Match of the Millennium

Description: Chizuru said that Mai had some potential and wanted to test her chi... but Mai didn't realize what she was getting into offering to do a practice match with her.

[CHIZURU]
Considering the little 'glamour' that came around the business card Chizuru had given Mai, the shinobi might have expected to meet her in some grandiose hall in one of those large tower in South Town's business district but that wasn't the case. The location Mai had been given by Chizuru's secretary was in the middle of nowhere, in a forest a little distance away from South Town.

An old path through the forest leads up to what feels like an old shrine. Someone was out there : Chizuru, clad in an outfit that contrasts with the one she had last time, a classic miko outfit. She has a broom in her hand, an old broom made of hay and she's sweeping off the floor in front of the shrine, tending to it while she was waiting for Mai's arrival.

[MAI]
Mai was really surprised that Chizuru wanted to meet in such a quiet place, when she said she had a fancy corporate job. How mysterious! But a quiet place like this does feel like a good place to get some combat training.

Mai is easy to recognize in her training outfit, but she almost doesn't notice Chizuru at first because she seems so quietly unassuming, sweeping the floor. She approaches with a spring in her step, and then bends over and tilts her head, trying to catch Chizuru's eye as it's focused down on the dust on the ground. "Hi! I made it to the shrine like you said. Nice place!"

[CHIZURU]
Hearing Mai's voice, Chizuru lifts her gaze up and turns her attention from her dutiful task. Her lips curl into a smile and she bows her head in greeting to Mai. Chizuru rests her broom against the wall and she glances around, "Don't mind the dust," She says, "I've always had trouble keeping up with my duties.." She admits a little bitterly.

Chizuru turns on her heels to glance up at the shrine and she beams up a little, obviously taking pride in this old decrepited place, yet it had something old fashioned. "So, are you going to put me up to the test today, see if I'm worthy of being part of your team?" She asks.

COMBATSYS: Chizuru has started a fight here.

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Chizuru          0/-------/-------|

COMBATSYS: Mai has joined the fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Chizuru          0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0              Mai

[MAI]
Mai pulls a fan out from behind her back - somehow - and then uses it to tap some dust off of the bottom of one of her feet. There IS a bit of dust around, but she's mostly doing it to be cheeky. "Oh! I thought you were putting me to the test to see if I could live up to your training expectations. Either one of those sounds good to me."

She takes a few steps back and waits for Chizuru to seem ready. Honestly she has no idea what to expect here and anything could happen. But she's good natured about it and not yet feeling like she's in over her head. Who knows...

When Chizuru seems ready to go, Mai settles into her combat stance, which involves leaning forward a little bit and bracing her legs apart. Then, almost experimentally, she throws the fan she was holding. It travels in a quick circular spin.

COMBATSYS: Chizuru dodges Mai's Kachosen.

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Chizuru          0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0              Mai

[CHIZURU]
Chizuru's smile widens a little mischievously at Mai's remark, "Maybe I am ~" She teases playfully, "We'll see..." She says, letting her words trail off. As the purpose of their encounter is now clear, Chiruzu walks down the few steps of the shrine to get at the same level than Mai and she turns on her heels to face her.

The Miko lifts her right arm up, getting into her own combat stance, "I may not be a professional fighter like you are," Chizuru says, "... But underestimating me would be a dire mistake," She warns, her voice having lost its playful intonation.

When Mai throws her fan, Chizuru reacts swiftly, ducking down to avoid it as it travels over her head. While she kneels down, Chizuru lunges toward Mai -- or rather a copy of her charges at her and delivers a low arm sweep while the real Chizuru dashes forward with a mere second of delay to give Mai an open palm thrust aimed at her midsection.

COMBATSYS: Mai blocks Chizuru's Shinsoku No Norito - Tenzui.

[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////    ]
Chizuru          0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0              Mai

[MAI]
Mai is watching carefully to see what her opponent will do. Chizuru rushes in suddenly... or, wait, did she? Mai almost wants to dodge the initial rush, but then realizes that there's another delay in play. She has to hold her arms up to block it. The palm thrust comes in to clash with her hands, but she looks a little wide-eyed at the trick that Chizuru just pulled.

Then she smiles. "Oh, that was neat! You're really fast! I guess you're right - I better make sure I work hard at this and take it seriously." But the little glitter in her eye doesn't seem so serious... yet.

Mai pulls out another fan, as she seems to have an endless amount of them. There's a little laugh and sparkle as she swings her fan around in a wide circle - then does it again, spinning toward the now in-close Chizuru with a flashy swirling fan combo. "Time to step up my game!"

COMBATSYS: Chizuru blocks Mai's Hakuro No Mai.

[   \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////////     ]
Chizuru          0/-------/------=|=======\-------\0              Mai

[CHIZURU]
Quickly shifting back into a defensive stance after her initial lunge, Chizuru's arms move to sweep off Mai's fan to prevent her from hitting her right on, absorbing the impact through the wide sleeves of her forearms.

Chizuru smiles as she notices how Mai's spirit seems to burn brightly, as if she had triggered her passion to fight. Obviously, she was pleased with how things turn out. "You wanted to see my personal trick... This is what I can do," Chizuru says as she staggers back. As she says those words, Chizuru seems to split herself in two... She actually does it, one version walking to the left, the other to the right.

The two of them smiles and they say in unisson, "But which one of us is the real one?" Both copies perform the exact same motion, spinning on their heels and giving a powerful backhanded sweep of her arm at Mai, one on each side.

It's not long after the attack that one of the Chizuru dissipates through thin air though.

COMBATSYS: Chizuru successfully hits Mai with Zheng Zheng.

[   \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////           ]
Chizuru          0/-------/---====|=======\====---\1              Mai

[MAI]
Mai reacts after her attack is blocked by switching right back into her ready stance. Then she braces herself for what might happen next... but apparently not well enough. She's really baffled when it looks like Chizuru becomes two people.

She looks to both sides, and figures she just has to make a guess....

But guesses wrong. With a slide and a sweep, Mai is struck hard, and knocked backward. She slips onto her rear for just a moment, clearly caught off-guard by that manuever, but she does pop back to her feet quickly. "I couldn't tell them apart-" she admits. "That's real magic... I guess it's time show you what mine can do!"

Maybe the fans aren't going to work out so well, so Mai decides to use some chi of her own. Even if she's not sure which Chizuru is the real one sometimes, fire is pretty indiscriminate in its effects. She holds her hand out, and whips it in a circle, not as an attack yet, but just to demonstrate briefly that she can build fire in a wave between her fingers. It flickers bright red... and then she swirls it around again with a little high-pitched "Ha!" exhalation. The fire blasts out in a tight spiral surrounding her.

COMBATSYS: Chizuru blocks Mai's Ryuuenbu EX.

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Chizuru          0/-------/--=====|=======\==-----\1              Mai

[CHIZURU]
There was only one Chizuru left for Mai to aim at when she performs her attack ~ and even if both of them were still there, the swirling flames would have been wide enough to engulf both of them. Unable to move out of the way, Chizuru braces and she moves her index rapidly in the air, conjuring a sort of chi seal to absorb a part of the chi flames and dispels them with lesser harm.

When Mai's fire storm finally ends, Chizuru's hands are slighty scorched, the wide open sleeves of her outfit still have some embers on them as they're still consumed by the flames but Chizuru was able to withstand most of the attack.

"Formidable," Chizuru admits with a slow nod of her head. Her lips curl into a smile, "Just as I would have thought... But seeing them with my own eyes make it even more impressive," She adds.

Chizuru splits herself yet again and she leaps at Mai. She swings her arm in a wide arc over her head, attempting to deliver a powerful hand strike over Mai's head while the real Chizuru remains behind, focused on her chi double.

COMBATSYS: Chizuru successfully hits Mai with Choumon No Isshin.

[     \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////                  ]
Chizuru          0/-------/=======|=======\=======\1              Mai

[MAI]
"Oh, thanks!" says Mai, though she probably shouldn't get distracted by compliments...

Mai guesses right this time, in a way, seeing that when Chizuru splits, the second one she creates is like an afterimage. But she didn't realize that even that double image could seriously hurt her! She tries to block the incoming strike, but is unprepared, and is knocked right in the head. Her jaw snaps back a bit, and she skids on her feet.

She looks dazed. But she's still active. "If that's an illusion... it still hits really hard, whew!"

Chizuru is right there, and maybe Mai can capitalize on her proximity. She pulls out another fan.

There's just a beat where she seems to heistate. Mai is trying to focus chi, but she does everything as a matter of pure instinct rather than training. When she's in the groove, she does well, but when she's off her game, she has to push, and perhaps that is where she tends to stumble. But she lets out another loud cry of "HAI!" as she pushes her back into it, raising her fan up in a crescent arc strike. There's not a burst of flame with this one, but she's throwing a lot of energy behind it nonetheless. It's do her best or lose big for her right now, and she doesn't want to give this up!

COMBATSYS: Mai successfully hits Chizuru with Sayo Chidori.

[         \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////                   ]
Chizuru          1/------=/=======|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2              Mai

[CHIZURU]
If anything, Mai might find out that Chizuru's chi doubles are more fierce and dangerous than Chizuru herself. Made out of her chi energy, each strike ends up being the impact of Chizuru's energy rather than her own strength.

"Not quite an illusion," Chizuru repies as her double fades away after it served its purpose and delivered its attack, "More like an energy projection, just like your flames are... Except mine are shaped as replica of myself," Chizuru explains. The woman stares at Mai for a moment with a bit of concern in her eyes, obviously hesitating when she notices the dazed shinobi. Had she been too rough on her?

Was it her concern for Mai that causes Chizuru to lower her guard on simply the shinobi's quick reflexes that pierces through it? Hard to say, but Chizuru's stance falters for the first time and Mai manages to hit the miko cleanly this time. The sweeping arc hitting Chizuru right on her shoulder with enough strength to send her to her knee in front of Mai.

The way Mai had burst back into the fight makes Chizuru realizes that offering her to stop it here would be like an insult and only add to the injuries, and so she follows up, attempting to sweep Mai off her legs by spinning on herself and extending her leg to kick Mai off her feet.

COMBATSYS: Chizuru successfully hits Mai with Medium Kick.
-* CRITICAL HIT! *-

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Chizuru          1/------=/=======|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2              Mai

[MAI]
Well that was kind of an anticlimax, really. Mai struck Chizuru at least, but didn't seem to be able to really pull it off as well as she intended. Then Chizuru comes kicking for her...

Mai might have been expecting something fancier than that. She tries to block anyway, but is tripped...

She falls down backward onto her rear again, right into a still dusty part of the shrine floor. For just a second she's seeing some stars, trying to replay all the mistakes she just made. Maybe Chizuru and her chi double were just too fast for her! But she has enough energy to try her hardest...

"Chou Hissatsu-" she shouts, and builds some flame around her fingers again as she gets ready to return. This still will be the last thing she can do, but didn't Chizuru deserve some kind of additional demonstration?

Mai leaps up to her feet and then into the air. She flips forward, over herself and then moves into an elbow drop. Fire flares around her, forming from her arm first and then sending a blast of flame all around-- The fire crackles and spreads in a torrent in front of her, but even if this flaming strike hits true, Mai's out of gas after that!

"Shinobibachi!"

COMBATSYS: Mai can no longer fight.

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

COMBATSYS: Chizuru blocks Mai's Chou Hissatsu Shinobibachi.

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

[CHIZURU]
It was just a friendly spare, wasn't it? Chizuru felt like she should have stopped right there but when her sweeping kick ends up tripping Mai much worse than she anticipated, the woman almost instantly regretted pushing it a bit further. "Are you okay?" Chizuru asks before she straightens herself up.

As if to answer that question, the Shinobi lept to her feet, her chi burning inside of her as she prepares to retaliate. The sight was enough to make the miko's lips curl into a wide grin and she sweeps her arms in front of her, raising her guard and causing as trail of purple chi behind, a sort of supernatural barrier she creates to dampen the strength of Mai's flames against her.

Mai's dropping elbow is met with Chizuru's arms as she braces for the impact, her aura preventing her from getting scorched alive and engulfed by the flames that flares around of her.

When the flames fade away, bits of Chizuru's outfits have sparks that still consumes them here and there. Chizuru is left panting while Mai obviously gave everything she had.

This time it was enough.

Chizuru takes as step back, straightening herself up, "I hope I've passed the test..." She says, with a faint smile. "You are everything I expected, Mai Shiranui... A strong powerful flame, wild and untamed... You have a lot of potential..."

COMBATSYS: Chizuru has ended the fight here.


[MAI]
Mai lands from her big attack, but not as gracefully as the most graceful ninja. Rather, she flops onto the ground again.... the flames around her flickering around and dying.

"Whoooo...." Yeah, she's okay, but her ego - and her behind - are bruised. "Oh, wow. You really are tough! I'm surprised you're impressed with me after the show you put on. But... um..."

She finally sits up. She rubs at her elbow, and then at the back of her neck. "I'm glad we did it. Now I know how much more I have to train."

She gets back to her feet, and though she's unsteady, she bows. "Thank you for the lesson."

[CHIZURU]
As Mai crumbles on her back from her own exhaustion, Chizuru approaches her and she kneels down by her side to make sure everything's alright. The miko scrutinizes her bruises and injuries, to make sure there was nothing too severe, but the way Mai talks a part of it went to her ego as well.

"There's always someone stronger than you are out there," Chizuru says. All in all though, Chizuru smiles at he way Mai takes their encounter positively and she nods to her. "The greatest lessons come from our failures," Chizuru says.

The woman rises up as Mai does and she returns the bow politely to Mai, "I am impressed because of your potential, Mai, and the resolve and determination you have," Chizuru explains, "Even now, you did not brood over your defeat, instead you took it upon yourself to learn and find a way to overcome this ordeal.."

Chizuru takes a pause and she winks at Mai, "With this attitude, one day, you will be able to defeat me,"

[MAI]
"Count on it!" says Mai.

Then she starts to head out for a little rest....

Yeah, it's gonna be a minute before she can fight like that again.

Log created on 12:59:46 12/12/2018 by Mai, and last modified on 16:43:56 12/28/2018.