises, so the lack of the familiar Darkstalker near her worried the cat-nun greatly. Hoping that Jon would be back by the time she woke up and had to get the children ready for the day ahead, Felicia tried to get some sleep, even if it was interrupted by her fretting.
Closing her eyes, she let the pale blue light of the moon shine upon her lithe form through her window, helping her drift off to sleep. But as soon as she was about to find her well-sought rest, the baby-blue light of the moon suddenly shifted, no longer the calming cerulean, but changing into a blood-red colour. The Blood Moon was upon them, and it filled Felicia with fear. She knew what blood moons forcefully did to Jon, and she sat upright, no longer comfortable with her surroundings, but terrified for what would happen to her fellow Darkstalker.
“Jon…” Felicia softly muttered, worried for the safety of her companion and assuming a kneeling position reminiscent of her occupation as a nun. “Please… come back home safely…” She stared out to the distant moon, and prayed with all her might that he would be alright. Unaware of the fierce battle Jon was embroiled in, all she could do was hope…
(Cue Blood Moon – Brandon Yates)
Both Jon Talbain and Sabrewulf rose from the ruins of what was once Sabrewulf Castle, the former structure reduced to little more than rubble under the clash of the wolves. Rising up, the light of the moon caught Jon’s attention and forcefully drew his eyes to it, unable to think straight as the Blood Moon forced Jon’s feral nature to reveal itself. He always fought to keep his dark side under control, but no longer could he hold himself back, it was time for the beast within to be unleashed.
“No, not now!” Feeling the savage instinct within forcefully rise to the surface, Jon let out an uncontrollable howl, and pounced upon Sabrewulf, biting at his legs and torso with Rapid Crunch, and following up by grabbing Sabrewulf by the chest and rolling to perform his Wild Circular once more. Sabrewulf flew back into more rubble, and as he began to rise from the assault, he was met with Jon cloaked in mystical Chi, lunging at him with his Beast Cannon. Seeing no time for anything but instinct, Sabrewulf dodged to the side, but was surprised to feel Jon turn himself around and lunge at him from behind, striking his back with chi-infused claws, outstretched to dig deeper into his flesh and draw forth spurts of crimson that splattered onto the ground.
Kicking at his foe’s knees, Jon brought Sabrewulf down to the ground, and ripped apart the flesh of his chest with ferocious claws, blood staining his hands. Lifting and throwing Sabrewulf into the air feet first, Jon cloaked his leg in Chi and performed a roundhouse kick to Sabrewulf’s skull, fracturing it in several places. Not letting him get up, Jon followed up with another Strike Wolf, slamming his body into Sabrewulf’s torso, shattering the former aristocrat’s ribs and forcing him to cough up dark red blood.
Making a stand, Sabrewulf clawed at Jon’s legs, aiming to knock the Darkstalker down, though Jon refused to fall, so Sabrewulf altered his course of attack, and channelling shadow energy, he clawed at the air above him, catching Talbain in a shadow Eclipse. Capitalising on his foe’s moment of weakness, Sabrewulf sent a horde of flaming bats directly into Jon, who responded with a Beast Cannon, killing all of the animals in his path of destruction to Sabrewulf. This move was a good decision, but Sabrewulf yet again charged his palms with emerald energy, allowing for an Overpower attack to knock Jon out of his Beast Cannon.
His anger and ferocity reaching a boiling point, Sabrewulf would go straight for the kill in his next assaults on Jon’s form. Activating his Instinct Mode, Feral Rage, Sabrewulf sped forth at Talbain, slashing him in the chest, before moving past him, turning himself around, and slashing at him again in dashing strikes. Landing two more consecutive blows, his Ultimate was almost complete, but the baron was not finished. Lunging at Jon, he slashed the Darkstalker several times, aiming for a fatal blow, and tapping into a not-often used No Mercy, Sabrewulf extended the claws on his right hand to form a solid claw, and stabbed Jon in the leg with it, as payback for the pierced artery from earlier in the battle.
Adrenaline pumping through his veins, Jon had no time to dwell on the pain, throwing himself into the thick of battle once more. Activating his Mirage Body technique, Jon lashed out at Sabrewulf, overwhelming him with his speed, power, and ferocity. Clawing at flesh, ripping skin, drawing blood, Jon spared no mercy for his opponent in his onslaught. Stabbing Sabrewulf in the gut, Talbain used Moment Slice to send him into the air, and before Sabrewulf could hit the ground, Jon had brought out his nunchucks, slamming the blunt objects back and forth across Sabrewulf’s body. Sabrewulf barely has any time to react to the swift assault, between Jon’s slashes, punches, and nunchuck strikes, it makes it difficult for the baron to retaliate, but fortunately for him, he finds an opening between strikes and exploited it, stabbing the Darkstalker in the chest, and halting him in his tracks with a…
KI Announcer: C-C-COMBO BREAKER!
Despite the rain pouring down upon them, neither combatant was ready to surrender, and the fire that burned within them was reaching the climax! Ripping through Sabrewulf's stomach with Moment Slice again, Jon got his retaliation, and with a quick motion, sunk his fangs into Sabrewulf’s left arm. Moving his hand still stabbed into Konrad’s gut, and his teeth embedded into his arm, Jon tore Sabrewulf’s arm from his body, blood pouring out like a geyser. Letting the monster within take over as the red light of the moon shone upon the two fighters, Jon stabbed his other hand into Sabrewulf’s eye, making the body part functionally useless and partially blinding the savage wolf. The baron screamed out in immeasurable agony, never having experienced pain of this magnitude before, just barely keeping himself breathing as Jon retracted his claws from Sabrewulf's body.
Fiercely gripping Sabrewulf by the throat, Jon began to squeeze tightly, crushing the baron's windpipe before throwing Sabrewulf to the rocky ruins of his castle. Calling upon his Dragon Cannon one last time, Jon brought it out from underneath Sabrewulf in a pillar of brilliant flame, scorching his fur and charring his body beyond repair. The savage baron could do nothing but roar out into the night, a plea for help that would go unanswered as the storm above ensured no one but Jon would hear him scream. The infernal dragon was dispelled as Sabrewulf desperately tried to crawl away from Talbain, blood covering his only functional arm, which was soon severed by the Darkstalker, sending the count into another volley of agonised screams in the realisation that there would be no mercy.
As Jon approached Sabrewulf, the clouds above obscured the view of the moon slightly. Not enough for Jon to relent, but enough for him to think clearly, and the only thing on his mind was ending the life of the savage count. Putting the crazed wolf out of his misery, Jon sank his fangs into the jugular of Sabrewulf, and as the baron was letting out a pitiful squeak, attempting to roar out for help one last time, Talbain severed the head of Konrad von Sabrewulf from his body. Sabrewulf's head brutally ripped from his corpse, Jon flung the severed body part from his maw to the remains of Sabrewulf Castle, where it would lay eternally.
The rain picked up in intensity and thunder crashed through the darkness as Jon looked up towards the night sky, letting forth a triumphant howl at the blood moon, his fight finally over.
K.O.!
Conclusion
(Cue Jon Talbain – Darkstalkers OST)
Boomstick: Damn, Jon! And I thought ol’ Wulfy here was supposed to be the brutal one, jeez…
Wiz: Both werewolves constantly exercised restraint so not to bring harm to those around them, but it was clear that when the gloves came off, Jon had more than enough advantages to put the cursed aristocrat down permanently.
Boomstick: Yeah, the difference in strength was pretty clear cut. At lower levels, Sabrewulf may be able to destroy his castle, a feat which would put him at around building level, but Jon’s fights with Anakaris proved that he could take attacks capable of leveling towns, and then fighting back with equal, if not more power. At the lower levels, Konrad was outclassed.
Wiz: And when things got more serious, Jon proved superior once again. His fights against fellow B+ Class Darkstalkers cemented his country level strength, which is far greater than Sabrewulf creating a storm with enough power to level a city, or so. Even scaling to Anita’s feat of launching Castle Maximoff into space would net him power ten times greater than any feat Sabrewulf could perform, so Jon took the lead in strength rather solidly.
Popup: When comparing the most powerful characters in their respective universes, it’s clear that the Darkstalker once again took the lead. Pyron maintaining a galaxy twice the size of the milky way and spinning planets on his fingers was far above Gargos’ moon level cloud dispersal via his portals.
Boomstick: Likewise, speed was pretty cut and dry. Both were capable of dodging lightning, but while Sabrewulf might be able to react to beams of light and beat characters capable of moving within a nanosecond, Talbain could fight the massively faster than light Huitzils, and even one of his winning quotes says he can move at light speed, so that’s another point for Talbain.
Wiz: Experience and intelligence were also easy to lock down. Sabrewulf has had around 30 years at maximum being a werewolf, and though Jon has had only around 10 or so years, he has frequently kept up with foes that have much more experienced than Sabrewulf does, so the advantage was negligible. Additionally, Jon always held a firm grip over his powers, whilst Sabrewulf was more akin to a crazed beast more often than not.
Boomstick: And although Jon hasn’t been shown to be a genius scholar, his smarts were definitely much greater than that of Sabrewulf’s. He’s held down jobs and outsmarted more experienced Darkstalkers before, so when compared to Sabrewulf’s loose grasp on sanity, it was clear he took the lead super easily.
Wiz: Though Sabrewulf likely had a superior healing factor, the difference between their regenerative abilities isn’t large enough to justify a win on that alone. And though his savage brutality could potentially catch Jon by surprise, the Darkstalker has fought equally as bloodthirsty opponents, and if Jon ever stopped holding himself back, then the battle would be over a lot sooner, considering his superior skills and abilities.
Popup: Jon’s tendency to hold himself back and not let loose the beast within would only prolong the battle, as his advantages over Sabrewulf would allow him to control the pace of the battle, and finish it whenever he wanted. His endurance was greater, too, as he could go several rounds with Felicia, while Sabrewulf was greatly tired out from his fight with Jago.
Boomstick: Speaking of, Jon was way more skilled than ol’ Wulfy here. He’s trained in martial arts for years, and his wider and more unpredictable moveset outclasses Konrad’s basic slashes and shadow-infused strikes. I mean, try comparing a few flaming bats to a goddamn dragon made of fire! Plus, his mirage clone would ensure he could always output more damage, and he carries around nunchucks! He’s a freakin’ nunchuck werewolf! Yeah, it wasn’t that close here either.
Wiz: While Sabrewulf did temporarily have his cybernetic implants, he has long since removed them, and even if they were granted to him, it wouldn’t make any significant difference in the battle. Jon’s skilful use of his nunchucks was superior to the boons granted to Sabrewulf by the cybernetic implants, and his wider range of attacks available to him would help guarantee his victory over the Count.
Popup: Assuming that his cybernetic implants were similar in nature to that of fellow fighter, T.J. Combo, his regeneration might have been gained from their loss, and if he had them, this regenerative ability may not be available to him. Regardless, Jon has bested opponents who can regenerate even faster, and those stronger than Sabrewulf is, so this advantage is minimal, at best.
Boomstick: Talbain was just kinda out of his league, and a Red Blood Moon would ensure that he wouldn’t hold back, so Jon would be able to kick his shit in from there. The whole Darkstalkers universe is crazy, man! You’ve got sentient mummy men, a weapons-obsessed Red Reding Hood homage and an alien fire god who spins planets on his fingers, all going head-to-head. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, don’t fuck around with Darkstalkers!
Wiz: Sabrewulf would be more than capable of giving Jon a good fight, and certainly one that would push the Darkstalker to his limits, but he just didn’t have the strength, speed, skill, or versatility necessary to put him down for good.
Boomstick: Looks like Jon just had the Instinct he needed to win this fight, and it was a Killer.
Wiz: The winner is Jon Talbain.