Match of the Millennium

Description: In Southtown Park, Juliet and Tsugumi Sendo clash - two girls with a lot of heart and a desire to prove to the world that they have what it takes to compete at the highest levels! Neither of them may quite be there yet, but each finds in the other a kindred spirit, and neither is prepared to back down! Who will triumph, the Boxing Angel, or Gorin High's own shoot wrestling fanatic?!

[TSUGUMI SENDO]
Tsugumi Sendo had eagerly written back to Juliet's letter-- Sharing her passion and enthusiasm for a good ol' brawl. She had arrived into the park as promised, for a NL-Match arranged between the two of them! The park is large, with both grassy, and even some forest-y locales. It is truly a very nice place of tranquility amongst the city's hustle and bustle. The two had met in a nice, open field next to a small lake. There are a handful of spectators, and cameramen, but it is overall a fairly relaxed enviroment.

Tsugumi had- For once arrived pretty much exactly on time, eagerly looking for her opponent-

Whenever she would have seen the tiny girl, the wrestler would have eagerly approached her. "Heya! Glad to meet, I'm Tsugumi! But you knew that, didn't you, pope-san~" The tomboy bows, before leaning in a bit too close for comfort. "I've seen you box! And you got those awesome bursts of light! They're kinda like..."

For some reason, she hesitates with that next sentence-- And decides to cut it short. "..Well, Maybe you'll see! You feelin' well today?"

[JULIET]
Juliet had written Tsugumi's letter personally. There hadn't been any malicious parent intervening - and at the time she'd written it, she hadn't even really made her debut in the Southtown fighting circuit. She hadn't fought before an arena crowd before. She had only the barest idea of how to reach that transcendental state where she can pull out her best techniques. All of that has changed. She's clashed fists against people who are so far beyond her she can barely imagine that they exist - she can see the Champion's Road, and she's been walking it.

Neither Derrick nor Mary have deigned to make an appearance today. They probably didn't feel like Tsugumi was worth turning up to see. This is a small match with a couple of Neo League cameras and a small crowd of Southtown locals who have pitched up to watch because, well, there are Neo League cameras which means there's going to be a fight. Juliet smiles as Tsugumi approaches, and nods her head eagerly.

"Aye, good to meetcha, Tsugumi." She says, moving to greet the girl with Gabriella watching on amused. "That's pure kind of ye to say. I liked watching you too! I think we're gonnae have an interestin' clash o' styles, here." She doesn't dwell on what the girl might have been about to say - it's more than enough that she'd made it.

"I've fought all kindsa people here. It really is like... home. Everythin' I dreamed." She actually looks whistful at that. Seven battles in the league, one in the Saturday Night Fight franchise. People are seeing her fights. People sometimes recognise her in the streets. It's, amazing. "Ach, but aye, I'm fine." She says, bumping her gloved fists together, and then offering them to Tsugumi in case she wants to go with the traditional Boxer's greeting, grinning from ear to ear all the while. "Dunnae think I'll go easy on ye though, I'm gonnae show ye what I kin do, ye ken?"

[TSUGUMI SENDO]
"Uuuuh, yes!"

Tsugumi wouldn't be fast to admit she didn't understand everything the girl said with that heavy accent of hers. "Totally! I fought one boxer before, she was called Mint! She had robot arms, that was awesome!" The wrestler bumps fists with her own gloved hand, and steps back, until her starting position. "Neither will I! I'll give it my all, from the start! Good luck, Pope-San!" She enters her own stance, wide, with the arms spread and hands open.

"I can't wait to see your techniques with my own eyes!"

COMBATSYS: Tsugumi Sendo has started a fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Tsugumi Sendo    0/-------/-------|

[JULIET]
Juliet laughs at that, "Aye, Mint's incredible. Love her style. Really taught me a lot, too." That fight was probably one of her absolute favourites. Certainly one that lives in her memory... even if she couldn't, quite, remember all of the bits at the end. That's not too unusual, though. By that point she'd taken quite a few blows to the head, she was pretty sure.

Moving to take her mark, Juliet bounces on her heels. Tsugumi is a lot taller than she is, but that, too, doesn't seem to deter the diminutive brawler in the least. As she gets ready to fight, that smile becomes just a touch more ferocious; eager to get to the fray, excited at the prospect of pitching herself against someone new. Even after all the clashes she's had, against people of all kinds of styles, she's no less eager to see how she does against Tsugumi!

And then the referee gives the fighters the signal--

And immediately Juliet is dashing forwards. "Aye! All out from th' start, no other way to be!"

And to prove her point she comes in with a swinging left punch aiming to snap right into Tsugumi's side, as her darting footwork seeks to place her right behind the other young fighter!

COMBATSYS: Juliet has joined the fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Tsugumi Sendo    0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0           Juliet

COMBATSYS: Tsugumi Sendo endures Juliet's Sacred Check.

[    \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////// ]
Tsugumi Sendo    0/-------/-----==|=------\-------\0           Juliet

[TSUGUMI SENDO]
"She is, right?! I somehow managed to make a fluke victory, but I think she could have--" "Woh!"

She zips past, taking the initiative and striking the wrestler's side before she could make her own move- Tsugumi would grunt in pain, yet not relent, turning together with Juliet and trying to snatch both of her sides before she's to have a chance to turn around. With both her hands gripping the smaller girl firmly, she would bend over backward, trying to flip both of them over and plant Juliet's head into the grassy ground! The classic Suplex, but with Tsugumi's own little twist; If it'd be a clean hit, Tsugumi would manage to keep up the hold- using her arms to put painful pressure on the girl's ribs as the suplex is held!

COMBATSYS: Tsugumi Sendo successfully hits Juliet with Rainbow German Hold.

[     \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////      ]
Tsugumi Sendo    0/-------/-----==|====---\-------\0           Juliet

[JULIET]
The blow hits clean, and Juliet finds herself being grappled before she can complete the backwards motion that would take her away from the other girl. She grunts as the pressure starts to dig in; but the girl is starting to get used to these kind of clinches as well; she's been grabbed and thrown around a lot more since she got into the Neo League than she has in the rest of her career, and she thinks she sees the right way to respond to this kind of hold as a true boxer.

Rather than trying to squirm her way free, Juliet momentarily drops her arms down to her side and, yes, this hurts - it really does! But there's a glint in her eye and the girl grins brightly as she looks Tsugumi square in the eye.

"Th' problem wit' keepin' me here." She says, "Is tha', I'm *here*."

And with a sudden ROCKETING upwards motion, she packs everything she has into a corkscrewing uppercut, aiming to smash her fist right into the taller girl's jaw, fully intending to take her off her feet with raw force alone.

COMBATSYS: Tsugumi Sendo blocks Juliet's Uppercut EX.

[       \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////      ]
Tsugumi Sendo    0/-------/---====|===----\-------\0           Juliet

[TSUGUMI SENDO]
Tsugumi smiles as her attack is successful, and now they find themselves were Tsugumi has the upper hand; The ground!

The small girl pulls herself just loose enough to turn around, facing Tsugumi with that scary, scary uppercut. Tsugumi seems to surge with energy for a moment, putting her upper arm in the way to absorb the glove, and leaving relatively unharmed. "Nice try! But I am also here!" She responds, letting go with one arm while the second gets raised up, as Tsugumi attempts to push Juliet to the ground with her weight, and keep her there-- A mount! Sitting on her stomach, she quite literally winds up her striking arm, spinning it around clockwise before /lunging/ it out in a fierce straight toward her opponent's face, attempting to connect with that devastating punch.

COMBATSYS: Juliet blocks Tsugumi Sendo's Wind Punch.

[        \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////        ]
Tsugumi Sendo    0/-------/---====|=====--\-------\0           Juliet

[JULIET]
But Juliet is surprisingly difficult to pin!

Mostly because she's had a lot of experience being slammed down into the earth. She refuses to let herself be pushed back, and when the punch comes towards her face, Tsugumi finds that this is a kind of blow that she's most comfortable dealing with! Her arms come together and the blow is deflected by a hard push with both fists, knocking the blow up and away. Juliet is still smiling; it'd been a good attempt for sure! But Juliet isn't about to go down so easily, that's for sure.

"Nae, THIS is th' kinda fight I love!" She exclaims, "Up close an' personal, proper Glaswegian style, ye ken?"

What does she mean by that?

Well all becomes clear when the girl suddenly SLAMS her forehead forward, aiming to make hard, brutal contact with Tsugumi's nose. It's the kind of move that might seem harsh; brutal, even, given how happy and cheerful the girl has been in her costume...

But the truth of the matter is that Juliet is feeling excited in a way she hasn't for a while. Grounded and in the heat of the moment, she's not overthinking it, just going with what feels right, and not having to do all that thinking work just to try and get close to her opponent is so incredibly freeing!

COMBATSYS: Tsugumi Sendo blocks Juliet's Devoted Headbutt.

[         \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////         ]
Tsugumi Sendo    0/-------/-======|=====--\-------\0           Juliet

[TSUGUMI SENDO]
She might have needed to know better, punching a boxer; Her attack blocked in the most skilled of ways. "Woh, nice!"

"Aye-aow!" A confirmation turned into an expression of pain, as that headbutt slams into her forearms- Not quite connecting, but blowing Tsugumi back plenty for Juliet a breather. With her own, broad smile, she talks back. "Right?! You get it!" This girl is her type of gal, straight to the point, and rivaling Tsugumi's excitement for brawls such as these. "I can't wait to see more! Meanwhile.."

The tomboy dashes back into close-quarters, before ducking and shooting out to grab one of the girl's thin legs, pulling it upward with her as she rises, and using the second hand to /push/ at the boxer's chest, aiming to make use of the unbalanced posture she created to slam Juliet into the ground!

COMBATSYS: Juliet blocks Tsugumi Sendo's Medium Throw.

[         \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////           ]
Tsugumi Sendo    0/-------/-======|======-\-------\0           Juliet

[JULIET]
A lot of people assume that the legs are the weak spot on a boxer; but again, Juliet proves surprisingly sturdy in that regard! The reality is that she needs to train her legs just as much as every other style; those legs are what keep her mobile and moving smoothly in the fight, and without that, she'd be doomed! She might not kick, but that just means she's not tempted to go for a cheap shot. Instead, she plants her feet firmly into the ground, and Tsugumi wrenches at the armoured limb but... doesn't do much more than make her strain against it, briefly.

There's a hefty grunt from the girl when she feels the moment to pull her leg back, and then she's lashing out with one blow after another - aiming to scoop Tsugumi back up to her feet by the medium of a downward swooping punch to the gut, then deliver a series of quick jabs, left, right, left, towards the girl's torso; ducking and weaving as she goes to make it that much more difficult to keep up with exactly where she is.

COMBATSYS: Tsugumi Sendo dodges Juliet's Mix-Up Combo.

[         \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////           ]
Tsugumi Sendo    0/-------/-======|======-\-------\0           Juliet

[TSUGUMI SENDO]
"Nice!" Tsugumi says, as her grab is weathered and a counterattack is launched; She does however clumsily, manage a sideward roll, narrowly evading that powerful barrage. "You got some legs, girl!" A weird comment, but Tsugumi didn't see it like that; She made it with the most casual of tones!

The wrestler gets up from her roll with a swift backhand to the cheek, aimed more at disrupting Juliet's flow then inflicting more permanent damage-- To set up for her own dangerous offense, later down the line!

COMBATSYS: Tsugumi Sendo successfully hits Juliet with Quick Punch.

[        \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////             ]
Tsugumi Sendo    0/-------/-======|=======\-------\1           Juliet

[JULIET]
The punch lands clean, whipping Juliet's head to the side, but rather than get upset about it, the girl actually just... smirks?

"Aye, ye got a good hook on ye too." She compliments right back. These were the moments when she always felt most alive. Fighting has so often been her struggling against a seemingly insurmountable force, and that's thrilling in its own way; but now she's starting to fall behind against someone who she feels is on her level. The fight has gone on long enough now that she's pretty confident in that. And that's exciting!

Few fights have even managed to last this long, and the girl really feels that now she can start to strut her stuff. No flashy powers yet. She can feel it, just at the edge of her consciousness. When she wants it, it is there. But the time isn't right. And rather than struggling against that and trying to force it, Juliet trusts her instinct. Going blow for blow, moment to moment, against this girl... that's infinitely more exciting!

And the girl pivots, snapping her right hook around in a blow aiming to crash powerfully right into the side of the other fighter's head and buy her a moment of breathing space.

COMBATSYS: Tsugumi Sendo blocks Juliet's Revelation Hook EX.

[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////              ]
Tsugumi Sendo    0/-------/=======|=======\-------\1           Juliet

[TSUGUMI SENDO]
The smirking is a little bit weird, but atleast her blow connected!

Tsugumi shares her excitement, a lot of her fights had been more even when it came to power, but as it stands, this match is amazingly head-to-head, and that's fun! The girl braces her forearm, putting it to the side of her head to intercept that hook at the elbow, before attempting to launch forward with her free arm, gripping Juliet by her own arm, before lifting it upward, while her second arm moves to under Juliet's torso- The girl would heave and lift, carrying her upward vertically before swinging her over her back by that arm, Juliet risks her back getting slammed into the ground painfully!

COMBATSYS: Tsugumi Sendo successfully hits Juliet with Strong Throw.

[         \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////                   ]
Tsugumi Sendo    1/-------/=======|=======\=====--\1           Juliet

[JULIET]
Lifted into the air, Juliet is slammed down more or less perfectly. The girl grunts as she hits the ground, and she huffs as she forces herself back up to her feet, shaking her head. Okay. That had hurt a lot. She's still standing, though, and that means she still has every chance of turning it around! She wipes her lips with the back of her glove. She is starting to think again now. The initial flurry of intense blows back and forth have passed, and she's come out the worse for it. If she doesn't pull something out of the bag, she's going to lose this fight - and she's surprised to find that she doesn't really want to. She could win this. She just needs to dig deeper.

Bright white light begins to suffuse the girl, surrounding her as she calls upon the power inside her. She straightens herself up, her blood red eyes locking clear on Tsugumi's. It's easy to forget, in that moment, that she is the shorter of the girls - or that she's the one on her last legs, for that matter.

"We walk the same path, Tsugumi Sendo." She says with a bright, cheerful smile spreading on her lips. "The Champion's Road calls to each of us. Let's see which of us reaches the end of it first!"

And suddenly she's gliding forwards, her feet barely seeming to touch the ground as she slips in, fist reared back, to deliver a shockingly powerful blow with all her momentum behind it - aiming right for Tsugumi's stomach!

COMBATSYS: Tsugumi Sendo Toughs Out Juliet's Dash Punch!

[            \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////                   ]
Tsugumi Sendo    1/----===/=======|>>>>>>>\>>>>>--\1           Juliet

[TSUGUMI SENDO]
Yes! Another successful blow for the wrestler, things had just barely been edging out in her favor. "YOSHA! Lets finish thin, Pope-San!!" And she yells to the heavens, as her adrenaline had reached his apex; She is positively /surging/ with enthusiasm, even moreso then usual. And when that dashing straight comes?

Tsugumi barely seems to register, as her arms once again launch out- To both of her legs, this time; Only a moment after her punch had connected, and likely far faster then Juliet had anticipated. "It's gonna be me!" And she /pulls/ up, attempting to force the small boxer to trip onto her back, as she keeps hold on the legs, and steps forward-- placing one of her legs between and over Juliet's, before interlocking her own, with Juliet's legs! Creating a tight sort of know before jumping up straight, all the while spinning; Risking to have Juliet crash down into the floor with the combined weight of both fighters!

COMBATSYS: Juliet interrupts Osaka Naniwa Death Lock from Tsugumi Sendo with Miracle Uppercut.

[                          \\\\  < >  //////                        ]
Tsugumi Sendo    1/-<<<<<</<<<<<<<|>------\-------\0           Juliet

[JULIET]
"Yes, let's finish it, as two fighters should!"

The girl is smiling as Tsugumi leaps for her. She can see what Tsugumi is doing; knows what it is she is going to try for. It is an impressive maneuver, and one which certainly would finish the match. Except, Juliet knows what she is looking at, and that brilliant light surrounding her flares even more as Tsugumi wraps around her.

"This is why I am... The Boxing Angel!"

And when she moves, it is in a staggering display of skill. The speed is so great that Juliet is practically a blur! Her fist meets Tsugumi as she attempts to tighten her hold, and those costume wings of Juliet's might seem almost like they are the real deal in that instant - because for a glorious moment, both Tsugumi and Juliet are treated to the sight of the park expanding in all directions around them. Well. Tsugumi had SAID she wanted to see the sparkles, right?

The detonation of power is a staggering display. It's just impossible to get the full experience of it captured on film. The light is all-encompassing. It surrounds both warriors in a display of such dazzling brightness that it swallows the entire world, and in the middle of it, Tsugumi can see Juliet's smiling face. The girl is bloodied, but she is unbowed. Her serene expression truly beautiful to behold in this carefree place away from pain and suffering and the crashing reality of worldly concerns.

"Together, Tsugumi Sendo, let our fists serenade the beautiful future we shall build!"

And then the energy explodes completely, and Juliet lands first. Both feet planted on the ground as brilliant feathers flutter and dissolve into sparks around her. It only lasts a moment before one knee buckles. The girl is still glowing; her power still suffusing her being, but the ethereal quality of it is being taxed heavily. Sweat glows on her skin along with the light, and she is forced to suck in a deep breath. She's, barely, hanging on herself... but will it be enough?!

[TSUGUMI SENDO]
"Haha! Got you--"

*Ka-Blam!*

Tsugumi would scream and struggle as she'd get lifted up by that punch, so suddenly, and so cleanly. The pair soar through the air, and then, that detonation happens; And Tsugumi was in the apex of the explosion as she gets launched even further upward, soaring through the sky. She had witnessed that smile, but Tsugumi was not smiling any longer- It hurts too much for that. The punch, and explosion had torn through her, leaving her body broken, battered and seared. Laying before Juliet in a collapsed, smoking pile. "How.. Did you.." The wrestler utters, only barely conscious at this point, her expression displaying shock from the wholly unexpected comeback.

She was /winning/.

As she lays there, she can't help but smirk, finally having witnessed the true strength that her opponent holds. She twitches, twitches, and..

Does not manage it. That punch took too much out of the wrestler, and as such, she remains there. "Y-You really surprised me there, Pope-San. Good fight.."

But then finally, she does grimace- Her perpetual optimism being stained just a little. "It- It was so sudden. I thought.. we'd last longer.."

COMBATSYS: Tsugumi Sendo takes no action.

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

COMBATSYS: Tsugumi Sendo can no longer fight.

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

[JULIET]
Juliet straightens that buckled leg as Tsugumi struggles on the ground, and walks towards the girl. Still glowing, still suffused with that incandescent light, she looks down at Tsugumi... and gives a firm nod of her head. "You have nothing to be ashamed of, Tsugumi Sendo." She says, "I showed you the power of my heart, and you answered in kind. If I had hesitated for even a moment, I would be the one defeated, and you would be the victor. Together, we touched the Heavens, if only for an instant."

She exhales, then, and the light around her dies down. The referee nods - the victory declared, and Juliet blinks, looking, for a second, just as startled as her opponent had. Then she's smiling, brighter and truer than before, "Ach, Tsugumi, tha'... tha' were a pure bangin' match. Thanks! We'll have tae do it agin soon!"

And for the benefit of the crowd back home, she reaches down to clasp Tsugumi's hand and pull the other girl up to her feet - both beaten, both bruised, but the smaller girl supporting the larger one to smile into the cameras at the finale of their thrilling match!

COMBATSYS: Juliet has ended the fight here.

Log created on 13:12:34 05/17/2021 by Juliet, and last modified on 16:44:48 05/17/2021.