Match of the Millennium

Description: In a dramatic reenactment of the scene wherein two fan favourites and future fast friends meet for the first time, our "Hon Solo" will take on Juliet Pope in her wookiee debut on Saturday Night Fights! Can this angelic wookiee take down the crack pilot? More importantly, will they too become best friends after a vicious battle in a dark, muddy hole? Tune in to find out!

[HONOKA INOUE]
It's been a while since Honoka Inoue has made her appearance on Saturday Night Fights (she got a little spooked after a bunch of matches against Darkstalkers) but now she's back! At some kind of themed event, which involves customing, and brawling, in the depths of a pit.

There's just one catch. Honoka hasn't actually *seen* that movie.

She saw some of the other Star Wars films, decided they weren't really for her, and switched back to wuxia and martial arts films. So while she has an idea of what Han Solo looks like, she doesn't actually know anything about... this.

But she tried! Honoka has, from somewhere, gotten a Han Solo costume, if a little tailored to the tastes of people who watch SNF; a black shirt tied up under her bust to bare her midriff with a brown sleeveless vest on overtop, tight black pants, light boots, and a completely fake prop gun that doesn't do anything but looks good resting against her thigh, where the holster puts it. She has done nothing to change her pink hair, which is still tied partially to one side with a little cute-skull bead, and she has her gloves on both hands.

"I have a bad feeling about this," she says, because it is *also* the single line she can remember, and the fans want at least some fanservice. Even if it is just a callback. She steps in the mud, and immediately regrets it.

[JULIET]
It might be comforting for Honoka to know that Juliet also has... no interest in Star Wars. She didn't even know it was a movie franchise before she was due to participate. Movies, or really any form of entertainment, haven't had much place in her life to date. Her parents, though, had been quick to try and educate her on the basics - after all, they are going to get a nice big appearance fee out of this, and if she looks and acts the part, it can only lead to more juicy money when the SNF rehire her, right?

Unfortunately for everyone concerned, Juliet... just, doesn't, make a very convincing wookie. Mostly because she's under five feet tall and skinny. In this reimagining of the classic Star Wars franchise, "Han Solo" fairly towers over a "Chewbacca" who looks more like a very lost Go Go Dancer. Furry boots, shorts, and a tube-top cover most of Juliet, with her gloves replaced with furry 'paws' instead. She might have been able to pull this off if she had her heart in it, but... as she steps into the 'arena', she can't help but wrinkle her nose. Worse still, she's been given very specific instructions on how she's supposed to talk for this fight, and it has her feeling - for the first time - like she really is just some sort of weird carnival attraction.

"Rawrg." She says, gesturing vaguely with her paws, and sighs, dropping her head. "Rar. Aroo. Awwwwrg."

[HONOKA INOUE]
It's rare for Honoka to be any taller than her opponents at all. She doesn't really *tower*, close up (though the uneven ground may make it look like she is for a moment) but she is bigger than her theoretically monstrous opponent, both in height and probably in weight. Even if she'll never say that.

"Um... hello?" Unfortunately Honoka is now a little unsure where to go from here. She dressed up decently because she likes cosplay, but the actual plot has completely fallen out of her mind and she doesn't have time to go back and check it up. At least the other girl looks as awkward as she feels...

Honoka raises her hands, moving into something like a combative stance. In the mud, which, blech. She's not looking forward to being tripped. "I knew they put everyone they didn't like down here but this is ridiculous!" She's standing as if she expects Juliet to come at her, but she doesn't immediately aggress herself - though if SNF staff surprise her with a bell she'll probably be off like a shot.

COMBATSYS: Honoka Inoue has started a fight here.

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

[JULIET]
Juliet shrugs helplessly at Honoka's words, to indicate that she, too, has no idea why they've been forced into this awful situation. The mud is going to completely ruin this costume, and she is less than enthused at the prospect of being covered in the stuff. Still. She's here, now, and as much of a downer as the humiliating situation might be for her, she is at least going to get to fight. Even if she suspects that the locale and the costume change are going to throw her off her game.

It's easy to see just how discomforted she is as the older fighter settles into an approximation of a stance. She does the same, trying to get a feel for how the mud and the new costume are going to change up her usual style. It seems like a minor thing, but the costume she wears is so important to her. Without it, she's not the Boxing Angel. She's... some kind of half-shaved bear, near as she can tell. It's going to be tough to get herself into the proper mindset.

Tougher still as she can't speak and establish a rapport with her opponent. Instead, she just gives a faint shake of her head, and another, questioning, "Rar?"

Then the bell rings, and she lunges forwards. Skidding violently in the muck, she grunts as she pivots, and at least tries to use the momentum to her advantage in throwing out a hefty blow towards Honoka's mid-section. Her head might not be totally in the game, but the girl has surprisingly solid form, and she sure knows how to throw a punch - even one cushioned by a startling amount of fuzz.

COMBATSYS: Juliet has joined the fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Honoka Inoue     0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0           Juliet

COMBATSYS: Honoka Inoue dodges Juliet's Dash Punch.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Honoka Inoue     0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0           Juliet

[HONOKA INOUE]
"Rar," Honoka responds, just as solemnly. She feels bad for the other girl, just isn't sure how to express it in front of cameras. Maybe they really will end up friends by the end of this!

Honoka's stance isn't approximated because she doesn't know how to fight, or because she's lazy. It's approximated because Honoka is a very flexible fighter who knows bits and pieces from a whole lot of styles and she's not sure exactly which one she'd like to start in. But she recognizes Juliet's style as boxing, and drops into a boxing guard; raising her arms and holding them vertically to cover her upper chest, she weaves backwards with a fast step, narrowly avoiding the strike to her midsection.

With Juliet right in front of her, possibilities resolve themselves into options quickly. Already leaning back, Honoka drops backwards entirely, catching herself on her hands behind her - which hit the muck with a splash, making her immediately regret the decision. Too late now...

But thus anchored, she delivers a low sweeping series of kicks toward Juliet, trying to knock her off-balance before pushing herself to her feet with a vaulting bounce. "Hayaa!"

COMBATSYS: Juliet dodges Honoka Inoue's Tropical Storm.

[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Honoka Inoue     0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0           Juliet

[JULIET]
Juliet simply isn't experienced enough to tell how Honoka's style works; not yet at least. She recognises the guard of course, but to her it looks at first like Honoka just falls over backwards. Then she's turning it into a series of kicks? It's impressive! Juliet really doesn't know if this is genius or if the girl had fallen over and then decided to make the best of a bad situation, but either way she is the one now having to deal with the onslaught; and it's all she can do to backpedal in the grime and stay one step ahead of the kicks.

As Honoka gets back up to her feet, though, she'll be met by Juliet sliding back in. She's starting to get used to the way the mud changes things up. Footwork is a vital part of boxing, even if kicks aren't, and she's figuring it out. She can use the slippery nature of the arena to her advantage, so long as she can keep her feet underneath her. It is if - or, more likely, when - Honoka manages to knock her down that things are going to get... difficult.

But for now, she focuses on the offense. "Graooo!" She declares, sounding suitably impressed with Honoka's flexible effort, as she aims to crash a left hook into the side of her opponent's jaw. At least, for the moment, her paws remain un-muddied. That's going to get unpleasant real quick too, if she isn't careful.

COMBATSYS: Honoka Inoue fails to counter Hook Punch from Juliet with Heishin-Geki.

[       \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Honoka Inoue     0/-------/---====|=------\-------\0           Juliet

[HONOKA INOUE]
Guess who already has mud all over her hands?

That's right: Honoka, given she just caught herself on them. It feels awful, though none of it got over or through the gloves (thank goodness; she's glad she didn't go for fingerless). She shakes her hands from the wrists, hard, to try to get it off. Most of it goes, though not all of it.

It's in that position that Juliet rushes in again. Honoka lets her reflexes - her fighting instincts - take over rather than thinking about it. Hands come up, trying to catch Juliet along the lower arm; her body goes down, just a little bit, preparing to lever Juliet up and over her and toss the boxer past her, to land on her back in the muck -

What actually happens is that Honoka's hands brush Juliet's arm and the hook makes it through, smacking firmly into the side of her jaw. She rocks with the blow, dazed enough that she does not finish the follow-through with the counter-toss. That's going to leave a mark, she thinks, a little scrambled. She's not out yet, but... ow.

[JULIET]
Juliet can definitely throw a punch, she's proven that much. There's a sympathetic flinch - not because she just punched the other girl in the face, but because those muck-slimed fingers just touched against her arm, and she is starting to really understand just how much this environment is going to screw with both of them. The fights back home could get pretty grim, especially some of the underground arenas that her parents liked to throw her into when drinking money was running low... but they never had any kind of environmental hazard like this.

"Raaaaaaaahooar." She wails, but... equally, the boxer doesn't back off. Now that she's in and close, she needs to capitalise on the moment, or she wouldn't be giving Honoka her all; she's already having to contend with enough adverse conditions, she couldn't do the girl the disservice of taking it easy on her!

Instead, she throws out a blindingly fast jab, aiming to crack the girl clean in the jaw in a kind of 'wake-up' punch, whilst working at the same time to keep her footing in as close as possible to 'Hon Solo', her shoulders squared and ready as she faces up to the slightly taller girl.

COMBATSYS: Honoka Inoue blocks Juliet's Wonder Jab.

[        \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////// ]
Honoka Inoue     0/-------/--=====|=------\-------\0           Juliet

[HONOKA INOUE]
The wake-up jab is probably unnecessary, judging by Honoka's movements; she's back on her feet soon enough (mentally... physically she already was) and reacting once again rather than standing around dazed.

Which is why she actually *does* manage to block this time, and it is a boxing block; Honoka goes for a cover-up, catching the jab between her two hands as they cover her face. If it was a stronger blow she wouldn't have been able to stop it tht way, but she can hald a jab, shoving against it to give herself an opening.

But her return strike definitely is not boxing. Honoka reaches out, trying to literally grab Juliet and run with her, shoving her several steps on sheer momentum - even given the relative sizes and weights here, Honoka won't be able to run the entire length of a standard ring with Juliet.

Fortunately, she doesn't need to. This is a small pit, and so she tries to press Juliet against the wall, following it up with a series of mid-body punches and a decidedly Bruce Lee-esque yell. If she's supposed to be saying lines, she hasn't remembered to.

COMBATSYS: Juliet fails to interrupt Rekka from Honoka Inoue with Uppercut.

[         \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////////     ]
Honoka Inoue     0/-------/--=====|===----\-------\0           Juliet

[JULIET]
Apparently, Juliet had overestimated Honoka's dazed state. If there's one part of the art of boxing that The Boxing Angel still has trouble with, it is the noble clinch, and it is this flaw in her style which is neatly taken advantage of by her opponent. Grabbed, Juliet's mud-slick boots are no help whatsoever as she tries to arrest her backwards motion, and instead finds herself shoved up against the wall.

She struggles to free her arm, which she does manage, and she grunts as she is punched, and punched, and punched. It isn't the most elegant of displays, as she flails against Honoka's attacks. Her guard is broken, and she attempts, instead, to just brazenly throw her fist up - but the wild lunging uppercut goes wild and she catches another couple of blows unhindered for her efforts.

"Fer pity's sake." She growls, huffing, and keeping her voice low enough so she isn't - she hopes - picked up by the mic, "This isnae easy when I cannae blather wit' ye, jus' a lotta barkin' an' bruisin'."

[HONOKA INOUE]
There is a moment of - not precisely *silence*, but stillness after the strike. Honoka took a half step back, both to avoid eating an uppercut and to give her a moment to catch her breath, and Juliet is in no state to immediately counterattack - she speaks instead.

Honoka keeps her voice just as low. "I know! I don't know what to say either. Tell you what, we can get ice cream afterwards, but right now - "

Honoka raises her voice. "If you think I'm going to roll over and lose for you, you've got another think coming!" Despite the grandoise posturing (which she does, complete with pointing finger) Honoka actually keeps the strikes nice and simple; she goes in for a spinning backhand punch of no particular style, something that Juliet might have seen before but certainly not from a boxer. Who does that?? It has the single advantage of, if it misses, probably not slamming Honoka's fist into the wall, which is why she chose it.

COMBATSYS: Juliet just-defends Honoka Inoue's Fierce Punch!

[         \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////    ]
Honoka Inoue     0/-------/---====|===----\-------\0           Juliet

[JULIET]
Juliet is honestly baffled by the shouted defiance. Is that how she's coming across?! She didn't think for a moment that the other girl was going to just let her win this. After the battering she just took, she felt they were on pretty even ground, really! The spinning, backhanded punch is certainly a showy way to try and get back into the fight. Is that what is actually going on here? Maybe Honoka is having as much trouble staying psyched and in the zone as she is.

But where Juliet had been at risk of being pinned between the wall and her opponent's fist, the boxer continues to prove her mastery of the art of punching. Both gloves come up to catch the oncoming fist, and she moves with the spin, helping Honoka to complete it... and skidding backwards to take herself away from the arena wall and catch her breath. Grinding her teeth together, the girl's brow furrows as she tries to summon up some will.

And with a mighty shout, she just HURTLES forwards. This is definitely NOT a boxing move, not an approved one anyway, as she aims to slam her head into Honoka's side with as much force as she can muster!

COMBATSYS: Juliet successfully hits Honoka Inoue with Devoted Headbutt EX.

[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////    ]
Honoka Inoue     1/-------/=======|===----\-------\0           Juliet

[HONOKA INOUE]
Honoka mostly just needed to say *something* and, absent her usual ability to communicate, picked something at random. Plus, wasn't this supposed to be a fight to the death? She doesn't know Star Wars well enough to remember.

She feels her fist hit but realizes almost immediately that she's hit a block, and she doesn't think she's strong enough to just power through it. She tries anyway, giving out a kiai, but all she manages to do is slide Juliet away from the wall - just where she was trying to go anyway!

And, worse yet, it left her open. Honoka had started to feel out Juliet's style as a power boxer; she was not expecting a flying headbutt and yet that's what happens. Her guard is off, and Juliet slams into her side, not only hitting Honoka but striking with enough force when she's already off-balance to knock her over; she lands on her back with an unpleasant squelch and slides about two inches before she stops.

Oh no, Honoka thinks. The mud is EVERYWHERE. She can feel it sliding down her back; it's in her boots, it's under her vest, she's pretty sure of it is down the back of her shirt. "Aaaah!" She makes a horrified expression as she rises, turning the ascent into a powerful rising uppercut. "THERE IS MUD EVERYWHERE!" she yells, which is definitely out of character.

COMBATSYS: Honoka Inoue successfully hits Juliet with Strong Punch.
- Power hit! -

[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////        ]
Honoka Inoue     1/-------/=======|======-\-------\0           Juliet

[JULIET]
Juliet feels the disgust and dismay in her *soul*. She feels it so hard that the girl actually drops her guard for a moment, "Ach, Hon, I'm pure sor--" POW!

They're both breaking character now, and they've both paid for it. Honoka in the powerful headbutt, and Juliet in the uppercut which she takes straight to the jaw. She's lifted bodily off her feet by the impact, which rings in her ears as she descends into the muck with a terrible, wet, SLAP. Landing bodily in the filth, it cascades up around her in a wave, and all at once, the careful progress she'd made sheltering herself from the grime is undone as she is buried underneath the disgusting, foul-smelling gloop.

"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHOOOOOOOOORAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

Finally! The viewers at home get a good, passionate, wookie-worthy scream from Juliet as the girl explodes out of muck with a terrifying burst of speed. Lashing out with wide, arcing swings. Left, right, left, she aims to batter Honoka back against the wall and express - quite succintly - that she did not in any way appreciate the turnabout there!!

COMBATSYS: Honoka Inoue blocks Juliet's Divine Combo.

[                \\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////         ]
Honoka Inoue     1/------=/=======|=======\-------\0           Juliet

[HONOKA INOUE]
It's just turning into a mud fight at this rate, which is not something Honoka ever expected to sign up for.

She winces at the turnabout, though she doesn't *quite* apologize because it happened to her first. Still, that was perhaps a little more ... energetic a response than she really meant to give.

The wookiee roar (or whatever) is her first warning, and Honoka takes it to heart - she is immediately on her guard, and it's a good thing too because Juliet is moving *fast*. The blows come in fast and furious and Honoka's guard is more sheltering in place than any kind of mobile assault; she can stop the blows from hitting her, but she can't move to get entirely out of reach, and she can't get away from the wall. If she stays pinned down, she's going to lose.

Which is why Honoka goes for the desperation.

Pushing upward with both arms, Honoka tries to interrupt the flurry of punches *just enough* that she can act herself. She follows it up by practically trying to bowl Juliet over, simply slamming her weight forward as best she can with a forward leap.

The nature of Honoka's... Honokaness means that it is a chest-first press, because Honoka doesn't really have much choice about what weight and momentum to put behind the blow. She follows it up with a hooking punch to capitalize on Juliet's hopefully now off-balance stance - now that everyone has been in the mud, it is apparently fair game to try to keep them there.

COMBATSYS: Honoka Inoue successfully hits Juliet with Bear Crash.

[                 \\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////              ]
Honoka Inoue     0/-------/-------|=======\===----\1           Juliet

[JULIET]
The unorthodox style certainly seems to be working wonders at keeping Juliet off-balance. The girl tries to raise her guard, but Honoka's full-body press slams through it, and she catches another punch to the face for her trouble. There's a huff from Juliet at that, and when she staggers up to her feet, she finally looks like she's got her heart truly in the fight. Now that she's been beaten around as much as she has, the boxer can start to see beyond the surface level distractions that have worked so successfully against both of them in this match so far.

Sure. She's covered in foul-smelling mud and any hope of maintaining any kind of dignity in all this has long-since disappeared for both her and the older girl. But, scrape away the dirt and the silly trappings, and this is still a fight. One that they both want to win, and one she's going to have to try her very best at if she wants to succeed!

She wipes at her jaw as she rises, only really succeeding in moving the filth covering her face around a bit, and then she cocks her fist back. There's still an awful lot of distance between herself and Honoka after that reversal, though--

Only, then, suddenly, there isn't. Because Juliet has blurred out of existence, and she reappears behind Honoka like something out of an old Samurai movie, her fist in front of her and the outer layer of mud blown off her by the sheer tension in her muscles after that explosive burst of speed. Hopefully, the powerful haymaker punch it disguised will come as an equal shock...

COMBATSYS: Juliet successfully hits Honoka Inoue with Immaculate Haymaker EX.

[                       \\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////               ]
Honoka Inoue     0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0           Juliet

[HONOKA INOUE]
Dignity got lost a long time ago. Honoka is only just starting to accept it, too.

After her strike, Honoka looks around, trying to place Juliet. She's some distance away, which means Honoka has to move forward - she can't throw chi like a whole lot of fighters can, she has to actually get within arm's reach. (Though, speaking of chi, she is feeling the expected burning in her heart, in her hand - even if, right now, it doesn't show...)

But as it turns out, she *doesn't* need to chase Juliet down - because Juliet did that for her. She's gone, and Honoka spins, trying to find her. She does - but not fast enough to react to the powerful haymaker.

Honoka manages to roll with the blow. Sort of. Rolling with the blow, against a strike like that, means that she stays on her feet, though it skids her back; the blow nearly knocked her down, and at this point if she goes down Honoka isn't really sure she can get back up. Her heart beats faster, pounding -

Honoka's clenched fist begins to blaze with chi. It's not bright chi; it's a red so dark it almost looks black, except black can't glow, and this is scattering a bloody crimson light and trailing little sparks. She lets out the loudest kiai yet, driving it in a straight punch toward Juliet.

And if it hits, it *explodes*, the sudden detonation of chi enough to send both Juliet and Honoka sliding back a meter or two. Her hand is no longer glowing quite so strongly, only really wisping energy like faintly glittering smoke.

COMBATSYS: Juliet fails to interrupt Exploding Fist from Honoka Inoue with Heavenly Cross.

[                      \\\\\\\\  < >  /////////                     ]
Honoka Inoue     0/-------/---====|>>>>---\-------\0           Juliet

[JULIET]
The hairs on the back of Juliet's neck prickle as Honoka begins to gather that chi. It had been notable that neither fighter had used energy of any sort in the fight until that moment. The boxer isn't one for throwing fireballs around either, and though she hadn't been able to read Honoka's style even the slightest amount, she had appreciated that the fight had remained in her relative comfort zone. For once, she hadn't had trouble getting close and throwing her punches. That had felt good.

But pure instinct takes over when Honoka throws that impressive punch at her, and as she wheels around towards it, Juliet's fist is laced with the exact opposite. Brilliant white light spills from between her muck-streaked fingers, and when both fists collide, there is a double detonation; her power against Honoka's.

When the dust clears, there's no doubt about which of the two came off better for it. Juliet is embedded lightly in the wall of the arena, and she has to pull herself free. Blood now streaks the young woman's face, but... more impressively than that, even, she's... clean?

The silver-haired, red-eyed warrior is literally glowing, wreathed in a halo of glorious white light. She's smiling, too. Her own energy, and that of her opponent, has scoured the dirt away. Oh, sure. She's barely still standing. But she can at least look Honoka in the eye clearly - and it seems, in this strange state, that Juliet doesn't feel any further need to humour her hosts. Instead, she raises her gloved fist in a salute of respect to the other fighter.

"Honoka Inoue!" She declares, loud and clear for all to hear, "Let us finish this! And together, forge a bond to last the test of time! From the swamp of indignity, we shall rise as champions of a brighter world!"

[HONOKA INOUE]
It is a testament to how badly Honoka has been battered and how into the fight she was that the first thing she thinks about this is not 'oh no, she's glowing', 'oh no, she's bleeding', or 'oh no, she's clearly getting ready to do something' but instead...

'Oh no, she said my name!'

Not that Honoka's name is a secret. It super isn't. Anyone who looked at the SNF fight schedule knows exactly who she is. But they were theoretically playing roles, and, well. Now, apparently, they are not, or at least Juliet isn't.

Honoka draws herself to her full height (4'11) at the salute. She's not quite sure what the proper response is, so she mirrors it. "R - right!" she says. "Let's have a good fight! Even if it's mostly over, we can still do it! And - here I come...!"

It may have been a mistake to give Juliet that much warning, but Honoka gets a running start and *leaps* at her, going for a straight flying kick at the glowing warrior, using momentum to her advantage!

COMBATSYS: Juliet dodges Honoka Inoue's Diving Kick.

[                     \\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////                     ]
Honoka Inoue     0/-------/----===|>>>>---\-------\0           Juliet

[JULIET]
The response earns a gentle nod from Juliet. It's easy, in this moment, to feel like the glowing fighter is in fact the taller of the pair. She holds herself with such easy confidence, as though this fight and everything in it has proceeded according to her own grand plan, rather than having been a disastrous fumbling with both young warriors tumbling around in the dirt. No doubt there will be some sticks in the mud who are irritated that she's broken role; but equally, what true fight fan can hold it against her? How many other people are there in the world who can make a glorified cavewoman costume look like it is worthy of respect?

She twists to the side as Honoka leaps through the air towards her, and the young woman draws in a single breath. Her feet dance across the surface of the mud, toes leaving small ripples through its dark depths, and then--

Well. She can't hold back. She's almost done herself. And so she swings that right fist of hers towards Honoka's stomach with a shocking amount of force, aiming to scoop the woman around and deposit her right back behind her, before leaping away through the air...

COMBATSYS: Juliet successfully hits Honoka Inoue with Sacred Check.

[                           \\\  < >  ////////                      ]
Honoka Inoue     0/-------/-======|=------\-------\0           Juliet

[HONOKA INOUE]
And as for Honoka, her costume might be a little better (for one, it isn't meant to represent anything nonhuman) but she's not here to put on a show. She's here to put on a *fight*. It's subtly different, but given the choice between acting and battle, battle wins every time.

Juliet's last blow is the one that does it.

Airborne as she is, Honoka can't really... dodge. She doesn't have a whole lot of air control when she doesn't have at least one limb on the ground. She practically folds around the fist, crumpling. It looks like she's out...

...except she has one last bit of revenge, because she doesn't launch like Juliet might be expecting. She manages to grip the arm and, when she's deposited downward, she tries to bring Juliet with her; she turns it into a rolling grab where, if all goes well, Honoka ends up on top of Juliet, slamming down in what would ordinarily be a seated position but is currently kind of an awkward flop.

She's dizzy and dazed and not getting up from that. The only question is whether Juliet can push Honoka off of her and stand up to claim the victory, or if it's more muddled than that.

COMBATSYS: Honoka Inoue can no longer fight.

[                      \\\\\\\\  <
Juliet           0/-------/------=|

COMBATSYS: Juliet blocks Honoka Inoue's Rolling Press.

[                         \\\\\  <
Juliet           0/-------/----===|

[JULIET]
And so Juliet winds up with Honoka attached to her as she sails through the air. Fittingly, it is as this happens that the glow surrounding the younger fighter flickers and dies away, and with it goes all of that supernatural grace which had seemed so imposing just moments before. "E-eeh?!" She splutters, as she finds herself struggling against the older woman, "What're ye-- getoffame!"

It isn't a dignified end, not at all, but Juliet does manage to wrench and force herself into a position where, as she comes down, she's the one steering on top, and as both girls land in a heavy heap amongst the mud, she has the wind knocked out of her... but she isn't, quite, KO'd. Shakily, she manages to extricate herself from the grip of the unconscious woman, and struggle to her feet.

And then she throws her paw up into the air, and shouts! It isn't the way she'd envisioned her first victory on the televised fighting circuit, and she doesn't remember what happened at the end there quite as clearly as she'd like, but... she's the last one standing!

"HRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!"

COMBATSYS: Juliet has ended the fight here.

Log created on 17:26:43 05/01/2021 by Juliet, and last modified on 22:08:56 05/01/2021.