Description: The match of the century! ...Well okay, not quite. But still a match! Sent by Justice High to represent the school at SLAMFEST, Haru finds himself squaring off against the mysterious Lilith; the Wrestling Pixie! Let the slamming commence!
LAST THURSDAY:
For the first time in his entire life, Haru Sakuraba got called to the principal's office.
Now, consider: he's attending Justice Academy, which is a super-elite school for the best and the brightest, presumably. There isn't really much of a disciplinary problem at Justice Academy because the sort of people who would BECOME a disciplinary problem do not ENTER Justice Academy, full stop. So the summoning of a student to the headmaster's office is so rare it might as well be a full solar eclipse and, frankly, its effect on the student body is about as pronounced.
The walk across campus felt like a trip to the gallows; students gawked from doorways (although a few also asked: "who even IS that?") as if a man had been read his last rites and sent out to the firing squad.
Then he entered the headmaster's office and closed the door and sat down and was not prepared for the fact that his principal appears to be a gigantic bear in a suit.
Raizo Imawano cuts a huge, imposing figure even at the BEST of times, for the most settled and even-keeled personality. For someone maybe 1/4 his size who's already nervous, the humongous man sitting across the desk feels like a giant stone Olmec head about to pronounce the end of the world.
"Sakuraba," boomed the voice, the rumble of an impending avalanche.
"Y-yes, sir," Haru stumbled. "Have I done something wrong, sir?"
"Something wrong? Hmmm." At this point Raizo picks up a file folder and starts flipping through it with his paw^H^H^Hhand, staring at it intently. This goes on in utter silence for a minute or two before Raizo gently lays the folder down on the desk and gives Haru a very meaningful, very strict stare. "Something... wrong."
Trying to control his entire body's fight or flight (hint: flight) response all in one go, Haru grips the arms of the antique leather chair that is part of Raizo's museum-esque office. "Sir, if you'll just allow me to expl--"
"LISTEN, BOY," Raizo roars, and Haru falls immediately silent. "If you're going to continue being a student at Justice, I expect nothing less than top-quality performance in everything that you do. You're a reflection on this school, understand!"
His face falling, Haru resigns himself to his fate. "Yes, sir."
Picking the folder back up, Raizo stacks it on the desk before continuing: "Good work so far. In fact, I've got a job for you."
Haru, who had been in the middle of gathering up his things to go write an unfortunate letter to his parents back in Amami about how he'd be coming home after being expelled, looks at his principal as if the man had suddenly sprouted a second head. "...I'm sorry?"
NOW:
'Go represent the school,' Imawano-sensei had said. 'Also keep your eyes peeled for anything suspicious,' Kyofumaru-sensei had said. To the eyes of Haru Sakuraba, fighting neophyte, EVERYTHING about the CWA arena and its participants is suspicious, not the least of them being that *HE* got picked to do this! Which doesn't make a lot of sense, actually! The young psychic's nerves have been shot for days, but tonight is his scheduled fight, and he refuses to be cowed out of it. After his battle with Hotaru, he's been in a surprisingly good mood, considering that he lost.
And in a very real way, the 'pro wrestlers' are fascinating personalities. Watching a few matches before his own, Haru could feel the dynamic energy these fighter-performers put out during a fight. It's difficult to do something physically demanding WHILE ALSO being entirely in character the whole time. He hadn't thought much of this style before now, but surprisingly it's starting to grow on him.
Not that you're going to see him in spandex pants with his ring name written on the ass in glitter any time soon, mind you.
COMBATSYS: [Mumford and Sons - Awake my Soul] It's a solemn, slow song. "Lend me your hand and we'll conquer them all, / But lend me your heart and I'll just let you fall. / Lend me your eyes I can change what you see, / But your soul you must keep, totally free..." If nothing else can be, at least the music is nice and relaxing. HARU SAKURABA is ready to SLAM!
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Haru 0/-------/-------|
As he walks down the entrance ramp to the ring, the entrance music the CWA picked for Haru plays. A... slow, sad guitar ballad. The crowd seems confused but, because he is a nerd, Haru actually finds it a nice touch. Deciding to try and get into it, he waves to the crowd a little and surprisingly, there's at least a couple cheers. Maybe people saw him last week fighting Sagat alongside other Southtown students?
"And now for our next bout. At 5'9 and 120 pounds, hailing from Japan and representing Justice Academy... the Yoyo Yakuza, the Looper of Lethality... HARU! SAKURABAAAAAAAAAAA."
- Southtown -
Lilith...Aensland, which is what her fake ID card read, was currently walking through the streets of Southtown, dressed in a Taiyo High uniform, an ice pop dangling from her lips as she happily hummed a random tune. Ah, high school was so interesting! There were lots of boys! ...And girls. And the subjects were all so interesting! Except for Math. Screw math. And everyone was so fun to mess wi-I mean, to be around!
How had she never been to high school before!? ...Oh wait, that's because she was a succubus.
Welp.
"Hmmm?" Curiously, the purple headed girl slowed to a stop, reading a flyer that had been posted onto a passing telephone pole.
WANT TO SLAM? WANT TO JAM? WANT TO SLAM JAM? HOW ABOUT JAM SLAM!? THEN COME TO SLAMFEST, AND LET THE SLAMMING COMMENCE!
"Oooooooooooh~"
NOW:
As Haru makes his way down ramp and to the ring, the crowd cheers for him, relatively anyway. But once he makes it into the ring itself, the lights and music abruptly shut off. "And now! For our NEXT competitor....!" A rush of wind can be heard, followed by a faint thud on the other end of the ring.
Strobe lights come to life all around, and what sounds like nightclub music starts playing. "Coming in at 5'6, 119 pounds, it's the high flying, death defying, you can't get yo mom to sign it...Lilith! The Wreeeeeeeeeeestling Piiiiiiiixie!" And then the strobe lights cut off, returning the usual lights in place. The crowd exploded with cheers as on the other end of the ring was.....A girl. Wearing the most ridiculous combination of red and blue spandex with cuts in the fabric here and there that left little to the imagination. Curiously, a pair of wings seemed to be attached to her hips. Probably decoration.
"Hiiiiiiii! Hey hey~ Thank you! Thank you all~!" The girl in question waved her arms at the crowd as she sashayed her way about the ring, grinning all too happily. Soon enough, her eyes settled upon Haru himself. "Aha! You must be my opponent!" She winked playfully after that. "Ehehe, you're so cute!" And without regard for personal space, Lilith closed the distance and wrapped her arms around the poor boy in a hug
"Let's you and I have lots and lots of fun! Okay~?" She whispered into his ear meanwhile.
Well how's this for a lot of conflicting emotions all at once.
Haru takes in Lilith's costume and demeanor with... well, a smile. I mean, it's a little over the top, but this is a pro wrestling ring. She's in a costume, she's playing a role, but she wouldn't be here if she couldn't hold her own in the clutch, after all. Certainly, everything about her says 'fighting pixie,' from her diminutive physical statistics to the... wings?
And certainly, his impression of her is that she's playful, cheerful, upbeat; she has a kind of energy, after all. But then she bounds across the space and just ups and HUGS him and there are Really Good Reasons why he doesn't usually go in for the whole physical contact thing. For starters, it kind of kickstarts that whole 'telepathic bond' thing. Thankfully, clothes are a good insulator to keep things from getting really out of hand, but for that brief moment Lilith hugs him, Haru freezes up physically, looking a little terrified, and from Lilith, he senses...?
A deep and abiding... yearning?
That look of shock is still on his face after she lets go and skips away, whispering in his ear.
Getting control of himself, Haru shakes his head like he's clearing a feeling of grogginess, then gives Lilith a sort of... wary smile. "I, ah... I'm not much of a wrestler, but I hope I'll be a worthwhile challenge anyway."
COMBATSYS: [Emiliana Torrini - To be Free] Engaging and weighty, the song that plays on the overhead poses an unbelievably winsome question that demands an provocative answer. "It shouldn't hurt me to be free-- / It's what I really need, / To pull myself together / But if it's so good being free / Would you mind telling me... / Why I don't know what to do with myself?" LILITH THE WRESTLING PIXIE is ready to SLAM!
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Haru 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Lilith
"No worries, I don't even know what this is about either! It just seemed fun!" Lilith openly admits with a playful smile and a silly salute, and then she takes up an imitative wrestling stance. Likely from having seen previous matches. It looked ridiculous for her form, but she was going with it!
"Now come on! Let's slam! And Jam! And uh....slamjam! And other things!"
...What other things?
"THESE TWO COMBATANTS SEEM READY TO GO! LOOKS LIKE IT'S TIME TO...?"
The crowd enthusiastically answers the announcer: "SLAAAAAAAAAAM!"
And then there's the bell. Setting his jaw, Haru tries to get into a fighting mindset... sort of. After all, he's trying to remember the NATURE of 'slam': this is a performance. Of course, Haru is about as far (mentally speaking) from a performer as you can possibly get, but he's not just trying to be a good sport.
He's got the looming spectre of Raizo Imawano's faith in him behind him. Kind of like a gigantic ogre chasing him through a hall of funhouse mirrors while atonal Swedish death metal plays.
"Let's go!" he says, before snapping one of his yoyos into his wrist and flicking it out, looking to lodge it into Lilith's tummy like a thrown punch.
COMBATSYS: Haru successfully hits Lilith with Medium Strike.
+
## +
### ##+ +
++ ###+ +### ## +
+###+ ####+ +####+ +### ++++
+#####+#############+####+#######+
+++########################################+
++++#############: : :: : :############+
+++########### CRITICAL ###########
++######:: : :: : ::#########++
++#######:: : :: : ::###########+++
++########## SLAM!! ################++
++############: : :: : :#########+
++##########################++
+#############################+
######++####+++#######+#######
######+ +###+ +#####+ +#######
##### #+ +###+ ######
####+ + #####
###+ ####
## ###
+
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Haru 0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0 Lilith
And there goes the bell!
Lilith grins and then... Wait, is that a yoyo? A YOYO!? "Wait, what even-" BOOF! Right into the midsection! "Lilith goes sailing back into the ropes. "Ow! Ow! What's that thing made of? Lead? Oh well~" On the rebound, she uses the pushing momentum of the ropes to launch herself forward...
And right towards Haru, arm outstretched in what seems to be...a clotheline? Must have picked that up from another match. "Pixiiiiiiiie Launcher~!"
Complete with cheesy name. She was really getting into this.
COMBATSYS: Haru dodges Lilith's Strong Punch.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Haru 0/-------/-------|===----\-------\0 Lilith
Blinking in surprise, Haru actually... stops to look down at the yoyo. He actually made it himself (well, with some help from a shop teacher and a lot of Google), but he hadn't really thought about it before. "It's... actually a titanium core with a WHOA--" And then she's more or less trying to bowl him over with her arm. His own arm flailing a bit, the Justice student ducks under the impromptu clothesline, watching Lilith sail past him, then stands up and turns as she heads on past. "Hwaaaa that was close!" Who knows what would have happened if that had connected!
But this is Slam. There's no waiting around wondering what would have happened in Slam. There is only the SLAM. Ducking forward in a low run, Haru swings his yoyo at Lilith a second time, but rather than trying to smack her with it, he attempts to snag it around her arm. If he can get a grip, Haru plants his foot and heaves, swinging the young lady around in a tight horizontal circle before letting her flip into the air, snagging her again, and directing her momentum right into the ground!
COMBATSYS: Lilith blocks Haru's Jade Turbulence.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////// ]
Haru 0/-------/-------|===----\-------\0 Lilith
"Hah?"
Whoops, he dodged. Well so much for that! Lilith's reward for her effort was to find a string wrapping around her arm. And then the feeling of being pulled around in a circle. "Huh? Hey wai--" Whoosh! Into the air she went.
The crowd goes wild!
"A yoyo shouldn't be able to doooo thaaaaat!" She cried rather comically, beads of humorous tears escaping from her eyes as gravity quickly pulled her back to earth. Rather than take the fall head on however, Lilith tucked into a roll at the last second, minimizing the damage.
From there, she rolled to her feet and immediately dove after Haru in an attempt to....Hug him? Were she able to get hold, she'd smile mischievously...and then lurch backwards into something resembling a german suplex.
This was slamfest.
And so she would slam!
COMBATSYS: Haru blocks Lilith's Innocent Hug.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////// ]
Haru 0/-------/------=|====---\-------\0 Lilith
What IS it with this girl and hugging?!
That's the thought that goes through Haru's mind as the red and blue-clad young lady continues to make with the pro wrestling. She's so nimble and quick, it doesn't seem like he could possibly get away from the hug even if he tried. So, being the tactician that he is, he doesn't; Haru instead gets locked in a hug with a pretty girl!
STOP BLUSHING, YOU FOOL.
"You're, ah, very affectionAAAAAAH!" He doesn't even get the chance to get the entire sentence out before Lilith is trying to back suplex him, because this is slam and not even little girls are immune to its rules. Flailing his arms, Haru manages to get some control of his body at the last second, thrusting both his palms into the mat as Lilith tries to flip him. It stings, but it's better than getting dropped on his head. Struggling free, Haru rolls across the mat and into a standing position, looking at Lilith in embarassment.
"Y-you're really, ah, getting into the spirit of 'slam'!" he offers, covering his being flustered with a compliment. He doesn't attack; instead, he takes a breath and watches his opponent. Lord knows what she might try next, considering hugging isn't working.
COMBATSYS: Haru calculates his next move.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////// ]
Haru 0/-------/------=|====---\-------\0 Lilith
Not feeling the satisfying sound of SLAMMING being done, Lilith half pouted as Haru managed to get away without too much damage. "Boooo! You're supposed to be getting slammed!" She pointed towards the boy, her other hand cupped around her mouth as if it would amplify her voice.
His compliment does get a smile out of the girl though, and she giggles a bit. "Ehehe, well this is kinda fun, y'know?" She also wasn't oblivious to his embarrassment. Grinning with a hand halfway coverhing her mouth, she stared at Haru gathered himself and sobered up.
...Something was off. He wasn't going to attack her? He was definitely planning something. Her instincts could tell.
So of course, she ignored them. If he wasn't going to attack, then she was!
...From a safe distance.
"Okay then, here I go! Super special ultimaaaaaate....Soul Flash!" Hand momentarily lighting up with what looked like a green flame, Lilith swung that arm outwards, as if throwing something. What was 'thrown' looked to be a small green 'bat', that quickly fired towards Haru's chest, aiming to make impact in short order.
Projectiles were okay right? ...Maybe she should have hit him with a chair instead. That's all the rage these days, isn't it?
COMBATSYS: Haru negates Soul Flash from Lilith with Thrown Weapon.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Haru 0/-------/------=|====---\-------\0 Lilith
Projectiles? A-OK. This is SLAM. Anything goes in slam!
Like a brief period of panic. That goes just fine. Which when Lilith decides to hang back and just... hurl an energy bat at him. Because that's a thing you see in wrestling all the time! Little green bats made of energy. Blinking in surprise, Haru realizes he doesn't really have anything in his fighting bag of tricks to handle a little green energy bat. And so he starts looking left and right, with ~*super special Soul Flash*~ bearing down on him by the second.
Announcer table? No.
Announcer? Definitely no.
...AHA.
With a desperate flick of the wrist, Haru flings out a yoyo... not at the bat, but at a folding chair sitting right at the edge of the ring. Snagging it, the Justice student yanks the thing back toward him, then pulls the yoyo away, letting the chair impact the bat at full speed. The throw is ungainly and awkward so it's not terribly strong, and in a *POUF!* the bat knocks the chair away, sending it skidding along the arena floor, but not before expending its force in the process, saving Haru from... whatever happens to people hit by energy bats.
For his part, Haru just sort of stares in confusion. "I can't believe that worked." Don't say that out LOUD, idiot.
"....Oh wow." Lilith mumbled audibly as Haru thought fast, canceling out her Soul Flash with... a chair. This boy was rather resourceful, wasn't he? It sure kept things interesting, that much she could tell anyway! "I can't believe that worked." Don't you say that out loud either!
Well then, time to try a different approach!
Returning to the mindset of SLAM, the succubus leapt backwards into the ropes, and then launched herself forward, closing the distance to the Justice High Student while aiming to hook an arm around his neck and bring him, and herself, down to the mat with the momentum of the ensuing technique.
"Wheeeee~"
...At least it wasn't a hug this time?
COMBATSYS: Lilith successfully hits Haru with Quick Throw.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////// ]
Haru 0/-------/----===|====---\-------\0 Lilith
Not resorting to embarassment-inducing hug moves appears to work in Lilith's favor; Haru is *expecting* it, and so he turns a laser focus on the young lady's movements, waiting for that moment she suddenly spreads her arms wide and attempts to deploy what the anime fan kids call a 'glomp' with every ounce of offensive potential she carries. His jaw set, his resolve tightened, Haru watches... and waits.
And it never happens which makes his carefully-planned attempt to evade her not all that useful. So instead of a hug, Lilith catches Haru around the neck and slams him right down onto the mat with a loud "OOF!" from the Justice student.
The crowd cheers! Now that is how you slam.
Meanwhile, Haru stumbles to his feet, rubbing his head. She's acrobatic, aerodynamic... pneumatic... she's LILITH the FIGHTING PIXIE. Or at least, that's what it sounds like Haru is hearing from the announcers through the fog of heading head-first into the mat. "I, uh... ow," he finishes lamely. He's not really an up-close fighting kind of guy. And Lilith is... distracting in more ways than one, that's for sure.
His next move seems pretty much intended to follow that ethos. He tries to track Lilith's position, then swings a yoyo out down... low? Apparently trying to trip her? At the very last second, however, he suddenly swings his arm UP, bringing the yoyo with it and turning the presumed low blow into a swift uppercut, aiming for the bottom of her chin!
COMBATSYS: Lilith dodges Haru's Obsidian Serenity.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Haru 0/-------/-----==|=======\=------\1 Lilith
Ahhhh, there it was. The satisfying sound of slamming. How she had longed to hear it. ...Wait no, she didn't. But still! Rolling away and to her feet quickly, Lilith smiled mischievously as she watched Haru recover. The cheers of the crowd was just icing onto this very entertaining cake.
"Ooooh! Another yoyo move!" The aforementioned fighting pixie comments, watching the Justice student swing the toy out at her feet. Getting that odd feeling again, Lilith took a step back, and then swerved aside. Just in time for the yoyo to brush past the side of her face. "Whoooooa! Someone's tricky, aren't they~?" Saying so in the singsong tone, the girl danced away from the rest of the attack playfully.
And then without further ado, she jumped, wings flapping to carry her into the air as she seemingly flew onto the top of one of the belt buckles at the corner of the ring. And then she posed dramatically, firing the crowd up yet again. "Time for my secret, hidden, extraordinary--" She leapt from the corner of the ring, tucking into a dropkick straight at the boy.
"PIXIE BOMBER~!"
COMBATSYS: Haru counters Heavy Kick from Lilith with Moonstone Tenacity.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////// ]
Haru 0/-------/----===|=======\====---\1 Lilith
And now, for the least awesome-seeming moment of Haru's career:
A pretty girl is jumping at him, performing for the camera, showing off her impressive skills. And this is Slamfest, after all. The best thing to do would be to jump up there! Grapple! MAKE IT SEXY! Yeah, that's the ticket.
Instead, as he sees Lilith about to drop on him with her 'Pixie Bomber,' he extends both hands in front of him as if he could ward her off with that gesture alone, and shouts "PLEASE DON'T ACTUALLY...!"
That shouldn't work. But it does, because before Lilith can actually REACH Haru, a pearlescent shield of white light in the shape of a perfect, enclosing orb that 'catches' the young lady's attack, then bursts, pelting her with shards of that same glowing light.
When the lightshow fades, Haru is slumped forward, hands on his knees, taking in deep breaths. "S... sorry!" he says to Lilith, wherever she ended up.
PLEASE DON'T ACTUALLY...!
Nope!
Off Lilith goes! Sailing from the top rope, feet outstretched, about to make the most epic impact in Slamfest history, and- ...Nothing happens.
"Heh?"
Instead of impacting with Haru like she had expected, she found herself encased in some manner of light barrier that seemed to have suspended her in midair. "Wait, wait wai-" BOOM! It bursts, raining shards of that same light onto the girl as she crashes onto the ring mat.
Silence followed.
...And then the crowd wen WILD!
"Ow! Ow! Owwww!" Lilith, seemingly little worse for the wear, minus a few tears in her outfit jumped up to her feet, complaining comically. "That actually hurt!" Despite saying that though, the succubus seemed to be having way too much fun. In fact, a wide smile spread onto her face.
"Okay then! If we're going to play with light, then I'll show you my ACTUAL secret move!" Winking playfully, Lilith brought her arms inwards, hugging herself as a green light began to emanate from her form. And then suddenly in a flash, that same energy burst outwards as Lilith's clothes seemed to have vanished entirely.
Instead, she was stark naked, radiating searing green energy in waves that shook the ring, and conveniently surrounded by a small swarm of energy bats that seemed to always be blocking any extremities from view.
Must be a coincidence.
Yeah, we'll go with that.
COMBATSYS: Lilith successfully hits Haru with Splendor Love.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////// ]
Haru 0/-------/=======|==-----\-------\0 Lilith
What kind of hope does Haru have...
"Um...!"
...against THAT?
For the sake of the viewers at home, let's hope that SNF is broadcast on a seven second delay! But for those in the live audience, there's no getting away from it: Miss Lilith just decided to put her assets on display, but APPARENTLY using some sort of dark sorcery that SUGGESTS everything is visible while using strategically-placed... bats?... to ensure that nothing, in fact, is visible.
There's a little warning bell in Haru's head, an internal voice noticing the sudden shift in Lilith's demeanor, subtle though it may be. A part of him going 'haaaaaaay uh be careful something's not right.'
His CONSCIOUS mind is instead seeing a mostly-naked girl leap at him in a cloud of spectral bats.
Hence: "UM...!"
Really, he intended to cross his arms over his face (a defense with multiple elements to it, to be sure) and perhaps endure the worst of it, but Lilith's actual-for-reals secret technique is far too powerful for that. The Justice student is swept up in the tide of bats, carried up and away before being dropped unceremonisouly on the mat. On his face.
"Ugh..." Haru says elegantly, getting up and cradling his face in his hands for a moment. When he moves them away, he's got a bit of a nosebleed that he stanches with his hand, briefly, before it stops.
He did just land face-first on a wrestling mat. That MUST be why.
"Dat... wub sumding," he says with a weary smile, voice distorted by the remnants of the nosebleed. But! He cannot stay on the defensive. With one hand securely over his nose, he swings a yoyo out at Lilith, looking to snag an arm again, but rather than anything fancy he looks to just... toss her right out of the ring, period!
COMBATSYS: Lilith blocks Haru's Strong Throw.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Haru 0/-------/=======|===----\-------\0 Lilith
COMBATSYS: Lilith issues a challenge!!
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Haru 0/-------/=======|===----\-------\0 Lilith
Whoops. Powering down from using her actual secret move, and the reemergence of her outfit, Lilith found herself with a yoyo wrapped around her arm. "Eh? Wha---WHOA!" And off she went riiiiiight out of the ring.
Or at least that was his plan. But Lilith righted herself in midair, landing roughly upon the announcer's table, before kicking off and seemingly flying through the air with those wings of hers.
"Nice try! Let me reward you with this~!"
She spread her arms, aiming to try and hug him yet again. My, she was really all too affectionate, wasn't she? But no. This was SLAM. And there was no doubt that SLAM would be had, should she get ahold of the poor boy.
If she got her hands on him, she'd use her weight to slam him into the mat again, back-first.
COMBATSYS: Haru endures Lilith's Childish Drop.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Haru 1/-----==/=======|====---\-------\0 Lilith
For a moment, Lilith's talkativeness (and her escape) gives Haru a moment to reflect on things. This fight hasn't necessarily been going poorly. He's making a good showing! But in thinking back on how things have gone so far, the Justice student realizes that Lilith has done a much better job of engaging the Slam™ than he has, so far. What's holding him back? Well, other than the bat-empowered peep show that knocked him across the ring.
And maybe in his head, a little Hotaru figure asks: what are you so afraid of?
Watching the (somehow flying?!) Lilith dive back in to the fray, Haru seems to come to a decision: he takes a deep breath, makes a very obvious *gulp!* of swallowing his fears, and then braces himself against the mat. As he does so, a pale white glow starts to flicker around him like faerie fire. Not dangerous, like the technique he used before, but visible and certainly showy. "Gotta... slam. That's right. This is about...!"
The red and blue-clad fighter manages to get her grip on Haru, sending him to the mat... but in the process *he* gets his (gloved) hands on *her*. This is not normal behavior for the usually quite-reserved Haru, but it means that if he wants to retaliate with a technique of his own, he's in a PERFECT position...
...and indeed he does try. "Alright. Let's try it!" He tries to keep his grip on Lilith, adjusting so that he's grabbing her by the ankles. If she doesn't escape him, Haru suddenly starts spinning in a circle, over and over again, until after a few revolutions he just... lets Lilith fly, but not before imbuing her with a burst of psychic energy to really drive the point home, the arc of the girl's flight through the air described by a cascading storm of spectral lotus flower petals.
COMBATSYS: Haru successfully hits Lilith with Emerald Vivacity.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////// ]
Haru 0/-------/---====|=======\=====--\1 Lilith
And whoosh! Slamming was had! ...Wait, were her ankles being grabbed? They were- "Whoa whoa whoa!" And then suddenly Lilith found herself being spun around by her feet like a ragdoll! The crowd was loving it! This is what they came out to see! They wanted slam! And they were getting it in spades!
The girl could have somehow righted herself in the middle of all of this, however...something was off. Despite sailing through the air, Lilith was smiling gleefully. Even as the light lit her up in a burst of flower petals.
Crashing onto the walkway that lead to the ring, Lilith lay motionless for a moment before laughing to herself. "Ahahahaha! Oh boy! This is great!"
...Wait, it sounded like there were two sets of laughter.
Haru would feel a tapping on his shoulder from behind at this point. Turning to look, he would find himself faced with...another Lilith. "Hi~" She grinned cheekily, leaning close to him, their faces just scant millimeters apart. And from behind where he had just turned away from, a soft tap onto the mat suggested that someone else was here as well. If he turned to look, he'd find...Lilith.
There were TWO Liliths.
"Time for payback!" Both Liliths mirrored each other, rolling their shoulders about before taking a step back and charging...they were going for a double clothesline!
COMBATSYS: Haru counters Mindless Mimic Doll from Lilith with Topaz Vigilance.
+=+=!= Power Slam! =!=+=+
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ < > //// ]
Haru 0/-------/---====|====---\-------\0 Lilith
Uh... what's going on here.
Scratch that. Haru says, aloud: "Wh-what's going on here?"
He's seen some interesting things in his very brief tenure as a professional fighter. Tiffany and her amazing physical feats; Sagat, Hotaru, and Brett all able to fire brightly colored bursts of energy from their hands (or hockey sticks). He's even, you know, been glowing for the past few seconds himself. But actually making a copy of yourself that is about to clothesline your opponent from the opposite side? That... seems outside the realm of what should be capable!!!
Yet, here we stand.
"What the--" Haru seems confused, but the crowd is eating this up. Lilith really knows how to get them worked up! But by this point in the fight, Haru's starting to think in terms of the slam. Which is to say, he's going to do what he does best: be inventive and try to think of a creative way out of this.
It's when he realizes one of the Liliths is mirroring the other that he comes to the right conclusion.
As both young lady slammers converge on his location, Haru crosses his arms, making a sweeping 'X' motion. Yoyos snap out from BOTH hands, snagging the incoming clothesline-ers around the arm and redirecting their momentum so that instead of Haru, they hit EACH OTHER.
Hopefully they're not a matter/anti-matter sort of thing and their collision won't cause a universe-destroying chain reaction.
"Eh?"
Both Lilith's uttered at the same moment that their brilliant one man tag team technique was altered to force the both of them to collide instead.
THWACK!
And collide they did. Interestingly, one of the clones vanished into a plume of green energy the moment of the collision, and the real Lilith did a very entertaining backflip before landing onto the mat roughly, back slamming into it.
Silence ensued, the crowd watched with bated breath for what they assumed would be a comeback of epic proportions! And Lilith did not disappoint! "Ow....ow...." She moaned childishly, sitting up with a fair bit of effort. "Ehehe~ ...You're not too bad. But I'm not even close to being don-" Suddenly, whatever stamina she had left failed her and she slumped back onto the mat.
"Whoopsie, used too much energy. Ahahaha...ha..I guess you win this one after all. And I wanted to...play more..." Her head slumped back at that. The referee stepped in to check on Lilith at that point. After a moment, he stood and shook his head, stepped towards Haru and grabbing one of his arms. It was raised in victory.
"WE HAAAAAAAAAVE A WINNER! THE AMAZING, SPECTACULAR DEALER OF JUSTICE; HARU, HAS BESTED THE HIGH FLYING, DEATH DEFYING LILITH! THE WRESTING PIXIE!" And the crowd immediately went wild, like no tomorrow! "YOU SAW IT RIGHT HERE, FOLKS! BUT DON'T LOOK AWAY JUST YET! WE HAVE MORE EPIC SHOWDOWNS COMING! ONLY HERE AT SLAMFEEEEEST!"
COMBATSYS: Lilith takes no action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ <
Haru 0/-------/---====|
COMBATSYS: Lilith can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ <
Haru 0/-------/---====|
COMBATSYS: Haru has ended the fight here.
Log created on 15:18:12 11/16/2014 by Lilith, and last modified on 03:47:06 11/17/2014.