Match of the Millennium

Description: On the popular tourist attraction of the boardwalk in Southtown's Sound Beach, the Bionic Boxer Mint faces off against the Bear-Finn Tarmo, in a brutal clash of rocketpower boxing and pure physical force!

[MINT]
Minal Panesh had built up a lot of leave over the past couple years. And while she hadn't planned on spending it all in Southtown, with the Neo League's latest season based here, that might just be the case. Unless she can make a case for this as... professional development.

Whatever it gets billed as, Mint is here, revitalized and refreshed after a few days of R&R. She stands on the edge of the boardwalk. One enormous gauntlet is raised, its hand acting as a brow to shade her face from the brightest of the sun's rays as she looks out upon Sound Beach. The temperature is a perfect 21 degrees, the sky is clear -- and it's about to be a great day!

She's wearing her new logo jersey -- a bright white shirt, with a logo of a mint leaf and a gauntlet upon it. The jersey also has '0 0' on the back, in typical sportsball fashion, with the name 'PANESH' over top of it. That, and OD Green cargo pants with combat boots. Her gauntlets are... huge, as one can expect, matching the green of her pants but trimmed out in carbon fiber, aluminum, and stainless steel where appropriate.

There is a square marked upon the boardwalk, just a few steps away from Mint. Ropes have been strung up around its perimeter, keeping it empty for the time being. A small tent is nearby as well, bearing the Neo League logo and a half-dozen fight officials -- just waiting for the other competitor!

[TARMO]
Minal has definitely put more effort into the buildup of her brand as a fighter than her opponent-to-be.

Sure, Tarmo the Bear Finn has managed to grow a certain sense of fame (or infamy?) around his size and the brutal, forceful way in which he fights, but he certainly hasn't gone out of his way with costume or logo design like Minal and some other fighters have. His approach even to official fights is a very relaxed, casual one.

This is exhibited immediately when he's seen approaching the ring, with... a takeaway box of takoyaki carried neatly on the palm of one hand, while the thick fingers of the other pick out the balls of octopus-bits and soft baste.

"Oy there!" He roars out after swallowing one of the treats, lifting a hand up in a wave as he gets closer... and his size grows more and more clear to Minal herself. The Finn is worryingly close towards seven feet in height, and the rest of him seems just about enormous, too, with hands easily larger than most people's heads, and the heavy olive-toned jacket with the fur-lined hood being left open exposes the heavy musculature that backs it all up.

Why exactly he's elected to wear the kind of winter jacket that forces him to expose his chest otherwise, however, is anyone's guess.

"Am I late? I feel like I might be late."

As he closes in on Minal, he leans down over slowly, as if to get a better look at the much shorter pugilist. A thoughtful hum rumbles up first, before he flashes a wide grin to her. "I like your gloves. They pack a punch, I'm guessin'?"

And while he's still leaned over, he actually holds out the takeaway box towards her, with a couple bitefuls of takoyaki still left within. "Want some 'fore we get started?"

[MINT]
Mint perks up at the call, turning around to find Tarmo waving at her. She throws her mechanical hand back into a resulting wave; despite the size and obvious weight, she has no trouble swinging it around. Or even -hopping- a little in the process. "Oh, hey!" The dark-skinned corporal smiles brightly, blinking at the question -- and then squeezing her hand a little, as a small audible is relayed to her. She laughs upon processing the time -- eight minutes late. "Maybe a little?" Shrugging it off, she throws her hands out. "It's a fantastic day though! So who cares?"

The smile grows a smidge more lopsided and cynical, though, as Tarmo asks whether her 'gloves' are for punching. "... Uh... yep! Yeah, that's why I made 'em." Beat. "To punch." The light air of judginess only lasts a moment, though, as she breaks into a broad smile -- and throws a fist off to the side. With a *pop* and a hiss of hydraulics, her punch is augmented by a series of three cylinders firing simultaneously -- showing that her reach is extended by just 25 millimeters more: a literal 'one-inch punch' for just a bit more impact.

"Custom designed, of course!" The metal pieces clank against one another as she flexes the two gauntlets, showing them to be much more than just 'gloves.' "And totally tournament legal, since like... my smaller hands just can't take the stress."

She softens, though, shaking her head quickly to deny the treat -- even as she moves towards the ropes. "Nah, but thanks, though! I save eating as a reward for -after- the fight!"

And as she gets to the ropes, she reaches out to take hold of the top rope, vaulting sideways over the ropes and landing neatly on the other side. Despite her height, the Marine's in peak physical form, after all!

"So what about you?" she calls back, raising her fists in an approximation of a standard boxing stance -- approximate, considering the increased size of her mechanical gauntlets! "D'you need some more time to digest?"

COMBATSYS: Mint has started a fight here.

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

[TARMO]
"Well, I think they're neat," declares Tarmo, without really even considering how he might have sounded at first.

The declination for the the octopus-treats does leave him looking faintly disappointed, however, but he shrugs it off with a roll of his shoulders and a murmur of, "If you're sure."

The rest of the octopus-balls are quickyl shoved into his mouth, and swallowed in an almost comically visible and audible fashion before the now-empty box is tossed aside and he turns for the ring, himself. "Nah, I'm good!" He assures the dark-skinned boxer, while stepping up towards the ropes.

He pauses there, however, to send a look at one of the officials. "We can start right away, right?"

After getting a casual wave-off in the tone of 'go ahead', the Finn flashes a wide, toothy grin, and roars out, "ALRIGHT!"

And rather than vaulting the ropes properly, he shifts aside just enough that he can lift one foot up to one of the corner poles, and use it as a stepping stone to send himself plummeting across the air.

Just like that, Minal finds a massive shadow cast over her as Tarmo's figure blots out the sun above her. And the Finn's enormous body rapidly descending with the cruel force of gravity right for her, with his arms stretched out. Yes, he's quite literally starting things off by using his own body as a bombing projectile!

COMBATSYS: Tarmo has joined the fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Mint             0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0            Tarmo

COMBATSYS: Tarmo successfully hits Mint with Moukariheitto.

[      \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////// ]
Mint             0/-------/--=====|=------\-------\0            Tarmo

[MINT]
Mint was ready for the fight. She'd hoped to show that with how nimbly she was moving, of course! She even gives the officials a brief look when he asks them so -- and she soon finds herself looking back to Tarmo's smiling face.

She... might -not- be ready, when she realizes that Tarmo wasn't just entering the ring. But -leaping- from it, blotting out the sun. She starts to scramble to get out of the way -- but it's too late, as Tarmo collides with her, his weight easily overshadowing hers!

"Ugh," she coughs. With her mechanical hands trapped underneath Tarmo's bulk, her options are limited -- or so they would be if they weren't jet-powered. And with two high-pitched whines, the gauntlet engines fire, their heat likely to become -quite- uncomfortable -- but more than that, the thrust becomes enough to tug Mint free from the hold!

"Oh -man-," she coughs, cutting the thrust as she rolls back to her feet. "You are serious business! But here we go!"

Donut-shaped clouds of smoke are blown back from her gauntlets, as the jet engines roar! And in an instant, Mint closes the distance to Tarmo, starting off by unleashing a wild left cross -- and then slamming her right fist into the bear wrestler's middle with the intent and force to propel him airborne, punctuated by a sudden pull of the throttle trigger!

COMBATSYS: Tarmo interrupts Charlie Foxtrot from Mint with Moukari-Isku.
-@- Dazing Hit! -@-

[           \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////      ]
Mint             0/-------/--=====|====---\-------\0            Tarmo

[TARMO]
"Hehe, sorry about that," Tarmo rumbles down at the woman all but squished underneath his much more weighty body. "Had to take the chance I saw, ya know?"

But he certainly did not take into accoutn the actual potential functionality of her gauntlets. WHen the hiss of the hydraulics first echoes out, the bear-finn just arches his brow upwards first.

And then come the flames.

"ARGH! HOT! HOTHOTHOT!"

Even before the jet engines can fully push him off, Tarmo's pushing himself up out of instinct alone, hands rapidly thwapping at his sides to ensure that nothing on him is actually catching on fire like that.

"What do you *have* in those things?!"

Jet engines obviously, Tarmo. Duh.

He might be smoking a bit after that, but at least he's managed to make sure that there are no flames on him. ANd just in time for his eyes to snap up at Mint's charge at him.

"Raaaaaaaaaaaah!"

And his defense is, as it turns out... another offense. He stomps right in at Mint, even as she's guiding a punch rocketing at him. The instant her steel-clad fist first collides with his meaty form, his enormous hand has thrust out to grab the pugilist by the face, wrapping fingers along her head like that.

"Down--!"

ANd pushing further with a downward lean of his body, he completely halts the pugilist's assault by forcefully shoving her down, head-first, onto the boards below.

"--You go!"

[MINT]
Mint had a lot of expectations about this fight.
It's... not really going anywhere near those.

For one, Mint was feeling pretty good about that attack when she first launched into it. The goal was to blast Tarmo upwards, and then follow up with a series of punches. But instead -- she's hauled off her feet and ground, once more, into the boardwalk. Hundreds, maybe even thousands of Southtown residents walk on the boardwalk every day, and trace odors of their smelly feet are currently assaulting her nostrils -right now-. Not to mention, but it rather hurts to have her shoulders going in a different movement vector from her hands -- thank goodness for automated safeties on her gauntlet's thrust controls, that shut them off before her poor arms can be wrenched any further.

So Mint hits the ground with a thud -- and at this point, the pugilist is completely dazed, her head absorbing way more of a shock than she ought to. Groggily, she kicks back to her feet, prying herself free from Tarmo's grip -- and even before her vision comes fully back to her, she grits her teeth, and squeezes her fists shut.

The pint-sized pugilist leaps into the air, bringing herself briefly eye-to-eye with Tarmo. Not that it matters, she only sees a big olive-drab blur. "OOOOORAH!!" And she brings both fists high -- slamming them both into his chest with the same pop-k-CHAK! sound she'd demonstrated earlier -- two fists unloading with a one-inch recoil blast for added measure!

COMBATSYS: Tarmo blocks Mint's BFH.

[             \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////        ]
Mint             0/-------/-======|======-\-------\0            Tarmo

[TARMO]
"Whoop!"

Tarmo really should have seen Mint freeing herself by taking flight with her gauntlets again. At least his instinct to let go to ensure he doesn't get bowled over by that sudden burst of motion kicks in quick enough!

The Finn's eyes track her motion upwards then, narrowing his eyes, and--

"Ah, fuck."

It doesn't take much for him to realize that a strike powered by engines like that, coming at such speed, is going to hurt something fierce if he lets it through. In fact, it still *stings* like hell when his thickly-muscled arms come up to set up a barrier against Mint's enormous gauntlets.

It's enough force that even someone that large is sent skidding back along the wooden boards below, and grunting with effort requierd to keep his balance in the face of Mint's rocket-powered push.

"Those things are-- hhhhh--! Really somethin'--!"

Gritting his teeth together, he focuses his strength forward then. Foot pressing down hard agains the ground as he leans in towards Mint -- and sweeps both his arms outward, hoping to send the corporal's arms spreading outwards, too. And hopefully, use an opening created by that to lunge in and...

...Just grab Mint.

No, really. His left hand goes to grabbing on with the intent to wrap around her bicep, and the right for her shin, to use that hold to hoist her up high over his head first-- and then swing her down, back-first, towards his lifted-up knee. Oh no.

COMBATSYS: Mint blocks Tarmo's Strong Throw.

[                \\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////       ]
Mint             1/-------/=======|======-\-------\0            Tarmo

[MINT]
Mint grits her teeth, rattled as she is by her metal fists slamming into a sturdy bone-backed defense rather the relatively lightly-defended ribcage she was aiming for. She was -also- hoping for a chance to tap her boots down onto the ground, but Tarmo doesn't seem willing to wait that long, prying her arms apart -- and blocking with his shoulder as his right hand grabs down for her shin! "Oh, -what?-" she exclaims, trapped from using her own gauntlets by sheer virtue of their own size!

"Eject left!" she barks out, and the gauntlet software responds immediately! After a rapid fire series of clicks and whirrs, Mint pulls her left arm free -- and immediately pins it behind her back, one split-second before his knee collides with her!

... *crack!*
That would be her translucent left hand.
Cracking under pressure.
But at least it's not her /spine/.

"Ah, =dammit!=" curses Mint, using the opportunity to plant her boot right on Tarmo's chest. The tiny boxer uses all her strength to pry herself free from Tarmo's grip -- and as she twists free, she punches her damaged left hand right back into the port of her gauntlet.

"Are ya frickin' tryin' to -kill- me?" cries out Mint. She hits the ground in a combat roll, her left gauntlet whirring and clicking from its rapid reattachment protocol. But as soon as she's once more upright, she digs her heels in -- and bursts forward with dual-gauntlet thrust!

Her right fist swings in a wild hook at Tarmo's midsection, harnessing the full momentum of her strike! "OOORAAH!" The thrust cuts out for a moment afterward though --

And then with a stacatto, pre-planned firing pattern, Mint lunges forward in a chaotic sequence of one-two punches, each aimed at Tarmo's solar plexus! She hopes to punch him not just two, but four, six, eight times -- anything to stop this Finnish mountain of meat! "OORAH OORAH OORAH OORAAAAAAAH!"

COMBATSYS: Mint blitzes into action and acts again!

[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////       ]
Mint             1/-------/=======|======-\-------\0            Tarmo

COMBATSYS: Tarmo endures Mint's Hook Punch.

[                \\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////           ]
Mint             1/-------/=======|=======\=------\1            Tarmo

COMBATSYS: Tarmo interrupts Foxtrot Oscar from Mint with Karhun Isku EX.
- Power hit! -

[                      \\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////            ]
Mint             1/---====/=======|=======\=------\1            Tarmo

[TARMO]
"Wh-"

The Finn's eyes widen out at the sight of Mint's arm suddenly releasing out of her hand! Or, well, no, she does still have her hand, it's just the gauntlet that seperated, but in the heat of the moment it certainly might initially seem like she sacrificed the entirety of her hand for this maneuver.

Not that that's *too* far off, seeing as she does in fact use her translucent prosthetic as a cushion between the cruel impact point of his knee and her own spine.

And shortly after, he finds himself stumbling back when the rocket-powered pugilist pushes herself off of him with the push from her foot.

At her complaint, he just... grins wide and toothy. "Says the lady throwing actual rocket-powered punches out. It's a fight, come on! You gotta be puttin' everythin' to it right!"

THe giant comes stomping after her already, only to be faced by her preparing to unleash everything she has on him. Stubbornly, the mountainous finn keeps up his forward momentum regardless, even with his enormous fist drawn far back behind himself to the point he's left utterly open to the first powerful punch. It collides right against his side, and even with all that meat in the way, he can still feel it in his ribs, and he's left roaring out in pain as a result.

...Unfortunately for Mint, this doesn't seem to stop his advance at all. Or the sudden upswing of his fist.

Even as she, too, is lunging in for the follow-up combo, the boulder-sized fist arcs above and comes down again in an overhead, nearly blindly-aimed overhead punch that collides with her in the exact instant her second punch strikes against him. Not so much defending against her attack as affectively running over it with overwhelming force!

[MINT]
Mint -always- gives her all to the fight! And yet, she knows just how powerful the Finn is -- and just how -vulnerable- her back was at that moment. It's just that she's too busy shouting at Tarmo to give any intelligible feedback in a non-punch-adjacent form.

Her nearly instantaneous barrage is put to a stop before it can even reach full speed by the giant's overhead blow, fist slamming right into her cheek and knocking her aside. Her gauntlets' safeties engage, aborting the pre-programmed attack and allowing her to be spun like a top from the blow. She falls as she spins, but that's put to an end by a brief pulse from the engines' directed nozzles, courtesy of an autonomous attitude-control subroutine that kicks in an instant before she collides - again - with the boardwalk planks.

Twisting back to a crouch, she bares her teeth in a hot-blooded stare "Are you sayin' I'm -not?-" She winks back at him -- for while she can appreciate Tarmo's impressive fight presence, the corporal does -not- relent. Ever!

This shows when her turbines flare -blue-, each engine rippling the ropes and the Sound Beach coast, with superheated air. She gains air, the super-powered thrust carrying her upward to account for the height differential! And she powers into one overhead haymaker, a second haymaker from the opposite hand, then fires off a trio of one-two punches. "OORAH OORAH OORAH OORAAAAAH!"

And if those hit -- she'd engage maximum thrust in her right hand, a punch powerful to blast the giant upward!

COMBATSYS: Tarmo endures Mint's Alpha Mike Foxtrot.

[                      \\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////                   ]
Mint             0/-------/------=|=======\======-\1            Tarmo

[TARMO]
Tarmo does have to take advantage of Mint getting bowled back to take a deep breath and at least partly re-settle himself. As powerfully as he has been able to just push right through her attacks, it has been taking a toll on him.

Sweat is, afterall, beading along his forehead, and bruises are visibly starting to form along his bared chest and abs from the hits she has managed to get in.

"Who knows, huh?" He gives in answer to her with a grin, almost as if he's outright trying to rile her on. "Why dont'cha show me?"

And show him she does. The Finn already pre-emptively winces when he sees the power bursting out of her gauntlets, even before she's launching at him. She's... well. Quick. Way too quick for him to properly bring up a guard, or send a counter-attack in.

"ARGH!"

Her gauntlet smashes on top of his skull first, sending his form coiling over into a lean. The drumming from her fists continue, each one sending the Finn's body twisting this way and that like a ragdoll. Yet, he still manages to keep his feet firmly on the ground...

Until that final, powerful uppercut comes. That one is actually powerful enough to send even his considerable weight flying up...

But in the briefest space between her combo and that final strike, he managed to push one step in towards her and leaning over. Though her gauntlet digs in tight against his solar plexus with enough force to force air from his lungs and blood to spill out from his mouth, his hand reaches out...

And grabs into her still-airborne ankle as he gets sent up.

The grip is tight enough that even though he's dizzied momentarily by the pain, it still succeeds in pulling the Marine right up into the air with him. And at the apex of that flight, he's gathered enough focus to narrow his eyes at Mint.

"G-...good... Just like... that..."

Just as gravity starts bringing the two of them down, he swings the hand holding onto her leg upwards, to flail her over his head -- and then down, *hard*, just as his feet hit the ground, aiming to slam her down into the boards with enough force to shatter them!

COMBATSYS: Mint parries Tarmo's Hakkaa Paalle!

[                      \\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////                   ]
Mint             0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0            Tarmo

[MINT]
The Finn is a big and friendly guy. She likes that about him. And if he -wasn't- so nice -- perhaps if he -wasn't- so gregarious? Maybe she would have a different attitude towards him.

But since he -has- been nice enough to encourage her, it'd be criminal to give the man anything less than her best. And it's for that reason that, even as she concludes her relentless barrage with an uppercut, the burly Finn is able to snag hold of the ankle she'd raised while launching into that punch, pulling her away so that she can't deliver any more attacks!

Mint grits her teeth, her arms flapping outward about as Tarmo swings her. This would be a problem for a normal fighter. But not one with augmented jet gauntlets.

"Nnrgh... flatspin on!" And suddenly, the gauntlets flare to life, all but -pinning- themselves in place as six bursts of flame erupt from the fore and aft of each gauntlet. And with her arms no longer flailing, Mint's able to counteract the force and chop downward at the hand on her ankle!

"And off!" The metal grip catches right under Tarmo's fingers -- and with her other foot, she kicks herself free of his grasp!

But while any other fighter might use that as a mere escape, Mint's still got control over her flight path. A moment after she breaks contact with a now-falling Tarmo, she re-engages in striking range, hammering down upon him with a jet-backed left punch. And then a hard right, followed by another left and another right. "OORAH OORAH OORAH OORAAAAAAH!"

COMBATSYS: Tarmo blocks Mint's Ground Pounder EX.

[                      \\\\\\\\  < >  /////////                     ]
Mint             0/-------/-----==|=====--\-------\0            Tarmo

[TARMO]
This is most unusual.

Usually people end up being so utterly helpless when put into such a mighty grip and swung around, purely out of panic instilled by the situation.

But not Minal, he finds. But even then, he wouldn't have expected her to be able to pry herself away before the fall and swing come to an end.

The pressure applied to his fingers by the powerful gauntlets wrenches his grip looser just enough that the kick sends her away, and Tarmo's eyes snap up after her, widening with surprise.

"Mitä helvettiä?!"

The foreign words of confusion come just before his feet hit the ground... and right as Minal herself comes sweeping down like a goddamned superhero thanks to the assistance of her rocket fists.

The first punch slips past an opening left behind by the unusual angle, and collides right with the side of Tarmo's face, threatening to knock loose a tooth or two.

"Brlgh?!"

His head jolts to the side from the impact, but thankfully for him, he manages to bring his meaty arms to shield his vulnerable - albeit thick-skulled - head as the follow-ups come through.

But that's not enough. With his arms still held up in a guard, he suddenly lifts up one of his boot-clad feet in a sudden high kick that sees the bottom of his foot pointing almost directly upwards at the end of it. Hoping to at least break up her assault if not directly hit her.

...And then, as his weight inevitably leans forward in that one-footed balance, he allows his leg to swing down again, from above Mint to outright *stomp* on her and force her down onto the ground.

COMBATSYS: Tarmo knocks away Mint with Kirvespotku.

[                             \  < >  ///////                       ]
Mint             1/-------/=======|=======\-------\0            Tarmo

[MINT]
Tarmo is just... a -juggernaut-. A wall of meat. For even while Minal had managed to reverse the aerial exchange, he's still sturdy enough to withstand the blows. And what's more -- his axe kick chops upward, short-circuiting even -that-, cleaving right through her jet-powered blows and putting a stop to the practiced combo.
It's when he stomps back -down- with that foot, though, that Mint doesn't have a counterargument. The conversation of fists and feet ends with Panesh =slammed= into the ground, with such force to splinter wood, leaving a small Mint-shaped area crushed further into the bed of sand.

She stays there for a moment, her forehead resting on the impacted planks. Time enough for Tarmo to land -- and time enough for him to consider whether or not Mint's going to bust out another surprise.

As her luck would have it -- it's the latter. And Mint slams her palms into the ground, pushing herself up with her knees and then standing.

She raises her left fist -- though -both- her gauntlets' engines are revving up to maximum thrust. She shouts over the engines' roar: "And a 'Semper fi' to you too!" If he's going to shout at her in Finnish, Latin's the closest she can manage.

She leaps into the blow -- and then her engine thrust powers her faster. There's no combos, nothing fancy -- just Minal giving her all for one riotous, jet-powered punch right to the big man's sternum! "OORAAAAAAAAH!"

COMBATSYS: Mint has reached second wind!

[                         \\\\\  < >  ///////                       ]
Mint             0/-------/-------|=======\-------\0            Tarmo

COMBATSYS: Mint successfully hits Tarmo with MOAB EX.

[                         \\\\\  < >  //                            ]
Mint             0/-------/-------|=======\===----\1            Tarmo

[TARMO]
"Haaaahhh... Haaahhh..."

Tarmo is right and proper *worn out*. Blood's still dripping along his chin from when he half-puked some out thanks to the vicious, air-launching uppercut from her before, and he has to wipe some of it off with the back of his hand.

"You're... some firecracker..." He mutters down at the prone form of the Marine, already taking a step back himself, possibly under some impression that she's down for the count...

Except she very much IS NOT.

Tarmo halts completely when her mechanical palms slam down and are used to push herself up. Eyes widening to the size of dinner plates while she watches her force herself to her feet, with a slack jaw.

And then comes that final, defiant attack. Caught briefly off-guard thanks to his own impressed reaction, his arms are delayed in their sweep to put up that meat shield--

And her enormous gauntlet manages to slip just in between them before they set in place, and slam right at the center of his chest.

"--Hrk!"

It's a tremondous impact that would send a smaller man flying back, and even Tarmo's gigantic ficure is sent to a backwards stumble that nearly ends in him losing his balance before he stomps his foot down.

For an instant, time seems to stand still while the Finn just stares at his opponent...

And then, coughs out another generous helping of blood.

"Ah, hell... that was... pretty good..." He mumbles breathily, and his eyes slowly roll upwards.

"Perkele..."

And down he goes, falling backwards limply, with a thunderous *THUMP* echoing through the beach as his weight shatters boards underneath it and sends sand billowing out in a cloud around him.

COMBATSYS: Tarmo takes no action.

[                         \\\\\  <
Mint             0/-------/-------|

COMBATSYS: Tarmo can no longer fight.

[                         \\\\\  <
Mint             0/-------/-------|

[MINT]
Mint's smiling. And it's mostly because the Finn's being so friendly to her, despite the both of them dishing enough damage to send anyone else to the hospital in just -one- blow.

Even still -- Mint -is- surprised when she sees Tarmo raise his guard -- and even moreso when her thundering blow plunges past his hasty guard to slam him right as intended. But after she makes contact, and knocks Finn backwards... the thrust dies down, and she hops backwards a couple steps, raising her guard. She stays light-footed, her gauntlets both raised to prepare for a counterattack from that staring man.

And she waits.
And waits.
And then she gets a verbal response.

"H-hey..." she starts, only to see those eyes roll back. She stares back, her jaw going slack.

She might not know what 'Perkele' means. But she can hazard a guess.

"I think you mean it was pretty damn -hardcore-," she adds with a chuckle. Moments later -- a bell dings three times, confirming the win.

Minal falls out of her fighting stance and stretches one fist outward: a gesture of respect to the tall tree-trunk of a man who's now lying before her.

She speaks -- if not to Tarmo himself, then at least to the recording that's bound to get made of this Neo League fight. The mic will pick it up, even if the audience that's surrounded the fight is cheering too loudly to hear it themselves.

"Thanks for the fight, Tarmo Karmala. I look forward to our rematch!"

COMBATSYS: Mint takes no action.

[                         \\\\\  <
Mint             0/-------/-------|

COMBATSYS: Mint has ended the fight here.

Log created on 16:31:07 05/05/2021 by Tarmo, and last modified on 07:34:32 05/06/2021.