Match of the Millennium

Description: In the rematch of the century, Sven Maesters faces off against Minal "Mint" Panesh in a Neo-League match. <Winner: Mint>

[MINT]
Minal peels off her camouflage cap, wiping the sweat from her brow with a small rag. The air is swelteringly hot and oppressive, heat waves rippling the reflections of the surrounding vista in the lenses of her sunglasses. The Indian-American is lost in thought, wondering just what it is about Pueblo Thunderfoot that has captured her mind so. On a subconscious level, she can't stop thinking about it -- and yet, when it comes to remembering the details on a conscious level, the thoughts just... don't come to mind.

Maybe she'll get some answers here, she resolves, pulling the cap snugly back into position. With a brief glance at her freakishly oversized metal hands, she hops down from her perch -- the roof of a one-story building overlooking town square. Her boots cough up a small ring of dust as she lands, causing her nose to wrinkle in anxiety. But after that moment to settle herself, the Special Forces Marine begins to make her way towards the center of town.

How long ago was that tournament, now? It seems like an eternity ago, and yet, the wrestling ring erected for that event is up like nothing ever changed. Is it a new ring that looks exactly like the old one? Was it simply kept in storage all this time, waiting for the moment that Neo League would haul it out of mothballs? The Marine offers a wry smirk as she contemplates the possibilities as she strides up through the ranks, proudly and confidently.

The grandstands are half-full. People turn their faces to the dark-skinned Marine. Some clap. Some cheer and holler. It's enough to bring symmetry to Mint's smile. The feeling of nostalgia going through her... Perhaps she has memories of this ring after all?

She raises one mechanical hand to her face, finger and thumb delicately plucking the sunglasses off her face and tucking them into a pocket of the duffel around her shoulder. She hands the bag to a Neo League official: "Thanks."

And then she steps up to the ring with a bright smile, waving gingerly to the crowd with one hand. Her other, clenching lightly with only the slight 'tink' of metal finger touching metal palm.

Mexico's inexplicable cooperation with the United States government may be causing some interesting ripples at the political and national levels, but right here at ground level, the audience doesn't seem to have a care in the world aside from the upcoming battle. And from her placid, cheery smile, it would seem Mint is right there with them.

[SVEN]
For Sven?

The grandstands are half empty.

The disgraced ex-champion strides out to the ring. His background with this tournament... he had not faced Mint in the tournament, directly. Only confronted her. And when the time came to battle in the hidden valley, the duo had a kind of soft rivalry in place. Not enough to follow up, but with Mint's career launching off on her own, Sven's had... declined, so to speak. His fall from grace?

Simply losing.

But Sven had the aura of a man with a chip on his shoulder. He usually was gentle on the side ring antics. But for Mint, an old rival? He had nothing but the full heel kayfabe. One for a marine, even. He stomps down towards the ring, heavy boots striding down as his wolfskin pelt cape dangled behind him. He had no shirt, and only a pair of khakis. He had been at these rings before. But he never finished it, for his own reasons. He was here for the Neo League.

And he was more than happy to up the villain cred.

"So it's you again, Mint, yah?" The thundering swede rumbles, the wolfman mask pulled over his face. "I didn't think you'd be brave enough to fight me in my element!" Sven rolls under the ropes, rising up to a stand as he grips the ropes, glaring at the audience. "And this is all the fans you could muster? I thought you did more with your time!" Sven Maesters scoffs, as he turns back his attention to Mint, looking down at her. "But it's for the best, cause you have only a few people ready to see you get dropped down. I got a Neo League to clean up. And you?" He lurches forward, hands apart, his sneer hidden behind the mask.

"There will be not sheep to protect you this time, yah?"

[MINT]
Mint's smile grows larger as she sees the disgraced Swede swagger on down. Her memories of Pueblo Thunderfoot may be fleeting, but she can certainly remember lobbing sheep at the guy calling her out. As rivals in the realm of fightingsports go, Sven is definitely her first, but by this point, far from her -only- rival. And considering his -last- opponent...

"Hey, Sven." There's no pretense, no acknowledgement of the rivalry, not even calling back his chosen name of the Warwolf. Just a sunny, cheerful disposition and a flexing of her mechanical digits.

"Oh, the sheep weren't there to protect *me* ---" she insists, slipping under the rope, and then climbing back to the raised level. She may be short, but there's no question of how -strong- she is, lugging that heavy iron around. Standing once more, she clangs her metal knuckles against one another, flashing a manic grin at her opponent: " -- they were there to cushion the fall of me droppin' you on your ass!"

The crowd cheers -- but that has at least as much to do with the appearance of a local Thunderfoot native at the announcer's bench as it does for the two rivals' banter. English isn't the audience's first language, after all! Mint steps from side to side, flexing her fingers as the announcer explains the rules of th fight to those in attendance.

And then the Neo League officials give the word! Two high-pitched whines emanate from the turbines of Mint's knuckles -- and with no further ado, Mint thunders forward! Closing the gap in instants, she hopes to latch onto Sven's arm with her left hand, while simultaneously pistoning her right fist into his abdomen with such force and thrust that -both- fighters are carried aloft! Her hope here is that, by taking Sven into the air, he won't be able to spring off the ring's mat for his first strike...!

COMBATSYS: Mint has started a fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Mint             0/-------/-------|

COMBATSYS: Sven has joined the fight here.

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Sven             0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0             Mint

COMBATSYS: Mint successfully hits Sven with STOL.

[     \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////////  ]
Sven             0/-------/----===|=------\-------\0             Mint

[SVEN]
Sven sells the insult hard.

Staggering away from the ropes, he glares at the audience that was just eating up that jab. "You lost that match, Mint! You lost it, fair and square! And nothing you say can change that, yah?" That was his counter attack. Sven's first language also wasn't English, but Swedish wasn't gonna cut it. He pounds his chest, as the rules are called out, pacing back and forth in his corner like a feral wolf. The call comes.

ANd the fight begins.

The sound of Mint's mechanical fists does give Sven Maesters some -very- hard pause. His match with Maxima was fresh in his mind; and fighting opponents with mechanical assistance? It made him nervous. That kind of hesitation proves to be a mistake; as she closes the gap in a flash, he is seized up, not even able to escape from the grip. Snagged, he takes the blow the gut hard, grunting in pain as he doubles over. And he is airborne, taken up with her. Writhing and struggling, he doesn't get his opening momentum, his opening assault.

But he isn't totally helpless, either.

Surging back, he struggles with the grapple in the clinch. He didn't have the turbines to boost his momentum. And being airborne? Not a fun deal. Without the ropes to boost him, he would be relying on gravity to turn Mint around, and then, -down- into the mat. He would turn that young lady upside down, to unleash a blow-out piledriver straight down into the mat. It was his chance for the moment.

And he had to make it count.

COMBATSYS: Mint blocks Sven's Power Throw.

[     \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////    ]
Sven             0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0             Mint

[MINT]
Mint beams even as Sven throws the insult right back in her face. She wasn't even sure if Sven remembered that fight's outcome, and she was willing to bet the audience had never even heard about it. It's a moot point though, the audience is loving the back-and-forth banter -- and as long as Mint continues flashing that smug smile back at her opponent, it's all good! The announcers provide enough of a distraction that she doesn't need to answer, anyway...

But, yes, the fight! Mint's opening gambit proves successful, her iron grip clamped down upon his shoulder long enough for a few good punches to be pummeled into his stomach, bringing the pair skyward. But while Mint has thrust on her side, Sven's quite a bit better with manipulating his momentum in a more traditional sense, and he's able to leverage her own grip against her, wrenching her left arm backwards and steering her head towards the ground.

"Tch! I don't -think- so!" she yelps, straining against the hold. It might have worked against a traditional boxer, but not one with jet engines strapped to her arms.

Sven might have her by the arm, but her other arm - and its jet nozzle - are free to move about. One quick burst of thrust is all it takes to move the corporal about so that she lands on her shoulder and gauntlet, rather than her much more vulnerable head! "Whuff!"

Plus, the jarring impact is enough to break her free! But rather than letting herself bounce -too- far from the wrestler, she whirls about, seeking to ram the broadside of her gauntlet into Sven, staggering him backwards. Fully upright, she'll capitalize on the momentum by rushing forward to close the gap, grapple onto his hip with her right hand, and tenderize the his upper torso with the other! "Oooooorahhhh!"

COMBATSYS: Sven blocks Mint's Violent Clinching.

[       \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////   ]
Sven             0/-------/---====|==-----\-------\0             Mint

[SVEN]
It's like a little slamfest.

Smacking Mint down, the metal takes most of the impact. It's not what Sven wants, per say. His experience with Maxima taught him that if it has metal? Throw it around. But it's a big picture kind of deal. Smashing each other apart breaks the main clinch, and gives Sven some space to recover. Landing on his ass, he has just enough time to rise up. Mint seizes on it, and the Marine was on him in...

Just a moment.

Sven actually explodes back at Mint, surging at the clinch with pure impact. Sweeping his arms forward, he knocks aside the initial slam of the metal gloves. Instead of staggering back, he was staggering in, forcing back on the clinch. As she grips his hip, he was pushing into her more... which wasn't the greatest, as the pounding metal fist comes at his chest. But the forward momentum carved some leverage; Sven manages to drive his left hand at her left upper arm, using his longer reach to crook the pounding, nub the damage to his already blackening chest.

With his right?

He draws it back, winding back the punch. It was take a second burst as he power flexes out of the clinch, and then, -slams- his fist into a staggering superman punch, attempting to take the pair of them right for the ropes with a surging, driving blow right for her face. He would aim for the chest, but, well. Short.

"AROOOOOO!"

COMBATSYS: Mint blocks Sven's Garouken ES.

[        \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////////     ]
Sven             1/-----==/=======|====---\-------\0             Mint

[MINT]
As Mint's jackhammer punches are redirected away from their target, the diminutive boxer can see the writing on the wall. She relinquishes her hold on Sven, pivoting away to demonstrate the fancy footwork expected of a top-heavy boxer. Staying in place just isn't on the agenda there!

Accordingly, Panesh is able to see Sven's windup for what it is, and she has the space to react accordingly, taking the opportunity to raise her fists into defensive positions. Sven will find his fist colliding with the side of the Marine's raised gauntlet instead of her face. And yet, while the attack missed its mark, the force is still transmitted through Mint's arm in partial fashion, forcing her to step sideways as she's spun around in nearly a half-circle, imparting considerable stress on her elbow as the gauntlet sways aside in pendular fashion.

And yet, even with her fancy footwork, Sven is still positioned right there next to her, up close and personal like. Minal lets out a huff of air, clearly amused by the Warwolf's persistence.

But rather than shy away from the proximity, Mint aims to capitalize on it. Her gauntlets' engines flare up with short, staccato bursts of thrust, allowing her to fire off a a dizzying flurry of one-two punches at Sven's solar plexus! Her hope is to keep him from converting his proximity into the brutal grappling moves he's known for! "Raaaaah rah rah rah rah rah rah!"

COMBATSYS: Sven dodges Mint's Foxtrot Oscar.

[        \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////       ]
Sven             1/-----==/=======|===----\-------\0             Mint

[SVEN]
Punching metal still hurt.

Driving hard in, he had hoped the presence would pressure her out. Even as his fist swells up, he was optimistic that he would send her on the back foot. Instead, the jet gauntlets flare to life, and she breaks into a wild, aggressive punching frenzy. Unlike Maxima, who had a steadier pace, Mint was pluckier. Sven is forced into weaving, slipping hard to the left, and then, the right, moving in tandem with the rapid assault. He wanted to fully pivot around the marine, to carve an offensive opening. But the sheer weight and volume of the assault doesn't grant him -any- openings. It was overwhelming, aggressive. A single punch grazes him, and he realizes that no, he can't stay here. He couldn't dodge forever. He was over extended, and he needed to retreat. A second punch grazes him as he steps back.

And finally, he flips back, to fully escape the flurry.

Landing on the top ropes, he eases himself, balancing himself out. Crossing his arms, he glares down at Mint from the high ground. "You have gotten stronger, yah? But I have faced more foes. I was champion! I was strongest!" Flexing his arms, he surges with strength, the wrestler giving almost a bodybuilding show as he beats his chest. He narrows his eyes, planning out his assault, carefully figuring out how to dismantle the full metal combat before him. Sweat pouring off his body, he nearly falls backwards on the ropes from his show. And finally, he thinks he has it, as he unleashes his howl.

"AROOOOOOOO!"

COMBATSYS: Sven focuses on his next action.

[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////       ]
Sven             1/-----==/=======|===----\-------\0             Mint

[MINT]
Mint's relentless fury continues nearly unabated; each weave from Sven is matched by a steady, consistent advance from the pugilist. Her onslaught only tapers off when Sven leaps to the relative safety of the top ropes. Mint pulls her fist back, the flow from her turbine nozzles fading into dull ripples of air.

The Marine watches the show of strength. Refilling her lungs with barely parted lips, she steps backwards. Fists raised close to her face, her fingers curl and uncurl with anticipation....

Anticipation that his grandstanding would send him to the mat.
She's almost rewarded for her patience.
But then she winces at the wolf's howl.

Recovering, she breaks into a steady grin as she snaps her hands back into fists. Rapidly shifting her weight from one foot to the other, she fires off a series of rapid jabs into the air, knowing full well her arms won't be able to reach the Warwolf.

"Yeah, a lot's changed. I got you to thank for that, in a way."

And she refrains from attacking. The springy ropes are -way- too dangerous for her to attempt to strike -- and overcommitting could be punishing to Mint even if she misses the wrestler completely.

No, this time, Minal Panesh backs up, putting a few more meters of distance between herself and ringside. Her fists curl up, just below the level of her jaw, in a wary stance. Her eyes stay locked onto those of her opponent.

"Like, ya really think I'm dumb enough to fall for that trap?"

COMBATSYS: Mint focuses on her next action.

[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////       ]
Sven             1/-----==/=======|===----\-------\0             Mint

[SVEN]
Sven watches as Mint backs up.

It was a momentum killer, and not one that Sven wanted. He wanted Mint to surge in. Instead? She was backing off, giving him space. And space to control gave her the reaction. Sven planned on her pressing at her. And now, instead? As he struggles to keep balanced?

He looked kind of confused.

"Uh...." Sven states, somewhat sheepishly. Looking around at the audience for a moment, he shakes his head. "No good! But I still got you, yah?" Sven then leaps from the top ropes, throwing out a double-legged drop kick. Not -exactly- what he had in mind, but. Mint saw through his plan. He had to adapt. And adapting? Meant -drop kicks- right into the whole center of Mint. If she could slip around? Good. If she could punch out? Well... she would doing so against the full weight of the wrestler. All with a howl.

"AROOOOO!"

COMBATSYS: Mint dodges Sven's Strong Kick.

[         \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////       ]
Sven             1/-----==/=======|===----\-------\0             Mint

[MINT]
Really, it's Mint's -preference- to keep driving in with heavy offense. But Sven's positioning was the killer there, and if there's one thing that the Marine's fight with Hayley had taught her, it's that not all problems can be solved with her fists.

Her smile gets a bit toothy when Sven response with sheepish stalling. Bingo!

And when that drop kick thunders forward, the additional distance gives the tiny pugilist a huge advantage in strafing out of its path. By the time Sven's committed assault drops down to her level, Mint is already a few feet to the left of where she was, with both fists brought high just in case Sven were to turn wildly to follow her.

"Nah, not so much..." she quips back, bringing her left gauntlet back and curling her right fist down by her waist. The gentle whirr of both gauntlet turbines becomes a thunderous roar, as Mint plows forward, plunging her fist into Sven's abdomen! The mat shudders in a tympanic tantrum from each of her jet-assisted steps! "OOOOH---"

But that's when her right fist changes trajectory in dramatic fashion, arcing upward as she allows the thrust to carry her upward! The pugilist isn't doing anything fancy per se -- just a rocket-powered uppercut to slam squarely into Sven's jaw! "--RAAAAH!" Sometimes simpler is better!

COMBATSYS: Mint blitzes into action and acts again!

[         \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////      ]
Sven             1/-----==/=======|===----\-------\0             Mint

COMBATSYS: Sven blocks Mint's Fierce Punch.

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Sven             1/---====/=======|==-----\-------\0             Mint

COMBATSYS: Mint successfully hits Sven with Uppercut.
Glancing Blow

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Sven             1/-======/=======|===----\-------\0             Mint

[SVEN]
Here it comes.

Sven was waiting for the relentless assault. He had hoped to carve apart some momentum. But that didn't seem like it would be happening, not this time. As his drop kick comes down with a crash. He doesn't lose too much recovery, but. When she dodges? She is -on- him. The turbines whirr up, and that is the drive that makes Sven hustle. Staggering back up into a stand, the little lady is hurling in. Sven just barely manages to catch it, his arms taking the brunt of it over his gut. But the onslaught continues; when the second punch readies to rise up? He pushes against the first, and -dives- to her flanks. The uppercut nails his shoulder hard, nearly knocking him out of his dodge. But he just makes it, just makes it to the ropes past her, makes it behind her. Latching on, he rebounds off the ropes.

And he makes for the counter attack.

The wrestler would attempt to grab the brawler by her hips. There, Sven would lifts up his opponent from behind, and hooks her underneath his inner thigh. There, he would flip her around, keeping a grip on that thigh, and smashes her down hard on her back, holding her leg to keep him in place. A precise, focused power bomb.

"ARROOOOO!"

COMBATSYS: Mint fails to interrupt Jaeger Bomber ES from Sven with Attack of Opportunity.

[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////             ]
Sven             2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|======-\-------\0             Mint

[MINT]
The turbines of her left gauntlet whirr back to idle upon impact -- she's not trying to -kill- her opponent, after all! And as Sven presses off of her fist, she frowns a bit as she realizes he's redirected the fierce uppercut into his shoulder instead!

The mad rush of her turbines causes a wicked sort of tunnel vision; combined with the sudden pivot from her opponent, Mint is more than a little disoriented. She sways off-balance to her left, even spreading the fingers of her left hand, redistributing her weight in hopes of restoring balance.

And it's right about then that Sven makes contact -- the touch proving to the pugilist exactly where her opponent lies. With both turbines now idling, thrust is no longer part of the equation, and Mint attempts to catch Sven with the broadside of her gauntlet again! This time, though, disorientation means her wild swing hits nothing but air as Sven has already moved around -- leaving her fully at Sven's mercy!

And he's not exactly known for his mercy.

Mint experiences -another- whirling disorientation, this time on a completely separate axis, as she finds herself rocked backward and slammed into the mat.

Mint looses a gasp of surprise as the mat trembles with the impact, followed by a pair of loud thumps as her gauntlets slam down afterwards. She blinks rapidly, drawing in her breath -- after her ribcage is quite done with the inertial shock. Lifting her right fist, she uses one microburst of thrust to spin her back to her feet -- leaving a charred spot in her wake.

"Ughhhh... " she states, turning back to face three Svens. Or is that four?

"... Okay, maybe, yeah...!" she concedes, restoring her guard. "But it ain't over yet!"

[SVEN]
There wouldn't be any mercy.

Mint was the face in this match, and Sven knew it. A pretty Marine with awesome turbines? Sven was just a dope in a wolfman mask. And yet, as his bruised and battered body burned in agony, he goes for the powerbomb. Smashing her down, he rolls off, getting up to a stand first. Running to the ropes, he leans into them, before snapping back at Mint. Just as the whirr comes to life.

Sven doesn't give Mint very long back on her feet.

As she rises up, she would be instantly greeted with a chopping forearm from the right, the momentum of the wrestler carrying him forward. "You are right, yah?" He bellows, as he hurls a second chop with his left. "You got a lot more to take in my way!" Sven's staggered english was getting worse, as he chains into a gutwrenching hammerblow right for Mint's chest. Should she be stunned long enough, the wrestler would bring the assault to a closure by dipping in low. There, he would attempt to grab the poor girl by her knees, and with a heft, pick her right up. And there, he would spin, and spin, and spin into a giant throw, before releasing her right into the corner turnbuckle.

"THE NIGHT OF THE WARWOLF IS ALMOST UPON US!"

COMBATSYS: Mint blocks Sven's Wolf Blitzer ES.

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Sven             1/-------/<<<<<<<|=======\=------\1             Mint

[MINT]
Mint doesn't really follow wrestling. Sure, she's seen squadmates watching the spectacle, and often takes the opportunity to deliver some much-needed payback to balance out the good-natured ribbing she receives throughout the work week. But really, she only knows the basic notions of what constitutes a 'face' and a 'heel,' and the very thought that such a concept can be applied to combat that -isn't- pre-scripted farce is... not a thought that's really occurred to her. Is it even possible that Sven might -not- act this way outside the ring?

Her gauntlets rise to Sven's forearm chop, the side of his hand glancing off reinforced metal. Minal steps backwards, yielding with the chop in cognizance of the wrestler's formidable force -- and that gives her the room she needs to interpose her other gauntlet into the path of the followup chop. "S-sure..." she stammers, crossing her eyes as she tries to follow the broken English.

But when the dual-fisted hammerblow swings towards her core, she chooses to turn her shoulder into the blow. Even unarmored, it will become clear to Sven that Mint -rarely- skips arm day -- her tensed biceps and shoulders are pretty strong themselves! "Hurrrgh..."

She hops sideways, allowing Sven's blow to knock her back the slight amount. She's not stunned by the blow, though she wasn't expecting him to drop low and grab her by the knees. "W-whoa!"

Sven -is- able to grab her -- but she's a lot heavier with her gauntlets! And he's able to lob her around like a giant hammer, but the 'hammer' swings her arms upward, redirecting the path of her flight. Instead of slamming her head and torso into the turnbuckle, she clips it with her leg...

A clank of metal is heard, as her titanium knee replacement makes contact.
Mint grits her teeth as the vibration reverberates through her.
But, for the moment, she's been released...

Mint surges forward, mindful of the placement of her steps. Her knees are still shaking. But she lets herself practically -fall- into a downward punch at Sven's knee, before her rushed pace can catch up, allowing her to rise into a heavy hook punch at his side! "HYAAAAH!"

COMBATSYS: Mint successfully hits Sven with Heavy Punch.

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Sven             1/----<<</<<<<<<<|=======\==-----\1             Mint

[SVEN]
Close, but so far.

Hurling Mint away, the wrestler pushes forward, keeping the pressure on her. Brow knitted, he breaths hard as he piles forward. He was in the zone, and all he needed to do was break into a manic frenzy. Cape billowing, he reaches to pull it clean off. Tearing it from his shoulders, he tosses it away as he weaves to avoid the incoming punch. "THE MOON HAS-

"HOOOOAGH"

And it knocks the wind clean out of Sven.

The Warwolf groans in pain, as the blow knocks the berserker rage out of him. Forcing himself to ease on his feet, the wrestler looks almost ready to drop. Body now actually black and blow, the body blows have just added up. Surging up with strength, he powers through the fatigue, the weakness. All for what? To attempt to grab Mint by her shoulders, and spin her around. And there, he would hook the crook of his elbow around her neck, and go for a clean triangle choke.

"AROOOO!"

COMBATSYS: Mint dodges Sven's Choke Hold.

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Sven             1/----===/=======|=======\==-----\1             Mint

[MINT]
Body tissues are broken down with each injury, and with a healthy diet, that just means the body will grow back stronger! And that's exactly what Mint would say about the darkening bruise on her shoulder from where Sven last smacked her, or the shredded muscles around her left knee joint. She -is- starting to limp a little, which is only really noticeable from the way in which she lists sideways after her punch -- not -quite- so eager to follow up her last volley as the ones before.

Indeed -- even as the Warwolf lumbers towards her, her escape isn't -quite- as nimble as at the start of the fight. Sven's grab earns the response of a quick hop and a shaky landing, buoyed only by the deliberate swinging of her heavy counterweighting arms, carrying her just out of the range of Sven's fingers. Probably a good reason for her not to keep her hair long!

As her boots land true, though, Mint flashes her teeth in another grin. "Hey, you're lookin' a little sleepy there, Sven..."

She grips her hands tight.
Her thumbs turn inward.
And the engines roar to life!

"Maybe it's time for this big bad wolf to take a nap!"

Mint thunders forward, pulled along by her engines. She aims low, balling both fists together to swing an axehandle up at Sven, crashing into his chest. If she succeeds in launching him skyward as she hopes, the engines will flare to half of military power with brilliant orange light as she takes to the sky in hot pursuit! One, two, three ... six machine-gun blows would batter Sven upward and backward ... and then her right fist roars to full power! She would then swing her right fist in a wild arc, slamming the broadside of her KNUCKS gauntlet into Sven's face and upper torso, forearm checking him right back into the ring!

COMBATSYS: Sven blocks Mint's Charlie Foxtrot.

[                      \\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////                  ]
Sven             1/--=====/=======|======-\-------\0             Mint

[SVEN]
"AROOOOO!"

The howling was intensifying, even as Mint slips from his grips. He was trying to charge himself up, build himself into a wild frenzy. Howling like a mad man, whipping himself up. "AROOO! AROOO!" He was turning red now, his bruises the only placed marring his crimson skin. Even as the hair slips from his fingers, even as the engines rev up, he keeps howling up. "AROOO! AROOO!" It numbed the pain, it numbed the fatigue. ANd when it finally comes.

It gives him the strength to guard.

As the fists flurry at him, he carefully blocks the assault, overcharging himself as well as his forearms take the full barrage. Not even a cracked bone, as they swell up into bruises. But when the final right cross comes, that's when the crack comes. Sven staggers back, groaning. But he did not break, he did not fall.

And he counters.

Unleashing a driving, deep gut punch, he attempts to slam in to stun the marine. Should he succeed? He would lunge back to the ropes, and launch back off them into an aerial vault. There, he would follow up with a front flip, to latch his thighs around Mint's neck. There, he would pivot, rolling backwards into the ground, as he would unleash the Frankensteiner signature. But then, he would keep rolling, revealing the dreaded Wolfensteiner 3D. One roll. Two roll. Crushing her in the tightly bound seize, before in the very end, he would hurl her away from his grips, aiming to knock her squarely in the ropes. He wouldn't hesitate to rise again.

Bringing a howl with him.

"AROOOOO!"

COMBATSYS: Mint dodges Sven's Wolfensteiner 3D ES.

[                       \\\\\\\  < >  ////////////                  ]
Sven             0/-------/-----==|======-\-------\0             Mint

[MINT]
It's ... certainly not unheard of for guys to do what Sven is. Mint's seen her fellow Marines in a similar state of roiding out whenever psyching themselves up to break their own deadlift records, for instance. But once she's committed herself to the attack, there's no turning back -- she's in for the long haul!

Her axehandle is battered aside by the stalwart Swede. While she isn't able to launch him into the air, she continues whaling against him relentlessly, chipping away at his guard with well-placed shifts of footing until she's able to successfully drive him back...!

And then she finds time itself starting to slow down.
She feels a sensation that she hasn't come across before.
A whisper on the sweltering hot breeze.
The air displaced by Sven surging forward.

Minal doesn't question the warning. She just lurches abruptly to her right, putting all her weight on her less injured leg. And that driving gut punch whistles right past her gauntlets, even as Mint's wide eyes stare back at the deadly fist, fully cognizant of what that -could- have been! "--whoa!"

Shifting her left foot closer, she then teeters forward, leaning into a left straight punch. "Hah!" She doesn't quite know how she was able to dodge, but she's not about to let the opportunity go to pass. Hoping to catch Sven before he can recover, she follows that first punch up with an underhand right hook. "Haa!" And then she'd aim to throw her shoulders into one heavy-handed haymaker aimed at knocking Sven flat in the sternum! "HAAAAH!"

COMBATSYS: Mint successfully hits Sven with Knuckle Dragger.

[                           \\\  < >  ///////////                   ]
Sven             0/-------/--=====|=======\-------\1             Mint

[SVEN]
And she escapes from the punch.

There is no flipping, no finisher. There is only the brawling Marine that was moving to the flanks. With the left straight, he takes it -hard- as it connects. He doesn't even register the dodge, by the time the right hook comes. Sven staggers like a stunned bull. And he's done. His body doesn't know it. But his mind does. Sven was going down. "A.... Aroo?!" He sputters. But automatically, he was hurling back at Mint.

And he makes his last ditch attempt

Bounding forward, as the fatigue, the weakness consumes him, the wrestler -slams- forward to grab Mint. Should he nab her? He would move for a desperate overhand grip on Mint's neck and arm, placing his body over her head. And there, with a windup, he will flip both himself and his victim around into a corkscrew, slamming the marine hard to ground headfirst. But whether he takes her down, or drops himself? He would hit the mat.

And he wouldn't be getting up.

COMBATSYS: Sven can no longer fight.

[                   \\\\\\\\\\\  <
Mint             1/-------/=======|

COMBATSYS: Mint blocks Sven's Neckcutter ES.

[                      \\\\\\\\  <
Mint             1/-----==/=======|

[MINT]
Mint may not know much about wrestling.
But she realizes that Sven is playing a role, and doing a fantastic job at it.

Because normally, people hit that hard just tip over. When he howls, Mint seems, for an instant, to be completely spooked by that, backing off and raising her fists in defense, widening her stance for stability. Sven soars inward, and she turns away, unwittingly fulfilling one of his objectives -- her arm! Her mouth gapes wide in a cry of alarm!

And then, before she can twist herself free, Sven's in the air, wrenching the slight Marine about as if her gauntlets -weren't- like battleship anchors. "H-hey, wait a--"

Mint goes flying, ass over teakettle. It's just that, in her case, teakettles are a pretty good stand-in for her massive KNUCKS gauntlets. And when Sven slams her towards the ground, the Marine still has an arm free to lunge upwards, curling protectively around her head. Metal slams into the mat, straining the fabric with a horrid sound before Mint's hips and legs crash down just a few moments afterward. "Ooof!"

Hurriedly, Mint bounces back to her feet, curling her hands into fists once more as she looks around for Sven.

And only then does she realize two things. One, Sven didn't get back up. And two -- man, she is breathing -super- hard. Her body is practically on -fire-, rushing around in this heat like this. Her skin is definitely not as red as Sven's, but her tank top is practically soaked.

The audience breaks into cheers as the winner is announced. And yet, Mint looks around nervously -- still stuck in the moment.

Panicked.

The Neo League fight official climbs through the ropes, walking out with his microphone. Mint's gaze snaps to him. The corporal raises her fist...

The official freezes in his tracks. And for one tense moment, it looks like Mint might have acquired a second target.

And then, finally -- focus returns, and Panesh slides out of her battle trance.

It takes another moment for her fist to drop, for her spine to slacken, for her nerves to relax.

More words are called out, in Spanish. And by this point, she smiles and nods dumbly.

But she won't take the hand of the official. Mint will drop down and kneel next to Sven, clapping him lightly on the shoulder. In a voice only he can hear, in an incredibly sincere and heartfelt tone, she says only three words before the cheering crowd drowns her out.

"Good fight, Sven."

COMBATSYS: Mint takes no action.

[                      \\\\\\\\  <
Mint             1/-----==/=======|

COMBATSYS: Mint has ended the fight here.

Log created on 13:05:56 06/06/2018 by Sven, and last modified on 23:40:45 06/07/2018.