Match of the Millennium

Description: It's a clash of students in the middle of the CWA's ring as Rainbow Mika looks to make a fresh start and wash away the negative energy of her brawl with MURDERHOUSE, and Sakura puts not only the power, but honor of Ansatsuken on full display. Rather than watch this curious meeting of divergent disciplines from afar, the greatest living wrestler of the modern era decides to claim the closest seat in the house and determine which - if either - woman may yet be worthy of his notice.

[SAKURA]
Before the match, Sakura had to get herself psyched up a little. "You did great against Lita. It was a close match! Gotta get back on the horse, can't stop fighting...!" Besides, besides!! She's up against /Rainbow Mika/!!! Even being that they're close in age, Sakura's been a huge fan since Mika showed up on the scene (What, didn't think Sakura would like puroresu? C'mon now). Hell, she even stuck a bill from one of Mika's main stages she watched a half a year ago in her bag--just in case she got a chance to get it signed. Pumped!!

Sakura's decided to go with something not her school uniform today, and, in honor of her mentor, she's gone with a similar sort of outfit--a dogi, sleeves torn, and a red hachimaki, knotted firmly around her forehead--though Ryu's hachimaki doesn't have 'Sakura' on it in bright pink kanji with a black border the way hers does--and she's turned the karate pants into sort of, uh, karate short pants, having rough-chopped them off just below the knee. And, well, she isn't going barefoot--she *is* still wearing her trademark Chucks, as cleaned up as they can be. Kind of a weird look, but then, Sakura's kind of weird.

The arena is, as ever, roaring with people who are here to see good puroresu, and good fighting, and not an insignificant number of them are Rainbow Mika supporters--rumor has it some call themselves the Nanairo Rangers, at least unofficially--and they're out in force as Sakura begins her run up to the ring, jogging from her locker room out along the path to the ring. Instead of a poppy tune she's gone a little cheeky and opted for the famous Rocky themesong--except it's a kind of weird Nightcore-styled remix. Just that little twist for Sakura, of course.

She is announced by the boisterous announcer, as she takes the last few steps at a long run and leaps up, posting up on the corner post with both hands, legs kicked out in a vee, before propelling herself up and over and landing in the ring with a skid, spinning around on her right foot and throwing out a huge grin and a two-handed wave to the audience.

[RAINBOW MIKA]
Sakura gets a couple seconds worth of waving to the crowd before pitch black falls over the arena. Murmurs flutter here and there throughout the stands, but wherever there are true believers in the power of the rainbow, there's silence.

There's a collective breath - seven times seven and then some - drawn in anticipation--

As "Sakura Kasugano!" thunders, a brilliant column slices through the darkness, revealing Rainbow Mika with a mic in one hand and an index finger thrust towards the ring. Her uniform's her uniform, but for one crucial difference: every inch refracts the kaleidoscope highlighting her into a twinkling, clinging corona. "My first match came out of a tragedy, with an opponent who lacked the courage to fight his way towards a brush with greatness!" she recounts, treading briskly down the entrance ramp. The light - the /sparkles/ - don't just follow her, they /trail/ her as bright fog shining up from the depths of the ramp.

"So tonight, I'm declaring THIS the TRUE beginning of my SLAMFEST journey-- my FIRST opportunity to test myself against an opponent who's strong of body AND heart, and see if I have what it takes to make it to the end!" draws a shower of, 'Mika!'s from the audience--

"Tonight, the students of Yoko Harmageddon and Ryu the World Warrior are gonna settle a WEEKS-old question, and I'm honored to share the ring - and my NEW BEGINNING - with you!"

-- and the swift spread of rainbow illumination through the arena reveals colorful towels whipping through the air, here and there.

"Sakura Kasugano," she repeats, planting her feet about halfway down a ramp that borders on excessive, "let's steal the world's hearts while we steal the show!"

A static *krk!* punctuates this final declaration as she takes off running, a colorful smear barreling down the ramp; the announcer gets /just/ enough time to go through her name and hometown before she slides under the bottom rope, then rolls to her feet to greet the audience by sweeping her arms through a high arc as she wheels towards a corner. Upon arrival, she lets herself sink right back into the corner and drapes her arms along the top rope, bouncing gently from foot to foot as she locks her eyes - and broad grin - on Sakura. The rainbow effect fades into the normal house lights, and with it go the sparkling aura around Mika.

COMBATSYS: [The Tubes - She's a Beauty] When in doubt, never count out the 80s! The music rings all throughout the arena! "She's everything you dream about! / Don't fall in love, she's a beauty~~ / One in a million girls, a beauty! / Why would I lie? Why would I lie? / You can say anything you like... / But you can't touch the merchandise!" They really did plan only the classiest music to face off against the great Zangief, but...! RAINBOW MIKA is ready to SLAM!

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Rainbow Mika     0/-------/-------|

COMBATSYS: Sakura enters the arena, to the roar of the crowd!

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Sakura           0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0     Rainbow Mika

[SAKURA]
Sakura finds herself cheering along with the crowd as Mika makes her entrance. It probably doesn't do a whole lot for her 'image' as a fighter, but, who cares? Mika is here and she's _awesome_! Not that that'll make Sakura fight any less all out. In fact, she'll go hard _because_ she admires Mika so much. She's getting pumped up!! Especially when Mika addresses her directly. Sakura replies with a simple "HAI!!" that is loud and clear, and the Flower of Ansatsuken fades back to her corner. In that corner, she can be seen slapping her cheeks, a very stereotypical Japanese 'psych up' routine, and then...

Then she turns and marches straight out to ring center, with the roar of the crowd and the announcers already blurring in her ears, and she raises her hands. First one, then the other, are closed into fists, and Sakura's smile--nay, her grin--is one of wide-open, full-bore challenge as she assumes her fighting stance, bouncing on the balls of her feet, moving lightly and easily.

"Let's DO THIS, Mika!!!" she cries, pointing straight up with her right hand before bringing it back down.

[RAINBOW MIKA]
'Let's DO THIS,' Sakura cries.

Never one to back down from a challenge, Mika /does this/-- 'this' being a screaming charge out of the corner intent on bypassing the lock-up, a punch, or even a facedown in the middle of the ring in favor of simply grabbing for Sakura's arm and /slinging/ her towards the ropes with a taut ripple across Mika's back and shoulders.

Years ago, Mika spent months touring the world and challenging fighters of all kinds to spread both her wings and the power of RAINBOWMANIA to hearts from sea to sea. The experience gave her a crash course in the difference between fighting those trained in one of the many disciplines of pro wrestling and-- anyone else. There's a certain cadence that tends to unite the King of Sports' strains, a common language of theatrical violence that cuts across nations. Another grappler might be more inclined towards the slow, steady feeling out process that tends to dominate the first minutes of a match, but Sakura...?

Sakura's an energetic Ansatsuken discipline with years of experience in her own right. Sakura's a fighter ready and willing to face her head on with a smile and good cheer.

Sakura's /dangerous/, so Sakura needs to get dropped on her head as soon as possible.

Thus: if she's able to hurl Sakura towards the ropes, she'll take off right behind her rather than trust that the other girl will come back to her. After a few steps, running turns into an open-armed lunge when Mika attempts to not only close the gap, but seize Sakura's waist, then /resume/ running for as long as it takes to bounce into the ropes and snap backwards into a German suplex.

COMBATSYS: Rainbow Mika successfully hits Sakura with Rebound Throw.

[     \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Sakura           0/-------/----===|=------\-------\0     Rainbow Mika

[SAKURA]
"Right from the start, an amazing, high-flying attack from RAINBOWMANIA!!!" cries the announcer, as Sakura is snagged, thrown into the ropes, and then get throw into what can only be called a running German Suplex. It draws cheers--and if Sakura were watching it being done, she would cheer, too. As it is, she's much too busy crying out as she is, indeed, dropped on her head by the attack, jarring her from skull to tailbone, all down her spine. Being young, being fit, being trained all help her somewhat, although it'll be more on the post-match recovery end; she rolls away, gasping, stars in her eyes for a moment, then rolls back again and up to her feet.

Shaking her head, she slaps her cheeks again, then resumes her fighting stance. She can't find anything to say--probably because her head's still a little rattly from that--and she falls back into well-worn, well-trained patterns as she pulls her hands back. This isn't... complex, exactly, but it takes training, or knowhow, or sheer cussedness to learn, and Sakura has all three, now. So it's almost second nature her to her, to pull those hands back, to let her chi flow into them, growing a right white-blue ball of energy between them, forcing her hands apart as the energy swells, and then to throw it forward, crying out, almost automatically, her voice tinged with an echo of the supranatural, as she launches that ball of energy towards Mika.

"HA..... DOUKEN!!!" A familiar cry, one many fight fans would know--if not from Sakura herself, then Ryu, or Ken, both far more well-known around the fight circuits than herself.

COMBATSYS: Sakura successfully hits Rainbow Mika with Charged Hadouken.

[     \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////////     ]
Sakura           0/-------/--=====|=====--\-------\0     Rainbow Mika

[VICTOR ORTEGA]
What happens next is sudden. Overwhelming. Titanic. The entire Stadium is briefly swallowed up by the visual display. A brilliant flash thundeing forth from centermost apex, at the celing high above and right over The Ring of Destructoin itself. Like a comet, or a thunderbolt hurtled by the gods, the light streaks downward to blast right into the middle of the mat with all the force such allegory implies.

A thunderous roaring *BOOOM* complete with explosive shockwave and a flash point of heat and light which washes out over the entire audience, let alone the two ladies locked in their clash within the ring itself.

The audience, officials and referree's shield their eyes and throw their arms up to protect and brace their bodies as if expecting the worst while the entire Stadium rumbles and shakes. briefly becoming the epic center of a true seismic disturbance.

The ring recoils and rolls but sustains the force of the impact. It was built to withstand this and more - though not much more. And as it settles the light begins to fade - or maybe receed as if being pulled back into the absolutely vast and inhumanly built physique that serves as the source for this event.

It is Victor Ortega. And upon seeing this on the screens and in person, the crowd goes nearly out of control.

For his part, The Champion merely looms there, standing opposite both Mika and Sakura, massive arms folded and expression stern and unimpressed. He swivels his gaze from one woman to the next, swiftly measuring their potential but making no immediate move just yet.

COMBATSYS: Victor Ortega enters the arena, to the roar of the crowd!

[     \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////////     ]
Sakura           0/-------/--=====|=====--\-------\0     Rainbow Mika
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Victor Ortega    0/-------/------=|

[RAINBOW MIKA]
Exhibit A: fireballs tend to come from flashpaper in the ring. They tend not to travel at the speeds - let alone /distance/ - of the crackling ball hurtling from Sakura's hands--!

Mika wants nothing to do with this hot blue version of one, so she lets her instincts guide her off the mat to leapfrog over it...

... only to be clipped by a sudden arc of chi on the way over and tumble into the scintillating mass below. A shout accompanies the heavy thud she makes on the way down. Smoke curls from her body in slender plumes; her fingers curl against the mat for a beat before she /shoves/ her way to her feet, then briskly brushes herself off before bringing her hands forward.

Touring /helped/, but it'll be a long time before she's /used/ to being scourged by raw, concentrated chi like Sakura's.

Then again, how /else/ is she gonna learn, except by doing it a lot...?!

With a sharp grin, her right hand juts forward--

-- and the world is swallowed by the arrival of power in its purest form--

-- of the blinding might of mastery roaring from on high--

-- of wrestling divinity made unbreakable flesh--

-- of Ortega the All-Grappler, Champion of Champions crashing into she and Sakura's midst with the fury of a thousand exploding barbed wire cages.

Rainbow Mika does not move-- /breathe/-- for three full seconds as she gazes up at him in frozen anticipation, unworthy of his presence and unable to look away.

And then she twists towards Sakura -- /away/ from the cold judgment of his gaze -- while filling her lungs deeply. The scream that follows is inaudible against the audience's cheers, but Sakura still gets plenty of warning in the form of-- Mika charging directly at her afterwards; there are a couple of quick side-steps as she draws close, but -- by and large, Rainbow 'Sparkle Tights' Mika is not a subtle woman. She throws a big boot towards Sakura's gut as soon as she's close enough, and if it lands, she'll follow it /immediately/ with a forward pivot that leaves her back against Sakura's front, her arms around Sakura's head, and her body falling towards the mat with the other woman's jaw slamming towards Mika's densely muscled shoulder.

COMBATSYS: Sakura dodges Rainbow Mika's Peach Gator EX.

[     \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////      ]
Sakura           0/-------/--=====|===----\-------\0     Rainbow Mika
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Victor Ortega    0/-------/------=|

[SAKURA]
Sakura is a pro wrestling fan, yes. So she absolutely knows who Victor Ortega is. But she doesn't have the same reverence for him that Mika shows, probably because she isn't in the business. Still, it's a showstopping entry, at least for a moment, and it's clearly spurred Mika on.

Something about that entry--about the presence of this icy-gazed man--puts Sakura on her toes as well, and this time her evasion is more successful, Sakura bouncing on the balls of her feet still, the better to maintain mobility, Sakura evades to her right, skipping around and rotating past that big boot.

She's in the air, so to speak, for only a short time, but even that short airtime and the potential energy it represents can be utilized, and that's what Sakura does; she plants her feet, transferring her momentum in a moment from the air, through the mat, and suddenly, sharply changing direction, rushing forward with her left arm up, intending to simply clock Mika in the side of the head with a classic flying lariat--well, 'flying', more like lunging. Sakura isn't completely extending herself, just due to the ranges involved.

It is her intent that momentum and angle will outdo pure physical weight and strength, to a degree. No matter how much Sakura works out, she'll never be a physical powerhouse, after all.

COMBATSYS: Rainbow Mika blocks Sakura's Medium Lariat.

[     \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////       ]
Sakura           0/-------/--=====|====---\-------\0     Rainbow Mika
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Victor Ortega    0/-------/------=|

[VICTOR ORTEGA]
Indeed, the titan stands in judgment of both. His expression remains the same. Eyes steeled and flickering back and forth between both combatants. Gauging, measuring, determining worthiness...

And then he simply nods, seemingly in approval given how he purses his lips and his brow doesn't furrow into a more sterner look then it already has. Unfortunantely his approval has..additional repercussions.

The ring lurches, shaking thunderously as the giant launches himself forward into a blurring dash that seems to take him across the distance in the blink of an eye, barreling down on the two ladies lke a launched cannon ball. His huge back hunches up, his muscles engorge, bulking up in size like a herd of bodybuilders beneath his skin - and then a tree trunk of an arm lashes out, thundering down with the mother of all Lariats on..SAKURA!His movements would put him right into the middle of the match. A battle royale seemingly about to begin as the announcers go crazy with an attempt to keep up on the suddenly unpredictable mayhem.

[RAINBOW MIKA]
Mika thrusts /past/ Sakura, and right about when her boot hits the mat, the Ansatsuken student is lunging for her head. This time, she elects to just plant her feet, jerk her arms up and--

"Hggh--!" pushes past her teeth as she's driven a few steps backwards. Her arms come /this/ close to slamming back into her temple thanks to the angle Sakura's leaping at; a fresh roll of fire in her joints as the impact's blunted is her consolation prize. When she feels an opening, Mika pushes against the other woman's arm and hops back to steal a little space and breathe-- and try to shake some feeling back into her left arm--

-- and stare at the chiseled titan on her periphery, and ignore the fluttering storm in her belly, and /brace/--

When he chooses to charge at Sakura rather than her, a sigh somewhere between relief and determination slices out, and - despite the opening he provides, her break ends on the spot. With a few running steps and a sudden twist of the hips, she lets momentum and practiced aim send her hurtling rump-first towards Sakura from the opposite side of Victor, hoping to trap her between a rippling bicep and dangerously honed curves.

Even in the most impromptu of battle royale, tradition dictates that there /must/ be alliances of convenience.

COMBATSYS: Rainbow Mika successfully hits Sakura with Flying Peach.
~~ Alluring Hit! ~~

[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////        ]
Sakura           1/------</<<<<<<<|=======\-------\0     Rainbow Mika
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Victor Ortega    0/-------/------=|

COMBATSYS: Victor Ortega knocks away Sakura with Running Lariat.

[                  \\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////        ]
Sakura           2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|=======\-------\0     Rainbow Mika
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Victor Ortega    0/-------/--=====|

[SAKURA]
Sakura didn't think Ortega was going to _join in_. He's the champion, after all, and interfering in a... well, a loser's match? That seems... un-champion-like. But, there it is. Sakura is, but she isn't, shocked by it. She's been in fights against two people before, naturally--but the sudden dynamic shift and flow, as well as Victor's pure speed and power, well.. frankly, they're overwhelming.

Her reactions are pure instinct, but they fail her--a moment of hesitation on which way to go sees her struck by what is usually termed a 'flying hip attack', and that is bad enough--but it stuns her long enough for Victor, with all his power and might, to just slam her into the flooring. She actually bounces, flipping over, which actually at least lets her land on her feet.

There's a moment where the crowd and the announcer seem to die down, just as she lands, and then the arena explodes again--almost impossible to tell why. Because Victor showed up? Appreciation for Mika's Flying Peach? A sympathetic reaction to what looked like a pair of very, very painful attacks on Sakura? The announcer trying to color commentate a wild, wild moment? There's all of that, and more.

Once again, Sakura is rattled, and far worse than when Mika just dropped her on her head. But--both Victor and Mika are in close, and she doesn't have many options. With a yell--a sharp kiai that lets her focus what she has left to her--she begins, well, _spinning_, scything blue arcs of chi flaring around her as she whirls through a quick low sweep with her right leg, then continues upwards, corkscrewing in place almost like an ice skater, that energy flung off around her in short slashes. Basically...

She just needs to clear some room.

COMBATSYS: Rainbow Mika blocks Sakura's Haru Ichiban.

[                   \\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////            ]
Sakura           0/-------/<<<<<<<|=======\====---\1     Rainbow Mika
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Victor Ortega    0/-------/=======|

COMBATSYS: Victor Ortega blocks Sakura's Haru Ichiban.

[                   \\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////            ]
Sakura           0/-------/<<<<<<<|=======\====---\1     Rainbow Mika
[    \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Victor Ortega    1/-------/=======|

[VICTOR ORTEGA]
It's all about explosive isn't it. The full wrath of the two wrestlers comes crashing down upon poor Sakura. Her response occuring in a brilliant display of chi and blue fire that ripples and arcs out from her wildly at both grapplers to push back at them. The rising roar of the crowd which seems to get louder and louder and louder.

For his part, Victor barely blinks. The energy scythes into him and ripples across the wall like expanse of his frame, but he he stands form, both arms crossed before him to buffer the attacks and a brief..smile now given as he notes Sakura is still standing. And so he speaks for the first time.

"Impressive.."

But his attention then snaps to Rainbow Mika and it soon becomes apparent that this -isn't- an alliance but rather a test for them both. To focus his wrath completely and utterly on a single target when two opportunities to test worthiness is before him would be a waste.

"Continue to show me what you can do!" he declares to both before spinning around, his massive arm becoming engulfed in shining golden chi as if he had just grasped a fist full of sunlight and fire. and then it swining up in a gigantic back fist towards Rainbow Mika!

COMBATSYS: Victor Ortega knocks away Rainbow Mika with SPirit Upper.

[                   \\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////                     ]
Sakura           0/-------/<<<<<<<|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2     Rainbow Mika
[    \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Victor Ortega    1/----===/=======|

[RAINBOW MIKA]
Rolling backwards through the landing leaves Mika on her way upright when a hurricane breaks out in the middle of the ring. With a quickly drawn breath, she locks her forearms before her face just in time for the first blue lashes to scour across them and send her reeling backwards until she collapses into the corner, just out of the tempest's range.

Just in time to steal another moment to process her new beginning transitioning into a sudden ending -- no --

-- opportunity-- an /opportunity/ to see and be seen by a legend while she and Sakura find their way towards the throbbing, screaming heart of competition.

A wave of warmth washes over Mika's body; fluttering lashes lead to a quick scan and a furrowing brow beneath her mask.

So at least she /sees/ the burning star in Victor's palm before it explodes against her skull and sends waves of horror and delight through the audience. Briefly, she falls limp as her body's hurled over the top rope and through an announce table, leaving her crumpled and struggling for air at the feet of screaming commentators.

After nearly a dozen seconds, she begins to stir-- to crawl from the mess of wood shrapnel, twisted metal, and sparking monitors so she can jump back in the ring.

-- or climb, perhaps, clinging to the apron as dearly as she's hanging onto consciousness while the stars dance before her eyes and a double dose of fire threatens to burn her resolve away.

COMBATSYS: Rainbow Mika gains composure.

[                   \\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////                 ]
Sakura           0/-------/<<<<<<<|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>-\1     Rainbow Mika
[    \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Victor Ortega    1/----===/=======|

[SAKURA]
Sakura actually takes a moment to think about what to do. She is impulsive and very much a fly-by-the-seat-of-her-pants fighter, but in this case... even were Victor not internationally known as _the_ Champion, she would have known, just from that lariat, how skilled and powerful he is. And normally... well, Sakura's sense of honor is bruised--this is not the way a champion acts! Yet... yet, here it is. He's gone after her, and now he's done slammed Mika into the mat.

She has to ask herself--which is more important--her sense of honor, or winning the fight? And, in another moment, the answer is crystal clear. This may be suicidal--at least to her chances of staying in Slamfest--but Ryu wouldn't stand for this, and she won't either. Sakura stands defiant, and points at Victor.

"You're the champion and here you are interfering in a bout?!? Have you no honor???" Her voice reaches--even if the venue didn't have parabolic mics trained on the fighters, for moments just like this, it would have reached, at least to the first several rows.

And now, to suit action to words--she takes off at a jolting run, blue chi flaring around her right fist as she lunges for Victor, ducking low and using surprisingly strong legs (for her size) to propel her upwards in a rising uppercut for Victor's chin. As she ducks low, she cries, "SHOU'OU..." And at the moment of impact, she would finish off the almost-incantation with "KEN!!"

COMBATSYS: Victor Ortega endures Sakura's EX Shou'ou Ken.

[                    \\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////                 ]
Sakura           1/-------/=======|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\1     Rainbow Mika
[        \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Victor Ortega    1/--=====/=======|

[VICTOR ORTEGA]
The Champion slowly makes his way across The Ring of Destruction..each footfall like a rumble of thunder and the sheer presence of him pressing across the ring like some sort of bulldozer rampaging itself across the landscape of chi and spiritual pressure. This coupled with the overblown physique and monster bodybuilder like trundle of his just exudes pure power and intimidation tne cameras drink every bit of it up. The occasional pec bounce and twitch adds to the frenzy as the behemoth plays up the crowd and the commentators with each movement of his sinewy body..but his gaze remains focused on Mika even though his mind calculates everything from crowd manipulation to finances and an encylopedia of possible wrestling options at his disposal.

Sakura's words serve as a distraction to him and one also perfectly well timed as she 'saves' Mika and draws the giants attention squarely on her His brow knits in the first display of aggravated emotion..

".No...HONOR..?" he rumbles - but before can complete his sentence she's on him!

He barely has time to brace er the fist slam into his chin with enough power to send most fighters tumbling into the air and straight onto their backs. His teeth grit and his eyes squint as pain flashes through him. He bends slightly, back arcing backwards and body teetering...but it's like a sequoia swaying in the wind as he rights himself again and while Sakura is yet airborn, swings a massive arm up and then down again to try and slam her with a huge palm and crush her back down to the mat itself.

"Brave of you girl! And 'honorable!' .to possibly yield the match for the sake of loyalty!"

COMBATSYS: Victor Ortega successfully hits Sakura with Hammer Smash.

[                           \\\  < >  /////////////                 ]
Sakura           1/--=====/=======|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\1     Rainbow Mika
[         \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Victor Ortega    2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|

[SAKURA]
She tried. But, well... Victor _is_ the champion. As plucky and prodigal as she is, years of training, honing, and experience will outmatch that. For Victor, slamming Sakura out of the air is simple; she doesn't even have time to cry out, slammed down onto the mat and completely, instantly out.

A sobering display, even to the audience, but the bloodlust is upon them too--Sakura's body rolls away from the residual force and she fetches up against a corner post, sprawled in a somewhat unsightly manner. When she wakes, she'll think about this. Every fight, every loss is a building brick in the structure that is her fighting style, that is her warrior persona. And that'll comfort her...

... later. For now, she's not thinking about much of anything.

COMBATSYS: Sakura takes no action.

[                 \\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////         ]
Rainbow Mika     1/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2    Victor Ortega

COMBATSYS: Sakura can no longer fight.

[                 \\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////         ]
Rainbow Mika     1/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2    Victor Ortega

[RAINBOW MIKA]
When she reaches the apron, Mika grabs on without pulling herself up.

As Sakura vents her indignation, Mika rummages past steel chairs, bamboo canes--

Victor seeks to crush the other girl into the canvas. Mika's too preoccupied to see it, but she feels the blow reverberate through the ring and the floor beneath it.

Too busy hauling, too busy unfolding, too busy clicking into place--

Too busy climbing to witness more than the aftermath from ten--

-- no, twelve--

-- no--

--*fifteen* feet up one side of a silvery ladder.

This wasn't how it was supposed to go. She and Sakura were supposed to have a real match -- a /good/ match, the kind of match her fans pay to see; she was supposed to try her damndest to win, to /earn/ the corner across from Victor Ortega. Two students in their prime; two wildly differing philosophies of combat. Two determined, honorable souls--

-- and no less than the Champion of Champions has seen fit to separate them, testing the boundaries of his own invitational event in the process.

It wasn't meant to be this way, but fifteen feet up from the arena floor, Mika's going to play the hand she was dealt, because that's what /professional/ wrestlers /do/.

"If, somewhere in your champion's heart, you truly believe that interrupting our match was the best course of action, then I have to trust your judgment-- that SOMEWHERE in it, there's wisdom I'm not yet equipped to grasp," she cries across parabolic mics that reach even (/especially/) there, "but this won't - CAN'T - change the simple fact that regardless of your wisdom, the integrity of this bout has been compromised, that-- THAT-- I can't ACCEPT that--!"

As she twists 'round into a backwards flip, "In the name of strength and beauty, I WON'T accept it!!" falls right along with her, warbling slightly as the relative calm of her first revolution is snapped by the breakneck pace of a second. Her knees briefly tuck towards her chest before her whole body flattens out mere moments before a potential torso-to-torso impact with Victor.

COMBATSYS: Rainbow Mika successfully hits Victor Ortega with Extreme High Spot.
+=+=!= Power Slam! =!=+=+

[                 \\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////              ]
Rainbow Mika     0/-------/---<<<<|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2    Victor Ortega

[VICTOR ORTEGA]
The Champion of Champions, King of Kings, Sultan of Slam...well you get it, the list goes on ... Victor turns.

He hears Rainbow, furrows his brow in concentration and a steel eyed gaze that would wither a steel girder like a wet piece of tissue before its intensity. She leaps at him. He braces, squaring his massive chest, each pectoral expanding wider like a fortress wall unfolding. The very image of the immovable object..

And he gets slammed the hell out.

"Whoulllf!!!" Victor's eyes bulge and his body skids backwards as Rainbow Mika splays across his torso and presses him towards and against the ropes of the partially damaged ring. They bow and bend but Victor regains his composure and balance and a sudden heave and flex rebounds Mika back away from him as he towers forward, blinking a few times and then straightening back up to his full height.

His eyes then narrow again. A flash of red-gold occuring as he stalks forward, at first looking as if he is going to retaliate..but then he pauses, taking in Sakura, and comes to a stop. He lets the moment linger as he eyes both women and then raises a colossal arm skywards, fist clenched...and the as if a signal had been given, the bell rings as the announcer thunders, "VICTORY GOES TO RAINBOW MIKA!!!"

"Very good.." booms Victor, allowing the faintest smile on his normally stern features. There is no cruelty here though one can't still help but feel the sterness of a drill master even in his acknowledgement of a good job. "I abide by my own rules, even if those rules are to be an agent of chaos. You have won this match..but it was at the sacrifice of your opponent who placed honor over victory...and then -you- placed honor over well being and gloating in the face for her fall. Well done."

And with that, the colossus turns. A cape of blue and seems to appear from out of nowhere - really just well placed sleight of hand and illusion with the assistance of ever ready but never seen aides, and Victor is exiting the ring dramatically.

COMBATSYS: Victor Ortega has left the fight here.

[                 \\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Rainbow Mika     0/-------/---<<<<|

[RAINBOW MIKA]
Victor skids and Mika bounces, tumbling from his unbreakable physique after their first couple feet across the canvas. A couple rough revolutions later, she's splayed on her back and panting vigorously while the announcement and the crowd wash over her. A voice in the back of her mind's barking at her to stand; years of instinct warn her of the shadow about to envelop her with the promise of annihilation.

Another voice cuts through the rest to tell her that she not only won the match, but she - like Sakura - fought it well.

A trembling arm lifts from the mat to show the crowd a 'V'.

COMBATSYS: Rainbow Mika has ended the fight here.

Log created on 19:35:25 02/16/2020 by Rainbow Mika, and last modified on 04:02:01 02/26/2020.