Rising Star 2021 - Ristar 2021 R1 - Blazing Panther vs Mitsuru

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Description: The mysterious Blazing Mask faces his first opponent at Seijyun High, the short tempered Mitsuru Tokugawa.



[MITSURU]
The invitation for the Blazing Panther's match was going to place him at Seijyun High.

Normally, no man would be allowed to cross the gate to the hundreds of lonely girls within, being groomed and trained to grow into fine young ladies. But an exception was made, to face his opponent Mitsuru Tokugawa in the Rising Star tournament. Surrounded by trees and a high wall, the campus is expansive, with several buildings dotting the grounds. Much of the free area is soft grass, with concrete paths winding between each building. Gardens full of colorful flowers dot the landscape, complementing the European architecture of the campus buildings. The atmosphere of the school is quite elegant, even if the students don't always reflect that themselves. A crowd was gathered in front of the gate, where tape was set upon the grass beside the path, where the match would be taking place. Many where in the long skirt winter uniforms, a deep blue color with some jackets over it. And all those uniformed students gossiped at the sidelines about Mitsuru... and the mysterious opponent that would be fighting Mitsuru.

"Did you hear? HE's supposed to be some kind of masked hero!"

"I heard he's was horribly scarred during the Darkstalker attacks, and has to wear a mask to hide his injuries!"

"I heard he needs the mask to breath, otherwise he'll die!"

"Well I heard that he's a billionaire playboy that's trying to prank the Rising Star tournament into letting him to the lead, while stealing the hearts of all the girls along the way!"

"Well I heard he's some kind of asshole from Taiyo High who's like super shy and stuff."

"ISn't that just Mega Dragon Fighter J-Dragon?"

"No he's Pacific High."

"Then who is this Black Panther?"

There is a brief pause.

"Um, like, I think he's called Blazing Panther."

"You mean he's not black?"

"I don't think so"

"Wouldn't that make him more of a Jaguar?"

"What?"

"Well aren't panthers dark-furred variants of jaguars?"

"Well it's not specifically jaguar, leopards can also be considered panthers if they have dark fur."

"Panther can also cover the wider Panthera family, which includes big cats like Lions, Tigers, Leopards, and Jaguars!"

"And cheetahs too, right?"

"Well actually those are in another family, the Felinae family, along with house cats. The key distinction between them is that Pantheras roar, while Felinaes purr!"

"And just to complicate things more, panthers are also another term for cougars, who are part of the Felinae family."

"And don't forget the panther of western mythology, which was the rainbow colored mount of the Greek God Dionysus."

"So really, the Blazing Panther could be a kind of rainbow cheetah?"

Another pause.

"That's so ADORABLE!"

Mitsuru herself was warming up in her corner of the marked off area. The tall, lanky dark-haired girl was dressed in an older uniform; the summer one. It was a bit small for her, with the cut of the pleated Skirt only going above her knee. It was absolutely out of regulation, and WAY too kogal for Mitsuru's tastes. But as she did her stretches, she wanted to ease back into her school. She wanted to ease back, for the sake of her mother. She had been gone for a long time. And besides, it would give her more mobility. She was alone in the corner. The fighting club members weren't there. And why not? Because she hadn't approached them since she came back to school. She wanted to focus on herself. But just because they weren't at her corner, doesn't mean they weren't there. No. They were at the sidelines.

Looking gravely at the girl who had the audacity to shun them.

[DAISUKE]
Little do the gossipers of Seijyun know, the name 'Blazing Panther' was, quite literally, little more than a last-second decision on the part of the signee. Just something come up with quickly to get the forms for the tournament filled out more than anything else.

Reality does tend to be mor eboring than fiction, sadly.

And the arrival of the 'Panther' doesn't come with the kind of fanfare the girls may be expecting, either. In fact, those who don't actively have their eyes on the gates may not even immediately realize that someone has arrived.

Not that the male figure stepping in through the normally-locked gates doesn't stand out. Intruding onto these hallowed grounds is a man dressed darkly; dark-grey cargo pants with the legs tucked into black, surplus military boots, and a tight, black leather jacket clinging closely to his chest and arms. Above, the coloring gets a bit brighter, however, for around his neck is a crimson scarf, with good measure of the length of it left hanging loosely at his shoulder and back, and his lower face - from the middle of the bridge of his nose downwards - is covered by a half-face-mask of similiar color, leaving exposed almost-unnaturally-bright green eyes and a mess of strikingly red, lightly-spiked hair.

It's very evocative of some kind of alternate-universe Strider Hiryu cosplay.

Once all eyes are inevitably on him, the red-haired man stomps one foot to a stop, and slowly scans his eyes through the crowds.

"I am here for Tokugawa," he declares, with the kind of gravitas that, frankly, surprises even the man behind the mask himself.

[MITSURU]
The arrival of Blazing Panther isn't quite responded to with fanfare... but when he is noticed, the gossip practically squeals.

"He's so CUTE!"

"Really? I don't see what you see in him."

"Well I just like masks."

"You mean like Tuxedo Mask?"

"I mean, could you imagine a handsome man sweeping you off your feet?"

"I don't know, I feel like masks are kind of creep-"

"Yare yare daze, are you that Blazing Panther?"

Mitsuru interrupts the gossips by striding forward, hands balled into fists already. "I'm Mitsuru Tokugawa, and I'm your opponent. So you are some kind of Blazing Panther?" Mitsuru glares up and down the opponent, turning up her nose in disgust. "More like a Flaming Kitten! You're just some pussycat against my Platnium Fists!" She brings up her fists, showing them at her opponent. "You don't look ready for this, you masked dork!" She declares... and suddenly, words come from the audience, cutting through the air precisely.

"He looks more ready to fight than you do, Mitsy."

Mitsuru turns and looks into the audience. That was a low blow. But who it was... no. Nobody was looking at her now, of the fighting club. Except the serene, short lady in the glasses, looking directly at her. The president of the Fight Club. Kaicho. She tilts her head, and smiles softly at Mitsuru, looking straight into the eyes. Mitsuru looks away, focusing back on Blazing Panther. She was blushing now, a little shaken.

"Lets just get this over with!"

[DAISUKE]
... Cute?

%Blazing Panther blinks his eyes slowly, and sends a visibly-bemused look to the way of the squealing gossipers. Okay, none of these reaction were the kind of things he was expecting in any way or form. With the mask concealing his lower face, it mostly looks like him just stoically looking over the cheers, but... well. It does also, thankfully, serve to hide the blush that is spreading along his skin.

The call from Mitsuru herself snaps his attention over, however, the glare from her is met with a faintly-frowning study over her. He doesn't initially respond to any of the taunting. Rather, while he continues his study of her overall presence and her words both, his expression grows a bit more curious.

And as if the comment from the Fight Club President wasn't enough, he finally speaks out.

"Are you..."

The red-haired Panther's head tilts slightly off to one side, while he moves towards the 'ring' marked by the tape spread over the ground.

"...A JoJo reference?"

Immediately after dropping this armor-piercing question, he sets himself to the opposing end of the prepared arena, boucning lightly on the balls of his feet to warm his body up, get the blood circulating and the initial flow of adrenaline going.

[MITSURU]
Mitsuru suddenly perks up.

For a moment, her own mask of being a tough banchou fades away as she smiles, eyes lit up. "Oh my gosh, you know JoJo's Bizarre Adventure too!" She rattles off, dropping her guard for a moment as the Blazing Panther falls into his position. "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh! Yes! I mean, I'm not in it but I totally love JoJo! I am still getting through Steel Ball Run and I have opinions on it, like, if you had to pick your favorite main character, who would you pick-"

And suddenly she turns bright red.

"Erm, you dork! You loser! THis isn't the time or place to talk about dumb comics for CHILDREN! YOU COSPLAYING NERD!" She seethes, still blushing. The bell is rung for the fight to begin, but all Mitsuru could do is throw her guard up, a wide open stance with barely any space to block. She was distracted, because there is laughter. Cold, cruel laughter from the Fight Club. But not from her Kaicho. She was smiling softly, as she watches, as the laughter spreads. Nothing had changed. So much that Mitsuru wanted, nothing had changed. And Kaicho could sense it. And if nothing had changed.

Then things would go back to her normal soon enough.

COMBATSYS: Mitsuru has started a fight here.

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Mitsuru          0/-------/-------|


COMBATSYS: Daisuke has joined the fight here.

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Mitsuru          0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0          Daisuke


[DAISUKE]
Another series of blinks become visible above the mask over Mitsuru's outbursts -- both of them!

"But... aren't you cosplaying...?" He lets that question fade off instead of making the more direct accusation of her dressing up like Jotaro Kujo. Even more so when the echo of laughted directed at his opponent echo out. It leaves him frowning, the knitting of crimson brows visible.

"It's fine, Tokugawa-san," he murmurs from underneath the mask while his knees bend slightly, winding himself up again. "Don't worry about any of that. I'm sure you'll fight well -- so show me everything you got!"

And with that declaration, Blazing Panther leaps in to running for his opponent, ducking his form subtly lower as he guides a fierce, gloved fist towards her midsection!

COMBATSYS: Mitsuru blocks Daisuke's Spirited Punch.

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Mitsuru          0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0          Daisuke


[MITSURU]
"EXCUSE ME!?"

Mitsuru suddenly shifts out of her glowering at the audience because he was comparing her to cosplaying as a Jojo. "In case you are ACCUSING ME of Cosplaying anyone." She begins, as he surges in, speaking anxiously. "The only reason I look like Yukako Yamagishi from Diamond Is Unbreakable is because her uniform is similars to ours! ANd it's awfully rude for a nerd to compare me to her! I don't like her very much, because she's an awful clinging girl. I mean, can you imagine what it would be like having a CRAZY nutjob like that obsessing over you?" The gloved fist comes out, and Mitsuru stiffens her arm. Bringing it to the side, she briefly takes up a boxing stance, before blocking it roughly with her arm. Grunting, her forearm burns as it is bruised savagely. She doesn't squeak, and instead grunts on the impact. THe cosplay comment didn't seem to make her upset.

BUt she was getting angrier over something else.

"And not the least that KOICHI deserved BETTER than her! I mean isn't it obvious that Koichi has better chemistry with Jotaro?" Mitsuru lifts her leg up into a rough kick at the Blazing Panther's leg. "Jotaro practically adopted Koichi, and like, I know some people don't feel comfortable with an older man and younger boy, but later on Koichi is send to Italy by Jotaro so you know something is up!" Two more wild kicks come out, as she tries to steady out her blocking arm, and force space as she slams her legs at the Blazing Panther's legs.

"I mean, who would you pair Koichi with?"

COMBATSYS: Daisuke blocks Mitsuru's Dragon Killing Spiral.

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Mitsuru          0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0          Daisuke


[DAISUKE]
"Eh?!"

The reaction to his words is waht takes Blazing Panther by surprise more than the blocking and deflection of his punch. "W-wait, what are you--" is all he manages to protest before her leg comes swinging up, hitting him squarely into the thigh to buckle his form off to the side slightly.

The followup kicks he manages to brace himself against much better, with him drawing his leg up to sweep it right back against the second kick and use it as a leverage point to carry himself out of the way of the third. "Aren't you reading too much into it?!" The redhead insists, as he stamps that upraised foot back down, just to draw the other up high in a straight kick aimed for Mitsuru's center in a pure effort to get some distance in between the two of them again.

"I mean, Koichi wasn't even in Stone Ocean! AND JOTARO WAS MARRIED!"

COMBATSYS: Mitsuru endures Daisuke's Medium Kick.

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Mitsuru          0/-------/---====|===----\-------\0          Daisuke


[MITSURU]
"Excuse me, READING too hard into?!"

The teenager girl -seethes- at the thought of the masked boy challenging her reading comprehension, wrapping up her wild kicking combo with a stumble. "Jotaro showed more LOVE and AFFECTION for Koichi than he did for that slut Jolyne! The reason Koichi was no where near Stone Ocean was because Koichi wasn't going to end up in prison!" Mitsuru rants as the staight kick comes roaring out. "If Jolyne was a good girl, not only would Jotaro have taken better care of her?"

"But her mother wouldn't have divorced Jotaro!"

Mitsuru leans -hard- into the kick, powering through it to roll around it. It was a nasty boot to the side of her gut. But she was forcing her way to get inside Blazing Panther's guard. "If Jolyne wasn't such an awful tease, then Jotaro wouldn't have died- ARRGH! YOU ARE MAKING ME SPOIL IT!" And with a fist balled up, she would roar in a straight haymaker with the right. And whether it connected or not? SHe would follow up with a second punch afterwards with the left, jerking it up into a slug straight for his gut.

"YOU BAKA!"

COMBATSYS: Mitsuru successfully hits Daisuke with Fierce Punch.

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Mitsuru          0/-------/---====|=======\-------\0          Daisuke


[DAISUKE]
"Wait, what do you mea--" The questioning protest is cut short -- for in between the would-be-banchou girl rolling around the kick she just ate up with her gut and his own distraction by the conversation, Panther is appropriately left open for the nasty punch right into the side of his jaw. "Gragh--!"

And the followup blow into his own gut that forces his whole body to double over. Okay, so Mitsuru does in fact hit *hard* when she gets into it, and the Blazing Panther even coughs a few times over against his mask.

"Guh-- have you considered--" He manages to mumble out in between those pained sounds, still, and his head suddenly snaps up while he's still in that doubled-over position. "That Jotaro was--"

And suddenly, he springs up in a wild leap that, of all damned things, directs the top of his head towards Mitsuru's jaw!

"--Just a shitty father?!"

COMBATSYS: Daisuke successfully hits Mitsuru with Spirited Headbutt.

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Mitsuru          0/-------/-======|=======\-------\0          Daisuke


[MITSURU]
Mitsuru had no real defense up and ready when she attacked.

After she hurled out the staggering combo, she doesn't actually recover. She just continues to lurch in, stumbling as she fails to break the clinch. But when the masked man tries to break it for her, she somehow struggles to lean in, trying to force herself close by leaning hard into the headbutt. This doesn't work too good, and she staggers backwards, nose bloodied as she takes a nasty hit on that instead of her jaw. Blood running over her lips, she bares her teeth. But then the words slither out from the crowd again.

"Well that's why Mitsy likes him."

The words are a fierce, caustic venom, oozing into the teenager's ears as they continue. "She likes her men to be nasty fathers. Like Franco. Or Steve. Maybe you'll be a bad daddy to her too." The voice states from the sidelines, as almost all the girls look away. But not one of them. And with that, Mitsuru starts turning away from the Blazing Panther, balling her hands into fists. Was her guard down? She rushes at the audience, as the girls screams. Not all of them. Kaicho tilts her head to the other side, smirking on the other corner of her mouth. MItsuru stops short, and she looks at Kaicho. And she growls in a low voice.

"When I'm done with the Blazing Panther, I'm going to start after you."

Silvery energy blasts over her, surging through her as she tenses up. Falling into a horse stance, she turns back over to the masked fighter. Kaicho is still smiling, her composure unchanged as she watches the teenager. "Jotaro was a sh- a poopy dad! He was, and his daughter was bad because of it! Yeah! If he was a good father, and took better care of his daughter, then she wouldn't be a dirty prison slut! But that's okay, because there are NO good girl characters in JoJo either!" Mitsuru begins to stumble, as she growls with power.

"I'd much rather be a rotten Jotaro dad than a worthless useless Jojo lady!"

COMBATSYS: Mitsuru gathers her will.

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Mitsuru          0/-------/=======|=======\-------\0          Daisuke


[DAISUKE]
After the collision ends up serving to jostle Mitsuru back away from him, Blazing Panther rebounds right back down again from the hit, bracing one hand onto the grassy ground underneath him to stop himself into a crouch rather than letting himself fall down onto the curb completely, letting him spring up and back away again.

The words from the crowd bring him to a pause too, however. "...Eh?" The masked fighter straightens out, and just... watches the exchange take place. Watches Mitsuru's outburst nearly getting directed at the audience.

And more than anything else, he stares, with a frown, at Mitsuru herself, over her speech.

"... So that just makes it all okay then, does it?"

The question comes with a vaguely accusatory tone. The boy's crimson brows furrow together even tighter with that, and... wait, do his eyes seem even brighter now? Strange.

"A lot of people have shitty dads that don't do right by them! But just because they're their dad or otherwise cool or whatever doesn't mean it's okay for them to hurt others like that, no matter how bad the child themselves might end up being!"

Yeah. His eyes are definitely brighter, now. And more than that, bright, blue-green energy is now sparking off in the air around him, electricity-like arcs of it flashing around his arm as it's extended out to his side.

"But that's the challenge, too, isn't it? The child can let themselves just fall into that spiral because of their parents, or they can try to be better than them!"

The energy gathers up right at his palm in a bright orb, with further, uncontrolled arcs cracking outwards from it, licking at the ground and his own body.

"You can keep making excuses for it all--"

A stomp forward, and he swings his hand out, thrusting the open palm forward to send a bolt of energy through the air at Mitsuru!

"Or you can make yourself a shining hero in spite of it!!"

COMBATSYS: Daisuke successfully hits Mitsuru with Soul Arrow EX.

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Mitsuru          1/----===/=======|=======\-------\1          Daisuke


[MITSURU]
Okay, she was not expecting Blazing Panther to stand up for her.

Mitsuru somehow shrinks, in the face of the Blazing Panther's kindness, his inspiration. Her arms start to be become jelly. She has the faintest blush, as once again, she is reminded of the kindness of strangers. When he launches the bolt of energy out, though, she squeaks. Unable to actually block it, she slams both of her arms into it, knocking it to pieces as it blasts over her like a surge. Knocking her over, she lands on the ground. Looking up, she sees Kaicho's eyeglasses mirrored, her eyes hidden. And now, she bares her teeth into a grin. The words come out not as venom. But as an anchor, aimed squarely for the Blazing Panther's neck.

"Oh, I get it... the Blazing Panther is her boyfriend!"

"Yeah, the Blazing Panther is Mitsy's boyfriend!"

"Oh my god, I can't believe I thought he was cute."

"That's probably why he's wearing the mask, because he's so embarassed about it!"

"Or maybe it's because it's one of those masks that those adults wear when they are like servants or slaves!"

"YEah! That's right! It's Queen Tokugawa and her minion!"

"No, Empress Tokugawa!"

"Yeah! Empress Tokugawa!"

The laughter erupts around amongst the students as Mitsuru turns bright red in her face. "He's not my boyfriend! He's- GAH!" Snarling, she rises back up, and turns back to the masked man. It seems she was blaming her opponent for the cruelty of her students. Inspite of how warm and fuzzy she felt, still felt, from his random act of kindness. "Look what you did! Yare yare daze, you are so BORING! You sound like lines from a self help book!" She draws back a fist, which was flickering with silver energy.

And her energy winks out.

There is no more light, no more silver energy. That doesn't change the presence of energy however. It was just... unseen. An abyss without darkness, an infinite brightness without light. She stares at it, as it seemed to hurt her head to look at. It was almost like the film on a bubble, with the dancing lights. Or like looking into the farthest reaches of two mirrors beside each other. It was all and nothing. Blinking her eyes shut, she snarls as she swings her arm around. With a burst, an orb of the nothingness is hurled out through the air, blasting forward. It was unseen, and yet, totally visible and obvious as it flickered through the air, the orb threatening to burst into Blazing Panther. All while she shouts out. ".... What's happening?!"

"Is this the power of an enemy stand?!"

COMBATSYS: Mitsuru successfully hits Daisuke with Wild Tiger Fist.

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Mitsuru          1/---====/=======|=======\==-----\1          Daisuke


[DAISUKE]
"Wh--"

With the bolt sent out and the gathering of energy fading away, Blazing Panther, too, is left to just staring, wide-eyed at the gathering of girls accusing him of-- being Mitsuru's boyfriend?!

"What could POSSIBLY give you that idea?!"

And no matter wether that protest goes on deaf ears or not, Mitsuru herself isn't helping matters at all, and he finds himself pointing a finger at her, in turn, with further protest! "How is that MY fault?!"

His foot stomps onto the ground right after -- both to ready himself when he realizes what his opponent is doing, and to snap himself out of that momentary mental distraction. Eyes narrow to watch the gathering silver energy in Mitsuru's hands--

Only for it to disappear?

"--What the?"

THe fact that Mitsuru seems just as confused by this doesn't really make him feel any better about it, unfortunately. His eyes try to track the flickering, dark bubble, but it keeps disappearing out of sight every now and then, and finally--

"Bragh--?!" It slams right into his side, and the burst of force sends him skidding along the ground, a bit of dirt and grass sent outwards from underneath his heels.

"...Okay, that was... ow... weird..." He grumbles, with a quick wince and a squeeze given to his own side where he was hit before he forces himself to leaping into action all over again! His scarf flutters behind his slightly lowered posture, and when one foot stomps into Mitsuru's personal space, it comes with fist wound back and low. In an instant, his eyes visibly *glow* and a few errant sparks of energy seem to flicker at both his shoulders when he springs up -- with one hand reaching to grab onto the schoolgir's arm, and his other arm folding to slam an elbow into her. If the elbowstrike connects properly, he'll quickly follow through with his hold on her arm to pull her to the side and sweep his foot through her leg to send her falling on the ground!

COMBATSYS: Mitsuru interrupts Combo Grapple from Daisuke with Rumbling Death Spiral EX.

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Mitsuru          1/-------/=======|=======\=======\1          Daisuke


[MITSURU]
Mitsuru didn't quite understand it either.

Between the catcalls, the nasty tone of 'Empress Tokugawa' and her minions, and the strange corruption of the energy, this was a lot to be roaring in. Even the statement she made was being laughed at by the students. A year ago, she would be flying into a frenzy about being laughed at. Even now, she was kind of blind to what was making sense. But as the blast of her energy roars out, the silvery aura returns back to normal.

And she retains her focus.

"I'm sorry!" Mitsuru belts out, blushing even brighter as the students ooo and aaaaw over it. "The Blazing Panther and His Secret Lover!" Someone calls out, as the masked teenager's eyes glow. Mitsuru is seized up as she begins to move, and she takes a nasty elbow to the gut. Groaning, she grits her teeth.

And she slams her leg in.

She doesn't let the boy get his grapple, as she explodes up in the air with silvery energy cascading around her. Spinning with a rising roundhouse kick, she hits a second kick in the air, before arcing a heel drop to crater herself and Da- I mean herself and Blazing Panther straight to the grass, leaving a crater as she pins the masked man down by the throat. "I'm sorry!" She repeats again. "You are being very nice to me, and I should appreciate your kindness!" And a voice rises up from the audience.

"Oh save showing your appreciation for after the fight, your highness!"

[DAISUKE]
"Oh shi-"

The folly in The Blazing Panther's grappling efforts becomes all too clear all too quick. But even so, by the time the realization hits in, it's already too late. The aerial roundhouse sweeps through the air and smacks square into the side of Blazing Panther's head, sending him recoiling off to the side and then backwards by the followup. By then, his hold on Mitsuru's arm has duly and properly been forced off, and the masked man finds himself already in the process of falling backwards before Mitsuru's falling knee even fully comes down upon him.

"Ghagh--!"

The ground craters with a loud noise from the impact, and the weight of Mitsuru's hand on his throat keeps his body from moving. And even without that... His eyes have gone all glassy, rolled up in their sockets. THe pain's enough to shake his whole brain, drive spike into his vision--

Static. Pain. Fire. Horrid smells of burning. For a split second, everything's blank.

"Hhh--!"

By pure instinct alone, his body tries to scramble his way out from underneath her grip. Feet kick at the ground, elbows push in to try to bring him up, to the side, anything. But he doesn't have an easy route of escape.

Except.

Maybe the back of his head hitting the ground took away some of his more rational thoughts, and certain in-sets inhibitions. As a result, the air around the two of them itself crackles audibly with the bizarre bursts of energy, arcs flowing along Blazing Panther's body and around him. The sheer amassing of energy seems to generate air pressure, too, for his hair and the loose end of his scar flutters about seemingly on their own now. Glowing lines form along the bared skin above his mask, taking shape of strange, constantly-shifting patterns that tug and twist at the skin itself in the process--

An explosive sound rings out. Underneath the two teens, the grass seems to burn off with a sudden outburst of blazing energy creating enough force to leverage both of them up off the ground as the redhead's left hand grips onto Mitsuru's wrist, and his right arm winds back while overflowing energy coats along his arm at such mass and intensity that the limb isn't even visible anymore by the time it swings in--

For an instant, all sounds disappear, and a blinding flash takes over the schoolyard.

COMBATSYS: Daisuke successfully hits Mitsuru with Soulful Charge of a Spirited Fist.

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Mitsuru          2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|>>>>---\-------\0          Daisuke


[MITSURU]
Mitsuru actually squints her eyes at the Blazing Panther, when his eyes roll back up into his head.

Leaning down, she removes her foot fully. "Are you okay?" She asks initially. She was starting to smell something too. That energy in the air. She crosses her arms out of instinct, maybe it helped. Maybe it was how she landed that helped. But the whole audience turns away when, for a lack of a better word, the Blazing Panther detonates. The last thing Mitsuru saw before the light was the boy grabbing her wrist. As the audience turns back, with the flash faded, they see what the aftermath was.

And for a moment it seems like its over

Mitsuru is on her back. Her uniform is shredded, the sarashi wraps across her chest exposed underneath. She was staring up at the sky, jaw slack, stunned. There should be quiet. But there is giggling and laughter, and then a cold, staggered clap. Not applause. A clap, again and again, slow and steady. The judges and medical staff begin to move in, ready to call the fight for the masked fighter-

And she's up.

"I'm!" Mitsuru begins as she dead sits straight up. Rolling to the side, she forces herself into a stand far too quickly for anybody had any right to. Skirt in tatters, and shirt totally shredded, to say the least of her hair, she stares wild-eyed at the masked fighter. "I'm not done! I'm not DONE!" She roars out as she stumbles, staggers across at the Blazing Panther. Hands balled up in fists, she was almost falling over, almost collapsing in her rampaging walk. The judges and medical staff get out of the way FAST as Mitsuru throws out a staggering deep punch with her right, attempting to hammer squarely into the boy's chest. Should she connect? She would immediately follow up with a rapid chain of punches, blazing as she would thrust her punches faster and faster. The punches would fall away into a blur of silver slashes, until finally, the assault would come with a staggering uppercut, with which the force would seem to force away the last vestiges of unconsciousness grappling her brain. All while whispering under her breath.

"... ora ora ora ora ora...."

COMBATSYS: Daisuke blocks Mitsuru's The Path Of The Raging Demon.

[                          \\\\  < >  ////                          ]
Mitsuru          0/-------/--<<<<<|>>>>>>>\-------\0          Daisuke


[DAISUKE]
Blazing Panther doesn't seem significantly better off, in comparison by the time the flash has subsided. The one thing the redhead has going for him is that he's... still standing.

But at what cost. The right sleeve of his jacket has been incinerated along with the fabric of the shirt underneath to expose his arm-- blackened with immense, nearly all-encompassing bruising. And somehow, the undersides of his eyes have been stained red by... blood? All in all, it looks as though it takes the young man about all he has to keep himself from simply falling over.

And he's barely even able to register that Mitsuru has managed to get herself back up onto her feet. Just barely enough in time to realize as much when the first punch comes in.

"---!!!"

It's only within fractions of seconds that he manages to guide his arms up to brace for the incoming impact and shield himself from the fist colliding against him--

Yes, including with that horribly damaged arm. It results in a loud hiss of pain, and the first blow alone is enough to send him stumbling back. Somehow, he manages to keep up that immensely risky guard while the punches keep going, but it's still too much. Way too much. Each impact jostles his body, stings pain into his already-abused muscles and nerves. It alone is enough to send him falling backwards...

"--RRRRAAAAAAHHHH!!!"

A powerful stomp of one boot-clad foot seems to echo through the yard with an explosive sound of it's own. A sudden burst of motion that forces his falling body swinging right back over, and stumbling right into Mitsuru, and his fist seems to be more flailing at her with that motion than anything else.

"ORA--"

He will fall. He can feel it. Nothing in his body is working as it should be right then. And yet he keeps trying to keep moving forward, throwing repeated punches at his opponent blindly, one after the other, with every forward-stumbling step. It's all he can do. As if he stopped moving forward and throwing punches into her, let the collisions stop rebounding his body back upwards again in turn, he would surely fall.

But can even that last long enough?

COMBATSYS: Daisuke has reached second wind!

[                          \\\\  < >  ////////                      ]
Mitsuru          0/-------/--<<<<<|-------\-------\0          Daisuke


COMBATSYS: Mitsuru breaks through Spirited Combo from Daisuke with Rumbling Spiral EX!

[                         \\\\\  < >  /                             ]
Mitsuru          1/-----==/=======|=====--\-------\0          Daisuke


[MITSURU]
Mitsuru doesn't even have time to think, when the counter-ora comes.

The teenager girl takes the first blow after the uppercut, the fist connecting savage with her cheek. Face swelling up, she glares into the second blind punch that hammers her chest. He was oraing too. She begins to mouth the words, her face so stiff now. A third blow comes through, and she realizes that she can't hold herself together. All eyes are on her, all her classmates. The fight club. Kaicho. And the television. Something sparks in her. Steve would be watching her. Steve would be cheering her on. Steve would be watching her. Her spirit roars.

And she swings her leg in at the fourth punch.

"MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA!" Mitsuru snarls as she slams her leg straight between Daisuke's legs, breaking the rapid-fire barrage by -slamming- herself into the maelstrom of blows. She doesn't get much air, but she gets enough as she unleashes a second hurricane kick to knock him away. Landing on the burnt out remains of the grass, she nearly falls into a heap, taking only a knee as she comes down. She rises up slow, so slow, as she gasps for air. Her body was burning, the bruises for all her fellow students to see. And their laughter continues, but far less energetic before. Except Kaicho. She was now giggling openly, face turning faintly pink at the cheeks as she watches Mitsuru fight. Watch her struggle so defiantly, with so much strength. The giggling fades quickly.

The blushing doesn't.

[DAISUKE]
As it turns out, it's not the Panther's body giving out that makes him fall. It's the defiant assault of Mitsuru's breaking through his barrage of blows. Her leap into the air sends one of his arms sweeping wide off to the side, first, after the initial contact of knuckles against her -- and leaves him wide open for the aerial spinning kick that collides against him with an explosive sound. Again, his body is sent ragdolling off, this time outright flipping around in the air to be sent onto a collision course with the ground with his head poised to hit it first.

"Hhh--"

One final push still comes. The boy is just as defiant in his efforts. Weakly, his undamaged arm reaches out, to set his palm to hitting the ground first. He hardly would have the strength left to manage a handstand with both his arms available, however, much less so with just one. But it's only a momentary pivot point he needs. For at the same time, one of his skyward-pointing feet takes on a glow from his blue-green energy, and takes form of a violent burst that forcefully carries the foot downwards again -- back to flipping himself right back over towards Mitsuru all over again, bright energy trailing in a crescent-shaped wave with the motion as that foot comes descending down upon her with such force that, if it doesn't hit her, is sure to end up resulting in bringing *him* and his already-weakened body down onto the ground painfully.

COMBATSYS: Daisuke can no longer fight.

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


COMBATSYS: Daisuke successfully hits Mitsuru with Soul Wave.

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


[MITSURU]
Mitsuru was refusing every step of the way.

Even as she knocks the Blazing Panther away, even when he comes back, she was lurching at him. Body bathed in pain, bruises swelling where ever there was skin exposed. And there was too much skin exposed for the flat bodied young lady. When the boy flips at her, she tries to guard against it, forcing into it to clinch with it. The arc kick slams hard into her shoulder, and she's grounded. First on her knees, and then, on the ground on all fours. "NO!" She declares. "NO! NO!" She declares again.

And she collapses down.

There is silence now. There isn't giggling. But the Fight Club is gone. They were over at the judges, as the medical team descends on both fights. The ugly work of DKOs was at play now. Blazing Panther went down first. But what about the points? Mitsuru had gone down first already, hadn't she. BUt now, the girl in glasses, Kaicho is speaking with the judges, and she's -pointing- at Mitsuru. Pleading. Asking. Doing what was the right thing to do, to help her. To give her what she deserved. And they nod. The head judge stands up, and clears his throat.

"We have come to a decision. The winner is...."

"BLAZING PANTHER!"

Mitsuru doesn't understand what's happening. She doesn't understand in the daze. She won, right? She won this time. She was on a stretcher, staring up at the sky. And then, figures form. THe nurses? No, it's the Fight Club. They are all around her. Smiling. Kaicho is there. "I need a moment, please. We have something special." Kaicho explains. And she looks at Mitsuru, just as calm as ever. No longer blushing. But she reaches out, running her fingers through Mitsuru's hair as she lays helpless on the stretcher. "You came back." She whispers. "You came back, and you want to fight. I want you to fight. And you need me. Mitsy. You need me to win. You'll never win without me." Mitsuru's everything hurt. But the words were cutting through, as Kaicho releases her. "We meet every day after school still. we'll be waiting for you." She gives a smile, as the rest of the Fight Club gives a smile, as they all leave her on the stretcher.

"I can't wait to see you back with us again, Mitsy."

COMBATSYS: Mitsuru can no longer fight.


[DAISUKE]
By the time the Panther's foot hit Mitsuru's shoulder, he had already blacked out, truth be told. In the heat of the moment, amidst the explosive motions and the flashes of energy, it may not have been clear when exactly happened, but when his body hit the ground back-first, he was undeniably out of it.

And with just as little fanfare as he first came to the schoolyard with, he's carted away on a stretcher, the dubious announcement of his victory nonwithstanding.

...

Everything is a blur.

What happened after he was first slammed down on the ground?

Did he pass out then already? Did he lose? Did he win? He can remember pain. Yelling. Burning--

Burning. Fire. Eating through buildings, through people. Flames. Burning up his body.

From the inside.


............

An unfamiliar ceiling greets the boy when he manages to open his eyes. Even just the effort of turning his head to seek out a clock on a wall sends stings of pain through him. He's not sure when exactly the fight happened, but it can't be that long after it -- his arm's not even bandaged up yet or anything.

...But he can't stay here. There's just too much going on with his body for him to be willing to explain.

It's a great effort of will and pure stubbornness that forces the young, masked man to slipping not only out of the bed in the nurse's office, but further out, to sliding open the window and pushing himself out through it, before any of the medical staff can slip back in to check in on himself. It's... not a particularly graceful effort, either. He even ends up slumping right down onto the ground after clearing the window, but the further surge of stubbornness carries him to picking his broken body up again, and running all the way across the school yard before vaulting himself over the wall surroudning the grounds.

The way back home is no easier or less painful. With every stumbling step taken, he seems to sweat more, the nerves in his body seem to scream out more. Like every single inch of them is burning up. Everything just... *hurts*:

Why did he sign up for this tournament, again? These matches? Something to do about trying to test out his powers, to gain more control over them through forms of adversity.

But if this is the end result... is fighting for such a selfish reason really worth it?

Log created on 11:43:56 03/24/2021 by Mitsuru, and last modified on 09:13:30 03/25/2021.