Match of the Millennium

Description: With hundreds of martial arts across the world (and beyond), it's difficult for up and coming fighters to pick and choose their own style. For Honoka, her opportunity comes together in a special boxing ring set up at the Howard Arena. There, she will get the chance to be trained in the art of the boxing from professional pugilist Heavy D!. But there are some things that even a master boxer can miss. And those are the kind of things that demand a motherly touch from the crimson-haired brawler Vanessa, ready to give her own experienced input to both sides! But is she here to bring order... or a bit of CHAOS*?

[HONOKA INOUE]
The place: Howard Arena, Southtown, an enormous facility that's the pride of public display in the business district. It's big. It's imposing, if you aren't used to stages that size.

The time: RIGHT NOW

Honoka Inoue has been nervous all week, because Howard Arena is a big stage (bigger than she really rates as a fighter; she assumes it's the other people's fans, though she has some of her own after her public matches, for various reasons) and she's on it. And boxing! She knows a bit about boxing. She's watched boxers before, and for her, that helps. But, well. She's never really done it.

Honoka is already in the ring. She waved to the crowd, like you do, and is currently waiting with a mix of excited anticipation and nerves. She is wearing the same outfit she wore when wrestling - a crop-style top with a sports bra underlayer, and tights with starburst patterns. She did not think to bring boxing gloves. Perhaps she prefers bare-handed? At least she tied her hair back more than usual.

[HEAVY D!]
Honoka's opponent, it turns out, has elected to forgo boxing gloves, as well. At least, Heavy D! - the *very* tall, dark-skinned man who comes walking out into view from the opposite side of the arena - is merely wearing fingerless white gloves. But don't let the choice of gloves and the open jacket that leaves his heavily-muscular upper body mostly bared out fool you! While the sunglasses-bearing man is making his wya towards the ring, he's already punching the air in a series of shadowboxing combos to pump himself up, all too telling in that of his choice of sport

"Yo!" The tall american calls out when he hops over the ropes of the ring, already providing a companiable smile to Honoka. "Heard you're more of a wrestler, Miss Inoue! But I'm sure..." One of his powerful fists slams itself against the open palm of his other hand. "You can still make a show worthy of this ring! Are you ready?"

[VANESSA]
"Hey, you two!"

There's a tone of voice that can seemingly only be truly mastered by a mom after years of practicing it on their children, and that's the one adopted by the red-haired woman presently bounding up in a navy blue and red boxing outfit of her own, a pair of boxing gloves dangling from each of her index fingers - one set pink, the other purple, sized roughly for the pair of prospective pugilists, but a bit overgenerous in bulk for their would-be wearers.

"I thought you might need these~"

After proffering the bulky handwear to D! and Honoka, Vanessa steps back to the third corner of the ring, one of the posts between the red and blue corners, and hops up to sit on the ropes. Turning to the crowd, she raises her hands and claps them over her head to encourage the audience.

"Happy Thanksgiving, everybody!"

Emboldened by the returned favour of the fans - many of whom cheer or whistle back - she turns and pushes herself up on the ropes to wave at the crowd more enthusiastically.

As she does, a silver flask falls out of the back pocket of her snug navy boxing shorts.

"Whoops~" the boxing mom says airily, before scuffing her foot against the mat in a not-so-discreet attempt to discreetly dispose of the metal container.

[HONOKA INOUE]
"Oh, I kind of do a bit of everything!" That's certainly true. Honoka has never been much of a style specialist. She tends to watch all sorts of people, and that shows in her fighting style. She honestly looks too small to be much of a wrestler (or a boxer, honestly) but she's never let that stop her, and fighters can be a bit of a surprise on that front.

Honoka bows, just a little, to the other boxer. "So... if you can show me what you can do, that's enough! I hope we have a good match..."

Honoka trails off. Both because she ran out of things to say right there and because, well, there's Vanessa. With boxing gloves. "Thanks!" she says, brightly. "I guess I will need these, won't I...? I didn't bring any!"

It takes her a couple moments to get them on (Honoka takes the pink ones, of course). "Right! Now I'm ready for sure!" She either did not see the flask or is pretending not to. It's probably the first; Honoka can be kind of oblivious. "Oh, and happy Thanksgiving!" Honoka is Japanese. She forgot.

[HEAVY D!]
"Yeah!"

As boisterus as the man called Heavy D! (with the exclamation mark and all!) is, he apparently isn't thinking any less of Honoka for being either smaller than him or less experienced in matters boxing. Small or large, the american is pumped up to take on all opponents regardless. There's an underlying respect there in him for whoever comes in the ring, even if it's largely shown just by how focused his expression is. He takes his opponents seriously no matter what.

"Let's make it a good o-"

The large man's words are cut off but hte sudden interruption, however. And for just this moment, he actually puts down his dukes, so to speak. Even with the shades covering his eyes, the surprise brought on by Vanessa's apperance is evident.

"...Listen, ma'am, you know this was supposed to be bare-knuckle, right?" But, a quick glance back over to Honoka revleas to him, too, that his opponent is already fitting the pink gloves in. "...Oh, well." The man gives a helpless shrug, before leaning over to grab the purple pair. "Guess it can't be helped now."

His larger hands are slipped into those gloves - hey, they probably fit pretty okay too! - and he bumps his now-cushioned knuckles against each other. "I'm fine if you wanna watch up close, but don't get *too* close now, ma'am!"

That being said, he turns away from the red-haired boxing-mom, and brings up his dukes once more! Bouncing lightly from one foot to the other to keep the blood flowing, anticipating the japanese girl there.

"Whenever you're ready, Miss Inoue!"

[VANESSA]
"Mmm, hmm... huh?"

Vanessa is down on her hands and knees in the corner, trying to find the flask, which seems to have been mislocated, whether by intent or accident. Her head pops up, turning toward Heavy D! at his protest. When she realises that she's being addressed, she quickly gets up and dusts off her knees.

"Listen, young man. I'm supposed to be the role model here, and I'll be <CENSORED> if I'm going to let you two learn how to box without proper handwear, here!"

The red-haired role model seems oblivious to the expletive that she's just dropped on the PFW Censorship Technicians; she cracks her back and stretches her arms above her head before leaning back against the ropes in anticipation of the match's start.

"Good luck, you two!"

[HONOKA INOUE]
Wait, *was* it supposed to be bare-knuckle? If it was, it certainy slipped Honoka's mind. Not that it matters much; a fighter is a fighter with or without gloves on.

She smacks her fists together a couple times to make sure the gloves are set right and because she's seen boxers do that before. It feels right.

Honoka did hear the expletive that time. She winces, but it wasn't aimed at her, and it probably didn't hurt anybody... and in any case she agrees with Vanessa. If she's going to learn something, it should be done right.

"Okay!" she calls back to Heavy D!, followed by a just-as-cheerful "Thank you!" for Vanessa's well-wishes. But for a moment that's all; she just watches D!, seeing how he moves on his feet.

When Honoka comes in, it's hot. She charges in like she was a much more aggressive fighter than she looked; ordinarily she might deliver a punching and kicking combo, but this time she omits the kicks, staying strictly to upper-body. It's fast more than powerful, a little more than a test but a little less than a full-power blow. "Then... Here I come!"

COMBATSYS: Honoka Inoue has started a fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Honoka Inoue     0/-------/------=|

COMBATSYS: Heavy D! has joined the fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Heavy D!         0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0     Honoka Inoue

COMBATSYS: Heavy D! just-defends Honoka Inoue's Tropical Storm!!

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////// ]
Heavy D!         0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0     Honoka Inoue

[HEAVY D!]
The expletive might be censored on-air, but it certianly reaches the ears of those present! Or at least those who are within earshot. And it brings the dark-skinned boxer's brows lifting up over those shades, and the corners of his mouth quirking up. "Well-- Not much I can say to that, is there?" He comments, with a roar of laughter.

But Vanessa's not who he is focusing truly, no. For when Honoka comes, his thick forearms come up immediately to shield his face. Those arms are so damned large they might as well be shields in their own right, the way they soak up Honoka's fist again and again, while he bobs and weaves his body down low to compensate for the height difference, and continue to still catch strikes she may attempt to direct in from his sides.

"First lesson, then! Boxing's just as much a game of your mind as it is your body's! It's the puzzle of getting past your rival's guard when he has it up!"

And just like that, he suddenly breaks those up-held arms apart, with the pure intent of knocking Honoka's continued assault aside. And in the next instant, he straightens up again, to his nearly-overwhelmingly-tall full height as he steps in to close in on the japanese girl. Bouncing up some, even, to bring his body seemingly even higher while his right, gloved fist rears back past his shoulder -- and then launches right down towards Honoka as his body comes down again!

[VANESSA]
For the time being, Vanessa contents herself to lounge against the ropes in the corner, causing them to sway lightly as she shifts against the post.

"Good effort, sweetie! Now, remember, if you're going up against a big doofus like that, AIM LOW!"

Wait, is what she's implying even legal in a sanctioned boxing match?

"And don't forget, keep punching!"

When Heavy D! comes in with his violent rebuttal, Vanessa's face curls into a scowl.

"Hey, take it easy on her, buster! She's just a kid! This is a learning exercise!"

COMBATSYS: Heavy D! successfully hits Honoka Inoue with Rock Crush.

[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////      ]
Heavy D!         0/-------/-----==|=====--\-------\0     Honoka Inoue

[HONOKA INOUE]
"Ah - hai!"

Honoka doesn't have a lot of time for words; while she's very chatty outside the ring, when she's in one it tends to come and go. And Heavy D! is a much more experienced boxer than she is; she needs to watch, listen, and learn.

And she's about to learn real well. By first-hand experience.

There is only one possible direction for the attack to come from: upward, given how much taller Heavy D! is than Honoka. She does manage to get her arms up, but not at the right angle; the blow slams her downward, as Honoka reflexively drops into a crouch to try to absorb some of the force with mixed success.

Reeling, Honoka hears Vanessa call to her - and misunderstands. "Ah - low! Yes! Right, ma'am!" Honoka manages to straighten, drawing back her fist and aiming a powerful straight punch directly at Heavy D!'s... stomach.

Well, it's low for him if not her, and apparently Honoka is not a dirty fighter. The blow is picture-perfect despite the situation, like she copied it out of a boxing textbook. "Haaa!" The call, however, is way more karate-inspired. But that's fine.

COMBATSYS: Heavy D! endures Honoka Inoue's Fierce Punch.

[    \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////////     ]
Heavy D!         0/-------/---====|====---\-------\0     Honoka Inoue

[HEAVY D!]
"Best way to learn, you know!" D! calls back to Vanessa over his shoulder just as that gloved fist connects with Honoka.

It's rather fortunate, then, that Honoka misunderstands Vanessa's intent with her advice! Considering D! doesn't actually have the time to protest before her fist smacks against the large man's stomach. And those steel-like abs. He doesn't seem to even flinch that much! Though he does boucne himself back after the hit.

"Come on, keep up the rhytm, yeah!" He encourages Honoka, too (even if he did throw a very much disapproving look Vanessa's way in the middle of it all there!), before he ducks his large figure slightly while he keeps the distance between himself and Honoka--

And he throws a punch there. Sure, he might be large, but he couldn't actually manage to hit her from that far out, could he?

No, he couldn't. But the burst of crackling energy that tears up the glove covering his hand and flies through the air towards the girl very well might if she's not quick on her feet!

[VANESSA]
As Heavy D! and Honoka settle into what seems like a good, clean match, Vanessa smiles a Proud Mom smile, folding her arms beneath her navy sports bra top and nodding approvingly - until Honoka seems to misunderstand her instruction.

"Oh!"

Vanessa frowns.

"OH!"

She raises a hand up to cup next to her mouth and project over the sounds of the violent exchange.

"Aim LOWER, honey! LOWER!"

She frowns again as D!'s hand crackles with energy.

"And you! You'd better behave yourself, or I'm going to have to get in there!"

For a role model keen to involve herself first-hand, Vanessa conspicuously seems to have forgotten her own pair of boxing gloves...

COMBATSYS: Heavy D! successfully hits Honoka Inoue with Blast Upper.

[     \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////           ]
Heavy D!         0/-------/--=====|=======\=------\1     Honoka Inoue

[HONOKA INOUE]
Wait, is this still boxing?

Honoka was prepped and ready for a punch. What she gets is not a punch; she gets a blast of energy launched from his fist instead. What she had been going to do goes completely out the window as she just kind of throws herself to one side instead, attempting to use the power of 3D space to swerve around the blast.

But the reaction comes too late. The blast clips her side and chest as she evades, sending her spinning, then stumbling; she falls on her back with a heavy thump, dizzy as much as dazed from her failed evasion.

You don't win if you stay down, though - you have to get back in there and give it another go! And Honoka knows that, so she bounds upwards. Her soul burns with fighting spirit; her upwards and forward bound...

...Well, it pretty much is angled to slam her body into Heavy D!, chest-first.

She doesn't leave it at that, though. That was more of a shove than anything particularly painful; Honoka's front is not an effective striking surface. What *is* an effective striking surface is the fists she drives forward while she thinks (hopes, anyway) Heavy D! is off-balance, a fast one-two and then a heavier, slower three. On the third hook, her fist is glowing faintly, trailing deep red energy - almost black - even through her glove, and it adds significantly to the power of that blow.

Only then does she realize Vanessa called to her. And she realizes what she means. "I can't do that!!" she calls back, aghast. (She had aimed at his torso again because she's going for sheer impact.)

COMBATSYS: Heavy D! blocks Honoka Inoue's Bear Crash.

[       \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////           ]
Heavy D!         0/-------/-======|-------\-------\0     Honoka Inoue

[HEAVY D!]
"What kind of coach are you?!" Heavy D! calls back over to Vanessa in echo of Honoka's own protests. Right before Honoka herself crashes against him!

The particular technique does take the large man a bit by surprise! At least enough that he doesn't get to stop her from colliding with his larger frame, and jostle him visibly. But apparently not enough to stop him from turning his arms down over, after the first hook to his side, to brace himself against the oncoming assault. Even if the final energy-coated fist does bring a sharp grunt up from his lungs.

He grabs right onto her shoulder after that hit, though, and shoves hard while his foot sweeps through into her legs! The sweeping foot carries him to turning himself around -- and gathering momentum for an upraised fist to sweep through the air, before being directed down, aimed for the girl. With the intent to have tripped her over beforehand, and drive her right down onto the floor of the ring with that descending fist!

[VANESSA]
"Are you backtalking me, kiddos?!"

Vanessa pushes off of the corner ropes as Honoka refuses to stoop to the level instructed, seemingly resulting in something of a walloping from Heavy D!.

"Alright, honey. Let me show you how it's done!"

With things looking down for the apprentice, Vanessa focuses on the master - with all the destructive intent of a heat-seeking missile! She dashes off the ropes and into a slide, aiming a low punch to the big boxer's vitals before throwing a heavy straight at Heavy D's midsection!

COMBATSYS: Vanessa has joined the fight here.

[        \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Heavy D!         0/-------/-======|-------\-------\0          Vanessa
[           \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Honoka Inoue     0/-------/-------|

COMBATSYS: Honoka Inoue blocks Heavy D!'s Reverse Stomach Buster.

[        \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////// ]
Heavy D!         0/-------/=======|-------\-------\0          Vanessa
[             \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Honoka Inoue     0/-------/------=|

[HONOKA INOUE]
"No, ma'am! I'm not trying to backtalk - "

Honoka cuts herself off because Heavy D! has just grabbed her shoulder. She twists, rotating her body in a well-practiced movement; when he goes for the shove, she moves with it rather than being pushed off-balance, keeping control of herself well enough to hop the sweep kick and then keep moving to avoid the follow-up blow.

With Vanessa coming in from the other side, Honoka isn't sure if she should stand back and let the master work for a minute. She's a chaos agent, but she doesn't want to hit her by mistake - is that against the rules of SNF? She honestly isn't sure.

Honoka goes for another combination attack; a series of strikes to his side that partially mirror Vanessa's, followed by - at the end - a grab as she yanks at one of Heavy D!'s arms, using leverage to try to twist and send him down toward the ring floor!

COMBATSYS: Heavy D! blocks Vanessa's Puncher Straight.

[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////// ]
Heavy D!         1/------=/=======|=------\-------\0          Vanessa
[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Honoka Inoue     0/-------/------=|

COMBATSYS: Honoka Inoue successfully hits Heavy D! with Rekka.
- Power hit! -

[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////// ]
Heavy D!         1/----===/=======|=------\-------\0          Vanessa
[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Honoka Inoue     0/-------/----===|

[HEAVY D!]
"What th- HEY!" Heavy D! does catch on to Vanessa's sudden and rapid approach to turn over and duck his form down over again, to shield himself against her fists with those enormous forearms! Still, the force of the redhead launching herself at him jostles him back -- and right into the attack from Honoka from the opposing side!

His side turned and exposed to the japanese girl, he finds his kidney getting struck by one of her fists - gloved as they might be! - before he finds his previously-blocking arms caught and leveraged down over. "OH SHI-!"

When someone that tall goes down, it looks all the more impressive when he does! Face-first he tumbles onto the ring floor with an audible *THUD!* echoing out through the whole arena. "Blrgh!"

In spite of his nose getting crushed under his own weight, and a spurt of blood getting sent down from one nostril, the man's quick to roll himself over all over again. And he makes full use of his size alone to turn that roll into a guiding of his fist towards Vanessa in a reflexive hook before he's even bringing himself rising up properly!

COMBATSYS: Vanessa blocks Heavy D!'s Hook Punch.

[              \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////   ]
Heavy D!         1/---====/=======|==-----\-------\0          Vanessa
[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Honoka Inoue     0/-------/----===|

[VANESSA]
Despite her own act of aggression, Vanessa looks downright taken aback when D! engages her in retaliation. Though there's a slightly glassy look in her red eyes, her fists come up with a honed brawler's reflexes to guard herself from the incoming purple boxing glove. The physical affront to her person causes the bad boxing mother to stumble backward.

"Hey, now! You shouldn't be taking that tone with me, buster! Focus!"

With a sudden burst of speed, Vanessa cocks back her first and swings around, aiming a wild right-handed punch at Heavy D's upper body before throwing another with her left, a flurry of big blows unleashed before she finally aims an uppercut at the big man's chin.

Motherly blood now boiling, Vanessa whips around.

"And don't you go letting your guard down either, kiddo!" she yells fiercely, before hefting an overhead punch at Honoka's upper body, then ducks down and rises into another uppercut, this time aimed at the much smaller brawler's jaw!

COMBATSYS: Vanessa blitzes into action and acts again!

[              \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////    ]
Heavy D!         1/---====/=======|=------\-------\0          Vanessa
[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Honoka Inoue     0/-------/----===|

COMBATSYS: Honoka Inoue dodges Vanessa's One-Two Puncher.

[              \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////////     ]
Heavy D!         1/---====/=======|=------\-------\0          Vanessa
[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Honoka Inoue     0/-------/----===|

[HONOKA INOUE]
Honoka hadn't *really* expected Heavy D! to go down quite that hard, given her previous (lack of) success at punching him. But between her and Vanessa, he goes down like a falling tree - she feels the impact through her feet.

She lowers her hands just slightly, but they come right back up with an almost jerky movement as soon as Heavy D! starts to move again. She's not going to let him strike her that easily... especially because it turns out he's not striking her at all!

Vanessa is, though. Her uppercut comes out, lightning fast, but Honoka is already moving away from it, darting backwards with surprising speed. She doesn't strike back immediately, either against Heavy D! or Vanessa, but instead takes a moment to catch her breath. "My guard is up!" she promises Vanessa.

This fight is really educational. She thinks she just learned something from those uppercuts...

COMBATSYS: Honoka Inoue gains composure.

[              \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////////     ]
Heavy D!         1/---====/=======|=------\-------\0          Vanessa
[           \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Honoka Inoue     0/-------/-----==|

COMBATSYS: Heavy D! just-defends Vanessa's Machine Gun Puncher!!

[           \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////////     ]
Heavy D!         1/---====/=======|==-----\-------\0          Vanessa
[           \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Honoka Inoue     0/-------/-----==|

[HEAVY D!]
Heavy D! is still partway on the way to get back up to standing when Vanessa's uppercut makes way for him. But! One of those tree-sized forearms comes sweeping in from the side, and knock the redhead's attack off to the side, so her fist just grazes past the man's face by inches.

"Good footwork!" He calls past the redhead to Honoka, having seen her duck back away from Vanessa's follow-up attack.

But, the massive boxer's not content on simply staying there either, with his balance re-caught. His form ducks down low, and he chases after Vanessa with his own rapid footwork. "Next lesson then! Take notes!"

And indeed, it's not Honoka he's aiming a punch for. One fist has been reared back, and arcs of energy spiral rapidly around it while he winds up -- quickening and thickening, forming an illusion of a tornado around his massive fist!

ANd that tornado-fist is launched in a furious straight punch from his lowered posture, straight for the boxing-mom!

COMBATSYS: Heavy D! successfully hits Vanessa with D. Magnum.
>> Decisive Hit!! <<

[           \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////              ]
Heavy D!         0/-------/-------|=======\-------\1          Vanessa
[           \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Honoka Inoue     0/-------/-----==|

[VANESSA]
"Nice job, sweetie!" Vanessa calls out to Honoka as the younger woman dances out of reach of the redhead's combination. There's a twitch of a grin at the corner of her lips, and a certain clarity flashing through the boxing mercenary's previously glazed eyes. One of her thumbs slips from her fists' boxing posture to show her approval.

And then she's rudely interrupted by Heavy D!'s decision to use her as an object of the same lesson that she just tried to impart on Honoka - the need to keep one's guard up at all times.

The energy-infused tornado fist collides with Vanessa's side, sending her off her feet before she crashes down to the mat on her back.

"<CENSORED>!"

Vanessa groans as she rolls over and pushes herself up onto her knuckles, shuddering and groaning.

"Now, look! If that's the way you're going to teach..."

Vanessa reaches up, trying to grab onto whatever part of D! she can reach to help herself up - then swings her left hand up with what is definitively an illegally-aimed blow.

"...then let me HELP YOU!"

[HONOKA INOUE]
Tornado fists are not exactly what Honoka is here to learn. She watches Heavy D! the whole time, but there are two things off about it.

One, Honoka's chi is definitely not wind.

And two, isn't Honoka supposed to be the target here? Vanessa's just the chaos agent...

Once again the other two people in the match are beating up each other instead of her. And while in some ways Honoka's okay with that, in others she's not. Is she worth ignoring? And just staying out of it some more isn't in the cards. She's here to learn, but she'd also like to win, and that means taking out Heavy D!.

"Sorry!" Honoka says, rather suddenly. The reason is unclear for a moment; she's just standing, hands raised in a guard, but under the glove her fist is clenched into a tight ball. She can feel the energies building there, and she can see them too; a wispy red-black surrounding her right hand.

One step forward, two - and she ducks down slightly, tensing her entire body for a rising uppercut that's aimed right toward Heavy D!'s chin, just like she just learned. Though, when the others did it, the chi didn't explode off her fist in an attempt to launch him straight up. That's all Honoka.

"Aah, now I'm even more sorry!!"

COMBATSYS: Heavy D! just-defends Vanessa's Body Blow!!

[         \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////              ]
Heavy D!         0/-------/-------|=======\-------\1          Vanessa
[            \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Honoka Inoue     0/-------/------=|

COMBATSYS: Heavy D! just-defends Honoka Inoue's Exploding Fist!!

[        \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////              ]
Heavy D!         0/-------/-------|=======\-------\1          Vanessa
[            \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Honoka Inoue     0/-------/------=|

[HEAVY D!]
"Sometimes you have to make a demonstration at another target for a lesson, you know?" claims Heavy D! just before Vanessa's hand grabs up at him... probably at his shorts, considering the height differential. Just as well, considering her target!

"HEY!" The dark-skinned man roars out, with his knee rising up to intercept the incoming very-much-illegally-aimed hand, soaking up the impact into his thick and meaty shin. "That's no excuse to br--"

HIs complaint's cut off by Honoka's own justified, nonverbal complaint. He sees the fist exploding with chi coming up towards his chin, though in a suspiciously familiar-looking uppercut aimed for that perfect spot in the chin that would knock most people off their feet.

But, his right arm lifts up in the middle of it all, fist pointed up high when it comes down again to smack the underside of his upper arm into the girl's fist. That probably isn't an officially-endorsed boxing technique, though.

"Alright, Miss Inoue! Let's see how good that guard is!" And down low he ducks again -- particularly low at that, to make up for the low figure that Honoka strikes in comparison to him. Ducking low, bobbing his body from side to side, to carry and direct his huge fists in jabs at her.

[VANESSA]
The defensive prowess on display on the part of D! is impressive enough to satisfy Vanessa. Shaking her hand out as she gets back to the ropes and pulls herself up, she takes a moment to straighten her top and shorts out.

"Much better, you two!"

With that said, the boxing mom claps her hands a couple of times before taking a moment to limber up and bounce against the ropes.

"C'mon, Pink! You can do this!"

Despite the fact that she's hanging back for now, there's an edge about Vanessa's stance that suggests the air of a rhino getting ready to charge more than a teacher passively observing her pupils - though there's a definite sense of both simultaneously.

COMBATSYS: Vanessa focuses on her next action.

[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////              ]
Heavy D!         0/-------/-------|=======\-------\1          Vanessa
[            \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Honoka Inoue     0/-------/------=|

COMBATSYS: Honoka Inoue just-defends Heavy D!'s Ducking Combination!

[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////              ]
Heavy D!         0/-------/-------|=======\-------\1          Vanessa
[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Honoka Inoue     0/-------/------=|

[HONOKA INOUE]
"Ah... Right! I can do this!" Vanessa's pep talk, short as it is, helps Honoka focus. She's a little outside her comfort zone here, but she's still got a chance...

As she proves when Heavy D! comes at her. He's going to strike, she realizes, and instinctively realizes exactly where it's coming from, and how he's going to follow it up. She gets these glimpses occasionally, and she knows that her instincts are good.

So she follows them... and is rewarded for it. Honoka's hands always seem to be in just the right place to deflect the attacks. She can't absorb the whole force of the blow - she's just too small, and she knows it - but she can push them aside, blocking part of the blow and deflecting the rest.

And this keeps her in close. She turns the last of the blocks into a sudden straight punch, quick and flickering, to try to push Heavy D! a bit further out of her personal space. It lacks the power of the uppercut, though it is stronger than it first appears.

COMBATSYS: Heavy D! blocks Honoka Inoue's Medium Punch.

[           \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////              ]
Heavy D!         0/-------/------=|=======\-------\1          Vanessa
[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Honoka Inoue     0/-------/------=|

[HEAVY D!]
"Good, good, good!" The american boxer chimes out with every punch that is deflected by Honoka's arms. He seems just as satisfied from it as the girl herself, if nothing else, even if he is dedicated to making every punch go through without holding back.

He seems to have completley forgotten about Vanessa for the time being, too. Even if she is looming over there in the backgroudn. Menacingly.

"Hnh-!" The straight punch that Honoka's guard transitions into finds itself colliding with the side of Heavy D's forearm again -- though this time, he does visibly grind his teeth together lightly from bracing against it. He did feel that!

But not one to let that dissuade his own advance, he quickly bounds right back in after her by leaning his body aroudn the opposing side of his blocking arm -- and sending his other arm out in mirroring the girl's own punch. "You're getting the hang of it, Miss Inoue!" He offers in encouragement, still, in spite of... well, the continued violence.

[VANESSA]
Things between D! and Honoka seem to have returned to a sense of balance. There's a positive atmosphere between the two, and certainly little to no need for intervention on the part of a third party at this moment.

And so, intervene Vanessa does!

With Heavy D! in the middle of taking another poke at his designated opponent, the red-headed brawler suddenly flies off the ropes, swinging into a hard sliding straight punch to the big boxer's back!

A bit of payback, perhaps, for the unexpected assault from before?

COMBATSYS: Honoka Inoue fails to counter Medium Punch from Heavy D! with Heishin-Geki.

[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////              ]
Heavy D!         0/-------/-----==|=======\-------\1          Vanessa
[                \\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Honoka Inoue     0/-------/--=====|

COMBATSYS: Heavy D! blocks Vanessa's Dash Punch.

[            \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////              ]
Heavy D!         0/-------/----===|=======\-------\1          Vanessa
[                \\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Honoka Inoue     0/-------/--=====|

[HONOKA INOUE]
Honoka expected Vanessa to keep getting involved (that's her job) but it does kind of make the ring a little more crowded. Vanessa flies off the ropes to deliver a powerful punch to Heavy D!'s back, and all the while Heavy D! is punching her.

Honoka's reaction to that is completely instinctive. She ducks, swaying low before beginning to rise up. She's halfway through her maneuver as Heavy D! swings when she has a single immediate thought: What she is about to do is not boxing at *all*.

Though she follows through, the instant of hesitation is enough for Heavy D!. The blow strikes Honoka's back, thumping solidly and dropping her like a stone. She's still moving, and she starts to rise up a moment after she hits the mat, but with a bit less speed and vigor than she has been showing...

[HEAVY D!]
Heavy D! almost looks surprised by the maneuver Honoka attempts -- and meets with getting pushed away by the collision with his fist. Whatever he would say in response to all that, however? It gets cut off by a Vanessa-shaped missile flying at him for another intervention!

"What th--!" It's all he can do to bring himself turned aroudn, just in time, to sweep his gloved hand over, and cushion the incoming fist against hte palm of it. THe force of it is still large enough that even the large man is sent skidding back along the ring, and he has to shake his arm from the lingering sting afterwards.

"You tryin' to spank me, is that it, old lady?" He grunts out before turning to Honoka again...

Or so it would appear at first glance.

THe turning motion continues further out, then, carrying him into a full 360-degree spin that, in turn, sends his fist hooking towards Vanessa, with bright, swirling blue energy trailing behind it.

COMBATSYS: Vanessa instinctively blocks Heavy D!'s Rolling Soul Driver.

[             \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////                ]
Heavy D!         0/-------/-----==|=======\=------\1          Vanessa
[                \\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Honoka Inoue     0/-------/--=====|

[VANESSA]
A scowl suddenly darkens Vanessa's face as Heavy D! calls her an old lady. Normally, the banter might roll off the boxer's skin like water off of a duck's feathers, but she's just the right combination of fired up and a little tipsy for the words to cut to her - even as she uses her bare fists to catch the swirling energy-wrapped punch in a classic boxing guard.

"Old lady, huh? You better be ready for beddy-bye time, buster, 'cause I'm gonna put your lights out!"

It seems the CHAOS* element has become a bit less chaotic as D!'s taunt draws Boxing Mama's aggro; Vanessa comes in with a right-handed overhand punch toward the taller brawler's upper body before ducking into a left-handed gut punch, before gathering her energy into a singularly devastating straight right. As she fires the third blow toward D!, a violent wind gathers around her fist, formed of the air displaced by her attack!

[HONOKA INOUE]
Well.

They seem to be in a spirited state of affairs. It gives Honoka all the time she needs to stand up and catch her breath, flipping her very pink hair back instead of letting it flop in her face. She doesn't dawdle - that's a good way to lose any fight you're in - but she can at least do it.

Seeing as Vanessa well and truly has Heavy D's attention, Honoka sidesteps quickly around him, ducking out of sight as she ends up behind the other boxer. She can still see Vanessa clearly, of course - and Vanessa can see her when she opens into a flurry of fast blows, ending it with a finishing hook that sacrifices a bit of power for speed. She's hitting Heavy D! in the back; it's probably not a knockout blow, but everything helps a little!

COMBATSYS: Vanessa successfully hits Heavy D! with Champion Finisher.

[                    \\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////                ]
Heavy D!         0/-------/=======|=------\-------\0          Vanessa
[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Honoka Inoue     0/-------/--=====|

COMBATSYS: Heavy D! dodges Honoka Inoue's Strong Punch.

[                    \\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////                ]
Heavy D!         0/-------/=======|=------\-------\0          Vanessa
[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Honoka Inoue     0/-------/--=====|

[HEAVY D!]
Heavy D! brings his arms up to form up that forearm-shield to intercept Vanessa's assault...! Too bad he's too slow to stop that overhead strike from slipping right in between his arms and smashing into his pectorals. Those enormous muscles might look like they should cushion the impact, but it still visibly jostles him to the point of opening him up to the followup-strike slamming into his abs.

"Guh--" By the time she's winding up the third and final, explosive punch, his guard has duly and properly fallen down. And the collision of her fist into his midsection drives all the air out of his lungs, and sends the way-too-tall boxer tumbling over!

The silver lining to this, at least, is that the trajectory of his body sends him slipping just out of Honoka's fist's reach half a second before her knuckles reach his back. Not that Heavy D! is likely counting his blessings much there while he THUDS onto the floor of the ring, with those shades finally sent flying.

"Ffff-- I'm okay, I'm up!" HE mumbles, in a flurry of desperate motion to bring himself up again, with the swinging backhand sent to the nearest target - Honoka! - seeming more an afterthought than anything else!

[VANESSA]
With D! down on the mat, V weaves back away from the carnage, her feet tapping lightly on the ring floor as she keeps up her boxing stance, her footwork a little more energetic as she smirks at the aftermath of the team-up on the biggest of the boxers.

"Rise and shine, sweetie!" the boxing mom bids, beckoning with both hands lifting toward Heavy D! before suddenly sweeping toward Honoka. It's a simple enough right cross that threatens the young fighter, relying on the advantage of CHAOS* to try and even things up between the trainer and trainee.

It's probably meant to teach something, but if it is, Vanessa seems to be leaving it as a non-verbal lesson for the moment.

COMBATSYS: Heavy D! successfully hits Honoka Inoue with Body Blow.

[                   \\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////                ]
Heavy D!         1/-------/=======|-------\-------\0          Vanessa
[                      \\\\\\\\  <
Honoka Inoue     1/-------/=======|

COMBATSYS: Honoka Inoue blocks Vanessa's Cross Punch.

[                   \\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////                ]
Heavy D!         1/-------/=======|=------\-------\0          Vanessa
[                        \\\\\\  <
Honoka Inoue     1/-----==/=======|

[HONOKA INOUE]
Honoka had to overextend slightly to get the last punch in, and she realizes it too late to correct - pulling back, at that point, would leave her more off-balance than just going for the follow-through would!

So she doesn't, and Heavy D! takes advantage of that, intentionally or not. The backhand hits her in the stomach hard enough to double her over with an involuntary grunt; it's not very ladylike as she lurches backwards, the breath literally knocked out of her.

Honoka fails to protect herself from Vanessa either. Her attempt to bring up her hands (and her body) is too little, too late, and the right cross smacks into her side. But if anything, it helps. It brings her back to herself, shocks her back into focus.

Honoka clenches her fist. Where it glowed with little wisps of energy before, now it is brighter - if 'brighter' is the proper word when one of the primary colors appears to be black, and the other is deep crimson. Honoka can feel the power within her building. She can't hold it back anymore.

"Ha-ya!"

Honoka's straight blow is aimed right at Heavy D!'s midsection. It does not appear to be a powerful blow in and of itself, but the chi *bursts*, amplifying the power of her fist many times over and sending Heavy D! straight to the ropes, trailing a comet-tail of red-black energy - if she gets a solid blow in, anyway!

Some of the glow lingers as Honoka takes a deep breath in, then lets it out, recentering. Yeah... she's ready.

COMBATSYS: Heavy D! interrupts Annihilation Stance from Honoka Inoue with D. Crazy.

[                       \\\\\\\  < >  //////////////                ]
Heavy D!         0/-------/---====|=------\-------\0          Vanessa
[                                <
Honoka Inoue     0/-------/=======|

[HEAVY D!]
While Vanessa's putting her attack through onto Honoka, Heavy D! has brought himself up to standing fully. ANd just in tine to see Honoka bringing her red-chi-encased fist furiously towards her. Without the shades on his face, the widening of his eyes is visible now. Uh oh.

He elects, then, not to try to block or dodge. But rather, lean in towards her, bobbing in with a straight punch of his own--!

His arm briefly brushes along hers, in a text-book cross-counter. A cross-coutner that ultimately results in her fist smashing into the large man's midsection regardless, at the exact same time that his much larger fist collides with the pink-haired girl.

Her punch still had a visible effect! Stumbling back, Heavy D! brings his hand to clutching at his stomach with a pained groan, visibly wobbling on his feet.

"Next-- urgh-- lesson... sometimes you just gotta take the hits coming your way..."

[VANESSA]
As the climactic clash between purple and pink concludes, seemingly in favour of the big boxer, Vanessa's expression turns to one of dismay.

"Oh! Hey! Are you alright, sweetie??"

The boxing mother's nurturing instinct surfaces once more, and she shifts to one side, standing almost over Honoka.

"Come on, honey! You can do it! Show him what for!"

The redhead's voice takes on a slightly fiercer tone as she takes on the role of cheerleader, offering moral support to the petite fighter!

COMBATSYS: Vanessa assists Honoka Inoue.

[                       \\\\\\\  < >  //////////////                ]
Heavy D!         0/-------/---====|=------\-------\0          Vanessa
[                                <
Honoka Inoue     0/-------/=======|

[HONOKA INOUE]
Taking the hit appears to have paid off for Heavy D!. Honoka might have hit him, but he also hit her - and his blow was the more telling one. She wobbles, completely off balance from the blow. She looks dazed, like she can't stand up straight, weaving one way and then the other.

It hurts, too. But it's a good hurt. The pain of a good fight... She missed it, even if she doesn't know why, or when she started to need it.

Vanessa's voice pulls her back, but it's only for a moment. Honoka, still holding the last remnants of energy in her gloved fist, strikes suddenly and sharply at Heavy D!'s head - she has to reach very high up to do it at all. But that appears to take everything out of her; after her attack, she pitches forward, bouncing not all that gently off the mat and ending up on her back, breathing hard. "Ow..."

COMBATSYS: Honoka Inoue can no longer fight.

[                       \\\\\\\  < >  //////////////                ]
Heavy D!         0/-------/---====|=------\-------\0          Vanessa

COMBATSYS: Heavy D! dodges Honoka Inoue's Exploding Fist.

[                       \\\\\\\  < >  //////////////                ]
Heavy D!         0/-------/---====|=------\-------\0          Vanessa

[HEAVY D!]
Maybe it's all the prior experience in the ring that keeps Heavy D!'s attention firmly on Honoka even while she wobbles in such a manner that one would be forgiven for assuming she's about to fall over. No, many fighters keep going until there's the ring of the bell -- and sometimes even past that.

And with Vanessa's encouragement, she does, indeed, make for an assault on the larger boxer! Heavy D! himself is quite wobbly on his feet too. Wobbling that ends up carrying him to the side, and helping him sway his head to the side -- enough for her fist to graze his cheek by a quarter of an inch, rather than smash his nose. For Honoka's benefit, though, the wobble continues, sending him stumbling back away from her by a few steps-- before he drops down onto one knee, to take a deep, steadying breath.

COMBATSYS: Heavy D! takes no action.

[                       \\\\\\\  < >  //////////////                ]
Heavy D!         0/-------/---====|=------\-------\0          Vanessa

[VANESSA]
As Honoka hits the mat and Heavy D! takes a knee, Vanessa wavers for a long few seconds before staggering back into the corner, looking vaguely deflated and much more tipsy as the adrenalin starts to wear off. She raises her hands to applaud the performance with a few unsteady claps.

"Way to take a hit, sweetie!" she calls to Honoka before sliding down to sit on the mat. Shifting her eyes to and fro, she reassures herself that she's being inconspicuous before slithering out of the ring to the sidelines, getting back down on her hands and knees to search for her flask...

COMBATSYS: Vanessa takes no action.

[                       \\\\\\\  < >  //////////////                ]
Heavy D!         0/-------/---====|=------\-------\0          Vanessa

COMBATSYS: Vanessa has left the fight here.

[                       \\\\\\\  <
Heavy D!         0/-------/---====|

COMBATSYS: Heavy D! has ended the fight here.

Log created on 18:58:54 11/12/2020 by Honoka Inoue, and last modified on 10:26:38 11/15/2020.