Description: Somebody's caught disco fever. Everybody's caught disco fever! It's a pandemic! (Winning: Pudding Hearts)
Dusk has settled over the island by the time the preparations for the day's events have come together leaving the island overcast in a limbo of various shades of orange, yellow, and red as the sun lazily drops into the horizon. Most of the guests have retreated from their day of tanning and fun on the beaches to migrate inland where the the majority of the more modern establishments have been constructed. Several hotspots of activity await potential customers, heated pools and well-lit volleyball courts providing further access to the sports inclined, while several bars scattered throughout the jungle pathways dispense a steady flow of libations so that those assembled may better honor the native 'gods' with their festivities.
However, one place in particular is always bumping and jamming just a little bit harder than any other at most hours of the day. As the personal residence of the island's owner and self-proclaimed king, Radio ZACK keeps the island perpetually under siege from the man's funky beats but also serves as a swinging dance club for those times when you need to get up and groove on a stage that is every epileptic's personal nightmare.
Being a free-spirited child of the dance herself, Momoko finds herself right at home amongst the wildly strobing lights and thumping bass as she slides into the open-air club. The music sweeps through her like a siren's call and the tiny girl can't help but smile as she feels herself begin to instinctively swing her hips to the rhythm. This evening promises to be a great deal of fun assuming their 'dance' partners don't end up being as awful as the previous week.
In light of the theme of their match this time, Momoko has ditched her swimsuit and instead thrown on a pair of faded jeans that she brought along just incase it got chilly. While they were whole before, she has chosen to cut several long gashes into the fabric making them look ragged and worn out. Likewise her tin body is covered by a shirt that looks like it was used as a chew toy by some rabid animal and her usually neat updo has been allowed to spill down freely around her face and shoulders in a messy windblown pile.
One miniature zombie dancer, coming through~
Alice Nakata doesn't have to cosplay as a zombie, and in fact she's not! There are other girls for that - more specifically, girls that Zack pays actual money instead of Zack Dollars. ...At least she assumes they get actual money. It seems illegal otherwise.
But she was looking forward to this one. She was looking forward to last week too (and in fact had a lot of fun fighting Hitomi) but her partner and Hitomi's partner kind of ruined it, in a lot of ways. But everything she knows about Athena is that she's a cool idol, and she's pretty sure idols would have their choice of teammates, so whoever Momoko is won't be too bad... right? And she has a different teammate, too, which doesn't hurt. Testament was not the kind of guy she really wanted to hang around for long; it's a pity she didn't clue in earlier.
Alice is wearing actual clothes today. It may be a first on Zack Island! Admittedly, a (short) denim skirt and a midriff-baring shirt with a rather low V only count as 'actual clothes' in a place like this, but she's on Zack Island and so it counts. She also still has her hat and the bandana wrapped around one bicep.
As soon as she arrives, she practically skids onto the dance floor. "Aw yeah," she says, "this is way better than getting stuck at the volcano or the store!"
A spark in the dusk reveals Benimaru Nikaido! He's not cosplaying as a zombie either. But he might as well be! He's wearing a red leather jacket with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, red t-shirt underneath, red pants, white socks and black shoes. And sunglasses. For the time being his hair is down, though combed back away from his face at the sides.
Look familiar?
Seems as though Benimaru has gone ALL OUT! He's half-American; he knows that if dancing and zombies are involved, then there's only one way to go-- ALL THE WAY! "Never fear, the 'Thriller' is here~!" he proclaims as he strides into the club proper. He does pull the sunglasses off as he gets close though-- it's getting dark, and soon he won't be able to see with those things on. He doesn't ACTUALLY have a zombie's eyesight, after all.
Last to the club where the match is scheduled to take place is Athena Asamiya, team partner with the infinitely energetic Momoko. The previous week's battle was a trainwreck of insults, bulldozed buffets, and an unexpected ocean swell that washed away not only the small beachhead where the match was transpiring but also all the electronics that had been used to record it. After that kind of disaster, it would be hard for this week to go any worse... right?
Arriving behind her zombie themed partner, young Asamiya pauses, watching Momoko sway to the incessant beat of the club floor, a faint smile crossing her lips. It's good to see her younger friend in good spirits after having to fight some kind of furiously hungry collosus the previous week. She's rebounded well.
Breathing in then exhaling, Athena steps forward herself, allowing herself to get lost in the thumping beat of whatever tunes Zack has scheduled for the encroaching evening. Around the clock entertainment has been available since stepping foot on the island and this night proves to be no different. Swaying a little, she looks comfortable in her crimson dress, the layered skirt swishing about her legs as she slips in besides the island's tiniest zombie.
"Hey," she speaks up, raising her voice to be heard, slowly letting down some of her guard to bask in the company of her partner's own relentless enthusiasm. "I hope you don't have any regrets for coming all the way out here. You holding up okay?" she inquires, her smile barely hiding the hint of concern she has for Momoko's well being. Fighting, no matter how playful or crazy the setup, is dangerous no matter how one considers it.
Their opponents are taken in, Benimaru receiving a wider smile after she studies him for a moment, the homage recognized for what it is. Violet eyes sparkle with amusement as she bows toward him then Alice in turn before spinning on one foot and landing in a ready stance, arms raised, right foot forward. "Better watch out, I've got the dancing dead on my side." She's ready to go.
COMBATSYS: Athena has started a fight here on the left meter side.
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Athena 0/-------/------=|
COMBATSYS: Benimaru has joined the fight here on the left meter side.
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Benimaru 0/-------/------=|
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Athena 0/-------/------=|
COMBATSYS: Momoko has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
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Benimaru 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Momoko
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Athena 0/-------/------=|
COMBATSYS: Alice Nakata has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
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Benimaru 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Alice Nakata
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Athena 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Momoko
COMBATSYS: Momoko has joined the fight here on the left meter side.
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Momoko 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Alice Nakata
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Benimaru 0/-------/------=|
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Athena 0/-------/------=|
COMBATSYS: Benimaru has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
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Momoko 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Alice Nakata
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Athena 0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0 Benimaru
Momoko already in danger of simply giving in to the music and diving onto the dance floor for some unscheduled groovin when she picks out the voice from behind as her partner strains to be heard over the extremely loud array of speakers that line the area. The tiny teenager's face lights up when she sees who it is and she returns the question with an energetic nod, her entire body practically bobbing up and down from enthusiasm overload.
"This place is so amazing," she says, waving her little arms around like windmills. This sets her loose shirt aflutter from the sudden whirlwind of activity but she manages to calm herself before it flies right off her body. "There's so many people to meet and beaches to run on and trees to climb and things to eat and tons of big bouncing bo--aaalls!"
Momoko auto-corrects herself at the last moment turning a bright shade of red for seemingly no reason. Her eyes squeeze shut and she hops in place several times quickly trying to push past the subject before any embarrassing questions come to her personal idol's mind!!
"I'm having a ton of fun, thank you so much for bringing me here!"
Fortunately, it looks like their opposition has arrived. Saved by the bell, she hopes. Turning away from Athena, the tiny diva grins at Benimaru and his classic outfit then waves a hand at Alice happily. "Hello! Let's all have a good time, okay?!"
"Volcano fight. I feel sorry for whoever has to fight there," Benimaru replies, in rather late reply to Alice's comment. Momoko gets a wink and a compliment! "You've got to be the cutest zombie girl ever." He keeps the comment clean, though. The girl looks a bit on the young side, and he doesn't want to risk being clobbered. Well, clobbered MORE. Ah, what he wouldn't give for five more years...
Benimaru winks in Athena's direction when she bows. When she cautions Team Wildcat, he grins. Turning, he quite literally moonwalks to a place where he won't accidentally hit Alice. He's a pretty good dancer as well as being pretty agile, so he pulls this off reasonably well. And then he spins on his heels, pointing at Athena. "Let's see who's got the soul for gettin' down~."
Speaking of 'getting down'... Benimaru seems to slide a short distance closer Athena, closing the distance. Then he ducks down, putting a hand on the ground, and begins to spin his body around the axis made by his arm. It looks like breakdancing!
"Heh, /nice/," Alice says, on seeing her partner. She knows the reference. She just didn't want to dress up that way herself... well, not this time anyway. She would've gone full-on white suit, anyway; something about her doesn't let her not overdo things if there's any chance she could.
Athena shows up. Athena is famous. Alice briefly debates asking for an autograph but decides that is probably not the best thing to do right before a fight, and instead resolves to do so later. It may be popular at Taiyo. Or maybe not, but at least then she'll still have an autograph.
She reaches up and adjusts her hat at Momoko. "Oh, trust me, I'm gonna," she says, still grinning, before dropping into her own fighting stance. And then the signal comes. (The lights all turn red for a moment. Roll with it.)
Alice decides to start off fast and easy. She takes a running start and leaps at Momoko... but she hits the ground well before impacting the other girl. Instead she slides across the dance floor, one foot extended as she tries to hook it between Momoko's legs and roll, yanking her off her feet and down to the ground while Alice rises up again!
COMBATSYS: Athena blocks Benimaru's Shinkuu Katategoma.
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Momoko 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Alice Nakata
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Athena 0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0 Benimaru
COMBATSYS: Momoko blocks Alice Nakata's Tumble Kick.
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Momoko 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Alice Nakata
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Athena 0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0 Benimaru
Momoko's smile lights up at the compliment and she giggles girlishly, spinning in a happy little circle. "Thanks, mister! You look pretty stylish yourself!" Ofcourse she can't read the famous fighter's thoughts otherwise she might be pouting instead at being considered too young for things like that! But then the fact that she still pouts is probably why people think those things to begin with.
Alice's presence brings a whole new spectacle for the little zombie to focus on, however, and she has to physically lift a hand up to close her slack jaw upon laying eyes on the American girl but not before some makes some very zombie like noises. Wowzah.
It really doesn't help matters when the first move she makes is to run and jump at her either. Momoko almost forgets that she needs to stop staring and actually do something to not get plowed by sudden slide kick. Squeaking in surprise, the tiny girl drops into a low crouch that practically makes her the size of a soccer ball and creates a similar reaction with the powerful kick slams into her shins.
Momoko rolls sideways a few times before flopping out onto the floor somehow making this look both cute and planned. She springs back to her feet without much difficulty or loss of enthusiasm but has to make an effort to focus on Alice's face as she addresses her in return.
"Y-you're really pretty, lady! I'm kinda jealous!"
Taking a little hop step forward as she says this, the capoerista snaps her leading leg up at Alice's shins then immediately draws it back and delivers a second to her side in rapid succession. The moves are fluid and elegant and more importantly really fast. Fortunately, she doesn't seem to hit all that hard but there is a certain level of power present in her strikes that speaks of true martial skill.
Momoko's enthusiastic reply is some comfort, a layer of concern melting away form the increasingly famous idol fighter. With less than a year of public fighting events on her record, she has rocketed to the upper echelons of martial artists, among a selective few to be recognized in so short amount of time in the public eye. That spark of fame was enough to get her the invitation to sing at an event the previous year, and since then, in spite her lack of any additional albums forthcoming, the girl has gained renown equal to her meteoric fighting career in the music industry.
But here ane now, all she is thinking about is her fighting talents. Chin is quick to chide her every time she gets distracted from what he has been teaching her all because of wanting to play to an audience, to concern herself with the entertainment and happiness of others instead of sticking strictly to the arts he was passing onto her. For once, she'd like to avoid giving him yet more ammunition if she can help it... that this match is in a dance club with music pounding makes that... particularly tough.
"I'm glad- whoa!" she laughs as Momoko flails about, Athena reaching out to try and press her tattered shirt down furtively, laughing lightly at the exuberiance demonstrated. She's come a long way since she visited her when she was bandaged up like a mummy. The remark regarding bouncing balls suggests Momoko has been hitting the volleyball courts. Impressive courage, given her lack of stature! The blush is fortunately missed in the ever shifting chromatic light display of the club. Besides, their opponents are getting ready.
As Benimaru points to her, Athena smiles back. The young man is no unknown himself. His reputation for being an incredibly swift fighter is known to anyone who pays attention to the higher echelons of fighters. This promises to be quite the challenge. Bouncing lightly on her feet, Athena waits ready rather than bolting in. She needs to get a sense of what she's dealing with.
The demonstration of speed proves enlightening as Athena is forced to brace, crouching down, knees low in the dress that proves floofy enough to allow freedom of movement. His feet clobber against her forearms and right shin before she's pushed back out of range and can move again at last. Out of the corner of her eyes, she sees her partner forced on the defensive as well. "Let's get them, Momoko!"
It is with a leap that she responds, taking to the air with ease before tucking forward into a ball and dropping out of the sky for Benimaru. With the flashing lights it might be hard to even spot the girl but for the way her whole body becomes wreathed in brilliant, rose-hued Psycho Power. A direct collision would buy her the space necessary to sweep her legs out, attempting to follow up the initial impact with a hand stand kick for the Shootfighter's stomach!
COMBATSYS: Alice Nakata blocks Momoko's Snap Kick.
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Momoko 0/-------/---====|=------\-------\0 Alice Nakata
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Athena 0/-------/-----==|==-----\-------\0 Benimaru
Fortunately, Momoko's secret remains safe; Alice assumes the zombie noises are part of the outfit.
FOR NOW.
Alice is significantly less distracted than Momoko is, though; it's the shifting lights that get her more than anything else, it makes some distances and shading hard to clearly distinguish - and if you don't think it does, you haven't spent enough time in unstable lighting.
She sees Momoko's kick comes in, but almost misjudges the angle at first. Alice notices her mistake quickly, before Momoko can really capitalize on it; unable to get out of the way because of it, Alice settles for letting the snap kicks thump off her hands. It makes her fingers tingle with the impact, but she can stand that.
"Thanks," she says, apparently unconcerned about being praised by a kid; Alice can tell Momoko isn't really a /child/, but her guess of 'about fourteen' puts her a little lower than her actual age. "Wanna try to keep up?"
Alice raises her leg (short skirt alert!! fortunately she has her bikini bottoms on underneath even though she's not wearing the top) as she whirls into a medium-height (for her) reverse roundhouse kick. She strikes with the ball of the foot, a surprisingly impressive impact. It lacks Momoko's raw speed, but it shows Alice's strength - and training, even though she doesn't look like anyone who knows a damn thing about taekwondo.
COMBATSYS: Athena successfully hits Benimaru with Phoenix Arrow.
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Momoko 0/-------/---====|-------\-------\0 Alice Nakata
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Athena 0/-------/---====|=====--\-------\0 Benimaru
Apparently Benimaru's ROCKIN' abs are his weak point. Which... admittedly doesn't make much sense. But that seems to be the case, nonetheless. He draws his arms together, but he's too high, and the feet impact his abdomen, forcing out an "Oof!" He stumbles back, a hand to his stomach. "Good one." He grins. Oh he's definitely going to feel that in the morning!
He straightens, rubbing the impacted spot for a moment. "Feisty dance partners are always the best kind~." Yes, he is totally flirting with Athena. That's probably something else that's been talked about a little, if Athena knows him by reputation. He's a little bit of a flirt. Actually a LOT of a flirt!
Either way, he's going to try and get close to Athena, to throw a punch at the idol's side. It's a simple move, but he's trying not to expend all his energy at the beginning of the fight. Wouldn't do to leave his partner to fend for herself~.
COMBATSYS: Momoko dodges Alice Nakata's Heel Kick.
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Momoko 0/-------/---====|-------\-------\0 Alice Nakata
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Athena 0/-------/---====|=====--\-------\0 Benimaru
COMBATSYS: Athena instinctively dodges Benimaru's Medium Punch.
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Momoko 0/-------/---====|-------\-------\0 Alice Nakata
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Athena 0/-------/---====|=====--\-------\0 Benimaru
Momoko rebounds from her quick strikes with playful ease, leaning backwards to plant one hand on the dance floor and cartwheel away rather than attempt to regain her footing. They were probing kicks meant to test the waters, a friendly little tap to give her partner a chance to warm up as well as to take a measure of the pretty blonde's reflexes. This also spares her from catching a view of Alice's scandalously short skirt in action which might have prompted a sudden nosebleed.
"You can count on me, Athena-sempai! Uh oh...Momoko is feeling... sort of... funky!"
Since this isn't a serious fight, she has little intention of fighting too hard but she wants to make it interesting enough that the audience doesn't get bored! Momoko might not have the incredible fame or fighting prowess that her partner possesses but she's quite good at using her talents to put on a show.
The small zombie girl sticks her landing without any trouble and turns away from Alice to face the crowd. Her body begins to sway back and forth as if she is suddenly overcome by some phantom beat in her head as the movements don't really match the odd blend of techno and Zack-noises. After a few moments, Momoko begins to slide backwards in what sort of looks like a cross between a moonwalk and an angry tyrannosaurus. Her arms are thrust out infront of her, hands curled into tiny claws, and she sways her hips dramatically back and forth as she retreats - right into Alice.
The impromptu dance manuever quickly becomes something potentially troublesome if not inherently dangerous. Momoko continues to wantonly back into her sparring partner, using her tiny rear end like a battering ram with each *pop* of her hips, which is kind of weird and adorable until it becomes apparent that she has enough oomph behind those movements to potentially knock the taller American girl over!
Her kick delivered, Athena slides to a stop, recovering quickly. There is a moment of transition - from hand stand, to crouch, to standing, where she is vulnerable to counter attack if one slips back in quickly enough to take advantage of it. But the striking young man hesitates to flirt, confirming his reputation of being quite the ladies man. It's actually hard not to play into it, to respond rather than focus on her own martial skill. After all, even her opponents are part of her audience, and the young fighter can't help but desire that they enjoy the fight every bit as much as she does... But between Chin's judging chiding and her own refocus as of late following a particularly harrowing incident where her fighting prowess was all that saved her, Athena finds herself prioritizing the fight itself more than accommodating banter...
Which is why instead of pausing to respond to his clever, themely remark, Athena is back on her feet in a flash, turning to avoid the swift punch that comes an instant later, narrowly avoiding the swing of his arm, "Sorry," she replies, her dress swirling about her legs as she moves with graceful speed to escape backward from him, landing not far from where Momoko has launched herself backward toward Alice, "But I already have a dance partner!"
Before she's landed, her arms have already snapped back, rose hued energy surging down her limbs. Her feet slip along the smooth floor a moment later, giving herself the traction she needs to launch a shimmering sphere of churning psychic energy back at Benimaru. "Psycho Ball!"
COMBATSYS: Momoko successfully hits Alice Nakata with Peach Attack.
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Momoko 0/-------/---====|==-----\-------\0 Alice Nakata
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Athena 0/-------/--=====|=====--\-------\0 Benimaru
"Funky, huh." Alice is expecting some kind of dancing out of her opponent after that, because how would you not? Maybe some groovin', a little bit of disco inferno (hey, she could have flame chi, you never know), some kind of breakdancing. "I'd like to see what you have, kid - "
Being attacked by Momoko's butt was probably not what she was expecting. At first Alice assumes it is a joke. By the second strike, she's not laughing.
OK, no, that's a lie. She /is/ laughing - but Momoko is hitting her hard enough to knock her off balance, making it harder for her to strike back, as well as bruising her upper leg and hip. "Hey, ow! I didn't mean it! Quit it!" But she's still giggling about it despite bruises. How can you not?
When Athena throws a ball of psycho (it's called Psycho Ball, so that's what it must be made of) Alice is momentarily glad she's not fighting her instead. "You holding up, Beni? I'm being ass-aulted over here! Which means it's time for me to clear a little space - "
"RISING DRILL!"
Alice suddenly drops low, into a crouch. Then she's not low anymore, because she's rising; Alice throws her entire body upwards while spiraling, tensing into a drilling kick! Momoko is short, so she's angled it more forward to avoid coming up under her chin; as a result, if she hits, Momoko gets lifted into the air by where Alice's feet impacted into her midsection, and launched away from the American girl as she flips back upright, landing lightly.
Of course, if she /misses/, Alice is likely to fly right past Momoko and land in the middle of the dance floor. These things happen.
COMBATSYS: Benimaru slows Psycho Ball from Athena with Raijin Ken.
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Momoko 0/-------/---====|=------\-------\0 Alice Nakata
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Athena 0/-------/=======|======-\-------\0 Benimaru
COMBATSYS: Momoko blocks Alice Nakata's Rising Drill.
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Momoko 0/-------/-======|==-----\-------\0 Alice Nakata
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Athena 0/-------/=======|======-\-------\0 Benimaru
Benimaru has to stop, to deal with the incoming Psycho Ball before responding. Which he does by lighting up his lightning-flvored chi around a fist and swinging it at the ball. "Raijin ken!" Yeah, he knows the value of calling his attack names for a crowd. His fans come to see his moves, and most have favorite moves.
In retrospect that was a bad idea. He still takes some damage from the Psycho attack, despite the lightning. And he winces. Responding first to Athena-- since she's the one that hit him-- he notes, "That's okay. The more the merrier, right~?" And he winks. Then to Alice, regarding being butt-attacked, "How very cheeky."
Momoko tilts her head to give the American a devious grin when she starts to laugh at her chosen form of attack. It isn't a terribly dangerous manuever but people always underestimate how much they can be thrown off by having their legs battered out from underneath them! The little Japanese girl is like a Ewok, tiny but fierce! ...and less fuzzy.
"Relent! No mere mortal can resist the evil of the Thriller!"
Unfortunately, this little thriller is not particularly prepared to have her butt kicked in the most literal fashion all of the sudden. Letting out a surprised squeal as Alice drives a foot up at her from below, Momoko manages to turn to the side just enough that the rising kick impacts square on her toosh rather than catching her in the gut. The force of the upperkick is enough to lift her off her bare feet even with a grazing strike and the tiny terror flips head over heels onto her face in the middle of the dance floor.
The landing looks a whole lot worse than it actually was. Momoko comes down on her forehead and flops onto her knees, her poor abused caboose sticking right up into the air for a few moments. When she pushes herself up again the majority of her cute features are smooshed and covered with a bright red mark from the glass panel.
"Ooooow..."
Rubbing both her sore ends at once, Momoko takes a deep breath and hops back to her feet with fresh pep. It's very hard to keep her down for long apparently, though she does have to take a moment to pull her loose hair back out of her face and spin around until she finds the busty blonde nearby.
"Oooo, I'm gonna get you for that!!"
Fired up and out for blood, or candy more likely, the littlest ghoul rushes at Alice and comes in swinging. Her leg lifts once again but this time she holds it out at an angle from her body and then throws herself into a spin, flying into her opponent's space like the Tazmanian devil!
There is no denying the potency of that radiant energy Athena is capable of unleashing. Skipping backward from her forward lean after launching the projectile toward Benimaru, Asamiya slides to a stop. She noticed the flash of lightning that exploded from Benimaru's hand into the path of her signature technique and is immediately reminded that the long haired blond had a reputation for particularly potent electricity manipulation. Something to be on the watch for, to say the least!
Sucking in her breath, she raises her arms, grinning back at him. "Hm..." It's hard to resist playing ball with the creative flirt. "Right now I seem to be all the partner you can handle..." She winks back, slipping one foot forward as she readies herself to attack again. "You're not ready for more just yet, I would think."
There is some distracting giggling going on to the side and she can't help but side glance. Did Momoko unleash the dreaded Tickle Attack over there? Through the flashing lights, she can't really even figure out what the girl was doing to Alice during their close quarters exchange, but whatever it was seemed to be working out well enough for her tiny partner's well being. If Momoko was distressed, she would know it... even in the crowded, loud dance club, Athena can feel the mood of her energetic partner. Even that energy itself empowers the idol fighter, spurring her to fight faster, more fervently, holding nothing back.
"Sometimes the best way to entertain is to show everyone your best... don't get distracted now, Mister Nikaido!"
The girl sucks in her breath and leans forward, clealy tensing herself for another attack. The thrum of the loud music provides the timing, the escalation of the beat, the crescendo reaching its apex the same moment Asamiya bolts directly for Benimaru. Her arms trail behind her at her sides, that soft rose-hued energy building up into a brilliant glow at her back.
A hope from a meter out would be intended to place her in close proximity of the Shootfighter, both arms swinging forward, creating a man-sized huge sphere of crackling Psycho Power that would threaten to completely encompass him if he is not swift enough to escape its threat. "AaaaaAAAAH!" Palms forward, hair blown back by the force of her own attack, there is no doubt Athena is trying to secure the momentum of this dance without hesitation.
COMBATSYS: Alice Nakata blocks Momoko's Spin Kick.
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Momoko 0/-------/=======|===----\-------\0 Alice Nakata
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Athena 0/-------/=======|======-\-------\0 Benimaru
Alice Nakata didn't even mean to kick Momoko's ass. Um, literally. She definitely did mean to win the fight.
Either way, it wasn't her intention to do /that/ to Momoko. But it happened! Alice feels only slightly apologetic; you take your chances when you enter a fight, and this definitely counts, crazy lights and happenin' dancefloor or not. "Good luck!" Alice calls back, before shooting Momoko a wink. "I hope you're ready for your dance partner!"
Hopefully Benimaru can handle fighting Athena because Alice is too busy to handle it. She brings her arms up, once again absorbing the impact before Momoko can kick her body. Taking advantage of the proximity, Alice grabs at Momoko, trying to ... pull her into a dance?
Yup. Alice tries to swing Momoko dangerously through about five steps, pull her close for another two steps - and then whirl her out on her arm in a swinging breakaway. Except there's one thing different about this compared to most dances:
Alice lets go entirely. Oops...?
COMBATSYS: Athena successfully hits Benimaru with Round Psycho Reflector.
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Momoko 0/-------/=======|===----\-------\0 Alice Nakata
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Athena 1/-----==/=======|=======\====---\1 Benimaru
The flashing lights make it near impossible for Benimaru to see much more than what's going on with Athena. It's difficult enough to just see Athena, and that's dangerous here, because she's clearly faster than he is. Proven when he tries to step back from her reflector attack... and gets cleanly NAILED by it. In fact, he's nailed so hard that he's flung completely off the dance floor. And through a wall. Zack's going to have to fix that later.
As for Benimaru, he's suddenly not there. Nope. Friendly fights are one thing, but when he's put through a wall? That crosses his line just a little too much. So when he comes back? He has nothing to say. Only thing he's doing is flying at Athena. Five times. Somehow. Blue afterimages of him seem to zoom past, each one trying to hit.
COMBATSYS: Momoko dodges Alice Nakata's Medium Throw.
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Momoko 0/-------/=======|===----\-------\0 Alice Nakata
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Athena 1/-----==/=======|===----\-------\0 Benimaru
COMBATSYS: Benimaru successfully hits Athena with Gen'ei Hurricane.
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Momoko 0/-------/=======|===----\-------\0 Alice Nakata
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Athena 1/-------/=======|===----\-------\0 Benimaru
"Uwaah?!"
Momoko's spinning pirouette is brought to a sudden halt as she plows into the side of the taller girl and is promptly swept into... a dance?! Well this is certainly unexpected but not unpleasant. Infact, considering how she's being pulled up against the American's body it's downright distracting all over again.
The tiny dancer allows herself to be whirled and tossed about for the first few moments, blushing something fierce all the while. The difference in height between the two of them is actually quite small, which is surprising as Americans tend to be pretty big in general, but that just makes it easier for to follow Alice's movements... right up until the sneaky girl tries to fake her out on a trust test!
Momoko swings outwards like a door on a hinge except when she is cut loose from the life line of her supporting grip the agile little monster somehow turns the energy into a spinning tumble that becomes a cartweel and finally an acrobatic flip. Upon landing the girl holds her arms up in a gynast's pose wearing a big grin that practically screams 'ta-da~' . She looks very proud of herself. And not the least bit suspicious that the 'slip' was intentional, nope.
Infact, she's coming back at a good clip just to express how much fun that was. By leaping into the air and planting her bare foot right in Alice's chest. What, it's a big target.
Drawing her hands back from her explosive blast of psychic energy, Athena exhales, standing up straight and taking a moment to brush her hair out of her face. Even over the deafening music merilessly pumped into the club and the roar of her point blank Psycho Power assault, she heard the sound of the wall shattering. The energy wanes, the girl no longer channeling any effort into sustaining it. Squinting across the distance, she finds the caved in section of the wall... given the amount of money being thrown around liberally for this insane event, it's safe to say that it will be on the Repair Crew's TODO list tomorrow... along with whatever collateral fight damage caused throughout the night.
Harder to see than the open hole, however, is the blured image of the lightning fast Benimaru as he launches back at the girl. He moves a blur, only his chi infused mirror images giving any clue as to his trajectory. Arms raised, legs braced, Athena tries to weather out the storm she's conjured. The first blow is enough to send her staggering however, her guard dropped for the second, and third impacts. She'll never be able to stop him with pure martial prowess - not at these speeds. Already, her back is to the wall as she's forced to witness what Nikaido is capable of.
As the fourth comes to impact her, she slams her hands out into the path, a shimmering discus of pink energy manifesting, asborbing only a fraction of the damage. The fifth is mitigated slightly more as the girl is finally allowed to slouch against the wall. But she can't stop now. Now that she understands more the speed he is capable of! Pushing away from the wall, she turns to find the lightning wielder. Wincing from the impact of his last combination, she forces herself to lunge for him, right hand slamming out, fingers bent at the knuckles, as she attempts to catch him with a direct punch, leaning her whole body into it to lend additional force to compensate for her lack of impressive arm strength. "YA!"
COMBATSYS: Alice Nakata parries Momoko's Heel Kick!!
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Momoko 0/-------/-======|======-\-------\0 Alice Nakata
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Athena 1/-------/=======|===----\-------\0 Benimaru
Well. Momoko's certainly agile, Alice has to give her that; when she tried to throw her across the room, she thought she was going to go flying for sure. Not turn it into a cool-looking tumble!
Unfortunately, Benimaru fares less well. Alice winces when she sees Athena launch him, but she calls, "Hey, c'mon! We can still do this!" She's relieved when he came back - that seemed like quite a hit!
Minorly distracted for a moment, Alice looks like she's almost go ing to miss Momoko's cool moves on the dance floor. Nothing could be further from the truth. Momoko comes in with a big foot for Alice's chest. Alice is kind of used to people taking aim at it, and she's got her reactions ready this time:
She grabs Momoko by the ankle and yanks upward.
The yank itself is harmless, aside from pulling Momoko off-balance and ensuring that the foot does not hit her. What is less so is when Alice whirls forward, doing a forward flip; she raises her foot to point almost straight up before her momentum carries her the rest of the way through the arc, slamming her heel at Momoko in an impressive display of strength and agility, a wide battering attack down at the smaller girl. "Keep it coming!"
COMBATSYS: Benimaru blocks Athena's Medium Punch.
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Momoko 0/-------/-======|======-\-------\0 Alice Nakata
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Athena 1/-------/=======|====---\-------\0 Benimaru
Benimaru pulls his arms in to block that punch from Athena, giving a grunt when the punch slams into his arm. And in response he reaches out, trying to grab hold of her shoulders. For what purpose? Because he intends to add a lot of his own special spark to this particular attack. Quite literally! Should he be able to grab onto Athena, he'll transmit a blast of electricity through her and then release her.
COMBATSYS: Momoko interrupts Thundercrack Kick EX from Alice Nakata with Ohashi Samaninacchae.
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Momoko 0/-------/------=|=======\==-----\1 Alice Nakata
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Athena 1/----===/=======|====---\-------\0 Benimaru
COMBATSYS: Athena blocks Benimaru's Benimaru Collider.
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Momoko 0/-------/------=|=======\==-----\1 Alice Nakata
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Athena 1/---====/=======|=====--\-------\0 Benimaru
Things did not go as she planned! Things did not go as she planned at all!
Instead of the soft squishy warmth of Alice's inviting bosom, Momoko's foot find itself trapped in the blonde's terrible, wicked, but still quite pleasant, grip! The peach girl lets out another shriek of surprise, she's quite excitable, and pitches backwards into another tumble that really looks like it should have hurt but somehow merely leaves her stunned for a moment.
Momoko sees stars briefly the realises it's just the pattern on her aggressor's bikini bottom, which she can see quite clearly as Alice's leg is lifted waaaay up to... ack!! Despite the perfectly good chance to oogle a free panty shot (it still counts), the little zombie is faced with something far more important at the moment which is the fact that she's about to have her adorable little face smashed in!
Still lying flat on her back, Momoko thrusts both hands up into the air in a weak attempt to ward off the blow. Her head turns away and her eyes squeeze shut as if the sight of impending doom is too much for her to handle! But bizzarely, rather than the harsh thud of a heel crashing into her delicate body, the audience is instead treated to the sight of Alice's foot striking a barrier dome of scintillating pink energy.
The powerful drop kick conflicts with the shield for a brief instant before all of the kinetic energy being fed into it suddenly reverses and the pretty American finds herself being hurdled skywards like she is no more heavy than a sack of feathers.
Drawing her right hand back from her reaching punch, Asamiya is immediately put on the defensive, arms raised to turtle behind, anticipating a swift retaliation punch or strike now that she has engaged Benimaru in melee combat. While she is capable of formidable strikes with the aid of Psycho Power, her core martial arts are not nearly on the same level. Fighting the Lightning Scion with straight kicks and punches might put her at a disadvantage... but drawing from that fount of psychic potential is draining in and of itself. Such attack scan only be wielded for so long.
Unfortunately, preparing for a physical strike is the completely wrong approach to take when one intends to get a solid grip instead. "Huh?-" His hands slam down, getting a hold of the somewhat shorter fighter by her shoulders. Since just holding her shoulders does not immediately register as an attack vector that she can figure out. Afterall, her arms are still raised, if he wants to use his legs, she might be able to turn into the attack or fend the kicks off - The true threat registers right when she starts finding herself getting shocked! The instant electric chi makes a targeted attack against her aura, she knows that anything shy of instant escape would result in a potentially disabling hit!
Her only choice is a contest of strength, her whole body twisting against the hold of his hands, feet kicking against the floor, managing to spring free before too many jolts of his unique blend of energy manipulation manages to leave her twitching for too long. Spinning to a stop a meter away in a half crouch, one hand pressed lightly against the floor, she exhales softly. His increased aggression is pushing her to move faster, try and keep one step ahead.
But unless she wants to exhaust herself by drawing further upon her psychic energy, she has no choice but to close distance and fight in melee once again. The girl's chosen vector of attack is inspired by Benimaru's last technique - a throw instead of punch, trying to skip around to his left, get a hold on his left arm in passing, and twist the limb up and over his head while she gets behind him and twirls, pulling hard. If successful, the attack will result in flipping him over in what seems at first glance a very simple to execute basic arm toss. Sometimes the basics are exactly what the situation calls for!
Alice Nakata's foot hits the barrier.
She wasn't expecting that. Alice's face shifts from its usual grin to a rather confused expression as she hits something that is not either the floor or Momoko. She just kind of hangs there for a split second, looking more perplexed than anything else.
And then Alice is launched skyward! Well, ceilingward - close enough. She actually hits a light when she gets up there, which swings around, making the lighting even more bizarre and wavering until it finally settles down.
But what goes up must come down, and Alice is no exception. She starts to descend as uncontrollably as she ascended, having no control over gravity - but what she does have is a surprisingly large ball of chi in her hands. "Surprise!" she yells as she falls, throwing it at Momoko... or, more accurately just in front of Momoko.
The ball hits the ground and explodes - mostly upward. A plume of red-white chi erupts upwards for a good eight feet, angled slightly towards Momoko. Alice uses it as cover to land well behind it, looking a little worse the wear from slamming into the shield and then ceiling. That hurt!
COMBATSYS: Benimaru blocks Athena's Quick Throw.
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Momoko 0/-------/------=|===----\-------\0 Alice Nakata
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Athena 1/--=====/=======|=====--\-------\0 Benimaru
Benimaru's arm is pulled painfully, and he winces. Though before she can throw him, he manages to kick up, into a flip that follows the direction she's trying to throw him. So he ends up rolling with the throw and getting to his feet. Though it's slow. He's not going to be in this much longer.
Still, in melee range now, he has to at least TRY to think fast, even if his body doesn't want to move fast at that moment. So he comes back at Athena with a knee strike. One that he chains to a roundhouse kick and then a backflip kick that calls down a lightning bolt from the sky.
COMBATSYS: Alice Nakata successfully hit Momoko with Buster Shoot.
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Momoko 0/-------/=======|===----\-------\0 Alice Nakata
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Athena 1/--=====/=======|=====--\-------\0 Benimaru
COMBATSYS: Athena interrupts Handou Sandan Geri from Benimaru with Super Phoenix Infinity EX.
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Momoko 0/-------/=======|===----\-------\0 Alice Nakata
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Athena 0/-------/-======|=======\====---\1 Benimaru
Momoko remains stationary on the floor despite her spectacular reversal, eyes closed and arms crossed. It takes her a few seconds to realize that she hasn't actually been used like a welcome mat which prompts her to allow one eye to slide open slowly, hesitantly looking around.
"...I live!"
A bit melodramatic but then she's never been known for her quiet temperance and strict adherance to rational facts. It turns out to be a temporary reprieve however. Finally turning her head up to look around properly, the tiny zombie finds that her daring defense just delayed the result. Instead of a foot and a shapely leg, a shimmering ball of American spirit is being divebomed at her.
"Eeee?!"
Momoko scrambles like a crazy person but she doesn't have time to get up and properly try to run. Instead, she plants her palms and feet on the ground behind her and makes like a crab, skittering backwards with all of the speed she can muster. It isn't quite enough. The orb detonates a few inches to her side and the geyser of raw spiritual energy lances up into the small girl and hurls her bodily through the air.
This time the landing actually hurts as much as it looks. Momoko tumbles like a weed, through the air, onto the floor, and across the room until she slams face-first into the wall. She sticks there for a moment, practically cartoonish, and then slides down onto the ground once again.
And she just lays there. One of the spectators comes over to peer at her and calls out to which she responds, "Momoko is dead, go away."
Looks like she intends to just lay there for the time being?
COMBATSYS: Momoko gains composure.
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Momoko 0/-------/-======|===----\-------\0 Alice Nakata
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ]
Athena 0/-------/=======|=======\====---\1 Benimaru
Benimaru's recovey from her attempt to flip him proves smooth enough to avoid any serious harm from Athena's hold. Fortunately, the nature of her throw also left her in a good position to recover, not over extending herself or putting herself at extensive risk with the smoothly executed technique.
But that doesn't mean she's fast enough to get out of the path of the Lightning Shaper's retaliation. She's caught too flat footed to take to the air or spin aside, and her arms can't really take more of the abuse she's been putting them through with weathering his attacks. In the end, the crimson-clad fighter decides that it is moments such as this where she must simply brave the storm and attack back, no matter the consequences. It might leave her barely standing in the end, even if she succeeds - and if she fails she probably won't be able to get up at all.
But risks must be taken. Both arms snap back, another brilliant swell of energy coursing into her limbs as she bends her knees. His knee strike catches the fighter in the stomach, forcing a grunt as she's forced backward. His roundhouse clobbers the side of her head as she bends her knees then springs into him, nearly destroying her balance all together...
But her momentum carries her through and as he backflips into that surge of lightning, she explodes upward into him at a sharp, rising angle, her body wreathed in bright pink energy, much of it trailing off her arms to give them an appearance of wings. Through the kick and the lightning accompanying it, she crashes, driving her Psycho Power infused shoulder into Benimaru's body depending on where she clips him.
The trade is harmful enough that she tumbles out of her attack rather than recovering gracefully as she would normally, sliding down into a roll against the floor and coming to rest in a low crouch some meters away. It so happens the exhausted fighter comes to a stop right next to the prone Momoko.
Blinking her eyes, she glances at the smaller fighter with some concern. "Hey... everyone is giving their very best. Get back in there! You can't be dead, you were undead, remember?" she chides though her tone suggests she's not really upset. If Momoko has exhausted herself out of being able to continue, Athena would understand.
Benimaru knows he has exactly a zero percent chance of getting out of the way in time. Whatever kind of power Athena's using, it's just not something that any part of him has any way of resisting the damage of. He can't block it-- it seems to just go right through his guard. He can't dodge it-- it's too fast. Athena's attack is going to nail him. And nail him it does-- not in the fun way, either-- sending him in an arc off the dance floor again to bounce off the wall.
Is he getting up? Doesn't look like it. Not for a long moment, anyway. Then suddenly there's a movement. Last-ditch effort is go. And he just lunges forward, tries to grab hold of Athena's shoulders as he'd done before, and shock her! But the shock is not like the one that he tried a while back. This is a MASSIVE amount of electricity.
Hit or miss... Benimaru has nothing left in him. And as the electricity fades, he sort of... falls over onto his side. Someone's going to have to drag him out of the way of the rest of the fight, it seems.
COMBATSYS: Benimaru can no longer fight.
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Momoko 0/-------/-======|===----\-------\0 Alice Nakata
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Athena 0/-------/=======|
Alice touches down some distance from Momoko. She looks battered too, but... damn. It's rare that Alice manages to pull that off quite so impressively. She tends to look at throwing her chi as a tool in her arsenal but definitely not something to rely upon.
She had been worried, momentarily, that Momoko was /really/ out of it. Hearing her speak to one of the spectators, even if slightly muffled from talking directly to the floor, puts Alice's mind at ease, especially with Athena giving her a bit of a pep talk. Hopefully Benimaru takes her out, because Alice doesn't rate her chances very high... she still has Momoko, anyway!
"I hope you're not getting ready to take a nap," Alice calls - and when Benimaru blitzes in, she's right behind him. She comes in low, trying to slide one of her feet under Momoko and literally heft her up off the ground with said foot; if she manages it, she tosses Momoko upward, then spins, striking with her other foot at the still-airborne Momoko!
"I wasn't done the dance!"
COMBATSYS: Momoko interrupts Spin Kick from Alice Nakata with Aumada Materu EX.
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Momoko 1/-------/=======|======-\-------\0 Alice Nakata
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Athena 1/-------/=======|
COMBATSYS: Athena blocks Benimaru's Electrigger.
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Momoko 1/-------/=======|======-\-------\0 Alice Nakata
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Athena 1/-----==/=======|
Momoko doesn't seem terribly keen on the idea of getting back up at first but when the lilting voice of her personal angel comes down from the heavens, or well a few feet above her atleast, to call her to battle once more like a valkyrie summoning the spirit of an einherjar, she has no choice but to rise to the occasion!
"O-ookay! Momoko will do her b-urk?!"
Before she can even get up further than her knees, the tiny zombie finds herself being hurled upwards by someone's leg like she is on the wrong end of a see-saw.
"Uwawawa! I'm up, I'm up!"
Flailing her tiny limbs around in a frantic circle, the dancer once more unleashes a surprising display of skill as she twists her body like a cat in mid-air. Momoko's leg lashes out and the motion snaps her sideways out of the direct path of Alice's kick. It also brings her heel down on the American girl's noggin' with a burst of shimmering stars that seem to add a great deal more power behind the strike than it should possess.
She completes the spin and lands on her side in a flop but this time the tiny teenager hops back to her feet almost immediately, her boundless energy and zeal once more coming to the fore.
Even with how hard she hit him, she fully expects Benimaru to have the wherewithall to attack again. She knows she's pushed him hard, but he keeps coming back every bit as hard. Rising up from her crouch, she turns into his attack, seeing him reach for her shoulders once more. She knows better than to brace for a strike this time, both hands reaching up to clash with his. Bracing her knees, the shorter fighter finds herself struggling to stay upright under the pressure he can execute - a concern that grows even more severe when he follows through with his gift for electricty to attempt to shock her through thoroughly.
With little skill in resisting attacks exactly like this, it is an uphill battle of reinforcing her will against the storm she's trying to fight off against. That it is an incredible struggle is obvious enough, Athena being forced down to one knee as she fights back against the chi coursing over her, trying not to let it sink fully into her body and do the harm it most definitely could be capable of.
"Ah!" she exhales when it's finally passed, the grip on her hands going lax as she slumps forward herself to her hands and knees, panting for breath. At this point, it would appear her dance partner turned sparing partner is finished with the bout and given the way the young fighter stays put following their clash suggests that she might be on the verge of collapse as well.
But glancing up to see Momoko still in action is enough to pull her up to her feet slowly. She won't be joining in the intense brawl playing out between the other two fighters - at least not at this point. But she can provide moral support. Clapping her hands is something she can manage, though digging deep enough to pull forth the strength to shout out over the din requires a lot more effort.
But she wants her partner to know she's supported, that she's doing great, and that Athena trusts her to give this match her best. "I know you can do it, Momoko! Hang in there!" The words alone might be enough to prop up any battle-wearied spirit. But there is something else - a presence with the young fighter, as if Athena was right there at her side even though the girl is clearly several meters away calling out at her. "I believe in you!"
COMBATSYS: Athena assists Momoko.
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Momoko 1/-------/=======|======-\-------\0 Alice Nakata
[ \\\\\\\\ <
Athena 1/-----==/=======|
All of a sudden, Alice is seeing stars! She must have been hit harder than she thought -
Oh, wait, no, the stars are actually there. Not that she wasn't hit hard, but that's not /entirely/ the reason her field of vision is suddenly covered in spotty lights.
"Hrgh," Alice says, blinking and looking more than slightly dazed. She staggers back, shaking her head sharply to try to clear it. At first she thinks she's going to make herself so dizzy that she's going to pick over, but it eventually does its job and she stabilizes... more or less.
Benimaru is out for the moment. This would dissuade some people. For Alice, it only makes her more psyched up. Her face splits into its usual grin as she hops from foot to foot, shifting her weight and checking her balance. She's doing it to the beat, too, so it counts as dancing.
"All right," she says, "you want to keep doing this? Let's give them a show!" She winks at ... Athena (sorry Momoko) before refocusing. Alice has to go through Momoko to get to Athena, and that's just what she plans to do.
Alice suddenly darts forward. She spins again, looking like she's going to send a whistling kick at Momoko's head - but she never does. She completes a full spin in the air, lands one foot and drives her other forward in a surprise stomp kick at Momoko's midsection, forward and down - probably not traditional Taekwondo maneuvers but effective enough, especially when aimed at someone smaller and lighter than she herself is to knock them down and away!
COMBATSYS: Alice Nakata successfully hit Momoko with Change-Up Kick.
Glancing Blow
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Momoko 1/------=/=======|=====--\-------\0 Alice Nakata
[ \\\\\\\\ <
Athena 1/----===/=======|
Yet more cheers from her partner causes Momoko to blush but with happiness not embarrassment this time. She grins in her cute fashion and rubs the back of her head, giggling a little in a sheepish tone.
"I'm gonna make you proud, Athena-sempai! Watch Momoko dance!"
Despite her enthusiasm, the match has started to wear on the little girl. Her body aches all over from various falls and impacts that even her fluid and slippery martial skills have been unable to negate completely. It would be easy enough to blame the outcome on the distraction that her pretty sparring partner provides. Alice's very energetic and highly mobile fighting style combined with an apparent lack of shame when it comes to wardrobe choice makes it hard to focus at times. But the truth is the American girl is actually quite skilled herself and Momoko has found herself challenged at every turn.
"Woah, watch out!" The tiny girl calls out a few nearby spectators as she throws herself sideways to avoid the aggressive spin-stomp-kick. She partially succeeds, spurred on by Athena's belief in her, which gives her a little bit more pep in her step despite her mounting weariness. The offending foot slams into one of her thighs and spins her around in a circle sending her barreling into the crowd. A few helpful hands reach out to catch her and promptly give her a push back the other direction which Momoko accepts without complaint and takes off in her own little run at Alice.
Alright, she wants a show? Let's give her one!
Momoko's dash turns into a slide as she rotates sideways for the last few inches, skidding across the smooth glass floor like she was wearing thick wool socks. Her foot snaps out to deliver a powerful roundhouse at the star-spangled blonde but it quickly becomes apparent that the tiny terror has a lot more in store for her. One kick turns into two in a flash of motion, her leg rising to deliver a knee towards Alice's chest almost the instant that it touches the ground. Her other joins in a moment later in what looks more like a hop-scotch manuever than an attack but the impact of her knees is very real.
And... she just keeps going. Kick after kick rains down on her opponent, some high, some low, all blending together into a whirlwind of graceful pirouettes and hops that has her blasting against Alice's defenses in a relentless tide as if there were three of her.
And all the while, Momoko hums a little ditty, her sing-song voice adding a new note with each strike.
"Do~ Re~ Mi~ Fa~ So~ La~ Ti~ Doooo~"
COMBATSYS: Alice Nakata dodges Momoko's Momoko no DoReMi Canto.
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Momoko 0/-------/------=|=====--\-------\0 Alice Nakata
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Athena 1/--=====/=======|
Alice Nakata, shameless as always.
She really is enjoying this battle, even if she knows that the odds are pretty heavily stacked against her at this point. That doesn't matter to her. What matter is that this one was enjoyable where the last one was kind of frightening and disgusting (seriously, who shoots chi blood? besides Sada anyway), and the fact that she got to break it down on the dance floor didn't hurt matters.
She's kind of doing that a little now, honestly - mostly by moving in time with the beat. It makes her look predictable, even though she is anything but. "C'mon!" Alice calls, adjusting her hat.
Momoko comes in. Alice has to give her that: she stepped up and did /exactly/ what was asked of her.
The barrage of attacks is put up against an apparently aggressively dancing Alice as she goes into a much more defensive series of movements than she has been. Medium kicks are dealt with by sliding to the side; low spinning pirouettes are jumped over; high ones cause her to duck (or, in one case, to breakdance for about a second, doing a complete revolution on her back before performing a kip up back to her feet). The net result is that she too is pretty slippery, almost impossible to land a solid hit on.
Unfortunately, it ends with her a little further away from Momoko than she'd like. Alice steps forward, bringing her foot up for a high kick - a /really/ high axe kick, apparently, because when she brings it down at Momoko's shoulder, she actually uses it to vault entirely /over/ the other girl with a springing hop off her back leg. Even if she doesn't manage to hit Momoko, she turns the descending kick into a leap. But is it enough?
COMBATSYS: Momoko dodges Alice Nakata's High Heel.
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Momoko 0/-------/------=|======-\-------\0 Alice Nakata
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Athena 1/--=====/=======|
Well, this is certainly a twist!
Momoko giggles madly as she throws attack after attack which only prompts the slippery American to get more weird and inventive with her attempts to get out of the way. It's all very active and quick and... bouncy. Infact, it quickly turns into a game for the little zombie where she is no longer even trying to hit her target so much as force her to jump or slide out of the way which is certainly giving /Momoko/ the show she wants.
Eventually, Alice manages to slip out of her reach which causes the little dancer to finally wind down and drop back into her almost suicidally casual stance. One arm swings back and forth at her side, first in front and then in back of her as she rocks her hips and slides side to side with the beat like some kind of time-displaced jazz musician.
"Wow, that was amazing! Let's do it agaaaain?!"
Alice seems to have other ideas. The leaping high kick prompts a swift response from her petite dance partner as Momoko scrambles to throw herself out of the way - this time by rolling right *under* the attack which winds up with her behind the blonde but still fairly close.
As always, Momoko manages to turn her frantic motions into something useful and almost planned. Even as she falls to her side on the floor, one tiny foot lances out at the back of Alice's knee attempting to strike her in the joint and cause it to buckle which will hopefully send the older girl tumbling backwards like a felled tree - directly into her waiting arms.
Momoko 'forgets' to get out of the way after this maneuver and adds a little spin to her kick to try and twirl the busty American around so that when she falls - well, it should be pretty obvious what she's after.
Momoko's boast brings a smile to the idol fighter's lips. She knows the use of the honorific sempai has far more importance than just respect for an upperclassman. Now back on her feet, Athena has had a moment to catch her breath a little. Still exhausted and hurting, fingers twitching from risidual effects of the lightning chi she's weathered and barely fought off, she seems content to let her partner in the fight handle things for a long moment.
In truth, this is really her first opportunity to really /watch/ Momoko in action. The two have fought alongside each other for two fights now, but until now, Athena was under too much pressure to be able to appreciate her younger partner's gift for martial arts. She never stops moving (when not pretending to be a dead zombie at least), and though she does seem to take many a cute tumble that are hard to determine if they are intentional or just part of her routine, she is otherwise surprisingly graceful with her intricate style. And of course, the occasional flashes of Psycho Power to aid her in her fight. Truly a talented fighter... It remains to be seen how much further she can get with Master Gentsai's help in the future, but this crazy island adventure is definitely a good start.
But she can't leave her partner hanging either. "All right. You're doing pretty good - the both of you - but Momoko and I are in this together, so please forgive my intrusion!" A burst of renewed speed has her charging for Alice, leading into a short hop. With her warning given, she can't have any misgivings about rising into a knee strike followed by a steep snap kick with the same leg as she targets Alice's side. "KYA!"
COMBATSYS: Alice Nakata blocks Athena's Renkantai.
[ \\\\\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Momoko 0/-------/------=|======-\-------\0 Alice Nakata
[ \\\\\\\ <
Athena 1/-======/=======|
COMBATSYS: Momoko successfully hits Alice Nakata with Phoenix Arrow.
[ \\\\\\\\ < > ///// ]
Momoko 0/-------/----===|=======\==-----\1 Alice Nakata
[ \\\\\\\ <
Athena 1/-======/=======|
Now the battle is two on one, which is not Alice's strong point. It doesn't stop her from /trying/, mind you, but that's a lot of ways to split your attention!
Believing Athena to be the bigger threat, Alice always tries to keep an eye on her. This pays off, in fact. When Athena comes in from her side, Alice is there; she has her arm in place to keep the snap kick from connecting, but she still feels the impact in her arm. "Ah, you hit pretty well for an idol," Alice teases, before -
- Well, before Momoko.
The foot catches Alice pretty much perfectly and, tired as she is, it takes her leg right out from under her. Alice can balance on one foot but not when she's just had her foot shoot away; she makes a desperate hop but is very clearly about to fall when Momoko spins her around.
Like a toppling tree, Alice begins to descend towards Momoko. Unlike a toppling tree, Alice has defenses beyond being big and heavy (or, more accurately, replacing being big and heavy; she's about five foot two). Such as, for instance, her chi technique that temporarily outlines her body in pink-red chi, which she triggers. It naturally streams away from her behind her and builds up in front of her with the speed of her movement.
Normally, for Alice, this is the prelude to a radiant shoulder-check or a kick that has a whole bunch of chi built up along its length from the speed of her kick. This time, well...
When Alice falls, a pair of hemispherical chi shockwaves precede her, wisps trailing off the sides of her shirt as Alice falls, bodyslamming down at Momoko. But whether they dissipate before they hit Momoko or the ground (which they might), Alice impacts and stays down, dazed and exhausted. "Whoof..."
COMBATSYS: Alice Nakata can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\ <
Momoko 0/-------/----===|
[ \\\\\\\ <
Athena 1/-======/=======|
COMBATSYS: Momoko blocks Alice Nakata's Burn Charge.
[ \\\\\ <
Momoko 0/-------/--=====|
[ \\\\\\\ <
Athena 1/-======/=======|
And with that the final piece of her grand master plan (shut she totally did it on purpose!!) falls into place like the last domino in an elaborate winding pattern, perched and prepared to go toppling down in a chain reaction of beautiful craftsmanship.
Except there's a problem. That domino is now glowing with very unpleasant and unexpected energy!
Momoko grins as she feels her foot connect with the knee and even more when she notices the blonde fighter beginning to turn. Athena's intervention was a perfectly timed (and planned) distraction and now all she has to do is sit back and enjoy the fruits of her... wuh oh. The little zombie's eyes grow wide as she realizes her error in judgement. Crap, too late to abort! Time for some improvization!
Scrunching her face up into a mask of concentration, Momoko thrusts both hands up into the air just as she had done a few minutes ago. Another scintilating barrier of energy begins to form over her but this one is far less bright and coherent, being little more than a thin veil to blunt and absorb the powerful energy preceding Alice's descent.
The two forces collide in a shower of sparks, leaving Alice hanging suspended in the air for a few seconds, but eventually her attack fizzles out and Momoko releases her shield. Both of her hands help cushion the impact of the busty blonde's fall catching her with strategically placed grips on the most obvious hand holds.
Naturally, Momoko can't hold up that much weight with her noodly little arm but she does have enough control to aim her dance partner's landing so that her adorable face winds up buried right into the inviting nook of her bosom without anyone the wiser.
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.
Her kick delivered, Athena lands to the side, sliding to a stop and spinning incredibly fast to prepare herself for potential retaliation. But it doesn't matter. While her dangerously fast strike was warded off, the two pronged attack was enough for Momoko to deliver the definitely-accidental-trip to their last standing opponent.
The remark about her ability to hit was heard, the girl grinning faintly, understanding it to have been blurted out in good fun. She's heard the remark from others who did not utter it with nearly the same level of good natured teasing. There isn't even time to call for Momoko to look out as Alice topples toward her, preparing one last energy assault to catch the pint-sized zombie in the process of landing!
But Momoko seems to manage a last second defense of her own, saving her from being blasted into a possible crater on the ground. Athena is impressed. And their opponents gave it their all, ending with Alice's fall. Moving over quickly, the idol fighter crouches down to one knee, leaning to the side to check on the pinned Momoko. A blink of her eyes has her looking a bit worried that her young friend might not be able to breath all of the sudden. "Ah... Momoko-chan, are you... Are you okay?"
The process of extrication is conducted as delicately as possible out of regards for the determined Alice, who fought to the bitter end against incredible odds. Any blush on Momoko's features would be easily dismissed as brief oxygen deprivation, as Athena gathers the lithe figure up into her arms and pulls her close, though she might lack the degree of... assets the gifted American possess. "You did great! I'm so proud..."
COMBATSYS: Athena has left the fight here.
[ \\\\\ <
Momoko 0/-------/--=====|
Alice Nakata is kind of flopped there. Momoko gets to enjoy the experience for a good few seconds.
When Athena tries to extricate her, Alice rolls over onto her back (and off Momoko). She groans again. Alice will be fine. She's already starting to move again under her own power - but yeah, that's a victory.
Probably two victories for Momoko.
Three victories, as it turns out.
Momoko is indeed rather flushed when she is withdrawn from underneath the American's body, her eyes glazed over likely from fatigue and lack of oxygen. Oddly she appears to be smiling despite all of that. Perhaps the victory has managed to raise her spirits after nearly being flattened in a far less pleasant fashion by a hungry giant during their last round.
The tiny girl puts up no resistance to being dislodged from her entanglement, basically a limp rag doll at this point, content to allow herself to be handled however Athena wants. Which turns out to be something even she did not expect.
Momoko perks up almost immediately as she feels a pair of heavenly cushions press against the side of her face. Her arms move up to encircle around her idol's neck and she giggles at the praise, pulling herself tightly into the hug, and rubbing her face back and forth against the surface of Athena's shirt like an affectionate kitten. There might be little hearts floating off her at this point if you look closely.
"Really?! Momoko is so happy!"
Log created on 19:41:33 02/07/2015 by Alice Nakata, and last modified on 22:05:35 02/08/2015.