Match of the Millennium

Description: In Osaka, Hayley encounters a new contender for the Neo League, who... is rather unusual, to put it lightly.

[VIN]
The organizers of Neo League have put together a fight in Osaka! It likely ended up being a bit of a spur of the moment thing -- sprung up on Hayley Bretherton while she was in the area for whatever reason of her own. Apparently a new fighter had ended up signing on, and they figured she could give them a decent fight to bring them in to the board.

A little area has been cordoned off in Dotenbori, in the footpath that runs along the northern side of the canal running through the district. Even there, out of the main streets, the night's practically lit up completely from all the artificial light flowing through from the streets lined with nearly infinite restaurants and bars, neon signs glowing bright over the buildings, alongside the couple bars that do face the canal itself on this side.

But... the australian will find that... she doesn't appear to have an opponent here right now. Some spectators have gathered, peering on equally curiously as time passes on with only one fighter present. THere might even be talk of calling the whole thing off, right before...

"Ooooooi!"

A door to a bar just besides the cordoned off arena is slammed open with that call, and out stumbles a man in a leather jacket. Black-haired, with sharp, vaguely asian features, his hair a messy array of bangs that he quickly draws his fingers through to try to set it into a sidesweep.

... And he has a bottle of rum in his other hand.

"Shit, guys, I'm not late, am I?" The half-chinese, half-american asks while he pads his way to the arena, a hint of a wobble in his steps. He hops past the spectators, flashing a wide grin to Hayley with one hand held up in a mock salute.

"Yo! Think you're who I'm fightin'? Haley Breath... breathington or... something like that... Right?" He mumbles, before lifting that bottle up and... brazenly taking a long, hearty swig out of it, visibly draining every last drop from it before tossing the bottle off over the railing seperating the footpath from the canal itself.

"Vin Ren, at your service~."

[HAYLEY]
Hayley seems a bit out of place at the moment. Not quite lost, but not quite natural either. Her eyes follow the crowd, looking at the bystanders as she moves into the arena space cleared and locked down from spectators getting in the way. She tugs on her red bandana, adjusting her hair a little bit and shifting into stretches--specifically leg lunges to work out the kinks. He's not here yet, but she hasn't had anyone no show *yet* at least. This could always be the first.

"Uh," Hayley pales for just a minute, then straightens up. "Roight. That's me. Are you sure you're ah," Hayley pauses, as if looking for the words. "Ready to go?"

[VIN]
The young man flashes a broad smile to the bluenette australian, even as... well, he sways subtly there in place. "Oh, I've never been-- *hic!*" Vin coughs after that little hiccup, and slaps his hand a couple times over agains the blue, striped button-up shirt underneath that loose, unzipped jacket. "WHoof, sorry! But I couldn't be more ready if I tried!"

The man shifts his unsteady feet slowly there, knees bending and hands, not even curled into fists, rising up, one held up extended forward while the other stays hovering there just in front of his face. "Are you, cutie?"

[HAYLEY]
Hayley continues to keep an eye on the drunken man across the ring. Her eyes narrow a bit as she seems to take it all in. She watches his movements, his gestures, his gait. Perhaps she's silently judging him. Perhaps there's more to it than that.

Whatever the case, she slides into a fighting stance, spreading her feet far apart and settling into a low, wide stance, her knees slightly bent.

"So, uh," Hayley starts, "zui q--" She blinks when she's blindsided by the new means of address. "Uh," Hayley shakes her head just a little. "Is that zui quan? -- I'm ready when you are."

[VIN]
Vin lets out a whistle as Hayley sets into her stance. "Hey, hey, that looks kind of familiar-- but also not. Self-styled?" He, then... he doesn't look very firm or controlled in his own stance, subtly swaying there, legs appearing unsteady.

"Zu-qu-whatnow?" He mumbles out in... attempted repeat of the aussie's words, eyebrows jumping upwards. He might not look as clueless as he tries to make himself look though.

Either way, the man takes a step forward. Steady enough. Another to close himself in on her -- only to wobble up in his pace again. "Whoop!" He bounces lightly on one foot before swaying further in, and. "Hey, hey! Didn't I buy you a drink?!" He calls out towards the crowds, briefly pointing a finger at some wide-eyed girl spectating with the wide, wild turn he makes towards them. And his other arm goes flailing out, sweeping wide in a seemingly uncontrolled, limp motion.

A sweeping motion that brings the back of his hand sweeping for the aussie's head at a dangerous velocity.

COMBATSYS: Vin has started a fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Vin              0/-------/-------|

COMBATSYS: Hayley has joined the fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Hayley           0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0              Vin

COMBATSYS: Hayley instinctively blocks Vin's Stirred, not Shaken.

[  \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////// ]
Hayley           0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0              Vin

[HAYLEY]
"Hey," Hayley starts to interrupt. "You'd better not get distr--"

The fist snaps out, and Hayley, in turn, snaps into action. Her arm shoots up and impacts with the flailing sweep, forearm to forearm, stopping or at least redirecting the blow away from her face.

"Uh," the Aussie considers, "huh." A slight smirk goes across her face. "That's what I thought!" She backsteps, extending her leg into a low crouch, then steps forward a sweeping, slapping motion of her own: a downward chop as she windmills her arms in a steady, circular motion. It's not really a flail, but it's a much wider, momentum-gathering sweep than some styles.

COMBATSYS: Hayley successfully hits Vin with Descending Magpie.

[  \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////////     ]
Hayley           0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0              Vin

[VIN]
"Whaaa? Thought whaaaat?" Vin slurs out as his turn continues to bring him facing Hayley-- just in time to find himself coming face to face with an INCOMING FLAILY ARM. "--Ah?"

The chopping hand smacks right square on the center of the top of his head, drawing a sharp "BGAH--!" and sending him stumbling backwards away from the Australian bluenette.

"That's noooot--" he protests in the backward-swaying motion, one foot suddenly rising up to send his foot kicking for her midsection in the middle of that recoiling retreat. "Nice!"

COMBATSYS: Hayley interrupts Light Kick from Vin with Wombat's Crushing Blow EX.

[  \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////          ]
Hayley           0/-------/---====|=======\-------\0              Vin

[HAYLEY]
"That you're more than meets the eye..." Hayley says, somewhat quietly after bopping Vin atop the head and sending him into a stumble. She shifts her posture, ready to advance again, but soon finds herself on the defensive again.

But what an aggressive defense it is! Hayley powers forward, planting one foot in front of the other, then swinging forward with her hips. The kick collides with her dense backside. deflecting the blow as Hayley swings forward into a powerful hipcheck, power produced by strong legs and careful practice that makes the hit more like a shotgun blast than a traditional hit. There's no wind-up, no gathering momentum. She just powers forward once into the strike.

"Sorry!" Hayley interjects.

[VIN]
Well, that's not a feeling Vin expected to find his foot colliding with. He just has the split second or so to let out a confused "Eh?" before he's inexplicably launched off away from the Aussia by her... uh, defensive hip-check. "WAH!"

Already off one foot, he's sent off his feet and flipping up through the air before landing face-first onto the ground with a harsh sound ouf pain forced out of him.

He's left there on the ground, face to the curb, for a few seconds before he rolls over once, twice, three times and springs up onto his feet. Very uneven, wobbling feet.

"Ow, ow, ow... Okay, just..." He mumbles, holding one hand out towards Hayley with the index finger pointed up, while the other hand smooths through his hair (it only ends up getting messier) and then gives a few light slaps to his cheek. "I just need... *hic*... a second...!"

COMBATSYS: Vin gains composure.

[  \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////       ]
Hayley           0/-------/---====|=====--\-------\0              Vin

[HAYLEY]
Hayley settles back into her fighting stance, raising one hand, palm flat and to the right and keeping her other fist clenched close to her side. "Didn't expect that, huh?" Hayley says, "well--" She shifts her footing, digging in her toes.

"I can't give you too much of a breather, you know?" She powers forward, making a short hop toward Vin before sitting her feet, resuming her stance, and launching forth with a short, snappy forward punch from that same bent stance she's been keeping. It has that same snapping, sudden power of the hip check ... even if it's a bit more orthodox.

COMBATSYS: Hayley successfully hits Vin with Medium Punch.

[  \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////          ]
Hayley           0/-------/--=====|=======\-------\1              Vin

[VIN]
"Hey, hey, and why no-BWRGH?!"

The snappy punch flows right through and thwaps Vin in the face. Sending him into a very much ungraceful backward fall. Almost like he's been knocked right back and out!

...Except. The man's body bends further backwards, and his hands snap down to the ground, catching onto it as his weight suddenly rises up -- bringing him up to a handstand that, in the same motion, also carries his foot up towards Hayley's chin before he's fully straightened up on those arms.

COMBATSYS: Hayley blocks Vin's Sour Finish.

[   \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////           ]
Hayley           0/-------/-======|=======\-------\1              Vin

[HAYLEY]
Hayley lands the blow, then draws back, straightening up. There's no moment to rest, however, before Vin smoothly transitions out of the backward fall into a flipping kick. It forces the Aussie to pull up her forearms, guarding as the shoe impacts against the crossed guard and slides her back a half foot with the impact.

"Wow," Hayley says, breathing more heavily. "I'd heard drunken fist is unpredictable but..." Hayley bobs on her feat, shifting her footing a bit. "I think I need to spice things up a little myself, right?" She bounces on her heels, shifting to a more boxer-y stance before cutting in again.

She crouches low, throwing an uppercut, her hair bouncing behind her when she does. If she creates the opening with the punch, she reaches for a grab, aiming to pull Vin in close to deliver a couple of high kicks before kicking off and away.

COMBATSYS: Vin intercepts Kangaroo Boxing Stance from Hayley with On The Rocks.

[       \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////               ]
Hayley           1/-----==/=======|=======\==-----\1              Vin

[VIN]
"Wassaaat now?" Vin slurs, lifting his head up and stretching his neck to let him look, upside-down, at Hayley from his handstand. Feet swaying idly this way and that up above. He bounces on his hands then, to turn himself to facing the woman -- just as that uppercut comes. "Wa--!"

Her fist collides with the man's upside-down midsection-- but before she has the time to make for that grab, his high-held legs suddenly sweep down, wrapping along her extended arm. And as the blow from the uppercut leads his hands from slipping out from underneath him, sending his weight tumbling over, that hold of his legs along her arm brings her right down, too -- him flopping down onto his stomach, and her guided to slamming onto the curb on her back.

"Ooof! Ow, ow... YOu hit real hard, cutie...!" He whines, even while he's lifting his head up off the street to grin at Hayley, besides him, as his legs unfurl from her arm now. "Maybe I shoulda gotten a drink for you 'fore this too? Bruises don't feel so bad like that, you know!"

[HAYLEY]
Hayley looks ready to withdraw one moment, launching her short, jab in, then back out. As her punch connects, Vin wraps around it, tugging her forward. Her eyes go wide as she's pulled forward, flipped over, and slammed onto her back with a shower of dust.

"Ugh," Hayley mumbles, rolling over to right herself. "That was good--" she bites her lip for a minute. "I didn't expect the reversal there."

Planting her feet, she springs up again, shifting her position, bending her knees, and then resuming her Bajiquan-inspired stance. She slides one heel back, adjusting her footing, then launches forward with her other leg, sweeping up with a trail of chi and a scything, rising kick--

--one that's followed by a second, scything kick from the other leg, also trailing blue-white chi behind it!

COMBATSYS: Vin dodges Hayley's Cassowary's Rending Talons ES.

[         \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////               ]
Hayley           1/----===/=======|=======\==-----\1              Vin

[VIN]
And as Hayley brings herself up, so does Vin. THough he does so by rolling himself sideways along the curb, first, before bouncing up to his feet again, swaying all the more.

"Whoof, I don't think I've moved that much in a while..." He admits, rubbing at his own head while he sways more and more. Even with Hayley coming in for the kicks! And for all appearances, the very much drunk man in a leather jacket just... wobbles helplessly there in place, feet unsteadily shifting along...

Only for his body to bend and sway right around the first incoming kick, and then flipping his body to the opposing direction all over again, another stumbling, uncontrolled step carrying him right off to the side from the foot coated in the blue-white energy.

Is it calculated, or is it just genuinely blind swaying? The audience probably can't tell, but Hayley might.

And of all things, in the middle of all that swaying around kicks, Vin has come up with a flask that he must have slipped out from underneath his jacket. A flask he's already chugging from, with his free hand holding the forefinger up in a 'hold on' gesture. It... definitely doesn't make him look like he's taking it seriously at all. Only for that free hand flicking aroudn and revealing a zippo lighter, flicking it open to present the flame.

It's probably at that moment that the Aussie would realize the man didn't swallow any of the drink from the flask. His cheeks are all bulged out from the liquid filling his mouth even after pulling the flask away, and he's turning to face her again, leaning towards that held-out zippo--

It all leads to a display of him breathing out a massive gout of flames as the alcohol is spat out in a controlled spray from his mouth straight over that lighter. An utterly ridicilous flamethrower aimed straight at her!

COMBATSYS: Vin successfully hits Hayley with Boozer's Breath.

[                 \\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////               ]
Hayley           1/----===/=======|==-----\-------\0              Vin

[HAYLEY]
Hayley's kicks cut through the air, her legs beating the air with a sharp, whipping noise with each empty swing. The first goes left, then the second misses to the right. The swaying seems very lucky, but even for someone with Hayley's limited experience, luck doesn't quite cut it as an explanation.

There's a flash of white-blue chi again as Hayley shifts, retreats, draws up in a guard--but there's too much fire and enough time. She gets caught in the spray, staggering back and dropping into a roll to make sure it goes out as quickly as it came. Even though, the fire had several moments to linger there, and it leaves Hayley coughing and sputtering in its wake.

"That was dirty," Hayley wheezes, trying to get a breather. She draws up, keeping a defensive posture this time. It takes her a moment to size up exactly how to best approach--and another moment to catch her breath as she coughs again.

COMBATSYS: Hayley focuses on her next action.

[                \\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////               ]
Hayley           1/---====/=======|==-----\-------\0              Vin

[VIN]
Almost-literally spitting out flames is a bit rough, in the end. So after the spray of flames recedes out, Vin is left to letting out a series of violent coughs, waving his hand in front of his face, tongue sticking out momentarily. "Bwugh... Well, you know..." He mumbles, before flashing a lopsided smile to Hayley over her complaint. "Kinda how these things go sometimes, ain't it?"

He tips the flask still in his hand up, this time pouring what remains within it straight down his throat to actually, truly and properly drink it up. "Mmmph! Better!" He chimes out, with the flask slipped back into the breast pocket of his jacket. Even if he ends up swaying over forward and towards the woman. "Here goe--whoop!"

...And he goes falling over again. Face-first, towards the ground. Again, this probably looks, to the audience, like all the alcohol has fully and properly gotten to him...

Only for him to suddenly curl up his body and send himself rolling over the ground instead of slamming flat down onto his face. ROlling over his own axis once, and springing forward with a push of his coiled arms, suddenly sent flying like that, feet-first -- and aimed for, er, down low on Hayley's body.

Sure, she might not have as big of an issue as a male opponent would with this, but still, consider the *nerves* involved...

COMBATSYS: Hayley interrupts Dirty Shot from Vin with Triumphant Wombat ES.

[              \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////                      ]
Hayley           0/-------/--=====|=======\-------\0              Vin

[HAYLEY]
By the time that Vin tumbles this time, Hayley has become to expect the unexpected. Each movement is sure to like a dangerous strike, or a surprisingly evasive move out of harm's way. Even so, knowing what might come and actually predicting it's nature--and more importantly, doing something about it--is a different story entirely.

As he rolls in, Hayley changes position, turning sideways and sliding her feet further apart, her legs bending as she coils like a cobra, ready to strike.

Vin goes in low, but Hayley seems to have just the right idea for how to counter the clever low blow. She exhales, slowly, her body glowing briefly as she focuses that blue-white chi again. It seems to wrap around her like a blanket, an aura of internal power as she readies her counter-hit.

And then, as Vin comes in, Hayley smashes toward him with the side of her hip again, cannon-like voice coming from her powerful legs, her aura trailing behind her slightly like some sort of short-hand comet that starts and stops over the distance of maybe half a foot, aimed at smashing into the rolling kick as it connects with her lower body and launching Vin backward and away!

[VIN]
Vin might have seen something like this already before in the fight-- but it's still surprising when he does see it coming.

"Oh."

And seeing it apparently does not help him much in this case. The direction of his momentum is already set. There might be a momentary glimmer of hope that the force of his own momentum might be able to counteract her -- but in the end, Hayley's powerful hip-check sends a violent jolt of pain through both his legs, and launches his whole body away. Not into a flip this time, either, but rather flying almost directly back, such that the back of his head collides with the street first before his body is bounced off the curb several times over before flopping down ungracefully.

It takes a couple seconds before Vin can push himself up -- and the typical rolling motion that he's used to bounce himself back up is much more sluggish than normal, too!

"Holy hell, cutie...! You really got a lot of power down there!"

A sharp hiccup from him. "Oh, well-- nuttin' for it!" He rumbles, before ducking over and padding over in a much more deliberate manner than his usual swaying and bobbing motios. Though it does turn into a sideways sway just at the end there -- his body spinning around over, body leaning back and low as he thrusts his arm over his head and up, aiming one hand with extended fingers up towards the aussie's face.

COMBATSYS: Vin successfully hits Hayley with Lightning Finger.

[                 \\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////                       ]
Hayley           1/-------/=======|=======\-------\1              Vin

[HAYLEY]
Hayley takes a step to recenter herself, adjusting her balance to make sure she doesn't immediately get blindsided and bowled over. Her foot falls heavily, her boot grinding briefly as she gets a better footing.

"Yeah," she says, "...I guess so..." Her cheeks flush just a little.

The upcoming attack throws Hayley off, her eyes following the movement and trying to keep up. Left, right, left, right, forward, back. The sway keeps her focus---exactly in the wrong place as she has her arm halfway up to guard when she gets clocked in the face instead.

The slap is enough to basically bowl her over, forcing her into a stagger as she rubs her jaw---but Hayley doesn't linger, instead shifting her footing and snapping back with a retaliatory kick!

"Ugh, those movements...so hard to follow!"

COMBATSYS: Vin dodges Hayley's Medium Kick.

[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////                       ]
Hayley           1/------=/=======|=======\-------\1              Vin

[VIN]
As it turns out, Vin doesn't let himself stop moving either. Another swaying turn straightens him up again briefly. For all of half a second before Hayley's foot is sent up kicking towards him -- and that sway returns into his motion, sending him into a spinning, wild turn that brings him (intentionally or otherwise) sidestepping around her leg.

"Just--" He manages to slur out in the middle of it all, the spin continuing further on out to bring him turning to facing her and past, using the turn to guide his fist aimed for the aussie's chin. "Let looooose--!"

COMBATSYS: Hayley blocks Vin's Fierce Punch.

[                 \\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////                      ]
Hayley           1/----===/=======|=======\-------\1              Vin

[HAYLEY]
Hayley's eyes widen as her kick cuts through open air, finding no purchase as Vin sways up, sidesteps, and snaps out with a strong punch.

The Aussie, however, strikes upward with her forearm, hitting the underside of his arm to redirect it away from her face--even if the aggressive block is a rattling collision that takes its toll even without it catching her in the face.

But then Hayley tumbles back, flipping over into a handstand of her own. "Let's try something new--" she says, launching up. She hits a nearby wall feet first, using it as a springboard to launch herself back toward Vin, soaring into a diving kick!

COMBATSYS: Vin dodges Hayley's Diving Kick.

[                \\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////                      ]
Hayley           1/---====/=======|=======\-------\1              Vin

[VIN]
"Hey, hey, nice~!"

Apparently Vin approves of the handstand Hayley ended up in after her tumble, smiling wide and even pointing a finger at her.

Not that he gets to admire it all that long! Not with Hayley using the wall of the bar he had just walked out of as a launching pad to send herself at him like an australian meteorite!

Unfortunately for Hayley, however, the drunken fighter is already swaying subtly to the side by the time her foot kicks the wall to send her at him -- and at the very last second before impact, his body is twitching off to the opposing side and downwards again. One foot briefly rising up off the ground with the motion as he turns along his own axis and reaches one hand out to grab at Hayley's top while her feet are still of the street, so that he might use but a tug to send her down to the curb.

COMBATSYS: Hayley interrupts Fast Throw from Vin with Eucalyptus Bloom EX.

[                \\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///                           ]
Hayley           1/--=====/=======|=======\===----\1              Vin

[HAYLEY]
"I have to try some fancy tricks, huh?" Hayley says, a bit peppier than she was a moment ago. Her foot, however, impacts open ground as Vin sways, shifts, and evades an incoming blow from her. She curls into the kick on impact, softening the blow by rolling with it to avoid an uncomfortable (and unfortunate) landing.

But even as she does, Vin is shifting, sweeping her leg and going for an opening to toss her by taking her legs out from under her.

But Hayley has a trick of her own, sweeping her arms in a low circle, raising them from behind her to the front in a smooth, circular motion as she gathers internal energy. She plants her palms on Vin's chest as he grabs her top, pushing her blue-white chi toward his chest in an explosive burst of power.

"Hiyaaaah!" The kiai is less a word so much as a forceful exclamation she uses to channel her power.

[VIN]
"Eh?" Vin actually looks momentarily confused when Hayley's palms plant against his chest, peering down at them. "Hey I mean, if you wanna--"

Before the drunkard can finish whatever horrible sentence that was going to come out, the blast of chi explodes and sends him flying. All the way to the other side of the footpath, lower back colliding with the railing, first, rebounding off of it to flip several times over in the air before dips back down... on the other side of the railing.

A loud and high SPLOOSH of riverwater dramatically marks the RING-OUT of Hayley's opponent.

COMBATSYS: Vin takes no action.

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

COMBATSYS: Vin can no longer fight.

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

[HAYLEY]
Hayley stands there for a moment, her palms extended after delivering the double palm strike. She seems almost stunned for a moment from the sheer success of her strike. She blinks twice, straightens up, and dusts her palms against her thighs.

"Well," Hayley blinks again. "That worked pretty well, I guess. Hope you're OK down there!" she calls after Vin.

Log created on 16:40:15 12/31/2020 by Vin, and last modified on 21:58:44 01/04/2021.