Match of the Millennium

Description: As these two martial arts masters square up, which one will be left feeling the most dazed and confused? A crowd of school students are gathered in the playground to watch this dizzying battle.

[HONOKA INOUE]
Welcome back to school! Everyone likes school, right? ...right?

Well, Honoka hadn't minded high school, and she doesn't mind this match either, which is all well and good. In a fit of nostalgia, she'd gone digging deep into her closet and even found her own high school uniform. It still fit and everything. !ven if she'd had to pull and adjust a little bit.

Well, it would have been a bit of a surprise if it didn't, given Honoka's still a university student. It wasn't THAT long ago.

Either way, here she is, wearing a uniform that seems slightly out of place at Gedo: simple loafers, high socks, a short plaid skirt, and a jacket with a flower logo (not Seijyun; she's not THAT rich). Under that, a button-up shirt and a decorative tie, held with a star-shaped clasp. She also has one glove with a couple decorative puffballs dangling off the wrist and a cute skull-shaped symbol that matches her hair ornament on the back of her hand; presumably that isn't uniform.

She's definitely the right size for a student in some ways, though. Pretty much all the students that have shown up to watch are taller than her... and not just the older ones, as Honoka is under five feet. If you didn't know she was in the impromptu ring (mostly a cleared space in the courtyard), she'd be easy to miss.

[DAN]
"Ah, Gedo High. A pillar of the community. A beacon of scholarly brilliance and good manners among all the assorted high schools of Southtown..."

"...wait a minute, I'm reading the brochure for Justice High. My bad."

Strolling into the Courtyard of the infamous delinquent school, is the LEGEND!!! THE HERO!!! DAN HIBIKI!!! Unfortunately, he appears to have picked up the wrong admissions pamphlet, something that should have been blatantly obvious upon getting a look at the students milling about the school's hallways. To say that it's a rough crowd would be an understatement, and the various glances and mutterings about his pink outfit may have shamed a lesser man into turning around and walking off the school grounds.

But fortunately, Dan is made of sterner stuff than that; his pink gi is a symbol, after all, of his martial prowess and unconquerable spirit. And so he soldiered on, through the crowds of high schoolers and into the courtyard - which has been cleared of rabble and litter to accommodate this particular bout.

How kind of the Don of Gedo, Daigo Kazama, to allow such an event to take place on his territory... unless, of course, he had no idea about this. In which case, they'd better get this fight started before someone lets him know!

Taking in the sight of his opponent, his smiling face briefly turns downwards in a frown of disappointment. Was he truly expected to battle what appears to be a high school student? Truly there must have been some mistake in the booking for this Saturday Night Fight! Surely they meant to match him up against someone more his own speed, like Vega or Akuma!

Ah well. He still advances towards Honoka's position, stopping several meterts away to offer her a low bow of respect.

"I like your hair! But if you've dyed it in an attempt to forge a common bond between us, I fear you have wasted your time: for the very reputation of the Hibiki bloodline is a sacred thing, and I shall not go easy on you!"

Turning his head away, he flashes a cheesy smile at an empty portion of the courtyard, accompanying it with a big thumbs-up - as if he were mugging for an invisible camera of some sorts. After a few seconds of this bizarre display, he turns his attention back to Honoka, and points an index finger directly at her.

"Before we begin, I have a question...!"

"...did you want an autograph?"

[HONOKA INOUE]
As Dan comes out into the courtyard, the audience parts to let him through... but there's still a snicker from the crowd.

Don't feel bad, Dan. Honoka got laughed at too.

And, at least, Honoka isn't laughing at him. Even though she catches that look of disappointment, her own smile back looks honest, even heartfelt. Dan may not be one of the legends of fighting she'd always looked up to, but he is popular (or at least infamous) and she doesn't have any hard feelings about the match. A lot of people with SNF might think they're being insulted by being put up against Dan, but she doesn't seem to.

Honoka returns the bow before straightening back upright. "Ah - no, this is just what my hair looks like," she says. "I've never wanted to dye it! It's a good color." So maybe she's just in favor of pink.

Dan then goes and gives a thumbs-up to... Honoka turns to look at what he's looking at, which is nothing. Her brows draw together in confusion. Is there someone hiding there? They must be invisible if there is. There's no camera that she sees either... Mostly she's confused by the whole thing. Bizarre display, indeed.

"Oh, an autograph! Um - " Honoka pats the side of her jacket, where there's a little pocket, but she doesn't have anything in it. "I don't have anything to sign," she says, a little crestfallen.

Hell yeah she'd take a signature. Honoka collects martial arts memorabilia, after all.

[DAN]
"Aha! I knew a bright young lady such as yourself would be overjoyed to receive a memento from the great Dan Hibiki!"

His voice brimming with pride and confidence - having convinced himself he is meeting a devoted fan - Dan, friend to youth and aspiring martial artists everywhere, is fortunately prepared for such instances! He reaches inside his pink gi and rummages about at chest-level for something...

Pulling his hand out, he reveals a black-and-white photograph of his own face - sporting the same ridiculous grin he had previously flashed - with the signature already written in black marker! It's even numbered! Limited edition!

Clutching it in his mighty grip, he tosses the object towards Honoka; as soon as it has left his hand, it is picked up by the slight breeze that runs through this open courtyard... and gradually begins to flutter towards the pink-haired girl, carried on the wind - gradually - towards her.

Folding his arms as he waits for the autograph to slowly make its way to Honoka, Dan puts on his best 'serious master' face as he stares across the distance at his opponent.

"As a legendary martial arts master, it is only right that I allow you to begin this bout!"

Widening his stance, he begins to move his hands in a comical approximation of an expert karate fighter.

"Strike hard! Strike first! ...and other stuff! I forget!"

COMBATSYS: Dan has started a fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Dan              0/-------/-------|

COMBATSYS: Honoka Inoue has joined the fight here.

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Dan              0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0     Honoka Inoue

[HONOKA INOUE]
Honoka was not actually expecting Dan to carry around signed photographs of himself, but martial arts takes all kinds and it wouldn't have been the first time she's encountered someone on the unusual side.

She catches the photograph out of the air and looks at it, forward and back. "Thanks! Um, I don't really have anywhere to put this, so if someone wants to hold this until the match is done..." Honoka looks around at the gathering crowd, and apparently decides a particularly blocky-looking Gedo student is the right person to do that. "Please and thank you!" she says, with another big smile.

Then she turns back to Dan. He looks so serious, but his stance is anything but. The movements, at least... Honoka has seen plenty of fighters in her time so she has a pretty good idea of what strikes come out of what stances. Dan perplexes her a little, but she figures it out: he's just flexible! He's waiting to see what she does before he picks something.

Which is fine by her; she does the same thing. "All right, Mister Hibiki! So - here I come!"

Honoka then - runs. At Dan, not away. One step, two, three as she picks up speed - and as she approaches, she turns, leaping into the air and charging Dan... rear-first.

It's a legitimate maneuver. Decades of Japanese female pro wrestlers can't be wrong!

COMBATSYS: Dan blocks Honoka Inoue's Jumping Hip Attack.

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Dan              0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0     Honoka Inoue

[DAN]
A nod of pure respect is offered by Hibiki, as his opponent deftly captures the slowly fluttering, signed photograph out of the air! Clearly, he finds it to be far more impressive a feat than it actually is... or perhaps he is simply encouraging the next generation of warriors, as a true master is obliged to do!

He calmly waits as the autograph is handed off to a nearby Gedo student, who admittedly doesn't look terribly impressed to be dragged into this situation...

...nevertheless!

There is a slight expression of shock on his face as Honoka begins to run at him; perhaps he did not expect this young lady to be so headstrong when facing a fighter of his caliber!

Such bravery is to be commended!

Fortunately, Dan Hibiki is something of an aficionado when it comes to the art of joshi poruresu!

So, when Honoka comes leaping at him - leading with her rear - he begins to play back countless JWP tapes in his head. Countless hours spent studying the art of female professional wrestling pay dividends, as he expertly... lifts his hands in front of his body!!!

Not exactly an expert defense, but it serves to lessen the impact that the pink-haired girl has on him when the attack strikes. Even still, he finds himself stumbling backwards away from the blow... a discarded package of cigarettes on the courtyard ground serves as a proverbial banana peel, however, and he finds himself slipping as he accidentally steps on the object.

"OH NO!"

Not exactly a brave and honourable exclamation from the so-called expert of his self-taught Saikyo-ryu style, but hey... he's surprised! Cut him some slack!

Finding himself falling backwards to the earth, one hand goes flashing through the air before he hits the ground - unleashing one of his ultimate techniques against Honoka...

...a miniscule ball of chi comes flying from his hand, going forward no more than a foot or two before fizzling out in the air... but if Honoka is close enough to be struck by the attack, well... watch out!

"GADO-OOF!"

His triumphant shout - absolutely necessary for the attack to reach its true potential - is cut short as his butt hits the ground unceremoniously!

COMBATSYS: Honoka Inoue just-defends Dan's Gadouken!

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Dan              0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0     Honoka Inoue

[HONOKA INOUE]
It's not the best defense in the world, but it's not the worst one either, as holds off the worst of Honoka's impact. At least it's not too hard to do; she's probably a hundred pounds soaking wet, so there's a lot less force behind the blow than there could be.

Honoka has been blocked this way before, and she manages to get her feet under her, half-sliding off Dan as he begins to tumble backwards. She whirls so that she's not leaving her back exposed, raising her own hands -

'Gadoof!'

Honoka doesn't know, precisely, what a Gadoof is but figures it out pretty quickly. The little sparkling ball of chi flies at her, and Honoka reaches out with her gloved hand, swatting it; there's a little flicker of deep red light around her hand as her own chi neutralizes it, finishing the fizzle that it was already going through.

Now, it's not much of a projectile, but it's still better than Honoka has managed (not that she's going to say that) so she's got at least some respect for Dan. This may be a novelty for him. She gives him a serious nod, but keeps moving before he can right himself. She bends, trying to grab Dan by the legs and begins to whirl.

One rotation, two - Honoka is stronger than she looks but it still takes momentum for her to get Dan off the ground. But if she manages it, she's going to spin a couple more times and then release! Apparently wrestling is the strategy for the day, or at least for now. "Haaa!"

COMBATSYS: Honoka Inoue successfully hits Dan with Giant Swing.

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

[DAN]
Grimacing in pain as he lands, Dan is too busy regaining his bearings to notice how easily his projectile (if it can truly be called that) is dealt with by the much younger fighter. A fortunate turn of events, as he is spared the sight of his mighty Gadouken being swatted aside as one might deal with a pesky fly.

By the time his attention falls back upon Honoka, she is already advancing to grab him by the legs.

"Whoa, whoa, wh-"

His protests are ignored, as the pink-haired girl begins to swing him around and around... his voice growing shriller and shriller as she builds up speed, before letting him go to sail away.

"-oaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa......!"

Dan lands in a heap, rolling end-over-end across the ground as the impact shakes loose a veritable shower of pre-signed headshots from somewhere within his trademark pink gi. The flurry of photographs - all of Dan with his usual performative smile - fly up into the air and begin to scatter in the breeze. Notably, none of the assembled students seem too interested in collecting any of them...

...odd! These youths must not have heard the legend of Dan Hibiki! Those autographs are collectors items!!

Pulling himself to one knee, the mighty warrior lifts one fist into the air before slamming it down - biting back a small grunt of pain as his knuckles impact the ground.

"O..."

His voice is cut short, clearing his throat briefly as a faint pink glow begins to surround his powerful frame.

"O..OOOO...OYAJIIIIII!!!!"

His shout, almost comical in its intensity, rings out across the courtyard - many of the students sharing confused glances with each other - as the aura of chi around him grows stronger and more intense...!!

...sadly, it's about as bright as a half-dead lightbulb.

COMBATSYS: Dan demonstrates the might of Saikyo-ryu!!!

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Dan              1/-------/=======|===----\-------\0     Honoka Inoue

[HONOKA INOUE]
"Hup!"

Honoka launches Dan in a shower of photographs and ends up staggering a step or two afterwards. He's bigger than she is! It takes a lot of effort for her to actually throw him very far.

But she recovers faster than Dan does (which makes sense, given she threw and he got thrown). Unfortunately, he's all the way over there, and she does not have even the Gadoken to her name. So she has to actually chase him down.

This gives him enough time to rise up and...

"Oyaji?"

Honoka knows what the word *means*, of course. She's Japanese. She speaks Japanese. She's just not sure why Dan is yelling it with such vigor, such intensity - or why he appears to be glowing with the sheer force of oyaji energy.

It successfully holds Honoka off for a moment because she's not sure if he's about to explode with energy, throw a larger Gadoken, or what. She circles around him, hands raised as if she was a boxer but not actually throwing a punch... not yet anyway.

And if Dan is really good at watching her stance, he might figure out that Honoka isn't doing a full-on boxer's stance; she's got her weight held differently as if she was intending to kick as much as punch, even if it is less obvious.

What is she planning? Well, that depends what Dan is planning - and she can't figure it out!

COMBATSYS: Honoka Inoue focuses on her next action.

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Dan              1/-------/=======|===----\-------\0     Honoka Inoue

[DAN]
Moments after his chi flares up to its peak, the pink-coloured energy sputters and fizzles out - just as quickly as his earlier attempt at a projectile. It's clear that - for all his bravado and posturing - Dan Hibiki may not be the expert martial artist that he presents himself as.

Or perhaps... he is luring Honoka into a false sense of security!! Surely that must be the case!!!

Regardless, even if the burst of chi was hilariously cut short, it does seem to have had an effect on the man himself. He seems to have a renewed vigour about his person, and his aura - as pathetic as it is - seems to be brimming and sparkling with what little power he can muster.

Dan's opponent appears to be somewhat confused as to the origin of his battlecry; but the master of Saikyo-ryu (also its only practitioner) is more than willing to offer an explanation as to the source of his overwhelming power and quest to become the greatest.

"My father... Go Hibiki... a great man, whose days were ruthlessly cut short by that murderer who calls himself 'The God of Muay Thai'."

Dan's carefree, almost goofy features have changed into those of a more serious, stern man to match the topic. Gone is the ridiculous grin, replaced with a stoic grimace as he recalls the day his father was taken from him.

There is the briefest hint of tears welling up in his deep, soft brown eyes... before the pillar of willpower and strength, Dan Hibiki, bites back his emotions in a heroic fashion! Wiping his eyes with the back of one hand, he shakes his head quickly before turning his attention back to Honoka.

Without any further words, he charges towards the pink-haired youth, his long stride carrying him across the courtyard at a decent pace - and when he has gotten within several meters of Honoka's current position, he bends his knees and leaps into the air.

His jump carries him closer to his opponent; when he is near enough to execute an attack, he lifts one knee up to try and land an opening strike on her - which he then follows up with two, rapid-fire leaping kicks before he begins his descent towards the ground.

And as he leaps and lashes out with his legs, Dan's voice once again rings throughout the courtyard. His shout is brave, triumphant, and other such things!!

The message he has to impart to both his foe and the assembled crowd of Gedo High students? A simple one, but no less important or valuable a message despite its simplicity.

"DAN! DAN! BOOTTOTHEHEAD!!!!"

COMBATSYS: Honoka Inoue fails to counter Dankuu Kyaku from Dan with Heishin-Geki.

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Dan              1/------=/=======|======-\-------\0     Honoka Inoue

[HONOKA INOUE]
"Oh..."

Well now Honoka feels guilty for asking about it! Even though she didn't ask about it so much as was confused by it. Still, her spirits sink. "I'm really sorry for your loss!" She seems to really mean it, too. Is she that soft-hearted...?

As it turns out, yes! Enough that Dan's sudden lunge takes her by surprise. She lets out a sound best described as 'yeep' but her body is already moving; her reflexes, her fighting instinct, is superb. Even if her experience is not, necessarily.

Honoka ducks down and tries to catch Dan, using his momentum to flip him up and over her. What she *actually* manages to do is push the knee upward, but is caught by surprise by the sudden change in momentum and velocity when he unloads into kicks. One of them hits her in the shoulder; the other one clips the side of her head as she tries to dodge it, sending her staggering back. Tears are in HER eyes too, but for a completely different reason.

"I hope that wasn't just a trick to make me feel bad!" Honoka claps her hands together as she switches stance, a more swaying, evasive choice. "I wanted a clean fight... They're more fun!"

[DAN]
...

Well, now it's Dan's turn to feel bad!

He lands after his leaping kicks, turning around to face Honoka with a beaming smile and wink of the eye... only to discover that she's almost in tears.

His satisfied, victorious expression is wiped out in an instant, replaced with a guilty shifting of the eyes and a bead of sweat forming on his forehead. Reddening skin only adds to his look of embarassment, as he tugs nervously at the neckline of his pink gi - eyes scanning the assembled crowd of students, who appear none too impressed that he seems to have his young opponent on the verge of tears.

"N..no! I'd never try to trick anyone!"

He's telling the truth - Dan Hibiki is an honest man, if not exactly an intelligent or strong one. But his anxiety about the entire situation doesn't do him any favours in his attempts to keep his voice calm and convincing.

"I.. I'm so sorry! Honest! Here, I'll uh... I'll make it up to you...!"

Reaching into his gi for a moment, he manages to extract one of the few photographs which wasn't sent scattering after Honoka tossed him in the air. He also finds a black sharpie from some other place on his person, uncaps it with his teeth, and begins to write on the photo while mumbling to himself.

"Dear... kid... sorry... about... kicking... you... in... the... ... ... head. Sincerely and... with... great apologies... Master... Dan... Hibiki."

Placing the cap back onto the marker, he secrets it within his gi once more - holding the photograph up towards Honoka to display the signed, sincere message... and with a flick of his wrist, he sends the item spiralling through the air towards her...!

TWO autographs in the course of one encounter. Truly, Honoka Inoue is blessed by fate.

COMBATSYS: Dan successfully hits Honoka Inoue with Premium Sign.

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Dan              1/------=/=======|======-\-------\0     Honoka Inoue

[HONOKA INOUE]
Honestly, the tears are in Honoka's eyes mostly because she just nearly got kicked in the face. It's reflexive!

But she is satisfied by Dan's apology. She didn't really think he was lying... but she would have not been happy if he had been.

"It's fine!" she assures him, as he digs out a photograph and a Sharpie. She isn't quite sure what to do with that and she actually holds on for a few moments to let him do it. But only a few, because when he presents the photograph toward her, and throws it -

Well, Honoka has fought people who could kill you by throwing a penny. (Not *her*, apparently, since she isn't dead. But... you know, someone.) She assumes that this is an attack and treats it as such, snapping one hand out and -

Catching it. Without issue. Well, that's fine. Except for the fact that Honoka still doesn't have anywhere to put it! She fumbles around for a bit and eventually manages to get it tucked inside her jacket.

No longer distracted, she turns back. "Right! Well... let's keep having a good match!" She bows again before rushing forward. Dan gets extra time to react because of the distance, but not that much longer, because Honoka covers the ground quickly; she ducks low before coming up in a picture-perfect uppercut aimed directly at Dan's chin, trying to go for power rather than accuracy this time!

COMBATSYS: Dan blocks Honoka Inoue's Fierce Punch.

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Dan              1/---====/=======|======-\-------\0     Honoka Inoue

[DAN]
A stunned look seems to cross over Dan's face, as his opponent deftly snatches the slowly fluttering photograph out of the air! Not once, but twice, has she accomplished such a feat of martial prowess!!!

Perhaps this young lady truly does possess the spirit of a champion; to respond so perfectly to Dan Hibiki's ultimate autograph signing technique requires nothing short of perfect instincts and razor-sharp reflexes!

Bracing himself as his opponent rushes towards him, the man clad in pink inhales deeply through his nose as he prepares himself for the assault to come. When her fist comes striking up at the underside of his chin, he takes a half step backwards and moves his hand to grab her by the wrist.

Unfortunately, he is too slow to stop the punch entirely; the knuckles smash into his chin, snapping his head back just a fraction of a second before he's able to grip her wrist and stop the follow-through. Even with the botched attempt, he has successfully managed to prevent the majority of the vicious uppercut's impact.

And he has her in a favourable position, to boot!

"HIYAAAAA!"

Keeping hold of her wrist, he turns his back towards her and uses his own shoulder as a fulcrum - attempting to swing the pink-haired girl up and onto the ground, in what appears to be a traditional Judo throw.

COMBATSYS: Honoka Inoue blocks Dan's Saikyo Haraigoshi.

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Dan              1/---====/=======|=======\-------\0     Honoka Inoue

[HONOKA INOUE]
Honoka knows as soon as her knuckles make contact that it's not going to be a perfect blow. She doesn't precisely try to abort the strike - just pulling back would put her off-balance and out of position - but she does perhaps not follow-through quite as hard as she otherwise would.

Which means that Dan has a bit less momentum to work with than he would probably like. Not none - and with a bit of effort he can still flip her up and over - but he has to use far more than her own movement against her.

And at that she manages to land on her feet behind Dan, though facing away from him. She kicks backwards, turning into a twisting spin; staying low, she kicks twice more at Dan's legs, trying to slowly batter him into a trip if the first one can't manage it! "Haa - ha!" she calls, in sync with the last two kicks.

COMBATSYS: Dan interrupts Tropical Storm from Honoka Inoue with Chouhatsu Densetsu.

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

[DAN]
It's not that Dan's technique is lacking anything. Far from it, in fact: his movements seem to be as precise and fluid as one could hope from a trained martial artist. What's holding him back is not knowledge, but physical ability - and the killer instinct that every true warrior possesses. He is not fast enough, not strong enough, to truly utilize his Saikyo-ryu to its true potential... and what's more, he's /way/ too nice - or goofy - to go for the kill when the opportunity arises.

It's the equivalent of fighting a friendly and fat cat, who just so happens to have spent years and years training in the ways of combat.

Not even his tutelage under the great Gouken - the man who taught Ryu and Ken everything they know - was enough to make up for the ability which Dan Hibiki seems to lack.

But don't try to tell him that! Nothing will make the pink-clad man abandon his quest for vengeance, no matter what it ends up costing him!

Honoka doesn't fully commit to her attack once it becomes clear that Dan is in a position to block it, making her a far more difficult target to flip. He still manages it, but with greater effort - and with his opponent managing to land on her feet behind him.

A small set-back, and one which does not give Dan pause or concern. The flow of combat is a glorious thing, even to a lesser fighter such as he; and the smile on his face speaks to his enjoyment of the bout.

Anticipating a counter-attack from Honoka, he springs into motion - his loud, boisterous, cheerful voice once again ringing out into the air of the courtyard.

"Here I come!"

He ducks low and rolls towards the pink-haired girl, stopping in a crouch and flexing his bicep at Honoka - just before her first kick smashes into the side of his head. The impact jars his brain, but something about Dan's behaviour might point to the fact that head trauma isn't his biggest concern going forward. Instead, he rolls forward again - eating the second kick just after he stops to flex again!

"C'mon! C'mon!"

He's still smiling.

Taking a slow leap into the air, he lands only a few inches forward - turning his back to Honoka and wiggling his rear end at her, all while offering a big smile and lame thumbs-up to the crowd of onlookers!

"What's the problem???

"He manages to shout, before his opponent's final kick lands right on his left butt cheek - staggering him forward half a step before he steadies himself. Lifting both his arms in triumph, Dan takes a few confident steps away from the high school girl - practically strutting forward in a very Ric Flair-esque walk...

...before he finishes his third step, and faceplants /hard/ onto the ground.

"Don't understimate me! I'm awesome!"

Laying face-down in the dirt, a few more groaned words escape his lips as he begins to scramble back to his feet.

"Woo... hoo... piece of... cake..."

[HONOKA INOUE]
Honoka...

...increasingly has no idea how to deal with Dan at all. She hit him once, but it didn't really make much of a difference, and now he's posing at her. It's like he's not taking it seriously.

Which may be part of the problem, if he lacks that fighting instinct.

Even Honoka has that. It's the opposite problem from Dan; some part of her *wants* to fight, *wants* to let loose, and usually she restrains it. Not entirely, but enough that she doesn't hurt anybody. She just wants a nice, clean, fun fight, like her martial arts movies or the tournaments she watches.

Right now that spirit is burning at being frustrated. There's another flicker of red-black around Honoka's gloved hand, but she doesn't draw on it any further than that. Just the faint flicker as she feels her heart start to beat faster.

When Honoka comes in, she goes for the punch with that hand, letting the aura of chi pulse around it on impact; a surge of energy, though not enough to truly explode. Just enough to be present as she follows it up with a powerful right-handed hook to catch Dan as he rises.

"I'm not underestimating you!" Which is probably at least technically true. Honoka tends to take things as they come. She's confused, but she's calibrated her estimation at about the right level.

COMBATSYS: Dan fails to interrupt Strong Punch from Honoka Inoue with Kouryuken.

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Dan              0/-------/-======|=======\-------\1     Honoka Inoue

[DAN]
The great and powerful Dan Hibiki is utterly clueless as to the mysterious energy that dwells within Honoka Inoue. Oblivious to a fault, he completely misses the brief red-black flare around her hand as well as her obvious attempts at restraining herself; clearly too wrapped up in his own bizarre movements and reactions to the fight.

Little does he know that there is a power within her opponent that easily eclipses whatever he might be capable of himself.

In this case, ignorance is bliss - for although he is no coward, he might easily be unnerved were he to grasp the true nature of the young woman he faces here today.

Getting back to his knees just as Honoka approaches to attack, Dan flashes a wry grin at the girl - she's fallen into his trap!!

Time to unleash one of the techniques he has outright stolen from his former master Gouken; the same move that Ken and Ryu utilize so poorly, but perfected by Dan's own hand through years of practice!

As she approaches, he begins to rise to his feet - leading with his own fist in a vicious uppercut that is sure to carry him - and his opponent - off their feet!!

"KOURYU-AHHH THAT HURTS!"

Dan's loud shout becomes a shrill screech of pain, as his attempted counter-attack is interrupted by the girl's fist slamming into his nose. It's only a taste of the pain to come, as she follows up with a right hook that sends him spinning away from her - a small trickle of blood escaping his nose and twirling through the air as he rotates from the momentum of the blow.

He finally comes to a stop, facing away from Honoka as one hand clutches at his bleeding nose - hidden from his opponent's view for the time being.

"Jh-jhust whait a scheconhd.... AHA!"

Spinning back to face the high schooler, the source of his impeded speech is revealed - he's stuffed two, twisted-up autographed photos up both nostrils to stem the flow of blood. It gives his voice a rather comical, pinched nasal pitch but... well... he didn't bring anything else to stop the bleeding - and dry-cleaning his pink gi is damn expensive!

[HONOKA INOUE]
Honoka isn't a high schooler! She's just short. And dressed like a high schooler.

The mistake is not exactly hard to make.

Honoka was just pleased with getting a solid blow in, going so far as to interrupt his rising uppercut before it did more than brush her sleeve. Sure, it hurt Dan, but that's what you're trying to do in a match like this; there's a certain amount of damage that you have to expect when you get into a brawl and apparently bloody noses are well within the acceptable range.

So though she feels a little bad to see Dan with autographs up his nose (he looks ridiculous!) it's not enough to get her to back off.

"Sorry, Hibiki-san!" Honoka calls back. "But this is the match! I can't back off now!" Really, she can't. Now she wants to know if she can *win*.

Honoka plants her feet and goes for a karate-inspired straight punch. It looks like something Makoto might pull (and, indeed, that's where she got the idea); a powerful blow straight forward, aimed at Dan's center of mass rather than abusing his face anymore.

But this time her fist trails not just a little bit of energy but a lot, and - if it connects - there is a veritable explosion of force that is likely to send Dan back several yards, trailing deep red energy along the way. "HiYA!"

COMBATSYS: Honoka Inoue successfully hits Dan with Exploding Fist.
-* CRITICAL HIT! *-

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

[DAN]
"N-not a problem...!"

Dan's tone is anything but convincing, but at least he's putting on as brave a face as possible. He should - at least - be used to getting beaten by a schoolgirl, considering his frequent spars with Sakura.

"After all, this i-!!"

He's unable to finish his thought, as Honoka once again presses the attack - putting Hibiki back on the defensive. This time, he has a plan...

Moving one hand into the path of his opponent's punch, it seems that Dan is confident in his ability to catch the fist in the air! A confidence that is quickly proven misplaced, as the schoolgirl's punch effortlessly knocks his hand aside - and continues on its path straight into his midsection.

All the oxygen in his lungs is knocked out in a sharp gasp from his mouth, and an exhalation through his nose that dislodges the now-bloodied autographs onto the ground below. As if that's not bad enough, the attack carried with it a particularly potent load of that bizarre energy which Honoka is capable of manifesting.

"GUUUUUUUUUUUUU...."

Dan's groan of breathless, gasping agony hangs in the air as he is launched off his feet - landing in a heap a rather sizable distance away from his previous position. The blood flow from his nose - no longer blocked by his wadded-up photographs - has now resumed, staining his lips and chin as it carries on down to his neck.

Pulling himself back to his feet laboriously, he wastes little time in getting back into the fight; for all his physical and mental shortcomings, he's damned resilient.

And stubborn.

His dash back towards Honoka starts with shaky legs, but each step forward grows steadier and faster - before he is running at full speed back towards his opponent.

Once within striking distance, he lashes out with a sudden kick to her stomach, followed by a quick jab to the center of the face...

One might think that if Honoka were to dodge, he would cut short the combo that follows... but no, unless she manages to interrupt or block the strikes, he follows through with the entire 8-hit combo - leveling a variety of punches and kicks - before finishing in a rising uppercut that lifts him off his feet!

COMBATSYS: Dan successfully hits Honoka Inoue with Shisso Buraiken.

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

[HONOKA INOUE]
"Great! Let's do it right, then...!"

Dan has a plan!

And while the first part of his plan may not have ended up putting him in the best position, resilience and sheer determination will go a long way toward making up for it.

He charges in faster than Honoka was expecting him to, and she shifts stances to meet it. Something wide and steady, as if preparing to block and absorb the impact rather than dodge it - and that might have worked if he was just trying the one charging blow.

But it wasn't. It was a whole assault, and though Honoka's guard is sufficient to withstand a blow or two, the long flurry of attacks breaks through. A punch here, a kick there - and then a final uppercut to send her flying!

Honoka lands with a heavy slam several yards away. She's not defeated yet - she rolls to her front and starts to push herself up - but she's definitely not in nearly as good shape as she was before that final strike. "Nice hit... Hibiki-san!"

But apparently that also means it's her turn to try a similar maneuver. Having gotten to her feet - a little wobbly at first, less so as she recovers - Honoka approaches. Not as fast as Dan's rush, but steady -

Until at the last moment, she *surges* forward to close the last three steps between them, driving her ungloved fist forward - no, that's not a drive, that's a grab! Honoka tries to hook Dan's arm, pulling him closer.

And *then* she abruptly switches to a more boxing-styled stance and uses the (hopeful) opening to drive a massive chi-imbued haymaker directly at Dan!

COMBATSYS: Dan fails to interrupt Annihilation Stance from Honoka Inoue with Kyuukyoku Tenchi Gadou Zuki.

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

COMBATSYS: Dan can no longer fight.

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

[DAN]
If the man in the pink gi is at all surprised that he's managed to land his combo, his face doesn't show it. Instead, his expression is one of complete concentration - it even looks like he's mouthing the numbers of each successive strike, before finishing up with his rising uppercut alongside a triumphant shout.

"KOURYUKEN!!!"

Thanks, Gouken! Looks like at least one person was paying attention to his lessons - not like those goddamn slackers Ken and Ryu.

As his opponent is sent hurtling away, Dan completes his rising uppercut by landing in a crouch with his back to Honoka. Rising up to his full height, he offers one section of the crowd another thumbs-up and a sparkling smile - sure that he has just won the bout with that one combo.

And then, he hears Honoka's voice from behind him - congratulating Dan on the hits he had been able to land against her. Hibiki spins to face her quickly, his cocky and confident smile fading into a look of sheer disbelief!

"Huh...? IMPOSSIBLE!!!"

He sounds legitimately surprised that the young lady is still able to fight; he has only fractions of a second to prepare himself for her next attack. And sadly, quick reflexes and awareness of his surroundings are not one of Dan's strong suits.

As Honoka finishes her approach, Dan lifts one palm up into the air above his head. The sun seems to shine brighter for just a moment, at an angle that causes an inexplicable lens-flare off the tips of Dan's fingers.

"Kyuukyoku... Tenchi... Ga-hey, wait, wai-!!"

Interrupted midway through announcing the name of his technique, Hibiki finds himself pulled towards his opponent - the sudden yank knocking off his balance and dragging him right into the path of Honoka's follow-up strike!

It is clear to most people watching - as soon as the haymaker lands - that Dan is going to be in no further condition to fight. His eyes roll back in his head as the massive, chi-infused blow sends him spiralling backwards through the air - looking as light as a feather as the impact throws him so far he actually begins to descend into the middle of the onlooking Gedo High students.

As his shadow begins to grow larger on the ground, the high schoolers who were positioned underneath his impact zone take several steps to the side - opening up a nice patch of ground for him to crater into.

And boy, does he ever! The sound of him slamming into the earth seems to echo around the courtyard, as Dan lays in a heap - the only movement being the slow rise and fall of his chest.

"Uhhh... he gonna be okay, you think?"

"None of our business, dude. Maybe we ought to head back to class before Daigo hears about this..."

"Probably a good idea..."

The students mutter and converse with eachother, leaning over Dan's fallen form - one of them confirming that he is, in fact, still breathing. With the spectacle of this fight seemingly over, they begin to disperse slowly, mumbling and complaining about having to return to their studies.

[HONOKA INOUE]
Honoka holds her dramatic punch stance for a moment longer, breathing out slowly as the energy dissipates from her hand. She's launched people before, but that landing...

She winces. Ouch!

As the crowd starts to disperse, Honoka waves at several of them ('Bye! Thanks for coming!') before scooting over to Dan's side. He's - well, 'okay' is probably not the correct term here but he's alive and he *will* be okay, which is probably about what she can hope for here.

"Uh... thank you for the match!" she says, to a presumably incredibly dazed Dan. She bows again, but there's not much else she can do. Fortunately, that's why SNF employs doctors!

[DAN]
As Dan lay on his back, one of the autographs knocked loose by this most recent landing slowly flutters down from above... as he begins to shift and groan, regaining some semblance of consciousness, the photograph finally comes to rest over his face - replacing his wounded, bleeding expression with a picture of himself in better days, smiling and giving a thumbs-up to the photographer.

"I'm okay..."

He grunts those words out as he begins to come back to his senses, hands limply clawing at the ground as he struggles to push himself into a seated position - with the autograph still plastered to the blood that had trickled from his nose.

"Oh.. oh no... noooo...! I'm blind! I can't see!!!"

He has no idea that the reason his vision is consumed with blackness is the photograph sticking to his face; and he begins to panic, hyperventilating and rolling back and forth on the ground while wailing about such a cruel fate.

Ignoring his screams, the rest of the students slowly file out of the courtyard doors to return to class. Dan's continues to flail, going to grab at his face... and discovering that his lack of vision has been caused by the object stuck to it, rather than any actual blindness or damage to his eyes.

It takes him a moment to realize what had actually happened, as he pulls the autoraphed photo away and stares at it blankly...

...finally, he offers a half-hearted chuckle, accompanied by the wiping of panicked sweat from his brow. Turning his head to look at Honoka, he gives her a sheepish grin and a weary thumbs-up - still in no small amount of pain after their fight.

"Er... uhh.... I mean, nice one kid!!!"

Log created on 20:21:31 09/25/2021 by Dan, and last modified on 23:14:54 10/05/2021.