IHST - Inter-High School Tournament: Hyo vs Makoto

Description: In a redemption match organized by the machinations of the principal of Justice High himself, Hyo Imawano takes to the run-down Rindou-kan Dojo to fight the karate master Makoto Kato. The ensuing slaughter seems to be decisively against the karateka, but through sheer will and determination, she was able to prove her worth, if not to the ruthless Hyo, then to everyone else gathered! Her ancestors would be proud. (Winner: Hyo)



Despite her recent participation in some of the larger tournaments hosted around the world, business has still been pretty slow for the Rindou-kan dojo. Every so often she'll get someone who shows a little interest in her art but few of those individuals actually follow through when she tells them that the only entry requirements are facing her in martial combat and the handful that did were barely worth her time.

It's time for a new approach to draw some attention her way. That's why, in the face of her recent loss, she's chosen to schedule the redemption match to take place in her very own dojo.

It took a lot of work to make the place presentable in the short few days she had. Most of it is smoke and mirrors. The vast majority of the debris and accumulated dust has merely been relocated to other parts of the vast facility to make the primary training room look as clean as possible. There's still half a dozen holes in the roof but they're covered with tarps that keep the wind and rain out atleast.

Makoto herself is dressed in a freshly washed and pressed gi, though her hair is its usual wind-blown messy self. Some things just can't be fixed. She waits at the head of the large and mostly empty room watching the official judging crew set up some last minute recording equipment as they await the arrival of the other contestant.

"I wonder who this Hyo guys is supposed to be," she muses to herself. "Another student, I guess. No matter." She punches a fist into the other palm with a grin on her face. "I'll show him /and/ the world that Rindou-kan is the best!"

"What a fitting hovel for a redemption."

Having underestimated the strength of the Kusanagi fire, the student council president of Justice High, Imawano Hyo, is eager not to repeat the same mistake. He was caught in the unenviable position of having to answer for his failures, but Hyo regarded it as merely an expected consequence. A tactical miscalculation was made--and despite it, he managed to fulfill his objective. Destroying Kyo was only a side goal of a more important task--it would have been meaningless to beat him to the point where the young man could not be of use to them anymore.

As a result, it was expected that he'd miss his mark.

However, failing to put Kyo to bed within the expected metrics came with its own unique set of challenges. One was the match he'd been posted to today, one facing off against a representative of Gedo High, in a dojo that reflects the school uniquely.

It's not exact when Hyo makes his arrival--he may have been in the doorway for some time before announcing himself, and certainly stands as if hesitant about stepping over the threshold. Like Makoto, his uniform is clean and pressed to an exacting extent, the consummate representative of the super-elite, dressed more like a military war hero than a student of a prestigeous academy. Unlike Makoto, he carries himself in exactly the same; his boots making a hollow sound over the wooden floors and the tatami, his step is as measured and precise as his greeting.

"Makoto Kato, representative of Gedo High. A well known karateka in Southtown, heir to the Rindou-kan school of Karate... hm." His tone cut from a block of ice, the young man slides a white glove across the edge of the doorway before fully entering to the center of the dojo. He inspects what is left on his glove with a critical eye and a pressed expression. Even the slightest hint of dust will be given the viper's glare. "It's your wish to prove your school and style's superiority?" he asks mildly.

"Unfortunate that you should face 'Imawano ryuu' ... at such a natal juncture. Come at me at once."

Unfortunately, even an emergency cleaning session can't cover up nearly a decade of neglect. The current owner of the Rindou-kan dojo frowns at the sudden appearance in her door way and the rather arrogant manner in which her abode is /inspected/ as if his opinion is some kind of measuring stick against which she must test herself. In martial combat, she's got no hesitations or doubt, but to criticize her cleaning skills the moment he arrives? That takes some nerve!

"Tch. Sorry if the palace isn't to your liking, your highness!"

Makoto makes no efforts to cover up her sarcasm as she strides towards the center of the room. The arrival of the second contestant seems to set several things into motion behind her. Judges hurry to take their place behind a small desk set against the far wall while the camera crews hustle to plug in the final pieces of their equipment and set the tapes a'rolling.

"You must be Hyo," she continues, coming to a halt a few feet away. If she is at all intimidated by his icy demeanor and crisp dressing standards or the fact that he seems to know a fair bit about her where she knows almost nothing but his name, she does a damn good job of hiding it behind a cocky smirk. Her arms fold over her chest as she takes her opponent in, openly sizing him up.

"The only unfortunate thing around here is that I haven't had the chance to punch your smug face before today!"

Makoto shifts smoothly into a combat stance, one hand extending before her in a loose claw while the other balls into a fist at her side, ready to strike at a moment's notice. It's a very aggressive posture, one that demands speed and power to make up for its lack of defense; rather fitting for a brute such as herself.

"Let's see what you've got!"

COMBATSYS: Makoto has started a fight here.

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Makoto           0/-------/-------|


COMBATSYS: Hyo has joined the fight here.

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Hyo              0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0           Makoto


Let them stampede if they must.

An unprepared staff is an embarassment to their company. As expected of an operation such as Atelier's. Hyo ultimately pays them no mind, stepping past a staffer who almost trips to move behind him. To him, they are merely window dressing, the fluff surrounding his opponent, whom he sizes up immediately and without delay, the followup examination to the one he's already conducted simply surveying the grounds.

"Please don't misunderstand," Hyo drily remarks.
"If you feel that you have been judged and found wanting," he explains shortly, a distinct lack of patience reflecting in his voice, "it is only because it is natural for lesser students to feel self-conscious. That self-consciousness," he concludes, "will ultimately be the end of you."

"Here I come."

Hyo doesn't waste any further time, dropping into a martial stance as Makoto balls up a fist. His hand goes to his sword, and then he moves. There is little fat to be trimmed from his actions, the shinobi's boots beating a staccato rhythm against the floorboard as he moves to cut not into, but through Makoto Kato's stance in a single stroke. He does so by not charging into Makoto, but slipping through her guard with a flash of his blade, a full length and expertly forged katana drawn, brandished and cut with a single smooth motion. He moves quickly to identify every weakness, and wastes no futher time in a verbal spar.

Watch out! He's trying to denigrate her spirit with a superior resolve, and cut her down with one strike!

COMBATSYS: Hyo successfully hits Makoto with Iai-giri.

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Hyo              0/-------/------<|====---\-------\0           Makoto


"What?! I'm gonna make you eat those wo-agh!"

Makoto's outrage is cut short by the sudden flash of motion as the sword-wielding ninja blitzes past her in a burst of incredible speed. The blade bites into her side with a sharp hiss of steel and the explosion of sudden pain causes her to fall to one knee in an involuntary cringe.

"Ugh... you're fast... but I'm not going to lose that easily!"

Internalizing the hot burning agony to a distance place in her mind, Makoto draws herself back up and whirls to face her opponent before he can capitalize on the moment of surprise. Her fists curl up into tiny wrecking balls as she moves after him, sliding across the polished wooden floor with a rather alarming amount of speed herself.

Rather than go for a strike, however, the karateka feints with her leading hand and brings the other around in an attempt to latch onto Hyo's neck, squeezing with vice-like amounts of force despite her slender hands.

COMBATSYS: Hyo blocks Makoto's Karakusa.

[   \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////        ]
Hyo              0/-------/-----<<|====---\-------\0           Makoto


Imawano Hyo is a ridiculously fast fighter, with a strong internal awareness that borders on omniscience. Moving quickly to strike Makoto down, he catches her in mid-sentence, cutting through her with his resolve. Most people would have crumpled up and fallen at that alone--the council head hasn't had to endure much jockeying for his position amongst the Justice High student body after his loss to Kyo Kusanagi for the simple fact of what's hpapened to others who have tried.

The truth of it was, Raizo Imawano was somewhat off base in his conclusions, assuming him to be crushed by a loss to the trash Kusanagi. Being defeated by a guttersnipe was almost unbelievable to the student body of Justice High, as Hyo's dominating test scores and aptitude marks showed exactly zero tolerance for failure. But ... as much as it may appear otherwise ... Hyo Imawano has very different goals from the principal. The fact that Raizo would go so far so as to slant the affair to keep him in the event...

... well, it is worth seeing exactly how far the influence of "Raizo" could extend.

In that whirling moment, Hyo knows instantly that Makoto is not downed by his blow. He whirls quickly on her, his blade brought to bear to crush her leading hand, but he reads through the feint only fast enough to move away, forcing her to overextend before she can capture his throat. The grip is bare, scrabbling, though it must necessarily crush. Ghk--
"...Don't waste my time...!!"

The student whirls, attempting to vault and hook a leg around her outside arm. Trying to capture her shoulder between his knees, he spins quickly in the air, moving to break her hold on his throat at the same time he snaps an arm out to get ahold of the back of her head. Using all of his falling weight and momentum to enhance the motion, he is going to try and wrench her shoulder down and outwards in a brutal takedown. If she finds no way to break the hold in time, she'll be lucky to keep her arm in its socket in the process, as Hyo will grip her by the hair and drive her to the mat in one long stroke, twisting her wrist at his instep, and pinning her arm and skull underneath his knee and hand, respectively.

COMBATSYS: Makoto fails to interrupt Medium Throw from Hyo with Fukiage EX.
-*- DEVASTATING HIT! -*-

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Hyo              0/-------/---<<<<|=======\==-----\1           Makoto


The Justice High student proves to be an incredibly capable foe. The feint is easily turned aside and though she gets a grip on his throat, it's a weak hold with little actual leverage. Makoto clenches her jaw in annoyance, partly from the pain of the wound at her side and largely from the arrogant dismissal of her skills.

"We'll see who's wasting whose time!"

When Hyo moves to escape the hold, the karateka moves with him, using her loose grip to try and maneuver the acrobatic fighter into a position more suitable for her follow-through. Her left hand balls into a fist even as the ninja leaps into the air and she drives it upwards with incredible force, aiming to catch her opponent mid-leap.

That's when everything goes horribly wrong.

The thrusting vertical punch only serves to provide a better hooking point for the crushing grip of Hyo's leg and the motion traps her arm up in the air as he whirls around bringing her down at an unpleasant speed. The wrenching tug becomes almost unnecessary but when combined with the awkward uncontrolled impact, Makoto is introduced to a whole new world of pain. A sharp crack fills the dojo like a gunshot as her shoulder violently tears from its seating, dragging a completely gutteral and unmitigated scream of pain out of the tomboy.

Injury and pain are a part of this world. Makoto has broken most of the bones in her arms and legs at one point or another during her years of training in one of the most brutal strike arts in the world. It's made her tough; tough enough to stand toe to toe with some of the world's greatest fighters. But this is something else all together.

"Graaaggh!"

Makoto goes tense as her muscles spasm involuntarily, only making the situation worse. If Hyo weren't holding her down she might very well have done even more damage to herself with blind panicked swings but as it is she's well and truly pinned to the floor. Sweat immediately begins to gather on her skin and she takes several pained breaths, trying desperately not to let hot tears streak down her cheeks.

The next few seconds unfold in an extremely kinetic fashion. Had things gone only a split second slower, the situation might have been different. Her blurred thrust attack was one meant to powerfully stun, and he would not have been surprised to see the young karateka hit him where he was weakest had he not moved as he had, had he not reacted as quickly as he had. He is faster.

No--that's not right. It seems something else entirely. The dance is too complex, and the response too complete. A calculative ability beyond the norm doesn't even begin to describe the totality of it. Hyo Imawano seems to read her moves a few steps before she even executes them, as if he could see through her eyes.
But unlike any other student who may have come here today, Hyo does not show mercy.

Ninjutsu is not known for its mercies. At the lowest point of the takedown, bone is unseated from cartilage in an extremely powerful whirling takedown, one that shakes the floorboards across the dojo with the force of the impact. Without delay, the young Kato is pinned to the floorboards, one long thrust driving her arm and her skull to the mat. In truth, it takes not even all of Hyo's limbs to paralyze her--his free hand still wields his sword, the nameless blade folded back along his arm and waist like the claw of the mantis. It glints underneath the harsh stage lighting, the shine travelling along the edge chaotically as the karateka spasms and shrieks underneath him.

The shock of it is enough that several of the camera crew shift uncomfortably where they film.

He holds her there, not out of an abundance of care for her well-being, but out of a lack of patience altogether with her writhing. His grip on the back of her skull is like banded iron, and though he only has so many pounds on her, his leverage alone is meant to keep her there--with pure mind-numbing pain if necessary. He waits until her breathing evens out before he even bothers to reason.

And when he speaks, he whispers.
And when he whispers, his voice is in the coldest blood.

"Understand now, the strength of the strongest school," Imawano admonishes. "Do not suppose that my leniency with Kusanagi extends at all to the trash of any other school that has been drug before me. And do not think for a moment that you are anything but useless trash. A child, practicing pointless karate in a dying school. In time, your 'Rindou-kan' school is going to die here, in a derelict, broken-down and filthy dojo with no one to soften its fall but a broken body. And in the end, she will only have her own tears and blood to offer her ancestors as a weak, dilute piety."

"You will have nothing but your own spineless weakness to blame. But even if you had any strength of spirit at all, it would not have made a difference. Against any student of the elite Justice High, the outcome would be the same. You are unfortunate today to have faced me of anyone.."

He still pins her, not at all feeling a need to let her up. She will have to break free. However, his knee drives into her shoulder hard as he places his weight over it, a wedge stuck in the wound of the tree. Ever so slightly, he shifts his weight. It will cause the boneless arm to accomodatingly shift slightly. It is an agonizing thing--enough to send waves of pain through her, and enough to ensure that he has her undivided attention. He doesn't let her neck move at all, a tremendous pressure forcing her cheek to the mat.

"But you have the opportunity to decide your own future. I will let you have only one liberty--the liberty to submit. Give up, and the pain will eventually subside. Give up now, and I will let you to your crumbling dojo with the rest of your limbs intact..."

COMBATSYS: Hyo takes no action.

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Hyo              0/-------/---<<<<|=======\==-----\1           Makoto


Hyo's words are not ones of kindness or mercy. He pours salt into the terrible wound that he has inflicted with every breath, even as he grinds the dislocated shoulder into the floor without the slightest bit of hesitation. The girl lets loose another pained shout but this one is less resounding than the initial outburst. That had taken her by surprise. Now, she was already shifting mental gears, moving the pain to somewhere less present in her mind than the surface.

Makoto grinds her teeth audibly against the raging torrent of primal anger that wells up inside of her. Her pride lashes out in a blind fury, scouring the inside of her skull with hot searing needles, demanding that she answer his insults with raw force. The hate and the pain surge against her mental barriers, threatening to overwhelm her; but to give in to those emotions would simply be another form of defeat.

"I..."

Her voice comes out in a fierce hiss, little more than a venomous whisper of hate. Makoto's still functioning arm flexes with a surge of tenacious will and she begins to apply pressure to the ground, struggling upwards with great effort.

"Will... not...!"

A swell of sudden strength explodes through her body. Her resolve is nothing so weak as to fall to a single injury! How dare he speak to her as if she is nothing! As if her father was nothing! Everything that he created, all that he had passed on to her, was being spat upon.

"SUBMIT!"

Makoto rolls sideways and shoves the offending limbs away, pushing the arrogant Justice student aside with a defiant roar. She doesn't waste the brief moment of chance that this recovery grants her. The karateka springs to her feet and draws back several steps, shoulders hunched against the pain. Her left arm dangles loosely where it hangs free from its socket and she slowly reaches a hand down to grip her bicep.

Closing her eyes, Makoto takes a deep breath and lets it out in a sharp kiai just as she drives the bone upwards with a sharp and forceful twist. A second horrifying crack fills the chamber but its is drowned out by the fierce exhalation of pain and anger as the stubborn warrior foolishly chooses to keep on fighting.

COMBATSYS: Makoto gains composure.

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Hyo              0/-------/---<<<<|=======\======-\1           Makoto


"!!"

A wave of pure hatred wells up within the thin young karateka as Hyo crushes her will beneath the weight of Justice High. However, her strength is not to be discounted so easily, as Hyo notices an upswell of strength from her that he would not normally had attributed to Gedo High trash. He frowns, his expression long and dissatisfied, as he continues to pin her in annoyance. Suddenly, he feels her fight him. He laughs, a bitter and harsh bark of a thing.

"It would seem you wish your own destruction."

He escapes at the last moment, breaking away from the hold as Makoto surges back into action, the imperious Justice High youth slipping free of the karateka's explosive roll and landing on his boots, the rubber soles squealing as he regains traction against the floorboards. He doesn't move as he does so, does not stumble in the slightest, instead snapping a hand forward with his blade at his back, marshalling his chi for the next portion of the battle.

His silver hair settles about his back as he holds his stance strong, keeping his blade at his back for a moment. The restrained breath she hisses out as she sets her arm with a stomach-churning crack elicits not the faintest twitch from the shinobi. He doesn't bother to stop her. "To be defeated plainly on the steps of your own style.... an honorable, but ultimately vain and short-sighted goal."

"It is almost a pity to destroy you... your skill and arrogance would have been of use in the coming war against the shadowed forces trying to take advantage of our schools. But you cannot see anything, and as a result, you only have one fate."

As he speaks, a slow breeze cuts past his coat from nowhere, and a pink petal floats past Makoto, glowing faintly. Chasing around the edges of her vision are the petals of the sakura, faint motes of the cherry blossom in full bloom, carrying with it a faintly sweet scent. It is the upswelling of Hyo's own power. The deadly and beautiful art 'ninjutsu' -- the student settles back into a hostile stance, bringing his blade's edge just a few degrees shy of a true killing angle, sighting across the wicked edge to Makoto. The blade-sighting stance--a textbook ko gasumi no kamae.

"Now, there is no space for you anymore. Disappear."

All of a sudden, Hyo is there. He surges into Makoto's space without any further delay, closing the long distance in what feels like a single step. His blade cuts down the space, and he moves to slash through Makoto's guard decisively, with a flashing blade rocketing from hip to shoulder as he rises into the air on a low, aggressive whirling arc. He is not polite, and he does not wait any further. He has no hesitation in his movements--his attack moves between eyeblinks, and his resolve is absolute. If she is even the slightest bit lackluster in her renewed defense, she will find herself defeated, knocked into the air in a dizzying instant.

COMBATSYS: Hyo successfully hits Makoto with Ouryuuzan EX.

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Hyo              0/-------/-<<<<<<|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2           Makoto


Despite her show of bravado, Makoto is on her last leg. The mere act of defiance that returned the use of her arm was enough to floor even the toughest of hardened soldiers and experienced fighters. There is a reason that such acts are left to medical professionals. But she has one thing that most people do not - a driving will that refuses to give up. Pride is a double edged sword. Too much of it can blind someone to the truth of the world around them, make them weak and arrogant. But for the ferocious successor to the Rindou-kan art, it is a source of impossible strength that wells up from a single promise that she has sworn away her life to uphold.

The blade comes at her in a blinding streak of motion and once again the steel bites into her body with a sharp hiss, severing cloth and flesh with equal ease. Rather than shield herself, however, Makoto simply stands firm against the onslaught, allowing the strike to impact against her empty defenses. The force of the attack is terrible and unrelenting and despite the burning of her spirit it uproots her from the floor, sending her cartwheeling into the ground.

Once more Makoto rises up, pushing to her feet with agonizing slowness. Fresh blood drips down her side to stain the cloth of her precious uniform but she doesn't pay it any mind. She's already spilled sweat and tears for her dojo in ample supply. The blood is merely the final ingredient to solidify her claim.

"I... decide... when I'm finished!"

Bellowing a wordless roar of challenge, Makoto takes off at a dead run, throwing herself across the room after only a few steps. She clears the gap between the two fighters in a single leap and even as she soars into Hyo with the fury of a driving meteorite she unleashes the anger that had been welling up inside of her.

A brilliant burst of red explodes within Makoto's skin staining her body the color of fresh blood. An even greater surge of spiritual power erupts within her chest and the heat spreads throughout her like a cancer, replacing calm and reason with fury and strength as she unleashes one of the secret techniques of her art.

The second secret, and arguably ultimate, technique of Rindou-kan follows through a moment later. Makoto falls upon the Justice High ninja with the fury of an angry god, her fist driving forward - not into his face where those foul words were uttered; not into his chest, so as to crush his ribs and rob him of breath to speak further insults; not into his arm so as to enact a cruel and petty revenge. Her strike is far more sinister and should it be true, far more telling than any of these could ever be.

COMBATSYS: Makoto knocks away Hyo with Seichuusen Godanzuki.

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Hyo              1/-----==/=======|>>>>---\-------\0           Makoto


He puts Makoto down quickly, and without delay.

He lands hard. The blood slips off of his blade with a single shake, before Hyo returns the nameless weapon to its sheath, having thrown the karateka to the ground with the force of his brutal rising attack. He shifts slightly, the hilt of the blade wandering away from his white-gloved grip. He knows that she's not exactly done, as her slow attempt to stand reached his attention quickly. His white hair slips to one side swiftly as he peers over a shoulder in derision.

"All you do now is broadcast your weakness. Refusing to stay down when the fight is over is the hallmark of an ignorant mind..."

He turns to face Makoto, as she begins her death run towards him. He seems ready, her willpower an open book to him as he prepares to check her advance and suffocate her into submission. He steps forward, counting the milliseconds in his mind as he opens a hand and--wait. What is this!?

Hyo is taken completely by surprise when the Rindou-kan mistress suddenly grows a bright tomato red in flush. As his considerable mind is turned towards the task of comprehending what biological process could produce that effect, he has no opportunity to work through the facts, as her flushed form launches into an explosive burst of speed, erupting past Hyo's guard, opening him up and into the current ougi of the Rindou-kan style of Karate, caving in Hyo's groin with a fully authoritative straight punch. Ironically, Hyo is vaguely aware that the only reason that the blow hits that exact point is because Makoto may simply be too short to hit with the true ougi anywhere else.

He would mull on it more, but his teeth hurt.

"...!!! UH--!" is all Hyo can manage, his body sliding back from the force and strength of the punch, his perfect martial form almost crippled by the attack, and the veneer of invicibility dropped for one shining moment. Were he any weaker a person, he would have simply keeled over from the lightning strike of agony erupting through his fingertips. Everything is a struggle for a brief moment. "Gah--crass insect," Hyo manages, "you've broken my absolute defense....!! Maybe I was too lenient with you as well!!"

Imawano-ryuu Waza!!

Hyo cuts through the haze of pain with authority, as he quickly moves to slam Makoto Kato against the wall with his draw-slash, and then cut her into ribbons. He moves martially into her space, each step merciless and chasing, cruelly signifying the end of his patience with the karateka. His array is not wild, but calculated. Each slash of the five piece series is exactingly aimed to cripple her body at the major sections--and may only come centimeters away from arguably mortal blows. He moves to cut away everything she has left, and to leave her with nothing else to challenge him with. The last cut will land with enough force to inexplicably cut down the wall behind her.

"Your antics have come to an end!!"

COMBATSYS: Makoto breaks through Zankokuzan EX from Hyo with Abare Tosanami Kudaki!
- Power hit! -
-@- Dazing Hit! -@-

[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Hyo              0/-------/---====|


COMBATSYS: Makoto can no longer fight.

[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Hyo              0/-------/---====|


The satisfying crunch of bone against flesh jars Makoto's arm. It is almost as painful to her as it is to Hyo, the impact slamming her wounded joint into the socket with incredible force. For a moment, she almost blacks out on the spot, her vision becoming a narrow tunnel of raw suffering.

"No!"

She may have made her mark but that's not good enough! The real fight is only just now starting! She can still do this! She's going to wipe that smug look off his stupid face and jam that sword so far down his throat that the stick up his ass is going to become a reality!

Blinking back the crushing pressure in her mind, Makoto shakes her head fiercely and brings her gaze back up to meet that of her opponent. Her skin continues to simmer a bright red as if she were an angry lobster and literal waves of heat wash out from her body as the power coursing through her disperses into the air. The Tanden Renki, her fighting spirit made manifest. Her pride, anger, and determination turned to fuel for the crucible of her bizarre will.

When Hyo comes for the girl, she is ready to face him. His cruel and merciless arts have rended her flesh and torn her clothes into rags but they cannot touch her spirit. The draw slash carves into the air in a blur of silvery motion but Makoto is already moving by the time the blade hits the air. Ignoring the weariness of her body, the karateka leaps into the air, clearing the sword by centimeters as she flips /away/ from him rather than moving to close the gap yet again.

This proves to be a ruse. A heavy crack rings out through the dojo as Makoto impacts the wall, her feet slamming hard into its weathered surface. She stands there at an angle for an instant, almost spider-like, and turns the burning coals of her gaze upon the arrogant man. His flurry of slashes make approaching him a fool's errand, even though she avoided the first, but beyond all reason she explodes from her perch, foot snapping out in a defiant flying kick.

Impossibly, she finds a gap in his defenses yet again. Makoto's foot crashes into the swordsman's abdomen and she rebounds to the floor, already shifting into the next of a flurry of wailing strikes. Her knee slams upwards into his chest and the momentum of that impact spins her around to deliver a whirling roundhouse to the side of his head.

"I... will... not... YIELD!"

Upon her final shout, the slender brawler steps forward and delivers the blow that should have come before when she sought to counter his aeriel grapple. Her fist shoots up from below, crashing into his jaw with all the delicacy of an erupting volcano.

Makoto stands there for several seconds after that decisive blow, fist thrust into the sky like some sort of statuesque trophy. Her gazes remains upturned towards the ceiling and she stares with an empty expression through glazed over eyes, her chest heaving from the exertion she has placed on her body. Too much. She just doesn't have any thing left to give.

Slowly, she slumps to her knees, and then keels over on the floor.

The crush of bodies is chaotic.

The first of Hyo's strikes is completely evaded by Makoto, her ragged body crawling up the wall only--not to retreat, but to fly directly into the path of his blade strokes. His eye glints in the light, as she approaches. His will is merciless, and crushing, so to think that someone would fly directly onto his blade is unimaginable..!!

Though she would easily imagine otherwise, there simply is no gap in his defenses. Not a single one. Hyo Imawano is not fool enough to leave his defense wanting for the determination of one single karateka. She flies directly into him, and he is merciless. His blade flashes out militantly, the scythe of his edge cruel and unyielding. But in that moment, he finds his single strung drop of hubris. It is not that her kick is any more sinuous than before. It is not that her fist is any faster or any more decisive. He is familiar with that sudden burst of speed now, and will not make the same mistake twice.

It is only through sheer determination that she lands any kind of a hit on him at all.

For every stroke he executes, it is deflected by the crash of her knee and the cut of the blade of her foot. Flesh clashes violently with steel as he fails to cut through Makoto as he's intended all along--his blade finding no more purchase on her than it would against the rush of the waterfall. Furiously, the battle dissolves into a violent crash of wills, steel against fist. It's only partway into the wicked clash that something breaks. Hyo's weapon slips as he loses patience with the small girl, and finally, she lands a brutal roundhouse that breaks his stone-cut concentration.

In an instant, the blurred strike cuts into his jaw, knocking stars into the Imawano shinobi's vision and blowing him away from her, his boots screeching on the floorboards with the motion. Though hardly knocked out by the dramatic punch, the attack jars him from his usual martial focus. The hawk has been knocked from his perch. Truthfully, it takes the council head some time to see clearly again.

"Hmph... striking me is a goal many worms have aspired to over the years..." Hyo comments, rubbing his jaw and manipulating it with an audible crack. "... and many of those worms have been beaten resoundingly for their efforts. You should feel lucky that you, an ant of all things, could aspire to harass the elite so..."

By now, he's speaking to Makoto's unconscious body.
His blade's edge shines at his hip.
"..And that I do not execute you for doing so."

Abruptly, Hyo snaps a hand up. "Bring the medics. I'm leaving."

Makoto does not respond but her body twitches in feverish spasms as the pain buffets her even in unconsciousness. All jaws are on the floor for several seconds after the order is given to deliver the girl to the medics, where they have been for the last half a minute or so. What just happened is the sort of thing that only occurs in boastful tales and underground rumors.

For all her bravery, however, it is still the Justice High council member who walks away with the victory. Perhaps she will be content to know that she went down swinging. Then again, when you strive to reach the top, when is second place ever enough?

A handful of paramedics, each bearing the crest of the Atelier Medical group on their sleeves, rush to attend to the fallen warrior, swooping down on her like a host of carrion birds.

No one attempts to stop Hyo from leaving. One only person here is foolish enough to have wanted to try.

COMBATSYS: Hyo takes no action.

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Log created on 22:28:11 01/07/2015 by Hyo, and last modified on 02:05:30 01/09/2015.