Description: Having heard tales about the foreign student's cheerleading squad at Pacific High, Momoko decides to go check things out for herself. She ends up getting an eyeful of perfection and an earful of suspicion as one of the most recent transfers takes exception to the small dancer's attention.
The small, relatively intimate campus of Pacific High is the perfect place to get away from some of the hustle of Southtown; since it hosts so few students, class sizes and team sizes are infinitesimally small by comparison to some of the other schools, and team sizes... well, it's good that so many are here on athletic scholarships!
Tiffany, for her part, is ... actually attending a school activity, for the moment! It's just that that school activity happens to be cheerleading practice, just outside the athletics field. Currently clad in the Japanese campus's cheerleading uniform, rather than the American one she likes to just wear around, she goes through her routine... though she doesn't seem quite as pleased with the situation as she usually would be. There's not /quite/ the heart in it -- the sudden strangeness that has overtaken the schools weighs on her mind.
That's not to say she's /bad/ -- she's still the number one cheerleader at the school, and it shows in the way she moves relative to her peers. The movements themselves, by this point, are totally second nature. She could do this in her sleep.
Even though Pacific might not be as big or famous as some of the other schools in the area or as well liked due to the general distrust of foreigners that still lingers but that doesn't mean they don't have their own charms. Sports and other athletic activities are one of those things that have universal appeal. Whether you were born in a jungle, a desert, or a mega-city, humanity has been obsessed with strutting their physical prowess ever since the first two hairy cavemen bumped into each other. There's something about the drive to achieve excellence beyond what is simply necessary to survive - and rubbing it the face of your competition naturally - that draws the crowds.
Momoko is not someone who strives to achieve the embodiment of physical perfection. Even if she wanted to there just aren't that many super models who can't even hit the five foot mark by the time their growth spurt has ended. Plus, she's lacking other key...assets. That doesn't mean she can't dream though! And what better way for a young girl to deal with the crushing truth of reality than to sit around and admire the people more fortunate than she.
The diminuative figure sits alone in the grass some ways away from the gaggle of giggling cheerleaders as they go about their practice. But not too far away. Just enough to keep from getting under foot while still being close enough to enjoy the display. As something of a performer herself, Momoko has a great deal of appreciation for the arts! For the stamina and skill it takes to put on dazzling displays of elegance and form - and these girls certainly have some nice forms.
A mixture of awe and envy swirls lazily about in Momoko's wide eyes as she stares wistfully at the shaking hips and bouncing curves of the foreign girls, her mouth slightly agape in obvious fascination. There are certainly some well-built individuals at her own school but these outsiders take it to a new level.
After conferring with her fellow cheerleaders for a moment, Tiffany turns to start her routine a second time. Maybe she'll be less distracted if she keeps doing it, she thinks to herself -- maybe she'll be able to get into it by faking it until she makes it, more or less. She doesn't get the chance to start, though... not when she spots someone spying on the team in the grass.
For a minute, she thinks Momoko is younger -- a middle schooler, perhaps? -- but after a few moments of looking her over, concludes that she is, indeed, looking at a local high schooler. She doesn't have the poise for Seijyun, nor the apparent eliteness of Justice, which means...
... another Taiyo girl watching another school function. Just like before, with the 'journalism club member.' Tiffany is starting to see a pattern, and that pattern seems mighty suspicious -- doubly so since now it's turned on /her/, not long after she drew the possible attention of some weird spying conspiracy!
Walking over with purpose in her eyes, Tiffany extends a boxing-gloved hand, pointing at Momoko. "Are you another TAIYO KID?" she asks, not bothering to keep the loud, clear English out of her speech. "It's getting kinda weird how your school's suddenly spying on everyone!" Her muscles look tense...
Momoko continues to stare straight ahead as if in a trance, her gaze trapped by the spell woven as heavenly figures before her go through their routines. Bodies twisting with cat-like grace. Legs kicking high in displays of youthful flexibility. Devilishly short skirts flipping to and fro. Tight shirts clinging to ample curves as they - ahem.
A look that shouldn't be a girl with a face as youthful as her own overtakes Momoko's features and she lets out a leering sigh of appreciation, her cheeks turning slightly pink. If she had a body like that it would be super easy to attract all the attention she wanted. Maybe even...
Her train of thought comes to a screeching halt then plows right through the station hard enough to jostle her senseless when the boxing glove is shoved into her face. "Waah!" The tiny schoolgirl rolls backwards in sudden shock flipping completely over onto her back but, instead of simply flopping onto the ground, she plants her hands in the soft grass and springs to her feet, nimble as you please. Momoko's hands come up in a vaguely martial gesture out of reflex as she turns to face her aggressor, eyes still wide in confusion - and they only get wider when she takes in the visage before her.
Tiffany gets a looooong look from top to bottom, the smaller girl's eyes stopping pointedly at bold star-cut window in the middle of her shirt. Her face goes red again and she hurriedly brings her big brown eyes up to peer into the foreign girl's baby blues.
"Wh... m-me?" She grins sheepishly and rubs the back of her neck, giggling with a nervous timbre in her voice. "Well, yeah, I go to Taiyo. B-but I'm not spying on anyone! I was... um..." Her face grows redder. "Iiiiiii was just... oooobserving?"
As Momoko decides to take an eyeful, Tiffany debates whether to give it to her or not; it's tempting to take a second to preen anyway -- but no, she reminds herself, this is a weird spy! She didn't give that weirdo with the camera the chance to take a picture of her, either, so why should she let Momoko's weird watching get indulged?
"I'm not STUPID," Tiff replies once she gets an answer from Momoko; she knows when she's being looked at. Often, she doesn't mind! If there weren't something weird going on in the schools of Southtown she'd probably have just let her sit and watch.
The fighting stance puts her on edge a little bit, too -- and she decides that she's going to get answers about this one way or another. "Why is everyone suddenly spying on all the schools?" she asks, eyes narrowed a little; despite her usual easygoing demeanor, she's not going to turn down a possible clue to a mystery showing up right in front of her.
Hopping up into the air, Tiffany aims her bicycle-shorts-clad legs straight down toward Momoko and strikes downward in a flash of light. It seems to be strictly cosmetic, though -- the /impact/ is all foot.
COMBATSYS: Tiffany has started a fight here.
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Tiffany 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Momoko has joined the fight here.
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Momoko 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Tiffany
COMBATSYS: Momoko blocks Tiffany's Exciting Kick.
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Momoko 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Tiffany
Momoko winces at the obvious annoyed outburst from the pretty blonde, physically shrinking away from her half a step. Normally, if someone was trying to pick on her or simply accosted her out of the blue she'd have been quick to step up and defend herself but something tells her there really isn't any way to justify her presence here. She wasn't invited and this isn't her school and she's been staring kind of rudely the whole time.
"Um... s-sorry, I'll-- huh? Spying?" That the second time this girl has used that word specifically. Maybe her Japanese isn't good enough and she's using the wrong word? Either way, it's clear she wants her to clear out.
And she would have been happy to do so, had not a flash of motion suddenly alerted her to the incoming attack. Instinctively the small girl brings her arms up over her head to shield it from the powerful kick. She catches it on her forearms but the impact drives her down to one knee, Tiffany's strength and superior size easily overpowering her tiny body.
"O-ow! Hey, what gives?!"
What the heck is going on here?! If they wanted her to leave they could just ask but now there's kicks flying around! Kicks propelled by very shapely legs - but kicks aimed at her! Momoko's bewildered expression turns into a soft frown and she drops down to the grass, curling up into a tight ball as she rolls a few feet to the side to get out from under the cheerleader's leg. Her own legs shoot out a moment later and she drives one of her heels towards the side of Tiffany's knee in an attempt to drop her. A brilliant burst of pink stars accompanies the movement swirling around the small girl in a twinkling display of energy. Unlike the American's flashy attack, these actually carry a lot of oomph.
"Phoenix Arrow!"
COMBATSYS: Tiffany dodges Momoko's Phoenix Arrow.
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Momoko 0/-------/------=|>------\-------\0 Tiffany
This girl's /fast/, Tiffany thinks; she immediately commits to a forceful dodge, weaving out of the way of that incoming leg. "I don't think you were just 'observing' anything!" the cheerleader says, still clearly more than a little suspicious; she's new in town and, accordingly, has no real erason to trust someone who says they're not part of any apparent shadiness!
/Especially/ when they're evidently a fighter of some talent, judging from that energy. "Did someone send you here?" Tiffany asks, as she wobbles slightly from her forceful dodge; it takes her a second to get turned back around, giving Momoko time to assess her defensive options.
Those boxing gloves come into play when she does; Tiffany rears back slightly, spinning her arm around once to get some momentum with a faint, "Guru, guru, guru..." Sliding forward as if dragged by her punch, she finishes, "Groovy PUNCH!" with a little more enthusiasm than she mustered during cheerleading practice.
COMBATSYS: Tiffany successfully hits Momoko with Groovy Punch.
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Momoko 0/-------/--=====|>>-----\-------\0 Tiffany
The kick whiffs through empty air and the lack of impact gives Momoko nothing to brace against. She flops onto the ground in a sprawl but, just like before, she doesn't stay down for long, popping back onto her feet in a few moments. Her eyes narrow at Tiffany and the two of them exchange suspicious glares.
"It's the truth! I just wanted to watch you practice!"
The little dancer leans to the side as if to throw herself out of the way as her opponent rushes in but Tiffany is a lot faster than she'd anticipated and the thick red glove catches her dead in the chest, its heavy padding doing little to take the sting out of the blow. Momoko lets out a pained, 'whoohgh?!', as the air is knocked out of her lungs momentarily. She crumples towards the ground but this motion turns out to be another attack.
She plants the flat of her palm on the ground and leaps sending her rear-most leg up... up... and all the way over her head. Cheerleaders aren't the only ones who can bend like crazy! Another burst of sparkles follows the motion of her foot as it swings through the air and comes up towards Tiffany's head in a blinding flash.
COMBATSYS: Tiffany blocks Momoko's Aumada Materu EX.
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Momoko 0/-------/---====|>>>>>--\-------\0 Tiffany
Rather than scramble away this time, Tiffany instead brings up her gloves and meets that incoming kick head-on. It still stings -- but it's not as bad as it could be, at least, given the circumstances. Skidding back from the force of the blow, Tiffany blinks a few times, saying, "Yes, I understood that much!"
The followup question, meanwhile, presents a new challenge. The young Ms. Lords comes right out and asks, "But why were you watching?" The idea that someone would just happen to want to watch cheerleading practice... well, that certainly /tracks/, but she'd expect it from, say, a Gedo student.
Interested in showing her /own/ take on a sparkling kick, Tiffany rears back just slightly, then springs forward in a cartwheel; her legs, at full extension, swing toward Momoko one after the other, hopefully pressing her back away and discouraging further offense, at least a little. She sparkles a little, again -- but once more, there's no /weight/ behind anything but her feet.
COMBATSYS: Momoko dodges Tiffany's Groovy Wheel.
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Momoko 0/-------/---====|>>>>>--\-------\0 Tiffany
Seemingly getting her bearings a little better now, Momoko rebounds from her acrobatic assault and bounds backwards in a pair of energetic hops, putting some distance between herself and the powerful cheerleader. The question causes her cheeks to color up again and the small girl digs for words.
"U-um... admiration?"
She offers a placating smile, flashing her teeth but it looks like she's not about to worm her way out of it that easily. This time she gives the larger fighter her due and when Tiffany comes barreling in she makes like a tumbleweed, dropping to the ground and rolling away as fast as she can. The manuever manages to get her out of danger but it's a close call.
"I-I'm a performer too!", she blurts out as she pops back to her feet. "I just wanted to see how you practiced is all!"
Even though she's trying to stop the fight, Momoko knows better than to try and break up the rythm of the battle now that she's stuck in it. The girl's small form darts ahead to cover the distance she'd put between them and she launches into a spinning pirouette, her entire body twisting like a top. She extends one foot as she whirls and menaces the older girl with the gyrating motion in the hopes of making /her/ retreat long enough to get a few more words in.
COMBATSYS: Tiffany dodges Momoko's Spin Kick.
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Momoko 0/-------/---====|>>>>>--\-------\0 Tiffany
The idea that Momoko is a performer, at least, seems to catch Tiffany's attention; it's believable, she thinks -- there are a few similarities in their styles, despite some very superficial differences, and those similarities do at least somewhat evoke a sensation of 'showiness.' That's the first thing Momoko's said that Tiffany is actually willing to believe!
... but that doesn't /totally/ render her above suspicion, either! As Tiffany weaves out of the way of Momoko's whirling kick with a hard backward motion, she wonders if Momoko was sent /because/ she had an easy alibi.
For a moment, Tiffany, like many Americans, entertains the notion of some sort of vast conspiracy -- which means she says nothing to Momoko just yet.
Because of her scramble backward, Tiffany -- once she's out of her conspiracy-themed reverie -- realizes that she can't afford to swing another big, showy attack at Momoko; this is a time for some more conservative offense. As a result, she just hops forward with a quick, straightforward swing of her boxing glove. Many a fight, after all, is won on the strength of snap jabs.
COMBATSYS: Momoko blocks Tiffany's Quick Punch.
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Momoko 0/-------/--=====|>>>>>--\-------\0 Tiffany
Momoko takes the lingering silence as something hopeful - atleast she hasn't been outright called a liar again. Maybe that means she's getting through! A fresh surge of energy flows through the girl and she commits herself to the duel with a little more force than before.
Tiffany's swift punch thuds dully as it meets her body again but this time the girl catches it on the front of her shin, one leg tucked up defensively against her body to absorb the impact on hard bone instead of flimsy cartiledge.
"My name... is Momoko!" She smiles again even as the punch sends a tremor through her body, genuine friendliness in her voice.
A deft shift of her hips turns her body sideways even as the attack strikes and she shunts the majority of the kinetic force to one side. At the same time, she drops her defensive leg to the ground and, with a little hop, brings the other up towards the cheerleader's knee again. She flicks her tiny foot once then twice, striking at the side of the tall girl's leg and then at her midsection.
"I'm in first year at Taiyo High! It's nice to meet you!"
COMBATSYS: Momoko successfully hits Tiffany with Change-Up Kick.
- Power hit! -
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Momoko 0/-------/-======|>>>>>>>\>>-----\1 Tiffany
"First year at Taiyo High?" comes the reply from Tiffany; she reels back, trying to get out of the way of that oncoming series of kicks, but doesn't /quite/ muster the necessary speed. Indeed, the change-up gets her really nastily; her momentum sends her /into/ it rather than away. The net result: Tiffany now lies face-down on the ground.
Once she takes a second to really focus up and process what she's hearing, she replies as she kips up, "Tiffany Lords! Pacific High transfer student! And... I'm not sure it's good to meet you yet!"
She moves her lips, briefly... and then frowns. There's some dust there, which means...
Reaching into the interior pocket of her cheerleading uniform, Tiffany withdraws some lipstick, carefully brushing off her lips and then swiping it neatly across each lip. Something about the ritual makes her sparkle with energy -- and when she finishes, she looks much more ready to go than she did immediately after kipping up. She blows a kiss into the air; it, too, sparkles before winking out of existence.
Well, that's more than she had before. Momoko's eyes sparkle upon exchanging names with her opponent and she takes a few steps back to let the cheerleader attend to herself after being put down in the dirt. She hadn't actually meant for the attack to be quite that harsh but there wasn't really anything she could do once the buxom blonde had walked right into it.
"Um... sorry about that."
Momoko begins to sway back and forth in a rythmic fashion as she watches the impromptu make-up session with amusement, apparently unable or unwilling to sit still even during a short moment of ceasefire. The movements are comfortable and relaxing and the lingering pain in her body starts to fade out a little as she focuses on other things. She lets out a surprised gasp at the twinkling heart but it quickly turns into an amused giggle.
"That means you're new here right? You sure got into the spirit of things quick!"
COMBATSYS: Momoko enters a meditative state.
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Momoko 1/-------/=======|>>>>>>>\>>-----\1 Tiffany
COMBATSYS: Tiffany successfully aids herself with Kiss of Life.
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Momoko 1/-------/=======|>>>>>>>\>>-----\1 Tiffany
Now that the pair have taken a moment to breathe, fighting seems a little less pressing... but it's possible that Momoko's a potential ally. /Or/ a potential enemy, still -- Tiffany hasn't written that one off; either way, though, she thinks it's probably best to get a sense for what her deal is.
"I've been FIGHTING for a while," Tiffany says, totally genuinely. "What about you?" She rocks back and forth on her heels a little, building her focus back up for a moment --
-- and then, all at once, she's back into it, coming in at Momoko. Grabbing at the other girl with both gloved hands, she follows up with a forward, forceful hop, sending her flying up into the air. /Theoretically/ the motion would be a shoulder tackle -- but given she's grabbing at Momoko with both hands from the front, and their relative sizes, the force is a little more... central.
COMBATSYS: Momoko endures Tiffany's Chest Thrusting.
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Momoko 1/-----==/=======|>>>>>>>\>>-----\1 Tiffany
"Eh? Me?"
Momoko points a finger at herself questioningly, still swaying back and forth with a little hop in her step. She doesn't look like much of a fighter at all. In fact, it's amazing she's even able to take the kinds of hits that have been flying around in their short little scuffle with that tiny body of hers. The girl is apparently aware of this fact because she grins triumphantly and puffs up a little bit.
"Weeell, when I was about ten years old I-"
Her chance to deliver her life story in ancedotal format is cut short, however. Tiffany rushes her suddenly causing the small dancer to almost jump out of her skin in surprise. She drops back down into her combat pose but she hesistates and by then the other girl is on top of her. With no more room to manuever, she does the only thing that she can - she braces herself and leans into the attack, attempting to weather the storm as best she can.
An amazingly soft sensation engulfs her head for a few blissful moments as she closes her eyes. The impact of the hit sends tremors through her body but despite the jarring pain the unmistakable feel of bouyant flesh cushions the blow and she rebounds a few seconds later, sailing away from the flying tackle.
Not before taking her revenge, however. Momoko's legs snap out as she flips backwards, snaking towards the cheerleader's shoulders in an attempt to wrap about her neck and drag her along for the ride, flipping the older girl underneath her body to use as a cushion for the second time.
COMBATSYS: Tiffany dodges Momoko's Iyan~.
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Momoko 1/----===/=======|>>>>>>>\>>-----\1 Tiffany
This time, when Momoko comes in, Tiffany's totally ready for her; she hastily whirls away from those legs, feeling the distinct sensation that this is about to go somewhere mildly weird if she doesn't. Breathing a sigh of relief when everything turns out all right, Tiffany notes, "I started when I was 10, too!" There, at least, they have some commonality.
Rearing back again, Tiffany returns to an old standby; her arms pinwheel modestly, starting to sparkle; under her breath, once again, she psychs herself up with a faint, "Guru, guru, guru..."
... and then it keeps going. Tiffany spends a good, long time saying those words -- "Guru, guru, guru, guru, guru..." The sparkles grow brighter and brighter with each rotation...
... All at once, she /explodes/ into forward motion, moving with such a start that she doesn't even have time to cry out the name of her technique. That gloved fist does the talking for her, in this case.
COMBATSYS: Momoko interrupts Very Groovy Punch from Tiffany with Ohashi Samaninacchae.
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Momoko 0/-------/-----==|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Tiffany
The problem with massive wind-up attacks is that you give your opponent a ton of time to get ready for them. Momoko might not be the strongest or the biggest around but damned if she isn't light on her feet.
The failed leg-grapple sends the girl sprawling onto the grass, landing face-first like a lawn dart and promptly keeling over onto her stomach with a grunt of discomfort. She lies there for a moment with little swirls in her eyes but it only takes a second or two to shake the daze away and then she's back in the fight. Momoko scoots her knees up towards her chest, her butt sticking straight up in the air as she pushes back to her feet, in a completely dignified fashion, and by then the cheerleader's powerful swing has gone through a few of its prepatory rotations.
Seeing that she doesn't have time to bandy any more words, the dancer hops up and thrusts both hands towards Tiffany just as she explodes into motion. A shimmering ball of bright pink energy gathers in her palms and the titanic punch lands squarely against its surface - and that's when things get weird. All of the momentum behind the cheerleader's attack seems to simply vanish and she becomes entirely weightless for a few moments. Momoko lets out a short triumphant cry and thrusts her hands into the air as the small energy bubble bursts, staggering back from the blast even as it sends Tiffany sailing straight up several dozen feet.
Then that sensation of weightlessness vanishes and is replaced by the distinct feeling of falling from an unpleasant height.
Her whole body rippling backward from that sudden stop, Tiffany flies up and back... and promptly lands squarely on /her/ back a moment later. She decides, for an instant, that she might just hang out here... but no, she reflects -- she needs to redouble her offense if she's going to put herself in anything even remotely resembling an okay position again. Not that position matters /too/ much in this fight unless Momoko's a giant liar, but -- it's the principle of the thing! The pride!
The cheerleader slowly pries herself up off the ground, blinking a few times. "Mmmh," she groans out, brow furrowing a little as she considers her options. She /could/ rush in... or she could take another moment and breathe.
For a split second, it looks like she's going to do the latter; she does, indeed, take a brief breather. It is, indeed, a pretty brief one, though; within moments she's coming at Momoko with incessant offense, bringing her body into spinning punch after spinning punch. She finishes the combo with another big windup... but hopefully by /that/ point, Momoko's taken enough of a beating that she can't answer back with something during that window of opportunity.
COMBATSYS: Momoko blocks Tiffany's Groovy Special EX.
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Momoko 0/-------/---====|>>>>>>>\-------\1 Tiffany
By the time Tiffany has regathered herself into a position to attack, her tiny opponent has done the same. Momoko maintains a respectable distance, just a little out of easy reach but not so far that she can't be a threat very quickly if given the opportunity. Already battered and bruised, she isn't very keen on pressing her luck so she simply stays back and waits.
When the onslaught begins anew Momoko is quick to tighten up her defense. Her leg comes up and both arms tuck in against her sides, her twig-like arms providing adequate coverage for her equally slender frame. The spinning punches hammer against her guard and each hit rocks the girl backwards a step, literally scooting her across the grass on the tip of her foot. She flinches instinctively as each blow sends a wave of bruising force through her body but in the end her resolve stands firm.
When the last hit lands Momoko doesn't give her opponent any time to capitolize on her weakened state or recover herself like before. Even if she's planning to be friends with the older girl - and she's totally going to smother her with friendship whether she likes it or not - this is a duel for honor now! A test of skill! Backing out now would be an insult and she's always well-mannered!
Taking a single hop-step forward, Momoko puts on her game face and lets out a short warcry as she launches another attack of her own. Her leg shoots up, foot lancing straight out infront of her like a battering ram to drive her heel directly into Tiffany's midsection. A quick surge of battle-adrenaline floods through her as she realizes the fight is nearing its end and she prepares to give it her all til the last!
COMBATSYS: Tiffany fails to interrupt Heel Kick from Momoko with Rival Launcher EX.
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Momoko 0/-------/--=====|======-\-------\0 Tiffany
Tiffany ducks low as Momoko comes in, hoping to upend her legs; it's a nice, simple maneuver, one that she has a logical followup for all planned out in her head. Unfortunately, Tiffany isn't that great a planner; her real strength is just /going/ with it, and unfortunately for her, overthinking things has been her downfall more than once here.
The heel catches her not in the midsection but in the jaw, given her low duck; she staggers back significantly, and clutches at her face with a soft glove. At the very least, it doesn't feel /quite/ so awful once she cushions it a little bit... but it's still pretty not great.
Reeling back, she attempts to say something; she's almost totally unintelligible, though, because her jaw is just a hair out of alignment and she's still got the boxing glove over most of her face.
Again with the making things worse! Momoko winces almost as badly as her unfortunate opponent when her foot slams into Tiffany's exposed face. Atleast she didn't put any of her energy into that kick and isn't wearing freaking high heels /like someone/ or that might have sucked a lot worse. All Tiffany has to deal with is a little bruising to her jaw and her ego. The latter might actually be more painful for a cheerleader.
Still, there's nothing for it but to press her advantage. Momoko pauses only long enough to make sure the older girl is okay before striking again, following up her strong forward kick with a quick spinning number that whips her heel at the side of Tiffany's body like a club.
COMBATSYS: Tiffany dodges Momoko's Roundhouse Kick.
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Momoko 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\0 Tiffany
Rainbow Mika has arrived.
Rainbow Mika has reconnected.
Even though her momentum's been damaged, Tiffany sticks to her game plan -- or, well, the few remaining shards thereof. Weaving narrowly back from Momoko's heel, she manages to get everything back into place, saying, "You're really good!" with a small grin. They're both clearly starting to run out of juice... but that just means that Tiffany can commit a little harder to what's left of her game plan.
Weaving back and forth a little, Tiffany does her best to broadcast another punch; she knows her own tells that well, at least. It's not the punch that actually comes, though; instead, just as she did much earlier on, she takes to the air, reorients herself, and spikes down with all the force she can muster!
Her rhythm's a little bit blown, though, compared to earlier; the whole sequence seems a little less effortless, and Tiffany's panting a bit even as she goes for it.
COMBATSYS: Tiffany successfully hits Momoko with Exciting Kick.
Glancing Blow
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Momoko 0/-------/-======|=======\-------\1 Tiffany
Rainbow Mika has dropped a connection.
Momoko falls back when her kick fails to connect, gracefully turning the whiff into a smooth circular motion that becomes the first of several short steps backwards. The feinting boxer's weave that the cheerleader displays puts her on the defensive and she prepares to dodge an attack from the front but instead suddenly finds herself being set upon from above!
"Eeeh?!"
The underclassman's surprised squeak only barely has time to get out of her mouth and she throws herself hard to one side to avoid getting skewered on the aforementioned heels. She partially succeeds, managing to whip her head and upper body out of the path of the axe-kick but it catches her on the thigh even as she rolls. Pain floods through her leg and the impact wrecks her rythm for a moment, forcing her to stagger and limp. Tears well up in the corners of her eyes but the moment passes quickly and she turns that emotion into fuel.
Clenching her teeth to keep from crying out any further, Momoko turns and puts weight on her injured leg - it holds up. Narrowing her eyes, Momoko grins in a friendly but competative fashion at the older girl. Then she begins to hum a simple little tune..
"Do~ Re~"
Her foot snaps out in a suddenly flurry of motion, her toes driving towards Tiffany's ribs like a dagger. Almost before the first blow has even had time to register the girl spins in place, her body dropping low as she brings the heel of the same foot around at head-level.
COMBATSYS: Tiffany dodges Momoko's Momokonba.
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Momoko 0/-------/-======|=======\-------\1 Tiffany
Tiffany watches the underclassman carefully; she knows better than to underestimate her, now -- she's done that and paid for it a few too many times at this point. Her eyes narrow slightly, and she weaves back at high speed; she's starting to get winded doing this over and over, though -- her body just can't quite keep up, no matter how much she tries. She needs to find a good, solid hit, fast... or get Momoko to overextend herself. One of the two.
She decides to test Momoko's own fatigue, at this point; her gaze sweeps over the younger girl once, then again, trying to assess her weakest point. It's at this point that it hits her -- she can go for the old standby.
Stepping forward, Tiffany decides to try the one thing she's totally failed to broadcast all fight. She's got jump kicks, she's got punches of all stripes... but will Momoko expect a hard, straight heel kick of Tiffany's own? It's big and it's a little telegraphed -- but maybe the surprise itself will lend her the necessary advantage!
COMBATSYS: Momoko interrupts Heavy Kick from Tiffany with Momoko no DoReMi Canto.
[ \\\\ <
Tiffany 1/-======/=======|
COMBATSYS: Momoko can no longer fight.
[ \\\\ <
Tiffany 1/-======/=======|
"Mi~ Fa~"
The problem with assuming about the capabilities of your opponent is that you might be wrong. Sure, a normal fighter might be out of steam by this point. Most people can only go a few rounds when they're throwing everything they've got out in an effort to overcome an equally skilled fighter. Momoko, however, has a secret - a secret that provides not only for her bizarre displays of power but the boundless energy that keeps her going and going like the energizer bunny.
The little girl doesn't even stop to reconsider when Tiffany ducks out of her range. Nor does she slow down when the thick shapely leg comes crashing into her side like a jackhammer. The blow connects solidly but she simply shrugs it off as if it didn't happen, her mind walling away the pain just long enough to get the job done.
A third attack follows right behind the first pair, her other foot now whipping up in a side-ways body strike that crosses over from right to left against the sizable target of the cheerleader's chest. Flowing impossibly easily from motion to motion, Momoko bends forward and whips her other leg up and over her head just as before, striking from yet another angle.
"So~"
Still more blows continue to rain down in a lightning frenzy. Another roundhouse kick crosses back over Tiffany's body from the opposite direction.
"La~ Ti~ Do~!"
Momoko brings up both knees, one after the other, driving them into the tall girl's midsection with little hops that would be adorable if they weren't being hammered against her body with way more force than the little girl should be able to muster. The final strike comes as the dancer plants her foot against the bouyant surface of the Pacificer's bossom and uses her for a spring board to flip backwards.
...and land flat on her face as the mental barrier she'd raised finally gives out. Momoko sprawls into a messy heap and immediately curls up into the fetal position, her arms and legs moving to coccoon her from further injury. She grimaces and whimpers, real tears coming this time from the sheer throbbing pain of walking into the oncoming train that caught her in the ribs.
"Hrngh... maybe that... wasn't the best idea..."
Strike after strike catches Tiffany -- she moves like a woman possessed, pounding her knees and feet into Tiffany with considerable force. The cheerleader really can't take it; she winces with each new hit, and when Momoko's all done, she's not the only one lying on the ground with tears of pain across her face.
For a few moments, she just lies there in blissful silence, breathing in and out as she tries to steady herself. Eventually, though, the cheerleader smiles, mumbling, "Well -- it worked out OKAY, so..." She flops her arm around a few times, managing to get her boxing glove off, and pinches the bridge of her nose in hopes of focusing up.
After a few moments, she rolls over onto her side, saying, "I think I believe you... about just watching," though she's breathless and only half-comprehensible, given her current state.
COMBATSYS: Tiffany takes no action.
COMBATSYS: Tiffany can no longer fight.
Momoko grins, peeking at the other girl through one eye, the other still screwed tight from pain. "Well... that's something... I guess... heheh-ow."
No more laughing. Laughing hurts.
...so does not laughing for that matter.
The little dancer lies on the ground for a minute or two trying not to move too much and eventually the pain begins to dull into something more managable. She's going to have a wicked bruise to explain for sure but such is the risks of engaging in gunboat diplomacy in turbulent waters. Not that she /expected/ a greeting like this but it seems like everything worked out in the end. Maybe.
Pushing to a kneeling position - standing still hurts too much - Momoko turns to face the cheerleader and smiles at her again. "Maybe... we should start over. My name is Momoko. I'm a first year student at Taiyo. Nice to meet you."
She leans forward in a traditional Japanese bow, doing her best not to make an awful face as the pressure increases on her stomach. She kinda succeeds.
A few moments after Momoko gets herself up, Tiffany sort of half rolls over to face her; mostly she just lies there, her other hand -- with the glove still on -- supporting her head. "Tiffany Lords... Pacific High transfer student. There's something weird going on at your school... I think you should stay out of it and keep yourself safe." Even if she's not as bad about it as Roy, she absolutely has a little pride. Perhaps a little /too much/ pride.
Taking a few deep breaths, her whole body quaking slightly from the pain, she says, "We can handle it, NO SWEAT." Besides -- even if this girl's just as good as Tiffany herself is... it just seems wrong, somehow, for a kid like her to get involved here! ... even if Tiffany has no real idea what 'here' is, at this point. Or at all.
She flops back onto her back, punctuating her sentence with an acute lack of actual energy or displayed competence.
That gives Momoko pause. "Really?", she says after a few long moments of quiet surprised silence. This is the first she's heard of anything strange happening at school. Usually rumors are pretty quick to fly even when things aren't happening though, admittedly, she's not always up to date on the latest stories. Most of her spare time is spent performing at the park or helping at home, she doesn't have the time to hang around at clubs all day like some of the gossip-mongers.
"Are you sure? It's not like I can just... stop going to class. My mom would kill me!" She settles back onto her feet, resting against them like pillow cushions with apparent ease. It's one of those skills Japanese people learn early. After a while, she shakes her head. "Even if that's true, I can't just ditch class forever. Sorry."
Shifting focus, Momoko shuffles forward on her hands and knees, moving towards the cheerleader. "Anyways, are you alright? I kind of went overboard at the end there..."
Lying practically spread-eagle, Tiffany lets herself just breathe and listen as Momoko says her piece. Staring up into the sky, she says a whole lot of nothing for a while, just taking in the things she's saying. Eventually, she says, "Don't ditch class, just... don't look. Ignore anything WEIRD."
Staying back down, she adds, "Everything's A-OKAY. Are you okay? That last kick was stronger than I thought..." Or at least, it seemed like it was, given Momoko's /response/ to it.
Momoko gives another genuine smile that quickly blossoms into a grin. "Y-yeah, I'll be fine. Guess I shouldn't be surprised an athlete can kick so hard."
The pain in her side has mostly faded to a dull throb at this point, easily down to the level that her mental barriers can shield her from. Tenatively, the girl pushes to her feet and rests her fists on her hips in a triumphant fashion when she manages to make it upright without throwing up.
"See? Good as new. Mostly." A thought occurs to her and Momoko's eyes sparkle with sudden apparent glee. "Hey... you wanna go get some icecream? I know a -great- place. It's not that far! My treat, since you're new around here."
Taking one last moment to lie on the ground and regret her decisions, Tiffany slowly pulls herself back up to her feet as well. racking a smile, she considers the ice cream offer carefully. On the one hand, she's been trying to watch her sweets intake... but on the other, Momoko's offer is so sweet, and she's certainly gotten in enough activity to have worked it off in advance.
"Sure thing," she says, tossing her hair -- a gesture which she almost immediately regrets, as her arm cramps up a little.
Log created on 19:37:48 11/04/2014 by Momoko, and last modified on 13:28:05 11/05/2014.