Match of the Millennium

Description: A Neo League challenge between the young hero, Koto, and the angry artist, Fumiko. Swords flash and powers burst in a Neo League contest. How will our contestants fare as the season begins to draw toward a mad dash for points and glory? Tune in to find out! (Winner: Fumiko)

[KOTO]
Neo League! With the season getting closer to ending, Koto was in for more fights. His recent experiences outside of the Neo League had somewhat changed him. DarkStalkers, assassins... and well, Neo League was how he got better. He had fought some experienced fighters, more forceful individuals. For all of it, he could feel himself starting to become stronger. Sometimes it was more than that. He had a grand time in this Neo League season. Even facing monsters like B.B. Hood and Abigail had been interesting.

Now, Koto had arrived in Japan. Home for him! He had even visited his parents on the way and was now headed to his first fight of the New Year after a shrine visit. Now, the tokusatsu hero was on his home turf more or less and there to try to put his newest training to the test. The toughness, the fierceness, and his powerful mega power. Arriving to the Neo League fight, the young student gives a wave to the audience before moving to a good starting position.

Taking a stance, he swipes his left hand across with his right by his hip. A prismatic glow surrounds his waist first, manifesting in a belt as he calls out, "HENSHIN!" Then the glow covers him fully head to toe before leaving him in a slightly colorful costume as he strikes another pose, "Mega Dragon Fighter J-Dragon, ready!" His left hand comes up to form a J shape towards the cameras, complete with a prismatic glow making the J before he looks around for his opponent for this.

[FUMIKO]
Mistakes and missteps have been made in this series. Fumiko Abe's performance has been, in her mind, poor. Failure to dedicate herself to her art has born bitter fruit as her position in the rankings have slipped further and further away from where she had been not too long ago. And even her last contest against the angry young Mitsuru was not considered official for the purposes of ranking. Sloppy mistakes, poor performance.

To have survived when Kenji has not and to live so poorly was an insult to the man's life and loss. And Fumiko Abe loathed herself for such slipping.

But the Neo League is not without chances for redemption and chances to climb the ladder of success. She lifts her head, tightens the hilt of her two blades to her hip, closes her eyes, and she steps out into the view of the audience. The viewing crowd, the people to perform for, to showcase her art is where she finds a moment of solitude and a focus that quiets the raging tempest of her own emotions.

"Abe Fumiko," she introduces herself with a short bow to the posing hero. "I will not disrespect you in this competition, but in return I wish that show me all that your art is capable of." Statement made, her eyes open with a hard, cold and distant stare. Her hand hovers over the hilt of her blade. Position ready, the fight is now set to begin. The world is a stage, and she is a performer. What happens is not the matter of a world of pain and danger, but of two people in a dance of violence. A simplicity that comforts the swordswoman.

COMBATSYS: Fumiko has started a fight here.

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

COMBATSYS: Koto has joined the fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Fumiko           0/-------/------<|-------\-------\0             Koto

[KOTO]
"You got it, lady." Koto declares as he settles into a loose, wide stance with his gloved hands not in tight fists from the looks. Starting to step in side circles slowly, he suddenly spins the opposite way as his leg that just stepped out arcs in a foot sweep. At least that's what it should have been.

Instead, that foot shoots out that prismatic energy outwards aiming at her own as he spins to try to sweep her upwards into the air. A second kick follows as he spins into the air, unleashing what looks to be some sort of spinning wheel kick that is shooting off that strange prismatic looking energy outwards as he shouts out, "Dragon Swings Tail!"

COMBATSYS: Fumiko blocks Koto's Dragon Swings Tail.

[  \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////////  ]
Fumiko           0/-------/-----<<|-------\-------\0             Koto

[FUMIKO]
Direct and earnest. Fumiko holds back an approving smile when the young hero makes his moves. A feinting kick sweep and a burst of iridescent energy comes forth to knock Fumiko off her feet. A clever tactic, surprisingly indirect for someone so flashily dressed and forward presenting. Fumiko can approve of a level of cunning.

Fumiko twists her position, lowers her center of gravity. The first spout of energy bursts against the scabbard, turned aside as Fumiko skips to put distance away from the second arc of energy. Changing positions, finding place and center. Determining the better angle to strike.

She holds herself until she finds it. And then comes the strike. It is simple, a wide horizontal cut, broader than most approaches, an arc as though hewing a field of grass toward Koto's torso. The blade shining in the lights of the Neo League stage.

COMBATSYS: Koto blocks Fumiko's Bamboo Splitter.

[  \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////    ]
Fumiko           0/-------/----<<<|==-----\-------\0             Koto

[KOTO]
Koto finishes the spin in time to land, spin further and bring his crossed arms to the side to block the incoming sword swing. Even then, there is a prismatic glow to make sure that sword doesn't cut through too deeply it seems and he takes a step back before moving his stance to a bit more deeply as he steps away from the sword swing in that circling movement.

His hands, however, show a bit of surprise as that glow grows brighter and seems to flare into flames that he pushes on the sword to move it away. Then both his hands uncross as he steps again and swipes out, "Dragon Flame Swipe!" The swipe of his hands shoots out the flames in a wide, wide swath aimed at her as he continues that circling step motion of his.

COMBATSYS: Koto successfully hits Fumiko with Dragon Flame Swipe.

[        \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////////     ]
Fumiko           0/-------/<<<<<<<|====---\-------\0             Koto

[FUMIKO]
Mistakes. Rage. Fury. Fumiko is slow to react. Her cut failed. The art is poor and sketchy. There is rust and there is weakness that boils up within the woman. She steels herself against the rising tide of cold hatred at her failure. The somewhat silly opponent she finds herself against puts her on her back foot. And when the fire and heat roars her way, the scorching blast rolls over her.

With a cry of pain and a spinning roil away from Koto, Fumiko reestablishes her base and closes her eyes. Her pristine white top darkened and hanging loose. Her hair, tied back and as white as her top, hangs over one eye. She stills her breath. She corrects her rage. She will not make another mistake, but she must correct herself to move forward properly.

COMBATSYS: Fumiko enters a meditative state.

[      \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////////     ]
Fumiko           1/-------/<<<<<<<|====---\-------\0             Koto

[KOTO]
Koto tilts his head at the lack of a follow up to his flaming swipe. "Huh... hey, didn't you want to see what I could do?" The somewhat silly hero looks a bit confused, but decides to step into the fight again. This time he unleashes a step heel kick and his stance changes. Gone is the looser one, but more of a firmer, closed in one and his hands are now in tight fists.

"I want to see what yours can do, too, lady! Come on, show me what you can do and let's give them a show worthy of our styles!" He declares as he launches the kick, perhaps sounding a little disappointed that just flames were enough to make her step back.

COMBATSYS: Fumiko interrupts Heel Kick from Koto with Flashing Blade EX.

[       \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////         ]
Fumiko           1/----<<</<<<<<<<|=======\-------\0             Koto

[FUMIKO]
"Then you shall," Fumiko says in a voice barely above a breathy whisper. Her eyes snap open. The kick comes. The heart beats a steady rhythm as the angle of the young man's foot changes, the line of his leg changes, the form of his posture changes. And through it all, Fumiko observes.

The sword is her true medium, but Fumiko Abe is a talented and practiced artist. She sees the young man's line of action, she follows his form and mentally dissects his image. Lines, momentum, and body break into angles and shapes. She finds where she must strike and she steps past Koto in order to do so. Her blade streaks like light through the air. The cut up and along his back and side. She's clicked the blade back into the hilt seemingly before the step is finished. And on the other side she waits for her opponent to realize the gambit has been made.

[KOTO]
It's probably a good thing that whatever power Koto has, as strange as it is, happens to at least protect him mostly. He doesn't even realize the cut. At least not until there's a flash of pain along his side and back and his kick had missed. His arms were in perfect blocking position, too!

"Oh, that's more like it!" Koto says even as he rubs his back, where some blood is visible against the fact that she's cut what appears to be some sort of metal like material on his chest and back it seems. "I honestly have not faced a sword before. Those are pretty dangerous."

He seems... happy? That costume definitely makes it harder to tell emotions as he spins into that same more firmer stance. "Allow me to show you one of mine." A sudden glow appears below him, forming into some sort of shape that is hard to tell from the ground before surrounding both of his legs and he leaps skywards.

Impossibly high it seems for someone who, before transforming into whatever he is, looked like a teenager as he comes downwards with both legs surrounded in that prismatic glow before one comes down in a rather vicious looking axe kick. "RAIJIN RYU!" Despite yelling the name, it obviously lives up to that name, too! Impact even with the ground is going to leave a thundering roar. Not to mention the back flip kick that takes him to hopeful safety afterwards as the left over energy seems to sink into him afterwards.

COMBATSYS: Fumiko blocks Koto's Raijin Ryu.

[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////          ]
Fumiko           1/--=====/=======|-------\-------\0             Koto

[FUMIKO]
"I respect that you do what you will with the power of your own will," Fumiko responds a compliment in kind, though her back is still to the young hero. She takes a deep breath and steadies herself. A steady wait, a moment, the young man is building up for something.

A cry of thundering power. She twists, plants her feet, ready and waiting. Her scabbard comes up, the flowery pattern cracked from damage against an American Marine. The kick comes down with a deafening crack. The rage of energy curls over and around Fumiko, but she stands her ground. She refuses to budge. She has faced deadly things, she has faced down threats and dangers. She has stood to great fighters. And here she stands once more.

"Good," she says, shoulder hanging just a small bit from the force she has taken from the blow. She has to take the moment, she has to maneuver herself for position. So she snaps and strikes, her right hand grips the smaller blade at her side. A quick slash to run close against Koto, to put herself where things must be for the next part of the performance.

COMBATSYS: Fumiko successfully hits Koto with Positioned Strike.
- Power hit! -

[         \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////              ]
Fumiko           1/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|==-----\-------\0             Koto

[KOTO]
When the flashing sword comes around again, Koto is already in mid-flip and ends up relatively in a bad position even as he brings both his arms up to at least try to block. The resulting swing catches him on landing as he ends up pushed back with another cut across his midsection as he coughs a bit before deciding to return the favor. That prismatic energy flares again as his back leg swings, covered in that prismatic energy much like the move she just blocked.

"THUNDER KICK!" Comes the call this time as the resulting kick more than likely has the same force, impact, and worse of the previous one. If nothing else, it's at least something to try to give himself some breathing room perhaps.

"Ugh... okay, I'm hating swords now. I thought the car guy was bad." He comments. "What did you mean by my will?"

COMBATSYS: Fumiko interrupts Thunder Kick from Koto with Kamae Tachi.

[           \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////                     ]
Fumiko           0/-------/-<<<<<<|=======\-------\0             Koto

[FUMIKO]
The flaring intensity of shining power from Koto is bright and burning. But the force of the kick is met with the fierceness of Fumiko Abe's pure rage and pride. She strikes, a sharp slash. Stepping through the other side of Koto. Her blade remains held out in front of her. There's a click as she draws the second blade in her left hand. "You fight with a light inside of you. It's a beauty to behold. I use weapons for my art."

The second blade finds use quickly. Spinning, slashing, darting in front of and behind, from side to side. Fumiko Abe is a whirlwind of cuts and violent blades dashing and dervish around Koto. And then she stops, and slides her blades into their sheathes with a distinct finality. The cold fury boils off of Fumiko. Her eyes close, she breathes deeply to center herself and find a place in her mind.

"You are a hero, or you wish to be, you will face far worse than my blades. Are you a hero, or are you a selfish young man that wishes others to watch you kill yourself?" she asks, voice steady, cold and waiting for what this young man can truly bring.

[KOTO]
Stepping back as the blades slice again into him, Koto breathes a bit heavily as he steps back a few steps. "I am a hero. I've faced a lot worse than your blades. People using tricks of innocence, DarkStalkers who use forces beyond what most would see..."

His stance returns to the more looser one as he brings his hands up. "Swords can only do so much against them. I fight with my fists and hands because I do not want to end lives unless it is those that prey on humanity. My will is one that burns with a sense of justice for those that can not do as we do."

Even as he speaks those words, that prismatic energy returns only just... surrounding him. Glowing in a slight nimbus as he seems to be gathering it. Readying it for something it seems in that looser stance.

COMBATSYS: Koto glows with prismatic energy.

[           \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////                    ]
Fumiko           0/-------/-<<<<<<|=======\===----\1             Koto

[FUMIKO]
Fumiko keeps her back toward Koto. She holds her head up high and looks toward the audience. Her fingers dance over the hilt of her blades. Her foot turns outward. She shakes her hair back to let the long white strands tuck behind her ear. "Then you must defeat me," she tells Koto. "If you cannot, how will you ever stand to the things that want to kill you? I will not see another young man die for their foolish bravado."

The woman is a blur. She rips herself around and makes a wicked gashing cut for Koto's chest, drawing not with her main hand, but with her left, a backhanded stroke with a brutally cold rage behind it. A rage directed purely at this costume wearing hero.

COMBATSYS: Koto blocks Fumiko's Left-Handed Draw.

[            \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////                      ]
Fumiko           0/-------/-----==|=======\====---\1             Koto

[KOTO]
Koto brings his hand up to block. A firm forearm blocking her from cutting into him before he angles his hand to slide the blade along the prismatically glowing bracer and letting the blade keep going. He steps in and moves around quickly as he tries to shove an open palm into her side followed by his attempt to restrain her sword arm as his other hand comes around to try to place it on her backside.

Prismatic energy covers both hands as he attempts to restrain her. "What is it with people all saying that I am throwing my life away? I choose what I wish to do. I want to help people. I do not throw my life away. I fight against that darkness as much as I can, with what abilities I do have. I do not throw it away. I never have, I never will. I do not care if I defeat you or not. I will keep fighting because of my own choices, my own belief that I can be a hero."

COMBATSYS: Fumiko blocks Koto's Becoming the Moon.

[              \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////                       ]
Fumiko           0/-------/---====|=======\=====--\1             Koto

[FUMIKO]
Crack! Once more a strike crashes against the force brought down by Koto. Fumiko holds her ground again, the light from Koto's power casting shadows on Fumiko's face. "Because desire to help only matters if you are strong enough to give it," she tells him with a cold weariness. "If you are not, then you only burden others with your selfish need to play hero."

She twists. Rotating on her heel, she brings around a sweeping draw strike. A weighty blow with a surprising degree of force behind it given Fumiko's general size. Both hands clasp the hilt of her blade as she hews at Koto. "What hero burdens others with their weakness!" she cries out to him. Her rage is directed at him, but it comes from elsewhere. Sights and sounds of the invasion of Gears and Darkstalkers. A moment where she was not there, where young men died futilely for the monsters to build a home on the corpses of her brethren.

COMBATSYS: Fumiko successfully hits Koto with Crushing Strike.

[             \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //                            ]
Fumiko           0/-------/---====|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2             Koto

[KOTO]
Even as the attack nails him pretty harshly, the draw leaving another gash. Something about the way she is fighting seems to get to him. He hop steps back a few times, staring a bit. "... something happened to you, didn't it?" He questions.

"Whatever it is, I am sorry... but /this/ is my power. You want to see if I can be a hero... then I will show you!"

Bringing his hands up into crossing before him at the waist as prismatic energy glows before him, forming some sort of winged dragon head shape before he slides both to a plus shape that has all of that energy going to his forearms. He's at least made sure that this isn't pointed at the crowd, nor at anyone else that might be in danger as much as he can. "AURORA--"

The glow reaches a fevered pitch, that bright light shining before it literally erupts towards Fumiko like the dragon that Koto claims he is. It's literally one big, massive beam of that prismatic energy. "--BUUUUURST!" Afterwards, Koto collapses down to his knees, panting hard it seems. He's obviously not able to fight any longer, not to mention that blast and the cuts of the sword look to have finally weakened him enough that he's not about to get up any time soon.

COMBATSYS: Koto can no longer fight.

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

COMBATSYS: Koto successfully hits Fumiko with Aurora Burst.
- Power hit! -

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

[FUMIKO]
"To me. To Japan," Fumiko answers. Her voice comes out in breaths and heaves in the moment after the blow. She looks to her opponent. She studies him. He is beaten, she knows that, but he is offering one final demonstration of he capability.

"Show me," she bids, turning to face the danger as the great energy dragon whirls and births before the NeoLeague crowd. Stalwart she faces the destruction and when this time it comes, she lets the aurora wash over her. A crashing wave of color and power.

In the moment, she wonders what it would be like to let herself wash away. To not care anymore, to have fought and been bested by a hero. A hero that may not suffer indignities of pride and grief and rage. The force of the dragon carries her like a current, tossing her to the ground where she lands in a peaceful repose.

Fumiko Abe yet lives. Her pride surges. Her need to move on draws breath to her lungs once more. If she will not be there to hold grief and pain over her Kenji's sacrifice, then what worth was his loss? What was she tossing aside for selfish comfort? The artist rises and she shuffles to her feet. One gloved fist raises to the air to call attention to her victory. "You have a long way to go before you are a hero," her pride seethes toward her opponent.

"But you are a good man if you can live to your lofty goals."

COMBATSYS: Fumiko has ended the fight here.


[KOTO]
Koto sits back, coughing a bit as the medical team comes out to check on him. Sword cuts are nothing nice, and it was probably only his strange powers that kept him from being bissected literally a few times. He looks at her. Then comments, "I will live up to those goals. Just watch. And if you ever need someone to help you with your own, or to talk to... just call me." He comments.

He's not exactly above offering out a hand. And it was obvious that he had seen... something in her. Perhaps something that he has seen before? Who knows? Still, he had a look of respect in his eyes for her even as the medics work to bandage up the cuts on his body.

Log created on 10:56:15 01/10/2019 by Fumiko, and last modified on 08:32:31 01/11/2019.