Match of the Millennium

Description: Following last week's Idol Showdown, Professional Fighting Worldwide decided to extend an open offer to our fans: a chance to meet (and beat) their idol! We're sure that our winner, Sakura, won't be disappointed in the slightest by the opportunity when she goes head to head in this match with newly crowned Idol Tairyu! And, of course, our security in Dotonbori won't allow any intrusions by wandering vagrants... right?

[TAIRYU]
==THE DAY BEFORE==

"... I'm sorry, you want me to do... what, exactly?"

Tairyu was having a perfectly mediocre day. His ongoing issues might loom on his mind, but at least he had a moment to just sit down at his favorite small, one-counter bar, with a glass of good whiskey to sip on.

But then this woman had to show up again. This european woman in a crisp red suit, who somehow has managed to never give Tairyu her name. The woman who got him into that stupid singing contest that somehow lead into a caged brawl with another singer. The woman who somehow seems to simultaneously represent both a record label and PFW.

"Look. I don't care about going to some weird fan event of your little organization." Little? "Even if you've got a fight lined up there. I already did more than enough with that silly idol stunt you pulled me into. You should have asked me before making arrangements like that. Bottom line is I'm done."

Turning back to the counter, he tips the glass in his hand to slowly sip at the peaty liquid within. But, the crimson-suited woman just smiles.

"Oh, but, Mister Tairyu. It is in your contract."

Tairyu's taken off-guard by that very last word enough that he ends up sputtering the whiskey that already made it into his mouth right back into the glass.

"....My *what*?"

==NOW==

"....Ghhhh."

Tairyu is not at all happy about having to stand in the middle of Ebisubashi. The bridge running over the canal that cuts through Dotenbori is filled with lines upon lines of people... though for the most part, behind safety fences that form a square clearing. Many other big names have already come through, exchanging handshakes and pictures with many fans, but only Tairyu has stayed behind standing in what, under further scrutiny, very well creates a fighting arena that runs nearly the entire length of the bridge.

Having his face plastered on tv was akward enough, in his mind, but being here in particular? Syndicate influence being present or no, there's still likely plenty Yakuza families and other crime entities in Dotenbori that might want a word or two with the would-be-successor of Aizawa-gumi. At least Tairyu has done a phenomenally good job of keeping his fidgeting under control.

"Well come on then, everyone's probably even more impatient about this than I am, huh?!" The young Yakuza calls out while stretching out one arm with his opposing hand pressed onto the shoulder, head tipping from side to side to work out kinks in his neck. "Where's the lucky person who wanted to have a go?"

At least he doesn't have to sing in front of the whole world this time around, right?

[SAKURA]
Idol Showdown? Sakura is _in_. I mean, hey. She strives for excellence in everything she does--whether that's learning English, practicing the ancient art of underwater basket-weaving, or being an idol singer-slash-martial artist. (She doesn't really apply the same standards to her homework,b ut, hey. Some things are more important, no?)

As an experienced attendee and participant of Saturday Night Fights, well... she knows. You have to expect anything and everything out of the inventive minds that create these devilish scenarios for the people to enjoy. So when Sakura shows up, she doesn't show up in her usual schoolgirl fighting outfit--instead, she's done herself up a bit. Okay, the outfit is basically the same, but it's like an idol-ed up version of her usual outfit. The headband is pink, the skirt is pink, the neckerchief is pink. Instead of her usual ankle socks and Converse, she's wearing calf-high white socks and pink buckle-topped mary janes.

Of course, the handguards are pink, too. It's a riot of pink--cherry blossom pink, because, well, she *is* Sakura, after all. From where Tairyu is, he can see her running up, not really going full out but more than just speed walking--and she's got a mic in hand! A portable mic, but the speaker in the bottom of it is plenty powerful enough as she comes up to Tairyu, singing... an idol song. Her voice isn't bad, though it's clearly untrained.

"So you're the new idol, are you?" she says, once she gets there, pointing a finger at Tairyu. "Well, before you can truly claim the title until you defeat me~!"

[EMMA]
People.

There are so many people.

Adrift in the sea of humanity around the barricade, a small blonde teenager is battling an acute case of social anxiety and overstimulation by gnawing fretfully on the noodly contents of a bag of stale cherry Twizzlers. The nervous tension of the crowd would be far too much for the teenage psychic's mental state if it weren't for a single thought that fuels her determination to withstand and surmount the stormy waters above the bridge:

Her idol is here.

She knows his face - it's imprinted both on her mind and in the small crumpled drawing she keeps in the right side pocket of her red and white hoodie - but she doesn't know his voice. Or does she? She thinks she should, but that doesn't mean that she will.

A man's voice is audible over the crowd - thanks to the microphone. And then a girl's voice. She's addressing...

Her idol?!

Emma's heart skips in her chest, the bag of Twizzlers spilling onto the bridge as the thought of seeing her hero in action consumes her consciousness. She nearly swoons, but a shift in the tide of bodies and minds causes her to stumble as she's caught and pushed forward, snapping her back to the present.

As a burgeoning Zacchaeus complex starts to grow inside her heart, Emma's bright blue eyes search frantically for a vantage point from which to observe the goings-on. A memory flashes in her mind - an unfamiliar urge. A faintly imprinted solution to her crisis from a time that's otherwise an empty picture frame in her brain.

"Daddy?"

The teen's eyes go blank as she's pressed between the taller bodies around her.

"D-daddy!"

The word becomes a panicked shout as she repeats it, causing eyes to turn toward the blonde.

Emma's eyes shut tight.

"I need my d-dad!"

Voices start to speak around her - some out loud, some heard only by the girl.

'Where is her dad?'

'What's wrong with that chick?'

'How old is she?'

'What a freak!'

'Are you that girl's dad?'

"DADDY!"

'Ohmygod'

'Shut up!'

'Shut up!'

'Shut up!'

'HOLY SHIT, WHY IS THERE A GIANT PINK MAN?!'

'AHHHHHHHHH!'

When Emma's eyes open again, now having taking on a magenta hue, she's towering over the crowd - suspended as she is in an eight foot tall magenta projection of a caped man of military bearing with an impressively large chin. The young blonde flails in surprise, and as she does, the solid-holographic figure mimics the same, teetering backward as the people in the crowd recede like the tide to avoid being presumably crushed.

"Ahh!"

Realising that the stealth element of her furtive mission has been failed, the projection-piloting teen hesitates for a moment, then starts to wade forward through the crowd. At least her friend is here to protect here, now.

"'Scuse me! Coming through!"

The people on the bridge part to let the giant pink spectre and its tiny passenger through as the security staff exchange nervous looks. A couple of them move to intervene.

"Excuse me, sir. You can't come any closer- augh!"

The security member lets out a scream as he's punted off of the bridge, plummeting to the river below.

"I can't swim!" the man shouts from below as he thrashes in the water.

Emma looks down at the other security officer with a frown.

"Can you swim?"

The security officer, quivering in his boots, nods.

"Help him!"

The remaining security officer lets out a scream as he's picked up by the huge magenta man and dropped over the rail into the river to thrash along with his comrade.

Her path now unimpeded, holo-pilot Emma tromps forward toward the barricade, hopping over it. The pink giant looks back and forth as its blonde occupant does the same as she searches for her idol.

As her eyes fall on Tairyu, a look of immense disappointment fills her features.

"You're not my hero!! AHHHH!!!"

The pink giant's hands clap over its peaked cap as the girl howls, her fingers digging into her blonde locks in frustration. Her face pulls into a scowl.

"You TRICKED me!!"

[TAIRYU]
The appearance of... a very pink Sakura from the crowds leaves Tairyu narrowing his eyes for a moment. In contrast, he doesn't look like most male 'idols' would -- though perhaps he might be able to get away with wearing his trademark black suit and red, high-collared shirt in some peoples' eyes on stage. Either way, his stare at the cherry blossom idol girl is one of pure bemusement. Somehow, this life still manages to surprise him.

But hey, at least this one's dressed like a fighter. Rather than being in some opera dress.

(I don't really want the title, though...)

The thought might pass through his mind from Sakura's challenge, but that doesn't change the fact that he is stuck deep inside this mess. So he will just have to commit all the way regardless. Besides... when has he ever been known to back off from a challenge, no matter how ridicilous it might be?

"Come on, then," the young Yakuza's rumbling baritone urges the challenger on, with a brief mirroring of her pointing finger in his own, before his hand turns over and fingers curl into a beckoning gesture. "You better show me everything you've got!"

He doesn't even have the time to assume his typical fighting stance before his attention is drawn by the commotion behind him. It's just intended as a brief peek at what he assumes is rowdy spectators, but... it turns out to be something so much more. And with the sight of a magenta psychic apparition, his attention is drawn up fully.

"--The hell?"

His hands, halfway-raised from his interrupted shift to a guarded stance drop when he turns on his heel to face the crowds behind him -- and the pink giant that stomps past the barrier, with the girl held in the center of it.

Eyes widen for a moment at the sheer absurdity of the sight, green irises scanning up, up and up along the length of the projection. And then snap down to focus on the face of the girl inside of the psi-mecha. "...Oi, are you--"

The question is never finished, for he jolts back with a single step upon the sudden outburst. And that's when the fighting stance finally comes, knees slightly bent and one hand held in a fist pointed upwards, just to the side and below his chin, while the other is held slightly lowered and pointed to his opposing side. Brow furrowed while he stares a the Girl And Her Stand while she goes through her tantrum. He watches. Considers her. And then...

He remembers the face of someone he knows.

"..."

His hands are lowered and he straightens up his posture, before he braves a few steps towards Emma.

"Hey," he calls out, trying to maintain eye contact with the girl inside the projection rather than on the projection itself. "I don't know what's going on with you," he goes on, voice still on the deeper, rumblier side, but holding a much softer tone to it. "But if you need help, young lady..."

Another step, close enough that the he would surely be in arm's reach of the eight-foot monstrosity. And he merely holds out one hand, palm-up.

"We can try to help, alright? It'll be okay."

Somewhere, someone else is looking on with utter horror of Tairyu's utter lack of survival instinct in approaching Emma like this. And somewhere else, an event manager is tearing their hair out simply because not only is the planned match on the bridge been completely hijacked, but one of the stars isn't even trying to fight this interloper! Think of the lost ratings!!!

[SAKURA]
Sakura's entry is completely overshadowed by the eight feet of pink hologiant being piloted by Emma. The teenaged Ansatsuken Flower has the presence of mind to switch off the mic prop, and then, as the giant approaches, she casually tosses it back behind her, into the hands of one of the SNF crew--who has to do a bit of manuvering to catch it. It isn't really much more than a cheapy prop mic, but hey, they'll probably sell it on the website later.

The pink 'idol' kind of stares at Emma's approach, but she isn't completely taken aback, as a veteran of a thousand psychic war--no, wait, that's a song. But she is a seasoned warrior, and so she simply glances at Tairyu, quipping dryly, "I take it she's a fan? Or not," she adds, as Emma accuses the man of 'tricking' her.

While the security guys are trying to fish their colleague out of the water, the SNF crew is all cameras go, the production crew furiously redistributing cameramen and getting instructions over their headsets from HQ. <We might still have a fight! Hang on!> Sakura ignores all that and takes a few steps away from Tairyu.

That giant looks kind of angry, or the pilot does, and that is never boding of a nice, quiet night--and Sakura doesn't mind nice, quiet nights... but she came here for a fight.

[EMMA]
Wide-eyed and suspended above the masses in her giant psychic effigy, Emma looks frantically between Tairyu and Sakura. Her cheeks are starting to flush red - or at least, they seem to be. It's hard to tell with all the translucent pink encasing the petite teen's form.

"Y-you LIED... you said my idol would be here!! I wrote a letter and everything!"

The projection tromps closer to the yakuza-come-karaoke-idol - notably, it seems relatively weightless, in spite of its size, its footsteps large yet light. One of the girl's hands reaches into her hoodie's pocket as the holo-man - is he familiar to anyone? - stoops down low in front of Tairyu, its arm mimicking the motion of the blonde's own.

"You're not my idol! I know because I remember what my idol looks like! And this picture will SHOW YOU!!"

With that, Emma yanks what appears to be a folded piece of paper out of her pocket with sudden force, holding it triumphantly in the air.

As she does so, the pink military man imitates the motion - which, given its position, means that the violent arc of its arm is aimed to deliver a perhaps-unintended backhand to Tairyu with a foot-wide fist!

COMBATSYS: Emma has started a fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Emma             0/-------/-------|

COMBATSYS: Tairyu has joined the fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Tairyu           0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0             Emma

COMBATSYS: Emma successfully hits Tairyu with Strong Punch.
- CRAZY Hit! -

[       \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Tairyu           0/-------/---====|=------\-------\0             Emma

[TAIRYU]
Tairyu scowls briefly, while he listens to the tirade. In his mind, perhaps, he figures that on top of whatever problems this girl has, she's also been duped by the marketing machine of the same entity that put him here in the first place.

"...I know I'm not," he murmurs in continued effort at providing some assurance, hand still held out.

A sigh, then, when she declares she's going to 'show him'. He can see, at least, that she's digging something out of her pocket, so he isn't initially too worried. "I don't know who told you that, but maybe I can--"

And then he is violently reminded of just how the psychic projection around her functions. In the form of a wildly-swinging backhand colliding right into his face. And knocking him right off his feet, up into the air.

"--BUGYAAAH?!"

The man's form spins around in the air as it flies through along the length of the bridge, all the way until he lands back-first onto the curb again, the ensuing skid ripping tears into the fabric of his jacket until he comes to a complete stop right besides Sakura.

"...Gggghhhh..." Back arching momentarily up off the ground, his own hand clutches the side of his face - bearing an enormous, reddened mark over his skin there - before he flops right back down again. One second or so, and he manages to push himself up to sitting, first.

"...Oi, Pink," he rumbles -- and though his eyes are on the suspended Emma, he's clearly addressing the person he was originally supposed to fight there. "I think we're going to have to put the show on hold."

Weight rolled forward, he's brought to crouching on one knee, before he takes a slow, steadying breath. "The girl ain't in her right mind and even under the best circumstances that's gonna be trouble for the civvies." It's only then, that he affords a sidelong glance to Sakura.

"What's it gonna be?"

COMBATSYS: Tairyu gains composure.

[     \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Tairyu           0/-------/----===|=------\-------\0             Emma

[SAKURA]
Sakura frowns. Well... this was unexpected. Tairyu just took that right across the face and.. yep, there he goes. Fortunately he gets up--fighters is tough--and as the crowd scatters away from the bowling pin that is Tairyu, Sakura closes her hands into fists. This wasn't what she signed up for, but this person seems uncontrolled, maybe dangerous. Priorities shift and she nods to the Yakuza as he comes up to a knee.

"You're probably right. Well, the guys are probably filming it anyways, it'll be up to the editing team to cut it into something entertaining," she side-mouths at Tairyu, then raises her voice. "Hey, hey!" she shouts at Emma the pilot, or at least, at the eight-foot-tall pink hologiant, "We were gonna have a fight here! If you can't calm down and watch, we're gonna have to deal with you, you know!" Not that... Sakura is all that imposing...

I mean, being five foot two inches and not even quite one hundred pounds is not exactly the recipe for coaxing obedience out of an unruly giant-thing. But she does her best, smacking her right fist into her left palm and pointing with her left!

COMBATSYS: Sakura has joined the fight here in the center.

[     \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Tairyu           0/-------/----===|=------\-------\0             Emma
                 [ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
                 Sakura           0|-------|-------

COMBATSYS: Sakura takes no action.

[     \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Tairyu           0/-------/----===|=------\-------\0             Emma
                 [ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
                 Sakura           0|-------|-------

[EMMA]
Emma's eyes go wide as she finds herself left holding her precious portrait aloft, the person to whom she'd intended to present the picture now picking himself up off of the pavement some distance away. She pulls a face as a twitch runs through her momentarily. What was that feeling in her head just now from? The false idol is speaking again, looking at her. She's not pink. Who is he - oh, of course.

"His /name/ -isn't- Pink," the floating blonde states authoritatively, placing her hands against her hips as the similarly authoritative image of the caped figure imitates the action. "It's..."

She doesn't know.

"..."

Embarrassment colours the teen's cheeks, which start to puff up a little as she holds her breath and waits for inspiration to save her from the dead end she's driven herself into.

"... it's a SECRET!"

The hand holding the picture raises up again, trembling as she clutches it and scowls. "You can't just stop me from showing it, either! Why would you do that?! I'll show you! I'll show all of you! So stop making fun of my friend!"

Something causes the blonde to suddenly stop, her outburst freezing as if someone's paused on the frame, magenta eyes blinking twice before staring emptily.

'...deal with you...'

'...we're going to have to deal with her, somehow...'

'It's okay, sweetie... we're just going to leave you in here for a little while...'

"NOoOoOoO!"

Emma and the big magenta giant whirl on Sakura, staggering a couple of steps backward as panic enters the girl's eyes again. "I WON'T go BACK in THERE! You can't MAKE ME!"

As the giant steadies itself, the girl inside focuses her eyes on her terrifying teenage tormentor. A pink line starts to ripple into existence in a rectangular shape in front of Sakura, soon filling in with the shape of a wooden closet door of the same solid-translucent nature as the Eight Foot Man.

"You'll see how YOU like it!!"

With that, the door starts to creak open... then suddenly flings wide, as something emerges to try and drag Sakura into the sinister portal...!

[TAIRYU]
Tairyu gives Sakura a long look. Sloooowly, he blinks.

"Well, I suppose diplomacy was on it's way out the window anyway..." The Yakuza rumbles with a low sigh.

He's risen up fully onton his feet by the time Emma's caught herself in the middle of another nervous breakdown, and his scowl has only grown. "I really wish we could get her down without getting violent... But it just seems more unlikely by the second, huh?"

Through pure instinct, he bounces sideways and then makes a run forward when the closet-door-framed black hole is channeled into being. Sakura can probably handle that on her own for a moment, right? Right?

(That thing felt solid enough... Maybe it can be broken without going straight for her. One way to find out.)

He continues running along the bridge, giving a berth past the ethereal closet door trying to suckle up Sakura. Posture lowered down while he speeds through-- and then suddenly springs up, with his hand launched up and forward, open-palmed, aimed for the midsection of the magenta giant. ... Or, if his hand hapens to go through it, then the midsection of the suspended Emma.

Whichever works, but one will make Tairyu feel worse, certainly.

COMBATSYS: Sakura blocks Emma's What's In The Closet?.

[      \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////// ]
Tairyu           0/-------/-----==|=------\-------\0             Emma
                 [   ||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
                 Sakura           0|-------|-----==

[SAKURA]
Sakura's seen things. Lots of things. Her years as an active street fighter and martial artist, traveling around the world, fighting all sorts of people with all sorts of crazy abilities and skills, has ensured this. And yet, she still hasn't seen anything like this. She's a little frozen, as that door opens up and reveals something she'd only thought about--or maybe not even though about, really, just imagined, subconsciously. It's Ryu, but not, like, 'her' Ryu (okay he's not hers, really), but some sort of demonic version of him, wild-eyed, wild-haired, with a visage baring any lack of humanity.

The reaction is instinctive as the construct rushes Sakura, throwing a wild punch that crashes against her upraised arms, dissipating into psychic energy afterwards.

"Wh--" stammers Sakura, then she directs a glare at Emma. "Was-- was that your doing? What the HECK?" Unsurprisingly, drawing upon someone's deepest, darkest fears tends to lead to an angry reaction, and Sakura acts on that reaction, power surging into her hands, the movement practiced, second nature, as if her body had just triggered a macro; her stance shifts, sinking back on her right leg as she draws her hands in towards her stomach, then her weight shifts forward as she thrusts those hands out, palms forward, at Emma.

"HADOUUUUUUUUKEN!!" she cries, her voice taking on a brief unearthly echo as she expends her gathered life-force in the form of a white-cored, electric-blue edged ball of energy flaring and launching off at Emma and her giant.

COMBATSYS: Emma blocks Tairyu's Rising Claw.

[      \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////   ]
Tairyu           0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0             Emma
                 [   ||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
                 Sakura           0|-------|------=

COMBATSYS: Sakura successfully hits Emma with Hadouken.

[      \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////        ]
Tairyu           0/-------/----===|=====--\-------\0             Emma
                 [   ||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
                 Sakura           0|-------|----===

[EMMA]
The statuesque holo-man steels himself as Tairyu flies up at its torso, wrapping one arm down around its abdomen to protect its passenger. The projection is, indeed, solid - not rock-hard, per se, but much like hitting a heavy boxing bag; just the slightest bit of give. Close inspection, though, might reveal the slightest wince and clenching of teeth on the part of the blonde girl piloting the psychic giant. As the large man wavers only slightly from the blow, a bright blue-white glow glints in Emma's eyes, and she and her psychomecha turn just in time - ==*== MEANWHILE, ELSEWHERE ==*==

"This is a disaster. An unconscionable freaking disaster," a balding middle-aged producer with a New York accent says as he watches the live feed and wipes his receding hairline with a handkerchief.

"Unconscionable. That's a good word," a dark-haired young woman in a black Novus Orbis Librarium Intelligence uniform remarks as she sits on a disused set of control banks on the opposite side of the Saturday Night Fight mobile production headquarters, an enormous black trailer truck filled with all sorts of monitors and techs working at them. While the entire vehicle is kept at a comfortably cool sixty-eight degrees fahrenheit to ensure the smooth operation of its equipment, the workers inside are sweating to the man.

"Look, Banjo, you've got to move your people on this. We're in this together, right? We've got to contain this. They're about to throw down with some kind of lunatic bubble girl, and no matter who wins, our public relations are toast. We promised safe, we promised secure, we promised no more goddamn freak shows! Get ready to cut the feed!"

The last line is directed at the technician in charge of the broadcast. As the techie's mouse hovers over the disconnect button, though, the woman in the NOL uniform raises a hand.

"Ah ah ah."

The technician and producer both turn their eyes to the woman, who sweeps her hair back away from her face before folding her hands on her knee.

"First off, it's Bando, Michael, not Banjo. And secondly, I have a better idea."

==*== BACK ON THE DOTONBORI BRIDGE ==*==

"LADIES and GENTLEMEN!"

- for the voice of an announcer to cut through the air before the electric blue fireball slams into the bubble-man's ribs, causing it to stagger backward as the girl inside lets out a yelp that's mostly drowned out by the audio.

"Professional Fighting Worldwide would like you to give a hand... for our new MYSTERY CHALLENGER!"

The blonde psychic smacks herself a couple of times on the side of the head to try and steady her senses, a motion imitated by the pink effigy-man. Fortunately, his peaked hat seems impervious to anything that might threaten to dislodge it.

"THAT'S RIGHT, folks! This is, in fact a TRIPLE THREAT MATCH! And a bonus of TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS will be awarded to whoever can defeat... the MYSTERY CHALLENGER!"

"What?! Who's the myst'ry challenger?!" Emma demands to know as she looks warily back and forth. Her eyes wind up focusing on Tairyu. "You... you tried to hit me! I need you to go for a swim too!"

The projection's muscles seem to swell as a look of determination crosses the blonde's face and the giant's hands start to reach for the yakuza, trying to grab him by the arms or whatever other part they can reach.

"HRAAAAHHHH!"

Closing her eyes, Emma doesn't even notice whether her psychokinetic grapple attempt has found purchase - she just starts spinning as fast as the giant can, which is surprisingly so until one considers that it's actually a nearly-weightless psychokinetic construct. And then, aiming to throw the yakuza out over the water, the giant will let go - the blonde only opening her eyes once the threat of motion sickness has passed to see if her intent has been carried out.
s in there

COMBATSYS: Tairyu counters Let's Do Spins from Emma with Dragon's Clutch.

[      \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////             ]
Tairyu           0/-------/----===|=======\-------\1             Emma
                 [   ||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
                 Sakura           0|-------|----===

[TAIRYU]
Tairyu recoils back after his palm collided with the magenta projection's arm. But only just so that he needs to take a single step back with his previously forward-set foot, turning the facing of his side on Emma and her psychic mecha.

"...Seriously..." He groans out at the announcement, wrinkling his nose and knotting his dark brows together. "Is there a low they won't go to?"

Hopefully no one on the production crew had a microphone pointed at him.

He turns the facing of his stance around once more -- but this time it's purposeful, and the sliding step brings him stepping around one of the arms reaching for him while his hand smacks into the outer side of it, to further push it inwards and distinctly *past* him.

"It's not like I am enjoying this either!" He grunts out, just as his pushing hand grabs onto the offending arm and pulls more insistently. Pull the giant's weight off forward and down, while his other hand goes to grab onto the lowering shoulder, and his knee jabs up, into the midsection his shoving palm was previously denied access to. The sensation of his knee colliding with... what is probably pure psychic energy is a strange one, but he takes it in stride, at least. And even after the hit, his hold on the projection's arm and shoulder persists, in some effort to keep the thing's balance off. He's apparently not lacking in physical strength to contest with in spite of the other guy having a head's worth of height on him.

[SAKURA]
No, Tairyu. There is nowhere SNF won't go. Except maybe full nudity on broadcast--this is, after all, a pre-watershed timeslot show! Sakura of course can't answer Tairyu,muttered as his words were, during the heat of battle, but well, that announcement. Sakura palms her face briefly, then shakes her head. The money isn't a motivator for her, really--that's something she learned from Ryu, and anyways, her life is pretty comfortable now--but the fight itself...

Just gotta ignore the SNF crew, because, well... there's something else to confront at this point. At this point, even if the money isn't the motivator, the fact that Emma seems borderline out of control is--it's fine if she's just after Tairyu and/or Sakura, but she's also assaulted some of the security and, let's face it, a lot of fight fans are willing to go to lengths to see the action. Can't have that.

Sakura jumps in as Emma is attacking Tairyu--literally. A crouch, coiling potential kinetic energy in her surprisingly strong legs, and then she's pushing off leaping upwards, converting that kinetic energy from a springing leap into a sharply-angled dive kick, aimed for the eight foot holomecha-projection-thing's chest.

COMBATSYS: Emma endures Sakura's Medium Kick.

[      \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////                 ]
Tairyu           0/-------/----===|=======\==-----\1             Emma
                 [   ||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
                 Sakura           0|-------|---====

[EMMA]
The psychic manifestation teeters forward as Tairyu grabs its arm and redirects its momentum. The eyes of the girl inside remain squeezed tightly shut as she tilts in the air with the solid hologram's leaning, and her teeth clench as a feedback ripple runs through the projection's surging form. A faint trickle of blood seems to be running down over Emma's upper lip. When it seems that the projection isn't managing to spin as intended, one eye cracks open - moments before Sakura's foot comes slamming into the Magenta Man's side.

"Gyahh!"

Arms flailing, Emma goes flying out the back of the projection, landing on the bridge behind it and rolling with the impact as sounds of pain emerging from the blonde's battered lungs.

On closer inspection, the hologram doesn't seem to have been especially badly damaged by the blow - it seems possible that the girl actually ejected herself reflexively as the kick came close. She pushes herself up with her hands, then dusts off her jeans before wiping the blood from her nose with the back of one of her red sleeves. She puts her hands on her hips.

"Prince!"

The projection turns its head toward Emma, flickering out of existence for a moment before reappearing next to Emma, its hands on its own hips as its cape flutters on an intangible breeze.

"It's time to pull out all the steps!"

The projection nods knowingly before kneeling down, placing its massive hands on the ground. The petite blonde teen places her Vans on either of his palms.

"This is a secret attack!" Emma announces as she points toward Sakura.

A moment later, the Magenta Man thrusts his hands upward, rising as he propels Emma up into what appears to be little more than an insane belly flop, aimed to crash down on her pink-clad opponent in a manner that Emma has surely been warned not to try at home.

And a moment later, the Magenta Man follows suit - flipping gracefully into the air before flopping down to crash on Emma in turn - and Sakura, if she can't get out of the way in time!

It would seem that the Magenta Man's weight is of a mercurial nature...

[TAIRYU]
The projection's disappearance and reappearance by Emma doesn't seem to halt Tairyu from tracking it over. Hands, suddenly holding onto just thin air, quickly sweep away into fists while he turns to facing the Psychic Teenager.

"... I'm not sure that's how you say it," he murmurs, more or less to himself-- right before the Magenta Man (and Emma) fly up into the air. And... down belly-first towards Sakura. Oh, great.

He probably definitely won't be able to do anything about *that*, but he makes for a sprint towards the anticipated landing site (ie Sakura) regardless. On the way, his hand winds back in a fist -- and the instant he reaches the landing site, and the Magenta Man crashes down, he launches the fist over with a brief leaning-down of his own weight, springing up in a fierce uppercut aimed to collide with the projection as *it* collides with the ground!

Tairyu says, "l"

COMBATSYS: Emma successfully hits Sakura with Slumber Party.
Glancing Blow

[      \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////                    ]
Tairyu           0/-------/----===|=======\=====--\1             Emma
                 [         ||||||||||||||||||||| ]
                 Sakura           1|-------|<<<<<<<

[SAKURA]
"Whoa--!!" cries Sakura, as she watches Emma go up into the air, followed by her... Prince? I guess that's the name? muses Sakura, side-tracked for a moment by that idle thought. It was absolutely confusing for a moment, and that moment is a problem. Sakura moves to get out of the way, but as she kicks herself into a backstep, her heel lands on a loose stone. It squirts out from underneath her heel and what would've been a graceful backstep turns instead into a twisting stumble, and while that gets her out of the way of _Emma_, it doesn't get her out of the way of her magenta psychic projection, and that slams down.

It's not a direct hit, but Sakura, as off-balance as she is, is flung forward by the impact, twisting at the last moment to impact a rather sturdy light pole with her shoulders and back, her head flinging backwards as all that kinetic energy transfers from fixed point around her body.

Rebounding, Sakura gasps, landing on hands and knees, coughing. "Ow..." she says, as she rises to her feet, but for some reason her expression is looking brighter. Still, she hangs back a moment, rubbing her lower back, especially seeing how Tairyu is running up on the construct. Hit the construct, not her? Maybe that's a plan... but on the other hand, maybe knocking Emma out would be faster...

COMBATSYS: Sakura takes a quick, centering breath.

[      \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////                    ]
Tairyu           0/-------/----===|=======\=====--\1             Emma
                 [      |||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
                 Sakura           0|-------|=======

COMBATSYS: Tairyu successfully hits Emma with Strong Punch.
* Attack Of Opportunity! *

[      \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////                         ]
Tairyu           0/-------/---====|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2             Emma
                 [      |||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
                 Sakura           0|-------|=======

[EMMA]
It's not a soft landing for Emma.

With her target having taken evasive action, the blonde teenager winds up flopping onto unforgiving concrete and asphalt, unprotected by her pink projection. She shudders and grimaces as she tries to move, eyes finally snapping open and looking up to see the Magenta Man stretching a hand out to help her. A smile lights up her blood-streaked face as she reaches up to take advantage of the offered assistance.

"Thanks, Pri-"

Suddenly, the Magenta Man's form flickers like a neon light gone on the fritz, and Emma lets out a pained cry, both hands clutching at her head as the projection winks out of existence. She slumps backward, kicking her feet to push herself back toward the guard along the side of the bridge. She latches onto it for support, her legs as unsteady as a newborn lamb's as she struggles to push herself upright.

"P-Prince? Come on! I need you...!" she pleads with the air as her battle-buddy (or battle-body?) fails to rematerialize. She looks down at her feet, her glassy eyes fading from magenta to blue as she starts to think out loud.

"Okay... the Prince is asleep, so..." Suddenly, a manic-looking flash of inspiration crosses her still-glazed expression. "Glitterhoof! You're not taking a nap! Come on!"

Placing two fingers at her lips, she lets out a shrill whistle - and in a shower of sparkles, a magnificent pink psychokinetically-constructed unicorn flashes into existence, popping up from beneath Emma to lift her right up into a mounted position. The beast itself seems big enough that even the Magenta Man could ride it, although it would likely look more like a pony than a horse if it did. Emma's hands take hold of the unicorn's mane to steady herself. She blinks her eyes, the irises now magenta once more.

"O-okay! You know what to do, Glitterhoof! But, wait, you'll need these!"

She blinks once more, and a pair of waterwings pop into existence around either of the unicorn's front legs.

"Now... GOOO!!!"

With that, Glitterhoof whinnies and whirls around, setting a course for the tricksy Yakuza that started (?) all this mess. And then, suddenly, it's off to a breakneck gallop, moving much faster than a real unicorn would, its single magenta horn aimed for Tairyu. Unless the gangster idol can stop it outright, it seems to be intent on barreling straight onward, whether or not it finds its mark, headed toward the opposite rail and destined for the river below...!

COMBATSYS: Emma can no longer fight.

[      \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Tairyu           0/-------/---====|
                 [      |||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
                 Sakura           0|-------|=======

COMBATSYS: Tairyu blocks Emma's Unicorn Death Charge.

[            \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Tairyu           1/------=/=======|
                 [      |||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
                 Sakura           0|-------|=======

[TAIRYU]
With his colliding fist seemingly having caused the Magenta Man to shatter into particles of psychic energy, Tairyu steps back again. Alright. Good. The projections can be destroyed. Then maybe he can deal with this without hurting Emma any more than the strain of using her power already has.

"Listen, nee-chan--" says Tairyu while he straightens up, but...

His attempts at diplomacy are cut off by the appearance of a giant, pink unicorn. And his stoic facade breaks in favor of giving a completely flabbergasted look at the sight.

"... Oh, you've got to be kidding me."

Faced with the death charge of an equine energy-creature with a horn that looks much sharper than should be deemed healthy, Tairyu's confusion over the current state of reality as it stands leaves him with not at all enough time to try to jump out of the way. But he sure as hell did not get up this far by just rolling over when faced with something difficult. A quick, steadying breath accompanies feet spreading apart just enough to brace his balance and his arms rising up--

And clamping onto the head of the unicorn with a muffled-yet-loud grunt of exertion and pain alike. The dangerous horn might have gone just over his shoulder, and though he's sent skidding along with the charging beast rather than getting trampled over, it's still a lot of weight and energy he just more or less took head on. This is going to hurt a lot in the morning.

And he finds himself unable to bring the horse to a full stop just by his weight alone, too.

The bottoms of shoes steadily scrape themselves away from the friction against the curb while he's pushed forcefully along the bridge and towards the railing. A quick look over his shoulder alerts him quickly to the collision course with the railing and the canal beyond it. Stubborn as he is, he still doesnt try to slip himself away, however.

"--DDDHHHHAAAAAA!"

Weight leaned in forward, feet bracing further behind him to try to put up more and more resistance against the unicorn, to slow it down at least that one bit more. Until the railing gets so close he *knows* he's about to feel the impact of it against himself. Instead resorting to kicking his foot back and against the lower section of it, for another point to brace himself on, and--

Suddenly, he can't feel the unicorn against himself anymore.

"...Huh?"

With the sudden deprivement of the unstoppable force he was pushing against, his weight topples over and Tairyu ungracefully flops belly-first onto the ground with a low "Ugh!"

It's only after he's down on the ground when he lifts his head up and looks up and behind himself-- and to the airborne Emma who, likewise, has been robbed of her steed mid-motion.

COMBATSYS: Tairyu takes no action.

[            \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Tairyu           1/------=/=======|
                 [      |||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
                 Sakura           0|-------|=======

[SAKURA]
Well... that was a thing that happened. Sakura watches Tairyu take out the Magenta Man, and then... a unicorn? What? But Tairyu deals with it capably and Emma is... Sakura blinks, then looks to Tairyu, kicking her back foot off against the lamppost and walking over to the gangster. "So, uh," she says, as she approaches him, hands down, "You still feel like doin' this? Or--" She gestures around.

"I'm not sure I'm in the mood for an idol fight anymore," she says, with a wry smile, taking a couple of steps back.

"Seems like it'd be kind of anticlimatic after all this, and anyways, I think you just won the prize that they set up--" A glance at the SNF crew, who look back, a little dumbfounded (except for the very excellent cameramen who were on the ball capturing the show), "--not that I care about that all that much..."

[EMMA]
Elevated as she was astride the holographic pink doom pony, Emma had a clear view of the edge of the bridge. Her path lay unobstructed - well, other than the karaoke kingpin that she was bearing down on, at least. She's just about to reach the edge, but she knows that she'll be okay. After all, Glitterhoof can fly if she really wants him to. She's sure of it, and she's smiling.

All the while incognisant of the blood running down her chin, the headache having faded to absolute numbness.

The unicorn flickers out of existence seconds before it would take Tairyu into (and possibly through) the railing, but the momentum carries Emma further, hurtling her over the side before gravity can reassert itself as matter restores its dominance over the blonde girl's faltering mind.

"Glitter...hoof?"

The teen's body is too weak for even her heavy-lidded eyes to search for her steed before she plunges into the cold water.

"MYSTERY CHALLENGER DEFEATED by... RING OUT!" the announcer's voice calls out, breaking the stunned silence of the crowd and crew. A cheer breaks out amongst those fans still on the scene, followed by applause - whether they believe that it's all part of the show, or think that the day has been saved by the efforts of the legitimate combatants.

[TAIRYU]
Sakura would find herself talking more to Tairyu's back than anything else -- for the Yakuza has, in quick time, brought himself up to his feet again, and... peering over the railing down to the canal. To where the psychic girl fell.

And then there's cheering and clapping, and without even realizing it, he's grinding his teeth together.

And then, something finally boils over.

"JUST WHAT ARE YOU CHEERING FOR?!"

The sudden roar aimed to the audience and cameramen both is one borne of frustration and disgust alike, though the man's sharp, green eyes look on to the crowds for only all of two seconds.

"...Sorry, Pink," he grunts over his shoulder then, with the briefest glances afforded to Sakura, while he takes a few steps back away from the edge of the bridge. "I'll make it up to you some other time."

Without waiting for any answer from her, the crowds, and the least of all the SNF crew, he leaps forward, one foot landing on top of the railing seperating the rest of the bridge from the fall to the river before his other foot kicks down upon it to launch himself further up into the air and forward.

And diving down to where Emma fell.

COMBATSYS: Tairyu has left the fight here.

                 [      |||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
                 Sakura           0|-------|=======

[SAKURA]
They're cheering because they just saw an incredible fight! But, well... obviously Tairyu sees it differently. Can't really blame the crowd, though--they don't know the details. They don't know what it's like to fight--as much of a thrill as it is to watch it, it's entirely different being in it, and Sakura gets her answer as Tairyu turns his back on her and goes off.

Well... it's kind of what she expected, just from looking at him. "Don't worry about it," she says, to his back--this was a little unusual even for a SNF, and Sakura turns to the cameras and waves!

"Sorry folks, show's over. Uh, he won," she says, thumbing over her shoulder at Tairyu's rapidly-disappearing-from-the-camera form, "--AND he just went to save the girl, so, y'know, he probably deserves it! Give him cheers for that!!" and then she moves out of the spotlight, because there's nothing else to say.

COMBATSYS: Sakura has ended the fight here.


[EMMA]
Just as Sakura is starting to walk off, the announcer's voice interjects. It is, unfortunately, quite a bit louder than the pink-clad fighter's own.

"It looks like Tairyu has claimed the MYSTERY PRIZE, but your winner, by RING OUT, is SAKURA! Thank you all for coming and we hope you enjoyed the SHOW!"

There's definitely a bit of emphasis on the last word. After all, this is all just a spectacle, right?

In the meanwhile, down in the water, the young and quite possibly disturbed blonde is nowhere to be seen on the surface... but Tairyu might just imagine that he sees the teenager down in the river's undercurrent, being carried away by, of all things, a magenta-coloured mermaid.

Log created on 12:59:14 08/25/2020 by Emma, and last modified on 20:28:16 09/12/2020.