Match of the Millennium

Description: The THUNDERDOME commences. (Victor: Makoto Nanaya)

[MAKOTO NANAYA]
Q: What do you do when a King of Fighters tournament has too many teams qualify?

A: THUNDERDOME!!

Makoto drew a random match (against someone named Hayley, who she does not recognize aside from seeing her in passing on one of the broadcasts of the other matches - only in passing, because Hayley hadn't gotten into the ring) at a random location (streetside, in front of a cafe in Southtown).

Makoto stopped for gelato first. Because of course she did. She crunches the last bite of a cone that previously contained a chocolate-hazelnut confection, then pauses to dust her hands off. "Well, I'm ready," she says, as she rolls her shoulder. She didn't bother to wear her jacket at all and already put her tonfa/arm weights/whatever those are on, so she's fully dressed (well, as much as ever) for combat.

[HAYLEY]
Hayley has mostly stayed out of the spotlight thus far. In fact, with the number of fighters enrolled in Team Ikari this year she hasn't even had to fight at all. While some of the Ikaris are pretty well known, some of the most known fights (such as Clark Still and Ralf Jones) haven't made an appearance, and some well-known faces have suddenly found their way onto the team (such as Chun-Li and Lita Luwanda).

But Hayley? Hayley is mostly an unknown, save for maybe a few who might know her from here or there. The Australian-Chinese girl seems a little out of place with names like "Leona Heidern" and "Chun Li Xiang" but she seems ready to go in any case. Today she's dressed in a yellow t-shirt with a brown pocketed vest pulled over it. She has on blue tennis shoes as well, giving her a bit of an informal look.

Notably, her blue-black hair is very long right now. She has it tied up with a red strip of fabric that looks like it might be the belt from a martial arts uniform. She's been pretty quiet as she's wrapped her hands.

She glances at the tail, but her eyes quickly looks back to Makoto's face. "R-right," It sounds more like "roight."

"Me too!" Hayley puts her fist into her palm and bows at the waist. "Let's have a good match, huh?" She smiles, just a little awkwardly. She seems nervous.

COMBATSYS: Makoto Nanaya has started a fight here.

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Makoto Nanaya    0/-------/-------|

COMBATSYS: Hayley has joined the fight here.

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Hayley           0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0    Makoto Nanaya

[MAKOTO NANAYA]
To be fair, Makoto Nanaya is on a team with someone much more famous than her, too - Mai Shuranui. Everyone knows who Mai is. Makoto (and her other teammate, Bulleta) not so much.

Makoto spots the glance at her tail. She's used to it, but she pretends she doesn't notice anyway because it's easier on everybody. "Definitely," she says, with a grin. "But I'll warn you - I hit pretty hard, and I'm not going to hold back because you're kind of cute."

And almost immediately, with those words hopefully flustering Hayley a little bit, Makoto charges right in! She swings, weaving left before opening up with a powerful right hook - boxing-style, but amplified both by her impressive strength and the heavy metal bars strapped to her arms.

COMBATSYS: Hayley blocks Makoto Nanaya's Medium Strike.

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Hayley           0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0    Makoto Nanaya

[HAYLEY]
Hayley's face reddens when Makoto calls her cute. She bites her lip. "T-thanks." Her posture shifts, Hayley bending her knees, sliding her feet a bit further apart and pulling one fist close while the other hand is extended forward on the side, open with fingers pointing up.

But then Makoto is on the move. Hayley inhales and pushes in, striking against the side opposite that big metal tonfa. Her forearm redirects the worst of the punch, but it's still enough to make her arm numb with the sheer force.

"Wow," she says under her breath. "You're really strong, huh? -- but don't hold back. I want to see how I do against your best!"

Hayley suddenly pushes up, trying to redirect Makoto's arm with a circular motion to throw her off-balance. From there she squats down and snaps up, throwing a short, swift uppercut and then backstepping into two swift kicks to try to widen the gap between them again.

COMBATSYS: Makoto Nanaya dodges Hayley's Kangaroo Boxing Stance EX.

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Hayley           0/-------/-----==|=------\-------\0    Makoto Nanaya

[MAKOTO NANAYA]
"Hell yeah I am," is Makoto's response. "I don't take these things lightly! If you're up against me, you'll get my full power - so it's a good thing that's what you want!"

Hayley pushes Makoto's arm up, rotating it - but Makoto is ready for it, and she sidesteps along with the movement, presenting her side to Hayley. The uppercut comes dangerously close to her but - thanks to a quick backwards sidestep, just barely misses.

But before Makoto can straighten out, Hayley's managed to open some distance, moving backwards down the street. Makoto's response to this is to rush forward with a yell, driving her fist forward with mighty power! So mighty, in fact, that a corona of chi builds up on her fist, forming almost a spike as she drives it right toward Hayley. "Take that! And that!"

COMBATSYS: Hayley blocks Makoto Nanaya's Sirius Jolt.

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Hayley           0/-------/--=====|=------\-------\0    Makoto Nanaya

[HAYLEY]
Hayley grits her teeth and watches Makoto's reaction. The distance gives her a breather, but only a short-lived one. In the next moment, Makoto's punching with such force that the chi billows off of it. Hayley inhales again, steeling herself, and moves to react.

A bit of a chi aura pours off the Australian as she brings up both arms to guard, taking the chi-infused punch with a crossed block that uses both forearms. Even then, she slides back several meters from the impact. She's shaking her arms a bit when she slips back into her stance.

"So you're a ... boxer? Have you been training a long time?" Hayley asks, sidestepping. With a quick kick off the ground, she closes the gap with Makoto again before coming to a stop in a low crouch.

And from it she launches upward into a wide, sweeping kick. Chi flashes like a crescent when she does, the kick carrying considerable power for someone who launched into it straight from standing on her toes that low to the ground. Even as the first arc finishes Hayley pivots in midair, bringing down a second flash of chi with the down stroke.

COMBATSYS: Makoto Nanaya blocks Hayley's Cassowary's Rending Talons ES.

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Hayley           0/-------/-======|===----\-------\0    Makoto Nanaya

[MAKOTO NANAYA]
Nice, Makoto thinks. Not a lot of people want to take her strike head-on like that - even if it slid Hayley some meters down the street, the fact that she was willing to try - and got away with it! - is impressive enough.

She shakes out her fist, returning to a more upright stance, bouncing in place as she raises her arms again. Is she a boxer? "Well, sort of," she says. "I'm more of an all-rounder - but I've been training for years, sure!" It's even true - she learned a lot in the Academy, after all. Even if she's no longer with the NOL...

That distracts her for a moment. Almost long enough for Hayley to get in; Makoto twists, catching the scything kick with the bars strapped to her arms. It drives her back in an almost mirrored movement to Hayley's, though not quite as far - Makoto is really digging in her feet.

Makoto lets herself be pushed downward slightly, ducking low. It's a maneuver Hayley might be familiar with, because she's swayed low so she can bound upward, bringing her fist upward in a mighty uppercut to send Hayley straight upward. "Corona... UPPER! How do you like those? - I guess I'm not really convincing you I'm not a boxer..."

COMBATSYS: Makoto Nanaya successfully hits Hayley with Corona Upper EX.

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Hayley           1/-----==/=======|===----\-------\0    Makoto Nanaya

[HAYLEY]
That second kick of Hayley's packs power, but Makoto's guard against it leaves her in an unfortunate situation. She shifts, pushing off to a land in a crouch. In the next step, Makoto is right in her face with that uppercut. It catches Hayley on the chin and rocks her jaw, launching her up and backward to land flat on her back with a heavy thump.

"Ow," Hayley says, not managing much past that for a minute. She sits up, works her jaw with her hand, then springs up into a regular stance once more.

"You punch like one," Hayley says, "but I guess that doesn't make you one. I..." She trails off for a minute lost in her thoughts.

"I get you. I know a bit about blending styles, I guess. You do punch really well, though."

And then Hayley's shifting her stance a bit. Her arm is pointed lower as she bends at the waist slightly in a forward lean. Her feet are further apart and her knees more bent to put her lower to the ground. Her other arm is extended up and behind her. When she springs into action she whips her arms in a circle, using her posture to take advantage of the movement of joint to give her more power. The backfist she opens with hits like a whip with that motion.

..and if it connects, Hayley grabs on, trying to pull Makoto in close to step into first an elbow strike, then a sudden, pivot where she smashes forward with a hip-check with tremendous force. Whatever she's been doing, she seems to to have really trained herself for power with no windup whatsoever.

COMBATSYS: Makoto Nanaya counters Magpie and Wombat from Hayley with Charged Space Counter EX.

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Hayley           1/=======/=======|===----\-------\0    Makoto Nanaya

[MAKOTO NANAYA]
"Thanks," Makoto says. "So do you, though - well, just hit in general. Not a lot of people can stand straight up to my blows!" She seems to be genuine about it, though her tail is a little frizzed - and what *that* means, people who don't know her well aren't likely to guess.

Hayley's shifting movement makes her watch like a hawk. She can tell Hayley's planning something, and it's likely to be something that will surprise her if it comes. If she claims to be multi-style herself, then it's gotta be -

Well, Makoto doesn't entirely guess what it is before it comes. She's more of an instinctive fighter than a thoughtful one; she doesn't work things through academically, she trusts her heart and instincts. But when she sees that whiplike movement, Makoto knows how she has to react.

Hayley's backfist connects with - something. It turns out to be Makoto's raised arm with the heavy bar, deflecting the worst of the blow rather than taking it straight, but it's enough that Hayley can finish her follow-through without losing her balance. At least, at first. The elbow strike whistles past Makoto, and the hip-check...

The hip-check meets Makoto as she literally catches Hayley's forward movement in both hands. She grunts as she hefts, fingers digging in for a moment as she literally volleys Hayley up into the air by her seat. Hayley goes up -

And then comes back down, only to meet Makoto's fist slamming her back down the street. "Gotcha!"

[HAYLEY]
"I've taken a lot of hits recently," Hayley says without context. "It uh, it gets a little easier with time I guess..."

But she bites her lip when she feels the impact against something that's definitely not an arm. For a moment, there's a flash of having struck a target, and she knows she needs to react. She follows through with the elbow, but it took misses, and soon she feels Makoto's hands on her butt. There is a lot to grab back there.

"H-hey!" Hayley's tossed in the air, her face red before she sees Makoto's fist out of the corner of her eye. Off balance and airborne, there's only one thing to do.

CRACK.

She tumbles down the street, finally managing to get into a roll and land, seat near the ground as she plants one foot back and catches herself with it. The other is extended forward for balance while she plants one hand on the cement. Her breaths are heavy.

"Yeah, ow," Hayley says, dabbing her mouth with the back of her fist. She pushes back onto her feet, reaching back to dust off the seat of her pants. Her head is shaken several times as she tries to get back her bearings, then she's back in a close, tight stance, her knees bent sharply, one up with her fist pulled back slightly toward her cheek and the other bent in toward her chest at the elbow.

"D-did you really have to throw me like that?" Hayley mutters, face still flushed. She brushes her cheek, then moves toward Makoto again, taking wide, sweeping steps while keeping her stance low. When she's close the attack is swift--she reaches out with a swift grab, her fingers like a vice as she tries to grab hold of one of Makoto's arms, pull her in, then hip toss her to the ground.

COMBATSYS: Hayley successfully hits Makoto Nanaya with Medium Throw.

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Hayley           2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|======-\-------\0    Makoto Nanaya

[MAKOTO NANAYA]
"Worth it!" Makoto calls after Hayley.

She's grinning. That's a good sign, right? Maybe?

Makoto is ready to deflect another rushing assault, but she was expecting a strike, not a grab. She's got her arm up in place just in time for Hayley to grab it, lever her with it, and hip-toss her onto her back with a thump.

That stung a bit. Makoto stays down for a bit too long before rolling - not away from Hayley, but toward her, so that she can tangle her legs in Hayley's. She snaps her body up as she does a handstand, trying to fling Hayley away with her legs and cartwheel all the way back to her feet. See, she can throw, too.

COMBATSYS: Hayley fails to interrupt Medium Throw from Makoto Nanaya with Triumphant Wombat.
- Power fail! -

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Hayley           0/-------/-<<<<<<|=======\-------\1    Makoto Nanaya

[HAYLEY]
Hayley doesn't have an answer for that one other than looking away from Makoto hurriedly.

And for a moment, Hayley's position is set. She has a brief reprieve from the throw. A chance to reposition and get her bearings. She shifts her stance slightly, readying herself when Makoto goes for a counterattack.

And then she loses her footing. Her foot turns as Makoto sweeps the leg, catching her and then flipping her off her feet with the handstand. Rather than launching any sort of counterattack, she finds herself tossed across the pavement and landing on her shoulder in a tumble.

"Not again," Hayley says, low under her breath. "Gotta do better. Get it together, Hayley."

[MAKOTO NANAYA]
If Makoto was going easy on Hayley, this would be a perfect opportunity for her to step back. Catch her breath - Makoto could use it; she doesn't really hold anything back - and let Hayley do the same.

But she isn't. It's not in her to do anything but her best, even without anything on the line. And there *is* something on the line - the tournament placement. She didn't do great about Demitri, and she can't let her team down.

Which means she attempts to heft Hayley up for a moment - but only so she can drive a fist forward with force! Surprisingly, though, she doesn't quite hit Hayley with it - her fist stops a handful of inches before striking.

This does not stop the sphere of chi that suddenly appears as if punched into existence, striking with the force of a launched bowling ball even though it's not actually moving very fast at all. "Sorry! But I did warn you...!"

COMBATSYS: Makoto Nanaya successfully hits Hayley with Comet Cannon.

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Hayley           1/-----<</<<<<<<<|=======\=------\1    Makoto Nanaya

[HAYLEY]
Hayley tightens her stance. She digs her feet in, tenses her leg muscles. She pulls her arms closer to her, tightening up her defenses. She can't take many more hits like that, and she knows it. If she wants any shot at taking a victory for Team Ikari, she's going to have to work for it.

For a moment, Hayley runs the past few months through her mind. How she got here. Finding herself (or trying to). The training she put in over the past few months. Getting invited by Lita to join the team, and not being sure whether she should even come.

That last part sticks with her when the punch gets through her guard. Perhaps she was expecting a direct hit and was caught by the "feint" of the projectile. In any case, it impacts her in the belly with enough force to knock the wind out of her, breaking her stance and knocking to her knees.

"I-I give," Hayley says, dropping down onto her butt and barely catching herself with her hands. "You win."

COMBATSYS: Hayley takes no action.

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Makoto Nanaya    1/------=/=======|

COMBATSYS: Hayley can no longer fight.

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Makoto Nanaya    1/------=/=======|

[MAKOTO NANAYA]
Makoto follows up the sphere of force by smacking it with her other hand, which sends it flying forward.

Not toward Hayley, though - not after she stayed down and said what she said. "Deal," Makoto says, before planting her hands on her knees and bending forward, taking a moment to catch her breath. But *only* a moment - she pops back up into a rather bouncy cheer once she's caught it.

And then she steps forward, offering a hand to Hayley. "You hit pretty hard. Don't worry - you can still get points! There's plenty of time yet. And hey," Makoto adds, "if you want I'll buy you a gelato. They have them here, you know."

[HAYLEY]
It takes Hayley several moments of heavy breathing to get her composure enough to respond properly. (Makoto hits VERY hard.) As such, the Aussie just sits there for a moment, her eyes starting to water a little bit. She bites her lip and holds it there for a minute before noticing Makoto's hand there.

And she hurriedly looks away while trying to dab at her eyes. "T-thanks," Hayley says. She breathes in, then exhales deeply. "Sorry." She says. "I don't ... I don't get this emotional, usually. Well," A hand goes up and through her hair, tugging at the shaggy mass and adjusting her headband and beaded braids. "I mean. I used to not to, I guess?"

"...I think I'd like the gelato. ... if that's OK I mean." Her words are spaced a bit too much, like someone having to dig around in a box to find them. "... I've had a hard few months. ... I was hoping I'd do better."

[MAKOTO NANAYA]
"You'll do fine," Makoto says, optimistically. "I mean, first tournament fight, right? It's just practice. C'mon, let's go get you some gelato."


COMBATSYS: Makoto Nanaya has ended the fight here.

Log created on 19:11:45 07/15/2019 by Makoto Nanaya, and last modified on 22:02:11 07/16/2019.