Description: In one of the few scenarios where the prime fighter involved might actually be already used to this kind of under-the-microscope treatment, a flashy fresh-faced brawler by the name of Shougo squares off against the scintillating sonic stylings of Killasaurus Orphanage lead woman Alexis Lovell at the Golden Rock in Myanmar. Battling at the top of Mt. Kyaiktiyo next to the gravity-defying Buddhist symbol, the overall theme of today's review will deal with hard-hitting facts (and a dollop of hearsay) about whether or not Killasaurus Orphanage has sold out to The Man with Alexis' recent entry into the tournament scene and subsequent success beyond Toronto. You won't want to miss this one!
"As it has for years, the Kyaiktiyo Pagoda perches precariously upon the enormous boulder known as the Golden Rock here in Mon State, Burma. Legend has it that the Golden Rock balances upon one of the hairs of the Buddha himself, and while it appears on the verge of tumbling off of the hill on which it stands at any moment, it has yet to fall."
As the cameras pan out slowly to give a full view of the scene and the commentary plays over the stream, the sunlight gleams upon the many golden leaves affixed to the boulder's surface by pilgrims, as well as the shrine itself that sits atop the rock.
"But if there was ever a time for the hard rock to drop, surely it would be in the Professional Fighting Worldwide debut match of punk rocker Alexis Lovell, lead singer of Killasaurus Orphanage!"
The camera cuts to a slow zoom on the girl in question, a short-haired, blue-eyed young woman in what appears to be a Catholic schoolgirl's uniform that's at least a size too small as she speaks to a man of similar age who sports a neon green mohawk. Whatever they're saying isn't being picked up by the microphones. As she speaks to the man, she tugs at her skirt to smooth it out, then adjusts the strap on the guitar on her back to a more comfortable position.
"We at The Dojo took some time earlier in the week to interview Alexis on her upcoming match, and she had a few words to share with us about the prospect of fighting in front of such an important monument."
==*== INTERVIEW FOOTAGE ==*==
Standing against a plain navy blue fabric background, Alexis brushes her fingers through her hair, looking awkwardly to one side for a moment. The cameraman seems to have made a point of framing her from the chest up. In true punk fashion, she's chewing gum despite probably knowing in advance she was going to be interviewed.
"So, I'll be honest. Until this week, I had pretty much no *bleep*ing clue where Burma even was."
==*== END OF INTERVIEW FOOTAGE ==*==
Well, folks, if anyone was wondering whether the sentiments expressed in the lyrics of Killasaurus cult classic 'Who Gives a Crap About School, Anyway?' were sincere, there's your proof. The rest of the interview footage runs about thirty minutes and can be found on The Dojo Dot Com. A lot could be riding on this debut, not only for Alexis herself, but for Killasaurus Orphanage in general. For those of you not familiar with the Canadian band, you can find out more information in the in-depth article, 'What the Hell is a Killasaurus, Anyway?' on The Dojo, written by yours truly."
Meanwhile, near the seat of Golden Rock, Alexis finishes up her conversation with drummer 'Matty Bad' Barker before walking over to where a fighting ring has been established. Most of the audience seems to consist of a few pilgrims and tourists who've come to the site for their own reasons, as it's much easier for fight fans to get their fix through the live stream at home.
"Alright, no pressure," Alexis says breathily to herself as she cracks her knuckles and stares up at the precarious rock. "Just a few cameras, the internet, and a rock that looks like it's gonna fall over any fuckin' second. What could go wrong?"
She presses a fist lightly to her throat, clears it, then starts to hum, the sound quiet at first, but then building as she begins a series of vocal warm-up exercises. It would probably look and sound a bit ridiculous even if it weren't for the way that the noise she's creating hangs in the air around her, scattering dust and pebbles at her feet and causing the leaves on the nearby rock to ripple. At least she probably doesn't have enough power with her sonic chi to actually risk toppling Golden Rock during the coming fight - right?
With all the press coverage given to the singer of Killersaurus Orphanage, her opponent remains something of an enigma. Or at least an individual who is being left blissfully alone up until this moment. He sits perched on one of the corner posts of the fighting ring, conical straw cap concealing most of his face from view, the rest hidden behind an open manga he has between his hands. Someone doesn't seem bothered by the upcoming fight.
"Fighting Alexis is another new arrival on the global fighting scene. Coming up from the local circuit of Southtown, Japan, Shougo Kakita." He only looks up from his reading for the briefest flash of a moment at the mention of his name, but it's clear he's not being used as the draw for this fight, as the camera doesn't seem to be giving him much attention. Not that he really seems to care.
Though he looks only slightly less out of place, dressed more like he stepped off of a Shinto shrine, which he did. He slowly closes his book, yellow eyes resting on Aalexis for a moment as he offers her an almost vapid smile. The book is carefully stowed away inside his haori, though he himself doesn't move from his spot. His arms lay across his knees as he tilts his head first one way, than the other as he watches his opponent with all the interest a five year-old would pay a frog he found in the river. Minus prodding it with a stick, of course.
The announcer picks up on Shougo's weird behaviour at least. "Is he even taking this seriously? From the looks of it, no."
To which his response is to give a thumbs up and a very toothy (sharp toothy) grin to the nearest camera.
COMBATSYS: Shougo has started a fight here.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Shougo 0/-------/-------|
It's not too long before Alexis has finished her warm-up preparations for the match, both physically and vocally. Stepping up to the ring, Alexis swings over the partition one leg at a time, the nearest cameras turning to follow the motion as she does so. Now in the ring, with the audience watching and her opponent across from her, the girl seems to be subtly yet dramatically different than she was moments before. She all but struts to her corner before shifting her weight onto one hip, resting one hand on it while the other gives the devil horns to the crowd and the cameras. Her posture is relaxed, yet challenging, her jaw set and her eyes smouldering, as if screaming at her opponent to come and get her.
"Alright, PFW and Dojo fans! Our fighters have entered the ring and the match will be underway momentarily! Our referee is just giving a quick reminder of the rules of engagement and will be counting us in!"
In the final moments as the referee speaks and then begins to count, Alexis maintains her pose, her aquamarine eyes staring at Shougo with a diamond-hard intensity that contrasts the other's friendly and casual demeanour. Perhaps it's the odd golden colour of Shougo's eyes, or the unusually pointy teeth. Or maybe she's searching for a sign of weakness in the final moments before the match.
'I wonder if that was the new issue,' Alexis thinks to herself.
*GONG*
At the referee's gesture, a gong set up nearby signals the start of the match. Immediately, another shift comes over Alexis' demeanour as she pivots and raises her hands, clenching them into fists.
"Hello! I am going to destroy you!" she calls to her opponent in heavily accented and perhaps poorly translated Japanese before launching herself at Shougo with a stepping kick, extending her leg and aiming the heel of her boot high toward the odd guy's pointy teeth. "Eh!"
COMBATSYS: Alexis has joined the fight here.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Alexis 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Shougo
COMBATSYS: Shougo dodges Alexis' Strong Kick.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Alexis 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Shougo
As the ref reads the rules the golden eyed teen rolls his hand in the universal gesture for move it along. He's starting to get almost obviously antsy. Or at least severely bored with the whole formality of the situation.
The gong sounds and Shougo.. yawns. He stretches his hands over his head, mouth creaking wide as he doesn't even bother concealing his mouth. Only one golden eye remains open, tracking Alexis' sudden movement towards him. He waits to the last moment to spring off his perch and soar over the punk rocker's head, landing on the mat in a short roll, coming up to face her. His hand is extended with a folded up piece of crimson paper kept between his pointer and middle fingers.
"Thank for warn." His English is even worse than Alexis' Japanese, but at least he's making the effort.
He snaps his wrist, the folded bit of paper falling into the shape of a rather typical paper crane, at least until he flicks it towards Alexis. A foot after it's out of his hand it glows with chi, coming to life as a overly colorful and angular version of a real crane, that only an idiot would mistake for one of its natural breatheren. That shade of red just doesn't exist in nature, and it still slightly resembles the shape of the origami figure it was only a moment before. Though that's likely a minor issue when the image is screeching and soaring right for one's face.
COMBATSYS: Shougo successfully hits Alexis with Origami no Dobutsu.
- CRAZY Hit! -
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Alexis 0/-------/---====|=------\-------\0 Shougo
"A smooth move by Shougo carries him out of harm's way as Lovell starts things off with a bit of a sloppy side kick. Shougo responding with what appears to be some kind of origami-based attack!" the commentary rattles off as the red crane is flung toward Alexis. The girl whirls around, skirt fluttering dangerously with the motion as she brings her guard up again - just in time to catch a face full of angry bird, toppling her over onto her ass in what's sure to go viral as an animated gif image within minutes of the live footage hitting the stream.
"Oh, man! Alexis must have thought that bird was for dinner, because it looked like she was trying to catch that one with her teeth! I'd compare the way she went down to a certain popular game for mobile devices, but unlike Killasaurus Orphanage, we here at the Dojo haven't completely sold out!"
"They do realise we can /hear/ them, don't they?" Alexis growls as she picks herself up and draws the back of her arm across her face. She turns back to Shougo as a sonic hum begins to build around her entire body, yelling, "Nice treat! Now I'll show you one more!"
Charging the hat-wearing youth, she throws herself into the air, swinging herself sideways as she tries to collide bodily with him, their torsos perpendicular. Should she connect, a burst of sonic chi would emanate from her body and through his, and she'll try to swing herself around his body to lock her arm around his head and drive him to the ground with what would be known in professional wrestling as a Tornado DDT.
COMBATSYS: Shougo reflects Stage Dive from Alexis with Hakunetsu-kyo.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////////// ]
Alexis 1/-----==/=======|====---\-------\0 Shougo
Shougo tilts his head to the side at the commentary coming from the loudspeakers around the ring. He stands upright, arms crossed in front of him, hands hidden up his sleeves. A single origami crane is not likely the only thing the teen has hidden up them, though only heaven knows what weird thing he'd pull out next.
"They don't care." Shougo smiles as he offers his response to Alexis' question. It's not even traced with the subtle hint of mockery some fighters might show after their previous exchange. It's just a plain old smile, pure and simple. It likely helps that he himself doesn't quite know who his opponent is. Judging from his look, it's doubtful punk rock is even on his radar.
As Alexis moves in to charge at Shougo, he drops to one knee, spreading his arms apart as he reveals his next trick. Which the announcers quickly catch on to with their numerous camera angles. "Is that a mirror?"
Sure enough, it's exactly what he holds between his hands, a circular disc of bronze polished to a mirror finish. It's not large, but its surface begins to glow softly as he pours his chi into it. Once the punk rocker is close enough, the mirror suddenly flares, Shougo's light-based chi mixing with the sonic-chi coming off Alexis' body, sending the resultant mixture back in a cachopanous burst of light and sound.
The sudden flare of light and sound is such that the cameras surrounding the ring can't quite catch the moment when Alexis impacts against the mirror. They do manage, however, to capture the image of the girl in the schoolgirl outfit being flung away after the fact by the force of her own sonic blast, landing in a heap of plaid and white across the ring floor. As the noise echoes in the aftermath, a camera pans out to give a view of Golden Rock - which remains, thankfully, as stoic upon its resting place as ever.
"Oh, wow! And a slick counter from Shougo seems to have given Alexis a taste of her own medicine! One might say that that mirror move was super effective!" the commentary describes the action as Alexis slowly gathers her senses. "While we have a moment, heres another excerpt from our earlier interview with Alexis -"
==*== ADDITIONAL INTERVIEW FOOTAGE ==*==
At home, Alexis' upper body against the blue background pops up as a box overlay in the corner of viewers' screens. She's smiling awkwardly as she speaks, "I don't tell a lot of people this, but for me, fighting is mostly about the money -"
==*== BACK TO THE ACTION ==*==
"And we're back! Let's see if Alexis can succeed in being as offensive in this battle as she does as a public figure!"
The look on Alexis' face is a bit queasy from the sonic vibrations running through her, but quickly turns into a scowl as she overhears what's being said. "Couldn't they have just dubbed that shit in post?" she grumbles in English as she turns her wrathful gaze toward Shougo. The Canadian fighter suddenly rushes forward, a hum building around her as she grasps at the shoulders of Shougo's haori, at the same time swinging a sonic powered knee strike up toward the other fighter's stomach. Should she succeed in her goal of doubling him over with the combination, she'll attempt to swing a leg over his neck and trap his head between her thighs, before kicking both legs out, using her weight to drive his head to the ring floor with her hips, at which point another burst of dissonant sonic chi would be released.
COMBATSYS: Shougo dodges Alexis' Drop D.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////////// ]
Alexis 1/------=/=======|====---\-------\0 Shougo
Too many English words Shougo doesn't know, so he just stares almost unblinkingly at Alexis, head tilted to the side in what seems to be his confused face. Nor does he really understand what's being said over the loud speaker, except for fight and money, suddenly causing him to grin. "Who doesn't fight for money?" His responding grin is almost cheeky, until a charging punk rocker wipes the grin off his face.
He backsteps quickly from the assault, removing his hat from his head and placing it between him and Alexis like some sort of shield. This allows the punk to thuroughly savage the hat, her knee going through the straw weave but catching nothing of the young man who was wearing it a moment ago.
"Hey! I like that hat." Shougo practically pouts, scratching the top of his head to ruffle his red mop back from its near permanent case of hat hair. Though his other hand has disappeared up his sleeve once more.
In a flash, he's stepping forward again, hand extending free of his sleeve, holding a tiny folded blue paper replica of a sword. Enough to illicit of comment of, "Where is that kid keeping all these things?"
In a replay of the crane, at end of his thrust, the sword burst to a full-sized chi replica of a longsword made of blue light. "You owe me a new hat!"
COMBATSYS: Alexis endures Shougo's Origami no Ken.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////////// ]
Alexis 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|=====--\-------\0 Shougo
"Random trivia here: Alexis Lovell is reportedly an avid amateur street hockey player, which would explain the execution on that hat trick," the commentator remarks in regard to the exchange. "But let's she how she handles this - holy crap, Lovell, you're supposed to dodge!"
But dodge Alexis does not, instead standing trembling with a buildup of sonic chi as the blade-like manifestation strikes her cleanly in the chest. A resounding ping like a harmonic note from a guitar amplified fills the area at the clash of energies. The camera catches the agonized grimace from the girl at the moment of the strike - it's clear that, though she remains standing, that definitely /hurt./ It'll be even more obvious viewed in slow motion later - as will the much more subtle change as she opens her eyes again and glares at Shougo instants before the girl launches herself at him in a fury, attempting to take him to the ground in a mounted position before cocking back her fist and hammering it toward his face. Should she connect, a burst of chi with the acoustic quality of a musical note would sound - followed by a veritable melodic riff as punch after punch would fly in its wake.
COMBATSYS: Alexis successfully hits Shougo with Beatdown in Three Four.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Alexis 0/-------/---<<<<|=======\===----\1 Shougo
As her punches fly, Alexis punctuates them with the words, "I! DON'T! OWE! YOU! A! DAMN! THING!"
Shougo seems momentarily stunned, or at least confused by the lack of reaction to his sword attack. As the sword turns into motes of light in his hand he himself is slow to react to the sudden full-body barrage that is Alexis. He goes to the ground with a sudden burst of noise from the crowd.
"And there goes Shougo's dodge streak. Seems he finally pissed her off." Shougo takes the beating to the face with aplomb, or at least with little to noise coming from him, not that it could be heard over the blast of noise coming from the rocker herself as she pummels him.
With all the attention on the beat down, even the camera fails to notice the pair of scrolls that roll out of Shougo's sleeves and into his hands. And after the final punch he merely grins up past bloody split lips at the woman above him, his sharp teeth making the whole expression almost predatory. "You owe me a hat." He hands shoot up into the air, the scrolls unfurling towards the sky, the Japanese script written across their length reading as some sort of prayer, if anyone's eyes are quick enough to catch it.
Though the soft glow which sparks to life at their apex is much more interesting. Shimmering light forming into a sphere that suddenly follows the length of the scrolls back down to where Shougo and Alexis lay on the mat, bursting apart as it impacts into at least Shougo, and hopefully Alexis.
COMBATSYS: Alexis endures Shougo's Tsukiakari!
[ \\\ < > ///////////////// ]
Alexis 1/----<<</<<<<<<<|-------\-------\0 Shougo
Observing the fight from one side of the ring alongside the other band members from Killasaurus Orphanage, bassist Kim "Penetrable" Steele peers intently at the fight and remarks off-handedly, "Wow! Was that some kinda light sabre? I think Alexis' chest is smoking!"
The other two members of the band look at each other before opting to maintain their composure as gentlemen and remain silent.
Smoke is, in fact, rising from Alexis' scorched and heaving chest as she pants for air after unleashing her frustration on Shougo's face. She shakes her hands out, then places one on her injury with a wince before opening her eyes again and quirking an eyebrow at Shougo's audacious insistence at her headgear-related debt.
"Fine. I'll pay for it... out of the fight... winnings - eh?"
Her head tilts upward as the luminescent orb appears overhead, now plummeting back down toward her at high speed.
"Oh, son of a bitch," Alexis exclaims as she leans down and throws her hands up toward her back just before the brilliant ball hammers down on her.
"It's hard to see who's still conscious after that blinding attack, but it looked for a moment there like Shougo was willing to take himself out in order to bring Alexis with him," the commentator announces. "Wait - what's this?"
As the glare fades, Alexis becomes visible, her arms still at her back - but it's now clear that she wasn't actually using them to protect herself, but rather trying to arm herself with the red electric guitar that was strapped to her shoulder. Now, it's in her hands, the neck gripped by her leather gloves, and though her entire body is trembling with the effort to remain upright - perhaps even straining to maintain consciousness, a struggle she seems to be losing after being so thoroughly blasted - she manages to heft the weapon like an axe.
And then, with what may be a final surge of effort, she brings the flat of the instrument of destruction down heavily toward Shougo...
COMBATSYS: Alexis has reached second wind!
[ \\\\\\\ < > ///////////////// ]
Alexis 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Shougo
COMBATSYS: Shougo fails to reflect Tribute to Townshend from Alexis with Kakushi-kyo.
[ \\\\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Alexis 0/-------/-----==|====---\-------\0 Shougo
The scrolls turn to dust from the chi that travelled along their length. Though as the burst fades from view, Shougo is rolling to his feet, looking completely unbothered by taking the blast of his own attack after Alexis' beatdown. Then again, it was his own attack, who knows if it could even bother him in the first place. Regardless he smirks at Alexis from where he comes out of his roll, still in a crouch with his arms across his knees exactly like he was perched on the post before
"You have to win the prize money first." As the punk rocker suddenly comes towards him hefting her 'axe' he parts his hands once more, holding up his mirror. Or at least that had been his intention. Instead of holding the mirror in the way of the attack however, he's instead gripping another scroll. Obviously not what he had been intending as his eyes go wide as he sees the rolled up paper gripped between his own hands.
"Wrong sleeve..." Are the last words to come out of him before he takes the axe to the face, sending him sprawling back across the mat towards the edge of the ring.
"This match has been fast and brutal from the start, which is what you can expect when up-and-coming energy-capable combatants of this caliber collide! A dramatic turn-around with every attack, and with that one the battle may have swung in Alexis' favour! It's not too late to switch hype trains - if you haven't already, send your vote for who you think will win on Twitter with hashtag Shougowin or hashtag Alexiswin!" the commentary continues as both fighters seem to need a moment to recuperate after the El Kabong maneuver from Alexis.
Letting the instrument drop to the ring floor, Alexis sucks in a deep breath and leans forward, resting her hands on her knees. Her eyes turn up to look toward Shougo, a distant look in them - and then clarity comes to them, followed quickly by a rush of adrenalin. Pushing herself up to her feet, she charges forward, trying to press the assault before Shougo can regain his footing. A few feet away, she takes to the air, spinning in a half corkscrew motion as she angles the padded surface of the black armband around her elbow toward Shougo's body before descending like a hammer toward him. An audible hum vibrates the air around her elbow as she falls - evidence of a buildup of sonic energy sure to be released on whatever her elbow should strike.
COMBATSYS: Alexis successfully hits Shougo with Aggressive Strike.
[ \\\\\\\ < > /////// ]
Alexis 0/-------/----===|======-\-------\0 Shougo
Turnabout indeed, Shougo can't seem to find his feet as yet another punishing blow comes his way. But the young Darkstalker is nothing if not stupidly determined. He takes the elbow and slides away across the mat once more, popping back to his feet with a quick handspring that's all the more impressive due to the amount of damage he's taken.
He holds his hands out in front of him, for once nothing in them. Bloody and beaten, the teen is still managing to grin like everything's going to be alright in the end. Or else he's just thuroughly optimistic.
He clenches his fists, another brilliant glow forming in the middle of his hand, spilling out from the cracks between his fingers.
"Boom." He chuckles softly as he snaps open his hands, the captured chi exploding outwards towards Alexis in an unchecked deluge. No tricks, no fancy forms, this is just his chi let loose to do what it does best, mess with the brightness filters on TVs across the world for those poor saps watching at home. And burn, there's that too.
COMBATSYS: Alexis endures Shougo's Onibi.
[ < > ////// ]
Alexis 1/-------/=======|=======\-------\0 Shougo
It happens too fast for the commentary to follow - or perhaps the speaker is stunned. Whatever the case, the voiceover is silent as the outpouring of burning light washes toward Alexis - and then over her. The last visible action she takes before being engulfed is to draw in a deep breath.
"My God - Alexis just got hit with the full brunt of Shougo's attack... again! I don't know if this Canadian fighter is slow or just has no sense of self-preservation, but I apologize to anyone voting for Alexis to win - it looks like your goose may be cooked. But wait-"
As the glare of the burning energy fades, it leaves behind the figure of a smouldering Alexis. Singe marks cover her exposed face, belly, arms and collar region, and the hue of what remains of her once-white blouse now ranges from grey to black. (Luckily for the broadcasting party, there's enough of it left not to need to censor the end of the fight, at least.)
Yet, somehow - at least for the moment - she remains standing. And from the way she holds herself, she still seems to be retaining the breath she took before the barrage. Her eyes flit briefly downward, before lifting back to Shougo fiercely. She sucks in a little more air through her nostrils, before speaking in what builds from a whisper to a scream:
"Looks like you owe me... A NEEEWWWW SHIIIIRRRRTTT! HAAAAUUGGGGHH!"
If there's one thing that even detractors of her singing are reluctant to deny, it's that Alexis has lungs. If the light show from Shougo played havoc on screen brightness at home, Alexis' roar floods the speakers and earphones of listeners with the static often produced by decibel levels exceeding the input limits of microphones. The fighters' positioning, by coincidence, puts Alexis opposite Golden Rock - and as the sound of her scream is harnessed by Alexis into a responding wave of pummeling sonic energy and released toward Shougo, several eyes turn anxiously from the fight toward the precarious and sacred monument...
COMBATSYS: Alexis has reached third wind!
[ \\\ < > ////// ]
Alexis 0/-------/-------|=======\-------\0 Shougo
However, for all of Alexis' fury, her power is not enough to topple the ancient boulder. And - much like the Golden Rock itself - though she would appear about to fall at any moment as the last of her breath is spent, somehow, the punk rocker remains standing, for now...
COMBATSYS: Shougo dodges Alexis' Shredding Solo.
[ \\\ < > ////// ]
Alexis 0/-------/-------|=======\-------\0 Shougo
"Too bad, I'm broke." Shougo spreads his hands wide with the doofus grin of his spreading across his face again. He looks practically mischievous, even as he moves one of his hands back to his head, combing his hair down over his ears, sure his shaggy mop of red got tussled again in the last exchange. That seems to bother him more than the blood dribbling down his chin, staining his haori.
He's also quick. And despite not being able to fully see the sonic waves coming his way, he somehow manages to get out of the way at the last moment, juking off to the side, hoping from foot to foot like the floor of the arena is too hot to touch.
He spins around, shoving his hands free of his sleeves, a folded piece of paper held between each of his fingers, a rainbow of colors he shows to Alexis with a proud grin. "Senbadzuru." So what if they're not cranes. A flick of his wrist and he releases the origami creations into the air, half a dozen paper butterflies suddenly bursting to light.
It's like being inside a church, the mutli-colored light cast by the swarm of butterflies akin to the shining of the sun through a stained glass window, bathing the entire area in a brightly hued glow. An almost beautiful sight if one enjoys the play of light and color as Shougo certainly does. At least it's beautiful until the swarm of chi-crafted insects descends upon Alexis like a biblical plague of locusts. Each one carrying its own little charge of Shougo's energy, a swarm of chi blasts coming from nearly every direction.
COMBATSYS: Alexis dodges Shougo's Senbadzuru.
[ \\\ < > ////// ]
Alexis 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Shougo
"Wow! I'll tell you, folks, watching these two fight is like watching a fighter jet battling a brick house - which, now that I think about it, was not a parallel I actually intended to draw about Alexis Lovell. I mean, she just keeps taking it all - okay, again, don't misconstrue my meaning - holy crap."
The analyst falls momentarily quiet as, for the first time in the match, Alexis truly goes on the defensive. As the butterflies home in on her, the singer appears to be putting her stage dancing experience to use, spinning and bending away from the torrent of energy-infused origami insects. The flaky, flambe'd fabric of her upper garment is easily shredded away as the attack grazes her shirt, and a couple of holes are seared through her wildly fluttering skirt, but in the end, she manages to clear the attack mostly unharmed.
"Did she actually just dodge?" the commentator queries.
"I think Sinbad gets a bad rap," Alexis remarks breathlessly. "But there's no way I'm letting butterflies be the thing that finishes me."
All of the sonic resonance that has surrounded her throughout the fight seems gone - indeed, she seems almost completely exhausted in every meaningful sense. Still, though, she lurches forward - there is no acoustic vibration accompanying this assault. There are just the girl's two arms, looking to grab hold of Shougo, heft him onto her shoulder, and pivot before hitting him with a falling slam onto the ring floor.
COMBATSYS: Alexis successfully hits Shougo with Power Throw.
[ \\\ < > ]
Alexis 0/-------/-------|===----\-------\0 Shougo
Shougo must have used up most of his energy dodgeing and attacking in that last exchange. He's a bit sluggish to get out of the way. He lands on the mat like a ton of bricks, wincing at more than just the impact. He lays on the ground, staring up into the sky, seemingly dazed for a moment. He raises his hand towards Alexis, still grinning stupidly.
Held between his fingers is what looks like a piece of hard candy wrapped up in a twist of paper. "Bonbon?" He flicks it towards the punk rocker, perhaps a peace offering. But if there's one thing that should have been learned about Shougo in this fight, it's that he's never short of tricks up his sleeve. Quite literally.
As the 'candy' nears Alexis, Shougo snaps his fingers, causing the little treat to suddenly glow. "Bakudan." And then it explodes in a bang and a sudden flash of light. The light may be brighter than what he's been releasing, but it lacks some of the punch. More of a flashbang than anything. But its enough to wash out all the screens and monitors watching the fight in a bright white glow.
Regardless of the attack connecting or not, when the glow clears, Shougo is nowhere to be seen.
COMBATSYS: Shougo can no longer fight.
[ \\\ <
Alexis 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Alexis blocks Shougo's Bonbon Bakudan.
COMBATSYS: Alexis refuses to stay down!
[ \\ <
Alexis 0/-------/------=|
As the piece of candy is extended toward Alexis, the rocker girl tilts her head a little to one side, bangs spilling in her eyes, a slight breeze ruffling them as her body glistens in the sun with a gleaming melange of sweat and soot and dirt. One arm rises to wipe her brow, but then drops toward the candy to catch it in her glove as it's flicked up at her. "Bonbon?" she parrots, her voice soft and sabulous. "Euh, non, merci. Je ne - the hell's a Bakushiiit!"
When the traitorous treat begins to glow, she drops it quickly toward the ground and throws up her arms to protect her face and vitals. The result is that, when the flare clears, Alexis is still standing, arms and legs only a little worse for wear than they already were. However, her skirt, which was blown up by the blast, takes just a second longer to recover from the flashbang's effects than the cameras pointed at her - a second on the stream that's more than enough to have just as terrible consequences as the bird to the face earlier. Alexis, for her part, appears unaware of the malfunction, seeming to take a sudden interest in the ground beneath her as she drops to her knees and rests her head on it, gasping for air.
"Well... wow. It appears that after a dramatic comeback, Alexis Lovell has managed to snatch a victory by a seemingly very narrow margin. I was pretty sure I wasn't going to have to use this line, but could this be the start of a Golden age for the Rock n' Roll fighter? On the other hand, who knows how long of a recovery she'll need after a brutal barrage like that? And hey - where did Shougo end up, anyway...? In any case, some of us might need a breather after that one, but stay tuned - we have more Professional Fighting action coming your way soon!"
And perhaps worst of all, when Alexis returns to where ever her band is using as a dressing room, a small amount of cash is missing. Though left behind is a hand written receipt made out for '1 hat', and a piece of candy wrapped up in a paper wrapper taped to the bottom. Less explosive candy.
Log created on 15:01:15 05/17/2015 by Shougo, and last modified on 00:16:36 05/18/2015.